Usual witty Disclaimer:

Raistlin belongs to the Dragonlance Authors. Kenders probably belong TSR or maybe to Wizards of the Coast, my Office Program doesn't belong to Microsoft, Mary Sue does belong to everybody and nobody will sue me for this, because we are fans, no harm is done and it is OUR hard earned money we spend on Rulebooks and Drangonlance merchandise...

Hi Guys. As you can see from the disclaimer: Honey, I wrote a Mary Sue. But at least, I dare say its not quite the average type. (No godlike powers. No hidden abilities. No overwhelming smartness.)

Humor intended. Romance intended. Well, sort of. Raistlin may act somewhat out of character. But you would too, if you awoke in a... well you'll have to read it. :D

Ok, so we have a Kender, A Mage, Ambition and something that is absolutely not right...

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Wishful Thinking

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Part One: Meet a Mage

Somewhere on Krynn in a juggler's camp:

Nima Teketoll, a young kender girl sat on her little bed in the old wooden wagon she shared with her parents. It was her free hour in the afternoon and she was reading a spell book. It was her favorite spellbook. Not counting the fact that it was her only spellbook. But that didn't matter to her. She just loved the illusion spells described in the "Grimoire of Charlatanry." Softly, Nima closed the book and stared dreamily out of the little window of her mobile home. Maybe one day she would become a mage. A true mage. A mighty mage. Mistress of all illusions in the world.

Though she was gifted with magical talent nobody had ever bothered to send her to one of Krynn's schools of magic. And it had never occurred to the young girl to apply for any of them. What could the dry shrines of scholarship hold that was interesting to a kender who could otherwise travel Krynn and do a lot of mischief while on tour with Gypsies. No ten horses would carry her inside a mage's tower. Gloomy old places. If she was to borrow something there she would go but certainly not for the sake of studying. But she still could dream...

Nima reached for the Grimoire once again and went back to studying the spell of Animal Voice Imitation. Suddenly somebody knocked at the wagon-door and only seconds afterwards, the door crashed open, revealing the figure of Naranja, the Fortuneteller's daughter. Naranja was human and the equivalent of what humans called a best friend. The girls were nearly the same age, relatively speaking, and had shared their daydreams and hardships for years.

"Nima, I was looking for you all over the place! Come out. There are guys outside! Good looking guys!"

Nima arched an eyebrow, sceptically and disinterested. Since shehad reached the wonderfully mature age of seventeen, all Naranja had in mind where guys, and good looking guys, and better looking guys. Humans! Nima thanked the gods she was not punished with nasty overwhelming mating instincts. She was still able to see the important issues of life clearly. Learning how to unlock doors without making a sound, perfecting acrobatic skills for the show, and performing magic from old grimoires her beloved daddy had organized. Nima just shook her head and settled on the bed more comfortably. Naranja tried another one on her.

"RICH guys, Nima. With VERY interesting things in their pockets."

Nima jumped and shut the grimoire.

"What are we waiting for? Lets make friends with them!"

Naranja smiled. This would always work. She watched her friend putting the spellbook in a drawer.

"Dreaming of being a mage again, are we?"

Nima raised a fist, inclined to make a speech.

"I have a book! I have the skill! I have an artifact! And I will not hesitate to use it."

Naranja smiled wisely.

"You mean the necklace with the white gem your father gave you together with the book?"

Nima nodded.

"He bought both things from a mage. So they must be powerful artifacts."

Naranja chuckled.

"Be honest, he didn't exactly BUY these things."

"That doesn't affect their magic!"

Both girls grinned.

"Is that the reason, you keep wearing the gem all the time since you got it?"

"It makes me feel more like a true mage."

Naranja smiled and shook her head.

"Nima, you're a kender who's family is specialized in rope walking and you lived your whole life among a lot of riffraffs like us! Your mind is full of insanity and mischief. Go hit your head against something hard and change your life ere you become a mage!"

A quick retort formed on Nima's lips as, suddenly, the gem of her necklace started to glow. A low rumble shook the caravan as the girls inside could feel a trickle on their skin. The air seemed to have become alive and energetic. "What the Abyss is this?" was the last thing Nima was able to say. Then something near to her neck exploded and knocked her unconscious.

When she awoke everything was dark. She sniffed. It smelled odd and it was cold. She sniffed again. The place smelled of herbs and smoke. It reminded her of the room of Hrongar, the old alchemist. Probably she was inside his caravan. Probably they had brought her to Hrongar because the accident or what ever it had been had caused some injuries. Hrongar had healing skills. Yes, that must be it. She felt a little weak right now. "Hrongar?" she asked into the darkness. No answer came. But this was not the truly irritating part. Had her voice just sounded different? More... um... deep? She tested the situation again. "Hrongar?" Still no reply. And indeed, her own voice sounded strange. Equally annoying was the fact that she wasn't lying comfortably at all. Her back ached. No wonder, they had put her in a very stony place to lie. No fun, indeed. She felt a cold stone floor beneath her. "Not funny!" she murmured into the quiet of her surroundings. Then she tried to stand. The intended action proved more difficult than Nima had expected. Too late it occurred to her that she wore very strange clothes. A robe or something like that. Her efforts to jump on her feet like she was used to caused her to fall over the ends of the robe and to stumble.

Nima just managed to utter a panicked cry for "Help!" and fell onto the floor again.

At that moment a door was opened and light lifted away the darkness of the room. A shadowy figure stood in the door. The stranger asked something. It sounded like:

"Shalafi? What is with you?"