#okay but they're so cute together | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mumms-the-word · 7 months

Text

More that I Want...

Day 25 (okay it's day 27 AGAIN) of the BG3 Fic February Challenge

Joke's on me, I had two scenes ready for this prompt lmao

When I played Ardynn's game and got out of the mind flayer colony, I didn't know that Halsin would be waiting inside (I had left him behind because Jaheira wanted to join and I felt like two druids was a lot of druids for a 4 man party, so I asked Halsin to say behind)

Imagine my surprise when he's there! Waiting for you!! AND I COULDN'T HUG HIM!!!

So I wrote a fic to rectify that.

Check out my masterlist of BG3 fics!

---

25. Choose any scene in the game and write it with your headcanon (originally #27)

---

The battle against Ketheric in the depths of the illithid colony had left them all battered, bruised, and broken, but victorious. Armed with newfound knowledge and a goal that felt insurmountable but unavoidable—stop Orin and Gortash from enslaving Baldur’s Gate with the elder brain—Ardynn steeled herself against the pain in her body and entered the portal that Aylin had conjured for them.

They emerged in the main hall of Moonrise Towers. To Ardynn’s surprise, not only were the surviving Harpers still there, alive and with no evidence to suggest they had faced down an army, but the tieflings and gnomes were nearby too. And Withers, looking as grave as ever.

Karlach stepped away, the flames licking across her body as she began to pace out her emotions about Gortash, her fists clenching and unclenching as she shifted restlessly from one bit of blood-soaked flagstone to another. Wyll wandered off to sit on one of the steps, his face somber and tense with worry, while Jaheira broke away to converse with her Harpers. Ardynn pressed a hand to her aching side as she scanned the rest of the group in the main hall. She didn’t realize who she was looking for, or even that she was looking at all, until she saw him step out from behind one of the stone columns.

Halsin.

She sucked in a quick gasp that sent a pang to her ribs, but she barely registered the pain. “Halsin,” she breathed, her feet taking her forward almost without her volition. “Halsin!”

At his little smile, she could hold back no longer. She dashed forward, ignoring the pain in her ribs or the throbbing in her ankle or the way each step jostled her already battered body. She didn’t care about the pain. All she wanted in that moment was to close the distance as quickly as possible, leap at Halsin and throw her arms around him, burying her nose in the crook of his neck and breathe deeply of the scents of healthy tree bark, sunlight, fresh water, musk, anything that smelled of him and reminded her of all that existed beyond the confines of this shadowed place. She wanted to forget all about the shadow curse and the illithid colony she’d just escaped, erase her memories of butchered, bloated corpses and pulsating, meaty walls and replace them with him. His strong arms around her and his scent filling her nostrils with the reminder of all things living and thriving and good.

But as she neared him, her foot slipped in the blood and water that had mixed on the cobblestones, the grisly aftermath of her fight with Z’rell and the other cultists. Her bad ankle twisted in pain as she tried to catch her balance, and she stumbled, nearly crashing into him.

With sharp reflexes, he caught her by her arms, steadying her as she winced in pain. “Careful there,” he said. “It’s all right. You’re safe here.”

The moment to embrace him was gone, the pain giving her back some of her senses. But with his warm hands around her upper arms, she almost didn’t mind. She reached up to put her hand on his forearm, gazing at him, trying to catch her breath without jostling her ribs too much. He studied her, too, his eyes searching her face, and then the rest of her, lingering on the places a blade had slipped through her armor or a spell had burned into the leather. She knew it likely didn’t escape his attention, the way she favored one leg over the other, or how she held herself in such a way as to breathe around what must surely be a cracked or broken rib. Examination complete, his eyes met hers again.

The fight against Ketheric Thorm had been hell, but she was still standing, and Ketheric was not. Halsin seemed to realize this, because a strange emotion mixed with the obvious concern on his face. It looked like…relief. The tension in his shoulders visibly relaxed, and his next breath seemed almost one of release, like he’d been holding it unconsciously.

His hold on her arms loosened, but he didn’t let go. “You did well,” he said softly. “I knew I could put my faith in you.”

She felt as though she could cry. Just break down, right there, and release all the pent up fear and horror she’d kept buried beneath adrenaline and survival instincts up until this moment. She was tired, injured, stretched nearly to her limit, and they weren’t even done yet—far from it. She wanted to sink to her knees and just sob. She wished they were alone, just the two of them, so she could shatter in peace and hope that he would wrap his arms around her and lend her his strength.

But they weren’t alone, and she expected too much of him. She managed to staunch most of the urge to cry, though her throat closed up and she could feel her eyes watering. She curled her fingers and dug her nails into the bark of his druidic bracers, closing her eyes as she struggled to get her emotions under control.

Eyes still closed, she said, “Please tell me it worked. That all of this was worth it.”

“It was,” he said. She opened her eyes again to find him just a little closer…unless it was her imagination. His voice had dipped down as though they were speaking privately, despite behind surrounded by companions and allies and refugees. “You defeated Ketheric Thorm. Thaniel has both halves of himself back together again. I swear I can already feel a change in the air—like the curse itself knows its time is short.”

He lowered his head slightly until his forehead was nearly touching hers and softened his voice even further. “You did well, Ardynn,” he said again, placing emphasis on each word. He moved his hands to her shoulders and gave them a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “And now you can rest. You deserve it.”

She shook her head. “No. We don’t have time to rest. There—there’s so much more to be done. We know their plans now, we know what’s at stake. Baldur’s Gate is in trouble, and I…” She faltered, glancing around at the carnage that lay almost untouched from when she, the Harpers, and a handful of Flaming Fists had assaulted the Towers, what must have been only hours ago. She knew she had to face other battlefields with similar results in the near future. But, gods, all she wanted was some sleep, and pray that the last several days wouldn’t haunt her dreams.

Halsin said nothing, but eventually he straightened, his hands slipping from her shoulders and returning to his sides. She missed their warmth and weight immediately.

“Then we can depart, whenever you’re ready,” he said. “Though you should at least have one of us tend to your wounds, if you can’t be convinced to spend at least one night resting.”

She wanted a whole week of sleep, but the pressure of the task ahead weighed heavily on her. Still…one night of sleep after healing all her injuries couldn’t hurt.

“I could be convinced,” she mumbled.

She looked up at him cautiously, a sudden unpleasant thought springing to her mind. He spoke with such measured distance for someone who had fought at her side the last few days, ever since Thaniel and Oliver had reunited. He’d also volunteered to stay behind after Ketheric fled at the top of Moonrise and Jaheira had insisted on joining Ardynn’s team to defeat him in the mind flayer colony below, saying that Ardynn didn’t need two seasoned druids on her team. Was he putting distance between them for a reason?

Was he preparing to leave?

The thought shouldn’t have hurt so much, but it did. She knew she had a silly crush on him, one that he’d occasionally entertained. But she feared now that he had only been humoring her. She knew she should have stopped herself before she let her feelings run too deep, but it was too late now. She was irresistibly drawn to the man in front of her and if a dozen allies weren’t watching she’d give in to her exhausted, delirious desires and pull him down for a kiss. But if he intended to leave…she had better get this heartbreak over with.

“What about you?” she asked, even though the question sowed a seed of dread in her stomach. “Is this…where we part ways?”

His eyebrows drew together slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…We’ve put an end to the shadow curse and Thaniel is whole again. The land will heal…eventually. So...” She paused, not certain she wanted to know the answer. But she asked anyway. “What will you do now? You’ve got what you wanted.”

“I have,” he said. But then his gaze dropped away and his next words were spoken almost as though he spoke to himself, and not to her. “Though…perhaps there is more that I want…”

Despite herself, she felt her breath catch silently in her chest. No—no she shouldn’t read into it. She’d gotten herself in plenty of trouble already, misreading people’s signs and signals. But then again…gods if there was even a slim chance…

His gaze flicked back to up to hers and he was his usual, steady self once more. “Anyway, the curse is lifted, and nature can take its course without me. I belong at your side.”

He said it so matter-of-factly, she almost missed it. But she repeated his words in her head, again and again, making sure she knew they weren’t a figment of her imagination. I belong at your side. I belong at your side.

“So you’re…not staying behind?” she asked, wanting to be sure.

He smiled slightly. “Do you prefer I stay behind?”

“No!” she said quickly. “No, of course not. I prefer you—that is, I could use your expertise. In the field. Your skills, in the battles to come. Your healing, always. You…you’ve always taken such good care of me, I…” She trailed off, unable to finish.

Was she blushing? He couldn’t tell, right, with all the grime that covered her from navigating the illithid colony and fighting corpses and skeletons and mind flayers? Gods, she hoped not.

“I want you to stay,” she said at last. “I want you to join me.”

He chuckled softly. “Then you shall have me.” He glanced over her shoulder and then back down at her. “But there are others who require your attention right now. I should not keep you.”

She turned to glance over her shoulder at Withers, who was rather unexpectedly present on the dais, his glimmering eyes fixed on her. When she looked back at Halsin, he was already turning away.

“Wait,” she said, reaching out before stopping herself, her hand lingering uncertainly in the air. Halsin paused, looking at her expectantly. She didn’t want him to go just yet, even though she knew he wouldn’t be far. She cast her mind about for something to ask him, just to have a few more seconds of his time.

“This…’more’ that you want,” she asked, her hand lowering slowly back to her side. “What is it?”

He smiled, then, a little crooked, a little mysterious, and something about it felt as though it was meant just for her.

“Not what,” he said, and leaned in just slightly, his smile growing. “Who.”

Her heart seemed to flutter within her chest. His gaze lingered on hers just long enough for her to discern part of his meaning. At the very least, he made it clear exactly who the “who” was.

There was more he wanted. Someone he wanted. And that someone could very well be…

Before she could say anything in response, he straightened again. “But all in due course,” he said, all business once more. “I should leave you to your conversations. I will not be far, if you need me.”

She watched him walk away, joining Thaniel as the child stood gazing out through the open doors of the main hall into the shadowed land beyond. Her head was all but spinning with the implication of Halsin’s words. Did that mean…did he mean…

“Hey, soldier,” Karlach said, snapping her fingers near Ardynn’s ear. Ardynn nearly jumped, flushing to be caught unawares. “Bone Man Withers wants a word. Got a minute? As a matter of fact, I’d like a word or two with you myself.”

Karlach still looked rightfully upset about the Gortash business, and Withers was still staring at her expectantly. Wyll, still sitting nearby, didn’t look like he was up for any conversation, but Ardynn knew the capture of his father was foremost in his mind. All of this came back in a flash, grounding her back in reality. There was still much to be done, even before they could rest for the night.

“Right,” she mumbled. She took a deep breath. “Let’s go see what the bone man has to say, then.”

#bg3 #bg3 fic #bg3ficfeb #my fic #oc #halsin #ardynn #ardynn harrow #i love them okay #they're very cute together and also i wanted to let her run into his arms so bad #the game didn't let me and that is a TRAGEDY

9 notes · View notes