Hello Beautiful Readers! Be forewarned, this is a long fic with dark themes. I stick to canon sometimes, but other times I'll toss it out the window. If you are here for romance it's here, but it will be slow and at times non-existent. I hope you all stick around and enjoy! Comments keep me writing!
"How much farther?!" A young boy exclaimed. His amethyst eyes were locked on the older woman in front of him. A thick black braid hung down her back to her waist, swinging slightly with every step. She wore a black fur cloak over leather armor. The hilt of a sword peeked from behind the cloak and a small round shield was strapped to her left arm.
"Calm down, we are almost there." The woman replied keeping her eyes forward on the line of people in front of her.
Mages and mercenaries were slowly making their way forward, with shoulders slouched, obviously battle worn. Her own mercenary band was currently dragging their feet, and the wagons that carried the few possessions they had elected to bring, through the snow.
She let out a long sigh. They had traveled all the way from the far side of Orlais to make it to the Conclave for this job and it was a relief to know that their journey would soon be coming to a close. The Templar-Mage war was good for business, but the dangers were numerous. Not to mention that it required them to travel all over Thedas.
'The gold is worth it', she thought to herself, a shadow of a smile on her face.
Ahead of them the Temple of Sacred Ashes, their destination, stood proudly.
"Oi, Ela! Won't be much longer now!" A burly voice from behind declared. She recognized the voice as Bren, one of the warriors in her little band. He ran through the snow to catch up to her, a large grin on his face. He was almost two heads taller than her and completely bald. Ela laughed to herself when she noted that it shined just as much as the plate mail he wore. A large claymore was strapped to his back.
"Should find a decent spot to camp soon, get the tents up, and such." He said as he came to her side.
Ela nodded her head. "Look ahead for spots that are not surrounded by trees. I want to see anyone that may be coming for us if things go south. Get Jorum to take note of any Templar camps within a mile." She gave him the orders in a hushed tone, weary of their fellow travelers. "If he cannot find a decent spot ahead, head back towards the little village, Haven, and find camp there."
Bren dipped his bare head in recognition and took off to Jorum.
Ela threw a side-ways glance at the boy beside her. Her younger brother, Aiden. His piercing eyes were still locked on her. The cloak he wore waved wildly in the wind, his small gloved hands the only thing holding it closed. He was all of twelve and unusually scrawny. The only similarity between them was their caramel skin, thin noses, and unusual eye color, a light purple with flecks of deep blue. It was a trait that she hated. The unusual eye color made them an easy pair to spot.
He trudged through the snow slowly struggling to keep up with her.
"You remember what I told you right, Aiden?" She asked averting her gaze.
His eyes narrowed slightly at her question before he gave a slow nod. "Do not talk to anyone, stay away from the Templars, and, most importantly, do not get into mischief." He said with a small hint of disdain. "I'll be fine. We have avoided the Templars this long."
Ela grunted. "The Templars are not the only ones we must be wary of. Everyone is desperate, which makes them dangerous as well. And you do not have enough experience to properly defend yourself." She threw a wide smile at him. "So humor me and be extra careful."
A moment of silence fell between them as they moved onward before Aiden spoke.
"Then you have to train me, just like you were." He declared with earnest. "I want to know how to swing a sword, while lighting my enemies aflame! I want to fade step with your ease! I want to fight just like you!" His voice grew louder with each sentence. The excitement was clear in his eyes along with his determination. "Reading books won't help me anymore."
"Shhh! I'll lose my element of surprise if they know I'm a mage." Ela chided him, with a small smile. She placed a gloved hand on the silverite sword hanging from her hip. "If you manage to stay out of trouble, I'll get you a sword for practice."
Aiden smiled, his large cheeks making him look like the child he once was. Ela couldn't help but think of how quickly he was growing. Soon he would be taller than her. He had already had a rather surprising growth spurt and had shot up to her shoulder.
"But,"She added quickly, her smile growing wider. "If you cause any problems, you'll keep up with your readings and I'll hear no more complaints."
"Only fair, right?" She asked.
His smile faded slightly, but he nodded in agreement before mumbling 'only fair' in return.
Ela chuckled and slapped a hand on his back. "Glad we are in agreement. Now let's go see if Bren started making camp."
The Conclave was, as Ela expected, tense. The Mages and Templars glared at each other from across the room. Grand Clerics milled about. Waiting for the others of their rank to arrive they stood by their respective chairs and shared hushed words with each other.
She stood in a far corner, back against the wall surveying the clear division in the room. Mages stood on one side, Templars the other, some keeping a secure grip on the hilts of their swords.
Ela frowned. They were supposed to be unarmed, and while many of them were, some of higher rank still had swords secured to their hips.
"Don't think they'll be holding hands any time soon." Bren joked. He stood next to her arms crossed.
"I could have told you that." Ela replied, dryly. Removing herself from the wall she walked forward a few feet looking around. She took note of her men, two in every corner, and three by one of the mages that had hired them. "Everyone in position I take it?"
"Yes, one slight problem however." Bren said lowering his voice. "One of the mages who hired us, he is delayed, well still at camp actually."
Ela groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Why did I not know earlier?" She asked, irritation clear in her voice.
"Made a big fuss about wanting to be escorted by the boss himself, or not paying us the full amount." Bren continued. Another groan escaped her. "I told him I could just drag him here, but he put up one of those fancy barriers. I had the men stationed for him stay down there and coax him out, but it looks like they haven't had much luck. Thought it best to tell you."
"I'll take care of it."
She turned to leave, but stopped and turned back to him. "Aiden is in a back room with the redhead mage we picked up, Marisha, I think her name is, and Thorn. I did not want to leave him alone in the cold. If you see him out here…"
Bren cut her off, shooing her with his hand. "I know the drill, boss. Send his little ass back to safety." He chuckled. "I doubt he will get out under Thorn's watch though."
"Thank you."
Ela smiled and, giving him a curt nod, turned toward the exit. Making her way through the growing mass she noticed the uneasy looks of the mages. How they twisted their hands and spoke in soft voices, how they gripped their staffs till their knuckles were white. She bit her lower lip and sent a small prayer to the Maker that nothing would occur while she was away.
Arriving outside she began to take off at a light trot towards their camp. They had found a nice small patch to pitch their tents towards Haven. She knew it would take her a while to get there and back, but she was sure that they would not start anytime soon. She shivered as the cold air began to set in to her bones. Her onyx chestplate and leather armor did little to retain heat, and she cursed herself for leaving her fur cloak at the Conclave with Aiden.
She made a mental to note to share a few choice words with the mage. The men she had assigned to him were perfectly capable of protecting him. She had even assigned her lieutenant, Kata, to escort him.
'Who does this man think he is? Making me come fetch him like his own personal servant.' She grew hot with anger at the thought. 'I am a noble…No I was.' Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. She had left that life behind a long time ago. No longer was she Lady Trevelyan of Ostwick. Now she was just Ela, Captain of the Bloody Suns Mercenary group. Nothing more, and nothing less.
She made her way down the path, contemplating what their next job would be.
As the camp came into view she saw four of her men gathered around a small tent that was glowing an iridescent blue. The tallest of the group, a pale skinned Qunari, turned as she approached. He had his arms crossed and a look of permanent disdain set on his face. His horns were curved and tipped with a dark metal, while stark white hair fell to his back.
"He has refused to come out." The Qunari stated. "I can remove him forcefully, if you wish it." He turned to her, his red eyes searching for approval.
Ela placed a hand on his arm. "I can handle this, Kata."
"So glad ya came when ya did." A petite elf said standing from her seat. She had short red hair and her face was covered in the vallaslin of Mythal. A black twisted staff was strapped to her back.
"I was sure Lilith, or the brute would just decide to drag em out before ya got here" Evsa continued. "He han't said a word since he put that barrier up. Think you can pull em out of there?"
"Of course she can!" Raul, a stout dwarf, answered for her. He was busy wiping one of his daggers down, and looked up at them from his seat. A black braided beard hung from his chin.
"Ey, you wanna get a bet started?" Evsa asked.
Ela ignored them. Listening to them bicker while sober was liable to give her a headache. Having to come all the way down the mountain had already caused a dull pulse to form in her forehead. She nibbled at the corner of her lip in irritation as she approached the tent.
"Hey, Kyi right? Your lord and savior is here to deliver you to the Conclave." Ela said mockingly, a crooked smile on her face. She placed her hands on her hips and waited for a response.
None came.
She tapped her fingers on her hips. Her irritation was growing and she struggled to keep her temper in check. There would be no gold if she knocked the mage unconscious and dragged him to the Conclave.
Stifling a frustrated groan, she cleared her throat. Kata was at her side in an instant with a hand placed on the hilt of his sword.
"Saarebas, come out. You waste our time with games no longer." He declared in a booming voice that echoed around them.
And still there was nothing.
Her hands fell from her hips. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand. Something was not right.
"Lilith, get rid of this barrier." Ela ordered sternly. The tall woman nodded in response and with a quick flick of her wrist sent a barrage of fire that quickly extinguished the blue shimmer.
Raul pulled his other dagger from his back abandoning his cleaning. With an approving nod from Ela, he approached the tent quickly and ripped the flap back. It was empty.
"Oh, shite." Evsa murmured to herself.
"Oh, shite is right." Ela growled. Her eyebrows knitted together and she could feel the pulse in her head grow stronger. "How do you lose one man in a tent?!" She exploded. She opened her mouth to continue her rant, but was cut off by a deafening explosion.
Twisting around, Ela looked toward the noise and was blinded by a wicked green light. A blast of wind knocked her backwards and the only thing that stopped her tumble was Kata's large hand that was planted firmly on her back. Snow flew upward into the air whipping into her face and hair violently.
As quickly as it had begun, it was over. The wind and light subsided and after a few moments the ring in her ears dissipated. The pressure of Kata's hand on her back lightened. Around her, her men grunted and cursed, brushing snow off of themselves.
Slowly she opened her eyes. Brushing the snow from her face, she turned her attention to the direction of the blast only to find the Temple gone, and a giant green tear in the sky.
Her heart seemed to stop beating, and her throat grew tight all in a single instant. Opening her mouth she was barely able to speak. Her voice came out in a near inaudible whisper.
"Aiden."