The hulking brute stood over the bloody hobbit. His scimitar gleamed brightly in the sun as he laughed, "Too bad for the people of Ember. It is time for you to join them. This has all been for nothing! I'm going to chop you into bits when I'm done with you!"
Dark laughter rung throughout the arena as the weapon came down. Blood spurted everywhere.
As Lorne looked upon the fallen little lady, he raised his weapon to chop into her again. As the scimitar descended a hammer intercepted it's thrust.
"You will not desecrate her body." His voice was firm as he forced the man back.
"This was my fight, paladin! I have the right to dispose of her body as I wish."
"Leave her body for those who care for her."
"No!"
The larger man lifted his scimitar again but Casavir drove him back with his hammer. The hammer smashed the scimitar aside and crashed into Lorne's head with a sickening thud. The paladin continued to hit him until there was no sign of life left.
He turned. The ground was red with her blood. In moments he lifted her into his arms and cradled her body against him. His forehead touched hers. She was so cold.
A flicker of breath hit his cheek. His heart skipped a beat as he moved enough to look into her eyes as she smiled, "Hey my paladin."
The voice was hardly a whisper but it was enough. Tears threatened to fall.
What was he going to do? She was alive. To the nine hells with everyone and everything else! She was innocent and should not have been forced into this battle in the first place. He was going to take her away, just like the ranger said should be done.
But as he watched she took her last breath in his arms and the light in her eyes faded.
"No!" He yelled and swirled, battle ready. Then he noticed where he was. He had rested his head on his hands upon the railing waiting for the battle to begin. The nightmare was still vivid in his mind's eye as the tiefling who had accidentally woken him stepped back from his fury.
"Hey, it's just me!" Neeshka yelped.
He breathed deeply as Neeshka gave him a concerned look, "That isn't a good way to sleep. You'll have nightmares."
"It does not matter how I sleep right now. I get nightmares, nonetheless."
She nodded in sympathy, "We all are having them right now. Except Qara. She really doesn't care. But Khelgar had a doozy! Woke us all up last night and we even had to restrain him when we woke him up."
"We are all stressed by this." He glanced into the arena as the combatants walked to the center of the ring, "All we can do is pray and hope."
Neeshka nodded, "Well, I just thought you'd like to be awake for this." She watched as Lorne stopped in front of Avera, "No matter how much we wish it was just a dream."
Casavir was surprised as the tiefling gently touched his arm and gave him a lopsided grin. She left as Lord Nasher started the announcements. He asked whether each combatant was there and went on with all the lordly stuff that had to be said at events like these.
He turned his head enough to notice Bishop beside him. The ranger probably was just looking forward to baiting him. Well, he'd better watch out this time. Casavir was in no mood to be baited today.
His attention returned to the arena as the huge man lifted a hand and looked at it then glared down at the hobbit.
"Don't you speak of my mother! You are going down like a bug!"
She was baiting him. Bishop sniffed in surprise as he watched the little woman turn her back on the behemoth then looked back at him over her shoulder. He could not hear much of what she was saying over the yelling of the crowd but he did hear her say something about how the man's mother would be so proud of him.
Casavir gave him an ill tempered, sideways glance because the ranger had chuckled, "What is so funny?"
"She just baited him by saying she thought his mother would be proud of him." There was no reason not to tell the paladin. He could have kept it in but for some reason he felt like sharing today. Maybe because he wasn't sure if he'd still be there after this fight.
Khelgar overheard him and snickered cheerfully, "That's my lass!"
The combatants were returning to their sides of the arena when Lorne pulled away from the attendee who was leading him. He ran quickly towards the hobbit even though there had been no call for the fight to start.
"The betrayer!" Casavir snarled. His eyes followed the man as he got closer and closer to the little woman. His whole body was tensed thinking that this may be the end. He could not believe it would happen so quickly. Then the little woman ducked and rolled under Lorne's legs and twisted out of his way.
The paladin let out a breath of relief until he noticed a red splotch on the side of Avera's skull just above her temple. That scimitar had cut open a patch of skin and she didn't even noticed the blood or flap of flesh flopping back.
Neeshka jumped forward and gasped, "Did you see that? That was really close! At least she's still going!"
"She's gonna die she's gonna die she's gonna die …" Shandra chanted under her breath quietly until Grobnar cuddled up to her side.
"She will be fine Shandra." The gnome bounced as he noticed his friend duck the nasty looking blade and hook her mace onto her belt so she could roll easier. The belt unit looked new and had clips all over the waist and body straps, "Look! She's using the belt I made for her! It works so well! She can clip and unclip each weapon onto that unit quickly and without worry of any of them falling. It makes it so that she can work faster. Avera will be fine! Just watch and see."
"I don't want to watch!"
"Oh get hold of yourself." Bishop snapped as the little woman whipped past the brute and hit his leg with her mace, "Or leave. She is not some damsel in distress like some other people tend to be."
Shandra snarled angrily at the ranger but stood up to his sneering mug, "I am not going to leave."
"Then quit whining. It's hard enough to keep track of what is going on without hearing you crying away."
"Leave her be, ranger." Khelgar snapped.
Elanee yelled, startling the rest, "She got him in the gut!"
"That's my lass! Beat the crud out of him!"
Sand walked around the dwarf and behind the rest to go stand by Casavir, "It is a bit less noisy over here." He mused as Avera got in another hit and Khelgar shouted another variety of his lass statement.
Casavir didn't even look at the mage. He had not heard the others as his attention was now directed completely on the fight. A grim frown was plastered on his face and his lips were drawn in a line of concentration. Roll. Good. Keep away from him. That's my lady. Run … oh run faster.
Avera surprised everyone by being able to twist and twirl out of the monster's reach. It was almost as if someone was directing her as to which way Lorne was moving at all moments. The man had gone into a berserker rage and that was why she was keeping her distance. She would shoot an arrow or two, sling her bow then take her mace to a meaty part of his body.
A bark startled them and Elanee swirled on the ranger, "I thought you weren't supposed to bring Karnwyr!"
"I didn't." Bishop yelled back.
A growling shook them. It was as if Karnwyr was there with them but the dire wolf was nowhere to be found.
Avera started to fumble with her belt. Everyone glared at the gnome thinking that something went wrong with his contraption.
"She's trying to get a scroll." Elanee announced.
Eyes turned back to the arena to see the woman drop a scroll and Lorne backing her up away from it. Finally, the attack they all had expected but hoped against happened. The mountain of a man swung wide and caught the hobbit from her abdomen up to mid chest.
She went spinning across the ground in a roll and stopped. They could see her ribs showing out of her flesh as she grabbed a flask from the belt and drank it quickly. With yells of concern they watched the wounds knit themselves. It seemed to be doing so slowly … too slowly.
Khelgar was the first to start yelling for her to move. The behemoth was barreling towards her with a satisfied grin on his face. Elanee and Neeshka followed his example as Shandra closed her eyes. Grobnar and Duncan howled for her to move. Casavir prayed as Bishop bit his lip.
Avera crouched over, gasping for air and they all thought this was the end.
At the last moment the little woman bolted under the hulk's legs making sure Lorne had no chance to turn. He slammed into the wall and fell as she dove for the scroll she had dropped.
Gasps of surprise and yells of appreciation rose from the stands.
She just may do it! Casavir's face lit up as she began to read from her scroll. Lorne was slowly getting to his feet but he knew it would be too late for the man. She could read a scroll in the middle of a dozen githyanki without fail. To cast a spell on a stumbling man would be no problem for her.
The spell blast the Luskan champion back, crackled about him and tore him up inside.
Lorne fell to his knees and Avera strode over to him. He fell closer to the ground, gasping, and the little woman sat on her heels. They could tell she said something to him and removed the wolf pelt as he flpped over dead.
Everyone jumped up and down and even hugged each other in their excitement.
Casavir and Bishop glared at each other as they had accidentally turned and hugged the first person in reach while watching the little woman bury her face in the pelt's fur. They stopped and pushed each other away with snarls of disgust.
Then Lord Nasher made an announcement they all hardly heard. They were too busy rushing for the exit that would take them to their hobbit.
Nnn
The first person into the arena to congratulate Avera was Casavir. He skidded to a stop in front of her and checked over her wounds. At least he tried to while she wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled up to him.
"Let me make sure it all healed properly." He didn't want her to let go but he also wanted her alive so checking the wounds was much more important at the moment. She lifted her arms and allowed him to check every little scratch as the others milled about.
It didn't take long for everyone to get in on hugging the hobbit. Once that was complete, Casavir lifted her onto his shoulders and they began their trek back to the Flagon. Everyone got a chance to carry her on their shoulders. It wasn't hard as she did not weigh a lot. Grobnar didn't carry her on his shoulders. She just danced about with him in circles as they worked on and sang some strange ditty about head lice until Khelgar got fed up and took his turn to carry her the last bit of the way to the Flagon.
The combat with Lorne had been early in the morning and did not take much more than half an hour to complete. At least fifteen minutes of that had been Lord Nasher's announcements at the start and end of the battle.
Their return to the Flagon was no later than nine in the morning and no one let Duncan or Sal do much besides work. They got their chance to congratulate the little woman then Khelgar pushed them back to work again.
Their return had prompted a large party.
Avera asked one of the urchins to put Kala's pelt into her room then hauled Casavir into dancing a fast dance with her. What she really wanted was a slow dance but not while hobbit sized. That would just … not be right with how high she stood to him.
Then Callum entered and she threw herself into her friend's arms, "That was one hell of a fight, lass!" He twirled her about, "And I see you have done well for Casavir. I have never seen the man happier."
"It is good to see you too, Callum."
"How …" The hobbit blinked at the sandy red haired dwarf.
Callum raised an eyebrow at her, "Do you think no one notices what goes on? You two were inseparable since you first met. I could tell as soon as the two of you returned to the Old Owl Well camp together that if you weren't already an item that you soon would be."
Casavir was taken back, "You could tell how we felt that soon?"
"I'm a touch older than you, lad. I've seen much more. Now, if you don't mind, Casavir, I would like to steal your woman for a dance." The dwarf grinned haphazardly and the paladin shook his head.
"I believe Avera would like that but it is her choice. Not mine."
She put out a hand for them to touch then strode onto the dance floor with the dwarf of the nine.
"Hey! If you're giving up your rights for dancing with the lass then it be my turn next!" Howled Khelgar as Casavir took his seat.
"I can't believe that the men are watching her like that." Qara snapped, "How does she always do that?"
The others ignored the sorceress and went about their own business. Qara soon gave up on the rest and went about trying to find a man to dance with.
Neeshka found herself a guardsman to dance with while Elanee sat at the table with Shandra, Casavir and Sand.
"I am so glad that is over." Elanee announced.
"I can't believe she did it!" Shandra squeaked while watching the dancing. She laughed as Khelgar and Callum started to push each other about for the next dance and Avera twisted away from them, pushing them together instead.
Casavir grinned until he noticed three men walk in and circle the hobbit. He watched as she cheerfully giggled while twirling away from the dwarves then banged into a leg, falling onto the floor.
"Well, I am certainly glad that your reflexes were working better in the arena." Sir Grayson commented as Sir Darmon grabbed her hand to help her up.
Darmon snickered, "Have you gotten drunk already?"
Nevalle pushed the other two out of the way and grabbed her hand to kiss it, "You call yourselves gentlemen? Do not listen to them. All of Neverwinter is in your debt this day."
Avera held Nevalle's hand and beamed, "I thought you would have a lot to do. Surely Lord Nasher has not given you leave for the day?"
"He has. I am as surprised as you but he thought I would like to check on you myself. Plus, I think he just wants to know that you are truly fine." He shrugged, "Not that your paladin was not thorough making sure you had no wounds left. Plus, I had to bring over your rewards for winning."
She glanced over at a trunk that was being carried into the hallway, "That's mine?"
"It certainly is." Grayson announced, "You have put down your life in the name …"
Darmon's hand slapped over the knight's mouth, "I do not believe she wishes to hear anything about honor today. It seems the little woman may just want to enjoy the fact that she is still alive."
"Darn tootin!" She chided, "No lectures or else I'll sick Grobnar on you!"
"Did you call me?"
"No Grobbie! More tunes please!"
"Okay!"
"Would you like to dance?" Darmon asked.
She curtsied, "I would but let me get to Khelgar first. He called dibs and I cruelly gave him over to Callum."
"That she did." Callum trod over to them, "Sneaky wench you are!"
Avera swatted him on the shoulder, "I have to at least try to keep up with the dwarves in that ability!"
"That you do."
She skipped over to Khelgar for a slow dance as the gentry sat themselves at the table beside the fireplace, just across from a sneering ranger and feisty dire wolf.
As she finished dancing with the dwarf, Sand stalked up to her, "How about a dance for your counsel, hmmm?"
"I did promise the gentlemen over there." She pointed to Darmon, Grayson and Nevalle.
"Tut tut dear. I'm sure they would prefer me having my dance first as I can do this." He recited some words by rote and laughed at the look on her face as he stared into her eyes, "So?"
"A dance it is, my counsel and mage."
"Is that fair?" Asked Grayson.
Nevalle snorted, "When the mage changes her size to make dancing easier? Yes."
After Sand left her she was thrown into some fast dances with Grayson and then Darmon.
When it was Nevalle's turn, he shocked the others by being able to sneak his hand behind her to remove the band which kept her hair in it's pony tail. He then decided to tease Casavir a bit by playing with it and cuddling in close to her ear, "We better watch it or we may get your boyfriend jealous."
She carefully took a look over at the paladin, "Too late."
"He will get over it." He kissed her on the cheek then left her in the middle of the dance floor.
Grobnar then decided on playing a slow dance. She breathed in happily as she turned towards her table, then a startled chirp escaped her as she was thrown around into a tight embrace.
She gasped in surprise as she noticed his smell before gazing into his eyes. Bishop sniffed up her neck and closed his eyes for a moment as he took in the scent, "You smell and feel just as good in enlarged form as you do when you are smaller."
He noticed that his breath on her neck had almost hypnotized her so he trailed a finger up her neck and through her hair. Her mind froze from the action and seized even further as he moved slowly with her, allowing them the ability to intimately feel the curves of each other's bodies. He licked his lips in pleasure as he watched her eyes carefully.
"I should have taken you before the paladin had the chance." His words tickled her ear in a sensual caress. The man then lightly rubbed his chin down her jawline as he pulled his face backwards to see her eyes again. It pleased him to see her react.
How was he doing this to her? She thought only Casavir could make her completely lost. Then she realized that even Nevalle had caught her off guard enough to make her heart patter. And Darmon often made her titter. What was this? Was she turning into some kind of a harlot being turned on by other men? I want Casavir! I don't want to be turned on by other men!
But the ranger's breath on her neck enticed her and he knew it. She could see it in those tricky eyes. He was enjoying turning her on. Even more, he seemed to be enjoying making Casavir realize he could make her melt.
Oh my. No.
Then his arms were pulling her out of Bishop's embrace. She flung herself against the paladin, pushing her nose into the hollow of his neck.
The ranger backed off with a satisfied smirk. The two men kept their attention on each other as Avera shivered. Then Bishop turned with an amused chortle and went back to his table. He did not need to fight. The anger in the paladin's eyes and the feel of the hobbit against him had been enough for now.
"Are you ok, my lady?"
"I … I'm not sure." She pressed against him trying to take in his scent to remove the smell of the ranger. As her nerves began to calm her body reverted to hobbit size.
Casavir leaned forward, "I believe that this day has taken a lot out of you. Did you even get some sleep night before last?" A yawn gave him the knowledge he required, "Come. You need your sleep, my lady."
As he stood and took her hand, a young man walked up to her. He was not much taller than she was and was quite handsome.
"You must be Avera?" He asked with a smile.
"Uhm …yes and you are?"
He lowered dark green eyes and grinned, "I am Tarn." His gaze ran over her gently, "Devin's cousin. I wanted to thank you for having your friend find me a better place to work at."
She gasped in surprise, "Oh no. Don't thank me for that. I figured you needed … mrph?"
Tarn had thrown his hand back behind her head and pulled her forward into a passionate kiss. He leaned into her body then licked her lips as he let her go. He gazed over her admiringly, "Devin was right. I would have enjoyed servicing you. It is too bad you already have the paladin for your pleasures. I would welcome being your consort." He gave her another all over surveying and smacked his lips, "Too bad indeed. If you ever need me you know where to find me."
Casavir and Avera could only gape as the young man turned to leave and that was when a chair fell over with someone in it. They all turned to see Bishop on the floor, laughing in hysterics. If it wasn't enough to have seen their reactions to Nevalle's games, his own fun and now this consort's actions, the looks on both the paladin's and hobbit's faces had thrown him over the edge.
Karnwyr bounced in place from paw to paw, all four feet being involved in his cheer. Even the dire wolf was having a fun time with this. Then to everyone's surprise he ran up to Tarn and pushed him back towards Avera with his muzzle while barking.
Avera gasped in shock as Bishop's gales of laughter became raucous guffaws, "Karnwyr! Quit saying that!"
"What did he say?" Casavir put his arms protectively around her shoulders and clasped his hands in front of her neck.
"He said, 'Do it again. Do it again.'"
He took a hand away to rub his forehead then flung the hobbit onto a shoulder. Quite a few people got gleams in their eyes as he was headed towards their bedroom and it wasn't even noon yet.