Alistair did not like to travel by sea, but the way through the mountains from Orlais into the Anderfels was impassable this early in the year. At least the herb Meghann had given him kept him from retching his guts out all the way to Tevinter, but it also dulled his mind, leaving him confused and dizzy much of the time. he was on the ship. But the boat was a relatively small, and fast, one of the modern types copied from the Qunari and called "caravels", so the journey did not take as long as his return from Weisshaupt had five years before.
The messenger who had been sent to Ferelden to summon him was called Diterich, and was a warden who had just passed the joining last year. It soon became obvious that Diterich was not privy to any plot against Aedan. Once he realized that Alistair was that Alistair of Ferelden, he had fallen all over himself to be respectful and Alistair spent much of the voyage recounting stories of the Fifth Blight. His brusque delivery of the summons had been a consequence of inexperience, the desire of a young man to be taken seriously. Alistair supposed he should have welcomed the distraction. Reminiscing about the year of the Blight meant that Aedan was constantly on his mind, but it did divert his mind from Aedan's disappearance.
Though it was not even Bloomingtide when they arrived in the Tevinter port of Asariel, it was warm enough for early summer by Ferelden standards. The journey from there to Weisshaupt was not long, but it would be a steep climb from the coast to the high plateau. Alistair looked forward to sleeping on dry land, without the need for his seasickness herb, for the first time in weeks.
Sleep proved far less restful than he had hoped, however. It seemed that the potions had dulled the taint dreams as well as his mind; he had one of full force again that night. Worse, he had not woken up in terror the way he once did. Though he had dreamed of the Deep Roads and the Darkspawn, he had not been attacked, and there had been that sound. It was still strange to him, not yet sweet music, but it had changed, and he knew what that meant. And when he awoke, he longed for Aedan to hold him and comfort him the way they always did after the dreams. It would have been so much easier to resist the Calling, if his lover were there beside him, calling him home.
Years ago, he and Aedan had promised each other that they would go to the Roads together, when the time came. But after the intensification of the Calling had started last year, he began to worry about the implications of that promise. What if he reached the point of madness while Aedan was still hale? He would not want Aedan to honor such a promise.
It had even crossed his mind that Aedan might have simply left for the Roads without telling him, not wanting him to feel compelled to follow. But no. He could imagine the old Aedan, the one from before their year apart, doing that. But after Alistair had returned, and Aedan had understood the cost of the secrets he had kept from, Aedan had been more open. Besides, he was sure Aedan was not close to the breaking point. Though Aedan had great self-control and could deceive even Alistair with words, not even he could disguise his state of mind when asleep. Alistair would have known.
And so Alistair lay awake in his cold bed, praying to a Maker he wasn't sure he believed in, to give him a chance to save his lover, to hold him again. He did not want to have to resist the Calling without his support.
The following day, he and Diterich began the climb up Troyan Pass to the Anderfels. The warmth of Tevinter spring soon faded as they ascended to the harsh plateau country where Weisshaupt lay. But though it grew cold at night, the days on the barrens were warm and bright. In the clear, dry air, Alistair could already see their destination a full day before they expected to reach it. Ahead of them lay the great ribbed tower of black rock, casting a long shadow in the late afternoon, the fortress of Weisshaupt resting upon its flat top.
There would be no dreams that, nor sleep. Aedan lay awake and wondered how he would find his way to Aedan and rescue him, prayed that it was not too late.
