AUTHOR: Elizabeth E. Carter
TITLE: Day in the Life
SERIES: Dragon Age Inquisition
PAIRING: Ellana Lavellan / Cassandra Pentaghast pre-relationship
CATEGORY: Humor / hints of romance
RATING: M for mature
SPOILER ALERT: DAI
SUMMARY: Small one shots of the Inquisitor as she struggles to fit in a world outside her experiences as a huntress for her clan.
DISCLAIMER: Bioware owns the concept of Dragon Age and all of its characters. This fanfic is for entertainment and no profit what-so-ever
DAI ~ DAI ~ DAI ~ DAI ~ DAI ~ DAI ~ DAI
The choice to ally the Inquisition with the rebel mages had not been a wholly popular one. By doing so the Inquisitor had lost some of its support, most notably from Fereldon who had felt the brunt of the recent mage attacks. For sometime King Alester and Queen Anora had opened their doors to mages offering them freedom. After all it had been the mages who aided the land of the Dog Lords during the Fifth Blight a decade ago, not the Templars who cowered in the Circle Tower claiming they had to keep their vigil.
The Dalish woman who would become the Hero of Fereldon scoffed and jeered at the Templars' refusal to join the fight. Who was left in the Circle to watch - the old, the infirm and those too young to go to war against the blight? In the end she had shamed them so deeply into fighting alongside their so called charges, but it was only a token force. A small platoon at best. The mages however had not shied from their sworn duty to the treaties of the Gray Wardens.
That favour earned had slowly been eked away when the apostates took advantage of the hand that had been opened to them. They ousted the Arl Teagon from Redcliffe and took over the city and went to war with the rogue Templars causing many innocents to become caught and killed in the cross fire.
Cassandra had not liked the decision but she had supported it in the end, trusting the Herald's choice. Cullen had been furious, yet the Herald was wise enough to say caution and a watchful eye over the mages was merited for the potential of abominations was high considering the Rift was still open. The mages were free to move about as they willed, not to be hovered over as they once were in the Circles; they needed to feel as though their lives and freedom were not threatened. They were however to be watched from the shadows as a precautionary measures.
So far Fiona had been keeping her people in line. She at least knew how dangerous a knife's edge her and her people tread. The dark future seen by the Herald and Dorian shook them both. There was guilt riding in those radiant blue eyes every time she looked at Leliana, Cassandra and Varric as if she were at fault for all the pain they had suffered in that Timeline. There was a new set determination in the young Dalish woman's eyes.
While the elf internalized her frustrations, Cassandra had been working out hers out with training dummies when the apparent spokesperson for the mages approached her. He was a surly looking dark haired male elf with a long crooked nose that looked as if it had been broken more than a few times. Right about now Cassandra wanted to break it again.
"Seeker Pentaghast, the conditions here are appalling. We are here to add power to Herald to seal the Breach. Every where we turn there are eyes following us, looking at us as if we all gong to turn into abominations."
"Your war with the templars turned the country side apart, mage. Many here did not take kindly to hearing their countrymen were ousted from Redcliff, some think banishment from Fereldon was too much of a mercy. Not everyone was happy with the decision the Herald made."
"And what are we supposed to do?"
"What you always do. Complain." the Navarran gritted her teeth.
"We've already spoken to Commander Cullen. No one listens! We want better quarters. We want the Templars kept at a distance. And some respect for…."
Cassandra had just about had it with this winy mage. "This is not the Circle! You mages are our allies not our prisoners." The Seeker stepped closer to him. "Act like it." She must have ruffled his robes; he obviously believed he was higher in rank than he was speaking to the deadly woman as if she were a Tevinter slave.
"How are we supposed to…"
"Deal. With. It!"
The mage snorted in disgust and stomped away like petulant child nearly shoving the lithe Dalish elf to the ground walking towards the training grounds. "Watch where you're going tree-hugger."
Cassandra shook her head. "It never ends does it?" She said to Lavellan as the smaller stepped up to her.
"Is there an issue with the mages?" The Herald asked earnestly. "Can I help?"
Cassandra smiled faintly at the younger woman. The Dalish woman always seemed eager to aid albeit with a jibe or two on the tongue as she did so.
"The mages are here as equals. They need to get used to what that means. It is your doing after all. You created this alliance." Her words held no bite.
"There wasn't a lot of time; I had to make a decision on my feet." Lavellan said defensively.
The Seeker's dark eyebrows shot up. "Oh! I do sound like I'm blaming you don't I?" at the small smirk on the elf's lips Cassandra was very quick to add.
"I just hope it works, what other choice to we have?" the elf said more quietly, more respectfully.
Cassandra felt the need to smooth things between them. She reached out and touched the elf's arm. "I don't disapprove. In fact you did well. You made a decision when it needed to be made. And here we are. I wish I could say this was my doing."
Lavellan smiled warmly. "You're flattering me."
"I am not!" the human scowled owlishly. "This always happens; no one ever takes my meaning."
Lavellan chuckled, her impossible blue-violet eyes sparkled with mirth. "You should see your face."
Cassandra's scowl deepened. "I am thinking less flattering things now." The elf burst into a full out chuckle causing Cassandra to hiss out a sigh. "Let's hope the Breach has your sense of humor." With that she turned and headed back to the training field. She was careful to hide the smile curling at the corners of her lips
Just as she was about to perform a second roundhouse swing that would have taken a living enemy's head from their shoulder when she heard Lavellan call out: "Seth'lin!" Cassandra looked up to see the Herald addressing the dark haired elven mage. The Seeker didn't believe that was the mage's name. By the expression on his face it sounded like an insult.
"Yes you, Robe-boy. " Lavellan stalked up to the mage.
"What did you call me you savage tree-hugger?" His lips turned into a sneer as he looked at the slight figure of the Dalish woman.
She grinned wolfishly. "Do you even know why you're here?"
"Of course. We are here to lend our power to the Herald of Andraste to seal the Breach. She recognizes the power and true value of mages."
"Hmm." the smirk became a dangerous crocodilian smile. "And of the Herald of Andraste what do you know of her?"
He scoffed. "Of course I know. She's an elf." he said proudly.
"And…"
"She is Dal…." All colour drained from his face.
"I see by your expression that you realize I'm not your average savage tree-hugger eh seth'lin?"
"I…I…."
"Is this the part you apologize for insulting me, shoving me and being an overall elvhen'alas because you didn't recognize me? To be fair I did offer the first slur..still.."
"I…I…"
"You've been harassing my people with your tantrums. Disrupting the peace." before anyone could blink the Herald's hand snatched up and grabbed the other elf by the outside curve of his ear very near the tip.
The mage yelped out more in surprise than pain. "I want you to take a good hard look around you flat-ear. I want you to notice three things. This is very important. If you get it right I let you go, get it wrong-I kick you in the bullocks"
"I…Ow…!" The mage yelped when his ear was yanked.
"Is that a guess?"
"Noo." the man bleated.
By now more and more eyes were upon the hapless mage. Iron Bull and Krem were both smirking, Cassandra's dark eyebrows shot up and Cullen was doing his flat out best not to burst out laughing. The whole training field was slowly becoming silent as the recruits and veterans stopped to watch the exchange between the two elves.
"Fine, now start."
"Th-the sky. The Breach."
"Good boy."
"Templar…"
"No!" Lavellan snapped. She pinched his ear again causing him to whimper. His hands snatched up trying to free himself from her grasp but it only caused the Herald to hold tighter. "Try your magic on me and you're going to be singing the Chant of Light as a soprano." she said as fiercely as any overly strict mother.
He was wincing so hard he couldn't form the words let alone look around Haven to spot what the Herald wanted from him.
"Look at all the tents." Lavellan said. "There are more tents than there are buildings. See that massive Qunari over there next to dark haired shem with the partially shaved head? The Qunari's name is The Iron Bull, he and his whole band of mercenaries are living in tents. Without complaint! See all those soldiers? They live in tents. Without complaint. You go through those massive double doors and you will see a great author. Guess what? He's in a tent! Oh and he's not bitching either. This is fracking tent city! Practically everyone here is living in a tent! And you have the gall to demand better quarters?! Who do you think you are?!
"What merits the mages who tore up the countryside in this Creators' forsaken war with the bloody stupid rogue Swords, killing hundreds of innocents? I saw the bodies of dead villagers you fracking Robes and those fracking Templars left behind! Not one of you gives a damn about them! Protest injustice yes, but you can not answer injustice with injustice. What you Robes did to those people caught in the crossfire at the Crossroads, to all of the Hinterlands, to Redcliff, to Arl Teagon is unconscionable second only to the abominations the Templars have wrought on these same people.
"And we saw what happened to the Tranquil. We know about the skulls! That is utterly utterly unforgivable. And don't try and protest that it was the Venitori that did it. None of you Circle mages did anything to stop it! Did you?! Disgusting. You disgust me! Robes and the Swords hurting people that can't possibly protect themselves from what you both have wrought!"
The mage had the merit to look abashed.
"The third thing you never noticed is that everyone here is pulling their weight. They are doing things to aid one another. Because we are all in this together! I have an alchemist working as a healer even though that isn't his area of skill. But he is doing it because he knows he is needed. I have a horse master that left his family back on the war-torn fields of the Hinterlands because we need him. He is making sacrifices just as so many are.
"That!" the Herald pointed to the sky "is our enemy. If any Robe even dares to moan and complain again by the Dread Wolf I will kick their fracking teeth in. Understand?"
She let go of the mage's ear. His hand reached up and rubbed the now red and very tender ear. "I'll be kind. Because that's the sort of woman I am. I won't make you go and apologize to my Seeker for being an absolute little shit. And because I'm so very kind I'm going grant you the privilege of being treated like a normal person.
"I am Dalish. Our mages are not treated like prisoners but like everyone else in the clan. While they spend most of the time learning the histories, stories, to control the old gifts, and ways of the herbalist they also lend a hand to normal every day activities because the clan must work together to survive. Our First-Mahanon is yes a mage but he also happens to be very good at woodcarving, often times he helps repair the arabels because his skills are needed. In fact he is one of the best ironbark workers I know and I'm not saying that because he's my twin. His halla statues bring much gold to the clan from shems and the durgen'len that buy them. Hell my clan even has a carda representative named Cadash that buys the statues and sells them in Ozzamarr.
"The Chantry locks mages up and treats them all as pariahs. This is a sin. I think being treated as normal people would have solved a lot of problems. Mages should be allowed to have access to everyday life, everyday things like making their own bread, standing out in the rain, embracing a lover, having a family. Simple freedoms that everyone else takes for granted. But they need to learn to control their gifts. Only a mage truly understands another mage. Safeguards are needed. Abuses were made by the Chantry and their pet Templars should never have happened. But in the quest for your freedom doesn't mean you get to abuse others because of fear.
"Hate lead to someone blowing up the Conclave. Fear is the enemy. Fear makes people even good people act really stupid. Stupid people do stupid things like lash out at everyone that isn't just like them. I have had quite enough of that. It's ugly and malevolent and it won't be tolerated here!
"But I digress. As I said I'm going to help you touch on a bit of normalcy. Since you acted like a bit of a shit to my Seeker and to the Commander that's what you're going to do. 'Deal with it'. Shit in this case. More specifically horse shit. Well mostly horse."
"WHAT?" The mage stared at her.
"You heard me. You're going to muck out the stalls. All of them. By yourself. I told you everyone here is doing their part to pitch in. All save you. Apparently you have a great deal of time to waste on throwing hissy fits like some puffed-up Orlesian dandy. You'll start with my mount's stall. I'm sure you'll know which one it is as soon as you see him."
"But…but I'm no stable boy!" the elven man protested incredulously.
"No. You're an uptight stick-up-his-ass Robe. But today…today you get to have a chance at normalcy. Aren't you lucky? Now go get a shovel and head to the stables." she pointed to where a line of stalls were closeted near Harrit's forge and the tents used by the Chargers."
She turned and went back to a Seeker that was doing all she could to keep a straight face. Cullen wasn't even pretending to hide his mirth as he joined the ladies.
"Now that was something else." he chuckled watching the disgruntled mage start mucking out the stall of Lavellan's hart.
"See if you Templars disciplined mages more like that, then beating them up, spitting on them, watching them constantly like some perverted old man, running your blades into them, or making them Tranquil at a drop of a hat, you might have saved Thedas a lot of trouble.
"Like I said to him, seems to me most mages just wanted to be treated like everyone else, like a person. Well people have to do everyday jobs. The everyday jobs the common person has to do in life. In the clan if a da'lyn gets uppity like that the Keeper grabs them by the ear and gives them one of the more foul jobs that must be done. Like digging or covering latrines. Believe me you they stop being uppity real quick."
Cassandra chuckled. "Yes I quite imagine they would." She had to agree with the younger woman. Had the Circle mages been treated as an everyday person rather than cursed-demon-magnets quite a lot of problems could have been solved.
Still if the younger mages had been given a touch of normalcy…If they weren't torn away from their families when they were only children but as the Herald once said to Cullen carefully consulted about the matter and taken not by Templars at sword point but by matronly or even paternal elder mages, the transition from home life to Circle life would be much smoother. If a Circle is a place of learning then let it be. Give a switch to the sterner matrons be they Chantry sisters or mages, rather then a sword in a young man's hand and watch the difference. Magi should police the magi. If the Templars are needed they should not be prison guards…a Sword. They should not be anxious to test out their skills on a Robe. Their presence should be as intended guardians for both magi and the mundane. But the Templars saw themselves as superior, as jailers justified in all their actions for the good of the people forgetting mages were people too.
For a Dalish elf, Lady Lavellan had excellent innovative ways for the Circles to be reestablished when this crisis with the Rift in the sky was dealt with. Maybe it was because she was Dalish…they never treated their mages any differently then any other clan member. Granted from what Cassandra and Cullen both heard about the wild elves: the Dalish respected their mages far more and tended to treat them with the same deference that most people pay the sisters and mothers of the Chantry.
"I can't picture Meredith grabbing a disruptive young mage by the ear, more likely she'd have lopped it off, but a woman like Vivienne maybe. Or she'd verbal scold you so harshly you felt like it was." Cullen said.
They all shared a smile.
He went on: "There was this older woman in the Fereldon Circle named Wynne. Give her a switch and there would not be a knuckle on a mage or Templar safe or an ear. She'd have them emptying all the Circle chamber pots; definitely better than placing them in solitary confinement. Works for uppity recruits too."
"It works for the military, why not do something similar in the Circles? Of course after such a punishment they may well wish for solitary confinement." added Cassandra. "You want to be like a normal person? Peel those potatoes over there. All one hundred of them in time for supper. You want to bake bread, sure. Start kneading the dough we have to make 300 loaves of bread a day. Get to work. But before you do that, move those sacks of flour and barley from the delivery wagon into the larder. All twenty-five of them."
"Why not?" Lavellan shrugged her shoulders. "That fight you stopped months back Cullen, you should have put that Robe and that Sword in some sort of 'Get-along' tunic."
"Is that what your Keeper does if clan mates get into an argument?" he asked.
"Ah something like that. She binds their wrists together. Like shackles made of braided vines, on account hemp will chafe. And they are magically bound so you can't cut them off."
"Why does it sound like you were so bound?" Cassandra asked her friend. A smile tweaked the corners of her mouth.
The elf's face reddened. "It happened only once! That was more then enough to pound the lesson home, let me tell you. I got into a brawl with another da'lyn hunter that got a few others rolled up into it, like a snowball rolling down a hill. But since he and I were the ones who initiated the brawl we were bound for a month, and the others well they had the harsher punishments. After all they decided to join the fracas and didn't have to. For poor show of judgment the others had to tend to the latrines for a month. Peer punishment isn't fun either. They got their revenge on me and Derutam back three fold. We were all nine or ten summers, still the memory stuck. Nothing like that happened between us ever again."
"I imagine that was your Keeper's plan." Cassandra remarked
The elf merely nodded.
"Very effective." Cullen agreed. "We often use the same methods of peer punishment with new recruits. I know regular military does as well." He decided to keep very quiet about the more harsher punishments imposed by Meredith against the mages after the death of Viscount Dumare.
Lavellan was skittish around him as it was because he was a former Templar. In fact she stayed well clear of any Templars. If he didn't know better he would have said she was an apostate, but she was clearly no mage.
Turning the young woman's attention back to her Cassandra clapped her hand on Lavellan's shoulder. "I have to say I never imaged you 'riding' in to be my champion."
The tips of the elf's ear flushed a bit. She cleared her throat and bit her lower lip. Cullen suddenly got the feeling he was a fifth wheel on a wagon and slipped away without a word. He had no intention of interrupting the subtle flirtation between his Seeker counterpart and the young Herald.
"I um…It's just I didn't like the way he spoke to you. He shouldn't have been in your face like that. " She looked down to her feet shuffling them in the dirt. "Maybe I should have conscripted them like you suggested back in Redcliff."
Cassandra shook her head. "He would have still complained I fear. That what his kind always do."
"His kind?"
"He is no different then the pompous dandy you compared him too, Ellana. They will use every opportunity to impress their importance because of circumstance."
"Then we do some impressions of our own with some preemptive conditioning." The elf said matter-of-factly. "Fiona allied herself with the enemy. By rights she and her minions should have been conscripted. They will be reminded they were ever so willing to be enslaved for ten years by the Vents. If they abuse our 'friendship' as they did with King Alester and Queen Anora they will reminded how their arrogant stupidity destroyed half of Fereldon that is still healing from the Blight. We will remind them that their stupidity nearly brought down the entire world to time-rifts by allowing that bloody Magister into the South and accepting his offer.
"I will tell Fiona once more how I found her in that cell, nearly consumed by red lyrium. All her precious mages sacrificed to same. That she brought this upon herself and her people. I will also tell her next tine one of her little popinjay's mouths off he'll get more then a cuff to the ear. "
Cassandra smiled slightly. "And what will you do to her 'popinjays'."
"I'll let her worry about that." Lavellan shrugged mischievously.
"Sometimes you have a very dangerous mind, Herald." Cassandra shook her head.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" the elf looked up to the taller woman.
"It is a useful thing."
"Well it's good to be of use." Lavellan smiled with humor in her heart.
The Seeker shared a smile, "Ellana, I am curious …those things you said to the mage. You called him a something…sethlynn?
Lavellan looked to where the elven male was struggling with a shovel to clean out Falon'len stall. It seemed the hart was none too pleased to have the man in his place.
"Oh that. elvhen'alas seth'lin. It's an elven slur. It means thin blooded dirty elf."
"Wasn't that what Solas called Sera? "
"Um yeah only he added a bit more…" Lavellan looked embarrassed. "He called her Len'alas lath'din. Literary it translates to 'dirty child no one loves.' "
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"
"A bit, yeah. I think that was the point. He doesn't see her as an elf, something I think Sera would agree upon. She doesn't want to see herself as elven. I don't know why she hates her elven blood as much as she does; maybe it's something the city elves must endure living lives less valued then a dog. I can not say. She's more shemlen then even the flat-ear subjects are. I am a little grateful she didn't understand him."
"You like her, don't you?"
"We get along well enough. Sure. She needs a little guidance, give her direction. Not unlike our Keepers direct the winds to take up the sails of the arabels. I think she needs a positive influence, something like a big sister."
"And you fill that role?" Cassandra said carefully
"I guess. Why not?"
"What of Solas? He seems fond of you."
"He's a Hahren…um an elder."
"Elder? You speak as if he is much older than you." Cassandra seemed puzzled. Of course as the saying goes one could never tell the age of an elf.
Lavellan chuckled. "Cass, he's over well over seventy! Of course he's much older than me, I'm only nineteen."
"Seventy?" the human blinked "I thought maybe he was around forty I had no idea he was that old."
The Dalish hunter shrugged. "Elves were once immortal, Cass. Dalish live very long lives, Solas is not of The People but he had not been contaminated like the flat ears who live considerably shorter lives. If I didn't know better I would have said he was from old Arlathan before the Great Fall the way he speaks. There is something…odd about him."
"He does have an aged wisdom to him. I thought perhaps it was all the time he spent in the Fade."
"That's probably it." Lavellan said indifferently. "If this is a round about way to ask if I have any interest in him that would be a no. Even if he wasn't old enough to be my grandsire, he has the wrong bits."
Cass blinked. "The wrong bits…? Oh!? Oh. I see." there was a slip of a smile on the Seeker's lips that disappeared nearly as swiftly as it came.
"Did I manage to surprise you my Seeker? I would have thought my nature in the preference of my own sex was in Sister Nightingale's reports on me." Lavellan smirked toying with Cassandra.
"I think she gave certain deference to truly private matters. I think she has a better understanding than most."
"Of course she and the Hero of Fereldon. Maharial Sabrae being Dalish, her own nature would have been slightly frowned upon but not forbidden. There are so few of us, just like me, the elders would have insisted she take a mate to produce a child or more, even if she had a shadow-lover
"Is that the same as taking a mistress?" the Seeker asked
"More or less, I suppose. Bondings can be sometimes arranged, but not often. Clans are for the most part insular, if new blood is not introduced into the clans every other generation it will die out or produce horrible mutations by blood breeding with blood.
"Ignoring the sexual nature of one's true self is a sin against the Creators, for it is in their wisdom that made us so. And while we are often pressed to take mates to continue the line of the Dalish we are not forced to ignore that which they truly are. Even in the natural world the preference of ones own sex exists you only have to have eyes to see. To deny such things creates discord in the spirit and soon dissidence within the Clan. It is unhealthy.
"T'is better that the true nature of the self to exist and those with such sexual natures give of themselves to the continuation of the Dalish survival. Thus shadow-lovers are permitted to keep the harmony of the sprit of the self and The People's continued longevity."
After a moment Cassandra nodded. "A most sensible solution."
"It doesn't always work though. Theory and practice are not often consolable. Sometimes it creates more dissidence than it is supposed to solve." she was thinking of course of despite the fact she considered the men of her Clan friends and family she had no desire to lay with one of them just to create a child for the preservation of the Dalish.
"An axiom true in many circles of philosophy and sophistry, I fear." said the native Navarin. She stepped closer to the elf. Her voice soft, softer than the Dalish had ever heard it. "Ellana, what I said earlier about you charging in to be my champion. No one has truly done such a thing for me before. I am supposed to be your protector, your defender."
"Cass…I…"
"No," the human placed a tender hand on the Herald's shoulder "I am simply unaccustomed to being the one championed. While alien is it is not unwelcome."
Lavellan was sure no one had heard it thus. She was not about to call attention to tenderness less the Seeker fall back behind the familiar walls of the warrior. "Anytime my Seeker, any time." She felt it creeping along the back of her neck, soon it would reach her ears and make it…yes there it was a full on blush. To detract from it she cleared her throat and tactfully changed the subject.
"So how about we go for a ride?"
"A ride?" Cass pretended not to notice the reddened ears or the bloom of red on the elf's cheeks. Which she thought endearing.
"Yes, you know it's what people do on the backs of a mount?"
The Seeker gave a half disgruntled sigh for the levity. "I know what ridding is Herald."
Lavellan only smiled seemingly encouraged to keep the banter going. "So, how about it then? We could just go out there, or go hunting…I just want to be…not here."
Cassandra considered denying the request, then thought better of it. Of course the Dalish elf was unaccustomed to village life, if Haven could be called a village. It was rather a city of tents like young woman proclaimed it to be. The Seeker could see it in Lavellan's blue-lilac eyes, she was anxious…jittery like a young filly ready to bolt. She just needed time away. Something Cassandra could appreciate. And apparently that time away included the company of one Seeker.
"Why not?" she offered a smile to the younger woman. "It will be nice to get some fresh air." Never mind they were already outside in the crisp mountain air.
Lavellan offered a smile as bright as a thousand candles that caused a flock of butterflies to swoop within Cassandra's belly. It was not an unpleasant sensation. In fact she rather liked it. It was happening more and more frequently in the young Dalish woman's presence.
Lavellan let out a sharp whistle that carried on the wind, at its sound Falon'len the Pride of Arlathan looked up, bugled his own response. In seconds he shifted in his stall so that he could leap over the fence causing the upstart mage who was already terrified of the massive stag to falter back and trip over his own feet directly into the midden pile.
Those watching the lad laboring away laughed at the mage's expense. Cassandra amused shook her dark head at the antics of hart and elf. "You both did that on purpose." Her tone was scolding with no authority behind it.
Lavellan shrugged mirthfully. "Maybe. He was going to need a bath anyway."
"You're terrible."
"Yeah, but that's why you like me having me around. I'm your counterpoint. Not everyone can be tough and taciturn as you my dear Seeker. Someone has to bring in a little levity." Again with the smile. She winked.
For a moment, only a moment mind you, Cass believed her Herald was going to reach up and kiss her on the cheek. The elf didn't, but all the same for a moment….and the Seeker thought to herself even with all the eyes watching them, she wouldn't have minded at all.