General disclaimer: I own nothing, even Maiyn generally decides her own path.

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Leaving Home

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Imoen awoke early on the morning of her best friend's birthday. Their foster father, Gorion, had told her about the plans to leave, and she had been disappointed to learn she would not be accompanying them. She hadn't taken it too much to heart though - Gorion had always seemed to have a closer interest in Maiyn, and Imoen had plans anyway.

She ran along the corridor of the library sleeping quarters and knocked loudly on the elf's room, barging in without waiting for an answer as was usual. Maiyn was awake and sitting on her windowsill, looking out at the town. She looked as if she hadn't slept much.

"Packin' all done?" asked Imoen brightly.

Maiyn nodded, and pointed to a bag at the foot of her bed. Imoen could see her bow and quiver neatly resting on top of a full looking pack.

"Good then!" exclaimed the young thief. "Comin' for breakfast?"

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The day passed quickly for both the ranger and the thief. Maiyn was reluctant to venture outside the library, telling Imoen about the curious ways her friends had acted the previous day. They sat in one of the study rooms; a plain room with a large window that overlooked the small town outside, a few desks, and several uncomfortable chairs. It was here that the girls had received many of the lessons the monks had provided them with as children.

"Oh silly, don't ya see?" asked Imoen, surprised by Maiyn's honestly clueless face. "They'll miss ya!"

"Oh," said Maiyn, with a slight smile. "Well, I'm sure I'll be back soon enough. You're not coming with us, but Gorion said we'd not be apart long, so we must be coming back... mustn't we?" Her final words were almost pleading, but Imoen couldn't answer.

"Ya should go and say bye to Dreppin properly," said the human, changing the subject.

The elf raised her eyebrow at her friend. "I spoke to him yesterday..." she said.

"Yes," said Imoen impatiently, "but ya were called away from him, and he wasn't there when ya got back!"

"So?" Maiyn had assumed he was bored waiting, and hadn't blamed him for not hanging around.

"So, silly, are ya going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"But I said bye before I was called away," said Maiyn, with exasperation. "Well, I more or less said it."

"He really likes ya!" Imoen giggled.

Maiyn stared at Imoen.

"He really likes ya," repeated Imoen, wondering how much more she'd have to spell it out.

Maiyn suddenly turned a deep red colour, and looked away as one of the library's younger monks ran over to them with a message from Gorion. The elf thanked him, and he beamed at them both mischievously as he ran back out.

"He wants me to be ready to meet him outside in an hour," said Maiyn softly. "I better collect my belongings and make sure I have everything."

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Maiyn knew she would have no time to meditate at dusk, so she offered a quick prayer to Fenmarel as they waited outside for the sage. He was as punctual as ever, and pleased to see his ward ready to go. He embraced Imoen tightly, and then adjusted his travelling robes and cloak while Imoen and Maiyn hugged goodbye. The thief didn't seem to be as sad as Maiyn was, and the elf was slightly upset by her cheery wave as they set off.

"I see Winthrop has equipped you well," remarked Gorion as they walked. "I hope you have said your farewells, because we must leave right now."

Maiyn nodded affirmatively, but looked to where Gorion's gaze had settled. Dreppin was sitting on a fence watching them go, and she paused momentarily to look at him. His eyes were as sad as they had been the previous day, and she glanced quickly at her father. She hesitated, wondering if she should try to quickly excuse herself to say goodbye properly, but when she looked back to the herder's location, he had gone. Maiyn sighed, and ran to catch up with her father.

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The Gatewarden waved them off cheerfully, and even the guard, Hull, dropped his usual gruffness to give Maiyn a quick hug as she passed, making her promise that she'd look after both herself and Gorion. The sun was falling beyond the horizon as they made their way through the forest, the mage deciding against taking the well used road to the east, and instead striking out in a more direct route to the Friendly Arms Inn.

"My old friends, Jaheira and Khalid, are there," he explained to her as they briskly walked. "Should anything happen to me, you must head for the inn and seek out their assistance."

"Why would anything happen, father?" Maiyn had been slightly worried by implication.

Gorion chuckled. "My dear Maiyn, the roads are dangerous with bandits and other foes. It is likely we shall face some hostility, but in the worst case, you must get to Jaheira and Khalid, do you understand?"

She nodded, but she carried a worried frown on her face. Gorion casually asked about her bow, and she had told him how she found it one day. His eyes twinkled as he asked her where she had practiced using it, and with a small cough she admitted to her adventures outside the gates of the settlement. Her father didn't look surprised in the slightest, but he expressed his dismay about her less than honest actions and she hung her head in shame.

Darkness fell properly when they hit a particularly dense patch of the forest, and Gorion's soft incantation lit a small bobbing torch that hovered along beside him. Maiyn's infravision had kicked in as it fell dark, and just before Gorion had cast she was pretty sure she'd seen the signs of something up ahead. She opted against mentioning it, knowing that all manner of wild creatures would be found here, and just kept following her father as they stepped out of the trees and into a clearing which was home to several stone circles.

Maiyn looked at the rocks with curiosity as they passed through the centre of the first set. She'd heard of such things in her lessons with the monks, and knew it was probably druids who had marked out an area particularly special to them, but she could see no obvious reason for their choice; though in the darkness she could not make out much of the natural clearing at all.

She didn't notice Gorion stopping until she walked into his outstretched arm.

"Wait - there is something wrong," he said to the surprised elf. "We are in an ambush! Prepare yourself child!"

Maiyn's trembling hands readied themselves by the hilt of her sword, and her heart almost stopped when she noticed the four figures emerge from the forest at the other side of the clearing. Two ogres towered high above both she and Gorion, and they flanked a slender figure with a large flail, and the most frightening figure of them all; a heavily armoured figure, almost as tall as the ogres themselves, and cloaked in darkness, save for the yellow light of his eyes.

"You are perceptive for an old man," said a deep voice. "You know why I am here. Hand over your ward and no one will be hurt. If you resist it shall be a waste of your life."

"You're a fool if you believe I would trust your benevolence," stated Gorion calmly. "Step aside and you and your lackeys will be unhurt."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, old man," said the armoured figure, the voice full of threat.

A flash momentarily lit up the scene as Gorion's magic got to work, targeting the ogres and knocking the smaller target unconscious. As the armoured figure and the injured ogres closed in on Gorion he turned to Maiyn. "Run! Run child, get away while you can!"

Maiyn hesitated, unwilling to leave her father to fight alone - but something in his eyes told her to go. She stumbled back a few steps, watching the ogres fall, and saw Gorion draw his sword to fight the man. She turned and started to run, but instinctively looked back when she reached some dense undergrowth. She was just in time to see her father stagger, felled by the blade of the attacker, and horror filled her; she fought the urge to cry out loud, or to run back to her father's body.

She concealed herself as well as she could in the bushes and moved away silently, using the skills she'd practiced for fun as a child, and the light footed grace her elven heritage had blessed her with. She fled until she thought she was far enough away, and could hear no one following or hunting her. Then she stopped, and collapsed into the foliage maintaining her cover, sobbing quietly and uncontrollably until she lost consciousness.

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Maiyn stood up, realising the sun was quite high in the sky. The events of the previous evening were still fresh on her mind, but her sensible side had ensured she remained calm, and now she was wondering which way she should go. Returning to Candlekeep was not an option; she had to go on and find Gorion's friends as he'd asked, but she felt caught in a quandary. Should she try to find his body, to make an attempt at burying it, or should she leave it as it was. Her thoughts about the matter were suddenly disturbed.

"Maiyn!"

The elf jumped at the sound of the familiar voice. "Imoen?" she asked incredulously.

"Hey!" exclaimed the human, grinning from ear to ear. "Why are ya standin' here all alone? Shouldn't ya have got further? Where's Mr. G?"

Maiyn looked around, taking in her surroundings with a bit more clarity. She realised that she was standing just off from the main road, and she turned back to stare at Imoen, listening as the young thief explained she had no intention of staying behind and missing out on the fun.

"I didn't expect to catch up with ya so soon though!"

Maiyn nodded, and explained in a quiet voice what had happened, and her uncertainty about returning to the scene. Imoen paled quite significantly.

"Oh Maiyn... well, I'm here now, so we can go and find him together, if ya like?"

Maiyn nodded, letting Imoen take her hand and feeling her friend's gentle squeeze. She wasn't alone.

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Maiyn found it quite easy to retrace her steps, and together they moved silently to the scene of the fight. The elf was reluctant to go near the body, so Imoen gave her hand a quick squeeze and stepped forward. With a deep breath the thief approached the corpse, noting that Gorion looked quite peaceful, as if he was sleeping. Only a small patch of blood around his side betrayed the image.

Imoen bent down and looked through his pockets, ignoring Maiyn's outraged gasp behind her. She removed a letter, and passed it to her friend.

"Don't you want to read it first?" asked the ranger.

Imoen shook her head. "I read it the other day. Don't look at me like that." The thief was well known for her tendency to find out news in Candlekeep by being less than scrupulous in her regard to other people's correspondence.

Maiyn tried to change her disapproving gaze as she opened the folded parchment. The letter was addressed to Gorion, advising him to leave Candlekeep at once with his ward. It was signed only with an 'E', but the tone suggested it had come from a friend; a trusted one at that.

Somehow the two girls managed to dig a hole deep enough to lower Gorion's body into. They took a few of his personal belongings as keepsakes, and stored them in Imoen's pack. Maiyn was distressed to see that only the ogres had fallen with their father; the two other attackers were still alive and out there somewhere. Imoen calmed her down, and suggested they move to the inn before night fell. Maiyn nodded, and offered a quick prayer over Gorion's grave before she left, asking Fenmarel to accept her father's spirit in the forests, and to guide him to whatever place he was destined.

They headed out into the forest silently, and cautiously made their way in the direction Gorion had been heading.

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After a several encounters with some rather ferocious wolves, the girls emerged from the trees onto a road that wound its way towards a large monument, placed at the merging point of several routes. Imoen and Maiyn walked towards it, almost reaching it before they noticed the man.

He was dressed in a green robe and was hanging from the stone, no more than two feet from the ground. He was clinging on to the rock, shrieking for help despite the lack of passers by. They then also noticed a halfling jumping up and down, trying to grab onto the man's robes, muttering obscenities as he scowled up to the climbing figure.

Maiyn exchanged a glance with Imoen, and they approached the strangers. The halfling noticed them, and glared fiercely.

"May we be any assistance?" asked Maiyn politely. The robed man looked down to her, and leapt from his perch, landing gracefully on his feet.

"Hmm... children wandering in the wilderness?" he mused. "Surely you must be none too bright to be travelling these roads."

"An' ye look a bit scuffed too," said the shorter man, roughly.

The men introduced themselves as Xzar, apparently a necromancer, and his warrior companion, Montaron. Xzar offered the girls some healing potions, and Maiyn had no choice but to accept them at his insistence as she introduced herself and Imoen.

"Hmm... perhaps as payment for them you could go with us to Nashkel," said Xzar thoughtfully as Imoen gave Maiyn an annoyed look. "It is a troubled area, and we mean to investigate some disturbing rumours surrounding the local mine. Some acquaintances are very concerned about the iron shortage. Specifically, where to lay blame for the matter."

"Yer conscience be yer guide," muttered Montaron slyly.

Maiyn heard Imoen groaning quietly; she hadn't failed to notice the young thief's look of distrust at these characters, and she partly shared it. However, they were on their own, miles from home and the two men had displayed no danger to them, other than slight eccentricity and attempted manipulation. Maiyn was a firm believer in strength in numbers.

"We would join you," she said, suppressing a smile, "but we must meet some friends first. Perhaps you could travel with us to the Friendly Arm Inn, then we can go to Nashkel from there?"

"We've precious little time," noted Xzar, "but it is best to travel accompanied. We shall go with you as it is not far from here."

"Aye," grunted Montaron, picking up his pack, "but ye owes us fer our time."

Maiyn smiled brightly to the two men, and grinned at Imoen's fallen expression. She turned and started suddenly, as a tall man in bright red robes, with a bright red pointy hat loomed over her.

"It's been nigh unto a tenday since I've seen a soul walking this road," he said, his bright eyes studying Maiyn curiously. "And I've been without decent conversation since! Travelling nowadays seems to be the domain of either the desperate or the deranged. If thou wouldst pardon my intrusion, might I inquire as to which pertains to thee?"

Maiyn frowned slightly, wondering to herself what it was about the monument that had drawn various sorts of madmen to it, like moths to a bright lamp.

"Heh," giggled Imoen, cheering up slightly. "I... or do I need ta say 'Ti'? I mean, if you is 'thou'... or was it 'thee'… Um, in any case I'm not desperate, and I'm certainly not deranged!" She shot a look at Xzar and Montaron. "I'm just excited," she went on, "I'm going to be a famous adventurer, like Elminster!"

The old man smiled behind his bushy beard and moustache. "Thou art a spirited girl Imoen, but what of thy companion?"

"Wait, wait - how d'ya know my name?" asked a startled Imoen.

The old man chuckled. "One can acquire such knowledge in more ways then one, child. But let the quiet one speak." The old man's gaze fell to Maiyn who suddenly felt like she had been put on the spot, and she wiped the frown from her face, almost as if she feared the man would read her thoughts.

"Er. Not to imply anything," she said eventually, and with great care, "but how do you measure up to your own standards? Pestering strangers about their mental state doesn't seem all that well adjusted to me."

The old man seemed to ponder this for some moments, before breaking into a smile. "Point well taken, and thou hast answered my question most adequately!"

"I'm sorry," apologised Maiyn, realising she had been rather blunt. "I was unprepared for your question, and I did not wish to cause offence..."

"No offence taken, young one!" exclaimed the man cheerily. "I shall think of thee as determined instead. I shall trouble thee no more, as thou art more than capable of the task at hand. I have said too much, and taken too much of thine time. I am sure we shall meet again!"

The old man gave Maiyn one last bemused look, and a sincere smile lit up his face. He left as swiftly as he had appeared, and Maiyn didn't have time to wonder who he was; night was falling rapidly, and she wanted to make it to the inn.