Chapter Text
The ocean was strangely calm as the two made their way into the deeper water. The night was moonless and darker than usual, the stars providing little light.
When the water reached the level of Gale’s knees, Astarion caught an uncomfortable look spreading on the other’s face and grew concerned.
“Gale, look at me,” he said gently, moving in front of Gale to stop him from going any deeper and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright? Talk to me, darling.”
The human did his best to put on a brave face, although the look in his eyes revealed a different emotion. “I’m fine. It just feels a little unnerving being in the water again, after what happened last time. What makes it worse is the fact that I can barely see anything at the moment.”
Astarion realized that this was Gale’s first time returning to the ocean since his "unforeseen misfortune” that started it all, that they were so far from the fire that Gale was practically blind, and suddenly everything made sense.
He gently squeezed his wizard’s shoulder in a move that he hoped was comforting. “I promise no harm will come to you as long as I’m around. Here - take my hands and I’ll guide you,” he said as he brushed one of his hands against Gale’s.
Astarion could feel Gale’s eyes attempt to examine his face as if searching for any deception. However, what little he was able to see must have revealed his honesty, as the other smiled and took hold of both of his hands. “I trust you.”
He returned the smile even though he knew that Gale would struggle to see it, and began swimming backwards, guiding Gale along.
Astarion noted with a tinge of amusement that as they went deeper into the water the robe didn’t float around the human as one would expect fabric to do. If anything, it clung to him as if he were on dry land, still fitting him perfectly. Even so it didn’t seem to inhibit Gale from walking, almost as if the robe was moving easily with him.
They eventually reached the point where the sand fell away and Gale was required to start swimming to keep his head above water. He kicked his legs and paddled forwards, still grasping Astarion’s hand as the merman guided him. After swimming a few more meters, he suddenly froze, and Astarion ceased his movements.“I think we’re deep enough. I can feel the robe telling me to cast the spell now,” Gale said.
“Well, go on. Don’t leave us in suspense!” Astarion exclaimed, releasing his hold on the wizard’s hands so he could cast the spell.
Gale muttered an incantation. For a moment there was silence as nothing appeared to have happened. They waited a few more beats to see what the spell did, but there was no obvious change between them. Astarion’s curiosity won over his patience and he began to ask, “Are you sure you cast the spell correctly – “
Suddenly, he felt something rub against his tail. At first, he thought Gale’s foot had accidentally brushed against him, as he was close enough to do so. Then it happened again, and Astarion quickly realized it was most certainly not Gale’s foot he was feeling. He also noticed that the human was having more difficulty staying afloat than he had been a few moments before.
“Gale?” Astarion asked.
“Yes?”
“Do me a favor and cast that light spell of yours. I need to see something,” he answered.
Gale looked confused but did as asked, summoning balls of light that floated on the water’s surface.
“Thank you,” Astarion said before sticking his head under the water, letting out a delighted gasp at what he saw.
While Gale’s body looked the same from the waist up, his lower half had been transformed. The robe that had once hung loosely around his legs had turned his limbs into a beautiful tail, like that of a merfolk. Similar to the robe, the tail shimmered an iridescent silvery-blue that faded into a shimmering purple on his fins. Where the slits in the robe had been, a set of pale blue, wispy fins now adorned his hips, matching those at the end of his tail. The transformation even created extra chains on the man’s hips.
In short, Gale looked stunning.
Astarion resurfaced with a lighthearted laugh. “I see you’ve decided to give being a merfolk a try, darling,” he teased with a smirk.
Gale looked like he was struggling to remain afloat now that he had the extra weight of a tail and was uncertain how to swim with it. Still, he didn’t seem to be panicking, so Astarion let him be.
“This is certainly a… unique enchantment. I wasn’t expecting this to happen when I cast the spell,” he muttered as he did his best to move his arms so he wouldn’t go sink. “Is this what it felt like for you when you were transformed?”
“I’m sure I experienced something similar, although I had to relearn how to swim and figure out how to do so with a tail,” Astarion responded before his eyes lit up with an idea. “Why don’t we try going under the water? After all, I’m sure the robe allows you to breathe underwater now that you are part-merfolk.”
Gale looked uncertain. “I don’t know about that… I’m having enough trouble staying afloat as it is with this tail, and I am sure it will be even more difficult to swim below the surface.”
“So I’ll help you!” Astarion said confidently before reaching his hands out towards Gale once more. “Hold onto my hands again and we can swim together.”
Still, Gale hesitated. The vampire softened his expression. “Remember, I promised you you’ll be safe as long as you're with me. That doesn’t change now that you are a merman. Do you still trust me?”
The human nodded. “I do,” Gale said firmly as he took hold of Astarion’s hands.
Astarion smiled at Gale as he gave his hands a soft squeeze before dipping backwards underwater. He swam so that he was parallel to Gale underneath him, gently grasping his hands. It seemed as if the other man was hesitating to take that last step, as he still kept his head above the water. Astarion gave his hands a gentle encouraging tug towards him, motioning that he should follow.
He watched as Gale took a deep breath and closed his eyes before dipping his head under the water. Astarion slowly drew him deeper into the depths of the ocean, staying parallel with him, their hands clasped together the whole time. He noted that the human was still holding his breath with his eyes shut, so he squeezed his hands again and whispered, “I’ve got you. Relax. Just let yourself go.”
He saw Gale squeeze his eyes further shut before hesitantly opening them. Slowly, he opened his mouth and took a deep breath.
When he realized that he wasn’t drowning and was in fact breathing underwater, Gale let out a relieved laugh. “By the Weave, you were right!”
Astarion just grinned when he saw the joy on Gale’s face.
Astarion continued to swim backwards, taking Gale deeper and deeper. As they swam, they stared into each other’s eyes, unblinking.
Astarion was captivated by how beautiful Gale looked under the water. His hair drifted serenely around his head, like a halo, and he had a radiant smile on his face that Astarion happily returned.
He noticed that the further they went, the more Gale was making an effort to use his tail by the way it moved back and forth. “See? You’re a natural!” Astarion exclaimed before squeezing the human’s hands again. “Just keep swishing your tail and you’ll get the hang of it eventually. I’m going to let go of one of your hands now, alright?”
Astarion waited until Gale nodded before slowly releasing his right hand and moving so that he was swimming along next to him. Even though Astarion was pulling Gale along, the other was definitely getting stronger at swimming on his own. Astarion was impressed with how fast he was picking it up, but figured he shouldn’t be surprised given how skilled the man was in other areas.
“C’mon, there’s a few places I want to show you,” Astarion spoke just loud enough so the human could hear him.
“Lead the way,” Gale responded with a nod.
Together they swam, hand-in-hand and side-by-side, deeper into the ocean.
Astarion could see that Gale was amazed by the sights from the look of awe on his face. Gale happily began to babble about the different types of fauna and flora they passed, pointing excitedly when they saw something for the first time.
Showing Gale the sights gave Astarion a fresh perspective; seeing them all through the eyes of another was fascinating. Things that had grown mundane and commonplace to Astarion were new and breathtaking for Gale.
As they swam, a pod of dolphins approached them as if curious to see what giant and mysterious fish they were. They came close enough for Gale to touch, one even allowing him to rest a gentle hand on its beak.
“What a wonderful creature!” Gale said with a laugh, turning to look at Astarion, expression bright with enthusiasm.
“Wonderful, indeed,” Astarion replied, although his eyes weren’t on the dolphin.
The first place that he brought Gale was the cave in which he’d recently been staying. Astarion didn’t really have a reason to show him it when all it consisted of was a bed of sea moss, but something about showing him the place he’d been staying when away from him seemed right.
Gale examined the cave like it was some sacred place. He even commented on how his bed looked comfortable and he wouldn’t have thought to use sea moss to rest in, calling him clever to have thought of it; something about the praise made Astarion’s cold heart feel warm inside.
He thought briefly about what it might be like to share a home with Gale, and whether his bed was more comfortable than the sea moss, but brushed it aside as soon as it crossed his mind. He didn’t want to ruin the moment with visions of a future that might never be.
After spending a little bit of time in the cave, they set off for their next destination. As they swam, Astarion asked Gale to close his eyes as he wanted it to be a surprise; Gale did so without question.
Eventually they arrived and Astarion stopped swimming, drawing Gale to a stop beside him. He squeezed Gale’s hand and said, “Do me a favor and cast that dancing lights spell, darling. I want you to see this properly. But, don’t open your eyes!” before releasing him from his grasp.
Gale did as asked, illuminating the dark area with balls of light. “Can I open them now?” He asked almost impatiently, although Astarion could also hear the excitement in his voice.
“One moment,” Astarion muttered as he positioned them at the perfect angle to really take in the sight. “Okay… now.”
Gale obediently opened them and let out a gasp, his eyes widening in surprise.
Before them lay a large shipwreck, transformed by the ocean and now host to a sprawling coral reef. Shades of orange, green, yellow, and red stood out most amongst the rainbow of colors visible in the reef. There were a myriad of different corals growing everywhere, some branching coral, some that looked like brains, even ones that looked like mushrooms. It spread over most of the ship and surrounding area, and where it didn’t the decaying wood peeked out.
They swam in as close as they could to the shipwreck to get a better look, the magical balls of light bobbing around them to shine brightly on the coral. Gale happily pointed out the different types of fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors that he saw, briefly highlighted by the magical lights before they scattered at their approach; amongst them were clownfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish, and butterflyfish. Here and there, in the gaps between the coral, sea anemones waved gently in the currents, and around the base they could see crabs scuttling about.
Gale excitedly told him about the different sharks that often made their homes in reefs and that he was surprised he didn’t see any, theorizing that maybe they were intimidated by Astarion’s size and appearance and thus gave them a wide berth.
At one point, they came across a moray eel sticking its head out from a gap in the coral, and Gale teased that maybe it was related to Astarion somehow, to which the vampire responded with a playful shove.
Astarion wore a soft smile on his face as he listened to Gale speak, mostly ignoring the coral and the fish to observe the amazing man beside him.
“Oh! Look at that!” Gale exclaimed, pausing one of his speeches to point at something resting inside the shipwreck. They moved closer and saw that it was a unique looking shell; it appeared to be a conch shell, although the snail inside had long since vacated it. What made it special was the coloration – it was iridescent, with glints of bright purple, blue, and green shining off it. It reminded Astarion of Gale’s tail.
“Well? Go on! Take it!” Astarion encouraged.
“Oh, I shouldn’t,” Gale mumbled, but his eyes were glued on the shell and looked almost forlorn.
Well, Astarion couldn’t let that slide.
“Why not? I think it would be a fine addition to your collection!” Astarion said, before swimming over to the shell and scooping it up. He swam back to Gale and held it out to him. “Here. Think of it as a gift. Now you have to take it!”
Gale rolled his eyes fondly and smiled at his antics. “Well, if you insist,” he replied as he took the shell from his hands.
They weaved their way through the various cabins and areas of the ship, interested to see what else they’d find.
Inside the captain’s quarters was an octopus that did not like being disturbed, squirting ink in Astarion’s direction and covering his face with it when he opened the drawer it was hiding in. He grumbled about the indignity of some creatures as he wiped the ink off; Gale laughed beside him, finding the whole situation hysterical. They quickly shut the door to the cabin to not disturb the octopus any further.
At the helm, Astarion tried to show off to Gale by pretending to use the wheel to ‘steer’ the ship; unfortunately, the decay from its time in the ocean meant it broke the moment he put his hands on it. Gale teased that maybe being a helmsman wasn’t his calling after all; Astarion rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop the grin forming on his face at the jab.
On the prow of the ship was a carved wooden mermaid, now mostly covered in coral but with her visage still visible, presumably meant to protect the ship and provide good fortune. Gale commented that she hadn’t worked the way the crew had hoped, since the ship was now at the bottom of the ocean, although he did note how beautiful she was. Astarion said that Gale looked far prettier, causing the other man to blush furiously and sputter that he was being too generous with his compliments.
The whole time they explored, Gale clutched the shell tightly to his chest so as to not lose his precious gift.
Eventually, as much as they were enjoying themselves, Gale began to grow tired and they decided that it was time to head back up to the surface. It made sense; they had spent the whole night swimming and humans needed lots of rest, but they had been so caught up in the excitement of exploring that they hadn’t noticed the time passing.
Even though the two didn’t want to end their deep sea adventure, they reluctantly turned around and swam back to the island that Gale had been calling home for the past few tendays.
They surfaced and saw the sky was starting to turn a rosy pink, signaling that the sun would be rising soon. Once they made their way to shallower waters, Gale used the magic of the robe to end his transformation. He wobbled a bit as he adjusted to using his legs again and standing on his own two feet, but was able to right himself quickly.
Astarion swam next to Gale as they approached the shoreline. As the human stepped out of the water, he turned and looked at the merman with an exhausted but pleased smile on his face.
“Thank you for everything. I had a wonderful time,” he said softly.
“It was my pleasure, darling,” Astarion responded, “We can do this again tomorrow night, if you’d like. After all, there is so much more below the water’s surface that I could show you!”
Gale’s smile only brightened further. “I would love that,” he replied.
There were a few beats of silence where the two just stared at each other, almost as though each were waiting for the other to do or say something. The air fairly crackled with the anticipation of something neither of them wanted to admit first, for fear of rejection.
Finally, Gale broke the silence. “Astarion, I wanted to tell you – “
Unfortunately, at that moment the sun rose far enough to affect the vampire; Astarion winced in pain as he began to burn. “I’m sorry, I have to go,” he said sadly.
“Go! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Gale called out as Astarion dove back into the water and swam away.
As he made his way back to the cave that he had shown Gale earlier, Astarion’s thoughts were filled with speculation about what Gale had been about to say, and regret about his condition that got in the way.