Freefall
The next day, Naishe scribbled a detailed letter about the meretricious paintings Luis and Pravus were planning to sell. She embellished a lot of the story, but exaggerations wouldn't matter. The reader would have enough reason to investigate the claims. When she'd finished re-reading the letter, she melted a wax stick over the seal and stamped it with Pravus' ring. It was addressed to the Antiva City Guard.
"Let's see if you can wriggle out of this one…"
Naishe sat back in her chair, frowning a little. She'd prefer it if Pravus' comeuppance involved a blunt knife and his testicles but this would have to do. The ravens were kept in cages in a room adjacent to Luis' study. It was easy enough for Naishe to sneak her letter onto the pile of outgoing mail. The ravens watched her silently like they knew exactly what she was doing. It was just as well that they couldn't speak.
The Rivaini was heading to the kitchens to ask Hamaal for a snack when she heard her name called.
"Naishe, I'd like to introduce you to one of my closest friends." Luis was stood in the doorway of the parlour beckoning her to join.
Naishe resisted rolling her eyes. Luis introduced everyone as his closest friend when they had deep pockets. There must be another reason for this visitor. To her surprise, the person that greeted her when she entered the room was a woman.
"This is Elektra. She is-"
"They. If you don't mind."
Not that close after all.
"Apologies. They are one of Tevinter's up-and-coming chief alchemists. A great loss to the art community."
Naishe raised a quizzical eyebrow and Elektra said, "I used to model for your husband. Now I have set my sights higher…"
A model? Naishe could see why. Elektra had short startlingly red hair and sharp cheekbones. They were incredibly tall, towering over Naishe and still a good few inches above Luis. They had long sharp nails that made Naishe wonder how Elektra ate anything. Their eyes held a perpetually indifferent gaze as though everything and everyone was below them but their smirk suggested bemusement. Naishe was a little intimidated.
"Fetch me a drink would you?"
"Yes, Naishe. I think we'd all enjoy some of that port from the Western Approach on a day like this."
"Not her, Luis. You."
Naishe's eyebrows were almost in her hairline. No one told Luis what to do. She didn't think she'd ever seen anyone request anything of the Antivan.
Elektra looked at him coolly, standing their ground.
A mixture of expressions fluttered across Luis' face. He looked from Elektra to Naishe and back again. Eventually, he smiled and chuckled. "Of course. I'll just be a moment. Naishe, would you mind keeping our guest company?"
The Rivaini nodded, smirking. She could get used to Luis being the lap dog for once.
Luis left the two alone.
Naishe thought she heard a grumble as he walked away from the parlour.
"You must get the chance to see many sights. You and your husband."
The Rivaini looked back at Elektra and shrugged her shoulders as neutrally as she could. It wouldn't reflect well on Luis if people knew he kept her locked away indoors.
Elektra was inspecting one of the paintings on the wall and continued, "Beautiful…Blessed Age I think…"
From this angle, Naishe could see that Elektra's cape was almost feathered in appearance. It shimmered like a bird's wing. Naishe was oddly transfixed.
"Was it Ferelden?"
"Sorry?"
"Where you and he last visited."
"Oh…" It wasn't hard to remember. She'd been put under house arrest after all. "Yes. Ferelden."
"Beautiful this time of year."
"I suppose. Chilly." That was no stretch. Ferelden's idea of summer was laughable in the east.
Elektra chuckled and said, "Of course." They turned to Naishe then and approached her slowly.
A strange sensation was washing over Naishe. A warmth. A calmness. Almost nostalgic in a way. She felt very at ease.
"Do you visit Ferelden often?"
"Hmmm? Ferelden…No not often…" It was like she was floating. Every background noise of the house had vanished to leave her in peace. Only Elektra's voice permeated through.
"How about him. Does he?"
"Luis. Yes. I think so."
Elektra's gaze was unbreakable. Their electric blue eyes seemed to be staring right into Naishe's soul. "Do you know who he meets with?"
Who he meets with? She must know…surely…He gushes about his business at the dinner table all the time…Is she ever listening?
A tiny voice in Naishe's head was telling her to think hard. It wasn't forceful or angry. Just a suggestion. And Naishe didn't want to disappoint the voice. Memories tumbled over themselves in her mind. Luis in Rivain. Luis saying his vows. Luis yelling. Yelling…
"Did he let you know he was leaving?"
He must have. No, he did. What had he said, before the guard had dragged her off…
"I would've asked you to accompany me, but I couldn't tolerate any more of your whining. A shame really…"
"Royalty…"
"What?"
Naishe focussed as hard as she could on the memory. "He mentioned royalty. Orlesian royalty."
Elektra was silent for a while. Their eyes were glittering. They looked more satisfied. "You haven't left Antiva in some time."
"No." How long had it been now? A year? "He…he doesn't let me." Why was saying all this so easy? Naishe felt like a huge weight was being lifted from her shoulders.
"I wouldn't worry." Elektra smiled a little, then finally looked away.
The Rivaini felt like an electric charge had just hit every nerve in her body. She was jogged back to reality in a millisecond. All the noises of muffled voices and horses clopping towards the estate suddenly came rushing back. Naishe blinked several times and shook her head. She barely noticed what Elektra said before they left.
"Rich men often end up dead."
News spread about Pravus like wildfire. The esteemed broker revealed to be up to his eyeballs in criminal activity. The Antiva City Guard raided his home and found letters pertaining to counterfeit paintings. Costs of materials. Travel expenses. Even bribes. They locked him in a cell before sundown.
Even if Naishe hadn't heard whispers from the guards, she knew her letter had achieved exactly what she wanted because of Luis. His anger was palpable. She heard him roaring orders at his servants and firing them left and right for minimal wrongdoings. At dinner he barely touched his food and wouldn't say a word to Naishe. She didn't know what he had to be so angry about. He wasn't the one in prison after all. The Antivan guard had always been in his pocket. It paid to be so intimate with the largest assassin order in Thedas as well. Naishe found it oddly satisfying that Luis had dropped all association with Pravus so quickly. He daren't not risk tarnishing his precious reputation. Loyal indeed…
Naishe didn't care much for his sulking. She wished Zevran were around to entertain her, but she hadn't seen him in weeks. She supposed he must be on a job somewhere far away. The thought made her jealous. Wherever he was, whatever he was doing, at least he was free. Naishe mentally berated herself when she had these thoughts. Pining over a life she didn't have would get her nowhere.
Since Zevran wasn't present, she slipped into the courtyard alone to practice the backstab move he'd shown her. The way he performed it, you rolled forward through your opponents legs and sprung up behind them to jab them in the back. It was a flashy move, like most that he taught her. Without an actual opponent, Naishe couldn't get the move perfected, but it didn't hurt to practice. She was using some butter knives taken from the kitchen to stab her imaginary attacker.
"Oh no! An abomination! With…legs!" She tucked her head down and rolled forward a bit harder than Zevran would have. "Take that!" She plunged her knife into thin air.
Zevran would probably call her technique sloppy. She'd just have to keep trying. Another roll. And another. She was covered in dust before long. On the seventh attempt, she kicked out with her leg after the roll. The idea was to unstable her imaginary opponent, but she overstepped and kicked the wall instead. A jarring pain shot through her leg.
"Argh! Son of a bitch!" Naishe crumpled to the ground and clutched her foot.
"Just what do you think you're doing?"
She looked up to her left. Luis was framed in the archway. He wasn't happy.
"What are you doing?" he said slowly. His voice was calm but his eyes looked like they could burn fire right through her.
Naishe got to her feet, wincing as she put weight on her right leg.
"Naishe. I won't ask again."
She sighed, "I was practicing."
"Practicing what?" he said through gritted teeth.
"Fighting. With daggers." Naishe held up her butter knives. "Just in case."
"In case what?"
"In case I get attacked again? It can't hurt, right?"
Luis glared at her, "It's not your concern to be prepared. We have guards for that."
"Well supposing they're not around?"
"They are always around," he replied. Although he was technically talking about her protection, Luis' growl sounded more like a threat. "Since when have you ever known how to fight?"
"I taught myself. You keep a lot of books on combat styles in the library." No way was she bringing Zevran into this.
"You…taught yourself…You…" he seemed to be attempting to restrain himself from shouting, judging by the vein in his forehead.
"Yes…But is it really so bad?" Naishe stepped forward, ignoring the pain, a pleading expression on her face. "I mean, I'm not hurting anyone. I'm not making any of the servants shirk their duties to help me practice. I'm not leaving the house to do it. I'm not even using real daggers…"
"You're not using real daggers…"
"No…I wouldn't…"
Luis snorted and started nodding to himself. "Maker, are you serious? Sparring? In my home?"
"I wasn't aware that it would be an issue in our home."
Luis laughed mirthlessly. "You weren't aware…Really Naishe do you even think? Is there anything going on in that thick skull of yours?"
Naishe bit her tongue. Speaking her mind had never helped her in her husband's company.
"Imagine if I brought a guest round and we found you scrapping in the courtyard? Bumps and bruises and filth everywhere. Imagine what that would say about me?"
Of course he was making this about him.
"Is this what you were doing before you blessed us with that little trouser stunt? Play fighting like a child?"
"I wasn't-"
"Do you really think I want some mannish sword-wielding savage for a wife?" He snorted again.
Naishe couldn't believe what she was hearing. The self-centred little shit. She wondered whether his overreaction was a result of his anger about Pravus. Every little thing seemed to set him off.
Before she could respond, he said, "I didn't marry you for your brawn, Naishe."
She couldn't help herself, "I don't think it counts as marriage if one of us is a captive."
Luis raised his hand sharply as though to strike her but caught himself.
"Go ahead. Do it." Naishe scowled, "Let your precious guests see what you really think of me."
The Antivan stared at her for a moment, then let his arm dropped. His chest was heaving and he clenched his fists, trying hard to remain calm. "I've tried. I've given you everything. A home. Beautiful clothes. Finery most people could only dream of. I've cherished you. And still you disobey. It is never enough."
Naishe let out a growl of exasperation, "You're conveniently leaving out the part where you took me from my home and sent my friend away and banned me from leaving the house let your disgusting friends lay their hands all over me. If that's what you do to people you cherish I shudder to think what you do to those you hate."
He was shaking his head. Denial or delusion or the simple fact that he wasn't used to being spoken back to.
"Maybe if you let me out once in a while without your goons tailing me I wouldn't be here trying to entertain myself."
"You ungrateful bitch." The lust and yearning in Luis' eyes which he'd carried when he first looked at her was gone. Only irritation and impatience were left.
"You can call me whatever you like. Fuck as many whores as you want. Give me as many orders as you can think of. I'm never going to be the woman you want me to be."
Luis leaned down until his face was millimetres away from hers. Naishe thought he was about to kiss her. Instead, he said in a low voice, "So. Be. It." He straightened up.
The confusion showed in Naishe's face and Luis let out a cold laugh.
"You don't want any of this? Fine. I don't want a spoilt little brat living here. I'm taking you back to Rivain."
A mixture of emotions ran through Naishe. Confusion. Surprise. Relief. She started to nod before Luis spoke again.
"To the Qunari."
"What!?" Her eyes widened and she looked at him non-believingly. "You can't be serious."
Luis gave an indifferent shrug, "You're no use to me now. No use to anyone. But the Qunari have their ways. If you're lucky you'll be digging the holes for them to shit in."
"You really think I'd willingly join those brainwashing bastards?"
"Willingly? Not at all. But you don't have a choice. I'll take you in a cage if I have to." He smoothed his beard, thinking. "My nameday celebrations are tomorrow evening. We can treat the party as your grand send-off, yes? Remind you what you could've had…Yes…I like that very much."
There was so much anger boiling up inside Naishe that she was actually shaking. She felt nothing but hatred for the man stood in front of her. "I swear…"
"You'll what?" Luis snorted, "Whine at me to death? Give me nasty looks? Sulk in your-"
Naishe lunged at Luis' face aiming straight for his eyes. He was caught by surprise and stumbled backwards. She tried to dig her fingernails into his eyes but he soon grabbed one of her wrists. Luis was stronger than her, this she knew. As hard as she twisted and wiggled to get away from him, he held on tight. He wrapped his other arm around her waist until she could barely breathe.
"Get…off…me! You…worthless…piece of…shit!" She tried to kick out with her legs but Luis held strong.
He sighed as though watching a child misbehave and said, "You're nothing. You will never be anything. You will never make anything of your life. You. Are. Nothing."
They stared at each other for a moment, and then Naishe went limp with defeat.