Amanita, Alex, and Shadowheart walked to the roof of the building. The city stretched out before them, bathed in the warm hues of the setting sun. Golden rays spilled over the rooftops, casting long shadows that danced across the narrow streets. The sky had turned a breathtaking shade of crimson and violet, melting into the vast expanse of the sea beyond. The gentle evening breeze carried the scent of salt and the distant hum of the bustling Lower City below.
Shadowheart took a deep breath, her fingers brushing against her wrist as she looked at Alex with a mix of resolve and hesitation.
"Me and Amanita talked a little after you left to defeat Raphael and..." She paused, glancing at Amanita, who stood beside her with a serene smile. "She convinced me to share you."
Alex blinked, his brows raising in mild surprise as he turned his gaze between the two women.
Then, unexpectedly, he burst into laughter.
"A harem, eh?" Alex said, shaking his head as Astarion’s teasing words from earlier replayed in his mind. "I never thought I'd live to see the day."
Shadowheart's cheeks instantly burned crimson, her flustered expression making her usual sharp composure crumble.
"It's not like that!" she protested, crossing her arms and shooting a glare at him. "To be honest, I never imagined I’d agree to something like this. But after talking about our pasts, about you, I realized Amanita truly loves you. And... well..." She hesitated before sighing. "You can be a bit too much for me to handle alone. At least with Amanita, I’d have someone to share my worries with."
Alex turned to Amanita, who, for once, seemed slightly taken aback as well. Though she had been the one to broach the idea, seeing it become reality brought a new weight to it. Yet, her gaze held warmth, a quiet confidence in the choice they had made.
She stepped forward, gently taking Alex’s hand in hers. "You mean a lot to both of us, Alex. This isn’t just about us loving you—it’s about understanding each other. And choosing to walk this path together, rather than apart."
Alex looked between the two women, his amusement fading into something far deeper—something reverent. This wasn’t some fleeting indulgence; it was a choice made out of love, trust, and the battle-forged bonds they had formed together.
A soft smile tugged at his lips. "You two never fail to surprise me," he murmured, squeezing Amanita’s hand before reaching for Shadowheart’s, linking them all together in a quiet, unspoken vow beneath the fading light of day.
The sun dipped lower, and the sky darkened into the first whispers of night, but warmth remained between them—strong, unyielding, and eternal.
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After a while, they descended back.
The warm glow of the fire cast flickering shadows across the room, its soft crackling the only sound until their arrival. Gale had returned in their absence and was now seated on one of the couches, deep in conversation with Astarion. Their discussion halted the moment they noticed Alex, Amanita, and Shadowheart approaching. Their gazes flickered from Alex to the two women on either side of him, each holding one of his hands as they settled onto a couch across from them.
Astarion smirked, his crimson eyes gleaming with mischief. “I can’t believe you did it before me,” he teased, crossing his arms lazily over his chest. “So tell me, how does it feel to have a harem?”
His smirk faltered slightly as Lae'zel shot him a withering glare.
“I hope you’re not entertaining any similar ideas,” she said coolly, her sharp yellow eyes narrowing dangerously. Then, in a slow, deliberate motion, she traced a line across her throat with one finger before flicking it downward—toward his crotch.
Astarion let out a nervous chuckle, shifting uncomfortably. “Lae'zel, my darling, I was only joking,” he assured her quickly, hands raised in mock surrender. “A jest! Purely hypothetical!” He adjusted his collar slightly, He needed to make sure sure his family jewelries remained intact.
Lae’zel snorted but seemed satisfied with his reaction, smirking as she leaned back into her seat.
Gale, who had been watching the exchange with mild amusement, furrowed his brows and rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “A harem?” he echoed, clearly perplexed.
Astarion, now thoroughly enjoying himself, turned toward Gale, his smirk returning full force. “That’s right. Our dear Alex has welcomed Amanita into his ever-expanding romantic dominion.”
Amanita, who had remained largely silent through the teasing, gave Astarion an unimpressed side-eye, while Shadowheart let out a small, exasperated sigh.
Gale blinked, processing the information. Then, as if speaking to himself, he murmured, “Every man’s dream…” He rubbed his beard again, looking deep in thought.
Astarion let out a delighted laugh at Gale’s reaction, thoroughly entertained. “Careful, dear wizard,” he said, flashing his fangs. “You’re beginning to sound envious.”
Gale ignored him and turned to Alex instead. “Well?” he asked, dead serious. “How is it?”
All eyes turned to Alex in expectation. Shadowheart and Amanita watched him intently, curious as to how he would respond. Lae’zel and Astarion looked equally interested, though for entirely different reasons.
Alex exhaled slowly, glancing down at the hands intertwined with his own. “Honestly? It’s… strange,” he admitted. “I’ve always been used to having just one partner. This is new. But…” He glanced at Shadowheart and Amanita, his gaze softening. “I’ll adapt.”
Shadowheart smiled at his words, squeezing his hand gently, while Amanita chuckled under her breath.
“Well, aren’t you just the noble and dutiful partner?” Astarion quipped with a smirk. “Such a burden to bear, truly.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Remind me why I put up with you again?”
Astarion gasped theatrically. “Because I’m devilishly handsome and an absolute delight to be around.”
Lae’zel scoffed. “Debatable.”
Gale chuckled and raised his mug in mock toast. “To adapting,” he said with a knowing grin.
Astarion lifted his glass as well, his eyes twinkling. “To harems.”
Shadowheart groaned, shaking her head, while Amanita simply laughed.
Alex sighed, realizing this conversation was far from over.
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Minsc did what?" Astarion asked, his voice laced with disbelief as he stared at Gale, waiting for him to admit it was all a joke.
Gale, however, looked at him dead serious, his expression devoid of any humor. "Believe me, I couldn’t believe my eyes either," he admitted, shaking his head as if still trying to process what he had witnessed. "Minsc is a genius. In one day, he learned what takes others weeks, even months."
Astarion scoffed, folding his arms. "You expect me to believe that our dear Ranger, who once mistook a basilisk for a very ugly gnome, has suddenly become a scholar?"
Gale turned his gaze to Alex, arching a brow. "Whatever you did to him, I am this close—" he held his fingers barely apart, "—to asking you to do the same to me."
Alex sighed, rubbing his temple. "Did Minsc tell you how he became..."
"Dumb as a rock? Stupid? Feeble-minded?" Astarion interjected smoothly, smirking.
"Yes," Alex replied flatly before continuing. "When he was younger, he used to break rocks with his head. All I did was repair the brain damage. Though, if I had to guess, I suspect he may have been dropped on his head as a child."
Astarion burst into laughter, tilting his head back in pure delight. "So all this time, he wasn't just a lunatic—he was concussed!"
Shadowheart, who had been listening quietly, frowned in thought. "So, he’s a wizard now?"
Gale nodded. "A novice, yes. Rolan and Blackhand are teaching him. But his aptitude is… unsettling. He absorbs knowledge like a sponge. If he keeps this up, he might surpass even me someday."
Astarion placed a hand over his chest in mock horror. "A world where Minsc is the grandest wizard of all? Gods preserve us."
Lae'zel, who had been quiet until now, crossed her arms. "What a shame. His antics were entertaining."
Shadowheart smirked. "Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much. He may be gaining intelligence, but I doubt he’ll ever lose his love for reckless heroism."
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Alex shook his head, chuckling. "Regardless of how smart he gets, Minsc will always be Minsc."
Gale sighed dramatically. "And Boo remains Boo, the true mastermind behind it all."
A brief silence filled the room before Astarion exhaled in amusement. "Well then, I suppose we must prepare for the day when Minsc is leading magical lectures instead of charging headfirst into battle. What a terrifying thought."
They all shared a laugh at the absurdity of it.
The group sat together, sharing food and drink, laughter and teasing filling the space. For a brief moment, it almost felt normal.
But then, Astarion's voice cut through the mirth like a blade.
"We used to be more, didn’t we?" he murmured, swirling the wine in his goblet. His crimson eyes flickered toward Alex. "I still remember when there were more of us gathered around the fire."
Alex’s grip on his cup tightened slightly. He hadn’t told them about Tav—hadn’t mentioned the hero who had once stood among them, erased from existence by Shar’s cruel hand. He was likely the only one who still remembered him. Perhaps the gods did as well. But Tav was gone, his name lost, his deeds forgotten.
And then, there had been Minthara. Her time with them had been brief, but she had left an indelible mark, especially on Alex.
Yet none of the losses cut as deeply as Karlach and Wyll.
Lae’zel scoffed, setting her cup down with unnecessary force. "Do not speak of ghosts, pale one. They are gone. We must look ahead."
"Easy for you to say," Astarion shot back, his voice edged with something bitter. "You would rather see Wyll dead than acknowledge what was done to him."
Lae’zel’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue.
Shadowheart exhaled, staring into the fire. "We lost Karlach to this war..." Her voice was quiet, reverent, as if speaking too loudly might disturb the dead. "And Wyll… Wyll isn’t even Wyll anymore."
A heavy silence settled over them. Amanita wrapped her arms around herself, her expression distant. "What Alex did to him—wiping his memory, changing his face… he doesn’t even remember her."
Gale let out a slow breath, rubbing his temple. "Alex did what had to be done. If I had been in his place, I would have made the same choice."
Astarion leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling, his expression unreadable. "And Karlach… gods, she deserved better. To be free. To live. To have the happy ending she dreamed of." His voice wavered for the briefest of moments before he composed himself again. "And instead, she got Wyll’s blade."
Lae’zel, despite her earlier dismissal, kept her gaze lowered.
Alex exhaled through his nose, setting his drink down. "He doesn’t even know what he’s done. He doesn’t remember the pain. He doesn’t remember Karlach."
Amanita shook her head. "That’s almost worse, isn’t it? That he walks free, never knowing the weight of what he did."
A heavy quiet settled over them, the crackling fire doing nothing to ease the chill of their losses.
Eventually, the night carried on, and one by one, they began to drift apart.
Astarion and Lae’zel rose first, the tension between them still lingering. "A midnight walk?" Astarion suggested, his smirk lacking its usual sharpness.
Lae’zel merely grunted, and the two left together. Alex suspected they weren’t simply taking a stroll, but rather heading toward another underground arena, seeking release in the only way they knew how.
Gale followed soon after, stretching as he stood. "I’ll retire for the night. Good night."
His expression was unreadable, but his eyes carried exhaustion beyond the physical. He departed with a heavy step, leaving the three of them alone.
Sometime later, Glut and Lara entered, smiling at each other as they made their way to the far end of the room, disappearing behind white folding panels. They seemed untouched by the lingering sorrow in the air, lost in their own world.
Alex, Amanita, and Shadowheart remained, the weight of the conversation pressing heavily on them. No words were spoken. Instead, they let the silence stretch between them, acknowledging their grief in the quiet company of those who understood it best.
Shadowheart leaned against Alex’s shoulder, her fingers lacing with his. Amanita reached for his other hand, squeezing it gently. They didn’t need to say anything. This moment—this silent understanding—was enough.
They had lost so much.
But for now, they still had each other.
The fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting warm golden light over the room as the three of them remained seated together.
Outside, the city of Baldur’s Gate still pulsed with life, but here, in this small moment of peace, it felt as though they were the only three souls in the world.
Shadowheart stretched slightly, leaning against Alex's side as she swirled the wine in her cup. "You know, for the first time in what feels like forever, I'm starting to think about what comes after all of this. After the Netherbrain, after the Absolute. After everything."
Amanita nodded, resting her chin against her hand. "Strange, isn’t it? When you spend so long just trying to survive, planning for the future feels like an impossible dream. But here we are."
Alex exhaled, looking down at his own drink, then back up at the two women beside him. "So… what do you both want? When all of this is over, what does that future look like for you?"
Shadowheart smiled softly, looking up at the ceiling as if picturing something just beyond reach. "I think… I want to see the world. There’s so much I don’t know, so much I was never allowed to experience. Maybe find a place by the sea, somewhere peaceful. Somewhere I can just… be me, without gods or destiny looming over me."
Amanita chuckled, the warmth in her gaze undeniable. "I wouldn’t mind tagging along on that adventure. There’s something poetic about a vampire spending her time basking in the sunlight by the sea."
Alex smirked, setting his drink down. "You two make it sound like I don’t have a choice in the matter."
Shadowheart smirked back. "You don’t."
Amanita reached over, taking his hand in hers. "You’re coming with us, obviously. No grand battles, no ancient evils. Just us, together."
Alex let out a breath, nodding. "That sounds… nice. More than nice. It sounds like something worth fighting for."
A comfortable silence settled between them, the weight of the future feeling less like an ominous unknown and more like a promise—a future they would carve out together, no matter what it took.
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Alex glanced at Shadowheart, who had fallen asleep, her head resting gently on his shoulder.
He exchanged a glance with Amanita, both of them smiling, a quiet understanding passing between them. Without a word, Amanita stood up as Alex carefully lifted Shadowheart into his arms. He carried her to the bed, settling her down with practiced ease. As he tucked the blanket around her, he leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. She stirred slightly but did not wake, her breathing soft and steady.
When he turned back, Amanita was watching him, a warmth in her eyes that sent a pleasant shiver down his spine. Without hesitation, she leaned in and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.
"Go," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "I’ll watch over her."
Alex gave her a grateful smile before the shadows curled around him, and in an instant, he was gone.
Amanita sighed, lowering herself onto the chair beside Shadowheart’s bed. The room was wrapped in peaceful silence, save for the faint sounds of the city outside. She reached into her pack and pulled out her journal, the worn leather cover soft beneath her fingertips.
She dipped her quill into ink and began to write.
Today was unlike any other. Today, I finally took a step toward something I never thought possible. Toward him. Toward us.
A warmth spread through her chest, a feeling so foreign yet so welcome. She had spent years keeping others at a distance, always cautious, always guarded. But tonight, something shifted. Tonight, she had stood beside Alex, her fingers laced with his, the unspoken bond between them strengthening with each passing moment.
I never thought I would allow myself to want this. I never believed I deserved it. But for the first time, I do. I see a future—something beyond blood and darkness, beyond the hunger that used to consume me. A future with him.
She hesitated for a moment, her quill hovering above the page. Then, almost shyly, she wrote:
A family?
The very thought sent a rush of warmth through her, and she felt her cheeks heat in the candlelight. The idea was absurd, wasn’t it? She was a vampire, a creature of the night, cursed with eternal hunger. And yet, she had never felt more alive than when she stood beside him.
Perhaps it’s foolish to dream of such things. But tonight, I feel something I haven’t in a long time—hope.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she ran her fingers lightly over the ink before setting it aside. She turned to Shadowheart, watching her sleep so peacefully, the weight of their battles momentarily lifted from her shoulders. Then, her gaze flickered toward the empty space where Alex had stood.
A smile touched her lips.
Yes, tonight had been a good night.
Alex appeared in the middle of an underground cave.
The underground cave was a place of quiet enchantment, bathed in the soft glow of bioluminescent plants that clung to the damp stone walls and the surface of the gently flowing water. Twinkling blue motes drifted lazily above the stream, their light casting a surreal shimmer across the cavern. The air smelled of moss and damp earth, carrying a faint hint of wildflowers and herbs that grew in the nooks and crannies of the stone.
Nestled against the rock face stood a rustic dwelling, its thatched roof woven tightly to keep out the perpetual cave moisture. The walls had been fashioned from aged wooden planks, reinforced with vines that had twisted and climbed their way up over time. A wooden porch, adorned with small potted plants and hanging charms, extended from the entrance, offering a place of rest and reflection. A small string of faded bunting hung above the doorway, swaying gently in the cool underground breeze.
To the side of the dwelling, a large, gnarled tree stretched its roots deep into the rocky soil, its branches reaching over the water, lanterns hanging from its limbs like stars caught in its grasp. The glow of these lanterns mixed with the natural luminescence of the cave, creating an ethereal interplay of light and shadow.
A circular stone platform, etched with ancient symbols, rested near the entrance, partially covered in patches of moss and creeping vines.
The cave was a sanctuary, a place where nature and magic intertwined seamlessly.
A secret refuge untouched by time.
Behind him, a shallow underground river gently flowed along, its crystal-clear waters carrying flecks of luminous algae that shimmered as they drifted past. The gentle trickle of water against stone filled the cavern with a serene lullaby.
Alex walked inside the cottage.
The place felt warm and welcoming. A comforting blend of herbs and burning wood filled the air, wrapping around him like an old friend. The furniture was simple but sturdy, wooden shelves lined with old tomes and vials of dried plants. A woven rug lay in the center of the room, its faded patterns hinting at years of use. In the far corner, a badger slept peacefully on its paws. It opened one of its eyes for a moment before closing it again, utterly unbothered by his presence.
"Are you going to walk in or just gawk at the place?" Jaheira’s voice broke the silence.
She sat comfortably in an armchair by the fire, a book in her hands, her sharp eyes studying him as he entered. The flickering light danced against the lines of wisdom etched into her face.
Alex stepped further inside.
"Nice place you have here," Alex remarked, his voice tinged with admiration.
Jaheira smirked. "I'm a druid, you know. It helps with my grumpiness caused by this city."
She closed her book and leaned forward. "Have you checked on Gortash’s parents?"
Alex nodded as he leaned against the wooden wall, arms crossed. "They had tadpoles in their minds. But believe me, they deserved it. I checked their memories, but there was nothing that I didn’t already know."
Jaheira sighed. "Well, at least you tried."
Alex shifted his stance. "What about the preparations we talked about?"
Jaheira’s expression hardened. "The evacuation plan is mostly complete. The Landsharks have worked tirelessly to ensure there are tunnels leading out of the city. My people are in position, waiting for the right signal to open them. We’re as ready as we’ll ever be."
Alex turned to leave, satisfied with her answer, but Jaheira stopped him with a look.
"Wait. There’s something I need to discuss with you."
Alex turned back, curiosity flickering in his gaze. "What is it?"
Jaheira hesitated for a moment, her hands tightening around the book in her lap.