An Accident of Fate_Chapter 1

Summery: A terrible accident leaves Drizzt dead and Catti-brie in a coma.

Authors Note: Phew I was afraid i'd have to break my promise concerning this chapter being up in a couple days do to some reviews inspiring me to add onto it last second, but yay! I managed to get it written out before having to leave for work. Go me!

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you recognise.



---------Chapter 1---------


The sun over Icewind Dale dawned red that morning.

Like spilled blood, Wulfgar couldn't help but think as he stared out across the snow covered Tundra. It was amazing how fast ones life could be thrown so off center.

"Always said he'd get 'imself killed.....never thought he'd actually go'in do it!" Bruenor had growled. Wulfgar didn't mind the grumbling, he knew the deep pain hidden behind the dwarf's anger.

Only a day ago he'd bid the drow farewell and happy hunting with smiles on their faces, mere hours since the Merchant party had arrived delivering their most unexpected burden.

A tear trailed down his cheek as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared out over the tundra, hoping for nothing more then for some villain to jump out and declare himself the cause for their pain. Maybe then they'd get some sort of relief, some closure.

Drizzt was dead and the only witness to the event, Catti-brie, had fallen so into her grief that she was as one unconscious.

For his companions and grieving dwarves there would be no outlet, no enemy to slay, no vengeance to take.

Just the pain of loss. For warriors like themselves it was almost unbearable.

With a heavy, sorrow laydened sigh, the barbarian tore his gaze away from the climbing sun and directed it back towards the caves. The hammer falls and shouts of dwarves at work were silent now. The air thick with anger and despair. Soon they would have to actually face facts and see their friend's final rest but for now nothing stirred and the Drow's body lay neglected in a room alone.

"Seein' to the livin's more important!" Bruenor had argued before disappearing into Catti's room with every available healer they'd managed to scrounge up at such abrupt notice.

The truth was none of them were ready to face the facts yet. No one wanted to look at the body which would force them to finally come to terms with what had happened.

Before returning to the tunnels Wulfgar gave one final look across the plains, "Drizzt...where ever you are now...I hope you have found peace, my friend."


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There was a whispering sound at first. It soon grew into a dull roar, like thousands of voices all speaking at once.

He frowned in annoyance, not yet opening his eyes, as he struggled to ignore the sounds that sought to draw him out of sleep.

The sudden sound of someone yelling jerked him fully awake and he sat upright rather suddenly. He grew instantly confused. He seemed to be sitting in a huge crowd of people, a dull gray fog drifting back and forth around the area.

The yelling sound again and suddenly there was a man in his face shouting wildly, hands grabbing at his throat. He reached for his weapons but found them missing.

"Here now get off 'im!" a rough voice shouted and the wild man was pulled away, thrown back into the crowd, where he was even further pushed away.

Still sitting he looked up at his savior, finding an unknown man standing above him, a kind smile on his face, "Don't you be minding those fellows, they can be a bit startling at first, but they're harmless." he said, "lets get you off the ground now."

The man held out a hand which he gratefully took, letting himself get pulled to his feet.

The man looked him over fully and whistled, "Well now, you're certainly something we don't see everyday. Don't get many Drow in here, at least not that I've seen so far."

The drow blinked in confusion, looking around, "What?"

"Oh good, you're not a yeller." The man sighed with a chuckle, "I can see you're a bit out of sorts, that's only natural. So, how'd you die?"

The Drow did an about face, staring at him in a shocked manner, "What?" he said this time with more emphasis. There was a sudden pinching pain in his stomach and he gasped, his hand going to the sore spot. He frowned with further confusion when he discovered nothing to be amiss.

The man flinched, "Ah, sorry, must have been bad if you don't remember it, or maybe you were killed in your sleep, always a possibility."

The Drow scowled and shook his head, "I don't understand, where is this?"

The man gave him a more careful once over before deciding to answer, "This? This here is the Fugue plane. It's the souls waiting room you could say. Strange that you don't know of it. Course, elves don't generally come here, usually they just go right through, no waiting."

The Drow seemed to have disappeared into his own world and didn't seem to have heard the last part. Returning quite abruptly to his spot on the ground, or what could be called ground in this place anyway. It was more of shifting plane of black and grey that resembled both marble and flesh all at once. The man started to try and get him to his feet again when another man walked over.

"Hey, Felder, what's going on?" the second man asked.

The man, Felder, looked up and shrugged, "Oh, Geni. New arrival. One of the yellers attacked him. He seems pretty out of it."

Geni looked at the figure on the ground and shrugged, "Hmmm, well i'm sure he'll come out of it soon enough, we all do."

"Where's the kid? Maybe he can help?" Felder asked.

The drow looked up in shock at the two men, clad in adventurers gear, standing so calmly above him, "Kid?"

Felder looked down and grinned, "Geni's son. We was traveling through the mountains, got ourselves attacked by some hill giants. We all got smashed by boulders."

Geni snorted, "Didn't even know what hit us."

Felder nodded, "Real painless, I definitely recommend it as a preferable way to die."

The Drow stared at them both like they were crazy then snorted a bit in laughter, it was just all too ridiculous.

Felder smiled wider at the sound, "Hey! Yeah, that's the spirit."

"I think he just thinks you're insane." Geni said.

"He'd be right then, wouldn't he pah?" Another voice chimed in, this one was much younger sounding, obviously belonging to a boy barely in his teens.

The Drow looked up at the new arrival but wasn't expecting the reaction he got. The boy was barely above the age of 13, maybe 14 years of age but when he locked eyes with the Drow he stiffened and his eyes became huge.

"Here now, Ben, what's wrong with you."

The child Ben pointed at the Drow, "I know you!" he turned his gaze to his father's, "He was in those books you bought me! You know? The ones with all those hero stories? It's Drizzt!" he yelled.

At the sound of his name something clicked in the dark elf's mind. Memories spiraled before his eyes as his life replayed it's self. He didn't notice the shocked faces of Felder and Geni or the sudden silence that spread through the area as Ben's announcement was spread through the crowd of gathered souls, causing them to turn their attention to the most unexpected addition to their group.

Felder was the first to recover from his shock and he turned outraged glares to the others who were unashamedly staring at the fallen hero.

"Hey now! We didn't all stare at you when you first got here! Go back to your prayers!"

The groups glared back at him and with faint mutterings went back to what they were doing before.

Drizzt let out a faint sound of pain, finding with despair that he couldn't cry, apparently that ability was beyond a soul to accomplish.

Felder placed one of his big hands on the dark elf's shoulder, "Oh gees, It can't be that bad, right? Maybe it hurt a lot but that's over now, cheer up."

Drizzt just growled and pushed his hand away.

He tried again, "Think of it this way, it's done with. Now you don't have to worry about it anymore."

"It's not that you idiot!" Drizzt yelled.

Geni scowled, "Hey now..."

"Friendly fire..." Drizzt muttered looking at the ground.

Felder, "What."

"I was hit by friendly fire!" Drizzt said, louder this time.

There was a moment of stunned silence from the three.

"Oh...wow....I'm sorry, that's rough." Felder said, feeling suddenly helpless.

Drizzt gave a sarcastic sounding chuckle and shook his head, "Yeah...rough..."

Felder and Geni gave him sympathetic pats on the shoulder but Drizzt didn't really notice any of it. He just stood there in the crowd of waiting dead, staring off into nothing.

"Catti..."


-----------------------


"It's like her spirit has fled." The healer said, her voice thick with sorrow.

Bruenor refused to hear the words, refused to believe any of it.

His daughter on the bed in front of him, vegetable like, while his best friend's body was laid out a room away, being prepared for burial.

Catti hadn't moved or reacted at all since she'd been found and returned home. It was as the healer said. She just lay there, motionless save for her breathing and the occasional blink of an eye, staring at the ceiling. Nothing could reach her. Not pain, not heat, not cold, not even the voices of her friends and father.

"Whatever happened to her has caused her spirit to flee. She is hiding. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. It's up to her now."

The healer left the dwarf alone, knowing his need to grieve in solitude.

Bruenor's hands fisted in the sheets, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall yet.

"Don't ye be doing this ta me, girl." He growled, "I canna be loosin ye both."

Letting his head fall onto the bed beside his daughter, Bruenor did something he rarely ever did. He cried.


To be continued...

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