-Musings On A Silver Shard-
(My viewpoint of the Knight-Captain and her thoughts/feelings on being the Shard-Bearer.)
She sat quietly in her room at the Sunken Flagon, just staring numbly at her hands. After the encounter with Zeeaire, the queen of the githyanki and how Zeeaire tried to confiscate the shards from her-all of them-including the one inside her. "You have a piece of the sword inside you." Zeeaire had told her. She shuddered at that. Those chilling words would not leave her alone. Her chest slightly hurt after Zeeaire had lifted her up off the ground with her magic, as she attempted to reclaim all the pieces of the sword. And Bishop's comment didn't help either. "After all, who wants a woman with metal for a heart?" The words stung her more than she cared to admit-even to herself. She knew she shouldn't take Bishop's mocking so personally. She remembered her comment back to him. "I just now found out I have a strange piece of metal inside me, and I don't know what it means, so you'll have to forgive me for not laughing at your stupid joke." She sighed heavily. What did it mean anyway? Does this mean, that I am the only one who can defeat this King of Shadows? She didn't want to be the only one strong enough to put an end to this growing threat. Lots of questions bubbled up inside her. How did it get there? Did this happen during the battle at West Harbor with the King of Shadows when she was only a baby? What connection did the shard have to her mother? Why won't Daeghun talk about her-or the shard for that matter? Did Duncan and Daeghun know about this all along? Would she go the rest of her life with a shard of metal lodged near her heart? The questions kept coming. She blinked back tears as she was at a loss here of how to handle the whole situation. They would, no doubt, have to collect the other shards. But then what? The sword is broken and a piece of it is inside me. How is it possibly supposed to be reformed? She didn't have any answers. The curtains of the window were pulled back and the sun was setting low in the sky. A single candle was lit on a nearby side table, but it's light did little to comfort her as she wallowed in these seemingly unanswerable questions. Are the githyanki really going to stop their attacks? Will I survive all this? Will my companions survive? She felt guilt for bringing them into her battle, as they were not bound to this fate as she was, yet she knew they continued to follow her and aid her of their own free will. Well, okay, maybe not Qara. The girl was a spoiled brat for sure. She thought of each of her companions, Grobnar, with his perky moods and joyful, if not somewhat silly, music, Elanee who was concerned for the land, and Neeshka, who loved the adventure and hoped to get gold and riches from travelling with her. Khelgar, with his love of anything to do with fighting and brawls, Qara, with her love of fire and destructive tendencies with her sorcery and with little regard for others' safety. Shandra, who was worried about where this left her, after her barn and home were destroyed completely by the githyanki; Casavir who would lay down his life for her without a second thought; very noble really. As for Bishop, she couldn't figure out why he still stuck around. He already helped with saving Shandra, why is he still with us? She didn't have a clue as to that one. He seemed to want to serve no one but himself, yet here he remains in her company of companion misfits. Did she really want to lead them all, herself included, to their deaths? Did she even want to lead at all? She didn't really have a choice though. She looked out the window. It was dark now. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting in her personal quarters, but she figured she'd done enough wallowing for now. Maybe answers will reveal themselves as I continue on this journey of darkness, she mused. She then, got up and headed for the common room, to at least put some distance between herself and her thoughts.