♡ Iri Sunglade

Baldur's March 2024 Prompt (Day 1): What are Tav's parents like?

This letter is aged, but well protected against the weathers of exploration. You read the brief contents once more and palm a protective tube of brass with your other hand. You lightly brush your fingers along the sides of it to feel the intricate Evereska engravings on each end, one of the few things you brought from your former home. It's been months since your last correspondence with your parents, and that knowledge weighs heavily on your mind. You don't notice Astarion behind you, as you're still lost in your sea of thoughts.

"Are you alright?" His voice drips with concern, and he notices your now trembling hand, which is still holding the letter. His lips purse ever so slightly, but he continues without missing a beat. "Our resident wizard needs to catch his breath before we continue to Moonrise, even with Karlach hoisting him on her shoulders. The atmosphere here is positively delightful, though. Lovely sightseeing."

He's being sarcastic, but the temperament of the Underdark² is beautiful to you in a way that Evereska could never be. You think that finding a friendly myconid colony is on the top of your crazy-shit-only-in-Faerûn list so far. You vaguely notice a dwarf covered in fungi trigger a nearby pocket of haste spores, which causes you to sneeze. You wipe your nose and shake your head at his earlier question.

You turn to face him, with the hope that the smile you're thinking to do is actually on your face. "I'm fine, thank you."

The letter is caressed into a familiar shape, and you neatly slide it back into the tube you're still holding. You're unsure if you should say more. Astarion hasn't talked about his past much with his parents pointedly unmentioned. And you have wondered about them; surely they're still living, but... Have they moved on from their child after years of the unknown having claimed their memories of him? Would yours, if you turned?

"You don't seem all yourself, my dear. Was the parchment in your hand something of concern?" His tone is guarded, but inquisitive. He's unsure if he's overstepped a boundary, and that makes you uncomfortable. You want to be more open with Astarion, and hope that in time, he can find sanctuary with you as well.

"The letter I was holding is from my parents. I haven't been able to send them anything in a while, especially with all of this tadpole business going on. I wonder how they'd react if I told them about a crazy bard who wanted to scoop my eye out." You can't help but smile at the thought. Your parents were always a touch overprotective of their only daughter.

You wear a knotted pouch on your left thigh under your robes, and this is where the tube resides. You slip it inside its protective leather, and your multicolored eyes meet Astarion's rubied irises afterwards. He looks like he wants to extend a hand to you, but quickly thinks otherwise. Instead, he poses a question.

"What are your parents like?"

He sounds genuinely curious. You decide that if he's the one asking, that he's okay with parents being discussed in general. You thumb the side of your satin robes and try to brush aside a creeping feeling of embarrassment, as you sit down on a hardened mushroom cap.

"They're kind. Selfless. I was a bit of an oddity on account of these," you respond, tapping the side of your forehead, your fingertips meeting not skin, but scales. "But they loved me anyway. And when I said I wanted to leave the walls I grew up in, they understood and didn't argue when others did. They always encouraged me to find out my own answers."

Astarion sits besides you, and it doesn't escape your notice how intimate the distance between you and him is. "They... do sound like decent folk."

"They are." You pause thoughtfully. "I think they'd like you, you know."

Astarion's eyes widen, but he recovers with a sly grin. "I dare say I'm one of the monsters that little elven children are warned about."

"People said the same about me. Being descended from a dragon isn't entirely made of perks." You shrug. "They fear what they don't understand. The two of us are similar in that way."

Astarion concededly hums in response, and a peaceful silence fills the air. Eventually you notice Gale and Karlach approaching in the distance, or more accurately, Gale being able to stand on his own, albeit shakily. Karlach must have found him something to absorb. After a brief recap, your party is ready to leave. Your mind wanders back to your parents as you say goodbye to Blurg and Omeluum. You wonder when you will be able to send them a letter again.

Comments

¹ These are actually the real words of mother and father in the Elvish Faerûn language, as confirmed by Ed Greenwood. I thought that was cool to see people asking him stuff and he responds in kind.

² This is set during Act 1, as our heroes are making their way to the Shadow-Cursed Lands via the Underdark.

Original prompt: Baldur's March.