The Display of Power
Varric's massive eyes, high above the audience room floor, flickered down to Marcus, and he gave an imperceptible nod—a signal that was more a neural command than a physical gesture. Marcus understood instantly, his red and orange scales vibrating with contained resolve.
"My Lord. It has been confirmed that Alric has not only consorted with the Cobra Clan but actively assisted in raids against our border villages over the last three cycles. His actions have directly caused the deaths of clan members, both in service and civilians. Furthermore, he has caused irreparable loss of vital resource caches and given over critical tactical and defensive information to our enemies."
Alric made no denials. He merely scoffed, his body twitching in a pathetic attempt to lift his face from the floor. Before Marcus could finish detailing the devastating breach of security, Varric's monstrous head slammed down over Alric. The chamber shook violently, a deafening, bass-heavy thud that vibrated through the foundation of the mountain. Dust fell from the high ceiling, and there was an ear-splitting boom that threatened to shatter all peace as they knew it.
The vibrant silver scales along Varric's vast, coiled body seemed to shimmer and flow, absorbing the traitor. When Varric slowly lifted his head, Alric was gone. A deep, jagged crack ran through the ancient black marble floor, tracing the outline of where Alric's head had been pressed just moments before. The only evidence of the treasonous serpent was the ominous, large bulge sliding slowly down Varric's wide, cylindrical body—a silent, visceral display of justice rendered.
Ardyn looked at the cracked marble where Alric had once been, a testament to the raw, unfathomable power of the creature before her. She slowly sank back into the chaise, her body instinctively acknowledging that the needed, brutal deed had been done. There was no terror in her heart, only a cold, stark respect for the immediate and absolute end to treason.
That single, small motion—the quiet retreat of her human body back into the cushions—was the flicker of reality that snapped Varric out of his primal fury. The heat radiating from his huge form immediately subsided, and the black-and-silver smoke swirled about him as his body condensed, returning him to his snake kin form. He settled heavily onto his throne for a long moment, not sure what to say, his mind reeling from the fear that he had just terrified her into catatonia.
Ardyn frowned but did not look to him. She instinctively spoke, her voice clear and carrying, wanting to help him and wanting to believe that his hesitation was not because of any failure on her part. She was, in this moment, entirely focused on defending his conduct.
"Sir Marcus," she commanded, the honorific sounding surprisingly natural in the high chamber. "What is the next matter requiring our lord's attention? And please, repair the marble immediately. Our Lord has other, more pressing things that need him today."
There was only the slightest hesitation from Marcus, a brief pause born of sheer astonishment that a fragile human female was now issuing orders in the Serpent Lord's audience chamber. Varric caught Marcus's eye and gave a subtle, sly smile, a dangerous curve of his lips. Marcus snapped out of his shock and immediately bowed low—to Ardyn.
"Yes, My Lady. We have several things remaining that need our lord's attention, including border patrol logistics and the reallocation of the South Mine's surplus."
Marcus's deferential tone to Ardyn pushed the other two remaining snake kin into action. They focused their inherent earth magic, and the huge crack in the ancient marble slab was repaired, the stone weaving itself back into seamless unity as Marcus informed Ardyn and Varric what was needed of the Serpent Lord for the remainder of the afternoon.
Elsa, watching it all from an unseen dimensional fold, barely contained herself. A wide, satisfied smile stretched across her ancient face as she watched both Varric and Ardyn settle into this new dynamic. She shook her head. These two. How interesting. This human child truly knows no fear, and is far too bold. Perhaps I have found my new student after all these centuries. Her eyes moved to Varric, her mind already calculating the next steps. She definitely needs training if she plans on staying in this world. Why, oh why, would he decide to bring a fragile human into our mess?
As Elsa became lost in her thoughts, Varric began listening to the members of the clan he ruled and their needs and problems, his attention split. While he sat physically present on his throne, his mind was never far from Ardyn, his obsession a continuous, low-level hum in his consciousness.
He believed he had utterly ruined things by showing her his fierceness, his monstrous reality. Yet, she had shown her own fierce protectiveness in return. Still, he needed to shelter her from things like that. Several times, a fresh wave of self-directed fury rose within him as he thought about how his quick temper could have accidentally harmed her.
All the while, Ardyn sat in her soft chaise, her mind working furiously to rationalize the scene. She thought of how powerful and just he was, how his rage had been completely justified, and how he was only thinking about the welfare of his people and their lands.
She saw him not as a monster, but as a powerful, just, and kind Lord. Her heart fluttered at how quickly and decisively he reacted to betrayal. She thought about how kind and gentle he was with her, how his massive eyes softened when they looked upon her, and how he always seemed to want to give her things and... and maybe even make her happy.
She sighed, a plate of exotic, perfectly ripe fruit appearing near her as her mind absently thought of food. She knew it was not possible. She could never have such a magnificent being as her own. She was too incapable. She was too ordinary, and she was too weak and small to ever stand beside him.
She placed a small, deep blue fruit, similar to a grape but with a bright, luminous sheen, into her mouth, the sweetness overwhelming her senses. He deserves so much more than me, she thought bitterly, a wave of self-doubt washing over her, even as the Serpent Lord himself fought to keep his attention focused on the dry logistics of mining reports.
Varric sensed the subtle emotional shift. Self-condemnation. It is a poison. He was already formulating a plan. This evening, after the council, he would not see Elsa immediately. He would find Ardyn, and he would begin the process of showing her exactly how much she was worth to him, and how irrelevant her past fragility was to his future.