Note: Well, well, well Hello again... congratulations you have read over 150 pages of writing... I know that number even surprises me. Thank you all for your comments and continued reading!- J
Chapter Eleven
"Introducing, Lady Moon. First Daughter of the Vistani, Mistress of Shadows. Vanquisher of the Rebel Mages of Ferelden, Crusher of the Vile Apostates of the Mage Underground. Champion of the Blessed Andrastate Herself. Escorted by The Iron Bull, leader of Bull's Chargers." The cryer paused for a moment before slightly mumbling, "as the name would imply."
Whispers bounced across the marble columns. The majority of what had been said was unintelligible, but there was one repeated phrase Bull could pick out from the hushed tones: the Ox Man and the Demon. He glanced down to his companion. Sinfi's face was a mask as they walked across the ballroom, but her eyes were like embers dancing in the night sky. She could hear the words loud and clear, yet she kept calm as they walked arm in arm across the ballroom.
"Don't you think you have enough titles, Boss?" Bull asked softly into Sinfi's ear. It was something between a distraction to what they could overhear and a reminder that she wasn't alone in this. "You have enough to make an Orlesian noble jealous."
Sinfi smirked before whispering back, "I might need one or two more, for posterity's sake."
Bull chuckled slightly before looking back towards their goal; Empress Celene. She stood upon the balcony, motionless like a statue carved out of marble. The Grand Duchess, Florianne de Chalons, stood slightly behind her cousin. Behind the silver mask, ice-like eyes watched them, similar to a hawk watching its prey.
Sinfi stood up straighter and lifted the hem of her skirts as they walked up the stairs towards Empress Celene. Her normal joking and easy demeanor with Bull had shifted as she put up the chilled facade for the court. She turned into the embodiment of fake smiles and charm, eyes gleaming with trickery. The posturing was her armor for the night.
Bull could see why Sinfi had been assigned to be a plant within the castle walls of Oarsport. Despite her appearance, Sinfi blended into court life seamlessly. She showed no fear and held her head with pride. Every movement she made was filled with grace and charm. As they climbed the stairs towards where the Empress waited for them, the notion came to him that if the Inquisitor was left to her own devices in the Winter Palace, he wouldn't be worried about her; instead he would worry about every other participant of the game.
"Lady Inquisitor, We welcome you to the Winter Palace," the Empress smiled down upon them. "May We introduce Our cousin, the Grand Duchess," Sinfi let go of Bull's arm as she dropped into a deep curtsy that any noble would be jealous of.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Grand Duchess," Sinfi said before glancing back up towards the balcony where they stood, "I do apologize for our last minute addition, I do hope it was no trouble."
"What an… unexpected pleasure," the Grand Duchess said with a tight smile on her face. "I was not aware that the Inquisition would be in attendance tonight."
"And miss a wondrous opportunity to see Halamshiral?" Sinfi said, a smile painted on her lips like lipstick. She gazed up towards the woman, "From what I have heard, you outdo yourself ball after ball. It would be a shame to miss such an extraordinary event."
"You are too kind," Florianne's eyes flicked between Bull and Sinfi before turning away. "We will certainly speak later, Inquisitor. Please, do save me a dance," with those last words, Florianne de Chalons walked into the darkness, taking her departure.
"Your arrival at court is like a cool wind on a summer's day." Celene said with a tight smile.
For a moment, Bull could have sworn the sentence was broken Thieves' Cant. He swore she was asking for some sort of help or was offering a warning. The words were obviously there, but in the incorrect order, making it sound like gibberish. Bull glanced down towards Sinfi, her smile was much more forced than deadly. She could hear it too.
"Though, even on a summer's day, the weather may turn foul," Sinfi responded quickly, someone wishes for your demise. It was a test to see if the phrase had been said out of happenstance or if intentional. Understanding lit behind the Empress' eyes.
"We have heard much of your exploits, Inquisitor," Celene paused for a second eyeing them. "They have made grand tales for the long evenings. How do you find Halamshiral?"
It was rusty and jarring, but sure enough, Bull caught the hidden words in the sentence: there are eyes in the shadows of Halamshiral. The Empress knew something was wrong, and somehow she knew enough Thieves' Cant in order to voice her concerns without raising suspicion within the court.
"It is as beautiful as a winter's night," Sinfi responded with a smile as she motioned to the room. "Though I confess it cannot compare to you," Thank you for the warning.
"Oh, Inquisitor," The Empress let out a laugh and the court mirrored it. "How you flatter Us so. As pleasant as this conversation is, We must attend to Our other guests." Sinfi gave the Empress a curtsy before taking Bull's arm and walking towards the veranda where the advisors waited for them. Her grip on his arm exhibited more strength than Bull would have given her credit for. Though it was obvious their experience needed to be discussed, they stayed silent as they walked. The gears in her head were turning and thinking of all the possible answers as to why Thieves' Cant had rolled from the Empress of Orlais' lips.
"She knows something's wrong," Sinfi said quietly as they found the advisors tucked away in the shadows. "Her Thieves' Cant is broken and sloppy, but there is more than meets the eye here."
"What I don't understand, is how she would know it," Cullen glanced between Sinfi and the rest of the advisors. "Thieves' Cant isn't something someone just picks up, even more so in Thedas. Where did she learn it?"
"What about the Thieves' Guild itself?" Bull asked quickly, four sets of eyes landed on him, causing him to stand a little taller. "In Ejasia one of Sinfi's friends, Ella, said their contacts had gone silent since the breach was closed."
"Meaning, the Thieves' Guild has infiltrated different parts of Thedas," Leliana continued. "It's very possible one of their contacts has infiltrated the Orlesian court."
"I wouldn't put it past them," Sinfi said. "Secrets are valuable, and there's no other place in Thedas brimming with secrets like Orlais."
"So we find the informant and see what they know," Cullen glanced between them.
"How would you propose we do that?" Josephine asked quickly. "It wouldn't be obvious to spot them."
"Not necessarily," Sinfi said with a sigh. "If a contact is still here, they might potentially search me out. As Bull said, the reports from Thedas had stopped, so it's possible they just aren't able to send them."
"Or they were stopped by the assassins," Cullen countered as he looked towards Sinfi. "No matter what, you need to be careful tonight and trust no one."
"Will do, Commander," Sinfi said. "Now, I think it's time to mingle before someone gets suspicious."
The group nodded before splitting apart, going to their agreed upon stations for the night.
Bull watched her from across the guest wing. The thin stem of the glass of champagne was gently gripped by her finger tips, the crystal refracting in the fading sunlight creating prisms around her. Sinfi's laughter, like silver bells, danced across the room to his ears. She was entertaining one of the faceless and unimpressive nobles. He had lost track of which duke or duchess was trying to bed or wed her. Eyelashes fluttered as she gently touched Duke what's-his-name-from-wherever's forearm, a flirtatious smirk curled onto her lips. Bull tried to ignore them; he tried to remember this was what she was trained to do. This was part of her purpose and duty.
Like him, Sinfi used her skills of deception and reading body language to get the information she wanted. Unfortunately for Bull, that also meant using a person's lust against them. She had created a skillful dance that would bring her just close enough to her target's grasp, allowing them to think they had a chance. If he gave Sinfi the information she asked for, or if she did this favor for Sinfi then the Teifling would be theirs. Sinfi danced with fire, allowing it to graze her skin, but never getting burned.
Bull's mind wandered to Eric, her ill-fated first love. He couldn't help but wonder how Eric had fared when he was in this position. Forced to watch her do the same song and dance within the court of Ejasia. How did he fair when he had to stand on the sidelines while she romanced another man for the greater good? Did he get jealous or did he accept their roles in the world? Did he see the greater good when he spied the touches and heard the laughter, or did he pull her tighter against him at night when she was his again?
Bull's attention may have been split between Sinfi's mission and keeping an eye out for the assassins, but that didn't stop him from feeling the eyes of nobles on him. The stares and whispers hadn't stopped since their arrival. He could still hear the mentions of the Ox Man along with delighted giggles from noble women as they eyed his lower half. The Iron Bull as the individual was ignored, and instead he had been reduced to a piece of meat and an object for pleasure. His eyes caught Sinfi's from across the room. Golden eyes shifted from seductress and player of the game back to the warm pools he knew. She didn't like this aspect of their life or roles. He watched as she excused herself and walked across the marble floors towards him, her heels clicked against the stonework.
"Bull," she greeted quietly.
"You got anything that needs killing?" Bull asked. "Cause the nobles keep messing with me and they don't think I know that they're doing it."
Sinfi let out a slight snort causing him to smirk before continuing, "This keeps up, I'm going to wear somebody's skull as my fancy little mask."
"Now, Bull, that's not nice," Sinfi warned slightly, but her smirk betrayed her. She wasn't actually opposed to the threat. "Anything catch your eye?"
He wanted to say that it was her that caught his eye, watching her flutter around the room and expertly gain the approval of the nobles. Just like her dance of death upon the battlefield, she was precise and deadly. He wanted to tell her she looked like she had been born within the game and, if Bull didn't know better, Sinfi looked as if she took some sort of pleasure out of it.
Instead Bull settled on a joke, "They got these candied nuts with some kind of spice on them. It's sweet until you swallow, and then BAM, hot."
A smile curled on her lips as she rolled her eyes. Bull gave a half smile before continuing, "But nothing yet on the assassins, Boss."
"You are ridiculous," she chided slightly. "Look at this with the eyes of a Ben-Hassrath and tell me what you see."
Bull grumbled slightly as he shook his head, "It's a mess. Everyone's trying so hard to hide that everyone is walking around in plumage. Makes it tough to spot the dangerous lies, as opposed to the normal stuff." He paused for a moment as he caught one thing that interested him, "But that couple over there with the silver masks? The woman is doing one of the nobles while the man is doing two different servants."
Sinfi shook her head softly before sighing, "I do not miss court. At least in Ejasia we don't have the stupid masks."
"They make no sense. They're no good as disguises and they don't cover the mouth or body language, so they don't help with lying," Bull agreed. "As fashion goes… I don't know, I've seen... dumber?"
"I've worn dumber as well," Sinfi smirked before looking up towards him. "Any interest in a dance?" her voice was almost innocent as she asked the question, causing Bull to laugh.
"Oh, shit, the nobles would love that!" Bull exclaimed as she shook his head. "Can you imagine Josephine's face, trying to explain that we were… uh..." and then it clicked as her eyes dimmed slightly.
"Wait, were you serious?" disbelief painted his words. Sure, she had talked about it back in her quarters, but he had been sure it had been just a joke and not an actual reason to bring him along. Bull ran a hand along the back of his neck, "Because if so, then yeah, absolutely." Nervous. He was nervous. Happiness lit her eyes.
"Well, good," she whispered. "It will be fun to watch everyone's jaws drop."
He watched her turn and walk towards the garden, hips and tail swaying both for his pleasure and for show.
Bull ripped his axe out of a Venatori's sternum before looking towards Dorian, "Five gold says that the triplets are going to make those Cullen admirers disappear by the end of the night."
Dorian laughed as he cleaned off his staff in the fountain of the gardens off the servants quarters, "I'll double that and say that they've already made one of them disappear and are currently working on the other two."
"Really gentleman? This is not the time, nor the place," Vivviene scoffed as she rolled her eyes. She fixed her clothing before quickly adding, "Besides, we all know those clever girls have already taken care of any possible threat by now."
"I'm siding with Madam de Fer on this bet," Sinfi chuckled as she dug through the pockets of the now dead elven servant. Silently, she pulled out some coins and a scrap of folded parchment. She opened the page, her eyes scanning the words before stating, "It's Thieves' Cant and addressed to me."
Her companions paused and looked between one another. "Who's it from?" Dorian asked cautiously. Sinfi was silent as her eyes passed over the words once more.
"Briala," she whispered. "She's written that Gaspard has smuggled Chevaliers into the palace in order to stage a coup during the peace talks."
Sinfi was silent for a moment as she glanced towards the dead Council of Heralds member and the dagger sticking out of his chest, "Vivienne, you know Orlesian nobles more than any of us, would Gaspard even attempt something so extreme?"
"My dear, any player of the game would be able to do this," the mage paused for a moment. "But Gaspard has never been a good player. His sister is the one who's always done the heavy lifting for both of their social climbing."
Sinfi pocketed the note as she got up from the ground, "We need to find that harlequin. Then we can seek out Briala and see just where her connection to Thieves' Cant stems from."
They fought through the grand apartments, moving room from room, collecting secrets in between waves of Vint forces. Crimson blood pooled on the marble floors and dripped down the stairs as they became surrounded by the Venatori forces on the second floor. They became pinned between their opponents and the edge of the balcony.
A dagger sliced through the air, embedding itself in the side of the head of one of the attackers closest to them. As the lifeless body slumped down, his companion looked over from where the attack came from. A second dagger whizzed through the air, landing with a thunk into the man's chest.
"Fancy meeting you here," Out of the shadows, stepped the one and only Elven ambassador, Briala.
"What a coincidence to run into one another," Sinfi said with a smirk as she sheathed her blades.
"Shouldn't you be dancing, Inquisitor? What will all the nobility say?" Briala said in mock horror.
"No doubt there's already a queue forming in my absence," She deadpanned, causing a smile to curl on Briala's lips as her eyebrow rose.
"I wouldn't be surprised if there was," Briala started walking towards the balcony, Sinfi and the party in tow. "I came down to save or avenge my missing people, though it appears you have already taken care of that for me," Briala paused as she looked towards the Inquisitor. "For that, I thank you."
"No thanks needed," Sinfi replied quickly before eyeing Briala. "After all, safety for the weary and downtrodden are my specialty."
"Remember though, that there is also safety in secrets," Briala finished with a wink.
Safety for the weary.
Safety for the downtrodden.
Safety in Secrets.
Bull had seen those words etched into the stone of the sewers in Ejasia. He thought the words were just a promise for those who needed the drive to continue their journey to the under-city. Hearing the words spoken aloud, he recognized that it was a calling card. They were both Thieves' Guild, and they both had announced to one another, in code, that they worked under the same banner.
It was also in that moment, Bull realized that Varric had been fucking right in his books about spies and the stupid coded messages.
Bull stood in the ballroom, watching Sinfi and the Grand Duchess dance around the floor. Their jewelry caught the candlelight, making them look like celestial beings. All eyes in the ballroom were on the pair. Their lips were hidden from prying eyes, but Bull could see the cold, golden glimmer from Sinfi's eyes.
The night had taken a turn for the odd. His initial suspect of the spymaster, Briala, had turned out to be a potential ally. After proving herself as part of the Thieves' Guild, the elf explained to them, that with Nicolae's knowledge of the Mists and how to harness their power, he had expanded the Thieves' Guild's reach from Ejasia. The Thieves' Guild had then created outposts throughout the different worlds.
The first wave of the expansion had been led by Briala's mother, tasked with reporting on the status of Orlais, the nobility, and selling the secrets to the highest buyer in Thedas. Upon the elf's death, it was Briala who had taken upon the mantle of running the outpost and expanding it throughout different parts of Thedas. The web of secrets quickly increased under Briala's control. Currently, the only places she did not have ears or eyes was in Ferelden and Seheron, the second not for lack of effort.
When asked about a reason for the absence of reports being sent to home base, Briala had given them a confused look. Before she could answer for the missing paperwork, the bell signaled their need to return to the ballroom. Sinfi had quickly been whisked away by the Grand Duchess to the dance floor, leaving Bull on the sidelines where he looked upon the Inquisitor.
He could feel the shadows shift around him. Instinctively, he knew there was a presence next to him before even seeing her. The woman was cloaked in dark purple silks, the majority of her skin was covered by the soft fabric, but the little swath of skin he could see matched Sinfi's and her sisters'. A hood obscured the majority of her features, creating shadows on the top portion of her face, yet golden eyes cut through the darkness. Bull knew, just below the surface the fabric, a pair of ram horns curled upon themselves, most likely covered with magical gems to help the older spy disguise herself from the human world. Vera had finally decided to make her presence known to him.
"She's doing well, don't you agree?" The voice was unmistakably Vistani in origin, but due to time and travel it wasn't nearly as thick as Baba's.
"She is," Bull said without taking his eye off Sinfi. "If I didn't know better, I'd think she was having fun."
Vera laughed softly before removing the hood. It didn't take a genius to see the instant resemblance between the middle-aged woman and her daughter. They were almost mirror images of one another, the only differences between them were so minute. One had pin straight hair while the other had waves. Sinfi's features were sharp and predator-like, whereas Vera's were softer and more welcoming. But, Bull knew this woman was deadly. Vera had trained Sinfi to take her place in the world some day. Anything that Sinfi knew how to do, Vera could do it just as well, if not better.
"Some days I think she was born for this court, others, I could see her burning it to the ground," Vera smiled faded as her voice lowered for only him to hear. "It's odd to be back. Everything is both the same and different."
"Did you ever spend time in Orlais, Ma'am?" Bull asked, mirroring her hushed tones.
"I…" Vera paused slightly, similar to how Sinfi would with him. Trying to weigh the pros and cons of letting him in, "I spent the majority of my time in Ferelden but, before the Blight, I had played the Game here in the Winter Palace."
A ghost of a smile crossed Vera's face at the memories, "I had played the Game as a foreigner and was on the winning side. I climbed the ranks and even became one of the people to whisper in the Empress ear for a time." She went silent as her smile faltered, sadness tainted her voice, "I met Anora and King Cailan in this ballroom when they had arrived for trade talks with the Empress. Everyone here knew that it was Anora who was truly in control. She took a quick liking to my skill set, giving me a position within Fereldan's castle. It was mutually beneficial. I would extend her reach far beyond what Cailan gave her, meanwhile I got access to classified materials."
Anger flashed in her golden eyes, "Because of that, I knew how Loghain betrayed the King and the Grey Wardens. I couldn't stay in the castle, see what Loghain had done, and do nothing about it."
"So, you left your post to find Alistair and the Hero," Bull finished.
"Yes." They both knew how the story continued. Vera would go on to help the Hero and Alistair in their quest to stop the Blight. The group of heroes would become close friends as they traveled around Fereldan together. Vera and Alistair would fall for one another, despite how the world would want to tear them apart. Because she loved him, Vera would then use everything she knew to help Alistair take his claim to the throne from Loghain and Anora. Then, after everything that would happen, Vera would be left in the dust because of the politics she had fought for.
Just like her daughter, Vera's eyes told him everything he needed to know. She hurt. Thinking about the events hurt. Being back in Thedas hurt. Vera was here because of duty to the Vistani, not by choice. They both knew some wounds never healed fully, but they adapted and learned to live with them. In Vera's case, this wound had stung deeper than most. If she had been younger, she could have rolled with the punches. Maybe if she had never felt the hurt of her first marriage crumbling apart, she could have patched up the cracks. Maybe a lot of things if they had been different.
Vera cleared her throat as she looked away, "I warned her before she left to not fall for someone in Thedas." Cautiously, she looked back towards Bull. Her eyes landed where the mark on his forehead had been placed by Baba, "Yet here we are. I may not have been gifted with the sight like my mother or daughters, but gossip within the troupe spreads like fire."
Bull reached up and rubbed part of his forehead slightly, "I'm starting to realize that-"
"Did she tell you what comes with that mark?" Vera interrupted quickly, causing Bull to fall silent.
"That Baba marked me as an honorary member of the troupe and that my Thread had become tangled with Sinfi's," Bull answered quickly, Vera was silent before letting out a breath of a laugh. "That's not all that it is… is it?" Bull asked quietly.
"No, that's exactly what it is," Vera said, golden eyes alight with intrigue. "I'm just surprised she even told you. After all, you're a smart man, you must have started to put the pieces together about what that means for you."
And the more time the couple had spent together, Bull had quietly started to put together the last pieces of the puzzle that was Sinfi Moon. She was the closest thing to royalty or nobility that the Vistani had. She was in line to become the next Head Matriarch of the Vistani. Because Vera had let it slip that she didn't possess the power of the sight, the duties would most likely skip Vera and go straight to Sinfi. Bull looked to the dawnstone woman floating on the dance floor. If Sinfi followed her duty, would she really want some ex Ben-Hassrath by her side to lead her people? An outsider who knew next to nothing of their customs or traditions?
"You have nothing to worry about, filius. She's chosen you," Vera said as she eyed Bull's face. "The real question is if you will be prepared to be by her side when the time comes?"
"How do you know?" Bull asked quietly, causing Vera to smirk as she looked towards her daughter.
"Call it a mother's intuition." They watched as the dance came to a close. Applause erupted in the room at the conclusion of the skillful steps in the Game from the Grand Duchess and the Inquisitor. They watched as different Orlesian nobles flocked around the Inquisitor, asking for a dance and her time. Golden eyes caught steel in the middle of the ballroom. Bull knew his answer.
"I'll do what it takes," Bull said softly. He looked over to where Vera had been, only to discover himself alone on the sidelines.
"What… Happened?" Sinfi said slowly as she stared upon the struggling, naked human man that had been tied up to the Empress' bed.
Dorian snickered slightly before quietly saying, "I think you of all people would know."
Sinfi glared at the mage from across the bed. Bull cleared his throat.
"To be fair," Bull said. "He has a point." The glare quickly turned to him, causing him to just raise his hands in surrender.
"It's not what it looks like!" The guard pleaded as he looked towards the Inquisitor. "Honestly, I would prefer if it were what it looks like."
"Then, pray tell how you ended up naked and spread eagle on an Empress' bed and it not be what it looks like," Sinfi raised an eyebrow, causing the guard to let out a heavy sigh.
"The Empress led me to believe that I would be… rewarded for betraying the Grand Duke. This was not what I had hoped for."
"I can only imagine," Vivienne deadpanned from the stairs leading up to the sleeping quarters, looking upon the man, unimpressed.
"Please do not tell Gaspard! The Empress beguiled me into telling her everything," he pleaded.
"And what exactly did you admit?" Sinfi asked
He sighed sadly, "Plans. More specifically, troop movements into the palace tonight. She knows everything. The Duke's surprise attack had been countered even before it began."
"Turning it into a trap," Sinfi finished in understanding.
"Exactly. The moment he strikes, she can arrest him for treason." The guard looked toward his binds, "Now please, release me."
Sinfi's eyes drifted over him slowly before speaking, "If I release you I will need something in return."
"Whatever you want, ser."
"I need you to stay quiet regarding this… incident," Sinfi had a good poker face, but Bull couldn't help but see a gleam of amusement in her eye. The guard nodded quickly, willing to accept any terms in order to get out. With that, Sinfi bent down and examined the shackles. She pulled out a set of tools and began to quickly pick the locks. One by one, the restraints popped open, releasing limb after limb. They watched as the man got up from the bed, quickly grabbed the clothing that had been bundled on to one of the couches, and ran away from the embarrassing scene.
"Chaining men to beds, a locket from a secret elf lover, whatever could be next for Celene?" Dorian asked sarcastically.
"Let me think," Sinfi said as she looked towards Dorian with a smirk as she held up some paperwork. "Blackmailed by the Inquisition or having this information sold to the highest bidder."
She stuffed the documents into the satchel resting on her hip as she walked back towards the door. As she opened it, they could hear the sound of a rift opening deeper within the royal family's wing.
"Fucking demons," Bull growled as the group rushed through the halls of renovations, blindly running into the trap that had been set for them. Archers stood at the ready, bows drawn and pointed straight towards Sinfi as they came to a halt.
"Inquisitor!" Grand Duchess Florianne's voice bounced off the walls as she walked into view on the balcony. "What a pleasure, I wasn't certain you'd attend."
Cold eyes looked down upon them, "You're such a challenge to read. I had no idea if you had taken my bait."
"If you're looking for a dance partner, I fear I may be a bit busy at the moment," Sinfi quipped, causing Florianne to chuckle menacingly.
"Such a pity that you did not save one final dance for me," mock sadness appeared on the Duchess's face before a smile twisted on her lips. "It was kind of you to walk into my trap so willingly. I was so tired of your meddling. Corypheus insisted the Empress would die tonight. I would hate to disappoint him."
"Now, we wouldn't want that," Vivienne said sarcastically under her breath.
"Why kill the Empress?" Sinfi asked as she shook her head. "What does that even achieve?"
"Celene's death is the stepping stone on the path to a better world," Florianne explained. "Corypheus will enter the Fade, take control of the Threads of Fate, and ascend to godhood and take dominion over the realms. We will cast down your useless gods and usher in a better world, guided by the hand of an attentive god."
"You're Orlesian royalty," Sinfi's voice was filled with disgust. "Why attack your own people and homeland?"
The Grand Duchess looked at Sinfi with almost a hint of sadness in her eyes, "You think so small, Inquisitor. Why settle for an empire when Corypheus can remake the entire world? Though I admit, I will relish the look on my brother's face when he realizes I've outplayed him. He was always a sore loser."
"Then, what exactly is in this for you," Sinfi sneared. "You must have an actual reason for betraying your people."
"Why, the world of course, Inquisitor," Florianne laughed. A real smile crossed her face, "I'll deliver the entire south of Thedas to Corypheus and he will save me. When he has ascended to godhood, I will rule this world in his name."
"Too bad he'll be disappointed," Bull said quietly, causing Florianne to glare towards the Qunari.
"You poor, deluded thing," she shook her head. "None of you realize even half of what Samson and I have planned."
A cruel smile formed on the Duchess' lips, "And I suppose now you never will."
Bull walked out onto the balcony where Sinfi had hidden herself after the events of the night. After escaping the deranged duchess' trap and convincing Gaspard's mercenary captain to testify against his boss, they stopped Florianne before the assassination attempt by skillfully exposing her in front of the court. The Empress' life had been saved and the peace talks had been allowed to continue, but now the Inquisitor had been the one in charge of running the affair. Believing that unseating the current monarch was not an option, Sinfi let Gaspard's treachery come to light. Yet, even though she had helped the Empress, Sinfi had demands of her own.
The main demand was restoring what once was between the Empress and Briala, together the pair would rule as one. Regardless if they were reunited as lovers once again, Briala and the elves would have a voice in Orlais and have a place on the world's stage. On top of that, as payment for Sinfi's services, the spy network Briala had created in Thedas for the Thieves' Guild would now work with, and through, the Vistani. The additional reports and eyes would help the Inquisition.
Now that the work was complete, they could actually enjoy the time they had at the ball, but Sinfi had sequestered herself away from the merriment. She sat on the stone railing, looking out towards the Orlesian countryside. Starlight glimmered above them in a full moon sky. Her tail and arms wrapped around her legs, pulling them tight against her chest. Just as Bull had predicted, the healed shoes had been discarded into a heap on the floor and her bare feet were on the stone. He could feel the sense of doubt and questioning spiral off of her body in waves.
"They ran out of that cheese dip," he said loudly from the doorway before walking towards where she sat. "Asked for more and they gave me this look."
"Nothi," Sinfi grumbled slightly as she looked towards him, a melancholy smile gracing her lips.
"I know right, they really are bastards," Bull placed his hand on either side of her, his lips hovering above one of her pointed ears. "How ya doing?"
"It's… been a long day," she sighed, her body seemed to instinctively curl to his.
"You did good in there, Boss," Bull said softly.
"Did I?" Sinfi gave a half hearted laugh, "I don't think Gaspard would feel the same way."
"Yeah, there's that," he let out a sigh. "But you stopped a civil war and didn't upend all of Orlais in the process."
"Fair point," Sinfi groaned softly. "Still, I wish sacrificing the few for the many wasn't as…" her voice died in her throat and Bull just nodded. He knew the feeling. He knew the regret and the pain that came with making the hard calls. Even if it hurt like hell deep down, they knew it was the right thing for the world.
"I know," silence filled the void as they looked out into the night. "Cullen's giving orders now, we're just about done here."
"Too bad we never got our dance," Sinfi laughed slightly, this time it wasn't nearly as strained.
"We still have time. Come on," Bull smiled as he helped her off the ledge. "The music's finally got enough of a beat to dance to."
He started to make his way back towards the ballroom but didn't feel her at his side. Bull stopped in his tracks and looked back to where Sinfi stood. She was drenched in moonlight, gems and skin sparkling like one of the stars above.
"I…" her voice cut out for a moment as she pushed a renegade strand of hair behind her ear. "I have something for you."
Bull smirked as he started back towards her, "If it's another shipment of horn balm, I won't complain."
His gait was slow, allowing him time to try and glean what was going on with her. She was nervous, that much was obvious. Sinfi Moon was not the type to be fearful; she could stare down hordes of demons and dragons without flinching. Yet, when it came to affairs of the heart, she was worse off then the ex Ben-Hassrath. She avoid eye contact and every step he took towards her the more obvious it became, meaning she was dreading this conversation and his reaction.
"I've been thinking," Sinfi started slowly, a pregnant pause as she tried to formulate the next sentence. Bull could feel the slight drop in his stomach, that was never a good start to a sentence. Maybe both him and Vera had been wrong. Maybe the Winter Palace had made her realize that whatever this was between them was a bad plan after all. Maybe she regretted that moment where she stood up to the advisors in favor of picking him. Something inside of him hurt at the thought. The flame of hope that had grown inside of him because of her, was fading with every silent moment.
"It's okay, Boss. You can say it," Bull whispered.
But that was a lie, it wasn't okay. His hand wanted to reach out to her. He wanted to press her against him and remind her of everything. Remind her of that night after the dragon. Remind her of the dancing. Remind her of nights drinking and in her Vardo. Remind her of the grave yard. Remind her what it felt like not to be alone in the shadows.
"Well, I remembered a conversation we had late one night and I want you to have this," she bit her lip slightly as she pulled out something wrapped in a velvet cloth and held it out to him.
Cautiously, Bull took the package, undoing the satin ribbon that held it together. His breath caught in his throat as he pushed aside the fabric. His large grey fingers ran over the two dragon tooth necklaces, his skin barely touching the surface. One dragons tooth, split into two. Every fear, every worry, every piece of self doubt vanished.
"It's from the first dragon we killed together," Sinfi said quickly, Bull looked back towards the woman in front of him.
"You remember what this means?" Bull asked quietly. Sinfi nodded.
"No matter how far life takes us, we'll always be together," she took in a breath. "If you don't want…" her voice died as fear mounted in her eyes.
"Katoh," Bull said quickly and more forcefully then he had intended. "I want this, Sinfi."
"You do?"
"Yes," Bull said with a smile. He took the larger of the two necklaces and clasped it around his neck. The tooth was lighter then he had imagined. Though, to be fair, Bull had never really thought about receiving this necklace before. He'd never had something, or someone, in his life like to consider this as a direction in his life.
He took the smaller and more delicate pendant into his hands, carefully unclasping the golden chain. Instinctively, Sinfi lifted her hair and turned to give him better access to put in the piece of jewelry. The sound of the clasp snapping in place reverberated in the quiet night. She turned back to him, the dragon's tooth hung low between her breasts and close to her heart.
"Not many people surprise me, Kadan," Bull whispered softly as he caught her golden eyes.
"Kadan?"
"Kadan," Bull said softly as he leaned down to her, their lips a whisper apart. "My heart." He held her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.
The ball and festivities continued on within the Winter Palace, but neither Sinfi or Bull were concerned with anything outside of their paradise on the balcony where they kissed and danced under the moonlight.
Latin Translations:
Filius- Son
Nothi- Bastards or jerks