tabitha42

[tabitha42]

I wanted to recreate this dance scene in my fic, so did a little in-game photoshoot!

[tabitha42]

I've made lots of posts about Saff, thought I'd also post some pictures of Malitas, for anyone reading my fic who wants to know what he looks like in-game!

[tabitha42]

Describe your Tav/Durge’s personality w/ a character(s) you associate them with.

Tagged by @thelittlesorceressbg3! Thank you for the tag!

Sansa Stark: Sansa was a big inspiration, young girl who believes in true love and fairy tales, but has to learn the world is not like that and grow strong enough to survive in it. Though luckily for Saff, she actually did get her fairy tale romance. This inspiration is referenced in the fic - Saff's favourite food is lemon cakes, in reference to Sansa'a favourite food being lemon cakes!

Cinderella: Saff's whole story is a bit of a Cinderlla story, except instead of a fairy god mother giving her a ball gown, it's a mind flayer giving her a tadpole.

As a little bonus, a character I associate her with not for personality, but for appearance:

The moment I saw these pictures of Daphne I thought "that is EXACTLY how I imagine Saff would look in real life!" then watched Bridgerton just to see more of her 😂 Daphne is definitely much more cunning than Saff, but they both want their fairy tale ending!

I tag @deerancha @chaoswritesthemultiverse!

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 73

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

It was hard to say which out of Saff and Karlach were more excited as they entered the Circus of Last Days. 

The buzzing atmosphere, the delighted shouts and laughter, the music, the spectacle… Saff loved it all. The free entry meant it was a popular day trip for the orphanage she grew up in, and she had many fond memories of the hours spent there with her friends. As children they’d never received any money to spend and could only enjoy the free attractions, but today that was no longer the case.

“What are you going to do with a disguise kit?” Gale questioned as she walked away from the mummy, proudly holding her latest purchase. 

“Disguise myself, obviously,” she joked, putting it into her bag. “I haven’t decided who I’m going to disguise myself as yet, but I’m sure I’ll find a use for it! Now, what’s next?”

“A djinni with a spin-to-win game. The odds are significantly against the player, it would be a waste of money to-” “Ooh I wanna play!” She gasped, running over. Gale sighed deeply, and followed. 

Karlach was already there, watching the wheel spin, fists balled in excitement. Wyll and Malitas were with her, Wyll watching in good faith while Malitas eyed the wheel with a suspicion Saff didn’t notice at all as she ran up to them. 

“Come on, come on!” Karlach was chanting, til the wheel finally stopped, just past the jackpot. 

“ALAS - NO JACKPOT FOR YOU, UGLY ONE. BUT YOU MAY HAVE THIS!” The djinni declared, presenting her with an old pair of boots that pulsed dimly with a hint of Weave. 

“Aww…” she murmured, but quickly chased away her disappointment as she turned to Saff. “Are you gonna try?”

“Of course!” She announced excitedly, running up and handing her money over. 

Gale decided to try to forget his scepticism about such games, and instead focused on the excitement it gave her, despite knowing it was almost impossible to win.

He was rather surprised when the wheel landed on the jackpot.

“Yes!!” Saff gasped in delight, unable to believe her luck. “I got it! I can’t believe it!” “CHEATER!” 

She almost stumbled back in surprise as the djinni suddenly roared over them. 

“YOU THIEF! YOU CHEATED!”

“Wha… what? I didn’t cheat!” She objected, looking quite nervous as she stepped backwards. Gale took a step forward protectively.

“Is that really how you treat your winners? Immediately assume they’ve cheated?” He snapped accusingly, narrowing his eyes at the djinni. 

“LIAR!” He shouted at her, even louder than before. “ENJOY THE JACKPOT, MEWLING CURD!”

He raised his hands and in a poof, Saff was gone. 

Immediately, they prepared for a fight.

“What have you done with her?!” Gale shouted, and Malitas was at his side in an instant, irate with anger.

“Bring her back, now!” He demanded, but the djinni was unphased. 

“SHE GOT HER PRIZE, TAKE YOUR TURN OR MOVE ALONG,” he said dismissively, waving them away. 

“Bring her back or I will incinerate you!” Gale roared, flames flaring at his fingertips. It wasn’t very often he got so angry, but it also wasn’t very often the love of his life disappeared into thin air. 

“I SAID, MOVE ALONG!” The djinni insisted, his voice growing with anger. 

“If you do not bring her back,” Malitas began, “I will drag your soul through the depths of Avernus then eradicate it from existence!” 

The argument grew louder and louder as Karlach and Wyll joined with threats of their own, and soon they had a small audience gathering around them. Before long the whole group were with them, shouting angry threats until there was nothing but pandemonium… until a voice cut through the noise. 

“HEY!!!” They all went silent and turned to see Saff, who looked like she’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. 

“YOU SENT ME TO CHULT!!” She cried angrily as she glared at the djinni. “I nearly got eaten by a dinosaur!! What the hells?!” 

Gale’s anger dissipated immediately to relief, which then quickly turned back to anger once more when he realised how much danger she’d been in. Furious, he turned back to the djinni, who still looked unphased. 

“HAH! HOW DID THE DESPICABLE CHEATER ENJOY HER VACATION?” The djinni taunted smugly.

“I didn’t cheat!!” 

“YES YOU DID!” “No she didn’t! I did!” Malitas shouted, looking exasperated as he glared at the djinni. “I saw what you were doing, changing the result with a Mage Hand. So I did the same.”

“YOU ARE THE CHEATER!?” The djinni announced in a mixture of surprise and anger. “THEN YOU WILL HAVE YOUR JACKPOT!”

“If you even think of sending me to Chult-” Malitas began, before disappearing in a puff of magic. 

The djinni barely even had time to open his mouth to speak before there was the woosh of a portal, and Malitas was back. 

“I’m afraid that isn’t quite so effective on me,” he said to the djinni through gritted teeth. “You’ll have to try harder than that.”

“THEN BEHOLD MY FURY!” The djinni declared, raising his hands. 

“Whatever you’re planning-”

Malitas was cut off once more by another puff of magic. There was a brief moment where the others didn’t quite know what had happened, til they all saw the cheese wheel on the ground where he’d been standing. 

“NOW, WHO’S NEXT? 500 GOLD A SPIN!” The djinni announced to the crowd. 

Saff decided she wasn’t going to waste any more time arguing with this djinni, so picked up the cheese wheel and led the group away. 

They found a secluded table and she placed the cheese wheel on it, then stepped back next to Gale as they both pondered what to do. 

“It’s just a Polymorph spell, right?” She asked, watching the cheese intensely. “So it should wear off soon?”

“Theoretically, yes. But djinn are powerful creatures. Who knows what the exact nature of this spell is,” Gale said, stroking his chin in thought. 

“Can we just cast Dispel Magic if it doesn’t wear off? Or Polymorph him into an elf?” Saff wondered, looking over at Gale. 

“I think I like him better this way,” Astarion said from behind her, only half-jokingly. 

“We are not leaving him like this!” She said firmly, and luckily they didn’t need to spend any more time wondering what to do as there was a sudden puff of magic and Malitas was back, sitting on the table with a surprised look on his face that quickly turned to anger. 

“That damnable djinni…” he muttered angrily as he stood up and began to storm back towards the djinni, until Saff quickly moved in front of him and pressed her hands against his chest to stop him. 

“No no no! We don’t need to start another fight with him!” She insisted, trying to push him back. “Look, the whole argument has spread through the circus and now no one will play his game cause they all either know they can’t win, or don’t want to be turned to cheese,” she said, gesturing behind them towards the djinni, who was desperately and unsuccessfully trying to get anyone to come to his stall. 

“Hmm…” Malitas murmured as he watched. “I suppose that is revenge enough.” He then looked down at Saff. “Are you ok? That jungle did not look very hospitable from the brief glimpse I saw of it.” 

“I’m fine. I only nearly got eaten by a dinosaur,” she joked. He chuckled, then shook his head slightly. 

“I suppose we’d best move on to whatever awaits us next in this gods-forsaken circus then,” he said, glancing around. 

“That’ll be the dryad over there!” Karlach announced, immediately running over. Malitas headed off with the others and Saff went to follow, til she felt Gale’s hand on her shoulder. 

“Are you sure you’re ok?” He asked softly. “Even nearly getting eaten by a dinosaur can be quite the ordeal.”

She smiled warmly, leaning into him in a hug to show her gratitude for his concern. 

“Yes, I’m ok. Luckily I was able to find a portal back. For some reason it came out in one of the outhouses,” she said, gesturing to the wood outhouse she’d materialised in on the outskirts of the circus. 

“That… is a curious place for the portal to be,” he agreed with a chuckle. He looked back at her, then raised his hand and gently plucked a leaf from her hair. 

“Never a day without an adventure, huh?” She joked, taking his hand and going ahead with the others towards the dryad. 

They found Wyll and Karlach with her, seemingly under some sort of spell as they both stood in front of her, eyes closed and a shimmer of purple magic surrounding them. 

“Looks like an illusion spell,” Gale commented, eagerly inspecting the magic in front of him. “I’d wager they’re both seeing something quite different right now.” 

“Apparently it’s some sort of love test,” Astarion explained with a roll of his eyes. “Honestly, sounds like a waste of-”

“OHMYGODGALECANWEDOIT?!” Saff gasped in excitement, almost reaching a pitch hitherto unknown to man. 

“Sounds most magical,” Gale said with an enthusiastic nod. “Let’s have at it!” 

Unfortunately for them, fate had other plans in store. 

Watching the dryad’s limbs twist and her bones break until finally she snapped her neck back into place left everyone stumbling back in shock. 

The revelation that Orin was a shapeshifter hung over the group, leaving a nervous tension among them as they looked at the crowd that surrounded them, suddenly aware that she could be anyone at any point. This nervousness was reinforced when Dribbles and his assistants also turned out to be doppelgangers. 

Saff sat on a nearby bench, numbly watching as the remaining circus workers hurriedly cleared away the bodies left after the fight. Gale took her hand as he sat down next to her, looking at her in concern. 

“I remember the circus being more fun than this when I was a kid…” she murmured, sighing as she rested her head against his shoulder. 

“We’ll have to come back sometime, when the threat of the Absolute doesn’t hang over us,” he decided, putting his arm around her. 

“Mmm…” she murmured despondently. “I can’t believe Dribbles is dead…” 

“Ah, ahem, yes… a terrible loss.” 

She almost had to laugh at his attempt at sympathy. 

“I know he wasn’t exactly riveting entertainment for adults, but as a kid, I loved seeing him. He was the highlight of the circus, one of the few things we didn’t have to pay for. And I know the kids in the orphanage today are gonna be distraught to hear about this,” she said sadly, hanging her head. 

“Well, let us hope another performer can take his place,” Gale offered, biting back the temptation to add ‘perhaps a better one’. 

“Mmm…” she hummed in agreement, glancing round the circus as the performers and vendors gradually tried to get back to their usual activities. “Maybe I’ll make myself feel better by buying a naked statue of you,” she teased with a playful smile as she looked up at him.

“I’d really rather you didn’t,” he warned, mostly sure that she was joking. She chuckled as she sat up and glanced towards the exit. 

“Looks like the others are ready to go. Guess you’re saved from the naked statue… for today.” 

The group headed off from the circus and towards Sharess’s Caress, though Astarion would not miss an opportunity for some light teasing before they arrived.

“I’m surprised you let that djinni off scot-free,” he said to Malitas, a smirk spreading across his lips. “I would have been rather cheesed off if I were you.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Gale added. “It wasn’t very mature of him.”

“I couldn’t brie-lieve it,” Saff teased, trying to stifle her laughter, and soon the whole group were in on it. 

“It must have been pretty grating.”

“I’d have been wheely pissed off.”

“He’d cheddar not do that again.”

Eventually Malitas stopped and turned to them all.

“Do any of you have any idea how unpleasant it is to be turned into a wheel of cheese?” He asked. The group shook their heads. “Would you like to find out?”

The threat did its job and they managed to reach Sharess’s Caress without another cheese pun. 

Lae’zel hastily led the group off to find Voss and took charge of the ensuing conversation with Raphael, until the crown was mentioned. 

Hearing that the crown was, in fact, the Crown of Karsus, came as no small shock to them, shock that quickly turned to anger when Raphael revealed his intentions with the crown.

“Handing that crown to you would be like feeding gunpowder to a lava worm! We agree to nothing!” Gale spat, glaring at Raphael with rising anger.

“Kaincha! You would refuse the devil’s deal?” Lae’zel objected, turning her fury to Gale. “I need that hammer to free my prince, and I will not let you stand in the way!”

“And I will not let you give a devil the means to become a god!” Gale retorted, prompting Saff to quickly step between them and try to de-escalate the situation.

“Stop, both of you! Lae’zel, we want to rescue Orpheus too, but this is too high a price. We’ll find another way.” 

A chill went down her spine as Raphael began to chuckle at her words. 

“Another way? Oh, my sweet little mouse - there is no other way. Either you agree to my terms, or Orpheus rots in his prison for eternity.”

“There is always another way,” Malitas said calmly, “and I assure you, devil, we will find it. This does not end with the crown in your hands.” 

“My, my, such confidence!” Raphael laughed, his lips curling up in amusement. “And coming from one who is not even infected. One might wager you wish to use the crown for yourself, for your own ends… why else would you go to such lengths to fight for a cure you do not even need?”

Saff narrowed her eyes at Raphael, recognising his attempt at sewing mistrust within the group, but Malitas wasn’t phased. 

“I see the concept of having friends is a foreign one to you,” he retorted, turning Raphael’s smirk into a flash of annoyance at the insult. 

“Go ahead - try to find another way. Waste your time desperately searching until you realise you have no other option but to use the hammer, which lies secured in my House of Hope. I am the only chance you have to free Prince Orpheus.” 

“Is that so? Secured in your vaults, is it?” Malitas questioned, a smile playing on his lips. “Just as secure as the crown was when it was taken by mortals, I’m sure…” 

His implication was obvious, and drew a laugh from Raphael. 

“Ha! How amusing it would be to see you try. But be warned - the fires of the hells burn hot, and I would hate to see you burned.”

“That is very true,” Malitas agreed as he headed to the door to leave. “But know this, devil…” 

He paused as he reached the door, turning back to face him. 

“You are not the only one here with fire in their veins.” 

Convincing Lae’zel to be content with the plan of stealing the hammer was a conversation that lasted all the way back to the Elfsong, but by the time they arrived, she was finally on board with it. 

It was late in the evening when Saff plopped herself down on the bed in front of Gale, smiling at him over the book he was reading. 

“Something’s got you excited,” he commented as he closed the book and put it aside. 

“I don’t know about you, but I was gutted not to be able to do the love test. So…” 

She produced a small, folded piece of paper from her pocket. 

“I got Karlach and Wyll to write down the questions they had so that we could ask them of each other!”

“Ah, an inspired idea!” He complimented as he sat forward, curious to know what sort of questions awaited them. 

“I haven’t read them yet, so they’ll be new to both of us. I think it was three questions each, but we both might as well answer all of them. So… ready?”

Gale gave her an eager nod, and she opened the page and looked at the first question. 

“What, on their darkest day, would make them smile?”

Her eyes flicked up and met his, the two of them looking at each other with a knowing look.

“Would it be too cheesy just to say each other?” she asked with a chuckle. 

“Cheesy perhaps, but also true. The thought of you always brings a smile to my lips,” he said softly, bringing a blush to her cheeks.

“The same is true for me,” she said sincerely. “Though if all the questions are gonna be like this, shall we say we can’t answer with ourselves? Otherwise this’ll get pretty old pretty fast.” 

“Heh, agreed,” he said with a nod. 

She looked down at the next question, and sure enough, it was a question made much more interesting when they couldn’t answer with themselves.

“Who do they most admire?” 

They looked at each other, each contemplating their answer for the other. 

“I think… Elminster,” Saff answered after a moment.

“Indeed, yes. A mentor when I was a child, and a good friend as an adult. I do hope you’ll get to meet him at some point, hopefully under better circumstances than the last time I saw him.” 

“I hope so too,” she agreed, though as exciting as the prospect was, she couldn’t deny the thought of meeting the most famous wizard in the realms also made her, in some ways, more nervous than the thought of taking on the elder brain.

“And for you…” Gale considered, stroking his chin, “I could answer the famed Jaheira or the great Blade of Frontiers, given how excited you were when we first met them both. But I don’t think it’s fame you admire most, nor stories of great heroism. I think it’s something a bit closer to home, someone who helped you personally. I think it’s Malitas.” 

She smiled to herself and nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right. He gave me a chance when no one else did… saw something in me when most people just saw a struggling waitress in a lower city tavern. Like you said with Elminster - a mentor, and a friend.” 

She paused for a moment as she reflected on each of their answers and the similarities between them, before looking down at the next question. 

“What is their greatest regret?” 

“My, what a change in tone,” Gale murmured as they both looked at each other, an answer immediately coming to their minds. 

“The orb?” Saff asked softly, looking at him in sympathy. 

“It is the obvious answer I suppose, isn’t it? Certainly it’s the first thing that came to mind for myself, as well. And yet, I am well aware that had I never found the orb, I would likely never have been taken by that Nautiloid, would still be Mystra’s lover… and would never have met you,” he said emotionally, looking at her with a loving smile. “So can I truly regret something that, despite the pain, has bought me so much joy?” 

She chuckled softly, the blush returning to her cheeks once more. 

“Well, if that isn’t your answer, then… I’m afraid I don’t know,” she said honestly. He hummed as he thought about it. 

“I like to look back on my life with some sense of pride for most of what I’ve done, though perhaps one thing does stand out for me,” he said, lightly placing his hand on hers. “I regret not telling you the truth about the orb, and myself, sooner. Seeing the pain in your eyes when Malitas told you the truth of my folly… when you realised I was not the man I’d led you to believe I was… oh, how I wish I could change that. It may have all worked out in the end, but perhaps certain confrontations could have been avoided, had I been honest from the beginning.” 

She looked down slightly, placing her other hand on his.

“Perhaps… or perhaps, as you’d said at the time, the others would have forced you to leave the group. I don’t blame you for doing what you did,” she said, bringing a smile to his lips. 

“I am glad to hear that,” he said, before his expression shifted to one of sympathy. “And, as for you…” 

She sighed and looked away slightly. 

“I suppose there’s an obvious answer for me too, though mine doesn’t come with a silver lining,” she murmured. 

“Aryn,” he said, and she nodded. 

“I wish I’d never met him. Wish I’d never got together with him, wish I’d broken up with him sooner… but the past is the past, and I have someone better to think about now,” she said with a smile, wanting to get back to happier subjects. 

The questions seemed to have other ideas in mind though. 

“Oh, uh…” she murmured, wincing as she read the next question. “Who do they loathe the most?”

Gale winced too, seeing that this subject wasn’t one they could move on from just yet. 

“Dare I suggest the same answer as the previous question?” 

Saff paused, her eyes lingering on the question as she contemplated her answer. 

“I… I don’t know. I don’t know if I’d say I loathe him, I just… want nothing to do with him ever again. There’s gotta be people more worthy of loathing. Ketheric, Orin, Gortash…” 

Her tone darkened and a look Gale hadn’t seen before came to her face as she realised what the answer truly was. 

“Mystra…” 

The revelation took him by surprise. 

“Mystra? Truly? I… did not realise you felt so strongly about her.”

“How can I not?” She asked, finally looking up at him. “After everything she did to you, everything she demanded of you, everything she still demands of you. After how much she hurt you… and to know that she’ll never face any consequences, any comeuppance, because she’s a goddess. It’s so… unfair! What justice is there in the world if gods can treat their followers like this?”

“Justice enough to lead me away from her arms and into yours,” he said softly, looking at her in a way that instantly dissipated the anger. 

“I suppose that’s justice enough,” she said softly, managing to find a smile, though his smile soon faded. 

“I think, once again, our answers are mirrored.”

She frowned slightly, unsure what he meant.

“Your answer is also Mystra?” She asked, but he shook his head. 

“No. My answer is Aryn.” 

That came as a shock to her. 

“Aryn? Really?”

“Yes, for all the same reasons you listed. I’ve seen what he did to you, how much he hurt you. I’ve felt it myself, in your memories. And I’ve seen the pain in your eyes when you talk about him. So as you said - how can I not?” 

She had to agree with his logic - if she could hate Mystra on his behalf, then he could hate Aryn on hers. 

“Next question’s a bit happier,” she said, a hint of relief in her tone. She hadn’t really expected this to lead to such a deep conversation. “What is their idea of a perfect day?” 

The smirk on Gale’s face mirrored her own as she looked back up at him. 

“Hmm, I dare say your perfect day would start with a stroll through the park, perhaps with a picnic for lunch…” he started, leaning in slightly as he took her hands in his. 

“Hmm, and yours might be the same?” She suggested, leaning in with him. “Maybe with a ball in the evening, a lavish banquet…” 

He moved in until his mouth was at her ear, his breath hot against her neck as his hands found her waist. 

“Followed by making love under the stars…” he whispered, a yearning in his voice that sent a shiver of excitement down her spine. 

“Mmm… that does sound like a perfect day,” she agreed as he pulled back and met her eyes once more. He remained close as his eyes flicked down slightly. 

“What’s the last question?” 

She looked down too, and smiled once more as she read it. 

“A decade from now, where will they be?”

Her eyes flicked up again and saw the warm, loving expression he gazed at her with. 

“Well, now I cannot answer with any certainty, but I would hope that ten years from now, another ball might be graced with the presence of Lady Saffron Dekarios…” 

His implication was clear - not a full proposal, but a hope. A hope she shared. 

“As long as she has Sir Gale Dekarios on her arm,” she whispered, her gaze full of affection as she closed the gap and their lips met with a kiss.

---

She tilted her head from side to side, smiling as she watched the pearlescent gleam of the enchanted emerald within the display case she was cleaning. 

The room was filled with all the most powerful, most valuable and most interesting artefacts Malitas had found in his centuries of adventuring, all sealed away in glass cabinets and display cases. Though the cabinets lay somewhat more empty now after Malitas had given the others a selection of weapons to aid them, and more recently she’d noticed a Staff of Power go missing, only to later be told he’d given it to Saff as a graduation gift. How incredible it must be, she thought, to be able to wield a weapon like that…

The door opened and snapped her out of her daydream. 

“Ah, there you are,” Malitas greeted as he entered the room. 

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you return,” she said, walking over to him and giving him a hug. “So what adventures did today bring?” 

“Revelations more than adventures,” he said, the corners of his lips curling into a smile. “I scarcely dared to believe it could be true, but our suspicions have been confirmed - the crown atop the Elder Brain is the Crown of Karsus.” 

Her eyes widened in disbelief. 

“The Crown of Karsus… but how?? I didn’t think that even existed anymore!” 

“Neither did I, yet here we are. One of the most powerful artefacts in existence, so close to our grasp. The possibilities are… endless. But we can do nothing with this knowledge until we learn more about it. I intend to discuss this further with the others tomorrow.” 

She nodded slowly, possibilities running through her mind. 

“Any other revelations?” She asked after a moment. 

“Orin is a shape-shifter. A foreboding revelation to say the least. She plays her parts well - she took the face of a dryad at the circus, and we were none the wiser till she revealed herself.” 

“Circus?” 

It perhaps wasn’t the part of that sentence that should have stuck out most to her, yet it did. 

“You went to the circus? The Circus of the Last Days?” 

“We did, yes.” 

Memories flooded back to her. Laughter and dancing with her friends… it left a deep ache in her heart. 

“How was it?” She asked, trying to hide how much she longed to go again someday. 

“Infuriating,” Malitas answered, to her surprise. 

“Why??” 

There was a pause as he seemed to contemplate his response. 

“...Doesn’t matter,” he answered eventually. 

She raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes, but knew better than to question it. 

“Now, I have much work to do, I’d best get to it,” he decided quickly, heading back to the door. 

“Actually…” She started, running over to him before he left. “I had a favour to ask you.” He gave her a nod to continue. “Well, I’ve cleaned all these cabinets and cases more times than I can count, but I’ve never really known what’s inside them. I wondered if you could tell me what everything is?” 

A look of surprise crossed his face.

“Everything? We’ll be here all night. Why do you want to know?” 

“Cause I’m curious… and I’m bored. There’s only so many stories you can make up in your head about an emerald while you clean its case for the hundredth time. I’d much rather know the truth.” 

He gave her a sympathetic look, and nodded. 

“I supposed I cannot begrudge you your curiosity,” he said, then put his arm around her waist and began to lead her through the room. 

“The emerald is in fact an elemental gem, if you were to break it, it would summon a water elemental…” 

She went quiet as she listened to his explanations, carefully committing each and every one to memory.

[tabitha42]

OC Tag Game ✨

I wasn't tagged but saw @skelvron-keiman do it and decided to join!

Tagging @deerancha @chaoswritesthemultiverse @miradelletarot @itinerantginger-blog @hi-jinkx @parkouringrabbit

🦋 Saff 🦋

This is Saff, from my longfic The Wizard's Apprentice: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54266689/chapters/137427991

General:

Name: Saffron Alias: Saff Gender: Female Age: 26 Spoken Language: Common Sexual Orientation: Straight Occupation: Apprentice wizard

Favorite: 

Colour: pink & purple Entertainment: reading, dancing, spending time in nature Pastime: learning magic, tending to her plants Food: lemon cakes Drink: sweet, fruity cocktails

Have They…

Passed University: No, she never had the chance to go, but she did graduate from her apprenticeship during the events of BG3 Had Sex: Yes, with Gale and some partners before him Had Sex in Public: Yes, Gale's mischievous side rubbed off on her Gotten Tattoos: Nope Gotten Piercings: Pierced ears Gotten Scarred:  Yes, a scar on her forehead after being attacked by an abusive ex Had a Broken Heart: Yes, by that same ex

Are They…

A Cuddler: absolutely, everyone gets hugs! Scared Easily: Yes, though progressively less so over the events of the game Jealous Easily: Not particularly, more likely to be sad that she might lose something Trustworthy: Yes, when offered a cure to her tadpole if she left the others, she refused to abandon them.

Family

Sibling(s): She grew up in an orphanage with no knowledge of her family, but considers the other kids in the orphanage to be her siblings. Parents: She doesn't know her parents, but thinks of the matrons in the orphanage as mother figures. Children: I haven't got any firm headcanons, but she would like to adopt, as she knows what it's like to be a child left behind without a family. Pets: None, though she might insist her plants are pets!

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 72

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

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“A teleportation circle?” Saff asked as Malitas proudly showed her his latest creation. 

“Indeed. It will take us to the temple of Shar, which will provide ample space for our training.”

“Ugh… you couldn’t have found anywhere a bit nicer?” She asked, shivering at the thought of returning to that place. 

“We need somewhere with a large, open space, where no one else is likely to interfere, and it won’t matter if we destroy anything. The temple seemed ideal.” 

She supposed she couldn’t argue with that logic. 

“Why make a teleportation circle? Why not just use a portal like you usually do?”

“Those portals use a lot of magic, a permanent teleportation circle uses none. If we are to train, I would like to have all of my magic at my disposal.” “Permanent?” She asked, looking at him in surprise. “How is it permanent? Doesn’t it take a year to make a permanent teleportation circle?”

“Usually, yes. But with the correct infusion of metamagic, it took only a night,” he said, his lips curling up into a smug smile. 

“Very clever, well done,” she said, almost a bit teasingly, like a teacher praising a student. After spending so long with Gale, seeing a wizard proudly boast about his work didn’t stun her into silence in the way it once had. He seemed to notice the difference too, and glanced at her with an amused smile, before turning back to the circle. 

With a wave of his hand the runes glowed, and after stepping onto it, she found herself in Balthazar’s old chambers. 

The smell of undeath still hung in the room, though she got the distinct feeling Malitas had done all he could to try to purge the stench from the air. The shelves that were once filled with necrotic specimens now held books and other arcane curiosities, while the body parts that had once graced the table had been replaced with neatly piled pages of notes.

“Wow, you’ve practically moved in,” Saff commented as she glanced around. 

“There’s a lot of useful information to be found down here,” he replied as he walked forward and opened the large stone door with a wave of his hand. “I don’t intend to let that information go to waste. Now, if you follow me, I have an area in mind for our training.”

She felt something of a sense of déjà vu as he led her through the dark, empty corridors, and she was glad that this time she had a sunny city and comfortable bed to return to once they were done here. 

They came out to a large open area, the ceiling stretching up so high she could barely see it. Along one side of the room crumbling statues of Shar lined the ancient walls, while along the other side the floor gave way to a deep crevasse that looked almost bottomless. The remains of the furniture that had once filled the room had been pushed (or more likely levitated) to the side to create a clear training area. 

“Now,” Malitas began as he stepped in front of her. “Are you ready?” 

She grinned and drew her staff from her back, keen to finally get some practice with it, then listened as he explained the plan.

“Your task is to bring me to the ground using whatever means you can, be it spells from the staff, your own magic, or anything else you can think of. Don’t worry about hurting me, my shields will absorb the damage. When I can fly no more - or, perhaps, when you’ve brought me to the ground, depending on how you do it - will be your opportunity to practice your healing.” 

“Alright, let’s go!” She said with an eager nod.

He smiled, summoned his wings, and with a gust of wind he was in the air. 

She studied him carefully as he soared above her, watching his flight pattern as he circled the area. Lifting her hand she prepared the spell she had in mind, and when he neared one of the walls, she threw her arm up and shouted an incantation. 

Vines burst from the stone, lashing around his legs and torso. He struggled against the thorns, trying to pull away from them, until they wrapped around his wings and pinned him in place. For a moment she felt victorious, believing she needed only to summon more vines to bring him to the ground, before he burst free in a blaze of fire, burning the vines to ashes and taking to the air once more. 

Again vines burst from the wall at her command, but by now he knew what to expect and soon was able to dodge the vines the second they appeared, and the one time she managed to catch him again, the attempt was thwarted by a Misty Step back out into the open air. 

Telekinesis was her next attempt, inspired by Malitas’s own attempt to bring Balthazar down. The spell landed and she found herself in a mental battle against the strength of his wings as he fought to break free from her spell. She almost screamed in exertion as she tried desperately to pull him down, until he finally broke free of her grasp and soared unrestrained once more. 

Her mind raced as she watched him, trying to think of another way. She had no other spells that would help… but, she realised, the staff did. She wasn’t sure if her idea would work, but it was worth a try. 

She raised the staff, feeling its power pulsing as she called upon it and cast Wall of Force. She could feel Weave gathering to create an invisible wall where she focused a few feet in front of Malitas as he swooped through the air.

The idea worked almost too well as he slammed face first into the wall at full speed, shattering an abjuration shield that saved him perhaps from a broken neck but not from the full force of the impact, which left him dazed and plummeting from the air. Another of his shields shattered as he hit the ground in a puff of dust. 

She gasped in shock and cried out his name as she ran towards him, fearing the worst, but breathed a deep sigh of relief when the dust cleared and she found him sat up, holding his head, a surprised look on his face. 

“Effective,” was the only word he managed in that moment. 

She helped him over to one of the stone benches, where he sat hunched over, holding a handkerchief to his bleeding nose as she tried to heal him. 

“I’m so sorry,” she gushed as she attempted to heal what she suspected was a broken arm. “I didn’t think it would be so bad, I mean, I… I don’t really know what else I thought would happen, but I-”

“Saff,” he interrupted, looking over at her. “Don’t apologise. Not only did you succeed at your task, I now know to be more careful of such threats. I certainly do not intend to fall for such a ploy again.” 

“Well… good, I guess. It certainly didn’t look very pleasant…” she murmured, still feeling bad about it despite his encouragement. 

“It wasn’t. But it was also a lesson well learnt. So thank you.” 

She managed a smile, before sending one final pulse of healing through him, knitting the broken bone back together. 

“Ahh, that’s better,” he said with a sigh of relief, stretching his arm out and flexing his fingers. 

“Right, now let’s see what else I can do for you,” she said, closing her eyes and trying to focus on the arcane malaise she could feel radiating from him. 

It was a strange sort of condition, one she’d never seen or felt before, but as she spent time focusing on it, she slowly began to get an idea of how to heal it. It wasn’t perfect, but by the time she was done, his nose wasn’t bleeding anymore. 

“I think that’s all I can do for now,” she said, lowering her arms. “How are you feeling?” 

“I still have something of a headache, but I feel a lot better than before. Thank you.” 

He rolled his shoulders and stretched out his wings, and only now that she sat so close to him did she realise how big they truly were. The scales shimmered even in the dim light of the temple and she found herself almost subconsciously reaching out to touch them, til she realised how rude that would be and quickly lowered her hand again. 

“You can touch them, if you like,” he offered, having clearly noticed how curious she was. A flush of embarrassment struck her, though he didn’t seem bothered, so she decided not to fret about it. Carefully she reached out and lightly ran her fingers over the scales. They were warm to the touch and unexpectedly smooth, thicker on the outer parts of the wings. She wondered how it must feel to be able to grow different limbs like that, then realised that one day, hopefully she’d know herself, if she ever learnt to wild shape. 

When she lowered her hand he folded his wings behind his back and held his head for a moment, wincing slightly from the pain of his headache. 

“Malitas, can I… ask you something?” She said, somewhat hesitantly. 

“Of course,” he replied, looking at her with a small smile. 

“Well… please don’t answer if it’s too personal, but… why do you want to use your wings if it hurts this much? Why don’t you just use Fly?” 

“Ah, a pertinent question,” he said, sitting up slightly. “A few reasons. We can only cast so many spells per day, and a draconic sorcerer’s wings do not use up a spell like Fly does. Using Fly requires concentrating on the spell, preventing you from using other spells that need concentration, and leaving you vulnerable to an unhappy meeting with the ground should your concentration be broken. Fly can also be dispelled, my wings can’t. And…”

He trailed off slightly, a slightly distant look in his eyes as he sighed. 

“Using Fly instead of my wings… feels like an admission of failure. Like I am giving up not only on my wings, but on myself. It would mean accepting that I will never succeed at this. And perhaps I should accept that - it has been centuries, after all. Yet I can’t. So I suppose the answer to your question is stubbornness,” he said with a small chuckle. 

She smiled, but didn’t quite laugh along with him. 

“I wouldn’t reduce it to stubbornness,” she said softly. “You’re determined to achieve something, something you’ve wanted your whole life. It’s important to stick with things, otherwise we’d never achieve anything.” 

“Hmm, perhaps… though we must also know when to let things go,” he said softly, staring into the distance for a moment, before he got to his feet. 

“I’m ready for another round, if you are?” 

By the end of the day, they’d made some real progress. Saff was now able to heal him mid-flight and ward off the effects of his sickness a while longer, to the point where they only stopped when she finally ran out of magic. 

It was almost evening by the time they returned, and she couldn’t overstate how relieved she was to be able to return home and not have to sleep in that temple. The welcome sight of sunlight through the window filled her with happiness, a joy that was only rivalled when Gale came to the door. 

“How are the murder investigations going?” Saff asked him as the three of them sat down in the library. 

“Slow and gruesome,” he answered wearily. “The Elfsong was just the start - a priest was murdered in Rivington and the blame laid at the feet of a refugee, then while investigating that we found more murders beneath the temple. There have been others in the city, too. It is grim, to say the least.” 

“And yet, nothing new,” Malitas said with a sigh. “Even before you were both taken by the nautiloid, increasing murders had plagued the city for some time, though I think no one wanted to believe it was a resurgence of Bhaalists. The name Sarevok still haunts the city, whether as a story, or a memory.”

The name of Sarevok Anchev, the Bhaalist that had terrorised the city, had filled so many of the stories Saff read as a child. She realised now that, while to her it had always been nothing more than a story, Malitas had actually lived through it.

“You were there during the Bhaalspawn Crisis…” she whispered, and he nodded solemnly. 

“I was. The city lived in a state of dread, most people afraid to even leave their houses. Fear and mistrust ran deep. I was one of the lucky ones, I knew I’d be able to defend myself, should I be attacked. But I knew so many who didn’t have that privilege. So many that were claimed by the cult…” 

He trailed off, a look of sadness crossing his face, before he looked back at them once more. 

“As of yet, Orin and her Bhaalists have not reached the heights of the Crisis. Let us hope it remains that way until we’re able to put an end to it.” 

Saff’s heart went out to him. How terrifying it must have been, to live through something like that. How terrifying it must now be to see it happening again. 

“We’ll keep investigating,” Gale assured him. “It’s going slow, but we have leads. We won’t let this get any further.”

“I will join you tomorrow,” Malitas decided, then looked at Saff, “though I do hope we’ll find some more time to continue our training.” 

“Yes!” She said eagerly, then turned to Gale with a proud smile. “I can cure his sickness now! Or at least, mostly cure it. A bit more training and we’ll get there.” 

“Ah, wonderful news!” Gale celebrated. “I would like to join you too, if there’s room for one more. I’m very interested to see your learning process.”

“Of course!” Saff agreed happily. “Oh, that reminds me - Malitas, we were going to ask you something. I was talking to Gale about how different it feels to learn druidic magic to wizardry. How, as a wizard, we have to learn the somatic and verbal components and practice until we get them right. With druidic magic, it’s more instinctive - a spell will come to me in a certain moment, and I have to remember how I felt in that moment to cast it again. We were wondering, how does sorcery compare?” 

He leant back in his chair and stroked his chin for a moment as he considered how to answer. 

“There are similarities to wizardry, for sure. We must practice our craft, as much as any wizard. But it isn’t about fine-tuning gestures and incantations. It is more… hmm… it is as if you have a raging power inside you, that you must learn to control, lest it break free. It isn’t about drawing forth magic as wizardry is. It is about taming the magic that is already there.” 

Saff nodded curiously, but Gale looked sceptical. 

“That doesn’t sound so different to wizardry,” he commented, then was rather surprised when the two of them both looked at him in shock. “Come now, you must have felt that way before, Saff?” 

She simply shook her head. 

There was a moment of quiet between them, an unspoken conclusion being drawn, until Malitas finally spoke. 

“Gale-”

“No.” 

“Have you ever considered-”

“No.”

“Gale, there’s nothing wrong with being a-”

“I know there is nothing wrong with being a sorcerer, but I am not one,” he said firmly, a look of anger flickering across his face at the very suggestion. 

“And how are you so sure?” Malitas challenged. “Have you ever had a sorcerer teach you before? Or have you only ever been taught by wizards?” 

Gale went very quiet, his eye twitching slightly. 

“One more lesson today then, I think,” Malitas said, rising to his feet. “I have wanted for some time to also see if you’re capable of using metamagic, Saff, given the curious nature in which you are learning druidic magic, perhaps there is some sorcery involved.” 

Gale wasn’t happy about it, but soon found himself sat in a small circle with the other two on the floor of the library.

“First, summon a flame,” Malitas instructed, raising his hand and summoning a small flame within it. With matched incantations, the two of them did the same. “Now, focus on the flame, and the feeling of the Weave that brought it into being, that continues to keep it lit. Feel how it channels through you, feel the heat against your palm, the spark of magic at your fingertips. Embrace that feeling, empty your mind of all else until all that exists is the flame.”

They sat for a long moment in silence, almost like a meditation. It reminded Saff of Halsin’s teachings, feeling the four elements of nature and learning to be one with them. She focused now on the Weave behind it, the feeling of it at her fingers, holding the flame in place. 

“When you are ready, extinguish the flame,” Malitas instructed, letting the flame burn to nothing in his hand. Again, Gale and Saff followed suit. “Now, try to remember that feeling and reach out to it once more. The Weave at your fingertips, the heat in your palm, the magic in your veins. Draw on it, embrace it, and let the flame burn once more.”

With a flicker of magic a flame ignited in his palm again, and he looked up to them both to try for themselves. 

Saff’s brow furrowed in concentration as she looked at her hand and tried again to tap into the magic that had been there just moments ago. It was a strange feeling, trying to call upon magic with no incantations or gestures. And not just strange, but frustrating. No matter how hard she focused, nothing seemed to happen. Not even the slightest hint of magic would stir at her fingertips, and eventually with a sigh, she gave up. 

She glanced over at Gale, who was still focusing intently on his hand. For someone who was so convinced he wasn’t a sorcerer, he really was putting a lot of effort into this. She supposed he wanted to be able to say with confidence that it wasn’t true, and if he didn’t actually try, how could he be confident of that? Despite all his effort though, he seemed to be having as much success as her, as his hand remained firmly empty. 

Then, a flicker of flame. 

Gale gasped and yanked his hand back in shock, but they’d all seen it. An undeniable mote of fire, just for a second, that challenged everything Gale knew about himself. 

“Gale…” Saff whispered, looking up at him to see the look of complete shock and disbelief in his eyes.

“I…” he stuttered, barely able to form words, his jaw opening and closing. “Excuse me,” he said finally, jumping to his feet and running from the room. “Gale!” She called after him, but he was gone. Her mind raced, and she could only imagine how he was feeling at the revelations.

“Oh my god…” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. “I can’t believe it… he’s actually a sorcerer! He-...”

She paused as she looked at Malitas, and saw him stifling a laugh. Slowly, the penny dropped. 

“...That was you, wasn’t it?” She asked. 

“I couldn’t resist,” he admitted with a shrug. 

“I can’t believe you! I thought you were more mature than this,” she criticised, narrowing her eyes at him. 

“I simply wished to challenge his prejudices.”

“I don’t believe that for a moment,” she said with a hint of a chuckle, and got to her feet. “I’d better go find him and stop the identity crisis I’m sure he’s having.”

She headed for the door, til Malitas called after her. 

“He could still be a sorcerer, Saff. As could you. One failed attempt is not sufficient evidence either way.”

“I know. I doubt you’ll have an easy time convincing him to try again after that, though,” she said, glancing back at him briefly before heading out of the room. 

She found Gale out in the garden, pacing back and forth across the grass. He paused and looked over at her when he saw her out of the corner of his eye, and had to compose himself for a moment before speaking. 

“Saff… my apologies for leaving so abruptly. I… well, I…” he stuttered, struggling to find the words. “It is… a lot to take in. A lot to come to terms with. So much to… reassess. Rethink. And I am not sure where to start…”

Saff was about to tell him the truth of the matter when the thought occurred to her that, maybe, it might be a good thing to challenge his prejudices. Just for a moment. 

“What bothers you most about it?” She asked, trying to figure out what the best angle was to approach this. He paused for a moment, contemplating the answer.

“Magic is… my life. It is everything I have worked for, it is all my greatest accomplishments. Perhaps my only accomplishments. What am I if I don’t have that?” He asked, looking lost. 

“Do you truly believe that?” 

He went quiet, challenged by her question. 

“What have I achieved that isn’t magic?” He asked quietly, weakly. 

She met his look of desperation with a loving smile as she walked up to him and took his hand. 

“Now where do I start?” She said softly, echoing his own words. “I am where I am today because of you. Not because of the magic lessons, but because of your belief in me. You were there for me, when no one else was. When I broke down in battle, you didn’t just see a weakling like the others did. You comforted me, you took the time to help me. You didn’t need to, but you did, because that’s who you are. Every single time I’ve ever struggled, you’ve been there. You’ve wiped my tears and brought a smile back to my lips. On the worst day of my life, you made me laugh. You gave me hope. Not because of your magic, but because of you. So please, don’t ever believe that magic is all you are.” 

Tears welled in his eyes, and wordlessly he pulled her into a hug. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, holding her tightly as she hugged him back. “I love you, Saff.”

“I love you too, Gale,” she whispered, burying her face in his neck. When they parted she reached up and gently wiped the tear that rolled down his cheek, gently placing a kiss there instead. 

“So no more thinking magic is all you have, ok?” She said firmly, lowering her hands to rest them against his chest as he gave her a nod. “And besides, even if you were a sorcerer, it still wouldn’t mean your achievements with magic mean nothing. Sorcerers have to learn, too.”

“Even if? You saw the flame, didn’t you? There can be no doubt,” he said with a resigned sigh. 

“I saw the flame… and I know who put it there.”

There was a pause as the frown of confusion on his face slowly turned to shock, then to anger. 

“Malitas?!” He gasped indignantly, and his anger only rose when she nodded. “Why, that… charlatan! How dare he make a joke of something so important!”

“He said he wanted to challenge your prejudices,” Saff reasoned, though she still wasn’t sure that was his main motivation. 

“I-... alright, yes, I may have said one or two less-than-respectful things about sorcerers in the past. But I hardly think that justifies toying with me like that,” he decided, folding his arms. 

“Perhaps not… but I hope something good may have come from it, at least,” she said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder. His anger slowly melted, until he could not help but look at her with a smile. 

“Yes… I suppose it did. Nonetheless, I shall have my revenge on him, in due time.” 

“Revenge?” Saff laughed. “Oh no, what are you going to do, move all his bookmarks around?” “That, my love, is a fantastic idea.”

[tabitha42]

Tagged by @chaoswritesthemultiverse!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

4, going up to 6 if you include 2 group-written fics that I wrote a chapter for!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

260,298

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. The Wizard's Apprentice

My longfic, my baby, my hyperfixation, following Saff through the game, exploring her relationship with Gale and her 'personal quest' to find out who she is.

2. Stars

A short one-shot inspired by the Mage Hand interaction between Gale and Karlach, in which Gale helps Karlach write a poem for Wyll.

3. There Once Was A Party Infected

A collection of limericks about the companions.

4. Fur and Feathers

AU horror one-shot about little Gale summoning Tara, because he wanted a friend.

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Baldur's Gate at the moment. Used to write a lot of Doctor Who fanfic back when I was a teenager, many centuries ago.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I didn't when I first started using AO3, but then started replying when I realised how much I love receiving replies to comments I've written.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Definitely Fur and Feathers, the whole premise is a horror tragedy.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I guess Stars since it's the only other fic I've written that actually has an ending 😂

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet... will see if that changes when The Wizard's Apprentice reaches certain plot points.

9. Do you write smut?

Yes, there's several smutty scenes in The Wizard's Apprentice, and I've written a few pieces of smut that never made it to AO3.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Never have done before, but wouldn't be opposed to it!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I'm doing two fic trains with some other authors from the Magic Man discord, have really enjoyed them!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Currently I'd say FlutterWeave, the ship between Saff and Gale, but I have had many favourite ships over the years - the Doctor & Rose, Jessie & James, Genji & Mercy, Genji & Lucio, the list goes on.

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Uuhh I suppose technically the Doctor Who fanfic that I was writing as a teenager and haven't touched for 20 years might qualify for this... I don't want to finish it, but I do feel bad for abandoning it. Other than that, I haven't got any WIP fics that I'm not currently working on.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'd like to think I'm not bad a building up a mystery and dropping hints, some subtle enough that you don't notice them unless you go back and read it after you know what's going on. Though maybe making hints so subtle that no one notices them is a weakness 😂

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Reusing the same phrases and sentence structure over and over and over. If I had a penny for every time I wrote some variation of "he met her gaze" I'd be rich.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I've done it quite a lot in my long fic - some Welsh, a lot of Latin for spell incantations, and a little bit of Draconic. A lot of relying on Google Translate and translating back and forth to make sure that if someone translates it back to English it says what I want it say. If I were writing a full conversation I'd want to try to find someone that speaks the language to check it, but since it's mostly just been a few words or a sentence at most, I haven't done that.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

It was either Recess or Kim Possible, though Doctor Who was the first one I wrote seriously for.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Definitely The Wizard's Apprentice, it is my baby and lives rent free in my head. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself once it's finished, but luckily that's ages away 😂

Once again I think everyone I know on Tumblr has already done this or been tagged... so if you're reading this and want to do it, I tag you!

[tabitha42]

Back to back against the world ❤️

[tabitha42]

Comforting Gale after he receives the news from Elminster ❤️

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 71

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

When they returned to the Elfsong the next day Saff was delighted to see Shadowheart’s new hairstyle, and she wasn’t the only white-haired Selûnite waiting for them. 

Upon being told about Lorroakan’s plans, Aylin wasted no time in flying straight for Ramazith’s tower, despite Isobel’s objections. After assuring her they’d protect Aylin and sending a quick message to Malitas to meet them there, the four of them were ready to face him down. 

“What have we here?” Aylin taunted as she strode up to him. “A magician in a tower, hiding away from the frightening world!” 

The three tower-dwelling mages behind her decided to not take offence at the comment. 

“What are you so scared of, magus? Not the Nightsong, surely - why, she’s nothing but a relic to be purchased and pursued!” 

“My gods! The Nightsong is a person?” Rolan gasped, looking at her in shock. 

“She is,” Saff said to him, then turned forward to glare at Lorroakan. “And he would imprison her for eternity!” 

Lorroakan turned to her with a sharp look. 

“May I remind you of the very generous rewards you will reap should you gain my favour?” He said firmly, but Saff was having none of it. 

“We don’t care how much gold you’re offering. We’re not letting you do this!” 

Lorroakan sighed deeply and shook his head. 

“Malitas, speak some sense into your apprentice, would you?” He said in irritation. 

“Former apprentice,” Malitas reminded him, “and I assure you, the only one that needs sense spoken into them here is you.” 

“Come now Malitas, you must see the potential here? Help me, and perhaps I’ll even share my gift with you.” 

“Hah! I’d rather die now than share an eternity with you,” he spat, and Lorroakan’s smile fell. 

“That can be arranged,” he said darkly, then turned to Rolan. “Boy! At the ready. Once I’ve taken control of the aasimar, she must go directly into the caging runes.”

“No, Master Lorroakan!” Rolan objected, bringing a proud smile to Saff’s lips as she turned to watch him. “I would never have assisted you if I knew you planned such horrors. You lied to get the Nightsong here. Made us all believe she was nothing but a relic. I have seen what true leadership can accomplish - but never under your tutelage.” 

“Watch your tongue, you child!” Lorroakan snapped in anger. “I could make it so that no wizard in the realm will touch you!” 

“Would you like an apprenticeship?” Malitas offered casually, to Lorroakan’s immense annoyance. 

“How satisfying it will be to wipe that smug smile off your face,” he threatened, narrowing his eyes at Malitas. 

“Give it up, Lorroakan,” he said, shaking his head. “You are vastly outmatched. You cannot possibly win this.” 

“Malitas, Malitas… you think you know everything. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” he threatened, grinning as he held his arms out and Weave gathered in his hands. 

Around them, myrmidons and enchanted armour flashed into being, roaring as they summoned their weapons and prepared to fight. 

“Impressive,” Malitas commented, unphased as he stepped forward. “But I, too, have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

His staff shimmered into his hand, and a pulse of heat washed over them as his wings appeared at his back in a flash of flame, the illusion on his face disappearing, revealing the dragon scales beneath. 

Lorroakan’s expression turned to shock, then to anger. 

“Sorcerer! Lying, talentless fraud!” He shouted, fury rising in his voice. 

“Ho! Face us charlatan, we who detest you so!” Aylin declared, venom dripping from her words.  

“Myrmidons, imperatum!” Lorroakan shouted, drawing his staff. 

With a beat of their wings, Malitas and Aylin took to the air, and the fight began.

Saff could feel the arcane charge of her new staff in her hands as she channeled its power towards their enemies. Fireballs, Lightning Bolts and Magic Missiles came easily to her, without the slightest drain on her own magic. Combined with Gale’s spells, the myrmidons soon fell and they turned their attention to Lorroakan, who was struggling against the barrage of attacks from Aylin and Malitas. He’d managed to stay alive so far through a combination of illusory duplicates, panicked Misty Steps and hurriedly cast Counterspells, but as Rolan’s Magic Missiles weaved their way through the room and destroyed his duplicates as fast as he was able to create them, he was soon finding himself increasingly unable to dodge their attacks. With a Fireball from Gale another wave of duplicates were wiped out, and in the second Saff caught sight of the real Lorroakan, she threw up her hands and sent lashing vines wrapping around him, pulling down his arms as he tried to cast another spell. As he looked up he was met by a barrage of Scorching Rays from where Malitas flew above him, before Aylin swooped down to land the finishing blow, bringing her sword down on him in a strike that tore him from the vines and sent him flying across the room. 

Lorroakan was left clinging to life, sprawled on the ground as he choked and gasped, barely able to register Aylin as she landed and approached him with an air of vengeance. 

“Lorroakan: you who would see me caged - you who would purchase my submission with profane gold!”

Malitas landed with the others as they watched Aylin kneel down next to him. 

“Let every wicked magus, every vile murtherer, each slaver and misery-merchant see…”

She lifted him up above her, fury in her eyes as she looked up at him. 

“Dame Aylin is watching. She is indomitable. And when her face lights the shadows of your wrongdoing, you are broken by its beauty!” 

Saff gasped as she dropped Lorroakan onto her knee, the snap of his back echoing through the tower. When she pushed him off, he finally lay silent. 

There was a hushed silence that hung over them as she stood back up and turned to face them. 

“The fire-haired fool is dead. Yet as I stare upon his corpse I feel… sadness. Why?”

They were quiet, until Saff stepped forward to speak.

“Perhaps… you’re sad we couldn’t find another way. That we had to kill him, instead of being able to turn him to a better path,” she suggested, but Aylin looked unconvinced. 

“Fanaticists like him rarely see the error in their ways. Should he claim remorse, I would sooner expect it to be a ploy to seize Dame Aylin while her guard is down, than a genuine show of regret. Yet, I wonder if perhaps there is some truth to your words…” she pondered, then shook her head. 

“A paladin’s fatigue, no doubt,” she decided. “You were excellent in battle, as is your way. I am proud to fight at your side. And you, tiefling! You did not embarrass yourself. I will catch my breath, then to camp I will bring my bones. Moonmaiden be with you.” 

She stepped back, her gaze falling to Lorroakan’s body, deep in thought. 

Saff’s heart went out to her, but her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of coughing behind her. She turned to see Malitas holding a handkerchief to his nose as he leant back against the railing, his wings disappearing in a shimmer of flame. Quickly she walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder as she incanted a healing spell, though even as the healing magic took effect, she could still feel the magical malaise that hung over him. 

“My friend,” Aylin said in concern, turning her attention to them. “What ails you? Are you injured?”

“Nothing to concern yourself with,” he said quickly, waving away her worries. “Just… a sorcerer’s fatigue, if you will. I’ll be fine. And for what it’s worth, I agree with your assessment of Lorroakan - I have known him for some time, he has always been this way. We would not have been able to convince him otherwise.” 

She nodded her thanks, before stepping away to her own thoughts again. 

“Thank you,” Malitas said to Saff, lowering the handkerchief from his nose. 

“I daresay you didn’t need your wings for that fight,” Gale suggested, raising an eyebrow slightly at Malitas’s decision to summon them. “Oh, I most certainly didn’t. But it was worth it to see the look on his face,” Malitas replied with a satisfied smirk. Gale chuckled, finding himself agreeing with that reasoning. “Fortunate for me that it was such a short fight, it won’t take me long to recover.”  

“I can’t believe he really tried to fight us all,” Saff murmured, glancing over at Lorroakan’s body. “Did he really think he could beat so many people on his own?”

“They say madness and genius are separated by but a hair's breadth. Perhaps the same is true of madness and stupidity,” Gale commented. 

“Lorroakan had plenty of both,” Malitas said, standing up from the railing. “He also had plenty of magical artefacts and hidden knowledge. Shall we?” He asked, gesturing down to the area beneath them, eager to see what treasures the tower had waiting for them. 

“You both go,” Saff decided, “I’m going to speak to Rolan.”

The two men nodded, then with a quick cast of Featherfall, jumped down to the levels below. 

Rolan was looking at Lorroakan’s body, deep in thought as she approached. 

“Rolan? Are you ok?” She asked, and was surprised to see him smiling when he looked at her. 

“I am, now that the bastard’s in bits,” he answered, then noticed the look of shock at that answer. “Lorroakan was a cruel and vicious man. By day, I’d tend the shop, but at night - he’d fire the most nonsensical questions at me. And for every one I answered ‘wrong’, he’d beat me. I could have killed him with my own two hands, but I kept thinking it was all a test. It had to be. I thought it was the price I had to pay to become a true wizard. I realise now he was just a sick, sick man.”

Hearing him describe what had happened gripped her heart with a deep, pained empathy. 

“Rolan, I… I’m so sorry that happened to you. Malitas and Gale both said Lorroakan was incompetent, but neither of them knew he was cruel, too. I… once…”

The word caught in her throat for a moment, before she took a deep breath to steady her heart. 

“I once had a similar experience, with a previous partner. I know how much it can get into your head, how much it can convince you that you shouldn’t leave, that it will all be worth it. I also know that, even once you’re out of that situation, it can stay with you. So, if you ever need someone to talk to about it… let me know, ok?” She said softly, giving him a caring smile. For a moment he looked surprised by her offer, until he returned her smile with one of his own.

“Thank you. Sincerely. The same goes for you, should you need it,” he offered earnestly. She nodded gratefully, before deciding to get back to the subject at hand. 

“What’s next, then?” She asked, and it seemed Rolan had already decided on the answer to that. 

“I see things clearly now. If I wish to master the Weave, I must do it myself. I hope Malitas will not take offence if I don’t take him up on his offer of an apprenticeship, but I won’t entrust my fate to another - not again.”

“He won’t, don’t worry,” she assured him. “In fact, I suspect he would tell you you don’t need a master.” 

He smiled at the compliment.

“I still have much to learn, but thankfully I have everything I need right here. I’ll move Cal and Lia in immediately. Lorroakan refused to let them stay here. They are going to love the tower.”

She grinned, thrilled to see the family finally find a safe place to live. 

“I’m so happy for you! You all deserve it, after all you’ve been through.” 

His expression softened slightly into a grateful smile. 

“I wouldn’t have this - the tower, my family - without you. What can I do to thank you?”

She almost instinctively said he didn’t need to do anything, til she realised there was actually something he could do. 

“We defeated Ketheric Thorm, but the cult is still out there. We need allies. Can you help us?” 

“Absolutely. I’ll learn everything I can about the tower, even if I have to rip this place apart. But know this - Ramazith’s Tower, and its master, are now your friends. And when the time comes, we will stand by you as allies.” 

She grinned once more, and finally pulled him into a tight hug. 

Below, Gale and Malitas were pooling their finds. There was no shortage of magical artefacts and ancient tomes that were of interest, but it was a particular staff that drew their attention. 

“Imbued by Kereska herself,” Malitas whispered in reverence as he lightly ran his fingers over runes engraved into its surface, recognising the familiar symbols of the dragon goddess. 

“Such beautiful artistry,” Gale praised as he admired the elaborately carved head of the staff. “And powerful - I can feel the Weave it commands even without touching it.” 

There was a pause as they both looked at each other, acknowledging the unspoken question of who would be the one to keep it. 

“I can only imagine what extra benefits this staff would have in the hands of a draconic sorcerer,” Malitas pondered, glancing down at it.

“Is your current staff not more powerful than this one?” Gale questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Perhaps not… I would need to see exactly what this staff is capable of,” Malitas countered. 

“Hmm, Kereska favours chromatic dragons, does she not? As a red dragon sorcerer, that favour may not extend to you.”

“Let me see if I can find out,” he said, then closed his eyes and held a hand over the runes, before beginning to mutter an incantation.

“Kereska, drex ve dout irthosi…” 

Gale recognised the language - Draconic, a plea to Kereska to show him her secrets. The runes began to glow, accompanied by a pulse of Weave from the staff…

Suddenly Malitas gasped and the staff clattered to the floor as it fell from his hands. He stumbled back, coughing as he held his head, swaying as if he might collapse at any moment. 

Gale quickly jumped forward and held his shoulders, steadying him, before leading him over to the railing and helping him sit down and lean against the fence. Blood ran from his nose as he winced in pain, until gradually his coughs slowed down and he opened his eyes once more, taking deep, pained breaths. 

“You can keep the staff,” Gale decided, bringing a weak smile to Malitas’s lips. 

“That… was not the staff,” he murmured, his voice hoarse. “Reaching out with my powers like that, after having just used my wings, is clearly not a good idea.” 

“It took you hours to recover last time. Stands to reason it would be similar this time, even if the fight was shorter.”

Malitas had a distant look in his eyes as he stared out ahead of him for a moment before he spoke.

“In the past, it did not take me so long to recover, nor did it have such a drastic effect after such a short time. But it has been years since I regularly used my wings, perhaps I am out of practice… or perhaps I am simply getting old,” he said with a resigned sigh. 

“You still have more years left to you than most humans have from the day they are born,” Gale pointed out.

“I know. But that doesn’t make me immune to the ravages of age,” he murmured. “While I would never condone Lorroakan’s actions, when nature sees fit to remind you of your own mortality, it does make it easier to see why one might resort to such fanaticism. Though I can think of several paths to immortality that would be easier than enslaving an aasimar.” 

Gale chuckled and nodded. 

“Indeed, especially once such as Aylin. Her fury is not to be trifled with.” 

Malitas nodded in agreement, then looked up as Saff descended to them in a flurry of ethereal feathers. 

“Malitas!” She gasped when she saw him, a healing spell already on her fingertips as she ran over to him. 

“Saff, it’s quite alright-” he started, but she wasn’t listening as she placed her hand on his shoulder and cast her spell. 

“Did that help?” She asked hopefully. 

“A bit, but I’m not sure this is something that can be healed. Don’t put yourself out.”

“It’s ok! Please, let me keep trying. Different types of healing are better at healing different types of ailments. I’ve mostly just healed for injuries, but I haven’t had much practice with other types of healing, and I need to get better at that. I just need to figure out what kind of healing you need,” she explained, focussing as she tried adjusting her spell for him. 

Malitas watched her for a long moment as she worked. 

“You need practice with different types of healing, and I need practice with my wings. It seems to me there is an opportunity here.”

---

She’d entered Malitas’s study intending to ask him what he wanted for dinner, but when she saw him focused on a glowing rune on the floor in the corner of the room, she found herself intrigued. 

“What’s that?” She asked, walking up to him. 

“A teleportation circle,” he answered, his hands moving between semantic gestures that magically engraved new lines into the rune. “At least, it will be when I’m done.” 

“A teleportation circle to where?” She asked curiously, trying to make out the runes that adorned the circle, but not recognising them. “A temple of Shar. The one that housed the Nightsong those mercenaries were looking for,” he answered, not taking his eyes off his work. 

“Why?” 

“Because I am out of practice when it comes to combat. I need somewhere to train, and this tower is not big enough.” 

“Out of practice??” She gasped in disbelief. “You killed a room full of people in an instant, is that not powerful enough for you?” 

“I can assure you, it was not as easy as I made it look, nor as easy as it should have been,” he answered, wincing slightly with a hint of disappointment in himself. “Three centuries of domesticity has dulled my abilities. Balthazar knew as much, and fighting him was a stark reminder of the truth of it. But I hope, with some training, I might rectify that.” 

“Balthazar?”

“An old friend. He turned out to be working for Ketheric Thorm. How small the world can be sometimes.” 

She frowned slightly, trying to piece it all together in her head. 

“Right. So, what is it you want to practice that you need so much space for? Are you planning on dropping some meteor swarms?” She asked. He chuckled and finally lowered his hands, the glow fading from the runes as he did so. 

“No. Something else. Let me show you.” 

Her eyes widened at the shimmer of flame and magic that spread out behind him and coalesced into a pair of dragon wings at his back. 

“You... you can…” she whispered, barely able to believe what she was seeing. “I knew some draconic sorcerers could summon wings, but I didn’t know you could…”

“It isn’t something I make a habit of doing often,” he explained as she stepped closer, almost unable to stop herself from reaching out and lightly running her fingers along the shimmering red scales. They were hot to the touch - more so than she expected - and were thicker than the scales on his chest and back. As she ran her hands higher, she looked up at the large talons that protruded out of the scales at the top of each wing. She realised these wings were not only for flight - they were weapons in themselves. 

It was only when she finally pried her eyes off the wings and turned back to him once more did she notice the scales that now covered his cheeks and forehead. 

“Your face…” she whispered, stepping towards him and gently brushing her fingers across his cheek. These scales were not rough like those on his wings, instead they were so thin and smooth they felt almost like a snake’s scales. “Do these scales only appear when you summon your wings?” 

“Yes, the rest of the time I keep them hidden behind an illusion.”

She lowered her hand and gave him a firm look. 

“I’ve told you, you don’t need to hide anything from me,” she said, a hint of disapproval in her otherwise soft tone. 

“I know. It’s a habit I’ve had most of my life. Forgive me,” he said, lifting a hand to caress her cheek, just as she had. She smiled and closed her eyes as she leant into his touch.

“I feel like I’m learning something new about you every day…” she murmured, opening her eyes again. “Any other secret powers you want to share?”

“Heh, perhaps another time,” he answered, then leant forward and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. When he pulled back, there was another shimmer of magic and the wings were gone as he turned back to the half-finished teleportation circle. “For now, I must focus on this. I wish to make it permanent, but doing so usually requires casting the spell in the same spot every day for a year. I’m hoping that with the correct infusion of metamagic, I may be able to create a permanent teleportation circle much faster.”

She watched as he raised his hands again the glow returned, etching the runes into the floor. 

“Can I help?” She asked. 

“I’m afraid this magic is quite beyond your abilities,” he said, glancing at her with a sympathetic look. 

“Can I at least watch? Maybe you could explain it to me,” she asked, and this time he nodded. 

“Very well, pull up a chair.” 

Quickly she found a chair, sat down and watched intently as he explained. 

He wasn’t wrong - the magic was well beyond her abilities. But she didn’t need to be able to cast it. Perhaps just understanding it would be enough. 

[tabitha42]

Been playing with Reshade, took some cute pics of Saff and Gale!

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 70

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

Leaving the gardens was usually a sad moment for Saff, but today her excitement brought a spring to her step as she headed back into the busy streets, hand in hand with Gale. The wide open terraces soon gave way to the narrow pathways of the Lower City as Gale led her to their destination, until he finally stopped in front of a shop she recognised. 

“The Facemaker’s Boutique?” She asked as he led up the steps. It was not the sort of place she’d expected for a date. 

“Yes. To prepare us both for this evening’s activities,” he answered as they neared the door, til she pulled him to a halt. 

“Gale, do you have any idea how expensive this place is??” She gasped in a hushed voice. “Plus, they don’t do walk-ins, you have to book in advance.” 

“I’m aware,” he assured her, “and yes, I know exactly how expensive this place is.” 

She realised this meant he had not only already booked, but also already paid for their session here. For now she decided not to voice her questions on how he managed to afford a place like this, and followed him in. 

“Aah, Mr Dekarios! Please come in,” the owner greeted as they entered, then turned to her. “And you must be Miss Saffron. I am Figaro Pennygood, a pleasure to meet you.” 

She smiled politely as she shook his hand, though found herself slightly worried about making some kind of faux pas - this was the sort of place she’d only ever dreamed of coming to, designed for those of far higher status than her. 

“Now, Mr Dekarios, you will be upstairs with Phlanders here,” Figaro said, gesturing to his assistant, who gave a polite bow. “And Miss Saffron, you will be with me.” 

“Wait,” she interrupted, then looked at Gale with a playful smile. “For our date you’re sending me off with another man?” She asked teasingly, though in truth she was slightly disappointed to find out they wouldn’t be doing this together. 

“Only for a brief time, my love,” Gale assured her, kissing the back of her hand. “We will have all night together after this.”

“We’d better have,” she said, before finally letting go of her hand and letting him head upstairs with Phlanders. 

“Not to worry Miss Saffron, I know what he���s got planned, and I can assure you, it will be a magical night for you both,” Figaro said as he led her through the shop. 

“Really? What has he got planned?” She asked, but he shook his head. 

“My lips are sealed, my dear. Now, please, take a seat, and let’s get started.” 

Saff had never had a makeover before, nor had she ever felt as pampered as she did now. He manicured her nails, cleansed and moisturised her face, washed her hair with the most divine-smelling soaps, and after re-applying her makeup and styling her hair, left her gasping in surprise when she looked in the mirror. 

Her hair shone in a way she’d never seen before, the once messy locks that had grown windswept from their time in the park now sitting in perfect curls, and the glittering eyeshadow he’d used made her light brown eyes look almost golden. She’d never seen herself like this before, never thought she could look like this. It took her breath away.

“I… I look…” she stuttered, finding herself lost for words. 

“You look beautiful, my dear,” Figaro said, a compliment to himself as much as it was a compliment to her. Emotional tears began to well in her eyes, and quickly tried to blink them away. 

“Gods, I shouldn’t cry, I’ll ruin my makeup,” she half-joked, trying to lightly dab the corners of her eyes. 

“Ah, not to worry, this is Sune’s Smudgeproof Makeup - it is enchanted to only be removed with the appropriate spell, which I will provide a scroll for. In the meantime though, you can cry, or wash your face or go swimming, and that makeup will stay perfectly in place,” Figaro assured her.  

She looked in the mirror at where she’d dabbed at her eyes and was amazed to see he was right. She even tested it out and rubbed one eye, which also did nothing to smudge the makeup. 

“Wow,” she gasped, “I had no idea that even existed!”

“Quite wonderful, isn’t it? Now, shall we choose your dress?”

“My dress?” She asked, looking at him in surprise. 

“Yes, of course. As… lovely… as your current dress is, it will not do for where you are headed tonight. I have some gowns prepared that will suit, and if none of these are to your taste, there are plenty more to choose from,” he said, heading over to the other side of the shop. She quickly got up and followed him, then couldn’t help but gasp at the rail of very expensive-looking evening gowns awaiting her next to the large three-panel mirror and dressing room. 

Figaro Pennygood was a man who had served all sorts of customers over a long tenure of many years in the industry. In all that time, he had not once come across a customer who cried with happiness at every. Single. Dress. 

“We’ll add this one to the ‘yes’ pile, then,” he said with an imperceptible sigh as he moved the latest dress to the ever-growing ‘yes’ rail, while glancing at the empty ‘no’ and ‘maybe’ rails. He loved a happy customer, but he also loved a decisive customer. He had to remind himself that this was better than a customer who hated everything, though he did wonder how she was ever going to make a decision. 

Saff was completely oblivious to his thoughts as she looked at herself in the mirror after having put on the next dress and was moved to tears again. Every dress was beautiful beyond words, and was something she could never have imagined herself having the opportunity to wear. 

“This is the last dress I have prepared,” Figaro said as she emerged from the dressing room with the latest dress and stepped up to the mirror. “But I have others I can fetch if you’d-”

“This one,” she whispered, her voice hushed in awe. 

“Ah, are you sure? You don’t want to reconsider any of the-”

“I’m sure.”

She didn’t hear what he said next as he began to tidy the rest of the dresses away. She couldn’t take her eyes off herself, mesmerised by what she saw. The shimmering magenta fabric sparkled under the lights, glistening with every movement she made. Two long ribbons of fabric draped down her back from her shoulders, creating the illusion of a cape. The long skirt had a slit up one side, showing just a hint of her leg and the ornate golden shoes she wore underneath. Matching golden jewellery adorned the rest of her body - two ornate belts at her waist, arm cuffs, and a necklace that accented the plunging neckline of the dress. Finally golden earrings and a tiara completed the outfit. 

Never in her life had she looked at herself in this way. She felt like a princess.

“Are you happy with your look? Is there anything you’d like to change?” Figaro asked once the dresses were cleared away. 

“No,” she whispered, still staring in the mirror in awe. “It’s perfect.” She finally pried her eyes away and managed to look over at him. “Thank you, Figaro. I… I never thought I’d be able to do something like this, never thought I could look like this. It’s amazing. Thank you.” 

The smile that Figaro gave her now was one of the most genuine smiles he’d given a customer in a long time. Few customers had ever given him such a heartfelt compliment. 

“You are more than welcome, my dear. Now, I shall see how Mr Dekarios is getting on.” 

He headed to the door, but didn’t get far out of the room before poking his head back in.

“Mr Dekarios is ready when you are!” He called to her from the door. 

She took a moment to take one last look in the mirror and wipe the tears from her eyes, before finally turning away and following him back to the foyer. 

She wondered what Gale had been up to during all this. A makeover too, she assumed, though he was unlikely to have spent an hour having his makeup done like she did. What sort of look had he gone for, she wondered. She was sure that whatever he chose he would look wonderful, though she did hope they hadn’t cut his hair…

When the door opened and she saw him, her heart skipped a beat. He wore a black suit decorated with intricate gold embroidery that swirled up into two Phoenixes emblazoned across the chest of the tailcoat. The top of his hair was swept back into a bun at the back of his head, and his beard had been neatly trimmed. Even on the road in his battered wizard robes he’d always managed to keep a gentlemanly air about him, but now he looked truly regal. 

When she met his eyes, she realised he must be feeling the same way for her - he looked mesmerised, so much so that for once Gale of Waterdeep was left utterly speechless. She took the opportunity to, for once, be the first to speak. 

“You look incredible,” she complimented as she walked up to him and took his hand in hers. 

“As do you,” he whispered, finally able to speak. “The word ‘beautiful’ does not do you justice. You are… utterly radiant.”

A blush came to her cheeks, as it so often did when he complimented her. 

“Isn’t she just?” Figaro agreed as he walked up to them. “I daresay you’ll be the envy of the night, saer! Now, some small points to note before you both head off - I will have your belongings sent to your hotel room, along with the makeup removal scroll for you, Miss Saffron. And please remember, these outfits are rentals, so any damages will be charged for. When you are both ready, your carriage awaits.”

“Carriage??” Saff gasped, looking at Gale with wide, excited eyes. 

He simply gave her a knowing smile, then turned to Figaro. 

“My thanks, Figaro. We will be off then. Until next time,” he said, giving Figaro a small bow. Saff hurriedly did the same, saying one last quick thank you before following Gale out of the shop. 

As promised, in the street outside a horse-drawn carriage awaited them. Saff’s heart raced with excitement - another thing she’d never experienced, and never thought she would.

The driver climbed down from his seat at the font of the carriage and opened the door for them both. Gale stepped forward and offered her his hand to help her up. It was funny, really - after all they’d been through, she was obviously perfectly capable of climbing into a carriage herself. Yet, the gesture made her heart flutter. 

She gratefully took his hand, ascended the small steps up into the carriage and sat on the cushioned seat. He climbed in with her, the door was closed, and moments later the carriage began to rumble and they were off. 

“I can’t believe this,” she whispered in excitement as she looked at the street passing out the window. “This is amazing. Everything is amazing. The makeover, the dress, the carriage… and I don’t even know where we’re going yet!”

Gale chuckled as he leant back in his seat, a pleased smile on his lips. 

“Ahh, just you wait. Everything so far is just a warm up for the main event.” 

She looked at him in excitement, though there was a nagging feeling in her mind that wouldn’t stay quiet.

“Gale, I have to ask… how did you afford all this? You didn’t raid the group’s gold coffers, did you? We might need that money,” she asked, mostly joking.

“Heh, not to worry, the group’s gold remains perfectly safe. As it turns out, the Counting House has strong ties to the banks of Waterdeep, so I was able to transfer some gold across from home. Now please, don’t worry about such things. Enjoy yourself.” 

She was still surprised to hear he had enough money for all this, though she supposed Malitas did say that wizarding could be a lucrative career. Clearly it was true.

In the end she took his advice and stopped thinking about it. 

By the time the carriage came to a stop, the sun was beginning to set. Saff had been watching the sky slowly starting to turn a soft orange, but her attention was very quickly taken from that when the carriage door opened and she realised where they were. 

“High Hall…?” She whispered in shock as she looked up at the grand fortress stretching above her. 

“High Hall indeed,” Gale confirmed, offering her his arm. Wordlessly she took it and let him lead her up to the entrance, still too shocked to form any words.

Gale flashed an invitation to the door guard, who bowed to them both and gestured for them to enter. 

Saff had never been to High Hall before, and excitement bubbled up inside her. They headed down an elaborately adorned hallway, the walls draped with embroidered fabric and the floor lined with a long, red rug leading to a large, ornate set of doors at the end. As they approached, two doormen opened the doors, and the sight inside took her breath away. 

The great hall had been converted into a grand ballroom, with hundreds of elegantly dressed couples dancing across the marble floor. Huge stone pillars stretched up to the high ceiling, decorated with murals and lit by a thousand floating candles. Floor to ceiling windows looked out over the gardens that stretched down into the distance. 

Saff could hardly believe what she was seeing. As a child she’d spent so many hours lost in fairy tales, fantasising about what the grand balls of the aristocrats were like. It was everything she imagined, and more. A magical beauty that left her utterly speechless. 

“Gale…” she whispered, finally finding her voice, but not yet finding any more words than that. 

“You once said to Wyll that you’d love to try ballroom dancing in one of the city’s great halls. So I endeavoured to make it a reality,” he said, clearly very pleased with his choice of activity.

She looked up at him, full of adoration that he’d not only remembered she’d said that, but also made it possible. 

“Thank you… this is incredible. It’s everything I dreamed of,” she gushed, looking out over the hall again for a moment, before looking back at him curiously. “Did Wyll help you get invites then? I didn’t think you could just buy tickets to events like this.”

“Indeed you’re right, you can’t. Wyll was the one that suggested Figaro’s, though he wasn’t able to help get us invites. There’s someone else with Upper City contacts we must thank for that.” 

She paused as she thought about it for a moment. 

“Malitas?” She asked, and he nodded. 

“Indeed. Turns out he actually gets invited to these things a lot, though he said he rarely goes to them. Which means, technically, I’m using his invitation right now. So if anyone official-looking asks, my name is Malitas.” 

She couldn’t stop the laughter that burst from her mouth. 

“Oh my gods, really?? So you’re pretending to be Malitas?” She asked, trying to keep her voice down between her laughter. He pulled out the invitation and showed her, and sure enough, the elegant handwriting invited Malitas Auvrea'athem and one guest. She had to try to calm down her laughter before she started drawing any looks as he put the invitation away. 

“He’s right, you are a bad influence on me,” she joked, wiping away the tears that had been gathering in her eyes from laughter. “Go on then, give me your best Malitas impression,” she challenged with a playful smile. Gale considered her request for a moment, then stood up straight, placed his hands behind his back and looked judgementally round at the ball. 

“I have been to several events like this before over the many years of my long life, but I can’t say they’ve ever truly appealed to me,” he said, perfectly mimicking Malitas’s upper class Baldurian accent, while also capturing the hint of elven lilt that adorned his speech. “The company at these gatherings is simply of no interest to someone of my vastly superior intellect.” 

She couldn’t stop herself from snorting with laughter as she playfully pushed him away. 

“Gale! He’s not that bad,” she said between her laughs. “Plus, you of all people cannot criticise anyone for being a bit full of themselves.” 

“I suppose you’ve got a point there,” he conceded with a small shrug. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, before looking out over the hall again. 

“How things have changed since he first met you. He’s gone from trying to keep us apart to helping you take me on a date. It makes me so happy,” she reminisced, smiling softly to herself. 

“True… strange to think how different things used to be between us. He’s become a good friend,” Gale agreed. “I will try to resist the temptation to besmirch his reputation by doing anything embarrassing while impersonating him.”

She laughed once more, shaking her head. 

“You have got to stop making me laugh so much. I must be a lady here, and ladies don’t snort while laughing like I keep doing.”

“Ah, well in that case, perhaps a change of pace?” He said, then walked in front of her and held out his hand. “May I have this dance, my lady?” 

Her heart fluttered at the request, and gratefully she took his hand. 

She welled with excitement as they made their way onto the dancefloor, her inner child squealing with happiness at all the beauty around her - the endlessly elegant outfits of the other guests, the serenity of the music, the majesty of the hall, though it was the way Gale placed his hand on her waist and the look in his eyes that truly warmed her heart. They fell in step with the song, letting the rhythm carry them as they danced across the floor. Saff knew all the dances, of course - she’d spent hours reading about them, imagining them - yet still she threw her own embellishments in, an extra twirl or flourish where there wouldn’t otherwise have been. As the music crescendoed, she felt as if she were gliding over clouds, carried by the joy and love she felt as she looked at Gale and saw the love in his eyes looking back at her. 

The music softened and the two of them stepped back together, Gale’s arms around her waist, hers around his shoulders. Briefly she remembered when they’d stood like this all those weeks ago, under the moon in their first camp at the tiefling party. At the time the orb had brought their dance to an end, but today it had no such issues as the two of them pressed their lips together in a kiss. 

She rested her head on his shoulder when they separated, sighing contently as they both swayed to the music, feeling like she was lost in a dream, until finally the song came to an end. 

“Ladies and gentleman!” A host announced from the balcony. “If you could please make your way to the banquet hall, dinner is served.” 

Saff only now realised just how hungry she was. 

The banquet hall was every bit as impressive as the ballroom - high ceilings and grand pillars once again adorned the room, the walls decorated with ornate paintings and statues. Several long tables, each seating maybe a hundred people, were filled with countless dishes offering delicacies of all sorts. The smell of food filled the air, making Saff’s mouth water as they were led to their seats. 

She found herself slightly unsure of the etiquette of the occasion, and had to watch the others around them to know when was best to start eating. Her thoughts on the matter were interrupted when the woman that sat next to her introduced herself. 

“Ah, hello there! I am Lady Penelope Merryweather,” she greeted enthusiastically. She was an older woman, her greying hair styled into an elaborate set of curls held up with a crystal hair pin. “And this is my partner, Lady Miranda Merryweather,” she added, gesturing to the woman that sat next to her, who gave Saff a polite nod. 

“Oh! Nice to meet you both,” she said, shaking Penelope’s hand. “I’m Saffron. Um, that is… Lady… Saffron… Dekarios!” She amended quickly, realising she didn’t want to give anyone any reason to suspect they both weren’t supposed to be there. She heard a surprised cough from Gale, who had to struggle not to choke on the drink he’d been sipping when he heard how she introduced herself. “And this is my partner, Sir Gale Dekarios!” 

“A pleasure to meet you both,” Penelope said happily. “Beautiful evening tonight, isn’t it? I do love how they’ve decorated the ballroom this time. The drapes are divine.” 

“Yes, it is beautiful,” Saff agreed, smiling to herself. “Absolutely magical.”

The food, too, was absolutely magical, and she had to try to stop the tears that welled in her eyes at the first mouthful. 

“Saff?” Gale asked, noticing her reaction. “Are you ok?”

She finally swallowed, staring at her plate in awe.

“I didn’t know food could taste this good…” she whispered in stunned reverie. 

He relaxed and chuckled softly. 

“Heh, just you wait til we get back to Waterdeep. Scavenged rations and a campfire stove do little justice to my culinary skills. I assure you, we’ll be eating like this every day once we’re home.” 

She could only imagine what life would be like eating like this every day. 

“Oh that was glorious, wasn’t it?” Penelope said to her as the waiters came to begin clearing the plates away in preparation for dessert. “I thought the s'repic tartare was especially good, though the calabash confit gave it a run for its money. Oh and the asafetida wellingtons! Goodness, they were to die for, don’t you think?” 

Saff’s mind went blank as she searched for an answer and realised she had no idea what any of those words meant, and then further realised she had no idea what any of the dishes they’d just had actually were. 

“Um… yes, delicious! I really liked the, um, the… little pastry things, with the… actually, I just liked all of it, it was all amazing,” she said quickly, trying to cover up her own words. Penelope chuckled, a knowing smile coming to her lips. 

“Well I do hope you left room for dessert. Make sure you try a bit of everything! I’m sure you’ll love it.” 

Penelope was absolutely right, and dessert came with the added benefit that Saff actually recognised some of the dishes, including one that particularly caught her eye. 

“Lemon cakes! My favourite!” She gasped in delight, her face lighting up as she looked at the platter of cupcakes, each carefully decorated with intricate yellow icing. She almost forgot her manners as she instantly reached out and grabbed one, then carefully peeled off the paper and took a bite. 

“What do you think?” Gale asked as he watched her slowly chew, the now familiar look of awe and wonder returning to her features. 

“I’m having a religious experience,” she whispered in reverence. “I’ve decided, I’m gonna ditch Mystra and start worshipping whoever the god of food is.” 

“Heh, not a bad idea,” he laughed. 

She took another mouthful, closing her eyes as she savoured the flavour, then frowned slightly as she considered her joke. 

“Who is the god of food?” She asked as she chewed thoughtfully.

“Hmm… you know, I don’t think there really is one. A gap in the pantheon. Forget worshipping the god of food, you could ascend and become the god of food.”

“I think I’m ascending right now eating this,” she laughed, taking another savoured bite. 

By the time dessert was finished, she could barely move. 

“Eaten a bit too much, dear?” Penelope chuckled when she saw Saff sprawled back in her chair. 

“Oh!” Saff gasped quickly, sitting up in a more lady-like pose. “Ahem, yes… my eyes may have been bigger than my stomach,” she said with an embarrassed laugh. 

“Don’t worry, I did the same thing at my first ball as well,” she assured her. “Get some rest, Lady Saffron, and we’ll see you on the dancefloor,” she said with a wink, before taking Miranda’s hand and heading back through to the ballroom with her. 

“She saw right through me, didn’t she?” Saff murmured to Gale as they watched the couple leave. 

“Yes, I rather fear she did. Astarion would be proud of you for at least trying to tell a convincing lie, though,” he offered in consolation. 

She eventually managed to make it back to her feet, but at the risk of seeing all the food again if she went prancing around on the dancefloor, they decided to take some time to admire the grand hall, starting with the view from the windows. 

“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, enraptured by the gardens, illuminated by lanterns under the view of a thousand twinkling stars. “Can we walk through the gardens? Are we allowed out there?” She asked, realising she couldn’t see anyone in the gardens, nor a way to get to them. 

“Let’s find out,” Gale decided, then walked up to one of the waiters that wandered the room offering glasses of wine and champagne. Sadly, when asked if they could go out into the gardens, he shook his head. 

“My apologies sir, but I’m afraid the gardens are closed for tonight,” he said, before moving on. 

Saff’s heart sank, though she tried not to show it. 

“Well, that’s ok. We can still see them through the window,” she said, glancing back towards the windows. Gale, however, was not satisfied with that answer. 

“Come with me,” he said, taking her hand in his and leading her through the room. 

He took them through a side door and they emerged into a corridor that looked entirely like somewhere they weren’t supposed to be. 

“Gale, where are you-”

“Shh,” he whispered, holding his finger to his lips as he glanced back at her, then continued to lead them forward. 

Eventually he paused, looked around briefly, then turned back to her. As he did he raised his hand, the beginnings of an invisibility spell gathering at his fingertips. 

Suddenly she began to see where this was going, and though every instinct told her they really shouldn’t be sneaking around like this, she still found herself raising her hands to channel the same spell. 

“Invisibilis!” 

Their whispered incantations left only the slightest echo in the stone-walled hallway, and with a pulse of Weave, they were gone. She felt Gale take her hand in his once more, then lead her away. 

It wasn’t long before they encountered a guard patrolling the hallways, and Gale pulled her up against the wall as he approached. 

“Back against the wall, hold your breath,” she heard him say to her through their tadpoles. She did as instructed, staying utterly silent as the guard walked straight past them, none the wiser. Then they were on the move again. 

They eventually emerged outside, but found themselves separated from the gardens by a large, wrought-iron fence. Not that this would be a problem. 

“Invenium viam!” Gale incanted in a whisper, then reappeared, now visible, on the other side of the fence. Saff did the same and looked up at him with a scanadlised but excited smile. 

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she said, glancing around briefly to check they were alone, before looking back at him again. “What if we get caught?” 

“Then Malitas will get into a lot of trouble,” Gale said with a mischievous grin, then held out his hand. “Now, my lady, will you join me on a stroll through the gardens?” 

The gardens were impossibly beautiful. Lanterns lit the flower-lined pathways, intended as decoration to be viewed from the hall, but even more beautiful when seen up close. They stayed far enough away that they were sure they wouldn’t be seen, but even out here the music of the ball could still be heard, a distant melody floating on the breeze. 

When they came across a small grass clearing bordered by flowerbeds, they took the opportunity to sit down, in no small part to rest Saff’s aching feet. 

“Te curo,” she incanted, breathing a sigh of relief as the pain faded away. “Yet another thing to love about healing magic, this is going to make wearing heels all day much easier.” 

“The things we do for beauty,” Gale commented, rather pleased men didn’t have the same expectations when it came to footwear. 

“Yeah… though I wonder how much it’s worth it, given you once told me I’m never more beautiful than at the end of a stirring battle, cheeks flushed, eyes bright, muscles glistening… maybe we should have gone to the dingiest streets in the Lower City and got caught up in a back alley brawl,” she joked, eliciting a chuckle from him. 

“It is true, I cannot deny my attraction to you under such circumstances, and yet… gliding across the ballroom floor, radiant as the sun, the beauty of your dancing is superseded only by the beauty of the joy it brings you, that you pour into your every move. The elegance of your dress and the glitter of your jewellery compliment your beauty only half as much as the smile that adorns your lips. The way your face lights up, the excitement in your eyes… that, truly, is when you are most beautiful to me.” 

Her heart fluttered at his words, so deeply touched was she by them that for a moment she could not find a reply. 

“Gale, I…” she started, speechless, then finally managed a smile. “You know, I’ve spent the last few years trying to convince myself that fairy tales are just stories and I’m not really going to meet a Prince Charming that will whisk me away and change my life. Then you come along and shatter that notion entirely.” 

“Your knight in magic armour,” he said with a soft chuckle, lifting her hand and placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. 

The two of them lay back on the grass in each other’s arms as they looked up at the stars. 

“Thank you, Gale,” Saff said softly after a comfortable silence between them. “This has been truly magical. I never imagined you had anything like this planned. It’s been everything I dreamed of ever since I was a kid.” 

“It brings me great joy to hear you say that,” he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. 

“I’m gonna have to find something else to do for you now, a picnic hardly compares,” she joked, though Gale knew her well enough to know there was more truth in that statement than she was letting on. He sat up and looked at her seriously.

“Come now, don’t say that. I loved our picnic,” he said firmly. 

“Me too, but it’s not exactly a grand ball is it?” She challenged, sitting up with him. “I want to do something just as amazing for you as this is for me.” 

“Saff… don’t underestimate what that meant to me,” he said emotionally, taking her hands in his. “I have tried to avoid voicing it, but I think you could tell nonetheless - I have grown quite homesick over these last few weeks, and seeing you all here now, enjoying the familiarity of your home city… I would never begrudge you the joy you’re all feeling, and it makes me truly happy to see you all celebrating it, but… it does leave me yearning for something of home. So knowing that you’d put in the effort to not only research the foods of my home city, but also attempt to make them yourself - and succeed so impressively at doing so, I might add - it brings a warmth to my heart, that not only chases away the homesickness, but makes my love for you only grow.” 

Once again, Saff found herself speechless, the tears in her eyes doing more than any words she could find ever could to show him how she felt. 

“Well… good, because I have no idea how I was gonna match this,” she said eventually, gesturing around them with a chuckle. “Though, if you’re really feeling so homesick, I’m sure Malitas could teleport you back to Waterdeep for a bit.”

Gale hesitated, glancing away slightly. 

“Yes… the thought had occurred to me. But I have no doubt fate would see fit to ensure I cross paths with my mother, or a colleague, or old friends, and… if I am to see anyone from home again, I would rather it be with news of my victory over both the Absolute, and my own demons,” he said softly, lightly touching his fingers to his chest. 

She remembered how he’d once described himself, all those weeks ago - a shadow of the promise he once held. She’d long since learnt that his veneer of confidence was hiding a deep self-doubt, a desperate desire to be seen as worthy and wanted by those around him. And while she hoped she’d helped him regain some of the confidence he’d lost, she understood that desire still ran deep, manifesting in a fear of being seen as worthless, or a failure. He could not face those he’d once known without first proving himself the man he wished to be. 

“I understand,” she said softly, giving his hands a gentle squeeze. “Then we’ll defeat the Absolute, remove the orb, and when you return to Waterdeep triumphant, everyone will see you as the hero I know you are now.” 

Gale’s look of uncertainty melted to an emotional smile. 

“Thank you, my love,” he whispered, lifting a hand to gently stroke her hair. “Truly, I do not deserve you.”

“Nonsense,” she said firmly, before leaning in and pressing her lips to his. 

When they parted, she stood and offered him her hand. 

“Now, I fancy another dance, my prince.”

He gladly took her hand as he rose to his feet, though as they began she quickly found herself stumbling as her heels sunk into the grass. With a quick movement she slipped the shoes off and tossed them aside. 

Together they moved to the distant music, hand in hand through twirls and pirouettes, free now from the restrictions of ballroom etiquette as they threw themselves into the dance. Saff laughed in delight as Gale placed his hands on her waist and lifted her into the air, spinning her around himself, a flurry of glitter and sparkles. She felt as if she were walking on air as she danced with him, barefoot in the moonlight. 

As the song softened they drew together once more, her arms around his shoulders and his around her waist, lost in each other’s eyes as they swayed to the music. Slowly they leaned in, until finally their lips met. The soft kiss soon turned passionate as Gale’s hands ran up her back and hers into his hair, pulling him in. Any fears of being caught were far from their minds as they lost themselves in the romance of it all, and the lust that gradually built within them as the kiss deepened. 

Shivers of excitement ran through her as Gale’s fingers traced the bare skin of her back, a warm touch against the cool night air. Gradually his lips moved from hers and began to trail kisses down her jaw, his breath hot against the sensitive skin of her neck. His eager hands explored her body now, one moving up until his fingers were entangled in the curls of her hair, the other moving down, embracing her curves as he pulled her body against his. 

She couldn’t stop the soft moan that caught in her throat as he ran his hand up her body and his thumb slipped under the dress to brush the side of her breast, just the slightest tease but enough to awaken the arousal pooling inside her. Fervent lips worked their way down her neck in loving kisses, across her collarbone, down her chest as she leant her head back in pleasure…

She opened her eyes and looked down when he pulled away from her, seeing him sitting down on the grass now, leant back with his hand out, beckoning her to join him. Eagerly she did, and as she straddled his lap, she could feel the extent of his arousal pressing up against her, sending another shiver of excitement through her body. 

He leant up and his lips found her chest once more, his kisses now lingering teasingly at the edges of her dress. Anticipation rose in her until finally he pulled the fabric aside, his hand caressing her breast as he took the nipple into his mouth. He could feel her deep breaths, pressing her into him more with each inhale as he chased the high of the moans he drew from her lips. His hands found the small bow that tied the straps of the dress together at the back of her neck, and with a light tug the dress fell, pooling round her waist. He felt almost drunk on love as he looked up at her, framed by a silver halo of moonlight. 

Reaching round her waist he leant forward, laying her down on the soft grass. Their lips came together once more, eager hands exploring waiting bodies, whispered moans and pleasured sighs. His lips soon followed his hands downwards, past her neck, chest, stomach… the moan that escaped her lips was louder now as she felt his touch where she craved it most. Light strokes, slick fingers, soft kisses over fabric, then under fabric, a wanting tongue that explored and tasted her. His name danced in whispered moans on her lips, her hands gripping the grass as her eyes fluttered shut. 

By the time he crawled back over her, his eyes were dark with desire. He leant down to her neck with hungry kisses, and as she lowered her hands and began to caress him through his trousers, she could feel the vibrations of his groans against her skin. Deftly she undid the fastenings and freed him, drawing whispers of her name from his lips as she took him in her hand and stroked. 

He could hardly stand to wait any longer, and as she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him close, he knew she felt the same. The two of them drew closer until he could feel the heat of her against him, slick against his skin, waiting and wanting and yearning… 

Their eyes met as he buried himself in her, an echoed moan between them escaping their lips. Together they moved as one, pleasured gasps muffled by lustful kisses. Tightly she clung to him, as if she might lose herself if she let go. 

The two rolled over, Gale now on his back as Saff sat over him, hands resting on his chest. Her hair hung down in scarlett waves, the once perfect curls now roughed up where his hands had run through them with fervent desire. The gold of her jewellery sparkled in the moonlight, an ethereal vision of beauty that took his breath away as he watched her move atop him. His hands caressed her every curve, up and down her body until they slipped under the pooled folds of the dress and reached between her legs. Her moans grew at his expert touch, massaging her in just the right way, the way he knew she liked. Pleasure coiled within her, growing with every touch, every thrust, every kiss and whisper, until it crescendoed and exploded within her, waves of sensations that left her trembling in his arms. 

By the time she opened her eyes again he’d laid her back on the grass, drawing out the final moments of pleasure from her climax as he reached his own, his deep moans muffled as he pressed his face into her neck. 

He finally leaned up again and saw her beneath him, flushed and breathless, cheeks red and hair dishevelled, starlight twinkling in her eyes as she gazed up at him adoringly.  “I take back what I said earlier,” he whispered, lightly caressing her cheek. “This, my love, is when you are most beautiful.”

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 69

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

Their first few days the city had been a whirlwind of activity. Between Gortash’s coronation, Mizora’s bargain and murder investigations, they’d had little time for anything else. So Saff was particularly surprised when Karlach told her of her plans for the next day. 

“A date?” Saff echoed when she heard Karlach’s idea. 

“Yeah! A proper, normal date. I know exactly what I wanna do, so we’re gonna take tomorrow just for ourselves. After all we’ve been through, I think we’ve earned one day off, haven’t we?” Karlach reasoned. Saff found she couldn’t agree more, and quickly relayed this plan to Gale. 

“A date?” He asked in surprise when she told him the idea. 

“Yeah! Karlach and Wyll are taking a day for themselves, so I think we should get to as well! And I’ve got a great idea for what we could do!”

An excited smile came to his lips. 

“I like your way of thinking, and I can’t deny I have spent some considerable time pondering the question of where I would take you for such an occasion. I have some ideas, if you would allow me a few days to set them in motion?”

She hadn’t expected him to not only have ideas, but have ideas that would take several days to plan. It only made her more excited. 

“Take all the time you need. I can’t wait!” 

When the day finally came, she was awash with excitement. They’d agreed she would organise activities for lunch and the afternoon, while he took care of the evening and dinner. They also agreed to keep their plans secret from each other, though she very nearly let slip a few times what she had planned. 

She spent the morning in her annex getting ready. Everything was going well, until she was faced with an impossible decision and had no choice but to go running through the tower in her dressing gown to ask Malitas for his opinion.

“Malitas!” She called, charging down the hallways until she finally ran into him. “There you are! Which nail varnish should I wear??” 

She brandished two small bottles of purple nail varnish at him, which he looked at in bewilderment. 

“They’re… the same colour,” he said eventually, looking at her in confusion.

“What?? This one is lilac and this one is lavender! I think the lavender one goes better with the dress I wanna wear, but the lilac matches my skin tone better-” 

“Saff,” he interrupted before she could continue her ramble. “Dare I suggest Gale’s affections for you are not going to be impacted by what shade of purple your fingernails are?” 

She breathed a deep sigh, calming herself down.

“I know. I just… want this to be perfect. We’ve not been able to do anything like this before. Plus, it’s kinda nice to worry about nail varnish colours and not the end of the world, you know?” 

He chuckled softly and nodded in understanding.

“Sometimes a moment of mundanity can be a haven in a world of chaos,” he sympathised, and she got the distinct impression he was talking from experience. “That said, do not fret too much. You could turn up in a potato sack and he would still think you are beautiful.”

She laughed, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. 

“Now,” he continued, putting a hand on her shoulder, “finish getting ready ready. And go for the lilac.” 

She grinned and pulled him in for a quick, grateful hug, then ran off back to her room. 

Two hours later she stood in front of the mirror, checking herself one last time. She wore a light purple dress that flared from her hips, cinched in at the waist by an engraved leather corset. Embroidered flowers decorated the dress, running down from the straps, across the chest and along the hem of the skirt. The sweetheart neckline plunged below that of the off-the-shoulder white blouse she wore underneath, the long cuffs of the puffed sleeves hanging down in waterfall pleats from her elbows. The lace-up brown boots she’d chosen had a slight heel, just enough to accentuate her legs while not posing a significant risk along the uneven cobblestones of the city’s streets. Her hair hung loose down her back in soft curls, with two small braids running around the sides of her head affixed at the back with a matching purple bow. After much internal debate, she completed the look with a silver necklace holding a small, amethyst gem. 

She wondered briefly if she should wear a bit more make up - she didn't tend to wear much, and after going weeks without wearing any, even the small amount she wore now felt like a transformation. But it was a special occasion and deserved more effort than usual…

The decision was made for her when the arcane doorbell rang through the tower. With a gasp of excitement she grabbed her handbag, flung it over her shoulder and ran to the door. 

“Have fun.”

The sound of Malitas's voice from the top of the stairs nearly made her yelp in surprise. She looked up to see him leaning against the bannister looking down at her. 

“How do I look?” She asked, giving him a quick twirl. 

“Beautiful. Now get going,” he said, gesturing to the front door. She grinned, and wasted no time in doing as she was told.

Her heart skipped a beat when she opened the door to see Gale waiting with a bouquet of flowers on the other side. His usual wizard robes were replaced with an embroidered purple shirt with white sleeves, the neckline of which was low enough to show both the top of the orb and a hint of chest hair. 

He looked as if he had something planned to say, but all thoughts of that had gone out the window when he saw her. 

“Saff, my love… you look beautiful,” he said softly, looking almost mesmerised by her. 

“So do you! I mean, I guess not beautiful, but handsome! Not that you aren't beautiful, I just mean- you know that's usually- I, um-... shall I take the flowers?”

Quite how she managed to get tongue-tied talking to her boyfriend of several weeks, she didn't know. 

Gale was gracious enough not to outright laugh, in fact he looked rather endeared as he handed her the bouquet. 

She held them to her nose and closed her eyes as she took in the smells. 

“They're so lovely,” she complimented when she opened her eyes again. “Let me quickly find a vase for them!” 

She ran off back to her annex, giving Gale and Malitas just enough time to acknowledge each other before she ran back out again. 

“Enjoy,” Malitas said to them both, giving them a small wave as they linked hands and left the tower. 

“So, where to?” Gale asked as they walked down the street. 

“I'm taking you to my favourite place in the city!” She announced excitedly with a spring in her step.

“Sorcerous Sundries?” He asked with half-joking excitement. 

“Alright, second favourite place,” she laughed. “Though now that you mention it, you probably would have preferred Sorcerous Sundries. I may have made an error in judgement.”

“Wherever it is, so long as you are there, it will be perfect,” he said chivalrously, completing the sentiment with a quick kiss to her blushing cheek. 

The streets were bustling with excited people enjoying the spring after a long winter. Cool breezes made for refreshing breaks from the warmth of the midday sun. The smells of food wafted through the air as they headed through the marketplace in The Wide, though Saff had to convince them both to resist temptation as she already had plans for lunch. 

“Here we are!” She announced happily as she took Gale to the entrance booth of a grand park and gardens.

“Ahh, a park. Very appropriate,” Gale commented, looking through the gates.

“It's the biggest park in the city! I started visiting all the time after moving in with Malitas, since it's so close. It's beautiful, I'll show you around!”

Gale hadn't met many people in life that could talk about something at quite the lengths that he could, but he soon learnt that if you put Saff in a botanical garden then she'll come pretty close.

She told him about every tree, every flower, every bush and shrub. She told him about the plants that had been imported from faraway lands, and how she'd loved to see those plants in their native soil one day. She told him about the books she'd read here under the shade of the trees, the hours she'd spent lost in words as the sun made its way across the sky. 

“Nearly at the best bit!” She announced as they approached the end of a tree-lined walk. 

“It will have to be truly impressive to beat everything you've shown me so far,” he commented, admiring the canopy of leaves above them.

“You've really enjoyed it that much? I was worried I was talking your ear off.”

“Not at all! There is little I enjoy doing with my time more than learning something new, and one of those few things is seeing the excitement in your eyes as you talk about your passions. I feel truly privileged to have been able to enjoy both today.” 

She couldn't hide the blush on her cheeks nor the smile on her lips. 

“You really are cheesy sometimes, you know that?” She teased playfully. 

“I know. I think you like it,” he teased back. 

“I love it,” she said firmly as she pulled him in for a kiss.

The view that awaited them as they emerged from the trees took Gale's breath away. A large, open field stretched down ahead of them, beyond which the Lower City sat in the distance, encircled by the Sea of Swords. White sails dotted the horizon, floating upon the glistening water. Every landmark in the city was visible, from Ramazith's Tower down to Grey Harbour at the city's edge. 

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Saff said wistfully as she took his hand. “You can see the whole city from here!”

“It's incredible,” he agreed, his voice almost a whisper of awe. 

“Look, there's Sorcerous Sundries,” she said, pointing down to the domed blue roof that stood out so clearly against the tightly-packed streets that surrounded it. “And if you follow the path down, you can just about see the roof of the Elfsong! Then up that way is the Basilisk Gate, and Rivington beyond that. Oh, that reminds me! The Circus of Last Days is in town, we HAVE to go at some point! I haven't seen Dribbles since I was a kid, he's amazing!”

“Dribbles?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yeah, he's a clown! You'll see. First though, I promised you some lunch.”

“You did indeed, though I don't see any food stalls or restaurants around here,” he commented, glancing around. 

“I've got something else planned. Come on, let's find a nice spot.” 

She took his hand and led him across the grass until they found a quiet area in the shade of the trees overlooking the city. He watched curiously as she raised her arms, then with a swift gesture and practiced incantation, her plan became clear when a blanket and picnic basket appeared on the ground in front of them. 

“A picnic!” He said happily. “What a wonderful idea.”

“It wasn’t really my idea, if I’m honest,” she admitted, beckoning him to join her as she sat on the blanket. “After the tiefling party, while Karlach, Lae’zel, Shadowheart and I were washing in the river the next morning, we all got talking about you and me. They said I should do something to show you I liked you. Karlach suggested a picnic. It’s taken a while, but here we are!”

“Ah, then I shall have to compliment her when I see her next,” he said, sitting down on the blanket. “What did the others suggest?”

“Shadowheart didn’t suggest anything specific, but Lae’zel said that I should… how exactly was it she phrased it? Pin you down and ravish you until you are so overcome by arousal you cannot refuse me my desires.” 

It was a good thing they hadn’t got the food out yet, because Gale definitely would have choked if he’d been eating when he heard that. 

“Gods, that is… well, I’m glad it’s not Lae’zel that was interested in me. Aside from anything else, that would have gone very poorly for everyone within a significant radius.” 

Saff chuckled as she reached for the basket. “Yes, in hindsight, I’m very glad I didn’t take her advice,” she agreed, then opened the basket. “Ok so, I thought, since it’s not really fair that I get to come home while you’re still miles from Waterdeep, I’d try to make this a sort of Waterdhavian lunch! So we’ve got some Waterdhavian cheese, eggbread, almond cake, and I tried making melverfew! I don’t know if it’s any good, but… guess we’ll see. And I’ve got some Waterdeep Whiskey and managed to find somewhere selling Blackstaff wine!”

She took each piece of food out of the basket as she spoke, finally finishing with two wine glasses. Gale looked at everything in surprise, feeling both awed and touched by how much thought she’d put into it all. 

“Saff… this is so thoughtful. You’ve really done your research,” he complimented, feeling a sense of nostalgia as he looked over the familiar food.

“I hope I got it all right. Oh! And don’t worry, I know melverfew is served hot,” she said, quickly picking up the metal pan containing the stew and placing it away from them on the blanket before raising her arms. “Arde,” she incanted, moving her hands in the gestures Gale recognised to be for the druidic spell Heat Metal. The pan began to glow, cooking the stew inside. 

“By the time we’ve finished the cheese, that should be ready!” She said, reaching for the cheese and bread. 

Gale happily regaled her with stories of home as they ate, getting lost in the memories that came flooding back with every mouthful. It was only when he took the first mouthful of melverfew that he finally went quiet, closing his eyes as he savoured the taste on his lips.

“Is it alright?” Saff asked, slightly nervous that his silence was a bad sign, but her worries were chased away when he nodded.

“It’s perfect,” he whispered, a soft smile on his lips as he opened his eyes again. “I haven’t had this since I was a child. It’s cheap to make, so it’s usually favoured by the poorer communities of the city. After Elminster found me when I was 8 and enrolled me in Blackstaff, scholarships and grants helped pull my family out of obscurity, but before that, many a melverfew stew would grace the Dekarios family dinner table. Most commonly after I’d set something on fire that my parents then had to pay for,” he said with an embarrassed chuckle that betrayed the lingering guilt he still felt over such occasions. 

“Oh… I didn’t realise your childhood had been like that,” she sympathised. 

“We weren’t poor, to be clear, but we weren’t exactly rich either. We never struggled for food, but at times, that food was melverfew.” 

He took a deep breath, taking in the smells of the stew once more. 

“I’ll have to ask my mother if she still has her old recipe,” he commented, before taking another mouthful. 

The rest of the food went down exactly as Saff had hoped, til only drinks were left. Waterdeep Whiskey hadn’t really been to her taste, but the wine was good… almost too good. She found herself in a slightly tipsy daze as she laid back on the blanket, looking up at the clouds.

“Look,” she said, pointing up at the sky. “That one looks like a tressym!”

Gale followed her gaze from where he was lying next to her, a frown crossing his features. 

“Which one?”

“That one there! That’s the wings, and the head, and the tail!”

“...I must applaud your imagination.”

She laughed at his very diplomatic way of telling her she was seeing things. 

“Maybe it’s the wine,” she said, turning her head to the side to look at him. “It’s very good. Though if I have much more, I might struggle to stand.” 

“That would be unfortunate, though I suppose I could carry you to this evening’s activities if needs be,” he replied, also turning his head to face her. 

“And what are this evening’s activities?” 

“Patience, my love. All will be revealed soon enough,” he assured her with a knowing smile. She considered this as she looked up at the sky again.

“How soon? How much longer can we stay here before we need to head off?” 

“Hmm, I’d say… perhaps an hour, if we are to walk there from here.”

“Then we’d better get up,” she decided, sitting up and stretching her arms, “because there’s one more thing I want to show you before we go.” 

She led him back through the gardens and out to what appeared to be a large greenhouse. 

“This is my favourite bit of the whole garden,” she said excitedly as she pulled him towards it. Once they got closer and the sign above the door came into view, he realised what this was - a butterfly house. 

Saff giggled in delight once they were inside, marvelling at the myriad of butterflies that fluttered round them. Even Gale couldn’t help but give in to a moment of child-like wonder as one landed on his hand. 

The further they went in, the more they found, til Saff looked as if she were wearing a butterfly crown. For Gale though, it wasn’t the butterflies that captivated him as he watched her face light up. 

They found a spot under a tree and sat down, watching the butterflies flutter around them. Though Gale couldn’t stop the questions that were beginning to float round his mind, and Saff clearly noticed this. 

“Are you ok?” She asked when she realised how deep in thought he was. 

“Yes. I just find my mind drawn back to the butterfly I saw in your dream, that led me through your memories. I suppose it makes sense - this is your favourite part of the park, your favourite nursery rhyme as a child was about butterflies, and you often choose butterflies as a key part of your illusions. If butterflies are important to you, perhaps it is not a surprise you would dream of them. Yet… I can’t help but wonder if there is a deeper connection here.” 

Saff went quiet as she considered his words. Another butterfly fluttered down in front of her, and she raised her hand and watched as it landed lightly on her finger. She watched it for a long moment as it gently moved its wings. 

“You know… in some cultures, they say butterflies are the spirits of the dead, come back to watch over us,” she said softly, watching the butterfly on her finger. “I once told you I didn’t care who my parents were, that my family were the people that raised me, the other kids I grew up with. I didn’t always think like that, though. When I was a kid, I was desperate to know who my parents were. I spent every moment thinking about it, until I realised I was spending all this time and energy pining over people who didn’t want me. I was surrounded by love, but all I could think about were the people that weren’t there, the people I never even knew. So, I decided to stop. I would no longer waste my love on the people that abandoned me, I would instead give it to those that loved me back. And I don’t regret doing that, but… I also know there’s every chance my parents weren’t there to make the decision. That they might have loved me every bit as much as I’d have loved them, if they’d been given the chance. Maybe… maybe that’s what the butterfly in my dream was. Maybe they’re watching over me.” 

The butterfly on her finger lifted its wings and took flight once more, fluttering up into the leaves of the tree above them. Saff leant back as she watched it, until it was gone from sight.

“So much has happened recently. The visions, the curse, what Thaniel and Withers have both said… I don’t know what it all means, all I know is I have to find out.” 

She felt Gale’s arm as he reached around her shoulders and gratefully leant into him. 

“Then find out we shall,” he said softly, kissing her lightly on the forehead. “Whatever it takes.”

She smiled softly, comforted as always by his words. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the moment in his arms, under the watchful gaze of the butterflies.

[tabitha42]

Tagging game

Tagged by @chaoswritesthemultiverse!

Last song: To Ashes and Blood - Woodkid (the Arcane soundtrack is my current music obsession, with this song right at the top)

Last book: A Dance With Dragons - GRRM

Last movie: One of Lion King/Aladdin/Die Hard/Airplane, we had friends over and put movies on in the background and I can't remember which was the last!

Last show: Taskmaster

Last thing I searched: Weather tomorrow. Really interesting search, that one.

Favorite color: Purple

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: Sweet 100%, can't handle even the slightest amount of spice. Get that pepperoni pizza away from me.

Relationship status: Engaged

Looking forward to: Dinner, am hungry

Current obsession: Gale, BG3 and the fanfic I spend way too long writing.

I only know like 5 people on Tumblr and they've all already been tagged, so... I tag anyone reading this who want to do it who hasn't already been tagged!

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 68

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 hustle and bustle of the Elfsong had filled Saff with a welcome nostalgia as she’d led the group through the heaving tavern. Learning that there’d been a murder in one of the guest rooms just the day before had dampened her excitement somewhat, but it did at least come with the good news that, because of the murder, the rest of the guest area was free. They were told to allow a few hours for the room to be set up and return that evening. The group split to each go about their own business for the rest of the day, and the three wizards wasted no time in heading straight to Sorcerous Sundries. 

After telling Aradin in no uncertain terms that if he tried to bring Nightsong to Lorroakan it would go very poorly for him, they made their way in and Gale immediately set about finding any information he could.

“The Annals of Karsus!” He announced eagerly to Saff and Malitas after returning from a hushed conversation with the librarian. “They have it here, secured in the vaults. I don’t know if it will contain exactly the information we need, but given the crown is Netherese in nature, I’m sure an artefact that powerful will be at least mentioned.” 

“Secured in the vaults?” Malitas echoed, raising an eyebrow. “I’m assuming that means they aren’t going to easily part with it?” 

“Sadly not. I offered to buy it, but they would not even entertain the idea. We may need to resort to more… unscrupulous methods of attainment,” Gale said, lowering his voice.

“Wait,” Saff interrupted before they could get any further. “You’re not seriously suggesting we break into the secured vaults to steal a book that might not even have the information we need??” 

Gale and Malitas shared a look. 

“It may be our only option,” Gale reasoned. “We need to know what this crown is.” 

“And the security here is hardly impenetrable. A few traps, little more. We will have no issues as long as we are careful,” Malitas added with a casual shrug.

“Ok, firstly, how do you know what the security here is like? Don’t tell me you’ve tried to steal books from here before?” Saff asked Malitas, narrowing her eyes slightly. 

“I helped set up some of the security here a few decades ago. I know how to navigate it,” he assured her, but she was unconvinced. 

“A few decades ago. Anything could have changed since then. Those Steel Watchers, for starters! You’ve seen them in the streets, right? What if Sorcerous Sundries is using them for security, too? We could get down there and end up trapped in a room with one, all for a book that might not even be related to the crown. Maybe we should start with the books that aren’t going to get us blown up trying to read them?” She said firmly, gesturing to the vast array of bookshelves around them. “Or, even better, start with finding out what Lorroakan wants with Aylin… or what he’s doing to Rolan,” she said softly, her voice changing from sharp criticism to concern as she looked over at the front desk, where Rolan stood greeting customers. “I know he says he’s fine, but… I recognise that look. He’s not fine.” 

There was a moment of quiet acknowledgement between them, before they turned their attentions upstairs towards the four swirling portals on the floor above. 

“An audience with Lorroakan it is, then,” Gale decided, and the three headed up.

Malitas had never been particularly complimentary of the latest inhabitant of Ramazith’s Tower, and when Saff saw him about to embed an arrow in an assistant’s head, she suddenly understood where the criticisms had come from. 

“Malitas!” Lorroakan greeted, with only the slightest attempt at a genuine welcome. “At ease, Miklaur - you may go.” 

Saff watched as Miklaur scurried away and Lorroakan dismissed the enchanted armour he’d been testing. “Can it be you’re the one to deliver the Nightsong to me? Though I see no Nightsong with you, surely my worthless apprentice wouldn’t have allowed you to waste my time? I suppose I should not have expected such a feat from you, I never saw you as the adventuring type.” 

“And I never saw you as the type to abuse his apprentices, but it seems we’re both learning new things about each other today,” Malitas responded, folding his arms disapprovingly. 

“Oh please, abuse? Spare me,” he retorted, rolling his eyes. “Maybe he’ll learn a thing or two from it. Speaking of apprentices, is this yours that I spy? You did say your apprentice was a young woman, yes? What was her name again?” 

“Saffron,” she answered before Malitas could, stepping forward with clenched fists. “I’m not an apprentice anymore, and you are not going to lay one more finger on Rolan!”

“Oh!” Lorroakan gasped with delight. “How amusing! I thought you said she was a timid one, Malitas?” 

“She was, until she defeated an avatar of Myrkul. So you’d do well to take her threats seriously,” he replied firmly. A momentary look of annoyance flashed across Lorroakan’s face, before he turned his gaze to Gale.

“Is this your latest apprentice, then?” He asked Malitas, which Gale scoffed at.

“Hardly! I was once Mystra’s Chosen, you’re not up against apprentices here,” Gale said, a hint of a threat of his own creeping in at the edges of his voice. Lorroakan, however, was far more amused than intimidated. 

“Mystra’s Chosen? So it is you! Gale of Waterdeep, Mystra’s discarded lapdog, reduced to trailing after Malitas! How you have fallen.”

“I am not trailing after him!” Gale spat indignantly, throwing his arm out in a gesture towards Malitas. 

“Oh of course you’re not,” Lorroakan sympathised sarcastically, “it’s Mystra you’re trailing after, isn’t it? Running around, trying to impress her, in the hopes she’ll take you back.” 

“Even if she offered, I would never go back to her,” Gale said firmly. “Now, shall we get back to the subject at hand? Nightsong, what do you want with her?” 

“Her. Fascinating. You’ve been to Shar’s temple, haven’t you? To the Shadowfell?” He asked with increasing eagerness, though Malitas did not share his excitement.

“Answer the question, Lorroakan, before I polymorph you into a newt again,” he threatened impatiently. Saff almost had to stifle a laugh when she saw the way Lorroakan twitched at that. He quickly shook away any visible signs of his annoyance and replaced the momentary grimace with a smug smile as he summoned an ornate, silver wand. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it? Worth more than your lives, too. I bought it from a Calishite warlock with very little of his soul left to him. It can bind a celestial to the wearer’s service with a snap of the fingers. And this? This can keep her in place. Forever,” he explained, gesturing to the familiar runes of Balthazar’s soul cage on the floor nearby. 

“You’re trying the same thing as Ketheric,” Saff said in disgust as she looked at the soul cage. “You want to siphon her immortality for yourself.” 

“So you did manage to teach her something useful,” Lorroakan said disparagingly to Malitas, before addressing them all once more. “The Nightsong will be put to a grand purpose: equalising man and god. Whoever helps me attain that which I seek will be greatly rewarded.” 

“You’re insane,” Saff said, shaking her head. 

“Ah, I take it back Malitas. It seems she’s learnt nothing,” he said, glancing towards Malitas with sarcastic disappointment. “Don’t blame yourself, I’m sure the fault lies with her, not you. After all, the simple-minded often cannot fathom the machinations of great men.” 

Saff decided she’d heard enough. She turned and left, storming out of the portal back to Sorcerous Sundries before anyone could say another word. 

“I can’t believe him!” She moaned to the others once they caught up. “What a rude, slimy, arrogant, conceited, self-centred, delusional, selfish… bastard!” She shouted, having run out of words to describe him. She finally took a deep breath to calm herself down, then looked at Malitas. “You were right about him. He’s awful.” 

“I rather fear I’ve been too kind about him in my previous assessments,” Malitas admitted. “I knew him to be incompetent. I didn’t know him to be cruel.” 

“If that charlatan thinks he can best Dame Aylin, then he’s more clueless than we all believed,” Gale agreed. “It’s a shame she and Isobel will be staying a few more days at Last Light before joining us here. But I’m sure when the time comes, Dame Aylin will have great fun dispelling his delusions.” 

Saff nodded her agreement. She could only imagine what Aylin would do after what she did to Ketheric. Then a smile came to her lips.

“Or we could turn him into a newt again,” she said with a playful excitement as she looked at Malitas. “When did you do that?”

“Ahh, yes, it was a few years ago, at a winter solstice celebration run by the city’s mages. Lorroakan was saying he was the most powerful wizard there. I told him he wasn’t even the most powerful human there. He threatened to show me “the true extent of his power”, so I polymorphed him into a newt and walked away. He was not best pleased. Though I got the impression everyone else there rather enjoyed it.” 

“Perfect, let’s do that again,” Saff said, laughing at the mental image.

“With pleasure, though I suspect Aylin might have a more permanent solution in mind,” Malitas commented. 

“Polymorph can be permanent,” Gale suggested, only half-jokingly. 

“Very true. I’ll bear it in mind as a solution. Now, shall we get back to the task at hand? Saff, If you truly wish to conduct more research into the crown before attempting to obtain The Annals of Karsus, I have some books at home that might help.” 

“Yes! I’d like that. Thank you,” she said gratefully.

“Let’s head home then. You’re welcome to come too, Gale, if you don’t mind trailing after me,” he teased, to Gale’s ire.

“You know Saff,” he started, speaking in a stage whisper to her, “I’m starting to think Malitas would make a better newt than Lorroakan…” 

Saff laughed as she headed off with them back towards the Upper City.

Gale tried desperately to hide the jealousy from his face as he looked round Malitas’s library. Like his own library, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined almost every wall of the room, with paintings and statues and a large, ornate fireplace filling the gaps. Unlike his library, the walls stretched up to a high ceiling, requiring rolling ladders to access the highest shelves. Where the walls and floor of his own library were woods and wallpapers, Malitas’s were stone and marble. Grand windows overlooked the city, adorned with thick, red curtains. At the centre of the room lay a large oak table, surrounded by chairs with plush cushions. Malitas’s private study was through an almost hidden door in the corner of the room. More bookshelves lined its walls, and at the base of the windows sat a grand desk, covered with orderly piles of papers and notebooks.

“Alright, I admit, this is a nice library,” Gale finally conceded to Saff once Malitas left the room for a moment. 

“It is, isn’t it?” She said, leaning against the table as she glanced around. “I still prefer yours, though.”

“You do?” He asked in surprise, finding it hard to believe she’d prefer his library over one as large and grand as this.

“Yeah. This one’s all very impressive, but… it’s not very homely. Yours is way more cosy. If I’m gonna curl up in front of the fire with a book all night, I’d much rather do so in your library than here.”

He felt a wave of relief at her words. 

“I am glad to hear that. I would hate to think that moving into my tower constituted a downgrade for you. I suppose grand isn’t always better,” he commented. ‘Grand isn’t always better’ was certainly a mindset that didn’t come to him easily, even though he knew the truth of it.

“Indeed. Though there are some aspects of this library I think should be applied to yours - the tidiness, for one. Malitas would never dream of leaving a book out of place, but I saw all those poor books left in piles on the floor in your library! As soon as I move in I’m finding homes for them all,” she said decidedly. 

“Heh, you are more than welcome to try,” Gale chuckled. “Though I must say, there’s also another of Malitas’s ideas I’m tempted to steal - I think having a drinks cabinet in the library is a marvelous idea,” he said, nodding towards the drinks cabinet in the corner of the room. She chuckled, and had to nod in agreement. 

Despite Malitas’s extensive collection of Netherese books, even after several hours they came no closer to working out what exactly the crown was. The only crown they could find mentioned was the Crown of Karsus, which they’d initially dismissed, though the more they read without any other possible answers, the more they began to wonder if that could truly be the answer they were looking for. 

Eventually it was decided to return to the Elfsong for dinner, though Saff decided they couldn’t leave before she showed Gale her annex. They left Malitas tidying up the books as she excitedly led Gale downstairs. 

He’d been expecting it to look much like the rest of the tower - tall stone walls, grand windows, marble floors and little other than a few ornate statues or paintings in the way of decor. What he saw instead when she opened the door and led him in was completely different. 

Shelves lined the wooden walls, adorned with plants, books, crystals and other ornaments. Rugs covered most of the wood floor, and simple curtains adorned the windows. Plants and decorations hung from the low ceiling, causing him to almost need to duck as he descended the steps from the door into the room. The furniture was a strange mish-mash of styles, from the elaborately adorned mahogany and obsidian desk that sat under the windows to the upcycled repainted cabinet next to it. Reddish-brown bookshelves with carved elven swirls sat next to metal and stone cupboards styled with dwarven lines and angles. A small sofa nestled in the corner, complete with mismatching cushions. Books and papers covered the desk, with a large notebook left open in the middle. Every surface had something on it, yet despite how busy the room was, it didn’t feel messy or cluttered. Everything had its place and was carefully positioned there. 

Saff let out a small gasp of delight when she entered the room. 

“My plants! They’re alive!” She said happily, inspecting a few of the potted plants nearest the door. “I thought for sure they’d all have died. Malitas must have been watering them. And here was me, thinking he couldn’t keep a houseplant alive to save his life!” 

“I’m surprised he had time for anything else if he was watering all these every day,” Gale joked, taking in just how many plants there were in the room.  

“Heh… I might have got a bit carried away… I promise I won’t cover every available surface of your tower in plants,” she said with a slightly embarrassed smile. 

“Saff, my love, you can bring as many plants as you want,” he assured her, quickly leaning down to place a kiss on her cheek. “Though I am somewhat surprised by your choice of furniture.”

“Oh, so! None of this is my furniture. When I moved in, I didn’t have anything to bring with me, and this was just an empty room. Malitas said he had some old furniture up in the attic and I could use that if I wanted. Let me tell you, you’d never know it to talk to him, but that man is a hoarder! He had every single thing he’s ever acquired over his life up in that attic, so that’s over 600 years’ worth of stuff. I spent a whole day just going through it all. After I chose the bits I liked, he teleported it all down for me. So blame him for the weird collection of furniture. Though if I’m honest, I kinda like that none of it matches. It feels… eclectic,” she admitted, smiling slightly as she ran her fingers over the desk. “It makes me wonder about the history behind each piece. Where they’ve all been, what they’ve seen, before being stuffed up in that attic.”

“I’m sure many of them have a long and fascinating history,” he agreed, taking in the details of the desk, though it was the contents of the notes on top of the desk that really drew his attention. “Is this your dissertation?” He asked, picking up one of the notebooks and casting his eyes over the long, in-depth descriptions of druidic magic that covered its pages. 

“Yes! Heh, you can finally read it,” she laughed, remembering the promise he’d made her so long ago back when they first met. “Though I think I’ve got a lot to rewrite now. Finally I can add some first hand experience, rather than just quoting books.” 

“Maybe before long you’ll be able to include how to defeat an elder brain,” he said with a chuckle as he put the notebook back down. “So what’s upstairs?” He asked, nodding to the spiral wooden staircase in the corner of the room. 

“Oh, come and see!” 

She grabbed his hand and eagerly led him up. 

“Malitas said I should just use this area for storage cause it’s so small. But… I thought it was cute,” she explained as they emerged at the top of the stairs. 

Gale was met with the sloped ceilings and exposed rafters of an attic, once again decorated with plants, ornaments and hanging lights. Pushed up against the lowest parts of the eaves were chests of drawers and storage cabinets, with a dressing table and mirror at the far end of the room against the wall. Rugs covered almost every inch of the floor in an attempt to recreate carpet. In the middle of the room a dormer window jutted out from the roof, and in the gap was her bed - pillows and blankets piled up on top of the made-to-fit bed frame, with both walls either side lined with shelves filled with books, plants and other decorations. 

“I can see why he said that, and I can see why you did not follow his advice. It’s beautiful up here,” Gale commented as he began to walk through the room. Unlike Saff, he had to stay almost exactly in the middle if he did not want his head to hit the ceiling. “Though I am glad you suggested we stay at the Elfsong rather than here. I don’t think my back would thank me if I had to duck under these eaves every day.”

She chuckled as she led him through. 

“True, I also didn’t think you’d actually fit on the bed,” she said, nodding towards it. 

“Let’s check, shall we?” He suggested with a flirty smile, then lay down on the bed with his head up against the far end by the window. Even as far up as he could go, his legs still hung off the edge. “Ah, it seems you’re right.”

She followed him onto the bed and lay down next to him, propped up on her elbow as she leaned over him, one hand resting on his chest. 

“Guess we’ll have to keep this bed for other things then, won’t we?” She flirted playfully as he lifted a hand to her cheek, then leant down and kissed him. 

Luckily for them, Malitas didn’t question why it took them quite so long to look at Saff’s room. 

By the time they returned to the Elfsong, the guest rooms were ready. 

Astarion and Gale immediately flew into an argument over who would get to use the bath first, during which Shadowheart drew a bath for herself and had been in it for quite some time before either of them noticed. Saff pushed two of the beds together to create a makeshift double bed for herself and Gale, an idea that Karlach promptly stole for herself and Wyll. Scratch and the owlbear cub made themselves at home, and Tara was thrilled to finally have some civilised surroundings, though still planned to spend most of her days hunting pigeons. 

Saff snagged the spot closest to the fireplace and beckoned Gale to sit with her as the others gathered that evening’s dinner from the dumbwaiter. Their first meal back after weeks on the road tasted every bit as good as they’d hoped, and soon dirty plates stacked up against empty wine bottles as the group whiled the night away. 

Malitas headed home once the group began to turn in for bed, despite Saff’s best attempts at convincing him to stay with them. As she curled up on the bed, the comfort of the soft mattress and thick duvet was beaten only by the comfort of Gale’s touch as he laid down with her, pulling her into his arms and holding her as she drifted off to sleep, enjoying the feeling of a real bed underneath her for the first time in weeks. 

***

She was so engrossed in her book, she hadn’t even heard him coming up til he opened the door to their bedroom. 

“You’re back!” She gasped happily, quickly putting the book down and hurrying over to him. He smiled and hugged her back as she threw her arms round him. “Well, I mean, I knew you were back. I saw you earlier. But I didn’t get to say it then,” she added playfully. 

“Ah yes, apologies for not coming to see you,” he said, and she shrugged as she walked back over to the bed she’d been curled up in.

“That’s fine. So, did you find what you needed? Are they all cured now?” She asked hopefully, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

“Alas, no. It can never be that easy,” he lamented as he took off his shoes. “But we grow ever closer to the answers we need.” 

She sighed in disappointment, but tried not to let it get her down. 

“So, what are their names? You never told me. There’s way more of them than I thought!” 

He looked at her in slight surprise. 

“Did I really never tell you?” He said, then sat down on the bed with her. “Let’s see… there’s Shadowheart, a half-elf Sharren-turned-Selûnite cleric, Lae’zel, a githyanki warrior that has turned her back on Vlaakith - hmm, abandoning one’s god seems to be a running theme in this group - Astarion, a vampire spawn with a vendetta against his former master, Karlach, a tiefling sold to Zariel by Gortash who has survived the Hells for a decade, Wyll, the Blade of Frontiers, who has-” 

“Wait,” she interrupted, looking at him in shock. “The Blade of Frontiers? The Blade of Frontiers? You’re travelling with the Blade of Frontiers AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?!” 

“I sense I have made a grave error,” he joked, amused by her indignance. 

“I can’t believe this! How could you not tell me?? This is utterly unforgivable, you know that?” She said, only half-joking as she folded her arms. 

“Wait until you hear who else we’re travelling with.” “Oh don’t tell me, Elminster and Drizzt?” 

“Not far off. Jaheira, the high harper.”

 Her jaw dropped to the floor and for a moment she couldn’t even speak over the shock. 

“The final member of the group is a druid named Halsin,” Malitas continued casually. “He’s been teaching Saff druidic magic. She’s picked it up well.” 

“I still cannot believe you never told me- wait, Saff?” She interrupted herself, suddenly realising what he’d just said. “You called her Saff.” 

“Ah, yes. She’s come a long way, I felt a graduation was in order. She is no longer my apprentice.” 

This shocked her far more than the revelation of who he was travelling with. So many thoughts ran through her head, she didn’t know where to start. 

“But… she’ll move away, won’t she?” She asked eventually, trying to sort through her thoughts. 

“Yes, to Waterdeep I expect,” he answered. For a long moment she sat in silence as she processed it all. 

“Travelling with famous adventurers, graduating, learning druidic magic, moving in with her lover… she’s really living the dream,” she murmured, her emotions a conflicted mix of joy and sadness. 

“Aside from the ever-present threat of ceremorphosis and the numerous near death - and one actual death - experiences, I suppose you could say she is.” 

“Actual death experience?” She asked in shock. He chuckled slightly as he looked at her. 

“I’ve got a lot to catch you up on, haven’t I?” 

Before she could answer, a sudden clamour from downstairs snapped both their attentions to the door. The noise began to get closer, angry shouts and multiple sets of hurried footsteps running up the stairs. Whoever it was, they didn’t sound friendly.

“Hide!” He hissed to her, before jumping up and moving between her and the door. She scrambled over the bed and ran for the bathroom, diving in just as the bedroom door burst open. 

She hid behind the door and peeked through the gap, her eyes widening as she saw a group of mercenaries pouring into the bedroom, surrounding Malitas and aiming at him with loaded crossbows. The leader entered last, his own crossbow ready as he crossed the threshold. 

“Where is she?!” He demanded, though the implied threat of his crossbow seemingly did little to intimidate Malitas.

“You again?” He spat, folding his arms impatiently. “Aradin, was it? Don’t tell me you think Nightsong is here?”

“I followed you lot back ‘ere, after you left Sorcerous Sundries. Now tell me where she is, and I’ll make this quick.”

Malitas sighed in exasperation. 

“Leave, now, and I’ll pretend this never happened,” he offered, but Aradin just laughed.

“Look around, old man. Yer outnumbered, nine to one. Wish there were another way, but I need the cash Lorroakan’s offering for your little Nightsong friend.”

She watched with bated breath, until her blood ran cold as her eyes met those of a mercenary who spotted her peeking through the door. 

“Someone’s over there!” He shouted, swinging his crossbow in her direction. She gasped and ducked, just as a crossbow bolt smashed through the wood above her. 

When she looked up again, Malitas was no longer stood casually leaning to one side, arms crossed, as he had been before. Weave gathered at his fingers as he drew up to his full height and stared them down. 

“That’s the last mistake any of you will ever make,” he growled, and in an instant, every mercenary dropped their weapons and fell to their knees in a daze, blood dripping from their noses. All except Aradin, who gasped in shock and stumbled back as every single one of his allies collapsed. Malitas took a step towards him, and instinctively he pulled the trigger on his crossbow and released the bolt. With a flash one of Malitas’s shields shattered, and the bolt harmlessly clattered to the floor. In a panic Aradin tried to load another, but found his arms suddenly pulled down to his side as ethereal chains locked around him. He struggled desperately, grunting and gasping as he tried to pull free, until his eyes met Malitas’s with a look of fear. 

Malitas said nothing. He simply raised his hand, looked at Aradin… and clenched his fist. 

Screams filled the room. Gut-wrenching, agonised screams. She watched in horror as the mercenaries clutched at their heads and wailed in pain and terror… then the room went silent as every one of them dropped dead to the ground. Malitas released Aradin from his chains, and he too dropped to the ground, dead with the others. 

She pried her gaze away and pressed her back to the wall, eyes wide in shock. Distantly she could hear Malitas’s hurried footsteps, then he was there, kneeling down in front of her.

“Are you ok?” He asked, carefully reaching out to her. Her mind was still filled with the screams, til she felt his fingers brushing her cheek, pulling her back to reality.

“You killed them…” she whispered, her voice shaking. “Gods, you killed them all...”

“They tried to kill you,” he said, as if that justified it. 

“Couldn’t you have, I don’t know, used a command spell on them or something? Told them to leave?” 

“They would have been back.”

She shook her head, pulling away from him. 

“You didn’t need to kill them…” she whispered, pulling her knees to her chest. He sighed and lowered his hand from her. 

“Stay here. I’ll deal with the bodies.”

He stood and left the room, leaving her alone with only the echoing screams in her mind, and the chilling realisation that he could kill a whole room of people with just a thought.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 67

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 walk back to Last Light was every bit as beautiful as Saff had hoped. Not only was plantlife starting to come back to the forest, but where the trees were infused with Thaniel’s magic, they were even starting to glow. Bright, colourful flora illuminated their way back to the inn, chasing away the last of the shadows. 

By the time they reached Last Light, the others were setting up camp for their final night in Reithwin. Gale declared he would make them all a celebratory dinner, and it was while they were eating that she told them about their mystery companion’s latest visit. 

“Withers?” Karlach repeated after Saff announced his name. “I think I preferred Bone Man.”

“Whatever his name is, he remains largely a mystery to us,” Gale commented. “Curious that he claims to know so much about mind flayers… and curious that he claims to know so much about you, Saff. Where I am the dusk, she is the dawn. I am partial to a good riddle, though in this particular case I think I’d have preferred he speak more plainly.” 

“Dusk and dawn…” Malitas murmured in thought. “Hmph, this would be a lot easier to figure out if we knew who he was. I can’t think of any accounts of a similar creature in anything I’ve read. Something to add to the list while researching this Netherese crown.”

By the time they finished dinner they’d moved onto the next conversation subject, which luckily was a lot more cheerful.

“As of today, I’m no longer an apprentice. I’ve graduated from my apprenticeship!” Saff announced happily to the group. She was met with cheers and celebrations, in particular an especially suffocating hug from Karlach. Even Shadowheart and Lae’zel congratulated her, while Astarion commented that he’d forgotten she was technically still an apprentice in the first place. 

They cleared out the remains of Last Light’s wine supplies with their celebrations. Dancing and revelry gave way to laughter around the campfire as they wound down and enjoyed what was likely to be their last night camping together under the stars. 

“I’m gonna miss this,” Karlach said with a drunken sense of nostalgia as she looked up at the sky leaning against Wyll where he sat on the ground next to her. “Drinking round the campfire, gazing up at the stars… it’s been fun.”

“I’m gonna miss it too,” Saff agreed, cuddled up in Gale’s arms next to Karlach, “though I’m also looking forward to a proper bed.” 

“Aah, a proper bed…” Gale mused longingly. “And a bath! Oh to soak these weary bones.” 

“A bit of civilisation sounds lovely,” Astarion agreed. “I’m sick of bathing in rivers and wearing blood-soaked clothes.” 

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Wyll warned, holding a hand up to stop them. “We’ll need to find somewhere to stay. There was a time I’d have been able to use my name as a Ravengard to find us accommodation in the Upper City. Now though, I suspect my requests might fall on deaf ears.” 

“Well that’s alright,” Karlach said confidently, “we’ve got a wizard tower we can stay in!” 

Malitas nearly choked on his wine. 

“I do hope you’re not suggesting my tower?” He asked once he recovered. 

“You’re not gonna kick us out onto the streets, are ya??” She gasped in scandalised disbelief. 

“While it is a fairly sizable tower, I’m not sure it could house this many people comfortably,” he said, glancing round the group. 

“What he means to say,” Gale said, leaning forward slightly, “is that he doesn’t want someone who spends half her time on fire anywhere near his library.” 

Malitas chuckled with the others. 

“That too,” he conceded. 

“We’ll find somewhere else,” Saff decided. “The Elfsong has guest rooms, we can start there.” 

She was glad the others agreed to that plan; she was rather looking forward to seeing her old place of work again. 

Eventually the group began to turn in for the night, and Saff took the opportunity to quickly talk to Malitas once more before heading off to sleep. 

“Hey,” she said softly as she sat down with him in front of his tent. “I just wanted to say thanks again, for the graduation and everything. It means a lot.” 

“You are most welcome,” he assured her. “It is well deserved.” 

“Thank you,” she smiled with a nod. “Oh, and I’ll move out when I can, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do so before everything with the Absolute is done… I hope that’s ok.” 

“Of course, there is no rush,” he said with a soft chuckle. “And remember, if you ever need somewhere to stay at any point, my door is always open.” 

She smiled gratefully, appreciating his support. 

“Thank you. And… one more thing. Gale told me about- aaaah!!”

She gasped in pain suddenly as searing pain tore through her mind. A voice filled her senses as she clutched at her head, struggling against the psionic forces that ripped through her. 

Hear me. Gather. The reckoning is upon us.

Malitas’s voice was a distant blur as he desperately called her name. She could just about feel his hands on her shoulders, trying to ground her as the voice pulled at her mind. 

The city thirsts for domination. 

Another force pulled at her, trying to silence the voice. She forced her eyes open to see everyone else falling to their knees in pain, leaving just Malitas, Jaheira and Halsin rushing to try to help them. 

March. Join my power. 

She glimpsed the astral prism above them for just a second before it flared with light. The Absolute’s presence was forced away, leaving her head spinning and throbbing in pain. When she opened her eyes again, it was to the sounds of battle. She looked up to see Malitas, Jaheira and Halsin fighting against a trio of gith warriors as they charged through a portal. 

We’re under attack! Help me! 

The dream visitor’s voice was desperate as it echoed in her mind. She forced herself to her feet in stumbling steps, the world swaying around her as pain stabbed at her mind. In a daze she raised her hands and threw a firebolt at the newest gith warrior that ran through the portal. 

Fight your way to the portal! I need your help!

The others had clearly heard the same as they ran out of their tents and joined the fight, struggling against the pain that surged through their minds. The three uninfected among them led the fight towards the portal, protecting the others as they struggled to fight through the pain and disorientation. 

Come quickly! I can’t do this without you!

The gith were formidable warriors, but fell to the group’s overwhelming numbers. Saff stumbled up the stairs with the others, hoping the portal would bring a haven from the ever increasing pain that cut into her.

More are coming - hurry! Or we will all become thralls!

With a final blast of fire the last gith fell, and the group piled through the portal. 

The bright purple light that greeted her dimmed to reveal the astral plane, just as she’d seen it in her dreams. She had no time to admire its beauty, nor to appreciate the blessed relief from the psionic pain the Absolute had been hammering down upon them, before she joined the others in battle against more of the gith warriors. It was only when the battle was over did she notice the unexpected allies they’d had. 

“Intellect devourers?” She wondered aloud as she watched the creatures scurrying ahead of them towards the great skull that lay in the distance. 

“I don’t like the look of this…” Gale murmured. They exchanged nervous looks, then continued ahead with the others.

What came next left Saff thinking she must be in a nightmare. 

The dream guardian, a mind flayer all along. While the others voiced their disbelief, she remained silent in shock. Despite Lae’zel’s objections, they had no choice but to trust it and join the fight on its side, but with every gith warrior they killed, she felt sick to her stomach. 

She continued to remain silent as the Emperor explained who it was. Her eyes stayed fixed on Orpheus, the gith prince trapped to ensure their freedom. Was this truly the price that had to be paid for them to remain themselves? 

When the Emperor opened a portal for them to return, she couldn’t leave quickly enough. 

She was vaguely aware of Gale and Malitas walking up behind her as the others came through. 

“Quite the rug pull, eh?” Gale said in a surprisingly cheerful tone as he walked up beside her. “A mind flayer manipulating us this whole time!”

He looked like he might have been about to say something else, til he saw that she very much did not share his attitude towards the situation. 

“How can you be so relaxed about this?” She asked in disbelief. 

“Believe me, one cavalier comment does not mean I’m relaxed about this. I’m well aware of the implications this will have for us. We will need to be careful, and remain wary of what an alliance with a mind flayer may cost us.” 

“Agreed,” Malitas said as he joined them. “Assistance may come in many forms, though it rarely comes in the form of a mind flayer.” 

Saff slumped down on one of the logs in front of the fire, holding her head in her hands as she tried to process it all. 

There was a moment of quiet between them as Gale and Malitas glanced at each other in concern. Eventually Malitas cleared his throat and stepped forward. 

“Saff, you were about to say something before the attack?” He asked. 

“Oh yeah!” She spat as she jumped to her feet and spun to face them, the anger and in her tone shattering any hopes Gale had that a change in subject might help the situation. “Gale told me about the sending stone you gave him so you could teleport everyone out if he used the orb. Cause apparently the mind flayer isn’t the only one saying one thing to my face while planning something else behind my back!”

She stormed off towards her tent, leaving not only Gale and Malitas watching her in stunned silence, but the rest of the camp too. 

Gale eventually called her name and ran after her, following her into the tent. The others remained quiet outside, watching Malitas as he buried his face in his hand and shook his head with a deep sigh. 

“Well, wasn’t that fun?” Astarion said in an amused tone, then looked over at Malitas. “For what it’s worth, I for one am very grateful you were trying to find a way to save us all.” 

Malitas gave him only an irritated glance in response, then turned and headed back to his tent. 

Meanwhile, Gale found Saff curled up under the blankets in their tent, hugging her knees to her chest. 

“Saff?” He asked softly as he knelt down near her. She sniffed as she wiped a tear from her eye.

“Sorry…” she murmured, her voice wavering. “I didn’t mean to… I-I…”

“It’s ok, my love,” he assured her, holding his arms out as he shifted towards her and wrapping them around her when she leant into him. 

“I should apologise to Malitas… I didn’t mean to shout at him…” she said quietly. 

“He should apologise to you first. Neither of us should have gone behind your back like that.”

“Mmm… maybe, but I can understand why you did. I can be pretty naive sometimes. I was so adamant on believing we wouldn’t have to use the orb, I might have refused to let you plan for the eventuality where we did have to use it, and might have got everyone killed.”

“Come now,” he said as he pulled away a bit to look at her, “don’t call yourself naive.”

“Why not? It’s true. Everyone always says I’m too trusting. I can never seem to tell if someone’s lying. And this whole thing just proved that all over again. I didn’t want to use the tadpoles, but I still believed the dream visitor was telling the truth…” she muttered despondently.

“We all had to trust them, we had no choice,” he said firmly, not wanting her to beat herself up over this. “And aside from that… you shouldn’t feel bad about seeing the best in people. It doesn’t make you naive. I assure you.” 

She finally managed a small smile as she looked up at him. 

“Thanks. It’s just… something I worry a lot about. Especially after what happened with Aryn…” she admitted, looking away slightly. 

“I understand,” he cooed softly, gently stroking a lock of hair behind her ear. “To have one’s trust broken is one of the most painful wounds life can inflict on us. But the fact that you experienced that and can still open your heart to people? I think that’s beautiful.” 

Her smile widened now as their eyes met for a long moment, before he cupped her cheeks in his hands and placed a soft, loving kiss to her forehead. 

“Now shall we get some rest? We’ll need our energy tomorrow for all the things you’ve promised to show me once we get to the city,” he said with a chuckle.

“Yes! There’s so much to see!” She agreed eagerly, before giving him a softer smile. “Thank you, Gale.”

“Anything for you, my love. Remember, you can always unburden yourself with me.”

She grinned happily, before pulling him down into a kiss.

The next morning, Saff woke up with light outside her tent for the first time in weeks. It was such a beautiful sight that even last night’s nightmares and revelations couldn’t leave her feeling tired now. She ran out of the tent in only her pyjamas, leaving Gale murmuring half-conscious complaints as she left his embrace. 

Finally feeling the sun on her skin felt like a hug from an old friend. She closed her eyes and held her arms out, smiling as she basked in the morning sun. The bitter cold that had once been ever-present in the air of the shadow-cursed lands was gone, replaced by a welcoming warmth. She’d almost forgotten what a blue sky looked like, and took a good long moment to admire it now as she opened her eyes. 

She realised now how Karlach and Astarion must have felt, being kept from the sun for so long. It had been enough of a struggle for her to deal with it for only a few weeks, while Karlach had to deal with it for 10 years, and Astarion an almost inconceivable 200 years. She hoped they’d find some way to help them both, and neither would have to go back to the darkness again. 

Before she could spend too long enjoying it though, there was other business to deal with. She made her way to Malitas’s tent and found him already packing it away. “Hey,” she said softly once he noticed her approaching. “Sorry about shouting at you like that last night.” “Please, don’t apologise,” he said, putting down the bag he’d been packing. “I knew you would not approve of such a suggestion, yet I made it anyway. You have every right to be angry. Though I hope you can understand why I felt it was the best course of action at the time.” 

“Yeah… I get it,” she said with a small nod. “I’m not angry at you. But I’ll say the same thing I said to Gale - please, next time, tell me. Don’t go behind my back.” 

“You have my word,” he promised with a nod.

The rest of the morning went all too quickly. She’d hoped to see more of the area, but knew that getting back to the city was a priority. As they gathered in the centre of camp with their belongings packed up, she took one last glance around the area as Malitas channeled his spell. 

When the portal opened, she was the first to step through. 

Her sadness for leaving Reithwin was quickly replaced by excitement as she came out into the familiar entrance hall of Malitas’s tower. Great stone walls stretched up above to a high ceiling, from which an arcane chandelier hung, illuminating the room in a magical blue light. Two curved staircases swept up along the walls, leading up to the library on the second floor, then beyond to the rest of the tower. Large windows lined the room, with four doors heading off in each direction - the largest was the front door, leading out onto the street. Opposite that, that rear door led out to the back garden. To one side, a door led to the dining room and kitchen, then the final door opposite that led to her annex. It was wonderfully comforting to finally be home again, surrounded by the familiar sights and smells that she’d grown so used to since moving in here three years ago. 

The teleportation circle engraved into the stone floor glowed with each person that came through, until finally Malitas emerged last and dismissed the portal behind him. 

“Wooaaahhh!” Karlach gasped as she looked around. “This place is so fancy! What do you mean there wouldn’t be space? We could all sleep in this room alone!” 

“I’m sure you can find somewhere in the city that will give you the luxury of individual bedrooms,” Malitas said, clearly not particularly keen on the idea of having a large group of adventurers camping out in his entrance hall. 

Meanwhile, Gale set about appraising the room. 

“Hmm… not bad. I’ve seen better, but perhaps the wizard towers of Baldur’s Gate simply don’t compare to those of Waterdeep.”

Malitas scoffed and rolled his eyes, unperturbed by Gale’s comment. 

“I suppose you’d settle for no less than Ramazith’s Tower? I apologise it isn’t so grand as that.”  

Saff chuckled as she took Gale’s arm and headed for the door to lead them out.

“Let’s go. I hope the rest of the city doesn’t disappoint you as much!”

The street outside was as beautiful as one would expect from the Upper city - a wide cobblestone road lined with grand houses and blossoming trees. Baskets of flowers hung from ornate street lamps and the sound of birdsong filled the air. The front gardens of every property on the street were beautifully cared for, perhaps none more so than the garden in front of Malitas’s tower. Lush green grass lined the stone pathway to the front door and rose bushes decorated the base of the tower. Ivy wound its way up the ancient stone bricks, accented by flowers that hung from window boxes. 

“Alright…” Gale murmured as he looked up at the tower. “I have to admit, this is rather nice.” 

“Rather nice??” Karlach gasped, prying her attention away from the view around her to look at Gale. “This is insanely nice! How do you even begin to afford a place like this??”

“The patriars of Baldur’s Gate will pay a handsome price for sought after magical services. Wizardry can be a lucrative profession, should one become powerful enough,” Malitas explained. 

“You must have friends in high places,” Wyll observed. “Do you think you could use this to help us take down Gortash? A word in the right ear could go a long way to reducing his influence.” 

“Hmm… friends in high places can be very different to influence in high places. I might have some influence among the mages of the Upper City, but the politicians… that is a different matter. Nonetheless, I will see what I can do. Now, shall we find you all accommodation? Before we run out of time and I have no choice but to let you camp in my tower.” 

“Yess!” Saff said eagerly, turning to lead the way to the Lower City. “To the Elfsong!”

The group chatted as they headed down the street about all they were excited to do now that they were in the city - good food, a comfortable bed, places they wanted to visit and people they wanted to see. 

None of them noticed the figure that watched them through the crack in the curtains from the highest room in the tower.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 66

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

Upon returning inside, Saff discovered the others had set about exploring the rest of Moonrise, which she’d been quite excited to do until they came across what Malitas said was no doubt Balthazar’s room. 

“Oh my gods,” she gasped, choking on the stench before she’d even crossed the threshold. Piles of bones and viscera littered the floor, blood splatters covered the walls and bodies hung from the ceiling. She wasn’t sure what shocked her more - the room itself, or the way Malitas met the horror with little more than a disapproving grimace as he walked in and began looking around.

“How can you be so relaxed about all this?” She asked him as she reluctantly followed him in, holding a hand over her nose to try to cover the smell. 

“When you’re friends with a necromancer, you grow used to sights like this,” he replied casually as he began looking through the books and blood-stained papers scattered across the room. Gale and Tara looked as disgusted as Saff as they peaked in from the doorway.

“What an affront to the senses!” Tara declared in revulsion. “I will wait downstairs until you are all done in here. Please ensure you remove any lingering smells before coming back down,” she decided, then promptly hopped off Gale’s shoulder and flew back towards the staircase. 

“I think she might be the only sane one out of all of us,” Gale murmured, grimacing as he headed into the room. “Are we really likely to find anything of use in here?” 

“You may leave if you like, I’m sure I can find anything useful myself,” Malitas answered, walking over to the bookshelf and studying its contents. “I went looking through Balthazar’s chambers in the mausoleum while you were facing Ketheric. Much of his work on Aylin’s soul cage was there, though there were pieces missing. I wonder if we might find them here. Fascinating magic, even if it was used for an abhorrent purpose. I’ll show you what I was able to gather once we’re back in the city.” 

“Why would you want to gather research on a spell like that?” Saff asked disapprovingly. As far as she was concerned, the magic behind a soul cage like the one Aylin was trapped in was best left forgotten. 

“Don’t discount magic simply because it was used for an evil purpose,” Gale warned. “Magic is only a tool, there is no inherently evil magic. The only evil is the purposes for which it is used. But in the right hands, any magic can be used for good.” 

“Indeed. As I said to you before Saffron, magic is simply a force of nature, and is not a reflection of the wielder's morality,” Malitas agreed, glancing back at her briefly, before looking back at the bookshelf. 

“Magic in general, sure. But indefinite soul cages? At least with a traditional soul cage it only lasts a few hours. But to be trapped for eternity in a cage like that… it would drive you insane. I’m amazed Aylin is as sane as she is.”

“You’re not wrong there,” Gale agreed. “Solitary confinement can do terrible things to the psyche. She’s done well for a century trapped on that rock.” 

Malitas stroked his chin as he contemplated their conversation.

“A hundred years to a human is a lifetime. A hundred years to an elf is a childhood. While I would certainly not enjoy a hundred years trapped in a soul cage, I suspect I would come out of it better than either of you. Perhaps a hundred years to an aasimar feels little more than a matter of days.” 

“I hope so,” Saff said quietly, her heart going out to Aylin. “Still, it was only a hundred years because we freed her. If we hadn’t, Ketheric presumably would have kept her there as long as possible. I don’t think magic capable of doing such a thing should exist. No one deserves that. Not even someone like Ketheric.” 

“I wonder if you’d still feel that way if you were one of the people who had lost everything to him,” Malitas challenged. She paused, going quiet as she thought about it. 

“I… I don’t know how I’d feel. I can’t possibly imagine what they went through. But… there is a difference between justice and vengeance. I like to think I would still advocate for a just and fair punishment, and wouldn’t become consumed by vengeance,” she said softly.

“Well said,” Malitas complimented. “Let us hope none of us ever have to find out how we would act if we were to lose everything.” 

Saff went quiet again, deep in thought, until her focus was snapped back to reality when Malitas knelt down next to a corpse and casually pulled its long-dead heart from the broken rib cage. 

“Oh gods what are you doing?!” She gasped in horror as he stood up and returned to the bookshelf he’d been looking at. 

“If there’s one thing I know about Balthazar…” he started, dropping the heart into a pedestal and smiling when the bookshelf began to move, “...it’s that he loves a hidden door.” 

“Fascinating,” Gale breathed as he followed Malitas into the hidden room. Saff joined them, then rather wished she hadn’t when she saw what she could only assume was a torture chair in the corner. 

“I’d wager this is what he was trying to hide,” Malitas said, pulling her thoughts back to him. She followed his gaze to a half-faded ritual circle carved into the desk, surrounded by an uncomfortable air of darkness and decay. 

“A ritual circle…” Gale enthused curiously as he leaned in for a closer look. “And a complex one, at that. I’ve seen such a construction before, in the writings of the Weavepasha of Almraiven, though his vision was not so… tainted.”

“Wait, you mean Achem el Jhotos?” Saff asked. “I’ve read some of his work. But I don’t remember seeing anything like this.”

“Me neither,” Malitas agreed, looking at Gale curiously. 

“Well, it wasn’t in his published archives - it was merely a sketch. He invoked Mystra’s guidance on how to complete it. It was quite a fascinating design, though the version created here is a strange corruption of the Weavepasha’s original intent. Almost a shame we did not come across this before, I think with the right modification to the casting gesture, I might have been able to craft another lantern - one to wield the shadows rather than repelling them.” 

Malitas chuckled softly. 

“Mystra would have been furious. A pity you didn’t get the chance,” he said, clearly amused by the idea. 

“Can we not joke about using the evil ritual circle?” Saff moaned in exasperation. “I know you keep saying magic isn’t inherently good or bad, but we wouldn’t have actually considered using this, right?”

Malitas and Gale glanced at each other in a way she didn’t entirely like. 

“This is shadow magic. Like you said Gale, it’s corrupted and tainted. Not to mention how much suffering went into creating this. Those pixies deserve better than to have their bodies used for such a thing. Let them rest in peace. Let’s just destroy it and get out of here,” she said firmly, folding her arms. 

“Very well,” Malitas said, raising his arms. 

“Oh, you’re going to do it, are you?” Gale challenged. Malitas paused and gave Gale a look. 

“You think I can’t?” 

“I don’t wish to question your abilities, but have you ever done anything like this before? It is a very specific task, not often required of most wizards. Not to pull rank, but I was once Mystra’s Chosen. Destroying magic like this was my bread and butter. But if you would rather do it yourself, please, be my guest.” 

Malitas certainly wasn’t going to back down from the challenge. He looked back at the circle, muttered a few incantations, and with a flick of his wrist, the sigils faded and dissolved harmlessly into the ether. With a smug smile he looked back at Gale, who had a thoroughly unimpressed look on his face. 

“Not how I would have done it,” he said with a shrug. They then turned to Saff as she started laughing. 

“You’re both children,” she teased with a shake of her head, then turned and left the room. 

She left them both there to continue their search and headed back downstairs alone. Her thoughts went back to Withers as she headed outside. She hadn’t told the others about it yet, perhaps because she wanted a bit more time to get her own thoughts on it straight first. Her mind kept going over his words. Where I am the dusk, she is the dawn. She knew this should give her a clue, yet it felt like every time she was presented with what should be an answer, she only had more questions. 

“Ah, there you are.”

The voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she spun with a gasp to see Malitas in the doorway behind her. 

“Gods! You scared me,” she said, holding her chest as she caught her breath. 

For just a moment he looked somewhat surprised, before his expression melted to a smile. 

“Apologies,” he said, walking over to join her by the stone wall that lined the walkway. “Are you ok?”

“Yes, just… thinking about stuff,” she murmured, then decided to leave that subject for now and instead gave him a smile. “Did you find anything else in Balthazar’s room?”

“A few interesting pieces of research. Gale and I are going to piece it all together once we’re back in the city, if you’d like to join us?”

“Of course I’d like to join you! I love hearing your research. Plus, someone’s got to stop you two from playing with shadow magic,” she joked, half expecting Malitas to object to that. But all he did was smile. 

“Look at you, giving me lectures on how magic should be used. How times have changed,” he said, a hint of pride in the soft smile he wore. “Some would say an apprentice is not experienced enough to question their master. They’d likely also say an apprentice would not be experienced enough to prevail against the avatar of a god. I’d be inclined to agree with both points.” 

She frowned, not understanding what he was getting at.

“What, are you saying you think I’m lying about Myrkul? That I didn’t actually fight him? And that I should just shut up and obey everything you say??” She gasped, anger rising up in her, but that anger began to fade when he chuckled and shook his head.

“No, not at all,” he said softly. “Quite the opposite, in fact. You used to never question anything I told you, now you rightfully point out when I am wrong. You used to constantly doubt your own abilities, now I’ve seen you run confidently into battle against cultists, shadows and undead. You used to struggle with minor illusions, now I’ve seen your illusions bring a forest back to life and fill the sky with butterflies. You used to be unable to channel any form of druidic magic, now I’ve seen you save lives with your healing. When I fight by your side I don’t feel the need to look out for you - I can rely on you not only to hold your own, but also to protect me if I need it. When I discuss magic with you, it does not feel like explaining it to an apprentice - it feels like discussing magic with a colleague. An equal.” 

Her eyes began to widen and her heart race as she slowly realised what he was leading to.

“What I am saying, Saffron, is that you are no longer an apprentice. You are a powerful wizard in your own right, one who no longer needs a master to guide her. It has been my honour and my privilege to serve as your master, and I hope that we can continue this adventure of ours not as master and apprentice, but as friends.” 

Her heart swelled and tears welled in her eyes. She’d imagined this moment so many times, dreamed of it her whole life. There were times when she thought she’d never actually achieve it, that she’d be stuck able to cast little more than basic cantrips forever. But now to be recognised, to be worthy…

She let out a cry of joy as she threw her arms round Malitas in a tight hug. 

“Thank you!” She gasped, crying with happiness. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

For a moment Malitas froze in surprise, then slowly, finally, he returned the hug, his arms resting lightly round her back. She almost had to laugh to herself - they’d never hugged before, it wasn’t appropriate for master and apprentice, he’d said. Well, they weren’t master and apprentice now, so such a rule need not exist anymore. 

She finally pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes, delirious with excitement. 

“Gods, I… I can’t believe it. I have to tell Gale!” She gasped eagerly, til he held his hand out to stop her. 

“One more thing, if I may?” He asked. “It is customary for masters to present their former apprentices with gifts on such occasions, to commemorate their achievement. As such…”

He held his hand out, and a familiar shimmer of magic sparked at his fingertips, but the staff that appeared in his hand now was not the bronze-coloured Staff of the Archmagi he usually wielded. Instead it was a deep black, engraved with dimly glowing runes, the top carved into a diamond-shaped point. 

“Is that…” she whispered in awe, feeling the magic radiating off it, “a Staff of Power??”

“It is indeed,” he answered, holding it out to her. “I hope it serves you well.” 

Slowly she lifted her hands and carefully took the staff. Power thrummed through her fingers and up her arms, a deep magic that slowly started to attune to her as she held it. 

“Do you know how to use a Staff of Power?” Malitas asked as he watched her stare at it in awe.

“I know it can absorb spells and expend the absorbed magic as new spells, but you must not let it absorb more than it can hold, or it’ll explode,” she answered, trying to recall what she knew of these artefacts. 

“Indeed, very similar to my own staff. I’d be happy to show you how to use it, if you like,” he offered, then frowned slightly in confusion when she started laughing. “What’s so funny?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing, don’t worry, it’s just ironic isn’t it? The very first thing you do after declaring I don’t need a master anymore is offer me a lesson.”

“Ah, heh, yes, I see your point,” he conceded with a chuckle. “Though, as a wise tressym once told me, there is a difference between taking on an apprentice, and teaching a friend some magic.” 

Her chuckle softened into a warm smile. 

“That’s true,” she said softly, looking down at the staff in her hands, then back up to her former master with gratitude. “Thank you, Malitas.” 

“You are most welcome… Saff,” he replied, which came as a bit of a shock to both of them.

“Gods, that’s going to take some getting used to,” she laughed, never having heard him call her that before.

“The feeling is mutual,” he agreed with a chuckle. “It may take some time for that to come naturally. Anyway, please, find Gale - you have much to celebrate.” 

She grinned, then ran off back inside. 

“Gale!” She called excitedly as she ran through the main hall. She found him sitting on a bench with Tara, and when he saw her, his face lit up in curiosity at the staff she carried. 

“A Staff of Power?” He asked as he stood up, Tara jumping up onto his shoulders once more. “Where did you find that?”

“I didn’t find it,” she said excitedly. She glanced back to see Malitas catching up to her, then looked back to Gale. “Malitas gave it to me… as a gift for graduating from my apprenticeship.” 

For a moment his eyebrows shot up in surprise, before he broke out into a smile. 

“Saff, that’s wonderful!” He cheered, pulling her into a celebratory hug that she gladly returned. “Congratulations!” 

“Yes, most excellent news,” Tara agreed as they parted. “A well-deserved accolade. And, some might say, quite overdue,” she added, glancing towards Malitas as he joined them. 

“Some… might be correct,” Malitas conceded. “Forgive me. Things have been rather busy of late.” 

“Quite the understatement,” Gale commented, chuckling. “Ah, and on the subject of powerful magical staves…”

He reached behind him and retrieved Malitas’s staff that had still been stowed on his back. 

“In pristine condition, as promised,” he said, handing it back to Malitas, who took it and began inspecting it.

“Hmm… I’m not sure this scratch was here before…” he murmured. Gale didn’t take him seriously for a moment, rolling his eyes and scoffing. Malitas simply chuckled, then waved his hand and the staff disappeared in a shimmer of magic.

“You’re going to have to teach me how to do that,” Saff said, looking from his hands to her own staff.

“With pleasure,” he replied with a smile. “But another time. It has been a long day, and we have much to celebrate.”

“Yes!” Saff agreed eagerly, stowing her staff on her back. “I can’t wait to tell everyone else! …Where are they?” She asked, glancing round around realising she couldn’t see anyone. 

“I believe they’re returning to the mausoleum to move the camp back to Last Light,” Malitas answered. “They only left a short time ago, I will try to catch up to help them. I wish to have one last look around Balthazar’s chambers before we leave.” 

“I’ll join you,” Tara decided, jumping off of Gale’s shoulders. “I’m sure Tara’s Catflap of Displacement will come in useful for such a task.” 

Malitas raised an eyebrow.

“How many tents can one fit through a cat flap?” He questioned. 

“Ah, this cat flap is large enough to accommodate all cats, and I’ll have you know displacer beasts can grow surprisingly large,” she said confidently, then looked back at Gale and Saff. “We will see you both back at Last Light.” 

Gale and Saff bid their goodbyes and watched as the two of them headed out. Gale smiled to himself, admiring how Tara always knew when to give them some time alone.

“To Last Light, then? Might make for quite a pleasant walk now, with the curse lifted,” he suggested, taking her hand in his. Saff didn’t answer for a moment, a smile playing on her lips as she glanced around the room, contemplating something.

“To Last Light, yes… but I want to celebrate with you first, and I know exactly how we should do that,” she said, looking up at him with an excited smile. “Give me one second!” 

She let go of his hand and ran off to talk to Talli the quartermaster. Gale watched curiously as she bought something and shoved it into her pocket, then ran back over to him. 

“Follow me!”  

She grabbed his hand and gave him no time to object before leading him off up the stairs. They headed up to the top of the towers, emerging out to what was once the battleground they’d faced Ketheric on. A cold wind had whipped at them last time they were up here, but now the air was still, the night was calm and the once pitch-black sky was dotted with still-emerging stars. 

She took them to one of the outer parapets. The stone walls that once ringed the tower had long fallen away, leaving the expanse of the land around them fully visible as she approached the edge. She looked out over the endless view that extended in front of them for a long moment, before turning back to him. 

“Do you remember when we were at the mountain pass, and I said that I was jealous of Tara because it must be amazing to be able to go to places like that, walk up to the edge, spread your wings, and soar?” she asked, looking up at him. 

“Of course. I tried to teach you to cast Fly and you nearly fell off the edge,” he teased playfully. 

“Heh, indeed. But in the fight against Myrkul, I cast it again. This time it worked, and it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt. It was… freeing. I felt like I could do anything… until I got shot down, that is,” she said with a small chuckle, nodding to the blood that covered her leg. “But I don’t think anyone out there now is going to shoot us down. And I say us, because this isn’t just about me, you have something to celebrate today too.” 

She took both his hands in hers now, an emotional look coming to her face as she looked up at him.

“Gale, your whole life Mystra has hung over you. Not long ago you said ‘it is so easy to refuse your fate, when it is so very far away’. Today, you faced that fate, and you defied it. In doing so, you told Mystra she does not control you anymore. We were all there for Shadowheart when she defied Shar, but there was no time to do the same for you. So this is for you now. To honour your strength, and celebrate your freedom.” 

She reached into her pocket and pulled out what Gale recognised to be a Scroll of Fly. He could feel the emotions welling up inside him as she placed it in his hands, a warm smile on her lips. 

“Fly with me now, won’t you? Let’s celebrate together.” 

She finally leaned up and kissed him, soft and loving as she held his cheek in her hand. By the time they parted, there were almost tears in his eyes.

“Thank you,” he whispered emotionally. He’d not really stopped to fully reflect on what he’d done and what it meant for him, and now having a moment to celebrate it offered him a catharsis he didn’t realise he needed. 

She smiled and stepped back, raising her hands to cast the spell. He did the same, unrolling the scroll and lifting his arms.

“Tibi do penna!” 

Magic pulsed from them. Saff felt the spell take hold, a lightness that almost lifted her off her feet. Turning to face the expanse around them, she took a deep breath, smiling widely in excitement. 

How amazing it must be, to spread your wings and fly.

She ran forward and leapt. 

The ground dropped away below her to the walkways around Moonrise and the water beyond. For just a moment she began to fall… then she swooped upwards, air rushing past her ears and adrenaline coursing through her veins. She let out a shriek of delight, laughing as she dipped and swayed, soaring through the air. It was even better than she imagined it would be, an all-encompassing sense of freedom and elation. To her side she saw Gale, laughing too as he flew by her side. The two glanced at each other, their eyes meeting for a moment, before she looked forward again and dived down towards the forest that neared them at the edge of the water.

Seeing the land beginning to recover from the curse was truly beautiful. The once blackened, twisted remains of trees now began to blossom anew, a growing sea of greenery and flowers where once there was just ash and shadow. With every passing moment the sky continued to clear and more stars shone through the receding darkness. She could even swear she saw the odd movement of animals among the trees as they soared over. 

The spells wore off all too quickly, leaving them finding a spot to land before the magic dissipated completely. They chose the overhang of a cliff overlooking the once-shadowed lands, carpeted in newly-grown grass. Saff was almost breathless as her feet finally met ground once more. She laid down on the grass, smiling deliriously to herself as she looked up at the sky. Gale joined her, wrapping his arms around her as she snuggled into him. For a while they didn’t speak, they just enjoyed the quiet together, in each other’s arms under the stars.

“Thank you,” he whispered eventually, his voice full of emotion. “I didn’t realise how much I needed this. I was so focused on looking to the future, I didn’t stop to reflect on the past, and on what I achieved today. It is strange to think that I defied Mystra, a deed that, not so long ago, I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing. I would have hated myself for it. But now all I feel is a sense of freedom. Maybe even a certain sense of pride. And I don’t believe I would have been able to do it without your help. So thank you, my love.”

She smiled widely as he looked over at her, then pulled him in for a kiss.

“You’re very welcome,” she said when they finally parted. “I’m so proud of you. I know it wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do. And I don’t just say that because it stopped the rest of us getting blown up,” she said with a chuckle. 

Gale paused, a slight look of guilt crossing his face. She frowned, tilting her head as she noticed the look. 

“Gale?” She asked, a bit nervous about what might be causing this reaction. 

“Saff, I… have a confession to make. I hope you do not judge me too harshly,” he admitted, sitting up. Her nervousness now turned very quickly to worry as she sat up with him.

“What is it…?” She asked anxiously. 

“Well, you see… if I’d used the orb, the rest of you wouldn’t have faced the same fate as myself. Malitas gave me a sending stone and instructed me to contact him should it become clear that the orb was our only option. Upon doing so, he would teleport in and get everyone to safety.” 

He sighed deeply as he hung his head.

“I’m sorry for not telling you. I feared you would refuse to allow us to consider such a plan, but I felt it was an option we needed. I… I wanted to know that, should the worst happen, you would be safe.” 

For a moment she was too shocked to reply, and turned from his gaze. He watched her nervously as she contemplated his confession, until she finally spoke. 

“Thank you for telling me now,” she said softly, then turned back to him. “But if we disagree on something we should talk about it, not go behind each other’s backs. Please, next time, tell me. Don’t hide things from me. We’re in this together.” 

He breathed a sigh of relief and took her hands in his.

“Of course. Together,” he agreed, gently kissing her knuckles. “And as for next time, I suppose that is now. I still have the sending stone, Malitas’s offer still stands, and the Absolute still threatens us. I know you do not like to think about such an eventuality, but we cannot ignore it.” 

She went quiet once more, then finally nodded.

“You’re right. Blind optimism isn’t going to help anyone. We should have a plan in place… but it’s still a last resort,” she said firmly. 

“Of course,” Gale agreed quickly. “Believe me, I have no desire to die. I have too much to live for,” he said softly, gently stroking her hair. 

She smiled widely, enjoying both the cheesiness of that line and the deeply sincere way in which he said it.

“Good,” she said happily. “Then I think we should get back to celebrating, don’t you?”

“Couldn’t agree more!” He cheered, looking at her with a proud smile. “Congratulations again on your graduation. I remember when I graduated from Blackstaff. Such a feeling of elation! That all the hard work, the hours of study, had finally paid off. I imagine you must be feeling the same.”

“I am. There were times I never thought I’d manage it, you know. Be a proper wizard, and not just someone who learnt a few cantrips. Hard to believe it, really.”

“I don’t find it hard to believe,” he said proudly, looking down at her with a smile. “You underestimate yourself a lot. You’re more powerful than you think.” 

She blushed slightly, but smiled at the sense of warmth at his words. 

“I disagree, but thank you,” she said playfully. He chuckled softly and kissed her on the head, pausing for a moment before speaking again. 

“So, now that you’re a certified wizard, I suppose you’ll be wanting to move out of Malitas’s tower and find one of your own. Would you still want to live in Baldur’s Gate, or… would you consider living somewhere further afield?” 

A playful smile came to her lips as she met his gaze. 

“Well… I do love Baldur’s Gate, but before I was taken by the Nautiloid, I’d never left the city. I’ve always wanted to see what other cities are like… maybe somewhere else along the Sword Coast. Somewhere with a sea view…” she mused, the smile turning to a grin. 

“Aah, couldn’t agree more. Nothing like a fresh sea breeze in the morning. And I imagine you’ll want an extensive library, perhaps complete with a balcony to enjoy your sea view.”

“Wouldn’t be a good wizard’s tower without a library,” she agreed, playfully leaning into him. “And you know what else a wizard’s tower needs? A familiar. I’ve always liked tressyms…” 

“A wonderful choice,” he said softly, lightly running his fingers along her fringe as he caressed her cheek. “Best option for a familiar, I think.” 

She smiled as she leaned into his touch, pressing her cheek into his hand. 

“Though… there’s one thing that worries me. I’ve never lived on my own. I’m worried it might be a bit… lonely,” she said, leaning close enough to him now that she could almost feel his breath.

“Ah, well I’m thrilled to say you’re in luck. I just happen to know a rather dashing wizard who would be very amenable to the idea of sharing his tower with you… if you’d be open to such an arrangement?” He asked, his voice almost a whisper. “Tell him I would be very open to such an arrangement,” she replied happily, before finally leaning in and sealing the deal with a kiss.