It was summer in Niwe Forest; hot, but comfortably so. Ailani found
excuses to go swimming in the lakes around Silverwood, diving deep under
the surface and swimming with the little tiny Aulii fish that flitted
amongst the boulders. Underground streams and snowmelt fed the lakes; too
cold for algae to grow. It was on one such day, after a particularly deep
and long dive, which, despite her prowess at magic, left her breathless,
that Ailani's fears were realized.
Her first clue was the faint wisp of smoke from Silverwood that was almost never there. It was summer; fires were lit only at night, and then for light, on torches and lamps, never in fireplaces. Despite the vehement protests of her muscles, Ailani shifted her stroke from a slow backstroke to a faster freestyle, sprinting out the water as fast as she could and hurriedly dressing in the light forest garb of the elves. Grabbing up Caladbolg, she ran until she reached the cliffs overlooking the main part of Silverwood; she then slowed her pace from a sprint to a stalk, and then dropped to her belly, crawling to the very edge and peering cautiously down.
Smoke rose from three or four torched houses on the outskirts; the flames were already licking at the houses near them. Whispering a spell, Ailani smiled in satisfaction as the flames turned into steam and blinded the small invading specks now in Silverwood.
Invading Silverwood? She thought. Who would be so brash as to do that? And on the heels of that, Oh, no.
A crossbow quarrel smacked the stone a few feet below her head, and bounced off. Ailani swore and crawled hastily back from the edge of the cliff and moved her sword belt so that the hilt of Caladbolg was above her right shoulder; a better position for running. Nearer to town she could switch it back to her hip and took off again. Worrying about how she would get down to the fighting without getting killed, Ailani almost hit the fence of the pasture - of course!
Nenya pranced with eagerness as her skilled fingers tightened the girth of the saddle, slipped the hackamore over his head, and tied Caladbolg's scabbard on. Vaulting into place, Ailani tapped Nenya's sides, his ears flattened, and he took off down the aisle in the stables. Crouched low over his withers, Ailani raised a hand and blasted open the stables doors, and the blue-and-silver blur sped off towards the fighting. Faces were a continuous line of color; the eyes of horse and rider were on the smoke billowing again from the houses, and two pairs of ears were tuned to the zing of crossbows.
Calix, in the most heated part of the battle, heard the terrified shouts and saw a large group of drow go streaking past him, chattering loudly. Then the sound of hoofbeats reached his ears and he swung around, his verdant eyes on the rider that had just galloped straight into the heat of the battle.
And he swore.
Ailani drove her sword home, into the throat of the drow priestess who had been chanting and standing behind the other male drow. The pale-haired, black-robed priestess of Lolth was the antithesis of a priestess of Avalon, and Ailani hated them with a passion. The drow, seeing her rage, scattered as she glared around at them and raised her sword, dripping black with the blood of their brethren.
The spell hit her hard in the back, knocking her to the ground. Gritting her teeth, Ailani put up a Reflect spell just in time to block the next spell and send it back at the caster. Ignoring the ache in her kidneys, she rose to face her attacker. Blue, raging eyes met red ones, and the demon cackled.
"Master wants you, pretty one," it said, advancing towards her. "Master says to fetch you."
For the first time, a shiver of fear raced down Ailani's spine. "Your master will not have me!" she cried, and started casting an Ultima spell. Her words were cut off as the demon raised his hand and made it a fist. Ailani flew into the air and hung there as though something were gripping her neck. She frantically scrabbled at her neck, her eyes bulging wide. The demon got so close that Ailani could make out the facets around the pupil of the bloodshot eye.
"What Master wants, Master gets," the demon hissed, and with a casual flick of his wrist, he flung Ailani twenty feet; she hit the side of a house and slid down, a crumpled heap. The demon cackled again and started over to pick up his prize; Master would handsomely reward him for this!
And stopped as his body froze in place. The demon found his eyes worked, forcing them as far over as they would go, the demon watched as the great silver horse, a light now shining brightly on his chest and a silver horn on his head, charged towards him. The hooves made the sound of the wizard horses of Kamali's Dale; like silver on stone. The death-knell of a demon.
The stallion's light and the shimmer of the horn intensified as they reached the demon, and it appeared that Nenya passed through it, the demon disintegrating upon contact. Nenya wheeled, and slowly trotted over to where Ailani was watching through half-open eyes. The great horse tenderly touched his horn to her shoulder, there was a single, brilliant flash of light, and Ailani rose, her wounds healed. She looked incredulously at her horse, which pawed the ground and tossed his mane. Reaching out slowly, she patted his nose. The horse accepted her caress, then tossed his head again, this time at two figures just landing, one watching with some trepidation the fast-retreating backs of the drow, and one silently observing the female copy of himself. Ailani's eyes were also staring back at the man, only hers were full of hatred.
"So," she breathed, "You have come here."
Seymour nodded. "I have." He cautiously walked over to where she stood, her sword in her hand. She glanced down at it, and smirked up at him.
"You know, the punishment for rape is death - "
Seymour sighed. "I didn't rape your mother.although, now that we look on it, we know we weren't prepared for the possible outcomes."
"No, obviously you weren't," Ailani replied caustically. Calix, looking after the soldiers hastily mustered for the battle, looked over at the tableau, thought about getting involved, and then decided it wasn't worth the loss of a limb.
Yuna caught Calix's glance, and peered at him. "Aren't you that escort we had?"
Calix straightened from where he was tending a slash on Alastair's forearm, and levelly met her gaze. "I am, Lady Yuna. I am also Prince Calix Gwydion of Silverwood - where you seem to have found yourself." He turned to face the tense Seymour. "I assume you are Lady Ailani's father?"
"He doesn't deserve to be called that," Ailani said shrilly. "He raped - "
"For the last bloody time, I did no such thing to your mother!" Seymour exploded, grasping his daughter's shoulders. "I do not know what lies your head has been filled with about me, but as I stand, I would never do such a thing to Yuna!" He took a breath, and released Ailani. "I love her far too much to ever think of it."
Ailani's look, though still acidic, lost some of its sting as her gaze shifted from mother to father and back. It was then that Rikku, having stood in the still-smoking ruins of the house behind Ailani, chose to reveal herself.
"You should believe them, you know?" she said quietly. Yuna smiled warmly at her cousin, glad to see her here. Ailani, however, looked warily at Rikku.
"You're an Al Bhed," she said.
"And you are a Priestess," Rikku replied in a cheery tone, "Of whatever island Yunie said it was."
"Avalon," mother and daughter chorused. Rikku shrugged.
"Whatever. Ailani." the Al Bhed reached out to her cousin, but Ailani drew back.
"You are - "
"Heathen? Is Wakka still spouting that nonsense? And is Lulu still telling you how much of a bastard your father is?" The petite thief laughed. "Don't believe 'em."
Ailani, cowed for the moment, remained silent, scuffing at the ground with her toe. Calix, wishing to end the tense silence, stepped forward and said, "Lord Seymour, Ladies, I extend the hospitality of Silverwood to you."
Rikku bubbled up and down. "That would be great!" Yuna's acceptance was more subdued with a "Thank you, Prince Calix," and Seymour nodded and said nothing; his eyes were on his daughter. Ailani mumbled something about having to take care of Nenya and led her horse off in the general direction of the stables. Calix made a mental note to take his own horse out and find her after settling the three newcomers in.
Lord Aubrey's fingers clenched around the male drow's throat. "Why is my bride not here?" he said in his most dangerous voice. The drow, clawing at his hand, choked out "I don't know sir!"
Aubrey's fingers continued to tighten until a resounding crack said that the drow's neck had snapped. Tossing the now-limp body over in a corner, Aubrey turned and stared into the flames, the orange glow turning his almost-white hair flaxen. Ailani should be now at his side, the to-be queen of the Underworld. Well, Aubrey thought, smiling into the fire, she would be here, sooner or later. It was all a matter of time.
Her first clue was the faint wisp of smoke from Silverwood that was almost never there. It was summer; fires were lit only at night, and then for light, on torches and lamps, never in fireplaces. Despite the vehement protests of her muscles, Ailani shifted her stroke from a slow backstroke to a faster freestyle, sprinting out the water as fast as she could and hurriedly dressing in the light forest garb of the elves. Grabbing up Caladbolg, she ran until she reached the cliffs overlooking the main part of Silverwood; she then slowed her pace from a sprint to a stalk, and then dropped to her belly, crawling to the very edge and peering cautiously down.
Smoke rose from three or four torched houses on the outskirts; the flames were already licking at the houses near them. Whispering a spell, Ailani smiled in satisfaction as the flames turned into steam and blinded the small invading specks now in Silverwood.
Invading Silverwood? She thought. Who would be so brash as to do that? And on the heels of that, Oh, no.
A crossbow quarrel smacked the stone a few feet below her head, and bounced off. Ailani swore and crawled hastily back from the edge of the cliff and moved her sword belt so that the hilt of Caladbolg was above her right shoulder; a better position for running. Nearer to town she could switch it back to her hip and took off again. Worrying about how she would get down to the fighting without getting killed, Ailani almost hit the fence of the pasture - of course!
Nenya pranced with eagerness as her skilled fingers tightened the girth of the saddle, slipped the hackamore over his head, and tied Caladbolg's scabbard on. Vaulting into place, Ailani tapped Nenya's sides, his ears flattened, and he took off down the aisle in the stables. Crouched low over his withers, Ailani raised a hand and blasted open the stables doors, and the blue-and-silver blur sped off towards the fighting. Faces were a continuous line of color; the eyes of horse and rider were on the smoke billowing again from the houses, and two pairs of ears were tuned to the zing of crossbows.
Calix, in the most heated part of the battle, heard the terrified shouts and saw a large group of drow go streaking past him, chattering loudly. Then the sound of hoofbeats reached his ears and he swung around, his verdant eyes on the rider that had just galloped straight into the heat of the battle.
And he swore.
Ailani drove her sword home, into the throat of the drow priestess who had been chanting and standing behind the other male drow. The pale-haired, black-robed priestess of Lolth was the antithesis of a priestess of Avalon, and Ailani hated them with a passion. The drow, seeing her rage, scattered as she glared around at them and raised her sword, dripping black with the blood of their brethren.
The spell hit her hard in the back, knocking her to the ground. Gritting her teeth, Ailani put up a Reflect spell just in time to block the next spell and send it back at the caster. Ignoring the ache in her kidneys, she rose to face her attacker. Blue, raging eyes met red ones, and the demon cackled.
"Master wants you, pretty one," it said, advancing towards her. "Master says to fetch you."
For the first time, a shiver of fear raced down Ailani's spine. "Your master will not have me!" she cried, and started casting an Ultima spell. Her words were cut off as the demon raised his hand and made it a fist. Ailani flew into the air and hung there as though something were gripping her neck. She frantically scrabbled at her neck, her eyes bulging wide. The demon got so close that Ailani could make out the facets around the pupil of the bloodshot eye.
"What Master wants, Master gets," the demon hissed, and with a casual flick of his wrist, he flung Ailani twenty feet; she hit the side of a house and slid down, a crumpled heap. The demon cackled again and started over to pick up his prize; Master would handsomely reward him for this!
And stopped as his body froze in place. The demon found his eyes worked, forcing them as far over as they would go, the demon watched as the great silver horse, a light now shining brightly on his chest and a silver horn on his head, charged towards him. The hooves made the sound of the wizard horses of Kamali's Dale; like silver on stone. The death-knell of a demon.
The stallion's light and the shimmer of the horn intensified as they reached the demon, and it appeared that Nenya passed through it, the demon disintegrating upon contact. Nenya wheeled, and slowly trotted over to where Ailani was watching through half-open eyes. The great horse tenderly touched his horn to her shoulder, there was a single, brilliant flash of light, and Ailani rose, her wounds healed. She looked incredulously at her horse, which pawed the ground and tossed his mane. Reaching out slowly, she patted his nose. The horse accepted her caress, then tossed his head again, this time at two figures just landing, one watching with some trepidation the fast-retreating backs of the drow, and one silently observing the female copy of himself. Ailani's eyes were also staring back at the man, only hers were full of hatred.
"So," she breathed, "You have come here."
Seymour nodded. "I have." He cautiously walked over to where she stood, her sword in her hand. She glanced down at it, and smirked up at him.
"You know, the punishment for rape is death - "
Seymour sighed. "I didn't rape your mother.although, now that we look on it, we know we weren't prepared for the possible outcomes."
"No, obviously you weren't," Ailani replied caustically. Calix, looking after the soldiers hastily mustered for the battle, looked over at the tableau, thought about getting involved, and then decided it wasn't worth the loss of a limb.
Yuna caught Calix's glance, and peered at him. "Aren't you that escort we had?"
Calix straightened from where he was tending a slash on Alastair's forearm, and levelly met her gaze. "I am, Lady Yuna. I am also Prince Calix Gwydion of Silverwood - where you seem to have found yourself." He turned to face the tense Seymour. "I assume you are Lady Ailani's father?"
"He doesn't deserve to be called that," Ailani said shrilly. "He raped - "
"For the last bloody time, I did no such thing to your mother!" Seymour exploded, grasping his daughter's shoulders. "I do not know what lies your head has been filled with about me, but as I stand, I would never do such a thing to Yuna!" He took a breath, and released Ailani. "I love her far too much to ever think of it."
Ailani's look, though still acidic, lost some of its sting as her gaze shifted from mother to father and back. It was then that Rikku, having stood in the still-smoking ruins of the house behind Ailani, chose to reveal herself.
"You should believe them, you know?" she said quietly. Yuna smiled warmly at her cousin, glad to see her here. Ailani, however, looked warily at Rikku.
"You're an Al Bhed," she said.
"And you are a Priestess," Rikku replied in a cheery tone, "Of whatever island Yunie said it was."
"Avalon," mother and daughter chorused. Rikku shrugged.
"Whatever. Ailani." the Al Bhed reached out to her cousin, but Ailani drew back.
"You are - "
"Heathen? Is Wakka still spouting that nonsense? And is Lulu still telling you how much of a bastard your father is?" The petite thief laughed. "Don't believe 'em."
Ailani, cowed for the moment, remained silent, scuffing at the ground with her toe. Calix, wishing to end the tense silence, stepped forward and said, "Lord Seymour, Ladies, I extend the hospitality of Silverwood to you."
Rikku bubbled up and down. "That would be great!" Yuna's acceptance was more subdued with a "Thank you, Prince Calix," and Seymour nodded and said nothing; his eyes were on his daughter. Ailani mumbled something about having to take care of Nenya and led her horse off in the general direction of the stables. Calix made a mental note to take his own horse out and find her after settling the three newcomers in.
Lord Aubrey's fingers clenched around the male drow's throat. "Why is my bride not here?" he said in his most dangerous voice. The drow, clawing at his hand, choked out "I don't know sir!"
Aubrey's fingers continued to tighten until a resounding crack said that the drow's neck had snapped. Tossing the now-limp body over in a corner, Aubrey turned and stared into the flames, the orange glow turning his almost-white hair flaxen. Ailani should be now at his side, the to-be queen of the Underworld. Well, Aubrey thought, smiling into the fire, she would be here, sooner or later. It was all a matter of time.