Note
I just want to remind everyone that this story is AU. I've fudged some timelines here a little bit, as those of you who are familiar with either fandom might be able to see. Drizzt and Zaknafein's story takes place during the events of the book Exile, but Jarlaxle and Entreri's story is a jumble of events from The Silent Blade and the Sellsword Trilogy. So in this scenario, Drizzt and Entreri have never met, until this point, but Entreri still spent time in Menzoberranzan, and Jarlaxle still came to Calimport and possessed the Crystal Shard.
Also, as in this scenario both Faerun and Middle Earth are continents on the same planet (whether its Aber-Toril or Arda, you can decide that for yourself), and the Underdark spans underneath the entire extent of both continents.
Also, yes I know that Legolas is very old, but in this scenario, he's not. He and Drizzt are about the same age and Drizzt is about the age he was in Exile, which was about 50 or so. Chandrelle, my oc, is older than them by a lot but because she has never lived anywhere but the underdark, and never met another living soul other than her father, her growth is somewhat stunted and she's ignorant of the world and is about as mature as Drizzt and Legolas are. She doesn't possess the wisdom with age that Celebrimbor, Thranduil, and the others do.
Jarlaxle's spell worked well enough to get them all to the surface, which made Entreri even more suspicious of his companion's intentions.
When they finally broke through to the surface, Celebrimbor took a deep breath of air. Enteri stood there beside him, watching him as he surveyed the landscape. It was a beautifully clear night, the moon was high in the sky and the stars shone above them.
"I never knew it could be so breathtaking," Chandrelle proclaimed as she stood beside her father. "All the stories you told me, I never thought I would see it for myself."
Entreri regarded the young elf. Her red hair glistened in the moonlight as she stared out at the expanse before them. They were in the middle of a great vast plain, the grass moved about gently in the wind.
"Well I've done my part, my friends," Jarlaxle commented as he draped his cloak around him.
Entreri regarded him suspiciously. He was grateful that they had managed to escape Rai-guy, but it disturbed him that Jarlaxle could have shot them so far from where they had been before that the land before them was so utterly foreign. Given Jarlaxle's love of adventure and intrigue, the assassin wondered if this jump was a mistake at all. He could only groan as he wondered what his eccentric drow companion had managed to drag him into now.
"It has been countless centuries since I have glimpsed upon Middle Earth," Celebrimbor explained as he tried to get a familiar bearing. His elven senses helped him to see with perhaps better precision in this dark night than Entreri was capable of. "But if the Misty Mountains are to our west then the Anduin shall be to our east. If we travel south along the river, we shall reach the woods of Lothlorien, I am certain they still stand."
"Certain?" Entreri raised a brow as he glanced at the elf.
"When Sauron captured me, Middle Earth was in the midst of a great war. My kingdom was overrun. I have had no news of the world since those days and perhaps an age has come and gone since then."
"Well what are we waiting for, my good elf?" Jarlaxle commented. "Let us depart for this Lothlorien. Surely those who are there will provide us with all the information we require."
The quartet proceeded in the direction Celebrimbor suggested, and soon enough, they came upon a long meandering river, its waters glistened in the moonlight. The air was breezy and the night animals, with the crickets chirping, the frogs croaking, and the owls hooting, provided a peaceful venue to quell Entreri's nerves.
"Perhaps my kin have sailed to the west," Celebrimbor contemplated as they traveled along the river. "All had seemed hopeless as it seemed the dark lord would overrun all that is good in Middle Earth."
"This doesn't appear to be a land dominated by a dark lord," Jarlaxle pointed out.
At the mention of a dark lord, the object that Entreri carried, the thing that had sent him and Jarlaxle fleeing across Faerun, stirred.
Intriguing land you have brought me too came a voice inside Entreri's head. Entreri scoffed and responded back in his mind.
Do not speak to me, you have no power over me…
Perhaps not yet. But everyone has a breaking point. And when you find yours, I will be waiting.
Entreri glanced over to see Jarlaxle staring at him as they walked, the drow studying him knowingly.
"Having a pleasant conversation with your crystalline companion?" he surmised. "Perhaps if it disturbs you so much, I could carry it for a time."
"No." Entreri told him flatly. There was no way he would allow the crystal shard and Jarlaxle to partner up again, not after the events in Calimport.
Jarlaxle would like to deny that the crystal shard had had such an influence over him. That his will was strong enough to resist its promise of power. But it had slowly and subtly worked its way into his psyche, without him even knowing, and it had overcome him. He had nearly led his organization to ruin and now one of his associates, Rai-guy, was pursuing them after nearly killing them.
Entreri now carried the crystal shard and it knew it had no influence over him. After all, the assassin's will had managed to dominate his other sentient possession, the charon's claw. His magnificent sword, a netherese relic from ancient times, would obey him.
Now they were in a different world, a vast distance away from Rai-guy. Though Entreri had no doubt that the powerful cleric-wizard would be able to find them, even here.
"If we can find this place, so can Rai-guy," Jarlaxle agreed with Entreri's thoughts. Entreri shot him a glare, knowing the cunning drow could read his thoughts. He knew there likely wasn't a single article of clothing on Jarlaxle that didn't have some sort of magical property. He had pockets and pouches that contained portals into various planes. He had an assortment of animals such as bats and his diatryma feather affixed to his wide brim hat which turned into a large bird. He had rings of teleportation, illusion, and many others. Entreri wondered if even the drow's undergarments would hold magical tricks.
"Who is Rai-guy?" Chandrelle asked. Entreri glanced to his side, he hadn't realized the elf female had been listening to his cryptic conversation.
"An enemy," Entreri responded dryly. He had hoped his curt tone would have ended any further conversation, but Chandrelle seemed intrigued.
"It's a shame to have enemies," she commented. "My father is a kind and gentle man. He was once a King! And he still has enemies."
"He is a dark elf. A drow, like my associate here," Entreri explained to her, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice. He didn't welcome anyone's friendship, he never sought such things. After all, friendship invited trust, and trust led to betrayal, and Entreri knew better than to allow that to ever happen to him again. He relished the days when he was feared. When he could stroll through the streets of Calimport and see people flee from his path, when his mere glance at them could cause panic.
But then he met Jarlaxle. The drow had laughed- literally- at his cold expressions and icy reputation. And then he had taken Entreri to a place that had changed his outlook on life: Menzoberranzan.
When he and Jarlaxle, and the members of the Bregan D'Aerthe had returned to Calimport, Entreri's outlook on life had been transformed. Menzoberranzan had humbled him and he didn't like it. And as if that wasn't enough, Jarlaxle had led him far from the lands he knew in Calimport, to Eastern Faerun where the drow had gotten him into more trouble than he cared for. Entreri could only imagine what Jarlaxle would get them into here.
"He cannot be any more cruel than Sauron," Chandrelle said as they walked. Up ahead, Entreri noticed Celebrimbor flinch at the mention of the name.
"Perhaps you should fill us in on the lore of this place," Jarlaxle suggested. "I do love investigating a new land, and I thought I had seen all Faerun has to offer me."
"I can only hope that Sauron is defeated," Celebrimbor said. "After all, it was his sudden disappearance that allowed us to escape from his underground dungeons."
"And you have endured life underground ever since your escape?" Entreri asked, glancing at Chandrelle. She shrugged and nodded.
"The underworld of Middle Earth is the only home I have ever known," she said. "I don't think anyone on the surface is aware of the horrors that exist down there."
"I am aware," Entreri growled. "After all Menzoberranzan is down there and few would call that place pleasant."
Jarlaxle chuckled at the remark towards his home. "Perhaps it is the underdark that links our two worlds," he suggested. "And it is quite possible to spend endless centuries wandering it. That is, of course, unless you encounter the many things down there who would find you a tasty snack."
"Indeed," Celebrimbor replied as he kept walking.
They walked on in silence then. All night, the four of them were alone with their thoughts. When the sun appeared on the horizon, casting its light on the world, Entreri noted the line of trees on the horizon.
"Lothlorien," Celebrimbor announced. "It gladdens my heart to see the beauty of the forest intact. Lady Galadriel has endured through these ages."
They found the forest easily enough with Celebrimbor leading them, and as they came upon the elven guards, they were regarded with surprise and suspicion. To Jarlaxle's surprise, they were not the only visitors from Faerun to be present inside Lady Galadriel's halls then.
As the guards brought them to the central dais where Galadriel and Celeborn entertained their guests, Entreri couldn't help but note the look of astonishment on Jarlaxle's face when the pair of drow stood up.
"Zaknafein Do'Urden," Jarlaxle stammered as Entreri relished in the uncharacteristic stutter as the flamboyant drow tried to get over his shock.
"And Celebrimbor of Eregion," Galadriel greeted with a smile. "We had counted you among the dead since we witnessed your terrible fate. Or so we had thought."
"Perhaps it is best that we all take this reunion slowly," Celeborn suggested. "I suspect many have questions and stories."
Entreri regarded the two drow at the table, along with the two other blonde haired elves. He took a seat with them and the stories began. Apparently Celebrimbor and Zaknafein were both supposed to be dead. One sacrificed to Lolth then somehow returned to his body, the other tortured to death and displayed to his own people as his body hung from a spear, yet somehow, Sauron had managed to create some sort of double of him so he could retain the true Celebrimbor for further torment.
Entreri listened to the stories, but refused to provide much of his own. He just listened and learned. Zaknafein and his son Drizzt had come here fleeing their house. Thranduil and Legolas were here seeking healing and Entreri could tell that the elf king seemed pale and disoriented as he sat with the table.
For Celebrimbor and Chandrelle, they struggled to digest all the information that came to them. They were told about the rest of the second age, and how Sauron was eventually defeated, but now, in the third age, the fear of his evil return was beginning to return to Middle Earth.
Entreri felt further humbled and irritated by the fact that most of these elves, save for Legolas and Drizzt, were quite ancient. Even Chandrelle far surpassed them all in age, though she appeared to be quite young. Despite her years, her ignorance of the world, as she had spent all her life speaking to no one except her father, brought her to Entreri's level. Legolas and Drizzt had not even lived a century, making them both quite young for elves.
As Entreri listened and learned, so too did the crystal shard, and it quietly began to make its own plans.