Moonpriestess30: Well howdy there. And yes, a curly haired mess myself, I love it. What did you think of the ending of the last Fanfiction? I hope you liked it! I personally really like this story, it's sweet and short! No more hundreds of chapters for me!

Chapter 2 – Under your wing

Isabela walks next to the woman that they had rescued, the slavers that they had travelled up the coast to find had been dealt with with her arrival. 'So, I'm curious. Why such a large party of slavers for one woman? I mean, your master put a sigil of silence on you, that's gotta be a big deal.' Eve tilted her head and nodded signing slowly as she knew that Isabela wasn't as fluent in it as Fenris.

'You're not wrong. I am what you would call an... Intended,' she tries to explain, deep down she knew this could cause an issue but she didn't feel like it was something she had a right to hide. They had already been kind to her.

'I have no fucking idea what that is,' Isabela says confirming Eve's concern. 'Oi, Broody-'

'Isabela, I would prefer it if you did not call me that,' Fenris cuts in as he pauses turning around on the trail to look at the pirate who rolled her eyes. Eve seemed to giggle and covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at him, amusement in her eyes. He didn't want to admit it but the woman that they had discovered was quite pretty, her dark hair tumbled around her shoulders nicely and her almond eyes expressed a lot. Isabela and Eve catch up easily to where he was waiting and he crosses his arms, 'what do you want?' He asks Isabela bluntly.

'What's an ''Intended,''? Eve said something about it and it's easier to ask you than to try and read while walking, no offence,' she adds to Eve who simply smiles and shrugs her shoulders, no offence taken.

Fenris raised a brow and looked at her, he wasn't surprised but it made their situation a lot more complicated. 'You are not of age?' He asks. Eve shakes her head and signs that she had a few months before she was. Fenris sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. 'Hawke!' He calls gaining the Champion's attention. 'We may have a problem,' he clarifies. Eve went a little pale and took a step back.

'A problem? Why is this a problem?' Isabela questions gently grabbing Eve's arm, she was a proven flight risk. Hawke runs over with Anders not too far behind and Fenris motions that they should step off the trail for a moment. It takes about fifteen minutes but they make a temporary camp to rest at. Eve sat quite close to Isabela who refused to let the elf out her sight, 'don't worry, I won't let that broody bastard stop us from taking you to Kirkwall,' she whispers making Eve smile a little. 'Alright, Fenris, you've got us to stop and twaddle around. Explain what's going on.'

Fenris looks at Eve who goes a little pink with the intense expression he was giving her. 'Eve is an Intended. In Tevinter this means a personal slave who will be committed to one master for the rest of their lives, including bearing or providing children. There are a strict set of rules that a master has to follow while …. grooming an Intended until they are twenty-two,' he says awkwardly. 'To keep a slave untouched by specific violent or sexual experiences is almost impossible so Intendeds are rare. A different kind of discipline is used instead of a whip or beating, mental magic is used.'

Garrett raises a brow, this was the most he had ever heard Fenris speak in all the years he knew him. It was a difficult subject as well and sounded complicated. 'Okay, so why does that mean it's a problem?'

Isabela was the one who answered quietly, 'because it means her master will come looking for her,' she said simply. Eve looked at her hands and a tear dropped onto her hands, she didn't want to cause them trouble. 'Why were you with slavers then? Where is your master?'

'There was trouble at the port, a Qunari attack. He thought it safer to send me ahead with trusted men than travel together. I was being taken to his estate outside Kirkwall and was to wait there until he arrived. We were going to stay for the last few months before my birthday and then perform the blood ritual,' she signs sadly not raising her head to look at them.

Fenris translated and his voice grew stern at the last few words. 'The ritual that binds her to the master,' he spits in explanation to the others. 'Makes sense, if she was stolen from her original master with only a few months left till her birthday she could easily be forced to be bound to another,' he adds.

Garrett swears under his breath and rubs his eyes. 'Okay, yeah, that got complicated and uncomfortable really fast. Question, why do you have to be twenty two?' Fenris explains that it was the minimum age for survival. If left longer it creates a stronger bond but there was more time for something to happen to the slave. 'Right, okay that explains that,' he nods. 'So you took your chance and escaped?'

Eve nods and wipes her eyes, 'it didn't matter what happened in the city. I just wanted a choice,' she signs making Isabela wrap an arm around her shoulders and give her a squeeze.

'What about your arrow wound? Won't that affect things? That was a violent action,' Isabela points out.

Eve shakes her head, 'no, that was my fault. If my master had ordered it then yes, it would affect things. It's complicated, I don't understand a lot of it to be honest with you.' She looks at each of them, 'I'm sorry.'

Fenris translated, pausing on her last words, wondering why she was apologising. Isabela frowns, 'you've got nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault some asshole has decided that he wants you to be his... glorified toy. It's an easy problem to solve, we've just gotta get you laid!' She grins. Eve goes bright red and Anders coughs on the water he had been drinking, Fenris went still and Garrett covers his grin. 'Oh, come on. Fenris said it himself, it's almost impossible to keep slaves untouched by such experiences, so it goes without saying that if you have one, or a few,' she teases, 'he can't do the ritual.'

'I don't think having sex with a completely mute, elven woman is on the top of anyone's list,' Eve signs making Isabela cackle as she translates out loud.

'Alright, you've got me there, it would be a little unnerving after all. Hey, why don't you and Fenris hook up? He understands you and that man desperately needs to get laid-' Eve clapped her hand over Isabela's mouth, her cheeks and ears a furious red as she tries her hardest not to look at Fenris. Garrett looked over at his friend who had gone completely still and he noticed a little pink around the ears.

Eve shook her head, 'I don't want to have a meaningless... experience. I know it's selfish of me as it is the easiest way to solve the problem but that's not the way I want to be free,' she wears an apologetic expression.

Garrett has to wait for Fenris to finish speaking but nods, 'don't worry about it. Not everyone's as easy as this tart,' he said directing his head at Isabela making Eve smile. 'It's not the way you should have to fight for your freedom either. Look, your master is going to come looking for you? Are you sure it's a good thing to have two escaped slaves in the same house?' He says not unkindly. 'I mean that kinda makes you both a bigger target.'

Fenris didn't even get a chance to reply before Isabela, annoyed at Garrett speaks up. 'I'll look after her. I'll get her a room at the Hanged Man and she can work the bar. I know the barkeep well enough to wrangle a job out of him and she's got a pretty face. She'll bring in customers,' she says giving Hawke the middle finger. 'There, now Broody doesn't have to worry and if her master does show his face, I'll shove a dagger in it.'

Eve hugs her tightly and Garrett shrugs his shoulders. 'Alright, Bela, if that's what you want to do. Let's not waste any more time and get back into the city. We didn't leave any slavers alive so her master won't find out she's missing for a good couple of weeks?' He asks seeing Eve nod. 'A lot can happen in that time.' They begin to pack up and Eve offers to carry something but she's refused, Isabela had taken her under her wing. She felt for the woman, she knew was it was like to be a toy for someone else's pleasure. The walk back into the city was uneventful and thankfully quiet. Anders said goodbye at the gate, he wasn't in the mood to keep socialising and Garrett said he would meet the rest of them later at the Hanged man.

Isabela and Fenris walked either side of Eve as they made their way to the pub, she looked around curiously and wore a faint smile. There was a brief moment where she stepped in something rather unpleasant and the expression on her face said it all. Isabela led her to a scraping bar and poured water over her foot until it was gone. 'I know you elves don't wear proper shoes but you really gotta look where you're going.'

Fenris covered his mouth with his hand attempting to hide his smile as Eve held onto his arm in balance as she refused to look at her foot as Isabela washed. 'It may be the first time but it will not be the last,' he says honestly as she looked at him in horror and he had to force his chuckle to stay silent. She stuck out her tongue in an over exaggerated expression of disgust and he couldn't help himself as he laughed. Isabela raises a brow and sneaks a side look at the two elves, a grin on her face. He didn't even seem to mind that Eve was using him as a support, plus she was pretty sure that was the first time she had heard him laugh genuinely. Once finished Eve looks on the street before putting her foot down and thanking Isabela.

'No problem, but let's be more careful, huh,' she grins as she loops her arm through Eve's and drags her away giving Fenris a rather particular look making his heart stop in fear. 'Y'know it might be easier to have that meaningful experience than you think,' Isabela whispers into Eve's ear making her blush and shake her head. The pirate leads her to the Hanged Man, Eve took a little longer than needed as she kept glancing to the cobbles to make sure there wasn't a repeat. Opening the door to the tavern Isabela was greeted with a chorus of hellos and a couple of jeers from other patrons. 'Hey! Is Varric in?' She calls over to the bar getting a thumbs up. 'I need another room! Add it to the short-arse's tab for the time being!' Isabela grins and catches the keys that are thrown at her. 'Here,' she says giving them to Eve who tilts her head and smiles as she's directed up the stairs.

'Have you met a dwarf before?' Fenris asks as he manages to catch up. Eve shakes her head, they weren't common in Tevinter and she was kept secluded for reasons. 'He is a very loud personality in someone half your height. Rude and likes to make up stories, take everything he says with a grain of salt, half of the things he speaks of are not true,' he warns. Eve smiles and nods, holding the keys tightly in her hands. She continues to follow Isabela to a large set of rooms where a man, she assumed was Varric sat at a table surrounded by paperwork.

He looks up and grins, 'well, well, who's this?' Varric asks as he smiles at Eve who gives him a small wave. Isabela gives him a brief rundown and he looks intrigued, 'ah, I see. A mute. I'm not great with the whole handspeak way but I get by. Hanging around Riviani enough and her motley crew you pick up a few things.'

'I put her room on your tab for a bit and she's going to need new clothing. I'm gonna get her a job here,' Isabela says bluntly making Varric roll his eyes. 'Then when her flaggin of a master appears I'll shove a dagger up his arse,' she shrugs. 'First I need a bath, come on, you could do with a wash as well,' Isabela grabs her by the arm and drags her down the hall, Eve gives a brief wave to Varric and Fenris as she's pulled.

Varric grins and looks at the elf, 'so...'

'Do not even think about it,' Fenris says bluntly.

'I didn't say anything-'

Fenris takes off his sword and looks at the dwarf, 'she is an escaped slave. I do not need more complications.' Varric grins and leaves it at that. He was just going to talk about how Isabela seemed to have warmed to the young woman, not about Fenris. Though clearly something was on the elf's mind. Someone.