Dragon Age: Coexist

Golden

Winter had claimed the Wilds; it was engulfed in snow and frost, disguising the murky and barbaric wilderness with its purity.

A sudden fierce wind savagely roamed through the swamp, causing everyone to shiver, save I. Despite her betrayal, I found myself grateful to Flemeth; my fire enchanted clothes were fully protecting me from the cold.

When the wind passed, and everyone seemed to have regained body warmth, I could feel Daveth's eyes upon me once again; I waited for Jaiden to say something, but noticed that he wasn't paying attention. I rolled my eyes, annoyed that I was forced to waste my breath on such a insignificant morsel.

"If you don't get your eyes off of my ass," I began, voice low so that only he could hear, "I'll rip them out of your sockets."

I heard a flirtatious laugh, then saw a smirk; he was now in my line of vision. "Sorry, my lady. Would you mind if I looked at that pretty face of yours, instead?"

I sighed, not wanting to participate in the game that he was playing. "I don't want you looking at me at all. I'm not giving you any attention; I'd appreciate it if you returned the favor."

He continued to stare at me as we walked; I growled, and lunged at him, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him against the nearest gnarled tree.

I drew Fang, and held it up to his throat. "Did you fucking hear me? I said, stop looking at me!"

I realized that my actions may have been uncalled for, but I did not want any human man's eyes on me. He looked at me lustfully, the same that Vaughan did, though there was no sign of evil behind it.

There was a small twinge of fear in his light brown eyes, but the majority of it was brightened with realization. I found myself curious of his thoughts; he seemed to have read my mind, and voiced them to me.

A sly grin crept upon his lips. "I was trying to figure out who you reminded me of. 'S why I was staring at you….well, that's one of the reasons. You wouldn't know someone named Adaia, would you?"

I suspiciously raised an eyebrow, unhanded him, and sheathed my dagger. "How do you know her?"

Before he could respond, I shushed him and turned around, only to see Alistair and Jory portraying the roles of bystanders.

I gave them a threatening scowl. "This ain't got nothing to do with you. Quit your sodding eavesdropping!"

They immediately heeded my command, and walked out of earshot. I smirked at how quickly they had scattered at my words; I supposed I was quite intimidating.

Jaiden and Tiberias walked towards us; I gave him a frown. "Daveth knows someone named Adaia," I informed him. "Said I reminded him of her."

His suspicious look was the same as mine. I turned back to Daveth. "Answer my question,"

He gave me another annoying grin. "Me and a few other men used to do jobs with her, when I was a lad of seventeen. She was a good thief, amazing finesse…easy on the eyes, too. She didn't like me looking at her, either. Pinned me down, too. Called me a green shem all the time; she hated that someone so young and inexperienced was tagging along with her."

I frowned in shock, and looked at Jaiden. "Mother did jobs with humans?"

Daveth looked at me in disbelief. "She's your mother? Damn. She didn't look a day over twenty."

Jaiden slit his eyes at him. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-two summers, I am."

I raised an eyebrow. Mother had perished the same year that he was seventeen; if his words were true, that meant that he'd accompanied her during the last jobs of her life.