Colors and feint images surrounded her before she stopped. She was at the castle being greeted by Alistair and Anora. I will enjoy this. She mentally called out to Zevran with her entire will, hoping that he would be able to wake her, or kill Melinda in the process, releasing her.
"Back off! I know you aren't real, this is the Fade and Melinda is getting it when I escape this hell," Kara said curtly.
"What are you talking about dear sister? You already killed the malificar months ago, stopped a second blight, aided Zevran in taking over the Crows, and now you two are going to get married!," he said to her.
"Yes if we don't hurry along then you will miss the whole thing," said the fake Anora ushering her away.
"Why the hell would I want to marry? I love the man, but that is a bit much too soon," Kara spoke to the specters.
"What are you talking about, you are pregnant are you not?" said Alistair, "He is going to marry you or I am going to be a good brother and behead him."
"I-what?' gasped Kara.
She placed a single hand on her belly, just for a moment before her instincts reminded her this was all fake. Even if for a moment she gave in, her battle against this nightmare would be a loss and she would remain trapped here forever. She reached for her weapons, only to find they weren't there, when she looked down for a knife, her clothes were replaced by a wedding gown. When she looked back up, Anora and Alistair had already led her to the doors of the chantry and were letting her in. She found herself along a carpeted isle, either side littered with humans and elves alike. There were some Antivan Crows who had escorted the now new Guild master. There Zevran's eyes meet hers and they spoke of nothing but love and acceptance, she immediately glanced away knowing that all this was a trap.
This isn't worth it! No matter how at peace this place looks, no matter how much in the bottom of your heart that fleeting glimpse of lies roused you. You must not give in! You can't! You have over come the Blight and death itself.
"All rise," announced the priest as she walked down the isle.
Kill them all, they aren't real. Oh god even Sten is here...he is the priest, and Leliana? Holy shit is that Morrigan?...No bad Kara, think icky thoughts, they are all darkspawn...all of them.
"We are gathered here today to unite these two," said Sten as he continued on with the traditional wedding ceremony, "Are there any persons who wish that these two shall not be united? Speak now or forever hold your peace."
"If they speak they may lose something important, I have fought beside her, I damn well better not lose her,"joked Zevran.
Maker don't look into his eyes...Heart stop pounding. This is fake, none of this will ever happen you know that. It was a miracle you two survived this long and had a relationship. Don't give in...you can't. Melinda is behind this.
"Karasu Mahariel,it was a surprise, if not a blessing from the Maker when you spared my life. It wasn't until I thought I lost you when I realized how much I truly cared. When you showed up from death, I was overwhelmed with so many things that I foolishly took it out on you. After I saw your heart break I couldn't stand myself anymore, then I tried to see reason in myself, only to have you collide with me again. The one who stood up for me, who fought beside me, who made every day exciting, who took out armies of darkspawn just with her blade alone, chose me to love. I gave you my heart with the earring that day, and now I give you another oath. My deadly sex goddess, giuro entro la mia vita per fare una pausa il vostro lato, lo amerò senza prenotazione, io sono il vostro uomo," spoke the illusion before her.
Her heart sank, she had to kill it. Sten gestured it was her turn for her vows, while Leliana nudged her from behind to speak. By her hand, all of them would die. They had to, for her escape. She knew she didn't have much time to linger here before she was in mortal danger, the edges of her eyesight revealed a slight deterioration of her surroundings. Something was coming and was eating away her heart's dream.
"My love, I am sorry to tell you this, but I can't marry you, none of you are real. That Morrigan over there disappeared not to long ago and she was pregnant, Anora would never be nice to me ever, and where are Ogheren and Shale? Demon, you are a bad liar. Disappear," she spoke while throwing her bouquet down and knocking the illusion of her lover down in a punch.
She scrambled around, finding a guard to disarm. When she seized the blade, faces of her guests melted away revealing darkspawn. Zev was the only one who remained in its form. He managed to snap a few darkspawn necks before grabbing weapons and killing off the guest list with Kara. Soon they found themselves back to back surrounded. Zevran was muttering something before she sighed and turned around to face him.
"Shall we complete for points?" he asked her smirking.
"No," she said coolly, "You lose."
She ran her blade into his gut and watched his eyes stare at her in horror and surprise. Blood began to flow from the wound, and eventually he coughed up a little before collapsing into her arms. She laid him down as the nightmare specters and surroundings began to disintegrate. He stared up at her and touched his hand to her face before he died. She closed his eyes and kissed the specter's lips before she stood up and waited for her return to her body. Melinda was going to die very slowly now, she would make sure of it.
She awoke with a jolt in her bedroll next to Zevran she turned to see his face deep in slumber. It was nearly sunrise and she decided to get up and find breakfast. She rose up and changed from her bed clothes to her armor and grabbed her trusty blades Starfang and Asturian's Might, spoils from her side adventures during the blight, and donned them before heading out the door. She went downstairs and talked to one of the bar maids about getting a meal before being told she would have to wait another hour for porridge. Grimacing, she went snooping about and managed to find some eggs, ham, and some freshly baked biscuits from a nearby bakery. She paid the cook to let her use the kitchen and made some bacon, eggs, and gravy for her breakfast, spicing the gravy with some Antivian spices she saw. Tasting it before she finished cooking it, to make sure the spices would go well with the breakfast. Personally it was a tad spicy for breakfast, but during her travels she had gotten used to Antivan cooking due to Zev.
She returned to the room and sat the food down nearby, wondering if after breakfast she could swing back by the bakery for sweet rolls. After placing down her food she turned to wake up her assassin only to have him already awake and behind her.
"Maker don't do that!," she jumped.
He didn't say anything and brought his hands up to rub at his eyes. Kara figured he was still groggy, then remembered she hadn't brought up anything to drink.
"Oh wait here love, I will fetch us some form of decent wine," she placed a hand on his shoulder while speaking.
He instantly grabbed her arm and gripped it very tightly.
"Ow, Zev let go. Alright I won't touch you again. Let go!" she said tugging away from him
Something was wrong, even in his grumpiest of morning moods, he was always cheerful towards her. A couple of times more cheerful than she would have liked, and spent a few minutes defending herself against his advances. He rose his head up to her and she finally saw his usually golden eyes were devoid of any life, and color. He began twisting it until it she swore he would break her arm. She unleashed a right kick into his chest, sending him backwards.
"Milenda. I swear you don't release him I will peel your skin away from your body slowly," she demanded as Zev got up.
Zevran went for his daggers, one of which was the The Rose's Thorn, the other belonged to Duncan himself, Kara had acquired him during the blight for him winning their game while facing Jarvia. Kara dove after him and managed to tackle him, pinning him down away from the blades. When he couldn't access his blades, he reached up and grabbed her Starfang and curled his legs under her chest and forced her off of him. She knew he would kill her if she wasn't careful. The blade had a cold aura around it, while sparks could be seen igniting here and there, off the flaming surface. Now she wished she hadn't of enchanted it, at least it didn't have the silverlette enchant, that surprising hurt wardens as much as darkspawn. She was stronger than her elven lover, but he did have a slight advantage in quickness and cunning, and the tricks he learned from Isabella.
"Damn it Zev! Don't make me do this," she told him.
"You would sacrifice me? For the greater good, I thought you loved me," said Zevran with a slight change in his voice.
"Shit, your possessed! Alright bitch, blood mage, you, me, now! I will fucking kill you when I deal with him," she screamed lunging at her lover.
He dodged and went around for a back stab, forcing her to turn her misguided move to a tumble. She couldn't disarm him but she might could knock him out. She marked him for death and began to retract herself from reality, another trick she had learned from him. She began to force herself to become numb, to quicken her reflexes, and to focus only on him. He came in for a Pinpoint Strike but she deflected it and came in with a Below the Belt. She took advantage and stunned him before side stepping around him and slicing shallow along his sword arm. She hoped pain would end the spell causing him to act like this, but to her dismay he remained the same.
"Poor sweet elf, I am powerful a simple nick will not end my magic. You will have to kill me," he told her.
She swallowed, trying to stay in that state of mind. Locking away all emotion and bringing out the more feral, killing intentions of her instincts. Fortunately for her, he had a hard time wielding Starfang, otherwise she would have been ended long ago. He turned around and slashed out, making her jump backwards and lean in a little. He grabbed her hair and slammed her head down upon his knee. Her sight became dotted with white and black spots, she could tell he broke her nose when the blood flowed down her face. She could feel the blade he was wielding raise in the air again. She was in a good enough position to stab him, she took that chance. She lashed out her arm, but he dodged but not enough to escape a sword wound to his side. She rose up and deflected a strike from him, she was running out of time to hunt down this maificar. She had to have been nearby to cast the spell, perhaps while she was in her dream.
Parrying she thought she had escaped a blow before she felt her shoulder cry out in pain. She hadn't knocked his blade away from her far enough and he came back and sheathed Starfang in her left shoulder. She cried out, their scuffle had caught the attention of a maid, and she came to see what was wrong. When she showed herself in the doorway, Zevran's body snatched up the poor elf girl and had Starfang at her throat. Cut up and highly pissed off, she knew this would end it.
"Cease or I will kill this girl and your lover soon after. I was hoping to coax you into coming with this body but he lashed out with what little will he had and attacked you. Now I am forced to be reduced to taking useless hostages," said a more feminine voice from Zevran.
"So you do agree love, my heart be with you," she smiled before she mentally forced everything black.
When her senses came to she stood before Zevran awakened. Her body cried out in pain, he had given her more wounds but eventually she got the upper hand. The poor elf girl was screaming and injured but alive. Zevran's life was beginning to leak out of his mouth, she felt tears forming as she looked down. His blade missed her heart, but she didn't miss his. He was running out of time, so she tossed him on her shoulders and grabbed the now apparent Orleasian elf.
"Do you know where a healer may be? Answer now!" she spoke with anger and hate laced with it.
"Ne me tuez pas ! Maker je suis trop jeune, je prie à vous. Sauf moi, sauf moi!" she blurted.
"If you don't stop praying to the Maker you will meet him. Je vous tuerai avec mes mains nues, comprenez?" she told the girl with Orleasian she learned from Leliana over the course of the Blight.
"Yes...I-I know where a healer is! I take you to him," she sobbed in a thick accent.
"Move now!" she ordered.
They ran through the streets towards the chantry. There she was greeted by a cleric and Templar. Kara ordered for a healer immediately, one of the highly trained magical kind.
"What gives you the right to order us around?" inquired the Templar.
"A very pissed off Warden Commander. I am here on business for the Crown and I swear you don't heal this man I will have everyone's head on a spike next to Melinda's!" she said with a coldness she didn't know she had.
"R-right. Healer for the Commander," said the terrified cleric.
"Don't give in, how do we know she is a-" said the Templar before she knocked him unconscious and began beating him with her shoe.
"Healer! Now would be nice!" she said in between hits.
"There is that man, he is said to be skilled in healing arts," said a sister.
"He is a malificar! Maker-," he started to say before feeling the chill of daggers at his back,"Yes, he will do. We will go to Anders."
She stopped stomping a new one in the unconscious Templar to pass off Zevran the cleric. She followed them until they got to a room in the back of the chantry, there she saw a blond man in manacles sitting in a corner brooding. He jumped up when she and Zevran were brought to him.
"Oh looks like someone had a party," he said leaning back.
Kara stomped straight at the mage, picked him up with one hand and began shaking him,"Heal him now."
"You-know threatening,"he said before Kara stopped shaking him, "the one who can save him isn't wise."
"Pissing off someone who has taken out an Archdemon is not wise either," she said.
"Alright, you are dangerous. Let's see, oh this isn't good. I don't know if I can save him. You however need servic-" he said before being cut off.
"Save him, if I come back and if anything is missing or he isn't breathing and alive, you will join him," she spoke to him before turning on her heel and heading back out to hunt down Melinda.
Her emotions were coming in waves but she couldn't let them get her yet. She had one order of Blood Mage Death to deliver to the bitch who pitted her against the one she loved. She went back to their room and grabbed some poultices, her blades, and some poisons. When everything was set she headed out the door, searching for Melinda. There was something about Melinda's words that bugged her. Melinda wanted Kara alive, but why did she possess Zevran? Her bad puppeteer skills almost killed them both, but Kara was lucky. This was nothing like before when facing Loghian, this witch had made it way beyond personal.