Beauty and the Bite || Astarion x Fem!Tav

Fairy Tale Curses

The following morning, Tav was invited to have breakfast with Astarion, and she accepted the invitation this time. As they sat at the dining table, Astarion had a glass of blood next to him and was carefully trying to cut his waffles. He seemed to be self-conscious, as he was slow, and kept looking at Tav. It was evident that he hadn't eaten in front of someone in years.

Astarion then cleared his throat and said, "I think we started off on the wrong foot. Let's reintroduce ourselves?"

Tav raised her eyebrows in surprise and responded, "Who knew you'd be so nice?"

He replied, "Gale told me to say that." This caused Tav to chuckle lightly. Astarion continued, "But I do mean it... a little."

Tav nodded and said, "Okay, you go first."

Astarion introduced himself by saying, "I'm Astarion, a cursed vampire. My servants are also cursed inside this castle."
Tav smiled warmly and said, "I'm Tav, a mortal. Nice to officially meet you, Astarion."
He nodded and said, "Likewise."

They continued to eat their breakfast in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Astarion spoke up again. "So, do you have any ideas on how we can break the curse?"

Tav thought for a moment before responding. "Well, I don't know much about magic, but my father studies it. I've overheard things during the years. I do know that curses usually have a loophole or a condition that needs to be met for them to be broken." She took a bite of a waffle before continuing, "Like in fairy tales, there's always a condition that needs to be met for the curse to be broken. Like finding a certain object. Maybe we need to find the loophole in this curse and figure out a way to break it."

Astarion groaned. "I've tried all the fairy tale stuff already."

"Maybe you missed something. I can be an extra pair of eyes."

He sighed, considering Tav's words. "Perhaps you're right. I've been trapped in this cycle for so long, I may have overlooked something crucial."

Tav nodded, feeling a sense of determination building within her. "Then it's settled. We'll search every corner of this castle, explore every possibility until we find a way to break this curse."

Astarion's gaze softened, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes. "Thank you, Tav. Your optimism is a welcome change."

༻༺

"Ow! Remind me why you have to do this again?" Astarion is face-down on his bed so that his wounds from the wolf attack are visible. Tav is unwrapping the cloth around them and washing them again.

"Do you want infections?"

"I thought you cleaned them yesterday?"

Tav chuckled as she carefully dabbed at one of the wounds with a clean cloth. "Cleaning them once isn't enough to prevent infections, especially considering the circumstances. We need to make sure they're properly cared for."

Astarion groaned, his voice muffled by the pillow. "I never thought being tended to by a mortal would be so... thorough."

Tav smiled, her tone teasing. "Well, you did save my life. The least I can do is make sure you don't lose yours to a nasty infection."

Astarion grumbled something unintelligible into the pillow, but Tav caught the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.

Once she finished cleaning and rewrapping the wounds, Tav stepped back, satisfied with her work. "There, all done. Hopefully, that'll speed up your recovery."

Astarion lifted his head from the pillow, turning to look at her with a grateful expression in his eyes. "Thank you. You didn't have to do any of this, yet you continue to care for me. Especially because of how I acted towards you at the beginning."

Tav shrugged, trying to downplay her actions. "It's the least I can do."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Astarion's lips as he settled back onto the bed.

She sighed, "I'll leave you to rest."

As Tav walked through the corridors of the castle, her thoughts drifted to the events that had brought her here. She never imagined she would find herself tending to the wounds of a vampire, let alone one who kidnapped her father.

Lost in her thoughts, Tav almost didn't notice the object approaching her until they were nearly face to face. Startled, she stumbled backward.

"Easy there, Tav. I didn't mean to startle you," came Gale's voice, his expression one of concern.

She steadied herself, offering a grateful smile. "It's okay, Gale. I was just lost in thought."

Gale nodded, his gaze drifting to the bandages peeking out from under Tav's sleeve. "Ah, tending to Astarion's wounds again?"

She nodded. "Yes, he's recovering well."

Gale chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, I'm glad I could be of assistance. Though I must admit, seeing you and Astarion together is quite the sight."

Tav raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, though his eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh, nothing. Just that you two make an interesting pair, that's all."

"Is this castle really that deprived of mortals that I'm interesting to everyone?"

Gale laughed at Tav's question, shaking his head. "Well, yes. But, I meant that Astarion isn't exactly known for his friendliness toward strangers. And yet, here you are, allying with him to break the curse. It's unexpected, to say the least."

Tav nodded, understanding his point. "I suppose it is unusual."

With that, Gale bid her farewell and continued on his way, leaving Tav to ponder his words once more. As she made her way back to her quarters, she couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps her partnership with Astarion was more significant than she had initially thought. She brushed it off.

Karlach was taking a nap in her fireplace. Tav decided maybe she should do the same. She slumped down on her bed.

She could never get used to this.