Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Drusilia Nailo" data-source="post: 587517" data-attributes="member: 2062">And here's the resolution to the cliffhanger, since I can't stand the suspense.She felt sunlight warming her eyelids, and felt the familiar weight of a down coverlet, coupled with the warm body of a cat across her feet.&nbsp; Something was very wrong... she just couldn't place it.&nbsp; She wasn't supposed to be able to sleep.&nbsp;&nbsp; She wasn't supposed to be here.&nbsp; She was supposed to be... dead!&nbsp; Her eyes flew open, and she sat up straight in bed.&nbsp; &nbsp; Her room.&nbsp; She was in her own room, in Papa's house, on the Street of Flowers.&nbsp; Hidden amongst the courtesans.&nbsp; Tompkin, the gray stray that she had taken in last year, grumbled at her, and jumped down off of the bed in an angry huff.&nbsp; He stalked off, tail held high in the air.&nbsp; &nbsp; Why was she here?&nbsp; Papa had just tried to kill her... she had been convinced that he'd succeeded, but she certainly felt alive just this moment.&nbsp; She noticed that she was naked, and did a quick inventory of her body.&nbsp; It was completely devoid of&nbsp; injuries and bruises.&nbsp; Except for one.&nbsp; A&nbsp; jagged white scar remained on her ribs, where Papa's dagger had struck the first time.&nbsp; What was going on?&nbsp; &nbsp; Throwing open her closet, Drusilia began to put on her clothes.&nbsp; A pair of trousers, a lace up shirt.&nbsp; Her boots.&nbsp; And of course, her dagger.&nbsp; Little good it did me yesterday, though.&nbsp; Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the hallway.&nbsp; Everything was silent.&nbsp; &nbsp; She crept towards Papa's study, and froze.&nbsp; He was sitting there, at his desk.&nbsp; A scroll lay in front of him, and he was writing on it with a quill pen.&nbsp; After making a few more marks, he looked up.&nbsp; When he saw the pale, pinched face of his daughter, he sighed, and put the pen down.&nbsp; &quot;You're awake, good.&nbsp; Come in here, we need to talk.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia stared at him incredulously, and said with no small amount of anger,&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;If you think that I'm completely stupid, I'll tell you-&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Drusilia!&quot;&nbsp; His tone was one that demanded nothing less than complete and total obedience.&nbsp; &nbsp; She jerked, and felt herself obeying him, even though she could think of a million reasons not to.&nbsp; Eighty-two years of obedience does not wear off easily.&nbsp;&nbsp; She sat down in a silk covered chair directly in front of Papa's desk.&nbsp; Looking at him warily, she waited for him to speak.&nbsp; &nbsp; He studied her for a moment, and then sighed.&nbsp; &quot;I do not understand what power the young Alust has over you that he could make you believe such slander about me.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia blinked, rapidly, confusedly.&nbsp; &quot;But- you-&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Papa held his hand up again.&nbsp; &quot;Let me finish.&nbsp; I promise that it will all be explained to you if you have patience.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; She swallowed nervously, and then nodded, still sitting rigidly in her chair.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;I do not want to be rid of you because you cannot work magic.&nbsp; Indeed, I do not want to be rid of you for any reason.&quot;&nbsp; He glanced at her, as if inviting a response.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;But you stabbed me...&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Papa smiled.&nbsp; &quot;I didn't kill you.&nbsp; I could have, as you well know.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia scowled, then, starting to get angry again.&nbsp; There was something that she wasn't grasping here, and she didn't appreciate being toyed with.&nbsp; &quot;Why did you stab me, then?&nbsp; That hurt!&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; The man across the desk continued to study her, and then stood to his feet.&nbsp; &quot;Drusilia,&quot; he said, his tone gentler than it had been in a long time.&nbsp; &quot;You have been sheltered for your entire life.&nbsp; That's my fault -- I did not want to subject you to the violence of it until you were old enough to handle it.&nbsp; What would have happened if the first time you'd been stabbed was in a real fight, with an opponent who really wanted you dead? Would you have been so blinded by the pain, and by surprise, and fear,&nbsp; that you'd have let him kill you?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; She stared at this man, who she was beginning to suspect that she didn't really know.&nbsp; &quot;You weren't serious about wanting to stab me?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Papa snorted quietly, and then nodded.&nbsp; &quot;Consider it a lesson.&nbsp; Letting pain blind you will lead to death.&nbsp; Letting surpries immobilize you will lead to death.&nbsp; And letting fear master you will lead to death.&nbsp; Can you think of one other reason that I might have cause to be upset with you?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia felt very, very small.&nbsp; &quot;Because I doubted you.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Papa walked across the room towards her.&nbsp; &quot;Yes, in part.&nbsp; When you get older, I'm going to want for you to be part of the Organization.&nbsp; When that time comes, you are not to be so afraid of my reaction to something that you have done that you run rather than face me.&nbsp; You need to trust me, so know that if I wanted you dead, you would be.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; She nodded, understanding, and gave him a small smile.&nbsp; Apparently satisfied with her reaction, he changed the topic abruptly.&nbsp; &quot;Daughter, let me ask you something.&nbsp; Have you ever seen me work magic?&nbsp; Ever?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; It was one of those things that she had lived with her entire life.&nbsp; She had just assumed that Papa worked magic... he was an elf, after all, and a powerful one.&nbsp; Everyone assumed that he had magic.&nbsp; Kennic had threatened her, as a child,&nbsp; when she'd misbehaved, &quot;You'd better be good.&nbsp; You never know when your papa is going to be scrying on you.&quot;&nbsp; People spoke in hushed whispers about Tensin Naïlo's abilities to warp the mind and manipulate the thoughts of others.&nbsp; But she had never seen him do any of it.&nbsp; Ever.&nbsp; She stared at him.&nbsp; &nbsp; Papa stood there, waiting for a response.&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia shook her head, mentally kicking herself for not noticing it before.&nbsp; &quot;No... I guess that I haven't.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; He nodded, not offering any more explanation.&nbsp; &quot;So why then would I put out my own daughter for not being able to work magic?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia felt a tremendous sense of relief,&nbsp; and she let her shoulders sag.&nbsp;&nbsp; Alust, the scrawny little shrimp,&nbsp; had been more wrong than he could possibly know.&nbsp;&nbsp; A smile formed on her face for the first time in days.&nbsp; &quot;No reason,&quot; she said, &quot;No reason at all.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Drusilia Nailo, post: 587517, member: 2062"] And here's the resolution to the cliffhanger, since I can't stand the suspense. She felt sunlight warming her eyelids, and felt the familiar weight of a down coverlet, coupled with the warm body of a cat across her feet. Something was very wrong... she just couldn't place it. She wasn't supposed to be able to sleep. She wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to be... dead! Her eyes flew open, and she sat up straight in bed. Her room. She was in her own room, in Papa's house, on the Street of Flowers. Hidden amongst the courtesans. Tompkin, the gray stray that she had taken in last year, grumbled at her, and jumped down off of the bed in an angry huff. He stalked off, tail held high in the air. Why was she here? Papa had just tried to kill her... she had been convinced that he'd succeeded, but she certainly felt alive just this moment. She noticed that she was naked, and did a quick inventory of her body. It was completely devoid of injuries and bruises. Except for one. A jagged white scar remained on her ribs, where Papa's dagger had struck the first time. What was going on? Throwing open her closet, Drusilia began to put on her clothes. A pair of trousers, a lace up shirt. Her boots. And of course, her dagger. [i]Little good it did me yesterday, though.[/i] Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the hallway. Everything was silent. She crept towards Papa's study, and froze. He was sitting there, at his desk. A scroll lay in front of him, and he was writing on it with a quill pen. After making a few more marks, he looked up. When he saw the pale, pinched face of his daughter, he sighed, and put the pen down. "You're awake, good. Come in here, we need to talk." Drusilia stared at him incredulously, and said with no small amount of anger, "If you think that I'm completely stupid, I'll tell you-" "Drusilia!" His tone was one that demanded nothing less than complete and total obedience. She jerked, and felt herself obeying him, even though she could think of a million reasons not to. Eighty-two years of obedience does not wear off easily. She sat down in a silk covered chair directly in front of Papa's desk. Looking at him warily, she waited for him to speak. He studied her for a moment, and then sighed. "I do not understand what power the young Alust has over you that he could make you believe such slander about me." Drusilia blinked, rapidly, confusedly. "But- you-" Papa held his hand up again. "Let me finish. I promise that it will all be explained to you if you have patience." She swallowed nervously, and then nodded, still sitting rigidly in her chair. "I do not want to be rid of you because you cannot work magic. Indeed, I do not want to be rid of you for any reason." He glanced at her, as if inviting a response. "But you stabbed me..." Papa smiled. "I didn't kill you. I could have, as you well know." Drusilia scowled, then, starting to get angry again. There was something that she wasn't grasping here, and she didn't appreciate being toyed with. "Why did you stab me, then? That hurt!" The man across the desk continued to study her, and then stood to his feet. "Drusilia," he said, his tone gentler than it had been in a long time. "You have been sheltered for your entire life. That's my fault -- I did not want to subject you to the violence of it until you were old enough to handle it. What would have happened if the first time you'd been stabbed was in a real fight, with an opponent who really wanted you dead? Would you have been so blinded by the pain, and by surprise, and fear, that you'd have let him kill you?" She stared at this man, who she was beginning to suspect that she didn't really know. "You weren't serious about wanting to stab me?" Papa snorted quietly, and then nodded. "Consider it a lesson. Letting pain blind you will lead to death. Letting surpries immobilize you will lead to death. And letting fear master you will lead to death. Can you think of one other reason that I might have cause to be upset with you?" Drusilia felt very, very small. "Because I doubted you." Papa walked across the room towards her. "Yes, in part. When you get older, I'm going to want for you to be part of the Organization. When that time comes, you are not to be so afraid of my reaction to something that you have done that you run rather than face me. You need to trust me, so know that if I wanted you dead, you would be." She nodded, understanding, and gave him a small smile. Apparently satisfied with her reaction, he changed the topic abruptly. "Daughter, let me ask you something. Have you [i]ever[/i] seen me work magic? Ever?" It was one of those things that she had lived with her entire life. She had just assumed that Papa worked magic... he was an elf, after all, and a powerful one. Everyone assumed that he had magic. Kennic had threatened her, as a child, when she'd misbehaved, "You'd better be good. You never know when your papa is going to be scrying on you." People spoke in hushed whispers about Tensin Naïlo's abilities to warp the mind and manipulate the thoughts of others. But she had never seen him do any of it. Ever. She stared at him. Papa stood there, waiting for a response. Drusilia shook her head, mentally kicking herself for not noticing it before. "No... I guess that I haven't." He nodded, not offering any more explanation. "So why then would I put out my own daughter for not being able to work magic?" Drusilia felt a tremendous sense of relief, and she let her shoulders sag. Alust, the scrawny little shrimp, had been more wrong than he could possibly know. A smile formed on her face for the first time in days. "No reason," she said, "No reason at all." [/QUOTE]

Verification