#the emperor missed his targets more than Shadowheart ever has

[whit-doodle]

The fight with Orpheus's Honor Guard in the Astral Plane was won, but it came at a cost that Sunniva wasn't prepared for. The Githyanki warriors were ruthless, and three of them set their sights on Gale the moment the fight started.

Gale collapsed lifelessly to the ground before Sunniva could even react to what happened. Shadowheart and Wyll both were just as surprised as they tried to fend off their enemies. Sunniva, caught in a haze of anger and grief, didn't realize the Githyanki warriors had all finally been slain until the Emperor reopened the portal out of the Astral Plane.

Her only thought once she stepped through that portal was run to their skeletal traveling companion who always waited at the edge of camp. She ignored the concerned shouts and looks from her other companions who'd been left behind. Wyll and Shadowheart called for everyone to leave her alone and began explaining to the others what happened.

Sunniva would have paid Withers one thousand times the amount of gold he asked for in exchange for Gale's life. The moment Withers returned Gale to the land of the living, Sunniva pulled Gale in for a kiss.

Gale broke the kiss and regarded her curiously. The usually talkative wizard seemed unsure of what to say at the sight of his love barely holding herself together. Sunniva's voice trembled as she apologized over and over for not being able to save him.

It was the first time she had been unable to protect the man she loved. The guilt she carried in her heart far outweighed the lifeless body she carried back to camp.

Sunniva vowed from that moment on to never let Gale fall in battle again. Gale didn't have the heart to remind her of their last resort to defeat the Elder Brain because it was a fate she couldn't save him from. Instead, he chose to make a vow in return - to live for her, to do everything in his power to make her feel as loved as she made him feel.

I might expand on this and do a full fledged story of the scene that ran through my head after this fight in my play through. I'd likely post it on AO3 if I did, but I'd post it here too if there was any interest.

This whole post is because I was woefully unprepared for that fight to kick off Act 3, and it was the first time I'd actually lost Gale in a battle.