Certain major characters are not mine, though Lon is mine among others. Language and other stuff warning, just to be safe...
--- x x ---
Neverwinter, the Sunken Flagon ---
--- Bishop
When I woke, they were both long gone again, as the sun was well up and their spots were cold.
I'll come keep you warm. Karnwyr laughed, jumping up to lick my face.
--Yeah, pup. But it's not quite the same.
I washed and dressed, I was hoping to visit another temple or two yet this morning before I had to come back. It went so quickly, if not well. I had now visited most of the ones I knew of, and had nothing to show but irritation. I did, however get back before Cas, and got the limited hot water the Flagon offered. I dressed in the blue-green thing. Lon of course would be in that damned uniform, if she even made it at all.
When Cas arrived, he was looking a bit tired. It looked like he'd decided on the sparring idea to rebuff his admirers. He quickly washed up, and wore the matching costume.
Finally he said, trying to look on the bright side, "At least we won't clash with her uniform."
"I'd rather she'd less time in it," I muttered.
His brief smile said he agreed a little. We left for a festival hall next to the temple of Oghma. We weren't the last to arrive, but Nasher was still not there. Shortly before the ceremony, a cluster of guards, including a blank-faced Lon kept around Nasher and his lady as they took cleared seats near the front. This ceremony went much more quietly than ours and the people began to mill around. This platform did have potted flowers as well along the sides, so I guessed Neeshka wasn't putting me on.
I caught Lon winking at us and rolling her eyes at one point. I found I was more remembering our handfasting than the actual wedding ceremony, that had been far more important to me. They'd wanted more and we'd all gotten irritated at the public neutrality, especially Casavir.
Cas and I were quiet, and few tried to speak to either of us, aside from a beaming Cormick. Karnwyr was in an adjoining park with some other companion, and I was getting bored. I had lost sight of Nasher, but there was a guard clump near the food tables.
--Karnwyr, what's she up to?
She wants to go, but hasn't gotten free.
Hmm, maybe I can have a bit of fun. So I mumbled something to Cas, who looked only a little suspicious, and went towards where the kitchen should be in a hall like this. Then I used the invisibility ring and changed direction, heading for the privies.
After a time, my Lon entered the door. I waited a couple minutes or so, and then followed. She was washing at a pitcher and ewer, and I heard no one else nearby.
I stepped right next to her, and whispered, "Is there something you want?" even as I started pulling her into one of the little alcoves and kissing her neck.
"You for one," she admitted.
Even with her stupid uniform, she fit inside my arms so well. Not as soft with her in her armor, I breathed in her scent and the feel of her embrace. A few kisses, never enough, as we swayed. After only a few minutes we stopped and pulled apart. I was half surprised that I was still invisible, though she was amused.
Lon said with a twinkle, "That was supposed to be for escape..."
"It was," I agreed in a whisper, "I escaped from boredom. And I need to practice anyway." After one more kiss, I said, "I'll be back in a few days."
It sounded like someone else was coming in, so she whispered, "Be careful."
Straightening her uniform, she finished washing and left. With me only a step behind her. But the back hall was empty, so I ended the enchantment and returned to Cas.
"Where were you?" he asked, even as we reached the food table.
Truthfully, I told him keeping my face straight, "Privy."
He rolled his eyes, so I shrugged.
The food was a little more elaborate, but the cake wasn't was good as the fruitcake we'd had. Cormick was elated, even though a little rueful at some of the antics of his new in-laws. Still it was pleasant, if boring. I noticed there was a table with gifts tucked in a corner.
Cas smiled wryly and said, "Secret weddings don't involve many gifts."
Ah. Well, most of their friends helped with the planning. And battle too. I was just glad it was over.
Nasher's group left a little later, and the celebration became a bit more rowdy. It looked like someone spiked the punch bowls. Cas looked at me, but I muttered that I had enough trouble hiding weapons in this outfit. Whatever was used, it had a nice kick. Another half hour, and Cas made his farewells.
I was glad to get out of there. Back at the Flagon, I was out of the costume as fast as I could manage, and into my leathers.
"Are you leaving before you can say farewell later?" Cas asked.
Grinning, I said, "Took care of that in the privy."
Karnwyr was waiting outside, so I added while checking my pack, "I should be back in a few days. Try to have some fun for once."
Hunting or running free?
--Both
We went out into the Neverwinter Wood, as if the city could really claim that big a chunk of the wild. It was good to get out, even if I had left my old bedroll at the Keep. It was summer so I wasn't cold, but I missed their company. I stopped in one tiny village to get some replacement blankets the next day, but some frantic parent was looking for a missing child. They offered more than enough to cover my new gear, though it did take most of a day to track the child in a man's body. He had a talent for randomness. I didn't say who I was, but suggested they get a couple of good hounds as guards or searchers after they paid up.
I wandered through the wood for a few days, feeling more at peace than I expected. I still missed them at night, but I'd also missed the wilds. A mote in the wilderness. A mean, tough, son-of-a-mote, but still. Nothing formal, like Cas had, but I was still part of the whole here. Predator... Survivor... what was I now?
Then I had to laugh. There was no need to rush anywhere, so I called Karnwyr so we could hunt for dinner and pick a campsite. I found a good one, and wished Lon was here to see it. Shit, I just wanted her here with me now. I fell asleep easily.
This time, though, I dreamed about that damn vision from in the keep instead of my mate. Chasing that deer through summer woods just like the one I'd been in for days. Karnwyr wasn't even in at the start, unlike the vision, and I was bounding after the doe, my vision different. The other buck didn't even matter, as leaping through the woods was thrilling in its own right. The doe stopped at a stream, wary of something else when I caught up with her, just ahead of the other buck. I noticed something odd just as the dream dissolved with pre-dawn birdsong, but didn't remember it all day as I explored.
Wandering without a clear goal, mid-afternoon I found a clearing where beams of light were shining down through the trees. Only a touch of the sunlight reached the ground, but it struck a chord and was a beautiful sight, so this was a good place to stop for the day. I was in no kind of hurry, and hunting was almost too easy now. It was so much better now that we could communicate both ways.
After eating my dinner, I settled back with the pup, watching the dying embers of my cook fire. I was feeling good, aside from missing Lon. Sleep was a little slower, as I entertained myself with imagining Lon was here with me, falling asleep with a smile.
Moving through the thick woods, I realized that I was dreaming when I reached a ring of shallow stones. Waiting there was Lon and even Casavir in their wedding costumes, as was I. I could hear music and see a few people in finery as dancing began around us. It seemed odd to me that Lon and Cas were in armor, and they weren't dancing very smoothly. They were so serious about trying to dance inside the circle, even if twigs and leaves were getting stuck in their finery and I had to laugh. The woods became closer and the strangers faded away even as my dancing with my mate got even better.
Nosing her neck later, she woke with a start and was on her feet. I could smell something was coming, maybe a fire, as Cas was on his feet as well. Hurrying through the woods, over streams and through thickets, I finally noticed we were bounding through the trees as deer. The night wasn't dark, and we ran for the sheer joy of moving far more than an escape or a chase. I didn't have to rattle Cas's antlers, as I could smell she was receptive to us both and all the other bucks had fallen far behind. We coursed over new growth and old logs until I pulled a little ahead.
Once more in a large clearing it was just me, startled that I was in my own form again. Before me was a doe, with six or eight bucks guarding her. But this time her eyes weren't Lon's gray ones, nor did any of these bucks have any eye color but more normal browns.
"It's you, isn't it?" I asked, not even sure why I said it.
Yes, your companion is correct, that you have been a little slow to be curious.
"Faithless don't get attention like that," I objected.
Many do, they just refuse it. Malar would have welcomed you after your time destroying that gate.
I wanted to wince at that, but remained still. "Who are you? Not that I wasn't glad to be able to heal her," I said carefully.
Yes, that was what disgusted Malar. I am Shiallia, of woodland glades, the fertility, bounty, and fresh new life of nature's seasons, the dance of joy in life. I am rarely known outside either the High Forest or Neverwinter Wood.
The only time I'd heard that name was when some noble son in silks and lace tried to delay a hunting party from entering Neverwinter Wood. He seemed to be worried about protecting fluffy bunnies and gentle deer. I'd gotten enough fresh meat from exhausted bucks after a rut for me and the pup easily enough, to know gentle was not always the right word for deer.
He was young, and still did not understand that the hunt was also part of nature.
Why me? I hunted and killed and didn't help the fertility of the forest... Why choose me? I didn't even know how to ask this.
You don't want to protect your herd, have young in safety, and indulge in various dances? Your herd even resembles a smaller version of Myself and my court... For a flash, she was again the doe with Lon's eyes, and the two bucks still remaining had Casavir's blue and my own yellow-brown eyes. Did not you and he act like bucks during a rut? Willing to bash yourselves or anything to win your prize? Go off with your mate into a dark part of the woods for a few days? How often did you display or offer when she was in season? Didn't you seek the abandon from alcohol when alone? How often have you sought the dance of life, even when you had little else that made you more content? Even your companion reflects your secret wish for new lives, whether puppies or babies. What wouldn't you do for this herd of yours?
"Not a whole hell of a lot. They might be pissed if I did something they didn't approve of, but if it was for their survival, I really don't care."
Think about that, child. Guarding the herd and promoting its survival is a lot more than fluffy bunnies. Even an assassin's skills can be useful, if they have another cause.
I could feel myself wince for real this time, even though that time was long past me, I hoped.
They are only skills, much like the shadow powers and divine blessings of your herd-mates, it depends on how you use them. Sometimes the herd will not be just three. You will have the other spells now that rangers usually have. Use them wisely, and be fruitful.
Waking, it was just past dawn, and Karnwyr was beside me with his head on my chest and looking smug for a wolf. I grumbled and got moving, heading south to find a trade road. Once I reached the road, my hurry amused Karnwyr, but I ignored all his comments.
--- x x ---
--Elondra
I hadn't been that surprised I couldn't go to Cormick's wedding with Casavir and Bishop. Right now, I was mending fences with Nasher, itself a strange idea. We still weren't done with this star chamber shit, but I also needed a much better idea of who were influential in court or behind the scenes. Being a trainee was a perfect thing. I also was dumbing up a little bit. None of these people really knew me, so it wasn't that hard to seem a little slow. The only things I was really known for was Ember, Lorne, and the shadowjerk. I was confident that many would think Sand or someone else did all my thinking for me. I was sure I wasn't as inspired as Grobnar had been, and it was even more boring.
The defensive training in the mornings wasn't too bad. I was already used to multiple opponents, mages, and protecting others in combat. In fact, I still wasn't completely awake one morning while I was waiting to start my turn.
I was surprised to have been matched with Nevalle and Ekkar as attackers this time, and smiling a little at how much either Cas or Bishop would have liked to be here. Then I was slipping in and out getting better positions without much thought, beyond a wish I could have slept in. When things stopped again, I realized Nevalle was on the ground with my sword at his throat and Ekkar looked like he had a broken hand. I realized I was waiting for Ekkar to start laughing and how much I missed my husbands right now. Bell called a hold even though we'd all stopped moving, so I stepped back, trying to pay attention and feeling embarrassed.
Ekkar was testing his hand after Desmon came over to heal him.
Disapprovingly, Nevalle asked, "That was fast, Whyntll. Did you invoke some kind of haste?"
"No, I don't think so," I was puzzled, as I still wasn't thinking that much yet. "We'd been sparring up-tempo for a demonstration bout lately, I guess some of it stuck."
"This would be Casavir and... Bishop, right?" Lalton continued. "I'd heard you all were using magic weapons before the attack, but I'd thought it was more careful because of it."
I think I flushed, "No, two of the four phases were up tempo, only the first was slow. But we usually spar with our magic weapons when we're on the road."
"Crazy sons of..." muttered Desmon.
Nevalle smirked, "Then we will have to devise something challenging, if you're that used to sparring two opponents at speed."
Oh, joy. More bruising and possible injuries. Bishop would be pleased when he heard, though.
The rest of the morning was quiet, just some audiences, and then we went to the Temple of Knowledge for Cormick's wedding. It was a much more mixed crowd there than ours, with far fewer Greycloaks and more craftspeople. Cas and Bishop were here in the outfits Duncan got us, though they didn't look included or happy. Nasher's group had almost all the titled people here, who were less to my own taste.
I saw Lady Nerriam later when I was trotting off on a quick break.
She nodded to me and said, "You've been busy I hear. Congratulations. I would like to meet all of you, let me know when... your schedule opens up for a quiet dinner."
"Okay," I said, "but I must not delay now, you understand?"
She nodded, and I hurried off to locate and use the privy.
Thankful it was empty, I was hurrying so I might try to greet Cas and Bishop for a moment, when Bishop arrived. I wasn't completely surprised, I'd only wondered how long until he'd do something like this. He was going to enjoy the ring. It made me wish I had another one, but it wouldn't be nice to leave Cas as the only target. I felt a pang when I realized Bishop was leaving before I'd get back to the Flagon. Then there was no time to say anything else.
I had to return to Nasher's side now, and could only exchange a wink and a shrug with Cas. We left not too long after, as some representatives from Waterdeep were scheduled for a private audience yet this afternoon. That passed, and I was finally free to leave Nevalle and find something to eat. It was late enough that I didn't even want to scrounge something from the castle, and ran back to the Flagon.
Cas was eating and glad to see me. I ordered a big meal, and more modest drink and joined him with a quick kiss.
"Gone, right?" I asked, and he nodded.
I asked once I had taken the edge off of my hunger, "Have you noticed anything odd in your sparring?"
Wryly he said, "Other than plenty of volunteers to spar with, no. I'm still not tired enough to make any major errors and come down from the pedestal. Do you want to spar?" He asked this almost eagerly.
Heh. I wasn't the only one to be missing it.
"Sure if you want. But I need to get extra sleep as Nevalle has decided I need more challenges."
He looked puzzled.
Sighing, I said, "I didn't pull my punch enough for practice, and broke Ekkar's hand today. Desmon thinks you both are crazy."
His was a pleased smile when he said, "You didn't get a chance to tell Bishop, did you?"
"No," I smirked, "he was having fun playing with his new ring and wanted to try at not being caught."
"Then we can forgo sparring, until your time is more your own," Cas said, almost rolling his eyes at Bishop's game.
"How did your time in the temple go? Did you speak to Father Ivarr?" I wondered.
He looked around the room, and said only, "Yes."
Not much to say after that, so I concentrated on finishing my food so that we could go to our room to talk more privately. The Flagon entrance opened, and my habitual glance revealed that Uncle Duncan had returned, looking very tired. After our hug, he was surprised when he noticed me in full gear of the Nine.
"I suppose that means the rowdier drinkers will be off elsewhere," he grinned. "Ah, my profits..." he mockingly complained.
Casavir had come over, and said with a slight smile to that, "Then sir, I will have to remove her from your place of business." With a wink, he escorted me to our room.
I was always glad when he let his humor out.
Out of our armor and washed up, we sat on the bed to compare what we'd learned.
I admitted, "Other than learning more names, I didn't learn that much today. There's going to be another new Luskan ambassador any day, and Lady Nerriam still wants to meet with us, all of us."
Gravely, he asked, "Are you playing target, my Lady?"
"Yeah. With Lather missing, we don't have much of a thread to find out anything. I won't mind if we can come up with something better, though," I admitted.
Cas said regrtefully, "No, Ivarr and I are next trying to trying to enlarge the safe group around Nasher. We just don't know if Lather was introduced through simple trickery or domination magics. Or even why we were targets, from the outside we looked like we were drifting towards retirement. Why rock the boat?"
I shook my head with a shrug. "Too soon to know, I'm still learning names, let alone who has influence."
Firmly he said, "You're not crossing the city alone, I'll meet you in the evenings as well."
That was sweet even if unnecessary, so I snuggled closer and kissed him, "Hmm. The bodyguard's bodyguard," before I drifted off.