Hey all. I know that the last chapter was a little on the short side. I will try to make this one longer.
Chapter two
Alfred was suddenly out the door, and standing behind his wife. Presumably, he had come out to check on the garden, and to spend some time outside with Brenda, enjoying the night air. Brenda held her hand up to signal him to be silent, and he stared in disbelief in the direction she was pointing.
"Bren," he whispered, "don't make any sudden moves. She could attack us with magic. Go slowly toward the door."
Brenda nodded, her heart racing, and began to move slowly as possible toward the house. From the open doorway, she watched the young dark elf, as she continued to rub her bare feet on the grass. Soon, she simply sat down on the ground, and looked up at the moon. Brenda was puzzled by this behavior. She wondered what on earth the young woman doing in her yard, and was thankful that she had not yet made any trouble. She took notice of the girl's clothing now. She was dressed in torn, dark blue priestess robes, which looked quite black in the darkness. Underneath, Brenda could see the hint of a white blouse. Her platinum hair hung loosely to just past her shoulders, and was tangled, and covered in dry grass. Alfred began to inch carefully toward the door, and when he reached it, he pulled his wife inside and shut it quietly.
"Who do you think she was?" Brenda asked as she climbed into bed beside her husband.
"I have no idea," Alfred replied. "All I know is that I am glad she didn't attack us. The drow have been known to kill just for the sake of killing. We were lucky that this one was not in an angry mood."
"Do you think she even saw us?"
"I don't doubt it. Even though we tried to be quiet, she still looked right at me, as I was on my way inside." Alfred, tired from a long day in the field, rolled over and was soon sound asleep. Brenda however was not able to unwind after the near encounter in the garden. I spite of what her husband said, and what she had grown up believing, girl outside did not seem to be consumed with hatred for everything above ground. She did not seem wicked and evil. Brenda thought more and more about it, an thought that she looked curious and innocent... maybe even somewhat afraid. After many hours of tossing and turning, she finally went to sleep, just as the sun was coming up.
Brenda and Alfred were just sitting down to their supper that evening, when there came a crash from outside.
"What in the world," Alfred muttered, getting up from the table. "It sounds like someone fell out of a tree of something."
"That is exactly what happened," Brenda answered, after pulling open the wooden shutters, and looking out to see a few broken branches of the oak side, a over the ground.
Alfred, who was nearly at the door, stopped in his tracks saying, "who would be climbing up our tree anyway? This is outrageous."
"Three guesses," Brenda said, looking to see a flash of silvery hair and blue clothing leap over the fence and into the field.
"Her again?" Alfred exclaimed. Brenda had something on her mind, and she voiced it slowly.
"I all my years, I have only seen about three drow, not including the one outside now. Therefore I wonder if there is even a drow city anywhere near here. You would think that if they lived underground nearby that there would be more..."
"To my knowledge there is nothing like that near here," Alfred answered.
"That is just what I thought," Brenda said, "which leaves me to wonder why she is here. She must be very far from home."
"She could very well be on a quest," Alfred explained.
"True," Brenda replied. "Still though, something about this bothers me. Something I cannot put into words."
"Of course something bothers you," Alfred said, trying to be understanding. "I think that you fear the possible outcome of her presence here. Where there is one drow, soon there could be twenty. Don't worry Bren. I won't let anything happen to us."
"It isn't that," Brenda answered. "I am not afraid of her people. I don't think that she has any people."
"What?"
"Think about it Alfred. The torn clothes, the fact that she has gotten so close to humans... If she were on a quest, would she not be wearing more suitable travelers clothes? It seems to me that she left the underground in a hurry. Would a woman even usually go out on a quest. I have always heard that their females are much more valued then the males. Why would a woman, a young one at that, be out alone, this far from her home?"
"Those are all valid points Bren," Alfred said. "However, it makes little difference. The drow mean nothing to us. I simply want to find a way to chase her of my farm before someone around here gets really scared."
"Alfred, I think we should try to help her."
"I most certainly won't, and I forbid you to either."
"I hardly think you have the power to tell me I..."
"I am a man" Alfred said, more sharply than he intended. "As my wife, you are you obey me."
"Since when was it wrong to help someone who seems to be in need?" Brenda asked, slightly shaken by her husband's display of manhood.
"We will not help her, and that is that," Alfred answered sitting down to finish his supper. "Besides, we cannot even be sure she needs or wants our help. The drow are very proud. Even if she was in real trouble, she would likely rather die than except help from us humans. I am sorry that I spoke to you like that but please, trust me on this. We are better off not getting into this situation."
"Alright," said Brenda simply, but she had no intention of being the obedient wife this time. That night, while Alfred lay sleeping, she crept out into a darkened yard with a plate of supper leftovers, and set it down by the rain barrels. She chose to ignore the sound of rustling leaves coming from the big oak tree by the fence.
In the morning Alfred left to deliver good to a town six days away by horse drawn wagon. Brenda knew that he would be gone for almost three week, and she knew that she would miss him terribly, but she busied herself with the thought of helping the night visitor. She saw no sign of her during the day, which did not surprise her, but at night, she heard footsteps outside again. She crept outside with another plate of food, and picked up the old one, which was empty.
"Hello," she called into the quiet, still darkness. No sound at all answered back, except for the far away sound of an owl. Disappointed that the visitor could not be found, she returned to the house. She could swear that in the night, she again heard someone in the tree but it was very late. She knew she would just have to look harder the next evening.
Brenda was not disappointed. The next evening's sunset came, and she stepped outside... to see someone flattened against a thick branch, high up in the tree. She picked up the blue priestess robe, which had been thrown to the ground, and inspected the tattered fabric. She could tell that it had once been a beautiful garment, and she was determined to fix it for the young drow. She held up a plate of that nights leftover chicken and potatoes, and looked up at the shaking, frightened girl in the tree.
"Hello," Brenda called, "please come on down. I brought you something to eat." She saw the girl pull herself quickly to the next branch, trying to escape up the tree. The branch, too weak to take her weight, snapped and sent the drow falling ten feet to the ground. She landed with a hard thump on her back, and sat herself up, to stare menacingly at Brenda.
"Back away," she said angrily. "I will hurt you if I have to."
Brenda saw that the girl's hand was raised, ready to cast a spell, but she also heard the fear in her shaky voice. This girl was not out to hurt anyone. She was just trying to protect herself.
"You don't want to hurt me," she said kneeling on the grass a fair distance away. "I came out here because I have been worried about you. Why are you here. You must be so far from home."
"Go away. I don't need or want you to help me. I don't want you worry or your pity," the drow said, standing up, and brushing leaves off her clothes. Brenda noted that her common was not very good, yet was still understandable.
"How can I go away," Brenda said, trying to use a little humor. "This is my yard, and my house. I am not leaving."
"Then go back inside."
"Nope. My yard. I'm not leaving."
"Go away," the drow shrieked, as Brenda got up and stepped closer to her. Brenda saw that the poor thing was terrified, and was also ready to cast magic again.
"I don't believe you will hurt me," she said. "I don't believe you have it in you to do it."
"Please, leave," the drow said, lowering her hand, and looking about to burst into tears. She took a step back, toward the fence.
"Alright," Brenda said, "you win. "I am going inside." She put the plate down, and walked inside with the robe, still planning to fix it."
The next morning brought heavy gray clouds, and by sunset the rain was pouring down in huge, heavy droplets. Brenda worried when she saw the night visitor's shadow move across the yard. She worried that the poor girl had no shelter from the rain. It occurred to her to offer more help, and she went outside. She found the small young woman huddled under the partial shelter of the rain gutter, with her hands over her head, trying to stay as dry as possible.
"Ready to be friends now?" Brenda asked, extending her hand to her.
"Wh... what do..." the girl muttered. Brenda was surprised when the girl took her hand let let herself be pulled to her feet. They stood for a moment, rain pouring down on them, each looking into the eyes of a known enemy race, seeking signs of friendship from each other.
"Come with me," Brenda said finally. "We will both catch our deaths of cold out here. The rain is getting worse."
Brenda entered the farmhouse leading the hesitant drow by the hand gently. The drow raised a dark grayish hand to shield her eyes from the light of the oil lamps in the living room. She blinked several times, as she tried to make her eyes adjust to light.
"Make yourself at home," Brenda said, as she made a fire, in the fireplace. She then got up to go to the kitchen. "I will return shortly." Before leaving though, she pulled a blanket down from the back of a chair, and put it over the girl's shoulders.
Brenda went to the kitchen and boiled water to make tea, then she put some bread with jam and butter on a plate, and went back to find her guest sitting surprisingly content in front of the fire, watching the flames dance before her eyes. She had pulled the blanket tighter around herself, and looked up when Brenda offered her one of the teacups.
"Thank you," she said, in a surprisingly quiet voice. She looked around the room a little bit, in curiosity after Brenda dimmed the lamps a little.
"Will the light always bother your eyes?" she asked, seating herself beside the girl.
"No, I don't believe so," the drow answered. "I think my eyes will begin to get used to the lighting on the surface. I think they have a bit already. When I first came above ground, it was daylight, and I could not see a thing."
"How long have you been above ground now?"
"Hard to say. I have begun to lose count of the days. It has been less than a month I am sure, but quite a bit more than a week."
"Hmmm," Brenda said. "Do you miss home? Wherever that may be."
"I do miss it," the drow girl answered thoughtfully. I mean, I miss parts of being there. There are some things I could never miss, and that is why... Never mind. I cannot say anything more about it. It would put us both in... Never mind."
Brenda decided to not push it with the girl, who was obviously afraid of something, and was not willing to say what frightened so much. She decided instead to change the subject. "So, what is it that you were doing in my tree last night, and the times before that?" The drow looked at the floor, seemingly embarrassed, and Brenda tried to prompt her to tell her, promising not to be angry.
"I saw the moon on the first night I was on the surface," the drow explained. "It looked so big and bright,and so close. I recalled hearing stories of the moon in childhood, so I knew a little about what it was, but not much. I climbed up the tree several times trying to reach up and touch it. I thought that if I could just reach it, I could be the first drow to say I touched the surface world's night light."
"No one can touch the moon dear," Brenda said. "It is too far away. It may look like you can almost reach it if you just climb high enough, but you can never climb that high."
"You mean, no matter how high I went, it would always be above the reach of my arms?" the drow asked with surprising innocence.
"That is exactly what I mean," Brenda said, holding out a hand in welcome. "My name is Brenda, by the way. What is your name?"
"You can call me Shen," the young drow answered finally, after a long moment's hesitation.
"Well Shen it is a great pleasure to meet you," Brenda said. She leaned over suddenly and hugged the drow tightly against her body. She was unsure of what would happen next, but she soon felt the girl's body stiffen in fear.
"Come along," Brenda said letting go of her. "I will show you to the guest bedroom. It is not much, but you should be quite cozy in there."
Well, I did it. Chapter two, and this one is much longer. I look forward to your reviews. I know that a lot of people on here have done drow stories, but give this a chance. I will try to make it a good one.
