Chapter 5 - Purity of her heart
Elizabeth travelled through the bustling town unnoticed by the people that passed her. Her hood over her face, her cloak beating in the wind and her wedding ring glistened on her finger. Queen of Fereldan, Warden Commander and a noble but none of those titles mattered this far west. To the people she passed in her travels, she was nothing more than a mysterious knight.
The open fields of the west and the warm weather lifted her spirits a little reminding her of the fields that stretched in Highever. She let her hood down, the wind sweeping through her short silver hair as she travelled the plains.
One night as she despaired for her children and she heard the whisper on the wind, a beautiful deep feminine voice calling her name.
Ahead of her mountains rose into jagged peaks but through the center a path cut through surrounded my tall poles, each tipped with a piece of red paper covered in strange writing. As she approached she noticed the grass began to rise and the trees grew thicker but sharper, the mountains cast eerie misty blankets near the top.
Black robed men and woman watched her pass through the forest. A tall woman stepped into the path, lifting her hood over her head letting her blonde hair fall to her knees "We have been waiting for you Elizabeth, my name is Elena"
"You're the one I heard on the wind. How do you know who I am, what is this place?"
"Come, I will take you to our ancient temple" she said with a deep, beautiful tone on her voice. This woman was immensely beautiful, her skin pale and smooth, long eyelashes and lips coloured dark red, her figure curvaceous and tall and her robe was low cut revealing her cleavage. Folding her arms into her sleeves, she turned gracefully and ascended the steps between the two mountains and Elizabeth followed, surrounded by the others.
The ascent into the mountains was a long stairway. Her hand to her mouth as the temple stood before her.
It was massive, unlike anything she had seen before. Two statues stood on either end with their feet submerged in an incredibly deep lake, their bodies covered in long robes in stone like the ones worn by the woman and their hands both grasped a long spear. The temple itself was stone cut out of the mountain, multiple levels with hundreds of balconies.
"I can't believe a place like this exists" she said in awe, a light breeze blowing from the peaks surrounding the temple, sweeping through her silver hair.
The drawbridge into the temple was covered in more of the strange red writing, she sensed magic weaving around it and she figured it was some kind of magical ward.
The entrance, a set of 6 statues on either side stood carved into the stone facing the large set of doors, within its walls, priests and priestesses walked to and fro. Endless columns rose into the stone ceiling and a massive gaping hole over a large circular pit.
"Who are all these people?" Elizabeth said curiously, holding her hair against her face as the wind howled through the great stone passages.
"Devoted priests and priestesses of our order"
"What is it you do here?"
"I oversee the initiates here in the temple, most that come here are the neglect and those seeking purpose"
"Then you know why I've come?"
"I do but there is something you must do first"
Elizabeth narrowed her gaze, skeptical of temples and their rituals.
"First you must rest, you are our guest and you should calm and ease your mind after your travels" she said with such a calm and smooth voice, clapping her hands and a young pretty girl in her late teens hurried quickly to her side.
"Charlotte will be looking after you and I must attend to the others"
Charlotte was a very slender girl and her dark brown hair hung loose by her chest. She was pretty with gentle green eyes and her robes hung loosely on her slender frame but around her arms were dark bruises, taking Elizabeth's hands, she quickly covered her arms. She walked with Elizabeth as they wondered through the temple and watched the priestesses devote themselves to their duties, leading her into a smaller passage with rooms and into a small room with a single bed. Elizabeth learned that all the girls in the temple where chaste, devoting themselves to purity. There was such discipline in the temple, the men and woman and the girls and boys all focused on their duties and believed that the 7 sins of life was the path towards darkness.
"The ritual used to cleanse is not a simple one, it would place your body under a great deal of strain" Elana said one day walking with Elizabeth, early one morning as the sun rose over the mountain peaks. The paths of the temple wove through tunnels and ancient passages, ivy covering the walls. Walking through these, the snow haired woman in a simple gown felt a serene peace within the mountains. Birds sang in trees with bright emerald leaves, roses of blues and reds in thick bushes along a water path, young girls sang and lay under the shade of the mountain peaks.
"I knew there would be sacrifices to make but...my emotions and feelings are draining away and I'm losing my mind to this sickness" as she spoke, the words evoked a reaction within her, as tears swelled at her beautiful blue eyes and with a deep sadness, in her voice Elana could sense how much she longed to see her family "I can't even remember their voices or what they sound like" wiping away the tears as she spoke and balanced herself against the stone.
"Poor dear, you've made such a brave sacrifice" the older woman embraced Elizabeth, holding her against her chest.
The bath she laid in that evening, 2 months after her arrival was relaxingly warm and scented with roses on its surface and young Charlotte sat nearby, Elizabeth covering her bare chest with her arms and her white hair had begun to grow out. The chamber was large with an ornate wooden frame set against the wall as moonlight bathed the bath she lay in.
"Charlotte, it is time for your prayers little one" Elana said in an affectionate tone, appearing at the door dressed in a simple white gown, her blonde hair tied high around her face.
"Yes lady Elana" Charlotte smiled wide and with excitement hurried out the chamber.
"I noticed the bruises on her arms"
"Yes, poor thing is the only daughter of a farmer near the outskirts of Fereldan and her father was addicted to drink and abused her"
"She seems happy here"
"She is and I'm quite fond of her. Besides that my dear, we are ready to begin the cleansing of your soul"
Following her down the longest passage in the immense temple, chanting grew louder until they walked into a passage with a watery bath on a high dais. All around the bath, priests and priestesses held rosary beads wrapped around their hands, chanting in a forgotten tongue, beating drums and shaking long sticks fit with shells.
"What is this?" Elizabeth asked, feeling fear bite at her.
"Our order is devoted to the purity and balance in ones soul; we believe that to purge oneself of desire, you must cleanse the impurities that hold you back: greed, lust, sloth, envy, wrath and gluttony. The sins of human life...please remove your clothing and lay in the bath"
Elizabeth stared down at her hand at then at the great bath on the high platform, she closed her eyes and then opening them again, she let her robe fall to her feet and unclasped her undercorset. Elena knew that Elizabeth would not bare her entire self even to the people in the temple; she reserved that for one person, her husband. Covering her chest with her arms, she walked forward.
She reclined into the waters, leaving her face above the surface. Sitting on the edge of the bath facing the priests, the head priestess took Elizabeth's hands and ran a knife along the skin, letting her blood drip into the water.
"Let us begin" Elana said and stroked Elizabeth's forehead "close your eyes"
...
The Herald walked gracefully along the balcony, hand gently brushing across the banister. As the music played and the guests danced, Cullen followed her with his eyes, glancing at each other as she passed him with a smile. High above, the dark haired woman stood watching the Inquisitor with her amber eyes.