Laughter 


As they journeyed north, Sutekh grew increasingly concerned about Adaz.
During their brief stay at the house of Arn Hrothgar, the incredible
hospitality of that lord had brought the light back to Adaz's eyes.
Now it was gone again.  Sutekh pondered over the last year, trying to
find some reason for her being so subdued.  Her mysterious pregnancy
was the only possibility, yet Sutekh could not see why that would
affect her so; the Adaz he had once known would not have reacted this
way.  
	One evening as they were setting up camp Sutekh made a 
decision.  He was sitting on a log, his back to the fire, watching 
Adaz groom her horse; her 'Nanny,' as she called the spiritless mare.  
	"Delleb, please," Sutekh prayed silently; then, "Adaz, you and 
I need to talk.  It is going to be a long journey for the both of us 
if you continue on like this."  
	Adaz gave him a puzzled look, but Sutekh continued.  
	"What is the problem?  Are you depressed?  Talk to me about 
it, I understand depression very well.  In fact, I used to be 
continually depressed except when you were with me.  You used to make 
me forget my problems, but now you are my only problem.  You are 
driving me into a melancholy that is more frustrating than any 
insanity I've experienced before.  Adaz, you used to be a delight to 
me; almost nothing got you down or could get you to shut up.  Now you 
hardly ever talk.  Whenever I ask for your feelings on a subject all I 
get is, 'whatever you think best.'"  Sutekh mimicked her voice in a 
most unflattering manner.  "You follow along behind me like a servant 
or something, your eyes dull and downcast.  More than anything you 
wanted to leave Celene, but so far on this journey you've been about 
as interesting as a zombie..."  
	Adaz had heard quite enough.  "Servant!  Zombie!  Heironeous' 
holy balls, man!"  It was not tears that filled her eyes, but a fire 
brighter than any Sutekh had seen there before.  "A girl tries her 
best to get a drow's attention and all she ever gets is a cold, stiff 
shoulder.  I have been after you for ten long years, but all I ever 
got was, 'Oh, the tragedy of it all, for it cannot, was not meant to 
be.'  Now you lay it on me like it's all my fault.  Well, let me..."  
	Sutekh, unable to restrain himself any longer, burst out 
laughing.  Holding his sides he fell backwards off the log.  But Adaz 
had not finished with him and his laughter only made her madder.  She 
stormed around the log and stood over him.  "What are you laughing 
at!" she demanded.  
	Sutekh levered himself up with a kick that landed on the back 
of Adaz's knee.  As she toppled he caught her gently in his arms.  "I 
love you," he said before he kissed her.  Due to her anger Adaz 
resisted, but when he persisted in his kiss she quickly and willingly 
surrendered.  When Sutekh finally broke the kiss, he looked into 
Adaz's eyes and was surprised to find tears.  In response to his 
puzzled expression, Adaz only laughed and pulled his head to her, 
kissing him soundly.  
	"I was laughing because I had finally found the Adaz that I 
met in Stoneheim all those years ago," Sutekh explained.  "I thought 
if I made you mad enough she might show up."  
	Sutekh leaned back against the log and Adaz leaned against 
him, holding his arms around her so that he could not have let go had 
he wanted to.  For a long time they were content to remain that way.  
	"Odd," Adaz contemplated.  "After all those years of trying so 
hard, it is only when I give up hope that you love me."  
	"Adaz, I have loved you for a long time.  It was just that I 
did not see a way for me to survive the then upcoming war.  The last 
thing I wanted to do was to drag you down with me."  
	"You're so stupid sometimes," Adaz reprimanded.  "A few months 
of happiness with you, even if followed by violent death, would have 
been heaven to me.  Instead you put me through the nine hells."  
	Sutekh sighed and squeezed her tight.  "I guess I'll just have 
to make up for it as best I can.  Adaz, will you marry me?" 
	Adaz spun in his arms.  "Yes!" she exclaimed and kissed Sutekh 
so violently that they toppled over.  "I will love you forever!" 
	"And that's another thing."  
	"What?" 
	"Forever.  I'm tired of you humans growing old and dying on 
me.  I'll give you a choice; either stay young with me or let me grow 
old with you."  
	Adaz furrowed her brow.  "You can do that?" 
	Sutekh regained his seat against the log and helped Adaz up.  
"Easily.  My resources have grown considerably over the last few 
months.  But don't choose right away," he warned.  "First think about 
what it would be like to live five or six centuries.  You might not 
like it."  
	Adaz only narrowed her eyes and smiled.  Then she settled back 
into Sutekh's arms.  After a while Sutekh spoke.  
	"Adaz, it is all behind us now and I'll understand if you 
don't want to talk about it, but why did you give up hope?  When I was 
trying to drive you away you refused to give in.  Then you suddenly 
quit.  Why?" 
	Adaz was silent for a moment before answering.  "One night 
while we were in the forests of Celene I had what must have been a 
dream.  It seemed so real...  That night you came to me and we made 
love."  Adaz turned and sat facing Sutekh.  "I thought that you had at 
last given in, but in the morning you acted like it had never 
happened.  I... I was crushed, but when I became pregnant I thought 
for sure you would admit what had happened.  My confusion came from 
your own bewilderment at my pregnancy.  I could not imagine you doing 
such a thing, but..."  
	"Adaz, I have been chaste almost as long as you have been 
alive," Sutekh said to her relief, but that caused another problem.  
	"So how did I become pregnant?" 
	"Fear not for your sanity, for perhaps I have know something 
of what happened.  After you told me you were pregnant, I had a 
vision.  I saw Master Bravos talking with someone I can't quite 
place...  Anyway, what I learned was that your child is a godsend.  
Adaz, your child is the reincarnation of Bernaldo Bravos."  
	Adaz was not quite sure what to make of that, but it did not 
sound bad.  She had, after all, liked old Bernaldo very much.  "But 
how'd I get pregnant?" 
	"I don't know.  Perhaps we did make love that night in the 
forest, with me under an enchantment.  Or another was there in my 
guise, while I was in an enchanted sleep.  Either way, the one 
responsible has considerable power; I don't enchant easy."  
	"So," Adaz said with a smile.  "I did make love to you."  
	"Well..."  
	"You might not have made love to me, but it was you that I 
made love to," she concluded triumphantly.  
	"I tell you what.  When we get to Sanctuary we'll have the 
priests marry us and then we can spend a little time in Chendl, the 
rather beautiful capital city.  There we'll see if I can't catch up to 
you in this love making."  
	"Oo, that sounds like fun."  

That night Adaz had difficulty falling asleep.  Though Sutekh slept at 
her side she could not help but think of that time in the forest when 
she woke up alone.  

Adaz woke with a start, fearing the worst.  Immediately she relaxed as 
she felt the weight of Sutekh's arm across her.  Though the sky was 
pitch she knew by the singing of birds that dawn was near, but she 
did not care about that.  At last content, she wriggled closer to her 
love and went back to sleep.  

The journey took over four weeks to complete.  For Adaz's sake they 
traveled slowly, though Sutekh enjoyed their frequent stops as much as 
she.  After their reconciliation, the journey was marred on only one 
occasion; Sutekh showed the bandits no mercy.  
	"One fireball as a warning would have probably sufficed," Adaz 
said coolly.  "It seems that I have a bit of work ahead of me yet."  
	"Well," Sutekh said with a sigh, honestly sorry for the 
carnage behind them.  "At least I did not hunt down the survivors.  
That is an improvement over the days before I met Bernaldo.  Perhaps 
that means I can improve some more."  He sighed again.  "It's just 
that it comes so easy."  


						Jeff Stehman