The Heroes of Baldur's Gate... and Me

Part 7: Friendships and Forgiveness

I knew Cullen. I knew your husband.

The words echo in my brain, and I stand frozen, unable to process what Wyll has just told me. I stare blankly ahead, not hearing the words Wyll is saying. His mouth moves but I cannot understand what he is saying.

This can't be real. It's too much of a coincidence.

"Tamara?"

Maybe I have a concussion. Maybe I'm dreaming the whole thing?

"Tamara!"

I snap back to the present as Wyll shakes me gently by my shoulders. His gaze captures mine and we stare at each other for a moment. It is in this moment, I know what he says is true. There is only honestly in his face.

"I think I need to sit down" I whisper, my head spinning.

Wyll nods understandingly and guides me inside my tent, pulling the flap down behind us. I shakily walk to my bed and sit down on the edge, as I try to wrangle my thoughts and make sense of them.
Wyll sits down next to me, his knee jumping nervously. We sit in silence, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Eventually I turn to face him. "You knew Cullen? I ask, my voice shaking in disbelief. "How? When?"

"I was young, only 17 years old and still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life." Wyll speaks softly, staring straight ahead, but I can tell he does not see the tent wall but instead sees the past.
"I had a disagreement with my father, and in turn he banished me from my home in Baldurs Gate. I had travelled down to the Friendly Arms Inn and was deciding where to go from there. Well, when I was walking from the stables, I was accosted by three inebriated soldiers. They had seen my well-to-do tunic and thought I might be an easy mug. However they did not realise I had been training since I was a young lad, so I put up more of a fight than they were expecting. Even so, trying to defend myself from three men at once, while weary from riding in the saddle for a ten day, proved to be tricky."

Wyll took a breath as he continued.
"Your husband, Cullen, had heard the scuffle and appeared in great dramatic fashion, leaping from the railings above and effectively knocked two of the men out and sent the third running scared."

I smile at the description of his appearance - Cullen always had a bit of a dramatic flair. He liked to make an entrance.

"Cullen helped me up and took me into the Friendly Arms Inn, sat me down at a table with a tankard of ale, while he arranged my room for the night.
Once he joined me at the table, he asked me about myself, why I was there, what my plans were.
I was honest - I explained the reason why I left Baldurs Gate, the disagreement with my father, and that I was trying to find my way in the world. It was not until he put his helmet and sword next to him on the table that I realised who he was - Cullen Pendragon, the hero of Neverwinter."

I see the awe in Wyll's face as he remembers that night, when he speaks there is excitement in his voice. "I grew up on stories of heroes and I would recognise that sword and helmet anywhere! The longsword that had belonged to the fallen Paladin Aribeth de Tylmarande, and the Adamantine Helmet of the Ancient White Dragon of Herebor! He was instrumental in curing the Wailing Death, and stopping the war between Neverwinter and Laskan!"

Wyll turns to me, his eyes alight with memories, a wide smile on his face. "Cullen took me under his wing and showed me the life of adventuring and helping others. I was awed by him, his bravery and courage when facing the unknown. It was because of him that I was in the Cloakwood that fateful day."