I am Lena Wolf, Lena's life as it happens Options

[Lena Wolf]

Sun's Dusk, 3E398 - Grey Wardens

"This discovery weighs heavily upon you," Cassandra sat next to Wolf on a rock overlooking the sea. "This Grey Wardens outpost built over an opening into the Deep Roads... Unmanned since the defeat of the Blight."

"The Wardens here gave their lives to protect the area, but of course they could not stop endless darkspawn armies..." Wolf sighed. "They've done their duty, that's not what weighs on me. It's that I didn't know this outpost even existed."

"Which isn't your fault. The Grey Wardens Order of Ferelden had been disbanded three hundred years ago. You could not have known," Cassandra objected.

"It was my duty to know, especially when Alistair returned from the Head Quarters with disturbing reports of bureaucracy... perhaps corruption even. I did nothing with that. I committed the same crime as those bureaucrats at the HQ. Indifference. Complacency. Navel gazing." Wolf grimaced and spit.

"You are being too hard on yourself," Cassandra shook her head. "No one can accuse you of that."

"I accuse myself, that's enough."

They sat in silence for a while.

"Blackwall is not taking it as hard as you," Cassandra spoke quietly.

"Blackwall is from Orlais. This is Ferelden. This was my responsibility."

"Blackwall is collecting Grey Wardens artefacts," Cassandra noted matter-of-factly. "Banners, heraldry, fake griffin feathers... He is such an obvious Grey Warden, crests all over... While you wear none of that."

"Tastes differ," Wolf shrugged, looking at her sideways. "I represent the Inquisition now, not Grey Wardens, while Blackwall is the Grey Warden with the Inquisition..."

"No, the Grey Warden with the Inquisition is you," Cassandra objected. "Everyone knows that, without any crests."

"What are you saying, Cassandra?" Wolf hushed his voice even though Blackwall was well out of earshot.

"I am not a Grey Warden and cannot sense the taint," Cassandra lowered her voice as well. "But I can see it anyway. Why are you allowing him to continue this charade?"

"Blackwall is a conscript," Wolf answered slowly, weighing how much to tell her. "It isn't his real name. It was the name of the Grey Warden who conscripted him but died before Blackwall could undergo the Joining. He told me all that."

"And how can you be sure he didn't kill the real Warden himself?" Cassandra squinted.

"To what end?" Wolf shrugged. "I see no reason. Even if Blackwall is hiding from something under that assumed identity, he would have been better off as an actual Grey Warden... No, I think he told the truth. I let him be my conscript for now."

"Do you plan to put him through the Joining?"

"Eventually," Wolf nodded. "But I am in no position to do it now. Especially since what we discovered today."

"About Alistair?" Cassandra didn't want to approach that topic at first, but this seemed like a good opening.

"Exactly," Wolf nodded. "Those two Wardens we met... I don't know them, they look green - must be new recruits. Did you hear what they said?" He looked at Cassandra and she nodded. "That they had orders from their Warden-Commander to arrest Alistair for treason... Alistair!!" Wolf flared his nostrils with anger. "Oh, I know who the traitor is, and it's not he!"

"They were quick to replace you with a new Warden-Commander," Cassandra said softly.

"I'm not worried about that, it was to be expected," Wolf shrugged. "I am not surprised even they didn't pick Alistair for the position because he never wanted to be in command. But this new person... if those are the kind of orders he gives... that's bad business."

"What are you going to do?" Cassandra held her breath.

"Find Alistair," Wolf said quietly. "Find Anders, Oghren, and others of the old guard. Alistair first though, he'll tell us what's been going on. Then find Anders..."

"The mage who blew up the Chantry in Kirkwall was named Anders," Cassandra said in a neutral tone, but the tension in her voice was palpable. "Why are you protecting him?"

"It's not the same Anders," Wolf smiled. "Anders isn't a name - it's where he's from, that is Anderfells. And yes, a lot of them are blond, and some of them are mages... But I guarantee you it isn't the same person."

"He claimed to be from the Ferelden Circle of Magi though," Cassandra squinted. "And that he was a Grey Warden."

"I have no answer to that, Cassandra, I never met him," Wolf shook his head. "But it wasn't our Anders. It sounds like someone's been using his identity for some reason..."

"He was a healer in Kirkwall first," Cassandra continued. "Then he vanished for a while, then reappeared, but never resumed his practice... People thought he looked a bit different too, but then, people do change with time."

"Our Anders was a healer in Kirkwall, that's where I found him," Wolf nodded. "Then... well... I might as well tell you... He, I, Varric and Hawke went on an expedition into the Deep Roads organised by Varric's brother Bartrand. We found red lyrium there. It got into Bartrand's head and he locked us out in the Deep Roads to die. We got captured by darkspawn. I managed to send word to the Wardens who came to our rescue. Neither Anders nor I ever returned to Kirkwall after that. So whoever blew up the Chantry there several years later, wasn't our Anders."

"So Varric knew you all along!!" Cassandra nearly jumped up, but steadied herself. "The liar!!!"

"Well, you never asked him about me, have you?" Wolf steadied her. "He lied by omission. He didn't tell lies."

"It's just as bad!" Cassandra's anger was still flaring.

"Your usual interrogation techniques don't work on the likes of Varric," Wolf tried to speak calmly. "The same as they didn't work on me. Instead of bringing him in in chains, you would have been better off inviting him to dinner. Although whether he would have told you more, I am not certain... Varric is very loyal to those he considers friends, and the Chantry isn't one of them."

"You never told me you knew Varric and Hawke either!!" Cassandra turned her anger on Wolf.

"And you never asked me," Wolf smiled. "Like you never asked my name until much later, Seeker." He paused, waiting for Cassandra to cool off. "I am surprised that Leliana didn't tell you who I was the moment she saw me."

"She didn't look at you too closely... Your appearance changed a bit since she last saw you..." Cassandra calmed down. "She blamed herself later for not taking the time to look..."

"Tell her it's fine... we didn't get on back then... but none of it matters now," Wolf dismissed the topic. "It's ten years on, the Blight has been defeated but darkspawn has not. Grey Wardens must stand up to it... but instead, they are declaring Alistair a traitor! That doesn't bode well."

"One day I hope you will tell me who you really are," Cassandra spoke softly. "I know you are not from the Free Marches..."

"One day..." Wolf smiled.

...

"Alistair!" Wolf, Hawke, Varric, Cassandra and Dorian walked into a cave where Alistair was hiding.

"Wolf," Alistair grinned. "And company," he bowed to the others curtly.

"I hear you've been declared a traitor," Wolf went straight to the heart of the matter.

"It's bad business, Wolf," Alistair shook his head. "We've been sold out to Orlais."

"Again?!"

"Well, not the kingdom of Ferelden, just the Wardens," Alistair nodded. "The Queen doesn't interfere in Wardens affairs of course, but the Head Quarters apparently decided that the Ferelden chapter was too small to be... err... economically viable... Yes, I think that was the phrase. So they took your... err... engagement with the Inquisition as the perfect excuse to dissolve the Ferelden chapter altogether and bring us under the Orlaisian one that is led by Warden-Commander Clarel. And she... there's only one way to put it... she's building a demon army."

"Blood magic?"

"With demon binding."

"That's bad."

"That's not all," Alistair sighed. "They are being led by a Tevinter Magister..."

"...who serves everyone's favourite darkspawn lord, no doubt," Wolf guessed.

"I think so."

"What else?"

"Don't you feel it?" Alistair squinted. "I guess your mark shuts it off... lucky you," he smirked. "We're all hearing the Call of the Black City. Even the youngest recruits. So Clarel panicked."

"Why is she after you?"

"Because I protested. Called out her madness..." Alistair sighed. "I've been on the run, but I've also been watching them. I am alright; but the others... I don't know..."

"Anders?" Wolf paled.

"He protested. They took him. Clarel is an incredible mage. Anders cursed, something about being back in the Circle Tower without justice..." Alistair looked away. "I am sorry that I ever doubted him. He is not that kind of a blood mage."

"No, he's got a head on his shoulders," Wolf nodded. "And may be he doesn't hear the Call... or not quite as much. How bad is it?"

"Bad," Alistair shook his head. "It's like a song that you cannot get out of your head. It calls us to die."

"You must stop this," Dorian stepped forward. "I think I know the ritual they are using... well, I know of it," he corrected himself. "It takes a life of a person to bind a demon... a life of another Warden, I presume. And you have to wonder where the demons are coming from. Who commands them? I bet those are no random demons..."

"What are you saying, Dorian?" Wolf and Alistair looked very worried.

"If those demons answer to our darkspawn lord... well... then so do the Wardens. The binding goes both ways."

Everyone held their breath at that revelation.

"Has Clarel gone truly mad?!" Wolf exclaimed in anger. "That she cannot resist the Call? Does the Call tell her to turn to demon binding?!"

"The Call doesn't have a message," Alistair said calmly. "The Call is just a song... it drives us into the Deep Roads... well, you know. The point here is why she is doing it. She believes that once she has a demon army bound to the Wardens, she'll take them to the Deep Roads in search of the Old Gods the same way as darkspawn do it... Only she intends to kill every last Old God so that there would be no more Blights ever. In her mind, she is doing her duty and saving the world..."

"I understand now what old Wardens mean when they say that the Call drives them into insanity..." Wolf said softly.

He paced around the cave. Everyone took a step back, waiting for his decision. He stopped before Alistair.

"It's up to us again, Alistair," he said in a reasonably calm tone. "You and me against the Blight."

"By your lead, Warden-Commander," Alistair smiled.

"You will need my help," Dorian stepped forward. "Because I am from Tevinter."

"Another blood mage?" Alistair raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you know my little problem..." Wolf winked and Alistair rolled his eyes. "Dorian is a mage from Tevinter. That is all."

"And don't even think about going without me," Cassandra stepped forward. "You need a templar."

"Hey, I'm the templar!" Alistair protested.

"The more the merrier," Wolf grinned. "You can have a demon each, there's no need to quarrel."

"That darkspawn lord is my fault, I tracked down his prison, thus facilitating his release," Varric stepped forward. "So I'm with you as well. Bianca is excited."

"But I don't have a death wish," Hawke shook his head. "I am no Grey Warden, I am not with the Inquisition, there's no reason why I should join you. So I'm leaving." He turned around and walked towards the exit.

"Err... well... thanks for your help finding Alistair," Wolf said after him. "You never wanted to have anything to do with blood, I remember."

"He just wants you to ask him nicely," Varric smiled, looking affectionately at Hawke walking away.

"Why should I?" Wolf shrugged. "This is Grey Wardens' mess. Hawke never trusted us, and with good reason. I understand and reciprocate the sentiment."

"You don't trust me?!" Hawke spun around and flew at Wolf. "How dare you?!"

"I barely know you," Wolf remained calm. "I heard there was some bad business in Kirkwall, but I had nothing to do with it. Grey Wardens had nothing to do with it."

"Your Anders blew up the Chantry and set it all in motion!!!" Hawke bellowed. "How dare you say you Wardens had nothing to do with it!?"

"Ah, yes, I wondered about that," Wolf nodded and shot a glance at Cassandra who nodded back. "I wondered who would impersonate Grey Warden Anders and why. It seems someone was eager to implicate us in that disaster..."

"It was the same Anders!!" Hawke didn't give up. "I met him, remember? I met him when you were in Kirkwall! I remember you fussing over him like a mother hen all the while in the Deep Roads! Carrying him back to Vigil Keep! And then he returned several years later and blew up the Chantry!"

"Go, Hawke," Wolf faced him, pale as a sheet. "Just go. This is Grey Wardens' business."

Hawke stormed off. Wolf looked at Cassandra, Dorian and Varric and addressed Cassandra.

"Like I said - this is our mess. The Inquisition does not have to get involved. I cannot play Lord Inquisitor here, it is up to you, Cassandra, what the Inquisition will do. Anyone who wishes to join Alistair and me, will walk with Grey Wardens on this. I will understand if you reconsider."

"We should return to Skyhold and speak with the others," Cassandra nodded. "I am still coming with you though, Warden. Don't ask why."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 7 2024, 02:23 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Sun's Dusk, 3E398 - Here lies the abyss

"Absolutely out of the question!" Leliana shook her head and stomped her foot. "The Inquisition will NOT support Grey Wardens! And if you wish to quit, then quit! We should have never made you Lord Inquisitor, I knew it!!"

"I see," Wolf looked at her coldly. Cassandra had just retold the meeting with Alistair for Leliana, Cullen and Josephine. Together they were the Inquisition. "I have no issue quitting. But seeing how you need the mark on my hand to close Fade rifts, I don't see what you will do without me."

"Solas said we could not cut off his hand!" Josephine quickly intervened. "Don't even think it! Like it or not, we need the Warden with us. Although may be not necessarily as Lord Inquisitor."

"Fine..." Leliana glared at them all. "But we will not help him fix up that mess with the Wardens! We should just kill them all!"

"Err... I won't sacrifice our forces for this," Cullen shook his head. "You want to storm the fortress they are in... It's an ancient fortress, and we could raise it to the ground... But there's a contingent of Grey Wardens in it with a small army of demons! If we attack, they'll see us as the enemy, and I don't want every Inquisition soldier dead, because that's what will happen!"

As usual, they could not agree on anything. Wolf shook his head and left. He was going to make his own arrangements.

"I hear you are going to help the Wardens," Blackwall stopped him in the yard. "Take me with you."

"No," Wolf shook his head. "Cassandra figured out you are no Grey Warden, and if she could see it, so can the others. Sit this one out, Blackwall. When this is all over, you'll take the Joining."

"Well... it's not what I wanted to hear, but I understand..." He sighed. "Good luck to you, Commander."

Wolf was going to see the Iron Bull, the head of a mercenary unit working with them, but Cullen barred his way in an empty corridor.

"I said I won't sacrifice our forces and I won't," he started. "But I don't think you were planning a frontal assault. I know you are not afraid of demons... I remember the Circle Tower. But you will now be facing many hostile mages as well as demons - mages controlled by the darkspawn lord. We have templars among our troops. Take them with you."

"That's rather unexpected, Cullen," Wolf smiled. "Thank you. But I don't want our forces dead either."

"What is your plan, Commander?" Cullen spoke in a rather formal tone. "You do have a plan, I hope?"

"I do, Commander," Wolf replied equally formally. "Alistair obtained plans of the Adamant Fortress - it is no great secret among Grey Wardens since the fortress is so old. We've gone through them. There are several side entrances, but the desert has been encroaching on the building. We don't know which entrances will yield, but I am sure we'll find some. Then our first goal will be to find our people - Anders, Oghren and others that protested. They are likely held captive, I do hope Clarel keeps them till last... Then we'll sweep through the fortress and kill every demon and every mage that became possessed through that ritual... They are beyond saving, I have no illusions. They have become abominations," he paused with a sigh, shaking his head. "We'll try to avoid fighting other Wardens... if any of them recognise me, it'll help, I hope... The ultimate goal is to find Clarel. She will die... either by her own hand or by ours, but this madness will stop there."

He stopped talking and looked Cullen in the eye.

"It's a good plan," Cullen nodded and smiled. "I'll have templars follow your progress. As backup. They'll join in when the fighting heats up. They'll answer to you. The rest of us will stay outside and guard all exits. Good luck to you, Commander."

...

The Adamant Fortress stood guard on the Western edge of the civilised world. Beyond it was nothing but an unforgiving desert with sulfurous smoke erupting from the cracks in the earth. This was where darkspawn emerged from the underground, in particular during a Blight. The fortress stood surrounded by sand on all sides.

Wolf, Alistair, Cassandra, Varric and Dorian formed the forward force meant to break through one of the back doors. A group of templars was following them a short distance behind keeping them in view but staying out of the way. More Inquisition troops were positioned further away, almost fading into the hot air rising from the sand.

"This door will yield," Wolf was pushing a heavy wooden door. "Dig it out a bit and let's give it a good push! Again! And again!" The door eventually yielded, opening a crack, and they pried it open fully. It wasn't locked, it was just blocked by sand and debris. It led into a gloomy corridor, seemingly unused for at least a thousand years.

"This corridor leads into the depths," Alistair checked his map. "Into the dungeons, perhaps?"

"It's worth checking," Wolf agreed.

They descended several flights of stairs, took multiple turns... and got lost within five minutes of entering. The corridor was completely dark which didn't help orientation.

"Did anyone bring a lantern?" Wolf asked in a tired voice. "Don't tell me we forgot about lanterns!"

"We did," Dorian spoke from the darkness. "But luckily, you've got me." He produced two small lanterns from his pack. "Cave diving was something I did quite a lot as a boy," he smiled. "You quickly learn to always bring lanterns."

"I expected a magical light, to be honest," Alistair smirked, attaching a lantern to his belt. "But this is better."

The lanterns did help to see where they were going, but they didn't help to know where the corridors led to. Eventually they saw torches up ahead - a clear sign of civilisation. Strong stench of alcoholic breath was another sign.

"Who goes there?" They heard a hoarse voice. "I shall sodding have your heads, you bleeding idiots!!"

They turned a corner and saw a row of cells. Only one cell had an occupant.

"Brainless morons!!" The voice continued to swear. "Lock me up, will you?! I am sodding not giving my blood to no Orlaisian bird!!!"

"Oghren?" Wolf approached the cell. "It must be you, no one swears with quite the same flare."

"Commander!" Oghren was sitting on the floor, empty bottles all around him. "Are you real or have I finally drank myself into delirium?"

"I am quite real," Wolf laughed. "Alistair can confirm it."

Oghren got up rather unsteadily, shook himself like a dog in the rain, then spoke with a lot less slur.

"I drink because it keeps the song away," he explained. "It drives me mad, it does. But I am not giving my blood to summon a demon! That's madness!"

"And so they locked you up," Wolf nodded. "Hang on..." He tried to pick the lock but had to let Varric do it instead. "So. It's too bad you are not armed..."

"I don't need to be," Oghren shook his head. "I'll be armed as soon as we run into trouble," he grinned. "What's the plan?"

"Sweep the dungeons, sweep the fortress, kill Clarel," Wolf summarised. "Do you know who else was taken and where they are?"

"A few others were taken, aye," Oghren nodded. "They didn't put us together, but these dungeons are huge. They mostly were separating mages from warriors... Anders is here somewhere, and a few other lads and lasses... Let's go."

They swept through the dungeons, now using the map and trying to make sure not to miss any passages. They found Anders and a few other Wardens. Next they would come out into the open and need to fight.

"Now we separate," Wolf decided. "Two groups. Cassandra and Anders with me, Varric and Dorian with Alistair. We go left, Alistair goes right, we meet in the middle. If there's a ritual taking place, it'll be there. The rest of you hang back until you have a weapon." He glared at Oghren who was about to protest. "There will be casualties, and I want them as few as possible!" He looked at everyone and they nodded. "Try not to kill your fellow Wardens, but watch for mages that turned... we are too late for them." He paused and everyone remained silent. "Good luck to you all."

They separated. When they turned a corner, Wolf stopped.

"Ready?" He looked at Anders. "You've got no staff."

"I don't need a staff." Anders fingered his dagger. "I'll pick one up along the way. Do you intend to..?"

"Yes," Wolf said and Anders nodded.

"Ready."

"Cassandra," Wolf turned to her. "Your faith in me will be severely tested. I shall answer all your questions when this is over... My intention is unchanged. My methods will shock you."

"I think I know what you mean," Cassandra said quietly. "I've seen the scars on your wrists... But you are not a mage... I don't understand... I guess I'll see it."

"That you will."

...

Fighting on the battlements was ferocious. Too many Warden mages had already been bound to demons, and so both the mages and their demons had to be defeated. Yet a number of Wardens were still unaffected, and they quickly saw sense and stopped fighting.

"They have been performing these rituals for days now," one such Warden told Wolf. "They'd take a mage and a warrior, and have the mage sacrifice the warrior for the ritual. They'd use his blood to summon a demon and bind it to the mage. It was meant to strengthen the mages, and thus the Wardens as a whole, but we can see clearly that the mages lost all free will as a result... They are controlled by that Magister that performed the ritual. So we refuse to be sacrificed, both for our sake and for the mages'... Many mages see it too... And yet they seem to be controlled by him even before the ritual... That's strange..."

"They are probably affected by the Call more than warriors," Anders suggested. "Because mages have a connection to the Fade... isn't it where the Call comes from?"

"Possibly," Wolf agreed. "And I presume you are not affected because..."

"Oh, I'm affected," Anders shook his head. "But probably less than most... because of Justice, yes," he smiled. "I can hear the Call but it doesn't drive me mad."

"That sounds like..." Cassandra started, but then cut herself off. "We can talk later. We still have a lot of demons and abominations to slay."

She kept her comments to herself. Wolf slit his wrists many times using his blood to drive back demons and to paralyse mages, or simply to throw off attackers when he got surrounded. He slit his wrists to lend aid to Anders who also repeatedly slit his. It was blood magic against blood magic. "Dorian must be using necromancy," Wolf thought, watching Cassandra tear through a pack of demons with her templar's mace, then falling back. "That's too many demons even for a Seeker..."

Dorian did use necromancy. Less well known than blood magic, necromancy was still frowned upon and even partially outlawed, akin to blood magic. Dorian started raising corpses when their party got overwhelmed. Alistair was taken aback at first, but then quickly realised that corpses were helping them, not fighting against them. "Well, that makes for a welcome change..." He grinned, watching Dorian raise another corpse. "Unconventional, but hey, so are these demons..." Alistair had come a long way since the days when he wanted to execute every apostate mage without a trial.

Wolf and Alistair reached the middle section almost at the same time. There was a platform there and a large open surface covering the roof of the main keep, mages stood on one side of it, warriors on the other. An altar was erected on the platform, it had blood stains on it. A mage in Tevinter robes was directing a ritual. He called forward one mage and one warrior and directed the mage to slit the warrior's throat. The sacrifice had to be done in person to work. The warrior's bleeding body was put on the altar and the mage made the blood in it boil and rise, which in turn brought forward a demon out of a tear in the Veil. The demon was bound to the mage, and the mage became a slave of the Magister.

Seeing Wolf and Alistair appearing, the Magister interrupted the ritual.

"You are too late, Commander!" He shouted with glee. "My Lord will have his Grey Warden army!" He commanded the mages to raise their hands and they did. "It is not I who commands them, it is My Lord. I merely use the spell He taught me! The taint in their blood - in your blood! - is most convenient! But let us not stop on this account!" He turned to the mages that had not been bound to demons yet. "Who's next?" Several mages stepped forward, their eyes glazed over. "You see? They obey even before the ritual! Oh, but let us do something special, now that the Warden-Commander is here!" He smirked and looked aound. "Warden-Commander Clarel! Come forward! I have a special demon waiting for you!"

Clarel stepped onto the platform, and an outline of a huge Pride Demon appeared in the Veil tear.

"Bring forward your sacrifice!" The Magister commanded and one of the older warrior stepped onto the platform. "Well, you know what to do," he said encouragingly to Clarel and smiled.

"My friend," she addressed the warrior. "After all these years... I have to ask this last sacrifice of you..."

"If my sword arm can no longer serve you, then I hope my blood will," he looked at her with affection and went down on one knee.

"It will, my friend, it will..." She stood behind him and slit his throat, tears running down her face. She then carefully put the warrior's body onto the altar and prepared to start the ritual.

"Clarel! Stop!" Wolf cried out, pushing forward through the crowd. "The Call that you hear isn't real! Your Magister serves a darkspawn lord!"

"Not real..?" She stopped, looking at Wolf through her tears. "But we all hear it... Which is why we have to make that final push... to end all Blights..."

"You hear the Call not because the taint has finally corrupted your body," Wolf spoke with urgency. "You hear it because it comes from the darkspawn lord! Just like the Call of the Archdemon... The one I slayed some ten years past. Ten years! Think! It is too soon for another Blight!"

"I... what have I done..?" She looked around her, as if only now seeing glazed over expressions on the faces of her mages, now bound to the darkspawn lord. "You!!" She turned to the Magister. "You lied to us!! You said it would stop all Blights!"

"And you clutched that excuse without question!" He sneered. "You were all too greedy for all the power! Just look at the demon waiting to do your bidding! That is the Call that you cannot resist!"

He laughed derisively. Clarel's face contorted with rage and she flung a lightning bolt at him, throwing him on the ground.

"Oh I see," he scrambled to his feet. "My Lord warned me that this could happen. Which is why he taught me another spell..."

He cast a spell, and a shriek and a roar filled the air. A great big undead dragon descended onto the fortress, a dragon very much resembling an Archdemon.

"What?!" Clarel was furious. She shot another bolt at the Magister, nearly killing him where he stood. She was back in control, but it was too late. Great many mages and warriors had been sacrificed already. "No!!" She turned her attention to the dragon. "Not on my watch! Oh what have I done..." She shot a bolt at the dragon and it reeled in pain and took to the air. Clarel went after it, running up the watchtower, expecting the dragon to land there. Demons and mages bound to them attacked the other Wardens turning the roof into a bloody battlefield. Wolf signalled his party to leave the battle and to charge after Clarel. If they could kill the dragon, it was their duty to do so.

Clarel was ahead of them. She kept shooting lightning bolts at the dragon, trying to force it to land. It kept shrieking and circling the tower but didn't fly away and didn't land. Anders, Dorian and Varric added their shots to Clarel's, and Wolf regretted bitterly not bringing his crossbow. Finally the dragon seemed to weaken, another bolt would bring it down... and it did. The dragon crashed into the tower, taking tons of brickwork towards the abyss on the other side. Clarel dived after it, the dragon rose once again, then fell onto the tower, smashing the rest of it and sending the debris and the people into the abyss. The last thing Wolf saw before the abyss closed in, was Clarel plunging her staff into the dragon's skull.

In death, Sacrifice.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 7 2024, 02:24 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Sun's Dusk, 3E398 - Nightmares

Wolf was standing in the Fade. He knew what it looked like because he'd been there before. It looked like a rocky coast of Northern Ferelden, he could hear the sea nearby and could taste the salt in the air. Everything was wet, and he slipped on the rocks a few times. The Black City was visible in the distance, floating on an island in the sky. "What happened?" Wolf tried to remember. The last thing he knew, he was fighting a dragon... was that the Archdemon? Hadn't he slain the Archdemon already? He could not recall. But whatever happened in Mundus, he had to get back there, he had to find a way out. And so he started walking.

The place was deserted, but there were signs of other travellers here and there - a scrap of a letter here, a half-finished bottle of wine there, a bloody teddy bear, a bunch of wilted flowers, a candle that's gone out... "Someone's memories," Wolf thought. He hoped he would find his own memories too, and so he continued walking.

"Conscription ale: vintage Riordan," Wolf picked up a bottle half-filled with some alcoholic drink. "Riordan. I remember you." Grey Wardens didn't have mules following them around, so every item in their packs was carefully selected. It became a tradition to carry a single bottle of alcohol that got topped up with whatever liqueur they came upon their travels. They nicknamed it "Conscription Ale" because nothing burned like the Joining Cup. Riordan was the Warden that joined Wolf in Alistair for the final assault on the Archdemon. He fell in that battle. Wolf pocketed Riordan's bottle and walked on.

"I don't know you, mage!" He heard an angry voice ahead. "Get out of my way!"

"But you are my son..." A woman's voice pleaded. "And a Grey Warden, like I once was... Your father was the King of Ferelden, we were lovers for so long... The throne is yours by right!"

"You are not my mother!" The angry voice objected. "I am no elf-blood! My mother was a maid at the Redcliffe Castle, she had a brief encounter with the King, and I was the result! Yes, I'm a royal bastard! I know I have a claim on the throne, and I don't want it! Begone, spirit!!"

Wolf turned a corner and saw Alistair argueing with an elven mage... she looked familiar somehow...

"Lord Inquisitor!" She turned to Wolf. "You remember me, right? Fiona. I lead the rebel mages... You recently made us your allies."

"Fiona," Wolf nodded. "Yes, I remember you. We spoke once or twice. You sold out the mages to the Tevinter Imperium," he scowled.

"Oh... but we were desperate!" Fiona protested. "I did explain... You still made us your allies."

"I made the mages my allies because they are not to blame for your transgressions," Wolf frowned. "But this is not why you are here, surely?"

"I am Alistair's mother," Fiona said with a sigh. "But he does not believe me. Make him believe me! Make him remember!"

"Remember what, exactly?" Wolf squinted. "Being inside your womb? Don't be ridiculous."

"My mother was a maid at the castle and she died in child birth... My half-sister said I killed her..." Alistair protested, hotly at first, then the memory of his encounter with his half-sister made him sad and uneasy. "She only wanted my money... as if I had any..."

"That's what people were told! That you were the son of a kitchen maid who died in child birth," Fiona nodded. "Only her babe died with her. You were born shortly after, and thus the story was put together. The King's son could not be an elf-blood! Not even a bastard son! I had to give you up and leave, never to return."

"Could this be true?" Alistair looked at Wolf. "That I am an elf-blood? That I have magic in me? That I was born with the Grey Warden taint and therefore survived the Joining? That I was always meant to be a Grey Warden? That... well... but then the Call I hear is real... if the taint had been in my blood since the start... I should have killed the Archdemon, then. My time is nearly up."

"Yes, this is an interesting point," Wolf had to steady Alistair who looked like he was about to collapse. "What do you mean - you were a Grey Warden, Fiona? You can quit the Order but you cannot stop being a Grey Warden. The taint in your blood is forever. And how come you don't hear the Call?"

"Well, that's just it, no one understands it," Fiona nodded. "It just... fizzled out one day. I could no longer sense darkspawn. I still can't, and I don't hear the Call. My blood is no longer tainted. That's why Grey Wardens booted me out of the Order. I regretted it so much at first... Duncan was such a good friend..."

"Duncan?" Alistair looked up. "What about him?"

"Well, we joined the Order at about the same time," Fiona smiled. "And as two young recruits we shared a lot of missions. We became friends. Then later, when you were born, Duncan promised to make you a Grey Warden and look after you... and he kept his promise."

"Well, that just gets worse by the minute..." Alistair shook his head. "It's like a web closing in on me... Everything was pre-destined, I had no say in anything from before I was even born..."

"Don't listen to her," Wolf said decisively. "For one, this is not the real Fiona because Fiona is back in Skyhold and not here in the Fade." He gave her a hard stare and she rolled her eyes. "For two, Fiona is one of the most slippery and conniving individuals I've ever met," he kept his eyes on her. "She started the mage rebellion... oh yes, it was she who started it, and not that single mage who blew up the Chantry in Kirkwall. I wouldn't be surprised if he had been her agent all along... implicating Grey Wardens, too. Yet Grey Wardens didn't take the fall for the disaster in Kirkwall, that must have been a real setback. Then she led her rebel mages into the war with templars, and let us not pretend that the mages caused no harm. They did! They used blood magic galore, they burned the land and committed crimes, all in the name of freedom and greater good. I understand where they were coming from, with all the repressions, in particular in Kirkwall, but it does not justify what Fiona thought was acceptable to do in that war. The mages were victims no longer!" Wolf glared at Fiona but she remained impenetrable. "And then, just as we've defeated templar units around the area where the mages were staying, Fiona declared an imminent existential threat from the templars and sold out her mages to Tevinter! While no such threat any longer existed! And yes, that Tevinter Magister did manipulate the fabric of time, but even so, even in his new warped reality, the immediate threat from the templars had already been eliminated! There was no need to sell out the mages at all! Which is what most mages could see and said so! I really don't understand why you still live."

"I still live because none of that matters, Inquisitor," Fiona answered with a smirk. "I still live because there's no one else the mages would rather have as their leader. Because none of them has the guts to step up and challenge me. That's why they were so easy to manipulate, as you too have found out."

"The mages still remember the horrors of blood magic rebellion in the Circle Tower in Ferelden and later in Kirkwall," Alistair nodded. "They are terrified from such events repeating."

"What the mages need to understand, is that they can draw strength from templars," Wolf nodded. "But this notion is too far out for the present. And anyway... Alistair, this spirit does not represent your mother. I do not believe that Fiona could be your mother. I think your mother was that human woman who died in child birth."

"And my life was not pre-destined," Alistair nodded. "I made my own choices. I joined Grey Wardens because I asked to join Grey Wardens. I abdicated my birth right to the throne because I chose to do so. Because I wanted to remain with the Order. Which is my family. Where I have a purpose and a job to do. That's right! Begone, spirit!" Alistair straightened up and looked at Fiona. "I do not believe you."

Fiona vanished.

"Phew..." Alistair sighed. "Thank you, friend. That was a hard one... My worst nightmare... lack of control..."

"Well, it's over," Wolf smiled. "I wonder who else is here. What happened? I remember fighting a dragon... was that the Archdemon?"

"No, that was some other dragon..." Alistair scratched the back of his head. "It sure looked like the Archdemon though... Something isn't right. And there were others with us - Anders, Dorian, Varric, Cassandra... I wonder if they are here as well."

"I wonder if we need to find them in order to get out," Wolf nodded. "And where is the exit..?"

They walked on, looking for anything other than the endless rocks and sea.

...

"Well, I am sorry!" They heard an apologetic voice further ahead. "I didn't know what red lyrium was... what it did..."

"But you were greedy, just like your brother!" An angry voice replied.

"I admit that I was," the first voice sounded dejected. "It's all my fault, after all... You're dead because of me, Hawke..."

Wolf and Alistair turned a corner and saw Varric talking to Hawke.

"I died in that stupid assault on the Grey Wardens fortress!" Hawke replied hotly. "What madness!! What were you thinking?! How could you send me into that battle?!"

"I..." Varric was nearly crying.

"You did no such thing," Wolf interrupted them. "There was no frontal assault, we went through a back door... and Hawke wasn't with us because he refused to come! This spirit is taunting you, Varric."

"There wasn't..?" Varric stood aghast. "But I remember..."

"What do you remember?" Alistair joined in. "Because I remember you following me. I don't remember you commanding any troops or sending anyone into battle, least of all Hawke. Wake up, Varric!"

"Hawke always followed me though, after a fashion," Varric was looking at Hawke with affection. "He's perhaps my closest friend... I shielded him from Cassandra... but then I gave him up. Because I thought that the hole in the sky was more important. Rubbish! What good is this world if I lose my closest friend?"

"But he's not dead, Varric," Wolf said quietly. "He didn't come with us."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you," Varric smirked. "Because he's stubborn, the same as you, Warden... Hawke has his pride... He'd rather join in the shadows and come to light in the end... He'll be there, one way or the other..."

"Well, that may be, but I haven't seen him and there's no reason to believe that he's dead," Wolf said firmly. "We'll have to get out of here and see what's going on."

"Yeah, may be..." Varric looked around. "Yeah, that's it. That's rubbish, and this is not Hawke, I am going back and there I'll find him and help him fight..."

Varric vanished before he could even finish his sentence. Hawke glared at Wolf and Alistair and vanished too.

"Now, which of them was a real person?" Alistair looked around in surprise.

"Who knows?" Wolf shrugged. "May be neither. Come on."

...

"How did you get out of the Fade before?" Alistair stopped after they'd been walking for a long time but only saw rocks and sea around them.

"I simply willed it," Wolf stopped too. "I pictured where I was just before I entered the Fade, and I willed myself to be there again... And I was out. Unless there's a demon guarding the pocket we're in, that's all that it takes."

"Well, I only remember falling into the abyss," Alistair sighed. "I can't remember rightly what was going on... We were fighting a lot of demons... and mages... there was a sacrifice..."

"...a blood magic ritual binding a demon to a mage," Wolf nodded. "Yes, at the Grey Warden fortress. They were all Grey Wardens."

"Which is why we had to stop them," Alistair nodded. "It's coming back to me..."

"I remember that bit too, but what I don't recall is how I got this mark," Wolf raised his hand. "There was a Conclave... we came to observe... then there was a massive explosion and I ran in... then woke up three days later with this thing on my hand. But what happened in that room? What is it?"

"I can't help you there," Alistair shook his head. "We all were behind you. We just saw the explosion. What you need is to find your memories. Perhaps they are here, in the Fade."

"Perhaps this is what's keeping us here," Wolf nodded.

He took a few steps, something caught his eye.

"Come look at this!" He called to Alistair but got no answer. He turned around - Alistair was gone. "He's out," Wolf decided. "He remembered everything he needed to remember. But I have not..."

He looked around at the endless rocks melting into the sea, at the floating island of the Black City in the distance... It changed somehow. Was that... a dragon? A dragon was circling the floating island, as if trying to decide which way to go. Which dragon was that? It looked familiar... If only Wolf could recall...





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 7 2024, 02:25 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Sun's Dusk, 3E398 - Voices from the past

"Hello, my friend, it's been too long," a voice from the past called and Wolf spun around. Morrigan. "You haven't tried to find me, as I requested. Is that because you respected my wishes or because you no longer care?" She looked at him with a sad smile.

"It's because that's what you wanted," Wolf answered with caution. "You are not Morrigan, I know, but what is it you want, spirit?"

"Not Morrigan? Are you sure? Morrigan can walk in the Fade," the spirit objected. "But it does not matter, the result will be the same. Look: here is your son." She flicked her wrist and an image of a young boy appeared in a mirror - an elven eluvyan, which, too, appeared next to Morrigan. "He will be ten years old soon."

"I cannot remember my son because I've never seen him," Wolf looked at the spirit. "Now I am certain you are not Morrigan."

"You don't want to kiss me then?" She pouted her lips. "For the old times' sake?"

"No."

"What if I was the real Morrigan?" She smiled slyly. "Would you want to kiss her?"

Wolf did not have time to reply. They heard noises of a battle and Cassandra charged in, fencing with several ghosts.

"Stay back! Get behind me! These demons are aggressive!!!" She shot a glance at Wolf and scowled, seeing Morrigan by his side.

"These demons are no match for you, Seeker!" Wolf shouted and joined her in the fight. Within minutes, the battle was over.

"Always such a gentleman," Morrigan smiled.

"He is... He killed the Divine!!" Cassandra scowled at Wolf. "He is my prisoner! I am taking him to be executed!!"

"No, you were taking me to close a rift in the Veil, remember?" Wolf shook his head. "I was unarmed and you tried to protect me from the demons along the way."

"Close a rift in the Veil?" Cassandra stepped back. "Ah... yes... It's coming back to me now... You've got a holy mark on your hand... To close the rifts... We set up the Inquisition... You are the Inquisitor... and... oh... but who is she?!" It was only then that Cassandra took a good look at Morrigan. "An apostate?! A hedge witch?!!"

"I do look the part, don't I?" Morrigan smirked. "It is only I, the Witch of the Wilds, here talking to the father of my child..."

"What..?" Cassandra's voice fell. "So why then..?" She stepped back, shaking her head. "No... I imagined it all, if course. It never happened. No one would ever... what was I thinking..?"

"I don't think that even real Morrigan would be so cruel," Wolf glared at Morrigan. "Get lost!!"

Morrigan only smiled and Wolf snorted and turned his back to her.

"You didn't imagine it, Cassandra," he took a step towards her. "I was flirting with you. And I have no intention of stopping."

"But why?" Cassandra looked at him sideways. "I am a warrior. I have no graces and no charm. I cannot compare to her," she shot a glance at Morrigan.

"You have charm and graces more than you know," Wolf didn't give up. "Your passion, your fire, you cannot hide that."

"No," she shook her head. "You cannot court me."

"Why not? I'd like to try."

"You... you have a son!"

"Whom I've never seen, in accordance with his mother's wishes," Wolf took another step towards Cassandra.

"But what if you see him? What if..?"

"What if I meet the real Morrigan, you mean?" Wolf turned to look at Morrigan who stood there smiling. "It's been ten years." He turned back to Cassandra. "She never wanted to see me again, she chose a different path. I have to assume she will want to continue on it. And I have my own path to follow."

"That does not involve me," Cassandra nodded.

"I don't know," Wolf smiled. "That would depend on you."

"Ah..!"

"We need to leave this place," Wolf came close, speaking into her ear. "It isn't exactly romantic... all this wet rock..."

Herz, mein Herz, was soll das geben?
Was bedränget dich so sehr?
Welch ein fremdes, neues Leben!
Ich erkenne dich nicht mehr.

"No!" Cassandra paled, surprised, pulling back.

Weg ist alles was du liebtest,
Weg, warum du dich betrübtest,
Weg dein Fleiß und deine Ruh -
Ach, wie kamst du nur dazu!

Wolf took another step towards her.

Und an diesem Zauberfädchen,
Das sich nicht zerreißen lässt...

Cassandra twisted away and jumped back.

Die Veränderung, ach, wie groß!
Liebe! Liebe! Laß mich los!

She laughed, finishing the poem for him.

"Let's get out of here," she smiled. "All this wet rock..."

She vanished before she could finish her sentence.

"Well, well, I see you are up to your old tricks - courting the one woman of substance in the party," Morrigan smirked. "I do wonder... What will you do when the real Morrigan joins you at Skyhold? What will you say to your son when you see him? How will you explain this new woman in your life? I shall be watching you, Lord Wolf Asgarsen Trevelyan. I shall be watching..."

She turned away, took a few steps and vanished. Wolf was no longer certain it wasn't the real Morrigan after all.

...

Wolf had been walking for hours, it seemed. He was alone among the rocks and the sea. Nothing interrupted the monotony. He pulled out Riordan's bottle and took a sip. The liqueur was strong but nothing burned quite like the Joining Cup. "I should start a bottle of my own," he thought. The mark on his hand burned with searing pain. "I have to remember how I got this..." He got up and started walking again.

After a while he saw a woman on a burning crucifix. She looked familiar, and he approached.

"Run, run while you can!" She cried.

He stood in the chamber of the Conclave. The woman was being held in place with some unknown magic, it weren't the flames that he saw, it was the magical force holding her in place. She was the Divine. The darkspawn lord held an orb in his hand, he intended to do something with it... but Wolf's appearance interrupted it, he looked away momentarily, and the Divine kicked at his hand with all her force. The orb flew through the air... and Wolf caught it. It burned worse than the Joining Cup. He dropped it, it was impossible to hold. Then... he stood in the Fade. He remembered running towards a glowing portal... he was being chased... by some creatures... spiders, scorpions, whatever they were... He made it to the portal and leapt through it. He woke up in Haven three days later.

"So, the orb," he thought. "That was the Elven artefact that Solas was talking about. That was what caused the explosion and created the breach. Solas knows what it is but is not telling. I wonder why. Surely, he cannot be blamed for the magic created by ancient elves..."

Wolf never trusted Solas. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. It wasn't because Solas kept to himself and was aloof and distant. A lot of people were like that. Solas was likely very old by human standards, he knew a great deal about the Fade and ancient elven magics, he wasn't just another mage. Why did he join the Inquisition? He wanted to defeat the darkspawn lord, he claimed... That part was probably true. But his interest in the orb went beyond academic. Wolf didn't trust him and never took him along if he could help it.

That orb was the key. One way or the other, they'd have to find that darkspawn lord and pry the orb from him, and then Wolf would simply fling it into the heavens and close the breach.

He got up and straightened his back. He knew what to do.

...

"Finally!" Zevran bent over Wolf's cot in the infirmary wing at Skyhold. "You gave us a fright! Three days! It's been three days!"

"Three days since what?" Wolf sat up, awake.

"Since they brought you here from the desert," Zevran smiled. "That is, it's been three days and a week! What happened?"

"The Fade," Wolf shrugged. "The others?"

"You all returned, except Clarel," Zevran pointed at the other cots. "All unconscious. All had to be carried here on carts. It takes a week to travel at that speed from the desert! But the others woke up before you. You've been thrashing."

"Spiders," Wolf grimaced. "And... things." He looked around. "Grey Wardens?"

"Many were lost, of course," Zevran said with a sigh. "But many more survived. They still hear the Call, but not as bad and not as persistent, and now that they know it's not real, they can resist. The Order will have to be rebuilt, but for now they joined the Inquisition."

"Was that Alistair's doing?" Wolf grinned.

"No, actually," Zevran sounded surprised. "It was... a general sentiment. You can ask them yourself when the nurse allows you to get up."

...

It was a few days before the nurse was satisfied with Wolf's condition and released him from the infirmary wing. He went to the barracks, as Zevran had suggested. Grey Wardens were huddled together, tending to their arms and armour, training and practicing spells. Wolf noticed they were mostly warriors, very few mages survived.

"No, blood magic is not inherently evil!" He heard a familiar voice coming from a group of mages. "I know you just had a shock! But that isn't all that blood magic is good for! I'd never suggest doing anything of the sort! But there are other uses!!"

The mages were having none of it, with many discontent voices covering Anders.

"He's right, you know," Wolf approached them and everyone turned around. "Blood magic can be used. But you must know what you are doing."

"Warden-Commander!" They stopped arguing and saluted. "If you say so... but we are not convinced."

"Leave them be, Anders," Wolf patted his arm. "They've been through a lot lately. We'll keep blood magic between us for now. I think they've seen the very worst one could think of..." Then he turned to the mages. "I am very sorry that we couldn't save the others... but..."

"...they were too far gone," someone said softly. "We know. No one here wants to use blood magic for that reason."

"Grey Wardens do not prohibit blood magic, but neither do they insist on its use," Wolf declared, shooting Anders a glance and changing the topic. "I hear you all joined the Inquisition. I welcome your help, of course. But shouldn't Grey Wardens look after the Order first?"

"We will when you return to Vigil Keep," someone said from the back of the crowd.

"There are too few of us and we need a leader," someone else seconded.

"And he is here, that is you, Warden-Commander," another person added.

"The Wardens will remain for as long as we are useful in your fight against the darkspawn lord," a mage at the front summarised. "Because Grey Wardens always rise against darkspawn."

"Then it is time to make it clear that Lord Inquisitor is a Grey Warden," Wolf nodded and smiled, as the griffon crest on his armour caught the light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, "Neue Liebe, neues Leben", a sonnet first published in 1775.

I looked at English translations but found them lacking. Wolf preferred the original, and Cassandra agreed.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 7 2024, 02:26 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Evening Star, 3E398 - Romance

"What's on your mind, my friend?" Zevran produced a bottle of Antivan brandy. "You've been brooding lately."

"Yes, I have..." Wolf accepted a goblet and took a sip. Antivan brandy always helped the flow of conversation. "It's about us..."

They were sitting on the roof of a watchtower, away from prying eyes and ears. What Wolf had to say, was no one's business. Everyone already got used to Zevran spending many a night in Wolf's quarters, and although at first people assumed that it showed Wolf's preference for men, after a time different rumours won over - those about a secret connection between Wolf and Zevran that had nothing to do with sex. It must have been demonic possession, blood magic binding, an ancient elven curse or something equally absurd; or it was just that Zevran was Wolf's slave, and thus... what exactly? People always preferred spectacular stories to mundane ones, regardless of their merit, and Wolf didn't care enough about the rumours to try to correct them. A few people realised that Wolf and Zevran were simply old friends who both felt out of place with the Inquisition and sought each other's company instead.

"Cassandra?" Zevran smiled. "I noticed the way you look at her. I shall stay out of your quarters."

"Cassandra, yes, but there's more..." Wolf took another sip of his brandy. "We've been traveling together for ten years now, give or take," Wolf coughed uncomfortably and shifted in his seat. "And you never... well... you stopped romancing men after we got together... after the Archdemon was slain... And I wasn't romancing anyone serious since Morrigan left... So even though you and I never... oh this is really awkward..." He paused again and took another sip, but Zevran remained silent, waiting for Wolf to finish what he had to say. "I feel like I never reciprocated your affection in a way that shows what you mean to me, in a way you would have wanted... you aren't just another friend... I feel like if I get involved with Cassandra, it would come between us. I like her a lot, but this isn't worth hurting your feelings. And so I am at a loss..."

"You are afraid that your relationship with Cassandra may become serious," Zevran summarised. "And that you would be 'unfaithful' to me in that case. Worry not, my friend, for I know you need a woman, and I am a man. I shall not abandon you."

"I wish I could..." Wolf shook his head.

"No need," Zevran smiled. "You telling me this now is enough. But I wonder... What will you do when your Imperial Legion calls you back? Because one day they will."

"Yes, this thought crossed my mind many times," Wolf nodded. "It could be years still, but one day they'll call me back, that is the point. Yet my stay here in Thedas is too long not to make bonds... I suppose when they do call me back, I'll have to either break my bonds or perhaps ask the other person to come with me... Would you be willing to leave Antiva behind and come with me to Tamriel?" He looked up; he surprised himself with this question, he never meant to ask it, not yet... but he thought of it often. Zevran would be better off in Tamriel, there was no stigma against elves there, he would no longer be a slave... but he would have to leave his beloved Antiva behind, and Wolf felt it might be too big a sacrifice.

"I... that is a hard question," Zevran agreed. "When the Archdemon was slain, you offered me to stay with the Wardens, even if I didn't want to become a Grey Warden myself. That was easy, and I accepted it gladly. Antiva was still only a few days travel away... But Tamriel is too far for a casual visit. If I leave, it will be for a very long time... a lifetime, perhaps. But not to leave would mean for me to remain here alone... I don't know if Antiva would still shine without you being there as well."

Zevran fell silent. They sat on the tower roof sipping their brandy, watching the sun set into the mountain tops and the stars dot the sky.

"Do the stars look the same in Tamriel?" Zevran asked softly.

"They do," Wolf nodded. "And we have two moons as well..."

"Two moons..." Zevran smiled. "Have you noticed ours? No moons at all for the most part, but sometimes one large moon rises..."

"Masser," Wolf pointed at a crescent just visible over the mountains. "You see it better in the Hissing Wastes..."

"Ah, the desert in the West," Zevran was looking at the stars. "Indeed. But sometimes it also rises above Antiva..."

"I am not leaving yet, my friend," Wolf said softly. "It may be still years. You don't need to decide today."

"I think I know already though," Zevran turned to look at him. "I'll collect what memories I can of Antiva... and then I'll come with you. The moon will be there to remind me of home until perhaps I find a new home in Tamriel."

"I am glad," Wolf raised a toast. "When this Inquisition is over and the darkspawn threat is defeated once again, we should leave for Antiva. The Crows send their regards."

"You want to take over the Crows?" Zevran laughed. "That would be something..."

"No, I want to play," Wolf winked. "I am not a Crows assassin, but you still are. Can I not be your sidekick for a change? I'm sure the Legion will wait."

"And what about Grey Wardens?" Zevran looked up.

"They need a vacation," Wolf grinned. "Grey Wardens deserve some boredom without any duties for a time. There aren't many of us left in Ferelden... and perhaps this time if the Crows get a contract on one or the other Grey Warden, they will actually succeed..."

"Oh you want to... The Crows will be honoured, I'm sure," Zevran laughed and raised a toast. "The Crows send their regards!"

...

"Cassandra, I'd like to speak with you, please," Wolf approached Cassandra interrupting her training. "That dummy needs replacing," he noted with a smile. "And while they are doing that... There's a grove just outside of the main gate, down the path - do you know it?" Cassandra nodded. "Well... meet me there in a bit."

"What is it about?" Cassandra squinted.

"You'll see," Wolf smiled, noting her paleness. "You won't need your sword, I hope."

He turned around and walked away, leaving Cassandra quite nervous. She did have an idea what it was about... and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. She loitered and played for time, she first went to see the quartermaster about the dummy... but when she could no longer pretend to have duties, she went to the grove.

She noticed Zevran loitering near the start of the path, pretending not to watch it. "So he wants to prevent us being disturbed," she thought. As she walked and the castle behind her became hidden from view, she saw candles and lanterns adorning the grove, flowers never before seen growing there, she saw a picnic set out in the middle with cheese and wine and grapes... but other than that, the grove seemed deserted.

Away with your fictions of flimsy romance;
Those tissues of falsehood which folly has wove!
Give me the mild beam of the soul-breathing glance,
Or the rapture which dwells on the first kiss of love.

Cassandra spun around, but there were too many trees and leafy bushes to see anything or anyone.

Ye rhymers, whose bosoms with phantasy glow,
Whose pastoral passions are made for the grove;
From what blest inspiration your sonnets would flow,
Could you ever have tasted the first kiss of love!

"And this is the poem you chose?" She spoke in the direction of Wolf's voice. "A poem that was once forbidden?"

If Apollo should e'er his assistance refuse,
Or the Nine be desposed from your service to rove,
Invoke them no more, bid adieu to the muse,
and try the effect of the first kiss of love.

Cassandra laughed softly and replied with a verse of her own:

In play, there are two pleasures for your choosing-
The one is winning, and the other losing.

Wolf stepped out into the grove.

Oh! cease to affirm that man, since his birth,
From Adam till now, has with wretchedness strove,
Some portion of paradise still is on earth,
And Eden revives in the first kiss of love.

Cassandra leaned onto a tree, relaxing and letting go. Letting go of what? She wasn't certain, but it felt as if chains were falling away from her heart.

She spoke in a softer, gentler tone, her Navarran accent strongly resembling that of the depths of Skyrim.

When age chills the blood, when our pleasures are past-
For years fleet away with the wings of the dove-

Wolf stood just behind her, not rushing into contact. He felt he should let her take the lead. Just another line...

The dearest rememberance will still be the last-

She spun around, facing him.

Our sweetest memorial the first kiss of love.

...

"Why did you do all this?" Cassandra sat up on the picnic blanket. The evening was unexpectedly warm, or perhaps they didn't feel the chill for other reasons. "This romantic place..." she looked around. "The lights, the flowers..."

"The wine and the cheese as well," Wolf laughed, handing her a goblet. "I know you only mentioned the candles and flowers, and the shops around here are short on poetry books... so I had to make do with what I knew by heart. And you knew it too, I notice." He pulled her close and kissed her again. "I always felt you were a romantic."

"I was... once," she nodded and smiled. "But after my brother's death... I was too angry for too long. Then I met a man who changed all that... he was a mage... we were together for a year or two, in the middle of the rebellion, of the civil war... imagine - a mage and a Seeker! We couldn't meet much... And then he died in the explosion at the Conclave." She paused, taking a sip of her wine. "And you survived... the only one to survive that explosion, and it wasn't he!" She looked at Wolf and shook her head.

"So you put me in chains," Wolf nodded. "Your interrogation... well, it wasn't technically a torture... but only technically..." He smirked. "I understand now, Cassandra."

"But duty took over," she nodded. "You had the mark, and it worked in closing rifts, so like it or not, we had to keep you, and keep you alive... Oh how I would have liked to swap your life for his!" She gave a short laugh. "And then... with everything you did... even if I disagreed... And now this picnic, the poetry... Am I just a challenge to you? Have I just lost?"

"I love you, Cassandra," Wolf said without hesitation, surprising himself perhaps more than her.

"Do you?" She looked at him searching. "You better, Warden-Commander..."






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry: Lord Byron, "The First Kiss of Love", December 1806; also two lines from "Don Juan", 1819.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 7 2024, 02:28 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Morning Star, 3E399 - Duties and requests

The Inquisition was very busy. The mage-templar war was stopped, but not in the way people had hoped. Instead of templars clashing with mages, there were now new kind of templars with their own agenda, plus a cult of mages from Tevinter with a similar agenda. These mages and templars didn't fight between themselves but instead focused on mining red lyrium where veins already existed, and creating new veins where there were none. And that was done by growing red lyrium on the bodies of people... The same thing that Wolf and others had seen in the darkspawn prison where they ended up during their expedition to the Deep Roads years ago. Now no villager was safe, people were being captured and sent to red lyrium farms, never to return. It was a terrible fate. The darkspawn lord lost his army of rebel mages and his army of Grey Wardens, but he still had an army of templars and another army of Tevinter mages... And of course he also had a dragon. All in all, the Inquisition still had a lot to do.

"We must see to it that we disable those armies," Cullen was arguing at the war table. "We can disrupt lyrium supplies and disable as many red lyrium farms as we are able. That'll bring him to his knees!"

"It is a nice idea but it won't work," Leliana cut him off. "If he has an Archdemon, we need an army of Grey Wardens to tackle it, and the Grey Wardens Order is severely short on manpower..."

"We were short on manpower ten years ago, during the Blight, with just Alistair and myself being the entire Grey Wardens contingent," Wolf pointed out. "We made alliances. You were there, Leliana, you should know."

"I know!" She protested. "I also know that we now have that darkspawn lord on top!"

"So then, we take the fight to them!" Cullen slammed his fist on the table. "It's been long enough!"

"And where exactly would that be?" Josephine joined in. "Nobody knows where this lord is hiding or how to draw him out! It seems to me he will come to us, and we'll have to fight him on his terms, not ours!"

After half an hour of circular arguments Wolf threw up his hands in the air and left the room.

"The Inquisition is at an impasse, I see," Dorian joined him in the garden. "I'd say take it one task at a time. Those mages from Tevinter... I can imagine what drives them. Tevinter was once the grandest empire in Thedas... Tevinter was Thedas, the other kingdoms did not even exist. Well, that's because we had enslaved everyone... Horrible, I know, but it is still my homeland. These mages probably hope to restore our lost glory... but I don't know how it fits with that darkspawn lord... Was he a Magister from Tevinter, perhaps? Still alive after a thousand years?"

"He told me he spent a thousand years in the Grey Wardens prison," Wolf nodded. "So yeah, it could be true."

"That would be since before the First Blight," Dorian rubbed his chin. "Well, your Chantry preaches that it were Tevinter Magisters who reached out to Heaven and corrupted the Maker's Golden City... While our Chantry naturally preaches that the Golden City was already corrupted when the Magisters got there... A slight distinction, whether or not the Blights are our fault."

"I think it doesn't matter, Dorian," Wolf shrugged. "It no longer matters who started it. The question now is how to prevent the next end of the world."

"Why was that lord imprisoned?" Dorian suddenly asked. "I mean, I understand why Grey Wardens imprisoned him then, after all the Order was just created and they were facing an unknown threat. But Grey Wardens learned to kill Archdemons since then. Why did they not kill that lord in the same way?"

"Hmm... I wish I knew..." Wolf shook his head.

"But you are a Warden-Commander," Dorian was not giving up. "Surely, someone knows. Why don't they share that knowledge with their Commanders?"

"I think something strange is happening at the Head Quarters," Wolf agreed. "But I have no time now to dive into that..."

...

"The Seekers have disappeared!" Cassandra looked very crossed and hit the dummy exceptionally hard. "They didn't join the templars, they didn't follow that darkspawn lord, as some had suggested. No, the whole Order just vanished!" Wham! The dummy had to pay for that.

"Out comes the dragon," Wolf smirked to himself. "Have you tried to find them?" He asked aloud.

"I have," Cassandra stopped hitting the dummy. "I got a few leads... I'd appreciate it if we could investigate them... even though I know you're very busy, Lord Inquisitor. And I want no favours on the account of..." She didn't get to finish her sentence because Lord Inquisitor took measures to temper the dragon with a kiss.

"Nonsense, Cassandra," he said softly, still holding her close. "Oh, don't worry, everyone already knows. Did you want to keep it a secret? So naturally it spread like wildfire. People do wonder whether you'll now settle down, whether we'll get married and have three children at least..."

"WHAT?!!!" Cassandra nearly jumped out of Wolf's embrace but he held her tightly.

"Isn't it what's expected of a fine noble couple like ourselves?" He smirked. "People are also talking that you down-sold yourself, Lady Cassandra Pentaghast, member of the Royal House of Nevarra, 87th in line for the throne. I am, after all, but a humble noble from the Free Marches..." He grinned, watching her roll her eyes. "Although House Trevelyan is going to be thrilled to learn that their 'lost son' liaised himself with the Pentaghasts."

"Oh drop it already!" Cassandra sighed. "I am too old to have children anyway..."

"Regrets?"

"Yes... No..." Cassandra shook her head. "I would have liked to experience motherhood... but I don't like everything else that comes with it. Like being a Lady of the Court, or staying at home, or giving up being a Seeker..."

"Romantic, as always," Wolf smiled. "We'll search for the missing Seekers, of course. And not because it's you who's asking... Well, not only because of that. Something isn't right..."

...

"Lord Inquisitor, if I could have a moment..." Josephine called out to Wolf when he was passing her office on the way to the war room. "I wonder if I may impose on you with a personal request?" She looked somewhat embarrassed. "It's about my family."

"Of course, Josephine," Wolf smiled. "The war council can wait. What is it?"

"Well... You see..." she stumbled, which was very unlike her. "My family, House Montilyet, has been exiled to Orlais from our native Antiva for over a century now. We've been disgraced, indebted..." she sighed, then shook her head. "Oh, very few people know about that. But such is the truth. I am the eldest child and the head of our House... and I found proof of that old intrigue. With it, our honour and standing can be reinstated. I sent it to the Empress of Orlais as is the proper procedure... but the messenger was found murdered with the proof missing. And now..." She looked even more uneasy. "Now I received a personal threat. It seems, there is a contract on my life... not with the Antivan Crows but a rival assassins group in Orlais... so..." She seemed unsure how to proceed with her request.

"We need to deal with the assassins somehow," Wolf nodded. "And you'll need a bodyguard."

"Yes, well, that... err... That's where my request comes in," she smiled. "Your friend is a Crows assassin... Zevran, is it? Perhaps he would know what to do?"

"Zevran can guard your life, for sure," Wolf nodded. "But we need to deal with the contract."

"Yes, I know, he is your friend, not mine, but may be now that you have Cassandra to soothe your nights..."

"Josephine!" Wolf didn't like where that was going. "Zevran can guard your life, but he is no whore."

"Oh I would never..!" Josephine blushed to the roots of her dark hair.

"Lady Montilyet, let us return to the topic of the contract," Wolf said quite formally. "If it is not held by the Antivan Crows, Zevran can only assist in guarding your life, not in eliminating the contract. Tell me the rest."

"Well, I received a letter from a certain Marquis in Orlais... inviting me to discuss this contract," Josephine recovered from her embarrassment. "Only I know that man. He is about as likely to be involved as the Empress' favourite rabbit... It is clearly a trap, yet one I cannot ignore. Will you come with me to this meeting, Lord Trevelyan?" She looked at him and smiled. "For moral support."

"I'll bring my best daggers," Wolf smiled.

...

"Lord Inquisitor!" Leliana was out of breath. "I'm glad I could catch you here at Skyhold. I have a favour to ask."

"Of course you do," Wolf turned around. "Let's hear it."

"I received a letter from the late Divine..."

"What?! But she's dead!"

"It is a will of sorts," Leliana giggled at the effect of her statement. "She didn't send it after her death, she wrote it a long time ago and left it with a trustee to be dispatched upon her demise. He now forwarded it to me. She left something for me at the Chantry where she was a priest. But I feel uneasy about it..."

"And you want me to come with you in case it is a trap," Wolf nodded. "Alright."

"Please!" Leliana looked pleadingly at him. "For old times sake! Please, Warden-Commander!"

"But I already agreed," Wolf smiled. "Of course I'll help. Even if you and I disagree on just about every matter."

"Oh... Yes... thank you," Leliana smiled. "Let's not delay it too much though, it could be important."

...

"Warden, if I may have a word?" Varric called out to Wolf in the Great Hall. "It's about..."

"Red lyrium," a dwarven woman whom Wolf had never seen before, was standing next to Varric.

"This is Bianca," Varric introduced her.

"Ah, like the crossbow," Wolf grinned. "So this one is the original, is she, Varric?" He winked.

"Well..."

"I am." Bianca beamed at him. "And I've got something to tell you... and to show you. It's about red lyrium and how your darkspawn lord knew about its existence."

"Alright," Wolf nodded. "And you want us to leave straight away, no doubt?"

"Well, Bianca does need to get back..." Varric shuffled his feet.

"At your service," Wolf grinned. "I think we'll cancel war council meetings for the next month."

...

Everyone wanted something from Wolf all of a sudden. Every single person asked for a favour. Everyone except Dorian. So Wolf sought out Dorian himself.

"Can you explain this to me?" He looked at Dorian quizzically. "They all want something, they all have needs that only Lord Inquisitor can fulfil... but not you?"

"'What's wrong with you?' - is that what you are asking?" Dorian laughed. "But no, I have no favours to ask. I handle my affairs myself."

"So, there's something, then," Wolf smiled. "It's safe to tell me, you know I'm quite impartial in this."

"Well... It isn't that important." Dorian looked away and Wolf got a distinct impression that it was very important.

"It's your call, Dorian," Wolf said quietly. "Just remember that I'm your friend and I'll help if I can. The darkspawn lord can wait, I'm sure."

"Yes, well... You will think it silly... I recently broke up with a... friend... well, lover. I had given him a gift... in better days... it's a family trinket of mine, it's my birthright as a Magister. A token, if you like. And while I have no plans on becoming a Magister myself, I want that trinket back because I don't want him to have it... not after... well... we didn't remain friends." Dorian fell silent.

"But you still love him," Wolf nodded.

"Yes... despite what came to pass. How did you know?"

"It shows."

"I never thought..."

"A wounded heart shows," Wolf looked at Dorian sideways. "Even though you don't wear it on your sleeve. But I can see the signs. What do you want me to do?"

"He must not die over this," Dorian looked at Wolf. "But perhaps you could talk to him..?"

...

"People trust you, you've earned the authority," Anders was giving his take on the matter when Wolf complained that everyone started asking favours all of a sudden. "These are not new matters, and may be each of them was grinding to a halt... festering without resolution..."

"I've declined a few," Wolf looked at him. "Vivienne asked me to hunt some ferocious beast for its heart so that she could fulfil a request of some noble or other... I don't see why she thought I'd do it!"

"She was testing you, perhaps?" Anders shrugged.

"Well, then she failed," Wolf scowled. "I am no doormat, even if it does seem otherwise sometimes..."

"Oh no, you are no doormat, Warden-Commander," Anders laughed. "We all know that. But people like Vivienne, they find themselves too important to look around."

"Yeah... If she wants to leave, she won't be missed."

It was good to talk to an old friend who had no favours to ask. Wolf spent the rest of the day with the Wardens until Oghren finally drank him under the table. No one could outdrink Oghren, but it was always fun to try.

"The ppproblem with your Inquisssssssition..." Oghren tried to speak between hiccups, "...is that evvvvveryone has an agenda. Not like the Wwwwwardens who jusssssst want to..."

"Smash all darkspawwwwwwwn!!" Someone picked up his sentence.

"Rrrright!! Bartender..!"

"You drank all the ale! What am I supposed to serve you?!" The bartender kicked an empty barrel.

"It matters not," Anders raised his head. "Nothing burns quite like the Joining Cup..."





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 7 2024, 02:30 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Sun's Dawn, 3E399 - Revelations

"We have a breakthrough," Josephine proudly declared during a war council meeting. "The Empress of Orlais is sending us her Arcane Adviser, a mage who is exceptionally versed in the matters of the Fade as well as ancient artefacts..."

"But we already have such a mage," Cassandra interrupted, confused. "Solas."

"Yes, well, but this mage is not an elf herself," Josephine pointed out.

"So? Why is that better?" Cassandra squinted.

"That makes her impartial!"

"Hardly!"

"Stop arguing and tells us who she is!" Wolf had had enough of it. It was always the same thing - arguments, arguments and arguments.

"Her name is Lady Morrigan," Josephine consulted her notes. "She is the Arcane Adviser to the Empress of Orlais."

"Morrigan?!" Wolf, Leliana and Cullen exclaimed in chorus. "An adviser to the Empress??" Wolf couldn't get over the surprise.

"Yes... Why are you all staring at me?" Josephine took a step back.

"Morrigan is the Witch of the Wilds," Leliana said with a hiss.

"Morrigan is an apostate!" Cullen scowled.

"Morrigan... is coming here?" Wolf asked softly and Cassandra shot him a glance.

"They should be here shortly," Josephine confirmed, consulting her notes again. "She is also bringing her son."

...

"Morrigan?!" Alistair was as surprised as Wolf. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean? I'm going to hear what she has to say... err..." Wolf shuffled his feet.

"Yeah... I bet she'll have something to say..." Alistair shook his head. "And the boy with her? Your son?"

"Yes..." Wolf nodded. "But you remember..."

"He's got a soul of an ancient god, straight out of the Archdemon," Alistair nodded. "Yes, I remember. I always knew it was a bad idea."

"No point dwelling on it now, the boy is ten years old. I rather wonder why Morrigan decided to come here now. I'm sure it is not because of me," Wolf pointed out. "In all these years she never made contact, and she did make me promise to leave her alone. So I wonder what changed."

"The hole in the sky may have something to do with it," Alistair smirked. "And that glowing mark on your hand."

The following day Morrigan arrived at Skyhold. She had an oxcart laden with something very large encased in a sturdy wooden box the size of a wardrobe. Yet Wolf didn't think it contained any dresses. Once Morrigan settled in, she called the war council to explain her presence.

"I am here because I believe I can help you find your darkspawn lord," she stated without a preamble. "You all know who I am, some of you better than others," she shot a glance at Leliana. "Oh please don't act surprised, Sister," she smirked. "I've noticed your crows circling around my quarters at the palace. You knew exactly where I was and what I was doing. But to business," she turned to Wolf. "You remember the eluvian that I went through just after my son... our son was born? Well, I brought such an eluvian with me, recovered from a crumbling elven ruin. It leads to a crossroads of sorts, a space in the Fade with many other eluvians in it. Each leads either to another pocket of the Fade, or to a place in Thedas, or somewhere in between. And by that I mean a plane where ancient elves used to live. Modern elves believe it was in the forests of Thedas, but they are wrong. It was on a different plane, a plane they can no longer reach, and thus it is no more than a legend now. When you caught that elven artefact which left the mark on your hand," she looked at Wolf again, "you spoiled the ritual that your darkspawn lord was trying to perform. That artefact was changed and can no longer be used as he had intended. I believe he will now try to reach that elven plane in order to either purify the artefact or find something to replace it. That plane has many temples and many solutions, I am sure."

"So all we have to do is enter that plane before he does and stop him," Cullen summarised with sarcasm. "Do you even know what you are proposing, witch?!"

"I do not believe you have a choice," Morrigan answered coldly. "Hiding in a cage won't save you this time, Cullen."

"What..?" Cullen paled and swallowed.

"Leave him be, Morrigan," Wolf turned to her with some authority. "Cullen was one of the few to withstand that horror in the Circle Tower. No! Stop it. It's ten years on, and we're all older and wiser now."

"Older, yes, but wiser..." Morrigan sighed and shook her head. "Oh very well. Since you asked so nicely."

"We have been stuck in an impass for months," Wolf looked at everyone in turn. "We've tracked down all templar leutenants, all red lyrium mines that we could find, we eliminated various groups of Tevinter mages, we found the missing Seekers... I am sorry, Cassandra... I am sorry that we found them dead," he paused. "We've followed every lead, and none of them brought us any closer to actually finding that darkspawn lord, let alone foiling his plan. Morrigan brings a new approach. I say we must follow up and see where it leads."

...

Morrigan knew what she was talking about. She showed Wolf the crossroads with all the other eluvians there, most of them dark and inactive. She found one that would lead to a ruin with an eluvian leading into the Fade, to the Golden City.

"This is what your darkspawn lord wants," she explained. "The Golden City, the seat of the Maker. Of course, it is no longer Golden, it's been corrupted and is now known as the Black City, but it is the same place. If he reaches it, he won't need any other artefacts - from there he can rule the world. Or destroy it."

"So we have to get to that eluvian and prevent him from using it," Wolf nodded. "Good grief..."

It wasn't easy by any stretch of imagination, but they did get to the ruin that Morrigan was talking about. It had an eluvian, but it was inactive.

"So for the better!" Wolf smiled. "It isn't working! He won't be able to get through!"

"Each eluvian has a key... something that activates it... they are all different," Morrigan stepped into a pond in front of it. "I wonder what opens this one..?"

At that moment the darkspawn lord appeared. He was enraged - he had seen all the corpses of his templars littering the way.

"You defeated my templars, but your fight is only just beginning!" He bellowed and attacked. He summoned demons by the dozen, the fighting was worse than anything they'd seen before. Several Grey Wardens ran in, the lord's personal guard, their minds fully controlled by him. "Why Grey Wardens?" Wolf wondered. "Are we really better at fighting than templars?" The thought caressed his ego and gave him a second wind...

Eventually they prevailed. The lord's Grey Wardens lay dead, his demons vanished and he himself was on the ground. Wolf ran up to him and thrust a dagger through the heart. "In Death, Sacrifice," he repeated the Grey Wardens motto, fully expecting to die. By all accounts this darkspawn lord was akin an Archdemon, which meant that his spirit would leave the body behind and seek one with the taint, namely him, Wolf, who dealt the killing blow. Wolf would die, and with him also the darkspawn lord. "Hawke could not kill him because Hawke is not a Grey Warden," he told himself. "I shall do better."

Everyone saw a wisp leaving the corpse of the darkspawn lord. The wisp hovered over Wolf, then moved on. It entered a dead Grey Warden, first animating the corpse, then transforming it into darkspawn, then into a dragon, nay, a wyvern, something half-finished but good enough to take off and fly away...

...

"What just happened?" Cullen asked in a fallen voice. Everyone was stunned.

"The darkspawn lord was reborn in the body of a Grey Warden," Morrigan said in a near whisper. "Do you realise what this means?!" She cried out, looking at each of them in turn. "That he cannot be killed! Not even by a Grey Warden!"

"That explains why the first Grey Wardens locked him away in that prison," Varric nodded. "And then I had to let him out..."

"Nonsense, he manipulated people to arrange his release," Wolf shook his head. "It isn't your fault. What I want to know however, is why these Grey Wardens were so completely taken over, while others are still able to resist... What did he do to them..?" He knelt over a dead Grey Warden. "He looks... he was dying... corruption in his blood was too great... This fate awaits us all... hmm... I wonder..."

"He did not fight like a dying man," Iron Bull objected. "He was strong... too strong, perhaps..."

"Red lyrium?" Cullen also knelt over the body. "No, doesn't look like it... His corruption is black, just like the Blight..."

"Yes, this is what the taint does to us, in about fifty years..." Wolf nodded. "But it also takes away strength, not increases it... Something isn't right..."

"Let's bring him back to Skyhold," Cullen suddenly suggested. "And the other dead Grey Warden too. Give them a proper burial."

"What about the templars?" Wolf looked around. "Don't they deserve a funeral as well?"

"May be we can come back for them?"

"Hello, this is not the most important thing right now!" Morrigan interrupted Wolf's and Cullen's musings. "We have to figure out how to work this eluvian. Then you can come and go as you please!"

"Why?" Wolf turned to her. "Why do we need this eluvian?"

"Because it leads to the Golden City!"

"Nonsense, Morrigan," Wolf shook his head. "You don't have all the answers. You don't know where it leads. And if it does lead to the Golden City - or rather the Black City now - then going there will serve no purpose other than to satisfy your curiosity."

"But it's an ancient artefact! It's what your darkspawn lord wanted!" She protested. "And for that reason we must find the key, activate it, learn where it leads and then deactivate it so that he could not use it! And yes, I do want to know."

"Fine," Wolf scowled. "You figure it out while Cullen and I tend to the dead."

He walked away. He failed to kill the darkspawn lord. He killed him, but didn't kill his soul. Did it mean that he could never be killed? Did they just lose that war? Did it mean that the world would die with them? Learning the secrets of the eluvian seemed pointless and unimportant in comparison.

The elven temple was silent, death flooding the halls.





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 7 2024, 02:31 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Sun's Dawn, 3E399 - Reunion

"Please stay with me here," Morrigan spoke quietly to Wolf when most people wandered off, unsure what to do next. "I... am sorry. For everything... You're right, I don't have all the answers. And we haven't talked since I arrived... I was hoping to talk after it's all over, but it doesn't look like it'll be finished any time soon."

"You've always played your cards close to your chest," Wolf smirked. "I know. I just... this battle... and that darkspawn lord rising again... I admit, I don't see a way forward."

"'Tis not plain," Morrigan nodded. "But I do have thoughts... Only I don't want to bring them all out, for all to see... Send everyone home. We can always use the eluvian at Skyhold to come here, should you wish to collect the dead... Then stay here with me, I do believe this temple has what we need... I cannot explain why I believe it."

Wolf nodded. Whatever Morrigan was thinking, it was better than nothing at all.

"Cassandra..." Wolf approached her, but she shook her head.

"We'll talk later. When... you'll have made up your mind." She smiled and walked away with the others. Wolf and Morrigan were alone in the ancient elven temple with a pond in front of an inactive eluvian.

"I've seen your son," Wolf said, trying to sound neutral. "In the garden. He said hello to me but he does not know who I am."

"Our son," Morrigan smiled. "He knows that his father is a Grey Warden, and that he is alive. He knows that Grey Wardens have duties, that they must give up their families and peaceful life. His father is away as his duty commands... Is this not true?"

"His father would have liked to keep in touch if his mother hadn't prevented him," Wolf looked at her with scorn. "I bet you omitted that little fact."

"It is better that he does not know... the whole truth... as yet," Morrigan smiled. "He is but a boy."

"Why have you been staying away? I..." Wolf looked at her and sighed. "Well, yes... I loved you... Perhaps still do..."

"Then what of Cassandra?" Morrigan's voice sounded detached, betraying no emotion.

"It's been ten years, Morrigan... I never thought to see you again... I've waited... And yes, I shall leave Thedas one day, so why start another bond?" He smirked. "But life is a messy affair, is it not? Cassandra is a remarkable woman, and... well... it's good while it lasts. But it won't last, not with her. Like you, she is driven. Once the novelty of a love affair will have worn off, she'll want to return to her duties... and I won't fit into the saddle bags."

"That is not a very flattering opinion of her," Morrigan gave a short laugh. "Or of me, for that matter."

"But that's what you two have in common," Wolf smiled. "May be that's what I like in a woman..."

"That we don't stick around?"

"That you have your own life to live."

They were strolling through the elven ruin that lay silent around them. It was peaceful. The air seemed to have cleansed itself of the horrors of death and battle, even though bodies still littered the floor. They too looked peaceful somehow.

"I left because I had to leave..." Morrigan said softly. "Not because I wanted to... I had to take care of our son... I still do. He is too young."

"What of the spirit inside him?" Wolf stopped, looking at her. "I've seen Anders struggle with Justice, and Wynne getting mixed up with Faith, and Cassandra... well... I don't think she's got a spirit inside her now, but she is no regular mortal either... It isn't a small thing to have a spirit in you. How is he holding up?"

"He... has nightmares," Morrigan looked up. "Dreams of a dragon... I am unsure... He is your son, he has your dragon blood and your taint... as well as that spirit... I thought the taint would be neutralised, but what if I was wrong..?"

"In that case the spirit inside him would grow into another Archdemon," Wolf noted. "I should be worried... Alistair thought the whole thing was a dreadful idea..."

"Alistair..." Morrigan started, but Wolf put a finger across her lips.

"Don't. Alistair is not as dumb as he likes to play up."

That touch was all it took, old flames were awakened. Morrigan didn't protest or object... The temple appeared to close in, vines and grass pushing through the stone. The temple was watching them, it seemed... watching over them even. Time itself stood still.

"Will you have another child?" Wolf smiled.

"No, carrying Kieran with that spirit inside him burned that away," she smiled with sadness. "No more children for me."

"Morrigan, when this is all over..." Wolf sat up, but Morrigan shook her head.

"We don't know what will happen then," she said with a frown. "We don't know which sacrifices will still need to be made... what will become of us, assuming that we survive... what will become of Kieran... One way or the other, when he is older, I'll need to free him of that spirit... or lose him. It is just dreams now, while he's but a boy, but he will want to live his life as a man one day... That spirit won't allow it."

"You didn't think you'd care for the child when you asked me for one," Wolf gave her a long look. "Ten years ago."

"No, I did not," Morrigan returned his gaze. "I did not think he'd be anything but an ancient spirit to me, in a boy's body... Oh how I was wrong."

"You don't have to do it alone," Wolf said firmly. "I told you this before, and I'm saying it again... Let me come with you."

"No, I can't..." she shook her head. "I can't... I must not..." she sighed. "After this, you go with Cassandra."

"I am not ready to let go of you yet... not again..."

...

They spent a long time in the temple, it felt like days. They pushed aside the world's problems and focused on each other. They would not have another opportunity like that, they both felt it.

"You must promise me to go back to living your life," Morrigan said quite seriously. "No more waiting... You will return to Tamriel one day, and there you must start over."

"I'll hold off until then, in that case," he grinned.

"Oh, you are insufferable!" She laughed.

Alas, they could not remain in that temple for ever. Eventually it was time to return to the matters at hand, and the thought of their defeat overshadowed feelings of love that they held towards each other.

"I still believe that this eluvian holds the answer," Morrigan touched the inactive glass. "The darkspawn lord came here, to this very chamber. He wasn't just chasing you... He wanted something from here. But what? Did he have the key to this eluvian? But we did not find it..."

"Do you really want to go to the Black City?" Wolf turned to her. "If this is where this eluvian leads... what good will it be? We're mortals, we cannot set foot there... we'd be dead."

"This eluvian does not lead to the Golden City," a voice behind them answered, and they spun around. A tall elf in ancient guilded armour stood there. "This eluvian conducts the wisdom of Mythal."

"Mythal?" Morrigan was eyeing him with great curiosity. "The ancient elven goddess? The protector of the people? But she is dead, along with the other elven gods."

"Yet her wisdom survives," the elf replied. "Who are you? You are intruders in this temple. What do you want here? And why has the temple not struck you down?"

"We are... intruders," Morrigan nodded. "We came here in the hope to slay the darkspawn lord who wishes to destroy the world. You've seen him, no doubt. He... well... I believe he wanted something from here. We tried to stop him."

"And you failed," the elf watched them. "Then you wish nothing from this temple for yourself?"

"We still hope to find a way to stop that darkspawn," Wolf replied. "Beyond that, we wish nothing."

"Well... this temple has so many ancient artefacts..!" Morrigan started.

"Morrigan!" Wolf cut her off quite sternly.

"What? To study and to preserve, not to sell or bargain with!" She objected.

"The temple hasn't struck you down... in fact, it gave you space... I've been watching you," the elf smiled, quite unexpectedly. "Mythal passed her judgement. One of you may partake of her wisdom, but know that it comes with a price. You will be forever bound to her will."

"Such gifts do not come without a price, indeed," Morrigan nodded. "But Mythal is dead. This warning sounds hollow. I wish to partake of the wisdom."

"I am not so sure that Mythal is really dead..." Wolf shook his head. "This could be a terrible bind, Morrigan. Worse than that of your mother."

"But if it helps us to stop that darkspawn..." She looked at Wolf and smiled. "If that wisdom helps... I am willing to take the risk. Mythal is dead."

"Then drink from the well," the elf pointed at the water of the pond at their feet. "This is the Well of Sorrows."

Morrigan gasped - she had clearly heard of such a well before. Then, without further explanations, she stepped into the pond and submerged. When she stood up again, she looked confused, but also enlightened.

"There is so much..." she started saying, but an Archdemon swooped down on them just then. A great big flaming Archdemon!

"Escape!" The elf shouted, pointing at the eluvian. It was active - the waters of the Well of Sorrows had been the key. Morrigan squeezed Wolf's hand and ran towards the eluvian, jumping into it and pulling Wolf after her. The Archdemon could not follow.

They stepped out of the eluvian at Skyhold.

"The eluvian in the elven temple did not lead to the Golden City," Wolf said, looking around. "We are home."

"The wisdom of Mythal brought us here," Morrigan nodded. "I... have ideas what to do next. The Well holds knowledge..."

"But what will stop that darkspawn from drinking from it as well?" Wolf looked worried.

"Oh no, it is just plain water now," Morrigan shook her head. "It only becomes the Well of Sorrows with Mythal's blessing... hmm... or something like that. But anyhow, he won't be able to use it."

"And you think he wanted it because..?" Wolf still wasn't convinced.

"Because he thought it would tell him how to reach the Golden City, perhaps?" Morrigan shrugged. "Perhaps like me, he thought that the eluvian behind the pond would lead him there? Does it matter?" She looked around, as if seeing the room for the first time. "We have to prepare. I need to sort through this but... yes, I have ideas... Give me a day or two, then we'll talk..."

She walked away, looking dazed and somewhat absent-minded. Not surprising, considering that her head had just been filled with a thousand years worth of knowledge. She would indeed need a day or two to work through it all.

...

When everything finally appeared to be going to plan, Morrigan's son Kieran disappeared. A maid out of breath ran up to Wolf calling him urgently to the room with the eluvian, and when he got there, she said that Kieran had stepped through and Morrigan went after him... Wolf didn't need asking twice and stepped through the portal too.

The eluvian did not lead to the crossroads or to the elven temple; instead Wolf stood among wet rocks of the Fade. He called after Morrigan, ran around a bit and soon found her looking lost and frightened.

"Kieran ran into the eluvian," she said through tears. "I do not understand... He's never done such a thing... He is such a serious, studious boy... Oh... What am I going to do..?"

"First of all you calm down, I am here for you," Wolf hugged her. "Now, we'll look for Kieran together. If I am finally allowed to meet my son..."

Morrigan smiled and nodded, her usual wit and sarcasm cast aside as a mask.

"How is it possible that this eluvian changed destination?" Wolf asked in an attempt to get Morrigan's mind away from imagining the worst possible scenarios for Kieran. "I thought they were locked in."

"And so did I," Morrigan shrugged. "But obviously it isn't the case... No one knows for sure how eluvians work. We only have fragments of information..."

They walked through the Fade, but Kieran was no where to be found.

"He's just a boy, you know... my son..." Morrigan started sobbing again.

"I think the spirit inside him led him here, I think this is why he could activate the eluvian," Wolf pointed out. "But wait... I hear voices!"

They came to a clearing and found Flemeth and Kieran talking. It was clearly Flemeth, but dressed in armour, and with horns like a dragon... "She is a dragon," Wolf reminded himself.

"Mother!!!" Morrigan ran up to them. "You kidnapped my son!!!" She shot a spell at her.

"I did no such thing, girl," with a wave of her hand Flemeth cancelled the spell. "We were expecting you. Aren't you going to introduce Kieran? I think it is time."

"How dare you!!!" Morrigan was furious.

"Do it, or I will." Flemeth remained calm, she knew her daughter well.

Morrigan took a moment to compose herself, then spoke in a much calmer tone.

"Kieran... this is the Warden I told you about..." She walked over to Kieran. "This is your father."

"I knew it," Kieran nodded and smiled. "The moment I saw you, I knew it. But mother didn't want us to meet..." He shot a glance at Morrigan.

"Morrigan has strange ideas about family," Flemeth smirked. "I suppose it is my fault."

Wolf walked over to Kieran and sat on a rock.

"A Grey Warden breastplate," he noticed a griffin crest that Kieran wore around his neck. "I am sorry I wasn't there for you all these years, son."

"You couldn't..." Morrigan said softly. "It could not be done... You had duties... And besides, I was afraid..."

"You - afraid?" Wolf looked up. "Of what?"

"Of darkspawn corruption," she said in a near whisper. "Kieran's spirit... the spirit inside him... had to remain pure..."

"And I carry the taint..." Wolf nodded and sighed. "I understand it now."

"I can sense your taint," Kieran said and touched his face. "I can sense the taint in all Grey Wardens at Skyhold... Am I in danger?" He looked at Morrigan who became visibly worried.

"Would you like me to take that spirit away?" Flemeth asked him.

"What..? How..?" Morrigan stumbled.

"There was once a young woman wronged by a wicked man, it is all true. I met her crying her eyes out. We talked and she allowed me in. My first host. There were many young women after her, lending me their bodies. I am Mythal." Flemeth smiled. "Or rather, what's left of her."

"Mythal..." Morrigan mouthed the name almost without a sound. "I spent my days seeking out ancient artefacts, unravelling their mysteries... But the greatest mystery of all has always been right before me... my own mother..."

"The very same!" Flemeth smiled. "But you were never in danger from me, my daughter. I could never touch an unwilling spirit like yours."

"And that is why you didn't kill her when I asked you to," Morrigan looked at Wolf. "You knew."

"Flemeth told me you were in no danger and I believed her," Wolf nodded.

"What now, grandmother?" Kieran turned to Flemeth. "Can you make the dreams go away? I don't want them."

"I can take that spirit away, indeed," Flemeth nodded. "But Morrigan will forever remain bound to my will. Or I can take the boy with me, and you will be free from me forever, my daughter. You choose." She looked at Morrigan with a question.

"Mythal..." Morrigan was still stunned by the discovery. "No, no, Kieran must be free. I... I submit to your will."

Flemeth waved her hand and a silvery wisp escaped from under Kieran's Grey Warden breastplate and entered Flemeth's body.

"No more dreams, child," she smiled. "Go with your mother."

Flemeth vanished. Kieran ran to Morrigan and she hugged him, crying.

"Will you let me stay with you now?" Wolf touched her shoulder. "My taint is no longer a threat to our son."

"But my bond to Mythal is!" Morrigan exclaimed. "No, I cannot drag you down that path with me! She won't touch Kieran, I am certain, but you will never be safe! Please... Mythal is not a benevolent goddess!"

"Mythal the Protector..?" Wolf didn't understand. "All-Mother? Not a benevolent goddess?"

"People fear her too," Morrigan nodded. "There are legends... She knows no mercy. She is Justice, in a way."

"And mercy is not just," Wolf sighed. "And you think that my presence..."

"Anyone's presence," Morrigan corrected him. "Anyone at my side... except Kieran... is in danger. We... we've had our time," she smiled. "Now we must walk our separate paths. I shall help you defeat your darkspawn nemesis... I now have the means, more than you know. But after that I shall leave. And Kieran..."

"Take care of your mother, won't you," Wolf spoke to him and Kieran nodded, hugging her around the middle.

"I see you in him, my friend," Morrigan said through tears as Wolf kissed her one last time. "He's got your eyes."