Chapter 9

Sacrifice: Chapter 9

"Has she come out yet?"

"Not yet. Give her time Auren. The girl lost her father after all."

"You think I don't know how that feels, Jaheira?" I snapped. I suddenly expected her to yell at me or even slap me. But she didn't. She didn't even flinch. Instead she nodded and said, "I know how it feels to lose a loved one as well. We all cope with losses in different ways." She glanced at the door of the room which Nalia had barricaded herself in. "Nalia will get through this, just as you did when Gorion died, and just as I...will." I could have sworn I saw her eyes get glossy but she shook her head and said, "Give her time, Auren. Right now, you should find Minsc and the others and we should come up with our next plan."

I smiled a little. Having Jaheira in the group made things seem a lot easier at times, despite the fact that she was a little too motherly with me sometimes.

But everyone needs someone "like" a mother sometimes, don't they?







"Nalia?"

No answer. It was nearly midnight, and Nalia had not come out of her room yet.

We had defeated the trolls in her keep, including their leader Tor-Gal, who appeared to be working for another but would not say who. We found Lord D'Arnisse lying on the floor, beaten to death with a severe head wound. In the heat of battle, Nalia had pushed ahead of us, her bow and fire arrow ready, and had fired a close direct shot straight into Tor-Gal's eye, slaying him on the spot.



"Die! Die you foul beast! I will clear this place of any taint you've left behind! I will....I will," Nalia said, her voice choking as she then gazed upon the body of her father. She kneeled next to him and we stood in silence for several minutes.

"Nalia," I began, placing a hand on her shoulder but she pushed it away.

"Let's get out of here," she muttered and we made our way to the courtyard.

After a long talk, we learned that she was betrothed to a man named Isaea Roenall, whom she did not want to marry. I agreed to take over the keep as a ruling figure so that she would not have to marry Roenall, though I had a feeling it was not going to be as easy as that. The keep was restored for the most part and we were taking a few days off before we were to return to Atkatla.

"Nalia?" I tried again.

"Come...come in, Auren," I heard her say.

I opened the door and found her sitting on her bed, her eyes red and puffy.

"I'm...sorry I did not join you all at dinner. I...would not have been able to present myself properly," she said quietly.

I shook my head and said, "No, don't worry about it. You've experienced a loss and you have every right to stay here as long as you want. Trust me, I've gone through it before."

She pushed some of her reddish hair from her face and smiled. "Thank you, Auren, you have...you have done far more than what I had asked you for...and thank you...for being here for me." To my surprise, she hugged me tightly.

"Um...you're welcome," I said.