12. Silvershield Estate

Dieter puts his hands on his hips and takes a deep breath

"Really bad, but in a weird way… pretty good. For a while there I thought I had a mental illness. Turns out I’m just wracked with shame from abandoning my baby sister. I think that if I can make amends with her that maybe I can finally be my old self."

Seeing the dwarf grin warms Stella's heart, softening her weary face just a tad. If she accomplished nothing else on her journey here, she could know she saved this one. There were others, of course, such as Dynaheir and Minsc, but seeing a former, nearly-drowned slave joyously working his craft...it helped.

"'Tis a delight to see you as well," she smiles warmly.

Stella walks over to the table and bends forward to inspects the weaponry, her eye-stars glimmering yellow and green in the light of the smithy. "Beautiful! I can't imagine they've ever looked this pristine! I imagine they'll handle as well too," she smiles. "The Silvershields will be fortunate to have you!" But they won't have me. the thought comes to her mind. Her smile fades, a weight coming upon her again.

"Well! I better return these to my friends," she says, trying to force enthusiasm—she didn't want to trouble him with her own morosity—and starts to carefully stack and gather up the weaponry to carry.

Aiwë nods. "That makes sense. How will you find her?"

"Now don' ye bother yerself with tha', Lady Stella." Yeslick quickly takes things out of her hands and starts putting them into sacks. "I'll see all o' this to where it ought ta be."

He peers at her out of the corner of his eye. "All goin' well on the adventurin' front? Surely with the Grand Dukes' help ye'll be showin' Rieltar Anchev tha' he can't jus' push goodly folk about!" He harrumphs through his gray-streaked beard, but keeps a sly eye on Stella to gauge her response.

"well, we last saw her in the mine. We should probably check with the Druids there." Dieter suggests. He looks down and kicks some rocks

"thanks for helping me with Aldous back there. It really got under my skin what he said about us" Dieter says

"Of course, Diets. Why did it bother you?"

"looking back he was just trying to lighten the mood but it seemed like he was saying that we were a freak show. I’m not ashamed of my crown, it’s who I am. I know it just happened but it feels natural.

And you’re Aiwë Shelur! The amazing bard, noble friend, cage breaker, and dispenser of justice!" Dieter says worrying that he has caused further injury

"Oh, I wasn't in the freak show," she winks, "I was the ringmaster!" She throws up the illusory banner again, then lets it fizzle out with a sad wheezing sound.

"I do think he was just trying to have fun, even at his own expense a bit. He's not ashamed of his frog leg, and would never suggest you should be ashamed of your crown. I'm sorry he bothered you, Diets."

"Oh, thank you! And...I hope so! I just...can't help but worry there's more to this. That, and I can't help but worry about what comes after all of this. When my friends and I arrived in Candlekeep from the Icewind Dale, I thought I could spend forever there," she grins.

"But now...I'm not so sure. I—" she glances behind her, towards the manor. "I want to spend more time with Aldous. A lot more time," she says, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, "But Lord Silvershield probably won't let that happen." She shrugs. "I'm an Archdruid's and Avatar-of-Ilmater-war-hero's daughter at home, but here I'm just...me. No strategic house alliance to offer, no grand wealth. Just my books and my perpetual panickings. Aiwë doesn't seem to think any of it matters, but...that's just now how they do things here."

"But Aldous is just one man. You could fill this city with a thousand Ten Towns. So it's fine," she says, unconvincingly, taking a sudden interest in her boots.

Yeslick pauses his work and puts his hands on his hips while listening and nodding amiably. "Yer jus' one o' the heroes who saved the Duke's son a han'ful o' times. Saved me from drowning. Stompin' out the Iron Throne's schemes. Abou' ta go save the whole durned Gate from a war it fer sure couldn' win."

He sticks his bearded chin out defiantly. "If I had any sons, I'd beg ye ta choose one, e'en if I were the King o' Cormyr." His whiskers blow out as he gives another harrumph. "Duke Silvershield's not a foolish man, he jus' don' see things straight where 'is son's concerned. Yet. But he'll come around, don' ye doubt! Jus' give it some time."

Duke. Right. For some reason, Stella hadn't thought of him as being of the same station as the other dukes they had met. She made a mental note to amend that.

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"If I had any sons, I'd beg ye ta choose one, e'en if I were the King o' Cormyr."

Stella finds herself giggling, then her shoulders relax.

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"But he'll come around, don' ye doubt! Jus' give it some time."

"You flatter me, but...you think so?" she asks hopefully. She squints and puts a finger to the corner of her mouth in thought. Dieter didn't seem to like Aldous. Aiwë supported her, but didn't seem to respect the local customs. Yeslick, though, knew the area and had more years on all of them combined. "...I suppose he hasn't actually said anything of the sort. I've just...gathered. Assumed, perhaps." She blinks, frowns and nods, as if surprised by some revelation. "I suppose we'll see!"

She smiles, bends down slightly and gives Yeslick a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, for the bit of perspective and confidence. I suppose I shan't let it worry me for now. I think I'm going to find Aldous before dinner. Fare well, Yeslick!"

With evening shadows dancing between the garden lamp posts, Stella makes her way to the manor. Just before she can open the door, however, it's opened by Aldous himself. "Oh! Excuse me! I was just looking for you." The smile simply jumps to his face at seeing her. "Fancy a stroll through the garden? Or, would you prefer to have a sit in the reading room? I'll be happy to accompany you wherever you wish."

He offers her his arm.

Stella and blinks a few times and a grin quickly crosses her face as she meets his eyes.

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"Oh! Excuse me! I was just looking for you."

"And I you! What a coincidence!" She takes his arm. "The gardens sound lovely," she says, eye-stars shifting to yellow and pink. "What were you up to here today? And how did it go?

"I don't know how much you heard from the others already, but Duke Jannath was quite amiable. And cautious!" she says as a compliment. "I need to talk to her about the markings in my tome..." she mumbles, reminding herself. She shakes her head. "Duke Belt was less so. The Umberlee priests killed his son for sneaking into their temple," she says quietly, disgusted. "The others seemed itching for a fight or something, but they gave us the body when we asked and the Duke was able to raise him. Aiwë's skeptical about how easy it was, but I think sometimes words just do the trick?"

Aldous is certainly taken aback. "They killed little Arty? I suppose I shouldn't put it past the servants of Umberlee. I'm not sure why we can't worship a benevolent sea deity in this city. Maybe there isn't one. But imagine the revolt if the sailors and fishers couldn't pray for safe passage... Anyway, I'm glad Lathander saw fit to return the boy to life." He gives a low whistle. "I bet Duke Belt was furious. The guy is said to have a temper."

He puts his free hand over Stella's as they walk. "I spent the day mostly with my father, talking business and family finances and such. I found it quite tedious, but at least it made him happy. I think. Some days it seems that nothing makes him happy. He can be difficult to please."

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"I bet Duke Belt was furious. The guy is said to have a temper."

"He really lived up to his namesake! And to think turning over that little girl to those priests was even an option..."

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"...but at least it made him happy. I think. Some days it seems that nothing makes him happy. He can be difficult to please."

"He's got a good son," Stella says, squeezing his hand. "Can I...ask about your mother?" she asks tentatively.

Aldous smiles at her. "My mother was a very kind, loving woman. She came from a wealthy family, but she didn't let it go to her head. She always looked for opportunities to help the less fortunate." He tilts his head and Stella detects moisture in his eyes and some huskiness to his voice. "She got sick about ten years ago, something the priests couldn't seem to cure. When she died, Father demanded that she be raised, but..." He clears his throat. "She wouldn't, or couldn't, come back."

Aldous looks into one of the lamps as they pass, caught up in his memories and thoughts. "I don't know why she'd want to. Come back, that is. Her body was so frail by the end... I like to think that she's just waiting for us. Happy, patient, not in pain any longer. As much as I miss her, I prefer to see things that way. Father, though... I think he's bitter. And it would be hard not to be." His hand squeezes hers lightly. "But it's caused some challenges."

His smile is more faint this time. "And that's the story."

Stella feels her face grow cold and her eye-stars turn a solemn blue. She rests her head against Aldous' shoulder, eye-stars. "I'm so sorry...that sounds devastating. What kinds of challenges? Was that when he started disparaging the use of magic?"

Aldous nods. "Yes, the ordeal has led him to distrust magic and seek alternative solutions whenever he can. He's just been harder, too. On Skie and me, I mean."

He leads her under the shower-like branches of a willow tree and turns to face her. "How are you feeling? About things. Erm. Us? I hope meeting my father hasn't been too stressing..."

At the mention of Skie, Stella's jaw tightens slightly and her eye-stars twinge between indigo and icy blue.

She closes her eyes and gives a grimacing smile, "He seems to have developed quite high expectations. It...was a bit stressful, I'll admit." She opens her eyes again, the stars now teal with a bit of pink. "You're impressively patient with him. And caring too. As for, about us?" She shrugs. "I want to keep spending more time together. But we still have a lot of work to do. So I think we just keep doing...this. Whatever it is we're doing," she smiles. "And how are you feeling?"