336 réponses à ce sujet

[KnightofPhoenix]

klarabella wrote...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawesome!

Really, I love when political stuff is going on.

Wait till you see the rest

Excellent work LadyDamodred.

[Ilvra]

Great chapter!



I think we can forgive you the breach of lore. Or maybe thank you for it.

[LadyDamodred]

KnightofPhoenix wrote...

klarabella wrote...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawesome!

Really, I love when political stuff is going on.

Wait till you see the rest

Excellent work LadyDamodred.

KoP might have to take a whip to me to make sure I do those sections right.    I am working on them, KoP, I swear, but it's so tricky~!

As for the breach of lore, if you want to be truly technical, Mr. Gaider said 'unnatural' means can make pregnancy possible.  I eluded to so a thing oh so very briefly. 

Modifié par LadyDamodred, 04 avril 2010 - 03:46 .

[KnightofPhoenix]

LadyDamodred wrote...

KnightofPhoenix wrote...

klarabella wrote...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawesome!

Really, I love when political stuff is going on.

Wait till you see the rest

Excellent work LadyDamodred.

KoP might have to take a whip to me to make sure I do those sections right.    I am working on them, KoP, I swear, but it's so tricky~!

I'm done with my papers finally, so if you need help, I am ready

[katramye]

I didn't mean to read this tonight, but I clicked the thread and your writing drew me in. It's now too late for me to respond properly, but I wanted to at least say something - like how much I enjoyed reading this, and to thank you for sharing it.

[Miri1984]

Oh, I'm still loving this. Beautiful introduction of Fiona. Why is it that all men in fiction called Osric are slimy?



Keep it up, can't wait to see what happens next!

[MireliA]

I've reviewed on FF but finally read this and its a great story

[LadyDamodred]

*gets all warm and fuzzy*



I don't know any other Osric's in fiction, but I pull most names from a baby name guide that gives the meanings of the names. Perhaps that is why? I guess I shan't ever name my child Osric.

[LadyAly]

I really love to read this story - I have only one plea -



DON'T STOP !

[LadyDamodred]

I don't normally update on Sundays, but I am full of tasty Easter desserts and decided to gift you all a small treat.  Enjoy!
________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 11

Zevran had just finished sealing his response to some minor lord in the Bannorn when Daevanya slipped into his room. A sensuous smile curled his lips. She had turned into a most delightful bed partner. He was looking forward to when circumstances allowed them time for more leisurely pursuits. Right now, Dae was looking at him with a gleam in her eye, a ghost of a smile on her lips and her hands held behind her back.

He set aside his parchment, pens and inks and looked at her. "More good news for me, mia ombra?" he asked.

"Of a sort. I wanted to let you know there's a ship coming into port."

He laughed. "Well, Denerim is a port city, my dear. It is only if ships stopped coming into port that I think we should take notice, yes?"

"Indeed. But this ship happens to be flying a rather interesting banner." He stopped putting away his things and looked at her. "In fact, the banner rather looks like it has two mabari with a crown on it. And when one uses a spyglass, there appears to be a well armored man on this ship…." She brought her hands out from behind her back as she said that, revealing the spyglass in them. Zevran snatched it from her hands and went to the window quickly. Luckily, his study faced the harbor. The palace was a fair distance from the docks, but the ship was fairly close to port. There was indeed the royal banner flying from the top of the mast. And, yes, pacing on the deck was a man in familiar glittering armor.

Zevran snapped the spyglass shut and spun on his heel. Stopping just long enough to plant a teasing kiss on Dae's mouth, he whispered, "I think you and I shall have some celebrating of our own to do later." She chuckled wickedly into his mouth and nipped his lower lip lightly in an unspoken promise.

He went quickly to Lya's rooms. He had been giving her more space since she had gotten mad at him. She had apologized for her behavior the next day, but he had ruefully admitted she was right. With no sign of a plot against her, he was being over-protective. The mage Shaye had also taken over some of the work in making sure she didn't overtax herself. They spent a lot of time together now, and Zevran wondered if Lya was just lonely for the company of another woman who treated her as an equal.

He found Lya alone at the moment, reading up on legalities concerning a minor dispute between two banns. She looked up as his entered and smiled warmly. "Zevran! You know, I'm starting to miss you. You really don't have to stay away so much, you know."

"Ah, my dear Grey Warden, do you not know absence makes the heart grow fonder? I am hoping that if I stay away enough you will simply throw yourself into my arms when I finally do return and save me the trouble of having to seduce you." She laughed and Zevran found that he was very glad that he was going to get to deliver this news.

"So what do you want from me today, Zev?" she asked lightly. "Do you need more funds for poison? Or perhaps you would like to raid the armory for some sharp pointy things?"

"Actually, Lya, I came to let you know that you'll need to make ready to welcome a very important person."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Who? We're not expecting anyone, at least not that I know of." She shuffled through some papers on her desk. "I know Arl Teagan was planning on coming to the capital, but that's not for a few weeks yet. And there were some ambassadors coming from Rivain next month. But other than that I can't think of anyone."

"No, none of them, my dear."

She continued looking through her papers to see if she had missed some vital piece of correspondence. "Then who? "

"Alistair."

Lya's hands went very still on her papers and she looked up Zevran with such hope that it made his heart ache. He wondered, not for the first time, if he would ever be able to handle living with a love that ran that deep. "Zevran, really? Are you sure?" she whispered.

He walked over to her and sat her back down gently before she fell over. "Yes, I am sure. And before you ask, no, you cannot go down to greet his ship. There are already crowds forming and it would be too difficult to try and protect both you and Alistair in that situation. Let me go and get him and you can greet him most properly here." To his surprise, she did not argue with him. She just looked at him with a ridiculously happy expression.

"That's fine, Zev. I understand. You'll fill him in on everything, right? I don't really want to waste time doing that when he gets back." He laughed wickedly as she blushed suddenly.

"Ah, I would have thought that with the amount of time you and Alistair spend in bed, you would be over that particular embarrassment." She only blushed harder. "Such an innocent you are!"

"Out, Zev!" she cried, pushing him to towards to door.

"As your Majesty commands," he teased, sweeping in a low bow and backing out of the room.

Modifié par LadyDamodred, 04 avril 2010 - 07:09 .

[Sandtigress]

You'd better not let anything happen to Alistair before he gets to the castle! I know you devious author types and how you like to torment us!!!!

[LadyDamodred]

"And at the last minute, the ship sprung a leak and everyone on board drowned. There was much mourning, and the Maker himself stepped forth to smite the author."

[MireliA]

LadyDamodred wrote...

"And at the last minute, the ship sprung a leak and everyone on board drowned. There was much mourning, and the Maker himself stepped forth to smite the author."

How evil of you!

[KnightofPhoenix]

LadyDamodred wrote...

"And at the last minute, the ship sprung a leak and everyone on board drowned. There was much mourning, and the Maker himself stepped forth to smite the author."

Smite the author for plagiarism. The dying at sea in a very un-epic way is reserved for King Maric please

[Miri1984]

Yay for Sunday treats!

[LadyDamodred]

KnightofPhoenix wrote...

LadyDamodred wrote...

"And at the last minute, the ship sprung a leak and everyone on board drowned. There was much mourning, and the Maker himself stepped forth to smite the author."

Smite the author for plagiarism. The dying at sea in a very un-epic way is reserved for King Maric please

That doesn't qualify as lost as sea.  That's more like 'lost in the harbor'.

[MireliA]

LadyDamodred wrote...

KnightofPhoenix wrote...

LadyDamodred wrote...

"And at the last minute, the ship sprung a leak and everyone on board drowned. There was much mourning, and the Maker himself stepped forth to smite the author."

Smite the author for plagiarism. The dying at sea in a very un-epic way is reserved for King Maric please

That doesn't qualify as lost as sea.  That's more like 'lost in the harbor'.

Ok so if the men wearing armour quickly stripped off, they might be able to swim to shore. Mind, they'd have to be damn quick about it... . *Mireli gets involved in yet another thread derailment*

[LadyDamodred]

Enjoy the fluff while it lasts.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 12

Alistair paced impatiently as the ship slowly made its way into the harbor. The afternoon was getting late and he wanted to be off the damn ship already. He had departed Weisshaupt the morning after his confrontation with Osric as he vowed, and the man had not tried to stop him. Alistair had not even seen him again. The Wardens he had trained with were there to see him off, however, and some of them made up part of the retinue that escorted him back to Denerim. The elven mage had also seen him off.

She had taken his hand solemnly. "Osric will not attempt anything, your Majesty, at least not for a while. For now, you and Lya are safe. But remain on guard. He will not forget this." She had looked at him, her eyes both sad and wistful. "For what it's worth, I am glad you accepted this Morrigan's ritual. The Grey Wardens ask a lot of their members, and the burden seems to fall especially heavy on the young. You have a chance so few of us do, and I don't think most of us would blame you for taking it." She had let go of his hand then, but before she stepped back, had embraced him in a quick hug. "Be happy, Alistair, and damn the rest," she whispered fiercely. It wasn't until they were on the road that he realized he never found out her name. He thought about asking the other Wardens, but decided not to bother. He was done with Weisshaupt. Let the Wardens there live their lives and he would live his.

And now he was coming home. These had been the longest three months of his life. The banner on his ship had been spotted and crowds were beginning to form. He searched the docks for a sign of someone he knew. Surely someone would have informed the palace that he was coming back. His eyes finally located Zevran and he looked for Lya, but didn't see her. Slowly, ever so slowly, the ship finally docked and he practically hurled himself over the side onto the pier.

Zevran was right there to greet him and Alistair was so thrilled to see a friendly face that he pulled the smaller man into a rough hug. Zevran was startled for a moment, but returned the embrace, grinning at the stupidly happy expression on his friend's face. After a minute, he rapped on Alistair's armor. "I am quite happy to see you, too, my dear Alistair, but you are wearing armor and I am only a frail elf."

Laughing, Alistair released him. "Sorry, Zev. Guess I just got excited."

"Ah, if three months apart is all that it takes to get you that excited, then I shall have to make immediate arrangements to depart for a year or so!" Alistair just laughed. Right now, Zevran could say just about anything and he wouldn't care. It felt so damn good to be home.

He looked around, searching for the one face he really wanted to see. "Where's Lya? I thought she would have come down."

Zevran nodded. "She probably would have, but I forbid her to. As I told her, it is too difficult to keep both of you safe in a crowd like this."

Alistair smothered his disappointment because he knew what Zevran said made sense. Waiting a little while longer to see Lya would be manageable. He turned to the Grey Wardens who were disembarking. "My friends, you are more than welcome at the palace. I need to get back, but take your time. I will leave instructions for you to be given quarters." The Grey Wardens nodded their thanks and began arranging to get their things from the ship.

Zevran began guiding Alistair through the crowd to his waiting escort. He noticed the Grey Wardens who accompanied Alistair back were vastly different than the ones sent to fetch him. He looked at Alistair seriously. "It appears I am not the only one with important things to discuss. Come; let us get off the docks. I will fill you in with all that has happened as we ride."

They swung up onto their mounts, and as they moved through the crowds towards the palace, Zevran told Alistair what had happened in his absence. When he got the part where Lya had collapsed, Alistair's hands tightened on the reins, causing Adair to snort and sidestep. Before he could get angry, Zevran leaned over and grabbed his arm. "Easy, my friend. It was more than a month ago and she has recovered. Eamon and I have been handling much of the more stressful stuff. She is…fine." His hesitation over the word caused Alistair to look at him sharply.

"But what, Zev? What aren't you telling me?"

Zevran sighed. "Truthfully, Alistair, she is not quite back to her old self. I cannot quite put my finger on it. She is…more reserved, for lack of a better word. She has been spending a lot of time with the mage, though, so perhaps it is just that I do not see her as much as I am accustomed to."

"The mage…." Alistair said slowly. An old fear, a product of years of Chantry training, reasserted itself. People could change after being around a mage if that mage was a maleficar.

But Zevran was already shaking his head. "No, Alistair, I know what you are thinking and that is not it. I had her and her husband watched very closely. There has been absolutely no sign of any blood magic. Besides, our dear Grey Warden trusts her, and I think we have both learned to trust Lya's instincts, no?"

Alistair nodded ruefully. Zevran was referring to himself, of course. Alistair had objected, strongly, when Lya let him live and took him with them. In the end she had been right, but it took Alistair awhile to see that.

They were approaching the palace now, and members of the staff were coming out to greet them. Alistair dismounted, looking around. He barely even registered the greetings and well-wishers around them. And then she was there, coming through the doors. Lya spotted him and her face lit up. Then she was flying down the stairs to meet him, and he was taking stairs two and three at a time to get to her faster. They met somewhere in the middle and Alistair was lost in her. Around them the crowds erupted into cheers, but neither one of them noticed.

Lya couldn't believe he was back. She ran her fingers across his face and through his too long hair. There lips met, broke apart and met again. She was laughing and crying all at the same time and her heart was beating so hard she thought she might pass out. He was really here. His warm brown eyes, the soft lips, the strong arms crushing her against him. He was holding her too hard, just like he had their last together and she didn't care. He was here and alive and it was glorious.

And she was going to get to tell him. The thought of it made her giddy. She was grateful he was wearing his armor. It would keep him from feeling the bump that was getting harder to hide. It was all she could do to keep from telling him right here, but she wanted her secret to be their secret first.

A discreet cough at their side brought them back to reality. "Your Majesties," Zevran said wryly, "I think perhaps we might wish to move the reunion inside lest we tarnish your reputations before the masses." Lya couldn't stop her giggles and she started back up the steps, tugging at Alistair, but Alistair had other ideas. In one smooth motion, he swept her up into her arms to carry her into the palace. There was a cheer from the crowds again and Lya settled herself against Alistair's armored chest.

He carried her all the way to their rooms before setting her down. He kept looking at her as he walked, looking for some sign of the illness Zevran had spoken of, but he didn't see it. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled. She seemed almost radiant with joy. The disquiet that had lodged in his heart at Zevran's words evaporated.

When he set her down, she tugged him inside. The door was barely shut before he began trying to get his armor off, haste making his hands clumsy. Lya laughed again and helped him. When the last piece fell clattering to the floor, Alistair reached for her, but Lya danced lightly out of reach. "All in good time, my love. First you need a bath," she teased as she pointed to the high tub set against the wall. Alistair sighed theatrically.

"As ever, your desire is my command." He stripped off his clothes with relief and looked over at Lya with a wink. "Would you care to join me?"

"Alas, no, my husband. I think that would only delay things. You need a haircut and some food. And then we need to know what happened at Weisshaupt. Once that's done, then we can get down to business without worrying about distractions."

Alistair sighed mournfully. "Slave driver," he muttered. Lya dragged a chair over to the tub to sit behind him and rolled up her sleeves. Grinning playfully, Alistair motioned as if to get her wet and she shrieked and darted away. "Don't, Alistair! I just got changed. And if I have to get changed again, we're never going to get anywhere."

"Oh, we'll get somewhere…."

"I swear, you do that and you can scrub your back yourself!"

"Fine, fine!" he agreed and started lathering his hair. They were behaving like children, Lya thought to herself. The euphoria of being back together after a long absence and mortal peril made them crazy. It had been like that after she got back from dealing with the Architect, too. She was very much looking forward to tonight.

Lya regained her seat and set about scrubbing and massaging Alistair's back. He groaned aloud in pleasure, just absorbing the feel of her hands on his back as she eased weeks of strain from it. He caught one of her hands as it came back up to his shoulder and brought it to his mouth to plant a soft kiss inside her hand. She giggled and blushed as his tongue slowly teased her palm. Unable to stand it any longer, she jerked her hand away, and bracing herself on his shoulders, leaned down to kiss him again. When he would have moved to take hold of her, she leaned back. "Uh-uh, don't want to change clothes, remember?"

"You are a cruel woman, my love." She handed him a towel as he stood up. As he dried off, she looked through his wardrobe for suitable clothes for the evening. When she had found something, she set them on the desk and pushed him down into the chair. Picking up a pair of scissors, she set to work trimming his hair. It was a ritual they had developed after he confessed to having a minor obsession with it. She was very careful, however, not to lean in too close. She did not want to spoil the surprise through a careless touch.

As she leaned forward over him to cut the front of his hair, Alistair had a marvelous view. He chuckled, "I always like this part best." He reached forward to cup one delectable breast gently and she jumped.

"Alistair Theirin! Unless you want to end up bald, you stop that right now!"

Gaping at her in mock horror, he held his hands behind his back. "All right, all right, I'll be good! I promise." He did his best to put on a solemn apologetic face and she collapsed into giggles again.

Finally managing to finish, Alistair shrugged into his clothes while Lya collected most of the hair into a towel. The maids would be in later to clean up, but she didn't want it strewn everywhere around the floor in the meantime. There was a knock at the door and Zevran's voice drifted though, "If you are both presentable, dinner is waiting." Lya opened the door and Zevran saw that both were dressed and ready. He clucked his tongue. "I must confess I am most disappointed in the two of you."

"Come on. I know we're all dying to hear what Alistair has to say. Lead on, Zevran."

Modifié par LadyDamodred, 05 avril 2010 - 08:26 .

[Miri1984]

*happy sigh*

[MireliA]

Aww - enjoy the fluff while it lasts... hmm

[dbfandillyjam]

I'm really enjoying this.

[LadyDamodred]

Racy chapter is racy?  No, not very, but enough to move to 'M'.  Other chapters will continue to be posted in full here, but I figure better safe than sorry for this one.

www.fanfiction.net/s/5837898/14/Sundered_Order

Edit:  Didn't realize the url thingie was broken.  Let's see if this fixes it.

Modifié par LadyDamodred, 06 avril 2010 - 09:07 .

[Miri1984]

Lovely. Just lovely.

[LadyDamodred]

Chapter 14

Alistair sought out the mage the next day. He woke before Lya, and slipped out of bed carefully. She was sleeping so deeply that he didn't want to wake her. He got cleaned up in the baths downstairs, grabbed something quick to eat and decided he should meet this mysterious mage.

Lya had given Shayelyn and Kaden guest rooms in a separate wing until they figured out where they should be placed. His knock on the door was answered by Kaden, who opened it wearing only a pair of pants. "Uh, hi," Alistair said a bit awkwardly. "I was hoping to, er, speak with your…wife?"

The man regarded him for a moment before stepping back and gesturing for Alistair to enter. Looking around, Alistair saw the mage sitting on a settee reading a book. She looked up as he entered and placed a slip of paper in the book to mark her page. "Your Majesty," she greeted him, bowing.

"Mage, uh, Shayelyn," he replied. She laughed gently.

"Please, your Majesty, call me Shaye. I don't like to stand on ceremony."

"Oh, good, that's a relief. Just call me Alistair, then." She laughed and smiled and Alistair found himself liking her. She reminded him of what a younger Wynne might have been like.

Shaye turned to her husband and pointing a finger at the door said, "Out, Kade." He looked at her and grinned. He went to say something, but she held up a finger and wagged it at him. "Don't even say it." It was clearly a joke between the two of them, but as he was standing in their rooms, Alistair didn't take offense. Kade picked up a shirt from the back of a chair, dug a pair of boots out from under the bed and headed out. Once the door closed behind his naked back, Shaye turned back to him and gestured for Alistair to have a seat.

"You've come to talk about Lya," she said without preamble.

"Yes…."

Shaye nodded. "I thought as much. Let me be the first to congratulate you, then. I am extremely happy for the two of you."

"Thanks." Alistair wasn't sure what else you were supposed to say in this situation.

Continuing on as if she didn't notice his pause, Shaye said, "Before we get to any specific questions, might I propose an impromptu lesson on pregnancy?" Alistair felt himself flushing, but mumbled out an agreement. He probably should know about this, after all.

The next hour was both one the most embarrassing yet oddly assuring time Alistair could ever remember. Shaye was completely forthright with everything involved in pregnancy and birth, describing things in dry, clinical terms. She went through all the changes Lya's body would experience and what changes might happen with her personality. She explained that all women were different, and there was no way of knowing what specific side effects they might see, if any. She was totally frank in giving him the details of what the birth would be like, and he wondered if he wouldn't have been better off not knowing beforehand. And then something occurred to him.

"Wait a minute, are you expecting me to be there?"

She regarded him levelly. "Yes, I am expecting you to be there. Why? You don't think you should be?"

"I, uh, well, it's just that…I didn't think men were, um, normally allowed in."

"Well, the final decision would be Lya's, of course, but from what I know of her, I would think she would want you to be there, don't you?" He nodded hesitantly, and she shook her head faintly. "We still have six months before any final decision needs to be made, Alistair. Don't worry about it right now. Shall we continue?"

He was reassured by how calm and knowledgeable she was. She answered his every question, no matter how awkward or how much he blushed, honestly and with no sign of amusement. She was also brutally honest in explaining the possible dangers. All his embarrassment had vanished then.

"You're saying she could die?" Shaye looked at him sympathetically and moved from her chair to sit next to him on the couch.

"Listen to me carefully, Alistair. Lya is a healthy young woman. Her body is strong and well conditioned. She may be in the best physical shape of any mother-to-be I have seen. But there are still dangers. There are always dangers. You should know this. Your own mother…." She trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence. Yes, his own mother; the serving girl who died after giving birth to him. And it wasn't just him, he realized suddenly. As he thought about it, he realized he knew a surprising number of people who lost their mothers when they were born. He went cold in fear.

"Alistair!" Shaye said sharply, reaching up to physically turn his face to meet hers. "Don't panic! Listen to me. I am telling you this because it wouldn't be right to lie and tell you there is no danger. But I believe the danger to be very small. This is why I've told Lya I want her to keep active. The stronger she is, the easier the birth will be. And the easier the birth is, the less chance for things to go wrong. I want you to focus on all the things that can go right and not what can go wrong. If you do that, it will steal all your joy from this and that would be more harmful than anything else. Do you understand me?"

Alistair nodded mutely, still not trusting himself to speak. The first stab of fear was passing and he knew he had to get it under control, if only for Lya's sake. Shaye patted his arm, but did not move away from him. She gave him a few minutes before asking, "Now, I expect you have questions that would pertain to only the situation you and Lya find yourselves in, correct?"

He looked down at her. "We're both Grey Wardens," he said slowly. "I don't know what you know about that, but I have no idea what it means for a child."

She nodded calmly. "The taint, yes. Lya told me what she knows about it, of course. She didn't seem to think it a terribly breach of security for the Royal Physician," she smiled crookedly at the title, "to know everything in order to ensure the Warden-Commander could be treated properly." She frowned thoughtfully. "If I'm going to be totally honest, I've actually looked into this on my own a bit. When Irving first approached me with this idea a few months ago, I decided it might be useful to find out what I could.

"There's not a whole lot of information, unfortunately. The best source would be Weisshaupt, but I was hardly in a position to write and demand answers. But if one digs enough, there is information to be discovered. I had Kade use some…contacts…to find more," she added delicately. "Is there anything specific you wish to know? I don't have all the answers, but I do have some."

"Will the child be tainted?" This had always been his predominant fear; bringing a child into the world already tainted, damned to a short life filled with nightmares.

"No. Well, at least not a child born with only one Grey Warden parent. I do not know about children born to two Grey Wardens. I cannot believe it has never happened in the more than twelve hundred years that there have been Grey Wardens, but I couldn't find anything on that. I wish I could. But if I had to hazard an educated guess, I would still say no, though. I think something like that would lead to strongly discouraging relations between Grey Wardens, but as far as I know, none have had a problem with you and Lya being intimate.

"Another possible side effect is that it may make the Joining easier for such a child. It could be like an immunity to poison. Being exposed to the taint in a small dose, either from the mother's womb or the father's seed, might be enough to grant extra resistances. When taking in the larger amount of tainted blood at the Joining, it could grant a higher chance to surviving. Again, I cannot say for certain, but I would not be at all surprised if that were the case."

He nodded slowly. It wasn't very reassuring, but it was better than nothing. He realized he couldn't think of any other questions about how being a Grey Warden might change things. He honestly didn't know a lot about the Wardens, and considering what had just happened in Weisshaupt, that bothered him. He stood up and turned to Shaye. "Thank you. I appreciate this, I really do."

Shaye also rose, and she took his hand between both of hers. "You're more than welcome, Alistair. If you have any other questions, you know where to find me." She walked him to the door. "Now, I expect you have a lot to do, so have a good day, your Majesty."

[Miri1984]

Mmm. Interesting. I'm trying to deal with pregnancy and the possibilities of taintedness in warden babies as well at the moment, so I always want to see what others think about it. There are a few fics that deal with it and most of them seem to do it differently. I'll be following this pregnancy very closely .