Chapter 12: The Crow of Antiva

Summary: An assassin, Zevran is assigned to murder the two remained Grey Wardens in Ferelden, but this task seems harder than he thought.

A/N: I know, it was fast, but for some reason I have to much time to write :)


That was supposed to be his last assignment. After what happened with his fellow Crow, Rinna, he didn't want to do this anymore. It was enough of this life but he didn't know another way of life so this was a convenient solution. The fact that his targets were Grey Wardens was just the icing on the cake. They were legendary fighters, the perfect crowning of his assassin career.

He has tracked them down for weeks no until he got reliable information that they are on road between Redcliffe and the Circle of Ferelden. So the all he needed to do is to set up an ambush and wait for them patiently. And his patience was paid off. That chit he assigned to lure them him did an excellent job. She was a better actress than a bed-warmer. He picked him at Denerim Market alongside with the mercenaries. She wanted to be out of the city and he needed somebody, who can be his bait maybe with some side benefits.

As the Wardens appeared he could only see the two redheads. They were his weak points. And this two were very delightsome. The one who had short hair was a rogue with bow and arrows. Her armor was fairly provocative, exposing her long and delectable legs. And the other, the mage, who he suspected his target was, had curved, well-proportioned figure; just his type, both of them. He almost felt sorry for the outcome of this encounter, because one of them will lie dead on the ground. Hopefully himself.

The mage-girl was sharp-minded, recognized her situation instantly. But she didn't falter just smirked and measured her possibilities. They were definitely outnumbered but as she surveyed the girl sweeping her green eyes through their lines a bad premonition grabbed him. She wasn't scared or panicked or anything; instead she even looked delighted about his ambush.

The other red one has already tensed her bow and pointed to his temporary bed warmer and as she released the arrow it pierced through her heart. The girl collapsed and died instantly. That was the moment when the Qunari and the other, human warrior, who he suspected his other target attacked the mercenaries he hired. But the mage girl didn't do anything, just stood in the middle of the chaos and stared him with that insolent smirk on her face.

"Come and get me." Her eyes whispered to him. And who was he to refuse a lady's request. So he grabbed his daggers and attacked her. But she evaded and dodged all his attempts to reach her with catlike agility. She didn't use her magic, just for taunting. She knew his every motion even before him and easily sidestepped from the way of his blades.

You would be an excellent assassin, Warden. He thought as tried to strike another one what she evaded with a back flip. He took a short glance around and saw that all the mercenaries were dead around him. But the girl just played her cat-and mouse play with him and he couldn't decide who was who in it.

It seemed the girl got bored because she casted her first serious spell a thunderbolt, what almost struck him. As their eyes met again and saw the dauntless sparkling in her eyes he knew that it was just a warming up for her. He needed to be bold and tried to get behind her, but before he could reach her, he stopped. His legs didn't answer to him anymore and he felt the girl's immobilizing magic embracing him.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." she mocked him as he tried to struggle with her coiling energies. She elegantly walked him around never breaking the eye contact. And when she ceased it he felt a shove and heat on his skin and the next moment the world became dark around him.


As he slowly regained his consciousness and opened his eyes he felt that something is pressed to his throat. And as his eyes acclimatized to the light again, he saw the mage girl standing over him, pointing her staff to his throat. He didn't kill him but it wasn't a guarantee that he will ever leave this place alive. It was enough to see the girl's eyes blazing in rage. He found him gorgeous when she was furious, even more when she fought. She was definitely a delectable one, definitely worth for at least one round.

"Tell me one reason to not kill you." She hissed as pressed her stuff more to his throat.

His head was still blurry, but he did his best to collect his thoughts. His life was at stake and in that moment it wasn't a desirable option to die by the hand of this mage girl. He was sure she would choose the most agonizing way she knew to kill him. "I see you haven't killed me yet."

"You acumen is exceptional." she mocked. He tried to collect his every wit; he spoke himself out from more dire situations.

"If you are going to ask me questions, let me save you a little time and get right to the point." He felt that the girl eased a bit on the pressure. My name is Zevran, Zev to my friends..."

"I'm not your friend." The girl cut him with a snarl. There were murderous intentions in her eyes.

"True enough. Anyway, I am a member of the Antivan Crows, brought here for the sole purpose of slaying the surviving Grey Wardens. Which apparently I have failed, sadly."

The girl snorted in an unamused laughter. "Not that you have any chance to defeat me." She was confident and boastful, maybe a bit arrogant. She was definitely Zevran's type. "And you came all the way from Antiva, just to assassinate me. I'm almost flattered." He even felt sorry that he didn't meet this prideful girl before. She was witty, knowing how to use the weapon of words, not to mention her staff, which made him immobile. It would have been so much fun to break her will.

He felt that he pressed her staff more to his throat, making him chocking lightly. "Who hired you?" she interrogated him. She was so natural in it easing and pressing the tension on him. Wasting such talent for the Grey Wardens. Such a shame. He chuckled in himself as tried to swallow under her staff.

"A rather taciturn man from the capital. Loghain, I think that was his name." the girl looked at the blonde standing opposite of her. Zevran assumed he was the other Warden.

"And are you loyal to him?" she asked, pressing her staff more to his throat, almost tearing his trachea and closing the way of air. "Consider your answer very, VERY well." she hissed.

"I'm not loyal to him." he heaved. The mage eased a bit and he coughed and panted heavily as his lungs got air again. Zevran strangely had an idea that a girl, who has such a talent for an interrogation and keep people under pressure, would be a very wild and untamable in bed. And he almost considered the challenge to rein her. "I was contracted to perform a service."

"And what now that you have failed?" she asked.

"Well, that's between the Crows and Loghain and the Crows and myself." he eased a bit more.

"And between you and me?" she inquired. Give me some rope sweetheart and you'll see. He wanted to say but considering his situation this would be his last words on this world.

"Well, Warden, the thing is, I like living. And my life is in your pretty hands now. And if you won't kill me the Crows will if I fail..." She pressed her staff to his throat once again.

"IF you fail?" she hissed.

"What can I say, I'm an eternal optimist." he laughed. He couldn't escape from the absurdity of the situation as he laid on the ground his life depending on the whim of a furious and deadly mage girl. But she just released a disgusted grimace. "Well, if for one second you stop interrogating me, we could figure out some kind of arrangement."

He felt that she eased the pressure on his throat again, almost making it comfortable for him. Zevran somehow even enjoyed her power play over him. "'I'm listening. Make an offer, a good one."

Zevran had some idea how he could pay for his life but he was sure that the she wouldn't appreciate any of his options. Well, at least not that point.

"Well, I'm skilled in many arts of an assassin. Killing, stealth, picking locks...etcetera... or I can just warm your bed, if you want. I pledge you all my services and loyalty... and the noblest part of my body." The girl narrowed her eyes, but not faltered, and not showed any sign abashment. She was a tough one. "And believe me, Warden; I will be very useful if the Crows attempt to kill you with more sophisticated methods. Because a contract is alive until the target is alive."

She increased the pressure on his neck again "Can I expect the same amount of loyalty that you showed toward Loghain or the Crows?"

"Loyalty is an interesting concept. I'm tending to be a loyal person until they won't expect me to die for failing." She increased the pressure a little more, just enough to make him choke lightly once again.

"Do you think I'm that much stupid?" she yelled at him.

"No, I think that you are royally though to kill. And utterly gorgeous." She raised her eyebrows to this. She was really a tough one, not the type who he could convince with a few mellifluous words. "And there are worse things than serve the whims of a deadly sex goddess." She grimaced once again. So she didn't like it dirty, or under this mask of prudency she likes it, very much.

"And what do you want in return?" she inquired. You, bound to a bed naked and helpless. He chuckled in himself as ran through his eyes on the girl. Despite of his situation or perhaps because of it, he felt great urge to get this girl to bed.

"Well, keeping my miserable life would be a good start." he began. "And after I stop being useful to you let me go on my way. Is that a fair offer, Warden?" The girl measured him with her cutting glance, and Zevran knew that it was a moment of truth and he still wasn't sure that he will leave this place alive.

But eventually she raised her staff from his throat, letting him to get up. She was a reasonable type, for Zevran's greatest relief. "Very well, I accept your offer."

The blonde warrior went to the girl and took his hand. "Solona, do you think that it is a good idea? He is an assassin after all who tried to kill us."

The girl ran her eyes through Zevran once again. "He comes with us." she declared and went to Zevran, closing the distance between them, glaring at him right into his core. "Don't make me disappointed, assassin." She threatened him and began to take her steps. "And you may call me Solona." she said lastly.


Zevran watched the girl all day. Watched her fighting, issuing orders, leading the party. And watched her at the camp ach sat on her bedroll and gazed the flames of the campfire, alone sometimes interrupted by some of her companions. And more he examined her, the more he wanted to get her in bed. She was the type he always found challenge in. She was strong-willed, indomitable, not the one who spread her legs after a few candied words.

I eagerly await the moment to break you and make you beg for more. He chuckled in himself as approached her.

"I just want to thank you again for sparing my life?" he began as reached her.

Solona looked up on him. "Don't thank me, thank to Leliana." and she pointed to the other red-head. "I wanted to slit your throat or burn you alive. Or simply bind you to the tree for a prey to the darkspawn."

Zevran chuckled, however he couldn't decide that the girl was serious or just teased him. "Then didn't you do any of this?"

"I have already seen enough bloodshed for one lifetime. I'm just sick of it." she answered bitterly. "But it doesn't mean I trust in you, assassin."

"This not even crossed my mind." he chuckled. "Anyway, thanks again." And he went back to his place.

"Are you suiting in?" she asked after few steps. Zevran turned back to her.

"We could say that." he answered. "Although your fellow Warden, Alistair glares at me like he wants to stab his sword through me by any minute." She burst out in snickering.

"You can't blame him. You wanted to assassinate us." now Zevran laughed.

"True enough." he replied. "My biggest mistake to attack the deadliest beauty in Thedas."

Solona raised her eyebrows and her lips turned to a seductive smile as she stood up. "Are you suggesting, I'm beautiful?"

"Everybody could see that who is fancy in women." she closed the distance between them swaying her hips like those expensive whores in Val Royeaux, serving the whims of the aristocracy.

"And what is it to you fancy, exactly?" she whispered to his ear.

"I fancy many things. I fancy things that are beautiful and things that are strong. I fancy things that are dangerous and exciting. Would you be offended if I said I fancied you, one who embodies all of these?" She took her hand on his waist and began to near her lips to his, never taking her enticing eyes from him.

"Not at all." she whispered to his mouth. And he wondered that it was far too easy. And just before he could kiss her felt a cold blade pressing to his throat. His knife in her hand. "Until you perfectly know your place." she added and took a few steps back with that insolent and irresistible smirk on her face handling back his knife to him.

"Good night, assassin." she tweeted as sat back to her place.

With a hum which turned to a chuckle he also went back to his spot, wondering how fascinating will be when one day he will really conquer her. At his place Alistair waited for him, leaning on the bole of a tree, looking at ground, playing with his sword what he swung by its tip meaningly.

"What can I do for you, Warden?" Zevran inquired.

"I just want to make one thing clear." He began shooting a murderous glare at him. "For the first time I see your loyalty shakes or you are trying to hurt her in any way, you won't have to worry about your fellow Crows anymore." And without giving him a chance to riposte, he left him there.


A/N: Ohh, I so love Zevran's careless attitude :) I hope I could picture him well.