Chapter Text
The party with the tieflings was winding down. They were starting to drift off, one or two at a time, leaving camp to return to wherever they were staying for the night.
Rhian was caught up in conversation with Alfira, and when she turned back from saying her goodbyes to the bard, she found Shadowheart slipping away on the edge of camp. She paused, meeting Rhian’s eyes briefly before gesturing to a ledge up above Lae’zel’s tent. Rhian inclined her head in understanding, and made to follow her but got stopped by another group of tieflings, thanking her again and saying their goodbyes.
When she finally made her escape, Shadowheart had disappeared from the edge of the foliage, but turning, Rhian could see her silhouette up above camp.
Rhian made her way through the trees, around the edge of the cliff, to where her friend waited.
Shadowheart turned at her footsteps on stone, a glass of wine already in-hand and a bottle sitting next to her.
“You made it,” Shadowheart said, a smile crossing her face, and Rhian’s heart fluttered, “Come here- sit with me.”
Rhian moved to sit next to her, legs dangling over the side of the cliff. “I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”
“So eager,” Shadowheart laughed, “I’m surprised it took you this long.”
“I got stopped several times trying to get out of camp,” Rhian lamented, leaning toward her.
“Well, to begin,” Shadowheart poured her some wine, handing over the glass, “I think a toast is in order. Any suggestions?”
Rhian took the offered glass, tilting it slightly and studying the dark liquid as she thought. A toast… They’d already celebrated plenty, had the tieflings singing their praises for defending the Grove, she didn’t need to toast to their victory again. She eyed the half-elf sitting next to her, a stalwart friend, a comforting, if surprising, presence at her side through it all so far. Rhian lifted her glass.
“To us.”
Her response seemed to surprise Shadowheart. “Bold. What does ‘us’ entail?” she mused, “I suppose I’ll find out.”
She lifted her glass, tapping the side of it to Rhian’s, “To us.”
Rhian took a sip, grateful that Shadowheart had managed to wrangle up a better bottle than whatever Astarion had been drinking.
“Now,” her companion started, setting aside her glass, “tell me something about yourself. And no tadpoles, dragons, marauding goblins, or anything like that. Something about you.”
Rhian thought for a long moment, trying to come up with something interesting. There was one thing she could tell her, a larger truth that she’d want her to know, depending on how their future could unfold. Out of the corner of her eye, Rhian could see Shadowheart watching her, quietly expectant.
Rhian leaned her arm on her knee, leaning forward. “I was married, once.”
That seemed to shock her companion, and suddenly Shadowheart looked unsure. “Oh? What happened?”
Swirling her glass, Rhian kept her eyes downcast. She smiled sadly, “She was human.”
Shadowheart was quiet, like she didn’t know what to say. Breaking the awkwardness, Rhian explained. “It was… a long time ago, now. I just, wanted you to know, I guess.”
“What’s a ‘long time,’ for an elf?”
Rhian furrowed her brow, it was a fair question. How long had it been? She mentally counted off the years; she’d left home shortly after Zorah’s death, wandering for a bit on her own, before she’d eventually made the decision to move to Baldur’s Gate- somewhere noisier, where she could get lost in the chaos. “She died… seventy, eighty years ago?”
It was something of a guess, with the time she’d spent wandering, mostly wild shaped. She turned to gauge Shadowheart’s reaction.
Her friend was quietly studying her, head titled to the side.
“Thats… not quite as much as I expected.”
Rhian laughed softly, “Give or take a decade.”
“Well, don’t stop now,” she insisted, more at ease.
“What do you want to know?”
Shadowheart shrugged, “Whatever you’re willing to share, I suppose.”
“We grew up together in our enclave, I was a couple years older, but, y’know,” she gestured to her ears, “not much of an issue there.”
Shadowheart kept her amusement mostly restrained, sipping from her wine as she listened.
“When we were both a bit older, she always joked I wasn’t allowed to fall in love with her,” Rhian grinned at the memory, “Said that she couldn’t have me moping about without her for a few centuries.”
“Clearly you have a track record of not listening then.”
Rhian scoffed at the insult, feigning hurt, “Ouch. And yet… you know me.“
She continued, “But yes, I did not listen. I think Zorah had already caught feelings by that point, and she knew where that would leave me.”
Rhian did a double take when she found Shadowheart watching her unabashedly, and then waved her off. “But enough about my scars, as I said, it was a while ago,” Rhian flipped the conversation back to her, “Your turn- I insist. A little give and take is only fair.”
Her friend suddenly looked uneasy, and Rhian had a moment of doubt when Shadowheart said, “Don’t laugh… but I’m not quite sure I have anything to share.”
Rhian stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue.
“When you worship Shar, secrecy is everything. We’ll sacrifice our own memories when ordered to. A lot of the little things… they’re lost to me right now.”
Rhian remembered a conversation they’d had a bit ago- maybe a week after the nautiloid, when she had managed to talk Shadowheart into sharing a little more about herself. Sliding closer, she lightly elbowed her before leaning back, “Wrong. You like night orchids and can’t swim. You told me once.”
That seemed to lift her spirits. “Heh, I did! And you remembered,” she wrapped her fingers around the stem of her wine glass, “You’re sweet.”
She grabbed the bottle, refilling Rhian’s cup. “There’s still plenty of wine and the whole night is ahead of us.”
Blinking, Rhian tried to regain her bearings. Her mind was still fuzzy with the buzz of celebration, but she found Shadowheart lying next to her, eyes trained up at the stars.
“Nearly light. The others will be awake soon…” her companion said, turning to meet her gaze.
Looking at her through half-closed eyes, Rhian quickly realized she didn’t want the night to end just yet.
“What?” Shadowheart asked, the slightest curve to her lips at seeing Rhian’s attention.
Just checking for signs of ceremorphosis, Rhian nearly joked, but stopped herself, not wanting to chance ruining the mood after a wonderful night.
“You’re beautiful.”
“I know,” she sighed, and Rhian bit down on her laugh, “But you’re sweet to notice. Thank you for last night.”
“I hope there’ll be more to come,” Rhian admitted.
“Me too,” she replied softly.
Rhian could see an invitation in Shadowheart’s eyes, a slight blush across her cheeks, her gaze dipping down to rest briefly on her lips before darting back up.
“You know,” Rhian gave a gentle laugh, “If you want something… I think you should take it.”
Shadowheart reached for her, and Rhian met her, sidling closer and tangling their fingers together. She leaned in, and Rhian’s heart started hammering in her chest. Shadowheart kissed her, and butterflies exploded in her stomach.
Shadowheart moved back first, and Rhian nearly pulled her back in to kiss her again, but she didn’t want to push too far too fast.
“That didn’t hurt, did it?” Shadowheart asked.
“No,” she whispered, reassuring her, “Far from it.”
“Good to know. For the future…” she seemed almost like she wanted to say more, but, “Let’s head back. If we must.”
For the future, Rhian thought, hope flaring in her chest as she got to her feet, reaching to help Shadowheart up.
She kept hold of Rhian’s hand, intertwining their fingers as they returned to camp.