Title: Ante Mortem (Chapter 1) Fandom: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Pre-Plot) Characters: Rook (ft. a small cast of original characters) Warnings: No romantic relationships, focuses on gladiators and discusses slavery characteristic of the Tevinter Imperium, lots of action and violence, lots of angst & guilt & hope; basically, a character study / origin story for my Rook inspired by the stories in Tevinter Nights Artwork in graphic: A personal commission from xfreischutz
Summary:
Before he became Rook, Cato was a gladiator. Practically born in the sands of a Tevinter training grounds, a blade was put in his hands the very moment he was old enough to hold one. Under the grueling tutelage of his mentor, Reth, he crawled his way to the Grand Proving Arena of Minrathous—hungry for the accolades that come along with gladiatorial triumph. But earnest ambition is seldom rewarded within the Imperium, and plots concocted in the shadows came to eat away at Cato's gold-plated fantasies of glory.
Cato missteps.
He knows it before the sword meets his back; before the pain sears into his skin like a brand. Air spills out of him in a violent gasp, and, as he falls to the ground, the blow is still ricocheting within his ribcage.
"Again."
Blood is in his mouth. Blood and sand. Kaffas. He can't even fall right. Spitting, Cato gets to his feet. It's a scramble; far less controlled than he wants it to be. He steadies himself.
At least he didn't drop his blade.
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