Minrathous
A porter stopped Elowyn in the hallway. “Message for you, ser,” he said, handing her a scroll. The porter was a small, tubby man with gnarly muscles all covered in hair. “I didn’t know there were dwarf slaves,” she said, gaping at the pelt that ran seamlessly from his neck down onto his chest. “I am an elf, ser,” the man corrected. “I see,” she replied, eyeing his small, rounded ears. “Thank you for delivering the message.” He ducked his head and walked off, whistling.
The note was from Aminia:
Come to the slave market. There is an abolitionist preaching the Qun. Meet me by Ser Galatea’s stall.
Elowyn decided that asking permission might result in denial, so she waited until the guards had passed by a forlorn section of the garden and fade-stepped out into the street. She was just turning the corner when a shadow loomed up behind her. She turned to see Caius’ Qunari woman blocking out the sun.
“Going somewhere?” the woman asked.
“Just doing some shopping!” Elowyn replied cheerfully. “One can buy so many things here in Minrathous – it’s amazing!”
“Mind if I come with you?”
“I’m meeting a friend – another apprentice,” deflected Elowyn.
“I’d like to meet this friend of yours. I haven’t met all of the apprentices yet. Which house did you say she served?”
“I didn’t,” replied Elowyn bluntly and scowled. ‘Fine, let’s see how you enjoy this shopping trip,’ she grumbled to herself.
The woman fell into stride next to her. It was comical to see her have to shorten her steps to match Elowyn’s pace. She shone so brightly, it hurt to look at her, all covered in silver and gold armor. ‘Caius must have spent a fortune on that,’ Elowyn considered. ‘He must value this woman a great deal.’
Elowyn heard the slave market before she saw it. The air was filled with the voices of men haggling, vendors calling, and people crying. The plaza opened out before her, the largest open place she’d seen in the city. Slave dealers stood here and there in front of groups of people in chains. The entire plaza was surrounded by buildings holding more slaves.
“Did you know that I was bought from here?” the Qunari woman asked Elowyn, who realized she hadn’t even asked her name. ‘How rude of me,’ she thought, feeling chagrined.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name,” Elowyn said, suddenly feeling differently about the woman, knowing what she must have suffered, and that Elowyn had dismissed her in her mind as another slave. ‘I’m becoming like them,’ she thought, ‘I’ve stopped seeing the slaves as other people.’
“My name is Nazlik Beres-taar,” she said.
“How did you come to this place, Nazlik?”
“I was captured near my home. The raiders target fishing villages and arrive early in the morning. Sometimes they wait until the men are out in the boats, then take all the women and children. I was alone though, walking on the beach, thinking about… a dream I’d had. I didn’t see them in time. There were too many of them, and they had a net.”
Elowyn had to pause and focus on a cloud in the sky to stop the tears threatening to fill her eyes. The idea that this strong woman could be brought down, captured and trussed like a halla attacked by shemlens horrified her. “Magister Caius found you here?” she said hoarsely.
“His slave procurer,” Nazlik replied. “They were going to send me to work on one of the farms.”
“But the Magister saw you,” added Elowyn.
“He did.”
“That slave procurer must be blind,” said Elowyn, “Anyone could see how amazing you are.”
“This market is full of beautiful and talented women,” said Nazlik.
Elowyn tried to take in the hordes of people, each of them with stories of sorrow and suffering. It was overwhelming. She wanted to go Kirkwall on this place and burn it to the ground.
“I can’t save them all,” she said, feeling defeated.
“Even if you bought every one of these slaves, the market would be full again tomorrow,” Nazlik replied.
Elowyn saw the preacher, standing on an apple crate, holding forth about the wonders of the Qun. She thought it was suspicious that the guards would let him spout off like that in front of everyone. She decided not to approach him – he was probably a plant to attract idealists, who could be picked up and thrown into the city dungeons – or chained to an oar.
“Do you know where Ser Galatea’s stall is?” she asked Nazlik.
“Look at that family!” Nazlik said instead, gesturing to a mother with two little children. “They are going to split them up – the mother one place, the children to another.”
Elowyn felt her coin purse. She might have enough. She’d been trying to save coin instead of spending so much on shoes. She felt ashamed that she’d wasted her money on luxuries for herself. She went over to the slave vendor.
“How much for this family?” she asked. The man looked her up and down, assessing her wealth, she supposed, or maybe putting a price on her body.
“Sixty coppers,” he said.
‘So little for the lives of these people?’ she thought. She had only forty-two coppers. She hadn’t saved enough. She cursed her shoes.
“Would you take forty?” she asked.
“You can have the kids for that,” he shrugged.
A bystander chimed in, “Don’t waste yer coin, lady. Ya gotta feed ‘em and clothe ‘em, and ya can’t work ‘em so hard, or they keel over.” He made a farting sound with his mouth and flopped his hand over to symbolize a collapsing child. Elowyn looked at him in disgust.
The mother looked at her with desperation in her eyes. “Please ser, you look like a kind person. Take my children.” Elowyn thought her heart would break. She took a slip of paper from her purse and wrote on it:
Vaellanius Manor, Minrathous. Ask for Elowyn Adaran.
She handed it to the woman. “Keep that safe. When you know where you’ll be sent, have someone write a message telling me where you are. I’ll save up some money and come get you.” And send a lightning bolt through your master and give his farm to his slaves, she thought to herself, gritting her teeth. She gave the woman a copper to send the message, hoping the slave vendor wouldn’t take it from her. She held out her hands to the children. They were reluctant to go with her, but the woman urged them to let go of her skirts, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. Elowyn saw that Nazlik was crying, too. Elowyn handed the forty coppers to the vendor, who gestured to his guards. They wrenched the children away from the mother and pushed them at Elowyn. The children were wailing, the mother was on her knees. Elowyn held one of the children and took the other by the hand and turned away.
“The Magister will be furious,” Nazlik whispered to her.
“The Magister can go suck a nug,” retorted Elowyn. “They can sleep in my room and share my food. I don’t eat much.” Nazlik frowned but made no further protest.
Elowyn bought each of the children a sweetroll with her last copper. They tore into the rolls like they hadn’t eaten in days. She scanned the crowd, hatred flashing in her eyes. Her gaze fixed on a very tall man covered in red tattoos. He was squeezing the breasts of a girl who couldn’t have been more than fourteen, just like a man buying a heifer. She flicked her hand and cast a small wave of force that swatted him in the back of the head. He stumbled forward, knocking into the girl and banging his nose on a column.
“Oops, that was a little harder than I’d planned,” giggled Elowyn, feeling a tiny bit better.
Vaellanius Manor
by Uccio
"You look stunning" Caius said cocking a eyebrow at her, "something to celebrate?". Livia smiled at him, "thank you for noticing. But there is no occasion. I just thought to wear something nice. Trying to blend into the crowd forces you to wear too plain clothes. It is a nice change".
Caius smiled shortly, "well, you make every cloth look good". A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, "thank you".
"So what was that about Elowyn and slaves?", Caius turned to the tray pouring himself wine.
"She brought two children, and apparently gave the mother a note because she didn´t have enough money to get them all, at least that is what the agent tailing her said in his message".
Caius gave a laugh, "so she is becoming a true tevinter then, or she just has a soft heart". "Nazlik is with her", Livia continued. "She is? She said she wanted to meet this new apprentice though. So it makes sense", Caius nodded.
He twirled the wine in his cup and took a sip gazing the map of Tevinter in the wall, "buy the mother, and send her to Elowyn´s quarters as a gift. A lesson of responsibility is in order here I think".
Livia placed her cup on the table, "there is one more thing. A elf was in the slave market preaching for the Qun, of all the places". Caius frowned, "have the elf apprehended, right away, and taken into questioning. I will not have any qun monsters in my city, I want to know if this elf has any friends in Minrathous. Then dispose the body".
Livia nodded, "I will send someone right away, for both tasks". She stood up to leave but hesitated at the door, "the girl, she is a somniari. Shouldn´t you be careful with her? That power could rival even with you. In the dreams, at least".
"My will is stronger than dragonbone", Caius said calmly turning to her, "even in the dreams". Livia nodded and left, "I truly hope so" she muttered to herself walking away.
Caius waited for her to close the door. He placed the wine cup on the table turning to the bookcase. Caius pulled one of the books and part of the shelves turned around revealing a entrance to a secret room. A elven nanny sat there with the baby in her arms. "He is sound asleep my lord", she whispered smiling.
Caius reached out taking the child off her hands, "meet me in the tower. I will keep him for a moment", he said softly. Nanny bowed and left the room, Caius had processed all the nannies with blood magic. Each of them would die for the baby or take Caius secret into the grave with them if tortured.
He walked slowly up the secret spiral staircase to the tower. When he reached his chamber the baby had already woken up. Caius gazed into his silver eyes as the boy stared him steadily. "You have your mothers stoicism, don´t you?", Caius whispered with a smile tickling the boy. A wide smile appeared on the boys face. His white hair had grown, the warm breeze in the balcony ruffled his hair.
"I have found a asset to us", Caius said gazing the city boy in his arms. "She will help me to pave the way for your rise".*





Do góry






