Sixteen years before William entered
Kalaman, he was the happiest man on Krynn. He was looking down into the face of
a squinting, mewling baby girl. Her body was still pink and her umbilical cord
still attached, but she was the most beautiful face he had ever seen in his
entire life. Even though just birthed, her eyes were an uncommon bright blue,
the same as his... and her head was bald, much like his would soon become. He
had no doubt in his mind that she would grow to be daddy's little girl.
As the tears rolled down his face, he
gazed down into the sleeping face of his beautiful wife. Lady Juliana did not
cry out or scream when the little girl was born, but carried herself with the
noble grace bred into her family generations ago. She lay sleeping, her dark
brown hair fallen across her sweaty shoulders. Her smoldering dark brown eyes
were finally at peace in a deep slumber and her lips held a slight smile as
though visiting some wonderful dream.
William thought to himself that this must also be a dream; one man couldn’t possibly know this much happiness.
Six years later, on a beautiful
summer day, William and little Lindee were coming home from berry picking in the
field. Her freckled nose and smiling mouth were covered in bright red berry
juice, a sign that she was doing more eating then picking.
William was no better, as his long Solmanic style moustache had the
occasional berry seed caught in it too. As
they walked together hand in hand, he leaned over and whispered into her ear,
"Mommas gonna be making us clean the house top to bottom when she finds out
how many berries we have eaten today."
Little Lindy giggled and held onto her father’s hand more tightly.
As they approached the house they saw
that the door had been left open. Giving
each other worried expressions, they started to walk a little faster. When they
were about to step inside, Juliana stumbled out of the door and fell before both
of their feet. She said sternly,
"Get Lindy away from here now!!"
As she turned her face upwards and towards them, William could see
blistered skin and a feverish sweat on his wife’s brow. He knew what was
wrong… plague. The type so
horrible that it could kill within hours of becoming infected.
William pulled his daughter close and carried her in his arms. He only
nodded and searched his wife’s eyes for what he was expecting to see... love,
devotion and firm resolution. Juliana
only waved and said, "Remember Lindy, that mamma will always be beside you
and that she will always love you, my sweet treasure."
He thought to himself, What a
proud and noble woman, and carried little Lindy away crying for her mama.
After leaving Lindy with a local neighbor and explaining the situation, he went back to his house and found his wife dead holding dear Lindy's teddy bear with one hand and a preserved rose, a gift from William, tightly in the other. With tears streaking down his face, he sung an old Solmanic song as he burned down the home that he and his wife had built together.
“Are you sure about this place,
father?” inquired Lindy ten years later, as she lightly stepped off a rickety
ship onto the shores of Kalaman. “This city seems somewhat… rough.”
Her father merely chuckled as he
stepped off of the ancient vessel behind her.
Lindy looked back, annoyed, for he was being particularly stubborn and
even more talkative today than usual. She
missed the warm halls and beautiful gardens of the temple they had lived in
since her mother’s death, and all she wanted at the moment was a glass of the
Reverend Son’s famous berry juice. She
missed her friends too. Katy,
Tessa, and Dahlia all seemed so far away now.
She did not want to be here.
“Now now, sweetheart, this is a
pleasant city and I’m sure you’ll adapt soon enough.
I have many fond memories of this place, and soon you will too,” her
father said firmly. “You can’t
spend your whole life isolated in that drafty old temple.”
Lindy’s father gruffed and looked at her sternly, and she sighed.
Why not, thought Lindy, I can use my gift to as much good in
the temple as anywhere else.
Her father stroked his mustache as he
looked around, and a grin spread across his face.
“Ah… so many memories. In
fact… see that brown-brick building over there?
That is where I first saw your mother, chatting with Captain of the
Guard’s wife.” He nodded, and
then gazed around some more. “I spent much of my days as a squire, you know,
patrolling these here streets… Oh!
Did I tell you the story about the kender and the Minotaur?”
He didn’t wait for an answer. “It
seems like just yesterday, that a kender by the name of…. Tarnishboot… or
was Pailfinder….?” He thought a
moment… “I don’t remember.
Anyways, this plucky kender decided it was fun to bother a particularly
ornery minotaur who had just come out of the Bloody Fist tavern, all drunk out
of his tree. Well, you can imagine
that wasn’t a good idea! Luckily,
I had brought with me my trusty sword and a couple bottles of…”
Lindy sighed and nodded absently,
accustomed to her father’s long-winded tales.
She was sure she had heard this one at least twice, and it changed
slightly each time in the telling.
As they walked, Lindy gawked at the
strange sights around her. The
docks were rather busy as merchants were bringing in shipments of furs, silks,
food, and other items from all over Ansalon.
She eyed a group of muscular dockhands that were pulling crates off a
large ship, watched as willowy elves resplendent in silver-embroidered robes
boarded a beautiful sailship, and wrinkled her nose at a flock of seagulls that
were tearing apart fish scraps on the pier.
She ducked under a low-flying pelican, scurried around a group of
rough-looking men arguing in loud voices over the cost and quality of wolf
skins, shook her head at a fat merchant hawking smelly fish, and squeaked an
apology to a mean-looking pockmarked dwarf when she bumped into him.
Just when she thought she was safe, a gaggle of giggling children, that
waved their arms and screamed gleefully, nearly bowled her over.
Lindy stood in an alcove and rubbed
her forehead, muttering. She was
not impressed. Everything seemed
dirty and disorderly, so unlike the pristine, orderly halls of the temple of
Mishakal; these people were so different from the soft-spoken men and women she
was used to who walked softly with smiles and prayers.
She looked to her father to gauge his opinion.
Much to her surprise, William seemed
to enjoy the pandemonium. He nodded
at the men amiably as he passed, bowed at the ladies, sidestepped the screaming
children, sloshed through the mud, and continued on, grinning all the while.
He wasn’t the least bit disturbed at the noise, dirt and people, and he
even looked quite pleased.
Lindy paused a moment amid the chaos
and pondered over this. She gazed at her father and then at herself, not
comprehending. Finally she
understood-- she had unwittingly adopted the attitude of a spoiled noble child.
Her father’s humility astonished her… and she suddenly felt ashamed
of herself.
Enough complaining, she thought harshly. I am an Uth D’Liohnel, and a grown one at that. I don’t need to be cowering and whining like an immature little girl. She hitched her robes up out of the mud puddles and clutched her crystal infinity symbol of faith hanging from her neck. She held her head high, and put on a bright smile. Lindy then weaved through the crowd after her father, newfound faith and love lifting her spirit.
Eventually, despite many wrong turns
caused by a set of directions acquired from a kender by the name of Troaki,
Lindy and her father made it to the Dripping Dagger Inn.
As her father greeted Stanley the innkeeper and began negotiations for
long-term residence, Lindy took the opportunity to slip away from her father
She entered the Dripping Dagger bar,
and was immediately greeted by a busty barmaid who introduced herself as
Gillian. Accepting a glass of water
over ale, Lindy sat down at a table near the door and looked around. She was not completely naïve; she had, after all, healed
sick and wounded people of all races who were infrequently brought to the
temple-- but to see such a diverse group of people in one place simply stunned
her.
She stared in awe at a beautiful
elven lady with upswept honey-gold hair who ate a salad made of odd-shaped
leaves. She gawked as a tattooed
barbarian male tore into a juicy chicken with his bare hands.
She blushed under the leering gaze of a roguish man wearing an open black
tunic and skin-tight leggings. She
eyeballed a little gnome busily tinkering on a bizarre-looking device in the
corner. She watched a tall off-duty
knight- still resplendent in armor- speak softly to a woman in clerical robes
who appeared to be his wife.
Completely absorbed in her
observations, Lindy started when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.
She looked up to see her father smiling down at her.
Everything was arranged.
She wasn’t sure yet that she wanted
to live in this city with its unfamiliar noise, dirt, and bustle, and she was
more than a little worried about fitting in.
And yet… the newness of it all struck her interest and intrigued her
more than she would admit. Yes, she
would stay, and learn, and try her best to heal those in need both physically
and spiritually. The gift of
healing was a rare one, and she knew in her heart that her patron goddess, the
Light-Bringer, had blessed her with this gift for a reason.
She would do more than merely minister the select few that were lucky
enough to be carried to the temple; she would travel and seek out the wounded.
Maybe one day… she would even be able to mend people ravaged by plague.
Filled with new purpose and
determination, Lindy straightened her robes and smiled up at her father. He took a seat by her and they spoke quietly of future plans.
She expected their lives would be most eventful.
Characters and story created and written by Rebecca (William) and Lisa (Lindy), 2002.