DISCLAIMER: Buffy The Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and 20th Century Fox. The Forgotten Realms setting is owned by Wizards of the West Coast. Drizzt Do'Urden is own both by Wizards of the West Coast and Authored by R. A. Salvatore. No infringement of these copyrights is intended. All original characters are the property of Wispr.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the long wait, nasty case of writers block. Big thanks to Rebelrsr for the awesome editing!
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Beauty and the Beast the Faerûn Way…
By Wispr
Part 16
Perspective…
The House of Gentle Repose…
With a gasp, Willow abruptly woke to find herself lying atop the sheets of her bed. She covered her mouth, choking off a cry, as the memory of what had driven her to faint returned. Ignoring the pain from her smarting cheek, she rolled out of bed and made a mad dash for the chamber pot. She dropped to her knees, barely getting the top off before vomiting into the thankfully unused pot. Willow closed her eyes trying to block out the sight of what she was bringing up, but that proved to be a mistake as the image of the man's gruesome death played repeatedly across her closed eyelids.
The man she had killed.
Though it seem liked the vomiting would never end, Willow finally couldn't bring anything else up. She replaced the lid and dropped to the wooden floor, shivering in horror and fear at what she had done.
But she didn't remain on the floor long, though. Another memory replaced the burning man - the memory of the vicious attack upon Lhyra. Heart in her throat, Willow leaped to her feet shouting, "Lhyra!"
Rushing out of the room, Willow frantically scanned the suite for the large gnoll. Though she didn't find any sign of her friend, Willow did find a trail of bloody paw prints and followed them hurriedly into Lhyra's bedroom. Lhyra's nude form lay stretched out on her stomach across the top of the bed, and for a moment, Willow's breath froze at the grisly sight. The sunlight shining through the window fell across the heavily blood-soaked bandage barely held in place with a piece of rope.
"So you are up? It is about time." Lhyra's weak voice caused Willow nearly drop to her knees in relief as she let out her pent-up breath in a long "Whoosh."
"Lhyra," Willow whispered, her voice tight with concern. She quickly made her way to Lhyra's side and examined the bandage and the wound underneath it. Willow was appalled at the amount of blood she could see; the fur of one of Lhyra's legs was heavily matted with dried blood and there was semi-fresh blood trailing down Lhyra's side to stain the sheets. Willow did find a little relief in seeing that the bleeding had apparently stopped, at least for now.
"Oh, Lhyra." Turning slightly, Willow looked deeply into Lhyra's one visible eye. "Hold on. I just need to get a few things, and I'll have you fixed up in a jiffy… OK?"
Lhyra blinked slowly before replying, "Yes." But as Willow turned away, Lhyra's voice stopped her. "The blood-nettle, it will be too dry. Cover it with water, boil until half of water is gone, and add enough cool water so will not burn."
"Got it; I'll be right back." Willow hurried out to gather and prepare the supplies needed to treat Lhyra. Time blurred for Willow as she heated the blood-nettles as Lhyra had instructed, hanging a small metal teapot over the flames of the fireplace. Then, as she waited for the water to boil, Willow placed everything she thought she might need to treat Lhyra's wound on the bed beside the gnoll's prone form. The sewing kit, extra towels, and washbasin with its accompanying water jug were all laid out in a neat, organized manner. Willow cursed herself for not buying the large first-aid kit she had seen at one of the stands, but the price, fifty gold pieces, had made her hesitate. At the time, she'd figured they could always pick one up before leaving town.
Once the blood-nettle was ready, Willow gently climbed onto the bed next to Lhyra. She cut the rope holding the bandage in place with a sharp knife from the sewing kit.
Lhyra hadn't moved or spoken, and Willow thought she had drifted off. However, Lhyra surprised her by twisting her head and watching Willow through one slitted eye. Remembering how Buffy had liked to talk to distract herself while having her wounds cleaned and stitched, Willow tried the same tactic with Lhyra.
Licking her dry lips - and shuddering at the foul taste that lingered on them and in her mouth from her getting sick, Willow hesitantly asked, "So… what happen after I fainted?"
There was a long pause before Lhyra answered in a weak though steady voice, "There was a bit of confusion at first." Lhyra chuckled painfully. "It was funny, listening to people defending me from the guards. The guards, you see, were ready to fill me with crossbow bolts but stopped when the crowd said that it had been self defense and how you were assaulted by that human male."
Lhyra grew silent; though, she tensed as Willow peeled off the bloody bandage to expose the long gash below. She resumed talking while Willow cleaned the wound with warm water. "Once the dwarf who met us at the gates showed up things, quieted down. He even made one of the guards give me the bandage."
"I betting they didn't help you with put it on, did they?" Willow interrupted bitterly.
"No, they did not," Lhyra replied.
"Bastards," Willow said under her breath, surprised at both the word and the venom in her voice. The bandage had been too small to adequately cover the wound; the guards should have given Lhyra at least two of them.
"I tried to claim the loot from the human you had killed in your name …" Lhyra began.
"What?" Willow cried, jerking in shock. Inadvertently, she pressed too hard with the wet towel she was using to clean around the wound. Hearing Lhyra's hiss of pain, Willow apologized. "Sorry, sorry."
Forcing her hands to stop shaking, Willow began once again to work on Lhyra. "It wouldn't be right of me to take that ma-man's things, especially since I was the one to…" Willow couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence and had to hastily wipe away the tears clouding her vision.
"That is a stupid way of thinking," Lhyra said in a harsh and contemptuous voice. "He attacked us and died for his actions. You kill and you take what they have; that is just the way things are. Do you understand me?"
Willow replied in a subdue voice, "Yes."
"Good; though it may all be a mute point. The dwarf explained that the law here is written so that if an attacker is killed, his belongings go to the next of kin, aside from a large fine imposed by the town. A part of the fine will be given to us as restitution."
"What if there isn't any next of kin?" Willow asked as she tossed several bloody towels into the clothes basket she had brought in from the living room.
"Ahh… I hope there are none," Lhyra replied. "For if there is no kin then his belongings would be given to us, after taking out the fine and a processing fee."
"Processing fee? What for?" Willow concentrated on getting the dirt and hair out of the deep slash.
"They charge for looking through the belongings for illegal goods. I'm not sure what they would consider illegal; I did not feel like pursuing the matter very much at the time." Lhyra replied, tone dry.
"I bet you didn't…" Willow paused as she double checked the wound was clean. "Get ready; I'm going to apply the blood-nettle." Willow waited until Lhyra gave her a small nod before pouring the steeped blood-nettle into the long gash. Aside from her muscles tensing, the only indication of any pain Lhyra gave was a slight whine and the flattening of her ears against her skull.
Once Willow had finish applying the blood-nettle, she gently ran her fingers through the thick fur of Lhyra's mane in a calming gesture as they waited for the numbing effects of the plant to take effect. Slowly, the tension drained out of Lhyra's body and the gnoll's breathing evening out. "So how did I get back here?"
"I carried you, of course," Lhyra replied matter a factly.
"But…" Willow gasp in equal parts shock and admiration, "But didn't anyone offer to help you? You shouldn't have been made to carry me with how badly injured you are."
"They did, but I turned them down. You are mine. Anyway, the ones offering were all males, and I am not about to let a male touch you." Lhyra gruffly answered.
"Thank you," Willow said sincerely; she knew it had to have been excruciating for Lhyra to carry her with the terrible slash on her back. It also explained the large amount of blood caking the fur of Lhyra's leg. "If you think you're, ready I'm going to start stitching."
"Go ahead." Lhyra's voice sounded weak and fatigued. "When you are done, I am going to lie down in front of the fireplace. You will need to go downstairs to get our supper and bring it up here."
"OK." Willow slowly stitched the gaping wound closed. "Will the couch be big enough for you to stretch out on?"
"I will lie on the floor," Lhyra replied drowsily.
Willow furrowed her brow in thought. "If you think you can wait a bit, I have an idea how to make things more comfortable for you."
"Sure," Lhyra answered.
Later…
With a grunt of effort, Willow let the mattress she had dragged from her bed drop to the floor. The spot she had chosen for Lhyra was close enough for Lhyra to feel the heat from the fireplace but far enough that she didn't fear the blankets catching on fire from a stray spark. Willow was tired, but she kept moving. Not moving gave her time to think (and have hysterics) about the man she'd killed. Only throwing herself into getting the furniture moved around, giving Lhyra enough room to recuperate in front of the fireplace, allowed Willow to avoid breaking down in tears like she wanted.
When Willow wiped her sweaty brow with the sleeve of her deer-hide coat, she grimaced in distaste at the sticky feeling of the congealing blood she had forgotten covered the sleeve. She had washed her hands free of Lhyra's blood earlier but hadn't wanted to take the time to clean anything else. After taking a deep breath, she made the bed, starting with the mattress cover made out of a thin, waxy leather. Willow guessed it was used to protect the mattresses from spills and took some comfort in the knowledge that Lhyra hadn't ruined the bedding with all of the blood that had seeped from her wound.
She couldn't help wondering if they would have to pay extra for the blood-stained bed sheets.
Standing up caused Willow to stumble slightly as a wave of exhaustion hit. Her whole body ached with the need to sleep. Once the room stopped spinning, Willow went to get Lhyra, who she found had drifted off into a slight doze. Willow helped Lhyra make her way into the living room. Lhyra laid down on the newly-fashioned bed with her head facing the front door. Her paws stuck out over the floor, but the mattress was still big enough for her to rest comfortably on.
At Lhyra's request, Willow retrieved Lhyra's axes, laying them on the floor within easy reach of the gnoll's long arms. Once Willow had settled axes in place – and the blanket over Lhyra's form - Willow gently ran her fingers over the gnoll's furry brow. "I'm going to go get dinner ordered; I'll be right back."
Willow hurried downstairs and found one of the waitresses behind the front counter. The young woman gasped and took several hasty steps back in apparent fright when she saw Willow come around the corner. For a moment, Willow simply stared at the woman in bemusement, not understanding the girl's reaction. Then it dawned on her it was most likely over the fact Willow had killed a man.
Willow tried to give her a reassuring smile as she made soothing gestures with her hands. "Need food, upstairs… and bed laundry… OK?" Willow asked, using her rather limited vocabulary of Common to the max.
The girl stared at her with her mouth hanging open until Willow finally decided to go in search of someone else. That's when Shu Fang's voice broke the uneasy silence, causing both Willow and the girl to jerk in surprise. The girl spun around, immediately jabbering away in some unknown language.
Willow stood in a daze and let the foreign words wash over her. It was becoming harder for her to fight her overwhelming weariness and the tears of grief that kept threatening to spill from her eyes.
"Willow." Hearing her name called softly, Willow looked up to see the young woman gone and Shu Fang standing in her place with a look of concern.
Uncertain if the young woman had heard, let alone understood her earlier, Willow repeated her request to Shu Fang. A wave of relief went through her when she received a smile and nod of understanding from the innkeeper.
Shu Fang then took Willow by surprise, stepping close enough to timidly reach out to touch Willow on the shoulder with one hand. With the other hand, she gracefully gestured toward a nearby chair. "Rest while waiting for dinner?" Shu Fang asked her using simple words, apparently for Willow's benefit.
Willow gazed longingly at the offered chair but declined with a shake of her head. "Thank you, no. Lhyra needs me," she explained, pointing up the steps. Giving Shu Fang a grateful smile for her thoughtfulness, Willow tiredly trudged back up the stairs.
She checked to make sure Lhyra was resting comfortably before finally getting clean. Entering her room, Willow approached the dresser holding the washbasin and jug of water, the inn's version of a bathroom sink. It was at this point Willow got a good look at her appearance in the mirror hanging above the dresser.
The reflection gave Willow a much better understanding of the waitress's reaction. Her face and hair were liberally splattered with drying blood. Willow could tell where she had wiped her eyes; the blood had become smeared, making her look as if she had used the blood as a kind of gruesome eyeliner.
With a muffled sob, Willow quickly brushed her teeth, needing to get a rid of the awful taste of vomit in her mouth first. Then she dipped the edge of a towel into the washbasin and attempted to clean the sticky mess from her face and hair. It quickly became apparent, though, that Willow was going to have to take a bath to fully remove the drying blood, especially from her hair. She groaned in anticipation of filling the tub. Even if she just filled it part way, Willow knew it was going to be a real chore, considering how tired she already was. Wearily, she went to the bathing room to ring the bell, alerting the people downstairs to start heating the water before returning to the task of cleaning her face. She didn't want to scare whoever brought the food up to the suite.
Even later…
Shu Fang took slow, even breaths, not wanting to appear nervous in front of her underlings, two young women with platters of food in their hands and a third holding an empty clothes basket and a small bucket of soapy water, as she prepared to ring the doorbell to the rooms Willow and the gnoll shared. After seeing how fearful her employees were in regard to bringing up the dinner and the clean bedding, Shu Fang had decided to personally oversee them. The decision bolstered the young women's confidence. Of course, making her employees comfortable didn't mean that Shu Fang was blind to the danger the injured gnoll might pose to the people working for her. She had paid two off duty guardsmen to stand guard just around the corner on the steps.
Reaching out, she pulled the bell cord and, while she waited, Shu Fang thought back to what had happened earlier in the day. She had been manning the front desk when the front door had swung open and one of the town guardsman stepped inside., He held the door open, shooting her a concerned look. "Please remain calm, ma'am; everything is under control."
Before Shu Fang could ask what was under control, the sunlight shining through the open doorway was blocked by the gnoll's large, furry form. Shu Fang gasped in shock when she saw Willow's still body cradled with surprising gentleness in the fearsome gnoll's arms. The gnoll radiated a savage menace as she carried Willow across the foyer to the steps leading up to the rooms they shared. The gnoll left in her wake a single trail of large, bloody paw prints.
The dwarf Shagold entered behind the gnoll and quickly explained what had happen to her and to Willow. He also offered to have a couple of guards remain behind in the common room for the rest of the day if she so wanted. Shu Fang had readily agreed to the offer. Even though Shagold stressed the gnoll wasn't at fault, Shu Fang found herself greatly concerned with the situation - and the inherent dangers it brought with it. With the gnoll's reputation for being little more than an evil, savage beast, Shu Fang feared for the safety of herself and her people, not to mention the tenants renting rooms at the inn.
Later, when Shu Fang caught a closer look at Willow's ghastly appearance in the foyer, Shu Fang felt her heart go out to the poor girl. Shu Fang could easily see her exhaustion and the grief that shone from the girl's expressive green eyes. She couldn't image what Willow must be going through.
The door opening jerked Shu Fang from her thoughts, and she breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw it was Willow answering the door. The girl had obviously taken the time to make herself more presentable. Some of the bloodstains on Willow's face were gone.
Through the open door, Shu Fang glimpsed the large gnoll apparently sleeping on the mattress from the servant's quarters in front of the fire place. Willow gave her a tired smile of and took one of the large platters of food and set it down on the floor in front of the gnoll. The gnoll did not rise. She simply pushed herself onto her elbows and ate the food directly off the platter like a dog. Willow came back to take second platter of food, holding freshly baked bread and jams. After placing the platter beside the first, Willow slumped down near the hungrily eating gnoll. After a quiet conversation, made up of whines and barks, the red head dumped the entire contents of the jam jars onto the loaves of bread for the gnoll's consumption.
Shu Fang, meanwhile, had the serving girls change the bedding and scrub the bloody tracks off the floor. She also sent one of the girls to fill the bathtub; it was clear that Willow wasn't capable of the task in her current state. She watched as the red head, staring sightlessly at the floor, nibbled listlessly at a piece of bread she had picked up after receiving a growled command from the gnoll.
The gnoll caught Shu Fang off guard when she looked up. Pinning Shu Fang with an intimidating stare, she growled. "Have one of the females help Willow take a bath. I do not want her drowning." She went back to eating, apparently figuring her orders would be carried out - correctly so in this case. In the past the women and men who worked for Shu Fang had done similar tasks, either helping an injured adventurer in bathing or, with a few specially chosen servants, offering more intimate experiences. Shu Fang paid extra for the special license so that her inn could offer those services.
This time, though, Shu Fang believed it be best to take matters into her own hands. Putting thought into action, she stepped forward, keeping a bit of distance between her and the gnoll. "Willow," she called out. Once she had the young woman's attention, Shu Fang held out a hand and spoke in a gentle voice. "If you will come with me, I will help you clean up."
Willow stared at her, apparently not understanding what Shu Fang had said until the gnoll snarled something at her. Whatever the gnoll said caused Willow to blush and she shook her head in refusal. The gnoll snapped something else and Willow flinched – and then gave a timid nod of acceptance. Standing, she walked to Shu Fang on unsteady legs.
Quietly, Shu Fang led Willow into the bathing chamber. The tub was nearly full. She helped the furiously blushing girl undress. The filthy clothes went to the servant girl who had filled the tub and Shu Fang helped Willow into the steaming tub. Standing beside the tub, she washed Willow's hair while the young woman tiredly cleaned herself of the blood and grime covering her body. During the bath, Shu Fang had to gently awaken Willow several times because the girl continued to doze off.
Shu Fang surreptitiously looked Willow over and was surprised to find the girl in good health. Aside from the bruising on her cheek, the red head lacked any signs of ill treatment. Though happy to find that Willow was being treated well by the gnoll, her condition deepened the mystery behind the red head being in the gnoll's company. It also made Shu Fang very curious about Willow's social status and from whence she came. The red head's body had a softness that bespoke of the pampered upper class. A merchant or perhaps even a noblewoman, not the hard living of the common working class.
Once Shu Fang deemed Willow cleaned, she helped the weary girl out of the water and efficiently dried her with one of the inn's large towels. By this time, Willow was almost asleep on her feet, so out of it that she hardly reacted to Shu Fang's unavoidable intimate touches while drying her. Shu Fang was appalled when she learned Willow used a bedsheet as sleep wear, but, since there was nothing else to clothe her in, Shu Fang simple wrapped the young woman in the softest sheet she could find and escorted Willow to the master bedroom.
Willow had other ideas.
She balked and pulled free of Shu Fang's light grasp. She stumbled over to where the gnoll rested and piled the now-empty platters on top of one another. Shu Fang promptly passed them to the nearest server girl. Again, the gnoll took Shu Fang, and, judging by their expressions, the inn's staff, by surprise when she painfully scooted over, giving Willow enough room to slip under the sheets and press her lithe body against the gnoll's much larger form.
Shu Fang watched as Willow quickly fell into an exhausted slumber with her face buried against the gnoll's furry side. For a moment, the gnoll's beastly visage grew soft as she gazed down at Willow, but then the gnoll swung her eyes toward Shu Fang and they shone with familiar malice. In a quiet, yet intimating voice, the gnoll y said one word: "Leave."
Shu Fang left.