Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

A/N: I am really sorry it took me so long to post the next chapter. I was so unbelievably stuck. Sorry. As I explained in the reviews section, a bright elf is a good elf, the opposite of a dark elf. Raiyel is NOT—repeat, NOT—a gold elf. Since I am not well-versed in RPG or any Forgotten Realms stuff except Drizzt and Arilyn & Danilo, I don't know the name for her race. Basically, she's a Tolkien Wood-Elf: blond hair, blue eyes, likes trees, likes singing, good archer, etc. Also, while I am opposed to the Drizzt/Catti-brie match, YamiVixen, I like Catti-brie! And last but not least, the song Raiyel sings is from Lord of the Rings (owned by Tolkien) (it's Galadriel's farewell song), since I don't know Forgotten Realms elvish.

Someone shook Raiyel awake the next morning. She rolled over, swatting her waker's hand away, but whoever it was persisted. "Raiyel," Drizzt called. "Wake up."

Raiyel yawned and sat up, shaking sleep out of her eyes. She glanced at Drizzt and started in surprise before she remembered where she was and who he was. He smiled, surprisingly, and held out a bowl of whatever muck passed for breakfast on the trail. "It's Bruenor's turn to cook," the drow explained, noting her skeptical glance. "We don't eat much on his days. Don't worry too much; it's not quite as bad as it looks. Or smells," he added, wrinkling his nose.

Raiyel took the bowl and the spoon Drizzt offered. She took a bite, swallowed, and announced, "I volunteer to cook instead of Bruenor on all his days."

"I heard that!" the gruff dwarf shouted.

"You were intended to," Raiyel replied curtly.

Regis giggled. Bruenor glared at him.

They ate the dwarf-king's muck as fast as they could without tasting it and broke camp. "Where are you going?" Raiyel asked Catti-brie as she extinguished the fire.

"We're headed back t' Icewind Dale. One o' us rather stupidly wanted t' take a bit o' a swing down south, an' then we heard that Wulfgar, me da's son—adopted, like me—was up there waitin' fer us with his family. An' he's trapped with the Gutbuster Brigade."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Ye shouldn't. It's not a pleasant sight, smell, or sound. I won't go into it; ye have to see 'em fer yerself. Gandalug Battlehammer, King o' Mithril Hall, has just died, an' so Bruenor's the rightful king. So, now we're headed off t' Icewind Dale an' thence t' Mithril Hall. An' what about yerself? Where're ye off to?"

Raiyel shrugged. "Visiting an old friend in Lonelywood."

"Ah, really? Ye're welcome t' travel with us."

Bruenor groaned. "Don't go makin' offers like that, girl. One elf is enough." Drizzt rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Is he always like this?" Raiyel asked Catti-brie, jerking her thumb at Bruenor.

"Always."

"Great. Just great."

They set a quick pace, one that made Regis work to keep up with. Raiyel finally took pity on the little halfling and let him ride on her shoulders.

Drizzt smiled at the picture they painted, skipping up ahead of the party and singing the one song they both knew—a very bawdy tavern song. He didn't think he'd ever seen an elf act so free and undignified.

Catti-brie came up behind him, also watching the pair. "Ye'd think she'd been here fer years, travelin' with us like this. D' ye think she'll stay on with us when we leave th' dale fer th' hall?"

Drizzt shrugged. "I don't know. I think I'd like it."

Catti-brie grinned mischievously. "Suren I would too. We need another lass. I'm sick o' all you big boys runnin' around with yer hammers an' yer axes an' yer curvy swords, smackin' giants an' goblins without thinkin' first, gettin' yerselves half killed every time. In that respect, I'd call Regis the most intelligent o' th' entire band."

"Ah, but what about Guenhwyvar?"

"More feminine intelligence."

Drizzt threw up his hands. "You are impossible to argue with."

Catti-brie smiled saucily and walked ahead. Drizzt shook his head and ran up to Raiyel and Regis. The unlikely pair had finished their song, and Raiyel was trying to teach Regis an old elf song—in elvish. The halfling was mangling the pronunciation.

"Elvish is fluid," Raiyel was telling him as Drizzt came up. "No gaps, like in dwarvish. It's not Ai! lor-ee-ay, it's Ai! laurië."

"Ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen," Drizzt murmured. "Yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron!" ("Ah! like gold fall the leaves in the wind, long years numberless as the wings of the trees!")

Raiyel shot him a startled glance, then smiled warmly. "Yéni ve lintë yuldar avánier," she continued, "mi oromardi lisse-miruvóreva Andúnë pella, Vardo tellumar nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni ómaryo airetári-lírinen." ("The long years have passed like swift draughts of sweet mead in lofty halls beyond the West, beneath the blue vaults of Varda wherein the stars tremble in the song of her voice, holy and queenly.")

"That's beautiful," Regis breathed.

"Sí man i yulma nîn enquantuva?" the elves sang together. "An sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëo ve fanyar máryat Elentári ortanë ar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulë; ar sindanóriello caita mornië i falmalinnar imbë met, ar hísië untúpa Calaciryo míri oialë. Sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar! Namárië! Nai hiruvalyë Valimar. Nai elyë hiruva. Namárië!" ("Who now shall refill the cup for me? For now the Kindler, Varda, the Queen of the Stars, from Mount Everwhite has uplifted her hands like clouds, and all paths are drowned deep in shadow; and out of a grey country darkness lies on the foaming waves between us, and mist covers the jewels of Calacirya forever. Now lost, lost to those from the East is Valimar! Farewell! Maybe thou shalt find Valimar. Maybe even thou shalt find it. Farewell!")

"Bunch o' elven nonsense," Bruenor snorted, spoiling the moment. Drizzt and Raiyel both glared at him. "Song's got no beat, can't mine to it."

"I should hope not!" Raiyel snapped. "Elves don't mine, naug nibin!" ("Petty dwarf!")

"I know that," the dwarf-king grumped. "Pitiful things."

"At least we don't bear even a passing resemblance to orcs," she quipped.

Regis winced as Bruenor's face turned a fascinating shade of maroon. "Put me down, please," he requested. "He's going to kill you."

"He's going to try," Raiyel corrected as Drizzt lifted Regis from her shoulders and set him on the ground.

As soon as the halfling's feet were on the ground, Bruenor charged Raiyel, who darted out of way. Drizzt tripped the dwarf, who went flying headfirst into a deep snowdrift. Raiyel laughed merrily as he poked his head out and growled. She and Drizzt took off.

"An' don't either of ye dare t' come back!" Bruenor hollered after them.

When they were a safe distance away, Drizzt slowed his mad dash to a walk. Raiyel spun around and waited for him. They walked in silence for several minutes.

"Do you know who those drow were who attacked you last night?" Drizzt asked finally.

Raiyel shook her head. "I have no idea. They could be assassins—I'm a wandering ranger with no land of my own to guard, and as such I've made many enemies—but most of the people who want me dead are the type who'd want to wring my neck themselves. I hope it wasn't a surface raid."

Drizzt shuddered. "So do I."

Raiyel gave him a questioning look, which he ignored. She shrugged. "I thought I say a huge black cat jump out of the forest before you came," she said. "Do you know what it was?"

"That was Guenhwyvar."

"That was what?"

"Guenhwyvar. She's a friend of mine."

Raiyel raised her eyebrows. "I—see."

"She lives in the Astral Plane."

"Really?"

Raiyel's skeptical tone made Drizzt want to prove his words. He reached into his pack and drew forth the onyx panther figurine of his dearest friend. He tossed it to the ground and called, "Come to me, Guenhwyvar."

Black mist rose up around the figurine, and Guenhwyvar appeared. Raiyel hopped back in surprise. Drizzt grinned. "Don't tell me you're afraid of magic."

Raiyel shook her head slowly. "No...I just don't expect giant cats to appear out of nowhere." She took two cautious steps forward and knelt before Guenhwyvar. "I'll bet you're someone I'll be glad to have on my side," she told her, tentatively scratching the panther behind the ears.

Guenhwyvar bobbed her head and leaned into Raiyel's hands. The elf smiled and scratched more vigorously.

"Keep runnin'!" a deep voice bellowed.

Raiyel looked up and cursed. Bruenor, Regis, and Catti-brie had caught up with them, and the dwarf was, apparently, still very angry at Raiyel for her comment about dwarves.

Drizzt took off, Raiyel and Guenhwyvar in close pursuit. "I'll get ye yet, elf!" Bruenor yelled.

"No, you won't!" Raiyel called back.