Disclaimer: I own none of the recognized characters. I am merely borrowing them to satisfy my muse
Chapter 5
Redcliffe was a disaster. A total unmitigated disaster. Some mage named Alexius played with something he didn't understand, and started messing with time. Because the rifts in the veil weren't enough, apparently. When Talon answered Alexius' 'invitation', they had been met with a new enemy. Templars who had consumed or been forced to consume red lyrium. Nasty stuff, red lyrium.
Fought their way to Alexius only to have Talon and the new mage Dorian sucked into a giant rift. And spat right back out, both looking ages older. They'd been to a future where Alexuis' plan had brought back the 'elder one'. Which did not end well for the inquisition.
Now they were on their way to the Conclave, so Talon, with the mages assistance, could seal the Breach.
"Nothing can possibly go wrong with this." She muttered. "Not at all."
A laugh caused her to look up.
"You're not very optimistic, are you, fighter?" Iron Bull looked at her with amusement.
"Oh I am very optimistic. About certain things." She answered.
"Oh?" He fell into step beside her. "Like what?"
"Well, I'm optimistic about Varric finishing his book before the year is out. I am confident that Sera is going to pull off the prank she has planned, and it is most definitely going to annoy our leaders. But it is also going to improve the moral of this march considerably."
"Prank? What prank? I haven't heard anything."
"Ben-Hassrath skills starting to fail in your old age, Bull?" She grinned at his scowl.
"I am not old." He exclaimed.
"Ah, hit a sore spot, did I?" She asked.
"I am NOT old. I'm only thirty-eight! I've still got my whole life in front of me!"
"Whatever you say," She grinned at him again. "Gramps." With that, she took off, weaving her way through the train of people and breaking out in the front. Iron Bull had tried to follow her, but she was smaller and had lighter armor, so she was able to move through the group a lot quicker than he was.
"Who'd you annoy this time?" Talon questioned, looking at the grinning woman walking beside him.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She answered.
"She called The Iron Bull gramps." One of the mages commented. "He's not very happy that it's spread already."
CJ was surprised. That reached the front of the line almost faster than she did.
Talon laughed in disbelief. "You called him Gramps?!"
"The Iron Bull's demanding a sparring match when we stop for camp tonight." Another mage said. "To restore his reputation."
CJ scoffed. "Because my words would damage his reputation so much?"
"They actually might," Varric commented and CJ looked at him.
"What?"
"You're well liked, fighter. A lot of people look up to you." He explained. "Hell, some of them have you right up next to Talon on a pedestal. A few even have you higher."
CJ glanced at Talon, who merely shrugged and grinned. She blinked in shock.
"All right. Tell Iron Bull he'll have his match." She said, knowing that the mages would pass the message back. "But I'm not going to take it easy on him just because he's getting old!"
Laughter followed her as CJ began running ahead, intending on taking up a scouting position for the rest of the day.
The moment she stepped into camp that night, she was being herded through.
"He's waiting for you." A young mage, Sierra, grinned at CJ. "The whole camp's going to be watching."
CJ raised an eyebrow at that. "The whole camp?"
"All but the look-outs." One of the soldiers, Markus, chimed in. "It's been all everyone's been talking about."
CJ was deposited into a ring that had been constructed of rolled up beds. Iron Bull was standing at the far side, arms crossed. CJ looked around at the crowd, picking out Talon, Cassandra, Cullen, Sera, Solas, Vivienne, Blackwall, Dorian, and Varric spread around, all watching with varying amounts of amusement on their faces.
"We appear to have an audience tonight, Bull."
"Does that scare you, fighter?"
"Not at all." She drew her knives and settled into a fighting stance. "It's just going to be more embarrassing for you when I beat you." With that, she attacked.
Both fighters were giving it their all, knowing more stood on the line than retribution for CJ's earlier words.
CJ was fighting for her freedom. To prove to herself that she was stronger than those bastards who haunted her nightmares.
CJ slashed across Iron Bull's hand while digging her thumb into his wrist, hitting a pressure point. His hold loosened just enough on his sword that CJ was able to wrench it away. She had never managed to take his weapon before, and was shocked at how heavy it actually was.
"This thing is huge!" She gasped, dodging away from Iron Bull, his sword clutched oddly in her arms. "And sharp!" She dumped it on the outer edge of the ring and then moved just right of it. The blade had cut her while she was carrying it. Tiny stings of pain shot through her arms, but she ignored them.
"I'm a big guy." Iron Bull answered, slowly trying to circle around her. As he got close enough, CJ darted to the side, away from his sword, thinking he'd go in the opposite direction, to reach his weapon.
She was wrong. Iron Bull darted straight at her, CJ tried changing directions, but her feet slipped on loose soil and she stumbled. That was all Iron Bull needed to slam in to her, pinning her face-down.
"Do you concede?" He exclaimed as she struggled against him.
"Never!" She spat out, forcing back the memories that were surfacing to focus on the fight. He was much stronger than she was, and had CJ securely pinned with his knees on her legs and hands on her shoulders.
"It's always a good day when I get to sit on top of a beautiful woman." Iron Bull said, his voice low, flirting. "Be even better if we were naked."
"What about the audience?" She retorted, straining to find a way to loosen his hold. If she could just get him to lift his knees.
"Don't mind an audience. Never have. Unless, of course, you mind it. Then we'd go somewhere private. Have you screaming my name in pleasure."
CJ didn't quite understand how those words made her feel. Both terrified and exhilarated at the same time.
"And if I told you to stop?" The question was out before she could stop it.
"Then I'd stop." It was said so bluntly, so honestly, CJ fell still. He really meant that. He would stop.
Not wanting to think about that, CJ shoved that thought away as she came up with a plan. She struggled harder, causing Iron Bull to have to put more weight on her shoulders to keep her in place. Careful movement got her shoulder where she wanted it, and CJ put all her strength into her next struggle. Iron Bull instinctively responded with the same strength and CJ's shoulder came out of place with a loud pop. Then CJ went still, as if she had passed out.
Having experienced the pain before, CJ managed to keep all signs of it off her face as Iron Bull quickly released her with a curse.
"Fighter?!" He exclaimed. "Fighter, you all right?!" She didn't move. "Stitches! Get over h-," When he had turned away from CJ to call for the healer, CJ had opened her eyes and grabbed her knife. She now stood to his back, he was still on his knees, one knife at his throat, her dislocated arm hanging uselessly at her side.
"Do you concede?" She questioned, fighting to keep the pain and pride out of her voice, both of which were warring inside her. He shifted slightly, and CJ pressed the knife more firmly, drawing blood. "Do you concede, The Iron Bull?"
"That was a dirty trick." Iron Bull exclaimed, and CJ laughed, recalling those as the words he said after their first sparring match, three months ago.
"The enemy won't fight fair." She answered.
"I concede." Cheers erupted in the audience and CJ saw gold start exchanging hands. She stepped back and then sank to the ground, exhausted. Iron Bull turned and sat down, facing her. He brought one knee up and rested his arm on it. Both of them were filthy and bleeding from various small wounds.
"For what it's worth," CJ began as Dorian and Solas came up to her, no doubt intending on fixing her arm. Dorian braced her from behind while Solas held her arm securely. With no warning, he yanked it back into place, and CJ winced. That hurt. A lot. "I apologize about the Gramps comment. You have obviously lost none of your ability as you age."
"Of course not." Iron Bull sniffed as Stitches began healing him. "I'm like fine wine. I get better with age."
Krem snorted. "You've just won me a great deal of gold, CJ." He lifted up the purse.
"You bet against your own leader?" CJ exclaimed.
"Damn right I did." Krem answered. "And when we get back to Haven, dinner's on me, all right?"
"Sounds good, Krem." CJ grinned at him, exhaustion sweeping through her.
"You need sleep." Solas said sternly. "Both of you do."
"Sleep sounds like an excellent idea." CJ muttered, flopping backwards, arms outstretched.
"You're going to sleep here?" Dorian asked, appalled.
"Good as place as any." She answered.
"You're crazy. You know that, right?"
"Dorian, I've known that for years." CJ closed her eyes. "I've embraced my craziness."
"Fereldans are insane." He scoffed, but CJ didn't bother to reply.
Sounds faded as people drew away, going to attend their nightly duties.
"You're really gonna sleep here, fighter?" Apparently Iron Bull hadn't moved away yet.
"Yup." She answered. "Not the worst place I've ever slept either."
He was silent, but all of a sudden, CJ felt a large body settle next to her. His body heat radiated out, and CJ fought the instinct to move closer.
"What are you doing?" She exclaimed.
"Sleeping here as well."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
She had no answer to that.
"Don't you dare fart next to me." She muttered.
Iron Bull laughed. "I would never!"
"I'll believe that when I can fly." She retorted. "Night Bull."
"Night, fighter."
With that, CJ forced her breathing to even out, and slowly fell asleep.
"CJ," She awoke at the sound of her name, and blinked in the early morning light, slightly confused. "Talon wants to talk to you." She nodded at the young soldier who had wakened her, and sat up. Iron Bull was still lying next to her.
She had slept through the night. He had pinned her, but she had still slept through the night. And as fragments of her dreams floated across her mind, she felt her face warm. They had definitely not been nightmares.
That was new.
