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.
Brother Ilisharan made his devotions to Tyr, then rose up from his knees and blew out the candles. The incense remained burning, and the braziers remained lit.
A soft voice behind him spoke.
"Brother, you have been so troubled. I may not be a god, but I will gladly listen to you if you wish to share."
Melosia's young face was kindly, and she sat down in a chair and waited for Brother Ilisharan to respond. The cleric sighed heavily and turned to her with a small smile.
"I hope my inner conflicts have not caused me to neglect my duties here, Melosia. Your village has many needs and I must see them all met to the best of my ability."
"Brother, your aid has been invaluable. No one has said anything and no one would. We are most grateful to have anyone at all come to our assistance. We are so far removed from the cities that we are often overlooked by travelling clerics. The fact you have come at all, and stayed so long is a blessing to us we thank Tyr for every day."
Ilisharan smiled gratefully and sat down opposite Melosia.
"It has always been a privilege to do Tyr's work but there was a day not long ago when I wondered if I was truly doing Tyr's work the way he meant me to."
"What do you mean Brother?"
"I was not always a travelling cleric, Melosia. I was part of a brotherhood outside the city of Neverwinter on the Sword Coast. Since I had been a child I had wanted to be part of that temple, and when my schooling was completed and they asked for me, I was honored beyond words. I was the youngest cleric ever recruited by them."
Melosia nodded quietly, listening.
"Life was wonderful at the Temple of Tyr. I was very happy there. Tyr accepted my devotions and gave me many blessings. I had thought my entire life would be lived out there, but…something happened I am not proud of. I'm not sure I should even speak of it anymore…but it haunts me terribly." He looked miserably at her, his shoulders slumped under an invisible weight. Melosia leaned over and touched his arm gently.
"Brother, no man is meant to walk alone. Sometimes we all need someone to give us comfort. Tyr is a good god, but there is no substitute for a living, breathing entity sometimes. Please unburden your heart."
Ilisharan gave her a small grateful smile.
"A great war came, a war which threatened to put many lives in eternal torment and darkness. Out of this horrible time came a young woman from a harsh backwoods swamp, who was destined to become the savior of us all. So young, by Tyr, barely out of childhood. I saw her once as she and her companions came through my town. I had thought this proffered hero would be a large, strong warrior, but there she was, long black hair flowing over such a small fragile frame." Ilisharan's eyes floated up over Melosia's head, remembering, finally letting it pour from his lips.
"Brother Ilisharan! The Knight Captain of Crossroad Keep seeks to use the temple for her devotions!" an excited young cleric, not yet out of training, ran up to him as he put away his books in the library. Unsure what the youngster was talking about, Ilisharan eyed him quizzically.
"Many people come to make their devotions to Tyr, Brionus, it is hardly a matter to become so excited about."
"Yes but Brother, this is the Hero of Neverwinter! The one they say will save us all!"
Ilisharan stopped what he was doing and wiped some errant dust from his robes. He had heard the stories of the Knight Captain, risen through the ranks at lightning speed from her common upbringing in the Mere of Dead Men. She had created some favor with Lord Nasher Alagondar and the Neverwinter Nine. A great warrior to be sure.
"That is an honor indeed, we must show her to the inner sanctum then, Brionus."
"She asked to speak with you. Well she asked to speak to Brother Yllirum but he has gone off to the city, that makes you in charge!"
Brother Ilisharan nodded. "I will meet her in the temple proper. Brionus I don't need to remind you to show proper respect to this great warrior."
He waited for her at the front of the temple. Brother Ilisharan didn't know what to expect from this warrior of legend. Bards and gypsies had been singing and telling her tale for several months now, and her exploits and her immense heart were everyone's favorite entertainment. Ilisharan knew that the entertainers often exaggerated their subjects, so he truly did not know what to expect.
Despite that, he was most certainly not expecting what he saw.
The Knight Captain walked in with a few companions in tow. She wore a suit of armor in a deep crimson, covered in places with dragon scale. Jet black hair hung loosely around her face and down her shoulders. She was so small, so lithe, and with a shock Ilisharan realized she was barely out of her childhood.
Her hand was entwined tightly with that of one of her companions. The man stood a head taller then her, a steely gaze looked out of deep sockets. His hair was cut short, wavy and as black as the Knight Captain's. Gloriously polished black and red armor gave him a strong, imposing air. On his chest was stamped a symbol marking him as a paladin of Tyr.
On her other side walked a smaller elven male, keeping just as close to her as the paladin, dark hair hanging down his shoulders. Brother Ilisharan marked him as a wizard, not only by his robes but by the way he analytically took in all the artifacts on the walls.
Behind them was a dwarf, who wore the Robes of the Shining Hand, the sign of a monk.
The Knight Captain reached him and bowed immediately, all her companions except the wizard doing the same. When she looked up at him he was struck by her eyes. They were a bright reddish orange and yellow with paler golden flecks. He had most certainly not expected one of Aasimar heritage, least of all this woman-child in a state of grace.
The bards he had heard had most definitely never seen her. Such a detail would never go unwritten if they had.
"Brother Ilisharan, thank you for allowing us to use your temple for our devotions." Her voice was soft, but there was a strength, a power beneath the sound.
"My name is Kyrie Barrington, I am the Knight Captain of Crossroad Keep."
She then indicated her friends each in turn.
"This is Sir Casavir de Chantraine, Althraion of House Nhaereseer, and Khelgar Ironfist. My companions and I are on our way to Neverwinter but our obligations afford us so little privacy there and we wanted to speak to Tyr alone. Well three of us at least…"
Her hands touched on the paladin and the dwarf.
The paladin nodded looking down at her, and Brother Ilisharan saw the deep affection in his eyes.
"My…Captain and I are both paladins of Tyr, and the dwarf is studying the ways of the monastery in Neverwinter. We are honored and grateful to you." He bowed again.
A paladin of Tyr! She was certainly full of surprises. He was pleased to see Tyr receive such an illustrious following.
"You are most welcome my friends. I will see to it that you are given all the time and privacy you need. Will you stay and dine with us? You must be tired and hungry after your travels."
The dwarf spoke up, his loud voice resounding in the quiet chapel.
"Och good Brother, ye know the right words to say to this dwarf! Bein' a monk now gets me appetite workin'. Some food and good ale would be most welcome!" He laughed heartily and smiled up at the Knight Captain.
"Yes, well I could use some time to get my…mind…back in order." Said the elf in a melodic voice.
"My friends have spoken!" said the young lady with a bell like laugh. "We are doubly honored by your invitation, good Brother. There is another friend outside, watching our weapons. She does not…like…temples much as she is a Tiefling…"
An unspoken question in her eyes, the Lady Knight gazed openly at Ilisharan, those incredible eyes belying her age. He was sure the things those eyes had seen in her short life was more then most would in a lifetime.
He nodded to her respectfully.
"Good Lady, all are welcome in the home of Tyr."
She smiled and bowed again.
The wizard stepped forward. "Might I trouble you to have a look at some of your historical tomes?"
Brother Ilisharan nodded. "I shall take you to the library myself, good wizard. Right this way."
He bowed to the three companions, then led the wizard to the library.
Some hours later, Brother Ilisharan wandered through the dark halls at the back of the temple. Some of his guests were now seated at the table for the evening meal, but the paladins had not yet appeared. The wizard and he had had a wonderful conversation about some of the historical tomes. The elf was a follower of Mystra, and shared with Ilisharan some interesting points about that deity.
He heard voices float down the corridor, and walking past one of the annex rooms he saw the paladins. Sir Casavir held the Lady Knight in an embrace. She was looking up into his face.
"Cassi, I'm so scared. Everyone treats me like some sort of hero and I'm not. Look at me, I'm just a girl from West Harbor. Why does everyone follow me?"
"My lady, others follow you because you are good, and strong, and you offer them hope. Fate has decreed that this is the path you must take."
Ilisharan saw her brush her eyes with her hand.
"I'm not ready for this. This battle, so much riding on it, all these lives depending on me, on all of us. I need more time! Time to learn more, time to get ready…time…with you. Fate needs to wait!" a sob escaped her lips and the Knight wiped her cheek gently.
"My Lady Kyrie, my love…fate rarely calls us at a moment of our choosing. We have made our devotions to Tyr. He will see that what is done is done for right. I cherish the time we have together. Every moment I spend with you is a blessing I am ever grateful for. I would rather have lived a short time knowing your love then an entire lifetime without it. Do you believe my words?"
She nodded and lay her head on his chest. "I believe you, Cassi. I feel the same. I love you so much it hurts. I'm terrified that I will lose you. How will I live without you?"
"Shh, my love. You must not think of such things. If Tyr calls me to die in battle, I will be taken to dwell with him in the Outer Planes on Mount Celestia. Do not forget, the Prime is not all there is, there is so much more, beloved."
"Yes, but I don't care about that!" Her voice rose with emotion. "I want you here, with me, always at my side!"
Brother Ilisharan closed his eyes, feeling tears behind his lids. No one so young should bear a burden so great on their shoulders. She should be wed to the man she loves and spend her days planning a family not a battle of life and death. These battles of good versus evil were best left to the gods to fight, yet so often the biggest sacrifices were made by ones such as the Lady Knight. Those who gave up all they love, even their own lives so that others might live free.
Tyr protect this child, he prayed silently.
Sir Casavir held her to him, stroking her ebony hair gently. "My lady, as long as I draw breath I will be at your side. If we are separated I will find you. If Tyr calls me home I will wait for you. My love for you is not subject to this body, this place. It is forever. There will never be anyone else in my heart, Lady Kyrie."
The Lady Knight drew back, and taking his hands looked up at him. "As long as I draw breath I will be at your side. If we are separated I will find you. If Tyr calls me home I will wait for you. My love for you is not subject to this body, this place. It is forever. I love you, Sir Casavir."
Brother Ilisharan stepped from the shadow of the hallway and removed the stole he wore from around his neck. As the paladins watched him in puzzlement, he soundlessly draped it across and around their joined hands. He raised his arms to the symbol of Tyr on the wall.
"Good Tyr, god of all that is just, right and good. As their hands are bound, so are their hearts, their souls and their devotion. To this world, to you, to one another. Lay your blessing upon this union and keep Sir Casavir de Chantraine, and Lady Kyrie Barrington protected from evil and strengthened by your will."
He looked with a smile on their surprised faces, which gradually turned to joy when they understood what he was doing for them.
"Sir Casavir, do you love this lady?"
"With all that I am." He responded softly.
"Lady Kyrie, do you love this man?"
"With all my heart and soul." Her voice trembled.
"Then you are bound now in this life, and the next, as Tyr is your witness."
He took his stole and draped it about his neck again. Sir Casavir gathered the lady to him, and his lips brushed hers in a gentle kiss.
"Lady de Chantraine." He whispered to her.
The Lady Knight's eyes were brimming with tears, and Brother Ilisharan slipped silently from the room. He paused at the doorway.
"What has come to pass will not leave my lips, until you leave this plane. It is yours to share or keep, as you see fit."
Melosia was crying, wiping her eyes occasionally, riveted to Ilisharan's story. She, like so many others had heard bits and pieces of the stories of the heroes of the War of Shadows, but never in great detail… to hear it this way, told firsthand was an experience like no other.
"It was such a tragedy Melosia," Ilisharan said sadly. "Not long after that day the paladins and their friends went to battle against that great evil. They defeated it, but the fortress they were in collapsed. Some of them died." He stopped and swallowed.
Melosia touched his arm, her eyes wide.
"The paladins? The lady and her knight? Please Brother tell me they survived."
"I know the dwarf and the wizard survived. The Lady Captain…she was lost. The Knight…oh Melosia, that is the subject of my great pain."
"Tell me Brother! What happened!"
"My superiors summoned me to the fortress, to help look for them. I was told the order came directly from Lord Nasher, and I was one of several clerics assigned to the search groups. On the third day, we found him. Oh gods he was so mortally wounded and I believed him to be moments from death, but he yet drew breath and immediately I knelt by his side. I recognized him as Sir Casavir and put everything I had into stabilizing him enough to move him to the Temple. His first words sounded like…like Kira…I whispered to him that I knew him and I would take care of him. He wouldn't stop saying her name. The only other words he spoke were to the effect of the terrible agony he was in. I sent a messenger ahead to the temple to have the Brothers ready for a major healing ritual."
Brother Ilisharan sighed deeply. His troubled eyes looked into Melosia's and she could see the awful torment there.
"Something prevented me from telling Brother Ylirum, my superior, that I knew the man. I had 4 of the best clerics, as well as myself, assigned around the clock to provide healing to Sir Casavir. He was so close to death, Melosia, I had the rites of passing prepared…just in case. One evening I was called to Brother Ylirum's study. There were 2 men there, I didn't like the look of them. I was told that Sir Casavir was wanted in Luskan for a crime of murder. I proceeded to explain to them all that the man had just saved us all from the King of Shadows, he was a Hero of Neverwinter! They didn't care. They said they would be taking him back to Luskan to stand trial. I told them that he was nowhere near able to travel and was near death. I was told then that we had to have him able and ready in 4 days when they would return for him. Brother Ylirum sent me out of the room when I outright refused."
Melosia gasped. "Oh no! What did you do?"
"I went to him, to Brother Ylirum and told him that Sir Casavir was protected by Neverwinter and as such only Lord Nasher could order him extradited to Luskan which I knew he wouldn't do. Ylirum denied it. He said that because the temple was outside Neverwinter lands, and had been raised and supported by private funding it was an entity unto its own. Meaning that he had absolute control over what happened within its walls. I had never imagined I would hear such a thing. I was livid with him, but he was adamant that we were not able to interfere in matters of law and must remain neutral regardless of the situation. I reminded him we were clerics of Tyr, the just, the right, and that the man himself was a paladin of Tyr! But…Ylirum refused to listen and reminded me again to have Sir Casavir ready."
Ilisharan stood up and walked to the altar. "Melosia…I am so ashamed. My thoughts became so dark, so unworthy of the goodly Tyr. I…I considered discontinuing the healing, letting the paladin die. I just couldn't stomach the idea of him being locked in a Luskan prison. Luskans are…they are vile, cruel and evil. But it was not right! It wasn't the right thing to do!" his voice rose and fell with emotion.
"Instead I made the clerics work together, in twos to increase his healing. I wanted him restored completely, to 100%, to give him a fighting chance. He asked for me one night. I knew what he would ask of me. I dreaded that moment….oh by Tyr's eyes I dreaded and hated that moment!"
Melosia didn't see the cleric's gentle face as the eyes filled up with tears.
"Goodly Casavir, he thanked me, thanked us all for what we had done! Then the dreaded question: he asked me about her, his beloved Lady. His eyes…he read my answer before I spoke a word…his eyes…gods I wish I could forget how he looked when I told him his Lady Knight had been lost. He looked at me and said he knew the Luskans wanted to take him away. Brother Ylirum had told him."
Melosia rose and put an arm around the cleric's shoulders when she heard a sob escape his lips.
"He asked me, since I had known that she was lost, why I did not just let him die. I had to tell him because it would not have been right. I then saw that pious, devoted man's spirit die. I told him I would spirit him away, help him hide, leave the temple, the area. I reminded him what he had told the Lady the day they were wed. That there was more then just the Prime. I tried everything, said everything I knew of to say, but he just lay there and refused to speak with me any further."
Ilisharan folded his hands and prayed. He was quiet for a long while. Melosia sat back down and remained silent.
When the Brother turned back to her, he had regained his composure.
"I should have fought much harder, gotten some help in the other Brothers to get Casavir out of the temple. As it was, the Luskans came for him before 4 days. Obviously there was a spy in the temple, and that in and of itself sickened me. Ylirum acted as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, that a great Hero of Neverwinter had never been within our walls, never been given up to be led like a lamb to the slaughter. He ordered us all to take a vow of silence on the events of that week. I refused. When Casavir was led out in chains, like a common criminal, he said only one thing to me. 'Pray for her, Brother. Pray that her soul has found its place in Tyr's hallowed city.'"
He sat back down.
"I told Ylirum that the temple was no longer a sacred place of Tyr interested in doing his will, doing what was right and just, but a tyranny concerned with political ambitions who would allow evil to prevail over a Hero of Neverwinter and I would have no part of it. He argued with me but I had no interest in him or that dirty temple. I packed up what little I had and left that night. I heard that several of my Brothers did the same. I have kept up with the affairs in Luskan, Melosia. Casavir was tried and convicted of murder and taken to the rakhan the worst part of their prisons. I cannot bear to imagine what they have done to him there. I am aware that he still lives, kept alive by a cleric, can you imagine? I…I have tried to find the wizard and the dwarf but they did not return to the Keep nor to Neverwinter."
Melosia saw the spark in his eyes, the intent. "Brother…" she said slowly and carefully. "what exactly are you saying here?"
"I am going to go and get him out. I'm going back to the Sword Coast, to Luskan, and getting Sir Casavir out."
She stared at him, mouth open, eyes wide. "Brother! You are a cleric! Have you even had any combat training? You said these Luskans are cruel and dangerous. How will you manage to do this? I know you are hurt over what happened but to propose…"
"Melosia! I saw them wed. I was a part of their lives for a fraction of a memory. In that time I saw a great and unwavering love. Each was willing to die for the other, and she died for him, for me, for you, for all of us! I should never have let them take him, and in respect for that great Lady I believe it is my duty to protect the man she loved. I faltered and was weak once. I will not be weak again. Tyr help me, I will get him out or die trying!"
Melosia was silent for many moments. Then she took a deep breath.
"How can I help you, Brother?"