Heart to Heart

Chapter 10

"Everyone, we have a new, uhm," I turned towards Karlach. She definitely wasn't a friend and she definitely wasn't a for either.

"W-We have a new partner?" I grimaced as I said the word.

"You're really bad at introductions, aren't you?" she looked over at me.

"Hey, I am learning. I was never really given permission to speak other than to accept orders and to apologize for the wrongs I never did. Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"After that terrible intro, I don't think they need one."

"Just tell them your name," I sighed, walking away from Wyll and Karlach.

"Name's Karlach," was all she said.

"We don't really have anything to give you since most of this stuff is ours," Shadowheart said.

"No need to worry. I don't travel light."

"Where is your bag then?" I asked.

"Shit," she ran down to where the grove was.

I chuckled as I sat down at where my things were, picking up the book I was reading. Shadowheart came over to where I was and sat beside me. She saw the blisters on my hand and she started to heal them.

"You ok, Y/N? You mentioned her whenever we were getting to know one another."

"Yeah. I'm alright. Things might be a bit heated since this will be the first time where we interact with one another."

"You never talked to her before?"

"Not really other than to relay messages from Zariel to her. Never really spoke to her until she shoved me through that portal. It's also going to be odd for me to address her as her name."

"What did you call her in Avernus?"

"Champion. I was never allowed to call beings by their first names, aside from Zariel at times."

"Well, if there is anything you need, Y/N, you know I am always here for you. Same with the others. If you feel threatened by her, we won't hesitate to step in and kill her."

I shook my head, "I don't feel threatened by her."

"Really? Not only is she tall as a tree, but built like a brick wall. And you don't feel threatened by her?"

I picked my head up as she was walking back up the hill with a bag on her back and she was carrying something in her hands. Shadowheart turned to see what I was staring at and smiles crawled onto our faces as we found one another once more. 

"You saw what I saw?" I asked Shadowheart.

"I did," she said.

"Now do you believe me when I say I don't feel threatened by her?"

"Yes," she chuckled.

Karlach set her things down and started to set up her tent. Shadowheart went over to her and talked to her for a bit before heading back to her own tent. The others introduced themselves and I figured I might as well talk to her. I was going to be spending more time with her than I ever did in Avernus. Might as well get used to it. Standing up, I walked over to her as she had just finished up and was sitting down to rest.

"Hey, Y/N," she smiled and waved.

"Mind if I sit with you for a second?"

"Yeah, come sit," she said.

She scooted over to make room for me. We sat there together for a bit in uncomfortable silence.

"A-About pushing me through the portal," I began.

"I am really sorry it was like that and in that manner, but I had to. If you weren't going to go willingly, I had to make you go by force."

"What happened to the devils that went in my stead?"

"Dead. They were all slaughtered."

I let out a sigh, "I-I guess you saved my life in a way."

"You deserved better than Zariel sending you to your death while she takes all the glory for leading our side to a victory. You deserved another shot at life," Karlach said.

I smiled slightly, "And what about you? How did you get here?"

"Stowed away on Wyll's ship. He's been after me ever since we were in Avernus."

"And you never said anything?"

"I dealt with it on my own. But since you stepped in to prevent Wyll from killing me, hopefully we can set aside what happened and become friends. The same with you, Y/N. I hope we can work past what happened and move forward."

"While I was angry with you for kicking me through a portal, I just wanted an explanation. You never really gave me one."

"Now you know," she said. 

I smiled, "Thank you, Champion."

"Aye, no need for that now, Y/N. You know my name."

"I know, but I don't think I will get used to saying your name after calling you Champion for so long."

"I know, but we can try to break that habit, can't we?"

"We can certainly try. I-I'll try to remember."

She smiled, "That's all I can ask of you right now, is for you to try your best with anything."

I nodded my head, "O-Of course. W-Well, I-I hope you have settled in. I-I should probably let you be and get acquainted with everyone."

"It was nice talking to you, Y/N. Truly, it is. Especially since we're out of Avernus and you are finally able to speak. You have a nice voice."

It warmed my heart to hear her say that. Probably because no one has ever said something like that to me before. The best part about it was she was being genuine. Other than everyone else being genuine to me, it meant more coming from her since we were practically in the same situation just different positions of status. She was given more than I was given because of her being Zariel's champion. 

"T-Thank you, Cha--K-Karlach," I said.

A soft smile appeared before I stood up, heading back over to where my tent was. I sat down and grabbed the book I was reading, finding my page where I left off. However, my mind was too distracted. Picking my eyes up, my gaze wandered over to where Karlach was as she laid down, a big smile on her face. I could only imagine the immense amount of happiness she was feeling. She was finally free. Free from Avernus, free from Zariel, and free from the Blood Wars. She finally had her freedom that she had to fight for herself. It pained me to know she gave me my freedom first before herself. I guess that shows who she is deep down aside from a warrior.