To Walk a Dragon's Path, Chapter 2-Wills of a Demi-Goddess

[Lady Blue03]

Avalon lay on his nimbus, feet tucked under himself, tail wrapped around to his nose(ooc-kinda like a cat). He was in a rather foul mood, as he had caught a Black trespassing in his forest and had had to chase him, catch him, beat him within an inch of his life, and make sure he returned to his fetid swamp. The Black had...violated on of his drinking rivers, and had taken most of the day to cleanse...My old life is such a bore, the dragon thuoght with an icy snort.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

***OOC, should add, that like all elven armour, it's extremely light - also, Calaethis can cast spells, like "Dimension Door" with armour on - as elven armour allows spell casting.. remember BG2 anyone? also, if anyone remembers BG1 - the helm is like the wing'd ones the Amnish guards wear, and the shield is sort of like a orantly curved triangle***

Calaethis stepped out of the pool, he was totally dry. "Holy water, priestess?" he asked. She nodded and took a long look at him. "Calaethis dear, please change back into your elven form." he did so, and the priestess embraced him. "You gear is all ready for you love, now you must go and talk with the dragon Avalon. I... will miss you dear one, I loved you as my own." Calaethis saw a sparkling tear leave her eye, and he reached up and touched it, "Please, do not weep, I love you too... mother" he added softly, and returned her embrace. After several long moments, she released him. "Go then, Calaethis; and may my goddess watch over you, perhaps we shall meet again." "Farewell Priestess Ariaera" Calaethis said, gently. Then he gathered his things, which had *somehow* been packed and prepeared along with food and rations. He had a guess of who it might have been. The priestess dimensioned doored herself, leaving Calaethis alone. Tagnik told him to change back into his draconic form, and get going.

Calaethis did so - and dimensioned doored outside of Avalon's cave...

[Lady Blue03]

Avalon lifted his head instantly as his cave magic informed him someone was just stepping in. Hope flared in his ches-it could be Verloren! But then...it might not be...chosing to be careful, the Silver slithered across the clouds and poked his head under them to peer at his cave entrance. It was dark inside, but he saw glints of gold catching the failing sunlight, and his lips curled back in a snarl. So, the boy was still after him was he? Well, no fool walked into a dragon's den and left unscathed! Dropping through the mist, Avalon flipped over and landed just inside his cave's entrance. The sight of the gold one was enough to send Avalon into a fury, but he witheld. As the child spun around, Avalon reared onto his hind feet and spread his wings, the top of his fin almost touching a reaching stalactite. His bulk plus wings filled the entrance, cutting off escape. Glinting fangs as long as Calaethis's body slid apart as Avalon stretched his neck forward and roared his wrath out, blasts of frost streaming from his nostrils. Deadly glinting silver eyes glared at the golden one as the Silver came crashing to all fours, fin bristling,
"You dare enter my demesnes, wrymling?" Avalon's deep voice boomed cuttingly, "If you came to fight, you came to your death" dark silver claws spread, gouging lines in the stone, "Speak quickly, wrymling, I don't like unwelcome visitors.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Calaethis had Tagnik sheathed, and instead of standing up to the dragon, dropped to his knees. "Forgive me, for the intrustion, Ancient One; I beg an audience, and would not have entered your domain... save for this reason, please Lord Avalon, grant this request?" Calaethis had dropped his eyes, and his tone was one of deep respect.

[Lady Blue03]

Avalon growled-he did not trust the elf's new found respect after such a hideous streak of disobedience. Icy rage writhing him still,
"What's this? Weeks ago, you challenge my dominance like the foolish wrymling you are, now you beg on your knees? You are weak. Speak swiftly then, weakling. Your golden presence in my cave is not boding well on my eyes," Avalon narrowed those eyes and bared his fangs.

[ 02-20-2003, 08:02 PM: Message edited by: Lady Blue03 ]

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Calaethis shifted to his elven form. He looked up at the dragon, and replied "I was wrong to challenge you, Lord Avalon... please, I humbly beg your forgiveness and pardon... I... have thought long and hard on words I said in heat and haste..." Calaethis looked up fearfully at the dragon, and whispered, "You call me weak? Yet, should I challenge you again, you'd surely gut me? I... come to beg your forgiveness and although I don't deserve your mercy, I came here, hoping you'd... I don't know... I'm sorry..." he whispered and closed his eyes, expecting the dragon to roar at him.

[Lady Blue03]

Before Calaethis could flinch, a huge silver paw swept him ubruplty off his feet and sent him crashing into the base of a large stalagmite, Avalon leaping after him,
"That was for my lady love, whom you so easily disrespected," Avalon roared at him, "[b]If I had my way, I would kill you here and send your measley carcass to someone who once called you cousin, so she could dispose of it in a most foul way," he covered Calaethis in a sheen of frost, "My forgiveness you do not have, wrymling; not until Verloren gives you hers, and Alliene hers as well. The only pardon I give you is to leave my home in a quick manner, unless you have more impediments to spill."

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Calaethis lay there stunned, and whispered "I deserve no less, slay me now, Lord Avalon. Finish it. I deserve death... why... I was stupid enough to come here... I'll never know... I came... seeking my death..." Tears rolled down the young elf's cheeks. "I.. am sorry for insulting your love... a last request? I do not... ask for the chance to redeem myself... I beg only that you go back to my cousin's sister... so her pain from my foolish actions will be... stopped, as it cannot be undone. I do not wish my death to cause any more pain for anyone... I only wish... for the pain I have caused... to be undone." Calaethis closed his eyes, and waited for the silver to end it. "At least I'll die by the hand of one I once loved..." he whispered, barely audabile.

[Lady Blue03]

"You truly are craven," Avalon mused, now amused by this. He was acting like a true silver, "I also considered slicing you up and sending your pieces to your family, to show them what your Golden blood is worth," his chuckle resounded through the stone walls, "As for your wish," his voice grew deadly again, "I will not grant it. Live with your shame, wrmyling, as Alliene has to live with hers. I will not give you the grace of calling you her cousin, for I know she sees you as I do now," the dragon shimmered and stood in his elven from, pulling Calaethis roughly up by his chain, their faces inches apart, "Worthless, scum, disobedient, arrogant, foolish..." the dragons eyes glittered, "And no part of her family. Of our family," Avalon drug him to the cave entrance and thrust him out over the yawning precipice of the cliff, "Do you have wings, little wrymling?" Avalon's strong arm yanked him back in and threw him on the floor, "I will not taint my own honour and spill your blood on my floors. If you were dying, then mayhap, but all I see is a sniveling elf boy who had everything so good, and he ruined it all with one simple word..." he shifted and stood over Calaethis in his dragon form, "Get out," he snarled. When Calaethis was gone, Avalon launched himself from the cliff of his home and beat steadily south...

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Calaethis changed into his draconic form, to shield his emotions, still dressed in his golden elven plate; Calaethis left the cave, his features cold, hard and angry. Dimension dooring, half a mile away from it, he stopped. He started cursing. Avalon had not listened – and he had not forgiven him as his deity had promised. He felt hurt and betrayed, and with that betrayal had come anger, and self-hatred. Snarling he broke into tears, tears that ran freely down his face. He felt as if his inside self, the core of who he was, had been ripped out. His emotions were wild, as was his mind. He screamed at the sky, in total disregard and disrespect for his deity “Show Yourself! Damn You! You promised me everything would be all right! I hate You! I bloody hate You! You lying…” angry hot tears streamed down his face; “You manipulated me! You said You loved me! I regret ever calling You ‘Mother’! I hate You! I hate You! I was such a fool! I loved You! And you used me as a pawn!” Calaethis’s voice rose to a high pitched scream;

“You used me! And now You discard me?! Show Yourself, damn You! Damn You to the hells! Or have You no time even for that?! You did this to me! You unlocked my draconic blood! And for what?! So you could have me fight in Your petty wars?! You manipulated me! You made me forsake my family! I had everything I wanted! I loved them, damn You! All of them! I loved Alliene more then my own life! And now she hates me, damn You!” His tone was on the verge of hysteria, and he’d fallen to his knees. He continued, screaming at the sky “I loved Verloren, she’d accepted me, and acknowledged me as kin! And you made me drive them away! I even loved Avalon! I had everything I wanted! Everything! I hate You for what You did to me, and for making me abandon them! I never asked for this to happen to me! Never! And now You won’t even show Yourself! I hate You! I refuse to be Your puppet anymore! To hell with You! To hell with all of you!”

Drawing Tagnik’zurjess, Calaethis threw aside it’s sheath, and taking the sword in both hands, aimed it at himself, and slammed it with all his might towards himself. The sword didn’t move, Calaethis screamed at it, “You dare defy me?! I am your master! I created you!” the sword pulsed in defiance, and Calaethis could feel that it wouldn’t allow him to hurt himself with it; in a fit of rage Calaethis threw the sword as far away from him as he could, tears still streaming down his face. “Damn You! Now I can’t even take my own life!” His head falling to his knees, he wept broken heartedly like a young child who’d lost everything, his hair brushing the ground. Eventually he cried himself to sleep Exhausted and utterly fatigued; he fell into a dreamless sleep.

A pure, white light descended upon Calaethis’s position. Impassively he watched, with a detached interest. Unbeknown to him, he was the only one that could see this white light. A female elf walked with an unearthly grace to Calaethis, picked him up, and cradled his prone form, before laying him down on a bed of moss, and covering him with a thick fur cloak; which appeared from nowhere. Caressing his hair gently, she whispered in a voice Avalon could hear quite clearly; “My beautiful, beautiful child; I am pained to have to have had to put you though all this hurt and misery.” kissing him, She continued “Did I not love you as much as I do, I would not tolerate such insolence; and I would thrash you soundly… …but… you speak truly; I have manipulated you for My own ends; and I have made your forsake your family, which you loved far more then yourself.” still stroking him She knelt beside him, placing a pillow under his head, wiping his tear streaked face She continued “I still love you, despite what you have said about Me, and despite all of this. Never have I lied about calling you My child, nor has My love for you ever ceased. You do not understand Calaethis, nor will you until your cousin has accepted you again. You needed to be away from her, for you to learn. I promised you that everything would be as it was again, and so it shall be…” the goddess, perfect in Her form, looked infinitely sad, and pain painted Her features. “I know your heart and soul, young one, and deep down, I know your spirit to be noble, and pure; for you are Mine. I know how you long to be with your cousin again, and how you long to feel her embrace. I also know your love for her, and for Me, despite what you have said.” Calaethis’s features had become peaceful, as She soothed him, even though he was sleeping deeply. Avalon looked on in interest. “My child, I forced your blood to awaken, and manipulated your outbursts towards those you love. I am truly sorry, and I wish there had been another way, but there was not… I would have spared you this pain, had I been able, and you are not to be held totally responsible for your behaviour. I love you Calaethis, and I shall reveal more to you in the near future. For now it is enough, to know I shall always love you, no matter what. Sleep my child, sleep peacefully and know you are not alone.” Then she disappeared.