Revenging Angel

Revenging Angel

Kelsey moved through the maze of tables with a swish of his robes, his sights set upon his
objective, Elrien. He had to get to the bottom of her latest mood swing, she was withdrawing
inwardly, and almost suicidal, he thought, after watching her rush the red dragon earlier in the day.

"Pushing me away," he thought "and I won't allow that."

She had been beyond rage. Her voice was deathly quiet, "I'll kill you." Keldorn and Minsc physically
restrained her, dragging her out of the cavern as she screamed, bloody murder.

The ancient red dragon wasn't concerned with a small group of adventurers, that was evident from
it's taunting of the young paladin. That huge beast's booming laughter, echoing through the cavern.

Minsc leaned closer to the sorcerer, after leaving the creature's lair, and in his most innocent voice
said, "Boo says I need a bigger sword."

Once upstairs, they faced Conster, Firkraag's mage, for the key to release Garrin's son. He was
tough, Kelsey thought. Mentally going over his depleted inventory of spells, he was physically
drained.

Elrien attacked with such abhorrence, the mage wasn't able to defend against the onslaught. The
paladin descended upon the wizard like a dark angel, bent on revenge.

Conster, an evil mage summoned a pack of elite orcs, to fight on his behalf. Hoping to slow the
fighters down, allowing the wizard enough time to cast offensive spells on the adventurers.

Elrien wasn't to be denied, angered beyond all normal control. She rushed in striking the first Orc
with a swift upper cut of her blade, spattering blood. At that point

Kelsey lost sight of her, concerned with removing all the wizards' magical protections.

The paladin stood in front of the mage, her chest heaving with the exertion, a feral snarl on her
lips, in a flash she moved, decapitating the wizard in one swift arc of her sword. Blood everywhere,
sword raised to pick off any thing that moved. She spun, hunting for another victim to spend her
anger on.

Kelsey felt the presence of a darkness radiating from her, like a well oiled cloak, reveling in the
carnage.

Elrien panted, her blood burned through her veins, as the darkness of her sire stirred. Conster lay
at her feet, she felt alive, invigorated, egged on by the death of the mage. It was that feeling of a
defeated foe at her feet that caused the darkness to lap at her consciousness reveling in the death.
As the oily vileness rejoiced in her loss of control, she rebelled against it knowing it was evil, every
thing she fought against; all the strength that led her to kill the mage bled out of her, Sarevok's
sword fell out of her numb fingers to clatter uselessly to the stones at her feet.

She could feel the hate and anger of the darkness that was a part of her being, retreating back into
the tiny recesses of her mind. It laughed at her weakness, feeding upon her fears. Burning out of
control, her eyes glazed over as her knees buckled.

Kelsey shivered because at that moment, he didn't know who she was, and that made his blood run
cold.

The mental picture still haunted his sight. She appeared almost like a demon, her eyes blazing cold
fire.

Screaming?

Gods, shrieking would be a better term.
Kelsey shuddered almost involuntarily from the memory, as a cold finger trailed down his spine.

Elrien still sat where he had left her after dinner staring off into space, nursing a mug of ale with a
plate of food barely picked over, alone in the semidarkness of the great hall.

"Times like these I wish I could cast infravision," he mused picking his way to the young woman.

What had happened in that place to send her over the edge? Anomen would barely say two words
to the mage which was to be expected, considering the two vied for the paladin's attentions.

And Keldorn…well… "He said I should ask you." Had he said that out loud?

Elrien looked up at Kelsey, her face a mask of utter despair.

"Please Elrien," he pleaded, "It will help if you talk about it."

She looked past him for a moment deep in thought, before scrubbing her face roughly.

"Tell me what happened." The mage asked softy, pulling a chair out to sit closer to her.

How did he know that those simple words would open a flood gate to her pent up emotions.
Memories that had been repressed for a long time, he doubted she had ever spoken to any one
about.

Early in the day, after returning to the keep, Jaheira had cornered the mage in a deserted hall.
Jaheira had urged him to speak to her, expressing in no uncertain terms that he needed to hear it
from Elrien.

"Please get her to talk," The druidess begged, "She can be so self destructive, Kelsey. She'll talk to
you, I know it."

Gods what was he getting into?

It wasn't too late, just go back up stairs, climb into bed, no one would be the wiser, he tried to
reason to his conscious.

His heart betrayed him yet again; you know you have already fallen for her. In his heart he
couldn't abandon her, not when there was a chance that he could help her. Gods knew she had
offered her counsel without ever expecting anything in return.

"She has helped you come to terms with your magic," a tiny voice urged, "help her now!"

So here he was standing in front of her, waiting for the paladin to speak, and let him in to her world
for once.

"He knew my father." Her voice trembled softly.

Kelsey shook his head, "What?" She had spoken in such a quiet voice, he wasn't sure he had heard
her right.

"He knew my father," she whimpered again, pushing her mug violently across the table, staring at
the contents sloshing over the side.

"That creature did all that, because of my father!" her voice heavy with guilt.

Kelsey sat down across from her, leaning closer, "Bhaal?"

Elrien shook her head, "No, Gorion."

"Oh," Kelsey folded his arms on the table, leaning closer, "tell me about him."

Elrien studied the mage for a time, resigning herself to finally speak about the man who had raised
her, protected her, loved her.

"Gorion Greenmantle, was a mage, not quite like you." She spoke directly at him, not quite seeing
him but lost in her memories.

"My mother was named Aliana..

Gorion told me she died protecting me and he found me as a child wandering amidst the carnage. I
don't remember. And he took me with him.".. She paused with a deep breath, "to him I was his
daughter, never once did he ever treat me differently. Gods I didn't have any idea I wasn't his child
until the knight from Baldur's Gate arrived. I can't remember much about him," she folded her
arms wringing her hands in agitation.

"But father was so angry when he asked about his ward. I thought he meant Imoen. But he meant
me." Tears glisten in her green eyes, which have darkened with emotion.

"He meant me."

"Two days later," tears trickled down her cheeks unchecked.

Kelsey longed to reach over and gather her in his arms, but then the spell would be broken. She
would tense up and replace her mask of indifference.

"Two days later," she repeated more softly, "he gave his life to protect me. He fought Sarevok. He
could have given me up and walked away. But he didn't."

"Sounds like he loved you very much."

Kelsey moved his chair closer to Elrien. She nodded, wiping her face with the back of her hand,
smearing dirt across her cheek.

She is so beautiful.

"And now," he prompted, urging her to go on.

Tears fell harder dripping off her chin, his heart tightened in his chest, as he grasped her small
hands in his own.

"Firkraag said my father killed my mother."

There it was out in the open, and with that sentence, all the pain and years of not knowing the truth
was out in the open.

"I'm so sorry, Elrien," Was all he could put into words past the lump in his throat.

She nodded holding his hands tighter.

"Do you think he was telling the truth?"

"Why would he lie?" she bit back the severe sting of her words "Jaheira said it was true."

Kelsey could think of a hundred reasons, yet none made any sense if he said it out loud.

"Oh lovely," he gently pulled her closer, into his arms she went, yielding to his embrace, burying
her head into his chest, sobbing quietly.

"That's not all is there?" he asked brushing his lips on her hair.

"No," she choked tearfully into his chest.

"The Harpers led the attack on the temple, Jaheria told me as much, when I confronted her. My
mother was going to sacrifice me to Bhaal; Gorion saved me, but killed her in the process.

Jaheria said he loved my mother. That was why he never married. I was so angry at him until she
told me that. I could have been his daughter, should have been his daughter. But what hurts the
most is because of Bhaal. He could have easily taken someone else.

Jaheria said... said that they were overwhelmed, he searched for Aliana, to take her away from it
all and she had a knife to kill me, she was totally mad, and he used his magic to kill her. That's how
I got this scar.

To him I was his daughter. Could be nothing else. Jaheria said that."

Kelsey knew he saw it several times just under her left collar bone. A crescent shaped scar marring
her tanned skin.

"I think you were his daughter," he smiled, holding her tighter against his chest.

"Oh Kelsey, how am I supposed to feel?" she cried desperately needing an answer, clinging to him.

Hearing the reassuring beat of his heart, the warmth of his body seeping in to her own, driving
away the ball of cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach. He loves me.

The sorcerer was not the biggest nor the strongest man, nevertheless, she thought, 'he was what I
needed.' Some one who would love her unconditionally, without judgment, on her heritage, on her
actions.

He felt the knife ripping at his heart, he wanted to take her pain away, those memories replace
them with only happy ones, 'Gods what is happening to me?' Finally out loud he sighed.

"I don't know."

"I still love him."

"I know Elrien, I know."

"I miss him so much, Kelsey."

The sorcerer held her tightly, whispering softly into her hair, as she cried. Releasing all the years of
pent up sorrow, and pain.

"I think he would be very proud of you." Kelsey stated matter-o-factly in to her ear. "Proud of
whom you have become, a force of righteousness."