Demon Sequel
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tales_of_faerunImperfect Plans (Perfectly Done) (1800 words) by Sharpest_Asp
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Zaknafein Do'Urden, Vierna Do'Urden, Drizzt Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Drabble Sequence, Family Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary:
Zaknafein weighed the report from Drizzt and Dinin. He read between the lines. There was an emotion in his chest that he wasn't certain how to deal with.
He felt hope. His son, his shining dancer, was still as strange as ever. The school had not broken him! Any other drow would have removed an elder brother.
Dinin knew it. Dinin was both terrified of Drizzt and oddly reluctant to do anything against him.
It was time for Zaknafein to choose; he was choosing his son's life against everything he had ever known and suffered.
He just had to plan.
Vierna was relieved that the events of the demon on the patrol had broken all thought of a raid on the surface. She had time now, time to plot and plan. Hun'ett was likely their enemy, would possibly strike even with the loss of their younger wizard.
No doubt they were already telling lies about how Drizzt had made a bargain with the demon. It didn't matter that Drizzt had banished it; obviously that was a ruse.
She had to think, to make her aborted plans for graduation work. One way or another, she had to get out, with Drizzt.
Drizzt had struggled. He still remembered the fight, knew there was a tension between he and the Weapon Master. Yet, no further attempt had come, as the House prepared for a war.
He didn't understand why there had to be a war. Masoj's hatred of him had seemed petty, but that was done. No, this was apparently what drow were. His mother — the Matron — was speaking of new moves in the future, ones where he, not Zaknafein, led the House warriors.
There was nothing he wanted less. But Drizzt needed to understand if Zaknafein was truly foe, or a friend.
"The fastest way out of the city for our House is up there," Zaknafein said very quietly, as he was guiding Drizzt on a tour of the defenses. Malice wanted the boy acquainted all of his duties, and Zaknafein knew she was plotting his own death, probably to send him against the other Matron with less than perfect spells.
Well, that was going to fall through the cracks.
"It leads into the wilds, but eventually comes to a trade road. Sometimes wonder what might be out there, if a couple of strong fighters ever chose that way."
Had Drizzt understood?
Vierna pulled Drizzt into an alcove, having made a quiet noise to get his attention first. Even she was not brave enough to risk him being on a hair-trigger after his ability to outwit and defeat an abyssal creature.
She tapped her fingers against his wrist. "Dangerous for you to stay. Too strange. Escape when House attacked."
She met his eyes, knowing she was risking everything, but willing him to understand.
He reached with his other hand, covering hers to make it be still, before slipping away from her.
Damn that boy. Had he understood, or was she in danger?
The Weapon Master and his wean-mother sister were being odd, but not in the ways that usually broke his spirit. They both seemed to be urging him to leave the House, in separate, careful ways.
Dinin was avoiding him.
Maya and Briza only ever bothered to notice him with hateful glares, but neither was all that quick to use their whips to menace him. And mother — the Matron — was still using sweet words under the vague threats his way. She wanted his skills in a higher place of the House. That meant Zaknafein was in danger, and Drizzt hated it.
Zaknafein felt the House shake as the assault began. He was nowhere near Drizzt, had no idea if his son had listened. Malice was in his head, demanding he attend her, and his instincts screamed that there was no other chance.
He had to go, had to get out, and after, if he did not find his son in the conflict, he'd make a different path.
The House would not win if he was not here. They did not have a wizard strong enough to contest the Faceless One. Zaknafein headed for the western tunnel, and held his hope tight.
Vierna cursed as she extricated herself from the living attackers, dealt with the undead ones, and hurried to get herself out of the House as quickly as possible. She couldn't even get to the lizard mounts, the way Hun'ett had cracked their defenses.
She kept eyes and ears out for her little brother, for the Weapon Master, but mostly, she gave herself over to survival. Her god would have liked her to preserve both men, yet the knowledge she could bring was just as important.
She cursed her ill-luck in the timing of this, and wished both men to survive.
Drizzt didn't look back. If drow wished to kill drow, he had no place in this city. His eyes and ears stayed out, and he thought he spied two others moving away, but it was difficult to be certain with the magic being thrown around while the city pretended not to notice.
He did aim for the tunnel, but used an oblique approach that kept him in shadows, going above the tunnel instead of rising up to it. He then waited, listening, as he settled on the narrowest foot and hand holds, listening intently and trying not to watch below.
Zaknafein wanted to curse as not his son, but his daughter, made it into the tunnel. He remained perfectly still, knowing he was all but invisible even to her, and watched as she… got a pack out of one of the high niches? She then went back to the edge, looking down briefly, before falling back to a deep shadow to wait.
What was she waiting there for? Why had she abandoned the House? What vile plan of Lloth was she a part of this time?
If his son appeared, he would kill her, if that was what it took.
Vierna was uncertain if it was the lingering danger of the attacks below, or being so far from others, but she felt as if she was not alone. She slipped a hand into her pocket to touch her mask, but did not pull it out. She was still too close to the city.
Her whip and House amulet were in the trunk in her room, and that was a freedom she could revel in. Her ears stayed tuned outward, waiting, hoping. She was uncertain how much time she would give him, but her love for the boy made her stay.
Satisfied that nothing was moving in the tunnel, Drizzt pulled himself over the edge, trusting in his ability to hold to the rock and let himself see.
A pair of red eyes turned up, before Vierna was in motion —
— and a second motion had Drizzt dropping to defend her.
"No!" he hissed, as she spun, and saw the Weapon Master with swords drawn.
"Explain," Zaknafein hissed just as quietly.
"You both tried to make me run. I did. Now, we need to move… and then talk this out," Drizzt reasoned.
The swords vanished, and Zaknafein gestured for them to go.
Vierna stopped as they came to a tighter turn of the tunnel, and Zaknafein almost drew on her again, anticipating an ambush ahead.
"Weapon Master, Drizzt, can you guard this space while I get my bearings?" she asked — not commanded — and that didn't actually help Zak's nerves.
"Drizzt, rear," he ordered, and his son obeyed without opening his mouth. That was at least helpful. He slipped past Vierna, on alert, and didn't hear or see anything. Half his attention was on the tunnel, half on her, especially when she began to reach into a pocket.
She pulled out a mask.
The mask felt warm to the touch, but wasn't visibly so, and Vierna knew that was her god's way of reassuring her. Drizzt held his silence as she lifted it to her face, helping her cast the spell to learn which way to go once they hit the trade road ahead.
She knew the Weapon Master was distrusting it all, but her brother, her strange wean-son, was accepting it all in stride.
When she put the mask away, she arched an eyebrow at Zaknafein, not Drizzt. "Does that help you, Zaknafein?"
"No love for Him, but it's safer for Drizzt."
Drizzt was very confused, but since the Weapon Master relaxed some, he eased his own worries down. "You don't serve the," and he made the profane dying spider gesture, "and you don't actually hate me," he told each one in turn. "So can someone explain what is happening, given I decided to trust both of you?"
Vierna actually giggled, covered it up, and still wound up laughing again. That brought a smile to Zak's face, before he sighed.
"Your sister just pulled off the biggest lie of all, I hate that place, and you don't fit. So we are together."
Zaknafein knew that the symbol couldn't be faked. He checked his son to be sure the boy had known to remove his amulet, took an inventory of what they had on hand.
Both of his children had supplied themselves well, and that showed how committed to this path each was, even if Drizzt had done it on trust alone. He really was very strange, and Zaknafein would kill anyone that tried to break it in the boy.
Vierna's ability to hide herself had all of his pride in this moment, though, and he would follow where she led them, willingly.
The Weapon Master having recognized the symbol of her god had been surprising, but it made Vierna much calmer. No lengthy explanations were needed for him, and she honestly didn't think they'd help Drizzt much. Her little brother took the calm between herself and Zaknafein as enough of a reassurance, and followed, or led, as they made their way to a new life.
Someday, she would have to learn why he was as he was, but that day was not now. Her god had nothing against Drizzt or Zaknafein, and together, they could — would — forge a life that mattered more.
Long gone were the days when Drizzt openly questioned everything. If nothing else, he'd learned patience. His choice to go to the tunnel had paid off; if he just waited for true safety, then he could ask.
Until then, he convinced Zaknafein — his father! — that he was the better lead, more accustomed to the tunnels outside the city, with his patrol time still fresh in his mind. Every step away from Menzoberranzan was a step closer to a better place, one where he would be able to ask all of his questions.
He could wait, and be happy they'd escaped.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Zaknafein Do'Urden, Vierna Do'Urden, Drizzt Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Drabble Sequence, Family Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary:
After making it back from the doomed patrol, Drizzt and family have new issues to face
Demon
Zaknafein weighed the report from Drizzt and Dinin. He read between the lines. There was an emotion in his chest that he wasn't certain how to deal with.
He felt hope. His son, his shining dancer, was still as strange as ever. The school had not broken him! Any other drow would have removed an elder brother.
Dinin knew it. Dinin was both terrified of Drizzt and oddly reluctant to do anything against him.
It was time for Zaknafein to choose; he was choosing his son's life against everything he had ever known and suffered.
He just had to plan.
Vierna was relieved that the events of the demon on the patrol had broken all thought of a raid on the surface. She had time now, time to plot and plan. Hun'ett was likely their enemy, would possibly strike even with the loss of their younger wizard.
No doubt they were already telling lies about how Drizzt had made a bargain with the demon. It didn't matter that Drizzt had banished it; obviously that was a ruse.
She had to think, to make her aborted plans for graduation work. One way or another, she had to get out, with Drizzt.
Drizzt had struggled. He still remembered the fight, knew there was a tension between he and the Weapon Master. Yet, no further attempt had come, as the House prepared for a war.
He didn't understand why there had to be a war. Masoj's hatred of him had seemed petty, but that was done. No, this was apparently what drow were. His mother — the Matron — was speaking of new moves in the future, ones where he, not Zaknafein, led the House warriors.
There was nothing he wanted less. But Drizzt needed to understand if Zaknafein was truly foe, or a friend.
"The fastest way out of the city for our House is up there," Zaknafein said very quietly, as he was guiding Drizzt on a tour of the defenses. Malice wanted the boy acquainted all of his duties, and Zaknafein knew she was plotting his own death, probably to send him against the other Matron with less than perfect spells.
Well, that was going to fall through the cracks.
"It leads into the wilds, but eventually comes to a trade road. Sometimes wonder what might be out there, if a couple of strong fighters ever chose that way."
Had Drizzt understood?
Vierna pulled Drizzt into an alcove, having made a quiet noise to get his attention first. Even she was not brave enough to risk him being on a hair-trigger after his ability to outwit and defeat an abyssal creature.
She tapped her fingers against his wrist. "Dangerous for you to stay. Too strange. Escape when House attacked."
She met his eyes, knowing she was risking everything, but willing him to understand.
He reached with his other hand, covering hers to make it be still, before slipping away from her.
Damn that boy. Had he understood, or was she in danger?
The Weapon Master and his wean-mother sister were being odd, but not in the ways that usually broke his spirit. They both seemed to be urging him to leave the House, in separate, careful ways.
Dinin was avoiding him.
Maya and Briza only ever bothered to notice him with hateful glares, but neither was all that quick to use their whips to menace him. And mother — the Matron — was still using sweet words under the vague threats his way. She wanted his skills in a higher place of the House. That meant Zaknafein was in danger, and Drizzt hated it.
Zaknafein felt the House shake as the assault began. He was nowhere near Drizzt, had no idea if his son had listened. Malice was in his head, demanding he attend her, and his instincts screamed that there was no other chance.
He had to go, had to get out, and after, if he did not find his son in the conflict, he'd make a different path.
The House would not win if he was not here. They did not have a wizard strong enough to contest the Faceless One. Zaknafein headed for the western tunnel, and held his hope tight.
Vierna cursed as she extricated herself from the living attackers, dealt with the undead ones, and hurried to get herself out of the House as quickly as possible. She couldn't even get to the lizard mounts, the way Hun'ett had cracked their defenses.
She kept eyes and ears out for her little brother, for the Weapon Master, but mostly, she gave herself over to survival. Her god would have liked her to preserve both men, yet the knowledge she could bring was just as important.
She cursed her ill-luck in the timing of this, and wished both men to survive.
Drizzt didn't look back. If drow wished to kill drow, he had no place in this city. His eyes and ears stayed out, and he thought he spied two others moving away, but it was difficult to be certain with the magic being thrown around while the city pretended not to notice.
He did aim for the tunnel, but used an oblique approach that kept him in shadows, going above the tunnel instead of rising up to it. He then waited, listening, as he settled on the narrowest foot and hand holds, listening intently and trying not to watch below.
Zaknafein wanted to curse as not his son, but his daughter, made it into the tunnel. He remained perfectly still, knowing he was all but invisible even to her, and watched as she… got a pack out of one of the high niches? She then went back to the edge, looking down briefly, before falling back to a deep shadow to wait.
What was she waiting there for? Why had she abandoned the House? What vile plan of Lloth was she a part of this time?
If his son appeared, he would kill her, if that was what it took.
Vierna was uncertain if it was the lingering danger of the attacks below, or being so far from others, but she felt as if she was not alone. She slipped a hand into her pocket to touch her mask, but did not pull it out. She was still too close to the city.
Her whip and House amulet were in the trunk in her room, and that was a freedom she could revel in. Her ears stayed tuned outward, waiting, hoping. She was uncertain how much time she would give him, but her love for the boy made her stay.
Satisfied that nothing was moving in the tunnel, Drizzt pulled himself over the edge, trusting in his ability to hold to the rock and let himself see.
A pair of red eyes turned up, before Vierna was in motion —
— and a second motion had Drizzt dropping to defend her.
"No!" he hissed, as she spun, and saw the Weapon Master with swords drawn.
"Explain," Zaknafein hissed just as quietly.
"You both tried to make me run. I did. Now, we need to move… and then talk this out," Drizzt reasoned.
The swords vanished, and Zaknafein gestured for them to go.
Vierna stopped as they came to a tighter turn of the tunnel, and Zaknafein almost drew on her again, anticipating an ambush ahead.
"Weapon Master, Drizzt, can you guard this space while I get my bearings?" she asked — not commanded — and that didn't actually help Zak's nerves.
"Drizzt, rear," he ordered, and his son obeyed without opening his mouth. That was at least helpful. He slipped past Vierna, on alert, and didn't hear or see anything. Half his attention was on the tunnel, half on her, especially when she began to reach into a pocket.
She pulled out a mask.
The mask felt warm to the touch, but wasn't visibly so, and Vierna knew that was her god's way of reassuring her. Drizzt held his silence as she lifted it to her face, helping her cast the spell to learn which way to go once they hit the trade road ahead.
She knew the Weapon Master was distrusting it all, but her brother, her strange wean-son, was accepting it all in stride.
When she put the mask away, she arched an eyebrow at Zaknafein, not Drizzt. "Does that help you, Zaknafein?"
"No love for Him, but it's safer for Drizzt."
Drizzt was very confused, but since the Weapon Master relaxed some, he eased his own worries down. "You don't serve the," and he made the profane dying spider gesture, "and you don't actually hate me," he told each one in turn. "So can someone explain what is happening, given I decided to trust both of you?"
Vierna actually giggled, covered it up, and still wound up laughing again. That brought a smile to Zak's face, before he sighed.
"Your sister just pulled off the biggest lie of all, I hate that place, and you don't fit. So we are together."
Zaknafein knew that the symbol couldn't be faked. He checked his son to be sure the boy had known to remove his amulet, took an inventory of what they had on hand.
Both of his children had supplied themselves well, and that showed how committed to this path each was, even if Drizzt had done it on trust alone. He really was very strange, and Zaknafein would kill anyone that tried to break it in the boy.
Vierna's ability to hide herself had all of his pride in this moment, though, and he would follow where she led them, willingly.
The Weapon Master having recognized the symbol of her god had been surprising, but it made Vierna much calmer. No lengthy explanations were needed for him, and she honestly didn't think they'd help Drizzt much. Her little brother took the calm between herself and Zaknafein as enough of a reassurance, and followed, or led, as they made their way to a new life.
Someday, she would have to learn why he was as he was, but that day was not now. Her god had nothing against Drizzt or Zaknafein, and together, they could — would — forge a life that mattered more.
Long gone were the days when Drizzt openly questioned everything. If nothing else, he'd learned patience. His choice to go to the tunnel had paid off; if he just waited for true safety, then he could ask.
Until then, he convinced Zaknafein — his father! — that he was the better lead, more accustomed to the tunnels outside the city, with his patrol time still fresh in his mind. Every step away from Menzoberranzan was a step closer to a better place, one where he would be able to ask all of his questions.
He could wait, and be happy they'd escaped.
