Dislcaimer:I do not own the Forgotten Realms or any of Salvatore's characters.
CHAPTER ONE:A seemingly random encounter
Mellifleur slowly crept up the large oak tree overlooking the forest clearing. After he found a safe branch from which to perch, the dark elf carefully rearranged the leaves to provide more cover. An hour later, he saw who he was looking for. A tall, dark-haired young man began making a small camp for the approaching night. Mellifleur silently watched from his hiding place. He had been trailing this human for several hours. His drow instincts told him to kill the man quickly and quietly and then take what he could get from his corpse. Mellifleur tried to forget what he had been taught since he was a child. It would not aid him here and now. The drow forced himself to relax and waited until nightfall.
Shadow sat close to his campfire. His sharp hearing had caught the sound of someone hiding up in the nearby tree. He sniffed the air and caught Mellifleur's scent. "Hmm, an elf? No, something different about this one." he thought to himself. He grinned as he stood up. Shadow looked right at the tree, specifically at the two red eyes peering from behind a branch.
Mellifleur froze. He had been spotted. Somehow, the human had sensed him, which was of course impossible for a mere human. Without thinking clearly, Mellifleur pulled out a miniature crossbow. He stopped for a second and thought about what he was going to do. He quickly notched a small arrow and took aim at the man's head. One shot between the eyes would kill him quickly enough.
Shadow smiled broadly as he walked towards the tree. "Greetings, fellow traveler! Perhaps you would like to come down and have some stew, eh?" he asked politely.
Mellifleur's finger trembled near the trigger of the crossbow. He thought the human a fool, if he had faced another drow; it was likely he would be lying dead and forgotten. Mel was about to put the crossbow away when he accidentally pulled the trigger.
Shadow heard a small thunk nearby. He looked over and saw a tiny arrow sticking out of his pack. "Lucky shot?" he chuckled.
Mellifleur couldn't believe it. He was being laughed at by a mere human. "That was a warning shot!" he bluffed.
"A mighty small warning shot, eh"
"I have a couple more more that came from"
"Sure you do! Why don't you just come down and we can talk like normal folk"
Mellifleur thought about firing another arrow. On the other hand, if the human knew what he was up against, he might just flee in terror. Mellilfleur leaped down dramatically and glared at the man with red, glowing eyes. Shadow stared at the imposing dark figure for a while. He suddenly grinned from ear to ear. "My, you're quite a scrawny little fellow, aren't you?" he laughed aloud.
"I can only assume you've never seen a dark elf before, or else you would be cowering in terror!" Mellifleur growled.
"You're right, I've never seen a drow before, but I have seen your fair cousins enough not to be intimidated by one. Sit down and relax, friend"
"Friend"
"Oh, forgot to introduce myself, did I? You can call me Shadow"
"Shadow? Let me guess, you're a thief"
"I prefer the term rogue. And what's your name, or should I call you Darky"
"My name is Mellifleur Magmetheus, of House Magmetheus, Twelfth House of Menzoberranzan!" Mellifleur said proudly.
"Quite a mouthful. How 'bout I call you Mel for short"
"It's Mellifleur, actually"
"Mel, take a seat and I'll fix you some of this stew." Mellifleur sighed as he took a seat. Obviously Shadow wasn't much for formality, but at least Mellifleur finally had someone to talk to.
Shadow looked at the bubbling pot filled with several odds and ends he had managed to scrounge up earlier that day. Mellifleur sat on a large rock nearby. The smell emenating from the stew was quite tempting to the elf, who had not had a warm meal in several days. He quickly tried to look unimpressed. No sense allowing this mere human to think he had done him a favor by letting him in his camp. Mellifleur gave Shadow a good sizing up. The human was a good foot taller than him and appeared to be a lot stronger as well. Of course as most drow know from experience, strength is no match for agility in a swordfight. The drow expressed a shudder when he remembered just how that little lesson had been taught to him years ago. Shadow glaned at him out of the corner of his eye. "Are you cold?" he asked. Mellifleur silently cursed at himself for thinking about the past.
"No, I am just...impatient." he said flatly.
"Just a while longer, Mel." answered Shadow. A few minutes later, he filled a bowl and handed it to the elf. Mellifleur sniffed at it suspiciously and looked at Shadow.
"What's wrong?" Shadow asked curiously.
"Aren't you going to have any"
"Well, yes, but you can go ahead without me"
"I prefer to wait until I see you try it first"
"Is this a some kind of custom where you come from"
"No, just common sense. Everyone waits for the cook to take to first taste"
"Why"
"To make sure he hasn't poisoned it, of course"
"Of course! I'm sorry, Mel. It must have slipped my mind." Shadow grabbed Mellifleur's bowl and took a big gulp. He waited for second and belched loudly.
"Mmmm, rather good, if I say so myself. Here ya go, Mel." he returned the now-empty bowl to the shocked elf. Shadow laughed and refilled it.
"I'm guessing you don't have much of a sense of humor where you came from"
"Well, not as much as you have, apparently." Mellifleur whispered.
"So, what's it like down there, the Underdark, I mean?" Shadow asked. Mellifleur stared blanky at the human for several seconds. It was soon quite clear this was one question the dark elf had no intention of answering anytime soon. Shadow decided to change the subject slightly.
"Er, so how long have you been on the surface"
"A few days. I was told about the surface before I left, so I know a few things already"
"Like what"
"I know that those large plants are called trees. That silvery disc is called the moon, and the really bright one is the sun. It's too bright for me, I'm afraid. Maybe in time, I'll get used to it, I suppose"
"Probably. You speak common very well, is it a widely used language down there"
"No, but we have our own version of it though. I learned your tongue quite some time ago"
"At least you won't have any trouble talking to anybody"
"Yes, I heard that my kind are...unpopular in most areas"
"I wouldn't know about that, there's a few places you could fit right in"
"Really"
"Aye, I've even been to a few of them places too. My reputation's not so good either, you know"
"Where exactly am I"
"You're about north of the river Surbrin, close to the Evermoors"
"Those mountains farther north, what are they called"
"I don't think you ought to be heading anywhere near those, lad. That's the Spine of the World"
"Spine of the World"
"Aye, nothing but snow and yetis. Don't even think about heading north. You'd be getting too close to them dwarves"
"Why would that be a problem, I've met dwarves before"
"Well, maybe these dwarves are different than what yer used to, Mel. Up here Dwarves and elves don't really get along. I'm not sure if they hate your kind in particular, but if they think yer anything like one o' them moon elves, watch out"
"Moon elves"
"Aye, real arrogant bastards! Mind you, I've only met a few. I get along with yer other kin fair enough"
"Then where would you suggest I go"
"That would depend upon what you plan on doing, I wager. I got another question, Mel. Why were you following me around most of the day"
"I was curious. I've been here for days and you're the first person I saw come through here"
"Never seen a human before, have you"
"No, I 've seen humans before, just never any that were..." Mellifleur stopped as if he felt he were about to say something wrong.
"Never what"
"Look, the only humans I've ever seen were slaves. I've never seen a human that was free before"
"There's no harm in that, I guess." Shadow let the matter drop.
"Why are you here?" Mellifleur asked curiously.
"What? Oh, oh, I guess I should explain myself then. I must 'ave been bending your ear for the most part. I was just passin' through, that's all"
"Where are you headed then. I could follow with you"
"No, no, won't be necessary, Mel. My busines is up north"
"How soon are you going"
"Probably tommorow"
"I could use your help to learn more about the surface. My knowledge is limited and I..." Shadow could sense some desparation in the drow's voice. Maybe he had been by himself too long Shadow guessed.
"Allright, I can hold off leaving, for a while, you understand. Help you get yer bearings straight and all"
"I could teach you a few things. I could set up some alarms for your camp"
"Alarms? Now what in the nine hells would I need those for anyway? There's nothing in these woods that could"
"I found some large tracks yesterday on the other side of the river"
"By the side of the river you say? What did they look like?" Shadow said with a hint of concern.
"Well, I really don't know. I've never seen tracks like it before. But..." Mellifleur grabbed a stick and started tracing a pattern in the dust.
"Here's what they looked like. As you can see they were from a"
"Large creature, right? Walked on all fours?" Shadow asked without even glancing down.
"Yes, it seems to be! Did you see tracks like these before"
"Aye, back in the Moonwoods. Lot's of beasties in them woods, there be. I was there a few months ago. Saw things you wouldn't believe. Not even in your worst nightmares"
"Is this creature dangerous"
"Deadly. You'd better get to work setting up those alarms, Mel. You'll need them." Shadow said grimly.