In A Manner of My Choosing
By Pyreite
Warning: This chapter contains coarse language. Discretion is advised.
Making an Entrance
Ellana heard the shouting from the hall. Cyril de Montfort, a courteous Orlesian, chastised his fellow delegate. Arl Teagan Guerrin, like all Fereldans, was loud, brusque, and demanding. Ellana scowled when the man threatened one of her friends.
"Enough! I will hear no more of your excuses Lady Montilyet! You will bring the Inquisitor before this Exalted Council or I will have you clapped in irons! Then we will see how tardy Inquisitor Lavellan is when one of her own sits in a dungeon! You will find the Orlesian cells just as dark and dank as those in Fereldan!"
Ellana was outraged by the audience's appalled gasps. She gripped Dorian's hand tight enough to bruise. He winced as she dragged him towards the door leading into the council chambers. The guards, armoured in gilded bronze, refused to let her pass when they saw what shadowed her steps.
A large wolf, black as night, loped at her side.
"Your, Worship! You cannot bring that beast in here!"
"He is not a beast!"
Fen'Harel was quick to praise his beloved.
I am flattered you think so highly of me, vhenan.
Dorian saw how Ellana's brows furrowed. The narrowing of her eyes, always so expressive, burned like hot coals in her face. She was furious. Dorian didn't like the way her mouth thinned. He could hear the grinding of her teeth.
He had to intervene.
Fast.
"Gentlemen", coaxed Dorian. "You heard what Arl Teagan said. Now is not a good time to antagonise the Inquisitor. She's in a foul mood which will only get fouler the longer you delay her. Take my advice and get out of the way before she tosses you both into a rift".
"She wouldn't dare attack us!" insisted one stalwart guard. "It is a crime to assault a man wearing the Lion seal of Queen Celene!"
Dorian cursed when Ellana thrust her left hand forward. He had seen Solas use the same gesture as he'd manipulated the Fade. The splayed fingers and swift grasping motion made the air come alive. Tendrils of shimmering emerald light coalesced around the Orlesian guardsmen. Dorian winced when Ellana's fingers closed tight.
The sudden snap of her hand, as if she were yanking on something, blew the guards off their feet. Dorian flinched when they crashed onto the floor. The clinking and clanking of their armour, scraping over the marble tiles, set his teeth on edge. He watched the poor men claw and screech as the magic of the Anchor dragged them away from the door. Ellana relented when they reached the opposite wall.
A nimble turn of her wrist and a second sharp gesture made the air ripple.
The guardsmen yowled as they rose high into the air.
Dorian winced when they flew towards a marble plinth.
He didn't hear Fen'Harel's teasing.
Temper, temper, vhenan.
Ellana's fingers were curled tight into the palm of her left hand. Her fist shook with barely restrained fury. She scowled and unfurled her fingers. The guardsmen hovered in mid-air. They had stopped an inch from colliding with a marble statue of Andraste.
You are beautiful when you are angry.
Ellana blushed and lowered her hand. The lapse in concentration made the guardsmen drop like stones. They toppled onto the floor again with a thunderous clang. Ellana grimaced when she heard their agonised moans. She looked over her shoulder at the twin heaps of gilded Orlesian armour rolling on the floor.
She felt the tiniest bit guilty when Dorian addressed them.
"If the Inquisitor had tossed you two through a rift. No one, but the spirits in the Fade, would have heard you scream. So the next time a handsome debonair gentleman asks you to get out of the way. Do yourselves a favour and follow his instructions. You're less likely to have a pounding headache afterwards".
Sera snickered. "Serves 'em right for being idiots".
"She has a point", agreed the Iron Bull. "You did give them fair warning, Kadan".
"Exactly", confirmed Dorian. "And I did ask ever so nicely for them to let us be on our way. These poor fellows should should count themselves lucky. Our dear Inquisitor eviscerated Corypheus by opening a rift inside him. These lads got off lightly in comparison".
Ellana groaned in annoyance. Sometimes her friends were terrible people. She'd unleashed a torrent of Fade magic on a pair of unsuspecting Orlesian guardsmen. Dorian was smirking along with Sera whilst Bull clucked his tongue in disapproval. The Tal Vashoth warrior was shaking his horned head too as he stepped over them.
"When you're asked to get out of the way. You get out of the way. You don't stand there and parrot about royal seals and non-existent protections. If this encounter didn't teach you two a lesson. The next time you find trouble you'll wind up dead".
"Bull", called Ellana. "There's no need to rub their stupidity in their faces".
"It's the truth, Boss".
"I know, but right now we need to rescue Josephine. That upstart Arl will not be clapping her in irons on my watch. If he does. He'll find himself wearing them instead. Threatening to imprison the Inquisition's ambassador is tantamount to a declaration of war".
"You're not going to sack Val Royeaux right?"
"Of course not!" hissed Ellana. "But I am going to make Arl Teagan Guerrin regret his own foolishness".
"Ah. Public humiliation", chuckled Bull. "I can get behind that".
"Me too", giggled Sera. "Let's go hand his nuts to him on a silver platter".
"I couldn't have said it better myself", avowed Dorian.
Fen'Harel gave Ellana good counsel.
Vhenan. Perhaps your burly friend could lend us a foot. It would make a most dramatic entrance if he kicked the door down. The noise alone will distract the Arl long enough for us to safely extract the lovely Lady Montilyet. Let us remind this upstart shemlen that he owes his life and title to the tireless work of two Dalish elves.
Ellana's eyes glinted. She glanced at the Iron Bull. A simple gesture to the ornate Orlesian-blue oak door made him grin. Bull sauntered past her with a jaunty spring in his step. He laughed as he leaned back, lifted a steel-shod foot, and gave the door a mighty boot.
The latch broke and the wood splintered.
The door flew open with a resounding bang.
All eyes turned toward them.
Bull bowed at the waist and gestured for Ellana to proceed him.
"After you, Boss".
"Ma serannas".
Ellana smiled when Dorian slid his fingers between her own. He gave her a doting look and guided her inside like the gentleman he was. Fen'Harel was on her heels as she crossed the threshold. He scanned the crowd and saw several gaping elven servants. Their incredulous staring confirmed where their loyalties lay.
My brother's spies and their Qunari counterparts have seen you.
"Good", said Ellana. "Let them see me for what I am".
You are the consort of Fen'Harel. My consort. My brother's spies will assume you belong to him. Their mistake will cost him dearly. He did not lie when he told you that I will not share what is mine.
Elvish, Qunlat, and Tevene Translations: Courtesy of the Dragon Age Wiki
Vhenan – Heart.
Ma serannas – My thanks.
Fen'Harel – The Dread Wolf – The elven god of Rebellion, Betrayal, and Trickery.
Tal Vashoth – True grey ones– Those that turn away from the Qun.