Kalpana Silverstar- Here it is, the last chapter, until I get round to starting Dragons of Winter Night, that is.
Infinite thanks to Chetwynd for the marvellous beta work throughout this very long installment.
Crepuscule
Chapter twenty - Of Peace
Time flickers in the night
Always looking to be right
You don't know
Just sway
You don't know
Just sway
And all you want is to find home...
-Sway, Lost Prophets.
The chosen place was a valley hidden between towering mountains. There was plenty of fresh water, the woods were filled with game, and the passes would be easy to hold should the dragonarmies discover them, which would not be likely in the coming winter season. It took almost a month for everyone to be found and settled in the valley, and the place had been a hive of activity for weeks afterwards as the refugees settled in, burying their dead and building shelters. And now, a month and a half since Pax Tharkas, the valley would see its first celebration: Goldmoon and Riverwind's wedding.
Raistlin started. He had been sitting away from the others, on a boulder overlooking the valley, and he had felt arms sliding around his waist.
"Dalamar?"
"Who else?" The Dark elf's breath tickled the human's ear. "Were you expecting someone else?" His tone told the young mage exactly what he though of the likelihood of that.
"Hardly." Raistlin reached back and ran his fingers through Dalamar's black hair.
Things had been different when they had returned from Pax Tharkas, and however much Raistlin wished against it, it was true all the same. Their relationship had lost a lot of its simplicity and ease. Perhaps it was simply nostalgia, but it seemed as though things no longer fit quite as well as they had. Even in this, sitting there with Dalamar's arms around his waist, there was tension, though buried, and the younger wizard knew in his heart that it would remain there until he told his lover the truth about what had happened in his Test. Something he still couldn't bring himself to do, both from anger at the fact that the Dark elf wouldn't trust him any more if he did, and a wish to keep Dalamar in the dark for his own sake. So Raistlin kept silent. Each time he had committed to tell his lover the truth, he had found excuses at the last moment, or found himself unable to speak at the thought of what the result of his words would be.
Perhaps ignorance really would be bliss in this case. Some things were better left unknown. Sometimes Raistlin even wished he didn't know himself.
Dalamar kissed his cheek, pulling himself up to sit behind his lover. Raistlin sighed, feeling the elf's warm body against his back and his lips against the side of his face. The day was quite cold and he was grateful for the warmth, it was just as well he had drunk his tea before venturing out.
"Are you going to be there?" the elven mage inquired. "The others will expect you to be."
Raistlin shrugged; he couldn't care less about Goldmoon and Riverwind's wedding. "Do you?"
"I don't mind." The Dark elf's fingers drummed on the younger mage's collarbone. "But I would rather we go if the alternative is you brooding on this rock."
The human couldn't quite suppress a snort of amusement. Pushing his dark thoughts from his mind, he smiled. "Very well."
The two mages clambered down from the boulder and set off down the slope towards where the evening fires were burning. Perhaps Dalamar had been right, Raistlin though. He was feeling somewhat better as they made their way down, well enough to take his lover's hand and squeeze it gently. The Dark elf smiled and entangled their fingers.
The ceremony was about to start as they approached, joining the people standing in front of Elistan, who had been asked to oversee the vows. It was growing dark now, the sun setting behind the tall peaks as the bride's procession arrived. Laurana and Tika led the way, carrying torches, with Goldmoon behind them. As they arrived in front of Elistan, they turned west as the groom's procession came into view.
Raistlin had been invited to take part, and had coldly answered that, if they wouldn't allow Dalamar to do the same, they could forget about his involvement. Much to the Red Robe's amusement, when Caramon heard his brother was not partaking, he refused to join either, although he was more polite about it. If his twin had been hoping to speak to him during the wedding, he was going to be sorely disappointed, Raistlin mused. He wasn't planning to spend any time with his brother if he could possibly help it.
Sturm and Tanis appeared first, and Raistlin saw Dalamar's eyes narrow at the sight of the knight. The bad blood between them had been -if anything- aggravated when the elven wizard had inadvertently saved Brightblade's life. It was just as well the Dark elf had been asked not to join the procession; a fight might have broken out. Neither Raistlin nor the Dark elf had forgotten Sturm's attack in Pax Tharkas. It would only be a matter of time before there was another one.
Behind Tanis and Sturm came Riverwind, who was followed by Flint and Tasslehoff. The younger mage idly wondered if the kender had stolen the groomgift yet. The ceremony was a quiet one. Elistan's speech was simple, the rituals taken from those written in the disks of Mishakal, but Goldmoon and Riverwind had written their vows themselves. Once they had spoken, the gifts were exchanged. Tasslehoff had clearly managed to restrain himself, because the Plainsman's gift -a vallenwood ring- was still present.
Then Elistan spoke the final words the close the ceremony and the couple kissed deeply.
Raistlin looked at Dalamar. "You do know they haven't slept together before now?"
The Dark elf blinked, amazed. "Why would they do that? What do they have to prove to anyone?"
The human mage shrugged, he didn't know either, he bit back a smile at the memory of how quickly they had reached that point in their relationship. Oh well, they always had been faster on the uptake than everyone else. By the look on Dalamar's face though, such self-denial was unbelievable. Raistlin was inclined to agree. With their people dead, who would care if they slept together, married or not? Abruptly the Red Robe stopped that train of thought. Imagining them sleeping together was mildly nauseating, and not only because they looked -to him- like rotting corpses. The memory of Amberyl, made him shudder.
Dalamar lay a hand on his shoulder comfortingly as they made their way to where the feast was set out. Raistlin looked up at him and saw that Dalamar was looking back towards Riverwind and Goldmoon, looking thoughtful. Raistlin smiled, pushing away the bad memories. "Imagining our wedding, Dalamar?" He teased.
The Dark elf choked, then started laughing. "And what a wedding that would be! I doubt we could find anyone to attend, and Elistan would have to tailor his speech a lot to make it fit."
Raistlin laughed softly, "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Dalamar grinned, "that I doubt you or I would like to play the part of the bride."
Raistlin chuckled, then coughed.
"Are you alright?"
He nodded. "Yes, but let's get to the feasting, I need my tea and there'll be hot water there."
The clearing which the feast was in was already full of people eating and drinking, especially drinking. "Get your tea," Dalamar offered. "I'll get us both some food and we can eat outside this madhouse."
Raistlin nodded, walking over to where a woman had swung a kettle over a fire. The water was already hot and it was a relief to drink the herbal mixture. Still holding the half-full mug, the human caught sight of Dalamar coming back with a basket of food. The Dark elf looked unusually pensive. The two mages found a spot a little way inside the tree line and sat down under a spreading elm.
"I saw him again," Dalamar spoke softly, as if worried about being overheard. "The man with the gem in his chest."
Raistlin almost dropped the mug. "Are you sure?" He remembered the rock fall; no one could have survived that.
The Dark elf nodded. "Quite sure."
Raistlin looked thoughtful. "That might explain it," he murmured, then explained, "When I saw that man, I saw him as I see you, unaging. I though he might have elven blood or-"
"Or Irda," Dalamar finished, knowing Raistlin's unwillingness to talk about that particular subject.
"-But this would make more sense, since he didn't look like either."
"Perhaps the gem in enchanted in some way?" the Dark elf suggested.
The human shrugged. "That must be it. Did he notice that you'd seen him?"
Dalamar nodded. "I think so, he vanished before I could close on him."
The younger mage sighed. A pity, but he had a shrewd suspicion they would meet the man again. As it was, it would be pointless to look for him now. There were far too many people, and he would probably already have left had he realised he'd been recognised. For the moment though, it was enough to forget -no matter for how short a time- the war raging across Ansalon. The others might speak of hope, but Raistlin knew just how little of it they had. However, this was not the moment for such thoughts, or for the thoughts that had haunted him only earlier, overlooking the valley. Right now, only one thing mattered: each other. One moment where there were no secrets, no war, nothing but each other and the love that bound them.
Raistlin lifted his head and kissed Dalamar deeply, letting that tender touch burn away all doubts and fears, if only for a moment.
Around them, the trees whispered.
The End.
At last! That was one truly mammoth undertaking, for all that it's not over yet. 6 months, 20 chapters, nearly 90,000 words and a broken laptop later and that's just Dragons of Autumn Twilight!
Don't worry, Winter Night and Spring Dawning will be shorter, since I won't be covering the 'golden general' storyline, and Spring Dawning will be mostly summarised.
And Legends! Boy am I looking forward to that! But that's going to have to wait.
Thanks so much to all of you who read, enjoyed and particularly (hint hint) reviewed.
Skull Bearer.