Chapter 6: Friendly Arms
The spacious dining hall of the Friendly Arm Inn was bustling with activity. Serving maids scurried around, carrying large platters which held roast meat, bread, or tankards of ale. The din of numerous conversations and the sounds that accompany eating and drinking filled the dining hall, accentuated by snatches of drinking songs.
"How shall we find them in this crowd?" Imoen said, stepping around a drunken reveler.
"Follow me! I shall take you to the innkeeper," Ajantis said, striding determinedly towards the far side of the room. Ember, Imoen and Kivan followed closely behind him as he wove a path between the tables, gently nudging a vivacious diner here and pausing to let a maid pass by there. They soon found themselves standing in front of a long counter made of polished wood. A jovial looking gnome in green robes was standing on a platform behind the counter, filling mugs with ale and beer.
The gnome smiled at them in greeting. "A good evening to you, squire Ajantis! How may I be of assistance?"
"Good sir Mirrorshade, my companions here are seeking a pair of friends, and were told to find them here. Perhaps you could assist us in locating them?"
"Their names are Khalid and Jaheira," Ember added.
"Friends of yours, you say?" the gnome said as he regarded Ember closely. Kivan and Imoen received an equal amount of scrutiny before he addressed Ajantis again. "Squire, do you vouch for these people?"
"With my honor," Ajantis proclaimed.
The innkeeper looked at Ember one more time, chewing his lip thoughtfully. "Oh, very well," he finally said. "They are dining in the north corner room. Do you know it, Ajantis?"
"I know it well," Ajantis said. "Many thanks for your assistance!"
They made their way through a large cluster of tables to the western wall of the inn. It was quieter here, and the tables had more space between them. The wall itself was lined with a number of door-sized archways, each of them opening up into alcoves which each seemed able to seat up to eight people comfortably. They stopped outside the northernmost of the archways.
"This is the corner room," Ajantis told Ember. "We shall wait for you out here; do not hesitate to call for us should you need assistance."
"Thanks," Ember said, casually looking into the alcove. A man and a woman were sitting inside. Both were dressed in browns, but otherwise they looked quite dissimilar; the man in chainmail had dark hair, an olive complexion and a pronounced nose, while the leather-clad woman was paler and slenderer, with golden brown hair and a mild tan which spoke of many days spent outdoors. They were eating their supper, and seemed absorbed in a conversation. How should she best introduce herself to them? She glanced nervously at her friends.
"Imoen, will you come with me?"
"Of course!" Imoen said, smiling cheerfully.
Ember smiled back at her friend. Drawing a deep breath, she stepped through the archway, closely followed by Imoen.
As the two girls entered, the couple in the alcove turned to regard them with even more scrutiny than the innkeeper had. At this close range, Ember noticed the slight points of their ears and a hint of an angling of their eyes. Half-elves, both of them. The man's expression was that of friendly curiosity, but the woman's gaze made Ember feel as though she were a soldier being inspected.
"Um, excuse me," Ember said hurriedly, "are you Khalid and Jaheira?"
"Something about you is f-familiar, child," the man said. "Your manner reminds me of a sage I know, b-by the name of Gorion."
"It is almost a slight on him, but I see it too," the woman said, her hazel eyes showing mild disapproval.
"Jaheira! M-mind your m-m-manners! This must be the child that Gorion wrote of so often."
Ember frowned. Why was the woman being so crass? "Yes, I am Gorion's daughter, Ember. This is my friend Imoen."
"Heya!" Imoen said, waving a hand in greeting.
"I am Jaheira and this is my husband, Khalid," the woman said. "We are old friends of your adoptive father. He is not with you? I must assume the worst; he would not permit his only child to wander without his accompaniment," she stated in a level voice.
"If... if he has passed, we share your loss," Khalid said quietly.
"He was killed the night we left Candlekeep," Ember said. Khalid bowed his head at the news.
Jaheira nodded somberly. "Then it is as we feared. It is fortuitious that you have survived, though; Gorion often said that he worried for your safety, even at the expense of his own," she said. "He also wished that Khalid and I would become your guardians, if he should ever meet an untimely end. However, you are much older now, and the choice of your companions should be your own, but it would be a fitting last service to Gorion if you should come with us. Khalid and I... look into local concerns, and you would do well to help us. Local matters affect everyone, even you."
Stunned, Ember stared at Jaheira. "Is that all you can say?" she blurted out. "You claim to be Father's friend, but all you can say when he is dead is... is that I should busy myself with local matters? Do you even care that he's gone?!" Her eyes began to sting with tears.
"Watch your tongue, child!" Jaheira said. "What could you know of the world, of what should be done? Are you at all prepared for your future? I speak only of what is for the best!"
"Jaheira, do you have to be so... so..." Khalid muttered.
Ember wiped her eyes and forced her voice to be calm. "I am not a child, and I am not stupid," she said in a low tone. "My father is two days dead, there are bounty hunters after me, and I did not come here to be patronized by someone who has never even met me before."
"Bounty hunters?" Jaheira asked incredulously. "Child, what have you done?"
"Hey, what makes you think it's her fault?" Imoen protested. "She hasn't done anything!"
"Is that so?"
Ember glared at Jaheira. "The men who killed Father were after me. For some reason, they want me dead. Father knew why, but he never got the chance to tell me."
"Then it is all the more important that you come with us."
"What makes you think I want to go anywhere with you?!"
"I must insist; you will not survive without proper guidance," Jaheira said, her voice rising slightly.
"We've dealt with two bounty hunters already. I think we'll manage."
"Gorion would never forgive us should we let you go astray!"
"Like you said, I am old enough to choose my own company." Before Jaheira could respond, Ember stomped out of the room, and Imoen ran out after her. Neither of them noticed the dismayed look on Jaheira's face.
-.-.-
"How did the meeting go?" Ajantis asked as Ember and Imoen returned. Judging by the thundercloud that was Ember's expression, he feared it did not go well.
"How can anyone be so... so bloody practical!" Ember hissed. "I cannot see how Father could possibly call her a friend!"
"They were not as you hoped, then," Kivan said. "I am sorry."
"Jaheira was pretty intense," Imoen explained. "Khalid seemed all right, though."
"At least he seemed to care that Father is dead. She barely even flinched at the news." Ember wiped her eyes angrily. The woman had never even said a kind word for Gorion in her eagerness to recruit Ember for whatever it was she was doing, and that hurt Ember more than any of the slights she'd received. Her father deserved better than that!
"Is there anything we can do?" Ajantis asked, his bright blue eyes showing genuine concern.
Ember looked at Ajantis and Kivan. The young paladin had shown himself to be quite protective, and the gruff, quiet ranger had been nothing but nice to them ever since he found them in the woods. They would probably be dead already if not for Kivan, she mused. She was certain he knew that as well as she did, but even as he referred to Imoen and herself as children, he had consistently treated them as equals; as part of a team, all working together. She had a distinct feeling that it would stay that way if they were to continue onwards with Kivan and Ajantis, and she couldn't say she would mind.
After all, what's a few scalps between friends?
"If it's all right with Imoen," she said, glancing at her friend as she spoke, "I want to continue travelling with you two."
"Are you sure?" Imoen asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. Jaheira was right about one thing, you know; we're not likely to get far on our own."
"If you do come with us, I will try not to cause you any further discomfort," Kivan added.
"In that case..." Imoen paused, looked at each of her companions, then smiled. "Yep, it's all right with Imoen!"
"I am very happy to hear that," Ajantis proclaimed with a grin.
"I look forward to seeing what will become of you two," Kivan said as one of his rare smiles crossed his face. "But for now, let us eat."
They found a vacant table, and ordered food from one of the maids. She returned to them a few minutes later with their food; warm, fresh breadrolls and slabs of piping hot roast lamb, which they ate with a sauce made from last year's apples. They were happily munching away and discussing the finer points of hobgoblin hunting when Imoen noticed someone approaching.
"Isn't that Khalid?" she said, looking over Ember's shoulder.
Ember turned in the direction Imoen was looking. Khalid was standing there, looking embarrassed. She noted gratefully that Jaheira was nowhere in sight.
"Ember? M-may I have a word?"
"Of course," Ember said. She stood up from the table and followed the half-elf out of earshot of her companions. "If you came to ask me to reconsider travelling with you, the answer is still no."
Khalid shook his head. "I thought as much. No, I came to a-apologize for how we greeted you."
"You said nothing wrong," Ember said evenly.
Khalid smiled wryly. "Jaheira's manner c-can be harsh when you do not know her. She d-does care, but she will not show it openly."
"I understand," Ember said politely. "If it helps, you can tell her I'll do my best not to be led astray. We are going to continue travelling with those who came here with us, a ranger and a squire paladin."
The half-elf smiled warmly at her. "I am glad to hear that. Jaheira and I will be n-n-near Gullykin. If you should have use for us, we will do our b-best to aid you."
"Thanks, Khalid; I appreciate it," Ember said. They walked back to the table, and Ember introduced Kivan and Ajantis to him. Ajantis greeted him warmly, while Kivan muttered an almost inaudible pleasantry.
"By the way, I do have one question..." Ember said as Khalid was about to leave them.
"Yes?"
"Do you have any idea who might have killed Father, or why they are after me?"
"That was two questions," Imoen muttered under her breath, grinning slyly.
"I am t-terribly sorry, but we do not know. And we know n-nothing of your past; Gorion never told us how he got you."
"Thanks anyway," Ember said. She extended a hand to him. "I wish you luck in your travels."
Khalid took her hand and shook it firmly. "And you also."
-.-.-
It was getting late. Full and sleepy, Ember entered the bedroom she was to share with Imoen, and sat down on one of the beds. She smiled as the mattress yielded slightly to her weight; the bed was soft and even and promised to be very comfortable. As Ember pulled her boots off, Imoen burst into the room, waving a very shiny piece of cloth.
"Would you look at this!" she said with a giggle. "This stuffy nobleman downstairs thought I was a maid, and asked me to clean these! Have you ever seen anything so ridiculous!"
Ember stared in disbelief at the golden pantaloons in Imoen's hands. "I think my eyes are on fire," she laughed. "That is horrid!"
"He said he needed them for tonight, and wanted me to put a pleat in them that'd make him proud..."
Ember howled with laughter. "Oh, Immy, you have to give them back. Can't... can't let the other diners miss a sight like that!"
"If you insist," Imoen said with a broad grin. She pulled out a dagger and, whistling innocently, lightly nicked one of the backside seams. Satisfied with her handiwork, Imoen headed out of the room. She returned a couple minutes later, smiling in the completely angelic way that nobody who knew her would ever trust.
"What did he say?" Ember asked.
"Oh, it was horrible. He was so mean about the way I'd cleaned his pants. He... he..."
"He what?"
"He withheld my tip!"
