Chapter Text
Day 1
You don’t see Cherta until she’s right in front of you. Probably because she knows how to be quiet after so many years of sneaking into places she’s not supposed to be. Or because you’re neck deep in book, reading faster than you ever have in your life, cursing yourself for not finishing reorganizing the royal archives, because it didn’t seem important with the Realms at peace and a whole new dwarven civilization to explore with your new dwarven partner, but now you realize it’s the most important thing in the world because somewhere in here is exactly what you need to reach Wynne, to bring her back like she-
“Kade.” Cherta’s voice is quiet but stern as her hand lands on your arm, reminding you she’s there.
“Yeah?”
Cherta fixes you with a tight little frown you can hear, even as you continue to scan the page. “This isn’t good for you.”
“I spent weeks getting tortured in a Shadow Court dungeon. I can handle reading.”
She flinches, hand tightening on your arm. “The longer you hold on, the more it will tear you up.”
Officially too engaged in this conversation to keep reading, you turn to look at her. Maybe if she really sees you, you can convince her. “I don’t care. I can handle it. Whatever it takes to get Wynne back, it’s worth it.”
She spends a long moment looking into your eyes, tugging absently at her beard. “And what if you can’t, Kade?”
It sends a shiver through you. Much as you understand intellectually that it could be true, you just can’t let it be. It was too weird, too sudden to be real after everything that’s already happened. But… if you really think about it, you can understand why the others don’t recognize that. They haven’t seen what you’ve seen. They don’t know Wynne like you do. You fully turn to Cherta, taking her hands. “I’m sorry for yelling earlier, Cherta. But please, I need you to understand. An invincible creature of myth swooped down and killed six of the strongest fighters the world has ever seen. They can’t just be gone. That can’t be how the story ends for Wynne.”
Cherta searches your eyes for a long moment, unusually still. Disagreeing with her hurts. But giving up feels like it would kill you. “Okay. I’ll take care of the arrangements while you research. Let me know if you need anything.”
You didn’t realize how tense you were until she said that and the feeling left you. “Thank you, Cherta. I love you.”
With a sad smile, she steals a kiss. “I love you too.”
Relieved, you turn back to your work. Pretty much every culture has stories about the afterlife, but the Winged Warrior first appears with the Middle Elven Pantheon. The human accounts you know are in the palace are a place to start, but not as good as having older texts. There are inevitable inaccuracies with both literal translation and the lens of a different culture. Undermount still isn’t eager to share their writing with anyone, but you bet if you send a letter to Tyril’s sister...
You don’t notice Cherta leave. But when you look up, the sun has set. And she’s gone.