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peopleofthedas2011-08-26 09:39 pm
le_monde) wrote in peopleofthedas2011-08-26 09:39 pm
Fic: Disquiet 13/? M overall
Title: Disquiet 13/?: Belladonna
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: All Hail to my beta1smut_princess who I am so glad is back to kick my butt into shape and is not letting Duls get away with manipulating everyone when I'm not paying attention.
*~*~*~*~*
Chapter Thirteen: Belladonna
*~*~*~*~*
"Belladonna, n.: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues." – Ambrose Bierce
The dawn broke the day after the girl finished healing his ankle; Duncan woke to the girl's quizzical gaze upon him. As they breakfasted, packed, and set out down the path he had chosen, she kept glancing at him, staring when his back was turned. He tried to ignore it, after checking his beard and teeth for leftover crumbs. At midday, they stopped to cool their feet in a stream and snack on fruit from an apple tree they stumbled upon.
"What is it?" he finally asked.
She looked confused, almost as if she quite didn't know what to ask.
"You can't stare at me forever. Ask your question."
She grabbed a stick from under a bush and wrote in the dirt of the bank. "Bad poison."
"Well, I don't know what the bandits used…" he began.
She held up her hand interrupting and continued to write "An old wound." She put the word "very" in front of "Bad poison" and added, "It's still there."
Duncan nodded, "Ah that is an old story. Yes, it is a poison and yes, it will kill me, eventually. However, that toxin is necessary."
"There is more." She wrote with certainty.
"Yes." He nodded. "You must promise not to share these secrets with anyone outside of the Grey Wardens."
She held out her hand to his, five fingers spread.
Pressing his palm to hers and clasping her hand, he continued, "Know that I am breaking my own oath of secrecy by sharing this with you now, before you are joined. This taint is what makes us who we are. It helps us sense the darkspawn and, more importantly, to kill the Archdemon."
Taking his other hand he held her chin forcing her to look at his pleading brown eyes, "Please listen closely. Given what I have observed, you may be capable of cleansing this from me. Let me be perfectly clear, Do Not Heal This. We must save the land from the Blight and this is the only means to do it. Understand?"
She nodded.
"Study it, certainly. If you can make it easier to bear or lessen the negative effects, I and all of the other Wardens would be grateful. You have a quick mind and will discern all this for yourself given a day or two of studying me." He smiled. Letting go of her chin, he erased her words in the dirt.
Rising, he brushed his hands free of soil and held one out to her, "Now put on your boots. I'll tell you the rest and answer your questions to the best of my ability."
…
Arriving at Ostagar and sensing her many questions, Duncan headed her off, "Please, find the two other recruits, I would like to see if you can find them without my descriptions. I urge you to study them as you have been studying me since we began this journey."
Her eyes laughed at his perceived abuse under her continued gaze.
"I promise, after you have located them and the only other Grey Warden this side of the gates, I will take you to the rest of the Grey Wardens so you may study them before this battle begins."
She located a Grey Warden recruit, who introduced himself as Jory, and the Grey Warden Alistair easily enough. They seemed happy to be drug by the hand by a pretty girl through camp. Duncan was pleased, and watched her look carefully at every person in the camp. Wynne spotted her and they embraced. Wynne chatted with her for a few minutes, and he had no doubt they were catching up, until she caught Duncan's eye.
She stopped at the Ash Warriors for a long time but eventually moved up to the infirmary. He followed her, watching from a discrete distance. As she walked through the cots of wounded, she drug her hands down their bodies, healing them as she continued to search. Taking an apple from her pocket, she absently handed it to the prisoner. Heading back down to the forge she nodded to the Quartermaster, looked at young man and woman flirting nearby, and glanced at an elf carrying a weapon in his arms. Seeing the tranquil mage, she approached and wrapped her arms around his waist. Leaning into him, she searched the mages and Templers for something, or someone in particular.
As she turned to leave, she patted the Tranquil's cheek and with sad eyes headed up to the war council table. Looking, searching every face, she headed back to the bridge, and wandered the entire other side. She returned from the across the bridge and walked past the king's tent where she nearly stumbled. Looking around, she shook her head before heading up to the ruins on the cliffs above the narrow valley floor. As she came back past the king's tent, her head jerked as if she heard something.
As she stood near a tent next to the king's, her head cocked listening. She approached the guard and nodded, pointing at the tent. The guard attempted to dissuade her from entering. Finally Teryn Loghain, hearing his guard arguing, stepped outside and introduced himself to the elf girl. She boldly reached up and touched his face, the only unarmored spot on Loghain's body. Something happened between them, because he offered her his arm and walked with her to Duncan's fire with his guard following behind protesting.
Duncan stepped forward intercepting them. "This is not the new recruit," he said to Dulsanaya.
She shook her head, disagreeing with him adamantly.
Loghain laughed harshly, "That will be the day. If you will excuse me, my lady, I have a battle to plan." He released her arm, nodded to Duncan, and returned to his tent.
Turning away from the fire, she watched Loghain go, a small frown on her face..
Softly Duncan said, "You may be right, but he would not accept it unless he had no other alternatives." Gently he turned her to him. "Truly, can you find no other?"
Wearily, she shook her head and pointed back at Loghain's tent.
"Look near the forge,” he instructed gently.
She took a deep breath and looked, carefully. She shook her head, no.
"Then I'm afraid you will learn something later tonight."
She stood next to Duncan as he sent the three men into the Wilds to gather three vials of darkspawn blood and the treaties at the old Warden fort. He then took her down to the Grey Warden section of the camp. "Point out every Warden you see with your right hand and every potential Warden with your left."
She identified every Warden and he told her their names. She also identified three potential recruits from amongst the soldiers and a mage who wandered through the camp.
"I have watched those men myself, but the mage I hadn't considered. I will ask about him."
He ushered her into his tent and gestured to a camp chair. As she sat down he asked, "You will come with me next time I look for recruits? I believe that you would save me a great deal of trouble. Tell me, are you certain of Loghain?"
She nodded without hesitation.
"And about Daveth?"
She nodded again.
"I will fetch us some lunch. Why don't you make yourself at home and I will return shortly." However, Duncan was delayed and when he finally returned, she lay on his bed asleep. With a smile he tugged a blanket over her, feeling no desire to awaken her.
…
He woke Dulsanaya when the recruits were spotted returning to the camp and brought her to Wynne to learn how to make the potion. She looked carefully at the ingredients, especially at the vials of darkspawn blood. As the recruits gathered more than three vials, the mage took three random vials.
Reaching out, she quietly touched Wynne's hand. "What do you see, Dulsanaya?"
Taking two of the vials from Wynne's hand she handed her two others.
"Why these? How are they different?" asked Wynne.
Dulsanaya made a confused face.
Wynne handed her paper and a quill, "Tell me what you see."
Dulsanaya wrote, "Blood sings to blood. The song is right with the ones in your hand. It is not right with the others. I cannot be certain, but something in those vials fit better for the ones who will be drinking tonight. I will need to see further."
Wynne agreed, "Since we do not know if there is difference, or have ever considered one, we will use the vials you have chosen. Watch and tell me what you learn tonight."
Duncan approached to give Wynne a precious vial of dried Archdemon blood. Wynne took a large dried drop which was nearly a crystallized flake, which Dulsanaya examined closely. When she was satisfied, the mage put the drop into the cup of darkspawn blood, dissolving it to nothing. Taking a potion of potent lyrium, Wynne added it in slowly, swirling the cup to combine the ingredients well.
Wynne showed Duncan her note and explained what adjustments they made.
Dulsanaya wrote, "I suspect I know one of the lessons you seek to teach me. Please have Jory drink first so I see a successful joining before the other."
Duncan nodded. "Promise me that you will not interfere or try to heal them after they drink. From what you have noticed already, there will be changes, merely observe their reactions and learn from them."
She held up her hand, fingers spread, giving her wordless promise.
…
The cup was first presented to Jory. With much hesitation, he finally drank. She watched him carefully as he fell and knelt at his side looking deep into his body. She watched as the Taint was absorbed under his tongue, into the bloodstream. The darkspawn blood she chose for him seemed to mesh well with his own, almost like it fit, the tune nearly the same. She watched his blood twist as the Taint took its dark hold. It all happened in mere moments.
When the changes stopped, she looked up at Duncan.
"He will be fine," he announced.
He handed the cup to Daveth who drank readily. His reaction was very bad as she felt it would be, given the weakness inside him. The Taint was absorbed under his tongue as with Jory, but as there was no blood that sang like his, she chose the one most unlike his, hoping that his inevitable death would be quick. His blood twisted wrong, very wrong, the pain intense; he could not endure the poison and died. She smoothed his hair, apologizing to him, asking for his soul’s forgiveness.
On her knees between their bodies, she reached for the cup and drank. Her body automatically rejected the poison and she fought against its natural reaction. She was able to isolate a single drop before her body purged the rest of the toxin. Unable to keep from making a face at the way the poison tasted, she handed the cup back to Duncan.
Alistair gasped in surprise, his mouth hanging open, faintly resembling a landed fish, "She didn't pass out."
Duncan asked, "How are you feeling?"
She blinked and covered her ears.
"It is not unusual to be sensitive to sound or light as you become accustomed to sensing the darkspawn," moving to reassure her.
She nodded.
"Do you hear them?"
She looked up at him, confused.
He rephrased the question, "Do you hear music?"
She nodded quickly.
"That is the Archdemon calling to the darkspawn. That voice is how the older Grey Wardens know this is a Blight," Duncan explained.
Alistair gaped at them, clearly not comprehending anything they were talking about.
"Close your eyes and tell me if you can see lights," he urged, hoping she would continue to show such understanding and promise.
Eyes closed, she pointed toward the Wilds.
"Yes. There are many there tonight. They are gathering. Can you tell the difference in the kinds?"
She nodded and touched her tongue.
"Yes, they taste different. You be able to identify them soon."
She opened her eyes and looked at him and Alistair as if confused. Getting to her feet, she approached Duncan sniffing.
He laughed and drew her close, "Come and satisfy your curiosity."
Pressing her cheek to his, she found that he smelled of cloves and leather.
He sniffed her, "Mm, very unique and unmistakable." He hugged her, "Do the same to Alistair so you can find him should you become separated."
"What are you doing?" asked Alistair.
She grinned and turned to smell him and began to shake with laughter.
Duncan laughed out loud "I know!" He slapped his thigh, "It's the funniest thing! And he has no idea."
"What? What did I do?" demanded Alistair, who had no idea that he tastes of hay and wet dog, "Oh Maker, please tell me."
As she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, she looked down at Daveth and sobered.
Duncan said, "You should report your findings to Wynne. I would like to see your report when you are done. I believe we have an hour before the horde out there descends upon us. Jory will wake up shortly. Go and we will meet you back at our fire."
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: All Hail to my beta
1smut_princess who I am so glad is back to kick my butt into shape and is not letting Duls get away with manipulating everyone when I'm not paying attention.*~*~*~*~*
Chapter Thirteen: Belladonna
*~*~*~*~*
"Belladonna, n.: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues." – Ambrose Bierce
The dawn broke the day after the girl finished healing his ankle; Duncan woke to the girl's quizzical gaze upon him. As they breakfasted, packed, and set out down the path he had chosen, she kept glancing at him, staring when his back was turned. He tried to ignore it, after checking his beard and teeth for leftover crumbs. At midday, they stopped to cool their feet in a stream and snack on fruit from an apple tree they stumbled upon.
"What is it?" he finally asked.
She looked confused, almost as if she quite didn't know what to ask.
"You can't stare at me forever. Ask your question."
She grabbed a stick from under a bush and wrote in the dirt of the bank. "Bad poison."
"Well, I don't know what the bandits used…" he began.
She held up her hand interrupting and continued to write "An old wound." She put the word "very" in front of "Bad poison" and added, "It's still there."
Duncan nodded, "Ah that is an old story. Yes, it is a poison and yes, it will kill me, eventually. However, that toxin is necessary."
"There is more." She wrote with certainty.
"Yes." He nodded. "You must promise not to share these secrets with anyone outside of the Grey Wardens."
She held out her hand to his, five fingers spread.
Pressing his palm to hers and clasping her hand, he continued, "Know that I am breaking my own oath of secrecy by sharing this with you now, before you are joined. This taint is what makes us who we are. It helps us sense the darkspawn and, more importantly, to kill the Archdemon."
Taking his other hand he held her chin forcing her to look at his pleading brown eyes, "Please listen closely. Given what I have observed, you may be capable of cleansing this from me. Let me be perfectly clear, Do Not Heal This. We must save the land from the Blight and this is the only means to do it. Understand?"
She nodded.
"Study it, certainly. If you can make it easier to bear or lessen the negative effects, I and all of the other Wardens would be grateful. You have a quick mind and will discern all this for yourself given a day or two of studying me." He smiled. Letting go of her chin, he erased her words in the dirt.
Rising, he brushed his hands free of soil and held one out to her, "Now put on your boots. I'll tell you the rest and answer your questions to the best of my ability."
…
Arriving at Ostagar and sensing her many questions, Duncan headed her off, "Please, find the two other recruits, I would like to see if you can find them without my descriptions. I urge you to study them as you have been studying me since we began this journey."
Her eyes laughed at his perceived abuse under her continued gaze.
"I promise, after you have located them and the only other Grey Warden this side of the gates, I will take you to the rest of the Grey Wardens so you may study them before this battle begins."
She located a Grey Warden recruit, who introduced himself as Jory, and the Grey Warden Alistair easily enough. They seemed happy to be drug by the hand by a pretty girl through camp. Duncan was pleased, and watched her look carefully at every person in the camp. Wynne spotted her and they embraced. Wynne chatted with her for a few minutes, and he had no doubt they were catching up, until she caught Duncan's eye.
She stopped at the Ash Warriors for a long time but eventually moved up to the infirmary. He followed her, watching from a discrete distance. As she walked through the cots of wounded, she drug her hands down their bodies, healing them as she continued to search. Taking an apple from her pocket, she absently handed it to the prisoner. Heading back down to the forge she nodded to the Quartermaster, looked at young man and woman flirting nearby, and glanced at an elf carrying a weapon in his arms. Seeing the tranquil mage, she approached and wrapped her arms around his waist. Leaning into him, she searched the mages and Templers for something, or someone in particular.
As she turned to leave, she patted the Tranquil's cheek and with sad eyes headed up to the war council table. Looking, searching every face, she headed back to the bridge, and wandered the entire other side. She returned from the across the bridge and walked past the king's tent where she nearly stumbled. Looking around, she shook her head before heading up to the ruins on the cliffs above the narrow valley floor. As she came back past the king's tent, her head jerked as if she heard something.
As she stood near a tent next to the king's, her head cocked listening. She approached the guard and nodded, pointing at the tent. The guard attempted to dissuade her from entering. Finally Teryn Loghain, hearing his guard arguing, stepped outside and introduced himself to the elf girl. She boldly reached up and touched his face, the only unarmored spot on Loghain's body. Something happened between them, because he offered her his arm and walked with her to Duncan's fire with his guard following behind protesting.
Duncan stepped forward intercepting them. "This is not the new recruit," he said to Dulsanaya.
She shook her head, disagreeing with him adamantly.
Loghain laughed harshly, "That will be the day. If you will excuse me, my lady, I have a battle to plan." He released her arm, nodded to Duncan, and returned to his tent.
Turning away from the fire, she watched Loghain go, a small frown on her face..
Softly Duncan said, "You may be right, but he would not accept it unless he had no other alternatives." Gently he turned her to him. "Truly, can you find no other?"
Wearily, she shook her head and pointed back at Loghain's tent.
"Look near the forge,” he instructed gently.
She took a deep breath and looked, carefully. She shook her head, no.
"Then I'm afraid you will learn something later tonight."
She stood next to Duncan as he sent the three men into the Wilds to gather three vials of darkspawn blood and the treaties at the old Warden fort. He then took her down to the Grey Warden section of the camp. "Point out every Warden you see with your right hand and every potential Warden with your left."
She identified every Warden and he told her their names. She also identified three potential recruits from amongst the soldiers and a mage who wandered through the camp.
"I have watched those men myself, but the mage I hadn't considered. I will ask about him."
He ushered her into his tent and gestured to a camp chair. As she sat down he asked, "You will come with me next time I look for recruits? I believe that you would save me a great deal of trouble. Tell me, are you certain of Loghain?"
She nodded without hesitation.
"And about Daveth?"
She nodded again.
"I will fetch us some lunch. Why don't you make yourself at home and I will return shortly." However, Duncan was delayed and when he finally returned, she lay on his bed asleep. With a smile he tugged a blanket over her, feeling no desire to awaken her.
…
He woke Dulsanaya when the recruits were spotted returning to the camp and brought her to Wynne to learn how to make the potion. She looked carefully at the ingredients, especially at the vials of darkspawn blood. As the recruits gathered more than three vials, the mage took three random vials.
Reaching out, she quietly touched Wynne's hand. "What do you see, Dulsanaya?"
Taking two of the vials from Wynne's hand she handed her two others.
"Why these? How are they different?" asked Wynne.
Dulsanaya made a confused face.
Wynne handed her paper and a quill, "Tell me what you see."
Dulsanaya wrote, "Blood sings to blood. The song is right with the ones in your hand. It is not right with the others. I cannot be certain, but something in those vials fit better for the ones who will be drinking tonight. I will need to see further."
Wynne agreed, "Since we do not know if there is difference, or have ever considered one, we will use the vials you have chosen. Watch and tell me what you learn tonight."
Duncan approached to give Wynne a precious vial of dried Archdemon blood. Wynne took a large dried drop which was nearly a crystallized flake, which Dulsanaya examined closely. When she was satisfied, the mage put the drop into the cup of darkspawn blood, dissolving it to nothing. Taking a potion of potent lyrium, Wynne added it in slowly, swirling the cup to combine the ingredients well.
Wynne showed Duncan her note and explained what adjustments they made.
Dulsanaya wrote, "I suspect I know one of the lessons you seek to teach me. Please have Jory drink first so I see a successful joining before the other."
Duncan nodded. "Promise me that you will not interfere or try to heal them after they drink. From what you have noticed already, there will be changes, merely observe their reactions and learn from them."
She held up her hand, fingers spread, giving her wordless promise.
…
The cup was first presented to Jory. With much hesitation, he finally drank. She watched him carefully as he fell and knelt at his side looking deep into his body. She watched as the Taint was absorbed under his tongue, into the bloodstream. The darkspawn blood she chose for him seemed to mesh well with his own, almost like it fit, the tune nearly the same. She watched his blood twist as the Taint took its dark hold. It all happened in mere moments.
When the changes stopped, she looked up at Duncan.
"He will be fine," he announced.
He handed the cup to Daveth who drank readily. His reaction was very bad as she felt it would be, given the weakness inside him. The Taint was absorbed under his tongue as with Jory, but as there was no blood that sang like his, she chose the one most unlike his, hoping that his inevitable death would be quick. His blood twisted wrong, very wrong, the pain intense; he could not endure the poison and died. She smoothed his hair, apologizing to him, asking for his soul’s forgiveness.
On her knees between their bodies, she reached for the cup and drank. Her body automatically rejected the poison and she fought against its natural reaction. She was able to isolate a single drop before her body purged the rest of the toxin. Unable to keep from making a face at the way the poison tasted, she handed the cup back to Duncan.
Alistair gasped in surprise, his mouth hanging open, faintly resembling a landed fish, "She didn't pass out."
Duncan asked, "How are you feeling?"
She blinked and covered her ears.
"It is not unusual to be sensitive to sound or light as you become accustomed to sensing the darkspawn," moving to reassure her.
She nodded.
"Do you hear them?"
She looked up at him, confused.
He rephrased the question, "Do you hear music?"
She nodded quickly.
"That is the Archdemon calling to the darkspawn. That voice is how the older Grey Wardens know this is a Blight," Duncan explained.
Alistair gaped at them, clearly not comprehending anything they were talking about.
"Close your eyes and tell me if you can see lights," he urged, hoping she would continue to show such understanding and promise.
Eyes closed, she pointed toward the Wilds.
"Yes. There are many there tonight. They are gathering. Can you tell the difference in the kinds?"
She nodded and touched her tongue.
"Yes, they taste different. You be able to identify them soon."
She opened her eyes and looked at him and Alistair as if confused. Getting to her feet, she approached Duncan sniffing.
He laughed and drew her close, "Come and satisfy your curiosity."
Pressing her cheek to his, she found that he smelled of cloves and leather.
He sniffed her, "Mm, very unique and unmistakable." He hugged her, "Do the same to Alistair so you can find him should you become separated."
"What are you doing?" asked Alistair.
She grinned and turned to smell him and began to shake with laughter.
Duncan laughed out loud "I know!" He slapped his thigh, "It's the funniest thing! And he has no idea."
"What? What did I do?" demanded Alistair, who had no idea that he tastes of hay and wet dog, "Oh Maker, please tell me."
As she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, she looked down at Daveth and sobered.
Duncan said, "You should report your findings to Wynne. I would like to see your report when you are done. I believe we have an hour before the horde out there descends upon us. Jory will wake up shortly. Go and we will meet you back at our fire."