From: artemis@cwis.unomaha.edu (Gina Ritter)
Subject: Castle -- Elo and All: "Prologue (to Bad Stuff)"
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 13:40:19 GMT


	The night before, she had left the drapes and windows open to let
in the moonlight.  Meghin had always liked to do that, ever since she 
could remember, but she had not done it lately, because the nights had been
too cold.  But last night had been mild and she had fallen asleep to
the blue-softness of the moon ... and dreamed.  Dreamed of home, her 
relatives in Treia, so far away.  Dreamed of her friends, all surely 
safe asleep at this hour.  Dreamed of Noel.  Noel who had stood by her
so patiently through all of this.  In her dreams she could tell him that 
she loved him and not be afraid. 
	She woke to harsh sunlight and bitter cold.  She whined and 
gathered a blanket around her shoulders, stumbling across the room.  
Cold air was blowing in through the open windows, lashing at the drapes.
Scowling, she slammed the window shut and yanked the drapes closed.
The room was still cold (and she felt in no mood to start a fire) but
at least it was nicely dim.  
	Meghin sighed and crawled back into bed, shivering.  Ah, this was 
much better.  Though she should be getting up to greet the morning properly.
She had been so neglecting her duties lately.  Well, one more day couldn't
hurt.  She was just drifting off to sleep when she imagined the Goddess
standing over her, looking disappointed and even a bit peeved.  With another 
sigh she forced herself out of bed and went to the window.  She was a priest,
Goddess' sake ... it was time she remembered that.
	She opened the drapes.  The sunlight was still kind of on the 
brittle side, but it wasn't so bad now.  She took a few steps back and
knelt on the floor, ivory gown loose around her.  "Lady ... for this
and every morning, we give thanks to You.  You are the Mother of All
and the Caretaker of Life.  We ask Your blessing --"
	There was a pounding at the door.  Meghin got to her feet.  
"Just a minute,"  she said softly, worried.  She started towards the
door.  Who could be calling at this unholy hour?  Not that it was unholy,
but it certainly felt that way.  The pounding on the door had not 
stopped.  "Hello,"  she said uncertainly.  "Who's there?"
	There was no answer.  She tensed and threw open the door.  Elotheria
collapsed at her feet.  Meghin screamed.  "Elo!"  She turned Elo over.
her friend looked very very pale.  "Elo ..."  Down the hall, a door
opened, and Noel peeked out.
	"Meghin?!  Oh, no!"  He ran down the hall to them and knelt by
Elotheria.  "What happened?"
	"I don't know.  I don't know.  She - she - just-"  She chewed
on her knuckles, terrified.  "She -"
	"Meghin."  Noel patted her on the shoulder, looking grim.  "It's
all right.  Go fetch Lady Elaine."
	"But - Elo -"
	He picked Elotheria up and started into Meghin's room.  "Meghin.  
Please.  Go get Lady Elaine.  All right?"
	She nodded hard and ran.  Her fault.  All her fault.  Being
scared and not helping Elo.  She could have helped her, she was a priest,
wasn't she.  But she was scared.  What a child she was.  Caring too
much for these people.  Caring more than could be allowed.  And now
they were going to die.  She tapped at Lady Elaine's door.  The woman
opened the door, looking very tired.  "Lady Elaine ... we need your help."
				----^_^----
	Lady Elaine looked Elotheria over and pronounced that there
was nothing at all wrong with her, nothing that she could see.  She left
instructions to call her if Elo's condition worsened, and some herbal
tea.  Then she patted Meghin on the head and went off to get some 
well-deserved sleep.
	Meghin sat on a chair, wrapped in a blanket.  She drank her 
tea silently.  Noel was sitting on the couch, watching Elo, looking
worried.  His cat Jones was curled up on the pillow beside Elo's head,
looking actually concerned.  "Meghin?"  Noel said, so suddenly she
jumped and almost spilled her tea.  "How are you doing, Meghin?"
	"Not ... not so good."
	Noel got up from the couch and sat down on the floor by her.
He reached up and smiled at her.  "Come here, Megh."
	She set her tea aside and reached for him.  He held her and let
her cry, not trying to comfort her with words that could not be enough.
Only trying to be there so that she knew that someone was.  Elotheria.
Elo was hurt, and it was her fault, her Prophecy ... She should go 
away to keep this from happening again.  It wasn't safe.  _It_was_not_safe_.
For her.  For anyone.  But Noel ... Noel ... what about Noel?  Goodness,
she could not be without him ...
	"Meghin."  He wiped her face with his sleeve.  "Meghin, please 
don't be so sad.  Elo's fine.  It's going to be all right."
	No it's not!  she thought sadly.  She pulled away a bit 
regretfully.  "I hope so."
	"Oh, you can do better than that, I am sure,"  he teased, and
tugged on her ear.  "Now that we know Elo's all right, we should see about 
getting you some breakfast, baby priest."
	"I'm fine."
	Noel sniffed.  "I know for a fact that you haven't eaten since 
dinner, because I was here until you went to bed!  And that was many
hours ago.  Stop being difficult."
	She smiled.  "I thought you liked it that way."
	"Ah, attacked by the truth, my lady, I needs must die --"  He clawed 
at his throat and made a face.  Despite herself she laughed.  He got up
and held out his hand to help her to her feet.  "Come along ... she'll
probably be awake by the time we return."
	The door flew open and crashed against the wall behind it.  Jones 
jumped up from the pillow, yowled, and darted under the bed.  Fenwyck stood 
in the doorway, upset.  "Elo.  Where's Elo -- oh gods!"  He rushed over to 
the bed and sat down beside her still body.  "Elo.  Oh, Elo, my sweetie ... 
_Oh_God_..."  He grabbed her and held her tightly.  "Oh, Elo, no ..."
	"Hey ... I'm not dead ... ya know ..."  Elo whispered.  Noel
and Meghin gasped in surprise.
	"Elo!"
	Fenwyck let her go and lay her down gently.  Elo blinked up
at him, blue eyes a bit unfocused.  "Ya stood me up, ya goober,"  she
accused, pointing a shaky finger at him.  Fenwyck winced.
	"I was scared."
	"Of what, the roses?"
	"Uh..."
	This sounded like a fight in the making.  Noel and Meghin started
out the door.  Elo's voice stopped them.  "I've got to go ..."
	"Hey!"  Fenwyck grabbed at Elo, who was standing -- or trying
to.  He gently shoved her back onto the bed.
	"Quittit!  Lemmee up!  I've got to ... got ... ergh ..."  Elo
stopped struggling, pressing a hand against her forehead.  Meghin came over 
to the bed and sat down beside her.
	"Elo.  Elo, you need to rest ..."
	"Oh, gods, I can't.  I've got to go ... I've got to go back to
Kandorr."
	"Kandorr!"
	Fenwyck stroked her hair, looking very worried.  "Elo ... gods,
Elo, can't it wait?  You're really messed up, here!"
	"No."  Elo tried to stand again.  "No, I've got to go now.  He's
got my family!"
	"He?  Who?!"
	"Khardess Ehlyargho.  He ... he's the emperor of Kandorr.  He's
holding my family hostage.  If I don't go back, he's gonna ... he's 
going to kill them."
	"Oh, God!"  Fenwyck put his arm around her shoulders.  "That's 
really bad!"
	"No, really,"  Elo replied irritably, starting to shake his arm 
off and thinking better of it.  
	"Why does he have your family?"  Meghin asked.
	"And why are you gonna go back?"  Fenwyck demanded.  "It sounds
like that might be just what he wants, ya know."
	"Of course that's what he wants!  If he wasn't serious he woulda 
just sent a letter."  She rolled her eyes.  "Gods, you're so brilliant 
sometimes."
	The young mage looked mildly affronted.  "But why ...?"
	"I don't know!"  Elo shrugged away from him.  "Maybe he wants to kill
me.  Maybe he wants to marry me.  Maybe he wants to give me some lovely door 
prizes!  Jeebers!"
	"Don't ya think you should try an' find out before running off
there an'- an' --"
	"There's no time!  He's going to *kill* them!"  She shook Fenwyck, 
then turned toward the door.  "I'm going."
	"But --"
	"I'm going *now*, and no one's going to stop me!"  She stumbled
across the room, collapsing after a few steps.
	"Elo!"  Meghin looked down at her in shock.
	She got up on her elbows.  "Don't try and stop me, Megs!"
	"No one has to stop you.  You did that pretty good yourself,"
Fenwyck said, crouching down beside her.
	"Should we get some help?"  Noel asked Meghin quietly.  She
shook her head.
	"We had better not.  It would just make her mad.  She's so stubborn
sometimes ..."
	"Oh, she's okay,"  Fenwyck said, and laughed.  Elo scowled.  "But 
you're in no shape to be going anyplace!  'Specially not alone."
	She blinked, frowning slightly at him.  "And just what do you
mean by that?"
	"Well ... I'm goin' with ya."
	She gaped at him.  "You'd go with me?  Really?"
	"A'course!  Can't let you go off and get killed.  Not when we got
so much to look foreward to."
	"What's that supposed to mean?!"  She glared at him.  He winced.
	"Ah ... uh ... just that ... we're young yet ... we got our
whole lives ahead of us ..."  Elo wasn't looking any less displeased.  
Fenwyck looked up at Noel and Meghin.  "Help."
	"What's he's trying to say is ... oh, nevermind, it's not 
important.  Elo, *do* get back in bed, at least for a bit,"  Meghin urged 
solemnly.  "We'll be going soon enough."
	"We will?  Oh yes.  Of course we will,"  Noel said, sounding
quite bemused.  "We can't let you go alone."
	"Hey.  I'm goin',"  Fenwyck reminded.
	"You all ... you all want to go?"  Elo seemed faintly flummoxed.  
"I never expected ... I never ... oh, my."  She blinked, at a loss for words.
	"Of course we're going with you,"  Meghin said, and smiled.
She looked a bit sad, though.  "It sounds like you're going to need
all the help you can get, Elo."
	"Yeah, I know."  She chewed her lower lip thoughtfully.  
"Thanks.  Thank you all.  I really appreciate this, especially since
I've got this gut feeling ..."  She looked at the floor.  "This could
be dangerous, you know."
	Noel glanced at Meghin.  Meghin nodded.  "We know."
	"Yeah.  Me too.  And I'm still up for it."  Fenwyck waved at
her, smiling.
	She smiled, standing with Fenwyck's help.  "Wow.  You guys
are the greatest."
	"Or so I've been told,"  Fenwyck said only a bit arrogantly.
	Elo blinked innocently, looking around.  "Gee, I thought I 
just heard an ego in here.  Did you, Megs?"
	"Elotheria ..."  Meghin began, twitching her ears.  "Shouldn't
you be nicer to *Fen*?"
	"I dunno.  Should I?"  Elo blinked, her eyes huge.
	"Would be nice,"  Noel said quietly.  Meghin smiled at him.
	"I know I'd like it,"  Fenwyck said with a grin.  "Actually,
what I'd like is some breakfast."
	"Breakfast?  Ig."  Elo made a face.  "I think I'll just start
packing."
	"Or you could lie down and get some rest."
	"Aw, Megs!"
	"Meghin, love,"  Noel said softly, "let her go.  She'll go 
anyway!"  He bent down and whispered to her.  She nodded, looking 
thoughtful.
	"Okay then,"  Fenwyck exclaimed, "let's get ready."	
	
-----
What have us elfs gots up our sleeves indeed ... 
:)

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Gina Ritter			----^v^----			Di Atkinson
artemis@cwis.unomaha.edu	     		  dementia@cwis.unomaha.edu
		      "BWAHA!  BWAHA!  BWAHAHAHA!!!"
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