I was going to post the last chapter of "Love Among the Ruins" today, and this chapter later in the week, but I finished the chapter I was working on earlier than expected, and just couldn't wait to get this one up.

As usual, apologies for taking so long, but the chapter I just finished was a complete bear to write. This chapter, however, was a delight, and I think it will turn out to be one of my favorites by the end of the story.

Hope you enjoy it too.

Chapter 36

As Anomen predicted, the next few days passed quickly, filled with wedding preparations and visits with their Athkatla friends like Valygar and Nalia. Then, a few days before the wedding, Gareth found Merena to announce that a guest had arrived; the usually unflappable butler looking distinctly discomfited as he did so.

"He said he is your brother, my lady." Gareth explained, not quite able to conceal the disbelief in his voice.

Merena gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry I didn't warn you about Sarevok, Gareth, but he's not nearly as fearsome as he looks. Please show him in."

"As you say, my lady, of course." Gareth was far too well trained to display any doubts he might have had, though Merena would certainly have found them understandable in this case.

Merena watched as Gareth ushered Sarevok into the parlor. Her brother had changed little since she had last seen him a few years before. Tall and muscular, no one would mistake him for anything other than what he was, a warrior, and a superbly trained one at that; his piercing gray eyes and shaved head only adding to the subtle air of menace he exuded at all times. She couldn't help compare him to Anomen; they were similar in size, though Sarevok was a bit taller than Anomen, and not quite as broad in the shoulders.

But although they were very alike in size, in other ways the two men could not be more different. Since Anomen had shed most of the defensive arrogance of his younger days, he carried with him an air of warmth and gentility that she suspected he had learned, at least in part, from watching Keldorn. Sarevok, though not as frightening as he had been in his Baldur's Gate days, was still a man who could part a crowd with a word and a fearsome glare. There was no question which one most people would run from, and which would be run to for protection, but Merena knew that was far from the whole story for either man.

"Sister," Sarevok said tersely, giving her one of his trademark wintry smiles.

"Brother," she answered with a grin, and gave him a kiss on the cheek that he submitted to with surprising grace.

Typically, Sarevok dispensed with the expected courtesies. "So, you've decided that marrying the Helmite will make you happy."

"Yes," Merena said evenly, refusing to be baited by his tone. "I am quite certain of it. And he does have a name, you know, you probably even remember it."

Sarevok snorted in amusement. "I consider myself rebuked, sister." He met her eyes. "Yes, I remember Delryn, and although I don't see the attraction, I suppose you know your own mind, Merena. At least," he continued gruffly "like most Helmites, I recall that he places a high value on faithfulness and loyalty, and is unlikely to abandon you like that craven fool of a sorcerer."

Merena shook her head in exasperation, but was spared the need to respond when Kylia dashed into the room, eager to tell her mother about some new wonder. She stopped, wide-eyed, when she saw Sarevok.

"Momma, who's that?" she blurted out.

"Kylia, dear, this is my brother, Sarevok. That makes him your uncle, like Imoen is your aunt."

Sarevok made an indignant noise in his throat at this comparison, but did not otherwise comment. Kylia turned to her mother, "Why haven't I seen him before? I've seen Auntie Im lots of times."

"Oh, but I have seen you before, Kylia." Sarevok rumbled. "You were just a babe at the time." Then, sensing that more was expected of him, he looked down at Kylia and added, "You seem to have grown…somewhat since then."

He turned to Merena. "But since you mentioned Imoen, Merena, where is the insufferably perky one? I expected her to be here, goggle-eyed with delight at the proceedings, but your manservant—once he stopped quaking—said that she hasn't arrived. I would think," he continued, sounding surprisingly aggrieved, "that she would consider this to be more important than perfecting a new shade of pink for her hair, or whatever she is doing."

Kylia glared at him indignantly. "That's not a very nice thing to say about Auntie Imoen!"

Sarevok regarded Kylia, one eyebrow raised in amusement, "It seems that your mother neglected to mention that I am not, by nature, a 'nice' man."

Merena suppressed a chuckle, and murmured under her breath so only her brother could hear, "Sarevok, behave yourself. Remember, I can tell Kylia that you've always wanted to be called 'Uncle Sarry'."

Sarevok winced. "You are a cruel woman, Merena." He turned to his niece. "My apologies, Kylia. I was…jesting."

"In answer to your question," Merena continued in a normal voice, "we don't know where Imoen is, and we're getting rather worried. In her last letter, she promised to be here in time for the wedding, but that was more than a ten-day ago and we haven't heard anything since then."

Merena tried to keep her tone light, but Sarevok must have heard the underlying anxiety in her voice. He exchanged a concerned glance with her, but said, in what he obviously hoped was a reassuring tone, "She'll be here then. Knowing Imoen, she would never miss the spectacle of sloppy sentimentality this wedding promises to be."

Merena laughed wryly. "Oh, thank you, Sarevok, that makes me feel so much better." But to her surprise, it actually did.

---ooo---

The evening before the wedding finally arrived, and in celebration, Anomen and Merena hosted a dinner at Delryn House for their guests and closest friends. To add to festivity of the occasion, halfling knight Mazzy Fentan, and elf mage Aerie, both friends from Merena's traveling days, had arrived in Athkatla the day before. High Watcher Emond was also in town for the wedding, staying at the temple with his friend, High Watcher Oisig. But for Merena, the joy of having so many friends around her was somewhat blunted by the fact that Imoen had still not arrived.

Merena tried to turn her mind to other things as she greeted their guests. For one thing, she found that wondering and worrying about where Imoen might be did not make her feel better; for another, she had found that mentioning her concerns invariably set off one of Jaheira's lectures about Imoen's irresponsibility. That would certainly not set the proper mood for their dinner party. Merena leaned against Anomen with a sigh, and his arm around her waist tightened reassuringly.

He looked at her, concerned, and she could tell that he was just about to ask if she was all right, but at that moment, Gareth announced the arrival of Nalia and her husband. Merena straightened and turned to greet them. They appeared, but instead of speaking, Nalia marched up to Anomen, threw her arms around him, and gave him an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek while her husband looked on, beaming.

Anomen reddened, and after a chagrined glance at Merena, exclaimed to Nalia, "My lady! What is this about?"

Nalia laughed, obviously in high good spirits. "Don't look so shocked, Anomen! I promised myself I would kiss the person who was responsible for finally putting Isaea Roenall behind bars, and it was either you or Lady Bylanna… I hope you don't mind too much!" she giggled.

"Roenall, arrested? When? How?" Anomen asked in surprise. "And how am I responsible?"

"Isaea was arrested this morning, trying to sneak onto a cargo ship bound for Calimport," she reported gleefully. "He was obviously warned of his impending arrest, but not quite soon enough." By this time, several other guests had heard the commotion, and had gathered around to hear the news, peppering her with questions."

Sir Keldorn stilled the chaos by gesturing for silence, and then turned to Nalia. "My lady, if you wish to leave this house in one piece, I think it's best that you start from the beginning and give a complete explanation of what has happened."

"Of course, Sir Keldorn," Nalia replied. "As I mentioned to you at the engagement party, Anomen, we've long suspected that Isaea was being hidden by his family or business partners, but after a few months of searching in vain, the Athkatla authorities stopped looking."

"Yes, I remember. Something changed, then?" Anomen prompted.

"That is where you come in, Anomen. Using the documents you found in the brigand's camp after the trade delegation was rescued, combined with some documents I had found concerning some Roenall business dealings, Lady Bylanna's investigators were able to identify some additional Roenall holdings where Isaea had been hiding. Even better, they were able to prove that he was the mysterious partner who funded the attack on the trade delegation."

There was a stunned silence for a moment while Nalia's audience digested this startling information, broken finally by a disgusted snort from Jaheira. "Hmph! We should have guessed that he would be responsible for something so vile and cowardly."

"Indeed," Keldorn agreed, shaking his head in disbelief. "He must be a truly evil man to conspire to murder so many innocents, most of whom he had known for years. Does Lady Bylanna know why he did so?"

"She hasn't come right out and said, but from some hints she's dropped, they think it's because the Roenall business operations—even the legitimate ones—had taken a sharp downturn after Isaea's disgrace. The confusion that would have followed the deaths of so many Athkatla business leaders would have given the Roenalls an opportunity to step in and regain much of the business they had lost—and since they knew it was coming, they would have been in the perfect position to do so."

Sir Keldorn glanced at Sir Ryan Trawl, who was standing nearby. "Hmm, the Order will need to hear of this—several of our members were murdered on this villain's orders, and Prelate Wessellen will want to make certain that he pays for his crimes."

Nalia smiled. "Isaea's arrest and the charges against him will be announced tomorrow, according to my contacts. But I don't think you need worry about him evading justice again. Besides the Order, half the noble families in Athkatla had friends or relatives who would have died if Isaea had succeeded, and they will be out for blood."

At the end of Nalia's tale, Anomen addressed the assembled guests, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, since the attack on the trade delegation was such an important event in our lives," he continued, exchanging a knowing glance with Merena, "I consider it quite auspicious that it should be settled so satisfactorily on the day before the wedding. And even more auspiciously," he said with a smile, "Gareth has just informed me that dinner is served."

This announcement was greeted by laughter and cheers of approval, and the party adjourned to the dining room. Between Nalia's surprising news and the excitement of the impending wedding, the mood of the party was happy, and the conversation lively. Merena was finally able to put aside her concerns about Imoen for a time, and simply enjoy the company of her friends, some of whom she had not seen in years.

They had almost finished the main course when Merena glanced down the table to see Gareth speaking to Anomen in an undertone. A look of surprise and confusion crossed Anomen's face; he glanced at her with an unreadable expression before quietly excusing himself from the table. A moment later Gareth was at her side. "Lord Delryn would like to see you in the vestibule, my lady. There is a matter that requires your attention."

Mystified, Merena excused herself and followed Gareth into the hall. There she found Anomen, engaged in an animated conversation with…Imoen.

In a moment, she had crossed the room and was in her sister's arms. "Imoen, finally! I couldn't decide whether to be worried about you, or furious with you for being so late! Thank the gods you made it!"

Imoen smiled a little sheepishly. "Sorry about that, sis, I didn't mean to cut it quite this close. But you know I wouldn't miss the wedding for anything."

Merena turned to her husband-to-be, who was standing nearby, watching the reunion. "Anomen, why do you have her standing the hall like this? Surely we can find another place at the table, and everyone will be excited to see her."

Anomen gave her an aggrieved look. "Merena, I have been trying to do that very thing, but she refuses to budge!"

Imoen glanced up at Anomen warmly. "Don't be too hard on him, Merena, he's been playing 'gracious host' like all get-out, but I haven't been very cooperative. It's just that…I had my heart set on springing my big surprise in front of the whole gang; but I didn't think it was going to land in the middle of your dinner party. I know it's terrible manners, but could you please have everyone come out here? It won't take long, I promise."

Merena and Anomen exchanged a look for a moment, and Merena shrugged. "If we take her into the dining room now it's sure to disrupt everyone's meal anyway, so I suppose it won't hurt. Besides," she said with an amused snort, "they all know what Imoen is like."

Imoen gave her sister a quick hug. "Thanks, sis. It'll be worth it—you'll see."

Gareth, who had been hovering nearby, cleared his throat deferentially. "My lord, if you wish to assemble all your guests in one place, I believe the main parlor would be most suitable. Dessert can be served there, rather than the dining room."

"Excellent idea, Gareth." Anomen responded. "Imoen, is there any reason why your 'surprise' has to be revealed in the front hall?"

Imoen grinned, "Come to think of it, no. Why don't you guys get everyone together in the parlor, and I'll just nip out and get my surprise ready." With that, she was out the front door again, leaving Merena and Anomen behind to exchange bemused looks.

A few minutes later, their guests had gathered in the parlor, and Anomen addressed them. "My friends, apologies for the sudden change in plans, but we will be serving dessert here shortly. But first, to explain why we are here…I'm certain that you will all be pleased to hear that Merena's sister Imoen arrived safely a short time ago. But she is not with us at the moment because she has a surprise to share with us all, and she insisted on doing so immediately."

There was an audible 'Hmph!" from Jaheira, and Merena smiled to herself at the hint of irritation in Anomen's voice. She knew he was very fond of her sister, but there was no question that Imoen could be very trying, especially for someone who valued order as much as Anomen.

"That sounds like my cue!" Imoen said, bounding into the room. "Here I am, and here's my surprise!" She motioned furiously toward the doorway she had just come through, and when nothing happened, she turned toward it and said loudly, "Here's my surprise—now!"

A figure loomed in the doorway; Anomen was tall, and Sarevok taller, but this man made them both look small. Merena gaped, unable to believe her eyes. Then, a familiar and much loved voice asked plaintively, "Little Imoen is ready now?"

Merena's eyes blurred with tears as cries of surprise and delight filled the room. She stumbled forward, too shocked to speak. Minsc; yes, it was really him, her dear friend whom she had not seen since shortly after her wedding to Kelsey five years before, when he had left for his home in far-away Rashemen. When she reached him, his already beaming face brightened still more as he swept her up in a rib-cracking hug.

"Merena!" he boomed, "Minsc is so happy and proud he could be here for your special day!"

He released her, and once she could breathe again, she tried to make sense of his presence. "Minsc, how…how did you get here? How did you know? It takes months to get here from Rashemen—you must have left even before we set the date for the wedding!"

"Months? Oh, no, friend Merena, Minsc left Rashemen this morning," he corrected her happily. Then he leaned close and said, "Boo says that his tummy is still in Rashemen, but he will feel better soon." Sure enough, bright-eyed Boo, Minsc's pet hamster and constant companion, squeaked at her from the breast pocket of Minsc's tunic. "Minsc and Boo are here today because little Imoen's magic brought us here."

"What?" she turned to her sister. "Imoen, what did you do?"

"Well…" Imoen began, clearly trying to look modest but failing utterly. "I've been working on a way to set up permanent 'gates' between two locations—well, not really permanent, they last for a few weeks unless you renew the spells—and I decided to try to set up a gate to reach Rashemen. I missed this big lug," she said, looking up at Minsc fondly, "and after all he'd told me about it, I wanted to see Rashemen for myself. But when I found out about you and Anomen getting married, I decided it would be nice to bring Minsc here for the wedding."

A murmur of amazement went through the crowd and Merena stared at her sister, astonished. "You set up a gate between here and Rashemen?"

"Candlekeep, actually—I put it in my workroom." Imoen amended. "But it turned out not to be so easy; Rashemen is just too far away to get to in one go, so I had to find a place halfway there to in put another gate that could reach Rashemen. You know," she said brightly, "there really is a Jansen in every land in Faerun."

By this point, Merena was thoroughly baffled. "A Jansen? What…"

"Oh, when I mentioned to Jan that I was having trouble, he put me in touch with his second-cousin Ermintrude Jansen, a mage that lives in Selgaunt. You know, in Sembia," she added helpfully. "Turns out, Sembia is pretty close to halfway between Candlekeep and Rashemen, so she was able to help me set up a gate that went to the basement of her shop. Once that was done, I went through, and the two of us made the gate to Rashemen so Minsc could get here in time for the wedding."

"So, these two 'gates' allow you to travel to Rashemen in a single day?" Jaheira asked in a strangled voice.

"Well, three, technically, if you count the one that goes from Candlekeep to Valygar's basement," Imoen added, "I wasn't sure we'd be able to get here in time, otherwise."

The group turned to Valygar in unison. "Valygar, you…" Merena began, but Jaheira's voice overrode hers.

"You knew about this and did not tell me? You let us wait and worry that Imoen might not arrive in time and you said nothing?"

Valygar flushed, unhappy to object of Jaheira's wrath, "Jaheira, she insisted that it had to be a surprise. And she swore that she would be here in time—and as you can see, she was right. Have a little sympathy, Jaheira," he said, giving her a pained look, "I've had Jan Jansen camped out in my basement for the last week."

Despite her anger, after a moment Jaheira's lips twitched in amusement. "I suppose then, we could say that you have already suffered enough."

Merena, watching this byplay with interest, felt a tug on her skirt. She looked down to see Kylia, who had been permitted to stay up for the dinner party as a special treat. "Momma," she whispered, "is that your friend Minsc that you've told me stories about?"

Merena blinked back tears. "Indeed it is, dear, and I'm so happy you can finally meet him and Boo." She took Kylia's hand and together they walked toward Minsc, the crowd around him parting as they did so.

When Minsc saw them approaching, he immediately crouched down so he could speak to Kylia face-to-face. "You must be Kylia," he said, his delight showing clearly on his face. He took her small hand gently in his large one. "Little Imoen has told Minsc so much about you! One of the things that has made Minsc and Boo saddest, being parted from our friends, is that we could not meet you before now."

A loud 'squeak' from his pocket made Kylia jump. Minsc chuckled. "Boo reminds Minsc that he also wants to meet little Kylia." He took Boo from his pocket and held him where Kylia could see him. "This is Minsc's friend, Boo. He is a miniature giant space hamster, and the best companion a ranger could have."

Kylia reached out and gently stroked Boo's furry head with one finger, her eyes wide. "Does he really talk to you?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes, indeed! Minsc would be lost without Boo's wise advice!" He met her eyes, and his voice fell. "And perhaps, little Kylia, if you listen very carefully, someday he may speak to you."

Merena, watching them, heard an indignant snort next to her, and turned to see Sarevok, who had an exasperated look on his face. But before she could speak, Keldorn, who was also standing nearby, said in an undertone. "Something amiss, Sarevok? Surely, you can't object to your niece meeting Minsc and Boo."

"It's not that!" Sarevok said impatiently. "It's…it's all this!" He waved to encompass the group clustered around Imoen and Minsc. "My sister invents something that merchants and governments would sell their souls for—assuming they had them," he added acidly.

"But does she do it to increase her wealth—or power—or position? No!" he continued indignantly. "She does it so because she thinks it would be 'nice' to make certain that a half-mad ranger and his pet hamster can attend her sister's wedding!"

Keldorn chuckled. "Perhaps it is baffling to you, but it gladdens my heart to see it. If all magic was used for such a loving purpose, my skills would not be needed."

Sarevok snorted. "You are as mad as the rest of them." He shook his head and walked away without another word.

Merena put her arm through Keldorn's. "He is better than he was, you know."

Keldorn sighed. "I know. It must be difficult to learn to be a human being, once you've almost been a god." He turned to Merena and patted her arm affectionately. "But you never had any difficulty with that, my dear."

Merena smiled. "Ah, but I was a human being first, and had Imoen and Gorion to love me, before I almost became a god. I think that made a difference."

Imoen walked up to the two of them, stifling a yawn. "Hey sis, sorry I broke up your dinner party, but it's getting late. I was hoping that I could get a quick bite to eat and then get some shut-eye. I'm sure Minsc is tired too, since it was much earlier in Rashemen when we left—or later—oh, you know what I mean! Anyway, we've gotta be ready for the big day tomorrow!" she added with a happy gleam in her eye.

"Of course, Imoen!" Merena said, slipping an arm around Imoen's waist. "And I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say how much I love my surprise."

"I thought you would." Imoen said smugly. "Oh, and before I forget, I told Jan and his cousin Ermintrude that they could come to the wedding."

Merena stared at her sister in shock, and beside her, Keldorn cried "Imoen!" in a scandalized voice.

Recognizing her sister's silence as something other than unbridled glee, Imoen, continued haltingly, "I know it's a…kind of a surprise, but they were so helpful, and Jan was so disappointed that he hadn't been invited…"

Breathe. Merena admonished herself. "I'll just bet he was," she said, trying valiantly to unclench her teeth. Knowing she had no other recourse, she added. "That's fine, Imoen." In her mind's eye, however, she pictured the horrified look on Anomen's face when she told him of the last-minute additions to the guest list.

"Great!" Imoen said cheerily. "Well, good thing your wedding's in the afternoon, so I can sleep in—I'm bushed."

Maria Firecam, having overheard their exchange, approached them with one eyebrow arched as she regarded Imoen speculatively. "I wouldn't count on that, young woman. You haven't had any fittings for your dress, and we need to find something suitable for your large friend to wear. No, I'm afraid we'll need you both up and about first thing in the morning," she said decisively.

Imoen looked chagrined for a moment, but then her natural ebullience broke through. She shrugged and smiled. "If you say so, Lady Maria. But the important thing is now that we're here; Merena and Anomen can finally get married."