Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aust Thale" data-source="post: 7292538" data-attributes="member: 6804768">Respen's Curiosity, Regret, and Exhultation~ The path is as it is.  I shall walk it. I wonder what Dame Clare wants of me that she would put me, a stranger, in such a position? ~"Your Grace, I wish to take a moment and check on Nelvandra.  Truthfully, I need a moment.  I came to you to ask questions and submit myself willingly to help you.I didn't expect that you would apprentice me.  It is an honor to be sure, but I am perplexed.  I have bedded your sister, you have taken my blood, and you have apprenticed me.I sense that you wish me to do something for you.  Surely you don't simply want me as an errand boy? "  Respen is rejuvenated from Dame Clare's powerful spell.  It isn't until Respen is back in Nel's quarters later, looking in her mirror, does he fully comprehend the spell Dame Clare cast to heal him.  He had witnessed his uncle Auror cast less powerful magic, but there were limitations to it.  And Auror had expressly not left more than a simple spellbook or two in Respen's care, as both the quantity and complexity of some of the spellbooks made them dangerous in Respen's hands.  Respen winced.  Hopefully Auror, if he could somehow see Respen now in Auror's afterlife, he wouldn't think less of him for Respen's handling of this encounter.  Laramon too, though he had barely met him.  With Auror's letter, Laramon had opened his library to him, agreed to apprentice him in lieu of Delbin Archanus, and help supply him and his mates.  His mates!  Where did they go?  He hoped beyond hope they were safe, or if not safe, safely adventuring away from these machinations.Ham-handed.  Naïve.  Presumptuous.  Respen simultaneously felt all three.  Dame Clare had twisted his words, and she clearly had a better plan for keeping him than he had for getting away.  She had literally beaten him, dominated and mesmerized his mind, forced him physically to share himself with another, and forced her to do the same.  Now he was her apprentice.  He genuinely hoped that she might be of or similar to the Dark Maiden, Eilistraee, from the tales of the dark elves that Auror had Respen research as "elective study" during his studies in Auror's library.  Dame Clare's library.  The promise of exotic magical research, discovering more about these "true vampires", and digging into darker corners of spellcasting.  Respen rationalized those, less as good reasons, but definitely acceptable tradeoffs of being Dame Clare's apprentice.  He would own the opportunity.  Perhaps Laramon and Delbin would understand; perhaps they wouldn't; Respen hoped they would.This arrangement would also allow Respen to look after Nelvandra without being unnecessarily dominated to do so, and perhaps Ky as well.  With the risks Dame Clare was taking with Margull, if what she said about true vampires and...regular vampires, he didn't want Nel, Ky, or himself to be in the way.  And without Dame Clare's protection, he would likely be their best chance.  He had not meant to create the hazard.  He had to own that also.  Were it not for Respen, Dame Clare would not be chasing these books, nor putting their lives in danger.  Respen winced again, and let the moment pass.  Not the wisest choices, but choices nonetheless.  He would march on.  And he would keep working on Dame Clare.  Perhaps he could soften her over time, or at least get her to abandon this Margull thing.  But this whole 'discipline' thing Dame Clare mentioned?  He smiled.  ~ Yeah, right.  Good luck with that, your Grace. ~</blockquote>

Verification