Hello my dear! Another part just for you. Grab the nachos quickly because the chapter is going to be very cheesy again
!! 20 year or so old spoiler!! Didn't it piss you off that the main character in the game couldn't be resurrected while Imoen didn't have this problem? Not cool Bioware... Not cool at all.
Enjoy!
Warning: adult conent, graphic violence, blood and injury, child abuse.
It was close to evening. The city was slowly slowing down and getting ready to finish the another day, although it really had no intention of falling asleep. The local shops and stands were already closed, but the business in the local taverns was just getting started. The kitchens smelled of roasting meat, and waitresses delivered drinks on trays to the growing number of guests. The inn named The Copper Coronet, located in the slums of Athkatla, was no different. In the crowded common room, despite the early hour, it was already loud and noisy and almost every table was occupied. Esme and the rest of the party sat at one of the tables in the corner, eating dinner together. After reaching the inn after a long journey and a relaxing hot bath, everyone was in good spirits and chatting happily.
Anomen looked with amusement at Esme, sitting next to him, who was just pouring herself another portion of stew.
"Indeed, my lady, I don't know where you put it all," said Helmite, shaking his head.
Esme still holding the spoon in her mouth hearing her name looked up from the bowl in surprise.
"Hmm?"
"Anomen meant that this is your third portion," added Yoshimo, sipping a beer from a mug and pointing at Minsc. „You eat as much as our big guy over here".
Esme finally swallowed her bite and shrugged.
"I'm just hungry. For almost two days we only ate dried meat, bread and cheese. I need to get energy from something", she added smiling broadly and she put a large piece of bread in her mouth.
"Or maybe you are a space hamster in disguise, because with your mouth full you look almost the same as he does," Yoshimo laughed, pointing to Boo sitting on the table. Hamster was crunching with enthusiasm a bread crust three times bigger than himself.
"Ah, I don't even dare to dream of being as great as our fearless Boo!" Esme laughed. Hearing his name, the hamster looked up from his tasty dinner and squealed loudly.
"But since we're talking about being great, I'd like to toast for all of us," said the kensai, lifting her cup, "In the Umar Hills, we really did our best and did a good job. You are amazing! Cheers!"
„ Cheers!" Everyone exclaimed, happily lifting their drinks.
The entire team celebrated and chatted merrily for the rest of the evening, making plans for next days and chatting about the possible tasks and equipment they needed to buy. Eventually, around 10 PM, after a few drinks, everyone began to slowly feel tired. Jaheira stretched, trying to suppress a yawn.
„It's time for me. I'm going to say my evening prayers and go to bed", she said.
„Minsc and Boo too. Even fearless hamsters need sleep. Good night", added the ranger and together with the druid they got up from their seats.
„I'm coming too" Edwin said. I want to study one of the scrolls we found. A spell on it may prove useful (I will certainly become even more powerful with it)".
Esme, who was sitting snuggled to Anomen, waved them goodbye.
„Sleep well. See you tomorrow morning".
„Do you want to stay a little longer, my lady?" Anomen asked. Esme turned her head to look at him and smiled slightly.
„No, I think I have enough for today. But I can keep you company if you want to hang out a little longer. I don't mind", she added looking at him and Yoshimo.
The thief shook his head and tilted his mug.
„Don't wait for me. I'll finish my beer and go upstairs as well."
„Alright. Good night then. I will escort you to your room, my lady", said the knight, rising from the table and giving Esme a hand. The girl welcomed it with a smile on her face, she said goodbye to Yoshimo, who nodded goodbye. She and Anomen walked together towards the stairs leading upstairs and then to the end of the corridor, where Esme's room was. As she stood in front of the door and tried to turn the key in a lock, she felt the cleric's hands encircling her from behind. He kissed her neck and purred softly into her ear.
„I love it when you are in a good mood, my lady. You look exceptionally beautiful, when you are happy".
Esme finally opened the door and turning to face Anomen she threw her arms around his neck.
„Yes, today is a very pleasant day and I don't want it to be over yet. We rarely have the opportunity to spend time together, just the two of us" She said looking into his eyes and then kissing him. Anomen responded to her kiss and embracing her waist pressed her tightly against him.
„I agree with you, my dear" He said when their lips finally parted. Somewhere to the right, at the far end of the corridor, they could hear the voices of men brawling loudly about something. Esme looked in that direction and then pulled Anomen to follow her into the room.
„Close the door. Here we will be able to talk more freely, away from the noise and ears of others" she said.
Anomen nodded and slowly entered closing the door behind him. Esme walked over to the table to light the candles on it, but when she looked up she saw that Helmite was still standing by the door, watching her with a smile on his face.
„What is going on?" She asked a bit surprised. Anomen approached her slowly, looking at her carefully. He cupped her face in his hands and stroked her cheek with his thumb.
„Nothing, my dear. I just love looking at you. That's all" He replied.
„Oh, really?" Esme asked biting her lip „ What else do you love?"
„I love all of you, to be honest. I love the glow in your eyes when you smile and your surprised look when our eyes meet unexpectedly in a crowded place" he said kissing her after each sentence „I love that you are with me and I love to feel your presence next to me ... I love to feel your breath on me ... I love to kiss you ... touch you ... taste you" he whispered and then kissed her as if to prove the truth of his words. Anomen's kiss was hot and passionate and Esme responded instantly with the same impatience and enthusiasm. Her hands running down his broad back, struggled to find an anchor point to help her pull him even closer. Unexpectedly, Anomen picked her up with a quick movement. Esme wrapped her legs around his waist and he walked over to the bed against the wall and placed her carefully on top of it without breaking the kiss even for a moment. Since they both finally admitted their feelings, they spent much more time together, trying to take advantage of every spare moment. During overnight stays in the open air their blankets were always lying next to each other, and when everyone in the camp was asleep, they both tried to enjoy each other as much as possible. Their kisses and caresses became bolder with time and their hands wandered under their clothes in search of naked skin and yet undiscovered areas. But the presence of sleeping comrades nearby was always a bit embarrassing, and the prospect of a quiet room reserved only for them now enjoyed both of them. Esme broke the kiss and, panting heavily, looked at Anomen lying on top of her. Feeling how she was getting hot she took his face in her little hands and looking deep into his eyes she whispered:
„I love you, Anomen"
"Oh, Esme ..." he replied softly in a husky voice "I love you too. In my miserable life I have never met and probably will never meet a woman like you ... You are the fulfillment of my dreams. "
„ I want to spend this night with you" she confessed shyly „I don't want to wait any longer".
„You don't even know how much I dreamed about it, Esme. I will be happy to take you in my arms and prove to you the truth of my feelings" replied Anomen. He got up and quickly took off his shirt, showing Esme his bare torso. Girl had seen him without the top of his clothes before, and his athletic build and broad shoulders always made her heart beat faster. She swallowed loudly only now realizing how dry her throat was.
"I like what I see, even very much," she said. Anomen smiled.
"I am glad, my dear that my body is attractive to you," he replied.
"Oh yes," she said, trying to relax a little. Even though she was sure that she would not regret taking this serious step with Anomen, she was a bit nervous, not quite knowing what to do. As if reading her mind, Helmite bent down and looked deep into her eyes.
„ Do not be nervous. Let me lead you this time, my love, even if I don't have much experience myself" he said and kissed her gently. Esme felt small, vulnerable, but at the same time safe when he was so close. For the first time in a long time, she had given control to someone else. Her hands wandered over Anomen's chest and back while his kisses and touch grew bolder with each passing moment. His lips began to move towards her ear and then down the nape of her neck while his hands began to wander under her clothes. Esme reluctantly felt Anomen tear his lips away from her.
"Let me, my dear," he said, and bit by bit he stripped off her clothes, until finally, a bit embarrassed, she lay completely naked in front of him. Esme saw Anomen's eyes darken with lust and he watched her closely.
"You are even more beautiful than I imagined," he said hoarsely. He quickly took off the rest of the clothes he was wearing and focused his full attention on Esme. Anomen marked and examined her all over with his mouth and tongue until she felt he hadn't left a single fragment that he wouldn't have kissed. He discovered and conquered every inch of her body with his hands, giving her chills, and finally, using his own body, he took her whole and made her his woman. She was breathing hard and moaning like never before in her life, feeling a new kind of pleasure welling up somewhere inside her body. Her breasts, stomach, thighs and every scrap of her skin begged for more, and finally unable to bear any more, she shouted his name out loud and Anomen followed her a moment later.
The moonlight cast a silver glow through the window on their sweaty bodies. Anomen covered them both with a blanket and hugged Esme tightly kissing her temple gently.
"It was wonderful," he said, "You are wonderful."
Esme smiled, still panting.
"If you lack experience, my dear, I can't wait until we get some more practice," she joked and they both laughed.
"I will be giving myself up to this training with the greatest pleasure," he replied.
"So do I," Esme agreed, and raised her head to look at her beloved. "I'm very happy. I love you"
"I love you too," he replied and kissed her again.
Esme and Anomen sat at a table waiting for the rest of their little team, drinking hot coffee brought by the waitress. Esme hummed one of her favorite tunes, moving lightly to the music she could hear in her head.
"It's definitely too early to be in such a good mood," she heard and saw Yoshimo yawning widely. He scratched the back of his head and sat down in an empty seat, grabbed the coffee pot and poured himself a full mug, yawning again.
„Good morning!" Esme said smiling broadly in his direction "I am sure you will catch my good humor in a moment despite such an early hour."
The thief looked at her skeptically and then at Anomen looking for an answer, but the cleric only raised his hands up.
„Really? And why is that?" Yoshimo asked, raising coffee mug to his lips.
Esme raised her hands up in which she was holding a knife and fork.
„Because they serve pancakes today !!!" She said excitedly.
"Oohh," Yoshimo raised his eyebrows up in amusement and replied, "I haven't eaten them for ages. You are right my friend. This morning just got a lot better."
„ Right?!" Esme smiled even wider. She felt that she was bursting with happiness and the pancakes were only a small addition that was supposed to make this sunny morning even more pleasant. She kissed her index finger and touched the tip of Anomen's nose.
„The day that started with pancakes is sure to be a good one" she said, mentally calling Anomen affectionately "Pancake".
Unfortunately, despite the delicious and fluffy pancakes poured generously with honey, the day took a very unpleasant direction. It all started with a conversation with the owner of The Copper Coronet Lehtinan, whom Esme secretly called Vulture, because of his thin and bony body. One sentence led to the next, the open door that had been closed so far revealed the hideous secret of the inn, dutifully hidden right under their noses. And so, despite the breakout of only 11 o'clock in the morning, the whole team was standing in the main hall where the bloody body of Lehtinan was lying on the floor, covered with a dirty sheet. Behind the counter stood pale-faced Bernard shaking his head and pouring rum into his cup, behind him two waitresses sobbed in the corner and a thin man sat at the table drinking a large mug of water. Esme stood opposite to the man, rubbing her forehead with her fingers, feeling unusually tense, despite Anomen's hands resting on her shoulders. Kensai took a deep breath and looked at the man sitting at the table.
"So you say there are more slaves ... And even children?" She asked.
The man swallowed the last sip of water, wiped his mouth, and nodded seriously.
"Yes," he replied.
Reactions like "Holy shit", "On Sylvanus" and "That's not alright" could be heard from the mouths of the teammates.
"Hendak ..." Esme asked cautiously, hoping that she remembered the name of the freed slave well. "Do you remember anything that could help us find these goddamn slave traders? We can't leave it like that."
Hendak looked her straight in the eye.
„Yes. Despite these long years, I remember perfectly well that the building from which I was brought here looked like a ship. They kept me and the others there. I etched this memory in my head very carefully, though I don't know if it will be good for something after such a long time".
The companions exchanged glances. There was only one building in the entire city that fit the description perfectly. There was no time to waste. After a quick explanation with the city guard, a few standard protection spells, and three disarmed traps later, Esme and her companions walked slowly from one room to another, listening carefully for any slave traders approaching. Yoshimo, who was leading the way, looking for cleverly hidden mechanisms that set off the traps, suddenly stopped, signaling the rest of the team to stop.
„What's happening?" Esme whispered, stepping closer and looking around carefully. Companion from Kara Tur pointed straight ahead and Esme's gaze fell on the cell door at the far end of the room. There were figures between the bars, and without thinking for a long time kensai tugged Yoshimo by the sleeve.
"Come on, let's free them as soon as possible," she urged. When the lock finally gave way and with a soft creak door opened, Esme cautiously stepped inside, feeling her throat tighten. The children in the cell were dirty and emaciated, huddled frightened in the farthest corner of the room and watched the new people intently with their watchful eyes. Esme stepped cautiously a little closer, crouched down so that she could see the children better, and said in a calm voice:
„Do not be afraid. We will not hurt you, we are here to set you free".
The children looked up in surprise. One of the older girls got up and carefully walked a few steps closer. Holding the hem of her dirty and torn dress, she looked at Esme closely.
„You're not gonna hurt us? Really?"
"Really," Esme said.
„You're taking us back to mom and dad, away from here?" She asked softly with tears in her eyes.
Esme nodded, trying not to fall apart as well. Slavery itself was below criticism, but it was disgusting to use children for it.
„What's your name?" She asked, "I'm Esme."
"G ... Grace ..." The girl replied, looking carefully at her and then at the rest of the team standing in the back. Kensai turned and pointed at her companions and smiled.
„These are my friends, they will help you get out of here. One of them is a real wizard and the other even has a space hamster"
Little Grace's face lit up with a smile and the rest of the children grew a little more animated. The two older boys came closer, watching the teammates carefully, while the rest of the children no longer cringed scared and began to slowly get up from the floor. Esme whispered to Grace and one of the boys closest to her, pointing at Anomen.
"And that tall knight is Helm's cleric. When we're out, we'll buy you a whole lot of sweets. You will be able to eat as much as you want, because even if you have a stomachache, he will heal you with magic" Kensai winked at now smiling children. Carefully, she got up and asked, "Are you ready to go?"
The boy next to Grace took a step back.
„What if the bad guys come back and want to take us back? They will definitely beat us up if they catch us. " He said staring at the floor and wiping his nose with his sleeve.
„What's your name?" The kensai asked.
"Tim," the little boy replied, looking up.
„Listen to me carefully, Tim. I promise you that we won't let them. You will never return to your cell again" Esme said and took the boy's hand to cheer him up. After a short moment she had an idea and took the amulet off her neck and hung it around the boy's neck „ If you are afraid that something will happen to you, this amulet will help you. It's enchanted."
The boy's eyes widened and he was delighted to see the amulet, turning it in his little fingers.
„ Really?"
Esme nodded.
„ Yes, it is. It is an amulet of regeneration. If anything happens, this amulet will help you and heal you. You don't have to worry about anything".
The little boy gripped the amulet in his hands as the most precious treasure and boldly nodded his head, ready to go. After a few minutes, the small group of children finally moved with Esme and the rest of the team forward. The children held hands tightly and walked slowly, looking around carefully. There was a disturbing silence throughout the building, and the team tried to move as quickly and as quietly as possible. Esme had the feeling that every creak of the wooden plank beneath their feet was spreading through the building all the way to the outside, but she still hoped they would be lucky. She wanted to take the children outside and hand them over to the city guards, who, judging after the time had passed, should have already appeared and circled the building as agreed. Then, when the children were safe, they would go back inside and finish off anything and everything that stood in their way in this damned place. But when they heard loud laughter from the room on the left and a moment later a group of slave traders appeared in the aisle, Esme gritted her teeth in irritation and cursed under her breath. The anger and hatred she felt towards the slave traders made a sick excitement arise somewhere deep within her. She imagined what she would do with them when she finally caught them, and a small part of her soul purred with satisfaction, rejoicing at the upcoming bloodshed, urging her to take out the sword as soon as possible. Now, however, that part groaned dissatisfied and disappointed with the turn of the situation. The presence of the children spoiled everything and it was necessary to think above all about their safety and it was impossible to get carried away by emotions and bloody fantasy. What a disappointment. Esme took a step back, stepping between the traders and the children. Next to her Jaheira did the same, clenching her hands tighter on her weapon.
„What the fuck is going on here?" Asked the tallest of the men, most likely their commander, looking at the entire group with a grimace on his face.
„No step further" Anomen said and together with Minsc they drew their weapons „We take the children and you will pay for your bestial crimes. The city guard circled the building, surrender and lay down your arms while you can".
The man raised his eyebrows up in surprise and then pointing at Anomen and Minsc with his finger to the rest of his gang laughed out loud. The rest of the men laughed too, echoing their captain. The trader shook his head and drew his sword grinning ugly.
„Look at it ... I guess you are really fucked up in your heads if you think that you will ruin my fucking business. Those of you who somehow survive will be great for new gladiators or whores" he said, then raised his sword higher and pointed at the frightened children with its end „I will teach you a lesson too, you little bastards".
Esme gritted her teeth and pulled her swords out, her body boiling with anger.
"Just try to touch them," she growled.
„You are asking for it!" The captain shouted and moved forward attacking, followed by the rest. The fight started. Yoshimo and Edwin attacked from a distance while Minsc and Anomen fought at the front. Esme fended off attacks and cut fiercely beside them while Jaheira cast spells at the same time. Esme stopped one of the attackers, ending his wicked life quickly with one of her swords, glad that the beast had already joined two of his dead buddies. Unfortunately, at the sight of another bloody body falling to the floor, the crying behind her back intensified. The children squealed frightened and, hugging each other, began to cry louder. One of the younger girls did not listen to the older children and, not wanting to cover her eyes, was shaking more and more.
„Do not look!" Grace said trying to calm her younger friend and trying to cover the horrible view. The girl started to cry even more and, throwing Grace's hands away, got up from the floor.
„Leave me! I'M SCARED! I WANT TO GO HOME!" She cried and rushed blindly to run towards the room on the other side of the room.
Esme turned towards the commotion.
„No! Wait!" She shouted after the escaping girl and started running after her. She quickly caught up with the little one and grabbed her hand to keep her in place.
„Just stop, don't run away!" The kensai said, but the panicked girl started to struggle even more and scream.
„NO! Leave me! LEAVE ME!" she cried trying to break free, to move forward again in the direction known only to her. At one point, her left foot stood on one of the planks and a loud * click * was heard. Esme's eyes widened at the sound. She grabbed the girl in an instant and, covering her with her own body, lunged forward. There was a loud bang all around, and she felt pain somewhere in her right side. Her ears were still ringing a little, but she tried to focus her attention on the girl still in her arms, who a bit in a shock finally stopped crying. Esme rose slowly from the floor and taking girl's face in her hands asked:
„Everything all right?" The girl nodded, unable to utter a word. Esme smiled slightly and looked around the room. The fight was still going on. Anomen had just managed to break through the slave commander's guard, which was slightly interrupted by the explosion of a triggered trap. Jaheira, who was just treating Yoshimo's injured arm turned to Esme, alerted by the noise. Kensai nodded and raised her hand to signal that everything was fine. Elf nodded in reply as well, and turned her attention again to her wounded Kara Turan comrade, who was clutching his arm with a grimace of pain on his face.
„Go back to the rest and I will help my companions" said Esme and rose from the floor. Little girl, not thinking twice ran back to the rest of the children. Kensai looked around a bit confused as she tried to find her swords and staggered unexpectedly. Surprised, she felt a warmth and touched her right side, noting that her hand was red with blood.
"Oh ..." she whispered surprised to herself. She felt her head spinning more and more and reached for the healing potion with her hand. She felt dizzy again, the narrow bottle slipped from her blood-wet fingers and shattered to small pieces. She fell to the floor a moment later. Some blurry silhouettes appeared above her, and someone seemed to be calling her name. Then everything went dark.
Eventually, the number of opponents decreased, and the only person who still resisted fiercely and remained alive was the captain of the slave traders. But when he finally fell to the floor and looking around, he noticed that only he remained, the confidence disappeared from his face. Anomen who was standing over him now stared at him intently, anger in his eyes.
„You will answer for your heinous deeds. We will hand you over to the city guard" said the cleric. The slaves trader reached down to his belt and held up a purse of money.
„Take it!" He said in the last act of desperation, trying to bribe Anomen „Here is a large sum. Just let me go. Such a full purse will surely be useful to you".
Helmite looked at standing next to him Minsc and then at the purse. He took it in his hand and, tossing it lightly, said:
„You're right. This purse is very useful to me". The slave trader smiled, but before he could do anything, Anomen gripped the purse tighter in his hand and forcefully punched the slave trader in the face, breaking his nose. The man grabbed his now bloody nose and cried in pain. Anomen dropped money on the floor and Minsc knelt beside him to tie the trader's hands. Suddenly there was a loud noise from the side and Anomen jumped to his feet seeing Esme lying on a floor in a pool of blood. Jaheira was already kneeling over her, patting her cheek lightly. Little Tim also stepped closer and gently wrapped the necklace of regeneration Esme had given him earlier around her wrist.
„She said the necklace would help if something happened!" He said to the elf „It will help her, right?! She will be okay!?"
Jaheira looked at him:
„Yes we will help her but now you need to step back and make more room". Little Tim nodded and took a step back, biting his fingers nervously.
„Esme... Can you hear me?" Anomen cried, falling to his knees beside the druid. "It's alright, my love," he said, trying to contain his emotions. There was far too much blood around for a superficial wound, but he tried to calm down. Esme's eyes turned to him. He wiped a smudge of blood from the corner of her mouth with his thumb and lightly stroked her pretty face. „ I'm here".
"I'll heal her," Jaheira said and began to recite the words of the spell.
" Jaheira will heal her soon. Everything will be all right", Anomen thought frantically. Esme's breathing was shallow and uneven. He gripped her hand tightly and pressed it to his chest. Jaheira had almost finished her spell when suddenly, after another short gasp Esme stopped breathing. Anomen saw with horror as the glow in her green eyes, still looking at him, faded.
"No no no!" he shouted. He released her hand from his and immediately began to speak the words that he knew so well. Nothing else mattered, Jaheira's voice next to him or the sound of crying children somewhere by the wall. He had put all his concentration and energy into this spell, and nothing could distract him. It couldn't be too late. It just couldn't. A light flashed, a few seconds passed, and Anomen felt his heart stop beating slowly as well. Nothing happened. His spell had no effect. Apart from the crying children, the room was silent. Jaheira looked at the lying Esme with tears in her eyes, Edwin just stood watching everything, muttering something under his breath. Yoshimo, slightly gray-faced, sat on the floor against the wall, and Minsc turned his back to the rest of the group, his shoulders shaking.
"Resurrection in her situation might not have worked ..." Jaheira began and Anomen nodded his head, jaw clenching tighter. Thoughts and emotions were running in his head feeling emptiness and fury at the same time. Life mocked him once more when he found some happiness.
"Cast the spell again," he demanded, looking at Jaheira.
„Anomen..."- she began.
"Do it," he said.
Elf opened her mouth to speak but closed it quickly and nodded. The unexpected and loud gasp for air surprised both of them. Anomen looked shocked down at Esme, who had just opened her eyes trying to calm her breathing. She looked a little confused and scared and looked around. The cleric took hold of her face gently and her gaze lingered on his face. He smiled, still disbelieving that she had come back to him after all. He leaned down and hugged her little figure tightly.
"You came back, thanks to Helm..." He whispered, afraid to let her out of his embrace.
„Are you alright?"
They heard a low, shy voice. Anomen looked to the side. Little Tim, standing nearby, looking intently at everything with tears in his eyes. Esme reached out to him and as he came closer she hugged him and she broke in tears just like a boy.
"Everything is fine" she said and looked at the boy, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "I promised to buy you a whole lot of sweets, don't you remember? I couldn't break my promise".
The awful day was finally over and the sun has already hidden behind the buildings, giving way to the moon. In one of the rooms, the children lay down on the beds and on the blankets spread out on the floor, hugging each other. For the first time in a long time, they were bathed, well-fed and safe. Anomen said goodbye to Hendak, who, tired and very grateful for their help, also went to sleep, delighted to sleep in a comfortable bed. Helmite rushed to Esme's room to see how she was doing. Despite being fully healed, the body still needed rest after severe injuries and heavy blood loss. Here magic gave way to the good old sleep. Esme stubbornly insisted that she was fine and did not want to go to her room to regenerate. It was only when Anomen and Jaheira gently but firmly made her understand that they would not change their position on this matter that the girl rolled her eyes, raised her hands up in surrender, and reluctantly agreed to go rest. Anomen lightly knocked on the door to her room. He hoped Esme was asleep, but when he heard the soft "Come in" on the other side of the door he knew it was different. He went inside and the girl smiled at him in greeting.
„Good evening"
"Good evening, my love," he replied, stepping closer to the bed where Esme was sitting and cleaning her armor eagerly. He sat down next to her and kissed her. "You should rest, I was hoping you were asleep"
Kensai rolled her eyes again that day and looked at him.
"Yes yes I know. I tried, believe me, but still someone was hanging around in the corridor ... It was just too loud. So since I couldn't sleep anyway, I decided to clean up my things. You don't even realize how much dried blood there is on them" She said going back to cleaning.
Anomen put his arm lightly around her:
„How are you?"
"Good," she replied, nodding a little too enthusiastically. "I wish I could say the same about my armor. I'll try to sell it tomorrow, but I don't like the prospect of buying a new one. We were supposed to save money to save Imoen. As always, I'm unlucky".
Shaking her head and sighing she returned to her work. Anomen put his hand on hers to stop her.
„Can we talk?" He asked.
Esme looked up at him in surprise, reluctantly stopping her work.
„About what?"
„You should rest. I know this experience can be difficult. Not only the body suffers, but also the mind. Today I almost lost you and I want to make sure that you are all right".
Esme looked at him fondly and stroked his cheek.
"I know, my dear," she said. "I'm fine. Fortunately, everything ended well. You do not need to worry. I'm fine".
Anomen watched kensai go back to the cleaning but her movements were a little too tense. The words full of enthusiasm did not convince him either. He has seen more than once how the resurrected Knights of the Order recuperated in various ways, by continuous work, drinking alcohol, or even separating themselves from others for a few days. Each of them had a different way of doing it, but all agreed unanimously that this experience was, to put it mildly speaking, very unpleasant and could leave a mark on the psyche of even the most persistent of them.
"Essie ..." Anomen began cautiously, "I'm just trying to say..."
„I said I'm fine!" Esme yelled unexpectedly and got up from the bed looking at him.
"You are shouting," he said, standing up slowly, looking at her carefully.
"Because when I speak in a normal tone you don't listen to me at all..." she said, her voice breaking. She tried to look away but finally she hid her face in her hands, unable to hold on anymore „I'm fine..."
Anomen pulled her to him and hugged her tightly, letting her cry. Right now, in his arms, she seemed unusually petite and fragile, and he wanted to shield her from the entire outside world.
"I know, Essie, I know," he whispered. "I just want you to know that you are not alone. I am with you. You can lean on me".
Esme nodded.
„ I tried to sleep, I really tried ... But it keeps coming back"
„ What? Nightmare?" Anomen asked.
Esme shook her head.
„ No... More like a memory. When my heart stopped beating, I... I found myself in the dark. It was completely empty but quiet at the same time. I was ready to leave everything behind and surrender to this pleasant feeling of lightness. But then I heard your voice and I remembered that I couldn't just walk away and I didn't want to give up so easily. I had to go back ... For Jay, for Immy ... For you. For all of you. And then ... Then there was ...it".
Anomen felt Esme shiver and hugged her even tighter.
„I saw a long bony arm and a skull-like face. It had that horrible mocking smile and I felt somewhere inside me that it's trying to pull me towards it. I remembered how Sarevok turned into a mere pile of ash when I killed him and I got scared. I didn't want to end this way. I turned around and started running towards your voice, though I felt as if I was running in place. I felt something pull me up and then I came back, that thing still screaming furiously behind me. I tried to get some sleep but the image came back and when I woke up in a dark room it felt like I was still there... Will you stay with me tonight? I don't want to wake up and be alone" She asked, lifting her head to look at him.
"Of course I will," replied Anomen, wiping her tears away. They both lay down on the bed and he covered them both with a blanket. Esme rested her head on his chest and they both stared at the flame of the candle burning on the table. The flame was high and calm and the view was almost mesmerizing and relaxing.
„It never really bothered me, you know?" Esme said.
„What do you mean, my dear?"
„Since Gorion took me in somehow I never thought about the future. I was probably too young to attach more importance to it. Then Sarevok killed him, and I just managed to survive this whole time without thinking too much about it. When they took Imoen, all I thought was to get her back and get my revenge. Jaheira and Minsc deserve Irenicus to pay for their suffering and what they lost, and I want to help them. It's just that so far I did not care if I will survive and what will happen after we do it. If I were to die, well ... Too bad. Immy is an adult and Jay and Minsc would make sure she was safe".
„But after today your approach has changed, hasn't it?" Anomen asked stroking her hair.
"Yes," Esme replied. „ I had to fight against my will all this time. The show was just going on and it didn't matter if I wanted to take part in it. I was tired and I just wanted it to end one way or another. Recently, however, I started to be really happy and today, for the first time in my life, I got scared and decided that I did not want to die. For the first time, I thought I wanted to see what the future holds"
„And is there a tiny little place for me there?" Anomen asked, and Esme lifted her head to look at him.
"You are the main reason I want a future," she whispered. Anomen kissed the top of her head and hugged her tightly.
"We live a very dangerous life," he agreed. "We don't know what awaits us around the next corner or what tomorrow will bring. But we will try as hard as possible to make it through to the end. Together".
"Yes ... Together," Esme replied quietly, slowly falling asleep and Anomen held her close until he fell asleep himself. No matter what fate had in store for them, they weren't going to give up without a fight. Even if they were destined to fail, they would at least try.