Strange Relationship

A collection of Meredith and Orsino drabbles.

II. Harrowing

Summary: A failed Harrowing leads to a rather intense exchange between the Knight Commander and the First Enchanter.

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Meredith hated it when Orsino paced the Harrowing chambers. She just could not fathom why he did it, just that the elf did at each and every Harrowing. The simple action got on her nerves and irritated her beyond all logical reasoning. Watching the elf made her twitch under her armour nervously. He should have been used to Harrowings – after all, he had been present at so many since he had become First Enchanter. Never the less, the mage insisted upon pacing up and down in front of her, his black robes swirling about in an all too dramatic fashion. Meredith sat watching, arms folded carefully across her chest. She wanted to grab him and shove his scrawny elven backside onto the bench next to her just so she could get a moments peace before the Harrowing took place. Each one made her feel a year older.

But she held herself back, opting to curling her gauntleted fingers against her biceps. "Is there any particular reason you feel it necessary to wear holes through the floor?" Meredith fired at the Orsino, forgetting all pretences of good manners.

Apparently, Orsino had forgotten his as well for he promptly threw her a positively filthy look. For some reason, it never failed to please the Knight Commander when he cast such glances in her direction. The First Enchanter gave the distinct impression that he was a calm and composed individual who wouldn't dream of raising his voice to anyone but when he was ruffled in just the right away, he could snarl and snap with the best of them. And Meredith loved nothing more than to ruffle up his feather. "One of my people are about to be thrown to the wolves of the fade. Forgive me if I'm a touch stressed out about the matter Meredith," he snapped.

Typical response. Meredith frowned, mouth set into a hard line. The elf really did have a flare for the dramatics. "You know this must be done Orsino."

"Must it?" he replied, with an all too rebellious gleam in his eye that Meredith could not decide if she liked or hated.

"Yes and you would do well to remember that," she stated firmly, looking out to the center of the Harrowing Chamber. Senior templars assisted in the preparation of the impending Harrowing. Meredith watched them pour vitals of Lyrium into what she always thought looked like a bird bath. A minted tang hung in the air, reminding the female just why she was addicted to the magical liquid. It was a sapphire blue and always tasted better straight from the bottle.

The chair next to her groaned as Orsino slumped down next to her, looking particularly old and grey and faded next to her. "Did you send the templars to get him?" asked the mage, running a hand over what was left of his hair. Meredith always considered his premature balding to be a dire shame. Once upon a time the First Enchanter had glorious full hair but the stressed of his job seemed to have pulled most of it out. What remained, however, gleamed like polished steel and was always slicked back in a neat fashion.

"Yes. He should arrive soon."

The mage looked at her, his expression grave. "Good. Best get this dreadful affair over and done with so we can all get some rest. I have had too many late evenings."

Meredith felt herself smirk. "Were you kept up playing Scrabble again?"

An eyebrow hiked up Orsino's forehead and the mage set aside his serious expression for a moment. "Yes, but I cannot flip the board in a tantrum quite as well as you can Meredith," he replied, his tone arched and teasing. Olive green eyes flashed with mirth and the blonde suddenly felt blood rise upon her cheeks; dusting her skin a rosy pink. Meredith had tried desperately hard to forget that particular incident where the First Enchanter had driven her into a rage and succeeded in making her look like a complete and utter fool. She locked her jaw shut with a click to prevent herself from verbally taking a swipe at him. She would not dignify his comment with a response. Meredith simply narrowed her eyes at him, letting him know in no uncertain terms was she impressed.

He was so good at getting under her skin.

The rattling of armour jingling stole Meredith's attention away from the elven mage. She looked up to the large double doors to see two of her senior Templars walk with the young mage apprentice sandwiched between them, the latter staring up at the Harrowing chamber with a wide eyed wonder that Meredith found oddly endearing. The human boy was small, scruffy with his robes hastily pulled on. He could not have been any older than seventeen. Meredith looked down and raised an eyebrow. His boots were unlaced, the cord snakes flaying about wildly at his feet. Meredith was surprised he had not tripped over his own feet.

She stood up from the bench and approached the pair of templars, followed closely the First Enchanter. The boy bowed his head at her in respect, his gaze barely lingering on the blonde for a second. Meredith could hardly blame him. Surely it was not often that he was dragged from bed in the middle of the night and brought before the heads of the Gallows.

The child looked to Orsino. A sheen of sweat dusted his forehead, a sure sign of his nervousness. "First Enchanter? What's going on?" the boy asked, his accent distinctively Ferelden.

Orsino looked upon him with a reserved fondness that he saved for each and every one of his apprentices. "It is time for your Harrowing child," Orsino said gently, the fatherly gleam of warmth all too obvious in his olive green orbs.

Meredith almost snorted at the fiasco of affection. Affection was like gold sovereigns a bank, a novelty in the Gallows.

"My Harrowing? Do you think I am ready?"

"Yes child," the First Enchanter replied.

"What must I do?" the apprentice asked. Meredith surveyed him closely, her eyes calculating. The Knight Commander never missed a trick and when she studied his face, she was surprised to see that there was not one ounce of fear upon his face, only a quiet determination.

"You know of the demons in the fade yes? They are drawn to you and seek to use you as a gateway into this world. The Harrowing is a ritual that sends you into the fade where you will face a demon, armed with only your will. You must resist it and defeat it. " Orsino recited, his words careful and guarded.

The boy cast a quick glance in the direction of the lyrium pedestal. "Is that why the Harrowing is a secret?"

Orsino placed his hands upon the shoulders of the apprentice. Meredith could see the First Enchanter's hands trembling. "Yes. Every mage must go through this trail. As I succeeded, so shall you. Keep your wits about you and believe only in your own will. Trust nothing in the Fade."

"What happens if...what happens if I don't defeat the demon?"

The First Enchanter looked to Meredith, looked to her to say what he could not.

The blonde stepped up to the plate as she always had done. "If you fail or the demon possesses you mage, we will perform our sacred duties. You will die," Meredith stated, levelling her cold eyed stare upon him. She refused to sugar coat the truth for the young apprentice as Orsino might have done in a moment of weakness. She told herself firmly that this was the way of the Gallows.

The boy nodded, that quiet determination still upon his face. Meredith was surprised to see it had no faded in the slightest. If anything, it increased in intensity. He instilled confidence in the Knight Commander. Perhaps she would not have to take his head off after all. "I can do this. I'm ready."

Orsino removed his hands from the boys shoulders and gestured forwards to the lyrium pedestal. The mounted bowl shimmered a soft cobalt blue in the dim lighting of the Harrowing Chamber. It bathed the center of the room in a gentle teal light that looked all too inviting. Tendrils of icy coloured mist seeped out with an otherworldly glow.

So assuming.

So dangerous.

So addicting.

A shudder crawled down Meredith's back and she shivered, despite her heavy armour. The shameful knowledge that she was addicted to the magical liquid was branded brightly in her mind. She promptly shelved her shame as the apprentice approached the pedestal. Her templars moved and positioned themselves around the outside of the circle like an indomitable steel wall. The boy cast a glance back at the First Enchanter, resolve in his eyes. Beside Meredith, Orsino nodded in support, trying to keep his face a picture of encouragement. Meredith saw the First Enchanter hands ball up into fists.

Before anything more could be said, the young mage plunged his hand into the pool of liquid lyrium. Blinding white light exploded from the center of the chamber almost instantly. She brought an armoured arm up over her eyes to prevent the light from spearing her vision. When the light subsided, the Knight Commander was met with the sight of the mage apprentice curled up on his side. His paper white hands twitched against the marble. She took comfort in the fact that he was alive.

So far, so good.

Orsino looked to her and gave a small nod. It was her show now. Meredith straightened up and made a swift gesture to a nearby templar with a gauntlet clad hand. Kirkwall templars were well trained. They knew what to do. The man approached the mage and withdrew his long sword carefully. He settled it near the throat of the mage, the steel gleaming in the light like a dragon fang. There he would wait until either the apprentice passed the Harrowing or...if the worst came to pass. One swipe would end it all.

"Now we wait," Orsino said.

Meredith nodded. Those first fifteen minutes of a Harrowing were truly agonizing. As she was an impatient woman, Meredith hated waiting. For her, it was worse than the Harrowing itself. "How confident are you that he will pass First Enchanter?" she asked.

The elven mage's brow crinkled. "Fairly confident. He was a good boy, very determined and gentle. He took to the healing arts very quickly. I think he has a very strong chance at passing through okay."

Meredith looked out at unconscious, fade bound mage. "Let us pray that you are right First Enchanter."

But neither party could have predicted how horribly wrong the situation went so horribly quickly.

The apprentice stirred suddenly, his body twisting in an angle that did not seem humanly possible. Before even the seasoned Knight Commander could react, an overpowering shockwave threw seven templars and one first enchanter right off their feet. Meredith and Orsino were slammed into the wall with a meaty crunch. She felt herself bounce off and drop like a rock onto a rather bewildered First Enchanter. He let out a grunt of pain and gave her a feeble shove. The blonde rolled from upon the elven mage and looked up through tangled blonde locks, her head reeling from the collision of the impact.

The sight iced Meredith's blood.

Ocean blue eyes focused on mage, her mind racing to catch up with what had just happened. There was no way that he could have been possessed so quickly but apparently, he had. The Demonic magic flooded from every pore of the young apprentice. The former mage let out a roar that left her insides feeling as if they had been coated in Crow poison. The possessed mage acted quickly and threw a fireball up into the air. It smashed into the roof of the Harrowing chamber and black fire rained down upon the templars. What few templars that were still standing after the shockwave scattered to avoid the flames.

The Knight Commander pushed herself onto her booted feet and unsheathed the long sword at her hip. The determined boy had ceased to be a mage and had become a vessel for demons. A gauntleted hand clenched around the hilt of the blade. Her pulse roared in her ears, the blood swirling around her head. She felt the lyrium weaved through the steel blade hum in response to the magical presence of the possessed mage. The demon let another shockwave and set the other templars sailing sky high. Meredith winched as her men hit the stone floor with painful smacks, the sound of metal crumpling and bones breaking was audible over the demonic hissing.

Meredith sprung into action as only a Knight Commander could.

Channelling her energy into the blade, the blonde lunged forward into the fray. The possessed mage rounded onto her and let out a scream that would have frozen any lesser warrior in their tracks. He snarled at her, all the youth and quiet determination completely. In its place was a look of rage, loathing and demonic anger. Meredith ground to a halt, her boots sliding across the marble floor. She pulled her arm back and flung a holy Smite at the possessed mage, just enough to stun it briefly. It stumbled back a few paces; skin bubbling and blistering as the holy magic burned through robes and fabric. The demon roared in pain and threw a wave of intense black fire directly at the Knight Commander. She raised an arm to cover her face and braced for impact.

However, the searing pain never came at all. Instead, Meredith heard a long hiss that sounded like water rapidly evaporating. The blonde removed her arm and was stunned to see a shimmering blue barrier up in front of her, protecting her from the fire. The black flames feverishly crashed against the shields. The barrier fizzled and crackled but held until the black fire had completely disappeared. Meredith's eyes widened. Such strong magic that could only have come from one other person.

The First Enchanter was at her side, his staff out at the ready. He looked to her, eyes alive with a mixture of determination and fear. He knew what had to be done.

"I'll distract it. Take it down as soon as you have a chance," Orsino hissed before he flung a small ice spell in the direction of the possessed apprentice. The demon roared at the First Enchanter as if it were angry at him for disturbing his fun. The mage sprung from beside Meredith, drawing the demon away with hard, pinpointed spikes of ice. The First Enchanter circled around in a swirl of black robes, flinging out minor ice bolts and stone fists. The elven mage was barely using half of his strength. He looked only to distract the demon and to give Meredith the opening that she needed. The blonde watched in a numb stupor as the demon look a swipe at the mage. Orsino danced – there was just no other word to describe it – from the grasp of the demon. Threads of simmering burst from the elf's fingertips, wrapping themselves around the arm of the demon to hold it in place. The possessed mage snarled and snapped but Orsino held tight. Out of his staff hand, more threads sprung from his hands like silver webs of steel to trap the demon.

Meredith clenched her teeth together and tightened her grip around the hilt of the blade.

Now or Never

The Knight Commander charged the demon, her target. The female moved so quickly that she thought for a moment that Orsino had enchanted her feet with wings. Channelling every ounce of her strength, Meredith brought her blade against square against the neck of the possessed boy. The blade sunk home but surprisingly enough, did not sever the head from the body. A screech deafened the occupants of the Harrowing chamber. It was so loud that she felt as if it would split her head open.

Meredith wretched her blade back. "Release him! Now!"

Orsino complied in a heartbeat. The chain-like threads flew free from the demon. It rounded onto Meredith but the Knight Commander was ready. The possessed mage howled at her, large violet orbs like fire. In those eyes, Meredith saw a rage so pure and unadulterated that it reminded her just why she could not fail – why she could not let it win.

She raised an arm and drove the sword straight into the chest of the demon.

Crack.

The sound of bone shattering was unmistakeable.

For several long seconds, Meredith stood utterly still. Her armoured hand clenched around the sword hilt that was buried into the chest of a mage apprentice. Blood soaked right through the material of his robes, turning bright blue fabric to a sickly purple.

The boy coughed, splattering Meredith's gleaming silver armour with thick globules. He then smiled almost apologetically at the Knight Commander, his young face rapidly losing colour as his life blood ebbed away. "I'm sorry...I thought I could..." he croaked, mouth curling into a very tiny smile. His apology sent unwilling shivers down Meredith's spine. The mage looked so gentle, so harmless. So much like Amelia that it frightened her. He was far from the demon that had set the entire Harrowing Chamber up in chaos. The bright violet that had possessed eyes faded completely, leaving behind empty shells that had once been so full of youth and life.

Meredith moved to remove the blade from his chest and for a moment, could not gather the strength to pull it free. Her vision blurred, the sweat pearling on her forehead. Her blonde stuck to her face uncomfortably and every fibre of her body ached beneath her armour.

Summoning up the last of her strength, the Knight Commander eased the sword out as steadily as she could manage. Bone scrapped against steel and the boy gurgled in pain. Meredith clenched her teeth together. Her fingers trembled and she mentally cursed herself for such weakness. She had preformed such acts before in the past. As Knight Commander, it was her sacred duty. It was unavoidable. The blade gleamed in the candle light, slick and slippery from blood. It positively dripped to the floor in thick strands of dark red. Without Meredith's sword in his chest, the boy collapsed to the marble floor in a crumpled heap.

And just like that, he was gone.

"Tend to the survivors," Meredith barked the remaining men. It was a struggle to keep her voice steady.

The First Enchanter was at her side in a heartbeat, his olive green eyes wide. "Is he?..." The mage trailed off, unwilling to finish his sentence.

Meredith nodded. She felt the reel of exhaustion claim her and it took all her willpower to stop herself from collapsing to the ground.

Orsino crouched down next to the dead apprentice, his shoulders trembling. "Maker, he had so much potential."

"I am sorry mage," Meredith said simply. She did not know what else she could say. Nothing else seemed right.

The unintentional lack of emotion spurned the First Enchanter. His eyes flashed with an all too familiar emotion and he stood up abruptly. Grief had turned to fury. Meredith could see the utter rage in his eyes. "Are you? Are you really?" Orsino interrogated.

Meredith's eyes fared, as did her already straining temper.

"What you saying mage?"

"You do not care at all do you? He is just another mage to you. One less mage to worry about turning to blood magic."

Meredith clenched her jaw shut in anger. Unbidden, an image of Amelia surfaced in her mind. There was no word, no phrase that could describe the bubbling sensation that stung her skin and burned her mouth. Her frame trembled beneath her armour in suppressed rage. "Templars, take the survivors and this young boys body and give us the room."

A cold silence descended upon the Harrowing chamber.

The remaining templars looked at each other, almost completely unwilling to move. Even they seemed hesitant to leave the Knight Commander and the First Enchanter alone. Meredith could see them hesitating out of the corner of her eye and scowled deeply. She would not tolerate insubordination with her men, especially in front of the First Enchanter. The said mage however did not seem to be aware of it. He was preoccupied with glaring furiously at her, challenge written plainly across his face. The desire to rise to his challenge ate at her, like a termite might at wood.

"I will not ask again. Out. Now," she stated firmly, struggling to keep her voice form breaking in anger. The survivors said nothing else and complied with her orders. Meredith kept her eyes deadlocked on the First Enchanter even as one of the templars approached to take the boy of the mage. She saw Orsino's gaze flicker down once and his anger softened slightly as the templar tenderly picked up the bloodied, lifeless body of the apprentice. Meredith felt the all too twinge of regret envelope her chest tightly.

Only once every surviving templar had vacated the room did Meredith finally address the furious First Enchanter. His thin elven face was still a picture of anger. "You would dare accuse of not caring Orsino?" she snapped, struggling to control her own anger. He always seemed to bring out the worst in her.

"Oh I would Meredith. I cannot imagine you have any idea how hard it is to watch a templar run through someone you cared about! No of course not, you have done it countless times I'm sure," he snarled, his eyes bright.

Again, Amelia reared in Meredith's head. The blonde still remembered her death so clearly, still replayed it over in her head. "What I have done mage is my duty. That boy could not resist possession and I am sorry but what is done is done."

The elven mage scoffed at her, which only angered the blonde woman more. "Would you say the same if it were one of your people?"

Her malignant scowl blackened. "I would mage, for I know what is demanded of me. Do you?"

Orsino continued to push and was successful. "You really a cold hearted bitch Meredith."

The Knight Commander's resistance snapped. Lifting one hand, Meredith drew her arm up and swung it as hard as she possibly could.

Smack!

Meredith slapped the Orsino right across the jaw. His head whipped to the side. She could clearly see the angry red slap mark upon his pale elven skin. Both bodies remained in the same composition for what seemed like hours, each unwilling or afraid to move. And then Orsino took the initiative and twisted his head around to face her.

Then he hit her straight back.

Even in her anger crazed mind Meredith had to admit that he had quite a right hook. She let out a feral snarl and lunged at the First Enchanter, knocking him clean to the floor. They hit the blood soaked ground together for the second time that night, the blonde straddling him. She hated him for being so small beneath her. It made it so easy to smack the elf across his smug face again and again until he was begging for mercy. Her steel clad hands were fisted in his robes; fingers clenching against the black fabric. Angry sea blue hues stared into furious olive green orbs and for a moment, she hated him more than she ever had before. She had no idea what she wanted to do and it was entirely his fault.

Then as if to solve her personal dilemma, Orsino acted on her behalf. He completely surprised her when he reached up and slanted his mouth across hers in a hard, angry kiss. It was almost as if he was arguing with her in a new way because nothing else seemed to have worked. What was even more surprising to the Knight Commander that instead of pushing him off, Meredith found herself kissing him back just furiously, biting his lower lip until she tasted blood. Nothing could have tasted sweeter. Her fingers dug into his robes so tightly that she was surprised that it did not rip. There was no love or tenderness in the exchange, only intoxicating heat, hate and rage.

It took a few moments for the Knight Commander to remember who she was – more importantly with she was doing. Reining back what was left of her sanity, Meredith shoved the elven mage off and scrabbled up from him in a rather ungraceful manner. She could not bear to look back at the mage on the floor. Her own weakness burned in her throat. She left him on the ground feeling cold despite her heavy armour. She crossed the room briefly and when she reached the double doors of the Harrowing chamber, she chanced a glance backwards. The First Enchanter had struggled up into a sitting position, his hair ruffled and his chest heaving. She could see his lip beginning to swell from where she had gnawed.

"That never happened," she stated over her shoulders, her eyes hard.

The elven mage nodded, reaching up to wipe his mouth. "I agree."

Satisfied with his response, Meredith pulled open one of the heavy oak doors and forced herself through with every intention of retreating to the safety of her office, to get away from every memory and feelings that Orsino had stirred up. Memories that she had tried so hard to forget. Outside in the cold Gallows corridors, Meredith stopped and ran a palm over her face, inwardly groaning at everything that had transpired.

She really did hate him.

This one I really struggled with, mostly because it was done mostly from Meredith's perspective, before she goes crazycakes. It's set somewhere in Act I. Hope this hasn't been too much of a disappointment. I never really play as a mage in both Origins or DA 2 (I'm a tanking bitch) so my knowledge on the Harrowing is a little sketchy. Wanted to put in some sexiness between Meredith and Orsino so why not when they are having a Ding dong row.

Really should have been revising rather than writing this but it just refused to go away. Got finals coming up so you won't hear from me for a while. I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you all so much for the reviews for the previous chapter and thank you again for reading!