Soliloquy's Last Crescendo, (A forgotten realms short story)

[Spirit Hawkfellow]

Hight this is my first time writing here, and I feel at home already.  Please feel free to read my short story and enjoy.  Also feel free to leave a comment or opinion.  the art shown here is Sililoquy and Risvani from the short story below, these character developed from my forgotten realms campaign, and where given life to by a great artist, my friend, and brain trust Georgia Horesh.  Enjoy!!!

Soliloquy's Last Crescendo

Fingers softly played along wires of fine see through strength. A faint tune played the dusty air of the antechamber. Joining the hum of the cords, a soft voice drifted along with the melodies, ushering forth from the strings. Both voice and instrument lifting high, giving way into a mighty crescendo of sound.

The elven bard known as Soliloquy sighed. His gaze fell upon his mandolin. The instrument felt heavy in his hands, just as the pain in his heart felt heavy. Sitting upon a wooden stool, Soliloquy turned about, and gazed at the worn chamber. Here in Mythdrannor, the fallen city of human and elf, he was one with the quite walls. Here so long after the great citys fall, he felt broken. Soliloquy ran a finger through his hair once, a habit he had formed during his long years of life, and returned to plucking the strings of his instrument. Music, the songs of the soul, was the only escape Soliloquy had from the memories.

Elantia,

Gelphron,

Both names forever seared in his mind. This made Soliloquy angry, red blotching his pale features. Soliloquy fingers worked faster with every remembrance of his one time lover and friend.

He could still remember her outstretched hand, pleading for help, even as the goblin horde descended upon the female cleric of Mystra who fought along side him. As the song raised his thoughts of destruction rose, large with hatred. He could still feel her hand; still feel the warmth die within his hardened grip, and finally give out as the goblins clawed by, leaving her beautiful lavender eyes cold. As the words ushered forth from his mouth Soliloquys eyes closed. With those who loved music, there was a flame that was ignited when listening to the soft sounds, and tunes.

Soliloquy music chilled the heart.

The flame that was once lay deep, buried in his heart no longer burned. His soul had gone cold before he had encountered Vesper, during the flight for survival along the gates of Mythdrannor. The woman he had loved more than life had not even tried to save him, as the horde barreled down. She had escaped with her life with the man who was supposed to be his friend. Both Elantia and Gelphron were betrayers.

Soliloquy smiled, as he finished his tune. He gazed at the Que Dema Burial tome and wanted to laugh; soon everything would turn full circle. The bard Aleq Que Dema would be meeting him face to face soon; along with the warrior band known as the Slayers. It would only be a little while longer, before the adventures would reach him here deep within Gelphron burial chamber. A fitting end for the great grandson of an old friend. The rest of the band were useless, he had effectively neutralized the paladin Crytanis by seducing his sister Nyasia. He had seduced the traveling priestess of Mystra as well, so he had nothing to fear.

Both he and his companion Vesper would do away with the name of Que Dema forever.

Risvani...

Soliloquy stood up, and strode to the large reflective pool where Mythdrannors red-orange lights, danced about the Mythal energy field. He gazed at the shimmering waters and swore he could see a face slowly appear. For a moment his eyes clouded over.

Risvani...

His throat felt shallow when he tried to utter any sound. Sweat beaded down his features. His black gauntleted hands flexed and expanded trying to release the tension that was building as he looked at the image. There in the pool, he saw his love, and he witnessed his death.

Risvani...

She had been an unknown diversion. A factor, which was not placed in the same game in which he played. The face was beautiful. Lavender eyes matching the cleric of Mystras eyes so many moons ago. Long dark curls that cascaded down in wave; enchanting skin the color of moonlight glistened as if touched by the moon goddess herself. Lips full, dark and light all in the same moment, waited to yield forth emotion and passions yet unheard off, ready to be fulfilled by his touch.

Soliloquy shook his head, cleared the webbing of ill thought from his mind and placed his hand on his sword. His blade was cold, it reminded him of his vengence. The cold raw feeling deep in his gut, had reinforced his need to destroy feeling; reinforced his goal for Alec Que Demas death. Risvani was like any other woman he had dallied with before... or was she?

She had offered herself to him. She had broken down the line that he had so long tried to break her with: his own cunning and seduction. Like Chess; the game had finally come down to two opponents; himself and Risvani. She the black queen he the white king. Soon she would declare checkmate and the game would be over, he would be captured.

In all his years of life, this elf maid had threatened to destroy all of his best-laid plans.

For the first time Soliloquy wondered if his heart was truly in it. He questioned himself about the gift Risvani was about to offer.

He gathered his cloak about his shoulders and walked toward the center or the burial chamber. There was a cold gray slab ready to receive the final dead for rest. He eyes flickered of the gray stone, and he asked himself a question. Would Risvani truly give herself to him, thus discarding Ky Darkfriend? Could lust turn to love? Soliloquy cackled. Wishes and flight of fancy were for the weak-minded, those who were undedicated. Thoughts he knew would kill a lesser man. Soliloquy was no lesser man by far.

He had lived far longer than any human, and almost as long as some elves. The bard knew the dangers of such thoughts, plus all the questions he now plagued himself with, would soon be taken out of his hands. Alec Que Dema would be dead, his red blood spilled about the chambers cold floor like a thick rug.

Soliloquy smirk changed to glee at the thought. This had been his driving force for more than two hundred years. A perfectionist had to keep his projects in perspective. The game had to have an ending like a perfect lullaby. Then when the weak were unguarded he would strike. Perhaps, he wondered, Que Demas death would be a beginning of his life not a ending.

He could still have Risvani. Ky Darkfriend, her Ranger lover would have to be disposed off; quick would be the easy way, painless. Slow was the preferred manner for one skilled in the arts of deception and seduction.

"What of I?" A voice no smaller than a whisper, broke his concentration. He stood from t he cold slab like some wakening, vampire prince, dark, lovely all in the same gesture.

"What of you, Vesper? We have been together for many years. I would never leave you until our pact was sealed." Soliloquy strode toward the towering woman.

Standing a span of seven feet, Vesper was a sight to behold. Green hair flowed straight from the crown of her head to the small of her back. Eyes with black slits matched her long tresses, examining every nuance of Soliloquys muscular form. A woman of stature, her build was impressive, easily beating out the common inn adventurer. Even as she now looked down at Soliloquy she was business as usual. Her demeanor was as cold as ice.

"Risvani!" it was more a statement than a question. Her voice held no emotion. What else is new, Soliloquy thought.

"Remember we share a bond. I just fear you are losing sight of our goal."

"Then if we share the same link, why do you plague me with stupid questions, Vesper!" Soliloquy noted the green mist that began to rise from the Womans noise and mouth. He wanted to laugh, like any other woman Vesper was jealous. Of course she would be; Soliloquy knew full well he would be treated like any thing else the Dragon hoarded. Then he would be discarded away like a plaything when she was finished.

Soliloquy often enjoyed tugging at her scales. Only to remind her that he learned much. Bringing his voice up to baritone bark, the modulation had a stunning impact, as raw anger welled from him.

"First and for most Vesper, my allegiance with you will never be forgotten. Second Alec Que Dema will either die by my hands our yours."

"I see," Vesper turned toward the grove of subterranean trees.

"Risvani has given herself to me, and I shall do with her as I please." Soliloquys heart sank a little lower, the words tearing from his lips. Like a Spitting Cobra, Vesper turned. The venom that shot from her orbs could poison a man instantly.

"You presume much Soliloquy. Im only looking after both our interests in this endeavor, as I all ways have. Surely Que Dema will die as well, as Risvani and Ky Darkfriend. All of them are dangerous. Risvani will be your death."

"Hummph! You seem to now my fate better than I now it myself. She would never harm me. She has such a pure soul. It ached for a dark touch, seduction, lust, things I give her these things. She feeds off the thrill. Can the ranger do the same?"

"You have begun to take much for granted, Soliloquy. A dangerous trait for one that wishs to continue to live. While your dagger blade dulls, mine stays sharper and ready to stab. Risvanis play was obvious; a beginner could have caught on. That feeble attempt at seduction already cracks your heart to its foundations!"

Soliloquy held his rage in check.

"As for Ky Darkfriend, do not be fooled by his simple demeanor. You have not seen his memories, I have. Both of you are a like in ways you have never thought."

He snorted.

"Why hasnt he then!"

Vesper snapped back lightning fast, venomous words dripping.

"I know not. My only guess is that he is bound by some sick sense of honor, something Gelphron had in spades.

"We shall see." Soliloquy turned his back to her. He felt Vespers words sink deep, touching a nerve. Upon his and Ky Darkfriends next meeting, the ranger body would be as cold as the ancient stone of Mythdrannor. Risvani would know his soul was dead. He would not show her that he had indeed fallen for her; that the game had undertaken him instead.

"Go to her one last time, and finish what must be done before the coming conflict. Vesper is not with out pity!"

For a moment Soliloquy wondered what the dragon had underneath her skin. Vesper coyly smiled, it was as if she was gazing at a child. Soliloquy was just that, a child to be watched over, still recovering from his first baby steps. Both he and Gelphron were much alike, both forever scarred by love.

"I, say this for a reason, Soliloquy. In order to kill Que Dema, this must be done. You must shield yourself from their pleas of goodness. Acquit yourself well and prevail. Go see her one last time, and know that she is in the hands of another."

Soliloquy eyes flashed with hatred as he gazed at the polymorphed creature. Without Vesper telling him what had to be done, the bard knew full well the course of action he had to take. Risvani would be his, and unlike Elantia - none would stand in his way. The bard returned to his stool, hoisted up his mandolin and once again began his haunting melody. This time the song of Risvani, and Soliloquy stole the night air of Mythdrannor.

***

Ky Darkfriend, ranger of Mielikkie watched the shifting patterns of the night sky. Red turned to orange then to shades of purple and blue never staying quite the same. The ranger felt at home in the small glade the Slayers had found, deep within the decayed ruins of Mythdrannor. The monsters he could live with out. Since its destruction Mythdrannor had become a haven for known destructive creatures, and various beings from the outer-planes. For most of the day Ky and his fellow adventures the Slayers had been on the run, trying to escape both fang and claw of the horrid things that crept within the ruin.

Finally he and his companions had found a small glade to rest, and prepare for the rest of the journey. Now that he had peace to himself, he absorbed and cherished the shifting colors of night.

The ranger marveled at the sights about the small glade. The ancient city was being torn asunder by the evil forces that plagued its foundations. Even with its destruction, the creatures could not totally destroy the luster of Mythdrannors building and monuments. Kys heart sank a bit; knowing the beauty of city would be lost for all time.

He wondered how the city must have seemed before its fall. How had thrived in every street, every fare way, and home. To hear children run by, their laughter lifting high skywards like prayer to the gods. To see lovers snug next to each other in a green bush and playfully taunt each other with unknown requitals for love. That was all gone now, and only the ghostly reminders of a once beautiful civilization remained. Only the memories remained, the legacy of the enemies of humanity.

Ky sighed and adjusted his body that lay against the wall. In his arms lay Risvani. She gently wiggled, and yawned. Usually elves did not sleep; they would slowly drift to the domains of prior reminders of life known as the Reverie. Unlike dreams, the reverie, reminded the Elves of what was, a gift of forever remembrance.

Ky never entered the reverie; it wasnt a gift to him, as more of a torture. He didnt want to relive the memories of thing long gone. His memories of his friends, Hadrien Lyons, Lankton-Hammerhandle, and Cara Moonsea were enough for him. These friends now waited for him on the town of Baulder Bridge, several thousand miles from Mythdrannor.

Ky had not departed to meet his friends because of the woman he know held in his warm arms.

He could feel her soft intake of breath as she breathed in and out. How beautiful she looked in the faint moonlight. It was fitting; Risvani was a moon-elf, blessed by Hanali Celanil herself as well as the rest of her moon-elven brethren. Love Radiated from her very pores, as was the gift of the moon-elves.

Ky's hand softly played with the curls of her hair, and delighted in every nuance. Her smell, the fragrance of her hair, and her firm body, made it hard for Ky to think. The ranger kept himself in check, the side that always threatened to rise from him at any time, that primal urge to sweep her into his arms and hold her for the rest of his days.

Ky knew first and foremost that their relationship was strained, and had taken an odd course. He felt that time was the only thing that would set the situation right. If Risvani needed the time he would give it to her.

There cradled in his arms, he noted the outline of her lips. They were light and a soft pink. A brief intake of air could be heard. He grinned and slowly lowered his head, gently brushing his lips against hers partaking in the same air she had breathed. Ky felt her tense as he pulled away lightly.

Risvani opened her eyes slowly, still clouded by living memory.

"Whats wrong?" She murmured sleepily, holding Ky closer.

"Nothing... hush go back to dream." Ky fingers massaged the bridge of her ear. Risvani slowly faded away nestled against his warm body.

He held her, a tear floating from his eye. Every day he was with her he wondered if he was worthy.

He questioned if he could offer he what she needed no what she wanted.

The elven ranger knew from the experience of life that nothing remained the same. Beauty would eventually tarnish and the leaves of trees would eventually turn. As with himself and Risvani, their relationship would grow and change as well, and it had. Risvani had offered herself to him. She had told him that she would always love him, and had accepted his wedding band as a symbol of their commitment.

Never in his life had he taken so big a step, so dangerous a leap. He had loved before, but it couldnt compare to what he and Risvani shared. They were adventurers first, friends second, and fractured lovers third. Both learning the ways of each other slowly, each living for the moment, like most lovers.

Ky wondered if this was a natural state. He had never heard of a man waiting for love, often they wanted a commitment of sorts, something lasting they could say that was theirs. Ky laughed at the notion and tried not to disturb Risvani. That must be the difference between the sexes. If a man waits for love he is considered foolish, as one being taken advantage of. Men seek out a sense of belonging in their loved ones life.

Then where did he fit into the equation? Even though Risvani accepted his proposal, she was still torn, split between himself and Soliloquy. While she loved Ky, she loved their most hated enemy as well. Thus making a contradiction, a war of truths.

Risvani had asked Ky if he trusted her, and he knew that deep in his soul he could not. He would say the words, he could even feel them, but he could not trust them.

She was not herself, tormented as she was. Ky would have to go by his gut feelings even though he loved her. Even as she told him of her plan that would rid both of them of Soliloquy, Ky was still unsure.

So he watched in the distance as Risvani began her seduction of Soliloquy. He gazed at the situation through Risvanis eyes. He felt what she felt, could feel every pore of her skin open in sensation as she looked hungrily at Soliloquy.

She was the predator on the hunt, dressed in black, shapely, demanding; Ky could feel a surge of power that Risvani carried deep within her, yet never dared to show. She had exposed a side of herself that she had kept hidden from even him. Ky wanted her then, badly as anything he had ever wanted in his life. He wanted to feel her touch on his chest, his lips, the soft feel of her hands sliding down the sides of his back as she worked on Soliloquy.

For the first time Ky noticed a dent in Soliloquys armor of vengeance, one sweet moment of bliss appeared on his face.

Ky wanted those things and more. He knew what he wanted from Risvani. He wanted her the way she was with Soliloquy, lustful, wanton, thriving, as well as caring, thoughtful, and knowledgeable.

Dressed in a stunning evening gown of black, Risvanis allure could not be held back. The Black outfit was form fitting and shared an ample enough cleavage, as well as her muscled warrior physic. His foundations almost cracked when he saw her straddle Soliloquys lap, touching the tips of his elven ears, sliding her graceful hand along side their ridges. Fury almost took the ranger. His anger was unmatched. Before he could stop himself his twin-short swords where in his hands. He gazed at the blades, and realized why he wielded them. Hide and Seek. Hide, the dark blade represented the dark path he had walked when he was younger elf.

The same path Soliloquy trod now. Seek was the sword whose path Ky walked upon now; the road, to the light. His dark blade like Soliloquy hid the truth, while Ky like Seek wanted to bring out the truth. Risvani would continue to be torn until she saw what was truly there, darkness of his soul.

Soliloquy couldnt care, he wasnt able to, he had walked the dark path to long, and the shadows of deceit and vengeance had clouded his vision. Risvani would always be a chess piece in a struggle with no clear winner. The only way he could help her break the chain was to let her follow her own path.

Once he returned from the Astral Plane, Ky could only remember the feel of her arms stretched about his frame. How he wanted to caress her.

She would have to deal with Soliloquy herself, trusting in her the care of there ever, increasing feeling. Love, was something he and the Arilith never shared. For the first time in months the Arilith had appeared again in his thoughts. A strange worm in a corroded apple, she and Soliloquy where one in the same, both torn by blackness. She was able to seduce by emotion and passion. They suffered the same flaw; they could not appreciate the feeling of love.

Ky gripped Risvani closer. In a way he hated what he had to do. He had established the mental link to forge a stronger bound between them, to share more of himself to her; dropping the boundaries each had placed on the other in fear of being hurt.

Now that same link served a purpose of evil. Ky needed... wanted to confront the poison that had infected their spiritual abode. Ky knew that the time was coming as he watched the rising sun. He could feel the poison stirring, and the time to expunge it from both of them was drawing near.

Closing his eyes Kyserious Elanthrin Darkfriend, ranger of Mielikke called forth the system, the pathway toward the psychic plane.

***

Soliloquy walked through the misty moors that surrounded the psychic plane. The dimensional plane was able to change the shape and contour at a whim of the person controlling the plane at a given time. The plane had taken the form of a large bedchamber, lit by burning sconces and wafting with the smell of incense. The bards light movement made no sound as he continued to walk around the chamber. His hand traced the cold cobblestone that made up the room.

Following the path of flickering light, his blue eyes scanned the bed in the middle of the chamber. It was a large bed draped with silk curtains that obscured what was within.

Soliloquy touched the drapes, and felt the softness of the black silk underneath his ungloved fingers. Slowly he pushed away the dark veils and the air traveling though his lungs caught like a fly to a spider web.

She lay cradled underneath the black sheets breathing softly. Her supple bosom rising with each intake of warm breath, she took. A grin of pleasure appeared upon Soliloquys face. She wore the same outfit she had tried to seduce him with. Even now his eyes could trace the supple skin about her stomach; the smoothness of her tight thighs that ran down into opaque stockings. Only once had he felt his manhood rise, and that had been with Elantia years ago.

No! He thought, he would not think about her! Not now! Not with Risvani!

Soliloquy moved slowly and gracefully, a white cat among black mice. He circled closer to Risvani, his head to hers. He could feel the moist air rise and collapse against his cheek.

He hovered about her, not threatening to disturb her sleep. His lips shifted lightly, gently as they brushed against hers. Soliloquy grinned, his tongue sampling the moisture on his lips; the sweetness Risvanis lips held, but not awakened.

Gazing at her beauty Soliloquy wondered if he should take Risvani in this way. She still slept. Of course he would awaken her, and she would give herself to him. Why not...was it not right? He was a man of honor after all. Yet she held pleasures he had not known in years since Elan-

No!

No!

No! He discarded his right glove and his fingers began to follow the form of her leg; flesh against flesh excited him. In the psychic plane a majority of what happened could not be distinguished from reality. If one was hurt in the plane the person would remember the pain in reality, the same was quite true with pleasure.

Soliloquy fingers continued to stride along side the outer fringes of her thigh playfully toward her inner portions. Risvani stirred, he almost stopped, but his fingers kept on smoothly, feeling the warmth of her inner thigh. She purred, in her half sleep. Risvanis eyes opened lightly, her lavender orbs still clouded by memory. Something warm had awakened in her and her skin had taken on a reddish flush.

Risvani smiled, her lips parting slowly to form a word. Soliloquy waited to hear his name, to hear his name said aloud; he could acknowledge he had finally been victorious. He had stripped her of her goodness, raped the innocence from her thus destroying the ranger and his honor in the ultimate betrayal.

"Ky... kiss me!" Risvani replied gazing at the dark haired ranger.

Soliloquy gasped in horror. It was not his name he heard but Ky Darkfriends. Amazed he found himself sitting with his knees in cold wet snow, absorbing the deep frost in a freezing Cormyrian night. Soliloquy could see a tent fashioned of greenish brown cloth. The flap was partially open. Fear gripped the bard as he moved closer to peer in. Soliloquy let out a yell of hatred when he saw Ky in the same position he had occupied. The rangers hand gripped Risvani inner thigh, and her hand held his while the lover embraced in a passionate kiss. He had seen enough... he had been tricked. The ranger tormented him with the setting, tricking him into thinking it was he and not him that was seducing Risvani.

In burning rage Soliloquy withdrew his sword. The blade gleamed wickedly in the tents torchlight. They would both die, like Elantia, and Gelphron. All those who had betrayed him would die by his hand. This time there would be no escape. If he could not have her, nor would the ranger. Slowly Soliloquy headed to the tent; murder playing in his eyes, as white snow descend.

***

Ky grinned as the embrace unlocked, and he hovered over Risvani looking into her eyes. He caressed her hair and gave her thigh a squeeze. She giggled playfully.

"Its all ways hard for me to say this..."

"I know you dont have to-" Risvani put her hands to his lips trying to quite him.

"I must, before I didnt trust you, because of my own selfish reasons. All youve ever asked of me was to trust you and I couldnt. Ive finally understood why Soliloquy means so much to you. I can also see why its been so hard on you. Ive tried to give you space because I didnt want to lose you. I love you so much to let that happen." Ky said his tears falling upon her face; like rain falling upon a forest. Risvani hugged him tightly wiping away the wetness away with one hand, and with the other she pulled him closer. There were no words to be said, she had already spoke them. The man she held needed a foundation to base his love upon, and for the first time in a long while she knew her course. She saw the flames of the tent flicker and saw outline of a form behind them.

"Behind you!" She whispered urgently into his ear. With a smile Ky replied.

"I know I planned it this way. Make him see what he will never have. Now back to sleep." He whispered.

"What! I cant just leave you-" Ky never let her finish as he kissed her passionately. He felt alive, more alive since the dwarven mines where they had shared hearts for the first time. He could taste the sweet tang of her love and alone he would spur on knowing he would sup of it again. Risvani never felt his hands about her neck, as Ky found pressure points that would induce sleep. The morning she wouldnt remember a thing.

In a fluid motion he laid her down on the pallet, and just as he felt the wind descend he withdrew Hope from his belt. Rising it high, the short-sword of quickness parried against steel. Ky then exploded rolling out into the snowy air, taking his attacker with him.

"Very impressive ranger, your quickness is most refreshing!" Soliloquy grinned like a hungry wolf ready to engulf its prey. Ky twirled his sword in his hands, the blade moved like lightning.

"Well met, Soliloquy. I hope youve enjoyed your last look before I kill you" Ky hand slid to Seek. Soliloquy strode closer and his smile grew dangerously larger.

"Do you think Risvani would enjoy you butting into our business? We have much to do, much to learn... so little ranger if you dont mind."

Soliloquy walked closer. Five slashes appeared on his fine cloak, and his grin turned sour. Ky growled, he was losing control, the system the cool emotionless way of fighting was losing out. He could feel his hands shaking from the want of striking the man down where he stood.

"I think not, Soliloquy!"

Ky could feel the sweat pouring down his face. " Ive learned much tonight, and during our last couple of meetings. We are much alike you and I. Ive tried to expel my darkness, yet you embrace it. I know why youve come and Im not going to stop you. I dont have to she did it for me!"

Ky sheathed his blades and gestured to the bed that had appeared even as the tent dissipated.

"You see this is my domain. I am the master here not you. I know she loves me. I dont have to have it said to me or explained. I feel it. I now what love is from you Ive learned what lust and passion can do. Hey, with a little work Ill be better at it than you. Go ahead Soliloquy take a last look at someone who loved you. And if your alive after out next meeting, tell me what your chess game of vengeance has brought you." Ky backed away.

Soliloquy looked stunned. He watched the ranger stupidly and sheathed his blade. A surprising laugh came from his mouth. The ranger had proven himself more than he had thought. Vesper was right he was dangerous, and quite deadly.

Respect gleamed in the bards eyes. Ky acknowledged it, with a shake of his head, and gesture of his hand toward the bed.

"So be it Darkfriend, I will say my last good byes to her. But remember well, I will kill Que Dema and all that stand in my way, including you. That has not changed."

Soliloquy sat at the edge of the bed. Risvani still slept peacefully. With out a pause a flute came to his lips. A melody so fine, so haunting sprang from the fine, thin instrument, as Soliloquy played his last song. Risvani would not here it; still he took comfort from the fact that this woman had restored some of his sanity and his honor. She had held back the flames that raged within him for so long. The song ended not in a screaming shout but a quiet whisper. For the last time his lips touched hers and he knew the next time they would meet it could not be as lovers but as mortal enemies.

Soliloquy hated that thought.

As the kiss ended the last feelings he held for Risvani disappeared, just as the love he had for Elantia had died a long time ago. For a brief moment in time he had been happy. When he looked down he noted the small smile on her lips.

"A memory then of me." Soliloquy placed his flute in her hand.

"A memory of what we might have been."

"You are right, Darkfriend. We are much a like you and I. Even though I will soon be going to my death, you will be joining me. She on the other hand should not. Send her away if you truly love her."

"That I can not do, I have realized she must choose her own path. I can only observe and guide her along because I love her. If she wishes to die with her friends I will not stop her but join her, as I should.

"So be it noble enemy. I have learned to respect you. I will never forget her either, for a brief moment she opened a window to my heart that I thought long shut. Now the flame of hate are the only warmth the resides inside." Soliloquy replied. He murmured one last word then looking back at Ky he slowly disappeared and was gone.

Ky simply sighed and with a mental command her returned home.

***

The sun beamed underneath the Mythal casting of Mythdrannor, and Risvani yawned and stretched. She looked at Ky who simply smiled her direction.

"What! Why are you smiling at me like that." She wondered

"Oh nothing... just wondering, how its possible for you to look so damned good in the morning, in a place infested with demons and devils."

Risvani giggled and she stretched the nights memories away. As she yawned she noted a long tubular rod, beautifully decorated, and fashioned out of wood bark. The flute was sculpted to fashion, depicting two elven lovers in the throes of passion, interlocking in a hug wanton passion. Several holes lined the shaft; written in long curvy sigils a word could be seen. Risvani picked up the flute and gaped at the elegance and wonder of its make. Looking at Ky she asked where it had come from. Kys smile faded, and his voice was deep.

"It came from some one you knew."

"Do you now who it was, or what the words mean on the flute."

"He was a simple singer of songs." Ky hugged her tightly.

"The words are dark elven. They mean even those who hate can now love if shown the way." Ky said. Risvani said one name, the only name she could

"Soliloquy..."

***

Soliloquy watched the sun rise up from the mists night, and thought he heard his name being mentioned far away. With a slight smile, he un-slung his mandolin from his back, and for the first time in centuries his heart was unburdened by hate, or revenge. Briefly Soliloquy let loose the pangs of love he held tightly. He then let his anguish be heard in song.

Elantia, Gelphron, Que Dema, and now Risvani.

He now let them go upon the wind; he let his love fly from him.

The only thing Soliloquy needed now was vengeance. Alec Que Dema spawn of Gelphron and Elantia, would be dead in front of his very feet. All he needed was hate. Risvani would be dead by his hands as well. As his tears fell Soliloquy knew the awful contradictions; he hated her because, he loved her, and because he would not allow her to save him. He would die by himself, thus saving her all the pain. All the more better to die by her hand, to be released from his prison by the hands of some one he loved.

Soliloquy lent his voice to the heavens and his last song could be heard upon the distant wind as far off as Evermeet. The last word of his song took flight and soared through the wind.

It would be many years later that Soliloquy death Sonnet would read with these last words...

    The Elven moon I Love so pure
    Mystras servent Forever dear
    love you I shall and when you hear
    my song, my spirit will be forever near.

With that the sun rose, and would forever bask the bard known as Soliloquy.

THE END