Work Text:
Say What You Want
It had been many years since Tilly had last been to Waterdeep. She had lived here, briefly, when her parents had sent her to stay with a distant relative while she’d begun her studies as a novice wizard, they pulled together what coin they could to make her dreams a reality. However, her tenure had come to an unfortunate and unexpected end when the devastating news of her parents’ deaths and her sister’s abduction had been delivered.
Thus had begun the chain of events that would lead her to this exact moment of her life. Her years-long search for her lost sister had placed her in the vicinity of Moonrise Towers very shortly after a Nautiloud had crashed near the Emerald Grove. Her subsequent capture and imprisonment had lead to the unwelcome insertion of a mindflayer parasite into her brain. Little did she know, it would be her own sister that would break into the prison of the Towers to free her and the other captives.
Imagine her shock when it was revealed that the woman she’d grown up beside, and spent the past several years searching for, was actually a Bhaalspawn. And this entire time, she’d been living in Baldur’s Gate.
Following their eventual victory over the Absolute and the Dead Three’s Chosen, Faeryl had opted to remain in Baldur’s Gate with Astarion.
Tilly was, somehow, the luckiest woman alive. And she knew this to be true as she stood on the balcony of Gale’s tower. Her forearms rested against the railing as she leaned down, a cup of tea dangling from her grip as she watched the ships navigate their way around the bay below. The view was framed by the golden haze of sunset and stretched out to the horizon. She’d finally been able to return to Waterdeep, after all these years. She had resumed her studies under the careful and meticulous guidance of her new husband.
She heard the unmistakable sound of his footsteps as he joined her on the balcony. He approached the nearby bench and sat down, letting out a contented sigh as he brought one leg up to rest upon the other. His hand gripped his ankle lightly before he turned his gaze toward Tilly.
A gentle breeze swept across the bay, bringing with it the distinct and unmistakable scent of salt water. Tilly felt her hair flutter as the wind reached her. “Mmm, roses,” Gale commented idly as he leaned back on the bench. “I do so adore that oil you use.”
She smiled and turned her gaze toward him, tucking a loose lock of her wavy, copper-toned hair behind her ear. “I shall endeavor to always use it, for your pleasure.”
“You spoil me,” he replied with a smirk. He turned his head away, peering into the library that made up the entirety of the top floor of the tower. “So, what will it be tonight?”
Tilly’s brows furrowed as she pushed herself away from the balcony railing. She placed her cup of tea, which had grown cold long ago, on the table between them before leaning back onto the rail, draping her arms casually over it as she leaned back. “And what, exactly, am I choosing?”
Gale let out a soft laugh in answer, shifting his foot so he could stand and approach her. He stopped just in front of her before leaning down, resting his hands on the railing beside her arms as he brought his mouth close enough to Tilly’s ear that he could feel the loose hairs of the bun she wore tickling against his cheek.
“What shall tonight’s lesson be, my heart? You’ve already mastered your skills of Divination. Would you like to try your hand at Illusion next? Or perhaps Evocation?”
She looked up into his eyes, sensing a hidden desire behind his words. “Are you sure that’s what you want to focus on?” she questioned in turn as she shifted slightly, bringing their bodies closer together as Gale’s arms rested on either side of her.
“Hmm, maybe it is. You know how I enjoy witnessing the moment when you connect to the Weave and master a new skill. It can be… such a thrill,” he reminded her with a mischievous smile. Tilly couldn’t help but chuckle at his response, knowing the truth of his words.
“Just say what it is you want, husband, and it’s yours,” she teased as she snaked her hands up his chest. She could feel his rapidly beating heart beneath them.
“I offer you a different choice, then,” he began as he moved one of his hands from the rail to her hip, gripping it firmly while drawing her ever closer to himself. Tilly smirked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling as she waited for his offer. “We can spend our evening toiling away with your training. Or… I can devote this night to the worship of your divine body.” He leaned forward and let his lips hover just above hers, leaving her yearning for their touch.
Her hands continued their journey upward, allowing her fingers to gently trail against his neck, where the mark of the orb used to show. She rested her arms upon his shoulders and ran her fingers through his hair.
“So you’re suggesting a night of pure devotion?”
He closed the breadth of space remaining between them, pressing his lips softly against hers. Slowly deepening the kiss as he too moved his hands upward, relishing each curve along the way. When he reached her face, he cradled it in his hands and pulled away long enough to utter, “yes”.