(by Bob Francis)
Bretonius had just put down his Madeira and was about light up a pipe load of his favorite blend. Then the monitor told him that Elea wanted to see him. His heart was already beating at a faster pace, as he mulled over in his mind how he was going to have to eventually tell his young and attractive house guest the truth about her past.
'Well, as much of the truth as I now dare tell her anyway.' he thought to himself, as he put out the flame on the tip of his finger while putting down his unsmoked pipe.
"Monitor, hold time in her location until I'm ready for her."
Bretonius was interrupted by the monitor, "And the other house guests, Lord Bretonius?" the non-corporeal voice asked unemotionally.
"Oh, yes, the others. I'd almost forgotten. Well keep them busy as usual. On second thought keep Donnan on hold also; she'll no doubt want to see him before this business is finished. As I was saying stop time for the both of them until I'm ready, then correlate the differentials and collate them, then send Elea to me."
"Yes Lord Bretonius," The voice said. All was silent after that.
"You know, Bretonius, I didn't realize how much of a natural fisherman you are." said a voice from the glowing crystal Orb at the center edge of his desk.
"I thought you had disconnected with the others." Bretonius said a little distracted from the sudden break in the silence.
"Now, you know, I can't leave with out having the last word." The crystal Orb said.
"Well, say it, and then go away." Bretonius said curtly. "I have many things on my mind and many tasks left to do before night will allow me to sleep. You know I'm getting to old for these late night jaunts the Counsel wants to do lately." Bretonius continued.
"You know as well as I, that's the price we pay for being members of the Seven," The orb interjected. "If it's more time you need then as Time master of the Counsel. Why don't you give yourself more of it." The orb went on.
"Nystul, you know very well that I promised Mordenkainen, on my sacred art, that I would not do the very thing you just suggested." Bretonius answered. "Now, if you will please excuse me, I have a very important meeting to deal with and I do not want you listening in. Do you understand?"
"Oh, don't worry. I won't eavesdrop and you precious conversation with Elea, Bretonius. Although, you are well over the age to be her father and quickly approaching grandfather, if you know what I mean." The orb said with a slight laughing tone.
"That's not why she and her companions are here, Nystul." Bretonius answered.
"Well, after you through talking to your pretty friend, how about meeting some of us at Bigby's and will have a few drinks and swap lies about our pasts." The orb responded.
"We'll see. But don't expect me, because I may not show up." Bretonius said in closing. With that he touched the orb and the lighted orb went dark. Bretonius thought to himself as he looked at the darken gold crystal orb. 'When Ta-mar was mentoring me, he thought Nystul was a jerk. I am beginning to see why.' Bretonius then turned to a back shelf and brought down a large crystal ball and set it in the middle of his desk table.
Everything seemed in order as far as Bretonius could see. "Let's see, I got the document the ring and what else? Oh yea, I'll need a good place for the sword. - I know." He snapped his fingers and poof all the furniture in his magical study was now out side in his private garden. Now, that he was done moving things around in a manner that he liked, he sat down to rest a bit and to collect his thoughts for the task that was about to commence. Sitting in his favorite chair under a large shade tree, Bretonius could feel the cooling easterly breeze that came up every afternoon at about this time.
As he sat there, his mind began to wander remembering fawn things in his past. When he and Reynald, Sharlynn, and yes, as well as that Bastard El'Auth, all played together as children. 'Well, we were some what older than children.' He thought to himself with a slight smile. The playing they did was a game of how many Kolbalts one could kill in a given hour in a certain direction. He and Shar would use Magic; Reynald a sword and Elea's Uncle, a large hammer.
'Then Elea came into the world.' Bretonius thought to himself with a smile. Never had he seen a more energetic and lovely a child than Elea. "Was it that long ago?" He murmured as he sat there in his garden. He could still hear her sweet little voice. "Uncle Bret, fly me to the top of the tree again." she would ask as the precocious five year old she was.
Bretonius looked around him, he was in his favorite garden and he loved to come here and listen to the gentle breeze running through the leaves of the many different types of trees and other fauna in this place. How many times had he brought Sharlynn and Elea here, to get her away from that brother of hers? How many times had he planned the death of that vile creature only to have Sharlynn stop him just before he carried it out? How many times did he beg Sharlynn to let him go to her parents and expose that animal for what he was.
But always she would tell him "Bret he's my brother, Elea's Uncle, could you do that to your own - niece?" Her words would burn and cut like a white-hot sword through his vary soul. When Sharlynn told Bretonius that she had decided to marry Reynald and that she hoped he would understand that she was doing so for the sake of her unborn child. Bretonius could say nothing, how could he blame her. She needed to have someone who would protect her from her brother and Reynald had on many occasions told her that he loved her and had repeatedly ask her to marry him.
'Why not?' Bretonius thought to himself, 'Why not, indeed. Reynald could give her and the child everything, being the older brother of and son to the Duke of Furyondy.' It had been a simple thing to do, to get Reynald to believe he was the father and enchant Sharlynn into loving his older brother. The hard part was getting everyone to gather and placing in their minds the story and history so there would be no lose ends. 'That's when Ta-Mar got wind of what I was doing, and summoned me to Misthaven.'
"He confronted me with what he had discovered and demanded an explanation." Bretonius remembered aloud. He had vowed to himself that he would stand behind what he had done, no matter what the consequences. He calmly explained what he had done and why. If one can be calm around such a great mage. He remembered that after he had finished he stood straight and half expected to be Lightning bolted right then and there. But to his surprise, all Ta-mar had said was, "I see."
He then asked some technical questions on time line variants and pointed out some of the minor mistakes offered to correct them. 'Of course. I agreed to whatever minor changes he saw fit to do.'
Bretonius relived the moment in his mind. He turned to me and gave me a very stern look and said. "Bretonius, what you did was very altruistic and also very dangerous, I understand the necessity in it but you must promises never to do anything like that again." He remembered how he had promised. "And now here we are again. I am about to replace a lie that her uncle told her with a half-truth of my own." He commented aloud to no one.
Coming back to himself in the garden Bretonius shook himself out of his reverie and thought to himself, 'By the Gods of time, it's getting late.' A question came to his mind, 'Should I tell her about the box? - No, I wait until a more appropriate time.' Then collecting himself he said, "Monitor, I'm ready to see Elea now".
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