Chapter 9: A child, a dagger and a sword

Hank stood next to the bed and looked at a sleeping Jacquilt. "Did I do that to him?" a worried Hank whispered to Virlane and Rav. "You didn't, the the sword and the return did, we won't know what happened until he wakes up, perhaps he doesn't even know." Virlane sent Hank and Rav off to get some rest, he doubted though that Hank would rest much, the energy was still pouring off him in waves and he couldn't seem to stand still.

Hank walked into the dining room, surprised to see the dragon Marluxion and the old woman Marti'en still there. Mary hearing voices peeked around the corner, then asked if they were waiting for breakfast. Hank nodded enthusiastically, "a big breakfast, I'm really hungry." Mary chuckled, "growing boys are always hungry." and went back into the kitchen. Looking around Hank asked if Trink had left, "I believe his is curled up on Virlane's couch with a bottle of his best whiskey." commented Mar. Frowning Hank went to the study, and sure enough there was Trink, taking a big swig from a bottle of whiskey, he gave Hank a lopsided grin. Hank sat next to the elf and gave him a hug "I'm sorry if I scared you, Trink." Trink looked at Hank then suddenly started to cry, with a trembling lip he said "thought I'd lost me boyo, that I did, ol Trink he struts around and does a lot of blustering. He ain't never had no one to call his own, least ways no one what didn't laugh at him and think him a silly fool. You ain't never laughed at me, boyo, ain't never made fun of ol Trink. When they said the sword had got yea, it felt like it had taken part of me with it." Hank hugged the crying elf, "Trink, don't you know everyone loves you, if anything happened to you there would be a terrible lose in all our lives. Your family, your one of us, one of this amazing family. When they laugh, they laugh with love, with caring, not out of meanness or cruelty. I'm your boyo for life, you won't get rid of me easily, you and I have a lot of adventuring to do together, now come have breakfast, I'm hungry." and Hank pulled Trink off to the dining room. Hank all but bounced back into the dining room just as Mary was setting down several platters of food, Hank sat waiting, everyone sat watching Hank. Hank grinned at Marti'en "ladies first." Marti'en chuckled, "no hungry boys first, I would hate to reach for something and find I'd lost a finger or two." Hank fixed a plate and put it in front of Trink, "you know I don't think its a good idea to drink before breakfast, might spoil your appetite." then he fixed himself a large plate of food and started to eat as if he had not had a good meal in years. Collin, Brand, Rav and the twins came in, as they all sat eating, Collin sent a message around the room "the boy has not grown a second head, stop staring at him." Hank grinned at Trink, "I saw the most amazing places and things Trink, we will have to go back so you can see them too, just think of all the adventures we can have, you and me." Hank, Collin said quietly, Hank looked at Collin. "last night was a dangerous mistake, the sword and the dagger together are to much magic for you or anyone to handle, you need to put them away. We can be thankful you returned to us at all, it could have had a very different tragic ending." Everyone at the table prepared for a 10 year olds explosion of anger at being told he had to put something aside, that was important to him. Hank set down his fork and looked at Collin, then at the group sitting around the table. then spoke quietly, "Your wrong, it wasn't a mistake, it was my destiny, Grandfather told me before he died, that the sword and dagger had been waiting centuries for the rightful hand to put them together, that I was that rightful hand, but the sword and dagger would choose the time and place, once chosen, it could never be undone by my hand, unless I use either one wrongfully." He smiled at them, "I saw it last night, my destiny, not all but parts and pieces. The sword told me, that it and the dagger, and all of you, in your own way, would teach me what I needed to know to make my destiny a true one." Marti'en started to laugh "I knew it, the whispered tales of the sword were true. First the sword will teach as a mother to a child, as a teacher to a pupil, as a father to a son, and finally it will teach as man to man, it will guide but it will not choose, it will show the way but not lead." Hank finished eating stood up and grinned, "when do we start building the new house?" then bounced out of the room. Rav started to laugh "looks like we have some very interesting years a head of us." Chad and Kim grinned, "he isn't going adventuring alone with Trink, now THAT would be dangerous, we plan on going along to keep them out of trouble." Collin and Brand and Rav all groaned at the same time. Marti'en and Mar laughed "this is going to be fun to watch." she said. Trink only muttered about twin fairies not respecting their elders. Kat sat in a chair next to Jacquilt's bed, with a look of concern on her face. Collin came in and stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders, rubbing softly. Jacquilt opened his eyes and looked at the two people who had taken him into their home, allowed him to teach their son without fear that he would teach the hatchling/child wrong, they had let him become a part of their family. He felt the tears in his eyes and a tightening of his chest. "Forgive me." he said in a whisper. Kat touched his hand, "there isn't anything to forgive, a misunderstanding on both our parts, best forgotten." Collin gave Kat's shoulder a squeeze, "go get some breakfast, just don't listen to Marti'en's cackling. She smiled at the two and left, wondering what Marti'en was cackling about or perhaps it would be best not to know. Collin took Kats place in the chair and looked at his old friend. "can you tell me what happened, when Hank got to your place or afterwards." Jacquilt rubbed his eyes with his fingertips, pressing hard, he could still see the black swirling. Slowly he told Collin about Hank suddenly appearing and what had been said, as soon as he saw the sword the old legend and its saying flashed through his mind. He also had thought it all just a myth, something told around a fire during a cold winter night. Taking a deep breath he looked at the ceiling, "it was like being trapped in a whirlpool and not being able to get out. Things I had done in my life, or even thought in the deepest recesses of my mind, were swirling around me and I couldn't get away from it, it was if I had to see it, had to listen. I felt so alone, I've never felt so alone in my whole life, I thought I would be trapped there forever.

Collin touched Jacquilt's shoulder "your home now, and I hope to stay, we've missed you. Hank was right we are not whole without you, your as much a part of this family as Kat or Rav." Collin walked to the door, then said over his shoulder "don't be shocked when you look in the mirror, you've changed a bit." Jacquilt got up and looked in the mirror, he touched his face, his hair, as he stared at himself. He looked 20 years old again, like he had when he first came to the Keep, except for one thing, his hair, where there had once been gray sprinkled through out his hair, it now had two large streaks of white, that almost looked like wings flying back from the side of his head. Jacquilt also realized his body looked and felt 20 again, it was as if the sword had by showing him the things he had done right in his life, but more the things he had done wrong in his life, was now giving him a second chance to change those things, maybe one could redo the past, then he remembered the terrible feeling of aloneness in the black swirling void, never did he want to experience that again. Natalie sat under the tree in the garden, snug in her warm cape, her knee's drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. She still wanted to scream out loud, feeling the terror at the idea of losing Hank. She knew she had acted like a silly hysterical woman, while everyone had seemed so calm, so in control of themselves. She laughed derisively at herself, such a common woman in the midst of such uncommon people and beings. Slowly she got up and went down to the stables, she smiled at Drapper as she passed him on her way to the pasture. The stallion pranced, pawing the ground, then charged over to the fence, he nudged Natalie, snorting and blowing at her, as if chastising her for having not come to see her for awhile. She pressed her face against his neck, then swung up on his back and the two galloped across the pasture. The two played for hours until Natalie's stomach reminded her that she had missed breakfast. After taking the stallion into the stable and brushing him down well and giving him some grain, she ran her hand down his mane and grinned at him, Pax, that's what I'm going to name you, Pax because you bring me peace. Pax nodded his big head as if in agreement. Natalie went into the kitchen, fixed herself some bread and cheese, then went up to her room to clean off the dirt from the pasture. Then she sat down and worked on her sewing, wondering where everyone was. She later found out that they had all gone to see where the new house was to be built and put down markers, thinking she had been resting, they had left without her. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, Natalie filled her days with her sewing and riding, her nights with loving Rav. She saw less and less of Hank as he went back to his lessons with Jacquilt, his afternoons spent swimming, exercising and tramping about the forest with Trink. Several days a week Hank went with Virlane and Rav to Marluxion's. Natalie went over to see the house regularly, she was pleased with the way it was going, they were being precise and careful in its formation. It wouldn't be long before she and Rav and Hank could move in. Rav watched Natalie as she used a stick in the hard dirt to draw out where she wanted things for the garden. He grinned as she wrote out things on a paper, talking to herself as she made changes or jotted down little notes. Rav gave her a hug and looked at the paper, then pointing to the ground where she had drawn a square, "is that where you wanted the roses?" Natalie nodded with a frowning thoughtful look "I believe so." then let out a shriek of rage as blooming roses appeared in the square she had drawn on the ground. Dropping down to her knee's she started to rip out the rose bushes, the thorns digging into her hands, scratching her arms. Rav knelt down on knee, "Natalie, stop, what's wrong, why are you taking the roses out?" demanded Rav as he pulled her cut hands away from the rose bushes. "I wanted to do it myself, I wanted to plant the flowers and bushes, I wanted to watch them grow and know I did it well, why does everything have to be magic? can't some things be done in the normal way?" she yelled. Angry, Rav yelled back "its magic that builds your home, its magic that is furnishing it, its magic that built your riding arena and stables for that stallion of yours. But your upset about a few roses? what's wrong with you Natalie. Part of my very self is magic, do you want that gone also?" Natalie cried "I know magic built all this, have you heard me complain? All I wanted was to have something that I could do!, everyone is always so busy, coming and going, I hardly see anyone anymore." "You actually wanted to see someone? then why are you always in your room sewing or writing or whatever it is that you do in there. When we move here are you going to be hiding in your solarium?" snapped Rav. "You just don't understand do you? Rav" Natalie said sadly, "never mind, the roses were fine, thank you." Rav turned and stalked off "what was wrong with that woman, she has been like this for weeks." he said under his breath. Natalie sat in the dirt, among the rose bushes and thorns crying. Natalie returned to the Keep, as she was walking up the steps, Mathew came out of the front doors. "Several packages came for you today, I put them in the hall by the study door, hope you don't mind." Smiling Natalie replied "that's fine, thank you, Mathew." and hurried inside. Jacquilt opened the study door just as Natalie was picking up her packages, carrying two of them, they went upstairs, Natalie set her packages on the table and told Jacquilt he could just set the packages he had carried up for her on the chair. As Jacquilt was leaving Natalie asked him how Hanks studies were going. He smiled "he will soon be teaching me, he is like a sponge drinking in knowledge." Natalie thanked Jacquilt for helping her, he nodded and went out the door, closing it behind him, he always left the door open whenever he went into her rooms, even for only a second. Natalie opened her packages, looked everything over then put them away in the large chest she had asked Ben to make for her.