This is a long chapter, lol.
I'm sorry if it may get tedious, (I hope it doesn't) particularly in the dialogues I used from the game, but I have tried to put in a lot of original and lighter stuff, to make it easier to read. I hope you enjoy it!
A bit of smuttiness here and there but nothing major, lol
Thanks to Hamarkhis for her review as always! I'd also like to thank the wonderful people who have listed this fanfic as their favorite, as well as those who put it on their alerts, and everyone who is following this story! You guys rock! :D
Bioware owns everything! I swear! :P
Chapter 38 - Another Detour
They were a day away from Denerim when they discovered they were being followed.
She had known this even before Zevran had come to her with the news. Alistair's eyes were filled with concern as he looked at her. Alyssa, however, laughed and her eyes danced at them both.
"Well, at least you are enjoying yourself," Alistair said frowning. "What do we do about it?"
"Nothing," she smiled.
Both men were taken aback by this. They blinked at her, unsure if they had heard correctly.
"I've known we're being followed since we left Redcliffe," she said, amusement written all over her face. "But there is someone else who is following us also."
Zevran digested this for a moment. He knew this much was true, there had been two distinct sets of footprints. He admired her for her cunning, and had to still his fluttering heart.
"Two of them? What does that mean?" Alistair asked.
"It means that there are two people following us, my love," she joked.
He managed a sheepish grin and rephrased his question. "What I meant was...do they know each other? Have they been sent by the same person?"
"Ah, that is exactly what we should find out," Zevran joined in. "I will continue to watch closely and see what I can discover. It seems to me so far, that they don't know each other, or of each other, but I will need to confirm that."
"Yes, you do that, Zevran, please. Right now, just focus on your watch." She smiled warmly at him. He gave a bow and left the tent.
"So...who do you think sent them?" Alistair asked as he proceeded to take off his armor to catch some sleep before his nightly watch.
She helped him with his buckles, while giving him a reply. "I don't know who did. They may have been sent by the same person, or possibly two different persons, we'll find out soon enough."
"Really?" He said as he bent his head to kiss her neck softly. "And how soon enough?" He mumbled as his lips wandered down to her collarbone.
"Alistair, really! You're making it so difficult for me to untie this buckle."
"Oh, I never knew you were so impatient, love," he crooned, and brushed her breasts with his hands, while he continued to kiss her neck.
She half-closed her eyes for a moment, trembling slightly with pleasure, and then brushed his hands away. He looked hurt and clasped his hands over his heart, but there was a twinkle in his eye.
She suppressed a giggle.
"So, we'll find out soon, you said? How will we find out, exactly?" He focused on trying to get her out of her leather armor.
The giggle she had been trying to quiet bubbled over at last and at the same time she finally succeeded at untying the last buckle. His breastplate fell to the ground with a resounding clash.
"Well, I set traps around the perimeter of our camp, and one of them is bound to fall in them. And when he does, the whole camp is going to know. Trust me."
He gave her an appraising look, an eyebrow shooting up to his hairline, and bent down to kiss her, still fumbling with the ties of her leather armor.
"Hmmm. I just love it when you are so cunning and..."
He stopped talking and let out a throaty groan...her hand had reached his groin.
"Yes?"
"You little minx," he growled as he finished untying the laces at last, her leather armor falling into a heap on the floor.
Then, without further delay, he took her in his arms and set her on the bedrolls behind them, kissing her passionately and ignoring her giggles, until she melted in his arms and rewarded him with ecstatic little moans of pleasure.
...
The camp was silent, as Zevran and Sten walked around watching over the rest as they slept.
As they shifted and passed each other, a yell came from the far left end of the perimeter of their camp, along with a thud followed by a distinct, "OW!"
This happened fairly near Alistair and Alyssa's tent, and they scrambled into tunics and trousers before leaving the tent to see what was happening. The rest soon joined them, rubbing their eyes sleepily.
"Be careful, I've set caltrop traps around, and you are barefoot, love," Alyssa warned.
Alistair nodded and turned to Zevran to ask if he could check who was there, but the assassin had already vanished. He returned with a man, who was now pleading for his dear life as Zevran held one of his daggers to his neck.
"I swear I meant no harm, I just wanted to get close to the fire, it's cold out here!" The man babbled.
Alistair narrowed his eyes at him. He crossed the distance between them and glared, towering above the man.
The man cowered.
"Who are you and why are you here?" Alistair said between clenched teeth.
"My name is Levi, ser. Levi Dryden. And I'm here looking for the Grey Wardens, because they may be the only ones that can help me!"
They all stared at him in stony silence.
From behind them, came Sten's rumble.
"This is...unexpected."
...
They stood in front of Soldier's Peak, having only just slain three groups of undead that had attacked them.
She still could not get used to the fact that they still had to kill undead. These creatures had already died and had to die again. She shook her head and sighed.
The vision that they had all shared upon entering the Peak, had confirmed that the place was riddled with demons.
She walked from one end of the vast courtyard to the other, which was covered in snow, to make sure there were no more attacks, then proceeded up a slope to a statue overlooking the mountainside.
Satisfied that they would not be ambushed again, she turned to walk back to the huge steps that led to the entrance.
"So...Levi, tell me...did you really find that path on your own?" She asked and watched as Levi's face turned a dark shade of red. He finally made up his mind to tell Alyssa the whole story, even if it meant she would think he was crazy.
"I had a dream, and someone told me the path to take in the dream."
"Why didn't you mention this before?"
"I'm sorry, Warden, but I thought you would think I was mad," he said humbly, his eyes on the frozen ground before him.
She patted his arm, and smiled at him when he dared to meet her eyes.
Relief flooded his face.
"Well," she said, as she characteristically squared her shoulders, "let's head inside, shall we?"
She opened the doors and the rest followed without hesitation.
...
They ran into even more undead inside.
When they climbed a set of stairs and killed another group, Alyssa found herself looking at two doors. The one directly in front of her had some kind of a magical barrier so she looked at the one on her left and walked towards it, bracing herself for more attacks.
She was surprised to see a lone figure at the end of the room, standing behind a dilapidated desk.
The figure turned and Alyssa found herself staring at the rotting corpse of what once must have been an attractive dark-haired woman, dressed in warden armor.
"Step no further, Warden!" The demon woman called. "This one would speak with you..."
"And why exactly should I speak to you?" She asked defiantly.
The woman sneered. "Because this Peak is mine! This one is the Dryden. Commander. Sophia."
Chuckling, it added, "All these things."
Alyssa turned to Levi. "Levi, I'm afraid your great-great grandmother is possessed."
"That, or she's really let herself go. My great-great grandmother is dead. I don't know what this thing is..."
"This one would propose a deal," Sophia sneered.
"And why should I trust a demon?" Alyssa demanded.
"How could one woman-child compare to the might of one who has just slain all my minions? A fool this one would be to betray the Warden. Strike me down if my terms offend."
"Tell me about this deal, then." Alyssa calmly asked.
Zevran cut in, admiration in his voice. "Making deals with demons now, are we? I must confess, wardens are more cunning and ruthless than we expected. Carry on, don't let me get in the way!"
"Your Crow is wise," Demon-Sophia smirked. "The Soldier's Peak traps me. This one sees so many places in the Dryden's memories. This one would see the world itself. For me to be free, into the old mage tower you go and destroy. In return, this one seals the Veil. Your Peak would be safe. No more demons. No more enemies."
"And what exactly will you do if I free you?" Alyssa asked sweetly.
Alistair smiled. He knew what was coming and prepared himself.
"This one will roam, this one will see, this one will feed."
"There is no way I will make a deal with you," Alyssa spat out, drawing her weapons.
"Then you are a fool!" The demon screamed.
...
They had dispatched the demon that possessed Sophia Dryden's body and were now in an antechamber just inside the old mage tower, standing in front of a door.
Alyssa opened the door. Nearly a dozen undead attacked.
Of course. Why aren't I surprised?
They killed them all after a brief fight, and Alyssa advanced into the room, taking all the details in. There was a vial on a table beside some books. On the left, there was a huge tome that was open to a page, lying on the floor.
She walked towards the tome, first of all, and knelt to read the entries out loud all written by Avernus. The tome she was reading was some kind of research journal.
Alistair snorted with disgust when she was done. She knew why. The warden mage, Avernus, was a Blood Mage.
She did not say anything but then walked towards the vial on the table.
As she stared at it, she felt a tug in the taint flowing through her. Frowning, she put her hand around it, and felt a power surge through her, like she had never felt before. Alistair then intervened.
"Don't Alyssa. Whatever you do, don't drink it."
"Why?"
"I know how you feel about the taint in us. Do you want it to become even worse for you? Can't you feel what is in this vial? Don't you feel the pull?"
She took the vial in her hands, ignoring Alistair's groan of disapproval. The liquid inside seemed to pulsate and beckon...
Gathering all her strength, she flung the vial across the room where it hit the wall and shattered.
She heard Alistair give a sigh of relief. Then she turned to one of the doors on the left, and opened it.
...
They had been speaking with Avernus for some time now. He had told him everything he had done and had answered Alyssa's questions about the rebellion and Sophia Dryden. Unfortunately, there was no proof of Sophia having been a hero, and Levi was sad that he could not clear his family name.
She was asking him about his experiments now. He had been studying the taint for a long time. She felt the tiniest surge of hope in her heart...
"My research has uncovered so much more-hinted at even greater heights. This knowledge could not only save Soldier's Peak-with it the Wardens could grow even more powerful!"
Silence. No one spoke, and everyone seemed to be waiting for Alyssa to speak. She did not say anything for some time. Alistair did notice that there was a small smile playing on the corners of her lips. He didn't know what to make of it.
"You're to blame for all of this. Some things you just don't do."
Avernus bowed his head at her words. He looked very old and sad, and almost ashamed of himself.
Then he lifted his gaze to her eyes again. He looked very weary but in spite of this his eyes held admiration for Alyssa.
"So old. So tired," he sighed. His gaze shifted. She could see the determination in them now.
"Let me undo the greatest of my mistakes. Let me cleanse this place. Close the Veil and rid it of its demons. Then...Then I will accept whatever justice you think I merit."
"Very well," Alyssa agreed. "Until the demons are dead, we are allies."
...
They lay on their bedrolls, spent after making love.
Alistair had his arms around her and her head was on his chest, listening to his heart beat, which comforted her.
"So, I have to ask, love," he finally said.
"Hmmm..." she nestled deeper, rubbing herself against him, and her right hand began to trace the scars on his chest.
He sighed deeply. "If you keep on doing that, I'll forget what I was going to say," he admonished.
She gave a short, soft laugh and her hand stopped, waiting for him to speak.
"Why did you spare Avernus? Are you really so interested in his research?"
She sat up and looked at him, smiling.
"Alistair, do you realize he may be the only person in Ferelden who knows a great deal about the taint?"
"He's also a blood mage."
"I knew you were going to say this. Just try to overlook that for a moment, my love."
"Overlook it? He killed his fellow Grey Wardens! How can anyone possibly overlook that?"
"Yes, I'm not excusing his behavior, darling. Truly I'm not," she said pouting a little.
His eyes fastened on her lips, and her pout seemed so inviting to him that he sat up, took her in his arms and kissed her, running his tongue over her lips, then sucking her lower lip gently.
She moaned but then pushed him away, determined to have this conversation.
"Think about it. He may know how to reduce the flow of the taint in us!" She said excitedly.
He said nothing for a moment, but could see she was obviously very excited about the whole thing. He gazed at her happy smile, her shining eyes and had to smile.
"And if that happens, we may be able to have children!" She looked into his eyes, her eyes dancing madly now.
Her excitement was contagious. He found himself grinning.
"And," she added, "once the taint is reduced, this could also mean that we won't feel a calling or...or...change."
She stopped for a moment, but then said, "Because we'll grow old and die of old age!"
He burst out laughing at this.
"Surely you are the only woman in all of Thedas who finds old age attractive," he teased playfully.
She pouted again. He found it hard to break his gaze away from her full, pouting lips. Before he could kiss her again, however, she spoke.
"Oh, you know what I mean! Anyway, I truly intend to talk to Avernus as soon as we end this Blight. I'm sure he has a lot to say about this."
"How do you know he'll even live that long? He's old enough now, you know..." He trailed off, still looking at her lips, her mouth...
She sighed deeply, evidently intent on making him agree with her. The sigh reminded Alistair of other parts of her body his eyes could feast on.
They traveled slowly down to her breasts, and he felt himself getting aroused again.
"Oh, I don't know. I think he might survive after all. I might talk to him tomorrow, when we go pick up the sword Levi's brother is making for us."
"All right, I see your point. And, I'm coming with you," he said and moved closer, his lips finding her lips again at last, while his hands massaged her breasts.
They settled back on their bedrolls, and soon Avernus and everything else was forgotten...
...
From the darkness behind their tent, a figure silently stepped away from where he had been crouching, listening in on their conversation.
Feeling extremely pleased with the information he had gathered, he disappeared into the shadows beyond, taking the shortest route to Denerim.