The night was full of the sound of crickets filling the air with their cacophony of noise. Astarion leaned up against the fence by the horse stable reading a piece of paper that he had memorized at this point.
"Are you ready?" A voice broke his concentration as he glanced up to see Camden walking towards him, the elf standing next to him. His hand was wrapped tightly around her upper arm to prevent any escape. Tav looked like a feral animal, looking for the moment where she could strike. "Tavelyn, be polite and…"
With a grunt, she broke free of her father's grip, "I'll be back in Baldur's Gate in six month's time, just you watch me."
In the lamplight, Astarion could see Camden's eyes narrowing in anger, "If I ever see you again, I'll send you to Candlekeep! That's your next step, Tavelyn."
The mage actually seemed like she was terrified of being sent there, her eyes widening as he spoke, "You wouldn't…"
"I would. I'll drag you down there in a burlap sack if I had to." His steely tone made Tav turn on her heel and storm towards the stable, Astarion watching the exchange with silent amusement. He watched as the young woman finished strapping saddle bags to the midnight black mare that flicked its tail as Astarion grew closer to the stable. The horses' eyes followed him as he moved across the straw-covered floor as slowly as he dared. The last thing he needed was to draw any more attention to himself, not when he was so close to escape.
He kept glancing over his shoulder, making sure that no shadowy figures were following him. The thought of being hunted weighed heavily on his mind, but once they made it out of the city, he would be safe.
"Waiting for someone?"
Tav's tone made the hair on the back of Astarion's neck bristle. He didn't like it when people caught him with his guard down, even a little bit. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be something that he would allow to go unpunished.
"As a matter of fact, I was just wondering how much longer it would take for you to strap that damned saddle bag on." He snapped, "Damned nobles." He muttered just loud enough for his elf companion to hear. He could practically feeling the disappointment radiating from her as she silently finished securing her bags in place. When Astarion glanced back, he could see that tears glittered in her sea-green eyes, Tav's face turning bright red. He almost felt bad. Almost.
Wordlessly, Tav mounted her horse and gave it a light tap, guiding it from the barn. With a little bit of difficulty, Astarion followed suit, attempting to usher his own mount through the door and onto the road. Tav said nothing to her father as she passed by him, casting a single glance in his direction. He pretended not to even notice her. Incredibly, Astarion watched Tav's shoulders slump even lower. He was surprised to see she still had that much left in her to lose.
The streets of Baldur's Gate were silent as they crossed over the River Chiothan, the echoing, methodical trotting of their horses lost as the mist from the river descended through the city. The tip of Tav's staff glowed in the darkness, Astarion keeping his eyes trained to her. Not that it was difficult considering he had dark vision, but still. It was nice to know that he couldn't lose her easily.
The houses became sparser the further they moved upstream, the road underneath their horse's hooves well-worn with travelers. Neither spoke, maybe waiting for the other to finally break the silence of the night. However, when the words between them failed, the tense quiet remained. Astarion could feel the questions almost glaring at him from over Tav's shoulder, wanting to know why. Why had he chosen to take her to Waterdeep? Why was he so eager to get out of Baldur's Gate? Why did they have to leave under the cover of darkness? He hoped those questions would remain unanswered.
He kept a silent watch over his ward, ever so often looking behind them to ensure they weren't being followed. He wasn't sure if Tav would survive a fight with the monsters that were chasing him, nor if she would even help him. Astarion didn't want to put either of them in that situation.
However, as the road began to widen and forests began to appear, they found themselves traveling east without much fanfare. Astarion caught up to the half-elf, the two trotting side by side for a moment. She didn't even look at him.
"Nice night, don't you think?" Astarion finally broke the silence, flicking his eyes over towards the redheaded woman. He could see her eyes staring straight ahead as they passed an illuminated lantern. In the artificial light, he could see that her eyes were steely, her gaze a thousand miles away. "Hello? Are you alive in there?"
She finally took a moment to turn her attention to her companion. From this distance, Astarion could see how pretty she actually was. Her copper red hair had been tied back from her visage, but a few strands tumbled down, framing her heart-shaped face with a pointed jawline and a pair of wickedly sharp eyes that glittered like sea glass. Freckles spanned over her nose, touching her eyebrows and the apples of her cheeks. Her glare was full of icy spite. "Oh, I'm SO sorry! I forgot I have to be polite to the man who is taking me to yet another cage! Forgive me, O Great Warrior! Where are my manners? Let me swoon for you over the SLIGHTEST gesture of chivalry." Tav made a show of pretending to faint off her horse. Astarion didn't laugh. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Please, let's not make this any harder than it has to be. Didn't you say that I'm just a delivery to you?"
"Very well, but we'll be on the road for the next 45 days. You're going to get very bored riding through Faerun without someone to talk to." Astarion replied as she kicked her horse slightly and it began to canter.
"Not interested!" She called over her shoulder, her words being drowned out in the rapids of the river. "Packages don't talk!"
Astarion let a sigh of annoyance escape his lips. This woman would be the death of him one way or another. Of course he would be cursed to travel with the most annoying person in all of Baldur's Gate. He thought for a moment about turning around and letting her travel to Waterdeep by herself, but the tantalizing reward of monetary compensation won over as he followed her.
The trees began to blot out the moonlight as they reached the mouth of the forest. Here, the road became a well-traveled dirt path with a sign that pointed towards the north. While the path directly up the coast would bring them to Waterdeep faster, the roads wove through uncharted, dangerous lands that held more than anyone was willing to admit.
"It's quiet out…" Astarion began to say, but before he could finish his sentence, Tav kicked her horse's sides violently and with a surprised squeal, the horse took off, the half-elf leaning forward to allow them to pick up speed. "Fuck!" Astarion swore as he too dug his heels into his mount's flank, taking off after his delivery.
She was fast, he had to admit. The horse veered to the left, off the beaten path, weaving between trees. Tav knew how to ride better than he did and before long, she vanished through a thicket, her horse seeming to blend into the shadows as she rode off.
Tav had planned her escape, of course. Since the moment they had left Baldur's Gate, she had been formulating a grand plan of escape, bolting off trail to wait for Astarion to grow tired of chasing her. There was no way he could possibly keep up with her on horseback. There was nobody in the Howard family who could outpace Tav in equestrian sports and she knew that. Truthfully, she didn't know if there was a better horse rider in all of Baldur's Gate. Since childhood, she had often escaped to the stables, finding solace in the horses and companionship in the stablemaster, Ser Garen. He had become more of a father figure to her than anyone else in her life. When he passed away, Tav felt like a piece of herself was put in the ground beside him. He had taught her how to be quick, use her small frame to her advantage. He had told her she ran better than most full-blooded elves he knew and while her father knew that she escaped to these woods often, he never truly knew just how much knowledge she had gained about the forest. She would pretend she was an elf out here. She could pretend her mother was still alive in the trees and the wind, pretend that someone actually cared about her somewhere in the world.
It was during one of these rides that Tav had found the cave that became her second home. The entrance was small, mostly hidden by shrubs, but it had served her well over the past seven years. Deep within the small crack in the earth, she had squirreled away all sorts of supplies and trinkets from home. She could easily stay out in the woods for months at a time.
She slowed her horse to a trot, glancing behind her shoulder to see if Astarion was following her. A weight was lifted off her shoulders when she saw no one. Approaching the large pile of boulders, she dismounted and walked over to the entrance of the cave. It seemed to be untouched by any other hands, and considering the wards that she had put in place months ago, it very well should have been.
Tav reached down and rubbed away a small rune drawn in charcoal on a rock. A breath of wind rushed past Tav's ears and she nodded in satisfaction. Her cave had not been disturbed.
She tied her horse up to an old dead tree, making sure that he had enough grass to feed on through the night. Patting him on his flank, she smiled. She had done it. She was free. Of course, she knew that she would have to stand guard at the mouth of the cave to make sure that Astarion didn't sneak up on her in her sleep, but being somewhere she knew, somewhere familiar, made her feel stronger than she did before. She could face whatever came at her now, with her back up against a place she knew.
"Waiting for someone?"
Her heart froze in place. How in the name of the gods had Astarion snuck up on her?! Slowly, Tav turned around so that she could face her captor. She could still only see his eyes behind the mask he wore, his scarlet irises dancing with annoyance. Wait…had the lighting tricked her? Did he really have red eyes? He held a pair of wicked daggers, one in each hand. He didn't move towards her, just stood there, watching her like a snake watching a rabbit.
"W-What are you doing?!" Her voice cracked, giving away her surprise.
"You ran and I followed," he said mildly, taking a step towards Tav. Instantly, she had her staff in her hands, holding it tightly. She didn't need the staff to do magic, but if he came at her, she may be able to take him off his feet. "Princess, don't make this harder than it has to."
"Fuck you! I'm not your princess! I'm nobody's anything!" She yelled, raising her staff, "Get away from me!"
A fireball erupted from the end of her weapon. Astarion barely had the chance to get out of the way as it erupted behind him, "Now Princess, let's not be rash…"
A feral scream erupted from Tav's lips as Astarion found himself being entangled by shadowy vines. He struggled against them for a moment, breaking free as he ran towards the sorcerer. He could easily track her moves, her rage, spell after spell flying over his head as he wrapped his arms around her waist and tackled her.
With a soft cry, they went careening backwards and Astarion instantly had his hands around her wrists, wrenching them up above her head as she struggled beneath him. His body pinned her down as he easily gripped both arms in one strong grasp. He raised the dagger to her throat, "now, like I said. Let's not be rash. Can I trust you to not attack me if I let you up?"
Tav struggled for a few more moments and finally, their eyes met for the first time. Astarion had admired her beauty before, but between the rage behind her gaze and the flush of fury on her cheeks, he fought the urge to take off his mask and kiss her. She was like a fire beneath him, angrily fighting to be free. Finally, she stilled, her rapid breathing slowing. "Yeah, alright. I guess."
Astarion smirked from behind his mask. Slowly, he slid off of her, allowing her to sit up. For a moment, he feared she would roll to the side, grab her staff, and throw another fireball at him. However, he knew that staff aside, she could still singe him if she wanted to. The two sat in tense silence, trying to gauge the other one's reactions.
"I don't suppose you'll just let me live out here like a hermit?" Tav asked slowly, "There's more than enough supplies in this cave to stay out here for months."
"No, unfortunately, I can't do that. I would say yes, but that's quite a bit of money just to escort someone."
Tav took a deep breath in through her nose and let it escape out of her mouth. It sounded like she was defeated, "Then so be it, I suppose." She stood, dusting herself off as she grabbed her staff from the ground. Astarion watched carefully as she slid it into the holster on her back and crossed her arms over her chest, "However, I need to know that I can trust you." She narrowed her eyes and pointed an accusatory finger at Astarion, "Who are you running from?"
Astarion felt his breath seize in his throat, "Me? Running away from something? Don't be preposterous!"
"Could it have anything to do with the fact you're a vampire?"
Astarion felt whatever was left of his soul melt into the ground at the accusation, "How could you…What even…"
Tav pointed at her own eyes, "You're an elf under there and elves don't have red eyes, unless you count drow. But you're not a drow, are you?"
"You certainly ask a lot of questions." Astarion's eyes narrowed and he batted her hand away, turning to walk back towards where he had left his horse. However, she slid in front of him and stuck out her hand.
"You put your trust in me for a moment. I didn't strike you or try to kill you." Her hand continued to hover in front of her body, "I promise that I will not try to run again, for now."
"I could just truss you up like a spring chicken, drag you behind the horses," Astarion said sharply, sidestepping her.
"Fine, I won't run again," she replied, falling into step with him, "But if I'm going to be traveling with you, I want to know everything."
He shot her a look of disdain over his shoulder, "You don't deserve to know a damned thing about me!"
Tav stopped in her tracks. Her loose bun had fallen to the nape of her neck, her copper hair spilling down her shoulders. "At least let me see your face!"
He paused for a moment, taking in her question. They would have spent the next 45 days together, she would have figured it out eventually. It should have come as no surprise that his companion had connected the dots so quickly.
He finally sighed and pulled the mask back from his face. Tav could see a shock of white, curly hair that ascended in all directions. She had seen his face before. She had seen it in the old books of noble society from the past, his wry smirk looking back at her from the pages of a history tome. He truly was Astarion Ancunin. And he truly was a vampire.