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
- 57
- 58
- 59
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.
Chapter rated 18+ (M) for adult themes.
Please do tell me what you think so far of the story! I would love to know your opinions!
Thank you all so much for your continued readership! It means so much!
Translations:
Mi bella: Antivan. "My beauty." Endearment Zevran uses for Riel.
Mi amor: Antivan. "My love."
Emma lath: Elvhen. "My love."
Ma falon: Elvhen. "My friend."
Dareth shiral: Elvhen. "Stay safe/safe journey."
Ar lasa mala revas: Elvhen. "You are free./I give you your freedom."
Tu será la muerte de mí: Antivan. "You will be the death of me."
Dirth melavir: Elvhen. "Talk/speak later."

The twisting and fogged forested paths they followed soon opened up to reveal an ancient and moss covered ruins. The old stone walls were mostly caved in, with vines and rotted trees covering most of the visible stonework. A singular path led to a stone stairway leading down into the ground where only the gods themselves knew what was waiting for them. However, their choices at that point were fairly limited.
Time was slowly erasing the calm that Riel had managed to find from the white wolf's howl. Already her skin prickled and itched, and while the pain in her leg had lessened somewhat, that too was slowly increasing with each passing moment. So onward the group of them went, passing by ancient weathered statues and overgrown tributes to long forgotten gods and heroes.
"Is this elven? The workmanship is odd…" Leliana remarked as they passed by a barely intact statue of a woman with the head of a halla.
"That is a statue of Ghilan'nain, the Elvhen goddess of the Halla," Riel answered, stepping up beside Leliana. "However, the clothes she is depicted wearing are odd. Almost human like…"
"I thought the ancient elves were at war with the humans?"
"They were. My people spent years fighting against first the humans from the north. From what my keeper told me, the Elvhen used to rule all of Thedas, from the Northern Anderfalls, all the way down to the very edges of Kokari Wilds. Then the humans came from somewhere beyond the mountains and seas, and began a war with my people that lasted for centuries."
"I may not be a nug licking stonesmith, but I know human craftsmanship when I see it. And this 'ere is definitely human made."
Riel walked over to where Oghren was examining an intricate carving alongside a fractured wall. The carving was worn away in many areas, but there still some areas that could still be made out under the light of a torch. Looking over the scene that adorned the wall, Riel gasped audibly.
"Are those humans alongside elves?" Riel breathed, her hand coming out to lightly touch a carving of a man.
The ancient colors had mostly bled free, and much of the depiction was hard to make out. However, the picture of a man that Riel ran her fingers over lacked the distinctive pointed ears and slender frame of the elven peoples. Moreover, it was clear the man was offering something to a group of onlookers. It was not a scene of war or battle against humans, but one of a peaceful event in which something was shared among the two peoples.
"Clearly there is much to the past that we still do not know…" Zevran remarked from beside Riel.
Riel remained speechless as she looked at the carving, her mind lost within itself. Moving down the wall, the pictures that were still able to be made out told a fractured tale of peace and bounty. Of companionship between the two different species, even holding hands or embracing each other.
"Look at this!" Leliana exclaimed, pulling Riel's attention from the wall.
Further inside past the statue of Ghilan'nain, was another statue, taller and more detailed than the others. This one was a woman with long flowing hair, an arm crossed over her midsection while her other hand lightly touched her face in a thinking pose. What was most peculiar about her however was that the woman wore a magnificent headdress that had several bound horns protruding from it. Two horns on either side swept back from the front of the crowned headdress, with what looked like a dark cloth wrapped around each one.
"I have never seen a statue like this! Have you Riel?"
Riel remained still, her eyes transfixed on the statue of the woman before her. Something about the statue called out to Riel in some unknown way, pulling at her memory like a long forgotten dream. Thoughts of a wooded glen came to her mind, where even the air was still and not even the birds sang. Of staring up into the night sky as she begged for peace. And the echo of a woman's voice, chuckling softly as she comforted Riel with her warm presence.
"Riel!?"
Riel came back to herself suddenly, disoriented and slightly dizzy. Looking up, she was surprised to find Zevran's arms around her while both he and Leliana looked upon her with worried looks on their faces. Feeling a flush of embarrassment, she pushed herself up and stood.
"Perhaps we should dally less and continue on with our journey? Lest that loathsome mabari find itself a playmate in his former master?" Morrigan snidely remarked before offering Riel a slight nod of her head.
"Mi bella…" Zevran whispered sadly, lifting his hand to lightly touch Riel's cheek. He wanted to say so much to her, yet the words became lost in his throat as he looked at her. The guise of calm assurance that he carried for her strained ever more as he watched her battle yet another cruelty of fate laid upon her. Still he managed to pull a smile onto his face for her before taking her hand in his and giving it a slight squeeze. "Come. Morrigan is right. And I have a promise of a wolf fur shawl to deliver to my lady," he added with a playful wink.
The ancient ruins held many hallways and twisting passageways that worked themselves deep underground. However, unlike the ruins of the dwarven people's underground cities and towns, these ruins were not carved out of the ground itself. Instead they seemed as if they were once crafted on the surface, and somehow had sunk into the depths that they now were. Caved in windows, shaped ceilings, and rooms filled in with dirt and collapsed roofs were evidence that the halls that the group now walked used to look out into the forested paths above and were never meant to be sunk down into the ground that now housed them.
Walking along the dilapidated halls, Riel suddenly felt a particular vibration in her body. Wholly different than the dire chill that spread through her as a warning of nearby Darkspawn, this feeling was almost warm and needful. Like a calling from a child or a friend long lost. Stopping midstep, Riel closed her eyes, trying to pinpoint where the feeling was coming from.
"Mi bella?" Zevran asked, his hand coming up and resting at the base of her spine. "Do you need another of Morrigan's potions?"
"There is… something here…" Riel answered cryptically.
She then turned and followed a darkened hall downwards, passing by more carvings and small statues. Concerned, Zevran and the others followed silently behind her as she led them almost without thinking past several rooms and turn offs until they finally reached a nearly fully collapsed room deep within the ruins.
This is where the vibration was coming from. Riel could feel it pulling on her, calling out to her through the ether and physical space. The room itself looked as if it might have once been a library, with old decaying shelves housing nearly ashen remnants of books, papers, and scrolls. However, much of the room was lost under the heavy weight of the surface above, offering only a small portion of what was probably a grand room dedicated to learning and knowledge.
However, through good or ill luck, whatever was calling out to Riel was fairly close to the entrance of the room. Kneeling down, Riel began to search for the source of the humming in her body. Hidden away behind rotted boxes and debris, she finally found it. A black gemstone, no larger than her palm glistened in the torchlight her companions carried. Slowly Riel reached out for it, her mind filled with the same urgent humming.
"Wait, Riel! Should you be touching that?" Zevran asked, pulling Riel's hand away before she could clasp it.
"It's calling to me, Zevran…" Riel pleaded, taking her hand back from him.
"Precisely why you shouldn't touch it!" he hissed.
Riel rolled her eyes. "Trust me!" she snapped back.
"I do trust you. It is strange magical gemstones that I do not trust…" he groused.
Riel ignored his continued protests however and again reached out for the gem. This time she managed to take hold of it before Zevran could again pull her away, much to Zevran's obvious displeasure. Surprisingly it was warm to the touch, fitting nicely in the palm of her slender hand. Perfectly smooth on all sides, it looked like no other stone Riel had ever seen. Upon closer examination under the light of the torches, the murky blackness of the stone pulled back to reveal small pinprick sparkles of light inside. Almost as if the night sky itself had somehow been captured inside this one small stone.
"It's beautiful…" Riel gasped, totally engrossed by the sight of the glittering gem in her hands.
Suddenly in her mind flashed a flickering image of people running, startling her. Then the sounds of people shouting. Screams for help echoed in her mind, nearly causing her to fall over.
"Riel!" Zevran exclaimed, his arms going around her to help keep her upright.
More images flashed through her mind, clearly of a different time, yet something inside of Riel told her it was the same people from the first vision. This time people were laughing, and cheering. Almost as if they were celebrating at a party. The tinkling of glasses in salute could be heard, along with the sound of children's laughter.
From outside of her, Riel could hear the voices of her companions, yet their words seemed too far distant for her to hear clearly. Instead her mind filled with more fractured images, of swords and magic and people fighting. More people running, a child crying out for his mother. Yet through all the chaos, a single voice stretched out to her, more impression of intent than words forming itself in her mind.
Help. Help. Help me.
The insistent pleading carried the same vibration that had guided Riel to this room. Only this time instead of wailing sadness, a small feeling of hope sparked from the vibration. As if an entity were melding its emotions to Riel's, and conveying its desires through them.
What are you? Riel asked in her mind, not sure if she would get an answer.
The vibrations changed, suddenly backing off, as if it were unsure. Curious. No, forgetful. It had forgotten. A feeling of long expanse of time filled Riel, speaking of a long eternity of waiting, longing, and hoping. Of crying out and never being answered. Until today. Too much time had passed, and much of what this entity's memories were now lost. However, one image remained. Brought forth by Riel's question. Something long forgotten, yet slight remnants sparking to life.
Magic. Spells. Energy folding and obeying its master as the very elements were harnessed and controlled. A mage. Powerful in the ways of magic and spells, yet that wasn't all the entity showed her. The image of a sword was next. Slicing through targets of wood. Rendering the bodies made of flesh and bone. A sword infused with the very magics born within the mage himself. Wielded not in opposition, but melded together as one. Two sides of not just the same coin, but the same side of that coin. Inseparable. Magic and steel. Energy and might.
Arcane Warrior.
Is that what you were? she asked again in her mind. How did you end up like this?
Again the entity pulled back, uncertainty filling it. Images from before came back to Riel's mind. Of fighting and shouting. Explosions. People running, and tripping over themselves. Children wailing as mothers cried out for them.
There was a fight? An attack?
The images in Riel's mind switched to that of a grand library, and hands pulling frantically at the books there. Looking for something. The bitter taste of fear filled Riel's mouth as the cries of people dying beyond her sight echoed off the walls. A book was then in front of her, and hands not her own were skimming down the pages, searching and searching. A rounded clear gem was placed next to the book, and a voice hastily spoke out. The words were lost to time and eroded memory, but the meaning was clear. It was a spell. Meant to trap a soul inside a gemstone, much like the one that Riel now held in her hands.
You thought that someone would find you. Bring you back. But they never came, did they? Riel asked the entity.
A feeling deep sorrow filled Riel, a reflection of what the trapped entity felt. Long years beyond counting the entity had waited. Sleeping for a time, only to reawaken and mourn anew. Trapped forever in the darkness of the gem, it had gone mad, then back to sanity, only to go mad once more. It took years for it finally give up all hope of being rescued. Years more for it accept its fate. Unable to die, yet unable to move beyond this plane of existence. Alone, with only his own mind to keep him company.
Help me. Help. Me.
Again came the pleading intent. A pitiful cry for release from his eternal torment of isolation and darkness.
How can I help you? she asked.
The entity went quiet for a moment, as if thinking. Then an image of the library from before came to Riel's mind. Of an altar dedicated to their gods sitting atop a table near the entrance. There on the altar in the image, was a metal plaque engraved with a beautiful text that Riel couldn't make out.
Stone. Altar.
Place the stone on the altar? Then what?
The image of a hammer coming down on anvil came to Riel's mind. Followed by an explosion of bright light, then a deep swelling of relief.
Alright. I will release you. Riel told the entity.
Immediately a deep feeling of happiness and warmth spread through Riel. Gratefulness so profound that it brought tears to even her own eyes consumed her.
Coming out of her internal daze, Riel opened her eyes to find the worried looks of her companions standing over her. With soft prayers in Antivan finally reaching her ears, Riel finally felt Zevran's arms wrapped tightly around her, his forehead pressed against her own as he prayed.
"Zevran?" she whispered hoarsely.
Immediately Zevran opened his eyes, tears glistening in the honey depths as he gazed upon her.
"Riel!" he exclaimed, his voice breaking as he suddenly pulled her tightly against him in a crushing embrace. "By the gods, I thought I lost you!" he cried against her neck.
Riel held onto him, letting him express his grief and relief without comment. From around her, she could hear other gasps of relief from her companions. A feminine hand no doubt belonging to Leliana even came forward and lightly squeezed Riel's knee.
"Don't you ever do that again!" Zevran hissed against her.
The moment that Riel had grasped the strange stone, she began to convulse, her body twitching in awful spasms. Yet no matter how hard Zevran had tried to pry the stone from her closed hand, her fingers would not budge. Giving up, he pleaded with both Morrigan and Wynne to aid her. Yet even their combined magics could not waken Riel. Wynne concluded that she wasn't being hurt despite the way her body twitched, and that short of physically removing Riel's whole hand, there was no way to remove the stone. Something that Zevran was beginning to seriously consider.
It was Morrigan however that provided the most comfort, surprisingly.
"'Tis no work of a demon," she had told him. "The magics in that gem may be ancient, but they are of this world, not the Fade. No doubt a mild trap that was left here from back when these ruins were still used. And while she may twitch, her heart still beats and is not in distress. Whatever it is, it was not meant to be lethal. I suspect she shall awaken soon."
And so Zevran had prayed. To the Maker and his bride Andraste. To the Creators of the Dalish. To any gods that would listen. To please bring his Riel back to him.
Pulling back from her slightly so he could once again look into her silver eyes, Zevran smiled as joy replaced his earlier fear. "Tu será la muerte de mí…" he whispered softly.
Riel smiled back, even though she was unsure of what he said. However, even without knowing the meaning, it was clear that he worried over her. "Worrying about me, were you?"
"Always… However, next time-"
"Yes, no touching sparkly gemstones that I find in abandoned ancient ruins that magically call out me," Riel finished for him.
Zevran chuckled darkly. "To put it mildly…"
Riel placed her hand on his cheek and pulled him down for a quick kiss. "I'm fine, Zevran. However, I have a promise to keep."
"A promise?"
"First, help me up." Zevran helped Riel to stand, yet still remained close to her, his hand never leaving her. Riel then looked down at the stone that she still clutched in her hand and smiled sadly. "If I was trapped somewhere, alone and in pain, you would do anything to free me, wouldn't you?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the stone.
"Of course!" Zevran quickly replied. "There is no force on this world that would prevent me from doing so."
Riel lifted her eyes to meet his. "Which is why I made my promise. No one deserves that."
Zevran looked upon her quizzically even as she smiled brightly at him. "I do not understand, mi bella…"
Instead of answering, Riel looked around what was left of the once grand library. A part of her mourned how much time has withered and destroyed such a beautiful place of knowledge. How her keeper would have loved to be where they were now, even with so little left due to the passage of time. It was a keeper's place to collect and preserve the knowledge of the past. To rediscover what was lost to their people over the great many years since the fall of their homeland. It was a feeling that Riel also shared. A longing for knowledge long gone. So to be standing in a place that once held so much, yet now laid destroyed and ruined, filled her heart with a deep sadness.
Looking down at the stone in her hands, Riel thought if only you could share more with us… there is so much we no longer know…
A memory of Riel using her magic during the attack on the camp over a week ago came unbidden to her mind. And with it the fear of being without her armor, and watching her friends and companions fight desperately for their lives. Then the sight of the ogre appearing and charging at her. The anger and fear in her mind coalescing into a powerful surge of energy that filled her, bringing forth the magic that she unleashed on the foul beasts, killing them in a fury of magical power.
Mage.
The entity from the stone impressed onto her an image of herself, before blending it with the image it had shown her before. The faint memories of itself before the spell that trapped it. The two images swirling and blending together, along with a feeling of gratitude and thankfulness.
A glow of soft light came from the stone, enveloping Riel briefly before once again fading away. Riel breathed in deeply, feeling the anxiety she had felt over her magic slowly ebb away. A flash of images ran through her mind in quick succession, each with her in some sort of training form as she wielded her magic. Yet the images were not from her memories. Not really. For each took place in the same library she stood, except back as it had once been. Yet with each image came a deeper understanding of her magic than Riel ever thought possible.
As if years of careful training were being transferred to her, Riel's mind filled a knowledge and understanding that could only come through dedicated effort and long hours of careful practice. She realized then that the entity was giving her what she had asked for. His knowledge. What little he could gift to her, along with the experience he gained from his life as a mage in ancient times.
Mage. Arcane Warrior. Gift.
"Thank you…" Riel breathed out, completely amazed at the amount of gift that was given to her. No longer did her magic bite at her fingertips or swirl inside of her in a chaotic surge. For the first time in her life, where her magic was concerned, there was peace there. A confidence that she had never before known.
Again came the image of the altar into Riel's mind, reminding her of her promise. "Of course," she replied to herself, again looking around what was left of the library. There, under an overturned stack of shelves, looked to be the remnants of a table that roughly resembled the one from the entity's memories. "Help me move that!" Riel shouted to the others, indicating the large shelves.
"Anyone care to explain to me what's goin' on?" Oghren stated in a gruff voice.
"Mi bella, are you sure you're alright?" Zevran asked from beside her.
"Trust me," Riel replied with a gentle smile.
"I happen to recall you saying something very similar before you collapsed into my arms not too long ago…" he groused in response.
Riel groaned, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Don't help me. I'm still moving those shelves." Riel then proceeded to pull and push at the gathered debris, trying her best to clear it away from the long abandoned and neglected altar.
However, she wasn't alone in her efforts for long. Zevran was quickly by her side, even if he was shaking his head in disagreement while doing do. Then Sten was there, lending his massive strength to the effort of clearing all the debris and fallen shelving away. When Riel looked up in surprise to the giant, he just grunted out a sentence in his own language, not bothering to translate it for her.
Soon enough all the debris was cleared, leaving the altar free and accessible again. Looking at it, Riel was amazed at the contrast between the image of the altar from the entity's memories, and the present reality of it. Only the gods themselves knew how vast amount of time that existed between the those two images, and the profoundness of it wasn't lost on Riel.
Reverently she held the stone to her chest, offering a prayer to the Creators to finally guide this poor soul to the afterlife it should have been granted so many ages ago.
"Ar lasa mala revas. Dareth shiral, ma falon," she whispered softly.
Grateful. Child of Mythal.
Child of Mythal? Riel asked the entity. Yet she received no response. Shaking her head, Riel placed the stone onto the altar and stepped away.
"Shale? You like smashing things, right?" she asked to the stone golem standing off to the side.
"Oh must I? It is so pretty!" she moaned remorsely. "Oh fine. But I next time we frequent a gem merchant, I must be able to choose something for myself. It has been absolutely forever since I was able to add to my collection. What with all the destroyed towns and dead bodies. Such a travesty!" Shale replied, bringing her massive stone body over to the altar. "Not the dead bodies. The lack of ability to add to my collection, of course," she quickly added in addendum.
"Of course…" Riel agreed with smile, even as she rolled her eyes slightly. "When we get to Denerim, I promise I will scour the city for the best gemsmith and let you buy whatever you like from his stock. However… First I need you to smash this one."
Riel stepped back from the altar, allowing herself to be embraced by Zevran as she watched in silence as Shale lifted her heavy stone hand and brought it down in a hard slam onto the gemstone. Instantly a bright light shined forth, blinding everyone in the room. Then it was gone, the small broken fragments of the gemstone all that now remained.
"Will you tell me now what that was about? Or am I to forever guess and worry over just happened?"
Riel looked up at Zevran and grinned wickedly. She then pulled his face down to hers and kissed him passionately, abandoning all caution or shyness as she pressed her lips against his. Zevran reacted instantly, his body coming to life as he returned her kiss. His hands went to her waist, pulling her tightly against him. Then dropping down further to her rear end, he lifted her up easily, her legs wrapping around his waist. Growling in approval, Zevran walked a few steps over and gently slammed her back against the waiting wall there. Lost in the feeling of denied passion and a deep feral need to claim her, Zevran ignored the gasps and remarks of their companions as he continued to ravage Riel's mouth and glide his hands over her body.
"Oh please! By the Maker, is this really the time for that?" Alistair groaned loudly.
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be the first time a mage was taken inside a library…" Wynne remarked with a wizened giggle.
"Ugh…"
"Disgusting…"
Sten and Shale both stated at the exact same time.
"Perhaps we should… Umm…. Yes, I think we should give the two of them a bit of privacy…" Leliana giggled before pulling on Alistair arm. "Come on, we'll just wait for them out in the hall…"
"This is hot…" Oghren stated in a heated, lustful tone. "Oww! Oww! By the stone woman!"
"Come on dwarf," Morrigan stated harshly, pulling on Oghren's ear as she led him out of the room.
All of this commotion was ignored by the two elves, however. Lost in each other, all they knew was the body next to their own, and the undeniable passion that filled them.
Zevran left Riel's mouth and kissed down her neck, his hands first finding her breasts and pressing his palms against him even though they were covered by her leather armor. Then further down they trailed, over her stomach to the juncture between her thighs. With Riel's moans heavy in his ears, Zevran rubbed and massaged at her core.
"I must have you…" he growled out in desperation. "Please… Accept me, mi amor…"
"Yes, Zevran…! Oh by the gods, yes!"
Zevran's hand quickly reached up to one of his daggers, pulling it from its sheathe then bringing the sharpened edge to the fabric of the cursed small clothes that blocked his body from hers. With a single swipe he cut them away, letting the fabric fall to the ground neglected. Then with a slight shift, he freed his own member from his trousers and brought it to her core.
"Look at me, Riel," he demanded huskily. Her eyes lazily lifted to his, passion and love shining forth from their silvery depths as she looked at him. "I will love you forever…"
"As I will you…" she replied lustfully. She then cried out in pleasure as he filled her, her head leaning back and her spine arching as they came together in a single solid push.
With her back against the wall and her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, Riel clung desperately to Zevran as he glided in and out of her. Each of his powerful thrusts brought both of them closer to the edge of oblivion until suddenly she was there. Arching her back against the wall behind her, Riel cried out as exquisite pleasure washed over her. And joining her a moment later was Zevran, his own cries mixing with her own.
Breathing heavily, Zevran lowered his head down to Riel's shoulder. "Tu será la muerte de mí…" he repeated to her.
"I don't recognize that. What does it mean?"
Zevran raised his eyes to hers. There looking deeply into her silver eyes, he smiled and shook his head slightly. With his fingers lightly caressing her cheek, he whispered to her, "It means that you will be the death of me. Although if I were to die like this, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad…"
Riel laughed softly before nuzzling against his cheek. "You're not allowed to die," she whispered happily into his ear.
Zevran pulled back and pinned her with a serious look in his eyes. "Neither are you, mi amor. It would destroy me to lose you. I will go the very ends of the Fade itself to protect you."
"I know…" she replied softly. "You're not going to lose me, Zevran. I promise."
"I will hold you to that, mi bella," Zevran purred before kissing her. Again he could feel his desire for her rising, the feel of her body still gripping his own adding to the intensity of the need. "Mmm… I could keep you here all day and still not have enough of you it seems…" he chuckled against her lips.
"As wonderful as that sounds, I don't think Morrigan has enough potions for that…" Riel giggled. However her comment brought the stark reality of their situation to their minds, sobering them both. "In fact, we probably should go back to the others."
Zevran sighed deeply. "Alas, you are right as always, mi bella. However, I promise you now that when we have dealt with the problems here and I have you once again alone in our tent, you will not be leaving again for some time," he replied with wicked grin.
"Oh I look forward to it," Riel giggled. Slowly Zevran lowered Riel back down to the ground and adjusted himself so that he was again tucked away behind his trousers. Riel bent over and picked up her now ruined small clothes and laughed, showing them to him. "I think though that I am going to have to set aside a whole purse full of coins just to make sure I have smallclothes, however…" she stated with laugh.
"Why when they only get in the way?" Zevran replied with a seductive look to his eyes.
Riel rolled her eyes at him, laughing. "Come on. I already am dreading meeting the eyes of the others."
"Oh? And why would that be? I am sure they have heard your cries of pleasure before now. After all, the walls of tent are not so thick, and your sweet voice does carry as I bring you to climax."
Riel felt her face flush a deep shade of red as she dropped her head into her hands. "Oh by the Creators…" she groaned deeply.
Zevran pulled her against him and lifted her face up to his. "Now, there is no reason to be embarrassed. In fact, bringing you to repeated climax is a duty that I take great pride and joy in. As for the others… Perhaps they might learn what a woman truly enjoying herself sounds like. Surely a valuable lesson for that fool Alistair!"
"Oh Zevran, you're horrible!" Riel laughed. "Okay, okay. Come on. We still have a ways to go. And I am sure the others are waiting."
"Very well, mi bella. Just answer one thing for me…" Zevran paused, his features becoming serious. "Are you alright? I know you promised to flay me alive the next time I asked, but I figured that perhaps I have improved your mood enough to venture asking once more…"
"I'm…. better," she answered truthfully. "I mean, there is still the werewolves to deal with, and the stupid curse. But my magic… That is… better."
"I trust you will offer a better explanation to me later? After all, one doesn't simply find a magical gemstone in an abandoned ruin and suddenly find a solution to their magical problems."
"I don't know," Riel laughed. "Considering all the strange things that we have encountered over these past few months, I'm about ready to accept just about anything."
"That is very true," Zevran laughed in response. "Now let us go see to the others. And when we do, hold your head up high, mi amor. For there is no shame in finding pleasure in your lover. Even in the midst of ancient ruins overrun with ravenous werewolves, deadly skeletons, venomous spiders, and other nasty creatures."
"Oh you make it sound so romantic, Zevran!"
"That is me. Romance and bloodshed, all in one!"
Riel was laughing so hard tears formed at her eyes as the two of them walked from the old library and out into the hall where the rest of their companions waited.
"Well, tears and laughing are not something I would expect to find a woman in after such a sight as we left you in…" Wynne playfully joked. "If memory serves, such endeavours if done correctly would leave a foolishly large smile on our faces for hours afterwards."
"I really don't want to be hearing this…" Alistair grumbled, his hand covering his eyes.
"You say that now Alistair, however I am sure that if I were to tell you a story of two young people - perhaps a young Templar and his bardic lover - doing what they did, you would probably find some interest in it…" Leliana replied with a mischievous look in her eyes.
Alistair lifted his head and looked at Leliana, an expression of shock on his face that quickly morphed into a shy yet aroused smile. "Well… Uh… That would be… Oh dear Maker…" he stuttered, his face flushing a deep shade of red. "Okay! Right then. Shall we continue on?"
"For once I am in agreement with the fool. We have tarried here long enough! And while I can certainly see the benefits in exercising one's loins, perhaps dealing with threat of these werewolves and the impending curse would indeed be pertinent," Morrigan groused wearily.
"Ever the astute woman, my lovely Morrigan!" Zevran chided gleefully, taking full joy in knowing that he brought his woman pleasure. And perhaps even taking a small bit of pleasure in making the others of their group uncomfortable in doing so.
"What about what happened in there?" Alistair stated, nodding his towards the library Zevran and Riel just walked from. "I mean… Before you and he, uh… Before that. With the uh-" he stuttered as a fresh wave of embarrassment washed over him.
"He means the gemstone, dear," Wynne added, a soft smile on her lips.
Riel looked at her companions, thinking back to the entity that she helped to release. Inwardly she wondered just how much she should reveal about her encounter with the spirit or soul or whatever it was. Whether they would believe her when she said that it wasn't some evil being or that it didn't harm her. Thinking on it, she wondered just how they would react to such a thing, especially a circle mage and ex-Templar.
"Alistair, draw your blade," she replied instead.
Lifting his brow in confusion, he still obeyed, taking his sword from its sheathe. Riel held out her open hand towards the blade, causing it to suddenly to come alight in a brilliant orange flame.
"By the Maker!" Alistair gasped. He swung the blade out a few times, testing the flame, yet still it persisted. "How did you do that?"
"That isn't all," Riel stated with a smile. "Watch." Again she held out her hand to the blade, this time causing the steel to be encased in an aura of cold air. Then a few moments later, the cold disappeared and was replaced with a sparking electrical energy. "I can do more as well. My magic is no longer wild, and I can control it beyond anything I ever thought possible."
"How though?" Alistair asked, looking skeptical.
"A friend showed me."
"A friend?"
Riel smiled tightly at Zevran, unsure of how much more she should say. "A friend. From a long time ago." She then paused and whispered to him in a hushed tone. "Dirth melavir, emma lath…"
Zevran raised his eyebrow, yet held his tongue, nodding only in response.
Suddenly a wave of exhaustion rolled over Riel, causing her lean against Zevran chest. Added on top of that, the wound in her leg began to ache and pulse once more, causing her stomach to roll and nausea to threaten the contents inside of it. "Zevran I- Argh!" Riel cursed out in pain, clutch at her stomach.
"Riel! What is wrong?!" Zevran exclaimed, holding onto her even as Riel doubled over in pain.
Immediately Morrigan pushed her way forward, taking hold of Riel's chin and lifting her face up. The black pupils of her eyes flashed red as her eyes met the witch's, then back again to the normal black. Riel hated the rough way Morrigan held her chin, her annoyance swiftly building into an bitter anger that boiled under her skin as Morrigan turned Riel's face slightly to view it from another angle.
"Let go of me witch!" Riel growled out angrily, wrenching her face free from Morrigan's grasp.
Morrigan reached into her pack and pulled out another vial filled with dark liquid. She uncorked it and offered it to Riel, a look of annoyance on her face. "You need to drink. The curse in your blood is getting stronger."
"I hate your potions woman! They taste foul!" Riel grumbled, turning her head away from the potion.
"Perhaps. However I suspect that you would detest becoming a mindless beast more. Now drink, or I shall have the assassin pin you down while I pour the concoction down your throat."
"You wouldn't dare!" Riel spat out, her eyes almost glowing from anger.
Morrigan lowered her face down to Riel's and stared unwaveringly into her eyes. "Try. Me." A moment of silence passed where the two women stared at each other, before Riel finally relented and rolled her eyes, breaking the contact. "Now drink," Morrigan stated again, once again offering the vial.
Riel glared at the woman as she took the vial and downed the contents, keeping her eyes on the other woman. "You know, sometimes I really hate you," she stated after the vial was empty.
Morrigan smiled as she straightened, taking the vial back from Riel. "I know. Yet you will thank me later. Now, we should see to it that we find the source of this curse soon. I did not prepare many vials, and I suspect that these ruins go on for quite a ways. And as it always is with such things, I have little doubt that what we seek will rest at the very end of them. Making our time limited at best."
Riel looked up at Zevran, and frowned. "You wouldn't have pinned me down like she said, would you have?" Zevran averted his gaze and cleared his throat. "Zevran! Answer me!"
Finally he met her eyes, yet they were unapologetic in their stern determination. "I promised that I would do anything to protect you, mi bella. You know this."
Riel folded her arms her arms over her chest and grimaced. "Sometimes I really hate you too…"
Zevran smiled mischievously. "I know," he laughed, giving her a wink. "Now let us go. For I have other promises to keep as well. Promises that would make what you and I did back in that library a short while ago seem tame in comparison…"
"By the Maker… Right, I think I need to invest in some ear plugs…"
"Or perhaps all you need is a good story to distract you, Alistair," Leliana offered suggestively.
"That could work…" Alistair replied, a shy smile on his lips.
"Perhap 'tis I who will be in need of ear plugs instead…" Morrigan groaned, rolling her eyes.
"Agreed. All this talk is making me feel ill. And I don't even have the parts to be ill!" Shale added. "The only proper sound for a squishy being to make is when I crush it's squirming little body. Speaking of which, there are still things to kill, yes?" Shale turned and looked over to Sten. "Come now, Qunari. Let us go find something soft to squish."
Sten grunted in agreement and followed after Shale without a word, the two of them walking down the hall that led away from the library.
"Hey now! If yer be killin', ya should leave some fer the rest 'ov us!" Oghren hollered as he ran after the two of them.
"Well mi bella… Shall we resume our hunt for a white wolf fur to adorn your beautiful shoulders?"
Riel laughed and nodded her head. "Sounds fun. Besides, I want to test out some of the new things my friend taught me. How does flame broiled wolf sound?"
"Delicious. Although not as delicious as you…" he purred back with a seductive grin.
"Oh by the Creators!" Riel giggled, taking him by the hand and leading him down the hall along with the others.
- 57
- 58
- 59
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