Chapter 28: Elven Business
She was confused.
That was the only word that could describe it. She had spent the last few weeks trying to harden her heart and forget the past. She had wanted to move her life forward, despite the fact that the Maker had answered her prayers, and yet…turned that answer into a nightmare. She had been ready to move on, to go forward with her life. Then…Bradley had done something so stupidly wonderful that her plans had gone completely off course.
Serene hated that.
She had learned as both a bard and a grey warden not to dwell on things. Yet this…this haunted her, a simple act of kindness had sent her head and her heart spinning in to different directions.
She tried to push it away, to focus on the work before them, find the traitor in Starkhaven and deal with him. Yet all she had to do was look at the young man in the black armor and her world went off kilter.
The darkspawn dreams had been bad that night, she could not deny that. Creatures chasing her through dark places, monsters that wanted to hurt her, to molest her, to do things that even the darkest demons in the fade would call depraved.
She had remembered whimpering, calling out for help.
Then the dream had changed, she found herself in strong yet gentle arms, a soothing voice gentle in her ear, warmth that brought comfort and rest.
She had awoke to find Bradley holding her.
It…it had been a dream come true, part of her feared that it would end as so many such dreams had ended with him vanishing in flames, leaving her alone sobbing on the cold stone floor of the temple in Haven, but that had not happened. She had drifted back to sleep with better dreams, safer dreams. Dreams of the two of them touch, laughing, and kissing.
A shuddering breath escaped the bard's mouth.
Maker, what am I going to do?
The wardens and their new allies had vanished deeper into the Free Marches. Sebastian promised them that they would be arriving at the rebels' fall back camp soon.
Serene did not look at the Seeker; she had tried to avoid him since waking that morning.
She…she did not want this anymore! She did not want any more pain!
She had never told him, never told him the truth about their time together.
Serene shifted uncomfortably.
Everyone had always assumed that she had been a master of her own heart, and desires, but that had not been true. She…she had been a virgin when she had gone to Bradley's bed, he…he had been the first man she had allowed to touch her. She had never allowed anyone during her bardic days to come close, no matter how handsome or powerful they had been.
Bradley had been her first, and it had ripped out her heart when he had died.
She…she did not want to go through all that again.
"You okay Ruby?"
Varric Tethras walked beside her. She smiled wanly at the dwarf, they were a lot alike in many ways, both loved stories, and often found themselves in the middle of some very dark adventures, she with the wardens, and him with Hawke.
They had hit it off almost as soon as they had met back in the Palace in Ferelden.
"I am fine Varric," she said with a sad sigh.
The dwarf frowned slightly.
"You're thinking about him again aren't you, your Seeker?"
She sighed heavily.
"I'm trying not to, it…it hurts…for so long I wanted his return, to see his face again, to touch him, to…"
She winced.
"Now…he is back, and yet…he is not," she wiped at her eyes, denying tears that wanted to fall, "I should just let this go. I…I should have let this go years ago."
Varric gave her a sympathetic smile. He drew his crossbow from his back.
"Beautiful isn't she?" he asked.
She nodded.
"I call her Bianca, she…she was designed by two of the best people I have ever known. Gerav was a bit of a nutter, but in a good way. Bianca, the real Bianca was…"
Varric's eyes turned distant, his face sad.
"I…I did job with King Alistair and Rivaini a few years back, we ended up trapped in the fade. The spirits there…they offered me a second chance with her."
Serene's eyes widened.
"But it was not real," she said softly, "Those are just dreams."
"I know," Varric replied, his emotions hidden behind a bland mask, "Bianca and I…we…we tried, but I lost her. We…we will never see each other again, not in this life anyway."
"Did…did you love her?"
Varric did not respond.
He could still see her, that roguish smile, that dark brown hair, that impish glint in her eyes when she distracted him from his work.
He did not like thinking about this.
Still he should at least try to answer.
Serene realized that he did not need to.
His silence was the answer.
He gave her a smile.
"The Maker has chosen to smile on you, Ruby," he said going back to his normal merchant's voice, "Find out if there is even a chance for you two. Don't let it become your greatest regret, I lost Bianca, you can at least see if there is a chance for you and that Seeker. Don't let him become your greatest regret, your Bianca."
Serene nodded, she…she was still not sure, but the dwarf's words sounded like wisdom.
She did not want Bradley to turn into her Bianca, not if she had a choice.
IOI
Wren trudged along with the others, his watcher not far from where he was.
It was Treasure today, the blonde former Templar smiled sweetly every time he looked at her, she waggled the blade of her halberd, letting him know what he was in store for if he tried anything funny.
Wren rolled his eyes; he really, really hated Templars, or even former Templars.
Isabela had been avoiding him since their little conversation the other day. Not that he cared all that much, he had wanted to do that for almost ten years, to pay her back for leaving all those years ago.
Now he was stuck travelling with her, travelling with all of them. Justin, Hawke, Bethany, they were all people that he had no love for.
Still…he remained patient, quiet, his time would come, he would find some way to remove this damned collar, then they would all see what happened when you angered a son of Flemeth.
"Hello."
Wren rolled his eyes, what did she want now?
Amethyne Hawke walked along beside him, the blonde haired elven girl did not seem to take no for an answer. Unlike the others, she did not avoid him, or consider him a threat. She…she seemed to see him as a project, someone that she could save.
She just did not get it; he did not want to be saved!
He did not deserve to be saved.
The healer scowled.
"Shouldn't you be up front with Hawke and Fenris," he asked her.
"Mother Hawke is speaking with Commander Justin," she informed him, "Ser Fenris is speaking with Miss Bethany, I'm giving them a chance to catch up. So, no…I have no reason to be upfront right now, I came back to see if you were doing okay."
"I require nothing," he said.
"Really," she blinked her eyes innocently, "I heard something happened between you and Captain Isabela, I wanted to see if you needed to talk."
"I don't."
"You sure?"
Wren snorted, the nerve of the girl
"Is there not someone else you can annoy?"
The elf smiled sweetly.
"You are not an easy person to get to know Andreas Wren," she said.
"Tis not worth anyone's time to get to know me," he spat.
"And the fact that you think that is exactly why I want to know more about you," she replied.
He sneered.
"What do you wish to know child?" he asked, "Do you want to know how it felt to watch the woman who raised me be burned to death by Templars? How about a tale about when I helped raze an Orlesian merchant vessel? Would you like me to tell you how I tracked down and killed my bastard of a Father? Oh…there are so many tales I could share."
Amethyne's elven ears twitched.
"We all have our sins Ser Mage," she said stoically, "I was sold to Tevinter slavers when I was only five years old. I spent the next ten years hiding what I was. The blood of elven girls are prized in Tevinter you see. My arcane blood would also have made me a prize," the elf's mouth tightened into a grim line, "I had to pretend I was a boy. Cyrion, the man who raised me, him and the other slaves kept me safe. Then I found Mercy, she is a fade spirit she told me what I was, and helped me start to learn how to use my arcane powers."
Wren was surprised; it was rare that a spirit took such interest in a mortal.
"She wanted me to be her herald in this world," the girl continued, "A warrior for the ideal of compassion."
Wren chuckled, compassion indeed.
"You find something funny?" she asked him.
"I have known little of compassion in this life child," he replied.
"I am sorry," she said.
Wren glared at her.
He…he did not want her pity!
"How did you find Hawke and her elf," he asked, "Tevinter slaves rarely leave the imperium?"
She frowned deeply.
"My master finally figured out that I was an arcane," she told him, "He planned to sacrifice me in the old way, turn me into a battery of mana that he could draw on. He had been a fool; he did not know that the witch king had found out about me. The king had intended for him to finish his work, and then have the man's own guards kill him and deliver me."
Wren flinched; he recognized that the witch king needed to do things to advance his cause, but that did not mean that he had to agree with them.
Sacrifices sometimes needed to be made.
"Mother Hawke and Ser Fenris saved me," the elf continued, "but my former master would not fall so easily. He murdered the rest of the slaves that travelled with him, including my guardian," Amethyne felt a swell of loathing, "the Magister killed Cyrion and the others right in front of us, in front of me. I…I killed him for that, after that…Mother Hawke took me in, started training me. I thought at the time that I had found a teacher, but had found so much more. Mother Hawke has given me everything a home, a purpose, a new family. I owe her everything."
"After all that you still believe in the power of compassion?" he asked her.
"There are many forms of compassion;" she said thoughtfully, "Protecting the weak is one form. Killing those without mercy is another, if compassion is beyond someone, why should I not remove them, to stop them from hurting anyone else?"
Wren shrugged, it was one definition of compassion he supposed.
"How do you know that you can trust this spirit?" he asked her.
"I have faith," she said.
"And what if she were to ask to possess you, would you allow it?"
Amethyne glared at him.
"No," she said, "Mother Hawke warned me of the dangers of that; even the most benevolent spirit can be corrupted by the emotions of a mortal. I would not risk my soul, or spirit of my first teacher!"
"I have angered you," he said smirking.
Her smile returned.
"It is not that easy," she said, "You like pushing people away from you, don't you? Is having people that care about you really so terrible?"
Wren's hands clenched into angry fists. How…how dare the girl, the stupid little knife-ear! Did she think he cared what others thought of him?
"Leave me," he spat.
She gave him a sad look.
"You are not a monster Ser Mage," she said quietly, "One day you will remember that, there are people in this world that won't try to hurt and betray you."
She left him then, heading back up front with the others.
Wren glared at the girl's back.
Compassion indeed, he thought.
The girl was a fool not to realize how dark the world truly was.
He shook his head; he dug in his satchel, looking for something for the headache the girl had given him.
Surprisingly, he found a note.
He glanced around carefully; Treasure was speaking with one of the other wardens.
He opened the note, the contents surprised him.
It said:
You are not alone.
The servants of the Witch King are many.
A friend.
The note vanished in a flash of green flame.
Wren could not believe it.
A hint of a smile came to his lips.
So, the king had not betrayed him after all.
He had a spy here, either among the wardens or the rebels.
Wren found himself glancing around at those travelling with them. Who could it be? The psychotic Templar girl, the former pit fighter, or perhaps it was Sebastian's Fereldan Knight; he had heard Hawke talking about the woman.
Ooh, the twists and turns of treachery!
Wren smiled fully now.
Whatever was going to happen when they reached the rebel base, one thing was certain.
Things were about to get interesting.
