The Missing Chapter
Part 7
Well, Varric-Romantics, your wish has come true. Varric and Hawke at least together… In other words, there is a lot of romance in this. Varric avoided MOST details but he left enough to tantalize. If you folks want the un-edited scenes, Varric's willing to share them though he may change names to protect the guilty… So, you're warned about the sex. There's language too and… I know that the mage codex states that Hawke stayed home to take care of the family while Daddy and Brother ran off to fight the war. Well, for drama, I have modified things a bit. Kye's not one to sit a home and baby-sit. I wanted a view of the war from someone who lived through it.
A Passionate Beginning
"You strain my patience, Bann Frellin!" Elissa Theirin was saying in angry tones. "Stay your tongue before it gets twisted to the point of no return. This woman is a visiting dignitary, an ambassador from the Free Marches who is a guest of our country and our host tonight. Disrespecting her disrespects him and that in turn disrespects your Queen and your King and country by association. In other words, I will not tolerate this insult longer and neither will your peers." I heard a chair scrape the floor and I watched with raised eyebrows as my stunning Champion rose to her feet.
Her expression was one I had only seen a few times in the ten-plus years I'd known her and the last time I saw it, a certain Healer died. "Your Majesty, thank you but this fool needs to hear the answer from me. Whether or not he listens or cares is not my concern but this he must hear.
"I was born in Lothering. When the call went out to join the army, I was a girl of eighteen with a few sword skills and not much more. I was unaware that I had inherited my powers yet, though Bethany, younger than I by two years, had come into her gifts long before. Granted, there had always been something 'off' about my strengths and father often wondered out loud if we might have yet another mage in our family. But I fought magic; I was fully in denial that I could be anything like him or my younger sister! To this day, I wield weapons that look nothing like traditional mage-staves because for me, it has always been a burden, if a useful one.
"It was after I turned nineteen that, during the battle of Ostagar, the grim reality of my gift bore fruit; I managed to set a large group of soldiers on fire! But where I stood, using magic and my sword to fight the hordes that marched upon us, I watched our king die due to betrayal by Teyrn Loghain. We soldiers knew why our king died. Many of us watched the torches of his arm simply turn and move away, leaving us to the mercy of the Darkspawn and each other. Then I turned and Father was writhing on the ground at my feet, a Darkspawn blade through his chest.
"I held him to me as he died for his country, for his family…for you. He was an apostate. He was a mage who loved his wife and children with everything he had but protecting his family meant more than fleeing to another country. No. We Hawkes are 'doers'. We don't sit and ignore what is taking place and let the fates decide for us; we decide for fate what will happen instead. We shape it to our wishes and coincidence be damned. But with father dead, I was the new head of our household and I fled, fleeing the dying army and the swarm of Dark Spawn that devoured even the living, with father's body draped around my shoulders…"
"You deserted your king…!" the jackass accused, pointing at Hawke. I rose to my feet and pointed at him in return. In the loudest, maddest voice I had, I said, "Sit the fuck down, My Lord! She's still talking and I, for one, am riveted." Of course I was riveted; she was the woman I'd been following like a love-struck puppy for ten years. I might have been just a bit biased. Maybe. I turned and smiled fondly at my lady as I bowed dramatically to her. "My Sweet, you may continue."
She blew me a playful kiss as she continued. "I did not 'desert'. The battle of Ostagar was lost and to save my life and the lives of others, we fled a hopeless situation made more hopeless by the loss of our king. I saw it all. I watched Cailan die! And I knew him well. We drank together, him and me, along with others of his army. He would laugh and give us such hope and pride that it was impossible not to believe we would defeat this thing. He alone understood it was a true Blight but he was overconfident and proud. And his worst offense was trusting too much. I suppose that was part of Cailan's charm, though. He had faith that those he surrounded himself with would be capable of doing the task set out for them. He never once doubted Loghain's loyalty.
"So I went home to Lothering to get mother and my twin siblings out of the village because the Horde was surging north. There, we buried father and tried to decide what our next step was; where we should go and what we should do. Our quaint little village had been abandoned by her Lord and was directly in its path. We knew there was nothing more we could do but to pack what little we could and flee. We Hawkes, all of us, are strong and brave; we are survivors.
"The rest, well, you can read Varric's stories about me but from there, my family and I fled to Kirkwall where now only my brother and I continue to survive. I never had a chance to join the Circle and I was terrified of what would happen if I did since the Templars had become so deadly powerful. They would have made me tranquil and though I still dislike being a mage, not being able to feel is a much less appealing proposition to me.
"In the end, the reason I remain free of the circle is because I believe I can do the most good the way I am now. I don't care that you disagree, Ser. What matters is that my family loves me, my friends love me and my lover loves me and it is their opinions that matter most. Opinions are like assholes in that whatever scent you use to mask the smell, it still smells like shit to me."
Around us, the dining room erupted in a shower of thunderous applause. Even those who disagreed with her initially seemed to be standing with excitement. She had just made an impression on a fair portion of Ferelden's Bannorn this night and even I was pleased by her colorful use of the language in doling out her opinion of Frellin's thoughts on mages.
I rose from my seat and walked over to her, my eyes intent on hers. She raised an eyebrow in askance and I puckered my lips and closed my eyes in return. Giggling, she leaned forward and kissed me softly at first and then she wrapped her arms around me and made the kiss even deeper. This earned us a few startled gasps from the prudes and a couple of folks even clapped. A human and a dwarf! Scandalous! And because it seemed so scandalous, I refused to let go even when she tried to pull away. That resulted in scattered laughter. I was hoping that dinner would soon be over because I really wanted to see that dragon again…up close and personal. "Way to go, Sweetness. You showed that nug-humper just who you are and why I chose you specifically to join me on Bartrand's expedition," I murmured to her softly.
The rest of the evening was thankfully drama-free. At one point, after Fergus retired to his rooms, Elissa nudged Kye with her elbow. Her eyes were narrow slits and her smile was naughty. "So…tell me… Varric's your lover, yes?" she drawled.
Kye grinned at me as I was now seated beside her. "Sort of," I answered.
"'Sort of?' I'm wondering what sex is like with a dwarf, having never been in a position to try it. My husband and I are lenient with one another's sexual proclivities and he encourages experimentation to an extent. Looking and touching are just fine. Avoid emotional entanglements and no secrets, are our rules." It suddenly dawned on me through the haze of wine that flowed through my veins that she was hitting on us! My eyes very nearly fled their sockets and I about had to pick up my jaw and replace it when I realized that. "So? What's it like?"
Kye looked very nervous and seemed shy as she looked back at me. I touched her arm and nodded for her to answer the question. I knew what she would say. I knew her that well. "Well, I don't know yet. That's why he said, 'sort of'. We've, ah, 'exchanged gifts'. We've looked into our 'boxes' and we've decided we like the, ah, 'gifts' and even played with them a bit but the…the parts that get 'tried on' haven't been, eh, 'tried on' yet. We were too tired, too dirty and too much in awe to do more than hold each other."
"If I ever need a metaphoric way of describing not having sex, you're hired, Sweetness," I chuckled to her. Ah, my clever Champion!
"Well, if you decide that you need another body in the mix, let me know. Your first time is sacred so I won't interfere with that but… I am still curious about what sex with a dwarf, particularly that dwarf, is like." With that said, she grinned and shooed us away as she turned back to the sweet remains on her plate. Dessert had been a dreamy confection that had a topping of rich whipped cream drizzled with chocolate. The cake itself was made with whipped cheese I was told. It had heightened our senses and made me tingle with desire. It seemed to have had that effect on many of our cohorts at the table and they had left looking content. Then again, it might have also been the effects of the sweet, addictive wine, which left us with a dreamy, heady feeling.
It was our turn.
I took Hawk's hand and, trying not to look too eager, I said, "Well, I guess we're finished here. Any suggestions, My Lady?"
She laughed and leaned forward to kiss me. "The bedroom, of course. I want to know myself what sex with a dwarf is like! Particularly this dwarf…" I blushed and led her back to the room where, giggling, we locked the door and faced each other like we had done the first time. In our absence, someone had built up the fire, turned back the sheets and left water and wine on the table for us. Kye slipped a finger under each side of her sleeves and I watched the sparkling dress descend her body and land in a silken pile at her feet. My eyes slid up her body but lingered briefly on those perfect, smallish breasts and the red dragon that protected the right one before they continued up onto her face.
Holy…shit.
I'd made out like a member of the coterie on a soft target when I landed this lady. I was one lucky Dwarf, that's for sure. Eat this, Choir Boy! She's all mine! Then again, don't eat this… This dish is reserved for the dashing dwarf with the soft blond chest hair and rakish grin. I couldn't wait to dine.
Looking at her this time stirred my passion in a way it had not done before. It was, as she'd said earlier; we were just in no shape at all to do much more than hold each other. Yes, there had been eagerness to do more than that but what most would simply think of as great restraint on our parts was, in fact, us trying to come to grips with all that seemed to be happening all at once. And we had been sandy and exhausted; simply content to embrace what we had and explore a bit. Even the bath had only been slightly sexual. But now, everything was different. From the way she smiled seductively, invitingly to me to the kohl lining her eyes and the jewelry that gleamed against her skin to my strong need to be in her arms; this time it was if we were facing one another for the first time. Even the dragon seemed more amazing to me the way it curved sensuously along her side. There was a heightened sense of awe and lust that could not be denied! It was hunger and need coupled with such an up-swelling of emotion that I was left dumb once again. Her soft chuckle at my helplessness in her presence alerted me to the opportunity before my eyes. I grinned.
I threw off my coat, flinging it over the back of the nearest chair and undid my belt. My actions were hurried, desperate even but Kye smiled and stopped me from ripping off the lovely shirt. She gently lifted the hem and pulled it off of me as I obediently raised my arms. She then placed it neatly over my coat and then her arms went around my shoulders, my faced pressed against her breasts. Even pressed against her in this manner, I still managed to untie the front of my breeches and smirked as they fell to the floor. Her hand tilted back my head and her mouth enveloped mine in the most delicious, sensuous kiss I think I'd ever tasted. Kye was an amazing kisser anyway but this kiss floored me by its raw sexuality. The way she devoured my lips and tongue only intensified the erection I'd formed when she first dropped the dress. Fighting my lust, I did my best to reply in kind.
Slowly then, we backed away slightly so that I could explore her body with my hand. I ran it slowly up her thigh, along her hip and then I cupped that perfect right breast and watched the blood-red ruby "treasure" glitter in the bright light of the fire. I thumbed the nipple and then turned my attention to her unadorned left breast, which got long, lingering attention from my mouth. My right hand slipped around her and I playfully grabbed her ass. I heard her yelp and laugh. But then she pushed me back a bit so that she could slide down my body, her hand caressing my chest and her lips drawing in each nipple for a teasing taste. I thought her eventual goal was to place my breeches over the chair with the rest of my clothes but, no. In fact, what she was doing with her hand startled me. She tightened her fingers around my…
Okay, what happened here is entirely irrelevant to the continuation of the story. Needless to say, I got laid. She got laid. It was fun, exhausting and utterly the best sex I've had in my life. That's saying a lot! I've been with quite a few women, after all. The chest hair is a huge draw, you know. And being a surface dwarf means all but a few was human or elf. The female dwarves had left me feeling unsatisfied. Granted, they can be damn cute but compared to Kylea Hawke, nothing compares.
I can hear the moaning already from you perverts who want details such as what exactly I did with my tongue, my lips, my hands and, of course, the magic she made with her tongue. If you perves twist my arm, I'll write a chapter outside the story with all the nitty-gritty details you people like. I'm writing a romance here, not a bodice-buster, after all. Allow me to maintain some dignity, for crying out loud! And just in case you point out those sex-scenes from "Iron Enchantress", those were made up while this is real. It's harder to describe certain things when they're actually happening to you.
Where was I…? Oh yes. Later, much later, the fire burned lower in the fireplace and the bed had the look of having been molested by jumping children; the sheets entangled in our legs, the pillows all akimbo and part of the mattress exposed at the corner. We were bathed in sweat and curled up against one another, our lips entwined and her fingers curling in my soft, wet hair. "I love you, Hawk…" I breathed when our lips parted for a moment. "I wanted to tell you that so many times during our years as friends but I never knew how to say it."
She pushed me onto my back and laid her cheek against my shoulder. I folded my arms around her as I stroked her cheek with my fingers. "I know, Varric. You showed it in some ways but…"
"Sebastian?" I said softly. I felt her nod against me and then she raised herself so that I could look into her eyes. In the dark, red light of the fading fire, they seemed almost black.
"He was so much to me. But you never failed to be there for me. You never failed me at all. I knew you had feelings for me. I knew that if I answered them, you might happily give in. But how could I risk losing our friendship? It meant too much and too much was riding on us staying together as friends. And I loved you too, you should know. I have always loved you, for as long as I can remember, perhaps even since we first met." There was guilt and sadness in her voice and reflected in the expression on her face. I touched her, running my finger under her eye and down her cheek. I softly brushed my nose against her face, rubbing it lightly as my lips tenderly brushed her skin.
"Ahh. I wish I had known. And do you still love me?" I asked. I already knew the answer but the way she answered, by laying her mouth over mine and slipping her hand between my thighs was a much more pleasurable reply than a simple "yes". She had me in a very dangerous position and then surprised me by straddling my hips with hers. "Uh…again?" I said incredulously. I couldn't say how many times I'd pleasured her tonight but another time would surely leave us walking funny when we tried to get up in the morning. And I might have to forget about "getting up" at all.
Then she made it very clear that I had no choice in the matter. Not that I would have declined.
Dawn. Its light came through a window, lighting up the room on one wall. Facing me in my arms in a position that would have looked awkward to anyone looking at us was my Hawke. She seemed perfectly content there, her cheek snug against my shoulder and my arms completely enfolding her. I woke up this way so I assume I slept this way. I felt surprisingly refreshed though my head was still very sore. I nuzzled her and she came awake with a contented sigh. "Mmm. Last night was deliriously good. I take it none of it was a dream?"
"Nope. Not a bit. In fact, I think I may never walk again. How are you holding up?" I asked cheerfully.
"Good enough to see if I can get away with molesting you again…" she was teasing me and, laughing, I pinned her to the bed. Being bigger and stockier than her meant that I was also stronger and heavier. I may be a dwarf but I'm a lot tougher than I look. She couldn't move as a result. Not that she tried.
"Don't even think about it! You wore me out, you know. Not that I'm complaining but I really need a break. Sex with you is…exhausting! And amazing. You need to let a man catch his breath, woman!" But then her fingers trailed down my body and before I could stop her, she had managed to garner the required response from my body. I was ready as if we hadn't spent the entire night making love.
Shit. If this was going to be indicative of my future with my Hawk, I was screwed. Delightfully and repeatedly screwed.
To Be Continued…
