CHAPTER THREE --
Now--
Minsc looked from Nyrendra to the funny bearded man with the shiny armour, then back at Nyrendra again. In his front shirt pocket, Boo squirmed about and squeaked excitedly. Minsc listened to Boo for a second, then his eyes narrowed. With a low growl, he dropped the plates of food on the table and turned his fearsome, butt-kicking wrath on the stranger.
"Ooooo, tiny man!" Minsc bellowed, thumping the man soundly on the chest. Minsc advanced towards the man, shoving him backwards every few steps. "Why do you stare at my witch so, eh?" Boo does not like the look in your eyes."
The stranger looked momentarily shocked, but then instinct took over and he appeared to be ready to strike back at Minsc when Nyrendra intervened.
"Minsc, stop, it's okay," Nyrendra reassured the large ranger, tugging him back towards her and easing him into a chair. "This is an old friend of mine. His name is Anomen."
Anomen's eyes burned with an angry fire as he stared at Minsc. Nyrendra sighed inwardly, remembering the size and strength of Anomen's temper all too well. "Anomen," she said brightly, laying a hand on his arm, causing him to turn and look at her. "This is Minsc, a mighty warrior from Rasheman. He and I have been traveling companions for several months now."
There was a pause as Minsc looked at Nyrendra expectantly. At first, Nyrendra was a bit confused, but then a tiny nose poked out from Minsc's pocket, and two black eyes stared at her accusingly. The little rodent seemed to squeak indignantly.
"Of course!" Nyrendra chuckled. "How could I forget? I'm sorry, Boo." Anomen looked at her strangely, as she continued. "This is Boo. He's a miniature giant space hamster."
"Yes! Woe to those that stand in the way of Minsc and Boo! Together we strike fear into the hearts of evil for miles and miles!" Minsc proclaimed proudly, before slipping into a high-pitched baby voice, "Yes we do, don't we Boo?" he cooed, stroking the hamster fondly.
Anomen stared at Nyrendra incredulously and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. He never got the chance. At that moment, Jaheria, Belgar and Yoshimo appeared. Jaheria shoved past Anomen, making a pathway for Belgar who was limping badly. Anomen stumbled, and nearly went tumbling to the ground before he managed to right himself again.
"Hmmph," Jaheria snorted indignantly, sliding into a vacant chair. "I've recently been reminded why I detest cities. Teaming masses in constant tumult."
"Ahem," Nyrendra cleared her throat, starting to get a bit irritated. Anomen had reappeared at her side, and his eyes were practically bulging out of his head with anger and annoyance.
"The balance has been forgotten. Silvanus help them," Jaheria continued, too caught up in her own rants to pay any attention to Nyrendra. However, Nyrendra's bid for attention was had not been lost on Belgar.
"I think," he said loudly, raising an eyebrow "That Nyrendra has something she would like to say."
Nyrendra nodded a brief thanks to Belgar. "Everyone, I want you to meet Anomen Delryn. He and I."
"Nyrendra, my lady," Anomen interrupted, looking slightly agitated. "May I speak with you? In private?" he emphasized the last part, eyeing her companions with suspicion and disdain.
"Er, of course," Nyrendra answered, a bit taken aback by behavior that was strange and standoffish, even for Anomen. She glanced at Belgar and gave a wry smile, silently apologizing for Anomen's rudeness. Belgar nodded slightly and then gestured for her to follow Anomen, who had already taken several steps away from the table.
He lead Nyrendra to a table on the other side of the tavern, in a dark corner away from the din and action. As soon as Nyrendra began to walk on her own, she knew that she was in trouble. Pain from wounds she had received in the recent battles began to throb throughout her entire body, and a wave of nausea washed over her. She had almost reached the table when the world began to spin, and darkness crept into the fringes of her vision, and she cried out as her knees gave away, bracing herself for impact on a hard wooden floor.
She never hit the floor. Anomen grabbed her at the last second, snagging her around the waist and easing her into a chair. "Nyrendra, what's." he began, and stopped abruptly and frowned. He drew his hands away from her waist and gasped when he saw a spot of blood rapidly spreading across her gown.
"I thought that one had healed," Nyrendra moaned, shivering. She hated the sight of blood, but especially that of her own.
"Gods, 'Ren, what happened to you?" Anomen muttered worriedly, chanting a quick healing spell while laying his hands over her wound.
"It's a long story, a very long story," she sighed, shivering slightly as she felt the healing power course through her body, instantly closing her wounds. "But somehow I don't think that's why you asked me over here. What's wrong, Anomen?"
Anomen stiffened for a second, and slowly slid into the chair across from Nyrendra. He was silent for several moments, and kept his eyes downcast, fidgeting and drumming his fingers on the table. When he finally looked up and met Nyrendra's eyes, she could see a mixture of hurt and anger shining in his liquid brown eyes.
"When you left," he sighed quietly. "You made a promise to Moira.to," his voice got even softer "me. You swore that the distance wouldn't separate the three of us. You promised to write. Nyrendra, you never did. Not one word. Why?" He stared at her accusingly. "And now you show up, out of nowhere, and act like nothing has happened. Nyrendra, Moira trusted you, *I* trusted you," he sighed, and looked sullenly at his hands, completely silent.
Nyrendra was dumbfounded. "But Anomen, I DID write you. Every month. For a whole year!" she protested. Anomen snorted. Nyrendra leaned forward and grabbed his hands. He tried to jerk away, but surprisingly her grip was too strong. "Anomen, look at me," she said softly. "I am telling you the truth. I swear to you, on everything that I hold dear. I don't know why my letters never reached you."
Anomen searched her eyes for any sign that she was not being completely truthful. She met his gaze, never blinking, her eyes seemed to be begging him to believe her, to forgive. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he sighed and asked,
"Nyrendra, why are you with those people? And who did this to you?"
Nyrendra knew that a change in subject meant that Anomen was willing to let the subject drop, for now at least. And the fact that he was still speaking to her more or less proved that he was on the path to forgiving her completely. Inwardly she rejoiced, for she had lost far too much in the past few months and did not want to add Anomen to the statistics, not so soon after she had found him again.
"Well, I have been traveling with Belgar for many months now. I joined him near Baldur's Gate. He sought the murderer of his father, Gorion. We defeated him, but soon after that." here Nyrendra paused, and frowned, her memory of the next events growing fuzzy. "Something happened. I'm not sure how, but somehow we were captured and the next clear memory I have is waking up in a foul and dank dungeon. I could hear screaming, gods, the screaming." Nyrendra shuddered, the terror of the memory threatening to overpower her. Anomen, who was still holding Nyrendra's hands, squeezed gently. The slight distraction brought Nyrendra away from the screaming and the torture of the dungeon back to the present, the dusky glow of the tavern and the idle chatter of its patrons. She took a large shaky breath and continued.
"I don't know how long we were there.days turned to weeks, weeks to months, it stretched on forever, constant pain and terror with no end in sight. But one day, something happened. A fight broke out in the prison, amongst our captor, Irenicus, and a troop of masked figures. In the chaos, we managed to escape. We fought our way to the surface, only to lose Imoen, a dear friend, to the Cowles." Nyrendra frowned. "I should have warned her about using magic, but I didn't realize where we were until it was too late." she trailed off and looked at Anomen earnestly. "We have to get her back. We just have to. They took Imoen and Irenicus to Spellhold. If we raise 20,000 gold pieces, we can hire a ship to take us there."
Anomen let out a low whistle. "Nyrendra, you do realize what you speak of? This is madness! Even if you do manage to raise the gold, how are you going to breach Spellhold's defenses? It can't be done."
Nyrendra sighed. "We don't have a choice. We will rescue Imoen, or die trying. Belgar is also anxious to learn what Irenicus wanted with him. I know how impossible it sounds. But I can't abandon my friends to their fate. I am a part of it now."
Anomen sighed. "I suppose I shall be traveling with you then, until you rescue your friend. That is, if your leader will accept my skills as a squire in the Order of the Most Radiant Heart and a priest of Helm."
Nyrendra's jaw dropped in surprise, and she looked at Anomen curiously. "But I thought you said such a rescue attempt was madness?"
"I did, and it is," Anomen answered with a wry grin, the first smile Nyrendra had seen cross his face in years. "But I also feel that I can not abandon you to your fate. It was no coincidence that brought us back together. Somehow, for some reason, I believe that Helm has brought you back into my life, and I would be no follower of his, or for that matter," he looked at Nyrendra "a friend of yours if I was to leave now."
Nyrendra smiled tentatively, and asked, "Shall I introduce you to Belgar now?"
Anomen nodded, and he helped Nyrendra up from the table. The two old friends crossed the tavern together, to the small, battered party huddled at the other end of the room. | |
Minsc looked from Nyrendra to the funny bearded man with the shiny armour, then back at Nyrendra again. In his front shirt pocket, Boo squirmed about and squeaked excitedly. Minsc listened to Boo for a second, then his eyes narrowed. With a low growl, he dropped the plates of food on the table and turned his fearsome, butt-kicking wrath on the stranger.
"Ooooo, tiny man!" Minsc bellowed, thumping the man soundly on the chest. Minsc advanced towards the man, shoving him backwards every few steps. "Why do you stare at my witch so, eh?" Boo does not like the look in your eyes."
The stranger looked momentarily shocked, but then instinct took over and he appeared to be ready to strike back at Minsc when Nyrendra intervened.
"Minsc, stop, it's okay," Nyrendra reassured the large ranger, tugging him back towards her and easing him into a chair. "This is an old friend of mine. His name is Anomen."
Anomen's eyes burned with an angry fire as he stared at Minsc. Nyrendra sighed inwardly, remembering the size and strength of Anomen's temper all too well. "Anomen," she said brightly, laying a hand on his arm, causing him to turn and look at her. "This is Minsc, a mighty warrior from Rasheman. He and I have been traveling companions for several months now."
There was a pause as Minsc looked at Nyrendra expectantly. At first, Nyrendra was a bit confused, but then a tiny nose poked out from Minsc's pocket, and two black eyes stared at her accusingly. The little rodent seemed to squeak indignantly.
"Of course!" Nyrendra chuckled. "How could I forget? I'm sorry, Boo." Anomen looked at her strangely, as she continued. "This is Boo. He's a miniature giant space hamster."
"Yes! Woe to those that stand in the way of Minsc and Boo! Together we strike fear into the hearts of evil for miles and miles!" Minsc proclaimed proudly, before slipping into a high-pitched baby voice, "Yes we do, don't we Boo?" he cooed, stroking the hamster fondly.
Anomen stared at Nyrendra incredulously and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. He never got the chance. At that moment, Jaheria, Belgar and Yoshimo appeared. Jaheria shoved past Anomen, making a pathway for Belgar who was limping badly. Anomen stumbled, and nearly went tumbling to the ground before he managed to right himself again.
"Hmmph," Jaheria snorted indignantly, sliding into a vacant chair. "I've recently been reminded why I detest cities. Teaming masses in constant tumult."
"Ahem," Nyrendra cleared her throat, starting to get a bit irritated. Anomen had reappeared at her side, and his eyes were practically bulging out of his head with anger and annoyance.
"The balance has been forgotten. Silvanus help them," Jaheria continued, too caught up in her own rants to pay any attention to Nyrendra. However, Nyrendra's bid for attention was had not been lost on Belgar.
"I think," he said loudly, raising an eyebrow "That Nyrendra has something she would like to say."
Nyrendra nodded a brief thanks to Belgar. "Everyone, I want you to meet Anomen Delryn. He and I."
"Nyrendra, my lady," Anomen interrupted, looking slightly agitated. "May I speak with you? In private?" he emphasized the last part, eyeing her companions with suspicion and disdain.
"Er, of course," Nyrendra answered, a bit taken aback by behavior that was strange and standoffish, even for Anomen. She glanced at Belgar and gave a wry smile, silently apologizing for Anomen's rudeness. Belgar nodded slightly and then gestured for her to follow Anomen, who had already taken several steps away from the table.
He lead Nyrendra to a table on the other side of the tavern, in a dark corner away from the din and action. As soon as Nyrendra began to walk on her own, she knew that she was in trouble. Pain from wounds she had received in the recent battles began to throb throughout her entire body, and a wave of nausea washed over her. She had almost reached the table when the world began to spin, and darkness crept into the fringes of her vision, and she cried out as her knees gave away, bracing herself for impact on a hard wooden floor.
She never hit the floor. Anomen grabbed her at the last second, snagging her around the waist and easing her into a chair. "Nyrendra, what's." he began, and stopped abruptly and frowned. He drew his hands away from her waist and gasped when he saw a spot of blood rapidly spreading across her gown.
"I thought that one had healed," Nyrendra moaned, shivering. She hated the sight of blood, but especially that of her own.
"Gods, 'Ren, what happened to you?" Anomen muttered worriedly, chanting a quick healing spell while laying his hands over her wound.
"It's a long story, a very long story," she sighed, shivering slightly as she felt the healing power course through her body, instantly closing her wounds. "But somehow I don't think that's why you asked me over here. What's wrong, Anomen?"
Anomen stiffened for a second, and slowly slid into the chair across from Nyrendra. He was silent for several moments, and kept his eyes downcast, fidgeting and drumming his fingers on the table. When he finally looked up and met Nyrendra's eyes, she could see a mixture of hurt and anger shining in his liquid brown eyes.
"When you left," he sighed quietly. "You made a promise to Moira.to," his voice got even softer "me. You swore that the distance wouldn't separate the three of us. You promised to write. Nyrendra, you never did. Not one word. Why?" He stared at her accusingly. "And now you show up, out of nowhere, and act like nothing has happened. Nyrendra, Moira trusted you, *I* trusted you," he sighed, and looked sullenly at his hands, completely silent.
Nyrendra was dumbfounded. "But Anomen, I DID write you. Every month. For a whole year!" she protested. Anomen snorted. Nyrendra leaned forward and grabbed his hands. He tried to jerk away, but surprisingly her grip was too strong. "Anomen, look at me," she said softly. "I am telling you the truth. I swear to you, on everything that I hold dear. I don't know why my letters never reached you."
Anomen searched her eyes for any sign that she was not being completely truthful. She met his gaze, never blinking, her eyes seemed to be begging him to believe her, to forgive. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he sighed and asked,
"Nyrendra, why are you with those people? And who did this to you?"
Nyrendra knew that a change in subject meant that Anomen was willing to let the subject drop, for now at least. And the fact that he was still speaking to her more or less proved that he was on the path to forgiving her completely. Inwardly she rejoiced, for she had lost far too much in the past few months and did not want to add Anomen to the statistics, not so soon after she had found him again.
"Well, I have been traveling with Belgar for many months now. I joined him near Baldur's Gate. He sought the murderer of his father, Gorion. We defeated him, but soon after that." here Nyrendra paused, and frowned, her memory of the next events growing fuzzy. "Something happened. I'm not sure how, but somehow we were captured and the next clear memory I have is waking up in a foul and dank dungeon. I could hear screaming, gods, the screaming." Nyrendra shuddered, the terror of the memory threatening to overpower her. Anomen, who was still holding Nyrendra's hands, squeezed gently. The slight distraction brought Nyrendra away from the screaming and the torture of the dungeon back to the present, the dusky glow of the tavern and the idle chatter of its patrons. She took a large shaky breath and continued.
"I don't know how long we were there.days turned to weeks, weeks to months, it stretched on forever, constant pain and terror with no end in sight. But one day, something happened. A fight broke out in the prison, amongst our captor, Irenicus, and a troop of masked figures. In the chaos, we managed to escape. We fought our way to the surface, only to lose Imoen, a dear friend, to the Cowles." Nyrendra frowned. "I should have warned her about using magic, but I didn't realize where we were until it was too late." she trailed off and looked at Anomen earnestly. "We have to get her back. We just have to. They took Imoen and Irenicus to Spellhold. If we raise 20,000 gold pieces, we can hire a ship to take us there."
Anomen let out a low whistle. "Nyrendra, you do realize what you speak of? This is madness! Even if you do manage to raise the gold, how are you going to breach Spellhold's defenses? It can't be done."
Nyrendra sighed. "We don't have a choice. We will rescue Imoen, or die trying. Belgar is also anxious to learn what Irenicus wanted with him. I know how impossible it sounds. But I can't abandon my friends to their fate. I am a part of it now."
Anomen sighed. "I suppose I shall be traveling with you then, until you rescue your friend. That is, if your leader will accept my skills as a squire in the Order of the Most Radiant Heart and a priest of Helm."
Nyrendra's jaw dropped in surprise, and she looked at Anomen curiously. "But I thought you said such a rescue attempt was madness?"
"I did, and it is," Anomen answered with a wry grin, the first smile Nyrendra had seen cross his face in years. "But I also feel that I can not abandon you to your fate. It was no coincidence that brought us back together. Somehow, for some reason, I believe that Helm has brought you back into my life, and I would be no follower of his, or for that matter," he looked at Nyrendra "a friend of yours if I was to leave now."
Nyrendra smiled tentatively, and asked, "Shall I introduce you to Belgar now?"
Anomen nodded, and he helped Nyrendra up from the table. The two old friends crossed the tavern together, to the small, battered party huddled at the other end of the room. | |