You had promised it would be a short quest, just a quick journey that would bring you back home to Waterdeep within days. But something went wrong, terribly wrong. Days turned to years, and the life you had shared with Gale felt as if it was a fleeting wisp, forever out of your grasp. Now, after all this time, you finally step through the familiar doorway of your home.

Inside, Gale is seated by the hearth, a book open in his hands but his gaze lost in the fire. When he sees you, the book slips from his fingers, his breath catching as he stands, staring as if he cannot trust his eyes.

A swell of emotion rises within you, almost overwhelming, as a tremble creeps at the edge of your voice. “Oh! Stop being so stoic, Gale. Go on, shout, scream.”

“Say something!” You plead.

He takes a hesitant step forward, his expression shifting from disbelief to something raw and vulnerable. His voice fails him, but his feet carry him closer, until he’s standing before you, his hand reaching up to cup your face with a reverence that makes your heart ache.

His voice, when it finally comes, is a soft, aching whisper. “You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you.”