Disclaimer: Bioware owns all, except what I most humbly create. While, at times, I will take verbatim from the game, I mostly use the events of the Dragon Age games, expansions and universe as a loose structure around which to construct my re-imagined tale. If you are looking for a strict canon piece, I have no desire to offend, and so I warn you upfront!
When reading this tale, I hope you can easily imagine it being told by the very best of storytellers in Varric (from DA:2). In my version of events, Varric meets "The Hero" (my Elissa Cousland) in Kirkwall during the time period of DA:2. I mention this only so that readers can understand his connection along the way, and so I don't have to mention and rehash it again and again as I make my way through the tale.
A/N: This is a large chapter. I thought of dividing it into two - but after my disappointment with the last chapter, I decided posting the next one as a long chapter I was quite pleased with would make me feel better! :)
Hope that you all enjoy it!
Thanks to all my readers, followers and reviewers and to my Lady Beta artemiskat!
Minor edits 10-13-11.
-Frayed One
Chapter Thirty-Six: Cold Like Stone
As they made their way from the Frostback Mountains back to the relative safety of Soldier's Peak – it became increasingly obvious that both the Blight and Loghain's Civil War were now raging across the face of Ferelden at full force. This meant that when they weren't fighting small battalions of Howe and Loghain's men, they were fending off the attacks of roving bands of darkspawn and the blighted animals left in the wake of the horde.
Staying off the roads was no longer guaranteed to keep them safe and undetected, and the company found themselves more and more reliant on the collective rogues' stealth skills in order to detect enemies before they themselves were discovered.
Alistair smiled as Elissa shifted back into view ahead of him, returning to the group with details of what lay just ahead through the trees. He thought back on how horrible she had been at stealth when he met her. They had been forced to rely heavily on Daveth to do their scouting when they had been in the Wilds retrieving the treaties she'd used to sway the mages, Templars and dwarves to their cause. Now, with Zevran's expert tutelage, she moved in and out of the shadows as though she had always been a part of them. If it weren't for their bond of blood, he'd easily have lost track of her from time to time.
"There is a man ahead being held by a group of soldiers from Bann Loren's personal army." Elissa whispered, and Alistair's smile faded when he saw the serious look on her face. He didn't know who Bann Loren was, but that look told him she knew, and it wasn't good they had stumbled across his associates. "He's one of Cailan's honor guard, I recognize the uniform."
"Cailan! But how?" Alistair gasped, starting to move forward.
"I'm not sure, but I'm certain I know the insignia he wears." Elissa replied, placing a hand on his chest to stay his movement. "Be silent and stay down. I don't want Loren's men to know we are here until we've decided what to do about them."
Elissa set the rest of their party in motion with the wave of her hand, silently creeping the group close enough for Alistair to see the man she spoke of.
"That's Elric Maraigne." Alistair whispered, leaning close to Elissa's ear. "He was Cailan's right hand – or so Duncan said. Barked like a mabari to keep the riff-raff away from the King's tent."
"We should decide what's to be done soon, my Warden." Zevran whispered, leaning in to Elissa's other ear. "These men intend to kill your ally for attempting to escape."
"Escape?" Alistair started, but his question hung in the air unanswered as one of Loren's men jammed his dagger deep into Elric's belly – forcing the company into motion if they stood any chance at saving the man.
"Go, go, go!" Elissa yelled, dropping down the face of the low cliff and throwing herself on one of the men.
Elissa had originally intended to spare a single one of Loren's brigade for questioning, but her company fought too well or perhaps too heavy handed. When the battle ended – all but Elric lay dead on the ground.
"Thank you." Elric groaned as Elissa helped him to a sitting position – beckoning Wynne over to inspect his wound. "I-I didn't expect the Bann's men to notice my escape so quickly. I tried to hide here in the woods, but there wasn't enough time to… ugh… and now I'm a dead man."
He groaned as Wynne prodded the wound, and as Elissa met her eyes the elder mage shook her head subtly indicating there was little she could do. The wound was fatal and it was only a matter of time.
"What do you mean, there wasn't time?" Elissa asked, watching the mage cast a spell that would ease his pain as much as possible. "Time for what?"
"You were there in Ostagar… with the Grey Wardens… Duncan's new recruits – the both of you…" Elric said, moving his eyes back and forth between Alistair and Elissa. "I was to guard the King, he was my friend – you understand?"
"Yes, we recognized your face and your uniform." Alistair answered, watching another hint of recognition flicker across the man's features when Elissa pulled her cowl down and revealed her face - trying to allow herself a clearer look at Elric's wound.
"You, you are the youngest of the Couslands, are you not?" Elric asked, watching Elissa nod slowly as she continued to bandage his wound in an attempt to quell the bleeding and give them more time to speak with him. "Cailan spoke of you often and with great fondness."
"Cailan was a good man." Elissa said sadly, unable to meet Alistair's eyes as the memory of the King that had been washed over her once again. She had been happy to forget for a time, at peace with her voluntary ignorance - now all that was gone and she was back there in that awful night surrounded by death and betrayal.
"When things went… wrong there… it was either die in some darkspawn's belly or run and try to stay ahead of Loghain's men... if they caught me, I'd be hung for desertion immediately." Elric explained, cringing when Elissa pressed too hard against his wound. "I was eventually captured by the Bann's men, held nearby in the prison while he decided how best to use me to his advantage… Maker… all that time down there in the dark with only my thoughts... how much they all suffered on that dark night in Ostagar… the memories… they haunt me…"
"We don't always get to choose our deaths…" Elissa said, her words dark and her voice thick with emotion. Those who had not been at Ostagar were starting to feel uncomfortable at the effect the mention of the place was having on those who had. "If you had not run, you would have died - it's as simple as that. No one can fault you for the choices you made."
"Stumbling upon you like this… the Maker has given me a chance to set things right. That it is you and not someone else sitting here seeing me through my final moments… that proves things happen for a reason." Elric assured her, reaching a blood stained hand over and settling it against her own. "Cailan entrusted me with a key to the royal arms chest. He said, if anything happened to him, it was vital I deliver it to the Grey Wardens."
"Do you still have it?" Alistair asked, drawing his attention - shifting uncomfortably as the intimate connection between his half-brother and his lover was brought to light once again.
"The Maker has a sense of humor, doesn't he?" Elric laughed, stopping quickly when the motion set him coughing up blood and clutching at his wound. "I suppose it's for the best however… had I kept it, it would have been in Bann Loren's hands by now."
"But Cailan entrusted it to you!" Wynne gasped, brow wrinkled in frustration - letting go of the thought quickly when Elissa cast a glare in her direction that said she was not to chastise the dying man any further for things none of them could change.
"I was a-afraid…" Elric stuttered, shamed by Wynne's accusations. "I thought I would lose it on the battlefield so I-I stashed it in the camp. Please… it's probably still there... you have to go back and retrieve it."
"Where?" Alistair asked, watching Wynne shake her head in disgust and move away from the main group.
"The key's behind a loose stone in the base of a statue." Elric explained, groaning as he pulled a bloody sheet of parchment from his pocket. "I've drawn a map so you'll know where to search."
"Call me sentimental, but I left behind some darkspawn there that really deserve a good sword through the middle…" Alistair said, offering Elissa a tense smile in response to the haunted look in her eyes.
The idea of returning to the place left her unsettled. The memory of all she had lost on that night and in the days before was still, even these many months later, too fresh in her mind.
"The events at Ostagar still haunt my thoughts too, dear girl." Wynne added, moving back to her side and holding Elissa's shoulder softly. "We shall face these ghosts together, all of us."
Elissa nodded at her, leaning into the comfort of Alistair's chest when he wrapped his arms around her.
"It is vital that the King's documents do not fall into the wrong hands." Elric said, holding Elissa's eyes steadily. "And Maric's sword is too powerful to be pawed at by those monsters."
"M-Maric's sword?" Alistair said, his voice soft and almost reverent. "I had thought… I a-assumed that Cailan carried it when he died."
"No, Cailan didn't care for his father's blade." Elric replied, shaking his head. "Said it was meant for a different kind of man." He coughed, and fell back – skin going pale and cold and Elissa knew he would not last much longer. "Promise me… p-promise me my Lady… if you find the King's b-body, you'll give it a proper send off… he was our King… he deserves better than to lie rotting amidst darkspawn filth."
"You have my word." Elissa whispered, stroking the man's hair softly like a mother would a child and waiting for him to pass over into the realm of the Fade.
When he had fallen silent, Elissa stood, holding tightly to Alistair's hand as she looked at the man one last time.
"Morrigan, could you…" Elissa asked, unable to finish the question or to look at the body as the witch set it ablaze with a small fire spell.
The rest of the journey to Soldier's Peak was filled with silence and the heavy darkness of memory.
The fog of sorrow lifted slightly as the group moved through the gates of Soldier's Peak. Elissa dipped down low to wrap her arms around the wriggling slobbery body of her mabari Gladius.
"Aww… there's my good boy!" Elissa said, beaming at him as she scratched his head. "I've missed you! And look… I've brought you bones!"
She scattered the various bits she'd gathered for him on their journey, and nodded her greetings to Levi and Bodahn before heading into the castle – tossing a parting wave and a wink to Sandal who blushed and looked away.
While Elissa spoke with Avernus, the others settled into the Keep – finding their own spaces, enjoying the short reprieve from the chaos that usually controlled their lives. She smiled at Oghren, passing him as she returned from the tower. He had chosen a room near Sten's, the two developing an odd sort of bond regardless of how irritating Sten must have found the drunken dwarf's unending questions.
"Oh, my… I could get used to this…" Elissa quipped; leaning back against the door to the room she shared with an appreciative chuckle.
Alistair, clad only in his linen sleep pants, knelt in front of his armor stand - diligently polishing the new set she had given him when they arrived a few hours before.
"What's that?" Alistair asked, raising a confused eyebrow at her.
"You… shirtless… and doing, well, most anything really." she laughed, moving over to sit on the bed – tossing her journal up against the pillow and admiring the view of his tan and well muscled body.
"Ha! Yes… I-I didn't want to get armor polish all over my shirt – it's the last clean one," he replied, blushing at her attention and reaching to grab it and pull it over his head.
"I don't think so…" Elissa said, snatching it out of his hands and tucking it under her bottom - entertained that after all their months of lying together he still managed to be embarrassed for her to see him in a state of undress. "I'm enjoying the view far too much to permit that."
"Well then, back to polishing in all my manly glory then..." Alistair laughed; turning back to the armor with a smile.
"You like it, then?" she asked, leaning back on her elbows and noting the way the black metal shone like obsidian from Alistair's diligent efforts.
"It's a fantastic set of armor, strong and really quite light in spite of how bulky it appears," he replied with a smile, brushing it appreciatively with his thumb. "Though, I am concerned the Legion might take offense to me being the one who wears it… they did give it to you."
"Yes… you're right... they gave me a full suit of plate armor that was two sizes too large to fit my body properly…" Elissa muttered, raising an eyebrow at him. "I'm fairly certain they knew I'd be giving it to you. Kardol is just as smart as he is smart-mouthed."
"You have a point there." Alistair answered, standing up and stretching as he admired his work before sitting back on the bed beside Elissa. "How did things go with Avernus?"
"He seemed impressed that I survived the toxic blood alteration... though unsurprised…" she sighed, pushing herself up off the bed and moving to her vanity to get ready for bed. "It's just one more occurrence in a long line that makes me think he knows something about me that he isn't sharing."
"What do you mean?" he asked, watching her slide off her boots and linen pants then reaching up to pull loose the pins and lock picks that held up her hair.
"I don't know, exactly…" Elissa admitted, sighing as she brushed out the tangles in her hair with her fingers and then sat on her stool to brush it properly. "He's never surprised that I survive these changes, though the subjects in the journal he gave me almost always died from them… it's almost as if he knows that I'm… different somehow… that something within me makes his formula work when it shouldn't have otherwise." She turned to Alistair suddenly, and he could see the concern written on her face. "Sometimes… when the hatred in me takes over, the anger for everything I've suffered… everything Howe has done… all that I can see is vengeance and there is this… t-this darkness in me, Alistair… maybe that's what it's bonded to… maybe I've gone… wrong somehow…"
"I refuse to believe there is anything wrong about you, Elissa." Alistair insisted, reaching over to take her hands in his own. "You've simply lost more than most, and occasionally that makes you lose focus – but you always realize it before it's too late. I have faith that you will continue to come back from the brink - and that I will always be there to give you something to hold on to."
"I hope you're right…" she sighed, placing the brush on her vanity and climbing onto the bed – settling back against the pillows and tucking her legs underneath the blankets.
"I am," he assured her, blowing out all but the bedside candle in their room before settling into the bed at her side. "Now… on to more sensitive subject matter… with this new information we've received about Cailan's things… do you still plan on heading to Redcliffe next?"
"We're going to pass right by there anyway… and as much as the idea of having to suffer the company of your Uncle and his wretched wife for even an hour makes my skin crawl… we do owe the man a progress update." Elissa said, cringing at the mention of Eamon and Isolde as though the very thought of them caused her physical pain. "Besides – I promised Sten I'd speak to Dwyn about his sword, and Oghren has some lady friend he'd like to look in on at that inn near the Circle docks. Seeing as I just killed his wife, I figure a booty-call is the least I can do to make amends."
"A booty-call?" Alistair laughed, tears coming to his eyes.
"Come now, can you honestly see Oghren romancing anything?" she answered, rolling her eyes and stifling her own laughter. "I'm not saying anything he didn't say himself... I believe he described their relationship as… now what was his terminology? Oh – I remember – rutting, he called it – like what I do with my Templar."
"Your Templar… oh! He meant me?" he said, the laughter starting to taper off. "I wouldn't call what we do rutting exactly…"
"I don't know… sometimes that's what it is…" Elissa replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"Sometimes, maybe, but it's never meaningless like that word implies." Alistair insisted, looking at her sheepishly - a bit ashamed that people could label their relationship as something so trivial. "It's not as though I go about doing this sort of thing with just anyone – there's only ever even been you."
"Relax, darling… you don't have to explain yourself to me… I know it's more than that," she laughed softly, reaching up to lay a hand on his face. "That's just the word that Oghren chose – I don't expect he knows much about real love or romance. You saw him with Branka. Their relationship wasn't exactly a warm sort of thing."
"I see your point," he said, sighing and pulling her into his arms as he leaned back against the headboard. "So, Redcliffe then Ostagar?"
"That makes the most sense, and I have something I must attend to in the Wilds… for Morrigan…" Elissa said, feeling his body tense at the mention of the witch's name.
"What? Did Mistress Swampy forget something back at the shack?" Alistair quipped, snorting disdainfully at his own joke.
"I suppose you could look at it that way…" she answered, feeling him shift her in his arms until he could see her face. "Okay... best to start from the beginning then... Back when we were in the Circle tower, I found what I thought was Flemeth's Grimoire."
"What you thought? So… it wasn't…?" he asked, his brow knitting in confusion as he tried to follow her train of thought - trying not to be upset that he was only now being told about this.
"It was more like a diary, a diary full of horrible things…" Elissa explained, a shiver passing through her body as she recalled the passage that Morrigan had shared with her. "It spoke of her daughters, of young women – like Morrigan – whom Flemeth took and raised and eventually… took over."
"So… the Witches of the Wilds are all…" Alistair replied, his eyes gone wide in horror.
"Flemeth – all Flemeth!" she answered, nodding fearfully.
"What? What is she that she is capable of doing such a thing?" he asked, swallowing down his fear though it scratched at his mind regardless.
"I've no idea… but whatever she is, she is very old and very powerful." Elissa acknowledged, turning her eyes to his warily. "In light of that... Morrigan has asked me to return to the Wilds to… kill her mother."
"What! She's more mad than I thought!" Alistair snorted, before realizing that Elissa actually intended to do what the witch had requested of her. "Wait… you don't actually intend to go on this suicide mission simply because Morrigan asked you to?"
"I owe her my life, Alistair, several times over… and I truly believe that Flemeth will kill her and take her body if we don't intervene," she insisted, watching him shake his head but pressing forward anyway. "Also, Flemeth knows things, Alistair – things about me, about my past and my future… things she couldn't and shouldn't know… I-I… I need to speak with her again."
"So, you want to go to the middle of the darkspawn infested Wilds to play twenty questions with a legendary sorceress before you attempt to kill her?" he asked, the look on his face saying he was anything but pleased with this revelation.
"That's the basic idea, yes." Elissa nodded, pursing her lips and waiting for his response – prepared for a tirade but not at all expecting what she actually got.
"Sounds perfectly logical to me." Alistair sniffed, rolling her onto her back and leaning in to kiss at her collarbone.
"I know you don't like the idea… and you don't have to come if you want to, but… wait, wait a minute!" she said, shoving him away from her suddenly. "You're just agreeing with me? You aren't going to argue?"
"Nope," he answered, shaking his head before dipping back in to press more kisses along her neckline, reaching his fingers underneath her shirt and working at the ties of her breast band.
"What's wrong? Are you ill?" Elissa asked, pushing him back again and pressing a hand to his forehead to check for temperature.
"I feel fine, Elissa." Alistair laughed, smiling at her. "I just know you're going to do it regardless, and – considering we're not likely to have a night in a warm comfortable bed again any time soon… I'd rather spend it doing something other than arguing… unless you want to fight..."
"Absolutely not!" she laughed, pulling him in for a deep passionate kiss and smiling against his lips as she felt her bindings pop free and his palm slide onto her bared breast. "This is much better…"
Elissa and Alistair parted ways once they reached Redcliffe – she headed down into the village with Sten, Oghren and Zevran while he made his way to the castle with Wynne, Leliana and – oddly enough – Morrigan.
"I'll have another look at the boy," the witch muttered, crossing her arms in frustration when both Alistair and Elissa seemed surprised that she wished to return there. "I am not convinced that blood mage actually managed to free him completely from the demon's grasp, and I have no desire to return here in the future only to be greeted by legions of the undead... again."
Elissa shared a confused look with Alistair, but ultimately let her go – not wanting to waste time arguing about it as they had much to accomplish and little time within which to do so.
Elissa's first stop was Dwyn's house, where she hoped at last to lay her hands on Sten's sword and return it to the qunari where it belonged.
"Well, hello there, Legs," the gruff dwarf chuckled, and Elissa glared Oghren into silence when he shared in the mirth a little too openly for her taste. "What brings you back to see old Dwyn?"
"I'm looking for a qunari sword that you might have purchased." Elissa explained, watching a look of recognition pass over his face. "A merchant outside of Orzammar seemed to think I could find it among your collection."
"Sword's hardly of a quality you would look for, Warden – and a two-hander at that." Dwyn snorted, tugging at his chin. "Why would you be interested in finding it?"
"Because it's mine." Sten groused, crossing his arms and glaring at the dwarf who seemed startled to see him there – as though he'd somehow managed to miss him.
"Faryn didn't mention that the giant he took it from was still… alive," Dwyn grumbled, narrowing his eyes and holding Sten's stare.
"Name your price." Elissa sighed, digging out her coin purse and hoping he wouldn't come up with some insane cost… which, of course, he did.
"Sixteen sovereigns." Dwyn replied, smiling at her and eying her coin purse eagerly.
"Sixteen!" Elissa gasped, palming her purse angrily. "I could just kill you and take it you know!"
"Fair enough." Dwyn replied, holding up his hands in surrender. "It's in my strongbox troublesome woman. Take the blasted thing and leave me in peace!"
Elissa sent Zevran to retrieve it, taking it by the hilt and handing it over to Sten who grasped it reverently before anchoring it at his back next to Father Kolgrim's battle-axe.
"A pleasure doing business with you." Elissa smiled, moving back out of Dwyn's house and making her way to the docks to secure their passage across to speak with Oghren's lady friend.
"Strange… I had almost forgotten what it was to feel… complete." Sten mumbled, meeting Elissa's eyes with a strange mix of respect and compassion she had never seen in him before. "Are you certain you are a Grey Warden? I think you must be an ashkaari to find a single lost blade in a country at war."
"I don't even know what an ashkaari is." Elissa chuckled, taking the hand Sten offered as she stepped into the boat.
"The closest word in your tongue would be seeker, I suppose." Sten explained, stepping in behind her and settling himself as Zevran and Oghren followed behind. "Though a more accurate description is one who has attained enlightenment beyond that those of the mortal plane are allowed."
"Oh, well I don't know about all that... I certainly don't feel very enlightened most of the time." Elissa replied, wrinkling her brow at him and looking out across the water. "But I am happy to have returned your sword. I know how much it means to you."
"I would thank you properly for this, if I knew how." Sten said, looking down – awkward and uncomfortable with the heady emotions of this rare moment.
"I know." Elissa smiled, squeezing his shoulder briefly then turning back to the waters ahead of them.
"There she is!" Oghren hissed, grabbing Elissa's arm and tugging her down awkwardly as they entered the bar. "Look… I'm gonna go talk to her… an' you gotta back me up here, got it?"
"Of course…" Elissa replied, rolling her eyes at Zevran who chuckled beside her.
"Thanks, Warden." Oghren replied, releasing her arm and straitening his armor and beard nervously.
"Go get her." Elissa said, patting him on the back like a child sent off to school.
"Just be ready to pry her off me when she throws herself at me, don't want to make a scene here…" Oghren continued, starting to walk away – then turning back suddenly. "Well… don't pry her off me too soon… I mean… a little scene's alright."
"If you'd told me I'd be playing wing-man to a drunken dwarf just across the lake from the Circle tower alongside an Antivan assassin and a qunari a year ago – I'd have told you that you were insane." Elissa chuckled, smiling as Zevran leaned languidly against her shoulder.
"And now, my Warden?" the elf drawled, tucking an errant curl behind her ear with his quick fingers.
"Now… I'd say just about anything is possible." Elissa chuckled, watching the disaster that was Oghren's ability to woo a woman unfolding before them.
"Are you sure you're not a baker?" Oghren slurred, smirking at the pretty dwarven lass in front of him. "'Cause you've got a sodding nice set of buns."
"Ugh… thank you for never using anything like that on me, Zev." Elissa grimaced, listening to Sten sigh heavily and settle himself into a corner chair when he realized how long this was bound to take.
"Never, my darling." Zevran snorted, leaning back and eying her backside for a moment. "Although…"
"Well look what the nug dragged in!" Felsi sneered, glancing in passing at the tall woman swatting at the elf dangling off her arm like an accessory, then turning her focus back to Oghren. "I should've known you were in the neighborhood from the stench in the air. What are you doing here?"
"Just trying to kick back with a pint," Oghren sighed, stretching his arms up and flexing. "Fighting darkspawn's a lot of sodding work, you know."
"You're fighting darkspawn?" Felsi snorted, not even trying to cover her laughter.
"What? Oh!" Elissa said, her attention drawn when Oghren not so subtly cleared his throat and Zevran shoved her forward into the conversation she'd only half been listening to. "Y-yes. This man took on an entire army of golems practically single handed."
"It was a bit of a pain… but it was a personal favor for the King of Orzammar, you understand?" Oghren said, puffing out his chest in pride.
"And now you've the whole surface to choose from and you just happen to come into my tavern?" Felsi replied, raising an eyebrow at him and crossing her arms.
"Err… well…" Oghren muttered, trying to find the right words to say.
"Tell her it's fate…" Elissa hissed, leaning over as subtly as possible with their differences in height and whispering into his ear.
"What? Right!" Oghren replied, clearing his throat. "It's fate, Felsi. What can I say?"
"Fate?" Felsi laughed, shaking her head. "The Ancestors must have a sense of humor then."
"Tell her you've been thinking about her…" Elissa hissed again, standing back up and offering the dwarven woman a smile, which she did not return.
"I've been thinking about you, Felsi." Oghren said, moving slightly closer to her.
"What do you want, Oghren?" Felsi sighed, her face weary and lacking patience.
"N-nothin'. Just thought I'd see how you were doin', that's all." Oghren said honestly, his face falling a bit at her lukewarm response to seeing him again. "Well… maybe that and grease up the old bronto, if you know what I mean."
"Il mio dio questo è doloroso per guardare." Zevran muttered in Antivan, covering his face and taking a seat at the table near Sten.
"We shouldn't waste any more time here, Oghren." Elissa said, tapping at his shoulder and hoping to spare him any more humiliation. "It's in poor taste to keep the Queen waiting."
"Ah, well… it's been fun, Felsi… but we've gotta go." Oghren said, nodding to Elissa thankfully.
"Wait! You're leaving?" Felsi said, rushing forward to stop them. "But you just got here! And I haven't even called you a shaft-rat yet…"
"I'm sorry. We have to attend to the Queen, and after that... well, we can't keep the Archdemon waiting." Elissa said, smiling at the woman. "We'd hurt its feelings, and then it might just turn the whole Blight around and go home… nobody wants that."
"Surely you don't need to go off and fight it, right now!" Felsi muttered, glaring at Elissa and turning her eyes back to Oghren who she believed to be in charge. "I mean… you could at least have a pint first. You can call me a surly bronto… I can say you smell like nug droppings…"
"I tell you what… I've got some things that need doing." Oghren explained, watching Elissa nod to him encouragingly. "But I'll come back for that pint when they're all settled… you frigid deepstalker."
"Fine, but you better not keep me waiting you worthless copper-plated sword-caste!" Felsi hissed, narrowing her eyes before she turned back to her work.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Oghren chuckled, admiring her behind as she walked away. "I've still got it…"
"That was a success?" Elissa gasped, looking at him in disbelief.
"Aye, couldn't have gone better." Oghren smiled, heading to the door.
"Wow…" Elissa shrugged, shaking her head.
Elissa had pushed hard to get them out of Redcliffe and back on the road quickly after getting the business with Sten's sword and Oghren's woman taken care of – leaving Morrigan to wander the woods near the Circle Tower until they returned with the promise she would always spend her nights in the relative safety of the Redcliffe Castle walls.
Although Alistair understood Elissa's distrust and disdain toward his Uncle and Isolde – he couldn't help that her ill will toward them still hurt him from time to time.
He tried to speak to her about it when they camped for the night, the two taking the first watch for the evening and allowing the rest of the group to sleep for awhile.
"You know you're as bad as they are when you behave this way." Alistair sighed, rubbing at his face with his hands in exhaustion while Elissa paced in frustration at the edge of the camp fire.
"When I behave what way?" Elissa snapped, glaring at him for a moment.
"Like the very thought of being in a room with them brings you physical pain," he replied, looking up and catching her eyes.
"It does." she said, lacing her fingers behind her head and staring up at the sky.
"Elissa…" Alistair said, taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves and press down his own rising irritation. "I know you don't understand why I choose to try to have a relationship with them after everything they did to me in the past, and while they try to force a crown on my head even now…"
"You're right, I absolutely do not!" Elissa retorted, spinning to face him suddenly. "They treated you like garbage, Alistair – and now – out of the sodding blue they act like it never happened, like they care about your well being. Rubbish! They just want you to remember them favorably if they do manage to seat you on that throne!"
"You're probably right," he said sadly, looking down at the ground. "But it doesn't change how I feel… they're my family, Elissa, the only family I have left if you don't count Goldanna… and I certainly don't… not after… well, let's not go there." He ran his fingers through his hair roughly and came to his feet. "I'm not asking you to like them, just to play nice…"
"I am playing nice!" she snipped, pacing over to him. "Staying away from them is my idea of playing nice!"
"So you're going to avoid them forever?" Alistair asked, inspecting her face closely for a reaction. "What if they do manage to put me on the throne? What then? You have to know that Eamon will be an adviser to me at the very least. Are you just going to disappear when that happens because you can't stand to be in the same room with the man?"
"I never said that." Elissa replied, sliding her hands into his when she realized how much this was wearing on him, how afraid he was that he would lose her because he chose to maintain ties to his family.
"I know you didn't… I'm just trying to get you to see how badly this could all go if you can't make an effort to change it," he said, pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Eamon is old – set in his ways, and Isolde… well, alright, she's just a bitch so back to my Uncle…" He smiled when she started to chuckle at his insulting mention of the Arlessa. "Elissa, please, can you make more of an effort... for me? Use some of that persuasion on him, soften him up a bit maybe…"
"You want me to use my persuasion skills on your Uncle?" she said, her face wrinkling with disgust.
"Well not those skills… that would be gross… ugh, really… let's not even go there…" Alistair replied, fighting off the urge to gag. "Just… try to see that you both want the best for me in the end, maybe not for the same reasons…"
"Definitely not…" Elissa interjected, watching him glare sternly at her before she could go any further.
"Maybe not for the same reasons…" he repeated, resting his forehead against hers. "But I'm tired of feeling pulled in two different directions whenever we go there… it doesn't feel very good to be fought over like some mabari's plaything."
"I don't treat you like a plaything!" she gasped, pulling back incredulously.
"Not intentionally, but you send me off to him like an errand boy carrying a list of your instructions and your plans." Alistair said, watching the realization that he was right settle over her. "He doesn't want to hear any of that from me, he's got questions that I can't answer, suggestions that I won't reply to without your input… it puts me in a very awkward position, and I don't like being there."
"Alright." Elissa said, taking in a long-suffering sigh and relaxing against him again. "The next time we go to Redcliffe, I will accompany you to speak with your Uncle."
"Thank you," he said, capturing her lips in a soft kiss.
Elissa woke sweaty and breathing hard, her eyes trying to find something in the half-light of dawn though her still sleep-laden mind could not quite decide what it was.
"You're awake!" Alistair said, his words breaking through the fog as his blonde head poked through the flaps of their tent – he crouched down in the entrance, shirtless and clad only in his sleep pants. "Did you… did you feel it too?"
"It felt like I was looking at us lying here, sleeping… but through something else's eyes." Elissa said, nodding at him and climbing out of the bedroll – clambering over to pull on her boots then stepping out of the tent behind him.
"It saw us, Elissa." Alistair said, shivering and wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he surveyed the woods around them. "The Archdemon... it's looking for us… looking for you…"
"What does that mean?" Elissa asked, rubbing anxiously at the small of his back with her hand and allowing her eyes to scan the shadows near where her dream had allowed her to see herself just moments before.
"I think… wait!" Alistair started, his voice dropping to a whisper as he shoved Elissa behind him – reaching for his sword. "Did you hear that?"
Before she could reply, four drone level Shrieks – and an Alpha – materialized from the shadows around them. Elissa barely had enough time to drop down and roll away from the shredding claws of the Alpha, shoving her fist through the cloth of their tent back and pulling out the single longsword she could reach.
Her screams drew the rest of their sleeping company from their tents, sending them all into action against the group of darkspawn assassins. With so many working against them, the Shrieks stood no chance – and soon they all stood panting and inspecting the stilling corpses of what they had just slain.
"Are you alright?" Alistair said, his face worried as he rushed over to Elissa and inspected the cut on her leg, just above the knee.
"Yeah, it's just a scratch." Elissa shrugged, wrapping her arm around his waist again. "That's what I get for fighting pants-less."
"It's a good look on you, my Warden." Zevran chuckled, coming to stand at her side. "You should try it more often."
"Ha, ha…" Elissa muttered, shoving him playfully before turning her attention back to Alistair. "What was that? What just happened?"
"I guess it's like Duncan always said… we can sense them, and they can sense us." Alistair replied, his fear palpable as he looked into her eyes. "Camping in the open like this isn't going to be easy anymore… we have to be extra cautious."
"Whose watch was it anyway?" Leliana asked, though the answer became clear when the group realized that the only person fully dressed and armed was Oghren.
"What? I only fell asleep for a second…" Oghren began, continuing to try to explain himself as the others muttered complaints and went about packing up the camp.
"Are you sure about this?" Alistair asked… again, ignoring Elissa's annoyed sigh in response as they made their way up the path leading into the village of Honnleath. "Are you absolutely certain this is a good idea?"
"I'm certain that a functional golem could come in quite handy to defend our camps against the darkspawn." Elissa said, repeating the point she'd made over and over again since she'd decided to purchase the control rod from the traveling merchant they'd encountered leaving Redcliffe.
"You don't even know that the thing works." Alistair huffed, crossing his arms and kicking at the dirt as they walked like a stubborn child. "And that merchant was shady, even Zevran said so!"
"Be careful, Templar." Zevran chuckled, trailing slightly behind Elissa's other shoulder with a smile. "I might start to think you like me."
"Well, I don't!" Alistair sniffed, rolling his eyes and turning back to Elissa – intending to continue his complaints when they were all brought to a stop by two of the village's inhabitants running screaming past them and out into the woods beyond.
"Well that's not likely to be a good thing…" Zevran muttered, everyone preparing for the fight they knew was coming even before Alistair and Elissa verified the presence of darkspawn within the village walls.
"These corpses are fresh." Elissa noted, watching the blood continue to drip from the bodies draped over nearby lampposts like gruesome lanterns. "The darkspawn must not have been here for long."
As though speaking of them had brought them to life, several Genlocks came barreling down the path in front of them. They cut them down, moving up into the village proper and finding it completely overtaken by at least thirty minions and two powerful Alphas – one Emissary and one Hurlock.
"Search the houses for survivors." Elissa called out, panting from the exertion of clearing out the darkspawn in the village square.
As her companions wandered off to look in the nearby dwellings, Elissa went into the village square to inspect the golem that stood frozen, arms lifted to the sky, covered in what appeared to be bird droppings – just as though it was any other sculpture.
"Dulef gar." Elissa said, raising up the control rod she had purchased the same way she remembered Branka doing back in the Dead Trenches.
"Seems to be broken." Alistair noted, looking it over as he walked up to her side.
"So it would appear." Elissa replied, shoving the rod back into her pack with a shrug. "Did you find any survivors?"
"None, but Zevran found a cellar that appears to be where they tried to make a stand – nothing but bodies in the upper levels, but I can sense darkspawn below." Alistair explained, leading the way to the door – the others having already gone inside. "If anyone lives, they're likely down there."
As they pressed forward, they found nothing but corpses – the broken bodies of the villagers who had tried and failed to fight back against the darkspawn army raging across the country like a forest fire.
"How many more times will we have to do this before it ends…" Elissa muttered sadly from where she knelt, pressing the latest corpse's eyes shut with delicate fingers.
At the end of the last set of stairs, stood a swarm of darkspawn – raining everything they had against a shimmering magical barrier that walled a small group of survivors into the far rear corner of the room.
"That Emissary is trying to break through," Elissa hissed, tearing down the stairs and launching herself at the creature – barreling it to the floor and smashing its staff against the stone.
When the last of them fell before their blades, Elissa moved closer – catching the eye of the man who had created the barrier, which saved the last of his people.
"By the Maker, we're saved!" the man smiled, moving forward to drop the barrier between them – though Elissa could still see the faint glow from another one humming in front of her. "You… weren't sent by the Bann, were you?"
"I wasn't sent by anyone." Elissa said honestly, watching the distrust in his face and not blaming him for it – he was a young man, her age or slightly older – and very handsome despite the worry lines etched into his face. "I never even knew this village existed."
"So… we would have just starved down here… or been left at the mercy of those… things?" the man breathed, glancing down at the darkspawn corpses in disgust. "I suppose I should be grateful that someone came at all then…" He reached his hand out, and Elissa watched the other barrier waver before she took it. "Thank you, stranger, my name is Matthias – I am the village healer."
"I am Elissa," she replied, returning his weary smile. "And I am sorry we did not make it in time to save more of you."
"If you weren't sent by anyone, how is it that you even came to be here?" Matthias asked, looking her over as she dropped her cowl and tucked a loose curl behind her ear – she was far too pretty and her weapons and armor were too well crafted to make her a mercenary… though those she traveled with were quite the motley crew.
"A merchant told me about this place, actually." Elissa chuckled, watching his face twitch with annoyance as he nodded in response.
"A merchant? This is about Shale, isn't it?" Matthias said with a sigh, tugging at the bottom of his braid where it fell across his shoulder. "I should have known… that damnable golem has brought us nothing but trouble. My mother sold the control rod years ago, after the thing killed my father, and good riddance I thought… but now, here you are – and no doubt you've brought the rod with you."
"Wait, wait… you said it killed your father!" Alistair cried out, barreling forward and nearly toppling Elissa over into the man with his anxiety.
"My mother found him outside the tower – so many of his bones broken he was barely even recognizable…" Matthias grimaced, watching as Alistair glared at Elissa who only shrugged noncommittally in response. "Shale was standing over him just like it is now… are you certain you want to wake it up? It's better off… ugh… I don't care what you do with it, if you've got the rod it's your problem now."
"The rod doesn't work." Elissa said, listening to Alistair's heavy sigh beside her and rolling her eyes in response. "I tried it already, nothing happens."
"I suppose it's possible my mother might have passed along the wrong command phrase when she sold the rod…" Matthias mused, scratching at his chin. "She hated Shale, said she never wanted to see it active again – that it could stand there and rot, covered in bird droppings for all eternity for all she cared…" His eyes lit suddenly and he stepped forward, holding Elissa's eyes and smiling. "I can give you the correct command phrase… but I'll need your help in return."
"Never saw that one coming…" Zevran grumbled, padding away from her and waving his hands in the air when Elissa glared at him.
"What is it you need?" Elissa asked, seeing that no one would offer her support in this venture – even the ever-drunk Oghren had developed a distaste for golems after what happened with Branka.
"I know you already saved my life, and I am grateful… but my daughter… she's down below in the laboratory…" Matthias explained, gesturing to the door behind him. "She was afraid when the monsters came and got too far ahead… I couldn't stop her. I don't know how she made it past the defenses my father installed to prevent access…" He shook his head, trying not too hard to think about it. "I sent one of the men in to try and find her but he was… killed… you though… you could find her, couldn't you?"
"You said a man was killed looking for her… killed how exactly?" Alistair asked, trying to decide how much arguing was going to be required to talk Elissa out of this course of action.
"I'd imagine it was one of the defense systems my father installed to keep intruders out." Matthias explained – listening to everyone around him begin to mumble about traps and poison gas and what was the matter with all these nutty inventors. "I'm afraid I can't give you more information than that… I knew about the barrier, had the key for that… but beyond this point, I've no idea… we never came down here… ever."
"Pardon my callousness… but if a grown man died trying to chase after her, how can you expect a young girl to have survived the same hazards?" Zevran asked, raising his hands up and walking away when Elissa shushed him and narrowed her eyes in response.
"Y-you're right… I don't know that she's alive… but I'm terrified that something has happened to her and she's just lying in there injured!" Matthias pleaded, moving forward and taking Elissa's hand as if the touch of his skin would be the thing that swayed her heart. "Please, I can't leave here until I know for certain… you have to understand that…"
In a way she did. Walking away from Ostagar, not knowing if Fergus was dead or alive – not turning back and looking for him once they'd made it to the safety of Lothering – those were two of the hardest things Elissa had ever done. Even now she lay awake at night wondering if he was alive out there, if he was in pain and suffering, if he was wandering the countryside looking for her… if he was dead and his body would never be found.
"I will do this for you." Elissa said finally, ignoring the muttering of her companions.
"Oh, thank you, my Lady… praise the Maker for bringing you to me." Matthias smiled, taking Elissa's hands one after another and pressing them to his lips. "I will pray for your safe return."
"You know, if Morrigan were here – she'd say you would do anything for a man with a pretty face…" Alistair muttered, trying and failing to suppress his laughter.
"Not. One. More. Word." Elissa warned, throwing open the door that led down into the laboratory and glaring at him. "Or I'm not likely to be doing anything for your pretty face anytime soon..."
The path wound through what was, quite literally, a root cellar – the great underground tree branches winding in and out of the dirt walls around them draped with curtain sized spider webs.
"I swear, if there are giant spiders down here I'll turn right around and tell him I've changed my mind – child or no child – and the golem can just stay here and rot!" Elissa groused, swatting away some of the sticky filaments with the point of her sword.
"Would not." Alistair chuckled, dodging her hand as she tried to wipe some of it off onto his arm.
"Fine, I wouldn't!" Elissa snipped, entering the first large room they had encountered. "But I'd take great gobs of their stinky guts back up just to rub them on his pretty blonde head!"
In the center of the room lay the body of the man Matthias had sent down to seek his daughter. Zevran moved forward to check for a pulse, but he was indeed dead.
"I do not know what killed this man, my Warden." Zevran admitted, standing back up. "But I don't think it was a trap… nor have I seen signs of any that I recognize over the path we have already traveled."
"Leliana?" Elissa asked, turning to the bard for verification.
"Zevran is right, I've seen nothing that would leave me to believe there were traps here – tripped or otherwise." Leliana agreed, sharing a nod with the other two rogues.
"Then what happened to him?" Alistair mused, wandering around the edges of the room and looking for signs of anything that might have caused the man's demise.
"Oh, I don't know… but I'd imagine it might have something to do with those." Wynne said suddenly, gesturing serenely to the back of the room with her hand where the others turned to see a Dust Wraith and several Shades rising from the floor.
"Honestly?" Alistair whined angrily, pulling loose his sword and preparing to fight. "If it's not traps, it's demons… if it's not demons, it's giant disgusting spiders… will we ever be sent to recover something guarded by bunnies or puppies?"
"I'm fairly certain no one would ever be deterred by bunnies or puppies." Elissa laughed, running one of the Shades through with a blade and watching it puff into ash around her.
"I would… I'd be so thrown off and certain they were evil in spite of their cuteness I'd just turn right around and go away." Alistair insisted, finishing off a Shade of his own with an overhead smash of his shield.
The group was still laughing as they made their way down the rickety wooden ramp that surrounded an underground spring and passed through another golden barrier that crossed the doorway into the final chamber. Inside the room was a large puzzle – great dials spewing flames through specific points. In front of it stood a young girl, whom Elissa assumed to be Matthias' daughter, and she was talking to a small orange cat.
"Oh look, a kitty!" Alistair grinned, starting to stroll forward toward it.
"Wait… remember what you just said about puppies and bunnies?" Elissa whispered, watching recognition dawn on him as he shuffled away uncomfortably.
"Oh look!" the little girl laughed, patting the cat and turning to smile at Elissa and her companions. "Someone has come to play! We were so lonely down here."
"We… who is we, exactly?" Elissa asked, never taking her eyes off the cat – though it simply licked at its paw innocently.
"Kitty and me, of course! You don't see anyone else here, do you?" the girl said, rolling her eyes and stroking at the cat's head. "Anyway… you should go if you don't want to play. Kitty finds you distracting. She doesn't like the way you're looking at her. The blonde one can stay though…" the girl noted, pointing to Alistair with a short skinny finger. "Kitty likes him."
"I'm sorry…" Elissa sputtered, failing to hold back her laughter as Alistair tried to hide behind Sten when the child noted that the creepy cat liked him. "Did you just say that the cat finds me distracting?"
"Kitty is clever," the girl insisted, tilting her chin up defiantly and staring down the much older, much taller Elissa. "She says you've come to take me back to father, but I'm not going!"
"You are so kind, Amalia," said the cat… its eyes glowing with a purple light that pulsed with its words. "I would miss you dearly as you left."
"Pisica la discutii?" Zevran muttered – slipping into Antivan in his frustration.
"Talking is simple enough, once you know how," the cat replied, turning its glowing eyes onto the assassin – who continued to mutter in Antivan as he slipped further into the shadows of the room.
"Riiiiiight…" Elissa said, pacing around the cat a little – inspecting it carefully. "What are you really?"
"I am a cat… really," the cat answered simply.
"I doubt that... I'm guessing desire demon… I've seen those purple eyes of yours before – more times than I care to think on." Elissa continued, tapping at her chin thoughtfully.
"Nothing you can say will convince this child to go with you!" the cat spat, affected by the threat underneath Elissa's words. "She loves me now… I am her only friend. You are only a stranger."
"A stranger that knows your secret… kitty." Elissa chuckled, tapping one of her blades menacingly against a nearby stone tile.
"I have been bound to this chamber for centuries, cut off from all contact… it has been maddening!" the cat insisted, coming up from its seated position. "Release me, mortal… let me have this girl… let us return to her father and leave this place forever."
"Let you have the girl?" Elissa snorted, rolling her eyes… it was always the same with demons – so predictable. "You mean possess her."
"That is such a crude way of putting it," the cat replied, sitting back down in annoyance. "I do not wish to harm Amalia, I only want to see the world through her eyes… is that so wrong?"
"Fine." Elissa shrugged, sheathing her swords and watching the others follow suit – they knew her well enough at this point to understand that she would never follow through on the promises made to a demon unless she had no other choice. "All I have to do is return the child to her father to get what I need… tell me how to release you and you can have her."
"You are very gracious," the cat said, almost purring as it strolled over to stand at Elissa's side where she looked over the floor puzzle. "The mage's wards hold me within this chamber. Only a mortal can approach them and the child was not clever enough to find the pattern required to complete the puzzle."
"I've been told I'm good with puzzles," Elissa said, cracking her knuckles and moving to touch the first ward that needed to be moved.
About thirty minutes later the puzzle pieces were all in place and Elissa turned back to the cat, waiting for some sign that she had succeeded in dropping the wards that held her within the chamber.
"Yes… I can feel the magic fading…" the cat muttered, its words almost orgasmic in their excitement. "Oh… I had forgotten how good it feels not to be caged."
"Kitty?" the child said, backing away from the creature as its furry body started to glow and split apart revealing the demon within. "What's happening?"
"A wonderful thing, my dear," the demon explained, expanding into the scantily clad body of a desire demon just as Elissa had predicted it would. "For both of us."
"Ah, ah, ah… not so fast!" Elissa warned, watching the demon spin on her – its purple eyes seeing her draw out her swords with a smile. "I said I'd free you… I didn't say I'd let you live."
"Betrayal!" the demon hissed, her glowing eyes narrowing at Elissa in anger. "The girl is mine, I cannot let you take her!"
"The child belongs to her father." Elissa answered with a shrug, twirling her blades in her hands. "I cannot let you have her."
"Perhaps we can make a deal otherwise… simply release me, without the child… just allow me to leave this place – I will claim another body far away from here," the demon said, desperately trying to bargain with her. "There are things I can offer you, things you have lost… people you once adored…"
"You know, you desire demons have really got to find some new material… bribing me with Nathaniel isn't going to work anymore – I know he's gone, I'm never going to see him again – I've accepted that." Elissa replied, rolling her eyes.
"You sound awfully certain of that fact," the demon laughed, her connection to the Fade providing her with the knowledge that her words - though convincing - were far from true.
"I am." Elissa replied, shrugging her shoulders when she realized that she actually believed her words... it wasn't just something she was telling the demon and trying to convince herself of. "And even if I did somehow manage to find him again… it wouldn't matter. He moved on long ago and I've suffered under the weight of his memory for long enough – it did nothing but bring me pain." The demon followed her eyes to Alistair, and noted the way she smiled when she saw him. "I am happy now. There is nothing you can offer me that another does not already give me ten fold."
Elissa dropped her swords suddenly to her sides, watching the confusion etch through the demon's face for the split second it took Sten to shove the point of his great sword straight through her body.
"Demons." Elissa sighed, sheathing her swords and kicking the still twitching body one last time for good measure before they headed back up to find Amalia's father.
Matthias was beyond pleased to see Amalia come charging out of the door and into his arms. He very nearly planted a kiss right on Elissa's lips before she turned her cheek to him in the last second, sharing a grin with a very flustered Alistair before they received the correct command code and made their way back to the golem in the square.
"Dulen harn." Elissa said, holding out the rod toward it and speaking slowly and clearly – stumbling back when the thing started to creak and move almost immediately.
"Not even a mage this time… humph…" Shale mumbled, flexing its joints one by one as though it was checking them for damage. "Probably stumbled across the rod by accident… typical…"
"I did not just stumble across it!" Elissa said indignantly, waving the control rod about for emphasis.
"So it knew what it was doing? Shocking." Shale laughed, looking around the square slowly. "I have stood here in this spot, watching the villagers scurry around me for… oh… I have no idea. Many, many years."
"And the villagers had no idea they were being watched?" Alistair said, moving a bit closer and inspecting the golem with a curious eye. "Creepy!"
"I was just beginning to get used to the quiet…" Shale hissed, squinting its shiny golem eyes at Alistair in irritation. "Tell me, are all the villagers dead?"
"Not all of them, no." Elissa replied.
"Some got away then… how unfortunate." Shale chuckled, beginning to pick bits of dust and dirt off of its skin.
"You didn't care for them I take it?" Elissa asked, crossing her arms as she continued to inspect the creature – but keeping the control rod handy just in case.
"Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say, and after many years as a captive audience… I was as familiar with these villagers as one could possibly be." Shale explained, inspecting the faces of the houses one by one. "I did not wish their fates on them, no… but it did make for a delightful change of pace."
"Well that's a rotten sentiment." Alistair noted, crossing his arms and glaring at the golem with disappointment.
"Rotten, is it?" Shale snorted, returning Alistair's stare with ease. "Tell me, has it ever been held against its will?"
"Actually… being in the Chantry was very similar for me, I…" Alistair started, remembering how Eamon had sent him there against his will.
"Alistair!" Leliana hissed, covering her mouth and beginning to offer a silent prayer to the Maker for his forgiveness.
"Yes, dear… let's not rile the Chantry sister with blasphemy before dinner…" Elissa said, patting at Alistair's arm and rolling her eyes at Leliana who continued to pray, adding in some words for Elissa as well. "Do you have a name? I've been told you were called Shale, but that seems more what you are made of than what you should be called."
"Shale… yes, I am called Shale," the golem replied, tapping at its chin as though lost in memory. "I had forgotten after all the years of being called golem… golem fetch me that chair… do be a good golem and squash that insipid bandit…" Shale continued, her irritation building with every word. "Oh… and my personal favorite… golem pick me up, I tire of walking…" It turned to Elissa suddenly, its eyes bright and curious. "It… does have the control rod, doesn't it? I am awake… so it must…"
"It certainly does, right in its hand." Elissa said, waving the rod about in annoyance. "Is something wrong?"
"I see the control rod, and yet I feel…" Shale started, moving forward toward Elissa quicker than she thought possible. "Go ahead… order me to do something!"
"What? Why?" Elissa replied, stepping back – startled by how adamant the golem seemed about this request.
"Oh, go on!" Shale insisted, smiling at her. "It will be fun."
"Fine, give Zevran a hug." Elissa said, gesturing to the elf who spat something at her in Antivan she was certain to be full of curses before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"Nothing, I feel nothing!" Shale insisted joyously. "I feel no compulsion to carry out its command!" It continued, the joy fading quickly into melancholia. "I suppose this means the rod must be… broken…"
"Shouldn't you be happy about that?" Elissa asked, very confused.
"If I can't be commanded, then I must have free will… only, what should I do?" Shale asked, turning its glowing eyes to Elissa fully. "I have no memories beyond watching this village for so long… I have no purpose beyond that…" The golem continued, watching Elissa carefully for a reaction. "What about it? It must have awoken me for a reason… what did it intend to do with me?"
"Honestly, I intended to use you as a sentry for our camps as we traveled." Elissa admitted, listening to the golem sigh with irritation in response. "But… now that I know you… that just seems… wrong… I'm not really sure what to do with you at this point if you want the truth."
"I see. Wonderful." Shale groused, letting its arms fall heavily to its sides in defeat. "I suppose I have two options then. Go with it, or go elsewhere. I… do not even know what lies beyond this village."
"What do you want to do, Shale?" Elissa asked, watching the golem raise its glowing eyes to her once more.
"I watched this village for… so long… unable to move or act. My memories of anything before this are… vague at best." Shale explained, "I have no idea what I want to do. I am glad to be mobile. Is that not enough?"
"Matthias said you killed his father, your former master… do you remember that… or is that lost in the vagueness?" Alistair said, crossing his arms and letting the accusation in his tone carry his meaning both to Shale and Elissa.
"Did I? I remember that I had a former master. The mage with the furry brows who poked and prodded and barked orders…" Shale mused, looking around the village as though something else could stir its memories. "Did I kill him? I hope I did kill him! Perhaps the last order he barked was golem stop crushing my head… ha!"
"I notice you don't call him it." Elissa noted with a smirk and the subtle raise of an eyebrow.
"Yes, I'm just funny that way." Shale answered.
"Are you going to keep calling me it?" Elissa asked, crossing her arms.
"It seems likely." Shale replied, crossing its own arms in response.
"How would you like to come along with us then?" Elissa asked, tossing the ineffective control rod to the ground and watching as Alistair scurried to pick it up and tuck it into his pack just in case.
"Are you certain you want to bring that thing with us?" Alistair asked, eying Shale cautiously. "It's dangerous and large… and can't even remember whether it killed its last master or not."
"He has a point, Shale." Elissa said, shrugging at the golems irritated grumble. "How do we know you can be trusted?"
"How can one trust anything without a control rod?" Shale postulated, watching Elissa nod in response. "I haven't killed it yet… I consider that a good sign."
Elissa laughed, rounding up the rest of her group and setting them on the road to the ruins of Ostagar – newly functional golem in tow.