1 Kythorn, Hour 5
Covered a lot of ground. Brief stop when a boy begged us to find his pet; couldn't bear to disappoint him when he looked at us like that. So we went back to find the dog and quickly noticed him when a bundle of red fur leaped to Minsc. Minsc tripped over what must've been a stray root and fell down. The cute doggie licked him, sniffing at the pouch with the chew toy.
"Rufie!" The dog recognized his name from me. "Aww, who's a nice doggie?" I do like dogs. It would never have been proper for me to have more than an annoying little lapdog like Mummy's; little Albert is a lucky boy to have such a companion. "Who's a fuzzy wuzzy Rufie!" He got off Minsc and came to me, wagging his cute tail. I petted the thick fur of his head. "C'mon, let's get you back to Albert."
"'Tis a big dog. Boo does not like big dogs," Minsc commented, brushing himself and his hamster off.
"He's just a lovely furry baby, aren't you darling?" We had to get him back to the child quickly; he licked my hand with his very warm tongue as we led him through the woods.
A hunting party was walking about; they hailed us, and I thought one of them looked a little familiar. Luckily what she said meant I didn't have to try too hard to remember her face.
"I am Sendai, of the noble merchant house of Argrims, foremost family in Amn. Delgod, Alexander, and I have come out here to hunt game. Though perhaps you would make for better sport. I assume you would have no problem with this?"
"Sendai! How lovely to meet you again," I said. When we met at those boring parties she was one of those tedious girls who can't talk about anything other than horses and hunting, but it would have been rude to say so. "We were first introduced at Baron Ioril's last year...I suppose you do not recognize me incognito." I'm so glad I had my hood on while I talked to her, because my hair is very mussed.
No longer looking at me through her nostrils, she seemed startled.
"I'm Skie," I reminded her. I suppose she doesn't have so good a memory. I nudged Minsc so he would not tell her our full circumstances. "This is Minsc, one of Daddy's, uh...special guards."
Sendai looked at him. It took her some time to look at all of him. "You...have been eating your vegetables, haven't you?" she remarked.
"A vegetarian diet is most honourable for great Rashemi warriors!" Minsc commented. "Boo will only touch grains and leaves and cheese, and Minsc likes to eat the same! Only much, much more."
"Very special," the left-hand henchman said. The other giggled.
"We have, alas, become separated from our other companions," I explained to Sendai. "I have had business here searching for my brother--poor Eddard--" I hurriedly talked about other things, lest I break down. "Now we seek another friend, in a frightful hurry I'm afraid."
"Skie Silvershield!" Sendai said. "I'm sorry to meet you like this, for I too must return shortly. Could I lend you some healing potions or anything of the sort? We simply must catch up together when I am next in Baldur's Gate."
"That would be kind of you," I said. I'll probably have to invite her to a social or two next time we meet. Mummy will probably remark about her father being only junior among the Argrims, and Sendai doesn't have the personality to make her welcome to the good parties, but I can listen to her drone on about horseflesh for some little while. Her left henchman's horse whinnied as his rider looked among the saddlebags for potions, and I had an idea. "Could you lend us a horse as well?"
"A horse?" Sendai glanced at Minsc. "Surely one of our horses...I doubt your companion's size..." Minsc would break the back of any Amnian horses.
"For me, not for Minsc. If..." The gnolls were going to eat the witch. We didn't know when they were going to get hungry, so... It was a very stupid thing for me to do. "We would be most grateful to you. Where shall we stable it once we have completed our mission?"
"Beregost; none in Nashkel is really trustworthy, I find. There is a grubby, but quite reliable, dwarven mercenary who owns a stable I rely upon for these occasions."
"He is..." I sniffled. "I'm sure I'll find someone there. Thank you."
"Delgod, dismount," Sendai ordered the right henchman. "Until we meet again, Lady Silvershield. It would be delightful to hunt together."
"Bye, Rufie," I told the dog. "Minsc will take you back to Albert. Good doggie." Delgod's horse startled, led too close to the dog--finicky animal--and I mounted a safer distance from little Rufie.
"Skie mounts? Boo wants to remind Minsc that he and Minsc will never keep up, even though Minsc is nearly as big as a horse!"
"I'm going to ride to the fortress thing," I said. Honestly I must have been mad, but after Sendai had been so cruel and tactless as to bring up Eddard and Kagain, I thought it was a good idea to get to the fortress before whenever gnoll dinnertime is. "You can wait near the fortress for Imoen and the invisibility potions, and I'll come back to join you. I guess I can scout around--I hope I can scout around--and find out when we need to get her out. I don't want to fight any gnolls. I might, like, break another nail." I'm getting really worried about my nails.
Minsc consulted his hamster. After a little while he turned back to me. "Boo thinks that plan must be followed to save Minsc's witch Dynaheir. But Boo says to be careful. The mighty team of Minsc and Boo have fought many gnolls, and know that they smell like rotting leaves and the corpses they eat! Skie should smell like that as well while she is near them, lest they detect her in the shadows."
I wish he hadn't said anything. That, dear diary, is exactly what I have been doing since I finished my wild ride: rolling myself in rotten leaves until I smell absolutely foul. Even my outfit is being ruined. It was such a nice black for escaping Daddy's estate in, with delicate green embroidery on the sleeves. I used to have a version in pink as well, but I traded it to Imoen for some discreet green-coloured earrings exactly the right colour to match this outfit. I like pink but not as much as she does. If Eldoth could see me now he'd probably want to dump me, and that would be terrible. I need a hot bath.
I'm writing this while I wait with Sendai's horse tethered not too far away. It wasn't too hard to find the gnoll stronghold, as it's quite big. There are large figures guarding what looks like the only bridge to it. I hope they're the sort of large figures who sleep. Gnolls are nocturnal, so since it's almost dawn I hope the large figures sleep soon. I'm tired.
Rufie was such a cute doggie. I expect Minsc gave him back to his young friend hours ago.
~Skie.
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A/N: And a slight shift to first-person narration begins...
