Heart to Heart

Chapter 21

Slowly nodding off, I felt being lifted up and carried back towards the inn. Clutching tightly to Karlach, I buried my face in the crook of her neck.

"Karlach," I mumbled.

"I've got you, soldier."

Once we reached the inn, she set me down on the bed and was about to head back to her bedroll on the floor. Before she could even move, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her on top of me. She caught herself and we were a few inches away from one another's face.

"U-Um, Y/N?"

"Stay with me, Karlach. Please?"

She smiled, nodding her head, "Always."

"No, like stay with me in bed."

She nodded once more. I made room for her and she crawled in after me. At first, our backs were pressed against one another's. It wasn't before long she turned and wrapped her arm around my waist, holding me close and tightly to her.

"Goodnight, Karlach," I yawned before falling back asleep.

"Goodnight, Y/N."

In the morning, I woke up to find Karlach was gone. Her things were gone as well. I gathered my things and headed out of the inn finding everyone was outside waiting for me.

"Morning, everyone," I said.

"Morning," they all said.

"Figured we'd get something to eat," Shadowheart said.

I nodded and searched around, nothing Karlach was gone.

"Where's Karlach?"

"She went ahead and found a tavern for us to eat at," Lae'zel said.

"And Shadowheart said you need to tell us something," Wyll said.

I turned to Shadowheart.

"I'm sorry, but everyone deserves to know what you're planning on doing."

I let out a sigh and nodded my head, "Karlach and I are going to track down someone from her past to see if we can get answers from him. Or at least get revenge on doing what he did to her."

"And you were planning on doing this alone?" Gale asked.

"Yes. Karlach and I wish to do this alone. It's her ordeal, but we found it as a way to bond with one another, along with her helping me learn to fight better."

"I think Lae'zel could have given you pointers," Gale said.

"I did. And she has yet to improve," Lae'zel said.

"Why just Karlach?" Astarion asked.

"Is there something deeper?" Halsin asked.

"I don't know, yet, but there is something between us. I don't know what, but it's there. That's why I want just her and I to do this."

The others nodded their heads.

"We wish you luck on your travels," Wyll said. "Where will you go afterwards?"

"Probably come back here. So we hope to not take long. But even if we do, we hope you have figured out a way to deal with those tadpoles that was put in your head."

"Don't remind us," the others rolled their eyes.

"No need to rub it in since you don't have to worry about it," Shadowheart chuckled as she nudged me with her elbow.

"Will I find you guys here?"

"We don't plan on going anywhere without you," Halsin smiled.

"Thanks, Halsin. Now let's go find Karlach. I know her engine got tuned up, but she can still erupt into flames. We don't want all of Baldur's Gate to burn."

We headed towards the tavern she went in to. When we reached it, we walked in and she was sitting in the back at a large table. She waved her hand as we made our way towards her. I sat down next to her while the others sat down. It was going to be weird with just the two of us from here on out, but at least her and I could get to know one another. It'll be good for me at least, to finally solidify these feelings that just recently started to come up.

While I always admired her in Avernus, I was intimidated by her. Seeing her outside of her element and in a bubbly personality she has was refreshing to experience. While I knew what she was capable of in battle, such as being rough around the edges and very strong, she was still gentle and provided some kindness and compassion, despite the literal hell she had been through.

I still feel guilty about not doing anything when Zariel was putting in her engine. So much so that the guilt I was feeling led me to not tell her there was a possibility of her getting that engine removed. As sick and twisted as Zariel is, whenever she removed Karlach's heart, she put it in a jar and froze it. How was she able to freeze it in Avernus? Something I will never know and never understand, but I do know one thing: if we can get back to Avernus, we can possibly replace that engine and give her back her heart. How was that going to work? I don't know, but we'll figure something out. But I should probably tell her of this information. Perhaps at a better time.

Right now, we were going to enjoy the moments we were going to share before we parted. I leaned towards Karlach and whispered to her, informing her that the others knew of our plan. She nodded her head and we continued to enjoy the company of the others. When it came time to say goodbye, Karlach hugged them for as long and tightly as she could. She had to be mindful of Wyll because of his horns. Astarion, despite his visual disgust, hugged Karlach back, telling her he was going to miss her while we were gone. I hugged Shadowheart goodbye and she placed something in my hand before I pulled away.

"To keep you safe," she said.

"Thanks," I tucked it into my pocket.

They walked with us to the gates and we said goodbye there once more. Making sure we had everything, Karlach started to walk away from the city. I waved goodbye to everyone and she turned, waving as well. Once they were far from our line of sight, we faced forwards and headed towards wherever Gortash would be.

"So, you have no idea where he's going to be?" I asked.

"I have a vague idea."

"Better than no idea," I said, pulling out the map.

"Ah, ah, ah," she reached over and grabbed it from me. "Last time I trust you with a map."

"I am not that terrible with directions. We made it to Baldur's Gate."

"After three days of wandering aimlessly."

"It wasn't that terrible. Besides, the scenic route is the better route."

"Sure," Karlach chuckled.