To Baldur's Gate

Chapter Fifteen

We traveled well into the afternoon, following the stream to the north and making our way closer to the Goblin City. 

Shadowheart and I kept close company again, chatting about our pasts and hopes for the future. I asked her about the duties of a cleric of Shar and she asked about Lolth, our Spider-Queen. Karlach was a fun addition to our merry group. Her tales of battle and adventures in Hell mesmerized us for hours, and we were completely spellbound by her stories. Gale's occasional witticism drew laughs from everyone except Lae'zel and Astarion, both of whom seemed entirely grumpy.

"Must every word you speak be blarney?" Astarion muttered from the side. I had put some salve on his sunburned cheeks halfway through the day when they had begun to burn a bright pink from the sun's rays. Instead of burning to ashes from the sun, Astarion was stuck with a simple sunburn.

"You know, Astarion, I forget we're not the same age until you use words like 'blarney'." Gale said. "Then I remember that you're truly an old man at heart." 

"I'd prefer it if we were silent." Lae'zel's sour attitude did not go unnoticed by Wyll. 

"Lae'zel, have I told you that I think you have the most stunning eyes?" He said, quite boldly. Lae'zel only scoffed. 

"I'm glad you find them to your liking, as they may be the last pair you ever see," she responded with a menacing smile.
That was the end of the complimenting. 

By the time we had reached our destination, a small clearing nearly a mile from the city, evening had cast its shadow over the land and the bright torches from the goblin's gates were being lit in the distance. We unpacked what little we had and made sure our small camp was secluded enough that traveling goblin packs wouldn't be able to scout it out. We decided not to build a campfire for this reason. With a small murmur of a spell, I blessed my sight with darkvision so that I might see enemies approaching in the night. 

Astarion seemed restless nearby. He held a mirror in his hand, ornate and silver, embellished with gems. I went to him, curious. 

"Do you miss your reflection?" I asked. 

Astarion gave a humorless laugh. "Of course I miss it. Such a vain thing, to long for one's reflection." Suddenly, with a flick of his wrist, the mirror was slammed against a nearby object, shattering the glass completely. "I haven't seen myself since I grew fangs and my eyes turned red."  

"What did you look like before?" I asked, placing a gentle hand on the arm that held the broken mirror. Astarion's expression was soft, and the cascading moonlight only enhanced his elegant features. 

"I ... can't remember," He murmured. "It's just another thing that I've lost to this - this curse. It's been so long, the only thing I have left is my name, and that came from a marked gravestone in Baldur's Gate." Astarion was sharing a lot tonight and I was grateful that he trusted me enough to indulge like this, but I couldn't bear to see him this unhappy. 

"I'll be your mirror. Tell me what you want to see."  

"I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me." His voice quieted and my heart grew soft at his vulnerable eyes. "I want to know what you see." 

I leaned forward, carefully inspecting him. "Well, I see strong piercing eyes..." 

He seemed to like this answer. "Go on."

"Your dangerous smile," I stepped closer, studying him as a painter would his masterpiece. 

"Very good," Astarion purred. The tension still hadn't quite left him, but I could sense that his mood had improved. "Just call me beautiful and we can call it an evening." 

"You are beautiful," I said. "It's one of the first things I thought when we met." I closed all distance between us and kissed him on the cheek, not caring if anyone around us saw. If he wanted to keep our midnight trysts a secret then so be it, but I was far enough gone that I would take anything I could get. 

Astarion reached up and traced the lines of my face. "Don't go to bed with Gale tonight," he whispered, his soft voice strangled. 

"What?" I asked, immediately confused. "Why would I -"

"Tav! Sorry, Astarion. Can I steal her from you?" Gale's words brought me back to the present. I had promised him that I would stargaze with him. I was now regretting that promise. At the sound of Gale's voice, Astarion backed away from me and threw on his sly smile. 

"Of course. Enjoy." He walked away and ducked into the shadows, disappearing behind the trees in seconds. 

"What an oddball," Gale murmured, both of us looking for Astarion in the darkness. "Are you ready?" He held out a hand for me to take and I did, reluctantly. 

We went to his camping area and the telescope was there, set up and aimed at the night sky. I had never seen technology of this kind before, but with his permission and instruction, I put my eyes up to the glass and peered far into the heavens. 

"There are millions of stars for us still to discover," Gale explained, "Much of what you see will never be touched by the likes of you or me. Only the gods can reach them." 

"What's that large red one? The one up -" I tried reaching out in front of me to show him what I was looking at, but he obviously couldn't see it. "It's up there and it's red. It doesn't look like a star."

Gale chucked at my earnestness. "I believe they call that one Mars. Named after an ancient god of war and bloodlust. Hence, the red color." 

I took my face away from the telescope and stared up at the sky, marveling at the beauty in the sky. "It's breathtaking, truly." I looked to Gale and smiled. "Thank you, Gale. This is amazing." 

Gale stepped closer but his smile disappeared from his face, being replaced by a nervous expression that I didn't like. Nerves stirred in my stomach, alerting me that something was about to happen. 

"Tav, there's something I've wanted to talk to you about," he said, voice tender and sweet. While he took another step closer, I took a step back, replacing some of the space he was trying to destroy. 

"Gale, I think you've got the wrong idea." I held my hands out in front of me like a shield. "You're wonderful. I enjoy your company and appreciate all that you've done for me, but -"

"But?" His face faltered. 

"But," I continued. "I'm in love with - with someone else. I'm sorry."  

Gale's shoulder slumped and he sighed a great big sigh. "I should have known. It's Shadowheart, isn't it? You two have been so close lately, I should have seen it coming." 

"Shadowheart?" I would have laughed if it wasn't such a strange assumption to make. Had he not seen Shadowheart and Karlach interact at all?

"Thank you for telling me, Tav." Gale sighed once again. "I'll excuse myself. Goodnight." He walked away before I could tell him the truth. 

"Shadowheart?" I asked myself one more time. I let myself laugh at his cluelessness. "Oh gods, maybe he'll figure it out later."