The festival was awesome. Completely and utterly awesome. Even less than two hours into it, Megan was certain that she was going to love every single minute of it.
Ostagar was a heritage site, known as one of the best-preserved Tevinter ruins in southern Thedas. But more importantly, it was hauntingly beautiful, with the evening sun painting the ruined arches in glorious shades of orange, and the ancient Tower of Ishal looming over them like a watchful guardian. The acoustics probably were a nightmare, but no musician could ask for a more atmospheric setting.
The band up on the centre stage right now was from Orzammar, way back in the Frostback Mountains. Three guys, all of them cute, if rather stocky, who went by the name Fool's Gold. They played their guitars and drums with more enthusiasm than skill, but the crowd loved them and happily cheered for encores.
Megan would have preferred to be in the thick of things, right in front of the stage, but Sten and Morrigan had categorically refused to go there. So they'd made themselves comfortable further back, in a relatively quiet space, where they had room enough to spread their blankets and stretch out on the ground. She had to admit the music was still plenty loud enough back here.
Next to them, a trio of students from Denerim were enjoying the last rays of sun, sharing a bottle of beer and a bag of small cookies between them. One of them noticed her looking and smiled at her, raising the bag in a friendly invitation. "Want some?"
He was cute in a pixie-ish sort of way, Megan thought. Not particularly tall, slim and lanky, his hair dark red and his skin pale. He had a charming smile, too, and nice eyes. Sten was eyeing the cookies longingly.
"Depends." Megan reached over for the bag, taking it from the guy's hands. His fingers brushed against hers in passing. "What are those?"
"Spicy cookies." He grinned cheerily. "With very special spices. My name's Soris, by the way."
"I'm Megan. But what exactly-"
Next to her, Zevran, who had been half asleep in the sun, sat up abruptly to give Soris a stern look. "What kind of spices?" His tone was not unfriendly, but firm.
Soris shrugged, unfazed. "Cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of deep mushroom powder. Nothing dangerous or illegal. Just enough to make you relax and have a good time."
Zevran's eyes narrowed. "Let me try some first, cara."
Megan handed him the bag. She found his protectiveness rather endearing, even if she was secretly convinced that she could look after herself perfectly well. Then again, she really didn't have much experience with drugs, even with the more harmless ones.
Zevran took a cookie from the bag and carefully nibbled on it, a deep frown between his brows. It disappeared quickly enough, though. "They're good." He flashed a sudden grin at Soris, then extended his smile to the two girls behind him.
They giggled happily, obviously thrilled with Zevran's attention. The shorter one nudged Soris in the ribs. "Well, coz? Won't you introduce us to your new friends?"
"You can do that yourself, can't you? Or have you become shy all of a sudden?" Soris punched her lightly back. "This is my cousin Shianni. And this is Nesiara."
The family resemblance was unmistakable. Shianni was a redhead, too, with a cute little nose and clear, intelligent eyes. Zevran's gaze was firmly fixed on her friend, though, and Megan couldn't blame him. Nesiara was a stunner. Tall, blonde, with beautiful green eyes and fine features. Her legs, displayed to best advantage in a pair of really short shorts, seemed to go on forever, and her shapely shoulders were left temptingly bare by a tight tank top.
"I'm Zevran." Zev's voice had taken on the deep, seductive purr Megan had begun to recognize. "Nice to meet you."
The girls giggled again. Megan rolled her eyes and reached for a cookie. They tasted… funny. Much like the ones her mother used to make for Satinalia, but with a faint aftertaste that reminded her of dusty attics and old clothes. Quickly, she chewed and swallowed, passing the bag on to Sten who eagerly dug in. Morrigan refused with a graceful shrug.
"So…" Soris patted the ground next to him invitingly. "How do you like the music, Megan?"
She hesitated only for a moment before moving over. The cookies had left her with a weird buzzing feeling, as if her skin was suddenly doubly sensitive. She had expected wooziness, like being drunk, but this was different. Soris' eyes seemed somehow greener than they had been before, and he smelled nice, too, like grass and wind and trees. Zevran smiled knowingly at her and moved to the side to make room for the two girls who joined him on his blanket.
It was getting dark, and a teensy bit chilly, and Megan saw no reason to object when Soris put an arm around her shoulder to keep her warm. The stage was bathed in light, and a new band had appeared there after Fool's Gold had been sent off with a roar of applause. The new arrivals were led by a lithe, tall guy with olive skin and a shock of silvery-white hair. His voice was deep and warm and melodious, and it sent pleasant shivers down Megan's spine, even though she couldn't understand a word of what he was singing.
"Who are they?" She leaned back into Soris' embrace to whisper her question in his ear.
"They call themselves The Magic of Minrathous." Soris' lips brushed lightly against her cheek. "From Tevinter. Their singer is quite a celebrity there, I think."
"Mmmhmm. I can see why." Megan stretched her neck to catch another glimpse of him.
Soris laughed softly, but he didn't reply, just pulled her a little closer. She didn't mind. He felt nice and warm against her side, and his touch was gentle. No pressure there.
"Have another cookie." He fished one out of the bag and offered it to her, his pupils widening when she nibbled at it and her tongue flicked against his fingertips.
The second cookie heightened her senses even further. Even the slightest touch of Soris' hands sent sparks all along her skin, and the low, soft rumble of the singer's voice in the background was a caress in itself. Somewhere at the edge of her hearing, Megan could make out a soft moan that sounded like Nesiara, followed by Shianni's characteristic giggle. Zevran and the girls had moved their blanket further back into the shadow of a ruined archway, and it was too dark to see what they were doing, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out. Well, good for him.
Soris was nuzzling her neck, reciting some lines from a love poem, or maybe those were song lyrics? Megan didn't actually care.
As far as she was concerned, it was a perfect moment.
Zevran was really pleased with how the evening had turned out. The cookies were good stuff, not too strong, but enough to send him into a pleasant haze, the music had improved vastly in the past half hour, and the two willing girls in his arms were an unexpected bonus.
Nesiara's firm, high breasts felt amazing when he let his hands wander under her top, her nipples perking up against his palms as soon as he touched them. Slowly, he pushed the fabric aside so he could take one of them between his lips, savouring the happy noise she made in response.
Meanwhile, Shianni's small hand had wormed its way into his jeans, her clever fingers wrapping around his throbbing cock, and he simply couldn't stop himself from thrusting into her grip. It was paradise, so much soft skin, their delicious scent strong enough to be almost overwhelming.
For a moment, he wondered what Megan was up to, and whether she'd be okay, but then all thought was driven away by Nesiara's sighs of pleasure, by Shianni's hot lips on his stomach, and he-
A flashlight shone right into his eyes, making him cry out in sudden pain and shock. Behind the torch, he could just about make up the silhouettes of three men, swaying on their feet and smelling of beer.
"Well, look what we've got here, Jon. Didn't you say you had a thing for redheads?" Zevran recognized Vaughan's voice right away, though the man's speech was more than just a little slurred. "How about this one? Surely our friend here will be glad to have some help."
"You got that right, Vaughan." The other man's laugh was unpleasantly loud and braying. "Foreign punk like him can't handle a proper Fereldan girl, let alone two. What they need is a real man, eh, Braden?"
Zevran cursed under his breath, his right hand going to his hip in an instinctive move, reaching for the knife he no longer carried. Pity. It would have come in handy right now.
Vaughan didn't answer, but he had already grabbed Shianni's arm, trying to pull her back. Zevran did his best to kick at his ankles to bring him down. But it was difficult to move as quickly as he would have liked, with his pants still undone and stars burning behind his eyelids, not to mention the slight unsteadiness caused by the cookies.
Shianni opened her mouth to scream for help, but Vaughan clapped his big, beefy hand over her mouth, effectively silencing her. Braden, the third man, somehow managed to take hold of Zevran's arm, twisting it sharply behind his back. Nesiara seemed frozen in place, her eyes wide with fear. Shit. Zevran's mind was racing, but he was quickly running out of options.
Just then, Vaughan yelped like a dog, cursing violently as he let go of Shianni to clutch the back of his arm. A nasty bruise was already forming where Megan had pinched him hard. From the corner of his eye, Zevran saw her red-gold head disappear into the shadows again. Shianni immediately took advantage of her freedom to kick Vaughan hard in the shin with her steel-capped boot.
And then everything happened very fast, almost too fast for Zevran to follow. Jon howled in pain when Morrigan's high heel sank deep into the arch of his left foot. At the same time, Braden gave a muffled cry and released his grip on his arm as a large fist slammed into his jaw. Sten. Zevran could have kissed the man, though he probably wouldn't have appreciated it.
Still, this wasn't over, and if Vaughan and his cronies-
"What is going on here?" Another torch, but this time it was aimed at the faces of their attackers who visibly flinched in the bright light. The man wielding it was clad in a uniform, and his voice carried a quiet authority. "Sergeant Kylon, of the Ostagar Mounted Police. I'd like to have a word with you gentlemen." Behind him, two other policemen were visible in the shadows, their presence more reassuring than Zevran liked to admit.
Realizing he was in trouble, Vaughan signalled for his friends to back down.
"Thanks for coming so quickly." Morrigan nodded coolly at the sergeant. "We appreciate the help."
"Yes. And thank you for keeping a cool head and making that call." Megan was breathing hard, but her eyes were gleaming excitedly. "Is everyone okay?"
Much later, they huddled together on their blanket, sharing a pot of tea. The policemen had taken their statements and led the three troublemakers off to the station, with Jon still limping badly, and Braden rubbing his jaw with a pained expression.
Soris and the girls had set off toward the campsite right afterwards, looking pale and shaken. Zevran couldn't blame them. The dreamy mood of the night was all but gone, and the pleasant buzz of the cookies had been replaced by a stale aftertaste – literally and figuratively.
Next to him, Megan was sipping her tea in silence, her face pale and serious. When Zevran took her hand, she smiled at him and squeezed his fingers briefly.
"Are you okay?" He felt a twinge of guilt. Megan was still so young, and she trusted him implicitly. He should have had things better under control.
"Sure." Her smile widened. "Why wouldn't I be? I wasn't actually in danger, was I?"
"Maybe not, but…" He took a deep sip himself, doing his best to appear calm. "You know, it's really not safe for you to travel alone. Maybe I should stick around for a little longer?"
This time, Megan actually laughed out loud. "Honestly, Zevran? I like having you around, I really do, but you were the one who needed saving just now, not me."
Zevran flinched. He really didn't need to be reminded of that. "Still-"
Before Megan could say another word, Sten raised a hand to speak. This was such an uncharacteristic behaviour that they all fell silent immediately. "Doesn't matter who's saving who." He sounded gruff. "There's safety in numbers."
"He's right, you know," Morrigan chimed in. "Even if he is a bit melodramatic. We'll all be safer together. And didn't you say you wanted to go to the Brecilian Nature Reserve next, Megan? That's on my list, too."
"Suits me fine." Zevran shrugged. He had heard interesting stories about the old forest and was eager to explore it for himself. Besides, he really didn't have anywhere else to be right now. His friend in Gwaren would wait.
As if pulled by invisible strings, they all turned to face Megan. Zevran smiled to himself when he realized they were all waiting for her to decide. She's definitely the heart of our little company. Even though we've only just met.
Megan seemed unperturbed by the weight of their expectant looks. "Sure. Let's travel together." Her smile was dazzlingly bright. "I can't wait to see what adventures we'll have."
Hugs and thanks to suilven! Best beta I could ask for :)