Fanfic:Lembirt's Return

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Lembirt's Return
Author(s)
  • Jessie Vernham
Character(s)
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Equally tired mentally and physically, Lembirt gazed back at the Grey Tower. A work crew was conducting repairs on a blasted section of wall where so long ago Lembirt had dreaded the time consuming work of hanging banners. How different he had felt then!

Bah, stop that you great fool, he scolded himself. He didn't have time to reminisce - there was work to be done. Important work. Work that need to be completed before he could take another single step down the road of his choosing. A road that both terrified and excited him...

Technically, he was under secret exile as penance for his behaviour during the siege, but the journey had something of the feel of a jolly ride in the country to it. He would ride to the River Manetherendrelle and find passage on a ship North - inquiries could be made aboard ship about Zuri's family, and her possible location, and if he didn't find her he could at least find what had happened to her. And then...

And then the term of his exile should be complete, and he should be able to return to the Tower, where to continue his pursuits both business and otherwise.

For Lembirt, it was an almost shockingly simple plan. Perhaps that should have spoken a word of caution to the normally obsessive planner... but it didn't.

Neither did the fact that he remained in Saldaea long past the allotted time for his penance. He remained in Saldaea until the weather became cold enough to seem severely threatening to a man with no appreciably source of income, and then did the obvious thing - Lembirt turned in the direction of home.

He should have returned to the Grey Tower. The Lembirt that sat in his office and dreaded the thought of the wind blowing a sheet of parchment out of one of the symmetrical stacks would never have dreamed of forsaking order and warmth and resources to earn his way from inn to inn spinning illusions for the crowd. But then a year away from home became two years, and two became three, and the next thing Lembirt knew he was standing in a muddy road with an early autumn breeze cutting through his coat. Far in the distance, he could see the surreal glitter created by sunlight reflecting against an entire tower built of grey glass, and this time, finally, he meant not to pass it by