Work Text:
Taki maneuvered through Baldur’s Gate’s streets with agile familiarity. Glancing over his shoulder, he breathed in relief to see that he was no longer being tracked by the group of guild kids.
At that moment, he turned a sharp corner and slammed directly into a solid figure with a startled yelp. Peering up, his heart froze. Looking down at him with polite curiosity was a high elf, dressed impeccably in flowing robes. His ethereal face was framed by light-colored hair that reached just above his shoulders. Taki swore the dirt on the ground skirted around the elf, as if he had an invisible barrier surrounding him.
“Apologies!” Taki said, bowing.
“No harm here,” the elf responded with a wave of his wrist. “What is your name? Where are your parents? You shouldn’t be wandering the streets alone, it’s dangerous.” His gaze dropped to Taki’s bare feet, soles soot black and calloused, and he furrowed his brows.
“I’m Taki,” the young boy answered, “and I'm 12. I live in the Maison-Dieu orphanage.” He repeated the lie the leaders coached him to use with outsiders. In reality, the Maison-Dieu was a dilapidated storage house on the outskirts of Baldur’s Gate stuffed to the brim with waywards and pickpockets and serving as the base for one of the most infamous thieves’ guilds in the city.
At that moment, Taki did something peculiar; he told the elf his real name. If the leaders ever found out, he’d be punished, maybe even thrown out onto the streets and deemed a liability. In the guild, real names were like a currency, and everyone went by an alias. If someone knew your name, they had power over you.
However, something about the elf compelled Taki to be honest. A flicker of trust sparked.
“Nice to meet you, Taki. My given name is Yudai, but my friends and family call me Kei. Let me make sure you get home safely.” He paused, glancing at Taki’s bare feet again. “But first, let’s get you some proper footwear. Your poor feet must hurt from having to walk on the gravel and stone.”
It felt nice to hear his real name. Taki can’t remember the last time he had.
He watched in awe as Kei purchased a pair of leather boots for him from a local merchant. It was the first thing that someone had ever bought for him.
“Here, try these on.” Kei handed Taki the shoes.
Taki hugged the boots close to his chest before slipping them on. They fit perfectly.
Kei observed the young boy before speaking. “Taki, do you want to go back to the orphanage? You can be honest with me.”
Taki shook his head furiously, tears welling up in his eyes. “Don’t take me back there! It’s a bad place!”
Kei crouched down so he was eye level with the young boy and gently wiped away the tears that began to fall down Taki’s cheeks. “Don’t worry, I won’t. You can come with me, if you’d like. I live in a smaller city a few days' journey from here called Darake. I have a spare bedroom, and there are plenty of children in the village that you can play with. How does that sound?”
Taki looked at Kei appraisingly. Growing up in a thieves' guild had taught him a thing or two about reading people. The leaders required them to be able to detect basic deception— shifting eyes, stuttering, and awkward gestures were some of the classic tells. Kei exhibited none of them. Instead, he looked at Taki with such unhurried patience that it made the young boy shyly avert his eyes.
Taki could not remember the last time he had a warm meal or a bed that wasn’t threadbare blankets on the dirt floor. Visions of clean clothes, a glowing hearth, and domesticity filled his mind. All of it had always been a dream to Taki, something that he wished and prayed for at night when the others were asleep.
“Yes, please! Can I come?” Taki bounced on his toes.
Kei smiled at Taki’s enthusiastic response. “I need to return to the inn I’m staying at to tidy up a few loose ends. After that, we can get started on the journey home.”
Home. The word bloomed inside of Taki’s chest.
“What about the leaders— I mean the orphanage people?” Taki questioned as the two made their way through the bustling city streets to Kei’s lodgings.
Kei smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it. I'll take care of everything."
In Darake, everything was as Kei promised. Taki had clean clothes, his own bed, three meals a day, and attended lessons.
The two of them quickly fell into a comfortable pattern. Taki would rush home after his studies, eager to tell Kei everything he learned that day. Kei listened attentively, humming and commenting at the appropriate parts. In the spring, they caught and released toads at the nearby pond, and, during the cold months, they huddled near the hearth under furs with mugs of tea.
In the guild, Taki was the only one of an elven lineage, a half-elf to be exact.
“Don’t worry, I will teach you,” Kei reassured him when Taki teared up one night after repeatedly stumbling over the Elvish phrase Kei was teaching him. “There is no such thing as a true elf, there just simply is. Don’t worry, I am here.”
Kei read him all the classic elven tales of heroes, adventure, and romance. Taki grew his hair long, and Kei would braid it while humming traditional refrains. Kei showed him how to brew simple tonics and treatments. Eventually, Elvish came as easily to Taki as Commonspeech.
Kei also taught him about the world.
“You live in a very special city, Taki,” Kei told him once in a reverent tone. “Darake is a pilgrimage site for many elves throughout Faerûn.”
“Why is that?” Taki asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
Kei sifted through the chest besides his writing desk before pulling out a scroll. He placed it down on the table. Rolling it out, Taki saw that it was a map of Darake and the surrounding woodlands.
“This,” Kei said, pointing at the large swath of wooded area, “is the Emberwood Forest. It is under the protection of a druid grove headed by the Kim family. There is powerful ancient magic in the forest. It breathes life into every creature, tree, and blade of grass. You must show it respect, and it will respect you in turn.”
Taki nodded, soaking in every piece of wisdom Kei shared with him.
A few years later, Fuma entered Taki’s life. He and Kei had met in Darake’s City Watch, and, between night patrols and morning drills, their friendship transformed into love.
Kei was Taki’s confidant, his hero, his family, and he was fiercely protective. Taki observed Fuma cautiously, tiptoeing around him like an easily startled cat.
However, Fuma was a steady presence. He didn’t push Taki to accept him or open up. Instead, he helped Kei with the chores, took turns cooking meals, and taught Taki how to hunt small game like squirrels and rabbits.
“I’ll never rush you,” he said to Taki once. “Just know that I’m here if you ever need me.”
Over the years, Taki learned to trust Fuma, and he was content with their little family.
Small is safe, he told himself. This is good, steady. No more changes. Change brings unforeseen elements.
The inevitable entered Taki’s life in the shape of a human boy with calloused hands and a gentle heart.
_______
_______
“Please, Taki!”
“Maki, I’ve explored Emberwood plenty of times, so have you.” Taki doesn’t take his eyes off of the laundry he’s cleaning in the stream. He’s wearing his hair up today and feels the sun’s heat starting to warm the back of his neck. He would love to finish the wash before it’s at its peak.
However, Maki is currently serving more as a distraction than assistance. He is off duty from the City Watch today and wearing light linen clothes to match the warmer weather, which includes a sleeveless top that displays his arms, and Taki knows his gaze lingers.
“We have not been there together.” Maki emphasizes the last word. His blonde, almost-white hair shines in the sunlight.
“I don’t know what your fascination is with that place.” Taki shakes his head, but a smile overtakes his face. His boyfriend believes in two types of firsts: doing something for the first time and then doing something together for the first time.
“That place? You say it as if it's any random forest along the coast!” Maki says in a mock affronted tone. “Haven’t you heard the stories? The rumors?” He flops down on the grass next to Taki.
Taki rolls his eyes playfully. “Have you ever been around Kei? Of course, I’ve heard the stories.” Anyone who spends longer than a few hours with the elf knows his love of the forest and the tales surrounding it.
Maki leans in as if sharing a secret. “Have you heard about the Tree of the Sealed Soul?”
As Kei tells the tale, long ago there was an elf and dryad who were deeply in love. War broke out along the Sword Coast, and the large stretch of land from Waterdeep to Baldur’s Gate spun into turmoil. As the war spread, it made its way inland to Darake, and, by extension, the Emberwood Forest. The elf did everything they could to protect the dryad’s tree, its life source, but a dragon tore through, and that piece of the forest went up in flames. The dryad’s tree, almost completely burnt, was the last one standing in the grove amongst the destruction.
Heartbroken by the dryad’s death, the elf dedicated the rest of their days to rehabilitating the tree and the surrounding area. When the elf eventually passed, they were buried next to the tree. As Darakian lore goes, if you lay your head on the dirt next to the tree at the exact spot, you will hear the elf’s heart beating, soulbound to the tree and guarding the grove.
Turning to face Maki, Taki asks, “Why do you bring it up?”
“Let’s go find it!” Maki’s excitement is palpable.
Taki tilts his head. “Where is this coming from? The tree chooses when to reveal itself. We can’t guarantee that it will even appear for us.” Nobody knows the exact location of the tree other than the head of the druid grove; it’s a secret passed down the druid grove leadership line like a precious heirloom. The other grove members only know its general location.
Maki rests his head on Taki’s shoulder. “And we’ll never know if it’ll choose to reveal itself unless we go looking for it. Aren’t you curious?” He turns his head slightly to gently blow air onto Taki’s neck, causing the half-elf to squirm at the ticklish sensation.
“Maki!”
Maki smiles up at Taki, dimples showing. “Please?” He lifts his head and presses a soft kiss to Taki’s lips.
“Okay, okay! I’ll go with you. Just stop distracting me from the wash or else you’ll have to explain to Kei why he doesn’t have a clean uniform to wear.”
“Kei loves me!”
Taki snorts. “That doesn’t matter. He’ll make you run extra drills.”
Maki chuckles before kissing Taki again. He takes notice of the sun’s position in the sky, cursing under his breath.
“I have to report back to the barracks. You, me, and the woods tomorrow!” Maki says before jogging up the hill that leads to the road back into the city. When he reaches the top, he turns around and waves one more time before disappearing from view.
After Taki finishes the wash, he packs up and starts the walk home. Turning onto the main road where the serene countryside melts into the lively city, Taki spots his friend, Harua. The tiefling is relaxing on a bench, seemingly not in a rush anywhere. He waves when he sees Taki.
“I thought you were all wanted back at the barracks? Maki left in a hurry,” Taki comments, stopping in front of him.
Harua smiles, smug. “Oh no, Maki is doing extra work by picking up shifts on his day off. I think he wants to get promoted.” His grin widens. “I think he’s trying to impress a certain someone.”
Taki feels heat rise in his cheeks. “I don’t know why he would do that. I’m not with him because of his position in the City Watch.”
Harua hums, standing up and stretching like a cat after a long nap in the sun. “That doesn’t mean he’s not going to try.”
“Well, I’ll always be proud of him as I hope he is of me.”
“You two lovebirds.” Harua clicks his tongue, but there is no real heat behind his words. “Gone are the days when we’d get through a meal without excessive hand-holding and mooneyes.”
Taki laughs. “You are trying to distract from the fact that a certain performer doesn’t notice all your pining and dramatic sighing from across the tavern.”
Harua lets out a cry and smacks Taki’s shoulder before the two of them dissolve into fits of laughter. They spend the rest of the walk back to town swapping stories and gossip with their heads bent.
_______
_______
Taki has always loved the night sky.
In Baldur’s Gate, he rarely saw the stars. He’d lay on the floor in a windowless room in the Maison-Dieu, painting a picture of twinkling lights against an ink black canvas behind closed eyelids.
Since coming to Darake, Taki has turned his eyes upwards every night.
He wondered if the stars ever got lonely. He even asked Maki that question once. They were thirteen years of age, and Maki was the first friend he ever made.
“Lonely?” Maki repeated, mulling over the word. “I don't think that really exists here.”
Taki’s face crumpled with confusion. “What do you mean? Loneliness exists everywhere.”
“Not really here, no. I’ve already told the trees about you.”
“Huh? What are you even saying?”
“We do it for everyone who lives in Darake. I’m sure Kei has done it for you, too. We tell your name to a tree in Emberwood. Think of the tree as your watchful guardian, so you always have something looking out for you. We protect the forest, and the forest protects us in return. It’s deep magic, so ancient that only the members of the druid grove understand its depths. Even if you leave the city, the tree will remember. They always do. It’ll miss you. The trees know about the stars, too. The stars are older than anything in Faerûn.”
Taki’s mind swirled with a thousand questions. He picked one. “How do you know which tree is your protector?”
“They say it’ll reveal itself to you one day. I think we’ll figure it out when we get older. That’s what my father says, at least.”
Taki sat in silence for a few beats. When he spoke, his voice came out a soft whisper. “And this helps you not be lonely?”
Maki nodded his head. “How can I be lonely when a guardian of the forest is watching me and wishing for a safe passage?" He sensed Taki’s lingering hesitation and poked his cheek. “Hey, why the serious face? Don’t worry, I will also remember you. No matter where you are. I’ll make sure you’re never lonely again, Taki. You're my best friend.”
Seven years after that conversation, Taki looks up at the sky. The stars twinkle back at him in silent encouragement. He follows Maki into the forest without a second glance back.
“Jo told me we’d have a better chance of finding the tree after dusk. Says it likes the shadows,” Maki mentions after a few minutes of silence as they go deeper into the forest. He’s carrying a hooded lantern in one hand and a scrap of parchment with Jo’s familiar markings in the other.
Jo is a long-time friend of Maki and Taki. He resides within the druid grove in Emberwood, venturing into town weekly to sell his drawings and paintings at the local market. When he heard of their plan, he immediately sketched a rough map of the location of The Tree of the Sealed Soul.
“I don’t know the exact coordinates, but this will point you in the right direction. Then it’s up to the tree to decide if it'll reveal itself,” Jo had said.
However, as time passes, the woods blend together, and there still is no sight of this mystical tree. Maki’s muttering under his breath grows louder.
Taki follows a few paces behind Maki, absorbing the natural scenery. He pauses by a patch of Selûne’s Tear and picks two flowering buds delicately. Even in the night light, the dark blue petals are prominent.
Peculiar, he thinks to himself. I have never seen these in Emberwood before.
“Hey,” he calls out softly to Maki, who stops in his tracks immediately. “Here.” Taki slips one of the flowers behind Maki’s ear and then places the other behind his own. He gently kisses Maki’s nose and the furrow between his boyfriend’s brows melts away. “It’s okay if we don’t find it. We can always try another day.”
Maki sighs. “I know… I was just excited.”
“I know, love I know.”
Maki groans in frustration, sitting down on the jutting root of a nearby tree. “Sorry for dragging you all the way out here. I don’t want to keep looking as it may get too dark, and we should find our way back to Darake soon.”
Taki nods. “But first, come here.” Taki sits down on the grass. “Let's lay our backs against the ground, even for a little bit, and look up at the stars, since we’re all the way out here anyway. The view will be clearer without the interference of the city lights.” He pats the ground beside him and Maki moves so that they are lying down with their arms pressed side-by-side.
Maki reaches out for Taki’s hand and threads their fingers. They lay in silence for a few minutes, breath syncopated and eyes turned upwards.
“Tell me something about you. About your life before.”
The implication of before Darake hangs in the air.
Taki blinks slowly as his mind is flooded with memories. The stars above him twinkle in silent encouragement.
“We all had aliases in the guild. Common practice for a group of rogues. I knew very few people’s real names. I was called Songbird.”
“Why Songbird?”
Taki smiles, equal parts joy and sadness, and his eyes grow misty. “I used to sing all the time. Little melodies and snippets of what I heard street performers playing. Nothing special. But it helped me pass the time.”
“Would you ever consider singing again?”
“I hadn’t considered it, at least until now... Maybe. Things seem possible again.”
“You know what I think, Taki?”
“What?”
“I think you’re the bravest person I ever met.”
Taki snorts. “Bravest? I’m not sure about that. Kei is brave. So is Fuma. All of you who work for the City Watch, you’re the brave ones.”
“I knew you were the bravest person ever since the day I met you,” Maki says with such sincerity that Taki’s heart swells with affection.
“The day you met me? That scrappy twelve-year-old child?” Taki giggles at the image alone.
“Exactly! You had traveled all the way from Baldur’s Gate. You were just a child, yet you had the courage and desire to build a new life for yourself. I could see it in your eyes that day. You must’ve been so scared, nervous, excited, all of those feelings combined and more. Yet, you introduced yourself at the front of the classroom with such confidence and positivity. You had this massive smile on your face…” Maki trails off, deep in thought.
Taki thinks back to his childhood self. All sharp angles and ragged edges, built to protect himself. At that point in his life, Taki thought he wanted space. He thought that was how he’d be safe.
Maki has become the exception to that. He taught Taki that loving others and letting that love be returned is what protects him.
Taki squeezes Maki’s hand. “I love you. Thank you for letting me love you.”
Maki breaks into a wide grin, and he turns his head to face Taki. “Of course, I made that promise to you all those years ago, remember? I love you, too.”
Taki smiles, kissing Maki’s palm before letting their hands gently fall apart. Turning onto his side, Taki presses an ear to the ground.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
A beating heart.