Unsung

By Jackie Almasy

"NO!"

The scream startled Fenris from his light sleep. He rarely slept deeply anymore. Just enough to rest his body in between the battles and errands Hawke took them on. Instead of the cold and empty silence of his dilapidated mansion, he had found blissful solace in the arms of his loved one now at nights. They often just sat and talked with Hawke sometimes leaning back against his toned chest and falling asleep.

But now, in the middle of the night, her dreams were not the silent bliss she often described them to be.

A scream of painful agony emitted from her form. Thrusting her body foreword, Hawke's black hair cascaded foreword around her face. Sticking to her pale skin, her clammy and shaking hands grabbed the sides of her head. Her normally vibrant green eyes seemed stormy and confused, lost in the tides between dreams and reality.

Throwing back the fur blankets, Hawke turned away from Fenris as if she were going to be physically hurt at any minute. Turning her back to him, the woman wrapped her arms around herself and clutched. Her nails dug into the thin white material of her nightwear and to Fenris's horror, beginning to rip through the material and cutting into her skin.

The elf was quick to react. Pushing the blankets down to the foot of the bed, Fenris came up behind the distraught woman.

"Hawke!" He gripped the sides of her wrists, struggling under the strength of the veteran warrior. "What ails you?"

He could feel her body clenching in on itself. Her arm muscles felt tight and strained, pulsing with tremors of what seemed to be primal fear. His breath hitched as he felt the warm trickle of her blood touch his bare arms.

"Forgive me…"

Flaring up his powers momentarily, Fenris pried her hands off of her skin. Taking her moment of confusion in notice, he shoved her body back onto the bed. Bringing his form over her, Fenris looked down to feel his breath catch momentarily in his lungs.

Cascading down her face, streams of tears stained her cheeks and chin. Her eyes pained and lost, Hawke stared up at him before whimpering. Her lips quivered as a new wave of sadness overwhelmed her. The images of her dreams fresh on her mind, she cringed at the emotions of dread filling her thoughts.

"Don't…!"

Loosening his grip, Fenris shifted his weight so he didn't press into her completely. The white nightgown on her form did nothing to hide her breasts and body curves. He couldn't hide his face frowning in worry at her words.

"Don't what Hawke?"

"Don't look at me! I-I don't want anyone to-to see me like this!"

It was a rare occurrence to see Marian Hawke anything but firm in her beliefs and actions. Time after time, he had seen her stand her ground for the people she believed to be worth saving and protecting. Blood had been spilled, wounds stitched, and bruises formed all over her face for these ideals she believed in so decisively.

Along her left eye, an old wound about three to four inches long had formed into a scar. Caught off guard by a Qunari warrior, Fenris had turned fast enough to catch the act. With reflexes he had not seen the dominating woman show before, Hawke had managed to thrust the sword up enough to counter the blade to move a mere few inches. The blade had passed her face but not before cutting her once flawless skin dangerously close to her eye.

In the firelight of her room, the scar seemed less apparent now. Letting go of one of her hands, Fenris leaned his body directly to the side of her. Releasing her completely, he looked down directly into her eyes and brought his hand to her cheek. Cupping it tenderly, Fenris said nothing as he merely held her face and her gaze with unspoken worry.

Hawke's eyes widened at the silent gesture from her lover. Even alone, the amount of affection between them was nothing overwhelming. They were simple gestures of a private world with only them in it. The side glance of affection, the rare gesture of him extending his hand to hers, and the public acknowledgement of a kiss on the cheek. These signs of affection should not have shocked her but she couldn't help but be curious.

"I keep dreaming of her," Her voice choked as she struggled to keep down the nausea. "All I keep seeing is my Mother's face looked at me with those horribly dead eyes."

She seemed to retreat back into her dream a little, her body beginning to shake beside him as the details came rushing back.

"I can still smell the rotting flesh of that underground tunnel. I can still hear her labored breathing as she staggered towards me. I…I…"

"Marian," His voice was barely audible, his tone so gentle it send a shiver down her spine. "You don't need to be brave all the time."

"W-What…?"

Wrapping his arms gently around her, Fenris moved to lean up against the wall behind the bed. He pulled her gently into his chest, mimicking the same position he knew she normally took in his arms. However, this time instead of facing away from him, he drew her closer to him.

"I told you once before that I don't feel the need to fill moments with awkward words or meaningless phrases. Right now, this is one of those times." He looked down at her, a small frown of worry beginning to spread.

"The way you lost your Mother was not kind. No one should have to go through it but what is even worse, is the injustice you inflect upon yourself." Fenris brought his bare hand to her face, pushing her bangs out of her sweaty face and away from her eyes.

"You never allow yourself to show fear or shed the tears you deserve to shed. If not for our comrades or me, please, allow yourself to cry for the sake of your sanity. Simply let go."

His words struck a nerve causing her breath to hitch in the revelation of his words. In the times of her adventures and errands, she had shown her friends anger, bravery, and even gallant knighthood. A warrior standing for what she believed in. But now, in her moment of need, all she wanted to do was hide this display of weakness. Despite how pathetic she must have looked, Fenris merely held her securely to him.

Closing her eyes, Hawke whimpered softly into his chest before hiding her face completely into his skin and lyrium scars. Hot tears fell down her cheeks, dripping down her chin to his chest. The distant sound of dripping water reached her ears but didn't fully resister until she felt the cold material of a cloth.

Keeping one arm firmly around her waist, Fenris gently dabbed the white cloth from her nearby nightstand and water basin to her arms. His eyes remained gentle as he wiped away the blood from her cuts. Hawke remained still as she felt the sting of the cloth and the small feeling of bliss as the cooling aftermath of the water droplets slipping down her skin.

Her body felt strangely light as Hawke recognized the incoming signs of a fainting spell.

"F-Fenris…"

He brought the cloth to the back of her neck, gently shushing her as he took care of her troubled body.

"Sleep emma sa'lath. I am here."

As if on command, Hawke allowed her body to succumb to the creeping exhaustion. Arms still wrapped tightly around him, Hawke's head slumped against his heart area as her ear became firmly planted over the reassuring rhythm of life emitting from him.

Watching her silently, Fenris placed the cloth quietly back into the water basin before bringing his hand back. Cradling the back of her head, he kept her close in his grasp. Placing his chin protectively on her head, Fenris held his position until hours later he followed her into a restful sleep with no interruptions.

Though I am only through my first play through, Fenris was my first romance option choice. I am so glad I did. Though he is brooding, I loved his characterization, development, and how the romance blooms over time between Hawke and himself. This idea came to me while exploring the idea of how he would react in certain situations.

The elven language reference can found at the Dragon Age Origins Wiki.

This challenge was posed by a dear friend and I hope I did BioWare's characterization of Fenris justice. He's very hard to write about.

Mainly, this piece was inspired by "Breakin' At The Cracks" by Colbie Caillat and "Still Love" by Holly Brook.

How did I do? Reviews are greatly appreciated.

Till next time,

Jackie Almasy

Dragon Age II is copyrighted BioWare and Electronic Arts. I own nothing.