Chapter 1 -:o Moving in o:-

"Why was that man so angry, father?"

Gorion glanced at the boy's anxious face and smiled.

"He is usually angry about something, this time it was because of us. Don't worry Ged, we can stay here. But I want you to remember that master Ulraunt is a very important man, so you had best behave yourself when he's around."

Ged did his best to keep up with Gorion, who kept a brisk stride despite his advancing age. They had arrived to the great library fortress of Candlekeep on the eve of his ninth birthday. For as long as the boy could remember they had been on the move, sometimes staying a week in one city, sometimes a couple of months in another. But this time Gorion had promised him they would settle down permanently. All around him he saw robed monks and platemail clad watchers carrying staves and swords, a few visiting noblemen and their wives and servants here and there.

The boy's shoulders sagged.

He had been looking forward to finally making some friends but it looked like they had chosen to make their home in an armed fortress full of deadly serious people.

Gorion entered a building with a sign above the door and motioned for him to keep up.

"C-A-N-D-L-E-K-double E-P I-N-N" Ged spelled out in his mind. Gorion had taught him to read and write common, which he had learned quite easily.

He ran after his adoptive father and entered the small common room. It was smoky inside and several merchants were noisily drunk in the corner table. Gorion was greeting the innkeeper, a middle aged paunchy man with jovial features and a balding head. It looked like the two knew each other already. They were talking quite jovially about something and it looked like it might take a while.

Ged wandered back outside where the hot Flamerule sun made it almost intolerable to stay out of the shadows.

Candlekeep was quiet for a fortress, but for a moment he thought he had imagined the sound amidst the scream of the sea birds, the various shouts of watchers and the quiet chatter of the passing monks. Then he heard it again.

"Psst! Over here!"

It was a loud whisper, coming from behind the inn.

One of the things Gorion had always drilled into him was to never talk or go with any strangers. "But surely," the boy reasoned, "he didn't mean I should be careful of my new neighbors."

He walked into the shadowed alley and saw a young wisp of a girl, hiding in a barrel. She had a great tangled mane of bright red hair and two huge brown eyes.

"Who are you? I've never seen the likes of you around here, I haven't!" she demanded in a loud whisper.

"My name's Ged, and I'm here with my father." the boy replied. "What are you doing in that barrel?" he asked her.

"Hiding from ol' Puffguts, he's a right slaver he is! Making me turn beds and wash crockery all day long! 'e must have some Calishite blood in 'im!" she hissed and climbed out of the barrel quite dextrously like a small monkey.

"Puff... guts?" Ged asked, wondering who she meant.

"Yea, ol' Puffguts Winthrop. The innkeeper! He's my guardian here and really a slavedriver of an employer. You see, 'e keeps me working hard in 'is inn so I can't get up to any mischief. Can you imagine?" she pouted, then brightened visibly as another thought hit her.

"Ged wazzit? What a funny name!" she wondered, scratching her tangled hair as if greatly puzzled.

"I'm Imoen and I'm already twelve!" she then declared with a note of challenge in her voice, thumping her tiny chest with an equally tiny fist.

Ged looked at the little tomboy, thinking she looked young enough to be about six or seven.

"Don't believe me do ya? Ask anyone, ask Dreppin!" she continued.

"Who's Dreppin?" Ged inquired.

"My best friend. My only friend and the smartest boy who ever lived!" she declared, with a small giggle as if thinking of some private little joke.

"Say, you've got funny eyes Ged!" she quipped next, quite innocently.

Ged blushed angrily. She had to have gone and noticed his cursed eyes! They were the worst part of himself he could think of, shifting color depending on the light or his mood. Sometimes they were deep blue, sometimes brilliantly violet. And the worst thing was that every woman thought they made him adorable and had to audibly coo and pester him about the damn things!

Which of course caused great amusement in any man who happened to be around.

"Why did ya turn red like that? Say, yer a funny kid, ya are! Are you going to stay here? I'd like th-..." she continue before seeing his angry scowl.

"Where are ya going?" she called out after him as he turned on his heels and walked away angry and embarrassed.

"I've got to see my father. Good bye!" he snarled back at her.

"See ya again Ged!" he heard her giggle.

"And don't tell Puffguts I'm hiding out here, won't ya?" her voice trailed after him as he stepped out of the shadowy alley back in to the sunlit courtyard.

"There you are Ged!" Gorion stepped out of the inn with a red robed man and a middle aged lady.

"I want to meet two of my dear friends, master Tethtoril and lady Phlydia." Ged bowed at each as he had been taught, hoping the lady wouldn't look in to his eyes and embarrass him in front of Tethtoril, whom immediatly liked seeing the old man's noble features and kindly smile.

"Oh what a charming young man! And so well behaved! He does credit to you, Gorion." Phlydia exclaimed clasping her hands in delight. Tethtoril smiled and crouched with some difficulty to look at Ged face to face.

"Yes, I can see you are your mother's son, at least..." he smiled absentmindedly at the boy and tapped him on the cheek as he rose up again and faced Gorion.

"If anyone can do it, it's you my friend. Your new vocation will surely help since our reborn goddess looks favorably upon such as he."

Ged knew part of what Tethtoril was speaking of. His father had become a priest of the reborn goddess of magic, Mystra (or Midnight as some called her after the mortal wizardess she had been). He was still a wizard of formidable powers but Ged had seldom seen him use his spells. The boy knew Gorion had been an adventurer who had given up the traveling life when he had taken him into his care. He also knew Gorion wasn't his father by the right of blood.

The wizard-priest hadn't really told him anything about his real parents, only that he was an orphan who had come into his care. Ged knew he had the eyes of his mother and that he quite resembled her, having delicate features and soft brown hair. He also guessed that Gorion had once known her quite well. Of his father, Gorion hadn't told him a thing.

"Phlydia..." there was a prompting note in Gorion's voice.

"Oh! Of course. Come, Ged. Let me show you around." the woman took his arm and led him towards the southern part of the fortress. As they walked away from the inn, Ged could feel the eyes of his adoptive father and Tethtoril follow him.

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Phlydia proved to be a rather poor guide, being seemingly absentminded to the point of being amnesiac. After she had shown him the shrine of Oghma three times he excused himself politely and told her he was tired from the travelling and was going to get a nap in the rooms Gorion had obtained for them from the keep.

Phlydia waved him goodbye and wandered off. Ged was in fact feeling a little tired but decided to take a drink first. He headed to the well and lowered the bucket. As he was pulling it back up, he heard shouting noises. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a huge youth take a verbal lashing from a dark haired dwarf dressed in blue. The dwarf was apparently furious and gestured towards a what looked like a storage as he was yelling obscenities at the lad. After seemingly deciding the boy had had enough, the dwarf turned on his heels and stomped off.

Having finished his drink, Ged walked over to the sullen lad who was observing his approach.

"Hullo there mate! Who are ye?" the young giant quipped in a friendly, if slightly apprehensive tone.

"My name is Ged, son of Gorion the Sage. Who are you?" Ged answered, observing the other boy.

The lad was huge for his age, which Ged judged to be between nine and ten years of age. He had friendly, if not quite intelligent features. Dirty blonde thatch of hair, brown eyes and a broad, freckled face.

"I'm Dreppin, son of Dripp the, uh... Younger!" he exclaimed, imitating Ged's polite manner and not quite pulling it off.

Ged remembered Imoen's description and realized she must have been joking. Though Dreppin looked quite amiable, he didn't seem like a paragon of wit or learning.

"I'm the stableboy here. Your pa a noble or something? If'n you got horseys or other beasts, bring 'em over n' I'll take good care of 'em."

"No, we have no animals. In fact, we are going to settle down in this fortress, I think. Pleased to meet you Dreppin." Ged answered with a smile, hoping to make friends with the boy.

Dreppin's face brightened upon hearing this.

"You are? Now that's good to hear! There ain't been no other boys here unless they were some snotty nobles or something. Can't rightly play with their ilk, one can't! T'will be good to have a friend other than that GIRL Imoen!" he exclaimed with a grin, then sobering up as another thought hit him.

"That is, we're gonna be friends, aren't we? I sure hope so, yessir I do!" he asked Ged anxiously.

"Of course! Tell me one thing though." Ged answered, setting the young giant visibly at ease.

"How old is she? She said she was twelve but I don't believe her." he continued, seeing his suspicion confirmed as Dreppin's face eased in a wide grin. Ged noticed that his new friend was missing several teeth.

"She told ya that, did she? No she ain't twelve! She's seven! Did she also tell her that her dad's king Azoun of Cormyr? She fooled me into believing that too, once! No, she's an orphan all right, the silly little brat. But Imoen's all right... for a girl. And she's real smart too!" he told Ged.

"Did ya know she can actually write and read?" Dreppin almost whispered, seemingly in awe.

"Uh, no I didn't..." the boy answered.

"How about I show you around?" Dreppin offered.

"Gladly, but first tell me who that dwarf was and why he was yelling at you like that?" Ged answered, looking to the direction the dwarf had stormed off.

"Oh you mean Reevor. He's supposed to be taking care of the warehouses and the storage there, but he's always bullying me or even Imoen into doing his own bloody chores. Watch out if he catches you lazing off or just doing nothing, he'll send you to work sooner than you can blink!" Dreppin answered, leading Ged to the gates.

Dreppin proved to be a much better guide than Phlydia, showing Ged around the courtyard and inside the buildings. Having met two people of his own age, Ged was feeling much more at ease than he had at first seeing his new home. Perhaps he would like it here after all.