The crunch of an apple between half rotted teeth was the only sound in the room as Harlan peered out the window of the second floor room of the keep's library. His teeth and lips smacking as he chewed on the fresh apple slice. It was too fresh given they were coming out of winter. But magic was no obstacle when you wanted fresh food.
He picked at the appleseed stuck between impacted teeth and spat it in his pristinely white gloved hand. The glove now contained a hefty dose of leftover chewing tobacco and in the midst of the spit was the apple seed.
"Another." He held his hand out to Prudence.
"You can do it yourself," she sighed. Prudence didn't look up from her perch on the chaise, with a grimoire in one hand and the other plucking a grape.
Harlan didn't spare a glance at her, instead he crooked a glowing finger at her. His gaze remained staring out into the garden and fountains as Prudence gave a short gasp. Her body twisted, concaving into itself as her throat collapsed. A tail lashed out from under her skirts and black ichor bubbled out of her eyes and ears. Teeth flashed, growing in length before retracting behind a second pair of lips that unhinged from beneath her jaw.
"You will do as I say," Harlan stated as he tracked the movements of a figure in the garden. Three of them, with one lagging behind as they paused at the pool. "Do I make myself clear, Demon?"
"I will do as you command ." The voice did not come from Prudence's malformed mouth, but it was disembodied and guttural.
Harlan relinquished control and Prudence gasped, sending a glare at him as she returned to her more human appearance. Her throat returned to normal. She pulled out a handkerchief from a pocket to wipe the ichor up. She disposed of the handkerchief in the single magical brazier in the room. Her hands shook as she righted her clothing, hair, and tucked her tail back beneath the skirts.
"Another." Harlan held his hand out, the appleseed resting in the middle of his palm.
Prudence withheld a growl but flailed her hand at the seed. It quivered in Harlan's palm before cracking open. A single sprout grew up. Life forming from the energy poured into it. It grew, longer into a sprouting tree. Harlan let the seed drop to the floor. A fresh apple tree growing in spot with no dirt, no water, and little sunlight. All from the power of a demon under control from a blood mage. The tree sprouted apples that one by one began to fall. But one dropped into Harlan's still open palm. Once it did, the rest of the tree began to rescind. The apples withered away, dying and turning to ash and the bark of the tree all but disappeared.
Harlan didn't care for those, simply pulling a dagger out and cutting a slice of the apple in his palm.
"Such waste." LaVish spoke from his own position in the library. A simple wine glass between his fingers but the liquid within it was no wine. It was dark and viscous, only seeming to thicken and darken into a murky flaky brown where it touched the glass.
"Paltry?" Harlan asked. Again he didn't look toward his pets.
"Nothing, milord." LaVish muttered, while swirling the wine glass. The liquid was becoming gelatinous.
"Are you sybarites quite ready?" Johane Harimann drummed her fingers against a side table, waiting for them to turn to her.
"Now now," LaVish began, his tone monotonous as a lazy look cast over Lady Harimann. "There's no need for name calling." He spoke over the rim of his wine glass. His too pale skin a dark contrast as he tipped his wine glass back. The dark sludge like quality was exactly as he liked it. It stained his lips red.
"I suppose that was a bit harsh." Johane glared at him. "Would libertine suffice? Or perhaps roué would be more appropriate if the Templars caught wind of you." She hissed. "Broken across the wheel is a most apt punishment, don't you think?"
"You Orlesians." La'Vish snarled.
"Ah-ah... I am Marcher."
"Oh yes. Technically Marcher. You may have been born here but never forget your Orlesian heritage." La'Vish spat.
"You say that as if you don't wish you had my family's connections." She hissed back.
"And what? Become frog fuckers like you?" La'Vish smirked.
"You..." She narrowed her eyes and then smiled. "There is prestige and favor to be granted by the Chantry if I turn over a maleficar. Especially so if the maleficar can be linked to any recent rash murders and disappearances. It would be most inconvenient. Don't you think? Sister Penance can't protect you forever."
"Johane." Harlan's crisp tone ceased all discussion. He turned from the window to glare at his generals. His left hand, Prudence and his temporary right, La'Vish, faced him. He didn't address her threat but stared long at her. "Did you introduce Flora to Vael?" Harlan questioned as he slipped another apple slice between his teeth.
"I did." Johane confirmed, stilling as she considered continuing.
"Speak." Harlan cut another slice, moving away from the window to stand at a desk, graciously gifted to him for use by Prosper.
"I thought instead of Goran we might go for-"
"No." Harlan waved his hand. "Leave the Brother alone."
"It would be easier if we went for him instead of trying to put that fool Goran on the throne." Johane suggested.
"Sebastian would be too difficult to control." La'Vish sighed. "With a competent ruler on the throne, our operations would be difficult to breach past Starkhaven's Holy Militia, much less make any headway into their undercity. An undercity that does not yet exist."
"Starkhaven is ripe for the taking, Harlan. If we remove the Vaels all together we wouldn't need a veiled shadow ruler." Johane ignored La'Vish.
Harlan stared at her, his single scarred eye blinked before he gave a crooked smile. "Aye.. we wouldn't."
Johane smiled in triumph.
"The problem however is drumming up an army. An army whose military training and regiment has held back the Qunari invaders. As such tactics are still studied to this day in Starkhaven and utilized. But sure, let us just commit regicide and assume we can waltz right in there." Harlan stared at Johane. "If you believe that, then you're even more of a fool than I thought."
"It just seems overly complicated to-"
"The people, Johane." Harlan smacked the desk. The books and trinkets shook as his gaze flashed red. "It is the people of Starkhaven we will have to worry for. Their numbers are great, if they catch wind of any suspicious politicking or deaths, they will revolt. Much of the Starkhaven population is well educated. Military enlistment is mandatory for all men, regardless of social status and voluntary for women. All to keep their proud city safe. And it is not accomplished through fear of the Chantry like Tantervale but loyalism to the throne and what it represents and what the Vael family does. We need that throne." Harlan snarled as he seemed to rise in height. His aura commanding presence and overshadowing the light.
"I understand, but-"
"La'Vish." Harlan barked and the temporary right hand gave a smile. His lips stretched.
"I'm quite full but if you insist." La'Vish droned, slowly rising.
Johane watched him as he dusted himself off and set the wine glass to the side. He swept his hair back and gave her a smile.
"Harlan-" The plea was cut short as La'Vish fade stepped to her. The flurry of magic made books shiver and flutter as he gripped her throat, raising her well above the floor. His nails elongated and sharp, pressed into her skin. His glass eye glowed with enchantments. His nigh transparent skin stretched to reveal wiry dark blue varicose veined skin around his mouth. His teeth were not different than those of any normal human, but they were a tad longer. This was due to his gums beginning to fill with moisture and life with the blood he previously drank.
"It has been many moons since I've had blood of the nobility." His voice droned. "It tastes of fat that's been left marinating in wine, but it does add a bit of flavor to my diet."
Johane's eyes widened as she struggled against the palm against her throat. Feet kicking at the air, searching for purchase.
La'Vish's nail dragged across her throat but did not puncture the skin. The edge of his thumb pressed against her Maferath's apple. His glass eye swiveled independently up and down her form, searching her veins where most of her mana pooled in her blood. He tracked the branching lines in his vision to her heart.
"Tsk tsk, Lady Harimann. You should know better." He muttered as his other hand reached for her bodice. Laces untied and dress splayed open, his finger found the spot on her sternum. Nails puncturing, the trail of blood that pooled oozed magical potential that she had stored. He leant forward and lapped it up. Lips red, he drank. His skin filled with color the more he drank as his dry veins filled with pure magic.
He could obtain the same effect with lyrium, but blood - blood was so sweet. It slipped between his teeth and reinvigorated his muscles and replenished his magical stores. Pulling back, he drew back and let her drop from his grip. His tongue elongated and forked licked every drop of blood on his lips, not letting a single drop go to waste.
Johane heaved with weakened magic. Her mana would restore but what she had placed there as protection was gone. A tightly interwoven shield, gone, leaving her magically exposed. She glowered at La'Vish as he strolled back to his chair and with a bored sigh, sat back down.
"Do not try my patience again." Harlan waved his hand. He cut another slice of apple and ate it. "Push Flora to Goran. Leave Sebastian's involvement to Prudence." He dismissed her as he once again turned to the window. The aforementioned demon smiled as Johane did up her dress.
Lady Harimann's hands shook, but she ducked her head with affirmation. "Yes, Lord Harlan." She left the room.
Harlan returned to watching the three figures tucked beneath a tree in the garden. The smaller of the three laid out on a blanket. A servant brought them a tray. The smaller one rolled over to press close against the red headed male.
"Another." Harlan held his hand out with another appleseed ready to grow. Prudence did not fight him, simply raising her hand and directing magic at the seed. It grew and grew until once again another apple fell to his palm, all others withered away. Harlan smirked as he cut another slice while watching the garden activities.
It was a combination of the afternoon bell and a wind chill that woke her up. The lull in conversation that had lulled her to sleep had ceased and a hand was running through her hair. Gentle and soft, with the pads of their fingers rubbing against her most sensitive spots. Her scalp tingled, making her spine shiver. It was something she hadn't trusted Varric after he'd pulled her hair just once. But this… this was bliss. And there was only one person who knew where to rub her scalp and how gentle to be.
Blinking, she peered up at Sebastian who was leant against a tree. Next to him was Nathaniel, the both of them in quiet contemplation in each other's presence. Serene, quiet, pleasant. Occasionally Nathaniel would lean over to grab something that Lena couldn't see. A cube of cheese or a grape that'd he pop into Sebastian's mouth. Who would smile and open his mouth, to accept the morsel, only to suck on Nathaniel's fingers suggestively.
Nathaniel would look away with a forced grin as his cheeks reddened. Then he would plant a kiss on Sebastian's lips. The small rumble of a chuckle from Sebastian stilled his fingers for a moment, but they quickly resumed.
Lena's throat felt tight, her molars hurting from the sheer sweetness of it all. She didn't want to disturb them but she felt filthy and she wanted to give them some privacy instead of peeping at their shared emotional intimacy.
Sebastian murmured something too low for Lena to hear that made Nathaniel's ears tint pink. He repeated it again, and Lena watched as Nathaniel turned smoldering - smoldering - eyes at Sebastian who gave a hum of appreciation before the two shared a deeper kiss. His hand removed from her hair to cup Nathaniel's jaw.
Yeap, time to go. Lena rolled over with a grunt and flailed to her feet. Her back popping and cracking as she went. "Ugh… ya'll are too sweet to watch. Nauseating." She grumbled.
"Lena!" Sebastian and Nathaniel jumped apart.
"You keep doing you. I gotta find a chamber pot." She did not give them a choice in her departure or time to react. Their legs were tangled up with a plate between them. They'd have to move all that to catch up to her. Lena smirked.
Truth is she did need a bathroom. But not to empty her bowels, to take a bath. It meant disappearing to her chambers and asking a servant to draw her bath.
"Too much effort." She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she stopped short at the pool. The garden was expansive but the reflecting pool was a sloping sight ending at stairs leading out. It's tile held a reflecting mosaic picture of a great sea serpent on the bottom. She could see it because the water was the clearest she's ever seen. The water she'd pump up in Kirkwall was cloudy and took a lot of boiling to get the water as clean as she needed. Yet Chateau Haine it was crystal clear she could see to the deep depth of this side of it.
How deep was it? Twelve? Fifteen?
Her fingers trailed up to her hair, where Dopey was perched. Scritching his underbelly, she pulled the spider off her and set it on a chair by the edge of the pool. "Stay there." She cooed, knowing spiders and water really didn't mix well. He chittered, raising his front legs in confirmation. Only he didn't stay there. He crawled to the underside of the chair, probably in search of some bugs.
The Solarium was mostly empty. People were enjoying the festivities of the tourney outside the Keep. And there were a few people who entered the Solarium. She could spy Denier and some lady, taking a stroll through the gardens.
It wasn't all the upper crust nobility. Some merchants were accompanied by prostitutes, disappearing into the expansive garden bushes and some of the garden purveyors were commoners in simple tunics and leggings. How they managed to enter the gardens was a mystery but no one was stopping them.
Turning back to the pool she kicked off her boots. Lena began to remove her stockings next to dip her feet.
"Madame River?" A shadow came across her.
Whether it was her sleep deprivation, muscle exhaustion, or a combination of the two that left her not paying attention to her immediate surroundings; either way the person caught her off guard as she spun to see slipping on her stockings. She flailed falling backward into the water with a yelp and sharp inhale of breath.
She expected to be met with a cold splash of water to wake her up. But instead the water was warm and enveloped her. The reflecting pool was heated one. She sunk into it like a bath and it increased in temperature the deeper she went. The normal shock of cold water would have woken her up to keep afloat but this was relaxing so she didn't try to float.
She floated over the bottom tiles. The familiar embrace of water pressure around her like a warm cocoon that calmed her. Her eyes opened to the view around her. The only sound was of the beating of her heart and the movement of water as it churned around her.
The pool was deeper at this end than she thought.
Looking at the tiles she traced the sea serpent, pausing as each tile each had a glow about them. A distinctly enchantment like glow. Angling down, she spied the faint traces of the lyrium engraved in the tiles. They connected to each other.
What a lavish display of magic. Not only using mages as servants but tranquil to build himself a heated pool. What else did Duke Prosper have? Was the pool capable of other things too? Bubbles like a jacuzzi? Could it also emulate waves and turn it into a wave pool? How freaking awesome would that be? Lena wouldn't put it past the Duke to employ such things.
The closer she observed the more the sheen of glow pulsed. The color changing as heat came off it. Touching a finger to a tile, she traced the rune. Its pulsing glow changed and that change spread to the others near it. The water rose in temperature enough to cause actual bubbles to form around her. Yet the water was nowhere near boiling, at least she didn't think.
Uhh . I didn't do it . She pushed off the tiles with her feet, intending on shooting to the surface when arms wrapped around her. The sudden force of a wall of muscle made her scream releasing what breathe she had left. She flailed to pull away but they held fast to her as they rose up.
When they broke the surface Lena let out a gasp and sucked in air with greed. Only when she her lungs stopped aching did she push at whomever was holding her. Only to meet against what amounted to a wall of muscle taut with tension as they dragged her toward the end of the pool where she could kneel on her own and cough out the bit of water she had sucked in. She blinked, wiping the water from her eyes. When she could see the expanse of grey muscles, it registered who was holding her.
Iron Bull climbed out of the water once he was sure she was fine on her own, coughing up water and breathing. He towered over her, and only a second too late did he realize how terrifying he was for little ole her when she flinched back.
"You alright?" He asked.
"Yeah…" She huffed.
"Didn't mean to scare you." He gave a reassuring smile, or tried to but Lena fixed him with a glare. She meant to admonish him that she'd been fine and didn't need saving when Sebastian's contrite and worry call had her looking up to see him jumping into the pool toward her. Nathaniel was behind him, removing his shoes.
"Lena!" Sebastian huffed and checked her over, sending glares at Iron Bull who raised his hands up and backed away. "What did that ox-savage do to you?"
Iron Bull was unfazed by his language but not Lena. She lost her footing and fell back into the water in shock over Sebastian's blatant racism.
"Sebastian! You don't use that kind of language!" Lena admonished Sebastian. "You apologize to him this instant."
"He almost drowned you and you want me to-" Sebastian's mouth opened.
"He saved me, he wasn't drowning me and yes. Apologize. Right now. That language is unacceptable. That's just… well that's racist." She stood in the water, her short dress floating around her. Crossing her arms, she glowered at Sebastian.
He took a look at her, the seriousness of her expression and her stance had Sebastian culled. It wasn't the playful sort like he'd grown used to when she dominated him and ordered him around. It was the sort of expression and stance she'd only used once when he'd overstepped his boundaries in terms of consent. And consent was integral to their arrangement and friendship.
The longer he stalled the deeper her scowl got. Turning toward the Qunari, he fumbled.
"Apologize." She pushed him.
"Messere…" He didn't know his name.
"The Iron Bull." The Qunari provided with a surprised smirk that royalty was taking orders from a shortstack dwarf.
"Messere Bull, I am sorry for the language I just used." Sebastian inclined his head.
"Good." Lena sighed and dropped her arms and turned to Iron Bull. "Thank you for saving me."
"Awh it's alright. Didn't mean to scare you before." Iron Bull shrugged.
"Yo-you didn't scare me." Lena sputtered. "You just caught me off guard. There is a difference," she insisted.
"Sure, sure." He chuckled as he climbed out of the pool
"Did you need something?" She poised.
"Ah, you know. Can't remember." He shrugged with a big smile. "Just glad you're alright."
Lena wasn't convinced but said nothing. She climbed out of the pool with a shiver. Her dress clung close and her feet slipped, but Sebastian grabbed hold of her. She slapped his hand.
"I need a towel before I freeze." She chattered her teeth.
"We can return to my quarters-" Nathaniel suggested.
"Oh no. It's getting late and I need to get ready for the evening." Selena brushed off and grabbed her shoes. "Dopey…" She called and the spider crawled toward her but paused at her dripping. "Ugh...I'm not…" She turned to Sebastian. "Sebastian, pick Dopey up. He's scared of water."
"You...I…" Sebastian blanched at the spider.
"Are you seriously scared of an itty bitty spider?" Lena teased.
"No…" He couldn't even convince himself.
NOTES: Woo! I didn't go over 4k words on this. And after last chapter's almost 8k this was a nice breather for a bit. Plus I had a group project due this week for class and it was insane so a bit shorter but it covers everything I want.
La'Vish is what I would call a Thedosian Vampire. He's a bloodmage, incase you didn't get that, who drinks blood as his power source. He doesn't have fangs (cause ew gross you don't need fangs to penetrate the skin). I figured there should be vampires even if they don't use that word.
REVIEWS:
coduss: LOL! Sorry for your head. Cailan's puns will probably come up a bit more for the duration of Chateau Haine. I've had that list for a long time. There are other names but those are the names whom she will definitely not sleep with for "reasons" that I can't reveal yet. I'm not done with Harlan yet so a crow won't kill him.
tsukikageshi: Now wouldn't that be interesting if the drunk archer was a darkspawn. Would be intriguing. Sadly no. It's someone else.
Thank you for reading and reviewing!
