Chapter 13: The Twelfth Month
BOOM!
The entrance to the deep roads closed sealing Stroud and his fellow wardens inside. This was not their first trip along this route, and it would likely not be their last.
Stroud led the way, with Alistair and Nigel up front, the twins and Lin followed close behind protecting Loki, while Arika and Carver brought up the rear. The shadows seemed to swallow them all whole, even the light generated by Loki's staff barely penetrated the darkness.
Carver found himself shivering, he remembered the last time he walked these darkened corridors. He had been dying then, so very sick with the taint.
If Garrett and Anders had not found Stroud and the others when they had…
Carver did not like to think about what would have happened.
Arika gave him a concerned look, since their first night together; it seemed that the reaver could read his emotions like a book.
That was both comforting, and disturbing.
"You okay my love?" she asked.
"I'm fine," he said pinching the bridge of his nose. The taint was so strong down here, even worse than it had been in that Broodmother nest.
He still remembered that as well.
Arika lying on the ground, her face blistered and red, and there he was trying to protect her.
The young warden sighed; it seemed that no matter what he did these days, dark memories would always come to the surface.
Loki curse under his breath as he nearly tripped over an old crumbling sign post. The twins snickered, but stopped quickly when the mage turned to glare at them.
The Dalish sighed.
"Creators, I hate this place!"
"I think we all share that sentiment Loki," Stroud nodded.
"Oh I don't know," Alistair grinned, "Some nice silk curtains there, maybe a fountain where that fetid pool is over there," he said pointing, "I might consider taking a vacation down here."
Loki rolled his eyes.
"Can I turn him into a toad now Stroud?" he asked the senior warden, "I grow weary at his lame attempts at humor."
"My attempts aren't lame," Alistair sniffed, "In appropriate sure, annoying, I'd give you that, but lame, never."
"Stroud," Loki said through gritted teeth.
The senior warden did his best to suppress a chuckle.
"Enough Alistair," Stroud sighed, "Just try to stay on mission."
"Yes Ser," Alistair said with a smart salute.
Even Stroud rolled his eyes at that.
The twins shook their heads.
Never thought I would actually miss Nug," Veryan said quietly.
His brother nodded, his eyes never leaving Alistair's back.
"I can't even imagine what the hero sees in him," Arthian whispered to his brother.
"Has to be a sex thing," Veryan concurred, "Maker knows she can't want to spend any time talking to him."
"Heeeeey," Alistair said, sounding hurt.
The twins cackled to themselves.
They passed an old ruined barricade, bits of darkspawn and dwarven armor mixed together around the ancient structure all that remained of the warriors that had fallen in a battle fought so long ago.
The sight saddened Carver, adding to his sense of melancholy.
He had come close to death many times since joining the wardens, but never so close as he came here.
He found himself shivering; he could practically feel icy fingers reaching for his throat.
"Cold?" Arika asked him.
"A little," he admitted.
"Not a problem," the reaver purred, "Once we make camp for the night, I will do my best to warm you up Milord."
The hungry look in her eyes made him blush.
He found himself looking forward to stopping for the night.
"Get a room you two," Loki snorted, "Creators save me, is it ever not mating season for you two?"
Carver could not fight the grin that came to his face.
He was grateful that Arika was here, both as a fellow warden and as his lover.
She made this life worthwhile, and gave him something to fight for beyond simply duty.
He fought for the both of them.
In his eyes, there was nothing stronger than that.
He was grateful that she had made the first move back in Cumberland.
A move that had given him the greatest night of his life, the night she had become his.
IOI
Their first time had been incredible; they had both collapsed afterwards, both panting and exhausted. He had held her so tight in his arms, losing himself in those deep blue eyes of hers.
She had sighed with deep satisfaction.
The sound pleased him.
She had tried to leave then, to take her clothes and return to her own room. Carver had not allowed that, he wrapped his arms tight around her.
"Stay with me," he murmured.
"I should go," she said.
He started kissing and nuzzling her neck.
The reaver moaned.
"Carver please," she begged, "the others…they will no doubt talk about this. We should…"
He kissed her deeply, stopping her mid-sentence; he kissed and caressed her oh so gently.
"We should," she said weakly, "We should…"
She growled as the passion consumed her, she pushed him back, climbing on top of him.
He had released her passions.
She intended to satisfy them.
Once their second round of lovemaking ended, the pillow-talk began again. She told him about her home in the mountains. How her people faced the hardships of their world and were stronger because of it. He told her about his time in Kirkwall, fighting at his brother's side. A fight to see their family name restored.
He confessed that he had not had much ambition for that goal. He had wanted to move forward, claiming old glory seemed to be a waste of time.
You are an aggressive warrior my love," she had purred, "it does not surprise me that you would seek to blaze your own trail."
Carver had smiled at that, Arika seemed to understand him the way no one else did.
When their talk turned to their respective families, both warriors found themselves needing comfort. Arika told him about her elder brothers Alden and Elix, both slain in battle with the dragon hunting clans.
Carver told her about Bethany, his twin, his poor doomed sister. All her life she had sought to be normal, and in the end, she had died a hero's death, saving their mother from an ogre.
Even now, almost two years later he felt a wave of shame. He…he had done nothing to save her. Maybe if he had been stronger or braver…maybe…maybe…
Arika pulled him close, offering him many comforting kisses.
It was those kisses that awakened their mutual passions for the third time that night.
This time it was Carver who was the aggressor, Arika moaned as he dominated her.
Her man, her brave powerful warrior, she had never wanted anything more!
Once they had finished, he curled into her, seeking to keep her warm and safe.
The reaver was exhausted; she used one of his broad arms as a pillow as he wrapped the other around her slim waist.
No darkspawn dreams haunted either of them that night; they were too full of each other for anything else to haunt them.
In the morning, Carver had risen early; he wanted to bring her breakfast in bed.
His Father had done that for mother many times, and it never failed to make her happy.
He pulled on his trousers and a dark shirt; he slipped quietly into the hallway, trying not to disturb her.
He nearly collided with Nug, the dwarf had been moving down the hallway.
"Morning lover-boy," the dwarf grinned.
Carver did his best not to blush.
"Fun over for the day?" Nug asked.
"I'm getting Arika something to eat," he explained.
"Considering all the noise you two were making last night I'm not surprised," the dwarf chuckled.
"You heard us?" Carver said turning a little green.
"Kid, I think they heard you two going at it Orlais."
Now Carver did blush.
The dwarf suddenly turned serious.
"Don't hurt her," he said quietly.
"What?"
"You heard me lover-boy, don't hurt her," the dwarf repeated.
Where is this coming from?" he asked.
Nug sighed.
"I'm the one who recruited her kid," he said, "I was watching a pit-fight in some little blot of a village that you couldn't find on a map. Then I see this girl. Cute by human standards I suppose, but absolutely deadly with a sword."
The dwarf chuckled; Arika had taken down four larger opponents that night. The last one had even begged her for mercy.
He had lost five sovereigns because of that girl. He should have been pissed, but he wasn't, he hated to admit it…
He was impressed.
He had approached her after the fights were over. He told her about the grey wardens, how they fought to defend Thedas from the darkspawn, and how they were always hunting for promising recruits…
People like herself.
The reaver had been intrigued; she had told him how she was dead in the eyes of her people. The idea of dying an honorable death in battle appealed to her.
She accepted without any hesitation.
Nug would never admit it, but he was proud of the girl. He had chosen well, and she had saved his life several times in the last year and a half.
He had brought her into this, he felt responsible for her, and perhaps…not that he would ever admit it to her…a little paternal as well.
That was why he waited to speak to Carver this morning.
That was why he did not want New-boy to hurt her.
"Arika is one of the good ones," Nug told him, "She would gladly die if it kept a friend alive. Don't blow out that light lad. There are too few of us in the order who think that way."
Carver understood what Nug was saying, and he respected him for it.
"I would never hurt her, never,' he informed the dwarf, "She…she makes me feel the way I hope I really am. I swear to you that I would sooner die than hurt her."
Nug considered what he had said, trying to decide if he believed him or not, finally he nodded.
Carver was not that skilled a liar that he could fool Nug.
"That is good to hear new boy," he said grinning, "Just remember, you break her heart, I break something that you will definitely miss. We understand each other?"
Carver nodded.
"Good," Nug grinned, "I'm gonna be leaving before breakfast. Give Arika my best okay?"
The young warden nodded.
The dwarf left their group that day. Carver found that he missed the little bastard.
He had loved Arika to it seemed, he wondered if the reaver had known.
It did not matter he supposed, he had promised that he would not hurt Arika, and he intended to keep that promise.
It seemed that he was not the only one to see the value of the beautiful blonde reaver.
Carver would just have to spend his life letting her know just how much she was valued.
He could think of no better goal.
IOI
The deep roads buzzed like an angry beehive, the sound of feet moving down the dark tunnels caused the wardens to draw their weapons.
Thirty darkspawn swarmed them, hurlocks, genlocks, shrieks, and even a single ogre.
The wardens met the creatures head on.
Carver, Nigel, and Alistair engaged the front lines. Lin peppered them with arrows. Loki summoned chain lightning, burning the creatures where they stood. The twins wove in and out of battle, lobbing acid flasks and backstabbing where they could.
Stroud faced off against a hurlock alpha, the creature bellowed a challenge.
A challenge the senior warden was happy to accept.
Arika gave herself over to the frenzy that was part of her reaver heritage. She fought her way through the spawn like they were not even there.
She advanced on the much larger ogre.
The creature roared, and tried to crush her with two massive fists.
She dodged the blow and leapt into the air.
Her imperial edge buried itself deep into the ogre's chest.
The creature wailed as it fell on its back.
Arika brought up her blade and plunged it into the creature's right eye.
The ogre died with barely a whimper.
Arika threw back her head and gave a terrifying war cry.
The spawn tried to flee.
The wardens would not let them.
They chased down the creatures, slaughtering them to the last.
Finally, the wardens were left in the tunnels alone. Thy checked themselves for injuries, while Loki went to each of the m in turn healing what he could.
Carver came up to Arika, who had just finished removing one of the ogre's horns.
She gave him a feral smile.
He chuckled, this was not the woman he had seen himself ending up with growing up, but he could not doubt his heart.
He loved her, and apparently she loved him.
Without her, he would be just another Grey Warden, one of many, but with her…with her in his life.
Carver felt…he felt happy, complete.
It was then that he made a decision.
He wanted to go back to Kirkwall, he wanted to let his family know that he was alive; he wanted to speak with them in person…
And he wanted Arika to go with him.
He wanted Mother to meet her. He wanted Garrett to meet her.
He wanted them both to see that he was alright, more than alright,
Carver smiled.
He wanted them to know that he was finally happy.
He wanted to let them know…that he was now whole.