Kindred Spirit: Family Affairs
Chapter One
Many weeks have passed by after the events to which led a young female elven mage named Selene to begin her sheltered life in the Deep Roads with the Darkspawn known as the Architect. After she said her good byes to Terra, a hardened dwarven woman fighter, to whom Selene calls a dear friend, Selene spent most of her time helping the Architect with his work of freeing his brethren from the call of the Old Gods. Selene made the choice of helping him not to escape the reality of being both a Grey Warden and a mage, but because she found love with the Architect. At first she couldn't understand why she would fall in love with such a creature, but in the end she resorted to believe that she didn't need to have a reason to love him; she just did.
The Architect on the other hand has also found that he too has feelings for her and enjoys her company greatly. Their first days together, they would talk of his theories and observations. They would also talk about their love for each other which always led them to 'enjoy' each other's company even more so each night. Neither of them have ever been so intimate with any one, even more so for the Architect as he never believed that he would be capable of loving another person or creature. Every morning after they would have an 'enjoyable' night together, Selene would quickly dress into a handmade cloak and cover herself from head to toe out of embarrassment. As her body would be littered with scars from their love making. At first he asked her why she does that, when she would show him why she would notice a small blush settle itself on his face as it would on hers.
After Selene, the Architect, Utha and Seranni moved back to the Silverite Mine in the Wending Wood, Selene and the Architect's romantic nights became dormant. At first the Architect did not mind as he felt bad for hurting her each night they'd spend together. But he began to notice that she would refuse to sleep with him completely as well as refuse to eat or drink anything during the day. He tried to ask her why that was, fearing that she had fallen out of love for him, or that she was killing herself slowly, but she instead would mumble, "Work…blood…its…all about the…blood." As the days grew on and his nights became quieter, he finally decided to, with help from a concerned Utha and Seranni, confront his love with his concerns for her health.
"Selene, my dear. Why don't you get some rest? I'll take it from here my love," he said as he reached for the book she held onto as she read it, still mumbling incoherently. Utha then reached for her cloak and tugged on it but even she got no response from Selene. Seranni too reached out a hand to offer her a drink and said, "Here, if you will not answer us and get rest, then drink this elixir. It will help you at the very least. My sister used to make it for me when I too refused the basic necessities for life." Finally, an answer came from Selene but in the form of a menacing scowl. "No thank you. I'd rather not," she said as she swiftly turned from everyone and walked over to the book case in the Architect's lab.
"Master, we have some more subjects for you," said one of the Architect's newest disciples as he ran into the room. "They are in the holding cells outside of this room for you Master," it continued as it took a low bow. With a quick 'SNAP' from the book Selene held, she said, "Oh good! Let us go and greet them my love." She then turned to face him with a sweet smile planted on her extremely worn out face. He sighed deeply as she walked over to him and placed her right hand in his left, attempting to squeeze it lovingly but failed miserably. He turned his attention to his disciple and said, "Thank you. I shall be there in a moment." "Yes Master," the disciple said as he continued bowing low and leaving the room.
"You meant US right?" Selene said as she tried again to squeeze his hand and yet again failed. He let go of her hand and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. He bent down a bit to settle his face close to hers. He then took off his mask and said, "No I meant I will go. YOU on the other hand will please get some rest. You have not slept in four days! I…I am concerned about your health my love." Selene scoffed at him and like a child, refused to look at him properly. After a moment's silence, she eventually looked at him with her tired eyes. He cupped her face and said, "Please, that is all I ask of you. I'm grateful that you are helping me with my work, but I do not enjoy seeing you torture yourself for me." He then kissed her tenderly on her forehead and then her lips. She tried to kiss him back but failed at that too. "I guess you're right. Fine I shall take a small rest. But I do wish to see those new subjects when I awaken," she said as he stood up straighter and put his mask back on. He looked down at her all the while, smiled then said, "Good. Thank you my dear. Would you like Utha or Seranni to escort you to our room?"
"No, I'll be…I'll be…f…fin…"she tried to say but instead fell to her left out of exhaustion. Everyone reached out to catch her but were too slow as she fell into his dormant experimental pit. As she hit the stone floor below hard with her left shoulder, a loud 'SNAP' rang out in the lab as her arm broke in many different places. The Architect quickly hovered down to her and gingerly picked her up. Utha and Seranni stood watching in horror as the Architect lifted Selene off of the ground and her broken arm flopped around limply as he hovered his way back to their sleeping chambers silently.
'"So this is her then? Blimey, she's really young to have shown signs already!"
"Yes, this is my daughter. Please don't hurt her she's only five years old after all!"
"Mummy? What is going on? Who…who are these men?"
"Don't you worry sweetheart. We're here to protect you from bad demons and spirits!"
"What are those? Mummy…I don't like this…""Neither do I pumpkin. But you…you have to go bye-bye now."
"Bye-bye? You mean…I'm going to…die like daddy did?"
*Sob* "No. You're not going to die."
"That's right sweetheart. With us around, we're going to make sure that you don't die at all!"
"Then…why am I going bye-bye?"
"Right. Its time to go."
"But…MUMMY!"
"I'm sorry Selene! You'll understand when you're a bit older!"
"NO! I DON'T WANT TO GO BYE-BYE! MUMMY! MUMMY!"
"MUMMY!" Selene screamed out as she found herself frozen to her pillow in the Architect's bed chambers. She sat up with the pillow still attached to her face then used a basic heating spell to defrost the pillow from her face. "GAH!" she breathed out as she clutched at her left shoulder painfully. "You…fell and broke your arm in four different places. I used my magic to heal most of the damage but it will be a while until you fully heal," the Architect said from a chair next to the bed. Selene turned in surprise as she said, "Th…thank you. But…why did I fall?" "You pushed yourself to your limit," Seranni said as she held out another cup of the same elixir she offered her earlier. "Here drink this," she said as Utha gently touched Selene's left hand, looking at her with sad eyes.
As Selene took the drink with her right hand, she said, "Thank you Seranni." She took a deep sip of it then coughed a bit as it tasted rather awful. She made a sour face than turned to the Architect and said, "I am sorry that I pushed myself too hard. To be honest I did not even notice until you mentioned it my love." "Yes well please, don't do that again," he said as he reached forward and pulled her close to him for a light kiss on her cheek. She smiled at his kiss as Seranni said, "You must have had quite the nightmare last night. I've never seen some one sleep so violently before, let alone magically freeze their pillow to their face." Selene blushed embarrassingly as she pulled her legs close to her body, she said, "Yes…well you see…I dreamt of the day I was taken from my mother by the Templars and was sent to the Circle of Magi at Lake Calenhad."
A silence filled the room as Selene placed her face close to her knees while still holding the elixir from Seranni. Utha made some hand motions to which the Architect said, "Yes I too have been pondering upon that. What was it like when they took you away?" Selene broke out of her reverie then said, "It was horrendous. I was only five years old when they took me and my mother was all I had. My father had died just before I was born as he too was a Grey Warden and at the time, my mother told me that he was on his calling when she was ready to give birth to me. So I never got to meet my father. Just a small grave to which my mother had the Chantry create in memory for him in my hometown." "Which town do you hail from?" Seranni asked as Selene took one last 'gulp' of her drink, made another face then handed the empty cup back to Seranni. She took a moment to let the drink wash over her throat then replied, "Lothering in the land of Ferelden. A small town that did not have much to offer except for some decent fields to farm on. And a good drink to help one to wind down after a hard day's work." "That sounds lovely. But you're an elf. Was there an Alienage in that town?" Seranni asked intently as she had heard of Elven Alienages before from others of her kind before she allied herself with the Architect.
"No, no Alienage there. My mother and I were free from that prejudice, even though most men there thought we belonged in one. Granted those men were always drunk and always said hurtful things like that while intoxicated," Selene replied as she scowled a bit at the memory. "There were also their children who would take on their hurtful words when they passed out drunk in the roads outside the bar. For a while before I was taken, I always kept my hair down as they would call me 'Knife Ears'. I always told my mother but she always told me to not take notice of those who hurt me, but to take notice of those who care for me instead," Selene went on as she looked lovingly at the Architect. She smiled sweetly as Utha made some more hand motions. Selene interpreted them and said, "Yes, I often thought of that too. They did deserve a good beating but my mother would not allow such violence and I loved her for that."
"I've often wondered, after you were taken away, were you allowed to have contact with the outside world?" the Architect asked as he stroked his face thoughtfully. She looked at him sadly then said, "No, we weren't allowed to have physical contact with the outside world. But I did often receive letters from both my mother and uncle. Oh yes I have an uncle too. I met him once, before I was taken away but that was it. I do not know much about him. Except that he too was from Lothering but liked to spend most of his time in Denerim working at the Market. I am uncertain as to what he did there but he liked it nonetheless."
Another silence filled the air as everyone thought on what to ask next. "Do you…do you miss them?" Seranni asked quietly as Utha and the Architect waited for Selene's answer. Selene stretched out her legs under her blanket and stretched her arms above her head. It was a painful task but luckily only faintly painful as she lowered her arms down to her sides and said, "I do miss them. But after the Blight I am uncertain if they survived. My mother was a frail woman who always spent her free time at the Chantry in town. And my uncle was always in Denerim and liked to take care of himself." "If they did survive though, would you want to visit them again?" Seranni asked after she interpreted Utha's sad hand gestures.
Selene took a moment to think on that question then said, "I would love to see them again. Especially my mother, but I am afraid I cannot. At least not with the way I look. My mother would be so terrified of me. I…do not know if I could take that rejection if I saw her again." "What if there were a way for you to mask your face at the very least?" the Architect asked still stroking his chin thoughtfully. She looked at him bewildered then replied, "That would be helpful. If I can mask my face, and wear these robes, then perhaps. Why? Do you have a means by which this could be fulfilled?" "I actually do my dear," he said with a small smile as he stood and walked over to his cupboards.
"I made this for you, in case you ever wanted to venture upward. I know when you initially started off down here with us, I asked you if you would ever miss the world above. And to which you said no. But I knew that one day you would and so I crafted this for you. I…I hope you like it," he said as he turned around, walked back over to the bed side and handed her an anatomically correct silverite face mask. As she took it from him and held it in her hand, and said, "Thank you my love! This is perfect! But I can't help but notice that you crafted it to fit my face perfectly. You measured my face while I slept one night didn't you?" She smirked at him as she tried on the mask and was happy to notice that she was right with her guessing. He looked at the ground bashfully then said, "Yes I did. But do you like it?" "No I do not," she replied, taking it off and seeing the saddened expression on his face. "I LOVE it! Thank you so much!" she said happily as she placed the mask on the nightstand nearby and leaned in to kiss him tenderly on the lips. He returned that kiss with a deeper one much to her surprise as she thought she had the upper hand this time.
As they pulled away from each other, Seranni cleared her throat and asked, "So it is official then? You're returning to Ferelden for a short time to find your family?" "Yes I am. But I think since we're closer to Denerim, so I'm going to start by looking for my uncle first. That is, if he's still in Denerim. The last time I was there I didn't see him in the newly built Market District," Selene replied as she rose from the bed. "Gah!" she exclaimed as the pain in her arm shot up into her shoulder. The Architect leaned forward to help her, but she put up her right hand and he backed away slowly. She then began to say a few archaic words under her breath as her right hand began to glow. She quickly grabbed her shoulder and with a quick 'snap', she popped it back into place as well as healing it too. "OW!" she screamed as a burning pain issued from within her skin. "My love! Please, you need to take it easy," the Architect said as he moved to lay her down in bed again. "NO! Just wait! I can do this!" she exclaimed as she began to say more archaic words through gritted teeth. "Ahhhhhhhhhh! Much better!" she said as a cooling sensation left her hand and traveled down her injured arm.
"Now, I think I'd best be off!" Selene said as she stood up and untied her hair. "You're leaving now?" the Architect said as he too stood up next to her. She looked up at him, smiled sweetly and said, "Yes of course I am! I don't want your gift to go to waste my dear. I promise to take care of myself." "Well then, don't let me be the one to stop you. But I must insist that Utha and Seranni go with you. Also that you take my disciple, The Swift, with you," the Architect said as Utha scowled at him. "He cannot be trusted Master. It is true that he does his capturing duties for your work well enough but he once worked with The Mother. I've heard him talk to himself lately. He believes that The Mother will be reborn," Seranni said as she too scowled at the Architect. "Who was this 'Mother' creature?" Selene asked in confusion.
Everyone turned their attention to her as they came face to face with Selene wearing her mask again. "It fits you perfectly!" the Architect said as he tried to change the subject. Seranni and Utha continued to scowl at him, until Utha shrugged to Seranni and motioned her to follow her out of the room. Seranni followed then turned to the Architect and Selene and said, "We'll inform The Swift that he is to come with us on this journey. We shall meet you both at the abandoned mine shaft." "Yes that is best. Thank you Seranni, Utha. Do not rile The Swift, he will aid you. Do not question it," the Architect said as Utha closed the doors behind her.
Selene took off the mask again, as she flittered around the room gathering what she could take with her. She gathered up as much parchment, quills and ink as she could find on his desk. Bottles of healing potions, lyrium potions and any other odds-and-ends she can find. She even grabbed up a dagger she had magically enhanced with a Paragon Frost Rune, Paragon Lightning Rune and a Masterpiece Paralyze Rune. She found a tome while living with the Architect to which explained how to create Runes and to imbue them onto weaponry. And as she didn't have her staff anymore, she felt that she needed a weapon with a great magical influence upon it.
As she finished gathering up her items into her pack and holstering her dagger, she turned her attention to the Architect. She felt his gaze on her while she set herself up to go and felt a sudden sadness that he could not accompany her on her journey. "You look so beautiful," he said as he walked up to her. "With or without my hair up?" she said trying to smirk but found she couldn't. "Both really. Are you alright?" he asked looking down at her and placing a hand on her right shoulder, rubbing it affectionately. She took a moment of silence until she said, "You have your work to focus on. I…I was half wishing that you could come with me," she replied, looking at the ground sadly.
In a quick movement he lifted her off of the ground and held her close to him. She wrapped her legs around his slim waist, and nestled her face into his neck. Tears trickling down her face and running underneath the collar of his robes. "This will be the first time that I will not be with you. I curse my obsession with helping you with your work as I should've spent more time with you and not with your books," she said as her tears silently continued to fall. He walked over to his desk, keeping a firm grip on her buttocks and sat her upon it. He sat in his chair facing her as she slipped off of the desk and sat on his lap with her legs draping on either side. She took off his mask and looked into his eyes, as he smiled at her lovingly.
"Oh the things you do to me, are things that I never thought any other creature ever could. But you do not have to worry. I will continue my work where you've left off. And once you find your family, we shall see each other again. Actually while you are away we will see each other each day, and night," he said as he reached for the mask he made for her. She looked at him with a puzzled look on her face then said, "What do you mean?" "This mask is no ordinary mask. True it is carved of Sliverite, just like your dagger is. But I magically enhanced this mask that will keep a constant connection to me while I work here," he said as he held the mask in his hand, turning it over as he talked. "Everything you will see, I will see. Everything you hear, I will hear. And every night you make camp, I shall come to you in a spiritual form for a report. So make sure you camp somewhere private. Your former commander may have let me go, but if any other being besides yourself, Seranni, Utha or The Swift notice my presence, they will try and track me down," he said as he placed the mask back onto his desk.
"I also have to make sure that my former commander does not see me. I had Terra tell her that I had died in a heated battle with my former master Armand," Selene said as she gritted through saying her former master's name. "Yes you do. So be cautious," he said as he leaned forward a bit in his chair, placing his face close to hers. "And do not forget…I love you," he said in a husky voice as he placed his spindly hands around her petite body and kissed her deeply. She moaned into his mouth as he did the same, bucking his hips into hers. They broke their kiss as she began to cry again. He held her close to his body again, lightly kissing her neck. "Make sure you come back to me. No, promise me you will come back," he said into her neck. "I promise you I will," she said into his neck.
She rose from him and stood facing him, smiling through her tears. "Walk with me my love?" she said as she picked up her mask and put it on. She placed her outer cloak over her body, taking one last look around the room; making sure she had everything she needed with her. He stood while putting his own mask back on and said, "Of course I will. Shall we my dear?" He held out his left arm for her as she took it with her right arm and they made their way to the abandoned mine shaft to meet with Utha, Seranni and The Swift.