Disclaimer: As Fie has not yet succeeded in taking over the world, I do not own Wizards of the Coast, and therefore own nothing and no one you recognize from the original DragonLance series. Also, I must apologize to those of you who were bombarded with update alerts. I started to run out of lines from the poem, so I had to redo all of the chapter titles. Those were the only changes made, aside from this chapter being added. Hey, did anyone notice that on the new character feature, Takhisis and Fistandantilus are not mentioned?
Had Half Impaired That Nameless Grace
The next day, Evelynn was awakened by a soft knocking at her door. The visitor waited respectfully for a minute to give Evelynn the chance to throw a robe over her thin nightgown, and was just starting to knock again when she reached the door. As Evelynn walked to the door, she wondered who in the world could be calling on her, earlier than most arose in Istar. For a second, she had an inexplicable hope that it was the mage. All stray, disobedient thoughts were stopped when she opened the door.
Evelynn opened the door to reveal a young human acolyte who she didn't know. "Revered Daughter Evelynn?" The young man bowed respectfully. "The Kingpriest is dying," Evelynn noted the boy's lip quivering slightly as he said this. "He wishes for all of the people of Istar to see him privately."
For a second, Evelynn could only gape in shock. Despite the fact that she knew that the post of Kingpriest had been around since at least a hundred years before she was born, she'd always thought of the person, whoever it was, as an immortal, a permanent fixture. Suddenly, she realized that the boy was waiting for an answer and she was staring at him, mouth open, like a fish out of water.
"Uhh… I'll be with you in a few seconds." Still in shock, she closed the door in the young man's face. Her shock did not, however, impede Evelynn's rapid motions as she discarded her bathrobe and shift in favor of her clerical robes. When she opened the door, the boy was still standing there, and motioned soundlessly for her to follow.
Evelynn trailed the boy to the Kingpriest's chambers in a complete haze. She would not have even realized that she had reached it, had the acolyte not tapped her arm to get her attention and whispered to her that she would be expected inside after the current visitor left.
Blinking her surprise away, Evelynn looked around at the antechamber. Despite the fact that it belonged to the Kingpriest, the room was modestly and tastefully decorated. Abstractly, Evelynn realized that the Kingpriest must be Elven, judging by the style of the hangings and the weave of the rug. As she sat in one of the barely comfortable chairs, Evelynn examined the room more carefully. The room was made to make it appear as though a visitor was in a modest manor home of a fairly wealthy elf. Where windows would be in a real home, tapestries depicting beautiful gardens were hung. As the minutes dragged on, Evelynn passed the time by trying to identify all of the flowers in the weavings. It seemed to Evelynn as though she spent an eternity in the room, waiting, waiting.
Finally, someone emerged from the room. It was an elderly human woman who Evelynn could have sworn worked in the kitchens. However, the expression on the woman's face was one of such serenity and enlightenment that Evelynn was sure she must have mistaken a cleric for the servant that she had been thinking of.
Hesitantly, Evelynn approached the door. She was about to knock when a surprisingly strong voice called out to her. "Come. And close the door if you behind you, if you don't mind." Caught off-balance once again, Evelynn followed the commands numbly. She walked into the main chamber of the Kingpriest's room, and found an elderly elf sitting in a chair.
She quickly crossed the room and knelt in front of the old elf. "Now, none of that, my dear. Come, sit down here and we shall talk, Evelynn."
Evelynn looked up, surprised that he had known her name. She obeyed silently, rising from the floor and sitting down again in the chair he motioned to. Now that she was on eyelevel with the elder, she was able to look at him more closely. The elf was surrounded in a cloud of holy light that on any other would have looked like a parlor trick, but seemed somehow fitting on him. He also had a long beard, something that Evelynn had never heard of existing on a true elf. Abstractly, she thought that maybe the facial hair was making up for the lack of hair on the top of his head, as he was balding.
None of this, however, was anything that would distinguish the man from the crowd, odd though it seemed. What made the old elf exceptional was the expression of complete enlightenment and peace on his face. His face seemed to reassure whomever he was gazing at that the world was alright, and that everything had a time and a purpose. Evelynn felt herself smiling serenely at him, almost against her will.
"You called me, Sire?" She wasn't exactly sure what to call the exalted personage, having never thought that she would actually get to meet him.
He smiled kindly at her, and despite the fact that she was on a level with him, she felt as though he was smiling down fondly, as on a child. "Just Loralon, my dear. I wanted to talk to you, as well with all of my children, because Paladine is preparing to gather me to his holy breast. No, don't look so stricken, child. It is my time, and I am content with how I lived my life. That is the most important thing, you know."
For a second, Loralon got such a distracted, fuddled expression that he forcibly reminded Evelynn of the cryptic Fizban. "To be content with how you live your life, I mean. You do not need to live up to others' standards of what should be to achieve happiness." Evelynn wasn't sure whether he was actually talking to her, or just rambling.
He smiled on her once more. "Do not weep for me, child. I go happily, knowing that peace awaits me on the next plane of existence. My only sorrow is the corruption that even now is growing within the Church. I fear that when I am gone, the corruption will spread even more. You must resist it. Keep true to yourself, and what you believe is right. Your path may lead through darkness, with darkness, but be assured, Paladine is walking with you. Now, I must keep the stream of people going through my room, lest they start growing jealous."
Evelynn saw a glint of laughter in his eyes, and wished that she had had a chance to get to know this kindly old man for longer. "When you run into your new friend, send him my way, if you would. I would enjoy his banter once more before I go. But tell him to come in the servants' door, or by his own methods. What would they think if they saw one of his kind come in through the normal entrance!" Loralon's eyes sparkled once more. "Go now, and never lose hope. Paladine is with you."
On, impulse, as Evelynn stood, she took a step forward and caught the elderly cleric up in a strong embrace. He stiffened for a second, but then his arms relaxed around her, and he stroked her hair softly. Evelynn finally pulled away, reluctantly. Before she left, she turned once more, and saw the love of Paladine shining through Loralon's eyes. Now she understood the holy glimmer that had rested in the servant woman's eyes.
Slowly, Evelynn left the room, glancing back at Loralon only once. The only sadness she felt was a sadness for the world's loss of someone so truly holy. For a while she walked aimlessly, lost in melancholy. Suddenly, Evelynn came up to a dark wall. She had not been paying attention to where she was going, and nearly walked into the wall.
In a flash of inspiration, Evelynn realized that her traitor feet had taken her to Fistandantilus' rooms. She shrugged, deciding that her subconscious was probably just obeying Loralon's wishes. She nodded, pleased with her rationalization. Evelynn quickly stepped up to the door before her mind decided that there was another reason for her odd destination. Knocking briskly, she hurriedly wiped the tears off of her face with the soft sleeve on her robe.
The door was answered quickly, so Evelynn surmised that Fistandantilus must have been in the set of rooms that he was given, not the ones that he had constructed. "Back already?" The mage's amusement did not quite cover his surprise. He gave no discernable sign that he even noted the puffy redness that Evelynn's eyes had become.
"Loralon. He…" Evelynn valiantly fought a losing battle against the hitch in her throat. Distracted, she wondered why she was so attached to a man she had just met, no matter how holy he was. Fistandantilus waited patiently as Evelynn got herself under control. "He wanted to see you, before he… He wanted to see you."
Evelynn searched Fistandantilus' face for some sign of emotion, any emotion, and found none. Somehow, it seemed almost comforting that he was so calm. She managed to keep her tears from spilling down her face once more. She took a deep breath and went on.
"He said to come by magic, or through a servant's door so that you wouldn't be seen by the other clerics. I really think he'd like to see you." Her voice trailed off rather lamely as she stood under the scrutiny of the Black mage.
Surprisingly, Fistandantilus' expression was not mocking, or blank. A look of soft compassion lit his eyes, and he nodded. "I will go immediately. Come back after lunch. You look like you need someone that you can talk to." Evelynn was so surprised that she had no time to protest before Fistandantilus disappeared, magically seeking out the dying Kingpriest.
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Later that afternoon, Evelynn made her way back to Fistandantilus' room, not because she wanted so much to talk, but because she hadn't had a chance to turn down his invitation. She had barely knocked on his door when the mage answered.
"Come in, Evelynn. Make yourself at home. Can I get you anything?" Evelynn could tell by his jumpiness that Fistandantilus was not used to entertaining guests.
"No, its all right." Evelynn mustered her courage to the sticking point. "I just came to say that I don't need to talk. I'm fine." She made her voice sound as strong as possible.
Fistandantilus looked at her sharply. "Of course you do. I had a sister." He rolled his eyes, obviously at the folly of womankind.
"A sis…" Evelynn's voice trailed off as she saw his thawing face suddenly freeze and harden once more at the possible mention of his childhood. Evelynn nearly found herself telling this near-stranger all of her problems, but she then caught herself. "Loralon said that there was corruption growing in the Church. Why couldn't he stop it himself?"
Fistandantilus' face was unreadable. "Why ask me?"
"You've been here a lot longer than I have, and I…" Evelynn decided that she must have been a lot more affected by Loralon's death still than she'd thought. She'd almost admitted that she had no one else to talk to! "I thought you might know." She tried to cover up her disgraceful lapse in judgment. How could she have almost let her guard down around a Black Robe!
"The Kingpriest does not get to choose his successor. Usually, the head clerics of all races of the gods of good confer, and decide upon a good replacement. It is said that long ago, all head clerics and mages, of all orders that is to say, conferred, but the decision has been given only to those of good since I've been alive at least. Anyway, it is that group of people who gets to make the decision. Therefore, if there is any corruption amongst the chosen few, or if they are blind to corruption in the candidates, it is rather easy for that corruption to spread." The mage's voice was as emotionless as ever.
"What would happen if the Kingpriest was corrupt?" Evelynn's eyes were as wide as saucers.
"To you? Likely not much. The Kingpriest would not be elected if he were corrupt enough to cause trouble for Paladine's clerics. To me? Who knows."
Finally, Fistandantilus managed to disconcert Evelynn with his emotionless mien at such an ominous statement. "Oh. Well, I guess I'd best be getting back to my rooms. I think I have choir practice this afternoon." Evelynn knew very well there wasn't going to be any practice that day, but she felt the sudden need to get away from the mage and his terrifyingly cold manners.
A/N: Mehe… Cliffie! Well, I do hope you enjoyed! No matter whether you did or not, please review. Because I'm not giving up the next chapter (which is already written!) until I get at least three reviews. Muahhaahhhahhhahhah!