The Tainted Knight
A Dragon Age Fanfiction
by Bionca Femme
Chapter 7: Broodmothers
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"That's where they come from. That's why they hate us... that's why they need us. That's why they take us.... that's why they feed us." -Hespith Captain and lover of the Paragon Branka
Warning: Chapter contains some spoilers for Awakenings
Selene crossed the threshold of the Great Hall in the old Aeducan Estate, as always when there is dark spawn infestation there are fleshy growths everywhere. They are filled with blood and other fluids one would rather not think about. The smell is only a little less appetizing than rotting fish and follows you long after you have gotten away from its source. The hall itself was lit with torches and light from the lava tubing that still functioned even after centuries of neglect. At the center of it all was their reason for being here.
There amidst the detritus of dark spawn filth and the ruins of a once proud and strong thaig, languished a Broodmother. She was hideous, and every bit as corpulent and loathsome as the one Selene had previously encountered in the dead trenches. It was sleeping, and she thanked the Maker silently for small mercies. Perhaps she could find a way to drop down onto it and behead it before it had a chance to wake up. That would be no small feat, however. Its many tentacles were sprawled out everywhere. Once and awhile one of them would twitch and the beast would stir. She would have a hard time getting past them without the monster waking up.
The rest of her companions stood behind her, slack-jawed and as silent as corpses. She sincerely hoped that none of them would freeze up, should the abomination awake. She let her eyes wander over the room and found that there were deep pockmarks in the stone wall behind the creature. They were close enough that she could grasp them easily and climb above it. Nodding to herself she turned and pulled Andre off to one side so that she could speak with him.
"Do you see those holes in the wall behind the creature?" she whispered. When he nodded she continued, "I am going to use those to climb up behind the beast. I need you and the rest to surround it in the front, in case it awakens. Keep them away from the tentacles. And...keep Xephi on that mound of rock over there," she pointed to the pile of rubble off to the left of the hall. "The tentacles can't knock him down from there and he can cast spells uninterrupted."
"I'll tell him," he acknowledged her orders. She turned to head towards the holes behind the beast only to be pulled back by her upper arm gently. "Be careful," he said seriously.
She smiled reassuringly and kissed him lightly. "I'll be alright."
He watched her pick her way through the debris and step carefully over tentacles and he side. That woman would drive him mad, he just knew it. He got the recruits and Xephi in place and then took up his own position.
Selene made it around the mass of graying flesh without waking it and started climbing up the wall. The footholds were powdery, as if they'd been made by a ballista. She quickly made it above the beast and she hung on, one handed and drew Starfang from its place at her back with the other hand. With one last silent prayer to the maker she pushed off from the wall, pivoting in the air and drawing Duncan's sword in mid-flight. She was suddenly suspended mid-air as a tentacle caught her and wound itself around her chest plate. The steel make of her armor saved her from being immediately crushed, but she knew it would not hold forever.
The creature drew her close as if to examine her. Selene found herself face to face with a horror that no longer had lips with which to smile in its satisfaction at having her within its grasp. But she felt as if that's what it was doing nonetheless. Selene looked into its madness clouded eyes she saw the light of recognition and she shuddered. As if burned the creature roared and the tentacle holding her dropped her suddenly. She hit the ground and the wind was knocked from her.
As she struggled to breathe she watched as the recruits, Xephi and Andre battled the beast. Xephi spun his staff over his head in wide arcs and Selene smelt burnt ozone. Her eyes widened and she struggled to her feet, just barely managing to stagger away from the beast as the lightning storm spell was unleashed upon the mass of distorted flesh.
The spell allowed Xephi and the others to help her to an area where she could be looked over and they could regroup.
The Broodmother writhed and cried out, and just as they were about to renew their assault they were descended upon by dark spawn. The creatures having undoubtedly heard their Mother's cries.
Selene let loose a war cry and charged into them, whirling and parrying their twisted blades. She cut down the creatures with frightening accuracy and was pleased to see her lover doing the same. After what seemed an exhaustive battle where the creatures seemed to multiply even as they were cut down. Selene felt her rage peak. Her battle instincts took over and she ran headlong towards the broodmother.
She saw a tentacle head towards her and as it reached out for her she grabbed it and used it to swing herself up. Her momentum propelled her forwards and she brought her blades over her head and felt it the moment they sheared through fat, blood, gristle and bone. She planted her feet on the monstrous shoulders and yanked, pulling both blades out and plunging them in again and again. The beast was long dead before she stopped stabbing. When the haze of the berserker rage had receded she stood atop a shredded mound of flesh.
She sheathed her blades and looked down at the stunned recruits and an equally stunned Andre and Xephi. She would have bit her lip in embarrassment if it were not for the fact that her entire face was covered in dark spawn blood.
"And that boys and girls, is why we try and stay on the Warden Commander's good side!" Xephi clapped his hands together. "Let's make like a tree and leave," he suggested with a lopsided grin.
There was a nervous chuckled from one of the recruits and a lifting of an eyebrow from Ser Perth. Selene sighed heavily and then motioned for them to move out. The day was far from over and there were two more of these things to kill. Her ribs ached. She could only hope that her next plan went over better than this one.
"Xephi, I think it's your turn to launch yourself at the next one," she grumbled.
"Ouch, Kitten," he pouted comically.
"Warden Commander," Andre growled.
Xephi gave Andre a thoroughly unrepentant grin. "Yeah, that too."
Selene did laugh at that. Both because of her lover's light possessive streak and Xephi's complete lack of respect for it. She was grateful for both. She didn't think that she could handle talking about what had just occurred with the broodmother. The whole thing had been disturbing enough. One thought plagued her for hours afterwards.
The twisted tainted mass of flesh, had Hespith's eyes...
The other two broodmothers were found together in Cadash Thaig. Selene was only glad that Shale was no longer with her. She would have flipped a boulder, since the Thaig once belonged to her house.
The group was carrying one of the recruits on a make-shift litter made from dried bones and discarded clothing and blankets found it the Thaig. The unlucky young man didn't heed Andre's shout to get out of the way and was thrown bodily into the cave wall by a flailing tentacle. All in all, having eight people instead of four battling the creatures was a big help.
They searched the rest of the day for any indication of a fourth brood mother and found none. So Selene decided to take the tired group back. She would do some investigating into the fourth sighting when she returned to Orzammar. The vials of darkspawn blood were acquired early on in the expedition. All that was required now was to put the recruits through. With any luck, most, if not all, of them would survive.
Maker, she hoped so. She had enough blood on her hands. There were times when she cursed being in charge. The fact that she led many good men and women to their deaths everyday just by offering them a cup, upset her on a deep level. The Joining was a battle, she could understand that. But it was a battle that didn't have to be fought, not now that there was no blight. And if the recruits ran, she would have to cut them down. How Duncan ever endured....
She was brought back to reality by a large hilt-calloused hand closing over her own. She glanced up to find Andre looking at her with a worried expression. "You have that face," he said.
Selene's eyebrows drew together in question and then she smiled with amusement. "Oh? And what face is that, Ser Knight?"
He chuckled at her use of his former title, "Well, my Lady Selene. You often scowl when you are inwardly questioning your own morals and decisions," he teased. "Are you thinking about the broodmothers?"
She shook her head, "Actually, I am thinking about how many recruits we have now, versus how many Wardens we'll have by tomorrow." She turned away from him, unable to stand the sympathetic expression in his eyes. No matter how much she may need to be sympathized with at the moment.
"All these men are volunteers, Selene. You can't ask them not to fight for their homes, their families or for what they believe in. The Grey Wardens are warriors without equal. They do what they must, and so do you. None of them blame you for that. And if you must be a little cold in order to build an organization strong enough to protect this land, then that is what you must do. But what you must not do is falter in this endeavor. You must stay true to your course, my Lady," he squeezed her hand.
She smiled up at him gratefully, "You're very good at pep-talks."
"I am only being honest, and that I can promise you...will never change," he leaned down and brushed his lips over her cheek in a chaste kiss.
They were about to enter Caridan's Cross when Selene started feeling the taint in her blood react. She gave Andre a panicked look and found that he was wearing one similar. The dark spawn were closing in on them. There were a lot of them. She could feel them. Like insects skittering across her skin. She stretched out her senses to see if she could somehow navigate them away from the bulk of their pursuers and found to her great alarm that they were surrounded. The dark spawn had evidently sensed them for some time and had laid a trap for them. Selene choked down the horror so that she could face the recruits.
"There are dark spawn coming! Weapon's at the ready!" she shouted and unsheathed Starfang and Duncan's sword. She faced the tunnel where she felt the creatures coming at them the fastest. Her idea being that if she could try and clear out one tunnel she could use the close proximity to funnel the dark spawn and they would not be overwhelmed from all sides. "For the Grey Wardens!" she bellowed and charged down the stone corridor.
When they reached the band closing in on them she ignored their numbers for fear that she might freeze in battle. She crossed her blades in a dual weapons sweep taking down three genlocks simultaneously. Keeping her mind focused on the dance of battle, she whirled and parried trying not to think of whether or not Andre was alright. She heard him on occasion, his normally silky voice belting out war cry after war cry. The whistling of silverite steel as it cut through the air as he felled foe after foe comforted her.
She lost count of how many she cut down. But the steady stream of snarling creatures wore her already tired body down. She started repeating her dual weapon's exercises in her head to keep focused. "Parry, duck, sweep, strike," over and over until it was a kind of litany to keep the monsters at bay.
"Watch out Selene!" she heard Andre call out to her and she turned her head to where he called from and found his eyes widened in horror. She turned her head back to where he was looking and the last thing she saw before the darkness was a massive ogre fist. Then it was blackness.
Andre saw Selene go down and tried to rush to her side. But the group of dark spawn he had been fighting off quickly overwhelmed him, piling on him. Each trying to rip him to shreds. He struggled and roared and twisted, all to no avail. Just as he thought he was going to be mauled to death by the twisted creatures he felt a blast of cold. The creatures froze around him. Taking the opportunity given to him by what he could only presume was Xephi's impeccable timing, he kicked the nearest creature as hard as he could would a heavy plated boot. The monster shattered into bloody frozen fragments.
He then scrambled to his feet and grabbed his greatsword from the ground where it had fallen and finished the creatures off before they thawed. He scanned the area hurriedly for his beloved and could not find her. "Xephi!" he roared hoping that the mage knew where she was.
The Mage lit a dark spawn on fire and grinned mercilessly, "Busy!" he called back over his shoulder.
The three recruits that remained chased off the rest of their attackers and cheered, clapping each other on the back.
Andre stalked up to the Mage and grabbed him by the collar whipping him around to face him, "Where...is..she!" he said menacingly.
Xephi's eyebrows drew together in confusion and then he glanced around. "Maker's balls! She was right...there...a moment ago..." he trailed off.
"You didn't see her get attacked by that Ogre?" Andre released the slighter man with a look of disgust. "What were you doing!?"
"Saving your ass!" Xephi growled.
Andre ignored him in favor of stalking over to where he last saw Selene, he knelt as he came upon a trail of what appeared to be blood, leading deep into the tunnel system. "Where does this lead?" he turned and asked the mage with a dark expression.
Xephi took the map out of a robe pocket and examined it. "Well...looks like Kal'Hirol. You know...the other city full of short smelly ale drinker's."
Andre looked down at the trail of blood again and narrowed his eyes then back at the recruits that were left with the same expression. "Can you find your way back to Orzammar from here?"
Xephi's eyes widened. "See here, if you're going off to rescue her...I want in," he crossed his arms indignantly.
"No," Andre said sharply. "We can't afford to lose the rest of the recruits. She would be...very upset if we got them killed trying to save her. Ser Mage...you have to get them out of here. I will find her, or I shall die trying."
"You're really not going to let me go...are you?" Xephi asked incredulously.
"My mind is set. If you can find your way back without use of the map, leave it with me as well as the extra water skins, health poultices and Injury kits. It looks as though she was injured and then dragged off," he looked back down at the blood trail again, his blue eyes the color of steel.
"Fine, be the sodding damn hero all by yourself...I'm certain she'll just love you for that," Xephi's sarcastic tone was laced with anger. "Just so as you know, I'm telling her that this was all your brilliant plan and I had nothing to do with it!"
Andre nodded and set about digging through the packs for the supplies he would need. "I will keep my oath, my love," he said softly to himself. "You shall not die alone."
"I'm sure his majesty can appreciate the danger that Lady Cousland represents," Eamon's polished aristocrat's voice left Alistair with a creepy feeling.
He covered it well with a lifting of the royal right brow. "Reeaally?" he drawled out humorously. "Because from the way I saw it, 'the den of corruption and rebellion' as you so aptly put it, didn't even have a spare bed for Ferelden's King. The Keep is populated mostly by scared common folk looking for refuge."
Eamon clearly didn't expect that answer because his large feathery gray eyebrows drew together for a moment before he recovered himself. Alistair inwardly cheered, 'King Alistair-1, Chancellor Eamon-0'.
"What about Vigil's Keep in Amaranthine? Or Weisshaupt Fortress? Surely his Majesty knows that the Warden Commander is gathering a large army. Large enough to easily overtake us in our weakened state. The blight took a heavy toll on Ferelden's defenses, your Majesty. We have all we can do to maintain an adequate presence on our borders with Orlais," the old man droned.
"And why would Selene ever do such a thing?" Alistair growled.
"Your Majesty, surely you can see that the loss of her connection with you and the power that it promised her has driven her to seek to regain her hold on the throne?" Eamon folded his arms and attempted to stare the King down just as he had always done when Alistair was a young boy.
Alistair stood from the chair behind his desk and rose to his full height. He crossed the room to Eamon and stood directly in front of the older man, forcing Eamon to look up at his King.
"Eamon, ever have I been grateful that you raised me at the request of my Father. But I believe that my debt to you was paid in full when I suggested to the Warden Commander that we seek out the Urn of Sacred Ashes, so that you would live," Alistair stared down his nose at the man with disgust. "Do you know that the woman in question is rather close to an assassin? An ex-Antivan Crow, I think you might remember him."
Eamons face paled and Alistair let an evil smirk spread across his face, "Good, then I think we have an understanding. But in case we don't, let me make myself perfectly clear. I will never act against Selene Cousland, her family or her heirs. Nor will I ever act against the Grey Wardens. And if you make a move on any of them...I will have you hanged and your family stripped of its titles and holdings. Are...we...clear!?" his voice had gotten progressively louder the more he spoke and he ended on a bellow.
"Crystal," Eamon's voice was clipped, carefully controlled. But years of knowing the man indicated to Alistair that Eamon got the message and was not happy about it. He bowed stiffly and left the room.
Alistair sat back down behind his desk and when Eamon shut the door behind him he deflated in his seat. He knew Eamon, he would never just let this go. He passed a hand over his face. "This is why I hate being King," he mumbled to himself. "Its like babysitting a bunch of toddlers...now if I can only get them to learn how to share and play nice...life would be soooo much easier."
He gestured one of his guards over to him, "Bertram?"
The guard crossed the room to him quickly and knelt before him, his head bowed. "Yes, my liege?"
Alistair chuckled, "That's another thing, you're my personal guard. Do you think that I can possibly get you to call me, Alistair?"
The guard was only a little older than the young King, perhaps by five years. But already he sported gray streaks at his temples. The rest of his hair was thick and black and cut much like the Kings. He had a thick beard and Alistair kept him around mostly because he was very much like his former Mentor, Duncan. His voice was gruff and deep and his bellow could be heard from one end of the Landsmeet Hall to the other. The man could also keep up with Oghren in a drinking contest. Which did much to endear him to the younger man. Bertram raised a bushy eyebrow at Alistair, "Begging his Highness's pardon but I believe calling you by your given name would imply to the other guards that I'm better than them...and while true," he grinned at Alistair's chuckle. "I have enough trouble watching your back without having to also watch my own."
Alistair's face fell a moment and then he sighed. "I have something that needs doing, and you're the only one I trust to do it. I'd ask Oghren, or Wynne...but the Dwarf can't keep anything to himself and Wynne...well, Wynne would not like this. At all. I know I don't like it," Alistair grumbled.
"You have but to ask, my King," Bertram inclined his head again.
Alistair sighed. "If you go down to the Pearl, you'll find a woman by the name of Isabella," Alistair laughed at the look that Bertram was giving him. "No no no...its not like that! We have a mutual friend that I need her to get a message to. You'll have to remember it because I'm not writing it down in case you should fall into the wrong hands."
"I am ready, Sire," Bertram nodded.
"Tell her: 'The Rose needs the protection of the Raven.' And that, 'The Raven will know what to do if he talks to the Big Cheese.'...did you get all that?" the King asked worriedly. Bertram had a decidedly confused look on his face.
Bertram nodded, "Not that I understand it, but yes."
Alistair laughed, "Well good, you aren't supposed to."
"How will I know this...Isabella?" Bertram asked.
"Just my type, beautiful, dangerous...likes really pointy sharp...swords," Alistair grinned and clapped the guard on the back.
Author's note: Thank you all for waiting so patiently while I struggled through this. As always thanks to Melismo for being a "spectaculous" editor.
