Chapter 1: Introductions
I didn't know what to feel. Hatred? Content? Love? Maybe I was supposed to feel nothing at all, but I, an elf, let my emotions run free. And it was all her fault.
The breach and its demons infested Thedas because some elf killed The Divine. Now she has this mark on her hand. I have studied it but cannot understand its power. I have tried all types of magic on it to get a rise out of it, but there's nothing. It only responds to the rifts in the sky. Could she close them? She must be connected to them somehow. Maybe born from this magic?
I studied her face. Her skin so light and lips so pale. I was afraid she would not wake up. I glanced at the Dalish tattoo on her forehead. From the bridge of her nose sprouted the roots and branches of a tree onto her forehead. This poor elf. Being raised by the Dalish. How annoying. The Dalish have so many rules and teachings. Everything is so strict you are not allowed to do anything. Was she born from the rifts to become an illusion to me? Maybe a rift infested her Dalish camp and that's how she got the mark on her hand? No, that can't be it. She killed The Divine and that mark has something to do with it. What purpose would bring her to The Divine in the first place?
I wish she would wake up. I have so many questions.
But my thoughts were interrupted with the sound of Cassandra's boots stamping down the hallway. I took one last look at the elf laying in front of me before I heard Cassandra's keys jingling in the lock of the cell.
"Let's go Solas. I need you at the gate to help support my men. The breach is getting stronger and more rifts are appearing," Cassandra ordered me.
"I need more time. Let me stay with her until she wakes up. I have questions for her. I need to see how this magic affects the rifts," I said.
Cassandra argued back, "There's no time. You can question her when she wakes up." I scowled at her. Leliana appeared behind Cassandra. I hate how silent rogues are and I hate that humans think they can be totally silent. She didn't fool me though. I can hear her heavy breathing a mile away. "Remember why you are here, Solas." Cassandra added.
I couldn't argue with her. The lady was hard headed and nothing could sway her. Why am I here? She thinks she can save me. Save my kind. I'm not a bad blood mage. Quite the contrary. I am a smart blood mage. Not some ravaging, flesh devouring maleficur. It's the stupid ones who put a bad image on the name blood mage and I despise them for it.
I started up the stairs without looking back at her and Leliana. As I reached the top, Varric was standing against the door to the outside. Cassandra doesn't even like Varric. The only reason she kept him around was because he was connected with the Champion of Kirkwall. I didn't mind his company though. He was a fantastic story teller, as are many dwarves, and very friendly to everyone. He knew many things about different people. His information has proved useful to me the several times we have talked. Not that I would take advantage of his gifts.
"Cassandra has ordered us to support the men at the gate," Varric said as I climbed the top step.
"I know," I replied.
"Come on Baldy. It's better than sitting in a dungeon all day studying," Varric joked with me. I hate when he called me Baldy. He gave nicknames to everyone. Mine stuck because how many people can say they have seen a bald elf before?
"I don't sit in a dungeon all day studying," I replied.
"Uh-hu, tell that story to my brother, he might believe you."
I followed him with my staff out. I used it as a walking stick on occasion. I know, how terrible of me. But things can be used for different purposes. Varric's weapon of choice was his crossbow, which he named Bianca. Why a person would name a crossbow seemed silly to me. I have only heard of great swords having names.
We reached the gate and heard fighting on the other side.
"Ready for this Baldy?" Varric asked.
"Open the gate. Let's clean up this mess," I responded.
Varric pushed the gate open. Three of Cassandra's men were left standing against seven demons. One of those demons being a powerful rage demon. I had to act fast. I began casting a shield spell over the men, but one was too far off it wouldn't reach him. I began casting the spell anyways. He would have to fend for himself. Green and blue colors began to flow from my left hand. I muttered the incantation under my breath and released the power for the men. Shields came up but Varric was knocked back by the rage demon's powers before the spell reached him. I quickly stood in front of Varric using my staff to block off the attacks. The men managed to kill the easy demons standing. The rage demon shrieked as its comrades fell. Flames grew from its feet and exploded in the faces of the soldiers. Varric was on his feet now firing special bolts at the demon, but I knew it could not be taken down easily. I began using a blood magic spell to bind it forever to the underworld. I cut my hand open and began muttering the spell. The demon shrieked again as its body was being cut open by my blood. My heart raced as I controlled its life. I closed my hand into a fist and swept it to my side, cutting the demon in half and killing it for good. Varric breathed a sigh of relief as the demon fell, but I was still uneasy. The air grew thin and hazy. A rift was opening in front of us. I braced myself behind my staff to ward off the demon attacks. Varric had Bianca at the ready. Demons poured out. Varric and I fought the first few that came out but more kept coming. We heard a boom and realized it came from behind us. The gate was pushed open by Cassandra and the elf that was asleep in the dungeon. They were fighting the demons. The elf was casting spells with her staff, Cassandra using her sword and shield. Varric let his last arrow thrust into the last demon. I felt a surge. More were coming.
"Quickly, before more come through!" I shouted at the elf. She didn't understand what I was saying. I grabbed the elf's left wrist. Her palm was glowing green, just like the rift in the sky. It was the only thing left that I hadn't tried, but I thrust her hand towards the rift. I felt the connection her hand made with the rift. A stream of light connected her hand to the rift and it closed. It just disappeared. The elf turned to look at me.
"What did you do?" She asked.
"I did nothing. The credit is yours," I explained to the elf.
"I closed that thing? How?" She said as she looked at her palm. She was on the right track to answers.
"Whatever magic opened the breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand," I explained. "I realized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake – and it seems I was correct."
"Meaning it could also close the Breath itself," Cassandra chimed in.
"Possibly," I answered. My theory about her closing them was correct. She can close them. I turned to her, "It seems you hold the key to our salvation." She blinked at me, confused. I don't blame her. She seemed like an airhead to me. Head in the clouds, not giving a damn about the world.
"Good to know, here I thought we would be ass-deep in demons forever," Varric joked. She turned to look at him. "Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong," Varric said, bowing as he introduced himself.
"Varric," the elf said with a smile. "That's a nice crossbow you have there."
Varric smiled, "Isn't she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together."
The elf giggled and said, "You named your crossbow Bianca?"
Glad to know I wasn't the only one thinking that was strange.
"Of course, and she'll be great company in the valley," Varric replied smiling at her.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT," Cassandra said as she walked over to him. She stood tall in front of the dwarf. "Your helps is appreciated Varric, but…"
"Have you been in the valley lately, seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me," Varric argued back.
Cassandra scoffed and turned away.
Well my turn I guess, "My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live…"
"He means, 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept,'" Varric interrupted me.
She turned from Varric to me, "Then I owe you my thanks."
I smiled, appreciative of her thanks, "Thank me if we manage to close the breach without killing you in the process." There was still much to learn about her and the breach. I vowed to myself right then that I would not let her die. "Cassandra, you should know that the magic involved here is unlink any I have seen. Your prisoner is a mage, but I would find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power."
"Understood," Cassandra replied. "We must get to the forward camp quickly."
"Wait, I am your prisoner no longer. I agreed to help," the elf said to Cassandra. "and…" she turned to me. "I have a name."
I smiled then said, "Alright, let's hear it."
"Shel, my name is Shel."
A fitting name for her somehow.
"Let's move," Cassandra called to us.
I watched as Shel turned to follow Cassandra. Varric nodded his head towards me and I followed after him.
We moved further down into the valley, and with the river frozen over, we used that path to travel faster. And not many rifts intercepted our path.
We finally reached the forward camp that surrounded the breach. It was clearly higher and bigger in the sky than the rifts. Bigger demons were sure to come out of this one.
"How do you expect me to reach that?!" Shel seemed surprised at just how big it was.
"I'm sure hoisting you up on my shoulders could get you closer," Varric joked.
"Ha, yeah, I'm sure I would still be the same height. But thank you for the offer, Varric."
"You can reach it," I said to her. Closing the breach should be just like closing the rifts."
She looked at me and questioned, "How do you know all this?"
I smiled. Just guesses, I should have told her. Just then the rift started erupting. A rage demon was starting to come out.
"We must make our way down to the ground quickly," Cassandra explained.
Shel looked around and saw no easy way down. Then she just hopped down the first wall, landed on the space below, and hopped that wall, landing on the ground. Not bad for a mage elf. Cassandra and I proceeded to follow her as Varric made his way down slowly and carefully.
The breach was at full size now and the rage demon emerged.
"Let us handle the demon, you focus on closing the breach," I told Shel.
She nodded and braced herself to start the closure. The rage demon charged Cassandra and I. She attempted to hold him back with her shield as I cast a barrier spell around us hoping that some of it would reach Shel, but it turned out she had already cast her own barrier spell around herself. She thrust her hand into the sky at the breach and the green light exploded from her hand and connected to the breach. As she started, some of the demons became paralyzed from the closure but the rage demon pressed on. The smaller demons came to their senses and disrupted Shel's attention to the breach. She casted electric spells and armored her body with rock. She seemed very proficient at her spells. I questioned where she might have learned her magic from, but the Dalish probably taught her the most.
As I was getting caught up in my thoughts, the rage demon became angrier. He had Cassandra on her back with her shield held high to hold him off. Varric was shooting the last of his arrows into the demon's skull. I raised a barrier around us once more and began my ritual. I cut open my hand with the thorn in my staff and chanted an ancient blood magic curse on the demon. The demon froze under my control. Varric and Cassandra were giving it all they had. I felt the demon's life-line slowly thin out as Cassandra delivered the final blow to the rage demon.
I glanced at Shel as the rage demon fell. She had not closed the breach yet. There were too many on her and she was growing weak of mana.
"Aid the elf! She must close the breach!" Cassandra commanded.
I cast my barrier spell on her. She instantly felt the barrier rise and ran back from the demons with enough distance left to still connect with the breach. Cassandra and Varric were in front of her fighting off the demons. She raised her hand to the breach. The green light exploded out of her hand once more. More demons continued to come out. I concentrated on keeping the barrier up around her, but I was at a loss of one for myself.
As I tried to make my way closer to her, demons crossed in my path. I sent spells flying at them with my staff. There were too many of them coming between us. I lost concentration. My barrier shield around her broke as a demon struck me from behind. I turned to repel it but as I faced it, the demons behind me had jumped on my back. I was surrounded. Demons were clawing my face and body. I caught a glimpse of Shel's face. She looked at me and then at the breach. She strained herself to close it. I saw the green explosion from the breach get sucked into a black hole in the sky and the demons vanished from on top of me.
Suddenly, we were all encompassed in a vision.
Divine Justinia was floating in mid-air, a demon controlling her. The doors burst open and Shel ran into the room.
"What is going on here?" Shel demanded.
"Run, get out of here! Save yourself!" Justinia commanded to Shel.
The demon became angry and unleashed its energy. Shel shielded herself with her hand which absorbed the blast, creating the mark that closed the rifts.
So now we know she didn't kill The Divine and she was given the mark by this demon.
Shel was running towards me. I felt a bit woozy. Not too many cuts, but enough to be losing blood. I instantly felt the last bit of her mana surround my body as she cast a healing spell to stop me from bleeding out. She quickly pulled out an elfroot bottle and applied the potion to my cuts. I felt better instantly.
"I feel much better, thank you," I said to her.
She looked at me and smiled. "You're welcome."
"You did it Shel. You closed the breach," Cassandra said as she joined us.
Shel glanced up at the sky. The grey clouds had departed and the evening sun shown over the mountains. She did it. This mage elf. She closed the breach with her hand. I knew that my time with her was not finished. My journeys could wait, and who knows, my travels with her could lead to my greatest journey.