#'but you will not die' its almost like a prayer. this is so sick cassandra when i catch you

[kitty-gray]

I'm going to throw up.

[tonks32]

Aiden Trevelyan X Cassandra Prompt “Hold On to Me”

There was no point in struggling or screaming. Logically, Casandra knew that, but it didn’t stop her from fighting against the metal shackles or crying out till her throat became raw. She’d be damned if she were going to be idle while these deranged blood mages bled her dry for some Maker forsaken ritual. They would not kill her in the same way they had her brother.

   “Silence!” One of the masked mages commanded. “I told you before no one can hear you. No one will find you.”

   Wrist bleeding from the metal biting into her skin, Cassandra starred at the man through the dim light. They had her bound on a stone alter in nothing more than a swash of cloth surrounded by flaming black candles. Their glow was the only light source since they blacked out the windows. “Fuck you!”

    Wrapping a hand around her throat, he slammed her head back hard enough to leave the warrior dazed. “Such a mouth for a Chantry woman. This all would’ve been so much easier if you agreed to help us.”

    Cassandra fought to clear her vision. If she passed out then she was good as dead. She had to hold out until her companions found her. Surely, they would have started looking for her when she didn’t return from bathing down by the stream. She’d let her guard down and now was playing the price. “I will never willingly help a blood mage.” Though she couldn’t quite see her mark, she spat in the man’s face. “Especially ones that murdered my brother.”

   The man let out a long sigh and motioned for another in the room to flank the altar. He swept his finger over the streak of blood leaking from her raw wrist. “He could not see his true purpose. He failed to see the tremendous power within his blood.”

   “Look at her struggling.” A third man stood at the foot of the alter. “Look at how she’s wasting that power.”

    “We must hurry before she throws away more.” The first man rubbed his blood coated finer over the bridge of his nose making his eyes glow red. “Tell the others to come inside and we will begin.”

   Cassandra became paralyzed by fear the moment the cold steel of a blade touched her throat. Just like the night her brother was killed, she could do nothing to stop the actions about to happen. They were about to drain her blood to appease some sick dragon ritual She was going to die bound and helpless. Her greatest fear.

    Chanting filled the dark room, filling her veins with ice.

    Would her brother be waiting for her on the other side? Would incomplete actions in life follow her into the Fade? Would the Maker remind her how foolish she’d been in playing it safe when the risk was worth the reward?

   The knife gleamed in the candlelight as it was raised and poised to strike. She closed her eyes on a prayer to the Maker to bring her a swift death.  

    If only she had more time.

   There was a grunt and Cassandra felt the warm thickness of blood spatter across her face. No pain, she silently mused waiting for the heaviness of death to take her. Thank Andraste for that.

   Something whistled through the air before there was another grunt and something heavy fell against the alter, scattering the candles and casting the room into total darkness.

   “Cassandra?”

    Odd, she thought. To hear his voice on the other side of the veil. Or was this the Maker’s way of providing comfort? To ease the transition of death by hearing the one voice she wanted the most in her last moments.

   “Someone find the damn keys!”

   “I can’t see a fucking thing!”

    “Open your eyes. C’mon, Seeker.”

   Feeling the familiar touch on her cheek, Cassandra’s eyes shot open to find Aiden’s glowing blue orbs staring down at her. Cassandra’s heart leaped. He found her! Tears burned the back of her throat leaving her incapable of speaking.

   “Stand back, Boss,” Bull Commanded. After throwing a lifeless blood mage to the ground, the Qunari raised his massive sword above his head and came down hard against the link holding her chains together. “We need to move. More are coming.”

    “Up you go, Seeker.” Aiden snaked an arm around her bare shoulders and lifted.

   “You will not take her from us!” The leader roared charging forward through the darkness.

   Only Aiden could see the blade going for Cassandra’s heart. Cursing, he dove across the alter, dragging the Seeker along so the blade dragged across his back and not into her chest.

   “Get her out of here!” Dorian shouted.

    “Hold on to me,” Aiden whispered against her ear. “Don’t let go.”

    Cassandra latched her shackled arms around his neck and held on for dear life.

   Not known for his strength, Aiden called on all his adrenaline as he pushed to his feet and waded through the small battle raging around the pitch-black room. “Hold on.”

   Sun blinded her when they stumbled outside. She had no bearing to where they were or where Aiden was taking her. All she knew was that with him she was safe. And that’s all that mattered. Aiden had come for her. It seemed the Maker was listening to her please after all.

   Once he was sure they were safe and no one was flowing them, Aiden fell to his knees, holding Cassandra against him. “Are you okay?”

   Cassandra couldn’t seem to find her voice. The man who was beyond terrified of the dark breached its depth to save her. The man, who detested being touched or making any physical contact of any kind, was clutching her for dear life. Overwhelmed with emotions, she buried her face into his scarred throat.

   “Are you hurt?” Drawing away, Aiden began to search, needing the reassurance before he went mad with worry. All he could think about was the knife against her throat and the utter terror he felt at the thought he’d been too late.

   His hands seemed to be touching her everywhere at once. His warmth and reassurance were the only things keeping her from falling apart. “I’m okay.”

   Aiden skimmed his fingers along her throat. “There is blood.”

   “Not mine.” Tears began to burn again and this time she let them fall knowing with Aiden she was safe to do so. “Hold me a little bit longer.”

   He pulled her tightly against him. “I got you.” Aiden felt her fingers twist in his hair almost as if she was anchoring herself. There was no flash of discomfort or any sickening sensation that hit whenever someone touched him. There was only the overwhelming relief that she was safe and unarmed. “Maker, Cassandra.”

   “What took you so long?”

   A strangled laugh worked up his emotionally clogged throat. He wasn’t used to feeling so much. To his astonishment, Aiden felt tears prickle at the corner of his eyes. The face she believed that he would come to save her left him breathless. “Had to make the save as dramatic as possible for when the dwarf writes about the grand tale.”

   “You cut it a bit close there, Trevelyan.”

   “I’m sorry.” Taking her face in his hands, Aiden pressed his brow against hers. “I’m so sorry.”

   “I’m okay,” She reassured hands drifting over his shoulders. Her brows scrunched together when she felt something damp against her fingers. “Andraste’s light, Aiden! You’re bleeding!”

   Aiden twisted trying to catch a glimpse of the wound. “It’s nothing.”

   “I’ll be the judge of that.”

   “Everyone okay out here?” Dorian asked pushing through the thick brush they hid behind.

   “Blood isn’t hers.” Aden shifted, taking her shackled hands carefully in his. “Did you find the key?”

   The mage tugged it from his belt. “Bull and Varric are ensuring no one else is lingering. We need to move out if everyone is able.”

   Seeing the great care Aiden was taking in assuring he didn’t cause any more discomfort as he unshackled her nearly made Cassandra weep. He thought of himself as a broken man with nothing by rough edges, yet here he was showing her all the gentleness and comfort in the world. “I can walk.”

   “Good.” Dorian handed her a healing potion. “For your wrist until I can heal them properly.”

   Once the mage walked off, Aiden shrugged out of his hunting coat and bundled Cassandra in it. “Take the potion,” He softly commanded.

   She pushed the vial into his hand. “You need it more than me.”

   “I beg to differ.”

   “Well, you can’t see your back.”

   Aiden shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

   “That does nothing to make me feel better. Especially since you sustained a wound meant for me.”

   “I couldn’t… Couldn’t…” Aiden brushed his hand along her blood stained cheek. How could he begin to explain that losing her was a pain that he couldn’t bear when he was still struggling to understand the sheer importance of her in his life.

   Seeing emotions flooding his gaze, she clamped a hand over his scarred wrist pleased he hardly flinched. “Aiden.”

   “We need to move out,” Varric called out. “In case they have any friends nearby.”

   “Drink.”

   “We’ll split it.” Cassandra downed half the vial and shoved it back into his hand before he could protest. “Don’t argue, Trevelyan. You’ll never win.”

   Chuckling, he swallowed the rest of the potion. “I have no doubt.”

[zitruseis]

Fictober 2018: Day 1

Fictober Day 1: “Can you feel this?”

Original Fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Content Warning: mild horror

 The rain had stopped at nightfall. Now the steady and gentle sound of falling drops had been replaced by a silence so deep that it seemed to bury the whole city beneath it. There were no voices down in the streets, no music and no drunken laughter from the taverns. No excited whispers of youths stealing away from their parents’ homes and not even the sometimes sweet, sometimes aggressive calls of the harlots competing for patrons. Only once in a while was this silence interrupted hurried footsteps on the wet cobblestones or a baby’s cry from behind barred windows, soon hushed by a frightened mother. But the higher we ascended the tower the fainter even these noises became. And as we reached the top there was only the howling of wind beneath our feet and the sound of my own breath.

Lady Cassandra, of course, had no breath to make any sound. Even her steps were quieter than I thought they should be as she strode towards the edge of the steel platform and came to a halt at the railing. The lights from the houses below her seemed as small as stars in a clear night sky, but if the height impressed her at all she didn’t show. I wasn’t sure if she should be, because I wasn’t sure if a fall could even hurt her. Still, I was certain it would more than just hurt me, so I followed her with caution, never getting too close to the edge and telling myself not to look down. Still, I felt uneasy on my feet, my hands were shaking and I couldn’t keep myself from wondering if this abandoned site was still maintained regularly. The tower should have been part of a church, the first church to be made entirely from steel; it should have been the pride of Ashcairn. But then the Scourge had come, there had been outbreaks in  the nearby mines, and the sudden lack of iron ore as well as the need to invest the remaining resources in more urgent project had brought the construction to an indefinite halt. For the last three years the church had been standing here like this: half-finished walls at the ground floor, abandoned scaffolds, some still scattered with rusty tools, the tower mostly bare steel pillars piercing the sky. It looked like the deformed skeleton of a giant guarding the city, a mockery of what it should have been. I sent a silent prayer to the Earth Mother. This place might have never been blessed in Her honour, but it was still a place of power and if there was any place She would hear me, it was here. She would not allow me to die an insignificant death here. After all, I was here because the powers She blessed me with were strong here and because I was fighting forces threatening Her creation.

These thoughts gave me at least some comfort and courage. Finally, I dared to step to Lady Cassandra’s side. The light of my small gas lamp illuminated her face, put a faint shimmer on her blonde hair and reflections in her cat eyes. She looked gorgeous. She always did. And yet, all I could think about was how pale and ashen her skin was, how piercing her eyes, how her soft features disguised a being that was cold and hard and neither human nor beautiful. This was something I always felt in her, even when she smiled. She didn’t smile now, nor did she look at me directly. She barely acknowledged me at all. Her expression was unreadable as ever as she was watching the black horizon. One hand on the cold wet railing, I turned to follow her gaze.

The city of Ashcairn stretched out before me. Now that the rain had passed, the fog made its slow return down in the streets. The fog never went away for long; it was as much part of Ashcairn as the hollow-eyed citizens, the air of fear and madness and the skeleton of the church. No longer held back by the steady drops of water, it crawled up the brick houses, pulled all but the tallest ones in its suffocating grasp. I could see some faint lights through it, but they were few and far in between. There was no need to light all the street lamps when nobody was supposed to be outside and many of those inside preferred to pretend not to exist until the morning. I knew this wouldn’t help them, but I wasn’t sure if I should pity or envy them for their ignorance. I took in a deep breath, closed my eyes and reached out with my mind.

Using my gift in the city always felt overwhelming at first, especially when I was standing in a place like this. It was as if every presence between me and the horizon suddenly flared up as bright light, every life made visible to my inner eye. They were pulsating, like heartbeats resonating in my entire body. Some were strong and loud and almost painful to focus on. Others, those belonging to the old and sick, were weaker and slower and felt like flames about to extinguish. And then there was the presence beside her, a presence that felt off. Fainter than it should be and instead of a rhythmic pulsating there was no movement in it, except for an unsteady flickering accompanied by a low hissing noise and a brief sensation like icy needles rushing through my veins. It was unsettling. I had never quite gotten used to this and I doubted I ever would. Therefore, I was almost grateful when something else caught my attention. Almost grateful, because what I felt was even more unpleasant. Trembling, I looked at Lady Cassandra and whispered, “Can you feel this?”

It was a foolish question and she let me know without words, only a glance of disdain. Of course she could feel it. She might not possess my gift, but by now I’d figured out she at least had something similar. And nobody with the power to feel dark forces could possibly miss this. I forced myself to reach out further, even though my instincts begged me not to. It was right there, only a few buildings away. A presence, dark, twisted, powerful. Unlike Lady Cassandra’s presence, which blended in and only became disturbing upon closer inspection, this one would never pass as anything resembling normal. It was pulsating too, but there was no rhythm to it and every beat sent out waves of energy that came rippling over my skin, warm and sticky like blood. I jerked back, my legs shaking, cold sweat on my forehead, nausea crawling up my chest. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was still there, still touching me, trying to get inside me, tainting my body and my soul. I knew what this was. I had felt this before. I turned to Lady Cassandra again and for once there was something like concern in her eyes. “We have to hurry!” I burst out, reaching for her wrist, but only catching her sleeve. “We need to stop this before…” Before it could reach others and spread its taint. Before Ashcairn could fall like all those other cities. I pulled myself together and closed my eyes, reaching out again. I could feel it grow. And worse, move. All of a sudden I was almost grateful for my companion. To hunt a monster, you sometimes needed a monster by your side too.