Hi guys,
Just my take on the quest Night Terrors. There was so much to do with that particular plot line that I could not let it go. And my mind would not let me rest until I got it out on paper. I hope you guys enjoy it and thanks for reading. I think it's pretty obvious that I do not own anything that Bioware does, well except for the games, but you know what I mean. Enjoy!
Hawke stumbled forwarded but caught her footing before she could potentially fall to her knees. The world she had entered was disorienting and surreal; everything she looked upon in the Fade was unclear and blurry. She reached out and waved, but the fog that permeated Feynriel's mind was unwavering. It seemed she, Anders, Fenris, and Merill were trapped inside the bleak and desolate world for now. Were they in perhaps a castle or fortress? It was void of color and life, and it was very cold.
She took another moment to observe the hallway they had "awoken" in, then she turned to her companions. "Well, not exactly my choice location for a honeymoon. Is everyone all-" she closed her mouth as he eyes set on Anders. His eyes were glowing blue just as they had in the Chantry the night they attempted to save Karl..
"It has been a long time. I had not thought to return in such a way," said Justice. The voice was rough and stoic, a tone completely unfitting of the man Hawke knew and befriended.
"Justice," she greeted with little emotion as possible.
"And you are Serah Hawke," Justice turned Anders' cold eyes on her. She wasn't sure if he was expecting another reply from her, but she wasn't going to feel horrible to disappoint him if he was. She said nothing. "Come," he said shortly, breaking the silence. "Feynriel's mind is straining, and we have little time." Justice cautiously led them down the hallway.
Hawke watched as Justice maneuvered Anders' body. It was unnatural to watch him move in such a way. He kept a low stance, and his guard was up, prepared for an ambush.
"You're quite a woman, Hawke," Fenris said, keeping his sword at the ready.
"A compliment?" Hawke gasped dramatically. "And how have I managed such an achievement?" Funny how she was able to keep her sarcasm, but it wasn't until she saw Fenris arm himself that she thought to do the same. Her mind was already faltering. The Fade was more dangerous than she anticipated.
"I'm stuck in a realm of dreams and magic and I'm accompanied by two mages, one a possessed fool and the other a blood mage at that," Fenris stated, clearly unhappy that he was here.
Merrill frowned at Fenris. "I'll have you know that I know what I'm doing."
"You offered, Fenris," Hawke responded quickly. They couldn't afford to bicker amongst each other.
"Yes, I did," he said. "I would not put myself in such a position for just anyone."
Hawke glanced at Fenris, thankful he was keeping his eyes forward. Her cheeks flushed slightly. It was not the first time he admitted that he thought highly of her. The others may have missed the confession, but she knew that Fenris had been dropping his guard around her recently. It was truly amazing what a few bottles of wine could do.
"I am grateful," Hawke admitted.
When they reached the end of the hallway, Justice was the first to approach and open the door. "There is another here," he warned.
Hawke was reminded of the Viscount's Keep. It appeared that they had entered the main hall of the unidentified structure they were in. There was a large and wide stairwell that descended to a lower level. Across from them was another door, which was accessible by crossing the top of the stairwell. The entire hall was vast and empty, but she could hear violent winds howling outside. Hawke could feel death around her.
"And here I thought my house was dreary," Merrill sighed. She gasped and jumped when a hollow booming voice echoed throughout the hall.
"My, my, such an interesting turn of events," said the ghostly voice.
"Justice," Hawke said in alarm. "Can you see him? Do you know where it is?" She looked all over the hall, but she could not see the owner of the voice. She began to feel strange. Her fingers loosened around her sword, and she felt like sitting, relaxing. She wanted to lay down and take a nice long nap.
Justice shook his head. "No, but I do know that it is a sloth demon. Do not give in to it."
The voice came back, this time it was slurred in amusement. "Are you here for the dreamer, human? Are you strong enough to overcome Desire and Pride? The Demon of Sloth shall enjoy watching how you progress. Succeed against Wryme and Caress and I will have a most intriguing reward for you." And then the voice was gone. Hawke felt a rush of strength enter her body when the hold on her mind had lifted.
"What a horrible place," she said, gripping her sword tighter than before. She looked to Justice. "What did it mean to overcome desire and pride?"
"The battle for this Dreamer's mind is behind this door," Justice said gesturing toward a door not far from them, "and that one," he pointed to the door across the hall. "If you fall prey to the calling of the desire and pride demons, Maker help you."
"Well, let's see what's behind door number one then, shall we?" Hawke said with determination walking toward the door closest to them.
"We're with you," she heard Merrill say.
The moment she touched the doorknob, she felt her body being pulled into the room. A white light blinded her and a wave of magic poured over her body. When the light faded, Hawke could see a young Feynriel at a writing desk. His father was coaching him in transcribing letters. The boy looked up at his father with eager and innocent eyes. "Will I be able to go with you to Antiva, father?"
Hawke felt her heart burn with anger. How dare these demons torment the poor boy. "Feynriel, no," she said, but it was not her voice that she heard. It was Arianni's. She had taken the form of Feynriel's mother. Fenris was right. This was no place for warriors like him and herself, but still she had to try. She had to save Feynriel. "That's not your father, Feynriel, that is a demon," she pleaded.
The boy looked at her with confused eyes. "A demon? No,… no I want this!"
Feynriel's "father" began to glow. "Then remember this is the one that took everything you wanted." The voice no longer spoke with an Antivan accent. The Demon of Desire transformed into her true self, and Feynriel ran, screaming for someone to help him. The horned demon turned her glowing eyes on Hawke and her comrades.
"You took my pet," it said. "Now, I shall take something of yours. What do you say, my handsome elf? You desire a place to belong, do you not? What if I give you the one called Danarius and rid you of the scars that bind your body? No longer will you be chained to your past."
Hawke could see the willingness to fight leave Fenris. "Refuse her, Fenris," Hawke said. She grabbed his arm, but he pushed her away. The guards on his fingers easily cut her hand open, and she balled her hand into a fist to keep the blood from flowing.
"I… would … like nothing more," he said completely dazed.
The demon floated to Fenris, placing her hands on his shoulders and turning him to face Hawke and the others. "You can keep no secrets from me," she cooed into Fenris', eyeing Hawke. "If you rid of the quickly, dearest, I will also give you the one you desire most."
Hawke backed away slowly, preparing for combat. The demon looked straight at her with piercing dark eyes as she made empty promises to Fenris, and it tore at her heart. The demon was abusing Fenris' feelings and emotions, and she was powerless to stop it. The evil smile the demon gave her told her that Fenris was now lost.
If she had blinked, Fenris' sword would have sliced her in two. He moved quickly and efficiently, the lyrium scars shone brightly, fueled by the fighting spirit in the elf. "Fenris, stop!" Hawke shouted as she blocked another fierce blow that came for her head. But her friend was no longer there; he had succumbed to the will of the demon.
Justice and Merrill stood between them and the demon. "Strike him down!" Justice commanded. "Caress is ours!"
Hawke dare not take her eyes away from Fenris. He fought to kill, and she had to do the same. But the idea of killing Fenris, of killing any of them, even if was in the Fade troubled her greatly. She defended against his attacks, still unable to deliver the finishing blow. Even though his attacks were relentless, they were fluid and precise.
"Hawke, what are you playing at?" she heard Justice yell.
Fenris then took the opportunity to leap onto Hawke, using all his might to drive the point of his sword into her neck. She fell back and moved her head to the side, feeling the blade grazing her cheek. The sword was driven into the ground and she knew that this was the moment to attack. She pushed away her sword and grabbed at her boot, desperately grabbing at the dagger she had hidden there. As soon as she felt the guard of the dagger, she drew it from her boot and shoved the blade into Fenris' side.
He inhaled sharply and fell on top of her. Hawke hugged Fenris tightly, shocked that she had killed him. As soon as she felt the weight of his body on hers, he disappeared. Hawke still had her arms raised as though she was still grasping onto Fenris' lifeless body. All she could do was stare at the ceiling, breathing heavily. "He's dead…" she gasped in disbelief.
Merrill was by her side, forcing Hawke to her feet. She handed Hawke her sword. "We're in the Fade, Hawke," Merrill said. "I'm sure Fenris will be fine." Hawke blinked, and the world of the Fade became apparent again. Her mind was consumed by guilt and shame, but now she could think clearly again.
"Caress?" she asked Justice, keeping her back to him.
"No longer a problem," he said, already making his way out of the room. Hawke had to remind herself that Justice was just that. There was no room for empathy or pity. She wondered what he was like before he had merged with Anders and she also wondered the same for Anders.
They made their way across the large hall and entered the second door. Again, Hawke's body was transformed and this time she took the form of First Enchanter Orsino. She was now face to face with the Keeper of Merrill's clan. Feynriel stood proudly beside her.
"May I present to you… our hope," Keeper Marethari said. "He came to us to learn of his heritage-"
Orsino stepped forward, rudely interrupting. "Feynriel, that is a demon. They can take on other forms. That is not the Keeper. Please Feynriel… remember what you were taught."
The Keeper hissed at him, raising her arm to keep Feynriel from moving away from her. "He lies! Orsino is a pawn of the templars-"
But Feynriel silenced her, recognition dawning on him. "No... no! Away with you demon!" Again, he ran and his image faded.
Keeper Marethari's body became contorted and grew in size. The demon of pride's skin was dark, jagged and spiked. Its mouth became beaked and two large horns protruded from the back of its head. "Why have you interfered? We could have changed the world. But no matter. What I offered Feyrniel, I can offer to one of your companions."
"We will not be one of your slaves, demon," Hawke said, now back to herself.
The demon, Wryme, growled and leaned forward, coming close to Merrill. "Human, do you really think that your friend is really so innocent? What say you, scion of the Dalish, savior of the Elven kind? You have made a deal with one of my kind before. What is one more bargain?"
"Can you do that?" Merrill asked intrigued. She took a step forward and looked at Wryme longingly.
"Merrill…" Hawke warned.
"I cannot… put you above my people," the mage said, readying her staff to attack.
"Another one lost," Justice spat. "What fools." He raised his staff and a bolt of lightning shot out, striking Merrill in the chest, knocking her off her feet.
"Merrill!" Hawke cried. Justice cut her off, keeping her from aiding the Dalish elf. He cast a frost spell and encased her in a tomb of ice. With a mighty swing, he shattered the tomb, causing Merril's body to disappear in a cloud of smoke and dust.
"Arm yourself, Hawke!" Justice commanded. "This may not be the real world, but the consequences of hesitation are dire!"
Justice was right, Hawke thought. She could not afford to be distracted. Wryme roared in outrage and came charging at them, swinging his deadly claws. Hawke dodged and rolled out of the way. She jumped to her feet and ran after Wryme. "Justice, a little help!" she shouted.
Justice cast another ice spell, freezing Wryme's feet, rooting him to the ground.
The demon fell forward, giving Hawke an advantage. She jumped onto Wryme's back and thrust the tip of her sword into the base of its neck. The demon let out a piercing cry and writhed in pain. It grotesque arms grabbed at Hawke, and even though she tried to jump out of the way, one of its claws caught her and sent her flying into a wall.
She thanked the Maker she was wearing thick plated armor or she was sure she would have broken several bones in her body. The impact with the wall knocked the breath out of her lungs. Her vision blurred, and she used all of her strength to stand to her feet. Hearing Wryme screech again, she shook her head and forced herself to stand on her own without the support of the wall. When her vision cleared, she saw lines of lightning connecting Justice's staff and her sword still embodied in Wryme's throat. Seconds later, Wryme fell, smoke pouring from its body.
Hawke slowly approached the still demon, but it appeared to truly to be dead. "Better safe…" she said, grabbing the hilt of her sword. She pulled it from Wryme's neck, held it high above her head, then swung down as hard as she could. Wryme's head was successfully severed from its body, then it and the body vanished.
Justice groaned, falling to one knee. "Are you all right?" Hawke asked, feeling a wave of fatigue hit her. The Fade seemed to feed off of her energy, stealing it from her.
"It has been too long since I have had control of this body," Justice said, looking at Anders' hands. "The Fade makes him weak."
The deep and seductive voice of the sloth demon returned. "Well done, human," it said, almost purring. "Such amusing little creatures, you are." A dark pool of mist formed in the center of the room and the demon of sloth emerged. The body had no defining features save for a large dark lidless eye that stared at Hawke. "Surrender the dreamer to me, and you shall be rewarded."
Justice struggled to his feet. "All rewards come with a price, even more so with a demon. Do not trust it."
Hawke looked to the demon then back to Justice. Her own body was pleading for rest and sleep. What chance did they have to defeat the demon when they were hardly able to lift their own weapons? Perhaps, they could trick the demon and strike him down when he was vulnerable. It was the best strategy she could think of, and it was the only plan she had that could save Feynriel. She hoped that Justice would understand. "What is your name demon?" she asked.
"Call me Torpor," it said. "What is your desire, human? I can grant you strength, knowledge, money… magic? All I ask in return is possession of the dreamer called Feynriel."
Hawke showed it her best fake smile. Ignoring the pain in her back and legs, she stood with confidence, stepping toward the demon. "Show me how to control the Fade," she said. She kept her defenses open, showing the demon that she had no intention of fighting it.
"No!" Justice barked out. "You are a fool! I will stop you!" With a sudden burst of energy, he leapt to his feet and charged at her.
Justice, no! Hawke thought. How could he possibly believe that she would fall victim to a demon's request? This had gone horribly wrong in mere seconds. Justice truly believed that she was lost and he attacked her without abandon. He seemed to have been drained of all his energy as he could not cast any more spells.
I'm sorry, Anders…
Hawke saw her opening and struck back. She felt sick to her stomach when she saw and felt the body of a dear friend being impaled by her own weapon. The hurt and betrayal on his face led Hawke to believe that Anders had returned to his own body at the very last second. A moment later, his body disappeared from the Fade.
"Well now…" Torpor said, unfazed by the fight. "Where were we?"
Hawke was filled with disgust, but she played the part. She would be more than satisfied when the demon lay dead at her feet. Even though she knew that the other would wake without harm or injury, she could not shake the images of killing her friends. It broke her heart, and she promised then that she would make Torpor pay for what he had done. "I believe you were giving me a present," she said sweetly walking to the demon.
Torpor laughed and waved his arm, summoning another being from the Fade. Feynriel appeared beside him; the poor boy looked so lost and traumatized, but he did not say anything. "I could never have hoped to have defeated you and your companions," Torpor said. "Your betrayal of your friends is most appreciated." Torpor leaned close to Feynriel, and put his ghastly hand on the boy's forehead. "This will not hurt at all," Torpor promised Feynriel.
"This will though," Hawke said vengefully. She swung upward, cutting Torpor's arm off, releasing Feynriel from his hold. Torpor backed away, but Hawke pursued him. She hacked and slashed at his body, energized by the guilt she held for striking down Fenris and Anders. The demons of the Fade had turned them against each other so easily, and it enraged her. With a final swing, she managed to slice completely through Torpor's body, and then the demon faded into nothing.
Feynriel looked around wildly in fear. "Where am I?" he asked. He looked to Hawke and calmed almost immediately. "Serah... Hawke? You… you saved me! Again!" he ran up to her and hugged her. He blinked several times before backed away in fear. "It's my fault you and your friends were hurt. I- I need to learn to control my powers… but how can I?" He looked at his hands and then curled them into fists. "You must destroy me."
Hawke shook her head. "No. There will be no more death. You can do this Feynriel. Dreamers control the Fade and the dreams of people in it. Don't lose hope."
The young man's eyes were filled with sadness and he buried his face in his hands. "I see why the Chantry fears us," he sucked in a deep breath and straightened his posture. "You are right, Serah Hawke. I must master this power… I must find someone that I can study under. Perhaps, Tevinter? Mother… mother will not look kindly on this."
"I will tell her," Hawke said, smiling. She could not bring herself to make the boy Tranquil. He deserved a chance, he deserved a chance at life. "May the Maker guide your journey, Feynriel."
"Come, I don't wish to spend another moment here, and I am sure you agree with me," he said with a full smile. It lifted Hawke's spirit to see such happiness. Feynriel lifted his hand and the Fade began to warp; it twisted and turned, colors and objects mixed into one. Hawke's vision went black and she felt her body fall forward.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hawke's body arched upward from the bed and she gasped loudly. Strong arms held her as she fought to regain control of her body. Air had never tasted so delicious, and she craved more. The arm underneath her helped her sit up and her breathing became normal after some time. "Relax," said Fenris. He was sitting beside her, supporting her.
She felt frail and gentle hands on her leg. Arianni was kneeling beside the bed and it was no surprise she had a look of worry and concern about her. "Serah Hawke… is Feynriel…"
Hawke felt Fenris move away from her, and she hoped it was not obvious that she missed his touch. He stood by the door of the bedroom, and Hawke was happy to see that Anders and Merrill were there as well. "He is alive and well, Arianni," Hawke said, touching the troubled mother's hand. "He's strong, and he will be seeking guidance in Tevinter. He asked me… to say goodbye to you."
Anders scoffed and stormed out of the room. "Anders," Hawke whispered sadly. She needed to talk to him, but for now she had to comfort a worried mother.
"Feynriel… is gone?" Arianni asked. She stood to her feet, and Keeper Marethari stepped forward.
"It is wise that he is seeking help. Kirkwall cannot provide him the training that he needs," Marethari said. "But be joyful that your son is alive, Arianni. What Serah Hawke has done was quite possibly a miracle."
Arianni nodded. "Of course. How foolish of me to not even thank you. I can never repay you for what you have done, mistress," she said. She wrapped her arms around Hawke and wept tears of happiness. Hawke smiled and hugged her back; there was nothing like a mother's unconditional love, and she was more than happy to keep that love strong even though the distance between mother and son had grown.
While consoling Arianni, she looked to Merrill and Fenris, and each of them knew that words and apologies needed to be exchanged.