Chapter Nine

The Road to Lothering

"You saved a Prince?" Alistair finally spoke a few hours later.

"Are you only just realizing that?" Morrigan scathed. She had come down for lunch – we were having noodle soup; my healthier take on Ramen Noodles.

I interrupted before Alistair could reply, "Liam was slated to die in the Battle of Gilneas. The Banshee Queen – Sylvanas Windrunner – was aiming for his father and the fool was going to sacrifice himself. I understood his intentions – he loved his father – but his father… was already getting to be older. I tossed myself in front of him while wearing a special mask since I was immune to poison or disease. At the time, we didn't realize that there would be an empathetic link with the one I saved. That blasted mask did it. I only wore it so that woman wouldn't realize it was me fighting her. But Liam was a Just and Kind man – a fair prince who fought beside his men and treated no man or woman any differently just because of their station. His sister Tess believes he did die – I made Liam a ring with the disguise he now wears. Only Inas, Anduin, King Genn and his wife know that Liam lives… for now."

"What about those who witnessed…" Aedan asked.

I shook my head, "Another side effect of the Mask – even Sylvanas believes she killed Liam that day. I was completely invisible when I took that arrow in my back and tackled Liam. Genn thought his son dead until I yanked off the mask when The Banshee left. It was funny when we were all on the boat back to Darnassus and Genn kept trying to get me to marry his son – before that, I was also a pariah to them. There are few who care for me – High King Anduin of the Alliance; Thrall of the Earthen Ring; Thralls' wife Aggra; Regent Lord Lor'themar of Quel'Thalas, my step father; Magni Bronzebeard, the Diamond Dwarf; Genn Greymane and his family; and Valeera Sanguinar, a neutral rogue. Those are the individual people. The Tortollans loved a good story, so I was always welcome with them – and they certainly believed they should trade with people of all races and creeds so long as those people weren't Naga. The Pandaren people were generally okay with me – they mostly stayed uninvolved in any war – but they didn't actively seek me out."

"I don't really get it – why were you a pariah? Someone has got to know the answer to that question…" Carver muttered.

I gave him a tolerant smile, "If someone knows, they never bothered to tell me. I'm sure people will look into it eventually – but I won't hold my breath."

"That's not a large list of people." Daylen muttered.

"I'm afraid not, no – Inas can also be added to the list, but otherwise… the others who cared are mostly dead. Kayn cares, sure – as to the rest of the Illidari; I am their queen or lady or whatever they want to call me. I'm quite protective of them, you see. But King Varian died when the Legion invaded two or three years ago, and others… all dead. And now I'm here. Don't worry about me – I'm used to it. It has helped be to develop a thicker skin; harder to hurt my feelings that way."

Morrigan nodded approvingly at me, but Alistair looked guilty as he said, "I am sorry about putting you in that painful position yesterday. I…"

"Alistair – I only told you I would be sick; I said nothing of the pain that comes with it or the draining of my energy. I did not speak of the blood that would stream from my eyes and nose – nor did I tell you I would pass out after. The whole process is… unpleasant, but I can handle it."

Alistair shook his head, "We all discussed it too. We've come to the conclusion that you may drink from any of us – not Morrigan – when it becomes needed."

I chuckled, "That's good to know – but I'd still need permission on an individual basis each time I take… I need blood again though; I threw up all blood I'd taken yesterday so…"

Carver was flushed but volunteered for this time. I chuckled, "I'd likely be best to go behind a tree or wait until we can use a tent tonight – privacy and all… though I do need to speak with Alistair tonight too… Duncan gave me something for you."

He stiffened, "That's what you want to talk to me about?"

I shrugged, "I told Duncan he was going to die. He only had about 3 months left anyway; he figured that out himself. He knew you thought of him as a father – and he thought of you like a son, so… he gave me something for you."

"We will speak tonight – after Carver donates for you," he looked ready to cry – but only to those who knew what to look for. To the others in this group, I was sure they could only see him being apologetic for his role in my pain last night.

I nodded and we headed out again – Lyna asked, "I have an unrelated question."

I was curious, "What's the question?"

"You made us stop for a 'full meal'… why? We could just eat rations…" now everyone looking at me.

"I'm Hypoglycemic. That means I have low blood sugar. It's a two-fold thing actually – I've had it since I was 20 when my Vampiric side came alive in Azeroth, but it got worse about 4,000 years ago after something happened. In theory, if I drank blood weekly, I wouldn't have to worry about it – or at least if I took more than the bare minimum to survive without pain. Since I don't do that, I need to eat properly everyday – 3 meals, all high in nutrition value. I usually eat something sugary the very moment I open my eyes each morning."

"What happened 4,000 years ago?" Sereda asked. I stiffened, "I'd rather not speak of that at the moment. Perhaps when I know you all a little better, I will find the courage to speak of it. It is a painful memory – one I prefer not to think on."

Alistair shot in, "That's fair – we all have things we wish to forget."

"Your heritage, I'm assuming," I asked.

He shot me a blinding grin, "How ever did you guess?"

I laughed, "Well, you don't exactly hide it dear. Believe me – I didn't want to be a Queen, but here we are."

Aedan snorted, "Alistair is right though – we all have things we wish we could forget in our pasts. You already know that my whole family was slaughtered and that I almost didn't escape it."

I flinched, "If I had been there… I am sorry, Aedan."

"What could you have done?" he asked bitterly. I bit my lip, "You really want to know?"

"I… yes, I want to know."

"I could have given you your father and possibly your nephew depending. So long as someone isn't dead, I can usually heal them. I have 'revives' that bring a person back from the brink – though they are limited; I can only use them every so often. But I have 3 – one that works for a group, one that can bring someone back from the very edge of death, and one that will have them back to full heath. The first two, I have to heal after taking care of the major damage, but the second one… think of it as a saving grace in mid-battle. If your nephew still had even a sliver of a heartbeat, I could have returned him; your father was still alive when you found him – I could have healed him completely."

Silence met my words – even Morrigan looked contemplative about it. Aedan sighed, "And yet – there is no point dwelling on 'what if' is there? You can't bring back the dead…"

I shook my head, "I am sorry for that. Everyone in this group – sans Morrigan – has lost someone they care for. Lyna lost her lover, Carver has lost his father, Sereda lost her brother and her father won't live to see her return, and Daylen is a mage – they lose everyone. All 4 of Daylens' siblings were mages too – they all got taken to separate circles, his mother vanished and his father… no one knows but losing all of his children and his wife may have driven him crazy."

"Who have you lost?" Morrigan asked. Everyone shot her looks, but I shrugged, "My twin boys most recently. I wasn't allowed to raise them – they will never know that I am their mother. Before that, I lost two other sons when I died in my first life. I lost my wife then too – and in my second life, I only had Serana – though she only thought of me as a friend and I never pressed that issue."

"You… have children?" Lyna asked softly.

"I don't plan to tell those boys… they lived somewhat happily; that's not something a pariah of a mother could have given them. I've done what I can from the shadows – making large purchases from their stores, anonymously donating herbs or other needed items… I'm glad they grew up safe and… I regret that they didn't get parental love since their father was a monster of a man, but… what can I do? They'd probably resent me – their 'father' told them I left them after they were born… and I was in no shape after what happened to me to care for them when I finally found them. They were already over 50 – and they didn't know… they didn't… it was just better for them if I never dispelled the notion that their mother didn't care."

"What about you?" Daylen frowned, "You obviously love them – and it hurts you to think they'll never come to you; never love you…"

I shrugged, "It's just better this way – for them. Oh…"

We came across a Mabari lying in the road. When it saw us it barked happily and rushed to me. I smiled widely, "Hello, girl; are you doing well?"

The sweet grey-fur covered Mabari with green eyes barked again. I looked at the group, "This sweet girl is the Mabari I helped back at Ostagar – the one I picked those flowers for."

"Then she must have been out here looking for you – Mabari imprint for life."

I grinned at Alistairs words, "I know she was. What to name you…? Hmm… what do you think of the name Shana?"

She gave a happy tail wag and I chuckled, "That settles that, then. Come then – we are almost to Lothering; just a few more days."

When we made camp that night, I pulled Carver to my tent and said, "You aren't a Virgin… right?"

He shook his head, red-faced. "No, I uh… I'm not…"

"Good. Now for the major question – do you want to remove your pants or… make a mess in them? Or do you want this to be painful; as I said, I can withhold the climax…"

He groaned, "I uh… I will… remove my pants…" he did – and I handed him something to hold over himself – to make less mess. Then I bit him.

The poor boy was dazed after… he must not have had any good sex before. My lip twitched in amusement. He cleaned up and stumbled out of the tent – letting Alistair know that it was time for me to talk with him.

When Alistair walked in he was flushed, "Er… Carver said… I mean he looked…"

"Don't worry – I don't take from innocents; period – not up for debate. If you've never had sex before, then it's not going to happen with a bite. It was the first thing I asked Carver. Now, as to the thing from Duncan…"

I held up the golden earring. Alistair blanked, "That's… I didn't even realize he wasn't wearing it… he always wears it – he said it was a gift from a friend."

"Now it's yours, Alistair. I suppose the question here is… do I stab your ear for you, or do you simply want to carry it in a pouch or something?"

There were tears in his eyes as he said, "I… I want to wear it. I…"

"I told him that he would die – and this was what he gave me for you to remember him by. I sort of knew you'd want something – and I didn't want you to have to wait until we could get to the Denerim Warden Cache for his shield. Here, sit down. This will be a little awkward – this tent is the smallest I could get and still fit in it…"

He sat cross legged – he had been on his knees and sitting on his feet. I straddled his lap and made him look to the side. I couldn't figure out at first why he was bright red – until I realized that I was being a little inappropriate by sitting on him. Poor lad likely couldn't feel his feet anymore.

I swiftly stabbed him and healed the wound with swiftmend before moving off his lap. I coughed, "I'm sorry – it was just… the easiest way I could… get to your ear since you're so… tall… I should have asked."

"No, no – it's alright; it was just… unexpected," he was still a little flushed.

Elunes' Grace, what was wrong with me? I know I wanted him – but there was no way that this man would ever want a girl like me. He was… mortal… good-looking and… honorable. He was raised in a world where most women seemed to be thin – shit, all the women in our group were hot and thin.

If only on my looks… there was no way he'd want me. Besides, he might not want to be with a blood-sucking leech, immortal dragon, and pariah. I'd heard enough insults from any that accidently discovered my secrets that I knew what people called me.

Alistair caught sight of my face, "Hey – what is it? I – I didn't mean to offend… if I did…"

"No – you didn't; I was just thinking of something and… got lost in thought. You know I mentioned that before. Don't worry – you did nothing wrong."

Damn – I hated when I got a crush on someone and knew it would never be reciprocated. No way was I going to tell him that I liked him; I might tease him though – he was innocent enough for that to be fun.

I coughed and continued, "Yeah uh… a-anyway… let's head out to dinner. And don't mind Morrigan – she'll likely tease you or insult you about wearing an earring. You could always come up with something to snip at her about, I'm sure – but don't let her diminish the gift that Duncan gave you. He thought of you as a son – you thought of him as a father; you lost family and she can never make that worse if you don't let her."

He nodded, "Thank you."

As we crawled out of the tent, Morrigan did indeed spot the Earring and opened her mouth to make a scathing comment. I chose to beat her to it, "I think it looks good on you, Alistair – gives you a bit of a pirate-like, dangerous vibe. It's attractive; Lyna, Sereda, doesn't it look sexy?"

I was pointing to the earring as Alistair flushed bright red. Lyna spoke, "The Dalish have a tradition of exchanging jewelry among loved ones and family – usually it's an exchange of rings between lovers after the bonding ceremony. Necklaces from sisters and brothers are also prevalent – it just depends on the family. So men wearing jewelry is a sign of being loved and cared for – the more rings a man has in his ears, the more loved he was. It was generally earrings given to men since they were easier to wear lots of."

I was so grateful to Lyna at that moment – one, I hadn't known that information, and two; I could see the happy surprise on Alistairs' face. He felt better hearing that earrings meant love; that he was loved.

Sereda shrugged, "I had a lover – Gorim – who had a piercing in a place no one could actually see unless he was nude. Dwarves value tradition and honor so that was… not normal. I thought it was hot though – it showed he could handle pain. Piercings are sexy – like Tara said. I mean, look at her – she has 6 in each ear, her nose is pierced and the one on her eyebrow… I sort of want to see what else she has."

I gave a wicked grin, "I have three other piercings – but I'd need to remove my top entirely for them to be seen at all."

Silence met my words… Aedan cursed, "Don't even tell me… you got your chest done."

I winked, "Wouldn't you like to know? Maybe it was my collarbone – or my belly button?"

Daylen scoffed, "Your collarbone was clear at the tower – your top was way too low-cut for me not to know that much."

Alistair was red, "I-I… oh, look; food."

The whole group laughed – even Morrigan smirked at that. She teased, "Come now, Alistair – one would think you'd never been with a woman at this rate."

He refused to look up as he said, "Would that be… such a bad thing?"

I groaned, "That's hot – he's innocent… I just want to corrupt him now…"

Sereda and Lyna both chimed in, "Same!"

Carver looked confused, "What?"

"Look – it's no secret that women are expected to remain chaste until they marry, but men are expected to go out have fun. Now the problem with that is… who are they supposed to bonk; each other? There's nothing wrong with that, but some people… it's amusing that this is what people seem to think. Finding a man who is chaste and uncorrupted… there is no greater temptation. It's hot – we want to be the ones to teach him the… pleasures that sex can bring. If I thought I stood even half a chance at the moment, I might even make the offer again."

"Again…" Aedan looked lost.

Carver and Daylen sniggered. Daylen provided the information, "Alistair – when we first met him – said that there had never been many women in the Wardens. He was flirting with her and didn't even seem to realize it. But she just… she told him that if he played his cards right, she would take him to bed. She had to tell him she was serious when he thought she was teasing him. I guess now we know why he turned her down."

I snorted, "Honey – there's likely more to it than that. Now… let's talk about something else."

"Yes, your majesty," Lyna teased. I groaned, "Why the heck…?"

"You are the Queen of a group of elves – I'm an elf." She shrugged. I blinked, "Are you accepting me as your Queen – because if so… fuck off and call me Tara. If not… fuck off and call me Tara."

Alistair coughed as he choked on his food. Lyna sniggered, "Honestly, I was just wondering how you would react to it."

I smirked, "Fuck off – I only accept combat titles if I like someone. General, Commander or Ser are acceptable. Like I said, I'll answer to 'hey you' or 'you bitch'… I only make people use titles if I don't like them. Isolde will have to call me Lady or Majesty when we get to that point, but you guys can suck it up and call me anything that isn't a noble title."

Alistair coughed again while Aedan asked, "Why don't you like Isolde? She's the Arlessa of Redcliffe…"

I rolled my eyes, "She's abusive to children that aren't her own, her voice is annoying, she hired a blood mage to hide her sons' magic from her husband… take your pick of reasons."

Alistair looked horrified, "She what?"

"Has an annoying voice," I supplied unhelpfully.

"Not that – the other thing," he said.

"Abusive to children that aren't hers," I nodded as though that was what he was talking about. The others all sniggered at this point.

"Don't laugh, Daylen – it was Jowan that she hired. The dumbass poisoned the Arl and didn't tell anyone that it was temporary – Connor is possessed; or will be when we get there after we save the tower."

"We can't prevent it – I don't know… go there first?" Alistair asked.

"It depends on the rumors around Lothering, but Jowan already had sufficient time to fuck everything up. If that's the case, then we need to go to the tower to save the mages from a Maleficarum Uprising in order to get mages to save Connor after we save the Village and… you know what; we'll play it by ear and I'll make choices based on what I hear. But if we do this right, there will be the least amount of deaths possible while the Arls' whole family stays safe and sound with no possession. Connor can be saved even after he makes the deal with Desire."

Alistair looked worried, "You're sure? Connor is only 10 – he had just been born when I was packed off to the monastery… if I'm being honest, I would think that it was what caused Isolde to push for that. He's a child…"

I sighed, "So were you – and she showed you no mercy. I will never leave a child to suffer or die if I can help it. You don't know this, but… I was well known in every battle I participated in. I didn't exactly fight for one side or the other – I fought for the children. After a few years, mothers of all races would flock to me with their children if their homes were under assault. I would turn on my allies to protect those under my care – after a while… no one even looked at my little bubble of protection. There's more to the story than that, but… my point is that I will always protect and care for the children in any way I can; even if that means stopping their prat of a mother from allowing Jowan to use her as a blood sacrifice to save the child when the mages can help just as well."

Aedan spoke, "Er… on another note – what would happen if you took blood weekly rather than monthly?"

"I wouldn't need to eat solid food as much to keep my blood sugars even, the sun would bother me less, and I could – theoretically – take an ogre crushing me without any damage. Durability is a vampire trait that is… not usually tested – for obvious reasons. One thing is for sure – I know I can manipulate dreams when I am… well fed. But I can't feed from any of you more than once in a 6-month period or we could form what's called a 'Blood Bond'. I'd be able to sense that persons' thoughts and emotions if they were strong or directed at me; and uh… it isn't a one sided bond… the 'living' creature in this scenario would gain sexual dreams about… uh… me and they'd also sense my emotions."

"Which – with only 6 Wardens means… no; five since Alistair is off the table, so-to-speak. How often is too often?" Lyna asked.

"Three times in a 6 month period is 'too often'. When a Blood Bond is formed, you're no longer just a human or elf or Dwarf… you would be called… well, technically you'd be my 'thrall' – I'm thankful for the change in that though. Back in Skyrim, a thrall was… essentially a lovingly devoted slave. When I moved to Azeroth, the process for making a thrall was different so I did it by accident – rather than a spell, it was a bite done too often. My 'Familiar' as I call it simply becomes bound to me – emotions, thoughts and dreams. There are benefits for both sides; I would gain a bit more strength and resistance to harmful energies as well as someone I could feed from without fear of the blood being tainted in any way – meaning it wouldn't poison me because the familiar would be immune to any harmful poisons or diseases. The Familiar would gain the immunity to harmful effects, and I would know where they were and if they were safe. This is symbiotic – the Familiar feeds me, I protect them."

Morrigan looked intrigued, "What happened to your last… Familiar?"

"My only familiar was Kayn Sunfury. I thought he was dead – the people who imprisoned him used something that… turned his own blood into his prison. The Fel energy within his blood crystalized and… our bond as Familiar and Vampire snapped. I thought that was only possible through death. Turns out, if your blood is drained from your body and used to imprison you, it counts as death."

"I suppose it makes sense to have your husband as your blood-bound familiar…" Sereda commented.

I almost laughed, "I suppose it does at that. Another thing the Familiar gains is access to my powers – one to four of them from what I hear. Kayn got three powers – and he lost them when the bond snapped."

"What powers did he get – and if you're the first of your kind to be like you are, how do you know the power thing – about how many there are?"

I smiled at Carvers' question – he really was cleverer than the games had always implied.

"I have made 6 Vampire Children – that's what it is called when I make a vampire. I would the Sire that made them. They've all succumbed to death – one way or another. Kayn got my ability to use moonfire, ice lance and surprisingly Bound Bow – that was one of my abilities from my past on Nirn. Each of my 'children' had made at least one Familiar – and those familiars had anywhere from one to four of their abilities. It seems that the more… compatible the Familiar is with the Vampire – in terms of love; by way of family or sex – the more abilities the Familiar gets."

Lyna asked, "Family or sex… what does that mean?"

"If someone was close enough and meshed well with me in the sense that they became a brother, son, daughter, or sister – what have you – then they would be family to me. If someone was a match for me sexually – like a proper mate; er… spouse – then that would be sexual compatibility. I am able to recognize who would be the second form easily – the first is far more complicated."

"How do you… recognize…?" Daylen asked.

I sighed, "You aren't Dragons – so that secret stays in the bag. The Queen of Dragons wouldn't be happy with me if I told you; since you aren't a mate."

"The way you say that… you've met someone!" Sereda exclaimed. I flinched – had I been that obvious? I growled, "Two – I've met two that are compatible. Now drop it."

"But… who are they?" Alistair asked softly. I couldn't just give him zero answers; but I couldn't pull him aside or everyone would know.

I dithered and finally sighed, "Ask me another time – when I know you better and can be sure those potential mates are in no danger from anyone that would hear that answer. Dragons are protective of their mates – and highly territorial creatures. There is very little distinguishing me from that part of me."

"How does one choose when they have more than one potential mate?" Aedan asked.

I gritted my teeth, "New topic or bed time – I'm done answering on this one."

"They don't choose – do they?" Morrigan smirked. I snarled and marched into my tent with a feral, "No – they don't."