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Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?
Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut
Chapter 1
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The Steel Watch Foundry loomed over the horizon of the city, a foreboding visual cacophony of stone and steel that cast all those that stood beneath it under a shadow of tyranny, until they blew it up.
The ground shook as they fled the building, and the resulting explosion was loud enough for the entire city to hear. Saff winced against the sun as she looked up at the smoke that billowed into the sky, a symbol to all that Gortash was not untouchable.
Around them the Gondians celebrated, tearing off their collars and tearfully reuniting with their families.
Then, clapping.
"That was a hell of a show, my friends!" Wulbren congratulated, emerging with his fellow Ironhand gnomes from the streets. "Watchers collapse in the street as we speak, and the Foundry? Well, it won't stain this beautiful city with its abominations - not anymore."
Saff was about to cheerfully greet him, until she saw his smile fall.
"But it's not over - so long as a single parasitic Gondian remains, Baldur's Gate is under threat."
"Enough, Wulbren!" Cried Zanner Toobin, the blinded Gondian who'd helped them take down the foundry. "Gortash enslaved us, forced us to build his Steel Watchers - but no more. Take the city, let the Ironhands reign supreme. I just wish to go home, and to hold my daughter."
"Please," Wulbren spat. "Just want to go home? If a Gondian told me the sky was blue, I'd look outside and check. You Gondians will lie, scheme, and torment this city until your dying breaths. Let's end this."
"What??" Saff gasped in disbelief. "Your people were enslaved, too! The Absolutists forced you all to work for them, just as Gortash forced the Gondians to work for him. You both went through the same thing!"
"The Ironhand gnomes were not creating instruments of tyranny!" Wulbren argued, turning on Saff.
"It was all to the same end! It was still for the Absolutists!" She insisted, shocked that he couldn't see the truth of the matter.
"You don't know of what you speak. And aside from that, I doubt they were even enslaved at all. Gondians will do anything for their own gain," Wulbren insisted, glaring towards Zanner and the others.
"Wulbren, enough!" Barcus's voice cut through the argument. "I won't watch as you poison your soul, and the brilliant future that remains to the Ironhand gnomes. I thought the Ironhand gnomes had corrupted you, Wulbren. Now I wonder if it wasn't the other way around. Kill the Gondians, and you kill all we love: collaboration. Challenge. Solving problems with the power of reason, creativity, and invention. I still want to believe you're better than that Wulbren, but even I am having my doubts."
Saff felt her anger beginning to dissipate at Barcus's words, replaced now with hope. She found him inspiring - inspiring enough to lead.
"I think the Ironhand gnomes need a new leader," she declared. "What do you say, Barcus?"
"Hah!" Wulbren laughed before Barcus got a chance to answer. "Barcus, lead the Ironhands? Barcus couldn't lead a rothĂŠ to a moss field!"
She turned to him, her fists clenching as anger flared within her once more.
"And you would lead the Ironhands to genocide," she growled, narrowing her eyes.
"I would, if that's what's needed. Where's that other wizard of yours? He knew how to deal with threats when he incinerated the Absolutists. Malitas, that was his name! I'm sure he'd understand what needs to be done now."
"He's dead," she spat, much to Wulbren's surprise.
"By Gaerdal, what manner of foe was able to best a man of his talents?"
"I was," she seethed as she stalked towards him, fists clenched and eyes dark with fury. "I wild shaped into an owlbear and mauled him to death while he screamed. If you don't want the same thing to happen to you, I suggest you leave. Now."
For a moment his eyes widened in shocked, before narrowing in disdain.
"I thought you a rebel in arms. I see now you were but a snake, waiting for its moment to strike. Keep your precious Gondians - but know that I will not rest until this city is rid of them and their bootlickers. When the day comes, my hammer will find your skulls and crack them wide open. Ironhands, move out!"
He turned and began to storm off, until he realised the rest of the Ironhands were hesitating, glancing towards Barcus.
"I think the others agree with Saff," Barcus said, looking at the Ironhands, then turning to Wulbren. "They deserve a leader who'll encourage them to create, not destroy. They deserve someone like me."
"This is ridiculous!" Wulbren shouted indignantly. "Ironhands, kill this man!"
There was a moment of tension as the Ironhands looked at Barcus, contemplating, before finally stowing their weapons.
"How dare you - cowards!" Wulbren yelled in anger, but despite his outburst, he could not get the Ironhands to rally to him. The Gondians declared for Barcus, and with a final threat, Wulbren left.
As the tension faded and the Gondians returned to their celebrations, Saff felt her anger dissipate to a simmering anxiety in the pit of her stomach. She didn't feel good about what she'd just done. It seemed to have worked out for the best, but threatening someone like that didn't feel right to her. She hadn't even really intended it - it had come out before she'd even realised what she was saying. It was worryingly close to how she felt with Aryn, and she saw the same anger in Saffy when she spoke of wanting revenge on Malitas. It left her feeling deeply uncomfortable, though Gale seemed to have a different view on things.
"Bravo, Saff!" He celebrated, clapping as he walked up to her. "What a performance!"
"Yeah!" Karlach agreed, pumping her fist into the air. "You showed that dickhead what's coming to him!"
"A happy ending all round I'd say, thanks to you," Wyll added, looking at the scene of celebration around them with a smile.
"You think?" She asked them all in surprise. "That didn't feel greatâŚ"
"Hey, sometimes you gotta put assholes in their place," Karlach said with a shrug. "I think the only sad thing about all this is that you didn't actually turn into an owlbear and rip him to bits!"
"Now now Karlach, no need to resort to violence when we don't need to," Gale warned, "but aside from that, I agree with the sentiment. A well-placed threat can sometimes be just what's needed."
"If I may?" They turned to see Barcus, lingering at the edge of their group. "I couldn't help but overhear, and I agree wholeheartedly. Wulbren needed someone to talk him down, and I'm not sure any other approach would have got through to him. Had you not done that, this may not be the scene of celebration it is now. And, on a personal note, thank you for your encouragement. I needed it. And have done since the day we met."
Saff felt her unease begin to fade at their reassurances and a smile came to her lips.
"You'll be a great leader to them, Barcus. You're exactly what they need."
"Thank you, truly. I may have lost Wulbren, but I found a far more preferable ally. Friend, even."
"Friend indeed," she agreed happily. Barcus returned her smile, but he clearly had something else on his mind as he shifted on his feet.
"If I may ask - what you said about Malitas. Was that true?"
She looked away slightly, her smile fading once more.
"Yes," she answered quietly. There was a moment of mournful quiet between them.
"Then I can only assume you too know what it is to witness an old friend become someone you don't recognise. I'm sorry."
His words lingered with her as they returned to the tower.
They spent much of that evening drawing up plans to face Orin. Now that Saff and Gale knew where the Bhaal temple was, there was nothing stopping them attacking. It was decided the whole group would go - if they were to get in a fight with the entirety of Bhaal's followers, they'd need all the help they could get.
Nighttime found Saff curled up in the covers of her bed, idly tapping her quill against the empty page in front of her. She usually found the hour or two before bed to be a good time for filling out the birthday present she'd given to Gale - the notebook detailing their adventure together. They'd both been slowly adding to it, going into great detail about the early stages of their friendship. The background noise of her friends chatting, the crackle of the fire, the occasional excited bark from Scratch or the owlbear cub, all helped bring a calm comfort to her that usually helped her write. But tonight, she found herself unable to commit pen to paper.
She looked up with a smile when she saw Gale approaching, and happily cuddled up to him as he sat down with her.
"How goes the writing?" He asked, wrapping an arm around her.
"Slow," she answered with a sigh, showing him the empty page. "In fact, not just slow, but stalled entirely."
"Writer's block is it? What are you struggling with?"
She flipped the page back to show him what she'd got to, and he quickly realised what the problem was. The page detailed the morning after the tiefling party, travelling towards the mountain pass and through the blighted village - where they met Malitas.
"Ah," he sympathised, reading the last sentence describing Astarion hearing someone approaching.
"I used to know exactly what I was going to write for this. About how you both started out against each other, then became friends. But now⌠now I just don't know."
She flipped the book shut and put it aside, choosing instead to curl up into his arms.
"I feel so conflicted about everything recently."
"Am I right in thinking this includes today's events?" He asked, and she barely needed to give a nod for him to know he was correct. "Saff, listen to me," he said, lifting her chin with his finger to meet her eyes. "It's ok to be angry with those that have hurt us, or wish to hurt others. That anger helps protect us. That anger has protected you from Aryn, saved us all when Malitas would likely otherwise have blown us all up with the orb, and it spirited both of us out of Orin's clutches to safety. And today, it prevented what could have been a tragic fight. So don't be ashamed. Anger is only dangerous when it threatens to overwhelm us, and I more than anyone know that your heart is filled not with anger, but with love."
She chuckled softly, her nerves melting to a smile.
"You always know when I need a cheesy speech to feel better, don't you?"
"I do, and I am always happy to provide."
They came together in a kiss, his fingers gently stroking across her cheek. Had they not been in the same room as everyone else she might have taken the kiss further, but for now she instead curled up into his arms once more when they parted, resting her head on his chest.
"Thank you," she said softly, closing her eyes and allowing herself a moment of calm as she listened to the gentle beat of his heart. "Though sadly this doesn't help with figuring out what to write about Malitas."
"Heh, that may be a harder problem to solve. I admit, I'm approaching that point in my own account, and I'm similarly stumped as to how to write it."
She hummed in thought, lightly drumming her fingers against his chest, until she sat up.
"Does the teleportation circle still work?"
"To the Shar temple? Yes, it does. Why?"
"Because I should talk to him," she said as she stood up, "but there's something I need to do first."
It was late by the time she was ready, and she took a moment outside his door to steel herself before heading in.
He looked up at her as she entered, his movements accompanied by the soft clink of chains.
"Saffron," he said, a moment of surprise melting to a smile of relief. "I'm glad to see you're ok. Arabella told me what Orin did to you."
"Yes⌠she said she'd chatted to you. I should have expected her to sneak off, I suppose."
"Is she still here?" He asked, a clear tone of hope in his voice which she dashed with a shake of her head.
"No, she left again. I had hoped she wouldn't, but I don't think there's any way we could have convinced her to stay."
"I see," he murmured with a sigh. "At least she seems to be capable of defending herself."
"Defending herself and others, as I'm sure she told you."
"Heh, yes, she did. She was rightfully proud of rescuing you both. And I'm very grateful to her for doing so."
"So am I," she said softly. There was a moment of quiet, before he spoke again, his voice hushed.
"Saffron⌠she also told me you were wearing no clothes when she found youâŚ" he started, and she could see the concern in his eyes.
"I hadn't yet learnt to take my clothes with me when I wild shaped," she explained, and the nervousness faded from him.
"That is a relief to hear. I had feared they'd done something far worse than just kidnap you."
"They tried."
He looked at her in shock, the concern returning to his eyes.
"I wild shaped into an owlbear and mauled them before they could mange it."
He almost had to laugh.
"An appropriate fate for such men."
There were a number of comments she could have made in response to that, but she chose not to.
"We plan to take the fight to Orin tomorrow. If we're doing that⌠there's a chance I might need the clone you made of me."
She saw him wince. When Gale had asked him about this, Malitas had tried to strike a bargain, saying he'd only tell them where her clone was if they released him from the soul cage. She had a feeling he'd have a much harder time refusing the question if she was the one asking it.
"You don't need to know where it is for the spell to work. If you die you will reincarnate and you will find everything you need there to return to the fight."
"If it's of no advantage to us to know where it is, then why keep it secret? It's hardly much of a bargaining chip," she reasoned. He hesitated, holding his gaze away from her.
"Because if you know where your clone is, then you are one step closer to working out where my clones are, and one step closer to permanently killing me."
"I don't want to kill you."
There was an emotion in her tone that almost left her voice cracking as she spoke that sentence. He looked up at her, seemingly almost hesitant to believe her words.
"I just want things to go back to how they were," she continued, trying to keep her voice steady. "I don't know if that can ever happen, but if it can, the first step towards that is you telling me where my clone is. You did this to me without my consent, and I have a right to know."
He looked away, wincing with indecision. Finally, after a long moment, he sighed.
"It is in a demiplane. There are Scrolls of Demiplane in the library that you can use to access it. It is a square room, made of stone, containing a large wooden box within which is your clone. The room also contains a wooden table, a set of clothes, a spare staff, a Potion of Angelic Slumber, a Scroll of Gate and a letter explaining everything."
If he kept his own clones stored in the same way then that certainly explained why Gale hadn't been able to find them despite searching every inch of the tower. It was a clever tactic - store the clones in demiplanes and there was no risk of anything destroying them, whether that be intrepid adventurers, vengeful enemies or natural disasters. But she also understood why he was hesitant to tell them this - one need only know the contents of another's demiplane to be able to reach it with the spell, so if his clones were stored in demiplanes similar to hers, there was a chance they'd be able to find them all. Not that she intended to destroy his clones as he feared.
"A Potion of Angelic Slumber?" She asked curiously. The rest of the items made sense, but that one surprised her.
"Yes. Our magic is tied to our souls, if we die having exhausted our magic then we reincarnate into a clone with our magic still exhausted. The potion remedies this."
"Clever," she commented, though he didn't seem very interested in the compliment. He was tense, nervous - he knew exactly what he'd potentially let himself in for.
"I'm not going to destroy your clones, Malitas," she said firmly.
"What are you going to do with me?" He asked, looking up at her once more.
"The others don't want to release you until the Elder Brain is defeated, but after that we'll see where we stand."
"And what is your plan for defeating the Elder Brain?" He asked, a look of suspicion crossing his face. "Did you speak to Gale about the crown?"
"I did. He won't use it to ascend," she said simply, deciding not to go into any more detail about that. He breathed a sigh of relief, and she was glad he didn't try to get more information on the subject.
There was a moment of quiet, before she spoke again.
"Malitas, can I ask you something?"
"Very well."
"When did you learn to make clones?"
He seemed rather confused by the question, but answered it nonetheless.
"Centuries ago. I must have been⌠200? 250? I got into the habit of making one every few months. I have dozens, just in case."
"When one makes a clone, they can make it any age they wish. One can effectively remain young forever," she pointed out, and he frowned in confusion.
"Are you asking why I don't kill myself every few centuries to remain looking young?" He asked, sounding rather repulsed by such an idea.
"I'm asking⌠why you didn't save your family," she said, and his eyes widened in surprise at the question. "You could have kept them alive. They could still be here with you. When you spoke about them before, you sounded as if you'd have done anything to still be with them. Why didn't you?"
She understood such a question might be difficult for him to answer, and that he might refuse to do so, but she waited for his answer regardless.
"They⌠didn't want it," he said eventually, his voice thick with emotion. "I offered, but they refused."
"Why? Isn't that what most people would want?" She asked, surprised to hear that answer.
"Most people, perhaps. But Emily⌠she grew up on a farm deep in the countryside, surrounded by animals. If she were to learn magic, I imagine she'd have been a druid. She was very in touch with nature, and highly respected the natural order of things. She didn't want to break that. She saw artificially extending one's life as being wrong. I think she inspired Aravissa to see things the same way."
"Do you wish they'd accepted your offer?"
For a moment he didn't answer, deep in thought as he glanced away.
"Sometimes I do, when I miss them most. But they made the right decision."
"You think they made the right decision? Yet you don't follow that yourself."
He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.
"What makes you think I don't follow that myself?"
"You have dozens of clones! Why do that unless you're chasing immortality?"
"To prevent a premature death," he explained. "I don't want to live forever, but I do want to live a full life. You may have noticed that when I reincarnated I didn't look any different, despite the clones I reincarnated into being created centuries ago. As you said, when one creates a clone it is possible to choose the age of that clone. I instead altered the spell to make my clones age with me, and when my time comes and I am to die of old age, I will destroy the remaining clones and allow nature to run its course. Or perhaps I won't, perhaps I will succumb to fear and will choose to continue living. But I hope not."
"Why do you hope not? Do you agree with Emily, you don't want to break the natural order?"
"Yes⌠because she's right," he said firmly, looking up at her. "You have seen as well as I have what becomes of those who seek immortality. Balthazar became an abomination in both body and spirit, barley recognisable as the man I once called my closest friend. Ketheric turned against everything he once held dear until even his own daughter was forced to fight against him. And they achieved only, what? Two, three hundred years? What happens when one lives for millennia? I have met Halaster Blackcloak, the Mad Mage of Waterdeep. He has so many clones and simulacra even they don't know which the real one is anymore. Perhaps the 'real' Halaster was lost centuries ago, the remains of his mind shattered by a life no mortal was meant to lead. The only people I have heard of that lived centuries longer than they should and remained themselves are those like Elminster, whose immortality was granted to them by the gods. Those that sought it through mortal means suffered the consequences - their minds deteriorated and they lost themselves. I do not wish to become someone that would be unrecognisable to even to those that were closest to me. My wife, my daughter⌠all I have left of them now are my memories, and despite my best efforts, I know even now that I remember less of Emily than I did a century agoâŚ"
He hung his head, his voice wavering.
"I don't want to forget themâŚ"
She'd wanted to remain stoic through this conversation, but couldn't help the way her heart ached at his words. She thought of Astarion, how he'd spoken before about all the aspects of his old life that were lost to the past. How heartbreaking the thought of forgetting one's family was.
She walked forward and knelt down in front of Malitas, then reached into her pocket and carefully pulled something out.
"I went back down to the Shar temple earlier. I figured I should pick these up, before some adventurer finds them and sells them on, and you can never find them again."
She opened her hands to show him the two wedding rings she held, connected by a thin, gold chain.
His eyes widened, and even in his ethereal state, she could see the tears that welled within them.
"SaffronâŚ" he whispered, his voice cracking, before he finally closed his eyes and let the tears fall. "Thank youâŚ"
She gave him a small smile, then stood and walked over to the bed. Even with just a glance it was very clear which side of the bed had been his and which had been Saffy's - both sides had a small bedside table, one of which had nothing on it, the other of which had a pile of books, a candle and a potted plant on it. She walked over to his side and carefully placed the rings down on the empty table.
"I truly appreciate this," he said gratefully. "Especially as I imagine it can't have been pleasant retrieving those from what must by now be a decomposing body."
"I tried not to breathe in," she said with a small chuckle as she turned back to him.
As she turned back she glanced around the room and realised just how much of what was in there belonged to Saffy. There was a dressing table covered in a selection of make up, hair products and nail varnishes. Though, oddly enough, none of it looked like it had been used very much. There were a handful of plants around the room, which was clearly Saffy's doing given Malitas had no interest in houseplants. A dress was slung over the top of one of the wardrobe doors, probably with the intention of having been put away properly at some point, until Astarion had found her and everything had changed.
"Strange to think if I'd have come up here at any point in the last two years, I would have seen all Saffy's stuff," she said, walking back towards him.
"There was a reason I kept the door locked," he murmured.
"You kept her locked in here?"
"She could leave," he said quickly, "she had a key. The lock was to stop you, and anyone else, from finding her."
"She might not have been physically locked in, but when I was around she couldn't go into the rest of the tower in case I saw her. She was still effectively trapped in here. Her entire life was in this roomâŚ"
Malitas had no objection to that. He hung his head, wincing at the truth of her words.
"You claimed to love her, but there was so much you could have done for her. You could have taken her places, could have given her a life rather than just leaving her to wallow here day in day out."
"You're right," he said quietly, his voice full of regret. "I could have done. I should have done."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because part of me thought I should keep some distance in the relationship. I thought that would be more respectful to you, until you knew the truth. As bad as "I've secretly made a simulacrum of you and have been in a relationship with her" sounded, "I've secretly made a simulacrum of you and have been in a relationship with her and taken her on holidays and bought her a house and treated her like a princess" would have sounded worse."
"Treated her like a princess?" She echoed in surprise. "Is that what you wanted to do?"
"Perhaps a bit of a childish way of phrasing it, but⌠I had so many places I wanted to take her, things I wanted to show her, a life I wanted to live with herâŚ"
His voice cracked and wavered, despite his best attempts at controlling his emotions.
"I thought she felt the sameâŚ" he whispered, hanging his head.
She did feel the same, Saff thought to herself. She realised Malitas didn't know this - he still believed Saffy had never loved him, and had been forced into the relationship from the start. She wondered if she should tell him⌠and she wondered if learning the truth would bring him comfort, or make it hurt more.
"How is she?" He asked, looking at her almost pleadingly.
"She has a lot to recover from, but she's doing better than she was."
He nodded slowly, trying to hold back his tears.
"I⌠I know my word means little now, and I know a mere apology can do nothing to fix what I've done to her. But⌠please⌠tell her I'm sorry. Tell her that I meant every word I ever said to her. Tell her⌠if she wishes never to see me again, then if I am released I will leave and I will never bother her again. But if there is anything I can do, anything she would wish of me, then tell me and it will be done. I don't expect to be able to fully make it up to her or earn her trust back, but if there's anything that can help her in any way, if it is within my power I will do it."
"There is one thing you can do for her."
He looked at Saff hopefully, though Saff knew that what she was about to suggest was easier said than done.
"Release her from your commands."
"My⌠commands?" He asked in confusion.
"You told her never to leave the tower in case someone saw her, so now she can't leave. She might not be trapped in this room anymore, but being trapped in the tower isn't much better. You told her not to touch anyone because they might notice she's colder than she should be and realise what she is. So she can't even hug anyone. The only way we can currently break these commands is with Dominate Person, but that's only temporary. If you want to help her, rescind your commands."
"Then I rescind them!" He said quickly, looking quite shocked to hear how much control he had over her.
"She needs to hear it from you."
"Then tell her to come up and I'll say it to her!"
Saff didn't say anything, and after a moment the realisation dawned over his face.
"You're afraid I'll command her to do something terrible," he said quietly. She gave only a nod, and he winced and looked away. "I suppose I cannot blame you for such suspicions⌠but for what it's worth, I don't wish to hurt her, or any of you. And I certainly never wish to command her to do anything against her will ever again. I⌠I wish only to see her happy."
There was a moment of quiet as she watched him hang his head in remorse.
"MalitasâŚ" she said quietly, unsure if she wanted to ask the question that waited on the tip of her tongue. "âŚDo you still love her?"
He glanced at her, hesitating, before turning away again and giving the slightest nod.
She took a breath, gathering the courage to ask the question she feared even more.
"Do you still love me?"
"Saffron⌠you shouldn't linger on such things. How I may feel should have no impact on you."
"Please answer the question."
He looked at her again, apologetic this time, and gave another nod.
"Thank you," she said, prompting a slightly confused look from him. "For telling me the truth, and not telling me a lie you think will make me feel better."
He looked downwards, and she wondered if he finally realised that's all he should have done from the beginning.
"Gale said that if you'd told me about her and I'd demanded you destroy her - if you were forced to pick between us - you'd have chosen her."
"I would have done, yes⌠and I'm sorry, I know it is a betrayal against you."
"No, it's not. If I was too blind to see that she was a living person, then it would have been your duty to protect her. I'm glad you would have done so."
He looked rather surprised by that, but also relieved.
"Thank you for understanding," he said quietly. "And thank you for accepting her. I'm glad to see that my worst fears didn't play out."
"This isn't one of your worst fears?" She asked, nodding to the soul cage.
"Well⌠this is a possibility I hadn't considered at the time, I confess."
She chuckled softly, though there was still plenty on her mind.
"So⌠you love both of us?" She asked after a moment.
"Yes, though it is⌠complicated. Confusing. To have two of the same person in your life, knowing that your feelings for one should be so distinct from your feelings for the other⌠it isn't easy. Though Gale disagrees, he sees you both as different enough that he does not have the same feelings for Saffy that he does for you. I envy him that, though I'm sure you'd both prefer I had no such feelings for either of you anymore."
She wouldn't say it to Malitas, but she was glad to hear him say that about Gale. Of course, she didn't know if he was telling the truth or falling back into the habit of saying what he thought she wanted to hear, but it was a relief nonetheless.
"Like you said, your feelings shouldn't have any impact on us," she said simply, trying not to make her real thoughts too obvious. If Malitas had any inkling of what was truly on her mind, he chose not to mention it. "Though I hope those feelings will fade, for your sake. You should be able to move on and find someone else."
She rose to her feet, not wanting to take that conversation any further.
"I should get some rest, we plan to head off early to face Orin."
"If you release me, I will fight along side you."
"You know I can't do that."
"It was worth a try."
She couldn't help but chuckle, though his expression quickly turned more serious.
"I wish you the best of luck, but I must warn you - it is easy to become complacent knowing that you have a clone ready for you if you die. Do not fall into this trap. You have many fights ahead of you, you want that clone to be an option for you only when you need it most. Do not waste it early on in a situation you could have survived."
"I won't," she assured him. "I'll return and let you know once she's defeated."
"Thank you, Saffron."
Her mind was heavy as she left the room. She found Gale and Saffy waiting for her downstairs, as she knew they would be, ready to comfort her and eager to hear how the conversation went.
"He told me where my clone is. It's in a demiplane, there are scrolls in the library we can use to access it."
"A demiplane! Of course, I should have thought of that," Gale scolded himself. "I assume that means his own clones are stored similarly."
"We're not destroying them," she said firmly. "But I want to go to the plane mine is stored in. He said there's a letter there, explaining everything. I want to see what he wrote."
"If the scrolls were in the library, they'll be in the Bag of Holding now," Saffy told them. "I put every scroll I could find in there."
"Then let's waste no time in finding one," Gale suggested, though Saffy held up her hand to stop him.
"First, did you talk to him about everything else?" She asked Saff, who nodded.
"I gave him the rings. He was grateful. He said he didn't keep his family alive with clones because seeking immortality leads one to lose themselves. Balthazar, Ketheric, Halaster Blackcloak - none of them were the people they were as mortals. That's why he still looks the same age, even though he made those clones centuries ago - he created his clones to age with him, with the intention of letting nature take its course when he reaches old age."
"Hmm, I suppose he's not wrong, history is full of such examples," Gale considered, "though there are also those who did not succumb to such a fate. Elminster, for one."
"He mentioned Elminster, and how his immortality was granted to him by a god. Achieving immortality through mortal means doesn't seem to work as well."
"Great," Saffy muttered. "I don't age. Is this what's in store for me? Not only do I have to live stuck in this tower forever, but I'm eventually going to go mad too?"
"I⌠don't know," Saff admitted softly. "But you might not need to live in this tower forever, at least. He said he'd release you from his commands."
"Of course he said that," she said disbelievingly, rolling her eyes. "He'll say anything to get out."
Saff watched her for a second, then turned to Gale.
"Can we have a moment?"
He nodded and headed off, leaving them alone. She turned to Saffy with a sympathetic look.
"Saffy⌠he said to tell you that he's sorry. He knows his word means little and that just an apology won't fix what he's done, but he still wanted you to know. He said to tell you that he meant every word he ever said to you, and that if you want him gone he'll leave, or if there's anything he can do to help you, he'll do it. He said he wants only what's best for you, and he never wants to make you do anything against your will again. He⌠didn't say to tell you this, but⌠he said he still loves you."
She looked away, trying to hold back the tears that pricked the backs of her eyes.
"Do you believe him?" She asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.
"Honestly? I do," she answered, and Saffy nearly laughed.
"What if he's just making a fool of us both again?" She said, her tone almost angry as her voice shook. Part of her wanted to reject it entirely without even considering the possibility it might be true, and yet⌠part of her couldn't do that.
"Maybe he is⌠I don't know. All I know is he sounds genuine to me," Saff said, and her heart went out to Saffy as she saw her tears fall.
"This⌠this isn't fair!" Saffy sobbed, unable to hold back her tears any longer. "Why can't I just hate him? Why⌠why does it have to be like this?"
Saff couldn't just watch anymore, and with a quick gesture she cast Dominate Person, commanded Saffy to ignore his orders, and pulled her into a hug. Saffy hugged her back tightly, sobbing into her shoulder.
"I thought he didn't care about me, I thought he was just using me, I thought he was sick for what he was doing behind your back. But if he's telling the truth⌠have I done the wrong thing? Did I turn everyone against him when I shouldn't have done?"
"No," Saff said firmly, pulling back from the hug and holding Saffy by the shoulders. "You did nothing wrong, understand me? Even if he's telling the truth, what he did was still wrong, and he had to face consequences for that." She lifted her hands to Saffy's cheeks and gently wiped her tears away. "Don't ever blame yourself."
Slowly Saffy nodded, and Saff pulled her back into a hug again, holding her as she sobbed.
"I loved him, SaffâŚ" she whispered through her tears. "I loved him so muchâŚ"
The rest of her words were incomprehensible, lost in her tears. The thought that he'd loved her the whole time, the thought that he still loved her despite everything, broke her heart. She didn't know what to do with it, how to feel about it, and it left her completely overwhelmed as she repeated everything Saff had said in her mind.
He meant every word he ever said to you.
---
They hadn't spoken since their moment in the library the day before.
She felt empty. Lost in the darkness, like a moth searching for a flame that didnât exist. The one shred of happiness sheâd clung onto had been ripped away and she was left drowning, suffocating, screaming into the void. She couldnât even be in the same room as him, the pain was too great. It was all she could do not to run into his arms, not to seek that comfort heâd given her, not to press her lips to his and feel his breath against her skinâŚ
She couldnât even bear to look at him, knowing he felt the same. Every time she saw him, his words echoed through her mind.
I love youâŚ
She shook her head, trying to empty her mind of those words and focus on the task at hand. Reading had proved impossible for her right now, so sheâd decided to do some cleaning to try to take her mind off it, and the top shelves of the library bookshelves certainly needed it with all the dust that had built up after years - decades? Centuries? - of not being properly cleaned. Though it didnât take long for her mind to go back to him, just one room away from her in his study. She didnât even know what he was studying anymore, given he could do nothing more for Saff. Maybe he wasnât actually studying anything, and he too was just trying to get his mind off of what theyâd done. Was he struggling this much, too? Did he find his every thought going back to her, just as her every thought went back to himâŚ?
Her mind was so clouded, she didnât notice quite how far sheâd leant over until her foot slipped off the wrung.Â
Her hands frantically scrambled to grab onto something, anything, but she found no purchase and could do nothing but scream as she plummeted down to the hard marble floor.Â
She didnât remember the impact. She remembered only the pain, lying groaning on the floor in a daze, barely conscious, her vision nothing but a blur. She remembered a distant shout of her name, a familiar figure on his knees next to her. She remembered being swept up into his arms and carried through the tower, his heartbeat racing next to her ear where she leant against his chest. She remembered lying on the alchemy table, a haze of magic and incantations above her as her consciousness slowly came back. Finally, she remembered his hand against her cheek and the look of worry in his eyes when she eventually came to.Â
âSaffron?â He asked hopefully, his thumb lightly brushing over her skin.Â
Adrenaline still coursed through her - or at least, the illusory equivalent of it. Her breath caught as the realisation that she could have died fully hit her, and she couldnât stop the sob of emotion that fell from her lips.Â
He took her into his arms, hugging her tightly as she buried her face into his neck, clinging onto him. Her hands trembled, but as she felt the comforting warmth of his hand stroking her hair, slowly the shock and the fear died down. When they finally pulled away they lingered close, in each otherâs arms, lost in each otherâs eyesâŚ
She could hold back no longer, and seemingly neither could he, and the two of them came together in a kiss.
He pulled her in, his fingers intertwining with her hair as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. The kiss deepened, the taste of him on her tongue, the vibrations of a moan against his lipsâŚ
He pulled away and stumbled backwards, shaking his head in a panic.
âWe canât⌠we canâtâŚâ he gasped through heavy breaths, running his hand through his hair and turning away from her.Â
She too turned away, unable to look at him. He was right, she knew, but gods it was difficult.Â
âY-yeah,â she stuttered, trying to convince herself as much as convince him. âItâs not right⌠and itâll pass, wonât it? I mean, this is just cause weâve been stuck here together going through all this shit. Once things go back to normal, our feelings will go back to normal. Itâs not like weâve felt like this for long.âÂ
He didnât answer. He looked aside, shifting on the spot. Slowly, the realisation dawned on her.
âMalitas?â She asked nervously. âHow long have you felt this way?âÂ
He opened his mouth, hesitating for a moment before answering.
â...About a year.âÂ
Her eyes widened in shock and she was stunned into silent disbelief. Heâd felt like this even before sheâd been created? He felt this way for Saff, too?
âA⌠yearâŚâ she whispered, her mind slowly going over the implications. âBut⌠why did you never say anything?âÂ
âBecause it wasnât right,â he said quietly, guiltily. âTo fall in love with oneâs apprentice⌠it is unthinkable. I had hoped these feelings would pass, but after recent events⌠they have only grown stronger.âÂ
âStronger for me, or stronger for her?â She asked, almost fearing the answer.Â
âStronger for you. She is not the one who sat by my side and held my hand while I felt like the world was collapsing around me. She is not the one who cared for me when I could not care for myself. She is not the one who saw me at my lowest and remained by my side. She is not the one who cried with me when there were no more words left to say. She is not the one who dragged me out of the darkness, who reminded me what happiness could be. She is not the one that consumes my every waking thought, the one I see when I close my eyes, the one my soul burns forâŚâÂ
Her eyes widened. There was naught in her chest but ice and snow, yet his words sent her heart racing.Â
âI know I should not feel this way. My mind screams at me that you are but a simulacrum - a simulacrum of my apprentice - and yet my heart will not listen. I can think of nothing but you. I cannot breathe without you. I cannot be without you. I⌠I love you.âÂ
Tears welled in her eyes, and she could no longer hold herself back.Â
She jumped up from the table and threw herself into his arms. He too couldn't stop himself as they melted together in a kiss.
âShe'll understand,â she whispered against his lips, resting her forehead against his.Â
Saff would understand, wouldn't she? It would be a shock, but once they explained themselves, she was sure Saff would understand⌠she had to.
Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?
Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut
Chapter 1
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Arabella tossed restlessly in her bed. She'd grown used to doing things on her own time, whenever she wanted, without adults telling her what to do. Being forced to have a bed time again wasn't something she was fond of. She'd enjoyed spending the evening with them, and certainly enjoyed having a proper dinner, to the point where she was almost considering staying with them. But she wasn't sure it was worth the trade off of having to go to bed early.
She could feel magic coming off the walls around her. The tower was infused with it - protective wards, they'd said. Gale had promised to explain it all to her another day, but her curiosity got the better of her. Why should she wait for him? She could understand it herself, if she focused enough.
She could hear noises downstairs, the muffled sound of conversation. They were all distracted, talking amongst themselves. No one would notice her exploring the rest of the tower if she was quiet.
Quickly she threw the covers back and carefully opened the door, hoping the creaking wouldn't alert them. She knew better than to risk heading downstairs, so instead she headed up.
When she saw the ethereal blue glow underneath the door she found at the top of the stairs, her heart raced with excitement. The glow gently pulsed she approached, almost beckoning her forward with its mysteries. Even outside the room she could feel the Weave in the air, a familiar tingle against her skin, and this certainly wasn't protection magic. She reached up to the door handle, slowly turned it and peaked her head inside .
Her eyes widened at the sight of Malitas on his knees in the centre of a glowing rune, his form nothing more than a spirit bound by ethereal chains. He looked up at her and looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.
"Arabella??"
"Malitas!"
She ran into the room in a panic.
"Oh gods! What happened to you?! Why are you a ghost?? Why are you chained up?!"
"Arabella-"
"We gotta get you out of here! Is there a way to release you? Can I disable the spell? Or destroy the chains?" She ran around him in circles as she reeled off the questions.
"Arabella-"
"What happened to your body? Do you need a new one? Maybe the others can-"
"Arabella!"
She finally stopped in front of him and he gave her a stern look.
"You're not supposed to be up here, are you?"
"NoâŚ" she murmured guiltily, shifting on her feet, before quickly changing the subject. "But that doesn't matter! I've gotta help you! Let me see if I can get you out!"
She raised her hands and magic began to gather at her fingertips.
"No, stop!" He quickly interrupted. She paused, the magic fizzling, and looked at him in confusion. "This is powerful magic, I don't know what will happen if you try to dispel it. You could get hurt."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" She said with a confident grin. "I'm really good at magic now, watch!"
"Don't!"
She paused again, getting a bit frustrated now.
"Why? It'll be fine, I promise!"
"This spell is unstable, even if you do everything right it could still backfire through no fault of your own. I know because I made this spell myself, and I was still experimenting with it, it wasn't ready to be used yet."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, and a smirk came to her lips.
"Is that what happened? Did you get trapped in your own spell while you were working on it?" She asked with a teasing grin.
"No, that is not what happened."
"Then what was it?" She questioned disbelievingly, sure that he was just embarrassed by messing up his spell.
"I⌠got into an argument with the others and this is the result."
Her smile faded.
"Wait⌠what?" She asked nervously, glancing towards the door, then back at him. "They said you were away, that you had business to attend to."
"AhâŚ" he murmured as she began to back away from the door.
"They⌠lied⌠they chained you up like this then they lied about it! I thought, maybe I should stay with them, but they're all liars!"
"Arabella, listen to me," he said firmy, drawing her attention back to him. "You can trust them. If you stay with them, which you should, they will look after you."
"But they did this to you," she objected, looking at him sadly.
"Yes, they did⌠but for good reason."
"Why, just cause you got into an argument? They shouldn't chain you up like this just cause of that!"
"It⌠was more than just an argument," he said with a deep sigh. "I did some very bad things, and this is my punishment. They had little choice but to do this. I can assure you, you do not need to fear them."
She watched him for a long moment, fiddling nervously with her sleeves.
"What did you do?"
"That is a long story."
She paused again, processing it all.
"So⌠you're in time out?" She asked, a grin once more returning to her lips.
"I-⌠yes, I suppose you could say that," he muttered, clearly not fond of such a description being applied to his situation.
"My parents used to put me in time out sometimes when I was naughty. But not for this long. You must have been here for hours!"
"Well⌠the punishment must fit the crime, and I doubt any of your crimes were as bad as mine," he muttered, glancing away slightly. She watched him, folding her arms.
"Are you sorry for what you did?" She asked eventually.
"I am, yes."
"Are you gonna do it again?"
"Certainly not."
"Then they should let you out. If I was sorry and I promised not to do it again, that's when mum and pops would let me out."
He looked up at her, deep in thought.
"If a very bad man hurt a lot of people and was put in prison, would you let him out if he said he was sorry and wouldn't do it again?" He questioned.
She paused, considering her answer.
"Depends how bad he was."
"Bad enough that you weren't sure if he was telling the truth, or if he was just saying it and would hurt more people if he were released. If you couldn't be sure, would you let him out?"
She was silent, piecing it all together.
"I don't think you'd hurt anyone," she said quietly. A small, emotional smile came to his lips.
"Thank you," he said softly. "I appreciate that, truly. But the fact remains, they can only release me when they are sure."
She wasn't very happy with that, but she supposed she had no choice but to accept it. She shifted on the spot, trying to figure out what the best way forward was.
"Does it hurt, being in there?" She asked eventually.
"No. It isn't very comfortable, but it doesn't hurt."
"How much can you move?"
He shifted, moving a few inches from one side to the other, the chains clinking around him as they were pulled taught.
"About that much."
"Can you still breathe?"
"Yes, but I've discovered I don't need to. If I hold my breath, nothing happens."
"Can you eat in there?"
"No, I can't."
"Do you still need to use the toilet?"
He chuckled softly.
"No, luckily, or that would make this whole ordeal significantly more unpleasant."
She giggled too, then got straight back to her questions.
"Can you sleep?"
"No. Being an elf I wouldn't sleep anyway, but I can't trance in here either."
"So you're always awake?"
"Yes."
"Doesn't it get boring?"
"Believe me, I have plenty to think about."
"Why are you a ghost?"
"This is a soul cage. If I am released, my soul will return to my body."
"Why do you have wings?"
"Because I'm a draconic sorcerer."
"Wow⌠is that why your face looks weird? Are those scales?"
"Yes, they are."
"Why didn't you have scales and wings last time I saw you?"
"Because I spend a lot of time with wizards, and wizards often look down upon sorcerers, so I keep that part of myself a secret."
"Why do they look down on sorcerers?"
"Because wizards don't like that sorcerers don't need to study to use magic like they do."
"Well that's dumb. I didn't have to study to get my magic, but I still have to learn to use it!"
"Next time I visit an academy I'll be sure to bring you along and you can tell them that."
She giggled, and before she could get to her next question, he asked a question of his own.
"How has your pursuit of magic been going?"
"Really well! I can do so much now! I even killed three thugs earlier and saved Saff and Gale!"
His eyebrows rose in surprise.
"What happened?"
"They were running through the sewers, all beaten up. Gale was carrying Saff cause she was knocked out, and they were cornered. I ran up behind the thugs and killed them with my vines! Then I took Gale and Saff to where I was camping and we hid while the rest of the thugs looked for us. I gave Saff some blankets since she didn't have any clothes and we all came back here!"
"Wait," he said, his smile fading to a look of fear. "She didn't have any clothes?"
"She was naked cause she wild shaped! And she hasn't learnt to take her clothes with her yet. She became an owlbear and a giant eagle to get them out! So I guess her clothes all ripped off."
He breathed such a deep sigh of relief it almost made her laugh.
"What did you think had happened?" She asked.
"Something far worse," he murmured. "Who were these thugs?"
"Bhaalists. Gale and Saff got captured by a bad lady called Orin, but they escaped!"
"Well, I am very glad to hear that. Thank you for helping them, Arabella."
She grinned proudly, then sat down on the ground in front of him.
"So, I was going to ask-"
"Arabella," he interrupted, "it's very late, you really should get to bed."
"But I have so many more questions! And you're all on your own up here, so someone has to keep you company."
He chuckled and shook his head.
"The others would be furious with me if I let you stay up this late."
"Well⌠in your defence, you don't really have a choice," she said with a grin, then launched into her questions before he could object any further.
Despite how late she ended up going to bed, she was wide awake the next morning.
The others were preparing breakfast when she entered the kitchen, and Saff turned to her with a wide smile.
"Morning Arabella! What do you fancy for breakfast?"
Her smile faltered when she saw the serious look on Arabella's face.
"I spoke to Malitas last night."
The kitchen went quiet as the others stopped what they were doing and turned to face her. Saff put down the plate she'd been holding and took a few steps towards Arabella.
"What did he say?" She asked, hoping Arabella didn't hold it against them for lying to her.
"He said he'd done something really bad, and that's why he's chained up. He said he was sorry and he won't do it again. He said I can trust you, even though you lied to me," she said, pouting slightly and folding her arms.
"I'm sorry Arabella," Saff said softly, kneeling down in front of her. "I didn't want to lie to you. But⌠it's a complicated situation."
She nodded, not quite meeting Saff's eyes.
"How long are you gonna leave him in there?" She asked eventually.
"I⌠don't know right now. We need to decide that."
Arabella nodded slowly, then finally met Saff's eyes.
"I don't think he'll hurt you again."
Saff sighed softly, and put her hand on Arabella's shoulder.
"I hope you're right."
Saffy chose not to join them for breakfast. She made her excuses about how sometimes being surrounded by people eating didn't feel great considering she couldn't eat herself, but the real reason was quite different.
I don't think he'll hurt you again.
Was Arabella right? Malitas was a skilled liar, and manipulating a nine year old was certainly something he would have no trouble doing if he wanted. Was that what he was doing here?
She glanced towards the stairs as she wandered the tower, knowing he was only a few steps away should she want to see him. She had so many questions, so much to say. Maybe speaking to him would give her some sense of closure⌠or maybe he'd manipulate her too, make her believe the man she'd once loved so dearly was still in there. Make her believe there was still hope for himâŚ
She shook her head. She wouldn't let herself fall for that again. The past was the past, and she would not let it cloud her future, no matter how much those memories lingered in her mind.
xxx
The Circus of the Last Days. Even from this distance, she could make out the distinctive bright flags and coloured banners that decorated Rivington. It filled her with a nostalgic heartache, a deep longing for the lost days of her childhood, days sheâd technically never had but only remembered from another life.Â
Yet when she heard footsteps approaching down the hallway, she felt the loneliness fading away. Quickly she jumped up and headed to the door of her room, and when she opened it she found Malitas on the other side.Â
With a smile she gave him a hug, which he happily returned.
âDid you find it?â She asked as the two of them parted.
âYes. Sorcerous Sundries didnât have it, but Candlekeep did,â he answered with a nod. Another book on ancient magic that he hoped to be able to utilise to help Saff. It would most likely lead to another failure, but she was determined not to let herself lose hope. âI also picked up something else while I was out.â
He reached into his Bag of Holding and produced a bouquet of bright red roses. Her face lit up in a smile as he handed them to her and the smell of fresh flowers filled the air.
âTheyâre beautiful!â She gushed, then quickly ran back into the room to find a vase for them. She found an older bouquet that had been starting to wilt and swiftly replaced it with the new flowers.Â
When she turned back to Malitas, he was smiling as he watched her from the doorway.Â
âIâm glad you like them. Now, Iâd best get on with my work.â
âAnd Iâd best get on with dinner,â she decided, and headed downstairs with him.
Her mind wandered as she prepared the stew to what life might be like when Saff recovered. When, not if. The thought of Saff dying hurt too much, so she chose, for tonight at least, to not think about that. Maybe theyâd all live together. Malitas had said heâd take them all on trips outside the city. The thought of that filled her with excitement.Â
And, eventually, Saff would presumably move out. And then what would happen to herself? She couldnât learn new skills for a job. Sheâd have to go back to the Elfsong and work as a waitress again, and gods she didnât want to do thatâŚ
Malitas had said heâd do whatever he could to provide whatever life she wanted. Maybe she didnât need to work. Maybe she could stay here with him⌠she didnât know if heâd want that, but she found herself quite keen on the ideaâŚ
She gasped in pain and stumbled back as she absent-mindedly let her arm touch the hot pan. The chopping board of vegetables sheâd been holding clattered to the floor, but that was the least of her worries. She clutched her arm, watching the illusion falter and stutter around the wound. It wasnât even a big burn, but it hurt so much more than it looked like it should. She quickly ran it under cold water, but found that did little to help.Â
Maybe sheâd have no choice but to stay here with Malitas after Saff moved out - simulacra did not heal naturally, they had to be repaired. Even the slightest wound could be fatal to her, and Malitas was the only one she knew who could heal her.Â
With a sigh she headed up to the library, gritting her teeth against the pain. She found him behind his desk, surrounded by books as always. He looked up at her, concern crossing his features when he saw the look of pain on her face.
âSaffron? Whatâs wrong?â
She felt like a child asking their parent for help as she held out her arm to show him. Even though she knew heâd help, it still felt humiliating to be so reliant on him.
"I burnt myself on the pan.â
Quickly he stood and walked over to her. He gently took her arm in his hands, and as he brushed his fingers over her skin to inspect the wound, she suddenly found the feeling of humiliation to be replaced by something else entirely.
âLetâs get to the alchemy lab.â
She followed him upstairs and sat on the alchemy table as he gathered the equipment heâd need. Once again he took her arm in his hand and she watched him begin to chat incantations, the low murmur of his voice almost melodic.Â
He reached down to take a pinch of what she realised was powdered rubies and lightly sprinkled it over her skin. He didnât seem to think twice about using such expensive materials to repair her, which she tried to make a mental note to apologise for, though she found herself quite distracted as other thoughts filled her mind. The powder shimmered with magic as it was absorbed into her, knitting the illusion back together. He ran his fingers lightly down her arm, tracing smooth lines over her skin to shape the spell, and she was sure the warmth she felt at his touch was not just from the magic.Â
She looked up from her arm at him and saw the lines of concentration on his face, the slight wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, the focused look as he expertly shaped the Weave around her. With a shimmer the spell was finally complete, yet he didnât let go of her hand, nor did he pull away when he lifted his gaze and met her eyes, despite how far forward she realised sheâd leant.Â
âBetter?â He asked, his tender voice almost a whisper.
âYeah,â she answered, surprised to find she was so flustered the word almost came out little more than a stutter.Â
He didnât move back, and neither did she. She could feel the warmth of his hands on hers, the gentle movement of his thumb against her wrist.Â
âDo try to be more careful,â he said with a soft smile, a playful tone in his voice. âI would hate for you to get hurt while Iâm not here to help.âÂ
âI will,â she replied, feeling a rush of excitement from the smile he gave her. âSorry for making you use such expensive materials on me.â
âDonât apologise,â he said quickly, squeezing her hand slightly. âDonât ever apologise for that. SaffronâŚâ he lifted a hand to her cheek, the light brush of his fingers sending her heart aflutter. âYou are worth so much more than a few gemstonesâŚâ
Those words ignited a fire within her. She leant into his touch, into him, close enough to feel his breath, hot against the sensitive skin of her neck. She couldnât stop the thoughts that flooded her mind, the desire to feel more than just his breath against her, to feel the kiss of his lips, the warmth of his hands running up her back, the heat of his body against hersâŚÂ
Suddenly he pulled back, clearing his throat as he turned away from her.Â
âI should clear this up,â he said quickly, grabbing the alchemy materials from the table next to her and heading to the cupboards to return them.Â
âOh, yes, of course,â she stuttered, almost breathless. âI⌠I should get back to dinner.â
She quickly jumped off the table and hurried out of the room, her heart racing.
When she reached the kitchen she slammed the door behind her and leant against it, holding her head. She wanted to wipe that from her mind, pretend that had never happenedâŚ
But she couldnât deny it anymore.
She couldnât deny the way her heart fluttered whenever he entered the room. She couldnât deny the warmth she felt at his touch. She couldnât deny the fact that he was the only thing in her life right now that made her happy. No matter how bad things got, as long as he was there, she felt like they could face it. He could make her smile and laugh when the world seemed hopeless. He made her heart race and set her soul alight. With him she didnât feel like a mere illusion, a construct, an ice-cold shell that could only mimic the person she once was. With him, she felt alive.Â
And she certainly couldnât deny the thoughts that filled her head now. Fantasies of what his hands would feel like running over her body, the taste of his tongue as they kissed, the feel of his fingers through her hair, the sound of his voice as he moaned her name into her earâŚ
Her eyes snapped open and the scene in front of her brought her back to reality. Chopped vegetables scattered the floor and the pot boiled over onto the stove. She hurried forward and turned off the stove, then knelt down to start clearing up the mess.Â
The state of the kitchen felt like an apt metaphor for how any attempt at a relationship with Malitas might go. She was a simulacrum - a simulacrum of his apprentice, no less. And even if she hadnât been a simulacrum, what chance would she have with him? She was just an orphan from the Lower City, able to cast only the simplest of spells, while he was a master wizard, rich and experienced and well-connected and more powerful than she could ever aspire to.
How lucky sheâd have to be to attract the interests of someone like that.
She threw the vegetables away and pulled out a fresh batch to cut up as she tried to chase the thoughts from her mind, knowing that nothing could ever happen, no matter how much she wanted it to.
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Prompt: What are you currently working on? Your latest VP (even a WIP). Whatâs your next project?
VP-wise I've got a bit of an ongoing project to take screenshots of various scenes in my fic, currently I have pulling Gale out of the portal and fighting the Elder Brain, but there's quite a lot to cover between those points đ
As part of this I'm also trying to recreate some of the artwork I did for my fic as closely as possible in VP!
And my latest VP (or... VV? Virtual videography?) is for a scene in my latest chapter:
Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?
Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut
Chapter 1
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Arabella tossed restlessly in her bed. She'd grown used to doing things on her own time, whenever she wanted, without adults telling her what to do. Being forced to have a bed time again wasn't something she was fond of. She'd enjoyed spending the evening with them, and certainly enjoyed having a proper dinner, to the point where she was almost considering staying with them. But she wasn't sure it was worth the trade off of having to go to bed early.
She could feel magic coming off the walls around her. The tower was infused with it - protective wards, they'd said. Gale had promised to explain it all to her another day, but her curiosity got the better of her. Why should she wait for him? She could understand it herself, if she focused enough.
She could hear noises downstairs, the muffled sound of conversation. They were all distracted, talking amongst themselves. No one would notice her exploring the rest of the tower if she was quiet.
Quickly she threw the covers back and carefully opened the door, hoping the creaking wouldn't alert them. She knew better than to risk heading downstairs, so instead she headed up.
When she saw the ethereal blue glow underneath the door she found at the top of the stairs, her heart raced with excitement. The glow gently pulsed she approached, almost beckoning her forward with its mysteries. Even outside the room she could feel the Weave in the air, a familiar tingle against her skin, and this certainly wasn't protection magic. She reached up to the door handle, slowly turned it and peaked her head inside .
Her eyes widened at the sight of Malitas on his knees in the centre of a glowing rune, his form nothing more than a spirit bound by ethereal chains. He looked up at her and looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.
"Arabella??"
"Malitas!"
She ran into the room in a panic.
"Oh gods! What happened to you?! Why are you a ghost?? Why are you chained up?!"
"Arabella-"
"We gotta get you out of here! Is there a way to release you? Can I disable the spell? Or destroy the chains?" She ran around him in circles as she reeled off the questions.
"Arabella-"
"What happened to your body? Do you need a new one? Maybe the others can-"
"Arabella!"
She finally stopped in front of him and he gave her a stern look.
"You're not supposed to be up here, are you?"
"NoâŚ" she murmured guiltily, shifting on her feet, before quickly changing the subject. "But that doesn't matter! I've gotta help you! Let me see if I can get you out!"
She raised her hands and magic began to gather at her fingertips.
"No, stop!" He quickly interrupted. She paused, the magic fizzling, and looked at him in confusion. "This is powerful magic, I don't know what will happen if you try to dispel it. You could get hurt."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" She said with a confident grin. "I'm really good at magic now, watch!"
"Don't!"
She paused again, getting a bit frustrated now.
"Why? It'll be fine, I promise!"
"This spell is unstable, even if you do everything right it could still backfire through no fault of your own. I know because I made this spell myself, and I was still experimenting with it, it wasn't ready to be used yet."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, and a smirk came to her lips.
"Is that what happened? Did you get trapped in your own spell while you were working on it?" She asked with a teasing grin.
"No, that is not what happened."
"Then what was it?" She questioned disbelievingly, sure that he was just embarrassed by messing up his spell.
"I⌠got into an argument with the others and this is the result."
Her smile faded.
"Wait⌠what?" She asked nervously, glancing towards the door, then back at him. "They said you were away, that you had business to attend to."
"AhâŚ" he murmured as she began to back away from the door.
"They⌠lied⌠they chained you up like this then they lied about it! I thought, maybe I should stay with them, but they're all liars!"
"Arabella, listen to me," he said firmy, drawing her attention back to him. "You can trust them. If you stay with them, which you should, they will look after you."
"But they did this to you," she objected, looking at him sadly.
"Yes, they did⌠but for good reason."
"Why, just cause you got into an argument? They shouldn't chain you up like this just cause of that!"
"It⌠was more than just an argument," he said with a deep sigh. "I did some very bad things, and this is my punishment. They had little choice but to do this. I can assure you, you do not need to fear them."
She watched him for a long moment, fiddling nervously with her sleeves.
"What did you do?"
"That is a long story."
She paused again, processing it all.
"So⌠you're in time out?" She asked, a grin once more returning to her lips.
"I-⌠yes, I suppose you could say that," he muttered, clearly not fond of such a description being applied to his situation.
"My parents used to put me in time out sometimes when I was naughty. But not for this long. You must have been here for hours!"
"Well⌠the punishment must fit the crime, and I doubt any of your crimes were as bad as mine," he muttered, glancing away slightly. She watched him, folding her arms.
"Are you sorry for what you did?" She asked eventually.
"I am, yes."
"Are you gonna do it again?"
"Certainly not."
"Then they should let you out. If I was sorry and I promised not to do it again, that's when mum and pops would let me out."
He looked up at her, deep in thought.
"If a very bad man hurt a lot of people and was put in prison, would you let him out if he said he was sorry and wouldn't do it again?" He questioned.
She paused, considering her answer.
"Depends how bad he was."
"Bad enough that you weren't sure if he was telling the truth, or if he was just saying it and would hurt more people if he were released. If you couldn't be sure, would you let him out?"
She was silent, piecing it all together.
"I don't think you'd hurt anyone," she said quietly. A small, emotional smile came to his lips.
"Thank you," he said softly. "I appreciate that, truly. But the fact remains, they can only release me when they are sure."
She wasn't very happy with that, but she supposed she had no choice but to accept it. She shifted on the spot, trying to figure out what the best way forward was.
"Does it hurt, being in there?" She asked eventually.
"No. It isn't very comfortable, but it doesn't hurt."
"How much can you move?"
He shifted, moving a few inches from one side to the other, the chains clinking around him as they were pulled taught.
"About that much."
"Can you still breathe?"
"Yes, but I've discovered I don't need to. If I hold my breath, nothing happens."
"Can you eat in there?"
"No, I can't."
"Do you still need to use the toilet?"
He chuckled softly.
"No, luckily, or that would make this whole ordeal significantly more unpleasant."
She giggled too, then got straight back to her questions.
"Can you sleep?"
"No. Being an elf I wouldn't sleep anyway, but I can't trance in here either."
"So you're always awake?"
"Yes."
"Doesn't it get boring?"
"Believe me, I have plenty to think about."
"Why are you a ghost?"
"This is a soul cage. If I am released, my soul will return to my body."
"Why do you have wings?"
"Because I'm a draconic sorcerer."
"Wow⌠is that why your face looks weird? Are those scales?"
"Yes, they are."
"Why didn't you have scales and wings last time I saw you?"
"Because I spend a lot of time with wizards, and wizards often look down upon sorcerers, so I keep that part of myself a secret."
"Why do they look down on sorcerers?"
"Because wizards don't like that sorcerers don't need to study to use magic like they do."
"Well that's dumb. I didn't have to study to get my magic, but I still have to learn to use it!"
"Next time I visit an academy I'll be sure to bring you along and you can tell them that."
She giggled, and before she could get to her next question, he asked a question of his own.
"How has your pursuit of magic been going?"
"Really well! I can do so much now! I even killed three thugs earlier and saved Saff and Gale!"
His eyebrows rose in surprise.
"What happened?"
"They were running through the sewers, all beaten up. Gale was carrying Saff cause she was knocked out, and they were cornered. I ran up behind the thugs and killed them with my vines! Then I took Gale and Saff to where I was camping and we hid while the rest of the thugs looked for us. I gave Saff some blankets since she didn't have any clothes and we all came back here!"
"Wait," he said, his smile fading to a look of fear. "She didn't have any clothes?"
"She was naked cause she wild shaped! And she hasn't learnt to take her clothes with her yet. She became an owlbear and a giant eagle to get them out! So I guess her clothes all ripped off."
He breathed such a deep sigh of relief it almost made her laugh.
"What did you think had happened?" She asked.
"Something far worse," he murmured. "Who were these thugs?"
"Bhaalists. Gale and Saff got captured by a bad lady called Orin, but they escaped!"
"Well, I am very glad to hear that. Thank you for helping them, Arabella."
She grinned proudly, then sat down on the ground in front of him.
"So, I was going to ask-"
"Arabella," he interrupted, "it's very late, you really should get to bed."
"But I have so many more questions! And you're all on your own up here, so someone has to keep you company."
He chuckled and shook his head.
"The others would be furious with me if I let you stay up this late."
"Well⌠in your defence, you don't really have a choice," she said with a grin, then launched into her questions before he could object any further.
Despite how late she ended up going to bed, she was wide awake the next morning.
The others were preparing breakfast when she entered the kitchen, and Saff turned to her with a wide smile.
"Morning Arabella! What do you fancy for breakfast?"
Her smile faltered when she saw the serious look on Arabella's face.
"I spoke to Malitas last night."
The kitchen went quiet as the others stopped what they were doing and turned to face her. Saff put down the plate she'd been holding and took a few steps towards Arabella.
"What did he say?" She asked, hoping Arabella didn't hold it against them for lying to her.
"He said he'd done something really bad, and that's why he's chained up. He said he was sorry and he won't do it again. He said I can trust you, even though you lied to me," she said, pouting slightly and folding her arms.
"I'm sorry Arabella," Saff said softly, kneeling down in front of her. "I didn't want to lie to you. But⌠it's a complicated situation."
She nodded, not quite meeting Saff's eyes.
"How long are you gonna leave him in there?" She asked eventually.
"I⌠don't know right now. We need to decide that."
Arabella nodded slowly, then finally met Saff's eyes.
"I don't think he'll hurt you again."
Saff sighed softly, and put her hand on Arabella's shoulder.
"I hope you're right."
Saffy chose not to join them for breakfast. She made her excuses about how sometimes being surrounded by people eating didn't feel great considering she couldn't eat herself, but the real reason was quite different.
I don't think he'll hurt you again.
Was Arabella right? Malitas was a skilled liar, and manipulating a nine year old was certainly something he would have no trouble doing if he wanted. Was that what he was doing here?
She glanced towards the stairs as she wandered the tower, knowing he was only a few steps away should she want to see him. She had so many questions, so much to say. Maybe speaking to him would give her some sense of closure⌠or maybe he'd manipulate her too, make her believe the man she'd once loved so dearly was still in there. Make her believe there was still hope for himâŚ
She shook her head. She wouldn't let herself fall for that again. The past was the past, and she would not let it cloud her future, no matter how much those memories lingered in her mind.
---
The Circus of the Last Days. Even from this distance, she could make out the distinctive bright flags and coloured banners that decorated Rivington. It filled her with a nostalgic heartache, a deep longing for the lost days of her childhood, days sheâd technically never had but only remembered from another life.Â
Yet when she heard footsteps approaching down the hallway, she felt the loneliness fading away. Quickly she jumped up and headed to the door of her room, and when she opened it she found Malitas on the other side.Â
With a smile she gave him a hug, which he happily returned.
âDid you find it?â She asked as the two of them parted.
âYes. Sorcerous Sundries didnât have it, but Candlekeep did,â he answered with a nod. Another book on ancient magic that he hoped to be able to utilise to help Saff. It would most likely lead to another failure, but she was determined not to let herself lose hope. âI also picked up something else while I was out.â
He reached into his Bag of Holding and produced a bouquet of bright red roses. Her face lit up in a smile as he handed them to her and the smell of fresh flowers filled the air.
âTheyâre beautiful!â She gushed, then quickly ran back into the room to find a vase for them. She found an older bouquet that had been starting to wilt and swiftly replaced it with the new flowers.Â
When she turned back to Malitas, he was smiling as he watched her from the doorway.Â
âIâm glad you like them. Now, Iâd best get on with my work.â
âAnd Iâd best get on with dinner,â she decided, and headed downstairs with him.
Her mind wandered as she prepared the stew to what life might be like when Saff recovered. When, not if. The thought of Saff dying hurt too much, so she chose, for tonight at least, to not think about that. Maybe theyâd all live together. Malitas had said heâd take them all on trips outside the city. The thought of that filled her with excitement.Â
And, eventually, Saff would presumably move out. And then what would happen to herself? She couldnât learn new skills for a job. Sheâd have to go back to the Elfsong and work as a waitress again, and gods she didnât want to do thatâŚ
Malitas had said heâd do whatever he could to provide whatever life she wanted. Maybe she didnât need to work. Maybe she could stay here with him⌠she didnât know if heâd want that, but she found herself quite keen on the ideaâŚ
She gasped in pain and stumbled back as she absent-mindedly let her arm touch the hot pan. The chopping board of vegetables sheâd been holding clattered to the floor, but that was the least of her worries. She clutched her arm, watching the illusion falter and stutter around the wound. It wasnât even a big burn, but it hurt so much more than it looked like it should. She quickly ran it under cold water, but found that did little to help.Â
Maybe sheâd have no choice but to stay here with Malitas after Saff moved out - simulacra did not heal naturally, they had to be repaired. Even the slightest wound could be fatal to her, and Malitas was the only one she knew who could heal her.Â
With a sigh she headed up to the library, gritting her teeth against the pain. She found him behind his desk, surrounded by books as always. He looked up at her, concern crossing his features when he saw the look of pain on her face.
âSaffron? Whatâs wrong?â
She felt like a child asking their parent for help as she held out her arm to show him. Even though she knew heâd help, it still felt humiliating to be so reliant on him.
"I burnt myself on the pan.â
Quickly he stood and walked over to her. He gently took her arm in his hands, and as he brushed his fingers over her skin to inspect the wound, she suddenly found the feeling of humiliation to be replaced by something else entirely.
âLetâs get to the alchemy lab.â
She followed him upstairs and sat on the alchemy table as he gathered the equipment heâd need. Once again he took her arm in his hand and she watched him begin to chat incantations, the low murmur of his voice almost melodic.Â
He reached down to take a pinch of what she realised was powdered rubies and lightly sprinkled it over her skin. He didnât seem to think twice about using such expensive materials to repair her, which she tried to make a mental note to apologise for, though she found herself quite distracted as other thoughts filled her mind. The powder shimmered with magic as it was absorbed into her, knitting the illusion back together. He ran his fingers lightly down her arm, tracing smooth lines over her skin to shape the spell, and she was sure the warmth she felt at his touch was not just from the magic.Â
She looked up from her arm at him and saw the lines of concentration on his face, the slight wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, the focused look as he expertly shaped the Weave around her. With a shimmer the spell was finally complete, yet he didnât let go of her hand, nor did he pull away when he lifted his gaze and met her eyes, despite how far forward she realised sheâd leant.Â
âBetter?â He asked, his tender voice almost a whisper.
âYeah,â she answered, surprised to find she was so flustered the word almost came out little more than a stutter.Â
He didnât move back, and neither did she. She could feel the warmth of his hands on hers, the gentle movement of his thumb against her wrist.Â
âDo try to be more careful,â he said with a soft smile, a playful tone in his voice. âI would hate for you to get hurt while Iâm not here to help.âÂ
âI will,â she replied, feeling a rush of excitement from the smile he gave her. âSorry for making you use such expensive materials on me.â
âDonât apologise,â he said quickly, squeezing her hand slightly. âDonât ever apologise for that. SaffronâŚâ he lifted a hand to her cheek, the light brush of his fingers sending her heart aflutter. âYou are worth so much more than a few gemstonesâŚâ
Those words ignited a fire within her. She leant into his touch, into him, close enough to feel his breath, hot against the sensitive skin of her neck. She couldnât stop the thoughts that flooded her mind, the desire to feel more than just his breath against her, to feel the kiss of his lips, the warmth of his hands running up her back, the heat of his body against hersâŚÂ
Suddenly he pulled back, clearing his throat as he turned away from her.Â
âI should clear this up,â he said quickly, grabbing the alchemy materials from the table next to her and heading to the cupboards to return them.Â
âOh, yes, of course,â she stuttered, almost breathless. âI⌠I should get back to dinner.â
She quickly jumped off the table and hurried out of the room, her heart racing.
When she reached the kitchen she slammed the door behind her and leant against it, holding her head. She wanted to wipe that from her mind, pretend that had never happenedâŚ
But she couldnât deny it anymore.
She couldnât deny the way her heart fluttered whenever he entered the room. She couldnât deny the warmth she felt at his touch. She couldnât deny the fact that he was the only thing in her life right now that made her happy. No matter how bad things got, as long as he was there, she felt like they could face it. He could make her smile and laugh when the world seemed hopeless. He made her heart race and set her soul alight. With him she didnât feel like a mere illusion, a construct, an ice-cold shell that could only mimic the person she once was. With him, she felt alive.Â
And she certainly couldnât deny the thoughts that filled her head now. Fantasies of what his hands would feel like running over her body, the taste of his tongue as they kissed, the feel of his fingers through her hair, the sound of his voice as he moaned her name into her earâŚ
Her eyes snapped open and the scene in front of her brought her back to reality. Chopped vegetables scattered the floor and the pot boiled over onto the stove. She hurried forward and turned off the stove, then knelt down to start clearing up the mess.Â
The state of the kitchen felt like an apt metaphor for how any attempt at a relationship with Malitas might go. She was a simulacrum - a simulacrum of his apprentice, no less. And even if she hadnât been a simulacrum, what chance would she have with him? She was just an orphan from the Lower City, able to cast only the simplest of spells, while he was a master wizard, rich and experienced and well-connected and more powerful than she could ever aspire to.
How lucky sheâd have to be to attract the interests of someone like that.
She threw the vegetables away and pulled out a fresh batch to cut up as she tried to chase the thoughts from her mind, knowing that nothing could ever happen, no matter how much she wanted it to.
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Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?
Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut
Chapter 1
Previous chapter
Next chapter
The silence of the Bhaal temple was shattered by the bellow of an angry owlbear.Â
The doors fell easily beneath her weight and the few cultists unlucky enough to be nearby were left too shocked to react as she charged through the ancient stone hallways. Gale made sure to pick off any that got too close with a quick flick of the wrist. A Firebolt might not be enough to kill them, but it was enough to daze them momentarily as the two of them ran past.Â
It wasnât long before the cultists began to organise themselves. Saff charged forwards towards the lines they formed in front of her to block her off, sending them flying with brutal swipes of her paws. Gale clung on as she reared up, struggling to stay on as she mauled those beneath her.
They left a trail of blood behind them once they broke through, scattered cultists lying injured and dying on the floor in their wake. Onwards they charged through the temple, arrows whizzing after them that narrowly missed Gale as he ducked down against her back, though he could hear Saff's pained cries with each arrow that embedded itself into her. He knew she wouldn't be able to stay in this form forever, she just had to keep it up long enough to escape.
The corridor they ran down opened up to a great ravine, a long stone bridge connecting the ancient structures of the temple to the hill that ascended on the other side. The hill that he hoped ascended towards freedom.
The bridge felt precariously narrow as they charged onto it, and Gale could only hope the cracks that ran the length of the stone would not give way to an owlbear's weight. The shouts of their pursuers echoed behind them, the flash of spells and the whistle of arrows, Saff's increasingly pained howls at every attack that hit its markâŚ
Finally it was too much, and with a flash of druidic magic she was ripped out of owlbear form. The two of them fell forward, hitting the ground hard and rolling across the bridge. Gale managed to brace himself against the ground and stop himself, only to look up and see Saff, barley conscious, rolling towards the edge. With a panicked shout of her name he leapt to his feet and ran towards her just as she rolled over the precipice.
He dived, narrowly grabbing her wrist as he hit the ground. Helplessly she dangled, drifting in and out of consciousness. He tried to pull her up, but it took all his strength just to keep hold of her, the slick of the blood on her arms making her slowly slip through his gasp.
"Saff!" He shouted desperately, all too aware of the ever-growing sounds of their pursuers. "Saff, wake up!!"
She groaned, slowly starting to come to, her eyes fluttering open. Gale dared to hope that they might be able to escape if she could help pull herself up, until his heart dropped at the sound of cracking stone beneath him.
She noticed it too and hurriedly tried to pull herself up, pushing through the lingering weakness wild shaping had left her with. He scrambled to help pull her up, struggling with the slick of the blood and a lack of clothing to grab onto. The bridge began to creak and groan, the cracks spreading with the heavy, hurried footfalls of the cultists, congregating around the thinnest part of the bridge in the centre - the part Gale and Saff found themselves clinging to.
Finally the stone gave way beneath them, and the bridge fell.
Gale felt a lurch in his stomach for a split second as he began to plummet, before hands grabbed his shoulders. He tried desperately to keep hold of Saff, to keep his hand firmly clasped around her wrist⌠but the force of her fall was too much, and as her hand slipped from he cried out her name, reaching out to her as she plummeted, screaming, into the abyss.
He fought helplessly against his captors as they dragged him back across the crumbling bridge to solid ground.
"We need them both!"
"We only need one alive. Find her at the bottom and deliver her remains to Orin."
Their voices echoed in his head, distant noises that could do little to pierce through the panicked haze that clouded his mind.
That haze was shattered by the caw of a bird of prey.
The cultists froze, turning towards the crevice in front of them. They prepared their weapons as the beat of wings echoed from the ravine, growing ever louder, ever closerâŚ
What emerged was not the small bird they were expecting, but a giant eagle, of the like they saw in Lae'zel's memories of the creche. Saff's battle cry was enough to pierce their eardrums, while each beat of her wings sent a powerful gust of wind over them that nearly knocked them off their feet.
Before they had a chance to rally themselves, she dived.
With beak and talon she tore through them, clawing at their flesh and throwing them into the abyss. With nothing more than cantrips Gale could do little to stop their retaliation, but their attacks were not enough to knock her out of wild shape before the last of them fell.
Shouts and footsteps echoed down the hallways of further pursuers, and in the brief moment before they could catch up, Saff landed next to Gale and leant down for him, watching him as she held her wings out. Her feathers were speckled with blood, but her injuries were not too great for this.
He jumped up onto her back and clung on tightly as she raised up and spread her wings.
She leapt, and together they took to the air.
His stomach lurched and he dared not look down as she soared over the ravine. Behind them cultists gathered at the edge of the cliff, some spreading out to find other ways around, some launching spells and arrows in attack. Gale pressed himself down against her back once more, managing to avoid the flurry of arrows that flew past him.
The large stone door loomed ahead of them at the top of the incline, a beacon of freedom. At least, Gale hoped it led to freedom and not simply more of the templeâŚ
Saff soared through the door and they found themselves in the sewers, a place almost as grim as the Bhaal temple, but distinctly less cultish. Gale had barely a chance to celebrate before he heard the familiar sound of Magic Missiles behind them, and turned just in time to see the flurry of arcane bolts just before they slammed into Saff.
With a cry of pain and flash of magic her wild shape shattered, and the two of them fell from the air. He hit the ground hard and rolled across the cold, stone floor, grunting in pain once he finally came to a stop. The world spun around him, a daze of dizziness and pain. Ahead of him he could just about make out Saff through the blur of his vision, lying unconscious a few feet in front of him, bruised and bloody.
From behind, he heard the sound of pursuit.
Panic and adrenaline forced him to his feet, pushing him through the pain. His dazed stumble quickly turned to a run, and he scooped Saff up into his arms as he fled deeper into the sewers.
The stone was uneven underfoot, slippery enough that he almost lost his footing as he dashed through the damp, dark alleys of the sewers. He could hear the cultists growing closer and closer behind, shouts of 'find them!' and 'don't let them escape!' echoing in the distance. He dived around sharp corners, leapt over crumbling crevices and squeezed through tiny gaps in an attempt to lose them, all while holding Saff tight against his chest. But it all felt like it amounted to nothing as the sounds of the cultists grew closer behind him, battle cries and blood-thirsty shouts that seemed to be able to track his every moveâŚ
He turned a corner and skidded to a halt in fear when he realised he'd reached a dead end.
"No no noâŚ!" he whispered in horror, looking up at the stone wall that stretched above him and offered no hint nor hope of escape. He turned back, hoping to find another route before the cultists caught up, and his heart stopped when he saw three of them behind him, grinning sadistically as they approached.
He backed up against the wall, holding Saff tightly, his mind racing to find an escape as they drew their weapons and came in for the killâŚ
Black vines burst from the ground, wreathed in shadow, and clasped around their attackers. The Bhaalists gasped and tried to fight back as the vines wrapped around their mouths and throats, squeezing down around them, until finally the distinct sound of snapping necks echoed through the passageway, and the vines dropped the dead bodies to the ground.
Gale watched in shock, and when the vines retreated back into the ground and revealed the familiar figure of their saviour ahead of them, he could hardly believe his eyes.
"Arabella?!" He gasped in disbelief. She gave him a grin, then turned when they heard further footsteps approaching in the distance.
"Quick, this way!" She waved to him, then ran. He followed after her, almost struggling to keep up as she nimbly dashed through the sewers, easily leaping over holes and crevices, navigating the maze of passages like one would their own back garden.
She took him through a gap in the wall and once they were through, waved a hand. Vines grew from the floor and intertwined together in a thick wall that sealed the gap, blocking out even the distant sounds of the cultists. She continued to lead him through the small crevice until the came out to an opening that he realised was where she lived. A bedroll sat underneath a small pile of blankets in the corner, next to an unlit campfire. Boxes of food and clothes were pushed up against the ancient stone walls, and she'd attempted to cover some of the muddy ground with gravel and rocks to make it more walkable. Oddly enough, it didn't have the same stench as the rest of the sewers - the air felt somehow fresher, tinged with a hint of petrichor. Out of the cracks in the walls he could see hints of greenery, creeping vines and sprouting buds, fed by the single ray of sunlight that shone through the crumbling roof above.
Arabella ran forward and pulled the bedroll out, opening it up and gathering the blankets in her arms.
"Quick, put her in here!" She said, and Gale wasted no time in following her over. He carefully lay Saff down and the two of them hurriedly covered her with the blankets and placed a pillow beneath her head.
"Will she be ok?" Arabella asked in concern.
"Yes, she will," Gale answered, gently brushing a strand of hair from Saff's face. "She just needs rest."
"Ok good, cause I haven't got any healing potions!" Arabella said, almost laughing as she shifted from a squat to sit down. "Who were those guys??"
"Bhaalists," Gale answered, glancing towards the vines that blocked the entrance. "They kidnapped us both. We managed to escape, though only justâŚ"
He looked back at her and smiled.
"Thank you, Arabella. Had you not been there, I fear we would be in their clutches once more."
She gave him a big grin.
"You're welcome! I guess we're even now, huh?"
"I guess so," he chuckled. "I must say, I am impressed. Such command of the Weave at such a young age⌠is this what you've been learning since we last saw you?"
"Yeah! Bone Man said I should follow the Weave, so that's what I did. You should see some of the stuff I've found! There's this stone not far from here, it's full of magic, it's like I can see the past just by standing near it!"
"You'll have to show me," he said with a smile, partially because he always strove to encourage a child's curiosity, and partly out of his own curiousity. "Later though, I think. Once Saff is awake, and we've both recovered."
"YeahâŚ" Arabella murmured, looking at Saff caringly. "Why is she naked? Did the cultists take her clothes?"
"Ah, no⌠something much more exciting than that," he replied, looking at her with a smile. "Saff has learnt to wild shape, though she hasn't quite learnt to wild shape her clothes with her yet."
"She can wild shape?!" Arabella asked excitedly, her face lighting up. "That's so cool!"
"It is indeed," he said with a proud smile. "It is what enabled us to escape. She fought her way out as an owlbear, then flew us to safety as a giant eagle."
"Wooow," she whispered in reverence. "That's amazing! I wanna learn to do that!"
"Well, continue following the Weave and I'm sure you'll manage it," he encouraged. "Why, when I was your ageâŚ"
Arabella proved to be one of the few people he'd spoken to that was genuinely interested in his childhood stories, though even she was relieved when Saff finally woke and the conversation could move on.
"Saff?" Gale said softly as she began to stir, gently cupping her cheek in his hand. Her eyes fluttered open, wincing slightly against the pain.
"GaleâŚ" She murmured, a weak smile coming to her lips.
"We did it, my love," he whispered, leaning down and wrapping her in a gentle hug. "We escaped, thanks to you."
"Heh, I don't think it was just me," she said as he pulled back. Only then did she notice the other figure at her side.
"Arabella?" She gasped in surprise.
"Hey Saff!" Arabella said happily. Gale helped Saff sit up and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders as she quickly leaned forward and pulled Arabella into a hug.
"Oh, sweetie, it's so good to see you again!" Saff celebrated happily. "I'm so glad you're ok. Where have you been? WhereâŚ" she trailed off slightly and looked around themselves, "âŚwhere are we?"
"This is where I live!" Arabella answered proudly. "I found this spot and set everything up myself."
"You live here?" Saff asked in concern, far less enthused about Arabella's dwelling than Arabella herself was.
"Yeah! Pretty cool, huh?" Arabella said with a grin, clearly unaware of Saff's reservations.
"We have Arabella to thank for our escape, as well," Gale said, before Arabella could get offended by Saff's less-than-enthusiastic response to her living accommodations. "After you fell out of wild shape I carried us both through the sewers, fleeing the cultists. We were cornered, but Arabella came to the rescue, dispatching the cultists and leading us to this safe spot."
Arabella grinned proudly, and Saff decided to put her concern aside for now.
"That's amazing! Thank you, Arabella."
"You're welcome!" She replied happily. Saff gave her a smile, before turning to Gale with a more serious look.
"We should get back. The others must be worried sick about us."
"Agreed, it has probably been long enough that the cultists have dispersed," he nodded, then looked to Arabella. "What's the quickest way back to the surface?"
"There's an exit not far from here. I'll take you there!" She offered. Saff nodded her thanks, then gave her a serious look.
"Arabella⌠come with us, won't you? You don't have to stay out here on your own, living like this."
"I knew you'd say that," Arabella laughed, then shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm happy here!"
"And I knew you'd say that," Saff lamented with a sigh. "Are you sure? With us you'll have a warm bed, proper meals, and it'll be safer."
"I'm sure! I'm safe out here. I killed all those cultists, remember? And I've fought other people before. I can look after myself!"
"But you shouldn't have to do that," Saff said pleadingly, desperate to get her to understand. "It's not fair on you."
"You can continue studying the Weave," Gale offered. "In fact, it is a lot easier to do so when you aren't also in a position where you're regularly fighting for your life and having to find food and supplies just to live."
"I'm fine, really," she insisted, starting to get a bit annoyed by the conversation.
"Just one night?" Saff offered, hoping to find a middle ground. "If you really don't want to stay, you can go in the morning. But at least come back with us just for tonight. Let us cook you dinner as thanks for helping us."
Arabella paused, considering her offer, and finally relented.
"Oh, alright. One night," she agreed. Saff breathed a sigh of relief. She'd prefer Arabella agreed to come back with them permanently, of course, but she hoped that one night might be enough to convince her to do that. And even if she still decided to leave, at least she'd be safe for tonight.
After gathering several blankets and weaving together a quick illusion spell to provide Saff some clothes for the walk back, the three of them left the safety of Arabella's refuge. The sewers were blessedly free of cultists, and soon they were up onto the streets, making their way towards the Upper City.
The group greeted them with excitement and relief, and were equally excited to see Arabella in tow with them. Luckily for them Arabella didn't question why Saff's 'sister' had the same name as her and looked exactly like her, and was instead excited to tell her the story of how hero lady Saff had saved her from the druids, and how she'd then become the hero lady herself and saved Saff from the Bhaalists.
Then came the question Saff had been dreading.
"Where's Malitas?" Arabella asked, looking around the group.
"He's not here right now. He had⌠some business to attend to," Saff answered, glad to see that her lying skills had at least reached the point where a nine year old would believe her.
"Aww, I had more questions I wanted to ask him!"
"Well, I'm sure he'll be happy to answer those questions next time you see him."
It was enough of an explanation to keep Arabella satisfied for now, though Saff felt a twisting guilt in her stomach for lying to her about it all.
The evening was spent sharing stories, playing games, and giving Arabella the first proper meal she'd had in weeks. As Gale showed her the extent of the knowledge available from the books in the library, Saff dared to hope it might be enough to convince her to stay.
They set up a bedroom for her in the observatory, and despite her protests, insisted that she should go to bed at a sensible time for a nine year old. Though their insistence wasn't just for Arabella's sake - they had matters to discuss that weren't for her ears.
"I made a terrible mistake," Gale admitted to the gathered group. "I had thought using the Crown of Karsus to ascend would spell the end of our problems. I realise now the error of my ways."
The majority of the group seemed to agree, though he could swear he heard Astarion muttering something about how being on first name terms with a god would have been nice. Ultimately he'd made his mind up and didn't care much what the rest of the group thought, though he couldn't deny the stab of pain he'd felt in his heart when he'd seen the look of shock on Saffy's face as he explained what he'd originally proposed. Seeing her disappointment in him hurt almost as much as Saff's disappointment.
The warmth and comfort of their bed was a welcome relief after the strain of the Bhaal temple. Saff curled up into his arms, pulling the covers tightly around them as she nuzzled into his chest.
"Saff⌠there was something else I wished to ask you," he said, his tone serious enough that she sat up to meet his gaze.
"What is it?"
"When Orin was impersonating you, she made some very concerning claims about certain things things Malitas had said to you in the past. She claimed he said that you were a 'barely-competent apprentice' and 'a naive, stupid young girl who canât tell truth from lies'. Is this true?"
She looked rather surprised about those accusations.
"No! At least, he never said anything quite that bad. He never said I was barely-competent or that I was stupid, but he did said I could be naive, and that you were probably just with me cause you wanted to sleep with me until you could get back to MystraâŚ" she murmured, looking away sadly.
"That's not much better," Gale criticised bitterly. "I do hope you know there's no truth to his words."
"I know," she assured him, hugging him tightly. "Though perhaps there's a bit of truth to it. I was naive enough to trust him, after all."
"We all fell for that one," Gale said with a sigh. "It is not naive to trust an extremely skilled liar, whether that liar be Malitas, or Orin."
"You trying to justify not being able to tell it wasn't really me?" She teased, looking up at him with a playful smile.
"It is a tad embarrassing I could not tell my own lover from a shape-shifter. But, in order to rectify this mistake, I shall simply have to spend more time with you in order to know you better."
Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?
Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut
Chapter 1
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The first thing that hit him was the smell. That rancid musk of death and decay that ripped him from unconsciousness and back to the waking world. The second thing was the ache in his shoulders and the pressure around his wrists, the cold kiss of metal manacles that held his arms restrained above his head.Â
The third thing was Saffâs voice.Â
âGale?â
He snapped his head up and turned to the sound. There he saw her sat on the ground in the cell next to him, her arms similarly drawn above her head and chained to the wall. Tear streaks line her cheeks, her hair was tangled and matted, her clothes scuffed with the dirt and grime of the temple.Â
âSaff!â He gasped, relieved to see her alive. âOh, thank the gods, I thought Iâd lost you!âÂ
âAnd I you! When they dragged you in I⌠I thoughtâŚâ her voice cracked and she trailed off, tears welling in her eyes.Â
âItâs ok, Iâm here,â he said softly, as reassuringly as I could, âand Saff, I⌠I am so, so sorry. I never wanted to make you feel that way, I never wanted for one moment to make you feel like you werenât enough, or that I wanted power more than I wanted you. That couldnât be further from the truth. Godhood I could live without, but you⌠you are everything. All I wanted was to give you everything you deserve. I thought⌠I thought I would be better for you, able to do more for you, if I had that power.âÂ
She looked at him, sniffing back her tears.Â
âGale, you have always been enough for me, just as you are. You never needed magic or power. Thatâs not why I fell in love with you.âÂ
Despite everything, that brought a smile to his lips.Â
âSometimes Iâm not sure I deserve you,â he said softly. âEspecially when I have brought you so much pain.âÂ
âYouâve brought me far more happiness than pain, I assure you,â she said firmly, though Gale looked unconvinced.Â
âSaff⌠are you sure? Orin impersonated you as a ruse to lure me to a place I would be vulnerable. I do not know how much of what she said was accurate to how you feel, but I do know shapeshifters are able to access some of their targetâs memories and feelings⌠and what she said leaves me great cause for concern.âÂ
âWhat did she say?â Saff asked nervously, seeing the way he winced in pain.Â
âShe⌠was stood on the roof of the Elfsong. I assume that is where she found you,â he said, and Saff nodded in confirmation. âShe was crying and claimed to be distraught about feeling inadequate, unable to compare to Mystra, being wrong about everything and everyone⌠she kept saying âI canât do thisâ, and approached the edge of the roof⌠then jumped.âÂ
Saffâs eyes widened in a look of shock that gave Gale hope that genuinely hadnât been her intention at any point.
âGods⌠I was upset about it, yes, but I wasnât suicidal! I just⌠needed time to think about it all. And I needed time to calm down. I was so angry, angry at you, angry at myself, angry at the world. I needed to get away from it all for a bitâŚâÂ
She took a deep breath, then looked over at him.
âBut I promise you, I planned to come back and talk to you about it. I was never going to do that.âÂ
âThat is a great relief. A great relief indeed,â he said gratefully. âIf you ever do feel like that, then please tell me. I am here for you, in any way I can be. And if there is any way I can make it up to you after upsetting you so much and being so woefully misguided about this crown, then please, donât hesitate to tell me what you require of me.âÂ
âWell, finding a way to get us out of here would be a good start,â she said, shifting her attention to the cell bars in front of them.Â
âAh, yes⌠quite the predicament weâve found ourselves in,â he said, following her gaze.Â
âThe keys are over there,â she nodded towards a small hook just outside their cell from which a set of keys hung, âbut I canât cast any spells with my hands chained like this. Iâve been trying since before they brought you in. And even if I wasn't chained up, I think whatever they knocked me out with has drained my magic.â
âI feel the same, anything more than cantrips will be difficult. But a Mage Hand will be enoughâŚâÂ
He pulled against the chains, trying to bring his hands close enough to perform the gesture, but his attempts led only to weak splutters of failed magic.Â
âYou sure youâre not a sorcerer? A subtle spell would be really helpful right about now,â Saff joked with a weak smile.Â
âAlas, sorcery is as inaccessible to me right now as it has ever been,â Gale lamented, his mind racing to find another way to escape.Â
âIâve been trying to wild shape,â Saff said after a momentâs silence. âBut I just canât get it to come. I should have asked Jaheira and Halsin to help me learn to do it properly when I had the chance. But there was so much going on, I just didnât have the energyâŚâÂ
âDonât blame yourself, you needed time to rest,â he assured her. âIf we push ourselves all the time, we will never improve.âÂ
She murmured a hum of agreement, before returning her focus to finding an escape plan. Everything down here was old and rusted, perhaps theyâd be able to break the chains with enough force, then bend or break the cell bars. Or perhaps they could enlist help - she'd heard the squeaks and scurries of rats, maybe sheâd be able to speak to them and ask for assistance. If they could get out, there were crates of equipment near the keys, perhaps they could find weapons and fight their way outâŚ
âHow long have we been down here?â Gale asked, interrupting her chain of thought.
âI donât know exactly. I woke up here, no idea how long I was unconscious for. Given how much my shoulders are aching, it feels like hours.âÂ
âEnough time for the others to realise weâre gone,â Gale reasoned. âPerhaps enough time for them to mount a rescue effort-âÂ
He was cut off by the sound of the door opening.Â
Saff hoped for a brief moment that the universe would grant them a break and Galeâs words might herald the immediate arrival of their rescue. But when she saw who it was that walked down the corridor towards them, her hopes were crushed.Â
Orin herself, flanked either side by two guards. Saffâs heart raced in fear as the shapeshifter stormed towards their cells and stopped in front of them.Â
âOh good! Heâs awake,â she said with a sadistic playfulness, looking at Gale. The playfulness quickly disappeared, replaced by anger. âYour little friends donât seem to have understood my message. I told them if they delivered me the tyrantâs head, I would deliver you both to them, unharmed. But theyâve been snooping around where they donât belongâŚâ
Her anger turned to rage now, her fists shaking as she spoke.Â
âSaravokâs crimson was not theirs to spill! He was mine! They had NO RIGHT to take him!!â She shouted, her voice echoing off the ancient stone walls. Saffâs eyes widened at the realisation that Saravok Anchev himself was involved in all this, but she had no more time to think about it as in an instant Orinâs anger turned once again to a playful smile. âI think they need reminding of their mission. Iâm sure a gift will help set them right, donât you think?âÂ
She drew her blade, smiling as she ran a finger along its edge, then turned to Saff.
âSuch beautiful eyes⌠Iâm sure your friends would love to see them again, one at a time,â she threatened playfully, pressing the tip of her dagger into her finger. Saff flinched back in fear, and heard the clink of Galeâs chains as he instinctively tried to move forward protectively. Orinâs eyes moved to him, her head cocking to the side.Â
âOr maybe theyâd prefer some expertly-cut sweet meats, hmm?â She said happily, almost giggling to herself at the thought. âOh, so many possibilities! And not to worry, with my blade neither of you would have to worry about dying. Youâd get back to your friends eventually⌠piece by piece.âÂ
She began to pace with an eerie child-like excitement.Â
âOh, but which one? The oh-so-powerful archmage, or the frightened little faun? How ever will I decide?â She pretended to ponder the question for a moment, tapping the tip of her blade against her lips as she hummed in thought, before smiling once more and pointing her dagger to them.Â
âEenie meenie miney mo, catch a Banite by his toe, if he hollars SLIT HIS THROAT! Eenie meenie mineyâŚâ
Saffâs blood ran cold as Orinâs blade landed pointing to her.Â
âMo.âÂ
âNo!!â Gale shouted as the two guards entered her cell and pulled her to her feet. She cried out and tried to fight against them, kicking and screaming as they unlinked her manacles from the wall, held her arms behind her back and dragged her out of the cell.Â
âLet her go!â Gale shouted, leaping to his feet and pulling desperately at his restraints. âRelease her!!âÂ
Orin laughed as she watched Gale struggle, enjoying drawing out his torment, until her smile faltered when she heard the snap of metal.Â
The rusted chain snapped, and in a swift movement he lifted his now free arm towards his other hand, but the spell he tried to cast spluttered at his fingers.Â
âAww, all out of magic?â Orin taunted, grinning once more. She gave a wave, and one of the guards stepped forward to unlock the cell. His mind raced, and as the guard opened the door, he prepared the one spell even Orinâs poisons couldnât stop him from casting.Â
When the goddess of magic gives you a spell to use on a divine mission, she certainly isnât going to let mortal interference prevent you from casting it.Â
With a flash of magic a dagger appeared in his hand, which he pressed to his now glowing chest.Â
âTake her and everyone dies!â He threatened, his eyes flaring with magic. âYour whole cult, your entire plan, everything youâve worked for, up in flames in an instant!âÂ
âNo!â Saff gasped, unable to believe he would threaten such a thing. Not only would it wipe out the cult - it would wipe out the entire city.Â
The guard paused, looking back at Orin for guidance. Gale had hoped sheâd take the threat seriously, but hadnât expected her eyes to widen in excitement.
âYes⌠yes!â She squealed, almost shaking with elation, a wide grin spreading across her lips. âSo much death, so much suffering, oh it will be beautiful! The screaming children as their skin blisters and their eyes boil, the terrified survivors left clinging to life as the fires burn them away, all in Bhaalâs name! The greatest sacrifice ever made to him! The burning crater of the city will be testament to his power, the tens of thousands that died screaming because of him!âÂ
Her eyes were wild with exhilaration as she watched him, seemingly genuine in her encouragement.Â
âDo it! Do it!!âÂ
Whether she was being truthful or simply calling his bluff, it didnât matter. His hand fell to his side and the dagger disappeared, the magic in his chest fizzling to nothing. Orin sighed dejectedly.Â
âHow disappointing,â she muttered, then waved for the guard to continue. Gale raised his hand as the guard approached, lunging forward with a Shocking Grasp that did little more than lightly jolt the guard. Saff cried out for them to stop as the guard slammed his knee into Galeâs stomach, then pushed him against the wall, grabbed the two chains and fixed the link with a hasty cast of Mending.Â
âDonât worry, youâll see her again,â Orin cooed as the guard left the cell, âor whatâs left of her, at least.âÂ
âNo!!â Gale shouted desperately, pulling at the chains to no avail.Â
They screamed for each other as Orin had Saff dragged away, until the door to the dungeons slammed shut and Gale was left alone.
Saff battled against her captors, but her struggles were in vain as they easily dragged her through the temple. The corridors opened out into a large hall, the ceiling so high the flickering light of the roomâs torches didnât even reach it. Ominous red light rose in a smokey haze from the deep caverns that surrounded the walkways, a single stream of sunlight through the cracked roof the only reminder of the outside world. They descended the stairs and her heart stopped in fear at what she saw carved into the wall ahead of her - a large skull, surrounded by droplets of blood. The symbol of Bhaal.Â
They slammed her down on the stone altar beneath the skull, and as they chained down her hands and legs, she could swear the cold, empty eye sockets above were watching her. She tugged against the chains, but found herself barely able to move.Â
Terror suffocated her. If Orin killed her sheâd reincarnate into the clone Malitas had made of her, but from what sheâd said, Orin had no intention of letting her dieâŚ
Then she saw her, leaning over her, looking down with those soulless white eyes.
âNow⌠where to start?â She said playfully, beginning to walk around her. âA finger? A hand? No⌠I think Iâll go with my first instinct. Those beautiful eyes of yours.â
Saff squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry in fear as she felt the tip of Orinâs blade against her eyelid. Her hands trembled in their restraints and her breath shook with each rasped inhale and exhale.Â
Was there any hope of rescue? The others had managed to kill Saravok, but did they have any hope of getting here in time? Could Gale escape his restraints and fight his way out?
Or was she truly here alone?
Orin lifted her dagger up ready to plunge it downwards. Saff opened her eyes just in time to see the glint of red as the blade came down to herâŚ
There was no pain. She blinked rapidly, trying to see what had happened, but could make nothing out in front of her. She could feel something over her face - a blindfold? Instinctively she tried to pull it away and was surprised to find she was no longer restrained, yet when she touched her face she found nothing over her eyes.Â
She looked down at her hands and suddenly realised what had happened when she found herself looking not at human hands, but at a pair of mouse paws.Â
The ground suddenly lifted beneath her then gave way, and she fell downwards until she hit the familiar stone surface of the altar. She looked up to see Orin towering above her, holding up the clothes sheâd just shaken her out of. With a flash of anger, Orin raised her blade.Â
Saff ran.Â
Her little legs carried her across the altar and off the side as she leapt down to the ground and scurried across the floor. She could hear Orin shouting after her and the thundering footsteps of cultists running after her, but didnât look back. Ahead of her she saw a crack in the wall and ran for it. The footsteps grew ever closer, the ground feeling like it was shaking beneath her feet, until finally she reached the safety of the crevice.Â
She didnât stop running through the darkness until she came out to an opening between walls that was filled with rats. Sheâd never considered rats to be big before, but they felt huge compared to her now, charging past on the way to gods know where. She stayed backed up against the wall, allowing herself a moment to recover from the fear that had filled her, before spotting a small group of rats talking nearby. With a deep breath, she swallowed her nerves and approached them.Â
âE-excuse me,â she stuttered. The four rats turned to her, looking down at her over scruffy whiskers. âDo⌠do any of you know where the dungeons are?â
âWhatâs a dungeon?â One of them asked, only to be bapped over the head by one of the others.Â
âItâs where the snacks are!â The other one said, then turned to Saff. âThey got new meat in, then?â
âI heard they took two in earlier today,â another rat said, his voice jittering with excitement.Â
âOh, you donât wanna go yet then,â the second rat advised with the rat-equivalent of a shrug. âYou gotta wait for a few days, or they kick you away. But once they get weak enough, they stop trying to stop you from eating them!âÂ
âThough, little one like you, if youâre quick, they might not notice ya before you get a little nibble on a toe,â the fourth rat said. âJust leave some for us!âÂ
The thought of prisoners growing so weak they couldnât even stop the rats from eating them alive made her sick, but she tried not to show it, lest she attract suspicion.Â
âOk, well, um, if I wanted to try now, where do I go?â She asked, and the rats all turned in the same direction.
âDown that way, past the hole, outta the big crack in the wall on that side,â the second rat instructed, nodding to the right.Â
âThank you!â She said, then quickly hurried off in that direction.Â
She stuck to the edges, hugging the wall, staying out of the way of the stampede of rats running through the centre of the gap. She found a deep crater in the ground, leading so far down even with her heightened sight as a mouse she couldnât see the bottom, and she assumed this was the hole the rat had mentioned and ran past. Soon she came across a crack on the right hand wall, and hoped this was the exit the rat had recommended.
She poked her head out and breathed a sigh of relief to see the familiar corridor leading towards the cells theyâd been chained up in. There were no guards in here for now, but she knew that was likely to change soon as the cultists spread across the temple looking for her.Â
Quickly she ran out and scurried down the corridor. It was hard to tell exactly where she was given the significant change in perspective, but she was pretty sure this way led to Galeâs cell. Her hopes were confirmed when she found him, still chained to the wall, tugging at his chains as he tried to cast a spell. The closer she got, the more she realised how desperately heâd been trying to escape - blood trickled down his arms where the cuffs had cut into his wrists, yet still he hadnât given up. She watched as she walked through the bars into his cell, seeing another spell fizzle on his fingers.Â
âPlease⌠pleaseâŚâ he whispered, his voice shaking and desperate, before trying another spell. Now that she grew closer, she could see the redness around his eyes and the tear lines down his cheeks.Â
âGaleâŚâ she whispered, her heart aching for him. He looked over at her, and she realised her voice would have sounded to him as nothing more than a squeak. At first he tried to shoo her away, waving his foot in her direction, but when she continued to approach him, her gaze fixed on him, his eyes began to open in realisation.
âSaffâŚ?â He whispered, his eyes lighting up, daring to hope it might be her. She wanted nothing more than to confirm his hopes, to comfort him and tell him she was ok. Slowly she walked forward, feeling magic gathering unbidden within her, and in a flash she was back on human feet, crouched over and naked.Â
Nothing else mattered to her in that moment and she ran to him, falling to her knees by his side and throwing her arms around him. He leant into her, pulling against the chains to return the hug as best he could. Their lips met in a kiss, and when they pulled back he looked at her with tears of joy in his eyes.Â
âSaff, youâre ok! Thank the heavens and hells and everything in between!â He gushed, barely able to hold back his emotions. âWhat happened?â
âOrin chained me to an altar and was about to take my eye, then I wild shaped. I didnât even realise what had happened at first. I ran, asked some rats for directions, and made it here.âÂ
âThen we must hurry, theyâll no doubt be looking for you,â he said, focusing once more. She nodded in agreement and quickly rose to her feet, turning to the keys that hung outside the cell.Â
âVeni et adiuva me!â She incanted, summoning a Mage Hand that quickly floated away toward the keys at her command. Â
In the distance they heard the sound of a door opening, and her blood ran cold.Â
âHurry!â Gale hissed in a panicked whisper, and quickly she tried to speed up the Mage Hand as much as she could. Hurried footsteps grew ever closer, sending her heart racing in panic.Â
The hand reached the keys and picked them up, and she pressed herself against the bars and held her hand out to get the keys as soon as possible once it started returning to her. If she could release Gale, perhaps theyâd both be able to fight their way out togetherâŚ
An arrow hissed through the air and sliced through the Mage Hand, which disappeared in a puff of magic and left the keys falling to the ground.Â
âNo!â She gasped, turning to see the two cultists that now had her in their sights. Her hands instinctively moved to cover her bare body as she backed away in the cell, mind racing to find an escape.Â
They reached the door and quickly got it open, leaving her with no choice but to fight.Â
She threw a Firebolt at the first cultist, leaving him stumbling back, but couldnât prepare a second spell in time to attack the second cultist before he reached her and pushed her against the bars of the cell, pinning her arms against her back.Â
Gale was on his feet once more as they dragged her away, shouting and pulling at his chains. The injured cultist looked at him in disdain and walked over to him.Â
âShut it,â he ordered, before slamming the butt of his staff down into Galeâs stomach.Â
âNo!â Saff cried out, struggling in her captorâs grasp when she saw Gale cough in pain and fall to his knees. The cultist pushed her up against the cell bars to strengthen his grip on her as she tried to escape.
âCâmon, letâs get her back to Orin!â He shouted to the other one, who looked over at them.Â
âHey⌠we gotta get her back to Orin straight away?â He said, a sinister smile spreading across his lips as he looked her up and down.Â
Saffâs eyes widened in fear when she realised what he was suggesting.Â
The guard behind her laughed, then dragged her away from the bars towards one of the nearby crates, then roughly bent her over it. She screamed and thrashed, but was unable to escape his grip.Â
âNo! Let her go! Donât you dare!!â Gale shouted, jumping to his feet again, only to be knocked back down to his knees by another attack from the other cultist. She screamed his name as she was pressed down into the crate, sobbing in fear and anger as she watched Gale get slammed over the head by the cultist, while her captor reached down to unlace his breechesâŚÂ
As her anger grew, so too did a familiar feeling of magic deep within, which she embraced and allowed to flood through her.Â
The cultist behind her stumbled back in fear as fur and feathers sprouted across her growing body, and had barely a chance to react before she turned to him and brought her claws down across his face with the roar of an owlbear. Blood splattered across the ancient stones, his gargled screams quickly silenced by her attacks. Bloodied paws and face, she turned towards the cultist in the cell with Gale, who quaked in fear. With a roar she charged, and in the seconds granted to him before she reached the cell he quickly threw the door shut, hoping the bars would provide him protection. Unfortunately for him they did no such thing, the metal easily bending underneath her strength when she charged down the door and gored him against the wall.Â
Gale looked up at her, wincing against the piercing shriek of her roar.Â
âSaffâŚâ he started, hoping sheâd recognise him again, before gasping in fear as she raised her paw up, claws beared, and brought it down over himâŚ
There was the clattering of metal as the chains fell from the wall, her claws having easily slashed straight through the metal links. He looked down at his hands, the chains that hung from the manacles around his wrists now hanging loose.Â
He looked up at her and she knelt down, watching him, waiting. A smile came to his lips when he realised what she was waiting for.Â
He rose to his feet and walked forward, carefully placing his hand on her side, feeling her thick fur beneath his fingers. A deep rumble came from her throat, somewhere between a purr and a growl. She was ready for battle.Â
Quickly he jumped up onto her back and took two fistfulls of fur to steady himself as she stood up and walked out of the cell, giving him a moment to find his balance. When he was sure, he lifted a hand and summoned a ball of fire in his palm, ready to attack.Â
âAlright Saff, letâs get out of here!â He shouted, leaning forward.Â
She reared up and roared, and he joined her battle cry as they charged for the exit.
Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?
Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut
Chapter 1
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Saff took Gale by surprise when she entered the study, a fact she found rather amusing when she saw the way he jumped at the unexpected sound of the door.
âAh, youâre back already!â He greeted with a wide smile, looking up from the Annals of Karsus, which lay open on the table in front of him.Â
ââAlreadyâ? Itâs been over an hour.â
âIt has? My, how time flies when entrenched in a good book,â he said, then rose to his feet with an excited look. âSaff, my love, I believe this book may be the answer to all our problems. But let us not discuss it here. Come, I have something truly divine I would like to show you.â
She looked at him curiously and happily let him lead her out of the room and through the tower towards her annex. They ascended the stairs to her bedroom and he sat on the edge of the bed with her, taking her hands in his.Â
âThere is so much to say, but words alone are not enough. Permit me to show you. Please, close your eyes a moment.âÂ
âAlright⌠but donât take too long, I promised Saffy weâd help her with dinner,â she joked with a small chuckle as she closed her eyes.Â
âI assure you, dinner can wait for this,â he said, then she felt Weave begin to gather. âAstra navigabimus.âÂ
Magic pulsed and fluttered around them, a powerful spell she didnât recognise that left a warm tingle on her skin.Â
âFew mortals ever glimpse what you're about to see. But don't be alarmed - I'm here with you. Now... open your eyes.â
She did as he said, and the sight she saw tok her breath away.Â
The cosmos stretched out around them, a medley of stars and auroras, reaching out into an endless infinity. Through it they sailed on the blue glow of an ethereal boat, floating along a celestial ocean. Small sparkles of Weave danced around them, sparkling around her fingers as she lifted a hand and swayed it through the air.Â
âThe Outer Planes,â Gale explained, smiling proudly as he watched her. âThis is where gods dwell. Where they observe us from afar.â His smile fell to a mournful look. âWhere they make playthings of us.âÂ
She lowered her hand and turned back to him, hearing the seriousness in his tone.Â
âBut what if we didnât need them?â He continued, leaning towards her. âWhat if we wielded their power instead, and helped ourselves in all the ways they refuse to. I could make that happen. I could make this illusion a reality, with you by my side.âÂ
Her eye twitched, a nervous fear gripping her heart.Â
âWha⌠what?â She asked, her voice almost a whisper.Â
âThe Annals of Karsus - it explained everything. The Crown and the Netherstones were originally one construct, and with the knowledge granted to me by the book, I could reforge them. I could do everything Karsus could not. The tadpoles, the orb - these threats to our existence - the gods could aid us if they wished, but instead they cower behind Ao. So let us act ourselves. With the power of the crown, any foe would be rendered impotent. Any obstacle would be dwarfed by our-... Saff?âÂ
The colour had drained from her face. She stared at him in wide-eyed horror, gripping the seat beneath her.Â
âY-you⌠you⌠you want to⌠become a godâŚ?â She stuttered, barely able to get the words out.
âNo, not like that,â he said hastily. âI donât want to join them, I want to better them. A godâs powers, paired with a mortal conscience, a mortal heart.â
âKarsus thought the same,â she said, her voice wavering. âHe wanted to protect his people⌠but he ended up killing them allâŚâ
âKarsus, powerful as he was, lacked some advantages I can lay claim to. I know Mystra - intimately. And I carry a fragment of the Weave itself within my body. Karsus achieved many things, but he neverâŚâ
He trailed off when he saw tears begin to run down her cheeks.Â
âSaff⌠my love, donât you see? This is a good thing,â he insisted, but she barely even heard him. Her chest felt like it was tightening, her breaths becoming rapid and panicked. Her hands shook and her ears rang.
Malitas was rightâŚ
âThis isnât happeningâŚâ she whispered, starting to hyperventilate, âthis isnât happening, this isnât happeningâŚâ
âSaff, please, breathe, itâs ok,â he said, moving to reach out to comfort her, until she pulled away from him.Â
âI can't do thisâŚâ she choked in a panic. âFirst Aryn, then Malitas, now you⌠please, anyone but youâŚâ
âSaff, my love-â
âDon't say that,â she snapped, looking at him angrily through her tears. âDon't call me âmy love' when it clearly isn't true!âÂ
âWhatâŚ?â He gasped in shock. âSaff, all of this is for you, because I love you-â
âDo you?!â She cried out angrily. âWhat about everything we said we'd do? Move to Waterdeep, teach at Blackstaff, adopt children, start a family⌠did you never really want any of that??â
âI did⌠I do. But I could offer you so much more. The vastness of eternity to explore, the Weave at our fingertips⌠wouldnât you want that?â
âI want youâŚâ she whispered, her voice cracking with such fragile emotion it broke his heart.Â
âThen have me,â he said softly, desperately trying to reassure her, âbut have the best possible version of me.â
âThe best possible version of you puts everyone in danger?âÂ
âI wonât, I swearâŚâ he started, but she was already shaking her head, her eyes squeezed shut as tears rolled down her cheeks.Â
âMalitas⌠he⌠he said this would happen⌠he said if you read it you'd try the same as Karsus, he said you'd bring about a second fall of Netheril and doom us all. That was why he hid the book from us, to protect everyone. I told him he was wrong, that you'd never do that. I thought he was trying to tear us apart. But he was right⌠oh, gods, he was rightâŚâ
Gale froze, suddenly realising why she was reacting so strongly. The thought that she had defended him, only to have him prove Malitas right, made him sick.Â
âSaffâŚâ he started, taking her hands in his, but she quickly pulled them back.Â
âTake me back,â she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady.Â
âSaff, please-â
âI said take me back!âÂ
He almost flinched as she shouted, glaring at him through tears of hurt and anger. Quickly he waved a hand and the illusion faded around them, revealing Saff's bedroom once more.Â
She stood up and ran downstairs.Â
âSaff, please, just wait-!â He called as he ran after her through the annex, but was cut off as she ran out the front door of the tower and slammed it behind her.Â
He pressed his forehead to the door and swore under his breath, his hands shaking as regret filled his mind. He grappled with the desperation to run after her and explain himself, and the knowledge that he should give her space.Â
The minutes crawled by. He didnât move from the entrance hall, constantly hoping to hear the noise of the lock click open, running through his explanation and apology in his mind.Â
Eventually the waiting became too much and he ran out after her.Â
Ordinarily trying to find someone in an entire city might be impossible, but he knew the first place to try. The place sheâd always gone when upset before - the roof of the Elfsong.Â
The tavern was filled with late-night drinkers that luckily paid him no mind as he pushed his way through the drunken revelry towards the stairs, until a voice cut through the noise.
âWell well, look who it is.â
Gale turned to see Alan looking at him from behind the bar, a disapproving look on his face.Â
âIs Saff here?â He asked quickly.
âAye, upstairs. Youâd best have a good apology ready for whatever you said to her. I havenât seen her this upset since her last boyfriend,â he said, a distinctive threatening tone behind his words.Â
Gale quickly nodded and hurried upstairs.Â
He found her on the roof, standing near the broken fencing, staring up at the sky. Despite the noise downstairs she heard his footsteps as he approached, and spun around to face him. His heart broke to see the tears that streaked her cheeks and the redness of her eyes.Â
âSaffâŚâ he said softly, looking at her with pained concern. âIâm so sorry. Please, let us talk about this.â
She shook her head, slowly beginning to back away.Â
âI canâtâŚâ she whispered, barely able to speak through her tears.Â
âSaff, please, allow me to explain⌠to apologise-â
âI canât do this, Gale,â she sobbed desperately. âWhatâs the point? When Iâm so wrong about everything and everyoneâŚâ
âSaff, donât talk like that,â he said, moving towards her, but she continued to retreat backwards away from him.Â
âMalitas was right⌠not just about the book. About everything. He tried to warn me after he first met you. I remember what he said⌠that Iâm a barely-competent apprentice that could never compare to a goddess⌠that Iâm a naive, stupid young girl who canât tell truth from lies, who you can so easily get what you want from until you find something betterâŚâ
He stopped on the spot, staring at her in surprise.Â
âMalitas said that?â He asked, his voice a shocked whisper.
âHe did⌠and he was right. I canât compare to Mystra⌠I canât be enough for youâŚâ
âNo, Saff, listen to me,â he said firmly, walking towards her again. âYou are everything to me. Donât you ever believe youâre not enough. I was doing this because I want to be enough for you!â
She shook her head and sobbed as she backed away from him again, and his eyes flicked nervously to the edge of the roof as she drew ever closer to it.Â
âSaff, please, come back. Letâs talk about this,â he said, holding a hand out for her.Â
âI canâtâŚâ she whispered, continuing to back away. âI⌠I canât do thisâŚâÂ
âNo, Saff, stop⌠you donât have to come back if you donât want to, just stop!â He said in rising panic.
âSweet, innocent, naive, stupid, stupid, stupidâŚâ she chanted as she continued to move back, her feet nearly reaching the edgeâŚ
âSaff, stop!!â He shouted, and finally she stopped, looking up at him with teary eyes.Â
âIâm sorry, Gale,â she whispered, her voice cracking. âIâm sorry I couldnât be what you neededâŚâ
She closed her eyes and held her arms out.Â
âEnjoy godhood. I hope itâs everything youâve ever wanted.âÂ
âNo, Saff-!â
She stepped backwards.Â
âNo!!â He screamed as he ran towards her, desperately reaching out to her as she plummeted out of view. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the roof just as the crashing sound of crushed wooden boxes echoed from the alleyway below. He looked down and saw only darkness, unable to make out a thing in the dim moonlight.Â
Hurriedly he threw his hands out in a casting of Featherfall and leapt down, his heart racing. He landed amongst shattered crates and boxes, but couldnât see her.Â
âSaff!!â He shouted desperately as he began to search, struggling to make out the vague shapes around him in the darknessâŚ
Then he saw her, her body broken and twisted on the ground. With a fearful sob he fell to his knees next to her and gently cradled her in his arms, feeling her blood seeping into his clothes. Heâd dared to hope she might have survived the fall, until he saw the angle at which her neck had snapped.
âNo, Saff, noâŚâ he sobbed, cupping her cheek in his hand. Panic and guilt gripped him, his heart breaking not only that sheâd done this, but heâd been the one that had driven her to it.
His mind raced. If she died sheâd reincarnate into her clone, but would she just try to kill herself again? If so, he could potentially resurrect her, but only if her soul was willing to returnâŚ
Her eyes snapped open.Â
He yelped in shock and jumped up, backing away from her as she began to stumble to her feet. He watched in horror as her twisted, broken limbs snapped and cracked back into position, an ashy mist gathering around her as she lifted her hands upâŚ
She snapped her head back forward, and he found himself face to face with Orin the Red.Â
Before he could react, he felt hands suddenly grab him from behind, pinning his arms back and clasping a rag over his mouth, reducing his panicked shouts to nothing but muffled gasps.Â
âLook at it, crawling and sniffing around in the filth,â she taunted, watching with a sadistic smile as he struggled against the cultists that restrained him. âHush hush, Orin will take care of you.âÂ
He began to feel his limbs growing weak and heavy, his vision blurring from whatever foul-smelling concoction soaked the rag they held to his face. He fell to his knees, struggling helplessly in their grip.Â
âRiddle me this, mage - whatâs better than a squirming, terrified wizard hostage?âÂ
His body gave in as the last of his consciousness began to slip away, and the last thing he saw before his vision blackened was the smug grin on her lips as she spoke the answer to her riddle, a single word that echoed through his mind.
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