🛌 Lothuiel (I swear I've spelled that wrong) ... with, um ... Flemeth. :)
Well… that was a bit more complex and got a bit darker than intended.
I hope you like it. :)
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For a moment, she believed she was back home. Back to Gravehal Keep. She could almost feel the wind, rustling the trees line, carrying sounds and smells from the sea.
Almost.
Lothuial turned around to face the woman sitting comfortably in the chair by her bed. She was no more real than this place. Jacinda was dead. Had been for a long time. Just like the Keep had all but vanish from memories and history.
“I will ask again. Who are you?”
The shape wearing her old priestess’ face just smirked and rose from her seat.
She could have asked any questions yet chose the most obvious one. She was still so… mortal despite everything that happened. And yet, it was still strangely comforting.
“Should you really ask questions you already know the answers to… Asahngar’haselan?”
Lothuial didn’t answer, didn’t make a move save for that tightening of her jaw and the quick blue silver flash in her eyes. The dream crumbled, vanished, leaving only her and the person in front of her. The priestess had also disappeared, replaced by what looked like an Almain woman. Another illusion.
The gold tinted eyes glowed eerily in the semi-darkness as the woman’s lips curled up slightly.
Lothuial let out a breath but stood her ground. She had only met the woman once, if this being could indeed be called a woman. Why would the Evanuris visit her now?
“You were always good at seeing what lied beneath. It’s no wonder Dirthamen courted you.”“Don’t bother. We both know it wasn’t me they were interested in.”“True. But they could be easily manipulated. And you could have just as easily become a queen.”“Why for? I am nothing like you.”
The woman just laughed, her voice deeper and throatier than before.
“I am an Alfar.” Lothuial repeated. She had said it once, a long time ago, in front of the same person. And her court.“And I am just a woman.” She laughed again. Louder this time.“What is it you want, Mythal?” Lothuial asked after a moment.
She hadn’t moved, keeping her eyes on the… woman in front of her. Despite the obvious lost of her powers, the former Evanuris was still a formidable opponent and she wasn’t taking any chances.
“I wanted to thank you for protecting my Temple for so long.”“I didn’t do it for you.”“Yes. I know.” Mythal watched her for a moment, almost sadly. “A word of advice, dear girl, as a way of thanks. He may hold your heart in his hands but he belongs to me and always will until his duty is completed.”
Lothuial started to answer but a loud noise hurled her back to consciousness.
She sat up, brushing her hair out of her face. Somewhere in a corner of the Temple, the alarm rang, calling the Sentinels to take up their posts and defend the place if needed.
She looked at the bed beside hers but she knew it would be empty. She smiled a little. He was always so adamant at being the first up, claiming he had to set the example for the others to follow.
Until his duty is completed, he belongs to me.
The words echoed in her mind as she got up and got dressed.
“We’ll see about that…” she muttered, buckling her sword belt around her waist and thigh, before heading to take up her post close to the Temple’s main entrance.
You may call me Sagrell. Only my close friends get to call me Lothuial.
2. What is your real name?
She sighs and rolls her eyes. “Lothuialeth mas Rathir Del Shyr.”
3. Do you know why you were called that?
It was the name of my great grandmother. From my father’s side.
4. Are you single or taken?
Taken. And, while you look interesting, I worked too hard to get my hands on this one, I’m not going to risk it.
5. Have any abilities or powers?
She just starts to laugh.
6. Stop being a Mary Sue
Oh? What is a Mary Sue? Are they of interest?
7. What’s your eye colour?
Pale blue.
8. How about your hair colour?
Silvery white, but it used to be black.
9. Have you any family members?
Not anymore. She turns around to pour herself another glass of wine.
10. Oh? What about pets?
I used to have a full menagerie at the Keep. I wonder if they survived...
11. That’s cool I guess, now tell me about something you don’t like.
Errrrr... Spiders? And zombies?
12. Do you have any hobbies/activities you like doing?
Oh yes! I love needle work and smithing! And Dagna has been teaching me rune crafting. It’s very interesting.
13. Ever hurt anyone before?
Oh yes.
14. Ever… killed anyone before?
Of course. She takes a sip of wine and glances at the interviewer. Why? Are you nervous?
15. What kind of animal are you?
I am no animal! I am a Dokkalfar! Can’t you tell? She pauses as she mulls over her wine. Then again, we’ve been mostly dead for a couple of thousand of years.
16. Name your worst habits.
Hm... Let’s see... I talk to myself when I work. I swear. A lot. And I drink a lot too.
17. Do you look up to anyone at all?
Well... That Qunari guy, what’s his name... Iron Bull? He’s a pretty tall one. Remind me a lot of the Kollossae.
18. Gay, straight, or bisexual?
Hmmmm... Definitely bisexual. She grins.
19. Do you go to school?
I was even head master for a time.
20. Do you ever want to marry and have kids one day?
She chokes and spits her drink, waving her hand to move to another question.
21. Do you have any fanboys/fangirls?
Why shouldn’t I?
22. What are you most scared of?
... She glances around before leaning close to whisper. Spiders. And undead thingies.
23. What do you usually wear?
My favorite silk tunic and some leather trousers, when I’m not travelling. Or fighting.
24. Do you love someone?
She grins, wiggles her eyebrows and winks.
25. When was the last time you wet yourself?
Coming over to Amaranthine. We hit quite the squall on the way.
26. Well, it’s not over yet!
She shrugs and just pours herself another glass.
27. What class are you? (High class, middle class, low class)
Excuse me?! I am *OBVIOUSLY* high class. She scoffs and shakes her head.
28. How many friends do you have?
Never enough.
29. What are your thoughts on pie?
Cherry pies are the best.
30. Favourite drink?
This one! She raises her glass.
31. What’s your favourite place?
It... It doesn’t matter... It does not exist anymore.
32. Are you interested in someone?
You’ve been asking this a lot. Are you trying to tell me something?
33. What’s your bra cup size and/or how big is your willy?
Oh!!! Did Josephine put you up to this? Is there another noble she needs me to scare off? In any case, she should talk with Lady Vivienne. Madame de Fer has ALL my measurements and, I am told, she can be of great advice.
34. Would you rather swim in the lake or the ocean?
Definitely the ocean.
35. What’s your type?
Again??! Seriously, what is it? You are interested but too shy? That’s fine! We can work it out!.
36. Any fetishes?
37. Seme or uke? Top or Bottom? Dominant or Submissive?
Depend of my partner, but I do tend to be on the Dominant side.
38. Camping or indoors?
Camping.
39. Are you wanting the interview to end?
I don’t care! Ask me anything you want!
40. Now it’s over!
Good! Now... How about you come closer and tell me why you kept asking what my type was...
Tagging @savvylittleminx, @twocatstailoring, @elfsplaining, @shannaraisles, @solverne-02 and who ever wants to do this!
Alright people! I commissionned @chimchiri for 2 works featuring my Shepard and Ashley hanging out and having a good time, and Lothuial and Abelas simply enjoying being together.
Pairing: Abelas X Lothuial
Summary: Abelas likes his coffee, done in a certain way. Luckily for him, the Starlight Camp Coffee Pit barista is more than qualified to make his coffee exactly the way he likes. Unfortunately, the barista doesn't care much for the elf's attitude, and is not afraid to subtly letting him know, using whatever weapon at her disposition, much to the amusement of Abelas' coworkers. Modern AU
Shamelessly tagging @savvylittleminx and @bearly-tolerable, because... Abelas >3
Part I
Abelas stumbled inside the office, not yet awake. He opened the door with one hand, while clutching the coffee cup protectively against his chest. Finally, he made it to his desk without incident. He sat down and took a sip from the cup. He sighed. At usual, it was perfect. It was so difficult to find good coffee in this town. Then again, Redcliff was not Orlais by any stretch of imagination, he would have to remember that.
It was Sera, their social media manager who first told him of this place, after he complained, for the xth time, the local Starbuck had messed up his order. Again. Abelas did not believe he was being difficult. He simply liked things to be done a certain way. He was a bit wary at first, to be honest. Even if she was usually right when it came to food and drinks, Sera’s tastes were… eccentric, to say the least. Still, when Varric joined in, as well as Lavellan, Abelas felt he could thrust them. And he hadn’t been disappointed.
He carefully set the cup and his bag on the desk before taking his coat off to hang it on the rack behind the chair. Sera would be coming along shortly for their morning meeting.
It was something she started doing ever since he started going to the coffee shop. At first, he thought it was because of the muffins and cakes he kept at his desk. While his sweet tooth wasn’t as legendary as Solas’, it was still very well known. When Abelas mentioned it to Sera, she simply laughed, claiming her wife made better ones. He would have to agree on this one. Then, he thought she was simply happy he had followed one of her suggestions. In any case, it made it easier for him to get a clearer idea of what and how she was doing, instead of waiting for some catastrophe to bring her to his office.
He was just finishing his coffee when she entered, looking strangely smug.
“What is it?” he asked. “Did the new campaign reached unexpected heights during the night, despite the fact I stated using Instagram was a bit of overkill?
“Ack! It’ll work just fine. You’ll see.” Sera said, waving her hand a little. “You just need to give it a little time. We launched the new product only yesterday.”
Abelas smiled – more like a half-smile actually – knowing she was probably right, as usual. Sera was many things but she was good at what she did, and he was glad she had agreed to work with them.
Their company was a small one, dedicated to bringing back some of the culture and history of the Elvhen to the elves living in the cities and on the reservations. They operated mostly on the web through blogs, vlogs and podcasts. Abelas and Solas had started the company together, pooling their knowledge on history and Elvhen culture. Lavellan was their figurehead, with her vlog and podcast. Sera had been recruited to manage the social medias when it became obvious neither Solas or Abelas had the talent for it, following a recommendation from Lavellan. It took much to convince the blond woman to stay, and there was still a lot of fights with Solas, even today, but she was a good sounding board for how their work could be perceived by the elves.
Varric joined their shortly after as their reviser. He also ran a blog giving tips to dwarves that had just started living on the surface. His stories, in audiobooks, were also very popular. Him an Sera even planned to create a podcast that would debunk many myths people had about non-human. Solas believed it would be good idea but Abelas was a little more cautious. They were dealing with enough hate already. Luckily, the security of their website and network was handled by the Iron Bull’s Charges, a ragtime team of former hackers. Their services were a bit pricey, despite the fact Bull claimed he gave them a good price since he had worked with Lavellan before, but Abelas had witnessed the results and judged the investment paid tenfold.
“So, what makes you so happy then? Celebrating in advance?” he asked, teasing her a little.
“Pffffff. No. But I was wondering if I could keep your cup when you’re done.”
“My… Cup? Why?”
“I like the drawings on it.” She shrugged. “They make new ones every day, you know?”
Abelas blinked and looked at his now empty cup. “I… never noticed they changed.” he confessed after a moment.
“Yeah. No offense but you don’t notice anything before your second coffee.” Sera snorted.
“That’s not true! I notice lots of things!”
“Oh? So, it wasn’t you that had been caught snoring in the last meeting with the lady from the Orleasian library?”
“No. It was Solas.”
“He was on vacation.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yep.”
“… Was there something else or you just wanted my cup?” He asked after a time, not liking where the conversation was going. Sera simply grabbed the cup and left, cackling a little maniacally before he could ask her if she wanted him to wash it first.
The following days, he started paying more and more attention to the drawings on his cup. Sometimes, they were merely doodles. Other times, they were like miniature works of art. And sometimes, they were little cartoons of about three to four squares each. Those he liked best but they were rare. Abelas guessed the shop’s barista would probably draw them when there weren’t many customers. He nodded to Varric as he made his way to his desk, glancing at the small pile of cups on Sera’s desk. Abelas was still a bit confused of the elf woman’s selection. They were mostly doodles with only a few that had actual drawings on them. To each his or her own, he supposed, as he started putting his things away.
He took his cup to get a better look at today’s artwork. It was made of simple lines, curving and twisting around his name. The design was simple but still somewhat elegant. It reminded him of his vallaslin. He was still tracing the pattern when Solas stumbled into the office and threw himself on the chair facing Abelas.
“How were your holidays?” he asked the bald elf after a time.
“Terrible. The Sabrae didn’t even let get me close enough to the eluvian to actually confirm our theories. Hell, they barely let me step inside the ruins’ entrance.”
“Considering the fuss Orlais and Ferelden made about it, who could blame them?”
Solas’ answering curse made Abelas chuckle. “Didn’t Dr. Pavus said you needed to relax?”
“He also said you needed to find yourself a girlfriend, or a boyfriend, he’s not sure which way you swing, and to lay off the coffee a bit. Since you appeared to have done neither, why should I bother?” He peered closely at the cup in Abelas’ hand. “Say, isn’t that from the coffee shop that opened right before I left?”
“Hm-hm. Their coffee is truly delicious. I swear; I think the barista can actually read my mind.” Abelas tipped back his head to finish his drink.
“I… see… Tell, you didn’t insult someone over there, did you?” Solas asked.
“I don’t think so. Why are you asking?”
“Just being curious.”
Abelas frowned and glanced at his cup, then under it since it was the only place where Solas could have seen something. ‘Barely Awaken Arse’ was written under it, in an exquisitely detailed calligraphy. He stared at it for a long time.
“I take you never noticed?” Solas laughed, clearly enjoying the look on his business partner’s face.
Abelas didn’t reply but simply stood up and walked over to Sera’s desk to check under each cup that was on it. Each one of them had either an insult or an insulting play on his name.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 3/?
Fandom: Dragon Age (Video Games), Kingdoms of Amalur
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Abelas (Dragon Age)/Original Character(s)
Characters: Abelas (Dragon Age), Female Fateless One (Kingdoms of Amalur), Alyn Shir, Agarth, Mythal (Dragon Age)
Additional Tags: Slow Build, Slow Burn, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe, Pre-Thedas, Arlathan, Dökkálfar | Dokkalfar | Dark Elves
Summary:
Long before Thedas, before Tevinter and the fall of Arlathan, the world was called Amalur. In the mist of a war opposing Immortals to Mortal, a young Sentinel meet a Champion. A Champion with the power to change, everything.
A huge THANK YOU to @bearly-tolerable for beta reading this :D
*hugs* *hugs* *hugs*
Chapter 3
He didn’t know what to expect and was a little annoyed by how it had become his usual attitude whenever she was concerned. Alyn had mentioned that Sagrell was prone to stick her nose into people’s business but he surely had not expected this. Abelas stopped in Canneroc, fast on the tracks of the annoying woman, only to find the village still cleaning up the remains of what appeared to be a giant spiders’ attack. The villagers eyed him with caution as he crossed over the small bridge. “Halt!” one of the men shouted as Abelas reached about half of the bridge. He looked like he was the one in charge of the small militia. “I mean no harm. I am only looking for someone.” the Elvhen said, raising his arms slowly to show his empty hands. He had noticed this was often the best way to interact with shemlen. “I am looking for a woman. An Alfar woman.” he continued.
All at once, the villagers turned toward a young girl, standing by the doors of the village’s only inn. “What? I don’t know this man!” the girl protested. She was obviously an Alfar, her white hair was pulled back, showing her pointed ears, but her skin was a light purple. Clearly, she was one of the Ljosalfar.
“Ah… no.. Not that one.” Abelas tried to say but was rudely cut off by one of the men.
“What?! Our Alfar is not good enough for you?!”
“No! It’s…”
“I said I don’t know this man!”
“He said he needed an Alfar. Let’s give him this one! Good riddance I say!”
“The first one that touches Menri will answer to me!” It was one of the younger men who shouted, startling everyone, before he stood in front of the girl. The whole village was silent, even the young Alfar girl, who stared wide-eyed. “Billis..?” she asked softly
The boy blushed, nearly matching his hair and beard, but he stood his ground and simply adjusted his grip on his hammer. “Forget it Menri. I will not let them sacrifice you to that Fae!”
“Ah… I am not a Fae.” Abelas pointed out, trying to be helpful but still fascinated by the drama unfolding in front of him. He wasn’t the only one. Everyone just stood there, watching the couple stare at each other and oblivious to anything else.
“Enough!” A voice rang out, shaking everyone back to reality. “No one is sacrificing anyone, and no one is killing anyone.” Abelas looked around, hoping to see it was the one he had been looking for but no. The voice belonged to a tall, red-haired and fair-skinned woman. The villagers grumbled a little, spoiled of the happy ending they were expecting. Even Abelas was feeling a little disappointed in not knowing the outcome.
“You have no authority here, healer.” The man who had stopped him growled.
“We’ll talk about that the next time you stand bare-ass in my office, Barten.” She turned toward Abelas. “What is it that you want, stranger?”
Abelas took a deep breath and lowered his hands slowly, relieved that someone was willing to listen to him at least. “I am looking for an Dokkalfar woman.” he said. “White hair, dark skin, silver eyes. Goes by the name of Sagrell.” He wasn’t sure what name she might have given the villagers but decided to take a chance.
“We know her alright. She went off to fight the Widow,” the woman said.
“The Spider Maid has awakened?” Abelas could not believe it; another story of the Fae had been changed. Barten hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and handed him what appeared to be a map of some sort. “She said she wanted to fight the Widow’s in her lair,” he told Abelas. “I’m sure she won’t mind some help. I’d go but it's best I stay here in case the spiders attack again.”
Abelas privately agreed. Barten looked like he was the only one with proper military training and the rest of the village would definitely benefit from his guidance in case of another attack.
************
Following the direction to the Widow’s lair had not been particularly difficult. In any case, the trail of spiders’ corpses would have clued him in. It looked like it had been quite a fight and he was a little disappointed he had missed it. He finally came to a small clearing just as Sagrell was coming out of the Hollow. “Why is it that each time I see you, you are covered with various gross things?” he called out and grinned when she whirled around, her daggers suddenly materializing in her hands. She visibly relaxed when she saw it was him. “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe you have some kind of kinks about Alfar women covered in the blood of their enemies. Or, corpsy bits.” Sagrell continued as she gingerly plucked what appeared to be some spider’s guts off her shoulder. Abelas couldn’t help but chuckle at the expression of disgust she made. The withering looks she gave him didn’t help either.
“Once you are done laughing at my expense,” she said, testily, “perhaps you can tell me what you’re doing here? I thought you were on your way to Ysa with Faervel.”
“I was. But someone was late in their meeting with the King so I was ordered to go back and look for them.”
“… You were ordered.”
“I… volunteered.” He confessed after a moment. Sagrell just looked at him, clearly surprised. He shrugged. “I was worried,” he said, a bit sheepish. Truth be told, when Faervel asked him about it, he had tried to explain what he was feeling was only concern for the Alfar’s safety. After all, Sagrell seemed to be the only one who could face whatever was happening in Faelands, more specifically Alabastra. Even the Storyteller seemed to think so. Faervel had merely smiled and told his apprentice to bring the woman safely to Ysa. “In any case, we should get going.”
“Ah… no.”
“What? What do you mean ‘No’?” No one said no to a Sentinel’s order. No one.
“I am not going. At least, not right now.”
“Sagrell…” There was a warning in his voice.
“Abelas, I have been fighting spiders, undead corpses, bandits and Fae for the last four days or so. I am not going anywhere until I have some sleep, food and a bath. Maybe not in that order.”
“We are going right now. I’ll hunt if you want and you can bathe in the river along the way. End of discussion.” He started to head back to the main road.
“Forget it. The only place I’m going to at the moment, is Canneroc. Hot meal, hot bath and sleep in an actual bed. This is not up for negotiation.”
He turned around to find her still standing in the clearing with her arms crossed as she stared back at him. He breathed slowly through his nose, trying to quell down the sudden flash of annoyance. Why was she making this so difficult? “Sagrell, we are expected, and we are leaving. Now.” he repeated as he walked toward her.
“No.” She still didn’t move.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“No!”
“Sagrell…”
“I said; no.”
He was standing so close she was forced to tilt her head back to look at him. They stared at each other for a long time. “I will carry you there if I have to,” Abelas said at last.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“I wouldn’t be happy, but I will if I’m forced to do it.”
Sagrell frowned and chewed her bottom lip as she mulled over what he just said. “You can try,” she said after a moment, “but you won’t get out of this unscathed.”
Fortunately, the ground shook at that very moment, preventing either of them to put threats in motion. “Watch out!” Sagrell shouted, pushing Abelas out of the way, as a crudok jumped out of the hole it had just dug.
“Dypynhylg.” She swore softly as she pulled her sword out of its scabbard and readied her shield. Her daggers would not be enough against such a foe. Abelas stared at it. It was the first time he saw such a beast, outside his books. It was also much bigger than he expected[C1] . He took out his hammer, not sure if magic could harm it. He just couldn’t remember what he had read. “Be careful. That thing is fast,” Sagrell said, moving slowly to the left. “If we circle it, we might have a chance.”
“Is it vulnerable to magic?”
“Not to my knowledge but, if you can, try to stun it.”
“Fenedhis…” He had not studied elemental magic. They would have to kill the beast with their weapons alone.
The crudok kept an eye on them as they moved around to surround it, its scorpion-like tail whipping whenever they tried to step closer to land a blow. Sagrell had been right; it was moving quite fast, its four powerful legs kept the beast out of harm’s way while it strike at them with his upper arms. The claws at the end of its paws were particularly vicious, as Abelas noted, when one of the blows landed on his chest, causing a dent in his armor. Luckily, there were two of them. Sagrell jumped on the creature’s back and dug on dagger blade between the armored plates on his back. The crudok roared and stood on rear legs, arching his back as its organic-like mask pulled back to reveal the gaping, fanged maw and the glowing, crazed eyes underneath. The beast lurched violently and managed to shake the Alfar off its back.
Sagrell broke down the fall with a roll but Abelas could see she was a bit shaken as she stood up. He slowly moved behind the creature, hoping to strike. The crudok growled, its mask still pulled back and she banged her sword on her shield in a clear act of defiance. “Ahjuera acbèle ta clunbeuh tékéhèné! Aceyoa t’éjedan m’bnulryeh!” The beast roared again, as if goaded by whatever Sagrell shouted at it. It happened in a flash. He couldn’t block the beast’s next attack in time.
Abelas felt more than he saw. The dart of the scorpion tail dug into the hole the claws had made. He could feel the poison dripping from it, corroding the armor’s metal and the padding underneath, before he felt it burrowing into the flesh of his shoulder. His arm just hung, limp from the poison coursing through his veins. The crudok used its tail to lift him slowly and soon, Abelas found himself staring helplessly at the inside of the beast’s maw. He could see the drool drip from the fangs as the creature almost purred. That purr turned into a sharp yelp as a rock hit the side of its head. They both turned to see Sagrell readying a rock for another throw.
“That’s right, cyma vemc ta bida! Let’s dance!” The next rock hit the beast squarely on the forehead.
The crudok retaliated by spitting a long spray of fuming toxic, probably poison, at her. She had no choice but to bring her shield up to protect her face. It then whipped out its tail to throw Abelas to the other end of the clearing, before leaping at her, arms wide and claws ready.
Abelas tried to roll to cushion his fall, tried not to wince when his head knocked back sharply against some tree root, tried to get on his knees to get the beast’s attention. But he couldn’t do any of this. He could only lie there as the poison ate his flesh away. “Abelas!” He dimly heard Sagrell’s last shout, his eyes closing as his body went into shock.
The next moment, Sagrell was standing above him, slapping him. Hard. “Come on! Wake up you…” The rest was lost in gibberish alfarian. Abelas grunted as he thought he would have enjoyed some more rest. Sagrells’s relieved laugh caught his attention however and he tried to open his eyes to show he was okay. “Don’t… Don’t move.” She pulled a small knife out from her belt and proceeded to saw off the straps holding his chest plate in place. He tried to grab her wrist but she simply pushed his hands away. He didn’t struggle; he was too weak to fight. His head rolled on the side and he frowned. He could see the crudok lying on its back. Dead. Split in the middle along its length.
“Abelas. Focus on me. Focus on my voice,” Sagrell said, grabbing his chin to turn his head toward her. She had managed to take the chest plate off and had pushed the cloak and padded shirt around, enough to press some kind of poultice against his wound. “Come on.” she said, helping him to sit up. She quickly wrapped some bandages around his chest before throwing his arm across her shoulders. “We have to go back to Canneroc. Hopefully, Syllareta will know what to do.”
************
Translation:
Dypynhylg - Alfarian swear word
Ahjuera acbèle ta clunbeuh tékéhèné! Aceyoa t’éjedan m’bnulryeh - That’s right you messed up scorpio wannabe! Try and dodge this one!
