Note: Okay, I'll have to admit to something. There will be a short period
in which I will not be posting anything.why? Because my real life, sadly,
will call me away on vacation.sorry! But I will make up for it by posting
as much as possible before I'm gone! And, of course, after I get back!
Again: I don't own Dragonlance, blah blah blah.but everything else is MINE
you THIEF!
Chapter 9:
When Alira woke, she instantly missed the Elves and their room. However, her little inn-room in Solace was lovely. It was quaint, with plain wooden furniture, and a nice window that let in the sun amidst the branches of the huge vallenwood tree it was located in. The trees were enchanting. They were absolutely gigantic, with stairs and lifts running up and down the trunks. People trafficked the stairs as often as the ground floor, and lifts were always being lowered and pulled up to bring supplies up. Alira felt as though she were home, in the cozy little area.
She got up, not bothering to bathe, since she wasn't sure where she could go for ablutions, and dressed. As she donned her robes, she remembered why she and Raistlin were there.
She was afraid Raistlin had forgotten, and was right in her fear. He had forgotten, and she knocked loudly on his door to remind him. When he didn't answer, she opened the door a tiny bit and walked in.
Raistlin lay in bed, his covers tangled about him. She nearly backpedaled out of the room when she realized that he didn't sleep in his robes. As a matter of fact, he slept in nothing. It shocked her, but she calmly retreated, and instead knocked louder on his door. His eyes finally flew open, the black hourglasses of his pupils becoming larger and then smaller as they adjusted.
"What is it?" he called. Alira shook her head, and sighed.
"We were here for a reason you know! Astinus's representative? We have to find him!"
"Did the Elves tell us where the representative was staying?" Raistlin asked. Alira could hear the bedding rustle as Raistlin got out.
"No. We'll have to find out for ourselves.will it be hard?"
"Of course not. This is a small town, everyone knows everything about everyone."
Raistlin was right. It took them approximately half of a minute to find out where the representative was.
"Hello, have you seen a representative from Astinus here?"
"Yes. He's at that table right now, eating the bread."
The two mages made their way over, Raistlin calm and Alira astounded at how easy that was.
"I am Raistlin Majere, and this is Alira." Raistlin said.
"I am Frein. Astinus sent me."
"Yes. We know. For what?" Raistlin's sentences were clipped, and to the point. Alira didn't know why she left the talking to him, but he seemed to have everything under control, so she let him have it.
It didn't take long to get to business, fortunately.
"Astinus has sent me with a bit of a forewarning. Don't ask me any questions, because I will tell you everything I know, and I probably will not know the answers to your questions." The little man said. Alira noticed he was quite short, with dusky gray hair that was once blonde. His shrewd eyes, set in his wizened and tanned face, were blue as a summer sky. Where those eyes would be beautiful and deep on a younger man, they were hard and calculating on this one. Raistlin slipped into his old listening mode, preparing to capture and store each word like a precious gem.
"You two were set together by no coincidence. As far as we know, the gods must have done something to bring you two together and change the course of time as we know it.
"Alira: all of your past has been a lie. Your Elven blood has granted you more time on Krynn than you know, and a few years of that time was spent in training as an assassin. We don't know who trained you, why they trained you, when exactly, or anything of that nature. We just know you were trained as an assassin, but that you never saw action.
"Raistlin: your part in history has already been determined, though with Alira's arrival, it will soon change. Had things continued the way they were going before you two met, it is very likely that most magic would be lost from Krynn, leaving us in an age of mortals. I have no idea exactly what is supposed to happen, though I know one thing. You would originally go and try to defeat Queen Takhisis and take her place as God of Darkness. We don't know what will happen now. It's possible you may do the exact same thing.but it is also possible that the exact opposite happens. Only the gods know your purposes, though I suspect their meddling means that your original purpose will deviate from its path.
"Together, you two have a few certain things you must accomplish for everything to transition smoothly. Unfortunately, we only know where you have to go to do this. We tried to find out these challenges, but there was no way for us to. Astinus himself couldn't penetrate to find the secret. You will stay in Solace for three days, then move on to Silvanesti. The Elves will let you in, and you will spend two or three nights there as well. Look for an inn called the Silver Bell.
"After Silvanesti, you will come back to Solace. Here, you will stay until further instruction.
"Do you understand?" Ferian said, strictly and clearly.
"Of course." Alira choked, still stuck on his first words about her life. Assassin? Surely not!
Raistlin sat quietly and took this all in, his old nature slowly seeping back. But then, he glanced at Alira, and felt it all melt from him. That must be part of it. He was certain that if he hadn't met her, he would still be a cynical, rude, arrogant, etc. person. That was the key. She was deviating him from his original life-path by changing his very nature! And yet, he found that he did not hate her for this odd change.
She cried. Up in her room in the inn, she cried. Not a full-out weep, or a wild bawl, she just cried. Softly, quietly, the tears engraved their crystalline tracks down her cheeks, marking her as one who grieved. Occasionally, a loud sniffle, perhaps a whimper, penetrated the still quiet. Alira was used to her perfect, uneventful life. Now? She thought she may be in love with a mage who apparently would have someday challenged the Dark Seductress herself for a seat as a god! And she finds out that it is her job to help save Krynn, basically, from losing its magic. And, of all things, she finds out that a few years of her life, which she cannot remember, were stolen from her for training as an assassin.and she never even used her skills! She noticed that she slowly got leaner and muscular, had an easier command with weapons as she grew older, but she had never guessed it was due to training!
"Stop sniveling!" She chided herself. "It helps nothing, and there's nothing to cry about! No one died, you're just.confused."
She heard a soft rap at her door. Quickly, she cleaned her face off and took out a book, trying to look like she was studying all along. "Come in!"
Raistlin peered inside, still wearing a brown cloak. She looked up and smiled at him, showing no signs of her previous depression.
"Hello, Raist." She greeted him genially. He pulled the hood down, revealing his white hair and golden face, and smiled at her. Raistlin grabbed a chair and pulled it over to the bed, where she sat. Sitting, he looked rather like he was waiting for her to say something.
"Are you all right?" he asked. Alira cursed herself for crying, but then realized that he probably wouldn't know if she didn't tell him.
"Yes, are you?"
"Of course. I was wondering if, perhaps, you would like to, er, well, just maybe," he started stumbling, screaming and cursing himself in his head for acting such a fool, "want to see a bit of Solace? I grew up here, and I thought you might like to see a bit of the town before we have to leave."
Alira was surprised by his little invitation. It was sweet, and intriguing. "I'd love to."
Alira beamed at him, and Raistlin felt like killing himself.
Why?
Because he realized that her happiness meant the world to
him.
And that could prove fatal.
Note: Again, thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing my little novella. I just wanted to say thanks, it's actually quite nice to have actual mail in my mailbox, rather than junk about Viagra!
Also: I would like to mention to everyone that I really, really will not appreciate it if Alira is "stolen". Firstly, she is one of my favorite characters, and after writing nine chapters with her as one of the main characters; she's already become one of my official "children" (god knows I have enough on my other computer!) and I love her. I've received a couple of e-mails from people wanting to use her in different ways (from just a mention of her to her as an actual character). I just can't let anyone after I saw a certain story (which has now been removed) from a certain site that did a few things that I really don't appreciate. I'm sorry, but I must protect my baby.
In the meantime, please, if you have suggestions, comments, whatever, or if you're just bored and you want to talk.I don't mind receiving mail or IM's from people. ChicagirlRM, Arcuriel, or RealElfArcuriel are all AOL/AIM names I can be found on. Have fun reading! I'm working on Chapter 10~!
Chapter 9:
When Alira woke, she instantly missed the Elves and their room. However, her little inn-room in Solace was lovely. It was quaint, with plain wooden furniture, and a nice window that let in the sun amidst the branches of the huge vallenwood tree it was located in. The trees were enchanting. They were absolutely gigantic, with stairs and lifts running up and down the trunks. People trafficked the stairs as often as the ground floor, and lifts were always being lowered and pulled up to bring supplies up. Alira felt as though she were home, in the cozy little area.
She got up, not bothering to bathe, since she wasn't sure where she could go for ablutions, and dressed. As she donned her robes, she remembered why she and Raistlin were there.
She was afraid Raistlin had forgotten, and was right in her fear. He had forgotten, and she knocked loudly on his door to remind him. When he didn't answer, she opened the door a tiny bit and walked in.
Raistlin lay in bed, his covers tangled about him. She nearly backpedaled out of the room when she realized that he didn't sleep in his robes. As a matter of fact, he slept in nothing. It shocked her, but she calmly retreated, and instead knocked louder on his door. His eyes finally flew open, the black hourglasses of his pupils becoming larger and then smaller as they adjusted.
"What is it?" he called. Alira shook her head, and sighed.
"We were here for a reason you know! Astinus's representative? We have to find him!"
"Did the Elves tell us where the representative was staying?" Raistlin asked. Alira could hear the bedding rustle as Raistlin got out.
"No. We'll have to find out for ourselves.will it be hard?"
"Of course not. This is a small town, everyone knows everything about everyone."
Raistlin was right. It took them approximately half of a minute to find out where the representative was.
"Hello, have you seen a representative from Astinus here?"
"Yes. He's at that table right now, eating the bread."
The two mages made their way over, Raistlin calm and Alira astounded at how easy that was.
"I am Raistlin Majere, and this is Alira." Raistlin said.
"I am Frein. Astinus sent me."
"Yes. We know. For what?" Raistlin's sentences were clipped, and to the point. Alira didn't know why she left the talking to him, but he seemed to have everything under control, so she let him have it.
It didn't take long to get to business, fortunately.
"Astinus has sent me with a bit of a forewarning. Don't ask me any questions, because I will tell you everything I know, and I probably will not know the answers to your questions." The little man said. Alira noticed he was quite short, with dusky gray hair that was once blonde. His shrewd eyes, set in his wizened and tanned face, were blue as a summer sky. Where those eyes would be beautiful and deep on a younger man, they were hard and calculating on this one. Raistlin slipped into his old listening mode, preparing to capture and store each word like a precious gem.
"You two were set together by no coincidence. As far as we know, the gods must have done something to bring you two together and change the course of time as we know it.
"Alira: all of your past has been a lie. Your Elven blood has granted you more time on Krynn than you know, and a few years of that time was spent in training as an assassin. We don't know who trained you, why they trained you, when exactly, or anything of that nature. We just know you were trained as an assassin, but that you never saw action.
"Raistlin: your part in history has already been determined, though with Alira's arrival, it will soon change. Had things continued the way they were going before you two met, it is very likely that most magic would be lost from Krynn, leaving us in an age of mortals. I have no idea exactly what is supposed to happen, though I know one thing. You would originally go and try to defeat Queen Takhisis and take her place as God of Darkness. We don't know what will happen now. It's possible you may do the exact same thing.but it is also possible that the exact opposite happens. Only the gods know your purposes, though I suspect their meddling means that your original purpose will deviate from its path.
"Together, you two have a few certain things you must accomplish for everything to transition smoothly. Unfortunately, we only know where you have to go to do this. We tried to find out these challenges, but there was no way for us to. Astinus himself couldn't penetrate to find the secret. You will stay in Solace for three days, then move on to Silvanesti. The Elves will let you in, and you will spend two or three nights there as well. Look for an inn called the Silver Bell.
"After Silvanesti, you will come back to Solace. Here, you will stay until further instruction.
"Do you understand?" Ferian said, strictly and clearly.
"Of course." Alira choked, still stuck on his first words about her life. Assassin? Surely not!
Raistlin sat quietly and took this all in, his old nature slowly seeping back. But then, he glanced at Alira, and felt it all melt from him. That must be part of it. He was certain that if he hadn't met her, he would still be a cynical, rude, arrogant, etc. person. That was the key. She was deviating him from his original life-path by changing his very nature! And yet, he found that he did not hate her for this odd change.
She cried. Up in her room in the inn, she cried. Not a full-out weep, or a wild bawl, she just cried. Softly, quietly, the tears engraved their crystalline tracks down her cheeks, marking her as one who grieved. Occasionally, a loud sniffle, perhaps a whimper, penetrated the still quiet. Alira was used to her perfect, uneventful life. Now? She thought she may be in love with a mage who apparently would have someday challenged the Dark Seductress herself for a seat as a god! And she finds out that it is her job to help save Krynn, basically, from losing its magic. And, of all things, she finds out that a few years of her life, which she cannot remember, were stolen from her for training as an assassin.and she never even used her skills! She noticed that she slowly got leaner and muscular, had an easier command with weapons as she grew older, but she had never guessed it was due to training!
"Stop sniveling!" She chided herself. "It helps nothing, and there's nothing to cry about! No one died, you're just.confused."
She heard a soft rap at her door. Quickly, she cleaned her face off and took out a book, trying to look like she was studying all along. "Come in!"
Raistlin peered inside, still wearing a brown cloak. She looked up and smiled at him, showing no signs of her previous depression.
"Hello, Raist." She greeted him genially. He pulled the hood down, revealing his white hair and golden face, and smiled at her. Raistlin grabbed a chair and pulled it over to the bed, where she sat. Sitting, he looked rather like he was waiting for her to say something.
"Are you all right?" he asked. Alira cursed herself for crying, but then realized that he probably wouldn't know if she didn't tell him.
"Yes, are you?"
"Of course. I was wondering if, perhaps, you would like to, er, well, just maybe," he started stumbling, screaming and cursing himself in his head for acting such a fool, "want to see a bit of Solace? I grew up here, and I thought you might like to see a bit of the town before we have to leave."
Alira was surprised by his little invitation. It was sweet, and intriguing. "I'd love to."
Alira beamed at him, and Raistlin felt like killing himself.
Why?
Because he realized that her happiness meant the world to
him.
And that could prove fatal.
Note: Again, thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing my little novella. I just wanted to say thanks, it's actually quite nice to have actual mail in my mailbox, rather than junk about Viagra!
Also: I would like to mention to everyone that I really, really will not appreciate it if Alira is "stolen". Firstly, she is one of my favorite characters, and after writing nine chapters with her as one of the main characters; she's already become one of my official "children" (god knows I have enough on my other computer!) and I love her. I've received a couple of e-mails from people wanting to use her in different ways (from just a mention of her to her as an actual character). I just can't let anyone after I saw a certain story (which has now been removed) from a certain site that did a few things that I really don't appreciate. I'm sorry, but I must protect my baby.
In the meantime, please, if you have suggestions, comments, whatever, or if you're just bored and you want to talk.I don't mind receiving mail or IM's from people. ChicagirlRM, Arcuriel, or RealElfArcuriel are all AOL/AIM names I can be found on. Have fun reading! I'm working on Chapter 10~!