Chapter Five: The Castle on the Lake Pt 3
Each step led deeper into the castle, unlike normal castles made of stone where the sound of footsteps would echo down the passage ways and corridors here they did no such thing. The group of people who ventured deeper into the castle were led by Jayden; beside him was Legnar with his company of Qunari in a single file while the young noble's companions followed behind him. Syrus was fixated on the armoured warriors who he and his friends had joined forces with. As he switched between looking onward and carefully examining the warriors, he had never seen a Qunari before and wondered what they looked like beneath those suits of onyx plate mail.
Tywin was right next to the young mage when he carefully moved closer to the young Templar and whispered, "Do you know what Qunari look like?"
"Are you kidding me?" Tywin responded, "There is a group of them right next to us unless you failed to notice a group of six foot warriors in full battle dress?"
"But you can't see what they look like beneath that armour,"
"So?"
"…don't you wonder…what they look like beneath it though?"
Tywin didn't wish to draw focus from their main task so he ended the conversation in a very diplomatic manner, "Later on, when we are not in a hostile area, maybe you can speak to a few of them. For the moment we should stay alert, we could be attacked at any moment"
As Jayden stood beside Legnar he noticed that the Dwarven commander seemed to be looking around nervously as if he were expecting battle at any moment. Trying too hard not to let his worry spread like a wildfire Jayden had to ask what was wrong, "Mr Griskin, you seem somewhat nervous, may I ask why?"
Looking around in any and every direction with his eyes Legnar replied, "The creature, last time we were this deep within the castle it attacked. What I find sodding strange is the bodies of my fallen men should be around here yet they are nowhere to be seen"
Further and further into the castle the delved, Legnar expected the creature to strike at any moment but instead he and his company were greeted with nothing but with more darkness. In the very far distance rested a light blue light that beamed through an open doorway. Legnar looked toward it with confusion as he had not seen it the last time he had been exploring with his men. As they drew closer to it the light that seeped through from the other side revealed that this door was not something that the expedition had found, here the material which the door was made from was pure silver and the detail upon its surface was Orlesian craftsmanship. Jayden approached as slowly slid his hand across the surface of the silver door, "Did you notice this before?"
"No," Legnar replied, "It was too dark down here to see anything but this door, the light behind it, not like anything I thought would be here"
With a gentle push the young noble realised the door could be pushed open, applying more force Jayden managed to push it open and unblocking the entry. As he and the others walked through they found a large stairway which lead upwards and from there the light illuminated the surrounding area. Jayden was so eager to discover what awaited them he willing charged up the stony steps without regard for his friends and companions. When he reached the top of the stairs he found the source of the light along with a sensation of amazement.
The stairs had led upward toward a great chamber, in the middle of the chamber stood a rectangular stone table on which rested a very large red gemstone which had been carved into the shape of a heart. Around the large ruby seemed to me a form of mystical markings of magical origin, they glowed that light blue aura which seemed to project up through a windowless tower and at the very top was a cloud of mist. Seeing it from the inside Jayden realised what he was looking that, the beam of light that spiralled upward was causing them mist to spew outward from the tallest tower in the castle. As the others came up the stairs and spread out across the chamber while some assumed defensive positions while others simply looked upward vexed by the light. Bastion quickly ran toward Jayden and patted him on the shoulder, "Could you please try not to run away, I mean we have no idea what could be…"
Bastion stopped mid-sentence, as he looked onward saw what appeared to be the werewolf hidden away on the far side of the chamber. This time it lay on the floor whimpering, many of the wounds that the group had inflicted upon it had drain much life from creature. Lying on the ground with its eyes closed simply whining, either it was close to death or recuperating. Bastion was quick to draw his sword but when he pointed it toward the monster Jayden grabbed his friend's wrist and forcibly lowering his weapon. The young noble gave his reason for doing so, "…It is no threat to us, leave it be"
Legnar saw the jewel while his Qunari mercenaries spread out around the chamber, as the bulk of their group darted toward another narrow corridor one remained behind with their employer. As the Dwarven commander approached heart shaped jewel his eyes were fixated upon it and when he was close enough he reached out toward it. Lovis saw what he was about to do and moved quickly in order to interrupt him.
"Don't touch that!" Lovis cried, "Who knows what will happen if we take it from the alter"
"Sod off!" Legnar hissed.
A tense atmosphere emerged; Legnar took hold of his Warhammer with both hands and to avoid fighting Lovis simply raised both of his hands and slowly walked away. Jayden and Bastion quickly came over to see what was happening but found a somewhat deranged look in Legnar's eyes which beamed outward like daggers. The Qunari returned carrying a wooden chest; they brought what they had found to their employer which instantly broke tension of the moment. Legnar felt a great deal of excitement so without saying a word he gave a nod to his men signalling for them to open it. Taking hold of either side of the top, two of the five Qunari opened the wooden container, Legnar and the others looked inside expecting something glorious only to be seriously disappointed.
What they found was somewhat intriguing; the chest contained golden coins although alas the quantity was not even enough for the chest to be considered half full. Legnar reached in and franticly felt the sides of the chest to see if there were any hidden compartments or if he dug deeper he might find there would be more gold. Quickly reaching the bottom of the chest Legnar felt cheated, he expected to find a much larger fortune yet all he had found was an amount that was not even a third of how much was said to have been in the castle. Jayden and Bastion looked into the chest and they themselves were surprised, Bastion pointed into the gold and asked, "I thought Flonis de Rannequin had a fortune?"
"I did," a voice answered.
The wounded werewolf carefully and slowly stood up while coughing, as it struggled to stand up but managed to get to its knees. Many were shocked and thought about drawing their weapons but none were willing to do so as they thought it might enrage the creature. Jayden looked at the creature and was astonished that it could speak, "…you know what happened to the owner of this castle?"
The werewolf lifted its scared face; its eyes were not as primal as before but instead were a steaming blue and more human looking. As it glared young noble it continued to talk, "My appearance is due to a curse cast upon me by my former lover. This castle is mine for I am Flonis de Rannequin, the Prince of the Silver Lake"
"But…you're a werewolf?" Jayden responded, "That was not mentioned in the stories"
Legnar took hold of his Warhammer, "Tell me, where is the rest of the gold!"
The creature lowered his head in shame, "Gone, what I had left from building the castle I squandered on lavish parties and dark haired beauties. When I found Kathryn in the woods I was enamoured with her, I took back to my castle she completed my life. She was my most prized concubine yet she detested the title"
"In Orzammar many women would fight each other to be the concubine of a nobleman," Chumley commented.
As the werewolf coughed violently before continuing, "When my wealth was depleted the love she had for me turned to hate, Kathryn felt I enjoyed the company of others more than I did with her. As the insults and constant reminders got under my skin I wrote to the Templars, I informed them her location in hopes they would rid me of the bitchy whore. When she discovered what I had done she was outraged, before fleeing the castle herself she cursed me. The curse transformed me into the form have now and the mist forbids me from leaving"
"How?" Bastion asked.
The werewolf pointed toward the jewel on the alter, "The mist comes from jewel, my former lover named it 'Kathryn's heart'. So long as it remains in place then curse shall remain strong and give me life as well…."
"Maybe it is time for this curse to come to an end," Legnar interrupted as he headed toward the stone alter.
When the Dwarven commander was close enough he used his left hand to reach for the jewel, grabbing the edge of it tightly Legnar lifted the treasure from its place causing the beam of light to vanish. Spreading out across the floor were thousands upon thousands of tiny crack that began to creep up the walls at a steady pace. Many were alarmed by what was happening and did not know what to do. Jayden approached the werewolf and pressed it for information, "What's happening?"
"…if the hear is taken….from the castle….the mist…shall fade….and the castle…shall fall…into the waters…on which…it stands,"
Each breath seemed get longer as the creature struggled to keep its eyes open. What life it had was fading quickly and now the curse had been broken the long life of Flonis de Rannequin was finally at an end. His eyes closed, his breathing stopped and his head slumped to the ground for now the eternal guard of the castle was dead. Jayden wished he had the opportunity to mourn but he was faced with a deadly situation. The cracks in the woodwork seemed to be spreading faster and faster as he realised it was only a matter of time before the entire castle collapsed into the lake.
"What now?" Syrus asked in panic.
"Only one thing we can do," Jayden replied, "We need to get back to the boat, fast"
"Last one there is swimming back!" Lovis shouted
