Haunted by the shadows of the past.

[Meriel Pelith]

"So tell me, what have you done wrong?" - the drow asked her. Her red eyes were lingering on Meriels.

"I tried to begin a new life.", Meriel smirked in response.

Isn't it ironic, she thought. As Vladimyr entered the shop, Meriel was barely responding to him, not looking at him. She tried to avoid the drow, for Stephens and her sake. But it turned out entirely different like she wanted. Vladimyr wanted her to follow him and she refused. He called her his slave and in the end he had forced her with him. Now she was standing here, infront of the lady with the white, long hair and the robe. Her hands tied and her ribs paining from a kick she deserved for a bold comment to Vladimyr.

"And what happened? ", she asked.

"Shadows of the past are still haunting me, .. and apparently not only in my dreams."

The drow chuckled. "Maybe you are trying to escape your true "yourself". And that is, why suddenly, everything goes even more wrong."

Meriel looked into her eyes as she responded: "There is no true myself.. I lost my true myself when I was deep down under the earth with your kind."

The drow gestured her to a mirror. "Step over there to the mirror, and look at yourself. And then tell me what you see."

The elfess refused at first. She didn't want to look into a mirror. She didn't want to see herself. Especially not next to a drow. "Answer me!", the drow ordered and Meriel finally looked at it. Her appearance was frail as always. Her skin was pale, from the lack of sunlight that she had for so long and her eyes were dull and displaying her doubts. She hated herself in that very moment. She felt so dirty and ashamed for what she was, for everything she has done in her life.

"I see Meriel Pelith, the forgotten and abandoned one, who was foolish to try to be someone else." - was her answer.

The very next moment Meriel felt a hard slap in her face. "Who do you see? " She narrowed her eyes and lowered her gaze. "What do you want to hear? Maybe I can give you a satisfying answer faster then?! ", the elfess bursted out.
Another slap in her face brought her too her knees. "You have been a naughty girl! You need to come back down to earth. You are of drow origin! So tell me, who do you see? "

In pure despair Meriel cried out: "I'm not a drow! I'm not of your kind. You made me it! "
The drow hitted her a third time.
"You dare to not call me your mistress? Whenever you want to say something, you will call me mistress, you little slave! So who am I? " She with her hand under Meriels chin she forced her to look at her.
The elfess eyes were displaying her doubts and her pain, but also the glint of will to not give up that fast. Quietly her lips formed the words...
"Filthy drow..."
Breathing heavily, she expected another slap... but nothing happened.

After some moment of silence, she said: "You have not learned today, naughty girl." And grabbed her arm, pushing her forward to a cell.
Meriels feet got tied again, gagged and a blindfold over her eyes - and as she heard the door locking, she leaned heavily against the cold wall.

There she was. Again. It felt like the very first day in the cell under earth... when the gods had forgotten about her and instead there was only darkness.
She shivered.
"Not again", she thought. "I tried my best... I tried to escape. From myself, from my past. Now I'm here again, at the beginning of it all. ... not again."
She cowered against the wall, as the darkness reached for her heart once more.

[Garett Gwenour]

Stephen was not sure of where to go. But somehow he knew if he would let his gut make the decision he would find her. How he would free her afterward was another question, but he just needed to get to her, to show her he would do all that he said he would.

He began to journey north.

[Azuros]

Azuros sits down with Cyndil in Eliza's shop. He begins to wonder what could be happening to Meriel. "Where do you think the drow took her Cyndil?" he says. Cyndil shrugs and continues to sit. "I just hope that she is safe...hopefully the drow has done her no harm". Azuros stares out the window watching the rain fall. "hm....only time will tell"

[Garett Gwenour]

He had reached the fallen ruins, he had thought a temple and ideal place for a drow hideout. Cobwebs decorated the the walls and hide many creatures Stephen would be better off never seeing. It was dark outside, the once sunny day now clouded over. He was on the island north east of the grey rose. Broken tables and old chains littered the fall along with blood stains, but no signs of recent use.

Stephen frowned, "Where are you Meriel .. I won't stop looking for you ever but the.." he trailed off as he heard a horn of goblin in nature blare. He had been foolish, the goblin tribe that inhabited the southern part of the small patch of land he was on had spotted him, now torches lit up all around him. He was net in.

He swung the elven composite long bow the Malachin priest Mark had made for him off his shoulder and quickly notched a wind arrow. His blue eyes were still sharp and the figures moving infront of the torches gave easy targets. He released two arrows striking down one goblin then took cover behind what remained of the walls. The goblins released their own volley of arrows.

"Malachin if you have a plan show me it.." Stephen thought to himself as he notched another arrow aiming in a different direction, the battle call had been given and the goblins were advancing from all sides, he took down another Goblin with 3 arrows, put his bow back over his shoulder and drew his sword.

Stephen peered out another hole in the building's walls and got a strange sense of inspiration. Combat 1o1 your sight is severly limited if during night you look into a bright light. The Goblins must have been looking at the torches while they came here, they would be severly impared, Stephen would need to have faith it would be enough.

He took a breath, said a quick prayer to Malachin, closed his eyes and lunged out of the hole in the wall, running past the goblins startled to see him running at them with his eyes closed and sword lowered. They regained themselves but too late, as they gave chased they had their eyes open to absorb the light from the torches, their pupils were enlarged and they quickly lost the man's outline in the darkness. Stephen opened his eyes yards later and found that he had infact ran exactly to where the river thinned.

He crossed the river and continued his search feeling a god guiding him.

[Vladimyr]

It was dark night, when Vladimyr was following Stephen through the night, examining him from the distance.

He would never find Meriel. The Priestess would teach her, and yet, the game was just to begin.

[Garett Gwenour]

Stephen had Meriel now. He nearly had to kill Silas and his master Zaron as they refused to leave her alone.
"How can they want to interrogate her while her body is scared from burns, her head shaved and her skin bruised." Stephen thought to himself, he had cussed and nearly squeezed the life out of Silas for his comments. He carried Meriel to his room in the sea horse.

She was safe now, and while she was safe and felt safe in his arms she told Stephen what she couldn't tell Zaron and Silas..

"They dwell south of the graveyard .. there is three.. and a spider.. They follow Bjolmur."

Stephen held her still, but he knew why she was telling him this. She wanted him to protect her, she wanted him to end this. He would.