She tried to open her eyes, but everything was swimming. Or perhaps that was just the green haze that threatened to swallow her whole whenever she tried to look around. With a groan, the girl struggled to her feet, finally forcing herself to open her eyes. She stumbled forward, once, twice, peering into the mist that swirled around her. It flickered at everything, including the shadows that skittered towards her. In front of her stood a tower, its appearance only described as sinister. But atop it was a figure, glowing yellow and golden. The girl wanted to look away, and she did.
A screeching noise echoed through the mist and her eyes met with the shadows moving once more. She stumbled again, this time, backward. Once, twice, before the shadows became reality. She shook her head, dark hair falling into her face before the stumble became a run. Pain flared through her left hand, white hot and then fading. Without a thought, the girl pushed her feet forwards, traversing the steep hill. Anything to get away.
The more she tried to push herself, the slower she seemed to go. It was a nightmare, so she thought. One of the ones that you could never win in, that would always drag you down until you woke up in a sweat, gasping for breath. Yet, unlike dreams, the creatures gained much quicker. The hill steepened impossibly, and the only thing she could do to keep from falling back into the monsters was to begin climbing. The pain flared in her hand again, but she pushed herself up and onward. The woman reached out to her, the girl could hear whispering voices all around.
At this height, the green haze turned golden, as if illuminated by the woman in front of her. She reached out, right hand gripping the stone structure tightly. She was too far away. She felt the brush of a creature against her leg and panicked, struggling to climb up just a few more feet. The girl's eyes widened, and then squeezed shut as she reached once more. They flashed open though as the pain flared through her hand for a third time. She saw the crackle of green against her skin just before her fingers brushed against the golden hand stretched out to her. Her eyes grew wider in shock, and then the green light flared, sending her sprawling into darkness.
It was to the same darkness that she awoke, followed by the same crackle of green light that had been her last memory. Gray eyes opened fully, moving to her left hand immediately. She opened it slowly, as if testing it. The green static hissed again and the girl gasped out, the noise ringing through the dark room as that same white pain ran through her arm. Her head jerked up as the door slammed open, and it was only then that she noticed the four men standing around her, swords drawn as if she were a threat to them. She looked up, eyes scanning the woman that walked through the open door.
The sounds of swords being sheathed met her ears, but her attention was focused on the short woman that moved towards her. Short cropped hair, a broad build, and the armor of a military seeker. The girl swallowed as the fierce woman circled her. A soft whimper of pain escaped her when the woman grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back harshly. "Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now." The fierce lilt of a Nevvaran filled the air and as the woman came back around, leaning in closer to the prisoner, the scars on her face were made clear. "The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead." Confusion lit the young girl's eyes.
The Conclave had been massive, representatives gathering from all regions of Thedas to watch the conflict unfold. All those people, dead? The girl's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, no words leaving her mouth. A second woman left the shadows, joining the first. The prisoner didn't know when the newcomer had entered, her apparel and silence helping her blend into the shadows. As if in a rage, the Nevarran woman stepped forward, grasping the girl's hand and yanking it forward. "Explain this." She snarled, eyes riveted on the appendage as it flared with green light.
"I can't." The girl replied, watching as both women began to walk around her. "What do you mean you can't?" the woman echoed, her tone clearly disbelieving. The other woman remained silent, choosing to simply observe. "I don't know what that is, or how it got there."
In an instant, the Nevarran was on her, hands gripping hard into the fabric of her tunic. "You're lying!" She crowed, moving as if to make an advance on the prisoner. It was then that the shadowed woman chose to step in. With one hand pressed against the Nevarran's chest, the hooded woman backed her up. "We need her, Cassandra." With clear disdain, the woman, Casandra, backed away. The prisoner's eyes fell to the floor, a slight shake of her head accentuating the motion.
"I don't understand." She said, voice wavering slightly. How could it have come to be that all those people had died. There were so many, most of them highly skilled in one form of combat or another. In addition, there had been plenty of Templars there to protect the Most Holy. When the girl's eyes raised again, the hooded woman approached. "Do you remember what happened?" the woman asked, the slight lilt to her voice unrecognizable to the girl. "How this began?"
The girl didn't answer for a moment, trying to piece together the hazy memory before she'd been consumed by darkness. "I-" she paused, swallowing. "I remember running. Things were chasing me, and then… a woman?" The girl trailed off, unsure of the actuality of the memory. She looked up at the two women, eyes falling on the hooded one once more as she repeated the last two words. "She reached out to me, but then…"
It seemed that the women were no longer paying attention to her, as this Cassandra turned to the hooded woman. "Go to the Forward Camp, Leliana. I will take her to the Rift." The hooded woman, Leliana, nodded once, exiting the room with the guards following her. Cassandra approached the girl, beginning to undo the chains attached to her hands. "What did happen?" the girl asked as the heavy chains fell away and were quickly replaced with softer cloth bindings. "It will be easier to show you." Cassandra replied, finishing off the knot and straightening up.
The girl struggled to her feet, the bindings on her hands causing her to fight to maintain her balance. She followed Cassandra up the stairs from the dungeon, into a hall and then out towards the large wooden doors. They swung outward, revealing the snow covered village of Haven. Everyone knew it was below the Temple of Ashes, the one place that had been deemed holy enough for the Conclave to be held. The two woman walked out into the dim light, the overcast gray clouds still brighter than the dark dungeons.
It was then that it caught her eye and she turned her head away at the bright flare of green that emanated from the mountaintop. A tear in the sky, similar to the lightning that flashed on her hand. Snow flurried in the air around it, swirling in what seemed to be the eye of the storm. "We call it the Breach." Cassandra explained, stopping just in front of the girl. "It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour." The woman paused, turning back to the girl who still stared at the scar in wonder. "It's not the only such rift. Just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."
Gray eyes turned back to Cassandra, full of concern and wonder. "An explosion can do that?" She questioned, walking slightly forward. "This one did." Came the response, Cassandra moving closer as she spoke. "Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the whole world." Just then, the ground rumbled slightly. There was a crackling noise through the air and the Breach flared. At the same time, the light from the girl's left hand sparked, sending pain coursing through her body. A scream escaped her, the gravity of force pushing her to her knees. She clenched her hand shut, bringing it close to her body as she tried to fight it off, to push past the agony that now wracked through her entire body. She bit back a sob, eyes looking forward as Cassandra came to kneel in front of her.
"Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads… and it is killing you." Suddenly, the dark eyes staring at her were almost pleading, still harsh but ever so slightly hopeful. Cassandra's eyes fell to the girl's left hand, still clenched at her midsection. "It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't much time." The girl took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
"I understand," she said, looking down before back at Cassandra. The woman looked at her, eyes questioning. "Then…?" If the girl wasn't mistaken, a look of approval flashed through the older woman's eyes, but it may have been a trick of the light. A moment later, it was gone. "I'll do what I can." The girl said resolutely. "Whatever it takes."
After a moment, Cassandra moved, pulling the girl to her feet. This time, the woman stayed beside her, one hand clasped around her upper arm, practically dragging her along. As they continued on, people paused in what they were doing to look. Some looked on with anger, others with simple curiosity. "They have decided your guilt." Cassandra explained, pushing and pulling her along. "They need it. The people of Haven mourn our most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers." The girl lowered her head at the glares, waiting until they were past the small village to raise it once more. Although she believed her own innocence, it was clear that others did not. She couldn't say that she blamed them. They were on the outskirts now, the open pathways giving way to narrower dips in the road.
"It was a chance for peace between mages and Templars." The seeker continued, explaining what the girl already knew. She'd been in Haven for the Conclave, and now she was suspected of causing it to explode. "She brought their leaders together. Now, they are dead. We lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves. As she did. Until the Breach is sealed." They were through the final gate now, the one leading to the Frostback Mountains. The heavy wooden doors closed behind them and Cassandra reached out a hand, stopping the girl in her tracks. With anticipation, the girl watched as the older woman unsheathed a knife, turning to her. For a moment, the prisoner believed it was all over, but Cassandra gave her a hard look.
"There will be a trial." She said, reaching out to cut the bindings that held the girl's hands together. "I can promise no more." The knife was sheathed once more and the girl let out a sigh of relief. She flexed her fingers, letting the feeling rush back into them. The freedom of her hands made the girl feel more like the human she was instead of a beast to be cornered and slain. Without bindings, Aurelie Trevelyan had hope.