The Dragon's Den

by Katy Katz

  Dorian had spilled out as much information as quickly as he could to mollify Haley.

  He rather liked her at Skyhold, but clearly she was more tortured than she let on.

  This was the right Haley though from his timeline: Isabela was her lover, Bethany, her sister, was a Grey Warden through an unusual set of circumstances, the Chantry had yet to blow up, but that was inevitable as was the way she was to handle it.

  Haley, though beautiful if you went for that sort of thing (which he didn't), did look haggard and spent. This time magic was eating away at her long before it should be. Why was she sensitive to it? Was there a way to make her to forget like the others.

  On a more timely note, was there a way to get her not to kill him in the next minute or so? The pressure she had on the blade against his throat had not lessened, and she seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. He was rather on the wrong side of the knife for that.

  "Haley." Dorian would be ever grateful for Isabela's timely entrance.

  Isabela surveyed the situation quickly. If Haley wanted someone dead she killed them, without hesitation, ever. Hesitation was not part of her makeup, which meant the man she was dealing with gave her a conflict in her nature, and probably didn't need to die for some reason or another, i.e. Haley would regret killing him, and that meant less sex and fun, which had been sparse enough lately.

  "Go." Haley said.

  Dorian didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his staff and on his exit said, "I will find a way to make this better for you Haley."

  "Getting serviced by men now? Thought you might be up to something new. I'm game." Isabela smiled her normal rueful playful smile. "

  "No. Why don't you go to the Blooming Rose? Have whatever you want. It's on me." Haley never even looked up."

  "A tempting offer, especially on your coin, only I didn't come all the way back to Kirkwall to go to the whore house, fine as its services might be. They are mighty fine. Might be more interested if you were to come with…" Isabela gave a half bow with a bit of flourish."

  "I can't." Haley started.

  'Can't never could, and you can, it's not like we haven't been there plenty of times in the past. Whatever happened a month ago, I believe whatever you dreamed or thought you saw, you thought it was real, but I'm still here…" Isabela was tired and she really wanted sex, but she really wanted it from Haley. If she wanted it from anyone else, it would have been easy.

  Haley wished her gone. It wasn't that easy. She'd wished her gone years ago.

  The Champion of Kirkwall had been living in a world of nightmares whether it be day or night for months, and there didn't seem anything anyone could do much about it. She could fight and kill things all day long, but nothing helped. No matter how many demons she slayed more waited for her in her sleep.

  Isabela had taken to breaking her cardinal rule and been staying at the estate, though she doubted Haley knew. Haley never woke up from her night terrors, not fully. What good does it do you to be able to fight and slay anything awake and make every demon tremble if your mind can take you terrible places at night.

  Haley slept little, but it was painful to watch her sleep.

  Isabela would gladly slay anything, but whatever haunted her mind was not within her Pirate Queen's reach.

  Dorian walked back in looking well rested…and very different, much more confident. Not at all like the man who had left moments ago.

  "You seem different." Isabela smirked.

  "Charming and more good-looking?" Dorian asked.

  "Older and calmer." She laughed.

  "I knew I needed a better wrinkle cream."

  "Believe me. This won't help with your real life Haley, but it will help with the thinks that aren't supposed to be happening around it. You should just experience regular misery now, instead of tenfold." He held out an interesting bauble on a chain. "It will keep the ripple effects from touching your mind. It's the least I could do considering."

  "Considering what?" Isabela asked.

  "Now, now, now can't go around giving away all my future secrets." Dorian opened up a black vortex in the lobby smiled and stepped through and was gone in a flash.

  "Well the future looks very gay and festive." Haley managed, though she looked pale as she said it.

  "Since your future seems determined to save you why don't we give it a go?" Isabela easily slipped the necklace over Haley's head.

  Haley had an edge about her that looked like she had been on the edge of hypothermia mixed with starvation and scurvy. Whatever had happened to her last had not gone well.

  However.

  However, something changed.

  Something of the old Haley seemed to have returned. A Haley Isabela had been missing for quite sometime. Her face seemed more relaxed than Isabela remembered seeing it in the better part of a year.

  "I can see the difference.' Haley said grasping at nothing in particular. "The memories, I have both, but the others are greyed out, not as vivid. It seems like they…there is a true course…and what might have been.

  None of you were meant to die, at least no one was meant to die yet.

  And the child…the baby…that was meant to be, but maybe not yet." Haley realized she was probably making no sense, but at least she felt relived even if she was going on like a maniac. "Sometimes it's a question of when, not if…that's a when…it's not now…"

  Even though Haley was rambling, it was the first time Isabela had seen her a peace of any kind. She'd take a chance at mental peace if it meant getting a piece back of the woman she loved. Liked. Dammit.

  Though sex was never far from Isabela's mind, it couldn't have been further from Haley's mind.

  Isabela crashing her body into her kissing her wasn't exactly where her next thought was going, but there was a comfortable familiarity to it. There was also a very familiar missing reaction as she felt a throb between her legs. When was the last time she had, had sex? She didn't want to know. She was sure Isabela could tell her exactly.

  The fogginess of her mind and the mental demons that had been haunting her slipped away for the moment. Isabela was pleasantly surprised when Haley took control of the situation and twisted her arm behind her back bringing her up to her full height with a twinge of pain that Haley knew she liked. Isabela gasped involuntarily. There was no conflict in Haley's eyes. Just deep seated lust and passion for times passed.

  Haley did slow the pace as she so loved to do to tease Isabela. For once, Isabela didn't mind, drinking in the full deep kiss remembering Haley's old confidence before the conflicted Haley. She could feel no difference. When Haley pull away from the Rivani it was everything the pirate had been missing. She didn't know if it was temporary or not, but she had to have Haley now.

  Haley seemed happy to oblige.

  She tossed the pirate onto the bed easily from where they were. She cocked her head and looked at her. "Miss me that much?" she asked.

  "Missed the sex more." Isabela said, never one for subtlety. She clambered to all fours as Haley prowled around the exterior of the bed. If she was going to pounce, Maker let it be soon. It had been far too long. Love was complicated. Far too complicated for Isabela's taste, but she was still there. She hoped the sex was worth it.

  When Haley pounced and pinned her to the bed, she was pretty sure it was going to be worth the terrible wait.

  Haley had always been a tiger between the sheets, as she had explained to half of Kirkwall, and the entire reason she had come back to the city of chains. When she felt Haley's weight on top of her she let out a low moan, she had gone from garden variety walking through the room to soaking through her smalls in a few minutes.

  The Rivani felt her brush past her lips and sink her teeth into her soft neck moving off to her right ear. Haley brushed her right hand against her already soaked smalls, she pushed a finger passed them as she nibbled at her ear.

  It wasn't fair. Haley knew how to make her come almost immediately. It wouldn't sate her; it would just make her want
more. Haley's breath was ragged in her ear spurring her to a quick orgasm and the makings of a long night night.

  She could have removed her smalls, but for some reason now and again, she liked to have Isabela come in her pants, as it were, usually she saved it for a public screwing, but she wondered what Haley had in mind. It had been too long and she wouldn't last the first round anyway. Haley knew it, whispering in her ear, "come for me".

  Isabela was slick with come, so much so it took Haley a moment to find her aching clit. Isabela practically screamed when she did. She stifled her cries with kiss, also one of Haley's signature moves. Isabela had never been able to concentrate on a kiss in the condition, but Haley loved to do it anyway.

  Isabela would have easily come in a few seconds with Haley just touching her, but Haley wanted more. She knew she had been neglectful, and wanted to taste her. Almost before Isabela realized what was happening Haley ripped her smalls off and had her hot tongue licked slowly against her clit. Isabela grabbed her short hair with both hands more or less just trying to hang on for the ride, short though it would be.

  "Haley" she managed to strangle out her her name.

  Haley's pace was spot on, Isabela wouldn't last, but she was letting her enjoy as much as she could. "I'm sorry, I've missed you Isabela." Is all Haley managed to say before Isabela's world went black then broke into a world of color and coughing.

  The orgasm was incredible, but not as incredible as the thought of having Haley back. Haley's mouth was covering hers. She could taste herself on Haley's lips. "It'll be okay." Haley whispered in her ear. "I'm back. I'll be back. I can see what's real now, and curse the bastard that did this time magic thing."

  Isabela really only heard the first part. When she looked into Haley's eyes, she just saw Haley. The haunted desperate woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders was gone. She might carry that weight, but the effect was gone.

  Isabela hadn't realized how she had let herself slip into hopelessness. Her lover was back; she thought she was gone forever. Maker was she crying? Haley pretended not to notice, perhaps she should too.

  "What happened?" Isabela choked out.

  "Have you really ever wanted to know?" Haley asked.

  "No. Not really, not as long as you're okay."

  "I'm okay. Let's just say the future is no more fun than the past, but you get stay if you want. That's all I really know." Haley said. She was pretty exhausted with too much knowledge, but it was at least prioritized, and she had a neglected lover to look after.

  "I want." Isabela said simply. "At least for now. I mean you might get boring or something. I might prefer a blonde…you never know." Isabela laughed.

  "Looks like I have my work cut out for me."

  THE END