A/N: If any of you have played Dragon Age then you know who Merril is, yes? Good. And, since this is in the crossover section, I take it you all know about Naruto and such, correct? Great. This, is a what if story based upon what might happen when Merrill first attempted blood magic. Of course, what with Blood Magic being so, well, bloody, the effects and consequences are rather hard to discern. What if she screwed up the ritual? What if she summoned something else all together?
Also, I advise you to have played Dragon Age II to understand where I'm coming from here. But hey, if you still want to read an EPIC story full of humor, romance, fluff, guts, and gore, then, by all means, read on.
Only in silence is the words, Only in darkness is the light, Only in death is the life, Like the flight of the hawk shows itself in the eternal sky ...
~The creation of Eà.
Veil
That night, Merrill dreamed.
When sleep came, so did the Fade. She was ensconced in its velvety embrace and watched as the land twisted and changed itself around her to meet her heart's desire. Once upon a time it had assumed the craggy peaks of Sundermount; this time it did not. Instead of scraping the sky with their natural glory, the mountains melted, falling away as the clouds overtook them; as her heart sought the source of her anxiety.
And a swirling, tumultuous one at that.
The sun rose and fell, only to be swallowed up by fog. The chirping of birds and crying of crows vanished abruptly, leaving the clearing into which she had fallen, utterly serene and quiet. It was a strange, eerie, nothingness. And yet it was strangely comforting. She'd been here countless times before and had never seen such a scene in her life. That, should have been utterly terrifying for the elft. Instead, she regarded this sudden change in her dreams as one might a curiously colored flower.
Ensorcelled within the misty mire of her own dreams, Merill walked amongst the Fade and knew peace. And why should she not? She had never come to harm here before, not in the Fade. It held its own share of threats, like any other realm and, like most, it posed a danger, but she needn't have worried; because Merrill was awfully good at avoiding danger when she wanted to.
Merrill rounded a corner in the thicket, skirting around the first desire demon she happened upon, ignoring its whispering allure at her back as she pressed onward. Normally a demon of such calibre could not be so easily ignored. Ordinarily, Merril would have agreed with them. But today, today she was an elf on a mission. The demon's promise held no sway over her-or so she told herself-but she remained determined to seek out the one she'd summoned nonetheless.
Then she saw him.
Bare was he, stripped of his cloak and bent on folded knee. Bare was he, removed from the flames that had surrounded him during their first meeting. Bare was he, and sight alone could not hope to describe him. He was bound. Shackled, really, his body wreathed in chains from head to toe. Thick chains, mighty manacles of cast iron and silverllite, bound taught round his musculature; stood between him, her, and possession.
It was imposing and terrifying and seductive, all wrapped into one neat little bundle. How quaint. Merrill paused, her almost soundless footsteps stopping short as she came to a halt just beyond the range of his influence. This "Naruto" didn't seem the sort to try and trick his way into a body. He seemed honest too, for a demon. What was it he'd said to her, again?
"You're far too beautiful to become an abomination, Merrill."
Had he said that?
The thought made her cheeks darken.
Merrill had seen many many beautiful things in her lifetime and she did not consider herself to be one of them. She didn't think herself particularly pretty, either. She was just an ordinary elf, albeit one shunned and reviled by those whom she called her family. Just an elf, and an apostate at that. She wasn't special. Not by any means. She continued to wrestle with this thought as she crested the hill and stepped into the clearing where he lay.
He had to have seen her.
Surely he must have, though his back was faced away and toward the north.
Naruto must've noticed her; for he beckoned her closer. The shackles rattled as he did so, clanking harshly against one another as their master rolled his shoulders in an easy shrug, the motion bellying the incredible strength that lurked beneath that charming facade. Then he tilted his head-why would he not face her-and uttered, greeting as fluent as it was alien to Merrill.
"Ma serannas, lethallan." the deep, double-timbre of its voice crashed down upon her like a great and cleansing wave, scouring her thoughts clean. But it was not his voice nor his smile that inflamed her so. No, rather, it was the words with which he had spoken; the language of the Dales, Elvish. He let the statement hang, unadorned between them, the silence stretching on for what felt like an eternity in the Fade.
Merrill experienced both shame and awe in equal measure.
Lightning arced down her spine. Elvish from a demon? He'd greeted her with an effortless familarity that bellied the massive power she sensed from him; thrumming under his skin, surging through his blood, ready to be brought to the fore without warning, without hesitation. He could do it, she realized. He could kill her. Even confinement presented by these shackles of the Fade wouldn't be able to stop him. If he truly desired her death, then he would have it.
"You've been well, I trust?" Still he did not turn to face her, still he spoke to her with a voice like liquid. "Or could it be that you wonder how I speak the elvish tongue?" Merrill inclined her head a fraction of an inch, but otherwise, she did not honour him with a response.
"I've been thinking about what you said." Naruto turned toward her as she approached. "About my name."
A grimace of self-castigation.
"Oh, you didn't have to! It was just a silly question and I-
"Merril."
"Yes?"
"Look at me when I'm speaking to you."
Naruto looked into her eyes and deep within his eyes was something that made her want to gibber like a madwoman. It was like staring at the night sky after learning for the first time that the stars were not pinpricks in the raiment of heaven, but each its own sun, billions of leagues distant. To stare into the eyes of this creature was to realize how small one truly was, how utterly insignificant you were when compared to him.
"My true name is one that I do not give out so easily." He stared at her for a moment longer, a low rumble building from deep within his chest. "And...it is one that I have long since forgotten." It took Merrill several seconds to realize that the demon was laughing. "And to think," he chuckled, "I was so looking forward to telling you." He sighed on the sudden, his shoulders sagging under the incredible weight he bore. He lurched forward, his forehead kissing an iron-root as he tried-and failed-to stand upright.
"How absurd." He hissed through clenched teeth. "That I would be reduced to this, to such a shadow of my former self." He rattled the chains for emphasis. "Can you not see I am powerless here, Merrill? Ask what you will of me, but if you wish for me to restore the Elluvian in my current state than I am powerless to help you." His entire body shook, convulsing as the demon struggled against the ties that bound him.
With an oath, he fell to the floor once more.
"So you can't purify the shard?" Merrill asked softly.
"To do so now would drain me greatly." Naruto replied blackly. "I would likely perish from such an effort. You could always seek out another demon, but they're just as likely to possess you as any other." A touch of pride entered his voice. "Whereas I do not desire your body in the slightest. If I were to take a mortal vessel as my own, I'd rather it be male." That startled Merill. Most demons held no particular preference for their host. If it was able and willing, then it would possess any host, mage or otherwise. "Besides, as I've said before, you're far too beautiful to become an abomination. I'd never forgive myself, were I to do that to you."
Merrill felt her cheeks burn anew.
He'd said it again!
Again, he'd said she was beautiful! Was this some kind of ploy, to lower her guard? A spell; a last ditch attempt to take her body as his own? She peered at him dubiously, her once expressive eyes now mired in doubt and hesitation. What trickery was this? What could he possibly be trying to accomplish, bound as he was? Try as she might, Merrill could not find the answer. She did, however, have a question for this silver-tongued devil.
"Do you...really think I am...beautiful?" Her face burned like an open flame when he arched a slender brow, "I'm...just an elf!"
"And I am a creature of chaos." Naruto stated proudly, puffing out his chest. "I have told many lies in and reveled in the deaths of many innocent and guilty alike, but to you, I speak the truth. You are an incredibly beautiful young woman, Merrill. Though I wouldn't let it go to your head, were I you." His eyes twinkled in the gloom. "I'd hate to see that pretty little head of yours be filled with the lies and falsehoods your kin have been feeding you."
"Oh, creators!" Merrill flushed. "They don't hate me...they just...don't understand." Her voice trailed off as she thought about. Everyone save the Keeper treated her as though she were the plague itself. And it would doubtlessly become worse once they learned she'd dabbled in the forbidden art of blood magic. Who was to say, that they wouldn't kill her outright just for practicing it? Such a heinous act as this was doubtlessly unwelcome amongst the Dalish. But she had to this! It was all for their sake! If they stopped her, then how would they ever recover their lost history?
"Something troubles you?" It was not the question, but the concern locked within it, that gently drew Merrill forth from her reverie. For a moment, just a moment Merrill was tempted. Another silence, and she could almost feel the tension gathering around them. Would it truly be so wrong to confide her fears in him? He was trapped here, after all. He wasn't going anywhere. What was the harm in it?
In the end, she shook her head.
"It's nothing."
"Then my patience wears thin." The creature of chaos growled. "Do you seek my aid or not?" Merrill considered this. She couldn't free him. If she did then he'd surely seek her body as his own. For all his honeyed words, she was still wary of him.
"If I...released only your arms, would that be alright?"
"Truly?" said Naruto, suddenly brought up short, as if the idea that his freedom might be granted had only now crossed his mind. "Of course! I'd appreciate that, Merrill." With a heavy sigh, he held up his manacled wrists. "Here." He said. "Just lay your hands upon them and they should come off." He frowned. "I think." Merrill complied and laid both hands upon the chains. They were hot to the touch, their warmth searing the sensitive skin of her palms. It seeped into her bones, suffusing her with a warmth so intense that she was momentarily paralyzed.
"!"
Naruto tilted his head back just then and laid his forehead against her own. And still, Merrill could not bring herself to move. She stood there, frozen in time as a cacophony of foreign sights and sounds and emotions roared through her skull in an all encompassing tide. A boy, sitting alone on a swing. A deep crushing lonliness as tangible as tears, as palpable as flesh. An anger, a deep seated fury boiling in the bit of his stomach. Frantically, she tried to make sense of them, but was inundated anew.
'I hate them! All of them! Why won't they leave me alone!' she tried to resist the flood, to stand against the rush of unwanted knowledge, but she was helpless. Like a leaf in a storm she was cast adrift amidst and amongst them, left awash in this terrible tide of pain and suffering. There were pinpricks of joy here and there within the suffering, times of happiness that stood out against the blackness, only to be snuffed out one by one.
'Why am I always alone?'
With a cry she jerked backwards. She pinwheeled for a moment, her arms flailing as the ground opened beneath her, threatening to swallow her whole. Her eyes flew wide as she realized she was about to fall; about to plunge into the darkness that was the Fade and never return. Something seized her, hauling her forward and back from the abyss. Merrill cried out as pain stabbed across her the length of her forearm and wrist, only for it to vanish seconds later.
She detected the rattling of chains and the unlocking of locks as the hand that held her hauled her forward. Then, the shackles simply did the inexplicable. They dissapeared, fading away into the mists as though they'd never been. With a groan, the demon known as Naruto flopped onto his back, dragging her with him. He wheezed out a breath as she struck his chest, but seemed otherwise unharmed.
Merrill gasped.
"Creators have mercy!"
His lower torso and legs remained bound but the demon's arms had been freed. His upper torso was entirely exposed as well; his chiseled chest now marred with fresh scrape and bruises caused by their collision. Merril lay there for a moment, admiring his features, gasping for breath that refused to come. The flashes of insight throbbed painfully in the back of her aching skull, and it was only with a supreme effort of will that she was able to quell the voices in her mind.
"Thank you, Merrill."
His voice cut through the others, parting the seas that threatened to swallow her whole. She pulled her head from the crook of his neck, and stared at him for a moment. With every fiber of her being, she bid herself be still. Her body wanted to bolt, to flee from this sudden contact with this strange demon. And yet, she resisted. He made no effort to seize her. He lay there, his heart hammering as strength returned to his limbs.
"Are you...alright?" It was strange, to ask such a thing of a demon, but she felt compelled to nonetheless. Naruto barked out a laugh and tried to rise. He did not succeed. The chains gouging his legs prevented him from rising past his elbows; digging deeper into his flesh when he tried to resist. At last, he gasped and fell back amidst the grass, with the elf collapsing against him with a small squeak, his lips brushing hers for the briefest of instants.
Then he pulled away, contented.
"You actions shame me, Merill." Naruto sighed from where he lay, "Had I the strength, I would embrace you." Another hollow sounding laugh. "Sadly, it seems that I do not." The elf girl let out a sad little noise, as if it were a shame to disappoint him so. She became aware of his right arm, wrapped around her waist, holding her against him. This urge to flee was almost overwhelming. This was not a human holding her. This was a demon. And a very dangerous one at that. The longer she stayed by his side, the more she put herself at risk.
As if sensing this, Naruto released Merrill. She could feel it, he was gathering himself for a supreme effort. Whether against her or some other, unseen foe, she knew not. His muscles bulged as he pushed himself forward in a titanic show of strength.
"Now, allow me to repay your kindness."
She scrambled backwards-a bit reluctantly-as the demon flexed his arms. With a grunt he hauled himself upright, as far as the chains would allow. With a visible effort, he laid hands on the shackles binding his legs together and tore them free. Blood spattered across the ruined field and Merrill, but she paid it no need. No, she was far too focused on him, this demon methodically tearing himself from his bonds, link by painful link.
And then he stopped. All that remained was a single, solitary chain, wrapped around his neck. Try as he might, the demon could not free himself from this chain. He threw his body against it, but it refused to budge. With a shrug he resumed his original position, his legs wobbling from inactivity. "Much better." He nodded depreceatingly at the ruined remnants of his prison.
"Y-You tricked me!" Merrill accused.
"I did no such thing." The demon scoffed. "I am still bound to this place, though significantly less so than before. As she looked on his wounds began to heal, the once ravaged flesh stitching itself back together. He stretched forward, his hand capturing her chin and drawing it to his own. Before she could speak, he'd captured her lips with his own. As gently as a lover's his lips held hers, lacking any sort of roughness. He pulled away and patted the now dazed elf upon the head. "And as payment for lessening my pain I shall cleanse your shard as promised upon."
Merrill soaked his words in slowly. Very slowly. Her lips still tingled from where he'd made contact, and it was with a fleeting horror that she realized the demon had stolen not only her first kiss, but her second as well! Creator's preserve her, she'd been kissed by a demon! A chaos demon, no less! She felt the numbness receeding, replaced by an od sort of giddy hysteria.
"You kisssed me." She blinked, touching a hand to her lips as it dawned upon her. "You just...kissed me!" Her cheeks darkened as her hands flew to her face. "Aah! Why in the name of the Dread Wolf would you do such a thing!" she demanded, her flush deepening as the bemused demon looked on. "Oh, creators! I'm doomed! I can't possibly tell the Keeper about this! She'll never believe me! No one is ever going to believe me!"
"Ah, Merrill." Naruto laughed; sounding sad and broken. "If only you knew."
Merrill blinked, dumbfounded.
"Knew what? Is there something I don't know? What is it!"
Naruto smiled, and it was a strange and lonely thing, that smile.
"Dareth shiral, Merill."
"Wait!" she cried, reaching for him as the fog closed in around them. "I don't understand!"
And with that, she awoke.
A/N: Poor Merrill. She has no idea what she's getting into. Then again, most people don't, when Naruto is involved. Like I said, you NEED to play Dragon Age and watch Naruto to understand the complexity of this story. Otherwise, enjoy, and feel free to drop me a line with questions, and, of course, review! Oh, and I nearly forgot...
...MERRILL IS AWSUM!
R&R! =D