Chapter 10 : Poured Like Syrup, Smelled Like Death

The smell of burning flesh was not something Fallon was familiar with, yet she recognized the stench before her eyes opened. It was a dark heavy smell, musty and sticking to her nostrils like caramel. After the scent came the twinge of pain. Hot pinpricks peppered her arm and spread like it was still on fire. She was afraid to open her eyes.

The burn wasn't so bad, mostly superficial but still incredibly painful. She instinctively cradled the wounded arm close to her body, wanting to protect it. Fallon looked around, trying to remember where she was and how she had gotten there. The walls on either side of her were so close that she could touch them with both arms, if one wasn't indisposed at the moment, and it was made of a dark grey rock. There was a ceiling above her of the same material and it took Fallon another moment to see that she was in some sort of tunnel. That seems familiar, she thought to was a plinking noise behind her, similar to water on rock, and she turned to see what it was.

That's when she saw Soris lying on a stone slab with a gaping hole in his chest. Crimson blood pooled beneath his body and ran along it, before reaching the edge of the surface and dripping onto the floor in a steady pattern. A thin rivulet of blood had collected and began marching toward Fallon. Her heart quickened in fear of it touching her.

But then she remembered Shianni. Those things had taken Shianni which was why she was in the tunnel in the first place. Some kind of explosion must have knocked her unconscious. Things weren't exactly adding up, but Fallon decided to ignore the feeling until she could be sure her cousin was safe.

The tunnel wasn't long. She exited into a vast cavern, lit only by the red glow of volcanic pools. Everything was cast in an unflattering orange light, which mixed badly with the original grey of the rock. In the center of the cavern was a huge trench. Its jagged edge looked like the terrible maw of a monster, ready to swallow her whole if she got too close. It should have been filled with impenetrable darkness, but the trench was brighter then the cavern, bits of illumination bounced out of it and reflected off the rocks. She took a step closer to investigate, but that was when she heard Shianni.

"Cousin? Help… me…" The voice was weak, dying, and came from a girl alone on the ground with an arrow through her chest. It was the kind Hurlock archers shot, thick, long, and stained black from either the owner's filth or Shianni's blood. Fallon rushed to her cousin's side, grasped her hand, tears in her eyes.

"I'm here Shianni. You don't need to worry. I'll figure something…" Fallon tried to comfort her but Shianni interrupted, with poison in her words.

"How convenient… show up just as we die. You didn't care about us when we lived so why should you be here now?"

"What? No, of course I cared about you."

"So that's why you left? Because you cared so much? Left me and Soris and Uncle Cyrion alone, to fend for ourselves."

"I had to leave Shianni. They wouldn't let me stay any…"

"The Fallon I knew wouldn't have cared what the shems said. She would have stayed because she wanted to. But you didn't want to stay did you? You wanted to get as far away from the Alienage as possible…. Wanted to make a name for yourself?"

"Shianni, that's not fair! I never would have left you if I could have helped it."

"And yet you did. And we followed you here… and now we are all dead. And it's your fault." A roar interrupted Fallon's rebuttal. It was as though the trench behind her had gained life. A great gust of wind threw her red locks into her eyes. Fallon turned toward the wind, still clutching her cousin's hand, to see a monstrosity flying out of the trench. It was a dark purple shade with fearsome teeth and claws. Its wingspan was huge and it breathed a huge column of fire into the air as it landed on a bridge Fallon didn't notice. A dragon, the same one she remembered fighting in that dream with her mother she had a few… Fallon turned to see Shianni was gone. This was a dream. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the Dragon.

It wasn't looking at Fallon, but down at the trenches, growling at something unseen. The elf cautiously walked toward the edge of the trench, being very careful with her steps. Peering over the rock, Fallon saw them, thousands and thousands of darkspawn, all looking at the dragon, The Arch-Demon. She turned back to look at the dragon and found herself staring directly into its eyes. The creature had silently advanced on her and was now staring with unblinking intensity. The air it spewed from its nostrils was dark and tainted, Fallon held her breath. It lasted a moment, then the Arch-Demon roared loudly at its troops and flew out of the cavern.

Kingsway 10th, Early Morning

Fallon woke up. The stars hovered uncertainly in the sky, in the process of being chased off by the rising sun. It was very early morning. She probably could have gotten at least another half hour of sleep if it hadn't been for the nightmare.

"Bad dreams, huh?" Alistair asked. His bedroll was set up on the other side of a large campfire. They had decided there was no reason to unpack the tents. The weather would be fine that night so all the companions, except for Morrigan who built herself a shelter and the Feddics who slept in their wagon, laid beneath the stars. They were still a few days outside of the Circle Tower, but rumors reached their ears about what was happening almost every day. Some people said rebellion, some said blood magic, no matter what the tale it was always something terrible. Alistair had sighed sadly when they passed the turn off for Redcliffe but had not said anything; he understood why they must go to the Tower first. "Fallon? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I'm sorry. I was lost in thought. I think I was dreaming about the Arch-Demon. It was underground … somewhere."

"It might not be a dream exactly. You see, part of being a Grey Warden is hearing the Darkspawn. That's what your dream was, hearing them. The archdemon talks to the horde, and we feel it just as they do. That's how we know this is a real Blight. "

"Ah, I see. So I can look forward to these nightmares for the rest of my life can I? Perfect." She cracked her neck, then got to her feet, stretching until her muscles were appropriately loose. Alistair got to his feet as well.

"Eventually you'll learn to block it out so it's not forever. Anyhow, I heard you thrashing around and I thought I should tell you. It was a bit scary at first for me too." He laid a reassuring hand on Fallon's shoulder.

"The only thing that scares me Alistair, are heights and spiders. Since the dream had neither, I was fine. But I appreciate it. Are there any other exciting thing the Wardens decided to keep from me?"

"You mean besides the creepy blood ritual and dying young? No, I think that about covers it."

"Good, I doubt I could handle more Warden secrets at the moment." She sighed and went to the armor in a careful pile beside her bed and began putting it on over her cotton shirt and pants. The greaves were always the hardest to put on for some reason. Fallon's fingers and the straps attached to the metal never seemed to cooperate. In fact, if they were people, she bet they would be arguing like Alistair and Morrigan.

Once her armor was on and her twin swords were fashioned safely onto her back, Fallon left to talk to her waking companions. They had spent five days on the road so far but Fallon still didn't know much about those she traveled with. During their free time she found herself unconsciously seeking out the company of either Alistair or Morrigan, who she had already grown accustomed. It wasn't until yesterday she had noticed this unfortunate behavior and actually made an attempt to talk to the other two. Sten had enjoyed the company of Dawson much more than his new commander and Leliana had been so excited to talk to someone that she didn't stop for a few hours. Still, a commander should know her team.

Leliana and Sten were sitting together near the fire, although neither were speaking to the other. The Chantry sister had attempted conversation with the giant a few times but it had never ended well. At the moment she was quietly singing to herself as she drew on the ground with a stick, while Sten stared at Dawson, sometimes murmuring things to him. Both had been outfitted by Bodahn Feddic with the only armor that would fit either of them. Sten's was old and heavily battle scarred plate armor, while Leliana was wearing leather rogue armor that was a little bit too short.

"Morning Commander. Did you sleep well?" Leliana asked when she noticed Fallon approach.

"As well as I could." Leliana nodded in response and there was a moment or two of silence before Fallon resumed. "I just came to tell you that we will be at Lake Calenhad soon." Surprisingly, it was Sten who replied.

"We are headed to Lake Calenhad?" He seemed surprisingly enthusiastic.

"Yes, The Circle Tower is located in the center of it. The Mages of…" She was cut off by his gruff voice.

"Where you keep your Saarebas is of no concern to me." He turned back to Dawson without another word.

"Ignore him. He's just a bit upset because I ran out of cookies." Leliana added cheerfully to which Sten only grumbled.

Fallon traded a bit of small talk with Leliana before moving on to talk to The Feddics, who were willing to carry all of the group supplies in exchange for a bit of gold and protection. She had never met a dwarf before and found herself acting like a child whenever they were around, eager to soak up whatever stories Bodahn could dish out. They needed to get moving though, so she simply offered a 'Good Morning' before moving on to wake up Morrigan, likely the most dangerous job in her repertoire. A steady thud of footfalls behind her stopped the elf before she reached the witch's lair, she turned to greet Alistair who showed a bit of concern on his face.

"I'm sorry. I was thinking about it and I just realized…." He said, talking wildly with his hands and avoiding Fallon's eyes

"Realized what? What are you talking about?"

"The Joining, it's a death sentence but not for the reasons you assume." He began and Fallon rattled off a list of reasons in her head. Wardens were warriors and warriors died young. Darkspawn are evil bastards and if your life is devoted to killing them then you'll likely die young. The reasons were all along the same vein. "The Taint, it will kill you, just like it killed Daveth. You have thirty years to live, give or take."

"Wait. You're telling me that no matter how strong I am in battle, no matter how healthy I am, I'm going to die from the Joining in the end? And the Grey Wardens don't tell people this because… why? Recruits wouldn't want to join? They think it's funny? What's the reason for withholding that kind of information from their recruits?" She snapped at him angrily while her brain quickly started repeating the number forty-nine over and over in her head. Whenever Alistair had referred to Warden's dying young she had assumed it meant because they often died in battle. She had never considered for a moment the Joining would inevitably kill them. And for what? Some bad dreams and the ability to sense Darkspawn who can sense you back?

"If people knew the secrets of the Grey Wardens, drinking darkspawn blood and dying from it, no one would do it."

"That's a horseshit answer! Would that have stopped you? Or Daveth? Or…" She was about to inquire about herself but couldn't come up with the answer. She was conscripted into the Wardens. Sure it had been either that or death, but if she had been offered a way out would she have taken it? Fallon had dreamed forever of making a difference and having adventures, but if she was confronted with all the facts and given an opportunity to leave, would she? The elf couldn't say. "The Wardens are liars and manipulators. I should have been told." She remembered back to some of the things Alistair had told her beneath the shade of the Lothering Windmill: die young, can't hold a title, can't get married, can't have children… the list just went on and on. It was a lot to swallow.

"Liars and manipulators that save the world time and time again. I'm sorry that this came as a shock to you Fallon, but you are part of a great order."

"So great that they left command to an elf who doesn't have a damned clue what she's doing? So great that the men in charge are sitting back and relaxing in the Anderfels while people are dying here in Ferelden? Forgive me if I don't feel so lucky at the moment." She stormed off, leaving Alistair standing alone.

Kingsway 10th, Morning

The sun began to rise beyond the forest grove and painted the ground in soft pinks and purples. It was a beautiful sight to behold, however they were headed west with the beauty at their back and darkness ahead. It would have been poetic if any of them had noticed.

They were following the West Road toward Lake Calenhad but Fallon still had the map out to be sure the caravan was going in the right direction. The parchment was grubby now. Bits of dirt, some mud, and a stain that looked like dried blood had marred the smooth brown map she had received from Bodahn. Still she clung to the dirty mess tightly, remembering tales of how the West Road swerved perilously and in a matter of moments one could find themselves off track. With a brand new expedition to lead, and people depending on her, Fallon desperately did not want to get them hopelessly lost.

Dawson trotted happily by her side, the rest of the group following steadily after. It was odd how isolated Fallon felt, though she was surrounded by people. Knowing you were dying was a lot to handle. She remembered Dedriee, a middle aged woman that her father had diagnosed with the Wasting Sickness. It was impossible to cure and the woman would die. She remembered seeing her mope around for a few weeks before accepting it and living out the remainder of her life, which sadly wasn't very long. Fallon had years to live, decades even, so why it was bothering her so deeply didn't make any sense.

Look on the bright side, she thought to herself, maybe you'll be killed randomly in battle. She smiled to herself about the ridiculousness of that statement, and shook her head at how it actually made her feel better. Perhaps it was the knowing when that bothered her, knowing she could never grow to be as old as her father, with his wise fifty years. There was a noise beside her and Fallon looked to see Leliana, with her short red hair and comely good looks.

"I overheard what you and Alistair discussed. I apologize, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It's fine Leliana. I just feel bad for snapping at Alistair. It isn't his fault that I joined the Grey Wardens."

"He isn't angry with you, just concerned with how you are taking the news."

"I'm fine." Her voice quivered ever so slightly as she imagined the children she'd never see, the husband she'd never have. Being in the Grey Wardens had such a high price and she hadn't considered it until now. She had given up so much. Fallon wasn't even sure if she'd see her family again. She shook her head slightly, trying to shake out the bad thoughts, hating how weak she was.

"You aren't fine. Could I tell you a story?" Fallon nodded in response. "Once their lived two brothers who, in exchange for work they did for an old witch, were granted a wish. The first brother chose to see when he would die, and he discovered that it would be in just a few years. The second brother, upon seeing that his sibling would die young, asked for a long life. The witch granted both wishes and sent the men on their way.

With only a few years to live, the first brother did as much as he could. He adventured with his wife, fathered a son, and when he died he did so knowing he had lived a full life. The second brother, not knowing what the definition of a long life was to the witch, hid inside his house. He was scared of death and wasted his years fearing the end. When it did finally come, the second brother realized that in the few years his eldest brother had lived, he had a greater and better life then himself. Sometimes knowing when you will die can cause you to live even better than before, because you know that there is no time to waste."

"Are you telling me not to waste time being upset?"

"I'm saying that knowing what will kill you just lets you know that you can survive everything else." Leliana smiled. Fallon attempted to reciprocate but failed miserably.

"Thank you Leliana. I would be lying if I said I was fine now but I do feel better. Where did you learn this tale?"

"I was a travelling bard in Orlais. There are two things bards love, songs and stories." Fallon hadn't known this about her companion, but it gave her an idea about how to get rid of the stifling silence.

"Would you mind telling some stories for everyone while we walk?"

"I would love to."

Kingsway 12th, Late Afternoon

It took more days of traveling before they reached Lake Calenhad. The West Road bordered the great lake named after the long dead king. From the small peninsula they stood on Fallon could see the spire of the Circle Tower in the distance. It was still a three days walk away but at least they could see it. From this distance their appeared to be nothing wrong with the Tower, but if the Right of Annulment was being called for then there had to be trouble. And that was a week ago. Whatever was happening at the tower they needed to get there fast. Three days walk, two if they didn't take long rests.

With the cool water beckoning just a few feet away and the heavy stench of sweat hovering over the group, Fallon ordered everyone to take a bath. This would likely be the last chance to clean up until they got to the Tower, and although they hadn't run into a single fight on their way there, a week of hard traveling was enough to make anyone reek. Bodahn gave them all soap and Fallon ordered the men to stay there, while the women traveled half a mile downstream and out of sight.

"I am thankful to be rid of those fools. Alistair has not stopped talking for the last hour. If I could curse him, I would have." Morrigan muttered as she shed her clothes immodestly and dove into the water. Leliana was taking her time disrobing as she had a bit more clothing but Fallon stopped after removing her armor.

"Alistair was making a lot of jokes wasn't he?" Leliana added, now completely naked while slipping slowly and gracefully into the water. Fallon's cheeks were as red as her hair. She tried to cover this by taking off her shirt, now dressed only in her small clothes.

"He makes jokes when he's nervous." Fallon added, taking her companions clothes and quickly dunking them in water before ringing them out and allowing them to dry on the rocks. She followed with her own clothes, still leaving the essential pieces on.

"He is nervous because he's a fool leading an army."

"No, he's nervous because Fallon still hasn't spoken to him in the last few days." Leliana explained, dipping her red hair back under the water then flipping her head forward, letting liquid splash everywhere.

"I don't know what to say. Should I apologize? Should I pretend nothing happened? "

"Say something. He thinks you're angry at him." Leliana added as she lathered her hair with some soap. Morrigan carefully undid her bun, allowing her dark tresses to fall across her shoulders. Looking back at the beach, she saw Fallon still sitting there partially dressed.

" 'Tis perfect temperature my dear Warden. Come join us." Morrigan cackled, knowing full well the temperature wasn't the hold up.

"Fallon, we are all women. There's nothing to fear." Leliana added. Fallon shook her head in disgust. She needed to stop thinking like a child. Nudity was nothing to be afraid of, not when you're a Warden. What she needed to fear was darkspawn, war, torture, being burned alive, and all the other terrible things that could happen along their journey. There was absolutely no room in there for fear of nakedness.

"Oh, no I was just washing the clothes. I'll be in, in a minute." She turned her back to remove the remainder of her clothing before quickly jumping into the water. It was clear, but at least provided a modicum of protection. She waded toward her companions, keeping her top half below the chilly surface. "I'd talk to Alistair but I can't help feeling betrayed. I know it wasn't his fault but he's come to represent the Wardens for me, and I lost everything because of them."

"Like your family? I heard that you were conscripted though I didn't hear the story behind it."

"Nor I." Morrigan added after the blue-eyed bard had finished. She looked at Fallon almost expectantly, despite never sharing much of her own personal history.

"Did you leave a husband behind? I noticed your ring. " Leliana added, a question that made Fallon whip around quickly, completely forgetting the soap in her hair. A drop fell into her eye bringing with it a stinging pain and she had to wash the irritant out as she attempted to answer the question. But she never got a chance. Just as Fallon ceased splashing water into her eye she heard a noise. It was barking. Morrigan sneered at the sound.

"Your hound, no doubt. I thought you told him to stay with the men."

"He can't follow orders to save his life. I thought mabari were supposed to be as intelligent as a man."

"And how many men do you know that can follow orders?" Leliana jested as Fallon waded back toward the shore. Sure enough, Dawson stood on the bank, but he was facing the wrong direction, barking angrily at the trees.

"There's no one there Daws. Come into the water with us." Fallon stood on the edge of the lake, only her lowest portion covered by water. Her voice was cheerful and inviting, but still Dawson ignored her. He continued to bark angrily at the trees. Fallon left the water, grabbed her shirt that didn't have time to dry yet and shoved it over her head. She grabbed for her pants as well while hollering for her companions to get out of the water, just as a fire ball erupted to her left. She was knocked backwards onto a rock. With no time, Fallon grabbed the nearest weapon she could, which just so happened to be Leliana's daggers.

A monster broke from the safety of the trees and dashed in her direction. It was almost human in appearance but its skin had melted and bubbled all across its naked body. The thing had thin shreds of clothing dangling from its limbs but Fallon couldn't tell its gender even with its lack of covering. Its entire torso had become a jumbled bubbly mess of melted skin, and Fallon cringed to think it could have ever been a human or elf.

The thing began conjuring another fireball, and Fallon dove at it with her daggers, aiming for the melted face with just a single eyeball. She stabbed at its eye just as it turned, only grazing the disgustingly slimy skin. She gagged. A bit of blood erupted from the minor wound and the creature roared loudly, though it lacked a mouth. It flung Fallon from its body with incredible force. She flew back into the lake, falling beneath the surface and accidentally inhaling some water.

Fallon staggered out of the water, coughing angrily as a naked Leliana with her bow and arrow and a wolf Morrigan attacked the creature. It howled again as Morrigan's fangs tore at its throat, but the thing still didn't die. It fell to the ground momentarily, arrows making it look like a pincushion, but was on its misshapen feet soon enough. Fallon continued to cough as she ran to her swords, the daggers weren't working. As she reached for the blue handles another fireball erupted beside her. This time the explosion sent her spinning sideways, toward the monster.

There was a yell behind them and Fallon turned to see Alistair and Sten approaching. Both were wearing their armor, although it appeared to be hastily thrown on. The qunari prisoner was brandishing his broad sword menacingly but slow. He thrust at the creature, stabbing into its leg. The thing screamed again, flinging Sten off of him. The qunari, all seven feet of him, went flying backwards through the air. He landed hard with a cracking noise.

Alistair used his shield to block an oncoming fireball, which knocked him off his feet and cracked the metal. He was up once more, as both Fallon and a giant spider shaped Morrigan attacked the thing again.

"The heart! You have to stab it in the heart!" Alistair yelled as the creature knocked him down with another fireball. Fallon scoffed at the piece of advice as she slashed its chest with her swords. It bled dark thick liquid that poured like syrup and smelled like death.

"And where is the heart exactly?" Fallon asked as Morrigan grabbed the monster's legs with her pincer, holding it in place as it slashed her exoskeleton with its claws. The spider-witch howled in pain but didn't let go. Fallon thrust both swords into the front disgusting lump that was the monsters chest. It screamed but didn't die. She withdrew her swords as Alistair answered.

"Lower back." Fallon jumped behind the creature as it shook Morrigan from its leg, tossing her into the water. She shoved a sword into the lower back and the monster quit howling instantly. Its life left it and it fell to the ground. Fallon smiled, turning back to Alistair who was rushing toward her yelling. "Move, run away!" She looked at the dead creature, then back at Alistair confused.

The explosion of fire occurred just as Alistair was tackling her, moving her sideways away from the monster who had randomly combusted. His armored body protected both of them from heavy burns, except for Fallon's arm which had been hanging at her side. The flames licked it violently, singeing the sensitive skin. Fallon inadvertently let out a howl as both she and Alistair fell to the ground.

"Thank you." She said through gritted teeth as she fought the pain in her forearm.

"What? Did you think you were the only one who could tackle? "She laughed at his joke before noticing she was dressed only in an over shirt which thankfully covered some of her lower portion, at least all the essential parts.

"What was that thing?" Fallon asked as she hastily got to her feet. Leliana, now dressed, was helping an injured Sten and a recently transformed Morrigan. Fallon crossed the distance to her clothes quickly, grabbing pants and dressing as gracefully as she could with an injured arm.

"An abomination. A mage possessed by a demon. They become… monsters. I've only seen one before. They're hard to kill." Fallon laughed

" Yeah I can see that. How did you know there was something wrong?"

"Dawson. He ran off barking, so we followed him."

"So the Mages' Circle may be worse then we feared." She muttered to herself. "No more resting. We're going to march straight to the Tower. Hopefully we can get there before it's too late." Fallon added, though she feared it might already be.