A/N: I've read a few soulmark/soulmate type stories and wanted to have a try. I had fun writing it but it did get a bit ridiculous at times. Suspension of disbelief is required. Evie and her friends are both smart, and stupid and excel at causing trouble because they don't think about the consequences. Especially when they're egging each other on. The story is as much about the friendship between them as it is the romance.
I'm also not sure if my rating is accurate, once it gets to the mature parts, if anyone knows I've gotten it wrong, please let me know. It's definitely mature, but I don't know if it rises to the level of explicit in later chapters. So rating may change later.
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Evie's fingers danced along the piano keys, her voice clear and strong throughout the Great Hall so all in attendance could hear her. She had been singing and making music since she was a little girl. It was a skill her father had wholeheartedly encouraged, hiring tutors for almost every instrument they could get their hands on. And given he was the King of Ferelden and one of the heroes of the Blight, he had reach.
Evie finished her song to polite applause. She knew her existence rankled much of the Ferelden nobility. It was tolerated because her father was the king, the one who'd struck the final blow against the Archdemon and survived. And her mother was a hero of the Blight.
It hadn't been until she was almost ten that she had found out why. And learning she had an older brother out there had prompted her to try and find him.
Out of her father's three children, only one of them was legitimate – her little brother, Benedict. Queen Anora absolutely doted on the boy. He was only two years younger than her, and at only thirteen he already dwarfed her. But then, most people did. Her mother was short too.
Evie smiled to Benedict as she joined him and their father across the room.
Though her status as a bastard was well known, it was out of respect to her parents that she was tolerated and not run out of these events.
Rumour had it that she was considered King Alistair's favourite. She didn't think that was true. He loved all of them. Her father's deal with Morrigan meant he wasn't allowed to publicly acknowledge Kieran. And he just tended to be softer with her, both because she was a girl and because her mother wasn't around.
Mareven Mahariel had left years ago to try and find a cure for being a Warden. Evie didn't know all the details, but she did know something was done to them on joining that gave them a limit on their lifespan. And she had only garnered that much thanks to her friend Tai and her uncle Zev being loose with his information when he was deep enough in his cups.
But it affected his soulmate too. Shae Tabris was also a Warden, recruited the same week her own mother had been. Shae, Mareven, and Alistair had been the last Grey Wardens in Ferelden when the fifth Blight started.
It was a story she had heard well over a hundred times, from everyone but her parents, surprisingly. They didn't like to talk about that year much. And the end of it had meant her father married Anora, and Mareven became his mistress. A secret they didn't even bother to keep from the court.
"Well done, Evie," Alistair leaned down and said into her ear, a proud smile on his face. "That was beautiful."
Evie beamed up at him; his praise made her whole body feel lighter. But beyond him she could see the looks of some of the crowd. They didn't like her standing beside the royal family – like she belonged. She'd heard the names, the complaints – bastards were meant to be hidden away, not paraded about like lawful children.
Her smile dulled, and she shrank back a little. She just liked to sing and play music. Normally she did keep a lower profile, but her father had asked her to.
Alistair's attention was drawn away from her by Chancellor Eamon, who led Alistair over to a group of people she didn't recognise.
"This is boring, Evie," Ben quietly whined beside her.
"I know," she whispered back.
"At least you get to do something you like."
True. Ben liked sword fighting and reading books. He couldn't do either of those here.
"Evangeline."
The sharp warning cracked like a whip, even quiet as it was. Queen Anora had somehow materialised beside them, her cold blue eyes fixing on Evie's wrist where her sleeve was rolled up slightly. She had done it to play the piano more easily. But it put her soulmark on display. The name was in a foreign language – Antivan. Her uncle Zev, after much prodding and nagging, had eventually told her – Leo Andreozzi. She wasn't sure, but she thought there might have been something off about the name. Her uncle had been strange when he'd disclosed it. She wondered if he'd heard the name before or maybe knew the boy himself. She had been born with her name, so she knew he was older than her.
Evie pulled her sleeve down, hiding the name. Queen Anora didn't like to see them. On anyone, not just her. Ben had to hide his name as well. She claimed the wrong people could get hold of the information and use it against them.
Evie would be surprised if the information wasn't already out there via the maids and governesses.
Evie slipped away, feeling the queen's gaze on her. The woman's presence was a suffocating pressure on Evie and always had been. She was kind enough, just... heavy.
She found a relatively quiet space and breathed a sigh of relief. No one was going to notice her here. If it wouldn't disappoint her father, she would disappear from this event entirely. These things were never fun, and the judgement for her parentage always came up one way or another.
"It's scandalous Queen Anora allows it," Evie heard the disgusted gasping of one of the ladies in attendance.
They obviously hadn't noticed her. But then, hiding out here had been the point. She didn't even need to continue listening to know where this was going.
"Well, there's not a lot she can do if King Alistair demands it," her companion replied.
Evie recognised him as Edvard Verus, the Arl of Denerim. The woman was his wife.
"But imagine, parading your bastard about like it belongs," the woman continued.
Being called 'it' stung, but she kept her facade blank. This wasn't news to her; she had heard it her whole life. And Queen Anora tolerated her well enough. Her dislike had lessened a little as Ben grew. Evie had heard she feared Alistair would name Evie his heir despite her illegitimacy. But as time passed and it became apparent that wouldn't happen, Queen Anora had softened. Evie had no desire for the throne anyway.
"You can't expect too much; he was a bastard himself," he pointed out.
"Then he should know better. He was sent away, as is proper. What can he possibly intend for her?"
"She is of royal blood and clearly favoured by her father. There may be some lesser noble house or wealthy merchant willing to take her for the benefits and connection."
"Her mother is an elf," the woman whispered, like the word was dirty.
"And the Hero of Ferelden. The girl is pretty and mannered enough. Like I said, a lesser house or wealthy merchant could be agreeable to settling for her."
The wife clicked her tongue and shook her head, like even that fate would be too good for her.
"The girl should be with her mother."
"I heard she'd died. It's been what, six years since she was last seen?"
Evie's brows furrowed. Her mother wasn't dead. She had received a letter from her just last month. And she had visited them a year ago.
"I heard she returned to her elf clan in the forest," the wife said. "Should have taken her half-breed with her."
Evie shrank a little. She loved her father, but she had always wanted to go with her mother. Well, used to. When she was little. Mostly to get away from the judging eyes and scathing opinions of the people she was forced to be surrounded by. But her mother hadn't returned to her clan; she was out doing something far more dangerous. No place for a child.
As much as she hated this part of society, she couldn't fathom leaving Tai and Hirik. The two of them and her brother Kieran were practically the basis of her world, her father close after. She loved her mother, of course, but Evie often went years without seeing her.
Evie felt a hand grasp her own, and she looked down to see Tai's face peeking out from beneath the tablecloth. With a nod, he gestured for her to get under the table with him.
With no one looking, she slipped under, having to wad up the layers of her skirts to manage it.
Oh, Hirik was under here too. She flashed them both a radiant smile.
"What are you two doing here?" She whispered.
"Looking out for you," Tai replied. "You should have given those two a piece of your mind."
Tai had his mother's temper and impulsiveness. Shae Tabris was quick to anger, especially over injustice. And had a tendency to jump headfirst into fights without a plan. Zevran – her oh-so-beloved soulmate – had a way of tempering her, dousing the flames when she got too worked up.
"They don't deserve any pieces of her," Hirik said, licking the sauce from his fingers. What was he eating?
Hirik was Uncle Oghren and Aunt Felsi's boy. He had his mother's intelligence but had his father's looks and easygoing nature.
The three of them had grown up together in Denerim. Their parents being as close friends as they were, it was inevitable they would become close friends as well.
"They deserve something," Tai pouted.
From the look in his dark blue eyes, he was plotting revenge already. A slight against anyone he cared about was a slight against him.
"Let's get out of here," Tai said. "Get out of your princess clothes first; I have an idea."
His ideas tended to go very poorly or surprisingly well. Either way, consequences tended to be extraordinary.
Evie supposed they deserved some form of punishment for the insult to her father. True, he may have been baseborn, but he was a great king. The people loved him as much as, if not more so, than his brother, the late King Cailan.
"All right, let's go," Evie agreed.
They stopped by her room first so she could get changed into something more practical. She debated taking her bow with her. Would she need it?
Her mother had taught her archery from a young age, tracking and hunting. Back in her clan, she had been one of their best hunters. But when Mareven left with Shae and Zevran, her father had had other people continue her instruction. He thought it wise she have the skill should she ever need it.
No, she probably wouldn't need her bow.
"Evie?"
Evie looked over to her balcony where Kieran was just walking through the open doors. He must have flown here.
Her face lit up, and she hurried over to him, pulling him into a tight hug.
"Kieran, what are you doing here?"
She hadn't been expecting him for another two weeks.
Since they had discovered each other, he visited quite regularly, despite his mother's wishes. Morrigan had never wanted him to have anything to do with his father. Evie had met the woman four times in her life, and every time, the woman had been... intimidating. And quite rude, especially towards Alistair. But it seemed to just roll off his back, and he would give as good as he got.
Though he looked a lot like their father, he had his mother's colouring. Her dark hair and striking golden eyes. He was about two years older than her and had shot up quite a bit this past year.
"I decided to come early."
There was a note to his voice, something uneasy he was trying to contain.
"Morrigan?" She asked.
He nodded with a slight roll of his eyes. Kieran loved his mother, but he loved his father and half-siblings as well. He didn't like feeling as if he had to choose.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.
He shook his head. "It's the same old story."
"I thought she had mellowed about it some."
"She has, for the most part. Just every now and then..."
Evie nodded. "I'm sorry."
Kieran waved it away. "Never mind. You look like you're going somewhere."
"Revenge", she replied.
"Nothing good ever comes out of this, Evie," he groaned.
"You don't have to come; we'll meet up with you later. You can stay here; I've got some new books you can take a look at."
"No, I'll come. Someone has to make sure the three of you don't get yourselves killed. Or anyone else."
"You exaggerate," she laughed, heading to the door with him.
No, Kieran didn't think he was. He'd seen some of the disasters they had caused in the past. The older they got, the bigger the mess.