Alexandria Savage I

The morn is fresh with sea wind and dew on the windows. The streets of Waterdeep sigh as doors begin to open, and feet begin to meet the cobblestones in the first motes of sunlight peeking through the buildings. A breeze lifts a woman's copper-red hair as she walks towards the Holy Hands House for her daily prayer. The wind blows salt onto her bronze skin, and her scars and freckles tingle. Alexandria Savage, the lass of bronze, breathes calmly and evenly, and her shoulders are unburdened. She treads on the stone streets with a dove's tranquility, and yet behind every step lies the might of a bull.

Lex arrived at the House a little later than usual today, but ever since having opened the Vault of Dragons with her companions, she'd been more busy, and more tired. Her muscles ached and she wanted nothing more than to feel the soothing waters of Eldath's altar around them. The Mother Guardian's priest looked up from his book and nodded as she passed, before returning to his reading. She only glimpsed the book title, something about a Gnomish treasure hunter. The priest liked his whimsical stories.

The Eldath room of the House was lit primarily by candle this time of day; the sun was not high enough in the sky to find its way into the windows near the ceiling. The bronze woman shrugged her clothes off in the corner of the room. Lex's frame was as sturdy as ever, and her rippling muscles glowed in the warm light of the candles. The lacquered wood floor felt cold against her soles. With little ceremony, she waded into the pool and knelt before the statue of the Mother Guardian, allowing its flowing water to envelop her head. Her hair sank past her shoulders as it wettened and became heavy.

At first, her thoughts were still. She simply felt the soothing coldness of the altar pool and the statue's waterfall, felt her muscles loosen, felt her worries flow out of her. She became acutely aware of the scars that she bore on her bronze skin. She felt them. Counted them. Counted them again. After a time, though she couldn't say how long, words began to take shape in her mind as she began her prayers. She thanked Eldath for her blessings, as always. Then, her thoughts moved to all that had transpired in the city the past two months. How she made new friends, new enemies, asked new questions, and gained new answers. But not all of the answers.

"Hi, Clairon," thought Lex, hoping those thoughts reached her brother's spirit. "It's been a little while, I guess. I've been through a lot. I suppose you were going through a lot at one point, too. I don't think I'll ever really know what you held in your mind as you worked with Xanathar, but I choose to have faith in the brother I knew- the one that was kind, strong-willed, and held love in his heart for every part of this city. I know that whatever reason you had, you just thought you were doing what was best."

Lex sighed.

"Wherever you are now, I hope that you know I'm doing okay. I'll be away from the city again soon. I think that it'll be fine without me. The people I've come to know have shown me that there is strength on every street, in every tavern, and every alley. There are people outside the city who need help, and I think I'm supposed to help them. All I can do is what I think is best."

The bronze woman breathed deeply for another few minutes before rising from the pool. The sun was higher in the sky now, and its light reflected off of her toned belly and firm arms. She dried herself hastily and unevenly, and her shins wetted the waistline of her trousers. It was uncomfortable. 

Lex approached the door, and stopped by the shelf that contained a few bottles of aromatic oil and a donation box. She applied a few drops of lavender scent to her forearms and neck, and left a small but decent pouch of dragons in the box. As she left, she and the priest exchanged nods once more. His book appeared to be turned to the same page.

Lex's boots struck the cobblestone streets of the city with a certain sadness.

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Lex clapped the dirt from her gloves and stepped off the giant's corpse. 

"Where were we?" she said as she yanked her sword from the thing's remaining head. The other one had been cleaved off, and now lay in the corner of the room, on top of a pile of splinters and cracked lumber that had once been a table.

"You were saying that dinner last night was nice," said Renaer, still sitting comfortably in his chair. 

He omitted the "but," that Lex had uttered just before the ettin's first groan had echoed through the tavern. The thing had clambered out of the pit for which the Yawning Portal was named. It probably had expected to find more bones to crunch, having grown a taste from the latest cocky swordsman to be lowered in a day or two prior- Broggin or Doggin or Cloggin, or something like that, Durnan had said.

"All of them were nice," said Lex. "Though I think that there's not a whole lot that we've had beyond nice dinners." The bronze woman flicked the blood from her sword and sat back down on the opposite side of the table.

Renaer frowned. "Isn't that enough? Now that the Vault is more or less settled, we should be able to have more than the few genuine moments we've experienced, no?"

Durnan's staff began to shove the giant's body back down the well.

"I don't think that you really want that, Renaer," said Lex. "There's nothing wrong with that, mind, but I just don't think I'm a person who can be the way that you want me to be."

Renaer started, "Alexandria, I-"

Lex shook her head. "We may have had something if we met at a different time, but as we are now, I don't think that what we have can really last."

They sat wordlessly for a minute, though not in silence. Durnan barked orders at his staff, who were still having some difficulty with the giant's body. The tavernkeep himself had already hurled the severed head from his shoulders into the gaping darkness, and was angrily mopping blood from the floor.

"I think you're right," said Renaer, taking Lex's hand. "I admire your strong will, Alexandria, but I think that it would clash with mine too much on a few too many things. And besides, I would worry too much about you whenever you find yourself in something else." He removed her glove and squeezed her fingers. "I wish you nothing but the best in your future. You deserve it, and you have certainly earned it."

Lex smiled and rose from the table, "I will treasure our time together, Renaer. You will hold a place in my heart for the rest of my days on this plane, and any other I set foot or spirit in."

Renaer rose as well. Lex noticed for the first time that his shoulders sat only a hair below hers. "And you in mine." He embraced her, and she embraced him. Their lips met passionately, but solemnly, yearning to share something that could never truly be.

"I hope you find someone who you can share happiness with someday," said Lex.

Renaer smiled, and kissed her hand, bowing. He paid their tab with Mhare,  still manning the counter of the tavern as her husband was growling at the stains threatening his nice floor. And then he left.

Alexandria sat at their table again. She rubbed the burn scar under her eye, trying to distract herself with some other sensation from the heaviness in her heart. She wondered briefly about Platzumn.

A heavy pat struck her shoulder. "You'll find someone, lass," said Durnan. His voice was softer than it had been a few minutes ago. "I think you made the right decision. I've been told I have an eye for things like this-" he glanced back at his wife behind the bar "-and I never really saw much coming from you and him."

"Thanks," said Lex. She leaned back against him momentarily, and he squeezed her shoulder with his burly, calloused hand. She looked at her own fingers, covered in healed blisters and small cuts.

Durnan's staff shouted for one more heave, and the ettin's body toppled into the well, thudding against the cavern walls twice before it fell beyond sight and hearing. The retired adventurer himself patted Lex's shoulder once more and separated himself from her table, else his employees might think he'd gone soft. He barked a few more commands at them, and soon, the Yawning Portal began hustling and bustling as normal.

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Lex looked up at the stars from her balcony. The Broken Beholder saw many patrons that evening- far more than usual, even when accounting for the increased traffic after Xanathar's defeat. Rhubarb seemed happier than ever tending to "his" tavern, and Lex was content to let him run things as he wished. Alandra seemed to share this sentiment, and had spent her days the past month or so working odd jobs for the Harpers. Lex realized she hadn't seen Platzumn for at least a tenday, but figured he deserved his peace.

A hearty round of "Ga Nomes" permeated the night air from the streets. Looking down, the bronze woman saw the halflings exiting the tavern to head home and sleep till about midday, she estimated. Rhue waved at the lot of them before shutting the and locking the door. Looking once again at the stars, she began to wonder what she would see in the world beyond Waterdeep in the coming months.

Jalester was none too happy when Jarlaxle had come to him, requesting the presence of one Alexandria Savage in his efforts to fortify Luskan. With the funding of the Vault, and the political aid of the Lord's Alliance, Luskan could become a formidable city in the years to come - a true asset to the Sword Coast. Of course, Jalester saw the value in that, and so agreed, but he maintained that Lex's absence from Waterdeep would only be temporary. Lex was curious as to why Jarlaxle requested her specifically, but saw the good that could be done, and was eager to help. Of course she was anxious, going to a city she'd never been to, away from the city that she had dedicated her life to supporting. Jalester seemed more anxious than she did - maybe he was wondering how he'd explain to his bosses that he allowed his best agent to leave the city. Though, Jalester never said Lex was his best agent.

He never said it.

Realizing she'd probably be awake all night with her thoughts anyway, Lex thought it best to wear herself out so that she could potentially get some sleep, even if only a little. She descended the staircase and as she reached the ground floor, she peered into the tavern window. Rhue was still at work collecting dishes, whistling away as he did so. One of his brothers had visited today, and sat on top of the bar polishing some tankards. The tavern would probably become a family business within the year, Lex imagined. Maybe they'd open a second location in the South or the Sea Ward.

Lex breathed the midnight air deeply and began her walk. The city's pulse was slowing, preparing to rest for the night. There were a few voices singing or murmuring, and the wind still carried salt and sighs. But apart from those last few winks of activity, and Lex's boots on the cobblestone, the city was silent. Lex imagined Alandra was out pilfering something or other from a corrupt noble and smiled.

Suddenly, a mighty gust unbalanced Lex by two steps. Instinctively, she reached for the sword at her hip. Whipping her head around, she saw nothing and heard nothing. Realizing there was no assailant in her vicinity, she looked up to the sky, and her eye was drawn toward something. One of the many little specks of night lights changed colors- first from white to blue, then blue to yellow and yellow to pink, then green, purple, orange, red. It flashed the most brilliant swirl of rainbow she had ever seen, and then it was gone. And then, she smelled something.

Smoke? She looked around. All of the street lanterns she could see were extinguished, and there were no other people in sight. She sniffed a few more times, and looked down. At her feet, glowing a dull orange and smelling of freshly fired clay lay a piece of glassy stone.

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Lex yawned. As she had predicted, there was very little sleep to be had that night. She did think much about the companions she would be leaving behind that day, certainly, but more on her mind was that piece of glass stone that had appeared before her feet, under those most unusual circumstances. She rubbed away the sleep that threatened to weigh her eyes and felt the stone in her belt pouch.

She and Jarlaxle and a small company of his fellows were stationed at the Troll Gate in the North of the city. Jarlaxle was discussing some matters with city officials about departure. Jalester was there, providing information on who to meet in Neverwinter on the trip North. Go to this manor, ask for that person, fill out such and such form, and so on.

"-and anyway, I'm going to miss you," said her father. She had completely neglected to listen to the rest of his goodbye. Her mind was still on the stone.

"I'll miss you too, dad," she said, shaking her head to attention. "I'll do my best to make you proud." She peered up at him, looking over his chiseled features. She stared a little at the eyepatch over where his right eye used to be, and the burn scar on her same eye tingled a little.

"You already are," said the bronze mountain of a man who stood before her. The tips of his golden mustache turned up as he beamed. "It's been some time since you've ridden a horse, hasn't it?"

Lex shrugged. "Haven't had much need of one in the city, but I remember well enough. I shouldn't need to press the limits of my ability, since we'll be following the road the whole way North."

Clairon Savage V nodded. "I know you're a capable woman, Lex. More capable than anyone I've ever known, really." He reached out with his left arm, and pulled her close for a hug. The stump of his right arm rested at his side. She hugged him back, with both of her arms.

Past her father, Lex saw her companions approaching. Alandra led and Rhue was less than a half dozen steps behind.

"Are you sure you want to go?" said Alandra, as Lex broke away from her dad.

"Want to? Not entirely, but I'm sure that it's where I'm meant to be," said Lex, feeling her belt pouch again.

"Well, there'll always be a room at the tavern for ya', should ya' e'er come back," said Rhue. His mouth seemed cheerful, but his eyes betrayed a depth of sadness she'd not seen before.

Lex smiled at the harengon and patted him on the shoulder. "You're a reliable guy, Rhue. Don't let hardship take away your smile."

Rhue reached out his hand and Lex took it. They clasped with firm grips- warrior's grips. Rhue held Lex's hand as he might grip his crossbow, and Lex held Rhue's with the expert precision of gripping her sword handle. When they let go, Rhue's eyes seemed happier.

Alandra looked somber and stood cross-armed with her feet tucked together, as though she were trying to appear smaller. Lex turned to her.

"Alandra, you are more than a friend to me," said the bronze woman. "I think that despite our differences, you may understand me the best out of anyone. And I would say the opposite is true, but I know that your husband sees you better than I ever will."

Alandra looked down. "I think you see me just fine, Lex."

Tears came to Lex's eyes and she hugged Alandra. "You'll be in my thoughts, Alandra. I never had a proper sister, but I hope that you'll allow me to call you mine."

Alandra mumbled something into Lex's chest that resembled approval. As they pulled away, the petite blonde fought back tears harder than she'd ever fought any troll, bandit, or beholder. Lex fought the same, but failed.

Not long after, Jarlaxle called for the company to mount, and they were away. Alexandria Savage waved goodbye to her companions and her father.

"Give Platzumn my regards if he ever decides to show his face again," shouted Lex from her horse, as the company settled into a rhythmic trot.

As the people faded from view, she wiped the tears from her freckled cheeks and set her eyes forward. The city of Waterdeep was behind her, for the time being at least. Everything she had lived through brought her to this moment of departure, to use her skills beyond the walls of the city. Yet, somehow, she knew that this would not be the end of her time in Waterdeep. There was something about the city that she knew would draw her back eventually. Certainly, this was not the end of her adventures.

"I'm sure it's where I'm meant to be," the bronze woman had said to her sister. She thought about this moment again and again for the first mile or so of the ride, before succumbing to the temptation she had been feeling all morning. Lex loosened the pouch on her belt and withdrew the stone. She turned the stone over in her gloved hand a few times. Its surface was pitch black and had an iridescent glassy sheen to it. It was unusually smooth and rounded, about the length of a goose feather, about two fingers thick, and was a little more heavy than it appeared to be. She turned it over so that its face was turned up toward the sun, displaying the stone's most unusual feature.

The stone bore a message etched in silver.

"COME NORTH. SAVE ME."

Somehow, Lex knew this message was meant for her.