Chapter Text
Beau wasn’t expecting anyone to be in the house when she got home, which meant that she stopped short at the sight of Caleb standing in the middle of the hallway. It was a good thing she was so accustomed to his presence – he was renting the house next door, after all – or she might have socked him in the nose before thinking better of it.
“Caleb, what the fu- oh.” On second glance, his eyes were glossed over, his shoulders were trembling slightly, and there was a crumpled piece of paper in one of his hands. This was not a social visit.
Beau sighed, kicked off her shoes, dumped her bag on a hook by the door and closed the distance.
“Hey, snap out of it man,” she said, waving a hand in front of Caleb’s face. “You’re here, you’re safe, icky-thong’s better than dead, yada yada. Whatever’s spooked you, just talk to me about it, dude. Did Astrid ambush you or something? Did you set something on fire?”
Caleb’s eyes gazed blankly into the middle-distance, and Beau sighed again.
“Right, we’re going to have some fucking tea. Come on.” She steered Caleb towards the kitchen, his feet moving robotically until she sat him down at one of bar stools she’d scavenged instead of a kitchen table, turning away only long enough to light the stove and put the kettle on.
That done, she turned back to Caleb, whose hand had tightened even further around the piece of expensive-looking parchment. “Give me that.” It was harder than she expected to pry Caleb’s fingers loose, but eventually she got him to relinquish the sheet with minimal damage to it, and straightened out the wrinkles on the kitchen counter. It was a letter, official-looking and written in Common, but with the seal of the dynasty very clearly at the bottom.
Dear Mr Widogast of the Mighty Nein, Heroes of the Dynasty,
We are writing to express our profound regrets and apologies with regards to a matter we believe to be quite close to your collective hearts. As the prime instigators of the peace talks and vocal advocates for cessation of hostilities, we have much to thank you for including the lives of many soldiers and civilians who would have been casualties had the war continued as it was going. We believe you have a vested interest in peace, and we hoped the trade of prisoners and the return of the Beacon would bring an end to the war for good, however it has now come to our attention that some of the information we had at the time was false, and for the good of the Dynasty and the peace of the Empire we intend to act on it swiftly.
The individual in question is one well-known to you all, which is why we write this letter personally to you and the other members of the Mighty Nein whose whereabouts could be found. Please believe that we had no prior knowledge of this individual’s treason, and did not intend to put you all in danger through your ongoing correspondence. Please take this letter as a sign of good faith and an assurance of your continued welcome in the Dynasty going forward.
That stated, it is with deepest regret that we inform you that Shadowhand Essek Thelyss has been found a traitor, guilty of stealing two Luxon Beacons and providing them to the Cerberus Assembly, thus igniting the war. He is currently held in the Dungeon of Penance, and two weeks hence on Misuthar 11, will begin the 10 day Death March to the Southern Execution Post in the Xhorhasian Wastes, where his life shall be ended beyond the reach of the Light.
The Mighty Nein is cordially invited to this event as honoured guests, to begin in Rosohna and join the procession south, culminating in the execution. Given your outspoken values, we have no doubt you are experiencing feelings of betrayal on learning this knowledge, and we pray that you will find the closure you deserve.
Light be with you,
Signed,
Leylas Kryn, The Bright Queen
Beau stared at the letter for several seconds after reading it, then breathed very slowly, “Fuuuuuuck…”
She looked back up at Caleb, and suddenly saw that his eyes had focused on her, and there were tears running down his face.
It was easy to step forward and wrap her arms around Caleb’s scrawny torso and pull him into an awkward hug, holding it silently until he slowly, awkwardly reciprocated. His hands were shaking.
“I’m so sorry, Caleb,” she said softly, genuine empathy in her voice for once. “I…at least we know he’s alive, for now. And you realise we’re busting him out, right? Like, there’s no other way this can go. I know it sucks for now, but once you’re a member of the Mighty Nein, you’re in for good, and we don’t leave family behind.”
Caleb’s hands tightened against her back, and he sniffed into her shoulder, finally letting himself show his emotion. Beau rubbed her hands up and down his back comfortingly. She wasn’t good at comfort or emotions generally, but she could deal with Caleb. That was familiar territory.
“We’re going to figure this out,” she assured him. “We’re going to get him back.”
Caleb sniffled. “I just never thought that…that this would be how we found out,” he said between shaky breaths. “How many days has it been? He promised…he promised he’d run. He promised he’d run.”
“Guess they didn’t give him the chance,” said Beau flatly. “Look, it was his choice to stay in Eiselcross for another few months rather than fake his death and get the fuck out, so stop fucking blaming yourself. It doesn’t matter what you could have done, it only matters what you do next.” She pulled back abruptly, gripping his shoulders in her hands and forcing him to meet her eyes. “So what are you going to do next, Caleb Widogast?”
Caleb’s teeth ground together for a moment, and then he spat, “I’m going to fucking get my boyfriend back.”