The Beginning
His tail had thickened and elongated, and he had used it to swing up into a massive ebony tree.
Ardyn watched wide-eyed as he moved almost too fast for her to see. He looked down at her as his body elongated and he took his original form.
She could not see him amongst the branches as fruit heeded his call, plucked themselves from their places, and drifted down to her.
He watched her reactions, began reveling in her wonder; he was addicted to her smile. It warmed cold places within him as his warming blood rushed haphazardly through his veins.
He came down to her, head first, and she smiled at him brilliantly, her skirts lifted up to hold the bounty she had obtained.
To him, she was radiant, a being of light, and he felt the silver lines running along his body shift as if alive for the first time in response to her.
Even in this state, he felt light, warm, carefree. All things so new to him, but, in this moment, they felt so natural, so honest, as if they had always been a part of his behavioral norms.
A small bit of magic, and she was up in the air above him. An involuntary squeal of delight, a smile upon his face, and his sleek body was beneath her, and they were moving quickly through the valley.
Her scent was intoxicating, and he seemed to have gone over his limit, and even as a small inner voice questioned, he could not stop; he didn't want to stop.
He wanted her like this forever.
The thought made him pause both internally and externally.
'What in The Great Rains of Silver Mar am I doing?' Ardyn was warm on his back. He closed his eyes and drank in the sensation.
The feel of her warmth slowly penetrating his scales. He needed a moment to collect himself; he needed a second to understand what was going on.
He took her into the high branches of a massive redwood tree. She stepped from his back without being told, as if they had a connection and words were not needed.
He rose up, smoke rising around him. When it dissipated, he was in his beast-kin form: broad chest, skin black as night, eyes that were silver pools, and those living silver motes of scale moving the length of his body.
The change was breathtaking, and he could see her awe in those beautiful amethyst eyes. His heart constricted, and he needed to leave; he needed space; he needed time.
"Stay here, little one, I will be right back, do not move from this spot."
He didn't want to leave her. He had some deep fear of not having her in his line of sight at all times, but he needed a moment; he needed this fire within him to cool.
"Of course." She smiled radiantly. "I will not move from this spot." Her eyes sparkled, and the image burned itself into his mind.
And with that he was gone from her sight, but she was still within his. He reappeared high above in the same tree, looking down upon her as she sat upon the branch.
Why was she so beautiful? He had seen beautiful humans before, and he was never so thrown off-kilter.
Was it that radiance he could sense, the cleanness of her aura, the purity of her soul? He wanted to pace, but his need to see her outweighed that, and he sat and continued to look at her.
Soon she drifted off to sleep, and seeing her sleep was like having a warm shower on a cold winter day.
He stepped light to her. She stirred, and the smell of lilacs reached out and caressed his senses. Her skin seemed impossibly soft, and her breath was like a sweet perfume of honey and warm spices.
He froze, feeling odd, trapped. He was not gaining clarity; he was sinking in deeper.
He disappeared completely from the tree and appeared at a distant lake. He quickly caught a bundle of fish, with little thought, and returned to her.
He remembered, at the last moment, that humans cooked their food.
He had no idea what he was doing, but he needed to do this for her. She needed more than fruit.
Ardyn awoke to the smell of something cooking. She was now lying beside a small fire, and three large fish were skewered above it.
She quickly sat up, bewilderment clear on her face. He smiled at her, and she blinked. His smile was a dazzling thing, something her brain currently couldn't grasp.
"I am sorry, let me cook for you."
"Next time."
"Yes, My Lord."
"Varric."
"Yes, My Lord Varric."
He turned to her, unable to look sternly at her serious face. He shook his head and returned to what he had been doing.
He watched her eat, and he wondered how something so precious had never been known to him. He frowned, confused by his own thoughts. She caught it and sat a bit straighter, as if her posture had offended him.
"My Lord Varric, I apologize I have eaten so much of your food."
He looked at her with a frown. She had only eaten half a single fish; almost twelve more sat to the side. He had assumed he had done too much.
"Can I prepare your plate, My Lord, or a drink for you?"
Something stung inside him. He didn't even bring the girl a glass of water.
"Sit here, little one. I will bring you something to drink."
Ardyn opened her mouth to refute the need, but before sound left her lips, he was back with various drinks in tow.
"I have juices, one alcoholic beverage, just in case, and water."
She looked at it all, his eyes tracing her gaze. He suddenly felt odd again.
'Why am I doing so much? Why is she so important to me? What is wrong with me?'
"Thank you, My Lord Varric."
His heart skipped, and he found himself lost in her motions. He watched, mesmerized, as she chose a red drink—randomly—and brought the glass to her lips.
He swallowed hard as he watched her soft red lips gently touch the glass. His lips parted, and, as she was bringing the glass back down, he reached for her. He drew her into him and kissed her.
It was a passionate kiss, a kiss full of need and longing. Her soft lips parted for him, and she moaned softly into his mouth. They were entangled for a long moment, and he was the one who had to break free and end the connection.
They sat quietly, both lost in thought, then he spoke.
"Ardyn Stronghood. You are mine. You belong to me." He looked down. "I want you to want me too, but if you don't I will live…"
A soft hand cupped his chin. His face rose to see that brilliant smile that he now understood he loved. She kissed him softly on the lips.
"I am yours."
"But… My heart flutters and my soul aches for you. I love you, Ardyn Stronghood."
She cocked her head to the side. "I do not know what love is, but I know I want to be here, with you, for as long as you will have me. In these few hours with you, I have known more kindness than I have seen in my entire life. I want to be here with you.
"Is that not enough, for now?"
He smiled, and her chest tightened. "It is. It is more than enough."
His mind agreed, but his heart made a vow. He would have this beautiful creature forever, and she would want him as much as he wanted her.