Is this that bad? Oh well, I hope I will get some reviews one day...

"Falmarin, no!" Rustyn had been trying to discipline her bunny all afternoon "when I say come here, I don't mean jump on master's bed!"

Sand sat at his desk, not really paying attention; he was too occupied looking for clues about what Rustyn could have done in all the tomes he could think of.
"Um, master?" she walked up to him after a while "I'm really sorry…"
"Rustyn" he sighed "was it really you?"
"I have no idea! I'm pretty sure it was that idiot of Xavier! It just sorta… happened…"
"Did you cast any spells?"
"I didn't, I was trying to brew a potion while he burst some of his stupid bubbles with missile spells, then began trying with a combat dummy, you see, he completely burned it, and I walked up to him and…" Rustyn rolled her lovely eyes, trying to remember "and he looked at me shocked, then… I heard something hit the floor, and… then the water began to rise."
Sand caressed her hair; he absolutely had no clue any more. Asking Xavier was no use either, as he refused to tell him anything, probably finding hard to believe whatever he saw.

Still, Sand spent as much time as possible with the little girl not only to discover her secret or train her in the arcane arts, but because she was the first creature he developed a genuine attachment to. She often spent the night at his home, like when they went to a trip in the forest near Darromar just like father and daughter, and she was so tired that on the way home he had to carry her in his arms. Holding her close, feeling her heart beat over his own.
There was no way he would let her in a particular room of his home, however. One day, when she had left early, he opened the door and smiled, looking at the small, white curtained bed, the bookcases, the desk, the embroidered curtains and pink candles, not to mention the vase of white flowers. The white flowers she loved so much. He had already signed the adoption papers; but he planned to tell her on her tenth birthday (presumed birthday, of course), due in a little more than two weeks.

But first, he would give her another gift.
"Rustyn, remember the portal to Myratma?"
"Sure do, master!" she smiled, caressing Falmarin "why?"
"Well, I packed your bag" he showed it up "we'll be leaving this afternoon."
She blinked.
"But…"
"Your ship to Calimshan leaves tomorrow morning."
"What…?" she almost dropped the small rabbit "why…?"
"Well, have you ever been outside this city?"
She shook her head.
"But you'll learn a lot on this journey" he knelt down to look into her eyes "I arranged you a travel on the fastest ship out there, which will take you to Almraiven in about four days. There you'll be able to attend classes at one of the most famous magic schools…"
"I don't want to leave you!" she interrupted him, her eyes filled with tears "no…"
"…for one week. Then you'll come back, and tell me all about it! And don't worry, you won't be alone. A mage I wrote to will be waiting for you there."
Rustyn wiped the tears away.
Sand smiled satisfied.
"Thank you, thank you, father!" she hugged him tight.
"What did you call me…?" he was so shocked he even forgot to return her hug.
"Uh, sorry…" she blushed "of course, I meant master! Just… I don't know, I've never been able to call anyone father, and… it felt so good to say it!"
Her smile was worth anything to Sand. Her shining eyes, those amazing sunset eyes. Her calling him father.

They would be family when she comes back.

Sand concealed the bouquet of white flowers under his robe as he led one of the horses out of Crossroad Keep's stables, ready to leave for Neverwinter. He had to bring back some tomes and magic equipment from his shop; at least, when Khelgar and the others would look for him next morning, they would believe that was the reason he was gone.
As he rode, he remembered the strange event that seemed to foreshadow what was to come.

"Scared?"
"Um, a little…" Rustyn eyed the portal suspiciously.
"Then we'd better get through it fast!"
"Whoa!"

"Well, seems we're here" Sand and Rustyn exited the portal in Myratma's inn "we have a room here, let's go up now."
Sand gave the innkeeper his share, then they walked up. The sun was still high in the sky.
"Um, master?" asked Rustyn, standing by the window "are we near the sea?"
"Yes, about ten minutes to walk."
"Can we go? I've never seen it for real…" she smiled shyly.
"Of course!"
Sand decided to take her to a small sandy beach, not the port. As soon as the wind brought the smell of the salty water, and they saw the huge sparkling surface with the small, white waves, suddenly Rustyn let his hand go.
"Rustyn?"
She seemed not to hear him, her eyes were focused somewhere far away, on the endless waters.
"Rustyn!"
Still, she didn't answer. Almost mechanically, slowly but steadily, she headed towards the shore.
"Rustyn!" her empty stare disturbed Sand.
He grabbed her shoulder.
"Uh?" she looked around confused "oh… master."
"What was that?"
"What was what?" she blinked "oh, the sea is so lovely, master! Can I go closer? Can I? Can I?"
Sand scratched his head, but they walked to the shore nonetheless. Once there, she took off her dress and lay in the shallow waters, the small waves caressing her body.
She would have been sweet to watch, but an eerie feeling overcame Sand at the sight. He couldn't nail it down, but felt really uncomfortable. He tried to calm himself by thinking that she was going to board a perfectly safe ship, and she would be abovethe water. Those waters…
"Time to go now" he said after a while. The strange feeling refused to let go, though.

"Oh, I'm so excited, master!" Rustyn looked through her small bag frantically "I hope I have everything… Falmarin! Come on!"
The rabbit obeyed and she placed her on her shoulder.
"Stay there!"
"Rustyn, it's alright… the ship leaves in more than an hour!"
"I want to be there early!"
"Fine" Sand picked up his own pack "oh, I'm going back to Darromar soon after you leave, I have class tomorrow. But I'll be here when you come back."
She just smiled at him happily.

"Why are you doing that?" Sand asked, when Rustyn lit a tiny floating candle and let it down on the ocean waters. She still seemed fascinated by the sea, and it still gave Sand an eerie feeling.
"For Umberlee…"
"Oh, Rustyn, let Mystra protect you! Here."
He took a round medallion with a symbol of Mystra out of his bag.
"Wait…" he concentrated, and writing appeared on its back: Sand.
A moment later, he was astonished to see R. K. appear under it.
"Did I do it right?" Rustyn asked.
"You were perfect" said Sand softly, then hung the medallion around her neck "Umberlee can't touch you now, or ever."

"How wrong I was…" Sand got off his horse at the gate of the Docks District.
Nobody ever actually wondered why he moved his shop there. To avoid attention? Maybe. Most just assumed he wanted to keep an eye out for Luskans, or similar.

"Rustyn!" Sand and Rustyn turned around to see Xavier smiling brightly at them, his red hair shining in the sunlight.
"What are you doing here?" the two asked in unison.
"Oh, but I just want to say goodbye to my future wife!" Xavier snapped his fingers and a gigantic red heart-shaped bubble flew up.
"In your dreams, you idiot!" she stuck her tongue out.
"Boarding!" the ship's captain called out.
"Aw, sheesh, I'd better go…"
"Goodbye" Sand embraced her one last time.
"Hey, what about me?" Xavier faked a sulking expression.
Rustyn turned around and lifted her bag up… but suddenly dropped it, ran back to him and threw her arms around his neck.
"You are a fool" she whispered as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips "I so hate you!"
"Boarding!" called the captain again.
"Way to go, boy!" Sand patted a totally stunned and petrified Xavier's shoulder as Rustyn got aboard The Blue Horizon.

The little girl waved as the ship rose the anchor and slid off on the waters, and gradually disappeared from sight.
Xavier's eyes were shining, he was really looking forward to seeing her again. Little did he know he would never ever in his life.

On quiet nights at the Docks, sometimes you would have the chance to see Sand's thin, dark silhouette walk up to the waters. Nobody knew why; if anybody saw him, they just assumed he wanted to meditate, or look out for Luskan ships.
The bouquet of flowers floating away to be engulfed in darkness went always unnoticed.

Sand knelt down and took the broken medallion out of his pocket, as he watched the waves carry the white flowers away.
The most horrible storm ever, said the captain of the ship which discovered the remains of The Blue Horizon. He added their own ship hardly got back to port before sinking, as water filled the hull. Their sails were torn, two sailors died as they fell to the depths.
Shark-infested waters, he said too.

Sand would never forget the moment when they handed him all that was left. The bite marks on shreds of the bloodied, torn dress. The broken medallion.
Then, how he threw himself on the bed, her bed, screaming and howling in pain as he tore at the linens and ripped the soft pillows, how he tossed all the books off the shelf and set fire to desk, how he broke the window with his fist, his blood flowing down his arm. How he cried, screaming no, how he curled up in the middle of the mess he made of his home, crying desperately, pulling at his hair and scratching his face, how he could not believe it. How much he just wanted to see her open up the door and call him father, her laughter like a silver bell.

Sand left Darromar before dawnbreak. He didn't even notice Jaral following him.

Xavier, his eyes red from crying and lack of sleep, sealed himself off in the library, wearing ordinary clothes like any other pupil now. No fancy robes or gold jewels would help. Knowledge was the only way; the way that would ultimately lead the light-hearted, happy bubble blower to the highest ranks.
And for the eighty-four years to come, he would never give up on his search.

Sand sighed, the flowers disappearing into darkness.
She belongs to the sea now.