Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.

"I'm your favorite nightmare and your worst dream all in one. I'm everything you shouldn't want. And you're everything I need."
— Kenya Wright (Cupid: A Dark Erotic Romance)

Chapter 22:Your Worst Nightmares

Long white tresses slipped free from their braids as calloused fingers wove their way through the hair. Soft lips caressed the sensitive skin on the back of their lover's neck, drawing pleased moans and gasps from the white-haired woman as she felt lips and fingers descend a path down from her neck to her collarbone. The woman sighed contentedly as she leaned back and gladly allowed her lover to continue his pleasing ministrations.

Something felt wrong about doing this, but she could not bring herself to care and simply settled for ignoring any feelings of doubt she might have and just enjoying this intimate moment with her lover. It so rare for them to have a chance to be alone due to all of those assignation missions always coming up almost every single day which they were chosen for because of their skills when it came to stealth and well...assassinating of course. But right now there were no serious missions that needee their immediate attention and so they were enjoying their free time together while it lasted, though she secretly hoped that it would last forever despite how impossible such a hope was.

"Do not worry, mi pequeño pájaro dulce." He whispered against her neck as if he had heard her thoughts."We literally have all the time in the world and no one will ever bother us again."

Confused by his choice of words, Simone frowned and sat up. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him."What do you mean 'ever again'?" She asked."In case you've forgotten, we're still members of the Antivan Crows and thus have to follow their orders."

He smiled pleasantly, completely unperturbed by her confusion or annoyance."I highly doubt that the Crows can give orders to their own king and queen. Therefore, they are the ones who must obey our orders, and not the other way around."

"What are you talking about?" She demanded, her tone conveying her vexation with his strange behavior. Something was not right here, and she was no longer content to simply ignore this feeling like she had been just minutes earlier. Whoever this man was that sat in front of her could not possibly be the man she'd fallen so hard for. The Edgar who she knew was never this relaxed, but instead stern and always on alert. It was those particular qualities that had made her so attracted to him in the first place.

"You aren't him." She blurted out, standing up and backing away as memories of the truth rapidly started returning to her. That idiot Zevran had volunteered for a mission to kill the Grey Wardens which he knew would most likely end in his death and she, out of foolish concern for the man she called a friend as well as a similar desire to die, had chosen to join him so he would not die alone. But that wasn't the main reason why; the last few years had been cruel and tiring for her and Zevran, what with Rinna's death and...Edgar dying at her hands long before she'd even met Zevran.

The white-haired woman stepped back in horror as a malicious smirk slowly spread across the face of the man pretending to be her lost lover and partner."And here I thought I could actually convince you to just relax and enjoy your second chance with him." He said with a sigh."Such a pity I failed to do so."

"I'll kill you for this deception, bastardo mentiroso!" She hissed angrily, curling her hand into a fist and aiming a punch for his face. The demon merely stepped aside and caught her wrist, twisting it painfully and causing her to give a yelp of both surprise and pain as he threw her roughly to the floor then sent her rolling into the wall with a powerful kick to the stomach that also winded her.

"I admire your courage, mi pequeño pájaro dulce." He smirked at her scowling face."But in case you've forgotten, I'm the one in charge here and whether you like it or not, whatever I say goes." With a mere wave of his hand, the demon's true form replaced that of her lover's as he started approaching her while continuing to smirk.

Simone reached for her daggers, but to her dismay she found that she was completely unarmed and defenseless against her foe. Waving his hand again, the demon summoned large roots to rise from the ground which tightly seized her wrists and ankles. The white-haired assassin let out a curse in Antivan as she fell to the ground, unable to move as he demon slowly and menacingly made its way toward her.

Before he could reach her, however, he was struck in the face with an arcane bolt, knocking him across the floor. Simone looked up and grinned in relief when she saw Natasha and Regina running toward her. The two mages came to a stop in front of her with Natasha as the first one to speak."Let me guess," She said dryly,", you already know that none of this is real, don't you?"

Simone nodded, her eyes flickering briefly toward the demon who had pretended to be Edgar."Luckily for me, this demon was not a very good liar."

"Lucky you then." Regina joked."And you should disappear from here in exactly..."

Simone let out a gasp as she was suddenly surrounded by a strange white fog and vanished just seconds later.

"...5 seconds." The elven mage finished with a smirk as Natasha simply rolled her eyes in annoyance and muttered for them to keep moving, though not before quickly summoning a lightning spell to finish off Simone's demon.

Zevran ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the dark, cold, and seemingly unending forest while the sounds of laughter and the footsteps of his pursuer echoed less than several feet away. He quickened his pace, desperate to get away, but no matter how fast he ran, his pursuer was always not too far behind him.

The elven assassin glanced over his shoulder to see if he'd managed to outrun his persuer, an action that he immediately regretted because before he could even catch sight of anyone or anything behind him, he literally ran into a tree and let out a curse in Antivan as he hit the ground like a rock and a foot suddenly slammed into his chest, pinning him down.

"Going somewhere, mi amor?" A sweet, feminine voice asked. Zevran's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the owner of the voice.

"Rinna." He whispered.

An evil smirk spread across her face when she heard him say her name."Hello Zevran." She said sweetly, tilting her head and gazing at him with dark brown eyes that glinted with sadistic amusement. Her long auburn hair was tied up in a ponytail, making her elven ears easy for anyone to recognize."I'm so glad to see you remember me, especially after what you did." Her smile then turned into a scowl as she suddenly kicked him in the stomach, evoking a loud groan of pain from him.

"Betrayal hurts, doesn't it, mi amor?" She spat, her eyes now cold and angry."Now you know how I felt when you spat in my face and let me die for a crime I didn't commit. Simone was the only one who believed me, and you didn't even listen to her. Tell me Zevran, how do you think it feels when the one who you've always loved and trusted suddenly betrays you and laughs in your face while you lie helpless and dying on the cold ground in a pool of your own blood? I begged you to believe me, but instead you called me a traitor and did nothing but stand there like the worthless bastard you truly are and watch while Taliesin killed me and Simone cried and cursed both of you for your stupidity and heartlessness. Why is it that she was able to believe that I was not a traitor and yet you, the man who I loved with all my heart, couldn't do the same?! Tell me?!" She screamed, kicking him again, this time so hard that he coughed up blood.

"I hate you!" She growled."You worthless, uncaring, treacherous piece of trash! I should make you suffer for what you did to me. Maybe I'll cut your throat this time then laugh and spit in your face while you slowly bleed out and die of a broken heart, assuming you actually have a heart of course!"

"Rinna," He croaked, clutching his stomach and groaning in agony,", I am...so sorry."

She laughed, the sound cold and mirthless."Sorry?! You're sorry?! Well guess what, Zev, it's too late for you to be sorry! All I ever did was love you and you didn't so much as think to just trust me when I told you that I was genuinely loyal to the Crows and would never betray them, betray you! Give me one good reason why I should even consider forgiving someone as worthless and pathetic as you! Your mother was a whore and you are no better! You are worse than all the whores and bastards in Antiva put together! If anyone ever betrayed the Crows, it was you, not me!"

"The truth is quite painful indeed, da'len." Another feminine voice said, although this one was deeper and sounded older than Rinna's. It also sounded wiser, but just as angry and bitter as the female assassin's did."And you are now suffering because of it, just as you deserve to."

The owner of the new voice appeared right next to Rinna just a minute later, and her physical resemblance to Zevran made her identity quite clear to the elven man even though he had never truly known her. Her eyes were green, but other than that there was no other difference in appearance between her and Zevran; her skin color matched his exactly and her hair was also the exact same color as his and only a few inches longer. There were vallaslin tattoos on her face, marking her as Dalish, but her clothes consisted of a short white dress that barely went past her knees and was badly torn up rather than the typical Dalish armor and other proper attire one of her people usually wore. She also had several cuts and bruises on her face, making it clear how just many times she'd been struck and attacked in her line of work as a former proud Dalish huntress-turned-whore.

"Remember me, da'len?" She asked caustically, lips twisting into a mirthless smile as she tilted her head at him."Your very first victim, as you would say. I brought you into this world and how did you repay me? By killing me like the len'alas lath'din you have always been ever since I conceived you in my womb." She placed a hand on her stomach as she spoke, still smiling mirthlessly at him even as bloodcurdling screams echoed all around them followed by the cries of a child.

Zevran shut his eyes tightly and covered his ears in a vain attempt to block out the horrible sounds of Rinna's sadistic laughter while she kicked him repeatedly and his mother's screams of agony in the background. The male elf rarely ever prayed, but at this moment he was inwardly shouting pleas of help that even he could hardly understand to both the Maker and Andraste, and even the Creators, desperate for anyone or anything at this point to just come and put him out of his misery right now.

As if someone had finally heard his prayers, the sounds of laughter and screaming stopped, replaced by shouts of surprise and anger as Rinna was no longer kicking him and he could not feel her foot on top of his chest anymore either. He let out a sigh of relief, hesitantly opening his eyes to see both Rinna and his mother now in the forms of hideous demons and frozen solid. Not even a minute later, both of them were shattered into pieces by a lightning spell.

"And I thought your dream was frightening, Regina." Natasha commented as she stepped out of the shadows and twirled around her staff, grimacing at the sight of what her elven friend had done to the two demons before she could even react herself.

Regina ignored the comment, instead hurrying over to a slightly shaken and shocked Zevran and helping him to his feet. She may have despised the man for his irritatingly flirtatious remarks and constant nicknames for her, but the demons had obviously injured him both physically and mentally in their attempt to deceive and torture him.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly, muttering a healing spell to get rid of the bruises on his arms and neck.

Quickly recovering, Zevran grinned at her."You need not worry about me, my little warden, it was merely a dream, yes?" He gulped in spite of himself and added quietly,"Albeit a very real one."

Regina rolled her eyes and sighed in both relief and partial annoyance."He'll be fine." She said over her shoulder to Natasha, who merely snorted in amusement.

Still grinning, Zevran opened his mouth to say another kind of really annoying flirtatious remark when a strange white fog suddenly surrounded him and, much to Regina's relief, he vanished.

"S-Stay back!" Cullen stammered fearfully as he slowly backed into a wall and held his sword tightly but shakily in both hands to defend himself from whoever or whatever was watching his every move and listening to his every thought.

"Why are you so afraid of me, Cullen?" A chilling, sultry voice purred as Cullen heard the sounds of footsteps coming very close to him. The voice sounded so familiar yet so different at the same time. It frightened him to even think about what trick the demons would try to torture him with. No matter how hard he tried not let his guard down, the demons always knew what was on his mind and were well aware of his vain efforts to avoid them.

"No!" He yelled, shutting his eyes tightly and shaking his head vigorously."I'll have no more of your tricks, now begone!"

"Oh no, my handsome little Templar." The chilling voice responded with a laugh that echoed all around him while the footsteps were slowly getting closer and closer to him with each and every passing second."I am not going anywhere, and neither are you."

It was then that the owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows with a smirk on her face and Cullen's eyes immediately widened in shock and horror at the sight before him. Standing only a few feet in front of him was none other than a demon in the form of Natasha Amell. She looked both beautiful and horrible in a small red dress that barely covered her thighs and her long chestnut hair pulled up into a loose ponytail. Her lovely grey eyes were glinting with mischief and desire as she sauntered over to him, easily disarming him and sending his sword rolling across the floor with a wave of her hand.

Cullen trembled with fear as the demon pretending to be Natasha slowly came to a stop right in front of him, her smirk wide and seductive. She took his face in her hands and brushed her lips past his, smiling when she heard him whimper in both fear and unwanted pleasure.

"Relax, love." She spoke softly."You and I both know you've always wanted this and now you finally have it. Or should I say her?" She titled her head and gave him a quizzical grin.

Cullen shut his eyes tightly, fighting to resist the demon's tempting offer of letting him be with the woman he so desperately wanted ever since the day he first met her. But he knew this was not really her, only a clever trick playing on his most deepest desires in order to make him stay, and it seemed to be working very well in his opinion. The demon smirked when she saw conflicted look on his face, knowing that all he needed was one more little push and he was hers.

"Get the bloody hell away from him, you demon!" A familiar voice suddenly yelled, followed by lightning electrocuting the demon from behind and a fireball striking her in the back. Cullen had to take a step away from the demon as it screamed in agony and literally burned to ashes, torn between relief and disgust as he watched the foul creature die.

"Cullen!" Natasha, the real Natasha, cried as she ran to his side and knelt beside him with Regina following closely behind her."Cullen, are you alright?" She asked softly. For Natasha to speak to anyone with such concern and compassion in her voice was rare. The only people she'd ever used this amount of gentleness with were Rosie, Anders, Jowan, and Regina. To hear her speak to him like that made him feel...strange to say the least.

Before he could respond, however, a strange white fog suddenly surrounded him and, with a gasp of surprise, he vanished. Natasha let out a curse as she stood up and nodded to Regina.

"Let's find Wynne and get the hell out of here so we can deal with Uldred. I've had more than enough of this place to last me a lifetime."

"Maker forgive me." Wynne whispered dolefully, falling to her knees and holding her head in her hands as grief and shame tore at her heart."I failed them all. They died and I did not stop it."

"Wynne." A familiar voice murmured. The elderly mage looked to see Natasha and Regina approaching her. The human girl knelt down and took Wynne's hands in her own while Regina placed a hand on her shoulder."You can't believe any of this. It's not real."

Wynne gaped at them, shaking her head. Were they really that blind? How could they not see that this was all her fault? She tore her hands away from Natasha and stood up, gesturing toward one of the corpses in front of her."How on earth can I disbelieve what I see, hear, smell, and feel? Can you not see the death that is all around us?"

"You're in the Fade, Wynne." Regina said, gently grasping her arm."What you see in front of you is just a trick."

Wynne did not seem to hear the elf's words. She was too caught up in her own dole and remorse."Why was I spared, if not to help them?" She asked herself in confusion and anger while clenching her fists at her side and shaking her head vehemently."What use is my life, now that I have failed in the task that was given me?" She pulled her arm out of Regina's grasp and glared at both the elven mage and Natasha."Leave me to my grief, you two. I shall bury their bones, scatter their ashes to the four winds, and mourn their passing until until I am dead as well."

"Wynne!" Natasha snapped, forcing the older woman to look her in the eye and grabbing her by the shoulders a little too tightly."Listen to me. I know how you feel right now. Both of us do. It feels so real, but it's just a trick. You taught Regina and I half of what we know about demons and magic and if we can fight this feeling, then so can you!"

"Both of your blatant disregards for the souls of the dead strikes me as utterly inappropriate and despicable!" Wynne spat."What is it you are trying to tell me? And why must you make this ordeal more painful than it already is? Where were you two when this happened? I trusted you both as friends and allies and yet neither of you were anywhere to be found!"

"Focus on us, Wynne." Regina said."Natasha and I are the only things that are real right now other than you. You need to listen. Please."

Wynne sighed."Very well. I do not know what this will accomplish, but I will do this if it truly satisfies you two to see me suffer like this." She closed her eyes and immediately looked confused and afraid."I do not understand. It feels as though something is trying to keep me from concentrating properly. Perhaps you two are right. I should...leave this place and see if that helps me feel better."

"Don't leave us, Wynne!" One of the dead mages cried, leaping to his feet and reaching out for the old woman."We don't want to be alone! Please don't go!"

"Holy Maker!" Wynne gasped and backed away, horror written across her features."Stay away from me, foul creature! Do not come any closer!"

"Stay, Wynne!" The demon pleaded."Sleep soundly in the comforting embrace of the earth. Do not fight it. You belong here, with us!"

"No!" Wynne shook her head."My time is not yet done. There is still much left for me to do!"

Both Natasha and Regina stepped aside to let Wynne deal with this herself. The demons were still pleading for the elderly mage to stay with them, but her desire to leave and get away from them only grew stronger with each and every minute. When the demons were all finally dead, Wynne looked exhausted and traumatized, but also relieved and more determined than ever to stop Uldred and save the Circle before it was too late. Once she vanished just like the others did, Regina turned to Natasha and nodded. Natasha nodded back at her, knowing what they had to do next.

The two mages grasped each other's hands and shut their eyes tightly as a strange white fog surrounded them before they too vanished.

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Antivan Translations:

Mi pequeño pájaro dulce (Spanish) - My sweet little bird

Bastardo mentiroso (Spanish) - Lying bastard

Mi amor (Spanish) - My love

Elven Translations:

Da'len - Little child

Len'alas lath'din - Dirty child no one loves

Next up: Chapter 23:Saving the Circle