Blood & Wine - A Spawn Astarion Fan Fiction

Nymeria

"Home is back in Baldur's Gate?"

Stanzi gestures to the wagon, "This is home. Anywhere with my daughter, is home." She nods to my shoulder, "The wound is healing nicely. I don't see any signs of infection."

"Thank you." I mutter and she almost smiles in response.

As she begins to dress my wound Myra runs up to us, a small bouquet of blue and white flowers clutched tightly in her tiny hands. She holds it out to me, I look to Stanzi and she nods.

"They're beautiful." I take the bouquet and Myra runs off to find more.

"Ildra isn't as terrible as she seems." Stanzi says, "Gandrel, the man your vampire spawn companion killed, was our brother." She looks at me, "I wanted to hate you as much as she does because it made sense in the moment. I recognize now that he was protecting himself and he was protecting you in his own way. You cannot fault a cornered animal for biting you." Stanzi looks over her shoulder at her daughter, "If it was to protect Myra, I would have done the same."

I watch her face, recognizing the pain. "I cannot promise that he regrets his decision, but I know he will grow to in time. Just like most things we do for survival."

Stanzi nods.

Myra runs up with another bouquet, this time handing it to her mother with a smile. Stanzi leans down and kisses the top of her head then glances off to the side of the wagon and stiffens.

Ildra walks up, looking between us, her eyes trained on mine before drifting to my bandage, a sneer tugging at her lips. "We are just a quarter day's journey from camp. We will be there soon." She gives her sister a pointed stare and walks back to the front of the wagon.

"Stanzi." I say, "What fate awaits me when we reach your camp?"

"My hope?" Stanzi wraps an arm around her daughter, "Mercy."

—

I can smell the smoke from the settlement before I begin to see the tents and other wagons. As we slow to a stop the sounds of community begin to swell in hushed conversations and the occasion noisy bird or cattle.

Ildra appears at the back of the wagon, glaring at me as she pulled my chains from their tether. She tugs forward me along barely allowing me to climb out of the back of the wagon bed properly.

I stumble to my feet and walk along side her, a hush falling upon the rest of the camp turns as others turn and stare. Stanzi and Myra join their friends around the fire, looking back at me as Ildra directs me to the center most and largest tent in camp.

The flaps of the door surge open and an older woman with grey hair cropped at the sides with the same telltale braids walks out. She looks at me, her brows furrowing then over to Ildra.

"What is this?" The older woman says, waving her hand at me, "This isn't the vampire spawn. Where is Gandrel?" She looks over Ildra's shoulder.

"The spawn, Astarion, killed Gandrel." Ildra says, "This is his companion. She will lead him to us."

"My condolences, Ildra, but this tiefling is not our prisoner." The older woman says turning her attention to me, "I apologize my child." She looks down at my bindings and points to Ildra then the shackles. "Remove them."

"What?!" Ildra growls, "My brother is dead at his hand and you wish to set her free?"

"She did not kill your brother, Ildra. Release her."

Ildra reaches into her pack and steps in front of me, staring into my eyes with such ire that I look away as she unlocks the shackles. When they drop to the ground I reach and rub my wrists.