This is an AU. I'm not a stickler for accuracy in the details of the Neverwinter universe such as gods etc. but I do try my best. This story does have explicit sexual content, 18+. If you are offended by sexual themes don't start reading! There is artwork for this story at my deviantart account under aeltari.
They had been walking in silence along the dusty road for several hours. Kyrie had refused to take any of Magda's horses, taking only a few woolen blankets and the foods. It was a slightly tearful goodbye, Kyrie not being sure when she would ever see the kind dwarf again, and Magda felt as she did the day her boys left home.
She gave Kyrie a small leather thong with a stone wrapped in wire at the end. In it was carved a dwarven rune. She had told Kyrie it was the rune that meant love and folded it into her hands. Then she had trundled off back to her house without a backward glance.
The day was long, and as much as Kyrie and Sand often walked in silence, there were times of reflective conversation as well.
"Sand, "she asked. "Have you ever been in love?"
Such a straightforward question, but so complicated to answer. "Well, I don't really know what to say. Many years ago, in Luskan when I was part of the Hosttower there was a woman. I first saw her on the streets in the worst part of town. Mind you, all of Luskan is pretty horrid but this part was a guaranteed death sentence if you spent enough time there. She was a singer, a dancer, whatever it took to turn a coin. Had a real mouth on her too, and a mind to match."
Sand smirked in memory and Kyrie glanced at him, intrigued.
"Was she beautiful?"
He nodded with a smile. "Very. Eyes the color of a rather stormy ocean I would say."
"Did she love you back?"
Sand gave a snort. "I spent almost every penny I could scrounge up in hopes that she might. I was young and foolish."
"What happened to her?"
Sand shook his head. "She got involved in some things, dark things. Time passed, my life changed…the usual story…but for awhile, gods I wanted her!"
Kyrie smiled. A breathtaking desire for someone was a feeling she knew too well. They walked on in silence for some time.
"Kyrie," Sand's voice broke through her thoughts. "The other night, what you said to me. Am I to understand then that you remember me…us?"
Kyrie stopped walking and faced him. "I remembered that day, when you gave me this necklace, but it was different. I felt things from your perspective also, which I know I couldn't have when it was happening. I felt how much you cared for me, and this sense of longing…it was overwhelming."
"I was in love with you, Kyrie." Sand said in a near whisper. "And I foolishly thought that somehow you would magically see it without me having to say anything. I hoped that the moments we had between us would somehow turn things from friendship to something more…"
"What about now, Althraion?" she spoke his true elvish name gently, making him sigh deep inside.
"I accepted that you had…have...found what, rather who, your heart desires, but I am saddened that it is not me. Although I cannot be sure, I dont believe I knew what love felt like until I travelled with you. I will always be your friend, Kyrie. A friend who loves you more then you may ever know. I wish to ask you something however, and ask only that you respond with complete honesty."
Kyrie smiled into the light blue eyes, and nodded.
"We cannot know what lies ahead for either of us. If things do not turn out as you pray they will, would you consider me?"
Kyrie leaned close to him, and her answer was a tender kiss. No more needed to be said.
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It was odd to Sand how Kyrie followed him, happy just to go wherever he led. He found himself remembering the days when it was he who followed her.
He had always wanted to know where they were going, what they were doing, and who they would be doing it with, for, or to. Kyrie just floated along behind him, content to go where he went, trusting that eventually he would lead her home. He had not thought to ask her what "home" meant to her. He realized with concern one evening that perhaps she had no notion of what her home had actually been.
They sat beside the fire at an inn, sipping mead and nibbling on sweet meats.
"Kyrie, I'm just curious what you remember about your home, if anything at all."
She smiled at him and shrugged. "Well, I don't remember anything but I have a notion of what it will be like, care to hear it?"
"Mmhmm" he said.
"Its larger then Magda's, with a barn and several horses and dogs. I suppose there is a vegetable patch and a garden as well, perhaps even a pond. There are probably many portraits on the walls of my friends, the people who swim through my mind. And my bedroom…well rather, Cassi's and mine, is filled with flowers and glowstones. Perhaps even a servant or two. Did you live near me, Sand?"
Sand looked at her as she happily popped a sweet meat into her mouth. She sure had no memory of the Keep.
"Truthfully, Kyrie, you do have all of those things. But I don't think you realize the context of it all."
"Oh? Well, tell me!"
"Your home is a Keep. Hundreds of servants, a lake, many portraits on the walls, many farms and merchants. It's truly a sight to behold. I do live with you, as did all of us. We all had rooms in the keep near you. You didn't want it any other way."
"That sounds so lovely, Sand. What did I do there? Was I a member of the militia? The battle you told me about, and this wound…you said I had a sword, I can't imagine holding a sword!"
Sand shook his head and leaned back, running a hand through his long black hair. She had no memory whatsoever of anything. He didn't wish to influence her, but there were things she needed to know in case her memory didn't come back.
"Kyrie, you were indeed part of a militia but surely not in the way you may imagine. You were a member of the King's elite bodyguards, the Neverwinter Nine. Lady Kyrie, you were not only that, but the Lord of Crossroad Keep, its Knight Captain."
Kyrie stopped drinking and put her chalice down. "I…was a Knight?" Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember, but nothing came forth.
"I can't remember anything, Sand. A Knight, they are supposed to be strong, and brave, loyal and honorable, just and compassionate. I'm none of those things!"
Sand had to laugh. "Kyrie! You are all of those things and more. You showed compassion, forgiveness, and mercy towards those who had caused you much harm. Even the darkest of our companions loved you, in their own way. The priests said you were a favored of Tyr himself. Even Casavir was in awe of you. How else could you have won over that do-gooder?"
Kyrie's head hung down, she studied her hands. Sand didn't realize for awhile that she was weeping quietly. When she finally raised her head her face was wet with tears. "If I was its Knight Captain, and I'm here, what happened to all the people that I looked after? What happened to the others?"
He took her hands in his. "And you say you are not a Knight. Kyrie, your people are safe because of you. They are alive, and waiting for their Knight Captain to come home. As for our friends, we will find everyone who survived. One way or the other we will find out what happened, I promise you this."
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It was midday when they came to the edge of a town. The sun was high, their stomachs empty and the wineskins no longer contained a drop of water.
Kyrie had been dragging her heels for the last several days, needing to rest more then usual. Sand worried that her emotional state and the horrifying visions she would often suffer were wearing her down. He talked to her often of their friends, trying to jog her memory. Sometimes a snippet or two would come to her, and as with all her memories, she was privy to the emotions of the subject as well as her own. Kyrie began to lean on those memory flashbacks to help her piece things together. More often then not she would awaken at night, screaming for Casavir, and would be inconsolable for hours. Sand would sit with her until she fell asleep, then try and catch a few hours himself.
Occasionally a travelling bard would appear at the taverns and sing, the most requested songs would ironically be the story of the Knight Captain of Crossroad Keep, who defeated the King of Shadows. Kyrie would listen, and weep softly, but her mind could not bridge the gap. One bard sang about a legendary love between two warriors of Tyr, who were torn apart by death. Kyrie had no inkling that this song too was about her and Casavir, but she always cried and bought the bard a drink.
Several times when Kyrie had gone to rest, Sand would overhear bits of conversation between the bar patrons about a Luskan prisoner of war, taken from Neverwinter on suspicion of murder. Depending who was doing the talking, the rumor was either deep sympathy for the prisoner, or joy in serving up justice for the so called murderer who had once been a follower of Tyr.
Many just dismissed them as exaggerated war stories and tales to frighten children.
One night, after Kyrie had had her heart torn apart by another vision of Casavir, Sand had gone to the tavern and ordered a few drinks. He couldn't get her heart rending sobs out of his mind, so when a reeking, unkempt man sat beside him and started talking, Sand allowed the distraction and didn't try and silence him.
Conversation around them turned to the recent war of the shadows, and this man piped up with his opinion that half the group that had defeated the King of Shadows had gone over to the dark side. Sand's ire was raised, and continued to raise with every word the uncouth fellow uttered. The man turned out to be Luskan, and his story froze the blood in Sand's veins.
"Yeah, I was on duty that one day, when they brought that murd'rer in from Ne'erwinter. Self righteous bastard that one. Murdered th' ambass'dor in cold blood."
"What ambassador would that be?" asked Sand out of morbid curiosity. The man was beginning to slur his words, and Sand was sure half of them were products of a drunken imagination.
"Natale. Wen' to some Keep some'ere for peace talks and this sunavabitch up and kills 'er and 'er guards." He drained his glass and clamored for another.
"They foun' 'im in the ruins of that...that shadow place." he continued. "Brought 'im back to life in some mon'stery an' he says hes a pal'din of Tyr."
Sand's breath caught in his throat. Sydney Natale had tried to murder Kyrie, the Githzerai cleric Zhjaeve and the insane pyromaniac sorceress Qara after luring them under false pretenses away from the Keep several months ago! Kyrie and the others had prevailed by turning her guard against her and killing the ambassador in self defense. However, no one else had been with them.
"I see, "said Sand trying to keep the emotion out of his voice, but his hands were shaking. "So what happened to this man?"
"Went up to the court house, then to the raknah. My brother is a guard there, they ha' a good time wit' this pris'ner. Got his arse up in chains on the wall, beat 'im daily…" the man's malicious laughter curdled Sand's blood. "No way no how they gon' let 'im die. Even got clerics to keep 'im alive, yeah. Barely but alive jus' the same. Piece 'o cow dung gots it comin' to him anyways, story is 'e was consort or what'ere to some trouble maker from Neverwinter. Bah, n'eer min' that place is leagues from 'ere they can 'ave it. I gots me a treasure map, gonna make my fortune, yeah."
The Luskan got up from the bar, stumbling over first the stool, then the table, then his own feet. Sand watched him for a moment til he exited the tavern. Then he paid his tab and followed.
The man had stumbled several minutes down the road, when Sand teleported in front of him.
"Wha….where'd you come from….?" The drunk asked, weaving unsteadily on his feet.
Sand heard Kyrie's sobs in his mind, and he wrinkled up his nose in a snarl. A rage was building in his chest. "You said the followers of the Knight Captain of Crossroad Keep turned to the darkness. Some of them died saving pathetic, writhing worms like yourself. What say you to that?"
The Luskan didn't say a word, just hiccuuped and stood staring blankly. Sand's eyes narrowed and darkened, his voice now a low growl.
"You judge these people with no evidence, you lie, steal, cheat and murder as a matter of course to satisfy your own depraved desires. You are not worthy of the sacrifice made by the Knight Captain and her friends. You are not worthy to look upon the man you hold and torture in the raknah. There is a place for monsters like you, and I aim to send you there."
All the man could see was the almost white glow of Sand's enraged eyes. Terrified, he took a swing but missed, setting himself off balance.
He clawed the empty air, shouting "Git away from me ya demon spawn!"
Sand made no move, just watched the man work himself into a frenzy. Then he began to chant.
Fire sprang to life around his hands.
"This warrior of the light whose life you wish to snuff out. He has a name! You shall know it before you know oblivion!"
Sand threw two white hot fireballs to either side of the Luskan who was backing up in horror. He tripped and fell backwards staring up in horror at the wizard who hissed at him.
"Sir Casavir de Chantraine, Paladin of Tyr!"
Flame engulfed him, and he burned screaming for a long time before the darkness consumed him.