hold on, I have a screenshot for that (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
twist_shimmy) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
peopleofthedas2011-10-18 05:56 pm
twist_shimmy) wrote in peopleofthedas2011-10-18 05:56 pm
Vir Lath Sa'vunin Chapters Sixty-Nine and Seventy
A Dalish-centric AU gen fic featuring two Mahariel Wardens, one bastard prince, and lingering ghosts.
Title: Vir Lath Sa'vunin (We Love One More Day)
Rating: T
Authors:
![[personal profile]](https://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
twist_shimmy and lenna_nightrunner Summary: When their parents died, Tesni Mahariel was left to raise her brother Caerwyn with the help of the rest of their clan. True to their penchant for getting into trouble, Caerwyn and Tamlen went hunting one day and ran afoul of amirror, of all things. The next thing Tesni knew, Caerwyn had been recruited by the Grey Wardens. As if she’d let someshemlen just take her brother away! Determined to keep Caerwyn safe, Tesni goes after them, and antics ensue. She’ll stop the Blight to protect her family, Caerwyn will help--grumbling all the while--and Alistair will do his best to bond with his tattooed and bristly new brethren. When all is said and done, the blurred lines between friendship and blood bonds will draw them down a path that will change all three of them forever.
In which the Lady sees what our Wardens have not.
I have one thing to say about the delay: ಠ_ಠ. That is all. -- Shimmy.
Chapter Sixty-Nine: And Eyes Roll Back, Turn White in Time to Feed. They Salivate in Hunger for You and Everything They Need to Make a Death Complete... Completely Unnatural. (The Alkaline Trio)
Word Count: 1170
TESNI
The forest liked us a lot more now that the speaking tree had given us a way to deceive it. When we left the camp the next morning, the path no longer seemed to twist and turn before us, throwing us off the tracks of the werewolves as they fled before us for their den in the heart of the forest. Like before, we followed their trail, sighting snarls of hair on twigs and warped, heavy footprints in damp earth. But instead of mocking howls warning that the “forest would protect them,” we soon goaded their leader into confronting us directly.
Swiftrunner stood tall, and imposing, and spoke words which affected me more than I was expecting. I understood wanting to stop at nothing to keep my lin’eni safe. I understood caring for absolutely nothing outside of the scope of my family. And if Zathrian weren’t exactly as narrow-minded and twice as proud as the werewolves, he might understand, as well.
But no matter how I tried, Swiftrunner wouldn’t tell me why he was the one who had attacked the camp.
“All I want is the heart of the wolf that has cursed my people. Give him to me and I promise I will kill no more of your kind,” I offered.
“Hrrrrrr. More lies from a treacherous Dalish.” He bent down close, leveling his eyes to mine, and I nearly smiled. Zathrian was wrong. Beasts? No. They were angry, yes, but there was love, and intelligence in his eyes.
I respected Swiftrunner, and so I didn’t let his words offend me. When he saw that my hands weren’t moving for my bow, he rose to his full height again. “I know not how you deceived your way so deep into my forest, little elf, but I will not let you harm my pack. Leave now, before it goes badly for you and your family.”
I shook my head. “Elves are dying. All I want is the wolf.”
Swiftrunner growled again. “You act as though felling Witherfang will be any everyday hunt.”
My brother cut in, spinning his knives. “Wolves’re easy. Killed plenty already, nae?”
Rage replaced the pride that had been in Swiftrunner’s yellow eyes, and the intelligence I had seen there faded as he howled. “Fall back, brothers and sisters! I will lose no more of you to their lies!”
And with that, they retreated again, leaving another, clearer path to follow. I sighed and paused to tighten my bowstring, and Alistair turned and frowned at Caerwyn.
“Brother? Do us all a favor and let Tesni be the diplomat from now on, okay?”
He shrugged, and I told us all to press on.
Not five minutes later, we stumbled across another werewolf, lying crumpled and injured in the dirt. As she spoke, I realized just why the Dalish and the wolf clan had so much in common. But it wasn’t until she told me her name that I felt the cold, mocking breath of Fen’Harel dance against my spine.
Earlier that day, a Dalish had asked me to find his mate. I hadn’t expected to find her alive. My moment of conflict at having to tell Athras that she’d become a werewolf was short-lived, however, when she began to beg me to end her life.
“Please. My blood... it burns.... Be kind, lethallan.”
I drew my knife, blinked back tears, and promised myself an early bedtime. Witherfang could wait another day. Back at camp, there was a man who needed to know that his mate was dead.
Zathrian’s face remained carefully blank when I held the tattered scarf before him and asked him to explain himself.
“Explain what, da’len?” He took it from me and inspected it as though he had no idea to whom it belonged.
“Explain why I found this on a werewolf in the forest.”
He didn’t even falter. “It must have gotten tangled in it when it killed one of our hunters.”
“Then why did she call me lethallan as she died, Keeper?”
Zathrian stepped in close and seized my arm. “You will tell no one.”
“I have already informed her sa’lathii.”
His fingers tightened painfully, but I gave no sign. “You are meant to be helping this clan, not giving our people cause to give in to panic and hysteria!” he hissed in my ear, then pulled away and forced a smile as a craftsman walked by and eyed us curiously.
“I refuse to lie to a man who has just lost his mate.”
“But she is dead?” When I nodded, he sighed in relief, and I realized with horror that I wanted to slap the keeper. “Good. I cannot risk any of the clan running after those that have turned.”
“...Deception will not keep them safe forever.”
“You are not the keeper of this clan, da’len. And if you had killed Witherfang in a more timely fashion, Danyla would not be dead. Do not pin Athras’s grief on me.” He dropped the scarf at my feet and turned his back, leaving me feeling like the entire clan was staring at me as though there was still blood on my hands.
This time when I fled for my tent, no one stopped me. I curled up on the blanket, clutching the necklace Athras had given me out of gratitude for finding his mate, and closed my eyes, begging sleep to take me.
Lethallan.
My eyes opened, and Tamlen pulled me to my feet. When I threw my arms around him, demanding comfort, he hugged me close and buried a hand in my hair. I was sure you were mad at me.
Mad? For asking me to die and abandon my brothers?
I shook my head and pressed my face against his neck. “Not after the day I’ve had.”
I was watching.
“...You can do that?”
Where the Veil is thin, yes. Tamlen took my hands in his. You did the right thing.
“The right thing hurts,” I whispered, and closed my eyes again. “May Falon’din guide her steps.”
There was a long pause before he spoke again. You know better than that, Tesni. Would I be here if the path through the Beyond had been made clear to me?
“...What?”
Where do you think we go? The shemlen Maker doesn’t want us. And our gods are gone. I can wait for two things-- Fen’Harel’s seal to break, or for you to come back to me.
I pulled away and stared at him, and he looked back with cold eyes. Ma arlath, lethallan. But the Beyond is a lonely place when you are away. There are no seasons. There is no time.
“I can relate to there being no time,” I managed, but he ignored the joke and pulled me in for a kiss.
It’s going to get worse before it gets better, he murmured in my ear. Let me help take your mind off it, at least for a little while.
I nodded, closed my eyes, and hoped that the others let me keep sleeping.
Chapter Seventy: I Was Walking with a Ghost. I Said, ‘Please, Please Don’t Insist.’ (Tegan & Sara)
Word Count: 1560
CAERWYN
Don't sleep. Don't sleep. Don't sleep.
Aneth araiii, lethallin.
The sunlight shone down through the leaves above us.
No. Sali'then. Sali’then. Wake up.
Why do you want to stay away from me?
"Leave me alone."
Why? Because you're tired of me telling you the truth?
“You’re not telling me the truth. You’re trying to trick me. For all I know you’re a demon.”
Why would a demon pretend to be me?
“That’s what demons do. They lie.” Magic’d shown us ‘Tamlen’ before.
You hate lies, brother. I've never lied to you, and I'm not lying now. Tamlen shook his head. You're lying. To yourself. You're trying to convince yourself that you're happy living a life you should hate.
"I am happy. Or I was, until we came here."
Stop lying to yourself.
"I'm not."
Tamlen smiled in a way that made me bristle. The petulant da'len seems to still be in there. Apparently not everything has changed.
"I'm not a--"
Then prove it. Prove you've earned your vallaslin. Stop shaming yourself and your people. Go home.
"I have to fight the darkspawn,” I insisted. “I have to kill the archdemon. I have a new clan. I have... a new home."
Listen to yourself!
"I am."
Tamlen sighed and turned away. Then my lethallin is lost. Maybe he’s dead. But I won’t stop looking for him. He turned back and met my eyes. Even though he stopped looking for me.
His words hit me like a shield to the chest. Even in the Beyond it felt like they’d knocked the air from my lungs, and it took me a moment to recover.
"You're... you’re worse than the archdemon."
I expected him to still be angry, but there was pain in his eyes then.
Seeing me is worse than your nightmares? All I've wanted since we went in that Creators-cursed cave was to see you and Tesni again. I've wanted it more than I ever thought I could want anything.
Guilt twisted in my stomach. I couldn’t remember ever seeing my brother so hurt.
I've been alone for what feels like more years than anyone can count, and I'm a nightmare to you?
I looked at him helplessly. “I miss you, lethallin. I miss you so much I can’t think about you.” My eyes stung, and I sniffed. “I didn’t change to hurt you. Why... why do you want to hurt me?”
Tamlen’s expression softened, and when I started shaking he pulled me to his chest. I don’t want to hurt you, little brother.
I gave up trying to be strong and began crying into his shoulder. Hush, lethallin. Tamlen rubbed at my back while I sobbed like the da'len who'd idolized him before even Alistair's or Leliana's parents'd been born. I’m not saying these things to hurt you, he said gently. I’m trying to help you find yourself again before it’s too late.
My knees buckled and I sank to the ground, wiping at my eyes furiously and trying not to look at him when he crouched down next to me. His face was so honest. He just wanted to help me. He just wanted me to be happy. He’d always been there for me. Emma falon. Emma lethalliniv. Maybe....
No. No, I couldn’t. My clan needed me. I needed them.
“E-Emma er'asha arlathv. I... I won't leave her." I swallowed thickly. "And I won't leave my brother. I won't leave the Wardens. I can’t. Please don't ask me again."
I won’t stop until you see reason.
“Ma arlath, brother,” I said softly. “I miss you, and I miss our clan. I never meant to change. I never meant for any of this.”
I know, he said with a gentle smile. But you can be like you were again. If you’ll only listen to me--
“No.” I met his eyes and shook my head. “You’re dead, and our clan’s gone. Emma ir abelas, lethallin. It’s too late.”
No, Caerwyn, you--
I opened my eyes to darkness and took several gulps of cold, clean forest air. My arms were empty. Panic welled in my chest until I reached out and touched Leliana’s shoulder. I shifted under the thick blankets until I was pressed alongside her back and put my arm around her waist.
Emma er’asha arlath.
I'd told myself that. I'd told Tamlen. But had I ever told her?
Leliana stirred in my arms and hid her face. She’d given up trying to talk to me. She’d given up asking me what was wrong. I suddenly felt very guilty.
No, I’d never said it. I'd always just assumed she knew.
"I've been 'blank' lately," I murmured against her ear as an apology.
She didn’t say anything.
"Leliana, I...."
When she stiffened in my arms I frowned. I hardly ever said her name out loud. She was holding her breath, bracing herself like I might hit her.
“I... I love you. Je t'aimevi, Leliana,” I whispered. “You know, right?"
There was a long pause, then she let her breath out and turned to face me. She ran her palm over my cheek. I leaned into her hand and closed my eyes.
“Je saisvii.”
"There's a lot I don't say, but... Ma arlath, emma er'asha. Ma emma sa’lath."
"Caerwyn, please.” I could hear the worry in her voice. “Tell me what's wro--"
I cut her off with a kiss. She wouldn't understand the truth, and I wouldn't lie. I loved her too much to do that.
It was time. We finally really knew where we were going and--if the tree hadn’t lied to us--we could get there now. I wasn’t the only one who watched the trees warily as we made our way toward the werewolves' lair. We'd all suffered our fair share of scrapes and cuts from fighting trees. Alistair'd gotten a big splinter in his palm and had to look away when Tesni’d dug it out. It was hard to believe this was the same man who’d gotten his face tattooed without any major flinching.
The werewolves'd picked the perfect place for a den: underground Elvhen ruins. It was like they knew I’d be coming. Three of them met us at the entrance, announced that they were going to go ‘protect the Lady,’ and ran away. If I'd been trying to protect someone, I wouldn't be leading people who wanted to kill her right to her.
But then, I'd never been good at strategy.
The ruins were full of death. Ancient Dalish were encased in stone instead of buried under trees, and their ghosts were there. They'd died so long ago they spoke Elvish even I didn't understand much of, but it was pretty clear they weren't very happy about being dead.
When we finally got down to what seemed like miles underground (it’d started feeling like the Deep Roads, only less orange), we found the werewolf guards again.
“We do not wish any more of our people hurt,” their leader growled. “I ask you this now, outsiders: are you willing to parley?”
I raised an eyebrow and looked to Alistair. “What’s ‘par-lay’ mean?”
Leliana tried to hide a smile as she shook her head at me. “You know parlez, Caerwyn.”
“Oh." They wanted to talk. "I--”
Tesni gave us all a look, then turned back to the werewolf.
“Your ‘Lady’ wants to speak with us?”
“Hrrrr,” said the werewolf. "The Lady believes that the Dalish have not told you everything."
“Is your ‘Lady’ Witherfang?” Tesni asked, expression blank. When the werewolf only growled, she said, “Take us to her.”
I'd thought their Lady'd be another werewolf, but she was like nothing I'd ever seen. Like a demon, but not. Beautiful, but... unsettling. She was made from magic.
And she gave me a feeling. Like... trees, and earth, and hunting on cold autumn mornings. I watched little leaves swirl around her and the way her arms with vines for fingers swayed like branches in the wind and I knew who--no, what she was, before she told us.
"I bid you welcome, mortals. I am the Lady of the Forest. Might I ask your names?"
"My name is Tesni, Commander of Ferelden's Grey Wardens," Tesni said in her best Leader Voice. "My brothers Caerwyn and Alistair are Grey Wardens as well, and these are our companions, Zevran and Leliana."
"Well met, Warden-Commander." Her eyes glanced over each of us in turn, then paused on the empty space that seemed to’ve grown between Tesni and me since we’d come to this Creators-cursed forest.
"But who is your third companion? I am glad that so many Dalish are willing to speak with us."
Another Dalish? I looked back toward the door. Maybe one of Zathrian's clan'd decided to follow us. But I only found Alistair, Zevran, and Leliana, and they all looked as confused as I was. Then I met Tesni's eyes, and saw instantly the truth I'd been an idiot not to realize on my own:
I wasn't the only one he'd been haunting.
iLin'en: Family
iiSa'lath: Mate/Husband. (lit: one love)
iiiAneth ara: Hello.
ivEmma falon. Emma lethallin. My friend. My brother.
v“I-I love my bard.”
vi“I love you.”
no subject
So glad to see this chapter, and YAY that the Tamlen-haunting is being brought out into the open at last.
Tesni is not the only one wishing she could slap Zathrian.
no subject
Honored to be squee-worthy! :D Sorry for the delay; life has been kind of insane for both of us lately.
no subject
Slapping Zathrian would be a worthy mod. :D
no subject
About bloody time it came out that Tamlen's been pestering both of them. It makes good sense for the Lady of the Forest to see him.
no subject
Glad you like the choice to use the Lady for the reveal. It was a stroke of genius on Shimmy's part, imho.
no subject
no subject
God I love Caerwyn. You tell that nosey ghost, Caer! *nods curtly*
I am also in Tesni's camp of wanting to bitch-slap Zathrian. Man is so stubborn that I just want to wring his neck. I can't WAIT until our Wardens find out just what this curse is from. *tries to be patient in the meantime*
As usual, a lovely update! I actually read it last night, but I was in bed and on my phone... and I couldn't remember my login info XD I fail.
no subject
Thanks, Ash! We'll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next update. Life has been insane for both of us lately and VLS'v requires a surprisingly large amount of time, energy, and concentration considering how short the chapters are. The downside of having two authors is both of you have to have that time, energy, and concentration simultaneously!
no subject
ILU TOO CAER... but at least cork those knives before you hug me. I know I need a haircut, but not THAT badly! LOL!
no subject
I love my job. I do. But I don't like the hour commute each way and the fact that I often work 50-60 hour weeks. DON'T THEY KNOW THAT I HAVE FIC TO WRITE.
no subject
An HOUR each way?! Good god I'd kill things. Possibly small, furry and cute things. Or people. You know, whatever got in my way really. Haaaa.
no subject
Oh yes...do let's get the truth of the Tamlen haunting out into the open. *settles back to watch the fur fly*
no subject
I suppose that with werewolves involved there may literally be fur flying!
no subject
I can't imagine anyone in the party is going to be very happy with Zathrian once this little arc is over. *chuckles*