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valkyriewarriors · 4 years

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bludgers (hp au)

Her hands tangled in his wavy brown locks she knew it drove him crazy. In a swift move, he hitched her legs around his waist and pushed her against the wall. Nesta gasped as his tongue ran down the side of her neck. She can almost feel his smirk as she squirmed in his arms. Her fingers yanked his head back and to his delighted surprise, she reached the hem of his jersey. He helped throw his jersey off, it being discarded somewhere in the dark closet. Nesta’s hands ran over the planes of his stomach and over his chest, a gesture that made him groan into the side of her neck. When she ground her hips into his he slammed her against the wall again, sliding his hands up her shirt towards the hem of her lacy bra.

“Yes, he should be in here somewhere.” Devlon’s rough voice boomed just outside the changing rooms. “The biggest match of the season and we can’t find him anywhere... unbelievable.” Devlon continued to grumble.

Nesta froze and Cassian threw on a flash of panic before gently setting her down. He put a finger to his lips and signaled to stay behind him. Nesta almost tripped on a set of broomsticks but was careful to not make a noise. Cassian whispered gently in her ear “I’ll be back,” and left her alone in the dark equipment closet. She was so embarrassed and thought about how this was karma for snogging the captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team in a shabby closet.

“Cassian my boy! This here is Rita Skeeter, coming to write about the Slytherin-Gryffindor match today and of course our star player.” Nesta crinkled her nose at the fake tone Devlon was using and could only imagine Cassian feeling the same way.

“Oh so this is Cassian! Gryffindor’s top and most handsome player might I add,” How old was this woman? Nesta thought.

“You should definitely add that,” Cassian remarked proudly, much to Nesta’s disgust.

“A star player indeed! A rising captain leading Gryffindor currently in a 9-0 season, with you catching every single match’s Golden Snitch.”

“I mean my teammates really help clean the field for me, our defense-”

“And you have such a tragic history, is the trial and death of your mother your motivation?”‌ There was silence and Nesta could feel her stomach turn, her head spinning almost in rage. How dare she-

“As you know I was taken in by a wonderful family and they have shown me what it feels to belong. And that’s how I lead my team– showing them that each one of them is needed out in the field to win.” Cassian said in a lower but stern voice.

“Of course always so humble. Another question is there someone special-”

“I think I’m done here.”‌ Cassian said which was followed by another awkward silence.

Devlon cleared his throat, “Yes the boy is very stressed, should I introduce you to the goalkeeper? She’s very..” His voice disappeared as he left the changing room.

Nesta heard light footsteps before the door to the equipment closet opened. “How much of that did you hear?”‌ Cassian asked her sheepishly.

“All of it.” She tried to avoid his eyes by straightening out her uniform.

“Sorry you had to hear all of that.”‌

She shook her head as she stepped out of the closet, “Rita is always out of line, her column is full of hearsay.”

“Even the part of me being handsome?” He led her through the back of the changing rooms, a route she knew too well.

Nesta finally looked at him, his face turned to throw a smirk back at her. “Especially that part.”‌ Her lips twitched slightly as he scoffed.

When they reached the outskirts of the castle Cassian turned towards her, “Will I see you tonight at the after-party?” His voice was quiet. Nesta had a feeling he imagined he was walking on thin ice. She swallowed as she took in the look of hope on his face, something she never wanted to crush.

When she took too long to answer he sighed. “Look, Nesta… I just don’t think I can do this sneaking around with you anymore if I’m going to get hurt in the end.”

“Why would you get hurt?”

He scoffed, “You tell me why Nesta.”‌

She tried to avoid his eyes again but he gently took her chin to face her. His forehead laid gently on top of hers, their noses touching. He was so close, she could feel his warmth despite the daunting cold. “What have we been doing these past two years, Nesta?”

She bit her lip, a gesture he followed with his eyes. “I just can’t. It’s my last year I have to focus on my-”

“Future.”

Nesta swallowed again, “What we had was just…. just fun.”

He stepped back and let the cold engulf her once again. “Just fun?” He asked incredulously.

The winter’s wind blew sharply around Nesta. “Today will be the last.”‌ She whispered. But still couldn’t look at him. She tried her best to look cool and collected. She didn't want to show him there was twisting in her gut. Nesta knew he could see right through it. She didn’t want to know if he felt the same way. So she promptly walked away, leaving him alone in the cold.

–

“God, I hate quidditch matches.” Emerie muttered beside her. Nesta was the only one to hear and couldn’t agree with her more. Being the Slytherin prefect, she had favorable seating for all their matches. But she didn’t want to see Cassian not just yet.

“Then why bother coming? You don’t have to.” Nesta retorted, eyeing the Slytherin players as they entered the pitch. Everyone in their section cheered proudly.

“Yes, but I would be so lonely in the dorms by myself and I don’t want to miss the after party and snog some players.”‌ Emerie winked at Nesta. She figured she’d tell her about Cassian later when they aren’t surrounded by the whole House of Slytherin.

A string of boos resonated as the Gryffindor team flew into the pitch. Nesta immediately spotted Cassian. He was always in the middle of their formation as they circled the pitch with hair unruly in the wind. And he spotted her too, from afar it wouldn’t look like much, but she could feel his hazel eyes bore into hers.

The match started aggressively as always. However, Slytherin and Gryffindor were the two most prideful teams of Hogwarts and their rivalry charged the atmosphere. Gryffindor lost one of their chasers as they were knocked off their broom and then Slytherin lost a chaser due to a foul in the pitch. 40 minutes in, Gryffindor and Slytherin were tied.

But all the while, Nesta kept her eyes on Cassian zooming through the pitch, an inch behind that golden blur. She never liked to watch him play, although she agreed he was a graceful flier, there was a special element of danger with seekers. The Golden Snitch tended to take the most dangerous paths through the opposing team’s defense. She’d have to watch Cassian dodge countless bludgers and chasers in heart-stopping flight paths.

“Slytherin has scored! Eris Vanserra plowed right through Gryffindor’s defenses and sent a scorching bludger through the goal post!” The announcer boomed through the pitch. An eruption of cheers followed as Slytherin took the lead, Nesta was obligated to clap but her attention was nowhere near Slytherin’s defense.

Cassian was gone, the snitch must’ve taken him to high altitudes. The clouds blocked her view and she could only imagine what was happening up there. Suddenly she saw the golden snitch appear again, diving straight down. Shortly behind it came Cassian.

“Gryffindor’s seeker is attempting a spiral dive to intercept the snitch!” The announcer proclaimed as everyone’s attention shifted onto Cassian. He was nose diving in a spiral fashion to accelerate his speed. Nesta’s heart was pounding, a million scenarios running through her head. It was hard to see what occurred at the ground level. But before Cassian could nosedive into the ground he pulled himself sharply up. He had the snitch in hand.

“Cassian has done it again! The snitch has been caught! Gryffindor wins!”‌ The pitch was silent as Cassian grinned triumphantly towards the Gryffindor’s cheering sections. Nesta hated how happy he was and how contagious his smile is. But then she saw a grey blur coming towards him, it was a bludger.

“Cassian!”‌ she screamed out. Cassian confused for second looked towards her, but it was that split second that the bludger collided into him. He was thrown off his broom, sent spiraling towards the ground.

His broom came sweeping in right before he crashed into the ground, but he still slammed in the snow-covered field. Medics and teammates rushed towards him and off to the infirmary. He was knocked unconscious from the fall.

–

Nesta rushed back to her room before any Slytherins could corner her and question her actions. She began to pace her room, wondering if she should go to the infirmary and visit him. There would be no doubt all his teammates would be there. Then she thought about the last conversation they had, she told him they were nothing, he was just fun. But she was lying and he knew it, but he’s unconscious now and it’s all her fault.

A knock came to the door before Emerie appeared, “What was that Nesta?” she exasperated. “One minute you’re yelling out the Gryffindor’s captain’s name and then the next you’re gone.”‌

“It’s nothing,”‌ Nesta said trying to keep her voice steady.

“Nothing?‌ Nesta, I know you’ve been pacing this room. So tell me what is going on.”

Sighing, Nesta gave up because she knew Emerie would not give up until she got it out of her.

“You’ve been snogging Gryffindor’s Captain?!”‌ Emerie’s eyes widened and she looked bewildered. “Ms.Slytherin Prefect?”‌

“I ended it this morning.” Nesta said in a harsh tone, trying to signal to Emerie to keep her voice down.

Emerie snorted, “No, you ended it with his face shoved in the snow.”‌ when she saw Nesta’s face twist she raised her eyebrows. “Do you really have feelings for him?”‌

Nesta didn’t answer, which was an answer to Emerie.

“Then what the fuck are you doing here?‌ Go see the golden boy at the infirmary.”

–

When she reached the infirmary she could hear voices engulfed in a conversation. She recognized her sister’s voice.

“Nesta wouldn’t do that. She’s above hexing.” Feyre said in a stern voice. A sense of warmth flooded her as she listened to her sister take her side.

“Why was she screaming out his name?‌” She recognized the voice as her sister’s boyfriend, Rhysand.

“To warn me,” Cassian’s voice was weak. He must’ve wakened not long ago.

“Why would she warn you?‌ Nesta doesn’t care about games. She’s always reading books during matches.”‌ Cassian said nothing to answer the question. Rhysand only sighed.

As she entered the infirmary her steps echoed through the room. His whole team and some other Gryffindors were there. They all immediately turned to her. She hated feeling small, especially in a room full of people who thought the illest of her.

Nesta straightened her back and walked right towards Rhysand, whose eyebrows rose as she stared directly at him. “You really think I would hex someone? Over a tiny quidditch match?”‌

Rhysand shifted his eyes away from hers and sighed, “No, I’m sorry Nesta… I’m just angry this happened.”‌

“Nesta.”‌ The room fell silent as Cassian spoke her name. Nesta looked at him lying on an infirmary cot, his left arm wrapped in a bandage. “You came,” His face had scratches all over but it didn’t stop his wide beamed smile.

The others moved away from Cassian as she sat beside his cot. She took some chocolate out of her pocket. “Take it, I know it’s your favorite.”‌ His smile faltered a little as he took it and bit into it, groaning at the creamy texture. “Thank you, Nesta.”‌

“I’m so confused about what’s happening right now,”‌ whispered Rhysand, even though Nesta could clearly hear him.

“Who cares, let’s give them some space,”‌ Feyre whispered back and the rest soon walked out of the infirmary.

“The party was canceled,” Cassian said smugly. “Guess you couldn’t be my date after all.”‌

Nesta shrugged, “I like this party better.”‌ She gestured for him to scoot over. Awkwardly he made some room for her on the cot allowing her to scoot close to him, careful not to touch his healing arm.

“I’m sorry I screamed out your name… I freaked out.” She whispered into his chest.

“You were warning me Nesta, I should be the one looking out for flying bludgers anyways.”‌ He squeezed her small figure. She brought her hand up to his face. A few bruises here and there but he was still a devastatingly handsome brute.

“And I’m sorry for lying to you.”‌ Her thumb swiped across his cheekbone, skimming a tiny cut there.

“I knew you were lying.” He whispered back smirking at her dismay.

“And I hate that I hurt you, and it took this,” she gestured to his bandaged arm, “to make me realize I shouldn’t let you go easily.”

“Honestly Nesta, I’d take a thousand more bludgers for you to realize that.”‌ He groaned a bit as she hit him in the chest.

“Shut up and kiss me golden boy.”

He raised his eyebrows, “golden boy?”

But Nesta didn't answer him and rose to bring her lips to his. Quickly his tongue swiped over her bottom lip and she tasted herbal medicine and chocolate. She laughed slightly as they pulled away, and Cassian stared at her in awe because her smile was his favorite, something he always cherished. He connected his forehead to hers once again, their eyes locked onto each other.

“I take it I can take you to Hogsmeade this weekend?” His eyes sparkled with that same glimpse of hope she saw earlier today.

She bit the inside of cheek in fake pension over the question before she laughed, “Yes, of course.”‌ Cassian beamed at her answer and gave her another kiss.

“Good because there’s this fantastic meat pie they do over at The Three Broomsticks and…”‌ Nesta only continued to stare at him as he went on and smiled at how excited he was to take her out. The hope in his eyes now turned to excitement at the endless possibilities for them, and Nesta felt the same way.

#nessian #acotar au week #nessian fanfic #nessian fanfiction #nesta archeron #cassian #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fanfic #acotar fanfiction

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thescarletofarose · 5 years

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The Consequences of His Wish

Chapter Ten

Adrien stood before the white and black door of the Dupain bakery. He looked back at the black idling car. The windows were tinted, but he knew his mother was watching him. He turned back, remembering the abrupt change in character his mother displayed earlier. It was only for a couple seconds, but her entire demeanor had changed to one of cruelty.

Adrien opened the door and stepped through. A bell dinged, announcing his presence. A burly man holding pastries in his hand looked over with a smile: Tom Dupain. Adrien returned the smiled and gave a small wave. “Hello Mr. Dupain. Is Marinette here?”

“Adrien, my boy! Welcome back. Marinette is upstairs in her room,” said Tom. He walked over, wiping his hands on his apron, and shook hands with Adrien. He smelled of spices and freshly baked goods. Adrien silently willed his stomach to not betray him and said, “I’m supposed to be meeting some classmates here for a project.”

“Ah yes! Marinette mentioned something about needing to use the bakery for a school assignment. Help yourselves to whatever you need. You’re the first one here, so if you’d like a snack first, please get one.”

Tom gestured to the freshly baked goods behind him. Adrien peeked around him and took in the mountain of Macarons, Chouquettes, and Éclairs. His stomach rumbled, causing a small blush to taint his cheeks. He said, “M-maybe a small snack wouldn’t hurt.”

“Great! You get whatever you want. I’ll let Marinette know you’re here,” Tom responded. He walked off, leaving Adrien to his growling stomach and thoughts. Plagg flew out of Adrien’s jacket. He inhaled deeply and sighed. “Oh wow. It all smells so good. I can just imagine how great it would taste with my Camembert. Wait, who needs to imagine? He said to help ourselves!”

“Plagg wait!”

Adrien reached out to grab his kwami, but the black cat of destruction simply passed by. Plagg flew towards the heaping mountains of food and circled, every now and then picking up various goods.

“The buttery-ness of Camembert would complement nicely with this Canelé. However, Camembert is also slightly sweet which would really pair well with this Croissant.” Plagg grabbed his head and moaned. “I can’t decide which one I want!”

Plagg twitched his ears, and he suddenly flew back to Adrien. A moment later, Marinette came tumbling down the stairs. She landed with a loud thud and a small cry. Adrien rushed over to the fallen girl. She rubbed her head, wincing at the pain. He knelt at her side and gently grabbed her arm. “Marinette, are you okay?”

“Yeah....”

Adrien helped her up. She put a hand to her head and looked up at him. Jumping back, she yelped, “You’re welcome!”

Adrien looked at her confused. He hesitantly responded back, “Thank you?”

Marinette’s face reddened. “No! Don’t thank me! Thank...you? Wait, don’t thank yourself. Thank myself. I mean, I’ll thank myself. Yourself.”

Adrien chuckled. “You’re welcome”

Marinette looked down, a small smile barely visible. She walked over to a plate of light pink pastries and picked them up. Face still partly hidden, she presented them to Adrien. “Macaron?”

“Thank you.” Adrien picked one up. The door opened and Juleka walked through, followed closely behind by Max.

A second later, Lila popped in and immediately spotted the Macarons in Marinette’s hand. “Oh Macarons!” she exclaimed. The smile slipped off Marinette’s face, but she held out the plate still. Lila tentatively picked one up between two fingers. Smiling sweetly, she said, “Did you make these? I can tell. I’m sure they taste how they look too.”

Marinette glared and moved the plate to Juleka and Max. “Yes, I did make them. I thought that these would be a good idea to make as a group.”

“Lila is right,” Adrien said, a bite taken from his.

Marinette whirled around, her heart starting to break. “W-well, my father and mother are the–”

“They look and taste amazing.”

Max said, “Indeed. I’m no baker, but I did do some research before coming here. I have to say, Marinette, these Macarons are appealing and palatable. Well done.”

“These will be great to make,” Adrien said, giving Marinette a thumbs up.

Pink dusted Marinette’s cheeks. She carefully set the platter down and faced the group, a bright smile on her face. “Thank you. I am nowhere near the baker my parents are, but that means a lot to me. Hopefully, with the right amount of teamwork, we can all make some that we can show off.”

Max pulled out his phone. “I’m ready to begin recording whenever you are, Marinette.”

Marinette took a deep breath, a sudden chill spiraling down her spine. She nodded her head. Max gave her a thumbs up, and she turned to the remaining group. They all looked at her expectantly, even Lila. Though Marinette had a feeling she was waiting for her to make a mistake, to use it as an opportunity to make herself the star of the project. Marinette clenched her jaw, the thought of Lila taking over her parents’ bakery steeled her nerves. She lifted her chin and began speaking. “To successfully bake, we need to work as a team. That means trusting each other,” she looked at Lila and then at Adrien, “and communicating. But I know we can do it, so let’s begin.”

Everyone donned an apron and began moving to Marinette’s guiding, gathering ingredients, bowls, and pans. Soon the bakery was bustling with everyone working hard. Marinette moved around the small room, in between her own tasks, making sure everything went smoothly. She sat a bowl of egg whites next to Adrien, who was plugging in an electric mixer. A loud sneeze dragged her attention to Juleka. The girl was shaking the flour so hard it was being thrown up and all over her. Lila walked over and took the bowl. “Don’t worry, Marinette. I’ll help Adrien.”

Marinette opened her mouth to protest but another sneeze from Juleka closed it. She walked away, throwing over her shoulder, “Make sure they peak.”

Marinette approached the thoroughly powdered girl and grabbed the sifter, allowing Juleka to wipe herself clean.

“Make sure to sift the flour gently, Juleka. We want it to make sure to get all the large clumps out.” Marinette grabbed Juleka’s hands and directed her into a smooth rhythm. They watched as fine powder sprinkled into the bowl below like soft snow. “You’re doing a great job though.”

Juleka nodded and went back to work. Marinette looked over at the duo. Lila was talking while Adrien appeared to be struggling with the hand mixer.

“So Adrien,” Lila said, holding a bowl in place with one hand and checking the nails of the other, “you like Macarons? I like them too. What else do you like? I’m sure we have a lot in common. Oh, you weren’t at school today. Where were you? At a photoshoot? OMG. I would love to go to one.”

“Uh, Lila? Do you think you can hold the bowl steady?” asked Adrien. His brows were furrowed as he concentrated on controlling the moving whisks. The bowl was wobbling; its contents threatening to splash out. “It’s hard to keep it–”

A pair of hands grabbed the bowl. Marinette sighed. She looked over at Lila, a slight frown on her face. “Lila, being a part of a team means working as a team. I need to be able to trust you to do your part, and right now, it doesn’t look like I can.”

“Marinette, how can you say that?” Lila’s eyes widened. She pulled back her hand as if stung and cradled it against her chest. “I was working just like everyone else.”

“You weren’t working, and it could have cost us the batter.”

Adrien turned off the mixer and said, “Don’t you think you’re being a little too harsh, Marinette? Lila was just trying to make conversation.”

Marinette felt a pang in her chest. She gritted her teeth as her cheeks reddened. Juleka shook her head. “Not cool.”

Marinette curled her hands into fists and looked at everyone. She knew that Juleka and Max didn’t know the true Lila, but Adrien did. He knew she was a liar and an attention seeker. The palms of her hands and her jaw ached as wild emotions ran rampant through her body and around her heart. She turned away. “Let’s finish this project. I’m going to start on the buttercream.”

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculousfanfic #miraculousfanfiction #miraculous fandom #ladybug #chatnoir #hawkmoth #mayura #ladynoir #marichat #ladrien #adrinette #chapter story #chapter ten #TheScarletofaRose

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theshatteredrose · 4 years

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Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 4 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: Sorry for the wait! I was too distracted playing Pokemon Shield, but I did dabble at this in-between. It’s also a longer chapter, which is another reason for taking so long (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it). So, enjoy~!

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 4:

The morning air was cool and crisp as Drayce led his guildmates to the entrance of the labyrinth. Blayke was directly behind him with Caelem huddling close to him out of nerves. Upon seeing that sight, Drayce had to smile to himself when he remembered how Blayke greeted him when he returned to the Crescentia after his little errand.

“C-Caelem actually has a tail,” he uncharacteristically stuttered at him the moment he stepped through the doors.

Caelem, with a tail as long and fluffy as his hair, stood a few feet away behind him, looking confused.

Drayce had spent the next few minutes reassuring Caelem that Blayke’s reaction wasn’t negative. He just thought his tail was cute. Which prompted Caelem to start blushing and stuttering. And Blayke spent the rest of the night trying to act cool.

The whole thing was fun, honestly.

Next to Caelem walked Faelen, Nashoba by his side. Their presence offering the Therian a sense of comfort.

While his tail was hidden from view at current, he too seemed to appreciate the fact that he didn’t have to hide while inside the Crescentia. Unsurprisingly, his tail was the same unique colour as his hair. But was far fluffier than Drayce had anticipated.

It made him wonder just how…uncomfortable it was for them to have to hide their tails like that. He also couldn’t help but feel that there was another reason why they kept them hidden from view when out in public.

Zohar took the rear, leisurely keeping pace as he pulled his coffins alongside him. He took the whole therian tail reveal with ease. Likely having known beforehand.

The entrance of the labyrinth was bustling as usual at this time of the morning. With the sky a clear blue, not a cloud to be seen, it was no surprise that other guilds were also milling about, ready to conduct their own exploration.

“You guys ready to head to the second floor?” Drayce asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

“We’re ready,” Blayke was the one to respond on everyone’s behalf, completely unbothered that Caelem was sticking incredibly close to him. “Let’s hope out first time there goes smoothly.”

He honestly did, too.

As they headed toward the once heavily fortified and barricaded entrance of the labyrinth, Drayce immediately remembered the rune stone that he had learnt about and altered their direction slightly.

“Ah, before we head in; I’ll show you what Virgil showed me yesterday,” Drayce explained as they turned right from the entrance and down a small path that led to a clearing in the forest that surrounded the labyrinth.

Unsurprisingly, the rune stone was still there, in one piece, and with only two gemstones amongst the thirty shining softly. Immediately, a few murmurs of surprise and interest erupted behind him.

“This?” Blayke questioned as he and the others inspected the rune stone.

“Yep, this is it,” Drayce answered. “See those crystals? They are set to transport you to a particular set of stairs. Only after they’ve been activated.”

Faelen inspected the crystals curiously. “There’s…thirty of them. Wait, does that mean there’s thirty floors?” he asked as he spun around to look at Drayce in surprise.

Drayce smiled as he adjusted the holster of his shield. “That’s the consensus.”

“We’ve got a long way to go…” Blayke murmured.

Drayce slapped him on the shoulder in a friendly matter. “And we’re in no hurry. Anyway, let’s get going.”

Heading into the labyrinth, they turned to the right in order to reach the stairs. And in his usual spot, surrounded by his faithful and loyal chickens, was Virgil. He appeared to be speaking with a guild, likely novices on their first mission.

As soon as he was done seeing off the other guild, Virgil turned to likely greet another potential guild. His expression, however, immediately lightened when he recognised them. “Oh, good morning.”

“Moring, Virgil,” Drayce greeted cheerfully as he paused in front of the friendly guard. “We’re popping up to the second floor today, so we shouldn’t be in your hair. Lucky you.”

Virgil chuckled before an expression of realisation appeared on his face. “Ah, your first time, yes? Do you mind if I ask you something before you travel forward?”

Drayce adjusted the band that kept his shield on his back and nodded. “Sure. What’s up?”

“I take it you know of those golden treasure chests that are quite visible around this floor,” Virgil started.

“Like that one behind you?” Drayce returned, his gaze flicking toward the golden treasure chest that seemed to both blend in but stand out amongst the greenery of the labyrinth. “Yeah, I’ve noticed them.”

Virgil shifted on his feet. “You haven’t inspected them?”

Drayce shrugged. It made sense that Virgil would be asking him why he hadn’t broken his neck trying to get to them. He may not know that he’s a treasure hunter, but it was still a valid question.

“I’ve been a tad busy the few times I’ve been on this floor, but I have noticed them,” Drayce explained before he shrugged again. “I take it they’re to help boost morale for the rookie explorers?”

Virgil was momentarily surprised before he smiled politely and nodded his head. “Yes, that’s right. For the first two floors at the very least.”

Yup. Nothing more tempting to a rookie guild than a golden treasure chest in full view. For seasoned treasure hunters, the treasures that were hard to locate or even see held the most value.

Like the Radiant Moon of Compassion, for example. Hidden on the first floor, in a place that was inaccessible and yet people passed by all day, every day for nearly a thousand years. It was right there and no one knew.

That was the kind of treasures that Drayce was interested in.

“Yeah, I had thought as much which is why I haven’t been breaking my neck to get to them,” Drayce replied.

That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t curious to know what was inside those golden treasure chests!

“Ah, I see. I’ve been curious,” Virgil said before he went on to explain further. “We guards have been ordered to ensure that the treasure chests are well stocked but with all the new explorers lately, it’s been hard to remember who had retrieved the treasure inside the chest and who hasn’t.”

Drayce immediately understood what he meant. “Don’t want anyone doubling up. Fair enough. I’ll leave those treasure chests alone for now. For these two floors at least. I can’t promise anything about the higher floors.”

Virgil laughed. “That’s more than reasonable.”

“Besides, I’m more interested in what’s hidden than what is in plain sight.” Drayce adjusted his grip on his shield and straightened. “Well, better get a move on. The second floor won’t explore itself.”

“I best get back to work also,” Virgil said as he glanced over Drayce’s shoulders. “Have a good day.”

Drayce nodded his head and motioned for the others to follow him. “And you.”

“Oh, don’t forget the crystal,” Virgil reminded.

“Got it!” Drayce said as he waved back, still leading the party to the stairs.

“Crystal?” Blayke questioned and Drayce simply sent him a smile.

“You’ll see~”

Passing through a set of doors and between two small streams of water they came across a simple stone and wooden structure. Inside was a set of stairs, made from stone and spiralling upwards. As they stepped inside, the lightening immediately waned. Not to pitch black, but visibility was definitely affected. It thankfully wasn’t stifling inside, nor was it a long spiralling staircase. About twenty steps in total.

They ascended the stairs in silence and soon stepped through onto the second floor. The same lush greenery and clean air greeted them as they stepped out into the sunlight.

As the others filed out from the stairs, Drayce turned to look back toward the archway. He quickly inspected the stonework and it wasn’t long until his gaze fell upon a small crystal nestled within the stone and moss. Clearly, that was the crystal that Virgil told him about.

Faelen seemed to have noticed the gemstone, also, as he moved to stand next to him and tugged on the sleeve of his coat. “Is this linked to that Star Jump you told us about?”

“I think so,” Drayce replied. “Apparently, you have to activate it in order to be transported to these set of stairs. I assume it’s nothing more than just touching the crystal. I take it we all need to do it.”

Drayce raised his hand and slipped off his glove. He then gently brushed his fingers against the simple light green gemstone. Just as his fingers touched the smooth surface, it flickered a soft, subtle light. It lasted only a second, but Drayce was certain its reaction indicated that he crystal, and possibly the deva within, had accepted him.

He didn’t receive a negative reaction, after all.

He took a step back to allow the others to introduce themselves to the gemstone as well.

“Go ahead,” he urged.

Faelen was the first to step up, and he did so eagerly. As he brushed his fingertips against the stone, he received the same reaction, the crystal flickering lightly.

One by one the other stepped forward and tapped the crystal with their fingertips. And they all received the same reaction.

Well, that turned out easier than expected. Which was a good thing. He just needed to remember to introduce the others to the warping crystal the next time they venture into the labyrinth.

“Well, with that out of the way, let’s get exploring, shall we?” Dayce instructed before he turned his attention to Faelen. “Ready to map with me, Fae?”

“Yup!” Faelen immediately responded, full of enthusiasm.

“Let’s just focus on the mapping today, yeah?” Blayke suggested. “We’ll look for that other hidden staircase later.”

“Sounds good,” Drayce immediately agreed as he reached into his coat to pull out the parchment of which he would use to draw their map. “Now, which direction should we head in first?”

“There’s a place where we can pick herbs and flowers not far from here,” Zohar supplied for them. “There is also a place quite close to the stairs that is quite ideal for a campsite.”

Drayce looked up at him, surprised. “Really? Ah, you’ve been to this floor before, then?”

Zohar nodded his head once slowly. “A few times in my travels, yes.”

From where he stood between Caelem and Faelen, Blayke roughly crossed his arms across his chest plate. “So, you know about those large monsters, then.”

Again, Zohar hid head. “Toxipedes, yes. They will prove to be no trouble. Unless provoked, of course.”

Well, they had better try not to provoke them then. Those Wild Dogs of the first floor were bad enough. The monsters that dwell on this floor are said to be even more dangerous than them.

“However, if you spy any animated fungi, immediately head in the opposite direction,” Zohar suddenly warned, sounding unnervingly serious.

Drayce blinked. Fungi? “Ah, ok?”

Zohar wouldn’t say anymore, so Drayce decided to ask him more about the inhabitants of this floor later. He wanted to avoid any battling today. Mapping was their only concern, really. Of course, one could never predict what the monsters of the labyrinth would do. Hopefully, if they left them alone, the monsters would leave them alone.

After taking a moment to get a bearing of where they were on the map, Drayce folded the parchment and placed it securely in his jacket. He then took hold of his shield and took the lead.

“Don’t wander too far forward, Faelen,” Blayke fussed as they walked through the pathways of spiralling trees and stone.

“I won’t!” Faelen said as he slowed his steps slightly so that he was walking between Drayce and Blayke.

Drayce chuckled softly at their youngest teammate’s enthusiasm before he turned his gaze to their surroundings. The foliage of the second was exactly the same as the first. Flowers of yellow, white, pink, and purple nestled within the fallen limps of trees and stones covered in moss.

There was another thing that caught Drayce’s attention. “Hm, curious.”

“What is?” Faelen asked him.

“There are pools of water on this floor, too,” Drayce said as he lifted his chin to motion toward the natural water features. “I wonder why it hasn’t trickled down to the lowest floor yet. Water usually settles in the lowest place possible, after all.”

Blayke glanced over at the pools of water and his brow immediately furrowed. “If there are pools of water on this floor, then there’s probably some on the higher floors. I just hope one of them doesn’t decide to burst on top of us.”

“Ah, yeah, there’s that, too,” Drayce nodded his head as he glanced up at the ceiling that was lost of the canopy of green leaves and moss-covered branches. “But there’s also the possibility of caches of previous jewel heists hidden on this floor, too.”

Blayke suddenly, and rather rudely, snorted. “No time for a swim.”

Drayce immediately pouted and turned to look at him. “Dude, I wasn’t going to suggest it.”

“Yet.”

“Rude.”

Faelen laughed at the two of them, while Caelem chuckled into his hand. From where he stood at the back of the party, Zohar, too, wore an expression of amusement on his face.

But then Caelem suddenly stiffened, his ears perked straight up on top of his head. He appeared tense, nervous even. And he looked around skittishly. That obviously alarmed Drayce. Before he, or anyone else for that matter, could ask him what was wrong, Caelem abruptly turned to face everyone.

“What’s that?” he asked, his eyes wide.

Drayce immediately stopped walking, pulling everyone else to a stop also. “What’s what?” he asked as he turned his attention toward the red-haired masurao.

“You can’t hear that music?” Caelem unexpectedly asked as he nervously wrung his hands together in front of him.

“Music?” Drayce questioned before he fell silent and shared a look with Blayke, the fencer looking puzzled. They remained silent for a few seconds, but could only hear the sounds of birds chirping in the trees around them. Drayce couldn’t hear anything that could be confused with music. And from the arched eyebrow of concern from Blayke, he couldn’t either.

“No, we can’t hear anything,” Drayce said as he turned to look back to Caelem.

Caelem immediately looked deflated. “B-but…” he murmured and shook his head frantically before he looked over at his teammate. “Faelen?”

Faelen’s ears twitched a couple of times before he shook his head. “I can’t hear anything either.”

An express of distress appeared on Caelem’s face and his ears flatten atop of his head. “But…”

Drayce may not be able to hear anything, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t something out there to hear.

“Easy,” Drayce said in a hopefully soothing tone and reached out to place a hand upon Caelem’s shoulder. “Remember the Radiant Moon? I was the only one who could see its light. So, follow the sound. We’ll follow you.”

Caelem appeared uneasy. But he squared his shoulders and nodded his head. “Ok.”

Drayce gave his shoulder another comforting squeeze before he dropped his hand to his side and took a step back. Everyone fell silent as lifted his head up, his ears twitching amongst his red hair.

“It’s…coming from around here,” he said as he turned to face west and walked cautiously close to the forest wall.

Drayce was immediately behind him, one hand upon his shield while the other rested on the holster of his weapon. He was readying himself for calling a Decoy Shield at the slightest hint of danger. After a few steps, Caelem stopped and looked curiously down at the ground.

“It’s…coming from here,” he said as he looked up at Drayce, his expression a mix of curiosity and unease.

“I can sense some mana within the area,” Zohar announced.

Drayce nodded his head. “There might be something buried here. Where about is it, Cal?”

“Ah…here,” Caelem pointed to the ground directly in front of him.

Drayce glanced down at the ground and studied it carefully. There appeared to be a very slight depression in the ground. If he hadn’t studied as closely as he was, he wouldn’t have given the spot a second glance. He still couldn’t hear anything, but with the way that Caelem’s ears were twitching, he could.

Only one thing to do.

“Nashoba? If you could.”

Faelen moved forward toward the small indentation and knelt down. He then pointed to the spot and clicked his tongue as he uttered Nashoba’s name. Immediately, the white-furred wolf moved to stand directly over the spot and dug hastily and quickly at the soil without any hesitation.

Nashoba managed to dig himself a reasonable size hole before his claws scraped across something hand and Caelem immediately perked up.

“That’s it!” he said as he dropped to his knees and brushed aside some clods of dirt. “That’s where the music is coming from.”

Drayce still couldn’t hear anything, but maybe he truly wasn’t the one who was supposed to.

With Blayke cautiously keeping guard, as per usual, Drayce slid off his shield and propped it to his side. He then knelt down and inspected the hole as well. He spied a rectangular object and he helped Caelem tug it out from the dirt and roots of plants and trees.

As he brushed the clumps of soil aside, Drayce noted that the object was obviously man-made. A simple wooden chest. About medium size. Something that could easily be carried with one set of arms. It didn’t feel that heavy, either.

But the silver lock on the side was definitely curious.

“There’s a lock on it,” Drayce announced as he continued to study their mysterious discovery. “Shouldn’t be too hard to crack.”

“Should we do it here, though?” Blayke, the ever cautious one, asked a very good question.

“Probably not,” Drayce questioned as he took a cautionary glance around their surroundings, also. “Let’s take it back to the Crescentia. Cal, is it still playing music?”

Caelem shook his head. “No, it’s stopped now. But it was definitely coming from that chest.”

Interesting…

In any case, they were going to cut their trek today short. For now, at least. They might return this afternoon just to give the area another going over. But for now, they needed to return to the Crescentia and inspect what they found in a secure environment.

Had to take those bandits into consideration, after all.

As they took a moment to clear off some of the dirt in order to carry the chest out of the labyrinth without gaining too much attention, Drayce paused. He felt a sudden prickle race across his neck.

Drayce glanced over his shoulder, suddenly realising how silent their surroundings were. “That feeling…” was familiar somehow.

“What?” Blayke asked quietly as his brow furrowed protectively. “What’s wrong?”

Drayce didn’t reply immediately. He took a few more long seconds to study the shadows within the foliage. “It’s…nothing,” he finally said and shook his head. “I just thought I heard something behind us. Probably a monster.”

Blayke didn’t look convinced but nodded his head. “As long as it doesn’t try to ambush us, the bastard can stay there.”

Agreed.

Nevermind that. They were heading back to the Crescentia for now, anyway. Hopefully they found something of interest. Maybe they were lucky and found something that would lead them to the stairs!

With their new discovery safely within their possession, Drayce took the lead once more. “Let’s go and see what we’ve got.”

… … … … …

The trek out of the labyrinth was thankfully an easy one. No troubles from either monsters or other inquisitive explorers. And, most appreciative of all, no sign of those bandits. Though…he did get that uneasy feeling as they headed to the stairs of the second floor.

That faded as they stepped out upon the first floor, though.

Feeling more at ease as they left the busy entrance of Yggdrasil they headed toward the comforting sight of Crescentia. There was a sense of urgency in their steps, though it was from curiosity and intrigue. Blayke, on the other hand, was on edge. Ever cautious and protective.

“We’re back!” Drayce announced as they hurried into the foyer of their guildhouse.

Appearing from the top of the stairs, Ashton hastily made his way down. “Hm? You’re back early. What happened?” he asked, his brow furrowed and his gaze critical as he inspected them all for the slightest injury or discomfort.

“Easy, no one’s hurt,” Drayce immediately reassured as shrugged off his shield and armour. “We just found something curious and interesting.”

Shashi, along with Kamali and Fiorello, also appeared suddenly and made their way down the flight of stairs. “I can sense the mana already. What is it?”

Drayce retrieved the chest from Caelem and carried it into the lounge area. “Here it is. First, I need to pick this lock.”

As he placed it upon an empty table, he reached into his jacket to pull out his lock-picking kit. He kept with him at all times. You never know when you needed to pick a lock, after all.

Behind him the others gathered. “A wooden chest?” Ashton questioned as he peered over his shoulder. “Ah, maybe you found one of those hidden jewel caches.”

Drayce shrugged as he dragged over a chair to sit down. “Maybe,” he said as he dropped down upon the chair and opened his kit. “Won’t know until I open it.”

Everyone chatted quietly amongst themselves, Faelen explaining to Shashi and Kamali of how they had stumbled across their discovery. Drayce tuned out their voices as he studied the lock. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to pick. A couple of tools would be more than enough.

Picking out his tools, he focused his full attention on the small silver lock. He had to remind himself to take it slow. He was eager to see what was inside, yes. But he had to take it slow so he wouldn’t mess up the lock.

Drayce unconsciously chewed on his bottom lip as he slowly eased the lock open. When he heard that satisfying click and watched as the lock sprung open just a fraction, he smiled widely. “And done.”

“What’s inside?” Caelem eagerly asked as he huddled closely against his back.

Drayce slowly pulled back the lid and was greeted with something he hadn’t been expecting. A small chest, carved from dark wood. Spirals and carving that appeared to be ancient hieroglyphics adorn the lid. Most prominent was a small plate of gold with a small indentation at the very centre. An indentation that gave the indication that something had once sat there. Or needed to be placed within.

“Hm?” he murmured as he tilted his head to the side as he carefully lifted the chest from its confinement. “It seems like one of those personal trinket chests. I think it’s sealed in some way, though.”

“So, there’s a box within a box?” Blayke muttered with a sense of exasperation. “And this box has a seal on it? Figures.”

Drayce rolled his eyes slightly at his friend’s lack of enthusiasm. But that was just Blayke for ya.

Before Drayce could make some quip about Blayke being a party-pooper, Caelem suddenly fell against Drayce’s back, his hands on his shoulders in an attempt to get a closer look at what he was holding. Drayce blinked at the sudden movement, but managed to keep still.

“W-what, that’s the symbol of the lotus!” Caelem all but shouted in realisation and surprise.

Drayce blinked again and peered up at Caelem, still not moving an inch. “Hm? Wait, is that the same symbol of the one from your village?”

“I-it is,” Caelem immediately replied, his eyes wide. “C-can I see it?”

“Have at it.”

Caelem immediately, but carefully, took the trinket box from Drayce and seemingly unaware that he had been resting against Drayce’s back, having all but launched himself there, took a step back. He held their discovery in his two hands and carefully lifted it this way and that to look at it from every angle.

“It’s definitely the same crest as my village,” Caelem finally stated. “But…there’s no lock. I can’t see anyway to open it.”

Drayce stood in front of Caelem. “Looks like the only way to open it is to find a charm or amulet in the shape of a lotus to fit in here,” he said as he tapped at the lid with his index finger.

Caelem looked at where he had indicated and it took a second for him to realise what that meant. And he immediately deflated, his ears drooping atop of his head in disappointment. “Oh…”

“Sorry, Cal. Sometimes it’s like that,” Drayce said as he retrieved the trinket box from him and handed it over to Shashi, who eagerly snatched it up and began to inspect it.

“But maybe it’s somewhere in the second floor of the labyrinth?” he suggested as he reached out to place a hand on Caelem’s shoulder once more. “I know it’s a long shot, but it probably has some mana on it. So, there’s a chance that Kamali or Zohar will be able to sense it. Or maybe you’ll be able to sense it.”

Although still disappointed, Caelem seemed to accept that. “You’re probably right.”

“If all else fails, we’ll try blowing it up,” Drayce half joked with a smile.

That got a small laugh from Caelem and he shook his head. “I hope we won’t have to do that.”

Caelem may laugh, but blowing things up was still something that would be considered for the truly stubborn locks. The cannons dragoons used wasn’t just for monsters, after all.

“These symbols are intriguing,” Shashi commented as he placed the trinket box upon another table and pulled out a notebook from his pocket. “Are they of ancient Therian dialect?”

“I think so,” Caelem answered before suddenly looking sheepish. “But…I can’t read them.”

Shashi simply nodded his head absentmindedly as he continued to study his latest project. “What of you, Faelen?”

Faelen, of course, squeaked in surprise as the question. “M-me? No, I can’t read them either.”

Again, and completely unperturbed, Shashi nodded his head as he jotted a few notes down upon his notepad. “Well, no matter. I’m sure I can get my hands on a book that will help translate what these symbols mean. It’ll just take a little longer than usual.”

Drayce was immediately reminded of how lucky he was to have such an unfaltering scholar on his side. “Anything you discover would be awesome.”

Shashi made a few more notes in a hurried flourished before he stood up straight. “I’ll get to work then,” he said as he turned to leave the room.

As he did so, however, he walked past Ashton. Whom of which was shaking his head in exasperation.

“Don’t sigh and frown at me, Ashton,” Shashi chided as he slapped the man lightly on his arms that were folded tightly over his chest.

Ashton continued to looked exasperated. “At least there were a couple of days of peace,” he muttered aloud for everyone to hear, to which was immediately waved off by Shashi as he disappeared up the stairs.

“Oh, you enjoy this stuff as much as anyone else,” Drayce couldn’t help but tease.

Ashton arched an eyebrow at him, but smiled nevertheless. “Ah, can’t deny that,” he said as he unfolded his arms and gave Drayce a rather…terse look. “But I am your caretaker, after all. I won’t hesitate to use force.”

Drayce nearly broke out into a cold sweat upon that…threat. “I-I’ll remember that.”

Ashton continued to stare threateningly at him to get his point across just that little bit more before he relaxed and smiled a friendly grin. “Well, that didn’t take you very long, did it?”

Drayce shrugged and grinned also. “Well, I am a treasure hunter. Finding mysteries and treasures is what I’m all about. At least with this one we might have a slight head start on it.”

Faelen made his way to Drayce’s side and tugged on the sleeve of his coat again. “What do we do now, Dray? Should we head back into the labyrinth?”

Drayce mulled over the question for a moment before he nodded his head. “We probably should. We weren’t in there for very long. I’m curious about those gathering points anyway. Coming, Cal?”

From where he stood with Kamali, Caelem immediately stiffened at being called. “Oh, yes, coming!”

Kamali gave Caelem’s arm a slight squeeze as he walked past him to head upstairs himself. “I’ll try to find what I can on this Turquoise Lotus Father figure of yours.”

“Th-thank you, I appreciate it,” Caelem immediately replied.

Snatching up his shield and armour, Drayce led his guildmates once more. “Tell Shashi not to push himself too hard!”

#Etrian Odyssey #etrian odyssey 5 #turquoise lotus father #the treasure seeker #fanfiction #Angelward Guild

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segadoraa · 5 years

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Blinded Chapter 9

Summary: After consulting with a friend, Ellana and the Inquisition test their theories and move forward with their plan.

Note: Thanks so much for reading! I'm posting this chapter a bit earlier than my usual schedule because I'm going out of town for work and it might be about 3 weeks until I'm able to post more. I'm so sorry to keep you waiting! I'll update as frequently as I can, but I'll be traveling and doing a lot of work on the road over the next few weeks, so I might not be able to post as frequently.

Ellana had risen that morning before anyone else and had promptly bolted from the castle. It was Spring at Skyhold and, despite the great altitude, the ground around the fortress was beginning to thaw. She raced down a familiar path she had made toward a nearby creek. Glancing around, she removed a dagger and the light armor she wore and submerged herself in the icy water. The cold shocked her to her core, but helped numb some of her aches and worries. She was quick about it and scrubbed her skin roughly, knowing she would be missed if she stayed away too long. This, however, was a part of her that the Inquisition was not able to store away in a neat box. Although she frequently resisted, the Dalish girl in her still longed for open spaces, the feel of water flowing over her skin, and the rough ground beneath her bare feet. It was all she had known before the conclave and she clung to this part of herself as if it was all she had left.

Glancing upward at the rising sun, Ellana quickly adorned her armor and grasped the dagger she had brought with her. Her ears pricked at the signs of life stirring around her. She longed for her bow and to lose herself in a hunt again, but she could not properly wield it without the prosthetic arm she had lost. She considered her dagger for a moment and wondered if she could manage to take down something small, like a fennic or nug, but the growing light and pressing weight of the day convinced her to return quickly to Skyhold.

Everything was quiet when she arrived. There was still a light frost on the grounds and the morning’s hush bore over the walls. Despite the strange sleeping patterns she had adopted in the Inquisition, Ellana had always been an early riser; she reveled in the stillness and quiet before the day began. She supposed it was her training as a hunter in her Dalish clan that had her waking so early, but she appreciated the solitude and focus from the morning, regardless.

Walking aimlessly across the grounds, she came to the door of the Herald’s Rest. Sensing quiet movement within, she gently pushed open the door.

“Stones,” Varric greeted her warmly as she came through the door. His boots were on one of the tables and he leaned back on a wooden chair with a drink in his hand, despite the hour.

“Varric,” Ellana replied with a smile. With Varric, her smile was always easy and his warm, reassuring presence washed over her. “Isn’t it a little early for a drink?” she asked, although she grabbed a mug from the bar and settled down opposite him at the table.

“Yeah, well, big day, isn’t it?” He retracted his feet from the table and grabbed the bottle of amber liquid, pouring a healthy portion into her mug. “I’ve got a feeling we both might need some extra courage,” he said with a crooked smile.

She simply shrugged, and took a swig of the whiskey. It burned the back of her throat slightly and she held it in her mouth for a moment before swallowing. This is good, she thought. This is real. She regarded Varric as she drank. He had always been so calm and reassuring, even when they faced things that were beyond his comprehension. She had sought him out first when she knew she was spiraling; he always had a way of understanding what she was going through and calming her, even if he had no idea how to help. They sat in silence for a while as the morning light grew stronger and the sounds of life crept slowly forward. The whiskey warmed her from the inside after her ice-cold plunge and she felt her emotion swell inside her.

“Varric,” she said softly, “I cannot put into words how much I appreciate your help with all this. I know it isn’t easy for you, but you’ve done more for me than you know. I’m sorry if—”

He raised a hand, cutting her off, but his eyes were warm and twinkling in the soft light.

“Don’t you dare apologize,” he said, teasingly. “I knew what I was getting myself into and I knew everyone would be pissed about Merrill. You know me, I wouldn’t have brought them if I thought there were any other options.”

“I know. Cassandra and the others might begrudge you the timing in which you’ve offered your help, but I do not. You protect your friends against what their assistance might cost. I cannot fault you for that. Neither can Cassandra, when it comes down to it. She’s a romantic, you know.”

“Ah yes,” Varric had a faraway look now, “the Seeker has always had a soft spot for age-old emotions. That’s why she isn’t as bothered about you and Chuckles. Star-crossed lovers. It has its appeal; you have to admit.”

Ellana rolled her eyes at him. A familiar sting arose in her chest at the mention of Solas, but it was dulled now by Varric’s presence and the warm effects of the whiskey.

“Do you think they’ll come around?” she asked quietly. Varric sat forward in his seat now and leaned heavily against the table.

“Honestly, I have no idea what they’ll do. I wish I did, but shit…” he ran a hand over his head and clenched his mouth. “If any of them have other ideas, I’m all ears. Until then, I can’t see what other options we have. If it comes down to it, I bet they’ll come around. Between this and the whole world dying, a little blood magic won’t seem so bad. They’ll need guidance, though, and you can’t be everywhere.”

“Blackwall—I should probably call him Thom, shouldn’t I? Anyway, Thom will support us, even if he has some hesitations. Leliana and Josephine will follow orders, if they must, as will Cullen, I think. Dorian and Bull seem apt to help, at least. As for the others, I’m not sure.” Her mind wandered to Morrigan, who had disappeared just as suddenly as Solas had when Corypheus was defeated, and Cole, who she supposed was making himself scarce, although there were still sometimes odd reports that came in, making her wonder if he was still around, helping in his own way. Sera and Vivienne, however, would need convincing.

“Well, it’s a start,” he said, draining the last of his whiskey. “Maybe today’s experiments will convince them. Or maybe it will all go to shit, but either way, we’ll have some answers.”

She nodded solemnly and reached forward, grasping his hand. Ellana was not one to frequently show affection, and Varric looked mildly surprised at her touch, but he squeezed her hand in return and smiled at her. He stood and retrieved their empty mugs, then retreated behind the bar to clean up. She stood and gave him a meaningful look, then stretched her limbs and strode toward the door.

“Oh, and Stones!” he called after her. “When you’re done with your Inquisitor stuff, you’re expected back here tonight for Wicked Grace. Don’t think you can get out of it,” he smiled mischievously. “Tell Curly, too. He still owes me from the last time.” Ellana smiled, wide.

“I’m sure he’s just dying to redeem himself. I’ll make sure he’s informed.”

With a final nod, she retreated from the Herald’s Rest and made her way toward the hall, unsure of what exactly awaited her, but feeling revitalized and focused.

We will have an answer, she thought. At last.

***

Merrill and Leliana had been waiting for her as Ellana strode through the doors of the main hall. Leliana nodded at her as she approached.

“Inquisitor.”

Ellana nodded slightly toward Leliana, then regarded Merrill.

“So, what exactly are we in for?” she asked. “Have you had enough time to prepare?”

“Oh, I could always use more time,” Merrill responded lightly, “but I believe I’m ready enough. Leliana, I assume you have your rune?”

Leliana nodded and retrieved the rune from one of her pouches. Ellana quickly glanced around—a small crowd had gathered, including Varric, who had followed her up, Dorian, Blackwall, and Cullen. Hawke stood far away, regarding everyone solemnly with his arms crossed. There may have been others in the crowd, but she focused her gaze back on Merrill.

“Okay, so…” Merrill began. She grasped her hands, then released them, and shifted her weight back and forth. “The enchantment requires both the runed stone and blood from the one who will wield it. The power of the rune and its reach will depend on the amount of blood drawn.”

Leliana strode forward toward Merrill and presented her rune as well as her bare forearm.

“I’m ready,” she said, without hesitation.

“Hold on a moment,” Ellana glanced around at the growing crowd around them. She found Josephine at the back of the crowd and met her eye. Josephine nodded slightly.

“Merrill, perhaps you could explain more about how the enchantment works and any risks involved? We need to be prepared for anything that might happen,” she said, gesturing around the hall.

Merrill nodded with a knowing smile. This was both a test and a demonstration for the people of Skyhold. They needed to prove there was nothing to fear.

“Of course, Inquisitor. Now, you may know more than I do about the origin of the rune, but as I understand it, they are ancient elven runes that were initially used as a means of punishment. They would block a person’s connection to the Fade and the source of their power. It was a way of making a mage essentially Tranquil, especially since they mostly used blood writing to activate the rune…” She trailed off, looking speculative and staring into the distance.

“Right,” Ellana cleared her throat, “so how will this help protect us now?” Merrill snapped her attention back with a slight blush and glanced quickly around at the surrounding crowd.

“Well, it is supposed to block one’s connection to the Fade, right? And we are anticipating a great surge of power, directly related to the Fade, that will tear down the Veil. The rune should present a barrier, however large we can muster, against this great surge of magic.” Her voice had a practiced ring to it now and she spoke loudly and clearly. She knew these words would carry throughout Skyhold and perhaps across Thedas.

“Anything else we should know?”

“Well…” Merrill picked at a thread on her sleeve. “Blood magic in itself weakens one’s connection to the Fade, but this kind of magic, considering the nature of the runes, could possibly weaken the Veil and even create a rift, if we are not careful.”

At this, Leliana quickly turned to look at the Inquisitor. She hid her emotions carefully, but Ellana already knew what concerned her. Subconsciously, her right hand found the stump of her left arm where it had been severed just above the elbow as the whispers that passed through the crowd did not fail to meet her ears. There were many who did not believe the story that the mark had been killing her and Fen’Harel removed her arm to save her life. In fact, many believed that Solas—the distant, arrogant, and condescending elven mage who did not bother to make any connections with the people of the Inquisition apart from the Inquisitor herself—had reclaimed what had apparently been his mark in an effort to wholly cripple and embarrass the Inquisitor and her forces.

Ellana took a deep breath.

“And, if a rift is created, we no longer have any means of closing it,” she replied in a low voice.

“Inquisitor!”

Dagna rushed forward, followed closely by Sera, clutching a large parcel closely to her chest. Sera smiled and lifted her chin as she approached.

“If I may, Inquisitor, could we have a moment of your time before you begin?” Dagna requested excitedly as she approached. Ellana quickly found Josephine’s eye again and though she looked quizzical, her determined jaw seemed to reassure Ellana.

“Of course,” she responded, gesturing toward the door to Josephine’s office. “Perhaps we can meet through here?” She met Cullen’s gaze and jerked her head, indicating that he should follow, then set off toward the office.

Once inside, Ellana leaned against Josephine’s desk and regarded Dagna, Sera, and Cullen as they each entered the room behind her. Sera, for once, seemed embarrassed and remained close to the door. Cullen was curious and followed Dagna, who stopped right in front of Ellana.

“Apologies for the interruption, ma’am, but you’re going to want to hear this,” Dagna said with a twinkle in her eye. “Dorian sent word to me about your arm after you’d returned and told me your prosthetic had been taken.”

“Bastard couldn’t be satisfied with taking your arm just once,” Sera interjected, rolling her eyes and striding toward the Inquisitor, enough to poke her in the ribs.

“He just had to go and do it all over again. You’d think he missed holding your hand or something. Your left hand.”

Ellana managed a smile through her clenched jaw and elbowed Sera playfully, though it might have been a bit too hard.

“I take it you have something for me, Dagna?”

“Well, yes, that’s just it!” she was working to contain her excitement now. “With a bit of help, I think I’ve managed to craft a new prosthetic for you. It’s a work in progress, but I think you’ll be satisfied with the effects.”

She knelt and unwrapped the parcel. Ellana suppressed a gasp—unlike her other prosthetic, which had been made of dark steel and was rather heavy and bulky, this one was crafted from a white metal and was more slender. Silverite, she thought. Stooping to pick it up, she was pleased to find it was rather light. It had been carved to bear runes that shimmered slightly in the dull light. Frowning, she noticed a few sharp, serrated spikes protruding from the elbow where it would connect to her arm.

“Ah, yes, well, this arm has slightly different abilities,” Dagna said when she noticed Ellana’s interest in the spiked end. “Of course, I can fashion something different if you’d prefer! I’ve been working on this one since the Exalted Council, though, and thought you might need it now, more than ever, considering what we’re up against.”

“Go on,” Ellana urged, still frowning.

“Well, it was based originally on something Dorian said to me, after the Council,” Dagna explained, retrieving the arm. “’Magic is drawn from the Fade, but it lives in the blood,’ he said. You see, this one is mostly hollow, which is why it’s so light.”

As if to demonstrate, she held the middle of the arm out on two of her fingers, balancing it perfectly.

“It’s meant to be a more permanent connection, you see, hence the spikes. They’ll tap into your muscles, nerve endings, and bloodstream to fill out the rest of it. It should feel relatively more normal, once we’ve attached it,” she stopped and grimaced slightly.

“What aren’t you telling me, Dagna?” Ellana asked.

“Well, the arm is runed to amplify any magic it senses within your bloodstream. With all due respect, Inquisitor, you’re no mage, but while you bore Fen’Harel’s mark, it spread past just the mark on your hand. It grew up your arm and I’m told it seemed to consume you for a few moments at the end…” she glanced nervously at the Inquisitor. “The mark might be gone, but I believe some magical traces might still remain in your bloodstream. ‘Magic lives in the blood,’ right? It would explain the spread of the mark and how it overcame you.”

“That… actually makes sense,” Ellana said softly, looking down at the arm. “Solas once said the mark needed time to adjust to me. He asked if it had affected or changed me in any way. I suppose this was his way of wondering how it had interfered with my physical form?”

She looked up and noticed everyone’s surprised expressions. She had not referred to him as “Solas” aloud since before the Exalted Council. She cleared her throat and corrected herself.

“Perhaps Fen’Harel’s mark went deeper than he anticipated. What do you anticipate this new prosthetic will accomplish?”

Dagna recovered quickly.

“Well, I’m not sure exactly. If my hunch is correct, it could restore your ability to control rifts. You’d have the same abilities you had when you bore the mark, although we might need to make a few alterations once we know what we’re dealing with. If not, you’ll still have a fully functional prosthetic arm that should feel as natural to you as your other arm. I’ve already taken your measurements, so you should be able to carry on as normal, and this one will be much more difficult to confiscate,” she said with a slight smirk.

Ellana took a moment to consider this. At first, her missing arm had cost her dearly. As an archer, she could no longer wield a bow. As the supposed Herald of Andraste, she no longer had the mark to heal the world. Yet, she had grown in her role as the Inquisitor. She had learned to fight on the sidelines and had become a stronger player of the Game than she ever thought possible. She knew her leadership behind the scenes was more important now than ever before: convincing figureheads across Thedas to partake in blood magic would be no easy feat. Still, the young Dalish girl ached to have a bow in her hands and a small part of her missed the unquestionable power she had once weilded over the Veil.

“Commander,” she said finally, “would you see if Josephine and Leliana are available to advise on the situation? I’d appreciate your input as well, upon your return.”

Cullen nodded and retreated to find the two. Dagna glanced around the office and Sera leaned against the desk next to Ellana.

“So, I may have passed on some information about you,” Sera said sheepishly. “But I thought it would help! All the big people, strutting around with so much to do. I’m still looking out for the rest of us, meaning you, Quiz. I know… I haven’t been…” Sera trailed off and picked at a hangnail on her thumb.

Ellana was touched. Sera showing any vulnerability was rare and they had been distant lately.

“I appreciate your regard, Sera,” she replied and grasped Sera’s hand. “You look out for me even when I don’t ask you for help, and it means more than you know.”

Sera gave Ellana’s hand a squeeze, then retreated behind Dagna, lightly brushing her shoulder, as Cullen, Josephine, and Leliana reentered the room. Sera and Dagna began whispering quietly as the advisors conferred.

“So,” Josephine began as she gathered her clipboard, “Commander Cullen tells me you might yet be the Herald of Andraste?”

Ellana rolled her eyes.

“I still wouldn’t go quite that far, but it seems I might recover the power to manipulate the Veil, which means I could seal rifts. I wouldn’t move forward without your input.”

“And what risks would the Inquisitor face if she were to recover these powers? The mark almost killed her. Who is to say this new arm wouldn’t do the same?” Leliana leveled her questioning at Dagna.

“That’s fair.” Dagna replied evenly, “I’ve considered that myself. I believe, if the Inquisitor faces danger from the mark, its effects will be the same regardless of the arm I’ve made. If Fen’Harel’s magic still lies in her blood, the arm will not exacerbate it, only channel its power. The arm is meant to enhance what is already there, not tax the wearer.”

“You think the Inquisitor might still be in danger?” asked Josephine. “From what I’ve heard, Fen’Harel seemed certain that removing the anchor would save the Inquisitor’s life.”

Ellana snorted as she came to a sudden realization.

“My apologies,” she stated. “In removing the mark, Fen’Harel may have effectively saved my life, but when have we known him to act preemptively? He stabilized the mark after it flared up at the Conclave and along the way, after it acted up. He probably knew all along what it was doing to me; he even asked about it on a few occasions.”

She laughed bitterly, surprised she hadn’t thought of this before. Wrapped up in her own longing and foolish emotion, she had been slow, unfocused. Silently, she resolved to quash what remained of these emotions that clouded her judgement.

“Perhaps we were foolish in assuming that since he removed my arm, I am free of danger. He probably still anticipated this, which is why he wanted to keep me nearby when he tears down the Veil. I may face the same danger in the future, but I’ll meet my fate when it comes. What do you think of the arm?”

Her advisors frowned in unison, considering this new threat. All three of them started speaking at once.

“Well—”

“If you—”

“That may be, but—”

Ellana pulled a hand through her hair.

“Leliana?”

“I’ll instruct my agents to investigate what they can find in light of this discovery. We may be able to discover Fen’Harel’s remaining plans regarding the mark’s magic. In the meantime, if you’re sure the arm does not pose a greater threat, I have no objection to you acquiring it.”

“Very well. Josephine?”

“I believe Divine Victoria should be notified, both of our recent discoveries and of our plan to move forward with the runes. I’ll be as discreet as I can, considering the sensitive nature of the topic, but a journey to the Winter Palace to meet with her and Empress Celine might be beneficial in more ways than one. Regarding your arm, I agree with Leliana. There may yet be danger, but if you’re sure it will not be furthered by the prosthetic, I have no objections.”

“I see your point. You may arrange a meeting at the Winter Palace as soon as possible. Commander?”

Cullen hesitated when the Inquisitor regarded him. He frowned at Leliana and Josephine, then folded his hands in front of him and lowered his gaze.

“Inquisitor, I—” he faltered. He pulled a hand across his face, then rested it on the hilt of his sword, gazing at the floor.

“If there is magic that lingers from Fen’Harel’s mark, I cannot help but be cautious. Especially now that blood magic may be involved. I don’t believe we fully know what is at play or at stake here, and I cannot give my approval until we’re sure of all the consequences. Still, I’ll defer to your judgement, Inquisitor.”

He met Ellana’s eye for a moment, then they both looked away. In truth, she felt the same way he did, although she did not yet see any other path she could follow. She clenched her jaw as her resolve formed.

“I understand your hesitations, Commander. Dagna, please continue your research into the effects of the mark. If you need further resources, you need only ask. In the meantime, Leliana and Josephine, please move forward with what we’ve discussed. I will postpone our test with Merrill two days, but tomorrow evening, pending any further insight, I will plan on undergoing whatever procedure is necessary to install this new prosthetic. If any of you have any further hesitations before then, I suggest you meet with me promptly. Until then, we should adjourn.”

The tension in the room dissipated as the advisors left, one by one. Dagna nodded at Sera before retreating and Sera strode toward the Inquisitor.

“Don’t think, just because of all this, you’re excused from Wicked Grace tonight, Quiz. Cullen too. Varric’s got a thing going and you know how he is.” Sera skipped backwards out of the room.

“We’ll see you at the Herald’s Rest!” she called before closing the door.

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