The night air was crisp with the fragrance of the forest as the inquisition set up camp for the night. Everyone had headed for their respective tents, including Varric. The dwarf usually was the last one to fall asleep, he always had a lot of thoughts to go through before he could rest, most of them ideas for his stories inspired by his travels in the inquisition. How long had he been awake? Hours? As he was wrapping up his thoughts for the night and closing his eyes to finally get some rest, an unusual sound drifted towards the camp. Singing? But who would be out singing at this time of night? The Hinterlands was in the midst of an active war, this wasn't normal. Varric quickly put on his clothing, grabbed Bianca, and headed for the direction of the singing. It was light, it floated through the air as if being carried by the wind itself.
"Niiji no wayeh grats, gaivahn…"
The singing grew in clarity, but the language unrecognizable, something the dwarf had never heard before. It was a woman's voice, it was getting closer, luring him in like a siren's call. He chased the song with growing determination. The singing gripping him in a way even the famous author couldn't form into words. It haunted him.
"Niiji no wayeh grats gaivahn…"
The song was closer now, it sent a shiver down his spine as the sound infiltrated his very core. It was imperative that he find the source. His body in almost a trance-like state carried him to a river surrounded by brush, an area he had yet to explore with the inquisition. And there at the epicenter of that river stood the source of the phantom voice that gripped him so fiercely. It was an elven woman, her dark skin and blush colored hair illuminated by the glow of the moon. She was bathing in the river, and she hadn't yet noticed her dwarven onlooker. Varric quickly veiled himself in the cover of the brush that surrounded the river, his mind swirling with his thoughts, and her singing. He wanted to look away, it was wrong to stare at a woman bathing without her knowledge, but he couldn't. He was entranced by her image. The way her pastel pink mane of curls bounced with her dancing, the way her voluptuous body beaconed him, it was too much, but his body moved closer on its own, he couldn't control it.
"Gaivahn, gaivahn, gaivahn, gaivahn, gaivahn…", again her voice rang out, but this time Varric noticed something. As she sang, the dormant flora on the brush around them began to glow bloom, as if by magic. At the same time, the wounds on Varric's body he sustained earlier that day began to heal.
"Her voice… It can heal people?" He was so caught off guard by the display that he had accidentally misstepped and fell right out of the bush he was hidden behind, and right out into the open. The singing abruptly stopped as the singing maiden was startled by the noise. She let out a gasp and looked over in Varric's direction, her face wore a look of fear and surprise. She covered herself and quickly lowered her body into the concealing grace of the water she stood in, all while keeping her gazed locked on the dwarf.
"Who are you," A mature yet sultry voice questioned. "You aren't supposed to be here. Nobody is supposed to be here," Her voice began to fill with moderate panic as her eyes now shifted around as if looking for someone else.
"Woah, calm down there." Varric replied, noting the panic in her voice. "I'm sorry to have barged in like that, but I heard your singing and followed it here. It was… beautiful. Anyway," He said shaking his head, now that he could think clearly without the singing. "What are you doing outside at night alone, this place is dangerous, you know?"
The woman calms down slightly, but her expression is still quite unusually tense. "I'm only allowed out at night," She replied in a sigh. "I'm a bandit slave, and you really shouldn't be here, you're the one that is in danger," Her voice turned to a pleading one, as the worry became more apparent on her features. "If they see you with me they will kill you."
"Bandits?" Varric questioned. "Andraste's ass, how did you get into a situation like that?"
"I was sold to them, by templars…," She sighed, her expression changing to that of sadness as she recounts her past to the man. "I… I was born of a family of elven mages. When the war broke out between the templars and the mages, they came for us. They killed my mother and father, and they were going to take us in and do maker knows what to us, but a group of bandits looked at us and cut the Templars a deal in exchange for us. They didn't even think twice about it. They separated my younger sister and I, they're holding her somewhere, alive, in exchange for my cooperation. The bastards," She gritted her teeth on the last line. "I haven't seen or heard about her since…"
"That's awful, I-" His reply was interrupted by an arrow being shot right at him, the dwarf barely managed to evade it, it sent him falling backwards, he was quite taken aback.
"They must have contacted the leader, you have to run, now!" The woman screamed to the dwarf.
"Not without you!" Varric retorted "The inquisition can help you, you and your sister, but you need to come with me," The dwarf looked into her eyes pleading, extending his hand out to her, hoping he will heed her words. "Trust me."
Trust? Could she? Her sister's life was on the line, trust was a privilege for her situation, but what if his words were genuine? If she just took his hand, would she really see her sister again? She didn't know if it was because of the way he looked, or if she was just desperate for freedom, or even just stupid, but whatever it was, she walked to the bank and took his hand, fleeing into the forest with the sound of an army behind them. She just prayed to Andraste she was right. Whatever happens now, there's no turning back.
The sound of footsteps and hooves was heavy in the air as Varric and the elven woman sprinted through the forest. Both panting as the adrenaline carried them forward. Whoever these bandits were, they were not going to let this go by without bloodshed. As they sped through the forest, something felt overwhelmingly off to the woman. Why did the bandits not kill her rescuer on site, why did they let him get so close? She has seen the carnage firsthand they were capable of, so why now of all times to slip up? This was wrong, something was deeply wrong. This was too easy. But she couldn't stop and think about it now, they weren't safe yet. She followed Varric to the inquisition's camp, and from there Varric hurridly began waking everyone up.
"Tiny, Sparkler, Inquisitor! Wake up, we've got trouble!" Varric yelled, as everyone begrudgingly emerged from their tents.
"Dammit, dwarf, what did you do now?" The Iron Bull grumbled, Dorian walking out behind him looking just as displeased. "Did you piss off a bear or something?" Then The Bull looked towards the nude woman standing next to him, and stared her up and down, and whistled. "Damn, nice tits," This earned him a mild slap from Dorian, and she covered her bare body with her arms.
"This is serious. She needs our help, and there's some not so nice guys that really want her back, and my head," Varric replied, a look of genuine worry crossing his face for a moment.
At this point the inquisitor stepped up and looked to the woman, a diplomatic look gracing his features. "What is your name?" He asked he asked her quite formally.
"Rosella…" She replied timidly. "Rosella Bihari," She looked up to the inquisitor, half expecting him to say something cold to her, or call her a knife-ear. But, those expectations never came.
He simply nodded, and turned towards the now growing sounds of their company. "Welcome to the Inquisition."
In that moment, they were greeted by armored men, and one man in gilded armor. His face covered in the scars of his victories, he radiated an intimidating aura, with the voice to match. "I knew letting you run was the right call. Who knew the Herald of Andraste was camping in my very backyard," He chuckled sickeningly. "What a good wench you are, Rosella," She couldn't even reply to him, she was gripped with absolute fear, and it showed. Her entire demeanor changed, she knew it was too good to be true. Tears streamed down her face as her body remained completely petrified.
The Inquisitor put a hand to Rosella's shoulder to calm her, and then stepped up to the figure. "She is under the protection of the Inquisition. If you want to leave here alive, I suggest you turn around and find someone else," To this the bandit leader smirked.
"Oh is she now? Rosella, have you forgotten about your sweet little sister? What do you think I'll do to her if you leave now? She'll only take your place, you know," He said in a disgustingly condescending tone. His words destroyed the short moment of hope Rosella held in her heart. They sent her sinking to the ground, her shoulders slumping in defeat, her silent tears dipping into the dirt. He fed off of this, he enjoyed her display of anguish, but that was only the beginning.
Varric lent a comforting hand to the woman, whilst shooting a look of disgust at the merciless bandit. The Inquisitor stepped in front of the display in order to regain focus of the other man. "Name your price. Both of them," The Inquisitor bargained calmly. "The Inquisition has an ample amount of connections and gold, anything you require, we will exchange for Rosella, and the return for her sister," And what happened next was quite unexpected, the Inquisitor actually knelt before the man, he bore weakness for a common bandit. This, this really pleased the bandit leader.
"This girl isn't just your common wench, Inquisitor. She provides some services that are quite irreplaceable. Her songs can part water, even shake the very earth you stand. She's a powerful weapon, and a good lay," He chuckles. "You're going to need a lot of gold for her."
"I can arrange that a portion of the Inquisition's funds we acquire be given to you and your men. You will never have to steal a day in your life again. You will be fully funded by the Inquisition, in return for this woman's life," He stood and looked the man in the eye. "Do we have a deal?"
The bandit grinned once more and laughed, now he had the very Inquisition in his debt, this was too good to pass up. The bandit nodded with a twisted smirk. "You have yourself a deal, Inquisitor," He agreed in a mocking tone.
"What about Mareli, what about my sister?" Rosella choked out. "I want my sister back, please," She begged, her eyes red from crying. "Where is she?"
The bandit laughed. "Oh, her? We sold her a long time ago to some Noble in Orlais. She's been gone. If you want her, you'll have to get her back from him. And don't think about attacking me now, I can still have her killed if I want."
"Damn you!" She yelled out in pain. Just when she thought should would see her only remaining family member alive again. "Damn you…" Her voice broke, no longer able to hold in her pain. Varric continued to comfort her, with Dorian now joining, and covering her body with a blanket. Rosella clung to the dwarf as she wept.
"This has been quite fun. Thank you for living up to the silver I paid for you, Rosella," The bandit leader spoke once again in that condescending tone he so loved. "And thank you Inquisitor. We will be seeing a lot of each other from now on."
With that the bandit signaled his men to fall back, and they went as quickly as he came, leaving the group befuddled. That couldn't have just happened, and yet they all witnessed it. The group then stood in silence as they looked to their leader, who hadn't moved from his spot in what seemed like an eternity. The silence was deafening, and then one voice broke it.
"So are we going to talk about this or…?" The Iron Bull questioned, stepping up to the Inquisition's side.
The Inquisitor sighed and turned to address the group, as calm as ever. "We need to return to Skyhold immediately, I need to inform Josephine about our deal with the bandits, and contact Leliana about getting some information on the man that's holding Rosella's sister. And you…" He faced Rosella, who was still kneeling on the ground. "I need to ask you a lot of questions, I hope you're ready."
"Yes…" She agreed quietly as she picked herself up from the dirt. "Anything you want to know, I will tell it all," She looked down, the woman was still in shock. She couldn't believe that someone had just set her free. After five years of captivity, she was finally free. Such a feat only felt like a miracle, maybe the Maker heard her prayers after all.
After a long trip to Skyhold, the group finally made it back, and they were greeted by a rather unhappy looking Josephine. "Bandits!? Are you mad!?" She scolded the Inquisitor. "It is bad enough that we are fighting Corypheus, and a giant hole in the sky, why add bandits!?" The Ambassador put a hand to her forehead and just shook her head. "I cannot believe you," She didn't even acknowledge the rest of the group that watched the scene unfold before them.
"Looks like Leliana's spies told you the… good news," He sighed. "It's nice to see you too, dear," The Inquisitor replied with a small apologetic smile, and took her by the shoulder. "I have a good reason for it, I promise." He then whisked the Antivan away for a private discussion about their current position, leaving the rest of the group to themselves.
"Well, there he goes," The Iron Bull remarked, as he put an arm around Dorian and smirked. "Let's get out of here. I'm in need of some ale and a good time."
"Consider me in," Dorian agreed as the two made their way towards Skyhold's local tavern, leaving only Varric and Rosella the remaining members of their party.
The two stood in silence for a moment, before both tried to speak at the same time, cutting each other off accidentally, and changing the mood to that of a slightly award one.
"You… you first." Varric gestured, rubbing the back of his head. Not really sure what to say next.
"I want to thank you for everything you've done," She said as she played with the makeshift cloak that the Inquisitor had made to cover her bare body, finding herself unable to look the dwarf in the eyes. "You saved my life, I still can't believe that happened, this all feels like a dream to me."
"Well, I'm glad to say that it's all completely real," The dwarf smiled up at her. "And you never have to go back." This earned a small smile from the elven woman. "Here, I'll take you to my room, there's a lot I want to ask you."
Rosella nodded, finally looking the dwarf in the face. "Okay, Varric." With those words, the two made their way up to his room. The way wasn't all that far from the courtyard, they must have taken into account his stature and made accommodations for him. Once they arrived at his door, they were greeted by a moderately sized stone room with a table adorned with candles, fireplace, and a full sized bed. There were wooden shelves along the walls. each one filled to the edge with books. It was nothing extravagant, but the room felt warm and inviting. Rosella took a step inside and took in the comforting aura of the room. After having lived with bandits for five years, this place was absolute heaven to her. "It's lovely, she remarked as she looked at Varric. "This… I haven't felt this feeling in years. It feels like home."
"I'm glad you like it." Varric chuckled, shutting the door and taking a seat at the table. "You can stay here if you want," He motioned for the woman to take a seat in front of him, and she followed suit. "So," He said resting his elbow on the table, and resting his chin in his hand. "Tell me about yourself. Who is Rosella?"
"Well, I told you some of what's happened to me back at the river. I was sold and enslaved to bandits after my parents were killed, and I'm a mage," She looked down to the table. "I lived with those bandits for five years. I tended to their injured, cooked for them, and… was to bed them at their leisure."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." The dwarf replied. "Did they hurt you?" He asked.
"Nothing that my magic couldn't repair. Fortunately for me, scars didn't fancy them, so they wouldn't attack me," She replied, trying to smile a bit as she picked at the silver lining.
"I meant to ask you about that," Varric said, setting himself up straight in curiosity. "Back at the river, when you were singing, your voice healed me. Is your voice magic, by any chance?"
Rosella blushed a bit as she recounted the part where he walked in on her. "Y-Yes and no. My voice itself isn't magic, not without my magic ability. I use a bit of my mana and emotions when I sing, depending on what I feel at the moment, the outcome can be different. The only drawback is that I can become very fatigued if I use mana with my singing for too long."
"And the song you were singing then?" He questioned, quite intrigued by her ability.
"What you heard last night was one I sang every night to heal myself. They may have not attacked me, but their advances certainly left bruises. But… I also sang that night to relax. It was the one moment I wasn't in a cage, or being handled by bandits. Sure, they watched me, but the night was my only solace. I could forget for a moment where I was, what I was. It made me feel normal," This time she smiled genuinely.
Varric also smiled, he admired her attitude. "I meant what I said back there, your voice was beautiful. I mean I walked across a whole forest for it," He joked, earning a giggle from the pink haired woman, her sky blue eyes filling with mirth. For a moment, only a moment, Varric could feel his heartbeat rise a little as he looked at her. "Will you… will you sing for me again sometime?"
"Yes," She nodded, her pastel waves bouncing with the movement. "Anytime for you." This time she was fully smiling, and again stuck the dwarf's heart with a slight flutter.
The two talked until day became night, and exhaustion was beginning to overcome them. The candles burning at the table had finally reached their end, and Rosella found herself beginning to nod off. Varric smiled and stood up from his seat.
"Well, why don't we call it a day?" He suggested with a smile.
Rosella nodded, and looked over to the bed. "Ah, wait. Where will you sleep, Varric?" She asked him, as she stood. "I don't want to put you out of your own bed," She looked down to the dwarf in mild worry.
Varric chuckled and shook his head. "It's alright, I can sleep on the floor. I think you could use that bed more now than I could. Can't imagine the bandits were having you sleep on a proper one," He assured.
She shook her head. "Not at all," She agreed. "Are you sure It's okay?" She asked once more for clarification, her head tilting slightly.
"Yeah it's fine," He reassured, beginning to craft a makeshift bed of blankets on the ground. "The floor never hurt anyone." He said with a grin.
Rosella nodded, and sat on the bed. It was soft, Rosella could feel herself almost sinking into it. The Inquisition really knew how to treat its members to the luxuries of life. But even with the warmth of the fire, and the plush surface of the bed, she still felt something weighing on her mind. The worry she felt managed to materialize onto her face, and Varric noticed.
"What's the matter?" He asked her, his face quizzical.
"Why does it feel like if I sleep, I'll wake up back at the bandit camp, and this would have all been a dream?" She asked softly.
"Is there any way I can make you feel more comfortable?" Varric asked. To this Rosella opened her mouth as if she was about to talk, but her lips closed, her cheeks filling with a heated red as she looked away from the dwarf. "What is it, Rosella?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.
"H-Hand…" Her hesitant voice requested.
"Hand?" He repeated back to her in question.
"Can I… hold your hand?" She asked, now peeking to him behind her wall of pink waves, her blushing becoming more apparent.
Varric smirked and chuckled a bit. "That's all you wanted?" The image of a grown woman so embarrassed to ask for her hand to be held was so amusing to the dwarf. Rosella nodded, too embarrassed to speak. The dwarf laughed once more before laying down beside the bed on the ground, extending his hand out to her. "Here," He said with a smile.
Rosella smiled, lying down on the bed and taking his hand, interlacing their fingers. It felt strange. She felt something different. Nervousness? Rosella looked over the side of the bed to the dwarf, their eyes connecting, hers finally showing content as they became half lidded. She looked at his golden brown eyes, funny, she never noted the color before, they were beautiful. She smiled at him and mouthed a thank you, before she drifted off, the combination of Varric's warmth and the soft embrace of the bed lulling her to sleep. Varric, however, couldn't fall asleep as easily. His mind was still buzzing with thoughts of the woman sleeping beside her. He gazed at her slumbering form. She had a mature appearance that you would expect of an overtly sexual woman, but her personality was soft, honest, innocent even. She was one massive contrast, but it pulled him in. She was one interesting woman, he'd give her that.
What had he gotten himself into?