I'll Be Here | D&D Backstory Project

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The blood in my veins
Does not stain
The person I am inside
But they're eyes are scared
So I'm prepared
To let that part of me hide

***

Faith is a precious thing. It's like a diamond. Pure and beautiful. But it can also be hard, almost unforgiving. When wielded in the right way it can be used as a weapon, cutting fast and deep. It leaves wounds that are hard to heal and scars that don't always fade. Sometimes it makes you wonder why there is faith in the first place. How do people keep their faith from slicing into their skin?

Noralor was one of these people. She held onto her religion like a treasure, unaware how it cut and burned hands, even when she cradled it in the gentlest of ways. That was something she'd have to discover later.

It was on her eighteenth birthday when it happened. It wasn't a particularly big occasion given that her parents were more excited about her brother being inducted as a cleric of Bahamut. Nora couldn't be more proud of her brother, even though a tiny part of her was envious of all the praise he was receiving. When she had been inducted the only words she got were comments of surprise.

No matter how bitter she felt, Noralor pushed it away in favour of congratulating her brother, bottling the emotion and shoving it in the back of her mind. She would get over a hundred and eighty birthdays. Phann would only be inducted once.

With a smile lighting up her face, the half-elf practically pranced all the way to her stepbrother's room and knocked on the door rhythmically. She angled her ear to the door and awaited a response.

"What do you need, Nora?" Phann's tone held a note of exasperation as he opened the door.

She had to stifle a giggle when she saw his appearance. He only had on a thin shirt over his nice clean white dress pants. His hair was tangled over his shoulders, the elf had obviously tried to fix it but had only resulted in making what used to be sleek locks of hair a knot at the base of his neck.

"Would you like some help?" Noralor offered with a smile.

Phann scrunched up his face but nodded, opening the door wider to let her in. Noralor steered her bother to his bed and had him sit down. She kneeled behind him and gently picked up his brush, combing through the long hair carefully until it was silky smooth. Her fingers moved the hair with practiced ease as she wove the strands together to begin a braid.

"This braid is for Father," Noralor said softly as she tucked the woven hair behind his ear. "And the next one will be for Valthya."

Phann touched the braid, looking thoughtfully into space as Noralor started on the braid representing her stepmother.

"Why do you only have one braid?" Phann asked softly. Noralor felt the hair slip from her fingers and she fumbled to regather it before it undid itself.

"My mother died before I put in my braids. Even then... with her human blood I doubt the elders would've allowed me to wear a braid for her. They think it's healthier for me to push the human part of myself away." Noralor explained quietly. "That part of me is dangerous."

Phann blinked. A silence falling over the two of them as Noralor finished off the second braid. She tugged on it teasingly and gave a cheerful smile. "There you are! All done!" She went to leave but Phann sat up straighter and called out to her.

"C-can you do another one? For you?" He asked nervously. Noralor froze. Her heart jumping in her throat.

"I don't think-" Noralor began to protest.

Phann stopped her with a pleading look. "Nora. You're my family. I want to feel your presence with me, as I want to feel Mother and Father's. Human blood or not... you've always looked out for me." He beamed up at her. "You're not dangerous. No matter the blood you have in your veins."

Noralor felt her eyes moistened and she nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "Okay," she agreed, a little choked up. Phann resettled on the bed and waited patiently as Noralor folded the pieces of hair. At the very end instead of just tying it off she slid off the bracelet on her wrist and used it to secure the hair.

"There." She pulled the braid to the front of his face to show him. Noralor rested her chin on his shoulder with a smile. "Now I'll always be with you." Phann leaned his head briefly against hers before he turned and pulled her forward, making her yelp.

"Don't be dramatic," he rolled his eyes. An action he definitely wouldn't have been able to get away with if he was around anyone else. He untied her hair and started to fiddle with it. "If I'm going to be stuck with you for the rest of my life I might as well make sure you know who's going to be annoying you each step of the way."

Noralor shoved him gently but couldn't stop the giant grin on her face as she looked at the mirror across from her. Phann was concentrating hard as he worked, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth with his blue eyes narrowed. She closed her eyes with a contented sigh, enjoying the soft tug at her scalp as she waited for her brother to finish with his braid.

"I'm proud of you, Phann." Noralor murmured.

"Thank you," Phann squeezed her shoulder gently. "And by the way? Happy birthday."