Disclaimer: I don't own Raistlin or Dalamar. I so hope I did… *sniffles*
Words: 1514
Summary: Raistlin reflects on how Dalamar ended up being his apprentice. Dalamar is 7 years old in this (in human years). This is somewhat AU. One-Shot (??)
A/N: Just wanted to write something about these two ^^
Found
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Dalamar skipped through the field of flowers giggling happily while his foster father – as Dalamar liked to think him as – was keeping an eye on him. Raistlin tried to keep up to his young apprentice but found it a very difficult task due to his weak physical state. A few times he had to stop when a coughing fit came and wait his breathing to even. He tried to hide the attacks from the child for he didn't want to worry him. The last time when Dalamar had been worried for his 'father' he had bugged the wizard to no end and almost whined for him to rest. It had cost a great deal of Raistlin's study time. And Dalamar's for that matter.
Raistlin sighed. He watched the 7 –year –old, in human years, stop and smell some flowers before a butterfly caught his eyes, and he went to try and catch it. A fond smile almost sneaked on the wizard's lips but he suppressed it quickly. It had been two years since Raistlin had found the elf child nearly half dead from one of the slum areas of Palanthas…
//Two years ago//
It was stormy. Rain poured heavily from the sky soaking the already very soaked man even more. Raistlin cursed. He pulled the cloak's hood even more above his head to prevent more water to blurry his sight. He strolled determinedly along the muddy street in one of Palanthas many slums. Almost no one that wasn't from Palanthas knew about the dark side of the beautiful city. And the rich residents wanted to keep it that way.
Raistlin was in a hurry. He wanted to get back to the tower as soon as possible to study a really valuable book he had managed to get his hands on. So he had decided to cut through the slum. Usually he avoided the poor areas but the book called his immediate attention so he had no other choice.
The wizard was so focused on walking forward that he didn't see the little bundle in front of his path and almost stumbled over it. He regained his balance and furiously looked behind himself to see the offender. Raistlin's eyes almost widened in shock.
There on the muddy ground was lying a really young boy, about 5 –years –old. His tattered clothes were soaked due to the rain and struck to the boy's lithe form like second skin. The boy was also breathing shaggily.
Raistlin didn't find it unusual to find a child in that condition on the slum's streets. Orphans were a usual sight there. But what shocked the wizard was that the boy wasn't human. He was an elf! And a Silvanesti one at that. Raistlin wondered what on Earth a Silvanesti child was doing in the slums of Palanthas. And how he had gotten there?
Raistlin went to the elf child and inspected him further. The boy's ebony hair was shaggy and the pale marble like skin was a little flushed. Maybe due a mild fewer. Raistlin also put note to how skinny the boy was. He must not have eaten in days.
Raistlin didn't know what he was doing when he lifted the tiny elf on his arms and headed once again towards his tower. He carried the boy al the way through Shoikan Grove and into the Tower of High Sorcery of Palanthas. He took the boy into an empty guest room and put him on the bed. After that he stripped all the soaked clothes from the boy. The child started to shiver even more. Raistlin quickly covered the boy with blankets and then went to fend dry clothes ready for the boy.
It was a difficult task to find any clothes the size of the elf child but finally he found and old black shirt and brown pants. The clothes were a bit too big but would be convenient enough at the moment. He went back to the room and put the clothes on the near by chair.
Raistlin walked to the bed and put his hand on the boy's forehead. It was hot. As he withdrew his hand the boy let out a faint cough. Fewer and a cold. Raistlin concluded the child had caught a cold. He walked out of the room ones more. In a few moments he came back carrying a pot of cool water, a clothe and a bag of herbs. He put the pot in the bedside table and soaked the clothe in the water before putting it on the boy's forehead. Then he went to get a kettle of hot water and a mug so he could prepare the herb tea to ease the boy's couching.
Once again Raistlin came back and started to prepare the tea. He put some herb leaves in the kettle and let it be a few moments. Then he poured the tea in the mug and went to the bed. He lifted the boy's head and bought the mug on his lips. He guided the boy to swallow the healing liquid and that done he put his head carefully back on the pillow. The wizard predicted the boy to be fine in the morning.
Raistlin put the mug aside and made sure the boy was comfortable before going out from the room. The boy needed to rest.
***
In the morning a pair of violet shaded eyes opened slowly as the Sun rays hit them. The boy rubbed his eyes away form sleep. He felt his mouth was really dry. He started to sit up but then noticed something was really wrong. He sprung in a sitting position and noticed that he was in a comfy bed. He looked around. He was in a room. There were few furniture; the bed he was on, bed side table, a chair and a closet. The room seemed dark for there weren't any other colours than black or brown.
The violet eyed boy started to get a little panicked. He was in a strange place with no memory of how he had gotten there. He was about to rise from the bed when he heard the door open and a weird looking man stepped inside. The man wore a black cloak and his skin was yellowish. But what frightened the boy was when he noticed the man's eyes. They were a deep yellow and hourglass shaped. The boy had never seen that kind of eyes before.
The man walked towards the bed. The boy flinched away when he came right beside the bed and brought a hand near the boy's forehead.
"Don't be afraid, child. I want to just feel your forehead to know if the fewer has dropped" the man said calmly.
The boy nodded and let the man bring his hand on his forehead.
"Good. The fewer is gone" the man said and withdrew his hand. "What is your name, child?" he asked.
The boy blinked a few times, pondering if he should answer.
"Da… Dalamar" he eventually said.
"My name is Raistlin Majere. I'm a wizard" the man introduced himself in return.
Dalamar's eyes widened.
"A wizard?!" he exclaimed.
"Yes. And you are in the Tower of High Sorcery of Palanthas"
"How did I…. get here?" the boy asked.
"I found you lying on the street in the slums. How did you get there? You are an Silvanesti elf. You shouldn't be wondering so far away form home" Raistlin said and looked the boy in the eyes.
"I… I don't… remember. I have no memory of how I got here. I just remember wondering the streets…" Dalamar stuttered and looked at his hands.
Raistlin mulled the information in his head. Then he smirked briefly.
"In that case, you can stay here as my apprentice" he said.
Dalamar rose his head and looked at Raistlin in disbelieve.
"Really? I can stay here?" he asked hopefully.
Raistlin nodded. A bright smile formed on Dalamar's lips and he jumped in to hug the wizard. Raistlin stiffened form the act. He pried the boy away.
"Thank you, shalafi!!" Dalamar thanked his new master.
//The present// (quite a long flashback oO)
And from that on Dalamar had been Raistlin's pupil. Raistlin sighed as the memory swept through his mind. Dalamar had turned out to be very talented in using magic and a dedicated learner.
Raistlin was cut from his musings when two arms wound around his waist.
"Are you alright, shalafi?" Dalamar asked in a worried voice.
"Yes, I'm fine Dalamar" Raistlin patted the boy's head reassuringly.
Dalamar smiled brightly at the gesture and hugged the wizard more tightly. He buried his head in the cloak's fabric.
"I'm happy that you are my shalafi" the boy murmured. "I'm happy that you found me." Dalamar retreated his face from the cloak and looked up at Raistlin with eyes that held the most sincere adoration and love.
Raistlin was taken aback by the look. Then let a warm smile form on his lips.
"And I am happy to have found you, my dear Dalamar."
I was thinking to leave this as a One-Shot but then I got an idea. I'm not sure if I'll continue this… I'm quite lazy to write multi chapter stories. But IF I do write more of this then I'll update.
Oh, reviews are nice to gain ^^