Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Bioware, Interplay, or the Baldur's Gate series other than copies of the games themselves and an overactive imagination. Thank you. :)
Journey to
the North
Chapter VIII
The soft hiss of stone on steel echoed on the evening breeze, and Imoen followed the sound easily, gracefully sidestepping a group of knights on their way to take the first watch of the night. One stopped briefly to smile and bow to her, and she slowed only to return his greeting with an impish grin. She noted with some amusement that his eyes lingered on hers for a moment longer than was necessary before he turned away to follow his companions to the edge of the camp.
She took a few backward steps as she watched his figure retreat, tilting her head thoughtfully. He was of average height, but taller than she was, and his shoulders were broad under the shining armor of the Order. A deep golden ponytail hung down between his shoulders, and she found herself wondering idly what it looked like loose around his shoulders. Maybe after a bath…. She giggled softly, feeling a faint blush creeping up her ears. Brandt, she thought his name was, and she made a mental note to find out for sure later that evening.
He turned over his shoulder and looked back, smiling broadly as he met her eyes again, and this time Imoen felt the blush creeping fully over her face. She was grateful for the darkness and returned what she desperately hoped was not too silly of a grin, then turned quickly and very nearly ran to the small tent that she shared with Kaelis and Jaheira. Jaheira was gone, but Kaelis sat in front of the tent opening on a small stool before the fire.
She held a shining longsword over her knees with one slender hand, and ran a small stone along the edge with the other. She watched the movements of the stone constantly, only stopping every few minutes to lift the sword to the light of fire, examining the edge carefully. This time she nodded imperceptibly to herself and bent to lay the stone on the ground, taking instead an oiled cloth that lay on a piece of leather beside her seat. She folded it over the edge of the sword and began to clean the blade, glancing up as Imoen approached. She said nothing, though she smiled and nodded to a stool not too far from her own.
Imoen threw herself onto the stool with a melodramatic flourish, and Kaelis glanced at her sister again out of the corner of her eye, laughing softly. She said nothing, however, and went back to cleaning her sword. Imoen watched her for a long moment, then moved her stool slightly closer to Kaelis' and leaned over conspiratorially. Kaelis raised her eyebrows in an attitude of listening, but her eyes were still intent on her task, and at last Imoen let out an exasperated groan. Kaelis' hand slowed in its purpose, and she looked back at Imoen, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
Imoen sighed theatrically, a grin breaking out on her own puckish features. "Kaelis, I'm in love."
Kaelis laughed and shook her head, turning her eyes back to her sword.
"I am!"
Kaelis gave a small nod and cleared her throat, avoiding Imoen's exaggeratedly hurt gaze. She asked simply, "Who is it this time?"
Imoen tilted her head, considering. "I think his name is Brandt. He's on First Watch tonight. Shares a tent with… Hey, wait a minute!" She reached over and pushed Kaelis' arm, nearly knocking her off of her stool. "What do you mean, 'this time'?"
Kaelis swallowed her laughter, inspecting the edge of her sword carefully. "You've told me that same thing probably a dozen times since we left Athkatla. This morning it was Connor. And yesterday you swore that Darin was the only man that you would ever love. And before that you couldn't live without Paol. And the day before that it was…."
Imoen rolled her eyes and groaned. "Okay, okay." She tried, rather unsuccessfully, to look injured, but at last she giggled and shrugged her shoulders delicately. "I guess I just have a lot of love to give." Kaelis just grinned and shook her head again, saying nothing. She picked up a scabbard from the ground and slid the sword into it with a soft snick.
Imoen watched her sister quietly, the giddy smile fading more into one of concern. She watched as Kaelis sat still for several minutes, staring beyond the sword in her hands. Her thoughts were far away, and Imoen knew where they were. She moved her stool closer still to Kaelis', and she tilted her head until she could see Kaelis' eyes. "How are you doing?"
Kaelis met her eyes, apparently a little surprised at the question, then shifted uncomfortably and looked back at the sword. She lay it slowly on the ground beside the stool. "I'm fine. I'm… just a little tired, that's all. It was a long ride…."
Imoen laughed softly and leaned back. "Save it, Kae. Don't you think I know you better than that." Kaelis was silent, and Imoen paused a moment before she spoke again, more quietly. "Kaelis, I know you're tired. You haven't slept in two days. And you've hardly eaten at all." Imoen smiled vaguely. "Jaheira's worried."
Kaelis laughed softly, not raising her eyes. She picked up another scabbard from the ground, similar to the first, but with strange markings along the length of the hard leather. She examined them intently for a moment, probably a little more intently than was necessary. "Jaheira's worried…?" She waited for a moment, then moved her eyes up to Imoen, smiling faintly.
Imoen shrugged, looking away and toward the stars. "Yeah, well… You know how she is."
Kaelis nodded. "Mm-hmm…."
Imoen looked up at the trees, the sky, anywhere to avoid Kaelis' piercing gaze. "It must be a druid thing…."
"Worried."
"Yup."
"A druid thing."
"Yup."
"Jaheira."
"Mm-hmm."
Kaelis nodded, a smile tugging at her lips as she pulled a second sword out of the ornately carved scabbard.
Imoen tried to hide her own smile, looked at Kaelis again, then sighed and drooped her shoulders slightly. "Okay, okay, so maybe I'm a little bit… concerned." Kaelis had picked up the stone again as Imoen was speaking and was running it over the edge of the sword, her smile faded into thoughtfulness. Imoen continued quickly, "But she did say that you need some rest and food or you'll be… well, to put it some way that it might make sense to normal people, you'll be no use to anyone at all."
Kaelis laughed, shaking her head. "That's not what she said, is it?"
Imoen giggled. "No, not exactly. It was more along the lines of you'll be as useless as fur on a fish, or something like that. Something very… natural."
Kaelis smiled, her eyes on the sword and the stone that ran along the blade's edge, singing softly in the darkness. She said nothing, and Imoen watched her for a time in silence. Finally she leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, her eyes drifting toward the weapon in Kaelis' hand. Anomen had given the sword to Kaelis, she knew, but she could not read the markings on the scabbard and had never asked what they meant.
There was a long silence, heavy, but not unwelcome, and Imoen was a little startled when it was broken by the sound of her sister's voice.
"We should reach the Friendly Arm by this time tomorrow." Kaelis let the sword and stone fall gently into her lap. "After that, we start for the northeast and Kanfael. Into the mountains."
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then looked over at Imoen. "This is your last chance to change your mind, little sister. If you want to go home…."
Imoen pretended to consider for a moment, then wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "I can't do that. You'd never survive without me, and then Jaheira would get after me, and you know how she gets…." Imoen giggled, then shook her head as her tone grew more serious. "You know I won't leave, Kae. Not now, not like this."
Kaelis smiled faintly. "I know." Her smile widened, and Imoen could see the unspoken gratitude shining in her eyes before they turned once more to the weapon in her hand. Kaelis turned it one way, then the other, then gave a little nod, apparently satisfied. As she set down the stone and reached for the cleaning cloth, Imoen reached out and grabbed her forearm.
"Just promise me something, Kae."
Kaelis nodded, but said nothing.
"Kaelis."
Kaelis sighed softly and sat back up. "What is it?"
"Just least try to get some sleep. Please."
Kaelis groaned and closed her eyes, letting her head drop. "Imoen…."
"You can't help Anomen like this, Kaelis, and if he were here, he would be giving you a harder time than I am. You know that."
Kaelis flinched slightly, and Imoen knew that her words had hit their mark. More than once in their travels, Imoen had watched Kaelis try to go on, wounded and exhausted, held back only by the concern in Anomen's eyes and his countless whispered pleas. But he wasn't here now, and Imoen had watched Kaelis' face grow paler by the day while the shadows under her eyes grew darker in contrast. She gave Kaelis' arm a gentle squeeze.
"Please, Kae."
Kaelis opened her eyes and lifted her head, and the lump in Imoen's throat tightened at the sight of a single tear making its way down her cheek.
"Kae, I'm sorry… I…."
Kaelis shook her head and bent to retrieve the carved scabbard. "No, Im… You're right. I do need some sleep. I just…." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head, slipping the sword into its scabbard.
Imoen nodded. "I know." After a moment, she let her hand slip from Kaelis' arm and sat up, running her hands through her hair and sighing softly. Kaelis slung the sword and scabbard over her shoulder, then bent to lift the other.
Imoen cleared her throat gently. "I… think Jaheira may have a sleeping draught in that portable apothecary of hers." She stood up and stretched her back, looking up at the night sky. "Do you want me to go see?"
Kaelis hesitated, her hand open over the sword. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again after a moment and nodded without a word.
Imoen paused for a long moment, then gave a brief nod of her own and turned, taking a step back toward the tents and the deep hum of voices. Someone was laughing, someone else singing, off-key and more loudly than was probably necessary. Something about honor, and glory, and the boot of righteousness implanting itself in the buttocks of nastiness. She had never heard that song sung quite like that before. She had a feeling that a certain ranger had been given a little too much to drink. I'd better find him before Jaheira does, but first things first…. Imoen smiled and shook her head, starting more purposefully toward the camp.
"Im?"
Imoen turned back, glancing over her shoulder with the smile still on her lips. Kaelis had stood, her twin swords strapped expertly to her slender back, the cleaning cloth and sharpening stone held easily in one small hand. A few stubborn auburn curls had escaped the braid at her back and were blowing gently around her face in the night air. The moon had hidden the shadows under her eyes and softened the tired lines around her mouth, but the slight droop of her shoulders said everything. Well, almost everything.
"I'm glad you're here."
Imoen's smile slowly gave way to a trademark grin, and she gave a single brief nod before turning back toward the camp.
***
Anomen gazed silently at the moon high above the trees, leaning heavily against an ancient stone. He could not sleep. Kaelis was constantly in his thoughts, and when he closed his eyes he dreamed only of her face, her voice. It was too much for him to bear, and at last he had thrown himself from his bed and had gone out into the darkness, the large silver disk of the moon catching and holding his eyes.
He had gazed at it in silence for a long time, marveling that anything could seem so beautiful in this place. But the moon was beautiful, silver and majestic, and he found himself speaking to the wind, his voice barely more than a whisper.
"Do you see the moon, Kaelis? Does it appear so large where you are?" He smiled at his own foolishness, but spoke again, unwilling to let go of the childish hope that she could hear him, wherever she was. "So beautiful. Like your eyes…."
His stomach tightened at the thought of her eyes, large and green and full of laughter. His arms ached to hold her. He longed to feel the rhythm of her heartbeat under the smooth skin of her throat, the soft weight of her tired head on his shoulder. He had only ever held her thus, her head on his shoulder, his arms around her, his fingers playing idly with the long auburn curls, the rough surface of her worn leather armor as she slept. It had been… difficult.
He had made a promise long ago both to himself and to Kaelis, after hearing of her treatment at the hands of the madman Irenicus. And he had kept it faithfully, though it meant many long, wakeful nights in a lonely bed. He had never known the touch of her hands, the softness of her body against his, had never heard her breathless whispers in the darkness. There had been many sleepless nights, but tonight the longing was unbearable. Perhaps it was best that she was not here. He prided himself on his strength, his resolve, and yet if she were here…. He smiled in spite of himself and cursed his weakness, her beauty, and the five hundred miles that stood between them.
He turned away from the moon and moved slowly through the snow, back to his tent. The camp was quiet, dark. A few soldiers moved restlessly in front of the eastern gate, their weapons ready in their hands and their voices subdued. As he approached, Anomen nodded to them wordlessly and they returned the greeting, saluting quickly in the informal way that he preferred. The Order would frown upon such informality, of course, but at the moment Anomen cared very little about what the Order thought about anything.
He reached his tent, lifting the skin over the door. He paused upon the threshold, then looked over his shoulder at the great silver disk of the moon. It seemed to have drawn closer still, and he found himself whispering again to the wind, his words disappearing into the air as soon as they left his lips.
"Sleep well, my love. I hold you in my dreams."
***
Kaelis let the tent flap fall closed behind her, then stood for a moment just inside the doorway, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. Slowly, the shadows became clearer and she made her way through the tiny, crowded tent to where her cot lay unmade in the corner. She dropped her swords onto the floor beside it with a sigh, then ran a hand over her forehead.
She could have sworn that she had heard Anomen's voice on the wind. Do you see the moon, Kaelis? Does it appear so large where you are?
Her chest tightened painfully, and she cursed under her breath, dropping onto the cot and throwing her arm over her eyes. She tried to banish the words from her mind, but they echoed in her thoughts, and others followed quickly, carried by the soft night breeze that made its way through the doorway and into the darkness of the tent.
So beautiful. Like your eyes….
She could almost feel him in the darkness, feel the solid warmth of his shoulder as she lay her weary head upon it at the end of a particularly fierce battle, feel the warmth of his arms as they wrapped around her, feel the stir of his breath on her hair as they slept, her head on his shoulder, his cheek on her hair, their backs against the wall of some godforsaken place. But now he was far away, and despite Sir Ryan's assurances, the location of the Order's forces in the Silver Mountains was still unknown. All at once, she felt powerless, and empty, and alone. And she was tired. So tired….
She kicked off her boots and let them fall to the floor with a thud, not moving her arm from her eyes. She could hear the wind plucking at the skin covering the doorway, could feel the soft stirring of the air as it made its way in through the cracks. It smelled of rain, and of smoke, and of steel. She could hear the voices of soldiers as they made their way through the tents, some talking in low voices, others laughing. But it was a whisper that caught her attention, even through the warm fog of sleep that was slowly creeping over her mind.
Sleep well, my love. I hold you in my dreams.
