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Ice and Steel	By : Skullbearer Category: A through F > Dragonlance Views: 3083 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the book(s) that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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I own nothing except the story. No, actually I don’t even own that.
This takes place during the Soulforge and will call upon a lot of what happens there.
Ice and Steel
Chapter one:
Brothers and Sisters
The spring festival had been celebrated the same way in Solace for generations, there was dancing, food, drink and always a large fire burning in the evening in the large clearing, well away from the vallenwoods.
Changes had, of course, occurred, dancing styles changed, and there had been the welcome addition of Otik's spiced potatoes to the feast.
Generally however, the spring festival was seen as an occasion to make merry and celebrate the arrival of warmer, longer days after a long winter spent indoors.
Despite the rather abnormally wet weather earlier in the month, the past few days had been dry and good firewood was none too hard to find, allowing the festivities to continue in the time honoured fashion it always had.
Around the roaring fire were logs, cut in half to serve as seats for those who were not dancing.
One of these was Raistlin.
He felt, quite honestly, irritated, he had been quite happy studying his books that evening, thank you very much, before Caramon (whose leg was, unfortunately, healed) had dragged him out, books and all, to 'enjoy' himself.
He couldn't continue reading; to do so he had to get so close to the fire that the paper risked igniting, so he spent his time watching the dancers through the flames.
Why in the Abyss his brother had thought he would enjoy himself was a mystery to Raistlin, he was tired, he hated dancing and couldn't do it anyway, the food was no more appealing than that in their larder and the company was something he could most definitely do without.
No doubt Caramon wanted felt more than a little left out and wanted to spend some time with his ever-more distant twin-
Raistlin broke off brooding as a hand fell on his shoulder, he turned to see the only person whose company was and would always be welcome.
"Did they finally let you go?" He asked.
Dalamar snickered, "Yes, although that implies that I wanted to go initially, all throughout the guardsmen's little discussion as to whether it was proper to let a Black robe attend a festival, no one actually asked if I even wanted to attend. As to why I did come, I heard you were here."
"Caramon's doing, not mine." Raistlin rolled his eyes as if the very mention of his brother annoyed him.
Dalamar sat down beside him and caught his lover's hand in his own, smiling.
Raistlin had met Dalamar some weeks previously, on the road back from Qualinesti while on a completely pointless expedition to barter spell components from the elves. The Elven Black robe had been travelling north from Tarsis, away from a life he still refused to discuss in any detail with anyone, even Raistlin. It had taken several exceedingly confusing and frustrating days where he had attempted repeatedly to see through the Dark elf’s masks, while Dalamar tried to do the same, he’d spent the week feeling like a spider trapped in it’s own web.
As the basis for a deep relationship, it wasn't the stuff of legends.
Yet love it was, although for the life of him Raistlin couldn’t begin to understand how.
He had returned to Solace, Dalamar in tow, and after a good deal more confusion concerning Raistlin's half sister Kitiara, who also was rather interested in the Dark elf; a feeling, which, the human had been relieved to find out, was not returned.
There were of course problems, the Solace guards were not happy to learn that a Dark elf had come to their town and would be living there until further notice. Dalamar was not forbidden to live there, Solace was an open town, which welcomed strangers, as long as they followed the laws, but the feeling was there all the same.
Another problem had been the nature of his and Raistlin's relationship, although homosexuality was not actually condemned as a crime, it was more of a matter of shame which others mocked. Such people were seen as being unable to get a member of the opposite sex and so have to settle for one of the same.
This in itself led to other troubles.
Dalamar was very attractive in anyone's books, and no one could quite understand why he kept turning down offers of 'companionship', preferring instead to stay with a scrawny, sly nineteen year old mage who nobody liked.
And not turning them down very politely either.
The rumours spread about the pair of them had been incredibly annoying, and they had both reached an unspoken decision to ignore it while in public, and threaten gossipers in private. It had worked quite well so far.
Other than this, life was enjoyable, Raistlin knew that their relationship was no act of manipulation on his or Dalamar's part (a week of reading each other's minds had put pay to that theory), simply love and affection, so why should he refuse one of the only boons he had ever been offered in life?
The only reactions he had truly been apprehensive about were those of the few who were closer to him.
Kitiara had been very cold and rather vindictive towards him, better than the mockery he had expected, most likely she was still slightly stunned as to why Dalamar had passed her over in his favour.
Sturm's reaction was rather amusing and predictable; he hated Dark elves, he hated Black robes and he hated Raistlin, nothing changed there, they just avoided the young Solamnic at all times.
Caramon though.... Ah Raistlin thought; Caramon was another subject completely.
His thoughts were broken off when Dalamar got up and tugged at his hand. "Shall we go back home?"
Raistlin nodded, he'd had more than enough of the festival.
Dalamar had in fact rented a room in the Inn of the Last Home when he had first arrived in Solace, he did menial work; charming vermin away from warehouses mostly to pay for it. However after the first few days Otik had asked Dalamar leave the room free, it was spring and he needed all the rooms his inn had and Dalamar hadn't actually used the room at all, he had been spending nights with Raistlin and had only been using his room as a place to keep his meagre belongings. Raistlin certainly didn’t mind and Caramon had agreed, apparently happy for Raistlin. This didn't really change anything for Dalamar, just that now he gave most of what he earned to his lover.
Dalamar didn't accept charity from anyone.
The two mages fought their way through the dancing and mostly drunk crowd to get back towards the bridge walks and from there back to the house.
The fire made the dancing area and the people in it a rather surreal image, and Raistlin was very glad when the got out of the thick of it.
They were just leaving the clearing, talking under the noise and music, when one voice broke through it.
"Raist!"
Raistlin shut his eyes briefly; leave me alone.
Caramon was jogging towards them, red faced and grinning, "Where are you going?"
"Home." Raistlin said shortly.
His brother's face fell, "What, already? It's only started."
"It's a good deal more than started and I didn't want to come anyway, we are going home." Raistlin began to walk away.
"Oh." Caramon looked a little lost, and then started to follow.
"Alone." Raistlin said with finality, scowling.
They walked off leaving Caramon standing listlessly just outside the ring of firelight.
Dalamar was smiling, "Interesting character, your brother.” He said quietly
Raistlin snorted, “I’ve had more interesting conversations with a tea kettle.”
The elf laughed, “I agree he would not make very stimulating company and I would definitely not seek him you, but he does seem to need your company.”
Raistlin had seen far less of his brother when he had returned from Qualinesti, simply because he had spent his time almost continually with Dalamar. He hadn't missed his brother, but Caramon clearly had missed him.
Raistlin shook his head, “He might need me and perhaps I need him too in turn, but that doesn’t mean I enjoying being with him, or anyone else although there is one marked exception.”
He quickly glanced around to make sure they hadn't been followed, and then leant forward to brush a kiss on the elf’s lips. Dalamar smiled and slid an arm around his waist, leaning up against him as they walked on.
They never actually got home; they’d stopped on the walkway above the clearing and had spent the time watching the crowd of dancers drift off in ones and twos.
Mostly twos.
Raistlin was rather amused to see Caramon take Miranda, a clothier’s daughter and probably the most sought after girl in Solace, in his arms and sweep her literally off her feet and walk off up a walkway and towards their house.
“This could be problematic.” Raistlin sighed, pointing at his brother.
“How exactly?” Dalamar looked at over where Caramon and Miranda had just vanished.
“Do you want to be home while they are in there?”
“Point.” Dalamar smiled.
The clearing was almost empty now, all the dancers left for home. The night’s chill was getting more pronounced.
“Shall we go?” Raistlin’s voice broke through the silence that had fallen.
“Go where?” Dalamar was leaning against the wooden railing of the walkway.
“I don’t know, does it matter? We’ll be the only ones out at this time of night.”
Dalamar shrugged, it was obviously all the same to him.
It was very quiet; walking aimlessly among the vallenwoods branches, so quiet they could hear themselves breathe, so quiet that when a voice broke the silence it made both of them start.
“You sot!” A voice that was unmistakably Kitiara’s came from below them.
Dalamar and Raistlin stopped walking to listen.
“Keep me waiting in the cold for hours while you suck down rotgut, will you! I’ve half a mind to slit your ale-swilling belly!”
“I am not past our meeting time," A cold and surprisingly sober voice countered, "If anything, I am early. And one cannot sit at a tavern, even in a tavern as wretched as The Trough, without drinking, though I am thankful to say that more of the foul liquid the barkeep has the temerity to call ale is no me that inside me. The barmaid helps herself to her own wares apparently, she managed to spill nearly a whole flagon on me."
Quietly as a cat, Dalamar crouched down and peered over the edge of the walkway, clearly the darkness was no match for his eyes because he beckoned Raistlin down and whispered "It's your sister down there, and a man I haven't seen before."
"What does he look like?" Raistlin hissed back, if the description was of someone he knew, it might shed light on the situation.
"Cloaked and hooded, I can't see any more." Dalamar spoke softly, afraid of being heard and missing the rest of the conversation.
"Let's get down to business." Kitiara finished, they had missed the rest of what she said.
"Maps?" The man asked, Raistlin was just about to ask what was happening when Dalamar placed a finger to his lips. Be quiet.
"See for yourself." Kit's voice this time. There was a faint rustle of parchement.
"It's all there" She continued, "Plus more than your lord asked for. The defences of Qualinesti are dealienated on the main map: number of guard posts, number of guards posted, how often the guards are changed, what type of weapons they carry, and so forth. I walked the entire border of Qualinesti myself twice. I've marked on different map the weak spots in their defence, possible areas of penetration, and I've indicated the easiest access routs from the north."
Raistlin glanced at Dalamar again. The elf had shrunk back from the edge of the walkway and lay a hand on Raistlin shoulder. "Don't move." He breathed, almost inaudibly. "Don't move a muscle, they're both very alert for any noise."
"This is excellent," the man said. Another rustle. "My lord will be pleased. What else have you heard about Qualinesti? I hear you've taken a half-elf lover who was born up in-ulp!" The man stopped speaking abruptly.
When Kitiara spoke, her voice was lethal. "You leave him out of this! If you think I would demean myself to sleeping with any man in order to gain information, you're wrong, my friend. And you could be dead wrong if you say or do anything to make him the least suspicious."
The hiss of steel being drawn emphasised he point all too well.
"Sorry Kit. I didn't mean anything by it. How did you get away tonight?"
"I told him I was spending the night with my brothers." Kitiara's voice was calmer now, "I'll have my money now."
Another rustle, that of cloak and leather, then the clink of coin.
"There's more where that came from if you happen to pick up any additional information about Qualinest and the elves. Information that you just happen to find 'lying around'."
Kit chuckled "How do I contact you?"
"Leave a message at The Trough. I'll stop by whenever I'm passing this way. But won't you be travelling north soon?"
"I don't think so. I'm happy enough where I am for the time being. There's my little brothers to think of."
"Uh-huh." Grunt.
"They're getting to the age where they might be some use to us."
Dalamar gave Raistlin a sharp glance, Raistlin shook his head, he knew nothing of this.
"I've seen them around town. The big one we could use as a soldier maybe, though he's clumsy as a kobold and looks about as bright. The other though-the magic user that hangs around with that Dark elf. Rumor has it that they're quite talented. My lord would be please to have them join his ranks."
"Rumor has it wrong!" Kit snapped. "Raistlin can pull a coin out of his nose and that's about it, the elf I don't know about but he's love-blind for my brother."
"Lord Ariakas would be pleased to have you join us as well, Kit. On a permanent basis. You'd make a fine commander. He said so."
"I didn't know His Lordship and I were on such familiar terms, I've never met the man."
"He knows you, Kit. By sight and by reputation. He's impressed and this will impress him further. He's prepared to offer you a place in his new amry. It's a great opportunity. One day he will rule all of Ansalon, and after that all of Krynn."
"Indeed?" Kit sounded impressed. "He doesn't think small, does he?"
"Why should he? He has powerful allies. Which reminds me. How do you feel about Dragons?"
Dragons? Raistlin wondered, what it this man talking about?
"Dragons!" Kitiara sounded amused. "I think they are fine for scaring the wits out of little children, but that's about all. What do you mean?"
"Nothing in particular. You wouldn't be afraid of them, would you?"
When Kit next spoke, he voice held a dangerous edge. "I fear nothing in this world or the next, does any man say any different?"
"No one says different, Kit, my lord has heard us all speak of you courage. That's why he wants you to join us."
"I'm happy here, for the time being at least.
"Suit youself, the offer still stands if you ever want to take it up."
"I might, we'll see. I'll be in touch."
With that, the conversation stopped and footsteps echoed off into the gloom.
Dalamar's grey eyes glinted at Raistlin in the moon's light.
"What was that about?" He murmered.

Most of Kitiara's speech was copied from The Soulforge.
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Ice and Steel