Chapter One: A New Day

Chapter One: A New Day

The morning sun was shining brightly as Leen awoke. She sat up groggily, using one of her hands to shield her eyes against the bright sunlight. Her memories of the previous night were fuzzy and hard to remember. However, one thing she was sure of was the fact that her foster father, Gorion, was dead.

Memories of the battle between Gorion and the armoured figure flashed before her eyes. She recalled how he had been impaled upon the sword of the armoured figure and even his powerful magic couldn’t stop the onslaught.

“Hand over your ward,” she repeated under her breath. “He was after me.”

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand as tears started to gather in them. Looking at her surroundings, she realised that she must of collapsed as she fled the scene of Gorion’s murder.

She was lying on grass wet from rain the night before. Her weapons were beside her, within easy reach. She slowly stood up, returning all her weapons to their correct position.

She wondered where Melfice was now, had he been attacked too? “Why did you change so much?” she asked herself, as some of her earlier memories of Melfice came flooding back. Such as the time she and Melfice had taken one of the watcher’s long swords as a joke, and he had chased them three times around the grounds of Candlekeep before he retrieved it.

She smiled at these memories but soon returned to her present problem. “I could return to Candlekeep, but I have no book of value,” she said to herself, beginning to lose hope.

She looked up suddenly as she heard the sound of footsteps moving in her direction. She quickly drew her bastard sword and using her agility and, skills obtained after hours of sneaking around Candlekeep, she silently moved behind a tree and waited for whoever was approaching.

A young, human female, roughly around the same age as her, came into view. She had shocking bright pink hair and was wearing a black tunic with yellow trim.

“Imoen!” Leen shouted, running forward to greet her friend. “What are you doing here?”

Imoen smiled faintly before answering, “I couldn’t let you wander out here alone and I had to get away from that keep.” “I…I saw Gorion’s body, Leen, I’m so sorry,” she stuttered.

“I thought something like this might happen.”

“How could you? Gorion never said anything to me,” Leen asked as tears came flooding back again.

“I accidentally read a letter that was on his desk the day you left. He still might have it…on his body.”

Leen didn’t say anything to this. She glanced down at the ground so that her friend couldn’t see her tears.

“Do…you want to go and check?” Imoen asked quietly.

Leen nodded once and together they set off towards the scene of Gorion’s murder.

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Leen stood staring down at the body of Gorion. His once sleek grey hair was untidy and stained with his own blood, and his once kind and gentle facial features were twisted in an expression of pain and fury.

“Wh…what happened Leen?” Imoen asked, as she stared at the bodies of the two ogres and Gorion.

“We were ambushed by them, this woman and an armoured man,” Leen replied. “They wanted me. Gorion could of just walked away.”

Leen burst into tears and covered her face with her hands in an attempt to stop them. She felt reassuring hands encircle her and she was pulled into a tight and loving embrace.

After a few minutes, Leen removed her hands from her face and detangled herself from Imoen. She slowly walked over to Gorion’s body and knelt down, moving a hesitant hand towards his robes, ready to search for the letter that Imoen had mentioned. But suddenly she stopped.

Imoen stood watching her friend. When her gaze fell on the body of Gorion, tears began to gather in her eyes, “No, you can’t cry, you have to be strong for Leen.” She whispered to herself hoping that Leen didn’t hear her.

“I can’t do it,” Leen said. “It just doesn’t feel right.”

“Do you want me to get it for you?” Imoen asked.

Leen stood up and nodded quickly, before walking a short distance away from the death scene.

She sat down with her back against a tree and waited for Imoen. However, after a few minutes had passed, she slowly started to nod off.

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Leen awoke after a gentle shaking from Imoen.

“How long have I been asleep?” she asked as she stood up rubbing her eyes.

“An hour or so”

“What have you been doing all this time?”

“Well, I used one of the ogre’s morning stars to try and…ummm…make a grave.”

“Oh, thank you,” Leen replied quietly, “did you find that letter?”

“Yeah,” Imoen replied, handing over a letter and a small pouch, “I also found some gold as well.”

Leen took the items from her friend, examining them carefully. With trembling hands she began to open the letter, but then decided against reading it just then.

“Where to now, Leen?” Imoen asked. “We can’t return to Candlekeep.”

“I know. Gorion said that if we ever became separated, I should make my way to the Friendly Arm Inn where I would meet two friend of his.”

“Okay, did he tell you their names?”

“Yeah, they were…ummm…Jalid and Kaheira,” she replied.

Imoen gave her a questioning look and when Leen saw it, she quickly added, “No I think it was Khalid and Jaheira.”

“I think we should go and meet them,” Imoen said.

“Yeah, so do I,” Leen replied.

Together they set off along the Lion’s Way, in the direction of the Friendly Arm. With Imoen still fighting back her tears.