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the-real-housewives-of-waterdeep · 22 days

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Poor Little Rich Girl Chapter 28: Professor Dekarios

Summary: Dulcinea visits Gale at work.

Rating: T

Pairing: Gale/OC

Word count: 2.3k

While Gale loved lecturing more than most of his colleagues, third year lab practical was his favorite. This class, coupled with didactic lectures, was deemed a “weed out” course by most, a way for the academy to cut the wheat from the chaff for students interested in upper level illusory magic. It was an intimidating prospect to create a curriculum that was adequately challenging but still fostered an environment for productive learning, but it was a challenge that Gale took in stride.

The practicum labs were on the lowermost floor of the tower and designed with lower level apprentices in mind. The walls and furniture were enchanted to prevent any property damage in the event of a poorly controlled evocation spell.

Gale recalled his first lab practical was in the very lab space where he taught now. He also recalled proudly that it was the strength of his fireball casting, a spell reserved specifically for fifth year apprentices, that resulted in his early advancement from rudimentary practicum to the advanced classes… and very nearly got him expelled.

As Gale walked through the rows of desks occupied by apprentices in states of deep focus as they practiced casting major illusion, he overheard a quiet grumble of frustration. The grumbling he overheard came from a halfling girl, Maris. She was trying to create a rabbit, however the illusion lacked the solidness observed in her classmates’ illusions.

“Maris, may I demonstrate?” Gale interjected, his voice calm and gentle. “I think you’ll find that a slight adjustment in inflection will yield a stronger illusion.”

Gale repeated the incantation, modeling the significant syllabic stresses. As the final word left his lips, he’d created a perfect illusory replica of Tara, his beloved tressym companion.

“Mr. Dekarios, what is the meaning of this?” the illusion squawked irritably. The illusion fluttered its wings before jumping off of the table, soaring to the front of the room where it alit onto the podium and disappeared.

Maris’ eyes widened in understanding. She emulated Gale’s pronunciation and, sure enough, a chicken appeared on the lab table. The yardbird grumbled contentedly as it walked around on the desk. Its composition was more solid and the sounds it produced were more realistic. Maris had even managed to imbue the illusion with a realistic barnyard-like smell.

“Excellent work,” Gale remarked approvingly. He continued on in this manner, providing encouragement and feedback where it was needed. When Gale tried his hand at teaching over a decade ago, he quickly grew tired and frustrated with how tedious it could be. Perhaps it was the life experience he’d gained, but teaching felt unexpectedly gratifying for him. Sharing his knowledge and experience with these young and eager minds, in the same space where he once studied, felt like a means of using his newfound life to give back to the arcane community. What’s more, he felt that with his gentle guidance, he could prevent others from following the path that nearly led to his demise.

As Gale was explaining a the underlying mechanisms of the Weave in illusory magic, murmurs of surprise broke out around him. Gale knitted his brow, wondering what the disruption was about.

“Keep working at it,” he reassured his struggling student. “You’re on the brink of a breakthrough if only you persevere.”

He turned and smiled as he saw the source of the hubbub. Dulcinea stood in the doorway of the lab, visibly trying to suppress an excited smile. Dulcinea’s occasional visits invariably stirred excitement from his students. After all, it wasn’t every day that there were two heroes of the Sword Coast in the same room. She usually arrived directly from tutoring debutantes in the fine art of sword sparring, a petite sword slung over her shoulder, but today she wore one of the burgundy dresses that Gale had custom-made for her.

*She must not have had students today. She always has students today. What is different about today?* Gale wondered. He had the distinct feeling that he was forgetting something…

Regardless, Gale strode over to his wife, embracing her as affectionately as one could while in public. Dulcinea nuzzled into the curve of Gale’s neck, taking in the familiar scent of his favorite rose soap. His body was warm and comforting as his arms encircled her waist.

“How are you, my love?” Gale murmured, brushing a tendril of dark hair from her face. “To what do I owe the pleasure of such a visit from my beloved wife?”

Dulcinea looked up at him, a conspiratorial glimmer in her eye.

“I must speak with you, at your earliest convenience,” she replied, her voice low and soft as her soft lips brushed his ear.

A shiver coursed down Gale’s spine. *What am I forgetting?*

“Ah, of course,” Gale nodded. “My pupils have nearly completed their practical for the day. I shall see you in my office, post-haste.”

Gale planted a chaste kiss on her forehead before watching her depart. He could hear her calfskin boots clicking down the hallway, eventually fading to echoes. The sound of her footfalls and the soft swishing of her skirts never failed to stir his affections.

The professor smiled to himself for a moment before clearing his throat and regaining his composure. *Focus, Gale*, he thought to himself. His students giggled amongst themselves. The affection between Gale and his wife and how it seemed to shake him from the intense focus with which he lectured never failed to amuse the young apprentices.

“In the final moments of our practical, I shall demonstrate next session’s assignment,” Gale announced, taking his place at the front of the room.

From a cupboard behind him, he produced a goblin skull with its impressive maw of sharp teeth still intact.

“This skull is a relic that I collected during my travels. This very unfortunate chap met his end at the hands of the Blade of Avernus himself.”

The students’ eyes widened collectively in subtle amazement.

“We shall be practicing the use of ‘Magic Mouth’. Please come prepared with your own object to enchant and a proper review of the spell itself,” Gale instructed.

With a simple incantation and a snap of Gale’s fingers, a purple light roared to life behind the skull’s empty eye sockets. Its jaw dropped open and it began to speak in Gale’s voice.

“Your didactic exam is next week in the lecture hall. Come prepared,” the skull blared, its eerily glowing eye sockets lifelessly transfixed to the lab’s door.

The light dimmed from the skull’s eyes as the spell faded. The students clapped before gathering their belongings and filtering out of the lab.

No sooner had the last student departed, Gale began frantically collecting his papers from his desk. He couldn’t leave Dulcinea waiting.

*Dear Gods, what am I forgetting?* he thought to himself in bitter frustration.

Gale was, in fact, forgetting something. Ordinarily, he didn’t keep track of Dulcinea’s appointments — her hairdresser appointments, her spa visits, having tea with his mother. Amidst the chaos of upcoming midterms, he must’ve forgotten his wife’s appointment with the healer.

Meanwhile, behind a door sporting an engraved plaque reading “Professor Gale Dekarios”, Dulcinea perched herself on the edge of Gale’s desk. She fidgeted restlessly, awaiting Gale’s arrival, crossing and uncrossing her legs and fiddling with her wedding ring. Minutes were passing like hours as she waited there in his office.

Dulcinea had gone to the healer at the behest of her mother-in-law, who noticed that Dulcinea seemed a touch more fatigued than usual. Perhaps it was adjusting to the working world after a life of leisure or parenting Yenna, but Morena suggested that the healer might have a potion in stock to assist with the tiredness that seemed to plague her daughter-in-law. Yet, Dulcinea could see something else stirring behind Morena’s eyes. She knew *something* but clearly she would not divulge it.

After what felt like an eternity, the office door opened and Gale stepped into his small workspace. A look of joy and perhaps relief filled his eyes as he took in the sight of his wife.

He embraced her tightly, savoring the feeling of her body against his. Their foreheads rested together momentarily as Gale pressed his lips to Dulcinea’s. Neither of them would dare squander a moment of privacy.

“I had my appointment today,” Dulcinea began, taking Gale’s hands into hers. She recognized the look of vague confusion on his face, followed by wide-eyed embarrassment.

“Egads! Your appointment! Azuth’s boots, how could I have forgotten?” Gale exclaimed, visibly flustered by the appointment slipping his mind. “How was it? Are you well? Did the healer find anything concerning? Did they —“

Dulcinea pressed a single finger to Gale’s lips. “Shh… settle down,” she urged, smiling gently.

Gale’s shoulders dropped. He chuckled to himself sheepishly. “Ah, yes, right. I’ll allow you to tell me.”

Dulcinea’s eyes dropped to the floor. She pursed her lips, trying to find the words to say what needed to be said. Her eyes met Gale’s once more. She opened her mouth to speak, but Gale immediately cut in.

“Are you —“

Dulcinea knitted her brow and scowled playfully. “You were supposed to let me finish.”

Still, her blushing cheeks and shy smile told the story before she could.

“Forgive me,” Gale replied, trying to compose himself. “I should not have interjected. I — Really?”

Gale’s heart thudded in his chest. He drew in a shaky breath and quietly asked, “Am I going to be a father?”

Dulcinea pursed her lips in an attempt to stifle a grin of excitement and nodded once.

The color drained from Gale’s face. He rested his hands on the desk, one on either side of Dulcinea’s hips. The world began to spin. *Deep breaths, Gale…* he reminded himself. *Deep breaths.* He had never once considered himself father material. It was never on the table; not with Mystra nor those before her, nor with the orb, nor with the tadpole. Even now, orb-less and tadpole-less, did he deserve to be a father?

Dulcinea’s eyes flickered with worry. Was he unhappy? Was he resentful of her? She struggled to process his reaction, watching Gale spiral in front of her. She wanted to reach towards him, take his hands in hers, and console him, but was that what he needed right now?

“Are you alright?” she asked tentatively.

Dulcinea’s voice sounded as if Gale was underwater — muffled and distorted. Slowly the world came back into focus. He was back in his body once more with his heart rate decelerating.

“I…” Gale breathed. He looked up at Dulcinea, wide-eyed with amazement and disbelief. He paused a moment, allowing his gaze to meet hers.

Finally, Gale pulled Dulcinea into his arms. His body shuddered against hers as his forehead rested on her shoulder. Gale’s tears began to saturate Dulcinea’s shoulder. Dulcinea held Gale tightly, kissing the crown of his head.

“I don’t deserve this.” Gale’s voice was small and insecure, wavering with quiet tears that still streamed from his eyes.

“What do you mean you don’t deserve this?” Dulcinea asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

“I don’t deserve this,” Gale reiterated with his face still buried in Dulcinea’s shoulder.

“Excuse me?” Dulcinea asked sharply. “I’ll have none of that. Look at me.”

She lifted Gale’s tear-streaked face, looking him squarely in the eye. Despite her sharp tone, her eyes were filled with empathy and sorrow. She should have known that this news would strike a core wound, a recurrent theme of their relationship: *deserving*.

“Who in the Nine Hells told you that you don’t deserve to be a father?”

Gale was uncharacteristically rendered speechless. Nobody told him that he didn’t deserve parenthood and, intellectually, Gale recognized that. His heart and the traumas that marred it wanted him to believe otherwise.

“Nobody told you that you don’t deserve this. Not a godsdamned soul,” Dulcinea continued. “You’ve ready *proven* your mettle in nurturing Yenna. You’ve already *proven* your patience when you teach your students. What more evidence do you need?”

“Well, technically —“

“Do not give me that ‘an experiment must be completed thrice’ nonsense.” Dulcinea swallowed hard. “You deserve happiness. You always have. You have *always* deserved happiness. I will repeat it again and again until you believe it.”

She took a beat and took Gale’s hands in hers. “If you want this, and I hope to any deity that gives half of a damn that you do, then you deserve it.”

Gale was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he pressed his lips to Dulcinea’s, an unmistakeable heat underlying the kiss.

When he pulled back, he was no longer crying. Instead, he smiled softly and hopefully.

“I want this,” he said finally. “I want this child. *Our child*.”

Dulcinea’s shoulders dropped in relief and a grin crossed her face. “Thank the gods,” she sighed.

Gale’s eyes lit up. “There are announcements to make. Mother and Tara will be thrilled. We must tell them immediately.” He immediately scrambled to grab his cloak and satchel.

“No,” Dulcinea said firmly with a kind smile. “We’re going to enjoy this alone for a moment, just you and I.”

Gale chuckled under his breath, a little sheepish at having gotten so carried away. “Ah, yes. That’s… that’s far more appropriate. Announcements can come later.”

He took Dulcinea’s hand and led her to an armchair in the corner of his office. He pulled her into his lap, holding her close to him.

“Just you and I,” he repeated. “And this little one,” he added, laying a hand on Dulcinea’s still-flattened abdomen.

“Besides,” he continued, “a moment of quiet before involving Mother may be the last moment of peace we have for a long time.”

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