A/N: Sorry, one day late on the post. I'll try to post the next one sooner :D
Lemme know your thoughts n stuff. I like reviews!
In this chappy: more mysteries unveiled, the plot thickens, oh boy oh boy. Next chappy I hope to include a serious Cullen vs. Solas dialogue, but it's pretty fuckin intimidating to write.
"The veil is thin here," Solas murmured, hesitant to say anything more. Alina would realize soon enough.
The group finally reached the location of Andruil's Fire. Lian stood on a fallen tree, scanning every detail of the forest, searching for the telltale red leaves.
Alina gracefully hopped up beside him, turning her back to scan the forest behind him.
"I have never seen it with my own eyes," Alina said softly, "only in drawings."
"I saw Andruil's Fire once before, when we were younger," Lian responded, "your brother and I wandered out here on a hunt. He was so excited, he grabbed at the leaves with his bare hands, the fool!"
Alina looked over her shoulder and saw Lian slightly grinning, lost in the memory, and for a moment she swore she could see the Lian she used to know: young, naive, untouched by the cruelty of the world.
Alina knew from teachings that the plant could never be picked with bare hands, as they would scorch the flesh of any who dared touch it without protection. She could picture it now- her younger brother, maroon eyes glinting with mischievousness, abandoning all caution at the sight of this exceedingly rare plant. He was into botany much more than she, and she would often mercilessly tease him for it.
However, Mahanon's excitement wasn't misplaced, as the plant had many mysterious qualities, and were supposedly used long ago in ancient, dark, elven rituals. Alina knew her brother marveled at the idea, wondering what kind of long forgotten secrets he could uncover.
Cullen stirred at the base of the fallen tree, feeling uneasy. Rising to his feet, he only moved a few paces before hearing something crinkle underfoot. Pausing, he reached down to find crumpled parchment, a page torn from a book- no, a journal. Cullen unfolded it, but was unable to make out the scratchy handwriting.
"I've found something… odd."
"What is it, Cullen?" Alina came beside him, looking quizzically over his shoulder. Immediately she ripped the paper out of his hands, shouting over her shoulder, "Lian, it's Mahanon's writing! It must be a piece of his journal!"
Lian immediately joined Cullen and Alina, the three intently gazing at the parchment. Only Solas seemed disinterested, his focus on something else, far into the forest.
Alina could read her brother's writing easily, but it was a talent that only came after years of practice. She felt a distinct pang in her chest at the thought. She watched the short, disjointed entries become even more incoherent. Alina began to read the note aloud.
The air feels wrong. It is heavy, muffled, foggy. Something is watching me but even my trained ear and eye cannot find what it is. Perhaps tomorrow this feeling will pass, but for now I will keep vigilant. I must find the plant and go home.
The feeling is growing stronger. Something is following me. Fear grips at my chest and confuses my mind, but I have to fight it if I can. These entries let me pretend. Things are going to be alright.
I saw her. I saw her in the night. But how can it be?
My skin crawls. Heart beats erratically. Try to stay focused.
Whispers, telling me things. Make me mad.
Mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad
She comes again to visit.
Tonight she holds me, murmuring sweet things.
Alina trembled, her voice shaking as she read aloud the last line, "Tomorrow night she comes, she says, tomorrow night it ends."
Alina clutched the page to her chest as she walked through the woods, keeping close to her companions but far enough away that they could not see her pain. She could not picture her brother scribbling, frantically, trying to tear away his mind from the thoughts that haunted him. Alina knew him to be strong, clever, and fearless. She couldn't imagine what he must have been like, at the end.
She did not want to. He must have been so afraid. But that elf was not her brother, and whoever, whatever, turned him into the elf that wrote those last, maddening words, would be found, she promised herself.
"Alina," Solas appeared beside her, "I believe this is what we are looking for." He unveiled a fire-red plant within a cloth, and she nodded silently before he wrapped it up.
"This isn't where he died," Alina stated quietly, unsure of herself, "there were marks on the floor… He wasn't dead until he was in my bedchamber."
"Death is not the only thing that makes the veil thin. Suffering, torment, anguish… One only needs enough despair to leave a mark upon such a place." Solas stated plainly. He glanced over, noticing that his words deeply pained Alina. "I am sorry…"
"It's alright, Solas," Alina interrupted, "At least we have a start."
Returning to the rest of their companions, Alina could not wait to return to the others. They began to make their way east, when Alina suddenly found herself encased in white threads.
Sticky, shimmering strings wove around her ankles and legs, stretching and stretching but not tearing.
"Spiders!" Cullen exclaimed. Four spiders descended from the branches above, their fangs glinting.
Unable to move, Alina watched her companions immediately spring into action, their postures changing instantaneously. Lian disappeared behind a tree, and Alina knew he was winding his way up the trunks to rain down arrows on the spiders from afar.
Solas was quick, his protective spells already surrounding the others. He seemed unperturbed by the spiders. In fact, Alina swore she could see a slight smirk on his face as he began to create a snowstorm.
Cullen had two spiders on him, though he, too, did not seem to mind. He easily dodged their fangs and legs, dancing effortlessly, his sword swinging. Solas froze a third spider, which immediately shattered by a well-placed arrow from the trees.
Turning to look at Lian, Alina smiled. He grinned back, but the look on his face shifted quickly to horror, his mouth forming words that Alina could barely hear.
"Look out!"
Snapping her neck back forward, Alina screamed in surprise as a spider was already in mid-jump, its legs extended. Unable to wield her staff, she used the last resort she could think of.
Alina outstretched her hands, bracing herself for contact. She looked into the many eyes of the spider before her, time slowing down as it closed the gap between them, hungering for her flesh.
It happened in a split-second: Alina heard Solas and Cullen cry out for her, and from the corner of her eye saw Cullen's outstretched arm as he tried so desperately to come to her aid. She felt a searing pain in her forearm, watching helplessly as a fang drove its way clean through her small arm. Flames burst forth from her hands, igniting the insides of the spider on fire.
It recoiled, its ghostly wail piercing the air as it shriveled up. Before Cullen and Solas could attend to Alina, the Mother Spider appeared, even larger than her younglings. Alina curled over in pain, clutching her limb to her side.
Cullen moved before her, blocking her completely from the spider. He nodded wordlessly at Solas, who then quickly began to examine Alina's arm. He muttered a few spells, watching the blue lights twinkle and stitch the skin on her arm. Relieved, he began to smile, but was caught off-guard when the stitches unraveled, revealing the sick, dark-purple wound in her arm.
"It is as I feared," He said, trying to remain calm, "these spiders are poisonous. My spells will only keep you alive for so long. We must return to camp immediately."
Despite Cullen's prowess as a warrior, he found himself tiring as he worked to protect the three of them from this exceedingly large spider. He knew that all he needed to do was keep the spider moving, occupied, so that their archer above could find the perfect weak spot.
Lian crouched in the branches, his heart pounding ferociously. The spider's fangs were undoubtedly laced with poison. Anger rose in his throat, sweat beading down his temple, as he readied his bow, his eagle eyes searching for the perfect target.
"Elgar'nan, guide my arrow," Lian breathed.
The arrow struck perfectly between the eyes of the spider. Cullen took the chance to push his blade through its open mouth, blood spurting out.
Silence.
"We must go now," Solas said, disentangling the webs from around Alina with a knife. She began to grow faint, feeling her strength sapping out of her. "She is already growing weak from the poison. You must carry her, Commander."
Cullen cradled Alina in his arms, examining her bleeding arm. Solas had done his best to mend it, but his efforts were only temporary. Lian quickly joined the three. He locked eyes with Solas, and he knew. He knew that he knew, and that there was little time. The three took off in silence, all of them too afraid to say aloud their deepest, darkest fear.
"Stay with me, Alina," Cullen murmured, as Alina struggled to keep consciousness. "We are almost there. Just stay with me." They had been rushing non-stop through the forest for some time. Lian had gone ahead hours ago to find their halla. Solas skirted silently behind Cullen.
"I'm trying," she wheezed, her eyes fluttering back into her skull.
"No, no, no, no," Cullen whispered, "Alina, please! Tell me something… Tell me a story."
"A story…?"
"Yes, tell me a story." He pleaded. Alina laughed quietly. She murmured.
"When we came to Skyhold, and we played a game of chess…" Alina began, causing Cullen's heart to tighten in his chest, "Well, I let you win. I wasn't going to, but I couldn't help myself. Especially after you asked me if I wouldn't rather spend time with-"
"Cullen! Solas!" Lian's voice rung out from the trees. "The halla are here!"
Three beautiful halla appeared, Lian leading the pack. Cullen and Solas mounted the other two hastily, Alina nuzzled in front of Cullen, her body swaying dangerously as she tried to sit upright.
The three began to make their way back to camp. "It should only be an hour or two, Ghilan'nain help us. We will ride swiftly." Lian began to speed up the pace, the other halla following suit.
Alina rested herself on Cullen, trying hard not to lose consciousness. She felt his arms wrap around hers as he kept them both on.
"Don't let me fall off, okay?" She murmured, the back of her head resting on Cullen's shoulder.
"Never, Alina. Never."
Varric and Cassandra stood on the edge of the encampment, their eyes searching, ears listening, for any sign of the rest of the group. Lian's demand for halla, the urgency in his voice, could only mean something dire had happened.
"There." Cassandra nodded.
Immediately they could see that there was something wrong with Alina, her small frame bouncing and lilting with the halla- she made no attempt to hold herself up. Cullen approached quickly, dismounting and taking Alina along with him, in his arms. Solas strode past them, pulling the commander along, his hand strong on Cullen's arm.
"Quickly, to the Keeper."
"What happened?" Cassandra thundered, noticing the gash in Alina's arm.
"It was the spiders, wasn't it?" A voice asked, the group turning to look. Rychell had come out of the nearby aravel, fear spreading across his face.
"Yes. I was able to stem the immediate spread of the poison, but I fear my magic was not enough. We need a proper cure." Solas laid Alina out on a bedroll, feeling her skin. Cool, clammy, tinged with grey. He covered her in a blanket, exposing only her arm and head.
"Alina!" Keeper Deshanna descended upon her, already working her magic in earnest. "We need a poultice. I have most of the ingredients here, but we are missing crystal grace. I need three."
"I'll get them," Cullen responded, standing swiftly to his feet.
"And I shall accompany you." Solas added, joining Cullen. "It will be quicker- and less dangerous - with two of us."
Cullen bit his lip, nodding in agreement. As much as he did not favor spending time alone with the elf, he knew his heart was in the right place, and maybe after all this time, he'd finally be able to get some answers.
"You can find them by the waterfall to the north. When you come back, bring the ingredients to Zaos. He will be able to make the potion."
"Yes, Keeper." Solas turned to Cullen, "Let us go."
Cullen prepared to leave, though his eyes couldn't stray from Alina's face. She looked calm, like she were merely sleeping, but sweat plastered her black hair to her face and neck, her breathing shallow.
Keeper Deshanna briefly stepped away from Alina, approaching Solas on the outskirts of the camp.
"Did you manage to find Andruil's Fire?"
"Indeed we did," Solas replied, holding out the package containing the plant. Keeper Deshanna placed her hand upon the cloth, but Solas kept his grip firm, "Though what you are intending to do with it remains a mystery."
Solas and Keeper Deshanna locked eyes briefly, before she looked away. Solas loosened his grip, letting her take the plant. She paused, her expression unreadable.
"You will find out soon enough, child."
A/N: So I worked out more important points in our main-plot... The mystery intensifies! Alina is injured! Will Cullen and Solas be able to save her? How will the two fare in company of only each other?! So many questions! So many answers!
I think I'll be bringing in Cole and IB into the rest of the story, since Cassandra is needing to peace out to do her Divine things... Debating between also Vivienne and Dorian. We'll see!
PS. I totally secretly worry that every chapter I write is poopsicles. So hopefully you guys like it! Please review!