Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon Stories: Neverending Story: Dark Stars

Characters & Ages: Diana- 18 going on 19, Dekkion- assumed 28 going on 29 (hints of relationship)

Note: As there was no real indication of constellations, etc. in the Realm, I've made up a few. Just be glad I didn't use the Flying Duck constellation, as I was most tempted to. If anyone has any idea what constellations or astral configurations may be out there, let me know, please?

Eliavah: An Elven Archer who is said to have died in a terrible war, thousands of years ago in the Realm (my own creation).

Merlon: The higher, square part of the battlements (think of the Rook or Castle in Chess).

"No, it's Eliavah's Bow. Look harder, Dekkion. There should be a curve to the stars, with a greenish one in the middle."

The Celestial Knight looked once more at the star-studded summer sky. He tried to determine the star Diana spoke of, but shook his head in defeat after a long moment. "I cannot tell, Lady Diana. They all look white to me."

Diana shook her head and turned to face her friend. "How many times have I told you it's just plain Diana? Now, you're looking to the left, right?" A teasing smile lit her features as she waited for the inevitable protest. She was not disappointed.

"Left? Right?" Dekkion frowned in puzzlement and turned towards the dark beauty beside him on the high tower perch. "Which way do you wish me to look?"

With a laugh, Diana shrugged one shoulder, still grinning widely. "I mean left, Dekkion... look left... west. Do you see the curved set of stars with the green center? The green one is called the Jewel of Eliavah. It's how you can always tell West, because it's visible all year round." The Acrobat let one hand drift behind her back and nodded slightly as it came in contact with the hard stone crenellation. With a second nod, she slid herself backward onto the battlement, leaning her right side on the merlon there.

Unfortunately, she misjudged the effort she put out compared with the width of the stonework and found herself unbalanced, falling backwards. Without even a chance to scream, throwing her arms wide, Diana thankfully felt her wrist caught in a strong grasp.

"Easy, Lady Diana... relax, I have you." The man's voice was calm, reverberating on a low note. It was the type that sang through one's body and up one's spine in a delicious way. The man pulled her to a sitting position then turned back to studying the skies, apparently not bothered by the fact that she was still precariously perched.

Wiping at her forehead, Diana gasped for breath. She'd felt her life flash before her in that second of uncertainty. "Thanks, Dekkion... I... I misjudged... again." The last word was low and bitter, but her companion chose to ignore it.

Thoughtfully studying the western sky, he suddenly saw what they were looking for. "Ah! I've found the Jewel, Lady Diana. It is green as you say, but just so. It nearly blends in."

Deciding to ignore her momentary lack of grace, Diana smiled and nodded. "Yes. It often takes a practiced eye to spot the colors of individual celestial bodies. The coloring denotes either a planet or a star made almost entirely of one particular gas. Now that you've found the Bow, look for the Guardian Tree. It will be above and to the right of Eliavah's Bow. Do you see it? The roots will be stretching towards us and the branches towards the top of the heavens."

This was frustrating work, mapping the heavens with Dekkion. He was a studious pupil, and a hard worker with a good eye, but it would have been so much easier to do it on her own... to simply look up and map what she saw. However, Diana had lost her eyesight at least a year previously, and it had taken this long to come to terms with her handicap. In all that time, her eyes had not seen even a bare flicker of light.

It seemed rather ironic that the person Dungeon Master most needed to look at the stars was the person he'd accidentally blinded when he sent them out. Diana was convinced he hadn't done it on purpose, though at times she let herself rant about it anyway. Her tantrums had been more frequent and severe towards the beginning of her partnership with the Celestial Knight.

For the last year, though, Dekkion had remained patient, calm, reasoning. He had allowed her the anger and grief then calmly picked up the pieces and soothed her. Sometimes even that drove her over the edge: there was more than one occasion when she'd rallied against the Celestial Knight in frustration. How could he be so calm? He didn't have to put up with blindness; that's how.

Dekkion's voice drew her out of her low spiraling thoughts, and Diana instinctively turned her face up to the sky, though she knew it was futile. "I have found the Tree, Lady Diana. Its branches spread over the Bow in one direction and over another figure on the other. It appears to be a raging lion." She could tell by his voice that he'd turned to face her.

Nodding, Diana forced herself to smile, trying to retrieve her good mood of a few minutes before. "That is the Raging Lion. You're getting very good at this, Dekkion. With the speed you're picking things up, we should be able to map the winter and spring skies next year, rather than trying to study about them like the year past."

"Mmmm..." It sounded like a noncommittal noise, but Diana accepted it as agreement anyway. She'd learned over their travels and studies that Dekkion was not as impetuous as he'd been when cursed by Venger. Now, she could truly see the Knight he'd been before greed had overcome him and she'd had to save him with the help of her friends.

When he started moving away from her, Diana frowned once more, feeling bereft somehow.

"Dekkion? Are we done tonight? Those clouds haven't come up yet, have they?" She tilted her head, inexplicably worried that he would leave her alone on the tower. The Acrobat had no problem being alone, or with heights, but ever since she'd been blinded she felt uneasy if she were left without warning. It was almost as if she needed someone to acknowledge their actions before she felt all right with them.

"Yes. The clouds are coming quickly with the increased wind. We shall go inside now and discuss our findings, Lady Diana."

Smiling, relieved in a way, Diana hopped gracefully from her perch, her muscles recalling how to land, even if she had trouble with depth sometimes. "It's Diana... just plain Diana. Why can't you remember that when you remember everything else I say?" Her tone of voice was teasing, though, as she brushed past him and practically skipped down the stone steps, hand lightly resting on the rail as a guide.

It had taken a long time before she'd finally gotten up the courage to move quickly. For months she'd stumble and stop, worried that she'd bump into something or trip and fall into a pit or over a cliff. For those same months, Dekkion had cared for her, telling her when things were in her way, or guiding her around a new place they were staying at. It took a long time to let herself trust Dekkion, and not because he had once duped them into retrieving the Circle of Power for Venger.

The hardest part was the relying on someone else. Diana had always been independent, even with the others. It rankled to have to listen to someone's comments and suggestions rather than making her own decisions. She'd felt helpless and useless, and the feelings had threatened to destroy her as time passed and her handicap didn't lift as Dekkion had originally thought it would.

But Dekkion had remained patiently supportive the entire time, and slowly her old confidence had come back. Diana had started taking risks, and found that Dekkion let her make mistakes once she asked him to. He was content to watch her tumble or trip, then help her up and tend her wounds if needed. That was perhaps the biggest boost to her ego. She could be self-reliant to an extent, but he was there to lean on if it got too much.

Now, however, perhaps due to her near slip on the tower, Diana took the stairs at a fast pace just to show she could. She made it to the bottom, crossed her arms, and tapped her foot. A playful smile crossed her face, and she laughed when she heard Dekkion's slow, even trod come near. "Well, who'd have thought you could be out-run by a blind person?"

Dekkion's laugh was just as delicious as his speaking voice, a deep rumble in his chest, which seemed to involve his entire body. He held out an arm to her, bowing, she was certain. "You have won, Mistress Fleet Foot, and so you will guide me to our rooms." With that, he simply waited, silently.

A thrill went through Diana, but she fought it. She loved showing that she knew where she was going after two days in any new location. Dekkion knew her penchant for showing off, and so indulged her at times, like now. It was nothing more than that... and especially wasn't as... well... decadent as it sounded. Their rooms were connected by a sitting room.

Turning, letting her hand fall on the arm she knew he held ready for her, the young woman slowly led the way inside the Castle. It was at one time a noble keep, but Venger and subsequent poverty had made it into a ruin. Six months ago an enterprising group of travelers decided to turn it into an inn, and so had started their hard work. At present, only one wing and a tower were usable, but it was enough to bring in money, especially with paying guests intent on staying for some time: like Diana and Dekkion.

"So, when we get inside, do you want to be quizzed on the stars, or practice something else, Dekkion?" Now why did that sound so... Diana frowned at her own imagination.

"What?" She whirled around, shock and budding excitement in her voice. Reaching out blindly, Diana's hand came in contact with the man's chest and she left it there, flattening it against his soft woven shirt. "You mean it, Dekkion? You'll teach me to fight again? You're not afraid I'll hurt myself?" Oh, this was what she'd been hoping for, dreading she'd never do again.

The brown-haired man laughed and placed a strong hand over her smaller one. "Yes, Lady Diana... your confidence is enough that you may take a blow or two without losing faith. You are ready to train once more. I have noted that you have not neglected your acrobatics in this past year, and that will aid you in regaining your former abilities."

"Yes!" the Acrobat let go of the man and threw her hands in the air, laughing. "I can do gymnastics blindfolded, so blind is no large jump, but working with my javelin would be hard without a spotter. Are..." she tried to reign in her own enthusiasm, "are you sure, Dekkion? You're in for a real work out, you know... and maybe a few more tantrums."

Laughing, Dekkion reached out and took Diana's hand, putting it on his arm and guiding them both towards their rooms. "I am prepared for whatever you give me, Lady Diana. Come, before the hour grows even later. We will need to sleep by dawn to remain on our nightly schedule of star watching." He'd learned long ago not to use the term gazing in conjuncture with star.

Upon arriving in their rooms, Dekkion hurriedly moved the sparse furniture into his bedroom. The sitting room was shortly clear of obstacles, and Diana stood in the middle of it almost vibrating in her excitement. This was the feeling she'd had whenever her coach had taught her a new routine back home. "Ready, Dekkion," she called happily.

"Hold out your hand, Lady Diana." When she did as instructed, he placed something in it. She drew in a breath and sighed. The barely noticeable humming gave it away as much as the familiar wooden feel.

Then, with only a thought, the bit of wood extended to a length of perhaps five to six feet. Once more the Acrobat had her Weapon of Power. Suddenly, she felt alive again... as if all this time she'd been asleep and waiting.

"Okay, here I go!" Diana took a few steps back and ran to launch herself in the air, attempting to put her javelin tip on the floor to aid her. She ignored Dekkion's warning cry, however, and knew she shouldn't have as the javelin landed. It felt wrong. Even after all that time, she could tell it was an incorrect placement. As a result, the wood slipped, sending her flying and tumbling against the wall.

The magic weapon flew out of the woman's grasp and shrunk down as it hit the far wall. The Acrobat tumbled the other way, crashing into the closed door of her bedroom, sending it careening open with a loud slam. Diana's head hit the bedstead and she felt a wave of sick dizziness come over her. "Unh..."

Dekkion hurried into the room and knelt down by the prone figure. Gentle hands ran expertly over bruised flesh, looking for dire injuries in need of immediate treatment. Diana's dizziness left as he worked, but she fell silent, flushing in sudden awareness. Her breath caught as his hands ran across her hips and under her buttocks.

"Dekkion?" Was that breathy, deep tone her? Diana opened her eyes to darkness, but somehow knew the man was leaning closely over her. "I'm fine... Dekkion..." She started to bring her hands up, coming in contact with his chest and rubbing upwards towards his shoulders.

After a moment, the knight pulled back, forcing her to drop her hands. Without a word he picked her up. Dekkion carefully placed Diana in her bed and turned towards the door, all as silent as a statue.

She'd done something to drive him away, was her panicked thought. He was leaving and wasn't telling her. "Dekkion?" The husky tones were gone, replaced with fear and worry. "Where are you going?"

"To get a chair, Lady Diana. I'll watch you for a while to make sure you have no head injuries. You should rest... we'll try again tomorrow." He left the room.

For some reason, Diana felt he hadn't left just to get a chair. He'd wanted to put distance between them, she was certain. The woman started to think about how she could have reacted differently, but was interrupted by the man's return. Listening, she heard him position the chair next to her bed and sink into it. He was still silent. "Dekkion?"

"Yes?" His voice was calm, patient, understanding, but distant, as well. Somehow, he'd pulled away from her without even moving.

"No need to apologize. You've done nothing wrong. Now rest so we may practice tomorrow." The Celestial Knight laid a hand on her forehead.

She let her eyes close but sleep eluded her as she thought she heard him whisper, "Rest well, Diana."

To Be Continued in Chapter Twelve: Twist of Fate

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