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yoonkinii · 8 months ago

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We Were Human

Pairing(s): Ascended!AstarionxReader

Part 3:

Synopsis: Astarion died as soon as he became something the world has never seen before. No one noticed the damage before it was too late and the Astarion everyone loved was lost to the new one. No one could notice when the turn was slow and silent. He slowly lost the playful glint in his eyes. Lost the love he gaze upon me with. Lost everything that made him the man I loved. Oh, how I would give anything to get him back. I would gladly give up my damned soul for him.

Aka you are transported back to the past in order to prevent ascended Astarion from losing himself the only problem? You don’t have a lot of time.

Warnings: Gore, blood, cruelty, cursing, death/murder, mentions of using oneself unwillingly, abuse. Its ascended astarion, prepare for the worse.

Note(s): For the sake of the plot- Astarion will not automatically be damned from the start. In this world, Astarion becomes lost to the ascension overtime until he becomes the ascended vampire we know him to be in the game. Another note that should be highlighted is that this story will be told from the first person perspective since it benefits the story more than any other perspective.

You will also notice various things being different from the game. For example, Karlach will be able to stay in the ‘human’ world and she fixed her heart. (I love my girl, I’m not sending her back), Szaars palace has a different layout cause the one in the game was stupid. There will be more that you will notice in the future so beware.

Thank You.

“Soldier, are you sure about this? I can always come with you.”

Karlachs pouty face watched me as I looked over at all the supplies we packed for the hundredth time. I mentally went down the list of essentials we would need for this trip. Dammon grins over at Karlach and I, popping his head out from the canvas covered wagon.

“Karlach, you and I both know she can handle herself. Plus, she’ll have an Ascended Vampire with her.” Dammon waggled his brows at Karlach. I rolled my eyes playfully, handing Dammon the final essential we would need- our tent.

Our plan was simple, we would set up camp at a safe distance away from the goblin camps. Once that was done we would scout the camps and try to locate the generals that run the place. Once they are out, everything will fall apart. Or so as Minthara stated.

“Karlach, sweetie, my dear, the light of my life-” The more cheesy names that flew out of my mouth, the wider her grin stretched, thinning out the worried lines on her forehead. “I’ll be fine.” I said sincerely, taking her hands into and I prayed that my eyes conveyed what I said. She would never let me leave if she found out that I was beyond scared. I only had one chance to save Astarion from his own death but I had no idea how to stop it. I only knew something occurred while he was out and nothing more. I had no idea what to look for or how to even stop it.

Karlach sighed, shoulders slumping slightly, “You’re right.” She said with a small nod of her head. She released my hands, taking a step back to look at me like this was our final farewell. Only the subtle flicker of her eyes looking behind me gave me any warning. A cool cheek was pressed against my own, tufts of hair tickling the skin. Arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against a chest.

“Is there a reason why you are making heart eyes at Karlach, my dear?”

The low rumble of his voice sent shivers down my spine. I pretended to be in thought, drawing out a hum as my pointer finger tapped against my chin, “Probably cause she has my heart.”

Astarions grip tightened around my waist, almost trying to keep me from going to Karlach. Karlach laughed, her hands resting on her hips and head tilted to the sky. After calming down from her fit of giggles, she shook her head, “You’re asking for trouble, soldier. Fancy pants looks like he is going to skin me alive right now.”

I feign confusion, placing my hand over my heart in dramatics, “You do not believe me? I am devoted to you, my beautiful lady-” I suddenly yelped as a white hot pain pinched against the left side of my neck. My mouth fell open as the pain turned into something else- something sensual. I wanted to curse Astarion out for doing this to me; for making heat pool low in my stomach. The nails of my fingers dug into the skin of his forearm, his arms still wrapped around my waist and keeping me from moving away. I don’t know how I didn’t feel the absence of his cheek against mine as he angled it to get near my neck. I wanted to curse him out but not only did I deserve it- I could not formulate the words I wanted to speak. Just when I thought it was going to become unbearable, his lips released from my neck. I shuddered as his tongue trailed against my skin, running over the two wounds- not only closing the wound with his saliva that could do just that but also lick up the droplets of blood that ran across my skin. I knew my face was flush beyond belief even if my skin was always pale, my ears burned and my cheeks felt like they were the color of apples.

Astarion pressed a kiss on the wounds, unwrapping his arms around my waist and pulling away.

“Know who you belong to, Pet.” was all he said as he left me to feel like my body was overheating with Karlach who was grinning at me like a fool. Swiveling on my heel, I watched as Astarion headed to the front of the wagon, checking on the mules that would be dragging the wagon.

A hand slapped in between my shoulder blades suddenly causing me to jolt forward a step before I regained my balance. I looked over my shoulder to glare at Karlach, nose wrinkling in distaste.

“Oh don’t look at me like that, not when your face is as red as mine and that's saying a lot since you’re usually pale as a ghost.”

I groaned, rolling my eyes as I walked away to busy myself with anything. The echoing sound of Karlacks laugh followed me as I walked away.

The setting sun was beautiful but blinding. It’s warm and bright hues creating a view I have forgotten about. It was simple things like that that I forgot about- the sun's rays bouncing off water, bleeding through the openings of tree leaves, colors painting the sky. It all seemed so new to me even though the sun had always been around.

“I think this is a good place to set up camp.” The voice of Astarion tore my eyes away from the sky. We had been riding for a good few hours, out pace slow but necessary so we didn’t tire out the mules. I had been sitting beside Astarion the whole time on the seats of the wagon, our thighs pressed close together. We spoke to each other the whole way, only stopping every now and then to relieve ourselves before continuing on. We talked about anything and everything, even about the things we knew about each other. It was almost surreal hearing him speak so freely to me, to not look at me with disdain or as if I was an object. Seeing him be and treat me so normally was almost scary to see only because the lingering thought of how I could lose him lurked in the back of my mind.

Astarion looked up from the map he was holding that marked where we should stop and set up camp- a gift from Wyll that he handed us right before we left the city gates. Astarions brows knitted together, a question forming on his lips just as I snapped back to reality and pushed myself up from sitting on the wagon.

“Thank the gods!” I sighed with relief, stretching my arms over my head. Astarions lip quirked up into a smile, standing from his seat and stepping off the wagon. He didn’t wait for me as he took out the supplies we needed to set up camp. I only watched him for a moment before setting out to help him by unhooking the mules from their wagon harness and leading them to graze the area. I wasn’t worried about losing them, they were trained to not stray too far. I mentally thanked Halsin for speaking with the mules to ensure they wouldn’t run away from us as we did this mission.

Only after making sure the mules weren’t hurt or anything, I rounded the wagon to find that Astarion had finished pulling out what we needed and was already setting up the tent. I rushed over to help him,

“You could have waited for me. You didn’t need to do this yourself.” I softly complained, my hands making quick work of setting up the tent; trained from the various times I had to set up my own tent before helping others.

“I know I didn’t have too but the sooner it gets done, the better I can lay down to rest.” Astarion replied with a yawn. I raised a brow at the action. Astarion being a high elf didn’t mean he had to sleep and in my ‘previous’ life he rarely ever slept, not that I saw him long enough.

“You don’t sleep though?” I questioned, lips pursed together. Astarion looked up from where he was squatting, securing the tent to the ground,

“My dear, do you not remember the habit I had started before I ascended?”

My brows knitted together in thought, searching Astarions gaze for an answer he would not give. He tilted his head, giving me a knowing look. It suddenly clicked. My mouth fell into the shape of an ‘O’ as I remembered a small but sweet fact about Astarion. It started before he ascended and turned me into his consort. When we weren’t sure about our future together and clung to every moment we had together. Since I was human, I needed to sleep which killed Astarion since he had no need to sleep and felt like the hours that I slept was precious time wasted. I once mentioned to him that he could always try to sleep with me even though there were no benefits with doing so. After multiple times of sleeping beside me, it became a habit his body got used too. Even though it didn’t benefit him, his body was so used to it that he would even feel tired when in reality, it was just his body wanting him to stop moving for a while.

“I take it you remembered?”

I nodded sheepishly, avoiding eye contact as I finished setting up the tent. It was just in time as the sky had gotten a lot darker since we started. The enclave we were in was surrounded by trees and various bushes, almost creating a barrier between us and the outside wildlife. Which was ridiculous to think because we were in the wild but the flat land padded with grass contrasted greatly against the heavily wooded surrounding areas.

“How about you go wash up? I hear a river nearby.”

Glancing at Astarion, I nodded. He had peeled open the tent flap and was setting up our bedding for the night. I raced off to the stream after pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, which resulted in him grabbing me in order to kiss me directly on the lips before releasing me to go wash up.

I had promised him that I would hurry and wash up since he hated the feeling of being dirty. I tried my best to hurry, using the moonlight to guide me to the stream and to wash up quickly. I was sure that I didn’t take too long but as I returned to our camp, the tent flaps were closed and only the soft glow of a lantern shined through the tent fabric.

Gingerly pulling back the flap of the entrance, Astarions name dying in my throat as I saw him already laying on the ground, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. I blinked in surprise- he really was tired. I quietly laid beside him after putting my soiled clothes in a burlap sack, pressing my chest against his as I nestled close. His body seemingly reacted on its own as his arm came to rest across my waist, my leg hooking across his own. I laid there for a while, listening to his breathing and the sounds of nature until keeping my eyes open and straining my hearing to detect anything amiss became too much and the familiar embrace of sleep overtook me.

Pain bloomed in streaks across my back, the crack of the whip blending in with my pleas. I didn’t need to look in order to know that the back of my dress was in scraps, hanging loosely off my shoulders. I heaved a shaky breath, tears falling off my face and to the floor. Another broken sobbed racked through my lungs as I was struck again, and again, again, again, and again. My own blood pooled on the floor, soaking my garments.

The assault stopped and I tensed, afraid of the silence. Silence was worse than the air of pain, I had no idea what to expect with silence.

Hands harshly grabbed my cheeks, jerking my head up so I wasn’t looking at the dirty floor stained with my bile, tears, and blood. Instead, I looked at him- there was no remorse on his face, only pure annoyance with me as if hurting me beyond belief was troubling him.

He tutted his lips as he frowned at me, “Oh pet,” He said in such a soft tone would’ve caused anyone to believe he actually loved me. “Your face is ruined.” He complained, his grip on my cheeks tightening, digging into the bruises and cuts that littered my skin. I knew I looked horrible; he always made sure I knew. I wasn’t allowed the ignorance of my appearance from the lack of my reflection, he always told me how I looked to him.

“No matter,” He continued, letting go of my face but not without pushing it away like I was the one forcing him to hold my face. “It is not your face that matters to me but beauty would’ve been a bonus.”

I stood in silence, pretending that his words weren’t as painful knives. Pretending that his words didn’t leave invisible scars on my skin. He used to tell me I was the most brilliant thing he ever set his eyes on. He used to kiss the skin of my body when it felt clouded by others' judgment.

“Lucinda,” He called. Lucinda appeared immediately, most likely standing in the hall and listening to my cries of pain.

“Yes, my Lord?” Her voice was filled with confidence she didn’t have before.

“Assist my dear concort with stripping her bare.” His voice litled as my title left his lips, mocking me even further. .

“Of course.”

I couldn’t fight her off even if I had the chance to do so. My body pulsed with pain, vibrating through my whole body. I didn’t know where the pain began and my body ended. I was almost lifeless as hands guided me to strip, obeying while fear coursed through my veins, mixing with the pain.

My skin pimpled as it became exposed to the cold air of the punishment room. I stood bare before him, my scar covered body decorated with blood open to him. I couldn’t read his face as he store at my body, his eyes racking up and down my flesh, bile rising in my throat as he met my gaze and recognized the look he had in his eyes.

“On your knees.”

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Please no.

I must’ve lost my mind as I chanted that single phrase over again. There wasn’t any other explanation as my head shook in disagreement as these thoughts raced through my mind. I didn’t have a chance to bed for forgiveness before pain shot through my face so hard that I collapsed to the floor. Perhaps there was a time when a slap across the face was nothing but with my mind and body weak, I crumbled.

“No?” He questioned, my head snapping up to his direction, eyes blown wide in fear. “How dare you? You are ungrateful. I provide everything for you. Everything!” He yelled, his voice bouncing off the walls. “You are my consort. You live to serve me, to please me. Your very existence is to ensure I am satisfied. You kiss the ground I walk on. You gulp down the air I breathe out. You sit there and look pretty for my gaze. You are nothing more than that.”

My mouth opened to say something, anything to calm him down but it never came- not when a metal tipped shoe collided with my stomach, knocking the air out of my lungs. I curled around myself, arms covering my head as I was kicked harshly repeatedly. His voice seemed blurred and muffled in my ears, my own eyes releasing tears that become more common to me than anything else. I couldn’t do anything other than squeeze my eyes shut and not cry too loud. He would become angrier if I did.

Please. Someone help me. Please. Please. Please. Please. Ple-

My body snapped up straight, choking on air I couldn’t get enough of. Sweat coated my skin, my hair sticking to my neck as I took in heaving breaths. Darkness greeted me, the buzzing of insects and chirps of crickets pulling me back to reality.

A dream. It was just a dream. Well more a memory than a dream. I felt sick to my stomach as the memory flooded my head without permission. Things happening like that were a norm for me but to wake up in the past and dream about my old life was mind numbing.

I inhaled deeply, letting the night air cool my nerves. The pounding of my heart subsided after a few breaths and I laid to close my eyes and try to grasp onto much needed rest. Laying on my back, I was greeted with the sounds of mumbling. Sitting up again, I reached over to turn the lantern on again, the light immediately brightening the tent.

My heart seized in my chest as I looked at Astarion. His entire being was shaking as though he was unbearably cold. He was laying on his back, hands clutching at his own skin, nails digging as if he was trying to tear it off. His face was scrunched in pain, brows pinched and lips curled into a snarl, his fangs peaking out. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, his voice too low. I flinched as he suddenly bit down on his bottom lip, fangs puncturing the skin and blood immediately budding.

“Astarion.” I said, shaking his form slightly in hopes of waking him. I repeated his name, shaking him harder when my first attempt failed. My brows furrowed as he still laid asleep.

“Astarion!” I yelled, desperation digging its hands into me. Both of my hands shook his form harshly. “Astarion ple-”

It happened suddenly. His eyes snapped open and one moment I was shaking him awake, the next I was pinned under him. My chest heaved as my gaze met with Astarions- no his eyes. The ruby red was darker, clouded by something I could never understand. His lips pulled back into a snarl, a low rumble sounding from his chest.

“Astarion-” I began, rallying up the courage I didn’t truly feel, “Please, stop.” I begged but my pleas fell on deaf ears. My whole body tensed and shook as he leaned in closer. He had me pinned to the ground by the shoulders, his nails dug into them as he leaned in.

I winced at the pain, “Astarion! You’re hurting me!”

It was as if those words were magic themselves. He blinked and his gaze was no longer clouded, the anger falling away from his face. He stood frozen, wide eyes darting all over as he took me in and what was going on.

“Oh Gods,” His voice cracked at the same time mine did. “Oh Gods,” he repeated, quickly getting off of me like touching my burned him. He sat beside me, breathing deeply. His hands fisted tightly into his hair, tugging harshly at the white strands. His chest raised and fell way too fast to be considered normal, the sound of wheezing escaping his lips.

“Astarion-” I called out, reaching for him. He flinched away from my hand freezing in the air, a mere couple of inches away from him. “Astarion.” my voice was soft against the tense air, “Look at me please.”

He didn’t answer, his chest heaving- weighed down by panic he didn’t know how to get rid of. His gaze flickered over to me, his mouth slightly parted as puffs of laced filled panic left his lips. Since he turned, my hands were now grazing over her skin. Seeing that he didn’t flinch I gently cupped his cheek in my palm. I was slow, patient to see if there was any hesitation in his eyes. When he didn’t pull away, his eyes holding my own, blown wide in fear, I cupped both of his cheeks. His breath grazed my wrists, alerting me just how fast he was breathing.

“It’s okay.” I mumbled, guiding him closer and closer until I laid back, his face pressed against my chest. “Breath with me.” I instructed, running my hands through his hair soothingly as I inhaled and exhaled deeply. He followed, his chest stuttering a little in the beginning before smoothing out. His arms came to wrap around, pulling himself impossibly closer as he calmed down. The air was silent but my thoughts raced.

Just how long has this been happening to him? Why hasn’t he told me about them? How have I never noticed this before? Is this the first step to Astarion becoming him?

Panic seized my heart as a thought entered my head,

Am I already too late?

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