In the mountains of Nohalion in a drow outpost of the city-state of Negeémiliel, all the dark elves hurried to finish their duties, so they could take refugee within the buildings and in the excavated caves before the sun rises.

However, a drow priestess, rather than to hurry for cover, was looking pensative at the dawn horizont, where a new day was beginning...

Well, once I said that I have an idea of the scene where Belád with the drow trio comes somewhere to an outpost (supposedly at the surface). Here is it (I haven't edited it yet, so it is as is - as it was written at a first attempt)

"You?" Asked Shi’Nill Dahl'Arak with cold tone. She have been told, her younger sister was there... but she couldn't have expected the company she had, as she looked to the elder light elf by her side. As already experienced politician, she was kept absolutely quiet, hardly showing neither any strong emotion, nor surprise at all. It seemed as she was prepared to an official visit and now just follows the protocol. "How dared you to come here again?" she asked to the White Hermit.

"In transit," answered Belád. Shi’Nill was one of those whom he wouldn't like to meet. He had nothing personal against her, and he left her alive many years ago. Since then, he had serious doubts. For him, she was an embodiment of the evil, though not as great as her mother. Would it be fair to kill her?

"Ma'am!" Ivoÿn appealed to Shi’Nill. "If not this man…"

"Shut up!" Shi’Nill interrupted her with a gesture that made the three drow acolytes to tremble. To those who were unaware, this gesture could mean exactly what she said, and, maybe, “go away”. But the acolytes knew very well that with the same elegant gesture the priestess of war could throw a fireball able to burn them all to death. No armor could protect from it. Shi'Nill, focused, hadn't even noticed these three aside of Laeh'le and the high elf, but they where insignificant to her. Ivoÿn fell silent and stepped back.

" Shi’Nill, why are you so irritated?" asked perplexed Laeh’le. "Without his help I could never return here. He really did a great thing to me…"

"Oh yeah, surely he had a great influence upon your life, " smiled Shi’Nill. Then her face changed as she realized that Laeh’le didn’t get the joke. "What? Haven’t you told her?" she asked Belád. "Or you haven’t recognized her until now?"

"I did recognize her, and no, I haven’t told her. It was hard for me, but I thought that otherwise it could be painful for her."

"Ah, painful! What a care! Mother was right – you are ridiculous!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Laeh’le, now more perplexed than before. "Do you know each other? Do you know my mother?" she turned to Belád.

" Well, Laeh’le, it becomes not funny already. Yes, he knows our mother, and, believe me, he considers her as one of his greatest personal enemies. I suppose he came here to try to kill her, which no one normal person wouldn’t dare to do. He was heavily beaten 60 years ago, but since he hasn’t learned the lesson it is time to finish this old story!"

"Oh no… " whispered Quilintha to her friends. "I was afraid of something like this…"

"I don’t want to kill her, I’m not an idiot! I had different plans, and by the way my plans were already fulfilled. Almost. I only wanted to see Laeh’le. Of course, I would like to know more about her, but…"

" So, your target was Laeh’le? An eye for an eye, a daughter for a daughter? Did you plan to kidnap her, or…"

"Are you crazy or what? I would never make her any harm! Don’t forget, Laeh’le is not only her daughter, she is… " he stopped abruptly, and Shi’Nill laughed.

"COULD ANYBODY EXPLAIN ME WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!!" yelled Laeh’le.

"Easily, sis. A daughter of this clown," and Shi’Nill pointed at Belád "attempted to steal some sacred relics from one of out temples. Surely, she ended up on the altar. Then he," and she again contemptuously pointed at Belád "came here to kill everybody whom he sees. Unfortunately for him, one of the first, whom he met, was our mother. So he ended up in the dungeons of the Temple of Doom, where was the most appropriate place for him. Mother could turn him into beefsteak, but for some reasons she got another plan. Well, it doesn’t matter…"

"If you know the reason, tell us!" said Belád.

"Shut up, you worm! But well, I don’t know the reason. If I were in her place I would kill you instantly. But yes, mother had a plan. And she fulfilled it as any other plan she has." Shi’Nill smiled again with her inimitable sadistic smile.

"What kind of plan?" asked Laeh’le.

"You! Meet your father, sis!"

"What?"

"Holy shit!!" mumbled shocked Milvais.

"Yes, sis! Your father, a high elf, and a personal enemy of our mother and me. He never wanted you, he never could accept you as his daughter, and he would never love you as father should. He had no meaning in your life, he gave nothing to you. You are a pure drow, the blood of high elves proved to be too weak against the blood of Dahl’Arak family! I don’t know why he decided to come here, but it was a great mistake of him. Because I never forgive him what he did to me."

"I could have killed you, but I left you alive, don’t forget it!" said Belád

"You should have killed me, but since you haven’t done it, now is my turn. By the way all the time you were aiming at the wrong persons. Mother hasn’t killed your daughter. The one who brought that kind of sacrifice should be a virgin, and mother already had me and Rhea. You didn’t even bother to learn who was the one…"

"Why? I knew it. Xuunera Lo’Kee, or Xuunie, as she said. A nice little girl. She thought I was just an ordinary beggar; she even gave me a few coins. And I was holding a sword… How could I do something bad to a little girl? She wasn’t guilty; it’s all your damned religion, and your cursed goddess!"

"I’ve told you, this was not going well," whispered Quilintha to Ivoÿn "We shouldn’t let him go here. I don’t want to see how she kills him…"

"But we can’t do anything," whispered Ivoÿn in response. "She wouldn’t mind to roast us as well!"

"Would be sad to die now and here," said Milvais. "But he did so much for us. We must defend him."

"How?" asked Quilintha. "What can we do against her? She would freeze us with a brief spell, then terminate him. And then will leave us upon mercy of Laeh’le. Who would fail as always… "

" Now you insulted the Goddess!" said Shi’Nill ominously to Belád Bonceduil. "It’s time to finish this farce!"

"Wait!" very decisively said Laeh’le. "Not now! I really have to talk to him. And you are wrong about the blood. I know what I got from my father, and it is very important thing for me. I’d say, it’s the most important thing."

"What do you mean?"

"High elven magic! I couldn’t understand until now how could I get it, and so I had a little trust in it. Now, as I know that I inherited it…"

"Oh, come on! Yes, I’ve heard that you got some unusual abilities… But don’t make me laugh. Your magic is hardly something you can be very proud of." Shi’Nill noticed that Laeh’le became really angry, and it only whet her. "Now, this is magic!" and she created an impressive fireball. A deadly one.

"Shi’Nill, no! Stop!"

"I don’t ask you, sis, what I have to do! Say goodbye to your father!"

"AND I SAID YOU STOP NOW!!!" suddenly shouted Laeh’le as she rushed to Belád, and in the next moment blinding blue light filled the field. A powerful blow knocked Milvais, Quilintha and Ivoÿn down. Shi’Nill threw her fireball a fracture of second before it, and the fireball hit the blue shining wall, disintegrated into multiple pieces, and hit her back together with the blow of air. Shi’Nill fell on the floor in burning clothes, and it took her some time to extinguish the fire. She looked at her little sister and couldn’t believe her eyes. In front of her was standing a mage of superior power, not only obviously stronger than she was, but stronger than anybody whom she ever could see in action. Obviously, Laeh’le was right – it was the magic of high elves. Something that a drow sorceress could only dream to reach.

"And I called her an excuse of a priestess," whispered shocked Quilintha. Ivoÿn, whining, was slowly crawling farther from the blue light.

"Laeh’le, what the hell are you doing?" asked Shi’Nill getting up from the floor. She tried to be as calm as she could. The powerful priestess of war was shocked by the ability of Laeh’le to create an impenetrable protecting shield. But other thing was even more shocking. She couldn’t recognize her little shy sister. Now Laeh’le was furious. Her hair was standing on end, her red eyes were shining of rage. "Laeh’le, don’t you know Dahl’Araks never go against each other?!"

"YOU! YOU DAMNED SADISTIC KILLER! I TOLD YOU – YOU DON’T DARE! "

" Laeh’le, what do you mean?"

"You should see your face! You are happy when you make these fireballs! You are happy when you kill! I loved you so much, you were the greatest example for me! And now look at you! You have become a monster! And you perverted the essence of the magic!"

" What? What the hell you are talking about?"

"The magic was created to serve people! To heal, to protect, to help them to understand each other, to see each other, to reach each other. To become happy. And you, you and the others like you, use the magic to kill. Turning the magic into weapons is a horrible mistake! Do you know what happened to the humans?! They had once the greatest magic that was ever seen on Aiers. They could fly, they could travel faster than wind; they could see each other and talk to each other at a great distance and much more! But they turned their magic into weapons, and one day their magic turned against them. This is what will happen one day with us, if we follow the path of destruction!!"

"Hey, was it you who have told her this bullshit?" Shi’Nill asked Belád.

"No, but I like what she is saying."

"Well, an interesting theory." Shi'Nill said. "I don’t know where you got such ideas… humans with magic?"

"I read books!" said Laeh’le. "And I advice you to read them, too!"

"You definitely read wrong books!" smiled Shi’Nill. Her smile was a sign of danger. She noticed that the shining shield weakens. Laeh’le couldn’t hold it for a long time.

"I’m losing my power," said Laeh’le to Belád. "The shield weakens. And she prepares to hit again. Run away now, while I’m still able to hold it."

"Not so strong as expected, yeah?" asked Shi’Nill with sarcasm.

"I will not run," answered Belád. "She lied to you. I didn’t want to have a daughter with a drow, particularly with your mother, it was right. But now I’m happy that I have you. And I’m very proud of you. "

" She is going to kill you… "

"I’m an old elf and I lived a long life. I did some good things during my life, which I can be proud of. Somebody could be thankful to me. And now the most important to me – now I know that my daughter inherited something important from me. Not only magic of which I have no knowledge at all. Your heart is also different from your sister’s heart. I say, I’m proud of you and I’m happy to have such a daughter."

"How pathetic! He’s going to die happily!"

"I’m losing the shield…"

"Don’t worry! After all, it’s better to die when I am still strong, then when I am old, weak, and annoying," and with these words Belád gently put his hand on Laeh’le’s shoulder, as the sun rised in the horizont. He felt something like a sting in his palm, and the blue shield shone with renewed vigor. Shi’Nill couldn’t hide her hate.

"Are you a mage?!!"

"No. I never had an idea that I have any power in this."

"Of course, you have! You are my father!" proudly said Laeh’le.

"Yes, he is!" hissed Shi’Nill. "And your mother will be very disappointed by your behavior!"

With these words Shi’Nill turned and went away…

---

Birthday gift for . He actually wrote this story long time ago, and while looking in my save archives for other stories I found this one and feel like it would be a suitable birthday gift. Or so I hope.

Happy Birthday ! <(^-^)>

Is this cannon? This really happened? How did meet the White Hermit Laeh'le? What he did for her? How they arrived to this outpost?

And I had to re-draw this so many times! DX
Other drawings done for him: