Chapter Text
Lorelei
21 Eleasis 1492 DR
I opened my eyes to the strong rays of the sunshine. Everything was too bright. What was this I was laying on? Sand? Where the fuck was I? This had to be a dream. I had not been kidnapped and tadpoled. I hadn’t had to fight for my life with a githyanki and a moody half-elf cleric and escape a godsdamned illithid ship. It was not real.
I pushed myself off the ground and looked around once my eyes got used to the brightness. Fuck. It was not a nightmare. All of it... had happened. I was in my house in the Lower City when a giant tentacle had crashed through the roof. I had thrown myself outside with fear and seen the ship fly past. Next thing I could remember was that damned illithid placing a tadpole into my eye.
I had somehow broken free after that. I had met Lae'zel, freed Shadowheart, fought devils and seen githyanki dragons... I felt my chest tighten as I struggled to breathe. It couldn't be real. It couldn't. I hadn’t travelled to Avernus, killed imps and devils. I didn’t have a tadpole behind my eyes. I didn’t. I didn’t.
I hid my face in my trembling hands and felt the damned thing squirm in my head. It was all real. The ship had been crashed into pieces, parts of it still flying all around me. And there laid the cleric with the funny name, just a few feet away from where I had woken up.
I had to pull myself together if I was going to survive this. I stood up, took a few deep breaths and made my way towards Shadowheart. She looked unconscious but her chest was moving with her breathing. I kneeled next to her and checked her pulse. Thank the gods, she was alive.
“Shadowheart?” I called her name with hesitation. She moaned but struggled to wake up. I called to her again as I shook her shoulders gently. Her eyes finally opened, blinking rapidly to adjust to the light.
"Augh, my head..." She pushed herself up into a sitting position and rubbed her head. Her eyes widened with surprise when her gaze focused on me. “You’re alive. I’m alive. How is this possible…?”
“I was hoping you might know that.” I replied with a sigh and offered her a hand to pull her up.
“I remember the ship, I remember falling… then nothing.” She said accepting my hand as we both stood up.
“Do you have any idea where we are?” I asked looking into her beautiful green eyes.
She took a quick look around us before she shook her head lightly. “No… I don’t recognise this place. But anything’s an improvement on where we just came from.”
I lifted an eyebrow. Maybe she wasn’t as moody as I first thought. “That’s… looking at things on the bright side.”
She smirked for a moment before she put on her serious face. “First things first – we need supplies, shelter and most of all, a healer. We might have escaped, but we still have these little monsters in our heads.” She said, pointing to her head.
“You want to stay together, I take it?”
“We need each other, and we both know what’s at stake.” She said and smiled. “I can’t think of better company.”
I worked alone for years. I knew how to handle myself. I was a mercenary, an assassin and the occasional liberator of powerful artefacts; a tadpole in the head was not something I had to deal with on the daily, even in my line of work. I was going to need help this time.
“We should get to work then. First shelter and food, then a healer.” I repeated more to myself than her as I looked around us to figure out which way to go.
“One thing, just before we go.” Shadowheart spoke in a hesitant voice. “I wanted to thank you again, for freeing me. It would have been all too easy for you to run past my pod, but you didn’t. I’ll remember that.”
Our surroundings were a grim sight. Burnt illithid ship smell aside, the beach was filled with mangled fishermen. Not to mention the intellect devourers still alive in the ship ruins. I would not have survived the fight against them if I didn’t have Shadowheart with me. I could already tell I had done the right thing by partnering with her.
We collected whatever supply we found around us, making our way through the ship and towards the hill outside. There were footprints on the mud. I wondered if they could belong to Lae’zel. There was no trace of her so far. My attention got pulled by a rune that looked… unstable and dangerous. I stepped closer to check it out when a hand shot right out of it.
“A hand? Anyone?” I heard a man’s voice call from inside the portal but I was too surprised not to slap it. “Ow! Perhaps I should have clarified. A helping hand? Anyone?”
“Let me see,” I murmured to myself as I examined the portal. It was dangerous but I could see a path where I would be able to pull him out of it, if I moved swift and careful enough.
I held onto the hand and gave him a quick pull. The portal released him easily and closed up from behind him as we both fell down to the floor.
“Ooft, hello. I’m Gale of Waterdeep. Apologies, I’m usually better at this.” He spoke in an upbeat tone that had more energy than Shadowheart and I had combined.
“At introductions?” I asked with a smile.
“At magic.” He spoke with a low voice, leaning forward slightly.
I chuckled. He could take a joke – I liked him already. “I’m Lorelei. Are you alright?”
“A bit shocked, but friend, it’s a relief and a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He said with even more energy this time. “Say, but I know you, don’t I? In a manner of speaking. You were on the nautiloid as well.”
“I was, yes.”
“Then I can only assume you too were on the receiving end of a rather unwelcome insertion in the ocular region, were you not?”
I chuckled. “Couldn’t have phrased it more repellently myself.”
“No use sugarcoating it, is there? The insertee we speak of, this parasite – are you aware that after a period of excruciating gestation it will turn us into mind flayer? It’s a process known as ceremorphosis, and let me assure you: it is to be avoided.” He said pointing his index fingers up into the air. He looked human and seemed to have some years. But he was a good-looking man, I had to admit, with kind brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair.
“I couldn’t agree more.”
He gave me a smile before he spoke again. “You don’t happen to be a cleric, by any chance, do you? A doctor? Surgeon? Uncannily adroit with a knitting needle?”
“You seem to know enough about our condition to realise it is beyond most clerics’ skills.” Shadowheart responded to him.
“Most, no doubt. But I find myself hoping to be in the presence of the few. You don’t happen to be one of them?” He turned back to me.
“I’m no stranger to high-stake extractions, but these tadpoles are beyond even my light fingers.” I shook my head side to side. “I can’t cure us.”
“As we’ve established, few enough can. It’s not exactly a common affliction.” He scratched his beard for a moment before he spoke again. “We’re most certainly going to need a healer, and soon too. How about we lend each other a helping hand once more and look for a healer together?”
He was a wizard. I was certain of that. The staff, the know-it-all attitude... I’ve known enough wizards in my life to recognise the tell-tale signs. He seemed knowledgeable and we’d have better odds for success working together than separately. And he seemed to have a sense of humour about all this, which was something I appreciated.
“Sounds like a plan. You’re welcome to join us.” I said with a nod and smiled.
“Most excellent. A parasite shared is a parasite halved. Or something to that effect. Oh! But before you think you’re about to embark on a journey with most ill-mannered a man: thank you for pulling me out of that stone.”
We made our way back to the crashed ship, looting whatever we found on the ground. Other than my weapons, I had nothing else on my person. We needed supplies, and coin. There had to be some kind of civilization somewhere near here.
I was walking towards the other side of the ship when I heard someone call for help. It looked like it was coming from a humanoid: white hair, pointy ears and skin too pale to be human… he had to be an elf.
“Everything alright?” I got closer to him, cautiously. You could never be too careful in a strange place.
"Hurry, I've got one of those brain things cornered." He said without looking at me as he pointed at something around the bushes.
I looked at the elf. He was… mesmerizingly beautiful. There was something otherworldly about him. I had seen handsome people before, slept with a few of them too, but he was so different. It was hard to take my eyes off of him.
"There, in the grass. You can kill it, can't you? Like you killed the others." He said as he took a few steps further and motioned me to get closer.
"Easily. Stand back." I said putting on my tough face and walked closer to him.
"There, can you see it?" He spoke almost like a whisper as he stepped closer to me. I tried to look at where he was pointing but I was distracted by his proximity. Was my face getting flushed? No. No…
I saw the shine of his dagger right before he tackled me to the ground, but I was too late to notice it. I was trapped inside his arms with his dagger pressed to my neck.
"Shh. Not a sound. Not if you want to keep that darling neck of yours.” He whispered, looking into my eyes then looked up to Shadowheart and Gale, who had just caught up to me. “And you - keep your distance. No need for this to get messy."
"I need her alive – stow that blade or I'll show you just how messy things can get." Shadowheart answered him.
He let out an insincere laugh. “Promises, promises. But I have other business, I’m afraid.” He returned his piercing gaze back to me. “Now, I saw you on the ship, didn’t I? Nod.”
I held his gaze and nodded. I had never seen an elf like him before. A surface elf with red eyes? He had to have some drow ancestry.
“Splendid. And now you’re going to tell me exactly what you and those tentacled freaks did to me.” He yelled, pulling back my attention.
My eyes widened when I realized, he was one of us! “You have it backwards – they took me prisoner, just like you.”
“Don’t lie to me! I –“ he tried to speak but a cry of pain cut through his words. I lost track of where I was at the same time. All I could see was looking out of eyes unfamiliar to mine, prowling dark, busy streets. Then came the light, and the unimaginable fear.
I came back just in time to hear him yell again. “What was that? What’s going on?”
I let go of his dagger and looked into his widened eyes. “It’s the mind flayer’s worm – it connected us.”
I watched as his eyes darted between mine and he slowly relaxed his hold over me. I pulled back as he did and we both stood back up. He was still in attack position but gradually he relaxed, placing his dagger on his belt.
“You’re not one of them. They took you, just the same as me.” He spoke slowly, looking down. He looked back to me with an embarrassed expression. “And to think I was ready to decorate the ground with your innards. Apologies.”
“Apology accepted. I might have done the same were the roles reversed.” I said as I wiped the dust off my leathers. I had to stop rolling around on the ground. We didn’t even have a place to take a bath yet.
“Ah, a kindred spirit.” He spoke with an intrigued smile and put on a rather civilised posture. “My name’s Astarion. I was in Baldur’s gate when those beasts snatched me.”
“Lorelei.” I said with a nod and added with excitement. “I’m Baldurian, as well.”
“Is that so? We clearly move in different circles.” He said with veiled contempt as he looked at his nails, making me roll my eyes. “So do you know anything about these worms?”
“Yes, unfortunately. They’ll turn us into mind flayers.” I responded ignoring his little comment.
“Turn us into – “ He cut himself off with a maniacal laughter. “Of course, it’ll turn me into a monster. What else did I expect?” He spoke with much pain in his voice, his shoulders dropping in defeat.
I raised my eyebrows. I could sympathise with his frustration but I had a feeling that there was something more to it.
“Although it hasn’t happened yet. If we can find an expert – someone that can control these things – there might still be time.” He spoke quickly regaining his stance. I could almost see the gears turning in his head, looking for a solution.
“Control it? We need to get rid of it.” I said as I shook my head, doing my best to escape his piercing crimson gaze. He had the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.
“Well, yes, of course.” He spoke with slight amusement in his voice. ”But first things first.”
“You should join us. Our odds are better together.” He was one of us, after all.
“You know, I was ready to go this alone, but maybe sticking with the herd isn’t such a bad idea. And you seem like a useful person to know. All right, I accept. Lead on.”
I didn’t know who made me the leader of this odd little group but it seemed like everyone was following me. So, we made our way back to the crash and to the other side once again. We found the entrance to… something. It looked abandoned and was almost hidden with vines all around it. It still stood firmly which made me suspect it could be a temple.
What was more surprising was the locked door. It stood firm and didn’t let us through. Astarion said he could lockpick but we didn’t have any thievery tools. Shadowheart suggested there could be another way in, so we walked around it, climbing up the hill.
There was another entrance on that side, but also a group of tomb raiders in front of it. Two of them were arguing, I counted two more on the stairs. Maybe I could convince them to leave the area. There would be no guarantee they wouldn’t come back, however. If they saw through my deception, we were very out and in the open for their attack. They had the high ground advantage. If we attacked first, we’d have the element of surprise, at least. So, I gave my group a signal to follow me from behind.
It wasn’t my style to start fights from a place I was seen but I was the only one quick enough for it. Astarion, too, maybe but he certainly was not going to take that arrow for us. However, it worked. The thieves were distracted and we were able to make quick work of them.
The temple could be a shelter for us, but we needed to check out the inside first. We collected the supplies left behind by the group and found some tents and bedrolls. Everything we could use when we made camp. I looked up to the sky. We didn’t have much time before sunset.
I noticed a secluded cove on the other side of the beach as I looked down from the building. I showed it to them and they all agreed it would be good, if the inside of the temple is not. I wasn’t fond of making camp inside the temple as it would be easy to get ambushed and hard to escape. We found it. Others could easily do the same.
We took a little rest and ate some of the fish we had found. Gale offered to cook and Shadowheart helped him. I was sitting on the old walls looking out into the sea as I've waited for them to be done. I missed the city.
“Mind if I join?” I heard Astarion ask politely. I nodded and he sat down next to me. “So, how did you pick up the other two?”
“I helped Shadowheart on the nautiloid and we woke up next to each other on the beach.”
“Her name really is Shadowheart? Shadow Heart… hmm,” he stopped and I looked at him. “I’m sure her parents meant well, but the name’s a little ominous, isn’t it?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the way he said that. “I guess so...”
“Unless she chose it herself. Which is even more worrying, honestly.” He let out a nervous laugh.
“She’s a… little secretive, it seems. Unlike Gale who couldn’t stop talking since we met.” I said with a chuckle. I looked back and what do you know, he was talking the ears off of Shadowheart. Although, he hadn't told us much about himself, I realized.
“Ah, yes – the wizard… You found him in a rock?”
“Yep.” He clearly gossiped with the others before he came to me.
“He managed to get stuck in his own portal? That is hardly a promising introduction.”
“You tried to kill me Astarion.” I said with a raised eyebrow.
“Hey, now – I apologised, didn’t I? And I wasn’t going to kill you. I merely needed information.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Come guys the food is ready!” I heard Gale yell. I turned around and jumped from the wall.
“You go ahead – I had some stuff already. I’m not hungry.”
I paused but nodded and made my way to Shadowheart and Gale.
“Astarion’s certainly an interesting find. Let’s hope any future acquaintances don’t hold a blade to your throat by way of introduction.” Shadowheart commented when I sat down.
“I hope I can get the jump on at least one of the next ones.” I said with a chuckle as I picked up some food. ”It feels like the tadpole has scrambled my brain.”
“We’ll need to keep our wits sharp around him, I think.”
I looked back to him as Gale spoke. He was leaning on his hands, enjoying the sunlight with closed eyes and a soft smile on his lips. He looked so angelic and innocent under the sun… it was hard to think he’d plan anything malevolent.
Once we were done with our late lunch, we got ready to look around inside the temple. When we approached the door, we heard a man call out for his friends. There were possibly more of them inside and we didn’t want to alert them to our presence.
“Allow me,” Astarion spoke softly as we heard the man.
I raised an eyebrow but stepped aside. "All yours."
He deceived the man inside into opening the door. I was impressed with how easily Astarion had tricked him - deception has never been my strong suit.
We cautiously looked around the room after we killed him before he could alert the others. There were curious old books and some decent food which could cover us for tomorrow. Once we looted the place fully, we followed through the doors ahead and got greeted by one more of the thieves. The place was dark, between Astarion and I, he had no chance. The remaining four inside the room ahead was a little bit harder to handle. Even though the place was too dark for Gale, Astarion and I handled them with Shadowheart’s support.
We looked around, finding more dusty books and unnerving crypts. Each room we entered seemed to be a puzzle on itself. We followed along, finally arriving to an opening. It looked to be the centre of the whole building. There was a huge statue across the entrance and armed scribe skeletons all around us.
“I wonder what was so subversive about their words that they commanded protection.” Astarion commented as we found more and more of the skeletons. I took their swords just in case. You never knew what you could wake up in a place like this.
I moved closer to the statue. An old man, holding a parchment and a quill. “Jergal… I didn’t know people still worshipped him.”
“Considering the state of this place – I don’t think they do, darling.” Astarion answered, looking around himself.
“Didn’t he leave his throne for The Dead Three?” Shadowheart commented.
“He did. Curious to find it here. This place looks more like a tomb than a temple.” Gale commented.
"Or both. It would be a fitting temple for The Scribe of the Dead." I spoke lowly as we made our way to the other side of the statue. There was an arch which looked to be a doorway and a button next to it. "Do I press it?"
"What else is there left to do?" Gale asked as I remembered the protection from good and evil scrolls we had found in a previous room.
"Get your scrolls ready," I said as my hand hovered over the button. After they all nodded I pressed it.
The wall opened with a loud grumble. It also awakened the formerly dead scribes, who were now on full charge towards us. We used the protection spell and managed to kill them. We were exhausted by the time the last of them went down.
One last thing was left to do now. Enter the little room they were protecting and find the treasure. We found some fancy arrows and a good amount of coin before I focused on the sarcophagus. I touched the lid, hoping for more when it opened on its own and yet another skeleton came flying out of it… this one had a different aura about it; soothing, calm and ancient.
“So he has spoken, and so thou standest before me. Right as always. What a curious way to awaken.” It said as it tilted its head to the side. “Now I have a question for thee: what Is the worth of a single mortal’s life?”
I looked at the creature wide eyes, words getting lost by the spookiness of it all. The more I looked at it the more I realized that it was not a skeleton, not like the ones outside. A mummy? No. He seemed way too intelligent to be one of them. He looked like an undead but he was too alive to be one. “What are you?”
“I am not the same as those thou hast slain, if that is what thou askest.”
That was… reassuring, I guess. He was a strange being, nevertheless. I have been in many tombs and never have seen such a curious creature crawl out of a sarcophagus before.
“Wilt thou answer my question?” He spoke when I didn’t say anything else.
“Yes… what was it again?”
“What is the worth of a single mortal life?”
I paused. I didn’t know, really. Who was I to make that kind of judgement? And what would happen to me or the people with me when I answered. Was he a fey creature? Playing games with us?
I examined him again. He wasn't playful... or giddy. That's how I imagined the fey to be, anyway. He was deadly serious with his question so I gave him the only answer I thought was fair. “Depends on the mortal.”
“I am curious by which standards thou shalt judge.” He almost sounded intrigued. “Very well. I am satisfied. We have met and I know thy face. We will see each other again at the proper time and place. Farewell.”
“We will?” I repeated as he moved to leave the room, his bones crackling. “What should I call you?” I asked hoping he’d at least give an answer to that.
“I have many names. You may call me Withers.” He spoke, looking over at us over his shoulder and left, leaving us to look behind him with confused eyes.
“He has a divine aspect. A reflection of death itself. Eternal and inescapable.” Shadowheart spoke, sounding just as in awe as I was.
We shook our shock away. There was nothing more for us to do here. We had our supplies and our loot. It would be best if we made camp before the day turned into the night. We exited through the way we came and made our way down to the secluded cove.
We looked around the place. The river was right next to us which was great when we needed baths, a rock blocking the view. It was good for privacy and security. There was an old stone ruin across the spring that met the Chionthar and the other side was covered with tall trees.
Everyone pitched their tents. I made a place for myself next to the rock in the middle of the camp ground, next to the camp fire.
“You know what I miss about Baldur’s Gate? The food. Freshest fish I’ve ever had.” Shadowheart spoke as we gathered around the fire for dinner.
“I don’t care for fish. Red meat – now that’s a different matter. Rare as can be… dripping.” Astarion said, almost salivating.
“Well unless we find a cure you won’t have any teeth to chew it with soon enough.” Shadowheart responded with a sarcastic tone.
I looked at Astarion – that was an odd comment. But the others didn’t seem to care about it. Still, I felt like I needed to learn more about him. “Tell us a bit about yourself, Astarion.”
“Oh, what’s to tell? I’m a magistrate back in the city – it’s all rather tedious.” He answered with a wave of his hand as he sipped from his goblet.
The cutlery and glasses were all lifted from the ruin, as well. They were rather nice. And, Astarion being a magistrate… explained the attitude, in the least.
I turned my attention to our wizard. “What about you, Gale?”
“Let’s see. I hail from Waterdeep, the city of Splendours. I’m a wizard of considerable acclaim, and scholar of exceptional accomplishment.” He spoke proudly with the same energy from before.
“And yet you still managed to get yourself stuck inside a rock…” Shadowheart mocked with her usual sarcastic tone.
To my surprise, Gale only smiled at her. He was having fun. “I have a cat, a library, and a weakness for a good glass of wine. And if the mood takes me, I’m known to try my hand at poetry.”
“I can join you there with the good wine. This thing is not half bad.” Astarion raised his goblet. I noticed he hadn’t eaten much but he did love a good drink, indeed. He was the first to pocket the liquor back in the ruins.
I turned to Shadowheart. She looked at me behind her goblet with raised eyebrows. “Your turn.” I said with a smile.
“No harm in a little mystery, don’t you think?” She said with a sassy tone.
Man, have I picked the most cheerful people to travel with. I had felt lonely in my days back in the city but they were making me miss it.
“We have to rely on each other. Easier if we knew each other as well.” I said, hoping to get her to answer a little, at least.
“Easier’s less interesting. Besides, we have plenty of reason to rely on each other already – you can’t confide in just anyone about a monster in your head.” She said with a sassy start but a calmer finish.
She had a point indeed but I was not ready to give up yet. “Maybe I’d like to get to know you better.”
“Sweet of you… but don’t worry – I’m sure you’ll get to know me just fine by travelling together. No need for interrogations just yet.” She was a lot less defensive now.
“If that’s what you prefer, I can respect that.” I said defeated. I wasn’t going to learn much tonight.
“Thank you. I’m sure we’ll get along perfectly well.”
“What about you, Lorelei?” Gale asked me with a smile. He and Astarion were listening to me struggle to talk to Shadowheart, silently up until that point.
It was probably best to keep the fact that I was an assassin and a tomb raider to myself. I wasn’t worried about Shadowheart or Astarion, well, he was a magistrate, but Gale seemed like the most decent one in this group of misfits. “I’m a mercenary of some sort. I work for the wizards and sorcerers, usually. They want an artefact or a book found, they come to me.”
Gale seemed interested and asked a few follow ups. I told him about the boring jobs where I found rare scrolls and mundane wizard politics. Not long after, we were all done with dinner. Shadowheart and Gale went to get cleaned up in the river, one after the other as Astarion and I took care of the leftovers and the dirty plates. I went to take a bath next as Astarion made no attempt to go that way.
When I got back, I found Gale standing next to the fire, brooding.
“Go to Hell.” He said with an exhale.
“And good evening to you too.” I said with amusement.
He let out a laugh. “Hah. You’re a good sport." He sounded melancholic when he spoke again. "Go to Hell.’ An everyday expression. So trivial it’s almost meaningless. But we’ve seen Hell. It’s real. And it isn’t trivial.”
“What’s on your mind, Gale?”
“Devils, dragons, mind flayers – they used to be abstracts. Pictures on a piece of paper. What a difference a day makes. Now we have tadpoles slithering through our heads like carnivorous foeti. That’s not abstract.”
I thought on his words. He was right in a lot of ways, very philosophical too. “I’m not too worried. We’ll find someone who can help us.” I didn’t know what was going to happen to us but being positive was all I had. Otherwise, we should have just crawl into a hole and wait for death.
“That’s the spirit. Let’s be up with the lark – find a healer before the wee one gets hungry.” He said pointing to his head and smiled. He looked much happier than before now.
I answered with a yawn. It was an eventful day. I was tired.
“Goodnight, Lorelei.” Gale said respectfully and turned to make his way to his tent.
I looked around the camp to find Shadowheart’s curious eyes watching us. She quickly turned away but it looked like she had something to say. I made my way over to her.
“Doing the rounds, are you? You better get some rest.” She said and paused before she added with suspicion. “What were you two talking about?”
“What do you mean?” I asked confused.
“You and Gale.” She said with a raised eyebrow.
“We were just discussing the next steps.”
“I see. I’d be careful around Gale.”
I paused for a second to assess if she was serious or not. “You don’t trust Gale?”
“He’s a wizard. All they care about is power.”
I stayed quiet. She was not entirely wrong. I had known many wizards. They paid well for what they asked for but that didn’t mean all of them were the same. Some, didn't pay well.
“Let’s hope we rapidly find a healer. You seem reliable. I think you know how important it is that we find someone who can cure us. Best if we focus on that.” She spoke when I didn’t answer.
"Let’s not abandon all caution. This is unfamiliar territory.”
“Caution is a luxury we don’t have. Let’s rest and wake up at first light.”
I bid her goodnight and turned around. I found Astarion sitting on one of the bedrolls when I made it back to the fire.
“Your magician seems dour tonight. Must not relish the idea of sprouting tentacles.” Astarion spoke as I sat down on another bedroll.
“He was a little depressed.” I said with an exhale.
“Understandable. Can’t say I’m a fan either. It’s just hard to join in when all of this feels so new.” It was odd but he sounded almost happy to be here. I looked towards him. There was a smile in his eyes.
“How come?” I asked when I realized he was in a chattier mood when it was just the two of us.
“The night normally means bustling streets, bursting taverns.” He paused and a furrow appeared on his brows before he continued. “Curling up in the dirt and resting is… a little novel.”
He finished his words with another smile on his face. There was something underneath it all. Something deeper that I couldn’t put my finger on it. It almost sounded like he preferred this to what he had before the tadpole. I shook my head mentally to the notion. Nah, who would want to have these monsters in their heads?
“You should give it a try. We don’t know what we’ll find tomorrow. We need to be fresh for it.”
“I’m in no place to rest yet. Today has been a lot.” He said with a tired exhale. “I need some time to think things through. To process this.” He looked into my eyes. This was perhaps the sincerest I had seen him be, so far. I… liked it.
I understood where he was coming from. There was a moment of silence between us but it was almost comfortable. It wasn’t long before I had to yawn and felt my eyes get heavy.
“You should sleep. I’ll keep watch.” He said in a soft voice. Maybe it was because I was tired but I thought I caught a warm look in his eyes.
Perhaps it was not the wisest decision to trust this man, who had his dagger on my neck earlier today to keep watch at night, but also, he did have his dagger on my neck. He had my life in his hands, yet decided to trust me. He had no reason to become hostile in the middle of the night. We were all on the same boat and we needed each other to get to the shore.
“Thank you. I’ll sleep better knowing that.” I said with a smile.
“The pleasure is all mine. Sweet dreams.” He replied with a courteous bow of his head.
"Goodnight." I said as I made myself comfortable on the bedroll by the fire.
I looked at Astarion. He was still sitting by it. I thought about the way he spoke his last words. He sounded flirty and insincere at the same time.
There was more to him. There was more to everyone I camped with. All of them could easily kill me at night but, why should that matter, really? If we didn't find a cure, we were all as good as dead.
I closed my eyes with that thought - hoping to get some rest before tomorrow.