Reclaiming (Maiyn) - Chapter 30

The Heroes of Trademeet

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Coran watched as various citizens of Trademeet wandered into the Merchant Guild assembly room, eagerly looking to catch a glimpse of the new heroes of their town. Eventually, when the room was full to the brim, Lord Coprith nodded to the guard at the door, who immediately stood at the entrance, denying entry to the latecomers. Their protests could be heard for several minutes, even over the buzz of chat coming from the audience present.

The party were standing at the side of a makeshift podium, more or less in one of the back corners of the room. The High Merchant and Guildmistress Busya were on the 'stage', discussing the last minute details of the ceremony as they waited for some natural order to spread across the crowd.

Aerie was hiding behind Valygar, almost cowering in the shadows. She was by far the most nervous of the group, and had expressed her unwillingness to publicly stand before the townspeople and be recognised as one of their saviours. Nalia was by her side, but she'd moved forward slightly to watch the crowd. A look of excitement was across her face, and Coran found himself looking at her for several minutes; a fond smile on his face as he recalled the familiarity of her expression.

It reminded him of Maiyn; the innocence and happiness of having done something good and right. Maiyn wasn't a paragon of virtue, but Gorion had brought her up to be kind and helpful; her youth had added eagerness and exhilaration to the combination, and so for someone who had been travelling for years, her attitude had brought a welcome change to his senses.

Nalia looked back to him, and smiled -- she'd not explained her shortness with him from the previous few days; but whatever had offended her seemed to have passed. Coran had accepted a long time ago that he would never fully understand the moods of a woman, and so he didn't pry into it. He was just thankful that it was behind them, and now they could go on as normal.

Valygar shifted slightly. The ranger looked uncomfortable with the scene, but not scared like Aerie. His sigh was clearly audible, and Coran threw him a mischievous grin, to which the human replied with a pained look. Valygar just wanted the ceremony over with, so he could escape the throngs of people, and retreat to somewhere quieter.

Mazzy was standing a little away from them, conversing quietly with her family who had secured front row seats. She looked proud and confident, nodding amiably to those who called out her name in recognition. To most, she was thought of as the leader of the band, and Coran did little to change the view. Although he found the whole situation amusing, his mind and thoughts were generally elsewhere, wondering if he should have already moved on from the town, rather than staying the few days it had taken for the various celebrations and plaudits from the noble members of the settlement.

It had been Valygar who had led to him deciding to stay. They'd sat together on the night they'd returned to the tavern, nursing ales as they watched the women as they danced and giggled together in mirth. They'd spoke of their backgrounds, Coran doing more of the talking as the ranger resisted the queries into his own tale. Valygar had been curious as to Coran's hunt for Maiyn, comforting the elf as Coran described his hope fading.

"You are both elves," noted Valygar thoughtfully, taking a drink from his ale. "You have hundreds of years still to live. What are a few months, or even years, to you both?"

"Time lost," replied Coran simply, sighing heavily. I'm turning into Xan with all these sighs, he thought morosely.

"If you were both human, you'd be rushed into finding each other because your death would be coming faster than you'd want," said Valygar impassively. "Rather than berating the fact you haven't found her yet, celebrate that she's alive and well, and that when you find her you will have several human lifetimes together to share your love."

So Coran had reluctantly agreed to stay in the town to be recognised as true heroes. High Merchant Coprith had been overjoyed when they returned with the news from the druid grove, but it had faded into insignificance compared to the delight expressed by Guildmistress Busya when Coran let her know that the djinn had left. She sent out messengers to fully ensure that the Dao had gone, while listening to the elf as he told of their journey back from the grove.

Upon passing a derelict house, Aerie had been sure she'd heard a noise from inside. Concerned, the party entered to find a young looking woman glaring back at them. She'd insisted she could smell the djinn on them, and had attacked furiously -- on her death, Coran had taken her head, returning it to the genies, thankful that it had been the rakshasa they'd been hunting. After presenting him with a shiny scimitar, they simply disappeared.

And so, Fate had guided them to solving both problems of the town in one venture, which graced them with a few days of rest and relaxation. Now they had been summoned to receive the official thanks from the town, as well as to have their reward unfurled before them. Then that evening, Vyatri's Inn would be holding the formal celebratory party. Excitement in the town had been building up in anticipation of the event, and even the group had been growing steadily more perked up; the only exception was the terrified avariel, who had felt her happiness being quashed by her tremendous fear of all the attention.

Then Lord Coprith coughed noisily, causing a sudden expectant silence to fall across the room. Mazzy quietly made her way back to the group, smiling warmly at them as she waited beside them for the speeches to finish. The High Merchant spoke of the troubles the town had experienced, the sacrifices made by the guard as they strove to protect the citizens from the increasingly dangerous attacks launched at them by the wildlife around Trademeet. Then Guildmistress Busya took over, speaking of the genies incursion, and the plan they had to force the people of the town to find the djinn's quarry by doing all they could to stop trade, and deprive the civilians of goods and merchandise.

The crowd listened intently, only growing vocal as Lord Coprith spoke of the brave adventurers who had worked alongside Trademeet's own Mazzy Fentan to bring order to the settlement, and to right the problems they had been besieged by. He called them up, one by one, starting with Mazzy, whom the crowd cheered for wildly, standing as they applauded their own defender.

Nalia was next to go up, shyly waving to the crowd as she stood next to the halfling, blushing at the reception she received. Valygar stalked up after her, but even the melancholy ranger couldn't suppress a smile from his face as he nodded his thanks to the crowd. Aerie's name was the next to be called out, but the priestess froze in fear, and could only shake her head in terror as Coran tried to coax her away from the dark corner. Within seconds, Mazzy appeared beside them, mumbling softly under her breath until the avariel was surrounded by a glimmering blue sheen. Almost immediately, Aerie's nerves seemed to settle, and she smiled her thanks as the halfling returned to her place on the podium. Coran watched with amusement as the cleric nodded determinedly to him, then strode out to stand with her companions, beaming happily to the crowd and managing to curtsey with a flourish as they clapped and cheered.

"And finally, but by no means at all least, we have the leader of the group, Coran Sullussaer!"

Coran started slightly, and his gaze fell to Mazzy. The halfling grinned at him as he walked up to them, waving merrily to the audience, and he accepted handshakes from the High Merchant and Guildmistress before they continued their speeches about the plans for the rest of the evening.

The elf threw the halfling a quizzical look, but she merely rolled her eyes in response. "You didn't think I'd accept the glory of being named the leader, when the title rightfully belonged to someone else, did you?"

Coran grinned as he bent down and picked the halfling up into his arms. She shrieked slightly as he whirled her around, and glared at him in mock exasperation as he gently placed her back on the ground, ignoring the giggles from Nalia and Aerie.

"That is not becoming for a lady such as myself!" she chided. Coran bowed to her deeply, and kissed her hand lightly in apology. Mazzy could do nothing but shake her head good-naturedly at him, and turn her attention back to Lord Coprith.

"But! Before we leave for the Inn, we would like to take a small detour up to the fountain in the marketplace," he announced, signalling the moving on of the procession. The group looked at each other excitedly, and waited in high spirits as the crowd slowly dispersed. When the room had emptied, they followed Coprith and Busya from the Guildhouse, chatting amiably as they slowly walked towards the town centre.

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"May I have this dance?" Coran offered a polite bow as Guildmistress Busya arched an eyebrow at him, but after a moment of consideration she nodded. The elf beamed as she accepted his hand, and drew her out onto the tavern floor, which was already full of dancers.

Valygar went whirling past, having discovered he had his own set of admirers in the younger ladies of the town; there currently seemed to be a queue to dance with him. Mazzy was also enjoying the music, dancing with one of the town's leading merchants, having eventually been persuaded to change out of her armour and into a simple blue outfit for the evening.

The halfling's remove fear spell was still lingering on Aerie; the avariel wore a long flowing golden robe, and her exotic but pale looks had consumed the interest of many of the town's young men.

Coran looked around briefly, but could see no sign of Nalia. He frowned slightly, a moment of worry crossing his mind regarding her safety, but then he was grabbed forcefully by his chosen partner, and whisked out into the throng of dancers. Within seconds, his mind was fixed on remembering the moves to dances he'd not partaken in for longer than he cared to remember, and with his most charming smile, he swept Busya around the floor, letting the music and revelry wash over him.

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The Guildmistress of the Merchant League of Trademeet was an intelligent and attractive woman. Coran knew that if he'd met her under different circumstances, he would have done everything he could to make the most of her attention, especially when he'd had to use much of his charm to lower her guard.

But as the hours passed, and there was still no sign of his young roguish companion, Coran stood from the table he had shared with the young woman, thanking her greatly for her company. She stood in return, and wished him a good evening; before the elf had even managed to leave her company fully, she had been whisked away by Lord Coprith for another dance. The fighter watched as she jovially twirled around the High Merchant, her laugh rising above the music as her spirits carried her away.

The night air was cool when he stepped outside, and Coran could see the stars twinkling in the sky. He idly spotted a few of the constellations he recognised as he walked, absent-mindedly making his way back to the market square where they'd been only a few hours earlier. It was there that, with extreme pride, Lord Coprith had unveiled the new additions to the town's fountain -- five life-size, marble figures, standing in a group and looking across the plaza. The central figure was obviously Coran, and detailed him down to the points of his ears. Aerie and Nalia flanked him, Valygar standing at the other side of the avariel, Mazzy beside the noble girl.

He looked up as he approached it again, the moonlight making the figures glow softly in the light. The sound of the bubbling water was the only noise to break the silence, the square deserted as the town tried desperately to all fit into the local tavern. But Coran could make out the figure sitting just past the fountain, alone on one of the many benches that were dotted across the town. Quietly he made his way over, and sat down next to Nalia, smiling warmly to her.

"You are missing quite a party," he noted. The girl had obviously planned to attend -- she'd changed with the others after the fountain had been displayed to them, and she was still in her long green dress, her arms wrapped around her for warmth in the nights chill. She didn't answer him, and he reached out to touch her uncovered arm gently; her skin was freezing to touch.

"Why did you not even bring a cloak?" he asked with a frown, removing the jacket he'd been given to wear for the ceremony, and placing it over her shoulders. She smiled her thanks, but still opted to sit in silence as he watched her, her eyes fixed to the figures on the fountain.

"Do I look like that?" she asked eventually.

Coran looked over to her marble replica, then back to the young human. He nodded slowly as she looked at him. "It certainly bears a remarkable resemblance to you."

Nalia frowned slightly. "I think... that is a good thing," she said, somewhat hesitantly. Coran couldn't help but laugh slightly, and not even her indignant glare could stop him.

"What is so funny?" she asked shortly.

Coran shook his head with amusement. "You remind me of someone," he said. "Another woman I knew, once."

"The one you're searching for?"

Coran sobered up at her words and nodded. "Maiyn. She... she asked me something once, and you reminded me of it."

"Would you... would you tell me about her?" Nalia asked, her voice a whisper. Coran was surprised by her request, but she held his gaze resolutely as he watched her. Slowly, he nodded and spoke of the journeys he'd had with Maiyn across the Sword Coast, mentioning their other companions, telling of their battles and achievements. Nalia listened silently, occasionally nodding, her focus fully on his voice. When he finished, she smiled ruefully.

"You have described the actions you took, and the activities you were part of, but not your relationship with her," she said softly. Coran shifted uncomfortably.

"We were very close," he admitted. "Her guardians did not think I would be right for her as anything except a travelling companion."

"But that's not all there was? You don't travel across Faerun to try and find a passing acquaintance."

"No... we were more than that. It was long and hard, but we were fell in love and found happiness despite what Fate managed to throw in our way."

"And you want to find her to be reunited as her partner?"

Coran sighed. "I don't know. She may have changed... I may have changed. Everything may have changed! Until we meet again, I don't know what there is left between us, but one way or another, I need to find out."

Nalia nodded, and drifted back into her thoughts for a while. Coran sat next to her, his own memories swirling around due to their recent reawakening.

"What did she ask you? What did I remind you about?"

Coran smiled softly as he recalled the day. "We were travelling north, on our way to Baldur's Gate," he said nostalgically. “We'd stopped to rest for a while, to have something to eat. The druid in our party had located a stream, and we'd made our way to it to drink and freshen up. I was standing, chatting with another elf in the group, a man called Kivan. Maiyn had approached the water, and was regarding her reflection critically, a small frown on her face. I instantly began to worry, and I had every reason to. She turned to me, and asked if I thought she looked big in her armour."

Nalia suddenly snorted, and dissolved into giggles. Coran grinned at her and continued. "I hesitated slightly before I replied, then I managed to say, 'Of course not, my love. It befits you quite nicely, if I may say so.' She seemed appeased by this, for she offered me a beaming smile and wandered back to her sister. Kivan merely regarded me with an amused expression, and I told him, that at least that was one question I did know the answer to."

"So did you say it just because it was the right thing to say, or did you mean it?"

Coran grinned mischievously. "Both. No matter how shapeless her armour, or how dirty she was from crawling about in the wilds, her beauty shone through it all for my eyes."

Nalia looked away abruptly. "She was lucky to have had you," the girl said in a strange tone. Coran frowned slightly, reached out gently with his hand, turning her face back to look at him. A single tear was rolling down her cheek, and Coran sighed heavily. Wordlessly, he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. Neither spoke when they both stood up, but he held her hand, and led her back to the side door of the inn, quietly taking her up to her room so she didn't have to face the revelry of the party.

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The inn was remarkably quiet as Coran ate his breakfast the next day. The town had danced and partied well into the early hours of the morning, and the innkeeper was looking tired and dishevelled as he served the food to the elf's table, only just managing a nod of greeting to Nalia as the girl appeared.

She sat down, and smiled bashfully to Coran as he wished her a good morning. She thanked him as he poured her some tea, accepting the cup and wrapping her hands around the warm cup.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked conversationally.

Nalia flushed. "I did, thank you. Did... did you?"

Coran smiled. "I had a peaceful reverie, thank you."

"That is good," she replied awkwardly. Her eyes darted about the room, and she seemed to be searching for something to say, but unable to find the words. Coran suppressed a chuckle, and reached out to touch her hand with his own.

"Please do not feel uneasy around me," he said gently. "Our friendship is precious to me."

"But, after last night..." she began, hesitantly.

The elf shrugged, and squeezed her hand slightly. "Some air was cleared, I believe. I feel I should apologise, though; I never deliberately hid my past from you."

Nalia shook her head. "I long suspected that the girl would be important to you. I think I convinced myself that... well, maybe that you'd be trying to move on. I... I knew that if you were, you wouldn't be trying to find her, but... well." She shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for," he grinned. "We have a friendship that is close and firm. I would hate to think it was to suffer because of this."

"No, no it won't," she smiled. "I will be all right in a while. I just... I just need to get used to it."

The elf nodded, and drew his hand back as Valygar and Aerie descended from the stairs, both looking more than slightly worse for wear. Coran welcomed them to the table slightly louder than was necessary, and grinned at Nalia as they both flinched at the volume of his voice. Before long, Mazzy had also appeared, fresh from her home, her eyes shining with excitement as she sat down beside Coran, and placed a black stone, mottled with a white pattern, before him.

"It is, er, lovely," offered the elf, looking at it dubiously.

"It is a wardstone," said Mazzy, ignoring him completely. "It was given to your old companion when we passed through the ruined temple of Amaunator, on our way to the Shade Lord."

"Amaunator?" asked Nalia suddenly. Mazzy nodded to her distractedly.

"The Shadow Dragon still lives in the chapel of the temple," she explained. "It is a threat, and it should not be allowed to continue its existence. I am here to ask if you would allow me to accompany you there, and allow me to aid your defeat of it."

Aerie let out a small squeak, then darted from the table. Coran watched her as she dashed outside, and Valygar slowly stood up. "I’ll make sure she... she is all right," he said, slowly and carefully before cautiously manoeuvring himself to the door.

Coran nodded at him with amusement, then turned his attention back to the stone. It looked like a plain rock to him, although it was prettily coloured. He looked up to Nalia, and noted that the thief was gazing at the stone with a faraway expression.

"I am not sure-" he began.

"Please," interrupted Nalia softly. "I think we should do this."

He frowned slightly at her, but her gaze was fixed to the stone. He hadn't expected her to feel strongly on the matter, but there was a passion in her voice, and her tone suggested she needed to say it. He sighed to himself; yet again, something was being thrown in his way, preventing him from finding Maiyn. He could easily say no to the task, but Nalia had expressed her desire to do it, and it seemed a worthy challenge for his skills.

He looked back to Mazzy; the halfling was watching him eagerly, hope in her eyes. "I am afraid I cannot," he said simply. The halfling's face fell, and he could see Nalia's expression becoming distressed. Before either could protest, he held up his hands. "Please, let me finish! I cannot allow you to accompany us in this task -- but I would be more than happy to follow your leadership, and aid you in the battle with this wyrm. I am sure my companions would feel likewise."

Mazzy squealed with delight, and her arms wrapped around the elf's neck, almost choking him with her ferocity. "I shall go and prepare my belongings," she announced firmly. "Be ready to leave in an hour -- I shall meet you all at the Northern Gate!"

Aww, poor Nalia! (I would probably said the same even IF she had a chance with Coran)

It still feels odd to see Coran not taking advantage of a beautiful girl being interested! Hmm, but if Maiyn gets a new snuggle... maybe Coran can too? Oh gods, all these relationships are getting so terribly complicated!

And killing a dragon, are you absolutely sure of that?

Aww, poor Nalia! (I would probably said the same even IF she had a chance with Coran)

*grins* Poor Coran, he just can't get you to warm to him at all, can he?

It still feels odd to see Coran not taking advantage of a beautiful girl being interested! Hmm, but if Maiyn gets a new snuggle... maybe Coran can too? Oh gods, all these relationships are getting so terribly complicated!

Well, I avoid giving detail about stuff that's happened since this chapter unless you specifically ask, but... things don't get any simpler as we go on, it seems You might begin to recognise Coran a few chapters further in...

And killing a dragon, are you absolutely sure of that?

Mazzy sure is!

Thanks for reading and commenting

I like how you give Mazzy her share of the honour!

And you're really going to break Nalia's heart if this keeps up.

I like how you give Mazzy her share of the honour!

Aww, shortstuff deserves it Teehee

And you're really going to break Nalia's heart if this keeps up.

Hmm. It all worked out much differently to how I expected, is all I will say on the matter But yes, there's a lot of rampant feelings that are going to lead onto some disappointed people later on, it seems

Thanks for reading and commenting

Nalia looked back to him, and smiled -- she'd not explained her shortness with him from the previous few days; but whatever had offended her seemed to have passed. Coran had accepted a long time ago that he would never fully understand the moods of a woman, and so he didn't pry into it. He was just thankful that it was behind them, and now they could go on as normal.

Tarant: Women - One of the great mysteries of the universe.

Edwin: True, true. And I've been one.

"You are both elves," noted Valygar thoughtfully, taking a drink from his ale. "You have hundreds of years still to live. What are a few months, or even years, to you both?"

Aerie: M-maybe... but you can never be sure can you? Any one of us could die tomorrow.

And so, Fate had guided them to solving both problems of the town in one venture, which graced them with a few days of rest and relaxation. Now they had been summoned to receive the official thanks from the town, as well as to have their reward unfurled before them. Then that evening, Vyatri's Inn would be holding the formal celebratory party. Excitement in the town had been building up in anticipation of the event, and even the group had been growing steadily more perked up; the only exception was the terrified avariel, who had felt her happiness being quashed by her tremendous fear of all the attention.

Imoen: C'mon Aerie.

Aerie: I-I don't like crowds. You know I'd... I'd rather stay in my room and read a book.

Nalia was next to go up, shyly waving to the crowd as she stood next to the halfling, blushing at the reception she received. Valygar stalked up after her, but even the melancholy ranger couldn't suppress a smile from his face as he nodded his thanks to the crowd. Aerie's name was the next to be called out, but the priestess froze in fear, and could only shake her head in terror as Coran tried to coax her away from the dark corner. Within seconds, Mazzy appeared beside them, mumbling softly under her breath until the avariel was surrounded by a glimmering blue sheen. Almost immediately, Aerie's nerves seemed to settle, and she smiled her thanks as the halfling returned to her place on the podium. Coran watched with amusement as the cleric nodded determinedly to him, then strode out to stand with her companions, beaming happily to the crowd and managing to curtsey with a flourish as they clapped and cheered.

Imoen: Speech!

Aerie: No... I think that's enough.

The Guildmistress of the Merchant League of Trademeet was an intelligent and attractive woman. Coran knew that if he'd met her under different circumstances, he would have done everything he could to make the most of her attention, especially when he'd had to use much of his charm to lower her guard.

Tarant: Damn, he really has changed. It won't make him happy though.

Imoen: You don't think it's possible for people to ever be truly happy do you?

Tarant: Well I've never met a happy person.

The night air was cool when he stepped outside, and Coran could see the stars twinkling in the sky. He idly spotted a few of the constellations he recognised as he walked, absent-mindedly making his way back to the market square where they'd been only a few hours earlier. It was there that, with extreme pride, Lord Coprith had unveiled the new additions to the town's fountain -- five life-size, marble figures, standing in a group and looking across the plaza. The central figure was obviously Coran, and detailed him down to the points of his ears. Aerie and Nalia flanked him, Valygar standing at the other side of the avariel, Mazzy beside the noble girl.

They sculpt fast don't they... must have a team of trained imps under a haste spell.

Coran shook his head with amusement. "You remind me of someone," he said. "Another woman I knew, once."

"The one you're searching for?"

Coran sobered up at her words and nodded. "Maiyn. She... she asked me something once, and you reminded me of it."

Edwin: Not her again. He just can't talk about anything else can he.

Imoen: He's in love... I think it's very sweet.

Edwin: Oh yes... if I was a diabetic I'd be in a coma.

Coran smiled softly as he recalled the day. "We were travelling north, on our way to Baldur's Gate," he said nostalgically. “We'd stopped to rest for a while, to have something to eat. The druid in our party had located a stream, and we'd made our way to it to drink and freshen up. I was standing, chatting with another elf in the group, a man called Kivan. Maiyn had approached the water, and was regarding her reflection critically, a small frown on her face. I instantly began to worry, and I had every reason to. She turned to me, and asked if I thought she looked big in her armour."

Nalia suddenly snorted, and dissolved into giggles. Coran grinned at her and continued. "I hesitated slightly before I replied, then I managed to say, 'Of course not, my love. It befits you quite nicely, if I may say so.' She seemed appeased by this, for she offered me a beaming smile and wandered back to her sister. Kivan merely regarded me with an amused expression, and I told him, that at least that was one question I did know the answer to."

Good answer. I shall have to try and remember it.

Nalia looked away abruptly. "She was lucky to have had you," the girl said in a strange tone. Coran frowned slightly, reached out gently with his hand, turning her face back to look at him. A single tear was rolling down her cheek, and Coran sighed heavily. Wordlessly, he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. Neither spoke when they both stood up, but he held her hand, and led her back to the side door of the inn, quietly taking her up to her room so she didn't have to face the revelry of the party.

Poor Nalia... but she still has her huge tracts of land so I'm sure she could find other suitors.

"The Shadow Dragon still lives in the chapel of the temple," she explained. "It is a threat, and it should not be allowed to continue its existence. I am here to ask if you would allow me to accompany you there, and allow me to aid your defeat of it."

Edwin: Er... you know it's a Dragon. It'll probably just fall asleep and not bother anyone for hundreds of years. They are very lazy creatures really.

He looked back to Mazzy; the halfling was watching him eagerly, hope in her eyes. "I am afraid I cannot," he said simply. The halfling's face fell, and he could see Nalia's expression becoming distressed. Before either could protest, he held up his hands. "Please, let me finish! I cannot allow you to accompany us in this task -- but I would be more than happy to follow your leadership, and aid you in the battle with this wyrm. I am sure my companions would feel likewise."

Mazzy squealed with delight, and her arms wrapped around the elf's neck, almost choking him with her ferocity. "I shall go and prepare my belongings," she announced firmly. "Be ready to leave in an hour -- I shall meet you all at the Northern Gate!"

Aerie: Hehe... Good for Mazzy. Strange, but I've always looked up to her.

Tarant: That is strange.

Aerie: