A WINTER'S NIGHT
"This way, Commander."
Bronwen's heart was pounding as Nathaniel led her through the darkened alleys toward the Broken Sword. Her warm travelling clothes protected her from the cold but the snow was falling heavily and she pulled her thick fur cloak tightly around her body to protect the baby she carried in her arms from the chilling elements.
Earlier, when Arianne had admitted the roguish Warden to her chambers, she had felt such a surge of emotion that she could barely stand. When he told her that Arainai was here and waiting for her, she had all but torn the gown from her body and thrown on some comfortable lined leathers and a stout pair of boots.
She had eyed her sword speculatively, but then decided against it. It was not like they were expecting any trouble but just to be safe, she slid the enchanted short blade of the Voice of Velvet into a sheath at her belt and then gathered up Alexander from his crib and wrapped him in his favourite woollen blanket.
Looking at her son as they hurried past broken down warehouses and empty ramshackle buildings, she noticed that Alexander looked more and more like his father every day, especially when he smiled.
True, he did have her raven hair and a certain stockiness to his small frame, but in that wondrous expression there was just that hint of cheekiness and love of life that she was sure would blossom into the same charming, self-assured confidence that made both men and women fall unashamedly at Zevran's feet.
In fact, with that smile he was bound to try and charm his way out of trouble when he was older, he was certainly going to be a handful and that was for sure!
Sighing happily, she cradled him against her breast and tried to calm her nerves. Her mind was full of words that crashed and jumbled against each other as she puzzled over just what she was going to say to Zev and what he might say to her.
Adding to her turmoil was a riptide of emotion that surged through her with an intensity she almost couldn't bear. The love and the passion that had been a burning ember deep within her for so long was now an inferno that blazed in her heart and made her yearn for his arms, ache for his kisses and the intimate comfort of his body.
Just the thought of giving herself to him and feeling his hands upon her left her breathless…
"Hsst." Nathaniel had dropped back a pace and though he appeared nonchalant, he walked beside her with his hand on his sword. "We're being followed."
Bronwen straightened visibly, the threat of danger pushing her pleasant musings to the back of her mind as her instincts took over.
"Bandits?" She whispered, pulling her son even closer as if to shield him from the very idea.
"I'm not sure." Nathaniel replied huskily. "I thought I saw someone earlier, but I couldn't be certain until now"
Bronwen grimaced as she took in the shacks around them, anyone could be hiding there and they wouldn't be seen until it was too late. She nervously fingered the enchanted dagger at her hip and chewed her lip thoughtfully. She hadn't expected to have to use it but by Andraste's Blood she would kill anyone who tried to harm a single hair on Alexander's head...
"Keep walking." She murmured softly to Nathaniel as her mind reached out to another consciousness. "I'm calling for aid…"
A form began to coalesce in the shadows of her mind and she connected with it as the threat seemed to loom ever more closely. Shared thoughts across the stream of consciousness conveyed the urgency of her situation to the form and it bared its teeth in response.
As her gaze once again focused on the darkened doorways ahead of her, she could see Shadow's lupine eyes watching her carefully as he appeared in the darkness. The great wolf shook himself as if to shrug off the effects of the summoning and then scented the air just ahead of them and his hackles rose.
There was indeed danger ahead.
Nathaniel felt rather than saw the reaction of the wolf and he drew his sword, the enchanted silverite blade gleaming brightly despite the blanket of cloud shielding the moon.
"Commander, do you think Arainai has betrayed us?" He muttered under his breath, stony eyes scanning the darkened recesses and hollow doorways through the veil of snow that hid more than they would have liked.
"No." She answered certainly, the blade of the Voice icing in her grasp as she slid it from its sheath. "I trust him with my life."
Suddenly the air was shattered by the shrill whistle of a crossbow bolt as it sped toward Nathaniel's chest. The dark rogue immediately dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding its deadly flight and then rolled to his feet as their attackers finally revealed themselves.
"Do you trust him with mine?" He retorted as he pushed himself ahead of her and shielded her with his body.
Several men, all dressed in darkest leather armour began to converge on their position, each carrying a weapon in his hands and a couple of them bearing shields without emblem.
"Assassins…" Hissed Nathaniel angrily.
"Back away from the woman, Grey Warden!" One of them called, a wicked looking thug with an axe in each of his hands. "We only want her and the child."
"Over my dead body." Nathaniel spat, pulling a long serrated dagger from his belt to compliment his sword.
"Have it your way."
The thug charged, but Nathaniel was faster. His sword flashed as he took both of the man's hands in one sweep of the blade and he collapsed, screaming in agony as his lifeblood pumped from the ruined stumps of his arms.
Another of the assassins charged at them, his sword swinging in a powerful arc as he sought to knock the troublesome rogue from his feet, but Shadow leaped from the cover of the doorway and pinned the man to the ground, tearing at his throat in a fatal attack that ended his life with a bone curdling scream.
Alexander began to wail at the strange noise and a third man tried to use the distraction to approach Bronwen from the side, but she lashed out with a booted foot smashing his kneecap and causing him to stumble into the snow. She stabbed the Voice viciously down into the back of his neck and his body turned to solid ice even as he fell.
"Stop!" Another voice called out in the darkness, only this time it belonged to a slender, chestnut- haired elven female with flashing green eyes. "Leave the Warden and Her Royal Highness to us!"
The remaining assassins looked on uncertainly as she stepped into their midst, carrying an ornate crossbow in her arms. With a lascivious smile she nodded her head to the left and Bronwen followed her gaze.
"Nathaniel…" She murmured, her eyes widening in fear.
A hulking brute of a qunari with long sweeping horns grinned maliciously as he advanced upon them swinging his great axe as if it weighed nothing more than a feather.
"By the Maker's mercy…!" Nathaniel exclaimed as he put himself between her and this new threat.
"Oh don't mind Brandt, Warden." The elf giggled, her laughter shrill and unsettling in the frozen air. "He won't kill her…well, until he's fucked her senseless anyway! He's never been inside royalty before!"
"You spoiling it, Eleena!" He growled in thickly accented Ferelden. "I was hoping to surprise her…you know how I enjoy it when they struggle!"
Bronwen felt sick with fear and for the first time in her life, somewhat defenceless. Without the child in her arms, she would have been free to attack without reservation and she felt certain that between her and Nathaniel, they could have ended the lives of all those present.
With Alexander nestled against her chest however, she was sick with worry for him and therefore utterly vulnerable.
The snow covered ground was too cold to lay him anywhere without risk and besides, there were too many armed men who might either snatch him up or kick him to death should they feel so inclined. To carry him as she attempted to fight alongside her companion was inviting harm to the boy and also gave her enemies an advantage as they knew that he would be her weakness.
As Alexander continued to bawl in her arms, she looked at Nathaniel with dread.
The noble Howe looked pale with fury and indignation, but he had set his jaw and merely glared at the qunari. She knew that deep down he would die before he let the vile beast touch her, but even then there were the others to worry about and their situation was becoming more desperate by the second.
"Just remember Brandt, don't start until I'm ready!" The elf woman Eleena called to the horned warrior as he licked his lips. "I get so lonely when you play without me!"
The qunari rubbed his crotch suggestively and Nathaniel snarled as he took another step toward them. When he risked a glance over his shoulder, Bronwen could see both determined acceptance and stoic resolution in his handsome face.
"The Broken Sword is just to the East, Commander. I suggest you run…"
"I'm not leaving you." She answered, without hesitation, holding the Voice before her to protect his flank.
"Then do it for you son." Nathaniel stated flatly as he returned his gaze to the qunari.
"They have crossbows, Nathaniel. I'll not get more than ten feet."
"Then Maker be with us, Commander."
She heard the hopeless frustration in his voice even as one of the swordsmen lunged for him and Nathaniel whirled on the man, his blades catching his attack as he lashed out at the man's legs.
It was all the distraction the qunari needed.
With a roar, he swung the greataxe in a devastating blow that would surely have decapitated her companion had Shadow not leapt through the air and threw him off balance.
The great wolf was a blur of teeth and claws as he frenziedly sought to end the life of the qunari, but suddenly there was another shrill whistle and then a yelp as a crossbow bolt buried itself in deep in Shadow's hindquarters.
Bronwen let out a cry and then swung angrily to face her wolf's attacker. The elf woman Eleena merely grinned and lowered her weapon before glowing with arcane light.
By Andraste's Holy sword…she was a mage….
The agonised howl from the great wolf as bolts of magical energy slammed into his side were cut off sharply as the qunari beneath him plunged a knife into his shaggy chest.
Beside her, Nathaniel fought with three men. One of them was already bleeding from a fatal wound and she cried out as another seemed to vanish only to reappear behind the noble Grey Warden.
The Voice sang in the snowy air as she plunged it deep into the back of the assassin and he crumpled, dead before he had even hit the ground as Nathaniel executed a devastating sweep that killed one of the other assassins and sent his associate scuttling backwards as a deep red gash appeared across his leather clad chest.
Bronwen suddenly cried out in alarm. The qunari had scrambled to his feet and charged at Nathaniel. Reacting quickly, the Howe Warden spun about and tried to sidestep his foe but the horned warrior was fast.
Too fast.
His solid forehead connected squarely with the Nathaniel's own brow and Bronwen watched helplessly as her companion turned as white as the falling snow. With a look of agonised regret, Nathaniel slumped to the ground as red blood began to cascade down his face.
His eyes were closed as the qunari leered over him and a cry of pure hate filled rage was ripped from Bronwen's lips as she lashed out at the horned warrior with her blade. He merely backhanded her with one of his mighty fists and her world exploded into darkness. A moment later, she realised she was sprawled upon the ground a few feet away with her babe lying just out of reach.
Panic and terror seized her as she realised Alexander was no longer crying and she desperately began to crawl to his side.
Suddenly, her body was wracked with numbing pain and she felt the tingle of arcane energy around her as Eleena unleashed yet another spell that held her in place. She struggled futilely against the magical paralysis and each attempt brought a fresh rush of pain that lanced through her body, but she had to keep trying…she had to reach Alexander…
She felt something seize her ankle and begin pulling her along on her back toward a rundown shack just ahead. She was practically flung into the corner as the effects of the spell began to wear off but as she tried to rise, she found herself staring up into the lust filled eyes of the qunari warrior.
"Now we play." He rumbled ominously, divesting himself of his weapons.
"Yes my warrior…" The elven woman purred as she appeared in the doorway cradling Alexander in her arms. "I believe that the contract stated that she was to suffer before her death, so take your time my love…make her bleed."
Sheer terror tore into Bronwen's heart and bowels as the qunari grabbed her by the throat and forced his face down to hers, licking and tasting her as if she was so much meat. His other hand strayed down to his breeches and Bronwen screamed as he began to tug at the laces, trying to free the iron hardness of his growing erection.
She tried to struggle, to fight…not for herself but for Alexander.
"Please…" She begged. "Please…my son…"
"Oh don't worry, Your Highness." Eleena crouched by her head and fixed her increasingly excited stare onto Bronwen's face as the qunari finally freed his member with a grunt. "He's quite safe for now. We were to do as we wished with the whelp and I think he'll bring a fine price in the Tevinter Slave Markets, don't you?"
The sound of his cries as the elf began to laugh brought a measure of relief as she realised her son was alive, but it was a short lived reprieve as the qunari was now tugging down her leather pants and trying to force his tongue into her mouth. Fear and outrage gave her strength and Bronwen bit deeply into its meaty surface.
Then her world exploded into pain as he smashed his fist into her cheekbone.
Her head began to swim and spots danced in her vision as he forced himself between her legs and the sheer terror of what was about to happen finally hit her, clearing her mind of what would have been blessed oblivion. With a defiant cry, she closed her eyes against his leering visage as if that alone could prevent his violation.
But the agony of his penetration never came.
"For the Grey Wardens!"
She felt the qunari's great weight lift from her body as Alistair slammed his shield into the face of the beast.
Eleena cried out a warning as the King followed up the attack with a mighty swing of his father's powerful dragonbone blade, almost decapitating the qunari in one fell swoop. Instead, one of his horns tumbled to the ground and the mighty warrior bellowed in outrage as he grabbed his greataxe and turned to face this new foe.
"You filthy bastard!" Alistair snarled, taking in Bronwen's situation as she tried to haul her ruined pants back up to her waist with fingers that were still numb with shock. "You dared to hurt her! To hurt my family! I'll kill you for that!"
Bronwen was stunned by the ferocity with which Alistair leapt at the qunari. Though he was clad only in leather armour and not his customary heavy plate, the former Templar launched himself at the horned warrior like a lion! The qunari met each of his blows with his axe but so vicious was his attack that he was forced back against the wall.
The sound of chanting drew Bronwen's attention and she lunged at the elf woman near her, trying to distract her from her spell but then the very air around them to become still as Alistair's cleansing aura purged all arcane energies from the room.
Bellowing a war cry that almost knocked the qunari off his feet, Alistair again slammed his shield into the warrior and then followed with a devastating sweep of the dragonbone blade. It easily sliced through the red steel haft of the qunari's greataxe and the look of utter surprise on his cruel face as it carried on into his chest was the last he would ever wear.
With a grunt, the warrior dropped to his knees as blood began to spill from his lips, bubbling and frothing as his lungs tried to draw breath into a body that was no longer capable of life. A final sweep of Alistair's shield and he was hurled backward to land in a heap unmoving and finally dead.
A piercing scream dragged Bronwen's attention back to the elf woman.
"Spawn of Maferath!" She screamed at Alistair, staring at the prone form of her companion. "You think you can do that to Brandt? You think you can take him away from me!"
Alistair whirled about and took a step closer to her, but the elf produced a slim dagger and held it above the throat of the wailing baby still clasped in her arms.
"No Eleena! Stop!"
Slowly climbing to her feet, Bronwen met Alistair's fear stricken gaze and shook her head. Even now he regarded her with such love and anguish that she thought her heart might burst.
"Oh no no, bastard son of a king's whore…" Eleena breathed, her green eyes tinged with madness and murder. "If you want to keep her, then you get to lose him."
"Wait!" Bronwen cried as the elf looked from Alistair to her and back again. "How about this…"
She took a careful step forward as she held up her hands.
"You put the baby down and we let you walk away."
"What! Are you insane?" Alistair lunged forward and the elf pushed the dagger more insistently toward Alexander's throat as he wailed in uncomprehending fear.
"Stop!" Bronwen held up her hand as tears gleamed in her eyes. "Please, just…just…leave the boy. He is an innocent in all this. He doesn't deserve…."
"Doesn't deserve…DOESN'T DESERVE…!" The elf was screaming now, her hand trembling with rage and spittle at the corners of her mouth. "And did Brandt deserve to die? My beautiful qunari, did he deserve that!"
"He tried to rape my wife." Alistair cried, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword. "He tried to…to…violate her in the worst way possible!"
"She would have loved it!" The elf yelled back, eyes blazing with indignation. "Spreading her legs for a real man instead of her boy king, she would have begged him for more even as the light died in her eyes as they always did, but only I loved him! Only I could satisfy him and he always came back to me! TO ME!"
Bronwen gulped as she spotted a trickle of blood on Alexander's little throat and she tried to think of something…of anything…
"Please…I know what you're going through." She began, inching closer to the deranged elf. "I know what it is to love someone that you've lost, someone that you would give your life to be with, someone that you would die for…"
"No." The elf spat, her lips curling as she teased the blade at the throat of her son. "You don't know...but you will."
"Please!" Bronwen fell to her knees as tears began to pour down her face. "You don't have to do this! You can give him back to me and walk free!"
"For Andraste's sake, let him go or I swear by the Maker you will follow him into the next world." Alistair was ashen and tears glistened in his eyes, but his voice was steady and he held his blade ready to strike.
"Stupid pathetic fool." The elf snarled as she readied to strike. "They will come after me for my failure. You cannot threaten me, I am already dead."
"Ah Eleena, how truly perceptive you are …"
The elf suddenly convulsed and a choked gasp escaped her lips as both dagger and child fell from her nerveless hands. She wavered unsteadily on her feet before falling backwards onto the ground as her assailant lunged forward and snatched up the child.
Wordlessly, he knelt beside Bronwen and passed Alexander to her with trembling hands. She let out an exultant sob of relief as she clutched him to her breast and then looked up breathlessly into the beautiful bronzed face of his rescuer.
The corners of his mouth twitched into a ghost of a smile as he hesitantly stretched out a gloved hand to caress the soft black hair of the crying infant in her arms and when his searching amber eyes finally met hers, there were un-spilled tears within their glittering depths and his voice was raw with emotion.
"Hello, my heart…"
