Chapter 10- The end and the beginning.

Warning: Blood and injury, graphic violence and strong language.

In different circumstances, Suldanessellar would have delighted them with its beauty. Under different circumstances, they would stroll through the streets of the city with bated breath, admiring unusual elven structures, handicrafts and vegetation. If the circumstances were completely different, they would see the weapons and armor made by elven craftsmen with a gleam in their eyes, trying to reduce the price at least a little before buying. Had they visited the city at another time, the Tree of Life would have made a stunning impression on them. Its sheer size would make them view it with their mouths wide open, disbelieving the power and beauty of nature. They would most likely tilt their heads trying to see the top of a huge tree, or they would look in amazement at the thickness of the branches climbing towards the sun. Unfortunately, the circumstances were no different. It was not a time for delight, but a time to fight for death and life. They were not impressed by the beauty and architecture, there were enemies everywhere and streets were running with blood. And it was all thanks to one person who was standing in front of them now, watching them with cold and expressionless eyes. For a few brief seconds, an expression of indifference on Jon Irenicus's face was replace with anger. He stared at them like an irritated cat awakened from a nap by a flock of noisy mice.

-Ah, god child. Somehow, you made it all the way here.

-Jon, you are also alive and as I see you are doing well. How disappointing- Esme replied.

Anomen was standing right at her side. He and other teammates had their weapons ready. Everything they have done and has happened to them so far, began with this man. He, his dungeons, his sick reign of power and vengeance have left marks on the skin and psyche of the people he cared about and by whose side he fought. The will to end his terror made Anomen tremble with anger. Beside him, Edwin moved his fingers nervously, with sparks of magic dancing and ready to be released, Imoen clenched her hands tightly on her bow, tightening her lips in a narrow line, Jaheira stared at Irenicus with hatred and contempt in her eyes, and Minsc punched his open palm with his fist so hard he made his knuckles crack. Boo only looked out for a moment, squealed loudly with his fur spiked up, and he hid somewhere in ranger's clothes. Plan had been discussed before. Most of all, they were to defend themselves against wizard' spells, break his defenses and distract his attention so that one of them could deliver the final blow and end his miserable life.

-It's over. Give up and give me back my soul. You are alone! - Esme shouted.

Irenicus raised his eyebrows slightly and Anomen knew that, as they had assumed, there would be a fight. Honestly, he would have been disappointed if not.

-Once… my thirst for power was everything. And now I hunger only for revenge…. AND I .. SHALL… HAVE IT ‼!- Irenicus shouted furiously and the fight began.

Anomen, Jaheira and Edwin cast protective spells and summoned new allies to take turns to capture wizard and his attention and make him use as many spells as possible. Minsc and Esme tried to take advantage of the confusion and attack at close range. Imoen constantly fired her bow every now and then, breaking Jon's defense with dispelling arrows they were collecting for that very moment. Despite being outnumbered, Irenicus did not give up easily. With a wave of his hand, he sent summoned creatures and elementals into oblivion or injured them. Anomen and Jaheira's healing spells offered a chance to recover and counter attack. Panting heavily, Helmite assessed the situation with his eyes, waiting for the right moment. He saw Esme turn towards Imoen and then towards him, nodding slightly. At the appointed sign, Imoen and Edwin cast spells and he and Esme charged at wizard. The blow Anomen inflicted, as expected, did not deal much damage to Irenicus but it was meant to serve as a distraction. It was enough to give Imoen and Esme a chance to make a move. An unexpected and sudden explosion, triggered by Jon's spell, knocked him and the others back. A cloud of thick smoke covered his field of vision and a ringing in his ears muffled all sounds. He tried to pick himself up, but a sharp pain somewhere in his stomach stopped him immediately. Still lying, he raised his head and looked around, narrowing his eyes. Somewhere across he saw figures lying motionless on the ground, Minsc and Jaheira. On the left, he could hardly see Imoen and Edwin as they Rose from the floor. Straight ahead, among the streaks of thick smoke, he saw the outlines of two figures. Anomen wanted to move forward or even get to his knees, but the pain paralyzed him and he groaned. Visibility improved slightly and he managed to make out the figures of Irenicus and Esme more clearly. Esme's long sword pierced wizard's torso right through. Jon had a surprised look on his face and blood was leaking from his mouth. Petite figure in front of him slowly withdrew her hand and released her sword and dropped it to the ground. Irenicus fell, ending his miserable and full of terror life. Anomen saw Esme lift her head up and her chest rising from the deeply drawn breath. She turned to Anomen with a look of relief on her face and smiled. Despite her dirty face, tousled hair and fatigue, she smiled knowing the fight was finally over. Esme was herself again. They finally won. It was all over. Anomen smiled at her in response despite the pain he felt. Esme walked towards him, but after just one step, girl's hands dropped limp and she fell unconscious to the ground. Anomen tried to scream, to move, to cast some spell, but the steel taste of blood in his mouth and pain chained him to the ground again. He watched as a tearful Imoen ran up to Esme and turned her over on her back. He saw the girl scream and pat her sister on the face, tugging on the shoulders, but to no avail. Anomen tried to get up, but all he could do was scream out of pain or maybe helplessness. His eyes grew dim and the last thing he saw before he passed out was Esme lying motionless.

Once the dust had settled after the battle, threat and enemies had finally been stopped, it was time to heal. All priests, under the watchful eye of Queen Ellesime, took care to heal and revive all the wounded members of Esme's team. Potions and spells efficiently soothed the pain, healed the wounds, joined the broken bones and brought back those who died during the fight back to life. Eventually, everyone managed to heal, except for Esme.

"It looks like Joneleth has a plan up his sleeve as always, and he won't give up so easily," Queen Ellesime said when Esme's resurrection attempt failed. According to the elven queen and her priests, Esme's condition was something like a coma, triggered by a magical ritual that connected her soul to Irenicus. Girl was not dead, but there was no guarantee that she would not be. Her body was laid on a bed in one of the chambers, around which magic candles were lit to serve as a guiding lights to help her soul return to her body. Anomen was devastated by condition of his beloved and because of the perversity of fate. Once again, nothing was certain and he did not know if kensai would wake up at all. Cleric prayed stubbornly at every possible moment, which he spent at Esme's side and held her hand wanting to be there when she awoke. Day turned to night, night turned to a new day, but still nothing changed.

– Still nothing, huh?

Anomen turned at the voice. Imoen was standing by the door and Helmite just shook his head at her question. Pink-haired girl sighed and sat down next to him on a stone bench by a wall.

-Do you want to swap?- Imoen asked but he shook his head.

-A few more minutes- he replied.

-Seriously, you gotta stop all this dying. If not you, then she is. There is no peace for a moment - thief said and Anomen laughed lightly.

-It's true- he admitted - I must agree that the last few weeks have been very unkind to us. Our troubles seem to be endless.

– All this fuss is exhausting, yeah. Take a soul, turn into a monster, turn into a vampire, die. Ugh! Yes, it would be nice to sit still, have a cup of tea and eat a fruit pie instead of a fight, right?

-Yes. Let's hope gods will be kind to us in the future- said Anomen. The thought saddened him a little. At the moment, there were too many unknowns to make any plans. Helmite looked at still unconscious Esme. Light of lit candles cast a delicate glow on her face and girl look really calm.

-You're not as terrible as I thought at first- he heard Imoen's voice. Surprised, Anomen turned to face her.

-Excuse me? - He asked- Did you have a bad opinion about me?

Pink-haired girl raised her eyebrows and waved her hand.

-It's nothing!

-I dare to disagree! – Anomen protested – If I was at fault with something, I would like to know about it, to apologize and be able to fix my image somehow.

-Oh no no, really, it's nothing- Imoen assured him- It was way before I got my soul back. I didn't turn into a big, scary monster like Essie, but I was also a bit irrationally angry. Angry at you if I have to be more specific.

-But why? Forgive me, Imoen, but I don't really understand. I try to remember anything that might affect your attitude, but I can't. Please, enlighten me, if you please- Anomen said thinking feverishly with what could expose himself to her anger.

Imoen smiled slightly and shook her head.

-You see, I could have said nothing. It's stupid and it doesn't matter.

-I insist- Anomen said without taking his eyes off her.

Imoen sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.

-All right, I'll tell you. Though it's stupid! Let it not be that I did not warn you…. I guess I was just jealous and that's it, you understand?

-Jealous? – answer instead of an explanation confused Anomen even more – About whom?

- Esme of course- Imoen said- I said it was stupid, but I was. I was locked up in Spellhold for many months. I didn't want anything else but to get out of there and never go back. I wanted Esme to save me. I dreamed about it every night before falling asleep, I made up my mind. She saves me, together we set off to conquer the world and then rich and famous return to Candlekeep, heh. But when she finally showed up, it turned out that she had you and she might not want to go to conquer Faerun with her sister. And that kind of ruined my plans, which I made so meticulously over the months, you know? Lack of a soul made it a little worse.

Anomen listened to Imoen's words with a slight shock. He wasn't sure if he was going to be a little proud of himself or ashamed. No one has ever been jealous because of him before. He knew, however, that he cared about getting on well with Imoen. She was, after all sister of the woman he loved.

-I … I never thought of it that way. I'm truly sorry, I had no idea you hated me- he said.

-Oh no, no. I do not hate you. Do not be stupid! It passed right after Essie stabbed Bodhi to death. I figured everything out in my head and now I like you. I've seen you both care about each other. Now I find it cute. Although you are lucky. Few more weeks and I would season your tea with laxative herbs to teach you a lesson.

Imoen laughed and Anomen laughed along with her. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed and he felt a little better.

-I am glad to avoid your anger and I am so sorry for my trespasses. Hope we'll be on good terms from now on- he sincerely added and Imoen smiled broadly.

-You sure do. Unless you hurt Essie. Then herbs will be nothing compared to my revenge.

-I will remember your words- Anomen assured and Imoen patted him on the shoulder. After a while he added

– I know that I have behaved inappropriately more than once. My thoughts and temper took control over me and I often spoke without thinking. Your sister helped me learn to control it. I am a much better person thanks to her. She helped me a lot when I needed it and her presence next to me allowed me to confidently stand on my feet.

Anomen lowered his head a little as he briefly considered past events. So much had happened, but now it felt as if a thousand years had passed since then.

Beside him Imoen chuckled softly.

-It is true. Essie is like that. She probably does it without even knowing it. She shows up somewhere and attracts people who need help and then she can't refuse them. Sometimes it seems to me … Holy shit! I think she moved‼ - Imoen suddenly shouted and Anomen immediately got up from his seat. Imoen too had already risen from the bench she was sitting on, and was watching her sister intently. Esme's petite form looked exactly the same and for a long moment nothing happend. Anomen thought that maybe it was the shadow and the play of light that made Imoen thought she saw some movement. Unexpectedly, he also saw Esme move her head slightly. It was so subtle that it was easy to miss. He and Imoen walked closer and stared expectantly. Imoen grabbed her sister's hand and pressed her lips tightly into a thin line, he bent down and stroked lighlty Esme hair.

-Essie, can you hear me?- Imoen called.

Esme lay motionless for a long time. Anomen even began to fear that it was only a brief episode, which did not herald the awakening. But as a deep breath lifted Esme's chest and her breathing became more and more even, a smile appeared on his face. Esme parted her lips, drawing more air, then opened her eyes. Slightly confused and clearly scared, she looked around. Her gaze fell on Anomen, then on Imoen, tears streaming down her face now.

"She woke up! Thank the gods she woke up! " He wanted to scream with happiness, but his throat was so tight that he couldn't reach his voice. The relief he felt was indescribable. Esme rose from her bed and Anomen and Imoen gripped her tightly. Both Esme and Imoen were crying loudly.

-You stupid cow ‼! – pink-haired girl screamed through her tears, pressing her face into her sister's arm- Never again dare to scare me like that! I'll kick your ass if you do it again! You hear me?!

Anomen, on the other hand did not say a word. He just held Esme tightly, whom he finally regained after a long wait and moments of fear. There will be time for words later.

Despite protests and arguments from her companions, or from Queen Ellesime herself, Esme did not want to rest and the very next day after waking up, she helped rebuild Suldanessellar and heal wounded. After regaining her Soul, she finally felt herself again. The terrible void that had accompanied her so far was finally filled and Esme felt like she had learned to breathe anew. Unfortunately, with the return of the soul, all the emotions and feelings that had been suppressed so far and did not interfere with her existence, also returned to her. Now that everything had returned to her, the mere awareness of what had happened and thinking about it bothered her. So Esme wanted to do something that would distract her and she was busy rebuilding Suldanessellar and everything she could. Despite being guests of the Queen herself, kensai felt that many of the elves looked at her unfavorably, knowing that she was the Child of Bhaal and that it was because of her that the city was now in a deplorable state. "We won't stay here too long. We'll be leaving as soon as possible so as not to create unnecessary tension" Esme thought as she chased away unpleasant thoughts. But when the day and work in the city came to an end, Esme found herself alone in the room. Anomen promised to join her as soon as he took a bath, and she herself immersed herself in hot water during this time to wash off the dust and dirt of the day. With nothing to occupy her mind, she decided to focus her full attention on the bath. She managed to think only of a pleasant feeling that hot water was giving to her sore muscles and beautiful floral scent of the oils and soap left at her disposal. After leaving the bath, she concentrated on admiring pretty tunic that had been left for her as well. Beautiful and delicate material decorated with a delicate embroidery made her smile. She hadn't had anything so beautiful on her in a long time. Esme sat down at a small dressing table in the corner of the room and picked up a brush, but when she touched her hair, she remembered how short it was. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Something so trivial like that couldn't have upset her. It was just silly. Despite her efforts, tears welled up in her eyes. A stupid thing like her hair had caused her a wave of regret and anger that she couldn't contain now. She remembered everything that had happened and she couldn't hold back any longer. She hid her face in her hands and began to sob, hoping a little that when she finally cried out all the tears, she would feel better. Suddenly Esme heard a knock on the door.

-My love, can I come in? – she heard Anomen's voice behind the door. She cursed silently trying to wipe away stupid tears that didn't stop flowing.

-Esme, are you there?- She heard a worried tone this time.

-Yes Yes! - She shouted back, hoping her voice sounded normal. She rushed towards the balcony. She was counting on the fresh air to help her look a little better and refresh her now swollen face – Come in!

Without turning around, she took a deep breath and listened to Anomen footsteps.

-My dear, are you alright? – she heard the question and approaching more and more steps.

-Oh, yes, yes. – she said as calmly as possible – I was just admiring the views and got lost in thoughts a little.

-Ah yes. Suldanessellar and its beauty can take your breath away, indeed- Esme heard. She felt Anomen standing behind her back and hugging her. He gently kissed top of her head and she cuddled closer to him, closing her eyes for a moment. She missed that feeling so much. She missed him so much. The thought of what had happened and the fact that she had almost lost it came back to her again.

-My dear, are you alright? - Anomen asked and turned her to look at her face.

-Yes … No …- Esme finally admitted and Anomen hugged her tightly. - I'm sorry … I feel stupid.

A strong hand gently lifted her chin up so that she looked at him.

-Please tell me what happened- Anomen said with concern in his voice.

-Nothing, I just… - Esme replied- Ughhh I don't want to cry and complain again, act like a crybaby. It's just … I don't know … I think now that my soul has returned to its place, all these memories and emotions hit me and …

Esme tried to find the right words.

-You feel overwhelmed? - Anomen finished after her and nodded her head.

-I think so- she admitted- Suddenly I started to think about everything that happened, about how much danger you were all in because of me - I can't stop thinking about it.

-It wasn't your fault, Essie. You know it well.

-Only part of it it's true! - Esme denied and looked at Anomen seriously- If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened … It's my fault.

Esme walked away from Anomen and stood near the bed. She wiped the tears with the back of her hand and looked at him again trying to organize her thoughts in her head to somehow express how she felt. She felt stupid, she felt idiotic and pitifully unable to control her emotions. Anomen stepped closer and she took a deep breath.

-When it all comes back to me now … When I see everything that happened again … I see all these pictures and … - Esme shook her head slightly and sat down on the bed – Only now everything I should feel in those moments comes back to me and it's too much … The way I attacked you when I turned into a Slayer … When you … How you … you died because of me …

Anomen stepped closer and sat down next to her on the bed. He put his arm around her and said:

-I am here now, safe and sound. You don't have to blame yourself. Everything ended well.

- know …- Esme said. - Thank the gods for the magic, we were able to fix everything. But when I think about what happened to you… to you, I feel like someone is tearing the air out of my lungs. I choke and choke, unable to breathe because I know this may happend again and may never end … I am a Child of Bhaal… What if next time there is no rescue?

Esme got up from a bed, suddenly unable to sit still and looked at Anomen.

-There are rumors about war… More and more often the words "Children of the Lord of Murder" appear on everyone's lips. Innocent people die … What if we are not given peace?

Anomen looked at her.

-No one knows what awaits. The future is shrouded in mystery but we can't give up, can we? The important thing is that we will be together.

Esme pursed her lips and straightened.

-The very thought that you would be missing by my side makes … It's like someone ripped my heart out when I imagine it.

Anomen approached her and took her face in his hands.

-My love, I'm not going anywhere. I will stay by your side as I swore- he assured her.

-Yes, you swore and because you made that promise to me a while ago I have to give you a choice, even though it's really the last thing I want- she said.

-Forgive me, but I don't understand- replied Anomen, a bit puzzled.

-You swore you'd stay with me …- Esme felt her throat go dry. Though she didn't want to ask this question, she felt there was no other option after recent events – Do you still want to be with me?

-What? – Anomen answered her question

– What I mean is that everything got more complicated than we expected… Things turned out completely different than they were and it does not look like there will be peace in the near future. I love you, Anomen... But… This is not what you signed up for… Wouldn't you rather have a calmer and easier life with someone else? The future with me may never happend… I don't want you to suffer… I dont want to watch how you get hurt… You can be happy…

Anomen put a finger on her lips to interrupt her.

-Please don't finish, my dear. I understand your fear and dilemmas but I made my choice a long time ago. I am not going anywhere. I still want to be where you are. Follow the same path you will follow- Anomen laughed a little- The old me would have reacted differently than now. I would probably come out slamming the door, screaming and losing my nerves, but I won't. And I owe it mainly to you. I am too grateful to you and too devoted to you to even consider abandoning you.

-I don't want anything more than that, but … Are you sure?- Esme asked looking at him seriously. She was not ready to break up. She was afraid that Anomen would change his mind after all and leave and she wasn't even sure if she would be able to handle it. But she couldn't help but give him a choice when things would get even more complicated. It would have haunted her, although she was afraid of the answer she would hear.

Anomen smiled.

-I'm not going anywhere and I am not going to leave you. Please believe me.

Esme hugged him tight, feeling tremendous relief in her heart. She was needlessly scared. It wasn't about him or his feelings that she doubted, she doubted herself. Now, with the support from Anomen, she knew she would have the strength and reason to fight. If the coming battles were to be even harder, she would fight even harder.

-I also wanted to talk to you about something, my dear. Something very important-she heard Anomen's voice again.

She stepped back to look at him.

-About what?

- Believe it or not, I had it all in my head. I had a plan- Anomen began and Esme looked at him not quite understanding what he was talking about- I wanted everything to be perfect…Every details. But we live in such difficult times. As you said, we don't know what tomorrow or what the future holds.

-Ano…- Esme began but Anomen interrupted her.

-Let me finish, my love. As I said, we live in difficult times, so I don't want to wait.

Esme, still not really understanding what Anomen was talking about, saw him kneel on one knee in front of her and take a small box out of his pocket. Her eyes saw the ring and she stared with her mouth wide open at it and at Anomen and then at ring again.

-Will you marry me? – He asked.

-… W-what?… How… You mean… I don't… What?- She babbled pointlessly in shock.

Anomen shook his head and laughed nervously.

-You can definitely keep me in suspense, my dear.

-What? - She asked again, only after a second she shook herself and looked at Anomen - Yes. Yes. My answer is yes. I will marry you.

Tears welled up in her eyes, this time with joy as Anomen slipped a ring on her finger. He kissed her tightly and hugged her, lifting her in the air.

-I hope this is enough to prove to you how much I want to stay by your side. I love you so much- he said.

-I love you too. I am so very happy!- She replied. There was no trace of the horrible and negative thoughts that had plagued her a moment ago. Child of Bhaal or not, she was happy and felt for first time that she fully deserved it.

-I'm the happiest man in the world right now- Anomen whispered in her ear as they later stood cuddled on the balcony and they admired the sunset.

-Second happiest, I'm first- Esme corrected him, looking at the ring on her finger.

-You may be right. I'm actually a bit worried-Anomen admitted and Esme turned her head.

-Why? - She asked.

-It's nothing - he added hastily- It's just like I mentioned to you before, I had a plan in advance and when we will finally get back to town, I'll have to do something about one hundred Crimson Rhodelias I ordered from a merchant on the Waukeen Promenade.

Esme laughed.

-One hundred? That's a lot of flowers, Anomen. They certainly look beautiful in such an number. Now I'm a bit disapointed you had to cancel your plan. What are going to do? Give them to every woman you see in Athkatla? – Esme teased him.

-I thought, maybe we could plant them in the garden of the property I inherited from my father? We could live there together when it's all over. This could be our home. What do you think?

Esme smiled at the thought of that. House. She hadn't used that word since she left Candlekeep, and hadn't thought of creating a new place to call it for a long time. She liked the idea very much.

-Home … Our home. Yes, I think it's a wonderful idea- she said.