The Tainted Knight

A Dragon Age Fanfiction

By Bionca Femme

Chapter 20:

"Wake up," a voice called to him from the blackness. But he cannot do as the voice bids. His eyelids feel as though they were weighted down. And in truth, he is not certain that he wants to wake up. There is no pain in the darkness, it's cool and peaceful. The blackness does not burn like the light does. He remembers that much from the before. The before was filled with terrible beings as well, beings that hurt, that killed and sickened. Sometimes they changed, he remembered that too. There was someone he had once cared for very much that had been afraid of the changing. The changing terrified her.

"You must wake up!" the voice sounded again, this time more firmly and his body was shaken. He started to regain feeling in his limbs, slowly at first, the tingling of pins of needles one gets when a foot or hand falls asleep. And then quicker and sharper, the feeling increasing in clarity until soon every nerve in his body screamed in agony.

"No, no, shhh, its alright," a voice soothed. The voice from the dark was given name when he opened his eyes.

"Seranni?" he blinked to get his eyes to focus on the slight figure leaning over him. When she did come into focus, he lost control before he even knew that he had it. His hand shot out and closed around her throat, "Why!" he growled.

"Let me go... and I'll tell you," she choked out.

"If you play me false, I will kill you!" Andre released her and watched as the elf maid's hands went up to her throat and she coughed and sucked in great breaths of air, only to cough again.

"He needs you," she said after she had herself under some semblance of control.

"He needs me?" Andre narrowed his eyes on her and pulled himself up from the cot into a sitting position. "For what purpose?"

"You are the bait," her hands dropped from her throat and she sat back on her haunches. "The Commander will come once she knows you are here."

Andre blinked at the elf for a moment. "She will," he cursed his fate. "Maker, she will! Despite..." he trailed off and he rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. The feeling of it was alien, his hand feeling numb and not entirely his own. He looked down at it and what he saw almost made him shriek in terror. "What have you done to me!" he cried out. His hand was pale and there were darkened blotches, his nails had yellowed and he took her hand in his own roughly and compared them. "Andraste's blood, you've turned me!" he shoved her from him violently.

"It was the only way!" she whimpered.

"You've damned me! And for what? To lure the Commander to her death!" he raged.

"If she sees you are like us then she will be more inclined to listen, to believe," she backpedaled across the stone floor away from him until her back was against the bars of his cell.

"Believe what?" he hissed at her.

"That we are not all the monsters that history believes us to be, Ser Knight," the familiar lisping voice interrupted making Ser Perth's gaze snap up to meet the face of the Architect on the other side of the bars.

"Somehow I doubt that," Andre spat.

"You will see, in time. The taint courses through you, even now you are changing...soon you will come to see things in a different light," the Architect gestured for the Hurlock at his side to open the door. Seranni scrambled to her feet and hurried out the door. Her quiet crying could be heard as she ran out of the room. "It seems that you have upset her," the Architect commented.

"Again, I express doubt. Creatures such as you lack humanity," Andre sneered. "Thus I also doubt the presence of your so called emotions. Though you're all wonderful actors, I'll admit."

"That is not true, we love and have empathy, just as you do. But we are also slaves, driven by our natures. We," he gestured to himself and the dwarven ghoul at his side, "have been freed of the madness that drove us to the surface. This is why I wish to talk with your Commander."

"You are mistaken," Andre replied. "She is my Commander, no longer."

"You fought your way through hundreds of the Mother's minions to get to her at Kal'Hirol, despite her feelings for you, I sincerely doubt that she will not come to your rescue," the Architect offered a small indulgent smile and then left Ser Perth alone in his cell.

"Selene," Andre murmured her name and shook his head. His only hope was that Niara would tell Selene that he was dead. Though in his quickly sickening heart he knew that it wishful thinking. No matter the wrongs he had done her or she him, she was, is and always will be a hero. And heroes came to the rescue, no matter the risk to themselves.

There was nothing he could do at that moment, except wait.

There was little that was gentle about the way Alistair took her the previous night and it had been glorious, savage and liberating. She lie in his arms, watching him sleep as she let the memories of their lovemaking take her.

Alistair's face broke out into the widest grin she'd ever seen, "Your desire is my command. And it seems you've guessed my wish."

He had bent forward and kissed her again, his velvety soft lips ghosting over hers and then his tongue darted out, flicking over her lips and then questing for hers. It found its goal in the warmth of her mouth and he explored her with lips and tongue, his hands never straying from their position on the door. His kisses left her heady and hot, the world started to swim in and out and the need to remove clothes, be they hers or his, became near overwhelming. "Alistair," she growled and gripped the front of his shirt in her hands and pulled it apart, ripping the fabric which resulted in small 'plik, plik, plik' noises as several buttons were sacrificed in the name of lust.

Alistair chuckled. "Pity, I kind of liked that shirt," his jest turned into a moan as Selene's mouth found his collar bone and nibbled at his exposed skin. She smiled against him as it seemed that she would be able to finally have the upper hand. But it was not meant to be. Rather than let her continue her pleasant torture, he pushed off from the door and sunk to his knees before her.

"Alistair?" she looked down at him with confusion.

He offered her one of his signature goofy grins and grabbed her right leg by the calf. She watched hungrily as he removed her right boot and then the left. Then he reached up to the lacing on her trousers, untying it and then slowly pulled them off along with her bottoms. Next he stood and removed her shirt and breast band. She stood naked before him and he took a moment to appreciate the way the fire light played over her naked skin. "Never could even the most lovely of desire demons even come close to matching your beauty," he murmured.

"Alistair," she hissed.

He didn't answer, he just stepped into her space and lifted her into the air, her legs wrapped around his

hips automatically and he pressed her back into the door. "I believe," his voice was husky and his breath tickled her neck, "you ordered that I make you scream, my lady?"

"Yes," she moaned.

"As you wish," he said and then his hand snaked down between them and he soon was free of his own trousers. Before she could think he pressed forwards and up and she very nearly did scream. She was stretched as he remained still, allowing her time to adjust. There was certainly more than one thing that she had missed about Alistair, as shallow as it might be, this was one of them. The way there was no part of her that he did not touch this way. How his skin seared hers, the feeling of his heart beat against her own.

"Move!" she growled and Alistair did and each thrust had her seeing stars. She could only hope that they did not break the door.

Alistair shifted at her side and she was brought out of her daydream by the trailing of his finger tips over her cheek. "Hello," he smiled down at her. "What are you thinking about that has you all dreamy eyed and smiling, mmm?"

"The fact that the Maker has spared you yet again for such a spectacular performance," Selene teased.

"What can I say? Its a gift," he replied with a grin and pulled her flush against him. "I'm glad you're still here."

She hummed appreciatively as his fingers traced their way down her spine. "Nowhere else I'd rather be."

Zevran could normally find the humor in any situation, and at any other time receiving a knock at the door from one Bertram Woolsey just as he'd finished making his willing bed partner cry out from one of his many talents would have been quite humorous.

But alas, such things were not to be. Much to his dismay. When he'd opened the door, clad in nothing but his trousers, sweat trickling down his smooth, lean, but well-defined torso, he found the Kings guardsmen on the other side with a disgruntled look upon his scruffy face.

"Well," Zevran leaned on the door frame, "I didn't expect to find you on the other side of my door. Not that I'm complaining. Only, as enchanting an idea it might be, I do not believe my companion would want an audience or another participant. He's so jealous," Zevran chuckled at the answering growl from inside the room.

Betram's ears reddened and then he rolled his eyes and shoved a bundle of letters into the elf's hands. "Make yourself useful and translate these, you bloody menace!"

Zevran looked down at them and frowned as he recognized the seals on them. They were sent by a well-known Crow cell that operated mainly in Ferelden. "Where did you get these?" he asked the bushy bearded man.

"A Knight brought them to show the Commander. I'd have taken them to the Commander, only they seem to be written in code. You're the only Crow I know," Bertram shrugged. "I know you're...busy," he squeezed his eyes shut as if to block out a mental image but continued speaking none-the-less. "But if you could look at those when you get a chance and then let me know what you find out? I've got a feeling that Eamon is involved."

"I shall start immediately," Zevran assured him and then bid the man a farewell with a nod of his head which Bertram returned and stalked off down the hall. The Assassin watched him go for a moment and then went back into his room.

"What did he want?" Nathaniel asked.

Zevran looked up to find the man had moved from the position he'd left him in and was now instead reclining on his side on Zevran's bed. "It seems that the Crows are taking a renewed interest in our fair Warden-Commander. Despite previous assurances that she was no longer a target." He set the letters down on the small table where they had been playing Castles only the night before. "I'll have to spend some time decoding these. It would not do to be unprepared should they attack."

"You don't have to do that right now, do you?" Nathaniel lower lip was pulled between his teeth as he he let his eyes roam over Zevran's body. "I think we were just in the middle of something...interesting."

Zevran chuckled and moved towards his bed and its occupant, his right hand going up to the lacing of his trousers and undoing them slowly. "We were...weren't we?" he purred.

Selene and Alistair finally pulled themselves away from one another long enough to make it down to breakfast. Alistair would have liked nothing better than to stay in his chambers with her for the remainder of the day but the woman had never been able to lounge around when there were things to be done. And like it or not they had a Grey Warden to find.

When they got down to the dining hall they found Anders and Oghren already there. "You think you're so clever don't you?" Oghren narrowed his eyes at the mage who did look a tad smug. "Sparkle-fingers!" the dwarf growled and then stuffed his face full of scrambled eggs, getting quite a bit of it in his beard.

"Its always nice to see you making friends," Alistair clapped the dwarf on the back before his took a seat next to Selene who was already helping herself to a sweet roll from the basket on the table.

"I'd sooner kiss the arse-end of a nug then make friends with that man-skirt wearing freak," Oghren blustered and took a long pull from his mug, ending the action with his signature belch.

"From the smell I'd wager you already have," replied Anders with a smirk.

Oghren grunted. "Stupid...Mage," he muttered.

"Alright," Selene chuckled. "Why don't the two of you accompany Alistair and me to Black Marsh? Maybe a little family outing will be just what the two of you need, hmm?"

"Ah yes, a pleasant stroll in the park...with dark spawn," Anders snorted.

"Fine," Oghren muttered.

Selene sighed. "So, do you know anything else about Black Marsh, Alistair?" Selene asked as she got some water from the pitcher on the table.

Alistair shook his head, "Not really, no. I've just heard that all the inhabitants disappeared, its said to be haunted. No one has lived there for quite some time."

"Sounds like a load of genlock dung if you ask me," Oghren grunted.

"I heard an evil sorceress ruled there once. She stayed young and beautiful by bathing in the blood of the towns children. When the townsfolk found out, they burnt down her mansion with her still in it, but not before she cursed the town. They all disappeared," Anders wiggled his fingers dramatically at the end of his story.

"Yeah, sure," Oghren snorted. "I get showered in blood all the time, don't make me young and beautiful."

Selene raised an eyebrow, "Here I thought you were going for cute and fuzzy."

"Heh, now don't you go startin' nothin'," Oghren chuckled. "Besides, heard you got you a little pike twirler last night."

Alistair choked on his roll only just barely managing to avoid spraying bits of food all over everyone. "You heard that?" he asked with widened eyes.

"Lad," Oghren patted the King on the back. "The whole castle heard this wildcat screaming your name last night! Good on ya, son!"

Anders stood up, "Well if we're going to go tangle with an evil sorceress and brave a haunted marsh, I think I ought to go and see that pretty little elven mage in the throne-room and buy some spell components," the Mage bowed to Alistair and then to Selene. "Alistair, Warden-Commander," then he sauntered off.

Selene turned to Alistair. "Alistair? Not Sire?" she teased.

"You know I hate this whole King thing," Alistair huffed. "Anyway, its not like you ever enjoyed being Lady Cousland either," he pointed out.

Selene chuckled. "Touche."

They went back to finishing their breakfasts when the blond haired soldier that handled the mail appeared by Selene's side, "Message for you, Commander."

Selene craned her neck to look up at the woman, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Commander," the woman handed her the letter and gave her the bowing Salute of the Wardens. It had caught on amongst the guards and Selene did not have the energy to correct them.

Selene turned the note over to find the wax seal of Highever on it. She opened it and read it, her eyes growing wider and wider as she got further down the page.

"Selene," Alistair had noticed her shocked expression and was growing anxious to know what news Fergus sent. "Is everything alright? Nothing's wrong at Highever I hope?"

Selene looked up from the letter with a bemused expression. "No, no. Nothing wrong. Fergus is getting remarried."

"That's wonderful news!" Alistair exclaimed.

"Well, yes..." Selene admitted.

"You aren't pleased?" Alistair asked with confusion. "He's not marrying some hag is he?"

Selene burst out laughing, "No! But I'll tell Leliana you said that."

Alistair's eyes widened, "Leliana? He's marrying...oh Maker!"

"Apparently its common knowledge that you're here," she sighed. "He's invited us both."

"I always did like Fergus," Alistair commented. "You know, he threatened to beat me within an inch of my life when I broke it off with you."

Selene paled, "He didn't!"

Alistair grinned, "He did. He said King or not I had a hell of a lot of nerve breaking his baby sister's heart, and if I knew what was good for me I'd make up with you immediately."

Selene laughed. "He's a smart man, my brother."

Alistair bestowed a gentle kiss on her cheek and then gave her a soft smile. "A very smart man. And I am glad I listened," he cleared his throat. "So, when is Teryn Cousland's wedding anyway?"

"A month from now," Selene smiled happily. "Which means that by then we'll have this Eamon mess cleared up and we'll know why the dark spawn are not retreating to the deep roads."

"The Mother and the Architect," Alistair shook his head. "You'd think they'd have done us all a favor and just killed each other off but nooo. Its like playing Mabari in the middle, only we're the Mabari."

Selene frowned at the analogy. "That's such a disturbing thought," and it was. To be caught between two warring factions of darkspawn. This Architect, whomever he was, seemed interested only in using them as pawns against the Mother. He'd attacked the Vigil and taken the bodies of Wardens. For whatever purpose, he needed to be stopped. A bitter taste flooded her mouth, familiar and hated. Revenge. A hunger that was not easily sated.

Andre slipped in and out of sleep, something that his body seemed to crave now that he was afflicted with this...whatever it was that the Architect had done to him. When he was ailing with the blight disease before, he fell to a fever and was bedridden. However, at the moment he felt only extreme fatigue and hunger. The weakness itself was not as troubling as the latter. The hunger frightened him, the cravings to eat raw meat had shaken him badly and he fought against it. Seranni had brought him a skinned rabbit, and though the smell of its blood tantalized his senses and his stomach clenched with want, he couldn't bring himself to eat it. The desire to just pick it up and tear it apart with his teeth and hands, to feel its blood flow over his chin, made him clutch all the harder at the remnants of his hastily fading humanity.

"You can't avoid eating," a familiar and increasingly detestable voice spoke up from outside his cell.

Andre's eyes opened to slits and he glared at her through them from his position in the corner of the cell. He he had placed his back against the cool stone, the feeling of its strength behind him served to anchor him. He wondered vaguely earlier if this was why the dark spawn retreated to the deep roads when there was no longer a blight. Perhaps the feeling of the stone comforted them in a way that open skies and air never could. "I'll eat nothing that's been touched by you, least of all something raw."

Seranni stepped up to the bars and grasped them with her tiny hands. Her pale forehead came to rest upon the bars as she peered in at him. "I fought it too. We all did."

"Why did they take you?" Andre asked, suddenly curious.

"He didn't take me, he saved me. The one the Architect opposes, she is called the Mother. She stole me from my sister then she left evidence at our camp that implicated human's in my kidnapping. If my sister is still alive...she's probably slaughtering humans a dozen at a time by now. She is powerful in the old magics of my people," she explained.

"So, the Architect saved you from this 'Mother' and then he turned you?" Andre pressed.

"No, by then I was already dying of the taint. I begged him to do this," she looked down at the floor. "My people have slowly been regaining our immortality. The Dalish have little contact with shems. It was you that robbed us of our long years. I was looking forward to living at least a century and a half. That was taken from me and I...I was frightened of dying. That is why he did it. Because I asked it of him."

"All those men and women at Soldier's Peak. Why did they have to die?" he asked.

"They did not," she responded.

"You invaded!" Andre retorted.

"We were not given a chance to explain our presence. You merely assumed and then you attacked!" Seranni stamped her foot angrily.

"Ferelden has just escaped the blight and you and your 'Architect' think it's wise to approach a Grey Warden Fortress en mass and heavily armed in the dead of night? What else did you think would happen?" he scoffed.

"I was not part of the planning," Seranni pointed out. "I would not have advised such actions. Utha has...a less than subtle approach. She has also been tainted far longer than I. Though they are intelligent, they are still dark spawn. Overwhelming the enemy, even when attempting peace, is simply in their nature."

Andre snorted. "So is eating people, I suppose? What in the Maker's name is he using Warden's blood for?"

"To awaken the dark spawn. To stop blights," she said.

"To what?" Andre couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Seranni sat down cross-legged in front of the bars and looked at him for some time before speaking again. "The blight causes the dark spawn to obey the call of a blood-thirsty Old God. That which you call the Archdemon. It rages at being trapped and it calls us to it until we set it free. Then it uses us to kill you, its hated enemies. For it desires that which was stolen from it, freedom and power. We die as slaves. Helpless against the call that clouds our thinking, the song that gives us a blood lust and rage that is not our own. The Architect awakens the dark spawn to give them free will."

"So this 'Mother' is opposed to freeing the dark spawn?" he asked curiously.

"I do not know. She was one of the first freed, and she went mad. She yearns for the song. Others that also miss the call of the Archdemon follow her. She is the cause of most of the trouble above. The Architect needs the Wardens to defeat her," she finished.

"No, he doesn't," Andre replied.

"Do you doubt me?" she narrowed her silvered eyes at him.

"I don't doubt that you've been fed lies to justify his actions but mark my words, the Architect only wants the Commander. If he needed the Wardens to defeat the Mother then he would not have slaughtered so many of us. I believe that he thinks to use the Commander to slay the Mother. Then he will take control of both factions of the dark spawn and we will go on as before. If you think he has entirely unselfish intentions then you are a fool. One who cannot see passed the silvered tainted veil this monster has pulled over your eyes!" he growled.

Seranni looked taken aback by his verbal attack. And hurt. Andre sighed. "Forgive me, I realize that this is not your fault. You are as much a pawn in this as I," he softened his voice though the anger he still felt caused his pulse to drum out a painful beat in his temples. He still felt like raging at her.

Seranni nodded accepting his apology. "The meat will soon spoil. Do not wait until your hunger consumes your mind," she advised and then she picked herself up from the the floor and left.

When she was gone Andre's eyes strayed to the pitiful corpse of the rabbit on the floor before him. "Ser rabbit," he sighed heavily, "I am starting to develop an extreme dislike for you." The de-pelted animal made no reply and Andre took that as a sign that he was at least still sane, for the moment. Satisfied in this knowledge, he let the Fade envelope him once more.

A/N: Wooh! Chapter 20! I admit to struggling with this chapter a little. But by the end it worked itself out. I only hope you enjoyed it. By the way, did you know I posted a new fic? "The Awakening" made its debut and I'm very excited about it. Check it out if you haven't already.

Thank you to Melismo as always for working so hard on my stuff. She rocks.