I still can't believe that just happened, and neither does my family. I'm still trying to recover from getting mentally attacked by a god and all my family is doing is giving me lectures about making deals with demons. Not like they have much room to talk. Papa was tempted by a demon of rage while helping my mother try to help a mage in the fade, Aunt Isabella was tempted by a desire demon in the same place, Anders turned a spirit of Justice into a demon of Vengeance, Merrill made a deal with a demon to fix a mirror, Varric nearly went crazy when he almost decided to keep a shard of red lyrium he found, and Shartan has gone through so much that he has even less room to tell me that consorting with demons is beyond a bad idea.
"Enough!" Bishop yells at them. "Look, I have a pretty messed up family as it is, but you are all better than this. She made a mistake. A mistake that you all have made and maybe repeated. But you're still family."
I've never seen him like this. He's never really talked about his family except for his half Khajiit brother. Even still, I don't know much about about how he grew up. He knows everything about me and everything my family is willing to share. It's enough to light a fire of guilt in my family's eyes.
"The ranger is right." Papa spoke up. "Despite all our mistakes, we forgive each other. That's what Mariah taught us and what she'd want us to do now after she'd crack a joke that just made us all groan."
"Oh, face it Broody." Varric faces him with a smile. "We hated those jokes, but we all miss them."
Everyone smiles, remembering some of her worst jokes. Shartan places a hand on our father's shoulder as Bishop takes my hand in his own. We are a family. Better than most. And I will make right what I've done wrong before I end up crying.
I clear my throat. "Alright, everyone, protect my body while my mind goes into a daedric realm to fight the very first Dragonborn. No problem." Everyone looks to me knowing my attitude is definitely my mother's. "I am a Hawke after all and that's all I have ever needed. Having all of you here is a bonus."
"Only a bonus?" Bishop chuckles.
"A big one." I kiss his cheek and take the Black Book out one last time. "Time to show a relic what a real Dragonborn looks like."
I open the book, bracing myself. Nothing happens.
"Uh... Aren't tentacles supposed to spring out and hold you still?" Uncle Varric asks the question everyone has on their minds.
"Maybe it's just the wrong page?" Aunt Merrill asks hopefully.
"It doesn't work like that. I don't know what is going on." I look into the book again and see what the problem. "I think I may have broke it by accident."
"What makes you say that, Princess?" Bishop takes a look and sees what I see. "Oh."
"Alright you two, don't leave us in suspense." Shartan tells us, speaking for the others.
"When I was being forced the shout in my head, he was also digging into my mind. I wanted him out so bad, my markings flared up and turned red, burning him," I look up and show them, "and the book."
"So what does that mean? Can't we use one of the other books?" I see what Aunt Izzy is trying to do, but it's not that simple.
"This book is the only way to Miraak. The others are separated places in Apocrypha." I explain without panicking.
"So, what do we do now? Miraak can still come here, but we can't go to him." Leave it to the uncle mage that has a spirit/demon inside to state the obvious.
I... I don't know. I start looking through my pack to find the red lyrium book. Maybe there's something I missed or... Gods, I don't know. Something. As I frantically look through my things, everyone falls silent and a green light shines above us. What in Oblivion? A tall, skinny creature with claws a tail and no eyes and nose falls and land in the middle of all of us.
"Didn't think demons rained here too." Varric takes Bianca out and starts shooting as it screeches.
More land around us. Real demons, just when I thought I faced it all. One of them opens a small portal underneath it and appears under me. It pins me to the ground ready to strike.
"Melody!" Bishop's voice is the only thing that can reach me.
Before the creature's claws strike down upon me, a sword thrusts through it's back, comes out and cuts it's head off making it disappear. "In war, victory." Says my savior, a woman in steel and blue cloth armor with griffins in the steel.
She appears to be a little older than me, six years give or take. Her black hair is braided and her eyes are as blue as mine. Who is she? More importantly, where did she come from?
She aims her blade away from me and offers me her hand to help me up. "Everyone, stand clear!"
We all maneuver away from the demons as something comes out of the green portal above and lands in the middle of the group of demons. A woman, younger than Shartan by a few years, brown hair, and green eyes. Judging by the staff and her green cloth and leather attire, she's a mage. She lifts her hand high above her head. Green sparks and lightning come out of her hand. The demons cry in agony as they disappear into the portal and the portal shuts closed.
"And that is why it is a bad idea to open a rift in the middle of the Fade." She tells the other mysterious woman next to me.
"Artemis?" Shartan asks the mage.
She puts her staff on her back, rushes to him, kisses him, and punches him. "By Mythal, where have you been?! Don't you dare scare me like that again Shartan Malcom Hawke!" She's now hugging him again.
"It's a... long story." Shartan tries to tell her, she's stronger than she looks.
"Well, we're definitely not in Fereldan anymore." The woman next to me says calmly. "Never the less, introductions are required. I am Danya Theirin, Grey Warden and Princess of Fereldan."
"Oh yeah, I remember you. Warden Amell's secret kid and the king's true heir." Varric said that her mother is an Amell, guess that makes us cousins.
"Vicount Tethras, an honor to see you as always, though truth be told, we thought you and your company were all dead for over two years." Artemis's reaction to Shartan was proof enough.
"Well, as my son stated, it's a long story." Papa tells her then she looks to me and Bishop since she doesn't know us.
"My name is Melody Hawke, dragon slayer, thief, assassin, mage, soldier, champion, and adventurer. Also, most likely your cousin since your mother's an Amell and my grandmother was an Amell." I raise my hand for a handshake.
Danya accepts. "I see, that explains a few things. And you, Serah?"
"Who?" Bishop asks.
"She means you Ranger Boy!" Varric laughs.
"Bishop, the ranger that keeps your cousin warm at night and her sanity checked." He says to Danya after scowling at Varric.
"Bishop!" Does he always have to say stuff like this in front of family?
"Wait a minute before there are lover quarrels going on, where are we?" Artemis moves away from Shartan and asks.
Right, this may take awhile. All of us explain the best we can about the world we're in, the dangers we have faced and are facing, and anything else important in one hour. Danya remains cool and collected as Artemis looks bewildered at us like we've suddenly grew horns, spikes, and tails.
Once we finished, Artemis is the first to ask questions. "So, let me get this straight. Melody here can absorb souls from dead dragons, there are a few good, talking dragons, there's an ancient evil dragon slayer that is trying to comeback from the dead to take over this world, Varania is somewhere out there, and the only way to stop a third possible end to the world is opening up a book that sends your mind to a place that's even worse than the Fade?"
That actually kind of sums it up. I nod after thinking about it for a bit. It seems pretty normal for me, but this is a lot for her to take in.
"Then what can be done?" Danya asks us all.
"Well, we could all escape back through the Fade and get back home." Artemis suggests.
"We can't just leave-!" Wait, a minute! "How did you two travel through the Fade?"
"Oh, right. My full name is Artremisalana Lavellan, daughter of Inquisitor Lavellan and Solas, the Dread Wolf. Artemis for short, since I was raised by a human who had a hard time pronouncing my name." That was a little unexpected. "Anyway, my mother had the Anchor, a magical item that bound to her hand and let her open and close rifts to the Fade. The Anchor was originally my father's and when I was born, the Anchor transferred to me, leaving the mark on my mother's hand unstable. She cut off her arm after my father took what was left of the Anchor from her, but he never knew about me. By rights of blood, I carry the Anchor within me and can control it no problem."
This gives me an idea. "So you can open a portal or as you call, rift, into the Fade or possibly something like it?"
"Yeeees." She answers almost like she's unsure if she should have or not.
"I think I know how we can get to Miraak."
...
Just like I thought, Artemis's Anchor can open Oblivion as well. Thank the Nine (not that I'll be saying that in front of any Imperials). Danya, Artemis, and I are now in Apocrypha. After some convincing, we left everyone else at the temple to wait for when we come back. Bishop practically fought me on the way out, but as usual, I won the argument.
We encounter the creatures I'm used to, Artemis freaks out a little at first, but I think the both of them look at the creatures like the demons of the Fade. I have to admit, there are some similarities. These creatures, however, seem to be guarding something. A prison cell? As we fight the floating creatures, a bolt of lightning flies out of the cell and hits one of the creatures behind me, turning it to dust.
"That..." Danya starts.
"Felt like magic from our world." Artemis continues.
"Well, it's about time you girls got here. I was getting really bored." I know that voice!
"Mamae!" I rush to the bars, overjoyed to actually see her again.
"Melody! My baby girl!" My mother reaches out for me, but Danya pulls me back.
"Careful, she could be a demon." Artemis warns.
"I know this is very difficult to believe, Hell I hardly believe it myself, but I'm no demon." Mamae tries to reassure us.
"I believe you, but you might have to prove it." I tell her, hoping that she can.
Danya and Artemis nod in agreement.
"Alright, what canI tell you to prove I'm me and not a demon or one of those illusions created by that creepy floating pile of tentacles and eyeballs." She shivers dramatically, I guess the Daedric God's appearance is gross and creepy. "Hmmm... Wait I got it!"
The three of us look at her with interest. I think all of us are hoping she is who she says she is. She may be my mother, but she was very possibly their hero, who they would look up to. When times got tough they might have asked "What would Mariah Hawke do?"
"Melody, your locket!" She exclaims. "Your locket was originally your grandmother's, Leandra Amell. Her initials are carved inside. After I was born, she carved my initials in the locket and then your aunt, Bethany Hawke, was born and got her initials in the locket. So that one of us could pass it down to the next woman of our family. I never put your initials in because they were the same as mine, but your father was stubborn and did it anyway."
I always looked at the seal, I've never bothered looking inside the locket. Eagerly I open it, showing Danya and Artemis. I can tell by their expressions that it was true. The initials of the womenin my family from my grandmother down is in the locket.
"Believe me now?" My mother asks and I rush to the bars again nodding my head as tears of joy run down my face. "Then get me out of here! We got a Demon God to stop."
I get right on the lock, but then it hits me. "Demon God? Are you talking about Miraak?"
The door opens and my mother steps forward. "No. He's not the mastermind here. Not everything here is what it seems."
"What do you mean?" Artemis asks, sounding as confused as what I'm feeling.
"Though I may not be much of a storyteller as Varric, but it's best that I tell you this tale if we are going to continue." What has my mother seen that is so important that she has to tell us now?