Love's Bite | Astarion x Tav Fanfic

Partners

We continued forwards, and entered the mansion through what appeared to be an infirmary.
Another figure stood there, examining some corpses, it was a pale woman.
"They're sleeping very deeply. Should I wake them? They need medicine," the woman mumbled to herself.
"They're looking very dead," Karlach said.
"Shhhhhh, they're sleeping. Do not wake them," the woman said.
"Um listen lady, they are very clearly dead," Karlach attempted to explain again.
"They are sleeping!" The woman's voice boomed so loudly the walls shook.
"We'll just be going," Astarion said, pulling at my sleeve.
"Be quiet!" This time, she grew as her voice did. The woman now took up half the room. Books and bottles began flying off every surface. The door slammed shut behind us.
Astarion tried to pry it open, but only failed.
"It's a poltergeist," Shadowheart said.
I glanced over at the dead bodies, then something struck me. It was Arabella'a parents.
"We need to get out of here, otherwise we are next," I said.
We made a break for the door behind her, it opened into the rest of the mansion. We sprinted to it, ducking under her. I was the last one through, and slammed the door behind me. It was incredibly dark, aside from some moonlight entering through gaps in the ceiling.
"I can't see a thing, where do you think the exit is?" I asked.
There was silence.
"Astarion?"
Still silence.
"Karlach? Shadowheart?"
Nothing.
I remembered I had the moonlantern in my pack, and took it out.
It's light filled the room.
My companions were gone. I began to panic.
"Where the fuck are you all?"
Still not response. I began to search, after about a minute of two, I heard an incredibly low sound. It barely pierced the silence. At first, I couldn't make out what it was. Then, I realised it was a laugh. As I scanned the hallway for it, it became louder. Soon, it's source appeared. A large black shadow rose up from the ground. Without Shadowhearts spirit guardian spell, I didn't want to mess with it. I ran away from it, without looking back. I could sense it dashing towards me. The laughter grew louder and louder. It was close. I quickly entered the nearest room and slammed the door shut, not knowing if it could simply pass through it.
Watching the door, I backed away slowly. I half expected it float on in, instead, there was a knock.
"Huh?"
The knocking continued in a pattern. One, two, three, four. Then a pause. One, two, three, four, pause.
I stood there for a minute to think. Another set of knocking appeared, this time; it came from inside the wall. It didn't take long for another set, then another. Soon enough, the room was filled with thunderous rhythmic knocking.
My eyes darted around. This was terrifying, and worst of all, I was alone.
"Who do I do?" My voice quivered.
The knocking became overwhelming.
"Shit!" I said, as I ran to open the door. I decided to sprint out of there, if the shadow was still there, then so be it.
As I flung the door open I saw shadow was gone. I ran as fast as I could through the corridor. The knocking followed me. Still I kept going, deeper into the mansion. I found myself in the central hall. There was a door, with a lot of groaning and screaming behind it. I wondered for a moment if I should just get out of there, then I remember my companions were still somewhere inside.
I signed, what if it was one of them being tortured?
My hand hovered above the door knob, then I twisted it. It was a surgery room, inside was a doctor, with three nurses hovering around him. My eyes shifted to the poor soul laying on the table. It wasn't one of my companions thankfully.
"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you. We were all separated," Karlach said.
"Can we get out of here before we get lost again?" Astarion complained.
"Wait," I said.
Astarion frowned disapprovingly.
"The objective of the scalpel, sisters, is to soothe, for the scalpel indeed is an extension of Shar," the doctor said.
He took the scalpel and cut into the patients skins. The man moaned in pain.
"See how the patient reacts when I stroke the right nerve. Hear it's comfort. Hear the melody of mercy," the doctor instructed the nurses.
The man on the table wailed in pain again.
"Pray sister, show us the extent of your beneficence," it turned to us, "we have unexpected guests. Come. Step forward. You are no sister, but that matters none. Every student is welcome."
I thought for a moment, 'perhaps I should play into his game.'
"A student. Yes, do please enlighten me," I said.
"It is the scalpel lead journey that leads from peace to pain," it made another incision, "see? what is the light of the eyes but the cancer that causes one to witness the laceration of being. If light is the symptom, then darkness is the cure, and you need to be cured as well. Don't fret, the sisters can help you with that."
There was no way in hell I was letting that scalpel near me.
I frowned, "the sisters aren't ready, they'll make me sick instead of curing me."
"How to steady their hands I wonder," the doctor said thoughtfully.
"In my years of study, I have found no better teacher than example. Maybe you should volunteer," I said. It was worth a shot.
"Hmmm yesss. The scalpel does not discriminate. Let each and every one of us partake in the healing journey."
I smiled, it had worked.
We watched the sisters approach him. They began to slash him with their scalpels. Our faces turned to grim as they made cut after cut. Eventually, he was dead. The nurses scattered after that, seemingly lost without any direction.
I approached the man on the table. He was incapacitated. There was nothing we could do. I rummaged through his pack. There was a lute with the name Art Cullagh on it.
"I knew he was a Bard!" Karlach said.
I laughed, "let's just get out of here, I've had enough of this place."
We left the mansion with ease relative ease.

————

After returning to camp, I needed some time alone. That mansion was a horror show. I have faced some formidable enemies, but nothing compared to that. That was powerful magic, and it was terrifying.
I sat by the lake near the Inn, thinking.
"Tav?" Astarion approached.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Your mind seems elsewhere," he said.
"Just needed to think."
"About what happened today?"
"Yeah, I realised how scared I actually was alone....." my voice trailed off.
"Well you're not alone, you know that right?"
I nodded, "yes, but for a moment I was."
"Well.... I found this in that horrid room with Arabella's parents," Astarion handed me a ring.
"Oh! A ring?" I took it from him.
"There was another that matched," he held up his.
A smile grew on my face, "are these couple rings?"
"If you want them to be," he said awkwardly.
"Of course I do! Now, I won't ever feel alone," I was smiling ear to ear.
He laughed a little. I knew that was his intent.
While Astarion was prideful, you had to read between the lines to understand what he was saying.
I gazed into his eyes, "come here."
His face moved closer to mine, and our lips met.
My lips tingled with his touch. For a moment I was completely an utterly alone, and it made me realise how much I needed him. I only had snippets of my life before. It was full of loneliness. Now, I had someone and they had me.