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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
- 5
- 6
- 7
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.
Parts of this chapter is taken directly from the game, during the dialogue for Sten's personal quest. All credit for those parts goes to Bioware.
I hope you guys enjoy, and I would appreciate any reviews!
Translations:
Mi Bella: Antivan. "My beauty"

The ground was slick with blood as Riel hauled the last of the cultist's bodies over toward the beach where the others were already burning. With one last heave, she lifted the corpse onto the pile and stood back, swiping at her brow and leaving behind a red-brown smudge.
"That is the last of them," Riel groaned as she rolled her shoulders trying to ease the tension there. Behind her came the soft sounds of the female rogue stepping lightly over the grass. "What did the barkeep say?" she added without turning around.
"Knights have been coming in every so often for a few weeks, looking for Genitivi. After the first few were attacked as soon as they left, he tried warning off any further knights that who came looking."
"That didn't stop the attacks though…."
"No, it didn't. It just made them more brutal. After he started warning the knights, the barkeep received a note on his door stating that they would come after his family if he continued."
"No wonder the bastard almost pissed himself when I brought Genitivi up," scoffed Riel as she crossed her arms over her chest. Then with a heavy sigh she lifted her eyes above the burning bodies at her feet to the lake beyond. The blue of the day mixing with the pink of the setting sun creating a beautiful landscape if it were not for the nauseating stench of burning flesh and hair.
"Warden."
Looking over to her left, Riel was again surprised to see that the giant Sten was standing next to her. Despite his towering size and large frame, the Qunari moved with enough stealth to rival even professional rogues like Leliana. Not that she would ever tell him so.
"May we speak?" the immense male uttered softly, his eyes looking troubled.
Quickly Riel scanned the area around her, taking note of where she was and where her allies were. While up until that point the Qunari has never threatened or harmed her, his near eight foot height dwarfed her own height at just over five feet. Any battle between them would certainly be bloody, and his height and superior body mass would make surviving such a battle difficult. However, even if she died, she would take the monster with her.
Before she could answer him though, Riel movement in Riel's periphery caught her attention. Zevran had also approached close to the burning mass of bodies, walking calmly and his face impassive. Yet it in his eyes Riel thought that she saw a mixture of concern and something else….
"Warden?"
"Uh - y-yes. Sorry. Let's go over by that boat," stammered Riel.
When they were finally out of earshot of the rest of their companions, Riel crossed her arms and leaned her back against the rotted out building close to the shore. The wood smelled like old urine and other more disgusting bodily functions, yet she refused to give the giant the option of her back. Besides, the rotted beams were too low for him to pass through easily, yet were just high enough for Riel to duck effortlessly behind them if need be.
However, Sten retained his quiet demeanor as his steely eyes seemed to bore into Riel. His normally stoic face now showing signs of worry and fatigue. For a man who barely showed any emotion, this small change in his features was startling.
"What is it Sten?"
"This is where is happened."
"What happened?"
"My death."
Now Riel was genuinely surprised. The look of pain that encompassed Sten's face was such a shock that she was momentarily taken aback.
"Your death? Sten you're not making any sense," she huffed.
"I told you I was sent to Ferelden by the Arishok."
"Because he wanted to know what the Blight was, right?"
"Yes."
More time passed without anything being said. Just when Riel was about to let her impatience get the best of her, Sten ended the silence between them on his own.
"It was here that my unit and I were attacked by Darkspawn." Again there was silence, in which the large male turned his gaze out towards the lake. Not so much seeing the silent waves that broke softly against the shore they were standing on, but seeing a memory in his mind. "There were seven of us first tasked with this mission. We travelled this land without seeing any of threat that we were sent here to investigate. Until we camped here, at Lake Calenhad. That night was when the came. From the shadows they attacked at us. I was on watch, yet I failed my brothers by failing to notice them until it was too late to warn them. Perhaps it was because I was already awake that I survived, but fate would decree that even as I fell from poisoned arrows, I would not die like the others. The last thing I saw before darkness came upon me was one of my brothers beheading one of the shorter beasts with his blade."
Riel stood there shocked, wanting to ask questions but unsure if they would cause the normally inexpressive male to no longer speak. Yet the silence that seemed to follow her companion around like an old friend once again surfaced, and long moments seemed to pass between them before it was finally broken by his deep baritone voice.
"The Chantry Mother had sentenced me to die for my crimes."
"I remember…. She said you - ahem - uh, that you…"
"I slaughtered a family," Sten finished, not seeming to care or even notice Riel's apprehensiveness on the subject. "There is no denying what I did. It is done. The family is dead, and I am at fault."
The story of what Sten had did to the unsuspecting farming family was not unknown to her. She had heard it in detail from the Mother herself when Riel had asked for the Qunari released. The Revered Mother had even warned that his future victims may also consider Riel at fault for releasing him. Yet no matter how much the Mother protested, Riel couldn't bring herself to leave the giant for the Darkspawn. Besides, Riel had already resigned herself to the suicide mission that was her battle against the Blight. If the giant died while fighting in her quest, then so be it. If he left her company for any reason without her knowledge before the Blight was ended, she would hunt him down and kill him herself. She gained a much needed sword, and he gained a possible redemption. It seemed a simple choice back in Lothering.
However now, with the stern and foreboding look upon the giant's face as he looked upon the water with hard eyes…. It made Riel's finger twitch for her blades at her back. A man was always unpredictable. Cold, callous, and unforgiving, they could kill without thinking. And now standing before such a monster that could effortlessly and without remorse kill not only adults, but children… Riel was quickly rethinking her choice to go anywhere alone with the giant.
"Under the Qun, regret is a useless emotion," Sten finally stated, as if somehow aware of her inner thoughts. "What is done is done. You cannot undo the past. However," he cleared his throat and again met Riel's gaze with his own. "I do regret my actions. I behaved without honor, during a panic befitting a child, not a warrior."
"I don't understand."
"After the battle, I awoke to find myself under a roof that I did not recognize, in a bed that was not my own. My first and only thoughts were not of the battle or the brothers that had died or even the Darkspawn that had attacked us. As any Sten of the Qunari is trained, my first thoughts were to my blade."
"Your sword?"
"I looked for it immediately. I confronted the family that had taken me in and demanded that they tell me what they had done with it."
"Did they have it?"
"No. And I knew they were not lying. Yet still I raged. It was then that I killed them."
"By the Creators, Sten! Over a sword? And you said you knew they weren't lying, yet you killed them anyway?" Riel reeled at the simple and direct way that Sten described what he did. She knew men were callous, but to kill an entire family, including children, because of a sword?
"To my shame, yes. I acted without honor, and so was deserving of the death the Mother sentenced me to. I have never denied such."
"Mythal guide me…" Riel breathed as her mind tried frantically to make sense of what he had told her. Dear gods! I have set a monster loose!
"I have but one question to ask."
Riel looked up at Sten, her own regret coursing through her as she mentally went over all the times she had left Sten on watch by himself. At how many times she had allowed this creature her back while fighting or travelling. And with each second that passed as her mind weaved through the past few weeks, a sickening nausea latched hold of her stomach and refused to let go.
"Why did you release me from that cage?"
His question pounded into head like the blast from a spell. Again and again the words bounced inside of her skull as she asked herself that very question. Just what had convinced her to release a man so cold as to describe killing innocent people as calmly as if he were discussing the weather?
"Riel!"
Riel looked up to see a pair of golden eyes staring at her, and suddenly the world under her seemed to fall away. For a brief moment, she could feel herself falling, yet the ground did not come up to meet her. Instead, something warm and hard enveloped her and carefully led down to meet the ground gently. A voice echoed softly around her, yet she felt numb to everything but the warmth that touched her skin and the strange yet intoxicating scent that seemed to come from everywhere. Like wam honey mixed with foreign spices and the smell of early sunshine.
"Can you stand?" the voice that broke through her haze was the same as the one before, yet it seemed closer now. Forcing herself to focus, Riel suddenly became aware that the warmth surrounding her were from arms - male arms. Panic came flooding back to her as she struggled to be free of their weight. To her shock, they disappeared quickly, however Riel knew that the man who owned those warm and inviting arms was still close by. The heat from his body and the scent unique to him still lingered heavily in the air around her.
"It's okay, mi bella, I am only here to help you stand if you so desire."
"No, I'm fine… I just... Had a dizzy spell. I just forgot to eat last night and with the fighting…" Riel stopped when she looked up at Zevran intending to argue further, yet was stopped by the look of anger in his eyes.
"You should have told me that you had not eaten. It is unwise to go without food while travelling as we do." His words were calm, yet his eyes spoke more than just his words could. Yet Riel couldn't for the life of her understand the looks that she was getting from the assassin, nor the strange feelings that his expression caused within her.
"I said that I was fine!" Riel grumbled loudly as she pushed his helpful hands away and forced herself to stand. For a moment the world spun as she straightened herself, but her pride refused to allow herself any further weakness.
Pushing aside the pain in her head, Riel took an uneasy step forward, and then another. Soon she found herself walking easily even as her head pounded and the earth beneath her threatened to unbalance her every so often. Eventually she had made her back to the door of the Inn, and standing next to it as calmly as ever was Sten.
"When you return to your people, will you tell them of what you did here?" Riel asked coldly without looking up at the Qunari. Standing just in front of the wooden door with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, Riel wondered if the giant even heard her as a full minute passed without him answering.
"I cannot go back."
"Because of what you did?"
"Because of what I lost."
Riel looked up at him then, again lost for words as her mind tried to process his words.
"What you lost?" she questioned in confusion.
"My sword. I carried that blade since I was first cast into the Beresaad, and I was to die wielding it. If I were to return without it, they would know me as 'soulless', and strike me down on sight. No true warrior would toss his blade aside while he still lived."
A deep shudder went through Riel as she again envisioned the brutality of his actions. Even explained to her, it still did not make sense how a living, feeling being could be so cruel as to kill a whole family over something as a small as a sword. Yet even as her spine went cold and her chest tightly constricted, she found the words escaping from her mouth even as she inwardly rebelled against them.
"We'll find your sword. Someone must have it. And when we do, you will help end this Blight. So when you return to your people, you will tell him of the Darkspawn and the evils of the Archdemon. And you will tell your Arishok that you are no better than the monsters you slayed with the same sword that you slaughtered an innocent family with."
Riel didn't wait for a response, instead just shoving the door to the Inn open and slamming it shut behind her. In truth, the numbness from before had gotten worse and she found it difficult even making her way to the room Leliana had earlier rented for her to use. Stumbling past the door frame, even Fen'harel was not able to break through the numb cloud that she existed in. When the door creaked shut, whatever energy that had allowed her to walk this far suddenly fled her. With a deep sob Riel slid down the door until she all but collapsed on the floor. There, with her knees pulled up against her chest, Riel cried silent tears into the fur of the great beast that laid protectively beside her.

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In the next room, Zevran could not keep himself still. Sharing the room with Alistair and Sten was bad enough. His anger at the giant was enough to make him murderous, and the ex-templar's ever present blissful ignorance of matters grated on his nerves as much as his snoring did. Yet what had his fingers twitching and his body humming was neither of that. One of the advantages to being elven over human or dwarven was the heightened senses such as sight, smell, or hearing. And it was the curse of hearing that plagued him now.
While the others of their group would have just assumed the quiet coming from their leader's room would mean that she was asleep, Zevran knew better. No matter how hard he tried to ignore the soft crying he heard from beyond the wall, the sound invaded him until it was all he could hear. With a curse, Zevran shot up from his bed and continued to pace.
In the bed next to his, Alistair's snore echoed from under the well worn blanket. And on the other side of him against the far wall laid Sten's perfectly still form. If it weren't for Zevran's ability to focus his attention and hear the giant's deep breathing, it would seem that the giant was dead. Which according to Zevran, would be preferable. Especially considering what his little 'confession' had done to his Warden.
Again Zevran's fingers twitched for his blades, sheer will alone keeping him from slicing his way through Qunari skin and bone.
In the few weeks that he had travelled with them, Zevran had grown accustomed to following Riel whenever she left camp or through whatever small villages that they had passed through. His persistence had finally paid off too, when Riel gave up on trying to leave him behind in camp so that now she just took him with her when they travelled or visited somewhere. The oath he had sworn to her on that first fateful day becoming more than just simply an oath to follow her into battle, but to make sure that at no point was she without someone watching over her.
Yet he was always careful to make that sure she didn't see him whenever she insisted on being alone. Her morning ritual to wash her face and her evening bathing were times when not even he would invade her privacy. Instead staying in the shadows and focusing his attention on what could be hiding in them. He was there to protect her, not to stare lewdly. After all, he may be an assassin, but he still had his honor.
It was the nights that were the most difficult. As he laid awake listening to her mumble and cry while she slept in her tent. With him unable to do anything to comfort her, Zevran prayed to whatever gods that would listen to please just grant her one night of restful sleep. Yet his prayers had yet to be answered. Night after night, she was the last one to go to her tent, and the first one up around camp. And each night, Zevran would fall asleep only when he would hear her movements finally slow and deep sleep take her. And each morning he would awake as soon as she started to move around in her own tent. Like his own body was tied to hers, Zevran at times could almost swear his heart beat in the same rhythm as her own.
So now with her so close yet so far away, in pain and alone, it was torture for him to stand there and do nothing. And while sometimes she would sometimes cry in her sleep, never in all the time that Zevran had known the beautiful Warden had she cried like this. As if all her hope now broken at her feet. And each barely heard sound shredded his own heart for her.
Earlier when the large male had asked to speak to Riel privately, Zevran had tried to make himself as invisible as he could. Blending into the shadows, he followed the two of them to the abandoned building by the shore. He wasn't spying, Zevran reasoned. He was just making sure that his Warden didn't leave herself vulnerable to any attack while she spoke with the giant.
He cared not for the story the giant told, only for the effect that it had seemed to have on his Warden. With each moment that passed, it seemed a bit of her emotional armor was chipped away, leaving her bear to some inner torment. Until she physically shook so badly, Zevran was surprised that the vibrations didn't shake the remains of the building that he was hiding in. Only when her balanced failed her and Riel began to collapse did he emerge from the shadows in which he had hid. With speed attained through years of training, he was beside her in the span of a heartbeat, keeping her too light body from hitting the ground below.
And there for a few brief moments, Zevran was finally able to hold her as he had long wished too. Wrapped tightly in his arms, he expected her to pull away immediately. Instead she clung to him tightly as she shook. Quietly he had whispered in Antivan to her, telling her that she would be alright and that he would protect her.
To his credit, the giant Sten didn't offer his aid or support. Instead he backed away silently and walked off as Leliana came rushing over to see if she could help. However Zevran refused to let go of Riel until she told him herself. Until then we would take this one moment to offer her the comfort and protection that he had wanted to give her for weeks. And when her reddened eyes finally locked on his own, Zevran swore his own heart stopped. Such pain and misery were in her eyes as she looked up at him.
It was then, when he asked if she could stand, that whatever stupor she was in ended and fear and pure panic eclipsed her beautiful features. Instantly she began struggling in his arms, and Zevran knew that his moment was over. He quickly let go of her, yet still remained close in case she needed help standing up.
However, the strong and distant warrior was back in the forefront. With her free from the confinement of his hold, the panic of being held passed quickly and the steely calm was set back into her eyes. And true to her nature, even on wobbly legs Riel stood on her own, refusing any help from those around her. After she was standing, Zevran made sure to stay close behind her in case she fell again. Although she was unsteady, Riel walked the distance from the shoreline to the door of the Inn on her own.
And like a true warrior, she again confronted the stoic Qunari who stood just to the side of the Inn in eerie silence. That she would continue to travel with, let alone help the Qunari find his missing sword shocked Zevran down to his core, yet at the same time was totally in character for whom his Warden was showing herself to be.
She couldn't leave a person in need, even when she could barely stand herself. Even when the person in need didn't deserve the energy it would take to clean the blade after killing him. Riel would help them, even if it didn't make sense and went beyond reason. Simply because it was in her power to do so.
His skin itching from his inability to ease his Warden's suffering, Zevran nearly jumped when there came a soft knocking at his door. Looking quickly over to the other two men and seeing they were still asleep, Zevran palmed one of his blades and went to the door. Keeping his blade hand hidden, he opened the door slowly, prepared for - and perhaps hoping for - an attack. Yet he was surprised to find Leliana there, with her soft knowing smile on her face and she held up a bowl filled with liquid.
"It's soup. Not good soup, but it has a rich meat broth and some vegetables. I could make better honestly, but it is what was available from the kitchen." Zevran continued to stare at Leliana after she spoke, confused as to why she was standing there with a bowl of soup in her hands. He wasn't hungry, and the other men were asleep, so unless she intended to wake them - "It's for Riel. She hasn't been eating much lately and I got worried after she collapsed."
"Riel isn't in here…" Zevran stated, even more confused now. It wasn't as if Leliana wouldn't know where Riel was. Leliana was the one who rented the rooms for them all. The three men were given a room, with Leliana and the witch Morrigan sharing another. Riel was given her own room as usual, because of her difficulties sleeping near others.
"I know! I mean, of course I know, I'm the one who rented the rooms. It's just, I know that she would accept the soup if I offered it her, but…."
"But what?" Zevran eyed the female cautiously as she bit her lower lip and her eyes refused to meet his own.
"I think that it would mean more if it came from you. She may accept the soup if I give it to her, but I do not think she will actually eat it. But if you give it to her, she might…."
"Because an assassin is to be trusted when giving you a bowl of mysterious soup?" Zevran couldn't help but quip slyly.
"I am not blind Zevran. I saw how you held her earlier, and how she held on to you at first. I am a friend, but you…" Leliana stopped for briefly as she chose her words.
"Last time I checked, our beautiful Warden trusted the men in our merry group about as much as Templars trust demons."
"Call it bardic instinct. But I have a feeling that if anyone could get her to eat, it would be the same person who risks bodily harm just to keep her from falling."
A full minute of silence passed between them as Zevran wondered just how much his fellow rogue knew about his feelings towards his Warden. True, he had never hid his flirtations with her or his more obvious measures to protect her. However, just how much did this bard know?
Without a word, Zevran took the bowl from her hands and lifted it up to his nose. Breathing deeply, he could smell nothing other the local spices of the area. Then he took a small sip of the soup from the rim of the bowl, keeping his eyes still locked on Leliana's.
"Don't trust me?"
"When it comes to our lovely Warden, I trust no one," Zevran replied. Satisfied that the soup contained no poisons, he walked passed Leliana and down to Riel's door.
"And that is how I know that I am right," Leliana laughed softly as she turned and went to her own room.
Zevran took a breath to brace himself, and focused his hearing beyond the door. There were no soft whimpers or cries coming forth, but by the sound of her breathing, Zevran doubted that she was asleep yet. However, when he knocked softly on her door, he didn't hear her stir. The only sound being made was that of Fen'harel's collar as he no doubt lifted his head at the noise.
"I know you do not yet sleep, my lovely Warden," Zevran whispered into the wood of the door. "I also know that you have not eaten recently. And so being the faithful follower that I am, I have acquired a bowl of soup for you. Now, I could just leave it outside of your door here, however I doubt that you would eat it if I did that. So I ask that if you would at least do me the favor of giving you this bowl directly. That way, I will be able to delude myself properly that you might perhaps eat this evening, easing my worry and allowing me to sleep restfully."
Behind the door, Zevran could hear the mastiff whine pleadingly as if the beast knew Zevran's worry and agreed with him. Yet for the longest time he heard nothing else. However, Zevran refused to give up.
"Well, even though I am sure that this soup would taste far better warm, I will simply have to keep you company instead." Zevran set the bowl down on the floor and eased himself down against the door so he was sitting with his back against the wood. "Let's see, I have I told you of much of my homeland, Antiva? I think you would like it there. The weather is always warm, and even though it rains for much of the year, the flowers are always in bloom. I would love to take you there one day. Things are not like how they are here in Ferelden. True it may just be the crushing threat of the Blight, but everything just seems so dreary here! In Antiva, there is always music playing, night and day. People will dance in the streets, and children run carefree around the market square. And even during the rainy days when all seems bleak and grey, there is always color to be found. You just need to know where to look."
A slight shifting could be heard behind the door and Zevran smiled to himself before continuing on with his story. "In Antiva, they have these leather shops where they tan the leather used for armor or other things. I always loved it there. Just the smell of freshly tanned leather brought a smile to my face. In fact, that reminds me of this pair of boots that I almost bought before coming to Ferelden. They were beautiful boots, made with the best Antivan leather. I was going to buy them, but thought of all the travelling I would be doing. Such fine boots are not for travelling, so I put them aside, thinking I would buy them when I returned to Antiva."
Another shuffling could be heard, as if she was now sitting up against the door much like he was. A soft growl of approval from the beast beside her affirmed Zevran's guess. "However, it seems fate had different plans for me, no? Ah, that is alright. Here, there is beauty to found. Even greater beauty than all of Antiva, if you know where to look. Even when it doesn't want to be found, the beauty exists. Even when covered in blood or grime, the beauty still shines. That is how you know that it is real beauty. That no matter the troubles or the hardship that it endures, true beauty never fades. It just grows brighter."
"Why are you here, Zevran?" a small and obviously tired voice said from beyond the door.
"It is simple, my lovely Warden. True beauty may always exist, but that doesn't mean that it does not require help or protection. Someone to hold up that beauty when it grows tired of always being strong," Zevran replied with a smile. Then looking down at the bowl of soup by his side he added "or to feed it when it is too tired to remember to eat."
Minutes passed where he could hear nothing but her breathing. Yet it was enough. To know she was still alive was enough. Then after what seemed like an eternity, there was more shuffling from behind the door, and Zevran barely had enough time to sit up before the door behind him opened.
"Are you going to sit there all night?"
The absurdity of the question combined with her annoyed look was enough to send Zevran even into a laughing fit. Sitting there on the floor, looking at his Warden, Zevran couldn't help but laugh until his eyes nearly watered. There was no real reason for it, and yet he couldn't stop himself. And then a miracle happened. Riel smiled. A true, genuine smile. And Zevran could have sworn that his heart stopped.
"You are absolutely insane! What in the name of the Creators are you laughing for?" Riel asked while suppressing her own laughter.
Instead of answering, Zevran quickly stood with far too much flourish and energy for someone who was just sitting against a hard door for Creators knew how long. Then when a wide smile, he bowed to her with the same beguiling charm that he always used with her.
"I see you have decided to not lock me out in the cold forever. Unfortunately, the bounty I came offering has long since cooled. Perhaps we can find another way to warm you this early morning?"
Riel wanted to be mad at his continued flirting. To be angry at his suggestions and the idea that she needed any kind of 'warmth' from him. In fact, she could feel the lecture she would give him on the tip of her tongue. Yet looking at his winking eyes and wide smile, Riel somehow couldn't get the words past her lips. Instead of listening to her demands, her traitorous body was even becoming warm at his words and the way that he looked at her just then. She even had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling further.
"Give me the soup," she demanded quickly before anything more dangerous left her mouth. With a grin that was equal parts victory and amusement, Zevran handed her the now cold bowl. Yet he continued to stare at her in the strange way that he always did. "Why are you staring at me?"
"Forgive me, my lovely Warden, but it would ease my thoughts tremendously if I could see that you actually ate the soup instead of tucking it away somewhere and ignoring it. It would certainly be a incredible ease to my conscious and indeed help me to sleep better to know that you are fed."
Riel wanted to curse. Both at the way he was trying to make sure that she ate, and at the way her body seemed to respond when he looked at her like this way. It wasn't lecherous, or at least not entirely. Sure there was hints of the lust that she could see in men's faces when they looked at her. However there was something else in the way that this strange man looked at her. Riel didn't understand it, yet that still didn't stop it from slowly picking at away at her defences.
That was what worried her the most. That somehow, this man was easing under the carefully crafted walls that she put up with everyone around her. These walls protected her and kept her safe, even when she was at the mercy of her masters. Inside her own mind, no one could get to her. However now her own mind and body seemed intent on betraying her where this other elf was concerned.
Clamping down her emotions, she fixed her eyes on the man across from her. His twinkling eyes and bright smile seemed far too genuine to be real. Far too nice and welcoming to be safe. Men were good at manipulating others. They were good at pretending one thing while being another. So she would be as well. With steely eyes, Riel brought the bowl he had given her to her lips. With measured mouthfuls, she kept her eyes fixed on his as she chewed and swallowed until the bowl was finally empty.
"Happy now?" she snapped at him as she handed him back the bowl.
"Appeased in one area. However, I think I have grown accustomed to my spot outside of your door. In fact, I think sitting there has eased a particularly tense part of my back. So perhaps I will continue sitting there for a bit longer." Zevran bowed once more before taking the door handle and closing the door between them.
"Wait!" Riel shouted, surprising even herself. What was she getting him to wait for? If he wanted to spend the night sitting outside of her room, then what did she care? Fen'harel was still with her and would alert her if anyone came into her room. Even strangely interesting yet incredibly handsome elves with golden eyes….
"Yes my dear Warden?" Zevran answered back with a smile.
"Nothing. It's nothing. Spend the night however you wish, it is no matter," she bit back with more irritation than she felt.
For a split second, the light in Zevran's laughing eyes changed and burned deep with something almost beastial. His whole body tensed up and Riel could have sworn the temperature in the room increased.
"If only I could, my lovely Warden," he replied, his voice thick with desire. Then as quickly as it appeared, the moment passed and Zevran's friendly smile once more danced across his face. "Now, do get some rest. The morning will be upon us shortly and I can't wait to hear our dear Morrigan complain about how awful the food is here."
Before Riel could respond, the door was shut and she was again alone in her room with Fen'harel at her side. Only this time, she didn't feel nearly as alone for some reason. Confused, tired, and beyond emotionally overwhelmed, Riel rubbed her face with her hands as she sat down on the bed. Normally she slept with her dagger in her hand, especially in foreign places like Inns or Taverns. Yet whether it was the food now resting in her belly or the extreme tiredness she felt as she laid down, Riel just couldn't seem to find the energy to reach for it. It certainly wasn't because of the elf on the other side of the door, or how she somehow felt safe with him out there, watching over her.
Nope. Not that at all. It was the soup. Honest.
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Vhenan'ara