The Web-Bound Lovers

The Original long version which mentions the names of the heroes and has an unhappy ending

Written by DarkTsuyoi

"Once, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, there was a young acolyte of the Evil Spider Queen, called Vlonisstra. She was very beautiful and her pedigree was excellent: her family was the wealthiest of the city and the girl was destined to become the matron of her house after her mother. As it was more or less customary, she was expected to also become the High Priestess of the Spider Queen herself, meaning that if she would get the Spider Queen's blessing, she would be the queen of the very city herself. And that was the most important position one could ever even dream to achieve.

Therefore, since she was very young, her mother and other matrons had tried to find her a proper fiance, but no man had ever caught her eye and Vlonisstra had refused to marry just anyone. He would need to be the most charming man, someone who would get lost in her eyes immediately and cherish the faith of the Spider Queen together with her with similar devotion. For years, Vlonisstra had been very lonely. Her mother and other relatives had watched over her like wolf spiders, rarely letting her out of their family's brilliant palace in fear of someone hurting or even assassinating her. All the people outside his immediate family she had ever met were men other people had deemed suitable suitors for her. Those poor men had no choice, of course, and it was like both those young boys had also known that they could never match up to Vlonisstra's standards and get her heart.

Vlonisstra was sure her zealousy would keep her from ever marrying anyone, as The Spider Queen is a fickle mistress and loves chaos and it would be up to Her whims if she would ever lend an ear to the Lamentations of Her brightest acolyte.

One day, which was just like many others, Vlonisstra finally had enough. She had done her temple duties like usual, she had prayed to the Lolth and performed sacrifices like many many times before. Still, she would not be heard, her prayers were in vain. She dressed up in one of her servant's clothes and snuck out, to see how the city actually was. She had never been outside the palace's walls, so you can only imagine how marvellous everything was to her. So new, so fresh, so bright. The peddlers on the streets, the smells of spices, merchants shouting, lizards growling and huge spider skittering here and there. But also the poor, the slaves who tried to just get by selling whatever they had; their children, husbands, or sometimes even themselves.

Something Vlonisstra didn't know was that the streets were just as dangerous as the scheming atmosphere inside the palace walls. Suddenly someone took hold of her, holding a hand over her throat, demanding her money and other belongings. Even though she was strong, she was no match to the people dragging her on a dimly lit alley which smelled of filth. Someone hit her on the face and she was so shocked by the deed that she was too late to defend herself from a dagger, which cut her on the chest; the poisoned blade sank through her tunic and into her flesh. Her sight went dim and she fainted, fearing would she ever open her eyes again. Was she to die here, today, on this filthy street? What a waste. She had been careless and had to pay a great price for it.

Through her delirium she could remember hearing a gentle, assuring voice saying soothing words to her. In her torpor, she thought it was perhaps the Spider Queen's consort whispering to her like he would have whispered to his queen. When her fever subsided, she found herself in a run-down house in the slums. There sat a man by her bedside, trancing quietly. His sleeping face was something she had never seen before. Such delicate hands, the curve of his brow neat and if there was a little bit of dirt on his cheek, it didn't matter to her. She knew it immediately. This was the man. Even if his hair had been plucked short, his skin was rough due to manual labour and there was a scar on his cheek, to her he was the most beautiful man ever to exist. It was an odd feeling to her, a woman who had never been in love and did not know how it would feel.

He woke up, happy that she had finally recovered after three days of slumber due to poisoning. Luckily, the man had found her just in time for the antidote to still work when she had been ridden of all her possession and left for dead. The man introduced himself as Merinzar, a tanner's apprentice. [mer: doom, doomed, fate, in: lady, lord, rider, steed, zar: lover, match, mate]. They spent few days together until Vlonisstra was ready to walk again. She never told him that she was a noble-born; perhaps she felt a tiny sting in her heart and wondered if Merinzar could ever look her in the same way ever again. Now they were equals, but if he'd know about her prestige, he could flee in fear of retribution for handling her like a woman of the same status. For the first time in her life, Vlonisstra began to think what others thought about her, on an emotional level. She cared about someone else than just herself. She suddenly cared about something else than wealth or status.

It took a couple of days before Vlonisstra returned to the palace, but not after she had sworn to meet Merinzar again. In the palace, Vlonisstra's family had grown angry at her sudden leave from the palace and she was put under even tighter surveillance. Still, she was able to endure it when she only thought about Merinzar and his gentle smile. How he had patiently supported her, shared the little food he had bought with his last money. They had even laughed together, he had told her stories of his life in the lower tunnels. His life was like a whole new world to her. Slowly, day by day, her heart began to change.

One time, when she went to meet him -still in the servant's clothes, as she feared the truth would just scare her friend away. He behaved oddly, but after a while, he asked if she wanted to come with him to a small gathering of friends. She was curious and agreed; Merinzar led him into a forgotten cave, where there was a small group of other people. She was suddenly so frightened when she understood; there was a small holy pond in the middle of the room, a pond which reflected soft, glowing moonlight beautifully, lighting up the whole room. She didn't know what aroused such panic in her, but Merinzar was there, to hold her hand when her whole body trembled and tears filled her eyes. She couldn't believe that her long-awaited prince was a traitor of The Spider Queen, but what actually made her emotional state so turbulent was the realization that it was actually absolutely insignificant to her when she had Merinzar by her side.

Merinzar held her hand and took her into a soft embrace, guiding her hesitant feet gently closer to the edge of the pond and when her eyes glanced upon the silvery surface, she had a vision. The very first she had ever received; The Spider Queen had, foolishly, let her fend on her own like The Spider Queen had a habit of doing. A vision, even a small one, would have raised her above the other women and strengthened the webs, but now she was snatched away, by someone lurking in the shadows, waiting to gently pick up those whom the Spider Queen had failed.

In the vision, she met a dancing, naked woman. A crescent moon shone in the background, in the darkness of the night sky she had never seen with her own eyes.
”I am afraid, child, I cannot save you or your beloved.”
The beautiful woman said, sad tears glimmering in her eyes which looked like full moons.
”Things are already in motion and they cannot be stopped. But I promise you if you'll only believe in me; I will guide you together.”
”What do you mean? We are already together!”
Vlonisstra shouted, but the vision faded and she was back in the small cave again.

Vlonisstra left, mind turbulent. This goddess she had always thought as an enemy of the Spider Queen had talked to her, the anticipated high priestess. It was unnerving enough on itself, but what bothered her and wouldn't leave her alone were Her words; 'I cannot save you or your beloved'. What had She meant? What could it be? Vlonisstra waited a few days until she went to see Merinzar again, only to find empty houses and soldiers of her House standing there, escorting the last persons away.

What Vlonisstra didn't know was that her mother had been observing her and ordered her brother to shadow her. Her brother had dutifully reported everything his sister had done and her mother, a sly and intelligent woman, knew immediately that this was a real threat to their family's standing. The threat, namely, this good-for-nothing man of no name, was to be eliminated and her daughter should marry some noble boy, and quickly, so no one would ever find out this disgrace. At worst, if this was to come alight, her daughter could have doomed the whole family. The Spider Queen does not forgive such insolent heretic acts. Nor does her people.

Vlonisstra's worried eyes sought after the familiar figure of her beloved. Asking here and there, she suddenly had the chilling realization: All these people were to be sacrificed immediately at the main temple. She ran, faster than she ever had, to be there on time. But there were too many people; everyone was coming to see the execution; in Lolthian cities, it was a very popular leisure-time activity, and it was often even demanded to present oneself in the festivities; that way one could show one's dedication to the Spider Queen.

She ran and ran, her feet ached, her heart was beating out of her chest and she could taste blood in her mouth. Yet, when she arrived in the Temple, it was already too late. A priestess had an obsidian dagger in her hand and lunged it towards the neck of Merinzar.
”NO!”
Vlonisstra shouted, shoving the priestess aside. She scooped him up gently, cradling him in her arms. With his fleeting last breath, he gave her a soft, gentle smile, like the first time they had met. Vlonisstra cried out like a riding lizard in pain. Yet, she recovered quickly, her sorrow quickly turning into anger. She was a Lolthian acolyte, after all. And now she understood her vision. She had made up her mind.

Gently she let her lifeless beloved on the cold ground, standing up. Her hair was glowing like engulfed in moonlight itself, it swayed in an invisible breeze. The Grief-stricken acolyte picked up the very same dagger that had taken the life of her one and only, and swore in front of all the people who had gathered there on the temple grounds that she would take down Lolth who had took her lover away from her. Even if it would take several lifetimes, she was adamant to succeed.

Glowing holy moonlight, she sank the dagger to the hilt into the black altar of the Spider Queen. She withstood it, screaming in pain, but eventually, the magical torrent which gushed through her was too much to withstand for a mere mortal; she slowly succumbed, drawing her last breath beside her lover, but not before the altar was deemed cursed and thus unusable.

Those two poor souls of web-bound lovers were gently taken to the realm of Eilistraee, where they were able to spend as much time together as they wanted until it was time to be born again.
The Dark Dancer kept her word, and in the next life those two were born as close together as only two children can: as twins, barely minutes apart. They would grow together and always know what the other would think. Perhaps they wouldn't be able to remember their past lives as lovers, but they would always share a special bond. It was the blessing of Eilistraee.