A Past Coming to Haunt
They sat, side by side, her small, pale arms boldly wrapped around his thick, black-scaled arms. The contrast was striking and intriguing all at once. Her skin, pale as untouched marble and cool to the touch, was a stark counterpoint to the matte, powerful obsidian of his scales. He was lost in thought as he felt her body sink deeper into his, accepting his strength as a cushion. She sighed as she spoke, her voice tranquil and utterly at ease, a sound that resonated deep in his serpent heart.
"This is a very beautiful place, Varric. Thank you for allowing me to see it."
"Ardyn, you are mine, and I want you to see me as yours. Call me Varric. I am not your lord." The word 'Lord' felt like a barrier, a leftover title from the human world that had judged and discarded her. He was not her master; he was her complement.
She worked her lips a bit, her eyes lost in the clear, emerald lake before them. "That will take time. It is not something I can change overnight. My entire life was built on obedience to those above me."
He shrugged, the immense power in his shoulders shifting gently beneath her cheek. "I will wait, and continue to nudge you in the right direction." The nudge, he thought with an inward smirk, would be less of a suggestion and more of an irresistible pull until she saw him as only hers, and her as only his.
She smiled, his hard, cool scales an interesting sensation against her skin—unyielding, protective, and unlike anything she had ever known.
She became lost in thoughts—thoughts of days gone by and how things had changed so quickly. She felt so safe here, the security itself jarring against a lifetime of fear.
She could remember her cousin, Sonia, and how much the older girl always seemed to hate her. Ardyn never actually knew why, only that every day brought a new wound, a new punishment for existing. Her mind drifted to a long-gone day: She was in her aunt's kitchen, only ten years old then, prepping food to cook for dinner. It was the day she learned to prep far ahead of time, because speed was survival. The water was boiling fiercely on the stove, and she was about to add in a large, tough purple grain that her aunt loved to eat.
She was distracted, though, and while she chopped vegetables with meticulous, servant efficiency, Sonia had entered. There was a malicious, silent shift in the air, and Sonia moved too close to the stove. The boiling water ended up on Ardyn's shoulders and back, splashing instantly down her spine. The pain was instant and absolute, a blinding fire that stole her breath.
Those were not the first scars on her body, and they had not been the last. Her skin had blistered, peeling in weeping layers, but she had to finish prepping the dinner before she could seek any treatment for herself. The purple grain had to be added, the vegetables chopped, the meat seared. Duty before pain. The memory of the sting, the shame, and the utter isolation of that moment made a deep chasm open in her soul.
A sharp shiver moved through her body as she thought of the incident and the excruciating, prolonged pain that had ensued. It was a cold dread that crept across her skin, even in the warmth of the sun.
Varric frowned, his serpentine mind instantly tasting the bitter residue of her memory. His clawed hand gently took her pale face and lifted it to his.
"Why do I taste sorrow coming from you now, Ardyn? It is sharp and cold, like a blade hidden in snow. Has something happened, here, now?" His voice was low, edged with a dangerous, protective curiosity.
"I am sorry, My Lord. I just had a remembrance come unbidden." She kept her gaze fixed on the ground beside her, ashamed that he could sense her weakness. She looked down at her arm, willing her simple dress to stay still and not reveal too much of the scarred skin beneath. "It was not a happy time, My Lord."
He nodded, a low growl of anger vibrating in his chest, not at her, but at the memory itself. He gently redirected her focus again. Once those amethyst eyes he loved were back on him, reflecting the clear blue sky, he smiled and made an ancient promise, a vow of territory and possession.
"I promise you that you will know only happiness with me, Ardyn. I am not perfect, this is true, but I will make you happy all the days we are together. I will bury your past beneath the weight of my love." The thought of anyone ever hurting her made his blood temperature drop with rage. "If I do hurt you, or make you sad, I hope you can find it in you to forgive me, because I will never do such a thing intentionally."
He smiled broadly, and she felt a dizzying blush creep across her skin, a feeling she still wasn't used to.
"Today will be your day. I will show you three beautiful places that you can always visit in the realm, three places of power, which are now yours as well." He looked to the beautiful emerald lake before them. "They are not as beautiful as here—nothing is as beautiful as here—but they are very beautiful just the same."
He raised his clawed hand, counting off each place with a slight flick of his fingers. "A sleeping volcano, a snow-capped mountain with a lush green field at its center, and a sunken plateau."
He stood and began collecting smaller amethyst cattails, their deep purple heads swaying in the gentle breeze. He bent over and presented them to her. As soon as they were in her hands, he pulled her up before him with effortless strength. She looked from the soft flowers and back to him, a smile slowly sliding across her face.
And suddenly she was up on her toes, a tiny, spontaneous act of affection, and he felt her soft lips press against his cool, hard cheek.
He pursed his lips in a sly, pleased smile. "You keep giving me precious gifts, Ardyn Stronghood, and I thank you for that. Be careful, or I may start to believe I deserve them."
He smiled at her blush, and mist—thick, dark, silvery mist—formed around him, shrouding his form. She felt the powerful motion around her but could see nothing but silver energy and black shadow. When the mist cleared, his full serpent form was around her, immense, intimidating, and fearsome, yet all she could see was beauty and wonder.
She rose without fear, as his powerful magic lifted her up and sat her down gently on his long, broad back, settling her between two impressive, protective spikes.
Varric began to fly, lifting them high above the valley. His singular mission now was the same as his vow: He didn't want her to hurt. He didn't want her to have any anguish. It was now imperative for him to cause all of that past pain to either disappear or resolve so that it was no longer a speck in her waking memory.
He flew quickly, a black blur heading toward a dark, imposing line of mountains. Ardyn was exhilarated, as the wind whipped back her pale hair and caused her to laugh in spite of herself, the sound ringing freely in the open air.
They reached the center mountain quickly, and before she could fully register the motion, they dove down into its volcanic crown. Varric's distinct, low voice came to her like he was talking directly in her ear, his consciousness linked to hers. "This volcano has been asleep for about a thousand years. It sleeps because I told it to."
He had slowed considerably, but he still moved swiftly. He did two complete circles within the exterior of the volcanic cone, then expertly flew into one of the ancient, craggy flow tubes. They dove down further and further into the earth, and then they leveled off.
Ardyn frowned as she squinted her eyes. There was a brilliant blue light ahead of them, and she found herself wondering what ancient magic laid ahead.
The flow tube flowed forward, seemingly endlessly, before it opened slightly, and brilliant rivers of blue, sparkling veins lit their way, making the surrounding rock glitter.
His voice returned to her ear, rich with possessive history. "This is an ancient ore called Blue Fire Heart. Humans, Dwarves, and Dragons fought over it for millennia. It is the most coveted power source, and it is all mine now."
They had slowed even more. Varric allowed a few of his spiked scales to scrape along the wall, the sound a soft, grinding hiss. Ore flew up and gently landed before Ardyn, shimmering with internal light. His magic still enthralled her, and she looked over the pieces as if they were the most precious things she had ever seen.
And they soon, and quite suddenly, flew from the volcano's peak. The change was jarring and abrupt, and it made Ardyn burst into laughter—the sheer, unexpected joy of the experience washing away her recent dark memories. They rose up alongside the adjacent mountain.
They circled its highest peak, and she saw what seemed to be a lake of brilliant green in a vast landscape of snow and white. They landed softly in the middle of a vast grass plain, vibrant and lush, with mounds of snow piled high around it in a great 360-degree arc.
"Come sit with me."
And instantly he was a Beast-Kin and by her side. This is what he wanted: Her smile, her joy, the unburdened pleasure of her spirit.
He looked into her eyes and breathed in her pure, delighted smile, his heart pounding harder and harder with a feeling more precious than the ancient Blue Fire Heart beneath their feet.
This is what he wanted. No, this is all he wanted. He still had the final wonder—the plateau—to share.