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I’ll not accept the group frorowled at the barbarian ee, red-haired man stammered helplessly "No!" Bruenor’s severe tone silenced hi Mithril Hall," Drizzt, who stood at Bruenor’s side in the audience hall, pro Bruenor shifted abruptly in his stone seat "Ye forgotten the treath their land?" he asked the drow Drizzt shook his head, the notion actually bringing a smile to his face "Never," he replied, but his calotten, he apparently had forgiven

Looking at his ebon-skinned friend, so at peace and content, the huffy dwarf’s rage was soon deflated "Ye think I should let the now," answered Drizzt, and he held out his hands as though that si Bruenor’s expression showed clearly that it did not, though, and so the equally stubborn dark elf promptly elaborated "Your responsibilities to your people lie in diplo partner and a hile ally Besides, we can forgive the soldiers of an oft-iht of a dark elf"

"Bah, ye’re too soft-hearted, elf," Bruenor gru with ye!" He looked to the huge barbarian, obviously akin to Wulfgar, and nodded "Send outa count o’ them that’s to attend!"

The barbarian cast an appreciative look at Drizzt, then bowed and was gone, though his departure did little to stop Bruenor’s grus to do, elf," the dwarf corandest the land has ever seen," Drizzt re it, ive her what I could all these years, but" Bruenor held his hands out, inviting a visual inspection of his stout body, a pointed reminder that he and Catti-brie were not even of the sa shoulder "No huiven her more," he assured Bruenor

The dwarf sniffled; Drizzt did well to hide his chuckle

"But a hunnerd das!" Bruenor roared, his fit of sentihter has to get a proper wedding, I say, but I’ht!"

Drizzt knew the source of Bruenor’s overblown frustration The dwarf had expected Regis, a foruildmaster and undeniably skilled in etiquette, to help in planning the huge celebration Soon after Regis had arrived in the halls, Bruenor had assured Drizzt that his troubles were over, that "Rumblebelly’ll see to what’s needin’ seein’ to"

In truth, Regis had taken on many tasks, but hadn’t performed as well as Bruenor had expected or deis’s unexpected ineptitude or Bruenor’s doting attitude

A dwarf rushed in, then, and handed Bruenor twenty different scrolls of possible layouts for the great dining hall Another dwarf ca an arhed and looked helplessly to Drizzt

"You will get through this," the drow assured hirandest celebration ever given" Drizzt ave him pause and a concerned expression crossed his brow that Bruenor did not irl," the observant dwarf rear," Drizzt adot threethe lad’s walls," he said "Soer in the boy"

Drizzt only nodded He had not revealed to anyone that he had been Wulfgar’s target on that particular occasion, that Wulfgar probably would have killed him blindly if the barbarian had won

"The boy’s just nervous," Bruenor said

Again the drow nodded, though he wasn’t certain he could bring hiar was indeed nervous, but his behavior went beyond that excuse Still, Drizzt had no better explanations, and since the incident in the rooar had become friendly once more toward Drizzt, had seeets past," Bruenor went on, and it see to convince himself more than anyone else This, too, Drizzt understood, for Catti-brie, the orphaned huhter in heart and soul She was the one soft spot in Bruenor’s rock-hard heart, the vulnerable chink in the king’s ar behavior had not escaped the wise dwarf, it seear’s attitude obviously bothered Bruenor, Drizzt did not believe the dould do anything about it - not unless Catti-brie asked him for help

And Drizzt knew that Catti-brie, as proud and stubborn as her father, would not ask - not fro, ye little trickster?" Drizzt heard Bruenor roar, and the dwarf’s sheer volume startled Drizzt frois entering the hall, the halfling looking thoroughly flustered

"I ate ot a sour look on his cherubic face and put a hand on his gru!" Bruenor snapped back "We got a - "

"Hunnerd things to do," Regis finished, i up his chubby hand in a desperate plea for Bruenor to back off

Bruenor stomped a heavy boot and stormed over to the pile of potentialabout food," Bruenor began as he gathered up the parchis "There’ll be elves and huis scra their sensitive innards’ll take!"

Regis shot a pleading look at Drizzt, but when the drow only shrugged in reply, the halfling picked up the parchht that one’d be better at this wedding planning stuff," Bruenor re to hear

"And not so good at fighting goblins," Drizzt replied, re’s remarkable efforts in the battle

Bruenor stroked his thick red beard and looked to the eis had just passed "Spent lots of time on the road beside the likes of us," the dwarf decided

"Too much time," Drizzt added under his breath, too quietly for Bruenor to hear, for it was obvious to the drow that Bruenor, unlike Drizzt, thought the surprising revelations about their halfling friend a good thing

A short while later, when Drizzt, on an errand for Bruenor, neared the entrance to Cobble’s chapel, he found that Bruenor was not the only one flustered by the hectic preparations for the upco

"Not for all the mithril in Bruenor’s realm!" he heard Catti-brie emphatically shout

"Be reasonable," Cobble whined back at her "Yer father’s not asking tooatop a pedestal, hands resolutely on her slender hips, and Cobble do before her, holding out a geave a curt shake of her head "They’re wanting me to wear a smithy’s apron!" she cried "A da!"

Drizzt prudently realized that this was not the time to smile He walked solemnly to Cobble and took the apron

"Battlehammer tradition," the cleric huffed

"Any dould be proud to wear the raih, that Catti-brie is no dwarf?"

"A symbol of subservience is what it is," the auburn-haired woman spouted "Dwarven fee all the day Not ever have I lifted a smithy’s hammer, and "

Drizzt calmed her with an outstretched hand and a plaintive look

"She’s Bruenor’s daughter," Cobble pointed out "She has a duty to please her father"

"Indeed," Drizzt, the consureed oncea dwarf Catti-brie has never worked the forge - "

"It’s syar lifted the ha his years of servitude to Bruenor, when he was given no choice," Drizzt finished withouta beat

Cobble looked to Catti-brie, then back to the apron, and sighed "We’ll find a compromise," he conceded