In case any of you were wondering, Elissa was heavily influenced by Commander Shepard's default appearance from Mass Effect 3. They are not identical (Elissa's hair is longer), but it does perhaps help to give you a clearer picture of what she looks like.
Chapter Four
Elissa twirled experimentally in her new outfit before stopping at the mirror to examine herself. The women that stared back looked familiar and yet completely alien. Her hair was pinned up slightly with a few strands escaping to frame her cheekbones, eyebrows plucked and green eyes accented using makeup. She felt like a stranger in her own skin, and it was only the reassurances from her handmaiden, Mira, who helped dress her that stopped Elissa from ruining all of their progress.
Mira was beautiful of course. Elissa had come to realise most Awoken women were. Slight of build with short dark hair and an assured demeanour, the sullen Guardian had to admit she was skilled. Anyone that made her look vaguely feminine deserved a medal.
"Mistress, your concerns are misplaced" Mira said "You look more than adequate."
Resisting the urge to run her hand through her hair, Elissa settled for shrugging to try and relieve some of the built up tension. "This isn't me Mira, none of it is."
The handmaiden frowned as Elissa carefully placed herself on the end of the bed. The silence grew but Mira knew the fault was not hers.
"I spent months after waking just getting used to what I look like. Wearing armour was one of the few things that helped." Elissa muttered, head bowed. "I don't belong here. Not here. Not with the Awoken. Sometimes I think not among my own people."
Mira's composure was briefly ruffled when Elissa suddenly jumped up from the bed and stalked back to the mirror.
"You sure this looks good?"
Allowing herself a small smile Mira moved to the Guardian's back and smothered some of the crinkles on her dress that had appeared. "It would reflect poorly on my skills as a handmaiden if you were to leave this room looking less than flawless."
Elissa huffed a laugh and turned away from the mirror. "Maybe I shouldn't doubt your abilities. Does that mean I'm good to go? The party is starting soon."
Mira shook her head slightly and stepped closer to the Warlock before placing her hand on Elissa's leg. Shocked at the girl's action, Elissa stood still as the wandering hand slipped inside the gap in her dress and slowly wandered its way upwards. Before she could used to the idea, Mira withdrew her hand and stepped back again to place what Elissa had been hiding on top of the bed side table.
"Don't think I didn't see you hide that dagger when you were getting dressed." Mira said, an amused inflection to her voice.
"Didn't think you looking." Elissa said, disappointed at the loss of contact and that she had been disarmed.
"Weapons at a noble dinner were once common place. Not long after she was crowned, the Queen decided to outlaw the practice." Mira stated factually, ignoring how flushed the Guardian had gotten.
The explanation did little to calm Elissa's unease at being so vulnerable. Warlocks could never truly be defenceless, but she knew being over reliant on her powers ran the risk of being caught whilst recharging. Guardians more than most were aware of their own mortality, for more reasons than one.
Banishing such thoughts, Elissa summoned her Ghost within the palm of her hand. "Stay here Ghost and keep an eye on things. Alert me if anything happens."
"Don't you already have guards outside for that?" Ghost asked.
Elissa eyed the AI and shook her head slightly. The Awoken may be playing nice with her, but that didn't mean she trusted them to not go through her gear. Elissa didn't need to say anything further, Ghost knew exactly what she meant and bobbed once in agreement. Nodding herself, Elissa strode out the door confidently, leaving behind a very confused Mira.
"Humans..." She muttered.
Elissa stopped before a sealed door and turned to face the Awoken who had led her here. Her guide was predictably female and silent. She executed a perfect bow before turning on her heel to leave. Elissa glanced around, not sure what to do. Before she could do anything, the doors swished open to reveal a room crammed with people. From what she could see, the room was filled with oil paintings, with smartly addressed Awoken milling around. A long and narrow table stood directly in the middle of the room. Some of those inside turned to glance at the Guardian, then more, until it felt like the majority of those there were eyeballing her.
Swallowing the sudden nerves that worked their way up to her throat, Elissa focused on putting one foot in front of the other and keeping her head raised high. She was encouraged by a smattering of Awoken nobles smiling broadly at her, and she nodded at each. The rest however wore an expressionless mask, but didn't look overtly hostile.
"Don't trust the ones that smiled Guardian, they have more to hide than the rest." A voice whispered in her ear. Elissa immediately tensed and clamped down on the natural instinct to defend herself. Perhaps she needn't have bothered, as the Prince of the Reef stepped in front of her.
Gritting her teeth to avoid showing her irritation at being surprised, Elissa eyed him warily. Before she could properly respond, the Queen's brother stepped away from her and smirked as he turned his back to leave.
Cocky bastard. Elissa noticed unlike the rest of the Awoken, he was still wearing his usual body armour. Cocky-lucky bastard!
The hushed conversations were suddenly silenced as a solitary Awoken male stood near the head of the table and shouted "All hail her majesty, the Queen!" before bowing his head and backing away.
The entire room turned as one as the Queen stepped through the doors Elissa had entered through. Elissa's gasped slightly at the sight; she was not wearing her usual attire, but was instead wearing a tight fitted black dress that reached her ankles. A red outline accented her natural curves that were only interrupted by a necklace adjourned in jewels that hung loosely below her breasts. Elissa heard a few gasps of envy from women and some men as the Awoken collectively bowed. Jealousy was the last emotion that the Warlock was feeling though, and it took a few seconds for Elissa to realise she was the only that hadn't curtsied, and quickly rectified it. After a few seconds of cursing her inattentiveness, Elissa noticed the Awoken around her were beginning to stand straight.
She took small comfort in standing straight at the same time as the rest but was caught off guard as the Queen stared straight at her, lips slightly parted and an interested look in her sparking eyes. Elissa didn't break the eye contact as she took the opportunity to inspect more of the women. She was wearing her crown for once, which was surprisingly plain considering who it was sitting on. It looked almost metallic, with sharp edges evenly spread out around the sides.
The Prince of the Reef stood next to his Sister, and spread his arms wide to the waiting audience.
"Ladies and Lords, welcome to the annual gathering of the Reef's nobility. I thank you for your attendance, and invite you to be seated at your assigned places."
That was the first time Elissa had ever heard the Queen's Brother be so polite, and she smiled at the idea of him engaging her in a civil conversation over the weather, or whatever passed for small talk on this station. The brightness of the artificial lights perhaps?
Deciding that gawking at the Reef's monarch perhaps wasn't the best way to represent Humanity, Elissa excused herself by titling her head towards the Queen and backing away. To her surprise the Queen actually nodded back. It was perhaps a stretch to call it a nod, but the slight inclining of her head was enough to make Elissa inwardly smile.
As she turned to find her place at the table, Elissa noticed out of the corner of her eye an Awoken women tracking her movements. Making a mental note of who was watching her, Elissa casually sat down at her chair, and carefully glanced around until she saw the women. She looked to be middle aged, although Elissa wasn't confident enough to guess. One thing she definitely was though was showered in jewellery.
Deciding to file away her face for future reference, Elissa allowed herself to enjoy the many culinary delights that were being bestowed upon her. One of the meals that looked like a thin slab of white meat drowned in some sort of liquid particularly tasted better than all of her combat rations combined. After probing, Elissa was reliably informed it was called Turkey. Elissa wondered if anywhere on Earth served it.
Blessedly from Elissa's point of view, small talk was minimised to 'are you enjoying the meal'. At least Elissa could answer this honestly as a definite yes. She had hoped to listen to the Reef's nobility opinion on the outside world, but she was disappointed. Conversation seemed to centre on meaningless talk about tailors or some other useless topic. Elissa couldn't help but wonder whether this was all an act because of her presence or the nobles really did just talk about clothes.
After a while Elissa gave up listening for juicy details, and instead focused on her meal. Once everything eaten and the plates cleared away by diligent staff, Elissa sat back in her chair and waited.
"Attention, attention; the dance is about to begin." One of the serving boys called out. "Please follow me through to the ballroom."
Elissa just about managed to stop herself from letting her head smack against the table in frustration. The Guardian consoled herself that at least she might not have to dance. And that Ghost wasn't here.
Allowing herself to be ushered with everyone else towards the doors on the far side of the room, Elissa unenthusiastically glanced around the dancing area, noting at least there was a bar and tasteful classical music playing. The Queen was perched on a throne overlooking the entire hall, looking bored as her Brother stood stoically next to her.
Deciding to amble over to the bar, Elissa ordered herself a drink from the barman and tried her best to ignore the fact it was green. She tossed her head back as she drank it in one go and immediately regretted it as her vision began to swim, the alcohol hitting her like a wave. Elissa was forced to place a hand on the bar to steady herself. It would have been embarrassing had one drink felled her. Lightweight.
"Ladies and Lords! As per tradition, the Queen will entertain one dance with the one who triumphs in the duelling arena! Who will volunteer to gain the chance at the honour?" Someone near the front of the hall cried.
Elissa interestedly turned and wandered to where the crowds had gathered. A soft cover was laid down and what looked like wooden swords were placed in racks at either end. Immediately a tall Awoken male stepped forward and bowed to the Queen.
"It would be my privilege to once again win this honour and dance with her majesty." He said in a slightly haughty tone.
The nobles around Elissa shifted and grumbled, and she couldn't help but notice the Queen's smile was looking a little bit forced. Elissa felt the slightest pull of sympathy for her. That didn't mean she felt like volunteering herself however, even with the promise of a fight.
Not in this dress anyway.
"Are there no other volunteers?" The crier said, projecting his voice. He started circling the crowd, eying each member before moving on. Eventually he came to a stop in front of Elissa and pointed to her. Oh no. "Guardian! Will you represent your people in a battle of honour?"
Elissa's rejection died on her tongue as she looked at the Queen, who had leaned forward from her throne.
"This Guardian does not deserve the honour of duelling me. Perhaps another candidate is more suitable." The Awoken who had volunteered himself called out.
Elissa felt herself bristle at the comment and couldn't stop her tongue before she snapped back "Afraid you'll lose to a Human female I take it?"
The Awoken male blinked a few times before drawing himself to his full height, a full foot taller than Elissa. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner!" He shouted back indignantly.
Elissa felt the anticipation of the upcoming fight course through her, as she stepped forward to bow towards the Queen. "I volunteer myself to duel for the honour of a dance with her Grace."
The Queen stood and spoke slowly after straightening fully "I will allow it." Turning to her Brother she continued "Outfit the duellists with suitable clothing and bring them back here promptly."
Instead of answering, the Prince bowed and gestured to the crier to lead Elissa's challenger away while he took her arm and walked towards a booth situated in the dining room.
"I hope you know what you're doing Guardian, the man you're fighting is called Drice Zapal. He's one of our most accomplished swordsmen." The Queen's Brother face twisted into a sneer "And defiantly our most arrogant. Fancies himself as a warrior which is strange considering he's never even seen a battlefield."
Stopping in front of the booth, the Prince allowed Elissa head into the booth and waited outside. "Are you much of a swordswomen?"
Elissa stayed silent as she chucked of her dress and changed into the form fitting light armour that had been provided. It felt insanely good to be back in armour, even it was only meant to protect against wooden swords.
"I've handled a sword a few times." Elissa felt her face flush "It might be a recent interest."
A groan greeted her answer, and the Warlock smiled grimly in acknowledgement of her error. She perhaps wasn't thinking straight when accepting this duel. She never could when riled. Stepping out with her light leg, gauntlets and chest armour, Elissa ignored the look of bewilderment on the Prince's face.
"You're going to get outclassed out there. And increase his ego. Fantastic. You truly are a fool Guardian."
"Yeah, yeah." Elissa said dismissively "Thanks for the pep talk."
Elissa and her royal escort parted the crowd that had gathered. Stopping to pick one of the swords, Elissa tested its weight before twirling it in her right hand. Her opponent was standing in a suit of identical, albeit much larger armour, and was waiting in the middle of the ring. Elissa stepped opposite him and waited for an announcement for the fight to start.
A simple nod was all it took for him to fly at her, sword raised. He slashed down horizontally at Elissa, who sidestepping the vicious strike before attempting to swipe her sword across his exposed back. He blocked the attack with a simple flick of his wrist and advanced again, slower this time.
Swinging his sword in a wide arc, Elissa managed to duck underneath and stabbed towards the giant. He caught her blade and pushed upwards, engaging her in a sword lock. Elissa desperately tried to push back but realised his strength far exceeded hers. Stumbling back to try and regroup, she was caught by a painful slash that landed on her cheek bone.
Nodding at his victory, the Awoken duellist stepped back from Elissa and observed her with a mocking glint in his eye. "As I suspected, the Human lacks the skill to defeat me."
Elissa brought up her hand to the gash on the side of her face, and scowled when her hand came back red.
Turning his back on her, Zapal sauntered over to the Queen and bowed. Before he could open his mouth, Elissa's pride decided to intervene again, and she called out to him.
"Tired already? How about best two out of three?" She laced as much mockery as humanly possible, hoping he'd take the bait.
Instead of reacting like she'd hoped, he glanced at somebody in the sidelines. Following his line of sight, Elissa's eyes fell on the women she had seen before. The jewelled Awoken said nothing, and nodded to Drice.
In response, Drice puffed out his chest and started twirling his sword again. "Very well Guardian, try not to go crying back to your Traveler when I beat you back into the dust."
Instead of responding, Elissa allowed herself a wicked smile. Zapal was stronger than her, but after seeing his fighting style, she was confident her superior agility would give her the edge.
Raising her sword vertically in front of her, Elissa raised one eyebrow in a silent invitation.
Just like before he charged straight ahead and slashed at the Warlock, who rolled underneath but declined to strike at him this time. Zapal rose his sword above his head and brought it crashing down but Elissa dodged again. He immediately swung his sword in a wide arc, but Elissa ducked. Instead of stabbing like last time, Elissa quickly stepped towards him before unleashing a lightening uppercut to his exposed chin.
Reeling from the blow, the Awoken instinctively brought his sword up to protect his face, but was sent crashing to the deck when Elissa smacked her weapon against his knee.
Backing off slightly, Elissa grinned at her opponent as he struggled to regain his footing. Blood dripped down her face from his earlier hit, but she ignored it.
Growling at his lose, Zapal rolled his shoulders before raising his sword. There was no charge this time however, and the two began to circle, eyeing each other warily. The dance was suddenly interrupted when Zapal throw his sword at Elissa, who ducked just in time as it whirled above her head. Before she could press home her advantage, the Awoken slammed into her with a running start and threw the Guardian to the ground.
Straddling her, he pulled back his fist and aimed a vicious punch at her temple. Quickly throwing her arms up as a shield, Elissa still winced as the blow connected. Suddenly she felt large hands slip past her defences around her throat, and began to squeeze. Panicking, Elissa tried in vain to pry his hands off her, but was undone by his superior strength and positioning.
She threw up her knee as a last resort and it connected with a satisfying thump against Zapal's crotch. Winded, his grip around Elissa's throat loosened. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Elissa bunched together her legs and pushed outwards against Zapal's stomach, forcing him off her.
Rolling away from the panting Awoken, Elissa had to take a moment to gather her breath as oxygen struggled to get to her lungs. Staggering to her feet when she could, her face paled as Zapal bared down on her, a sword in both hands. Desperately looking around, she saw no sword anywhere close to her.
As he slashed towards her, something in Elissa's mind whispered to her.
Warlocks can never truly be disarmed.
Steadying her breathing and drawing her power from inside her, Elissa put a fraction of her usual force into her hand and thrust two palms out. The ball of energy hit Zapal just before he could bring down his sword, and flung him back across the room, landing with a crash.
Casually leaning downwards to pick up one of the dropped blades, Elissa walked over to the fallen Awoken and poked him in the chest.
"Do you yield?"
A muffled groan answered her, and Elissa shrugged lightly.
"Guess that's a yes then."
"You cheated Guardian" The heavily jewelled Awoken women shouted. "This was a battle of sword play!"
Two Awoken males scuttled out of the crowd and picked up Zapal by the arms and dragged him away.
To Elissa's surprise a voice interceded on her behalf. The Queen rose from her throne lifted her chin to address the noble.
"If this were a true battle and Drice were killed, Lady Zapal, would he be able to say it was unfair?" The Queen asked, her voice reasonable.
Lady Zapal glared spitefully at the floor before gritting her teeth and shaking her head "No your majesty. I suspect he wouldn't say anything at all."
"Good. Then I declare this Guardian the winner." The Queen turned to face Elissa, who was still gasping from being strangled. "I suspect you want to retire to your quarters Guardian? Our dance can wait for another time."
Sighing with relief, Elissa bowed deeply "Thank you your Grace. I doubt I'd be much good as a dancing partner in my current condition."
"No doubt." The Queen responded, a smile tugging at her features. "You may take your leave."
Elissa exited the area, thoroughly pleased at how things had gone. Her pleasure at being able to return to her room was severely dampened when she realised one thing though; Ghost was going to have a field day with this.