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We were leaving the Elfsong tavern when the Nautiloid appeared. My siblings and I ran as buildings crashed down and people ran around us. We ducked into an alley as Cal shouted the incantation to open a portal that would take us home. One of the Nautiloid’s tentacles slithered towards us as first Cal, Dez, then Eli disappeared through the portal. Before I could jump through I felt a shock against my back and the world went dark. The world swam before me several times as I gained and lost consciousness in the pod. I vaguely remember feeling something inserted behind my eye, later screaming, later noise, and darkness again.

I awoke in a goblin trap. It was a pit that was dug deep into the ground and lined bottom and sides with spikes. The opening at the top gave a view of a dark, starry sky and was ringed by fluffy tree branches. I had been in this hole for a day already. I lay skewered by several spikes, the deepest of which went through my abdomen and one through my neck.

Softly at first, then louder, I could hear a voice coming closer to the pit, but I couldn’t see a light source. It sounded like a person stumbling through the darkness. The shadow grew larger as they dropped from the sky facedown onto the spikes next to me.

The shadow, a person, I could see her now, was a young half elven woman with lightly tanned skin, hazel eyes, and honey-brown hair. She had met with a pair of spikes that impaled her stomach and chest. More voices drew near as she breathed her last. On instinct I reached out, abdomen and throat burning from the movement. I ran my hands over the woman’s face, quickly taking in fine details. My eyes swept over her form, noting her height and apparent weight. Then I changed.

My face felt numb as my jaw assumed a charming almond shape, eyes burned for a moment as my natural blue-white was replaced by hazel green. My hair became long and brown with a gentle wave. Taking a deep breath, I willed my Shiftweave tunic and pants to some semblance of the once-white tunic and green pants the half-elf was wearing.

The voices were above us now. I could see a mote of light float down into the pit. Before the light reached us, I released the half-elf’s head. Without my holding her, the woman’s body slumped away from the light. Perfect. I turned my face toward the light as shadowed people peeked over the ledge.

“Tav? Gods, hold on! We’ll get you out!” A male voice shouted down. Moments later I felt the tingle of magic covering my body as I was slowly lifted off the spikes and levitated out of the trap. Three people waited for me on the surface. Another young half-elven woman wearing a cleric’s armor, a pale elf in an expensive-looking doublet and a human man with shoulder length brown hair. The human was the one responsible for the magic that lifted me from the pit. Possibly a wizard. I would need to be careful around him.

The wizard’s spell softly guided me to lay in the grass and the cleric knelt and examined me with her mote of light, now out of the pit. “This is bad”, the cleric muttered to herself before saying loudly, “I don’t have enough magic to heal her tonight. The trip through that ruin earlier wiped me out. The most I can do is stabilize her and take care of it tomorrow. Gale, Astarion. Can you carry her back to camp?”

I closed my eyes as the soft warm feeling of healing magic drifted across my body. I could feel the blood flow stop. The pain remained, and it was exhausting.

I felt a pair of strong, cool arms grasp under my shoulders and my legs, lifting me off the ground again. The wound on my abdomen felt stretched and I groaned in pain.

“I’m sorry, Tav,” the wizard… Gale said softly, “We’re not far from camp. You’ll be okay. Shadowheart will take care of you.”

Finally, a name for the cleric.

“She’ll be fine”, the elf, Astarion, was carrying me, “But what about my doublet? How will I ever get the blood out?” He squeezed my arm lightly, “You’re washing this as soon as you’re well, you hear me?” Having my eyes closed didn’t stop me from rolling them at the elf’s obvious attempt at humor.

An uncomfortable trip later, we arrived at their camp and I was again deposited on the ground, this time with something soft under me. I opened my eyes and scanned my surroundings. I was in a sparsely decorated tent with a bedroll underneath me. The cleric from earlier was bending over me with a roll of bandages in her hand. Slowly, painfully she covered all my wounds, helping me sit up to wrap the gauze around my torso and helping me lay on my back again after. She gave me an apologetic smile and promised to come back as soon as she woke up tomorrow and left, closing the flap of the tent behind her.

Finally, I was alone. Finally, I could risk drifting off to sleep. Tomorrow was soon enough to plan.

Morning came much earlier than I wanted. Thankfully I awoke alone. Gently I raised my arms to my face, taking note that I still had tanned skin. I felt my face and was satisfied that I had kept Tav’s form throughout the night. I let my hands rest by my sides again as I lay and listened to the sound of a camp waking up for the day.

A voice I recognized as Gale called out that breakfast would be ready soon. The chorus that replied were anywhere from overly enthusiastic to sarcastic. I smiled a little listening to them. They seemed like an interesting group.

Someone approached my tent and tapped softly on the canvas before pulling it aside and tying it out of the way. Shadowheart entered looking less than thrilled about being awake. Like last night I felt gentle warmth engulf my body, knitting together the holes left by the spikes the night before. I opened my mouth to thank her, but my voice came out in a barely-there rasp. I locked eyes with Shadowheart as panic began to rise in my chest.

My voice was gone.

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Shadowheart scanned my body again, paying extra attention to my throat and lungs. I tried to avoid bursting into tears at the thought of never being able to speak again.

“Looks like some scarring may have formed in the time it took us to heal you. That’s odd, you were only in that pit for a few minutes, its like your wounds are more than a day old”, the cleric puzzled, “I don’t understand, but my best guess is that your voice will return, but it may be a little different than before. I know you loved to sing, Tav… hopefully you will recover quickly.”

She stood up, extending her hand to help me stand as well. “Let’s get some food in you. Then we will figure out what to do.”

I followed her out into the sunlight into a busy camp. In the center was a fire pit and Gale doling out servings of what looked like sausages and eggs to a group that included a red-skinned Tiefling woman, an uncommonly large male elf, and a dark-skinned human man.

Shadowheart approached them ahead of me while calling for the others to gather around.

“I healed Tav’s body to the best of my ability but there was some damage to her vocal cords. For now, she can’t talk”, she turned her head to the large elven man, “Halsin, you can take a look at her if you’d like. Maybe there is something you can do.”

“I’ll try, but it is possible this injury will need time to heal”, Halsin replied while gesturing for me to take a seat on his left. Guessing from his garb and all the leaves adorning it, he must be a druid. Maybe he could fix my voice.

The Tiefling scooted over on the log to make room. I took the spot and immediately jumped back to my feet with a surprised squeak. The spot the Tiefling had been in was hot.

“Oops”, she said apologetically, “maybe sit on the other side of him.”

Taking her advice, I sat on Halsin’s right. A plate of wonderful smelling scrambled eggs and sausage was pushed into my hands along with a mug of water by Gale.

“Food first”, he said, “Let me know if it’s too much and I’ll try to prepare something softer for you. Wouldn’t want to hurt your throat more.”

The look on his face indicated he and Tav were friendly, possibly close. I would need to explore that later.

As I slowly ate the food he’d provided I looked around the campsite, noting the number of tents and the other occupants. A green-skinned woman, possibly a Githyanki, was going through martial exercises alone. Finally I saw the pale elf from the night before. Unlike the others, he stayed close to the door of his tent. Astarion’s ruby colored eyes locked onto mine with a look of suspicion.

Oh dear. That’s not good.

My attention was pulled back to the conversation being held by the tiefling, Karlach, and the other human, Wyll. They were discussing a parasite they were both infested with. The mindflayer’s spawn, just like me. It sounded like they had a plan to get rid of it. Now I needed to stay. They may be my only way to survive. After all… I couldn’t very well return home with a parasitic passenger that would turn me into a mindflayer, now could I?

When we finished our meal Halsin turned toward me. “’Shall we begin?” he asked. I nodded in response. He closed his eyes and laid a large hand lightly on my throat. Warmth radiated from his hand and I felt a slight shift inside my throat. I swallowed and felt no pain at all.

Halsin smiled warmly and removed his hand. “Your voice may still be different from before. I know that may be a shock to you now, but with a little time you will be singing for us all again, little bard.”

“Thank you”, I said softly.

“Hey!” Karlach said upon hearing me speak, “You don’t sound too bad! I’m sure you’ll be fine! I’d hug you if I could but… you know.” She gestured at herself and I could see flames licking along her skin in places and a muted glow in her chest. Whatever that was must be why she was so warm to be near.

The day was declared a rest day. Everyone dispersed solo or in pairs to relax. I returned to “my” tent and examined its contents more closely. A lyre lay on top of a chest containing brightly colored clothing. A bard. Halsin was right, Tav was a bard. I could play the lyre well enough, so that wouldn’t be an issue. If my voice recovered and I could sing again, I would be happy.

I decided to spend the rest of the day by the fire pit practicing with the lyre and idly chatting with anyone who stopped by. Day passed into evening, dinner was prepared by Gale and consumed voraciously by everyone. Everyone except Astarion.

Every time I chanced a glance toward his tent, he was still watching me. He seemed to have barely moved all day, the same book open in his hands, the same suspicious glint in his eyes.

As people began drifting toward their tents for the night I decided to turn in as well. Maybe I would try my singing voice tomorrow, if Shadowheart or Halsin thought it a good idea. I entered my tent, stretched out on my bedroll, and drifted off.

Something cold and sharp pressed against my neck, startling me awake. Astarion knelt over my body preventing me from moving. His eyes glowed a soft red, and when he began to speak fangs were visible in his mouth.

“Who are you?”

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I swallowed nervously against the knife at my throat. His grip spoke of a long familiarity with the weapon. With those eyes and fangs… Astarion was a vampire.  Screaming was not an option. Not only would no one hear me, but I would likely be dead before help came. I had no choice, I  needed to talk him down.

“What are you talking about?”, I rasped, feigning innocence.

His reply was the knife against my throat pressing closer, drawing a thin line of blood.

“You look like Tav, but you don’t smell like her. Your blood,” his eyes dipped momentarily to my throat, “doesn’t smell like her. So, I will ask again. Who. Are. You?”

Fuck. There was no way out of this.

“Bex. My name is Bex.”

The knife stayed where it was. The vampire’s face broke into a grin. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now, where is Tav?”

I forced my eyes to meet his. “The goblin trap you pulled me out of. Died when she hit the spikes. I took her form before you arrived.”

“Where did you come from?”

“I was captured by mindflayers. I woke up in the woods after the crash and stumbled into that trap.”

“Prove it.”

Before the words were fully spoken, I felt a presence in my head. His mind slammed into mine, rummaging through my memories. Astarion regarded me with a look I couldn’t quite place. Like he was weighing his options. After what felt like hours, he grabbed me by the arm and drug me out of the tent.

He pulled me to fire pit while calling for everyone to wake up. Letting go of my arm, he shoved me down onto the log I shared with Halsin and Karlach earlier that day. It was cold now, but that was the least of my problems.

The camp came to life, residents emerging from their tents in various stages of undress and wakefulness. Wyll was the first to break the silence with an annoyed “What in the hells is this about?”

The vampire gestured toward me. “That isn’t Tav. We have an imposter.”

I opened my mouth to argue but saw Astarion’s dagger still in his hand. He would likely kill me before I spoke. He continued informing the group of what I had told him. Then he continued, “It’s infected as well. I looked at her memories. Everything she told me was true, aside from her appearance.”

“I don’t want to hurt any of you! I took her form because she was there and she wasn’t alive anymore. If I didn’t you might have left me in that pit. There’s no way I could have known whether you would save me!”

Sadness had fallen over the group as they heard of Tav’s passing. They exchanged looks with each other, like they were making a decision without actually speaking. Whatever they decided, Astarion did not like it.

He sheathed his dagger and threw up his hands, “If you want to play nice with it, fine. But don’t expect me to be happy about it.” The vampire left the group and walked out of camp with a huff.

Gale sat on the log next to me with a sympathetic expression. “We understand why you took Tav’s appearance, but it is very hard to see it right now, knowing what we know. Would it be too difficult to change again?”

I kept my eyes on the ground and shook my head. Then I took a deep breath and changed. This time I took an elven form. She had pale creamy skin dotted with freckles across her face and shoulders. Curly auburn hair replaced the brown, eyes became a soft green. I kept my height and weight the same. My Shiftweave clothing changed with me, becoming a simple green tunic and brown pants.

As my transformation concluded Wyll stepped in front of me and placed his hand under my chin, forcing my gaze to his. “I am a monster hunter, but I’ve recently learned that not everything that appears to be a monster, is. You may stay with us, but you need to pull your weight. And if you try to hurt any one of us you can be certain that the others are ready to kill you. Consider this probation, understand?

Removing my chin from his grasp I nodded.

“Good. We will worry about your lodgings in the morning. For now, you can sleep in her tent.” He stepped away from me, giving me space to get up.

“If it’s not a bother, I think I want to sit here for a while. Going back to bed after this will not be easy.”

A moment of uneasy silence followed before Gale spoke again, offering to keep an eye on me. This seemed to calm everyone, and they drifted back to their tents.

I slid forward off the log onto the ground using it as a backrest as I pulled my legs up and rested my chin on my knees. The wizard held a hand out to the embers, muttering an incantation to bring them back to life. A few more moments of silence followed before he spoke again.

“Of all the information our vampiric friend gave us, I don’t think he said your name.”

“He didn’t.”

“Does he know it? Did he even ask?”

“My name is Bex. He asked.”

“Bex”, Gale said, almost as if he were trying the name out on his tongue. “Where are you from, if you don’t mind my asking?”

I kept my eyes on the flames. My siblings had no doubt made it home. I wondered if they even thought I was alive.

“I’m from the Feywilds, but I was in Baldur’s Gate when the mindflayers grabbed me. My siblings were with me, but they made it through the portal. I didn’t.” I spoke softly, not wanting to undo the healings from earlier. At least speaking didn’t hurt.

Gale’s face lit up, interest sparking in his eyes. “From the Feywilds? Are you a fey, then?”

“A changeling, so yes.”

“You can take any shape?”

“Any humanoid I’ve seen before.”

“Your clothes?”

“Shiftweave. They change as easily if I do.”

“What do you really look like?”

I stood then, tired both physically and of the interrogation. “I don’t revert often, so it doesn’t matter. You’re a wizard. I’m sure you’ve come across descriptions of us before.” As I walked back to Tav’s tent, I glanced over my shoulder. “Thank you. For saving me. Even if you didn’t know you were saving me.”

My hand reached for the tent flap and from behind me I heard and felt the fire being put out.

“You’re welcome”

Chapter Text

Sketches I did of Bex and Tav during work the other day. In case anyone wondered how they looked.

Morning came again too quickly for my liking. I began hearing camp coming to life and the rustle of canvas as tents were broken down. As badly as I wanted to sleep more, it was time to get up.

I rose, coming through my curls with my fingers and twisting it into some semblance of a low bun. A few strands hung on the right side of my face, but it would have to do. My clothing came next. Using some of the gear in Tav’s chest as inspiration, I fashioned it into a decorative green doublet with artfully slashed sleeves.

Declaring myself presentable, I exited the tent only to be met by Karlach’s smiling face.

“Figured you may need help breaking down the tent and-“, her thought trailed off as she took in my new appearance, “Ya know, I didn’t know what to expect when Gale told us he’d asked you not to wear Tav’s face, but I have to say you have good taste. You’re adorable!”

She was so sincere I couldn’t help but smile back. “Thanks., it’s a favorite of mine. And help would be appreciated… These last few nights have been my first in a tent, so I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Karlach dipped into the tent, still chatting. “It’s not a problem! Truthfully, we’re lucky to be travelling with a wizard. Aside from whatever you put in your daypack, everything else will go in that chest over there.”, she gestured at a dingy looking yellow chest placed near the center of camp, “It doesn’t look like it, but it holds everything and then some. Then Gale shrinks it and puts it in his bag and ta-da…no more camp.”

I followed the tiefling and within minutes we had selected a backpack filled with a few spare potions from Tav’s stash along with some dried meat and fruit for a trail snack. Everything else was packed up and tossed into Gale’s magical chest.

Karlach seemed determined to keep me near her as she ushered me over to Shadowheart and Halsin, who were checking over healing supplies for the day. “I brought your patient. Maybe check her over before we hit the road? Make sure she’s good to travel?”

Halsin broke away from the bundles of herbs he had been sorting and turned to me. “How are you feeling today? Is there any pain?”

I shook my head. “No pain. I’m just leery of reinjuring my throat again. Trying not to push it.”

“May I?”, he asked, gesturing at my neck.

“Of course.”

I undid the top few buttons of my shirt and doublet, just enough to bare my throat. Halsin’s hand radiated warmth. Both physically and magically. It was pleasant. The feeling was gone far too soon as he withdrew his hand with a gentle smile. “I felt nothing out of place, no scar tissue. You should be fine going forward, but it’s important to be gentle with yourself if you can.”

I nodded my agreement before nodding my head at the table full of herbs. “Do you need any assistance here? After so much of your help the last couple days I want to do something to give back.”

Shadowheart smiled but shook her head. “We don’t need any help right now. The whole camp runs like a machine.” She regarded me for a moment. “You were practicing the lute last night. Is that an instrument you’re proficient with?”

“It is. I had my own with me before the tadpole, but I’m sure it’s lost now.”

“Why don’t you grab it and play something for us?”

Finally, something I could do. Telling them I would return, I left Karlach with the healers while I walked back to the camp chest. The lute had not gone into my daypack earlier.

Wyll and Gale stood near the chest depositing the last of their gear. Gale’s back was to me, but Wyll saw my approach nodded to him, prompting him to face me as well.

“Ah! Our new friend! How are you this morning, Bex?”, Gale inquired.

“I’m doing well, just came to pull a lute out of the box, if its not too much trouble. I wanted to help, and Shadowheart asked for a song”, I explained while kneeling in front of the chest, but Gale put a hand on my shoulder before I could open it.

“Best let me get it for you. Things are a little crowded in there right now. I’d hate for you to get hurt digging through it.”

“Oh… that’s fine.” I stood up and moved away, giving him space to access the chest. Wyll regarded my new form the way Karlach had, but I could see his thoughts gathering in his head. “Do you have a weapon of choice? We have a little bit of everything here. Not all great quality, but better than nothing.”

“Are a rapier or hand cross bow too much to ask for?”, I asked.

Wyll dug into a nearby bag of holding and after a few minutes of searching pulled out a rapier with only a little rust on the hilt. He set it and its scabbard on the ground and began to search another bag. “I could have sworn we had one but I think we’re fresh out of hand crossbows. I’m sure we’ll come across one soon.” He sat up with an apologetic smile.

Before I could reply a familiar, haughty voice came from behind me. “Why are we arming it? We don’t know what it’s capable of, or even if it’s trustworthy.”

I turned to see Astarion a few feet away, his own daypack and camping gear resting by his feet as he adjusted the ties on his bracers. The question was spoken to Wyll and Gale, but his eyes bored into mine.

“Like we know you’re trustworthy, Astarion? You are a vampire after all.” Wyll’s reply earned a dramatic eye-roll from the elf.

“If you insist. Just don’t expect me to come save you when it takes your form and dumps you in a spike pit.” His piece said Astarion picked up his bag, leaving his camp gear for Gale and Wyll to sort out.

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Chapter 5

As we traveled, I learned more about the group, mostly through Karlach and Gale’s stories. Gale in particular had a lot to say and had a talent for storytelling. We spent many evenings after everyone else had gone to bed sitting around the campfire, me listening to his stories. I loved this time of the night. I could close my eyes and let my mind rest while Gale wove a tale about the stars or whatever came to him. I just enjoyed listening to his voice.
We had grown closer in the last few weeks as well. Tonight was another night in our pattern. Gale was telling stories about the gods of Faerun. He had settled on a fallen log and I sat in front of him, leaning my back against the log…and him. After finishing a story about the origin of the Spellplague, he stopped. “You said that you can take on the form of anyone you’ve seen before?”
I nodded.
“What if you haven’t seen the person in the flesh? What if all you’re looking at is a projection?”, Gale mused.
“I’ve never tried”, I admitted, “I have heard of some changelings doing something similar, but I haven’t done it myself.”
“Care to try? I could conjure up something and you could try to copy it.”
I considered the offer for a moment. The worst that could happen is the change could fail, reverting me to my true form. No one here had seen it, and lets just say I wasn’t enamored with my natural appearance. But Gale sounded genuinely curious and had never given me a reason to believe he might reject me if the worst case scenario occurred.
“Sure… let’s try.”
Gale held his arm out in front of us. Tendrils of Weave came together to form a life-sized human woman. I stood and walked around her, taking in her long black hair, lavender eyes, and pale skin. When I felt I had everything I needed, I turned away from Gale and the projection and focused on the change. I felt the magic shiver of the appearance I’d held the last few weeks melting away, replaced by the woman in my mind.
I looked at my hands. They were pale, matching the projection. The hair that fell in front of my face was long and black. Only one thing left to check. I turned back to face Gale. His eyes locked onto mine with a new hunger I was not familiar with. I darted my eyes to the ground.
“So… how did I do?”
Gale stood and with one hand gently grasped my chin and raised head, forcing me to look him in the eyes. He sounded in awe.
“You are perfect.”
His lips crashed down onto mine, capturing me in a kiss filled with longing and want. As if he realized what he had done, he quickly let go and took a step back, a look of shock on his face.
“Bex, I’m so sorry! I didn’t intend to…I mean, I have wanted to but I – “
I took a step toward him and stopped his apology with a kiss of my own. Gale pulled me closer, his kisses trailing from my mouth down to my neck. He stopped momentarily, resting his forehead against mine. “Come with me”, he breathed.
He held out his hand and led me the short way to his tent. I’d never been inside before and barely had time to take anything in before Gale’s lips met mine again. His hands roamed over my back, pulling at the loose tunic I wore in the evenings. I did the same, pulling the rich purple tunic over his head. We sank down onto his bedroll. I was pinned beneath him, raven hair fanned out over his pillow. With a look of adoration, he began peppering kisses down my neck to the swell of my breasts.
Gale took one nipple into his mouth, eliciting a breathy gasp from me. His knee parted my thighs, allowing him to position himself between them. The sensations from my breast traveled to my center. He released my nipple and raised his eyes to meet mine. The mark from the Netherese orb glowed brightly, casting a soft purple glow on the room and my skin.
“The orb prevents me from doing everything I would like right now, but I can do some things.”
He returned his attention to my breasts, focusing on the other this time. His fingers trailed lower, swiftly undoing the laces of my leggings and pulling them off. He brushed a finger softly through my folds.
“You’re so wet already”, Gale murmured against my skin. He began kissing down my stomach until he reached my core. “You are going to taste amazing.”
I moaned as his tongue parted my folds and stroked my center. Wizards are said to have gifted tongues, but this was something else entirely. He devoured me, alternating attention between sucking and licking my clit and delving his tongue just inside my entrance. Pleasure arced through my body at every touch. I was already climbing to my release when I felt him slide a finger inside me. His fingertip curled up to drag across my most sensitive spot. As the feeling increased my hips bucked and I wound my fingers through his hair. Not enough to pull, but just to have something to hold onto. A few moments later I came apart. My orgasm tearing a cry from me as my body shook and clenched.
Gale crawled back up and kissed me again allowing me to taste myself on his tongue.
“Was that satisfactory?”, he said with a grin. As if he didn’t know that I had just been to the stars and back because of him.
I laughed and rolled him off me so that I was cuddled against his chest, my hand covering the orb’s mark. “Absolutely.”
We stayed this way the rest of the night. Me nestled against his chest, Gale’s arm around me idly stroking my hair until we both fell asleep.

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Chapter 6

I woke with Gale’s arm draped protectively over my waist. My stirring must have woken him, the arm around my midsection squeezed slightly and he gently kissed my neck and shoulder. I turned my head to see his features lit up with a gentle smile.

“Good morning”, he said before going back to my neck. His hand idly skimmed across my side from my waist to my thigh and back. The sensations from his hand and mouth caused heat to pool in my core again.

“Good morning”, I replied. I could definitely get used to this.

Gale kissed a trail from my neck to my mouth. His lips met mine and the kiss slowly turned hungry again. His hand never left my skin, drifting down to the juncture of my thighs. His fingers quickly found the sensitive bundle of nerve there and began rubbing in slow circles.

I moaned into our kiss and just as I adjusted to give him better access, Wyll’s voice called out from outside the tent.
“Gale, mate! Get out here, you’re on breakfast detail!”

We both let out exasperated sighs and Gale began to sit up. “I’ll be out in a minute! In another minute I would have had my own breakfast…” The last sentence was muttered so only I could hear. I giggled and began to get up and gather my clothing from the night before. With everyone else already up and moving there was no point in pretending we didn’t spend the night together. He caught me as I lifted the tent flap and pulled me into another kiss before holding the cloth door open for me.

I squinted in the morning sunlight. One thing Gale’s tent was good for was blocking out bright light. As I walked back to my tent, I saw Shadowheart leaving her own. I waved to her and she returned the wave after taking a moment to scrutinize my new appearance. As she passed out of my sight, I could have sworn I saw her shake her head in disbelief.

“Maybe she doesn’t approve of me being with Gale”, I thought to myself as I entered my tent and prepared for the day.

I my Shiftweave tunic and leggings, willing them into the appearance of soft grey leggings and a dark blue tunic with little silver stars embroidered on the front. The sleeves were the same grey as the leggings and were slashed artfully near the shoulders to show a white undershirt beneath. Supple leather boots (real ones) finished the ensemble. I grabbed my daypack, weapons, and lute, setting all but the lute outside the tent before walking to the common area and taking a place on the log we sat on the night before.

Gale was hard at work making breakfast, his attention fully on the pot of porridge he was stirring. His focus only wavered when I began tuning my lute and playing a song to fill the silence.

Drawn by the smell of food and the sound of music, the rest of the group wandered over. Bowls began to fill and be handed out. Karlach sat down next to me with her portion, giving me a once over as she did.

“New appearance today! What made you change it up?”, she asked between bites.

“An experiment. The results were pleasing, so I didn’t see a point in changing back.” I answered idly, most of my focus on my playing.

“Oooh, sounds fun. Details?” She was almost begging.

“Well, Changelings in general can turn into anyone they have seen before. For example, I could turn into a copy of you. Or anyone here, if I wanted to. But some Changelings are able to base their appearance off of paintings, statues, portraits and so on. Gale and I had an opportunity to test it out, so we did.”

Karlach’s face lit up with a knowing grin, “I’m sure that’s not all you tested out, right?”

The comment made me miss a note and my lute made an unfortunate twanging sound. I grimaced as everyone at the fire turned toward me with concerned faces, Gale among them.

“Sorry, my hand slipped.”

Karlach attempted and failed to hold back a giggle.

From his customary spot in front of his tent, Astarion called out. “Can you try not to slip in the future? Some of us have sensitive ears.”

Indignation rose in my chest but was smothered quickly as Gale took the chance to push a bowl of porridge into my hands, plucking the lute from me as he did so. As I sat and ate the delicious concoction my mind spun. The elf mentioned some of the group having sensitive ears. Could some of them have heard us last night? Could they have heard me last night?

Heat flushed across my face at the idea of anyone having heard what Gale and I had been up to last night…or this morning. I schooled my face into an annoyed scowl and glanced at Astarion, who wore a self-satisfied smirk as he pretended to read the book in his hand.

In the resulting silence Lae’zel came to my rescue. “Enough dawdling. Today we locate the crèche. Our purification is at hand. Everyone should finish eating and pack up.”

Halsin nodded in agreement, “While I don’t think your answers will be found there, it is worth investigating. It will also put us closer to the shadow-cursed lands and the home of the Absolute.”

The gathered crew muttered their agreements and began breaking down their tents. Most of them left their bowls and utensils behind. I gathered the items and brought them down to the river to wash. Afterward I deposited them in the yellow chest of holding. As I turned around, I saw only my daypack and weapons sitting where my tent had been.
Karlach passed by with her arms full of her own belongings and caught me staring.

“Gale tore down your tent for you. I think only the things you intended to carry are left. I think he likes you”, she said teasingly.

“Yeah”, I replied, “I think he does.”

Chapter Text

As we walked, I learned when the group had decided to search for a Githyanki creche Lae’zel believed was nearby. A few days before finding me they had run across a Gith hunting party. Even though they didn’t divulge the creche’s location, the Gith did leave the group alive to search for a very important missing item… an item that happened to be in Shadowheart’s possession.

“So let me make sure I understand… We have the item the Githyanki are looking for. It is the item that is preventing us from turning into mind flayers. We are going to the place where the Githyanki are because…?”, I said while rubbing my temples.

“Because my people will provide the cure for our infection”, snapped Lae’zel.

I fixed the fighter with a disbelieving look. “And you’re so sure of this you all are willing to walk into a creche. Where the Gith are. With the item they want. Because you believe only your people have the cure?”

“It’s not like we have much more to go off of”, Gale interjected. “We have the creche and we have Halsin’s belief that the answers to our problem lie at Moonrise Towers. Either way, we must go through the mountain pass to reach the shadow-cursed lands. It makes sense to look for Lae’zel’s creche on our way.”

***

The creche, as it turned out, did not have any answers for us. What it did have was insight into who was protecting us along with many more questions. Wyll and Karlach had told me about the “dream guardian” that appeared to them and had urged them to use the tadpole’s powers to strengthen themselves. Some of the group had indulged, gaining useful new abilities. Others, like Wyll and Karlach, were more hesitant about it. I wasn’t sure where I stood on the tadpole question.

The creche also held a reckoning for Lae’zel. She had to come to terms with the fact that everything her culture had taught her was a lie. The terrifying contraption that was supposed to cleanse us had almost killed her. Her queen had declared her a heretic. At camp she remained in her tent, refusing to speak to anyone, saying she needed time to think.

I returned to my own tent and began changing out of my armor when I heard Karlach’s voice outside.

“Hey soldier, wanna go for a swim? I need to cool off.”

“That sounds amazing”, I replied.

 I grabbed a clean change of clothes and a scrap of lemongrass scented soap. If I was going to the river, I may as well bathe while I’m there. I left my tent, giving Karlach a friendly smile.

“You have the best ideas, you know that?”, I told the tiefling. Her face lit up in a big grin and we started down the path from our camp to the river.

We wandered through the trees making idle conversation. For someone who had spent the last ten years in Avernus, the tiefling had a beautifully positive attitude. She always had a smile and a joke, even in the worst of times. I genuinely liked spending time with her.

Finally we reached the riverbank, both of us pulling off our dirty and damaged clothing as we approached. Karlach did not cover her scars, but it didn’t stop the sympathy I felt looking at the mass of burn marks on her shoulder and various weapon scars across her arms and torso.

After washing the dirt and grime from our clothing and ourselves we took our time relaxing in the water. I floated on my back idly watching the sky as it darkened to twilight.

“So…”, Karlach mused, “you were able to turn into someone you saw a projection of… what if I just described them to you really well?”

“It wouldn’t work. I need to visually see the person I’m turning into. Until Gale suggested using a projection, I thought I had to see them in person.”

“Do you know who Gale had you turn into? Was it someone he knew?”

Before I could answer her, Astarion appeared on the path from camp. He must have come for the same reason we did, because he carried a small bundle of clothing under one arm.

“Oh, I’m sure it was someone near and dear to our resident wizard”, he said nastily.

Karlach leveled a glare at the vampire, “If you’re going to be rude, you can leave.”

“It’s fine. I’m done anyway”, I said as I stood and walked out of the water, grabbing a nearby towel to dry myself with. Quickly Karlach and I dressed and started down the path back to camp. I could feel Astarion’s eyes on me as we left. It felt odd. Not his normal distrusting look… more like pity.

We took our time getting back to camp. Karlach spotted a tangle of berry bushes that we spent the better part of an hour gathering. When we arrived, we noticed not only had Astarion beat us back, but that almost everyone in camp had gathered near the fire, where an older man clothed in red robes appeared to be snacking on cheese.

We were far enough away to see Gale exit his tent and see the new arrival. His face immediately filled with concern. As he approached the fire he called out the man’s name.

“Elminster?”

Chapter Text

“Aww, is that Gale’s granddad?”

Karlach had a grin on her face, but Gale’s had an almost wary look on his.

“I don’t think so…,” I said, “but let’s go see what they’re talking about.”

“Oooh…snooping! I’m in!”, Karlach replied, holding her grin.

As we approached from behind Elminster, I saw Gale’s face change. Not wary anymore, but hiding… fear? That seemed odd. Then we heard the conversation.

“Excuse me? You cannot seriously be asking Gale to kill himself!”

Both men turned to face me. Elminster’s eyes swept over me as if he disliked what he saw. But just like Astarion earlier I saw pity in those eyes.

“Gale…”, the elder wizard said softly, “What have you done?”

Gale dropped his eyes to the ground, refusing to look in my direction. He also did not answer the question.

“Gale of Waterdeep. Is your infatuation so strong you would cast a glamour on this poor girl?”, Elminster shook his head sadly. Gale, for his part, still would not meet my eyes.

“Young lady. If you are a young lady. I’m going to remove this glamour from you. Whether you know or not, you are wearing the face of Mystra, the mother of magic. I cannot let this stand.”

Panic began to rise in me. I screamed, “Wait!” But my words were drowned out as Elminster cast an Aura of True Sight around me.

I felt my body change. The once raven hair was now white with the lightest blue tone. My skin was paler than parchment, paler than the vampire. I knew from the looks from everyone around that my face was back to its normal angular form. My eyes lost all color, no differentiation between pupil, iris, and sclera.

Waves of horror and sympathy oozed from everyone. From the time I had joined the camp, I had not shown my true form to anyone. Until now no one knew what I truly looked like.

How ugly I was.

My hands shot to my face, fingers covering and hiding me from view. I stood frozen, unable to breathe.

Karlach was the first to recover. She moved to stand in front of me, further blocking me from scrutiny. It seemed to break everyone else from their shock. Most of the men looked away. Lae’zel seemed intrigued. My natural form looked almost like an albino version of her. Shadowheart joined Karlach, wrapping an arm around me in a way the tiefling was unable, and drew me toward my tent.

As the tent flap closed, noise erupted from the remaining party members outside. We couldn’t understand most of it. Just the tone of speech. We heard a fist hitting flesh, a cry from Gale, then silence.

Karlach and Shadowheart spent the next hour or so talking to me, telling me that it wasn’t that bad. That no one thought any less of me. They had both heard me say I didn’t know who Gale had convinced me to turn into.

A while later someone tapped softly on my tent. With a nod from me, Shadowheart lifted the cloth.
“Elminster”, she said curtly.

“May I enter?”, the elder wizard asked.

Shadowheart deferred to me again, and I gestured for her to let him in.

Elminster regarded me with a sympathetic expression. “My dear, you must believe I did not know what was going to occur when I cast that spell. I had believed you to be a denizen of the material plane, that dispelling the glamour around you would rid you of my goddess’ appearance, leaving you with your natural appearance.”

I laughed harshly. “I would say you succeeded on that front.”

The wizard nodded, “Indeed I did, but not to the effect I desired. I know most Changelings do not hold their natural selves in high regard. I’m sure even if everyone gathered were to tell you that your appearance was most fetching you would not believe them.”

“Before he was relieved of his senses, Gale told me how you came to wear Mystra’s appearance. I am here to assist you in such a manner to provide you with a form you would be happy with. I am over 1300 years old. I’m sure I could create a projection of someone long gone, who you would not risk meeting on the street.”

A few hours later I emerged from my tent followed by Shadowheart and Karlach. Elminster had left some time ago after fulfilling his promise. My new form was high elven, with lightly tanned skin and strawberry blonde hair. My eyes were a distinct elven green with a small gold ring around the iris. Even with this new appearance, I still felt raw about being outed earlier. I wore my Shiftweave styled into an earth-toned hooded robe. I hoped everyone would pay attention to other things, but I knew better. These people cared too much.

As we approached, Wyll stood and offered his spot by the fire. I sat and was handed a bowl of stew.

“Don’t worry”, the warlock said with a soft grin, “I made dinner tonight.”

I nodded and began eating. As good as it was, the food felt heavy in my mouth. I felt my eyes burn as tears began to build up.

“Has anyone seen him?”, I asked quietly.

“Gale? He’s been in his tent since Astarion knocked him out. We’ve heard him moving around in there, so we know he’s alive, but he hasn’t come out. And now that you’re here”, Wyll lifted his voice so the wizard could not miss his next words, “we probably won’t see him.”

Shadowheart bristled. “He needs to come out here! He owes her an explanation at least!”

“Wait…”, I said, “Astarion hit him?”

“It was unexpected”, Lae’zel chimed in, “One moment he was listening to Gale explain how you came to wear Mystra’s form, the next the vampire was on him.”

The others continued talking, moving onto less painful topics while I took my time with my food. I turned over the events of the day in my head. Astarion was never overly kind to me. He had been rather antagonistic when I joined the group, and I never got a chance to learn much about him.

Why would he suddenly knock Gale out for hurting me?

Chapter Text

Reaching Last Light had apparently been the easy part of our journey into the Shadow Cursed Lands. Within moments of our arrival we had been threatened, gotten the blessing of Selune (much to Shadowheart’s chagrin), and fended off the Absolute’s attempt to abduct the cleric that provided the aforementioned blessing.

After a night of rest, we split into two groups and headed toward Moonrise. Lae’zel, Gale and Halsin would search for more information about the shadow curse in Rethwin town while Astarion, Shadowheart, Karlach and I slipped into Moonrise Towers for some reconnaissance.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that”, I muttered while shaking the guard’s intrusion from my head.

Once we were identified as True Souls the guards left us to our own devices. Shadowheart spoke with other recruits and Karlach recognized and stopped to speak with an old acquaintance. Meanwhile Astarion and I explored the other rooms nearby. Behind a heavy oak door, we found a drow female standing over a table laden with alchemy equipment.

“It smells like blood in here”, Astarion said softly behind me. The drow seemed to ignore him, training her eyes on me.

“Araj Oblodra, trader in blood and the sanguineous arts. It is a pleasure to stand before a True Soul… and your pale companion. I’d like to offer my services, if you’re willing.”

“Tell me what you’re doing first”, I replied.

“Put plainly, I’d like your blood”, Araj said, “A vial of a True Soul’s blood specifically. With one drop, I can brew a potent potion for you. The rest I keep for myself.”

Astarion and I looked at each other for a moment, he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. That was answer enough for me.

“No, we’re not interested”, I said, turning to leave.

“Wait, there’s one more thing we should discuss: your friend here. He’s a vampire, no? Or one of their spawn at least.”

Astarion broke in playfully, “Oh don’t worry, we’re all friends under the Absolute. I won’t bite.”

Araj continued looking at me as if he were not in the room.

“He’s yours, yes? I hope you don’t mind sharing him for just a minute.” For the first time, she addressed Astarion directly. “Do you have a name, spawn?”

“A-Astarion”, he sputtered, “but hold on-“

Araj leveled him with a sinister grin as she explained how she wanted to be bitten by a vampire. It was her life’s dream, it seemed. As off-putting as she was, Astarion’s response to her was more unexpected. Instead of being excited by the prospect of a willing meal, he looked uneasy. Everything about him screamed that he did not want anything to do with Araj or her blood, even with the added offer of a special potion.

“I will have to decline”, Astarion stated politely.

“Excuse me?”, Araj looked confused, “I’m offering you a lifetime opportunity and you’re saying no?” She regarded me again. “Can’t you talk some sense into him?”

“He said no”, I said as I turned to leave, “We’re done here.”

“How disappointing”, she quipped as the door shut behind us.

Quickly we collected Karlach and Shadowheart and left the Towers. The rest of our group met us on the outskirts of town. It appeared that everyone had a story and was willing to share it. Astarion, however, stayed uncharacteristically quiet. I let the others relay their tales as we made our way back to Last Light.

---------------

Later that evening I was relaxing in the room I shared with the other women in the group. Everyone else had things to do, so I was alone for the time being. I had started quietly practicing with my lute. The notes flowed serenely and I was so focused that I almost missed the light knock on the door.

“Come in”, I called without stopping my song.

Astarion slipped into the room and closed the door behind him. For a while he stood silently as he listened to the notes and my soft intonation of the lyrics. When I finished, he approached me.

“What is the song about?”, he asked.

“Its about a man lamenting the choices he’s made… and the choices he will need to make in the future”, I replied pensively, “Our whole lives are choices we make, aren’t they?”

“Yes”, he said with a smirk, “until someone starts making them for you. But that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.  I... I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me? Why?”, I looked up at him with a puzzled expression. The question must have been plain on my face, because he continued talking, the words tumbling out of him

“For what you said in front of that vile drow. I spent 200 years using my body to lure victims back for my master. What I wanted, how I felt, none of that mattered. You could have done the same, what I wanted be damned.”

As he spoke, Astarion had come to stand a few feet in front of me.

“But you didn’t… and I’m grateful.”

Slowly I put my lute on the ground next to me and stood, locking my eyes on his.

“I don’t  want you to do anything you don’t want to do”, I said quietly.

A ghost of his usual grin appeared on his face momentarily. “It’s a novel concept for me… and a little intimidating.” His smile was gone, a look of sadness having replaced it.

“But… I also came here to apologize. You see… before you, I had a plan. It was clean and simple. I would seduce the leader of our little group, make her fall in love so she would never turn on me… and then she died. Fell into that pit with you. When I realized the Tav we pulled out of there was not Tav, I felt as though all my work had gone to waste.”

He paused a moment before continuing, his eyes locked onto mine

“I’ve watched you closely, looking for some sign that you were some kind of threat. I treated you horribly. But you seemed to take it all in stride. I started to see you for who you were. Then you changed your appearance for that idiot wizard. “

I cringed both inward and outwardly at the mention of my failed fling with Gale. The whole thing still stung a bit.

“When I realized he had coerced you into it, that you had no idea who’s face you were wearing, I lost control and punched him. It all reminded me of myself, being forced and tricked into doing things for someone else’s benefit. You didn’t deserve that.”

“I would like to start over”, he extended his hand toward me, “I can’t promise to be the best person, but I would like to be friends.”

Gently I placed my hand in his, giving him a soft smile.

“I accept”, I said before pulling him into a hug. Instantly I felt him freeze. For a moment I thought I had made a mistake. Of course he wouldn’t like being touched! I continued berating myself mentally and began to let him go only for Astarion to wrap his arms around me in kind.

“This… is nice”, I heard him murmur into my shoulder. We stayed that way for a few moments. Soon enough I felt him release me, and I did the same.

“Thank you for listening to me, Bex. Have a pleasant evening.”