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

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Farewells

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Khalid and Jaheira shared a quick embrace when the tales of each groups exploits were done. Maiyn was keen to get out quickly, if only for the safety of the miners, and she made this clear. Thankfully, everyone agreed.

"Most people should go now," she said quietly, "and take Stephan too." She looked over at the ex-apprentice and felt quite sorry for him. He had been trembling non-stop since they got him in the lift, and he was staring at the group fearfully. "Yeslick shall have to go to unlock the seal, and I think someone should accompany him."

"I can go on me own lass," Yeslick said, but Maiyn shook her head. She didn't think he would, but she wasn't risking him staying behind, giving his life as the payment for his feeling of failing his clan.

"I will go with you," she said simply. "We will meet you at the storehouse."

"Maiyn, this is-"

"This is my decision to make as leader," said Maiyn, interrupting the druid. Jaheira's eyes were flashing with rage.

"There is no reason for you to risk yourself," stated the druid.

"There is no reason for any of us to risk ourselves," retorted Maiyn, feeling her impatience rise. "There is noone here who is any less valuable than the others!" The ranger was sure she saw Khalid, Jaheira and Dynaheir exchange glances.

"What Jaheira m-means is-" began Khalid.

"I know she is just concerned," signed Maiyn, "and I do appreciate it, really. But my mind is set."

"I still think-"

"Minsc thinks that Maiyn is a brave little girl," said the berserker suddenly. Maiyn blinked, unused to him involving himself in debates. "What's that Boo? Ah yes, Boo says you should feel ashamed of yourselves for casting... asper... aspes... oh, thank you Boo. For casting slurs on her courage."

Maiyn beamed at the tall warrior, and he smiled warmly back to her. To her surprise, Dynaheir nodded at his words.

"'Tis Maiyn's choice to make and she is aware of the risk," she said in her thick accent. "We should make effort to move with all haste, lest we dally too long and meet more guards."

Most of the others nodded their agreement, and Jaheira was grudgingly led away by Khalid, who wished them both good luck before he went. Coran lingered as the others moved off, and Maiyn raised an eyebrow at him.

"I think I should go with you," he said. He looked worried.

Maiyn shook her head. "Two is enough and minimises risk."

"Then let me go in your place."

Maiyn was touched by his offer, but she was also stubborn. She pulled him into a tight hug. "I can't let you do that when there's a risk of losing you," she whispered fiercely to him, before pushing him towards the others despite his resistance. "Tell them we shall wait no longer than ten minutes - if no one has returned, we will know you have got out without resistance, and we will proceed to unlock the seal."

"Maiyn, I..."

"Go!" she hissed.

Coran nodded, but seemed reluctant to drop her hand. "Amin mela lle, Maiyn," he said gently, then turned and disappeared with the others. Maiyn's heart took a few moments to stop fluttering when she realised what he'd said.

I love you Maiyn.

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The seal looked complex to Maiyn's eye, but Yeslick had no trouble at all opening it up to reveal the lock. He took the key from the pocket in his tunic, and looked over to her.

"A few more minutes," she said quietly. She wanted to ensure her party were safe.

The dwarf nodded, and looked around with a sigh. "This'll be one line o' the grudge I owe the Iron Throne, but not the last by a long shot," he said gruffly. "I'd be grateful if ye'd consider allowin' me to accompany ye on yer travels."

Maiyn smiled. "To be honest," she said, "I'd wondered if you'd want to leave here alive."

Yeslick raised an eyebrow. "That's why ye came wi' me? In case I stayed here ta make sure the job was done properly?"

Maiyn nodded.

"I'd be a liar if I said that the thought hadnae crossed my mind," he admitted. "But I can avenge my kin more by goin' on."

"And I can't imagine my group without your presence," smiled Maiyn, causing the dwarf to beam bashfully.

"Aye well, I suppose we'd best get this done?"

Maiyn nodded, and watched as he put the key into the seal. With a mighty creak, the key turned, and the seal began to move. Yeslick and Maiyn began running towards the entrance as the weight of the water broke through the reopened breach and began filling the tunnels with amazing speed.

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Jaheira was pacing up and down, avoiding the bodies of the guards that still lay around, when there was a sudden roar from beneath the ground. She stopped instantly and looked to Khalid, exchanging a worried look with him. The seal had been opened. Now they could only wait.

Coran was pale, even the Harpers had to admit it. Imoen was holding his hand, telling him things would be alright, but he looked unconvinced. He weakly smiled his thanks to the young thief, then moved away from the others, lurking by the entrance of the path leading up to the guard tower. He heard Jaheira approach him, but his eyes remained fixed to the tower in the distance.

"I am not in the mood for an argument," he said bluntly.

"I was not looking for one," she replied simply. "We are all worried about them."

"I can tell that by the expressions of the others," he replied. It was true - each glance was fixed in the direction of the mine entrance, worried and anxious.

Jaheira sighed. "We do not see eye to eye, and I certainly do not approve of you trying to force Maiyn into a relationship," she said, "but your care for her well being is commendable at least."

The druid stalked back off to stand with her husband, and Coran grit his teeth, trying to ignore her words. His attention was too firmly set on Maiyn's safety than to bother correcting the druid's misguided opinions.

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Maiyn felt the water rise to her knees as it started to trickle into her boots. She watched Yeslick work at the lift controls, trying to work out what the problem was. She looked down the tunnel, seeing the water still roaring in, the level rising swiftly,

"Blast it!" shouted Yeslick, kicking the machinery with his foot viciously. A huge groan signalled the breaking off of one of the levers, and Maiyn gave the dwarf a worried look. He sighed.

"There's another way out," he said, "but I dinnae know if we can get ta it."

"We're going to have to try," pointed out the ranger. He nodded grimly.

"This way then."

The water was almost at Yeslick's waist as he waded along the tunnel, towards what seemed to be a dead end. Maiyn was fighting the waves of panic threatening to wash over her, and instead concentrated on following the dwarf as quickly as she could.

By the time they reached the end of the passage the water was up to Yeslick's chest and swirling around Maiyn's thighs. The dwarf tapped along the side of the wall, searching for the entrance that had been long neglected. With a small cheer, he pushed part of the wall and managed to open a tiny door that was obviously built for dwarves. He ran through it into another passage, and Maiyn ducked down to fit behind him. The passage was short, and they suddenly appeared in what looked like a natural cave, tall and wide. Maiyn looked around, wondering what they were meant to do now with the water was still following them, but Yeslick had moved on, certain of his destination.

She saw where he was heading. A set of rough cut steps spiralled up in one of the corners, leading to the surface, she hoped. She followed the cleric to them, and climbed up carefully as he led. If nothing else, they were out of immediate danger from the water.

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"In here!" The voice was one of the miners who were standing just inside the storehouse. Coran ran to his location, pushing past him to see what it was.

Before him stood a rather wet Yeslick, drenched from his feet right up to almost his shoulders. Climbing out of a hole in the stone wall was Maiyn, looking slightly less soaked, but just as cold. He rushed over and helped her climb down, pulling her to him and holding her close.

"You did it!" Imoen had appeared too, followed by the others, the relief evident on their faces. Maiyn gently detached herself from Coran, smiling warmly to him, and nodded to the thief.

"We cannot tarry here," she said. "It is time to go."

They moved outside, and Yeslick asked for a moment to himself. "Let me stand awhile in silence to remember my kin," he said quietly. Maiyn nodded, and heard his words as she moved away. "Clangeddin, let 'em rest in peace in their watery grave, with the Iron Throne dogs not disturbin' 'em."

The ranger spotted Rill standing near the other miners and slaves. She walked over to him quickly, pulling out the bag of coin Coran had handed her earlier. "Take this," she said, pushing it into his hands. "We will escort you to the edge of the forest, but there are other things we need to do after that. I don't know how much is there, but it should help in part to get your lives back in order. I wish we could do more, but..." Maiyn's voice trailed off as she looked over to the body of Branwen.

"You have already done so much for us ma'am," Rill said, looking at the bag in surprise. Are you sure about this?"

Maiyn nodded, and felt a tugging at her sleeve. She saw Coran looking at her quizzically.

"Are you sure you want to hand over it all?" he asked, looking concerned. "After all, there's quite a bit there, and if we are to face tougher enemies, the extra coin for new equipment-"

"We can make coin if we need it," interrupted Maiyn. "The coin goes to the miners."

"I'm glad ye're doin' that," said Yeslick as he approached. "It feels right." The dwarf turned and regarded the watchtower for one last time. "'Twas deftly done, Maiyn. 'Twas."

Maiyn glanced at Coran, and he shrugged slightly. "I know you think I'm being rash," she said gently, "but I am sure this is the right thing to do."

The fighter nodded, but looked unconvinced, and she sighed. She wasn't in the mood to debate petty material matters. She turned to the rest of her companions, and called for their attention.

"We leave now," she said. "In order to avoid detection as much as possible we will split up into smaller groups and escort the miners to the edge of Cloakwood. From there, we head to the coast."

The others nodded, not questioning her intentions. Minsc picked up Branwen's body as Maiyn organised the groups, and in silence they left the mine behind.

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They'd escorted the miners to the edge of the forest with only a few minor skirmishes holding them back, and wished them well as they headed to Baldur's Gate. Maiyn had immediately set off towards the coast, refusing to stop until they'd put Branwen to rest. Jaheira tried to make her realise how tired they all were, but the ranger shook it off, and Minsc insisted he would keep following her for as long as she needed. The others had no choice but to keep up.

They walked through the night, and were about to witness dawn breaking when they saw the woman standing alone. Maiyn had kept going, fully prepared to ignore the stranger, but she'd ran over to Coran, asking him to stop.

He was unable to refuse any woman some of his time, and he called to Maiyn to wait for a moment; he completely missed the ranger's glare, his attention soon completely taken by the enchanting young lady standing before him. Her long brown hair cascaded prettily around her sharp features, and she was certainly stunning for a human.

"I thank you. I am Safana," she purred, "and I am having some terrible issues with some creatures around here. They have... stolen, you could say... my gem, and I would be terribly pleased if you would help me regain it." Her large brown eyes flashed at him alluringly, and he felt himself unable to resist smiling.

"Ah, Maiyn," he said, seeing the ranger appear beside him. "This is Safana, and she has quite a dilemma! Do tell our leader what ills you, my dear."

Coran noticed Safana eyeing Maiyn with a hint of contempt, but it vanished almost at once as she flashed a charming smile and described how her gem had been stolen by some sirens. Maiyn however seemed to take on a cynical gait when the human woman insisted her gem had been thieved.

Safana smiled again to him. "So... I was wondering if you would help me?" She spoke to him, seemingly impervious to Maiyn's presence. He looked over to the ranger, and raised an eyebrow when he noticed her glare.

"We don't have time."

Imoen gawked at Maiyn - noone was used to their leader being quite so curt, but she'd already started walking away towards the coast.

"Oh," said Safana, looking disappointed. "Perhaps I could come with you then..."

Maiyn spun around quickly. "Certainly not - we are quite happy as we are," she hissed, a quick glance at her companions enough to let them know she expected them to leave, and leave now.

None of them disobeyed, though Coran managed to apologise quickly to the girl as he left. He wondered what was wrong with Maiyn - it was unlike her to turn down new companions, and he didn't think he'd ever seen her quite so agitated.

He put it down to tiredness, and jogged to catch up with her as she stalked across the plains towards the sea.

"I really think-" he began, but she stopped and spun around to face him.

"You really think what?" she demanded. "That I was rude? That I was short with her? You think that rescuing her gem - which in actuality I think probably belonged to the sirens in the first place - is more important than seeing our friend put to peace?"

Coran looked at her incredulously. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her angry, or even lashing out; but it was the first time he'd been the target, and he felt hurt. "I really think you should get some rest," he said quietly, preparing to move away and let Maiyn have her own space.

"Ah, I'm snapping because I am tired, am I?" she asked coldly. Her stare was icy, and she seemed determined to pick a fight with someone - with him. He was reluctant to respond, but the ranger was unwilling to let it drop.

"You see a pretty girl and want to drop everything to help her," she went on, "despite the matters we already have to attend to, and I am expected to act... how? Am I meant to be fine with it? Would you like us to return to her so she can join us, so you can have something else to look at as we travel?"

Coran froze at her last words. Despite his usual tendencies, he had found himself unable to think of any women since he had met Maiyn; he could still recognise beauty and appreciate charm, but none of it seemed to matter, none of it had any effect on him the way a simple caress from the young ranger did. But it didn't seem to matter - she seemed convinced he was unable to change, and now she seemed intent on pushing him away. After his words to her in the mine, it felt like a slap in the face, and he knew he would regret what he was about to say.

"I apologise," he said emotionlessly. "My intentions were nothing of the sort, and I didn't realise you were so much hard work to appease." He swiftly turned and started back on their route without a backwards glance. Maiyn noticed Jaheira looking towards her curiously, almost a satisfied look upon her face, and she scowled and walked on.

We need to go, she screamed to herself, Branwen deserves to be put to rest, yet these people only seem bothered by trivial matters! Did they not feel any friendship or loyalty with her? She knew she was being harsh, but her bleakness had flared up when she'd escaped from the mine, her task behind her leaving her nothing to focus on. Nothing but the fallen dead.

Had she been overly harsh to Coran? Possibly. She found it difficult to express herself at the best of times, and since the priestess died she'd found it ten times harder. He seemed upset with her, but she didn't have the strength to care. She was tired, but they were close to the ocean. They would see Branwen into her afterlife, and the time for reparations could follow.

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The sun had risen by the time they had interred Branwen's remains. They had found a secluded cove, surrounded by trees, and it felt peaceful. Party morale was getting to straining point by then, with people snapping at each other due to a mixture of grief and fatigue; the only one seemingly immune from it all being Minsc who just wore a hurt expression caused by the others comments to him. Maiyn prayed over the grave, asking Fenmarel to ensure that the site remained free from defilement, asking for her friend to be granted a happy afterlife. Goodbye Branwen, she whispered faintly.

When she was done the party moved away, finding a glade within the forest where they gratefully set up camp. Maiyn's mood had lifted somewhat, but Coran made an effort to keep out of her way, and she was too tired to try and confront him about their earlier exchange.

Tiredly she retreated to her bedroll, glad that she was on the later watch. Kivan moved over to sit beside her, waiting for her to be settled before he spoke.

"I wanted to ask you, Maiyn," he said softly. "What are you thinking of, when you are watching sunrises? You watched the sun come up before we stopped and there was an emotion written on your face I did not quite understand."

"They fill me with strange foreboding," sighed Maiyn. "I see blood, and the end of all things when I watch the sun rise in the hue of scarlet and red and purple."

Kivan nodded slowly. "Maybe you feel that way because of your recent loss?" he asked. "You dread the most innocent and beautiful sight, thinking it to be an ill omen..."

"You are maybe right," she said. "I... I have found it hard since Branwen died, but I am unsure why. Although she became a friend, Gorion was my father, but I managed to go on in the shadow of his demise. Since Branwen fell I have blamed myself, and felt myself being drawn to a void that I cannot seem to avoid."

"You shall avoid it," Kivan replied gently. "Remember what we discussed, remember your God. He will help you through this if you seek his advice. But... it is not the time to discuss this when you are going to sleep. Rest well Maiyn - and do not push Coran away. He has many faults, but his caring for you is genuine enough."

Maiyn watched the quiet ranger go back to the campfire and sighed. With a heavy heart, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

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She didn't recognise her surroundings at all. She was standing atop a tall hillock that was almost entirely covered with the sparkling waters of a blue lake. It bubbled past her in a small stream, cascading down the cliff of the hill as a waterfall, the spray creating a faint rainbow in the sunny sky.

Several trees were dotted around the edge of the hilltop, making it feel secluded and safe. The small grassy area where she stood was dotted abundantly with wildflowers, the same that grew between the trees across the water. Their scent carried on the faint breeze, a summery smell that lightened her heart.

She turned, and saw a figure watching her. It blurred as she tried to focus on it, but she felt no fear - only peacefulness. It was a benign presence, and she knew it meant her no harm.

"You have felt it within you," it said quietly. "You know what you are."

"I don't understand," she said, confused by its statement.

"I have been sent to tell you. You are worthy."

"I am worthy of what?"

"You are worthy to be one of his clerics."

Maiyn remembered the glowing white light that healed her arm, and gasped. "But I am training as a ranger..."

"You are skilled enough to be both," it said. "You can serve his name in both, as you already do."

"I don't know how..."

"You do not need to know how," it said. "You will realise when you awaken. You pray before you rest almost every day, and each time you receive blessings that you have so far been completely unaware of. Now you are aware."

Maiyn had more questions to ask, but the figure's blurry outline faded from view, and she was left alone with her thoughts as she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

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Coran watched Kivan sit next to her as settled down to sleep. A pang of jealousy ebbed through him, but he was still too hurt from her tone to be prepared to make amends. He'd volunteered sit in the first watch to avoid being anywhere near her, not wishing to cause further annoyance. If only he knew what he was meant to have done.

He saw Kivan stand and walk away from her, then realised with dread that the ranger was aiming for him. Here we go, he thought, time to tell Coran how mean he has been.

"Coran," began the stoic ranger, sitting down beside the fighter. "I would not want to intervene, but do not you think that Maiyn is..."

"What?" The fighter tried not to sigh.

"The way you look after her, Coran," said Kivan simply. "And the way your gaze falls on her when she is not looking, and sigh like your breast is about to burst."

"I thought you did not want to intervene..." he said sourly.

"My heart goes out to you if that is true love you finally encounter... if you indeed do love her..." Kivan looked him straight in the eye.

"Kivan, there is no such a thing as untrue love," he replied shortly.

"Do you not think that you should not attempt to seduce a poor orphan, barely out of swaddling clothes, who is chased by a monstrous foe by a reason unknown?" asked Kivan bluntly. "She is such a sweet, innocent-"

"Kivan, you do realize that you are calling me a crib-robber without any fault of mine?" he asked sharply. "Maiyn has come of an age, you know."

"Do not you have enough noblesse in you to love her from afar for a while? At least until the troubles she is going through are settled?"

"Are you training your eyes on the girl yourself, that you suddenly are so eloquent to deter me from my pursuit?" Coran felt himself unable to bite the comment back. Kivan merely sighed. "What do you think I have been doing?" Coran asked hotly. "Since I saw her, I have felt myself enchanted more than I can ever remember being, and I have patiently waited for her to accept my feelings, hoping that one day her heart will accept me beyond the close friendship she has bestowed upon me."

Kivan nodded. "I am worried about her."

"Worried?"

"She has taken the death of the priestess badly. The death of her father had not fully hit home, and she had become adept at ignoring it until she was capable of accepting it. With Branwen, she saw her fall after the cleric moved to protect her. She blames herself, I'd wager, and she has not been able to run away from the death the way she did with Gorion."

Coran nodded slowly. "I was not aware Branwen was protecting her. She seemed to have just been surrounded."

"Maiyn had moved back to see to Xan - he had fallen when the bolt hit him," said Kivan simply. Coran wondered how he'd noticed all this, considering the ferocity of the battle. "Branwen distracted the guards who pursued her, in addition to the guards she was already fighting. In the end, there were too many for her, as we saw."

Coran said nothing. He now understood more why Maiyn's mood had been so quick to change whenever she looked at the human's corpse, but he had not even stopped to think that it was related to the deaths. She had witnessed her father fall, and got on with her life. He'd forgotten about her youth, her innocence - both she and the young thief were undergoing very new experiences, and they were not as pleasant as the light-hearted group usually tried to make them out to be. He eventually nodded to Kivan.

"She either needs you fully," the ranger said as he got up, "or not at all."

Coran watched the ranger disappear into the woods, scouting the area as part of his guard role. He had a lot to think about.