DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DRAGON AGE THIS IS A FAN FICTION
Chapter 3: Inner Strength.
…...
Zevran approached Jetta's room, when he saw Leliana run out of the room carrying blood stained sheets. This was the fifth lot by his count, he was wondering if Wynne was actually healing Jetta's or causing her more pain, the only reassurance was that Jetta never screamed. He walked up to the door; he peered through the crack left open, Morrigan was passing herbs and some strange liquid to Wynne as she applied them to Jetta's body. Jetta never moved or made a sound.
Wynne stood up, she looked worn out, and as she walked to the door Zevran noticed that she nearly tripped herself several times. Leliana came back with new linen and pushed past Zevran. She put the linen down and helped the elder mage to her room to rest for a while. Zevran walked into Jetta's room and put the linen at Jetta's side. He looked over Jetta's body, most wounds had healed and some were now scars but the one on her torso and several on her legs were still open and bleeding.
"Wynne is mainly fighting off infection with the open wounds" Morrigan said as she was sorting out more strange liquids. Morrigan held up Jetta's head as she poured blue liquid into her mouth. Jetta moaned but swallowed the concoction which seemed to relax her slowly.
"That will ease her pain for a while" Morrigan muttered. Zevran could only watch Jetta's face go from pain to kind of blissful. He took Jetta's hand and held it gently. This was the first time he had held her hand without her crying or when she wasn't trying to surprise him by jumping on his back during her assassin training with him. Morrigan sighed at the scene; she looked down at Jetta and thought but coughed the thought out of her head.
"What is it Morrigan?" Zevran asked suddenly looking at her. Morrigan looked back at him and waved her hand.
"It is nothing" Morrigan sighed again and looked back at Jetta. "I know you have questions for her, both of you"
Zevran nodded and looked at Jetta's sleeping face.
"I do and I know Alistair does too." Zevran spoke.
"I could let you talk to her" Morrigan said. Zevran looked up at Morrigan with a quizzical look.
"In the Fade, it's not a place of death and torture like the Sloth Demon put you in Zevran but it is a place where you dream, I could put you inside Jetta's dream and you can ask her what you want to ask her." Morrigan touched Jetta's forehead.
"Do it, I need to know what she's thinking" Zevran gripped Jetta's hand tighter as he looked down at her sleeping face. Morrigan nodded and held out her hand.
"Zevran if you do this, Alistair will also have to do this or else he will whine like Jetta's mutt" Morrigan said as she pulled a face thinking of whining Alistair. Zevran nodded and took Morrigan's hand. Morrigan gripped his hand and closed her eyes; magic seemed to form round her head leading down her body. Suddenly Zevran felt sleepy, his eyes felt heavy then he saw black.
In the distance he heard a voice. It sounds calm with a hint of flirt. He started to stir and open his eyes. He wasn't in the bedroom anymore but in a garden of flowers. The air smelled of the distant sea and sweet flowers. The grass felt soft to the touch. As he looked round he saw a woman dressed in a simple fine dress. Her hair tied back in braids.
Zevran stood and watched the woman, as she stood looking at the flowers she quietly sung an elven song. Zevran walked over to the woman as he got closer he was shocked to find that this fine noble looking woman was Jetta. She looked different, she wasn't hardened by combat she had a warmth to her eyes and her voice was as gentle as a flower. Were he had only seen her dressed in leather armour with weapons strapped to her back and thigh; her silk dress highlighted her curves and figure. Zevran couldn't believe this was the same woman who he was teaching to be an assassin and that would always jump on his back to get at his throat. He knew that she was a beauty but this seemed scary.
"I wondered when you would come" Jetta turned round and smiled at Zevran.
"Jetta? You look different" Zevran was speechless for the first time. Jetta smiled as she gave a small laugh.
"Memories of a better time" Jetta smoothed her dress and brushed her sliver white hair behind her ear.
"Jetta what happened at Fort Drakon?" Zevran asked as he watched her smile fade and turn away from him.
"They wanted me to scream, calling me all sorts of names. They put me on the rack first but being a grey warden the Joining was more painful, so I didn't scream. After that they whipped me, hit me with everything until they got angry and they slashed at me." Jetta gripped her arms as she kneeled down on the grass. The dream began to shake and change. The peaceful scene of the flowered garden shattered like glass reviling a dark dungeon scene. Jetta also changed from the beauty that stunned Zevran to the broken woman that he was pained to see. Zevran ran over to her and hugged her tight, Jetta didn't cry but her body was trembling within his arms.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner Jetta" Zevran held her close. Jetta slowly looked up at Zevran, her steel grey eyes almost cold and distant. She reached up and touched his cheek, running her finger along his tattoos. Zevran shivered at her touch as he stared back at her. Jetta started to calm down and the dream started to reform back to the peaceful garden. Jetta sat back; Zevran noticed that while the dream changed Jetta still remained the broken woman from the dungeon. He brushed her hair out of the way of her face, as he did he saw her eyes fixed on him.
"They didn't just beat me, they slashed at me too Zevran, tore my clothes and tore at my body. But the leader got angry that I didn't scream and so he took out his dagger and..." Jetta cut off as she gripped her shoulder.
"I saw Jetta, me and Alistair killed every guard we met when we were trying to get to you, I'm sure we killed the men that did this to you." Zevran could only offer words; Jetta looked at him and smiled.
"Thank you Zevran" Jetta simply smiled and held his hand.
"You better get back before Morrigan gets tired" Jetta stood up and helped Zevran. Zevran looked into Jetta's eyes again, their warmth had returned and she seemed better. Zevran smiled and held Jetta's hand softly.
"Jetta I know I made an oath to serve you but now I make and oath to protect you" Zevran touched Jetta's cheek and ran his thumb along her cheekbone. Jetta smiled and placed her hand on his and moved towards him and kissed his forehead.
"You don't need to give me an oath like that Zevran" Jetta said as she smiled. Suddenly Zevran felt a pull on his back. The image started to fade in front of his eyes. Jetta slowly began to fade away from his vision. Things went black; Zevran felt the softness of linen on his head, he started to stir and woke to see and rather mad Wynne staring down at him while Morrigan rubbed her head as her magic drained away.
"What did you think you were doing?" Wynne started down at Zevran, Zevran only smiled and stood up hiding the fact he was still dizzy.
"My dear woman, I wanted to see your progress you have done on our dear Grey Warden, but alas I fell asleep by her side." Zevran smiled and started to walk out of the room.
"How is she in her dream?" Wynne asked making Zevran freeze.
"I don't know I did not see her dream" Zevran said still with his back turned away from the others.
"Very well if you will not tell me I shall tell you this, where ever she is in her dream, she is safe and it will help her heal, her inner strength draws from that safe place in her mind." Wynne stated. "If that place has crashed I can't heal her properly."
"Do not worry dear woman, I think I might have calmed her more" With that Zevran disappeared into the shadows giving no time for Wynne to respond. Zevran walked towards Alistair's room as he heard Wynne start to spit feathers at Morrigan and start to heal Jetta again. Zevran arrived at Alistair's door and slowly opened it to find the man sat on his bed fully awake and aware that Zevran was there.
"How is she?" Alistair spoke.
"Morrigan let me go into her dream so; I was able to see if she was alright." Zevran spoke formally as if he was speaking to one of his masters at the Crows. Alistair looked at him when he spoke.
"I don't suppose she could do that for me" Alistair ruffled his hair, hiding his pain and depression.
"Well Morrigan didn't want you whining like Jetta's Hound so she said that you could." Zevran leaned against the wall and gave one of his charming smiles. Alistair smiled back and started to head towards Jetta's room.
"Get some rest Zevran you'll need it" Alistair said before he walked out of the door. Zevran nodded and walked out of the door, disappearing into the shadows.
…...
Alistair sighed and walked down the hall, hearing nothing but his own footsteps within the stone hall. As he approached the door he heard the mumbling of Wynne and Morrigan. He peered through the door to find Jetta surrounded in a faint green light. Wynne looked tired and drained; she was holding Morrigan's hand gathering magic from Morrigan and the Fade to heal Jetta. Alistair sighed and opened the door.
"Wynne get some rest I think she'll be fine for one night" Alistair told Wynne as he walked over towards the bed. Wynne looked up at the young man and nodded; slowly she went out of the room and closed the door. Morrigan sighed and held out her hand.
"You want to go into her dream too?" Morrigan moaned as she was determined not to look at Alistair.
"Just do it" Alistair said with his usual bitter tongue. As he took her hand he let the magic overcome him, every bit of his Templar training was telling him to fight back but he told himself this was to see Jetta. He felt the magic take him to a place somewhere distant like a rope pulling a fish towards the surface of a river. Alistair opened his eyes to awake inside a beautiful garden filled with flowers and tall trees. Over by a purple flowered bush sat a noble woman dressed in a fine silk dress. Alistair smiled when he saw it was Jetta, her sliver white hair was the only thing that allowed him to know it was her.
"Jetta" Alistair walked over and smiled. Jetta looked up in surprise and smiled brightly.
"Alistair!" Jetta stood up and hugged him tightly as he brought her close to him. He breathed in her scent and ran his finger through her hair.
"I'm so glad you're alight" Alistair spoke softly holding back the tears. Jetta smiled and looked up at him.
"I'm alright Alistair, I can feel myself getting healed, I'm getting stronger" Jetta pulled back and made him sit down on the stone bench. Alistair did what she wanted and sat.
"Do you want to know what happened at Fort Drakon?" Jetta's voice was dark and saddened as she sat next to him her face hidden behind her hair.
"No, I can guess what happened from your wounds Jetta, I just needed to know that you weren't going mad" Alistair brushed back Jetta's hair showing her face and her eyes staring at him. She looked so frail like a fragile doll but there was strength behind her gaze that she would not be torn apart easily.
"Being here in this garden helps, I have…fond memories here." Jetta partly smiled and looked out towards the garden. Alistair looked round the garden; he saw statues of men and women in arms. The garden looked well kept and peaceful.
"This is your garden from home, in Highever" Alistair looked round.
"Yes, I would come here if I was upset with my mother, things seemed to melt away here" Jetta smiled as she picked a flower from the near by bush. Alistair took the flower from her and put it behind her ear.
"That looks better" Alistair smiled as he leaned back to get a look. Jetta giggled and blushed a little when he did.
"You better go, Morrigan will be getting tired" Jetta said as she tore her gaze away from him. Alistair frowned but had to agree he didn't know how much time he had spent. He took Jetta's hand and pulled her into a hug.
"Next time I will protect you" Alistair spoke into Jetta's hair. He felt Jetta relax against him and felt her smile form on her lips.
"Zevran said the same thing" Jetta giggled and looked up at him. Alistair couldn't find the words to answer; all he could think about was that Zevran was a swine for saying it first. Jetta reached up and kissed Alistair on the forehead, making Alistair jump, Jetta smiled as his vision began to fade away. He felt the pull of the rope again, he felt himself getting pulled back to his body as the feeling of linen engulfed his head. He opened his eyes and first saw he was holding Jetta's hand, lacing her fingers with his.
"About time you came back" Morrigan grunted as Alistair slowly stood up. He glanced at Jetta, she looked at peace and he knew that her healing wound go faster now that he knew she was safe in that garden.
"How long till she's healed?" Alistair asked.
"Tomorrow maybe, we've got rid of the infection that was in the wound on her chest, it just needs to close up now." Morrigan wrapped Jetta's torso in the linen left by Leliana earlier, while she added elfroot and healing slaves between each layer. Alistair nodded and headed out of the room; before he closed the door he saw the night sky outside her window. Alistair closed the door and walked back to his room; he felt drained himself and wanted to sleep. He opened his door and collapsed on the bed letting sleep take him.
Tomorrow was a day that the Maker will create or break when morning comes.
….
A/N: sorry it's short, feeling tired and need to recharge, next chapter out soon