Fathers and Sons

Chapter 18

Note

I just want to remind everyone that this story is AU. I've fudged some timelines here a little bit, as those of you who are familiar with either fandom might be able to see. Drizzt and Zaknafein's story takes place during the events of the book Exile, but Jarlaxle and Entreri's story is a jumble of events from The Silent Blade and the Sellsword Trilogy. So in this scenario, Drizzt and Entreri have never met, until this point, but Entreri still spent time in Menzoberranzan, and Jarlaxle still came to Calimport and possessed the Crystal Shard.

Also, as in this scenario both Faerun and Middle Earth are continents on the same planet (whether its Aber-Toril or Arda, you can decide that for yourself), and the Underdark spans underneath the entire extent of both continents.

Also, yes I know that Legolas is very old, but in this scenario, he's not. He and Drizzt are about the same age and Drizzt is about the age he was in Exile, which was about 50 or so. Chandrelle, my oc, is older than them by a lot but because she has never lived anywhere but the underdark, and never met another living soul other than her father, her growth is somewhat stunted and she's ignorant of the world and is about as mature as Drizzt and Legolas are. She doesn't possess the wisdom with age that Celebrimbor, Thranduil, and the others do.

*****

Jarlaxle's spell worked well enough to get them all to the surface, which made Entreri even more suspicious of his companion's intentions.

When they finally broke through to the surface, Celebrimbor took a deep breath of air. Enteri stood there beside him, watching him as he surveyed the landscape. It was a beautifully clear night, the moon was high in the sky and the stars shone above them.

"I never knew it could be so breathtaking," Chandrelle proclaimed as she stood beside her father. "All the stories you told me, I never thought I would see it for myself."

Entreri regarded the young elf. Her red hair glistened in the moonlight as she stared out at the expanse before them. They were in the middle of a great vast plain, the grass moved about gently in the wind.

"Well I've done my part, my friends," Jarlaxle commented as he draped his cloak around him.

Entreri regarded him suspiciously. He was grateful that they had managed to escape Rai-guy, but it disturbed him that Jarlaxle could have shot them so far from where they had been before that the land before them was so utterly foreign. Given Jarlaxle's love of adventure and intrigue, the assassin wondered if this jump was a mistake at all. He could only groan as he wondered what his eccentric drow companion had managed to drag him into now.

"It has been countless centuries since I have glimpsed upon Middle Earth," Celebrimbor explained as he tried to get a familiar bearing. His elven senses helped him to see with perhaps better precision in this dark night than Entreri was capable of. "But if the Misty Mountains are to our west then the Anduin shall be to our east. If we travel south along the river, we shall reach the woods of Lothlorien, I am certain they still stand."

"Certain?" Entreri raised a brow as he glanced at the elf.

"When Sauron captured me, Middle Earth was in the midst of a great war. My kingdom was overrun. I have had no news of the world since those days and perhaps an age has come and gone since then."

"Well what are we waiting for, my good elf?" Jarlaxle commented. "Let us depart for this Lothlorien. Surely those who are there will provide us with all the information we require."

The quartet proceeded in the direction Celebrimbor suggested, and soon enough, they came upon a long meandering river, its waters glistened in the moonlight. The air was breezy and the night animals, with the crickets chirping, the frogs croaking, and the owls hooting, provided a peaceful venue to quell Entreri's nerves.