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Nardanien en'Rinar

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Nardanien en'Rinar - Page 3 Empty Elric

Post  Colin Marcus Sun Jan 03, 2010 11:51 pm

It'd be so easy he thought. She didn't know he saw anything, she didn't see anything herself. She was so happy right now. Could he tell her what he'd learned? Should he?!?

It wasn't fair... He'd always based his life on the fact that he wasn't wanted. He wasn't loved. With her jeweled medallion, he at least had always assumed that she was from a wealthy family, someone left her with a priests and obviously wanted the best for her... Now he knew the truth. Her mother was a prostitute. One who had killed herself in Ashara's own barn. Ashara had actually met the woman, and then buried her. Would telling her the truth heal the hole she'd had for years, or would it cause more damage?

He felt tired. At first he thought it may just be emotional, but after a few moments he realized he was physically exhausted. Another effect of the spell. He remembered now how tired Asahara was after casting this one in the past. It would pass, or he would deal with it. What's a little tired at a time like this.

Looking in her hopeful eyes, he knew he couldn't keep this from her. This whole day was about honesty and openness. He couldn't end it with a lie and keep this secret. No matter how much he may want to protect her, it wasn't his call to make.

Slowly he nodded. "I saw it. It... wasn't as happy a memory as what you found in mine. I'll tell you if you want, but you may not be happy that I did..."
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Post  Penelope Sun Jan 03, 2010 11:59 pm

Ashara's smile slipped as she studied his face. How bad could it have possibly have been? The prospect of having all those lifelong questions answered caused her heart to pound in her chest, but the way Elric was looking at her gave her pause. There was sadness in his eyes. Whatever he had seen regarding her parents had become a burden to him, and yet he was willing to carry that burden alone if it meant protecting her from a harsh truth.

Eyebrows drawn together in concen, the priestess' gaze returned to the portrait in front of her. She began sketching again, while she slowly processed his words. She didn't want any of her dark memories to cause her to forget a single angle of Marinelle's beautiful elven features. She was Elric's mother. It had to be perfect!

Perhaps he was right, and she might not be 'happy' to know of her parents, but certainly some relief would come of the knowledge, right? Some sense of completion? Her medallion suddenly felt heavy around her neck. Though Ashara's emotions were still raw from the experience of the Reading, she knew that she had to know the truth. There was never really any other choice.

The drawing nearly complete, the she looked up at Elric and clutched his hand tightly. "Please," she whispered, her voice laden with anxiety, "if there is anything you can tell me, I'd like to know..."
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Post  Colin Marcus Mon Jan 04, 2010 12:11 am

Elric nodded. He knew she would want to know. She may regret it later, but it wasn't in her nature to be so close to answers and simply walk away. He was quiet for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts

"Your' mother loved you too Ashara." He started carefully. He squeezed her hand with both of his for support. This was not going to be easy for either of them. "She wanted to keep you. The man she was with did not." He took a deep breath and kept going.

"He wasn't your father, of that I'm sure... The memory I found gave no indication of who your father was... But it wasn't Dhiren!" Elric spit the name out as if it left a horrible taste. If the gods were in anyway good, they would never let him run across that man.

"He wanted to... He..." Elric stumbled over the words. The thought of what had happened to who knew how many siblings of hers... What nearly had happened to her... he just couldn't put such horrors into words. "She begged him to let her keep you, Ashara... But he wouldn't let her. As a... compromise, I guess... He left you at the shrine. Left you to the whims of the gods."

"It was so cold... you were so small..." The half-elf was shaking as he recounted the tale. "Josiah rescued you. He said that Lathander himself had sent him to you... He love you so much even then. He knew just the family to care for you, he said."

There was more, but he wasn't sure if he could tell her the last. He knew she had thought she was prepared for whatever he told her, but he doubted anyone could be ready for this. Full of frustration he found one of his hands trying to pull a braid that he didn't have.

A little awkwardly he tried to find his center. "Ashara," He began again sadly. "There's one more thing you need to know. Your mother... She never forgave herself for losing you. She went back to that shrine years later... She..." He wasn't sure how to sugar coat it, so he grasped her hands. Whether to steady her or himself he wasn't sure.

"Ashara... it was Sulime!"
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Post  Penelope Mon Jan 04, 2010 2:35 am

As began to tell the tale, Ashara continued to scratch details into the portrait, afraid to let herself get too involved in the story. It wasn't his words that frightened her as much as how he said them, and the way he was speaking, made her believe that there was more to the story. Something in that memory had disturbed him terribly. When he began to shake, she found her own hand was trembling as well, so she set the charcoal down and gave him her complete attention.

It was unnerving to see him like this. Elric was her rock. The person she knew she could always turn to when things got really bad. It wasn't that he was never afraid... Considering what they had seen in their journeys, it would be insanity to have never felt fear, but he could admit when he was afraid and push through it to accomplish their goal. She saw fear in his eyes now, fear for her, and when he took both of her hands in his, she found that she was afraid too.

Ashara thought she was prepared for just about anything. Maybe both of her parents died leaving her with no one to raise her properly. Maybe they were adventurers like Elric's parents had been (and maybe whose mother still was!), and couldn't care for a small child under such dangerous circumstances. Maybe they simply hadn't wanted a child but gave her to someone who could find a family who did. A mother who loved her, but lived with a man who refused to keep her? That didn't even make the top five worst things she was thinking.

"Ashara... it was Sulime!"


Her breath caught in her throat. Sulime... The memory of watching that poor woman thrashing about at the end of a self-made noose, was one of the most horrifying things she'd ever seen. And THAT was saying something! It was especially difficult since Ashara had tried so hard to nurse her back to physical and mental heath. She still thought of it on occasion, and still felt the guilt of it. If only she had seen the signs... Josiah tried to comfort her after Sulime's death, but after that experience, Ashara had almost chosen a life of farming over that of a priestess. Time and growth had healed the wound, but the scar remained. If Sulime was her mother...

Mind reeling from the implications, the memories she had just experienced began flashing before her eyes. She looked down at their joined hands to try to steady herself, but suddenly Elric's hands were fists, covered in blood. Dwarven blood. Therogeon's blood. His own blood. Ashara shook her head trying to clear her mind of the confusion, but when she opened her eyes, her own hands were covered in blood! The blood of all of their friends. The blood of all those she had murdered, and there had been dozens of them! Sulime's blood...

Ashara cried out and pulled her hands from his. "No... It's not possible! It can't be..." She stood then and backed away from him, hoping to put distance between herself and the terrible information he was trying to tell her. "M-maybe the memories just got jumbled in the end," she stammered hopefully. "The medallion!" She pulled the jeweled pendent from beneath her robes and held it up for him to see. "Sul--- She didn't recognize it! She couldn't have given this to me...there must be some mistake."

The priestess wobbled and leaned against the far wall for support. "Please let there be some mistake..." She said in a trembling whisper, before lifting her pleading eyes to meet his. "Please, Elric..."
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Post  Colin Marcus Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:50 am

As Ashara pulled away from him in denial his heart broke. There was no mistake. he was fairly certain of that. He'd had a hard time holding the memory, but it had remained clear. He didn't know what to do. Did she need space, or should he go to her?

He slowly stood up and faced her. She was literaly begging for him to be wrong. "I'm sorry Ashara... So very sorry, but that's what I saw." He hated seeing her like this. He realized once again that despite the old elf's best intentions, there were many of lifes problems that Eldorath had not prepared him to deal with.

Slowly he walked toward her. "I saw the medallion, but she wasn't the one that gave it to you... Josiah used it to heal you. The medallion was Josiahs. It had always come from Josiah. He was the one who gave you your very first gift, not her." Elric was speaking slowly now. He wanted to make sure she heard what he said. He was certain that she was putting up walls. Walls of despair or denial. He had to break through before they solidified.

Elric started to speak multiple times and discarded those thoughts. He was at a loss. He knew her so well, that he couldn't think of anything that would help her. Finally when he was an arms length away he just spoke honestly. "I don't know what to say Ashara. I remember when you were taken from her, I remember when she came back. I remember how she left again."

"I remember how you felt each of those times. I know what Sulime meant to you. None of it was your fault. None of it!"
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Post  Penelope Mon Jan 04, 2010 3:20 pm

Looking down at the medallion that she once thought of as a link to a family she never knew, tears began spilling down her cheeks. Why had Josiah lied to her all those years? To give her hope when he knew there was none? Part of her wanted to rip the thing from her neck and throw it across the room!

Ashara heard the truth in Elric's words. How well he knew her! She thought back on her time with Sulime, and began to believe that at least at the end, she had known that it was her daughter taking care of her. What would it have been like to realize that her abandoned child had unknowingly brought her into her adoptive parents' home and then cared for her as a friend? The Rosemorn's had been very kind to the woman, and she must have felt guilty and inadequate. Still...to kill herself? Josiah had gone on at length about the disease she had contracted, and the effects it can have on one's mind. It was true that Ashara hadn't seen it coming, but neither had anyone else.

The whirlwind of that intense Memory Read was still affecting her mind and wreaking havoc with her emotions. Logically she knew that she had already mourned Sulime, that her mother's death wasn't her fault, and she couldn't be angry with Josiah for trying to protect a child from an awful truth. Still...the knowledge that she had buried her mother without knowing it shook her to the core. Ashara leaned against the wall and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to breathe and clear the fog of shock from her mind.

Lifting her head toward Elric she saw the pain in his emerald eyes and she felt ashamed. Here they were again... She was feeling guilt for something she had no control over, and he was there, as always, trying to pull her out of the darkness. This wasn't who she used to be before the Curse. Though she had made much progress in the last few months with both Elric's and the High Radiance's help, Ashara felt that she still had a ways to go. She wanted to feel whole again, for herself, yes, but mostly for him. He didn't deserve any less.

The emotional whirlwind subsided a bit. Elric had just learned the happy truth of his own mother, and she should be celebrating that with him, instead of selfishly wallowing in self-pity!

"I'm so sorry...," she said, still trembling as she angrily brushed away the tears, "You're right of course, I...I'm just not thinking clearly. You seem to be dealing with the confusion of the spell better than I am. I'm still seeing and feeling pieces of those memories..."

"Please forgive me, my love..." Ashara managed a small smile as she reached for him. "Shall I finish the sketch of your mother?"
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Post  Colin Marcus Mon Jan 04, 2010 3:28 pm

"When your ready..." As she reached out he pulled her close. He could still feel her shaking. "Those memories aren't going anywhere." He tapped the side of his head. "If you ever want to see them again, you know where to look..."

"There's nothing to forgive A'maelamin <my beloved>. I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you, I know its not what either of us wanted you to hear."

Something that she said confused him. "What do you mean I seem to be dealing with the confusion better than you? Are you still in the spell?" He was slowly getting used to being in his own body again. The memories were still there, but trying to focus on Ashara's was helping him keep them separate. If anything he had expected that she'd be the one trying to coach him after the spell was over. Of course it would be more difficult for her though. Having cast it before, she thought she knew what to expect...

"Perhaps this is an Elven thing. Eldorath used to tell me elves have a strong sense of self... Its hard to make them be something they aren't. He said dwarves had it too, but for them it was just stubbornness! Maybe I have a little of that too..." he gave a smirk then and added, "Though I've been charmed more than my fair share!"
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Post  Penelope Mon Jan 04, 2010 3:38 pm

"Though I've been charmed more than my fair share!"

"Maybe one last time wouldn't be too terrible for you..." She grinned up at him teasingly and curled a lock of his hair around her finger, attempting to use some of these 'wiles' she'd heard of.

"No, I'm no longer within the spell, but I'm having some difficulty sorting through the memories. I think it's because I was enjoying my time in there too much," Ashara chuckled softly. "I would like to visit again sometime if you don't mind... There is so much more to learn!"

She was quiet for a few moments, just standing with him, breathing and trying to remember herself. Weariness was the best way to describe how she felt at the moment. Mentally, emotionally and physically just...tired...

"Elric," she began slowly, "what do you think we should do once our mission has been completed? I've thought that perhaps if Evereska is still under siege that we could go assist in any way we can. Helping the elves may also be a way to get that bounty lifted..."

"After all that though, I...I wonder what you think of taking a short break... Watching all those blood-soaked memories and then feeling the peace while we laid in the grass and listened to your father tell those stories, just made me realize how tired I am. It doesn't feel like we've had a chance to stop and take a breath since...I...I can't even remember when! I think since the summer before we left for Port Kir! With everything that has happened over the last year or so, I think I just need time to pull myself back together... Maybe we all do. I know that sounds completely selfish, and it's not that I don't want to go back out and help to clean up the mess that the Cult, Shar and Cyric have made, I just feel like I should be doing better. Like I should be stronger than I've been these last months. It just isn't fair of me to be constantly relying on your strength to pull me out of these 'moods'. I want to be myself again."

"Do you think it would be possible to spend a spring in Impresk? Ashara hestitated a moment and smiled up at him. "A time to focus on creating some happy memories with you sounds very appealing right now!"
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Post  Colin Marcus Mon Jan 04, 2010 4:08 pm

Elric just nodded softly. "I know what you mean. Everythings gotten so big! Its so much more than seeing the world and protecting some caravans... Now its fighting gods and saving the world!"

"I'd say we're due for some time to ourselves. We can take as long as we need. Until you recognize yourself. Until you see the same person I do. Until adventuring seems... fun again." He smiled at her. "Remember when it was fun? How excited we were to go out on our own? Helping caravans, sleeping under the stars. Taking whatever quest seemed like a good idea at the time? Now days it seems we cross the world so fast, it seems like we're missing something."

A weight seemed to settle on his shoulders. "I don't know what to do about Evereska." He sighed bitterly. "If we fly in and save the day, it may help my... situation, or I could have led all of you into the lion's mouth."


Last edited by Elric on Sat Jan 16, 2010 4:16 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Post  Penelope Mon Jan 04, 2010 4:21 pm

"What I wouldn't give for a simple caravan guarding job! Travelling the countryside again... Yes, I miss that too," she smiled wistfully.

"As for Evereska," Ashara tightened her arms around him in reassurance, "I can't imagine they would try to hurt the rest of us, especially if we help save their city! We may not be able to reason with Airoth, but perhaps Vailis could talk some sense into him? Or even Eldorath if we can find him?"

"I'm willing to do just about anything to get this assassin business taken care of... If we don't, it may be impossible to ever relax. To ever feel safe again." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Actually, maybe we should go right to the source. Talk to Syrlynna herself! It's possible she may have a change of heart and get her father to call off his hounds." A sweet smile spread across Ashara's face. At least it would have been sweet had she not been showing so many teeth...

"You know I would be happy to speak with her myself!"
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Post  Colin Marcus Mon Jan 04, 2010 4:41 pm

Elric stared at her grin with a look of surprise. After a few moments he broke into a grin and then started laughing. "I believe you would!" He said through the laughs. "I think that would be a sight to see..."

Wiping a few tears from his eyes he nodded again. "Your right. I have to do something about this. I don't want to be looking over my shoulder forever..." He looked down into her eyes and added, "I'm ready to start a new life, I don't want the old one hanging around my neck."

"I don't know what we can do though... if powerful wizards like this Blackstaff have been useless, and the mythal has cut off the city from news... Waterdeep has sent, what? Two armies to help? So they must not be adverse to a little outside help..." He let the question hang for a moment. "I'm not sure what we, even with our not inconsiderable ability can do to fix it..."

"Of course... I would have said the same about Zazzespur and the captured king... Eddick took care of that himself! So who knows..."
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Post  Penelope Mon Jan 04, 2010 5:15 pm

Ashara shook her head slightly as he spoke. "No, you don't have to do something about this, Elric, WE do. I'd like to think we're in this together now! Besides, you know what happens if you go out and try to do something on your own," she grinned, "I will inevitably follow you! So when the time comes, we should just skip to the end and try to solve this together."

"All of the Champions are interested in helping free you of this burden, as well as helping lift the siege." She paused a moment, pursing her lips. "Perhaps the shadow orbs are in use, holding in thrall the humanoid armies that are surrounding Evereska. We know a bit about them, and Therogeon may be able to locate them with his spell. You're right though," she conceded, "I doubt that with our powers alone we could save the city, but if we worked with the armies trying to relieve it maybe we could do some good! My hope is that by the time we're done with what we need to do, that the city will already be free. That is my hope. Such a beautiful place..."

Ashara closed her eyes a moment remembering her life in the city. So much pain and loneliness in her memories, but the beauty, serenity and harmony of the place had etched itself into her mind. Impossible to forget even after all these yea...wait... Not HER memories, Elric's memories! She sighed, realizing that there may be more lingering after-effects to this spell than she had anticipated. Still, she refused to shove all of those experiences to the back of her mind. He was part of her now, and she was part of him.

"I hope you don't intend on waiting for this dilemma to be solved before starting your new life," she said, flushing as she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "We've no idea how long this mission will take, let alone breaking a siege and getting the bounty lifted!"
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Post  Colin Marcus Mon Jan 04, 2010 5:49 pm

"You mean starting our new life right?" he answered teasingly. "The answer is definitely not!"

"Lathander told you that the siege wasn't on the list, and that's all we're waiting for right? We'll go to Evereska, but after the wedding!" He just shook his head in amazement. "Who but us, would choose to break seiges and save cities for a honeymoon!"

We'll go to Everaka. The words surprised him. He still remembered vividly the last time he was there. The panic. He was so certain that he'd never go back. But now? Ashara's voyage through his mind had brought back other memories. Memories of a time when he thought he'd never leave...

He was still scared. Airoth Ealoeth was his own personal bogeyman. Every living being had an innate fear of mortality. Elric's had a face and a name. He wasn't sure what made this enemy so much more than any of his others. The Champions had made lots of enemies. From the band of highwaymen in Tethyr whom they'd humiliated to Cyric himself and everything inbetween. Any of them could track them down and ruin their happy lives. Somehow Airoth was more. Maybe because he'd been first, maybe because he hated the half-elf personally... Elric wasn't sure.

And now they were committed to facing that fear. Part of him wanted to face it alone. To protect Ashara, make sure that Ealoeth never even knows about her or the rest of his friends. The other part knew he'd never be able to go through with this without her by his side.

"Sometimes it feels like I've already started a new life. I don't feel like the same person who left that city four years ago. Sometimes I'm not sure if I would even recognize him if I met him." He chuckled to himself "If that makes any sense?"
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Post  Penelope Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:11 pm

"Lathander told you that the siege wasn't on the list, and that's all we're waiting for right? We'll go to Evereska, but after the wedding! Who but us, would choose to break seiges and save cities for a honeymoon!"

Ashara laughed aloud at his observation. "Yes, I suppose we're just waiting to complete 'the list', though it's becoming increasingly difficult to remember why we're waiting." She pressed her fingers to her forehead and sighed. "I'm glad you're thinking clearly! Everything is still a bit fuzzy for me. I think I may have absorbed some of your characteristics, because I was about to suggest something...impulsive."

The priestess chuckled and shook her head, trying to dislodge the thought.

"And yes, it makes perfect sense that you feel like a different person than you were back then! You aren't the same person, Elric! I know, I was there!" Ashara grinned at him and began pulling him back towards the chairs, and the unfinished portrait of his mother. "You left that city feeling completely alone and vulnerable, thinking that you'd never find a place where you belong. Well, now you've found that place, haven't you? You are stronger and more confident than you've ever been! You're hardly alone now, you have good friends that are willing to die for you! Maybe Therogeon is right when he calls us a family, maybe we can be your adoptive family," she smiled warmly. "Although, it seems you may still have your true family out there somewhere in the world, and I would like to help you find that part of your life!"

Ashara sat down on the edge of her chair and picked up her charcoal. Even if it was only a portrait for now, she wanted him to meet his mother!
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Post  Colin Marcus Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:53 pm

I was about to suggest something...impulsive.

What did she just say? Elric was silent as she led him back to the chairs. Watching her sketch again, he thought about all she said. Family, belonging, Having a place. This experience reminded him of all that he'd forgotten. Or maybe simply ignored.

Ashara. Therogeon. Gwilly. Kaber. Eddick. They were his family, but there was more. Arturo, had helped forge him when he was young. Eldorath had tempered him when he was older. Vailis, cared for him when he was hurt. Ebbard and Arryn Rosemorn had always been there too, whenever he'd needed them. He was amazed at how much family he actually had!

That wasn't even counting the thought that his mother may still be out there.

I was about to suggest something...impulsive. Again that statement forced itself to the front of his mind.

"Ok, I've got to ask..." Elric could barely hear himself over the sound of his heart. "What were you about to suggest???" Trying to keep his voice steady, and not being too successful. "Are you having second thoughts about waiting for the quest to be finished?"
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Post  Penelope Mon Jan 04, 2010 9:09 pm

Ashara looked up from Marinelle's beautiful eyes, and met those of her son. "Yes," she stated simply. Her voice wavered slightly as she added, "and third and fourth thoughts..."

"I remember feeling like whatever reason that I had given for waiting, that it was the responsible decision to make. Not that it was what I wanted, by any stretch of the imagination, but that it would be in everyone's best interest." Her left hand that was resting on the arm of the chair, began gripping the edge tightly, as if she was doing everything in her power to keep herself seated. "But now...I can't remember the reason... Was it a good one? It couldn't have been too terrible if you agreed to it, right?"

Powerful emotions and their corresponding memories flooded through her mind, only some of which were her own. Her hand began trembling again. Frustrated at her lack of control, Ashara tugged on a lock of her hair as she set her sketching tools down. "I had thought that it would be nice if, following the completion of our mission, we were married at dawn, by a priest of Lathander..." Her heart was pounding, and she felt the heat rising in her face as she hesitated. "Right now though, I'm thinking that an afternoon wedding at the temple of Chaunteau on this Midwinter day, sounds much better!"
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Post  Colin Marcus Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:01 pm

Suddenly Elric was having trouble breathing. At first he thought she must be joking, but one look in her eyes ended that line of thought. She was dead serious. He was at a loss. He'd told her before that she only had to give him a sign, and he'd throw her over his shoulder and run to the temple. They'd laughed about it then, but suddenly it wasn't a joke anymore.

"Your reasons were very responsible." He said slowly. "They were also very good." He wasn't sure what to do. He was beginning to recognize a theme today. "But that's not why I agreed to wait. I agreed, because that's what you thought was right. I'll follow your lead melamin."

"There will always be reasons to wait. They'll always be good reasons, they'll always be responsible reasons. You just have to decide if they're the right reasons. If what we gain is worth what we sacrifice. Eventually we'll have to stop doing what's in everyone else's best interests and do what's in ours."

He smiled at her. "I think I may have gotten some your practicality!" He took her hand in his. "We've made a lot of promises to your mother, Gwilly, Eddick and all the rest. Don't let my impulsiveness drive you to do something you'll regret. I don't ever want us to look back at our wedding day with regret."

He couldn't supress a laugh. "That said. If you want to skip the big parties and celebrations, the only thing I need is a priest and a bride. And I'm looking at both right now!"
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Post  Penelope Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:51 pm

The priestess looked down at the powerful hand that held hers. She blew out a long breath to try and steady herself, then absentmindedly began tracing the lines in his palm while she thought.

Throughout most of her life, the right thing to do was always what she wanted to do. Why did this feel different? Was there even one concrete 'right' thing in this situation, or were these decisions merely varying degrees of right? Certainly there was nothing wrong with marrying Elric at any point in time, but there was a reason that she had thought it wise to wait... If only she could remember what that reason was...

"I don't care about big parties and celebrations," Ashara said softly, " and I don't care about dresses or flowers or food, but I do care about friends and family. You're right, we've made some promises, and I wouldn't want to hurt anyone by ignoring those things. I still feel terrible for telling Eddick back in Calimport that he had missed the wedding!"

"What if we simply were married when all of our friends are back together," she thought aloud, while gauging Elric's reaction. "Eddick can't be away in Elbencourt much longer, and everyone else is here waiting for him to get back! I know that especially my mother and Gwilly are looking forward to a party, but couldn't we have the party AFTER the wedding, when we get some free time?" The priestess grinned at him. "Would that incite pixie vengeance?!"

Something Elric had said surprised her. "You agreed to wait because I thought that I was doing the right thing? That leads me to believe that whatever reason I had given hadn't totally convinced you... What do you think is the right decision here, because there is nothing we could do that would cause me to regret being bound to you, Elric." Ashara smiled and folded his hand into a fist, kissing the old scars on his knuckles before turning her eyes again to meet his. "I have learned something while watching our memories... You are i'mela en' coiamin <the love of my life>! There has never been a time that I haven't loved you in one way or another, and I am more than ready to take this next step!"

She tried to calm her excitement a bit, hoping that she hadn't embarrassed herself with her overt enthusiasm. Ashara knew she still wasn't thinking clearly, and perhaps that's why Elric seemed hesitant. She had to admit that she was hoping that he would have jumped at her suggestion, but it seemed she had her own practicality to blame for that disappointment.

"Maybe you would feel more comfortable with setting a date? The night you proposed, you suggested the spring or summer festival I think. It would be good to have a specific day to look forward to, instead of the nebulous 'when our mission is over.' I'm prepared to keep any date we choose, come dragons, evil artifacts or assassins! Summer does seem an awfully long time from now though, and I realize there's really no rush, but I was tired of waiting by the time we got to Calimport," she smiled sheepishly.


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Post  Colin Marcus Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:22 am

You agreed to wait because I thought that I was doing the right thing? That leads me to believe that whatever reason I had given hadn't totally convinced you...

"It's not that your reasons didn't convince me... Its just... I don't know." Elric stammered a bit. "You were concerned about the possibility of going into battle carrying a child. I guess I just question whether the god of births would sabotage his own mission that way?"

"You were convinced though, and that's what mattered. Waiting hasn't been easy on me either. Elves are supposed to be extraordinarily patient. I think we both know I didn't inherit that!" Elric laughed and suddenly got a thoughtful look in his face as if he just realized something. "Maybe that was Eldorath's doing? The way he taught me to fight is all instinct. Move before you think... adjust on the move... It's really the way I seem to handle all of life! With mixed results."

"I've just been so afraid of messing everything up by jumping in, pushing, or rushing things... that I've let you take the lead. I don't know much about human weddings, Actually I don't really know much about Elven weddings!" He chuckled a bit. "I just know that in my mind and heart, I'm already bound to you. If we had to wait to make things 'official', then so be it."

"To be honest, I'm not really sure what this ceremony consists of. We've kind of given the reins over to your mother and Gwilly, and I haven't heard anything since? "

"I don't want to wait... this patience thing doesn't suit me." He said with a mischevious grin as barely contained excitement shown in his eyes. "But I also don't want to disappoint your mother. She's been so good to me... I'd forgotten just how much... Gwilly I think would forgive us pretty quick. I think she would have been happy if we'd had a dwarven ceremony over the body of the Shade!"

"Gwilly's only known for a few days now, but what has your mother planned? She's had plenty of time now to think things through? How long do you think they would really need? You said something about a priest of Lathander... are there any others around here? What about Cadderly? I'd really like him, Danica and the dwarves to be there... Without him, it would have been much harder to bring you back..." he was rambling now, but couldn't seem to help himself.


Last edited by Elric on Thu May 20, 2010 5:08 am; edited 1 time in total
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Post  Penelope Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:39 am

"You were concerned about the possibility of going into battle carrying a child. I guess I just question whether the god of births would sabotage his own mission that way?"

Ashara's mouth dropped open in surprise. She remembered her reasoning then. Knowing her limits, she was afraid that if she were to be carrying their child, that it could compromise their dangerous mission, and possibly put the lives of their friends at risk during battle. It made so much sense at the time, but she had missed an important point. Faith. Elric had put it so simply. Of course Lathander wouldn't allow anything to happen to the child! Just as he had protected her by sending Josiah to save her as an infant, he was more than capable of protecting the child of two of his followers that were doing his will!

"Please don't ever hesitate to express your opinion, Elric, especially to me! You have a different way of viewing things that always sheds light on the problems we face. I know you've gotten some grief when asking questions regarding magical issues, but please don't let that cause you to keep your thoughts from me! I believe you are right about the Morninglord protecting his mission... I...I'm not sure why I hadn't seen that before, but if that isn't an issue, than there's really nothing keeping us from marrying as soon as everyone else is ready! " She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to subdue the excited smile spreading across her face.

"Do you think," Ashara began turning crimson again as she spoke, "that a week from now would be too soon? We've already told my mother and Gwilly that they may need to be ready at the drop of a hat, and they had agreed to that, even if it was somewhat reluctantly." She laughed thinking of her mother's reaction to that news, and the fact that they weren't planning on setting a date. She had been less than thrilled at that she wouldn't have much notice, but the news of the engagement had the woman doing cartwheels! "If we set the date for the 10th of Alturiak, I have no doubt that everything would be prepared!"

Her heart pounding in her chest, she began working out some of the details aloud. "Tomorrow we were planning to go to the Spirit Soaring to get Therogeon's curse removed... I could deliver the invitation to Cadderly's family, Ivan and Pikel while we were there! No, there are no temples to Lathander in the immediate area, but while I was in Waterdeep there was a very kind priest named Erolon that helped me with my research. He heard a lot about you," she grinned. "When we went back to get Therogeon, I told him of our engagement and he offered to do the ceremony if we had need of him!"

"What do you think?" Ashara was nearly quivering with excitement at this point. "Ten days from now, would you be willing to become verno'amin <my husband>?"
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Post  Colin Marcus Tue Jan 05, 2010 11:29 am

Her answer was being pulled in for the most passionate kiss they'd shared yet. Moments seemed to last forever. Eventually he leaned his forehead to hers and just laughed. "Ten days!" the half elf confirmed.

He pulled away a bit so he could get a better look at her. Still leaning forward in his chair she had never seen him look happier or more excited. Still laughing he continued, "Talk about new beginnings! Look at us! Did you ever imagine on the way to the shrine this morning, that this is where we'd end up? Everything we've just experienced... Our pasts revealed. Now I'm going to have a wife inside a week!"

"Not to mention..." He said with smile. "It's not even mid-day yet! All this before breakfast!"
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Post  Penelope Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:03 pm

Ashara was breathless. From all of it. That toe-curling kiss, their impending marriage, learning of their parents, the new understanding that they had of each other... All of it. She found that she simply could not wipe the grin off of her face!

"No," the priestess laughed with him, "there is no possible way I could have anticipated all of this while I was slowly roasting you alive with my spell at the shrine! I am sorry about that...mostly," she winked. "You seemed to adapt very well though, and since it appears from your memories that you've been slacking off on your training, perhaps I should try helping you more often! We wouldn't want Eldorath to think you're getting soft!" Ashara laughed, and gave him another quick kiss to show she was just teasing, before sitting back in her chair.

It was a good thing she had finished Marinelle's features, because most of that visual had just been driven from her mind. She picked up her charcoal yet again, and began scratching in the final details.
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Post  Colin Marcus Tue Jan 05, 2010 1:56 pm

Elric laughed loudly at that. "If I step up my training again, I won't have time for anything else. Neither of us want that." he said teasingly.

He was quiet for a few minutes, just watching her draw with smile on his face. His face took on a thoughtful expression and soon he broke the silence again. "Ashara? Have you thought about taking the name Peredhel? I mean... I chose it myself out of pure stubborn defiance. There's no tradition behind it or anything. Doesn't seem fair to saddle you with a name like Half-elven." he chuckled a bit at the irony. "Honestly I don't recall the last time I introduced myself with it. I still think of myself as 'just' Elric"

"I was told once that being nameless lets you make a name for yourself. What would you think about choosing a name that suits us both?"
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Post  Penelope Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:07 pm

Ashara blinked up at Elric in surprise. "I had just assumed that I would take Peredhel as my name, and I would be proud to do so! I can see though how that could be...confusing for those who spoke the language," she said with a chuckle.

"I do like the thought of starting a new family name with you!" She smiled warmly at him, as she finished the portrait. "Your heritage has not defined who you've become, and Peredhel suits you little better than it does me."

Setting the charcoal down, she gently blew the dust from the parchment.

"Any name you choose I would be honored to call my own! Do you have something already in mind?"
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Post  Colin Marcus Tue Jan 05, 2010 3:01 pm

Elric beamed. "No, I don't have anything in mind. It was just an idea I'd had. We'll come up with something together!" He started to think. What went into a name?

"I think a common practice is to base them off personal traits or even accomplishments. We've had plenty of those. We can go common or elven, whichever sounds better." He nearly shook from excitement. Though from what it was hard to pin down. To be honest the lions share would still be the knowledge that they actually had a date now. Still he really was enjoying the idea of naming their family. Starting something that could last generations.

"My first instinct is that accomplishments can sound a little arrogant... I always wonder how someone could introduce themselfs as Dragonslayer or Throatpuncher or something like that!" He couldn't help but laugh at the idea.

"Maybe something with 'dawn' or 'morning' in it. Any ideas?"
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