Artemis Tabris. An Elf from the Alienage in Denerim. He supposedly has had, and is suppose to have, a simple life. But is anything ever truly simple? Scars ache, words hurt a much as a blade, happiness is fleeting, and worlds change as secrets come to light. All that, and Artemis still has an Arch-demon to take care off. Tabris/Alistair? Or Tabris/Zevran?
Yays! First fanfic is up and ready! Let me know what you guys think, I would really love some feed back since this is my first story.
Warning: malexmale. There will be straight couples but is mostly male/male. Don't like, don't read.
I don't own Dragon age. * cries *
A Rocky Past...
Chapter 1
"Cousin..."
Whaaaa? What time is it? He cracked one of his eyes open and snapped them shut instantly as the glaring sunlight through the window tried to pierce his eyes with its grueling light. 10 PM. Waaay to early to be up. Yeap! Back to sleep.
"Cousin?"
NOPE!
He flipped himself over away from the voice trying to thwart his plan to fall back to sleep and tucked his head securely under the blanket.
A jolt ran through his body as something prodded sharply at his midsection. "Come on cousin! Its time to get uuuup! Do you know what day today is?"
"Murpher berfer..." Shianni giggles at her cousin's antics as she then sighs and grabs a hold of the tattered blanket that laid across her cousin in a wrinkled hep and gives a sharp yank. Her cousin shudders and shivers at the sudden loss of the cloth and tries replace the lost warmth by curling into himself like a mouse in winter, draping his arms around himself to try and replace the lost warmth.
"Come on! Get up! Don't make me use water again Arty. You know I will" She sang to him in a teasing voice. He groaned and slowly sat up, his long, bright brown hair scrunched up and ratted. Some even stuck to the side of his face, plastered to his face by what Shianni guessed was drool. He swung his long legs over the side of the bed and scratched the back of his head as his sleepy gaze stared up at her with lazy contempt.
"So, do you know what day it is Arty?" Shianni smiles at him in a way that makes him think that the cat got the milk, drank it, and is staring at the other house cat that didn't even know there was any milk to begin with. Arty purses his lips and shrugs. "I don't know, someones birthday? Although I have know idea whose so don't ask me if I wanna' split the cost for a gift." he grins lazily at her as he places his arms behind him on the bed and leans his weight on them, his bed creaking under his adjusted position.
Shianni's grin almost splits her face in two. "Noooo," she sang. "today is yours and Soris's wedding day silly! You bride, Nesiara, has arrived from Highever today. I managed to get a peek at her Arty, and she's beautiful!"
That jolts Arty to full alert. "What?! They are here already? But they weren't suppose to arrive until next week?" Arty can feel himself panicking now. He was hoping to use the next week and a half to try and talk Cryion out to the arrangement. Art wasn't ready for something like marriage, the responsibility and commitment like that leaves a very sour taste in his mouth. Not to mention it would be like being chained up like some kind of pet, or Maker forbid, a servant! Being told what to do and what not to do, who he can and cannot associate himself with did NOT sit will with him. And it will only get worse the day she wants kids. He shivers. Now Art didn't have anything against kids, in fact, he loved the little buggers that ran around the Alienage. He just doesn't think he is ready, or will be ready for something as big as having children for a long, LONG time. And the number one reason to top all of them, Art just did not know this women, his bride to be, and that just didn't sit well with him at all.
What if they wound up hating each other? Shianni said that she was beautiful and that is all fine and dandy but what if she was cold? What if she was annoying, callow, or worse, dim-witted? Ugh, please Maker I cannot handle slow people.
He rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation and slide them into his hair to try and untangle some off the knots.
"So is it to late to run?" his gaze turned to the floor, hoping that she might say yes. When did I turn delusional?
Shianni stared at him as if he grew a second head right in front of her. "And who else would have you Arty? The Butchers daughter, Lotty? Cause I heard that was your only other choice." Art gagged at the thought. Not only was Lotty six summers younger them him, she picked up her fathers strange obsession for meat. Art even caught her one day using on old rusted knife prodding at a three day old dead cat in one of the back alleys. He turns his gaze back to Shianni's all knowing gaze."Yeah, that's what I thought."
Art dead pans at her, "And what does Soris think? How does he feel about this whole arranged marriage issue?"
Shianni shrugs. "I think he is just glade that he is not alone. He's sweating so much he is starting to look like a human." She laughs while he chuckles at the thought of Soris being so nervous. At least Soris will provide him with a distraction to calm his shaking nerves until the ceremony.
"Alright alright, I don't have enough time to keep tormenting you like this. I should go and talk to the other bridesmaids and hopefully find my dress. I hung it out to dry last night so lets hope nobody decided to swipe it." Shianni turns to leave and just when she is about to round the corner she stop and snaps her finger as a thought seems to come to her. "Oh and Soris said that he will be waiting outside for you. So move it!" She gives him one last smile and leaves. Art hears the door to the house shut and he lets out a groan.
Today, is not going to be a good day. Art gets up from his spot on the bed, his back popping in protest from the movement. He takes a moment to stretch his limbs and then stares and the cloths that Shianni seems to have set out for him before he woke up. Cryion's hand-me-downs to Art which Cryion wore for his wedding day. The were slightly out of style but still are very well presentable and a lot finer compared to some of the other outfits that some of the people of the Alienage had to wear for their wedding days. He remembers attending a wedding several years back and all that the family could afford for the groom was a pair of patched up cotton pants, a moth eaten shirt, and scruffy shoes. Cryion's, although old, where made out of a finer, maroon and dark gray dyed cotton with golden-yellow embroidery stitched into the shirt, a pair of matching dark gray pants and polished clothed boots. Overall they where very nice clothes. But it still feels a waste cause I don't want to be wearing them. But he putts them on anyway and although they are just a tad bit to short for his longer then the average elf's body, they still look rather good on him.
Art walks out of his room and into the main part of the house where he spots Cryion standing in the hallway, looking almost as anxious as he feels. As he approaches Cryion looks up and smiles warmly as he sees him in ready in his old wedding clothes. Cryion turns to his son as he stops before him. He reaches out tentatively with both hands and smooths out some imaginary wrinkles on his shirt and then steps away and appraises him. "A tight fit, but over all you look very handsome Artemis. Oh how I wish your mother could have been here to see this." Cryion's smile saddens but the smile never truly leaves his face. Art sighs in both frustration and sadness, he wished she was here to. She would have understood why I think that this whole ordeal was a bad idea. "But, why today? Just because my betrothal has arrived early means that we have to have the wedding early as well?"
Cryion chuckles at what he thinks is Artemis being childish. "I am sure that they had sent her early for good reasons. The Elder took it in stride, at least." Art groans, this is probably the only time I will ever wish that the Elder was a bit more of a hard ass. Cryion ignores his sons frustrations and presses on. "Maybe there was trouble brewing in Highever. Or perhaps the family didn't want her traveling later in the season." He shrugs. "What ever the reason, I paid the dowry, the chantry issued the permit, and everything has turned out fine."
"But..." Art started.
"But what?"
Art stares and Cryion and whines. "I don't want to get married! I'm to young to be getting married."
"Your twenty-two."
"EXACTLY!"
Cryion laughs at this. "I understand, trust me, I do. I felt the same way before I got married to Adaia. I was ready to hunt for the Dalish myself. Just be glad I arranged the match myself." I am contemplating the Dalish myself thank you very much, Artemis thinks begrudgingly to himself. "Other wise you would have wound up with who ever the Elder chooses, just like Soris."
"Who did the elder chose for Soris?" Art asks.
"I don't know, I haven't seen her. If you are curious you should go find the girl yourself, if your curious." Cryion gestures to the door with his thumb over his shoulder. Then he smiles at him. "As a matter of fact, you should go ahead and find Soris, the sooner we get this marriage underway the less chances you have of trying to escape." Cryion stares knowingly at him. Damn .
"A small chances is still a chance you know?" he halfheartedly glares at him.
Cryion chuckles at that. "Still have your mothers smart mouth I see." He shakes his head.
"Oh and before you go I have something I want to tell you. About your training... the swordplay, the knives and the..." he gives Artemis a meaningful look that has Art sighing in annoyance. " the other training your mother has given you. Best not to mention it to your betrothed."
Art glares at him. "She is going to have to find out sooner or later Cryion." Art curses as he sees him flinch at eh use of his first name. Okay I will admit that that was a low blow, even for me. Art smiles apolitically at him, hoping to sooth the man before him. He smiles back, although tentatively this time. "Just... later, okay? Definitely later. We don't want to seem like troublemakers. Adaia made that mistake."
The mood between the two takes an immediate dive, both reliving the loss of the women they both loved so much. Who was so imbedded into their lives, until that damned day...
"She was..." Artemis starts with a tinge of sadness. "She was a clever rogue..."
"Yes," Cryion smiles." yes she was. Here," Cryion rushes to the corner of the room where a medium sized parcel sat up against the wall. He grabbed it and then gingerly handed it to Artemis. "takes these. Adaia... your mother would have wanted you to have them."
Art stares at the package and opens them to reveal a pair of buttermilk boots with Dalish embroidery. Finely made and oh so familiar. Artemis felt his mouth go dry as he stared at them. "...Her boots."
"Yes," Cryion tells him with a sad smile. " its the least I can give you... to help you start your new life."
Artemis is still staring down at the boots when he feel Cryion's arms encircling him into a hug.
"Just know that you will always be my... our son." Art feels something wet wash over his cheeks as he stands there for a moment, letting this man, his father hold him. And just when Cryion begins to feel as if Artemis isn't going to return the gesture, just as he begins to let go with a sad feeling begin to spread to his heart. He feels a pair of shaking limbs wrap around him. Cryion exhales a shaky laugh as he returns the hug three fold. He sways them back and forth for a moment, enjoying probably the most peaceful moment between the two since before the night that claimed his wife. And all to soon, he feels them separating.
They both take a moment to collect themselves. Neither wanting to appear before their guest in such a state of disarrange. "Go on then," say Cryion. "go find Soris as I am sure that he is waiting for you."
Artemis smiles and just as he is about to head towards the door, he looks down at the boots in his hand and makes a quick decision. He takes of his current shoes and puts on Adaia's. Still a slightly tight fit, but a fit none the less, and for that Art is happy about that, it would have been a shame if they were to be to tight.
He looks up and Cryion, steps back and poses in the boots for him. "What do you think?"
the elder elf smiles adoringly at the bo- the man before him. When did he get so big? "They look fantastic. She would have been so happy to see you wear them." Artemis almost chokes back a surprise sob, but composes himself immediately, but can't stop himself from smiling. "Thanks Dad."
Cryion smile stretches to his wrinkled eyes and then shoves Artemis playfully towards the door. " Your welcome. Now go find Soris. The poor boy must be beside himself with nerves."
Artemis laughs but then head on out the door, giving the elf one last smile before shutting the door.
Cryion stares and the door, a fond look upon his aged face. Its been such a long time since the two have had such a moment like that. Maybe this is a sign that more is to come? He returns to his work to wrap up some unfinished business before the wedding. Yes, today was going to be a good day.
First chapter is up and running! *dances like an idiot*
As you can probably tell there is some issues between Artemis and Cryion so far, for good reason too. *Grins evily*
A whole lot more is to come and I would Loooove some feed back. *puppy dog eyes*