The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

Chapter 7 (The Storm Rolls In)

The Storm Coast made it quite easy to see where it received its name. The grey clouds covered the skies and a violent wind caused an endless rain to pelt the group as they made their way towards the shoreline.

In the distance they heard a terrible roar that struck her with a sense of fear. "Only been here a few minutes, and I already hate this place." Bianca walked close to Varric as an reflexive impulse. Cassandra walked behind them, complaining about the rain drenching her.

For Bianca, the rain was the least of her worries. The day didn't feel like it was turning out pleasantly, and the storm on the coast seemed to match the mixed emotions she felt upon arriving here. Something was going to go wrong, she was sure of it, but she didn't know what. "Of all the place this Iron Bull asked us to meet him, why here?"

"I can think of worse places," Varric muttered. "Have you ever been to the Fallow Mire?" She paused and watched him closely. "Now there's a town plagued by death. I've only been through there once, and that was just when I was passing through with some people in the merchant's guild trying to find something to salvage from the muck."

"I take it was a bad experience?"

"A marsh, diseased water wherever you step, and constant dark clouds? Yeah, I don't care to go back there again anytime soon. It makes this place look like heaven."

"Yeah, well how quickly can this place turn to hell?" She didn't want to find out, either. All she wanted was to get Iron Bull and leave, that was it. Furthering the deepening sickness in her gut was the feeling like she was being watched, but there didn't appear to be anyone else near them.

"Just stay close." Varric's shoulders rose as he took a slow, calming breath. "I have a bad feeling about this place. Something's going to go wrong, I just know it."

"Trouble seems to follow you about," Solas commented with a flat tone. Varric let out one chuckle and a rush of air flew from his lips.

"I swear the universe out there has something against me. I've come to learn when it feels like something's going to happen, something happens. I'd like to be wrong for a change."

"You control how bad things get in your life, Varric. You have a wisdom about it, you should know that the choices you make affect what happens in your life."

"Except that which is out of your control."

"There is nothing that is out of your control unless you allow it to be."

Varric ground his teeth together and responded with a single grunt of frustration. "I believe I'm done with this conversation." A smile spread across Solas's face and his eyebrows rose.

"You see, you even have control of whether or not a simple discussion ends."

"What I really want is to shoot something with my crossbow…keep it up, and you're the target."

"Fair enough."

"It's like that for me too," Bianca said. She wanted to try and help him to relax, hoping that it might help her to calm down as well. It was nice to know she wasn't alone in the foul mood this place was giving her. "Anytime it feels like things could go from bad to worse, it usually gets worse." Varric's tension faded and he chuckled.

"We just have bad luck then, don't we?" Like father, like daughter, she thought. Bianca almost said it, but held her tongue and tried to comfort him with a smile. Varric smiled back and removed the crossbow from his back. "Well, like I said, stay close. Who knows what we might run into here."

Moving closer to the coast they heard the sounds of a struggle. Bianca's pulse quickened when she heard someone shout about an unexpected attack. "Crap." She drew her sword and ran ahead, hoping to quell the fighting. Varric was quick on her heels.

In the distance she saw a large, well-built Qunari swinging a battle axe against a group of Venatori. His horns took the shape of a bull's horns, making it obvious where he got his name from.

The man pushed one of the enemy away and turned his attention to Bianca and the others. "It's about time you got here," Bull shouted, "These guys jumped us out of nowhere. We could use some assistance."

"Did they know you would be here?"

"No, we only sent word to you."

They may have been camping there, thinking this was a good secluded place to speak to the Inquisition without interference. That said, she couldn't figure out how the Venatori would have known about the location. Especially since the soldier she met, Krem, told her they were trying to camp away from enemy grounds.

"Somebody led them here," she whispered. "Someone knew they were going to be here…"

Varric pointed his crossbow at one of the enemies charging them and his eyes sharpened on the man. "Then we help them." She rushed into the fray, swinging her blade in front of her to deflect an oncoming attack.

There were a large number of enemy opponents, enough to catch her off guard. She was beginning to get used to fighting, after having to deal with the Mages and Templars at the Hinterlands. Even still, this was too much, and the stench of blood was still difficult to overcome.

Bianca kept her back away from the enemy, making sure she was fighting on the outside of the fray rather than having them all surrounding her. As she was never proficient with a shield, she was always focused on what was in front of her and making sure she had enough room to keep her guard up.

She clenched her teeth and stepped back as a enemy appeared in front of her and lashed out with a flurry of strikes. Remembering Dasher's words, she focused on swinging her blade to deflect them.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and with a shout she pushed the foe back, then slashed at him. The blade cut through the enemy's leather armor to her surprise, and she watched with widening eyes as the enemy collapsed onto the ground.

Some died in the Hinterlands before, but this was the first time she was seeing in depth the body of someone who died at her hands, and it was terrible.

Her right hand trembled over her mouth as she watched a river of blood slide down the gravel. Just before it touched her feet, she took another step back, to avoid letting the stream cut onto her armor.

"Some things can't be avoided." Mother Giselle's words rang in her mind a million times over, but they were no comfort to the sickening sensation in her gut. The killing seemed senseless, even if they were the enemy.

Dasher always told her to remember that a blade should never be raised against someone without due cause. A sword was only for defense and protection.

Who were they protecting here? Iron Bull? The Qunari could clearly defend himself, even outnumbered as he was.

Her mentor would often say he hoped she never had to take someone's life, that she was too young to do that, but here she was with people slain at her feet. These people had lives, they had families-why should they lose theirs just because she had none?

She closed her eyes and loosened up the muscles in her body. It was important for her to mentally distance herself from the fight somehow, or at the very least, ignore the fact that several people were going to die here.

A familiar voice broke her concentration, causing her to tense. "You think they're all bad?" Her eyes flew open and scanned the area before her. "You're weak. Think I don't know you?"

A sharp pain struck her lower back, pushing her forward. She twisted around to see an armored figure dashing off. At first glance, she thought it was one of the group that ambushed Bull, so she chased after him.

By the time she got closer, she saw the rogue was wearing a different armor. This armor was jet black and had two long daggers attached to the back. The daggers were familiar to her.

They resembled the fangs of a dragon, and the handles were blood red. The attacker wore no helmet, so she was able to see the familiar slicked back, dark hair. It was in the same style as Blackwall's hair, but shorter; yet longer than Cullen's.

"No." Her pupils dilated and her mouth fell open as the attacker started to turn his head. His mouth twisted into a vicious smirk, and his dark, sharpened glare froze her on the spot.

Bianca stopped running, unable to move any further. The man slipped away into stealth, concealing himself in the environment. "I-I should go back to the others." Her breathing shook with fear and her body grew sticky from the sweat forming around her neck and on her brow.

"Lantos?" There was a large rock in front of her, one that someone would have to climb onto if they wanted to climb the mountain behind it. On either side of her were thick grassy areas.

She positioned her sword in front of her and moved her left hand over her right, tightening her grip on the handle.

Before she could act or make a move, she was shoved into the rock. Her head crashed against the stone, and a dull ache shot through her. Bianca cried out as Lantos grabbed her right wrist and twisted it until she dropped the blade to her feet.

He then pulled her wrists behind her back and clamped them together with his right hand, then slid his left leg around her legs so she couldn't kick him. His left hand slapped the stone in front of her face, causing her to flinch.

"Miss me, babe?" She ground her teeth together and clenched her fists as he pushed all of his waist against her, locking her against the stone. "Don't scream. You scream, you die sooner."

His words drew a startled gasp from her lips and she looked into his eyes, holding back a scream when she saw how bloodshot they were. "No…This isn't right. This isn't you, Lantos!"

His face was pale and covered in sweat, his pupils were dilated and his lips were peeling back to reveal grinding teeth. His usually slicked back hair had fallen before his face, giving a menacing appearance that was all too familiar to him.

It was the reaction to the blood that Aaron and the Carta had force-fed him. "They're making you drink that shit, still? Is that it?"

"What do you care, bitch?" His voice was rough and coarse, as though he'd been chewing on rocks for the past several days. "You left me, and you thought you could just do that?"

Bianca struggled to move out from beneath him, groaning as she pushed against him. "What do you want?" She strained her voice and felt the muscles in her arms beginning to go limp. It was like trying to push a boulder; he was not budging.

Lantos turned his head to the right and raised a finger towards her head. "To see you." He slicked a strand of hair from her face and wrapped his lips into a thin smile. "I've missed you."

She rolled her eyes skyward and whimpered at the feeling of warm blood sliding down the side of her face from where her cheek was rubbing against the jagged rock. "L-Lantos, you're crushing me." Lantos growled and his hot breath hit her skin like fire, burning at her.

Her heartbeat accelerated as the airflow to her lungs started to cut off. He was killing her, and he likely didn't realize it. "Y-You need to get away from them Lantos. Get the fuck away from the Carta. Please. Even if I never see you again, and I don't want to see you again…"

He frowned and tilted his head. For a moment he loosened his grip on her and pulled his body away from hers. She gasped in suddenly, and her lungs swelled up with air. "Oh god," she said in a single breath.

"I see you still have trouble watching your back, Bianca. That's not good in a fight. Does anyone know about that glaring weakness of yours, sweetheart?"

She turned her head sideways and her fingers scraped against the rock, letting the jagged edges cut into them. "What do you want? Just tell me what you want!"

He pressed himself against her once more and her eyes started to bulge as he moved his head closer to her. "What do you think? Maybe you can run away to your little Inquisition, hiding away as you are."

"P-Please." She began to sob as she felt herself drifting into consciousness. You don't know what you're doing. Lantos, listen to me. God please." This wasn't who he was; this was his nightmare.

"I just want you to know, no matter what you do, I will always find you."

"Lantos. Do you want me dead?" Her eyes darted to his hand and she focused on watching as it slid down the wet rock. His veins were bulging from the bloodied, trembling surface. "What about Dasher? What would he think, Lantos? I know you were lying…that letter you sent…" As long as she kept him talking, she could buy time to plan an escape from his hold.

"Yeah I lied. He thinks you're dead." Her heart sank and her eyes flew into his as a whimper escaped her lips. His gaze softened and the corners of his mouth dipped down. "It was all I could think to tell him. Better he thinks you're dead than to think you don't wish to come back. He's been doing nothing but grieving."

"So what? You want to kill me to make sure he knows it?"

"What?" Lantos threw his head back with a violent laugh and quickly shook it. "No. I don't want you dead." He sniffed and looked down her body with a disheartened sigh. "This is just the only way I can see you again. I've missed you."

"You're not even you right now. You're sick. You need to get away from the Carta." Her vision blurred and every muscle in her body was pulsing and throbbing as though they were to fall away from her at any moment.

"I wanted to remind you of your weaknesses in a fight as well." Her lungs were burning and she couldn't speak much for lack of air. Bianca started to gasp with rapid succession, trying to take in whatever bit of air that she could. "You need to watch out for those. Like your back, if someone hits you in the back, it's an easy win…"

"L-Lantos you're hurting me." She pushed her body upwards in an attempt to move to a pocket of air. He removed his hand from her and pulled back, allowing a rush of air back into her shriveled lungs. Her eyes grew wide and tears poured down her cheeks. "Lan…"

"I want you back."

"And you think this is how to do that? You've gone insane!"

"Maybe."

With a gasp, she shut her eyes and tried to move her arms, wrapping them weakly around his body. He raised an eyebrow and peered down at them as she dropped her head onto his chest and started to let herself go limp. She thought maybe this would help him to see how close to killing her that he was, to get him to back off.

"Lantos, I didn't come here alone you know."

"I know that. I arranged the fucking ambush." Her eyes shot open and he smirked with devilish pride. "I've been following you and your group. I knew that damn Qunari was hiding out here, and I'm the one that tipped off a few Venatori agents about it."

"W-Why?"

"All for you." He groomed back her hair and huffed. "I wanted to distract them, so I could get some time alone with you. To distract your father…you know he's been watching you like a hawk since you pointed me out that first day."

The memory of the dwarf standing among the lined crowd flashed before her and she felt her stomach knotting up. "That was you? Oh god." She tried to move, groaning softly as he shifted his body to the side.

"Something else to let you know? Whatever mage, Templar, Venatori or demon is out there…maybe even the purest evil that you can find…" Her lips trembled and she raised her eyes to his. They were soft and his eyebrows were pulled together, pushing up a wrinkle between them. "There's something out there, someone out there, more dangerous to you than you realize. More dangerous than any mage, more lethal than any Templar, and she has nothing but the purest hate in her heart for you."

She ground her teeth and put her hands to his chest. "Fuck you, Lantos." He hummed for a moment and shrugged.

"It's a tempting offer, I have missed those tender moments we've shared…"

She pulled her head back and caught a glimpse of movement behind him. "She wasn't offering." Her eyes enlarged and a clicking noise echoed into the air, followed by a loud whoosh. She winced as Lantos's body flinched and jerked into hers. The sound of ripping flesh burned her ears and drew her eyes to his left hand, where debris from the rock was settling.

The wind blew the debris away and she could see the arrowhead digging halfway into the side of his hand. Blood was pumping profusely from the wound and sliding along his arm. "Son of bitch," Lantos shouted. Bianca glanced past him to see Varric aiming his bow at the man.

Lantos's chest was heaving and his lips twisted into a vicious snarl. "You've got a couple options," Varric said with a growl. "I would consider them carefully if I were you, because this next shot isn't going to miss anything vital."

Bianca was overcome with relief, though she wasn't out of danger yet. Varric's right foot slid forward and he carefully aimed to Lantos's head. "Get away from her now. That's option one. Option two and three, you get an arrow to the head. The question now, that I'll ask Bianca is, which head is preferred?"

"You don't want me to answer that," Bianca said to Lantos. Lantos flared his nostrils and loosened his grasp on her wrists.

"This isn't over," Lantos growled. He folded his hand around the arrow and shouted as he tore it from his hand and the rock. "This isn't over by a long shot."

He took a step back and clutched his left wrist with his right hand. Bianca started to turn. Tightness spread across her chest, and her muscles were sore. She lifted her eyes into his and held her breath.

When she heard the sound of heavy, fast paced footsteps, she furrowed her brow and turned her head. Lantos looked as well, but had minimal time to act before Cassandra smashed into him with her shield.

He was thrown off his feet and rolled across the ground. Bianca watched Solas approach from behind Cassandra, swinging his staff through the air. A block of ice shot out and struck Lantos in the chest, shattering upon impact.

Bianca moved her hand up to her chest and stumbled over to Cassandra and Solas, standing behind them. Her knees were beginning to give out, and her complexion had grown remarkably pale.

"He's responsible for the ambush," she said plainly. Lantos lay on his back and pushed himself up, resting his forearms on the ground and wincing with pain. "Lantos told the Venatori that a Quinari was out here. He set up the attack to distract everyone, so that he could get me by myself."

"Well then." Varric moved in front of Cassandra and Solas, then turned the crossbow onto him. "So you're Lantos, huh? Bianca has told us a little about you. Little, but just enough to get to know who you are and what you've done to her."

Lantos's chest expanded out and his lips pulled away, revealing his bared teeth. "You're him, eh?" Lantos rose to his feet and pressed his left hand against his armor, then pressed his right hand over it. His left eye was swollen shut and blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Next time I'll remember to bring some heavy gloves and a helmet."

He looked into Bianca's eyes and flashed a smirk. "I'll be around. Don't forget it…"

A shadow fell over them and Lantos's expression changed to that of sheer horror. When she looked up, she saw Iron Bull leaping over them with his battle axe raised high.

There was a rock behind them, so he must have leapt off of the stone. Lantos jumped back in time to avoid having either his head lopped off or Bull crushing him beneath his weight.

"So that fight was your fault, huh?" Bull threw his head back and drew out a long exhale. "Then I'm going to enjoy cutting into you."

"Shit." With that, Lantos turned on his heel and took off. Bull straightened himself and Solas raised his staff.

"I could freeze him on the spot so we can take him in for the people at the Inquisition to deal with him."

"No," Bianca replied, "Just let him go." She didn't want to mess with him any further. "If he becomes an issue, deal with him then. Just, right now I…" She wrapped her arm over her stomach and tried to step forward.

Part of her wanted him to live, she wanted him to get help and get away from the Carta as she had. She was terrified that it was too late, and that Lantos was long gone.

"How was I ever in love with him?"

She almost fell over in the process, still in great pain from his attack. Varric rushed over to catch her, putting an arm around her waist and lifting her left arm around her shoulders. "I got you," he said softly. "Let's get you to camp. Scout Harding can have some people send transportation."

"I'll be okay…"

Solas turned towards her and started to touch the wound on her forehead. She pulled her head away and Varric bared his teeth at Solas. The elf lowered his hand with a sigh. "Bianca, it may be best to get that looked at by the healer," Solas responded.

"Agreed." Cassandra sheathed her sword and attached her shied to the shield holder on the back of her armor. "The sooner we can have you looked at and back to Haven, the better."

"I just need some rest, that's all." She was overwhelmed by their actions. As much as she appreciated them looking out for her, she wasn't used to it. She didn't want them to baby her or think she was weak, the only reason Lantos managed to get to her was because she hadn't been paying attention. She scolded herself for it, but she didn't want to let them know.

"You can rest at the camp," Bull replied, "My men know how to make some kickass stew. It'll get you back on your feet in no time." She smiled at him and felt her eyes welling up with tears. Bull lowered his hand from his chest and raised his eyebrows. "I'll have my guys keep a lookout just in case that asshole decides to come back."

"No, I don't think he will. Not after all that." Lantos was smart, not foolish. Although the fact that he attacked her there with the group around cast some doubt on that. "Thank you."

Here's chapter 7, perhaps it would be a good idea for Lantos to get away from the Carta.