Eruestan and Marcaunon walked quietly down the hall, weapons drawn. A feeling of evil began to build in the air; Eruestan tightened his grip on his staff.
The hallway ended in a flight of descending stairs that led to a sunken chamber. It reminded Eruestan of the great elven ruins in the Brecilian Forest. Giant columns lined the walls, broken by another flight of stairs that led upwards into the distance. Lying in the center of the chamber on a large altar was Morrigan.
Eruestan ran forward. She seemed to be trapped in a horrific dream—her breath was irregular, and she twitched horribly. She looked haggard—her time with Flemeth, although short, was already taking its toll.
Marcaunon looked at her curiously. "She's rather beautiful, isn't she?"
"Only if you haven't met her," Eruestan muttered under his breath. He looked around the chamber worriedly. "This isn't right. I can sense some sort of evil here…but I don't see…"
Behind him, Marcaunon drew his breath dramatically and pulled his bow taut. Eruestan spun around to see a wizened old woman walking down the opposite steps.
"My, my, company," she grinned toothily. "It's been so long since I've entertained anyone; I do hope I can remember how."
Eruestan pointed his staff at her. "Don't try and play nice here, Flemeth," he snarled. "We all know what you want."
She cocked her head. "To spend time with my daughter?" she said innocently. "I don't see what's wrong with that." Her eyes narrowed. "Put your stick down, boy—you'll hurt yourself."
He stood resolutely, staff firm. "I won't let you harm Morrigan," he said coldly.
"Who said anything about harming anyone? I only wish to speak with you." She took a step forward, not breaking eye contact. "I have heard many things about you, Grey Warden. Whispers through the Fade—how you have defeated ancient curses, great demons, and even a Blight itself. In fact, you were even able to defeat me. That was…surprising. Since that day, I have watched from afar, seeing your every move, observing you as your power grew."
"What's your point?" Eruestan said sharply.
"I know you, Eruestan Surana. I see your ambition, your lust for power. I have seen how tightly you grasp the control given to you, how unwillingly you let it go."
Eruestan paled; he had always tried to conceal that part of his personality—he felt it was an ugly trait. "H-how…?"
"I could give all that to you," Flemeth purred, voice smooth as silk. "You could become the most powerful man in all of Thedas…if you'll just give me the one thing I need…?"
"Don't listen to her!" Marcaunon shouted. "Don't forget what she's done!" His bow was still pointed resolutely at Flemeth's chest.
Eruestan blinked; he suddenly realized that Flemeth had somehow gotten dangerously close to him. He tried to back away, but for some reason his legs felt like rubber. And somehow, Flemeth seemed less repulsive now—almost sweet, in a way. He could hardly remember why he feared her so much in the first place…she was just an old lady, after all…
She laughed softly. "Little elf, do you really think you have more influence than me in my own domain?" She snapped her fingers—two elves appeared out of nowhere. One, a man, was blonde with purple eyes; the other, a woman, had long black hair and clear grey eyes. A shiver went through Eruestan's body.
Marcaunon's mouth fell open in shock. "F-Father…M-Mother…" he breathed in wonder. His bow clattered to the floor.
"I could help you bring them back, you know," Flemeth said calmly; to Eruestan, it sounded as if she was speaking from a long distance. "Your parents…even the rest of your siblings…oh, the things you could have…"
Eruestan shook his head, trying to clear it. "N-no, I c-can't…we need M-Morrigan…"
"Why?" Flemeth challenged. "I have more power than she could ever hope to have. Look how easily I made her submit to me! With me at your side, you could do extraordinary things. Things no other man has done before…"
Eruestan took a deep breath, and suddenly a glorious vision appeared in front of him. He was a leading a great army into Val Royeaux, forcing the mighty Orlesian Empire to its knees. Alistair was now being crowned in the Cathedral; yet the crowds really cheered for Eruestan.
Now Eruestan was marching to the Tevinter Imperium—the floating palaces of Minrathous were crumbling to dust—again, Alistair was crowned, and again, Eruestan was cheered on.
Antiva, the Anderfels, Nevarra, the Free Marches—all fell to Eruestan's might.
Then, he saw a different scene. Eruestan sat on the throne, the crown now his. Behind him, resting on a silver plate, was Alistair's head…
"NO!" Eruestan shouted, shattering the vision to pieces. Behind him, Marcaunon gave a wild jolt as the vision of his parents vanished into nothingness.
Flemeth cackled merrily. "Oh, what fun! Someone with a will! It has been a long time since I have seen such a worthy opponent." She cocked her head to the side. "I will regret having to kill you."
"I killed you once before, Flemeth, I can do it again!" Eruestan roared.
She grinned. "So we shall see."
With a cry, Eruestan sprung forward, staff pointed dangerously—Flemeth yawned, and sent him flying through the air with a flick of her finger. He smashed into a wall—ignoring the pain, he jumped up and sent a concentrated beam of energy shooting at Flemeth. She waved it into nothingness.
Marcaunon sent a volley of arrows flying, arms moving so fast they were almost a blur. Flemeth thrust an arm out in front of her; the arrows spun around and flung back at Marcaunon. He rolled out of the way, and from a crouching position shot another two arrows at her. She blinked; they both vanished into thin air.
Eruestan tried to cast a paralysis spell—Flemeth, however, sensed the change in energy and pointed a finger at him. A giant stream of black energy shot out towards him. Eruestan concentrated and formed a magical shield in front of him. However, Flemeth's spell was so powerful that when it met Eruestan's shield it forced him back several feet.
Gritting his teeth, Eruestan drew in the energy around him and blasted out with his staff, sending a giant wave of force flying at Flemeth. She redirected it, and sent it towards Marcaunon. With a gasp, Eruestan tried to destroy the spell, but it was too late. The magic collided with Marcaunon like a giant boulder, and sent him flying towards a wall. With a sickening thud, he landed on the ground and did not move.
Enraged, Eruestan threw down his staff and pulled out his swords, brandishing them in Flemeth's face. She grinned, and sent a large bolt of lightning racing towards him. He knocked it to one side with a burst of concentration and leapt forward, blades flashing.
Suddenly, Flemeth was wielding two swords as well. It soon became apparent who was the better swordsman. For every strike Eruestan made, Flemeth made two; it was all he could do just to try and block her.
Fast as sin, Flemeth slipped through Eruestan's defenses and knocked him to the ground. He froze, swords pointed at his head and at his chest.
Flemeth cackled in delight. "What will it be, Grey Warden?" she crowed. "Your mind? Or your heart?"
Coincidentally, two arrows suddenly stuck out of the very same places on Flemeth's body.
Eruestan looked up to see Leliana standing on the top of the stairs, looking like a goddess of war with her bow drawn. Behind her, the rest of the party stormed the chamber, all shouting fierce battle cries.
However, instead of collapsing to the ground, Flemeth merely laughed. With a wave of her hand, the arrows turned to smoke, leaving no wounds on her body. She went to stab Eruestan…and was forced to back away by Rowena.
"Sorry we're late!" Rowena grunted, pointing her sword at the old woman.
"Yeah, no problem!" Eruestan said wildly, jumping out of the way.
Rowena eyed Flemeth warily, shield raised. She leapt forward, slashing her blade through the air. Flemeth swirled, lashing out with her own twin blades; they struck Rowena's shield with such force that Rowena was sure she was going to drop it. She took a deep breath and pressed forward.
She and Flemeth began a deadly dance, swords slicing through the air with wicked precision. Both women twirled and ducked as if choreographed, neither one able to land a blow on the other. Alistair, Sten, and Oghren hovered around them, unwilling to jump in for fear of striking Rowena.
With a burst of effort, Rowena slashed forward and cut Flemeth's throat. Nothing happened; no blood spilled out, no death cries were heard. Flemeth only grinned and pressed onward. Shocked, Rowena let her guard down for a split second—which was all Flemeth needed.
The old woman snapped forward and stabbed Rowena in the stomach with both blades. Rowena fell to the ground with a cry, blood pouring from her wound.
With a roar, Alistair stepped forward, blasting Flemeth aside with his shield. He crouched protectively over Rowena, eyes daring Flemeth to attack. However, before she could, Sten and Oghren darted forward, forming a wall between her and Alistair. The three of them circled in on her.
Flemeth moved so fast Eruestan thought she was on fire. Her blades sang through the air as they struck his friends' weapons, never staying in one place for more than an instant. Soon, it looked as though she were surrounded by a corona of steel, swords moving so quick you could barely make them out. Sweat poured down the three men's faces as they struggled to keep their ground.
Eruestan ran to Rowena's side. She was paler than usual from blood loss and was gasping for breath. With a burst of focus, Eruestan bathed her wounds in a steady blue light. They sealed before his eyes.
"Don't move," he said quickly. "Give it some time to really take hold."
Grimacing, she nodded, looking over his shoulder at the battle behind him.
He heard a staff slam to the ground. Wynne had stepped in front of Flemeth and cast a light spell so dazzling that Flemeth was momentarily blinded. Sten swung his sword through the air and cleaved Flemeth in two.
For a moment, it seemed like it was over…then, something very odd and very terrifying happened. A strange blue smoke was issuing from Flemeth's corpse. Slowly, it began to solidify, growing larger and larger each second. It finally took form, now a great Pride Demon that towered over all of them. Its fists were the size of boulders, and its mouth was probably large enough to eat Sten whole, sword and all. Eruestan felt his jaw drop.
The creature roared, a sound so great it shook the very walls of the chamber. It slammed the ground, sending out a shockwave that knocked everyone back.
Suddenly, an arrow shot through the air and embedded itself in the demon's eye. With a snarl, the demon sent a ball of flame soaring at Leliana; she dove aside as it exploded right where she was standing.
We're never going to defeat it like this, Eruestan thought desperately, watching as Sten valiantly tried to slice at the demon's feet. He never thought he'd be saying this, but he almost wished Flemeth would turn into a dragon like last time.
Wanting to be helpful, he drew on his dwindling energies and sent a large chunk of the floor flying at the demon. It smashed against its head with little effect, instead raining down upon his companions.
If only that could've been larger…
It came to him like a flash. Closing his eyes, he began to probe with his magic into the room, reaching towards the ceiling. Putting all his will behind it, he explored the length of the roof, surrounding it with an aura of magic.
Below, the demon was smashing into his friends, sending them sailing across the chamber. It threw back its head and gave a bone-chilling war cry.
With a scream of concentration, Eruestan thrust his arms to the floor, forcing the ceiling to collapse with sheer will. With a great rumble, the stones fell from the roof to the ground, burying Flemeth in a ton of rock.
Eruestan fell to his knees, barely able to move. He was glad it was over; he doubted he could cast another spell if he tried.
Naturally, that meant it was anything but over.
There was a massive explosion as the Pride Demon blasted itself out of its prison in a giant ball of flame. Eruestan's heart sank as it bellowed in rage, magical energy crackling around its fists.
But before it could get its bearings, three blurs jumped up and took the demon by surprise. Leliana swept along the back of its legs, slicing through its tendons and forcing it to its knees. Alistair ducked under its arms and thrust his sword into its chest; at the same moment, Rowena leapt up from behind and sunk her blade into the creature's skull.
The demon howled in pain, a sound so terrible that all Eruestan wanted to do grasp his ears and go crawl into a hole to die. Alistair and Rowena, however, stuck doggedly to the demon, thrusting their blades deeper and deeper into its body. With a final scream, the demon collapsed to the ground, dead.
Then, all Eruestan could see was stars.
He sat up, confused. All around him, the others were sprawled out on the ground as well. They were back at the clearing in the forest, only now Flemeth's dead body was bleeding in the center. Not exactly picturesque.
Suddenly, Morrigan gave a huge, wrenching gasp and leaned over, retching. Behind her Marcaunon did the same, body heaving.
Then there was silence as the two took deep, wracking breaths, trying to regain their composures. Eruestan fell back and stared up at the sky, counting the many constellations. How long did she have us trapped in there? he thought tiredly. He found he really didn't care. All he wanted to do now was sleep.
Yet, there were things to do, and as much as he'd like to stay and rest, he knew he couldn't.
Wearily pulling himself to his feet, Eruestan leaned heavily on his staff and looked at his companions. They, too, looked like they'd rather just lie there and pretend they weren't surrounded by dead bodies. With a groan, Rowena rose as well, wincing as her armor pressed against her injuries. She leaned over and nudged Alistair.
"You awake? We need to get moving."
"Go away," he mumbled, trying to fight her off. However, it seemed that he was having a little trouble moving his arms.
"Impressive," she said dryly, watching him spasm on the ground. "But seriously, we have to leave. We have to tell the Dalish that Flemeth's dead."
"You tell them," he said grumpily. "I'm sleeping."
"Fine. We'll just go and leave you here, alone, with all these, you know, dead bodies. And maybe if you're lucky, a wolf will come along and eat you before you die of thirst."
"That sounds nice," Alistair said, turning away from her and curling up in a ball.
"Here, let me help," Wynne said smoothly. Eruestan expected her to cast a rejuvenation spell. Instead, she pulled out her canteen and poured out a generous amount of water on Alistair's head.
"ACK!" He jumped up, face drenched. "I'm up! I'm up!"
Chuckling, Eruestan turned to Marcaunon and Morrigan, who were slowly pulling themselves up to a sitting position.
"Are you alright?" Eruestan asked quickly.
"Considering that for the past two days I've been possessed by an evil demon that was slowly draining the life from my body, I'm doing pretty well." Marcaunon grinned. "Thanks to you, that is."
"Yes," Morrigan said quietly. "'Tis true. T'were not for you, I would be dead. I-I…Thank you, Eruestan."
Eruestan blushed. "You're my friend," he said simply. "And my brother. What else was I supposed to do?"
Morrigan raised an eyebrow. "Let Flemeth slay me, take possession of my body, and have her lead you to greatness over all mankind?"
"Well, there's that," Eruestan admitted.
"So…thank you, Eruestan. For everything."
He smiled. Maybe this was the beginning of a new side of Morrigan, one that was kind, thoughtful, and caring.
Alistair approached from behind him. "Is everyone alright? Oh, here, Morrigan, let me help you…"
The old Morrigan snapped right back. "Do not touch me, fool! I am perfectly capable of supporting myself!"
She then proved her point by having her legs give out, causing her to fall to the ground.
"Well, do not just stand there! Help me up!" she cried out irritably.
"Here, let me," Marcaunon said quickly, bending down and pulling her to her feet. He quickly put her arm around his shoulder and supported her.
She stared at him suspiciously. "Do not think that just because we were both possessed by the same demon means that we are now destined to sleep together."
Marcaunon laughed with surprise. "You were wrong," he said cheerfully to Eruestan. "She actually gets better the more you know her."
"Wha—What did you say about me, Eruestan Surana?"
Eruestan sighed. This was going to be a very long walk.
The sounds of heated debate greeted them as they approached the Dalish camp.
"It has been too long, Lanaya!" someone shouted angrily. "The shemlens obviously have failed. We should just move on and pray to the gods for guidance."
"NO!" a woman cried. "My brother is still missing! We can't leave without him!"
"Herenya, give it up," a man said sternly. "All of the other hunters have been killed—why should Marcaunon be any different?"
"May the gods rain their wrath upon you, Erynion," Herenya said passionately. "How dare you write my brother off just because your daughter was killed by this monster?"
"Me? How dare you, you pathetic, city-elf wench!"
"Enough!" Lanaya shouted, her voice harsh. "Herenya, I feel deeply for you and your loss. However, I am afraid that I must agree with the other Keepers. It seems that our friends have failed in their quest." She sounded sad. "We must move forward before this evil consumes us all."
"There won't be any need for that," Eruestan said loudly, breaking through the ring of elves to the center. Shocked gasps and cries of relief rippled through the crowd. Herenya stood in the center, eyes open wide and mouth slack. With a scream of joy, she ran forward and flung her arms around Marcaunon, who hugged her back fiercely.
Lanaya laughed in disbelief, staring in shock at the people collected in front of her. Eruestan bowed.
"We have done as you wished," he said quietly. "We have defeated this evil."
"What was it?" Lanaya asked breathlessly, holding up her hand to still the excited murmurs that were now racing through the crowds.
"Asha'belannar," Marcaunon said, stepping forward. "She was living off the bodies of the hunters she captured. The Grey Wardens came to fight her, and she trapped them in the Fade. However, this man, my brother" (here, Herenya stiffened visibly) "fought off the dreams and managed to save us all."
Lanaya closed her eyes, an elated relief washing over her face. "Thank you, Grey Warden," she said, her voice slightly emotional. "The People were truly blessed when you first came to us." She turned to Alistair and Rowena. "I understand the throne of Ferelden has been taken from you?"
Alistair nodded, his face grim.
She cleared her throat and turned back to her people. "The Dalish have long considered human politics to be beyond their jurisdiction. To us, every human king and queen is the same; they spout kind words with poison in their hearts. However, I believe these two to be different. They ended the terrible curse inflicted upon us so many years ago by one of our own. They gave us a homeland at the end of the Blight. And now they have freed the People from a yet another great evil. Brothers and Sisters, let us show this world that the Dalish can be called upon to aide their friends." She rose herself to full height. "I pledge my clan to the cause of the human king and queen. I ask you to do the same."
Shocked whispers were now heard running through the Council. For a moment, it looked as though Lanaya would stand alone. Then, an elderly woman stepped reluctantly from the crowd.
"What Lanaya says is true," she croaked, leaning heavily on her staff. "We must bring honor back to the Dalish name. My clan will join the fight as well."
"As will mine," a red-haired man said from the back.
Other elves stepped forward, pledging their warriors. However, Eruestan noticed that for each elf who said they'd fight, another left the Council without saying a word. Chief among them was Erynion, who left for his camp with a death glare at Eruestan. Eruestan was a little worried, yet Lanaya seemed unperturbed. As the last elf pledged her allegiance, Lanaya smiled and said, "Ma serannas, my brethren. We will be a force to be reckoned with on the field of battle." She turned back to Alistair and Rowena. "Just say the word, and you will find the might of the Elvehn behind you."
Alistair bowed his head, humbled. "T-Thank you. You have no idea how much I value your help."
Lanaya grinned. "I suppose the feeling's mutual then." She turned back to the group. "But enough of this! The time has come to celebrate!"
With a cheer, the Council broke apart, the various clans gone to bring wine, food, and instruments.
Eruestan walked forward to join the festivities…and was stopped when someone grasped his hand. He turned around to see Herenya standing in front of him, a strange look on her face. Biting her lip, she seemed to be struggling to find the right words to say.
"Look, I-I…" She sighed. "Ok. I'm not exactly known for being the nicest of people…and I've maybe apologized, like, twice in my entire life…and the idea of admitting that I'm in the wrong to anyone makes me want to rip my teeth out…but still, I think—I know I was too hasty in judging you when I first met you. It's just, for so long it seemed like everything we did brought death and failure. Mother died, Father died, we starved in the orphanage…It just became easy to blame you for everything. We finally just joined the Dalish, and for the first time it seemed like things were going to go our way. Then, Marcaunon disappeared, and you came out of nowhere…It was just too much. I guess the stress, and fear, and frustration just kinda got to me. I shouldn't have snapped out at you—I'm sorry…brother…"
Eruestan looked at her in wonder; she gave him a timid smile. He grinned broadly, and quickly cleared his throat. "T-Thank you," he said quickly. "J-just…thank you."
Without warning, Herenya jumped forward and gave him a hug. She broke back suddenly, a little withdrawn.
"Sorry," she said quicky. "I don't normally do that." She grabbed his hand firmly. "And thank you for saving my—our brother. If there's anything you need…"
"Actually," Eruestan said thoughtfully, "I'd like to find the others, eventually." He blushed. "I want to make things better, for everyone."
She smiled and pulled out a faded map. "An elf we knew from the Alienage told us what happened to them when he came to join the People." She unrolled it and pointed to the Southern Bannorn. "Helenniel is a maid at the castle of Bann Ceorlic." She traced her finger along the map until it rested on Gwaren. "Beriadanwen and Máfortian were both sent to Gwaren when the orphanage became too crowded. I'm not sure where they are in the city, exactly, but at least it's a start." She held it out hesitantly. "I always wanted to use this map to go out and find them…but I think you'll have a better chance than I ever would." She thrust it into his hand. "Take this. Please. For us."
Eruestan smiled gratefully and put the map in his robes.
Music began to play in the background as the elves began their celebration. Brother and sister walked contentedly back to the party, the sounds of revelry echoing around them. Herenya walked over to where Gondian stood, wrapping her arm around him. Exhaustion catching up with him once more, Eruestan sat down heavily on a log around a campfire…right next to Leliana.
They both jumped when they saw each other. Leliana blushed a deep, furious red and began to glare at the fire, forehead furrowed in concentration.
"Leli…" Eruestan said pleadingly. "Please…"
"No," she whispered fiercely. "Never. I'd kill myself before I told you!"
"Who was that captain, Leliana?" Eruestan asked quietly.
With a cry, she sprung to her feet and raced across the camp, not looking back.
Eruestan stared at the fire, watching as the flames grew higher and higher until it seemed as if they would consume everything in their fiery path. And even though he was surrounded by almost the entire Dalish population of Ferelden, Eruestan suddenly felt very, very alone.