As with my other story: All comments are welcome, the good, the bad and the pointers on language and grammar mistakes.
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They couldn't go on like that. She had to confront him. She wasn't the evading type, normally. No, normally she was the kind of person who took the bull by the horns, met trouble head on. But this time she had chosen to close her eyes to all the signs. Had let him get away with pretending that everything was alright. Because she was afraid. Scared of what it meant if her suspicions were correct. But it had to stop. There was no choice, not anymore. Tonight she would talk to him. And she prayed to the Maker to give her strength.
_._._._.
Alistair sat outside, enjoying the calmness that settles over the land when night begins to fall. Feeling anxious Solona watched him for a while before she went to his side. She sat down closely and handed him a steaming cup of tea.
For a long moment they both sipped the hot beverage in a companionable silence that only years of familiarity and intimacy can foster.
Finally Solona took a deep breath, steeling herself.
"It's the Calling, isn't it, love?"
Although Alistair had known this conversation was inevitable, he still wasn't prepared for it. His first impuls was to protest, deny everything, lie to her and say that his restless nights came from indigestion and his jumpiness from lack of sleep. But he knew he couldn't hide any longer.
So he simply nodded and said quietly "Yes. Yes, it is."
Briefly Solona closed her eyes as the fears proved true and a wave of despair washed over her. Yet, oddly enough, knowing was easier than suspecting.
Tentatively she asked "Since when …?"
"Two months."
This came as a surprise. She hadn't started to notice the signs until three weeks ago. Usually he wasn't able to hide anything from her, at least not for long.
"So we have to leave soon."
He sighed. "Yes."
"Why did you keep it from me?" she asked, anger flaring.
Alistair looked down, ashamed. "I didn't … I wanted to enjoy what little time we have left together without burdening you."
Solona's features softened and she smiled at him. Her hand found his and their fingers intertwined.
She had never been able to be angry with him for long, especially not when he acted out of kindness. They both had seen gruesome things, done morally questionable deeds, been forced to make decisions that determined who lived and who died. At one point during the blight she had even told him that they were all killers. Yet through it all he had retained his kind heart and his deep sense of compassion. And for that she loved him.
_._._._.
The closer they got to Orzammar the more quiet Solona grew. Alistair often caught her looking up at the endless sky, breathing in deep or raising her face to the sun and letting the beams caress her skin.
He knew how much she hated the Deep Roads. The dark and dank caves with no sunlight and nothing but stone around, where no rest was to be had because their warden senses were constantly tingling as the place crawled with darkspawn and even worse in Solona's mind hairy spiders the size of cows.
It pained him to see how desperately she tried to drink in everything around her before having to go underground and leave the topside world behind forever.
Taking her hand and forcing her to look at him, he gently told her "Sol, you don't have to do this. You don't have to go with me. It is not your time yet."
The remark startled her. In her mind there had never been a question whether or not she'd go with him. When they had talked about the Calling and their last battle the plans made had always involved both of them.
Solona stepped closer and reached up to caress his face, letting her fingertips trace its contours. When she finally spoke her voice was thick with emotion. "I won't lie to you, Alistair. It's not easy. I do not feel the pull you feel. I don't … want to go down there. It goes against every fibre of my being. But if I stayed, then what? Continue my life with you gone? Knowing that you died alone in this dreadful place and that I will have to do the same one day soon? No, that's no option. Like everything else, we will do this together."
The determination in her voice told him that there was no use arguing, so he just pulled her close burying his face in her hair. He felt deeply guilty for taking away what could be years of her life. Yet at the same time he was infinitely glad that she would be at his side until the end.
_._._._.
When they reached Orzammar, they didn't linger in the city itself but went straight on into the Deep Roads.
They made good progress and Alistair would have continued, the taint urging him on. But he could see that Solona was exhausted. So he proposed a rest which she gratefully accepted. After sharing what little food they had taken with them he seated himself against a stone wall and drew her into his embrace. In a low voice he spoke to her of their life together, how honoured he felt that she had chosen him as her mate, the way she had made him complete. When Solona fell asleep in his arms he continued to softly whisper endearments and tender words of love.
_._._._.
After passing the last outpost of the Legion of the Dead they finally commenced into darkspawn territory.
The stragglers and small bands of darkspawn they had encountered so far had been no match for them. But now their numbers grew larger and the fighting fiercer.
When they had first discussed the time of the Calling they had agreed that they wanted to take down as many darkspawn as possible.
"We'll go out with a bang." Alistair grinned.
"A bang?" Solona said pensively. And after a while "Well I could."
Alistair raised an eyebrow. "You could? By doing what exactly, little Miss Perky? Falling flat on your face and banging your head on the ground?"
Solona laughed. "Why would I want to venture into your field of expertise? No seriously, love, if I directed all my magic energy inwards and managed to contain it long enough, pressure would build until I exploded - literally."
Alistair had considered this a great idea, but Solona had been hesitant after her initial cockiness. She kept coming up with flimsy reasons why this couldn't possibly work. It had taken some time and considerable coercion until Alistair was able to drag out the real reason behind her resistance.
Agitated she had finally told him. "This explosion would create a giant shockwave that eradicates every living being around."
"Sooo? Isn't that kind of the point?"
"Yes, but don't you see? In the end it would be me who kills you!"
Alistair couldn't help but laugh. Taking her into his arms he said "I would much rather be killed by the woman I love - the Hero of Ferelden, no less! - than by Joe-the-Darkspawn."
As always Solona made a face upon hearing this ridiculous title. But his words seemed to ease her mind and after a while she had agreed to the plan.
_._._._.
The cave echoed with the sound of fighting: deafening battle cries, the clash of metal, the sizzling of magical lightning, screams of injured and dying creatures.
Wave after wave they parried. But for every beast they slew two more seemed to appear and Alistair felt himself tiring. He dealt with the nearest threats, enabling Solona to fully concentrate on her spells. He had always been in awe of her magical prowess. As a battle mage she had easily taken down more foes then any warrior or rogue.
All of a sudden Alistair was stopped dead. He could see the darkspawn, but he didn't hear the noise anymore and their attacks couldn't reach him. Even after all this time fighting alongside mages the effects of Force Field still took him by surprise.
"I'm down to one lyrium potion." he heard Solona say. "It's time, love."
He nodded and turned to face her. Over the years Solona had managed to modify the spell so it could affect more than one person and even allowed for some limited movement, though moving within the field felt like struggling against a strong back current. Still he managed to get close enough to draw her to his chest, his mouth covering hers. All too soon she broke the kiss and whispered "I can't hold the field much longer."
"I know. It's alright, I'm ready."
His eyes never left hers until the moment their island of calm shattered and hell broke loose again.
Alistair kept Solona at his back shielding her from the onrush. Using Shield Bash and a few over tricks he had learned along the way he managed to keep the horde at bay. Before long his templar senses picked up on a massive concentration of magic.
Soon after the ground started to shake, gently at first then more and more violently. The walls vibrated and seemed to be closing in. It became difficult to breathe like the air had been sucked out of the cave. Suddenly an unnatural light appeared, harsh and blinding. Confusion spread among the darkspawn and the first began to flee in terror.
With the taint roaring in his veins Alistair longed for the finality of what was about to happen. But at the same time the uncertainty if whatever came after would include Solona tore at his soul.
Finally the pressure in the cave became unbearable. At the last moment Alistair turned around dropping his shield and sword. He opened his arms wide and welcomed his love into a final embrace.