There he was, brushing his lips through his new baby's hair and introducing her to Heartfire. He'd barely spoken her name, his black eyes actually a bit soft with a small smile hiding in the corner of his lips. She was pretty damn cute, though. Found her near the river and somehow ended up bringing her back with him. He was fuckin' stupid but whatever. Look at her. She could be his redemption.
But then.
As if sent by the damn gods, the image of his enemy appeared in his mind. One of them, anyway.
Finally!
Rhonen.
A hard glint slid over his eyes, and his face darkened, mouth twisting in a sick grin. Fucking finally. Purpose and determination took over, fed a steady heat into his blood that made every movement fluid and languid and easy. So effortless, the way his gaze lifted to Heartfire, excitement and need sparkling in his pitch black eyes, then his body wrenched away. Without a word, he launched like a missile to hunt down his target.
She knew him, though.
She'd recognize it and know.
There were no goodbyes, and if he died while he was away, so be it. She knew that of him too. Could never promise he'd be back soon.
One day he wouldn't be.
So he left little Briella in Nerine with Heartfire and flew across the lands like a wild man set free of a lifelong imprisonment, heart pumping relentlessly, outrunning the stars at his heels. He'd damn well get to Rhonen and take his payback. Rhonen had had it coming to him for far too long, and finally, finally, he was no longer in hiding.
Finally, Dovev would take him out for touching his daughter.
The one person that mattered the most to him, no matter how she shunned him, rejected his touch, ran from his voice. How she felt had never mattered, had it? She was his everything whether she liked it or not. The only good he'd ever done. Perfection born from an angel. His Atrani. His everything.
He swallowed hard, gritting his teeth and biting back the tears threatening to sting his eyes. She meant fucking everything to him and he would never be anything more to her than a nightmare so eagerly forgotten.
He was a monster. Even his own daughter knew it. Even his own daughter couldn't love him.
And Rhonen could disease him again for all he cared, Dov would still get his payback first. Only one of them would die slowly. He'd even given the idiot a warning not to touch her and he did it anyway. Dov didn't give warnings.
That was his last mercy to the man.
His eyes were sharp and glittering, immediately sifting through the chaos laid out before him, digging fingers into the throng with expert hands perfected by rigorous training and plucking away the only one that mattered. With a steady pulse and speed beneath his legs, he took a breath. His mind cleared. Everything else fell away.
Even Leliana, pressed against the tree, fatigued. He clenched his teeth. What the fuck is she doing here!
But as always, he was one-track minded. And that never faltered, not even for her. This is what the magician had trained him for; hold his target, block out all else until it was done.
If anything, seeing her only pushed him harder. He'd finish this and go to her, keep that fool woman safe. His.
But Rhonen.
Another joined him at his side and he grinned, wicked and cunning. He didn't even have to look, he'd know that stride anywhere. His heart swelled, pride and strength flashing from his shoulders to his hips like he could sprout wings and soar. He couldn't. So instead it came out as a laugh, a boyish twinkling falling in the air behind them as they raced. And then he roared, threw his body to the side in rough play and slammed him shoulder to shoulder, snapping out to clip that golden skin so sharply.
Even still, he stayed his course, true and true. Didn't let even this new addition sway him as he powered on, rushing to claim his due.
A flickering light caught his eye though, and he stole another glance at Leliana in time to see a man made of fire barreling toward her. His expression darkened, folded and pinched under his mask and, fuck, he hesitated. Goddamn it! He shoved Zoryn again, this time to get his attention as he changed their path.
She was worth more than revenge. Even for the daughter that couldn't love him.
For once, he broke his focus. For once, the thing shattering in his tight fist was not a pure heart he loved dearly, but a disciplined mindset.
And all he could see as that beast of flame charged toward her was Dizzy's mutilated and melted body. All he could see was Leliana's body contorting to match, forming like a living nightmare in his mind as he threw every ounce of his Arabian blood to work for him, boost him quicker to her and the other woman at her side. He hadn't been there for Dizzy. He'd failed her.
He wouldn't fail this time.
Nothing was going to fucking touch her.
"NOOO!" but the sound was less of a word when it was filled with so much raw emotion, so much fear and ferocity and violent promise. He let those images continue in his mind, fester and boil into an impossible fury that drove him on. It didn't have to be the same man that had gotten to Dizzy; he was getting fucked up regardless as if he had been. And maybe he was. Dov didn't have room to consider it or care. He didn't need any more excuse but those eager flames.
He snarled, his teeth bared, and chased the heat until it burned. His screams of pain were lost in the roar of his rage, the sizzle of furious steam hissing in his ears as he launched himself recklessly into the man of fire, aiming to shove him forward in the path he was already taking. He would rush him, push him on and away from Leliana so the flames wouldn't touch her more, careless of the damage he took upon himself as the smell of baking flesh assaulted their nostrils. Then he would circle back as quickly as he could, stay close to protect her from the fire and any others that dared come near her.
"Go home, Leliana!" he barked at her in another roar, eyes on everything but her as he scoured the crowd for potential threats, darting back to the burning man to keep track of his next attack.
we're slaves to any semblance of touch
Lord, we should quit but we love it too much
shove to zoryn's shoulder as they run
change route from rhonen to leliana/cress/raelynx
follows in raelynx's wake to push him forward and drive him further away from ladies.
circles back to guard leliana/cress; has taken fire damage
