Something startled her awake, a gentle pressure and warmth on her side. Her hammock wobbled unsteadily when she turned her head to see what was going on, too tired to panic just yet. Solona was surprised when she looked down to see a familiar hand on her hip and followed the attached wrist and arm up to see Aedan looking down at her, his face troubled. Frowning, Solona turned in her hammock and felt Aedan's hand withdraw, only to settle on her opposite hip, the warmth of his palm quickly seeping through the thin fabric of her night shift. "Aedan? What's wrong? Why are you awake?"
"I couldn't sleep." There was something about his voice that made her heart flutter in her chest, the stark honesty present on his face and in his words catching her off guard. Slowly, he lifted his other hand to brush the pad of his thumb against her cheek. Her breath caught, heart hammering loudly at the contact. "I kept thinking of you…"
Was this another dream? It had to be. There was no way… "What do you mean?" She tried to sit up and break the contact, but he simply moved his hand to trail the contours of her neck, his fingers delving into her hair.
"Don't you know?" He leaned closer so that their lips were barely just inches apart, his grey eyes filling the entirety of her vision. "I love you." She gaped at the confession; unable to believe that he would come out and say such a thing, but her concerns that he was out of his mind flew from her thoughts when he kissed her, stealing her breath. Her body moved of its own, her arms wrapping around his neck and drawing him closer, the two sharing a moment of heat and passion.
Aedan drew back for a breath, his hands having somehow wandered to her waist and began fiddling with the tiny buttons that kept her clothes in place. Solona let her eyes close and her head tip back when his mouth went to her throat. She didn't know what brought on the sudden change, almost didn't care either. Then her fingers brushed against something hard on his head, an odd protrusion from his scalp and she looked down.
She wanted to scream, seeing Aedan's all too familiar features flicker briefly, revealing the demon underneath. She tried to shove him away, and his face broke out into a hideous parody of a smile, eyes turning black and his face going flat. "I love this body." He said, now more demon than human, spikes curling out from his shoulders and chest. "I will have it!"
She screamed out loud, sitting upright with her hands clenched on the sides of the makeshift hammock that she slept in. It was unsteady, swinging with her sudden movement, but she couldn't concentrate on trying to stop the motion. Dream bled into real life for that terrifying instant and she could still see the Aedan/Pride demon looming over her, ghastly teeth coming forward to rip out the flesh of her neck.
Aedan was startled out of bed and onto the floor, the fall waking him up completely if Keran's barking and the high-pitched scream hadn't already. Ignoring the pain that had erupted in his shoulder from the fall, he quickly scrambled to his feet, expecting to see them under assault by some truly horrifying foe. When there was nothing physically in the room that should have caused Solona's scream, he went to her side, reaching out to steady her by placing his hands on her shoulders. "Solona! Calm down!" This was not the first nightmare she'd had that he'd been awake to see, though it was the worst of them so far.
She didn't seem to hear or recognize him, flinching away from his touch and power rippled along her entire being. Aedan snatched back his hands when they tingled uncomfortably at the display of power, realizing that she wasn't entirely awake just yet. "Snap out of it! You're safe! Whatever it is in the Fade that hunts you, it's not here, not now!"
"Get away!" She yelled and tried to retreat from him. Apparently unaware that she was only seconds from falling, Solona thrust her hand out as if to cast a spell, but the words were lost when the hammock finally overturned on her and she plummeted toward the floor. Instead of landing face-first however, Aedan's arms were wrapped firmly around her torso, having stopped her just a few inches from landing straight on her nose. The sensation of free falling had brought her fully to wakefulness, and she finally became aware that the Aedan holding her wasn't the one that she had imagined in the fade.
Aedan let Solona go once she had regained her sense, noting that she was trembling and pale. As she sat on the floor and drew her knees up to her chest, he noticed that she wouldn't look at him directly, her eyes straying to literally everywhere else. "What happened? Solona, this is the third time this week you've had a nightmare. Is something going on that I should know about?"
She remained quiet, letting her eyes squeeze closed, trying to banish the nightmare from her thoughts. She couldn't very well let him know that Desire demons were plaguing her dreams, tempting her with images of him. "I don't think there's anything you can do."
He frowned, sitting next to her and settling his arm on a raised knee, the other leg stretched out in front of him. "You know that saying that doesn't alleviate my fears any, right?" Aedan's eyes wandered over her, trying to figure out what had startled her so much. He had noticed her nightmares when she'd woken him up on accident the day before they came to Denerim. She'd had one other nightmare that he'd known of a week later, but this week it seemed like she was haunted, spending her waking hours being tired and sluggish. The two other times this week that he'd woken to her startled cries she had simply told him that there was nothing to be done about it. Tonight was the worst. She had never almost attacked him before now.
Solona grimaced, rubbing her face with shaking hands to try and cast the last vestiges of her waking horror out of her mind. "I don't mean to worry you Aedan, really. It's… I have to handle it. There's nothing that you could do."
Her answer didn't pacify him, and he was going to make it clear that simply avoiding his questions with excuses wasn't going to get either of them back to bed any quicker. "Don't think I haven't noticed how your strength is waning each day, Solona. And your nightmares are getting worse, I can tell. If they don't wake you up crying, then you spend the night thrashing around. Tell me what is going on." Aedan was careful to meet her eyes, keeping his eyes on her face until she looked at him reluctantly, his tone gentle but brooking no argument. He wanted answers.
Solona was brave enough to hold his hard gaze for a long silent moment, and then she couldn't look at him anymore, her eyes flicking to the space in front of her toes. "I'm afraid." She whispered, her voice soft and partially choked from the lump that developed in her throat at the thought of having to confess the contents of her dreams to him. "…I'm afraid to tell you."
"Why?" It was a simple question, and Aedan sounded so bewildered that it made Solona feel even guiltier for holding back. "Don't you trust me? Solona, we've had to hold each other's lives in our hands for nearly three months now. Trust that I won't let you go over this."
Again her breath caught in her throat and she wanted to cry, the stark honesty in Aedan's voice causing her very heart to feel pain for continuing to deceive him. He would regret saving her from the Templars if he knew that she was plagued by demons, would probably have a mind to kill her if she confessed to using blood magic once. She feared his rejection more than his anger; unsure that she'd be able to handle one of the only friends she had looking at her with disgust.
"Do you know what the Chantry says about mages and demons?" She asked, though knew the answer already. She felt Aedan tensing up, going still as he listened to her. "They say that demons are drawn to mages and will try and possess them if the mages are weak. That is why the Circle was created, so that the Templars could keep an eye on the mages in case they show signs of possession. The Chantry… does not lie."
"You are pursued by a demon in the fade, then?" His tone was carefully neutral, constructed to hide the small amount of panic he felt blooming in his chest. He had never actually seen an Abomination, though had heard that they were terrible warped entities whose power was practically unrivaled. If Solona became one…
She nodded silently, adding onto Aedan's already growing concerns. "There is one specifically that haunts my dreams. He calls himself Mouse and is a master of guile and illusion. I met him during my Harrowing, when the Templars or perhaps the First Enchanter forced me into sleep and brought the demon to me in the Fade. I defeated a different demon with Mouse's help, and he left after seeing that my will was strong. I thought him gone for good but…" She shuddered, remembering how Mouse liked to toy with her, always pushing at her limits to make her crack. "He's found me once more, and wants to possess my body, to make me an abomination. I have resisted his advances multiple times now, but he grows stronger… or perhaps shows me more of his power each time? Whatever the case, he has recruited another demon to his side, and the both of them toy with my mind when I sleep. I am stronger than the both of them, but…" She trailed off, trying hard not to remember the pleasant whispers that the Desire demon had uttered in the guise of Aedan.
"Can you kill them?" When Solona gave him a confused look, Aedan elaborated. "In the Fade. Can you kill this Mouse demon, and the other one that pursues you?"
Hesitantly, she nodded. "I suppose I could, if I managed to trap Mouse, but he prefers to run away rather than get his hands dirty." That, and it was getting harder and harder to tell when her time in the Fade was normal dreams and ones influenced by that damned Desire demon. "I don't know if he is stronger than he lets on or not, which is why I have avoided engaging him in battle. I just…" Tears suddenly welled in her eyes unbidden, and she tried to wipe them away before they could course down her face and she started sniffling. She was already a wreck, no need to add water works to the picture. "I've only just been freed Aedan. I don't want… I'm scared of becoming an Abomination."
Aedan reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "Don't loose faith." He murmured and drew Solona close so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. "This Mouse sounds like he fears what you can do, and is trying to whittle away at your resolve. Find strength in knowing that you have friends. If you had the strength to take out those Templars when it seemed inevitable that we should both die, then I know that this too you can overcome."
Solona nodded mutely, staring resolutely at her hands folded in her lap. Aedan's words should have been comforting, knowing that he placed such trust in her abilities… but it was a lie that he trusted, wasn't it? Blood magic had saved her once, but she was reluctant to admit that she would probably need to use it to save herself again. Was it possible that the thing that started this could be the only way to escape?
-0-0-0-
"Good! You have to keep your opponent moving!" Aedan called, the sound of sword striking shield ringing out in the vast open space of the ship assembly house. Oen was facing off against him, dual swords in hand and trying valiantly to keep Aedan retreating. A fine sheen of perspiration dotted Aedan's forehead as he deftly parried the sword strikes with his shield, a vague smile on his face. "You won't be strong enough to simply overpower me, and with surprise gone, you'll need to use your higher agility to slip past my defenses."
Rido and Sticker were facing off against each other in a different part of the open space, the clatter of their wooden swords adding to the noise of the practice fight between Aedan and Oen. Sola, Pita and Noris were out that day, scouting around the neighborhood and keeping tabs on the guards that patrolled the streets. The Knifers were starting to be enough of an annoyance that the guards had actually put forth minimal effort to squelch their gang. Kallian had noticed them snooping a little too close to their old hideout in the brewery for comfort, and so had moved everyone to the abandoned ship assembly instead. They were all living under the same roof now, though the elves had set up their beds and hammocks up on the opposite side of the building from where Aedan and Solona had set their claim. They all got along well enough, but trust wasn't something forged overnight.
"You been slackin' Ammy!" Kallian tapped off three hits on Solona's upraised staff in quick succession, ducking under a wild swing on the mage's part so that it flew wide over her head. She stepped in and aimed a wooden dagger at Solona's belly, but the mage retreated just enough to avoid a mock-fatal blow.
Even with Aedan tutoring her how to fight nearly every day, Solona just didn't have the strength or physical stamina to keep up for very long, especially against Kallian. The elf was all whirling daggers and quipping insults, getting the better of her opponents between taunting and deadly skill. She'd become used to the witty insults, but defending from the daggers was a whole other problem. There were a lot of near misses on Kallian's part, and they became more often the longer the two fought.
Angry that she hadn't been able to even put Kallian on the defensive yet, Solona switched tactics, choking up on the grip of her staff and aiming at Kallian's hands in an effort to disarm her. The elf backed away, having to use both swords to stop the incoming blows with Solon's strikes getting stronger now that she had better leverage. Once she had managed to get the elf far away enough Solona feinted a head strike with the butt of her staff, then quickly reversed her momentum and aimed for Kallian's knees in a low swing.
Caught off guard by the sudden change in direction, Kallian tried to jump up and backward over Solona's staff, but got clipped on the side of the foot. She lost her balance and fell hard on her back with a pained yelp. Solona laid the head of her staff on Kallian's stomach, breathing hard and grinning. It was the first time she'd ever bested the elf.
With a groan Kallian pushed Solona's staff away and rubbed her elbow. "Yeah yeah, no need to look like a cat what's got into the cream, Ammy." She groused, which made Solona chuckle, offering a hand to Kallian and hauling her to her feet.
"Do you still think I've been slacking?" She asked with a coy smile, leaning against her staff and wiping at her brow with the cuff of her sleeve.
"Tch, I suppose you were playin' at that?" Kallian asked with a bit of disbelief, having never known Solona to be the tricky type. Whatever Solona was going to say next was cut off when the door suddenly slammed open, a breathless and wild-eyed looking Noris ran through. Sola and Pita were quick on his heels, equally as breathless, though more terrified looking.
Immediately Kallian sensed trouble and stiffened, striding toward the three. "What's wrong?" Aedan and Oen stopped their sparring match, Rido and Sticker a little slower to follow suit, but soon all eyes were on the breathless three.
"T-they're coming!" Noris stammered, gesturing wildly and still trying to catch his breath.
"Who? The guard?" Kallian's heart began to hammer. She'd been afraid of this. Most of the guard wasn't very clever, but if you started pissing off the right people, eventually you had to pay the consequence.
Noris shook his head so fast that his hair flew in all directions, and Sola spoke for him seeing as the youth was somehow speechless for once. "It's that merc group that was here a few weeks ago." She panted, her face having gone quite pale. She and Pita came fully inside now, and everyone had gathered around Kallian in the center of the room. "Someone put up a post for us on the Chanter's Board. They're coming to collect!"
"Andraste's flaming tits!" Kallian cursed loudly and dropped her sparring daggers. "We can't tangle with them! How close are they?"
"Too close for you to run!" All eyes whipped toward the door at the strange voice, and Kallian's eyes went wide. He was there, the angry elf with the facial tattoos and dark eyes that were black as the Void. He had his bow out and an arrow already on the string, so she had no doubt at all that he would draw and fire with the least bit of provocation. Behind him was the puppy-faced shield bearing blonde human, the dark-skinned white haired giant from before, and an elderly woman wearing mage robes and brandishing a staff.
"Your days of thievery are done." The Dalish called, drawing his bow fully and sighting Kallian without hesitation.
AN: The beginning of this chapter is dedicated to everyone who has been wondering if Aedan would ever grow a heart and show feelings for our besotted mage. My editor was pissed at me for teasing her. Muwahahah~
Anyway, for those wonder what the Wardens are doing back, there's a completely legit reason. Remember when they came last time how I said that they were searching for the Brother Genitivi? Well, they went to Lake Calenhad and were jumped by the stupid cultist gang, and so our Dalish Hero and Co. are back and just beat the crap out of fake!Weylon (with their bare hands). As a side note, I'm dropping my three-times-a-week update scheduel. I can't keep up, unfortunately :/ So, just Mondays and Fridays from now on.
P.S. If you want to see an artist rendering of my characters, follow the link: {http:/ seroph. deviantart. com/ #/d43z8gq} (without spaces)