Chapter 2: I Promised You Everything Would Be Fine

In the absence of light, shadows thrive

-Canticle of Threnodies

Abigail

"So, where are we going? I mean, I know we are in Ferelden, but where in Ferelden are we going?" Abigail questioned Liam, walking backwards before him. She had gotten quite accustomed to traveling with him now, it had been days since they had left the ruins of Haven. Her arm was still bandaged, but she had managed to heal the fracture. She had learned healing at the Ostwick Circle, but her skills weren't good enough for her to be a combat healer, it took too much of her concentration and effort for her to cast effectively or with any speed. Around a campfire, however, and with time, she could cast a healing spell or two. Liam had proven to be a capable fighter, defeating a few bandits they had met along the way. He brandished a huge ax, which he swung around as though it were nothing, which was honestly terrifying, but at least he was on her side, for now anyway. She really couldn't get a read on him or where his loyalties lied, he seemed to do whatever he wanted without any thought further about it. She still believed he was some part Avvar from his size and choice of weaponry, but he had a strange accent, it was Ferelden, but also somehow different, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. His voice interrupted her internal monologue, making her jump from surprise.

"Denerim. Now, could you tell me that last part again, something about an evil monster?" Liam smirked back, his smile looking menacing but happy at the same time.

"Denerim? Why are we going to the capital city of Ferelden? What is in Denerim that can help us?" She puzzled aloud but Liam simply twirled his finger in a gesture for her to continue and tell him the information he had requested. "Well, we were attacked by Corypheus-"

"Old news, done with him, it's the next part." Liam waved off the news of one of the original magisters who corrupted the Maker's Throne being alive and out to destroy the world so easily, it was beyond Abigail's comprehension, just who was this man?

"Oookay, um, Cole said that the dragon Corypheus attacked alongside of was an Archdemon...?" She continued, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Aha! That's it! An Archdemon. We are going to figure out where the Inquisition dispersed to and get you some help in defeating an Archdemon. And it isn't a what in Denerim, it is a who. We're going to Denerim to meet with a person, who can help you, not an us situation, I am helping already and I don't need help, you do." Liam corrected as he walked past Abigail who had stopped, trying to figure out who in Denerim could help them.

"Aha! The Queen! The Hero of Ferelden! We're going to get her help!" Abigail gasped excitedly her eyes getting wide in anticipation.

"Nope. Next best thing. Now, c'mon, we can make it by nightfall if we pick up the pace!" Liam shouted back as he rushed ahead.

"Who could that be?" Abigail sighed deflated as she ran along behind trying to catch up.

Julius

At the end of their long march through the mountains, they happened upon a gigantic fortress deep in the mountainside. Solas had said it was called "Skyhold", he didn't give any hints how he knew that or why though. This was the place where the wisps had led to, and Julius had done as the voice had asked and followed, but why was he led here? What was this place?

"The gate seems to be in working order, Commander!" a soldier yelled down from the top of the wall.

"Open it!" Cullen ordered, and it was done. Walking inside, the walls seemed stable and although there was dry-rotted wood broken on the ground, most of the structure was unharmed. Immediately the soldiers began assessing the defenses with Cullen leading them. All other hands were put to use clearing the rotted wood and opening blocked or closed passages.

Abigail

"Something, something, grateful something. ...Wait. Did you just write that? You scribes do this on purpose, don't you?" He huffed, shooing the scribe from the room, he'd had enough for the day. Pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand, he sighed, exasperated. Looking up at a portrait of a lady with crimson hair, he voiced aloud, "Why make me king and then just leave me here all alone...?"

"Aw, but I'm here for you, Ali-bear!" Liam interjected, as he threw open the door.

"Ha-wh- what are you doing here!?" Alistair gaped as Liam slid to the side to reveal the dark haired woman behind him. Abigail waved her marked hand in greeting as a small unsure smile crept onto her face, internally she was screaming.

"...the Herald? Why are you here? I thought you were up in the mountains at that fortress...?" Alistair puzzled. This was going to be a long night...

Julius

The fortress was massive, it could easily hold the army of The Inquisition. It took days to get it in order, even with Josephine arranging the help of stone masons, carpenters, and the other trades to clear and repair the damage the years of neglect had done. One couldn't help but marvel at it, and Julius was still marveling as he walked through with Josephine.

"Cullen says the defenses are progressing steadily, he has scouts placed further down the mountain so we will have plenty of warning of an attack by our enemies. Leliana is still gathering up her spies that were scattered when Haven was attacked, but she says she should be 'back on schedule' in a few days. Lord Trevelyan, we are almost ready to host our noble guests, I am working on obtaining a few more polite comforts, but we should be able to host our supporters presently. Establishing trade routes here has been trying, but I think I may have managed to convince the Avvar to help us build up the route, they are interested in potential new trade routes here as well. My lord Trevelyan? Is something on your mind?" Josephine stopped her dissertation once she noticed that Julius seemed lost in his own thoughts.

"What has Leliana heard from Haven?" He inquired. It had been days since his outburst at Mother Giselle, but it hadn't been forgotten by any of his advisers.

"Her scouts reported that they had found what appeared to be a mass pyre where the bodies of the dead had been burned. It was only ashes by the time they arrived. It is still unclear who burned the bodies, or the identities of whom were burned in the pyre." Josephine spoke cautiously, she did not want to upset the Herald.

"Thank you. I am glad things are progressing so quickly. Do carry on, I shall take my leave." He walked away as he eloquently dismissed himself. He had been collected and a bit cold since that night on the mountainside, but everyone knew the cold exterior belied an inner turmoil. At night he would stare out over the cold mountains into the darkness, Maker only knows what he thought about, so Cullen had an extra guard watch him at night, "to prevent any tragedies" as he had put it. He had seen men swallowed by despair before, and he had seen his fair share of the drastic measures they took to alleviate their suffering. Josephine shuddered to think about it. No one knew what to say, not even her, and most everyone avoided him, most of all, Cullen. They hadn't spoken since that night, and had hardly been in the same room since then. Josephine knew it was because Cullen felt guilt over not being prepared enough and forcing both Julius and Abigail to stay and face Corypheus alone. The truth was, they all felt guilt over what had happened, Cullen, Leliana, and herself. She wished she could bring Abigail back, but there was nothing she could do...

"I'm sorry, lord Trevelyan." Josephine whispered as she watched him walk further away inside the castle.

"Well, I'd have said that before he left, dear." A voice stated from behind her.

"M-my lord Pavus! I- I did not know you were there! Forgive my rudeness!" Josephine jumped in surprise and then tried to hastily apologize so Dorian would not notice how flustered she was from embarrassment.

"Do call me Dorian, dear ambassador. Though, watching him walk away is rather enchanting, isn't it?" Dorian had a cruel smile on his face as he teased her, his smile growing as her face grew more red.

"I must be going, excuse me, ser." Josephine said, curtsying and hastily retreating.

"Ah, such a theatrical performance. I shall have to set the stage more often." Dorian bemused to himself.

Abigail

"An Archdemon?" Alistair gaped as he sat, fixing his hand over his mouth, his eyes looking deeply into the floor. "Well, that would explain some things..."

"Yup, controlled by a darkspawn magister, how about that? Sounds right up your alley, don't it?" Liam teased, getting an angry response from Alistair.

"Just what is so amusing about an Archdemon!? We're still recovering from the last one 10 years ago!" He shouted at the red head.

"Aw c'mon, you killed the last one, you can do it again." Liam dismissed.

"I had substantial help! I wasn't the only one there!" Alistair protested.

"Leliana's with The Inquisition, and they have plenty of people as well. I hear Varric is with them too, you know Varric, right? Plus, I'll be there, plenty of help." Liam again dismissed Alistair's protests.

"Do you even understand what it takes to kill an Archdemon? What you are actually asking?" Alistair shot back, looking Liam in the eyes.

"Nope. I missed the last one. But I'm sure you do, so let's wrap this up and get going, okay?" Liam met Alistair's glare as he spoke.

"You know what, I'd rather not go through that again, no. No. Nope. Not thinking about it. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts... Now, get out of my palace." Alistair stated as he stood and shook his head, pointing to the door. Instead of either of his visitors moving however, they both just stared at him. Liam stared disinterestedly, but the Herald, she stared intently, finally reaching her hand up and pointing at him saying, "Um, your majesty, you're, um, bleeding..." Reaching up, he felt the wet blood dripping from his nose.

"Well, damn." Alistair said, grabbing a handkerchief to stifle his bloody nose. Now, Liam was interested, but he chose to let the Herald ask questions.

"Are... you alright?" She questioned hesitantly.

"Fit as a fiddle. I'd be better if you would both kindly leave like I said. Hate to have you escorted out." He replied, drawing an amused look from Liam.

"Really? Escort me out? You know better." Liam laughed.

"Um... Does your nosebleed have anything to do with what you said about 'that would explain some things'...?" Abigail inquired, a real look of concern on her face, she knew something wasn't right, now Liam gave a hard look at Alistair.

"Um...No." Alistair attempted to lie, poorly.

"Spill." Liam said gruffly, he was done talking in circles now.

"Do either of you know what The Calling is for Grey Wardens?" Alistair inquired, his demeanor dead serious.

"When they hear voices and go get themselves killed by darkspawn?" Liam responded.

"Yes. Basically, that's it, except it means that their tainted blood is killing them, so they can either die a sane person, or become a deranged ghoul. Well... I've been hearing it for a bit now, and every day it gets worse. An Archdemon and a darkspawn magister could be a cause behind the Calling happening so soon, or my time is up, no way of knowing, right? The nosebleeds are a recent thing, isn't that lovely? And here I thought I'd just hear some evil song in my head, but no, I get bloody noses too, wonderful, right? Ah, the joys of being a Grey Warden." Alistair attempted to joke to lighten the mood, talking about serious life and death matters wasn't really his forte. Abigail looked at her feet, tears welling up in her eyes.

"A song, huh? Where have I heard that before...?" Liam mumbled to himself.

"It's not fair! You quit being a Warden! Why do you have to go through The Calling?" Abigail exclaimed, tears falling down her face.

"Well, it's not like you hand in your shield and say goodbye and you stop being one. Once a Grey Warden, always a Grey Warden, you know that when you join. I would have rather just stayed a Warden than become King, much less headache, though now more figuratively than literally." Alistair explained, a bit caught off guard by the woman's tears, was she really that upset about it?

"Well, if you don't like being king, then why not get out of here and come with us? Can't hurt, right?" Liam suggested, and really, there wasn't much point to staying and then dying from The Calling opposed to actually going off and doing what other Grey Wardens did and fight until death took them. Also, an Archdemon was cause enough for a king to get involved with The Inquisition, right?

"Sorry, dear, but you aren't here to stop me!" Alistair smiled as he looked back to the portrait he was looking at when the two had walked in. "My uncle Teagan should be here in the morning, I need to leave instructions for him and my adviser Eamon. ...Oh, man, he's gonna be furious when he finds out, haha."

"Yeah! Just leave a country for your uncle to watch over, that'll be fine! At least it ain't my uncle!" Liam and Alistair shared a good laugh, leaving Abigail to wonder, just how had this man become king again? Ferelden was strange...

Julius

Staring out into the darkness, he ignored the soldier that was keeping a close watch on him, instead he was thinking back to when he and Abigail had woken up at Haven after the explosion of the conclave. He hadn't seen her in years at that point, not since she had been dragged away to the Ostwick Circle. He was so glad they both survived the explosion, and for the first time in a long time, he almost believed the Maker actually did care. They were both so terrified of the green mark on their hands, but he was just content to have a chance to be with his sister again after being separated by his father so many years ago. He even promised her that she wouldn't have to go back to the Circle, she could stay with him and live freely. He'd missed too much of her life already, but then, he was also grateful she hadn't been in that house all those years either. She got to keep her innocence, locked away in the Circle, he almost wished he had been a mage too, so much suffering could have been avoided. And again, here he was, alone. He never could keep any of the promises he made to her, he was a sorry excuse for a twin brother. He laid his head down on the cold stone wall, closing his eyes and trying to think of a happier time, only to realize he couldn't.

"Crumbled, like the buildings made of stone and iron. Life freely given to protect, not taken in return, always another. The emptiness grows inside, darker than the voices in the tower. Why her?" Cole said, startling Julius slightly.

"Who?" Julius asked, he had been around Cole enough to know he was "reading" someone. Cole outstretched his hand and pointed down to Cullen who continued to go over reports in the dull light of a lantern.

"Cullen, huh?" Julius remarked. He knew he had lashed out at him unfairly, but he didn't know if he could apologize or how to either.

"Failure. Blood covers the hands, staining them, cannot wash it off. Her song is sad. She has all the names. Her song is sadder." Cole recited as he pointed to Leliana now.

"Hmmmm. I think I see where you are going with this." Julius grumbled, he was pretty sure Cole was trying to show him the inner turmoil of the advisers and prove that they needed his help and get him to stop running from his leadership responsibilities. Cole could be a bit invasive at times, and also stubborn.

"All the words are lost, empty, like a pond in the drought, she wants to fill it, but her voice is gone, the cold winds drove it away." Cole pointed to Josephine this time, she was up at a late hour tonight. They all were. Preparing, working, slaving away through the night and wearing themselves out to try to make up for their perceived faults and failures in defending Haven and the Inquisition. He knew he had to make it right.

"Okay, Cole. I understand now. I know I need to help them. I will-" Julius began to explain, but Cole pointed to one more person and said, "Old friends. Sadness like a sickness growing, gnawing, tearing away. Fear that death will follow. Apologies lost inside, too many words, never enough."

"Varric?" Julius questioned, but Cole was now done, as he hopped down off the wall and began to wander away.

"Wait! What did that mean!?" Julius shouted after him, hoping he might actually give a straight answer, to which Cole simply replied.

"Champion."

A/N: So, I realize, the first upload of this chapter was jacked up... So Sorry about that... Um, I think this chapter is pretty self- explanatory... so... yeah... I liked it, let me know what you think, and hey! I updated on a Tuesday again! 2 straight weeks on time! ...I'm fighting writer's block something fierce... Switched the genre to drama and romance, since I didn't want to focus as much on trekking through the adventures and retelling the same missions over and over again... so, yeah, more focus on the human (or otherwise) element of the story. We shall learn more about our people in the future! And nah, I don't own Dragon Age, blah blah blah.

Reformatted for your convenience! Ta-da!