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"Her hair, it's not natural. I simply do not know what Lord Richomme sees in it. Clearly, it's some demon essence she has been cursed with..."
"The scars on her back are unsightly! She should cover herself up!"
"Doesn't she look exquisite in that white gown? It completely emphasizes the radiant colors of her hair!"
"She would be prettier if she smiled…"
These were snippets of conversation that I'd heard while walking around the exceptionally well kept garden where this needlessly extravagant party was being held. Flowers and trees that were clearly not native to the land bloomed and stood in the most expertly placed positions so as to create the best atmosphere. I was doing my best to avoid all the party guests the minute after I arrived. I had no desire to talk and make idle conversation with these people who meant nothing to me, doubly so since I didn't want to make a fool of myself with my utter lack of knowledge on hardly anything. If worse came to worse, I suppose I could always lecture them on the fine art of explosives…
As I walked the perimeter of the enclosed area, I searched for the best way to escape this gilded cage I'd been placed in. I had to warn everyone that there was a very real possibility of an assassin making an attempt on all their lives should they make an effort to find and help me. Unfortunately, the walls were too high and smooth to make a realistic attempt at scaling the wall, and every entrance had at least four guards stationed there. With no weapons of my own (the elven assassin had taken my only dagger), I didn't stand a chance at fighting my way out. Although to be fair even if I did have a weapon or two, my lack of experience with them would only make it a foolish attempt at best.
Speaking of the assassin, I was also doing my best to find him as he has been absent for quite a substantial period of time that I was beginning to get worried about where he might be and what he might be doing. Especially after he told me that he was going to kill the only people I cared about in this whole world. My stomach twisted uncomfortably at the image of seeing their dead bodies lying in the middle of the street, eyes staring straight ahead as they were covered in their own blood.
Assuming they even truly cared about me in the first place. Assuming that they were making an effort to look for me. Assuming they didn't see it as a burden lifted from their shoulders.
A helpless, defenceless girl finally gone from their worries. I added nothing to the team, essentially I was worthless, nothing but dead weight holding them back. A deep sadness settled itself in my chest. I had seen the disappointment and disapproval in all of their faces the night The Iron Bull had announced my joining. They were probably glad I was gone.
Breathing deeply, I fought off tears and reached behind my head and did my best to rub my aching scars and ease the discomfort but the tight dress restricted my movements too much for me to have much success.
"Would you like some help with that?" the lilting voice of Zevran purred from the shade of a tree covered in pink blossoms. My head snapped in his direction and with purpose I strode towards him,
"You, there you are!" I exclaimed hoarsely and I stomped towards him. His face lit up with a sideways smile and a mischievous glint in his brown eyes.
"Oh, you were looking for me? I didn't realize you desired my company so. What can I do for you? To you?" he offered and I scowled at him while I rolled my eyes and dragged him further into the bush where we would be away from the prying eyes of the party guests.
"I don't desire your company, but I have to know have you… have you…" I swallowed thickly to try and clear my throat but no matter how much I tried, I couldn't force the question past my lips. As if saying it would make it more real.
"Killed them yet?" He filled in and I could only nod as I stared up at him with dread on my face. My breathing came shallowly and quickly, "Mmmm, no, not yet. Although they are beginning to cause quite the fuss over you. Especially the one blonde haired boy, he seems quite determined to find out where you disappeared to." Gaelic, he had to be talking about Gaelic. I breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that they were still safe for now, "I may also have to up the price for the Qunari, he is quite large, even by their standards. He may be harder to kill than I previously thought."
They… they were searching for me. Actively searching for me. Making a fuss he said? My heart soared with joy. Well, it did for a moment, at least, until I remembered that if they caused too much of a fuss, this one in front of me was in charge of ending it. Permanently.
"What would it take to make you rescind the contract on their lives?" I asked, my voice laced with steel.
"All of them?"
"All of them." He grinned widely and looked me up and down. I stood straight, with my chin held high refusing to show weakness under his gaze.
"What are you offering?"
"Anything."
"Anything?" he clarified incredulous as he leaned against the same pink flowered tree. I swallowed hard once I'd realized the implication of what I'd just said. Now that I'd said it, however, I had to stick to it. No price was too high if it meant saving the lives of my friends. Sophi's face flashed in front of my eyes as I remembered how I'd given into the fear of the whip and refused to demand to know where she was. Hypocrite. My mind hissed as my scars burned in reminder,
"Anything." With an appraising look he pushed away from the tree and approached me. I did my best to stand my ground and not give him even one inch. That became more difficult when a hand appeared on my back in between my shoulder blades and started to trace the length of a scar.
"That is quite the offer indeed and a very high price to meet, I must add. I do not think you will be able to pay it all at once, but I suppose we could start with the story behind these rather gruesome scars." A teasing note in his voice suggested that he thought it was bedtime fun time gone too far. I pulled out of his reach and turned to face him fully,
"I was captured by Tevinter slavers along with…" I swallowed past another lump that had formed in my throat, "…a friend. She didn't make it. When I tried to escape, they tied me to a tree and decided to lay open my back with a whip. It was to 'teach me respect for my superiors'." I sharpened my glance into a glare, "It was also her backpack you left in the alleyway after you kidnapped me. The only memento I had of my one friend and you dumped it in a dirty, random alley." Zevran at least had the decency to look ashamed when he realized it wasn't just my backpack he had failed to retrieve after our first scuffle.
"I suppose that does explain why you were so passionately angry with me over it, but you do know that she's gone, yes? You can't just keep holding onto her forever. That kind of sentimentality will get you killed, Lashes." There was a beat of silence before my brain kicked in and registered what he'd just called me with that disgusting smirk on his face.
"L-Lashes?" I cried utterly flabbergasted at his nickname that he'd so thoughtlessly given me. The smirk widened into a shit eating grin at my reaction,
"Yes, Lashes, as in the lash marks on your back. Clever, no? It suits you as a very striking woman."
"Striking?! Lashes?! You- you insufferable— bastard!" I practically screamed at the elven man who even had the nerve to start snickering to himself and I hated that a small part of me actually enjoyed that pun.
"Oh come now, you liked it, even I can see that. Plain as the nose on your face." Zevran teased me and for added measure even poked my nose with the tip of his finger, which I swatted away.
"So do we have a deal or not?" I demanded changing the subject off the topic of my new nickname that I hoped to God wouldn't stick. The elf became serious once again (much to my surprise) and once again gave me an analytical stare. He was obviously weighing the pros and cons of this possible arrangement and what it would mean for his income. I didn't have any money to offer in the place of the Lord Runny-comb or whatever the hell he called himself, and I had no doubt that he knew that since my only possession he'd left in the dirty alleyway, "You also owe me for the loss of my deceased friend's bag." I added as an extra negotiating point and I saw his eyes fly open,
"What? That is preposterous!"
"Yup, oh and we also can't forget that you assaulted me in an alleyway. Threw me to the ground if I remember correctly and then placed yourself on top of me. Without my consent, I might add." I continued as I crossed my arms over my chest. I couldn't help the dark smirk that threatened to upturn the corners of my mouth at his flabbergasted expression. Oh yes, I was enjoying this very much.
"What I would never—!" I cut him off before he could continue past that part of his defence. I was on a roll now, and I refused to stop for anything,
"Then you started saying a bunch of dirty things to me which completely besmirched my honor, and I don't think the proprietor of such an extravagant estate would like to hear you defiled his most precious possession. In fact, he might be so offended, he himself would rescind the contract and then you'd be left high a dry." I clucked my tongue and brought a hand to rest under my chin as I watched the realization dawn on his features, "And what about the rest of these very wealthy people here? No doubt they too would hear about the quality of your services, now that wouldn't be good now would it?" I stared him down as his brows drew into a frown and his mouth gaped like a fish gasping for air. The dark smirk I'd been resisting until now, curled my lips upwards as he floundered for a response that just wouldn't come, "It's called a hustle, sweetheart. Now do we have a deal or not?"
"You play a dirty game, minx." He responded coolly but his eyes sparkled with a newfound respect that hadn't been there before as he held a hand out towards me, "Very well then, we have a deal." I gripped his hand in mine and we shook on it.
Once I'd served my usefulness of being an attraction and the party was over, I was once again herded back to my rooms and the chain was put back on my ankle. This time was significantly more difficult, however, since I was awake and fought against being put in a restraint. I kicked and punched at everyone that came near my feet. Eventually they did get me back into the chain, but it took five of them to do so, one of them at each of my limbs, and then the last one to actually put the clasp on my ankle. There were a few bloody noses and split lips by the time the loop of metal was finally on my leg. I could tell that more than one of them wanted to hit me back, but obviously they were under strict orders not to touch me. Therefore, I used my advantage to its fullest. Chained like an animal once again, the guards charged with caging me left and I was alone with my thoughts.
The female servants from before had taken the courtesy of removing the heavy and restricting dress from my person before they handed me back over to the guards who were then in charge of chaining me back to the bed post. So now I was dressed in a thin, flimsy nightgown that was baggy in all the places I had no desire for it to be baggy in. I felt more covered in a bikini than this supposedly modest piece of clothing. Sure it had a high neckline, long sleeves and reached the floor but after the high neckline, it was practically only a tent and barely touched my body after the shelf of my bust. Modest my ass.
Zevran, I hoped, was out finding where Sophi's backpack was as per our agreement but I couldn't be sure. The sun was going down, casting the room in various shades of orange and red. The large window, which was actually a double door to a small balcony, faced into the town from the tallest tower in the large estate. Figures I was in the highest room of the tallest tower; it was so cliché it physically hurt. Although I couldn't deny it was a fantastic view, I could see everything from the port, to the now emptying streets— I shot to the glass as fast as my legs could carry me when I saw something that gave me hope.
There down one of the large roads.
A big hulking figure towering above everyone else.
I grinned.
He also had horns.
I had to find a way to get a message to them. Let them know where I was.
Banging on the glass to get their attention was my first thought, but that was more likely to attract the attention of the people in the household than the Chargers.
My second thought was to scream from the balcony at the top of my lungs and wave my arms like a maniac hoping they would see me, but again that was more likely to gain the attention of the staff and guards here.
My third thought brought a devious smile to my face. Grabbing a couple of the blue candles spaced fairly evenly throughout the room, and a chair, I quickly got to work. The chair, I'd done my best to carry so it would not make any noise along the pristinely polished floor. Unfortunately, it was very heavy and I nearly dropped it once or twice on my way over to the doors. Step one was complete, now to move onto step two.
Blowing out the flame on one of the candles, I climbed on top of the chair and with a satisfying 'thwack' I smushed the melted end of the candle against the glass and dragged downwards in a straight line. My arm burned with the effort of it, but I knew it would be worth it in the end. I just had to remember to write backwards.
As each candle reached the dry wax, I had to stop and relight them so as to melt more and once again have them be useful to me. I learned quickly that it was best and easiest to always have a couple burning while I wrote with one. That way I would never run out of melted wax to use.
By the time I finally finished, I was sweating and panting from the exertion. My shoulder was sore and the scars on my back stung from being stretched so much, but it had been worth it as I stared at my completed message. I grinned proudly at my resourcefulness. The message wouldn't easily be seen by any guards patrolling the ground below my window due to the balcony. It had been silent enough that I hadn't had even the slightest disturbance from the staff and it was big enough (I hoped) to be seen from the town.
'Horns Up' was painted in blue, bold letters all across the window. Of course, for it to be properly read from the outside, I'd had to write it backwards and… goddammit, the 'S' was backwards…
I stepped down from the chair and admired my handiwork. It wasn't written as straight as I'd hoped it would be but it got the message across nonetheless and that was what mattered. Satisfied with my handiwork, I put the candles back on the holders and relit most of them to avoid suspicion of anything nefarious going on in my room. Unfortunately, that also meant stealthily moving the heavy chair once again. Struggling to get the solid piece of wood furniture back over to the desk where I found it proved to be just as hard as getting it over to the window in the first place. Thankfully I'd managed to quietly bring it back just as before.
With the sun having set now, the message had become much less noticeable so in an attempt to keep it as visible as possible, I closed the curtains which were colored gold on the outside and a beautiful royal blue on the inside. A shadow passed outside the doors and my heart skipped a beat in excitement. They found me already! The long haired silhouette sauntered towards the window until the meager light illuminated the face of my visitor. My elation spluttered out when I was able to see it wasn't any of the Chargers.
"You know if you're not careful, someone might actually think you want to leave, no?" Zevran quipped teasingly and I gave him a flat, unamused stare before I flicked the drapes closed cutting him off from view, "And still so cruel, little minx." His muffled voice cried dramatically from the opposite side of the glass. I paid him little heed however as I strode back towards the bed, my ankle chain clinking with every step. Hopefully he would learn to take the hint and leave me alone this time. Although considering his track record— a click of a latch opening caught my attention and I groaned exasperatedly as the double doors to the balcony swung open and then closed again.
"You just don't know when to take a hi—" I whined and turned around to be face to face with the elven assassin who was standing barely an inch from me. Suddenly I was very aware that I was wearing very little and I brought my arms up and crossed them over my chest. I took a step backwards and he took one to match me so we stayed the same distance apart, "Zevran… what are you doing?" I asked with a touch of fear to my voice when I saw the half lidded stare he was giving me, also the fact that he was standing so close was making me uncomfortable.
"Anything, I do believe you said, yes?" he lilted in a deeper and slightly throatier voice than usual. An expectant smirk curled his mouth upwards and I tried to take another step back. Jesus, clearly I hadn't thought this through enough. I'd only said 'anything' because I had been desperate to stop him from murdering the only people left that I care about.
"Well- I- y-yeah, but- I-" I stuttered as I continued to back up until I tripped over the edge of something soft. A panicked look backwards told me that I'd stumbled into the bed before two arms blocked off both escape routes to the sides. My breathing came hard and fast as I put all the pieces together and saw what he was intending to go through with. The candles in the room gave a half light to everything and shadowed the majority of his face as he bent over me and trapped me against the bed. I could still see the glint in his eyes that promised inappropriate adventures, just the thought of doing something like that here and now made my head spin, and not in a good way. "Zevran, no, not this." I stated in what I hoped was a firm and steady voice, but I couldn't be sure. The blonde elf raised an eyebrow questioningly,
"Would you prefer to start with a massage? It is quite pleasurable, I promise." He offered and my brows furrowed with confusion as he smirked wider turning it into more of a smile than anything.
"Ah see, the scars on my back, probably wouldn't like a massage. So I'm sorry but that's a big 'no' on whatever thoughts you have running through that dirty brain of yours." I said finally finding my voice after I'd scrambled on top of the bed and gained some distance between us. Thankfully, I'd managed to escape from him fast enough that he hadn't chased me this time. He sighed heavily and stared woefully up at me but it was slightly thrown off by the small smirk still present on his face.
"Oh you wound me, to be so thoroughly rejected by such a beautiful woman." Zevran lamented dramatically as he put a hand to his forehead and turned around to lay on his back on the plush comforter. He tilted his head back so he could look at me again, "May I lay my head in your bosom? I feel I may cry." A hand stretched towards me and I couldn't help the snort of amusement that escaped from my nose.
"What the fuck?" I blurted, completely confused but unable to contain my own grin. I covered it with my hand in an attempt to hide it. Unfortunately, he saw it before I could and he flipped around so he was resting on his forearms and grinning widely at me,
"And she's even more beautiful when she smiles. May I at least get a kiss from the lady for my services?" the grin dropped from my face as he joined me on the bed, nearly as close as he was before.
"Services? What services?"
"Why making sure your merry little band knows where to find you of course."
"You- you went out to find them?" I asked excitedly and scooted closer in my enthusiasm, my hair spilled over my shoulder and his eyes tracked the movement.
"Yes, I did. Although, to be honest, if I'd known you'd make such a marvelous display on the window such as you did, I might not have given as much of an effort." He explained and I felt my spirits soar for the first time since I'd met him. A genuine smile broke out on my face, which he returned, "It is wonderful to see her smile. Now about that kiss?" the elf persisted and tapped his cheek for emphasis as he settled himself more comfortably on the bed. I hesitated for a moment before deciding that it was only on the cheek, I suppose he deserved that much at least.
Just as I was about to make contact with his cheek, I felt fingers grasp my chin and at the last possible second, my lips made contact with another pair of lips. I squeaked with surprise and went to draw away until the hand at my chin moved to cup my face. His brown gaze locked onto my grey one and with almost a look of asking permission slowly his lips moved gently against mine and instead of pulling away, I ended up drawing closer. Responding to him I molded my lips to fit his better as my hands slowly reached up to twine in his hair falling over the back of his neck. It was surprisingly soft between my fingers. My eyes closed of their own accord as he pulled me towards him, a hand at the small of my back.
My instincts were screaming that this was wrong. This man kidnapped me and threatened to kill my friends if I didn't comply to stay with another man who treated and viewed me as property. I knew this was immoral and ill advised and if it were happening in a story I would likely be screaming at the girl to 'cut it out it isn't right' but as my arms wound around his neck and his around my waist, I found myself becoming lost in my emotions. It seemed like it had been so long since someone had shown this kind of desire for me that I was falling for every little touch and gesture. Although, when his hands slid down my back and under my rear, that's when I snapped back to reality.
"No, that's enough." I breathed and tried to extricate myself from his grip but he held fast as he let out a sigh. His eyes locked onto mine and he smirked devilishly and then slowly, he relinquished his hold on me.
"That wasn't so bad now was it?" he quipped teasingly and raised both his eyebrows, "In fact I think you rather enjoyed it, yes?" I could feel my face heat up as my spine straightened with indignity. I shoved a finger shaking with anger into his face,
"Don't put words—" I was cut off from what I was going to say when I heard the veranda doors swing open and a breeze from outside blew the curtains into the room. Zevran turned to face the possible threat entering the room, my heart stopped beating as footsteps sounded from behind the billowing fabric. A booted foot appeared in the space between the drape and the floor as the owner walked cautiously. Finally, from around the edge stepped, "Gaelic!" I cried happily and scrambled off the bed with the chain around my ankle clinking with every movement. I dodged around Zevran and launched myself at my friend. Wrapping my arms around him, I hugged him as tightly as I could.
"Arryn! I'm so glad to see that you're safe!" he exclaimed and I felt one of his arms wrap around me in return, "I suppose we have you to partially thank for this." Gaelic bit out bitterly towards I could only assume, Zevran.
"You shouldn't be thanking me too much, since in fact I'm the one who kidnapped her in the first place." He willingly admitted and I felt the arm around me tighten ever so slightly as the blonde man pushed me behind him. I tried to resist, but he'd caught me off guard and by the time I'd managed to figure out what he was doing, I was already on the other side of his body.
"You're also an Antivan Crow or you were. I recognize you from the last time you were in Denerim with the Hero."
"Oh? I don't remember trying seeing you there."
"I doubted you would, but you distracted the slavers trying to smuggle me out of the city long enough for me to escape from them. For that I suppose I owe you my life." At his admission of that piece of information, I glanced back up to the blonde elf who stood solid in front of me. He too had almost been a slave? My eyes were immediately drawn to his back, which I just realized, I'd never seen. Did he get whipped too, I couldn't help but wonder?
"Well in that case you are most welcome my friend. Glad I could be of assistance." Zevran quipped cheerfully,
"Although I cam curious, if you were the one to kidnap her in the first place, why are you helping us now? Why are you helping her now? What's in this for you?"
"Assuming that Lashes here has upheld her end of the deal, a continued reputation and possibility of employment. Quite the ruthless little minx you have there. If she'd had a knife I would have feared for my manhood, thankfully she did not."
"Don't call me that, that's not my name, you dick." I retorted hotly. I still didn't like that nickname he had given me. Those wounds were still too raw for me to make light of them yet. "But back on topic, Gaelic please tell me you brought me a change of clothes. If I have to leave wearing this or one of the ridiculously over-the-top dresses I'm going to have a fucking cow." I exclaimed,
"A cow?" repeated Zevran completely confused. I waved him off of an explanation and turned my attention back to my comrade still currently facing off the other elf,
"Lashes?" Gaelic mimicked as he pulled a bag off of his shoulder and handed it to me. Instantly I recognized it as Sophi's backpack. Elated I opened it and began to rifle through the contents. Hallelujah, there were realistic clothes! Dalish must have gone back to the seamstress to pick up the rest of the order.
"Yes, for the lash scars on her back. Fitting, no?" the tattooed man stated proudly, obviously pleased with himself, I merely rolled my eyes and continued to dig through the contents of the bag. There was a green tunic, white leggings that were the softest material I'd ever felt, and a pair of durable leather boots. Oh thank God, now I could get out of this ridiculous nightgown. With the window open it was beginning to get a bit chilly in here and pretty soon, it would be easy to see that I was cold. My ankle chain jingled mockingly when I went to move. Right, that would make changing significantly more difficult.
That's when I noticed the tense silence between the two men. They only had eyes for each other as they stared each other down. Gaelic fingered one of the daggers at his waist as Zevran rested his hands on his hips where I could only assume his own weapons lay. I couldn't see the expression of the one I had been made to use as a meat shield but the one across the room, to no one's surprise, was smirking confidently with triumph. He fell into a seemingly relaxed stance but I could see that he was anything but relaxed and if Gaelic were to suddenly make a move towards him, it would be a mistake.
"Don't be an ass, Zevran." I broke the hush and both of their stares turned to me. I breathed a small sigh of relief as the tension fizzled out, "Want to help me get out of this chain?" that seemed to break whatever was going on between them.
"Of course, let's get out of here Arryn." The green eyed elf acknowledged and unsheathing one of his knives, he bent down to get to the chain connecting me to the bed post.
"Don't ruin your weapon on sawing through that chain, my friend." The brown eyed elf spoke up and swaggered his way over to me. Gaelic put himself in between me and the assassin, "If I wanted to hurt her, I would have already. I have had more than ample opportunity to do so." The anger laced through his voice surprised me. Until now I hadn't thought he'd been capable of it, but obviously I'd been wrong and now a flicker of fear went through me. It also reminded me that this man was dangerous and I'd been careless letting my guard down around him. Plus, he was right, if he truly wanted to hurt me, he would have and there would have been nothing I could have done.
"Why do you want to help?" my friend questioned him with suspicion.
"It pains me to see such a beautiful woman chained against her will." The fake concern and dramatic response had me rolling my eyes.
"We both know if that was the whole truth Zevran, I would already be out of this chain. What are you wanting in return?" stepping out from behind my protector, I faced him myself and his small smirk turned into a full fledged grin as his eyes sparkled with barely concealed mischief.
"Normally my price would be a night alone with you to do whatever I wished," I blushed deeply and bit my lips to keep me from saying anything that would likely get myself in trouble. I was unable to hold his gaze as it roved over me with a heat I could feel on my skin, I could feel Gaelic shifting to stand in front of me again but I pushed him out of the way. Once I could feel the heat of Zevran's gaze return to my face I met his eyes once again. The fire that had been present before was dimmer now and I found I could hold his stare easily, "but I think I will take the time to think about my options." He then reached into a pocket and pulled out a key. The grin on his face let me know exactly which lock it opened and I could feel the indignation rise like the tide.
"You had that this whole time and you never thought to free me before now?!" I stage whispered since I didn't want to raise any sort of alarm outside this room. I swiped for the piece of metal in a very stereotypical key shape but he yanked it just out of my grip at the last possible second. Great, now he was going to be childish… I reached for it again with the same effect, "Goddammit! Give me the fucking key!" I cried and jumped this time, since he was taller than me and was now holding it above his head.
"But I am enjoying this far too much to do something so foolish." He replied grinning from ear to ear as he continued to dangle it above my head. I fumed at the elven assassin who derived mirth from my suffering. Although reacting this way was exactly what he wanted me to do. So doing my best to be calm, I crossed my arms over my chest and then with one hand held out expectantly, I gave him my best unimpressed glare. There was a moment or two of silence before the grin slowly faded a bit and he placed the warm hunk of metal into my palm.
"Thank you." I bent down towards my leg and after a moment of searching, I found the key hole. Inserting the key, I twisted it until I heard the telltale click of a lock opening and the heavy 'clank' of the thick metal band hitting the floor. Sighing with relief I massaged the damaged tissue that was red and raw from my struggles to get the metal off my ankle. Then I stood and grabbed the backpack which contained my change of clothes.
"INTRUDERS!" someone yelled from outside my window and at the noise, all of us turned to the open door where high activity could be heard. Gaelic cursed under his breath,
"Fenharel's Teeth, we took too long. They noticed the missing guards. Come on Arryn, we have to go." He insisted and grabbed my hand. I yanked it back out of his grip,
"No, if you think I'm just going to sneak out of here without giving the piece of shit who ordered my kidnapping a piece of my mind, then you got another thing coming, Gaelic." Steel laced my tone and I set my most determined and stubborn glare straight at him.
"Yes, that's the spirit! Show him who the boss is, yes? I love this energy, little minx!" Zevran cut in excitedly and my comrade gave the other elf an unimpressed glare. Of course, the tattooed man took this as a challenge and stepped closer to me, "But if you would like to run off with your tail between your legs like one of the dogs these Fereldens love so much, I think I would be more than enough to protect her. After all, it was in your care that she got kidnapped in the first place wasn't it, yes?" at the utterance of those words, a dagger glinted in the moonlight and the harsh sound of iron sliding against iron tore through the air.
"I dare you to repeat that, Crow." Gaelic grit out between clenched teeth, "The only reason I haven't tried to kill you already is because you helped us find Arryn, even if you're the reason why she disappeared in the first place." He got a little closer and pressed harder against the dagger aimed at Zevran's throat that he had blocked at the very last second with his own knife, "You can slander me all you wish, but if you ever slander our Chief like that again, I'll tear you limb from limb with my bare hands." I think this was the first time I've ever heard Gaelic angry, truly angry, possibly even enraged.
"Gaelic!" I reprimanded him as he did his best to get through Zevran's defence, but he paid me no heed.
"I only speak the truth, if you cannot handle it, perhaps you should return to the skirts of this 'Chief' you mentioned." Was the scathing retort, and I noticed his voice had just a little more strain than usual.
"Zevran!" neither of them responded to my calls until I stepped on the one's foot and elbowed the other in the gut, that got their attention easily enough, "Would you cut this shit out? we don't have time for the 'my dick is bigger than your dick' contest right now! Right now we need to—"
I was cut off by the door banging open with unnecessary force as a group of household guards barged their way inside, weapons drawn and at the ready. Oh shit. Was the only thought that flew through my mind a second before the front line charged at us, swords raised above their heads and a war cry on their lips.
I hope you enjoyed reading! Leave me a review with your thoughts, if you'd like, I'd love to hear them!
