A/N: Had to heavily edit this chapter, I missed a few things apparently. So I apologise if it's a bit here there and everywhere.
Eiris: Friendship at it's best. Though you may not like this chapter XD
Moonpriestess30: Oh yeah, this is a short but wild ride. I was thinking about keeping the tension high and having it so that they didn't have any physical intimacy but... I was too weak.
Chapter 11 - Choose
'Hey, sweetie,' Isabela says as she walks into Evelyn's room that she kept at Fenris'. 'Are you okay? You've been quiet the last couple of days, even though you can speak now,' she holds a cup of tea out to her. Evelyn was sitting on the edge of her bed holding the book she had taken from Anders' clinic.
She smiles gently and takes the mug from her as Isabela sits down. 'Sorry, I don't mean to be rude,' Evelyn looks at her tea and feels a heavy weight in her chest, this all felt too real.
'I've got to ask. It's like you're avoiding Fenris,' Isabela said getting straight to the point. 'We've been waiting for almost two days now, I get that you don't want to make him a target but it's more than that isn't it?' Eve holds the mug tightly and wonders what she should say. Isabela had always been lovely to her but she wasn't sure that she wanted her to know what was going on between them. Evelyn had already made the decision to brush what happened under the rug and close a door on that chapter. 'Evee,' Isabela places her hand on her shoulder. 'You two have sex?'
'What?! No!' Evelyn replies, her face flushing a deep red.
Her reaction makes the pirate laugh. 'I know, I know. He would have relaxed a little had you two dallied,' she teases raising her eyebrows suggestively. 'Come on, what's going on between you both?'
She sighs and purses her lips, maybe talking to someone would make her feel better about it all. 'I kissed him,' Evelyn mumbles.
Isabela grins and gives her a look, 'oooh, check you out!' She said impressed. 'And then what? Oh, is that why you're upset? He didn't take it well-'
'No, no,... it's not that. I kissed him lightly and then... it got heavier,' Eve sips her tea in a bid to avoid eye contact with her. Isabela doesn't see the problem and says this out loud. Evelyn sighs and looks at her, 'because now my master is looking for me! That's the problem.'
'I'm sorry I don't see it. We kill the asshole trying to get to you and then you two are able to just bounce off like bunnies and be well, bunnies,' she smirks.
'It's not that simple-'
'Sure it is! You're just overthinking things,' Isabela says dismissively. 'Come on, come join us. The tension is really high in the group and I think you could help people relax. You said you sing, yeah?' She yanks Evelyn upwards almost slopping tea down her front. 'Varric says that the rumours are spreading really fast so it won't be long until he tracks you down.' That's the problem, Evelyn thinks as she begrudgingly allows herself to be dragged through the house, into the foyer where everyone was sitting and simply waiting for a sign that the fight was going to begin. She forces herself to smile as she gains their attention. 'So, Evee is going to sing for us,' Isabela says simply as she takes a seat.
'Oh,.. oh yes, okay,' Evelyn says as she puts down her tea on a side table. Varric and Merrill were sharing an armchair, Aveline perched on a dining chair. Sebastian and Garrett were preparing arrows and Fenris was looking into the fire leaning on the mantelpiece. Anders had gone down to his clinic as there were still people that needed his help regardless of what was going on. 'Bear with me, I'm trying to think of an appropriate song.'
'Really sing it, dinnae worry about anything,' Merrill pipes up with a clap of her hands making Evelyn smile a little.
'I will,' she nods as a song hits her. 'Okay, this... this is... my mother taught me this,' Evelyn admits as she looks at her hands. It wasn't a song that she would have been allowed to sing to her master so it brought her joy to sing it now.
'This love it is a distant star
Guiding us home wherever we are
This love it is a burning sun
Shinning light on the things that we've done
I try to speak to you every day
But each word we spoke
The wind blew away
Could these walls come crumbling down?
I want to feel my feet on the ground
And deep behind this prison we share
Step into the open air.'
Everyone had begun to visibly relax as she sung sweetly, Aveline leaned back in her chair. Fenris turned to watch her, his eyes glittering from the fire. Evelyn forced herself to close her eyes as she performed, she didn't want to feel anything at this moment.
'How did we let it come to this
What we just tasted we somehow still miss
How will it feel when this day is done?
And can we keep what we've only begun
And now these walls come crumbling down
And I can feel my feet on the ground
Can we carry this love that we share
Into the open air
Into the open air
To the open air
This love it is a burning sun.'
She finishes and opens her eyes to see the companions smiling at her. 'Maker, that was beautiful,' Hawke nods as he puts down the arrow he had been holding for the last few minutes. Evelyn wears a happy expression and looks up and around the room. Everyone's spirits had seemed to have lifted and she felt good that she had been able to help.
'I'm sorry I've been a little distant,' she mumbles as she avoids looking at Fenris. 'I just... this doesn't feel fair on all of you and I feel selfish and-'
'Evee,' Merrill says as she stands up and walks over to hug her. 'Ya cannae help what's goin' on. We would do this fer any of our friends, we all have a uh, past,' she grins as Evelyn giggles, but her features were still tinged with sadness. 'What be the matter?' Merrill whispers in her ear wondering why her body felt so tense.
Evelyn eyes dart over to Fenris before looking back at Merrill, tears seemed to well up in her eyes as she holds her. 'I couldn't tell you even though I want to,' she whispers in reply. Merrill tilts her head wondering what she meant when Evelyn gasps loudly and stumbles back knocking her tea off the side causing it to smash on the floor. Fear hit her features and she shook her head, 'no... no... I had hoped-' A wave of power flows over the room and several spikes of energy hit randomly across the foyer. Aveline spins around in her chair and swears as a bolt of electricity knocked her from her seat. Isabela and Varric spring to their feet, the intruder spotted.
'Ah, it's been such a long time since I heard her beautiful voice. I would have come in earlier but I do love to hear her sing. Tell me, it's worth dying for, no?' The man said stepping out the shadows and watching as everyone grabbed their weapons and readying themselves.
Merrill ran over helping Aveline to her feet before grabbing her staff and spinning her staff in her hands. 'What about the traps?' Isabela hisses at Garrett who shrugs his shoulders. Evelyn stood, paralysed in what seemed to be panic, her hands shaking as she stared at him.
'Oh, you mean these?' The Magister said as he clicks his fingers and a unit of men swarmed the room. The disabled traps were thrown into the middle of the floor. Fenris had stepped towards Evelyn keeping her hidden from view. 'Yes, they were a little challenging but nothing my men couldn't deal with.'
Isabela scowls, 'yeah, yeah your men aren't anything special. We've dealt with worse while hungover,' she snaps. 'You're not taking her, you nasty piece of shit.'
He laughs and steps more into the light. The Magister was in his thirties with neat, dark hair and a clean shaven face. Isabela sneered; it would be easier to hate him if he wasn't attractive, it took a couple of minutes but his handsome looks angered her more and she grins. 'I'm not here for her,' he says simply as he clicks his fingers. A glowing sigil appears in the air and he runs his fingers over it. 'Come to me, Evelyn,' he smiles.
To everyone's horror Evelyn's skin began to glow and the straight line that ran down her throat and formed the glowing collar turned into a mandala once more. Her eyes glowed lightly as she stepped forward and walked towards her master. 'No! Evee what are you doing?!' Hawke says trying to grab her but failing, he just couldn't get a grip on her clothing. Merrill was held back by Aveline as his men raised their weapons. Varric shared a look with Isabela, disbelief and shock.
Fenris' sword lowered and he stared at her as she stood at her master's side, tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at him. 'She is... already bound to him,' he said as his heart pounded. 'You are not here for her- You are here for me,' Fenris realises.
'Yes, I am. And what perfect little bait she made,' he laughs as he places his hand on her shoulder. 'She has to do everything I say, bound to me for life. I told her to find you, make you trust her and set a little trap. Oh, she did wonderfully,' he muses as he strokes under her chin. Evelyn was crying heavily, her chest rising in compulsions as she breathed. 'She couldn't even warn you, though I feel that her natural reluctance to let you help her was quite convincing yes?' He turns her face to look at him and smiles as he sees the tears on her cheeks. Knowing that it would rile all the companion he leans forward and kisses her, making Eve close her eyes with shame. The Magister chuckles and looks back at Fenris. 'Oh my little Evelyn begged me not to command her to do this but I knew it was going to be a weak point of yours.'
'And here we are,' Fenris hisses as he stares at the mage with fury. His sword rose once more and he glared.
'Magister Cornelius, at your service,' he mocks. 'Now, come quietly or I'll hurt her,' he states simply. Evelyn looks at her Master in fear as he took a knife out his belt. 'She is already bound to me, I can punish her how I wish and if you make this difficult, I will hurt her.'
'Fenris, don't you dare,' Hawke snaps as he holds his daggers tightly.
'Evelyn wouldn't want this!' Isabela adds as she looks over at the Tevinter elf. His expression was torn and Isabela couldn't help but swear under her breath at the situation. 'Damn it all.'
Cornelius made his point by gently prying the blade into Evelyn's collarbone, making her wince and clench her fists. He had already taken away her ability to speak so any cries of pain were silent. With his point made he slowly pull the knife away, blood drips down her front and her body shakes. 'The next one will be deeper,' he promises.
Fenris catches Evelyn's eyes and she shook her head, barely noticeable. He wanted to hate her, wanted to feel the anger that rolled in his chest to be hers but he couldn't. She had warned him, told him to stay away in the capacity that she could. Fenris knew that everything she had done she had no control over, being an Intended meant literally being a puppet. Cornelius was being distracted by Hawke asking a question and Evelyn moved her hands subtly.
'Everything was real for me,' she signs closing her eyes as she turned her head, unable to look at him. Fenris' heart beat painfully, the anxiety and fear growing in his mind.
'Enough!' Cornelius demanded. 'Make your choice!' He presses the blade against her throat, it was clear he wouldn't kill her, didn't mean he wouldn't hurt her more. There was a silence around the room and the tension increased.
The tip of the knife began to dig into her skin and she felt the pain burn into her. Looking at Fenris she felt her heart jump. I don't want Fenris to make this decision, she thought as a realisation hit her. The last few weeks she had felt truly alive. Unable to warn him as to the deception she wove, it poisoned her very being. I hate him, I hate him so much. The abuse, the mental and physical control. No, this is enough. I won't let you use me against Fenris, I've already hurt him enough, she thinks as she makes her decision. Evelyn looks at her master with a scowl and grabs the dagger that Fenris gave her to protect herself. It was always tucked up her sleeve in a leather strap, easy to hand. With a strong blow she knocks the blade against her throat away as she turns, before he can say anything to stop her Evelyn stabs him in the chest.
He stares at her in surprise, a gasp leaving his body. She had missed his heart, just. 'Evelyn!' He says in anger and shock as her glare tore through him. There was a flicker of mana, silence washing over the companions as they have no idea how to react. The magic sparked from the wound Evelyn caused and earthed itself into her chest.
Merrill screamed as Evelyn looked down at herself, a pool of blood appearing on her dress as her skin tore open. She attempted to take a breath as she felt herself fall backwards, the magic causing a mirroring wound appear on her own body. The curse of the Intended.
Cornelius' men sprang into action as Isabela runs to Evelyn's side ripping off her headband pressing it against the wound. The other companions began to fight the slavers, aiming to get to the Magister who was desperately trying to heal himself with blood magic. Eve coughed, blood springing from her lips as she looked at Isabela. 'Don't worry, you're going to be fine,' she says trying to stay calm. All Evelyn could hear was the sound of weapons clashing, the cries of pain as the Magister's men began to fall. Her heart was pounding in her chest and the agony rippled through her body. She shakily moved her hand up to her torso and signed sorry as she circled her chest. Isabela shook her head, 'don't be silly, just breathe. Just stay awake and breathe.'