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

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Coming to Terms

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Valygar walked along the cobbled road that led from his home down to the docks. Dawn had broken less than an hour ago but he was already running late. His intention was to seek out his old friend, retired from the merchant ships a year or more ago due to his health. He went by the name of Arton, and despite his ails, he used to be found every morning by the quays, watching the ships as they left the port.

The ranger's keen eye scoured the piers and wharfs, quickly dismissing the young sailors bustling around. Before long he found his prey, sitting on an upturned crate as he jovially chatted with a few of the regular crewmen. He noticed Valygar as he approached and waved in recognition, carefully pushing himself up from his perch as he bid farewell to the young men and women. The old friends met halfway along the dock, where they shook hands warmly and exchanged a smile.

"Valygar Corthala," muttered Arton with barely concealed delight. "You are a sight for sore eyes. I heard what befell you with those wizards... and glad, I was, to hear you got through it unscathed."

"Physically, perhaps," nodded the ranger, his face serious once again. "Emotionally… uncovered feelings that were probably best left dormant."

The older man nodded slowly. His hair was greying, his face still brown and weathered by the sun, as it had been during his years on ship. A simple tunic and trousers adorned his almost skeletal frame, emphasising the frailty and wasting that his body was forced to experience due to his condition. Despite that, his eyes still shone with life, and his ears seemed to catch every sound from around them, as his head moved slightly to observe the causes of unexpected noise.

"Come," he said, "let us go to the Bounty and catch up. It has been too long since last we spoke."

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They conversed for most of the morning, and Valygar filled him in with the tale of the Sphere and his adventures since. Arton was especially interested to hear about the dragon, and commiserated the ranger on the demise of his companion. When he was done, the old sailor passed on a few tales he'd picked up from the docks; the strange shipments that were rumoured to be coming in fairly regularly, and the newest dangers that circulated the area after nightfall. Valygar listened intently, but gained no further knowledge than he'd already assumed or worked out. Finally, he asked the question he'd had in mind when he first set out to find Arton.

"A ship left the docks, only a few days ago with some passengers. I am seeking information regarding it."

"Ah, with this I may be able to help," smiled Arton. "I will need more details though."

Valygar nodded. "This one was heading to Spellhold."

"Hmm, yes. I know the vessel you speak of. What do you want to know? Anything in particular?"

The ranger smiled crookedly. "I am not sure," he admitted. "A friend of mine knew one of the passengers, and fears for her safety. I suppose I'm looking to put his mind at rest."

Arton sighed. "I wish I could help, my friend," he replied quietly. "But... well, I will tell you what I know. I had the fortune to speak to one of the younger crewmembers the eve before they set sail; an impressionable young lad, no older than fourteen or fifteen. Was his first placing as a deckhand, and mighty proud of it he was too. I asked where they were going, and he told me they were to sail for Brynnlaw. I asked if he was sure; the place is all but controlled by pirates now, and even back in my day, it was pretty bad for being raided by the curs. But he nodded to me, and explained his captain had made a deal with someone influential, and he was to take passengers to the island with no questions asked."

"That would have been his agreement with the Shadow Thieves," noted Valygar.

Arton frowned. "No... I don't believe he referred to the thieves," he said thoughtfully. "You know how curious I am -- I asked what influential man or woman would have a need to send messengers to such a place, and he just laughed. He said that his captain had met with the mysterious leader of the newest group to Athkatla, but that he wasn't even supposed to know about it, let alone tell anyone. I promised him I'd speak of it not, and he seemed to relax, becoming quite talkative in his naive youth. He spoke of the employer, and how they emphasised that the crossing must be safe and swift. His captain enquired as to how they were meant to persuade their targets to accept passage to such a place, and he was assured that they themselves would seek it, through a third party. Only a day or so later, the thieves approached him, offering him a grand fee to set sail to the very place, and to take their clients with them. So, he accepted."

Valygar's face creased. "So the ship they sailed on -- it was already set to take them to the island, for some other reason than the thieves' request?"

"Aye, it seems so," remarked Arton. "It was a curious tale, but one that caught my interest, especially when I learned the name of the captain of the fair ship Galante."

Valygar's eyebrow rose in an unasked question.

"I think you'll recognise the name, even though a sailing man you may not be. It was Saemon Havarian."

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When she handed the running of her home to the elf who had helped oust the invading trolls, she'd had the choice of staying behind to take a more active role with the daily running, or continuing to follow his lead as he sought out adventure, and the eventual discovery of his old companions. Nalia had chosen the latter; a life of noble society meant nothing but dullness to her, and so far she hadn't been disappointed with their exploits.

But now they were under the employ of the Shadow Thieves of Athkatla; a name she knew to fear, but was rapidly beginning to see them more with slight contempt than dreadful awe. Under normal circumstances, she had to admit, they would be a force to be frightened of. But now, their internal morale was shaky, still suffering the effects of the guild war they'd been involved in only too recently.

Slowly their ranks were filling back up, and loyalties were being tested to the extreme as they worked out any potential traitors from within. Anyone who showed even a slight tendency to be willing to jump ship was immediately under suspicion; watched and observed continually until satisfactory evidence was amassed. 'Evidence' that generally consisted of the target making a less than positive remark about his fellow guild mates once too often.

So, when Coran led her and Valygar into the dockside building that was apparently Mae'var's guildhouse, they'd been instantly accepted by the 'shopkeeper' who maintained the cover of a reputable business as a base of operations. They'd then been shunted off to some nameless thief who'd allocated them a quota of earnings to make over the next several days from pickpocketing, assuring them they'd move onto bigger things if they proved worthy.

Valygar had enquired if bigger things meant housebreaking, with a completely deadpan expression, and she'd almost been unable to contain her giggle. The rogue had scowled at him and dismissed them then and there, telling them only to return when their time was up.

So they'd left, knowing they already had the money to offer over, but unsure if they were being observed while they performed. Due to this suspicion, they'd arranged rooms at the Seas' Bounty for a tenday, deciding to distance themselves from Valygar's home in the hope that the lower ranking thieves, that they had to deal with initially, would be unaware as to his real identity. With two nobles by his side whose mere identity could draw suspicion, it was amazing Coran had even accepted to become involved in the shady underworld, but Renal had left him with little choice.

Since Aerie's funeral, she'd been out most days, picking the pockets of the unwary with the elf never far away. He had held her and comforted her until she'd come to terms with the loss of the avariel and faced the full grief over her father. She'd never known what it was to have a true friend, but she was learning quickly. And now, it seemed, he needed her as much as she'd needed him.

Because for the past few days he'd barely left his room in the inn. She'd knocked one morning, expecting him to be ready to go out and hit Waukeen's Promenade in their search of daily victims to meet their new guild's quota; but instead he'd ignored her for almost half an hour, only eventually answering the door and telling her gruffly that he didn't feel well.

She'd followed him back into his room, enquiring as to how he felt. She offered to find Valygar, to see if he knew any herbal remedies from his ranger background, but he declined to tell her the problem or to accept the stalker's help. He insisted he only needed rest, and for a second Nalia was distraught to realise he'd been crying. He ushered her out before she could ask about it.

And so it had continued. She'd informed Valygar of what had transpired, and the ranger frowned with concern. He'd spent his days stealthily scouring the town, seeking out any information he could on what Maiyn and her group had been up to and done while they'd spent time in the vicinity. What little he'd gathered, he'd made notes of, preparing to present them to the elf when their duty to the rogue guild was over. Both he and the young girl thief were acutely aware of how hard Coran had been finding it to cope when he realised she'd set sail, and both wanted to do what little they could to make it easier for him.

His recent moping was, Nalia told herself, just a delayed reaction to the trauma of having missed her so closely. Aerie's death had caused grief to interrupt his heartache, but now it had hit home and he needed someone to talk to. He was unwilling to open up to her or Valygar, so they needed someone else. And Nalia knew exactly who to approach.

When she reached the Order, she wasted no time in asking to see Sir Ajantis. She was recognised immediately for her noble station, and used it fully to ensure her message would be passed on quickly. Within a few minutes, the paladin appeared, smiling warmly to her.

"Lady Nalia!" he exclaimed, kissing her hand delicately. "What brings you here, delighting me with the pleasure of your company?"

"Sir Ajantis," she curtsied properly. "I need your help."

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Coran huddled beside the window of his room, looking out across the docks. He could see ships, everywhere. Ships like the one that had taken her away. Ships like the one she'd boarded with her group that took her to her destination. Ships like the one that took them to that island, where she'd found someone who had obviously seen the parts of her only he was meant to see.

He didn't know what to make of jealousy. It was something he'd never really felt before, usually because he didn't care enough in the first place to worry about someone else being intimate with one of his lady friends. But she wasn't just a lady friend. She was Maiyn. He'd made a promise to her, and she'd repaid him by acting... by acting like him!

He was angry. He was so very angry, and he ended up coming out the other side. So now he was depressed. Something else he was unused to feeling; he'd always enjoyed life, even when being hunted by angry husbands, irate army generals and diligent guardsmen. It had always been an adventure -- he'd always survived, so it had always been fun. There was no fun in feeling like this.

But somehow, he was unable to break it. Nalia had popped her head in on more than one occasion after discovering him the morning after his experience. He'd been feeling very sorry for himself, but his tale of being under the weather seemed to have washed because she'd said nothing more about it, and had always asked if he needed anything herbal from Valygar when she decided to wander into his room.

So now he'd started to keep his door locked, even during the day. She'd protested that she wanted to check he was all right, but he'd insisted he was, and she'd given up and gone away. He'd sighed with relief and taken up his place by the window, gazing out at the ships that did nothing but remind him of her. Ships, like the one she'd boarded.

Who was he? He couldn't stop wondering this. He'd worked out who her most of her companions were from what they'd discovered of her movements, and he'd gone through them all several times. He was fairly certain that it wasn't Jaheira, if only because the druid seemed clearly to have eyes for only one man.

Minsc was another he could easily dismiss -- the protective berserker was not someone he could imagine his former lover being intimate with, despite their closeness. In much the same way, Coran was quietly confident that Kivan was not the object of her desire either; their bond was much more that of an older brother and younger sister, and there had never been anything there that suggested Kivan was ready to forget about Deheriana anyway.

So this left him with three possible suspects, one of whom he knew. Xan had always had eyes for Maiyn, and it had been painfully obvious on several occasions during their previous travels together. But it had been resolved, they thought, and he'd accepted her choice to stick with Coran, and to be no more to her than a friend. Of course, now the enchanter was alone with her, so would he be looking to make the most of the opportunity?

The elf scowled slightly, but tried to put it out of his mind. Xan was, after all, a friend of a kind; it wasn't easy to think he was the one responsible.

There had been two other men travelling with them -- the newly knighted cleric that Ajantis had mentioned... Anomen? And some thief they'd been imprisoned beside, that Coran knew little about. Either of them were possibilities, though he found it hard to see the spirited girl finding any form of peace with a regimented do-gooder. She'd always been more interested in people of a similar mind to hers; which is why she'd fit so well with him. He sighed.

It had to be the thief. He, himself, was a thief too, after all, so she'd already shown some interest in men of that profession. Perhaps she was trying to fill his place. Perhaps she had replaced him. Perhaps it wasn't even worth trying to find her any more. But he had to -- as he'd said to Brielbara, he had to find her, even if it was just to say goodbye properly.

But for now, he didn't want to do anything except sit by his window and watch life go past. The knock at his door disturbed him for only a moment before his melancholy returned. He wasn't in the mood for Nalia's efforts at cheering him up, and he thought she'd given up with her attempts that morning. The knocking came again, causing him to sigh.

"Coran? Are you in there?"

The elf frowned to himself at the unexpected voice. He slowly sat up, and cautiously padded to the door, hesitating before he eventually unlocked it and opened it a crack. The person standing outside matched the owner of the voice he'd heard, and he opened it slightly further, checking to see if he was alone.

He was.

"By Helm, man!" exclaimed Ajantis, casually pushing the door open enough to wander into the room. "You look a mess. But not quite as bad as your surroundings it seems."

It was true, Coran had to admit. He'd been receiving meals in his room, and failing to offer back the dirty plates and bottles. No one had been allowed in to clean up, nor had his bedding been changed. The place was a state, and the first thing Ajantis did was to stride over to the window that had been the location of the elf's self-pitying seat, and throw it open, allowing the salty air to drift into the room.

"I think we need to tidy a bit," continued the paladin, ignoring Coran's look of discontent, taking control of the situation. An hour later, the room was returned to a more habitable state, and maids had been sent for to see to the remaining chores.

"We'll leave them to it," stated Ajantis firmly. "Come, we'll go down to the common room and talk."

Coran found himself being dragged from his room before he could protest; down the stairs, into the loud and boisterous tavern. Ajantis frowned for a moment, then regarded Coran critically. The elf was painfully aware of his dishevelled state, and self-consciously ran a hand through his messy hair.

"It's a fine day outside," he noted. "We can find somewhere quieter than here."

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"So, what ails you?"

The two men sat in a quiet establishment not far from the docks. The only other patrons were two elderly men who were talking softly at the bar with the innkeeper.

Ajantis was, if nothing else, direct with his questioning. Coran sulkily stared at the mug of mead before him, deliberately ignoring the query. The paladin held his gaze, however, causing the elf to shift uncomfortably, and return it with a scowl.

"Why did you come?" he eventually muttered. "It was Nalia, wasn't it?"

Ajantis waved a hand casually. "She was concerned, my friend, and seeing you for myself, so am I. Come now -- tell me, what troubles you so much? Is it the departure of your beloved?"

Coran glowered darkly, causing the paladin's eyebrow to rise dramatically. "It's nothing."

The human leant back in his chair and regarded his companion sceptically. "For a rogue, you are terrible at lying."

Coran sighed. "I seem to be terrible at a lot of things. Relationships, for example."

"Now, it is hardly your fault things have happened as they have," soothed Ajantis. "It was abysmally bad luck to have missed her, but she will return. Your reuniting with her is not far away at all."

"I'm not sure I want to see her again."

A gasp. The paladin seemed duly shocked by the admission, and he paused to think. "Has... has something happened to make you feel like this?"

"Do you remember when we were travelling south from the Friendly Arms, and we spoke that evening in Nashkel?"

Ajantis nodded.

"I told you how I awoke, how it was the feeling of pain that roused me. How I thought it may be me feeling the pain a companion of mine was suffering from."

"And you suspected this to be Maiyn's pain," said Ajantis quietly.

Coran nodded. "Since then, I've had more fleeting feelings that I can only associate with her. I have no real bonds with anyone else that could explain them, and there does, at times, appear to be a pattern. The day you faced the dragon with her -- a wash of adrenaline swept over me. Soon after, there was a faint feeling of relief, and I knew she'd survived whatever she was experiencing. Although I've failed to find her, I've always felt close to her, as if I was with her at least in spirit. I let myself believe this was only happening because she wanted me to be with her."

"I am sure she does."

"No, I do not think she does. You see, a few nights previous, I felt another emotion that I can only assume came from her. It was one of lust, of longing. It, simply put, implied there was an intimate liaison taking place, and I felt it clearer than I would have wanted to. It was a clear indication that she has moved on."

Ajantis remained perfectly expressionless as he listened. He took a drink from his mug when Coran finished talking, and then allowed a slight frown to cross his face. "Am I to understand, then, that she cannot feel anything from you? The... effect from this, it does not work both ways?"

Coran shook his head. "I have to assume not, otherwise she would know I was..."

"Alive?"

The elf nodded, and threw himself back in his seat with despair. "I don't understand," he sighed. "I made her a vow, she knew how special she was to me -- she knew how much my word meant, for me to give it like that. But still, she... she..."

"She thought you were dead, or as good as," interrupted Ajantis gently. "Do you think she would have done this had she known of your return to health?"

"I don't know."

"Look inside your heart, my friend, and tell me you truly don't know."

"I... I don't think she would, no."

The paladin nodded slowly. "Then, though her actions have been hurtful, she has not deliberately taken them to cause you pain. There is still hope there, if you are willing to see it through to the end."

"There is only hope if what she did meant nothing to her," muttered the elf. "Has she found someone to share her affections, then coming between them isn't something I will do. But... you are correct. She didn't do it to cause me pain, and she has no idea I'm so aware of her feelings. I... I will wait until she returns to the city, at least. But now I can prepare to say my goodbyes to her properly. I was, perhaps, foolish to think that someone so young and full of vitality as she would be prepared to pass her life, waiting for something that wasn't even guaranteed to happen. Waiting for me."

"She could not know if you would recover or not," agreed Ajantis. "Perhaps just knowing you have will help her realise where her future lies."

"Perhaps," said Coran simply, standing from the table. "But I will not hold my breath."

With that he walked quietly from the inn, leaving Ajantis alone to watch him make his exit. The paladin sighed to himself and finished his drink, collecting his helmet as he too set out into the afternoon sunshine. He wasn't sure what more he could say; he considered Coran a friend, but the situation was difficult, and no one could resolve it except for the two elves themselves.

He strolled along the roads, back towards the Order, preparing for his next assignment. He had enough faith in the world to have hope that things would resolve themselves for the best, but he wasn't sure what that was. Infidelity was something to frown upon, but the circumstances meant that both Coran and Maiyn were effectively free to do what they wished with whomever they wished. The paladin couldn't imagine being in Coran's position and knowing... feeling what he did.

He sighed and reached out to Helm as he walked. Guide them along the correct path -- with your All-Seeing Eye, keep watch over them, and lead them back to each other.

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Nalia had finished reading through Valygar's notes on Maiyn's activities when Coran appeared at the table. He gave a cursory glance to the parchments until the ranger mentioned what they were; the stalker looked surprised to see him outside his room, but Nalia had expected him to make an appearance. The elf read through the details, allowing a small smile to creep across his face occasionally. When he finished, he thanked them for their efforts, and noted to Nalia that Ajantis was looking well. She flushed.

"Tomorrow we return to Mae'var's Guildhall," he continued, matter-of-factly. "We have enough to meet the quota, and we'll continue with our task there until it is done."

They both nodded, then Valygar spoke.

"I met an old friend today; he had news on the ship that took your companions to Spellhold." He then repeated what he'd been told as Nalia's expression turned to one of concern. Coran remained impassive, and shrugged at the end.

"She is strong, and her companions are... loyal. She will deal with it."

"You're not worried?" Nalia frowned slightly.

"I have faith in her abilities, even if I lack it in everything else," he replied indifferently. Valygar exchanged a look with the young thief. "Now!" continued Coran. "I shall get us some drinks and food."

They watched as he sauntered to the bar, entering a flirtatious conversation with the rather buxom barmaid who offered to attend to him, and exchanged another glance. Nalia quickly filled Valygar in on her visit to the Order, and her hopes that Ajantis would help Coran to get through his melancholy. The ranger snorted.

"Well, he certainly seems 'over it'," he remarked, raising an eyebrow as the elf wiped something from the wench's cheek.

Nalia sighed. "This isn't how it was meant to go. I wonder what they spoke about; perhaps I should go and find out tomorrow."

"I think you should," said Valygar quietly as the elf began to head back to the table. "He's not himself, whatever is wrong with him. And the sooner he realises that, the less chance there is of him making a mistake he'll regret."