[A/N] Hey all! Gunna write another chapter, just for you! ^-^ Hope you
liked the last one, had one helluva time writing it. 8 Pages! OoO And
thx to everyone who reviewed, it really means a lot to me!!!
Chapter Twenty-Three – Anguish
A month passed slowly by as the Companions remained in Silverymoon. Alustriel had postponed the banquet in order for Drizzt to recover before they held it. Drizzt and Catti-brie had grown much closer since his swift recovery and hadn't told anyone yet what had been done to him in those cells. It was still too fresh, still too raw. He awoke at night from the memories haunting his nightmares of what the red-haired man had done to him.
His back was still healing, slower than normal, but the ranger was already back to enjoying the practice sparring that he so enjoyed. The afternoon was bright and cheerful, the sun shining brightly in the light blue sky. The grass was green and the trees were already beginning to change to brilliant shades of orange, crimson and gold, appearing like fire in the mid afternoon sun.
Serenity, Delly, and Catti-brie laughed as they watched the sparring match between Drizzt and Gabriel.
The fight was fairly even, and it amazed those who watched from a distance. The two fighters, though one was nearly a foot and a half taller than the other, were at fairly even odds. Gabriel moved as gracefully as the ranger he faced, and vice versa. Drizzt was able to use his smaller size, and the fact that his opponent had such large wings upon his back as an advantage over him.
Drizzt dodged the Luchién blade, easily using the curved blade of the scimitar to deflect it back at Gabriel. The tall Lord moved gracefully to the side and easily dodged the magical blade. He backed up quickly as Drizzt threw both blades towards him, the dull side of the blades extended, not wanting to harm the High Lord.
They fought for what seemed like minutes to the watchers, but were close to an hour. The two fought with swift, graceful movements, neither defeating the other. It reminded Catti-brie of the many fights that she had seen between Drizzt and Artemis Entreri. Though, it was certainly different, since both of the fighters weren't fighting until the other was nearly killed, or until one fled.
Their fluid movements were amazing and observers were watching open mouthed. It was (or seemed to be for those who didn't know it was a sparring match) a flowing, dance of death in which most of the movements were hardly noticeable to the naked eye. The Companions of the Hall had seen Drizzt fight like this before, but Colson and Mikhail hadn't before and were clearly astonished in what direction the fight was going.
After a while, Drizzt slowly began to feel the ache in his back that the sparring usually left, since the welts hadn't fully healed from his ordeal weeks ago. Quickly, he dropped to a crouch on the ground, a rather unexpected move to Gabriel, kicking out his left leg. He caught the Luchién by surprise as the tall male fell heavily onto his back, with Drizzt standing, blades calmly resting on his opponent's shoulder blades, dull edges closest to his throat.
"Do you give in, Gabriel?" He asked, a grin finding its way across his normally stoic features. "Do you yield?"
Chuckling, Gabriel nodded, accepting that hand Drizzt extended to help him off the ground. "You have improved much since we first fought years ago, Ranger Do'Urden."
"As have you, High Lord." Drizzt smiled, chuckling softly. It had been a long time since he had seen the High Lord. It had been a long while since he had sparred with anyone other than those in the dale (not that he was complaining, of course). "And I believe that if your son is anything like his father, it will be quite a difficult match."
Gabriel nodded, smiling, before walking over and taking the one-month-old infant from his mother's arms. Serenity smiled serenely at her husband, resting her head on her shoulder, looking down at the little boy in her husband's arms, smiling and giggling happily. Drizzt knew that she still had nightmares of her own captivity down there, but then, she had spent months down there, and the drow had fed her and kept her alive, however barely.
Smiling, Catti-brie walked over and slid an arm around his slender waist. She was glad that he had regained all of the weight he had lost during his month-long captivity, but she still felt terribly that he still had night terrors about what had happened. As her room was next to his, she would here him through the door that connected their rooms, crying out softly or muttering in his sleep. More than once she had had to go in there and awaken him before his cries would wake up the rest of those in Alustriel's large home.
Delly smiled at the couple as they walked off the sparring field together, hand-in-hand, talking quietly. She knew that they had grown a lot closer since they had talked their feelings over, though she didn't know what they were going to do about it. Colson would frequently play with Mikhail and they would enjoy playing hiding games, and pretending to be animals. They all knew that the 5-year-old elfling still had nightmares about his parents and watching his entire clan killed, but on the outside he seemed to be recovering well. He seemed to have taken a liking to Drizzt and Guenwyvar, and they to him.
"What are they going to do about him?" Wulfgar asked as he walked up to stand behind his wife. Delly smiled, watching the small elfling and their daughter playing together. Colson had already begun to pick up on the elven language.
"I'll not be knowin'." She said quietly, placing one hand over her swollen belly. "But it seems as if he's takin' quite a liking to both Drizzt and Catti-brie."
Wulfgar only chuckled. He too had watched some of the archery practices that Drizzt would look in on and give the elfling praise to his quickly developing skill. He would even offer small tips and hints whenever he could, though his knowledge of the elven archery skills was limited. The drow had taken to carrying around a bow of his own, for the first time since their quest to find Mithril Hall. "Aye, I have a feeling that he'll either go with them or another elven family. Wherever he goes, I have a feeling that he'll maintain a strong connection with him, even if one of them doesn't take him in."
Delly smiled at her husband. Apparently, he hadn't noticed the closeness that had grown between the two, or hadn't bothered to notice. She hoped that they would stay together, stay with each other. There was such a strong bond between them, she knew that it shouldn't be shattered, that they made the right choices.
* * * * *
They walked back to their rooms, both in silence. Drizzt had fallen into a stillness (except for his walking) that was familiar to Catti-brie but this time it made her uncomfortable. Seeing the glazed look in his eyes, she could tell that his thoughts were else where besides the marble hallways of Alustriel's home. He had often done that lately, starring off into space, as if he was seeing something else.
She had been watching as he spent much time with Mikhail, watching as he looked on to the elfling's already unbelievable archery skills. He had been trained for an incredibly early age, she could tell that for sure. It didn't bother her most of the time, but the look in his lavender eyes whenever he did made her curious.
"Tomorrow's the banquet," she said quietly, looking into those unnatural orbs. "Have ye been fitted for the clothes that ye'll be wearin'?"
Drizzt groaned, looking at her pleadingly. "No," he sighed, "not yet. And I do not wish to either!"
Catti-brie laughed, "Well, ye have no choice, after all, Alustriel said that since she's paying for it, she'd better see ye wearin' the garments to the banquet." She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling. "And besides, its bein' held in yer honor anyway. I doubt she would want anyone to be seein' how incredibly shaggy ye are normally."
"Cat . . ." He looked into her eyes, his lower lip giving her a slight pout as he pleaded with her not to take his to the taylor's shop where Alustriel had asked them to get their clothes. "You've already gotten your's, haven't you?" He frowned at her nod. "That's not very fair. I'm the only one who hasn't gotten fitted yet aren't I?"
"Ye are, so don't complain." She turned him back towards the direction of the gates that led out into the city. "I'll bring ye, and they can be fittin' ye while I'm doin' some shoppin' of me own."
"At least you enjoy shopping, Cat." He muttered under his breath. Looking at her while the walked down the streets, he thought to himself, 'At least I'll be able to get that thing I've been trying to get while we're in town.' He smiled slightly.
'I just hope she likes it . . .'
* * * * *
[A/N] OoO. Ooooooooooooo, what's the drow thinkin? **snicker** Plot bunnies said that a cliffy was in order and I agreed with them, for once. **ducks thrown objects** Hey! I gave all of you guys extra carrots, be nice! **Plot bunnies think for a minute before throwing things again** Anyone have a 22-calibur rifle that I could borrow for a while? I need it!
Chapter Twenty-Three – Anguish
A month passed slowly by as the Companions remained in Silverymoon. Alustriel had postponed the banquet in order for Drizzt to recover before they held it. Drizzt and Catti-brie had grown much closer since his swift recovery and hadn't told anyone yet what had been done to him in those cells. It was still too fresh, still too raw. He awoke at night from the memories haunting his nightmares of what the red-haired man had done to him.
His back was still healing, slower than normal, but the ranger was already back to enjoying the practice sparring that he so enjoyed. The afternoon was bright and cheerful, the sun shining brightly in the light blue sky. The grass was green and the trees were already beginning to change to brilliant shades of orange, crimson and gold, appearing like fire in the mid afternoon sun.
Serenity, Delly, and Catti-brie laughed as they watched the sparring match between Drizzt and Gabriel.
The fight was fairly even, and it amazed those who watched from a distance. The two fighters, though one was nearly a foot and a half taller than the other, were at fairly even odds. Gabriel moved as gracefully as the ranger he faced, and vice versa. Drizzt was able to use his smaller size, and the fact that his opponent had such large wings upon his back as an advantage over him.
Drizzt dodged the Luchién blade, easily using the curved blade of the scimitar to deflect it back at Gabriel. The tall Lord moved gracefully to the side and easily dodged the magical blade. He backed up quickly as Drizzt threw both blades towards him, the dull side of the blades extended, not wanting to harm the High Lord.
They fought for what seemed like minutes to the watchers, but were close to an hour. The two fought with swift, graceful movements, neither defeating the other. It reminded Catti-brie of the many fights that she had seen between Drizzt and Artemis Entreri. Though, it was certainly different, since both of the fighters weren't fighting until the other was nearly killed, or until one fled.
Their fluid movements were amazing and observers were watching open mouthed. It was (or seemed to be for those who didn't know it was a sparring match) a flowing, dance of death in which most of the movements were hardly noticeable to the naked eye. The Companions of the Hall had seen Drizzt fight like this before, but Colson and Mikhail hadn't before and were clearly astonished in what direction the fight was going.
After a while, Drizzt slowly began to feel the ache in his back that the sparring usually left, since the welts hadn't fully healed from his ordeal weeks ago. Quickly, he dropped to a crouch on the ground, a rather unexpected move to Gabriel, kicking out his left leg. He caught the Luchién by surprise as the tall male fell heavily onto his back, with Drizzt standing, blades calmly resting on his opponent's shoulder blades, dull edges closest to his throat.
"Do you give in, Gabriel?" He asked, a grin finding its way across his normally stoic features. "Do you yield?"
Chuckling, Gabriel nodded, accepting that hand Drizzt extended to help him off the ground. "You have improved much since we first fought years ago, Ranger Do'Urden."
"As have you, High Lord." Drizzt smiled, chuckling softly. It had been a long time since he had seen the High Lord. It had been a long while since he had sparred with anyone other than those in the dale (not that he was complaining, of course). "And I believe that if your son is anything like his father, it will be quite a difficult match."
Gabriel nodded, smiling, before walking over and taking the one-month-old infant from his mother's arms. Serenity smiled serenely at her husband, resting her head on her shoulder, looking down at the little boy in her husband's arms, smiling and giggling happily. Drizzt knew that she still had nightmares of her own captivity down there, but then, she had spent months down there, and the drow had fed her and kept her alive, however barely.
Smiling, Catti-brie walked over and slid an arm around his slender waist. She was glad that he had regained all of the weight he had lost during his month-long captivity, but she still felt terribly that he still had night terrors about what had happened. As her room was next to his, she would here him through the door that connected their rooms, crying out softly or muttering in his sleep. More than once she had had to go in there and awaken him before his cries would wake up the rest of those in Alustriel's large home.
Delly smiled at the couple as they walked off the sparring field together, hand-in-hand, talking quietly. She knew that they had grown a lot closer since they had talked their feelings over, though she didn't know what they were going to do about it. Colson would frequently play with Mikhail and they would enjoy playing hiding games, and pretending to be animals. They all knew that the 5-year-old elfling still had nightmares about his parents and watching his entire clan killed, but on the outside he seemed to be recovering well. He seemed to have taken a liking to Drizzt and Guenwyvar, and they to him.
"What are they going to do about him?" Wulfgar asked as he walked up to stand behind his wife. Delly smiled, watching the small elfling and their daughter playing together. Colson had already begun to pick up on the elven language.
"I'll not be knowin'." She said quietly, placing one hand over her swollen belly. "But it seems as if he's takin' quite a liking to both Drizzt and Catti-brie."
Wulfgar only chuckled. He too had watched some of the archery practices that Drizzt would look in on and give the elfling praise to his quickly developing skill. He would even offer small tips and hints whenever he could, though his knowledge of the elven archery skills was limited. The drow had taken to carrying around a bow of his own, for the first time since their quest to find Mithril Hall. "Aye, I have a feeling that he'll either go with them or another elven family. Wherever he goes, I have a feeling that he'll maintain a strong connection with him, even if one of them doesn't take him in."
Delly smiled at her husband. Apparently, he hadn't noticed the closeness that had grown between the two, or hadn't bothered to notice. She hoped that they would stay together, stay with each other. There was such a strong bond between them, she knew that it shouldn't be shattered, that they made the right choices.
* * * * *
They walked back to their rooms, both in silence. Drizzt had fallen into a stillness (except for his walking) that was familiar to Catti-brie but this time it made her uncomfortable. Seeing the glazed look in his eyes, she could tell that his thoughts were else where besides the marble hallways of Alustriel's home. He had often done that lately, starring off into space, as if he was seeing something else.
She had been watching as he spent much time with Mikhail, watching as he looked on to the elfling's already unbelievable archery skills. He had been trained for an incredibly early age, she could tell that for sure. It didn't bother her most of the time, but the look in his lavender eyes whenever he did made her curious.
"Tomorrow's the banquet," she said quietly, looking into those unnatural orbs. "Have ye been fitted for the clothes that ye'll be wearin'?"
Drizzt groaned, looking at her pleadingly. "No," he sighed, "not yet. And I do not wish to either!"
Catti-brie laughed, "Well, ye have no choice, after all, Alustriel said that since she's paying for it, she'd better see ye wearin' the garments to the banquet." She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling. "And besides, its bein' held in yer honor anyway. I doubt she would want anyone to be seein' how incredibly shaggy ye are normally."
"Cat . . ." He looked into her eyes, his lower lip giving her a slight pout as he pleaded with her not to take his to the taylor's shop where Alustriel had asked them to get their clothes. "You've already gotten your's, haven't you?" He frowned at her nod. "That's not very fair. I'm the only one who hasn't gotten fitted yet aren't I?"
"Ye are, so don't complain." She turned him back towards the direction of the gates that led out into the city. "I'll bring ye, and they can be fittin' ye while I'm doin' some shoppin' of me own."
"At least you enjoy shopping, Cat." He muttered under his breath. Looking at her while the walked down the streets, he thought to himself, 'At least I'll be able to get that thing I've been trying to get while we're in town.' He smiled slightly.
'I just hope she likes it . . .'
* * * * *
[A/N] OoO. Ooooooooooooo, what's the drow thinkin? **snicker** Plot bunnies said that a cliffy was in order and I agreed with them, for once. **ducks thrown objects** Hey! I gave all of you guys extra carrots, be nice! **Plot bunnies think for a minute before throwing things again** Anyone have a 22-calibur rifle that I could borrow for a while? I need it!