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
- 7
- 8
- 9
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.
I hope you guys enjoy, and I would appreciate any reviews!
Translations:
Mi bella: Antivan. "My beauty."
Mi amor: Antivan. "My love."
Un dragón puede comer su corazón. Pero una bruja te consumiera tu alma: Antivan. "A dragon may eat your heart, but a witch will consume your soul."
Mi hermosa diosa: Antivan. "My beautiful goddess."

Okay…. This wasn't going to be pleasant.
Turned out that the mad bastard Kolgrim wasn't lying about the dragon.
After fighting off seemingly endless amounts of cultists, Riel was more than ready for a rest. However, fate it seemed had a sense of humor, and thought that simply fighting against multiple dragonlings and drakes wasn't enough. The Creators now saw fit to match Riel against a monstrous high dragon on the very summit of the mountain temple.
There had better be magical healing ashes at the end of all of this or else Riel was going to be pissed.
The Chantry at the top of the hill was indeed filled with townspeople, although they were far from welcoming when Riel and her group entered. After a strange welcome, the group was suddenly attacked and ended up killing the Revered Father and many of the townspeople. A short search had revealed a secret door that led into a hidden room where the Brother Genitivi laid badly beaten and with a broken ankle.
Riel had tried talking him out of continuing on up the mountain, but he would hear none of it. Morrigan did her best to heal his injuries and together they left the Chantry and headed up another path behind the Chantry to what looked like a dilapidated temple nearly taken over by snow and trees. Excited but rightly cautious, Genitivi agreed to stay behind while Riel and the others looked around the old temple.
It wasn't long before they were attacked, as the deeper Riel went into the temple, the more cultists seemed to appear. And not just them, either. Demons and shades waited for them walk by, attacking from shadows or from inside boxes. Even dragonlings attacked them, snapping their sharp razor teeth as they looked to tear flesh from bone wherever they could find it.
And then there was Kolgrim. A fanatic raving about a "resurrected Andraste", and how he and his kin were her "protectors". He had offered to guide Riel and her group past the dragon if only she agreed to poison the very ashes they had come there looking for. And while Riel wasn't entirely sure she believed in the divinity of either Andraste or the special qualities of her ashes, Kolgrim seemed like just another human monster, willing to destroy goodness for the sake of their greed.
However, he wasn't lying about the dragon part.
Out on the mountain summit, the monstrous beast could be seen resting up high on a cliff face some distance away. And even with that vast distance, Riel knew that the great beast could see them as clearly as they saw it. And it clearly did not like them trespassing on what it considered its territory.
The battle began as soon as the beast lifted its great body from the cliff on its massive wings and roared so loudly the ground beneath Riel shook. Then with speed that belied its size, it was upon them. Giant wings flapping up a hurricane around them, while fire breath threatened to burn them all to a crisp.
Morrigan kept her distance, yet even she was not spared the beast's attacks. The ground would shake under its weight, and the massive wings would flap drawing in the air or unsteady body towards the beast's mouth. Then fireballs as large as boulders would fly, followed by a terrible breath attack that singed the hair and threaten to cause the very air within their lungs to burst.
Alistair probably took the worst of it. Again and again he would rush at the monster, swinging his long sword and using his shield to help protect himself from attacks. More than once he he would be hit directly in the chest and would wind up flying backwards, landing roughly on the ground or against a wall. Yet each time he would stand and come again at the dragon, almost daring it to do it him again.
And through it all, Zevran never left Riel's side. With both of them slashing out at the creature's feet or belly, they attacked almost in unison. When one receded, the other would attack, constantly keeping the beast from having to adjust to defend itself. And every time Riel would feel her legs buckle or an attack would knock her down, Zevran was there to hold up and help her keep standing. Even after Alistair took a hit so hard Riel could hear his armor crack even above the sounds of the battle, and he went flying against a wall so hard, he crashed right through. Even as Morrigan sagged as her magic was depleted and then was knocked down by the creature's tail. Through it all, Zevran never once left her. And he refused to let her fall no matter how difficult it became.
Zevran's own injuries were obvious as blood ran down his left leg and blood and dirt smeared his face. Yet as long as he drew breath, he would not go down as long as Riel lived. When Alistair rose no more, Zevran took on the role of taunting the dragon, drawing it away from Riel. With her body screaming in pain, Riel tried to call after him, yet he refused to listen. Deftly he dodged several attacks before being knocked down from the smack of the creature's large wings.
Seeing Zevran go flying, something broke inside of Riel. She would not die here!
With a blood curdling yell, she launched herself at the dragon. Stabbing first into up the upper hind quarters, then using her other dagger, she struck again higher. With a strength of force born from years of anger and hurt, she used her daggers to literally pull and climb onto the dragon's back. Once there, she lifted both blades up high and plunged them deep into monster's flesh, slicing through skin and muscle down to the bones of the spine.
The dragon bellowed angrily in pain and began shaking and thrashing, trying to dislodge Riel. Holding on tight with everything that she had, Riel twisted her blades, causing another ear shattering roar from beneath her. Then with a final heave, the dragon crashed down to the ground and breathed it's last.
"RIEL!" Zevran screamed out from several feet away. More than just slightly burned and probably housing several broken bones, none of that mattered to him. The only thing that mattered to him was his Warden. On unsteady legs he pulled himself up and stumbled over to the carcass of the dragon. Frantically he searched the tangled mess of the dragon's limbs until he got to the wings. Saying prayers to every god he ever even heard of, Zevran lifted one of the wings as best as he could and looked beneath.
There on the ground with her hands still on her daggers laid Riel, unmoving. Zevran let out a strangled breath as he heaved the wing aside and stumbled over to where she laid. Collapsing beside her, Zevran felt tears sting at his eyes as he looked over her badly beaten face and body. Such a beautiful woman, even with the scars and gashes in her skin and blood covering her face.
"Please, mi amor, you must live. You cannot leave me. Not yet…" Zevran whispered as he bent down to her mouth to see if he could hear her breathe. It was faint and far too shallow, but it was there. Small breath in, small breath out. "Praise the gods…" he breathed as he reached for side pouch and pulled free his last healing potion. Again he was glad that he saved the last vial for her, knowing that no matter how badly he may be wounded, he would give his life to save hers. "Drink, mi amor. Drink, and come back to me," he said softly as he poured the liquid into her mouth.
It took three heartbeats for Riel to respond. Three long, unbearable heartbeats. But then Riel's body spasmed and her back arched as her eyes flew open. And right there beside her ever ready was Zevran, pulling her tightly against him.
"Shh… Let the potion do it's work. You can yell at me later," crooned Zevran as even while heavily wounded, Riel tried pushing him away. On unsteady legs, he pulled himself up, being careful to hold Riel in such a way as to not put too much pressure on her wounds. Slowly he shuffled with her in his arms over towards a nearly roofless stone gazebo. He then carefully laid Riel down on a portion of the ground uncovered by snow, then moved his face down to hers so she could see his eyes. "I'm going into your side pack for your fire starting kit. That is all, I swear to you."
Riel nodded as best she could and braced herself, yet found she barely felt his hands on her as Zevran quickly pulled free the kit. That she was disappointed that she could no longer feel his hands on her or her body against her were strange and traitorous thoughts in her head that she tried to banish, yet like a stubborn mabari refused to budge. Zevran then stood with a grimace and shuffled over some old crates several feet away. With Creators know what remaining strength he had, Zevran managed to smash one of the crates enough to pull free some wood. He then came back to where Riel lay and set about making a small fire.
"Now I understand why Mother always warned to never to trifle with dragons."
Zevran didn't even look up as he bent down to the budding flame and blew softly on it, making it larger. "They say in Antiva, Un dragón puede comer su corazón. Pero una bruja te consumiera tu alma."
"Afraid I may take your soul, assassin?" the woman quipped with a grimace as she approached the two of them.
"Even if I indeed did fear that, you would be disappointed by dear Morrigan. You see, my soul already belongs to someone else." Zevran added another broken piece of wood to the growing fire before leaning over to check on Riel.
"Does it now? And here I thought that assassins had no souls."
"So did I. Apparently we do. For the right people," Zevran replied as he gently swept a piece of bloodied hair from Riel's face. She was unconscious again, but alive. And her breathing, while strained, was easier than it had been. After a silent moment, Zevran finally lifted his gaze to the other woman and replaced his frown with his usual smile. "It is good to see you alive, and it makes me wonder if our bumbling Templar was also so fortunate."
"He lives. Whether that is good news or not, I have yet to decide. But before I followed you in here, I moved over to where the fool ended up and checked to see if he still breathed. After cursing at me when I removed his helm, I saw that whatever brain damage he may suffer would be negligible, and probably hard to tell otherwise when compared his usual foolishness. I am out of lyrium and magic at the moment, however, so I must wait before I can tend to anyone properly."
"He is still out there, then?"
"Do I look like I would be able to carry that heavy lout even a foot, let alone all the way over here? He may be brainless, but he is not weightless. Especially not with all that heavy armor that he wears."
"Give me a moment and I will help you to bring him in here then," replied Zevran with a heavy sigh.
"Oh leave him out there, I say. There is still at least a few hours before true nightfall is upon us. And before then I should have enough of my magic back to heal most of our injuries."
"You will focus your magic on Riel first, then," Zevran stated flatly. Again, this wasn't a request or demand. And if the witch minded, she gave no sign of it. She just slightly nodded her head before leaning back against the stone wall behind her and closing her eyes.
Zevran refocused his attention on Riel, rechecking her breathing and her heartbeat. Still so shallow. Yet she lived. And she would survive. That was all he could hope for. He could still remember what she had felt like, cradled against his chest when he carried her in here. Even with the pounding pain in his body, with her against him, she eased him in ways he never knew possible. With her against him, the pain that he felt throughout his whole body was tolerable and so incredibly worth it.
Reaching into his side pack, Zevran pulled his polishing rag free and put some snow down in the center of it. Turning the cloth into a pouch, he then held the cloth high above the flames of the fire. Out of reach of the flames, yet still within the heat they produced, the snow slowly melted and turned to water, turning the dry cloth damp. When all the snow was gone, Zevran took the now wet cloth and began to gently wipe away the blood that was now drying on Riel's face. Being careful around the scar that bisected her face, again Zevran wished that he could find the bastard who had cut her so he could make him pay.
"I will deliver you from this, mi bella. I will see you past this Blight and the monsters that hunt you. I swear this to you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Riel came awake to a pounding headache. Carefully she opened her eyes and winced at the pain that speared through her skull as her eyes met the fading sun.
"You are awake, good. Maybe now they will stop brooding, and leave me be."
Riel slightly opened one eye briefly enough to spot the dark witch seated not too far from where she was.
"H-"*cough*"How long was I out?" Riel croaked out through a dry throat.
"A couple hours. Not enough in my opinion for you to heal properly, but that you awake at all is a miracle considering this day." Morrigan groaned slightly as she stood and it was clear the witch was suffering from fatigue and her own injuries still. "I shall go tell the men you are awake."
"Morrigan…?" Riel moaned weakly. "Thanks."
"I, uh… Yes. Well, ahem…" stuttered Morrigan before she just nodded curtly and left. Still after all this time travelling together, the other woman was still not comfortable with being thanked or being offered any sort of compliment.
Riel closed her eyes against the pounding in her skull, silently praying to the Creators for either relief or decapitation. She thought honestly that either would be welcome considering the pain that now threaded through her being. Yet the praying proved fruitless as the pain continued, and now her throat hurt as well. Groaning Riel opened her eyes and slowly lifted herself up slightly, getting a look at her surroundings.
"You should be resting, mi bella," the soft Antivan accent reverberated through Riel. Instantly the image of Zevran being sent flying by the dragon's wing sprang into her mind, making her breath catch in her throat. An avalanche of emotions rolled through Riel then, ranging from fear to relief and many places in between. They could have died. All of them. The thought of Zevran dying was especially hard to swallow, and for some strange reason tears pricked at the corners of Riel's eyes.
Why him?
Before Riel could speak, Zevran was down at her side, his eyes filled with worry. Yet as much as Riel wanted to say, the words just didn't seem to come to her. The emotions she felt were so different than anything that she had ever felt before, and she had no context for them to try and fit in. The words that did come seemed empty and hollow compared to how she felt, and she struggled to find something - anything - to say.
"I saw you go down…" she finally whispered, refusing to meet his eyes unless she felt herself totally crumble under that honeyed gaze.
"Don't try to talk, mi bella. You need to rest."
Yet she needed to talk. To say something. Just what exactly that was, Riel wasn't sure.
"Thank you," she finally managed to say. As if on its own, Riel's hand slowly drifted over until it tentatively laid over his own. "I mean it. You saved my life."
Zevran's throat seemed to close as he heard her heartfelt words and felt her hand on his own. For a woman who avoided handshakes and detested even casual touches, for her to reach across and place her hand willingly upon someone else was almost like a kiss for how intimate it seemed. And the gods knew that the feel of her hand on his own felt sweeter than any kiss that he had ever felt before.
"You need to rest. You are still not fully healed, even though Morrigan's magic has done much to speed your healing," Zevran finally said, unsure of what else to say.
"I'm thirsty, actually. Is there any water?"
"Yes, right here,-" Zevran mentally cursed himself as he reached towards the fire and grabbed a rudimentary cup that he had found within one of the crates. Inside was some freshly melted water that he had prepared for her earlier, only to forget about it when lost in the perfection of her small touch.
Riel tried to sit up further, yet her back still pained her and she cursed out in old Elvhen as a sharpness rocketed down her spine to her toes. "Help me up, please," Riel said quickly through gritted teeth.
"Of course, mi bella," Zevran replied as he quickly placed his forearm under her neck and head and gently lifted her while she drank from the cup. After a couple greedy swallows, she placed the cup down on the ground. He was about to gently lay her down and pull away when Riel reached forward and grasped his other arm.
"I'm sorry that I'm like this," Riel softly admitted.
"You just killed a dragon, mi bella. You are allowed time to heal."
"No," she shook her head. "Broken. About things. Like…. this-" she whispered as she gently squeezed his arm.
"You are not broken, mi bella. As I said, you are allowed time to heal. And I will be here to help you do so. I will never ask more than you are willing to give, and I will never regret a moment that you allow me to be by your side."
Riel smiled softly and turned her body towards him so that her forehead pressed against his chest. There she could almost hear his heartbeat from inside his chest, the steady sound soothing her even further.
"If you will permit me, mi bella?"
Riel opened her eyes and looked up at him. For some reason his simple question cracked something in her. Something hard and cold that had existed for as long as she could remember. Slowly she nodded her head, unsure and apprehensive, yet willing to trust. Even just a little.
Zevran shifted himself so that his back was against the wall behind him and his legs spread out before him. Then keeping his eyes locked on her, he gently pulled her up to him so that her back rested against his chest with her body lying between his legs. For a moment Riel felt fear sting at her, yet when he didn't move to enclose his arms around her or try to trap her in anyway, she felt herself relax a bit more. She had to admit, resting against his chest like this was more comfortable than the hard floor that she was lying on. And with his arms off to the side, she curiously didn't feel threatened or frightened in any way. Even when he laid his cheek against her head, the familiar panic that Riel normally felt when she was close to anyone was stunningly absent. She felt…. good. Calm. As if for once, things fit the way that they were supposed to.
"I swear to you, mi hermosa diosa, you are always safe with me," Zevran softly whispered into her ear.
And the funny thing was, she was starting to believe it.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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