Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Hours later, woken from her sleep, Juniper found Myla at the door to her room with candle in hand. She waited for the young woman to follow and showed her to Aidan's quarters. Myla hugged her new friend, one she'd hoped she'd find plenty of time with. "I hate to see you go so soon. There are so many good things about Athkatla I wished to show you. But as I know you're returning, I'll not begrudge your hasty departure", a moment later she was off back towards her own quarter.

Juniper found Aidan's room devoid of her man, she thought perhaps he'd made his way to the kitchen for something to eat. On her way down the stairs to the main landing, and with no candle to guide her way, she saw a dim glow the opposite direction from the dinning hall and kitchen entrance. She found her curiosity drawing her to whatever awaited.

As she came upon Myla's personal study room, she peeked through the door to a sight she'd never imagined. Aidan, sitting in a chair, pulled over and facing the painting of Emma. She'd almost gasped as she clapped her hand to her mouth. Myla had been so sure that Aidan would never step foot in the room, let alone look upon the old painting that Emma had sat muse for, on Aidan's nineteenth birthday.

His hands raking back through his hair as he looked up at it. From the side view of his face she could see how hard this was for him, he was filled with a nervous energy she'd never witnessed in her man before. Like he could run for the door at any minute. Sweat was thickly beading on his brow, the night had already been warm but facing his shadowy demons seemed to only intensify it all. He was talking quietly. She had to shallow her breathing and steady her heart to hear him.

His words were shaken, "Emma. Oh Emma... even looking on you now. This is so hard. I often find myself in moments alone and wonder if things had been different....if we had made it. But it's a past that runs my life in a direction I dare not explore. All my hardships and even my victories have brought me to the man I am today, and the life that comes with it. I can not regret that, even if I regret what came of you and my part in it. I still feel your presence linger. It's haunted me, aroused me from my sleep in the forms of hideous nightmares when I remember what transpired. I know it is not just my heart that hangs on, but I believe your spirit still lingers here." He stood, he approached the painting.

His fingers traced the outline of her jaw, his eyes cascaded over her features like one well acquainted with them. A landlord returning to inspect a homestead he'd been far and away from. Then he continued, "I need something from you... I need this, Emma... " She was amazed to find in the dull flicker of candlelight, that the man's cheeks glistened with moisture and she'd almost felt awful for being witness to the moment, .....almost. He was her man, afterall. "I love you, you know that... some part of my heart will always hold you in fond and perfect memories."

Junipers chest tightened and she felt ill a moment.

Then he continued "But our day is behind us.... I'm madly.. hopelessly in love with Juniper. I want to ask her to marry me, I need you to be okay with that... no.... no my Emma... I need you to give your permission for me to move on. All my failed attempts. all my failed relationships, in some way or another trace back to an unspoken, unfinished finality between us." He put his forhead to hers on the painting. "Let me go.... so that I may move on.... free me from the pain that has burdened me these nine years so that I may finish out my life in peace.... I"ve paid my penance.... I've paid for my crimes. Love me enough in return, to let me find happiness with Juniper" And as if a last goodbye, the candle lighting the scene before Juniper, snuffed out.


She crept away slowly, unsure what she'd just witnessed, but a renewed beat in her heart and glow to her cheeks. Her heart could not deny the words that formed soundlessly on her lips "he wants to marry me". Torn somewhere between wanting to turn back and support him, and the joyful excitement of a child looking at a large wrapped birthday gift for the first time, she chose to let Aidan do what he must. Climbing the stairs she couldn't help but smile. There was no doubt she'd someday be Juniper Thatcher, Aidan's wife.

After saying goodbye from Aidan’s family, the pair hurried to the docks of Athkatla. They would just have enough time to make it to their ship before it left for Lantan. They received a small escort since the docks, home to especially the infamous Shadow Thieves, the mysterious Harper organization and slaving consortium known as the Rundeen weren’t the safest place to be during even the shortest sojourn. They left in a carriage carrying banners of one of the wealthy houses in Athkatla. Four armored guards plus a senior riding on horses of their own surrounded their transport. Their ship was quite a way from the manor, but their escort didn’t need a map. They just wounded their way through cobblestoned streets like as if it was nothing.


By the time they crossed the final district it was late in the morning, and they came across dock workers heading to the nearest pub for their first drinks of the day. Aidan leaned back in the coach, a look of ill ease on his expression and a slight pale to his countenance. When Juniper searched his eyes for answers, her concern surely showing, he leaned in and murmured. "Nine years... and I still don't know if I'll run in to old faces looking to finish what was started all those years ago. I keep expecting each man we cross to turn into something of familiarity." He watched her a moment and kissed her forehead for reassurance. Aidan, where normally confident at any harbor, was least at home in his port of origin.

They also came across dark hooded figures who looked as if they were patrolling in this district. Juniper’s eyes widened when she spotted a few hidden weapons while their own were just at a display, sheathed but visible. What sort of people didn’t want others to know they were armed? She could only guess. There were also a remarkable number of children roaming the streets in small rock-throwing bands, and although they looked a bit dirty, they seemed well fed.

“Five more minutes to the landing,” one of their escorts informed them. “But this is where you have get out as the streets here are composed entirely of steps.”

Juniper nodded and as they got out she looked back to the street in front of her where a large man suddenly cornered a building. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw he was hurt. He wiped a blood-dripping nose and looked quite pitiful when he saw them and started to limp towards them. He held out an injured hand as if he needed support, but before he could make it he dropped to his knees.

“Have mercy, please help… me…”

Juniper almost automatically turned in the man’s direction, but was stopped by two hands from behind. One was Aidan’s, the other one from one of the escorts.

“Don’t, miss…” the escort mumbled “... could be the oldest trick in the book…”

Under the dark clothing of the injured man she saw a flash of silvery metal glittering in the afternoon sun and she nodded. The group moved on, with two of their escorts keeping an eye on their backs.

Nothing happened.

It was getting more quite in this section of the docks, and when they passed one of the last taverns down a flight of stairs from a stairway landing, they only heard sounds typical to normal tavern life. The sun was now behind them, warming their backs pleasantly and everything just seemed to be good. Juniper’s eyes were glittering with excitement when Aidan pointed out the anchored ship he had arranged to take them to Sambar. Gentle waves lapped over the pebbles down the jetty and Juniper just exhaled as soon they left behind the snaking alleys and the seemingly haphazard homes. A crew of sailors full of smiles reeled past, waving at them before resuming a rhytmic song that was about things Juniper wouldn’t even dare to say out loud. She just blushed fifty shades of red as she glanced at her man.

“The longboat is down there still waiting for you I see,” one of the escorts said. “We wish you both a safe trip to the south…”

Later that day, a long time after the ship had left the harbor, Juniper checked the cargo amidships, the place where her gondsman was stored. For some reason the captain didn’t want him on deck. She found pens as well with animals in them. A fine Semphari horse, a pair of Shaaran Zebra’s, two calves, and…

“Wow!!” A snowcat!!”

The beast had been sleeping, but when Juniper shouted like that, the white head swiveled around and the cat glared at her with eyes narrowing, clearly irritated.


“Ohhh my… you are beautiful…” she murmured.

The animal got to its feet, prowled the cage like being king or queen of shadows with a grace so fluid that no other creature Juniper knew could match. Then the creature yawned and lowered itself again until it was rested in a sphinx-like posture, staring at the gond girl with glowing white-amber eyes.

“Tiger… tigress… what are you…” Juniper whispered as she searched the cage for a plackard and found one.

“Ta-sha…Tasha! So you are a queen!”

The majestic creature cocked her head, like as if she was listening and understood what Juniper said.

“Hello girl… I’m a girl too…” Juniper said to the phantom-silent cat who simply kept observing the gond girl with those glittering, feline eyes.

“It’s really a shame that you are locked up in here, isn’t it? Back at home where we are heading, there are cats as big as you. But... most of them are either found in the jungle, or as a collector’s item, sitting at the feet of rich people. And I’m afraid it’s going to be the latter for you.”

The snowleopard stretched out its front legs and dropped its chin on them, flicking its tail only once.

“Awwww…!”


Aidan, who had been inspecting the ship as well, arrived at the scene and was watching her leaning against a crate. “What is it, love?”

Juniper saw him and offered him a sad smile. “I don’t know… I don’t like it I suppose a creature like this being locked up.” She turned around and walked to him, cuddling in his arms.

He kissed her softly and lead her back to the deck where the two took place at the prow as the ship was ploughing straight towards the setting sun with a good wind and fair weather. She enjoyed leaning backwards into him, with his arms around her belly and his chin resting upon her head.

A giant sea-bird, which they recognized as an albatross, flew over the ship. Juniper marvelled at the creature while Aidan whispered next to her ear. “See something you like, my love? Did you know those can glide for hours without flapping their wings even once?”

“Thats how I see my dream-invention…” she blurted out, immediately realizing other people might be near, and she lowering her voice. “You know… my dream of making something I can fly with…? Well… I kinda like it to be something that can glide for hours as well, with a steering mechanism…” Lantanese people were known for not sharing their inventions, and she was no exception so she kept her voice low.

His breath teased her bare shoulder just before he leaned a bit over and kissed her cheek. “To stay in the air like that, they need a good breeze or preferably windy weather.”

Her heart fluttered at the touch of his fingers running over her hips, but also because of the fact they were talking about her dream. He was interested in her, and in the things that propelled her. She glanced at his bare arm and noticed that she loved the way how his muscles bunched and rippled in those last orange rays of the setting sun. She found herself a moment lost in the rhythmic percussion of small waves crashing against the bow of the ship, and his breathing right next to her ear.

Turning her head then slightly, she leaned up and kissed him. Goosebumps rose up over her arms as she sensed his hands moving up over her hips, and she trembled lightly as he returned her kiss with slow gentle kisses of his own that made her stomach flip and twitch. He sure knew how to awaken passion within her, a feeling she had not known until she met this man. Softly he mumbled her name and more sweet words. Gods… this man’s words… he could make her tremble for him just with those. And his hands… his hands were so good, so warm that even the clothes she was wearing felt cool to her. And those eyes… those eyes were steady on her, with his face aglow in the last light of this day. And… and his lips... his lips were curled up just enough to show her how he was enjoying these last hours of the day with her.

No further words were required, no speech was needed as the Gond girl turned in the circle of his arms, her eyes locking with his, and his breath caught in her throat as they surrendered to a deep kiss. Behind the pair the sun fell behind the horizon, painting the sky in hues of red and orange, turning the aquamarine of the ocean a deep blood red.

Two more days, and though Juniper was eager to be reunited with her sister, this sailing trip could last just a liiiittle bit longer if it would depend on her. The world Aidan was about to see was probably going to be fascinating to him. But the world he was showing her,... was fascinating all the more…

And down she went once more in the pouring, driving rain...

The voice of the skipper -who had been sitting and drinking whisky merely moments ago with Aidan- echoed across the deck. “Hoist all those damn sails!” With fiery eyes he glared over at the dark storm clouds spinning and billowing at starboard side, and muttered words under his breath that were directed to the Captain of the Waves. Clearly it even had surprised this man how fast the weather could change around here.

Aidan looked to the captain and wondered how they'd missed the approaching storm. He reflected on the fact there was no time to replace the sailcloth with storm sails and looked to see how Juniper was holding up. He worried for her courage and whether she was phased by the storms oncoming.

Strangely enough, Juniper wasn’t very surprised, and actually examining the weather. Aidan came over to her and urged her to move downstairs. She complied but not before shouting to the captain. “This could be a typhoon, mister! And it has a circular system of violent winds! If you can spin the ship around it, using its force like a centrifuge, you may be able to make enough knots to escape from it!”

Aidan looked a bit in surprise from Juniper to the captain, and it was clear the skipper was baffled by her explanation. “A centri-wha….?!”

“Now he sounds almost like you…” Aidan mumbled next to her, his arm protective around her waist.

“A device to make clothes dry fa... “ But then it struck her this was probably this man’s first trip to Lantan. Instead she tried to explain it in a different way. “You know! When you fill a bucket with water, spin it around and then suddenly let go?!”

She witnessed how waves were whipped up by the hull, and how sailor muscles all around were bunched as they battled both the creaking ship and the angry sea. Rain started to hammer bare upper bodies as lightening streaked across the darkening sky. It was only when thunder bellowed across the deck, it dawned on the captain what Juniper meant. The steering wheel in his hands yanked to the left and then to the right before it bowed to the captain’s mighty arms. With a determined look crossing his features he nodded to Juniper and Aidan and spoke through gritted teeth. “Ye mean like a slingshot! Don’t’chou worry, lass. We got it from ‘ere!” And then to his crew. “Lads, secure the sails! … and then, secure yerself!”

Aidan screamed out loudly in what would already be becoming a horrible squall, to the captain as he moved with Juniper in his arms, "I'll see to centering the cargo over the keel, last thing we need is her turnin’ belly up. Every man'll be lost!". He wondered for a moment why the captain and his crew were so ill practiced in these parts that they needed a tinkerer to teach them how to combat a storm, but he felt it best to tackle the subject at less dire times.

By the time Juniper and Aidan reached the hatch leading to the lower deck, rain came pouring down in bucket loads. She balanced carefully as she put a foot in the opening, but barely. The wind hit the ship, sending her to her right, and Juniper gasped at the sudden change in direction. “Whoa!” She tried to compensate but ended up slipping. Aidan attempted to grab her by the arm, with his other hand clutching at the hatch itself, cursing under his breath.

Air rushed by her ears as she tumbled forwards down the stairs. Her head hit the lower floors, the fall from the ladder knocking the Lantanese girl out…