Into the Woods (a Dragon Age fanfiction)

You Can Always Count on Me

Zevran woke to a pounding headache that was not alleviated by the sounds of quarreling within the clearing.

"I say we keep him tied up. Who knows what he might do?"

"You are a fool, mage. Anyone can see he feels remorseful and would like to assist."

"Both of you shut up and let me think how to track them."

"Let them talk, Rivaini. At least they drown out the damned bugs."

There was a muffled set of grunts and groans that must have come from Oghren.

Zev sat up, clutching his head. He was utterly mortified. That he, Zevran Arainai, had been taken by surprise like an amateur! He remembered the voice he had heard; Leliana was a skilled professional herself. Nonetheless, she should not have been able to sneak up on him.

"Oh, good, Flash is awake." Varric appeared in Zev's field of vision.

Blinking hard, Zev managed to focus his eyes on the dwarf's luxuriant chest hair. "Perhaps you would like to make certain?" he suggested, the flirting coming automatically to his lips, neatly covering the relief he felt that Leliana's mission to their camp had not harmed Varric.

The dwarf grasped one of Zev's braids, tugging on it. He chuckled when Zev gasped, rather more theatrically than was necessary. "Yep, he's awake."

Zev got to his feet, his head swimming slightly with the movement. Whatever Leliana had used had been quite powerful—although Varric's casual touch, the first approach to an overture the dwarf had made, was equally unsettling to Zev's equilibrium. He set aside the rather surprising effect the dwarf had on him to consider later. "What is the status of our situation?" he asked.

"The Wardens are gone; those who removed them have vanished without a trace," Fenris replied.

"Don't say that!" Isabela snapped. "I'm sure there's a trace—I just can't find it."

Oghren groaned again, struggling in his cocoon of spider's webbing. Zev pulled his dagger, bending down and slitting the cocoon open.

"No!" Anders shouted, but Zev ignored him, offering Oghren his hand and helping the dwarf up.

Spitting bits of spider's silk into his beard, Oghren tried to talk. Zev took out the flask he carried, handing it to his friend. Oghren guzzled the contents, smacking his lips. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Zev took his flask back, drained to the last drop.

"Redhead got what she wanted," Oghren observed. "Always does."

"Not always, my friend."

"No, I s'pose you're right. The witch beat 'er out on what she really wanted, an' she's still madder'n a bronto at dinnertime facin' a plate full o' surfacer greens."

Zev laughed. "It is good to have you back."

"No hard feelin's?" Oghren scuffed the ground with the toe of his boot.

"Your family was threatened, I understand?"

Oghren nodded.

"Then you did what you had to. And badly, at that. Had you put your full effort into it, many of us would now be dead."

"True that!" Oghren's face brightened, and it positively lit as he looked around at the others, all of them looking as though his sudden turn was forgiven and forgotten. Except Anders, who fidgeted and refused to meet his friend's eyes. "Sparklefingers?"