I am but your Humble Servant *a Dragon Age: Inquisition Fanfic*

Chapter II: Headaches and Helpful Advice

Artemis opened her eyes only a fraction, an attempt at minimising the striking pain in her head. She squinted against the bright evening sun and clutched her forehead, before rubbing gently, trying to coax the throbbing into ceasing. This had little effect and she sighed heavily, kicking off the covers and slowly rising, legs hanging off the side of the bed. How did I manage to get myself to bed last night? Last thing I remember I was face down in the hall and Cole... By the Maker! Cole must have brought me here and tucked me into bed.

Artemis blushed at the thought of Cole carrying her and laying her down on the bed. It all seemed a bit too intimate for her liking, and it can't have been easy for him, considering just how much she could hurt the boy by simply being in his presence. She sighed once more and eased herself off the bed, arms outstretched to steady herself. She clumsily trudged to the pitcher of water on her desk and took a small sip, savouring its cooling effect. Despite this, her head did not let up. I might have to go see Stitches and ask about a remedy for this headache.

Artemis walked over to the mirror and inspected her reflection. Her pale skin was no longer flushed from alcohol, and her long hair wasn't terribly tangled, hanging in loose curls past the small of her back. She leant in closer to check her face. Her two differing coloured eyes peered back at her and were clear, despite her late night. While her right, blue eye was untouched, just below her left, green eye was a deep cut. The blood had clotted and dried, and it only hurt if she touched it, but for all she tried, she could not recall how she had acquired the injury.

Artemis reluctantly turned away from the mirror and made her way to the stairs, having decided against tying her hair back for lack of motivation. She stepped down, each footfall in time to the pain in her head. She reached the heavy door, and quietly opened it slightly, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to herself. She stuck her head though the gap and looked around, checking to see if she had a clear passage. However, after looking down, she spied a sleeping Cole at her feet. Artemis let out a small, surprised squeal, and in an instant Cole had disappeared, having teleported to an unknown location.

Artemis caught herself and placed a small hand on her chest, feeling her erratic heartbeat and willing it to calm itself. She hadn't meant to scare Cole into teleporting, but seeing him asleep so close to her had been startling, especially after the previous night. Artemis felt a pang of guilt after she had waited a moment before realising Cole would not return. I must apologise and thank him the next time I see him.

After Cole had calmed down his laboured respiration, he took in his surroundings, assessing where he had teleported to in his fright. He found himself in the abandoned bedroom near his usual spot on the top floor of the tavern. Cole sometimes liked to sit in this room, for hardly anyone came to the dark, top floor of the tavern and nobody ever ventured outside of it to find the musty bedroom. He laid down on the old bed and listened to the groan of the rotting wood as it struggled to hold his weight. I am not very heavy, not dense like Varric and not muscular like Blackwall. And yet, the bed creaks and cries in protest, wanting and wishing to be free from the burden. A burden am I, for Artemis cried out in protest also, struggling to be free of my presence.

Cole clambered off the bed and began pacing the perimeter of the room. I must keep my presence to a minuscule amount. When meeting is mandatory, I must push aside all thoughts about her and the glow surrounding, so there can be nothing to hurt, only heal. A blank stare cannot sting for it has no bite.

Cole lifted his head up, his golden hair falling out of his crystal eyes, and gazed at the evening sky through a poorly patched part of the roof. That hot heat blazing in my belly when I touched her...what does it mean? Scorching like the sun, yet wonderfully pleasant. Perhaps it is connected to the butterflies I am positive reside within me, but only let themselves be known in her presence.