Author's Notes:
Posting this up a day early, due to the fact that I'm not sure I'm going to
be able to get online tomorrow. In general updates should come out every
Thursday or Friday, and be of approximately uniform length (and hopefully
uniform quality).
Thank you all for your kind reviews! I am reading them, and seeing them is very good incentive for continuing this at it's current pace for as long as I can. By the way, in regards to my own identity, I'm just another amateur writer who happens to love Salvatore's work and have a little too much time on their hands which they've decided to use to write a fanfiction.
As you've no doubt noticed, this story is meandering along at it's own pace. Drizzt will be introduced eventually, but that is still a long, long ways off in the story. There is still a lot to be said and a lot that needs to happen before it's even a possibility, as Zakanfein currently doesn't even remember his own name, let alone that he has a son. It will happen. Probably not exactly as you're expecting but it will happen eventually. Just give me time.
Also, the length of various updates may vary from time to time. Last week's was a little shorter as I was attempting to break of at an acceptable place. This week's is a little longer to make up for that and it also ends at a place where I am comfortable leaving you all.
Please, if you're still reading, don't be afraid to give feedback! Good or bad, I love knowing what people think of my writing, and if I've made any grave errors that need to be remedied.
Night came and the drow miserably pondered where he should travel next. Though sunlight had prevented him from traveling, he had not slept. Fear over what he might remember while unconscious had banished any such thoughts from his mind.
Unfortunately, consciousness was not enough to keep his fears away. When he shut his eyes he remembered the sound of battles that he couldn't remember. He heard the babble of voices, and worst of all he heard the sound of children screaming. These voices stayed teasingly at the edge of his memory, refusing to be recalled properly as they hinted at darker things which he had done.
He had wanted to scream out his denial that he could possibly have done the things that he feared, and yet he could not do so. He had no way to confirm or deny for certain that he was what he feared, though from what snatches of memory he could call his own it seemed quite possible that the worst was true.
That thought had driven him out of the tree he had been resting in and to the ground. Blinded by the sunlight, he stumbled through the forest as best he could. He picked up many cuts and scrapes from falls through the underbrush, but he did not care. The drow welcomed the pain as a punishment for what he feared he had done.
Sunset had brought a respite from the brilliance of the sun and it had brought some calmness to the drow as well. He stopped at a stream to wash off the worst of the dirt and blood from his clothes and re-oriented himself.
After some consideration, he decided to continue walking parallel to the village, not because it was the best way to go but because he needed to get moving so that he would stop thinking. Overhead the moon was now full though clouds kept passing over it, making the terrain seem as light as day one moment and completely dark the next.
His attention, however, was not on his surroundings but rather on what was going on inside his head. /What have I done and why can I not remember it?/ The thought came to him that perhaps the faerie elf's hatred was not misplaced. Could it be that he was being hunted because of some horrible misdeed he had done? The longer he thought on it, the more likely it seemed.
But what was he to do? How could he remedy his wrongs? As he pondered these questions the sky went dark again for a moment. He paused and looked up in astonishment. In front of him was a faerie elf with long brown hair and copper skin. She was studying the terrain as if she was searching for something, though she must not have seen him. Another hunter, he decided. He had run from the last one out of ignorance and cowardice, but he knew what he was now. He took a step towards her, deliberately alerting her to his presence.
The elf turned about and her hands went to her weapons. On instinct, he took a step back, then paused and put his hands at his side, palms out to show that he carried no weapon.
For a moment the elf merely looked surprised, then an expression came to her face of what looked like recognition. Her hands came away from her bow and arrows and she crossed her hands over her chest.
Astounded by his turn in luck, he bowed his head to her. Perhaps she knew who he was and could help him.
The elf said something to him in a tongue which he did not understand and he came to comprehend the folly in his way of thinking. He shook his head then raised it, biting his lip to keep from showing the disappointment he felt.
The faerie elf stood still for a moment, as if she was pondering what to do, then she smiled and began walking towards him. He thought of fleeing then decided against it and took a reluctant step towards her. He only managed one before he felt something hit his chest and he crumpled to the ground. The pain hit him a few heartbeats later with enough force to nearly make him swoon. He would have gladly fallen unconscious then, if not for the faerie elf's shout of protest. He opened his eyes and found himself on his back on the ground. In front of him was the elf woman, and facing her with a bow and arrow was the elf that he'd run from before. The two elves began talking in sharp tones back and forth. He sat up, gasping with pain as he did so, and both of the elves turned to look at him for a moment, then went back to shouting at each other again.
"I don't know where you came from dark elf, or how you managed to convince one of my people that you were anything other than evil but I have not been fooled. I will kill her to get at you." The drow's eyes went wide as the surface elf spoke these words in perfect drowish.
The drow rose to his feet carefully and stepped out from behind the elf woman. Again, he put his hands out to show that he held no weapon.
"Kill me if you must, but she has done nothing wrong. I will accept the punishment for whatever I have done."
The elf woman turned to him in astonishment, though he doubted that she understood his words. He walked past her, putting himself between the two elves, and slowly moving towards the other elf. The pain in his chest was almost unbearable but he pushed it aside as best he could.
The other elf nocked another arrow but he did not shoot.
"What kind of drow are you that you would act to prevent a faerie elf from shooting another of their kind? Who are you? How did you come here? Why do you carry no weapons?"
The drow stopped walking and let his arms drop to his sides. In a voice that shook with pain and despair he spoke three words.
"I don't know."
Then his legs gave out and the drow fell into darkness.
Iria stood for a moment in shock as the drow collapsed, then ran towards him. The dream had been true, she realized with astonishment. Despite her doubts she'd found the drow and the scene from her dream had played out the same. Everything had gone well, up until Kannath had appeared.
She ran towards the drow then knelt, rummaging frantically through her pack for something that would stop the bleeding. The arrow had gone deep into the drow's arm and Iria wondered how she could possibly pull it out without causing more harm. Her hand closed about a strip of cloth and she cried out in relief then reached for the arrow.
The other elf caught her arm before she could touch it.
"Do not." He said in a low voice.
Iria whirled towards him, enraged beyond words.
"One of us needs to be holding his shoulder if the other is going to get the arrow out without causing further damage. Otherwise you will kill him."
Iria paused, then studied the other elf for a moment. He looked away, uncomfortable under her fierce gaze.
"I am not a priest but I have some training in the ways of medicine. I can help."
"As you helped by following me, without my permission and acting on your own judgment."
"I made a mistake." Kannath admitted.
"A moment ago you wanted me to step aside so that you could kill him." Iria said angrily, "Why should I trust you to save his life now?"
"Because ..." The moon elf swallowed hard, then continued, "Because I believe that you were right. I told the drow that I was willing to kill you to get at him and he tried to defend you. I have /never/ seen one of their kind do something like that. He may still prove treacherous, but I believe that he should be the one to prove that suspicion right or wrong. I should not have fired."
Iria found herself taking a perverse pleasure in the other elf's halting speech, then brushed away that feeling and turned back to the drow. As much as she did not want to trust him, she had no other options.
"We don't have time to argue. I'll hold his shoulder while you pull out the arrow."
The other elf nodded his assent then took out a dagger and cut the ragged shirt away from the arrow and made a sound of surprise.
Iria looked down at the drow's shoulder and did the same. In a silvery white color that showed strongly against the drow's dark skin the image of a unicorn glowed. The mark of Mielikki.
The other elf apparently knew the significance of the mark as well for he uttered a low prayer to his god that this might go well as Iria said one of her own.
/Mielikki, forgive me for the ignorance I have shown,/ she thought, /I promise that if this drow survives I shall do everything in my power to protect him./
The drow opened his eyes and stared up at the sky for a moment, then looked around worriedly. He saw the female elf sitting a few paces away, facing away from him then turned and realized the other elf was awake and watching him. He flinched away as the surface elf moved toward him, expecting the elf to draw a weapon and finish him off. Instead, the surface elf stared at him for a few long moments, then offered him a small flask.
"Drink this."
The drow took the flask from the elf and sniffed at it experimentally and the elf turned away. The flask smelled sweet and the drow was thirsty, but he found himself desiring answers more than whatever was in the flask.
"Why did you not kill me?" The drow asked in a voice filled with curiosity.
The elf turned back towards him. Much to the drow's surprise, he saw guilt very evident on the elf's face. "Because I was mistaken about who you were. I thought you to be a killer."
"I could be." The drow admitted after a moment. "I don't know where I have been or what I might have done."
"You honestly cannot recall what you have done?" The elf asked incredulously.
"I cannot even recall my name." The drow said. "The first thing I recall is the niht sky and the crescent moon. That was fifteen cycles of sun and moon ago, unless I have miscounted. Your group was the first that I recall meeting."
"Then why did you run?"
The drow chuckled. "I may have no memory of myself, but I know enough not to greet a party led by a surface elf with no weapons or armor. My people are hated here, and rightfully so."
He turned away and shut his eyes against the chorus of voices, feelings and half-seen images the thought of his people brought about.
"We are monsters."
"And yet, you have acted very different from your people. I've fought against them many times and questioned one who we managed to capture. They believe themselves to be righteous and that ourselves, the faerie elves are evil."
"As I said, monsters." The drow shuddered at the thought. "My people kill with joy. I don't know what crimes I have committed or how much blood might be on my hands but I do not doubt that I have killed."
"Which is why you presented yourself to Iria." The surface elf said.
The drow nodded. "I expected to die. I never thought that she would ..." He paused, considering the emotions that he'd felt when the elf had decided not to shoot.
"Perhaps you are not a killer." The elf argued.
"I dare not hope and I cannot believe that I should have been spared."
"Have you no faith in the goddess whose mark you carry?" The elf asked incredulously. "Surely she chose to believe in you."
"Mark?" The drow echoed incredulously.
The elf laughed and pointed to the drow's shoulder. The drow sat up and the blanket which had been covering him fell away from his shoulder, revealing the silver white image of a unicorn.
"The mark of Mielikki, the goddess of the forests and one most often followed by elves and humans. If you were who you think you were, she would not have stepped in to protect you."
The drow stared at the mark, speechless for a long moment.
"Drink. Then rest. We begin traveling tomorrow."
Filled with a mix of wonder, hope, and profound relief, he did so.
Thank you all for your kind reviews! I am reading them, and seeing them is very good incentive for continuing this at it's current pace for as long as I can. By the way, in regards to my own identity, I'm just another amateur writer who happens to love Salvatore's work and have a little too much time on their hands which they've decided to use to write a fanfiction.
As you've no doubt noticed, this story is meandering along at it's own pace. Drizzt will be introduced eventually, but that is still a long, long ways off in the story. There is still a lot to be said and a lot that needs to happen before it's even a possibility, as Zakanfein currently doesn't even remember his own name, let alone that he has a son. It will happen. Probably not exactly as you're expecting but it will happen eventually. Just give me time.
Also, the length of various updates may vary from time to time. Last week's was a little shorter as I was attempting to break of at an acceptable place. This week's is a little longer to make up for that and it also ends at a place where I am comfortable leaving you all.
Please, if you're still reading, don't be afraid to give feedback! Good or bad, I love knowing what people think of my writing, and if I've made any grave errors that need to be remedied.
Night came and the drow miserably pondered where he should travel next. Though sunlight had prevented him from traveling, he had not slept. Fear over what he might remember while unconscious had banished any such thoughts from his mind.
Unfortunately, consciousness was not enough to keep his fears away. When he shut his eyes he remembered the sound of battles that he couldn't remember. He heard the babble of voices, and worst of all he heard the sound of children screaming. These voices stayed teasingly at the edge of his memory, refusing to be recalled properly as they hinted at darker things which he had done.
He had wanted to scream out his denial that he could possibly have done the things that he feared, and yet he could not do so. He had no way to confirm or deny for certain that he was what he feared, though from what snatches of memory he could call his own it seemed quite possible that the worst was true.
That thought had driven him out of the tree he had been resting in and to the ground. Blinded by the sunlight, he stumbled through the forest as best he could. He picked up many cuts and scrapes from falls through the underbrush, but he did not care. The drow welcomed the pain as a punishment for what he feared he had done.
Sunset had brought a respite from the brilliance of the sun and it had brought some calmness to the drow as well. He stopped at a stream to wash off the worst of the dirt and blood from his clothes and re-oriented himself.
After some consideration, he decided to continue walking parallel to the village, not because it was the best way to go but because he needed to get moving so that he would stop thinking. Overhead the moon was now full though clouds kept passing over it, making the terrain seem as light as day one moment and completely dark the next.
His attention, however, was not on his surroundings but rather on what was going on inside his head. /What have I done and why can I not remember it?/ The thought came to him that perhaps the faerie elf's hatred was not misplaced. Could it be that he was being hunted because of some horrible misdeed he had done? The longer he thought on it, the more likely it seemed.
But what was he to do? How could he remedy his wrongs? As he pondered these questions the sky went dark again for a moment. He paused and looked up in astonishment. In front of him was a faerie elf with long brown hair and copper skin. She was studying the terrain as if she was searching for something, though she must not have seen him. Another hunter, he decided. He had run from the last one out of ignorance and cowardice, but he knew what he was now. He took a step towards her, deliberately alerting her to his presence.
The elf turned about and her hands went to her weapons. On instinct, he took a step back, then paused and put his hands at his side, palms out to show that he carried no weapon.
For a moment the elf merely looked surprised, then an expression came to her face of what looked like recognition. Her hands came away from her bow and arrows and she crossed her hands over her chest.
Astounded by his turn in luck, he bowed his head to her. Perhaps she knew who he was and could help him.
The elf said something to him in a tongue which he did not understand and he came to comprehend the folly in his way of thinking. He shook his head then raised it, biting his lip to keep from showing the disappointment he felt.
The faerie elf stood still for a moment, as if she was pondering what to do, then she smiled and began walking towards him. He thought of fleeing then decided against it and took a reluctant step towards her. He only managed one before he felt something hit his chest and he crumpled to the ground. The pain hit him a few heartbeats later with enough force to nearly make him swoon. He would have gladly fallen unconscious then, if not for the faerie elf's shout of protest. He opened his eyes and found himself on his back on the ground. In front of him was the elf woman, and facing her with a bow and arrow was the elf that he'd run from before. The two elves began talking in sharp tones back and forth. He sat up, gasping with pain as he did so, and both of the elves turned to look at him for a moment, then went back to shouting at each other again.
"I don't know where you came from dark elf, or how you managed to convince one of my people that you were anything other than evil but I have not been fooled. I will kill her to get at you." The drow's eyes went wide as the surface elf spoke these words in perfect drowish.
The drow rose to his feet carefully and stepped out from behind the elf woman. Again, he put his hands out to show that he held no weapon.
"Kill me if you must, but she has done nothing wrong. I will accept the punishment for whatever I have done."
The elf woman turned to him in astonishment, though he doubted that she understood his words. He walked past her, putting himself between the two elves, and slowly moving towards the other elf. The pain in his chest was almost unbearable but he pushed it aside as best he could.
The other elf nocked another arrow but he did not shoot.
"What kind of drow are you that you would act to prevent a faerie elf from shooting another of their kind? Who are you? How did you come here? Why do you carry no weapons?"
The drow stopped walking and let his arms drop to his sides. In a voice that shook with pain and despair he spoke three words.
"I don't know."
Then his legs gave out and the drow fell into darkness.
Iria stood for a moment in shock as the drow collapsed, then ran towards him. The dream had been true, she realized with astonishment. Despite her doubts she'd found the drow and the scene from her dream had played out the same. Everything had gone well, up until Kannath had appeared.
She ran towards the drow then knelt, rummaging frantically through her pack for something that would stop the bleeding. The arrow had gone deep into the drow's arm and Iria wondered how she could possibly pull it out without causing more harm. Her hand closed about a strip of cloth and she cried out in relief then reached for the arrow.
The other elf caught her arm before she could touch it.
"Do not." He said in a low voice.
Iria whirled towards him, enraged beyond words.
"One of us needs to be holding his shoulder if the other is going to get the arrow out without causing further damage. Otherwise you will kill him."
Iria paused, then studied the other elf for a moment. He looked away, uncomfortable under her fierce gaze.
"I am not a priest but I have some training in the ways of medicine. I can help."
"As you helped by following me, without my permission and acting on your own judgment."
"I made a mistake." Kannath admitted.
"A moment ago you wanted me to step aside so that you could kill him." Iria said angrily, "Why should I trust you to save his life now?"
"Because ..." The moon elf swallowed hard, then continued, "Because I believe that you were right. I told the drow that I was willing to kill you to get at him and he tried to defend you. I have /never/ seen one of their kind do something like that. He may still prove treacherous, but I believe that he should be the one to prove that suspicion right or wrong. I should not have fired."
Iria found herself taking a perverse pleasure in the other elf's halting speech, then brushed away that feeling and turned back to the drow. As much as she did not want to trust him, she had no other options.
"We don't have time to argue. I'll hold his shoulder while you pull out the arrow."
The other elf nodded his assent then took out a dagger and cut the ragged shirt away from the arrow and made a sound of surprise.
Iria looked down at the drow's shoulder and did the same. In a silvery white color that showed strongly against the drow's dark skin the image of a unicorn glowed. The mark of Mielikki.
The other elf apparently knew the significance of the mark as well for he uttered a low prayer to his god that this might go well as Iria said one of her own.
/Mielikki, forgive me for the ignorance I have shown,/ she thought, /I promise that if this drow survives I shall do everything in my power to protect him./
The drow opened his eyes and stared up at the sky for a moment, then looked around worriedly. He saw the female elf sitting a few paces away, facing away from him then turned and realized the other elf was awake and watching him. He flinched away as the surface elf moved toward him, expecting the elf to draw a weapon and finish him off. Instead, the surface elf stared at him for a few long moments, then offered him a small flask.
"Drink this."
The drow took the flask from the elf and sniffed at it experimentally and the elf turned away. The flask smelled sweet and the drow was thirsty, but he found himself desiring answers more than whatever was in the flask.
"Why did you not kill me?" The drow asked in a voice filled with curiosity.
The elf turned back towards him. Much to the drow's surprise, he saw guilt very evident on the elf's face. "Because I was mistaken about who you were. I thought you to be a killer."
"I could be." The drow admitted after a moment. "I don't know where I have been or what I might have done."
"You honestly cannot recall what you have done?" The elf asked incredulously.
"I cannot even recall my name." The drow said. "The first thing I recall is the niht sky and the crescent moon. That was fifteen cycles of sun and moon ago, unless I have miscounted. Your group was the first that I recall meeting."
"Then why did you run?"
The drow chuckled. "I may have no memory of myself, but I know enough not to greet a party led by a surface elf with no weapons or armor. My people are hated here, and rightfully so."
He turned away and shut his eyes against the chorus of voices, feelings and half-seen images the thought of his people brought about.
"We are monsters."
"And yet, you have acted very different from your people. I've fought against them many times and questioned one who we managed to capture. They believe themselves to be righteous and that ourselves, the faerie elves are evil."
"As I said, monsters." The drow shuddered at the thought. "My people kill with joy. I don't know what crimes I have committed or how much blood might be on my hands but I do not doubt that I have killed."
"Which is why you presented yourself to Iria." The surface elf said.
The drow nodded. "I expected to die. I never thought that she would ..." He paused, considering the emotions that he'd felt when the elf had decided not to shoot.
"Perhaps you are not a killer." The elf argued.
"I dare not hope and I cannot believe that I should have been spared."
"Have you no faith in the goddess whose mark you carry?" The elf asked incredulously. "Surely she chose to believe in you."
"Mark?" The drow echoed incredulously.
The elf laughed and pointed to the drow's shoulder. The drow sat up and the blanket which had been covering him fell away from his shoulder, revealing the silver white image of a unicorn.
"The mark of Mielikki, the goddess of the forests and one most often followed by elves and humans. If you were who you think you were, she would not have stepped in to protect you."
The drow stared at the mark, speechless for a long moment.
"Drink. Then rest. We begin traveling tomorrow."
Filled with a mix of wonder, hope, and profound relief, he did so.