Ceridwyn looked back at Aeolis, her gaze almost full of anger, “What has brought on this change so suddenly Aeolis? You who were among the chief of the politicos who sought to keep us segregated from the rest of the world! To fan the flames of prejudice and keep what you have while others suffer! To keep Silvanesti secluded and ‘safe’ from the outside world! You are so wrong, we are not just Elves, we are the living of all of Krynn! Human, Dwarf, Kender, Elf, we must ALL come together and protect the lives we live!”


She stood up, her tiny frame not even close to being intimidating but fire burned within her eyes. “No offense Aeolis but words are not enough for me to simply believe you have changed. For over a hundred years I have watched you and your actions, ten minutes of conversation is not enough to convince me.”


She turned and paced angrily, her features becoming all the more alluring and mesmerizing the angrier she got. “I find it hard to believe that a brush with death is enough to change a lifetime of habit and discarding that which does not serve your needs. I have been presenting my case to the Speaker ‘unpolished and he HAS ignored the facts’ they all have! ALL OF THEM! They have never been able to see past their noses as you put it, and neither have YOU! They can say we didn’t warn them because they always point the finger and lay the blame and it doesn’t matter how much time or energy you commit to the cause THEY SEE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE!!”


Her voice echoed through the house and she fumed as she looked at him. She wanted to believe that someone could change, but hundreds and hundreds of years of dealing with Elf stubbornness had her convinced otherwise. She stood like a statue, frozen in her anger, boring a hole into his eyes with her own. Aeolis would have never seen the diplomatic, political veil drop from Ceridwyn in this matter. The hundreds of years of frustration had finally boiled over and here she stood before him, shaking with rage, bare and open without all the stoicism and formality to bottle it behind.

Wrinkling her nose slightly Piramay sat down her glass when Fifth appeared. The rats were scattering to their hovels quick to not draw her ire. A small smile spread across her lips as she considered incinerating one of them for fun, but she resisted the temptation. Good assistants were hard to come by and harder still if you made a habbit of randomly offing one on a whim. She reached into the fire as Fifth spoke and pulled her hand back once more holding an orb of flame in her hand. Her eyes focused as she rolled it around while paying attention tot he mage's words.

"I would be a fool to doubt the girl's abilities. Beneath that pretty little skin of hers is one of the most potent mixtures of blood one could imagine. One half is a long line of mages and most recently a line further gifted by the three gods of magic. The other half of her bloodline belongs to a man that is nothing short of a paragon of his race. While her training is extensive she is nothing compared to the threat she could eventually become."

Her mind now shifted to Myth, the fallen prince that had regained his place. She had only seen the elf on a couple of rare occasions and she grinned devilishly as she remembered thinking of ways to get hold of his crimson mane. Quickly she composed herself returning to the conversation at hand.

"Rorie is kept around becuse of the threat he could be if he ever found away to restore his natural gifts. The bond with the twin may be gone but their individual gifts were still quite potent..."

She took another drink from her glass setting it aside still rolling the ball of flmae idley in her free hand.

"As far as dealing witht hte prince that as you say is going to be no small task. His sword skills were far above average even before he trained under that swordmaster who crafted him into one of our best assassins. His threat to our plans has less to do with what he knows which I am told is not much. What we have to be concerned about is what he can do for his people. I have watched through the eyes of the spies. The ceremony those elves put him through absolved him of his transgretions. His actions at the tower and again at the gates of Sylvanost have given his people hope. Hope they haven't had since we orchastrated the death of the crown prince."

She grew silent for a time and shook her head.

"He will have to be dealt with in time but it is to soon. We have to wait for certain events to unfold before we can move on him thanks to Rorie. Unfortunately killing him to soon eliminates the daughter. Time still flows and the mistress even as displeased as she is with things now would be more so if we accidently prevented the girl's birth. She was involved with to much to allow her to fade away. To many things could be changed as a result."

Aeolis let Ceridwyn rant at him. Not once did he flinch for he deserved every bit of her angst. He watched as she paced back and forth seeing the beauty of her firey nature coming through, slipping past the diplomacy he’d always seen in her. He wondered why she’d never let this side of her come through before and realized he wasn’t the only one changing for the better right now. All he could think was he wished the Council of Wizards and the Politicians could see her now. When she was done, he remained silent for a few more moments. When he finally did speak, his voice was like soothing water as it flowed gently over rocks.

”Who better to give as an example than me, Ceridwyn? You have the right to question me about rather I have changed or not. But you do not have the right to question me about my motives. I agree I was one of the loudest nay sayers about allowing our kind to mingle with other races. That goes without saying. But what happened to me over these past few months….I cannot explain. To be held prisoner within your own self and not be able to stop what you see happening….it sickens me to no end. I do not expect you to believe my words. I expect you to see for yourself with my actions.”

He looked away from her for a moment and swallowed before he turned his tired gaze back upon her dark orbs.

”It was my own prejudices, as you so pointed out, that allowed this evil to overtake me. Had I been more open minded, I would not have been so easily targeted. If that is not the message we need, we MUST convey t the people, then I do not know what is. If the Speakers will not heed our cries for unity, then we go to those who will. There are others, like you,….and me….. who believe we have committed the greatest sin of all by not becoming a part of the world around us. And by that, I mean learning from the other races on Krynn. It is time we took matters into our own hands, Ceridwyn. If we do not, who will WE then blame? As the humans are so fond of saying, it is time to put up or shut up.”

He gave her a small smile then.

”My sister has done more than healed me, Magi. She has shown me that we are beings set upon this world to co-exist with others. Far too long we have turned away from others who have just as much to give to us as they have to gain from us. It is time for us to turn to them. It will not happen over night, but eventually we will join enough of Krynn together to finally push back the darkness that threatens to overtake our world. And the world that the others belong to as well.”

Fifth watched her as she spoke, and he nodded in agreement as she concluded. “Truly we are in a bit of a paradigm shift, Rayann’s death was to be timed before the birth of the child to prevent upsetting the events, but now that Kali is in the hands of her parents again, it complicates matters. One can only ponder the unnatural tip of the scale that will be created when the child is born now that she already exists.” He smiled a sinister grin as he thought of the deformity of nature that was bound to take place. Catching himself he turned back to look at Piramay, nodding his head gently.

“I beg your pardon, the potential of how horrific this is going to be has my mind wandering away with me.” She could see the look on his face, it was obvious the necromancer in him was bubbling to the surface and extremely interested in what would unfold. “My feeling is it is best to let Rorie deconstruct himself, the string is pulled and he will be frantic to regain favor with the Dark Queen. All we need to do is sit back and let him unravel the whole ball of yarn. He is mad with passion for power, there is no check in place now that Kali is gone, he has nothing to offer the queen anymore. He is going to have to go on his own steam and yes, though his powers were once significant the only link he has to magic is Tahkisis, and she is going to dangle that carrot in front of the donkey’s nose with extreme malice.”

He turned and looked at Piramay again, his face twisted in a smile, “Once Rorie is out of the way, the road will be open for us to finish things in our own special way.”

She looked at him sharply. He was right, but he was still wrong, at least as far as she was concerned. “You are right in one regard Aeolis, your actions will speak volumes, and in the interest of fairness I will watch you to see what you decide…. and I will help you.”

She bit her lip slightly, the taste of her words slightly bitter, but it was the people of Krynn that mattered and she would do what she could to protect life. She stared at Aeolis, not saying anything but it would be clear to Aeolis by her facial expressions that she was highly conflicted at the moment and that her passion had made a rare appearance and her emotions were very turbulent at the moment.

After a long while she sat back down and looked over at Aeolis. She inhaled deeply and calmed herself, picking up her tea and drinking it again. “So what do you propose Aeolis? I have over a hundred years of failing in this matter behind me so obviously none of my ideas are working…” He might have caught it, just a glimpse for the briefest of nano-seconds, the sparkle of playful sarcasm that lingered behind her eyes.

Myth wrapped a protective arm around Rayann kissing the top of her head lightly. Her questions and concerns were understandable and he had given it a great deal of thought over the course of the morning. The answers were not pleasant but he knew in his heart the path they would need to travel.

"Alas my dearest we have yet to truly experience the loss of our daughter because it has yet to happen. It is a path that we must endure for the sake of Kali. While she may exist now in this world do we want to risk what may happen if we choose not to concieve her. It could have unforseen and dire consiquences. While I do not believe in fate I do believe on the power of choices. My instincts tell me the path of pain must be followed. What happens after that event is unknown but I believe deep down that we must not divert from the path for now."

Through the bond as always she knew how he felt about matters. He was not looking forward to the future as it was but at the same time he was resolute in his decision. Myth had always been able to trust his instincts, and in this case they were screaming at him.

"I'm not sure if I have much time to spend here mel'amin. I was able to make arrangements to leave the city for a short period of time but it seems I have inherited a mantel I was not prepared for upon my declaration at the ceremony."

She would feel the sadness creep into his heart as his thoughts shifted gears to the day he spoke to his father.

"As I have often spoken I have a brother, Jerrin. Well to be more accurate I had a brother named Jerrin. He took to the field as commander of the army in my absence and in the end was mortally wounded while on campaign. It was by his wish that I be allowed to undergo the ceremony to prove myself. Sadly this means that I am now the crown prince and future Speaker." Myth let out a long sigh.

"This puts me in a difficult position do to my personal views, those of my father, and the other nobles. Even before I left I was a bit outspoken about how things were run in the elven nations. My views were not positive ones in the eyes of the noble houses... I have one month to do what I can before I am required to appear before the speaker and the houses again. Sooner would be better but I have a month at most before a trip to Sylvanost is required. After tha I am not to sure of what I will be free to do anymore."

Aeolis smiled at Ceridwyn. He wasn’t sure what was going through that mind of hers as she sat there boring holes through him, but now, when he heard her speak, he knew.

”It is simple, really. If the powers that be will not listen to reason, we take our plea to the ones who will. The citizens of Sivanost. And Qualinost. And Kaganost. As you have stated, no one promised an easy life. And this will not be easy, but they cannot ignore the fact the Dark Queen attempted to attack the Elves, unprovoked. They will be hard pressed to turn the other cheek to this fact. She has hit us hard, where we live. The only place we thought was sacred and untouchable. She has proven we are very much touchable. Once we convince the majority of the populace, we move on to the other races. It will not be easy nor will it happen over night. But it WILL happen. We have to believe that, Ceridwyn. If we do not believe in ourselves, how can others believe in us?”

He suddenly felt very weary and leaned back heavily closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again he looked across to her then sipped his tea. He was tired, yes, but there was a determination in his eyes that couldn’t be hidden.

As Rayann listened to Myth’s words, she closed her eyes and let herself feel his heart and his emotions. He was right, of course. They couldn’t sway from the course of events that were going to take place. It would possibly jeopardize Kali’s very existence. And that was something Rayann was not about to do.

Knowing Myth was not happy about the path they would have to walk, she found some comfort knowing he shared the same heartache she did knowing what their future would hold. They would endure for it was the only way they could insure their daughter’s life would be spared. It would be the knowledge they know Kali will be safe, albeit for the most part, and would return to them that would help them through the darkest moments following her abduction.

Myth would feel Rayann’s emotions and know she was heartbroken they would have to continue on this path but he would also know she was resolved to the fact they couldn’t change things now. He would also know it was her love for him and Kali that would give her the strength she would need when the moment came when their daughter would be taken away form them.

Feeling the sadness that slipped into her beloved’s heart, Rayann sat up and looked over at Myth as he explained what happened to Jerrin. Holding his hand firmly within her own, she felt the loss he felt knowing his brother had died. Placing her free hand on his cheek, she let her eyes hold his as he told her their time here was precious and short and the fact they would most likely not have many moments like this again.

The love she felt for him shone through her lavender depths. Her face lit up in a loving smile as she refused to let the sadness she felt at knowing their lives were about to be uprooted reach him. There would be time later for sadness. Right now, there was only joy and she would let him feel that from her.

~What ever the future holds for us, mel’amin, I know we will always have each other. While I know our times together will be precious and few, I will cherish each and every moment I have with you and hold it close to my heart. Just as I hold you close to my heart.~

Taking his hand and bringing it to her face, she closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly into his gentle caress. The calluses she felt on his hands reminded her of just how diligently he trained and continued to stay true to his warrior heart. Opening her eyes, she let her gaze settle on his piercing emerald eyes.

~I love you with every ounce of my being, Myth’alas, and nothing will change that. Not even the absence of your presence. I will look forward to the times we can steal away and when we are apart, you will not be so far that we cannot feel our hearts beating with each others.~

Taking the hand she brought to her face, she lowered it to where he could feel her heart beating steady and placed her free hand over his heart as well. He would be able to feel each of their heartbeats individually within him just as she could feel them within her.

~Our lives will take different directions but we will always, always come back to each other no matter what. It's what brought us together in the first place.~

Piramay could only chuckle lightly as she clasped her fingers around the ball of flame snuffing it out of existence. The thought of the Queen dangling Rorie's magic in front of him like a carrot amused her to no end, but it was the same for all that the queen held dominion over. If you were foolish enough to let her have that much control over you then you got what you deserved. Admitedly while Rorie's plight amused her it also disgusted her.

"If not for the fact she wouldn't let him I would advise the man to take his own life." her disdain was quite evident in her tone. It was no secret what she thought of the situation of the broken twin.


Standing from her chair Pirmay stood before the fire stretching her arms. The light of the flames illuminated the slender form hidden within the robes. Everything about her was meant to draw a certain degree of attention, from the make of her robes to the sway of her hips. She was the flame and others were the moths. She derived a great deal of pleasure from causing distraction among the less discplined disciples of the queen.

Fifth however was one of very few men that she did not try to apply her charm to. The necromancer had proven more than once he was capable of resisting despite some of her more concerted efforts. It was something she could actually admire about the man. She was not easily impressed but Fifth never seemed to disappoint. She could respect him as an equal which is more than she could say about most of the weilders of the queen's magic.

Lowering her amrs once more there was the ever present twinkle in her eye as Fifth mentioned their plans.

"Ridding ourselves of that nnuasance could be as easy as setting him against the prince or his niece. I'm certain his sister would have a hard time ending his life but the other two I'm not to certain of. Kali knows the importance of taking the more strategic route, and Myth already made an attempt on his life once. Tis a shame Kali chose to save her uncle's poor life."

she scratched her chin lightly "Most likely we'll have to take a different approach though. Letting the family do the work for us leaves to many unknown variables to take into account. Risks do have great rewards but they do not always pay off.... I suppose this will require more thought and planning."

Myth knew that Rayann was doing her best to provide him comfort and keep his spirits up. He remembered once an age ago he had asked his father what it was that love felt like. He recalled the disappointment he displayed when his father said it was something that could not be accurately described by any words known to the mortal world. As he sat there listening to the combined heart beats of Rayann and himself he felt he truly understood what his father meant. It felt like an amalgamation of several things all at once.

With a sigh he opened his eyes once more offering a bright smile when Rayann looked up at him. The feelings she radiated for him were returned in kind. His training and meditation brought peace to his mind and body, but Rayann brought peace to his soul. Looking back upon the time before he met this woman he saw himself as an incomplete walking shell. Now he felt whole and for once at true peace within himself.

"The strength of our bond shall ensure that what you have spoken is true. I would tear down the walls of the dark palace itself if I had to."

A brief thought surfaced and reluctantly Myth placed a finger upon Rayann's lip as he slipped her off his lap. The look on her face was so priceless Myth wished he could freeze time to draw it. With quick steps he entered into main room and headed to his things. His mother had left him a gift that had left him most perplexed when he found it. Myth had almost forgotten that his mother was something of a seer and now it made perfect sense to him.

Digging around he found a strange box that looked like a rolled up leaf and pulled it out. Checking the contents he could only shake his head muttering something to himself. With long steps he stepped out onto the balcony once more with a smile as radiant as the sun. His hands remained behind his back keeping the object in his hands from view as well as the thoughts in his mind were hidden. The perplexed look he saw made him smile all the more as the box was slid into his belt to free up his hands. He leaned against the railing and looked out over the expanse.

The past months have been quite enjoyable, and filled with every kind of challenge and danger
. Some we were able to take down head on and others blindsided us with no remorse, but somehow we have managed to endure. Between our wills and our love we have managed to overcome a great deal."

He scratched his chin lightly as he carefully chose his words. "There was a rain soaked night in a cave in the middle of gods only knows where that you were faced with a difficult choice. You chose to take a leap of faith and place trust in me at a time were you could very well have left me to the wolves and the wrath of the goddess I served. That choice has enriched my life in ways I could never imagined and opened my eyes to a wider world. As I stated to the Speaker of the Stars you are my guiding light that has corrected my path and for that I am eternally greatful."

Myth pushed himself from the balcony edge and walked up tot he swing a smile still present on his face. He locked his eyes with Rayann's violet gaze and looked deeply within her being. His emerald eyes seemed to look through her physical being right to the spark of her soul. The few times he had fixed her with this stare their lives took on a drastic change. The first time was when she chose to break from Rorie and strike out on her own and the second was that night in the caverns.

"The time has come for me to ask you to make another leap of faith. As you have said our lives are about to take us on a most unprecedented journey and where the journey may lead us is unknown. However I would ask of you to take on a journey every bit as great as that set before us by the gods."

Reaching behind his back he drew forth the leaf looking box. Placing his thumbs on the top the folds of the leaf pulled away revealing a small ring. The band itself was made of braided silver and mithral, and the setting was a light colored metal molded into the shape of two leaves with a star-burst in the center. Mounted upon the star-burst was a sun diamond. Myth carefully grasped the ring with two fingers and dropped down holding it out to Rayann.

"Rayann Padraig of Glen Durel... I ask of you to join me on the greatest journey that two lovers can embark upon. I would like you to be my wife."

Myth knew in his mind that this would have long standing repercussions among his people but those who focused on such things were to short sited. He was willing to endure for Rayann's sake.

As Myth pried himself away from her, Rayann thought it was strange indeed but when he returned, it was even stranger. Where as a few moments ago, he was completely open to her and now, she couldn’t read anything. Not one thought, not one emotion, not one clue that would let her know what he was doing.

Listening to him talk, Rayann knew what ever was about to happen was something of great importance. Myth never spoke so much unless it was important and the more he talked, the more Rayann realized this was more important than she realized. All sorts of thoughts slid through her mind now. And none of them all that comforting.

Her heart beat picked up, her breathing became a little more shallow and her eyes grew wide as she tried to figure out what it was he was doing. When he mentioned the cave the night the truth was revealed, she felt her heart thud in her chest and start beating even faster. That night was the turning point in their lives. A night she would never forget. And to hear him explain it from his point of view, Rayann felt a lump forming in her throat.

When he turned and pinned her with his intense gaze, her mouth suddenly went dry and she couldn’t help but swallow. As he asked her to make the leap of faith then produced something from behind his back, Rayann’s eyes darted to the object then back to his gaze. The smile he possessed had been one she had seen a few times since their feelings for each other came full circle and as she noticed the smile, she also felt her body begin to tremble slightly.

Pulling the ring form the box and dropping down before her as she sat on the swing, Rayann felt tears sting her eyes and she blinked rapidly to prevent them from falling. Her eyes slid to the ring and she saw how delicately beautiful it was and understood the significance of what the ring meant. When the words were finally spoken and Myth asked Rayann to marry him, her eyes slowly slipped back up to his.

Her hands reached out to gently cup the hand that held the ring before her. Those tears she was trying so hard not to let fall were ignoring her and now welled up threatening to spill at any moment. As in the past, when she spoke this time, she did so verbally knowing the importance of this moment.

”I know what you ask me is not an easy thing for you to do considering the fact we are of two races. And I know you thought about this a great deal before you came to me. Nothing you do is ever on a whim. It’s that, and so much more, that I love about you. While I never truly expected this moment to happen between us, now that it is, I feel as though I’m dreaming.”

Rayann knew the issues Myth would have to deal with because of their union. And she also knew he would long outlive her yet he was still willing to live her life with her. It pained her to know he would watch her grow old while he maintained almost as he was right now. Some would call her selfish but all Rayann knew was that her love for Myth was stronger than prejudices. Taking a deep breath, Rayann nodded slightly as she smiled lovingly at him.

”Yes, Myth’alas Thel’Raden. I would be honored to be your wife.”

Fifth watched Piramay, she was trying to weave her charms, maybe not necessarily at him, but certainly following her pattern of the sultry death dealer she knew she was. He looked past it as he usually did, it was her mannerism and he respected the fact that she used every tool in her arsenal to get what she needed from whom she needed it.

“I agree, Rayann won’t off the poor bastard. Regarding Kali I have my doubts, she saved him once which suggests she might do it again. The curious thing that is still rolling around my head is why she saved him. Perhaps there is a stronger family tie than originally anticipated. Rumor has it she is now wearing Lunitari’s robes which creates a much more interesting paradox in the scheme of things. If she has truly switched to neutrality it’s hard to say how she will respond.”

He looked over at Piramay knowing she would have knowledge of his exact thoughts, neutrality acted on behalf of the whole rather than the individual which means Kali would kill Rorie should it be for the greater good, but she would spare him if it would upset the balance of things. Neutrality could never be truly predicted.

“I suggest that we wait and let things unravel on their own for a while before we get involved, if we wait and observe the time to strike will reveal itself, and you and I will reap the greatest benefit, namely, a kingdom of our own.”

He smiled a thin sneer that spoke to his point, the dividing of Krynn for he and Piramay to share.

Kali had awoken and was making her way to the balcony when she saw her father speaking to her mother. She could not hear the conversation but she could see that whatever they were discussing was a serious matter. She sat and watched in silence as Rayann’s eyes welled up and then let loose the tears she was obviously trying to hold back. The flood of emotions emanating from them was palpable and then she saw Myth produce an engagement ring.

She clasped her hand over her own mouth to muffle the sobs of happiness, and it occurred to her that she was probably the very first, technically unborn individual in existence to witness the engagement of her own parents. She laughed as she cried and watched her parents embrace one another. Her half-Elven eyesight was keen and she looked at the ring, it was simply elegant and beautiful, worthy of the finger it encircled and her thoughts drifted to Nol, was she to follow in her mother’s destiny of marrying an individual that would out live her? She shoke her head at her own silliness, to dare let ones thoughts drift to such things when there was so much war and death going on.

As her parents separated she stood and walked to the balcony, smiling, obvious tears on her cheeks, “Well, it looks like I might officially come to be now.” She walked over and embraced both her parents at the same time, squeezing them and feeling the connection that existed between them. She stepped back and took her mother’s hand, looking down at the ring to give it an even closer inspection.

With a warm smile she spoke as she looked back up to her mother’s eyes, “Well it appears as though tonight’s dinner is not only out first family meal together but also a feast of celebration!”

Myth's ears had twitched as they registered the sound of Kali's sobs and laughter. He had not expected to see his daughter but was delihted to know she was nearby. He was curious how it felt to witness something she would likely have only ever dreamt about, but Myth knew that was something of a stretch. Still her presence brought a smile to his face.

When Kali joined them Myth still felt strange feeling the life bond between the three of them. He never knew such a thing could exist between people but life had proven to holld many surprises for him as of late. Feint thoughts of the conflict in the tower still haunted his mind but they were a far off memory he tried best to ignore.

With a smile Myth spoke up "Yes... we have a great deal to celebrate this evening... I think I will leave those preperation to more worthy people though." he chuckled lightly.

When Rayann felt Kali’s presence, she turned to see their daughter coming to the balcony. Wiping the tears away from her eyes, Rayann was smiling so much her cheeks began to ache but she couldn’t stop. As Kali embraced both of her parents, and her father for the first time, Rayann suddenly felt as thought eh circle was complete now. The haunting future was pushed away for now as she allowed herself this magical moment with her future husband and her daughter.

As Myth announced he would let the dinner preparations be handled by more capable hands, Rayann chuckled as well and nodded to both of them.

”Yes. We have a something else to celebrate other than just being a family. And Kali and I will gladly handle those details.”

As Kali studied the ring, Rayann couldn’t help but study its delicate details as well. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry Rayann had ever seen and she knew she would be more than honored to wear it on her finger for as long as she breathed air. Looking up at Myth once more, she embraced him lovingly and kissed his cheek tenderly before she gently pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes then spoke in missive to him.

~I didn’t think I could ever be any happier but once more, you’ve proven me wrong. And I’m so glad for that.~

Slowly pulling away, Rayann looked up into his handsome face and smiled brightly again before she turned to Kali.

~So, daughter of ours, what do you propose we have for dinner this wonderful evening?~