CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"So, what precisely do we have to do to go into uthenera?" Fen'Harel stopped and turned towards her, dropping her hand. He took a step towards her, and cupped his hand around her jaw, holding her head in place. "Ma vhenan, we must become vessels to a different world, hope for the best, and when we wake up, not discover that everything we worked for is torn asunder. I have a feeling that will not be the case this time around." He smiled gently, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Dropping his hand, he turned away and began to walk into the depths of the temple. As they walked, several secret passageways were revealed, each winding their way through the temple, dark stairwells that reached into oblivion, while others simply opened broom closets with false doors.
They reached a staircase that had runes engraved on the stone once they got close enough. The runes glowed green with Fen'Harel's magic, allowing their entry into the passage. The stairs led down, into the underbelly of the temple. They walked several flights down before coming to a stop in the center of a room with no light. The Dread Wolf alone approached the middle before getting to his knees in the center of the chamber. She heard faint whispers coming from him, and slowly, the room began to light itself.
The walls themselves cast an eerie green glow, beginning at the top of the chamber. Fen'Harel kept whispering, undisturbed by the magic that was coming to life around them. The glow began tracking its way down the walls, growing in brightness, and began rushing towards Fen'Harel like waves of the sea. It began to swirl around him, becoming a thick mist within seconds, and a howling gale began echoing through the chamber. "Fen! Fen'Harel!" Pharen yelled, panicked, from beyond the thick fog. She received no answer other than the wind picking up in velocity, becoming a tornado. Soon, though, the winds died down, and the fog cleared. The Wolf was now kneeling, his hands pressed palm-down to the floor.
She approached him slowly, curious as to what he had done, when a wall of fire rose right behind her. She yelped in surprise, backing away from the heat. The closer she got to him, the more walls rose up. When she finally reached him, the fires died down, but there was now a tracing on the ground. A rune. It faintly glowed green then red, then dissipated.
"What…what did you do?" Fen'Harel rose to his feet, shaking his head. The hazy green glow was still in his eyes when he met her gaze. "We will be safe, vhenan. This rune allows us to slumber safely and peacefully, for many years. It takes our own willpower to remove ourselves from it. Though I will warn you – do not, under any circumstances, attempt to remove the foci from its resting place once it is in place." Pharen furrowed her brows in confusion. "The foci? What does that have to do with-"
She stopped mid-sentence and saw a flash of gold at the edge of her vision. Turning towards it, she saw the most intricate lifeform-sized pods she had ever seen. Pharen walked over to them curiously. Upon further inspection, she realized the gold vessels were meant to hold, not keep, someone. The runes emblazoned on the side suggested they are to stow someone away for centuries, but not allowing them to age. A spherical resting place was at the top of the vessel, connecting it to the chamber itself.
Fen'Harel had approached, and was now standing next to her. She had been so lost in thought as to what they were that she hadn't heard him. Laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, he explained, "You step into them, place your foci up there, and then lay down to rest. The foci does all else. It sustains you, allows you to go into a dreamless sleep, and when it is time, you will wake. You will know when you are ready." Fen'Harel pressed his fingers into her shoulder, forcing her to turn and face him.
"Ma da'enansal, we may not be able to see each other in the Fade. The vessels keep us from harm but they also prevent us from dreaming and waking up too early. Ar lath ma vhenan." Pharen was fighting tears. So this is what uthenera was? Just going to sleep for centuries? Will time pass slowly? Will I remember him when I wake up? Does anything change? Unanswered questions rushed through Pharen's mind, but she simply nodded, trusting him. There was just one question to ask, then. "What happens if I remove the foci before it's ready? Or what if I wake before I'm ready?" Fen'Harel heard the worry in her voice, and took her hands in his. When he spoke, his voice was low enough she had to lean in to hear him.
"If you remove the foci, you will alter time itself. The orb allows us to sleep, and if we wake up before our time and alter your history, the consequences could be dire. Please, vhenan, you will know when you are ready." He took his foci out of his robes, and gestured for her to do the same. "Now, lay in the vessel, I will put your orb in for you. I love you, and I will see you soon." Pharen was not about to go into uthenera without saying goodbye first. She gently shook her head and she approached him, taking his hands in hers.
"Vhenan, what are you-" Pharen shushed him with a gentle press of her lips against his. "If I'm about to go into a dreamless sleep, then I need to say farewell somehow. If something happens, I'd never forgive myself. Please, allow me this." Tears were welling up in her eyes as she looked at him. His vision became clear once more and he seemed to understand what it was she needed from him. "Ma nuvenin, vhenan."
He circled his arms around her, pressing her body close to his own. He brought his lips down to hers, but did not meet them. Instead, he allowed her this closeness, and allowed her to take the lead if she wished. Pharen hesitantly brushed her lips against his and Fen'Harel had to fight a responsive groan. She brushed the tip of her tongue against his lower lip, sending shudders down his spine. She was toying with him; but before he could respond, she bit gently down on his lower lip, begging for entrance.
He granted it. She swirled her tongue around his the moment he allowed her, her fingers pressing into the middle of his back and moving upwards to around his neck. She tilted her head to deepen the kiss, and he reached around her to place his hands at her backside, effectively pulling her up to him. She groaned at the temporary friction she had access to, his member straining against her heated core.
He knew she did not want it this way, though she would allow it. He began walking toward the corner of the chamber, still kissing her, where he knew yet another passageway was hiding. Kicking where the lever was to the chamber, the door shook then slid out of sight, and Fen'Harel made his way into the chamber itself. It held a bed big enough for two people, and an unlit fireplace. He broke the kiss by turning his head, and she furrowed her brows in confusion, before allowing them to shoot up in surprise when he gently laid her down on the bed. Waving a hand toward the fireplace's grate, it roared to life, mimicking the feelings of passion in the room.
He quickly slid out of his robes and came to her before she had a chance to undo her own. "Let me, vhenan." She smiled up at him and raised her hands to his head, curling her fingers into his dreadlocked mane. He undid the clasps on the robe, leaning down to kiss every inch of exposed flesh once it was revealed to him. She sharply inhaled each time, filling him with an intense desire to possess her, but he shook it away – tonight was about her. His sa'lath.
Fen'Harel undid the last clasp of her robe, and helped her out of it, tossing it to the opposite side of the room. Smiling down at her, he reached up to gently take a pebbled nipple in between two fingers, and began rolling it to either side. Her back arched against his minimal touch. Unbeknownst to her, his resolve was quickly diminishing, though he was determined to not let the Wolf get the best of him this time.
He leaned down to draw his tongue around her other breast, circling his tongue slowly around the flesh surrounding her nipple, drawing ever closer, until he drew the nipple itself past his lips. She groaned lewdly under him, and instead of going with his wolfish instincts to just take her, he released his hold and began trailing soft kisses across her chest and down her belly.
She gave a soft hum of approval as he made his way down to her apex, gently nipping at her hips as he positioned himself in between her thighs. He placed his hands under her backside, lifting her up gently, and allowing her to place her feet against his shoulder blades. He noted that she was already quivering in anticipation. He placed one hand atop her lower belly, where he was certain a fire was lit, and pressed down, simultaneously flicking his tongue against her most sensitive spot. Pharen arched against him, groaning loudly.
He dove his tongue within her slick folds, her arousal overwhelming his wolfish senses, occasionally coming up for a short breath of air, and flicking his tongue against the bundle of nerves at her core. She began shaking and groaning louder, his name coming to her lips in a sweet symphony. He began to suckle at her clit, increasing his pace, not stopping even when she laced her fingers in his hair, and pulled. All at once, Pharen's thighs locked around his head, and she bucked against his mouth, her torso coming up off the bed as she came, her wetness coating the insides of her thighs.
He gave her several more soft licks before pressing a kiss to the hood of her sex, and moved over her. She grabbed his face and pulled him down into a searing kiss, tasting herself on his lips. She moaned into his mouth as she reached down in between them, pumping him at a quick pace, and it took nearly all of his willpower to place his hand over hers and tell her to stop.
She withdrew her hand quickly from him, afraid she'd hurt him somehow, but he only smiled down at her, before placing himself at her entrance, and giving one thrust, effectively burying himself in her. She locked her legs around him, tilting her hips up to meet the base of his member. Pharen could feel his restraint, not wanting to ruin the tender, long strokes he was giving her in favor of allowing the Wolf to roam free.
His slow, languid strokes quickly became long, hard thrusts within her, rubbing against her very core, making her cry out once more. She was near breathless now, her chest heaving in time with his own. His strokes became quicker, shallower, as they both neared the brink of blissful release. His twitching member finally reached its breaking point, and with a loud cry of her name, he came within her just as her walls clenched around him.
Fen'Harel collapsed on top of her, hugging her to him as he pressed his nose against her neck. Both their bodies were covered in a fine sheen of sweat from their exertions, but neither cared. Though soon, he lifted his head to meet her gaze and kissed her softly, meaningfully.
"Vhenan. It's time." Pharen nodded slowly, kissing his forehead, and allowed him to help her off the bed and re-dress her in her robes, afterwards doing the same to him. He took her hand, and led her back up to the main chamber.
Fen led her to her vessel, and helped her up into it. He had a gentle smile on his face as he watched her lay down, and placed the orb in its resting place. A barrier immediately came up over her, the soft whir of the internal machinations of her resting place sprang to life, filling her ears. The orb began spinning, quickly gathering speed.
As she watched, she began to get dizzy, and she thought she felt pulses of magic course through her, stilling the very blood in her veins. She looked up to meet Fen'Harel's serene gaze, as he pressed his fingers to his lips, and then placed his hand on the barrier above her head. A goodbye kiss was the last thing she saw before she passed out into oblivion.
XxXxXxX
Fen'harel watched as her pupils became dilated, and she stopped moving within the chamber that confined her. He smiled softly and took his hand away from the barrier that kept her safe. Turning around, he headed straight for his own vessel when he stopped short. What if it went wrong? What if nothing is the same when we wake up? What if- He forcefully shook his head, trusting that he knew what was best. They would remain in uthenera until their future became intertwined in the future. They would save his foci this time. Smiling contentedly, he heaved himself into his chamber, and placed the foci in its place. Breathing a sigh, he closed his eyes and waited for uthenera to come for him.
XxXxXxX
Days became weeks, weeks became months, months became years as they slumbered there in the temple. The world around them crumbled. Some chunks began falling from the temple, vines began snaking their way over the walls and over the chambers. Outside, Pharen's sentinels remained vigilant in protecting their goddess, for when she went into uthenera, so did they. And they would rise should the need come to protect her or her love. Her sentinels would be there when she awoke. As time moved forward, the world around them became ruin, though the magic remained. It was when time began to slow down that Pharen began dreaming.
She was sitting next to a lake, her feet gently splashing the water toward an unknown elven child with hair as white as snow. "Da'len, what is your name?" Pharen asked the child, who simply grinned and splashed water back toward Pharen. She furrowed her brow. Something wasn't right. "Da'len. Your name. Please." The snowy-haired child stopped splashing and her grin faded slightly. "Goddess Pharen, I am Asha'belannar." Pharen's eyes grew wide at the realization of who exactly she had been playing with. "But you-you're not…you were…how?" Pharen struggled with the right words.
Asha'belannar smiled playfully at Pharen. "It is time. Wake up." She awoke with a start, noting first that the orb had stopped spinning, and the barrier had fallen away. The machinations were no longer whirring in her ears. All was silent.
Pharen rose out of her vessel and looked to the one sitting next to her. She hopped out and walked towards it, placing a hand on the barrier itself. She smiled slightly, seeing the Dread Wolf safe in uthenera. Her ears then began acutely aware of a war cry in the distance. Startled, she turned and ran up the several flights of stairs, but there weren't as many as she remembered. She stopped short when she reached the top, and saw smoke in the not-too-far distance. She heard screaming, then silence. Not trusting her surroundings, she transformed into her fennec form and began to roam the woods surrounding the temple.
Elvhen bodies lay broken outside the ruins. Blood and gore spattered the walls, and everywhere she looked, there was death. Her sentinels, her army, had risen to fight something. But what? She cautiously padded around the temple when she heard voices speaking in a language she did not understand. As she crept around the corner, she saw two hooded figures leaning against the wall of the temple, conversing loudly. The more she listened, the more she realized it sounded familiar. With a jolt, she realized the language. Tevene. She had woken up when Tevinter was invading Arlathan.
Panicking, she attempted to scurry back to the temple, hoping the Tevinters hadn't seen her. She heard one of them exclaim and then the sounds of boots hitting the ground at a quick pace. Something told her to investigate fully. They hadn't seen her, after all. She silently moved through the woods, tracking them. She began to run when she heard skin against skin in a hard slap, and something heavy fall to the ground.
She peeked around the corner of the temple, and saw a little girl with bright eyes. The same girl that had said she had wanted to be free. The same elvhen girl that Fen'Harel had made promise to see the others to safety. Pharen did not care that she was about to be seen; all that mattered was saving the girl's life. Growling, Pharen leapt up from the forest floor, casting a crushing prison spell followed immediately by a ring of ice. "Run!" Pharen shouted to the girl. She did not need to be told twice, as they sprinted back to the temple's entrance.
Once they were safe just inside the temple, the little girl looked up to her savior. She gasped and threw her arms around Pharen. "You came back hahren! I knew you would! I told the others you would come for us!" The child wept into Pharen's robes, and Pharen circled her arms around the girl's figure, pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. She gently pushed her back, and asked where the others were hiding.
"Hahren they're everywhere! At first there were only a few scouts that we took down and I guess when they got taken down, some more came to investigate and they saw us and saw Arlathan and now they mean to take it from us!" The girl began to weep, tears flowing freely, both from grieving at the loss of her country and kin, and from glee at her goddess returning. Frowning, Pharen surveyed the carnage. So many had already been lost. "My goddess, we need your help! Please!" Pharen nodded. "Lead the way."