The Domino Effect
Hastily I brushed a lock of my mouse brown hair away from my eyes. The last thing I needed in this fight was a distraction as trivial as my hair falling in my face. I scowled at my opponent as she smirked at me, her stance just loose enough the elf wasn't totally unprepared for my next move. She was mocking me, toying with me; after all she had the advantage of experience and if I managed to get a hit in because of her folly, well, she had nothing to lose.
Suddenly I charged, swinging upwards at the blackguard's hip as I went. The ring of steel on still filled the room and I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder as Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande drove her second short sword through it. I staggered back, dropping my sword. I glared at her defiantly even as she raised her swords to behead me. Things to ask her flooded through my mind, I didn't understand any of this. Of all people why her? She must have seen the confusion behind the anger in my eyes for she lowered her weapons. I wanted to make a snide remark about her being observant as always but the words caught in my mouth as I reviewed the sentence in my head.
Did she really deserve to be called a lady now? I shook my head and looked up at her forest green eyes. "Why?" The word seemed strangled to me as it floated in the air. Aribeth was silent for a moment longer; crossing back to my fallen sword she kicked the weapon back to me.
"Earn your answers." She said, going into a defensive crouch. I felt a glimmer of hope, hope that maybe I hadn't entirely lost her, that the old Aribeth was still somewhere behind that scowling visage of this strange blackguard. Taking up my sword I stood to face her once more. This time as I charged forward I fell to the left bringing my sword up just a little low of cutting her hip. My sword deflected off of her and I cursed at my mistake but I had no time to dwell on it.
Aribeth came at me, swords moving in unison towards my unguarded right side as I recovered my footing, my own sword flew to meet hers and a satisfying ring echoed through the chamber. I pushed her swords away, and struck out at her unarmored shoulder. My blade sank into her pale flesh just below the shoulder guard and she winced, pulling back. A smirk formed on her lips as she shook her head.
"Hold Anita, I will answer one of your questions now." I scowled at her, understanding the game she had made this. I would get one answer for every strike I managed to lay on her. Any hope of the old Aribeth still being there vanished within me as I straightened slightly.
"Why have you abandoned Tyr?!" I demanded. A shiver ran down my spine as Aribeth tossed her head back laughing. No more was it the tinkling laugh I knew so well but a hollow laugh. As suddenly as she started Aribeth stopped, her eyes locking with mine.
"Perhaps the question is how can you follow him Anita. Tyr claims to be a just god, but where was the justice in Fenthick's death! Did he deserve to die simply to sate a blood thirsty crowd?!" Aribeth pushed herself forwards arms crossed over her chest. I brought my own weapon up and shuffled back two steps. Her swords came cutting horizontally across the air in a scissor like motion. I caught them with my own and batted them back, bringing my sword down and across the chain-mail on her midriff. She back up again, a pained expression fading from her face and she straightened.
"Very good Anita, you're getting better. What is your next question?" This time there was no smirk on her face, just a stern look that reminded me of the old Aribeth. My heart ached at the memories that flashed in my head but I shook them away. I shifted to a more defensive position before posing my question.
"Are they really so blood thirsty? I know it was wrong but what more could Lord Nasher do?" I asked. Aribeth scoffed, the toss of her head sending golden brown strands over her shoulder. I braced myself for her attack as she crouched down in an offensive position.
"Nasher Alagondar is a coward. Is it not better to die for justice than live in an unjust world?" Suddenly I launched myself at her, a fury in my step. Long ago I had asked her that very question. That she dared to throw my own words back in my face infuriated me. I felt the bite of cold steel through my left thigh but this time I didn't cringe instead pulling back before my right side could be assaulted by Aribeth's other blade.
"Now it's my turn Anita." She said, evenly meeting my glare. "Why is it you fight for these people? For Alagondar? Their fear and anger cloud their judgment and all that can sate them is blood! Why do you insist on protecting them?!" I remained silent for a long while, all the time expecting Aribeth to strike at me. The assault I expected never came though and I took a deep breath before answering.
"Because you did once, you taught me that that was the right thing to do, that they were innocents in need of protection?but now you tell me otherwise Aribeth. You once praised Lord Nasher for his kindness and wisdom, now you've dubbed him a coward and a murderer, the innocents? Now a bloodthirsty mob?" Again that hollow laugh of hers rang through the air and she smirked at me. Automatically I went into a defensive stance.
"If I told you to jump off a cliff Anita would you do it? Must you follow everything I say?" I gritted my teeth. For the longest time Aribeth had been my role model the person I had always tried to be exactly like. When ever she spoke I had always listened, for to me, her words were law. Now it seemed even now that that was what she was to me, a role model. There was truth to her words, there was great injustice in Fenthick Moss' death. I shook my head, keeping my eyes locked with Aribeth's.
The sound of my sword clattering on the ground filled the chamber with what seemed like a deafening thunder. She gave me an inquiring look but I didn't answer. I turned my back on her walking back to way I came. "Do what you will Sister. I leave the fate of Neverwinter to you." My voice sounded hollow in my ears and if Aribeth ever replied I didn't hear it. It was true, every word she'd said was true. These people deserved to die.
I don't know why, but as I stepped away from the portal a vision from my childhood flashed before my eyes. Aribeth and I sat in the living room, standing blocks up on their sides at set distances away from each other. Then when we'd set up twenty or so one of us would push one down and giggle in delight as the others followed. As I watched the last block fall an explosion sounded, but at this point I was no longer sure what was noise from the battle and what was in my head.
I thought about the whole situation Neverwinter was in now. So much was it like those blocks, one death to set off a series of deaths. Again the scene played over in my head, only this time I noticed writing on the starter block. Absently I tilted my head to read it, even though it was in my head. As my sister's delicate hand tipped the block I read the bold black letters across the block's surface "Fenthick Moss"?
Edited by Essande, 04 December 2004 - 11:22 PM.
