*I again want to thank everyone for being so helpful and supportive. Thank you all so much!*
I really, really need feedback on this chapter. I went with the way the story has always been in my head but I'm not sure if Fenris' reactions are too over the top, or too much too soon. Does the chapter get too soft at the end? Honest feedback would be appreciated, just keep in mind that this is my first fanfiction ever and be gentle ok?
Bioware rules all…
The Fate of Wolves
Chapter 3 – Moment of Truth
Fenris had to bide his time. If this Laria worked in the kitchen as she claimed, he would need a good excuse to be down there and he didn't have one. Denarius kept him busy, using him as his personal guard and parading him around when he had visitors. Denarius liked to have Fenris pour wine for his guests because he knew that Fenris' appearance frightened and intimidated them. For Denarius it was always about power, and Fenris was just a tool he used to accomplish his purpose.
Finding out the truth about Laria would take some thought and Fenris found himself contemplating her when he wasn't actively being used. He wondered what she looked like. He wondered how she would react when she realized that she'd been discovered. He wondered what he would do to her when he found out that her goodwill had all been a lie. His forehead creased with that thought as he scowled.
He had to prepare himself. Good things simply did not happen to people like him. He was a slave and he had been branded for life. There was nothing else, even if he wished it was different.
Laria had been tasked to bring Denarius' wine to the steward for the guests he would be entertaining that night. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere past the main floor and even then the steward met her so her presence wouldn't contaminate the area.
It was then that she saw him. Fenris was walking with a group of guards and they were heading towards the main staircase that would take them to the upper levels where the parties were held. She heard him speak roughly to one of the guards and her body reacted strangely. The sound of his voice made her shiver, but not in fear.
The steward was busy examining the labels on the wine bottles and Laria tried to use his distraction to get a better look at Fenris. Though she peered around the steward she couldn't see his face before he disappeared. Disappointed more than she would have anticipated, Laria returned to the scullery to wash the dishes and to help cut up vegetables for the evening's meal.
Fenris had been allowed to eat that night so there was no need for him to have contact with Laria. He found himself becoming sullen as if he was disappointed that he had been fed. Ridiculous! This woman was nothing to him and in fact, he could end up killing her quite soon. It was madness! However his mind obviously disagreed and so his thoughts of her followed him into the Fade.
Fenris was warm. He opened his eyes and he was seated at a table next to a crackling fire. He heard sounds of laughter coming from another room and for a moment he was confused. How did he get here? Where was he? And then everything was alright. Of course! He was at home! Where else would he be? And of course he was warm. Fenris gazed around him and everything had a lovely glow. It was peaceful here.
Fenris looked at his hands with a strange sense of expectation but there was nothing there. His skin was smooth and unmarked. Unmarked? What a strange thought to have, of course he was unmarked, what was he expecting? Fenris laughed at himself but the laugh felt strange, like his vocal chords weren't used to making that sound. He looked at the table and there was a bottle of Grigio Pavale on it. For some reason the bottle bothered Fenris.
Fenris heard a voice behind him.
"Are you ready for dinner Fenris?"
The voice was female and familiar but for some reason Fenris couldn't turn around to look at her. Something was wrong.
"Fenris, are you alright?" the voice asked again.
"Uh, yes, of course. Dinner sounds…wonderful." Fenris replied. Something was wrong.
Why couldn't he turn around? Suddenly a hand appeared from behind him, holding a plate filled with food which was placed in front of him. He recognized that hand. Fenris shook his head in confusion. Of course he recognized it. She was supposed to be here.
Who was she? Laria! Yes, of course! Laria! Fenris was glad that she was here with him. He was warm and happy. He had food to eat and the food was hot!
The woman then placed her hand on his shoulder and Fenris was shocked that it didn't hurt. Why would it hurt? Her hand was warm and her touch was pleasant.
Her hand tightened on his shoulder for a moment and at first Fenris thought she meant to comfort him. Her hold on him continued to tighten though until it began to hurt. She was crushing his bones! Fenris tried to pull away from her but he couldn't move, she was too strong! Fenris started gasping and he reached up to pry her hand away. His hand was covered in tattoos as was his arm. Fenris looked at his body and tattoos littered his skin. His body started to burn and the woman was hurting him!
She bent her mouth to his ear.
"You should eat Fenris. Trust me." she whispered seductively.
He looked at the plate of food but it was now covered in worms and filth. Fenris jerked away from the table and suddenly he was in a cell. He was cold and wet. A woman stood above him, teeth gleaming.
"You will never be free, Wolf." She cackled and her teeth began to grow into sharpened canines.
Hadriana!
Fenris woke covered in sweat.
This could not be allowed. Hadriana hounded him even in his dreams and now Laria was part of his torment. Fenris took the dream as a warning. He must be cautious. He took a deep breath and realized that dawn was breaking. He would find her today and he would find out the truth, even if it hurt.
Denaruis was meeting with a group of Magisters today and it would be conducted in secret, in an upper chamber on the top floor of the house. Apparently the information to be discussed was so confidential that Denarius didn't even want Fenris around.
If he had believed in the Maker, Fenris would have taken this development as a sign that he was meant to find Laria today. Fenris had realized that even though the other slaves feared him, he could use that fear to his advantage as no one would question him if he patrolled the house looking for another slave. They would assume perhaps that she was to be punished for some infraction and they would leave him alone, wishing to be as far away as possible.
Fenris entered the lower level of the estate which housed the kitchen, the scullery, the servant's eating quarters and the stairs that led down into the cellars.
As was expected, his presence caused an immediate reaction. Someone dropped a dish and there was an audible gasp. The servants froze for a moment but they quickly recovered, averting their eyes as if not looking at him would make them invisible.
Fenris knew that the large woman chopping vegetables in the kitchen was one of the main housekeepers, so he approached her.
Fenris didn't think a person's eyes could get wider than hers did as she realized that he was coming to speak to her. She swallowed nervously and kept her eyes averted as much as possible while still tracking his approach. Fenris decided that being brusk would accomplish his goal much more easily than being polite. He kept his face carefully expressionless as that tended to intimidate people more than him frowning. It worked. The woman broke out into a sweat.
"You have a servant who works in the kitchens. Her name is Laria. Where is she?" he demanded.
This was the moment of truth. He would now discover if her story had been a lie to trap him. If the woman had no knowledge of her, Fenris would track this Laria down and pull her heart from her chest.
The woman's mouth opened and closed like a fish for a moment before she was able to answer him.
"She is in the cellar Serrah, counting the bottles left over from last night's dinner Serrah."
Fenris made no attempt to acknowledge her response, he simply turned on his heels and headed for the cellar.
He was exhilarated and it was a strange feeling. The closest he could ever recall feeling something similar to this was when he was tasked with dispatching one of Denarius' enemies in combat. It was the thrill of the hunt, the realization that your prey was close at hand, almost within your grasp.
If Fenris had been able to see his own expression he may have been surprised to know that he looked like he was ready to deliver a killing blow.
The cellar was dark and dimly lit by various lanterns placed around the room. It was a wide room with low ceilings and it was filled with barrels and numerous rows of wine bottles that stretched to the back of the cellar even lining the back walls. Denarius produced his own vintage and kept the bottles stored here. Sound didn't travel to other parts of the house from here. It was perfect.
Laria kept her mind focused on her work. Slaves in Tevinter were not allowed to learn how to read but Laria had been kidnapped from Ferelden so she was educated when she arrived in Tevinter. This had worked out to her benefit, as there were times when she was assigned a duty that required reading, and in the case of her task tonight, keeping records.
Even though she was a scullery maid, not many slaves in the household had a knowledge of letters and numbers, so she was sometimes given a respite from scrubbing and cleaning. These rare occasions gave Laria a measure of happiness because she was able to use her mind.
Of course there was a downside, one of them being that Hilde, the kitchen housekeeper, made fun of her, accusing her of being uppity and thinking she was better than everyone else. Laria knew that Hilde hated her as the woman took every opportunity to make her life miserable.
She sighed and focused on the simple pleasure of making calculations and being able to use a pencil and paper. It was early in the day and she had much work to do, cataloging which vintages were running short and which ones needed to be restocked. Fortunately, this task was considered too menial for the steward and the thought made Laria smile.
Her smile did not remain for long because Laria suddenly felt a presence in the cellar with her. She didn't know how that was possible as the cellar door opening should have made a sound as should the person's footsteps. The fact that they had been able to approach her silently from behind caused a trickle of fear to travel down Laria's spine. She would not show her fear. If this person meant her harm she would fight with all of her strength. Laria gripped the pencil in her right hand, readying it as a weapon and tensed, ready to fight.
"Laria." A rough voice spoke from behind her.
Laria froze in her tensed state. There was only one voice that could make her stomach flip like that, but surely he couldn't be behind her. Perhaps she was daydreaming and Fenris was a product of wishful thinking. That could be it, right?
Fenris had entered the cellar without making a sound. It was a gift and a useful skill for someone in his position. He had made a silent inspection of each row in the cellar and in a corner, he had come upon a woman facing the row that lined the back of the wall.
Her back was to him and he took a moment to study her. Her hair was in a messy ponytail with tendrils hanging in mild disarray. It wasn't unattractive, it simply looked windblown. Fenris was shocked that his thoughts had taken him to considering her attractiveness. This was not why he was here. It seemed that in the moment he had taken to gather his thoughts, she had sensed his presence. That was interesting in of itself as Fenris had much practice observing others without their knowledge and it put Fenris on guard.
The woman had tensed and Fenris decided to throw her off by letting her know that she had been found out.
"Laria." He made it a statement, not a question.
The woman had frozen and Fenris anticipated her fear. Soon, she would be begging him for mercy when she realized that her cruel charade had backfired.
Laria, turned and sure enough, Fenris stood before her. Maker he was beautiful and she was stunned as she was finally able to see him openly. She knew her mouth had fallen open but she honestly couldn't do anything about that at the moment.
Fenris apparently noticed too and his gaze hardened. Laria suddenly wished that she could drink from one of the bottles because her throat had gone dry.
The woman's mouth had fallen open had Fenris saw her eyes widen as she took in his appearance. Although Fenris was used to this behavior, for some reason it bothered him that Laria would react like this to him. His voice lashed out in anger.
"Did you honestly think that I could not find you?" Fenris asked, a sneer on his face.
Her expression became astonished.
"I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to try! What were you thinking Fenris?" Laria hissed.
She grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him closer to her. Fenris reacted by grabbing her arms and shoving her roughly against the shelves. His lyrium tattoos glowed in the dim light. Thankfully, Laria thought, the bottles only shook but did not fall. Laria realized quickly that like many of the slaves here, Fenris did not like being touched and she immediately let go of him, a calm expression on her face.
The glow from Fenris' tattoos slowly faded and they were left in silence, watching each other cautiously. He let go of her and stepped back to a more comfortable distance. Laria decided that it was up to her to jump in first.
"I'm sorry Fenris. I simply never anticipated that you would come looking for me. People will know that you are here. Honestly, what were you thinking?" she chided.
Fenris was stunned. This wisp of a woman, barely an adult, was reprimanding him? Was she insane?
She was gazing at him with steady eyes and she didn't appear to be mentally incompetent. No one working at the estate had ever dared to speak to him like this. He felt like a naughty child who had been caught sneaking out of the house. It was absurd but strangely, Fenris felt his lip twitch and he almost smiled.
Laria caught the movement and a warm smile brightened her face. Fenris couldn't believe it, she was actually grinning at him! For the first time in longer than he could remember, Fenris relaxed a little. This was not going the way he had planned. Fenris suddenly knew, without a doubt, that this woman had not lied to him, she had not tricked him. She was transparent, her guilelessness was apparent in her face.
The simple acceptance written on her face made Fenris feel guilty and he felt the need to confess his original intentions. He looked away from her, his hair falling to conceal his expression.
"I…thought that you were tricking me. That you were trying to make me trust you so you could use me or make me into a fool."
Laria was quiet for a moment. She understood how hard it was to extend trust to others. She began to say so but then a question occurred to her.
"What would have done if you found out I had tricked you?" she asked curiously.
Fenris looked at her again and his expression said that he thought her question to be ridiculous.
"I would have killed you." He stated bluntly and without remorse.
For some reason this made Laria laugh and Fenris again questioned her sanity. The woman made no sense!
Laria sobered quickly and looked contrite.
"I'm sorry. Your honesty is very…refreshing." and an impish grin tugged at her lips.
Fenris found himself looking at her mouth and the muscles in his stomach tightened. It was almost the way his body tensed before he leapt upon an enemy but…warmer. He was confused by his reaction and he frowned down at her.
"What is it?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.
Fenris coughed, embarrassed that he was not in total control of his body at the moment.
"It is nothing. You are simply… not what I expected." He looked away from her again.
She stepped closer to him and her voice was quiet as she spoke.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" She had her head tilted to see his face better.
Fenris lifted his head slightly and focused his gaze on her, his deep green eyes steady on hers. Her lips parted and her breathing sped up.
"It is…good."