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Forgotten Realms: New fic
May. 13th, 2023 04:59 amMeanwhile, On the Surface... (4284 words) by Somariel
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Alustriel Silverhand
Characters: Catti-brie (Dungeons & Dragons), Alustriel Silverhand, Bruenor Battlehammer
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ensemble Cast
Summary:
Please read my fic Hedging Bets before reading this, as it will most likely be rather confusing otherwise.
Like other fics that include Kastan, assumes Drizzt didn't escape graduation unscathed.
Catti-brie had been preparing her arguments since the agreement that they truly could not afford to go any deeper without some way of seeing in the dark, so once they were safely back inside the Hall and Regis—oh, she was so glad that they had chosen to go deeper after finding the dead dwarves, as they wouldn't have found the halfling otherwise (or the dead drow, but her friend was more important to her than the confirmation the drow provided)—had been turned over to the clerics for more healing, she caught the attention of Wulfgar and her da.
"Sure'n as the sight we need tae go after Drizzt is wizard magic, the Lady of Silverymoon is a powerful one, and a friend of his to boot.
"Sae in the mornin', I'm taking Drizzt's mare an' goin' tae Silverymoon tae ask for her aid, one friend o' Drizzt to another."
Wulfgar opened his mouth to protest, then immediately snapped it shut, remembering the revelation in the tunnels of Entreri's manipulation of him, which meant he actually needed to think about his objection before saying anything.
Bruenor, however, had no reason to hesitate. "An' ye think she'll give it, just 'cause ye asked? Wi'out askin' for anything in return?"
"If'n I'm the one as asks her, aye. Ye're King o' the Hall, an' Wulfgar's the leader of Settlestone, sae a request from either of ye'd be one leader askin' another for a personal favor.
"But if'n it's me, it's just one person askin' another tae give help to a mutual friend."
Wulfgar took the time to also consider that before he spoke. "And while Regis is also Drizzt's friend, he's in no shape to travel right now, and the sooner we get the aid we need, the better," he reasoned aloud.
"Aye," Catti-brie agreed. "An' that's without considerin' that he cannae manage a horse on his own, nor has he met the Lady at all."
That Regis also did not know how deep the feelings between Drizzt and the Lady ran was not something she would say to them, not when his admission of such had been given in confidence.
Bruenor gave a gusty sigh, then said, "Sure and I donnae like it, but I cannae say as ye're wrong."
"Thank ye, Da." Catti-brie gave him a hug, squeezed Wulfgar's hand reassuringly, and then headed for her room to prepare a pack for the trip.
Loren would recognize Soregana anywhere, after having been the one to bring her to Silverymoon when the ranger had had his misadventure last autumn, but the mare's rider, as she approached the Moorgate this afternoon, was very much not the ranger!
But even so, she still had a feeling, somehow, that the red-haired human woman riding the mare was someone who would have the ranger's permission to do so.
Looking carefully for anything that might give her a reason for that feeling, Loren noticed the longbow slung across the woman's back, reminding her of one of the tales brought back by the archers who had gone to aid in the reclamation of Mithral Hall—a red-haired woman wielding a magical bow, who was claimed as a daughter by the King of the Hall.
And the princess would indeed have the ranger's permission to ride his mare, as it was well known how close she and her father and the leader of Settlestone's people were to him.
Still, the fact that it was the princess who had come on Soregana, and not the ranger himself, strongly suggested there was trouble up at the Hall.
So Loren went out to meet her, leaving the Silver Watch guards on duty to handle the regular gate traffic.
Catti-brie brought Soregana to a halt when she saw the gate guard in fancier armor than the others coming to meet her.
And when the guard—a young woman—reached her, she was glad she had, as she didn't want news of Drizzt's predicament to get spread around, but the first words out of the woman's mouth were "Lady Battlehammer! What has brought you from the Hall on the ranger's mare?"
"Some trouble me ranger is in," Catti answered. "I've come tae ask the Lady if she can provide the aid needed to get him out of it."
Loren's eyes widened in concern at the princess's answer. Any trouble the ranger could not get himself out of had to be dire, indeed!
"Very well, then. I'll guide you to the Palace. I'm Loren, squire to Knight Daerwin."
And with a sign that she was leaving given to the senior of the Silver Watch guards, Loren started off at a pace that would not quite be fast enough for Soregana to want to trot.
The trip across the city to the Palace passed quickly, and soon enough, Catti-brie had turned Soregana over to the squire for care, and was following a Knight through the Palace.
And after a meeting with the Lady's secretary that had gotten her added to the schedule as the last appointment of the day, she was shown to a room where she could wait comfortably for the hour and a half until said appointment.
Her nerves over the Lady's possible reaction to the news she carried somehow made it seem like she had been waiting both far too long and barely any time at all when a page came to get her for the appointment and as she walked, Catti-brie reminded herself that Drizzt would never have come to love the Lady so deeply if she was the petty sort to blame the messenger.
Alustriel, having been informed of Catti-brie's addition to her schedule, was pleased to finally get a chance to properly meet the young woman Drizzt thought so highly of, but all such thoughts left her when Catti-brie entered the room.
The subtle signs of strain in the young woman's face and posture, the lingering evidence of days of hard riding, all told Alustriel that this was not a simple friendly visit, or even one to personally deliver the wedding invitation. And some instinct told her that the reason for both was, somehow, connected to Drizzt.
So as soon as the door had closed behind the page, she got up from behind the desk, and moved to arrange the petitioners' chairs to face one another.
Catti-brie couldn't help but stare as the Lady swiftly rearranged the seating to put their meeting on an informal footing, even as it was a relief to see her do something so kind.
But once they were both seated, she found that the words she needed to say were stuck in her throat.
Seeing the clear signs that Catti-brie was struggling with whatever she had to say, Alustriel reached out and gently took her hands.
"I do not know what trouble brought you here in such haste, but I promise you, Catti-brie, that if it is within my power to provide any needed aid, you will have it."
That near-immediate reassurance dissolved the lump in Catti's throat, and after taking a steadying breath, she spoke.
"It's me ranger, Lady. He's been captured by drow workin' with Entreri, and we donnae have any way of seeing in the dark tae let us mount a rescue."
That was terrible news indeed, but even as a fist of ice closed around her heart, Alustriel felt the prickles up and down her spine that tended to accompany her moments of divinely influenced intuition.
"I will certainly be happy to loan you what I have that can provide you with that ability," she said, "but my instincts are telling me that there is something larger in play than just Drizzt's capture.
"I do not think I have the time now to listen to the full tale of what has happened, but if you agree, I will have a page bring you to Drizzt's rooms so that you may rest and refresh yourself, and then I will come to hear the tale after evenfeast."
Catti-brie could hardly imagine what such a larger problem might be, but she wasn't going to discount the possibility that there might be one, not when she knew the Lady was divinely touched.
So she took a gulping breath, held it for a moment, and when she felt steadier, she let it out, and said, "Aye, Lady, that works for me."
Sitting beside Catti-brie on the divan in Drizzt's rooms, Alustriel carefully considered the events that the young woman had described.
Eventually, however, she sighed, and said, "What most jumps out at me as odd, in all of that, is that taking Drizzt on the road would have significantly reduced the number of possible disruptions their plan could experience, and yet they chose to have Entreri infiltrate the Hall and take Drizzt in the tunnels under it.
"And when you combine that with the sheer number of goblins and several ettins that were present for the battle you spoke of, I fear that Mithral Hall itself may be the truer target."
After a moment to think it over, Catti-brie found that she had to agree. "Aye, I can see that. And if'n they have any way to get in tae Drizzt's head, he knows a fair bit about th' Hall's defenses, so capturin' him first even makes sense.
"But we cannae afford to act on guesses, so how d'we figger out if'n that's true?"
"My initial feeling about something larger in play was divinely influenced," Alustriel replied, "so Mystra may be able to provide an answer."
Asking a deity directly was not at all something Catti-brie would have considered as a solution, but if the Lady was offering...
"If'n ye're sure it's nae a bother to ask, then aye, that'd work."
"It's not a bother at all," Alustriel answered, "and I can do it right now, so you'll have an answer quickly.
"However, communing with Her leaves me quite unaware of the world around me, so it will be helpful for you to remain alert while I do so."
"I can do that, Lady," Catti-brie said, shifting for better awareness of the doors in the room.
"Thank you." Alustriel then began the process of sinking deep within herself, down to the silver fire at the core of her soul, and when she had reached it, she called out to her mother. "Does Mithral Hall face further threat from the drow?"
The answer that came in a flickering of that same fire was solemn and certain and sad. "All Menzoberranzan comes against the Hall. Within five weeks of the ranger's capture."
The entire city coming was unusual, but it was otherwise the answer Alustriel had expected, if not the one she'd wanted. So with an unhappy sigh, she began to rise out of the silver fire and return to her mortal life.
Catti-brie was fascinated by the flickers of silver light in the Lady's eyes when she opened them again, but that feeling quickly fled on hearing the Lady's words.
"All of Menzoberranzan is coming, within five weeks of Drizzt's capture."
Alustriel could see the fear starting to enter Catti-brie's expression as her words sank in, so she swiftly continued. "Mithral Hall will not stand alone. Silverymoon will provide as much aid as it can."
That immediate promise of aid doused Catti-brie's spiraling emotions as thoroughly as if the Lady had dumped a bucket of icewater on her, and after a few deep breaths to steady herself, she nodded.
"What sort of aid are ye thinkin' of, Lady?" she asked. "Da's a proud dwarf, but if'n I know, I can help ye find the right arguments to convince him."
"First," Alustriel said, "I offer Knights in Silver to help hold Keeper's Dale and the river-side valley against whatever forces find ways out of the tunnels and caverns beneath the Hall's gates."
"Shouldnae be hard tae get Da to accept that," Catti-brie said. "'Twill increase how many dwarves can be assigned to the fightin' in the tunnels, after all."
"Second, if it is desired, I can provide Spellguards to help with countering the magic the drow are sure to use in the battles."
Catti-brie sighed. "That's going tae have to be discussed with Da and General Dagna. I doubt tunnel fightin' tactics would work well with battle magic, but I c'n see as it'd be helpful in any battles outside."
"And finally," Alustriel said, "I will personally come to apply trap and warding spells to the passages under the Hall.
"However, as I do not expect that Mithral Hall has supplies of diamond dust, powdered opal, quicksilver, and other such precious things on hand, that will definitely require negotiations with your father over repayment for the use of my own supplies in the casting."
"Aye," Catti-brie agreed. "Da'd never willingly accept that sort of imbalance, but it'd be right useful for ye tae do that."
"Then, unless there is anything else you wish to speak of with me, I will leave you to your rest, as I would like to depart for the Hall early tomorrow morning and there is a fair bit that must be done tonight to enable that."
"Nae, Lady, there's nothing else."
Alustriel squeezed Catti-brie's hands gently in farewell. "I will see you in the morning, then."
And with that, she got up from the divan and left the room.
Having sent for Methri to come take on her duties while she was away, filled in Taern, arranged for a Knight and Spellguard—given the situation, Korvallen had to be the Knight, so she had requested that the Spellguard not be Niska—to be her escort, and made up both a pack of spell components and one holding what she would need for herself, Alustriel prepared to take her own rest.
But before she actually began the meditation that was all she needed as a Chosen, there was one last thing to do.
For all that the situation meant no one could afford to mount a rescue for Drizzt, it did not necessarily mean aid for him was impossible.
So she reached out over the anklets to her youngest sister. ~Qilué, would you please ask your other Lady to especially watch over Drizzt right now?~
A sense of puzzlement accompanied Qilué's answer. ~I will, of course, but can you please tell me why you wish for Her to give extra attention to him at the moment?~
The question had come on Qilué's own sending, so Alustriel was able to reply immediately. ~He's been captured by drow, but Menzoberranzan will be attacking Mithral Hall within four and a half weeks, so no one can be spared for a rescue.~
After a delay for the anklet to recharge, a wave of sympathy accompanied Qilué's response of ~I will pray for his safe return, then.~
~Thank you.~
Bruenor would never admit it to anyone, but he had been counting the days until Catti-brie's return, so a dwarrow seeking him out to report such, at the earliest it would have been possible, was not truly unexpected.
The other news the dwarrow carried, however, was a surprise. Catti-brie had brought the Lady of Silverymoon—as well as both a Knight in Silver and a Spellguard for escort—with her.
Not only that, Wulfgar had accompanied them up from Settlestone, and Catti-brie had asked for him, Dagna, and Cobble to meet them in the council chamber.
Setting aside the plans for a potential modification to one of the forges that he had been studying, he swiftly headed that way, new concerns joining his worry over Drizzt.
It had not taken long for all of them to assemble in the chamber, and once introductions had been made on all sides, Bruenor got right down to business.
"Me girl was only going tae ask ye for some way to see in the dark, so's a rescue party could be sent after me elf,”—that brought the brief amusement of the elven Knight's double take at hearing Drizzt referred to as an elf—“but there'd be nae need for ye tae come yerself to deliver such, Lady.
"So what's the looming disaster that's brought ye here?"
"Mystra tells me that all of Menzoberranzan is coming to attack Mithral Hall, within five weeks of Drizzt's capture," Alustriel replied bluntly, adhering to the dwarven preference for being straightforward.
Though from the degree to which the shock of the three dwarves was actually visible, she thought that—at least this time—they might actually have appreciated being eased into the news.
"Well," Bruenor said, once he'd stopped gaping, "at least we have some time tae prepare for it.
"And ye're offerin' tae aid us, or ye'd nae have come yerself." After a glance at both Cobble and Dagna for any opposition, he continued. "Sae make yer offer, and we can get down tae bargaining."
Thoroughly discussing what the Lady was offering as aid, and then coming to an agreement both sides could accept, took a fair bit of time, and Bruenor had used it to study not just the Lady, but the Knight and Spellguard too.
And the one thing he saw that he found truly odd was that while the Knight never actually spoke against the Lady—had made useful contributions to the discussion, even—he still seemed to be displeased with the whole matter, and grew even more so when the Lady's personal role in the offered aid was discussed.
Which left Bruenor concerned that politics might have forced the Lady to bring a Knight who disapproved of aiding the Hall.
So when the negotiations had concluded and the Lady's party was following a dwarrow to the guest quarters, he pulled Catti-brie aside.
"D'we need to keep an eye on th' Knight, tae make sure he doesnae cause problems?" Bruenor asked her.
"Korvallen? No, not at all. Why'd ye think he might?"
And once Bruenor explained what he'd observed during the negotiations, and the concerns that had raised for him, she actually laughed.
"Nae, Korvallen doesnae disapprove of helpin' us. It's just that he's highly protective of the Lady, and would much prefer it if'n she was nowhere near the Hall while it's under threat from the drow."
"He have a problem with Drizzt too, or is it just evil drow?"
Catti-brie took a moment to consider how to phrase her answer without revealing too much about the Lady's private life.
"The Lady says he's been working on getting past the usual prejudices, and it's been going faster since he unbent himself enough to ask Drizzt for a spar.
"It's apparently quite difficult for Korvallen to find a swordsman capable of even challenging him, but Drizzt is the closest the Lady has ever seen to being his equal."
"That's good enough, then," Bruenor allowed grudgingly.
"Then I'll see ye in the morning, me da," Catti-brie said. "I'm in sore need of a good sleep after all that riding."
The next morning, once the gate into the lowest tunnels had closed behind them, Alustriel put on the cat's-eye circlet, then cast the spell for darkvision on Catti-brie.
"It takes a few moments for your eyes to get used to the difference," she said, "so we should wait here until they have."
"Aye, La- Alustriel." Catti-brie quickly corrected her address at the displeased noise the other woman made.
Then, searching for something to talk about while they waited, she remembered what she had noted at the morning meal as something to ask about later.
"Yer mood seems a bit lighter today than when the negotiations ended yesterday. Is it just 'cause we're startin' on actually doing things, or is there another reason?"
Alustriel hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Did Drizzt tell you anything about the place I took him to visit during his second stay in Silverymoon this winter?"
"The community of other good drow, ye mean?"
"Exactly. Anyway, back in Silverymoon, after I had finished my preparations for this trip, I reached out to my contact there to make sure their goddess was aware of Drizzt's situation."
"You got some good news from them last night, then?" Catti wasn't sure what would count as such other than Drizzt having escaped, and Alustriel's mood wasn't improved enough for that to have happened, but there was no other reason for Alustriel to have begun her answer by talking about them.
"Hopeful news, at least," Alustriel replied. "My contact told me last night that their goddess believes that Drizzt might not be completely without allies in any attempt to escape."
Catti-brie felt like all the breath had just been knocked out of her, and it took a moment before she was able to speak. "That's hopeful news indeed. Let's pray She's right."
When Alustriel had finished with applying traps and wards to the tunnels and caverns under Mithral Hall, she had—with only mild reluctance—returned to Silverymoon and thrown herself into her duties, as well as anything else she could find that could help distract her from her worries about Drizzt.
But despite her best efforts, she still found her mind turning to thoughts of him far more often than usual.
Which was the state of things when, about a week and a half before the end of the five weeks Mystra had specified, Feran came running up to her just as she was leaving the day's reception room after the last of her appointments.
And even as he caught his breath, the page—who she knew had been on the main door today—held a coiled piece of parchment out to her.
"Sparrow hawk came, Lady, accepted my hand for landing so I could get this off," he said, a hint of a gasp remaining as he spoke.
Firmly telling herself not to get her hopes up just because the coiled parchment was tied with a blue and silver cord, when she had left one with Catti-brie in case Drizzt made it back on his own, she reached out and took it, saying, "Let's see which ranger or druid had a message for me, then."
Removing the cord, Alustriel unrolled the missive, and then her heart started thumping wildly, because that was Drizzt's handwriting inside!
Am safely back, with another like me. Very much want you to meet him.
DD
'Safely back.' It was a blessing to read those words, in her ranger's own hand, but she knew that she would not fully believe it until she saw him with her own eyes.
Which meant that she needed to go find Korvallen, as he would be most displeased if she made even a brief visit to the Hall without him. And that was before factoring in the other drow Drizzt had mentioned.
So once she had thanked Feran, and sent him back to his duties, she turned her steps towards the Knights' wing of the Palace.
Korvallen had known that the chances of actually persuading Alustriel to not make a flying visit to Mithral Hall, in order to see for herself that Drizzt really had returned, were quite slim, but when she mentioned that the ranger had apparently brought another (supposedly) good drow back with him, he had felt it necessary to at least try.
Knowing he would most likely fail had not made him any easier with having done so, and as a result, he was having to put extra effort into maintaining a neutral mood as he followed Alustriel and their guide through the corridors of the Hall.
By the time they had reached Drizzt's room, he at least felt confident that he would be able to hold a stony facade in regard to the new drow, provided no reason to distrust Drizzt's judgment presented itself.
Alustriel's knock was quickly answered by Drizzt opening the door and letting them into his room, which was, for some reason, even more dimly lit than the dwarven standard.
And then, as Korvallen's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he found himself having to prevent his jaw from dropping.
Sitting on the bed, near its head, was the new drow.
And said drow was even more of a child by civilized standards than Drizzt was! Korvallen would eat his boots raw if the boy was more than half Drizzt's age.
As Korvallen wrestled with his outrage, Drizzt sat down beside the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Then he said, "Alustriel, Korvallen, this is Kastan. My son."
Korvallen's thoughts came to a screeching halt at those words, and he couldn't help but stare at the pair as he tried to wrap his mind around the impossibility.
But it apparently wasn't such an impossibility for Alustriel, whose immediate response was "Oh, Drizzt. How are you doing?"
"Better than I would have been if you hadn't helped me work through all of that."
"I'm glad that's the case. May I sit beside you?"
"Please," Drizzt said.
Alustriel moving to do so broke Korvallen's stunned paralysis, and he brought a chair over, set it down facing Drizzt, and sat down shortly after Alustriel had.
The mental paralysis had broken with the physical one, and he was now able to put together the pieces of what he knew about Lolthite society to understand how the boy was Drizzt's son. Which made Alustriel asking if she could sit beside him make sense, when the memories of such a violation had been so recently stirred.
Once Alustriel was settled beside Drizzt, she asked, "Will you share the tale of what has happened to you since you entered the tunnels under the Hall with the false Regis?"
"Of course," Drizzt replied.
And as the ranger started spinning the tale, Korvallen settled in to listen.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Alustriel Silverhand
Characters: Catti-brie (Dungeons & Dragons), Alustriel Silverhand, Bruenor Battlehammer
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ensemble Cast
Summary:
The events that were happening on the Surface during Hedging Bets… and a little past that.
Beginning Notes
Please read my fic Hedging Bets before reading this, as it will most likely be rather confusing otherwise.
Like other fics that include Kastan, assumes Drizzt didn't escape graduation unscathed.
Meanwhile, On the Surface...
Catti-brie had been preparing her arguments since the agreement that they truly could not afford to go any deeper without some way of seeing in the dark, so once they were safely back inside the Hall and Regis—oh, she was so glad that they had chosen to go deeper after finding the dead dwarves, as they wouldn't have found the halfling otherwise (or the dead drow, but her friend was more important to her than the confirmation the drow provided)—had been turned over to the clerics for more healing, she caught the attention of Wulfgar and her da.
"Sure'n as the sight we need tae go after Drizzt is wizard magic, the Lady of Silverymoon is a powerful one, and a friend of his to boot.
"Sae in the mornin', I'm taking Drizzt's mare an' goin' tae Silverymoon tae ask for her aid, one friend o' Drizzt to another."
Wulfgar opened his mouth to protest, then immediately snapped it shut, remembering the revelation in the tunnels of Entreri's manipulation of him, which meant he actually needed to think about his objection before saying anything.
Bruenor, however, had no reason to hesitate. "An' ye think she'll give it, just 'cause ye asked? Wi'out askin' for anything in return?"
"If'n I'm the one as asks her, aye. Ye're King o' the Hall, an' Wulfgar's the leader of Settlestone, sae a request from either of ye'd be one leader askin' another for a personal favor.
"But if'n it's me, it's just one person askin' another tae give help to a mutual friend."
Wulfgar took the time to also consider that before he spoke. "And while Regis is also Drizzt's friend, he's in no shape to travel right now, and the sooner we get the aid we need, the better," he reasoned aloud.
"Aye," Catti-brie agreed. "An' that's without considerin' that he cannae manage a horse on his own, nor has he met the Lady at all."
That Regis also did not know how deep the feelings between Drizzt and the Lady ran was not something she would say to them, not when his admission of such had been given in confidence.
Bruenor gave a gusty sigh, then said, "Sure and I donnae like it, but I cannae say as ye're wrong."
"Thank ye, Da." Catti-brie gave him a hug, squeezed Wulfgar's hand reassuringly, and then headed for her room to prepare a pack for the trip.
Loren would recognize Soregana anywhere, after having been the one to bring her to Silverymoon when the ranger had had his misadventure last autumn, but the mare's rider, as she approached the Moorgate this afternoon, was very much not the ranger!
But even so, she still had a feeling, somehow, that the red-haired human woman riding the mare was someone who would have the ranger's permission to do so.
Looking carefully for anything that might give her a reason for that feeling, Loren noticed the longbow slung across the woman's back, reminding her of one of the tales brought back by the archers who had gone to aid in the reclamation of Mithral Hall—a red-haired woman wielding a magical bow, who was claimed as a daughter by the King of the Hall.
And the princess would indeed have the ranger's permission to ride his mare, as it was well known how close she and her father and the leader of Settlestone's people were to him.
Still, the fact that it was the princess who had come on Soregana, and not the ranger himself, strongly suggested there was trouble up at the Hall.
So Loren went out to meet her, leaving the Silver Watch guards on duty to handle the regular gate traffic.
Catti-brie brought Soregana to a halt when she saw the gate guard in fancier armor than the others coming to meet her.
And when the guard—a young woman—reached her, she was glad she had, as she didn't want news of Drizzt's predicament to get spread around, but the first words out of the woman's mouth were "Lady Battlehammer! What has brought you from the Hall on the ranger's mare?"
"Some trouble me ranger is in," Catti answered. "I've come tae ask the Lady if she can provide the aid needed to get him out of it."
Loren's eyes widened in concern at the princess's answer. Any trouble the ranger could not get himself out of had to be dire, indeed!
"Very well, then. I'll guide you to the Palace. I'm Loren, squire to Knight Daerwin."
And with a sign that she was leaving given to the senior of the Silver Watch guards, Loren started off at a pace that would not quite be fast enough for Soregana to want to trot.
The trip across the city to the Palace passed quickly, and soon enough, Catti-brie had turned Soregana over to the squire for care, and was following a Knight through the Palace.
And after a meeting with the Lady's secretary that had gotten her added to the schedule as the last appointment of the day, she was shown to a room where she could wait comfortably for the hour and a half until said appointment.
Her nerves over the Lady's possible reaction to the news she carried somehow made it seem like she had been waiting both far too long and barely any time at all when a page came to get her for the appointment and as she walked, Catti-brie reminded herself that Drizzt would never have come to love the Lady so deeply if she was the petty sort to blame the messenger.
Alustriel, having been informed of Catti-brie's addition to her schedule, was pleased to finally get a chance to properly meet the young woman Drizzt thought so highly of, but all such thoughts left her when Catti-brie entered the room.
The subtle signs of strain in the young woman's face and posture, the lingering evidence of days of hard riding, all told Alustriel that this was not a simple friendly visit, or even one to personally deliver the wedding invitation. And some instinct told her that the reason for both was, somehow, connected to Drizzt.
So as soon as the door had closed behind the page, she got up from behind the desk, and moved to arrange the petitioners' chairs to face one another.
Catti-brie couldn't help but stare as the Lady swiftly rearranged the seating to put their meeting on an informal footing, even as it was a relief to see her do something so kind.
But once they were both seated, she found that the words she needed to say were stuck in her throat.
Seeing the clear signs that Catti-brie was struggling with whatever she had to say, Alustriel reached out and gently took her hands.
"I do not know what trouble brought you here in such haste, but I promise you, Catti-brie, that if it is within my power to provide any needed aid, you will have it."
That near-immediate reassurance dissolved the lump in Catti's throat, and after taking a steadying breath, she spoke.
"It's me ranger, Lady. He's been captured by drow workin' with Entreri, and we donnae have any way of seeing in the dark tae let us mount a rescue."
That was terrible news indeed, but even as a fist of ice closed around her heart, Alustriel felt the prickles up and down her spine that tended to accompany her moments of divinely influenced intuition.
"I will certainly be happy to loan you what I have that can provide you with that ability," she said, "but my instincts are telling me that there is something larger in play than just Drizzt's capture.
"I do not think I have the time now to listen to the full tale of what has happened, but if you agree, I will have a page bring you to Drizzt's rooms so that you may rest and refresh yourself, and then I will come to hear the tale after evenfeast."
Catti-brie could hardly imagine what such a larger problem might be, but she wasn't going to discount the possibility that there might be one, not when she knew the Lady was divinely touched.
So she took a gulping breath, held it for a moment, and when she felt steadier, she let it out, and said, "Aye, Lady, that works for me."
Sitting beside Catti-brie on the divan in Drizzt's rooms, Alustriel carefully considered the events that the young woman had described.
Eventually, however, she sighed, and said, "What most jumps out at me as odd, in all of that, is that taking Drizzt on the road would have significantly reduced the number of possible disruptions their plan could experience, and yet they chose to have Entreri infiltrate the Hall and take Drizzt in the tunnels under it.
"And when you combine that with the sheer number of goblins and several ettins that were present for the battle you spoke of, I fear that Mithral Hall itself may be the truer target."
After a moment to think it over, Catti-brie found that she had to agree. "Aye, I can see that. And if'n they have any way to get in tae Drizzt's head, he knows a fair bit about th' Hall's defenses, so capturin' him first even makes sense.
"But we cannae afford to act on guesses, so how d'we figger out if'n that's true?"
"My initial feeling about something larger in play was divinely influenced," Alustriel replied, "so Mystra may be able to provide an answer."
Asking a deity directly was not at all something Catti-brie would have considered as a solution, but if the Lady was offering...
"If'n ye're sure it's nae a bother to ask, then aye, that'd work."
"It's not a bother at all," Alustriel answered, "and I can do it right now, so you'll have an answer quickly.
"However, communing with Her leaves me quite unaware of the world around me, so it will be helpful for you to remain alert while I do so."
"I can do that, Lady," Catti-brie said, shifting for better awareness of the doors in the room.
"Thank you." Alustriel then began the process of sinking deep within herself, down to the silver fire at the core of her soul, and when she had reached it, she called out to her mother. "Does Mithral Hall face further threat from the drow?"
The answer that came in a flickering of that same fire was solemn and certain and sad. "All Menzoberranzan comes against the Hall. Within five weeks of the ranger's capture."
The entire city coming was unusual, but it was otherwise the answer Alustriel had expected, if not the one she'd wanted. So with an unhappy sigh, she began to rise out of the silver fire and return to her mortal life.
Catti-brie was fascinated by the flickers of silver light in the Lady's eyes when she opened them again, but that feeling quickly fled on hearing the Lady's words.
"All of Menzoberranzan is coming, within five weeks of Drizzt's capture."
Alustriel could see the fear starting to enter Catti-brie's expression as her words sank in, so she swiftly continued. "Mithral Hall will not stand alone. Silverymoon will provide as much aid as it can."
That immediate promise of aid doused Catti-brie's spiraling emotions as thoroughly as if the Lady had dumped a bucket of icewater on her, and after a few deep breaths to steady herself, she nodded.
"What sort of aid are ye thinkin' of, Lady?" she asked. "Da's a proud dwarf, but if'n I know, I can help ye find the right arguments to convince him."
"First," Alustriel said, "I offer Knights in Silver to help hold Keeper's Dale and the river-side valley against whatever forces find ways out of the tunnels and caverns beneath the Hall's gates."
"Shouldnae be hard tae get Da to accept that," Catti-brie said. "'Twill increase how many dwarves can be assigned to the fightin' in the tunnels, after all."
"Second, if it is desired, I can provide Spellguards to help with countering the magic the drow are sure to use in the battles."
Catti-brie sighed. "That's going tae have to be discussed with Da and General Dagna. I doubt tunnel fightin' tactics would work well with battle magic, but I c'n see as it'd be helpful in any battles outside."
"And finally," Alustriel said, "I will personally come to apply trap and warding spells to the passages under the Hall.
"However, as I do not expect that Mithral Hall has supplies of diamond dust, powdered opal, quicksilver, and other such precious things on hand, that will definitely require negotiations with your father over repayment for the use of my own supplies in the casting."
"Aye," Catti-brie agreed. "Da'd never willingly accept that sort of imbalance, but it'd be right useful for ye tae do that."
"Then, unless there is anything else you wish to speak of with me, I will leave you to your rest, as I would like to depart for the Hall early tomorrow morning and there is a fair bit that must be done tonight to enable that."
"Nae, Lady, there's nothing else."
Alustriel squeezed Catti-brie's hands gently in farewell. "I will see you in the morning, then."
And with that, she got up from the divan and left the room.
Having sent for Methri to come take on her duties while she was away, filled in Taern, arranged for a Knight and Spellguard—given the situation, Korvallen had to be the Knight, so she had requested that the Spellguard not be Niska—to be her escort, and made up both a pack of spell components and one holding what she would need for herself, Alustriel prepared to take her own rest.
But before she actually began the meditation that was all she needed as a Chosen, there was one last thing to do.
For all that the situation meant no one could afford to mount a rescue for Drizzt, it did not necessarily mean aid for him was impossible.
So she reached out over the anklets to her youngest sister. ~Qilué, would you please ask your other Lady to especially watch over Drizzt right now?~
A sense of puzzlement accompanied Qilué's answer. ~I will, of course, but can you please tell me why you wish for Her to give extra attention to him at the moment?~
The question had come on Qilué's own sending, so Alustriel was able to reply immediately. ~He's been captured by drow, but Menzoberranzan will be attacking Mithral Hall within four and a half weeks, so no one can be spared for a rescue.~
After a delay for the anklet to recharge, a wave of sympathy accompanied Qilué's response of ~I will pray for his safe return, then.~
~Thank you.~
Bruenor would never admit it to anyone, but he had been counting the days until Catti-brie's return, so a dwarrow seeking him out to report such, at the earliest it would have been possible, was not truly unexpected.
The other news the dwarrow carried, however, was a surprise. Catti-brie had brought the Lady of Silverymoon—as well as both a Knight in Silver and a Spellguard for escort—with her.
Not only that, Wulfgar had accompanied them up from Settlestone, and Catti-brie had asked for him, Dagna, and Cobble to meet them in the council chamber.
Setting aside the plans for a potential modification to one of the forges that he had been studying, he swiftly headed that way, new concerns joining his worry over Drizzt.
It had not taken long for all of them to assemble in the chamber, and once introductions had been made on all sides, Bruenor got right down to business.
"Me girl was only going tae ask ye for some way to see in the dark, so's a rescue party could be sent after me elf,”—that brought the brief amusement of the elven Knight's double take at hearing Drizzt referred to as an elf—“but there'd be nae need for ye tae come yerself to deliver such, Lady.
"So what's the looming disaster that's brought ye here?"
"Mystra tells me that all of Menzoberranzan is coming to attack Mithral Hall, within five weeks of Drizzt's capture," Alustriel replied bluntly, adhering to the dwarven preference for being straightforward.
Though from the degree to which the shock of the three dwarves was actually visible, she thought that—at least this time—they might actually have appreciated being eased into the news.
"Well," Bruenor said, once he'd stopped gaping, "at least we have some time tae prepare for it.
"And ye're offerin' tae aid us, or ye'd nae have come yerself." After a glance at both Cobble and Dagna for any opposition, he continued. "Sae make yer offer, and we can get down tae bargaining."
Thoroughly discussing what the Lady was offering as aid, and then coming to an agreement both sides could accept, took a fair bit of time, and Bruenor had used it to study not just the Lady, but the Knight and Spellguard too.
And the one thing he saw that he found truly odd was that while the Knight never actually spoke against the Lady—had made useful contributions to the discussion, even—he still seemed to be displeased with the whole matter, and grew even more so when the Lady's personal role in the offered aid was discussed.
Which left Bruenor concerned that politics might have forced the Lady to bring a Knight who disapproved of aiding the Hall.
So when the negotiations had concluded and the Lady's party was following a dwarrow to the guest quarters, he pulled Catti-brie aside.
"D'we need to keep an eye on th' Knight, tae make sure he doesnae cause problems?" Bruenor asked her.
"Korvallen? No, not at all. Why'd ye think he might?"
And once Bruenor explained what he'd observed during the negotiations, and the concerns that had raised for him, she actually laughed.
"Nae, Korvallen doesnae disapprove of helpin' us. It's just that he's highly protective of the Lady, and would much prefer it if'n she was nowhere near the Hall while it's under threat from the drow."
"He have a problem with Drizzt too, or is it just evil drow?"
Catti-brie took a moment to consider how to phrase her answer without revealing too much about the Lady's private life.
"The Lady says he's been working on getting past the usual prejudices, and it's been going faster since he unbent himself enough to ask Drizzt for a spar.
"It's apparently quite difficult for Korvallen to find a swordsman capable of even challenging him, but Drizzt is the closest the Lady has ever seen to being his equal."
"That's good enough, then," Bruenor allowed grudgingly.
"Then I'll see ye in the morning, me da," Catti-brie said. "I'm in sore need of a good sleep after all that riding."
The next morning, once the gate into the lowest tunnels had closed behind them, Alustriel put on the cat's-eye circlet, then cast the spell for darkvision on Catti-brie.
"It takes a few moments for your eyes to get used to the difference," she said, "so we should wait here until they have."
"Aye, La- Alustriel." Catti-brie quickly corrected her address at the displeased noise the other woman made.
Then, searching for something to talk about while they waited, she remembered what she had noted at the morning meal as something to ask about later.
"Yer mood seems a bit lighter today than when the negotiations ended yesterday. Is it just 'cause we're startin' on actually doing things, or is there another reason?"
Alustriel hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Did Drizzt tell you anything about the place I took him to visit during his second stay in Silverymoon this winter?"
"The community of other good drow, ye mean?"
"Exactly. Anyway, back in Silverymoon, after I had finished my preparations for this trip, I reached out to my contact there to make sure their goddess was aware of Drizzt's situation."
"You got some good news from them last night, then?" Catti wasn't sure what would count as such other than Drizzt having escaped, and Alustriel's mood wasn't improved enough for that to have happened, but there was no other reason for Alustriel to have begun her answer by talking about them.
"Hopeful news, at least," Alustriel replied. "My contact told me last night that their goddess believes that Drizzt might not be completely without allies in any attempt to escape."
Catti-brie felt like all the breath had just been knocked out of her, and it took a moment before she was able to speak. "That's hopeful news indeed. Let's pray She's right."
When Alustriel had finished with applying traps and wards to the tunnels and caverns under Mithral Hall, she had—with only mild reluctance—returned to Silverymoon and thrown herself into her duties, as well as anything else she could find that could help distract her from her worries about Drizzt.
But despite her best efforts, she still found her mind turning to thoughts of him far more often than usual.
Which was the state of things when, about a week and a half before the end of the five weeks Mystra had specified, Feran came running up to her just as she was leaving the day's reception room after the last of her appointments.
And even as he caught his breath, the page—who she knew had been on the main door today—held a coiled piece of parchment out to her.
"Sparrow hawk came, Lady, accepted my hand for landing so I could get this off," he said, a hint of a gasp remaining as he spoke.
Firmly telling herself not to get her hopes up just because the coiled parchment was tied with a blue and silver cord, when she had left one with Catti-brie in case Drizzt made it back on his own, she reached out and took it, saying, "Let's see which ranger or druid had a message for me, then."
Removing the cord, Alustriel unrolled the missive, and then her heart started thumping wildly, because that was Drizzt's handwriting inside!
Am safely back, with another like me. Very much want you to meet him.
DD
'Safely back.' It was a blessing to read those words, in her ranger's own hand, but she knew that she would not fully believe it until she saw him with her own eyes.
Which meant that she needed to go find Korvallen, as he would be most displeased if she made even a brief visit to the Hall without him. And that was before factoring in the other drow Drizzt had mentioned.
So once she had thanked Feran, and sent him back to his duties, she turned her steps towards the Knights' wing of the Palace.
Korvallen had known that the chances of actually persuading Alustriel to not make a flying visit to Mithral Hall, in order to see for herself that Drizzt really had returned, were quite slim, but when she mentioned that the ranger had apparently brought another (supposedly) good drow back with him, he had felt it necessary to at least try.
Knowing he would most likely fail had not made him any easier with having done so, and as a result, he was having to put extra effort into maintaining a neutral mood as he followed Alustriel and their guide through the corridors of the Hall.
By the time they had reached Drizzt's room, he at least felt confident that he would be able to hold a stony facade in regard to the new drow, provided no reason to distrust Drizzt's judgment presented itself.
Alustriel's knock was quickly answered by Drizzt opening the door and letting them into his room, which was, for some reason, even more dimly lit than the dwarven standard.
And then, as Korvallen's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he found himself having to prevent his jaw from dropping.
Sitting on the bed, near its head, was the new drow.
And said drow was even more of a child by civilized standards than Drizzt was! Korvallen would eat his boots raw if the boy was more than half Drizzt's age.
As Korvallen wrestled with his outrage, Drizzt sat down beside the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Then he said, "Alustriel, Korvallen, this is Kastan. My son."
Korvallen's thoughts came to a screeching halt at those words, and he couldn't help but stare at the pair as he tried to wrap his mind around the impossibility.
But it apparently wasn't such an impossibility for Alustriel, whose immediate response was "Oh, Drizzt. How are you doing?"
"Better than I would have been if you hadn't helped me work through all of that."
"I'm glad that's the case. May I sit beside you?"
"Please," Drizzt said.
Alustriel moving to do so broke Korvallen's stunned paralysis, and he brought a chair over, set it down facing Drizzt, and sat down shortly after Alustriel had.
The mental paralysis had broken with the physical one, and he was now able to put together the pieces of what he knew about Lolthite society to understand how the boy was Drizzt's son. Which made Alustriel asking if she could sit beside him make sense, when the memories of such a violation had been so recently stirred.
Once Alustriel was settled beside Drizzt, she asked, "Will you share the tale of what has happened to you since you entered the tunnels under the Hall with the false Regis?"
"Of course," Drizzt replied.
And as the ranger started spinning the tale, Korvallen settled in to listen.
