Chapter 26! Also, I'M SO SORRY! Life is just completely messing up my groove these days! I will try to do better!
And btw, I totally love Abelas. I may or may not have a thing for ancient elves, apparently.
Disclaimer: not mine!
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Chapter 26 - No More Darkspawn-Worshipping For You
They reached their destination, chatted with scout Harding, left the horses – and the safety of the camp – and embarked on the short journey to the Temple of Mythal.
"Down here," Hermione said as she walked off the road and into a hollow tree lying on the ground, "on the other side of this tree-tunnel, there are chests, supplies, and a couple of stray soldiers fighting some Red Templars."
Hermione was – of course – right, and Morrigan looked increasingly confused as they moved down the road.
"Morrigan," Hermione eventually said in an amused voice, "get your shit together. We are approximately ten minutes from a confrontation with an ancient Darkspawn Magister."
Morrigan stared at Hermione for a moment, but then she nodded. "Tis' true."
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"The Temple of Mythal," Hermione said breathlessly. "Which means incoming megalomaniac at any second."
Hermione barely managed to finish her sentence before the megalomaniac in question appeared.
"Ah, pretender," he boomed. "I should have known you would be here. How appropriate for..."
Oh, shit. Oh SHIT, Hermione thought as the ancient Darkspawn trailed off, and his gaze moved from Lala...to Hermione.
"You have gained a new...ally, I see." Corypheus boomed as he fixed his eyes on Hermione. "How curious. What are you, I wonder?"
Hermione contemplated what to do. Chat with the ancient being? Run?
"Different," she eventually replied. "I'm...different."
"That, creature, I can see. I can feel."
Shit, she thought again as Corypheus moved. Suddenly, the orb was in his hand, and Hermione acted without thinking. He was about to attack them, after all.
"Bombarda!" she yelled, putting all her force in the spell.
The ancient Darkspawn literally exploded. Hermione knew he would rise again at any moment, but it gave them some time, if nothing else.
Except for the fact that the dragon decided this was a good time to show up.
She froze for a moment, watching as the nearest creature began moving, but then reacted without thinking again. "Bombarda Maxima!" she yelled, aiming at the bridge separating them from the ancient Darkspawn. "Run!"
They ran.
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Samson and his Red Templars jumped down in the hole just as they entered the temple.
"Well," Hermione said, sighing, "so far so good. Except for the chat I had with him, everything is just as expected. Let's do the trials, so the elven protectors will be pleased with us."
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Hermione had done the puzzles so many times she could practically do it in her sleep, so she just told the rest to wait, and ran across the tiles, completing the test within a minute. The same went for the other two puzzles, and then they headed towards the door.
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Abelas was perhaps even more mesmerizing than she had ever expected. Even more so, when he fixed her with a gaze that felt like he saw straight into the core of her.
She was about to say something, but then Abelas stepped closer to her, staring into her eyes in a way that made her speechless. "How curious," he said, still fixing her with his eyes, "that the being whom I would deem most worthy for centuries is not of this world."
Hermione blinked, trying to find her voice. "I'm not certain I deserve such praise, Abelas," she said quietly. "Ma serannas, protector."
"How curious, indeed," Abelas continued, just as quietly. "Who are you, I wonder? And why does it feel as if you have been here before?"
"Well, in a way, I have been here before...perhaps. It's complicated."
"I suspect that is the truth," he said, cocking his head, "you may proceed, and you may do what you wish. The Well is yours to drink, or to destroy, I suspect you will make the correct decision."
You would gain from the Well, Hermione heard a voice say, in her mind. Abelas' voice. You are different. You cannot be controlled by will alone.
How do you know? Hermione replied in her mind. If I bind myself to Mythal, how do you know it won't be different? Perhaps the direct binding will change it? Perhaps that will control me after all?
The binding is mind-magic, Abelas said. Nothing else.
Hermione hesitated for a moment. Why are you telling me this? You are the protectors of Mythal, are you not? Why would you want me to drink from the Well without Mythal gaining from it?
Mythal is not as she once was, Abelas said. She is not the same we swore to protect. She is, I believe, a threat, more than a saviour.
You got that right, Hermione replied without thinking, and she literally cringed when she heard the sarcasm in her voice, even in her mind. I'm sorry, I mean-
I know what you mean, Abelas said, and Hermione was rather baffled to feel a genuine wave of amusement from him. And you are correct, I believe. Drink from the Well of Sorrows, kindred, and go forth and do what is right.
Kindred?
Kindred, he replied. There is something within you that makes you...familiar to us, even if this is the first time our paths cross.
"Go, now," he suddenly said out loud. "Go, do what is right. The ones who are here without the right are getting closer. Go."
Hermione didn't think twice. "Ma serannas, Abelas," she said, inclining her head. "May you be free, and feel free." She turned around, but then turned back to him. "May you find a new name," she added, softly. "I hope life gives you a new name."
His eyes were soft when she turned around again, walking away.
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"What was all that about?" Dorian asked as they hurried towards the Well. "The whole 'silent staring' thing?"
"We had a chat in my mind about the Well," Hermione replied. "I'll explain after we have dealt with Samson."
"I don't even know why I am surprised."
Hermione just gave Dorian an amused look before focusing on the task at hand.
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"I am the Vessel of Corypheus!"
Hermione rolled her eyes at Samson. "Maker's breath, Samson, you're pathetic. Stupefy!"
They had the rest of the Red Templars cleared out of the way before Samson woke up again – they had destroyed his armour while he was knocked out – and Hermione found the whole thing rather anticlimactic as she tied Samson up with enchanted ropes.
"I'm almost disappointed," she said as Samson woke up. "I'm sorry, Samson, but you are coming with us. No more Darkspawn worshipping for you."
"He will end you. He will come for you."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Andraste's knickers, what is it with the followers of Corypheus and the whole melodrama? What do you expect? That I will suddenly fall down on my knees in despair because you tell me Corypheus will try his best to kill me? To kill us? Get over yourself, Samson."
She proceeded to stun the man again, and then turned to her companions. "Now, about the chat I had with Abelas. He thinks I should drink from the Well. He thinks that because I am different, because my mind is different – shielded – Mythal will not be able to control me."
"Wait, Mythal? Mythal lives?"
"Yes," Hermione said as she turned to look at Morrigan, "and I do believe you have met her, as she uses other names. Flemeth, among other things."
Morrigan paled. "You told me," she whispered, "you told me to not drink from the Well. That is why."
Hermione nodded before focusing on the rest again. "So, do we place our faith in Abelas' theory?"
"What else did he say?" Solas said, gazing at her with a dark look. "Because that is not much to go on, in my opinion."
"He said the binding is pure mind-magic. And my mind is rather locked for the mind-magic of this world."
"Isn't he supposed to be on Mythal's side?"
Hermione nodded at Dorian. "Yes. But Mythal is not the same as she was once upon a time. The protectors realise this. They realise she is, in fact, more of a threat than a saviour at this point."
"They are quite right about that," Solas said, still with the dark look. "Still, it is a risk, Lethallan."
"It will help us in the fight with Corypheus," Hermione replied before switching to elven. "And it will help you in your cause, Lethallin. Trust me."
"I do trust you, da'fen," Solas replied in elven, "but the thought of you at Mythal's mercy…"
"I understand, Solas," Hermione said quietly in English, "but I honestly feel as if it is the right choice. I cannot tell you why I feel that way, but I do."
"I really have to learn elven," Dorian quipped before continuing in a more serious tone of voice. "Abelas seemed to have faith that Hermione would choose correctly."
"Drink, vhenan," Solas said quietly, and Hermione nodded, turned around, and stepped into the water.
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She woke up in the empty Well, and her mind was a complete chaos. Thank Merlin for Occlumency, she thought as she quickly sorted her thoughts, clearing her mind. This is like the Matrix, was her next thought. A vast ocean of knowledge, inserted within seconds.
"Vhenan, Vhenan!"
Hermione snapped out of her thoughts and met Solas' eyes. "Elven history is really interesting," she said, resulting in Solas giving her a perplexed look, "other than that, I'm fine."
Solas seemed to search her expression for…something. "The bond, Lethallan, do you sense it?"
Hermione considered this for a moment. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I do." Solas' eyes filled with pain, and Hermione shook her head. "Abelas is correct. It is mind-magic. I can easily supress it. It does not even affect my outer shield. I do believe…yes, I do believe I can find a way to break the binding altogether. Now, let's get the fuck out of here, because Corypheus will not be very pleased when he arrives."
Levitating a furious Samson, they stepped through the Eluvian, and not long after, they were back in Skyhold.