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I made sure that my head was covered as I walked through Kirkwall. I was scared of what would happen if the slavers around the city found me. I moved in the shadows, so I wouldn't attract unwanted attention to myself. I was skilled at sneaking around, though I was no rouge. I knew the slavers were trying to track me down, I was a very valuable slave. In Tevinter, I belonged to a Majester Lord by the name of Nikoli, and I wasn't the kind of slave that did housework. I didn't run errands like other slaves either, instead I did all of Nikoli's dirty work. I was done though. I should have been in Ferelden, attempting to buy more slaves for Nikoli, instead I'd spent the passage gold to Ferelden to get me to Kirkwall. I didn't want to go around killing everyone who displeased my master. I was actually looking for someone, my sister. I'd heard that she'd been freed with the death of her master, but I wasn't sure about that.
Hightown at night wasn't safe, especially for an elf like me. I closed my eyes and tried to think. Aymjah, I thought to myself as I breathed, keep calm and no harm will come to you. I'd survived two weeks in Kirkwall, staying in a disgusting tavern called the Hanged Man. The only good thing about the tavern was a silly dwarf whose room was beside mine. Varric, I believed his name was. He told entertaining stories, though I was sure he made up half the stuff he told me. Whenever he asked me about myself, I'd change the subject. I knew there was going to be a reward on my head once I hadn't returned to Tevinter like Nikoli expected. I was due there within the next couple of weeks.
"Broody, you need to relax," I heard my dwarf neighbor say as he walked out of a mansion with a rather tall man.
"That's easy for you to say," the man drawled in a deep voice. "I don't feel comfortable walking around Hightown."
I don't blame you, I thought. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and whirl me around.
"Well boys, look what we have here," a rather nasty looking human smirked as a large group of men surrounded me. All the man could see was my face, but elves didn't look like humans facially. My brown eyes had sparkles of gold in them, making them look lighter in the moonlight. "I say we have our fun with the little elf."
I started to struggle against his hold, but it didn't work. The human's hold on me was too great and I could smell the stench of alcohol on his breath. I opened my mouth to scream, but the human placed his dirty hand over my mouth.
"I would advise you to let go of the girl," I heard Varric's voice from behind us. Thank the Maker! I thought to myself almost joyfully.
"Oh?" the drunken human smirked. "And what do you plan on doing about it dwarf?" He actually made the term "dwarf" sound like a curse.
The taller man pulled out a blade that must have been as long as my body and held it to the man's throat. His voice was ice cold and dark, "Would you risk your life just to have your fun, human?"
The drunk human took one last look at me before releasing me. The sword lowered and the drunk drew his sword and attacked Varric. I quickly moved out of the way and pulled out my dagger. One of the drunk's friends backed towards me and I jabbed my blade into the back of the man's throat. I twisted the blade and pushed the man down to the ground. My hood fell as I rushed forward, before my rescuers knew what I was doing, I launched myself onto my main attacker and started to stab him repeatedly in the chest; imagining that he was Nikoli. I didn't even notice that Varric and the tall man had taken out the rest of the drunk's friends.
"Elfie," Varric used the nickname he'd given me the first night he'd met me at the Hanged Man. "Are you okay?" I didn't really hear him, I was too busy stabbing the drunk to death. I wasn't some pet he could just play with! Strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me off of the dead human… or overly dead human. "He's dead, Elfie," Varric sighed.
I whirled around, my raven black hair fell loosely around my face and I was face to face with someone I never thought I'd run into in Kirkwall. I recognized him from Tevinter when I was much younger. His forest green eyes showed that he recognized me as well. I found myself praying to the Maker that he didn't go running to Danarius to tell him he found an escaped slave. I backed away from Fenris, I knew the damage he could do. Danarius had taken Fenris to many of my Master's functions, and though I'd only done the dirty work for Nikoli, I was his prized pet.
"Aymjah?" Fenris breathed after a moment of silence.
"You know her Broody?" Varric smirked. "Well, who would have known that my neighbor knows you?"
"What are you doing here?" Fenris's voice was accusing, like he assumed that I was there to do Nikoli's dirty work-like I always did.
"I could ask you the same thing," I made my voice just as cold, but I continued to back away from him.
He reached out and grabbed me, "Answer me: what are you doing here? What does Nikoli have you doing for him now?"
"Nothing!" I growled trying to yank away from him. "He has me doing nothing! He doesn't even know I'm here… unless you go yelping to your master like a dog!"
Murder was in his eyes as soon as the words left my mouth. I felt my ears twitch slightly, knowing that I might as well have signed my very own death-sentence. He kept his hold on me, his sharp gauntlets dug into my tender flesh, "I have no master!"
"Nor do I," I whispered tearfully. "Fenris, please…you're hurting me."
"Why are you here, Aymjah?" Fenris repeated himself.
"I'm here to look for my sister," I breathed. "I was…" I looked over at Varric then back at Fenris, "I was supposed to be in Ferelden…buying more slaves for Nikoli. Instead I used the traveling money to get here, and the rest I've been using to live on."
"You ran away?" Fenris looked shocked.
"So did you," I accused, finally able to pull away from him. "Please… don't tell anyone I'm here."
"You've been living at the Hanged Man?" Fenris ignored what I'd said, his voice was confused.
I nodded and he almost looked disgusted. I found myself smirking, "Honestly, do you see me staying at that brothel? I can't see myself living with whores."
Varric grabbed my hand, "Come on Elfie, let's get you home before you draw more attention to yourself. Shit, I'll even teach you how to play Wicked Grace."
"I-" I started, but Fenris interrupted me.
"You need to get out of the Hanged Man," he said sternly. Almost as if he were being overprotective over me.
"Where would I go?" I crossed my arms over my chest and tilted my head.
"She's fine at the Hanged Man, Broody," Varric sighed. "Let's get you introduced to the rest of the crew, Elfie. You need to stop being so damn reclusive."
I looked over at Fenris, who was no longer looking at me. Instead he was cursing in Tevinter, "Andraste's blood, the fucking dwarf doesn't help one bit on getting her to safety!"
I grinned at Fenris and spoke in Tevinter, "Why would you care about my safety, Fenris?" My Antivian accent came out as I spoke.
"You're an escaped slave, Aymjah," Fenris replied, no longer speaking in Tevinter. "I just can't let you sell yourself short."
"I'm not 'selling' myself," I barked offended.
"No one said you were, Elfie," Varric glared at Fenris. "Broody, we need to get her out of here before more humans decide to take her for… fun. We can talk about her living arrangements once we get to the Hanged Man."
I followed Varric, not really caring if Fenris was following. He probably thought that because I'd been a slave my entire life that I didn't know how to take care of myself… he was probably right.