I

Her eyes became small while watching the stranger. He was an elf, but he looked… alien. White markings went all over his body, and he was wearing a black armor with tight trousers. His movements were graceful and strong, even though he was carrying an immense broadsword on his back.

Normally she would have liked the view as he had a more than good-looking face. What she did not like was the slightly disgusted look on his face while walking through the alienage in Denerim. He seemed as if he did not really want to be here. And from the way he watched everybody and everything around him, he seemed to believe to be better than the rest of the elves who were attendant.

Prick.

He was probably an Elven servant, sent by his human master to do whatever he was told to do. She met elves like him before: Good-looking, thinking of themselves as superior compared to those elves who simply offered their goods on the market in the alienage. She hated these guys. They thought they could come, get what they were sent for and then make acquaintance with one of the poor elf girls somewhere in a dark corner. As if they had to be thankful to grip their attention! Pff…

"Oh, look at him", one of the merchant girls nearby said in this moment to her friend. "He is gorgeous…!"

"Mmm", the other one answered. "Do you think the size of his sword says anything about the size of… other things…?"

She rolled her eyes while the two girls giggled and then immediately went still when he suddenly approached them. She tensed and watched him carefully from her place under the tree nearby where she was sitting on the ground and carving.

The two girls watched him nervously when he stopped and asked: "I am looking for your eldest!"

Damn, not even good-looking, but also with some kind of raspy, goose bumps provoking voice…

The two girls simply stared at him and obviously weren't able to give any answer. He scowled and repeated his question harshly: "Where!?"

She rose silently and received a grateful look from the two merchant girls while she approached. Well, now she was good enough as it seems. Normally the two of them did not want to have anything to do with her. Not that it mattered. Or she cared.

The stranger felt her approaching and turned to her, sizing her up with deep green eyes. Now she could see that his hair was white and not pale blond.

"What do you want from the Hahren?" she asked and pronounced the Elven word for eldest. No wonder he hadn't used it. He probably didn't even know it!

"That is none of your business", he answered. "I need to talk to him privately."

"He is ill", was all she repeated, "and he is old. I won't allow that you talk to him if you do not let me know what you want."

The two girls gasped, and their looks shot from him to her and back. He had raised an eyebrow, mockingly, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And who are you to decide this?"

"The person who can lambaste you in case you make any problems!"

He chuckled. He actually chuckled! It wasn't an amused, but a dark chuckle, and she felt that she tensed and closed her fingers more firmly around the knife she still held. The truth was that her daggers were not here, but in her little house, and she would not stand any chance against him if he decided to use this broadsword against her.

Anyway, backing off was NO option.

Prick…

„Cassalia!"

She flinched when she heard her full name and the way it was pronounced. Even without turning around she felt Sinus, the hahren's son, approaching, and even without seeing his face she knew that he was not amused. Contrary to his father who had always been patient and yielding with her, Sinus had more than one time made clear that he thought the alienage would have been much better if she just left.

"What is it, Sinus?", she said without looking at him, still watching the stranger whose eye brows had risen in the meantime. "I have business here. This stranger…"

"… has sent a letter to us beforehand and announced his arrival", Sinus completed her sentence. "So I assume you do not plan to do anything with this knife in your hand, do you?"

Her knuckles went white while she could see the look on the stranger's face change from vigilant and tense to smug. Not one second his eyes left her face, and she knew – she KNEW – that he could see all of the emotions she was never able to hide: Her anger, her shame, her desire to just turn around and punch Sinus in his… but well, she already did this years ago when they both had been much younger and he had tried to kiss her, and afterwards he had been complaining for days. She was not sure if she could bear it again without killing him.

"Cassalia!"

"Don't call me that!" she hissed and did a step back. "It's Cassy!"

Sinus ignored her words and turned instead to the stranger. "I apologize for her behavior. She is… special. So you are Fenris?"

The Elven warrior nodded and watched him carefully.

"I am Sinus", the eldest son answered. "I read your letter and answered it. Not many elves in the alienage are able to read, but my master made sure that I learn it to be better able to serve him."

He sounded so proud, but all Cassy could feel was revulsion. "You mean he made sure that you become the biggest lickspittle of whole Denerim!"

His eyes became small, but instead of answering her, he just turned back to the stranger called Fenris and said: "Follow me!"

Her eyes met those of the white haired elf who had the nerves to take a small bow in front of her and then turned around.

"Sir, please…"

They both tensed simultaneously and looked to the merchant booth where the two elven girls were still standing. A human man had appeared and was touching the hair of one of the girls while stroking salaciously over the pommel of his sword.

Cassy knew him: He was one of the guards assigned to the gate between the alienage and the eastern part of the city and already had approached Kara, the young elven woman, more than one time before. So far she always had found a way to get out of his way, but obviously he had decided to become more brazen by touching her against her will in the middle of the day and visible to everybody around.

The sight brought unwanted memories back: The day more than eight years ago when Vaughn and his men had come and taken Shianni and the others with them. The day she had been too late and received the scar on her face…

"You!" she shouted and her knife jumped into her hand. "Let her go!"

The guard only raised an eyebrow at her words and continued stroking Kara's hair. She was pale and tense, and her friend's eyes went nervously from Cassy to the guard and back to Kara.

"I don't know what you mean, elf", he said as slippery as an eel. "I am only… examining the offered goods…"

And that did it. She charged… at least she would have charged if not a strong hand had grabbed her elbow and stopped her.

"Let me", she hissed and whirled around to the stranger who ignored her and instead looked the guard into the eyes.

"I am quite sure that not this woman is the one who should be examined by you, but the goods on the table in front of her. Don't you agree?"

The guard seemed to be irritated for a short moment, than he let Karas hair go and grabbed her waist instead. "Anything else you want to tell me, knife ear?"

Fenris fingers around her elbow stiffened, but still he did not let her go. So Cassy used the only option she had at the moment without fighting him instead of the guard: Her lovely voice. "Get your ass back to some human whore in the The Pearl. She at least will try to give you the impression that she likes you, although she will also see nothing else but a stinking coward in you…!"

Now she had the guard's full attention, and he finally let Kara go and turned to her instead. "Bitch", he barked. "If you don't shut up, I will…"

Fenris fingers fell away from her arm, but instead of using the chance to charge, she could only stare at him.

He started to glow. His tattoos – his markings – filled with silver-blue light while he took the sword from his back. And it really was an immense sword. She had no idea how he could hold it so easily and dangerously at the same time. "It's time for you to leave", was the only thing he said.

The guard stared at him and had become a bit paler. "What kind of Elven freak are you…?"

"The person who can lambaste you in case you make any problems!" he repeated exactly the same words she had said to him only some minutes ago, and she did not know if she should laugh or scowl.

The effect on the guard was definitely different from the effect her words had had on him. The human made a step back, then snarled and left with the words: "We will see each other again!"

She whirled around and saw Fenris stiffen, but he was - at least in this second - not the one she was angry about. "Why haven't you done anything?" she asked Sinus and then looked at the other elves. "All of you? Why is it a stranger that comes to Karas help?"

Sinus face gave away no feelings, but his eyes told her that he was ashamed.
"You know what happened the last time we dared to raise our voice. Shianni and the others were taken away, you as well, and not all of you came back. It took weeks unless they stopped looking for you, Cassalia!" He pressed his lips together. "It is time that you finally understand: We have no rights in this world. All we can do is making sure to not attract anyone's attention. And people like you only make it worse!"

This is the first part of a little experiment I am currently doing on DeviantArt:

gallery/39024112#/d5c0fen

I hope you have fun with it!