And we start with a story that's moderately silly, as Tarant decides to help Aerie to help himself. I couldn't come up with a decent title though.

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It was the night before firstday, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring… apart from Aerie, but she wasn't stirring much. She should have gone to bed hours ago but instead found herself sat in small candlelit corner of the room completely absorbed in a novel about a man who climbed down chimneys and stole children's toys and if they saw him he would leave a sack of coal and burn their house down. It was pretty frightening, but she guessed she must really enjoy being scared all the time because she just kept turning the pages.

The only other person up at this time was Tarant, and normally he had the study to himself. Not that he really read much. Mostly he sat in the big armchair assuring himself that the world was an unkind and miserable place. He figured if you just accepted that from the start then there was no way anything could disappoint you. But he found that lots of things still did disappoint him and so that philosophy fell apart… no, it couldn't be the philosophy because that had always worked. He decided to blame Aerie for it because… well, there was no point in making excuses for it; he was blaming her because she was there and she wasn't before so it made sense.

"What are you doing?" The half elf asked. Neither of them had said a word for several hours and it took a few seconds for his to register with Aerie who was held in an almost trance like state by the words in front of her. Slightly startled, she looked up from the book she'd been reading at him, then back to the book, then back to him.

"Um… I-I'm reading… sir," as usual her stuttered words were barely audible.

"Well do you have to do that here? Now?" Tarant huffed. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Oh… I-I am sorry sir. I didn't realise you were busy… for the last four hours it didn't look like you were doing anything," Aerie shrugged.

"Well… obviously I can't do anything with you here distracting me all the time. But otherwise there's lots of stuff I'd be getting on with."

"Uh… like what sir?"

"I don't need to tell you everything," especially since there was nothing really to tell.

"If you wanted me to leave you only needed to ask… i-it was just I couldn't read upstairs because Imoen snores…"

"I don't need to hear about your problems either," he waved a hand dismissively. "I've got enough of my own."

"I'm sorry to hear that. If you ever need any help, or, to talk to someone…"

"Nenenene," he waved again. Aerie bowed her head then walked out of the room. Which was good. Now he could get on with all the very important work he was doing. Like he could get on with that book he'd been writing, which he hadn't got very far with since Aerie kept distracting him. Now he immediately turned to the desk and placed the tip of his quill against the blank parchment.

After five minutes, it was still blank parchment so obviously he needed to sit back and think of some ideas. An hour passed. Still blank. Somehow he knew that was all Aerie's fault. She'd come down and distracted him with all her minding her own business in the corner and now he couldn't concentrate because of her.

Right now she'll have gone back to the room she shared with Imoen. If his sister had been woken up they'd stay up for a while so that Imoen could tell stories and bad jokes, and Aerie would smile sweetly and nod, pretending it was funny. She never really smiled, because no one in this world was ever really happy. At least he'd always pretended, years ago, when Imoen used to tell all her bad jokes to him…

Stupid Aerie. Stupid blonde Aerie. He didn't understand why everybody liked her anyway. Jaheira was always tough with the elf, but really it was because she thought Aerie had heaps of potential. Even if she didn't say anything, you could always see a little pride in the druids eyes on the rare occasion Aerie actually did something right. Then Valygar, who was supposed to hate magic users, made an exception in her case… Minsc was just too stupid to know any better.

Didn't they all see how annoying she was? After all, she was just here trying to burden him with all of her problems…

Was she?

Yes she was.

And the only reason she wouldn't of was because she didn't think anyone not Avariel could understand what it was like to lose her wings and have to adapt to a way of life nature hadn't intended for her, suppressing all her instincts… well he wasn't even going to try to understand all that and he'd made it clear to her before. Wings, flying… he wasn't interested in things that were over his head. She just had to see that life wasn't fair and he would do everything possible to make sure it stayed that way.

Something needed to be done about her. He couldn't kill her unfortunately. She may have been irritating but she wasn't really harming anyone… at least that's what Imoen and the others would all think. Luckily there might be another solution…

Ascending the staircase, he was pleased to find that Edwin had risen early and was preparing spells and potions for the day.

"Hmmm, yes," the Red Wizard yawned soon after Tarant had told him what he wanted. "It is powerful magic, claiming it can remove everything from a person's personality that prevents them from reaching their full potential (naturally I wasn't going to use this on myself since I am already perfect in every way)."

"Right," Tarant declined to comment. "So, you could turn even a totally wet blanket like Aerie into a worthwhile adventurer?"

"The spell requires considerable skill. Luckily you are talking you are talking to the man who won the Thayvian Junior Spellcasters champion."

"Was that the boy you used to keep locked in the attic?"

"Yes… I mean no! It was me of course! (Ignorant primate. I wonder if I should have fed the boy more often though…)"

"Can you do the spell or not?"

"Of course," Edwin straightened his back; standing tall and proud as he thoughtfully stroked his beard. "Which one is Aerie again?"

"The annoying one."

"They're all annoying… I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

"Elf… long hair… blonde?" Tarant said, but Edwin scrunched up his face, at least what could be seen of it beneath his beard. Clearly nothing was ringing a bell. "Remember when you took all that money from a temple of Ilmater even though you weren't actually suffering, and then those knights showed up wanting to make you suffer? She was the one who hid you from them, and then talked Jaheira and everyone else into not killing you and going to the priests for a compromise, remember?"

"Still not picturing her…"

"You must remember that. Jaheira summoned about three cave bears to tear you to pieces, but Aerie stood in front of you and said that killing wouldn't solve anything…"

"Nope…"

"She said your new robes made you look handsome."

"Oh, her!" Edwin said at last. "(She was right of course. Although Edwin could wear a coat made of rat skins and still be handsome). Why do you want the magic used on her? I always find her very easy to ignore."

"Clearly," the half-elf sighed, "but she came into the study and started whining about all kinds of stuff." Okay, so that… that was a lie in fact. He was afraid the truth would sound a bit pathetic, at least to people who didn't understand all the angst he suffered since he had recently become a writer.

"Of course… it has nothing to do with the fact that your first novel was turned down."

"Absolutely not! Mister 'I'm an unimaginative berk' Wright clearly has no appreciation of what art is. Well you know what he can do?"

"He can get novels published?"

"No… well, yeah he can do that as well. But he'll only publish them if they're exactly the same as 'Gobsmacker and The Big Bags of Money.'"

"The one about the Orc who goes to a wizard's school?" Edwin slowly shook his head. "Hated it… completely unrealistic. And that stupid wizards sport… the rules just didn't make any sense! The whole thing was ridiculous... I get angry just thinking about it."

"Right, so he can take his demographs and shove them up his tight arse. Don't worry, I'll find a publisher who is not afraid to take risks on new talent. Speaking of shoving things up people's arses though," Tarant meaningfully picked up a loaf of dwarven bread Edwin used as a paper weight. "Are you going to do what I want or not?"

"Er… yes, of course," Edwin gave him a curious and almost suspicious glance. For some reason Tarant got the impression the wizard wasn't as enthusiastic about this as the half elf would have expected. "It needs to be done while she's still sleeping… fetch the Imps Eyes!" Edwin said with a grand gesture. Tarant looked around, but got lost in all the scrolls and jars Edwin had spread out all over the place. Edwin shook his head and muttered something.

"It's on the middle shelf next to the salt."

When morning came the deed was done. Tarant sat by the breakfast table waiting to see the results, but it was Imoen who came down first. Her hair was a mess and she looked exhausted.

"Nine forty five," Tarant had recently checked the time on the sun dial outside. "I never expect to see you until at least one."

"It's Aerie," the red head said and slumped into a chair. The look on her face suggested she thought she was still dreaming, or she hoped she was anyway. "Last night she was all quiet and nice as usual… she asked me if I was warm enough and offered to let me use her blanket. But now it's like something weird has gotten into her head. She woke up me up two hours ago and told me to get and make my bed… when I didn't do it she twisted my arm! She actually twisted my arm! Then she made me scrub all the floors…"

"Imoen!" Aerie called out from the door. She wasn't hunched over bowing her head to everyone anymore. Her back was straight and she looked confident. For the first time Tarant noticed how pretty she actually was. "Why are you dawdling?!"

"I'm hungry!" The red head wailed.

"The sooner you've done all your chores the sooner you can eat. After we've done our exercises of course… I think you're starting to get flabby."

"Winthrop never made me work this hard," Immy sulked.

"Clearly he was too soft on you. There are going to be some changes made around here… I'm fed up of working until I'm ready to drop only to be everyone's whipping girl later. Now get going!" Aerie raised a club over her head eliciting a high pitched 'eek' from Imoen.

"Y-yes ma'am!" The red head blurted and ran outside.

"Honestly," the Avariel sighed, "No one ever slacked off in the circus. It was none stop working from the early morning to late at night. And what about you?" Suddenly her blue eyes swivelled onto Tarant. "I'm sure there are things you could be doing?"

"I'm doing them," he said.

"Doing what? 'Stuff?'" She leant over a bit so that she could look him in the eyes. "I think you're lying."

"Hmm… well I often do, I can't deny that."

"Like I said… things are going to change," she sneered and marched outside, presumably to make sure Imoen was still working hard.

Well… it was an improvement, right? A more confident Aerie would be far more useful to have around. And the way she was, all quiet and subdued… nice people never get anywhere in life. They get picked on and exploited by people who can see they'll be easy targets. Domineering bitches generally get everything they ask for. So he'd done her a favour, right?

A little while later, she pushed Imoen back through the door and planted her on a chair. The Avariel then grabbed a plate and threw it on the table in front of the red head.

"This is my breakfast?" Imoen stared blankly at the plate. For some reason she reason she wasn't expecting it to stare blankly back. "It's an empty plate…"

"Which is more than I ever got;" the Avariel scoffed, "Now you'll take your plate with nothing on it and be grateful for it."

"How can I get through the day on an empty plate?!"

"Well that's easy, you sit on it," Aerie said dryly. "Like I said, you've become too soft and flabby. Now you'd better join me in the sparring room in ten minutes… you do not want me to come and find you." The Avariel glared before marching meaningfully up the stairs.

"That's it… finally it's all gotten to her and she's lost it," Imoen whined, "It's like she's acting like her old ringmaster or something…"

"There's a lot of anger inside her. It was bound to catch up eventually," Tarant said innocently, but he turned away slightly, opening a small book he'd never been interested in reading before. Imoen noticed.

"You know something, don't you?" She said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Hey, look in me in the eye! That kind of change doesn't just happen over night," Tarant just turned away some more, but Imoen continued reading his body language. "You did something, didn't you? You and Edwin… You got mad at Aerie for some reason… or most probably no reason knowing you… so you went to Edwin and had him cast a spell to remove everything from her personality that held her back… and you talked about Gobsmacker… you pooh heads!" She was really, really good.

"Look," he threw the book away since he didn't like it anyway, "You should all be thanking me. If you were really her friend you'd be glad she's become more confident and sure of her self. Plus she won't bother anyone with her whining anymore."

"Don't pretend you know what it's like to be anyone's friend!" Imoen snapped. "You've messed her up… you can't just magic away people's problems! They need to work through them on their own. They might need help sometimes, but… ugh, you are just such a berk. Jaheira's going to blow when she gets back too."

"Now why would she care?"

"Don't you get it? No one is going to thank you for what you've done. They're going to think 'if he'll do this to her because she annoys him once, how longs it gonna be before he does that to me too?' And I'm definitely getting out of here before you mess with my head any more than you have already."

"What does that mean?"

"I mean that's it! I've had it! I'm out of here! Gone!"

"You can't go," Tarant said quietly. Even after all these years he wasn't used to Imoen being angry and he found it disturbing. Immy shook her head sadly.

"You changed Bro. You used to be kind and nice, but then for some reason you started being more distant. I stuck with you because I thought the good little boy was still in there somewhere. But you've just proven there's nothing in there anymore but a spiteful, selfish little berk. So I'm going," she headed towards the front door.

"You won't last five minutes without me!" Tarant hissed after her.

"See ya," Imoen made a rude hand gesture, and then… she was gone.

Well that was fine. It was what he wanted anyway. He wanted people to leave him alone. Anyway… she'll be back.

Five minutes passed and she wasn't back. Tarant poured out some spirits and rolled himself a smoking stick. What if she never came back? He told himself that he didn't really care… it would just be a bit strange because Imoen had always been there. But she needed to grow up. She couldn't go around acting like they were still children. Things were different. Mostly he was different…

Many smoking sticks and glasses of spirits later, and Tarant's hand was rubbing against his forehead as if trying to rub the bad thoughts out of his brain. Yeah, he'd had friends before. But all they did was betray you and use you. They weren't good for anything. He was better off without friends like Imoen or Aerie. He liked things being quiet like they were now. Really quiet.

Gods he was lonely.

"I don't believe it," Aerie stood by the door and tutted, "What a mess. And I suppose you expect me to clean it up… where is Imoen?"

"She… she's gone," Tarant managed to pick his head up off the table. "Apparently I did something to make her angry so she just upped and left… didn't even stop to get her things."

"Great… that's just great. I can't spar with myself," Aerie sighed. Then a thought struck. "Actually I can… of course I can."

"You know, I think I was actually happy once," Tarant mumbled, ignoring her, "Before Gorion dies. I can't even remember what it was like now though…"

"Yes, well, these are all your problems. I have to prepare the simulacrum…"

"What?" Suddenly very confused, Tarant grabbed her arm before she could walk out too. "Aerie, I'm upset. I want to talk to someone…"

"I have things to do."

"You can spare a few minutes! You don't even have to say anything. Just sit down and listen like you usually do."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you should put off till tomorrow what you can do right now. You'll just have to work things out your own."

She pulled his hand off and left. It was only now he fully realised that he had made a huge mistake. Probably the biggest he had ever made in his life. Well, second biggest. There was that time he bought spiky armour off a street merchant only to find the spikes were on the inside.

"Don't hit my face!" Edwin covered up after Tarant had kicked down his door.

"Why did you lock the door?" The half elf grabbed the wizards robe by the collar, twisting it so that Edwin stood on his toes. "Immy was right, wasn't she? You're afraid I'll try to change you with magic?"

"Well, let's face it; the girl hadn't really done anything to you. She hadn't done anything to anyone, so that hardly bodes well for me now, does it? I have to protect my perfect brain!"

Tarant sneered, and then let him go.

"You don't need to worry," he said, "I've seen the error I made. We… we not to get the old miserable Aerie back. Then maybe she can talk to Imoen for me and everything will back to the way it was and none of us will be any wiser. Can you do it?"

"Well…"

"Well? Well?! I don't want to hear well! I want to hear 'yes sir, me and my perfect brain will be on it at once sir. Fix it all up for you in a jiffy, sir.'"

"Do not push it," the wizard warned, "I may be cursed, but I could still take you down with me. Of course me and my perfect brain can handle it. I will just need some things from my laboratory."

By the time they got there, the door was already open. Inside, Aerie was sat upon Edwin's Thinking Throne.

"Did you think I wouldn't know what you two had done?" She said as she rose. "I'm the most powerful witch in all these lands… if not the entire world. And now you want to change me back to the way I was, correct?"

"The spell didn't work the way it was supposed to. It was supposed to make you forget all your problems, not make you mean," Tarant shrugged apologetically.

"Of course… you want the old me back because she was easy for you to make fun of. Easy for you to push around because she would just stand there and take it, then go and cry by herself later. Well I'm here to tell you that I've no interest in being that person any more. I'm not going to take your crap."

"But… she's you. Yeah, she could be annoying, but most of time she was quiet and didn't bother anyone. And kind and nice I guess… and, it seems, everyone liked her a lot better than what you've become now."

"But I do! For the first time in my life I'm sure of my self and confident. And if you try to take that away, I will harm you."

"What a foolish girl," Edwin rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, Aerie, I don't want to have to hurt you so just get out of the way okay?" Tarant moved to gently pull her aside.

In response, Aerie called out a single word which was followed by a flash which threw the two men against the wall. The next syllable she uttered granted her super natural speed and agility as well as strength from her god. Before Edwin could utter any spells in response, her staff had sent him flying again and for him it wasn't as much fun as it was to an Avariel.

Tarant went after her with his sword, but with her magical speed he just couldn't catch her.

"Now, I'm sure the spell wasn't supposed to do any of this!" He called to Edwin who was already retreating towards the door.

"Well magic is hardly an exact science!" The wizard shouted back. It was another point to Imoen, Tarant realised. Luckily she wasn't here to do the dance she always did.

Aerie managed to slip her hand through the half-elf's guard, sending a jolt of electricity into his chest. When she took it away he was launched backwards and slumped against the wall. He was also sure Edwin's spell hadn't increased the Avariel's power, so for a long time they'd all underestimated Aerie's abilities. What he wasn't sure of was if the spell had altered her so much that she'd try to kill him… fortunately he never found out. One second the Avariel was advancing on him, the next her eyes rolled backwards and she slumped to the ground.

"Ha!" Tarant said as his eyes went wide like a little boys. "I knew you wouldn't last long on your own… come crawling back have you?"

"It's got nothing to do with you, bufflehead. I just couldn't leave my best friend like this. Now we'd better fix this mess before anyone else finds out about it, okay?"

"Well… I suppose you might be able to help Immy. Just try not to get in my way or bother me too much." The shock wore off and Tarant wasn't badly hurt at all, so he bounced to his feet.

"No hug? Go on, I know you want one…"

"Touch me and I'll tear your head off, hollow out the skull and use you as a lantern, got it?"

With Imoen's help they were able to undo the effects of Edwin's spell on Aerie. By evening she was unhappy again, but she also felt a little guilty about how she'd behaved even if it was under the influence of magic.

"W-would you like another cushion, sir?" The elf stammered to Tarant, now resting in a big armchair.

"No, thank you," he yawned. "You could bring in some more firewood."

"Of course sir."

"I could do with a drink," Edwin said from the other chair, "but do be quick about it girl. I don't want next years vintage."

"A-at once sir…" the Avariel bowed and scurried away to do those chores.

"Haven't you two learnt anything today?" Imoen sighed.

"That you should appreciate what you've got?" Edwin offered.

"Do unto others?" Tarant suggested.

"Maybe about making time for people and not being such gits," Immy shook her head. The two men looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

By the time Jaheira got back no one was any wiser.