If He Was Alive… (69631 words) by Somariel
Chapters: 48/?
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series – R. A. Salvatore
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Alustriel Silverhand/Original Character(s)
Characters: Alustriel Silverhand, Original Elf Character(s), Inthylyn Aerasumé, Lilinthar Aerasumé, Drizzt Do’Urden, Ghaelryss Aerasumé, Uoundeld Aerasumé, Andelver Aerasumé, Elinthalar Aerasumé, Ellifain Tuuserail, Dove Falconhand
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, tags updated as I write things, Ensemble Cast, Implied/Referenced Human Sacrifice, Trauma, Recovery, Alternate Universe - Fusion, the Fusion tag only applies to certain chapters, Implied/Referenced Unplanned Pregnancy, that tag only applies to the Zanna‘Verse
Summary:
Inspired by "Aiding Love to Grow" and various other Legend of Drizzt AUs written by Merfilly (AO3)|Sharpest_Asp (SqWA), with or without Ilyena_Sylph, scenes and snippets from universes where the father of Alustriel's sons is alive in those AUs.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
senmut fleshed out the elf father of Alustriel's sons. Aiding Love to Grow is the AU of an AU that inspired me to start playing with other AUs of AUs.
A few weeks after the spring equinox, Sharr received some surprising—and mildly concerning—news from Alustriel.
~Given the locations, it didn't seem necessary to tell you without more information,~ she began, as they were talking over the anklets after she had turned in for the night, ~but two weeks ago, Besnell received reports of a drow having openly approached both Rivermoot and High Hold by day.~
~But now it does seem necessary?~ Sharr asked. Then he switched to his own sending. ~Or is it that you now have more information?~
~A bit of both, actually,~ Alustriel said. ~Besnell sent a patrol to investigate, with Kolarven as lead and Niska for the Spellguard, and they returned today.
~But despite having swept all the way to the Surbrin and arced wide to return, they found no sign of the drow.~
~Absolutely nothing at all?~ Sharr said. ~That seems... odd.~
~Maybe so,~ Alustriel replied, ~but Niska could scry nothing, and the trail from High Hold was too old to follow by the time the patrol found it.
~So Besnell is increasing patrols to the north and west as a precaution.~
Sharr hadn't truly forgotten about the drow that had approached Rivermoot and High Hold, but with no further word of them, even with Silverymoon's increased patrols, he had set the matter aside as a curiosity.
So the following spring, he was actually rather surprised when Alustriel told him ~I now know what happened to the drow from last year.~
~Oh?~ Sharr said, starting a new sending so she could reply sooner.
~It seems he managed to make his way to Herald's Holdfast.
~As Old Night has informed me that the drow he has been hosting and teaching for the past year is on his way to speak with me.~
~He didn't say anything more than that?~ Sharr asked.
~No, he didn't,~ Alustriel replied, after the wait needed for her anklet to recharge. ~Which does suggest that whatever this Drizzt Do'Urden wishes to speak with me about could affect realm matters.~
~True,~ Sharr agreed. ~It'd be amusing if he found Mithral Hall.
~Given that his trajectory does suggest that he came from the Frost Hills.~
~Yes it would,~ Alustriel agreed. ~And we'll know soon enough, given how close Herald's Holdfast is to Silverymoon.
~Especially since I've sent word to my secretaries to fit him into my schedule as soon as possible after he arrives.~
The following night, Alustriel's tone was very amused when she sent to Sharr. ~It seems that you were correct in your guess as to why Drizzt Do'Urden wished to speak with me.~
~Wait, what?!~ Sharr yelped. ~Really? I was only jesting, because of the direction he came from!~
~Really truly,~ Alustriel replied. ~It seem that the deep gnomes who gave him a map to lead him out of the Underdark were trading partners with Mithral Hall.
~As he came out near Settlestone, and had been given specific warning about danger down a different tunnel than that one.~
~Which he then chose to explore anyway?~ Sharr said, amusement in his tone.
~Yes,~ Alustriel said. ~Though only after the onset of winter had driven him back underground.
~But beyond simply desiring to see the rightful heirs returned to their Hall, the reason he came to speak with me is because of the grave danger he discovered while scouting the Hall's undercity.~
~How bad is it?~ Sharr asked, starting a new sending for a faster answer.
~The duergar and their slaves would pose little problem for a dwarven army,~ Alustriel said, ~but there are also two shadow hounds that serve some creature of the Shadowfell—called Shimmergloom—that is worshipped as a god.~
~That is very much a reason for concern,~ Sharr agreed. ~But dealing with this "Shimmergloom" will surely require knowledge of what it actually is.~
~Which is why Drizzt has agreed to do a second scouting of the Hall,~ Alustriel replied.
There was an affectionate lilt to her voice on the drow's name, and Sharr couldn't help but smile. ~You're attracted to him.~
~Yes. And I'm very pleased that Old Night took steps to encourage him in informality with me by priming him with a tease about my library.~
~Tell me about him, then?~ And as Alustriel started to do so, Sharr settled in to listen.
Given that Alustriel was attracted to Drizzt, Sharr likely would have gone up to Silverymoon to meet him just on general principle, once she mentioned that she had convinced the drow to delay his departure at least long enough to acquaint himself with the city and explore the truth of Old Night's impression that he was ranger-born.
But given that Drizzt was a drow, Sharr felt it was even more important to meet him—for Korvallen's peace of mind, if nothing else—especially after the mystery of Eilistraee not knowing of him was discovered.
And as he got to know the wild-called ranger—because Old Night had been correct, and Drizzt had been literally enraptured the first time he visited Mielikki's Sacred Glade—Sharr realized that Drizzt seemed to reciprocate Alustriel's growing interest.
So he started to work on subtly encouraging the other man to at least broach the idea of his attraction with her.
And while Drizzt had not done so by the time he departed to do the second scouting of the Hall, Sharr could tell that he was giving the idea some serious consideration.
It was nearing autumn when Alustriel reached out to Sharr with the news that Drizzt was back in Silverymoon.
~Niska's patrol brought him in yesterday,~ she said, ~though it will be some time before he's actually ready to report on what he found.~
~Oh?~ Sharr said. ~Due to injuries, or is it something else?~
~Not physical injuries,~ Alustriel said, ~but he was considerably weakened when they found him, and looked grey.
~And the note from the Ladyservant after he was taken to the Glade said that he had suffered grave damage from shades, and will be staying in the Glade until they are certain he's recovered.~
~Mmm. I suppose that's not entirely surprising, given that we already knew the true threat is of Shadowfell origin.
~But it doesn't bode well that he was unable to avoid such damage.~
~No it doesn't,~Alustriel agreed. ~But he did seem to be recovering well when I visited him this evening.~
~I'm glad to hear that,~ Sharr said. ~Though I had the impression that he is not accustomed to being idle, so it does make me wonder what they found for him to occupy himself with.~
~He was reading a large tome by the light of an enchanted stone when I arrived.
~And on another note, he pledged himself to my service so easily that I couldn't help wondering if it's something inherent in elven blood that results in either rapid decisions or centuries of deliberation, with no middle ground between them.~
Sharr had to laugh at that. ~Or maybe it's something about you that causes those of us who hold you in high esteem to be able to make decisions so swiftly.~
He had to wait for her anklet to recharge before she responded, but when she did, he could tell from her tone that she was blushing.
~You really think so?~
~I do.~
It was several more days before Alustriel reported that Drizzt had returned to his rooms in the Palace, and the day after that was when Drizzt finally made his report on the second scouting.
~The true threat inside the Hall is an ancient Shadow Dragon,~ Alustriel told Sharr that evening.
Sharr let out a low whistle at that news, then sighed. ~Well, that would certainly explain why the shades were so thick Drizzt couldn't avoid them.
~What's the current plan for next steps?~
~The dwarven leaders I invited to the meeting are going to conduct a discreet search of the bloodlines of the survivors to see if they can find a proper heir,~ Alustriel replied. ~And I sincerely hope they can.
~Especially since Drizzt has volunteered to lead a small party in through his access when the time comes to actually reclaim the Hall.~
~Having a proper heir to speak to the death curse that would have been laid would definitely be safer than having to rely on clerics for protection from it,~ Sharr agreed. ~On another note, how are things going between you and Drizzt?~
~They're going very well.~ Alustriel's voice was almost purring with pleasure, and her next words explained why. ~I spoke with him privately after the meeting, and he confessed his feelings to me!
~We are, however, going to move slowly in seeing if a relationship between us will actually work out.~
~I am so happy for you, my heart's star,~ Sharr said. ~And yes, going slowly is a good idea.~
When Sharr had gone up to Silverymoon for a couple weeks right after Drizzt's confession, one thing Alustriel had spent some time talking over with him was how to manage her friendship with Niska in light of the fact that the other elf's past experiences with drow had her rather tangled up emotionally over Drizzt's presence, and Alustriel's growing closeness to him.
So when Alustriel reached out to him, shortly after the winter solstice, with the news that Niska seemed to have finally reached an acceptance of Drizzt, he was relieved.
~So what brought her change of heart about,~ Sharr asked, after expressing his relief, ~and how did she show it?~
~The change of heart seems to have been the result of both her and Drizzt having been among those who volunteered to go deal with a threat to one of the outlying farmsteads,~ Alustriel said.
~Specifically, that it was Drizzt's tactics that Kolarven chose to use to face a full tribe of goblinoids, and that he and Guen accounted for a third of the goblinoids—an entire company's worth—all on their own.~
~Ah,~ Sharr said. ~So she got shaken out of her prejudices, then.~
There was a pause for Alustriel's anklet to recharge, and then she replied. ~Yes. As for how she showed her change of heart, a few days after the force returned, she approached Drizzt to ask if he'd help her develop a true lexicon for Drow in exchange for her teaching him Sylvan.~
~Oh, that's a very good peace overture,~ Sharr said. ~Do you think she'd mind if I joined their work?
~Though I'll be coming regardless, since Drizzt and Guen having dealt with a company all by themselves is exactly the sort of thing I've been looking for to convince Kor to agree to a spar with him.~
~I'll ask her,~ Alustriel replied. ~And if Kor doesn't agree to spar Drizzt after hearing that, I'll be very surprised.~
Shortly after mid-spring, Alustriel had informed Sharr that Drizzt was heading up to Luskan to follow the trail of trade goods in Mirabar bearing the Battlehammer crest, but it was not until winter was in full swing that he heard anything further about that quest.
~Given that Drizzt has not returned, I decided to ask Qilué if there was reason to be concerned for him,~ Alustriel said.
~And was—or is—there reason?~ Sharr asked. ~Though, you don't actually sound concerned, so I'm guessing not.~
~Correct. He is alive in the far north, helping a dwarven clan.
~So I have informed Fret that it is likely that Drizzt actually found more Battlehammers.~
While Alustriel's amusement over his knee-jerk reaction to hearing that the Battlehammer chieftain's daughter had straight-up called Drizzt an elf had been mildly annoying, Sharr had not at all been expecting an apology for it. And yet, a few weeks later, that was the very first thing she sent during their conversation after her return from the evening's festivities.
~I find I must apologize for laughing at your spluttering over the idea of Drizzt being outright called an elf,~ she said. ~Because even with Nae having told me that the man's daughter had done so, it was startling to hear Bruenor Battlehammer do so when he and Drizzt met with me today.~
~I can't really blame you for laughing,~ Sharr said, knowing that if their situations had been reversed, he likely would have dome the same, ~but your apology is accepted.
~And I am glad that... Bruenor, you said?... is so clearly able to look past Drizzt's skin.~
~Bruenor, yes,~ Alustriel replied. ~And it was very clear, just from their body language, that he has developed a genuine friendship with Drizzt, even if his words hadn't displayed it later.
~Which I am very grateful for, as it undoubtedly helped smooth things when Drizzt suggested—and offered to mediate—a compromise on my hiring wizards to him for reclaiming the Hall.~
~Well, dwarven pride was always going to be the stumbling block there,~ Sharr said, ~so I'm pleased Drizzt had a mutually acceptable solution for it.
~But how did the rest of the meeting go?~
And as Alustriel started explaining what she'd discussed with Bruenor, Sharr settled in to listen.
Though Sharr had gone up to Silverymoon to visit with Drizzt once the ranger finally returned there after the Hall's reclamation, he was overall relying on his nightly conversations with Alustriel to keep up-to-date on how the other man was doing with fully settling into his relationship with her.
Which meant that when Alustriel mentioned that something about the age of the child Drizzt had saved, in combination with some of the other tales of his life that he'd shared, seemed worth following up on, Sharr spent a while debating whether he should take on the task.
He still hadn't quite decided when Drizzt returned from a ranging injured, but when Alustriel complained about how difficult it had been to get the ranger to accept magical healing, and that he was being resistant to the idea of taking it easy for a few days, Sharr chose to go up with Korvallen to oversee Drizzt's recovery, and simply see if an opportunity to bring up the matter occurred.
As it turned out, Drizzt ended up giving Sharr the clue he needed entirely unintentionally.
One evening when the two of them and Kor were enjoying Guen's company in Sharr's rooms, the conversation turned to Drizzt's bond with her.
And in the process of explaining why the Mielikkians believed that the bond had begun even before Drizzt took possession of her figure, the ranger said, "For all that it made Masoj so angry, being able to work with Guen was the best part of the year of patrol."
"You were only on patrol for a year?" Sharr asked.
Yes?" Drizzt sound confused, but that was only noted vaguely, as the pieces of the oddity Alustriel had mentioned were starting to fall into place.
Sharr knew that Drizzt had gone straight from school to patrol, that the raid had happened during the time on patrol, and that he'd fled the city within weeks of the raid.
But up to now, no one had put that together with the fact that Ellifain had been five at the time of the raid, and was only twenty now.
Which, when combined with the fact that Drizzt had graduated from the fighters' school at thirty, made him distressingly young.
"So you're not even fifty yet?" Sharr was pretty sure he'd managed to keep his distress out of his voice, but there was nothing he could do about Kor sitting bolt upright at his words and staring at Drizzt in horrified shock.
"My thirty-first name day would have been shortly after I fled the city, not that long after the events with Ellifain," Drizzt said. "So yes, I am only forty-five."
"What?!" Kor's strangled cry caused Sharr and Drizzt to both turn and look at him.
Reaching out to wrap his arm around his pale-faced heart brother's shoulders, Sharr pulled him closer.
"Alustriel had mentioned that something seemed odd, when Ellifain's age was combined with some of the other tales of his life Drizzt had shared," he said.
"Is my age a problem?" Drizzt asked.
"No," Sharr said firmly. "It's just... shocking, given that even half-elves aren't considered adult until fifty."
"Ah. Whereas I was considered adult upon graduation."
Kor gave a heavy sigh, and Sharr shifted his arm so his heart-brother could sit back.
"Just one more reason to hate Lolthite drow," Kor said, "for forcing their children to grow up so fast."
"I am beginning to see that," Drizzt said.
Chapters: 48/?
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series – R. A. Salvatore
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Alustriel Silverhand/Original Character(s)
Characters: Alustriel Silverhand, Original Elf Character(s), Inthylyn Aerasumé, Lilinthar Aerasumé, Drizzt Do’Urden, Ghaelryss Aerasumé, Uoundeld Aerasumé, Andelver Aerasumé, Elinthalar Aerasumé, Ellifain Tuuserail, Dove Falconhand
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, tags updated as I write things, Ensemble Cast, Implied/Referenced Human Sacrifice, Trauma, Recovery, Alternate Universe - Fusion, the Fusion tag only applies to certain chapters, Implied/Referenced Unplanned Pregnancy, that tag only applies to the Zanna‘Verse
Summary:
Inspired by "Aiding Love to Grow" and various other Legend of Drizzt AUs written by Merfilly (AO3)|Sharpest_Asp (SqWA), with or without Ilyena_Sylph, scenes and snippets from universes where the father of Alustriel's sons is alive in those AUs.
Fic notes
Sharr comes from Elué and Consort, wheresenmut fleshed out the elf father of Alustriel's sons. Aiding Love to Grow is the AU of an AU that inspired me to start playing with other AUs of AUs.To Begin in Settlestone
A few weeks after the spring equinox, Sharr received some surprising—and mildly concerning—news from Alustriel.
~Given the locations, it didn't seem necessary to tell you without more information,~ she began, as they were talking over the anklets after she had turned in for the night, ~but two weeks ago, Besnell received reports of a drow having openly approached both Rivermoot and High Hold by day.~
~But now it does seem necessary?~ Sharr asked. Then he switched to his own sending. ~Or is it that you now have more information?~
~A bit of both, actually,~ Alustriel said. ~Besnell sent a patrol to investigate, with Kolarven as lead and Niska for the Spellguard, and they returned today.
~But despite having swept all the way to the Surbrin and arced wide to return, they found no sign of the drow.~
~Absolutely nothing at all?~ Sharr said. ~That seems... odd.~
~Maybe so,~ Alustriel replied, ~but Niska could scry nothing, and the trail from High Hold was too old to follow by the time the patrol found it.
~So Besnell is increasing patrols to the north and west as a precaution.~
Sharr hadn't truly forgotten about the drow that had approached Rivermoot and High Hold, but with no further word of them, even with Silverymoon's increased patrols, he had set the matter aside as a curiosity.
So the following spring, he was actually rather surprised when Alustriel told him ~I now know what happened to the drow from last year.~
~Oh?~ Sharr said, starting a new sending so she could reply sooner.
~It seems he managed to make his way to Herald's Holdfast.
~As Old Night has informed me that the drow he has been hosting and teaching for the past year is on his way to speak with me.~
~He didn't say anything more than that?~ Sharr asked.
~No, he didn't,~ Alustriel replied, after the wait needed for her anklet to recharge. ~Which does suggest that whatever this Drizzt Do'Urden wishes to speak with me about could affect realm matters.~
~True,~ Sharr agreed. ~It'd be amusing if he found Mithral Hall.
~Given that his trajectory does suggest that he came from the Frost Hills.~
~Yes it would,~ Alustriel agreed. ~And we'll know soon enough, given how close Herald's Holdfast is to Silverymoon.
~Especially since I've sent word to my secretaries to fit him into my schedule as soon as possible after he arrives.~
The following night, Alustriel's tone was very amused when she sent to Sharr. ~It seems that you were correct in your guess as to why Drizzt Do'Urden wished to speak with me.~
~Wait, what?!~ Sharr yelped. ~Really? I was only jesting, because of the direction he came from!~
~Really truly,~ Alustriel replied. ~It seem that the deep gnomes who gave him a map to lead him out of the Underdark were trading partners with Mithral Hall.
~As he came out near Settlestone, and had been given specific warning about danger down a different tunnel than that one.~
~Which he then chose to explore anyway?~ Sharr said, amusement in his tone.
~Yes,~ Alustriel said. ~Though only after the onset of winter had driven him back underground.
~But beyond simply desiring to see the rightful heirs returned to their Hall, the reason he came to speak with me is because of the grave danger he discovered while scouting the Hall's undercity.~
~How bad is it?~ Sharr asked, starting a new sending for a faster answer.
~The duergar and their slaves would pose little problem for a dwarven army,~ Alustriel said, ~but there are also two shadow hounds that serve some creature of the Shadowfell—called Shimmergloom—that is worshipped as a god.~
~That is very much a reason for concern,~ Sharr agreed. ~But dealing with this "Shimmergloom" will surely require knowledge of what it actually is.~
~Which is why Drizzt has agreed to do a second scouting of the Hall,~ Alustriel replied.
There was an affectionate lilt to her voice on the drow's name, and Sharr couldn't help but smile. ~You're attracted to him.~
~Yes. And I'm very pleased that Old Night took steps to encourage him in informality with me by priming him with a tease about my library.~
~Tell me about him, then?~ And as Alustriel started to do so, Sharr settled in to listen.
Given that Alustriel was attracted to Drizzt, Sharr likely would have gone up to Silverymoon to meet him just on general principle, once she mentioned that she had convinced the drow to delay his departure at least long enough to acquaint himself with the city and explore the truth of Old Night's impression that he was ranger-born.
But given that Drizzt was a drow, Sharr felt it was even more important to meet him—for Korvallen's peace of mind, if nothing else—especially after the mystery of Eilistraee not knowing of him was discovered.
And as he got to know the wild-called ranger—because Old Night had been correct, and Drizzt had been literally enraptured the first time he visited Mielikki's Sacred Glade—Sharr realized that Drizzt seemed to reciprocate Alustriel's growing interest.
So he started to work on subtly encouraging the other man to at least broach the idea of his attraction with her.
And while Drizzt had not done so by the time he departed to do the second scouting of the Hall, Sharr could tell that he was giving the idea some serious consideration.
It was nearing autumn when Alustriel reached out to Sharr with the news that Drizzt was back in Silverymoon.
~Niska's patrol brought him in yesterday,~ she said, ~though it will be some time before he's actually ready to report on what he found.~
~Oh?~ Sharr said. ~Due to injuries, or is it something else?~
~Not physical injuries,~ Alustriel said, ~but he was considerably weakened when they found him, and looked grey.
~And the note from the Ladyservant after he was taken to the Glade said that he had suffered grave damage from shades, and will be staying in the Glade until they are certain he's recovered.~
~Mmm. I suppose that's not entirely surprising, given that we already knew the true threat is of Shadowfell origin.
~But it doesn't bode well that he was unable to avoid such damage.~
~No it doesn't,~Alustriel agreed. ~But he did seem to be recovering well when I visited him this evening.~
~I'm glad to hear that,~ Sharr said. ~Though I had the impression that he is not accustomed to being idle, so it does make me wonder what they found for him to occupy himself with.~
~He was reading a large tome by the light of an enchanted stone when I arrived.
~And on another note, he pledged himself to my service so easily that I couldn't help wondering if it's something inherent in elven blood that results in either rapid decisions or centuries of deliberation, with no middle ground between them.~
Sharr had to laugh at that. ~Or maybe it's something about you that causes those of us who hold you in high esteem to be able to make decisions so swiftly.~
He had to wait for her anklet to recharge before she responded, but when she did, he could tell from her tone that she was blushing.
~You really think so?~
~I do.~
It was several more days before Alustriel reported that Drizzt had returned to his rooms in the Palace, and the day after that was when Drizzt finally made his report on the second scouting.
~The true threat inside the Hall is an ancient Shadow Dragon,~ Alustriel told Sharr that evening.
Sharr let out a low whistle at that news, then sighed. ~Well, that would certainly explain why the shades were so thick Drizzt couldn't avoid them.
~What's the current plan for next steps?~
~The dwarven leaders I invited to the meeting are going to conduct a discreet search of the bloodlines of the survivors to see if they can find a proper heir,~ Alustriel replied. ~And I sincerely hope they can.
~Especially since Drizzt has volunteered to lead a small party in through his access when the time comes to actually reclaim the Hall.~
~Having a proper heir to speak to the death curse that would have been laid would definitely be safer than having to rely on clerics for protection from it,~ Sharr agreed. ~On another note, how are things going between you and Drizzt?~
~They're going very well.~ Alustriel's voice was almost purring with pleasure, and her next words explained why. ~I spoke with him privately after the meeting, and he confessed his feelings to me!
~We are, however, going to move slowly in seeing if a relationship between us will actually work out.~
~I am so happy for you, my heart's star,~ Sharr said. ~And yes, going slowly is a good idea.~
When Sharr had gone up to Silverymoon for a couple weeks right after Drizzt's confession, one thing Alustriel had spent some time talking over with him was how to manage her friendship with Niska in light of the fact that the other elf's past experiences with drow had her rather tangled up emotionally over Drizzt's presence, and Alustriel's growing closeness to him.
So when Alustriel reached out to him, shortly after the winter solstice, with the news that Niska seemed to have finally reached an acceptance of Drizzt, he was relieved.
~So what brought her change of heart about,~ Sharr asked, after expressing his relief, ~and how did she show it?~
~The change of heart seems to have been the result of both her and Drizzt having been among those who volunteered to go deal with a threat to one of the outlying farmsteads,~ Alustriel said.
~Specifically, that it was Drizzt's tactics that Kolarven chose to use to face a full tribe of goblinoids, and that he and Guen accounted for a third of the goblinoids—an entire company's worth—all on their own.~
~Ah,~ Sharr said. ~So she got shaken out of her prejudices, then.~
There was a pause for Alustriel's anklet to recharge, and then she replied. ~Yes. As for how she showed her change of heart, a few days after the force returned, she approached Drizzt to ask if he'd help her develop a true lexicon for Drow in exchange for her teaching him Sylvan.~
~Oh, that's a very good peace overture,~ Sharr said. ~Do you think she'd mind if I joined their work?
~Though I'll be coming regardless, since Drizzt and Guen having dealt with a company all by themselves is exactly the sort of thing I've been looking for to convince Kor to agree to a spar with him.~
~I'll ask her,~ Alustriel replied. ~And if Kor doesn't agree to spar Drizzt after hearing that, I'll be very surprised.~
Shortly after mid-spring, Alustriel had informed Sharr that Drizzt was heading up to Luskan to follow the trail of trade goods in Mirabar bearing the Battlehammer crest, but it was not until winter was in full swing that he heard anything further about that quest.
~Given that Drizzt has not returned, I decided to ask Qilué if there was reason to be concerned for him,~ Alustriel said.
~And was—or is—there reason?~ Sharr asked. ~Though, you don't actually sound concerned, so I'm guessing not.~
~Correct. He is alive in the far north, helping a dwarven clan.
~So I have informed Fret that it is likely that Drizzt actually found more Battlehammers.~
While Alustriel's amusement over his knee-jerk reaction to hearing that the Battlehammer chieftain's daughter had straight-up called Drizzt an elf had been mildly annoying, Sharr had not at all been expecting an apology for it. And yet, a few weeks later, that was the very first thing she sent during their conversation after her return from the evening's festivities.
~I find I must apologize for laughing at your spluttering over the idea of Drizzt being outright called an elf,~ she said. ~Because even with Nae having told me that the man's daughter had done so, it was startling to hear Bruenor Battlehammer do so when he and Drizzt met with me today.~
~I can't really blame you for laughing,~ Sharr said, knowing that if their situations had been reversed, he likely would have dome the same, ~but your apology is accepted.
~And I am glad that... Bruenor, you said?... is so clearly able to look past Drizzt's skin.~
~Bruenor, yes,~ Alustriel replied. ~And it was very clear, just from their body language, that he has developed a genuine friendship with Drizzt, even if his words hadn't displayed it later.
~Which I am very grateful for, as it undoubtedly helped smooth things when Drizzt suggested—and offered to mediate—a compromise on my hiring wizards to him for reclaiming the Hall.~
~Well, dwarven pride was always going to be the stumbling block there,~ Sharr said, ~so I'm pleased Drizzt had a mutually acceptable solution for it.
~But how did the rest of the meeting go?~
And as Alustriel started explaining what she'd discussed with Bruenor, Sharr settled in to listen.
Though Sharr had gone up to Silverymoon to visit with Drizzt once the ranger finally returned there after the Hall's reclamation, he was overall relying on his nightly conversations with Alustriel to keep up-to-date on how the other man was doing with fully settling into his relationship with her.
Which meant that when Alustriel mentioned that something about the age of the child Drizzt had saved, in combination with some of the other tales of his life that he'd shared, seemed worth following up on, Sharr spent a while debating whether he should take on the task.
He still hadn't quite decided when Drizzt returned from a ranging injured, but when Alustriel complained about how difficult it had been to get the ranger to accept magical healing, and that he was being resistant to the idea of taking it easy for a few days, Sharr chose to go up with Korvallen to oversee Drizzt's recovery, and simply see if an opportunity to bring up the matter occurred.
As it turned out, Drizzt ended up giving Sharr the clue he needed entirely unintentionally.
One evening when the two of them and Kor were enjoying Guen's company in Sharr's rooms, the conversation turned to Drizzt's bond with her.
And in the process of explaining why the Mielikkians believed that the bond had begun even before Drizzt took possession of her figure, the ranger said, "For all that it made Masoj so angry, being able to work with Guen was the best part of the year of patrol."
"You were only on patrol for a year?" Sharr asked.
Yes?" Drizzt sound confused, but that was only noted vaguely, as the pieces of the oddity Alustriel had mentioned were starting to fall into place.
Sharr knew that Drizzt had gone straight from school to patrol, that the raid had happened during the time on patrol, and that he'd fled the city within weeks of the raid.
But up to now, no one had put that together with the fact that Ellifain had been five at the time of the raid, and was only twenty now.
Which, when combined with the fact that Drizzt had graduated from the fighters' school at thirty, made him distressingly young.
"So you're not even fifty yet?" Sharr was pretty sure he'd managed to keep his distress out of his voice, but there was nothing he could do about Kor sitting bolt upright at his words and staring at Drizzt in horrified shock.
"My thirty-first name day would have been shortly after I fled the city, not that long after the events with Ellifain," Drizzt said. "So yes, I am only forty-five."
"What?!" Kor's strangled cry caused Sharr and Drizzt to both turn and look at him.
Reaching out to wrap his arm around his pale-faced heart brother's shoulders, Sharr pulled him closer.
"Alustriel had mentioned that something seemed odd, when Ellifain's age was combined with some of the other tales of his life Drizzt had shared," he said.
"Is my age a problem?" Drizzt asked.
"No," Sharr said firmly. "It's just... shocking, given that even half-elves aren't considered adult until fifty."
"Ah. Whereas I was considered adult upon graduation."
Kor gave a heavy sigh, and Sharr shifted his arm so his heart-brother could sit back.
"Just one more reason to hate Lolthite drow," Kor said, "for forcing their children to grow up so fast."
"I am beginning to see that," Drizzt said.
