Six months later…

He had to get them out of the city. Bells from the Chantry in the upper levels of the city chimed the warning alarm for the impending attack. The city was in chaos as a massive wave of people rushed to get away from the Qunari's nearing assault. He was in the lead with Adria pulling up the rear. Shrieks were following as the attackers broke through barriers and headed in all directions. He was running out of time to get them to safety.

He could see the docks growing closer as they turned the final corner on to the eerily vacant street. Plumes of smoke gravitated into the atmosphere, marking the direction they had come from. He saw movement going into an alley that led in the opposite direction of their target. Danarius held Adria's hand firmly in his and held her up against the wall to catch her breath. Fenris put his hand up to stop them from moving forward and peered around the corner. A mother on the stoop of a ramshackle building cradled a limp bodied child in her arms. She wept and prayed for the small dirty child to open its eyes.

As he scanned the horizon, he saw the multitudes of puffy sails drifting further from the land. He waved them along as quickly as he could. The stifling air had slowed the magister and his mistress. Even with the cool ocean breeze wafting up to them, it couldn't save them from the beating down of the sun. The metal of his gauntlets were burning his fingers and the leather of his armor refused to let his skin breathe.

More shrieking was following them down the long avenue. The Qunari were getting closer and wouldn't hesitate in keeping them there. The gates to the docks were starting to close as they bolted the final feet to the docks. Dock workers that had remained let them slip by to reach the final ship before it departed. Fenris sheathed his weapon as they hurried along the wooden deck to the gangplank where others were waiting to board. He kept looking over his shoulder at the carnage that was obviously being played out throughout the city.

The magister started up the ramp while Fenris kept watch for any signs of the invaders. Adria stood beside him just long enough to step foot on the ramp and have it start to slide out from under her. The warrior caught her by the arm and pulled her back beside him. They looked at Danarius and he was yelling to them. He was shocked and infuriated. The captain had his hand pressed in to his chest as he tried to explain the situation.

"We have to go," Fenris warned the fearful woman with a sharp tug.

They ran for the gates and slid in to one of the buildings when a qunari patrol came in to view. He drew his blade and pressed her against the wall. His hand held her chest firmly. Her heart was racing like it was trying to break free from its cage. He heard the detail of giants talking amongst themselves. They were close only stopping briefly to look around. When they continued their canvas of the city he lowered his hand and nudged the door closed as quietly as he could with his foot.

"What do we do now," she questioned in a barely audible whisper.

"We'll have to camp here till night fall. It'll make it easier to get passed them. Hopefully there won't be too many at the gates and we can get out of the city," he explained as his eyes darted around the room for a hiding spot.

A rickety ladder led up to a loft. The perfect vantage point to keep an eye on the patrols and it was fairly decent as a defensible position. He pointed it out to her and hurried her gently up. She looked down at him with woeful eyes. She was on the verge of tears. He could understand her plight. Being out in the open without the safety and security of the large stone walls to protect her made her feel completely exposed. Now, Danarius was gone and it was the two of them. The only thing separating them from surviving was a small contingent of qunari foot soldiers.

He followed her up and pulled the ladder up to keep patrols from springing up on them unexpectedly. The small warehouse had numerous trap doors and ladders. She watched him move from one end of the building to the other latching the trap doors with ladders withdrawn. Adria placed herself along the far wall and curled up in to a ball. He couldn't help but watch her become overwhelmed by fierce emotions. He stood near her and peeked out the window to get his bearings on where the nearest gate out of the city was.

By now the city would be completely inundated with warriors. The perimeter would be well guarded and the odds would be even less if they didn't make haste once night fell. He would have to fight for both of them if they were to get out of this alive. He didn't want her using her demon magic at any cost. If she injured herself at any point he would have to leave her to deal with her own life.

"I'm scared," her small voice eked.

He frowned and sat down next to her. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. In six months it had been the first physical contact that they had. He had been very cautious as to not draw attention to himself with Danarius around with his looks. They had all shared the same room given the violent longevity that the war between Tevinter and the Qunari had brought. It was a paranoia that drove most to leave prematurely.

"Try to rest," he whispered to her. "I will wake you when its time."

She rested her head on his chest and breathed a weighty sigh. Her hand fell in to his lap the more she burrowed in to him. She was fretful and thrashed until she glanced at him with bleary eyes and placed her head in his lap. He tried to stay relaxed for her till her eyes shut. His head fell against the wall and once her breathing evened out he lifted her small hand and looked at the small gold and sapphire encrusted ring that adorned her finger.

It was the latest binding agent that Danarius used to keep her from him. The price she finally had to pay to find the supposed modicum of happiness that he thought she deserved. It was handcrafted specifically for her. He was there when the magister spoke to the jeweler and picked out the details. For what it was meant to be, he figured that it was just another trinket like all the other ones had been. He couldn't have been more wrong about the significance of it.

Two months earlier…

It was like any other night in the estate. Danarius and Adria were served their dinner on the balcony that overlooked the city. It was a balmy night that the magister had her specially prepare for. They dined on fragrant foods and laughed through sips of wine. He could only stand watch. His lead harnessed to a large I-bolt that anchored in to the wall. It was where he slept; on a hard floor near his mistress.

Her tightly bound dress of silken hand-stitched fabric swished as she rose to look out on to the twinkling lights of the buildings. He could only picture that frail woman who held the tattered and twice-stitched golem doll under her arm on the trip to Seheron. Danarius had been acting peculiar most of the day. His usually clear stated words became a fluster of chaotic broken orders and insistent rambling.

"I have something for you," he muttered. The confidence seemed to drain from him as she looked up at him. "I've been thinking about certain things that I know you yourself have pondered. I've treated you poorly too many times and apologies won't take back what has happened." He sighed nervously and for what seemed like an eternity he stopped. Adria stared at him curiously, her head cocked with wonder.

"Whatever it is you have to say, just say it," she said softly.

"Now I feel sheepish," he snorted. "Of all the women I've taken and lives that I have tossed aside you seem the only one that has withstood the test of time. You can bring a grown man to his knees with the gentlest of glances. Even when he doesn't deserve them. There's only so much I can do to show you what I mean. I'm no good at this stuff."

"It's alright," she cooed.

He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. He put a finger to her lips and continued to talk to her. She nodded slowly and glanced at Fenris. She frowned and shook her head. It went on for several minutes before she moved her head again with an even slower nod. When Danarius pulled away he held up her hand and slid the small ring on to her finger.

He didn't understand what had taken place between them. He watched them kiss with a swift action he had her pinned against the wall. His hands unlaced her bodice and let the dress fall to the floor leaving her in a sheer negligee. He kissed her neck and she looked at Fenris, even in the darkness he could see her crying. It was the most dreaded thought that struck him hardest like a sock to the gut. She couldn't be his any longer and all those nights he had imagined himself in Danarius' place were shattered when he placed her on the bed and those passionate longings became a nightmare in reality.

He closed his eyes to keep from witnessing their acts on the blankets. Her moans, his grunts, a cacophony of heated exchanges that made him fall apart. The louder she became the more it tugged at him. It was the first time since being there that they had consummated their relationship. He was breaking her all over again. She yelped in pain only to be hushed again. He opened his eyes and glimpsed her watching him as her head hung over the side of the bed.

He turned away from her and met with the hazy reflection of the two of them in fluid motions. It was the last thing he wanted to see. The glisten of her skin in the moonlight and the tear of fabric as he ravaged her in hungry anticipation were framed in the large mirror across the room. He could see it all. Each thrust that was made in jerky motions. Her back arching as she climaxed. The gasps that escaped her- the deeper he penetrated her.

He shook his head and tried to change the way he viewed it. A fantasy of sorts, but Danarius leering at him through the mirror held him from it. The look of complete and utter satisfaction angered him. He was making him watch what he was doing. It was the final nail in any chance of Adria being his. All his conjured erotic dreams were defiled now. Nothing was sacred. There was no place he wouldn't go to prove his point that she belonged to him.

He looked to the floor and the heavy chain that held him from lunging at the man. It wasn't her fault it was her duty to do this and for the most part she put on a pretty convincing show of it. Her master was over her kissing her. Her delicate fingers clawed his back as she gave way again. It was enough this time to send him over and collapse on top of her. He rolled off and dressed. She got on her knees and threw her arms around him. She whispered to him and he chuckled softly in amusement.

"I'll be back, dearest," he stated.

"I might be asleep when you return," she chortled.

"If you are, I'll try to be quiet," he remarked. He rose from the bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

He left them alone. Neither could speak a word to each other. She had her back to him and the silvery raised scars on her back still shone through her torn gown. He heard her crying. Her head fell in to her hands. With shoulders shaking she bawled. All he wanted to do was console her. He began to walk to her when the heavy leash pulled him back. He adjusted it again and leaned against the wall.

"He's keeping me forever," she muttered softly. "There's no way for us to get our chance."

The door downstairs opened and jolted him from his waking nightmare. Adria was still in his lap curled in to a ball and sniffling in her own dreams. The sky had turned a lavender amongst a sea of blood-orange. He stirred her gently as to not startle her. Her eyes opened slowly and she yawned.

"Shhh," he uttered.

He stood up and peered out the window. Several qunari were outside the premises. He groaned and rubbed the sweat from his brow in thought.

"What is it?" she questioned.

"We have to get out of here," he snapped.

"But it's not dark yet," she argued.

"It doesn't matter now. We have to chance it."

He helped her up and took her to the far end of the building. He held her close as he opened the trap door and laid on his stomach. His head hung through the ceiling and he swore under his breath. There were two qunari going through the aisles. They threw things from shelves and continued on. He picked himself up and closed the latch again.

"What do we do?" she squealed.

"Calm down. I promise I won't let anything happen to you." She threw her arms around him and trembled. "Stay here, I'm going to see if the patrol has moved on. Stay quiet."

He snuck a quick peek at the armed militia and scowled. The two qunari emerged from the building and spoke with the group. The leader waved them along. They took a corner going in the opposite direction than the one that they needed. He waved Adria over and lowered the ladder down for her. He took the lead and helped her down. He withdrew his sword and grabbed her hand.

They walked the winding streets, sticking to as many alleyways that they could to stay off the main road. They hid in covered doorways in the shadows. He pressed his body against hers to protect her in case they were caught. His hand covered her mouth when a patrol would pass. Her breathing quickened and she squirmed under the pressure of his weight. He rested his hand against her hip to pin her down and a flurry of adrenaline coursed through him. Her eyes were wild with fear and excitement.

It was the freedom that they wanted. They weren't under Danarius' watchful eye. They were alone with each other; with nothing to stop them for enacting on those forbidden thoughts that had kept him up countless nights. He took pleasure in her wiggling against him and if the thought of impending death hadn't intervened he'd have taken drastic measures to enforce his will on her.

"Are you alright," he finally asked when the coast was clear.

"I think so," she replied.

"It's not too much farther."

The first stars started to shimmer in the dusky night. Cicada bugs buzzed their courtship tunes and the mosquitoes swarmed in clouds of bloodthirsty hunters. They reached the far wall of the city and stopped. Adria was out of breath and coughing forcefully. He couldn't quiet her. She looked up at him, sweat poured from her ashen face. She looked ill again.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she groaned.

"Now?"

She leaned her head against the wall and hacked in to her hand. She looked at it briefly and gasped. The palm of her hand was splattered with bright red blood. She staggered and fell against him.

"It can't be happening again."

"We're almost there. We'll get you help once we get out of here." She grew heavier and her head dropped. "Adria. Come on." He lifted her unconscious body up and took a step on to the street. A handful of qunari were at the gate. He shook her till she came to. She startled and swung wildly. He grabbed her wrists with his hand and calmed her. "We have to get past those guards and we're out of here. I want you to stay here."

"I can help," she pleaded.

"No," he scolded her gently. "You know what will happen if you use magic."

"But if you get hurt, it's not going to matter either way."

"Adria, please. We don't have much time," he insisted.

"Be careful," she murmured.

He brushed her bangs away and shuddered. If it wasn't for the metal tips that protected his fingers he would have let the sensation of her skin against his swallow him whole. He pointed her back to the alley and waited till she was well hidden.

He rushed them before they noticed. He was quick and ruthless in his swings. The large blade disemboweled one of the giants and took the limb from another in one swing. He dodged an incoming spear and cleaved the pitcher across the head splitting it in two. He was so drawn on the combatants in front of him that he hadn't noticed that he was being flanked.

He spun when the last horned behemoth fell to the ground. His hands were covered in qunari blood and even with the textured handle his hand began to slip. He slapped another javelin throw to the side and was met with a second one to the shoulder. He stumbled back and wrenched the simple weapon out. They were closing in on him when Adria came from around the corner. She was gripping her shoulder as her hand traced the wall.

She lit up the night sky in a huge burst of flame that threw him back. He hit the ground hard enough to knock the air out of him. Another patrol of qunari was making its way in their direction. He looked at Adria on her knees. Her hands were over her eyes. She was rubbing them feverishly. Blood poured from between her fingers and dripped to the ground. A volley of spears began to rain down and landed just feet from him. Out of breath and wounded he called to the mage. She was gasping and gagging in front of him.

He dragged her through the gate and in to the blackened jungles. The screams of the incoming qunari pursuers kept him stumbling into the darkness. They went off the road towards the thick brush to throw them off and ran till his feet couldn't carry him anymore. His feet were cut and bleeding from jagged rocks and thorny bushes. He propped himself against a tree and watched as numerous torches bobbed along the road in the distance.

When the surge of adrenaline plummeted, he slid to the ground and winced in agony. Adria had grown silent in the passing minutes. He felt for her in the thick consuming darkness. He met her hand and squeezed it gently. He panted when the shock finally hit him. He shook and dry heaved until his stomach couldn't take it any longer. He was dizzy and as the world swung around him rapid revolutions he felt himself being laid on the ground.

"I can fix this," Adria said gently, just inches from his face. He felt her hands examining his wounded body. Droplets of fluid hit his armor like a small rain shower.

"No magic," he scowled. "I will not have you using it on me."

Her hand stopped at his shoulder. He growled angrily as she stuck her finger into the gaping hole.

"Would you rather die from infection or blood loss," she snapped.

"What about you? You're injured too. You didn't need to cause harm to yourself to save me. I was fine."

"Yes, being impaled by a spear just speaks of being fine," she remarked sarcastically.

"There's no need to be snide," he grumbled.

"There's plenty reason to be snide when you're acting like a child," she muttered.

"I only act like this because I don't want to see you get hurt again," he explained.

"Hush," she uttered. "It's my burden to bear."

The jungles radiated with a phosphorescent green. It illuminated her face just enough for him to see her eyes slammed shut as drops of blood streamed from the corners. Her dark make up gave her a shade of white. She bit her lip exposing her small even teeth. He could feel himself being wrapped in a blanket of serenity. Her hands hovered over him and swept across him. His pain ebbed and was replaced by the cold embrace of sleep beckoning him to give in.

The mild night air carried the orchestrations of various fauna. It became a buzz in his ears. His eyes closed while she worked. He could still feel her working on him until the weariness destroyed the rest of his ability to resist the call of slumber.

He shot up with a start. Vertigo took hold briefly before letting the rapid stirring of the world settle around him again. His blurry vision cleared to a small tent surrounding him. Voices were coming from outside. He looked beside him and saw that Adria was missing. He jumped from the covers when a hot breeze caressed his bare skin. His eyes scanned his body. Not a scrap of clothing covered him from the elements. He hid his nudity with his hands and searched the small space for something to dress himself in.

The flap opened and in walked an elf dressed in drab clothing. The burlap britches hung loosely on his small frame. Makeshift sandals covered his feet with a little stocking cap on his head. He smiled warmly at him and closed the flap behind him. There was giggling coming from behind him. Children were running around playing and it was almost too sappy for his tastes. He had no idea where he was or who was beaming from ear to ear at him.

"It's good to see you well," the elf stated. "I'm Imogen. I guess you'd call me the welcome wagon for us."

He extended a hand to him, but the apprehensive elf took a step back. The host frowned and withdrew his welcome casually.

"Where am I?" Fenris questioned. "Where's Adria?"

"The woman that was with you? She is fine. She sustained some very peculiar injuries. Our healer had a difficult time stabilizing her. You're lucky we found you two when we did." He held up a stack of clothes and handed it to Fenris with a cheerful smile. "The armor you had with you is under your pillow. Your friend has been asking about you since she awoke."

"She is alright though?" he asked with more insistence.

Imogen frowned and sighed. Fenris' breathing hitched at the sudden change in expression.

"The healer would like to speak to you privately before you see her. Certain procedures had to be enacted for her to survive. She already knows about them and she will recover fully, though please tread lightly around her," the elf warned.

Fenris quickly changed into the scratchy burlap slacks and pulled the shirt over his head. It was strange to be in something so loose. It was something he couldn't remember experiencing before. The unfamiliar trappings of cloth and twine were uncomfortable. He pulled the flap back and stepped in to the soggy air of the mid-afternoon. He inhaled the sweet air and exhaled the dread from his body. He stretched his muscles and found all sorts of races about the small camp. Qunari, elf, human all were intermingling around several campfires that boasted some stew in cast iron pots.

A tall qunari with its horns cut approached him. He was intimidating and masked. He limped with a thick staff guiding his way. Imogen introduced the two of them. The gravel in his baritone voice shook Fenris' foundation.

"I'm Saarebas," the qunari grumbled. "Healer to this group of warriors and advisor to many of the new people here."

"You wanted to speak with me," Fenris grumbled.

"Right to business. I like that. Imogen leave us." The cheerful elf bowed politely and left the two of them. "Walk with me, Fenris. We have much to discuss."

"How's Adria?"

"The saarebas? She is fine. Though there are some troubling things that I have found out. I have some questions that need to be answered. If you will indulge me."

"Saarebas? Aren't you-? Yes, I will try my best to answer whatever I can," Fenris answered as they walked around the encampment.

People stopped and looked at him. Whispers and stares were a common occurrence for him so this mattered little to him. The children that ran screaming around the camp brought back memories of his child from months before. He had refused to let himself grieve over that loss. Now he stood amongst those who were welcoming and didn't question him. Men and women that even with their curiosities were polite and greeted him with open arms.

"Do not trouble yourself with the title; it is something that I have become accustomed to in my years amongst the qunari. She is a mage? That is all it means. You will find no trouble amongst us with her presence. I have had the delight honor of speaking with her, if briefly. She is a strange woman to speak with. Many scars are brandished on that child's soul, but I am sure you know this already. So the questions that I have for you are quite small, but will aid in how we handle her special case.

You were slaves, yes? Did your master die in the raid?"

"No, he was sent back to Minrathous. We were left stranded here."

"This Adria, she was a special slave to your master?"

"She was his mistress."

"The markings engraved on her, is this common where you are from?"

"Not that I know of. I know very little about what went in to our rites. I do know, however, that her brands cause her to endure excruciating pain if she casts magic or if physical trauma occurs to me."

"That would explain what has happened to her," Saarebas stated with a nod. "She seems to cower from strangers and she refuses to come out from her tent. We've had to bandage her eyes to protect them from the light. We should be able to take them off in a couple of days or so."

"So what happened to her? Imogen said you had to do some procedure to save her," Fenris questioned nervously.

"Yes, certain steps had to be taken to save her life. The cost was certainly great."

"What was it? Spit it out."

The mage raised his hand to calm him and stopped in front of a tent across the camp from where they started. The roaring river yards away rushed by at incredible speed, along the banks frothy foam ebbed on rocks and plant life. There was something tranquil about the white water rapids that broke upon the jagged rocks in the murky water.

"I'll let her tell you. If you both wish to stay together to assuage some of her fears that is fine. I understand that she's spent the majority of her life behind walls so this is an overpowering experience for her. She is not the first to come to us from being in captivity. With time she will relax and realize she has nothing to fear. Her anxiety is understandable given what she has endured. This newly attained freedom you two have achieved will be an eye opening lesson for the both of you. But you are amongst friends and we will aid you in this process in whatever we can. I will leave you to tend to your friend. I look forward to seeing you two at dinner this evening."

Imogen came up to them and led the weathered qunari away. Fenris stood outside the tent and frowned. He couldn't help but feel nervous as to what he would find on the other side of the thick cloth. He scratched his head and swallowed his fears in to the pit of his stomach.

"Adria?" his gravelly voice gently called.

"Come in, Fenris," she responded weakly.

He slipped through the door and crawled to her. She was sitting up in the bed atop skins of animals and cloth. She was in a simple dress. The vested bodice held her snuggly and laced in the front with hemp rope. Her patchwork skirt was laid out in a circle around her. Her head was lowered as if to hide the bandages that wrapped around her head.

"Are you alright?"

She feigned a smile and nodded. Her pale lips, devoid of its familiar color, quivered meekly. The fine slit from a healing wound was the only color that blemished her supple lips. Her finger kneaded the coarse fabric. The ring she had been given hung on a cord around her neck along with a key. He recognized it as the one that would unlock the collar that he wore when in Danarius' service. He remembered that she was the one that had unshackled him before they fled the estate, much to their master's berating. She stood fast in her decision to free him saying that it would help him fight better if he could actually see what he was fighting.

"I've been better."

"I spoke with the healer. What happened to you?"

"I should have listened to you," she muttered.

He placed his hand on hers and the toiling that they continued to do slow until coming to a stop as two fists heaped in fabric. He lifted her chin and watched as red spots bled through. She pulled away from him and sniffled.

"It's alright. You can tell me," he assured her in a soothing tone.

"This reminds me of the night before your ritual. Without the gags and bondage," she chuckled. Her face contorted in to a frown and she began to cry. "What is the price of freedom?"

"I don't know," he answered with a quirked eyebrow.

"What do you think it was to save your life?"

He thought for a moment and shook his head. He was at a loss to this line of questioning.

"I don't understand."

"A life for a life."

He stared at her wide-eyed and shocked. He didn't know what to say or where to begin. She leaned over her knees and sobbed in to her hands. He wanted to be happy, considering his own losses and the fact that it was Danarius' spawn that had invaded her body, but he could only place his hand on her back and rub it gently with gentle whispers of sadness.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"It's not your fault. It's Danarius' for putting this blasted thing in my body. Not once but twice. The healer removed a foreign object that had been implanted in me, I guess, during my ritual. The pregnancy I guess wasn't viable anyways. The pain was a rupture. I was bleeding internally and that's how they found it. If they hadn't found me, I would have bled out a few hours after I lost consciousness."

"But what happened to your eyes? The healer said you suffered an injury."

"Right. It's one I've had before. The degree of damage done this time is more severe, but should heal in a couple of weeks."

"So technically you are blind?"

"Technically. Do you want to see?"

"I don't know if I should."

"It's alright. We're in the shade. There's no direct sunlight and it would be brief."

Her hands searched for his. She patted it gently and lifted it to her face. He methodically lifted it over her head. She closed her eyes when it was removed and sat motionless. She turned away from him, her face filling with the red blush of shame. She shuddered and stifled another onset of tears.

"It's alright. We don't have to do this now."

"You've never seen me like this. I've always been dolled up to hide everything from you. The ugliness that I've had to shield on behalf of Danarius' pride and my hatred has always been the only flaw I could paint away."

Small tears hit his thumb hot and red as he turned her head to face him. He could see the black eyes and various bruises around her neck that were in varying stages of healing. They couldn't possibly be new. He would have noticed another brutal assault at the hand of the magister. He wasn't going to even ask how she got them. It wasn't any of his business. Why hadn't she said anything? How could she deal with such abuse with nary a whisper of pain? Maybe she had and he wasn't around for it. There were times of the day where he was left caged like an animal in the master's chamber for hours at a time.

"You don't need to explain anything to me."

"It's why I said yes to him. He said it would end. That I would raise in station and he wouldn't lay a hand on me again. It was a lie. Every day became a struggle to keep him in control. I thought it would be different. The constant threat of your execution kept me in line. That's why I didn't say anything to you. It was a mistake and one that I paid for. The night before the attack was small in comparison to the others you've no doubt witnessed."

He brushed aside her bangs and let his head touch her forehead. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him. Her eyes squinted when he pulled back to look at her. The whites of her eyes were a deep red that surrounded almost supernatural green irises. Even the violent and corrupted purity was unmatched in how vibrant the color was. Her pupils narrowed to pin points and her lids closed again with a sigh.

"I don't want you to look," she muttered.

"It's alright. You're still beautiful, regardless."

He had seen that before. The healer that resided at the estate had called it hyphema. The first time he saw it was two weeks after their arrival in Seheron. Adria had been veiled since the day they left Minrathous. She refused to take it off in his presence and many of the sailor's on the ship had made comments about a malady that had befallen the young lady.

It wasn't until Danarius had sat her down to examine her with the healer. The magister lifted the veil like a groom would his bride and knelt beside her as she refused to open her eyes to them. They waited patiently until eventually the small slits turned in to wide eyed terror. She was looking directly at him. Thankfully, for her, the healer stepped in front of him and made a quick examination and gave her a list of potions to drink. It was another week after that before she began to walk around without obscuring device blocking his view of her.

"Could you put it back on? My eyes are starting to hurt," she asked politely.

He helped her put it back on and stood to stretch his legs. Her head cocked as she listened for him.

"The healer said I could stay with you if you wish till you acclimate to your surroundings," he stated with slight hesitation.

"I won't force you to if that is not what you desire."

He smirked to himself and helped her stand up when she motioned.

"I could do that. There's no point in us being separated. We've been through enough to last a life time. This freedom we have now achieved will not be spoiled by sleeping apart."

"Just be a gentleman," she snorted.

"I was not taught such things, but it'll be amusing to try," he prodded.

"I'm sure," she giggled.

She staggered backwards slightly. Her weakened legs were like jelly. He held her close and led her out of the tent. Her head rapidly turned in the direction of songbirds and laughing children. She limped a few steps and stopped. She hunched over and gasped. He held her waist and waited for her to proceed. Her black hair fell over his arm and in the breeze he could still smell the dragon's blood that radiated from her.

As she stumbled forward with her hand on his he thought to himself that he wasn't really free. There was no leash, no master, no confined spaces, just her and that was a slavery he was willing to accept if the price meant freedom that only she could give him.