Tas sighed, counting all the bars in his cell again (there was thirty-
five). While jails tended to be interesting places, his cell had no
companions and he was fast becoming bored. The ringing of keys echoed in
the hallway, and Tas looked up hopefully as the jailer opened his cell.
"Have my friends come yet?" he asked hopefully, trying to peer down the hallways. The jailer grunted.
"No," he growled. "And if they're smart, they'll leave you here." He tossed what looked like a pile of dirty rags and feathers into the cell. "Here's a thiefy playmate for you." And with that, slammed and locked the door again. Tas looked eagerly at his cellmate, and grinned happily. It was another kender!
The kender's clothes were worse for the wear, and hair a muddy brown color covered its face. Grey sooty feathers ruffled weakly, and Tas noted with fascination that they were wings. Curiosity gnawing at him, Tas shook the kender gently. It lifted its face, try8ing to mask the pain that Tas saw in the deep, blue eyes... It was a girl! A lump suddenly caught in Tas's throat. When the kendermaid attempted to sit up, Tas jumped to help her. Swallowing the lump, Tas smiled nervously.
"What's a nice kender like you doing in a dirty jail like this?" he asked meekly, eying the gash on her forehead. The kendermaid laughed weakly. Tas's spirits rose with the sound. Tired as it was the sound of her laugh invoked thoughts of love and joy. She leaned against him, happy for the support.
"I'm Dreamflight," she sighed, smiling tiredly. "It's nice to meet you." Tas smiled back.
"My name is Tasslehoff Burrfoot, but my friends call me Tas," he replied. "How did you get thrown in here? I'm sure it must have been a misunderstanding." She nodded and shuddered from a repressed cough.
"They think I stole food," she whimpered. "I didn't of course. I would have paid them back. But I have no money and it's been days since I've last eaten..." Tears welled in her eyes. "They wouldn't even trade me for it." Tas's heart ached for Dreamflight and he patted her hand gently. Rising and leaning into the cell bars, Tas hollered for the jailer.
"Bring her something to eat," he ordered. "Can't you see she's starving?"
"Thieves don't eat in my jail," was the terse reply. "Let 'er starve." Tas opened his mouth for a scathing remark when Caramon glanced down his corridor.
"Here he is, Tanis," the man bellowed, walking up to the cell. "What'd you do, Tas?"
"Nothing!" Tas replied innocently, smiling as Tanis strolled over. "It was all a big mistake in communication."
"I'm sure it was," Tanis chuckled, turning to the jailer. "We'll bail him out." As the jailer talked to Tanis over the 'kender fee', Tas reached through the bars and tugged on Caramon's arm.
"Can we take her with us?" he asked, motioning to Dreamflight, who lay crumpled in a heap, her eyes shut. Caramon grimaced, but nodded.
"She looks like she could use some help," Caramon remarked. "We'll bail that one too." Gleefully, the jailer took the double fee, walking away with the door ajar. Tas grinned and shook the maiden gently.
"You're coming with us, Dreamflight," he said excited. "Wake up!" But she did not rouse and Tas went pale, wondering if they had been minutes too late for her safety. Tanis picked the small kender up, feeling for a pulse. He nodded.
"She's fine," he announced. "Most likely she just fainted. Come on, we'll take her to the Inn with us." Tas followed closely, his eyes fixed anxiously on Dreamflight while his hands rummaged through one of her pouches. He found a few items of interest, respectfully replaced, but could not check the other pouches before they arrived at the Inn. Tika and Flint glanced up, looking curiously at Tanis.
"Who's that?" Flint inquired. Tanis shook his head while carrying Dreamflight upstairs to his room.
"Ask Tas," he replied. "This is his friend. And while you're at it, get some food and drink ready. She's half starved." As Tika and Caramon gathered some things to eat from the Inn kitchen, Flint grabbed Tas just as the kender was going to follow Tanis.
"Now explain who that lass was," Flint demanded as Tas squirmed free.
"Her name is Dreamflight," Tas explained. "I met her in the jail. They threw her in there because she was starving and needed food." Flint thought he caught a glint of anger in Tas's eyes.
"I see," he mused. "Now... Were those wings I saw on her?" Tas's expression softened.
"Yes," he grinned. "Pretty, aren't they? I didn't get a chance to ask much about them." The curious smile left Tas, replaced again with anxiety and anger. "Did you see that gash? How could they be so cruel as to injure a kendermaid?" Fling studied Tas a long moment before sighing.
"I don't know, lad," he grumbled. Tanis descended the flight of stairs and looked about. Caramon and Tika returned, one carrying a pitcher of water and the other with food that would go easy on the stomach.
"Is she awake again?" asked Tas, hope sneaking into his voice. Tanis nodded, taking the things from Caramon and Tika. He turned to lave, but Tas caught his sleeve. "Let me come, Tanis!" Tanis eyed Tas and shrugged, nodding.
"You might as well," he said. "She's asking for you." Tas's face lit up and he raced the stairs, two at a time.
"Kender care much for each other," Flint noted. Tanis smiled and walked back up the stairs again.
"Someone has to," he called back down to Flint, laughing. Upon entering the room, he saw Tas sitting on the edge of the bed, asking a million questions.
"Where did you get wings?" Tas asked. "Ca you fly? I've always wanted to fly. What's your last name? How long have you been wandering? Where do you come from?"
"Enough, Tas," Tanis said sternly, handing Dreamflight her food. "You'll make her sick again." However, Dreamflight was more than happy to answer Tas in between bites. She tore at the food as much as good manners would permit before her first answer.
"I was born with them," she replied before taking another bite. "Yes, I can fly when they're not injured. Its great fun, I never tire of it. I have no last name because my parents died when I was an infant in a strange town, leaving nothing of their passing except a list of first names they had written out for me. Dreamflight was the one that was circled. I've been wandering since I was sixteen and I don't really come from anywhere." She began drinking the water so quickly, Tanis feared she would choke. Tas grinned and began with a second barrage of questions.
"How can you just be born with wings? Are they injured now? I'm sorry about your parents, but who raised you?" Dreamflight finished her meal and smiled tiredly.
"Humans in a tavern raised me," she explained. "Any wandering kender helped, and there were many, so I think I turned out fine. My foster mother said the gods gave me wings in exchange for my parents. And yes... Some feathers were pulled out by those awful people who threw me in the jail, so I can't fly now." She shut her eyes a moment, and Tas watched her, thinking.
"I'm sorry," he finally said, feeling his comment was rather lame. Tanis, sensing the kendermaid was getting worn out by Tas, lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Let her rest," he advised. Tas nodded and patted her hand softly. Dreamflight opened her eyes, glanced at Tas and smiled serenely. Tas swallowed hard and wrenched his gaze away to see Tika glancing into the room. She frowned, hands on her hips, and ordered the men out of the room.
"She needs bathed and rested," Tika declared, shooing Tas and Tanis away. Before either could protest, she shut and locked the door.
"Have my friends come yet?" he asked hopefully, trying to peer down the hallways. The jailer grunted.
"No," he growled. "And if they're smart, they'll leave you here." He tossed what looked like a pile of dirty rags and feathers into the cell. "Here's a thiefy playmate for you." And with that, slammed and locked the door again. Tas looked eagerly at his cellmate, and grinned happily. It was another kender!
The kender's clothes were worse for the wear, and hair a muddy brown color covered its face. Grey sooty feathers ruffled weakly, and Tas noted with fascination that they were wings. Curiosity gnawing at him, Tas shook the kender gently. It lifted its face, try8ing to mask the pain that Tas saw in the deep, blue eyes... It was a girl! A lump suddenly caught in Tas's throat. When the kendermaid attempted to sit up, Tas jumped to help her. Swallowing the lump, Tas smiled nervously.
"What's a nice kender like you doing in a dirty jail like this?" he asked meekly, eying the gash on her forehead. The kendermaid laughed weakly. Tas's spirits rose with the sound. Tired as it was the sound of her laugh invoked thoughts of love and joy. She leaned against him, happy for the support.
"I'm Dreamflight," she sighed, smiling tiredly. "It's nice to meet you." Tas smiled back.
"My name is Tasslehoff Burrfoot, but my friends call me Tas," he replied. "How did you get thrown in here? I'm sure it must have been a misunderstanding." She nodded and shuddered from a repressed cough.
"They think I stole food," she whimpered. "I didn't of course. I would have paid them back. But I have no money and it's been days since I've last eaten..." Tears welled in her eyes. "They wouldn't even trade me for it." Tas's heart ached for Dreamflight and he patted her hand gently. Rising and leaning into the cell bars, Tas hollered for the jailer.
"Bring her something to eat," he ordered. "Can't you see she's starving?"
"Thieves don't eat in my jail," was the terse reply. "Let 'er starve." Tas opened his mouth for a scathing remark when Caramon glanced down his corridor.
"Here he is, Tanis," the man bellowed, walking up to the cell. "What'd you do, Tas?"
"Nothing!" Tas replied innocently, smiling as Tanis strolled over. "It was all a big mistake in communication."
"I'm sure it was," Tanis chuckled, turning to the jailer. "We'll bail him out." As the jailer talked to Tanis over the 'kender fee', Tas reached through the bars and tugged on Caramon's arm.
"Can we take her with us?" he asked, motioning to Dreamflight, who lay crumpled in a heap, her eyes shut. Caramon grimaced, but nodded.
"She looks like she could use some help," Caramon remarked. "We'll bail that one too." Gleefully, the jailer took the double fee, walking away with the door ajar. Tas grinned and shook the maiden gently.
"You're coming with us, Dreamflight," he said excited. "Wake up!" But she did not rouse and Tas went pale, wondering if they had been minutes too late for her safety. Tanis picked the small kender up, feeling for a pulse. He nodded.
"She's fine," he announced. "Most likely she just fainted. Come on, we'll take her to the Inn with us." Tas followed closely, his eyes fixed anxiously on Dreamflight while his hands rummaged through one of her pouches. He found a few items of interest, respectfully replaced, but could not check the other pouches before they arrived at the Inn. Tika and Flint glanced up, looking curiously at Tanis.
"Who's that?" Flint inquired. Tanis shook his head while carrying Dreamflight upstairs to his room.
"Ask Tas," he replied. "This is his friend. And while you're at it, get some food and drink ready. She's half starved." As Tika and Caramon gathered some things to eat from the Inn kitchen, Flint grabbed Tas just as the kender was going to follow Tanis.
"Now explain who that lass was," Flint demanded as Tas squirmed free.
"Her name is Dreamflight," Tas explained. "I met her in the jail. They threw her in there because she was starving and needed food." Flint thought he caught a glint of anger in Tas's eyes.
"I see," he mused. "Now... Were those wings I saw on her?" Tas's expression softened.
"Yes," he grinned. "Pretty, aren't they? I didn't get a chance to ask much about them." The curious smile left Tas, replaced again with anxiety and anger. "Did you see that gash? How could they be so cruel as to injure a kendermaid?" Fling studied Tas a long moment before sighing.
"I don't know, lad," he grumbled. Tanis descended the flight of stairs and looked about. Caramon and Tika returned, one carrying a pitcher of water and the other with food that would go easy on the stomach.
"Is she awake again?" asked Tas, hope sneaking into his voice. Tanis nodded, taking the things from Caramon and Tika. He turned to lave, but Tas caught his sleeve. "Let me come, Tanis!" Tanis eyed Tas and shrugged, nodding.
"You might as well," he said. "She's asking for you." Tas's face lit up and he raced the stairs, two at a time.
"Kender care much for each other," Flint noted. Tanis smiled and walked back up the stairs again.
"Someone has to," he called back down to Flint, laughing. Upon entering the room, he saw Tas sitting on the edge of the bed, asking a million questions.
"Where did you get wings?" Tas asked. "Ca you fly? I've always wanted to fly. What's your last name? How long have you been wandering? Where do you come from?"
"Enough, Tas," Tanis said sternly, handing Dreamflight her food. "You'll make her sick again." However, Dreamflight was more than happy to answer Tas in between bites. She tore at the food as much as good manners would permit before her first answer.
"I was born with them," she replied before taking another bite. "Yes, I can fly when they're not injured. Its great fun, I never tire of it. I have no last name because my parents died when I was an infant in a strange town, leaving nothing of their passing except a list of first names they had written out for me. Dreamflight was the one that was circled. I've been wandering since I was sixteen and I don't really come from anywhere." She began drinking the water so quickly, Tanis feared she would choke. Tas grinned and began with a second barrage of questions.
"How can you just be born with wings? Are they injured now? I'm sorry about your parents, but who raised you?" Dreamflight finished her meal and smiled tiredly.
"Humans in a tavern raised me," she explained. "Any wandering kender helped, and there were many, so I think I turned out fine. My foster mother said the gods gave me wings in exchange for my parents. And yes... Some feathers were pulled out by those awful people who threw me in the jail, so I can't fly now." She shut her eyes a moment, and Tas watched her, thinking.
"I'm sorry," he finally said, feeling his comment was rather lame. Tanis, sensing the kendermaid was getting worn out by Tas, lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Let her rest," he advised. Tas nodded and patted her hand softly. Dreamflight opened her eyes, glanced at Tas and smiled serenely. Tas swallowed hard and wrenched his gaze away to see Tika glancing into the room. She frowned, hands on her hips, and ordered the men out of the room.
"She needs bathed and rested," Tika declared, shooing Tas and Tanis away. Before either could protest, she shut and locked the door.
