"Where have you been? We were going to go looking for you!" Shandra exclaimed as I stumbled back into the camp.
I didn't say anything, because I knew she would flip out once she saw my bruised face and bloody nose.
"Oh my gods, what happened to you?!" she cried, running toward me.
I tried to bat her away with my hands. "I'm fine. I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
The others had also noticed that I had returned and a few of them were approaching quickly. I wished that everyone would just leave me alone and let me go lie down.
Shandra checked me for serious wounds while I continued to attempt to shoo her away. "Tell me what happened," she said.
"Nothing happened. Bishop just-"
Just then, Casavir had gotten close enough to hear what we were saying, at least the snippet where I said Bishop's name.
"What did Bishop do?" Casavir snarled, and started scanning the trees with an angry look on his face.
"Nothing! We were just sparring. He was showing me some ways to defend myself," I But I'm really tired now, so can I go lie down?"
Casavir and Shandra looked at me skeptically.
"At least let me heal you, my lady." Casavir brought his hand up to my face but I flinched away.
I didn't quite know why, but I wanted to suffer through the bruises. Maybe it was because I needed to remind myself that I was fragile. Maybe it was because I was proud of myself for learning some self-defense and I wanted the 'battle scars' as a reminder. Or maybe I just wanted to feel sorry for myself and wallow in pain. I hoped it wasn't the latter, but I couldn't really gauge my feelings at that moment.
"No," I said, and gestured for everyone to stop and leave me alone. "I'm going to bed. Good night!"
Shandra started to say something else to me, but instead she just sighed and shrugged at Casavir.
I walked over to my bedroll and flopped down onto my face. As I drifted off to sleep, I idly hoped I would get a black eye. Black eyes are badass.
We had finally arrived in Port Llast. It was early evening and it seemed like most people were making their way home after a hard day of work. After we stabled our horses, we made our way to the only inn around.
It seemed cozy enough when we walked through the front door. There were a bunch of people over on one side of the room drinking and listening intently to someone. The other side of the room had a pleasant fire crackling with a few people sitting around it.
We were all tired from the trip so we decided to rent some rooms and start asking around about Ember in the morning. Our group slowly dispersed as people went to their rooms or ordered food and drink.
It was a coastal town, so pretty much all of the food was seafood. I was afraid if I ordered fish I'd be presented with an entire fish - head included. So I asked for shrimp and was very glad I had once I saw what some of my companions had to eat. They didn't seem to mind the fish heads though.
After we ate, Shandra and I retired to the comfy-looking chairs near the fire. The night air was cold and moist, even in the inn, so the heat of the fire was very pleasant. I sipped at my ale and laughed with Shandra while she teased me about my squeamishness at supper.
There was a pretty woman with red hair who was also sitting by the fire. She looked over at me a few times, but I thought it was just because I always seemed to be a bit out of place. However, during one of the lulls in my conversation with Shandra, she politely interrupted us and it became clear that that wasn't the (only) reason she was looking at me.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, but are you traveling with that man, Bishop?"
"Um…yes?" I said warily. "Do you know him?" It was kind of a dumb question, since she obviously did know him.
"First, I have a question for you - why is he with you?" she asked me. "Loyalty isn't high on Bishop's list - and he doesn't help anyone." She had a slight sneer on her face as she spoke about him.
"Um, well, I don't really know why he's with us. He just decided to tag along." I didn't really want to mention the strange 'debt' he had gone on about with Duncan.
"You really need to watch your back, then. He'll stab you in the back first chance he gets. He hates everyone. Especially Luskans."
Luskans… they were the ones that accused me of murdering Ember. That vicious woman Torio was the Luskan ambassador. Didn't seem too strange to me that anyone would hate Luskans - I was starting to. Their government, at least.
She continued talking, with an unpleasant faraway look on her face. "The things he's done to them at the border..."
I frowned. I just couldn't believe that anyone would actually torture another human being, as she was implying. I thought maybe she was just bitter at him for breaking her heart or something, and was trying to make him look worse than he was.
She saw my skeptical look and sighed. "Look, just…be careful. Don't turn your back on him."
"Don't worry. I won't," I said.
After that, we sat in a kind of awkward silence, so I mentioned to Shandra that I was tired and we went up to bed. I glanced around the main room as we left, but Bishop was nowhere to be seen.
I plopped down onto the bed. Shandra and I were sharing a room - I made the excuse that it was for money-saving purposes, but really I was afraid of sleeping alone in a strange place and it was nice having a friend/protector near me.
I kicked off my boots and stretched out my limbs. Shandra did the same on her side of the room, in a distinctly more dignified fashion. I was kind of jealous of how pretty she was. Actually, it seemed like everyone I traveled with was extraordinarily good-looking.
I usually thought of myself as fairly pretty, but compared with my companions I was downright plain. I was tall and scrawny with short, light brown hair that was growing out into an unmanageable mop. I was proud of how I was slowly gaining visible muscles in my legs and arms, but it was hardly anything noteworthy.
My friends, on the other hand…I shook the thought out of my head.
"Andrea, why have you been so quiet lately on the handsomeness of Casavir and Bishop?" Shandra asked me suddenly, with no small amount of teasing in her voice.
"What, are you a mind-reader? I was just thinking about how everyone I travel with is so good-looking," I said. "But I guess you're right…I haven't been making so many lewd comments…"
"Why?"
"Eh…Casavir and I are kind of friends now, I think. Ever since I blew up at him back at the Flagon. It seems weird now to joke around about how he's cute."
She nodded, understanding me. "And Bishop…?"
"Ah…yeah…I'm just plain scared of him. If he ever heard some of the stuff I said…he'd like, kill me or something."
"Yeah, he's an ass alright." She grimaced. I knew she really didn't like Bishop. Neither did I, but…he was teaching me self-defense for some reason. Every couple of days he dragged me off to show me more brutally effective ways to kill people. Never incapacitate…always kill. Oh well, it was better than nothing.
"I'll just swoon over Sand instead…" I said half-jokingly. "He's rather pretty, don't you think?"
"Andrea, you are in serious need of a lover," she said as she threw a pillow at me. "Didn't you have a sweetheart back in West Harbor?"
"Uh," I stammered. "Well, no? I…"
She gasped and covered her mouth. "He didn't…something didn't happen during that attack, did it?"
"No! No!" I waved my hands at her to reassure her. "No, there wasn't anyone. Actually, I…need to tell you something."
"Anything," she said, and came over to sit beside me.
I took a deep breath. "But you can't tell anyone, okay? And don't freak out. I don't know if it's something to freak out about, but don't freak out." I jiggled my legs with anxiety.
"I won't. I promise." She gave me a reassuring smile.
"Okay." I breathed. "Okay. Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it. I'm not from this…planet. Or plane or whatever."
"You aren't?" she asked. Her voice was curious, but not alarmed.
"Nope…" I said cautiously. "I woke up here when West Harbor was attacked. Everyone there seems to have known me my whole life, but I'm not that person!"
"That…explains a lot," she said with a smirk. "Sometimes you say very strange things."
"Is it that obvious?!" I asked, suddenly worried, and mad at myself for not blending in well enough.
"No…" she paused to think. "No, I think you just come across as…'eccentric'." She winked at me. "What plane are you from?"
"Um, I don't know. I didn't even know there were 'planes' before I got here. My world doesn't have magic or monsters or races other than human."
She looked at me skeptically. "There must be magic. Magic is…everywhere. How would you even have gotten here?"
"I don't know! Argh…" I clenched my fists. I didn't like thinking about that too much. It scared me to speculate on how the heck I got here.
"Hey, hey. I believe you. I'm sorry. It…must be hard. To be away from your home, to be in a strange place."
"Yeah."
"Have you tried to find a way home?" she asked.
I stopped to think for a second. Find a way home? I hadn't even really thought about it. I had assumed it was impossible, and I hadn't found out differently due to my reluctance to tell anyone. I was also caught up in all these crazy goings-on, like the mystery of the shards and my being accused of murder.
"I haven't," I said quietly. "Maybe when things quiet down a bit."
"Yeah," she said apologetically. "Your life is pretty crazy right now."
"Don't tell anyone though, okay? I'm not quite ready for that yet."
"Of course."
She went back to her bed and I tucked myself into my covers. I was relieved that I told her, and now I had the small hope of getting home someday soon. But as I dozed off, I wondered if I wanted to leave. I had made friends here.
"Is it hot in here?" I asked Sand desperately as I fanned myself with my hand. The room was full of people and despite all of the evidence we had found to prove my innocence, I was experiencing a lot of anxiety. I was sweaty, fidgety and I couldn't for the life of me force my face out of its worried expression.
"Please stop. You are making yourself look guilty," he said between his teeth.
"Sorry…" I mumbled, and tried to surreptitiously take deep breaths.
Suddenly I heard a loud voice from the throne room announcing things in an official manner. My heart jumped in my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut and told myself to calm down. Sand knew what he was doing. I would be absolved, and everything would be fine.
Sand poked at my arm and I opened one eye to look at him. He gestured towards the door. I guessed we were being summoned. I steeled myself and we walked in through the doors.
"I claim the right to trial by combat," Torio said loudly.
Trial by combat? I was confused. I had just been proven innocent. The relief I was feeling was impossible to describe. But what was she talking about?
"Ambassador, I am tired of your games, and I will indulge you no longer," Nasher replied, the annoyance evident in his voice.
"In a matter of such importance, you would deny me my sacred right of appeal?" Her voice was sickly sweet with sarcastic disbelief. "Can Lord Nasher do that, Reverend Judge? Can he put himself above our god Tyr in this matter?"
Judge Oleff was clearly distressed. "He...cannot. The ambassador from Luskan is entitled to an appeal as she describes."
"Gods, I was hoping she didn't know about it," Sand said quietly.
"What? Know about what? What's going on?" I whispered furiously. I already had my trial! Was there going to be a retrial? A trial where my innocence would be proved through…combat? Realization dawned. I felt the blood drain from my face.
Nevalle stepped forward and looked down at Torio. "And who will fight for you, Torio? This is no battle with words, though I would like to see you try to match your wit against the blade of a true soldier of Neverwinter."
"Hah, blade," I mumbled to myself. As if I was some 'soldier' who knew how to fight. Or had a freaking sword, for that matter.
"Indeed, you are correct, Sir Nevalle. Luskan is not the aggressor here, and I only wish to see justice done," she said. My anger was mixing with my fear and I was getting very restless and shaky.
"But I cannot defend myself and seek justice in this matter..." she continued. "Is there not one who will champion the people of Ember?"
A moment passed. Then I heard a voice.
"I will."
My gaze shot to the source of those words. A huge man stood there with a murderous look in his eyes. I just about fainted.
"I have listened to these lies, and will answer them - with my blade, in Luskan's name," he growled.
"I'm going to die," I said. Sand furrowed his brow, but said nothing.
I stared up at the ceiling while lying down on the floor of the temple. My gaze followed the arches and my mind just floated numbly. It was peaceful in the room; the silence was soothing, like there was some sort of white noise I couldn't hear. I knew there were things I needed to think about, but I didn't want to disturb myself.
My shoulder blades and tailbone were starting to get sore from lying down on the hard stone. I sat up, then shifted myself onto my knees and curled up with my head facing down. The darkness made it easier for my mind to focus, so little trains of thought started leaking through.
I was going to die. It seemed pretty clear. There was no way I could beat that huge monster of a man! He would probably break my head open with one punch. Yeah, he didn't even need weapons to beat me. I groaned audibly. Things were so unfair.
I didn't want to die. I wondered what would happen if I died on this plane. Would I wake up back home? Would I stop existing? People spoke of the gods here like it was common knowledge that they existed. They even got magic powers from their gods. If I died here, would one of those gods bring me to some kind of afterlife? I thought I heard someone mention "the hells" once. Would I go there?
But no. I couldn't think like that. I had to at least try to survive this fight. I had magic - this dude obviously didn't. I didn't have full control of my magic, though. I whimpered loudly and punched the floor with the side of my fist a few times. I had to be strong. I had to be smart. I had to win. It wasn't fair that I had to do this, but I didn't have a choice!
I heard a light knock from the doorway. It startled me and I sat up quickly, then stood once I saw it was Casavir.
"Forgive me, I did not mean to disturb the Rites," he said.
"No, you aren't disturbing me." I gestured for him to come in. "Come in, cast some paladin stuff on me to make me brave."
I was just joking, but he looked at me with a pained expression. He sat down on a bench and looked at me, obviously trying to figure out what to say.
"What's wrong?" I asked, and sat down beside him.
"Please allow me to be your champion and fight for you tomorrow," he said, his voice tense with stress. "Do not think I am doubting your abilities…but I…I do not think you are ready…" he was obviously afraid I would react with anger at this.
I chuckled softly. "Say whatever you want, I won't get mad. I know I'm not ready."
"You will let me fight for you?" he asked.
I tried to force my face into a neutral expression, but I knew that the worry and fear were etched all over it. I wanted him to fight for me, I really did, but I just couldn't say yes. The only thing I feared more than dying was if one of my friends or family died. I couldn't bear it if he died because of me. The prospect of him being gone made me realize that I really cherished his friendship.
"I can't," I whispered, knowing that he would not like that answer.
"No…you must let me," he said with slight fervor, "You will die if you face him."
"What if you were in my position? And I was a better fighter than you? Would you let me fight for you?" I said. I wasn't very convincing, as my voice was cracked with anxiety.
He looked at me pleadingly for a few moments. "No," he finally answered.
"Casavir," I said quietly, "Don't worry. I'll be fine." It was a lie, and in direct contradiction with what I had said a minute ago, but I felt that I needed to say it.
"But…in case something happens, I want you to know…that I really appreciate you coming here." I felt a hot tear escape from my eye as I welled up with emotion. "I really value your friendship, and I hope you think of me as a friend too." Another tear came out and I made a frustrated sound and wiped my eyes.
"Don't cry," he whispered. He reached a hand out toward me but took it back before it touched me. "You are a cherished friend. And I have faith in you."
I closed my eyes and nodded. I heard him get up to leave, and I fought back the tears that threatened to come out. Once I started crying, it was really hard to stop.
I heard him pause at the doorway and I looked up at him. He straightened his back and spoke in a more paladin-like voice. "May Tyr guide you tomorrow."