As the Fire Rises

Chapter Five: Reunion.

Astarion led his son to a familiar clearing in the forest outside of Baldur's Gate, Aelius' anxiety radiated off of him as he argued that they should keep going. "I am not leaving your sister and mother Aelius." Astarion's words were firm. Aelius' emerald eyes bounced through the tree line. 

"They aren't the people you knew, long gone Papa we must keep moving." The boy pleaded to his father but his words fell on deaf ears. Astarion hugged Aelius. 

"You're alive." He kissed the top of his son's head. Aelius pushed back.

"I won't be for long if we don't leave. We are lucky we made it out, our luck won't continue if we don't keep moving. Please." 

The fire crackled as Astarion finished setting up camp for them, a tattered blanket in hand. "I remember that." Aelius looked at the blanket. "It looks worse than when I was a child." 

Astarion shuffled the blanket between his bedroll. "We all have things we hold onto Aelius." 

"I don't, everything happened so fast, everything did." Astarion sat next to his son, "Liliana often bragged about that night, bragged about how she would fill our heads as we slept all in the name of our" Aelius' voice dropped. "Grandfather." The two sat in silence listening to the cracking of the fire. "There is no going back, I don't know how else to explain it to you they aren't who you knew or who you hoped they'd be. Diana only craves to please Bhaal and well Mom she will have no memories of you or of us. She will be who she was before the parasite Grandfather made sure of that. I should have let Orin kill her, I couldn't help it. I know there is no hope, hope gets you killed or tortured, I should of," Aelius' voice broke, tears began to fall. He pushed his father's touch away. "Tomorrow we leave. Okay?" 

The morning came along with a thunderous crack. Aelius jolted awake, voices surrounded the outside of the tent his father nowhere in sight. "Papa!" He called out, he scrambled up flinging the flaps open, before him was a sight to be seen. 

There they were lost visions of his childhood, the heroes of the stories his father always would tell him about. "It can never be Uncle Gale first can it." He watched as Gale removed the black and gold helm that adorned his face. A large pair of arms swooped him up and squeezed him tightly. 

"Soldier you've fucking grown!" Karlach bear-hugged Aelius. 

"Karlach you're going to scare the poor boy." Shadowheart's familiar voice rang to his side. 

There they all were Wyll, Gale, Shadowheart, Karlach, Lae'zel, Halsin, Jaheira, Minsc, Tovier, and his father. The years of worry and stress had not been kind to them but there they all stood, adorned in battle gear and united. Aelius' eyes widened as Karlach set him down. 

Wyll approached him, "Now what is this I hear about you wanting to run away from a battle. I know times are rough and you've gone through a lot but we are with you dear boy, we never stopped searching, we never stepped down from a fight and today neither will you." 

"Had we given up on the gh'ath Faerun would of parished, those istik will regret what they have done." Lae'zel placed a sword in Aelius' hands memories of his young years of the two teaching him and his sister to fight and outmaneuver others put a small smile on his face. 

A flicker of hope soon followed as he looked around at his family. They had not forgotten him, perhaps all would be okay.