Tale from Tevinter
Chapter 7
Passing Clouds
Marian watched the clouds pass through the ever blue sky. She had a feeling that it was more blue here because it was so close to the water's edge. The sand shifted just so evenly under her body, it's heat helping her to relax the taunt muscles about her thin frame. The sun, she felt, was like a soothing balm of heat, and she basked in its glow.
When the thick armored boot kicked her in the head, she wasn't surprised. She'd seen the shadow encroaching from the corner of her eyes. More accurately, her eye. One of her amber orbs was caked over with blood, and would not allow for any vision to pass through the sealed lid.
"Get up." The gruff command was not nearly as harsh as she had expected. This she took to mean that while she needed to rise, it did not require extreme haste. Setting her teeth, she pushed with shaky arms off the shifting sands. "That was foolish of you."
"Yes, Messere," Hawke tilted her head down, but did not flinch away from the long fingers that brushed through the matted locks that stuck to her face.
"You're being reckless." Marian chose not to answer that comment, as it was a statement and not a question. She had been reckless. She had thought to demolish the spider's nest with one well placed, massive, fireball.
It had worked.
The nest was destroyed. The larva, and large spiders that tended them, roasted to a cinder in the heat she'd conjured. However, that did nothing to brood mother who stood apart. Her massive body was clinging to the ceiling above Marian's head, hidden in shadow. She'd been too focused to even notice the creature hiding in the stalagmites of the cave. Her fire had drawn it's eyes, and she had not seen it coming.
It crashed down on her, one sharp and speared leg gashing a long cut across her temple. She had thought it had taken her eye. She could no longer see out of the thing. She tried to summon up a shield of ice to block the following blow as the creature spun and screeched in fury. The spell sputtered, ice forming crystals about the earth in front of her, but they did not turn into the sharp, freezing blades she had tried to form. The beast was on her, it's fangs spreading wide to expose it's many teethed mouth.
She thought she was dead.
A flash of white light, and the creature froze in that pose, it's massive body paralyzed in the position of a killing blow. Dropping and rolling to the side, Marian, took a breath, and yelled in anger as she whipped her staff around, a storm of ice shards impaling the creature until nothing but a sticky pile of green goo remained.
"You were suppose to stay within my sight at all times in the caves."
"I apologize," Marian resisted the urge to sigh as the warm blue light relieve the pain that had engulfed her head.
"Yes, and if you die, who is to pay me back for all the training I've given you?" Vivianna remarked, agitation clearly present on her tone. When she pulled away, Marian was not left for long until a moist cloth was shoved against her coated eye. Taking the cloth, the young Hawke wiped away the sticky mess that was her face.
"I'm sure my father could afford to pay you something for all your efforts," Marian shrugged, as she stood gingerly on her feet. Vivianna was a marvelous healer, but she had been careful to only heal the wound on her pupil's head. She wanted Marian to heal her body herself. That, or to feel the pain of her stupidity. Probably both, Marian reasoned.
Vivianna was a conundrum to the younger mage. When she had first met the woman, it was near the guard towers of the gates. She had been chewing out one guard for not standing as crisply to attention as she liked. Though she seemed to view giving the guard a good tongue lashing as a very important duty, it was with a chagrined face that she accepted the letter from Marian's hands.
From there, their friendship began!
"If you ever do something so stupid again, I will let the spider, wolf, or dark spawn get a nice mouthful before I decide if I'm going to help your dim-witted Ferelden ass out."
...Or not?
"Yes, Messere," Marian bowed, trying to keep as practiced a blank face as Leto had so often given her. She was nowhere near his skill though, for Vivianna gave her a skeptical look, before turning her silvery mane of hair away in a huff.
Using her staff as a crutch, Marian began to follow her Master off the beach. Vivianna stopped, and quickly turned. Marian expected it now, unlike the million other times it had caught her off guard. She ducked to the side, but her body was not as limber as it should have been. The force push spell slammed into her shoulder, spinning her about and knocking her off her feet.
"Hey, that was cheap. I'm injured," Marian pouted as she clutched her shoulder.
"Then heal your blighted self! No apprentice of mine will ever be caught limping back into the city. Especially not after such a simple thing as killing a spider!" Vivanna shot the last out over her shoulder as she stormed off the sandy beach back toward the path that, eventually, lead to the city.
Sighing, Marian knew she couldn't delay. She would have to heal herself quickly, unless she wanted to brave the return trip alone. Focusing on the staff in her hand, Marian tried to push the healing magic out before pulling it back in. It was a difficult enough thing to heal your own wounds, but for her it held an extra level of challenge. She was still trying to focus the control on her mana. If she released too much power too quickly, she had just as much of a chance of burning her flesh as she did healing it. Given how often she became injured now, she'd found that directing the spell out before taking it back in helped her to control its strength... somewhat.
She hissed slightly, as her ribs burned under her concentration. The pain a reminder she was still learning. Finishing, she stumbling back to her feet. Marian moved to quickly follow after the disappearing Battle Mage's form.
Vivianna shimmered in the sun's rays, or that's how best she thought to describe it. The mage wore silver plated pauldron with her black robes. The cloth shimmered as much as the metal, an icy enchantment upon the cloth reflecting the light of the sun. Her appearance was a striking thing to behold, with her silver hair and ice blue eyes. It also made of an easy figure to follow from a distance, Marian thought as she chuckled to herself. She hurried to keep a close, but safe distance from her master.
She didn't know if she liked the older mage, didn't know if she even respected her, but she was learning. Quickly too. Her spells, as it apparently turned out, were wasting energy they did not need to. Vivianna had described it to her as a bucket being filled past the brim. Her magic would splash out, wildly sometimes.
That was not the problem she had just encountered though. Her magic had failed her against the giant spider. That didn't happen to her often, but it did happen, and the notion scared Marian. Her magic could wax and wane if she did not learn to control it. She could cast extremely strong spells, then much weaker ones would follow. She had expended much when she cast the fire ball. However, she'd never had her magic fail so utterly. Even now she could see the spider's fangs poised to rip her head clean from her body, and a shiver followed the image down her spine.
"Have you figured it out yet?" Vivianna's usually harsh voice asked placidly, startling Marian from her ravine. She hadn't noticed the Battle Mage halting to wait for her.
"I did use a lot of magic for the fireball. Even still, I don't see how..." Marian about swallowed her tongue when the older woman laughed heartily at her.
"Fireball?" Vivianna burst out laughing again, this time clutching her stomach as it seemed to pain her. "My, my dear, naive little apprentice! What you cast was more aptly called a Firestorm." Vivianna continued to chuckle, wiping tears from her pale blue eyes. "Oh, please, that was too good. As a reward, I shall tell you what you did wrong."
"I know what I did wrong," Marian frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest at being the butt of a joke. Vivianna came up to her, slipped a long finger under Marian's chin and tilted it up to keep a clear gaze on Marian's amber eyes.
"You were afraid." Vivianna all but whispered, watching her student's eyes as it sunk in.
"I, I wasn't~" Her protest died on her lips as Vivianna released her, a knowing smirk on her painted lips.
"You were," She continued as they walked the last of the path that lead to the northern city gate. "You had every cause to be. Don't let it happen again."
Marian swallowed at the unspoken threat in that commanding statement. To never be afraid? How was she to follow that command? When they entered the city, Vivianna dismissed her for the day, and Marian gladly took her leave.
It had been almost two years since they had come to the Imperium, and Marian was still unsure of herself as she walked it's streets. She spoke the language now, and though she sometimes could do a social blunder, those moments had lessened some. The guards would give her a nod as she passed, either as acknowledgment of her apprenticeship under Vivianna, or as a warning that they were keeping their eye on her. She did not know how to take the action yet.
Nearly two years, and she had made no friends in the guards she worked with, nor with the mages in the city. She knew people, that was true enough, but Marian was acutely aware of how isolated she had become. The guards would not relax around her because she was the apprentice to their boss. The mages, Marian was somewhat grateful for, had kept their distance.
She had, somehow, built an amazing reputation in the city as a very promising, powerful mage. One who caught the eye of a Magister. This had caused everything from jealousy, fear, scorn, and anger to be directed in her direction whenever she crossed another mage's path. That was not very often, though, because Marian spent most of her time out of the city with Vivianna on patrols.
Even as she walked to the Arcane Halls, Marian shoved her hands into the pockets of her robes. She hated coming here, but she did so every day, minus the weekends.
"Marian!" Sky blue eyes, warm and full of love, greeted her at the steps of the Hall. Bethany who had been chatting with Hadriana, bounced down the stone steps. Marian tried not to frown at the woman who had been talking with her sister, when Bethany's arms flew around her. She was quickly swallowed up in her sister's embrace. Grinning at the eager greeting, Marian, brought her hand up to her sister's hair and ruffled it as she pressed her forehead down to her sister's in their shared greeting.
"Well, hello," was all Marian was able to get out before Bethany shrieked in her face.
"What happened to you sister?! All that blood!" Marian took a moment to look at the large red stain that had spilled over the collar of her robes and onto her shoulder.
"I'm fine," The elder girl tried to separate herself form the hands that had begun to search her up and down for injures. "A little scratch. Already healed up too, so stop that!" Turning her eyes about the gates to the school, Marian found the eyes of many directed at the two of them. Including the lavender gaze of Hadriana. She tried her best to hide her distain of the other woman's attention when the blood drained from her face. Bethany had managed to grabbed the attention of not just some of the young students about the Halls, but all of them. Grabbing Bethany's hand, she tugged the girl away from the school as she felt the blood return, a blush staining her cheeks.
"You were injured," Bethany's voice was stern, like their mother's, which only made Marian sigh in defeat.
"Yes, but I am alright now," Marian turned and raised a finger to Bethany's pursed lips. "Do me a favor, and do not mention it to Father, or Mother. They might worry, and without cause. I can assure you of that."
"Yeah right," Bethany snorted in disbelief, folding her arms in defiance of the request.
"Please?"
"Okay, fine," Her sister yielded. "But, you will never be able to fool them showing up like that. Your robe has a very nice bloody patch that drips halfway down your chest."
"Right..." Marian blinked, evaluating the garment carefully. "I could try jumping into the sea maybe? Or, maybe stop by ports. See if Varric's shop doesn't have anything I could buy..."
"If you show up to that dwarf, looking like that, our father will be the first person he visits."
"Maybe," Marian rubbed her chin, trying to decide if 'that dwarf' would turn her in so callously.
In the past, he had. The first day she had met him, and she had nearly taken a slaver's head off. Of course, there was no way for her to know that the trade merchant from Kirkwall, Varric, would be the very person her father had gained his employment from. Another consideration was that Varric did not know her very well either back then. Things were a little different now.
"I know you like that dwarf, Marian, but it would be folly to see him if you meant to hide that from Father," Bethany chided, apparently reading her mind.
"I don't see another option, really. If nothing else, he may have a good way to get the blood out."
"Of course he would," Bethany nodded, "since he's no pacifist. Anyone who deals in that much weaponry surely must know how to take out the stains of blood."
Marian couldn't tell if that was admonishment or praise from her sister, so she let it go. She rather wanted to salvage the robes she owned, so decided that a visit to the port would be a good idea.
"I'm not going down to that stinky place," Bethany scrunched up her nose at the notion of it, once more reading her sister's intentions. "I'll head home."
"I'm not leaving you," Marian balked, her jaw dropping open at the notion of it.
"I'll be fine," Bethany remarked, raising her hands and letting a crackle of lightening dance between her splayed fingertips. "Let someone try to pick on little old me, and I'll show them the might of a mage!"
Marian reached out without hesitation, grasping the hands that shocked her as she grasped them. Bethany shrieked once more, then time for the quickly reddening, burnt flesh of her sister's hands. Marian held her sister's hands until she stilled. Her eyes focused into the clear blue one's before her.
"Don't say such things." Holding onto her sister's hands, she pulled the younger girl down the streets as she made her way toward Dolan's estate.
"Why would you do that?" Bethany was angry, but she did not pull against the grip that held her firmly as Marian maintained the brisk walk. "Why did you make me hurt you?"
"Magic can hurt those around you. Friend or foe." Marian found herself quoting her father's words. Bethany didn't say anything in response, but a warm and relaxing heat eased into the tender, burnt flesh that had suffered under the cause of making a point.
When they reached the house, Marian ushered her sister towards the door. Turning, she took one step away from the gates of the estate, ready to leave for the docks.
"Messeres!" A bright and cheerful voice paused Marian in her steps, causing a strained smile to pull her lips taunt. It wasn't that she didn't welcome Varania's enthusiastic greetings, but she knew there was no way she could hide the stained bloody robes from her either. Turning slowly, Marian pressed a finger to her lips, silently pleading with the girl to keep quiet. The sight of herself must have been truly ghastly though. Varania's face went pale as a sheet, her fingers going to her lips as she silently screamed in horror.
"That's some trick," Bethany admired, before quickly tapping her fist into her palm. "Oh! Why don't you just hide out in the kitchens or something? I'll bring down a change of clothes, and you won't look such a mess when you enter the house."
"Well that is easier," Marian thought, her eyes trying to take in the view of her blood covered shoulder. A splashing sound drew Marian's gaze back up only to find another had joined the ranks of people who thought she looked like walking death. "Hello, Leto."
"Is that your blood?" He asked. Bethany laughed at the comment before she dashed into the house.
"Well yes, it is. Was. It's stopped now. The result of an unfortunate encounter today in the spider caves. Hey," Marian smiled, moving off the front of the house to hide away in the gardens, "you should have seen the other guy!"
"It was a man who did this?" Leto asked as he and Varania followed her retreating form, his brow pinching into a very noticeable frown. Marian was taken aback by it, only because he had broken the very schooled and placid look he so strenuously maintained. She found herself often trying to find ways to get that very stoic expression to lift, and here she hadn't even been try!
"No, not a man. Not as such," Marian blushed, rubbing a hand through her hair. Her fingers found and began fiddling with the red ribbon that had fortunately been on the other side of her head. It would have been destroyed, much like her flesh, if it was on her left. "A spider." When Leto gave her a quizzically raised brow. Catching the look, she raised her arms wide, "No, you don't understand. It was huge! Biggest spider I've ever seen. Fell right down on top of me."
"Does your Mage Master find this kind of training... Fruitful?" Leto asked, his arms crossing in front of his chest as Varania cautiously examined Marian's head.
"Don't worry. She gave me a good boot to the head too. I'm well reminded of how stupid I was today," Marian said the last as she felt her face being turned around to face Varania.
"Do you hurt? Do you need some tea? I know something that easies pain."
"Varania~" Leto gave an unspoken warning, which only brought Marian's attention onto the comment more.
"Why would you know such a thing?" Marian asked, blatantly now ignoring the angered elf farther away.
"Leto sometimes needs~"
"Enough! It is obvious that she is fine. You needn't dote so on her, Sister."
"Hey, maybe I like having her dote on me? Makes me feel special," Marian smiled as his scowl deepened. Yes, once his mask broke it was much more fun to poke at him, "Anyways, I don't need any tea Varania. Some water would be nice though. Also," her finger gestured to her robes, "you wouldn't know a way to get blood out, would you?"
"Oh, yes, indeed I have some soaps that will lift it out if I applied while it's still wet."
"Do I even want to know?" Marian asked, her frown returning the one she was receiving from Leto. He had the decency to look away at that, but he still cursed under his breath.
Twice Marian had patched him up, from goodness knows what. The first night, shortly after coming to Minrathous. Then again, just a couple months ago. What bothered Marian, was that the injures seemed to have been even worse than before. In addition, when she healed him, she felt old injures hiding under the fresh ones. She didn't ask permission, nor bother to inform him that she'd healed those as well. As well as she could. He'd looked pale when she'd finished, pain written in his eyes, but he never complained. The next day though, he looked better than he had in months.
It worried Marian, because she worried that she would end up on the other side of Leto one day. She had joined the city guard, and Leto was doing something which sustained severe injuries. Injuries he kept hidden. She hated to think about it, and was grateful that all her training and work thus far had been patrols outside the city. The Battle Mages worked with the guards, but they focused on protecting the lands outside the city. The city itself was protected by the mundane guards. The reason, Marian gathered, was because it would be rather destructive to have mage enforcers in the city walls.
The other part that worried her, and one she took great pains to hide, was that she liked the tall, tanned elf. Casting a glance toward Leto, she felt herself flush under his scrutinizing gaze. Pulling away from Varania, she turned from the two elves, rubbing her face in her hands.
Logically, she knew she shouldn't entertain the attraction she had developed over the last year. Her body did not listen to logic though, and she more often was feeling the butterflies in her stomach when she talked with him. Her blush was starting to become a permanent feature, and by the Void it was frustrating! The logical part told her that Leto was a slave, and her family would never approve. The other part of her knew she didn't care. She didn't see either Leto or Varania a slaves.
They were the only two people she considered friends in the city.
"Pst!" Marian looked up, spying Bethany from a window above. Bethany grinned, tossing a fresh robe out the window towards Marian. Catching the bundle, Marian, set the robe down on the stone seat near the fountain as she began to remove her outer robe.
"Mistress!" Marian paused, a quizzical look at Varania. To her surprise, both Varania and Leto were blushing a bring red. Varania's eyes were like large green saucers, though Leto had turned his face away.
"I've got an under garment on," Marian said, trying to understand what was causing this reaction from the two elves.
"You're a young lady. It is improper to expose yourself so!" Varania exclaimed.
"Ah," Marian quirked a brow at the elf, tempted to state that she wasn't a 'lady' as so proclaimed.
"You should take to the stables," Leto's rough, agitated voice came from behind Varania. He still maintained his face turned to the side, his eyes finding something in the distance to fixate on. "You should not expose yourself in the open."
Marian frowned, but given that she was out numbered, she held back the protest against her questioned propriety. She did have an under garment robe under the outer coat. Taking the clothing, she went to the stables, and changed in the view of two mares and a goat.
When she returned, Varania took her soiled robes, quickly taking them away for cleaning.
"You should be more careful," Leto commented, his hands holding the now empty bucket he had dropped when he's first seen her.
"I am careful," Marian gave a lopsided smirk.
"This is not the first time you've returned injured," Leto frowned, coming beside her to give her the full brunt of his scowl.
"You're one to talk," Marian returned, her brow pinching in her own disapproval.
They stood next to each other, identical expressions held for the other. It wasn't until Marian realized that she could feel the heat of his body that she turned, moving away from him. Turning away, she quickly walked to the side entrance of the estate. She rather hated the flush her face tented to take in his presence. Especially when it made her feign defeat.
Carver returned home later that evening with their father. His short sword had been traded in last year for a broad sword. It looked almost too big for his still growing frame, but he took to the weapon eagerly. Marian supposed it was the size of then thing that attracted her brother. Part of her wondered if it wasn't some form of compensation for other departments.
She was seated in the drawing room when they entered. Her mother sat with her, her fingers sewing an embellishment into one of Bethany's robes. She kissed Malcolm in greeting, her smile lighting up the room. "Welcome home, Love."
"Aye, but it is not our home," Malcolm smiled kindly to his wife. "By week's end, though, you may use that greeting properly."
"Oh, really?" Leandra beamed up at her husband. She jumped up, wrapping arms around his neck when he nodded at her question. Marian looked up from her book, her jaw unhinged slightly at the announcement.
"Father and I have been checking out homes for rent along the docks," Carver announced with a smile. His eyes dancing to Marian for a moment before returning to his mother. The announcement earned a worried expression from Leandra.
"Oh, Malcolm, the docks?"
"Now, now, my love. We've been looking for over a year in the trade district with no luck. Property is cheaper near the docks. Besides, we have trespassed upon my friend's hospitality for long enough."
Leandra frowned, but did not protest. Marian returned her attention to the book in her lap as Malcolm tried to lay out the positive points of their future residence. Though she looked at the words, she could not focus on them.
She did not want to live by the docks of the city. The slave's warehouse was there, as were most of the slavers. She had nearly killed one when she first came to the city. With her magic even more powerful now, who is to say that she wouldn't succeed this time? Besides, if they left, she would lose the two friends she had. It wasn't until she saw a drop of water splash on the page that she realized her eyes had welled with tears. Quickly wiping away at the page, then at her face, Marian closed the book and slipped out of the drawing room.
In her heightened emotions, she did not realize that Carver had followed her until she reached her room. "We're doing this for you." His voice made her pause, her hand rested on the door's handle.
"What?" It was the only word should could bring herself to say, as she tried to bottle in the emotions that threatened to spill out of her eyes. Carver drew closer to her, his height finally over taking hers with his last growth spurt.
"Father didn't tell you?" Carver gave her a skeptical look until he read the confusion in her face. "Our host offered to let us stay indefinitely."
"What? But, Father just said~"
"On the condition that we become his family." Marian, still not following, frowned in confusion at her brother's leading tone. "By the Maker, Marian. He wanted to marry you!" Marian's feet lost their balance, her body falling into the door for support at the announcement.
"What?! No, that can't be." Marian's head swam, trying to recall any indication that Artamus would have had such an intention toward her. Carver gave her a nod, before putting a hand on her shoulder to help steady her shaking frame.
"Don't worry, Sis. It's not going to happen." Carver gave her a confident grin, before leaving her to stand dumbfounded in the hall.
TBC~
Disclaimer: Dragon Age and all of its character's and places are property of BioWare and the respective copyright holders. OC(s) Include Artamus Dolan, and (sorta) Anitra.
Author's Note:
I debating on doing another chapter for the previous time frame, but deemed it unnecessary. I wanted to move ahead, and felt it was time. In addition, I really want to get into the Leto/Fenris/Hawke aspect of this story. Thankfully, will be more prevalent in the next chapters. Plot bunnies allowing. There's a lot of events that will be happening very quickly. I have the first arch of this story planned out, but I cannot say how long it will take to get there. I hope you enjoy the ride :)
