Hey everyone! Thank you for staying with this piece and it truly touches me that you guys have stuck with me this far. So thank you and enjoy!
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Redcliffe Village turned out to be in as much turmoil as the rest of Federeldan. Neria and her group of vigilante's learned that this small unsuspecting village was being plagued by an undead nightmare. In order to get into Redcliffe castle, they would need to rescue this sieged place.
The group made their way to the Chantry, where people stood cowering in fear of the coming events. Children asked their parents when the nightmare would end, while the elderly stood waiting in defeat. Everyone in this room felt there was no hope left for themselves. They seemed to accept the their fate rather than fight against it. It was strange how the string of hopelessness runs its course and changes the chain of thoughts all around. Even in the tiniest or grandest places of faith cannot escape it.
Nearby a young blonde woman sobbed loudly, and Neria sighed; she had to do something for these people. Neria walked towards the woman, who immediately perked up the moment she saw them. She sniffled before turining to face them with a saddened face.
"I'm sorry...I'll go somewhere else if I'm too loud." she sniffled.
Neira smiled. "No, it's not that. Alistair here was just wondering why were you crying." Neria answered while Alistair shot her a puzzled look.
The blonde woman looked between the two with new tears in her eyes. "It's my brother..Bevin. My mother was taken away by those things yesterday, leaving me with my brother. Bevin said he was going back to help save mother. He ran off and I don't know where he's gone! Please you have to help me. Bevin is all I have left and he's just a boy." the woman pleaded.
"Listen...what's your name?"
"Katlyn"
Neria looked to Alistair and nodded her head. "Alistair thinks we should help you. We just need to talk to the Bann and we'll go look for Bevin. Isn't that right, Alistair?"
Alistair raised an eyebrow. "Riighht because you know...I was speaking the entire time and not standing here quiet to avoid...ruining a conversation. No! That would to silly to think. Isn't that right, Neria!"
Neria kicked him sharply in the shin while Katlyn beamed up at them with hopeful eyes. Alistair yelped in pain while Neria talked to the young woman. When she was done talking, Neria jabbed Alistair in the shoulder before leading them to the head man of this village.
He stood tall and proud whille shouting out orders to and fro for people to move and prepare. The Bann looked to them and smiled;the calvary had arrived.
Neria held her hand for the Bann to shake it. "Neria Surana. And this is my second Alistair."
Alistair stood next to Neria shyly. He smiled brightly at the Bann as if they had known each for years. "Teagan knows who I am. Except, last time I was ten...and covered in mud with grass stuck in my ears. How are you, Teagan? Long time no see."
Teagan eyes were the sizes of snow balls when he laid eyes on Alistair. His mouth broke out into a glistening smile before he put his arms around Alistair. The two men embraced before Teagan was able to speak. "Alistair! I haven't seen you for many years. I thought you were dead along with the other Wardens."
"We would have if it was not for Loghain." Alistair replied.
Teagan's eyes narrowed at the utterance of the name "Loghain". He crossed his arms across his chest in anger and sighed deeply before speaking. "Ah yes, the madman who wants to control the Bannorn. He claimed himself as regent after King Cailen's death. I, however, refuse to believe his explanation of the events at Ostagar. Without my brother's help, it will be difficult proving Loghain betrayal and his removal from the throne."
Alistair's face fell. "How's the Arl? Is he ill?"
Teagan's face softened. "I do not know much but he doesn't have much time. We need to hurry and remove these deadly creatures here before they anhilate us. I won't allow these people to die!"
Neria looked at the Bann in the eyes and reassured him. "We won't let them die. We're on you're side,and if I'm not wrong, I think we and Alistair have a bone to pick with Loghain as well. "
"Thank you Warden. It's good to hear that there are still good people in the world."
"It's no problem. What do you need us to do to prepare for the upcoming battle?" Neria questioned.
"Talk to Murdock. He's the one overseeing all the militia men in Redcliffe. He will need your help much more than I, Warden. I'm needed right here in the Chantry." Teagan answered.
Neria nodded and held her hand out to Teagan once more to finalize their agreement. "Very well. Thank you for believing our story Bann Teagan. It feels good to not be outcasts in our own country for once. We'll be taking our leave now."
Teagan smirked at her comment as he watched the group leave the Chantry. They were their new hope for now. Their fate rested in the hands in of a group of dysfunctional vigilantes. Redcliffe Village was going to need a lot of prayer...and whiskey.
Judith slept soundly in her bed as if there was not the slightest danger in the world. However she began tossing and turning in her bed when her dreams began foreshadowing death and destruction. Her mind raced across a flaming battlefield with thousands upon thousands of corpses laid on the ground to a thunderous sky opening the gods and demons to earth. They destroyed the purity left in this world and darkness soon followed. Suddenly she heard the the pitch shrill of a a woman in pain through the fog of darkness. The voice began to sob and Judith realized...it was her voice.
Her dream raced to her face with tears running down her cheeks and a great terrible pain present in her eyes. Her face began scrunching up in pain once more and she let out a blood curdling scream. The darkness swept over her face and she saw nothing but black. It was silent blackness until Judith heard the soft crying of an infant...and then she awoke to the moonlit starry night.
There was a heavy silence in the room as she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. She sat up and breathed deeply. It bothered her...the images were so specific in dream. Judith was never one to believe into future telling...but it is cases like this that make her wonder if she was wrong after all. Her mind was too full to handle all this, so she decided it was best if she were to take a short walk along the corridor.
Judith donned her bed robe to cover her thin long nightgown and clutched herself as she walked in a daze out of her room. The hallway was empty, save for the few dimly lit torches providing the only light in all this darkness. As Judith walked on, she saw a form curled up on the ground ahead of her. She crept near it cautiously until she realized it was the lifeless body of an apprentice.
She ran to the body and felt the cold death that had conquered the poor soul. The apprentice was a white faced young man she had seen following Uldred around on several occasions. Judith felt his cold lifeless cheek and held him against her chest. She looked around panicked before yelling, "Someone help me! Please! There's an apprentice that's been hurt!"
She heard footsteps in a dstance. Judith decided it was worth an effort to see if she could sense some life in his body. With a pale pink glow in her hand, she waved the glow over the heart of the apprentice hopelessly just in case there was something she could do. She hung her head in defeat as a trio of templars came rushing toward her. The armored men stopped right in front of where Judith sat with young man craddled in her arms, They cast their eyes over the dead body and eyed Judith suspiciously. The seed of doubt had been placed in their minds that made them wonder if she was really innocent.
The youngest templar spoke up. "What are you doing outside your room past curfew mage!"
Judith looked at him astonishingly. There was a lifeless body in her hands and they wanted to know why she was outside her room! Judith gently placed the body and the ground before looking angrily at the younger man. She was not going to let herself be treated in such a way without them knowing the entire story.
"I was walking in the hallway when I saw this apprentice laying on the ground. If you were doing your job right you would be asking about the death of this apprentice rather than questioning why I'm here."
"How do we know you didn't do it? Awfully suspicious of you to be out out here during the night at about the same time you yelled out for help to cover up the fact you murdered this mage." the templar concluded.
Judith grew defensive. "I didn't kill this apprentice! You're more occupied on pinning the blame on me than actually investigating the cause of death!"
Templar shook his head. "All you mages are the same: guilty. Not one of you isn't corrupted by that curse inside you."
Judith was angry. She jabbed her finger into his armored chest and glared at him. "You are one of those templars that think we mages should worship the ground you step on because you are so high and mighty in the Maker's eyes. The truth is: you're worse than what you consider the scum of this earth. If you're so mighty then you sure as hell blind! You don't care and if you do you're a disgrace to the templar order. Act like the protector your supposed to be!" Judith retorted.
The templar boiled in rage and struck Judith in the face with enough force to knock her down. The young woman touched her cheek and saw blood come off of it. Judith lunged for the templar and connected her fist with his nose. At this point the other two templars had smited her and held her weakened body by her arms. They dragged her to the holding cells for disruptive mages in the lower chambers of the towers and threw her against the stone cold ground.
They slammed the iron barred door shut and left her in the silence. Her head remained low staring at the ground for an eternity while thinking about the current turn of events. If Greagoir didn't have a reason to execute her before...he sure did now. She had used willful violence against a templar in addition to being at the scene of a murder. The Chantry will want her head for what she had did...they would want her death. Things were not looking too good for Judith.
She sighed heavily at the realization of her fate and began sobbing into her hands. The Maker sure had a sense of humor: leave her in dark and evil place. Brilliant.
Neria...she would never see her again or be reunited. That was the most grueling part of this ordeal. In her sadness, she heard a quite cry in the cell next to hers.
Judith calmed herself before asking aloud, "Is anyone there?"
She was answered by silence before she heard a violent cough. Judith crawled closer to the source and held the cool iron bars She squinted her eyes and she could see a faint figure huddled up in the corner of the cell. "Are you okay?"
The figure moved slightly. "Are...yo-you h-hehere to hurt me?" the female voice of about fifteen sniffled while sobbing.
Judith squeezed the bar at how frightened this young girl was. "No, I'm not here to hurt you," Judith reassured before asking "Why would someone want to hurt you?"
The young girl moved close enough to Judith to see her bloodied face and robes. There was all sorts of scratches and blood on the young girls pale face. Her big blue fears revealed the unknown fear she had.
The girl began trembling and put her shaking hand over Judith's. "He promised us...power iiiifff we di did whhatt hehe to-told us to do. He said it it wo-wo-would put as an equal t-t-to the templars. I got sc-sc-scared...and he tried to kill me." The girl cried.
A tear rolled down Judith's cheek at this young girls suffering. Judith placed her free hand over the girl's to comfort her. "Who told you that?" Judith whispered.
"Uldred."
Shortly after, the two heard the most inhumane and monstrous noise echo throughout the tower and the screams of many innocents.
Neria sat in the shade of an elm tree, resting after a day's work of gathering up an "army" to combat the undead. It amazed her what some lies, morale, and persuasive speech could do. Murdock assured her that the village was more than prepared to fight tonight thanks to her efforts. Neria told the mayor with her honest opinion that they will win and drive the undead back to oblivion. She felt they had done a great many things today...and she was ready to take back Redcliffe Village from these undead bastards.
Neria grinned at the life brought back into the village that she did not notice the Orlesian bard, Leliana, sit next to her. Leliana smiled at the grin plastered on the elven woman's face and began to think of possible scenarios for her sudden happiness. She began thinking about the time Alistair and Neria had spent together and concluded they had done the deed. How romantic! Love prevailing while darkness surrounds it. Everyone enjoyed a beautiful and blossoming romance story.
"My my someone looks happy. Care to share why you look so giddy? How shameless!" Leliana teased.
Neria snapped out of her mind and saw grinning devilishily at her. "What are you talking about? Are you like a person who just magically appears from out of nowhere?"
Leliana laughed. "Oh you know very well what I'm talking about. You and Alistair? Spending all those long nights together when no one is looking. Pretending not to like him. Seems to me you've deflowered the former templar."
Neria burst out in laughter and rolled over on her side. "I think you've been telling too many Orlesian sex stories again Leliana. Alistair and I don't see each other that way. Nice joke and way to lighten the mood ." Neria answered as she drank from her water sack.
Leliana knew a cover when she saw one, and this one was as clear as day. Neria was the type that was too proud to enter into any relationship with her heart on her sleeve "So you've done the deed already? Tell me how is his performance?"
Neria choked on her water at Leliana's insinuation and pounded on her chest to make herself breathe. Neria regained control and turned to the smug faced Leliana. "How did you manage to make a gigantic leap like that ginger! Weren't you a lay sister?! Aren't you supposed to be all purity and not sex knowledged like?"
Leliana giggled. "Remember I was a bard way before I was a lay sister. I have as much carnal knowledge of both sexes as you have with men."
An image of Leliana in unsister like activities popped into her head, and she tried desperately to shake it out. Some things were better left unsaid. "I really didn't need to know the other part about you and both sexes. A simple "I got moves" or "I know how to tickle the pickle" would've worked just fine, not to mention to be less damaging to my brain in the long run. Anyway' Alistair and I are just "friends" I don't even think he knows the definition of the word girlfriend. "
"Are you there are no suppressed feelings you may have about him...ones you are desperately trying to hide?"
Neria hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes...I'm sure."
The bard rose and dusted herself off. Neria's hesitation was all she needed to confirm what she already knew. She had embarrassed Neria enough for today, no need for her to overdo it. "Just think about the possibility. You never know...love works in mysterious ways."
Neria watched the crazy bard walk away, and thought about her words.
Sounds like something Anders would say before trying to sleep with me or 'swoon' me. Psh...'love works in mysterious way'...how cliche! Neria though while looking up at the beautiful blue sky.
She picked up a blade of grass and twirled it between her fingers. Neira lay back and placed her hands behind her head in silence. The elven woman laughed at the conversation she had just had. How ridiculous! She and Alistair? Not in a million years! And this talk about love? Even more so.
"Love is a state of mind...there's no way to prove it really does exist...if only."
How was it? Let me know your thoughts by placing a review about what you liked, didn't like, made you laugh etc. As always thank you for reading! :)
Also what do you think of Judith's dream?
