Bella faced Greagoir and the Templars bravely, her eyes sparkling with the her unshed tears of fragile emotion, her lips a tremble with passion. She was no longer afraid of Templars, for she had seen that even the most darkest and fearful of creatures were capable of love, just as the most seemingly innocent and beautiful could be capable of dark deeds.
But still, she was not the kind of heroine that could actually fight her own battles, not when there were big strong men there who would fight to the death because they were dying of love for her. Her Fade Walker power made her a super special rare mage, but she certainly couldn't do something as crass as to use it to fight.
Bella pointed at Greagoir and the other Templars. "Sic 'em, dog," she said, with a certain twinkle in her eye. The mabari bounded his way into battle and howled, rooting them to the ground with dread fear turning leaden in their veins. Bella then used her Fade Walker power to shift directly behind Greagoir and undo his belt.
The Templar's violet battle skirt fell down, revealing pasty legs and a pair of very grubby y-fronts with little pictures of Andraste's sword lovingly embroidered on them. Greagoir flushed crimson at this humiliating defeat, and rather than use his massive sword to cleave the fragile flesh of Bella Amell's corporeal form in twain, he fled into the woods, his skirt around his ankles, tripping him at every step.
Their leader humiliated the rest of the Templars sheepishly sheathed their swords and avoided meeting anyone's gaze. They muttered "Rhubarb, rhubarb" under their breaths and pretended the whole thing had never happened. Meanwhile Bella put out the flames that hungrily licked at the base of the stake with her simple ice spell.
"Oh thank the Maker!" Jowan cried as he was released from the embrace of the flames. He was covered in soot and makeup and tears and looked a dreadful sight. He went to embrace Lily but she flinched away from him, looking as he did.
"Maybe you could take a bath first?" Lily asked, her rolls of fat jiggling.
"What's with all the Lily fat jokes?" Jowan asked the sky, apparently not understanding that no woman can be prettier or nicer than Bell Amell and that this is why Wynne is a cranky old biatch and why Lily is fat and spotty.
Cullen walked out of the dwindling flames, untouched by fire or smoke. In the bright sunlight he scintillated like something really shiny. Bella's breath was taken away by his beauty as he strode towards her. She felt her heart convulsing with a wild impossible rhythm.
"Cullen... Cullen," she whispered, "I think I'm having a cardiac arrest."
"No Bella," Cullen said, smouldering mightily, "that's just love."
"Oh Cullen..."
"Oh Bella..."
In one strong manly stride he had closed the distance between them and there, in full sight of the assorted mages, Templars and extras he swept her back in a kiss so severely potent it tore the Fade into many many bits. His lips were icy cold over hers and she swooned into his masculine embrace, her arms clinging to him as though he were life itself.
Bella had truly come home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The night came and went and before you ask no they didn't do it, because Bella was a Good Girl and Good Girls wait until their wedding nights. Wynne rose early and checked the calendar and realised it was the end of the term, that meant it was time for the Mages to go on their summer holidays. Greagoir had not been seen since he ran off with his skirt hanging round his ankles, but such a minor thing like that would not stop the time honoured tradition of making the mages go on holiday.
Wynne placed a map of the known world on her desk and used a dowsing pendulum to find the location of this year's holiday resort. The pendulum swung until it hit a tiny beach resort in Orlais. Wynne nodded solemnly and put the map and pendulum away. Then she ran to the top of the staircase and yelled "WE'RE ALL GOING ON AN ORLAISIAN HOLIDAY!"
Immediately the tower erupted with Templars, mages, apprentice mages, magelets, magi and magitarians, all wearing matching costumes, straw boaters and carrying suitcases. As one they broke into song and danced with stunningly perfect choreography.
"We're all going on an Orlaisian holiday!
No more magic for a week or two!
Fun and laughter on an Orlaisian holiday!
No more possessions for me and you!
For a week or two!
We're going where the solei shines brightly!
We're going where la mer c'est blue!
We've heard it in the ballards!
So let's see if it's true!
Everybody has an Orlaisian holiday!
Doing things you're not supposed to do!
So we're going on an Orlaisian holiday!
To Maker, dreams come True
Pour moi et vous!
Pour moi et vous!"
Wynne rubbed her temples then put on a pointed hat and suddenly gained a suspicious Scottish accent.
"Naew, if you you weal all follow me to the broom closest we can board our brooms and be on our wae."
Once all the students had gotten their brooms and took off, it was a simple matter of flying their broomstick until they reached the Ferelden conduit, which would instantly jump them to the Orlaisian conduit. From there, they would refuel their sticks with magic and make a short journey to their beach resort.
Bella flew side by side with Cullen, she was riding side-saddle, of course, because she was a Good Girl. Jacob was in mabari form, riding in a basket on her bristles, but she had almost forgotten about him. She was going to spend an entire fortnight in Orlaisian with her wonderful Templar Honey Bunny!
What could possibly go wrong?
