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tales_of_faerun2024-04-23 01:49 pm
senmut) wrote in tales_of_faerun2024-04-23 01:49 pm
Entry tags:
- au: canon divergence,
- au: soul bonds,
- author: sharpest_asp,
- category: f/m,
- character: alustriel silverhand,
- character: drizzt do'urden,
- character: qilué veladorn,
- character: vierna do'urden,
- character: zaknafein do'urden,
- pairing: alustriel/drizzt,
- rating: general audiences,
- warning: no warnings apply
Dreaming of the Other
Dreaming of the Other (4084 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
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Alustriel Silverhand
Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Alustriel Silverhand, Vierna Do'Urden, Zaknafein Do'Urden, Laeral Silverhand
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Soul Bond, Age Difference, Power Imbalance
Summary:
Alustriel Silverhand did not need to sleep. Under pressure of time constraints and trying to fulfill her personal and divine mandates, she did not indulge in it often. Yet, from time to time, even she wished to let go of the world for a short time, and find rest for body and spirit alike.
This night, having spoken to all of her sisters, each one being of so careful of her fragile emotions, was one such night. She closed her eyes, willed herself to push away from the connection to her lost elf-lord, and let her rest go deep enough to dream.
The dream began oddly, cloaked in sheer darkness, but the feeling of being held by an arm that was slightly cooler than she was accustomed to. The pressure shifted, and then there was a massive flare of light, a light that blurred to her sight, but was tracked as it was brought closer. The light blotted out all other things, as if the eyes seeing it were fixated despite a sense of discomfort.
When the light, a candle she believed, was snuffed out, there was nothing but darkness and that pressure of being held, until even that faded away. The strange dream-sense remained with Alustriel into her waking moments, and all of her grief for her consort welled up at the realization that somewhere, somehow, a new chance for unity awaited her already.
"Live well, wherever you are, and I will try to be ready when you find me," she whispered into the quiet of her room before setting to her day.
Through the next couple of decades, Alustriel found herself experiencing dreams that were often merely pressure or sound around her. The utter blackness of the dreams was surely a product of the Underdark, as dreamers could only see in their natural environments. The sound of language spoken was foreign —
— and the number of times she woke with phantom pain, remembering her potential bond-mate made no sound of their own as they endured, absolutely left her raging.
Was this how Sharrevaliir had felt, dreaming of the breaking of her first family? Or when she had been accosted, just before her magic flared to true life? To know that there was a person suffering, one that would matter to her, and she could do nothing for them was maddening.
It also gave a key to what species he might be, though she would bide her time. Good drow did happen, she knew — but so few of them survived to make an escape.
It was his last night sleeping in his own bed, and Drizzt Do'Urden was not enjoying the rest. His mind had been tumultuous for days, between his most recent fights with the Weapon Master (had that really been a death match? Why had the man stopped? And had he really needed the broken jaw in the one before that?) and then the aftermath of the House punishment.
Now, even his sleep brought pain, as light brighter than any he had every seen flooded his dream, with voices speaking in a language he had never heard. The vague impression of bodies moving in that bright, searing light was present, before it faded away completely and was replaced by a less bright scene, with small lights dotting the air above, and something the color of his mother's faerie fire below. A great monster of some kind was ahead, with large branching clubs coming out of its head, and Drizzt realized it was running away from his point of view.
The brighter shine of a new light source was too much, and Drizzt sat bolt upright, gasping, confused — and certain he had better not mention it to anyone in the House.
Meeting Guenhwyvar in his ninth year of school finally gave context to the dreams that Drizzt had slowly adapted to being able to see details from. Without knowing it, Masoj Hun'ett had engendered a form of loyalty to himself by that introduction. Drizzt could not conceive of murder or theft to acquire the figure, and thus Masoj had to be protected, so Guen would be safe.
It did leave him wondering about the other dreams, the ones in a place that had too much light, and so many colors when it wasn't overwhelming his mind with the brightness. Who was the person he was seeing glimpses of life through, and would she be as good a friend as Guen?
Alustriel had been exhausted by her latest outbreak of fire-fighting in the Silverwood. The initial burn had been needed, yet she was all but certain enemies of hers had fueled it to push it out of control. If she ever found out who the culprit was, she would make sure it was their last time endangering the people and the wildlife that way.
She finally admitted she needed the sleep, and gave herself over to it, rather than just meditate. Almost instantly, she was consumed by a dream, and this time she could see a little. It was very faint but she slowly made out smoldering troll bodies — and pieces of same — in a tunnel, with a faintly burning torch of some kind in one hand of her dream-bonded.
All around were other dark forms that she realized were other drow, including one who came up close enough for her eyes to make out a sigil stitched into the collar of his outer garment. The details were noted, before the torches that had lit this dream were snuffed out, leaving her in the dark with only the faintest sounds until the dream faded.
Those details remained with her upon waking, and a memory of having seen that face more than once before. Could the sigil be a clue to her drow's identity? It seemed likely, given the Spider's Drow tended to be insular to their own families.
Qilué studied what appeared to be a stylized spider wielding eight different weapons, and frowned. "I've never seen this one before. But I feel like it is safe to say your drow is in a Spider-only city. We get far fewer from those than the ones that have factions of my Lady's Brother.
"Still, we have many former traders. Stay for a meal, and we'll pass it around."
"I'd be glad to do so." Alustriel then gestured at the bare rock. "You've taken a larger area than you told us in this place. I'm quite pleased your plans are going so well."
Qilué smiled at that. "I don't want to hex it. But yes, we think we've managed to free enough space to actually move toward making it self-sustaining. Right now, we're still dependent on the gathering and hunting above."
"How do I help?"
Alustriel threw herself into working alongside her youngest sister's people, and when the meal came, she let her sketch pass among many hands. One woman suddenly stiffened as it came to her hands, squinting at it for a moment more before looking up.
"Vassa, from Mantol-Derith, Lady Silverhand. I once was a caravan fighter, and the only time I have ever seen that symbol on a drow? I was in Menzoberranzan. The man I dealt with was not as fearful of me and my women as some of their men were, and he bargained fair. But I was told, after, that the House he belonged to was a ruthless, ambitious rising power within the city.
"They know nothing of other gods, and we were made on threat of torture to never mention the names of any of them, in order to do trade there."
"Oh my," Alustriel said softly. "Thank you, Vassa. I have had an impression of privilege, such as it can be for a male in a city of that one."
"I will pray our Lady guides him safely out," Vassa told her, before the sketch was delivered back to Alustriel, and the meal turned to other topics.
Shock, more than anything, kept Drizzt silent as he rode on one of the tizzin taken from the House. His sister and father were safe on the backs of two others. He knew Vierna was fretting over his scorches and the swollen hand, but Drizzt only needed one to guide his beast, and had carefully splayed the broken one out into the least painful pose possible.
Soon they would stop, and then he would let her heal it. He found himself hoping for a dream of the bright place, as something to shake his mind away from killing Masoj and the Faceless One. He wanted Guenhwyvar to enjoy her freedom, but honestly was struggling to cope with killing drow to acquire her figure.
He remained silent, despite the searching looks from his family — still something he was shocked by, knowing this man was sire to both of them — and took first sleep once Vierna had healed his hand.
As if some true deity were listening, he fell into a room he'd seen before, but it was darkened, the lights dimmed, and a mirror stood there. With a shock, Drizzt realized the one he saw through was standing there, looking intently into the full-length mirror. She had hair that was bright silver, something he'd glimpsed when her hair had fallen forward in other dreams. She looked alien to him, ears all but hidden by her hair, and eyes so small and round, yet he knew someday he would find her.
Now, he knew just what she looked like, and that would be his guide.
Zak noticed the soft look on his son's face while he was still sleepy and not fully immersed in the waking world. He wondered at it, but it was his watch next. They would move after this one, having allowed Vierna to sleep for both watches. She would need to pray, while both men guarded her.
It wasn't until they were riding again — the amulets controlling the beasts answered to Vierna as the only true daughter of House Do'Urden — that he considered it in depth. Was his son, his dancer, afflicted by the dreams? He'd had his since just before he'd come to Vartha's attention, and been groomed to be eligible for Melee Magthere, despite being common-born.
His own bonded had twitted him hard over the years, once they both had been honest about the thing between them. And it was not something ever breathed in drow society, so perhaps he should broach it with his son later.
When they stopped in a defensible spot, he kept quiet at first, still aware that Drizzt was carrying more tension than usual. His brief words about killing Hun'ett's wizards had been clipped, terse even. That was beyond Zak's ability to pry at, so once they had all eaten, he chose to tackle the dreams obliquely.
"Do they teach about dream-bonds to you priestesses?" he asked. "That thing where a person will see things through another's eyes?"
Vierna frowned, then shifted to look at her father intently. "No. But now I am curious. My dreams are always of my Lord's realms, and sometimes His presence."
Zaknafein sighed, aware Drizzt was following the conversation with all he was. "Dangerous, in our old city, to ever think about it. Especially in our House. It was a weakness to be hidden at all costs, or the other person might be used against you.
"No doubt why it's not even taught in the temple school."
"The only mention of dreams I ever heard were those of supposed visions, usually to justify cruelty," Drizzt offered. He was sitting with the black figurine in his lap, as if touching it was helping calm him down.
"Hmm, heard enough of that in my life," Zak agreed. "It's natural to dream, but if the dream was of spiders and House glory, it was not to be said aloud.
"But no, there is a different kind of dream, where you see everything as if through another person's eyes. I'd been working with the other part of mine for over a century before I let slip that I could see his life. He admitted to seeing mine since I'd been born, given he was a good bit older than I was."
"You've lived a long time!" Vierna said, eyes wide as she considered that.
Zak chuckled at her, all but seeing the thought that she thought he was older than most of the men in the city. "It's not Gromph," he assured her, as that was the logical jump. "And it was a very hidden secret on both sides, for many reasons."
"He's there… and you're here," Drizzt said, his face changing to something pained.
"He'll find me in time. He's not as constrained as most males."
"Bregan D'aerthe's leader?" his children said in one voice, fully shocked and a little awed.
"Hmm, looks like you two got all of Malice's brains," Zak said, nodding. "Made for some lucrative deals that she was pleased to take advantage of, but made it all the more necessary to never let on we were more than occasional allies."
"I'd say we get our intelligence from our father," Vierna said with a sniff. She was not, yet, willing to admit anything good about their unlamented mother.
"As you will," Zak said. "So, if either of you dreams of strange places and people… that could be what it is. The best he could ever learn was that it was a connection that could become something more. He swears he knew of a pair that were mortal enemies afflicted by it, and that is a bond of its own kind, I suppose."
Would Drizzt open up about his? After a bit of silence, it seemed not, but at least the subject was out there now.
The oddest thing of this dream was how lit it was. Alustriel had the impression her dream-bonded drow was as full of wonder as she was, but that might have been wishful thinking. The crystalline lights were unlike anything she had seen before. The view of scuttling insects the size of cats added more light, as they were glowing as if small balls of flame. All around the cavern were sights so alien to Alustriel as to evoke a different world.
This, she decided, was why so many drow called the Underdark a beautiful yet deadly place. What provoked the internal glow of the crystals? What had changed the insects to be so large, and full of light in a place where light could bring death?
She would have so many questions for her future friend, including who the man and woman were, having seen them before in rarely lit dreams. She marveled at the huge reptiles, looking so deadly, especially when her dream-bonded fearlessly petted that sharp muzzle. She could ask her youngest sister… but she wanted to wait, for when the drow came above.
Drizzt eyed his family nervously. He'd been very careful not to stand out once they settled. His tricks with animals he kept to himself, his opinions on drow cruelty were never uttered. He had a goal from the minute they arrived, one he doubted his sister or father would agree with.
Journeys above with the traders had only reinforced the idea that his goal was correct for him. Even the trouble with a Lolthite House had not done anything but reinforce what he wanted — to live free, above, and find the silver-haired woman.
"Spit it out." Zaknafein's blunt words put Vierna more on edge than Drizzt's obvious stubborn resolve.
"I mean to travel to the surface, alone, and explore," he said. "I have more than earned the cost of my surface gear, given the fight with the duergar last trip. Nalatar says my Common is more than adequate to any need. And… this place is not safe for me, not forever. I am too different, and it chafes for me to keep pretending to be truly drow."
Vierna's face showed her dislike of it, but she managed to not let it flavor her voice. "A month, at least. I need that to make a sending stone for you to use with father."
"It will take me most of that to acquire useful things and knowledge," Drizzt agreed, clearly relieved that she was not going to argue.
"When you find the one in your dream, you better tell me about them," Zak said casually, causing Drizzt to freeze, his eyes going wide. "You don't hide things well," Zaknafein told him. "You might not ever talk about it, but I figured out when you'd had one early on."
"I… I will, father."
He was on the surface! Not just the brief glimpses in some hamlet, but fully on the surface, without other drow! She would need to carve time out for naps, to allow the dreams to come. A very real, large part of her wished to scry for him and just go, yet she knew his youth. She thought it best to give him time to explore the world, while she tidied up hanging threads of her rule here in Silverymoon.
She was not so naive as to think her city would still wish her to rule if the drow proved to be a constant presence in her life. She hoped they would be, but it was best to plan for the uglier side of humanity to rise up. She'd long-since warned Del and his brothers about the potential future match. When Kor had arrived, she had told him before he could choose to tie himself to her so firmly.
Kor had been more intent on doing so, grumbling that a drow brought all kinds of dangers and enemies. Del had been slow to warm to the idea, but the others had pointed out that Alustriel's bond to their father was not lessened by her finding a new one.
Alustriel reveled in knowing that she would, within a few years at most, meet the drow of her dreams.
Drizzt had, over the years, come to suspect that his mysterious lady possessed great power. He had actually chosen not to speak of her for that reason, to his father or sister, knowing it might have set them against her.
After studying the people of Neverwinter, remaining well-hidden and evading their regular patrols of fighters in uniforms, he'd come to believe she was very distinct in both her looks and her height, the latter being a guess for how she had often been looking downward at others in the dreams.
Finding a place of business that printed information on the workings of the region proved to be fortune turning in his favor, as he learned of a lady called Laeral Silverhand, who lived down the coast, and by the accounts in the information, met the criteria of the woman he was looking for.
Silver-haired witch thought to be behind recent assassination foiling! at least looked like she lived an interesting life!
~Laeral, dear? May I ask you to be somewhat visible in the evenings, but away from crowds?~ Alustriel asked, amusement flavoring her sending.
~Oh this sounds like an invitation to danger, adventure, or mischief,~ Laeral responded. She then picked up with one of her own. ~May I know why, oh my sister?~
~My dream-bonded is most definitely traveling the coast, and is passing the Sword Mountains now. I believe he has heard of your appearance.~
It took a bit of time for the recharge to take effect, but Laeral's laughter was still evident when she sent a new one. ~I will be on the look out for your drow, dear, and see if he would prefer to come to you the quickest way possible.~
~Many thanks, Laeral. Try not to tease him too much, hmm? He seems quite serious.~
The sendings ended then, and Laeral decided she should attempt to intercept the drow before he encountered Waterdeep's outer patrols. Fortunately, her villa was on the northern edge of the claimed territory, and she had that spell she wanted to work on anyway.
The ocean had lured Drizzt down to the beach a number of times in his wandering, though a lack of knowing what he could eat kept driving him back to the grasses or trees at more of a distance. This evening, he decided he wanted to watch the sun set across the broad expanse of water, to see what the colors did.
His eyes still protested the brightness at times, but sunset seemed a little easier than sunrise, he'd discovered. He kept the cloak he'd used to hide his features pulled around him, as the ocean wind was brisk. A quick detour down the crumbling face of a rise, and he was on a strand of the beach smoothed by the recent tidal shift. All he needed was to find —
— somewhere to hide? There was a being at a distance, one that he could not quite make out with the late day light dazzling him where it glanced off the drier sands between him and the person.
"Peace, drow," came words right at his ear, quiet and as if the person were standing beside him. Was it a trick… no. His sight cleared enough to see the pale sheen of hair, and his heart began to race. Rather than look out to the west, he stayed fixed upon the person.
And then, once she was near enough, his hopes failed, and he knew nothing but bitterness for a moment, as this person had the hair and height, but the features were different from the treasured memory of the dreamed lady.
"You are on the right tack, but no, I am not the one you seek," the woman said, now in easy speaking distance of him. "She warned me her dreams had placed you traveling the coast, and asked me to be on hand to lend aid.
"Oh, bother. Do you even understand me?"
"I do, Lady," Drizzt said, his emotions rising once more. "Are you kin to her? She knows of my travels? This is something shared? My father mentioned it should be a shared thing, but I worried.
"I'm sorry, that was all very rude. I am Drizzt Do'Urden."
The woman gave a broad smile. "And I am Laeral Silverhand, younger sister to Alustriel, the one you seek. Shall we enjoy the sunset, as it is close at hand, and then I can offer you a faster passage to her?"
Drizzt laughed, bright and happy at her words, at her lack of fear of him. "I came down solely to see what the sun looks like as it sets over the water, so yes. And … I think I would like that."
"Good."
Alustriel had divested herself of all of her responsibilities as swiftly as possible that night. Near the middle of the night hours, her sister's signature sparkling energy coalesced at the family teleport room, and she caught her breath.
Standing with both hands in her sister's was the drow, his eyes closed against the effect of the spell. Alustriel wanted to bless her sister for warning him of that. Then he was letting go, turning… and she saw the man that had haunted her dreams for the first time.
"Welcome. I hope, in time, you find this to be a home to you," Alustriel began. "My name is Alustriel Silverhand, as Laeral probably told you."
"I am grateful to her for speeding this meeting, and I am Drizzt Do'Urden. I look forward to learning of you, and this place, now that my eyes have adapted to the light better." His smile held mischief and warmth both, lighting Alustriel's own heart with fondness. Maybe he was not as serious as she had thought after all.
"You two, go get acquainted and settle him in," Laeral said with a smile of her own. "I'll talk to your secretary first thing, and see if there is anything 'Alustriel' should sit in on, or if your schedule can be shuffled off to your council."
"Thank you, Laeral." Alustriel held her hand out to Drizzt… and he took it without hesitation or fear.
"I think, Lady, I am going to be far more boring to learn, than you will be to me," Drizzt said softly as they walked out of that room.
"Oh, I doubt that," Alustriel promised him, giddy at this new beginning. They had all the time in the world, but that didn't stop her from wanting to get a solid start on it now he was here.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Alustriel Silverhand
Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Alustriel Silverhand, Vierna Do'Urden, Zaknafein Do'Urden, Laeral Silverhand
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Soul Bond, Age Difference, Power Imbalance
Summary:
Soul-connections are revealed by looking through the other's eyes.
Dreaming of the Other
Alustriel Silverhand did not need to sleep. Under pressure of time constraints and trying to fulfill her personal and divine mandates, she did not indulge in it often. Yet, from time to time, even she wished to let go of the world for a short time, and find rest for body and spirit alike.
This night, having spoken to all of her sisters, each one being of so careful of her fragile emotions, was one such night. She closed her eyes, willed herself to push away from the connection to her lost elf-lord, and let her rest go deep enough to dream.
The dream began oddly, cloaked in sheer darkness, but the feeling of being held by an arm that was slightly cooler than she was accustomed to. The pressure shifted, and then there was a massive flare of light, a light that blurred to her sight, but was tracked as it was brought closer. The light blotted out all other things, as if the eyes seeing it were fixated despite a sense of discomfort.
When the light, a candle she believed, was snuffed out, there was nothing but darkness and that pressure of being held, until even that faded away. The strange dream-sense remained with Alustriel into her waking moments, and all of her grief for her consort welled up at the realization that somewhere, somehow, a new chance for unity awaited her already.
"Live well, wherever you are, and I will try to be ready when you find me," she whispered into the quiet of her room before setting to her day.
Through the next couple of decades, Alustriel found herself experiencing dreams that were often merely pressure or sound around her. The utter blackness of the dreams was surely a product of the Underdark, as dreamers could only see in their natural environments. The sound of language spoken was foreign —
— and the number of times she woke with phantom pain, remembering her potential bond-mate made no sound of their own as they endured, absolutely left her raging.
Was this how Sharrevaliir had felt, dreaming of the breaking of her first family? Or when she had been accosted, just before her magic flared to true life? To know that there was a person suffering, one that would matter to her, and she could do nothing for them was maddening.
It also gave a key to what species he might be, though she would bide her time. Good drow did happen, she knew — but so few of them survived to make an escape.
It was his last night sleeping in his own bed, and Drizzt Do'Urden was not enjoying the rest. His mind had been tumultuous for days, between his most recent fights with the Weapon Master (had that really been a death match? Why had the man stopped? And had he really needed the broken jaw in the one before that?) and then the aftermath of the House punishment.
Now, even his sleep brought pain, as light brighter than any he had every seen flooded his dream, with voices speaking in a language he had never heard. The vague impression of bodies moving in that bright, searing light was present, before it faded away completely and was replaced by a less bright scene, with small lights dotting the air above, and something the color of his mother's faerie fire below. A great monster of some kind was ahead, with large branching clubs coming out of its head, and Drizzt realized it was running away from his point of view.
The brighter shine of a new light source was too much, and Drizzt sat bolt upright, gasping, confused — and certain he had better not mention it to anyone in the House.
Meeting Guenhwyvar in his ninth year of school finally gave context to the dreams that Drizzt had slowly adapted to being able to see details from. Without knowing it, Masoj Hun'ett had engendered a form of loyalty to himself by that introduction. Drizzt could not conceive of murder or theft to acquire the figure, and thus Masoj had to be protected, so Guen would be safe.
It did leave him wondering about the other dreams, the ones in a place that had too much light, and so many colors when it wasn't overwhelming his mind with the brightness. Who was the person he was seeing glimpses of life through, and would she be as good a friend as Guen?
Alustriel had been exhausted by her latest outbreak of fire-fighting in the Silverwood. The initial burn had been needed, yet she was all but certain enemies of hers had fueled it to push it out of control. If she ever found out who the culprit was, she would make sure it was their last time endangering the people and the wildlife that way.
She finally admitted she needed the sleep, and gave herself over to it, rather than just meditate. Almost instantly, she was consumed by a dream, and this time she could see a little. It was very faint but she slowly made out smoldering troll bodies — and pieces of same — in a tunnel, with a faintly burning torch of some kind in one hand of her dream-bonded.
All around were other dark forms that she realized were other drow, including one who came up close enough for her eyes to make out a sigil stitched into the collar of his outer garment. The details were noted, before the torches that had lit this dream were snuffed out, leaving her in the dark with only the faintest sounds until the dream faded.
Those details remained with her upon waking, and a memory of having seen that face more than once before. Could the sigil be a clue to her drow's identity? It seemed likely, given the Spider's Drow tended to be insular to their own families.
Qilué studied what appeared to be a stylized spider wielding eight different weapons, and frowned. "I've never seen this one before. But I feel like it is safe to say your drow is in a Spider-only city. We get far fewer from those than the ones that have factions of my Lady's Brother.
"Still, we have many former traders. Stay for a meal, and we'll pass it around."
"I'd be glad to do so." Alustriel then gestured at the bare rock. "You've taken a larger area than you told us in this place. I'm quite pleased your plans are going so well."
Qilué smiled at that. "I don't want to hex it. But yes, we think we've managed to free enough space to actually move toward making it self-sustaining. Right now, we're still dependent on the gathering and hunting above."
"How do I help?"
Alustriel threw herself into working alongside her youngest sister's people, and when the meal came, she let her sketch pass among many hands. One woman suddenly stiffened as it came to her hands, squinting at it for a moment more before looking up.
"Vassa, from Mantol-Derith, Lady Silverhand. I once was a caravan fighter, and the only time I have ever seen that symbol on a drow? I was in Menzoberranzan. The man I dealt with was not as fearful of me and my women as some of their men were, and he bargained fair. But I was told, after, that the House he belonged to was a ruthless, ambitious rising power within the city.
"They know nothing of other gods, and we were made on threat of torture to never mention the names of any of them, in order to do trade there."
"Oh my," Alustriel said softly. "Thank you, Vassa. I have had an impression of privilege, such as it can be for a male in a city of that one."
"I will pray our Lady guides him safely out," Vassa told her, before the sketch was delivered back to Alustriel, and the meal turned to other topics.
Shock, more than anything, kept Drizzt silent as he rode on one of the tizzin taken from the House. His sister and father were safe on the backs of two others. He knew Vierna was fretting over his scorches and the swollen hand, but Drizzt only needed one to guide his beast, and had carefully splayed the broken one out into the least painful pose possible.
Soon they would stop, and then he would let her heal it. He found himself hoping for a dream of the bright place, as something to shake his mind away from killing Masoj and the Faceless One. He wanted Guenhwyvar to enjoy her freedom, but honestly was struggling to cope with killing drow to acquire her figure.
He remained silent, despite the searching looks from his family — still something he was shocked by, knowing this man was sire to both of them — and took first sleep once Vierna had healed his hand.
As if some true deity were listening, he fell into a room he'd seen before, but it was darkened, the lights dimmed, and a mirror stood there. With a shock, Drizzt realized the one he saw through was standing there, looking intently into the full-length mirror. She had hair that was bright silver, something he'd glimpsed when her hair had fallen forward in other dreams. She looked alien to him, ears all but hidden by her hair, and eyes so small and round, yet he knew someday he would find her.
Now, he knew just what she looked like, and that would be his guide.
Zak noticed the soft look on his son's face while he was still sleepy and not fully immersed in the waking world. He wondered at it, but it was his watch next. They would move after this one, having allowed Vierna to sleep for both watches. She would need to pray, while both men guarded her.
It wasn't until they were riding again — the amulets controlling the beasts answered to Vierna as the only true daughter of House Do'Urden — that he considered it in depth. Was his son, his dancer, afflicted by the dreams? He'd had his since just before he'd come to Vartha's attention, and been groomed to be eligible for Melee Magthere, despite being common-born.
His own bonded had twitted him hard over the years, once they both had been honest about the thing between them. And it was not something ever breathed in drow society, so perhaps he should broach it with his son later.
When they stopped in a defensible spot, he kept quiet at first, still aware that Drizzt was carrying more tension than usual. His brief words about killing Hun'ett's wizards had been clipped, terse even. That was beyond Zak's ability to pry at, so once they had all eaten, he chose to tackle the dreams obliquely.
"Do they teach about dream-bonds to you priestesses?" he asked. "That thing where a person will see things through another's eyes?"
Vierna frowned, then shifted to look at her father intently. "No. But now I am curious. My dreams are always of my Lord's realms, and sometimes His presence."
Zaknafein sighed, aware Drizzt was following the conversation with all he was. "Dangerous, in our old city, to ever think about it. Especially in our House. It was a weakness to be hidden at all costs, or the other person might be used against you.
"No doubt why it's not even taught in the temple school."
"The only mention of dreams I ever heard were those of supposed visions, usually to justify cruelty," Drizzt offered. He was sitting with the black figurine in his lap, as if touching it was helping calm him down.
"Hmm, heard enough of that in my life," Zak agreed. "It's natural to dream, but if the dream was of spiders and House glory, it was not to be said aloud.
"But no, there is a different kind of dream, where you see everything as if through another person's eyes. I'd been working with the other part of mine for over a century before I let slip that I could see his life. He admitted to seeing mine since I'd been born, given he was a good bit older than I was."
"You've lived a long time!" Vierna said, eyes wide as she considered that.
Zak chuckled at her, all but seeing the thought that she thought he was older than most of the men in the city. "It's not Gromph," he assured her, as that was the logical jump. "And it was a very hidden secret on both sides, for many reasons."
"He's there… and you're here," Drizzt said, his face changing to something pained.
"He'll find me in time. He's not as constrained as most males."
"Bregan D'aerthe's leader?" his children said in one voice, fully shocked and a little awed.
"Hmm, looks like you two got all of Malice's brains," Zak said, nodding. "Made for some lucrative deals that she was pleased to take advantage of, but made it all the more necessary to never let on we were more than occasional allies."
"I'd say we get our intelligence from our father," Vierna said with a sniff. She was not, yet, willing to admit anything good about their unlamented mother.
"As you will," Zak said. "So, if either of you dreams of strange places and people… that could be what it is. The best he could ever learn was that it was a connection that could become something more. He swears he knew of a pair that were mortal enemies afflicted by it, and that is a bond of its own kind, I suppose."
Would Drizzt open up about his? After a bit of silence, it seemed not, but at least the subject was out there now.
The oddest thing of this dream was how lit it was. Alustriel had the impression her dream-bonded drow was as full of wonder as she was, but that might have been wishful thinking. The crystalline lights were unlike anything she had seen before. The view of scuttling insects the size of cats added more light, as they were glowing as if small balls of flame. All around the cavern were sights so alien to Alustriel as to evoke a different world.
This, she decided, was why so many drow called the Underdark a beautiful yet deadly place. What provoked the internal glow of the crystals? What had changed the insects to be so large, and full of light in a place where light could bring death?
She would have so many questions for her future friend, including who the man and woman were, having seen them before in rarely lit dreams. She marveled at the huge reptiles, looking so deadly, especially when her dream-bonded fearlessly petted that sharp muzzle. She could ask her youngest sister… but she wanted to wait, for when the drow came above.
Drizzt eyed his family nervously. He'd been very careful not to stand out once they settled. His tricks with animals he kept to himself, his opinions on drow cruelty were never uttered. He had a goal from the minute they arrived, one he doubted his sister or father would agree with.
Journeys above with the traders had only reinforced the idea that his goal was correct for him. Even the trouble with a Lolthite House had not done anything but reinforce what he wanted — to live free, above, and find the silver-haired woman.
"Spit it out." Zaknafein's blunt words put Vierna more on edge than Drizzt's obvious stubborn resolve.
"I mean to travel to the surface, alone, and explore," he said. "I have more than earned the cost of my surface gear, given the fight with the duergar last trip. Nalatar says my Common is more than adequate to any need. And… this place is not safe for me, not forever. I am too different, and it chafes for me to keep pretending to be truly drow."
Vierna's face showed her dislike of it, but she managed to not let it flavor her voice. "A month, at least. I need that to make a sending stone for you to use with father."
"It will take me most of that to acquire useful things and knowledge," Drizzt agreed, clearly relieved that she was not going to argue.
"When you find the one in your dream, you better tell me about them," Zak said casually, causing Drizzt to freeze, his eyes going wide. "You don't hide things well," Zaknafein told him. "You might not ever talk about it, but I figured out when you'd had one early on."
"I… I will, father."
He was on the surface! Not just the brief glimpses in some hamlet, but fully on the surface, without other drow! She would need to carve time out for naps, to allow the dreams to come. A very real, large part of her wished to scry for him and just go, yet she knew his youth. She thought it best to give him time to explore the world, while she tidied up hanging threads of her rule here in Silverymoon.
She was not so naive as to think her city would still wish her to rule if the drow proved to be a constant presence in her life. She hoped they would be, but it was best to plan for the uglier side of humanity to rise up. She'd long-since warned Del and his brothers about the potential future match. When Kor had arrived, she had told him before he could choose to tie himself to her so firmly.
Kor had been more intent on doing so, grumbling that a drow brought all kinds of dangers and enemies. Del had been slow to warm to the idea, but the others had pointed out that Alustriel's bond to their father was not lessened by her finding a new one.
Alustriel reveled in knowing that she would, within a few years at most, meet the drow of her dreams.
Drizzt had, over the years, come to suspect that his mysterious lady possessed great power. He had actually chosen not to speak of her for that reason, to his father or sister, knowing it might have set them against her.
After studying the people of Neverwinter, remaining well-hidden and evading their regular patrols of fighters in uniforms, he'd come to believe she was very distinct in both her looks and her height, the latter being a guess for how she had often been looking downward at others in the dreams.
Finding a place of business that printed information on the workings of the region proved to be fortune turning in his favor, as he learned of a lady called Laeral Silverhand, who lived down the coast, and by the accounts in the information, met the criteria of the woman he was looking for.
Silver-haired witch thought to be behind recent assassination foiling! at least looked like she lived an interesting life!
~Laeral, dear? May I ask you to be somewhat visible in the evenings, but away from crowds?~ Alustriel asked, amusement flavoring her sending.
~Oh this sounds like an invitation to danger, adventure, or mischief,~ Laeral responded. She then picked up with one of her own. ~May I know why, oh my sister?~
~My dream-bonded is most definitely traveling the coast, and is passing the Sword Mountains now. I believe he has heard of your appearance.~
It took a bit of time for the recharge to take effect, but Laeral's laughter was still evident when she sent a new one. ~I will be on the look out for your drow, dear, and see if he would prefer to come to you the quickest way possible.~
~Many thanks, Laeral. Try not to tease him too much, hmm? He seems quite serious.~
The sendings ended then, and Laeral decided she should attempt to intercept the drow before he encountered Waterdeep's outer patrols. Fortunately, her villa was on the northern edge of the claimed territory, and she had that spell she wanted to work on anyway.
The ocean had lured Drizzt down to the beach a number of times in his wandering, though a lack of knowing what he could eat kept driving him back to the grasses or trees at more of a distance. This evening, he decided he wanted to watch the sun set across the broad expanse of water, to see what the colors did.
His eyes still protested the brightness at times, but sunset seemed a little easier than sunrise, he'd discovered. He kept the cloak he'd used to hide his features pulled around him, as the ocean wind was brisk. A quick detour down the crumbling face of a rise, and he was on a strand of the beach smoothed by the recent tidal shift. All he needed was to find —
— somewhere to hide? There was a being at a distance, one that he could not quite make out with the late day light dazzling him where it glanced off the drier sands between him and the person.
"Peace, drow," came words right at his ear, quiet and as if the person were standing beside him. Was it a trick… no. His sight cleared enough to see the pale sheen of hair, and his heart began to race. Rather than look out to the west, he stayed fixed upon the person.
And then, once she was near enough, his hopes failed, and he knew nothing but bitterness for a moment, as this person had the hair and height, but the features were different from the treasured memory of the dreamed lady.
"You are on the right tack, but no, I am not the one you seek," the woman said, now in easy speaking distance of him. "She warned me her dreams had placed you traveling the coast, and asked me to be on hand to lend aid.
"Oh, bother. Do you even understand me?"
"I do, Lady," Drizzt said, his emotions rising once more. "Are you kin to her? She knows of my travels? This is something shared? My father mentioned it should be a shared thing, but I worried.
"I'm sorry, that was all very rude. I am Drizzt Do'Urden."
The woman gave a broad smile. "And I am Laeral Silverhand, younger sister to Alustriel, the one you seek. Shall we enjoy the sunset, as it is close at hand, and then I can offer you a faster passage to her?"
Drizzt laughed, bright and happy at her words, at her lack of fear of him. "I came down solely to see what the sun looks like as it sets over the water, so yes. And … I think I would like that."
"Good."
Alustriel had divested herself of all of her responsibilities as swiftly as possible that night. Near the middle of the night hours, her sister's signature sparkling energy coalesced at the family teleport room, and she caught her breath.
Standing with both hands in her sister's was the drow, his eyes closed against the effect of the spell. Alustriel wanted to bless her sister for warning him of that. Then he was letting go, turning… and she saw the man that had haunted her dreams for the first time.
"Welcome. I hope, in time, you find this to be a home to you," Alustriel began. "My name is Alustriel Silverhand, as Laeral probably told you."
"I am grateful to her for speeding this meeting, and I am Drizzt Do'Urden. I look forward to learning of you, and this place, now that my eyes have adapted to the light better." His smile held mischief and warmth both, lighting Alustriel's own heart with fondness. Maybe he was not as serious as she had thought after all.
"You two, go get acquainted and settle him in," Laeral said with a smile of her own. "I'll talk to your secretary first thing, and see if there is anything 'Alustriel' should sit in on, or if your schedule can be shuffled off to your council."
"Thank you, Laeral." Alustriel held her hand out to Drizzt… and he took it without hesitation or fear.
"I think, Lady, I am going to be far more boring to learn, than you will be to me," Drizzt said softly as they walked out of that room.
"Oh, I doubt that," Alustriel promised him, giddy at this new beginning. They had all the time in the world, but that didn't stop her from wanting to get a solid start on it now he was here.