Bookish dragon with a pen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bookish_dragon) wrote2006-11-06 03:48 pm
bookish_dragon) wrote2006-11-06 03:48 pm
Entry tags:
NaNoWriMo, part 1
Long, unedited. You are warned. ;) Posted here for both mocking and as back-up. 4,065 words, no objectionable material.
Dedicated to Mel, who is unflinchingly supporting me in this mad quest. I love you.
Chapter 1
Down in the valley they could see the monastery. It was lying nestled between the trees, its red roof contrasting sharply against the early light green foliage of spring. From where the group was standing Marnak thought it would take them an hour to get down there. He waited for their scout to return and tell them it was safe going from here. This was unfamiliar territory, and Marnak did not know how far he could trust the woodsman who had directed them here. Still, if the monastery was not turned to evil practices, it would be a good place to stay the night, and some nights after that while they made themselves more known with this part of the country.
A long soft whistle came out of the undergrowth on the right. There was a pause, and then two more whistles. 'All safe, proceed.' Marnak turned to the third and last member of the group, who was currently sitting on the ground, cleaning her axe. She looked up at him, calmly. He smiled and started walking. She got up and followed him, swiping some leaves from her trousers. The undergrowth rustled as the scout hurried to get up front.
Not that many monks were working outside the main building when the latest group of travellers arrived. Even less looked up when one of the novices showed the group to the guest quarters. Due to its position the monastery got its share fair of lost travellers or people who wanted to experience some peace and quiet. All were cordially welcomed.
One of the monks who did look up noticed that the person she supposed to be the leader of the group due to his bearing was wearing the holy symbol of Kord. Given that the man was an elf, this struck her as slightly odd, since the elves generally did not go in for worshipping the gods mainly revered by humans. She smiled to herself and went back to hoeing the beans. It would not do to get caught staring at people who wanted rest. The sun and the hard work did much to drive the visitors out of her mind.
The room Marnak and the scout, Bjernu, were shown was clean and neat. It was also small, with barely enough room for the two beds that seemed almost shoved in there. Olgyu had been shown a room of her own, and the female warrior had accepted this which much grumbling under her breath. She had still not gotten used to men and women being separated. For now they would rest up and after that pay their respects to the abbot. Marnak had sent a message to him asking for forgiveness that they would not see him directly. He lay down on the bed, folding his hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling. Bjernu, having thrown his pack on the bed nearest the door as soon as they had entered the room, was pacing what narrow floor space near his bed there was. Finally he looked at Marnak, who had still not taken his eyes off the ceiling. "I need to go outside, this room is too cramped for me. I'll see you later, and I will be careful." He made a move for the door.
"All right. See you in some hours then, Bjernu." With that, Marnak closed his eyes and Bjernu left the room.
He did not have to wander the hallways for long to find a novice to show him the exit. 'Some scout I am, having to ask the way out,' he mock-derided himself, following the young man to the main doors. The sun stung his eyes and he had to shield them before he could see anything. The vegetable gardens had caught his eye on the way in. He quite approved of selfsuffiency like this. Not that it was likely that they were eager for his approval. He thanked the novice, who scurried back inside to fulfill his other pressing matters, and stepped outside. It was quiet, the only sound the hoes of the monks working in the gardens hitting the ground. All looked peaceful. Bjernu walked over to the garden nearest him, which had beans and a young woman hoeing them. Bjernu stood at the edge of the garden, watching her work. He did not have anything to do right now: he was not all that tired.
The woman looked up as she reached the the place where a half-elf dressed in green and brown clothing was standing. "Good afternoon," she said, pushing some black curls behind one ear. "Can I help you?"
"No, I was just standing here. I came in a bit earlier with my friends, and I am walking around a bit. Don't feel like resting." He smiled at the elf in the simple dark clothes.
She returned the smile. "I can see that. Have you come from far? Most people who come here do."
"I guess so: we are not that familiar with this part. Where are we exactly?"
"This is monastery The Duchess."
Bjernu looked puzzled. "'The Duchess'? I thought we were in an earldom."
"We are. The reasons for this name have finished in the mists of time. Records of that period were never made or were destroyed altogether. There have been one or two major fires here in the past. So it is a big mystery!" she finished, throwing her arms in the air, dropping the hoe, and making a face that would not look out of place on a travelling soothsayer. Then she giggled. "I am sorry."
Bjernu laughed with her. "Don't be. It was a good expression. What is your name? I am Bjernu, the best scout this side of the Great River." He bowed.
"A pleasure to meet you, Bjernu. I am Ameena, but I do not have such a famous reputation like you have." She bowed back, picked up her hoe and leaned on it. "So, where are you from, exactly? You haven't answered that yet."
"I didn't? Then it must have gotten lost along with the origins of the name of this place." He winked. "We came from down south, a small village with a big saw mill, which had a small goblin problem. As in them swarming all over the place and eating the villagers out of house and home. We took care of them."
"Plün? Good. I know some people there, good folk. This is the first time I heard they had troubles. News travels slowly up here some times. It is aggravating."
Elf and half-elf smiled at each other, one in gratitude, the other in acknowledgment of that gratitude. The sunlight beat down on their heads, but they did not pay too much attention to it. A bird screeched in the forest. Startled by the sound, Ameena looked up and over Bjernu's shoulder she saw someone approaching. "Oh, I am sorry. I have to go back to work. Enjoy the rest of your walk, Bjernu." She took the hoe and turned quite abruptly to the rows of beans still not done. Bjernu turned around and saw an older monk heading towards them. When the monk saw Ameena had gone back to work, he turned around and went back to the rest of the workers in the gardens.
"Thank you for your time, Ameena. I wish you success with the rest of your work." Bjernu looked at Ameena and saw something he had missed before. She had a tail. It was long and black and and was currently rhythmically swaying along. He wondered how she had gotten it, then put it aside. It was none of his business, after all. He strolled out further amongst the gardens, eventually settling against one of the outer walls and dozing there. It was better than sleeping in that cramped room.
Surreptiously Ameena watched Bjernu go. She had not responded as he had said goodbye, pretending to be working. She leaned on her hoe. She would not have been into too much trouble if she had been caught talking to one of the visitors, but she had gotten a bit uncomfortable. It had nothing to do with the scout: he was very nice and he did not feel dangerous. In a way the situation did, though. She stared off into the distance. She had never had that many friendly conversations, especially ones in which she made people laugh. It was rather new to her. She shook her head. Back to work. Her tail swished.
This separation business made her uncomfortable. It was not like the men had anything she had not seen before. Living this close to each other meant that you learned very quickly not to be too bashful about your body. And back home, not much ado was ever made of men and women intermingling. It was seen as perfectly natural. Abuses of the situation were swiftly and severely punished in order to keep the atmosphere relaxed, but such transgressions were rare. Olgyu sighed. She was not at home anymore. She had left for reasons which she thought were good at the time and she thought now still were so, but the world outside the tribe still puzzled here, even after all the years she had spent here. She ran her hand through her short blonde hair and leaned against the wall of the room she had been given. It was not much bigger than the room Marnak and Bjernu had been given, and with the one bed in it not as cramped looking as theirs was. A tendril of pain shot up through her right leg, making her bite her lip. Olgyu sat down on the bed, stretching the hurting leg out in front of her. Over the past couple of months it had been getting worse. The other knew something was not quite right: they spent too much time together to be able to hide such things from each other, but they did not know the full extent of her problem. Maybe this place had a healer of some kind who could help her. She did not want to ask for Marnak's assistance. While a skilled cleric, his talents did not lie in the field of healing. She flexed her leg, making sure it would not flare up on her, and left the room, a tall, blonde and muscular woman trying not to seek the assistance of nearby walls.
Marnak dozed, taking advantage of being entirely alone. Even so, his face retained the serious look he always wore. It was not all that easy, he had found, to lead a group, even if the persons involved were all friends. Some times orders had to be given and obeyed. In a small way, he regretted that his position did not allow him to get closer to the others, instead keeping his distance from them. It was easier this way. The others for their part accepted that. Marnak wondered how this had come to be. When he had met Bjernu and the two decided to travel together, they had been truly equals. Marnak was more diplomatically inclined, and did most of that kind of talking. Slowly this grew into him assuming the mantle of leadership. It was something Kord approved of: the strong leading those weaker. He wondered why He had seen fit to give him this task, he did not feel up to it at most times. Now not for the first time Marnak wondered what he had given up in exchange for this position. He never had felt he truly belonged anywhere. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts from his head. It was no use worrying over things that could not be changed. Marnak blinked at the ceiling and went to sleep.
The abbot said in his room. He wondered what to do with Ameena. She was friendly enough, but with her bloodline it had never been easy for her. He still vividly remembered when she had been brought in as an orphan. That in itself was not that extraordinary; some times he felt he was running an orphanage instead of a monastery. Most of the children left when they reached adulthood, and working at The Duchess provided them with skills that they could use in the world outside. Indeed, with the work ethics instilled here they were quite sought after employees, and they generally did quite well for themselves.
Some chose to remain and join the order. That was also all good and proper. Isolated The Duchess might be, they did their best to help the villages around them. But Ameena...news like her travelled fast. An elf with a tail? And there were people who had known her parents. Superstition reigned heavily here, and very few people could bring themselves to be civil to her, even if she was a monk and there to help. But she still needed to go out and see the world. She could not stay in here for the rest of her life.
He got up and walked over to the window. The view from here always did much to help him think. If he leaned to the right he could just about see the edge of the gardens, and he did si, a movement having caught his eye. A brown haired person was talking to one of the monks on garden duty. Squinting he could make out the monk was Ameena. That was good news indeed, her talking to one of the visitors. It was something she did not do normally. This showed promise. In a couple of hours the group of travellers this man belonged to would come here to see him. A perfect opportunity to sound them out. The abbot returned to his desk, sat down and started to read through the latest disciplinary reports.
It was early evening as Marnak, Bjernu and Olgyu met up near Olgyu's room. They had changed into cleaner clothes, and had washed up as well, relishing the opportunity to get good and clean. Without further words needed they made their way to the abbot's office. There was a monk sitting outside the doors. "Can I help you?" he asked the group, mainly looking at Marnak who was walking in front.
"We are here to pay our respects to the abbot. Is he in?" Marnak answered the monk.
"He is. I will go see whether he is available right now. Please wait here, I will be right back." The monk knocked on the door, and then went inside at a sign the group had not noticed.
"Why do we have to be here? It works better if you talk to him, so why are we here?" Bjernu asked. He stretched. There had not been any malice in his voice, but it still stung Marnak.
"It looks better if we are all here. They like to know who they are sheltering. You know all this. Why are you asking this?" Both Olgyu and Bjenru looked up at the sharpness in Marnak's voice.
"It was idle curiosity. There is no need to get angry at me." Bjernu smiled. In truth he had much rather stayed outside. Buildings made him nervous, he felt too buried.
"I am sorry, I did not mean to to get angry at you. I guess I did not sleep as well as I thought."
Silence descended, until the doors to the abbot's office were opened, and the monk walked back into the hallway. "Father Morgenstern will see you now." The monk looked over his shoulder towards the open door and then back towards Marnak. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Please do not stay too long. He has had a long day."
"Then we will not keep him too long. Thank you."
With a last imploring look the monk stood aside to let the trio step inside.
For a man who had had a long day the abbot looked surprisingly energetic. The first thing Marnak saw was a bald head bowed towards him as the abbot was deeply engrossed in reading something on his desk. The second thing he saw was that the office was due a good dusting. And in need of someone to come around and collect old pieces of paper. The elf gave a polite cough. The abbot looked up. There were a few wisps of white hair behind his ears and he had a lean face, reminding Marnak of a greyhound. "Father Morgenstern, please allow me to introduce ourselves. I am Marnak Rilyuaa, and these are my friends and comrades, Olgyu Axil, who is a valuable warrior, and Bjernu, who is a very good scout." The two bowed as their names were called.
"I am pleased to meet you. I am abbot Morgenstern. Please, have a seat." The abbot gestured to some seats in front of his desk. Olgyu had some trouble, as she was taller than most people and not too comfortable sticking her legs under the chair. Finally she stretched them out in front of her.
"My apologies, miss Axil. Had i known, I would have gotten a larger chair for you," the abbot said.
Olgyu smiled. "It is no problem, thank you. I will be fine."
"That is good to hear, miss Axil." The abbot turned back to Marnak. "May I ask what brings you here?"
"We were looking for a place to recuperate," Marnak answered. "Also we are quite unfamiliar with this area, so we hoped we could also use this time to get to know the area via maps and so on. That is, if we are permitted to study any you might have."
"You are in luck, we have very detailed maps of the surrounding areas. We do a lot of work in the nearby villages, you see. While this order does not serve any particular deity, we try our best to improve the lots of those around us. I see that you serve Kord. May I ask why? It seems odd for an elf to follow him. Do your friends share the same faith?"
Olgyu and Bjernu shook their heads.
"I serve myself and my friends, but no gods. I was raised in the faith of Kord," the warrior replied.
"I also do not explicitly follow any god, though I pay respects to those that cover nature," Bjernu said. The abbot nodded.
"Please excuse me, Father Morgenstern, but I will not answer your question. I do not mean to be rude, but my faith is a personal issue for me, and I would rather not discuss it with people I barely know." There was hint of ice in Marnak's voice, and the abbot flinched.
"You are quite right. I apologise for the impertinence of my question. I like to know who I am dealing with, but that question was going too far." The abbot shifted in his seat. "This may also seem rather impertinent, but there was another reason for my asking about faiths. The situation is like this. Like I said, we do a lot of work in the surrounding villages. They appreciate the help, and it is beneficial for the members of our order not to stay cooped up between these walls all the time." The abbot hesitated.
Bjernu nodded. He could see that.
"Some times, however, it is not that easy," father Morgenstern continued. "You see, one of our monks has quite an unusual heritage, and as such she does not get accepted, despite our efforts. People here are still quite superstitious. Sowing silver into the ground to ensure a good harvest, you know what I mean." He went on at a curt nod from Marnak. "But it is still imperative, though not written down as such in our rules, that she obtains first hand knowledge of the world outside. As I understand, one of you," he looked at Bjernu as he said that, "has talked to her today. That is very positive," he hastened to add as Bjernu made to speak, "since she keeps to herself." He trailed off.
"You are talking about Ameena then?" Bjernu asked. "I did notice she was not a normal elf." The abbot nodded in response.
Marnak sat in thought for awhile. Finally he spoke, "Are you asking us to take her with us, solely because she talked to our scout?" He raised an eyebrow.
Swaet dappled the abbot's brow. "I am well aware it is a very weak basis to include someone, but as I said, the fact that Ameena talked to your scout is promising. I am not asking you to decide now. Stay a few days, think it over, talk to her. I assure she is very capable. People here get trained in a wide range of skills."
"What is her heritage?" Olgyu asked. "How bad is it that people around here do not want her?"
Inwardly the abbot cringed. This was going bad enough that he did not want that question to be asked. "Ah, yes, well. She has fiendish blood. If I recall correctly, the fiend slept with her great-great-grandmother."
"That does explain her tail," Bjernu said. "I was wondering about that, but I was not going to ask her. Are there any other effects?" He was not bothered by the revelation. People could rarely help what families they were born into.
"She knows the language of her infamous forebear. It is the highly structured one of the denizens of the Nine Hells. She can also cloak herself in darkness once per day."
"Does she share the same tendencies towards evil her forebear does? If so, then I will say 'No' right now, since in that case we would not be good fit. We do not lean that way," Marnak said.
Father Morgenstern looked affronted. "She does not. How dare you imply we would keep someone like that here?" The wisps of hair seemed to bristle in anger. It had been a long day for the abbot, and the current conversation was also getting to him.
Marnak raised his hand in supplication. "I apologise, Father Morgenstern, for impugning your order. One can not be too careful these days, and I like to have all the facts before making a decision."
"You are correct. I am sorry for my outburst as well. I accept your apologies. Please do not feel obliged to take her along just because of our hospitality. Take your time. I will leave you to your rest. I imagine it has been a long day for all of us. Goodnight." The abbot stood, and the rest followed. They bowed to each other.
"Goodnight, Father Morgenstern." With that, the group left the room, going to their rooms.
She sat staring at the candle flame, concentrating on the blackness of the wick, ignoring the thoughts whirling in her head. The monks she shared the room with did not object to this. They were long used to Ameena's nightly meditations. It was better than waking up to screaming nightmares.
Ameena closed her eyes, and blew out the candle. In her mind's eye she could see the candle flame. Not that a candle was absolutely needed; as long as she had something to concentrate on. She was sitting cross legged on the lower bed, her hands folded in her lap, willing her mind to empty itself. Underneath her conscious thoughts she could sense a thread of darkness, roiling, simmering, waiting to break through. She could not afford to let it. She did not want to prove her mother right, however made the woman might have been at the end of her life. Her breathing hitched at the memories. So much smoke. Where did it all come from? She forced herself to slow it down again. That was all in the past. It had no power over her anymore. She lay down on the bed, and fell asleep. It was dark and dreamless.
Dedicated to Mel, who is unflinchingly supporting me in this mad quest. I love you.
Chapter 1
Down in the valley they could see the monastery. It was lying nestled between the trees, its red roof contrasting sharply against the early light green foliage of spring. From where the group was standing Marnak thought it would take them an hour to get down there. He waited for their scout to return and tell them it was safe going from here. This was unfamiliar territory, and Marnak did not know how far he could trust the woodsman who had directed them here. Still, if the monastery was not turned to evil practices, it would be a good place to stay the night, and some nights after that while they made themselves more known with this part of the country.
A long soft whistle came out of the undergrowth on the right. There was a pause, and then two more whistles. 'All safe, proceed.' Marnak turned to the third and last member of the group, who was currently sitting on the ground, cleaning her axe. She looked up at him, calmly. He smiled and started walking. She got up and followed him, swiping some leaves from her trousers. The undergrowth rustled as the scout hurried to get up front.
Not that many monks were working outside the main building when the latest group of travellers arrived. Even less looked up when one of the novices showed the group to the guest quarters. Due to its position the monastery got its share fair of lost travellers or people who wanted to experience some peace and quiet. All were cordially welcomed.
One of the monks who did look up noticed that the person she supposed to be the leader of the group due to his bearing was wearing the holy symbol of Kord. Given that the man was an elf, this struck her as slightly odd, since the elves generally did not go in for worshipping the gods mainly revered by humans. She smiled to herself and went back to hoeing the beans. It would not do to get caught staring at people who wanted rest. The sun and the hard work did much to drive the visitors out of her mind.
The room Marnak and the scout, Bjernu, were shown was clean and neat. It was also small, with barely enough room for the two beds that seemed almost shoved in there. Olgyu had been shown a room of her own, and the female warrior had accepted this which much grumbling under her breath. She had still not gotten used to men and women being separated. For now they would rest up and after that pay their respects to the abbot. Marnak had sent a message to him asking for forgiveness that they would not see him directly. He lay down on the bed, folding his hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling. Bjernu, having thrown his pack on the bed nearest the door as soon as they had entered the room, was pacing what narrow floor space near his bed there was. Finally he looked at Marnak, who had still not taken his eyes off the ceiling. "I need to go outside, this room is too cramped for me. I'll see you later, and I will be careful." He made a move for the door.
"All right. See you in some hours then, Bjernu." With that, Marnak closed his eyes and Bjernu left the room.
He did not have to wander the hallways for long to find a novice to show him the exit. 'Some scout I am, having to ask the way out,' he mock-derided himself, following the young man to the main doors. The sun stung his eyes and he had to shield them before he could see anything. The vegetable gardens had caught his eye on the way in. He quite approved of selfsuffiency like this. Not that it was likely that they were eager for his approval. He thanked the novice, who scurried back inside to fulfill his other pressing matters, and stepped outside. It was quiet, the only sound the hoes of the monks working in the gardens hitting the ground. All looked peaceful. Bjernu walked over to the garden nearest him, which had beans and a young woman hoeing them. Bjernu stood at the edge of the garden, watching her work. He did not have anything to do right now: he was not all that tired.
The woman looked up as she reached the the place where a half-elf dressed in green and brown clothing was standing. "Good afternoon," she said, pushing some black curls behind one ear. "Can I help you?"
"No, I was just standing here. I came in a bit earlier with my friends, and I am walking around a bit. Don't feel like resting." He smiled at the elf in the simple dark clothes.
She returned the smile. "I can see that. Have you come from far? Most people who come here do."
"I guess so: we are not that familiar with this part. Where are we exactly?"
"This is monastery The Duchess."
Bjernu looked puzzled. "'The Duchess'? I thought we were in an earldom."
"We are. The reasons for this name have finished in the mists of time. Records of that period were never made or were destroyed altogether. There have been one or two major fires here in the past. So it is a big mystery!" she finished, throwing her arms in the air, dropping the hoe, and making a face that would not look out of place on a travelling soothsayer. Then she giggled. "I am sorry."
Bjernu laughed with her. "Don't be. It was a good expression. What is your name? I am Bjernu, the best scout this side of the Great River." He bowed.
"A pleasure to meet you, Bjernu. I am Ameena, but I do not have such a famous reputation like you have." She bowed back, picked up her hoe and leaned on it. "So, where are you from, exactly? You haven't answered that yet."
"I didn't? Then it must have gotten lost along with the origins of the name of this place." He winked. "We came from down south, a small village with a big saw mill, which had a small goblin problem. As in them swarming all over the place and eating the villagers out of house and home. We took care of them."
"Plün? Good. I know some people there, good folk. This is the first time I heard they had troubles. News travels slowly up here some times. It is aggravating."
Elf and half-elf smiled at each other, one in gratitude, the other in acknowledgment of that gratitude. The sunlight beat down on their heads, but they did not pay too much attention to it. A bird screeched in the forest. Startled by the sound, Ameena looked up and over Bjernu's shoulder she saw someone approaching. "Oh, I am sorry. I have to go back to work. Enjoy the rest of your walk, Bjernu." She took the hoe and turned quite abruptly to the rows of beans still not done. Bjernu turned around and saw an older monk heading towards them. When the monk saw Ameena had gone back to work, he turned around and went back to the rest of the workers in the gardens.
"Thank you for your time, Ameena. I wish you success with the rest of your work." Bjernu looked at Ameena and saw something he had missed before. She had a tail. It was long and black and and was currently rhythmically swaying along. He wondered how she had gotten it, then put it aside. It was none of his business, after all. He strolled out further amongst the gardens, eventually settling against one of the outer walls and dozing there. It was better than sleeping in that cramped room.
Surreptiously Ameena watched Bjernu go. She had not responded as he had said goodbye, pretending to be working. She leaned on her hoe. She would not have been into too much trouble if she had been caught talking to one of the visitors, but she had gotten a bit uncomfortable. It had nothing to do with the scout: he was very nice and he did not feel dangerous. In a way the situation did, though. She stared off into the distance. She had never had that many friendly conversations, especially ones in which she made people laugh. It was rather new to her. She shook her head. Back to work. Her tail swished.
This separation business made her uncomfortable. It was not like the men had anything she had not seen before. Living this close to each other meant that you learned very quickly not to be too bashful about your body. And back home, not much ado was ever made of men and women intermingling. It was seen as perfectly natural. Abuses of the situation were swiftly and severely punished in order to keep the atmosphere relaxed, but such transgressions were rare. Olgyu sighed. She was not at home anymore. She had left for reasons which she thought were good at the time and she thought now still were so, but the world outside the tribe still puzzled here, even after all the years she had spent here. She ran her hand through her short blonde hair and leaned against the wall of the room she had been given. It was not much bigger than the room Marnak and Bjernu had been given, and with the one bed in it not as cramped looking as theirs was. A tendril of pain shot up through her right leg, making her bite her lip. Olgyu sat down on the bed, stretching the hurting leg out in front of her. Over the past couple of months it had been getting worse. The other knew something was not quite right: they spent too much time together to be able to hide such things from each other, but they did not know the full extent of her problem. Maybe this place had a healer of some kind who could help her. She did not want to ask for Marnak's assistance. While a skilled cleric, his talents did not lie in the field of healing. She flexed her leg, making sure it would not flare up on her, and left the room, a tall, blonde and muscular woman trying not to seek the assistance of nearby walls.
Marnak dozed, taking advantage of being entirely alone. Even so, his face retained the serious look he always wore. It was not all that easy, he had found, to lead a group, even if the persons involved were all friends. Some times orders had to be given and obeyed. In a small way, he regretted that his position did not allow him to get closer to the others, instead keeping his distance from them. It was easier this way. The others for their part accepted that. Marnak wondered how this had come to be. When he had met Bjernu and the two decided to travel together, they had been truly equals. Marnak was more diplomatically inclined, and did most of that kind of talking. Slowly this grew into him assuming the mantle of leadership. It was something Kord approved of: the strong leading those weaker. He wondered why He had seen fit to give him this task, he did not feel up to it at most times. Now not for the first time Marnak wondered what he had given up in exchange for this position. He never had felt he truly belonged anywhere. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts from his head. It was no use worrying over things that could not be changed. Marnak blinked at the ceiling and went to sleep.
The abbot said in his room. He wondered what to do with Ameena. She was friendly enough, but with her bloodline it had never been easy for her. He still vividly remembered when she had been brought in as an orphan. That in itself was not that extraordinary; some times he felt he was running an orphanage instead of a monastery. Most of the children left when they reached adulthood, and working at The Duchess provided them with skills that they could use in the world outside. Indeed, with the work ethics instilled here they were quite sought after employees, and they generally did quite well for themselves.
Some chose to remain and join the order. That was also all good and proper. Isolated The Duchess might be, they did their best to help the villages around them. But Ameena...news like her travelled fast. An elf with a tail? And there were people who had known her parents. Superstition reigned heavily here, and very few people could bring themselves to be civil to her, even if she was a monk and there to help. But she still needed to go out and see the world. She could not stay in here for the rest of her life.
He got up and walked over to the window. The view from here always did much to help him think. If he leaned to the right he could just about see the edge of the gardens, and he did si, a movement having caught his eye. A brown haired person was talking to one of the monks on garden duty. Squinting he could make out the monk was Ameena. That was good news indeed, her talking to one of the visitors. It was something she did not do normally. This showed promise. In a couple of hours the group of travellers this man belonged to would come here to see him. A perfect opportunity to sound them out. The abbot returned to his desk, sat down and started to read through the latest disciplinary reports.
It was early evening as Marnak, Bjernu and Olgyu met up near Olgyu's room. They had changed into cleaner clothes, and had washed up as well, relishing the opportunity to get good and clean. Without further words needed they made their way to the abbot's office. There was a monk sitting outside the doors. "Can I help you?" he asked the group, mainly looking at Marnak who was walking in front.
"We are here to pay our respects to the abbot. Is he in?" Marnak answered the monk.
"He is. I will go see whether he is available right now. Please wait here, I will be right back." The monk knocked on the door, and then went inside at a sign the group had not noticed.
"Why do we have to be here? It works better if you talk to him, so why are we here?" Bjernu asked. He stretched. There had not been any malice in his voice, but it still stung Marnak.
"It looks better if we are all here. They like to know who they are sheltering. You know all this. Why are you asking this?" Both Olgyu and Bjenru looked up at the sharpness in Marnak's voice.
"It was idle curiosity. There is no need to get angry at me." Bjernu smiled. In truth he had much rather stayed outside. Buildings made him nervous, he felt too buried.
"I am sorry, I did not mean to to get angry at you. I guess I did not sleep as well as I thought."
Silence descended, until the doors to the abbot's office were opened, and the monk walked back into the hallway. "Father Morgenstern will see you now." The monk looked over his shoulder towards the open door and then back towards Marnak. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Please do not stay too long. He has had a long day."
"Then we will not keep him too long. Thank you."
With a last imploring look the monk stood aside to let the trio step inside.
For a man who had had a long day the abbot looked surprisingly energetic. The first thing Marnak saw was a bald head bowed towards him as the abbot was deeply engrossed in reading something on his desk. The second thing he saw was that the office was due a good dusting. And in need of someone to come around and collect old pieces of paper. The elf gave a polite cough. The abbot looked up. There were a few wisps of white hair behind his ears and he had a lean face, reminding Marnak of a greyhound. "Father Morgenstern, please allow me to introduce ourselves. I am Marnak Rilyuaa, and these are my friends and comrades, Olgyu Axil, who is a valuable warrior, and Bjernu, who is a very good scout." The two bowed as their names were called.
"I am pleased to meet you. I am abbot Morgenstern. Please, have a seat." The abbot gestured to some seats in front of his desk. Olgyu had some trouble, as she was taller than most people and not too comfortable sticking her legs under the chair. Finally she stretched them out in front of her.
"My apologies, miss Axil. Had i known, I would have gotten a larger chair for you," the abbot said.
Olgyu smiled. "It is no problem, thank you. I will be fine."
"That is good to hear, miss Axil." The abbot turned back to Marnak. "May I ask what brings you here?"
"We were looking for a place to recuperate," Marnak answered. "Also we are quite unfamiliar with this area, so we hoped we could also use this time to get to know the area via maps and so on. That is, if we are permitted to study any you might have."
"You are in luck, we have very detailed maps of the surrounding areas. We do a lot of work in the nearby villages, you see. While this order does not serve any particular deity, we try our best to improve the lots of those around us. I see that you serve Kord. May I ask why? It seems odd for an elf to follow him. Do your friends share the same faith?"
Olgyu and Bjernu shook their heads.
"I serve myself and my friends, but no gods. I was raised in the faith of Kord," the warrior replied.
"I also do not explicitly follow any god, though I pay respects to those that cover nature," Bjernu said. The abbot nodded.
"Please excuse me, Father Morgenstern, but I will not answer your question. I do not mean to be rude, but my faith is a personal issue for me, and I would rather not discuss it with people I barely know." There was hint of ice in Marnak's voice, and the abbot flinched.
"You are quite right. I apologise for the impertinence of my question. I like to know who I am dealing with, but that question was going too far." The abbot shifted in his seat. "This may also seem rather impertinent, but there was another reason for my asking about faiths. The situation is like this. Like I said, we do a lot of work in the surrounding villages. They appreciate the help, and it is beneficial for the members of our order not to stay cooped up between these walls all the time." The abbot hesitated.
Bjernu nodded. He could see that.
"Some times, however, it is not that easy," father Morgenstern continued. "You see, one of our monks has quite an unusual heritage, and as such she does not get accepted, despite our efforts. People here are still quite superstitious. Sowing silver into the ground to ensure a good harvest, you know what I mean." He went on at a curt nod from Marnak. "But it is still imperative, though not written down as such in our rules, that she obtains first hand knowledge of the world outside. As I understand, one of you," he looked at Bjernu as he said that, "has talked to her today. That is very positive," he hastened to add as Bjernu made to speak, "since she keeps to herself." He trailed off.
"You are talking about Ameena then?" Bjernu asked. "I did notice she was not a normal elf." The abbot nodded in response.
Marnak sat in thought for awhile. Finally he spoke, "Are you asking us to take her with us, solely because she talked to our scout?" He raised an eyebrow.
Swaet dappled the abbot's brow. "I am well aware it is a very weak basis to include someone, but as I said, the fact that Ameena talked to your scout is promising. I am not asking you to decide now. Stay a few days, think it over, talk to her. I assure she is very capable. People here get trained in a wide range of skills."
"What is her heritage?" Olgyu asked. "How bad is it that people around here do not want her?"
Inwardly the abbot cringed. This was going bad enough that he did not want that question to be asked. "Ah, yes, well. She has fiendish blood. If I recall correctly, the fiend slept with her great-great-grandmother."
"That does explain her tail," Bjernu said. "I was wondering about that, but I was not going to ask her. Are there any other effects?" He was not bothered by the revelation. People could rarely help what families they were born into.
"She knows the language of her infamous forebear. It is the highly structured one of the denizens of the Nine Hells. She can also cloak herself in darkness once per day."
"Does she share the same tendencies towards evil her forebear does? If so, then I will say 'No' right now, since in that case we would not be good fit. We do not lean that way," Marnak said.
Father Morgenstern looked affronted. "She does not. How dare you imply we would keep someone like that here?" The wisps of hair seemed to bristle in anger. It had been a long day for the abbot, and the current conversation was also getting to him.
Marnak raised his hand in supplication. "I apologise, Father Morgenstern, for impugning your order. One can not be too careful these days, and I like to have all the facts before making a decision."
"You are correct. I am sorry for my outburst as well. I accept your apologies. Please do not feel obliged to take her along just because of our hospitality. Take your time. I will leave you to your rest. I imagine it has been a long day for all of us. Goodnight." The abbot stood, and the rest followed. They bowed to each other.
"Goodnight, Father Morgenstern." With that, the group left the room, going to their rooms.
She sat staring at the candle flame, concentrating on the blackness of the wick, ignoring the thoughts whirling in her head. The monks she shared the room with did not object to this. They were long used to Ameena's nightly meditations. It was better than waking up to screaming nightmares.
Ameena closed her eyes, and blew out the candle. In her mind's eye she could see the candle flame. Not that a candle was absolutely needed; as long as she had something to concentrate on. She was sitting cross legged on the lower bed, her hands folded in her lap, willing her mind to empty itself. Underneath her conscious thoughts she could sense a thread of darkness, roiling, simmering, waiting to break through. She could not afford to let it. She did not want to prove her mother right, however made the woman might have been at the end of her life. Her breathing hitched at the memories. So much smoke. Where did it all come from? She forced herself to slow it down again. That was all in the past. It had no power over her anymore. She lay down on the bed, and fell asleep. It was dark and dreamless.