Chapter Text
“This…is my study?” The door snaps shut behind her, and Vex clings to the toddler in her arms a bit tighter. She seems to like it, burying her face into Vex’s blouse and bucking her head under her chin. The room is enormous, lined with books and covered with arrows and little skulls and pieces of parchment with sketches across them. She goes to her desk and lifts one – to mama, love desmond.
“I think it all used to be three rooms, but you and Percy gutted it a while back. Came in here with hammers and bashed the walls in. Pike thought you were trying to bring the place down.”
Vex laughs and goes to sit in the chair. Meredith squirms and says, firmly, “Down.”
“Are you sure, darling? You were very upset earlier.”
“Down.”
“Well, alright.” Vex sets her on the carpet, and she takes some wobbly steps over to a corner filled with toys and a few little games. “She plays in here.”
“She can’t stand to be away from you,” Scanlan says, looking warm in a way Vex hasn’t seen in a while.
She bites. “How’s Kaylie?”
“Hmm?” He turns to her, smiles. “Oh, she’s good. Argumentative and defiant, wandering around the world, still. But happy.”
“And why aren’t you wandering around the world with her?”
Scanlan snorts. “And cramp her style? No, I’m good here.” He settles into one of the other chairs, pulling it close to the desk and propping his feet up on the wood.
“You’re not allowed to do that, are you?”
“Not even a little, but you’re not her. You’re you. So.”
“Feet down, gnome.” She reaches forward and knocks his shoes off the desk. “So why are you in Whitestone still?”
Scanlan grins, and Vex knows that look. Cat got the canary, I know something you don’t know – “I’m not sure if I can tell you that.”
“Oh, come on now.”
“Look, we don’t know what you’re going to remember when you get back. You having certain information could change a lot of things. Everything, honestly.”
Vex huffs. “Fine. Can you be vague about it at least?”
“Sure. You and Percy got married and I got a very sweet deal out of it. Now I live in a big fancy house and I’m the Whitestone minister of Public Relations.”
Vex narrows her eyes. “That’s a lie.”
“It’s…actually the truth,” he admits, rather sheepishly. “As much as I wish I could wander around and make that sort of shit up. Percy gave me a cushy title and some gold.”
“And that’s all your little heart desired?”
“Not at all, but it’s not a useless position, honestly, given how much work and negotiating we’ve been doing to rebuild Tal’Dorei.”
“So Whitestone…survived.”
“To the very end. The rest of the continent…they look up to this place. It took them in when they were homeless, it fed them when they were starving. You haven’t left so you don’t know, but this city is almost twice as large as it was when we first got here. Lot of the refugees, they stayed here. Gilmore’s got two stores, Pike’s got her temple.” He shrugs. “We did a good thing here. War’s over, Vex. Now we’re just…trying to grow everything back.”
Scanlan tells her a few things – her brother and Keyleth are in Emon, serving as interim council members until the city is completely back on its feet. (She and Vax hate to be parted, and scry and talk as often as possible, Scanlan says, gagging a little.) Grog is in Westruun with Kima, the two of them rebuilding the armed forces of the city. Pike has the run of three temples – one in Whitestone, the other two in Vasselheim and Emon. As for herself and Percy, Scanlan says they’ve been brokering trade deals for years now, building up Whitestone and modeling a city reborn.
“You guys are like the it couple of the continent,” Scanlan teases. “Everyone’s like, oh what should our city look like? And then someone goes, it should look like Whitestone. And then someone else is probably like, but can we be as attractive as the de Rolos? And someone else goes no, that’s impossible Charles, why would you even suggest that—”
“Are you torturing her with impressions?” Percy opens the door and leans against it. Meredith notices him immediately, stumbling over her large wooden blocks and falling prone at his feet.
“Papa.”
“Mary, love, we need to work on your posture.” He bends down and lifts her up, tossing her into the air. The girl giggles, and Percy returns the gesture in kind, kissing her on the nose. “Are you keeping our guest company, darling?”
“Oh, Percy.” Scanlan stands, feigning a spell. “I told you only to call me that when we’re alone together.”
Percy looks at his daughter. “Funny gnome, isn’t he, love?” He glances up at Vex and smiles. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.”
“Good. You’re free to do as you please, Scanlan, though I did send a great deal of paperwork to your office just a few moments ago. You might even beat the courier.”
“Is it Thomas?” Percy nods. “I’ll definitely beat him. Maybe I’ll follow him.” He gives Vex a wave and blows the baby a kiss. “Don’t give away all the family secrets in one go, Percy.”
As the door clicks shut behind him, Percy settles into Scanlan’s chair and rests Meredith on his knee. “He didn’t tell you too much himself, did he?”
“No, he was very vague and generally unhelpful.”
“When it counts,” Percy murmurs with a chuckle. He leans back, inhaling deeply and letting it spill out. It blows Meredith’s hair up and around her face, and she explodes with laughter. He blows on it again and they both laugh. Vex catches herself smiling wide – Percy notices. “What?”
“Sorry, I’ve just…I never would have imagined you this way.”
“Children do terrible and strange things to you.” He kisses his daughter’s temple. “I thought we’d talk a bit, then maybe go see the twins. They’ve been asking for you all morning.”
Vex feels her stomach turn. “Are they alright?”
“They’re five, so they’re sturdy.” Meredith squirms and he releases her to play. “You can ask whatever you’d like, but I’m concerned about you leaving here with too much information. We don’t know how it could affect your world.”
“Scanlan said the same thing.”
Percy nods. “Either way, I’ll do my best to answer.”
“Right.” Vex looks at her hands in her lap. “How did…how did you and I—”
“Hard work,” Percy says. “The details are too important, but you and I…we have to work our way through a lot of shit.”
“Shit,” Meredith says.
“No, darling, don’t repeat that. Your mother will kill me.”
“Mama.”
“Yes, mama.” Percy scrubs a hand over his face. “Sorry, I can’t…I can’t really go into it.”
“That’s alright. What about my brother and Keyleth? Are they happy?”
He nods. “Happy and together. Keyleth’s put her aramente on hold for a bit. She’s too in love with Emon. And your brother.”
“Do they have children?”
“No. We beat them to that, at least.” He laughs. “Not on purpose, but here we are.”
Vex nods. “Did we…want children?”
“We did. But we were going to wait.”
“So the twins were accidents.”
Percy raises a brow. “I hate the word, but for all intents and purposes, yes. We were married and fully planned on dedicating ourselves to Tal’Dorei for some time. And then the twins came along. Didn’t stop us, really. And you’d be surprise about the way a child can turn a trade deal around. We brought them everywhere when they were infants.”
“We used them?”
“Well not like that. But the council of Westruun was very impressed with their behavior when we were haggling the price of granite down.” Vex laughs, trying to imagine herself and Percy carrying a child each, negotiating deals. “You’re picturing it, and it’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“It really is.”
“Anything else?”
Vex leans back, considering the ceiling. It’s beautiful, she realizes. Gorgeous tiles with suns and moons scattered across. She closes her eyes. “My father. Does he know the children?”
“…He was just here, actually. Two weeks ago.”
Vex sits up straight. “He was.”
“Your relationship is…strained, but Velora is an aunt, now, and she wouldn’t let it go. He was at the wedding. Bit of a wet rag, really, but he didn’t make a fuss. He’s…trying.”
“I don’t make it easy.”
“No, you certainly don’t. But he’s an ass, so it’s fine either way.”
Eventually, he convinces her to meet the twins. She’s more nervous for this than anything, for some reason, but she’s their mother, for the time being. She remembers being parted from her own, how painful it was.
Percy’s hand touches her own.
“You’re trembling.”
“I’m…”
“It’s alright to be scared.”
Vex nods. “Right.” Percy’s hand reaches out to push one of the doors open. Vex’ahlia grips Meredith tighter and follows him inside.
“Myra? Desmond!” The room is strangely quiet. Vex feels her nerves alight with anxiety, and she sets Meredith down to inspect. Percy grabs her arm and mouths, stay here. “Well,” he says, “I suppose they’re just not here today. Perhaps they’ll see their mother tomorrow. I think she and I will go downstairs and eat all the chocolate that their uncle sent them last week. Or feed it to Trinket, perhaps—”
“Papa, no!” Two children burst out of a closet, Desi in tow, and scrabble to his feet.
The girl grabs at his waistcoat, pleading with tears in her eyes, “Papa you can’t eat all the chocolate. Mama, tell him Trinket can’t have chocolate, you say so all the time.”
“That’s…very true, Percival.”
“See?” The boy tries to climb into Vex’s arms. “Mama, Myra tricked me into hiding in the closet again. Tell her she’s grounded. She’s an absolute terror.”
“That’s not a nice thing to call your sister,” Percy warns, hefting Myra into his arms. He looks at her. “Are you a terror, my love?”
“Just a bit, papa.”
“Well, if the shoe fits.” He kisses her cheek and sets her down. “Are you behaving yourselves otherwise?”
“Absolutely not,” Desi says, rather fondly. “But that’s alright. They know the doctor will be here soon for lessons.”
Desmond makes a face. “I hate lessons. I don’t need them, mama. Tell papa we’re smarter than Dr. Foss.”
“Well I—”
“Dr. Foss is being paid a considerable sum to give you lessons,” Percy says. “You will respect him, at the very least.”
“He’s a dolt,” Myra says.
“A bit of a crab, too,” Desmond snarks.
Desi sighs. “He is a bit dull, m’lord.”
“Tutors are never interesting. None of mine were.”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” Vex says. The twins burst into laughter and Percy scowls.
“I never should have brought you here.”
She plays a while with the twins before their tutor arrives. At one point, Desmond looks at her after she answers a question and says quietly, “You’re talking strange, mama.”
Vex flushes. “Oh, I’m so sorry, darling. Please forgive me.”
Desmond beams. “That’s better mama.” He plants a wet kiss on her cheek and kicks over his sister’s castle.
Dr. Foss is rather dull, Vex’ahlia agrees. And he certainly doesn’t seem to look forward to any of the twins’ antics. Percy leaves all three of them in his and Desi’s care, closing the doors behind him.
“I’ll admit I don’t care for the man, but I have no one to replace him.”
“He reminds me of the tutors my father had for me and Vax.”
“You’ve told me,” Percy says, smiling.
“The twins said Trinket was here…”
He laughs. “Yes, yes. Your bear has free run of the gardens.”
“Do you love him that much, then?”
“Certainly.” He clears his throat. “But I’m also a clever man. I know how to keep my wife happy.” He gives her his arm and Vex takes it. “He’ll be very happy to see you.”
They spend the rest of the day together, which only serves to compound her guilt. Each time a courier or someone from the city comes looking for him, Percy signs something and sends them away, telling them it can wait ‘til morning.
“I’m keeping you from your work.”
“You’re not. I’ll do my work when I please. Right now, you take priority.” There’s some space between them now, his hands reaching deep into his pockets. He sighs, glancing over at her. “You know I remember that drink you were talking about. The one we had just after we left Emon.”
“You do.”
“Yes.” He smiles. “It’s…one of the reasons you and I drink in that library every night. A lot of things happened there.”
“Good things.”
“Very good things.”
Vex feels her cheeks flush. “Percival.”
“Sorry,” he says, laughing. “I’m very sorry, I just…you’re exactly the woman I fell in love with, you know that?”
“…Is that when it happened?”
“Just about.”
She sighs, looking up at the evening sky. “Should you have told me that?”
“Mmm, probably not. But I’m…content with it.”
“Perhaps I’ll have Scanlan wipe my memories.”
“He’s gotten better,” Percy agrees. He looks up with her. “We should go inside. The children should be hungry by now.” He doesn’t offer to take her arm again, but Vex understands.
There is a chasm, she senses, between the way she feels about him, and the way he feels about her. Years of catching up, years of looks and glances and touches and kisses that she has no knowledge of.
She imagines it must be hard, terribly hard, to have the woman you love in front of you and not be able to kiss her senseless.
“I’ll let you have this room tonight.”
“Percy, that won’t be necessary.”
He raises a hand. “Your comfort and your space are important to me. I have a room in my workshop, I’ll sleep there.”
“Is that where I send you when I’m angry?”
“Essentially, yes.” He gathers a few things and hangs them over his arm. Vex feels the want inside him, the need to kiss her, or hold her close. It’s palpable, rich in the room. Percy moves closer to the door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Or perhaps not.”
“Yes, perhaps this is an elaborate dream we’re both having at the same time,” he muses, and gives her a smile. “Rest well, Vex’ahlia.”
She nods. “And you, Percival.”
The door shuts behind him, and Vex falls backwards onto the bed, exhaling.
Shit, she thinks. Shit, shit shit.
How to process. How to deal and relegate and consider.
Married to Percy. Her Scanlan would shit if he knew. Vax would probably avoid her for a few hours. Keyleth would be giddy and rambly and bubbly and all the things Vex really does love about her.
A little ache rises up. It was good to see Trinket, to bury her face in his fur and inhale. The same smell, same feeling. Older, her bear. But hers, still.
She misses Vax. She misses Grog and everyone. She misses her Percy, still broken around the edges and not quite happy. She wishes he could see this part of himself, the one that tosses his children into the air and takes his wife on garden walks. The one who is happy, who walks through Whitestone a complete man.
She wonders which choices will have to be made so that Percy can thrive and live. She wonders if she can give that to him alone.
Or how much of it they must do together.
Vex is desperate, hungry for more answers, but she understands their fear. What if she remembers it all, goes home and is too confident when they finally battle Thordak and the others?
What if she fucks it all up?
“Typical Vex,” she murmurs, and changes into the night clothes Percy had shown her.
Well, she thinks. At least the bed is comfy.