Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age or anything afflicted with Dragon age and the Bioware Company. At times I truly wish I did though.
Crystal blue eyes, long brown hair falling around a handsome face "Mother, I think she is waking up."
It was a good dream, which was a relief from the nightmares of darkspawn, of a time Raven remembered quite fondly. It had been three years since the massacre at Highever, two years since the end of the Blight and her appointment to Commander of the Grey and Arless of Amaranthine. She was the Hero of Fereldan and King Alistair Theirin had broken her heart. He had succumbed the pressure of the court to find a suitable wife that could produce heirs for the throne, with them both being Grey Wardens, the possibility of producing an heir was almost nonexistent.
She had made new friends during her stay at Vigil's keep and reacquainted herself with some old ones. Nate, Oghren and Anders helped her through the first few weeks at the Keep. Oghren would make fun of the Royal Pike Twirler while Anders constant flirting would help lift her mood. Nate on the other hand after a very rocky start ended up becoming her closest confidant, he helped her with keeping the new wardens in line and would sit and listen whenever she needed it.
Fergus had recently sent her the journals that she had kept since her father gave her one on her thirteenth birthday. They had arrived a few weeks after Anders and Justice had disappeared and they were a welcome diversion. She could remember what had happened form her dream thanks to them and she found herself lost in that memory now…..
She had just turned seventeen and her family was staying in a hunting lodge owned by Arl Eamon that was located on a small lake near Lothering. Her mother thought that she was heading to the Chantry in Lothering to help the sister just like a dutiful daughter should do. Fergus was suppose to escort her there but he had left her to go to the tavern with Roderick. Raven had then decided to sneak off to the woods around Lothering to do some target practice with her bow. She could remember riding Tarrant her black stallion, jumping over logs and streams while shooting targets that she had hung up earlier during their visit. Shadow her newly acquired marbri pup was squirming in her pack that she had tied to her saddle and something in the grove ahead of her spooked Tarrant and the next thing she remembered was crystal blue eyes staring at her.
"Mother, I think she is waking up," the owner of the eyes said. He had long brown hair that was falling over his eyes at the moment and she could see the tattooing on his face. He was sitting in a chair next to the bed that she was laying in. There was another boy sitting next to a door with her pack in his lap holding on to a finger that looked like it was recently bitten.
"You do know that it is not very wise to put your fingers near a young mabari's mouth right?"
"Look at that Brayden, you go off hunting and you bring back a girl with a wit just like yours."
"Well Carver both I and Bethany warned you about that pup. She doesn't seem to like any of us but at least she tolerated me long enough to get you back. By the way what is your name?"
"I am Raven Cousland, and Shadow would probably be fine if you let her out of the pack she just needs to know that I am okay."
"A Cousland well that could mean trouble for us."
"Carver you worry too much. There hasn't been a search party yet and I can take her home once Mother and Bethany say she is well enough to travel," at that she began to sit up and suddenly realized she wasn't in her own clothes. She looked down and saw that she was wearing a cotton nightgown and upon further inspection of her surroundings she saw her leather armor and her over dress sitting on a chest near the wall. "Hey there is no moving around until Mother says it's okay. Carver let the pup out it might stop biting you that way."
"Come here Shadow," Carver had opened her pack and Shadow ran over and jumped on the bed, "that's a good girl."
Brayden watched as the small pup began to lick her face then moved to the end of the bed and watched over her in a very protective manner. The girl in his bed was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. When she was riding, her raven hair flowed free behind her she was hitting her mark with the bow every time. Some of her shots seemed near impossible. He hadn't meant to intrude on her but he had been wondering for days who had put up the targets. He saw the wolf jump out into the grove and her horse rear up causing her to fall. He ran over to her quickly and finished off the wolf with his daggers after her horse had kicked it. He first made sure she was okay then went to calm her horse.
He noticed the pack on the saddle was moving and looked inside. The growling and snapping pup gave way to the fact that this was her mabari and he knew not to get involved. He had always wanted one and studied everything about them. He knew that they bonded to a person and nothing could ever break that bond it was for life. They would protect and follow that person until they died, this girl was a lucky one indeed. He brought her back to their cabin in the woods for his sister to heal. His mother and sister took over his room since its large window allowed for her horse that was tied up outside to see in. Her horse was just as protective of her as the pup in the pack. His mother had left him to watch over her as she and Bethany went to the village to get some more supplies.
Now with her looking at him with piercing green eyes he knew he was going to be in trouble. His father had once told him that he had fell in love with his mother the moment their eyes had connected. Sure he had fancied other women before some even in the Circle that he was in but Leandra was the one and he knew it. Brayden missed his father, the Templars had killed him the winter before for being a mage and now the duty of protecting his family and mostly his sister fell to him. Bethany was an excellent healer but don't get her mad because her fire magic was powerful.
"Mother should be back soon and once her and my sister say it is okay I will get you back to your people. You took a nasty fall your head might be sore for a few days but I wouldn't walk on that ankle for a week. Bethany healed the break but it is still weak. "
"So I guess that means this is your sister's nightgown and they are the one that removed mine." That made him blush and Raven smile.
"They got most of it off I had to help them with your dagger sheaths. I have never seen anything like them before," he said as he stood to retrieve them from the top of his chest. "Who made this harness?"
"It was a gift from my father for my birthday this year. It allows me to hide them when I have to wear stupid dresses to please my mother. She is not too fond of the fact that I can take down most of the guards in Highever. I had a trainer to teach me for awhile until mother found out that he was not a dance instructor that my father had told her that he was. Now I just train with my brother Fergus and the knights. Mother has pretty much given up the fact that I am not going to be the perfect and dutiful daughter she wants, but she hasn't totally accepted me for who I am."
"What about the daggers?"
"Some guy in Denerim, I can't really remember his name. Fergus got them for me, he says his little sister deserves the best. I think it is because he broke my favorite one during a sparring match and he ended up being beaten by me after that. I was a little mad and didn't talk to him for weeks after that."
"Your family seems nice and they seem to care for you a great deal, so why isn't anyone searching for you right now?" Brayden looked around and noticed that Carver had left and he could hear his mother and sister off in the distance.
"Well Fergus and Roderick were suppose to watch over me but they are in the tavern. By the time they notice that I am late to meet up with them they will look for me themselves. They will not want to deal with the wrath of my parents."
"I know what that means. I can hear my mother and sister they will be here soon. Once they give the okay I will take you back. You have only been gone a few hours so hopefully your brother will still be in the village if not we can figure something out from there."
"Thank you Brayden... for saving me."
"You're welcome Lady Cousland."
"Raven, call me Raven"
She could remember the trip back to the Lothering and then back to the lodge since they couldn't find her brother. Brayden had ridden behind her on Tarrant and Shadow rode in her lap, they both seemed to warm up to him on their trip.
"Raven I have to ask you not to tell anyone about us please. Bethany could be taken away because of what she is and that would destroy what is left of our family."
"I won't Brayden on one condition." She had turned slightly to look at him and he raised an eyebrow to her. "I will not tell if you meet me next week in Lothering."
"For you I think I can arrange that. Just leave a note for Hawke in the tavern for when you want too meet and I will be there." All she could do was blush at that. The rest of the summer was a blur, she and Brayden had been inseparable, it was perfect. The last day at the lodge before they returned to Highever he had snuck into the grounds and met her in the gardens. That was where she got her first kiss and it still haunted her to this day.
A week after her eighteenth birthday her life went to hell and that was that. Highever may have been her home once but now Vigil's keep was where she belonged. Her memories of the past brought back a lot of happiness but there was also sadness. She used to wonder if the Hawke family had made it out of Lothering. When she was there during the blight Bethany and Leandra told her that Brayden and Carver had joined the King's army and were at Ostagar. She hoped that they had survived. Brayden was her first love and Alistair her second and now she was alone with only her friends to comfort her.