AN:
Hello everyone,
Lord_Cog and MrsAlderaan here. We are real life friends who are playing a D&D campaign at home. MrsAlderaan has been a fanfiction author for a long time (since before 2014, but that is when she adopted her handle), and she started to write out the story of our campaign. Lord_Cog found out about the project, and joined in on his own project. Then, one day, we started writing a post-campaign story, which was silly because the campaign is still active, and we already have to change it due to canon divergence. Anyway, we decided to start in on this project because this is not an actual campaign story that playing the game can change. It is actually set in an alternate universe from our homebrew campaign where the characters never really leave their home continent of Theisa.
Please remember that this is a derivative work, and all content recognizable as owned by Wizards of the Coast is their intellectual property. Neither of the authors make any money off of or own any Dungeons and Dragons content. This story will contain violence, sex, sexual situations, and contains a detailed scene of sexual assault. If this is something that you do not want to read or are triggered by, please leave now. Otherwise, please enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review. Feedback is always appreciated.
Thanks for reading
~Lord_Cog & MrsA
A fifteen year old gnome ran as quickly as her feet would carry her through the forest, passed the small brook and several clearings of wildflowers until she could no longer stay on her feet. When she finally collapsed, she was near exhaustion, panting and holding a stitch in her side. This was the farthest she'd ever made it during one of her excursions. Normally, Noomfla or Glisenda would have already caught her by now, except she snuck away while they were conducting business with a customer. For once, she was well and truly on her own. She stared up through the tree's canopy, and saw the sun's rays trickling down through the filter of green and smiled.
Once she'd caught her breath, she stood up and continued to walk in the direction she had been running, but, now, she took the time to wave and mutter incomprehensible words under her breath in a language that was neither common nor gnomish. Her eyes danced with joy and wonder when she was finally able to cast the spell. Minor Illusion. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
The gnome frowned as she remembered her first disastrous fighting lesson from Glisenda. She'd known as soon as the small dagger had been placed in her hand that she wasn't a fighter, or, at least, not that type of fighter. As fruit trees began to appear throughout the forest and a small house came into view before her, she remembered of the adventurers her brother traded with, and the magics they so often wielded. That was power that she could wield. Perhaps, she could even use her ability to tinker one day too. There were so many options before her that she was overwhelmed. As her mind whirled with possibilities, a boy came into view. He was playing in the garden by the house as a dire wolf lazily dozed off nearby.
The young boy jumped around the garden, attempting to catch the few butterflies that were nearby, and failing miserably. He would jump and reach out for the tiny insect, and just before it would be within his grasp, it would flutter away, just missing his hands. The young boy fell to the ground, and he face planted into it. He looked up and his face was covered in dirt. As the young half-elven boy began to let out a whimper, an older human man with wirey greying hair and permanently etched laugh lines that had long since become wrinkles came out to console the young boy. The man quickly calmed him, patting his back and giving him a brief kiss on the forehead, before turning to the dire-wolf and calling it over. The wolf stretched widely before standing up and shifting its entire body into that of a female elf; the woman wore slightly revealing clothing which probably helped with her beast transformations and the black hair on her head was wild and curly. A smirk turned at the corners of her lips as she strode over to the older man, giving him a hug and kiss before walking inside with him, leaving the young five year old outside to play by himself.
As the young boy stood up and brushed the few long strands of black hair out of his face, he looked to see his parents walk into the house. He smiled, and as he did so, a butterfly crossed his vision and he chased it once again. He ran around trying desperately to catch the mighty beast, this time, however, when he jumped to catch it what he fell on was what took him the most off guard. Below him was a young blonde haired gnome with blue eyes, who looked like she had just ran a marathon to get where she was now. He looked her over and immediately stood up. "Are… are you okay?" He asked timidly, not knowing what to do.
"Yeah. Just outta breath. I was running away from my brother and sister, and I wound up here this time." She answered honestly, knowing already that she would be caught and deciding to make the most of it while she could. "What's your name?"
"Oh! Hi, my name is Brook. Like the river. What's yours?" The young boy smiled, happy to make a friend.
"Hollysharp, but I don't really like it. It sounds… I don't know… too mean. Nice to meet you, Brook-like-the-river." She teased with a chuckle.
Brook smiled at his new friend. "You don't sound mean, how about I just call you Holly? I don't think I would remember your full name anyway." He smiled back.
"That's fine. Can I help you catch the butterflies? It looks like you were struggling a bit." She asked, seeing just how short the half-elven boy was. Even she was taller than him… for now, that is. She hadn't had a growth spurt in awhile, and she felt like she was going to be stuck at three foot tall forever.
Brook looked back over his shoulder and then back to his new companion. "Yes please! That would be great! I am just a bit too small to catch them." He looked down at his feet, and let out a small frown. His older brother told him he was too small to catch anything, but his father had reminded him that... "I will be big soon enough!" He exclaimed with a triumphant roar.
Hollysharp started scouring the ground, looking for something, but not explaining to her companion just yet. Meanwhile, the boy just looked on in confused wonder. Finally, she'd found her quarry, and the gnome started to fiddle with the long stick she'd found, pulling out a ball of twine and beginning to braid it intricately. She walked over to Brook, showing him what she was doing, "So, you just pull this loop through here, and voila! Now, we have a net." She finished with a flourish of the freshly made tool.
Little Brook looked on in awe, as seemingly out of nowhere, this girl had made a net. "That is awesome!"
The gnomish girl blushed prettily, and looked down at her bare toes as she wiggled them nervously. "Uh, thanks. Why don't you take it for a spin?" She suggested, handing the net to the small boy and standing back to watch as a look of determination made its way into his features before he frolicked through the garden, hunting the butterfly menace. With each swoop of the net, the smile on her face grew. It might not be much, but Holly was happy to bring such joy to her first friend outside of her own tribe.
She looked up at the sky and noticed that the afternoon sun was drawing low in the sky. She'd run away sometime before High Sun. With a sigh, she realized that Glisenda or Noomfla would probably be along to collect her before too much longer. She thought about the punishment she would get for running away so far this time and dreaded returning; she didn't want to go. She loved her brother and sister dearly, but they were terrible parents. They barely acted like parents, and she wondered not for the first time what life would be like if she had her real parents or if she never had to go back. She dreamt of becoming an adventurer and saving the world, falling in love, and having her own family. A family where she could be herself and not somebody she wasn't. Somebody she couldn't be. She imagined how Glisenda fought, and tried to place herself in her sister's shoes. She could never be like that. She wanted something more than her tribe. She wanted what this boy had. Parents. Choices. Freedom.
Holly wiped an errant tear away before dragging herself back to the present only to find that Brook was standing in front of her with a butterfly gently trapped between his two tiny hands. "Are you okay, Holly? You look sad."
She gulped, trying to cover up her nervous response with a false smile that didn't even convince her that she was happy. "Yeah, I guess I'm just sad that I'll probably have to go home soon. I don't really like it there." She frowned.
The boy let go of the butterfly, watching it fly off briefly before he jumped up, wrapping his friend in a hug. "It's okay! We can play again tomorrow. Can't we?"
The girl looked at the boy for a very long moment before finally answering. "I- I really want to, but I'm not sure if I can. My tri- my family is supposed to be traveling north tomorrow, and I'll be in trouble for running off again."
"Aww! That's no fair. Can you stay, please? I never get to play with anybody my own age. My brother is like a bazillion years older than me, and he's never home either." Brook stomped his little foot on the ground angrily.
Hearing the commotion outside, a tall elven woman finally made her way back into the garden. She knelt down in front of the two children, and smiled at them both. "Brook, it's time for you to go back inside and wash up." The half-elf whined, but slumped back into the house obediently as the elf looked at his new friend. "And who might you be?"
The girl looked down at the ground before responding, "Um, my name's Holly, ma'am."
"Alright, Holly. Thank you for coming to play with my boy, but I think it's time that you head home for the night." Brook's mother responded calmly, using her hand to pull the girl's chin up so that their eyes could meet.
The gnome's ears drooped, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Please, I don't wanna go home. Will you let me stay with you? I'll be so good that it's like I'm not here."
The elf appraised the girl for several minutes as she cried before she pulled the blond in for a hug. As soon as the arms wrapped around her, the girl's tears fell, and she began to sob, saying incoherent words and phrases that the woman could only sometimes understand. "Is this what a mama's hug is like? 'Cause I really like it." Holly muttered between heaving gasps for air.
Hearing this, the elf pulled the girl in tighter, "Do you know what happened to your mother, dear?"
Holly shook her head emphatically, "No, big brother Noomf and Big sister Glis just keep telling me that they'll tell me when I get older."
"Why don't you want to go be with your brother and sister? They're your family. Won't you miss them?" The elf asked, pulling away to get a better look at the gnome's blue eyes.
"I would miss them, yeah. I just… wanna be different than they want me to be." Holly shrugged. "I like… magic, and they… well, they just don't." Her eyes looked back to the ground, they never did like the idea of magic. It was such a foreign concept to them that it might as well have been a different planet. Something that they would never understand.
The elf looked at the young child for well over a minute, throwing ideas back and forth in her head. She saw in this young girl, not a hurt soul, but a misunderstood one. Something she could relate too. She pulled Holly in for a long hug, letting the girl feel the love that she wanted. "All right sweetie, you can stay with us for tonight. But tomorrow we will need to bring you to your siblings. Okay?" The woman looked into the gnome's eyes hoping it would be at least some comfort.
Hollys eyes lit up and she hugged the elven woman with all her strength. A few tears fell down her face once again, but, this time, tears of joy. "Yes! Thank you! You have no idea how much that means to me!" She said giddy with excitement.
"All right, then let's get you cleaned up for dinner. Come on." She lead the young girl into the house, and was almost jumped by Brook who was happy to see his new friend. "Brook, please show Holly to the bathroom so that she can wash up for dinner." She calmly told her son, who followed it to the letter, happily leading the young girl to the washroom. When the kids were out of ear shot, she turned to her husband who was looking at her curiously. "I know what you are thinking. And no, I am not being too kind."
The human man picked up his cup of tea, and sipped it slowly. "I didn't say anything... I'm just a little shocked that Brook was able to find a friend all the way out here. It is a bit out of the way from the town." He set the cup back down, enjoying the beverage.
"Nick, she ran away from her family. She just needs a place to stay for the night." The elf sighed, she knew what that girl was going through. She didn't want her to feel lonely. "I just want her to feel welcomed okay?" She looked back at the man looking for some form of acceptance.
Nick sighed, there was no winning with this woman once she had her mind set on something. "Fine, but we are finding her family tomorrow okay?" He said demandingly.
A smile lit up the elf's face, and she walked over and kissed the man on the lips. She pulled away after a moment, and stood back up so that she could see over his shoulder. "That is what I was going to do. I think she might just need a break for a night. So let's let her have it." She saw Brook and Holly laughing on the way back into the kitchen. "Alright kids, I hope your hands are clean, food is ready!"
The kids sat at the table, and Holly introduced herself to the human man. "Hello sir, my name is Holly it is nice to meet you!" She smiled, extending a hand forward to meet him.
"Hello Holly, my name is Nicholas Evenwood, and I see you have already met my wife Pyria, and my son Brook." He said in a kind but stern manner that left no wiggle room for funny business.
"Yes, I have. They are really nice! Thank you for letting me stay for the night!" Holly smiled widely, like the happiest person in the world.
Nick smiled back; he could see why his wife liked her so much. "Well, I hope you enjoy yourself tonight ,alright!?" He smiled wider. If his wife wanted her to have a good time, he could help with that.
"Okay, here is the food. Roast chicken, with roast potatoes, freshly cooked carrots and a side of peas." Pyria said, placing the food in front of everyone. She sat down at the opposite end of the table from Nick. "Enjoy!" She exclaimed and everyone began to dig into the delicious food that had been made.
No words were had as everyone enjoyed Pyria's cooking. After the meal was finished, Holly looked to Pyria. "Thank you! That was the best meal I have ever had! Really it was!" She said with gusto, rubbing her stomach to emphasize her words.
"Thank you, Holly. Now, you and Brook go play in his room. Do have fun." She smiled and began cleaning the dishes. The two friends beelined for Brook's room where fun and giggling could be heard from the kitchen. Nick looked in the direction of the laughter before grunting and getting up to do the dishes, gently pushing his wife to the side. She turned to look at him curiously, a little surprise in her expression. "Nick, what are you doing?"
Nick looked to his wife with worry. "The dishes… What did you think I was doing?" He said with a curious smile and a small chuckle.
"Well, I can see that, but I can take care of them…" She was about to continue, but was cut off by her husband.
"I've got them. I might be old, but I can still do the dishes. Now, you go find her siblings, it's already getting pretty late. I bet they are worried for their sister." He waved her away, and continued to wash the few remaining dishes.
Pyria smiled, and wrapped her arms around his middle from behind, hugging him without impeding on his work. "But, what about the kids?"
"I can look after two kids. It's not that hard to entertain them. Now, go find them. I've got all this." He turned around, drying his hands and returned the hug briefly, watching as she turned towards the door. Pyria shifted into an owl to search for Holly's brother and sister, glanced back at her husband, and flew off into the night.
Once the dishes were done, Nick made his way to his son's room to check in on the two rambunctious children. When he entered, he was shocked by what he saw. They had made two forts opposite from each other, using the pillows and rugs to make walls and roofs. But what he was most impressed with was the two trebuchets that had been built out of Brook's tinker toys. They were firing small figurines back and forth at each other, laughing and giggling as they did so. When the two children finally noticed him, they both stopped and smiled. "Hey Dad! Look what Holly made! Isn't it cool?" The young boy said smiling, bringing the small trebuchet to his father to examine.
As Nick looked it over, he glanced over to Holly, who was smiling, but was looking at her feet, as if she thought she was about to be reprimanded for making it. "You made this?" He asked, looking over the intricate recreation of a fully functional weapon of war. Holly jumped slightly when Nick asked the question, she looked at him like she was about to cry. She simply nodded in return. Nick handed the model back to Brook, before walking over to Holly, kneeling down and placing a hand on her shoulder. "That is amazing what you did! I have never seen anything like it before! You have a real knack for this, you could be quite engineer when you get older!" He patted her on the head and stood back up and turned to walk to the door.
The young girl was ecstatic. Never had she been told that the things she made were a good thing, let alone amazing. She smiled widely and ran up to Nick and gave him a big hug. "Thank you Brook's Dad." She nearly toppled over the older human, but he was able to stand firm. "Thank you. I would like to be an engineer, but I like magic more! I can even cast a spell!"
Nick was taken aback, how could this young girl be able to cast spells at such a young age? Surely she had to be joking. "Really? Show me." He said, half assedly, not expecting her to actually produce even a spark of magic. What Nick saw next, made his jaw drop. Not only did she begin to cast a spell, but it was a spell he knew. It was a cantrip, but a spell is a spell, regardless of its level of power. She made a small shower of harmless sparks shoot out of her hand that fluttered into nothingness. Nick took a moment to contemplate what he had just seen. This young girl, barely even the same age as his son, had just cast a spell in front of him. He stood there in awe for a few moments, before he managed to pick his jaw off of the floor. Then, he gave a slow clap, which he sped up before stopping and giving the young girl a bow. "Very well done! That is impressive that you are able to do that at such a young age. Good for you to be able to do that!" He said, smiling at the young gnome who was blushing so profoundly at this point that her ears were turning red. He turned to Brook and pointed a finger. "Brook, you need to be careful with this one. She is smart, and will one day be the bane of your existence." He smiled, as his son suddenly looked worried.
"But, Dad! She's just a girl! What can she do?" He asked, unsure of what his father had meant.
Nick sighed, and looked at his son. "Well, for starters, she can already cast spells, and, the last time I checked, you can't cast anything. Yet. So be careful, I say that from experience." He said, using his stern fatherly tone, making sure his son knew he was being serious.
"Okay, Dad, I will be careful." He said, still not fully grasping his father's words.
"Okay, good. Now, you two have fun, and don't stay up too late okay?" Nick spoke knowing full well that they wouldn't take heed of him at all.
"Okay!" They chimed in unison as they began to go back to the miniaturized war that they were having.
Nick walked into the living room, and sat down on the couch. He pondered what that girl must have gone through just to want to leave her family. She didn't seem unhappy, but, as his wife had put it, she needed to get a break from them. And, that wasn't a bad thing, but he still wanted to know what her siblings must be like for her to need to run away from them. He got up to get a drink, and poured himself a glass of water. As he did, he still couldn't get over the fact that she was able to cast a cantrip, and at such a young age. She definitely was a smart one, he could see her becoming a terrifying wizard one day. Maybe just like Brook's older half brother… Then, an idea popped into his head. One that was farfetched to say the least, but he needed to talk to his wife first.