Baldur's Gate II - Proposition
After the death of the last of the Five, the group took a seat among the remains of Sendai's Enclave. Drow bodies were strewn across the hall, and the remains of the Bhaalspawn's armour were being picked at by scavengers looking for a corpse to eat.
Aryana's eyes weren't on the carnage. She'd seen enough carnage that she didn't need to revel in it any further. They were on her friends as Imoen offered Hexxat a donut, and Jaheira and Viconia were at each other's throats again. It brought a small smile to Aryana's lips, especially when she saw Imoen fumble. Hexxat must have had to remind her that she couldn't eat real food.
"She's adorable," she sighed.
Then there was the sound of clinking plate as Sarevok took a seat beside her. Almost immediately her good spirits were sucked right out of the air.
"The end draws closer," he said. "We both know this to be true."
"Mhm," Aryana said.
"Listen to a proposition then, sister, and I-"
Aryana turned a scowl toward Sarevok, orange light burning behind her eyes. "I told you. Do not call me sister. Bhaal may have sired us, but that does not make us family."
"Do you say the same to the hyperactive squirrel you call a friend?"
"Yes," Aryana said. "What is your proposition."
"I expect no greatness from myself. You should know this. The plans I once had to become the new Lord of Murder died with the loss of my divinity," Sarevok explained, sitting forward. "Your own plans, however, are mostly unknown to me. You may have decided to undertake my old goal and seek to become the new Lord of Murder... if such a thing is indeed possible. Or you may seek to rid yourself of our sire's taint forever.
"I urge you to seek the path of power. Take the reins that are meant for you and assume your birthright! After all you have been through, it is the only reasonable path! And I beg you... allow me to stand at your side. Together we could advance across the realms, an unstoppable force with an army at your command! You would be the ultimate terror, and I would be your iron right hand to rule over all!"
Aryana frowned. Even after all this time, and the humiliation of defeat, Sarevok was still plotting. Still scheming. It was disappointing that time, defeat and humiliation had not humbled him at all.
"I have other plans, Sarevok. Forget it," she said.
It was the truth. Aryana had no plans to ascend to godhood. She'd been talking with Imoen about it the week prior. They both agreed to give up divinity and be rid of Bhaal's taint for the rest of their lives.
"But why? Why would you not take that which will be offered to you?" Sarevok asked, utterly bewildered. "Power, wealth, rule over lesser men! It is all within your reach!"
"None of that is important to me," Aryana said, turning her gaze back to where Imoen and Hexxat were chatting.
"I don't understand," Sarevok said. "What is the use of power if you do not carve out an empire for yourself?"
Aryana turned a scowl his direction. "You think I asked for power? It was thrust upon me. I never yearned for adventure, I was content studying in Candlekeep. Then you came around and ruined that," she said bitterly. "You took my father from me. My real father. You took my home from me. I can never go back. Imoen is all I have left. Bhaal's essence has caused me nothing but pain and suffering. Why would I sacrifice anything else for that?"
Sarevok frowned. "Sacrifice?"'
"I'm not the only Bhaalspawn here," Aryana said. "Imoen still has her divinity. If I were to seize power, she would have to die. And that's not happening so long as I draw breath."
Sarevok scoffed. "So that's it? Give up godhood for the sake of that squirrel?"
Aryana's frown deepened with a profound disappointment. "Spoken like someone who has never loved anyone before, Sarevok. I loved my father. I loved Candlekeep. I love Imoen. I'm not letting this prophecy take her away from me."
"That... that is absurd!"
Aryana shook her head and stood up. She had to accept that he would never get it, and she was through with this discussion.
Sarevok watched as she approached Imoen and Hexxat and sat down beside them. The scowl on her face was gone, replaced with a smile brighter than the stars, and a laugh as Imoen tried to shove a donut into her mouth. The way Aryana's bitterness and anger was immediately wiped away in the girl's presence couldn't be denied.
He had seen it before, in fact. In the Undercity Sarevok had tried to pull Bhaal's essence out of his wayward sister, but something had been suppressing it. It had since come out, forcibly pulled out of them both by that wayward mage, but if reading Aryana's journals was any indication he only succeeded once he put a continent between the two.
Looking at them now, they were both giggling and laughing like schoolchildren. Thoughts of murder, conquest, and bloodshed couldn't be further from their thoughts, even as they sat amidst a dozen dead and mutilated drow. Their minds had been made up, and they had rejected any association with Bhaal whatsoever.
It reminded him, for the first time in over a year, of Tomoko. Who begged him not to ascend and who he rewarded by sending her to die at his sisters' hands.
For the first time in his life, he felt regret.
"I see..." he whispered.
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