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peopleofthedas2011-06-10 11:00 am
le_monde) wrote in peopleofthedas2011-06-10 11:00 am
Fic: Disquiet 6/? M overall
Title: Disquiet 6/?: Harel
Author: Briala
Rating: M overall
Summary: Five Guardians: The Sten, The Assassin, The Kinslayer, The Old Warden, and The Dog. Each playing their part in the Dalish Warden’s life, which in turn adds to the greater wheel of Thedas.
Disclaimer: All Dragon Age characters and places belong to BioWare. I aim to make no profit off of this, so please keep those lawyers (including my own) in check.
WARNING! This story contains: Too many spoilers to count, Sex, Rape, and Abuse.
AN: Beta’ed by1smut_princess who is hopefully avoiding her Drama Mama.
*~*~*~*~*
Chapter Six: Harel
*~*~*~*~*
Harel (hah-REHL): dreaded, frightening, causing fear. – Dragon Age Wiki
They opened the door and she came face to face with Cullen. "This is a most unusual prison," commented the Old Mage. The Warden bolted from the room, the Dog on her heels. Following, they found him looking pointedly at a wardrobe.
"What happened?" asked the Weakling.
The Old Mage gestured for Sten to stay and guard the wardrobe. She took the Weakling with her to talk to Cullen. When she returned her mouth was hard.
The Weakling pulled him aside out of earshot of the wardrobe, "Sten, that bastard raped her. She healed him and he took her right there on the beach. He dragged her to be locked up in this prison and he hurt her again and again every chance he's gotten. I'll kill him. I'm going to kill him."
Sten sheathed Asala. Flexing his fingers as if he were strangling the templar he walked to the wardrobe. "Kadan." He slowly opened the door. Her hands covered her ears, but her eyes looked at him steadily from between the hanging robes. He held up his hand spreading his fingers. "Imekari, he will not hurt you. I will not allow it." Finally she reached out her hand pressing her palm to his, five fingers spread. He helped her out of the wardrobe.
Her hand trustingly in his, they walked together through the room where the Templar was imprisoned. Keeping her on his side far side, away from Templar, they climbed the steps to the Harrowing Chamber. The Weakling closed the door at the top of the stairs behind them shutting out the Templar's bitter curses.
…
Sten and the Warden were at the prow of the boat. She was hanging over the edge dragging her hand and end of her single braid in the water, playing with the boat's wake. He had a secure hold of her ankle.
The Weakling, who was next to the Old Mage at the back of the boat, asked quietly "Wynne, you said that you taught Dulsanaya?"
The Old Mage shook her head. "No, you see, she came to the tower with more knowledge and ability for healing that we could ever teach her. When Dulsanaya first arrived, her skills were evaluated. We knew from Cullen's story of her arrival that she had some healing skill, but needed to determine how much and if she had any other skills or was possessed."
"When young ones arrive at the tower, they are isolated for a time while they are evaluated. New items are introduced into their surroundings to see the their reactions. Dulsanaya was older and therefore her skills would have been much further developed making her a prime target for a demon. We had to proceed cautiously."
"We began with all of the usual items; however, very few elicited a response from her. Irving was about to believe that Cullen has made up the story of his rescue. I don't know what made him do it, but usually those being evaluated do not have contact with other people until we had some idea as to the direction of their skill. Irving, despite Greagoir's protests, went into her cell. I could tell he had been up late struggling with how to proceed next with her testing, he was tired and a chill was deep in his bones."
"Greagoir and I, from the view slits, watched Irving enter and close the door behind him. He sat in the chair next to the door and looked at her for a very long time. She had wrapped herself in blankets and was sitting with her back pressed to the far corner away from the door. Like a frightened animal she didn't move."
"After about an hour, I could tell he was so frustrated with the child; Irving simply did not know what to do. He sighed; that sound conveyed his frustration, sadness, and exhaustion. Our hopes leapt as she finally responded. She lifted her head and fixed him with those emerald green eyes. He said that it was as if she saw deep into him. She stood up and moved slowly toward him as if she was afraid he might startle. She took the blanket from around her body and wrapped it around him. Irving didn't move and later said he hardly breathed either. She knelt in front of him on the cold stone floor and placed her hands on his arthritic knees".
"Irving sat with the girl at his feet, not moving. Greagoir began worry. Irving said that he felt the attention of the girl flit to the view slit while she was healing him. He lifted his head toward the slit and shook it. Greagoir relaxed slightly."
"Irving said afterwards that she first warmed his aching joints easing the pain, spreading the warmth to the muscles in his back and shoulders then she smoothed away the headache he had gotten from too little sleep. She soothed his frustrations and gentled his guilt. He said later to me privately that it was unique experience not quite unlike sharing his thoughts in an intimate relationship. He said that he smelled vanilla and mint when she touched his emotions. Irving is convinced that she is a natural healer, a kind that he never read about and did not know even existed."
"From that day on, her evaluation became more focused. Irving began send her people instead of objects. At first he sent older mages, ones who could protect themselves if something went wrong. Just like she had done with him, she healed our physical hurts soothed the pains of our hearts. Except for Uldred, she didn't move from her corner, didn't look at him, and when he approached her she scrambled under the bed. After today, I understand why. She knew who he really was, what he was becoming."
"After each elder mage visited, Irving then sent in Greagoir. He sat in the chair as each of us had done before. She looked at him, looked up at the view slit, then back to Greagoir. Irving, who was watching from slit grunted, somehow she sensed Greagoir earlier, smelled him? No, tasted him with that healing skill."
"Again she looked to the slit then to Greagoir. He nodded and cleared his throat. 'Yes, that was me there. I had to be sure he would be safe.' She nodded but did not move closer. She gestured making a motion as if she were pulling a glove from her hand. He looked at his gauntlets, pulled them off and set them next to the chair. She approached, kneeling between his knees and lifted his hands, pressing one on each side of her head."
"Greagoir said afterwards that it was the strangest sensation; it was as if he was allowed into her mind and he was allowed to search through it. She knew this was a test. She sat very still so as not to disturb him as he looked at her life and training with the Dalish sensing no evil, no demonic presence, no blood magic, and no use of the Fade."
The only time she flinched was when he found a memory that made her cry, tears between his fingers. 'I am sorry,' he muttered, resting his cheek on her head. He said she gently reached out and relieved the soreness between his shoulder blades and soothed his anxieties and worries. 'Thank you child,' he said softly."
"She was given a place and classes with the apprentices, but I found her most often in the infirmary or outside in the gardens. It was discovered that she could already read and write, but she was hardly more commutative in writing. She did not have an affinity with elements – fire, lightening, earth, or cold. As she was already well versed in healing we attempted to show her other skills related to that. She easily mastered these skills and techniques, but only if she touched the person, or she with someone she knew well, she could reach out a limited distance."
"Since we will be working, traveling, and fighting together, let me tell you what I know she can do. If you've made it this far, you have already experienced of her unique healing abilities that are nothing like what we've known." The Weakling nods. “We believe that she uses her own energy to accelerate the healing process as neither the mages nor the templars could feel her accessing the Fade. It is not magic as the Circle knows it, perhaps it is something unique to the Dalish.”
"If she could touch an enemy, she can paralyze or sleep them - using their own bodies against them. I am certain given time, by reversing her healing ability, she could inflict wounds, break bones, and drain an enemy's stamina making them tire more easily. I also believe that if driven she could kill someone, stopping their heart for example, using this same reversal. That said, I also believe that reversing her healing so would also be abhorrent to her and she would not do it unless pressed."
The Weakling interrupted, "Wynne, why doesn't she have a staff like the other mages?"
"It isn't because she didn't choose one. When none of the staves in the storage room 'fit', Irving himself opened the cellars and repository for her. He'd hold one up and she'd look at it and shake her head. The Old Mage laughed. "They turned the tower upside down for a week. He was even pointing out staves in the hands of other mages; I think he thought if he could find one she liked, he would have it made for her."
"Finally they found it forgotten in a corner of the repository. It had been crafted for a Dalish from Ironbark and presented to the Circle after the elf disappeared. Irving said her eyes lit up as he unwrapped it."
"Where is it?" questioned the Weakling.
"She returned it to Irving within the week. She wouldn't even look at it, turning her face away as she handed it to him. She wouldn't tell him why. When he shoved a quill and parchment in her hands, she dropped them and walked away."
*~*~*~*~*
Kadan: Friend, brother. Rarely bestowed upon non-Qunari.
Imekari: A child.
Author: Briala
Rating: M overall
Summary: Five Guardians: The Sten, The Assassin, The Kinslayer, The Old Warden, and The Dog. Each playing their part in the Dalish Warden’s life, which in turn adds to the greater wheel of Thedas.
Disclaimer: All Dragon Age characters and places belong to BioWare. I aim to make no profit off of this, so please keep those lawyers (including my own) in check.
WARNING! This story contains: Too many spoilers to count, Sex, Rape, and Abuse.
AN: Beta’ed by
1smut_princess who is hopefully avoiding her Drama Mama.*~*~*~*~*
Chapter Six: Harel
*~*~*~*~*
Harel (hah-REHL): dreaded, frightening, causing fear. – Dragon Age Wiki
They opened the door and she came face to face with Cullen. "This is a most unusual prison," commented the Old Mage. The Warden bolted from the room, the Dog on her heels. Following, they found him looking pointedly at a wardrobe.
"What happened?" asked the Weakling.
The Old Mage gestured for Sten to stay and guard the wardrobe. She took the Weakling with her to talk to Cullen. When she returned her mouth was hard.
The Weakling pulled him aside out of earshot of the wardrobe, "Sten, that bastard raped her. She healed him and he took her right there on the beach. He dragged her to be locked up in this prison and he hurt her again and again every chance he's gotten. I'll kill him. I'm going to kill him."
Sten sheathed Asala. Flexing his fingers as if he were strangling the templar he walked to the wardrobe. "Kadan." He slowly opened the door. Her hands covered her ears, but her eyes looked at him steadily from between the hanging robes. He held up his hand spreading his fingers. "Imekari, he will not hurt you. I will not allow it." Finally she reached out her hand pressing her palm to his, five fingers spread. He helped her out of the wardrobe.
Her hand trustingly in his, they walked together through the room where the Templar was imprisoned. Keeping her on his side far side, away from Templar, they climbed the steps to the Harrowing Chamber. The Weakling closed the door at the top of the stairs behind them shutting out the Templar's bitter curses.
…
Sten and the Warden were at the prow of the boat. She was hanging over the edge dragging her hand and end of her single braid in the water, playing with the boat's wake. He had a secure hold of her ankle.
The Weakling, who was next to the Old Mage at the back of the boat, asked quietly "Wynne, you said that you taught Dulsanaya?"
The Old Mage shook her head. "No, you see, she came to the tower with more knowledge and ability for healing that we could ever teach her. When Dulsanaya first arrived, her skills were evaluated. We knew from Cullen's story of her arrival that she had some healing skill, but needed to determine how much and if she had any other skills or was possessed."
"When young ones arrive at the tower, they are isolated for a time while they are evaluated. New items are introduced into their surroundings to see the their reactions. Dulsanaya was older and therefore her skills would have been much further developed making her a prime target for a demon. We had to proceed cautiously."
"We began with all of the usual items; however, very few elicited a response from her. Irving was about to believe that Cullen has made up the story of his rescue. I don't know what made him do it, but usually those being evaluated do not have contact with other people until we had some idea as to the direction of their skill. Irving, despite Greagoir's protests, went into her cell. I could tell he had been up late struggling with how to proceed next with her testing, he was tired and a chill was deep in his bones."
"Greagoir and I, from the view slits, watched Irving enter and close the door behind him. He sat in the chair next to the door and looked at her for a very long time. She had wrapped herself in blankets and was sitting with her back pressed to the far corner away from the door. Like a frightened animal she didn't move."
"After about an hour, I could tell he was so frustrated with the child; Irving simply did not know what to do. He sighed; that sound conveyed his frustration, sadness, and exhaustion. Our hopes leapt as she finally responded. She lifted her head and fixed him with those emerald green eyes. He said that it was as if she saw deep into him. She stood up and moved slowly toward him as if she was afraid he might startle. She took the blanket from around her body and wrapped it around him. Irving didn't move and later said he hardly breathed either. She knelt in front of him on the cold stone floor and placed her hands on his arthritic knees".
"Irving sat with the girl at his feet, not moving. Greagoir began worry. Irving said that he felt the attention of the girl flit to the view slit while she was healing him. He lifted his head toward the slit and shook it. Greagoir relaxed slightly."
"Irving said afterwards that she first warmed his aching joints easing the pain, spreading the warmth to the muscles in his back and shoulders then she smoothed away the headache he had gotten from too little sleep. She soothed his frustrations and gentled his guilt. He said later to me privately that it was unique experience not quite unlike sharing his thoughts in an intimate relationship. He said that he smelled vanilla and mint when she touched his emotions. Irving is convinced that she is a natural healer, a kind that he never read about and did not know even existed."
"From that day on, her evaluation became more focused. Irving began send her people instead of objects. At first he sent older mages, ones who could protect themselves if something went wrong. Just like she had done with him, she healed our physical hurts soothed the pains of our hearts. Except for Uldred, she didn't move from her corner, didn't look at him, and when he approached her she scrambled under the bed. After today, I understand why. She knew who he really was, what he was becoming."
"After each elder mage visited, Irving then sent in Greagoir. He sat in the chair as each of us had done before. She looked at him, looked up at the view slit, then back to Greagoir. Irving, who was watching from slit grunted, somehow she sensed Greagoir earlier, smelled him? No, tasted him with that healing skill."
"Again she looked to the slit then to Greagoir. He nodded and cleared his throat. 'Yes, that was me there. I had to be sure he would be safe.' She nodded but did not move closer. She gestured making a motion as if she were pulling a glove from her hand. He looked at his gauntlets, pulled them off and set them next to the chair. She approached, kneeling between his knees and lifted his hands, pressing one on each side of her head."
"Greagoir said afterwards that it was the strangest sensation; it was as if he was allowed into her mind and he was allowed to search through it. She knew this was a test. She sat very still so as not to disturb him as he looked at her life and training with the Dalish sensing no evil, no demonic presence, no blood magic, and no use of the Fade."
The only time she flinched was when he found a memory that made her cry, tears between his fingers. 'I am sorry,' he muttered, resting his cheek on her head. He said she gently reached out and relieved the soreness between his shoulder blades and soothed his anxieties and worries. 'Thank you child,' he said softly."
"She was given a place and classes with the apprentices, but I found her most often in the infirmary or outside in the gardens. It was discovered that she could already read and write, but she was hardly more commutative in writing. She did not have an affinity with elements – fire, lightening, earth, or cold. As she was already well versed in healing we attempted to show her other skills related to that. She easily mastered these skills and techniques, but only if she touched the person, or she with someone she knew well, she could reach out a limited distance."
"Since we will be working, traveling, and fighting together, let me tell you what I know she can do. If you've made it this far, you have already experienced of her unique healing abilities that are nothing like what we've known." The Weakling nods. “We believe that she uses her own energy to accelerate the healing process as neither the mages nor the templars could feel her accessing the Fade. It is not magic as the Circle knows it, perhaps it is something unique to the Dalish.”
"If she could touch an enemy, she can paralyze or sleep them - using their own bodies against them. I am certain given time, by reversing her healing ability, she could inflict wounds, break bones, and drain an enemy's stamina making them tire more easily. I also believe that if driven she could kill someone, stopping their heart for example, using this same reversal. That said, I also believe that reversing her healing so would also be abhorrent to her and she would not do it unless pressed."
The Weakling interrupted, "Wynne, why doesn't she have a staff like the other mages?"
"It isn't because she didn't choose one. When none of the staves in the storage room 'fit', Irving himself opened the cellars and repository for her. He'd hold one up and she'd look at it and shake her head. The Old Mage laughed. "They turned the tower upside down for a week. He was even pointing out staves in the hands of other mages; I think he thought if he could find one she liked, he would have it made for her."
"Finally they found it forgotten in a corner of the repository. It had been crafted for a Dalish from Ironbark and presented to the Circle after the elf disappeared. Irving said her eyes lit up as he unwrapped it."
"Where is it?" questioned the Weakling.
"She returned it to Irving within the week. She wouldn't even look at it, turning her face away as she handed it to him. She wouldn't tell him why. When he shoved a quill and parchment in her hands, she dropped them and walked away."
*~*~*~*~*
Kadan: Friend, brother. Rarely bestowed upon non-Qunari.
Imekari: A child.