Chapter Text
Rain pounded down around Kirkwall, falling in heavy sheets that made it near impossible to see a foot in any direction. Flashes of bright lightning was the only thing that was easy to spot through the wall of rain drops. Wind whipped through the city, howling it's song, making it hard to hear anything over it and the heavy rainfall. The loud claps of thunder being the only clear sound in the night. No one should be out in weather like this, and yet...
Here she stood, on his doorstep, shivering and looking at him with pleading eyes. It hadn't been til that exact moment that Fenris realized how much smaller Rylan was compared to most humans, which seemed to spark some inner need to protect her. The urge had been strange to him til his mind supplied him with the reminder that he had once been a bodyguard, and that was probably where this instinct was coming from. With that thought he pushed the need aside.
Still, even he wasn't going to let this woman freeze to death outside his mansion, so he had let her inside, had led her to the room he used the most and had told her to sit on the bench near the fire. While she stripped out of her armor he went on a search for a blanket. It hadn't taken him too long to find one, pulling it out of a crate and giving it a few flicks to shake out the dust, before he returned to her, dropping it over her shoulders, and moving away from her towards the hearth, where he grabbed a chunk of wood, and tossed it into the fire.
Fenris had met Hawke's group a few nights ago, at the Hanged Man. She had invited him to play a game of cards. Unsure as he had been he agreed, and so he went. Hawke had introduced him to everyone in the group of friends, and some he was okay with, others he did not trust, Anders and Merrill being on that list. Varric and Aveline seemed alright, Hawke's brother Carver seemed okay as well. Isabela was... hard to put into words, but she was better than the mages.
Then there was Rylan. True none of the group really fit together. A storyteller, an ex Gray Warden, a Pirate captain, a Gaurdswoman, an ex Dalish, and Hawke. He hadn't seen any connection between the group, except for them all being from Ferelden, well not counting Varric… and possibly not Rylan. Rylan didn't seem Ferelden. Though that was just it, he didn't know much about Rylan. She was cheerful usually, and joked with the others in an ease. She was terrible at the card game though, she never won, nor ever came close. She fascinated him, and he wasn't quite sure why.
Looking back at her, from over his shoulder, he noticed she was bundled up in the blanket and staring off at the far wall. When he moved his gaze to follow hers he noticed that she was staring at a stream of rain water that was pouring in from a hole in the roof, and gathering in a puddle on the floor. Suddenly he felt unsettled at how his place looked. Turning, he grabbed the bottle of wine he had sat down on the bench when Rylan had knocked on his door earlier.. He then turned to face her, clearing his throat to gain her attention, pleased when it worked and those bright lyrium blue eyes were on him.
"Aggregio Pavali. There are six bottles in the cellar." He spoke only once her eyes had focused on him.
"Is it special?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in curiousity.
"Danarius used to have me pour it for his guests. My appearance intimidated them he said. Which he enjoyed." Fenris answered and watched her expression shift into one of confusion.
"I like your appearance." She stated, and then her eyes widened slightly, apparently he wasn't the only one surprised at her words. "I mean, you have one of the most prettiest shade of green eyes I have ever seen, your skin is a nice color and contrasts well with your hair and markings, and your hair looks very soft, and.. please say something before I keep embarrassing myself." She pleaded, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, before coming to rest her chin on top of them.
He couldn't help but chuckle at this. She was different from most he had met. "You speak your mind, I will give you that."
"It's a blessing and a curse." She replied, not looking at him anymore, and he found himself missing her gaze on him. Which was bothersome, He didn't like being noticed, didn't like the attention, and yet.. he wanted hers.
"Is that so?" He asked.
She gave a soft sigh. "Yeah, it's what gives me away at Wicked Grace, and often gets me in trouble." She was staring at the fire infront of her.
Fenris gave a low hum in understanding, he could see that now, she couldn't keep a blank face if her life depended on it, of this he was certain. He felt that need to protect again, and so he took a long drink from the bottle. When he pulled it back, he looked at it. He could throw it, shatter it on the wall, make a mess and no punishment would be had. This seemed to be all the reasoning he needed as he did just that, threw the bottle at the wall, watched it shatter and spray the liquid everywhere. He seemed pleased at himself now.
"It's good I can still take pleasure in the small things." He said.
"Well... the floor couldn't get worse I suppose. It actually might help eat through the grime." Rylan offered and he had to fight not to smile at her. When her eyes came back to meet his, he almost did. "Do you think your former master will ever give up chasing you?" She asked.
At the mension of Danarius, that urge to smile was gone. "He is too proud not to." He told her, going to sit on the bench not occupied by her. "Tell me, I know of most of Hawke's companions, but I do not know much about you." He said.
"What do you want to know?" She asked seeming a bit confused at his change of topic.
"Where do you live? I know where all the others live, but I do not know where you do. You always seem to be at the Hanged Man, but judging from conversation the other night, I am sure you do not live there."
"You would be currect, I do not live at the Hanged Man." She answered.
"Then where?"
She was silent for a moment, and he wasn't sure why she was being so hesitant to answer a simple question. "How about we play a game?" She offered and now he was giving her a strange look.
"I... do not have any cards here, nor would I wish to take your coin. I saw how bad you played the other night."
"No, no not cards." She blushed a little embarrassed, and he felt something inside him warm at that look. "I mean another game, Question for a Question. We take turns asking each other questions, the one answering can choose to answer or say pass. The game continues til we are out of questions or we just wish to end it." She explained.
Fenris slowly nodded as he listened to her game. It seemed simple enough, and he was sure if he didn't like a question he could just say pass, or end the game. "Alright." He agreed, giving a gesture for her to go first. She took a moment to think over her question, and he was sure it would be something about his markings, but when she spoke he was surprised.
"How long have you been running?"
"Three years now." He answered her. "Danarius always seems to have a way of finding me. Perhaps it's the markings, either way it does not take him long to follow." He fell silent for a moment as he thought on it before speaking again. "Though, this is the first time I have given him reason to pause. I suppose there are advantages in numbers."
"Have you not gotten help before?" Rylan asked.
"I believe that is two questions, and if I understand the rules you gave to this game, it's my turn to ask." He watched her give a light blush again in embarrassment and nod, and he felt amused.
"How did you come to meet Hawke?" He asked. He would start with this, and work his way to the question he had asked a moment before.
"I uh... I saught her out actually." Rylan began. "I had heard of her doing good in the city and I wanted to help. I wanted to learn how to fight, and be able to put the skill to good use." She explained.
Fenris was going to ask her 'why' but caught himself, almost making the mistake she had done just a moment ago. He gave a nod to her answer before gesturing for her to go.
"Did you ever seek out help before?" She asked again.
"When I could steal the coin. I have met few in my travels who have not seeked personal gain." He explained. She gave a nod to this, showing she understood before copying his hand gesture for him to go.
"Why would you want to help this city?"
"It's where I was born, and I like helping others."
So she was born here, he had been right that she wasn't from Ferelden. Though he wondered if she realized how hopeless this city was. Despite his thoughts, he couldn't bring himself to speak them outloud, he couldn't crush her spirit. If she was a mage he would have sworn she casted some spell to make him feel this way, but she was not.
"Do you intend to stay here?" She asked, her voice holding a hint of excitement in it.
"I haven't decided. This place is as good as any other." He told her, not missing that ping of sadness in her eyes and he felt a slight tightness in his chest. "I would return to Seheron if I could, but there is no life for me there." He continued. Curiousity was back in her eyes and Fenris was beginning to see why Isabela called her Kitten, along with Merrill, though he wasn't sure why the witch was called kitten, and he could care less to find out.
"Have you ever been outside of the Free Marches?" Fenris asked.
"No, I have been here all my life." She answered. "Are you from Seheron?"
"So I've been told."
"Where you-" She was cut off when he held his hand up.
"My turn." He reminded and she quickly nodded. "What part of the city do you live in?" He asked.
"Hightown." She answered, her gaze leaving his now. That wasn't what he expected, he wasn't sure what he was expecting, but not Hightown.
"Where you young when you left Seheron?" She asked.
"Perhaps." He really didn't wish to speak of it anymore and he hoped she got that message. "Do you have family here?"
"I do." She replied a bit reluctantly. "Do your markings-" She was cut off by him again.
"Yes, they hurt." He answered, he had been used to the question because he got it many times.
"Do your markings feel raised or are they smooth like skin?" She had paused for him to speak before continuing her question and he felt foolish now. Why did it matter what the damned things felt like?
"Raised."
"Really?"
"Yes, my turn." He told her, not wanting to speak of them either. "Where exactly do you live in Hightown?"
He watched her eyes cloud over a bit before she turned her gaze to the fire. Her jaw clenched, then relaxed before she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Not far from you actually." She answered slowly as she got to her feet, and began to pace.
"I am the youngest daughter of the Salvian line, and therefore nobility, but.. I hate it." She said, her gaze moving to meet his and he saw the tears gathering in her eyes. He faught the urge to spring up and go to her, to hold her to him, he never had that urge before, so why her?
She looked away from him as she began to pace again. "I know that sounds selfish, and foolish, but... it's the truth. I don't like having fake friends, people who pretend to like you to only get what they want. I don't think it's right that we are supposed to be the 'superior' species, I don't care about race, I want to judge a person on them and not what they look like. I want real friends, to help people. I don't like watching them suffer and doing nothing because they are below us and are not worth our time. It's cruel, and I hate it. I don't want to be married to some guy who doesn't even care about me, but being married helps both our families so it's 'worth' it." She sighed heavily, tears tracking down her face now, as she tried to push them away with the heel of her hand.
Fenris watched her pace, watch her movements, frantic and frustrated, and now she was crying and he wasn't sure what to do. He looked down to not catch her eye when he spotted the blood on the floor and followed the trail to realize it was coming from her. He felt panic raise in his chest before he pushed it away.
"Rylan." He spoke as he got to his feet, and she stopped pacing to look towards him, her eyes not meeting his. "Come here." He told her, and when her eyes finally came to meet his, he nodded towards the bench. She moved, coming to sit on the bench, where she had been sitting moments before. He had noticed the flinch she gave when she had moved, noticed the flicker of pain cross her eyes. He had watched her sit down, and lift her foot so she could see what had happened.
While she examined her foot, he went back to the crate he had dug through earlier, when he was searching for her blanket, and pulled out an injury kit. He came back setting it down near her before going to find a relatively clean cloth. Once he had that, he wetted it in a basin before coming back to her, and sitting on the ground infront of her.
"Let me see it." He offered one of his hands out to her. She had looked up from her foot to stare at him for a second or two, before back to her foot and then moved it closer to him. He took her ankle in his hand and pulled it closer so he could clean it.
"It's just a small cut, it will heal." She said in a soft voice, he couldn't read her emotion, but she seemed sad, why? He pushed the thoughts away as he focused on his task at hand.
"For now it seems that way, but if not tended to, it can get infected, then you risk losing the foot." He scolded. He was sure it wouldn't get that bad, but she needed to be more careful. He was regretting throwing the bottle now, but how was he supposed to know she would get up and pace?
"Thank you." Her next reply was sincere and he was sure this woman would be the death of him. These feelings needed to fade soon, it was not healthy for him.
"Just be careful next time." He managed to say as he finished cleaning and bandaging her foot. It was at this point he realized that he was holding her ankle in his bare hand, no metal or leather to separate them and it felt... it wasn't completely uncomfortable, he liked the warmth of her skin, the smoothness of it. He shook himself mentally as he let go of her ankle and began to put the injury kit away.
"I suppose I should head home now, let you get some sleep." She said, he could feel her gaze on his back as he was putting the injury kit back in the crate he got it from.
"No, it's storming out there, you are injured. If the weather isn't cleared by morning, then by all means you can hobble home, but for now, it is wiser to stay put." He was scolding as he was putting everything up and searching for spare bedding.
"I... I guess you're right." She said, giving in and he felt a surge of pride run through him.
"Once I get this laid out on the floor, i'll go and find you something dry to wear." He said as he came to a clear spot near the fire place and began to spread out the bedding to make a pallet on the floor.
"Hey Fenris?" She asked as he worked.
"What?" He was placing a pillow down on the now finished pallet.
"It's my turn right?" She asked and he paused. He had forgotten about the game, and truly he wasn't in the mood anymore, but telling her no was hard, and he desperately hoped that this feeling for this woman would fade soon.
"Last question." He said as he began to head for a chest in the other corner of the room.
"Okay." She said as she was quiet for a moment, while Fenris broke the lock and was now opening the chest to dig through it. "Can we be friends?" He stopped digging and looked back over his shoulder at her.
"I... never had one before." He answered slowly, not sure what else to say. He watched her eyes widen at that before they softened and a bright smile came to her face.
"Then it's decided." She declared, and he shook his head as he went back to digging.
"What is that?" He asked, pulling out a tunic and a pair of leggings.
"I'm gonna be your first friend." He didn't know what it was liketo have friends, nor what it meant to be one, but... her words had made him give a slight smile, and he couldn't break that determination that rang in her voice, so that left him with one option, he would accept.
He got up and gathered his findings in his arms as he turned to face her, about to speak his agreement to her offer, but stopped when he saw her sitting on the pallet. The slight smile he had just had on his face, now melted into a frown. "You are sleeping in the bed." He told her, coming over to put the clothes on the bench.
"Nope. If you are going to make me stay and impose on you, then i'm taking the floor."
"I can move you." He warned her.
"I'm not moving." She shot back, and now he was sure this women would indeed be the death of him, and yet, he seemed to welcome it none-the-less. He was truly a helpless fool at this point.
"Fine." He sighed heavily. "Just get dressed, and let me know when your done." He was moving towards the door of the room, so he could give her privacy while she changed. All the while his mind was thinking over her. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but he enjoyed being with her. Her question from earlier running through his mind, asking if he intended to stay here. He gave a moment's thought to that, and decided that he could see himself staying, if it meant he could see her more.