The Heart Beneath Still Water
Ardyn sat in lotus position above a quiet pool of light blue water. Her eyes were closed, and her mind was focused. Her perception was inward, calm, and attuned. This was her fourth attempt. The last time she saw a tiny lilac spark, it had excited her, and Elsa quickly calmed and re-centered her.
Now, here she was again, a bit eager, but patient.
The color bloomed within her again, and she tapped down her excitement. Her mind cleared, and her spirit seemed to swirl within her. Slowly, methodically, the spark of color turned into a small bud that began to bloom outward. With each minute change, the color developed and intensified until it was a large, purple hibiscus-like flower at the center of her core. It all took a mere matter of moments, and she could only hold the bloom for two heartbeats.
When it was gone, she let out a breath as if she had been holding it for an eternity. She looked at the calm waters around her and smiled.
Elsa smiled down at her, her head nodding gently. "Very good. I knew magic was strong within you, but you accomplished your hold a lot faster than I thought you would. Come. You have done a lot today. You need to rest and allow your spirit to catch up with your magical awareness."
Ardyn frowned. It seemed like she was taking too long to learn and she could do more. She wanted to be better; she wanted to be his equal, worthy to walk by his side.
Her mind froze. Was that what she truly wanted? To love him and be loved by him? It was a thing of imagination, something impossible. Her mind quickly went down a rabbit hole, and Elsa's voice brought her back.
"Come, little one. Stop overthinking everything. Let me show you the best cave in this entire system." She sighed dramatically. "And to think Varric gave it to you in the name of love." She side-eyed Ardyn and laughed when the girl frowned in deep thought.
They walked together in silence, Ardyn lost in winding thoughts of her defined truths.
'Truth: she was a servant.
'Truth: no one wanted her.
'Truth: she was never…'
"What are you thinking about, girl?" Elsa jerked her chin toward the next to Ardyn. "You're depressing the cave. It is yours now, and you have tapped into your magical awareness; it will begin to reflect your mood." She turned those emerald jeweled eyes on her. "What sadness are you thinking of?"
She cast her eyes down as if she had done something wrong. "Nothing, My Lady. I apologize."
Elsa shook her head. "If it is nothing, why apologize for it? You need to learn to embrace your truth, Ardyn. It doesn't matter if you agree with it or if it instills pride within you, you have to accept it as truth."
She smiled at her. "You will learn."
The cave wound around for a long time, the two women in and out of conversation as they walked, and Ardyn looking at the beauty that was both Elsa but also the caves they walked through. The walls were always a light bluish-green, and sometimes they had patches of blue moss, other times it was light green, and still more times veins of glistening ore flowed along them like tiny rivers.
The corridor opened up to a wide cavern. The ceiling was higher than Ardyn could see. There were several pools of water within the cavern; some smoked as if they were hot, some were deep and looked cool, and others bubbled with springs feeding them beneath the surface.
Ardyn moved forward quickly, smiled widely, stopped, and spun around to Elsa. The ancient being smiled broadly, affected by Ardyn's excitement.
"These are the wealth springs. Serpents are such silly creatures; they become very off around water at times, and thusly they do not use these much."
Ardyn frowned, 'Master Varric doesn't like water?'
"I never said they didn't like water, I said they were silly. Come, come!"
Ardyn's eyes widened as Elsa seemingly read her mind. She allowed herself to be pulled along to the back of the cavern to a deep blue-green, steaming pool.
"This is the best one." Elsa turned, and a small wooden shack appeared off to the side. "Go take off your clothes and rinse off."
As she spoke, her already bare skin glistened as green water flowed over her. She then began to step into the hot water. She frowned at Ardyn.
"What are you waiting for? If you wait too long, I will draw out all the heat." She shrugged. "You have been warned."
Ardyn jumped and quickly left to change and rinse off. She rushed back, her pale blond hair glistening, the lilac streaks suddenly looking like strands of gems.
Elsa smiled as she saw the girl rushing back, like she was truly worried there would be no heat left in the pool. Ardyn stepped in and sank into the hot water.
She felt her body calm and her mind soothe. It seemed like her thoughts untangled, and she had an odd, surreal focus. She looked to Elsa with a frown, and was laughed at.
"You frown entirely too much. It is the pool of focus. All of the hot springs here have a different function. The cool ones do as well, but you may never be strong enough for those, so let's not talk about them."
She closed her eyes and settled back. "Relax yourself and allow your magical awareness and sense of purity merge and meld."
Ardyn did as she was directed. Her eyes seemed to close slowly, gently, methodically, and as soon as the lids touched, she felt her being drift, yet elevate. It was a sensation she could not even begin to explain. It felt so beyond her.
Her consciousness moved forward as if it were seeking something ancient, something it had been looking for since she existed, and now it knew where it was. She felt like she was floating in a dark pool of thought that focused, directed, and soothed her. She allowed herself to be, and a spark formed in a distant dark core in front of her. It was dull, then it shone extremely brightly. Then it was a flower bud that began to bloom.
But nothing about this felt weak or temporary. It was powerful and everlasting. The deep purple flower bloomed huge, power flowed through her body. Her eyes popped open in shock, she gasped, and her eyes were shining like beacons of vibrant purple light.
Elsa placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, little one. You will have Varric in here trying to rescue you." The power subsided, drawn into Elsa.
Ardyn breathed heavily. "Was that me?"
"Of course, it was. I told you magic dwelled deep within you. This pool helped you to focus. Now you have to learn to do that without the pool's help."
Ardyn laid back in the pool, her thoughts snapping to Varric.
'Maybe there was a chance.' Her heart tightened with the thought. She wanted to believe.
'I want to believe.' A whispered thought swirled on the magic currents of the Serpent Clan's cave system. Varric's face was up, his eyes alert, and his senses keen.
He knew something was moving toward him that was meant for him. His keen eyes picked up a hint of lilac, and he pulled on the magical current.
The whisper flowed into his ear and wrapped tightly around his heart. His eyes went wide, and his breathing became labored. He smiled.
"Ardyn." He returned a thought to her, a smile blooming on his face.
Ardyn frowned. 'Believe my love. I promise you everything you want and more.'
"Varric?"
"You sent him a message, and he sent you one back. He is not here."
Elsa spoke casually and smiled when Ardyn sat straight up in horror.
"What?! What message, My Lady?"
"Call me master and something about 'I want to believe.' Go get in that hot blue-green pool. We need to fortify your body." She opened one eye. "Go on now! Focus and stop all this love stuff for a moment."
Ardyn flushed red and sprang from the pool and almost jumped into the blue-green pool.
Elsa barely contained her laughter.