In Hushed Whispers
Rorick Trevelyan cracked his eyes open as he felt the water drip on his forehead. Obscenities flew from his mouth as the pain started catching up to him. He looked around him and realized he was floating in knee deep water.
"What the fuck?" He asked himself.
"Good you're finally awake." Dorian said as he waded over. "I fear I have grave news."
"Besides the crazed magister throwing magic at us, what else could go wrong?" Rorick asked as he stood up. "Shit I'm soaked, and I really liked this armor." He muttered.
"Allow me," Dorian said. He moved some magic around and they were both dry. "But we need to get out of here."
"Where is here?" Rorick asked frustrated. "The last thing I remember, Magister Alexius threw us into some portal."
"Yes, that part is obvious, but what isn't is where we are. The portal moved us, but to where? The closest confluence of magical energy?" Dorian muttered to himself.
"If that was true we wouldn't here, we'd be in the same room we were in." Rorick said.
"Unless," Dorian paused. "Of course! It's not where it's when!"
"What?!" Rorick asked.
"Alexius knew he couldn't remove you by force, so he intended to move forward in time."
"Why?"
"To remove you from the equation, I would wager. He must have figured you were too powerful as you were."
"So we're in the future?" Rorick said slowly with his hand across his forehead.
"I'd assume."
"Well shit."
"I concur. We'd best explore about, see what we can learn." Dorian said. They quietly opened the cell doors and began their trek. They turned the corner and saw the first of many horrors.
"It can't be." Rorick muttered.
"It's covered in red lyrium." Dorian said breathlessly, the hallway had no candles but was lit by the dull red shine of the lyrium growing out of the walls.
"Son of a bitch, what has he done?" Rorick asked.
"I'm not sure." Dorian said. "But this is madness; I didn't think it would happen."
"Didn't think what would happen?"
"I didn't think it could get worse." Dorian told him. Rorick pushed him against the wall. Dorian struggled for a moment but they watched three Venatori soldiers march down the hall.
"Stay here." Rorick ordered. They sat for a moment until Rorick noticed a small wood axe. As the soldiers marched toward them Rorick greeted one with an axe in his helmet. He let out an ugly shriek as he crumpled to the ground. The other two soldiers had little time to react as Rorick's great sword cleaved them both in two. Rorick panted for a moment before signaling Dorian to follow. The two silently made their way to the other cells.
"Keep your eyes peeled." Dorian warned.
"For what?"
"For anything. We don't know when we are, and we don't know what's happened in this future." He said. Rorick pushed him against a wall and held his finger to his lips. They heard people talking on the other side of the wall. Rorick drew his dagger and turned the corner slowly.
"You will worship the Elder One!" The first voice said.
"And your Elder One can kiss Andraste's sacred ass!" The second voice said with a chuckle. Rorick moved closer and saw Varric leaning against his cell wall. Against his will Varric widened his eyes and grew a bigger smirk. "Hey have you ever heard the one about the man with the dagger?"
"Your foolish jokes won't save you when the Elder One comes." The Venatori told him.
"I didn't say it was a joke." Varric said. Rorick put the knife clean through his spine and through his heart. A dull gasp came out followed by blood and the Venatori fell. "So how fucked are we when the dead start coming to life?"
"We aren't dead, Alexius sent us forward in time." Dorian explained. Rorick kicked the cage door down and Varric ran happily to the chest and pulled Bianca out.
"Have I ever mentioned that the shit that happens to you is really weird?" Varric asked.
"Not often enough." Rorick said with a smirk. "What the hell happened to you?" Varric was glowing red. His eyes were bloodshot to an extreme and his voice was coming out funny.
"Let's just say the not dying version of the red stuff is way worse." Varric said bitterly.
"How so?" Dorian asked.
"There was an Inquisition soldier across from me in that cell right there." Varric pointed to the cell behind them that was full to the bars with Red Lyrium.
"Did they store the Red Lyrium in there after he died?" Rorick asked.
"Nope, he's still in there somewhere; they grow it out of people. I had to watch him die as it grew from his body."
"That's disgusting." Dorian muttered. They stayed silent for a moment.
"Who's here?" Rorick asked finally.
"Not a lot, a lot of people died when the demon army invaded." Varric said.
"Excuse me?!" Dorian asked shocked.
"Yep you heard me, a demon army came marching from the north. Southern Thedas didn't stand a chance."
"Shit." Rorick muttered.
"We never saw it coming either." Varric said. Rorick led them down a few more hallways before coming before another cell block.
"When do we get relieved?" He heard a voice ask. Varric confirmed there were three in the room.
"Whenever Taccitus is done with the prisoner." The second Venatori said.
"He's been at it for weeks. She hasn't broken yet, say what you want about her but she's tough." The third one said.
"She is a heathen! Taccitus says she still prays to her 'Maker'!" The first one said. The first two laughed raucously for a moment.
"I didn't say she was right." The third one said solemnly. The other two looked at him oddly. "She's the one we didn't find for nearly 6 months. It took breaking one of her closest agents, which by the way took nearly killing her before that even happened and cost us a huge dose of Red Lyrium, and even when we found her she killed 3 bruisers, 16 gladiators and 9 fucking prowlers before we finally managed to subdue her."
"What's your point?"
"Taccitus isn't going to break her. She'll die before that happens. She was right next to him."
"Who?" The second one asked.
"The Herald, the one who interrupted the Elder One, she was right beside him."
"Well Alexius got rid of him, why should we care?" The first one asked.
"Did he?" The third one asked again. "Alexius hasn't left his room in 3 months, he is too paranoid. I don't think he really destroyed him."
"Why not?" the second one asked.
"If he did, he wouldn't be continuing his experiments would he? He'd move on, but he hasn't. I think he's close to reappearing."
"The Elder One will destroy him." The first one said proudly.
"I hope so." The third one muttered. Their conversations continued as Rorick eased back to Varric.
"Did you hear all that?" Rorick asked.
"Yeah, only person I can think of that could hide for that long and put up that much of a fight is Nightingale." Varric said. Rorick nodded and made his move. Rorick came in with a devastating punch that killed the first one. By the time the second one drew his weapon Rorick had already snapped his neck and the third one took a bolt through the eye. Rorick surveyed the prisoners for a moment.
"It can't be." The voice called out. It was quiet and hollow. Rorick turned to the cell and saw Cassandra crumpled up in the corner. She was just like Varric, glowing red and speaking in a hollowed mockery of her old voice. Rorick ran to the bars and looked in with horror.
"Cassandra?" Rorick asked.
"No, you," She pushed against the wall even further. "You were dead, I saw you die!" She shouted.
"We aren't dead, Alexius sent us forward in time. None of this is supposed to happen." Dorian assured her.
"Then," She panted as she tried to stand up. "Has Andraste given us a second chance?"
"Do you know what year it is?" Dorian asked.
"No, I've been here for a long time. They fed it to me," She tried to continue but Rorick could hear the tears in her voice. "I can hear it in my veins, it's laughing at me." She whispered. Rorick balled his fists.
"Can you get it through touch?"
"No, only by ingestion." Varric confirmed. Rorick grabbed Cassandra's hand and held her close to him. She used him to help herself up.
"I'm so sorry, I should have been here." Rorick said through gritted teeth.
"You're here now." Cassandra said. He stepped away as she moved out of her cell. "I'm not going to be of much use to you."
"It's okay Seeker, when you get your blood pumping you'll start feeling better."
"Oh, Varric." She said. Rorick finally saw her eyes. They were broken. "I'm so sorry I dragged you into this." She said simply. Rorick felt his blood boiling as she spoke.
"Where's Leliana?" Rorick asked in a growl.
"She is up in the torture chambers." Cassandra said. Rorick led her to the chest with her gear and helped her get situated.
"I'm so sorry this happened to you." Rorick said quietly. "I'll fix this I promise."
She smiled at him. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."
"No don't start this, this isn't the end." Rorick told her sharply. "We'll get through this." Rorick watched her eyes drop and her expression worsen.
"I don't know if I can." She admitted.
"Let's just keep looking around; you'll start feeling better in no time." Dorian told her. Rorick helped her arm herself and they continued on their way. Rorick led the way until they came upon another room. There were four guards, one looking to be a mage, the others warriors.
"Here's the plan, Varric put a bolt in the mages head. Dorian you light one of the warriors on fire, Cassandra and I will take the other two. After you've made your shot Varric we'll go."
"Got it, kid." Varric said, he turned the corner slowly and aimed Bianca carefully. The mage was busy in a book and the warriors having a conversation. He looked back to the others before he took the shot. The mage let out a bloody choke and the first warrior screamed in a fiery panic before Rorick even got into the room. But the second warrior was quick to meet Rorick's great sword. Cassandra rushed the other warrior; he bounced off the wall and back into her sword. But her sword got stuck in his armor, and he was still swinging. Cassandra was knocked back and the other warrior swung his great axe toward her head. Cassandra lifted her shield but he knocked her down to the ground.
"You should have stayed in your cell!" He shouted. Cassandra tried to get up but she saw him swing for her head. She closed her eyes and waited for the blood. She felt something hit her but it wasn't blood. She looked and Rorick stood over her, the warrior's axe lay in pieces before them and Rorick didn't flinch. The others felt the tension building until Rorick snapped and tackled him. Rorick kept punching his face growling angrily as he did. Even as the solid hits became messier and messier, Rorick didn't stop.
"Rorick!" Dorian finally cried. Rorick held still for a few moments. He finally cracked his neck and made his exit. "Are you wounded Rorick?"
"No." He said. He was still angry.
"Please don't be angry at me." Cassandra said. "I'm sorry."
"I'm angry at Alexius." He turned to her and looked at her. "None of this should be happening, you shouldn't be dying of poison neither should Varric, the world shouldn't be like this." He shook his head and turned again.
"If we can find Alexius, we might be able to reverse this." Dorian said.
"I'm still impressed that you took a great axe to the face." Varric mused. "Are you sure you're not injured? You're covered in blood."
Rorick used his arm to wipe his face. "It's not mine."
"How'd you manage that?" Varric asked. "The great axe was broken; did it hit your armor?"
"No, it hit my face." He rubbed his jaw. "It hurt pretty badly."
"But why did it break, I've heard of having a glass jaw, but this is rather strange." Dorian admitted.
"I don't know what happened."
"That's a recurring theme for you isn't it?" Varric asked as he chuckled. He suddenly collided with Rorick as he stared into one of the cells. Dorian and the others joined in the shock. Grand Enchanter Fiona sat in her cell, Red Lyrium growing from her stomach into the walls. She wheezed in and out, quietly singing to herself.
"Fiona?" Rorick asked. She slowly moved her head over and her mouth fell open in shock. They saw the Lyrium sprouting from her right eye as well.
"Herald?" She asked. "Have you returned from the dead?"
"No we're not dead, we were sent forward in time. What year is it?" Dorian asked.
"9:42, Dragon." She wheezed out.
"9:42?!" Dorian asked out. "We've missed an entire year!"
"You mean this isn't supposed to happen?" Fiona asked. She started coughing and Red Lyrium spilled out as she did. "Your spymaster is still here." Fiona said afterwards.
"Leliana made it?"
"She was captured; she's been here for a few weeks. I hear guards complaining about her. She is above us."
"Thank you Fiona."
"Please fix this, please." She whispered as she closed her eyes.
"We will."
"She's gone." Varric said. They looked on her as the lyrium started glowing again.
"What has Alexius done?" Dorian shook his head.
"Besides fuck everything up?" Varric asked. Rorick kept on point the whole time.
"Are you feeling better Cassandra?" Dorian asked to kill the silence.
"As well as I can feel." Cassandra admitted. Rorick held the party behind as he kept scouting. They approached a room with angry yelling. There was a moment of quiet before a solid hit could be heard and a grunt.
"You will break!" The voice shouted. Rorick cracked the door open slightly to see a mage with a dagger against Leliana's throat.
"I will die first." She growled. Rorick slammed the door open. Taccitus turned around in shock. "Or you will." She used her legs and quickly snapped his neck. Rorick ran quickly to undo her chains. "My belongings are in that chest."
Rorick helped her over to the chest, but she did the rest. "Do you know where Alexius is?"
"His chambers."
"Will you lead us there?"
"Undoubtedly."
"Um aren't you going to question why we're here?" Dorian asked.
"No." Leliana said.
"We didn't die, Alexius sent us forward into time, none of this is supposed to happen." Dorian explained. Leliana just put on her quiver and started walking. Both she and Rorick marched in silence. The others tried to keep up with them.
"How did the demon army take out Orlais?" Rorick asked.
"After Empress Celene was assassinated, the chaos left Orlais and Ferelden vulnerable." Leliana answered.
"Empress Celene?" He asked.
"Yes, Southern Thedas was left broken afterward."
"Interesting, when we get back I'll be sure to-." Dorian started but Leliana turned to him angrily.
"Stop talking." She told him.
"I'm only-."
"You're talking to fill the silence. This isn't a pretend future with no consequence to you." She marched him down and pushed him into the wall. "It really happened, we watched the world break apart at the hands of the Elder One, we watched our allies die around us, and we watched the world be overtaken by demons!"
Rorick interrupted and pulled Leliana back. "But right now, he's the only one with an idea to stop it from ever happening." He told her.
Leliana snarled at him.
"She just growled at me!" Dorian muttered.
"I've seen what she can do, you got off lucky Sparkler." Varric whispered. Leliana scouted forward and led them to the door.
"Two Venatori outside, but also demons." She said listening through the door.
"How many?"
"Can't tell." She said.
"Dorian, Varric, and Leliana stay behind Cassandra and me." They all nodded. Rorick was quick to kick the door open. A poor guard went flying from the impact into one of the Red Lyrium spikes. A rush of shades came but Cassandra and Rorick held them back away from the others with ease. Cassandra was quickly getting back into her stride. Slicing clean through demon and Venatori with ease, and covering Rorick while he advanced, grew easier with each step. Soon after all the enemies were dead they Rorick and Dorian finally looked up.
"The Breach, it's enormous!" Dorian said in amazement. Rorick's jaw dropped without his approval either.
"Without you to close the Breach it grew unchecked. It's almost as big as Thedas by now." Cassandra told them.
"Son of a-." Rorick started. He shook his head and pressed on. A few more closed rifts and a lot of dead Venatori later and he finally looked at the door to Magister Alexius. The door opened and Magister Alexius looked at them solemnly. He was just as broken as everyone else.
"So it is now isn't it?" He asked. His voice cracked in agony and regret.
"Give us the amulet and none of this happens." Rorick ordered.
"You don't know what you're asking." He looked out of the windows as the shadows grew thicker, the only light in the room came from the dull glow of the Red Lyrium. "Do you think this future relies on your absence? Do not delude yourself. The Elder One comes, for me, for you, for all of us. There are none that can escape." He said.
"I wasn't asking." Rorick said. As he walked over he saw someone sitting on a chair looking at him.
"Felix?!" Dorian yelled out. He rushed over but Felix didn't respond. He was breathing but his eyes remained fixed, his skin was cold and he didn't speak. "What have you done?!"
"He said he could fix him, that he could heal him but-," Alexius collapsed to his knees. "The Elder One does not restore, he only corrupts in his own image." He said breathlessly.
"Then put a stop to this, send us back." Dorian said.
"I don't know if I can." He admitted with tears. Leliana rushed past and grabbed Felix by the throat. Her dagger replaced her hand and her threats came quickly.
"Do it." She told him. "Give them the amulet."
"NO!" Alexius scrambled to him but Leliana pushed the dagger further. "Please I'll do what you want, just don't hurt my son." The battle of the broken happened so quickly. Alexius threw the amulet at Dorian. Leliana let the boy drop and Alexius scrambled to him and cradled his head.
"Yes, the energies are the same. I could replicate the spell, I just need an hour." Dorian said confidently.
"AN HOUR?!" Leliana yelled. The yell was followed by a piercing roar above their heads. "You need to do it now."
"This sort of magic is dangerous, it needs time."
"The Elder One is on our doorstep, you don't have time anymore Sparkler." Varric said. Cassandra pulled Varric back and nodded.
"We will do what we can." Cassandra said boldly.
"Cassandra, wait." Rorick stopped her and grabbed her shoulders. "I love you." Rorick told her. It was loud, but he didn't care. "This isn't over, I promise." Cassandra nodded and smiled before making her way out. Rorick nodded at Dorian who began his casting. Tremendous noise echoed throughout the castle as Dorian concentrated. Leliana kept repeating her verses as she nocked her arrow. The noises grew closer and closer until they pounded on the door. A terror burst through the door and threw down Cassandra's mangled body. Rorick's eyes widened and he growled.
"If you move we all die!" Dorian warned him.
"Though all before me is shadow," Leliana shouted as she fired. "Yet shall THE MAKER be my guide!" She took down four of them before they approached. "I will fear no shadows! The Maker is my light, and fire is my water!" She kept fighting. The amulet crackled and shone with the green magic. Leliana kept fighting even as a terror's claws pierced through her heart and she fell. The magic enveloped them both and soon they were flying through time. They landed confidently in the same room but in their time.
"You'll have to do-." Dorian started so smug but Rorick charged past him and tackled Alexius to the ground. They all saw the pain in his eyes. Rorick screamed and punched Alexius once, twice, he bowed back for another but Dorian threw him back with some magical aide. "Don't!" Dorian warned. "He hasn't done anything!"
"YOU SAW!" Rorick screamed. He reached for his dagger and tried to go for Alexius again. "YOU SAW WHAT HE DID!" He screamed again. His voice wasn't rage, it was agony. It was pure pain in his screams.
"But none of that happened!" Dorian shouted. He held Rorick away as Alexius scrambled up. "We stopped that future from ever happening. It can't happen." He started to calm down as did Rorick. Rorick still clung to his dagger with all his might as it cracked in his hands. Rorick's panting was the only sound in the room as Varric and Cassandra watched on in shock and horror. "She's safe." Dorian said quietly. It wasn't as quietly as he'd hoped. The others heard but chose to ignore it. Rorick finally dropped the dagger and moved away from the Magister.
"Get out." Rorick growled. "Get out of Thedas." He moved away from everyone as another conversation happened behind them. Eventually all was silent except for the frantic pacing of Rorick.
"Are you okay?" Dorian asked.
"No I'm not okay!" Rorick shouted. "I'm still pissed, I'm soaked in blood and fluids, and my jaw still fucking hurts!" He shook his head. He usually didn't curse around Cassandra so she knew something was wrong.
"Well at least it's over." Dorian had no sooner finished his sentence when Ferelden soldiers marched in the room. "Or not." Dorian turned and saw Alistair, King of Ferelden, marching stoically towards them. Fiona ran up and did a low curtsy.
"Your majesties, we were not expecting you." Fiona said nervously.
"When we allowed the mages to take sanctuary in Redcliffe we did not allow them to drive people from their homes!" Alistair announced. Fiona's face grew red with frustration. "You've worn out your welcome." He told them.
"Your majesties." Rorick came to them and bowed low in honor. "Permission to speak freely, your grace?" He asked still bowing.
"You are the one they have called the Herald of Andraste aren't you?" Alistair asked. He raised Rorick up and Rorick nodded.
"Yes your majesty. I must ask that we speak privately."
"For what reason?"
"The protection of not just Ferelden but all of Thedas." He said.
"I find that hard to believe." Alistair said with an eyebrow raised. Rorick pointed to Magister Alexius.
"That man used a form of magic to send me and a companion a full year into the future. What we saw doesn't just threaten a select few, it threatens all." Rorick said.
"You can't expect me to believe that?" He asked. Rorick's face didn't change. "I need proof, besides one man's word."
"You can have two; I was the companion he speaks of." Dorian made his entrance.
"And why would I believe you Tevinter?!"
"Because I did it." Alexius suddenly said. "I sent them forward because I needed more time to complete my assignments." He slumped to his knees as Felix rushed to him.
"Father?" Felix asked.
"Everything I did, I did for you Felix."
"I'm going to die father, you need to accept that." Felix told him.
"So everything you've said is true?" Alistair asked slightly out of breath. "You were really sent into the future?"
Rorick just nodded.
"Right, follow me." Alistair took the two into another room. An hour passed hearing only the muffled sounds of furious conversation. Finally Alistair emerged after a few more minutes of stunned silence. He was clearly shaken and breathless.
"My love?" The queen asked.
"After much deliberation, Ferelden and all of its assets pledge full support to the Inquisition." The king announced. The queen smiled and so did Cassandra and the others. "I'll send those letters as soon as I return, and anything else I can do I'll send to Haven." The king walked toward his wife and held her hand.
"Your Majesty?" Fiona asked.
"Your fate is not in my hands any more." Rorick walked beside her and handed her a few objects. "It is in theirs. You are hereby conscripted to help the Inquisition. If you do you have full asylum in Ferelden, but you answer to him." Alistair and his wife left soon afterward.
"What just happened?" Varric asked.
"We have a lot to talk about when we get back." Rorick said.
"We need to prepare, there are sure to be abominations among them!" Cullen shouted. "And we've given them free allegiance with us?!" He ran about with his hands on his neck.
"We wanted to earn their alliance, and we did." Josephine said, trying to calm him. "And if we rescind the alliance we appear incompetent at best, tyrannical at worst!" She said.
"You were there Seeker why didn't you say anything?!" Cullen asked.
"First of all, the decision was made between the Herald and King Alistair, as if I could have swayed either of them. Second while I may not agree with the decision I support it. He and the young Tevinter man were the only two to suffer the alternate future. Only they could have made that decision." Cassandra argued.
"Is that the voice of pragmatism speaking? And here I was just starting to enjoy the circular logic and bitter arguments." Dorian said as he approached.
"At this point arguing is pointless, it's better to prepare for their arrival." Leliana said as she left.
"I'll begin making arrangements for Lyrium trades." Josephine said as she departed.
"I'll alert the Templars and prepare quarters." Cullen said with a sigh. Soon only Dorian, Cassandra and Rorick remained.
"Well if it helps, I'd like to stay and help." Dorian said.
"I'd appreciate all the help." Rorick said. Dorian left and smirked as Cassandra sneered.
"May I ask you something, Rorick?" Cassandra asked.
"Of course." He said with a smirk.
"I've never seen you angry." Cassandra said bluntly. Rorick still had his smirk.
"Usually that is considered a good thing." Rorick said. He started to walk toward his quarters as she followed.
"Then what happened?" She asked. "That wasn't just rage, it was pain." Cassandra said. Rorick lost his smirk as he turned around. He took off his harness and his great sword and set them down outside of his door.
"It doesn't matter." Rorick said finally. He went to close his door.
"I heard what Dorian said." She told him. He stopped in his tracks and tensed up. "Who was he talking about?" Cassandra asked.
"No one in particular." Rorick said.
"Don't lie to me." Cassandra said. Rorick just looked at her. She saw that same look in his eyes when he came back. Pain. "I'm sorry, I've overstepped my boundaries." She turned to leave but Rorick stopped her. He pulled her toward him and kissed her. He broke it off quickly and blushed like crazy. She shared that feeling.
"I'm sorry." Rorick said shaking his head. He closed the door gently leaving Cassandra to think about what just happened. She felt dizzy for a few moments before knocking again. Rorick didn't open the door but she knew he was leaning against the door.
"I am here if you need to talk." Cassandra offered. Rorick cracked the door open.
"You should get some rest while you can. Once the mages arrive, things are going to get even crazier." Rorick told her.