To Baldur's Gate

Chapter Twenty-One

Seeing Tav with her mother and sisters, she appeared as content as the night in the Emerald Grove. Her smile was bright and ceaseless. Tav's mother, whose name I learned was Reya, wasn't what I was expecting at all. She greeted all of us with a cautious smile that soon transformed into a motherly hug. Reya's words held a lingering discernable accent that only heightened her lilting and musical voice. 

"So, tell me how my daughter came in the company of such a handsome man," Reya said to me, earning groans from Tav's two younger sisters, Raefi and Della. Della and Tav looked very similar to their mother - with the red tinted skin and long curling hair. They even had the same pointed noses. Raefi on the other hand, had a more dusky appearance, with short hair that was black as the night. They all had the slightest shimmer of draconic scales tracing their cheekbones. 

"Well, mama, it's kind of a long story," Tav said. 

"We were all abducted by mindflayers!" Karlach nearly shouted. The excitement of this family reunion seemed to get her riled up, as she burned brighter than she had in a few days. 

"Mindflayers?" Reya gasped. "I told you, Tav, leaving the Underdark was only going to get you in trouble."

"I know, I know, but -" Tav tried to explained herself but was interupted by her mother. 

"This is what I meant when I told you that you couldn't take care of yourself. Of course the second you leave the safety of my home is when the illithids come for you. Gods, I should never have let you go." Reya reached out and grasped Tav's shoulder. "But you've come home now and I don't intend on letting you out of my sight again." 

"Tav will die if she stays here." Lae'zel's firm voice did nothing to ease the tension. Reya's eyes glared daggers at the gith. 

"What she means," Shadowheart quickly ammended, "We've all been infected with illithid tadpoles. We're on a mission to get them removed. If we don't, we'll all turn into mindflayers ourselves." 

"Gods, of course Tav would get into something like this," Della, the youngest, muttered. 

I noticed Tav's posture change. She was slouched into her chair, head hung low to her chest, as if hiding from the room itself. I couldn't blame her. The way the conversation had turned against her in such a flash must have been a usual occurrence in this household. 

"Once we discover the cure for these tadpoles, we'll be sure to come back and visit," I said, trying to swing the topic back around to something else that would be easier to talk about. "After we were abducted, Tav managed to bring the entire ship down, saving all of us."

"She rescued me on the ship and then we decided to group together," Shadowheart said, adding to my story. "Then we found Gale, and Astarion, and Lae'zel, and all the rest." 

"Her magic saved me," Gale cast a nauseatingly loving look toward Tav. "Her sorcery and survival skills have brought us all this way - I'd say she's doing rather well, all things considered." 

"Tav and I did have a bit of a run in when we first met. There might have been a knife involved, but who's to say," I drawled on. "There aren't many people in this world who I'd dare to call a friend, or anything more than that, really. But your daughter is someone ... quite special to me." I looked across the table to her, meeting her grateful eyes. "So much of me has changed since meeting her, and all of it was for the better. I owe her everything." 

The table fell into a calm silence after my comments, but I could feel the heat radiating off of Tav's body and rolling off in waves. My little speech had her ready and wanting - and as much as I ached to pin her to the dining table and eat her out until she was begging for release, I doubted present company would appreciate that scene. 

"Well now, you've got me all emotional," Reya said, wiping at her eyes. "I was just about to begin supper. I'll set the table for the extra company." 

"No, mother, you don't need to do that," Tav said, placing her hand on her mother's arm. "We have enough supplies for ourselves. There's no way you could feel all of us plus the girls. We'll be alright." 

Reya huffed a little sigh of annoyance. "Do you not think I can properly ration food? I assure you; I know what I have and don't have to give out." 

"That's not what she was saying, mama," Raefi argued. Reya threw up her hands and walked herself into what I assumed was the kitchen. We heard pots and pans clanging around as if she were throwing them from cupboards to tables. 

Tav turned to us, her friends, and smiled. "So sorry about her. She tends to overthink most of what we say to her. She's been like this for years." 

"Can I braid your hair?" Little Della asked Shadowheart, eyes bright with hope. "I've never braided such pretty hair before. Can I?" 

"Oh, sure." Shadowheart looked from Tav to her youngest sister, then turned herself around in her chair so that Della could reach the crown of her head. 

"You should show them around,  Tav," Raefi said, opening her latest book and setting it on the table. "Della tried to snoop around in there but I didn't let her." 

Tav gave Raefi a short and sweet hug. "Thank you, Rae. What are you reading?" 

"The History of Karsus." 

Gale's face lit up at the mention of the title. "You know the story of Karsus?" 

"Only a little," Raefi replied, her dark skin flushing. "Have you read this before?" 

"Oh, my child, you should see my copy at home. Filled to the brim with notes and annotations. Do you mind if I sit with you? I'd love to hear your thoughts on chapter fifteen."

While Gale chatted with Raefi and Della did Shadowheart's hair, Karlach stayed with them to chat and Lae'zel sat quietly at the table. Wyll sat next to her, trying to subtly catch her glance and perhaps start a conversation. That left myself and Tav to go exploring. 

"Well, Astarion," Tav sighed. "Would you like to see my bedroom?" 

"Gods, I thought you'd never ask."