"Dwarven Crafts! Fine Dwarven Crafts! Direct from Orzammar!"
That voice... Gorim?
Sereda Aeducan was never one to delude herself with idle fantasies, but this she would allow herself.
"Princess, this is my eldest son – Gorim."
"H'lo, Gor'm," the little girl, barely six, peeked out from behind her father's robes and gave the elder boy a shy greeting.
"It is an honor to finally meet you, my lady Aeducan." His reply was formal and rehearsed, and scared her back to her place behind the long robes. Uncle Saelac apologized to father and left, pushing his son ahead of him. The boy looked back, and the playful glint in his eyes betrayed his formality.
Their gaze locked and she found herself asking her father when they would meet again.
"Gorim..." She whispered under her breath, and paced towards him. He was just as she remembered him; refined and oozing pheromones. She could have just took him, right there, if not for the fact that they were out in the open. Gorim was always the conservative one.
"But I might hurt you."
"Just do it."
As she approached, she took a deep breath, willing him to notice her so she would not have to speak first. He did not disappoint.
"My lady?" His expression was a mixture of surprise and delight. "My lady Aeducan? Is that... Is that really you?" There was his charming smile slowly appearing on his face.
"My lady Aeducan? Is that... really what you wish?" His forehead was starting to show beads of sweat and she smiled at his hesitance. She nodded.
"Very well. You honor me with this request, my lady."
For lack of a better response, Sereda uttered his name once more and threw her arms around him, pulling him into their familiar embrace. A few moments passed before Sereda realized something was amiss. Why wasn't he..?
He lay on the floor panting. She had never relished a sight more.
She let go, and peered curiously at Gorim, who was standing stiff in his spot. "Gorim? What's wrong? Are you injured? Did I hurt you?" Her concern seemed to unhinge him slightly, for his countenance had changed to one rarely seen. He looked as though he was in pain.
"I concede."
It only took a few blows to show him how much she had improved since her defeat. There was no shame in losing to the son of her mentor, but she did not take to losing very well. She took to other instructors.
"I learned much from that duel. Thank you, my lady." He stood and bowed before her. He always had to be so humble. She stayed silent for a heartbeat and nodded, proceeding to mention, "My father informs me that you are to be assigned to me next week. I hope to see you then."
Sereda turned around and said, "Please give us some time alone." Leliana nodded and ushered the rest of the little party away, swatting Alistair over the head playfully when he tried to look back; while Morrigan muttered something about being ambushed by guards. She turned back to her man.
Her man.
She had asked for him. She requested him as her second, and father agreed, as did his. But he did not need to know, not yet.
"...All this I swear before the ancestors." And it was done.
Satisfied that they were gone far enough, Gorim spoke. "My lady... I knew you would have survived. I never stopped believing it. And neither did your father. Before I left for the surface, he sent for me..." The story was rushed in its execution but it was a short one and needed no explanation. "But we shouldn't dwell on the past. I can hardly tell you how good it is to see you alive."
"The King would skin me alive!" Whispers in the dark. She crept in closer to listen. When he emerged, she confronted him.
"My lady!" Startled, he took a step back before straightening himself. "Uhm..."
"We wouldn't want you to seem cowardly now, do we?"
"My lady, if you are suggesting..." He gulped.
"...Nobody has to know."
"I never thought I'd see you again." Sereda looked deep into his eyes, searching... He blinked quickly, twice, and turned to close up shop. Then he beckoned for her to follow. "This way, please, my lady."
"Stop calling me that."
"I apologize, my la- " She glared at him.
"Stop calling me that in private. Must you be so formal?" She let him fuss over her armor while she stood in front of the mirror, watching.
"You never know who might be watching, my lady." She glared at him but he did not budge. She let out a sigh. He was right. Ever so polite. Ever so tactful. He would make a better prince than any of her brothers, she thought. But still, he could be so frustrating.
"A little something, in honour of your commission as commander, my lady." She had but just caught a glimpse of Gorim slip something into the folds of the garments that made up the layer between armor and flesh. She smiled. It was meant for later.
They arrived at an empty house she assumed to be his new home. "My lady... Had I thought to see you again like this... You will always be in my heart. But we both knew it was never meant to be." He took a deep breath and continued. "Even in Orzammar we knew it could not last. I was honoured by the time we shared, but... You are a princess. And I am not even a warrior anymore."
"I hate the caste system."
"That is not an entirely unreasonable thing to say, my lady. However I caution you that we are at the edge of Dust Town." It was terrible. She had never known of such depravity in the city. There they were, all kinsmen, left to die from starvation or plague.
"They should not have to pay for the crimes of their forefathers who have long since been rejected by the Stone." Her low tone reflected her mood. She turned and found him looking at her strangely. "What's on your mind, Gorim?"
"Nothing, I just thought... It is nothing, my lady." She nodded. Thought she knew what he meant. The existence of the castes meant that there was no future for their relationship. She refused to acknowledge it aloud.
She hated it when he brought that up. "You're not even a warrior? What do you...?" Gorim quickly explained his injury. Sereda reached over to feel where he had mentioned when he hastily pulled away.
"What's wrong?" She had reached out for him and was rejected, that was new.
After fumbling over a few words, Gorim said, "Here on the surface, I've found someone. My- my wife is a good woman, daughter of the best smith in Denerim. We're... expecting our firstborn before the Spring." Her heart shattered.
The crystal shattered into miniature shards that littered the dungeon floor. She did not even manage to see it in its entirety. Everything happened so quickly she completely forgot...
When they stripped her of her armor and threw her into the cell, a brilliant crystal slipped out of a fold in her clothing. It hit the ground with a Cling! and shattered, littering the ground with pieces of translucent blue. The gift was no more, gone before she could claim it.
She felt as though the stone had claimed her for she had lost control over what happened next. It was like watching a scene from afar. She saw her fist raise, clenched. She saw it withdraw. Then she saw his coming up to her cheek. She shut her eyes, then she felt something soft graze across her cheeks and felt the moist trail it left. She saw the pain in his eyes, and she saw her own mirrored in his. It was time to go.
Back in her room, Sereda unfolded the piece of cloth she kept in her pocket. The cloth revealed a light blue crystal pendant, with miniscule crack lines running through every part of its surface. She picked up the memento, and hurled it at the far wall.
The fragile shards shimmered in their fall.
A/N: I've never written anything like this before which has layers and layers of blah over blah. This means that and that means something else or another. It's all so confuddling! I just found this coupling very interesting and worth delving deeper into. Gorim needs more love.