Mizuki: I'm back
Aveline: Why?
Mizuki: Because I'd been waiting to write this story for about 2 months, and I got GREAT feed back, so LightsAurora, Shacary, Bronze Angel, FarieChan, and Alaskantiger, YOU ALL GET TO BORROW FENRIS FOR THE DAY!
Fenris: 0.0 WHAT!
MIzuki: Consider it my apology for having bad grammer skill and not checking my work. I own nothing.
It was three more days before I dreamed of him again. This time, I sang of my own choice, desperate to see him again, even if they were just memories. My eyes closed and the fade overtook me.
I run all the way to the clearing the next day, desperate to see him again. He is there, waiting calmly. "Hello again," he smiles. Offering his hand as I sit down next to him. I don't let go even then.
"Come here often?" I ask, the jokester in me rearing it's ugly head. "I'm sorry," I apologize, my face red, "Sometimes stupid things find their way from my addled brain and out of my mouth."
"Like threatening to take someone's shirt off?" He asks, chuckling. "It is fine. I have heard far worst jokes from old men who don't know when they're too old to live." He stops as he speaks and I realize he probably just said something he wouldn't normally say in front a stranger.
To his relief, I laugh it off. "I think I've know who you're talking about," I say. "One of them is my grandfather." My face hardens as I think of Mother's father. The things I know of him aren't comforting.
"You do not like your grandfather?" He asks, puzzled. "Why not?"
"He's not the biggest fan of my father," I explain. Not hesitating to tell my thought to this stranger. "He was trying to marry my mother off to a stranger when they eloped. He knows they're here, but he never writes or visits. My grandmother died two weeks after Carver and Bethany were born. He didn't even tell us. My uncle Gamlen wrote the letter." My hands fist some grass as the other tightens around his. "I don't care about the stupid gezzer, I never have, but Bethany . . . she wishes she could have his approval." I glare at the ground, as if it is responsible for my family's problems. "He would never give it."
I would continue on, but Leto does the most unexpected thing. He takes his hand from mine and wraps me in his arms. His hands fiddle with mine in my lap as his torso presses to my back. Surprisingly enough, I don't push him away. Had anyone else tried this, even Carver, I'd have hit them, but there is something about him that makes me trust him. It is like some unknown force, compelling me to put my fate in his hands, so I lean back into him and tell him everything I can think of.
"Mother was a noble woman in Kirkwall. She says she met Father by accident, though they won't tell us how. I think they like to keep it their little secret. The twins take after her with their hazle eyes and black hair. She's always afraid of having Bethany or I taken away. She dotes on Bethany and Carver all the time. I may be the first born, but they're her babies. Sometimes, I get kind of envious of them. She treats them with such care, such love. It's like she's afraid they'll break, but not me. Noooo, I could never need such care. I can handle myself. I think Father's the only one whose ever treated my like a child.
"I get my magic from Father. He's the one I take after. I've got his brown hair and eyes. He always teaches me anything I ask about. He knows I can handle myself, but he still dotes on me because he knows that, sometimes, I want to be treated like glass.
"Bethany might be made of glass. She's so fragile and easy to hurt. She's a mage like me, but not nearly as strong. She can only do really minor spells. I worry about her. She thinks she can take on the world, but I know she can't. I'm always worried that, if we ever do have to fight for our lives, she'll get herself killed. She's sweet though, and is far kinder to me than Carver.
"Now Carver hates being treated like glass, but soaks it up just to rub it in my face. I think he just doesn't like me anymore. When he was a little kid, he used to cling to me constantly, Bethany too. They used to hang on my legs and make me walk with them sitting on my feet. They'd randomly crawl into my bed at night, even if they didn't have nightmares. One day, though, Carver came home and he wouldn't speak to me. After that, he became obsessed with fighting. He insisted that I had trapped him in my shadow and that I was trying to keep him under my thumb.
"I don't think I've ever been so hurt. Carver was like a son to me, since mother and father were always so busy with work, so hearing him say that just tore at me. He spends all day with his swords practicing. I'm waiting for him to see reason, but I'm starting to wonder if he ever will."
Throughout my rant, Leto sits quietly, listening with only the skill that someone who's spent their entire lives listening to others can have. When I mentioned Carver's change, he must have heard something in my voice because he put my head against his shoulder and ran his fingers through my hair, his nimble fingers messaging the scalp beneath.
When I finish, the sun has almost set and we agree to meet the next day. I'm practically dancing on the way home. There's something about Leto that makes me want to see him, be near him. It's stronger than gravity or a spell; I don't know what it is.
That night, while the others are sleeping, I steal into my painting room and sketch the image of the two of us in the meadow. That way, I'd never forget that day. I go to sleep and wake up early to see him.
He's there, like the other day, just waiting to see me. We sit there and talk about trivial things, I don't dare bring up his own life, for fear that I'll chase him away, I almost don't want to know. I don't want to think of the horrible things that those people might be doing to him when I can't be there. The thought makes me run cold and I push it away. Now is not the time for such thoughts.
We meet like that for weeks, and weeks turn into months. Soon, I see more of him than I do of my own family. Sometimes, we only see each other for an hour because of work, sometimes, we'll stay until noon, but on other days, those wonderful, free days, we can meet as early as sunrise and not have to part until sunset. It is a day like this, after months of our friendship, I decide that Leto deserves to have someone to talk to about his life away from me.
I look at him and ask him about his life. He tells me of his sister, much like Bethany in many ways, and his mother, who, in my opinion, cares more for her master than she does her son, and his master. He never told me his master's name, but I knew he was cruel. He said his master had an apprentice who would mock him. She was the one who had cut him yesterday, though he wouldn't tell me what.
I'm not mad that, despite my honesty, he's hiding things from me. I know he's only doing it to protect me. It makes me ask him though, why he doesn't want me there. Surely it would be better to have a friend there as well as here.
"You will never be a part of that world," he says angrily, grabbing my face in his hands and pulling me up to his face so we were mere inches apart. "I won't let them taint you like that. I won't." He places his forehead on mine as he closes his eyes. "This is enough. Just knowing I can come here. Being with you these days . . . they're enough. I dare not ask you for more."
I gently place a hand on his cheek and he opens his eyes. "What if I want more?" I ask. Instead of answering, he puts his lips to mine.
The kiss is gentle at first. Despite my fascade in town, it's my first kiss, so when he runs his tounge along my bottom lip, I involuntarily gasp. That's when the kiss changes. It switches completely from innocent and chaste to hot and passionate. We sit there like that for what seems like a lifetime, sharing moans and nips as we explore the new world we've opened to each other.
Eventually, he sighs and pulls away, earning a whimper from me and I almost fallow him. "Look at the sun," he says. I do and see that I have about five minutes before my family realizes that I'm gone.
"I don't want to leave," I say, hugging him to me tightly. "I only just got you to myself."
He chuckles. "You can have me to yourself again tomorrow, but it will have to be at noon. I cannot risk them finding you." With that, we kiss once more and say our good byes. Father sees me come in and asks where I've been. For the first time in my life, I lie to him.
Leto and I spend the rest of our days together. The more we meet, the closer we become. He still won't tell me anything about his life as a slave, but I like the idea of being protected for once.
It is far from perfect, though. Many times, I have to sneak back to the house and grab healing supplies so I can dress the wounds they give him. I try to keep a strait face, but he often sees through it and tells me not to worry. I wonder what happened with his sister. Didn't he say that she would dress his wounds?
"I like it better when you do it," he says, seeming embarrassed. In reply, I fling my arms around him.
"Look at this," I say, pulling a locket I bought at the market the other day. I open it to show two pictures, one of him and me, in our meadow, staring at the sky, and another of him, smiling upwards. "I drew them yesterday. This way, I'll always have you close at hand."
One day, he asks me to cut his hair. I first, I almost cry. His hair is so smooth and silky, to cut it would be a crime. He then points out that, if it isn't cut soon, his master's apprentice, will do it instead. The thought of her anywhere near his face with a sharp object pulls me to cut it.
"Some day," he claims, as I stare sadly at his now shorter hair, "I'll be able to grow it as long as I want it. You'll never have to cut it then." That is the first time he's ever spoken of the idea of being free.
He sings to me often. Always, it's this lullaby I try to memorize, but I always have trouble on certain parts. The words, I remember, it's the sound that goes with them that's confusing.
Aimo Aimo
Ne de ru rushe
Noina meria
Ende protea
Fontomi
Koko wa attaka na
Umietao
Ru rei rureia
Sora oba hirbari
Wan na ita
Ru rei rureia
Hoba iwa a
Shashni to rikono
Aimo Aimo
Ne de ru rushe
Noina meria
Ende protea
Fontomi
Koko wa attaka na
Mumeno okuri ne muru
Ookina ookite
Itsuku shimiwa
Tsunabu he no
He na no
Oun da de
Shizukari
Maya sabashe o
Koko wa attaka na
Umietao
Aimo Aimo
Ne de ru rushe
Mukashi mina
Hito tsudata
Sekae ohite
Attaka na sola ta yo
I ask Leto to teach it to me, but he only laughs and promises that he'll teach it to me one day. As frustrating as his words are, I force myself to accept them and let it go. He will teach me when we're both ready.
One day, I come to him as it rains and he's been hurt beyond anything I can repair without magic, but I haven't even learned first-aid. Without thinking, though, my hands ghost over his injuries and I watch as they all heal easily. When he looks at me, with those kind eyes, I do something I've never done in front of another person. I sob into his chest. "I hate this!" I scream as he holds me. "I hate that they hurt you so much! I hate that I'm always so scared they'll find us and take you away! I hate them!"
"I know," he says, "Just a little longer. I'll be free soon, so just wait for me until then, okay?"
"What?" I ask. "Leto, if you run, they'll kill you!" I grip at his shirt tightly as rain begins to fall onto us. "I can't lose you Leto; I can't!" I've never felt so weak, so scared. Leto brought out the best in me. He brought out the trust and love, but, sometimes, he brought out the worst too. My hatred for his master, my fear of losing him, my weakness at the thought of living my life without him, they all rise to the surface when he's near.
"I'm not going to run." He answers, "I'm going to fight. My master is having a contest of warriors. I'll win enough money to free both me and my family!" His face falls. "I will have to train, though. I won't be able to see you for weeks."
"Wait one second," I say jumping up, "I'll be right back." Running over to the house, I jump in, grab the sword I bought Carver, and ran back. "Use this," I say, handing it to him. "Carver never uses it, and Father said we should give it to someone who would. Use it, and win your freedom."
Throwing the sword to the ground, he kisses me with a ferocity he never had before, and I meet him greedily. There, with the thunder covering our screams, we went to a place neither of us had ever been before.
When I woke up, I was laying with my head on Leto's chest as he rubbed my back. "Are you alright?" he asked carefully. "I know that must have hurt. I'm sorry."
Pushing myself up, I kiss him gently. "I don't care, it was wonderful." He smiles at me.
"I want to teach you that song," he says suddenly. "That way, when you get lonely, you can sing it and think of me."
I nod my head eagerly. I listen intently as he teaches me the words. "Aimo, Aimo," he says. "It means 'my darling, my darling.'" He cups my face. "I love you."
"I love you too."
We part once again, though this time is more painfully than the rest. The fallowing week is pure torture for me. Father and Mother are the firsts to notice and automatically want to know what's wrong, but I don't tell them. Leto and I agreed that it would be best if they didn't know that their apostate daughter had fallen in love with a slave. There was too much to worry about in the first place.
Bethany notices next, though she is far more subtle about it than Mother and Father. She merely shakes her head and rants under her breath about how depressing I am becoming.
Even Carver has been worried after a while. He even forgives me for giving away the sword in an attempt to make me smile, but nothing works. The only time I allow any joy to fill me is when I lie in my bed and quietly whisper the lullaby. That is the only time I think of my elf. I assure myself he will come. He will be a free man, and we won't have to hide any longer.
At the end of the week, I run out to the field, not even bothering to tell my family that I'm leaving, as I'm gone before any of them are even awake. I reach the clearing, break through the trees and . . .
And the maker has the balls to wake me up before I can remember. I got ready to begin cursing him when Merril's voice stopped me. "Oh, Maker! You're awake! Everyone! She woke up!" She ran to my side and I saw that she was crying. "We were so worried for you! Orana said you went to sleep last week and didn't wake up! We tried everything!"
"HAWKE!" Fenris ran into the room, no armor, in only a shirt and trousers. "Thank the maker!" He rushed to my other side and told Merril. "The others went to Anders' clinic to see if they could find something out. Go find them."
Nodding her head, Merril rushed out of the room to find the others. Fenris held me tightly. "Don't ever scare me like that again Hawke," he said. I grab the fabric of his shirt tightly.
"He was a slave," I said. I felt him move to look at me, but held him in place so he wouldn't see that I was crying. "The boy, Leto. He was a slave from Tevinter. He went to fight for his freedom so we didn't have to hide and . . ." I trailed off, too afraid to speak.
I know he wanted to say something, but if Fenris knew anything about people in general, he knew when they just needed silence, so he called for Orana, told her to tell the others that I was not well enough to see them yet, and simply held me as I cried.
Fenris and I never spoke of that day again. We never even shared a moment alone together. Then we left for the wounded coast to hunt some bandits and get me back on my feet. We were met, however, with slavers who'd come for Fenris.
"You are in possession of stolen property," The man said. "Back away from the slave now and you'll be spared."
Feeling like my old self at the thought of a good fight, I turned to Fenris. "They'll never learn, will they?"
The fight that ensued brought me back from the past. I still felt the hole in my heart where Leto had been, but it brought me back to me senses and let me put the mask back on.
Fenris was furious. He beat a poor boys face into the ground, demanding to know where Hadriana was. When he was told, he snapped the boy's neck, a fitting punishment for someone who worked with slavers.
The battle to Hadriana was fierce. Fenris charged forward without any regard for his safety. When we finally reached her, it was a far easier battle than I thought it would be.
When Fenris finally knocked Hadriana down, she looked at me. "Wait! I have information! I will exchange it for my life!"
"The location of Denarius? What good would it do me? I would rather he lost his pet pupil."
"You had a lover and a sister," she said quickly, making all of us freeze. "They're alive. You allowed us to give you those markings so you could be free. We didn't tell you that you would lose your memory. We had you meet the girl and erased her own memories of you. We freed your sister and mother using your boon. I will tell you where they are."
I saw Fenris look at me and shook my head. "This is your call."
"So I have your word? I tell you and you let me go?"
"You have my word," he said.
"Your sister's name is Varania. She is in Qurinus serving a magister by the name of Ahriman."
"And the girl?"
"Look behind you," she said. "The very girl you've been traveling with for these three years was the girl who told you to get those markings. Leto."