Ruby missed the sunlight. The great stalactites and stalagmites with the green and purple dancing in lights upon them. It was a crude version of the stars. Ruby hated them, her eyes had changed to see heat over light. The Branwen's little house was odd in how many candles it had. A necessity that went with the twins preference for human slaves. Ruby had learned that quickly as well, for when she peered out into the 'night' there was no light just heat of the bodies of the denizens of the Menzoberranzan.

The door opened and she spun around to see Qrow step out into the roof of the little house. "You shouldn't be out here."

"I'm keeping low, they can't see me."

Qrow walked over and laid down beside her on his stomach. He stretched a wing out and covered hers with it. The gold bracelet with red feathers woven into it hid them from sight and made her ears appear round. Just another human, but when her back was touched the wings were still there.

Ruby couldn't help but smile a little, in the last ten days she had lived with him. She had learned that he was very kind, a balm to the sharpness of his sister. She had feared at first that he would hurt her or rape her but neither occurred. They slept in the same room, him in his bed, her in her bedroll and nothing came of it.

"So why are you out here?" Qrow asked.

"I've been inside for the last ten days, I needed some space. I understand why you are hiding me so I figured the roof would be a safer place to go. Did you need something?"

"Well you are going to get a little bit of freedom. Mary has gathered up Raven's shed feathers and I just finished making them into quills. You'll accompany me to the bazaar where I will sell them."

It took Ruby a couple days to get used to how he spoke. 'You will' or 'Clean here' It wasn't to be rude or unkind as she quickly caught onto it was just how drow spoke. To say something like 'please' was to show weakness. "Okay, are we going now?"

"Yes." Qrow stood and then offered his hand.

Ruby took it and let him lift her to her feet. Green purple light pierced the darkness as the Archmate lit the Narbondel signaling that 'dawn' was here. "Oh I had completely lost track of the time."

"Come on then, we have to stop by the workshop." Qrow lead the way back into the house and down the two flights of stairs.

Ruby had not been in the workshop before. It was the exclusive domain of the two drow, however she knew that Raven worked the magic while Qrow did the making. There was a little forge in one corner and many tools for crafting. She guessed that Qrow's desk was the messy one while Raven's was the orderly one. However beside the forge in one of the few empty spaces as a locked black cabinet. "What's that?"

Qrow looked to the cabinet that she pointed at, how armed with the bag full of black and red feathers. "Can you keep a secret?"

"You're the one keeping me from being sacrificed to Lolth, any and all of your secrets are safe with me."

Qrow chuckled, it had been a rhetorical question. "Sure I will show you, I always save a couple feathers for her." He strode over and unlocked the cabinet with a little touch of his family magic. "My mother was tiefling, my grandmother was forced by the priestess of Lolth to couple with a devil. It was this act that drove my family away from Lolth. But we-the drow, have more gods and goddess then just Lolth." He opened the cabinet.

Ruby was stunned by the beautiful woman within. She was extremely gorgeous and nude, long graceful limbs, glossy obsidian skin with her hair a long stream of moonlight white it curve in wide arcs around her body hi her ankles. Her face was what struck Ruby though, delicately features and shape to it. "She's beautiful, who is she?"

"She is Eilistraee. Lolth's daughter, she went into exile after Lolth was banished with her brother Vhaeraun because she knew her people would need her in the future. She is a goddess of freedom, beauty, dance, hunting, moonlight, song and swordwork. Though," Qrow gestured to his and Raven's working stations. "She admires those who create almost anything, the working of metal and jewels too. It's part of why Raven and I learned to make things. We had hoped that maybe it would reach her even down here… that we want to leave."

At the goddess's feet was a little brazier. Ruby's eyes were drawn away from the nude goddess as Qrow lit a little fire within it. He opened the bag and pulled out two flawless feathers. One had more black in it, his sisters and the other had more red, his own. "Raven lets me do this as Eilistraee doesn't favour one gender over the other like Lolth." He lovely placed Raven's feather in the fire. "We burn a feather every time we lose enough of them to make something from them. We can't sing the Eversong for her, or dance or stand in her moonlight. But we can create, and we give her our feathers because unlike Lolth she has no interest in blood sacrifices."

Ruby watched silently as the feather curled inward as it burned. "You think it will help her hear your prayers?"

Qrow nodded not looking away from the feather. "We both get dreams from her. I've seen the moonlight in them, I've run through forests and danced with my brothers and sisters in her church. It's part of why I want to hear stories of the surface, so I can know my dreams are true."

Raven's feather burned away, Qrow placed his one in the brazier.

"I think you are very fortunate to have a goddess. I have never heard of her before, but I do like her. I have never felt any real connection to any of the Seldarine… elven gods." She reached up and played with a lock of black hair. "Do you think she would mind if I gave her an offering? Any goddess that can make a drow want to be good is worth at least attempting to say hello too and for all I know. I owe her just as much as I owe you for my life."

"Eilistraee wishes for unity between the races of the world, of course she'd be happy to have you too. Would you like a knife?" Qrow stepped over to his table and offered her one.

"Maybe let me see if I have a loose feather, you molt more than I." Ruby brought a wing up to her side and combed her fingers through it.

"That may change once you get used to the temperature."

A white feather came into view once Ruby dislodged it from the others. It was not as big or sturdy looking as the Erinyes' feathers but it would suit her. Qrow's feather had burned away.

"How do you pray to her?"

Qrow shrugged. "She's not a goddess of hard and fast rules. I am sure you could try whispering to her, or you could just burn your feather and think of her. Maybe you'll dream of her tonight."

Ruby thought that she sounded like a very nice goddess, if still stern enough to survive and have her followers survive in the harsh world. Okay, Oh Eilistraee please help me to find a way back to the surface. She dropped her feather in the fire.

Unlike the others, the flames turned silver as the feather quickly burned away. Qrow couldn't help it, he clapped his hands together his wings fluttering. "I haven't seen one go silver since the first time I burned one before dreaming of her."

"You think she heard then?" Ruby asked.

"Yes." Qrow picked up the lid to the brazier and capped it snuffing the fire out. "Don't forget your dreams tonight and what did you ask for?" He set about closing and re-locking the cabinet.

"I asked, with a please for her to help me find a way back to the surface."

Qrow blushed and Ruby could see the heat flow to his cheeks through the darkvision. "I should remember to say please more often too." He picked up the bag of quills. "Come on then, maybe we'll be able to get some steaks after we sell these."

Together they headed out, Ruby had been given a simple tunic that came down to her knees as well as a black cloak. Qrow wore his usual House piwafwi cloak and heavy brown clothes. As they walked Ruby stepped up and took his hand. The streets were already growing busy. "Why do you make your feathers into quills and sell them? There must be many things to write with down here."

"Well as a Erinyes' tiefling I have many of the powers of my devil ancestor. So it's really hard to get burned and I'm always grateful to be immune to poison. I'm also resistant to the cold. So my sister and I save up our feathers because they are very useful as quills for mages. Things do often explode, catch fire or have other nasty magical effects. Our quills are immune to such things, making them handy for spell work and runes. So they fetch a hefty coin purse."

"So why did your feathers burn earlier?"

"That's honestly the only place I've gotten one to burn. That's how I know… well you know."

"Ahh I get it." Ruby placed around, drow, goblins, humans there were just so many. "So why am I coming along?"

"Well it's been a ten day. And things have been quiet, plus if I can teach you how to haggle and shop that will make Mary happy. She's into her third decade and is feeling her years. Though I think she'll be around for at least another two more, getting a human to live longer than that appears to be very hard." Qrow frowned.

It made Ruby giggle. "Humans do live short lives, five decades is pretty normal for them though I've seen a few that were eight decades old."

"Really?! How'd they manage that?"

"My guess is sheer dumb luck. They needed their families to help care for them by that age and were very frail. I just don't think humans were built to last like elves."

Qrow huffed. "You're probably right, whatever god put them together sure shafted them." He squeezed her hand slightly as they came to the market. "Okay now here is the real hard bit, don't be polite. They'll never take you seriously, be blunt, to the point and show no fear. No matter how strange they look."

Ruby huffed and puffed out her chest as they joined the throngs of Underdark creatures in search of a breakfast.

By the time it was over Ruby wanted nothing more than to fly very high and very fast and extremely far away. The only upside was that Qrow had bought them both a sausage to eat on the walk back. "That was insane."

Qrow laughed. "Yeah that does sound about right. I think it's the lack of sunlight, drives them crazy."

The little elf giggled. "That also sounds about right." She took a big bite out of the sausage. "I still wish I knew what I was eating."

"We are probably better off not knowing." Qrow nodded to the parcel under her arm. "At least we know what dinner will be."

"Ha maybe you know but I don't, what is a Rothe?"

"Hmm." Qrow's lips quirked. "It's really big, like taller than me with a big shaggy coat. It can graze on grasses or mushrooms. It's got two big round horns like this." He made a swooping horn shape from the sides of his temples.

Ruby's eyes light up with recognition. "OH! Like a musk oxen! But, able to live underground too that is very neat." It was her turn to humm. "I think I saw some on the way south…"

"You came from the north then? What was that like?"

"Very cold, the spring had been bad so my family decided to fly south. We had heard about Baldur's Gate from a trader and thought it sounded like a good place to try. We weren't going to stay there but it would have libraries and places to research other places to go." She cast her eyes down to the black road.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help more."

Ruby sniffed and shook her head. "You've already helped me plenty. Thank you for that Qrow, none of this has been your fault and without you I'd be a toy for Lolth's monsters."

They arrived home to find Raven, Mary, Cattie and William all in the kitchen. Their breakfast was coming to a boil in a pot over a small fire. "Morning sister." Qrow put his parcel down on the table and bent down to give his sister a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning Qrow, already finished the shopping I see."

Qrow put a purse heavy with Baenre minted coins on the table. "Yes, I even got us some rothe meat and mushrooms to have for dinner."

Raven tilted her head with her lips pressed into a thin line. "I really wish you wouldn't splurge."

"It's not splurging, we haven't had a real dinner since we got Ruby. Considering we didn't pay for her and I managed to sell all of our feathers I think a little celebration is in order." He bent down and kissed Mary's cheek as she stood stirring the pot. "Good morning Mary. Morning Cattie." He kissed Cattie's cheek too.

Cattie was a young blonde human teenager of around sixteen, barely a woman flowered that Qrow had bought two years ago. Unlike Ruby she had been raped and abused when he found her. She had a very round face and a big full smile. "Morning Qrow." She kissed his cheek. "I'm happy to see your trip went well."

"Nice to you see you are feeling good as well." Qrow looked her up and down critically. Cattie had been a purchase Raven had not been happy with, she had been thin and knocking on death's door. It had also made her cheap and as Qrow had promised his sister at the time, Qrow had nursed her back to health but she was still sickly at times. Even if she had finally made it to a healthy weight.

Lastly there was William, a short man of no particular gift or looks. He was in his second decade and a good worker, with chocolate brown hair and eyes. "Morning Qrow." He chopped a few nuts up and put them in the pot.

Qrow kissed his temple. "Morning William."

The human man rolled his eyes, having long since come to accept that kisses were just how Qrow said good morning. Qrow returned to the table and sat down beside Raven putting his back to the door. "So what are the plans for today sister? I am running out of gold and I'd adore some adamantine to work with." Qrow almost swooned at the idea of working with the strong magical metal.

Raven scoffed as she always did when Qrow brought this up. "Qrow we can not afford adamantine."

"But the noble houses so rarely buy gold, if we ever want to reach the real money we have to draw their attention somehow. They have adamantine swords! Swords! There is no way they'd wear things as basic as gold when they have things like adamantine at their disposal."

"Which you know they traded with the gray dwarves to get."

"Exactly, they can't work it themselves. Drow can enchant without equal but most of us aren't very good at making things. Think how it would stroke a high priestesses ego to say they have drow made and enchanted jewelry. No gray dwarf taint on it, they'd completely eat that up."

"And do you think you could make things in Lolth's image without getting into trouble?" Raven regarded her brother with a quirk of her lips.

Qrow instantly sulked, his wings dropping as he grumbled. "Probably, give Eilistraee a few extra feathers and ask her to hide me from Lolths eyes while I work."

He wasn't afraid to say her name aloud in the present company. All their 'slaves' knew that if they turned on them that it would only end up with them sacrificed to Lolth and that Eilistraee was the drow's only good goddess.

Raven rubbed her temples, Qrow wasn't wrong though. Jewelry in Lolth's image made exclusively by drow hands would be very popular. Especially if she managed to enchant it well, they also had the surge of revenue from selling off their quills. "Alright, but you've got to draw for me what you'd make it into and I'm only getting enough for one necklace to start with. And we'll be eating like paupers till either it sells or more of the gold pieces move."

"A fair deal." Qrow said putting an elbow on the table and his chin in his hand as his mind already went to Lolth designs that would please a priestess.

Outside the house a priestess of Faen Tlabbar stood cloaked in shadow. She was not a high priestess, as if one of them would lower themselves to looking for a priceless lost slave when there were prayers to Lolth to make. She was Ven'ra and was almost a high priestess and nearing the completion of her studies at Arach-Tinilith. She hated her job, for it drew her away from her studies at Lolth's greatest chapel. First she had followed the brooch of Faen Tlabbar but found that it had been sold to a weaselly middle man. With her seven headed snake whip, she beat the information out of him. Which led her here to the Branwens. They disgusted her, they were barely drow both in blood and thinking. That not one but two Branwens lived and did nothing to get justice for their fallen house. That they didn't even appear to care. It was wrong.

They should have gone to House Baenre and invoked justice for their lost house. Ven'ra knew it had been House Fey-Branche to attack the Branwens. The Branwens had mostly fallen because of the lack of numbers, even if the tiefling blood made them strong and difficult to kill it was common knowledge and the Fey-Branche had come prepared. She sneered just thinking about it, the Fey-Branche's kissed the boot of the House Baenre an enemy of House Faen Tlabbar.

Still there was something to be learned from the past. Ven'ra did not come alone and all of her soldiers were women and armed with silver. A weakness of the Erinyes. "Take them."

The elites stormed the building and Ven'ra treasured the screams from within. In moments all six inhabitants were dragged out. Neither Qrow or Raven having the space they needed to thrive in a fight, their wings bled as they were shoved down into the street. The many fangs of whips biting into their flesh. She regarded the six slaves and saw Ruby. With an almost bored step she walked over and ripped the gold from around her wrist. Dropping it carelessly to the ground.

Ruby shivered as the magic hiding her elf features and white wings faded away. It was Raven who snapped surging to her feet. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"You stole from my house, while the thief was good we could not ignore the last two Branwens forever." Ven'ra cracked her whip, the snake heads writhing.

Raven snarled. "It was my brother who stole not I. I am Matron of House Branwen and you can have my brother if you leave me be."

Ven'ra laughed a long sweet hollow sound. "You are the Matron of nothing!"

A soldier stepped out of the house holding the cabinet. All the colour drained from Qrow and Raven's faces. Ven'ra smiled and attempted to open it but it held fast. With a hiss she grabbed her sword and cut the doors off to reveal the beautiful statue of Eilistraee. Horror then anger warped her features. "They go to Arach-Tinlith for the heretics that they are. I will sacrifice them to Lolth myself!" She paused and let out a long breath. "Kill the humans."

"NO!" Ruby cried but in seconds Mary, William and Cattie lost their heads. She clapped her hands together and bright pure while light exploded forth. She had closed her eyes and without hesitation she leapt into the sky, flying up as fast as she could to weave through the stalactites before any of the drow regained their sight.

Qrow and the others were slow to have their eyes adjust but he was roughly pulled to his feet and forced to walk even as white globs danced over his vision. He heard Ven'ra hiss. "Leave her." And let out a sigh of relief at least Ruby would have a chance to escape.

By the time they got to the Academy of Arach-Tinilth, they all could see normally again. The complex was shaped like a giant spider and the cephalothorax of the spider was the grandest chapel in Menzoberranzan. In no time they were pushed into the circular ceremonial hall of Arach-Tinilith. A fire burned in the center of the room, in an eight-legged brazier that resembled, as everything in this place seemed to resemble, a spider. The headmistress of all the Academy, the matron mistress, and the other twelve high priestesses serving as instructors of Arach-Tinilth, sat cross legged in a circle around the brazier.

The matron mistress, a beautiful drow of grey skin and white hair stood. "Why do you disrupt us novice?"

"Heretics, worshipers of Eilistraee. I was charged to find a stolen slave but she is of little worth when these traitors spurn our great Lolth! I wish to burn them for our Goddess!" Ven'ra hissed like a snake.

The matron regarded the two tieflings. "They are the last of the Branwens, they are owned a due for surviving the fall of their house. Let them live, Eilistraee sings of freedom… take their wings." She waved an elegant hand to the brazier. "Such a punishment would please Lolth, it shall extend their suffering."

Qrow and Raven screamed in fear and anger. Not their wings, they would rather die than be unable to fly. They struggled and thrashed against the bites of the snake hips, electric pain lashing through their muscles as several of the soldiers grabbed their wings and stretched them back. With perverse glee Ven'ra raised her sword standing first by Raven. "Great Lolth, Queen of Spiders. I offer the wings of these two hertics to you! May you feast on their misery!" Her sword fell and Raven screamed tears streaming down her face to fall upon the black crystal ground in time with her wings. Blood poured down from her back as she collapsed to the ground.

"No no no no!" Qrow screamed and hollered. He loved his wings; he adored flight! He tried to beat them to escape.

Ven'ra moved to stand before him and she lashed out with her snake headed whip sending another slice of pain into his body. She moved to stand beside him and raised her sword again.

"Please no, anything but this!" Qrow couldn't stop the sob as the sword well and his wings along with it.

"Throw them into the fire!"

Qrow cried as he fell to the ground, blood gushing from his body. He could see his sister, her eyes glazing over. "No no no." He crawled to her even as he bled out. "Raven, please." He reached out and took one of her hands, it was growing cold.

His gaze turned to the brazier, Raven's eyes followed as her beautiful wings were thrown in. For a moment nothing happened and Qrow's wings were thrown on as well and the smell of roasting flesh filled the room. Then the fires twisted and writhed like a sniper stuck with a pin, then they exploded and turned silver. Eilistraee appeared within the flames, her beauty far surpassing her spider mother Lolth. She raised her hands to the two tieflings and opened her mouth in the most mournful song. Even the matron mistress had tears running down her face.

Raven and Qrow stopped bleeding. They felt strength return to them but all too soon their goddess was gone but the Lolth drow were frozen. The two twins knew what to do, they shot to their feet and ran for the doors. They could hear the enraged screams of the priestess behind them as Eilistraee's spell waned under the power of Lolth. They burst into the courtyard of the Academy the Sorcere the school for wizards and the Melee-Magthere the school for combat on the other. Without weapons there was no way they would survive. In the seconds it took to formulate a plan crossbow bolts struck their backs.

But they had both lived and studied in the Academy year a century ago and thinking of nowhere else to run they fled for the huge pillars that marked the Tier Breche. It seemed so long ago they graduated, they ran as fast as they could into the city proper. The sounds of soldiers on their heels forced them faster and faster as bolts whizzed past their ears. They veered off to the eastern end of the great cavern Raven leading them, clearing remembering something her twin did not. In seconds they came to three small tunnels, all guarded by glowing statues of giant scorpions. Raven didn't flinch for a second and went down the smallest one.

Qrow couldn't keep track of where they were gone, another pair of bolts struck his back. He took the hits for his sister, she knew where to go. She always did and he had to protect her so they could get there. Blood oozed from the bolts but their poison could not harm him. Then, beyond a low archway, the floor suddenly dropped away and they found themselves falling into a wide chasm. Qrow barely had enough of his wits to summon on the magic inherent to the drow and to slow his fall with levitation.

Raven grabbed him as he stumbled. A thin mist, from some unseen hot pool or tar pit, hugged the stone. They both could sense the danger here, and the evil. It hung in the air even as bolts continued to rain down around them. Only for a piercing scream to rend the air.

"Don't die on me now brother, I need you." Raven pulled him along away from the scream for she knew what it was. The bolts stopped no doubt distracted by the much greater threat.

"Just leave me… you don't need me." Qrow sagged against his twin.

"I need you. I need your dreams by dear baby brother. What else would I live for?" Raven asked, looking over her shoulder.

It was hideous the torso of a drow but it's lower half bloated and twisted into the massive body of a spider. The Drider was crawling up the walls intent on the fresh meat of the soldiers. Raven followed the scent of sulfur and hoped it would be enough to cover the scent of their blood. The sounds of battle drew distant as she found a side tunnel and headed on through it. Farther and farther till the gifted strength gave out and she collapsed, shielding her twin as she fell so he would not fall face first into the floor.

The two tieflings lay in a pool of their own blood. Raven bleeding from a graze in her leg and a bolt in her back. The wood of it shattered and stabbed into her flesh. Qrow from several bolts that Raven did not dare remove. His head lay on her breast as his breathing grew shallow. Raven pulled him up and hugged him, her hands grazing what was left of bone in his back. His wings were gone, tears welled up in her eyes. Her brother's beautiful wings were gone, she'd never see them flutter with his joy again. Hot tears leaked from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." She grabbed at her limp brother and pulled him tighter to her chest, hiding her face in his hair. "I'm so sorry. I was supposed to keep you safe." She sobbed as they were left alone in the dark.