To Baldur's Gate

Chapter Four

"No one will speak to you like that," Astarion murmured. My breath hitched as he brought my hand to his lips for only a moment, placing a kiss there. "Not while I'm with you."

I wanted to hold on to this moment forever; the tenderness in his eyes and the small smile that I had never seen before. For the first time, I didn't feel so alone.

"Ahem!" Gale's voice once again was the one to rip me from daydreams. Astarion let go of my hand and backed away, donning his usual smirk. Gale put a hand on my shoulder, but the soft touch didn't feel the same as Astarion's had.

"Zevlor has informed me that the healer we seek was the druid captured by goblins," Gale explained. "His apprentice is here, though I don't know what help she'll be. Apparently, this place is run by some dictator named Kahga, and she wants the tieflings out. It's all very messy." 

"Let's go and meet this healer," I said. "And judge this Kahga for ourselves." I tipped my head to Zevlor and walked past him, going further into the grove. Many of the druids backed away when they saw us coming, no doubt frightened of the githyanki and the drow in their midst. I heard parents soothing their children, tieflings preparing to leave, and druids assuring each other that nature would soon be balanced - as soon as the goblins murdered the tiefling invaders. The people here were panicking, and their leader was nowhere to be seen. 

I heard the sharp crack of wood meeting and saw a small training yard set up near the center of the grove, and a dark-skinned man playing swords with a young tiefling. The man was agile and experienced, but still patient with his student, and I was drawn into the training area to continue watching. 

"Good! Now, my friend, we must rest," The man said, lowering his sword. 

"I can't rest now! I have to keep practicing so I can be a great fighter, like you!" The child couldn't have been more than ten and was clearly exhausted, but I could see in her face that she wasn't about to give up anytime soon. 

" All great fighters must rest, young one," The man explained. "Even I must put down the sword to sleep at night."

The child continued to complain and I laughed. This caught their attention and they noticed our little group watching them. 

"You there!" The man directed his sword toward me. "Are you the drow and company who protected this grove?" 

"News travels fast around here," Astarion grumbled under his breath. 

"We are indeed the ones you speak of," Gale said, "and who might you be?" 

"This is Wyll!" The child cried. She ran to the ropes of the small fighting arena and looked us over, eyes widening as she beheld Lae'zel and me, then our weapons. "You're warriors too? Can you fight?" 

Lae'zel sneered. "I have fought countless enemies, child."

"Did you ever have to take breaks?" The girl asked. 

"We githyanki train until our hands bleed and we can no longer stand," Lae'zel answered. "Even then, we fight with our teeth. There are no 'breaks' for true warriors." 

"One must be able to heal and replenish their strength before they can be fit for battle," Wyll insisted. 

"Are you questioning the way of my people?" Lae'zel seemed to be annoyed, but it was hard to tell when her face always looked that pissed off.

"Why don't you come up here and show me just how well your people trained you?" Wyll teased, tossing his sword from hand to hand and bouncing on his feet. He knew she would fall for the bait, but he didn't know that he was as good as dead getting in a fight with this gith. 

"What shall my reward be when I defeat you?" Lae'zel asked. 

"Anything you wish," Wyll replied, a wide smile lighting up his scarred face. 

"Fine. When I win, you will tell me where the nearest githyanki creche is." Lae'zel joined Wyll in the roped-off arena and the young tiefling girl scampered to the side to watch. 

"As for my reward, I ask that the lady join me for dinner this evening," Wyll spoke to the crowd that was quickly forming, eliciting cheers and boos from the onlookers. 

"I'm surprised she hasn't castrated him yet," Astarion said, mostly to himself, but Gale and I nodded in agreement. 

Lae'zel and Wyll circled each other in a tactical dance, their steps light and posture relaxed. Lae'zel took the first swing. A gentle swipe of the blade meant to test Wyll's reaction time. He blocked with ease. She took another swing, this one more aggressive, and Wyll blocked just as quickly. Again. And again. She was growing impatient. 

"Do you wish to taunt me like a child, or fight me like a man?" Lae'zel growled, taking another lunge toward Wyll. This time, his sword met hers in the middle and the sound clanged through the grove. Back and forth they went, blocking hit after hit in perfect rhythm and unison. The two were both expert fighters - and seemed to be evenly matched. 

Through the sheen of sweat on Wyll's face, I saw his expression change and knew the tide was about to turn in his favor. With a maneuver so fast I could barely register, he had knocked the sword out of Lae'zel's hand, leaving her defenseless, and pushed her to the ground, pressing the tip of his blade to her chest. 

"You have been bested, githyanki," Wyll gasped through shaking breaths. Lae'zel glared up at him. The group cheered and clapped and hollered vulgarities as Wyll sheathed his sword. He held out a hand to her - a peace offering. 

Lae'zel reached out ... and pulled on his arm, hard. While he was unbalanced, Lae'zel kicked out her legs and knocked Wyll on his ass, then she hurled herself on top of him, keeping Wyll pinned down. She pulled a knife from her boot and held it to his throat, giving him a sharp-toothed grin.

"Looks like I was mistaken," Wyll laughed. He looked entirely too happy to be trapped under Lae'zel's thighs. 

"You will tell me what you know. Now." Lae'zel slipped the knife back down her boot and stood, waiting for Wyll to do the same. 

"Fine, fine, fine." He stood and made a show of wiping dirt off of his pants. Lae'zel made a waving motion toward our group, signaling that we should continue without her. 

"What say we, friends?" Gale asked, drawing our attention. "She we go meet this Kahga?"