#shadowheart x florwyn

[eldritchelfwriter]

Chapter 19 of Shadowheart Begins now out

Sleep does not come easy that night. Shadowheart lays awake for a long time, thinking of her parents, what she will say to them when they meet, what condition they will be in … wondering if they will even want to see her.

She walks the animals in the morning, just to keep up a small semblance of normality before her life changes, yet again.

Then she dons her armour and gloves, and picks up the moonlight glaive, turning it over in her hands. It will be Selune’s divine power that she will wield in the heart of the Sharrans cloister today, along with Selune’s own weapon. It feels strange, but … right, somehow.

“Shadowheart!” a voice calls, and Shadowheart is surprised to see Isobel rushing toward her, and suddenly enveloping Shadowheart in a hug. “Good luck,” Isobel whispers. “I’ll be thinking of you, and if your parents need any help when they return with you, I’ll be right here and waiting.”

“Thank you, Isobel,” Shadowheart says, touched by her thoughtfulness. And then Florwyn is at her side too, looking slightly unprepared when Isobel, whom Florwyn doesn’t know very well, gives her a brief hug and a whispered “good luck” too.

“Isobel …” Shadowheart says quickly to stop the cleric before she dashes off again – and before she loses her own courage. “Could you … say something, before we go?”

“Like what?” Isobel says, frowning.

“Just something to …” Shadowheart clears her throat. “… your goddess.”

Isobel blinks, and Florwyn looks at her sideways, but neither make comment.

Isobel touches her arm while Shadowheart’s face burns, and says softly: “Let the moon be your light, and your glaive be a shining symbol of Our Lady in the dark. Moonmaiden, bring Shadowheart and her parents home, the gods know they deserve it. May your light guide Shadowheart and her friends and bring them all safely back.”

“Thank you,” Shadowheart breathes, when the prayer ends.

“The Moonmaiden guide your steps, dear friend,” Isobel whispers, leaving them to prepare for their departure.

READ MORE:

[eldritchelfwriter]

OMG OMG OMG OMG an anonymous fan has GIFTED this picture of FLORWYN⚡️and excuse me I have a bit more bouncing off the ceiling to do!!!!

IT'S SO FREAKING COOL!!!!!!!!!! ⚡️

[eldritchelfwriter]

A few Shadowheart Begins story-related screenshots, for fun

So the next chapter, I can't remember what number I'm even up to, is still cooking away. Here's some screenshots, just for fun, from my Florwyn playthrough that I actually still haven't quite finished (interrupted it with a completed durge playthrough).

Florwyn started off as me just being ridiculously excited to try out the storm sorcerer class, and whipping up an elvish-sounding name in literally two seconds. (Confirm, sorcerer is the most fun I have had so far, having played gloomstalker ranger, paladin, monk and cleric on different runs).

To start with, I made her an extra pale goth wearing black clothing once I could get dark dyes, and very black and heavy eye make up that I gradually toned down over the game as a sign of her 'development.' She didn't have a backstory, and I had no idea she'd end up lending her name and a few other attributes such as her pale grey eyes to a story.

Just don't take her facial features, hair and things to heart as game Florwyn and story Florwyn are not really the same.

Florwyn approaching Jaheira to train her

'Lessons' with Jaheira

Deciding whether to face her fear

Just thinking about how much wizards suck

Communication is key

Kissing is also very key

[eldritchelfwriter]

New chapter 17 of Shadowheart Begins has been released

CHAPTER EXTRACT

Ever since that day, after the glaive fight, Florwyn has been spiralling in front her eyes, and nothing Shadowheart does seems to be able to stop it. She has always been quiet, but now her silences are despondent, her glances empty, her conversation forced. Laughter is short-lived, when it comes at all.

And with Florwyn unable to say what is distressing her, Shadowheart can only try to comfort her as best she can.

It is never enough. And she has never felt so helpless because of it.

“What are you actually doing with Jaheira?” Shadowheart asks, one rare evening they have alone together. Florwyn is lying down with her eyes closed, her head in Shadowheart’s lap.

“Lots of different things,” Florwyn replies. “Sometimes we try out things with my power.” She pauses. “We talk a lot.”

This surprises Shadowheart, given how little Florwyn has been talking to her. She wonders what on earth it could be that Florwyn is talking about to Jaheira, that she can’t tell her.

But at least she is talking to someone.

“Can you tell me what you talk about?” Shadowheart asks.

“You’re worried,” Florwyn says, opening her eyes.

“Don’t tell me not to be,” Shadowheart says tartly.

Florwyn blinks at Shadowheart’s tone. Worry for Florwyn had made Shadowheart’s tongue sharper than she had intended.

“Am I pushing you away, Shadowheart?” Florwyn asks softly. “If I am, I don’t mean to. I know I’m not myself. And I am sorry to worry you.”

“It’s all right, Florwyn,” Shadowheart says, softening her tone at once. “I’m not going anywhere, while you get through – whatever this is.” She strokes her hair and face, and Florwyn lets out a deep sigh of relief. “Just, don’t forget that I love you, OK?” Shadowheart whispers, looking down into those sad, pale grey eyes. “I wish you could tell me … I want to help, love.”

“I know,” Florwyn says, closing her eyes again. “I – I will tell you Shadowheart. When I can. I do want to. It’s all just … so … raw … ”

Shadowheart waits to see if she will say anything else, continuing to caress her hair and face, and holding herself back from demanding the answers she dearly wishes she had.

A minute later, Florwyn’s eyes flutter open and her body tenses.

“Shadowheart?” she says in a whisper, a scared expression on her face. “She – she didn’t like me using magic.”

“Who, Jaheira?”

“No,” Florwyn says, still whispering. “El. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all.”

Shadowheart continues to stroke her hair, both heartened that Florwyn has been able to tell her something, and left wondering what might lie behind her words.

“Well that was rubbish of her, because your sorcery is amazing, and so are you,” Shadowheart says briskly.

“Am I?” Florwyn whispers, looking unsure.

It pains Shadowheart to see that her confidence has been so shaken by the memories that have triggered this revelation.

“Flor, I am in fact an expert on how amazing you are. You didn’t think just anyone would catch my eye, did you? I have extremely high standards, you know,” she says, in a gently teasing tone.

Shadowheart’s humour has had little effect on Florwyn of late.

So she is surprised, but pleased, to see a genuine little smile unfold on Florwyn’s face.

READ MORE:

[eldritchelfwriter]

Chapter 18 of Shadowheart Begins now out

Shadowheart is the first to awaken.

She can hear activity around the camp, as the others get ready to head out. She and Florwyn will not be joining them.

When they returned from the storm, Florwyn went straight to bed, exhausted, and Shadowheart had requested (well, simply told the others, in truth), that she and Florwyn have a day off to recover.

And so, while everyone else gears up to leave, the sorcerer still sleeps peacefully beside her, her white hair tinged with pale blues mussed about her face, her soft lips slightly parted.

Shadowheart observes every breath, each slight flutter of her eyelashes, every soft sigh intently, as if each could be Florwyn’s last.

Everything about her feels imbued with deeper meaning, now that Shadowheart knows the full story of Florwyn’s life before her escape. Now that she knows how close Florwyn had been to being trapped forever, powerful enough to free herself but made to believe her imprisonment was for everyone else’s good.

No wonder she has understood so easily what Shadowheart has been going through; they have both escaped traps made of lies by the very thinnest of threads.

Florwyn’s eyelids suddenly flutter open and she smiles, seeing Shadowheart watching her.

“Good morning,” Shadowheart whispers, heartened beyond words to see her smiling, feeling emotional for reasons she can’t articulate.

“Good morning,” Florwyn whispers back, her smile widening as her eyes flick to Shadowheart’s throat, where the necklace Florwyn had made for her is now proudly on display. She reaches for Shadowheart lazily, tangling their arms and legs together, and kisses her sleepily.

“You still smell like rain,” Florwyn murmurs.

“That’s a good smell, I hope?” Shadowheart asks, forcing a smile past the torrent of emotion coursing through her. The feel of Florwyn’s limbs around her sets an ache in her chest and through her whole body.

She missed this. Florwyn in her arms, happy. Being touched, being kissed by her.

“Oh, definitely,” the sorcerer breathes, closing her eyes to rest some more.

And Shadowheart continues to watch her, finding that a lump is forming in her throat for some reason, to see Florwyn happy and smiling at last. The storm is over, in every sense of the word. Everything is back to normal.

“Shadowheart,” Florwyn says after a while, her eyes still closed, not sounding sleepy any more. “Is everyone gone?”

“Yes, except for Isobel and Aylin.”

The aasimar had returned while they had been out last night.

“I see,” Florwyn says hesitantly. “And their tent is quite far away, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“I only ask because … I think I need to consult a healer, the very best there is,” she says in a soft, silken voice, immediately evoking the playful overtones that often accompany their lovemaking.

“Well Isobel is too far away, so I suppose you’ll have to settle for me instead,” Shadowheart jokes, making an effort to match Florwyn’s tone.

Florwyn’s eyes snap open and she sees something in Shadowheart’s face that makes her reach up to touch it. “Shadowheart? What’s wrong?”

Shadowheart inwardly berates herself for having somehow given herself away. She should be happy. Happy for Florwyn, happy for them both.

“Nothing,” Shadowheart says through the lump in her throat, looking away. “I’m fine. We’re both fine.”

“You don’t have to pretend, for me,” Florwyn says, looking at Shadowheart with concern. Shadowheart cannot meet those pale eyes that always seem to see right through her. “If you’re not feeling it, that’s all right, Shadowheart.”

“I do, want to.”

Shadowheart is whispering, for some reason.

“Hmm,” Florwyn murmurs, gently lifting Shadowheart’s chin so that she is forced to look at her. “The pretend is only for our roleplay, my love, not for our real thoughts and feelings. And I can see you’re upset. Can you tell me why?”

Shadowheart closes her eyes against those penetrating pale ones that know her so well, and takes a deep breath before answering.

“I missed you,” she says softly. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

She hears Florwyn’s intake of breath, and opens her eyes, which are beginning to burn with tears...

[eldritchelfwriter]

New Chapter 20: Reunion of Shadowheart Begins now out!

EXTRACT:

Astarion breaks the lock on the Chamber of Loss while Florwyn and Karlach stand with her, each with a hand on one of her shoulders, silently giving her the strength for what is to come. 

Shadowheart takes a shaky breath, and walks through, into the chamber.  

There are two figures strung up on purple disks, despondent and listless. 

“I … I see them, I see my parents. Gods … what’s been done to them?” she whispers to herself, her heart in her mouth. 

As she comes nearer, there is no question that the elf with raven black hair is her father, and the woman with gentle olive green eyes is her mother. 

“It can’t be. Another vile trick,” her father says, looking away from her. 

Pain strikes the wound in her hand, and her parents cry out in pain.  

And Shadowheart knows the truth of the wound at last. It was never just to hurt her. It was to hurt her whole family – just because they worshipped Selune. Determination flares in her to release them from Shar's sick hold at once.

“It’s no trick, it’s her!” her mother says, and her voice carries wonder and excitement, for all that she is trapped in place by Shar’s curse. “Jenevelle. Jen! Our little girl,” she says fondly. 

That name … her name, that she had forgotten.  

Her name is Jenevelle.  

READ MORE:

[eldritchelfwriter]

Shadowheart just being amazingly, urgently, loving and supportive

From chapter 17 of the epic love tale that is Shadowheart Begins:

The clouds shift above as the storm breaks, and in the dim starlight, a lone figure walks very slowly up the shore.

“Florwyn!” Shadowheart yells out.

The figure stops and looks up at Shadowheart’s shout. And Shadowheart takes off without a second thought, running through the rain down the shore, frantic to reach her.

She collides with Florwyn, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tightly, frightened that if she doesn’t hold her tight enough, somehow, she will lose her.

“You – you were incredible Flor. Incredible,” Shadowheart says, her chest heaving as she catches her breath.

Florwyn is soaked through to the skin, her hair plastered to the sides of face. Tears run down her cheeks, mingling with the rain falling on them both.

“Really?” Florwyn whispers. “You’re – you’re really not frightened of me?”

“Florwyn I am in awe of you,” Shadowheart says, desperate to make her understand how special she is to her, how much she loves her – all of her! Of course it would include her connection with the storms!

And there are tears running down Shadowheart’s cheeks now too, because it feels like Florwyn is on a precipice and if she doesn’t believe Shadowheart, if she steps away from her and closes herself off, Shadowheart doesn’t know what she will do. She doesn’t want to lose her. She can’t!

Florwyn slowly returns the hug, still looking tense and uncertain while rain continues to fall on them both.

“You’re getting wet,” Florwyn whispers.

“I don’t care.”

“You could catch a chill.”

“Then I’ll heal myself. I’m not letting go of you, I’m not letting go!”

Read more:

[eldritchelfwriter]

In preparation for the final chapter of Shadowheart Begins, I've ordered some storm whisky glasses (to remember Florwyn my whisky-drinking storm sorcerer forever) so I can have a toast by myself when it's done with Islay Storm Whisky KNOWING I'm going to be super emotional.

You don't know unless you ask - the whisky glass company have given me the code FINALCHAPTER15 for anyone else who wants some sick crystal glasses. And it's from Tsukiglass. What does Tsuki mean in Japanese? MOON. 😭 So my gal Shadowheart is in there too.

Tsukiglass store

I'm not exactly sure but I think there are 3 chapters to go. 😭😭😭

(As far as I'm aware it's just a discount code and not an affiliate link).

[eldritchelfwriter]

I think the new chapter of Shadowheart Begins will drop in approx 12 hours.

Phweesh. I'll have to have another read in 12 hours though, when hopefully my brain will be working, to check if it makes as much sense as it seems to now.

[eldritchelfwriter]

I finally read the "Stormclouds" chapter and I am crying from the ride of it. Well freaking done. Florwyn deserves all the love she could possibly get, gah damn! 😭💜

I'm sort of not sorry about those tears 😅 I'm glad you enjoyed the rollercoaster!

Florwyn is 100% going to get all that love she's been missing, she's already getting a ton of it and there'll only be more.

Thanks so much for reading!

P.S. I just read your comment on AO3 and oh my word, you really hate Petorran and El. 😆 (I mean they deserve it but your tone change was very drastic all of a sudden from the previous notations).

[eldritchelfwriter]

Just an update on Shadowheart Begins - the next chapter won't be released this Sunday. I've only really just been able to start wrestling it into shape (having drafted a lot of it weeks ago), as I've been very sick the last few weeks.

I don't think it's too spoilery to say we're going to the House of Grief as I think it's been obvious we've been leading to that. As a major Shadowheart location and plot point, it's important to try and get it right rather than phone it in. I'll try and think of some kind of additional info-y type post to put on tumblr on Sunday instead. (Feel free to make suggestions).

[eldritchelfwriter]

OC Insight: What kind of love are you?

I was tagged by @shewhowas39 (and hey! we got the same result! TOLD YOU our OC's would probs be friends - once mine can handle yours being a wizard).

Rules: take this quiz as your OC and share your results!

I took this for Florwyn from Shadowheart Begins and Reaching for you.

LOVE AS A THRESHOLD

Your love does not ask for much. Your love does not take. Your love is free, and unquestioned, and here for wherever needs it. When you fall in love, it is as gentle as a breath in the night. It is quiet, and it is effortless. It is tender. If your love was a house, it would readily welcome all who come through. If your love was a hearth, it would warm the hands of whoever stopped by, whether for a day, a month, a year, or forever. When you fall for someone, it is without strings, without conditions, without need. You love for the sake of loving, for the sake of caring for those who need it. You love with a giver’s heart and a giver’s hands and are made so much stronger for it. Being loved by you is to always feel at home. Your love may not always be well-received by those unprepared to linger, but it is unforgettable all the same.

Extraordinary art by @kosalus

I'm struggling to think of anyone who has an OC that hasn't already done this but if you want to be tagged or want to try it go for it!

[eldritchelfwriter]

We're on track for the next Shadowheart Begins chapter to be released at the usual time 😎 Expect the unexpected ...

[eldritchelfwriter]

* Splutters, tries to get a grip, feelings of incredible gratitude for your love for the Stormheart gals *

🥹

[eldritchelfwriter]

Incredibly excited about where you are going with the new chapter. Poor Florwyn and Shadowheart, thinking they'll both get broken up with in the end and working through stuff but being worried about telling the other. Them girls with the tiny unhealthy coping mechanisms.

I hope you're ready for a biiiiiig Florwyn lore drop, Anonymous!

Fortunately they both are very understanding about each other's worries about being rejected, and they are getting stronger with every challenge they face, even if it sucks while going through it.