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Chapter12
Scout Harding came galloping into Skyhold the guards barely able to rise the gates high enough as she ducked on her pony. "Seeker, Commander!" the dwarven lass was shouting as her mounts clattering hooves skidded to a stop in the snow. The hard ridden beasts chest heaved as it's nostrils flared. Harding dismounted before the stable hands could hold the pony for her. Aides had already gone to fetch "the council" and soon enough Cullen, Leliana, Cassandra, and Josephine were descending the stairs in a rush. The sudden uproar of commotion got just about everyone's attention including Dorian's as he slipped closer in order to hear. "His worshipped in wounded in Crestwood!" the poor dwarf huffed out still catching her breath.
"What!?" Cassandra roared.
Cullen took the dwarf carefully by both shoulders and kneeled down "Tell us what happened, he still lives?"
"He's still alive." Harding confirmed "Just in pretty rough shape."
"Thank the Maker." Cullen sighed in relief.
"I'll make a long story short," Harding began. "The town was being besieged by undead and the Inquisitor wanted to help but the problem was the rift was out in a lake. He has to drain the lake but the dam was in a fort that was occupied by bandits. "
Dorian gripped the stone of the doorway listening carefully with a pang of guilt. I should have been with him instead I was drowning my problems in drink. Brilliant Dorian, he thought to himself.
"Why didn't he wait for back up?" Cullen demanded.
"Honestly? We scouted before he broke the gates down it didn't seem like so many we couldn't handle." Harding went on. "Things just happened." Cassandra was now pacing like a caged lion "What things?"
"Their leader was just, I don't know if he had giant blood in him or not but he was huge! It was all the Herald could do to keep him off us so we could pick off the other bandits. His worship was holding his own, the other warrior was bigger but slower. The herald had to keep the man on the defense though so he was being aggressive forcing that giant of a man to keep stepping back. Despite that he had no way to get a good hit in. It had been raining nonstop and I guess he didn't realize how slick the stone was..they..they both went over the ramparts."
Dorian's heart sunk, the last thing he had said to Drakken was they could never be. Had he made the elf reckless? Not only that he was suddenly scared he'd lose him, Dorian hadn't had someone worth losing in some time now besides Felix who now was most likely dead, he didn't want to lose Drakken too.
Cassandra looked ready to hit something, Cullen pinched the bridge of his nose, Josephine gasped. Leliana was the one that bade her continue. "But you said he's not dead?"
"No but, when we looked over I guess the Herald used the force of the fall to drive his sword into the brutes chest, even through the man's plate armor." Harding couldn't help but sound a bit impressed. "His worship was laying to the side he must of rolled off but he wasn't answering us. Solas rushed down and said he was still breathing and told me to get reinforcements to hold the Fort, and healing supplies. I came as fast as that poor pony could run."
"You should have sent ravens." Leliana chided. "We would have gotten word sooner."
"I would have but none of the raven's I sent last week returned, which is another issue." the dwarven scout replied.
"I see, you did good then, I will look into what happened to our raven's. You get something to eat, we'll handle it from here." Leliana reassured Harding.
Dorian stepped out from the doorway to the main hall already pulling on his cloak "I formerly request a place in the "reinforcements". " The mage didn't even wait for a word of approval as he swept by, down the stairs to have a horse saddled. The elf better be worth this Dorian thought for the reinforcements included Bull and his Chargers, Blackwall, Cassandra and Sera. He swore fate was laughing at him at least Krem, Bull's Tevinter born commander and Cassandra talked to Dorian civilly.
Blackwall spurred his horse up next to Dorian who would have preferred the thuggish, dirty, grumpy warden had not. "So Dorian, tell me exactly why a spoiled Tevinter mage wants to fight his own countrymen?" Blackwall asked his tone dripping with venom.
"I know this may be difficult for you to grasp but not all Tevinters are part of the Venatori. Also not all Tevinters believe we're better than anyone else or want to see the old Imperium returned." Dorian replied, he honestly wasn't sure what the grey warden had against him. For a moment his thoughts drifted to Drakken and he somewhat admired the fact the elf seemed to get along just fine with everyone. Even Blackwall always spoke admiringly of the elf.
"Do you really think you can get your claws into the Inquisitor? Do you think he won't see right through you?" Blackwall glared at Dorian.
The Tevinter mage could barely hold back his rage at that gritting his teeth less he set the bearded oaf on fire. "I am not trying to "get my claws" into the inqusitor. The fact Drakken happens to enjoy more civilized company then some flea bitten grey warden is really none of your concern!"
Blackwall grinned knowing he hit a nerve that time. "So the rumors are true you are trying to seduce the Herald."
That was it he was going to set the warden on fire! That grin would be gone when his beard was ablaze. He was just starting to cast when he felt the spell fizzle Cassandra on the other side of him.
"Dorian, what do you think you're doing?" Damn the Seeker and her ability to stop and nullify spells like a templar.
"Teach a old dog a new trick?" Dorian feigned a innocent look.
The Seeker obviously saw right through that "There will be no setting allies on fire, Dorian." Blackwall was about to burst into laughter seeing the mage get his until Cassandra swung her mount around and rode up beside Blackwall. "And I am sure the Inquisitor would be upset if he heard you were goading Dorian. So I am going to pretend none of this happened and you two will behave yourselves, correct?"
"Yes Seeker." Both men said in unison and steered their mounts away from each other.
The rest of the ride Dorian just stayed near Krem and Cassandra as Blackwall and Sera laughed and spoke of how ridiculous nobles apparently were.
It was mid-day of the second day they reached the Fort with more troops and fresh supplies. Dorian had been growing more frantic as soon as the Inquisition's newest hold was in sight. Already the heraldry fluttered from the towers. Still the rain fell just like Harding said it seemed to never stop. Dorian leapt of his horse seeing Solas, he was a swirl of fancy robes as he trotted across the courtyard to him. "Solas tell me he's alright!" the mage demanded.
"He'll make a full recover, he's resting right now." Solas pointed to a nearby tent, the bald headed elven mage seemed to be one of the few that didn't suspect Dorian of ulterior motives. "I suspect he'd be glad to see you."
The tent was small and dark inside, room enough for a cot, a lantern, a small table, and a chair. As soon as Dorian entered he spotted the Herald. Drakken was lying on his back the his head wrapped in bandages that sloped from his left temple to over his right ear. There was the smell of dried blood and the constant pervasive smell of dampness and rain. The elf's right arm was in a makeshift sling and the shoulder a deep purple that radiated down his arm. "Drakken" Dorian kept his voice low he didn't want to startle the elf.
Slowly the Herald turned his head toward the door and opened his eyes "Dorian, is that you? Why are you here?" He tried to sit up but his head swam the moment he tried. "I must look a sight, I heard I won though the other fellow is much worse off."
"That isn't funny Drakken." Dorian said as he started fluffing the rather sad looking pillow that as under the elf's head.
"Well now aren't the roles reversed, suddenly you're the serious one? There is no need to fuss over me, Solas says a few more treatments with his healing magic and I will be fine."
"I will fuss if I damn well please." Dorian retorted sitting on the lone chair once he was satisfied.
Drakken stared at Dorian a moment, he was so hard to figure out sometimes. One day he's breaking off any sort of relationship the next he's rushing to his bedside, fluffing pillows. Granted Drakken found Dorian's fussing rather sweet and he had been tempted to reach up and pull Dorian down to his lips but Dorian had been clear that night on the battlement. "I assume you knew that made me Inquisitor, I didn't want it." Drakken said staring up at the ceiling "In fact after the breech had been stabilized I had planned to go home."
"Home? You have family among your clan?" Dorian asked curiously, last time he'd sat at the elfs bedside Drakken had been unconscious.
"The clan is my family I suppose I have birth parents somewhere but, home is where my clan is." The elf explained as he looked up tracing the seams of tents interior with his eyes.
"Somewhere?" Dorian asked, he didn't quite understand what Drakken was saying.
"Dorian I wasn't born to the Dalish, my mother wanted a better life for me she begged the Dalish to take me. I was just a baby. I don't remember her or why she felt she needed to..abandon me." The elf looked over, there wasn't a shred of regret or sadness in his face or his voice just a matter of fact tone. "The Keeper had no mate or children of her own she raised me as her son. Only a few of the elders liked to remind me of that fact but the some of the others used to say I was as Dalish as Dalish could be. I suppose I had another name once but the Keeper named me, she said dreamed of me before I came delivered to the Clan by a Drake, hence my name."
Dorian sat shocked a moment, he really had no idea Drakken could have ever possibly been a city elf. Drakken was so much more confident. The city elves especially those enslaved to the Imperium kept their head bowed and looked terrified when spoken to, Dorian always assumed that is where calling them "rabbits" came from. The Herald though he reminded Dorian more like a wolf or even a great bear then any scared rabbit.
"Dorian? Surely you did not come all this way to speak of clans and the Dalish." Drakken shifted his weight to see Dorian better.
Dorian had to admit the muscled elf was quite attractive, this was the first time he'd seen Drakken with his tunic off, he was enjoying the show a bit."Actually I came all this way to tell you if you ever go off without me again I will strangle you myself. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking you were angry with me, and possibly still drunk." Drakken replied, he wanted so much to just reach out and pull Dorian closer but, Dorian was out of arms reach.
"I was never angry at you."
"No, what was that on the battlement then Dorian?" The elf asked trying his best to keep the hurtful anger he felt from creeping into his deep voice.
"I am, and still am protecting you. People will talk, people will think I am just using you." Dorian tried to explain it better this time he still regretted storming off like a pompous ass before.
"Don't you think I should get a say in that because it hardly matters to me what people say. I didn't chose to be their Herald or their Inquisitor." Drakken opened his left hand as he spoke the tell tale green glow, sometimes he wished it never happened to him.
Dorian was about to reply when a soft "Ahem" came from the tent flap "I am ready to do some more healing Inquisitor, after which I suggest you rest." Solas stepped in casting a look at Dorian. Dorian was just about to leave when Drakken rolled painfully onto his side so he could grab Dorian's robe with his one good hand. "I haven't given up on us yet Dorian." Panting with a groan the elf let go of Dorian's robes still damp and muddy from the ride to Crestwood. "We'll talk, later."
With that Solas shooed Dorian out whispering "I expect he'll be better by morning especially with the lyrium drafts and healing poultices you brought with you." Solas unexpectedly seemed to be the few people who acknowledged the bond between the Tevinter mage and the Dalish warrior.