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Vhenan'ara	By : Arcanis_Born Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 6576 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from this.

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Bioware, as with all its characters, the story as it deviates from canon is mine, however, as with the personalities of characters as they deviate from those in the game.
Thank you all so much for your continued readership! It means so much! And a BIG thank you to everyone who leaves a review!
Translations:
Mi diosa bella: Antivan. "My beautiful goddess."
Mi bella: Antivan. "My beauty." Endearment Zevran uses for Riel.
Mi amor: Antivan. "My love."
Pendejos de mierda: Antivan. "Fucking assholes."
Liberación del Lirio: Antivan. "Lily's Release."

Alistair paced the spacious and luxurious office that belonged to his uncle, the Arl of Redcliff. Upstairs, Wynne, Morrigan and the other mages were attempting their ritual on the boy Connor, and they had been at it for more than two hours already. Yet still no word had come down to him or the others waiting in the main room.
"If you are not careful, Alistair, you are going to wear a hole in the arl's carpet."
Alistair looked over to the door and saw the redhaired rogue smiling at him in the jovial manner she usually had. However, Alistair was too stressed and tired to banter back with the woman.
"I think a hole in the arl's carpet would be the least of his worries, Leliana," Alistair snapped back. Growling to himself, Alistair once more ran his hand through his hair as he tried to reign in his anger. "What is taking so long? It has been hours since they disappeared into that room!"
"Is this really about Connor, Alistair?" Leliana asked softly, her hands clasped in front of her.
"What? Of course it is! Connor is-"
"Being taken care of. Irving himself said that he was going into the Fade to do battle against the demon. However, I don't think he is the mage you are most worried about, right now."
Alistair leveled a lethal stare at her, his arms folded across the metal breastplate of his armor. Armor she had bought for him. In fact, she had bought most of the armor and weapons that they all carried. Sure, some was what could be salvaged from enemies, such as accessories or maybe a blade. However most of what their equipment was bought from with the coin they had either gained through salvage or from the odd jobs that seemed to pop up everywhere they went. Almost all of the buying and selling was done by her, though.
"I am worried about Connor," he sneered back at Leliana. "And the arl. And this whole mess. Not to mention the pressing Darkspawn and the-" Alistair's angry tirade was cut off by Leliana marching over to him and smacking his across his face. "Ow! Leliana! What in the name of the Maker did you do that for?"
"I am tired of your sulking, Alistair. Of your angry looks and foul moods every time Riel and Zevran are together!" Leliana hissed, her eyes narrowed to a point as she glared at him.
"She had no right to keep that from us!" Alistair roared back, his face mottled from anger.
"She had every right, Alistair. It isn't like mages are exactly treated very fairly, are they?"
"Riel is a Grey Warden now. She is beyond the control of the Circle and the Chantry!"
"Think about where she came from! Do you think that she could just forget about all that once she joined the Wardens?"
"What does the Dalish have to do with it?"
"You know as well I do that is not what I was talking about, Alistair! I meant before she was with the Dalish," seethed Leliana, trying and failing to keep her voice low enough so others wouldn't hear.
Shame mixed with horror flickered in Alistair's eyes before quickly disappearing behind the cloak of anger he was feeling. Alistair turned away from Leliana and silently walked over to the fireplace, silence filling the space between them. Leliana let him have his quiet for a few minutes before taking a breath to calm herself and again trying to reason with the man.
"We have all heard her nightmares, Alistair," Leliana said with a sigh. "We have all seen the way she reacts to being touched. And we all have seen how much better she has gotten since Zevran joined us."
"Why him though?" he replied, still staring at the fire before him.
"You mean, why not you."
"I've been with her since Ostagar, Leliana. We've fought together, travelled together, and even spent a lot of time going over tactics and strategies and what it means to be a Warden."
"Have you ever asked her why she does it, though?"
Alistair turned his head and looked on the rogue with a puzzled look on his face. "Why she does what?"
"Fight," she replied plainly, yet still Alistair looked upon as if she had grown a second head. Sighing, she tried again. "Battle against the Darkspawn. Gather these treaties. Do all these small jobs for people she barely knows."
"It's what a Warden does," shrugged Alistair, still as confused as before.
"Fighting against the Darkspawn is what a Grey Warden does, but why is she a Warden? Did you ever ask her?"
"Duncan didn't say much about it, really," he shrugged. "Only that he felt she would make a great Warden."
"Agreeing to join a lifelong battle against Darkspawn isn't something many people do, Alistair. And of those that do become Wardens, I can't imagine many of them are of Dalish origin."
"Most Wardens I have met were city people, actually. Elves, humans, dwarves… I actually think Riel is the first Dalish Warden that I've ever met."
"So Riel is a woman from an obviously abused past, living among the Dalish. Hiding her true nature even from them I am guessing, or else Duncan would have known and told you. Correct?" At Alistair's slight nod, Leliana continued on as she walked over to where he was. "She is then thrust into a war against Darkspawn, Loghain's bid for power, and forced to gather allies and companions who she doesn't know in order to fight against the Blight."
"I don't understand."
"What I am saying, Alistair, is that I do not blame Riel for not trusting us. Everything that has happened so far has not been of her own choosing. Joining the Wardens, gathering these treaties and allies, travelling over all of Ferelden. Even leading us has been put on her out of necessity rather than choice. None of this has been of her choosing."
"She chose to be the leader, Leliana," retorted Alistair, his voice stern.
"No, she didn't Alistair. All of us since the beginning have followed her lead. Her decisions. Even when we left Lothering, it was her choice to go to Denerim in search of Genitivi. It was her choice to free the Qunari, Sten. It was her choice to allow Bodahn and Sandal come with us. It was even her choice to go the Circle tower in search of mages to help Connor, despite how afraid she must have been of them finding out about her."
"Okay, so it was her choices, and we have followed them. I still don't understand what any of this has to do with her bedding that damn assassin!" Alistair angrily spat out, his frustration returning to reignite his earlier anger.
"She leads us, and we follow her. Because of the Blight and Ferelden and the war that is coming. Which of us however, chose to follow just her? I had a vision of the Maker, telling me to follow the Grey Wardens in their fight against the Blight. Morrigan joined because her mother thought that her magic would be useful to you. Sten joined not because Riel freed him, but out of regaining his honor by fighting the Blight. Even Wynne has joined with us because she wants to lend her magic to the cause. All of us, we joined the Wardens. However, how many joined because of Riel?"
"I did!" Alistair shouted, pointing at his metal clad chest.
"You have the same mission that she does, Alistair. Like her, fighting the Blight is something you must do as a Grey Warden. You fight beside Riel for the same reason that we all do. To combat the Blight and the Darkspawn."
"I fight to protect her!"
"Of course you do. So do all of us, Alistair. We may have joined for our own reasons, however we each now fight as much for Riel herself as we do against the Blight. She has become special to all of us."
"And yet that assassin-"
"Chose to follow Riel because she was already special to him," Leliana interrupted him once more. "I remember when you came back to camp that night, Alistair. I remember the way that he looked at Riel and how he treated her. He didn't see her as a Grey Warden, out to combat a Blight and therefore needed allies in doing so. He looked at her as someone who needed protecting, because that is what his very instincts told him to do."
"Ugh…" Alistair grumbled as he turned back towards the fire. "She still could have told me she was a…. you know…" he mumbled without looking up.
"Riel is an incredibly strong woman. She also has been hurt very badly in her past. Somehow I don't think her telling an ex-Templar that she is a… you know… was high on her list of things to do, Alistair."
"I wouldn't use that against her! By the Maker, I care about her! I would never hurt her like that!" he exclaimed, a look of offence and disbelief on his face.
"If you care about her, Alistair, then you should see how happy she is with Zevran. You should want her to be that happy."
"Leliana, he's an assassin!" Alistair spitted out the word as if the word itself was dirty and foul in his mouth. "She can't trust him! Who is to say that he isn't getting close to her just so he could offer her up to Loghain the next time we are in Denerim?"
"If you truly believe that, Alistair, then you are more blind than I thought," she said with a sigh, shaking her head. "If you are so able to let go of who you once were, then do not think that Zevran should be given the same option?"
"Assassins don't change, Leliana."
"I did…" Leliana whispered, not bothering to hide the hurt in her voice.
"Leliana, I didn't mean-" Alistair rushed out, however Leliana held up her hand, stopping him.
"We are not so different, Zevran and I. We have both done things in our past that we regret. And we both have chosen to put those regrets aside and now instead follow what our hearts tell us. The only difference is that he has found his heart's desire, and I am still waiting for…." Leliana stopped, seeming unable to continue.
"Waiting for what?" Alistair asked, noticing her pause.
Leliana just smiled and shook her head. "Do not worry about it, Alistair. I should go check on the others, see if they heard anything from Irving or the other mages." Leliana then quickly left the room, leaving Alistair once more alone.
Alistair stood there for a moment, confused over Leliana's words. However, the thing that his mind kept coming back to again and again was Riel and how badly she had been hurt in her past. Despite what Leliana might think, he wasn't a fool. He had heard Riel's nightmares and how she cried alone in her tent. And each time, Alistair would pray to the Maker that he could be able to comfort her.
"Of course!" Alistair whispered to himself. If all of them had heard Riel at night, then so had that blasted assassin! That was how he knew to get close to her!
Alistair's mind then went on to piece together the events they had been through, seeing every attempt by Zevran to get close to Riel as part of his plan. A plan to seduce the traumatized woman and get her to trust him before offering Riel and the rest of her companions up to Loghain.
"I won't let it happen!" he hissed, his eyes locked on the fire in front of him. "Maker be my witness, I won't let that elf hurt her!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Time to awaken, mi diosa bella…"
Riel smiled without opening her eyes, the sweet sound of the Antivan accent rousing her from her dreams. Yes, dreams. She hadn't had a nightmare in days now. And the relief was not only evident on her reduced stress, but on her whole body. Aches and pains that she had grown accustomed to stopped bothering her, and her headaches had all but disappeared. For the first time in her life, Riel didn't wake up every morning afraid or panicked due to the horrors she had experienced. Now, she woke with a smile on her face and a languid feel to her muscles as she opened her eyes to meet the loving gaze of her lover.
"Did I oversleep?" Riel replied with a yawn.
"Not at all, mi bella. In fact I rather enjoy watching you sleep. However, I wanted to make sure that you ate properly, and so have managed to scour the perfect meal despite the rather disappointing lack of resources this area presents."
Riel laughed softly, wondering to herself what kind of 'meal' he could have gathered. They were after all, in the middle of the wilderness next to the Frostback Mountains. A place not well known for its abundance of wild foodstuffs. In fact, their meals since leaving Lake Calenhad a few days ago had been somewhat lean, consisting mostly of dried meat thrown into a pot of water to boil, along with perhaps a few wild roots if they were lucky.
The subject of food itself was a bit of strain on their nightly talks, in fact. With Zevran insisting every night that she eat her full before he would even eat a mouthful of his share. And if she tried to argue with him, saying that she was used to not eating much or that he needed to eat as much as she did, he would almost become angry with her. Not that Zevran ever yelled or even raised his voice to her. However, he would set his jaw in that particular way that told Riel that his mind was set and he wouldn't be budged.
Overall though, their journey together towards the Frostbacks had been nothing short of wonderful for Riel. Each day they would rise and share a small portion of their daily food, then pack together their meager camp and continue westward until night was nearly upon them. Only once did they run into Darkspawn. Scouts, Riel figured, as they were only three of them and far away from the main horde. Together with Zevran at her side, the foul things hadn't lasted long, and to their bonus even had several healing potions on their bodies.
Other than the Darkspawn, the only real thing that threatened the couple were the elements themselves. Colder winds and sharp rain would slow them down as they either took shelter in their tent or against a tree as they waited for the weather to turn. And of course their quickly disappearing food supplies were also a threat as well. Game all but being nonexistent this close to the cold and barren mountains.
Only once in the week since the two of them had left the lake had they either of them even spotted a deer, however it quickly bounded away and out of sight before either Riel or Zevran could get within throwing distance for one of their daggers. The experience made Riel wish she had taken Leliana up on her offer weeks ago to have her teach Riel how to use a bow.
"Come eat, mi bella, before the food gets cold," Zevran urged Riel as she reached for her tunic and pulled it over her head.
"Zevran, you didn't have to…" she laughed softly as she followed him out of the tent. Suddenly she stopped, the sweet smell of cooking meat assaulting her senses and bringing her ignored hunger to a roaring front. "Mmmm… What is that smell?" she asked, her mouth watering.
Zevran smiled and led her over to the fire where he laid out one of the dried skins they had over the cold and wet ground. On a spit over the fire was a large haunch of some kind of animal, and down lower was a pot boiling with some kind of dark liquid. Riel looked up at Zevran, her eyes beginning to water with gratitude.
"Zevran… I…"
"Shh, mi bella… You have not seen the best part," Zevran smiled, a look of pure mischief and pride in his eyes. Gently he helped her sit down on the animal skin before reaching over to a small pile of dried leaves near the fire. Pushing away the leaves, he produced one of their bowls, the contents bringing a pleasured gasp of excitement from Riel.
"Berries!" she exclaimed as her eyes took in the small bounty.
"I found them while I was out hunting. And do not worry, they not poisonous. I tested them to make sure," Zevran stated, his chest puffed out in pride.
Reverently Riel picked up one of the dark purple mounds, the juice of it leaking down her thumb as she popped it into her mouth. Instantly her eyes rolled in pleasure as the taste hit her.
"Mmm! They taste just like the berries some of my clan would find when we travelled west during the summer!"
Zevran couldn't help but smile broadly as he watched his Riel enjoy what he had found for her. This was the reaction he had hoped for, appraising and gathering each berry that he felt was good enough for her beautiful lips. Combined with the young doe he managed to find and kill, Zevran finally felt that perhaps the gods were answering his prayers. For too many days had he prayed to the gods above to provide him a way to take care of his woman. A prayer that Zevran was beginning to feel was being ignored until he all but stumbled upon the deer eating from the same bush that these berries came from.
Using every skill that he knew in the manner of stealth and blending in amongst shadows, Zevran got as close as he dared to the doe before launching himself upon its back and savagely sinking his dagger deep into the animal's neck. The action was feral and born out of a need as primal and inborn as any predatory creature as it hunted its prey. A need to provide for those under his care. Namely, his promised wife and reason for living. His Warden. His Riel.
It was when he was standing over the dying creature at his feet, panting heavily and covered in blood, that Zevran felt the closest he ever had to deserving of her. True, he most likely would never feel as if he were good enough for his precious Warden. But today… Today she would eat. And she would eat well. And it was all because of him. Because of what he managed to do. And didn't that just cause a huge swell of pride and self worth inside of him.
Zevran had then quickly set to work butchering and cleaning the animal. It would take a while to tan the skin and dry the meat from the animal enough for travel, but he figured that they were far enough from any Templars or possible assassins that they could perhaps rest for a day or so. In fact, it was only because of the mountains they camped at the base of that Zevran had any idea where they were at all. After all, there was no mistaking the large mountains with their snow covered peaks and curves that bordered the lands between Ferelden and Orlais.
After Zevran had set the spit over the fire to cook, he quickly went to the stream they camped by and washed off all the blood and gore that had gathered on him. Then he returned to the camp, gathered a bowl they had used for eating, and returned to the bush where he had killed the doe. After testing the berries on himself to make sure they were not poisonous, Zevran gathered as many ripe and perfect berries as he could before returning to the camp and setting forth the rest of his plans.
"It fills me with joy that you are enjoying them, mi bella," Zevran purred as he watched her take another bite.
"Here, have one," she offered, holding out the bowl for him.
"No, they are for you," he replied, holding up his hand against the bowl. "It is enough to know that you enjoy them."
"Zevran, please…" Riel pleaded, picking a berry up and offering it to him directly. "Take one."
Zevran looked at her outstretched hand, the fingers lightly covered in the juice from the berries. Perhaps it was the pleading look in her eyes, or simply his inability to refuse her that led to Zevran slowly opening his mouth for her. Smiling in triumph, Riel gently placed the luscious fruit on his tongue. However, when she tried to pull her hand back, Zevran took hold of it, licking first at her fingers, then down her palm where the berry juice had ran.
"Mmmm…. delicious…." he whispered heatedly, staring at her through hooded eyes.
"Something tells me it's not the berries you mean," Riel laughed.
Zevran answered her by darting forward and taking her mouth, kissing her with a desperate passion that seemed to accompany every kiss they now shared. As if it hadn't been just hours since he felt her against him, and instead it felt as if weeks or months had passed since he had her last. The hunger he felt her was the same as well. Something never sated, and always eager for more for her. Of the feel of her skin against his. Of the taste of her mouth. Of the feel of her tightness around him as he made love to her.
Each night they had camped, he had taken her. And each time she was just as eager for him as he was for her. Sometimes they would even enjoy each other two or three times before sleep finally claimed the both of them. And yet despite all that, each time felt as the first had. As a completeness Zevran had never felt before. A feeling of finally being whole after a lifetime of being only a single part.
"Mmm… should we be taking this back inside the tent, ser elf?" Riel crooned against his mouth before looking up into his eyes. "The wind might still be a bit chilly on my bare skin this morning. Although," she paused as he reached for the leather armor covering him. "I supposed you could always find a way to warm me up…"
Zevran laughed at her forthright behavior. How so much had changed in his Riel since their time by the lake. Where he had no doubt that Riel would probably still react negatively to anyone but him trying to touch her, when it was just the two of them… Slowly his Riel was becoming more bold and forward with her affections. It was just another thing that Zevran took pride in when it came to her. That he was able to help her finally open up and become more comfortable with her body and what it craved.
"Again you amaze me, mi bella," he chuckled lightly as he stared into her amazing silver eyes. "Most women would be shoving away their man by now, claiming to be sore from all the... exercise… they had endured in such a short amount of time."
"Believe me Zevran, I know what sore feels like," Riel teased back, her arms coming around his neck and holding onto him. "What you do - what we do - that doesn't make me sore in the least."
Riel had meant the comment to be joking; just a light tease in the same way he teased her. However she wasn't expecting the dark look of anger to wash over his features as she looked up at him. Surprised, she pulled back a little, one of her hands coming forward to rest on his face.
"Zevran…?"
"I hate what was done to you, Riel," he finally said, his voice a dark hiss of anger instead of the sweet purr he usually had when he spoke to her. "Hate isn't even a strong enough of a word to describe it. That someone - anyone - could hurt you like that…." his voice slightly broke then, his own hand coming to rest on her cheek.
"Oh Zevran…" Riel sadly gasped as Zevran gathered her up into his arms, holding onto her tightly.
"I will never let anyone ever hurt you again, mi bella. And if you had not killed them yourself, I would gladly hunt down each of those pendejos de mierda and show them the true meaning of Crow torture!" Zevran's voice was pure venom and hatred as he spoke, frightening Riel a bit with the depth of anger that laced through it.
"Shh… Zevran… I'm fine now. They're gone," whispered, trying to calm him by running her hand through his golden hair.
Zevran lifted her chin and kissed her again, the heated passion from before being replaced by a more feral and carnal need. As if he needed to mark her with his touch so anyone who saw her would know who exactly they would be pissing off if they endangered her in any way. Riel took it all of his pained need and returned it, embracing his passion with her own.
Slowly Zevran's hand moved down her face to her neck, lightly caressing the skin with the soft touches of his fingers. Then further down it drifted, before it stopped over her breast. Gently he cupped her through the fabric of her tunic, eliciting a soft moan from Riel, her lips still fused against his own. Zevran ran his thumb over the peak of her nipple before massaging the flesh in a slow circular motion. Again Riel moaned, her hips lifting slightly in response to his touches.
"Riel…" he voiced huskily against her lips.
"Yes?" The sound was more moan than words, and it sent a wave of pure pleasure down his spine and straight to that part of him that yearned to be inside of her.
"You need to eat…" Zevran growled, pulling himself from her and reaching for the plate of cooked meat he had prepared earlier for her.
"Zevran…" Riel half groaned, half laughed.
"First you eat," he insisted, picking up a piece and offering it up to her mouth. "Then I take you back to the tent and ravish you until we are both blind from pleasure," he added with a wink.
"You better, mi amor," Riel laughed before accepting the piece of meat offered to her.
"Trust me, mi bella, I would never leave you hungry…" he replied as he picked up another piece of meat and placed it into her mouth. The double meaning not lost on Riel, and she smiled wickedly, loving the look of passion in his eyes as he fed her.
When Riel had finished almost all of the meat on the plate, Zevran adjusted Riel on his lap so he could reach the pot of now boiling liquid. Carefully he poured the contents into a wooden mug and handed her the liquid.
"What is this?" she asked as she sniffed the dark liquid she held.
"You did not think that your perfect meal would be complete without the perfect beverage, did you?" Zevran replied with a laugh. "This my dear sweet Warden is a special drink that is known in Antiva. It is made with a mixture of select herbs, however, it's true flavor is not reached until it is blended with fresh honey. The herbs themselves I had stashed in my pack for a special occasion, and this morning did I come across the honey. I knew then that I had to make you this very special drink that I have carried with me for so long."
Riel beamed at him, her voice momentarily lost in the gratitude and love she felt just then. With wet eyes, she blew softly over the rim of the mug and took her first taste. And Creators, was it delicious! The heat from the liquid ran through her like a warm summer day, heating her from the inside out. A light spice stayed on her tongue even after she swallowed, almost sizzling in her mouth before the sensation washed over over her. Riel actually groaned in pleasure when she breathed in the cool mountain air, the contrast between the hot drink and cold air causing another wash of sensations through her.
"You have no idea how much it pleases me to see you drink this, mi bella…" Zevran purred, his hand lighting stroking her back as she sat in his lap.
"Creators, what is this? It's amazing!" Riel replied before taking another luxurious sip from the mug. Again the sensations hit her, almost stronger than before.
"It is called Liberación del Lirio, Lily's Release."
"That sounds beautiful, Zevran," she smiled, before kissing him.
"It is special drink where I am from, mi bella. Normally it is only taken during celebrations, however if it is brewed with prayers for the gods in mind, and then given to a woman who a man desires, it becomes something more."
"And what is that?"
"A proposal."
"A proposal? Like for marriage?" Riel asked, her face lit up in a beautiful smile.
"I know I have already asked you to marry me, but I felt a need to give you this as well," Zevran answered, his voice thick with emotion. "And I also wanted to tell you that when we are able, I plan on contacting the Dalish and putting together a proper Dalish bonding for the two of us."
"Oh Zevran!" she exclaimed, almost spilling the drink in hands as hugged him to her with one arm. "Do you mean it? Wait… What about the Blight?"
"I know how much the Dalish mean to you, mi bella. You may be a Warden now, but a large part of your heart is still with your people. The people who rescued you and sheltered you for so many years."
"And the Blight?"
"The Archdemon will be there waiting whether we are bonded together or not, mi bella. If it must wait until after you vanquish the beast, then so be it. However, I was hoping that when he contact the Dalish of the purposes of your Grey Warden treaties, I may inquire of them then. That is, if you do not object."
"In that case, I accept, Zevran. Again," Riel added with a soft giggle that was quickly lost as Zevran kissed her deeply. Again her drink almost spilled as she lost herself to his touch and the feel of his lips on her own.
"Mmm… You should finish your drink, mi bella. The proposal is only officially accepted when the mug is emptied and returned back to the suitor who offered it," he crooned against the feel of her lips.
Riel smiled broadly before lifting the mug and taking huge swallows of it, drinking it down completely in a matter of seconds. Then with a wicked tint to her eyes, she handed the now empty mug back to Zevran. "Anything else?" she quipped, her features a gorgeous mixture of desire and mischief.
"Only for me to show my complete devotion to you, mi amor…" Zevran replied in a husky tone before managing somehow to stand up with her still in his arms. He then carried her back to the tent that they shared, Riel soft laugh in his ears as he ducked them inside and closed the fabric flap behind him.
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Vhenan'ara