As the Ash Settles

Chapter Four: Sisterly Love.

The sun came and went, so did the tears and as the moon and stars came so did laughter. Citrine as odd as it might be felt less afraid. She was loved, truly loved and cared for with Astarion by her side she was safe, though she feared he may not always be. But, as he said it was his decision to make for too long Cazador controlled him, she could not be that way.

Knocks at the door, along with the sound of Scratch and Robin, Gale letting himself in. "Gale I knocked in case something was going on." Shadowheart quipped.

"Ah yes, like the privacy they gave us in camp because walking ten feet from us makes it so that no one could hear the sounds of-"

"Anyways, we are all packed up and ready to go. Gale did some research and thinks the best move is to head to Waterdeep. No doubt he would like some attention of being the hero returned from saving Baldur's Gate, but we should really get a move on, I've got a couple of caves marked out to stay in though we do need to get a move on if we are to beat the sun." Scratch and Robin both excited, waited for the two to start their travels. "We went and got some camp gear and picked up some thick canvas, better safe than- have you been crying?"

Hearing the words crying both Scratch and Robin jumped on to the bed, rushing to Citrine's side.

"No dogs on the bed-oh whatever." Astarion sighs.

"What's going on?" Gale moved closer to the bed, as did Shadowheart. Concerned looks plastered across their faces. 

"It seems my lover is having some murderous thoughts, daddy issues one could say."

"But, Withers said?" Shadowheart looks around as if to assume the old skeleton would pop into the room out of thin air.

"Turns out the bag of bones may of be wrong. Either way we aren't judging and we are here to support. Right?" A slight undertone of a growl leaves Astarion's lips.

"We are a family, a weird one at that. A little incestual but, a family none the less. We can get through whatever might be happening." Gale, riffling through his backpack pulls out a book, it was leather worn and wrinkled. "I might of commandeered this from Orin's bedroom while we were there. I only read bits of it, a lot of it is about you, I was going to wait until the right time to give it to you but now seems as good as any."

Gale handed over the diary, the leather felt different from any leather book she's  held before. "I do believe it is human leather by the way so there's that."

"Thank you Gale for the warning before I touched it." The sarcasm is not lost on him.

"It's her diary."

"Gale did you read only a little or the whole thing."

"The whole thing but, if it's any consolation I do not view you any differently my friend."

Citrine flipped through the pages, her name screamed on almost every page. Orin's obsession with being their father's favorite, his chosen was everything to her and Citrine was everything to their father. One page caught her eye in particular.

"The look on her face after I showed myself as the nymph was priceless. The fun I will have shaping into everyone she is near to torture her, as she did to me for all those years. 'Yes, Chosen One, no, Chosen One.' Father chose wrong as much as it pains me, but I made it right. She is trying to change her ways fight her urges. Pathetic. Citrine is but a flea and with the parasite inside her head soon she will be even more so.

"No matter how hard she fights, if she somehow were to deny our father, as long as blood flows through her veins she is Bhaalspawn. Will the turning of her into an Illithid replace that blood or just her mind. Gortash is too simple to know the answer but I sought the information from a very informative hag who defied the death Citrine blessed upon her. She will always be Bhaalspawn, even if I lay my dagger into her a million times. SHE HAS NO RIGHT TO OUR FATHER'S BLOOD. Only the gift of knowing she will forever be in torture with her own thoughts brings me joy. Well at least until our plan is finished.

I think I may pose as the vampire next, she lets him feed off our father's blood nightly using her like some cheap cast of wine. I wonder if he ever urges to suck her dry, taste every last drop, bathe in it. It sickens me that he feeds from the blood of our father."

Citrine laid down the diary, her usual rosy cheeks pale. "So I'm stuck like this forever then, there is nothing I can do."

"You can continue to fight the urges, and we will continue to support you and care for you." Gale looked to Astarion as if looking for permission to come closer. Citrine felt a slight nod coming from him. "We all have our own demons, we stick together, we get everyone back together and we work through this. You are not the Citrine from before, you are our friend." Gale softly touched Citrine's arm. "We are with you."

Citrine let out a smile, "Thank you, you can have this back I don't think I want to know unless I have to."

"The good news is, if there is anything else to know we have it here." Gale said as he pointed to his head.

"Well my love, what do you want to do?" Astarion whispered to Citrine.

"I want to get us all back together, and I don't want to murder anyone."

"Well, we can try for both my sweet! Although who knows who we will meet along the way, might have gore up a few goblins."

"You know we are all here for you, regardless of what bloodline you come from. But, as much as I'd like to keep talking we do have a schedule to stick to if you don't want Astarion turning into a pile of ash." Shadowheart, began piling what was out of the trunk into the trunk. "We can send a letter to the Harpers ask Jaheira and Minsc to meet up with us. But, we do need to get a move on."