And All That's Best of Dark and Bright
The next morning, Evelynn's trial period began. Before setting foot outside her room, she reminded Ramalad that they both had to be on their best behavior for the next month. She spoke in a whisper, not sure what magics Lady Galacia might have access to. Ramalad assured her calmly that she would be on her best behavior.
Though Evelynn usually went to breakfast in her nightdress, today she put on one of her finest gowns to wear for the day. With such an important guest, she couldn't afford to be seen without finery on. Escorted by Ramalad, who usually walked with her as a sister would, Evelynn entered the dining hall to find no one there. Dropping back a bit, she walked with Ramalad.
Grumbling about uncomfortable corsets, Evelynn went with Ramalad into the kitchen to see what they could scrounge up. Returning to the table with a light breakfast of bread and fruit, she found to her chagrin that Andreana had beaten her to the table.
Andreana smiled in a sickly-sweet way. "Oh, Evelynn. Fancy seeing you here. How did you know I was coming? I see your servant brought me some as well. Why were you carrying yours?" She said it in an innocent enough way, but Evelynn could tell her questions were actually filled with malice and the hope that she'd catch Evelynn in some forbidden act.
She snapped her fingers as Evelynn took a seat as far away from her as possible. When nothing happened, Andreana quickly looked up at Ramalad, shooting her a death glare. She snapped again, and pointed to her empty place.
Ramalad took a deep breath to keep from throwing the lovely apple on top at the snobby cleric's nose. Too good an apple to be wasted like that, she mused. Keeping her face carefully neutral, she brought her plate of food to the other elf. She rudely dropped it on the table, causing the bread and fruit to jump. A couple of strawberries even rolled onto the floor, splattering into goo.
Andreana pretended not to notice and called after the retreating servant "I'll take some passion fruit juice too." Ramalad waved in recognition as she walked towards to the kitchen once more. Evelynn could practically hear the wheels turning in her friend's head, and could only hope that she would be discreet.
A second later, before Evelynn had time to answer her nemesis, one of the kitchen workers rushed out with a wet cloth. Smiling slightly at Evelynn, she mopped up the mess from the strawberries. As she turned around to go back to the kitchen, she gave Evelynn a wink. Evelynn pretended not to see, applying herself to her food. She had a sinking feeling she knew what was going to happen.
"So, you never answered me, Windglimmer. Why were you carrying your own food?" As Andreana began to speak, Evelynn took an extra big bite to give her time to think. She needn't have worried, however, because Ramalad timed her re-entrance impeccably.
"Your juice, Mistress Andreana." Ramalad called from halfway across the room. When she got to the table, she set a mug of hot chocolate down in from of Evelynn. Evelynn smiled – it was her favorite drink. Ramalad continued around the table to Andreana. With a wide grin, she started to put the drink down, and, still grinning, poured the juice over Andreana when her legs slipped out from under her because of the wet floor.
Ramalad quickly changed her grinning smirk into an expression of concern. "Oh! My Lady! I'm so terribly sorry. But the floor was all wet, and I just slipped. Oh, how horrible. I must've ruined you're lovely dress. I feel so awful." She got up quickly, and retreated once more to the kitchen, presumably to get another cloth to wipe up the new spill.
She winked at Evelynn in passing, and muttered 'Of course I feel awful – awful that I didn't manage to get her hair as well." Evelynn contained a smirk. She'd known that the whole thing was a set up from the beginning, and her opinion had been confirmed when Ramalad started to babble on so much, which she never did.
Fortunately, her anger caused Andreana to forget her previous, prying questions. Being careful not to remind her, Evelynn spoke. "I'm dreadfully sorry, Andreana dear. Sometimes, Ramalad can be so clumsy. But she is so good at fixing hair." She gave the most innocent, vapid smile she could manage.
"Yes, she is very clumsy. Best see it doesn't happen again, or my mother will hear about it." She gave the other girl a glare, which Evelynn ignored as she finished her hot chocolate.
With a graceful sigh from her dress, Evelynn stood. "Again, I'm terribly sorry about what happened, but I must be going. I'm supposed to sing the morning prayers in ten minutes, so if you'll excuse me." She hurried out of the dining hall before Andreana could say anything more.
She stopped in her room and ran a brush through her hair. Then Evelynn hurried to the temple. Her excuse, though exactly that, had not been a lie. She arrived just in time for warm-ups.
During the actual prayers, Evelynn scanned the room. Just as she'd thought, Lady Galacia was sitting quietly near the back, watching her. Because of that, Evelynn's already straight back straitened even more, and she projected her voice just a bit more, so that she'd be heard without throwing off the balance of her section.
When done, Evelynn left quietly, taking a pillowslip she was embroidering outside to the garden. Though she had been just picking at the thing for over a year, and couldn't really care less whether or not she finished it, embroidery was a pastime for a proper Elven lady, and therefore couldn't jeopardize her new offer in the least.
The rest of the day was passed in relative boredom for Evelynn, as were the next few days. She had to be on her best behavior, and even Ramalad was being relatively good. She kept her pranks in check, save for a few 'accidents' that could be blamed on simple clumsiness. Sometimes, Evelynn wondered why the girl didn't rant as much as usual. Perhaps she was finally gaining some sense. So caught up in her effort to be the perfect lady was Evelynn that she didn't even notice that frequently Ramalad was nowhere to be found.
It was nearly the end of Evelynn's trial month at home when Ramalad ran into her room, disheveled and ratty looking. The servant's dress was torn in more than one place, and dirt, grime and leaves were matted in her dark hair. Seeing Evelynn reading calmly in the corner, her eyes got wide and panicked looking.
"Evelynn! Quick! Into the closet. They mustn't find you here with me, lest they suspect you knew. I'm so sorry, my sister." She sounded nearly hysterical.
"Ramalad, what are you talking about? Who's coming that you don't want to..."
"Hurry!" Ramalad cut her 'Mistress' off. Without further ado, she pulled the younger elf to her feet and shoved her into the big walk-in closet and closed the door.
With merely seconds to spare, the elves heard a banging on the door. "Open up, in the name of the Speaker!" Evelynn watched Ramalad standing as stock-still as a rabbit that knows its about to be dinner through the miniscule space between the doors of the closet.
Hearing no answer, three burly guards burst through the door, knocking it right off of its hinges. Two hurried over to Ramalad and held her arms as she struggled. The last stood blocking the door, and he took out an official looking document. Evelynn stifled a gasp of horror.
"Ramalad Argent of House Servitor, you are accused by the Speaker of the Stars, long and prosperous may his life be, of smuggling Kagonesti servants out of our blessed Realms. This is seen as an act of treason, and therefore punishable by banishment. Should you be convicted of being a Dark Elf, you will be thrown out of our blessed forest, and be eliminated from our records as well as our memories. You have one hour to prepare for your trial."
The guards went outside of the room, and Evelynn saw them put the door back up. She then heard them lock it from the outside. Ramalad threw open the closet doors. "Are they outside the windows?" She hissed.
Evelynn peered out, careful not to be seen. "Yes," she replied, equally soft. "But not if I go out our special way. I'll then come back in through the real door, and then we need to talk." Years ago, the elves had discovered a way to climb out through the window without being seen so their pranks would be easier to play.
She carefully climbed out onto the windowsill, being careful not to damage her voluminous gown. She inched her way over to where the large row of trees started, and jumped lightly into the big cleft a few feet down. Soon, she was running effortlessly from limb to limb, tree to tree, clutching her bulky skirts. When she reached the last tree, she peered around, making sure the guards at the window were facing the other direction.
She jumped down with agile grace, and fixed her skirts. As she walked back into the house, she made sure her hair was neat and showed no signs of her impromptu departure. After what seemed like too long a time for such a short trip, she reached the door to her room.
The guards were standing outside, attentively listening to what was going on inside. As she approached, two of the guards crossed their swords to deny Evelynn entry. Knowing this would happen, Evelynn put on the bossiest expression she could muster. "What is the meaning of this? You're locking a daughter of this household out of her own room? One about to be inducted into the ranks of the Daughters of Paladine, no less? This is an outrage. I demand to be let through immediately."
One of the guards started mumbling. "I'm sorry, My Lady, but we're detaining a prisoner waiting for trial. We can't let you through."
"And what am I going to do about that? Wisk your prisoner away in a puff of smoke? Its common knowledge I possess no magic. I demand you desist this idiocy immediately and allow me to enter my rooms."
Thoroughly cowed, not to mention the fact that the relatively uneducated guards only understood about half of what Evelynn said, the guards moved aside and unlocked the door. She swept passed them, every inch the offended noble.
Once inside, she closed the door with an authoritative slam, and locked it from the inside. Before anything else, she went to her dresser and took out a small pouch. She proceeded to line the door with a shimmering dust, and didn't speak before she was finished. "A gift from Darlana. It'll soundproof the room so we can talk in freedom. Now, I'd appreciate an explanation." She was less upset at her friend's upcoming trial than the fact that Ramalad hadn't included, or at least told her and Ramalad knew it.
"I'm sorry, Evelynn. I didn't want to get you in trouble. Even now, I wish I hadn't done anything. If it jeopardizes your position and happiness, I would that none of it happened, sister."
Evelynn hugged her servant, and started to brush the grime from her hair. "There's likely nothing to forgive, sister. I'll be fine. What is it that you did?" Her voice was worried for the older girl.
"Helped the Kagonesti who were brought into slavery. I was talking many months ago with the kitchen drudge Arialla who works next door, and she told me of her life. She was Kagonesti, and had been living in the wilds for the first thirty years of her life. Then one day, warriors of our Speaker invaded the land.
"Before their warriors could do anything, the Silvanesti had several children captured. As the Kagonesti men and women were about to attack, they threatened to kill the children. My friend was one of those children, as was her brother. The Silvanesti warriors said that the whole village must submit to a life of servitude or they'd start killing the children.
"Not believing that they'd commit such heinous acts, the Kagonesti attacked anyway. Arialla's brother was the first to die. She and the other children were forced to watch. After that, the adults surrendered, because even the most fearsome warriors couldn't bear to have their children killed, even if it meant a life of servitude.
"Soon, however, the Kagonesti realized their mistake. Far from servitude, what they were brought into was slavery. Most had one outfit at the most, were scrounging in the refuse for meals, and were sleeping on the floors. If House Servitor is treated like dirt, the imprisoned Kagonesti are treated like manure. Useful fertilizer, nothing more.
"So, with the help of Arialla, I set up a network for smuggling Kagonesti out. They couldn't care less about being called 'Dark Elves', out was where they'd wanted to go, and they'd be overjoyed if they never had to talk to another Silvanesti elf again. First, I would bring one to Arialla's place. She would then take them to the outskirts of Silvanost. There, we have a trail of supporters who take them all the way out.
"First, the refugees get handed to a small family who lives just outside the city. They bring them to several more tiny towns. Finally, one of the border guards who sympathizes with us brings them out.
"We were always exceedingly careful, in all steps of the plan, so I can only assume we were betrayed from the inside. As it was she who suggested it, I cannot believe that it was Arialla who was the traitor. If this is true, she will be tried and exiled as I."
During this narritive, Evelynn started to sob. She was loosing her constant companion, the closest she had to a sister. "Is there no way Paladine might give mercy and allow you to stay? I see no wrong in helping the oppressed."
Ramalad shook her head sadly. "Much as I would like it, it cannot be. I have heard that the trial has nothing to do with the gods at all. Yes, the chain is supposedly motivated by the will of the Platinum Dragon, but in all of our proud history, there has never once been a person found innocent. This even held true in a few trials I've heard of in which the accused was truly innocent, by any standards. From this, we can only assume that it is a spell on the chain that causes its movement, not Paladine."
"Of course, running away is out of the question, because not only would it incriminate you, I would be made a Dark Elf anyway, so it would serve no purpose. All I can do is thank the gods that the guards gave me time to say my farewells to you."
Evelynn had stopped brushing the other girl's hair minutes before, and she now came around to face her. Pulling her up from the seat, she embraced her, not caring in the least for the condition it would put her gown in. Ramalad hugged her back tightly, and both women were sobbing. Finally, it was time. The guards once again broke the door down, much to Evelynn's horror, and dragged Ramalad out.
The night it took for Ramalad to be tried seemed an eternity for Evelynn, much longer than the seventy years of her life. Finally, the elves of Silvanost were lining up to see whether Ramalad was found innocent or guilty, and Evelynn pushed and shoved in a very un-ladylike manner until she got to the front.
What she saw then she was sure broke her heart. Ramalad came out of the building in which her trial was held hogtied and gagged. She was being carted in a wheelbarrow that was being pushed, not gently, by two of the guards who'd been watching Evelynn's room.
In front of them, a cleric of Paladine walked, carrying an official-looking scroll. Voice magnified by a member of House Mystic, he broadcasted the proclamation he held. "Hear ye, hear ye. Let it be known that Ramalad Argent, formerly of House Servitor has been named a Dark Elf for crimes against the Crown. From this day forth, her name shall not be spoken and her presence shall not be remembered. Any caught talking to her will share her fate. Take heed and beware, for you look upon a Dark Elf!"
As he chanted, he walked slowly, following the wheelbarrow. After he was done, the cleric would walk another few feet and begin again. With every recitation, Evelynn felt her heart breaking apart piece by piece. She followed the procession until it was nearly out of Silvanost. When they reached the border of the city, Ramalad wrenched her head around and looked at Evelynn. Evelynn could feel the other girl's eyes boring into her soul, a silent inquiry saying "Are you brave enough to give it all up for the cause of right as I did?"
A/N: Sorry about that, people. I had to! The bunnies made me... Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Wow, only two reviews for the last chapter? I know you can do better than that! And in the contest, I now have a tie for first, and no other contestants. Because of that, I'll continue it one more chapter. Remember – the challenge is to identify all of the names used in chapter two. Most are taken from Dalamar the Dark. Hint: I will accept Ramalad's last name as an answer!
Jade Limill: Well, you didn't quite get it, but you definitely get a point for effort. FYI, Lady Ylle Savath (hint, hint) was the one who disapproved of Dalamar's plan. Kudos for his mother's name, though that wasn't what I was going for. A bit easier than that. Anyway, because of the outstanding effort, you tie Kenderling for first with one point!
Guan: Glad you like my characters. Any guesses for the contest?