Serenity | Halsin

Eleven

"Tell me about your childhood. . ."

Halsin— kneeled before the small fire he had made ten minutes previously, glanced over at Roralei after she spoke. The woman sat there, legs crossed, tending to her quarterstaff that had been damaged during their time within the goblin camp.

The man inhaled as he sat down beside her and took the staff from her hands before laying it across his lap. "What would you like to know?"

"Considering you've not spoken much about it before, I'd like to know whatever you're willing to share." She answered. "When you became a druid?"

He hummed as he took his dagger from his hilt. "When I was a young child, a friend and I went to play. We were in the woods one day when I noticed the sound of several voices. They were speaking to me, and yet, Thaniel didn't hear a thing. And when I came to realize it was only me, well, I believed that I was crazy. . . I had developed a bond with most animals. Because I could understand them."

Roralei smiled. "I'm sure that was something most children your age were jealous of."
Halsin chuckled. "Believe it or not, no. Most of the children my age believed that I was just some ill-brained boy, who they'd go to their parents and complain about. Nobody understood me."

The woman cleared her throat as he began fidgeting with the end of her damaged staff. "When I was a child, I used to spend the day complaining about my parents to the boars. But I'm sure you already knew that."
"I did. Only because having human friends never has been your strong suit."

Roralei rose a brow. "I have plenty of friends, thank you very much."

The man laughed quietly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, you were one. But now you aren't."

"Was I?" Halsin asked. Roralei rolled her eyes as she stood to her feet.
"I don't know what you plan on doing with my staff, but try not to break it anymore than it already is, all right? It's already decorated with your large bear fang indents."

He smirked. "I'd rather the staff be damaged, than the druid."

Her cheeks burned as she turned back towards the rest of the camp.

When Roralei was a child, she had a bad habit of touching the ox that her father would raise. One evening when it was time to feed, she managed to sneak out to the fields in hopes to get to touch one for the very first time.

Walking towards the largest ox, it huffed loudly by the time she began raising her hand to pet the animal. As she did so, she stared in awe as she stroked it, listening to it huff again in response. The girl giggled and pet him more.

Roralei's father appeared, his eyes darkening at the sight of the girl doing the exact opposite of what she was told. The man stormed forward, cornering her. She gasped as her father gripped her wrist harshly and yanked her forward before smacking her hand. The sting was unbearable, causing her to gasp.

"I'm sorry, papa!" She cried as he tugged her towards the end of their land. Near the end of their land, was a small building that was made and intended for the ox's feed to be stored inside. But for most of Roralei's childhood, it was her personal hell.

"You will stay in there and teach yourself that you do not touch without my consent!" Her father snarled angrily. The man yanked open the door and pushed his child inside, causing her to fall to her hands and knees.

"Papa, no!" She cried. He slammed the door shut and without hesitation, he locked it and began walking back towards the ox field. Roralei cried as she slammed her hands against the door, no matter how bad they stung and bled. She cried and screamed, sitting in the darkness until whenever her father decided to let her out.

Roralei sat in her tent that night at camp, reflecting on her own childhood. She sat there in a daze, not even realizing when Halsin entered the tent.

The man kneeled before her when he watched her clench her jaw. Her eyes were glossy, but she refused to shed a single tear or even let out a cry.

"My childhood was spent most of the time in the dark."  She began. "Anytime I'd make my father angry— which seemed to be almost every day, he'd hit me and lock me away in the ox feed shed. It was made to store the ox food in the bitter seasons, but instead, it was used to store me."

Halsin frowned at this.
"It was partially my fault. Because sometimes, I didn't listen. Sometimes, I purposely disobeyed him, hoping he'd just get rid of me or send me away, that way I didn't have to deal with the onset hatred he held after my mother died."

Halsin was there when Roralei's mother died during childbirth. He tried everything to help her stay, but once Roralei entered the world, she turned the healers away to make sure the baby was safe. Had he been in the room, he would have tried to save her.

"I remember the day your mother died." He told her. "She was afraid. Not for herself, but for you. The only concern she held, was for you."

Roralei looked up at him. "What was she like?"

The man inhaled as he sat down beside her. "She was a very beautiful woman. You look just like her. She was young, had long hair like your own that would curl at the ends. You have her eyes. The almond shape and the color. Your nose, just like hers. You're like her doppelgänger, really."

She smiled sweetly.

"She was a kind soul. She did anything to help anyone, no matter what it was. She was sincere and empathetic. So many people did not deserve her."

Roralei turned to face him. "I wish I had known her."

Halsin reached for her hand. "She is with you."

She found herself staring at his lips as he spoke. She could practically feel them against her own, soft and warm. It made her skin tingle and her chest tighten.

"Roralei. . ."

She watched as he began leaning in towards her. She could feel his breath against her skin, causing her stomach to flutter. Roralei could feel his nose brush with her own, just as someone entered the tent.

Astarion stood, pursing his lips as the two pulled away from one another.
"I hate to interrupt, but we have a problem."

The two stood to their feet and exited the tent when they noticed what was going on. On the opposite side of the fire, Shadowheart was hovering above Lae'zel, holding a knife to the gith's throat as she laid there beneath the cleric.

Tav sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Shadowheart, release her. We have to trust each other."

"Can I turn my back on you, Lae'zel?" Shadowheart asked.

Roralei looked at Tav. "Do they do this often?"
"The part where she's holding a knife to her throat? No, never."

As Shadowheart stood slowly, Tav cut her off and stepped in front of her. "If you two keep fighting like this, I will not hesitate to end it. We need to stick together if we are to search for a cure."

"If you're sure," Shadowheart muttered.

As she disappeared back towards her tent, Lae'zel immediately rolled to her side, away from the rest of them.

Roralei jumped as Astarion appeared behind her. "That's too bad, I was hoping for a bit of drama for the night. There's not enough entertainment around here. I should've just let you and the archdruid have your moment."

She looked towards Halsin as the man disappeared towards his tent on the opposite end of camp. As he disappeared from her view, she released a sigh.