Claiming Control
Chapter 6: True Intentions
Disclaimer: There is violence and sexual assault in the first part of this chapter. Proceed with caution.
Sophia was ashamed to admit that she should have known better. She didn't need to remember everything to understand and follow common sense, right? In retrospect, it seemed obvious. But at the time? Sure she knew he had lied to her, and was likely keeping tabs on her for the Magister, but they had had those small human interactions that make you know a person. She knew how he liked his tea, that he was likely allergic to dust, that he hated dogs. And knowing a person seemed to lead to trust, even unconsciously given.
She was paying for that now.
Sophia had woken up from another disturbing dream filled with grasping red and warbled demands, and had been eager to start her day. For the first time in a long time she felt in control, and she was looking forward to the future… eagerly awaiting letters, happy that she was still capable of flirting and conversing. She felt so hopeful heading to the library.
Julius had been quick to intercept her, and Sophia thought his expression odd at the time (too intense for the conversation that were having about rugs, of all things…). She thought something was wrong. Concerned about his well-being, when he asked her to step inside his room for a moment so they could discuss something in private, she easily acquiesced.
He closed the door behind her, and then started to pace as if he could not quite decide how to begin. He stopped himself, strode across the room, and drew some wine into a glass. He downed a mouthful, paced for another minute, and then swung in front of her.
Only to swing back around and down another gulp.
"Julius?" Sophia asked in concern.
That seemed to snap him out of his indecision. He sneered, turning back towards her, the cup of wine clutched in his right hand. "Sophia, was it?"
Sophia blanched. Is that what this was about?
"I had suspected, you know, that you had not forgotten everything. Some of your arguments could be attributed to logic, but then you would say… things, make references that I couldn't readily understand." He took another long swallow.
"I can't remember everything-" she started to say, hoping to explain. That she could only remember odd things like skills and knowledge about subjects, but nothing about herself.
"But you know enough. And you had us all played for fools, didn't you?" Julius interrupted, starting to sound angry as well as disdainful.
"Excuse me?" Sophia asked defensively.
"Not that I don't have any admiration for your wiles. Your little act of wide-eyed ignorance was convincing. And who could have known how conniving you would turn out to be?"
Sophia felt… confused. Angry and insulted, but mostly confused. What on earth was he talking about?
"Oh, don't give me that look. As if you are surprised. You should be happy to hear that your ruse proved successful. Danarius received several letters this morning from the Magisters you apparently talked up yesterday evening, all asking for your company. They claimed you are free to go as you wish, as he appeared to have no real hold on you. And Danarius was caught in a bind. He hadn't introduced you as a slave, and if he did so now, your new… friends would protest at the Magisterium. And those are enemies he cannot afford to keep. So he was forced to make you his legal granddaughter."
Julius downed the wine, and then added, "Congratulations. I don't believe this manner of rank-elevation has been accomplished in the Imperium in decades. He was… extremely unhappy with me." He put down the cup of wine and began to unbutton his leather jacket.
Sophia nervously bit her lip, but refused to take a step back. "Danarius does not own me. I belong to myself."
Julius scoffed at that assertion, disrobing his jacket with a roll of his shoulder, before he began to unbutton the shirt underneath. "Don't be ridiculous. After all of the time and magical investment Danarius put into you? You are his. And he now has the legal right to collect you should you leave."
Sophia eyes narrowed, although she couldn't stop herself from watching Julius's fingers apprehensively. "I am not a child."
Julius gave her an ugly smirk. "No, but you are a woman. And an unstable one at that. And your… grandfather is a wealthy man. Keeping you shouldn't be difficult." He dropped the outer shirt, and started to unbuckle the various straps and belts that made up his ensemble.
Sophia felt cornered. She took a deep breath to keep the anxiety at bay. "May I ask why you are disrobing?"
Julius simpered sardonically, "Don't you want to see what he did to me in his rage this morning?"
He finished unbuckling, and then tore off his inner tunic. He wasn't bleeding, but his skin was heavily bruised in his arms and torso, bright purple and blue blemishes that bloomed under his skin. The bruises continued under his breeches. There was also a long necklace covering his torso, but Sophia couldn't make out what it was. Julius stumbled a few steps toward her, hissing, "This was your fault."
Sophia couldn't stop herself this time from stepping back and putting her arms in front of her body defensively. "I didn't touch you."
Julius sneered. "You didn't have to. I wanted you to know that there were victims to your deceit. But I suppose I should have suspected you to play it off. No matter." He took another step towards her, his fists clenched.
Sophia took another step back and felt her back hit the solid wood door. She fumbled with the doorknob with her left-hand, not daring to look away from Julius, but found that he had locked it. Another deep breath, but the nervousness was bubbling beneath her skin anyways. "So what do you plan to do now?"
"Oh, Sophia…" he pronounced her name in a dramatic, long-drawn out way, "do you really need to ask?"
She was too anxious to properly consider that (did he mean to kill her, or rape her?). She blocked the hand coming to grasp her arm, but missed the one headed for her throat. So this was murder, then? Although wouldn't that have consequences? She wanted to move, to knee him in the groin or something, but she was in shock. Sophia started hyperventilating.
He pressed her throat against the back of the door with just a little more force, his fingers tight, and suddenly Sophia was gasping for air. "You will let me take what I want. And you won't say anything to anyone about it. More of your fate lies in my hands than you might think." He loosened the pressure on her throat, reached up with his other hand and started to pull at her tunic. He shoved it up her torso, and cupped one of her breasts through the breast bind.
Fuck. So it was the other one. Sophia buckled against him, a sense of urgency snapping her into action, but then suddenly she couldn't breathe…
"No!" the man snarled, "You have no idea what my life has become because of you. Forced to follow you around, listen to your inane conversation with decrepit Magisters, wait on you like a fucking servant… you will submit to me." Then he shoved his face into hers in a brutal kiss, nipping harshly on her bottom lip, before shoving his tongue into her mouth. It hurt, and his mouth tasted like piss. Ugh. Alcohol?
Fuck that. Sophia bit down on his tongue with enough force to draw blood, and the world turned white. He had shoved her head into the wood hard, and she couldn't breathe… She clawed at his arm with fingers, uselessly grasping skin, but she couldn't see, think, she couldn't breathe…
As her fingers became slack, suddenly there was air, and Julius wasted no time attempting to tug down her breeches. He cupped her over her smalls, and Sophia attempted to buckle again. She was confused and panicky; what happened to her supposed strength? Why couldn't she just throw him? She tugged her hands on his arms, trying to get them away from her body, and then shot out her legs hoping to make contact, but he just shoved her lower body into the door with his own and pressed on her neck again. In short order Sophia was once again gasping.
Julius's smirk was mean and vindictive. "Not so strong now, are you?" he chuckled in derision, "What, do you think I am stupid? I have been watching you practice. I know your strength." He reached down to his chest and showed her the necklace she had seem from a distance. It was a metal figure of a soldier covered with runes, held by a strong chain. "Amulet of the Warrior. My old master didn't notice it missing amidst trying not to bleed out during an elven rebellion. Fool believed me when I told him it was lost."
He dropped the pendant from his hand, and immediately started to pull down Sophia's smalls. He raked his fingernails through the small amount of hair at the apex of her thighs in satisfaction. "Mine," he reiterated, before plunging a finger into her. He frowned. "A bit dry though."
Fuck, his manhandling hurt her sensitive skin…
His hand worked its way up her body, and he tried to pull at the breast bindings, but they were bound too tight. He snarled, and pulled, and there was a ripping sound, and then… He massaged one breast, and then the other, tweaking a nipple almost absentmindedly. God help her, Sophia could feel pleasure in it, and hated herself more than a little for the weakness. After failing to bite down on a groan of pain after a brutal tug, the man seemed to decide she was enjoying herself, and dropped his arm from her throat to begin tugging at his breeches.
Sophia wasted no time taking advantage of that mistake. She lunged and brought the corner of her elbow into his face, and then brought her knee up into his just exposed crotch. He doubled over, and then another kick sent him to the floor. "Venhedis," he swore, holding his nose through wincing eyes as blood started to ooze through the orifices.
She needed to leave. Right now. She turned back to the door and shoved against it a couple of time, but the wood was solid and she couldn't think straight, panicking….
A key. There must be a key. Sophia flew across the room, almost tripping on her pants as she tried to pull them up, opening the drawers to the nightstand beside the bed trying to find it. She didn't notice Julius until he was right behind her holding a knife against her throat.
"You," he took a deep breath, "bitch." The knife cut into the skin of her throat hard enough to draw blood, and Sophia could feel tears pour down her cheeks in frustration. Goddamnit.
They were in a stalemate for a few moments, before she could feel him attempting to rub his hand against her ass-cheeks. Unmindful of the knife, Sophia shot forward away from him, and the knife caught on the skin of her throat as she bolted past him. The pain of the wound burned, her fear overpowering enough to feel tangible, her anxiety causing the muscles in her forearms and calves to tense and ache from the cortisol rush running through her veins… And all she could think of was her hurt, and her fear, and she barely noticed the thrumming red that pulsed in time with the small spurts of blood gushing from the wound around her neck. She barely noticed the pull, her fists held defensively against her body as she shook, tears streaming. She did, however, notice his screams as the edges of his skin closest to her started to disintegrate into a red spray, an energy separating from the red that was easily absorbed by her body.
"No, stop!" Julius shouted in fear, which quickly turned to panicked outrage. "Do you know what will happen to you if you kill me?! You'll be imprisoned and executed!"
Sophia could barely hear him over the rush, the song sweet in her ears, the whispers that sang of need and sacrifice… Once the bone on his forearms became exposed, the muscles liquefied, Sophia was properly horrified, and aware, and attempted to stop. She took a step back, pulled her hands behind her back, but the process continued. Sophia watched with abhorrence as the young man she had spoken to and eaten with for the last month and a half- the young man who was mostly naked, that had just attempted to sexual assault her- became nothing more than a pile of goopy organs and bones as her body drew in the last of his connection to the Fade.
Sophia stood in shocked silence for several minutes, staring at the torn flesh, before she collapsed onto her knees and hugged herself in desperation.
She had just killed a man. She had never done that before. All of practice sessions had result in potentially severe injuries, but nothing more than that. She was a murderer.
She was used. And dirty. Unclean. Filthy. Contaminated. The blood from her neck wound forming red currents around the bruises at her breasts and torso…
She hugged her knees closer, barely noticing as the desperate gasping cries that rebounded off the walls, coming from her mouth, turned into screaming sobs that tore into her body. There was a rattling at the door and the sound of a key turning, but Sophia barely noticed the elf that poked her head into the room, gasped loudly, and then bolted.
Claus was the first to find her after that. Although at the time, she wasn't coherent enough to be grateful. To his credit, he took in the scene with minimal blanching, before rushing over to her and applying pressure and some kind of cloth to the wound on her neck. He didn't ask any questions, helping her right her pants and right her tunic in silence, before he covered her with a blanket.
She was soon bundled up and taken discretely to her room. She sat on her bed and barely registered Claus leaving and Kathari coming in. The elf, usually quiet and aloof, actually sat next to her and clutched her hand. Sophia didn't realize she was trembling until she looked down at Kathari's hand and saw how still it was compared to her own. Her skin was still too tight, her muscles somehow tense and shaking, and Sophia forced herself to take deep breaths.
They sat together for at least fifteen minutes before Kathari broke the silence for the first time in their acquaintance. "Are you okay?"
Sophia looked at the elf providing comfort and clenched her hand. "I feel… disgusting."
The elf nodded. She frowned, looking down at her extended stomach. It was several more minutes before she continued. "I… know how you feel." The way Kathari said that, will holding onto her belly defensively, was enough to make Sophia suspicious. She looked down at the pregnant belly frowning, but didn't know how to ask.
"Were you…"
"That man… had just been elevated from servitude. Master thought he had talent. It was the first time I had been… used like that in this household. Most prefer young men. When they decide to fuck a slave."
Sophia didn't know what to say to that.
Another minute and Kathari continued, looking down into her lap. "I was with Claus at the time. I… didn't want him to know. I felt like it was my fault. But he found out anyway. Claus went after him, and was lashed in response. Scarred and put on display. As an example of what happens to an elf that dares."
Sophia swallowed hard, hearing the bitterness and sorrow in Kathari's voice. "Dares?"
Kathari met her eyes and spoke, somehow sounding both impassioned and jaded. "Dares to hope for respect. Dares to dream of freedom. Dares to stand up and attempt to protect their friends and family."
Sophia swallowed hard, turning her palm so she could squeeze the elf's hand. "And the baby's father?"
Kathari pursed her lips, her eyes deadening. "I'm not sure. That's why I can't face Claus as I am. Not until I know. I… have no confidence. And he deserves so much better."
Sophia frowned. "I'm sure that's not true."
The elf looked distressed. "It is. If I was braver, if I was stronger, I could confront him. Admit that I love him. Beg him to forgive me. But… what if I am carrying that shem's baby? I could never hope for his forgiveness if that was the case."
Another minute of silence. Kathari crossed her arms over her stomach. "I have thought about getting rid of it. But there is a chance that it could be his. And I could never. Not Claus' baby."
Sophia squeezed her hand again. "How will you know?"
Kathari gave her a sardonic smile. "It will look like an elf. In any case, I just… wanted to thank you. For killing that man. He was not gentle. He seemed to enjoy… struggling. I hope you are not feeling guilty for his death."
Sophia frowned. "It's difficult to say. I have never killed anyone before. And in such a manner…."
The elf nodded. "It will get easier. I can promise you that much."
Sophia didn't know how to feel about that. And the fact that she would be expected to kill more people… Something must have shown on her face because Kathari squeezed her hand. "I… am thankful for what you have been able to do so far. I have never eaten so much in my life."
Sophia let out a choked sob. That did not make her feel better at all. It reminded her of how thin all of the elves appeared, in an unhealthy way that went behind the natural litheness inherent to their genes. Their subjugation was… life seemed so unfair, and Sophia hated herself for her own pain, and her own pity. Surely this experience, in which he hadn't even actually raped her, was nothing compared to Kathari's circumstances? Compared to that poor beaten and starved elven child she had seen put on display? It was sickening. The whole world was sickening.
The sobs grew louder, and Sophia felt an arm curl around her shoulder. She turned and saw Kathari looking solemn, and despondent, and lost… She returned the hug and cried into her neck, any hesitance over touch or the sensitivity of her scars overridden by her desperate wish for comfort. It was only a few moments before Sophia realized she could feel Kathari's tears stream silently over her neck and shoulder, warm and wet as blood.
It was several minutes before Sophia quieted and the two broke apart. Claus came into the room shortly after and gave the two red-eyed women an intense look. He came up to where their hands were still clutched together, and grabbed them both with a large hand of his own. He stared into Kathari's eyes for an intense minute as they seemed to attempt nonverbal communication. He seemed to nod, before leaning forward and giving the elven women a kiss on her brow.
When he pulled back, Sophia could see Kathari was crying again. "Claus…"
He shook his head. "I will always love you, Kath. I'll wait for you to be ready." She made the sound of a tortured animal, and Sophia could not resist pulling Kathari into her side so her head was resting against her shoulder. Claus turned to look at Sophia, his expression grim.
"We have heard the rumors…"
Sophia felt desperate. What if they were to turn on her too? "I swear I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just like talking to people. I like people, I do, even though some of them are horrid…" More tears.
He shook his head again. "You didn't wait for me to finish. We know about the Magister's actions in adopting you. That isn't very surprising, considering how difficult it would be for him to make his claim otherwise. He would have to marry you, but after your interactions last night, no one would believe it wasn't coerced."
The hand clutching their fingers grew tense. "I mean… we have heard the rumors of a hunting party started by the sons and daughters of the Magisterium."
Kathari stiffened by her side, and Sophia felt a sense of foreboding. "A hunting party?" She asked for clarification, despite the dread filling her stomach.
"A chance for the young men and women of the Magisterium, or their children, to camp out and hunt exotic beasts together- usually wyverns and phoenixes. During the hunt, it isn't… unusual for an elf or two to go missing. Dying in some strange manner. However, we heard word that they were traveling towards the border of the Free Marches, where there has been word of Dalish clans. We think they intend to hunt the 'free' elves exclusively in order to staunch the rebellions."
Oh god. They hunted people. Sophia was sure the horror she was feeling inside was displayed on her face as Claus grasped their hands again. She asked a question, hoping beyond hope that it was true, "But you have a plan?"
Claus gave her a grim nod. "We do. We were hoping you could help us interfere."
Sophia blinked. "Me?"
The elven man gave her a leveled look. "The… Magister recently declared you his legal kin. On a social standpoint, that puts you level to the people participating in the hunt. You should be able to join them, with a few… elven servants and slaves at your side."
Sophia blinked.
"If the purpose of this hunt really is to subdue the slaves, their work will need witnesses. And we will need people if we hope to warn the clans before they attack."
Sophia felt the gears in brain finally begin to turn, shoving her trauma under some mental rug so she could deal with the problem at hand. "You said we were going to the border? Then wouldn't this hunt actually take place in the Free Marchers? So wouldn't it be illegal?"
Claus snarled. "As far as I know, there is no law that prohibits shems from killing elves in any country in Thedas with any punishment greater than a slap on the wrist. Besides, you've probably read about how decentralized the region is. It would be difficult for the city-states to enforce anything, even if they cared. But I doubt they would unless the Magisters were leading an army."
Sophia grimaced. "We will need allies."
Claus nodded. "We were hoping you could help with that too. That… Altus you spent time with yesterday. And his friend. Do you think they would help us?"
Oh my. What a loaded question. She looked down at her torn, bloody tunic as she thought. Did she think that she knew two young men she had just met the night previous well enough to know if they would help work against the agenda of their nation? Of course not. And they were so entrenched in the system; indoctrinated to believe that slavery was acceptable, and that elves were somehow lesser… But they needed people, and based on the political arguments Dorian made yesterday, she could tell the Altus cared.
She met Claus' eyes. "Maybe. I will find out."
He nodded. "Please do. The trip will take place three weeks from now. You will need to act quickly."
Sophia nodded, but then… "And… Julius?" Her skin felt oddly stretched as she thought about it, and she doubted her eyes could get any wider as she attempted to control her mouth.
Claus' face contorted into one of deep hatred. "Don't worry about that. It was easy enough to make it look like a botched blood magic experiment. Believable too, considering the man was turned inside out." His eyes were fierce when they met hers. "Thank you. It looked like he suffered."
Sophia could only nod, feeling… hollow. Although she recognized the position she was in. "Thank you for covering for me. I know I am in your debt."
The man shook his head in dismissal. "One you intend to claim. Kath can help you bath and dress. If you want to talk to the Altus, it will need to be soon. I heard he had a late morning, but that he intends to leave soon. He knows he is not a favorite of the Magister."
Before Sophia knew it, she was dressed (in an actual dress, for once), her hair brushed (left down to cover the bruises around her neck), and was headed to the library. Whereas before she had taken to swinging her arms gaily, smiling at the spiraling dust illuminated in the ramparts… Now she kept her arms to her side, looking solemn and taking dainty little steps in her new slippers. She felt… dissociated from the whole thing. As if the memory of this morning had been a dream, but then she looked down at her dress, and feel so strange…. Had she ever been dressed in something so feminine? It almost felt like she was still dreaming
She was met by Magister Naevius at the library entrance, who took in her appearance with a broad smile. "Lucilla! You look darling. Fit for a lady. Come join me, several of us were just having a discussion about Orlesian politics…"
Attempting to look around surreptitiously as she followed the Magister, Sophia could not immediately spot Dorian. Then they stopped in front of a small group, and there he was, fingering his mustache and looking all kinds of hungover. Felix sat next to him, smiling happily and looking fresh as a daisy. Sophia could hear the Altus grumbling from here.
Felix was the first of the group to notice her, and he shot upright in his chair. "Ma dame! Bonjour!" My lady! Good morning!
Dorian sounded sarcastic and testy. "Ah, there you are. Finally. Although I have to wonder about your night if you are getting up at nearly noon."
Sophia didn't hesitate to respond, barely thinking. "I've been up since dawn, but I had things to do. Unlike a certain Altus that seems to spend his day drinking, sleeping, and cavorting around in public places."
"Ha! I see the kitten's got claws."
Sophia gave him a hard look, and sat down next to Felix. "Felix! Bonjour! I trust you slept well?"
"Sweetly, ma chérie. After all, I had the thought of you to fall asleep to."
Sophia couldn't stop from blushing, even as she thought how ridiculously cliché he was being… something Dorian didn't hesitate to point out. "Felix, did you have cheese for breakfast by chance?"
Felix snorted. "Just because I don't express affection through caustic insults doesn't mean my words are worth any less than yours."
Magister Naevius drew attention back to himself by clearing his throat. "Right. Well, before your arrival, we were discussing the fate of the Circle of Magi in Orlais. We heard about what happened at Kirkwall, of course, and know that the mage's position is incredibly unstable at the moment. But we also know that the Empress and the Grand Duke are desperate for resources. Do you think the Circle of Magi will intercede with the Civil War?"
Sophia looked at the Magister in interest. "You mean will they attempt to use their assistance as a bargaining tool in order to elevate their position in the country? I don't see why not. Although that could have its own consequences. And involves assuming the Circle of Magi will continue to stand. Wasn't the College of Enchanters recently dissolved?"
Her other library sparring partner, Magister Visellius, responded looking grim. "We hadn't considered that the Circles would dissolve completely. What would become of the mages, or the Templars? That… would certainly bode ill."
Sophia frowned. "For everyone, more than likely. If this conflict eliminates the checks on their power, it will more likely be unleashed on the countryside. And they will have their own cause, their own vendetta to blind them. They may lose perspective and hurt innocent people. How connected are the chantries between Ferelden and Orlais?"
Felix answered from beside her, frowning. "It's the same chantry, just operating in different places. The Divine Justina V is currently the head of the chantry and all of the Circles outside of the Imperium. And the explosion that occurred in Kirkwall has sparked an uprising in Orlais, but the true consequences to that event are still yet to be seen."
"Does anyone know what the Divine is currently doing about this?"
No one answered, but this silence was soon broken by a man Sophia was not familiar with. He had rather unremarkable features, although his haircut was… eccentric. Was that a pompadour? "Why must we engage in all of this speculation about Orlais, when we should be talking about our own country? Or are we all to ignore what recently took place at Ath Velanis? This could be the start of an alliance between Ferelden and the Qunari against the Imperium!"
Dorian scoffed. "They marched forces against Aurelian Titus in Seheron. In what looked to be a personal vendetta due to the man's treatment of King Maric. That does not necessarily mean war."
"Why do you think it will end there?" The man glared at Dorian.
Who responded by raising a brow. "Because Ferelden is hardly in a position to start a war? As I understand it, they are still attempting to recover from the Blight ten years ago. You know, the one that murdered their king, destroyed countless villages, and spread rampant disease?"
The man sneered. "You underestimate their strength."
Dorian rolled his eyes, and stated sarcastically, "I'm sure."
Magister Naevius once again interceded. This time by completely changing the subject, and Sophia couldn't have been more grateful of the subject choice. "So, I hear there is to be a hunt?"
Half the men in the small circle leaned forward in interest. "Really?" the unknown man with the strange hairdo asked in anticipation. "Do you know where?"
The Magister smiled. "There are apparently a group of Phoenixes on the border of the Silent Plains, near the border to the Free Marches."
"Only Phoenixes?"
Another man snorted. "And the fact that it is nearby that town… Hasmal… is just a coincidence?"
The man with the pompadour smirked. "I see. Excellent."
The Magister smiled at all of them. "Who is planning to attend?"
Several voices called out almost immediately, and a few more a moment later. Dorian and Felix were both noticeably silent.
Sophia spoke up hesitantly. "I had actually been considering it." She almost winced at the reception to that statement. The Magister's eyebrows shot to his hairline, Dorian shot her look of confused distaste, and Felix… he looked so disappointed in her. It hurt more than she thought it would.
"But my dear… why?"
"I've never been outside Minrathous. And I doubt I would be allowed to in any other circumstance." Sophia made a production to pout, as she assumed she was supposed to.
Magister Naevius nodded. "Of course. You are young. You simply want to travel."
The young man with the pompadour give her a suspicious side look.
Dorian's eyes narrowed as he quipped, "Of course. Simply to travel."
They continued to make speculations about international politics and idle gossip for another hour, before the group dispersed. Dorian wasted no time leading her into a quiet corner, Felix following. He lightly pushed her behind one of the shelves and noticed her flinch. Frowning, he went and stood directly in front of her and began scanning her body in a clinical manner. It did not take him long to locate the bruises. He gently pulled her hair away from her neck, and she knew he could see the purple finger marks wrapped around her neck.
"Was this one of the things you had to do this morning?" He sounded angry.
"Dorian," Felix warned, coming around his other side to see the bruises more closely.
Dorian frowned and ignored his friend. "Am I to assume there are more under your clothing?" Sophia didn't answer, but she could feel a few tears betraying her. Damn.
Dorian agreed. "Kaffas," he swore, before gently letting go of her hair. He started pacing up and down the aisle, obviously upset.
Felix smiled at her, a small, sad smile. "Forgive him. Dorian rather likes you, so he is feeling defensive."
Sophia felt more than a little helpless. "I only met him yesterday?"
Dorian interceded. "Yes, and what an illuminating twenty-four hours it has been."
He paced a couple more times, before stating, "I couldn't help but notice that a certain auburn-headed man wasn't following you about. Coincidence?"
Sophia paled. She could actually feel all of the blood leave her face. Her fists tightened. Did he know? What… what would he do with that information?
"So it was him? Do you need Felix and me to break his fingers?"
Sophia stared. So they didn't know he was dead?
Dorian and Felix noticed her reaction. She supposed she probably looked scared shit out of her mind. "He… does he still have fingers?" Sophia remembered those very fingers burst into a spray of red blood, sinew, and tissue, and started to shake. And here she had been doing so well, not remembering…
A touch, and she looked up into Felix's incredibly empathetic face… and then his arms were around her, and she felt… together. Not quite safe, not quite whole, but present. And now that she was getting used to the sensitivity of her skin, his presence felt… nice. The man sighed into her neck as Sophia tried to stop quaking. She concentrated on Dorian's pacing, and whispered, "It was an accident. He cut my throat, and he was trying to r-rape me, and I… I d-didn't mean to." Felix squeezed tighter.
Dorian was suddenly there in front of her, looking upset and morose, patting her hair. "Oh, kitten."
There was a couple of minutes of silent comfort, before Sophia pushed back against Felix's chest. The man let go, and even Sophia could see the difference in his appearance. That glossy look in his eyes was gone, and his skin had a shade more color. Why? What was this?
Before she could ask, Dorian seemed to recall his other line of inquiry. "Oh, yes. You do know what happens on these 'hunting trips', do you not? Why would you want to go?"
Sophia's look hardened. "I need to protect them." Dorian looked like he was waiting for her to elaborate, but she chose not to. She liked Dorian and Felix a great deal, but this morning had made it clear that she needs to reevaluate her propensity to trust.
But Dorian was a smart man, and didn't need a lot of prompting. "I see. And you think you can just waltz in to protect these… people, and expect the rest of the hunting party to turn a blind eye?"
At Sophia's silence, Dorian swore again, before stating, "It seems your demise is a little more imminent than even I had anticipated. Fine. I will attend and try to stop you from dying."
Felix looked at him with a raised brow.
"Don't look at me like that, Felix. You were right, I like the girl. And Maker knows my father will be overjoyed to hear to news." He stated this last bit sardonically, as if he didn't care one way or another.
Felix looked at the both of them, considering. "Perhaps I can attend as well."
Dorian frowned. "There is no way your father would agree to such a thing."
Felix's eyes narrowed, and his tone darkened. "She makes me feel better, Dorian. I'm sure I could find a way to persuade him. Besides, the time I have remaining should be mine to do with what I want. He needs to let me live, otherwise I might as well already be dead."
Sophia asked because she had to. "Are you sick, Felix?"
Felix turned to her with a self-deprecating smile. "The blight sickness. Although the healers suspect it will take at least another year before I succumb."
"And I… make you feel better?"
Felix nodded.
Dorian interrupted with more sarcasm. "Well, we will apparently have more time to think about it as we journey across the Imperium on horseback, in the company of our lovely, but reprehensibly sadistic peers. Nothing like a good holiday."
"On horseback?" Sophia was alarmed. She couldn't remember ever having ridden a horse.
Dorian laughed at her.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age.
A/N: Please let me know if the long chapter lengths are okay, or if you were prefer shorter chapter. Thank you to everyone who has commented so far.