The afternoon sun pelted down on the city, dust stirring as merchants and buyers paced through the streets. She had every intention of going to the cathedral, of confronting Gortash but her body wouldn't let her. An inexplicable pull carried Fallon up the hill towards the graveyard. She knew she had a duty to find the crown, but she also knew that she owed Shadowheart an apology. As she neared closer, the crowd dwindled and soon the sound of merchants shouting and children laughing became a distant thrum. At the end of the road she spotted the graveyard's iron gates- wide open- with the willow tree lazily hanging, casting its shade over the tombstones. It looked a little bigger since she'd last seen it. As she approached, a woman offered a bouquet of fresh flowers towards Fallon.
"Flowers for your loved ones?" her old voice was raspy. The sweet scent of the flowers comforted her. Fallon smiled and dug into her coin purse.
"Please," she said as she offered a few coins. The woman smiled and Fallon stepped through the gates.
A peacefulness washed over her as she walked between the tombstones. The city melted away and only the stillness of the cemetery was left. Birds chirped excitedly in the willow, its long strands swaying in the breeze. The quiet was comforting. I should sleep here every night. Not as noisy as the tavern.
She surveyed the names etched into the stoneheads, scanning them with a mix of curiosity and solemnity. After a few minutes her eyes grazed the etchings of a name she recognised- Beloved Brother and Friend, Cal. The stone looked fresh– no chips or mould. It was newer than the other headstones dotting the cemetery. Beneath his name were wilting flowers. The scent of decaying blooms greeted Fallon as she knelt down, placing her own fresh flowers beside the wilting ones. Observing the state of the older bouquet, she deduced they had likely been placed a few days earlier. She continued weaving slowly between the graves, reading each name. After a while she came across two more familiar names- the Hallowleafs. She plucked a nearby flower and laid it delicately on Emmeline Hallowleaf's resting place.
Spotting a stone bench nearby, she made her way to it and settled down, allowing herself to soak in the sparse sunlight filtering through the willow's branches. With a sense of tranquillity, she closed her eyes, relishing the fresh air, and let the gentle atmosphere of the cemetery embrace her in its serene solitude.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the afternoon sun had gradually slipped behind the towering buildings, casting the graveyard in fading light. The once-quiet graveyard had become a gathering place, with more visitors arriving to pay respects to their departed kin. An attendant methodically raked a pile of dead leaves nearby, tending to the tranquil space. Fallon scanned amidst the quiet crowd, looking for the familiar ashen hair but saw only the Baldarians. With a disappointed sigh she stood up and turned to the gravestones of Shadowheart's parents. She spotted them as she approached. Perched on the iron fence directly above the graves, three crows held her gaze with their beady, black eyes. Their silent observation felt piercing as she neared the gravesites, a strange yet arresting moment in the fading daylight.
"Perhaps tomorrow then," she said before walking away, one of the crows cocked its head.
Did Shadowheart regret her choice? Fallon pondered, grappling with the weight of irretrievable loss. She'll never get them back. The solemn thought dragged her heart. Her mind wandered back to that day in the House of Grief, a memory etched with bloodshed and the pursuit of their goal. They had carved their way through the chaos, reaching a point where Shadowheart's desperation for her family eclipsed any concern for the fate of Mother Superior. Fallon recalled the grim task of ending the wretched woman's life herself.
However, the true anguish stemmed from watching Shadowheart make the horrible decision of letting her only family go- thereby releasing herself from that horrid Goddess. It was a decision Fallon could hardly bear witness to, a sacrifice that released Shadowheart from the clutches of the malevolent deity. Curses formed silently in Fallon's thoughts, directed at the pantheon of Gods and Goddess', cursing each and every one of them for the pain and havoc they wrought upon mortals.
She heard the sound of footsteps stirring through leaves behind her, then a familiar voice broke through the dark memory.
"Tracker?"
Fallon turned and spotted the white hair, then the dark green eyes.
"Are you actually here? Is this some… kind of an illusion" she said hesitantly. Immediately the memory melted away and Fallon's face softened with a smirk.
"Bones and all SH."
A smile bloomed across Shadowheart's face. She dashed and pulled Fallon into an embrace- which Fallon welcomed. She squeezed her closer and squealed excitedly. They held each other tightly for passing moments.
When Shadowheart pulled back, she gripped Fallon's shoulders and looked her up and down. Her eyes were glassy and an uncontrollable smile cursed her lips.
"I really can't believe you're here, after… after all these years!" Fallon's own mouth betrayed her elation. She couldn't stop laughing.
"I'm really here, and I'm not going anywhere, we have so much to catch up on."
Shadowheart shook her head and blinked as though she was looking at an illusion.
"Seeing you… it's really made my whole day, no, my whole week," she dropped her arms and her eyes glanced down to the graves behind Fallon. "You gave them a flower."
Fallon nodded and moved to stand beside her. Shadowheart smiled up at her.
"Thank you."
"Truthfully I came here to see you. I'm really glad I didn't have to wait too long"
"Well I'm glad you thought to come here," Shadowheart looped an arm through Fallon's and led her away, "Come on, we have a lot to catch up on."
"We can spend a moment here if you wanted to," Fallon gestured to the graves.
"They're not going anywhere," Shadowheart quipped. They walked side by side out of the graveyard and down the road, back the way that Fallon had come. However, most of the merchants were tearing down their shops and now the evening crowd hurried through the streets.
"Where were you all this time?"
Fallon sighed, "Nowhere and everywhere. I was in the High Moors for a year, then I travelled further East, then South. Ended up at the Sea of Fallen Stars and now I'm here."
"Hells, you've galloped across the whole continent! You really got bit by the travel bug after all our excitement with the Netherbrain." Fallon felt a pang in her chest, Shadowheart was kind enough not to pry as to why she had disappeared all of a sudden, without a word or goodbye. Shadowheart had always valued privacy but Fallon felt she was owed the truth.
"It wasn't a desire to see the continent that I was satiating," she looked at the people passing them by. Their laughter, their arguments, their whispers, all echoing around the two women, with no idea just how close they'd all come to total annihilation only four years prior.
"I was running away. I was… afraid, deathly afraid."
"Are you ok?" her voice went soft and she squeezed Fallon's hand.
"I'm fine. But after everything we went through, I just had this sense of doom I couldn't shake. Like I was being watched, it's so stupid to say but the minute that tadpole was gone, I felt mortal again. Vulnerable."
"I understand." Fallon looked up at her, she could see the sincerity in her dark eyes. Shadowheart continued, "I felt lost after all of it. The weight of everything that happened crashed down on me. My parents were gone, we'd been tormented by cultists, almost turned Illithiad, and destroyed a Netherbrain. I was a complete wreck afterwards. I was hoping you'd be there beside me, to help me like you helped me before. To be my rock…" Shadowheart stared ahead. They had reached the docks, the orange sun setting against the river cast the world in gold. "But I understand. You'd already done so much for me. For us." Shadowheart faced her. Fallon blinked out the tears that threatened the spring from her eyes.
"You had your own problems. So I'm not angry, or upset. I'm just happy you're here." A weight lifted from Fallon's shoulders. Without as many words, Shadowheart understood. She had dreaded the trip back, to see her friends again and to explain why she had disappeared. It felt good that at least one person understood.
"I think we're going to need wine for the next part. Elfsong?" Shadowheart smiled.
"Gods no, I'm sick of the place already. How about the Singing Lute? It's just down the road."
"Lead the way Tracker."
The last rays of sunlight slowly melted to the blackened night sky by the time the two women sat down with a bottle of red wine between them. Fallon greedily filled their glasses and they raised them to toast.
"What should we toast to?" Shadowheart's glass hovered near Fallon's.
"To surviving?"
"To surviving" their glasses clinked together. They both took a thirsty sip before placing the glasses down. Shadowheart spoke first.
"So, have you seen Astarion yet?" Fallon swallowed hard to not choke on her wine.
"Definitely not," she said.
"Well, you've probably seen all the 'charity' he does around the city. He's a real philanthropist now. Orphanages, schools, shelters… he lives in a palace in the Upper City."
"Well I'm glad he's putting his new fortune to good use. But I'm trying to avoid him for now. If he's in the Upper City then he probably won't even know I'm here." Shadowheart snorted.
"Sorry, but he definitely knows you're here. When I first came back to the city I stayed at the temple of Selune and started my rites. Two days after I arrived, the temple received a very generous donation from Astarion's estate. I don't know if it was a 'welcome back to the city' or a 'I'm watching your every step'. But either way, he knew that I was here. I don't know how but I think you can assume that he knows you're here as well."
Fallon groaned and took another long chug of her wine. Shadowheart laughed.
"He's probably seething right now that you haven't even tried to see him" she chuckled. Fallon buried her face in her hands and groaned.
"I really don't have the strength to deal with his theatrics right now," Fallon lied. She was afraid to see him again. To see what he'd become, what she made him. Shadowheart didn't notice, or was polite enough not to dig, instead she laughed.
"Remember that time when Wyll almost stabbed him?"
"Ugh, he didn't shut up for days about that. He was so convinced Wyll did it on purpose, nevermind the idiot was skulking around the camp in complete darkness."
"He got the lecture of his life from Lae'zel after that" the two erupted into laughter. The stories began to pour out from each of them. With each one, the wine in the bottle diminished a little more and the laughter– a little louder. As the night went on, Fallon's heart grew fuller. For the first time in a while, she didn't worry or fret or look over her shoulder. She was a bottle deep in red wine reminiscence and she cherished every minute.
The most recent eruption of laughter had finally simmered, Fallon's head buzzed and her fingertips tingled.
"I never actually asked you where you ended up? You only got back a year ago, where were you before?" Shadowheart sunk into her chair and lulled her head back. She sighed deeply.
"Well, I was a wreck. My parents were dead- I killed them, I'd lost the only purpose in life I ever had, my Goddess hated me, my entire life was a complete lie, I had just saved the world, and my best friend was gone." Shadowheart's eyes rolled down to look at Fallon- reddened by alcohol.
"Needless to say, I was a mess. I tried to join Selune's flock, do my rites. But Isobel suggested that I hold off. In her words, she said 'I should find myself first before diving into the next faith'. She said I needed to find 'the real me', me who wasn't Sharran, or Jen, or a tadpole survivor."
"She's not wrong."
"I know she isn't, didn't make it any less painful. The one thing that would have brought me purpose was to rejoin my family's faith but even that was not enough. I felt empty, worthless. I didn't know what I was supposed to do but when I saw Halsin packing his bags I asked if I could join and he said yes." Fallon's eyes widened.
"Halsin? You went with Halsin? Back to the Grove?" A smile crept on Shadowheart's face.
"Yes I followed Halsin. But not to the Grove. We went back to the Shadow-Cursed Lands, to help with the restoration. It was… difficult at first. So much had been lost. Animals didn't dare go near it but after a year or two-"
"A year or two! How long were you there?"
"Well I only got back eight months ago" Fallon's eyes widened with her smile.
"So you were there… being a Druid?" Shadowheart rolled her eyes.
"I was helping."
"Helping how?"
"Any way I could. We started with clearing out the monsters, then as the curse eased off, traders started moving through it again. Word got out and people eventually started showing up to build the town. So Halsin and I helped rebuild Reithwin. You should see it now, not quite what it used to be but it's got the beginnings of a new township."
"And?" Shadowheart furrowed her brows.
"And what?" Fallon opened her palms out to her.
"Please tell me you rode that man." Shadowheart rolled her eyes.
"I'm telling you a heartfelt story about my soul searching journey and all your rotten mind can think of is sex? You're pathetic" Fallon grinned.
"You did, didn't you?" Shadowheart nibbled her thumbnail, trying to stop a smile from spreading on her lips.
"I may have climbed Mount Halsin a few times," she said coyly.
"A few times!"
"Many times" Fallon's hand snapped to her mouth- trying to contain the laughter.
"AND?" Fallon said exasperated.
"And… he's an incredibly generous lover." Shadowheart sipped her wine and flipped her ponytail behind her shoulder.
Fallon shook her head and smiled, "You and Halsin, what a match."
"Oh stop teasing, it's not like we're together-together. Halsin prefers… more flexibility."
"Oh does he now? So you two were just… giving in to carnal urges?" Fallon's voice lowered into a husky, teasing tone.
"It was more than that. Halsin was lost too. He didn't want to be an Archdruid anymore and didn't have anywhere to go. So we got lost in our work in Reithwin and… each other. It was actually… really nice and wholesome."
"I'm only teasing SH, I think I've earned it after all the grief you gave me for fucking Astarion."
"That's different," Shadowheart smiled. A dock bell rang out, and the sound of drunken sailors' shanties carried on the wind from The Blushing Mermaid.
"Ugh, I'm really going to regret this wine tomorrow, I should probably head back."
"Anything interesting tomorrow?" Fallon asked.
"No, just the same old Cleric duties. I'll need to brew up a potion for the hangover." The women stood up and Fallon led her out of The Singing Lute, swaying a little on the stairs.
"Come on, I'll walk you back to Elfsong," Shadowheart offered a steady hand for Fallon and led her down the stairs. They wrapped an arm around each other and walked back through the Lower City.
"I'm so happy you're back, Fallon. Talking to you tonight, about everything, about the past, I know it's all behind me now. Forever. And that the future is mine, albeit a little boring but it's mine."
"I'm happy for you too, SH. I'm glad we could see each other again. And I really want us to have a boring future together." Follon drawled. Shadowheart laughed and squeezed her closer.
"It's sad it's just the two of us. I really wish the others were here. Astarion is up in his castle in the clouds, Lae'zel is gone somewhere in hiding, Gale's in Waterdeep doing… Wizard things, and Wyll and Karlach…" her voice broke. Fallon looked at her, even in the dim light of night, she could see the tear that slid down her cheek. A ball formed in Fallon's throat, no matter how hard she swallowed, the ball grew bigger and her throat tighter.
"They're in hell," Fallon swallowed hard, "slaying demons." A single warm tear streaked down her own cheek. The two women held each other and continued walking in silence. The hour was late as the crowd became more belligerent and loud. Fallon knew when they were near Elfsong Tavern just by the sound of rowdiness and music spilling out. Thankfully, she had drunk enough to sleep easily. They stopped in front of the doors and hugged.
"I'll come by tomorrow if you're not busy." Shadowheart said as she pulled back. Fallon agonised over what to tell Shadowheart. She hated to lie, even if it was for a friend.
"Actually, you should come by the tower tomorrow, on top of Sundries." Shadowheart narrowed her eyes.
"Why Sorcerous Sundries?"
"Because Gale is there, and you said you wanted to see him." Shadowheart blinked.
"He's here? Since when?"
"A while… I don't think he even left."
"I don't believe– I wrote to him. He told me he was in– it doesn't matter. Yes, I'll come by Sundries tomorrow. I am very much looking forward to seeing how he explains himself." She crossed her arms and pouted. Fallon was shot with a memory of seeing that very same pout– Shadowheart didn't do it often but it was recognizable.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow."
Fallon waved goodbye to Shadowheart who disappeared around the corner. Inside was bursting with people singing and dancing, Lakrissa carried a tray heavy with pints, Fallon waved but the Tiefling was absorbed in her work. Up the stairs was quieter. When Fallon entered the dorm, the sounds of snores and smell of sweat and feet welcomed her. She found her cot and fell into it. The wine sloshing in her stomach and her head buzzing, sleep absorbed her quickly.