Edit: 8/5/14
Chapter 7: "Powerless"
Solona could see the Chantry cathedral looming up ahead. Banners depicting the Andrastian sunburst fluttered in the light breeze that blew through Hightown. Solona glanced around the marble column she was standing behind, catching a glimpse of a Kirkwall guardsman as he walked through the courtyard. The young man stopped briefly, looked as if not really seeing his surroundings, then walked down a side street. Solona shook her head. How could someone be so blatantly ignorant?
Leaning against the column, the former Grey Warden Commander met the gaze of her companion. Anders had dressed in a simple pair of breeches with a linen tunic. His hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and he looked like any other poor man walking around in the night. She smirked as he pulled on the trousers in obvious discomfort.
"Breeches too tight for you?" She asked jokingly.
Anders glanced up quickly and glared at her. "Very funny, So. You did this on purpose."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Solona said, trying to hide the grin that threatened to expose itself. "You said you wanted to blend in."
"Where in the name of Andraste did you find these things?" Anders muttered, grabbing at the band and attempting to stretch it out to better fit his waist.
Solona gave him an innocent look. "In my trunk. Why do you ask?"
Anders's amber eyes widened at the response. "That is a joke... right?"
Solona smiled and put a finger to her chin as she inspected his appearance. "I always figured you were about my size. I guess that makes it easier for moments like this. Wouldn't you agree?"
The apostate opened his mouth then closed it a few times while he fought for words. Solona would have laughed at his expression, but she was momentarily distracted by the sound of armoured footsteps. Glancing around the column into the courtyard again, she saw the same guard from moments before walk back the way he'd come from.
The column she and Anders were hidden behind was one of many flanking the main section of the Chantry courtyard. An overhanging roof kept the pair of mages hidden from sight. She hadn't seen anyone walk into the Chantry, and she was beginning to believe that Karl wasn't coming.
"He'll be here." Anders promised her, still messing with the pants. "Cullen hasn't failed me yet."
Solona nodded, yet said nothing. She wasn't sure how many mages the Knight Captain had managed to smuggle out of the Gallows before this. Anders seemed to trust him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It couldn't be this simple.
The unmistakable sound of heavy templar armour reached her ears and she stiffened. Anders, however, looked relieved. So he was worried about the outcome of this mission. Bastard.
"Cullen." Anders whispered in the dark, seeking out the Knight Captain's form. "We're over here."
Solona's hands gripped tightly to her stave; it was named Wintersbreath for the cold it radiated. The runes it was inscribed with were made of lyrium and gave the staff a glittering appearance, almost as if thousands of fireflies were encased within the material. The chilly air swirling around it helped to calm her fears though she still felt troubled.
When the templar became visible, a pair of blue eyes met her hazel ones. It wasn't Cullen standing in front of her. Solona twirled her staff before pointing it at him threateningly. "Who are you, and what are you here for?"
Winterbreath pulsed with its cold magic and gave off a bluish glow that lit the darkness around them.
The templar, who was still in full armour, tossed his hands to the air as if in surrender. Black hair fell into his face as he did so and a look of slight fear encompassed his classically handsome face. "Don't attack. I'm here on the Knight Captain's orders."
Solona didn't believe him. Jabbing the pointed end of the stave at his breastplate, she hissed, "And what would be your orders, templar?"
Anders's hand gripped the staff and pulled it away from the templar. Solona, confused, glanced at her best friend, ready to tear her weapon from his grasp if the need arose.
"I know him, Solona. He is a... friend." Anders spoke to her gently as if she was the one unable to control herself when emotions got the best of her.
"Friend?" The templar scoffed with a glare in Anders's direction. "I wouldn't go that far."
Solona's eyes found the light blue of the templar's and, with a slanted gaze, snapped, "I'll gladly kill him if you'd like, Anders."
With a chuckle, her friend put an arm across her shoulders. "No, pet. This is the brother of a friend of mine. I'm sure Elias wouldn't be happy to hear that the Hero of Ferelden killed his baby brother."
The title made her grit her teeth, but she wasn't expecting the templar's mouth to drop open in shock. "The Hero of Ferelden? Her?"
Solona yanked her staff from Anders's grip and stared at the young man across from her, a frown on her face. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I... well, you are an Amell, correct?" The templar said, rushed in his words. "My mother is an Amell. So that would make us... cousins, I believe."
Solona couldn't believe her ears. Glancing at Anders, she raised an eyebrow in question. "Cousins? What kind of madness have you gotten me into?"
Anders grinned at her. "It's true, love. Carver and his family are related to you. I guess, you'd be cousins, though I don't know all of the details."
Solona turned a wary look to the man named Carver. "So my cousin is a templar?"
Carver flushed at the question, taking offense when there was none to be had. "My brother and sister are mages. I didn't ask to be the only warrior in the family!"
"Carver- I'm not trying to insult you." Solona told him, shaking her head. "We have more important things to worry about. Karl?"
Carver's face turned red again, but this time from embarrassment. "I... I'm sorry. You're right." Taking a deep breath, the young man glanced over his shoulder at the looming shadow of the Chantry. "You must hurry. I'm not supposed to be here. I need to return to my post before anyone notices I'm missing."
Anders agreed with Carver's words and Solona had to admit, the templar, her cousin, was risking more than just his job if caught helping mages escape from the Circle. He, and Cullen, would lose their lives.
"Go, Carver. We'll handle the situation from here." Solona assured him with a small smile. "Thank you for your help." Carver nodded and then walked off into the night. When they were alone, Solona glanced at Anders. "Let's go. Karl awaits."
Anders took her hand and the two mages approached the Chantry.
Solona hadn't been in a Chantry since Queen Anora's coronation. She wouldn't have considered herself a devout Andrastian, far from it in fact. The Circle Tower in Ferelden had had its own Chantry, with mothers and sisters caring for it, but she'd rarely went into the chapel.
No, she thought to herself as she and Anders climbed the massive, elaborate staircase that would lead them to Karl. Jowan was the one who had suddenly taken up an interest in the Maker. If only she had known at the time that his interest had been for a Chantry sister, she might have stopped him from doing the stupid thing and turning to blood magic.
Once at the top of the stairs, she wiped the sweat that beaded along her forehead. She wasn't by any means unhealthy, but Maker- those were a lot of steps! They entered a small sitting area that contained a lit hearth, a settee and a table covered with old tomes. A man stood in front of the fireplace, his back facing them, eyes staring into the flames. Solona immediately recognized the short, dark hair of Karl even without him looking at her. It had been years since she'd spoken to him and excitement pulsed through her at the chance of seeing someone else from her Circle days. Who would have thought that Kirkwall would be the place of Ferelden reunions?
Solona waited while Anders approached his ex-lover. She was sure the two of them had been apart for a while now and would need a moment to settle their reunion. With a smile on her lips, her eyes took in the sight of Anders placing a tentative hand on Karl's shoulder before turning the mage around to face him. That was when she noticed the sunburst brand in the center of his forehead.
She felt her heart stop in her chest at the sight. No no no no no... The word kept repeating in her mind as her eyes lost focus, tears erupting from their ducts.
Then Karl spoke, his voice a monotone that displayed no emotion. He no longer had the ability to use his magic, to love, to have a human connection. He'd been stripped bare of everything that made him a person.
"Karl..." Anders' voice carried all of the heartbreak and pain that Solona imagined he felt. The pain and heartbreak she herself felt. "No."
"Why couldn't you give up, Anders?" Karl asked, no expression on his face. That chilled Solona to the bone. No one should look like that. "I'm better this way. I can't hurt anyone with magic."
Anders put his hands over his face and shook his head. "No!"
Solona could feel the rip in the Veil as blue light engulfed Anders's body. He fell to his knees in front of Karl, unable to release the grip on his head. Justice was taking over and this was not good timing. She was about to take a step forward to aid him when the sound of armour ascending the staircase assaulted her eardrums.
Shit.
"This is the apostate." Karl said to the intruders and motioning towards Anders.
Solona glanced at the three templars who were now approaching where she stood. They were dressed in full armour with helmets over their faces. It'd been a long time since she had to fight a templar and knew they could easily make her magic useless with a smite. Grabbing hold of her staff, Solona spun around to face them. They had made a Harrowed mage into a Tranquil slave. They had broken Chantry law. They would pay for this.
Holding Wintersbreath out in front of her, Solona called upon her frost magic. A slight blizzard began to swirl around her body and with eyes closed, she directly the maelstrom towards the trio of templars prepared to cut her down. Ice and snow rained down upon them, hindering any movements they might have made towards her. As she opened her eyes, her vision was blinded by a blue flash of light.
It took her a moment to refocus her sight, but once she was able to see again, the bodies of the three men lay bleeding at her feet. Taking a step away from the expanding liquid, Solona glanced up at Anders. He was breathing heavily, his staff in his hand and his body encased in Justice's glow. Trying to calm the terror pulsing through her, Solona reached a hand out towards her friend.
"Anders... it's over. You're safe now." With a step forward, she spoke again. "I'm safe."
The mage crumpled to his feet, uncaring of the blood that was staining the rugs of the Chantry. The glow faded signaling that Justice's hold was gone. Solona released her staff, allowing it to thud to the ground without a thought, and rushed to his side. Dropping to her knees, she threw her arms around him and let him weep into her shoulder. His tears soaked her robes, but all she could do was allow him to release his sorrow. She knew what he was going through. A dear friend of his was gone. There was no other way out of this but death. Karl couldn't be left as a Tranquil mage. He wasn't supposed to have been one to begin with.
"I'm here, Anders." She whispered, tears streaming down her face for him. "I'll always be here."
Footsteps on the staircase drew her attention and she was relieved to see Cullen standing there. He was holding his sword out in front of him, but the look on his face was enough for her to know that he wasn't going to hurt Anders. He gave her a questioning look. Solona allowed her hazel gaze to float towards Karl who was still standing by the hearth as if Anders hadn't just murdered three templars with his abominable magic.
Eyes widening, Cullen noticed the sunburst mark on the mage's forehead. He sheathed his weapon and walked to where Solona sat with Anders in her arms. The Knight Captain frowned sadly at them before glancing at Karl again.
"I could have stopped this." Cullen whispered, pain on his face for what had happened. "I should have been here."
Solona brushed a hand over Anders's hair comfortingly, the mage still sobbing, but her eyes were for Cullen. "This cannot happen again, Cullen. You can't let it."
"I won't." He promised her, their gazes locking. He was determined and it eased her panic slightly. At least she and Anders had someone they could count on, someone who would fight for the mages. "I'll take care of Karl... and the mess."
Solona nodded, a lump forming in her throat at the thought of leaving Cullen to deal with the aftermath. He must have seen her concern because he gave her a comforting smile.
"There is no need to worry over me, Solona. I've handled worse than this." Cullen placed a hand on her shoulder and she quickly reached up to grip it, halting his progress of retrieving Karl.
"He can't be allowed to stay like this, Cullen. Promise me..." She paused to swallow more tears. "Promise me it'll be quick."
"I promise." He vowed, squeezing her fingers lightly. "Be safe, Solona."
She released his hand and let him go to Karl. She watched him retreat for a moment before getting the strength to move. Helping Anders to his feet, she guided them from the Chantry and into the Hightown streets. Her only goal in mind was getting him back to his clinic and helping him mourn his lost friend.
