Consciously, Drizzt knew he was dead. He knew that he had been hanged and was now dead. When the hangman had pulled the lever that opened the trapdoor, Drizzt had felt a small jerk around his neck and then nothing. He was no longer falling or choking, and he felt no pain. Maybe his neck had broken so quickly that he had died instantly, Drizzt thought, and he was now in Mielikki's realm. If he was, though, why was it so dark? Then Drizzt realized his eyes were closed, and realized that he could still feel that his eyes were closed. Gingerly, he opened them, and saw… Guenhwyvar.
The cat was sitting on her haunches, grinning at him, if it could be said that cats could grin. Drizzt looked around him in wonder. He saw trees, and a meadow, but they were like nothing he had seen before. They shifted, and didn't seem quite real. They had no colour that he could see, but still he knew that the colour was there. Drizzt looked back to Guenhwyvar in wonderment. "Where are we Guen? Am I dead?" The cat looked at him, and growled. She the rubbed her head against Drizzt's shoulder and began to purr. The dark elf didn't know how to interpret her answer, so he just hugged Guen, and started to scratch behind her ears.
After a while, Guen moved away, and Drizzt stood up. He didn't really know what to think about the place he was in, so he decided to simply explore and enjoy it while he could. Time passed, but Drizzt took almost no notice of it. Eventually, he called the panther over to him and asked her again, "Where am I, Guen?" She growled again, and then used her giant paw to scratch a shape into the ground. Drizzt looked at it: a simple star. He was in a star? That didn't make any sense. Then, suddenly, it clicked.
He was in the Astral Plane! This was where the Guen lived when he hadn't summoned her. But how had she brought him here? "Did Inriole tell you to bring me here?" Drizzt asked the panther. Guenhwyvar purred, and Drizzt nodded. "She saved me," he said to himself. "You both saved me, Guen." He rubbed the big cat's head, and the last piece of the puzzle came to him. "And Orwen!" he exclaimed. "She distracted the magistrate so Inriole could summon you." Drizzt smiled. "Thank you," he said to the air. "Thank you."
Drizzt scratched the panther's ears and smiled to himself. Inriole and Orwen had saved him from his death. He imagined the faces of the townsfolk and the magistrate as a giant black cat came out of nowhere and then disappeared, taking with it their soon-to-be executed prisoner. Drizzt laughed, and lay back on the soft grass. He folded his hands beneath his head and fell asleep, peaceful for the first time in days.
When he opened his eyes again, Drizzt's mind reeled. He recalled his time on the Astral Plane, and at first did not realize that he was no longer there. He now lay in a crude cot in the corner of a small room. He was alone. Slowly Drizzt got to his feet. The clothes he wore were unfamiliar, and new. The only pieces of furniture in the room were the small bed he had lain on and a rough table set in the opposite corner. Drizzt walked to the door of the room and upon opening it, saw that it led directly outside. The sun was low in the sky and its rays shone directly into Drizzt's night eyes. Wincing, he walked outside and raised a hand to shield his eyes. The cottage stood in a clearing that was surrounded by forest on all sides. Figuring that he was now back on his own plane of existence, Drizzt began to look around for Inriole and Orwen.
He found them behind the cottage, Orwen chopping wood and Inriole chatting at her from a tree stump not far away. Drizzt smiled to see the elven girl so happy, and began to walk to her. Orwen looked up as he passed her, but simply nodded silently as she saw his finger pressed to his lips. Inriole babbled on as Drizzt silently walked behind her. Suddenly, the dark elf snatched her off the stump and whirled her into the air. She shrieked and squirmed, and began to giggle as Drizzt set her back down on the stump, facing him. "Drizzt!" she cried, and threw her arms around his neck.
"Hello, Inriole," he replied, hugging her. Drizzt let go, and stared into the girl's eyes. They seemed to stare right back at him, although he knew they saw nothing. "Thank you for rescuing me," Drizzt said.
"You're welcome!" she chirped. "It was all my idea, and Guen and Orwen helped. But it was mostly me!"
Drizzt swung Inriole around in the air again. "Yes, it was mostly you, I bet!" When he completed the circle, Drizzt stood Inriole back on the stump. She stood quietly, smiling up at him. Drizzt took a deep breath, and began to speak. "Inriole, you know who I am, don't you? You know that I am drow. But you still forgave me for lying to you, and you still rescued me. Why?" Drizzt saw tears forming in Inriole's eyes.
"Because… because you're my friend!" Inriole hugged Drizzt again, her small arms tight around his neck. "Because you're my friend, Drizzt, and you saved me."
Drizzt smiled and hugged Inriole back. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for seeing me, Inriole."