"But I wanna go!" Loudly, Robin wails, foot stomping on the wooden floorboards of the ground only making a light tapping noise, not heavy enough for a faint creak or groan from the sturdy material below as Robin pouts, arms crossed scowling at me while I calmly adjust my hair and stupid dress attire for the ball, stupid thing, it's too tight and I'll melt form all this fluffy material underneath.
"Robin for the last time you cannot go this is important business," Robin pouts from my words as I look into the mirror, adjusting my snow white locks.
"Then why do you have to go?" Robin groans.
"You think I want to go to some ball with some posh snobs….?" I question making her go silent and look away.
"No…" She mutters, glancing to the side making me smirk.
"Trust me I'd savour these young years of yours you get to be excused from a lot of boring stuff," I advise her, envying her child innocence.
"But all that fooood!" Robin huffs, rolling her eyes making me chuckle.
"Most of the food will most likely be poisoned…" I shrug casually glancing at her slightly shocked and disturbed expression.
"Who would poison food?! Food is amazing, why hurt something so great!? Foods never did anything bad!" Robing gasps horrified at the reveal.
"Could you not make my daughter paranoid Fen?" Hawke huffs, entering the room, raising a brow at her child's scared expression.
"Oh come on Hawke you know it's true you've been to one." I remind her of that god forsaken boring event, where we had to endure Hawke's fantastic' acting as well as endure that weirdo of an elf, flirting with Hawke and I. Urgh, I shiver at the memory.
"That one, where I had to fake being ill?" She smirks.
"True true. Do you want to go?" I ask smirking at her disgusted expression.
"Maker no," She whispers as I chuckle.
"That's what I thought…." Smugly, I smirk victorious at my win.
"Be careful there," Hawke warns me.
"I will," I sigh.
"If there are any…" My brother enters the room, picking up the steel reeling in shock Robin, frowning in disapproval of my attire and me going in a whole.
"Leave, I know relax," I interrupt my brother, knowing full well his plan, although not planning to tell Josephine considering her panicky mode over this stupid event.
Loudly, the sound of the door opening makes us turn to the frantic footsteps behind as we glance at the frantic Josephine getting all panicky as she darts over to me, reaching out to adjust my attire only for me to flinch back and scowl at her.
"Okay, this event is big, you need to be on you best behaviour," Josephine reminds me.
"Shouldn't you tell Sera that?" I question.
"I tried she fled so I'm leaving it up to the inquisitor…" Josephine says as I feel a prick of pity for Eve considering her static frantic nature, there's no way she can handle Sera.
"I'll keep an eye on her if needed," I shrug smirking.
"And best behaviour? When am I not?" Jokingly, I feign hurt as Robin reliefs a small giggle while my brother releases a small smirk.
"I mean no drinking, no glowy hand thingie and no…no…" Josephine trials off, trying to find the right word.
"No being me, I understand. But everyone loves my glowy hand or would it show up the inquisition?" I ask.
"Maybe you two could be servers," Jokingly, Hawke points out making Josephine groan.
"Careful you'll turn into Cassandra," I warn her lightly snickering with the few others in the room as Josephine emits a tense breathe, clearly stressing way too much over such a silly party.
"You know what I mean," Josephine huffs.
"Its not like she can turn it off," My brother argues.
"Can she hide it with her clothes?" Josephine suggests.
"No, you can see it still…" Fenris corrects her.
"I…see, just don't make a scene," Josephine mutters.
"Okay only if you calm down, this is just a party," I remind her softly concerned for her freaking out.
"A party where the empress could die and the bad future Eve spoke of could occur!" Josephine hisses paranoid.
"And you think what you could do can stop that?" I question the practical flower as she goes silent.
"Well…no," Josephine turns away.
"Exactly, now calm down, cool it and let the adults handle this…" I state the fact clearly seeing her body once tight and frigid ease.
"I am-" Happily, she turns scowling, ready to argue her way round and fulfil her role as an advisor only to see me swiftly walk past her, heading to the door.
"Yes, yes, now if you will escape me I must attend to preparing the others…." I wave off the shocked woman.
"Well this is going to be fun," I grumble sarcastically.
"Make sure to have fun," My brother smirks, a look of pity in his eyes.
"I'll try," I state with fake enthusiasm as I am about to head out.
"Mama, Papa why can't we go with aunty Fennic?" Innocently, Robin questions their parents as I glance at the two.
"Because sweetie, you wouldn't like it besides mummy is feeling tired right now," Hawke smiles gently at her.
"Is it because of the bad people may find us?" Robin answers sadly as my brother, Hawke and I briefly share a look of sorrow to realize how quick Robin has caught up about the chantry hunters and exalted march members, still trying to try and take Hawke down for somehow causing all this mess or interrogate her for answers about Anders, answers we all don't know nor care about.
Slowly, I kneel down next to the frowning puzzled Robin and sigh.
"Robin, this party is dangerous," I warn her gently.
"But it's a party, everyone is there to have fun that's all…"Naively, Robin responds puzzled.
"Sure, but there are others like the bad people after your parents who are there," I remind her sadly.
"Then you shouldn't go I don't want to lose you…"Robin refuses, lightly tugging at my wrist, making me sigh at the poor girl worried.
"I'll be fine, remember auntie Fen can take care of herself, don't you remember the stories Uncle Varric told you about…"Hawke reminds her kindly.
"Yeah but…"Robin glance to the side concern and worry evident on her features. Softly, I place my hand on their head, making their blues meet my turquoise as I simply nod.
"I'll be fine, I promise to come back," I promise making her turn to me, a brief ok of hope on her features.
"You promise?" She frowns.
"I promise, sweetly," Robin offers her pinkie out and I follow, sealing the deal as I stand up, Robin looks uneasy clinging to my brother's leg as I smile and turn my back to my family. I turn to head out to join the others invited to the party to head out only to feel a hand on my shoulder, making me glance at the smug smirk of Hawke.
"Make sure to have fun, maybe dance with a certain elf…"Hawke smirks cheekily as I frown.
"Wha…" I trial off from her words only to release a squawk of shock.
"Bye!" Smirking, Hawke pushes me out of the room, slamming the door shut as I grumble, feeling a heat in my cheeks as I grumble, forcing myself to suppress it as I head out to meet up with the group, ready for the hellish ball to come.
"I'm surprised to see you not shaking in your boots," I comment dryly to the surprisingly confident Eve as she turns to me.
"It's not my first dance," She smirks as I raise a brow intrigued.
"My parents often organised balls back home, I went to plenty," Eve smiles for once genuinely confident in her own abilities bringing a pang of pride to my lips to see her so confident but also weary of this slight overconfidence in her tone.
You must be excited, not many elves are invited to these balls, Eve notes as I shrug.
"It's not my first dance," I recite bitterly seeing Eve raise a bow surprised by my wording but before she could open her lisp to respond, the doors open after Josephine gives her some advice on the game. She would love Tevinter they play wicked grace all the time inside and outside the ballroom with a little bit of iron in the mix and slaves having to get involved in these games, used as nothing more than pawns, tokens to bet in this wicked grace game of theirs.
Elegantly, the music of the ballroom echoes in the ballroom of gold and crimson, my nose picks up the scents of expensive cologne and fancy foods and pungent wines wafting in the air as my ears listen to the numerous gossiping whispers surrounding us.
"Look at those knife ear servants…."
"Look at the thing with the glowing marks…"
"How weird is this thing?"
"Posh snobs," I hear Sera mutter as we stand above the dance floor, Sera having clung to me since the party began, lost to all this poshiness, not that I can blame her besides her comments on their ridiculous outfits, always bringing a small smirk to my lips.
"What kind of hat is that? Looks like a pair of tits!" Sera giggles pointing at the strange hat as I nod in agreement, taking a nearby gauntlet of wine form a server, sniffing at it, detecting no poisons as I take a sip and smirk.
"Bet you those guys up there did some right old kinky shit," Sera snickers pointing to the empress and the other elites, one of which apparently invited us.
"I wouldn't be surprised with the nobles free time," I agree snickering as I look around the room, finding Cullen stampeded by both men and women, making the blonde flustered.
"Looks like bookworms going to be jealous," I note nodding to Sera who glance at the poor commander.
"Oh that is going to be funny to watch," She giggles excited only then for Josephine to appear learning of the introductions about to begin, great…
"And now presenting grand Duke Gaspard de Chalon and accompanying him, inquisitor Trevelyan, daughter of the golden sun of the Trevelyan name, from the Ostwick circle of magi," Politely, Eve bows to the empress Celene, descending down the stair steps of the ballroom. Slowly, we trial behind her, never matching her pace and standing side to side, always at a distance, behind her. Below her status. I notice Sera grimace from the titles given to Eve of vanquishing the evil mages and their underworld.
"That's not how it went," Sera complain, fists quivering shaking irritated.
"Cool it, you can take it out on them later for now smile," I argue as Sera huffs, pouting.
"Knife ears…"
"Look at her toys."
"Freaks…"
"Posh ear snobs," Quickly, I grab Sera by her arm, seeing her about to curse at the only for me to stop.
"Not now," I order making her huff.
Accompanying the inquisitor, the lady inquisitors elven serving man, Solas and Her ladyship, Mai Bhalsych of Korse," The male announces as Sera and I burst into a fit of giggles, both of us smirking at one another at the joke as the elves return to my side while Eve stands before the empress.
"Sera if I were gay I would so kiss you right now," I snicker with her, she is holding her sides as I cover my mouth, forcing myself not to snort.
"Aw thanks honey," Mischievously, Sera winks as we snicker only then for her to push me forwards as she along with Solas are dispersed and leave to hide within the crowd.
"Presenting, Fennic, speaker of the mage rebellion and massacre of Kirkwall's chains, slayer of slave owners and servant to the inquisitor…"
"Servant!?" Agitated, I feel my brow twitch, my teeth grinding together as I feel a familiar burning sensation flow through me as my shaking trembling balled up fists quiver only to feel a familiar hand claps my wrist, making me scowl and glance at the calm stoic Solas, guiding me away from decking that arsehole.
"Freak of nature…"
"What was that glow mark thing? How disgusting…."
"Knife eared abominations…"
"He's dead, I'mma kill him, I'm going to gouge out his eyeballs and shove his intestines into his ass!" I seethe, quaking in utter fury as Solas serenely stands there, watching me pace back and forth, once we are in the servants quarters for the elf servants, getting a few looks now and again but nothing that doesn't disturb me from my rigorous racing back and forth.
"You done?" Solas ask once I curse, leaning against the pillar scowling.
"What do you think? Bastards, snobby pricks, Kaffas!" I curse under my breathe seething as Solas evenly places his hand on mine, squeezing it gently.
"Ignore them, they aren't worth your reaction," Solas assures me.
"Easy for you to say you're just a servant they went on about my title only then to refer to me as a servant! They wanted me to fall, to fail, to be a disappointment, bastards…" I seethe only to frown as Solas remains quiet and simply brushes his thumb against my shaking fists as I release a tense breathe, head down.
I notice one of the elves servants linger, staring at us as my turquoise hues narrow at them, making the gossiping pair flinch back, becoming nervous and fidgeting as they rush around, attempting to look busy instead of eavesdropping on us.
"You calm?" Solas asks softly snapping me out of my maddened state of mind.
"Yeah," I grumble head down on Solas shoulder as he simply hums, patiently waiting for my rage to subside. "You have the patience of a saint," I grumble. Solas gives me a brief squeeze to my hand to calm my nerves as the ball begins and I head for the closest wine…
Stoically, Solas perks up at the sound of footsteps turning to his agents ready for any orders tonight.
"Make sure those noblemen who were eyeing Fen are…taken care of," Strictly, he commands as they nod, leaving Solas to lean against the pillar, remaining calm as Fen returns, gasses in hand, passing one to himself and leaning against the pillar by his side, unaware of his harsh agitated tapping against the goblet in his hands as he watches the ball begin.
*What did you think of Solas and Fen in this chapter? Would love to know!*