PSL: Tevinter AU for Dorian.

[killedwithlove]

It didn't like House Pavus.

It was nicer than most places here, in Tevinter, but it was still something wrong, fresh pain and fear painting the hallways. The stones were hushed and the servants grieving, though no blood stained the air of this place.

Something remained terribly wrong. Wrong enough that though his bindings told him to obey, something deeper tugged at him, something that made stronger demands than Adralla's words engraved on his manacles and collar.

He moved through the house, then through a locked door that led into fine, cool chambers. Gilded cage, golden and glittering.

There. Despair. The familiar, heavy taste on his tongue, his knife in his hand without his decision to summon it.

He stood there, wondering if he would be seen. If this was one of his, calling him.

Comments

[killedwithlove]

"Why what?" He blinked at the princeling, tilting his head. "No. Not for you. Go inside, listen, find us secrets, all the dirty things that they hide. If there's nothing worth knowing, kill the magister and return."

He copied accents with uncanny precision, repeating his instructions back in his owner's voice.

[insurgoaltus]

"Why did the old woman bring you the Archdemon in the Fade? Seems like a terribly stupid thing to do." He paused, then his mouth thinned. "Ah yes, it all begins to make sense now. He enslaved you to find the secrets of his enemies. Had you sneak into their houses - the nerve."

Disgust ran through his tone, as he started to move ahead once more, "Well, he's going to be dreadfully disappointed - almost as disappointed as my father. You're coming with me, Compassion."

[killedwithlove]

"They did a spell to make everyone sleep and wake in the Fade. I was caught in it." He wasn't meant to be there, like everything else that had happened to him on this side of the Veil. "She dreams of the Archdemon, of fighting it, with the Hero."

He trotted along behind Dorian again, fingers rubbing over the inflamed skin of his wrist. "They just enslaved me because they could. When they realised I could be invisible, be unnoticed, read the hurts deep inside people... they started inviting people over. Making me read them during meals."

[insurgoaltus]

"I ... see. You've known some interesting people." Then he paused, and stared, "Wait, you mean -- the Hero of Fereldan? She was with the Hero of Fereldan!?"

Interesting, indeed.

Another shake of the head, jaw tightening with every word, and by the time they reached his rooms he slammed the door open and started going through all his secret stashes. "Those ... bastards! I'll fireball every single one of them myself."

[killedwithlove]

"Yes. Old Woman was with the Hero of Fereldan." Her name slipped his mind, he thought of her as Old Woman Faith.

Dorian yelled and he did what came naturally. He vanished, pressing himself back into a corner and willing himself to stay unseen, uncaught, no rage, not on him, not again.

[insurgoaltus]

"... Really you did get around before you came here."

And now Dorian is just muttering to himself as he throws some clothes and jewels and money into a bag, grabbing his staff and - ah.

"Compassion? Where are you?"

[killedwithlove]

"I don't want to be hurt. Raised voices, stupid boy, show some gratitude, you useless monster, Tranquil don't say no."

His voice echoes softly between the wall and mirror as he moved about.

[insurgoaltus]

Something in Dorian's gut tightens at that - voices heard? Where had he heard such things? He whispered quietly into the darkness, "But that's not going to happen here. I am not going to hurt you, and you always have a choice with me."

[killedwithlove]

It takes another moment for him to reappear, looking a little more uncertain than he did.

"Shouting makes me nervous."

[insurgoaltus]

"Ah. I see. So I should ... no longer shout?"

That might not be a bad idea anyways - he doesn't want to alert the entire house to their escape.

[killedwithlove]

"I won't tell you what to do." But he would like that, yes.

"Should I go and find anything else to take with us? Anything that will want to come?"

[insurgoaltus]

Dorian paused for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed in thought. "Yes ... yes do that."

Why shouldn't the slaves be freed, if blood magic might be in their future? Why not free all of them together - they were all trapped. And Compassion should know which ones were false and which were not.

"I'll go unlock the secret entrance through the cellar. Meet me there."

[killedwithlove]

He looked at Dorian, reading the anger and hurt and then nodding. "Cellar. We'll be there."

He vanished again, going for a wander. Most of the slaves couldn't see him, but he could suggest, whisper to them, nudge them to gather their meagre belongings and go to the cellar to meet with Dorian.

When he did turn up down there, it was with a random assortment of items who also didn't want to stay. A couple of books, an old medallion that had seen enough blood.

He reappeared at Dorian's elbow. "That's everyone and everything that wants to leave." Not a lot of slaves, most were content to stay, figuring they'd sooner be slaves of House Pavus than runaways.

[insurgoaltus]

He himself made his way down to the cellar, and now without his invisible friend he had to keep to the shadows so he wasn't seen by anyone else. He moved to get the door open, his eyes closed. He focused on twisting the lock open.

He looked over at the young man, spirit, then at the slaves. "We are all getting out of here. Every last one of us. So follow me, and keep close." He nodded his head, before he opened the cellar door, and led them out into the darkened alley behind his home. He bit his lip, holding his hand so he could listen, but no one was out there.

He nodded to Compassion, and led them up into the street, and back into the alley.

[killedwithlove]

"I can't hide this many people," Compassion whispered as they moved. "I can hide me, you, maybe a child, but it's too much, too obvious. But I can scout, tell me what to look for, I can look."

He flickered ahead briefly and back to Dorian. "Who do we need to watch for?"

[insurgoaltus]

"Then go scout ahead. I'll keep a barrier around these fine people." Which he did, a barrier shimmering over all of them. "Look for city guard, or military. We need to get to the outskirts of town in the next hour."

[killedwithlove]

Compassion vanished again, willing and running, checking and tracing a path and then reappearing back with Dorian.

"Follow. I'll tell you when to stop, when to go. I might need to lead guards away from you."