Blood & Wine - A Spawn Astarion Fan Fiction

Epilogue - Nymeria

I get to my feet and hold my hand out to Astarion; as he grasps it, I pull him up beside me. I'm still shaken by the way he looked just moments ago; it brought me back to that day on the docks. The moment I thought I had truly lost him after everything we had been through.

"How many more trials are there?" I ask, looking to Gale.

"From my estimation," Gale reaches up and scratches his beard. "One. Ahead of us should be the final trial."

"Which means they should probably go on alone." Shadowheart looks between us.

"Perhaps." Gale says, "We can hang back and try to find another way out of this cavern."

I look down to where Astarion still holds my hand and give his a squeeze.

"Are you ready, my dear?" Astarion asks, looking down at me.

"As ready as I can be." I reply.

I lift my free hand and conjure a small flame to help us light the way.

Continuing forward, I step carefully, still seeing the odd skeletal remains on the cave floors. I wonder if it's from the previous room or if there is something more ominous ahead of us. We should have really kept Gale and Shadowheart with us.

My magic reserves still hold true; I am much stronger than I used to be, and I feel confident that I can take care of us if need be, but not if we're walking towards a dragon protecting a cache.

Not much further than we come across another large cavernous room, and as we walk deeper, I can see the shimmering protective barrier ahead of us and the dozens of skeletal remains scattered across the floor; some were able to make it just past the barrier before dying.

"When Gale said trials, I didn't think he meant death." I say, holding my tiny blue flame a bit higher, trying to illuminate the scene before us.

Astarion stops tugging on my hand. I turn to him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks, running his fingertips along my cheek. "We can always turn back."

I must admit the skeletons give me pause, but there's something deeper in my heart that tells me things will be okay.

"I trust us. I trust you." I smile up at him. "We've had our bond tested before by magical means, remember? Nothing has changed. If anything, we've grown closer."

"You are full of surprises, my love." He says, his brows creasing, "Willing to walk into the unknown with me time after time. I don't know what I have done to deserve you."

I think for a moment and bite my bottom lip. "You do that thing with your tongue."

Astarion barks out a laugh and presses a kiss to my forehead. "I love you."

With all the tension slipping from my shoulders, I tilt my head, "Prove it."

He looks to the shimmering barrier just before us and turns his back to it. Staring directly into my eyes, he begins to walk backwards, passing through the barrier with our hands linked. My heart stills as the magic slides over his body like a gentle caress. He gives me a fanged smile and pulls me forward.

I stumble forward, the flame extinguishing in my palm as I pass through the barrier easily and into his waiting arms.

He leans down and whispers into my ear, "Is that proof enough?"

I huff out a breath and push my hand to his chest, nudging him. "You could have killed us!"

Astarion laughs and leans down into me, pressing his face against my neck.