Chapter 42 — Mages x Templars

*****

“I’m pregnant.”

I looked up from my plate as we sat at the breakfast table. I shared a glance with a few others before asking, “Are you sure?”

“I’m pregnant, Ragnar. I went to a doctor yesterday to make sure. He says I’m at least three months along.” I could only rise to my feet and take Solona in my arms, giving her a kiss as she started to cry. “We’re going to have a baby, Ragnar,” she whispered.

We were soon enveloped by everyone else. I caught the eye of Anora, her own eyes glistening. I just mouthed to her ‘soon’. She nodded, and while she would have been delighted for Solona, I knew she was desperate to feel the same life growing inside her.

“Where the fuck did you find the time to put a baby in her?” Brosca wondered once we’d sat down, Solona now sitting next to me, unconsciously holding a hand to her belly.

“If she’s at least three months, that’s before more of the other shenanigans began. Let’s be honest, Solona and I always find time for one another, even if it’s only half an hour.”

“I always cum regardless,” she stated with a giggle.

“Does this change things?” Brosca wondered.

Actually, it was a good question. I didn’t know much about pregnancy. All I knew is that people had Sex, a child was conceived, it grew inside the woman, it was born roughly nine months later. Looking around the table, a few gave suggestions but, as none had children of their own, they were almost in the dark as me. “Why not speak to Leandra?” Anora suggested, “She’s had children so can tell you all she knows.”

“Oh god, I wonder what she’ll think?”

I wrapped an arm around Solona. “She’ll be delighted her niece is having a child. In fact, after breakfast, we should go tell her and the others.”

“Definite jealousy from one or two people,” Brosca added.

We headed out around an hour later, with most of my girls in tow. Only a few were missing. Lyna was apparently getting rather friendly with Fenris, and the elf had grown rather fond of her in return. I’m not sure if it was platonic or sexual, but if it meant she left my harem, then I could only wish her good luck. She deserved as much happiness as anyone else. Lenina and Neria had, for all intents and purposes, fallen in Love with each other. Completely unexpected, as I knew they had the occasional fun, but from what I was told, it was now a full blown Love affair. I’d sat down with them already and asked what the situation was. They suggested it might be better if they found their own place and see how things went.

I’ll be honest, losing those three from my group made life a little easier, and also quieter around the embassy. Lyna still lived there, or at least had a room, but spent a lot of time with Fenris. The two elves were in the process of moving out. Being elves, that meant having to move to the alienage, but they’d already spoken to Merrill, who had spoken with the local leader, and accommodation had been found for them.

When I looked at the embassy now, I had Anora, Solona, Brosca and Eliza, and although the latter enjoyed time with me, like Sereda, I knew she was looking for a man who made her the one woman in his life. I’d already spoken to her about it and said if she found someone, she went with my blessing. In the end, life was definitely easier at the embassy, though I now had some new friends around the city.

Leandra was delighted to see us, inviting us in, Hawke and Bethany gathering around as Solona told them the good news. Leandra couldn’t stop smiling, hugging Solona then myself, exclaiming it was the best news she’d heard in years. Hawke and Bethany were both overjoyed too. Thankfully, neither of them had confessed to any desire for children, and didn’t seem jealous in the slightest, only happy for their cousin.

“This means no more following the Dragonborn around, trying to solve the problems of Kirkwall,” Leandra ordered, though with a smile, “You now have life growing inside you and you need to protect it. I’m sure he’ll survive with those remaining by his side.”

“Oh, I was going to stop immediately. I’ve been wanting this for so long, I’m not taking any chances.” Then she leaned in closely, “Can we still have Sex though?”

Leandra laughed. “Of course, dear. In fact, you might find yourself increasingly Horny as time goes by. I remember poor Malcolm, I fucked him raw while I was pregnant the first time.”

“Mother, details!” Bethany cried, to the laughter of many.

“I was just going to suggest he fuck me in the arse if it was a problem,” Solona stated. That made me roar with laughter. It was something we rarely did, but she said it so casually, I think she was being serious about it.

“No, dear, your Pussy is perfectly fine for him to…” Leandra trailed off and cleared her throat. No-one except the Hawke sisters knew that I’d been with her and she obviously didn’t want to go into detail. “Sex is fine, Solona. It won’t be a problem.”

Someone suggested we head out to celebrate, so we ended up at the Hanged Man. Most of the others eventually seemed to find out, finding us in our usual back room, everyone hugging and congratulating Solona, while my hand was shaken too. There were one or two jokes at my expense, and sat between Solona and Anora, the latter wanting me to hold her the entire time.

Back at the embassy that night, I offered to spend the night with Solona. She said it was fine, that she enjoyed sleeping with Brosca or Eliza nowadays. I was surprised by the Brosca revelation, but she admitted that Eliza was looking for a man of her own, and that Brosca was feeling lonely with Sereda, so they sometimes ended up in bed together. And occasionally in the way I was thinking, but more often than not, they simply enjoyed sharing a bed. I often heard them giggling away and she assured me that my place was with Anora.

Walking into our bedroom, she was sitting on the edge of the bed. As soon as I closed the door, she walked towards me as she burst into tears. I held her tightly as she cried. “It’s not going to happen, is it?”

“These things take time, Ani,” I replied softly.

“I stopped taking potions ages ago, Ragnar. I should be pregnant by now.”

Lifting her head with a finger, I gently wiped away her tears with a thumb. “Ani,” the name made her smile, “It will happen, okay? Trust me, I want it as much as you do.” I rested my hand on her stomach. “One day soon, you will have life growing in there. It will be our child, whether a son or daughter, I don’t mind. Then you will carry another one after that.”

“And one more?” she whispered.

“We can have as many as you want, Ani.”

She got on tiptoes to kiss me. “I know I sound desperate…”

I shushed her again. “Ani, I want our child as much as you. No matter what I do out there, you are the most important person in my life, though Solona is immediately elevated now for obvious reasons. All we can do is keep trying. It will happen. I promise.”

With some urgency, she undressed herself as I did the same, and there was little foreplay before we fell into bed, Anora desperate for me to be inside her. Feeling her lift her legs back, she shuffled so I felt ever so deep inside her, legs bent and pressed against my sides, as she begged for me to cum inside her. I leaned down to kiss her as I thrust into her.

“Cum in me,” she pleaded, “Cum in me, Ragnar. Give me what we both want.”

“I Love you, Ani.”

That made her smile though the lower lip continued to tremble. I didn’t last too long as I wanted to cum inside her. I wanted to give her what she wanted. Arms wrapped around my neck, she wanted continuous kisses, eventually moving her legs so her feet rested just above my arse, moaning into my mouth before needing to break the kiss. “That’s deep, Ragnar,” she whispered, “I Love you so much.”

“You’re going to have our children, Ani. We’re going to have a family.” It must have been something in my voice, as she could only nod, noticing a tear or two escape her eyes. I kissed her softly again. “It will happen, Ani. It could happen in a couple of minutes.”

“And we could make sure again in a little while?”

“I’ll never say no to this, Ani.”

That made her smile. “I think I should stay on my back. Don’t want to spill any of your cum.”

She said that with such humour, I couldn’t help chuckle, and it made me smile when she giggled. Then I came, needing to groan instead, resting on my forearms as I felt Anora squeeze me with her arms and legs. “Gods,” I groaned, “That should have worked.” She giggled again, kissing my cheek.

We made Love all night, and I’m fairly sure I came inside her four time by the time I had to cry enough. She was feeling rather sore as well, though she definitely went to sleep with a smile on her face that night. I’m not sure that’s how it works, we make Love constantly and it just happens, but for some reason, I had hope that the gods would be kind and give us what we wanted.

*****

“I don’t like templars,” I stated.

“I know you don’t, Ragnar, but the request has come from the family. And though I’m not fond of them myself, Keran sounds innocent in all this. They’re not all bastards.”

“So he’s been kidnapped?”

“That’s what his Sister told me. He joined only a few months ago and has disappeared. She seemed to think Knight-Commander Meredith might be involved, but even I think that’s unlikely.”

“Okay, so what are we doing?”

“First, we need to go speak with some other templars, see what they know. Probably won’t like us being mixed up in their affairs, but since the request has come from family, fuck what they want.”

We headed out, Hawke and I, with Bethany as always, Varric, Isabela and Merrill all tagging along too. Brosca was still in life but we now working with fellow surface dwarves, having tired of the fighting, at least for now. I didn’t blame her. Solona obviously remained at home while Eliza was in the process of joining the city guard with Aveline, which is why the latter rarely joined us though she would always be up for a drink or two at the Hanged Man.

As for Merrill, nothing had happened between us since that night at the tavern. I think she was still overawed by myself and rather unsure what to do. Like Solona and our first time together, I would wait until she was adamant and told me she wanted it to happen. Thing is, Merrill seemed even more delicate and innocent than Solona ever was. I’ll admit that a small part of me might even feel guilty afterwards, but in the end, if she wanted me to be her first, I wouldn’t say no.

Anyway, Hawke and I led the rest towards the Circle tower, templars in the courtyard busy performing practice drills. A templar approached us, appearing to recognise Hawke at least, introducing himself as Hugh. A couple of others also approached as Hawke started to question him about Keran.

“You are fellow recruits?” she asked.

“Yes. Myself, Keran, and these two were all recruited recently. Wilmod too. Keran was my friend and the fact he’s missing… It raises questions. And there are… stories too.”

“What sort of stories?” I wondered.

“Well, it’s to do with the Templar Order and…” He stepped closer. “I’ve heard rumours that Knight-Commander Meredith has some sort of strange initiation ritual, and that those templars who refuse, or she does not believe are dedicated enough, she’ll…” He looked around and said virtually in a whisper, “I’ve heard she has them killed.”

“Who else is missing?” Hawke asked.

“Wilmod is another one.”

“He’s returned, Hugh,” one of his companions stated.

“When? I haven’t seen him.”

“He returned yesterday afternoon, packed his things, and left the city as he needed time and space.”

“Do you know where he went?” I asked.

“Yes. We can point you in the right direction.”

A couple of hours later and we were headed back into the mountains, one or two grumbling as, to be honest, we were used to city living by now. Not me though. I still remembered traversing Ferelden, and missed nights under a starry sky, lying back in the tent with one or more girls, enjoying a drink by the campfire, moving from place to place each day. I wasn’t bored in Kirkwall, not at all, but I enjoyed it each time we headed out.

Finding Wilmod wasn’t too difficult as there were few main paths through the mountains. What none of us expected was the other templar, who was doing a rather good job intimating the younger recruit. I was ready to get involved, Hawke gesturing for me to wait, as she was interested in hearing what both parties had to say.

When the other templar hit Wilmod, that’s when Hawke did step forward, the templar simply telling us to mind our own business. Taking his eyes away from Wilmod gave the recruit the time he wanted. “That is the last time you will threaten me, Cullen,” he growled as he immediately turned into a shade demon, with numerous other abominations appearing around us.

That gave me the opportunity to use my Thu’um, and the demonic creatures didn’t stand a chance against all of us. It was a short, sharp battle, lasting no more than a few minutes. Once everything was dead, Cullen formally introduced himself. “Knight-Captain Cullen. And I know who you are. You’re Hawke, and you’re the Dragonborn.”

“Looks like your reputations precede you,” Varric joked.

“I know it looked bad but Wilmod had been showing some strange behaviour. Now I know why. What I needed from him most was information. Can’t get that now. I suppose you’re here about something?”

“Missing recruits. Keran’s Sister has asked for my help.”

“I’ll admit, I’m at a dead end here and, although we normally don’t like outside assistance, I’m willing to take whatever is on offer. I can tell you what I’ve learned so far, particularly in regards to Keran. The last time he was seen was with Wilmod, entering the Blooming Rose.”

“Ah, that fine establishment. Can take one guess why they were there,” Varric added.

“Indeed. And due to the nature of its…” Cullen cleared his throat. “Being what I am, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable questioning the ladies inside.”

“What’s he talking about?” Merrill asked quietly.

“It’s a brothel, Daisy. A bordello. A place where men and women can go for… You know, Sex.”

“Oh…”

“What about these rumours of a ritual?” I asked.

“Ritual?” Cullen asked, confused, before he started to laugh, “Oh, that? No, I know there are rumours about Knight-Commander Meredith. Come with the job, I guess. No, there are no blood rituals in the Templar Order, recruits are not killed but I will admit there is an initiation ceremony. But before you worry, it is nothing but a silent vigil and the worst thing a recruit can do is fall asleep, necessitating it is restarted. Look, I know the templars can sometimes come across as, well, arrogant and various other descriptions, but I do care about my charges and particularly recruits, those like Wilmod who are still raw at the edges and learning their trade. If you can find Keran, for his Sister but also for me, I would be most thankful.”

We headed back to Kirkwall together, Cullen taking his leave at the gate, as we headed straight for the Blooming Rose. I’d never been inside as I’d never seen the need to visit a brothel, but it was like I imagined. Cheap booze. Card games. A lot of noise and smoke. And plenty of scantily clad women available.

The hostess approached us, who introduced herself as Viveka. That’s when I turned on the Dragonborn charm, and I had what we needed within a couple of minutes, learning that Keran and Wilmod had visited together, and that Wilmod had been with Idunna, the ‘Exotic Wonder from the East’. Asking if she was available, Viveka looked over our group and figured we were not there for a good time. “Long as it doesn’t come back to hurt the rest of us,” she whispered.

“We don’t even want to hurt her. We just want information,” I assured her.

Pointed in the right direction, we headed upstairs to what seemed to be a master bedroom. I knocked on the door, hearing a voice to enter. Walking in first, her face lit up upon seeing me, though fell when I was followed by the rest. “I don’t do gangbangs,” she stated.

“We’re not here for Sex. You have information we require,” I said.

“Information isn’t Free,” she retorted, “Just like me.”

“Look, lady, we don’t want to get nasty…”

Idunna waved her hands. “Now, now. No need for tempers to rise. I’m sure we can come to sort some of agreement.” She walked towards me and I was captivated. “Isn’t that right, Dragonborn?”

“You know who I am?”

She giggled as she approached. “Of course I do. Everyone knows about the Dragonborn.” Standing before me, she placed a hand on my chest. “Why don’t you tell your friends to go away and we have some fun?”

“Now that sounds like a fine idea.” It didn’t, but for some reason, I wanted to sleep with her right then and there.

“Back off, bitch!” I heard Bethany cry, Idunna disappearing from in front of me, ending up crumpled against the wall.

Hawke slapped me on the back of the head. “She was a using a spell, doofus.”

“Oh… So it wasn’t just me being agreeable because she offered Sex?”

“For once, no, Ragnar. She was going to make you fight us.”

“Oh…”

“No harm, Ragnar,” Hawke stated, as she crouched beside Idunna, “Now, you will tell us what we want to know before we decide what to do next.”

Idunna was smart and didn’t want to die, and it came flooding out eventually. Being a blood mage wasn’t a real surprise. That she was involved in the plot to take down the Templar Order in Kirkwall definitely wasn’t a surprise. But what we wanted was a name, the person in charge, as Idunna simply sent them on. “Tarohne. That’s who you want. I can even tell you where she is!” Yep, she was definitely in fear for her life.

“Ragnar?” Hawke asked.

“Part of me thinks just slit her throat and be done with it. But no, that makes us no better. So I suggest we have her put in the Circle. Any mages disagree?”

“If Anders was here, he would, but no, I have no sympathy for mages like her,” Bethany stated.

“As long as I’m not made tranquil. Please, anything but that!”

Hawke looked at me and I nodded immediately. “Very well. We will hand you to the Circle but simply say you are a mage. It is up to then in the end but we will not mention the blood magic.”

“Be warned, Idunna. We hear of your involvement in any sort of plot again, and you will know the wrath of the Dragonborn.”

We led her out, Hawke letting Viveka what was happening, and she was smart enough not to question what we were doing. Leading her to the templar courtyard, we ran into Cullen and handed her over, giving him some of the details we’d learned before we headed off, as we wanted this solved soon. “Hopefully Keran is still alive,” Hawke stated.

Ending up in Darktown, I can admit it was one of the places of Kirkwall I didn’t enjoy being in. Neither did anyone else, and we made our way quickly to where we’d been instructed. Whoever Tarohne was, she either knew we were coming or she was paranoid, as we ran into an endless number of shades, abominations, demons and undead on the way. Nothing that concerned us too much, particularly after unleashing my Thu’um, but the number we killed suggested we were meeting either a powerful mage or a group of them.

We must have spent an hour fighting an endless stream of creatures and monsters before we finally found the target, surrounded by more mages, who I knew were going to summon more demons.

“She’s not just an apostate. She’s maleficar,” Bethany whispered.

“How do you know?”

“One knows a true blood mage when you meet one. Merrill has used it on occasion but… She’s innocent. This woman… Look at her, Ragnar.” I could hear nerves in her tone.

I think what scared her was what Keran appeared to be trapped in. No ordinary prison, it was definitely magical, and that was the limit of what I knew. Walking to Tarohne, I’d met plenty of crazy people, and this woman, on looks alone, appeared to be well and truly off the deep end. I had to decide how to proceed. Figuring we’d end up in a fight anyway, I figured belligerent would be fun.