Tarnished Silver [2/?]
anonymous
July 8 2011, 08:27:03 UTC
"I could tell, yes," the Commander tipped his head a little to one side, the moonlight catching strands of his pale gold hair and silvering it. Knowing what he did about the taint and the Wardens, now, the spiderweb-imagery was almost as disturbing as it was... intriguing. "Is something wrong? That's an odd look you're giving me."
"Ah, we... haven't known each other long yet, Commander," Varel temporized, folding his hands behind his back as he often did. It kept his fingers still. "It was only the night prior to this one that you arrived, after all. I am still... adjusting."
"Mmn," Tannusen gave the staff in his hand a thoughtful, slow whirl, "to which part, I wonder? A Grey Warden in power? No? An elf? Ah -- that's even more rare. A mage? Now that," the Commander chuckled, low and quiet, "that may be a first in a very long time. Arl Eamon's son's magical talent was kept a secret in part because his mother wanted him to inherit someday, did you know that?"
"No," Varel cleared his throat, "It's none of that, Commander. I just -- when did you get that staff?"
"Earlier today when I went to Amaranthine," the Commander shrugged, and then smiled slyly, "or are you actually asking what happened to my last one?" Varel fought back a fidget at the pointed question, but was spared from answering as Surana continued, "I left it with a friend. I didn't figure I'd be fighting my way through a contingent of darkspawn to get inside the keep, after all."
It was a valid point. And it wasn't as though the Commander feared the usual dangers of travel enough to go armed on a journey from the capital to Vigil's Keep, if it wasn't convenient to do so. "And your robes?" The question slipped out before Varel could catch it, and now he did fidget, just a little, as Surana's sly little smile widened.
"I dislike robes," said the elf, and then in the very same tone, as though they were still discussing his clothing choices, "you're even more dashing in the moonlight than out of it, you know. I am impressed. It makes you look like some shining silver knight out of a legend, made solid in its light."
Varel felt his eyes widen a little, and he clenched his fingers together behind his back for a second to help hide his startlement. "I -- ah, I am very flattered, Commander. But you needn't bother."
"No? Are you sure?" Surana asked, and tipped his head to the side a little, again. Varel was suddenly reminded of a cat peering up at a bird on a branch. The image was only made stronger when the Warden stepped up to within arms-reach of him, his shorter elven stature making him tip his head up to look at Varel. He was tall for an elf, but there was still a difference there, all the same. The fact that his shoulders were nearly as broad as Varel's own was not lost on the seneschal; the Commander had a physique that would fit in well among the dedicated soldiers that the veteran warrior was the most comfortable around.
The Warden's voice cut into his thoughts once more, "You're giving me that look again. So... searching, seneschal. You need only ask if there's something you wish of me."
Struggling to find a response, Varel did not turn to watch as the Commander stepped past him and went inside. It wasn't until the mage's soft footfalls had padded ever-so-quietly around a far corner and out of hearing distance that Varel even realized he hadn't asked what the mage had been doing out here. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and ran a gauntleted hand over his hair, looking down at the singed flagstones where the explosion had been.
He had the distinct feeling he was being... hunted.
- - - - -
The Commander left early in the morning and returned late in the evening, trailed by the Howe he had released and all but dripping the blood of the fallen from his ill-fitting robes. They would be irreparably stained, Varel guessed, watching as servants from the Keep swarmed the returning party. He cleared his throat when the Warden and his companions drew near, and slanted a glance at Nathanial Howe.
Tarnished Silver [3/?]
anonymous
July 8 2011, 08:29:31 UTC
"Nathaniel wishes of his own free will to become a Grey Warden," the Commander informed him, "see to it, seneschal." The matter-of-fact order was a welcome development, and Varel went about making the preparations immediately even as Surana was shooed off to go wash up and change.
The joining went off without a hitch, and Varel resigned himself to having a Howe on the premises, after all. It was late before the ritual was over, and the Commander retired to his chambers for the night.
Still, Varel found himself pacing the halls once more, his armor clinking softly in the still night air, his footsteps drawn unconsciously to that small, moonlit courtyard. He wasn't sure what to think of his disappointment when he found it empty, and nearly jumped out of his own skin when a ghost of an almost-touch brushed the hair at the back of his head. "And so the silver knight returns," Surana purred from behind him.
Varel swallowed his heart back down into his chest and turned his head to look at the mage, who leaned sideways against the doorframe, arms folded. He was wearing more clothing this time, at least, although ill-fitting all the same. The pants were too large, belted close at his hips, and he'd donned a plain brown vest but no tunic. The vest was open, part of his tattoo visible above folded arms.
"I was under the impression you were a better-dressed man," Varel commented, before catching himself-- "Ah, my pardon, Commander. That was out of line--"
"The way I understand this arrangement is that it's only out of line if I say it is," Tannusen smiled a strange, crooked little smile. "And I haven't. You can speak your mind freely with me, seneschal." The Commander was... appropriately enough, apparently quite at ease with being in command, and the unspoken order to speak his mind hung between them.
"Giving orders suits you," Varel coughed lightly, and finally turned to face the Warden properly.
The crooked little smile widened, a little. "You should see me with a whip."
Varel's small cough turned into a much larger one as he swallowed a lungful of air wrong, and he felt his face color a little as the Commander stepped closer, much as he'd done the night previous. "Taking orders suits me, as well," Surana purred once the coughing had quieted, looking up at Varel with assessing blue eyes. The color was almost unnatural in the moonlight. "Particularly from handsome older men who wear plate armor."
"That hardly seems appropriate," Varel stammered, "you're the new Arl and--"
"I am offering to let you ram your cock inside me," Tannusen purred, mercilessly unabashed, "over and over until you burst. Or perhaps you would prefer if I bent you over, instead? I can do either. I'm very versatile." Varel felt his eyes widen and his face flush with heat, and the elf's eyes half-lidded, his gaze fixed up at Varel's. "You don't seem repulsed," he continued, "just... hesitant? A shame."
"I... but you... I..." Varel couldn't think straight, the elf was so blunt with his proposal, so lewd with his wording. The soldiers he'd been with in the past hadn't talked about it first, things had just sort of... happened, as they did, both parties going along with it without any real commentary. This, this was almost like foreplay and the mage hadn't even touched him. The effect he could have with simple words--!
"The offer stands, if you should decide to take me," the Commander added after a moment of Varel's shocked non-reply, "or take me up on it, however you prefer to play. I'll leave you to it for now." And, true to his words, the Warden turned and walked casually back inside, leaving Varel to gather up his scattered wits at his own pace.
What had just... had that just happened?
- - - - -
Mercifully, the Commander showed no sign of anything untoward the next day, and Varel was able to keep his composure firmly in check when the small troupe of Wardens came into the throne room on their way out of the keep. He called out a reminder that the nobles would be assembling to swear their fealty, received a wave over Surana's shoulder, and then... that was it. The four-man party left, off to chase after Eileen Bensley's kidnappers and Maker-knew-what else.
Tarnished Silver [4/?]
anonymous
July 8 2011, 08:32:04 UTC
For all his peculiarities, it certainly wasn't difficult to set the Warden off after one good cause or another. Perhaps a little too easy, at that. Varel could already see a future of trying desperately to tie the Commander down long enough to--
That was the wrong imagery.
...He could already tell that getting political work done would take some careful herding of the new Arl. There, that was safe. Varel cleared his throat a little, bid the others in the room farewell until later, and took his leave.
It was early evening by the time the Commander returned, although in a state that Varel had hardly expected. There was shouting, and a maid's shriek from the throne room made Varel hurry his steps from his office, walking in on the Commander being carried in by both the apostate and the Howe, one arm held over each man's shoulders and his feet dragging on the floor. The dwarf stomped before them, clearing a path, bellowing at Woolsey to get out of the way, sodding woman! as she joined the growing crowd of those trying to immediately find out what had happened.
The idea that the Commander could be injured gravely enough to be carried back to the Vigil was a shocking one, and clearly no one was thinking straight. Varel took this in in a single moment, then stepped into the throne room proper and used his 'ordering' voice. "Clear a path!" Varel barked, "Let them through, quickly!"
He held the door open as the four Grey Wardens passed through it, clearly on the way to Surana's rooms, and then followed in their wake to make sure they made it there without further incident. The apostate and the Howe drug him in while Oghren held the door, but the dwarf stayed put in the hall after them, blocking Varel from following them in. "We need to keep people clear," he grumbled, then swore, "sodding nug-humping blood mages... I'm not drunk enough for this."
Varel blinked down at him. "You fought blood mages? Today?"
"Aye," Oghren wound up and spat, right there in the hall. Varel didn't envy the cleaning staff, that was for sure. "One thing you gotta learn quick around the Commander; there's always blood mages, and they always love his stupid ass." The dwarf's face showed clearly that there were memories flashing in his mind, and Varel watched him pull a wineskin from his belt and take a long, deep pull. "He's like prime roast nug set out in Dust Town. Turn your back for two seconds and whoosh! He's gone."
"Did you turn your back?" Varel found himself asking, brows knitting.
Oghren took a longer pull from his wineskin, "You take me for a sodding rookie?" he demanded, squinting up at Varel, "Eh? Do you?"
"Of course not," Varel folded his hands behind his back, trying to seem calm and unassuming. "The Grey Wardens do not take... ah, rookies."
"You're sodding right, they don't," the dwarf busied himself with the wineskin again, obviously on a determined track to getting drunk quickly. "And no. I didn't. I learned better during the blight. Me 'an the Commander, we go way back, you know." The words were starting to slur a little, and Varel unclasped his hands. Charming. "Waaaaay back. You shoulda-- you shoulda seen us back in the day." Another pull of the wineskin. "Darkspawn just tuck tail and run when we come o'er the hill! But blood mages..."
Oghren fell into a sullen silence, staring down at the wineskin in his hand. Varel was spared from further discussion by the door re-opening and the two other new Wardens stepping out. "He'll be fine," Anders said with a sigh, and Varel absently noticed Oghren relax a bit out of the corner of his eye. "They mostly just drained him, and the damn fool drank a stupid amount of lyrium to stay up in the fight."
"Watch your sodding mouth, sparkle-fingers," Oghren butted in, "You ain't half the healer he is and you know it."
"Well no," Anders rolled his eyes, "and I didn't stop a blight with my face. But he still drank too much. He should have let me heal him up."
"Pah!" the dwarf put the stopper back into the wineskin and tucked it back into his belt, "the Commander'll sleep it off. It's what I always do." And with that, he trundled off down the hall and away, even managing to do so in a mostly-straight line.
Re: Tarnished Silver [4/?]
anonymous
July 8 2011, 15:42:37 UTC
*happy sigh* That was well worth the wait! Flustered!Varel is just as sexy as Take-Charge!Varel, and I love how Tannu is so straightforward about propositioning him. Can't wait to see where this goes!
Re: Tarnished Silver [4/?]
anonymous
July 9 2011, 06:09:50 UTC
There's plenty more to come, pun intended. ;D
I'm also down with writing more of these two in other fills if anyone is so inspired, once this one is done. (Though I have a few other fills tapping me on the shoulder that I should get to first.)
Tarnished Silver [5/?]
anonymous
July 9 2011, 03:48:38 UTC
"We're supposed to send you in," Nathaniel broke into the conversation finally, looking Varel in the eye, "I'll watch the door and Anders will let Captain Garevel know what happened." The Howe opened the door and gestured for Varel to go inside. After a moment of hesitation, he did so.
"Yeah, yeah, going!" he heard Anders say out in the hall as the door was closed behind him.
Varel had been in the Arl's rooms only a handful of times, and never with the Commander in charge. The furniture had all been removed, leaving the front sitting room quite empty, and so the seneschal crossed it quickly and pushed open the door to the bedroom.
Here, too, everything had been hauled out, and the replacement bed the elf was currently laid out upon was far more austere than the original. There was no telling if this had been preference or convenience, with how little time the mage had been here as of yet. "Commander," he greeted hesitantly, watching as the Warden's eyes opened. He couldn't help but notice that Surana seemed disappointed, for a split second, although he couldn't guess as to why. Hadn't he requested that Varel come in?
"Seneschal," Tannusen sounded weary to his bones, "the rescue was a success."
"From the way I understand it, you very nearly needed rescuing yourself, Commander," Varel spoke before thinking better of it, "Ah--"
"No, it's true," the Commander chuckled weakly, a strange look on his face where he stared up and over at Varel. "Although that wasn't during the rescue. That was another fight. We cleaned out some fledgling bloodmages in Amaranthine for the Chantry and... they had friends on the road." The elf closed his eyes briefly, "Word goes out fast when a mage hunts other mages down in the street."
The seneschal considered how to respond. Why had the Commander of all people taken up a mage-hunting job from the Chantry? His own status as a mage aside, "A strange task for you to take on, harboring an apostate as you are, isn't it?" he asked, trying to put it at least somewhat delicately.
"I have the same rank right now that Duncan did when he conscripted me," the Warden opened his eyes again, though he looked up at the ceiling, "against my will, no less, and against Knight-Commander Greagoir's wishes. Anders is no more of an apostate now than I am; he's a Warden. He drank the blood. Even so," he admitted, "I've worked with apostates before. Proper ones. We had one with us during the blight, you know. But there's a huge difference between being an apostate and being a malificar. One does not really involve the other, half the Circle turned out to be Uldred's blood mages when--"
The Commander cut himself off with a visible shudder than ran through his entire body. His eyes briefly rolled back before closing, and Varel took a concerned step forward. And then another, as the trembling continued. "Warden-Commander?"
The mage's hand snapped out and grabbed the flared bit of plate over Varel's wrist, his grip surprisingly strong on the armor. Beyond his initial surprised jerk back, Varel held carefully still as those vivid blue eyes re-opened and fixed up onto his face. "I can't hold the mask any longer," Tannusen whispered, "Varel, if you have any interest in me sexually, I need a favor from you. Please," he cut off the seneschal when Varel opened his mouth to reply, "be honest about it. I won't be crushed if I'm not your type, but..." a harder shudder went through him, and his eyes glazed a little, "I'll have to ask you to send someone else in if not."
"What... what is the favor?" the seneschal's brow furrowed, "Do you need the herbalist? I know there is only so much healing magics can--"
"I need to submit," Tannusen's whisper cut straight through Varel's words.
"I... I don't understand, Commander." Varel admitted hesitantly, "Surely, now is not the time for--"
"I tell you this because the Wardens have deemed you so trustworthy," the elf's voice was utterly earnest, and his grip on that flared bit of armor tightened until his fingers were white. "I am a thrall. A blood thrall. Without a living Master. When I'm hit by strong enough blood magic, I... I..." Varel watched with strange fascination as Tannusen wet his lips, "you don't have to do much. Just take my throat. That would be enough."
Re: Tarnished Silver [5/?]
anonymous
July 9 2011, 05:50:27 UTC
Writerface wants to point out that it's consenting! So no hell-going is necessary. ;)
I mean, Tannu in this state of mind in a room full of people he doesn't want to bone would be dubious, but he totally wants to polish Varel's armor anyway, if you know what I mean.
Re: Tarnished Silver [5/?]
anonymous
July 9 2011, 05:32:34 UTC
oOOH *Thank you* for directing me to this!! I was *so* hoping there was more Tannu around! I know how busy you are, and i had nearly given up hope.
I am sick as a dog today, so this totally makes my previously-miserable day.
Oh where to start.. where to start...
First may i just say i always thought it was retarded that Zevran was cut from awakening? ok now that *thats* out of the way...
And of the three of those who took their Joining, it was the one respectable one that had died of it. The world was a strange place indeed, sometimes.
i have to admit, i totally thought Varel was thinking that when i saw his expression during the joining. it so had that "figures." look on it!
He wore pants. Just pants. An Arl outside of his rooms half-undressed. A lesser seneschal would have been beside himself at the indignity; Varel took it in stride.
I laughed so hard over this. You can just totally see how anal a thought that was. I love how *much* Varel will have to adjust to fit the image of Arl vs Tannu. A part of me is seriously bouncing in amusement (its funnier for me due to my own personal history as well) Poor Varel. *pets his soon-to-be-broken little head*
Btw, the significance of the tattoo escapes me right now... what was it?
"you're even more dashing in the moonlight than out of it, you know. I am impressed. It makes you look like some shining silver knight out of a legend, made solid in its light."
Re: Tarnished Silver [5/?]
anonymous
July 9 2011, 05:36:21 UTC
continued from above /2
"Nathaniel wishes of his own free will to become a Grey Warden," the Commander informed him, "see to it, seneschal." The matter-of-fact order was a welcome development, and Varel went about making the preparations immediately even as Surana was shooed off to go wash up and change.
I have to admit, the way he ordered that was hot. Just... mmmmm!
I also adore how much mental dialogue and quiet dignified resignation there is in Varel. Reminds me of a man used to obeying orders but who doesn't suffer fools lightly.
"Giving orders suits you," Varel coughed lightly, and finally turned to face the Warden properly.
The crooked little smile widened, a little. "You should see me with a whip."
*HAHHAHHAHAHA* oh Tannu, KEEP the poor man off balance why don't you. BABY STEPS. but well, coddling really isn't in his character is it.
"I am offering to let you ram your cock inside me," Tannusen purred, mercilessly unabashed, "over and over until you burst. Or perhaps you would prefer if I bent you over, instead? I can do either. I'm very versatile." Varel felt his eyes widen and his face flush with heat, and the elf's eyes half-lidded, his gaze fixed up at Varel's. "You don't seem repulsed," he continued, "just... hesitant? A shame."
*Laughs so hard* I guess when you have been forced to submit to the degree Tannu has, very little shame for anything remains. But ohh the gambles he likes to take.. this could have gotten very ugly for him if Varel really had been disgusted. But then, i think Tannu would have seen it by now if he didn't swing that way.
This, this was almost like foreplay and the mage hadn't even touched him. The effect he could have with simple words--!
Ah Varel, they will make a deviant out of you yet.
Re: Tarnished Silver [5/?]
anonymous
July 9 2011, 05:40:38 UTC
continued from above /3
Varel could already see a future of trying desperately to tie the Commander down long enough to--
That was the wrong imagery.
...He could already tell that getting political work done would take some careful herding of the new Arl. There, that was safe.
*BWAAHAHAHAAHHA* THAT didn't take long now did it? yes definitely reminds us of Greagoir, minus the religious brainwashing. *happysighs*
Oh it was brilliant that you brought the blood mages into it. I had completely forgotten that you had to fight them in Awakening... that was just.. lovely twist, and *useful* set up!
Btw, your Oghren voice is spot on!
"He's like prime roast nug set out in Dust Town. Turn your back for two seconds and whoosh! He's gone."
Ok that image? seriously fucked up. and awesome. also? i kept holding my breath wondering if Oghren would say more the more he drank... lovely suspense!
Ahh so it was Nathaniel he would have called in if Varel turned him down...? He *was* the one left to guard the door... i can't imagine that was a coincidence. I wonder if he will be able to hear the conversation through the door.... now *that* might get interesting also hmmm?
I love how long Tannu managed to keep his mask up as it were...
"I can't hold the mask any longer," Tannusen whispered, "Varel, if you have any interest in me sexually, I need a favor from you. Please," he cut off the seneschal when Varel opened his mouth to reply, "be honest about it. I won't be crushed if I'm not your type, but..." a harder shudder went through him, and his eyes glazed a little, "I'll have to ask you to send someone else in if not."
I love the way you wrote that. Just... MmmMm!! So bluntly honest, and so incredibly *needful*.
I can't help notice that Varel has never called Tannu anything but Commander. I imagine calling him by name will be.. quite a shock. like a breath released.
Re: Tarnished Silver [5/?]
anonymous
July 9 2011, 05:42:24 UTC
continued from above /4
"I am a thrall. A blood thrall. Without a living Master. When I'm hit by strong enough blood magic, I... I..." Varel watched with strange fascination as Tannusen wet his lips, "you don't have to do much. Just take my throat. That would be enough."
How much to i hate you for stopping there? really. That's just cruel. I am not sure at all why i am surprised by the fact that you. considering. *laughs* i think... Varel is going to have to decide if he should shed about 50 pounds of propriety and chunk it unceremoniously out of the window because... someone that blunt, telling him a secret which could break the other man, politically and otherwise... yeah, power - all kinds of it - can be heady... and the image Tannu is painting for him is... probably very helpful in making that decision.
Absolutely fantastic writing, you always write the most wonderfully *wrong* BDSM, which incidentally makes me a fantastically happy pixie. Because yes, i do *know* in my *bones* even the delight in *this* kind of kink..
Re: Tarnished Silver [5/?]
anonymous
July 9 2011, 06:02:20 UTC
LOL, anon, you are a paragon among commenters. I love it! I totally adore one-line comments too, but if someone is inspired to write five parts of a review I will be the last person to tell them not to. ;)
Let's see here...
Btw, the significance of the tattoo escapes me right now... what was it?
It's Zevran's facial tattoo. You're seeing one of the quirks of how out-of-order I write the series... it's shown up in several pictures thus far, but this was the very first time it's been described in a fill. Probably because he gets tattooed at the very end of Origins, and this is the first fill to be post-Origins.
Zev may not be in Awakening in the flesh, but he's always in Tannu's, haha.
I also adore how much mental dialogue and quiet dignified resignation there is in Varel. Reminds me of a man used to obeying orders but who doesn't suffer fools lightly.
I'm so glad this is coming across well! My canon-review of Awakenings glitched and I got like no Varel time, so I'm super mega ultra nervous about if I'm writing him right or not. But that's the vibe I've been aiming for in a nutshell, so!
But then, i think Tannu would have seen it by now if he didn't swing that way.
This is why he ramped up his flirting first, yep. ;)
Btw, your Oghren voice is spot on!
Thank the Maker. If Varel has been giving me fits, Oghren gave me just as many in a much shorter (lol) space. I've never written him until now.
Ahh so it was Nathaniel he would have called in if Varel turned him down...? He *was* the one left to guard the door... i can't imagine that was a coincidence. I wonder if he will be able to hear the conversation through the door.... now *that* might get interesting also hmmm?
Nathaniel is already on Tannu's to-hit list, so he would have been his next choice, yep. I doubt Tannu would talk about being a thrall if he thought anyone else might hear, though.
I can't help notice that Varel has never called Tannu anything but Commander. I imagine calling him by name will be.. quite a shock. like a breath released.
That's as much me going off canon as anything, where everyone calls the Warden by one title or another, but yeah. Part of it is probably his sense of decorum.
I'm glad you're liking it so much so far, and yes, there's more on the way. <3
Re: Tarnished Silver [5/?]
anonymous
July 9 2011, 10:04:22 UTC
*lets out a relieved breath* Glad you liked it more than not! (also the anon thing is silly, you already know who i am, but i guess rules are rules)
It's Zevran's facial tattoo. You're seeing one of the quirks of how out-of-order I write the series... it's shown up in several pictures thus far, but this was the very first time it's been described in a fill. Probably because he gets tattooed at the very end of Origins, and this is the first fill to be post-Origins.
Zev may not be in Awakening in the flesh, but he's always in Tannu's, haha.
Ooooh!! oh oh ok that's *awesome*!! i .. lucky bastard to be able to carry Zevran's mark like that! oh man, did Zev tattoo him himself? wait no of course he did, why did i even ask that? ok yes that's absolutely perfect for the mindset you gave Tannu, AND Zevran both. so much more *permanent* than an earing..
I'm so glad this is coming across well! My canon-review of Awakenings glitched and I got like no Varel time, so I'm super mega ultra nervous about if I'm writing him right or not. But that's the vibe I've been aiming for in a nutshell, so!
*blinks* *really*??? I.. *never* would have guessed! and i am *known* for being anal as hell for 'correct' canon voices and being able to (like a blood hound i have been told) sniff out even a little slip of character. but yeah no you are... nailing him. uh. repeatedly. *snickers*
Thank the Maker. If Varel has been giving me fits, Oghren gave me just as many in a much shorter (lol) space. I've never written him until now.
*ahahaha* oh man, you are more talented than i even thought! that was awesome! DO MORE!! *snickers*
Nathaniel is already on Tannu's to-hit list, so he would have been his next choice, yep. I doubt Tannu would talk about being a thrall if he thought anyone else might hear, though.
Ooh innnnnteresting. ok ok i can't wait to see how that would maybe-off-the-page-but-lets-hope-and-aim-for-the-sky turn out one day. i would be interested to see that particular dynamic.
That's as much me going off canon as anything, where everyone calls the Warden by one title or another, but yeah. Part of it is probably his sense of decorum.
well i for one can't wait to see more of Varel's....decorum. *laughs*
"Ah, we... haven't known each other long yet, Commander," Varel temporized, folding his hands behind his back as he often did. It kept his fingers still. "It was only the night prior to this one that you arrived, after all. I am still... adjusting."
"Mmn," Tannusen gave the staff in his hand a thoughtful, slow whirl, "to which part, I wonder? A Grey Warden in power? No? An elf? Ah -- that's even more rare. A mage? Now that," the Commander chuckled, low and quiet, "that may be a first in a very long time. Arl Eamon's son's magical talent was kept a secret in part because his mother wanted him to inherit someday, did you know that?"
"No," Varel cleared his throat, "It's none of that, Commander. I just -- when did you get that staff?"
"Earlier today when I went to Amaranthine," the Commander shrugged, and then smiled slyly, "or are you actually asking what happened to my last one?" Varel fought back a fidget at the pointed question, but was spared from answering as Surana continued, "I left it with a friend. I didn't figure I'd be fighting my way through a contingent of darkspawn to get inside the keep, after all."
It was a valid point. And it wasn't as though the Commander feared the usual dangers of travel enough to go armed on a journey from the capital to Vigil's Keep, if it wasn't convenient to do so. "And your robes?" The question slipped out before Varel could catch it, and now he did fidget, just a little, as Surana's sly little smile widened.
"I dislike robes," said the elf, and then in the very same tone, as though they were still discussing his clothing choices, "you're even more dashing in the moonlight than out of it, you know. I am impressed. It makes you look like some shining silver knight out of a legend, made solid in its light."
Varel felt his eyes widen a little, and he clenched his fingers together behind his back for a second to help hide his startlement. "I -- ah, I am very flattered, Commander. But you needn't bother."
"No? Are you sure?" Surana asked, and tipped his head to the side a little, again. Varel was suddenly reminded of a cat peering up at a bird on a branch. The image was only made stronger when the Warden stepped up to within arms-reach of him, his shorter elven stature making him tip his head up to look at Varel. He was tall for an elf, but there was still a difference there, all the same. The fact that his shoulders were nearly as broad as Varel's own was not lost on the seneschal; the Commander had a physique that would fit in well among the dedicated soldiers that the veteran warrior was the most comfortable around.
The Warden's voice cut into his thoughts once more, "You're giving me that look again. So... searching, seneschal. You need only ask if there's something you wish of me."
Struggling to find a response, Varel did not turn to watch as the Commander stepped past him and went inside. It wasn't until the mage's soft footfalls had padded ever-so-quietly around a far corner and out of hearing distance that Varel even realized he hadn't asked what the mage had been doing out here. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and ran a gauntleted hand over his hair, looking down at the singed flagstones where the explosion had been.
He had the distinct feeling he was being... hunted.
- - - - -
The Commander left early in the morning and returned late in the evening, trailed by the Howe he had released and all but dripping the blood of the fallen from his ill-fitting robes. They would be irreparably stained, Varel guessed, watching as servants from the Keep swarmed the returning party. He cleared his throat when the Warden and his companions drew near, and slanted a glance at Nathanial Howe.
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The joining went off without a hitch, and Varel resigned himself to having a Howe on the premises, after all. It was late before the ritual was over, and the Commander retired to his chambers for the night.
Still, Varel found himself pacing the halls once more, his armor clinking softly in the still night air, his footsteps drawn unconsciously to that small, moonlit courtyard. He wasn't sure what to think of his disappointment when he found it empty, and nearly jumped out of his own skin when a ghost of an almost-touch brushed the hair at the back of his head. "And so the silver knight returns," Surana purred from behind him.
Varel swallowed his heart back down into his chest and turned his head to look at the mage, who leaned sideways against the doorframe, arms folded. He was wearing more clothing this time, at least, although ill-fitting all the same. The pants were too large, belted close at his hips, and he'd donned a plain brown vest but no tunic. The vest was open, part of his tattoo visible above folded arms.
"I was under the impression you were a better-dressed man," Varel commented, before catching himself-- "Ah, my pardon, Commander. That was out of line--"
"The way I understand this arrangement is that it's only out of line if I say it is," Tannusen smiled a strange, crooked little smile. "And I haven't. You can speak your mind freely with me, seneschal." The Commander was... appropriately enough, apparently quite at ease with being in command, and the unspoken order to speak his mind hung between them.
"Giving orders suits you," Varel coughed lightly, and finally turned to face the Warden properly.
The crooked little smile widened, a little. "You should see me with a whip."
Varel's small cough turned into a much larger one as he swallowed a lungful of air wrong, and he felt his face color a little as the Commander stepped closer, much as he'd done the night previous. "Taking orders suits me, as well," Surana purred once the coughing had quieted, looking up at Varel with assessing blue eyes. The color was almost unnatural in the moonlight. "Particularly from handsome older men who wear plate armor."
"That hardly seems appropriate," Varel stammered, "you're the new Arl and--"
"I am offering to let you ram your cock inside me," Tannusen purred, mercilessly unabashed, "over and over until you burst. Or perhaps you would prefer if I bent you over, instead? I can do either. I'm very versatile." Varel felt his eyes widen and his face flush with heat, and the elf's eyes half-lidded, his gaze fixed up at Varel's. "You don't seem repulsed," he continued, "just... hesitant? A shame."
"I... but you... I..." Varel couldn't think straight, the elf was so blunt with his proposal, so lewd with his wording. The soldiers he'd been with in the past hadn't talked about it first, things had just sort of... happened, as they did, both parties going along with it without any real commentary. This, this was almost like foreplay and the mage hadn't even touched him. The effect he could have with simple words--!
"The offer stands, if you should decide to take me," the Commander added after a moment of Varel's shocked non-reply, "or take me up on it, however you prefer to play. I'll leave you to it for now." And, true to his words, the Warden turned and walked casually back inside, leaving Varel to gather up his scattered wits at his own pace.
What had just... had that just happened?
- - - - -
Mercifully, the Commander showed no sign of anything untoward the next day, and Varel was able to keep his composure firmly in check when the small troupe of Wardens came into the throne room on their way out of the keep. He called out a reminder that the nobles would be assembling to swear their fealty, received a wave over Surana's shoulder, and then... that was it. The four-man party left, off to chase after Eileen Bensley's kidnappers and Maker-knew-what else.
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That was the wrong imagery.
...He could already tell that getting political work done would take some careful herding of the new Arl. There, that was safe. Varel cleared his throat a little, bid the others in the room farewell until later, and took his leave.
It was early evening by the time the Commander returned, although in a state that Varel had hardly expected. There was shouting, and a maid's shriek from the throne room made Varel hurry his steps from his office, walking in on the Commander being carried in by both the apostate and the Howe, one arm held over each man's shoulders and his feet dragging on the floor. The dwarf stomped before them, clearing a path, bellowing at Woolsey to get out of the way, sodding woman! as she joined the growing crowd of those trying to immediately find out what had happened.
The idea that the Commander could be injured gravely enough to be carried back to the Vigil was a shocking one, and clearly no one was thinking straight. Varel took this in in a single moment, then stepped into the throne room proper and used his 'ordering' voice. "Clear a path!" Varel barked, "Let them through, quickly!"
He held the door open as the four Grey Wardens passed through it, clearly on the way to Surana's rooms, and then followed in their wake to make sure they made it there without further incident. The apostate and the Howe drug him in while Oghren held the door, but the dwarf stayed put in the hall after them, blocking Varel from following them in. "We need to keep people clear," he grumbled, then swore, "sodding nug-humping blood mages... I'm not drunk enough for this."
Varel blinked down at him. "You fought blood mages? Today?"
"Aye," Oghren wound up and spat, right there in the hall. Varel didn't envy the cleaning staff, that was for sure. "One thing you gotta learn quick around the Commander; there's always blood mages, and they always love his stupid ass." The dwarf's face showed clearly that there were memories flashing in his mind, and Varel watched him pull a wineskin from his belt and take a long, deep pull. "He's like prime roast nug set out in Dust Town. Turn your back for two seconds and whoosh! He's gone."
"Did you turn your back?" Varel found himself asking, brows knitting.
Oghren took a longer pull from his wineskin, "You take me for a sodding rookie?" he demanded, squinting up at Varel, "Eh? Do you?"
"Of course not," Varel folded his hands behind his back, trying to seem calm and unassuming. "The Grey Wardens do not take... ah, rookies."
"You're sodding right, they don't," the dwarf busied himself with the wineskin again, obviously on a determined track to getting drunk quickly. "And no. I didn't. I learned better during the blight. Me 'an the Commander, we go way back, you know." The words were starting to slur a little, and Varel unclasped his hands. Charming. "Waaaaay back. You shoulda-- you shoulda seen us back in the day." Another pull of the wineskin. "Darkspawn just tuck tail and run when we come o'er the hill! But blood mages..."
Oghren fell into a sullen silence, staring down at the wineskin in his hand. Varel was spared from further discussion by the door re-opening and the two other new Wardens stepping out. "He'll be fine," Anders said with a sigh, and Varel absently noticed Oghren relax a bit out of the corner of his eye. "They mostly just drained him, and the damn fool drank a stupid amount of lyrium to stay up in the fight."
"Watch your sodding mouth, sparkle-fingers," Oghren butted in, "You ain't half the healer he is and you know it."
"Well no," Anders rolled his eyes, "and I didn't stop a blight with my face. But he still drank too much. He should have let me heal him up."
"Pah!" the dwarf put the stopper back into the wineskin and tucked it back into his belt, "the Commander'll sleep it off. It's what I always do." And with that, he trundled off down the hall and away, even managing to do so in a mostly-straight line.
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I'm also down with writing more of these two in other fills if anyone is so inspired, once this one is done. (Though I have a few other fills tapping me on the shoulder that I should get to first.)
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"Yeah, yeah, going!" he heard Anders say out in the hall as the door was closed behind him.
Varel had been in the Arl's rooms only a handful of times, and never with the Commander in charge. The furniture had all been removed, leaving the front sitting room quite empty, and so the seneschal crossed it quickly and pushed open the door to the bedroom.
Here, too, everything had been hauled out, and the replacement bed the elf was currently laid out upon was far more austere than the original. There was no telling if this had been preference or convenience, with how little time the mage had been here as of yet. "Commander," he greeted hesitantly, watching as the Warden's eyes opened. He couldn't help but notice that Surana seemed disappointed, for a split second, although he couldn't guess as to why. Hadn't he requested that Varel come in?
"Seneschal," Tannusen sounded weary to his bones, "the rescue was a success."
"From the way I understand it, you very nearly needed rescuing yourself, Commander," Varel spoke before thinking better of it, "Ah--"
"No, it's true," the Commander chuckled weakly, a strange look on his face where he stared up and over at Varel. "Although that wasn't during the rescue. That was another fight. We cleaned out some fledgling bloodmages in Amaranthine for the Chantry and... they had friends on the road." The elf closed his eyes briefly, "Word goes out fast when a mage hunts other mages down in the street."
The seneschal considered how to respond. Why had the Commander of all people taken up a mage-hunting job from the Chantry? His own status as a mage aside, "A strange task for you to take on, harboring an apostate as you are, isn't it?" he asked, trying to put it at least somewhat delicately.
"I have the same rank right now that Duncan did when he conscripted me," the Warden opened his eyes again, though he looked up at the ceiling, "against my will, no less, and against Knight-Commander Greagoir's wishes. Anders is no more of an apostate now than I am; he's a Warden. He drank the blood. Even so," he admitted, "I've worked with apostates before. Proper ones. We had one with us during the blight, you know. But there's a huge difference between being an apostate and being a malificar. One does not really involve the other, half the Circle turned out to be Uldred's blood mages when--"
The Commander cut himself off with a visible shudder than ran through his entire body. His eyes briefly rolled back before closing, and Varel took a concerned step forward. And then another, as the trembling continued. "Warden-Commander?"
The mage's hand snapped out and grabbed the flared bit of plate over Varel's wrist, his grip surprisingly strong on the armor. Beyond his initial surprised jerk back, Varel held carefully still as those vivid blue eyes re-opened and fixed up onto his face. "I can't hold the mask any longer," Tannusen whispered, "Varel, if you have any interest in me sexually, I need a favor from you. Please," he cut off the seneschal when Varel opened his mouth to reply, "be honest about it. I won't be crushed if I'm not your type, but..." a harder shudder went through him, and his eyes glazed a little, "I'll have to ask you to send someone else in if not."
"What... what is the favor?" the seneschal's brow furrowed, "Do you need the herbalist? I know there is only so much healing magics can--"
"I need to submit," Tannusen's whisper cut straight through Varel's words.
"I... I don't understand, Commander." Varel admitted hesitantly, "Surely, now is not the time for--"
"I tell you this because the Wardens have deemed you so trustworthy," the elf's voice was utterly earnest, and his grip on that flared bit of armor tightened until his fingers were white. "I am a thrall. A blood thrall. Without a living Master. When I'm hit by strong enough blood magic, I... I..." Varel watched with strange fascination as Tannusen wet his lips, "you don't have to do much. Just take my throat. That would be enough."
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Dear Maker,
Tannu is the hawtest thing to grace your meme. Long may he be required to submit. *shiver*
Oh sure, I'm going to hell but this fill is so, so sexy!
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I mean, Tannu in this state of mind in a room full of people he doesn't want to bone would be dubious, but he totally wants to polish Varel's armor anyway, if you know what I mean.
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I am sick as a dog today, so this totally makes my previously-miserable day.
Oh where to start.. where to start...
First may i just say i always thought it was retarded that Zevran was cut from awakening? ok now that *thats* out of the way...
And of the three of those who took their Joining, it was the one respectable one that had died of it. The world was a strange place indeed, sometimes.
i have to admit, i totally thought Varel was thinking that when i saw his expression during the joining. it so had that "figures." look on it!
He wore pants. Just pants. An Arl outside of his rooms half-undressed. A lesser seneschal would have been beside himself at the indignity; Varel took it in stride.
I laughed so hard over this. You can just totally see how anal a thought that was. I love how *much* Varel will have to adjust to fit the image of Arl vs Tannu. A part of me is seriously bouncing in amusement (its funnier for me due to my own personal history as well) Poor Varel. *pets his soon-to-be-broken little head*
Btw, the significance of the tattoo escapes me right now... what was it?
"you're even more dashing in the moonlight than out of it, you know. I am impressed. It makes you look like some shining silver knight out of a legend, made solid in its light."
Or a Templar named Greagoir? *snerks*
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"Nathaniel wishes of his own free will to become a Grey Warden," the Commander informed him, "see to it, seneschal." The matter-of-fact order was a welcome development, and Varel went about making the preparations immediately even as Surana was shooed off to go wash up and change.
I have to admit, the way he ordered that was hot. Just... mmmmm!
I also adore how much mental dialogue and quiet dignified resignation there is in Varel. Reminds me of a man used to obeying orders but who doesn't suffer fools lightly.
"Giving orders suits you," Varel coughed lightly, and finally turned to face the Warden properly.
The crooked little smile widened, a little. "You should see me with a whip."
*HAHHAHHAHAHA* oh Tannu, KEEP the poor man off balance why don't you. BABY STEPS. but well, coddling really isn't in his character is it.
"I am offering to let you ram your cock inside me," Tannusen purred, mercilessly unabashed, "over and over until you burst. Or perhaps you would prefer if I bent you over, instead? I can do either. I'm very versatile." Varel felt his eyes widen and his face flush with heat, and the elf's eyes half-lidded, his gaze fixed up at Varel's. "You don't seem repulsed," he continued, "just... hesitant? A shame."
*Laughs so hard* I guess when you have been forced to submit to the degree Tannu has, very little shame for anything remains. But ohh the gambles he likes to take.. this could have gotten very ugly for him if Varel really had been disgusted. But then, i think Tannu would have seen it by now if he didn't swing that way.
This, this was almost like foreplay and the mage hadn't even touched him. The effect he could have with simple words--!
Ah Varel, they will make a deviant out of you yet.
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Varel could already see a future of trying desperately to tie the Commander down long enough to--
That was the wrong imagery.
...He could already tell that getting political work done would take some careful herding of the new Arl. There, that was safe.
*BWAAHAHAHAAHHA* THAT didn't take long now did it? yes definitely reminds us of Greagoir, minus the religious brainwashing. *happysighs*
Oh it was brilliant that you brought the blood mages into it. I had completely forgotten that you had to fight them in Awakening... that was just.. lovely twist, and *useful* set up!
Btw, your Oghren voice is spot on!
"He's like prime roast nug set out in Dust Town. Turn your back for two seconds and whoosh! He's gone."
Ok that image? seriously fucked up. and awesome. also? i kept holding my breath wondering if Oghren would say more the more he drank... lovely suspense!
Ahh so it was Nathaniel he would have called in if Varel turned him down...? He *was* the one left to guard the door... i can't imagine that was a coincidence. I wonder if he will be able to hear the conversation through the door.... now *that* might get interesting also hmmm?
I love how long Tannu managed to keep his mask up as it were...
"I can't hold the mask any longer," Tannusen whispered, "Varel, if you have any interest in me sexually, I need a favor from you. Please," he cut off the seneschal when Varel opened his mouth to reply, "be honest about it. I won't be crushed if I'm not your type, but..." a harder shudder went through him, and his eyes glazed a little, "I'll have to ask you to send someone else in if not."
I love the way you wrote that. Just... MmmMm!! So bluntly honest, and so incredibly *needful*.
I can't help notice that Varel has never called Tannu anything but Commander. I imagine calling him by name will be.. quite a shock. like a breath released.
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"I am a thrall. A blood thrall. Without a living Master. When I'm hit by strong enough blood magic, I... I..." Varel watched with strange fascination as Tannusen wet his lips, "you don't have to do much. Just take my throat. That would be enough."
How much to i hate you for stopping there? really. That's just cruel. I am not sure at all why i am surprised by the fact that you. considering. *laughs* i think... Varel is going to have to decide if he should shed about 50 pounds of propriety and chunk it unceremoniously out of the window because... someone that blunt, telling him a secret which could break the other man, politically and otherwise... yeah, power - all kinds of it - can be heady... and the image Tannu is painting for him is... probably very helpful in making that decision.
Absolutely fantastic writing, you always write the most wonderfully *wrong* BDSM, which incidentally makes me a fantastically happy pixie. Because yes, i do *know* in my *bones* even the delight in *this* kind of kink..
Please ma'am, can we have some more ? *g*
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Let's see here...
Btw, the significance of the tattoo escapes me right now... what was it?
It's Zevran's facial tattoo. You're seeing one of the quirks of how out-of-order I write the series... it's shown up in several pictures thus far, but this was the very first time it's been described in a fill. Probably because he gets tattooed at the very end of Origins, and this is the first fill to be post-Origins.
Zev may not be in Awakening in the flesh, but he's always in Tannu's, haha.
I also adore how much mental dialogue and quiet dignified resignation there is in Varel. Reminds me of a man used to obeying orders but who doesn't suffer fools lightly.
I'm so glad this is coming across well! My canon-review of Awakenings glitched and I got like no Varel time, so I'm super mega ultra nervous about if I'm writing him right or not. But that's the vibe I've been aiming for in a nutshell, so!
But then, i think Tannu would have seen it by now if he didn't swing that way.
This is why he ramped up his flirting first, yep. ;)
Btw, your Oghren voice is spot on!
Thank the Maker. If Varel has been giving me fits, Oghren gave me just as many in a much shorter (lol) space. I've never written him until now.
Ahh so it was Nathaniel he would have called in if Varel turned him down...? He *was* the one left to guard the door... i can't imagine that was a coincidence. I wonder if he will be able to hear the conversation through the door.... now *that* might get interesting also hmmm?
Nathaniel is already on Tannu's to-hit list, so he would have been his next choice, yep. I doubt Tannu would talk about being a thrall if he thought anyone else might hear, though.
I can't help notice that Varel has never called Tannu anything but Commander. I imagine calling him by name will be.. quite a shock. like a breath released.
That's as much me going off canon as anything, where everyone calls the Warden by one title or another, but yeah. Part of it is probably his sense of decorum.
I'm glad you're liking it so much so far, and yes, there's more on the way. <3
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It's Zevran's facial tattoo. You're seeing one of the quirks of how out-of-order I write the series... it's shown up in several pictures thus far, but this was the very first time it's been described in a fill. Probably because he gets tattooed at the very end of Origins, and this is the first fill to be post-Origins.
Zev may not be in Awakening in the flesh, but he's always in Tannu's, haha.
Ooooh!! oh oh ok that's *awesome*!! i .. lucky bastard to be able to carry Zevran's mark like that! oh man, did Zev tattoo him himself? wait no of course he did, why did i even ask that? ok yes that's absolutely perfect for the mindset you gave Tannu, AND Zevran both. so much more *permanent* than an earing..
I'm so glad this is coming across well! My canon-review of Awakenings glitched and I got like no Varel time, so I'm super mega ultra nervous about if I'm writing him right or not. But that's the vibe I've been aiming for in a nutshell, so!
*blinks* *really*??? I.. *never* would have guessed! and i am *known* for being anal as hell for 'correct' canon voices and being able to (like a blood hound i have been told) sniff out even a little slip of character. but yeah no you are... nailing him. uh. repeatedly. *snickers*
Thank the Maker. If Varel has been giving me fits, Oghren gave me just as many in a much shorter (lol) space. I've never written him until now.
*ahahaha* oh man, you are more talented than i even thought! that was awesome! DO MORE!! *snickers*
Nathaniel is already on Tannu's to-hit list, so he would have been his next choice, yep. I doubt Tannu would talk about being a thrall if he thought anyone else might hear, though.
Ooh innnnnteresting. ok ok i can't wait to see how that would maybe-off-the-page-but-lets-hope-and-aim-for-the-sky turn out one day. i would be interested to see that particular dynamic.
That's as much me going off canon as anything, where everyone calls the Warden by one title or another, but yeah. Part of it is probably his sense of decorum.
well i for one can't wait to see more of Varel's....decorum. *laughs*
Yayyyyy more soon yayyy
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