A Cappella Part 325 - Epilogue's Epilogue

AC325- Epilogue’s Epilogue

This is my life
It’s not what it was before
All these feelings I’ve shared
And these are my dreams
That I’d never lived before
Somebody shake me, cause I,
I must be sleeping

Now that we're here, so far away
All the struggle we thought was in vain
All the mistakes one life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here, so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive and I’m not ashamed
To be the person that I am today

“So Far Away” Staind

 

A number of years after the Bhaalspawn War….

Jarran and Jaheira rode into the small village, tired after a long day’s travel. The once lonely road was now busy, the trade routes having changed after Amn’s conflicts. They were less than a day from Athkatla, and were eagerly anticipating a good night’s sleep.

“Excuse me, sir,” Jarran called out to a passing farmer. “Are there any inns about?”

The man made a face. “There’s the Croaking Toad, m’lord, but you wouldn’t want to stay there. Most people prefer to camp by the side of the road.”

“What is wrong with the inn?”

“Oh, it’s a decent enough place, if all you want is a roof over your head. But Mistress Tallerby has let it go since her husband died. If it’s good food and clean rooms you be looking for, then ride on.”

Jarran looked around. The village was bustling with activity, and appeared prosperous. There were nearby farms, and tracks of thick woods stretched along the horizon. It seemed a very pleasant spot to stop for the night.

Jaheira sighed. “Jarran, I am most tired. Even if I must fight a rat for my supper, I do not wish to continue. Let us try this inn.”

“Your word is my command,” he said with a grin.

A bit farther down the road they came to a large building with a faded green sign hanging in front. The roof was in disrepair, there were cracked panes of glass in the windows, and weeds sprang up between patches of barren earth.

They tied their horses to the decrepit hitching post and went in. The common room was nearly empty, and smelled of old grease and stale beer. What few patrons there were appeared to be exhausted travelers like themselves, mostly ones who seemed too timid to brave a night by the side of the road.

A slatternly woman came out of a back room and scowled when she saw the yarting slung across Jarran’s shoulder. “No singing for your supper,” she snapped. “You either put gold in my hand or turn around and head back out.”

“We are quite able to pay, my good woman. We would like a room for the night and some food.”

“There aren’t enough people here to bother to cook. I’ve got some bread and cheese in the larder.”

“That will do.”

After the innkeeper had stomped away, Jarran leaned over to whisper to his wife. “I can’t believe that this place has been allowed to reach such a state. With the number of travelers on the road, it could be making money hand over fist.”

Jaheira nodded. “She no longer cares. Perhaps she never did.”

“It is a shame. And it seems such a nice village, too.”

“Yes, this would be a pleasant spot to live. Perhaps someday we could find a home in such a place.”

He smiled slyly. “Someday? Why not now?”

“Jarran, do not be foolish. We lead far too busy lives to dream of a cottage with a garden.”

“Why is it foolish? We’ve saved the world more than our fair share of times, so why shouldn’t we enjoy a little peace?”

“Yes, a little peace, until the next crisis or call for help.”

“There are plenty of younger adventurers out there, Jaheira. Let them deal with it.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“I’m not joking, my love. We really should talk about settling down… especially now.”

“What… what do you mean?”

Before Jarran could reply, their hostess slammed a platter of unevenly sliced bread and drying chunks of cheese onto the table. She barked, “I’ll see that gold now.”

He counted out the number of coins that she demanded, then added more. “I want your finest bottle of wine and your…” he began to say ‘best’ but changed his mind, “cleanest room.”

The woman looked at the gold as if she was trying to decide if he was wealthy or simply an extravagant fool. Slowly she nodded. “Aye, I’ll fetch the wine. Stable’s round the back. You’ll have to take care of your horses yourself, I don’t have a stable boy.” She walked away with a slightly more polite air about her.

Jaheira smiled. “Playing the traveling lordling?”

“I simply want us to be comfortable. You need a good night’s sleep.”

“You have been dancing attendance on me the last several days. Why are you suddenly so careful of my well-being?”

“Jaheira,” he said softly, “I may not be a druid, but I do have eyes to see and hands to feel… changes.”

She blushed furiously. “How long have you known?”

Once again they were prevented from speaking by the return of the innkeeper. Without a word she placed two glasses on the table and uncorked a bottle of wine, then left them alone.

Jarran poured out the wine and took a sip. “This is actually quite good. Her husband must have had some taste.”

“Jarran, you did not answer me.”

“I figured it out a week ago. The only thing I don’t know is why you didn’t tell me right away.”

“At first I could not believe it. Me, a mother? Then… I wanted to wait for the right time to tell you. I never imagined that this would come out at a ghastly inn like this. I wanted the moment that you discovered that you were going to be a father to be a special one.”

“Oh, it was. It was that night in the forest, when we made love under the oak tree. I realized that your stomach felt different, and it suddenly occurred to me that there was only one explanation for the changes that I have seen in you.”

“And how did that make you feel?”

He chuckled. “Terrified at first. Then excited, then worried, then… just happy. I’ve waited a long time for this day, Jaheira. You’ve always brushed off the idea of starting a family, and I was overjoyed that our time had finally come.”

“You do not mind? Parents do not make good adventurers.”

“And adventurers do not make good parents, love, unless you want to risk the problems Keldorn had. I don’t mind the idea of settling down at all. And… I was thinking… If the baby is a boy, we should name him Khalid.”

“Jarran, I… I do not know what to say. You would name your son after…”

“After one of the best friends that I ever had. Jaheira, enough years have gone by that I no longer worry about competing against his memory. You loved him, and I cared deeply about him. He deserves the honor of being our son’s namesake.”

“I think that is a wonderful idea. He would be pleased, I know.”

After finishing their meager meal and seeing to their horses, they retired to a threadbare but clean bedchamber. They held each other tightly, aware that their lives would soon be changing forever.

 

Jarran returned to the room just as Jaheira was stirring. With a wide grin, he said, “Wake up, love. I’ve got a wonderful idea.”

“Hmmm? What is it?”

“Let’s buy this inn and live here.”

“What?!” Jaheira sat bolt upright. “Buy this dreadful place?”

“I’ve looked it over. The roof needs some work, but otherwise the building is in good shape. It needs a really thorough cleaning, and of course all the linens and such will need to be replaced. But a large plot of land comes with the inn, perfect for a garden and a corral so that the horses don’t need to be cooped up in a stable. I sweet-talked our hostess into showing me the private quarters, and they are more spacious than I had thought. With some work this place could become a popular stop on this road. There’s even a stage in the common room for bards to perform on, and plenty of woods around the village for you to roam.”

“You have actually thought this through. Very well, let me look for myself, and I will consider it.”

Eagerly he led her around the rooms, pointing out improvements that could be made. They toured the grounds, and she had to admit to him that they would be able to produce a great deal of food for themselves and for the inn’s kitchens.

After they had completed this inspection, Jaheira went straight to the practical points. “What about staff, Jarran? If this inn is to be run properly, we will need a cook, a bartender, a stable boy, several maids, and some serving girls. Where will we find all these people?”

“I am sure we will find people here in the village. As long as we make it clear that we plan to run a clean, safe establishment, I think we will have no problems.”

Jarran waited anxiously for his wife’s decision. He knew that this venture could not possibly work unless it had her complete backing. He watched her gaze wander over the inn as she carefully turned the idea over in her mind.

She turned to face him, and said firmly, “I will do it on one condition.”

“What, love?”

“I refuse to be the proprietress of a place named ‘The Croaking Toad’.”

Jarran burst out laughing. “Don’t worry, I have already thought of the perfect name. But let’s talk to Mistress Tallerby first.”

Mistress Tallerby was thunderstruck that someone actually wanted to liberate her from the inn. She took their gold and was gone in an hour.

 

A few weeks later, the inn had its grand re-opening. The roof had been repaired, the entire inn had been cleaned and repainted inside and out, and all the furniture had been repaired or replaced. New mattresses graced the beds, the linens were fresh and clean, and the bathing rooms were luxuriously decorated. Recently planted flowers bloomed around the building.

Jarran had proved correct about the staff. News had spread quickly that the inn had new ownership, owners who were willing to pay a solid wage for hard work. And when the heroic reputation of these new residents reached the villager’s ears, parents had no fears about letting their daughters work there.

In the short time they had been in the village, Jarran and Jaheira had become well-liked neighbors. Nearly the entire village showed up for the celebration, and Jarran was generous with the ale as they cheered and toasted his health.

Outside of the inn, Jarran called for silence. He stood under the new sign that was hanging from brightly polished chains. The sign was covered over with a heavy cloth.

“My new friends, I thank you all for coming. Though if I had known so many would be here, I might have bought cheaper ale.” Laughter rang out. “Today I officially become the innkeeper here, and I hope that Jaheira and I will spend many, many happy years as your neighbors.” As he pulled a rope that ran to the cloth covering the sign, he cried happily, “I welcome you to The Bard’s Lady.”

Everyone clapped and cheered as the beautiful sign glinted in the sun. It depicted a lovely woman, resplendent in a pale pink dancing gown, reclining on a sofa while strumming a yarting. The sign was impressive enough as a work of art, but what drew the loudest praise was that the lady on the sign was clearly Jaheira.

 

Jarran and Jaheira’s first child was a girl, but that was certainly no disappointment. They were thoroughly delighted with their little Dynera. A son, who they did name Khalid, arrived a few years later.

The Bard’s Lady became a very prosperous inn. It proved extremely popular with adventurers of good heart. Jarran would not allow common mercenaries to ply their trade there, but those with noble goals and honorable reputations were always welcome, making the Lady an excellent place for those in need to find help.

As the years passed, the village slowly forgot that their illustrious neighbors had once had far-reaching reputations, and Jarran and Jaheira were content to be simple innkeepers. No traveler would have guessed that the cheerful bear of a man serving ale with a booming laugh and occasionally entertaining his patrons with a rousing ballad had once stood on the threshold of godhood, and had turned and walked away.






 

The scribe rubbed her eyes and yawned. She carefully cleaned her quill and corked the ink bottle. Then she rose from her chair, stretching to relieve the tight muscles in her back and shoulders. The work had been long, but she could finally rest.

With a small smile, she spread the sheets of paper around the desk to let the ink dry. She looked at the last page and frowned. It seemed to be lacking something. Then with a nod of certainty, she once again took up her quill and ink and added the words “The End” to the bottom of the page. Finally satisfied, the scribe blew out the candle and went to bed.

This deserves a short story


The entire serials board was silent as master Silrana walked through the halls. The woman held a book in her hands the she held towards her chest with a gentle expression on her face. She reached her goal at the end of the hallway where the other masters stood. Weyoun bowed to the woman that was barely half as tall as him. Theodur nodded when she passed, a small smile resting on his grim face. Laufey smiled at her and placed her hand on her chest in the gesture of respect her tribe used. Lord E's face was filled with compassion, she alone knew how Silrana felt.

Oystergirl waited in front of a ebony bookshelf. As Silrana walked up to her the Moderator raised her hands. Silrana placed the book in her hands and stood still as she looked at it.

"Let it go Sil," the moderator whispered, "You have finished you great work, you will never be forgotten, let it go."

Silrana looked at the battle-hardened woman's face and smiled. Her hands released the book and she stepped back. Oystergirl turned around and gently placed the book at one of the shelves. A flash of light erupted and a golden rain fell over them. On the spine of the book it now stood in silver calligraphy. "A Cappella. Written by Silrana."

Silrana stood still and looked at the book. She didn't even notice when the other masters leaved. But suddenly she heard someone come running.

"Master Silrana, master Silrana!" the voice of Acolyte Etak rang out.

"What?" she asked as the young man stumbled up to her.

"It's... it's Serena... she...she was bitten.... by a slashsnake...." Etak panted.
"Master Viga told me to... to find you... he took her to the Water cooler."

"Then there is little time." they both ran off.


And in the monastery of Gamejag, life went on. Neither better or worse than before, only... different.





This is not an attempt to be funny. It is a very small gift to a very great author. I will miss this story Sil. And I want you to know that you are one of the best. Your story has followed me in life and done so much for me. It has made me smile when I was down, made me laugh when I was angry, and always left me with a good feeing in my heart.

You are a great author and I hope that you will keep on the writing.

I loved your ending, Silrana. Really well done.

“Jaheira,” he said softly, “I may not be a druid, but I do have eyes to see and hands to feel… changes.”

She blushed furiously. “How long have you known?”

Awww. . . .

She turned to face him, and said firmly, “I will do it on one condition.”

“What, love?”

“I refuse to be the proprietress of a place named ‘The Croaking Toad’.”

No traveler would have guessed that the cheerful bear of a man serving ale with a booming laugh and occasionally entertaining his patrons with a rousing ballad had once stood on the threshold of godhood, and had turned and walked away.

Nice. Very nice indeed. Well done, and congrats.

"It's... it's Serena... she...she was bitten.... by a slashsnake...." Etak panted.
"Master Viga told me to... to find you... he took her to the Water cooler."

*snicker* Why me!

I just wanted to say that I will miss this story a great deal

And…

BRAVO

Okay, even though I've purposefully let myself slide into "forgotten lurker" mode, I can't just let this go without saying anything. I'll do my best not to babble, but verbal restraint has never been my strong point.

I would like to start off by saying that I don't even remember if I found the Attic before or after you started to write A Cappella, so firmly is the association of the two (Attic and Silrana) set into my mind. Therefore, this is such an insanely momentous event for me I can't even explain, but it seems rather silly to say that when I didn't even write it, so I'm going to go with this angle instead: A Cappella has always been one of the stories for me. Whenever I return to the Attic after my (frequent, often long) intervals away, AC was always, always, ALWAYS one of the first stories that I would catch up on. Lately, when it has reached the point that with all the stories and characters and authors I love, I've only been keeping up with three, AC is one of those three. Was. I suppose it's two now.

There are so many things I would like to say, still, like how profoundly grateful I am that I was able to witness a work of art like this in the making for all these years, or how your characters have become both indistinguishable from BG canon and at the same time completely unique, amazing and most of all alive, and more real than many people I know personally (and how I'm half in love with all of them, even the ones I hate), or how I'm literally moved to tears right now, which is a very difficult feat, I assure you (as, besides not being given to displays of genuine emotion, I have no soul). All that, and so much more that I want to say but can't/don't know how to, so I think I'm going to leave off here before I can't even pretend to coherency anymore.

Thank you so much.

(Also, I am terrified I came across as a crazy-obsessive stalker, so if you're . . . kinda happy but kinda really freaked out by this point, I'm very sorry. But at least the odds of me saying anything again are next to nil, so yay!)

Missed the congratulatory train on the last chapter, so I'm glad to get in on this one.

Congratulations, and thanks for writing one entertaining series.

And reminding us that deciding to go evil and wipe out the local innkeepers could be a bad idea.

AC325- Epilogue’s Epilogue

Still glad I was wrong about what'd be in this chapter, though

The man made a face. “There’s the Croaking Toad, m’lord, but you wouldn’t want to stay there. Most people prefer to camp by the side of the road.”

Charming.

A bit farther down the road they came to a large building with a faded green sign hanging in front. The roof was in disrepair, there were cracked panes of glass in the windows, and weeds sprang up between patches of barren earth.

They tied their horses to the decrepit hitching post and went in. The common room was nearly empty, and smelled of old grease and stale beer. What few patrons there were appeared to be exhausted travelers like themselves, mostly ones who seemed too timid to brave a night by the side of the road.

Charming, indeed.

“There are plenty of younger adventurers out there, Jaheira. Let them deal with it.”

Yeah. How are they ever going to learn if the old farts go around doing everything?

“I figured it out a week ago. The only thing I don’t know is why you didn’t tell me right away.”

“At first I could not believe it. Me, a mother? Then… I wanted to wait for the right time to tell you. I never imagined that this would come out at a ghastly inn like this. I wanted the moment that you discovered that you were going to be a father to be a special one.”

And everyone else knows that she'd never find the perfect moment, I guess

“Oh, it was. It was that night in the forest, when we made love under the oak tree. I realized that your stomach felt different, and it suddenly occurred to me that there was only one explanation for the changes that I have seen in you.”

Very appropriate place

“And adventurers do not make good parents, love, unless you want to risk the problems Keldorn had. I don’t mind the idea of settling down at all. And… I was thinking… If the baby is a boy, we should name him Khalid.”

Awwww

“Let’s buy this inn and live here.”

Ah, how impulsive. Just the kind of thing he'd do

She turned to face him, and said firmly, “I will do it on one condition.”

“What, love?”

“I refuse to be the proprietress of a place named ‘The Croaking Toad’.”

A few weeks later, the inn had its grand re-opening. The roof had been repaired, the entire inn had been cleaned and repainted inside and out, and all the furniture had been repaired or replaced. New mattresses graced the beds, the linens were fresh and clean, and the bathing rooms were luxuriously decorated. Recently planted flowers bloomed around the building.

Pretty!

“My new friends, I thank you all for coming. Though if I had known so many would be here, I might have bought cheaper ale.” Laughter rang out. “Today I officially become the innkeeper here, and I hope that Jaheira and I will spend many, many happy years as your neighbors.” As he pulled a rope that ran to the cloth covering the sign, he cried happily, “I welcome you to The Bard’s Lady.”

Everyone clapped and cheered as the beautiful sign glinted in the sun. It depicted a lovely woman, resplendent in a pale pink dancing gown, reclining on a sofa while strumming a yarting. The sign was impressive enough as a work of art, but what drew the loudest praise was that the lady on the sign was clearly Jaheira.

Great name and a great sign, even though it is a bit difficult to imagine Jaheira in pink He must have been reminiscing about their wedding day.

The Bard’s Lady became a very prosperous inn. It proved extremely popular with adventurers of good heart. Jarran would not allow common mercenaries to ply their trade there, but those with noble goals and honorable reputations were always welcome, making the Lady an excellent place for those in need to find help.

As the years passed, the village slowly forgot that their illustrious neighbors had once had far-reaching reputations, and Jarran and Jaheira were content to be simple innkeepers. No traveler would have guessed that the cheerful bear of a man serving ale with a booming laugh and occasionally entertaining his patrons with a rousing ballad had once stood on the threshold of godhood, and had turned and walked away.

What an awesome way to end the story!

I've read stories here that have stopped, but I think this is actually the first story I've read here that ended.

Wow.

Not much to say here but yeeeeeeeeey!

And a very good way to end it off too!

I've enjoyed all the twists and turns of this tale, including the ending(s).

Good job, scribe. Your rest is well deserved!

RTT

Silrana. well done. You've finished a story that kept us all (and me certainly) enthralled for the longest time. Your characters are yours, even the Bioware NPCs.

It's been an awesome trip, and I can't wait to see what you do next.

Thanks for the story, Daie

AC325- Epilogue’s Epilogue

To all things an ending comes....

A bit farther down the road they came to a large building with a faded green sign hanging in front. The roof was in disrepair, there were cracked panes of glass in the windows, and weeds sprang up between patches of barren earth.

The maintenance man apparently doesn't come around too frequently...

A slatternly woman came out of a back room and scowled when she saw the yarting slung across Jarran’s shoulder. “No singing for your supper,” she snapped. “You either put gold in my hand or turn around and head back out.”

Now that's customer service.

Sadly, I've dealt with almost the equivalent.

“Jarran, do not be foolish. We lead far too busy lives to dream of a cottage with a garden.”

“Why is it foolish? We’ve saved the world more than our fair share of times, so why shouldn’t we enjoy a little peace?”

*nods*

“Yes, a little peace, until the next crisis or call for help.”

Well... isn't that always the way?

“You have been dancing attendance on me the last several days. Why are you suddenly so careful of my well-being?”

“Jaheira,” he said softly, “I may not be a druid, but I do have eyes to see and hands to feel… changes.”

“I figured it out a week ago. The only thing I don’t know is why you didn’t tell me right away.”

“At first I could not believe it. Me, a mother? Then… I wanted to wait for the right time to tell you. I never imagined that this would come out at a ghastly inn like this. I wanted the moment that you discovered that you were going to be a father to be a special one.”

“Oh, it was. It was that night in the forest, when we made love under the oak tree. I realized that your stomach felt different, and it suddenly occurred to me that there was only one explanation for the changes that I have seen in you.”

That would qualify, yes.

He chuckled. “Terrified at first. Then excited, then worried, then… just happy. I’ve waited a long time for this day, Jaheira. You’ve always brushed off the idea of starting a family, and I was overjoyed that our time had finally come.”

And Jarran and Jaheira begin a family.

“And adventurers do not make good parents, love, unless you want to risk the problems Keldorn had. I don’t mind the idea of settling down at all. And… I was thinking… If the baby is a boy, we should name him Khalid.”

A proper gesture to a good man.

“Let’s buy this inn and live here.”

LOL - hey, why not? At least it should come cheap.

“I’ve looked it over. The roof needs some work, but otherwise the building is in good shape. It needs a really thorough cleaning, and of course all the linens and such will need to be replaced. But a large plot of land comes with the inn, perfect for a garden and a corral so that the horses don’t need to be cooped up in a stable. I sweet-talked our hostess into showing me the private quarters, and they are more spacious than I had thought. With some work this place could become a popular stop on this road. There’s even a stage in the common room for bards to perform on, and plenty of woods around the village for you to roam.”

Sounds like a good place.

She turned to face him, and said firmly, “I will do it on one condition.”

“What, love?”

“I refuse to be the proprietress of a place named ‘The Croaking Toad’.”

LOL - I don't blame her one bit.

Mistress Tallerby was thunderstruck that someone actually wanted to liberate her from the inn. She took their gold and was gone in an hour.

Singing and dancing the whole time.

In the short time they had been in the village, Jarran and Jaheira had become well-liked neighbors. Nearly the entire village showed up for the celebration, and Jarran was generous with the ale as they cheered and toasted his health.

Free beer is always good.

“My new friends, I thank you all for coming. Though if I had known so many would be here, I might have bought cheaper ale.” Laughter rang out. “Today I officially become the innkeeper here, and I hope that Jaheira and I will spend many, many happy years as your neighbors.” As he pulled a rope that ran to the cloth covering the sign, he cried happily, “I welcome you to The Bard’s Lady.”

Everyone clapped and cheered as the beautiful sign glinted in the sun. It depicted a lovely woman, resplendent in a pale pink dancing gown, reclining on a sofa while strumming a yarting. The sign was impressive enough as a work of art, but what drew the loudest praise was that the lady on the sign was clearly Jaheira.

Nicely done.

Jarran and Jaheira’s first child was a girl, but that was certainly no disappointment. They were thoroughly delighted with their little Dynera. A son, who they did name Khalid, arrived a few years later.

I figure with their loses... but a fitting testament.

As the years passed, the village slowly forgot that their illustrious neighbors had once had far-reaching reputations, and Jarran and Jaheira were content to be simple innkeepers. No traveler would have guessed that the cheerful bear of a man serving ale with a booming laugh and occasionally entertaining his patrons with a rousing ballad had once stood on the threshold of godhood, and had turned and walked away.

A fitting end. A very fitting end.

The scribe rubbed her eyes and yawned. She carefully cleaned her quill and corked the ink bottle. Then she rose from her chair, stretching to relieve the tight muscles in her back and shoulders. The work had been long, but she could finally rest.

With a small smile, she spread the sheets of paper around the desk to let the ink dry. She looked at the last page and frowned. It seemed to be lacking something. Then with a nod of certainty, she added the words “The End” to the bottom of the page. Finally satisfied, the scribe blew out the candle and went to bed.

*Standing ovation*

First, my congratulations on finishing this wonderful tale. It's a beautifully written tale and I've enjoyed reading it once I finally decided to jump into it despire how many back chapters I had to read. And it was definitely worth it.

You gave us some vibrant and powerful characters woven into a great story. I've enjoyed it immensely and as happy as I am to see you finish it, I'll admit I'm going to be sorry not to see any more chapters appear.

That is unless you end up with RoboPlot Bunnies.

Thank you for writing and sharing such a great story Silrana. I've really enjoyed it.

VH

Congratulations, Silrana. Well done. You had some great twists and really memorable characters. I've followed this from the beginning and I'm sorry to see it end

*looks at long list of comments*

Ye gods, that was fast.

*pulls on boots and spits on hands* Onward.

Oystergirl waited in front of a ebony bookshelf. As Silrana walked up to her the Moderator raised her hands. Silrana placed the book in her hands and stood still as she looked at it.

"Let it go Sil," the moderator whispered, "You have finished you great work, you will never be forgotten, let it go."

Silrana looked at the battle-hardened woman's face and smiled. Her hands released the book and she stepped back. Oystergirl turned around and gently placed the book at one of the shelves. A flash of light erupted and a golden rain fell over them. On the spine of the book it now stood in silver calligraphy. "A Cappella. Written by Silrana."

Okay, now you're trying to make me cry.

"It's... it's Serena... she...she was bitten.... by a slashsnake...." Etak panted.
"Master Viga told me to... to find you... he took her to the Water cooler."

"Then there is little time." they both ran off.

*chuckles* Mother Silrana to the rescue.

And in the monastery of Gamejag, life went on. Neither better or worse than before, only... different.

All right, now I will start crying if I'm not careful. *sniff*

This is not an attempt to be funny. It is a very small gift to a very great author. I will miss this story Sil. And I want you to know that you are one of the best. Your story has followed me in life and done so much for me. It has made me smile when I was down, made me laugh when I was angry, and always left me with a good feeing in my heart.

You are a great author and I hope that you will keep on the writing.

*hugs* Thank you.

I loved your ending, Silrana. Really well done.

Thankee.

“Jaheira,” he said softly, “I may not be a druid, but I do have eyes to see and hands to feel… changes.”

She blushed furiously. “How long have you known?”

Awww. . . .

Even after 325 chapters, Awws are still good.

She turned to face him, and said firmly, “I will do it on one condition.”

“What, love?”

“I refuse to be the proprietress of a place named ‘The Croaking Toad’.”

I can't blame her.

No traveler would have guessed that the cheerful bear of a man serving ale with a booming laugh and occasionally entertaining his patrons with a rousing ballad had once stood on the threshold of godhood, and had turned and walked away.

Nice. Very nice indeed. Well done, and congrats.

Thank you.

I just wanted to say that I will miss this story a great deal

And…

BRAVO

Even if I never manage to get anything published, I am at least glad to know that I wrote one decent story, and that people enjoyed it.

Thank you.

Okay, even though I've purposefully let myself slide into "forgotten lurker" mode, I can't just let this go without saying anything. I'll do my best not to babble, but verbal restraint has never been my strong point.

I would like to start off by saying that I don't even remember if I found the Attic before or after you started to write A Cappella, so firmly is the association of the two (Attic and Silrana) set into my mind. Therefore, this is such an insanely momentous event for me I can't even explain, but it seems rather silly to say that when I didn't even write it, so I'm going to go with this angle instead: A Cappella has always been one of the stories for me. Whenever I return to the Attic after my (frequent, often long) intervals away, AC was always, always, ALWAYS one of the first stories that I would catch up on. Lately, when it has reached the point that with all the stories and characters and authors I love, I've only been keeping up with three, AC is one of those three. Was. I suppose it's two now.

I'm really flattered. Yes, the Attic has been a huge part of my life, and the end of AC is rather like the end of ToB for me. The Bhaalspawn gives up the essence, and for a time feels empty. I have a sort of hollow place inside that is angrily asking when I am going to start writing another chapter. But that feeling will fade as the new characters in my head start demanding their turn.

There are so many things I would like to say, still, like how profoundly grateful I am that I was able to witness a work of art like this in the making for all these years, or how your characters have become both indistinguishable from BG canon and at the same time completely unique, amazing and most of all alive, and more real than many people I know personally (and how I'm half in love with all of them, even the ones I hate), or how I'm literally moved to tears right now, which is a very difficult feat, I assure you (as, besides not being given to displays of genuine emotion, I have no soul). All that, and so much more that I want to say but can't/don't know how to, so I think I'm going to leave off here before I can't even pretend to coherency anymore.

That is the thing I've worked the hardest for, that sense of realness, the idea that every one of them was a living, breathing person who could walk into the room at any time. I'm happy you think I did a good job reaching that goal.

Thank you so much.

And thank you.

(Also, I am terrified I came across as a crazy-obsessive stalker, so if you're . . . kinda happy but kinda really freaked out by this point, I'm very sorry. But at least the odds of me saying anything again are next to nil, so yay!)

Not at all. At least, as long as you don't mind me confessing that your reaction to Anomen and Sarevok provided *weeks* of entertainment.

Missed the congratulatory train on the last chapter, so I'm glad to get in on this one.

Congratulations, and thanks for writing one entertaining series.

And reminding us that deciding to go evil and wipe out the local innkeepers could be a bad idea.

*chuckles* I'm just following a fine old tradition. In PnP D&D, it seems like every innkeeper, tavern host, shopkeeper and craftsman is an ex-adventurer.

Thank you.

AC325- Epilogue’s Epilogue

Still glad I was wrong about what'd be in this chapter, though

Sometimes it's best just to let a character ride off into the sunset.

The man made a face. “There’s the Croaking Toad, m’lord, but you wouldn’t want to stay there. Most people prefer to camp by the side of the road.”

Charming.

Ah, the local dive.

A bit farther down the road they came to a large building with a faded green sign hanging in front. The roof was in disrepair, there were cracked panes of glass in the windows, and weeds sprang up between patches of barren earth.

They tied their horses to the decrepit hitching post and went in. The common room was nearly empty, and smelled of old grease and stale beer. What few patrons there were appeared to be exhausted travelers like themselves, mostly ones who seemed too timid to brave a night by the side of the road.

Charming, indeed.

It's amazing how fast something can go downhill.

“There are plenty of younger adventurers out there, Jaheira. Let them deal with it.”

Yeah. How are they ever going to learn if the old farts go around doing everything?

“I figured it out a week ago. The only thing I don’t know is why you didn’t tell me right away.”

“At first I could not believe it. Me, a mother? Then… I wanted to wait for the right time to tell you. I never imagined that this would come out at a ghastly inn like this. I wanted the moment that you discovered that you were going to be a father to be a special one.”

And everyone else knows that she'd never find the perfect moment, I guess

*g* Not everyone has their husband hanging over their shoulder saying, "Did the little blue cross show up?"

“Oh, it was. It was that night in the forest, when we made love under the oak tree. I realized that your stomach felt different, and it suddenly occurred to me that there was only one explanation for the changes that I have seen in you.”

Very appropriate place

*Jarran smiles fondly at memory*

“And adventurers do not make good parents, love, unless you want to risk the problems Keldorn had. I don’t mind the idea of settling down at all. And… I was thinking… If the baby is a boy, we should name him Khalid.”

Awwww

“Let’s buy this inn and live here.”

Ah, how impulsive. Just the kind of thing he'd do

I thought so, too.

She turned to face him, and said firmly, “I will do it on one condition.”

“What, love?”

“I refuse to be the proprietress of a place named ‘The Croaking Toad’.”

I don't think I would want to be either.

A few weeks later, the inn had its grand re-opening. The roof had been repaired, the entire inn had been cleaned and repainted inside and out, and all the furniture had been repaired or replaced. New mattresses graced the beds, the linens were fresh and clean, and the bathing rooms were luxuriously decorated. Recently planted flowers bloomed around the building.

Pretty!

They certainly did their best.

“My new friends, I thank you all for coming. Though if I had known so many would be here, I might have bought cheaper ale.” Laughter rang out. “Today I officially become the innkeeper here, and I hope that Jaheira and I will spend many, many happy years as your neighbors.” As he pulled a rope that ran to the cloth covering the sign, he cried happily, “I welcome you to The Bard’s Lady.”

Everyone clapped and cheered as the beautiful sign glinted in the sun. It depicted a lovely woman, resplendent in a pale pink dancing gown, reclining on a sofa while strumming a yarting. The sign was impressive enough as a work of art, but what drew the loudest praise was that the lady on the sign was clearly Jaheira.

Great name and a great sign, even though it is a bit difficult to imagine Jaheira in pink He must have been reminiscing about their wedding day.

Hehehe, well, a long time back Jaheira confessed to him that her favorite color was pink. He was just trying to make her happy.

The Bard’s Lady became a very prosperous inn. It proved extremely popular with adventurers of good heart. Jarran would not allow common mercenaries to ply their trade there, but those with noble goals and honorable reputations were always welcome, making the Lady an excellent place for those in need to find help.

As the years passed, the village slowly forgot that their illustrious neighbors had once had far-reaching reputations, and Jarran and Jaheira were content to be simple innkeepers. No traveler would have guessed that the cheerful bear of a man serving ale with a booming laugh and occasionally entertaining his patrons with a rousing ballad had once stood on the threshold of godhood, and had turned and walked away.

What an awesome way to end the story!

Thankee.

I've read stories here that have stopped, but I think this is actually the first story I've read here that ended.

Wow.

Thank you.

Not much to say here but yeeeeeeeeey!

And a very good way to end it off too!

Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

I've enjoyed all the twists and turns of this tale, including the ending(s).

Good job, scribe. Your rest is well deserved!

RTT

Thank you. Though I don't know how much rest I'll be getting now that my manuscript is calling.