May Prompt Fill: Only A Change of Time 1/1

[rhiyah]

Title: Only A Change of Time - PoT May Prompt Fill
Game: Dragon Age 2
Characters: m!Hawke, Anders
Rating: T
Word Count: 1443
Disclaimer: Bioware owns Hawke, Anders and the world they inhabit. Josh Ritter owns the lyrics/music to Change of Time. I just own my active imagination.

Never ending love to my beta

analect

 

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I had a dream last night
I dreamt that I was swimming
And the stars up above
Directionless and drifting
Somewhere in the dark
Were the sirens and the thunder
And around me as I swam
The drifters who’d gone under

Change of Time - Josh Ritter

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Slipping away from the group during the training exercises was easier than he believed it would be. Ducking behind the few trees and shrubs that bordered the rocky ground between the lake’s shore and the stone walls of the tower, he searched for the waxed leather pack he’d hidden last week.

Quickly pulling his robes over his head, he considered putting on a tunic and light pants. The water would be freezing, but he could shield against the worst of it. Time was the challenge of the moment, and he was loath to lose even a minute of it because clothes had slowed his progress. 

Standing in his smalls, tucking the last of the voluminous robes into his pilfered pack, he faced Lake Calenhad and looked longingly at the far shore. Finally, he pulled off his short boots, stuffed them in with the robes, then slung the pack onto his back, and waded slowly into the lake.

“Andraste’s flaming knickers!”

He drew in a sharp breath as the cold water closed in on him, welcoming him to its chilly embrace. Casting a shield and several other spells, one increasing his stamina among other things, he sank until only his head was above the water.

Surveying the shoreline ahead, he turned slightly southwest. He remembered a secluded copse of trees from a previous escape; it would provide sufficient cover to dry off and warm up before moving on.  With purpose, he began to swim that direction, his arms cutting through the water, pushing him ever closer to freedom.

Several times he needed to rest. He would lay back and float atop the water, staring at the stars above. Unable to determine the time, he had no idea how long he’d been in the lake, but knew that he must be to the other side before daybreak.

By the third day, all of his purloined food was gone. He’d gathered a good bit of berries and some nuts. Though he detested the idea, he was starting to accept that he would need to hunt some game or he would begin to starve.

Hunger was gnawing a hole through his stomach by the morning of his seventh day on the run. He’d been unable to successfully hunt anything to eat more substantial than some gathered fruit. Fear clawed at him for a moment. The thought of dying out in the wilderness, alone and starving, was terrifying. Then he considered that he would rather die free now then live caged in the Circle.

The templars found him shortly after mid-day. Delirious from hunger, he lay on his side on the ground. After smiting him and then binding his hands roughly behind his back, one of the younger templars held a water skin to his lips. The same man tore a piece of dried meat into small pieces, feeding it to him slowly.

He stomach was still growling when the templar stopped giving him food. But he understood that, if he ate anything more, it would just come back up. Nodding his thanks to the young man, he hung his head and rested.

It was on the second day on the journey back to the Circle that some of the templars decided he was recovered enough to receive his punishment. Regardless that said punishment was not theirs to dole out, nor would it replace what Greagoir would do to him once they returned, they were going to abuse him anyhow. It never changed. These depraved templars would use any excuse to force a mage into degrading and humiliating actions.

Suddenly, a hand fisted in his hair and he was being dragged backwards across the camp. The young one, who had shown him kindness that first day, stood up in protest, but when another templar seated nearby grabbed his wrist, admonishing him forcefully, he sat back down.

The faces changed, the seasons changed, the location changed. With every escape attempt the abuses changed too. They were too stupid to realize the more severe the punishment, the greater his desire to escape again would become.

He couldn’t think. His head swam with pain as hands stuck him. They were pulling at his clothing, tearing and destroying his robe while removing it from his body. Someone started kicking him and he curled into himself on the ground, wrapping his arms over his head.

~~¤~~¤~~¤~~

Suddenly someone was calling his name. He could feel the heavy weight of another leg trapping his under… blankets? Finally he was able to drag his eyelids open and found the sleep-ruffled visage of Magnus hovering over him.

“Oh, Anders… are you back with me?” The beautifully familiar mouth formed the words.  “Thank the Maker, you’re back.”

Magnus wrapped strong arms around him, pulling him into his side. A hand pushed his hair off his face. The other hand was gripping his shoulder.

“What… what happened, Mag?” Even his voice sounded injured as Anders croaked out the question.

“Bad dream, I think. Do you remember anything?" Magnus’ warm breath stirred a few loose tendrils of hair, causing him to shiver in response.

“Not really…” he said at first, not wanting to tell his lover about the nightmare.

Hawke knew about his past. They had talked about his time in the Circle, as well as his time running away from the Circle. He’d told Magnus about the many abuses that happened to the mages unfortunate enough to garner the attention of certain templars. But he’d never told Magnus about what had been done to him personally.

“That’s not true. I remember, but I don’t want to… talk about it, okay?” He shifted closer to the warm body next to him. Snuggling into Magnus’ neck, hiding his face and taking comfort at the same time.

“Okay. If you change your mind, I’ll be here. I will always be here for you, Anders. Just… try not to scare the shit out of me again. All right?” Magnus pulled him into a tight embrace, hugging him fiercely.

“That bad, huh?” he mumbled against Magnus’ chest.

His lover laughed softly at his question. “I can’t begin to describe the expression that was on your face, then Justice showed up. It was not… pretty. But, at the same time, it’s a good reminder not to piss you off.”

He ducked his head to cover his embarrassment. “I’m sorry…”

“Shhh… don’t. Don’t apologize. It was just a bad dream. I’m glad I was here for you.” Magnus rubbed a hand over his back. “Do you think you can go back to sleep, or do you want to get up? It’s still very early morning.”

“Stay here, in bed. Just… don’t let go. Can we stay like this a while longer?” Anders felt foolish as soon as he uttered the question, but the gentle pressure of a kiss grazing his lips reassured him.

“We can stay just like this for as long as you want, Anders. The whole of Kirkwall can go hang, for all I care.” Magnus carefully shifted him so that Anders’ back was pressed against his chest. Laying like two spoons nesting together, Magnus held him for hours.

He never fell back to sleep, but instead drifted between wakefulness and a trance-like state, visions of a future with Magnus teasing him.  He knew that it would never be idyllic because he would always be an apostate. But it was beautiful to imagine a way for them to be together, always, without the fear of the templars. Maybe together, they would be able to change things, and in time, they could make Thedas better for mages.

He never thought he’d ever find someone to love with his whole heart. And he never thought he’d ever find another who would love him in return, certainly not the way Magnus did. With passion and strength, the courage to accept Justice, he did not hide how he felt about Anders, but was proud to claim his lover. Magnus would protect and defend him as well. Of that he had no doubt.

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I had a dream last night
And when I opened my eyes
Your shoulder blade, your spine
Were shorelines in the moon light
New worlds for the weary
New lands for the living
I could make it if I tried
I closed my eyes I kept on swimming

Change of Time - Josh Ritter

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