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“GET UP!” Astarion screams. “EISLIE! Get up damn you!”
Eislie doesn’t move. She had told her father, the Lord of Murder, Bhaal himself, “no.” She rejected his gifts. She told him she had a family. “I don’t need any of this. The only family I know are those who fight by my side” Eislie told Bhaal.
Astarion watches as she is forced into the air, body constricted, twisting and spasming. Astarion watches as Bhaal removes the Slayer from Eislies body. He is helpless to do anything. He watcheds in horror as Bhaal drains every last drop of life out of her.
He screams at her again. Bhaal has him and the others held in place, forcing them to watch his macabre show of death. Astarion is terrified. Every muscle in his body screaming to move. He needs to get to Eislie. He fights against the spell and is finally free.
Astarion runs to Eislie and falls to his knees. He reaches out to touch her, praying she opens her eyes. She is just there, still as death. Astarion pulls her into his lap, cradling her, stroking her hair. Then the tears came.
“Please wake up. Eislie… open your eyes. Gods, please don’t take her from me. Please give her back” Astarion begs. Tears flowing down his face. Shadowheart and Gale stand nearby, speechless, as they watched their friend dissolve into something they’ve never seen.
“Astarion, she’s gone” Shadowheart says to him, choking back her tears.
Astarion snaps his eyes up and glares at her. “No! NO! She can’t be! This is all a bad and horrible nightmare!” Astarion looks back down on Eislie “she’ll wake up. She has to. She promised me forever…”
As Astarion moves to gather up Eislie, he hears a familiar voice. “Lay her down, gently. Her story is not over” Wither says from behind Astarion.
Astarion gently lays Eislie on the ground.
“Thou hath defied Bhaal, thy liege and father, and in doing so hast earned a place among champions and heroes. But, alas, thy courage was in opposition to the divine cosmology that bound thee to the Lord of Murder”* Wither says while walking around Eislie’s body. Astarion looks from Eislie’s dead body to Withers, pleading with his eyes for him to bring her back.
“Thou are now faithless-godless-and doomed to wander the Fugue Plane for eternity. I will not permit that, though all the powers of life and death dictate that it should be so”* Withers continues on. Astarion is suddenly aware that he’s been holding his breath and looks at Withers again.
“I, too, still hold some power, and I invest a portion of it in thee, who challenged the gods and now liveth to tell of it. Thy fight is not over, and it is thy fight, for one who can look upon Bhaal and oppose him can survive any crisis. So rise, Challenger of Gods, and prepare for battle once more. Death will not claim thee while I endure” Withers finishes, pouring power and life into Eislie’s body.
Eislie twitches and squirms. She suddenly sits bolt upright and reels back, grabbing her head. She opens her eyes and sees Withers. He nods at her and moves to the side revealing Astarion. As soon as Astarion sees Eislie he crawls over to her.
Holding her face in his hands he stares at her “you’re, you’re alive. You’re here” and he leans down to kiss Eislies forehead. Eislie just nods and holds his hands to her face.
Eislie looks at Withers and smiles. “Thank you” she manages to say. “But I don’t understand. I, I don’t deserve to live after everything I’ve done” she manages to say with her eyes brimming with tears.
“The sole way to atone for thine actions is to do better, in a new dawn. That Dawn has come. The heart of a savior hath overshadowed the mind of a murderer. Thou hath vanquished thine Urge” Withers tell Eislie.
“I’ll do better” Eislie says and then looks at Astarion and whispers to him “for the most part” and slyly smiles at him. Astarion holds back a laugh and pulls her closer to him.
“Don’t you ever do that again. I can’t lose you. I refuse to lose you” Astarion says while looking Eislie in the eye. “I love you”.
“Everyone’s favorite little words…” Eislie says to him. She looks him in the eye and tells him “I love you, for eternity”.
“Come on you two” Gale says. “You both might like romance in a pool of blood but I’ve had quite enough of all of this” he looks around “red mess”.
“I quite agree” Shadowheart says. “Anyway, I think Eislie deserves a good rest in a soft bed”.
Astarion scoops Eislie up. “I can walk Astarion” she says.
“I can carry you, pet. You won’t win this argument, so don’t try” Astarion says while climbing up the stairs.
“Yes, sir” Eislie says while resting her head against his chest. She dozes off and wakes up back in her and Astarion’s bed.
“How long have I been asleep?” She asks Astarion.
“Hours. I’ve been here reading, passing the time. How are you feeling?”
“Tired and sore. I thought I’d feel better but I don’t know. I feel empty” Eislie says.
“You’ve died twice in the past 2 weeks. Once by my hand and now by Daddy Dearest. Of course you’re tired and sore. But I don’t have an answer for the empty part. Maybe I can help you figure it out” Astarion says as he climbs onto the bed to cuddle with Eislie. He pulls her onto his chest and sighs contentedly.
“You’re happy” Eislie says “and you didn’t even drink my blood.” Eislie pokes Astarion in the ribs and giggles.
“I think the empty is from not knowing, to knowing, to finally being free to be who I want. I’ve never known anything other than the urges. Even waking up on the Nautiloid I had the intense urges. Now I’m free to choose what I want to do” Eislie tries to explain.
“And.. what do you choose, pet?” Astarion cocks an eyebrow at Eislie.
“That’s simple. I choose to sin beautifully with you” Eislie says as she leans forward to kiss Astarion.
Astarion stops her and holds her chin. Looking into her eyes he just smiles, tilts her head to the side and bites.
Eislie sighs in response. “Beautifully sin with My Vampire Lord…”. She closes her eyes as Astarion takes her, body and soul, and lays claim.