The Adventures of the Blade and the Ballad
Episode Two: Code Duello
By Berzerkerprime
Summary: Set just after Elfshadow. Arilyn follows through on her promise to return to Waterdeep with Danilo and explain his actions to his family. But when she runs afoul of a member of Waterdahavian nobility, it's up to Danilo to defend her honor... with the Moonblade!
Notes for Episode Two: Whoa! You mean you actually stuck around for the second episode after that sugar rush of a first one? You must either be as much of a hopeless romantic as I am or someone I would beg mercilessly if they didn't read this. Either way, thanks for sticking around!
This is the first of a few chapters that are set in that three year period between Elfshadow and The Bargain and that explore Arilyn and Danilo getting to understand each other. This particular chapter was written to study something which I was very disappointed we never got to see; Danilo using the Moonblade. I mean, c'mon! A three year long blank in the story line! It had to happen at some point, right? It was also born out of some thoughts I had on what a dueling culture might be like in Waterdeep (and special thanks go out to the folks at the WotC boards and Candlekeep for finding source material on the topic!).
Enjoy! Sweet water to you!
"Ah, home sweet metropolis!" Danilo exclaimed as his horse topped the last hill that their road sprawled over. He looked down toward the bay-side City of Splendors with an admiring smile. The sun was about half way up in the western sky and it glittered off the waves of the sea beyond the city. "Song-filled taverns, shops filled with magic, and barrels of Rivengut shipped in daily!"
"Yeah," agreed Arilyn, riding her grey mare a length behind him, "also debauchery-infested festhalls, mansions filled with pompous nobility, and vials of poison used daily."
"Was that parallel structure I heard from you?" Danilo asked. "I say, there seems to be a touch of the bard in you as well, my dear! Excellent satire!"
"And there seems to be a touch of the dead man in you. Excellent obliviousness!"
"And she continues! I do believe I am in love!"
"Don't make me regret coming back here with you," Arilyn said with warning, urging her horse onward.
"The thought had never entered my mind," answered Danilo, bringing his gelding into step along side her grey mare, "in fact, now that our lives are not in utter peril, I intend to show you only the best of times in Waterdeep. For instance, I know a wonderful tavern in the Castle Ward that you'll simply love! The Elfstone. Run by Elves, you know."
"That's your idea of a good time?" Arilyn asked with skepticism. "The most renowned fool of Waterdeep walks into an elven tavern with a half-elf?"
"I do believe I've heard that one! Yes, I even remember the punch-line! And the tavern-keeper says 'but, good sir, it's cloudy! There are no stars!"
Arilyn leveled a steely gaze at him, her blue eyes blazing.
"Or was it 'twenty gold, same as in Cormanthor'?"
Arilyn's glare deepened.
"Oh, come now! Not even a smile?" Danilo finally relented and gave a long drawn out sigh. "All right, if you're really so determined to be unhappy, I suppose there's nothing I can do about it. But tell me, Arilyn, if this is such a chore for you, why did you accompany me back to Waterdeep?"
Arilyn brought her horse to an abrupt halt and looked at Danilo, her expression of ire now replaced by one of utter confusion. Surprised by the stop, Danilo continued to ride on for a few lengths before turning back to look at her. A stand of trees was behind her and a breeze rustled through their branches and blew toward them. A few moments later, Danilo heard it whistle off the city walls that were behind him, distant but imposing.
"You don't want me to tell your family what you did for me, do you?" Arilyn asked, finally breaking the silence that hung between them.
For a moment, the façade that Danilo kept up even around those who truly knew him slipped. Arilyn actually saw him chew on his bottom lip for an instant and swallow hard before making an attempt to place his mask firmly back in place. But somehow he knew he wasn't entirely successful, so he turned his horse toward the city and nudged it into motion.
"Danilo!" Arilyn exclaimed, getting back underway herself. She came up along side him again. "You don't even want your family to know that you're not a fool?"
"We've been through this."
"But I still don't understand."
"People go to great lengths to ignore fools. I am invisible in plain sight. I will be far more effective as a Harper if I maintain-"
"Oh please! You have been giving me that answer this entire trip."
"I have no other answer to give you, my dear," said Danilo, an odd smile now coming to his face, "I don't know why you would think otherwise. Very well, if you don't wish to go to the Elfstone, how about the Dripping Dagger?" His end of the conversation, it seemed, was over. Instead, he chatted on about inane gossip of Waterdeep in a decidedly one-sided exchange as Arilyn rode along behind him in mystified silence.
They were able to pass though the gate with little fanfare thanks in part to the Thann family crest that Danilo rather conveniently shifted into view as they approached. The watch at the gate gave Arilyn a few leering looks, casting their gaze between her and the foppish noble riding ahead of her. Not wishing to dwell on what they were most likely thinking, she avoided their gaze and swiftly rode in after Danilo.
In the crowded and noisy streets that were Waterdeep, Arilyn would much have preferred to stable their horses somewhere and walk through the city. Her grey mare's ears pressed forward at the sights and sounds and smells that were suddenly washing over them. Arilyn sympathized with the horse. Her nerves were just as on-edge, just as frayed.
"So, where shall we to first, my dear?" Danilo asked as they both rode at a cantor across the square that butted up against the gate. "A drink perhaps? Or we could always find you that dress that you really should have if-"
"No."
"It was only a thought."
"I think our first stop had better be Blackstaff Tower."
"Are you certain you don't want that drink, first?"
Arilyn nudged her mare forward. It let out a nervous neigh and trudged up closer to Danilo's gelding. Arilyn lowered her voice and leaned closer to Danilo. "Considering what appeared in his tower a few days ago, I think we owe Khelben an explanation, don't you?"
"Certainly," Danilo replied, cheerfully, "but sober?"
"By the goddess, you've devolved to a twelve-year-old!"
"There are certain parts of me that disagree with you, completely."
Arilyn's mouth fell open. Danilo grinned.
"It would have killed you to give some warning?"
Blackstaff Tower was not what you would call a friendly place. In point of fact, the forbidding aura maintained by its chief inhabitant made the Archmage's home downright uninviting. The place had given Danilo the chills as a child. They were most certainly lessened now, but they were also still there, playing up and down the tips of Danilo's spine like gentle yet unskilled fingers plucking harp strings. The voice of the one who had just spoken from behind his bowl of oatmeal and goblet filled with water, however, had the effect of a hammer on those harp strings.
Danilo chose to take it in stride.
"Hello, uncle! So good to see you as well! Yes, everything went fine. Kymil Nemsin has been thwarted and all that. Portal moved. I'm perfectly fine, by the way, after trying to cast the rather high level spell it required, thank you for asking. How has the weather been?" All this came out in a tirade as Danilo planted himself in the nearest chair across the dining table from the Blackstaff.
Khelben stared Danilo down, pushing aside his bland meal and narrowing his hawk-like eyes at the younger wizard. Slowly, he stood and squared his shoulders, all the better to look down at Danilo as if that would make any difference in the younger man's attitude.
"Fifteen fully armed soldiers of Evermeet came storming through Laeral's chamber and into the tower," said Khelben, slowly pacing his way around the table to stop and tower over the sitting Danilo, "demanding to know what I had to do with the sudden appearance of the body of – nay, half the body of a young gold elven circle singer on their island. And in the garden of the Moonstone Palace at Leuthilspar, no less!"
"I imagine it took the chamberlain a few days to right the mess," Danilo replied.
Arilyn, meanwhile, was staying as far from the exchange as she politely could. She stood just to the side of the door to the dining chamber, watching the exchange with a small lump in her throat. The two scions of Arun generated considerable friction between them and Arilyn had no desire to find herself in the middle. For whatever reason, her hand drifted to the hilt of her sword and with a start she realized that she already was in the middle of it, like it or not. With an inward sigh, she silently drifted closer to Danilo as Khelben continued.
"Four," he said, deflecting Danilo's wisecrack back at him as a scolding, "there was little I could tell them except that my nephew had, apparently, brought the Moonblade to the very person we had been trying to keep it from."
Danilo finally let his indolent façade drop and he rose to look Khelben in the eye. "You told me to move the Elfgate somewhere safe. Your own sister cannot enter Blackstaff tower without your blessing. I had to think quickly and this is what I thought of. If you had wanted the Elfgate moved somewhere in particular-"
"Enough," Khelben said, turning away with a wave of his hand, "Evermeet is satisfied with the security of the Elfgate. They are not, however, satisfied with the considerable risk you took in securing it."
"I have no reason to explain to you my decision to take the Moonblade to Arilyn," Danilo said, somewhat darkly.
"No?"
"No. It was a needless sacrifice and I refused to make it. Some of us had faith in Arilyn's abilities."
Khelben had paced toward the far wall and now turned back to face the two of them, leveling his gaze once more directly at Danilo. "And yet little faith in your own."
Arilyn suddenly felt the air get tense. Almost imperceptibly, Danilo's hands tightened as if holding back a spell that the rest of him wanted very much to cast. Or perhaps Danilo just wanted to hit the archmage. In any case, for what was apparently the first time, Danilo did not back down from Khelben. For his part, Khelben looked rather surprised at the sudden presence of steel in Danilo's eyes. For the Blackstaff, this was less a battle and more a study in his nephew's demeanor.
With a start, Arilyn noticed that neither man had said anything for some time and that she herself had been staring at the exchange in stupefied silence. "Archmage, if I could just tell you what happened-"
"This isn't about me," Danilo said to Khelben as if he hadn't heard Arilyn begin.
"It most certainly is about you," Khelben shot back, "if you are going to wear the Harper pin, you must be prepared for all the responsibilities that go with it. That will mean sacrifices and you-"
"Which are you more upset about, uncle; that I wear the Harper pin or that you did not get to give it to me along with the lecture you no doubt had prepared?"
"I see that Bran Skorlsun did not impress upon you that the Harpers are a force for good in Faerûn, but not a force for chaos."
"It seems to me that if the Harpers are to be a force for good in Faerûn that they should start by being good people themselves."
"That is a naïve statement if ever I-"
"Hey!" Arilyn shouted into the growing argument. "Enough is enough already! You two can be as pissed at each other about me as you want. But it seems to me that the one who has the most right to be pissed about everything that happened is me. At you," she said, looking at Danilo, "for deceiving me. And at you," she said, turning to Khelben, "for sending him in the first place. So if you're both quite done being indignant, we can start conversing like civilized people and sort out all that happened in Evereska."
"There's no need, my dear," said Danilo sourly, still not taking his eyes off Khelben, "he already knows all about it." And with that, Danilo turned and left the dining hall.
Khelben watched him go, then swept back to the table and took back his seat in front of his meal in a manner that reminded Arilyn very much of a pouting child. The archmage picked up his utensils and began to eat once more.
"Wizards," Arilyn muttered, heading for the door herself.
"Arilyn Moonblade," Khelben's voice stopped her just as she was to cross the threshold. She stopped in her tracks and looked back to him. "Twilight Hall has informed me that Bran Skorlsun has submitted your name for induction into the roll of the Harpers. You have been a great help to us up to now and I have no doubt that you will surpass your father's expectations."
For a moment, Arilyn pondered asking him if he was complimenting her or insulting Bran Skorlsun. But she ultimately decided against it. "Thank you," she said instead, then continued on her way out the door.
She finally caught up with Danilo outside the tower proper, in the antechamber of the tower's entrance. He continued on his way through the door, even as she jogged up to his side. He was muttering something under his breath which Arilyn couldn't quite make out, even with her Elven hearing.
And then, as they exited the tower and came out into the daylight, Danilo came to a sudden halt and thrust his hand to one side. A quick set of arcane words tumbled from his mouth and a bolt of light shot out from his outstretched hand, striking a barrel sitting next to the doorway. The barrel splintered apart into pieces and came to the ground smoking.
"Danilo!" Arilyn exclaimed. She hesitated a moment, then gently put a hand on his wrist and slowly lowered it.
"That was careless," Danilo said around a sigh as she did so, "one should never cast spells, even one as simple as a magic missile, when one is angry. It leads to mistakes and miscasts."
"I think," said Arilyn carefully, "I could use that drink after all."
All at once, the steel that had come to Danilo's eyes was tossed aside and replaced with the foppish grin with which Arilyn had become all too familiar. He flashed it at her all too readily while he took her left arm in his right.
"Now we are speaking the same language, my dear," he said, "if you will allow me to escort you?"
Arilyn briefly touched her free hand to the hilt of her Moonblade, resting on her left hip where it was liable to come between them in a most inconvenient way. Instinctively she moved to keep it away from Danilo's touch. "Wouldn't the other side be better?"
Danilo waggled a finger in the air, then touched it to the moonstone resting in the hilt, a simple reminder that her instincts were unnecessary in this case. "A lady on the left is no lady at all. Ladies always right. That does not mean that men are wrong, of course. It simply means we're gauche."
Danilo did not take Arilyn straight to a festhall or a tavern. Instead he brought her to his row house near the boarder between Castle Ward and Trade Ward, insisting that they both had to wash the stink of their horses and the dirt of the road off before they ventured into polite company. So Arilyn found herself soaking in a warm bath in a small room in short order. She wasn't sure why the rose petals were necessary – in point of fact, she noted that Danilo did not order them for his own bath – but had to admit that it was a pleasant change from her usual bathing.
Arilyn settled back into the warm water, allowing it to cover her up to her neck. She hadn't been this content since before her mother had passed all those years ago. She had been to Waterdeep numerous times before, and always she had felt as if she needed to watch her back. But somehow, this time was different. It didn't take a diviner to tell that Danilo was rather obviously infatuated with her, but for some reason Arilyn didn't particularly mind it. One day, perhaps, he would get over it and they would both have a good laugh about it before they were sent on another of Khelben's Harper missions. It would be something they could laugh and snicker about throughout their partnership and...
Strange. When had she begun to think of Danilo as her partner?
Just then, as that rather interesting thought entered into her head, a soft melody began to be plucked out on a lute somewhere in another part of the row house. Almost immediately, her mind conjured up the sound of the chiming flowers in the gardens of Evereska. As the pace of the music quickened and slowed, Arilyn could almost feel the breezes as they ruffled the buds.
She was just beginning to think that the bathwater was getting a little tepid when a young female Halfling bustled into the room, carrying a towel and bundle of clothing.
"Are you enjoying your bath, miss?" she asked.
Shaking off the strange feeling of being called "miss," Arilyn straightened up somewhat. "Yes, thank you," she said, "what's all that?"
"These are from Master Danilo, miss," the Halfling replied, setting the bundle down on a chair, "there's a note with them, I believe."
"What about?"
"Oh, that's not any of my business, miss." The Halfling eyed Arilyn's Moonblade, resting against the wall next to the chair. "He said he would talk with you about himself right away, but that you might... er... not take too kindly to it."
Arilyn laughed. "What did he really say I might do?"
The Halfling shifted somewhat uncomfortably. "He said, miss... that you might... kill him with your little finger."
Arilyn laughed again, watching the Halfling shift uncomfortably again. "What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't, miss," the Halfling said, "but it's Yandle."
"Well, Yandle, I don't want you to get the wrong impression about me," said Arilyn, "I wouldn't kill Danilo with my little finger if he walked in on me in the bath."
"No, miss?"
"No. It would probably take a whole arm."
For a moment, Yandle didn't seem to be sure if she should laugh or not. The corner of her mouth curled up slightly, making it obvious that she wanted to, so Arilyn gave the best smile she could and allowed a bit of a chuckle to escape. Yandle took that as her signal and allowed herself a full giggle.
"That's very funny, miss."
"I thought so."
"Is there anything you need?"
"I don't think so."
Yandle indicated the pile of clothing sitting on the floor where Arilyn had discarded them before bathing. "Can I have these washed for you?"
"That would be wonderful. Thank you."
The Halfling gathered up Arilyn's road worn clothing and went to the door. "Thank you, miss," she said with a little courtesy as she closed the door.
Arilyn lingered in the bath water a little longer before deciding that it was just getting far too cold and that she should get out. She wrapped herself up in the towel, a warm sort of woolly cotton that relaxed her almost as much as the bath had. After taking a few moments to dry herself off, Arilyn turned to the bundle of clothing sitting on the chair. It was a light, almost opalescent blue and silky with some sort of blackwork trim in star and leaf patterns around the neck. With a roll of her eyes, Arilyn braced herself to be confronted with a lavish dress. But when she unfolded it, she found that it was only a tunic that would come to her knees. Another, darker piece of clothing fell out of the center and when she picked them up off the floor, she found them to be a pair of leggings.
The note that Yandle had mentioned was left on the chair at the bottom of the whole pile. Tentatively, Arilyn picked it up and unfolded it.
I hope these will suffice for the moment. A matter has come up that requires my attention. Please find me in the parlor.
Danilo
Arilyn couldn't help but be surprised. Danilo was not giving her a hard time about her attire, for a change. Setting aside the note, she donned the clothing. It was definitely nicer attire than she was used to, but it wasn't terribly lavish. After buckling on her belt and Moonblade, she took a cursory look at her reflection in the mirror nearby. She had to admit that the look was to her liking, and perhaps slightly more coordinated than she had ever bothered to be.
Lute music was still floating through the halls of the row house and Arilyn followed it all the way to the parlor on the ground floor. Perched on a settee, Danilo calmly plucked away at the strings of the instrument in another run-through of the tune he had been playing earlier. He paused over a measure, replaying it several times with slight variations to the final note. He narrowed it down to two variations and strummed through them both again before settling on the lower of the two final notes. He turned to a table where a small book and a quill was resting and made a note.
"One of yours, or are you ruining someone else's masterpiece?" Arilyn asked with a smirk, leaning against the door frame.
"Mine," Danilo said mildly as he finished up his note, "I've had reason to be inspired of late. And reason to be away from my instrument for far too long."
"You know, if you played that sort of music rather than those juvenile bawdy ballads of yours, you might actually be a successful bard."
Danilo set the lute aside with a sigh. "Perhaps some day," he said around a tight smile, "but not now. Am I to believe that you approve of the garb?"
"I'm just relieved it isn't a scantily clad gown," Arilyn replied.
Danilo leaned back, perching one hand on the corner of the settee, and looked up at her with a smirk. "Oh, don't believe for a second that I wasn't tempted."
"Yandle mentioned something about killing you with my little finger?"
"Oh, it's so hard to find tight-lipped help these days."
With a shake of her head and a smile, Arilyn entered the room and made for one of the chairs. She sat down in it, being sure to set the Moonblade in a position that it wouldn't damage the furniture or stick out in the path. "So what's this matter that requires your attention?"
Danilo reached for a small, folded piece of parchment that had been buried under his book and quill on the table. He handed it to Arilyn.
"Kerryn Belabranta is throwing a fête tonight," he said, "celebration of some deed of his griffin-taming ancestors. It's bound to be a party that his father, Lord Belabranta, highly disapproves of. I only found out about it when we arrived here."
"Let me guess," said Arilyn, "it would be bad form not to show up at the event of the week."
"Since I'm back in the city, yes," said Danilo.
"And what does this have to do with me?"
"I promised you an evening out. I know it's probably not your idea of a good time, but it might surprise you. And the invitation does say 'plus one.' So, what do you say? Care to be my plus one?"
"Me? At a ball thrown by Waterdhavian nobility?"
"A nice gown, a few quick dance lessons, you'd be the talk of the town."
"Right, me and my Elfshadow," said Arilyn, putting a hand to the hilt of her Moonblade, "I can't exactly leave this behind, you remember."
"Well, you wouldn't be the first to bring a sword to a ball," said Danilo.
"But I'd be the first to bring a Moonblade."
"Fair point. But I can all but guarantee that no one would lay an untoward hand on you."
Arilyn leveled her gaze at Danilo, pointing one finger directing at him.
"Well, almost no one." He flashed one of his trademark roguish grins at her and she continued to give him that look. Finally Danilo's grin crumpled and he sighed. "I understand your apprehension, but it wouldn't be all that bad. Light music, a few dances, a bit of food and drink-"
"And you miscasting a cantrip or two."
"Well, I do have a reputation to maintain."
Arilyn got to her feet, rubbing her temples. She was feeling a slight headache coming on and wasn't sure if it was because she was tired from the day's travel or dreading what she was about to say. She rethought it a million times in the space of a single second. But when she looked back to Danilo, she found him looking up at her with a gaze that she just couldn't quite turn down, somewhere between wounded puppy and pleading kitten.
"Oh all right," she moaned out, defeated, "I'll go."
"Excellent!" Danilo exclaimed jumping to his feet. "Yandle!"
"Yes, Master Danilo?" the Halfling said, bustling into the room.
Danilo wandered over to a desk by the wall and rummaged around in a drawer for a moment before producing a small pouch that jingled. He handed it to Yandle. "Arilyn will be needing some suitable clothing for tonight. The theme is griffins. Meiroth's should have something that will suffice for a gown. Also stop by Rebeleigh's for a suitable circlet and Sulmest's for some slippers. We're short on time, so I'll trust to your eye for size and color."
Yandle inclined her head in acknowledgement. "Certainly, sir," she said before hurrying through the door.
"Uh... just... Nothing too frilly!" Arilyn called after the retreating Halfling. "Please?" she added when there was no response. A moment later, she heard the front door close with seeming finality.
When she turned back around to regard Danilo, she found him right next to her with a goofy smile. He took hold of her left hand and placed it in his right. "Now, then, shall we start with the Pavanne?"
"Oh, goddess," Arilyn whispered to the air.
The evening air was a comfortable cool as the carriage that Danilo had acquired for them bumped along the roads of Waterdeep, toward the Belabranta villa in Castle Ward. It came to a halt outside the villa and Dan swung the door open and climbed out. He was clad in a golden brown doublet with immaculate embroidery stylized to look like feathers, a brown shirt, loose dark pants, and high brown boots. He had finished out the outfit with a tricorn hat made of a brown felt to which had been fastened several golden and yellow feathers which he insisted were actual griffin feathers.
He took in the scene for a moment, hearing the sounds of revelry coming from inside Belabranta villa and seeing the well-dressed celebrants lining up at the gate to be announced, couple by couple. A number of them turned a wary eye toward him, eying him as if to ask what he was up to this time. Dan chose one whose eyes he met and gave them a ginger wave and a foppish smile.
"Well, here we are," he said, stepping aside of the carriage door and offering a hand toward Arilyn, "come out, my dear, no one's going to bite... unless asked, of course, but that's a whole other untoward story."
With a sigh, Arilyn stood and took Danilo's proffered handHe. "Last I checked," she said, "griffins didn't come in silver."
The dress that Yandle had purchased for Arilyn had been just about the last one in the shops because of it's strange silver-blue color. Long bell sleeves and a gore in the back of the skirt had grey embroidery stitched into them to resemble feathers, giving her the affectation of wings and a feathered tail. The low neck and the waist were trimmed in black fur of a tone that just matched Arilyn's hair. Yandle had chosen also a silver circlet for Arilyn that came to a point at her forehead and had two small sapphires to either side, fashioned to resemble the face of a bird. Arilyn's Moonblade was also fastened to her waist, but surprisingly it didn't stick out as much as she feared it would.
"That's only a bit of artistic license," said Danilo, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, "it suits you quite well, I'd say."
"So, what's the first step in this dog-and-pony show?" she asked as they made their way toward the villa.
"Introductions," Danilo replied.
The revelers were chatting with one another amicably as they approached and Arilyn couldn't help but notice that their conversations all came to an abrupt stop, one by one. More than one of the revelers cast absent looks at her and Danilo, first dismissing Arilyn's presence as yet another pretty face on the arm of Danilo Thann, before taking a second, more intense and surprised look at her in particular. Clearly they were unhappy with the sight of a half-elf in their company; something Danilo had failed to warn her about. Danilo continued to babble about what was involved in the Belabranta ball as she observed their surroundings. From outside the villa, she could see only the one way in and out on the ground floor. There were windows on the second, of course, but in the getup she was wearing, they weren't going to be all that practical. There seemed to be a steady stream of servants to and from somewhere in the back, though, and she surmised that there was probably a servants' entrance there.
The next thing she knew, Danilo was tugging at her arm again. They were at the entrance to the villa and standing there was a herald wearing the colors of the Belabranta house and holding a scroll. Danilo told the herald their names and he checked for them on the scroll, then turned toward the massive, open ballroom within.
"Lord Danilo Thann escorting Mistress Arilyn Moonblade," the herald bellowed into the hall.
"Mistress?" Arilyn hissed out after they were a few strides away from the entrance and the herald.
"We are fond of titles, here," Danilo said by way of explanation, completely ignoring the rather irate tone she had used.
The hall was decorated to the nines for the fete. Marble floors, inlayed in various colors with geometric patterns that almost danced, were polished to a shine and reflected the silk tapestries that were hung from every ornate window. The crystal chandeliers and ornate iron sconces were all fully lit with light spells, modified to shift through an array of tastefully pale colors at random intervals. Garlands of flowers trailed in and out of windows and through the stone buttresses that held up the vaulted ceiling. Musicians at the head of the hall played a number of tunes, sometimes accompanied by voice, sometimes not. The nobility in the hall mixed and mingled with each other, an ever-shifting array of colors that mostly ranged from black to gold, invoking the colors of both common and uncommon griffins, though there were some stray blues, greens, and reds in representation as well. To one side of the hall, a massive board had been set, filled with cold meats, fruits, breads, and drinks. At its center, a massive subtlety of a griffin, constructed of a roast turkey, bread baked in the shape of legs and a tail, wings of glazed and roasted vegetable kebobs, and a mane of golden dandelions.
"Ah! There's Kerryn," said Danilo, pointing in the same general direction as the board. "Near the food, I might have known. I'll introduce you to our host." He then proceeded to lead Arilyn through the milling assemblage toward a small knot of nobles about his age, surrounding one in particular who seemed to be holding court, in a sense.
This, Arilyn surmised, was Kerryn Belabranta. When he spotted Danilo and Arilyn heading his way, he paused mid-sentence and pushed his way through the small group toward them.
"Danilo Thann!" he exclaimed, warmly, extending his hands in greeting. "Fashionably late, as always! So good to see you again!"
"Kerryn!" Danilo replied, snaking out of Arilyn's grasp and clasping Kerryn's hands in return. "It would appear that you have outdone yourself yet again."
"Well, if a party is worth throwing, it's worth overthrowing. Lady Hawk Cragsmere is already quite put out that I've outdone her fete from last month. But tell me, Dan; I had heard you were out of the city. I hadn't actually expected to see you. What have you been up to?"
"Oh, simply a little bit of travel on family business."
"Well, the rumor mill has certainly been grinding about you," Kerryn said, "one even had you back in the city a number of days ago with an unknown woman and then leaving again in more than a bit of a hurry."
"Yes, I'm afraid I found myself in a spot of trouble. Luckily, I had a rescuer. May the unknown woman be unknown no more. Kerryn Belabranta, may I introduce Arilyn Moonblade."
"Dear lady," said Kerryn, taking Arilyn's hand, "I'm not certain whether I should thank you for saving one of our chief sources of amusement or report you to the watch for aiding and abetting a public nuisance."
"Definitely, the latter," said Arilyn.
"Oh, you wound me, my dear!" Danilo said, a hand over his heart, sarcastically.
It was the first of many strange and uncomfortable conversations that Danilo navigated them through for the next couple hours. In the process of trying to pass the time in good spirits, Arilyn found herself in anything but. Instead, she and Danilo spent most of their time fielding questions about her sword and dodging inquisitions about Dan's time away from the city. Being grilled on a spit would have been more pleasant, Arilyn surmised, wondering how Danilo put up with it all the time. Between that and Danilo's "botched" magical performances, she found herself nearly biting her tongue not to lash out. She actually found herself looking forward to the inane dances he had taught her, since it meant a few moments away from the rest of the crowd.
At least, until the Centaurs Bransle. It was a dance that Danilo hadn't counted on seeing on the set list. It had, apparently, fallen out of favor somewhat in the past few months, owing to some incident that Danilo was reluctant to tell her about, so he hadn't taught it to her. Apparently, Kerryn had decided to bring it back, causing Danilo to take Arilyn aside to a private corner for a crash course in the steps. Luckily, the dance itself was simple enough. The problem was that it separated couples in favor of rotating through a number of short sessions with the other dancers; short sessions during which you had little else to do other than chat.
Eight couples, Arilyn and Danilo among them, gathered into a pair of concentric rings facing each other; lords on the outside and ladies on the inside. The opening reverence sounded and soon they were stepping back and forth, side to side in sets of two steps, the two circles moving together for a number of bars, following the music as if it was a set of spoken instructions.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Arilyn whispered to Dan.
"Nonsense, my dear!" Danilo replied. "This is one of the simplest bransles in existence. It's almost impossible to mess up the steps. At least, as long as you can count to two, which, between you and me..."
"That's not the part I'm worried about."
Danilo gave her a smile, but not one of his sarcastic, foolish ones that he gave everyone. She had seen him smile this way before, but never while using his mask persona. This smile was unequivocally genuine.
"My lady, you are fair and intelligent," he said with a flourish of his hand, "you cannot help but to blow them away."
The music changed key for a moment and the two circles stopped their back and forth motion. Danilo stomped a foot on the ground twice, stepped right once, then turned over his left shoulder. As he finished, a small white flower appeared in his hand, still glistening with the last remnant of a spell. He deftly placed it in her hair, just behind her ear. As the music repeated the last few measures, Arilyn repeated Danilo's steps, hearing a faint chiming from the blossom. When she finished her turn, she found herself facing another dancer and the music began again, back at the beginning, as the two circles began their sideways movement once more.
As she feared, small talk ensued. Luckily, the portions of the dance with each new dancer was short enough that there wasn't really enough time to move beyond the small talk. She had gotten though five dance partners without incident and was beginning the session with a sixth, starting to feel as if she might make it through the entire cycle without starting a feud between two or more noble houses.
This end of the circle, however, had tightened up in the process of the dancing. The two rings were nearer each other and the pairs were nearly shoulder to shoulder. Discreetly, Arilyn gathered up her skirts and latched on to the hilt of the Moonblade in their midst, hoping to better control it and keep it out of harm's way; or more to the point, keep the other dancers out of its way.
"Ah, Danilo Thann's new Elven lady," said her new partner. Alarms went off in Arilyn's mind as she detected a hint of venom in his voice. "Arilyn Moonblade was it?"
"It is," she answered, "and I am a half-elf."
"Lord Briorbrin Sultlue. I must say, how very bold of you to have come. On the arm of Lord Thann, that is."
"Is it?"
"Oh, yes. Danilo has quite the reputation for... courting trouble."
"You don't say," Arilyn said flatly, finding herself more than a little put-off by Briorbrin's tone.
"Quite," he replied, darkly, "in fact, I would recommend that you rethink your association with him. Rapidly."
"Oh, you can be quite certain I will be rethinking my associations after this conversation, Lord Sultlue," she said in kind.
Briorbrin's two stomps on the floor were harder than was strictly necessary. But they weren't half as hard as the glare he gave her before turning over his left shoulder. More than happy to get away from that conversation, Arilyn returned the look as venomously as she dared before turning over her own shoulder and moving on to the next partner. There was only one partner left and then she would find herself back in front of Danilo and the dance would be...
A commotion suddenly erupted at the mid-point of her turn. There were gasps all around from the other dancers. As she completed her turn, she found Briorbrin sprawled on the floor glaring up at her. The music ground to a halt and suddenly, Danilo was at her side.
"Dirty, Elven assassin!" Briorbrin spat, springing to his feet. He took hold of Arilyn's sword arm wrist, wrenching it away from the Moonblade. "You did that on purpose!"
"What?" she nearly shouted with incredulity.
"What are you talking about?" Danilo echoed.
"It's bad enough you bring her kind into our halls, Lord Thann," Briorbrin continued, pulling on Arilyn's wrist and bringing her close, "but if you cannot be trusted to keep her from lashing out with her sword sheathe and tripping innocent revelers-"
"Unhand me!" Arilyn shouted, pulling her hand free and backing away. "I did nothing of the sort!"
"Arilyn," Danilo said with a note of warning, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.
She shrugged out of them.
"Do you call me a liar, half-elf?"
Danilo tried once again to insinuate himself between them. "Perhaps it would be best if-"
Arilyn pushed him aside. "I do!" she spat at Briorbrin.
"Arilyn," Danilo said in desperation, "I really think that-"
"You impugn my honor, sir," Briorbrin said, fixing his gaze on Danilo.
"Listen, Lord Sultlue-" the dandy began, only to be interrupted by Arilyn once more.
"What honor could you possibly be talking about? I see none. And what are you talking to him for?"
"Danilo, I demand you silence the mongrel!"
"Mongrel this!"
"Arilyn, wait!" Danilo's panicked voice echoed through the hall.
And with that, Arilyn's hand locked into a fist and she pulled back, sending it flying into Briorbrin's mid-section. He stumbled backward, clutching at his stomach.
A gasp went up from the crowd around them. There were murmurs all around. It took Arilyn a moment to register that Danilo had his hands over his eyes, as if trying not to look at the worst disaster ever to take place. A moment later, his shoulders fell and his hand scrubbed down his face.
"Not good," he muttered.
"He deserved... it?" Arilyn muttered to Danilo, changing her tone as he moved past her and went over to Briorbrin.
"Listen, Briorbrin, my friend," he began as the irate nobleman drew himself up to his full height, "I admit, this is a bit of a mess, but-"
Danilo was cut short by little more than Briorbrin's actions. He snatched a glove from where it was tucked on his belt and threw it onto the ground. Danilo stared at it in horror for a long moment.
"Well?" Briorbrin demanded. "Pick it up! Or are you as dishonorable as that half-elven whore?"
All at once, Danilo tensed. Arilyn found her eyes suddenly locked on Danilo's. The storm had returned to their grey depths. If it could have broken free, it would have consumed Briorbrin in a tempest the likes of which Waterdeep had likely never seen. Silently, glaring at Briorbrin all the while, Danilo reached down and picked up the glove. He held it up in front of Briorbrin's face.
"She has more honor in her thumb than you have in your entire person, Briorbrin. You know not what you have trifled with this night."
"Well, well," Briorbrin said softly, snatching the glove away from Danilo, "Danilo Thann has a backbone after all. Very well. We will argue this before Tyr himself. Choose your second."
"I will stand as second for Lord Thann," a voice piped up from the side. The crowd turned and there found Kerryn Belabranta. "If he's taking a challenge seriously, there must be something to it."
Danilo nodded a solemn thank you to him.
"I will stand as second to my half-brother," came another voice as another figure emerged from the crowd to stand at Briorbrin's shoulder. "Such an affront to house Sultlue will not be tolerated."
"Let us leave them to the preparations, then," said Danilo, casting one last glare to Briorbrin before turning back to Arilyn and making motions to escort her away from the scene.
"Danilo what is going on?" Arilyn hissed as they made their way to the exit.
"A challenge. A duel of honor."
"I gathered that much," she said, "what I don't get is why you're fighting it instead of me."
Danilo paused for a long moment as they crossed the threshold of the entrance and emerged into the cool night air. "It's complicated."
"Then explain it to me!" she snapped, yanking her arm free of his grasp, then motioning to the deserted scene around them in the area outside the Belabranta villa. "It would seem we have the rest of the night for you to do so!"
Danilo continued toward the street, leaving Arilyn to trail after him. She wasn't sure if he was trying to get away from her or, like her, just wanted to get away from the fete and the people within. She caught up with him as he reached the street.
"Danilo!" she pressed.
With a frustrated sigh, he came to a halt and turned back to her. "The lord is, in part, responsible for the actions of the lady he escorts as well as responsible for defending her honor."
"First of all, that's completely ridiculous. Second, I'm perfectly capable of defending my own honor. And third, what in the nine hells is so complicated about it that made you not want to explain?"
"In that order, yes it is, I know that well, and because I knew you would react this way." Tossing the reply over his shoulder, Dan made his way to the street and waved for a carriage.
"Well, what do you propose we do about it?" Arilyn pressed, following after him.
"I fight the duel."
"That's it?" she asked, incredulously as the called-for carriage pulled up next to them. "Dan I've seen you with a sword. That doesn't strike me as the best idea."
Dan pulled open the door of the carriage and gave Arilyn a sour look. "Ah, a vote of the utmost confidence."
"I'm serious, Danilo! You could get yourself killed! And I don't need you to defend me!"
"There are worse things than getting killed," he said, climbing into the carriage.
Arilyn did not climb in after him. Instead, she slammed the door closed. "You are both idiots."
"What are you doing?"
"Walking." She made a fist and knocked on the side of the carriage twice; the signal for the driver to head for his destination. The carriage lurched forward and she felt a momentary pang of guilt when she heard Danilo flop back into the seat, calling her name.
The laws of Waterdeep did not permit dueling within the limits of the city. They were, however, much less specific about leaving the city to hold the duel. So it was that the Masked Lords' attempt to bring an end to the dueling culture of the noble houses was thwarted and the ritual simply moved beyond the walls.
The air was unusually warm and still as Danilo passed through the gate and out into the countryside. He had no illusions about his chances; Briorbrin was one of the best swordsmen among the nobility and a deadly foe with a longsword in hand. It was sheer madness for a fighter of Danilo's comparatively meager caliber to attempt a fight with him. Dan was no slouch when it came to the Arte of Defense, but his magic rather than his rapier was normally his chosen weapon. And in the dueling code, the casting of spells was strictly forbidden during the duel itself.
Danilo had chosen a light leather doublet in brown for the duel, hoping its tighter fit would keep his looser shirt from interfering. But he had underestimated the oppressiveness of the air and by the time he arrived at the chosen ground, he already felt as if he was dragging.
His grip tightened around the brass hilt of his rapier as he approached the wide top of the gently rolling hill and surveyed the scene of the duel. Kerryn, his second, was there already of course, as was Briorbrin's second. A great fire had been stoke in a newly-dug pit, flaming as orange as the setting sun to the west. Briorbrin's second backed off somewhat and Kerryn met Dan on the edge of the grounds.
"I am the first, then?" Dan asked.
Kerryn nodded. "Yeah, you're the first hear," he said, "Dan, are you certain you want to go through with this? Briorbrin could kill you if you're not careful."
"Want to?" Dan asked, sardonically. "No. Have to? Yea. I have been far too cavalier with my honor of late."
"Of late? You've never seemed to care about it at all, before."
"Perhaps it's time to start."
Kerryn shook his head. "You picked a hell of a first opponent."
As Kerryn said this, Briorbrin came marching over the crest of the hill, longsword in hand and white shirt open at the collar. His second met him at the edge of the grounds and the two of them conversed for several minutes.
"Still no sign of that elf that got you into this," Kerry said, "the least she could do is show up."
"She is a half-elf," Danilo corrected, rather more sharply than he intended, "and her name is Arilyn."
"No need to get touchy, Dan. I don't need to be fighting the next duel. But... are you certain she understands...?"
"Arilyn understand perfectly well. She'll be here."
"She had best be here soon," said Kerryn, "or Briorbrin will have considerable to crow about no matter the duel's outcome." Kerryn produced a set of linen wrappings from a haversack at his side and began to wind them around Dan's right forearm, adjusting his sleeves so that Dan's movement wasn't restricted, but the sleeves were well out of the way. He then did the same on the left and was just finishing when he looked up, over Dan's shoulder, and did a double-take. "I don't believe it," he said in surprise.
Danilo turn and followed Kerryn's gaze and there saw Arilyn marching up over the hill, directly toward him. The gown she had been wearing the previous night was gone, replaced by a simple tunic and leggings of grey. The Moonblade was there too, of course, fastened around her waist as always.
"Neither do I," Danilo replied to Kerryn, "she's wearing the Elven color for mourning."
"Not exactly sending the right message, is it?"
"Depends on who's listening," said Danilo, moving off to meet Arilyn on the edge of the grounds.
"This is still stupid," she said as he approached.
"And I see you came prepared."
"Something is going to get killed today." She shouldered her way past him and moved toward the bonfire at the center of the grounds. She came to a halt next to it, her gaze fixed on Briorbrin and his second. If her eyes had been crossbows, she would have shot her anger upon them. They spoke as loudly as a herald's cry, demanding the attention of the two Sultlues.
"Since the damage has been done, there is no more danger in speaking the truth," she declared, "you challenged Danilo to defend my honor, believing that he would not and that I could not; a coward's act. Danilo met that challenge in spite of you.
"You look on the surface and dismiss the rest. Because of this, I have come to know Danilo in a short time far better than you have in years. He is not what you believe him to be. And I willingly put my trust in him, as I have already.
"I will not, however, have no hand in defending my own honor."
Turning back to Danilo, she drew forth the Moonblade. She held it in hand for a moment, allowing everyone there to ponder it. Then, she pointed the hilt at Danilo. "You understand this better than anyone save me," she said to him.
"Slowly, solemnly, Danilo laid his hand on the sword hilt. The ninth rune on the sword's bade, Arilyn's rune, shimmered slightly as he closed his fingers around it and took it from her.
"Arilyn," he said softly so the others couldn't hear, "I'm not as well trained to use this sort of a sword."
"The Moonblade will help with that," she whispered, "just trust it. I need you to use it."
With a deep breath, Danilo nodded.
"Ever the showman, Lord Thann," Briorbrin spat with a huff, taking his own sword from it's sheathe, "am I supposed to be intimidated by an Elven sword, then?"
"Not really," said Dan lightly, "you're supposed to be intimidated by an Elven Moonblade."
Briorbrin snorted in derision. "That means nothing to me."
"No," Danilo replied with a sigh, "I suppose that it wouldn't." He turned away for a moment, back to Kerryn, reaching down to remove his own rapier from his belt. As if in afterthought, he turned back to Briorbrin. "I'd hate to be accused of further dishonor, Briorbrin. It doesn't intimidate you, does it?"
"Certainly not in your hands," Briorbrin replied, grinding his teeth.
"Excellent well!" Dan tossed back over his shoulder as he handed Kerryn his rapier. "Shall we begin then?"
"By all means."
"Lord Thann," said Briorbrin's second, "are you satisfied with your opponent's choice of weapon?"
"Oh, most certainly," Danilo replied.
"Lord Sultlue," said Kerryn, "are you satisfied with your opponent's choice of weapon?"
"Yes, yes, it's fine," Briorbrin replied, testily.
"Do honor to the all-powerful Tyr, the Even-Handed," both seconds intoned in unison.
Danilo and Briorbrin both lifted their weapons toward the bonfire.
"Do honor to your most worthy opponent," said the seconds.
Each combatant lifted their sword to the other, exchanging venomous glares.
"My Tyr judge the victor," said the seconds, each raising a hand into the space between Danilo and Briorbrin. Together, the dropped them and backed away.
Almost instantly, Briorbrin leaped forward with a one-handed thrust straight at Danilo. With a gasp, Dan sidestepped out of the way, leaving the Moonbalde behind him somewhat, in one hand, to prevent Briorbrin's sword from hitting home. Dan vaulted back into a defensive stance. Briorbrin pressed in on him with a back-handed rising cut. With a flick of his wrist and a bend of his knees, Danilo dipped the Moonblade under Briorbrin's sword. The attack missed Danilo by inches. Catching Briorbrin's sword on the crosspiece of the Moonblade, Danilo pushed upward and rebounded, sending an attack straight at Briorbrin's shoulder. Pivoting on his foot, Briorbrin stepped in, pulling his blade back and punching forward with his hilt. His crosspiece slid down the length of the Moonblade, even as Danilo continued forward. Their hilts met with a ringing clash and the Moonblade skipped off to the side. Danilo tried to sidestep, but Briorbrin's hilt smashed into his shoulder. The exchange had set them both off balance and they backpedaled out of range.
Danilo's shoulder ached and it protested as he lifted the Moonblade up again, using the one-handed guard with which he was most familiar. As he did, he noticed the blue glow that was suddenly enshrouding the Moonblade.
"Danilo! The blade is blue!" Arilyn yelled from her place near the edge of the grounds.
"Yes, whoever thought it was so sarcastic?" Dan shouted back.
"Belabranta, silence her before she invalidates the duel! I'll not have it!" Briorbrin snarled.
"You mustn't tell Danilo what to do," Kerryn said to Arilyn, "they would have to fight the duel again. And I doubt Danilo has enough in him to fight Briorbrin twice. For his sake, you must remain silent no matter what happens."
Danilo and Briorbrin launched themselves at each other again. Briorbrin rained attacks down on Danilo from all sides. Dan remained on the defensive, just barely meeting the attacks with parries as he darted in and out of Briorbrin's range and searched for an opening.
"He should have used his rapier," Kerryn muttered just loud enough that only Arilyn could hear, "that sword of yours is too heavy. Danilo's already getting tired."
"He's forgetting," said Arilyn, "the Moonblade wants to be used two-handed."
"But... it's a single-hand hilt."
"It's complicated." Arilyn fixed her gaze on Danilo, willing him to remember. "C'mon, Danilo! Two hands!" she murmured. "Use it right!"
It was all Danilo could do to hold back Briorbrin's onslaught. He dodged and circled, parried and backpedaled. But everywhere he went, Briorbrin was on top of him, a vicious twinkle in his eye. It suddenly occurred to him that Briorbrin was all but toying with him. And the Moonblade's blue glow declared to all that Briorbrin was after more than just a few cuts and humiliation. He wanted Danilo dead.
Use it right, you fool! a thought rang through Dan's mind just then. It took a moment for him to realize that it was not his own.
Momentarily staggered by the revelation, Danilo missed a thrust that Briorbrin sent in low. By the time Dan realized what had happened, Briorbrin's tip had sliced a sizable gash along Dan's right thigh. His leg gave way beneath him and Dan landed on one knee with a strangled yelp.
"The first touch is mine, Thann," Briorbrin spat down at him, "four more and the duel is mine. Renounce the Elf and vow never to associate with her again and it will be the last."
"For the last time, she's a half-elf and her name is Arilyn," Danilo replied through clenched teeth, his free hand covering the wound on his leg, blood welling up through his fingers. "And what you ask isn't possible, I'm afraid."
"Then suffer for your foolish choice!" Briorbrin leaped toward Danilo again, his sword coming down in an eviscerating falling cut.
Danilo rolled to the side and Briorbrin's blade met only ground. Dan tried to regain his feet, but the wound in his thigh howled in pain and he collapsed back to one knee. The next thing he knew, Briorbrin's boot was sailing toward him. It connected with Dan's sternum, sending him sprawling.
"That's two!" Briorbrin roared.
Stunned from the blow, there was nothing Danilo could do to prevent the second kick from landing home in his side, sending him rolling toward the bonfire.
"And three!" Briorbrin howled.
Sprawled out on his back, Danilo suddenly found Briorbrin's sword falling toward him from the sky. In a last-ditch effort, he met the attack with a block from the Moonblade, holding it in two hands in a desperate attempt to find enough strength to hold back the blow.
Finally! another thought rang through Dan's mind. Go now!
Danilo did the first thing that come to mind and pinwheeled his legs around beneath Briorbrin, faster than he should have been able to. His momentum carried him around and he rolled to his feet as Briorbrin staggered back. Gasping for breath and gritting his teeth against the burning pain in his leg and the developing bruises in his chest and side, Danilo stood on shaking legs with his back to the bonfire and the Moonblade in a two-handed guard in front of him.
Briorbrin paused and eyed the miserable-looking figured before him with suspicion. "When did you gain that much speed?"
"Forgot one little detail, that's all," Danilo replied between labored breaths, "nothing to concern yourself with."
"Something is different. Did you cast a spell?"
Danilo rolled his eyes. "Yes, Briorbrin, I cast a spell while you were pummeling me with your boot, just now. Don't be ridiculous. Do you wish to finish this or shall we call it a day?"
"If you're in such a hurry..."
Briorbrin moved to attack, but Danilo was suddenly in motion, Briorbrin's attack turned into a parry that beat aside Danilo's advance. Dan vaulted to the side and Briorbrin pivoted, dropping his sword to the ground, immediately in Danilo's path.
Danilo lost his feet and landed hard on his wounded leg. The jarring send him tumbling, headlong, directly into the bonfire. He gave a pained yelp and as he landed in the white-hot inferno at the center, the burning wood fell in around him. Danilo was certain that he was going to burn.
It was several moments later that he realized the flames were not touching him. Another of the runes on the Moonblade was blazing with light and Danilo wasn't sure if it was simply the fire reflecting off it or something more supernatural.
"I guess we will only play to four," he heard Briorbrin crow.
"Don't count me out yet, Briorbrin," Danilo choked out, staggering to his feet, painfully, and pushing aside the burning pieces of wood. He stood in the very center of the flames, Moonblade held in tow hands before him, grey eyes blazing as strongly as the fire.
"How is this possible without magic?" Briorbrin howled. "That fire is white-hot! You should be burning! I demand that you admit to casting spells during the duel!"
"No spell," said Danilo, "magic, but no spell."
Briorbrin sneered at him in stupidity for several moments, clearly convinced that Danilo was mad. But then, all at once, confusion passed through understanding to anger.
"The sword!" he blared, spinning around to face Arilyn. "You did this!"
Danilo laughed as if he had just managed to pull off some great prank. "At last, Briorbrin Sultlue comes to the party! Fashionably late, of course!"
Blaring out his anger, Briorbrin turned back to Danilo. "Come out of there and fight like a nobleman!" he shouted, stamping a foot on the ground like an enraged bull.
"As you wish," Dan said. Slowly, playing with the flames that could not touch him as he came in a show of amusement, he stepped out of the fire. He tried to cover up the fact that the exchange had been costly for him. His whole body ached and his leg was on the edge of its limit, about to give way. Danilo could no longer depend on his agility.
Briorbrin leaped at him again and their weapons met with a ring. Speed of the weapons became the important fact in the fight. Back and forth they went, attacking and blocking in a dizzying flurry of steel. The ringing of blades turned into a song, both combatants following a pattern of moves and sound.
Without warning, Briorbrin introduced discord. He began an attack, the momentarily pulled it back, breaking their rhythm. Danilo moved to parry a blade that wasn't there, setting him off balance. Briorbrin recommenced his attack, beating on the Moonblade. The ancient sword went spinning out of Danilo's hand and landed a short way off, tip stabbed into the ground and hilt upturned toward the sky. Briorbrin's sword rebounded off the beat and sailed back in Danilo's direction. It was all Danilo could do to leap back out of the way. The jarring that happened when he landed brought his wounded leg beyond its limit and he collapsed to the ground, weaponless and letting out a strangled cry.
Briorbrin snorted out a satisfied laugh, then cast a glance back to Arilyn with a malicious smile. Sensing that something very bad was about to happen, she rushed forward and came to a halt not far from Danilo's side, only stopping when Dan put up a hand to halt her.
"You wanted a hand in this duel," Briorbrin said, taking a step backward toward the Moonblade, "I think I will enlist your help in ending him."
Danilo's eyes went wide in horror as he realized was Briorbrin was about to do. "No, Briorbrin, don't!" he yelled desperately, dimly aware that Arilyn was shouting a similar warning.
But it was too late. Even as they shouted, Briorbrin's hand closed around the hilt of the Moonblade and he loosed it from the ground.
As Briorbrin charged forward, lifting the Moonblade high in preparation for his intended killing blow, a great, rumbling cacophony erupted above them all. Before Briorbrin could take even two steps, blue-white lightning split the heavens with an angry roar and struck him. For an instant, everyone there could see a perfect outline of Briorbrin's skeleton cast against his skin. His eyes and mouth blackened and erupted into fire, then sickly, acrid smoke.
The smell of burned flesh filled the air and Briorbrin's body, now blackened and empty, slumped to the ground in a smoking heap. The Moonblade clattered to the ground nearby.
Silence permeated the area as Danilo, Arilyn, and the two seconds all stared at the grizzly scene, in horror.
"By the Nine Hells!" Briorbrin's second whispered.
"What curse was that?" Kerryn said in kind.
The toll of the fight finally caught up with Danilo. He crumpled forward with a pained moan, holding his sides and coughing. He spit something into the grass as Arilyn came forward and put her hands on his shoulders.
"Danilo?"
"Ow," he replied.
"Oh, by the Goddess," Arilyn muttered, "I'm so angry with you for this foolishness."
"The Moonblade," Danilo gasped, painfully pushing himself back up, "before they touch it."
Arilyn's head snapped around to the Moonblade and an instant later, she got up and went to it.
"Touch it?" Kerryn said as she passed him. "No worries about that!"
She ignored him and she retrieved the ancient sword and slid it back into its sheathe on her belt, her eyes locked upon the heap of burned flesh that had been Briorbrin Sultlue.
"May the Seldarine forgive you your arrogance," she said to it. She pondered the sight for a moment more, her hand tightening around the Moonblade's hilt, before turning her back to it and going back to Danilo. He was about to fall forward again and she caught him by the shoulders. "You need healing," she said.
"You're not kidding," Dan moaned.
"I sure hope this lunacy was worth all this."
Danilo reached up and pushed aside a curl of hair from her face. "Worth every bump, my dear," he said, flashing her a pained smile, "just one thing."
"What?"
"I can't move."
Sighing one of her now trademark exasperated sighs, Arilyn put an arm around Danilo's waist and pulled his right arm over her shoulder. "Just put your weight on me," she instructed, lifting him to his feet. Together, they began to limp back toward Waterdeep, leaving the two seconds to ponder all that had happened.
A visit to Blackstaff Tower had garnered Danilo a healing spell from his uncle as well as an accompanying lecture about reckless risks. This time, Arilyn simply waited for the Archmage to finish his platitudes rather than try to explain the situation. In truth, she had been about to give Danilo much the same lecture.
It was already late at night by the time they returned to Danilo's rowhouse. They had said little on their way and even less once they entered. Arilyn was incredibly tired and could tell Danilo was as well. There were several moments when she had almost broached the topic of what had happened at the dueling grounds, but thought better of it. It didn't feel like a topic for the dark hours. Better to leave it for the next day. So, she had gone to the guest room that Yandle had made up for her instead and prepared to turn in for the night.
She was just crawling under the blankets when lute music drifted up from the lower level. It was the same song that Danilo had been working on earlier.
Arilyn found herself suddenly drawn to the music. It was suddenly important to her to go and listen, properly, to the tune that Danilo had written; the tune no one but her had heard yet. So she crept out of her room, down the stairs, and into the parlor where Danilo sat on the settee, playing in the light of the fireplace. When she came to the doorway, Danilo looked up for a moment and gave her a smile, but said nothing and continued to play. Wordlessly, she crossed the room and stoked the fire, then lighted on the open windowsill, put her head back against the frame, closed her eyes, and listened.
End Episode Two
I have a fair amount of thanks I need to offer up for this one, none the least of which is to the folks who have weathered the long wait for this chapter. I'd like to say that the next one will come faster, but due to a bit of reworking of the plot bunny's concept that I'm going to be doing, it may take just as long. Apologies in advance. This is why I've never really entertained the idea of trying to go pro. Ever.
First and foremost, thanks go out to Elaine Cunningham. The recent news that book six won't be coming down the pike after all has been heart-breaking, but understandable given the circumstances. Plus, all the talk about it finally kick-started me into actually writing the scenes for the ball and the duel itself in this chapter. Nothing like a good bit of inspiration. I may yet take the capsule summary from the press for the abandoned Reclamation and run with it as a fanfic. Who knows?
Secondly, I gotta thank my beloved local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism. A lot of inspiration for the details of my fantasy-genre fics have been coming from them lately and this one is no exception. My writing on everything from garb to dance to the arts martial have been much improved because of what I have learned from the good people in the SCA. Vivant!
As always, I look forward to getting comments from people. Please let me know what you think of the chapter.
In the meantime, here's the preview for episode three.
Episode Three: Rope, Whip, Iron Chain
Set between Elfshadow and The Bargain. Arilyn and Danilo accept their first mission as full-fledged Harpers; to investigate a series of disappearances tied to a slavers' ring out of the mysterious Skullport. But when they find at its core a group of the Eldtreth Veluuthra, they find themselves becoming the hunted.
Sweet water and light laughter to you, until next we meet!
Berz.