Chapter 36
Pain
Time was of the essence now. With Tarven, the last ghoul, coming after him, he would barely have time to grab a hold of the shield he had left in the Chantry, let alone reload the crossbow.
This building, what was left of the Chantry, had been chosen for a specific reason. The narrow aisle between the pews would make it easier to defend himself; the ghoul wouldn't be able to flank him without exposing itself to attack or getting itself caught on the old rotten benches.
Running down the aisle, Aedan threw away the crossbow and scooped up the shield and sword, turning quickly and planting his feet in a defensive stance. Adjusting the leather brace around his left arm, the Warden gripped the second iron brace before withdrawing the sword from the sheath set behind the shield. The shield was a buckler, not a large shield by any means; its main purpose was to deflect blows away from the body. Often they would have had a short spike or sharpened edge, making it a secondary weapon, perhaps even allowing the wielder to strike the enemy in the face or body if the opportunity arose. As it was, this buckler had been ill-kept, rusted and broken; where once there had been a spike in the centre of the shield there was now a broken stump.
The ghoul burst through the doors, charging at Aedan, clearly visible bloodlust in its pitch black eyes. It lunged for Aedan, its curved, jagged sword aimed towards the Warden's neck. Quickly stepping back, Aedan deflected the sword and pushed back against Tarven, slammed his head against the ghoul's malformed face, once, and drawing blood with a second.
Roaring in pain, Tarven pushed back, nearly knocking Aedan from his feet. Only a loose stone prevented Aedan from toppling over, the Warden braced himself again, his left arm trying to keep Tarven's sword arm away from him, just as the ghoul's shield arm locked over his wrist. Face to face, the Wardens were locked, Aedan head-butted Tarven a third time, and shattered his nose. As thick, dark blood seeped from his ruined nose, Tarven snapped at Aedan, trying to bite at the younger man with rotten and broken teeth.
Staring into Tarven's eyes, Aedan could see nothing human, only an animal, rabid and vicious.
Taking a risk, Aedan brought his knee up into Tarven's side.
The kick connected with a sharp crack. Grunting, the ghoul threw his shield away and returned with a punch to Aedan's cheek. Bone cracked and broke as the punch connected, causing Aedan to reel away. Tarven took advantage and brought the sword up in a two handed swing. Desperately defending himself; Aedan brought the buckler to bear against the blow.
Blade met shield and both fighters staggered back from the impact, Tarven shaking his head, a wild look in his eyes. While Aedan's arm dropped low, the force of the blow numbing his arm and with it the shield slipped from his grasp.
Growling once more, Tarven leapt at the Warden, slashing wildly at Aedan. Aedan dove from the attack and howled as the blade caught his shoulder, biting deep into the flesh.
The fresh wound sent Tarven into a frenzy, trying to hack at Aedan without thought or reason, the Warden rolling away from the attacks. Yet every few attacks Aedan would block or avoid, there were one or two that would make it through his defense. A slash across his bicep here, a slice on the thigh of his armour there- each cut drawing blood.
Slowly backed into a corner, Aedan kept up the defense as best he could but unless he could end the battle quickly, Tarven would have his head. Ducking low from yet another attack, the Warden barrelled into Tarven and bounced off the ghoul's armour, his sword clattering away. Almost immediately Tarven was back to pressing the attack, his blade overhead and swung down towards Aedan. The Warden kicked out, his heels connecting with the ghoul's knee and was rewarded with a cracking sound. Tarven's attack fell short and embedded the blade into the stonework of the Chantry.
Undeterred the ghoul tried to pick himself up and lift the blade again, only to be caught in the jaw by Aedan's boot. Kicked again and again, the ghoul grabbed Aedan's foot and twisted it sharply, drawing a howl from Aedan as the ghoul clambered over him and slammed an elbow into his shoulder.
Tarven began to hammer at Aedan's face, roaring as he cracked the younger man's cheek. The animal savagry in Tarven's eyes began to fade only to be replaced by a sadistic glee as he dropped his elbow on Aedan's shoulder again. Backhanding the Warden, Tarven grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer, the stench of stale and rotten blood keeping Aedan from passing out.
"Stay awake boy. Not finished with you, not yet." Ignoring the pain from his knee, Tarven picked Aedan up from the floor and hurled him into the pews.
"Hunted you for too long. Want to savour death."
Pausing for a moment, Tarven twisted his knee back into place and roared. Limping over to the Warden's prone form, the ghoul kicked at him repeatedly before rolling him onto his side. Hissing as he knelt down, Tarven grabbed Aedan by the neck and opened his eyes.
"Not finished with you. Want…I want you to be awake. The song. So distracting."
Tarven seemed to struggle with referring to himself and shifted slightly, pinning Aedan's wrist under his knee as he continued to speak, a seemingly rare moment of lucidity for the ghoul now. Receding lips and sharpened teeth moved and spat as Aedan fought to remain conscious.
"I…will kill you boy. It will be…slow. And painful. Yes. Painful, very painful."
Another backhand and the ghoul spat again, peering into Aedan's eyes.
"I will take your head. Wear it on belt. I know you boy." Another slap. "Have heard tales from Savine."
A flash of recognition crossed Aedan's mind, waking him. The Elven Warden that had come to Denerim and spoke with him, delivering orders that he would be taking command of the new order of Grey Wardens in Amaranthine. His lips curled in an angry sneer, an action Tarven laughed at, as much as a ghoul could laugh.
"Yes, yes. Savine. Knew all you, heard the songs and tales. Know about your friends and where they are. When I take your head, will hunt each of them."
Dirty fingernails dug into Aedan's cheek and drew blood. Hissing and breathing in, Tarven let go of Aedan's face and grabbed his wrist before the Warden could land the hit, snapping it like a twig.
"Want to know what I will do? The bastard. Many old passages in castles, easy enough to find if you know where to look. His eyes I will take. Leave him mewling in pain before killing him."
A blackened tongue slipped past Tarven's teeth and licked what was left of his lips. Savouring the taste of the drying blood from his nose, the ghoul continued.
"The dwarf. Will feed on his mate and brood before him I kill him. Want to know what will happen to the bard and elf? Heard the bard sings like bird. I will find out how well she sings as I cut her to pieces. I will cut the heart from the Crow, and show it to him before he dies. Then I will eat his flesh and feed the scraps to the dogs."
Anger flashed in Aedan's eyes as he rallied against the ghoul. Tarven almost smiled at the effort.
"The Qunari and old mage will die in fire and by blade. Yes. Will be satisfying to watch them die. Screams will be like the song. Song. Hear the song."
Tarven closed his eyes and sighing with a euphoria Aedan had seen in Templars who had been in the presence of lyrium. Tarven let go of his wrist and brought his elbow down on Aedan's shoulder once more before opening his eyes as Aedan's shut his in a wordless shout of pain.
"I am not done yet." The ghoul began to throttle Aedan and hissed with all the menace of a serpent. "Your brother will die slowly. I will take an arm, then the other. I will take his legs, starting with his feet and moving up. Leave him broken and begging. Then I will crush his head slowly."
Aedan's eyes remained shut as his breathing began to increase, short shallow gasps as Tarven tightened his grip around Aedan's throat.
"And last, the heathen whore. Oh yes. I know about her. I have heard tales of the Hero and the Witch. I will take your head to her. And you will watch as I break her! I will have my fun with her! Now open your eyes. I want to see the terror in your eyes before I kill you."
Nothing happened as Aedan's eyes remained shut as his breathing became unnaturally quick; the anger rising in the ghoul, Tarven hit him again and bellowed.
"OPEN YOUR EYES!"
With that, Aedan's eyes opened but where a few moments before his eyes had been green, they were now the colour of blood. Wrenching his wrist back into place, the Warden's hand moved faster than Tarven could. Stabbing his fingers into the ghoul's eye Aedan pulled away, taking the eye in one swift motion. As the ghoul roared in pain, Aedan freed his other hand and latched onto Tarven's throat, hefting him into the air and slamming him onto the stonework.
"YOU WANT TO SEE FEAR? TERROR? I WILL SHOW YOU THE REAL MEANING OF TERROR!"
Tarven, his eye a ruined mess, clawed at the Warden's armour only for a boot to come crashing down and crushing his hand. A chain mailed gauntlet clenched around the ghoul's neck and lifted him into the air before he was hammered into the stonework again. A lower, guttural growl emanated from Aedan's throat.
"You want to look into my eyes, Tarven. Then look!"
The ghoul opened his eyes in a daze and saw a visage of a demon given human form as Aedan peered into his tainted eyes. A pallid aura seemed to envelope the Warden, unsettling even the ghoul before he was overwhelmed with a thousand images of death and destruction. The screams of a village he had ordered burned years before to contain a darkspawn raid echoed in his ears. The harrowed screams wormed their way into his mind, cutting through even the song of the Old Gods and touched a final shard of the man who once was.
Visions of his hunt seared into his vision, of the ordinary people; farmers, soldiers and children all, he had killed. Each blooded face haunted him, telling him his time had come and there would be no reunion of the song for Tarven Duveaux in this life or the next.
Still stunned and fighting off imaginary ghosts, the ghoul put up no resistance as Aedan picked him up once more and lifted him overhead. Ignoring the pain from his injured wrist and the lacerations on his body, the Grey Warden rested the ghoul's weight on his shoulders for a second before he slammed Tarven head first onto the stone floor, breaking the ghoul's neck.
Several small wisps left Tarven's broken body and hung in the air, swaying in the slight breeze entering the building. These little balls of light; blue and red, hovered like fireflies. If any saw this strange sight, none would realise they were witness to a rare event; a Reaver devouring the last, lingering life from their foe. The wisps swayed gently one last time before flying towards Aedan. The lesser injuries sealed themselves as Aedan absorbed the wisps. The cracked cheekbone that Tarven had inflicted shifted and twisted itself back into place, drawing a sharp hiss from Aedan as it did so. The pallid haze around the Warden began to fade, leaving him tired and drained but smiling to himself nonetheless. This battle was over and despite the revelation of what would happen to him in later years, Aedan Cousland felt free and alive.
There would come a day when his time was done, but it would not be this day. He had learned that while not every hero was pure, they could make the right choice. Loghain, Howe, Duncan, Tarven and even Flemeth had each in their own way taught him that his decisions still mattered and could still count for something.
"Come what may. I will not run anymore."
Wincing slightly as he picked himself up from the floor, Aedan walked towards the Chantry's door. And was greeted by the sight of Beast bearing down on him, the Mabari leaping at him in joy and slobbering its tongue over his friend's face.
Laughing, Aedan rubbed behind the hound's ear and smiled. "Where did you come from, my friend?"
"He led us to you little brother. We've been following you since you left Amaranthine." Fergus came running along the path with Nathaniel and Anders trailing behind. All three looked as tired as Aedan felt, his brother beaming as he approached. "Aedan, what happened to you? You look like you decided to fight a High Dragon. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Fergus. Better than I've been in a long time."
"Oh. Good."
Fergus slugged his younger brother with a right hook and knocked him to the ground.
"THAT'S FOR MAKING ME WORRY!"