#vaeri (lamby)

[arzen9]

Daybreak

The Nosferatu OST was released, and I was compelled to write this while listening to it.

OR

Lamby has a nightmare the night before they face Cazador Szarr.

A/N: I know I haven't published anything in a while, and I apologize. Life has been A LOT lately, and I truly didn't have it in me to write, but I WANT to, and although my uploading schedule won't be regular I will continue to create because I love this game and the brainrot continues. This will the the first of a few one-shots to come involving my main OC from BG3, Vaeri (or Lamby, as she prefers to go by) and Astarion. These one-shots will be mostly canon compliant and contain my takes on various events that take place in game. As always, thank you so much for your time if you read, and I always appreciate any and all feedback! 

Rating: M

Pairing: Astarion x Original Female Character

Tags: Trauma, Vampire Spawn Astarion, Vampire Ascendant Astarion, Canon Compliant, Nightmares, Spoilers, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to be Added

One Shot, 1.2k words

Lamby finds herself in a strange dream.

There’s a room bathed in sunlight, a shrine with two goblets and scattered rose petals, and a mirror adorned with delicate silver ornaments.

And there’s Astarion: her love, her life.

He’s leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest. There’s a smirk painted on his handsome face, and Lamby’s inclined to return it if only it didn’t feel so… Wrong.

Astarion’s eyes slowly move to the mirror, and she follows his gaze.

That’s when she realizes: she has no reflection.

One of her hands flies to her mouth, and just as she feared, something sharp pricks at her finger, draws her blood.

A fang.

“No!”

“Why don’t you admit that you’re afraid of what I am, darling? You are deeply, deeply afraid. And that’s why you can never fully love me. And that’s why I need to keep you chained up.”

Sure enough, looking at her ankles, she can see the silver circles just as bright as she had expected to see the sun when she woke up. She is shackled.

“This isn’t you, Astarion.”

“But what if it is?”

One second, he’s standing in the corner of the room, and the next, he is right in front of her. His speed makes her gasp, equal parts shock and fascination, as much as she hated to admit. Is this the power of the Ascendant?

He grabs her face, and his touch isn’t cold anymore. The pressure he applies makes her lips part, and he slides his thumb into her mouth, pressing down on her tongue.

“I can tell,” he says, all poisoned honey. “You hold your breath while I speak. You await my command.”

Lamby wants to retort, but his grip is iron, and all she can do is salivate around his finger.

A part of her is furious. Humiliated. Bhaal’s Chosen should rip the Vampire Lord’s throat out, bathe in his innards.

Isn’t this what Father would have wanted?

She tries to turn her face away. Looking at him does nothing but fuel the fire of her darkest urges. Heat pools in her lower abdomen. Tears burn in her eyes.

This is the worst of both of them.

With newfound vampiric strength, Lamby's hand wraps around the Ascendant’s throat, but he only smiles.

Astarion retracts his thumb from her mouth and wipes her spittle on her cheek.

“We do what we have to survive, don’t we?”

Lamby jolts awake, gasping and frantically searching her surroundings, looking down at her hands. The hands that wanted to harm Astarion. Her Astarion.

It’s still dark in their room at the Elfsong, only rays of silver moonlight illuminating the room, almost liquid.

“Little lamb,” he whispers as gently as possible, and Lamby takes a deep breath, released from the nightmare. “I’m here. You’re alright.”

He runs a hand through her hair, and the gesture calms her down immensely. She moves her body to be closer to him. Her gaze is tired under wet eyelashes.

“What did you see?” he asks.

“You,” she answers.

“Should I be offended that this is how you wake up from a dream containing me?”

“It wasn’t you, exactly. You were the Ascendant.” She enunciates the word with heavy disdain.

“It’s simply a dream. Nothing more.”

“You’re right,” she says and takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Astarion. This is not me trying to influence your decision.”

He doesn’t have to look into her eyes to know she’s telling the truth because Lamby is probably the only person he fully trusts. But he does anyway and finds an undecipherable pain in her usually cheerful gaze.

“It feels impossible, almost,” he says. “The fact that I will need to make such a choice after not having a say for so long.”

With her thumb, she draws little circles on the skin connecting his thumb to his index finger. It’s soothing.

“You won’t be alone,” Lamby says.

She’s right. For the first time in forever, he is not alone. Which makes his decision only more complicated.

“Astarion,” she whispers, moving even closer to him so their foreheads are touching. He closes his eyes with the softness of the gesture, senses all-consumed by her presence. Her warmth, the beat of her heart, the steady movement of her chest with every breath.

“No matter what, I want you to know I’m with you. Even if…” She falters. He opens his eyes and sees the tears she’s trying to hide. “Even if I don’t necessarily agree with the decision you might make.”

Her warmth. The beat of her heart. The steady movement of her chest with every breath.

She would give it all to him, just like that. And he would take it.

It takes a while for Lamby to fall back asleep, but she does, holding Astarion’s hand. He wants to tell her that, although he has only taken so far, he only wants to give, give, and give her everything that he can. And he will tell her.

He won’t tell her, however, that the sudden connection of their tadpoles had stirred him in his trance, and he had seen everything. Every second of her nightmare, they both stood as the villains of their love story.

But how can they have forever if he can’t grant her the gift of immortality? And how can Astarion accept that he’ll one day lose her? What if ascending is the only way?

He saw her reaction to the scroll they found at Jaheira’s hideout. Her soft features tainted with deep concern; dark blonde brows knit together. Jaheira, of course, ever the careful observer, noticed how her face contorted at the discovery.

“What’s on your mind, cub?” she asked Lamby.

“That scroll,” she pointed at it. “A druidic ritual, is it?”

“Have your eyes set on the future, hm?”

Lamby didn’t respond for a while. It was apparent that she was trying to conceal her curiosity from Astarion.

  “Are you thinking of using it?”

Jaheira looked at her, then, a fleeting sadness in her eyes. She turned her gaze to Astarion, then back to Lamby again.

“I understand not being content with the amount of life given to you, cub. I do.” For a moment, Lamby almost looks… Annoyed, but lets Jaheira continue. “Unfortunately, like you said, it is a druidic ritual.”

“And I am no druid.”

“Alas.”

They had gone on with their day, Lamby and Jaheira walking side by side for most of it, discussing something in hushed voices. But Astarion kept an eye on the little lamb, and at night, when she thought everybody else was at rest, she locked herself in the bathroom. Astarion was the only one who heard her cry until first light.

To know she wanted eternity with him, to want the same exact thing without the power to make it happen, weighs heavily on Astarion now.

But it seems that he does have the power. If he completes the ritual of the Ascendant instead of Cazador, eternity with Lamby would not be a tragic dream anymore. And who would miss his siblings, so what if he had to sacrifice them? They would be serving a better purpose this way.

Then Astarion considers Lamby’s nightmare. Through the tadpole, he could feel what she felt, face-to-face with that strange version of him. It didn’t feel like they were in love at all. Obsessed with each other, desperate to possess, sure. But love?

Are they in love?

The Astarion of not so long ago would think of love as nothing but a weakness. But now, looking at this hot-blooded creature holding his hand like it is her only lifeline, love feels like a strength instead.

The only thing left to do is make a choice. His choice.

[arzen9]

thank you so much for the wonderful piece!!💓

Commission for @arzen9 of their Tav and Astarion ! 💕✌🏻

✨️ Commission info | Art tag ✨️