Son of the One We Loved
Ogwen and Dorka sailed them to Balifor, a long voyage but safer than risking the maelstrom again, where the Sea Rose was set to pick up another load of cargo and payment for the last one. Balifor this was a city his mother had known well and it had not been kind to her while she had been a black robe, if she had returned after she attained the red Lance did not know. The first time she had been here she had duelled with a white robe, causing considerable damage to property and some of the citizens, by accident. The second time had been when she had been coming back to familiar lands from Kalaman. No one had given her a room, out of fear perhaps, and she had camped out on the beach. It had been a beautiful night and she had dreamed of his father again. This city was full of her memory, though it did not know it.
Lance and the others got a room and one of the smaller Inn's, all they could afford. The food was decent and the ale...well you could not have everything and so they decided to do their drinking else where. He stayed with them for two days then told them one morning that he would be leaving for a day or so, they need not come with him, he would be back and they could wait for him here and enjoy the town. They did not understand, he had not expected them to, but they agreed and bid him fare well. Lance got a horse and a half day of provisions before setting out from Balifor alone.
They would never have come with him even if he had told them where he was going, they would have called him crazy. But ever since he was a child on his mothers knee, hearing her stories, he had always wanted to go to Kendermore. Besides that none of them had been at her funeral and he had decided by now that it must have been because no one had sent word to them. That would change today and if they were offended he would be the one to offer apologies, it was only right that it come from him. As the kender village came into sight Lace decided to use his power that he had inherited from his parents, more so his mothers side, and changed from his Minotaur form to that of a human man. He had is mothers dark hair but slightly darker skin, he figured it was because of his fathers mahogany colour. They might recognize him better this way and it would not startle them as much, he hoped.
As he rode in and turned his horse toward the square all the kender stopped in whatever they were doing to follow him, even if that whatever they were doing meant really dropping something. They were unusually quiet he thought and fast at spreading word of his arrival for waiting in the square was Mayor Metwinger JR., he knew it was him partly because of his fathers stories and partly because he was the only kender here that looked like a walking bizarre. He wore three different coats over a shirt and vest that didn't match and were alarming shades of green and orange, bright pink tights and mismatched boots both in colour and in height. Lace fought hard not to burst out laughing and be respectful. Once all the village had gathered Metwinger stepped forward to greet him.
"Welcome sir to Kendermore. It is our pleasure and our great surprise. Now tell me what might have brought you here"
"Sir I am Lance Dasrenvair, son of Rosemarta and Kalas Dasrenvair. You knew my mother I believe"
"Rosemarta? Yes of course I knew her, she was a mage right? Yes? Right! Of course I remember her well"
"But how do we know you are really her son?" Lance searched for who had said this and his eyes settled on a carrot haired female kender who was fighting her way to the head of the crowd closest to him.
"If I'm not how do I know you name is Dandelion?"
"You could have asked someone"
"I have not spoken a word to anyone except to your esteemed Mayor"
"I know how he can prove he is lady Rosemarta`s son" another kender in the crowd said.
"How?" asked Metwinger.
"He can tell all of us a story of her adventures. Something that only he would know. Then he would have to be her son to have heard it. Right?" there was a general affirmation of this that passes through the crowed and Metwinger nodded his approval.
"Do you agree to tell us a story sir?" asked the mayor.
"I do" while saying this Lance dismounted and took a seat upon a near by bench. He watched as all the kender settled to hear his story. There was only one that he could think of, one that no one else would know and it began this way... "The dark moon god Nuitari was set to attack Solace with an army of his allies. He had sworn to hurt my mother and he is a god that keeps his word..."
When Lance came to the end of the story the entire square was silent. A few in the crowd, including Metwinger himself, were crying. Dandelion was trying to put on a brave face but her lower lip was trembling. Metwinger was the first to speak.
"Well that story was not entirely one that we had not heard. I think we all knew most of it except for the part about the sacrifice Mistress Rosemarta made in order to fight Nuitari and her husbands part in it"
"There are not many that do know that part of the story. My parents kept it a secret and it was known only to a few others and themselves and now you know"
"You are her son, there can be no question of it now. Is there?" this Metwinger asked of the crowd of kender that stood around them, no one objected.
"How did she die?" Dandelions voice was so quiet that Lance would not have heard her at all if she had not been standing so close.
"She died rescuing me. Nuitari sent is new favoured mage to kidnap me when I was ten years old, it was to be his final revenge. However his favoured let me go so she could duel with my mother. My mother then sent me home by magic so I did not see what happened to her and neither did my father. Master Sarilban told my father that when the final blow was struck Nuitari`s favoured was dead instantly but sadly it was not the same for my mother. They made her comfortable at the tower till my father arrived. They tried to save her but it was no use"
"Why were we not told before now?" Dandelions small hands bunched into fists as she said this.
"It was not out of meanness or spite I assure you. She meant so much to everyone back in Solas and the preparations for her funeral were so vast I am sure that it was just a mistake that you were looked over. There were others that were also not at her funeral day. Understand I was only a child then and dealing with the loss of my mother, I had no way of knowing that you would not be informed. I swear to you that had I been older as I am now I would have come to give you the news my self. As it is I am terribly sorry and I own to this grave error fully" Dandelion turned and marched through the crowd, a few hands reached out to stay her but she would not be halted.
"We understand" put in the mayor after a short silence. "And we would very much like for you to stay for a while if you can"
"I can stay for a little while but only a few days at most. I have left my kin waiting for me in Balifor"
"Thats fine. I offer you a room in my house. Please take it"
"With pleasure" Lance rose and took hold of his horses reigns, following Metwinger to his house, one of the largest in Kendermore. He did not see Dandelion for the rest of the day and did not go looking for her. Of all the kender that she had met here his mother had spoken most fondly of Dandelion and he was sure that this news affected her the most. He felt profoundly sorry for her and thought that maybe it would have been better if he had not come.
Lance woke the next day slightly stiff from having slept upon the floor, the bed in the room, though it felt very comfortable, having been far too small for him despite the mayors best intentions to make him feel at home. He moved to his feet and stretched before making his way to the wash basin. While he slept someone had come in and filled the jug with warm water and supplied a fresh bar of soap and a towel. He smiled, really the hospitality of kender was something he was sure most people were not aware of. He had just finished washing his face when a knock came to the door.
"Sir Lance? May I come in?" it was the mayors voice.
"Yes, do come in Mayor Metwinger" the mayor entered carrying a covered tray. He was dressed head to toe in dark blues and grey with an assortment of dark feathers sticking out of his topknot. Lance tried hard to restrain a smile but found that he could not. The mayor set the tray down upon a small side table and turned to face him.
"I trust you had a good night?"
"I did thank you but...mayor Metwinger what...if I may ask, what are you wearing?"
"Wearing?" Metwinger looked down at himself and turned three times around before putting one hand into his topknot and smiling. "Oh yes, what I am wearing. Well you will see soon enough. Eat up, I will wait for you down stairs" the mayor smiled widely then and hurried out of the room. Lance changed into some clean clothes before sitting down to eat his breakfast which consisted of some thick slices of ham, two eggs and some potatoes. Once finished Lance washed his hands and strapped his sword to his back before making his way downstairs into the main room of the mayors house, where sure enough the mayor was waiting for him with an even larger grin upon his face.
"Now what is this all about?"
"Come see for your self" the mayor opened the door of the house and invited Lance to step outside before him. Silently Lance did so and found all of the village gathered again, all of them dressed similarly to their mayor. At the head of the crowd stood Dandelion and two other female kender that Lance remembered from his mothers story. The fair haired one was surly Izzy Fizblower and next to her stood a red head Windy Tailspinner her friend and neighbour. Before Lance could ask the reason for this gathering Dandelion stepped forward.
"Since we could not attend Rosemarta`s funeral we ask for your permission to remember her today with a telling of stories and a feast in her memory" Lance was stunned to momentary silence. After a few moments he nodded.
"My friends I am honoured and I know that my mother would be also" an infections half smile spread throughout the crowd and they disbursed to form a circle around the edge of the square till only Dandelion remained.
"The first story is yours"
"But I already told one yesterday"
"That was different. Tell us another one. Please" Lance smiled.
"Alright" Dandelion smiled and moved to join her peers sitting in the circle. Lance took off his sword and sat crossed legged in the middle, trying to think of which story he should tell. One came to mind in short time, it had always been one of his favourites, "There was a storm the night my mother came to Solace she had heard of it from an old man whom she had met upon the road and who had asked to share her fire and food with her. She came to the Inn he had told her of, The Inn of the Last Home, and she was struck at once by the multitude of different races gathered there for some sort of celebration. One in particular caught her eye. A male Minotaur with a dark mahogany colour and a double headed axe at his side..." there were more stories to follow this one. Dandelion told the story of Rosemarta`s visit to Kendermore as he had known that she would. It was refreshing to hear the story told differently and to hear his mother described by someone who had met her years before he was born who was not his father or someone else from Solace. He was called upon to tell other stories also so he told the one of his mothers stay in Thorbardin and of his mothers journey to Ironrock with Thomas Brander, the older brother of the mages Tarrin and Roent.
As the day wore on past the lunch hour other kender ladies, who had left the circle unnoticed, returned with plates of sandwiches and bowls of fresh fruit. Once everyone had eaten there were a few more stories and then songs into the evening when there was a break called by the mayor to prepare for the feast. During this break was when Dandelion approached him again. He had stood up to stretch his legs, picking his sword up with him as he went. She took one of his hands without a word and led him away from the square for a little ways so that the feast preparations would not interrupt them.
"I'm sorry for the way that I acted yesterday. I..hope that you can forgive me" she looked down at the toes of her silver shoes as she said this and Lance placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder.
"Of course I do. I loved her too" Dandelion looked up then and smiled, motioning him to kneel down. He did so and she kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you" she turned and ran off then back to the square, blushing like a young girl given her first kiss. Lance could not help smiling wider as he stood up again. If he had not left the others waiting back in Balifor he fancied that he would stay for far longer.
The feast was enormous even my kender standards and he found himself bewildered by it. Nearing the end Metwinger stood up and called for silence.
"My friends. We all came together today to bid fare well at last to a great women that we all knew well from when she graced our presence here for the Festival of the Eye. She passed away without our knowing and we were unable to see her off then so tonight we have honoured her in the best way that we know how. And her son, who brought us this sad news, joins us tonight. I would ask him to please say a few words if he does not mind"
"Yes yes please!" was the resounding call and Lance could not refuse. He stood.
"Surely I do not deserve all of this for having brought you this sort of news so late. For the past few years since her death I have been living day to day just trying to find my self in a world that does not have her in it. This journey I have been on with my kin these last months has opened my eyes to the life I should have been living and made me realize that I had a duty to come and tell you all at last. I had my doubts at firs that I had done the right thing but now I know that I have and I am so grateful to you all for this wonderful tribute. The richest lord in all of Kyrnn could not have done better if they had tried. Thank you all" everyone raised their glasses and toasted to Rosemarta`s health. There was music and dancing to follow the feasting and Lance retired that night thoroughly exhausted but happier than he had been in a long while.
The next two days saw things return to normal in Kendermore. The square was cleaned and Lance took the opportunity to explore the village with Dandelions guidance of course. He acquainted him self with as many of the kender as he could and helped them with any problem they asked him to look too, much the same way that his mother had done. He could see instantly what had charmed her about them. For all the mistrust and anger they might have inspired in others he found him self liking, even loving them in spite of himself. He caught him self laughing once, the others would surly think him mad.
On the morning of the third day he readied his horse to return to Balifor. The whole of the village turned out once more to see him go.
"If I may speak for everyone we wish that you would stay" said the Mayor.
"I wish that I could but I promised my kin that I would return before to long. If I say any longer they will be wondering what became of me. Know that I have enjoyed every moment I spent here and that I will remember it and you for the rest of my life"
"Will you come back?" asked Dandelion
"I will, I promise you that I will" he smiled at her and she smiled back. Lance raised his hand in fare well to the rest and they did so in turn calling out their good byes to him as he rode away back toward Balifor.
"Are you ever going to tell us where it was that you went?" asked Luca later that same day after he had been back in Balifor for a few hours with night now falling. Lance smiled as he leaned back in his chair, gazing at the bar maid who came to collect their plates.
"Perhaps brother one day but I feel you would not understand if I told you now" Luca looked at Jarrin and Aldemere, wondering if maybe they might understand. Aldemere shrugged and Jarrin shook his head to leave it be. Luca drank the ale that was placed before him and made himself content that Lance would keep his word and tell him eventually where he had been. For right now it did not matter.