DAI: The Not-So-Favored Bog Unicorn

by: Shadow Chaser

Author's Notes:

Bog Unicorn. Nuff said. Also, human female mage – aka Lady Trevelyan. Yes, she has a first name, no I am not using her first name. She can be your Lady Trevelyan or mine. She's also romancing Cullen at this point, but it's a really slow burn of a pairing (aka, they're both a bit oblivious).

Fair Warning: Major spoilers for picking a side in the Mage-Templar War (post-In Your Heart Shall Burn questline) and onwards. You have been warned.

Story:

Soggy tossed his head and whickered softly as Trevelyan gently patted his cheek, the corner of her lips twitching up in a smile. The bog unicorn had his nose and mouth buried in a bucket full of maggots, rotten meats, vegetables, and all sorts of leftover garbage, and was eating happily. She had gotten used to the smell since Dorian had conducted Solas' experiment with her horse in Haven. Here in Skyhold, there were plenty of decaying and rotted things Soggy could eat, especially with the Inquisition growing day by day as stragglers, survivors, visiting dignitaries, pilgrims, and even sell-swords came by to offer their services.

"I could do without the smell, even at my age," Grand Enchanter Fiona's rough cracked voice spoke up from Soggy's other side, her fingers flexing a little as she held the bucket for the horse to eat out of, "but I could scarcely believe it until I saw him."

"Maybe I should ask Helisma to donate whatever is left after I give her things to research," Trevelyan said and Fiona laughed a little, Soggy snorting into the bucket as if agreeing with her.

"If you can part her from her research specimens," the elder mage replied, "she truly loved animals before she was made Tranquil. A little like you, if the stories I've heard regarding you before the Circles fell."

"Bent and broken things, always loved fixing them," Trevelyan shrugged, absently patting Soggy on the cheek again, "though Soggy here, doesn't need fixing, do you?"

The bog unicorn snorted again as if to say, 'Maker, no,' and continued to eat.

"I was scarce to believe that this was King Cailan's charger, but..." Fiona reached out with a hand and Trevelyan peered around Soggy's nose to see her fingering the bridle that had the former King of Ferelden's emblem on it. It had all but fused to Soggy's skin, making it a bit hard to saddle him up at times, but she and one of the stablehands had managed it after some trial and error back in Haven. Most of the other stablehands still would not feed or brush Soggy down, so it was still up to her, but at least one of them had been brave enough to help saddle Soggy when she needed him.

"I know you said you knew King Maric, Cailan's predecessor, but did you also know King Cailan?" there was something in Fiona's expression that Trevelyan could not identify, as if something hesitant, hidden, buried for a long time that was almost...wistfulness?

"I know only bits and pieces," Fiona rubbed the emblem absently, "heard stories that did not quite filter through the courts. Maric, er, King Maric worked with the Grey Wardens long ago so I had been privy to a few things. When I left the Wardens, I had heard from one of Maric's closest friends that he, not the King, thought Cailan was not fit to rule, that Bryce Cousland should have been elected monarach. Maric was too blinded to his son's fauls, too idealistic, too rushed looking for glory." She smiled sadly, "Cailan did not have to die at Ostagar...if he had been perhaps more like..." She trailed off before shaking her head a little, "Ignore this old woman's prattling, milady. They are nothing-"

"Of course they're nothing, Fiona dear," Vivienne's sharp voice made Soggy jerk his head up and Trevelyan had to quickly grab the bog unicorn's bridle to prevent him from charging forward to greet the Knight Enchanter. The mage turned her sharp-eyed gaze on Trevelyan, "And you..."

"I know..." Trevelyan resisted the urge to roll her eyes or sigh like she was just an apprentice back at the Circle. Somehow, even four years after her Harrowing and the start of the rebellion, Vivienne always made her feel like an apprentice who had done something horribly wrong. Though at times, she managed to hold her own, there were times when she felt a little cowed by the First Enchanter's strong personality.

She gripped Soggy's bridle tight as her bog unicorn lifted his head out of the bucket Fiona had fed him and tried to nibble, or at least greet Vivienne in its sharp-bony affection. But the Knight Enchanter was having none of it as she sniffed disdainfully at Soggy and proceeded to lead her own horse out of the stables. Trevelyan had almost forgotten that Leliana wanted her and Josie to do something in Val Royaleux for the Inquisition – alliances and everything.

Soggy made a wuffing sound of disappointment, staring with its eyeless sockets at the Knight Enchanter's retreating form before heaving a very un-animal like sigh and digging its head back into Fiona's bucket.

"Inquisitor?" Trevelyan saw that Fiona had a mild look on her face and sighed.

"I have no idea, no wait, I do have a theory on why Soggy likes Vivienne, because it's the same reaction he had when Commander Helaine is near by. Except she's probably more inclined to pet Soggy than to ignore him."

"First Enchanter Vivienne was always enamored with stature and power and detests the aspects of magick that are unnatural and not of this world," Fiona looked a bit resigned. Trevelyan wondered if she had dealt more with Vivienne in Orlais' courts before the mage rebellion – she probably had judging by the frostiness she had seen between the two whenever they were within the vicinity of each other. Even the Templars who had joined them that were familiar with both the Grand Enchanter and the First Enchanter always seemed wary and tried to scurry out of the way. If Templars avoided the two whenever they were nearby, it really meant that the two probably disliked and loathed each other. She hesitated to say hated, since she did not exactly have proof and did not want to make false assumptions, but it could have been close.

"Considering the fact that Soggy's drawn to this," she held up her left hand and saw her bog unicorn's nose twitch towards it before he resumed his snacking, "I think because of the type of power both Vivienne and Helaine exudes as Knight Enchanters, a variation of the long ago Arcane Warrior magick based on the twisting magick of the Fade, it could explain why he's drawn towards them."

Fiona nodded, accepting her explanation before the corner of her lips twitched up in a grandmotherly smile, "Jealous?"

Trevelyan had to laugh, "Maybe, just a little, but it's okay if Soggy finds someone else. I've learned long ago when I was healing broken things that sometimes, you have to let them go sooner or later." She patted her bog unicorn gently on the cheek again and heard him snort, as if disagreeing with her sentiments.

Sooner or later, whatever magick was bestowed upon Soggy to make him undead, would eventually fade and he would be lowered back into the Fade or the mire from whence he came. But in the mean time, he was her bog unicorn.

~END~