Path to Divinity '11 REWRITE

Chapter 1: Child's Play

"Red Glute, second circle from the green square, facing northeast."

Ly's ears perked up slightly to the call, the game once again grabbing her attention, despite her solemn vow of not even attempting to listen any longer, lest she wished to spend another couple of minutes confused. Nevertheless, in the end, she glanced up briefly from the worn book she's been trying to absorb herself in, spying at the two playing just a few feet before her.

Their game was an unknown one, ever to her ancient kind. It bore no resemblance to any kind of board game in existence, nor did it seem to show any relation to card or outdoor games. It was in a league of its own, though that also meant that no one had been capable of grasping the elaborate rules it possessed. By now, she guessed it didn't actually have any set rules at all. Several times she'd tried to understand, but even with both of them trying their best to teach her, she grasped nothing of it.

The actual board was just a throw-away scrap, a draft for a possibly much more elaborate and majestic wood-carving. Right now, it was hardly any more than a collection of random shapes and colors, mashed together onto a chipped, slightly singed oak-wood tablet. The figurines they used for playing were gathered from every corner of the Glade and the chaotic hierarchy they were bestowed made it hard to even remember, which served what kind of purpose. Not that it mattered, since she was pretty sure the boys didn't know it either. She was fairly sure they were just making everything up as they went.

Both of them were staring so intently on the board though, that it almost made her giggle. They were taking it as seriously as one could, scowling, smirking and frowning, whichever emotion the flow of the game produced. Despite the fact that she had little to no idea who was actually winning, to her, sometimes just watching them was fun enough. Salian's long sessions of intense staring, couple with several unplanned attempts at sleeping with his eyes open, along with Ray's jittery motions as his attention span kept hitting its end every few seconds, were far more amusing, than whatever ancient incantation she was supposed to be memorizing.

"Purple Tribelle, left edge, above the jagged rectangle." the limbless being reached out for the piece, only to be halted by an exaggerated cough from his opponent.

"Void. You know you can't move them like that." he stated, the shadow of a scowl forming on his face. This game was far too serious to devolve into outright cheating. "Pull you piece back or you'll stay out of the next round."

"But you just did that a few rounds ago. Twice!" Ray was not about to fall into the trap of being intimidated; especially when he was convinced he was right.

"I moved it in the shade of the Black Oak though." Salian seemed a bit thrown back by his denial, but kept a straight face nonetheless. Keeping one's cool was important, especially when trying to support an already shoddy lie.

"Which was blocked by my two-headed Teensie; don't think I wasn't looking!" the limbless pointed at both figures, which were positioned the exact same way he had claimed.

"You're just looking for excuses."

"You're cheating!"

"You're cheating!"

The fairy raised a brow as both boys sprung to their feet, glaring at each other with just a few inches between their faces. One could almost feel the tension smoldering, threatening to consume everything in the next few seconds. Neither of them seemed inclined to make the first motion of attack however, much to Ly's relief. She really didn't want to see them once again try and pound the living daylights out of each other, especially as such duels usually resulted in nothing more than them laughing off the few bruises they've exchanged, and then sit back for another round.

The two continued to try and stare each other down, neither giving up any ground for the longest time. Ly let out a barely audible sight, returning to her learning material soon enough. She figured if they hadn't yet begun to fight, they probably wouldn't proceed with it anytime soon. Sure enough, she could tell the atmosphere was already lightening up.

"Bonus round?" Salian asked eventually, his face slowly contorting into a wicked grin. These self-imposed bonus rounds were their second-to-best options of settling such disputes.

"Goal?" Rayman asked back, jumping to the challenge right away, as always. He wasn't known to be one to flee from a lot of things, which was just as much of a burden, as a boon.

Ly listened intently, wondering just what they'd think of this time. These bonus rounds were always as varied and outlandish as possible, ranging from climbing a tree with only one's hands, to ticking off a higher-ranked fairy in the shortest time possible. What they had planned this time around, she could not even begin to guess.

As much as she tried to listen though, she heard not a single word uttered about a possible objective so far. The silence confused her at first, and then made her nervous instead. She suddenly felt them gaze straight at her, which didn't bode well, considering they apparently haven't decided on their goal yet. Some would have called this paranoia, but to her, it was more than justified.

"Catch the fairy!" Salian boomed, the imaginary bell signaling the start of today's bonus round.

By the time he actually finished saying that, Ly had already bolted off, fleeing away from the clearing and straight into the forest, hoping the lose them in the thick woods. She cursed herself playfully for not expecting this from the very beginning, as neither of the boys could stand to see her studying, while they were around. They had their own assignments as well, as far as she dared to guess, but they repeatedly kept forsaking work for some entertainment, which seemed to be her capture, as of now.

Sometimes she almost wondered for a moment why she repeatedly chose to hang out with these two, but the answer always came to her in just mere moments: because it was fun. More fun than being with her sisters and definitely more fun than anything the Council had to offer. Rayman's energetic and playful nature, along with the more introspective, often quite interesting discussions she has had with Salian, proved to be infinitely better, than most other choices she had.

Being a few years older than them usually meant little more than the ability to scold them effectively, if someone else was watching as well. In any other situation though, neither were bothered much by the gap of a few years, if anything, it just gave them enough reason to gang up on her, occasionally. In the very beginning, she tried to be more of an "older sister-like" figure to them, especially since both Betilla and Salian's mother asked her to try and keep an eye out for the two delinquents. In the end however, she became little more than another accomplice of theirs; a slightly older, but no less playful friend.

Nonetheless, friendship or not, she had no intention of being captured by them. A sharp turn here and there, along with the occasional bursts of sprinting seemed to be more than enough to lose them just about completely. She couldn't help but hold a sly smirk already, knowing they had to be very far behind. It was close to impossible to outrun a fairy like her, once she really put her mind to it.

While usually there was still a good chance of them stumbling upon her by accident, she didn't wish to give them the chance of doing so this time around. Unlike what they probably expected, she didn't actually just run around randomly. The twists and turns of her escape route had been much more of a series of diversions, to throw them off. A quick inspection helped her find the tree she was looking for; a huge, towering oak, with a sizeable hole inside it. She'd found it to be the perfect hiding place, whenever she needed a quick escape.

I'll stay here for about an hour or so; that should probably be enough. She thought, smiling to herself. Once the boys gave up on their chase, or better yet, were looking around for her with worry even, she would come out and have a good laugh.

Approaching the tree, she reached out for the edges of the hole, peeking into the dark interior. It was nigh-impossible to see anything, or anyone from outside, which only made it even better. Slowly, she began to climb inside, careful not to hit herself in anything. The hole was remarkably spacious, but it never hurt to be cautious, lest she wished to bruise herself.

Moments before she could have eased herself in there, however, she suddenly felt a pair of strong hands grab her from either side, holding her down in case she tried to jump out.

"Well, hello there!" she heard them chuckle, her ears lowering in fear mixed with annoyance, as she was forced to realize her secret hideout might have not been so hidden after all.

*     *     *

"I trust he's still not a burden to you, then?"

"Not at all." the fairy chuckled, taking a slow sip from her still steaming herbal mixture. She brushed her long scarlet hair back slightly, letting it fall behind the shoulder parts of her green-yellow robes. "He's got a good head on his shoulders and shines pretty well, whenever he doesn't get distracted."

Past her prime years, but still as strong as ever, Betilla had been the High Fairy of the Fairy Council for centuries, reigning over the Dream Glade and most of the surrounding regions as well. Her features still held the beauty she'd been revered and envied for, but her eyes were especially telltale of how many years she had put behind herself by now. Many still depended on her decisions and sought her advice though, exhausting but also delighting the fairy.

"I have a feeling that might be too difficult, even for you." Shya mused, a slightly tired, but nonetheless happy smile forming on her face. Her duties were of a much lesser magnitude, than Betilla's, but she'd seen and experienced many things that had put more on her shoulders, than the passing of time ever could. Shifting slightly in her sit, she placed her left leg over the other, the prickly feeling letting her know it had gone sleepy.

Steadily growing up, her son had become quite the handful, often proving almost too much for her to keep out of trouble. Chances of him doing so had become even less, now that he'd picked up a circle of close friends. Sure, they were all looking out for each other, or so they insisted, but he still often ended up coming home late, filthy, bruised, or all of the above.

"I wouldn't quite say that." Betilla assured, waving her hand in dismissal. "Sure, distractions lurk around every corner, but as soon as you motivate him with something, it becomes much easier to focus his attention."

While Shya had some doubts about asking a revered fairy like Betilla, to teach her son, her old tutor accepted the job without a second thought. Although her son had not yet exhibited any abilities that could be related to magic even the slightest, but there was still a lot the fairies of the Council could teach him, from simple history, to introductions into the magical arts, even if he could only join into these in theory.

Salian's existence continued to be a rather unique part of the fairy community, though then again, this community also cared for a being with no visible limbs. Far throughout, no one seemed to have heard of a male fairy and while he did indeed lack several notable physical features as well as magical talents, it was still the only way they could define her adopted son.

"What exactly do you mean by 'motivation'?" she asked, even though she had a fairly good idea, what she'd been alluding to.

"Putting him with a very promising fairy has been one of my best decisions as of late, if I'm allowed to flatter myself." the elder fairy remarked, with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Not only does it create a slightly competitive atmosphere, but she's very good at keeping him focused." she took a moment to think, her smile widening. "Of course, that focus often tends to become her, rather than the actual studies he should be doing, but I call that enough of a success." she winked at Shya, as the fairy started giggling a bit.

Ly had been a wonderful addition to the duo of Salian and Rayman, as it had turned out. Although by fairy standards, she was still very much a child, she fulfilled a perfect older sister role to the two boys, alternating between playing, helping, bossing and scolding them. From time to time, Shya almost considered asking her if she wished to move in with them, but knew that since she's gotten a home in the Glade all to herself, she wouldn't have given up her newly found freedom for anything.

"You've chosen well, I'll have to give you that." she nodded, her dark hair flowing onto her shoulders from the motion. "She's very good at keeping Sal out of-"

She never had the chance to finish her sentence, as the door swung open rather violently, the hinges straining for a moment to keep it in place. Both fairies leaned forward slightly, wondering what just happened, their powers at their immediate disposal, if needed. Once the first few tense seconds passed though, it turned out there was no need for that after all. The scene unfolding before them was in no way threatening, skimming much more on the side of awkwardness.

Ly came in first, her arms folded before her chest, a look of angry disapproval stuck on her face. Her posture and features were almost regal, but the image was greatly destroyed by the fact that grass stains and mud seemed to form an almost delicate pattern upon her otherwise bright body suit; the purple and yellow dimmed from the nasty stains.

Several questions immediately appeared in Shya's head about what might have happened, starting with her son's location, why she came here instead of her own home, despite being welcome at all times and as to what might have happened that got her so filthy all of a sudden. Some of these were answered shortly as the young fairy turned around, glaring at the door.

"Both of you cowards can come in now! Have fun explaining yourselves!" she growled, to seemingly no one.

Two heads peeked out from either sides of the door frame, cautiously judging the distance between it and the fairy, before actually revealing themselves. Shya couldn't help, but sigh, while Betilla was bordering on a giggle-fit, as the two boys finally appeared in all their glorious ruin. They seemed like they've been fighting through a whole forest, at least twice as dirty as Ly was, leaf shards stuck on their faces. Rayman even had a twig sticking out of his hair; either it was too small to notice, or he'd been much too preoccupied to care about it.

Rayman and Salian slowly trotted into the room, dragging a thick patch of mud and plant-parts everywhere they went. They barely dared to go past the forest fairy, who seemed much more like their greatest nightmare right now, than a good friend. Both Shya and Betilla eased back into their chairs right after, the mother shaking her head slightly, while the elder fairy was very obviously amused.

"Then again, maybe I'm wrong…" Shya ventured finally, resting her forehead in her palm for a moment, the shadow of a smile playing in the corner of her mouth nonetheless.