Chapter 63 – Twisted beginnings

Makatza had promised to tell him everything as soon as they were back at his place. He grudgingly agreed and made a mental note not to let her distract him from it when they were back at the manor. She grabbed some extra clothing and some books that she had been reading before pulling on her boots. They grabbed a couple of cloaks to keep them dry and despite the awful weather managed to get to his home without any major incidents, Makatza was shaking from the cold and a little bit of fear as she stood in the foyer. The storm seemed to be dying down but she was still on edge, she looked around. 'You've tidied more,' she says as the place only looked like it needed a spot of paint and the floor polished.

Fenris felt a wash of embarrassment, 'ah, yes, well. I thought you would prefer to come here if it actually looked like a place to live, not... squat.'

Makatza smiles at him as she takes off her shoes and looks around with a nod, 'it looks really, really good,' she praises as he takes her cloak and hangs it up. 'Is upstairs as good as down here?' She asks.

'Yes, I have tried to keep myself busy while we were apart and I was avoiding your cousin,' he says as he walks to the kitchen to make her a cup of tea to settle her nerves. 'Have you eaten dinner?' He asks as she follows him, she slinks into the kitchen and squeaks in surprise as he grabs her by the waist and puts her on the table.

'Why have you been avoiding Garrett?'

'I did not want to get into unnecessary conflicts and risk getting hurt,' he says quietly. 'I only went on the tasks where I thought your idiotic cousin would get into serious trouble. He insists on talking about a crush that I have on you and how it is love-'

'Ah... is that how you came to last night's revelation?' Makatza teases.

Fenris gives her a look and shakes his head, 'no, no, that I came to by myself. Apparently everyone talks about us behind our backs though, about how we should be together. So I guess that is one thing I am doing right?' She giggles and he kisses her forehead making her smile a little more, he busies himself in the kitchen and makes a cup of tea and pushes the mug into her hands to warm her up. He hadn't brought the water to a complete boil in case she had an accident and launched the drink across herself or him. 'Are you going to tell me what happened today after I left you?'

'Yes,' she mumbles with a sniff. 'It's just me being silly-'

'You always say that and it is just a way to make me feel like the situation is not as serious as it is,' Fenris says as he begins to make them some food that they can pick at without worrying about it going cold. 'I know that I am more than likely going to be displeased but you need not worry about that.'

Makatza sips her tea and sighs. 'You know I wasn't looking forward to seeing the dressmaker, I had a bath and did some healing of the marks you gave me,' she says with a slight tease that made him smile.

'You should have left them,' Fenris comments.

'Oh yeah, like I need that to be spread around the city. Ewan is such an asshole. Auntie insists on using him because he's the best and the dress is phenomenal but he's a prick! When I had my measurements done I was completely nake-'

'You were naked?' Fenris cuts in annoyed.

'Well yes, I had to be so he could measure me correctly. I'm not bothered about him seeing me, I'm pretty sure that he isn't interested in women though I wouldn't want to assume. My point is, when he saw me naked he was making comments about how I wasn't human enough or that at least I was attractive even though I was half elf, and then today when he arrived he told Bavent that he'd been telling all the other households what I look like!' She said in a wail. 'Not only was it bad enough he'd seen me naked, he'd gone and told everyone else as well!' She sniffed and sipped some more of her tea. Fenris was trying not to interrupt and stay quiet but he had many questions, 'and...and... before that while I was getting dry from my bath, Bodahn came up and told me that that toad Bavent was downstairs wanting to talk to me and it turns out he wants to take me to Lady Emaline's ball. Auntie refused and said I didn't need an escort as I was going with family and then he ignored her and asked me! So I panicked and said that I already had an escort which thankfully Auntie went along with, then that whole thing with Ewan happened,' she sighed finally finished.

Fenris stroked her knees softly as he processed everything that she had just told him. 'Then the storm happened,' he added as she nods and wipes her nose with her sleeve. Her hair had caught a little of the rain so her curls were looser than usual and dripped a bit onto her clothing. 'Bavent was around again?' He asked tackling the things that bothered him the most.

Makatza nods again, 'yeah, I'm getting a little concerned about his interest. I mean now that we've decided to stop hiding I'm pretty sure I can nip it in the bud with a little bit of social outcast but I didn't care about that anyway,' she looks up at him and wears a weak smile. 'Would you mind if I took my bracelet off now?' He shook his head and took it off her wrist placing it on the side, she inhaled deeply and felt her mana begin to pulse once more. The pain relief was immediate and he felt his muscles lose the tension he had been holding. Makatza inhaled deeply and let out a sigh of ease. 'That's much better, it feels like I'm underwater when I wear it,' she explains.

'There is not much I can do in regards to Ewan,' he says quietly. 'I could rip out his tongue, that would stop it from wagging so much,' he says as the idea hits him. 'He would still be able to work-'

'No, no, no mutilation,' she says with a attempted laugh as she shook her head. 'I wouldn't worry. I mean, what does it matter that people might possibly know what I look like? It's not like I care about them,' she says mostly to herself.

Fenris kisses her softly, 'I care. You are mine and I am yours, I do not wish for some other lord to take a fancy to you. It is bad enough that this lord Bavent has expressed his interest. What do you wish to do about this ball?'

'I am half tempted to tell Auntie that I'm not going. I can't though, she's had the dress made and jewellery and told all her friends,' she moans. 'Now I've got to find an escort that won't rouse suspicion. Maybe Sebastian? He is a prince, though I was trying to avoid anyone that they might make rumours about.'

Fenris raised a brow and looked at her with an amused smile, 'in fear that they would implicate a possible relationship with your escort?' He asks as she agrees with him. 'Then you already know who your escort should be,' he says as he brushes her hair over her shoulders, Makatza gave him a blank look and he rolled his eyes. 'I will do it,' he states.

'What? No! That would be horrid for you all night! I'm going to have to wear my bracelet and I won't be able to heal you and all those lord and ladies who would treat you like a lesser person! No! No, that's not a good idea,' she said shaking her head. 'I'm going to have to meet the Knight Commander and-'

'I am well trained to deal with the high society of this city,' he cut in. Not to mention all the lords that would be preying on her all evening and that very thought made his lip curl in disgust. 'I am trained for this very purpose, a bodyguard. In truth I despise the very idea of being in a room of people whom most of I could not care less if they perished but I do not like the idea of you being there on your own even more.' He stroked her cheek as he kisses her softly, 'it does mean that any rumours that would circulate would be in part true.'

Makatza laughs lightly and rolls her eyes. 'It would be all night and you can't hurt anyone,' she points out. 'Not even if they say lecherous or rude things to me.'

'I would be on my best behaviour,' he teases.

'Hmmm, with you that can mean anything,' she replies with a raised brow. She listens carefully it seems like the rain has stopped and she could finally relax for the time being. 'Thank you,' she says with a happy sigh. 'It's a weight off my mind. Though I am worried about making a fool of myself or someone noticing that I have mana pulses,' she admits as she sits up a little straighter and puts her empty mug to the side of her as she pushes her shoulders back until she hears a comfortable pop.

Fenris feels his heart beat heavily as he looks at her, she was so worried and he could tell that she was tense. 'You would not make a fool of yourself,' he said quietly. 'I have no doubt that the lords would be admiring at your beauty rather than looking for your magic, and the ladies would be enviously muttering amongst themselves about you.' His words make her blush ever so lightly as she smiles in shyness.

She nodded as she bit her lip, fucking hell what this man does to me... all I can think about right now is repeating what we did this morning, she thought to herself. The inner wolf had been content in the last few days as they had moved their relationship forward and slept together, there was the underlying thought about her pups getting older and Makatza was a little concerned that her inner wolf would then be going on about having more but it was a worry for another day. 'I am glad you'll be there with me. Though please don't be insulted when I introduce you as my escort. Those other types of questions are something I'd rather deal with at a different time.'

'Anything for you, my Katza,' Fenris assures as he helps her off the table. 'Come, I will take the food upstairs and you can take the books,' he suggests making her smile. Makatza goes into the foyer and pauses as she sniffs the air, there was something that wasn't quite right. She looked around and felt the tension in the air. She was a little concerned as she was wearing a thick woollen jumper and some shorts, not exactly Kirkwall attire.

'Fenris?' She called out softly.

He had abandoned the food at her raised voice and ran in looking at her with concern. The it hits him, the stillness and atmosphere that seemed to be lingering. 'Yes, I sense it,' he whispers.

'Something isn't right,' Makatza murmured as she closed her eyes and tried to sense with her mana as to what was going on. There were voids in her sight as she felt down the left hand far corridors, 'I think it's something to do with that way,' she says to him as she points. 'Do you want me to shift?'

'No...just stay behind me,' he replies as he picks up his sword from the rack near the front door. They walk silently down the hallways Makatza pausing every now and then to see what she could sense, it was no good there was something unnatural about all of this.

'I can smell sulphur,' Makatza whispers as they come to a room.

'Sulphur?'

'Yeah, like they use in traps..' she says as it clicks. 'Let me open the door-'

'I do not think so-'

'I can disable traps!' She snapped as she knelt down and motioned for him to pass over the dagger he always had on him. Fenris ground his teeth but passed it over regardless, she opened the door a little and saw the trip wire. She looked at the base of it and swore, she glanced around the room and noted that the window was open. She quickly disabled the trap removing the trip pin and closing the door she stood up and looked at Fenris with concern, 'the window is open, the door was trapped, I recognise some of the work on the trap... it's Carta.'

'Carta? Are you serious? What are they doing breaking into here?'

'Believe me, I've spent many nights with Varric teaching me the difference between styles and gangs. It's definitely Carta...' she whispers. 'I don't know why they're trying to get in but I can't smell or sense anyone in the room. Maybe the alley outside?'

'We need to leave,' Fenris says simply as he sheathed his sword and takes her upper arm pulling her close. 'Carta dwarfs are vicious and it could easily get out of hand if they outnumber us.'

'I think I should go wolf. They won't be expecting it and I can burst eardrums easily with my howl,' she says thinking carefully. 'I'm harder to see in the dark and I'm stronger and faster. Not to mention that I would outweigh any Dwarf and be able to tear out any throats without jumping,' she says as she pulls off her jumper.

Fenris wants to disagree but she made sense, plus if the Carta were looking for a rich lady or lord to rob he didn't look like either and Makatza wouldn't if she looked like a wolf. 'Stay by my side,' he instructs. Makatza nods and folds up her clothing passing it to him before she begun to shimmer and twist until she had taken her other form. She shakes her head and licks his fingers as he leads her back into the foyer and putting her clothes in her bag. He pauses at the front door and Makatza sniffs the bottom and shakes her head. 'No sulphur?' Fenris clarified to another head shake. He opens the door and lets them both out before locking it behind him. They quietly sneak around to the side of the manor and pause for a moment so that they can gather any more information, after a moment they are able to hear voices arguing under the window that was broken into.

'What do you mean it's gone?!'

'The trap was disabled!'

'What about the team that went in through the roof?'

'They say there's no-one in!'

'We saw them go in! He is guarding the blood of the Hawke!'