A much delayed update here. For once, this was not due to writers block – surprisingly, but for various other matters. For one, it was my 18th birthday, and with that game a few; distractions in the form of gifts. These distractions included Final Fantasy 13, Dragon Age Awakening and Alice in Wonderland.
It was with Awakening that I felt the need to update this fic once again, especially as I like the direction the game is turning
Anyway, on with the next chapter.
IF WE EVER MEET AGAIN
0:12
"Sometimes the curiosity can kill the soul but leave the pain,
and every ounce of innocence is left inside the brain.
And through the looking glass we see she's faithfully returned,
but now off with her head I fear is everyone's concern."
-
Her mind was still filled with an invading feeling of confusion, so much confusion for everything that they had experienced in such a small amount of time. For one how was it even possible that something as remarkably large as an ogre had remained undetectable to them until the last moment? How was it that, even the small flurry of darkspawn that had followed after were all but a shock for the group to suddenly run into, that it was an unexpected attack? Had the darkspawn somehow grew stronger since the fall of the archdemon? Of course, Clare had contemplated that issue many a time before, when her fellow wardens would report back to her about how their missions had gone ahead, and she had always been concerned that the darkspawn had never shown any sign of growing weaker in any way. But, was it even possible for them to grow stronger now, so strong that they could in fact be undetectable to a grey warden?
All of this was unnerving to Clare, and very had to get around in her mind. But if they weren't getting stronger, than what other explanation did she have for all the questions that lay in her mind?
Dimitri had somehow sensed it. Well, Clare wasn't sure if he had sensed the oncoming group itself, but he had been able to sense something that had a strong enough effect to unnerve him, to create a nervous wreck about the man. That was more than what the rest of the group had sensed. In return however, the rest of the group decided to ignore his worries, and to continue as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Clare wasn't suggesting they didn't take him seriously per say, but they didn't do much to prepare themselves for whatever was troubling him, not until it was almost too late. Clare wished they had been more cautious after his first warning; maybe then the group wouldn't be separated now. Still, part of her was saying that they couldn't have been any more cautious as a group even if they had tried. They were in the wilds after all, and Clare was sure that that was enough of a reason for them to be cautious after all. The ongoing battle within her mind continued on she walked with Alistair, wanting nothing but the haze of confusion in her mind to clear itself into one, reasonable explanation and resolution.
The two of them reached where the battle with the giant ogre had only been held moments before, now looking like one of the many battlegrounds the two of them had had to bear witness to way too many times in the past. Clare quickly scanned over the surroundings from where she stood for wherever her sword may have been, which in her mind should have logically been somewhere near where the ogre's form laid. However, she stopped her search sharply when she noticed Alistair run suddenly towards another fallen figure, a smaller one. She decided to follow after him, and found they came face to face with Dimitri – or what was once him.
"Oh my-" Clare gasped at the sight, looking down at the man's body.
He was in no better state then when she had seen him before, in fact he was worse. He had been shot with a number of arrows, and Clare assumed that must have been what had finished him off in the end. She crouched down beside him - noticing that Alistair had already knelt next to him - and looked into the fallen boys face. If only he hadn't been left alone, then events may have been different for him. He may not have died.
Alistair pulled out one of the arrows from the warrior's body, his face holding a grim expression as he did so. He looked at it intently, and turned to Clare with a serious look on his face.
"They were poison arrows. My guess is he was dead as soon as he was shot with them" He said.
Clare shut her eyes and shook her head, as if it would get the image of what she was witnessing in front her to leave her mind forever. No matter how many times she had to face it, she would never get used to the amount of death she'd have to face within her life.
"I'm sorry," She whispered – more to the lifeless body and herself then to Alistair. She opened her eyes and turned to the man kneeling beside her, still clasping the arrows and examining it somewhat. "Do you suppose it was a darkspawn attack?"
Alistair dropped the arrow to the floor beside him, and stood up slowly.
"I think you know the answer to that already. It definitely wasn't the ogre, although I assume that it only helped in weakening him. But I remember seeing some of the darkspawn armed with bows and arrows, so I guess – that must be what it is."
Clare sighed at the answer. She figured as much. It could have been anything that attacked him really, but the poison on the arrows was a giveaway in its own. Over the course of fighting against darkspawn in the past year Clare had since noticed that poison had become a common thing with darkspawn archers. It was like a trademark they had adopted somewhat, a way in which they could leave their mark on their victims so that others knew who had commit the murder. In some way, it was very much like a mark that an assassin may leave behind after a job was completed. The amount of casualties they'd get back at the keep that lead to poisoning in such a way was considerably high, and it was one of the reasons why Clare was often asking Zevran to create potions to counteract the poisons effects. There was no shortage of the antidote now, as the wardens were usually prepared for the attack. Usually.
"Still, at least it was quick somewhat." Alistair spoke again as he walked over to the fallen ogre, breaking Clare out of her daze. "I remember hearing stories of what darkspawn would do to some of their prey. The horrible, torturous things they are. No wonder why there walking monsters."
"Yes. I suppose your right." Clare sighed as she agreed with what Alistair said. At least Dimitri wasn't being hung by a tree, or worse. She shuddered slightly at the thought. "Still, he was young; both in his age, and of being a recruit. I'd rather have preferred a different ending for him."
"He's a grey warden, Clare. Dimitri knew what he was in for from the moment he agreed to the joining. Do you really think there would have been a happy ending for him? What with what happens to us all in the end?"
Clare turned to Alistair, who had stopped walking and was looking at her. He was right, of course he was. After all, he was the senior warden out of the two – as much as the both of them didn't like to admit it. For a long time, he knew a lot more than she did about the whole Grey Warden matter, and he probably still knew a lot more than she did, regardless of how much she had learnt. She stared down at the ground then, knowing that for once – Alistair was being the sensible one, and she the one that was stuck in her own emotions.
"I suppose – yes. Yes, you're right. He was a Grey Warden; time would have caught up with him. It's just – there's so much, death and – I'm never going to get used to it, am I?"
Clare looked up then, and noticed that Alistair was looking back at her, smiling sadly.
"Does anyone ever get used to it?"
They remained like that for a while longer, staring at each other as if time had stood still. Clare felt her strength seep into her again, returning her into the warrior that she was known for, and not the confused wreck that she currently was on the ground. She broke the gaze quickly, looking back at Dimitri's body – or at least using it as a distraction.
"We should continue with what we we're doing. Search for the sword then, we can bury Dimitri's body. I don't like the idea of just leaving it here in such a place."
Alistair nodded, and Clare noticed from the corner of her vision that he hurried off to go back to searching for her sword near the ogre again. She stood up and turned fully to Dimitri's fallen body, pulling the last few arrows out from him. A proper burial was what he deserved, and what she would do for him. She picked up his weapon from beside him and laid it on top of his body, and then she looked around her, in search of something else.
It was only a few moments later that she heard Alistair's voice again, announcing that he had found her sword. Clare felt some happiness rise within her again. At least she hadn't lost one of the only momentums that remained of her family. Truthfully, she didn't know what she would have done if she had lost that. After all, the sword had saved her life on more than one occasion, and served her well. Replacing such a weapon was not something that she would ever want to do, even if the occasion came for her to do so.
She turned to face Alistair, a smile creeping its way on her lips. The smile stopped half way however, it instead being replaced slowly with one of slight shock
Time once again seemed to freeze as she saw Alistair's face change. Clare wasn't sure what had happened, or why she felt a sharp pain within in her suddenly. She looked down slowly, and noticed an arrow poking itself out of her armour. That wasn't there before, was it? She thought to herself. Clare was stunned to the spot, just staring at the foreign object. Nothing around her seemed to register in her mind, not even Alistair's scream.
Funny, Clare suddenly remembered how she was always being told her armour wasn't practical, wasn't proper for combat. She had always ignored such comments though. It seemed to her now that she had been wrong to ignore such judgement from others.
"Useless ... armour ..." She heard herself stammer, her world around her spinning slightly. Her mind seemed to be so distorted, a hammering sensation filling within it. Was there any way to make what she was experiencing stop? She wanted to move, wanted to do something, yet instead she was just standing there, rooted to the spot. Why couldn't she move?
And before she knew it, Clare's world was overtaken with black, with nothingness. She heard – or did she feel it more than hear? - a thud follow – and that was all she remembered before she blacked out completely.
Uh-oh...
Hopefully, chapter 13 won't take so long to update. We shall see. If you like this chapter - or the story, why not leave a review? It really means alot to me, and well - you might get the next chapter up quicker :) Reviews for me, are like cats to Anders ~
