Chapter Text
When Akta finally returned to her room, it was well past midnight. Astarion got up to help her out of her robe.
‘I’m a vampire with preternatural speed, but sometimes I struggle to keep up with you,’ he laughed as he undid her robe.
‘So, what god did you strike a bargain with, my love?’
Akta smiled.
‘Actually, I didn’t have to do much. It was mostly Gale making one last deal with his former lover. I guess there are advantages to being a goddess’ estranged paramour,’ she said.
‘And? What was the deal about? The elderbrain? The chosen ones? What will Mystra take care of for us so we can get an extra day of beauty sleep?’
‘You,’ she said.
‘Excuse me?’ Astarion asked, his brows furrowed.
‘It was about you, Astarion. Mystra agreed to turn you and the other seven thousand and six spawns back in exchange for the crown of Karsus,’ she said.
He went quiet.
‘And you think it’s safe to give it to her?’ he asked, almost in a whisper.
‘Well, she is the mother of magic and the most powerful god apart from Ao. There isn’t much harm she could do with a random trinket.’
She looked at him. He staggered toward the bed and sat down, his eyes distant.
Akta pulled off the rest of her robe. She went and sat next to him, picking up his hand and holding it tightly.
‘Talk to me? Please, Astarion?’ she said.
He turned toward her with a blank expression, but nothing came out of his mouth. Not a single word.
‘Astarion, please say something, love. You’re scaring me. Did I do something wrong? Did I overstep? Did you not want to be turned? Please, say something,’ she said, rubbing his arm.
‘Astarion? Please say…’
He pulled her in and hugged her so tight she couldn’t breathe. He trembled so much that she had to fall back on the bed with him because she couldn’t support his shaking form any longer. But she didn’t loosen her arms around him. She held him until his trembling stopped.
She kissed his hair again and again. She rubbed his back and arms.
‘Will it hurt?’ He was scared.
‘No, I don’t think it will hurt. It will be uncomfortable for a while, but it won’t hurt. I know when a person is turned undead, that pain is excruciating because it’s all necrotic magic. But this is life-giving magic, the same kind that can resurrect people. It will be different,’ she said, slowly caressing his hair.
‘It will be challenging, adjusting to the new body. My brother had to be reminded to breathe quite often. He would just forget sometimes and then choke for air. You will also be very, very hungry for food for the first couple of days. Not vampiric hunger; mortal hunger that can easily be satisfied with food. But no, you won’t go through any twisting, writhing pain.’
‘When will Mystra do this?’ he asked, still staring at the ceiling.
‘She gave Gale the ability to do it. She altered the magic in his orb. He will do it after we are done with Cazador,’ she said.
‘Honestly, all of this feels too good to be true, darling. A part of me is waiting for something to go wrong,’ he whispered to her.
‘I know, love, I know. But we will be fine. We are one step closer to the end.’
‘Can we sleep like this?’ he asked.
‘Of course,’ she said, as she pulled the blanket over them with her feet and flicked her wrist to blow out the candles.
‘So, Gale is no longer a walking, talking smokepowder barrel?’ Astarion chuckled.
They both laughed.
‘Le melin,’ she said into his hair.
‘Le melin ion,’ he said into her chest.
The next ten days were spent tracking down a Bhaalist murderer and rescuing Wyll’s father and his most trusted advisor. The rescue missions were tough, especially because they had to face Gortash’s defenses to reach them. But by the end of the ten days, Grand Duke Ravengard was free, and the group had the Flaming Fist on their side.
‘Zailista Namen, that is the name of the current high priestess of Asmodeus,’ Akta told her brother, who currently was an image on a crystal ball.
‘How did you find that?’ Mon asked.
‘Astarion found it in a locked drawer of his desk when we were cleaning his tower, an unsent letter addressed to her by Gral.’
‘What the hell? They were in direct correspondence?’
‘That’s what the letter would suggest. Probably for the entire time.’
‘What else did the letter say Akta?’
‘Well, it talked about the completion of my training and that Zailista could come and take me. The rest of it, you don’t want to know Mon, trust me on that.’
‘Akta, I want to know. You have kept all of this from Ma and Dad for decades now. I also understand why. But you cannot shut me out. Just tell me.’
Akta sighed.
‘He, Gral, I mean, abused and assaulted me, this you know already. But he was not supposed to. Touch me, I mean. I was to remain celibate. So, he was trying to figure out an excuse to put the blame on me. He was planning on saying I had an affair, or something similar.’
Mon was quiet.
‘Mon, are you there? Please talk to me.’
‘I am here love.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Restoration did not work on Ma and Dad. I am going to try and get them to a cleric I know in Waterdeep. She might be able to help.’ He did not want to dwell on the previous topic. If he did, he would cry from all the rage he was suppressing, and he did not wish for his sister to see him cry.
‘All right. Let’s hope that works.’
‘I will let you know how it goes. Take care of yourself Akta. Stay very, very safe.’
‘I will Mon.’
Akta sighed. ‘Mon, I am fine now. Trust me, I am in good company. Everyone takes care of me. Astarion takes care of me.’
‘Is he around?’
‘No. After that extremely embarrassing incident one time, he steps out of the room whenever I talk to you.’
Akta’s cheeks flushed remembering that day.
‘Whatever you two have, is this just ‘finding solace in the face of an impending apocalypse,’ or is this more Akta? Is this serious? Does he love you?’
‘He does Mon.’
‘Did he say so, or…’
‘He did Mon. And he does. He loves me. But more importantly, he understands. And he cares. And he makes me laugh. To others he may come across indifferent and cold, maybe even outright cruel at times, but he is very kind to me. Not for a moment did he make me feel unsafe, ever. He is sweet and thoughtful and…’
Mon noted how his sister’s voice eased as she talked about Astarion. How her eyes twinkled and how the smile appeared on her face as a response to her own words.
‘All right, you can stop your praise trail. I got the point.’ Mon laughed. ‘And that is one good thing I have heard in a while,’ he added.
‘I will be fine Mon. Try to get Ma and Dad to Waterdeep soon, or this will end in more bloodshed. My companions, especially Astarion, are not going to be kind to the Ashmadai if we find them before…...you know, whatever you and I are trying. And like always, if there is way to avoid all out bloodshed, I would prefer that. All thanks to the Bhaalists, the city has already seen enough blood.’
Akta and Gale spent the day before the attack on the Szarr Palace planning everything, down to the last detail. They figured out exactly when the cleric and two druids would flood the ritual chamber with daylight, when Gale would use the orb, when the Flaming Fist would enter, and how long they should wait before offering people food and water for sustenance. They also made plans for dealing with anyone who became jittery or violent, and decided where to take them afterward. They had to figure out how many would fit in the Harper safe houses and where the Grand Duke could arrange accommodation for the rest. There were so many questions to answer and plans to make before tomorrow.
Astarion spent the entire day with a book in his hands, trying to read, but he couldn’t focus. He attempted to listen to the conversations around him, but nothing made sense. Since Akta was busy running around, he didn’t want to bother her. Eventually, by late afternoon, he retreated to their room. All the discussions were making him sick.
'You should go check on him,’ Gale suggested. They were sorting through supplies in Elfsong’s basem*nt before the Fists came to collect them for the next day.
'Astarion?' Akta asked, not fully paying attention. 'He's upstairs with everyone else. He should be okay. We've got a lot to do for tomorrow, Gale.'
'I saw him heading back to your room before we came down here. He needs a good rest, and I don't think he'll be able to sleep on his own tonight. He'll need you. Go to him. He's a big part of tomorrow's plans. You take care of him, we'll handle the rest,' Gale advised.
Akta sighed. 'You're right. I shouldn't leave him alone too long tonight. I just didn't notice him slipping away to the room.'
She placed a hand on Gale's shoulder. 'Thanks, Gale. For always watching out for him when I can't.'
'Don't tell him I said anything, Akta. He's incorrigible if he knows you're worried about him.'
'No, that's not true,' Akta objected. 'He doesn't act that way with me.'
'Exactly. He only acts like that around you.'
Akta laughed, giving Gale's shoulder a squeeze. 'I'll send someone to help you with this,' she promised as she left.
As Akta locked the door, she found him lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
‘There you are,’ he said, still gazing upward. ‘I've been waiting for you.’
‘I'm so sorry, love. I should've come sooner. I got caught up in getting ready for tomorrow,’ she apologized.
He watched as she approached.
‘Come here,’ he said, shifting to make room on the bed and patting the space next to him.
Akta sat beside him. He pulled her close.
She lay down on her stomach, resting her chin on his bare chest, as they looked at each other.
He ran his thumb along her jaw, his ruby red eyes glowing.
‘I'm a greedy man, Akta,’ he said. ‘Anyone else tonight would've thanked you for everything you've given me and done for me. They would've told you how you changed their life in just three months. That your trust and affection are their greatest treasures, and they are grateful you thought they deserved them. But not me,’ he smiled as he ran his thumb over her lips, watching closely as she habitually parted them slightly.
‘I'm very greedy because all of that isn't enough for me. I need more. More of you, more of your love, more of your trust. And I need them for a long, long time to come. I fully intend to survive tomorrow, whatever happens. And I need assurance from you that you'll make sure that's your priority too. To survive tomorrow and be in my arms like this, again tomorrow night. I need your word, Akta. I need you to promise that you'll put yourself above everything else,’ he said, his voice deep and determined, but his eyes pleading desperately.
She held back a tear.
‘You have my word, Astarion. I'll do everything I can to make sure I'm here with you tomorrow night.’
‘I'm taking you to the one place I promised never to take you to.’
‘You're not taking me there, Astarion. You know very well that even if we never met, I would still do this. It's not just about you. It's about Dal. It's about the seven thousand and six other people in that palace. It's about Baldur's Gate and the influence Cazador will have on the city if he ascends tomorrow. And it's about my destiny, Astarion. Now that we know everything, it's clear I've always been tied to all of this. It's not your fault. Me going to the Szarr palace and trying to stop the ritual was probably meant to happen, Astarion.’
He sighed. ‘I know. But I can't help but feel guilty.’
As Akta gazed at him, a thought popped into her head.
‘I just realized, if everything goes like we hope, your eyes will change color by tomorrow night. You'll know what color they were before you became a spawn,’ she said.
‘You don't sound too thrilled about that, pet.’
‘I liked that your eyes complemented my hair. But it's a small price to pay for your freedom. A really, really small price,’ she smiled.
‘What else bothers you, Akta?’
‘I'm not really bothered. It's just...’
‘Tell me. I want to know.’
She rested her cheek on his chest.
‘I'll miss your cold skin. I always liked how cold it felt against mine.’
She ran her fingers over his chest.
‘And I liked knowing I could sustain you with my own body. That my blood was enough for you. It might sound silly, but it was very intimate when you fed on me. Every time you fed, there was a moment after which I could feel my blood coursing through both of our veins. It was, like I said, very intimate.’
Astarion realized that regardless of what happened tomorrow, she was about to lose the man she fell in love with.
Seeing his worried expression, Akta hurried to reassure him.
‘But you don't need to worry about any of that. It's just a matter of getting used to it. It's like Shadow's hair, or Wyll's horns, or Gale being clean-shaven that one time…’
As she spoke, he gently pushed her onto the bed and climbed over her.
He held himself up on his arms and knees, trapping her beneath him. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
‘You rescued a broken and bitter man that afternoon on the beach, Akta. One who was ready to destroy themselves with their newfound freedom. But you stopped that,’ he kissed her temple.
‘You showed me that there's more to life than power and control. You trusted me and took care of me when you barely knew me, offered friendship when I didn't deserve it, and loved me at my worst. That night you took me to the Monastery, that was the first time I realized I wanted more from life. More than just revenge, or power, or…or gold. That night was when I first thought about spending the rest of my life with you, and I realized that was all I needed to be happy forever. Just you.’
A tear rolled down his cheek onto her face. She ran her fingers through his hair.
‘What I'm trying to say is, Akta, thank you. You gave me everything and more.’
She pulled him close and kissed him.
‘You said you weren't going to thank me tonight,’ she grinned.
‘That was before I realized that I would probably either be dead or a different person by tomorrow night, all technicalities and non-technicalities considered. So, the man you fell in love with needed to thank you.
He kissed her softly on the mouth, then under her ear, then on her neck, licking the marks his fangs had made for the last three months.
He grazed the marks with his fangs and looked at her. She smiled.
‘I'll never forget the taste of your blood,’ he said, sinking his fangs into her neck. For the last time.
