Aedan Cousland was not a weak man. He was strong in both body and mind, and when it came to pain he could shrug off the sting of a dagger as easily as a hit to the jaw. He was able to run uphill in full armor to meet an opponent in battle without losing his breath.

But that was Aedan Cousland before Fort Drakon. The Aedan Cousland who was currently chained to the chair in the middle of a dimly lit room deeper in the keep was having a difficult time holding onto to his sense of honor after yet another encounter with Holden and his sadism. Aedan had thus far managed to maintain his composure, however his newest torment threatened to take away what little control he had left.

Holden was known to be very creative when it came to his methods. He delighted in creating new ways to inflict pain on his prisoners, and this time he felt he had truly outdone himself.

He had created a mask himself, but this was far from the elaborate masks that you saw at an orlesian ball. This mask was made entirely out of iron and was designed to fit over the victims entire head. Small straps were placed inside the lower portion which wrapped around the victims neck, making it impossible for the wearer to turn their head more than a few inches causing unbearable stiffness. Two eye holes had been crudely cut into the metal allowing only a small amount of the outside world to be viewed from inside the portable prison. And Holden's proudest addition was something he had made himself. Inside right where the victims mouth would be was a small piece extending just far enough to be inserted into the mouth of the unfortunate soul. A half dozen small spikes had been whittled down until they were the perfect size to be forced into the mouth, holding the tongue down. If the victim tried to speak, or screaming too loudly, their mouth would be shredded from the inside.

Aedan was not a stupid man, and for all of his strength and perceived arrogance, he knew when to be afraid. And right now he was very much afraid.

Holden paced in and out of his line of sight, his hand was clutching a torch, the light illuminating his black eyes that seemed to lack all emotion. An evil smirk was plastered on his face, a smirk that made Aedan's blood run cold. Holden stretched his arm out holding the torch against the iron mask. The iron began to heat up, quickly causing his skin to become uncomfortably hot. Holden pulled the torch away but Aedan could still feel the heat emenating from the mask.

"I must admit Warden, your will has held out longer than I expected. Though rather you are brave or just plain foolish remains to be seen."

Holden lifted his arm out of Aedan's eyesight. He tried to lift his head out of instinct but the straps prevented him from moving. He felt his sense of foreboding grow, it was bad enough when he saw what Holden was about to do to him, but this not knowing escalated his fear to the point of near panic.

Holden finished preparing his newest game and knelt down in front of Aedan. "Resistance will get you nowhere, except an early grave. How much longer until that realization penetrates that thick skull of yours?" Holden rapped his knuckles on the mask to bring his point home. Aedan closed his eyes as the sound echoed loudly inside his ears.

Holden arose and began circling around Aedan, coming in and out of his line of sight every few seconds. He was not speaking for the moment, he seemed to be preoccupied with whatever horrors were currently hovering above them.

"Your resolve is impressive Warden," Holden spoke off to the right. "But even the strongest of heroes has trouble watching those they care about suffer."

Aedan felt his heart drop.

"It must get lonely in your cell. And I am not without compassion. I hate to stand in the way of true love. I have arranged to have your lovely red haired temptress to join us here. Although you may have to share her with the men. You see, some of them haven't seen a woman in months, and desire a woman's touch. We'll be sure to return whatever is left of her."

Aedan felt something inside of him explode, he struggled against his restraints in a desperate attempt to reach Holden. He could withstand whatever torture Holden had to offer, he could fight through the pain, endure the punishments, because it meant Leliana did not have to, it meant she was safe. This man had threatened the very thing he had been trying to protect. This monster had threatened to take away the only woman he had ever loved, the one shining light in his world that had been nothing but darkness. This man had dared to bring Leliana into it, and Aedan found he no longer cared if he lived or died as long he ripped this bastard's head off.

He struggled against the chains that bound him, he tried to yell but he felt the spikes digging into his tongue. He felt his tongue begin to shred, his mouth filled with blood which spilled out over his chapped lips and down his chin. Holden's malicious laughter echoed off the walls, filling Aedan's ears and fueling his rage.

A searing hot pain on his shoulder brought a momentary pause in his rage. He grunted in pain, and no sooner had the sensation passed then another agonizing burn came from his back. It took him a moment to understand that the pain was caused by something dropping on him, no doubt from whatever device was rigged above him.

The drops became more frequent and soon his entire neck, back, and shoulders felt as if they were on fire. He could not stop the cry of pain that escaped his troat, ignoring the pain from the fresh wounds on his tongue. His whole body was in agony, and soon his effort to break free of his chains was abandoned as the strength left his body.

Holden gave a triumphant smile, as Aedan's resolve lessened and eventually faded.

"There, that's far more like it." He said coldly. "I told you Warden, I will break you. I will leave you here until this lesson has had time to fully set it. But do not worry, you will have company soon enough."

Holden left slamming the door loudly behind him. Aedan was remotely aware of the sound of the lock clicking followed immediately by the sound of searing flesh as another white hot drop hit his flesh. The last thing that ran through Aedan's mind before his world went black was a silent prayer that Holden would not follow through on his promise.

Maker, if there is a Maker, keep her safe. Please, protect her...