A Ride in the Country
Chapter 1
Cara Lavellan took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the scenery around her; a pale autumn sun sat majestically amidst clouds tinted pink in the afternoon sky, lighting the lush, green fields stretching before her. She felt exhilarated, and her dappled grey horse, Shadow, tossed his head as he picked up on her emotions. She loosened her hold on the reins giving the horse permission to gallop, and let out a shout of joy as he took off with long bounding strides. The wind lifted her hair, causing it to flutter behind her like the tail of a red comet; her long skirt fluttered around her calves, tickling her skin. Oh, Maker! She needed this; to let loose and feel free, to forget all the worries, pressures, and stress of being the Inquisitor.
She thought of the Iron Bull and his offer to help relieve some of that stress. For a moment, she could almost feel his hard body pressed against hers, as he'd done that night in her bedroom. She shivered as she remembered his large hand closing around her wrists and holding them above her head; she'd given into temptation and the arousal that had surged through her body that night.
Cara grimaced, recalling the delight at getting the man she'd wanted from the moment she'd first seen him. That bubble of happiness had burst when she'd spoken to him afterwards, He'd laid down the rules, making it clear that this was about sex and nothing more. It broke her heart when he explained how easily he could walk away from the relationship.
She'd wanted him so badly and had almost given in to the temptation just so she could keep spending time alone with him, but, in the end, she'd chosen to finish it before her heart became forever lost to the big Qunari. They were still friends, and she'd even continued to go to the tavern for a while. However, at the end of each night, she'd watch him climb the stairs to his room with a barmaid in tow, and her heart would break all over again. Eventually, she stopped torturing herself and avoided =the tavern.
Cara shook her head, pushing the sad memories away, knowing she only had herself to blame. Instead, she lost herself in the wildness of the racing horse, the crisp fresh air, and the beautiful landscape around her.
After thirty minutes, Shadow slowed down to a trot, and she patted his neck, praising his stamina as she pulled the reins to the right and headed for home. She'd only travelled a hundred yards or so when a bear plodded out from the trees lining the side of the field.
"Ah, sod it! What is it with me and bears?" She felt a tremor run through Shadow and tightened her knees to hold him in check while whispering calming words. "It's okay, fella. He's just out for a walk." The bear stopped and gave her a fierce glare; perhaps it heard the Inquisitor and took offence at her words, or maybe it just felt peckish. Whatever the reason, the big shaggy ursine charged at the horse and rider.
"Shite!"
Cara dug her heels into Shadow's side and whipped her reins, urging the horse to move faster. "I'm going to declare hunting season on all bears when I get back to Skyhold."
She glanced over her shoulder and saw the bear still making a valiant effort to reach them. Cara laughed; no way in hell the beast would catch up with Shadow who ran like the wind and could outrun a shaggy old bear even when tired. She turned slightly in her saddle and made a rude gesture to the big shambling beast, which is when Shadow's hoof went down a rabbit hole. He stumbled, and perhaps if she'd been holding on with both hands, she might have managed to keep him upright, or at least hang on to the reins - but, she'd been too slow in reacting to the danger, and consequently found herself sailing through the air. She hit the ground with a resounding oomph as the wind was knocked from her body.
Gingerly, Cara lifted her head and groaned as pain pounded in her skull. Pressing trembling hands into the earth, she slowly pushed herself into an upright position and caught a glimpse of Shadow bolting away from her. Damn it! She'd been no better than a novice rider letting go of the reins. No doubt she'd have to put up with some good-natured ribbing from her friends when she reached Skyhold. Pushing aside her exasperation, Cara focused on the silver lining: if Shadow could run that fast then it seemed unlikely he'd been injured - although the Dennet, the stablemaster, would no doubt check the horse thoroughly.
A deafening roar reminded her why she'd been galloping. Cara turned her head to see the bear strolling towards her wearing a smug smile, at least it looked that way to her. She scrambled to her feet and then shrieked as pain shot through her right ankle. Due to the boots she wore, she couldn't tell if the ankle had swollen, but she would bet her last copper that at the very least, she had a bad sprain. She shuffled away while keeping a wary eye on the bear, but each step felt like shards of glass were being pushed into her ankle. Frustrated and in pain, she indulged in a loud bout of swearing. The bear paused, perhaps sensing a threat from the young woman it hunted, but then hunger overrode its senses and it ran towards her.
Cara let out a panicked squeal and unwittingly put all her weight on the sprain with her next step; raw agony sliced through her ankle, and she screamed as she toppled backwards. She shook her head to clear the pain and reached for the hilt of her Knight-Enchanter weapon, but came up empty. "Well, shit!" she grumbled, borrowing the saying from her favourite dwarf. She lifted her hand and threw out a lightning bolt, hitting the bear in the paw, which brought the creature to a momentary halt. Her head swam, and Cara knew she wouldn't be able to cast many more spells. The shock of the fall, and the pain were taking their toll on her.
While the bear debated about attacking her again, she looked around wildly for her weapon, knowing she would stand a better chance with that in her hand. She spotted a glint of metal about twenty feet from her; it might as well have been twenty miles away.
When the bear roared again she knew her time had run out and she needed to fight. A ball of flame coalesced in her hand and she threw it towards the great beast. Unfortunately, her blurred vision had the inevitable effect on her aim and the fire only scorched a few hairs along the bear's flank, leaving it relatively unharmed. However, it stopped again, cautiously sniffing the air. Cara sighed angrily. "Well, that's just great. You were meant to go up in flames, you big ball of fur."
The sound of thundering hooves reached her ears, and she let loose a relieved breath at the sight of a large black horse speeding towards her. She knew only one man who rode such a steed; the Iron Bull. When Dennet had joined the Inquisition, he'd taken one look at the Qunari and had brought out a massive black stallion. Bull had nodded his approval, and after riding around for a while, announced that he would name his horse Asaara because it ran like the wind. Watching man and beast race towards her, she could understand why he'd chosen that name.
The pounding of rough paws in front of her called her attention back to the bear, who'd decided to throw caution to the wind and charge once more. "Ah shit," she muttered.
Her head thumped sickeningly, and her vision wavered as she put all her effort into one last spell; a ball of flame started to grow, but then flickered and disappeared. "Damn it!" Her voice sounded slurred and weak. She didn't see the Iron Bull pull his great axe from its harness or the powerful swing he took at the bear. She distantly heard a roar and wondered if that was the bear or the Iron Bull before darkness claimed her.
Cara awoke and became aware of a large hand cupping her head, and the warmth of Bull's body heating her chilled skin. She cleared her throat and sat up, fighting against the flush of arousal at being so close to Bull. She bit her lip as her head and ankle protested the sharp movement; the blood drained from her face and she knew she didn't need to worry about blushing.
"Easy, boss. You need rest and a cold compress on that ankle before you can start walking again."
"Bloody stupid bear," she grumbled. With a start, Cara noticed that night had closed in. "How long have I been out?"
Bull carefully lifted her into his arms as he replied, "A few hours. I was starting to get worried." He straightened into a standing position, and Cara fought to keep down her stomach contents as a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over her. She closed her eyes and swallowed the saliva that was filling her mouth. Oh, Creators, she was going to be... "Sick! Bull... put me down."
"Boss?" Understanding replaced his confusion when he saw the sickly pallor of her skin. Quickly, he knelt and laid her on the damp grass where she immediately rolled onto all fours and vomited.
Frowning, he held back her long hair and waited for the paroxysms to pass; it seemed likely that she had a concussion, and unfortunately, he had no healing potions. He wondered if it was worth risking the ride back to Skyhold, but one look at the thick clouds blocking the moonlight made it clear that no such journey could be attempted. He peered through the darkness trying to find somewhere they could shelter for the night, but the pitch black was unyielding.
Realising that Cara was trying to shuffle away from the mess she'd made, Bull gently picked her up. "How are you feeling, now?"
"Better," she mumbled. He glanced down to check her colour, but became distracted by the sight of her curled up against his chest like a stray kitten. I am so screwed, he thought gloomily.
"You can move, Bull. I'm not going to throw up again." Her words pulled him from his reverie.
"I'm trying to decide where we can stay for the night," he lied.
Cara's brows pulled together as she tried to recall where they were. After a moment, she said, "If you head north for about ten minutes, you should come to an abandoned house. I've passed it a few times during my rides."
He looped Asaara's reins over his wrist so the horse knew to follow, then set off at a slow pace, doing his best not to jolt her around. She might not feel sick any longer but he was pretty certain she had one hell of a headache.