Chapter 16: Bad News from Luskan
Shandra wandered out to the common room to see about getting something to eat. Practicing with Casavir in full plate had not only tired her a little but she had worked up an appetite. She had asked Nimbrethil if she wanted to join her but the elf had declined. Looking around she saw Duncan and Casavir having a serious conversation at a table near the bar and she stopped for a moment to watch them. Casavir was the type of man most little girls dreamed about meeting: charming, nice, and good looking. Of course he was a paladin and it could be his aura that enticed her, but still he was a fine man.
"Excuse me, do you mind if I join you?" Shandra smiled at them and blushed a little as Casavir jumped to his feet and pulled a chair out for her.
"Come to have some lunch Shandra?" Duncan asked, smiling at her.
"Yes and I didn't really feel like eating alone. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she smiled at the inn keeper. He was a pleasant man too and the way he looked at her sometimes made her think that he just might be interested in her. It had been a long time since she had last been in a relationship and it had not ended well. With her farm gone she had plenty of time now to pursue a romance, if she wanted to and if she was right about Duncan.
"Just tell me what you want to eat and I'll go make it for you," Duncan said to her, snapping her out of her reverie.
"A sandwich and some ale will be fine," Shandra smiled as he eagerly hurried to the kitchen. Glancing at Casavir she saw he still appeared to be deep in thought, as if something weighed on his mind. After waiting for some time for him to say something she spoke up. "Something wrong?" she asked him.
"No, not really. Forgive me, I didn't mean to ignore you," he responded.
"Actually, maybe Shandra could help us with our dilemma," Duncan said as he returned with her food and drink. "Nimbrethil might listen to her."
"Perhaps you are correct," Casavir agreed.
"Look if this is about what happened earlier, I have to say that I think you two overreacted a bit," Shandra frowned at them. "I doubt that Nimbrethil was in any real danger."
"That's because you don't know Bishop and what he's capable of, and neither does Nim," Duncan scowled. "He has a past and it's not a nice one."
"I thought he was your friend Duncan?" Shandra asked, puzzled at his attitude.
"Friend? Hardly," Duncan snorted. "He owes me a debt and he's useful to have around sometimes. However, he's not someone to turn your back on if you don't want a dagger in it."
"He is dangerous and untrustworthy," Casavir spoke up. "He didn't offer to stick around out of the kindness of his heart. What his real reason for staying is unknown, but it can't be anything good. Nimbrethil has a rather narrow point of view towards the world and doesn't seem to see anything is wrong."
"I love my brother but I have to say I think he didn't do a great job raising Nim," Duncan sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he left her to fend for herself at times. She obviously is so used to doing for herself that she thinks she doesn't need anyone else's help, and I can't say I'm all too pleased with her attitude. Still, she's just a child really, despite being 80 years old."
"What do you mean by that?" Shandra asked.
"Elves live alot longer than other races and she hasn't reached full maturity yet. She's still the eqivalent of a teenager by human standards." Duncan drained his mug of ale and sighed again. "She needs to learn to respect her elders more and listen when we tell her things before she finds herself in trouble she can't get out of."
"How do you think I can help with that? I'm not her mother and I've never been a mother," Shandra pointed out.
"No, you're not her mother but she still needs the guidance of a mature woman," Casavir said. "I didn't react well to Bishop's attitude on the journey and I'm afraid that anything I say to Nimbrethil now will be taken the wrong way. Khelgar is of the opinion that we should let her find out the hard way, but I can't just sit by and watch someone get hurt just to prove a point."
"Well, I don't know how much I'll be able to influence her, but I'll try my best," Shandra nodded reluctantly. What they told her put a new perspective on things, for she had never given a thought to Nimbrethil still being a child. As she sat at the table sipping her ale she went over in her mind some of the things the girl had said and done. Now that Duncan had pointed it out, much of what she had witnessed were indeed the actions of a child and not a grown woman, such as when she bought that sword.
"That's all any of us can do," Duncan said. "Although how much we'll be able to influence her is questionable." When he heard the door to the inn open he looked up idly to see Sir Nevalle enter. Surprised that a noble of his stature would come here, Duncan jumped to his feet and hurried to welcome the man.
"I'm looking for Nimbrethil Farlong and I was told that she was a guest here," Nevalle told the inn keeper.
"Yes, my niece is staying here," Duncan said nervously. "What is this about?"
"It is a serious matter that concerns her. Is she here or not?" Nevalle replied coolly.
"Yes, I'll go get her," Duncan hurried to the back where Nim's room was hoping she was there. Seeing the door slightly open, he knocked once and then entered to find the girl sitting on the bed working on her bow. "Nim, a member of the Nine is here to see you and he says it's urgent."
"Did he say what it's about?" Nimbrethil asked absently as she tested the string on her bow.
"No, but he wants to see you and it doesn't pay to keep someone like him waiting," Duncan warned her.
Looking up at her uncle she saw the worry and concern on his face and had to wonder if she was in some kind of trouble or something. "What exactly are the Nine?" she asked him as she got up to lean her bow carefully against the wall beside her bed.
"They are Lord Nasher's bodyguards, all of whom are members of the nobility. Not only that, it is Sir Nevalle himself who is here and he is Lord Nasher's right hand, the Captain of the Nine. For him to come down here it has to be something pretty serious so you'd best hurry." As he was speaking he was urging her out of the room and down the hall.
When she entered the common room, she easily spotted the man her uncle was talking about standing just inside the door of the inn. He had an air of authority about him that reminded her of Daeghun, and she felt a little intimidated. Her foster father had always been able to do that to her with just a look and this man was the same way.
"I was told you wanted to see me?" she asked coolly as she stopped a couple feet away from him.
"I am here because Luskan has accused you of the murder of an entire village. Have you heard of Ember?" Nevalle watched her closely but saw no reaction to his words.
"I recently travelled through it on a personal matter, but that's all I did," Nimbrethil replied.
"I don't care for Luskans and I certainly would not take their word over that of a dock rat, let alone a member of the watch." Nevalle said with distaste. "However, unless we can find some way of proving otherwise, we will have to turn you over to them. The treaty we signed gives them the right to dispense low justice for crimes committed on their soil."
"Well as I'm certainly not responsible then there must be evidence to prove my innocence to them," Nimbrethil said calmly.
"Unfortunately, your guilt has already been preordained in a Luskan court and they won't give you a chance to do so," Nevalle saw her eyes go wide with surprise. "If you were a lord, knight, or even a squire, then your trial would be held before Lord Nasher here in Neverwinter."
"What are you talking about?" Nimbrethil asked in confusion, still trying to get over the fact that Luskan wouldn't even hear her case.
"I need you to go see Sir Grayson at Captain Brelaina's office and become his squire. That will buy us time to counter these Luskan lies," Nevalle saw a flicker of anger cross her face and guessed that she wasn't happy about this turn of events, but decided to ignore it for now. "I will also send a friend of mine to help you, and until you answer for these charges, you will not be allowed to leave the city. Mind that if you can't prove your innocence at trial then you will be turned over to them." Having finished he turned and left the inn.
Nimbrethil just stared as the door closed behind Nevalle. This couldn't be happening to her. The last thing she wanted was to be tied to this city any more than she already was and yet that was exactly what they wanted her to do. Even though she hadn't wanted to join the City Watch, she had carried out her duties faithfully and this was the thanks she got? Become a squire or get sent to Luskan without a backwards glance? She heard the others all talking at once but didn't really hear what they were saying. Grimmacing she turned and went to the bar to get an ale to wash the bad taste out of her mouth.
"No way am I going to let Luskan get its hands on you," Duncan said furiously.
"As long as she becomes a squire then Luskan can't touch her," Shandra tried to calm Duncan down.
"Actually, what he said was that it would keep Luskan from being able to just cart me off," Nimbrethil growled and saw her look at her in puzzlement. "You heard him. If I can't prove my innocence to Lord Nasher then they'll turn me over anyway. All because of some treaty that they signed."
"You are innocent of these charges and as such you will find the evidence you need," Casavir spoke up.
"What if I can't Casavir? What if whoever is responsible covered their tracks so well that there is nothing to be found? What then?" Nimbrethil asked angrily. "I know the treaty he talked about is the one that stopped the war a few years back. Their only concern is appeasing Luskan and keeping themselves safe."
"They have reason to fear Luskan aggression, the city hasn't completely recovered from the last war," Duncan pointed out.
"So, if I fail then I am to be handed over like a lamb to slaughter, just so they can go on living their happy little lives?" Nimbrethil snapped. "If they think that I'll just meekly accept my fate then they are barking up the wrong tree."
"Hold on, we're getting way ahead of ourselves here," Shandra interjected quickly. "We need to be able to leave the city if we are to have any chance to find the evidence we need. Before we can do that, Nimbrethil has to go see Sir Grayson and become a squire." She looked the elf squarely in the eyes, "You may not like it but it is necessary, and it doesn't mean you have to stay a squire forever. Once the matter is settled and Luskan is taken care of then you can tell this Sir Grayson you don't want to be his squire anymore."
Nimbrethil just stared at her for several minutes. She wished she could believe it would be that easy, but her experience with the City Watch said otherwise. "Fine, I'll become a squire for now, seeing as I have no other choice," she finally grumbled, realizing that the farmer was right about being able to leave the city.
Shandra breathed a silent sigh of relief that she had managed to calm her down. Maybe Duncan was right and the girl would at least listen to her even if she ignored everyone else. She watched as Nimbrethil took her ale and sat down at a table next to the bar. The anger was still there, simmering below the surface, and she hoped that the girl wouldn't do anything rash because of it.