Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

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
- 31
- 32
- 33
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 bella: Antivan. "My beauty." Endearment Zevran uses for Riel.
Te amo demasiado que perder: Antivan. "I love you too much to lose you."
Mierda: Antivan. "Shit." A common swear word.

Zevran opened his eyes and had to blink several times, trying to clear the haze that lingered in his sight. The whole world seemed bathed in a strange light, as if it were a painting that was painted with the wrong shades of color. Yet no matter how many times he blinked or rubbed at his eyes, the strange tinge to the world persisted.
"Your sight is not flawed, elf…"
Zevran quickly sat up and looked in the direction of the voice. Standing several feet from him was an old human woman, withered by time until her hair was near white, and lines from wrinkles etched across her face. Yet despite her age, a deep power exuded from her. Power different from that of a mage or Templar, and infinitely greater than either.
"Who are you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing on her.
"I go by many names. Some of which are known, some of which are not. I am as you can see, an old woman. Yet is that I all that I am?" the old woman laughed, her voice shrill sounding to Zevran's delicate ears. "Hmm… Know that whoever I am, I am someone not to be trifled with."
Zevran looked around. He seemed to be in the midst of a forest, with tall trees and thick brush surrounding him. The grass underneath was soft and thick, and the area seemed completely untouched by human or elf for years. He tried to focus on how he got there, yet his mind seemed even more clouded than his eyesight. He did not remember lying down to rest, and certainly didn't remember entering any forest, especially one that looked like this. Or was this silent. Despite the tall trees, not a single bird sang from their heights. Thinking on it, Zevran couldn't feel the wind or sun either, even though it was clearly midday judging from how bright it was.
"Where am I?"
"Well, isn't that the next most logical question, isn't it?" the woman again chuckled to herself.
She wore peasant clothing, a simple brown dress that covered her arms and most of her legs. A plain black belt hung about her waist, and common shoes fitted her feet. There was no grand jewelry gracing her neck, and no adornments in her hair. Pretty enough in her old age, she was still rather plain with her unkempt white hair and unblushed cheeks. The woman looked like so many poor or impoverished women that filled the lands of Thedas.
Zevran stood and leveled a glare on the woman. Despite her normal appearance, there was definitely something not right about her. The power he felt from her was not something a simple peasant should have access too. Not to mention the way her hard eyes looked upon him, judging him as if he were a piece of meat to be consumed. And not in the good way, either.
"Are you a mage?" he asked, doubting she would answer truthfully. After all, not many outside of the Circle would.
The woman laughed heartily. "A mage you say? Well, I have certainly been called one in the past."
"I see you didn't answer the question…"
"No, I did not," the woman snapped, her own eyes narrowing. "And what would you do if I said that I was?"
"I would do nothing," Zevran shrugged casually.
"Oh? I thought citizens were required to inform the Chantry if they found a mage outside of the Tower that lacked proper papers."
"As you can see, my lovely lady, we are far from any Chantry," Zevran smiled as he motioned to the thickly wooded area around him. "Besides, I am not one to go tattling to the Chantry just because some wish to live beyond their control."
"So you don't think that all mages should be brought to the Circle?" the old woman asked, taking a few steps closer. Zevran remained still, however, not showing any discomfort at her closeness if he felt any.
"If a mage needs the guiding presence of the Circle, then that is where they should be. However, not every mage needs their aid. They should not be forced to submit themselves as slaves," Zevran bit back, his eyes glaring at the woman. He knew his answers were being tested, and that whether a battle would take place or not rested entirely on not just his answers, but how truthful he was in giving them.
The old woman smiled, the look more cruel than friendly. "Do you know why mages need to be watched by Templars?"
"Because the Chantry fears demons," he responded. He had heard the Chant before many times. Had heard the sisters preaching that magic was dangerous and invited temptation from evil beings that would kill and corrupt anything they touched. He may be an assassin, but he was no fool.
"We shall see about that…" the old woman murmured to herself. She then crossed one arm over her midsection, and raised her other hand to gently touch her face. A thinking pose that he had often seen someone else do…. Someone important to him… "The Chantry fears many things, elf," the woman stated, pulling Zevran away from his clouded memories. "Most of which, it fears change. Change threatens the power it wields, and the control it has over those beneath it."
"Why do you want to know my views on mages and the Chantry?"
"If I were to tell you that change was coming - change great enough to shatter the very Chantry itself - would you try to stop it? Would you protect the ways of tradition that so many held dear?"
"I would do what I thought was best at the time. Although I doubt very much that such a change could exist, if it brought about something better, why would I stop it? Not everything is worth saving," Zevran chuckled coldly. "As a Crow, you learn to accept death, and the change that it brings. For without death, there can be no life."
"What if you were given something worth saving, however? Even if it meant that the whole world were to burn because of it?"
"What are you getting at old woman?" snapped Zevran. He was getting tired of the games. Something inside of him was making him anxious, as if he needed to be somewhere other than he was. Somewhere beyond this eerie forest and this strange woman with her cryptic words.
"If you were given a treasure to hold, yet you knew this treasure would usher in the beginning of change so vast that history itself would forever change, would you give it up? Or would you sacrifice the world for this treasure you held so dearly in your hands?"
The way the woman spoke pulled at something in Zevran's mind. Something important that he had somehow forgotten. However, he forced himself to remain stoic and unfazed. There was no telling who this woman was or what she was after.
"It would depend on the treasure…" Zevran chuckled, covering his true emotions with his casual charm.
"A treasure beyond words, elf," the old woman said softly, her yellow eyes flashing silver for a moment.
Zevran gasped, his mind reeling over images he still couldn't place. Silver eyes…. Why did that call out to him so much?
"There is such a treasure out there. Precious beyond all the wealth in the world. However, it has been damaged. Misused. And mistreated…." the woman's expression went soft for the first time since they had began speaking. "It has been…. broken…."
An image flashed to Zevran's mind - a woman sitting afraid, eyes filled with tears as she looked upon him, trembling and ready to run away because of the deep fear that she felt. 'I am broken, Zevran…' the face said to him… her silver eyes pleading….
"Make no mistake, change is coming. There are dark forces conspiring, elf. Things which wish to alter the world in ways that would bring about the suffering of many. The drums of war already beat, and it is not so simple as a battle against corrupted creatures born in dark lairs and tunnels deep underground. That is only the beginning."
"You speak in riddles!" Zevran hissed, a deep anxiety building in him, coming from half images and forgotten memories. What was going on?
"Then hear me now!" the woman snapped back. "I have gifted to you my greatest treasure. A treasure that will help set in motion a chain of events which will affect all the people of Thedas for ages to come."
'I love you, Zevran…' a voice called out to him from somewhere in Zevran's mind.
"However, the forces that work against me will stop at nothing to break her. To destroy her. For within her lies the very end of the very plague that kills her!" the old woman exclaimed, an immense gust of wind suddenly whipping around her and hitting Zevran head on. Lifting his arms over his face to protect himself, Zevran had to ground his footing to keep himself from being blown over. "Will you protect her?!" the old woman screamed out, her shrill voice somehow not lost in the gale that blasted against Zevran.
"Yes!" Zevran answered even as he struggled against the wind.
"Will you fight for her?!" the woman called out again, louder this time.
Zevran had trouble gaining his breath as the wind assaulted not just his skin, but his lungs. "Yes!" he cried out.
"Will you die for her?!"
The wind now stung like knives, slashing at Zevran's skin and tearing away his flesh. His eyes watered and his throat felt dryer than a desert, yet still Zevran held his ground. His flesh rendered from his very bones, he refused to back down. He couldn't, even if had the desire to. A feeling erupting from deep within his being calling out him, solidifying his resolve no matter the cost. Even though sanity told him to keep his arms braced against his face to protect himself against the bladed wind, Zevran lowered his limbs and stared at the woman with every ounce of conviction he held within his eyes.
"Yes! I will die for her!" Zevran screamed out against the gale, his fists clenched and his body heated despite the coldness of the air around him.
Suddenly the gale ended, bringing back immediately the calm stillness of before. Zevran gasped for air, feeling as if he he hadn't breathed for hours and was now suddenly granted the precious oxygen. Falling to his knees, he glared up at the old woman, his golden eyes sparking fire in his anger.
"Good. Now don't betray her again, elf. Her heart has been broken enough."
"W-wh-who are y-you..?" he managed to gasp, his throat nothing but sand against rock.
"As I said, I am someone not to be trifled with, elf. Beyond that, I simply am an old, old woman who has seen far too many of those dear to me perish because of mistakes made long ago. Now…. you have a job to do, do you not? Zevran?"
"Zevran?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Zevran?"
Zevran gasped deeply as he bolted upright. His eyes wide, he looked to his side to see the worried gaze of the older mage, Wynne. Beside her was the witch Morrigan, who despite her stoic expression, her yellow eyes still managed to looked concerned. Quickly Zevran looked around him, his eyes searching for the only thing that he cared about. The only thing that filled his mind even as his stomach lurched and his head felt as if it were split in two.
"Riel?" he managed to say, his voice so terribly hoarse that it was painful even to breathe.
"She is fine," Wynne smiled softly.
However, he couldn't believe her. Not until he saw her with his own eyes. Felt her warm skin with his own hands. Heard her heart beating and saw the beautiful silver tint of her eyes as she looked up at him. Only then would he know that she was alive and well. Even if she hated him. Even if she despised him. Just for that one moment to know that she was alive….
"W-where?" he wheezed, coughing several times due to the effort.
"You need to rest, Zevran. The venom…-" Wynne tried to push him gently back down to the bedroll beneath him. Yet with weakened arms he pushed her away. He didn't need rest. What he needed was his Riel. His beautiful, sweet Riel.
"Oh, out of the way old woman!" Suddenly the witch Morrigan was in his gaze, holding something in her hands. "First you drink. Than you shall drink one more. Only then shall I take you to see her. Understood?" Morrigan's hard look matched his own glare. A quiet battle of wills ensued, with each of them trying to stare down the other. Finally Zevran just took the cup she offered and downed the liquid as quickly as he could, mentally cursing the woman.
That is, until his body launched into a coughing fit that wracked through his entire being. Violent spasms shot through him as he damn near coughed up both of his lungs. At least, that was what it felt like. And that damnable woman was still there in front of him, blocking Zevran from getting up. In her hands another cup filled with the same liquid. Once the coughing subsided enough for him to breathe somewhat normally, he glared at the witch, glancing between the cup she held and her yellow eyes.
"No, 'tis not poison, you fool," she snapped, rolling her eyes. "Why does everyone insist that I am now poisoning them?"
"Well, you did drug Riel, and are well educated in herbs and toxins…"
Morrigan shot a glare over to Wynne, before returning her gaze to Zevran's. "'Tis merely water, you foolish man. You were severely dehydrated from the venom that infected you. The coughing is your damnable body adjusting to having water again," she huffed. However when Zevran just continued to glare at her, Morrigan groaned in frustration and put the cup to her own lips. Taking a quick drink, she then offered to Zevran. "Better? Now drink, you damnable man!"
Satisfied that perhaps she was telling the truth, Zevran took the cup from her and drained the rest of the liquid. Admittedly, this time it did go down easier than the first time. His mind felt clearer too. However, the water did nothing to ease the burning ache in his soul to lay his eyes upon his Riel and see that she lived.
"I do not suppose that I can force another cup upon you before you go sprinting off, can I?" Morrigan quipped with a sigh.
Zevran shook his head. "Riel. Now." He agreed to her two cups. Now it was time for his heart to no longer lay in pieces. And the only thing that could put it back together was her.
Morrigan sighed, then stood. "You there, dwarf. Help me move the idiot to his woman."
With a few grunts and a lot of pain on Zevran's part, the three of them finally managed to shuffle over to the tent that he and Riel shared. After lowering him down to his knees, Zevran pushed the other two away, before crawling through the tent flap and into the small area.
There, lying on her back was his goddess. Her eyes were closed, and she had her armor on. Blood and dirt covered her body, yet she was never more beautiful to him than she was in that moment. Grunting painfully, Zevran managed to crawl over to her, then carefully lowering himself down by her side.
With an unsteady hand, Zevran reached out and gently touched her cheek. Her skin was warm, bringing a smile to his face. And in the silence, his sensitive ears could hear her steady breathing and the soft thump of her heart beneath the leathers that she wore. Repeating thankful prayers in his mind, Zevran placed his forehead against her shoulder and finally allowed himself to take a real breath since coming awake.
Beside him, Riel moaned then turned her body into his. Her unconscious form instinctively seeking him out, she nuzzled into him, pressing her body against his. Zevran gratefully wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him.
"I am here, mi bella…. I am… here…" he whispered to her, tears falling down his cheeks.
"Mmm…. Zevran..." Riel moaned blissfully, her eyes remaining closed. "Zevran!" she then exclaimed, her upper body shooting up and her eyes popping wide. "Zevran! Is it really you?"
"I believe so…." Zevran chuckled, his perfect charming smile in place.
Riel then wrapped her arms around his body and pulled him to her tightly. Zevran didn't fight against the tight embrace in the least, his own arms winding around her and returning her tight hold. The two of them stayed like that for several moments, Zevran just grateful that she was indeed alive and breathing.
Suddenly Riel pulled back from him, her hand coming up and slapping him hard against his cheek. "Ow!" he exclaimed, however his protest was cut off by Riel learning down and kissing him hard and long. Her slap forgotten for the moment, Zevran lost himself in the feeling of her lips against him. That was until she pulled away again, then giving him another hard slap across the face.
"You bastard! ` You awful, ignorant asshole!" Riel cried, tears falling down her face. Zevran had an apology on his tongue before he was once again cut off by her mouth on his. The sweetness of her taste luring him under once more. "I hate you…" she uttered against his lips.
"I know," he answered to her, cursing himself for the thousandth time.
Riel sat up and wiped at her eyes. It was so hard looking at him, lying there next to her like nothing was different. Yet everything was different, wasn't it? Zevran propped himself up on his arm, unsure of what to say or how to apologize to her. To be honest, he wasn't even sure how long he was out from the attack. Or why his Riel was in her armor and covered with blood and dirt. He was just too grateful to see her eyes open and looking at him.
"You didn't want me to follow you," Riel finally said, breaking the silence between them.
"You were too worn down. Between the nightmares and what being down here was doing to do…"
"You drugged me, Zevran…" she spat out, her voice filled with anger.
"I couldn't risk your life, mi bella," Zevran replied, sitting up and cupping her cheek in his hand. "I would do anything to protect you."
"I couldn't wake up. Don't you understand? The dreams… The nightmares… I could always wake up before…. But when you…" Riel paused, a sob rocking through her body. Yet when Zevran reached out to comfort her, she pushed him away. "With whatever that was in me, I couldn't wake up from them. They just kept repeating. Getting worse and worse…"
"Riel… I am so very sorry…" Zevran's voice broke, tears in his eyes.
"And do you want to know what I woke up to? Not you holding me and telling that they were just dreams. No, I have Morrigan and Wynne sitting over me, telling me that I was drugged, and that all of you - even you - planned it." Riel's sadness gave way to anger, the bitter feeling of betrayal that she had kept pushing away while his life was in danger and she needed to focus on fighting. "That wasn't even the worst of it, though! When I leave the tent here, I see you and Leliana, unconscious and nearly dead!"
"Riel, I-"
"No! You don't get to speak now, Zevran! I trusted you! You were the only one who knew what happened to me before. Why I hate people touching me and why I am the way I am. Only you knew why I refused to take that piss medicine that Alistair tried forcing on me! And what did you do? You used my trust in you to drug me. To take away my choice in how I dealt with this crap! Don't you think I knew how bad I was? That I knew how close I was breaking? But you didn't give me the choice of taking Morrigan's potion, did you? You forced it on me. You used my trust in you to force something on me that I didn't want and didn't know about!"
Zevran remained silent as she yelled at him. He knew he deserved her words and much worse. Out of everything that he did in the past - the mistakes he made in handling her or trying to work around her guard - none of it had been purposeful. None except for this. Zevran knew that she had every right to hate him. He had done the one thing that he swore that he would never do.
"There is no words I can give to you…" he whispered when the silence begin to stretch between them.
"All I wanted was the choice, Zevran…" Riel cried, her wind of anger gone for the moment. "To live or die, that has always been the only choice that I have ever been given. Everything else has just formed around those two choices. Do this to live, or don't do it to die. Even when I fight, I choose to fight back and survive because to not do so would mean that I just lie down and die. And that was always the one thing that I could never do. For most of my life, I survived each day not because I had any hope for the future or that things would change for me. I survived because it was the only option I had. Even when Duncan found me and offered to make me a Grey Warden, I didn't do it because I wanted to. I left with him because there was no other choice. During the Joining, I was the only who survived. Again, not because I wanted to be a Warden. But because there was no other choice. Wardens or death. And death wasn't an option for me. Then came the battles at Ostagar, fleeing to Lothering, and every single day since then. I got up each day and survived, pushing forward and doing what I had to, because there was no other choice. And the only time that ever changed for me was when I met you."
Riel wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep herself from giving in to the urge to go back into Zevran's warm embrace. Yet she couldn't. Not yet. Not until he understood.
"You gave me back a choice, Zevran. You gave me a reason to get up each day other than just simply having to. To fight this Blight. To gather an army. To fight the Archdemon. Those have never been choices for me. But you…. You gave me a choice. A reason to open my eyes every morning and to be happy for it. And now…."
"You still have a choice, Riel…" Zevran whispered softly, his voice cracking from emotion. "I do not deserve your forgiveness. I know this. I do not deserve anything from you, and I never have. However, you do have a choice. Send me away right now, and I shall never bother you again. If you can withstand my presence, I will still fight for you. I will follow you to the end of this journey and help you to defeat the Archdemon. However, that will be the end of my involvement with you. And when the Archdemon lies dead and this Blight is over, you can choose to send me away, never to see me again. Or you can choose to send me away now. And I will leave. I will find my own way back to the surface and never trouble you again."
"Those are my choices, Zevran?" Riel laughed sharply, her tone dark and filled with sadness.
"The only ones that I deserve," he shrugged.
"Creators…. Morrigan was right… you really are a fool…"
"Riel…?"
"I'm mad, Zevran. Incredibly pissed off, and annoyed, and frustrated, and worried, and a whole bunch of other things that I don't have the words to describe. And a large part of me wants to yell and scream and call you names while I beat on you with Oghren's hammer."
"Which I rightly deserve…."
"Probably," Riel grinned. "However, I keep going back to that moment when I saw you lying by the fire, pale and unmoving. You were so cold, it was if you were already dead. And it felt as if a part of me died in that moment too. Seeing you there, I was determined to get you better, no matter what it took. No matter what I had to kill or who I had to face. And that's when I started to understand. At least in part. Going back to where you were attacked and fighting against those spiders-"
"You went back?" Zevran exclaimed, his eyes wide in horror. "By the gods, why?"
"To save you. We needed to go back there to get the things we needed for the antidote," she stated as if it were one of the most obvious things in the world. However judging from the look of horror on Zevran's face, the only obvious thing was how petrified he was at her words.
Zevran couldn't hold himself back any longer, launching himself at Riel and pulling her into a tight embrace against him. He then let go of her and lightly started patting her down, carefully examining her for injuries as if he again needed to make sure for himself that she was indeed unharmed.
"Zevran. Zevran! I'm fine!" she laughed softly.
Zevran took hold of her face and stared into her eyes. "You must never go back there, mi bella. It is far too dangerous-"
"We killed the queen, Zev," Riel stated, cutting him off. It took a moment for her words to reach him, his wide eyes blinking several times before he finally processed what she said.
"What?"
"When Wynne and Shale came back with you two, they ran into the Legion of the Dead. Kardol, their leader, helped us go back and get what we needed for the antidote. That's what I was trying to tell you. With Kardol and his men, we were able to get past the spiders and defeat their queen."
Zevran felt incredibly dizzy all of a sudden. Images of Leliana's being attacked raced through his mind, only instead of her face, it was Riel's. Her scream for help that echoed in his ears as he battled to get to her in time. Her that the spider dropped down onto from above and attacked. Her body lying dead and unmoving underneath the giant eight legged beast.
"Zevran? Are you okay?" she asked him.
"No! No, I am not okay! By the gods, I almost lost you, without evening knowing it!" he exclaimed, pulling her tightly against him again. "Riel you must swear to me that you will never go off and fight some foolish battle to save me!"
"I absolutely will not!" Riel shot back, her brow furrowed.
"Riel, you must! You cannot ever do that again! If something were to happen to you because of me…."
"And how do you think I felt seeing you nearly dead by the fire because you tried to save me?" Riel angrily spat back.
"That is different!"
"Not to me!"
They both glared at each other, each unwilling to give in. Finally Riel broke the silence between them, yet her voice was no less hard than before. "Are you going to stop being an ass for a moment and let me finish what I was saying?"
"Te amo demasiado que perder," Zevran whispered, a sob breaking free from his restraint.
"And yet you were willing to disappear out of my life just a few minutes ago…"
"Only to ease you, mi bella. It would kill me to leave you. However, I would gladly die for you if meant that you would be happy again."
Riel raised her hand and gently wiped at the tears the fell down his cheeks. Zevran took her hand in his and placed a soft kiss against her palm, tasting his tears mixed with her flesh. Such a disgrace to cry in front of her, yet he couldn't hold them back no matter how hard he tried.
"I hate what you did, Zevran. I hate that lied to me. I hate that you and the others went off without me and almost got yourselves killed because of me. But what I learned while fighting that blasted queen, was that I didn't hate you. Not really. I was just angry. And hurt. And confused. But when I saw Morrigan almost die…."
"Wait… Morrigan almost died?"
"Zevran?"
"Yes, mi bella?"
"Shut up and let me talk."
"Yes, mi bella…."
"As I was saying," Riel continued, giving him a playful glare. "When I saw Morrigan almost die, I realized finally then that I lost too much, and I couldn't lose anymore. I didn't know if you were alive. I didn't know if Leliana was alive either. We left you both to find an antidote for the venom you were infected with, and there was no way to know how long either of you would live. And when Morrigan got hit and went flying, I knew that I could be given all the choices in the world, it wouldn't mean anything if I lost those that I cared most about. What I am trying to say is, I understand why you did what you did. I still don't like it, and am still angry about it. But I at least understand. Because if it meant saving you or Leliana, or Morrigan, I would do the same thing. I would do anything to save you. Even if it meant burning that bitch of queen to a crisp with my magic."
"You- mierda, sorry…" Zevran quickly apologized, his face blushing softly.
Riel giggled softly as she adjusted herself so she was sitting sideways in his lap. She then placed her head on his shoulder and laced her fingers with his own. "I don't know how I did it, honestly. One minute Morrigan was hit, and the next I felt my body get hotter and hotter. Then it just released, coming out my hands and straight for the queen. It was over so quickly then, the fire leaving the thing's corpse and flooding back to me. Then it was gone, and I felt so weak. Worse than even before. Even blinking almost seemed too hard to do. I guess the others brought me back here to rest then mixed up the antidote for you and Leliana."
The two of them were silent for a while, just sitting together quietly as they went through their own thoughts. Riel remembering the flurry of events that happened since she and Zevran were last together. Zevran lost in his worries over her safety, and how close he was to losing her.
"I'll drink the potion that Morrigan gives to me," Riel finally said, breaking the silence. "Only while we are down here, though. Once we're out from the Deep Roads, I don't want any more drugs unless for some reason it gets bad again. It's better than what Alistair wanted me to drink, as it doesn't make my head as fuzzy. I just don't like the idea of being drugged."
"May I speak, mi bella?"
"Only if you kiss me first," Riel answered, a smile twitching on her lips.
Zevran chuckled as he cupped her face and brought his gaze up to meet his. "As you wish," he replied with a wink. He then laid a gentle yet loving kiss upon her lips, his thumb caressing her cheek. Riel's fingers threaded through his hair, holding him against her. "I love you," he murmured against her lips before kissing her again.
"I love you too, Zevran."
- 31
- 32
- 33
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Vhenan'ara