Her rod flew up to stop the mortal dagger. Another blade tried to rich her right leg, but the agile young half-drow turned around and smashed the leg on her opponent's face. Or tried to… The half-elf girl, bent and straightened herself in a stroke with her daggers facing the half-drow. A smirk crossed Arnienne's face, as she saw that her sister was in a very inconvenient pose to attack, or even defend herself- after the unsuccessful lash the young lady turned more than it was necessary and stayed on her knees, both hands holding the rod. Her back a perfect target, because the drow wasn't facing her sister.

Thinking that for ones she will win her twin, Arnienne gave a loud yell and jumped upon her (as she thought) defenseless enemy. A vague moan of the wooden rod made the self-righteous moon elf understand her big and fatal mistake, too late probably. Rua'leen jumped, turned a somersault in the air, and landed softly to the ground this time facing Arnienne. The wood round them filled with the cries of the colliding blades, soon the sound became monotone…

Drizzt was observing his daughters with endless delight. Their 'dance' was so beautiful, perfect and deadly. Arnienne and Rua'leen… They were absolutely similar, and absolutely different! The faces, the features, the bodies-all those things left no doubt that they were twins, but their skin, hair, and eyes were like antipodes! If Arnienne had a light, almost absolutely white skin, Rua'leen's skin was the same color of ebony as her father's just a bit lighter. Arnienne's hair played with blue and black tones, Rua'leen's silver locks perfectly corresponded to the color of the stars which gave her her name.

After thirteen years of training, learning, fighting the twins had become powerful rivals to the most part of the northland, and even more when they were together. For Drizzt these two creatures were the most important thing in his life. He gave them all love, care, attention he could. He taught them to fight, but also taught differ the enemy of the ally, the helpless from the swindler… The girl grew up not only strong and beautiful, but also kind and honest. Despite that they were (and Arnienne more than her sister) rather saucy and sometimes rude, the twins had an impossible charm! Everybody loved them. Even the severe dwarves! To say nothing of Bruenor, who vainly tried to hide 'the sweat drops' near his eyes every time that one of the adolescents called him grandpa…

"Now, now…you two seem to be really powerful, but I bet you can't deal with me!" Drizzt shouted teasingly. He spent half an hour observing his daughters, and decided to join them…

"Really?" The moon-elf girl asked with a fake mistrustful expression drawn in her beautiful face. Arnienne had one of her daggers at the face-level and another near the knee, both blades looking at the half-elf's sister. Rua'leen was turning round herself and her rod was spinning in her hands like a whirlwind, effectively parrying all the daggers' deadly lunges. The twins didn't stop while talking "What's the stake?"

Drizzt was caught off guard. They never discussed that before. The only 'stake' was the happiness of winning. 'What are these two scheming?' the drow asked himself. And suddenly a not so long ago talk popped up in his mind. The twins wanted to make a trip to Silverymoon…alone. Drizzt and Catti-brie gave them a flat 'No'. Since then the sisters refused to talk with their parents without making some caustic remark.

Drizzt rapidly understood what 'stake' the artful twins wanted him to make. 'Why not, then? If those two can win me then there is nothing to worry about if they make a trip on their own.'

"If you win, I'll let you do the trip!" In a second both rivals put down their weapons, and turned to their father, cutting him with their gazes.

"Oh, really? That might sound interesting…" Arnienne said.

"Aye, ye will, but I don't wanna get one of mom's arrows stuck in my butt a mile from Mithril Hall" Rua'leen skeptically added.

Before Drizzt had time to answer another voice joined their conversation:

"That's exactly what ye'll get if ye try do go somewhere without telling me a word!" Catti-brie appeared from behind of a tree. "And if you really want to go yer father wont be enough obstacle fer ye two, I'll help him!"

Rua'leen was about to argue but her sister gave her kick and said:

"Deal!"

"What did you do! There is not any chance that we can win them both, it would be enough trouble to deal with dad, and now mom is also one!" The half-drow was saying to her sister minutes later, while they were preparing for the fight.

"I did everything right!" roared Arnienne "I know that it's impossible to win them both! But it's not what they expect from us, if we battle good enough they will let us go, but if I would let you object, they would start the story of 'in the battle the concentration is very important, if you cannot pay attention to more than one rival you will probably loose… bla-bla-bla bla-bla bla…'" the lady continued imitating their father's manner of talking. "That's what you wanted Rua? You know mom and dad as good as I do – they love to talk, and talk, and talk… never doing anything! Uncle Wulfgar ones told me that it took them more than fifteen years to admit their fillings for each other, and…"

"I've got yer point, Ar! There is no reason for ye to keep talking! Sometimes you look so like our dad" Rua'leen decided to pay back her sister for treating her as a little girl.

"Go to Hell!" Was the only answer she got.

"And now you look like grandpa!"

"Honey , are you crazy!" It seemed that Catti-brie would toss Drizzt in the nearest hole deep enough to the drow not to climb out of it forever. "They are to young to travel alone!"

"I can't believe this! Is this the same Catti-brie Battlehammer, who wanted to kill Wulfgar because he protected you too much!" Drizzt was trying to catch his wife into a trap.

"No! I'm Catti-brie DO'URDEN, who is mother of two children!"

"Besides Layanor will probably go with them" The drow continued, as if not hearing the woman "They won't be alone…"

"That if Wulfgar lets him go"

"He will."

"And Innovidil? She, as a mother, won't be happy to hear the news!"

"Wulfgar will talk to her."

"And you have answers for everything, don't ye?"

"Yes."

"Aghhhh! It freaks me out when ye're right!"

"I know" Drizzt answered with a wide smile.

"Hey, are you ready?" Rua'leen shouted.

"In a second, honey!" Cat answered to her daughter and then turned to the drow and said " If anything, ANYTHING will happen with them I will never forgive you, Drizzt Do'Urden!"

'Neither will I' the dark elf thought to himself as he was going to the battle place "neither will I"