No replies to this topic

[Weyoun]

NWN Spoiler ratio : Some of Aribeth's tale, otherwise, of chapter 1. Mostly some chapter 2 stuff.

 
A'mael Mellonamin part 6 : Eye in the storm

A month after Alris' and Aribeth's hunting trip, the party was still mostly lounging about Port Llast, awaiting new signs of cult activity, doing small job such as cleaning out Kobold holes and helping to police the town. Aarin Gend's investigation was not making much headway, and thus, there was little else for the intrepid adventurers to do.

Alris and Aribeth, however, were most happy with this temporary slow pace. The events at their last hunting trip had completely changed their relationship. They were often seen walking across town, deep in conversation, sitting together watching the sunset or having dinner together. Such things did not go unnoticed. Certainly not by his party-members.

"So, you've seen the love-birds today?" Sharwyn asked as the gathered party were resting themselves on bales of hay gathered in the field just outside of town. So far, Alris and Tomi were the only ones missing. Sharwyn had her legs up and was calmly chewing a bit of straw.

"Sorry, dear," Linu, in an equally lazy position beside Sharwyn, was lying back with her eyes closed. "Aribeth had some kind of secret meeting and Alris is waiting for her to come out of the barracks, I hear."

"Truly?" Boddyknock added as he was leafing though a book called Advanced Technomagic. "I observed him entering the forest about 2.4 hours ago, give or take a .02 standard time-unit."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... Just keep the metric time out of my hair. Reading a sundial is hard enough as it is. What's that book you're reading, Boddy?" Sharwyn asked.

"Oh," Boddyknock replied. "A daring essay of a gnomish inventor who claims he can one day create golems without using magics."

"Come on!" Sharwyn replied. "Golems without magic? That's a wish-dream... What about you, Daelan?"

Daelan, the honorable half-orc, was looking rather bored. "Me? Well, Sharwyn, I feel... a bit obsolete, actually. What good is being an adventurer when there are no adventures?"

"Dear," Linu smiled friendly. "Sitting around is better than having your skull bashed in..."

"...by your own mace?" Sharwyn smirked, receiving a pat against the leg by an embarrassed elf.

"Hmmm, I find the elven mating rituals more than a little strange..." Daelan added.

"Why is that, dear?" Linu asked.

"Well," Daelan said, "maybe it's more because I was raised in Uthgard customs. We barbarians must have permission to take a wife before courtship can even begin, and even then there must be wooing and bringing of gifts to prove your worth, but elves... and maybe humans too..."

"Just jump in?" Sharwyn smirked.

"Elves follow their hearts, dear," Linu sighed, her voice taking a sad note.

"Still, mutual pursuit seems... strange to me," Daelan added. "Without any form of permission..."

"Hey," Sharwyn asked Linu, "shouldn't elves be taking things slower than humans? Shouldn't Alris and Aribeth's courtship take forty years or something like that?"

"Oh," Linu laughed. "Love can hit an elven couple as quickly and abruptly as it can hit a human couple. Love is one of the few things that can, for an elf... Taking a step like marriage can take longer, however, though that was not the case for me..."

Sharwyn almost choked on the bit of straw she was chewing. "What?!" she said. "You're married?! Come on! Share with Sharwyn!"

"I... prefer not to talk about that, dear," Linu said, her eyes downcast, and her body language suggesting she didn't want to continue this line of questioning.

Luckily, before the gossipy Sharwyn could press for more answers, Alris stepped into view. Immediately, his animal companion Hane, the huge Dire Wolf rose from behind the bales of hay and greeted him as if he was a happy little puppy. There was something very comical about hearing a Dire Wolf yip.

"Hey, there's the elf in love," Sharwyn greeted.

"Greetings," Boddyknock smiled. "You seem to be carrying several fine specimens of flowering plants on your person."

"For Aribeth, no doubt," Daelan added. "Strange. The customary gift to an Uthgard woman is a wolf-pelt."

"WUF!" Hane mock-snarled at Daelan a moment.

"Let's see, em!" Sharwyn grinned. Alris smiled and produced a nice little bouquet of yellow forest-daffodils.

"Daffodils?" Sharwyn said. "Not exactly roses..."

"Roses are hard to come by here," Linu added.

"Now, that's true. Still, you'd get more points for roses..." Sharwyn smiled.

"Points?" Alris looked puzzled.

"But Daffodils are nice..."

"I think Aribeth is the type of woman who'll be more touched by the gesture, so daffodils are fine, dear," Linu smiled. "Plus he picked them himself..."

"Oooh," Sharwyn grinned. "He'll definitely score points then..."

"What is this all about?" Daelan asked.

"We are," Boddyknock nodded, "witnessing an example of girl-talk, an esoteric subject for members of the male gender."

"And if you blab any of this sensitive information to anyone else, lads," Sharwyn told the three men, "Linu and I will be forced to hunt you down and kill you..."

In the meantime, Hane gently sniffed the flowers... and promptly sneezed. Annoyed, the giant Dire Wolf returned to his perch behind the bales of hay.

"Hey, I see the lover is here," Tomi said as he stepped into view, still snickering heartily.

"Where have you been all day?" Sharwyn asked, not really caring one way or the other.

"Oh, just checking out the birds at the inn..." Tomi grinned. "But, say, Alris?" he grinned. "It seems your pleasantly romantic walks with Aribeth have not gone unnoticed by her soldiers."

"What do you mean?" Alris asked, confused.

"Well, there is this," Tomi snickered through the words, "this, ahum, artist's rendition chalked on the wall of the barracks."

"Artist's rendition?" Sharwyn smirked.

"Evidence suggests that the direction of such artist's rendition's," Boddyknock started.

"Do the words 'doggie-style' mean anything to you?" Tomi smirked.

"What?!" Alris demanded.

---

"Oh, gods!" Alris all but shouted as they were standing looking at the offending drawing on the wooden boards of the barracks.

Meanwhile, Linu, Sharwyn and Boddyknock were examining the picture, tilting their heads to view it at a different angle.

"Well, her body is well proportioned..." Linu said, trying to offer the utterly embarrassed Alris a shoulder.

"Forget about the body," Tomi grinned. "Look at her perfect facial expression..."

"Or that of Alris," Sharwyn snickered.

"Guys," Alris blushed. "Please..."

"Yeah, we're being mean," Sharwyn said. "But I never knew you had such biceps either..."

"I don't," Alris said. "But... we can't let this here... What if Aribeth sees this? Or some passing children?"

"Or Tomi," Sharwyn added.

"Hey, I was the one who bloody found it, mates," the halfling pressed.

"Yes, well..."

"Hmmm, the best way," Daelan said and twirled his double-bladed axe, "to remove this offending graffiti is to smash it..."

"Not a logical approach," Boddyknock offered. "Aribeth, Aarin Gend and their executive officers are conversing inside. They are bound to investigate if their wall is bashed to splinters."

"Oh, I've got an idea, mate!" Tomi said and grasped for a paint-can.

Immediately, they all started to get to work, but only mere seconds later, a familiar, melodic voice sounded behind them.

"Alris," Aribeth said, smiling friendly as she approached, "what a pleasant surprise! Were you waiting for me?"

Gasping, Alris quickly stood between Aribeth and the chalked picture, hoping to cover it all. "H... Hello Aribeth..."

"I'm sorry, but I only took a short recess to catch some air. The summit will continue very soon," Aribeth smiled. "Anyway, you might as well know that I have good news. Aarin's spies have found signals of cult activity in Charwood. It looks like you'll be off for adventure soon..."

"Finally!" Daelan all but roared.

"Alris?" Aribeth asked. "Why are you standing so cramped in front of the wall?"

"Well, I... I... I..."

Before Alris could react, he felt a small hand shoving the daffodils in his and and pushing him aside a little. Knowing that the picture was now in plain sight, Alris grimaced... but for no reason, it seemed. Aribeth stood there, looking at the wall, smiling and blushing a little. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the picture was covered by a big red heart. While Tomi quickly kicked the paint-can behind a bush, Alris moved to give the Daffodils to Aribeth.

"Thank you," Aribeth smiled and blushed a little, taking a moment to smell the flowers. "It was very sweet of you to try to cover up that picture."

"Hah!" Sharwyn chuckled. "She knew!"

"You knew?!" Alris sighed.

"Of course," Aribeth smiled. "I would have expected something like this sooner or later," she concluded. "Soldiers are a rowdy lot, after all. Besides, this was nothing compared to some of the crude drawings I was given when I was studying at the academy. Elven females studying there are always given plenty of attention by the boys. I think it's the ears that attracts them..."

"No," Tomi said, "it's the..." He was silenced by Sharwyn, putting her foot on his rather harshly.

"Still," Aribeth said. "It's sweet of you to try to remove it."

"Would you mind if I wait for you here?" Alris asked as the two elves embraced. "We could go for a walk after you are done."

"I'd love that," Aribeth said, flowing into Alris' arms. "I'll try to wrap things up quickly... Think an hour. There'll be plenty of hours in the day left for a nice nature-walk."

---

"A gift?" Aarin smiled as Aribeth returned to the table ahead of time and slipped past him to put a batch of freshly picked daffodils into a little vase.

"From Alris," Aribeth smiled and smelled the flowers again. "Hand-picked..."

"Oh, that means extra points, then?" Aarin grinned.

"Very funny, Aarin," Aribeth shook her head.

"Truth be told," Aarin observed as he stood up from his seat. "I haven't seen you happier in the last six months than you are now... After Fenthick's death..."

"Fenthick..." Aribeth sighed. "Funny... At times I don't feel very happy..."

"Anything you'd like to share with a friend?" Aarin pressed. "Sometimes talking helps."

"I feel like... I'm betraying Fenthick by persuing another so quickly after his Death. Half a year is not even the blink of an eye for an elf..." Aribeth sighed.

"Love can jump you when you least expect it," Aarin offered a comforting smile and laid his hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you for your comfort," Aribeth said, withdrawing from the comfortable gesture Aarin was offering. "But... I feel like I'm betraying Alris. He loves me , and I l... care deeply for him too, but... am I merely looking for a replacement for Fenthick? Someone to fill the void?"

"I don't think so, Aribeth," Aarin offered. "Alris and Fenthick are very different persons."

"Perhaps... Perhaps," Aribeth sighed. "Whatever the reasons, I... I need this, Aarin. I need this to keep me grounded... and to keep me sane..."

"The nightmares?" Aarin said knowingly. "They've been getting worse, haven't they?"

"Last night," Aribeth told while a painful look crossed her elven features, "I was falling and falling, only to land in an ocean of blood. I was panicked, tried to swim but was dragged to the depths and drowned... I truly felt I like had died when I woke up this morning... Maybe part of me did..."

"Then if Alris' visits give you comfort," Aarin nodded. "Then you should go to him. Spending time with someone you love is a great healer. And I can assure you he'll always treat you like a queen..."

Aribeth seemed to calm a little and took her seat. "Let us discuss the situation in Charwood, then..." she said, ending the conversation.

---

After the meeting had adjourned and everyone had left the barracks, Aarin Gend headed towards his private quarters, closed and locked the door and opened a small, locked chest with a magical key. From the chest, he took an orb, put it on the table and, immediately, it's magics formed a globe of silence around him, making sure the conversation was private. In the orb, the haunted face of Lord Nasher appeared.

"Aarin," the gruff ruler spoke. "I haven't heard from you in over a month... How goes the search?"

"Well, so far," Aarin replied. "Alris and his friends have found evidence of the cult's location and leaders, but we are trying to find more evidence to back up our ideas. How fares the city?"

"We are finally finished picking up the pieces," Nasher sighed. "We have started to rebuild and things are starting to turn to normal... which brings me to another question, Aarin. How does Aribeth fare?"

"Good... and not good..." Aarin nodded.

"Explain," Nasher ordered.

"The last month, she and Alris have been courting," Aarin replied.

Nasher's eyes seemed to light up for a moment, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Truly? Well, the lad's infatuation with Aribeth was obvious, I'll say that much. And I am happy to hear Aribeth shares those feelings... I have been concerned about her. After I had Fenthick executed, she would not even look at me, nor speak to me aside from the usual matters of state. The hate in her eyes burned my soul... But I cannot blame her."

"There is still a measure of malice in her voice whenever she speaks of you, Lord Nasher," Aarin replied.

"That... was to be expected," Nasher sighed. "I cannot expect her to forgive me, nor have I trouble forgiving myself... We were all caught up in the moment, Aarin. Thought with our spiteful hearts instead of our minds. The more things are turning to normal, the more I question my decision to have Fenthick hanged..."

"Aribeth has been having nightmares as of late," Aarin sighed. "Terrible nightmares. Her blossoming relationship with Alris is keeping her on track, though. I have no doubt their feelings for each other are genuine. Aribeth is in love with Alris, but not willing to admit it as of yet. There is... a touch of desperation on Aribeth's side."

"Perhaps I was being to harsh on her," Nasher sighed and rubbed his temples. "I should have released her from duty and allowed her to move away, as is the custom of her people. Perhaps... that is another decision to regret, but we needed all hands... Well, that's all for now, Aarin. Keep me informed of your progress..."

Aarin nodded and broke the connection, replaced the orb in the chest and locked it, and decided to spent the next hours of the day in quiet contemplation.

---

"Alris?" Aribeth asked as they were taking a calm and quiet stroll through the depths of the forest. The sensation of nature all around them was extremely comforting to both elves, moreso to Aribeth, who was used to spending all her days in the city. "Do you ever think about the future?"

Alris stopped walking and turned to Aribeth. "Sometimes..." Alris offered. "Well, quite often really," he blushed.

"Truly?" Aribeth smiled. "Anything you'd like to share? Tell me... how do you think of... our future? When all of this is over? Do you think there'd be hope for our relationship if I remained a servant of Lord Nasher and Neverwinter? If I am to live in the city?"

"It would be difficult," Alris said truthfully, "for me to live in a city. But if it means being near you, I could do it... I'd have to do it."

"I wouldn't want to keep you in one place, Alris," Aribeth blushed. "No doubt there'll be further adventures for you and your party."

"Sadly," Alris spoke, "I can see my party falling apart when this ends. Daelan wants to seek a wife, Boddyknock will return to Lantan and Linu, well, she might be back after returning the chalice to Evereska, but who knows. Tomi and Sharwyn, however, will be looking for other adventures, no doubt, perhaps with me, perhaps not..."

"Well," Aribeth smiled and took a moment to caress Alris' cheek, "how would you... and the other like it, if I were to join you on your travels? I could... be an asset to your party perhaps?"

"We all like you," Alris smiled. "You'd fit in fine and... I'd very much love to travel the world with you."

"I've never thought much about seeing the world," Aribeth smiled. "Not until you came along and... well, my dislike of Neverwinter has turned into... cold hatred, perhaps. I... really want to get as far away from Neverwinter as possible. I've enough of serving lord Nasher and his ilk."

"There'll always be a place in the party for you, Aribeth," Alris smiled. "I promise you, when this all is over, we'll travel together... I promise I'll show you Evermeet one day..."

"A promise, then," Aribeth smiled, and briefly brushed her lips with Alris'. "Shall we return to Port Llast then? It is getting late."

Slowly, the two elves walked back to town.