Private Time
Chapter Seven
Location: The City of Amaranthine
A/N: Warning: There is a non-con scene in here all the way to third base, for lack of a better term.
The loud thud of a body hitting the floor jerked Nathaniel awake from his nap.
He immediately bounded out of the sagging wooden chair located next to the Warden Commander's bed with his dagger drawn, then scanned the room for signs of an intruder. Instead, he saw Neria sprawled awkwardly on the floor and glaring at him balefully, as if somehow he were to blame for her fall.
"What happened?" He sheathed his weapon and lifted her back into bed. He tried to arrange the quilt over her but she swatted his hands away irritably.
"I was…am…going down to the tavern," she bit out.
Nathaniel crossed his arms and scowled at her. "You are welcome to try."
Neria tried to get up again but subsided against the bed with a grunt of pain. Frustrated, she let loose a stream of foul obscenities that had Nathaniel's (who had a fairly impressive command of filthy language himself) jaw dropping in shock.
"Commander!" He said reprovingly. "Why must you be so…" He stopped when it suddenly occurred to him why she was being so cantankerous. "How could I be so thoughtless…is it your shoulder? I'll get Anders to…"
"Maker's breath, will you stop mothering me?" she snapped.
Nathaniel rubbed his eyes tiredly. It had been four days since the assassination attempt and keeping a constant vigil over Neria was beginning to take its toll. He'd only been able to catch a few winks during Neria's fitful periods of rest and even then, he'd had to sleep with one eye open (so to speak) since she had the annoying habit of constantly trying to sneak out of her room.
Patience, he reminded himself. "What's wrong then?" He asked with pleasant, albeit weary smile.
"I should be out there killing darkspawn or bandits or something," she muttered. "I hate feeling so…helpless."
"It's only for a few more days, Commander."
"And I'm sure everyone is having a good laugh over the fact that I picked a fight in a bar and left myself wide open for an assassination attempt." She snorted derisively. "I'm the very model of a heroic Warden Commander, aren't I?"
"You were upset." Nathaniel smiled ruefully. "But I'm sure it's not as bad as sneaking into your old home and then falling in love with your arch nemesis."
Neria reluctantly laughed. "And exactly when did you decide you were supposedly falling in love with me?" She asked with an arched brow.
"Wait just a minute," he replied indignantly. "First of all, it's not I'm 'supposedly' in love with you. It's In. Love. Period."
She threw up her good arm in a gesture of defeat. "Fine. At what particular moment did you 'fall in love' with me?"
Somehow he'd envisioned the conversation in which they declared their eternal love for one another to be a bit more romantic. But then again she'd been through hell the last few days, so he decided to humor her. "When I first met you, I think."
She glanced at him in surprise. "You hated me at first sight! You wanted to kill me, remember?"
He shrugged. "That was before I discovered the truth. I've never been so happy to be wrong," he said equably.
"So the only thing left for you to do was to fall in love with me?"
"Yes."
She huffed out a laugh as she shook her head. "Only you, Nathaniel."
"Neria."
"Yes?"
"I know it's only been a few weeks since we've met, but…do you trust me?" Nathaniel asked. After all they'd been through together, he wanted, no, needed some type of verbal affirmation from her, that she cared for him at the very least.
Neria stared at him intently as she contemplated his question. "Trust you? Of course I do. In fact, I'm thinking about making you my Second-in-Command."
"Wait." He shook his head in disbelief. "What?"
Neria smiled at his sweetly bewildered expression. "You heard me, Howe. If I die or become incapacitated, you replace me as the Warden Commander of Ferelden."
"That wasn't what I meant. I need to know how you feel about me, Neria."
She slid him an unfathomable glance. A long, pained silenced passed and he wondered if she was truly on the verge of rejecting him once and for all. He steeled himself against the inevitable, but he'd be damned if he would be the one to look away first.
Another long moment passed as Neria took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When her eyelids fluttered open again, there was a gleam in her eyes that Nathaniel hadn't seen before. "Come here."
Nathaniel sat frozen in his seat. "Pardon?"
She patted the empty space next to her. "Come here. I want to tell you a story," she said coaxingly.
Nathaniel moved woodenly towards her and perched stiffly on the very edge of her bed.
"Make yourself comfortable, Nathaniel. I don't bite."
He swung his legs onto the bed then lay back (yet still maintaining a respectful distance between himself and the Commander) and tentatively settled against the supremely comfortable bed with a sigh. He could fall asleep right now if Neria's breath wasn't tickling his ear.
Neria shot him an amused glanced and then began her tale…
It was late when Neria crept up the Tower stairs to the mage quarters. Though Colin lived in a large room that was subdivided into semi-private alcoves, she was well-liked enough among the mages for them to turn a blind eye to her late night shenanigans. It certainly didn't hurt that she'd arranged for the Tower chef to provide Colin's "roommates" (for lack of a better term) with an unending stream of delicious Orlesian sweets and pastries.
She paused when she entered his room and batted her eyelashes dramatically. "And how is the mage with the cutest butt in all of Ferelden?"
Colin's eyes lit with pleasure as she climbed into bed with him. "What took you so long, love?"
"Sweeney made me stay late to practice hurling fireballs at him. What are you up to?"
Colin handed her the book he'd been reading. "It's a treatise on the effects of prolonged exposure to lyrium." Colin chuckled when Neria made a face at him. "It makes for very exciting reading!"
Neria melted into his embrace as Colin possessed her mouth with fervent kisses. However he seemed more distracted then usual and she frowned when he gently eased back from her.
"What's wrong?"
"I saw bruises on Catriona's face when she came into class today. Do you know what happened to her?" Colin asked.
"No." Neria shrugged indifferently. "She probably tripped on the hem of her robe or something."
"I know you can't stand her," Colin replied. "And I hate to ask this of you, but most apprentices clam up if their teacher starts asking personal questions. Do you think you can poke around and find out?
"Why should I care? She thinks she's better than me because she's human and I'm an elf, and because I'm not blonde and pretty like she is. She's always been a bitch, since we were kids."
He raised an eyebrow. "If she's being hurt in some way by someone, I want to know about it."
She sighed. She could never refuse a request made by Colin. He was the rock in her otherwise tempestuous life. She'd always been a bit socially awkward and never easily made friends with her apprentice counterparts. She'd preferred to spend her time with her nose buried in a book, until she'd met Colin. He was a couple of years younger than she, and when he was teased by the other apprentices for his delicate elven appearance, she'd kicked the shit out of the bullies until they left him alone. Neria and Colin were inseparable from that moment on. He was talented enough as a mage to undergo the Harrowing ahead of her. He became a full-fledged mage, and began teaching apprentices.
She never regretted her decision to become his lover. She loved him with all of her heart. He was her first and as far as she was concerned they would stay together forever in the Tower. All of the inconveniences, frustrations and discrimination that came with being an elven mage faded when she was with him.
"Very well, I'll ask around tomorrow," Neria admitted reluctantly. "Now can we stop talking about Catriona? I can think of a much more satisfying way to pass the evening."
"That's my girl," he murmured affectionately, and for a long time there was silence between them…
"So then what happened?" Nathaniel asked.
Neria's eyes were bright with unshed tears. He sensed it was costing her a great deal to tell him about her past. When she continued to remain silent, he squeezed her hand in encouragement. "Neria, don't stop now. Please."
She sighed. "All right. I talked to Catriona. She refused to say anything at first, but eventually admitted that one of the Templars had been bothering her. She said Johnson had tried to get her to sleep with him, but when she refused, he forced her…and had been doing so for awhile."
"I hope they gelded him for that," Nathaniel said angrily.
"She begged me not to say anything because it would make things worse for her. But by then I couldn't stand idly by, even if she had been a bitch to me in the past. So I told Knight-Commander Gregoir that one of his Templars was raping an apprentice, but he didn't believe me. He said it was the word of an apprentice against an upstanding Templar."
Nathaniel squeezed her hand sympathetically.
She took a breath. "I was so frustrated! I thought the First Enchanter could help me, but Irving said that without solid proof there wasn't much he could do."
"What proof did they need?" Nathaniel asked in disbelief. "Did they need to catch him in flagrante delicto or something?"
"Well…" Neria shifted uncomfortably. "In a manner of speaking."
"Maker's breath, Neria!" Nathaniel's eyes widened in shock as realization dawned. "You didn't!"
Neria rushed up the stairs to Colin's room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him there, getting ready to attend the mage assembly.
"Colin," she said as she tried to catch her breath. "I need you to do me a favor!"
He peered at her in concern. "What's wrong? Did you talk to Catriona?"
"I did," she replied. "Can you make sure you get Irving and Gregoir back to Irving's office as soon as they conclude the assembly? In fact if you could try to end it earlier than usual, that would be great!"
"Why?"
"I don't have time to tell you right now. Just say you'll do it. Please!"
"Neria." He grasped her by the shoulders and stared intently into her eyes. "You aren't planning to do anything dangerous, are you?"
Neria pasted a fake smile on her face. If she told him the truth, he would never do as she asked and there simply wasn't time to explain the whole situation. "Of course not."
"All right, I'll try my best. But you'll explain everything once it's all done?"
"Yes, yes!" She kissed him on the cheek and hurriedly left the room before he could change his mind.
She had to find Catriona quickly. By now Johnson would've gotten wind of her visit to Gregoir and Catriona would be the one to suffer for Neria's failure. She rushed back down to the apprentice quarters but it was empty. Most of the apprentice mages had already gone to the common dining room for dinner.
Neria searched every room or space that could possibly be used for a tryst. She thought she heard the muffled cries in a little used room, the very last one by the staircase leading to the second floor.
She zeroed in on it, running quickly. It was Catriona, she was sure of it. Neria flung the door open and sure enough, they were both in there. Johnson was a stocky, powerfully muscled Templar with fists the size of hams. Catriona was in tears, having been shoved up against the wall with Johnson's hand under her robes.
"Neria!" Catriona sobbed. "Help me, please!"
Johnson turned to angrily confront the intruder who dared to interrupt him. "You!" Johnson sneered. "You're the one who couldn't keep your mouth shut to Gregoir! You're next, whore!"
Neria crossed her arms and stared at him coolly. "Pity. Somewhere a village is being deprived of its idiot."
Johnson reddened with rage. "Stupid cunt!" He shoved Catriona aside and started after Neria.
"Try and catch me, you miserable cretin!" She shouted as she ran quickly up the stairs. There was no point in trying to fight him with magic; he'd drain her of all her mana within seconds. She was counting on the fact that he would be slowed by the weight of his heavy plate armor.
Still when she quickly glanced back, he was keeping up a fairly steady pace as she continued towards Irving's office. What she'd do when she once got there, she had no idea. If Irving and Gregoir were delayed for very long…she'd have to….no she wouldn't think about that right now.
She scampered up the stairs, breathless. Second floor. Thirty more steps until the third floor…almost there…
"You'll pay for your gossiping tongue!" Johnson yelled as he pursued her.
Neria kicked open the door leading to the third level and ran. The halls were empty, save for the Tranquil and they ignored her as she ran towards Irving's office. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally made it in. She grabbed a heavy statuette off the desk, prepared to use it as a weapon if necessary.
Johnson, who was breathless from chasing her, smiled evilly as he advanced upon her and locked the door behind him. "An empty office." He smirked. "Did you really think that fool Irving would be here to save you?"
She tried to scream but he backhanded her and she fell to the floor, stunned. A trickle of blood rolled from her lip. Johnson methodically stripped himself of his armor and laid it reverently in a pile on the ground.
"You're such an asshole!" Neria spit out as she tried to stand up.
He punched her in the face again, fell on top of her, and ripped her robe down the middle, as if it were made of tissue paper. He pinioned her hands over her head as he ripped her chemise and drawers off. He twisted her nipple cruelly, relishing her gasp of pain.
"You disgust me!" She turned her head to the side, trying not to let him see her tears.
"Shut up, whore!" He pulled his breeches down and forced her legs apart. He stroked his cock and laughed as he prepared to penetrate her.
The door suddenly was suddenly blasted off its hinges.
"JOHNSON!" Gregoir bellowed as he charged into the room with several other Templars. "What is the meaning of this?"
Irving glared at Johnson. "Unhand my apprentice immediately before I paint the floor with your innards."
Johnson stared dumbly at the Knight-Commander for a moment before he slowly moved off her.
Colin ran to Neria. "Are you all right?" He covered her with her torn robe and helped her sit up.
Neria squinted at him through puffy, bruised eyes. "More or less," she tried to joke.
Gregoir motioned for the Templars to arrest Johnson. "Get him out of my sight." He glanced at Neria guiltily. "Rest assured, Irving, he will be punished severely."
Irving crossed his arms. "For your sake, he better be."
The Templars then left the room, dragging a protesting Johnson with them.
"Are you all right, my dear?" Irving asked.
Neria nodded.
"It seems you brought the proof that was necessary to prove your allegations." Irving stared at her reprovingly. "Was it worth almost getting raped?"
"What else could I do? Nobody would listen to me," Neria muttered.
"Make sure she gets some rest, Colin. We will talk about this later, Neria," Irving said meaningfully.
Colin nodded. "Yes, sir."
Colin looked ready to throw a fit, but he held himself under control. Despite the fact they were nearly the same height; he hefted her easily in his arms and carried her back to his room. Ignoring the surprised gasps of the other mages, he gingerly laid her in his bed. She thought to feign sleep or perhaps pretend to faint due to stress, but Colin climbed into bed, caged her head between his hands, and proceeded to blister her ears with a scathing lecture about endangering herself, and how she should've told him everything in the first place. She wanted to argue, but, under the circumstances, she knew that his ire was born of concern for her welfare so she (in a rare show of submissiveness) lay meekly on the bed until he was done. Or perhaps out of breath.
"I'm sorry, Colin," she said.
"When I asked you to investigate the matter, I thought you were just going to ask around! Not mount a full scale assault, or take a chance like you did! How could you endanger yourself that way, Neria?"
"You're right," she murmured. "I'm sorry."
"That's right," he said, losing some of his steam when she didn't argue with him.
He sighed and got off the bed. He pulled a spare robe from his wardrobe and handed it to her.
"He… didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No," she said reassuringly. "You got there just in time."
"And that's my story," Neria said. "The point I'm trying to make is that every day I jump off of a cliff in order to get things done. Sometimes I'm lucky and I land on my feet. Most of the time though, I end up a broken and bloodied mess."
Nathaniel shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand. Are you saying you have suicidal tendencies?"
"No! If you'd just follow the immutable…" Neria sighed in frustration. "What I'm saying is you'd be better off with a woman who could bear your children and love you the way you deserve to be loved."
"I disagree."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
Nathaniel settled himself more comfortably onto the bed. "You walk around with so much guilt about everyone around you getting hurt that you feel compelled to solve everyone else's problems," he stated matter-of-factly. "It certainly goes a long way towards explaining why you spared my life and why you defended Anders against the Templars."
Neria seemed perplexed by his calm demeanor. "I'm going to keep jumping," she muttered stubbornly.
He gently stroked her cheek. "So we jump together and hold hands on the way down."
Tears began to stream from her eyes. The expression on her face was a mixture of fear and wild hope. "Nate," she murmured. "I still have nightmares. What if I'm never able to say 'I love you'?"
It was the first time she called him that. He shut his eyes tightly as emotion welled up within him. "We'll take it one step at a time." Nathaniel could smell the rose and mint in her hair as he wrapped his arms protectively around her. He waited for her to protest, to argue with him.
But all she said was, "Okay."
And just like that, it was.
A/N: Thanks to kissy and b, my lovely and wonderful betas! There was a certain amount of handholding this time round as I wrote and rewrote (and rewrote). I really appreciate their patience with me. And thank you to everyone who has reviewed or put me on their favorites/alert list, I'm sorry the updates are so slow but it takes me a long time to plot these things out (and the bloody rewrites).
