Chapter 53
Love then War
It was still several hours before dawn when Justin found himself unable to sleep.
He crawled carefully out of bed, being extra careful not to disturb Bethany, they had…had a busy evening, the mage needed her rest.
He found himself at the window of the little house, the one facing the distant mountain. It was too far away to sense the darkspawn from here, but he could imagine the foul creatures crawling around in those darkened tunnels.
The very thought of them up there made his blood boil.
On the surface though he was calm, they had a solid plan. The wardens and a small company of Templars and seekers would engage the exaltednists in the old tunnels that led through the mountain. Meanwhile Sister Leliana would lead a second group up an old livestock path that led to the mountain's summit. The path was too small for an army to use; the cultists who once lived here used it to bring cattle up the mountain to feed to the high dragon which had once lived there.
Only Leliana had known about that path, she and Commander Amell had used it almost ten years ago when they returned here to deal with the high dragon.
Hopefully they would have as much success as the wardens had had a decade ago.
Thinking of the famous mage drew Justin's eyes to the gift Bethany had presented him with last night. His long sword had broken during the fight with the cultist reavers. He had planned to take one from the chantry armory here, but Bethany had come up with another idea.
"I think this will serve you better than I," she had said.
That is when she had handed him Vigilance.
As he went to take the blade from her hand, for a moment her hands and his were both on the blade.
The sword connected them, both to it and themselves.
Justin heard Vigilance's voice in his head.
The Love of the Amell, together we shall protect her, together we shall kill darkspawn.
The sword was right; he would do anything to keep Bethany safe, he would kill every darkspawn in the deep roads if that is what it took.
He felt Bethany's love for him flowing through the blade, he returned it, letting her feel the desire he felt for his as well.
He had sat the sword carefully down on the floor, and seized her in his arms, carrying her to the bed.
They had made love fiercely that night, eager to share everything they were with each other. They may die tomorrow, but tonight, they would love as they never had before.
Justin laughed, he knew it sounded corny, but he cared for this woman so much, she had never needed magic to cast a spell over him.
He found his eyes drawn to her, her pale skin shone in the moonlight, desire washed over him like a flood.
He returned to their bed. He ran his fingers gently down her bare back, she murmured softly in her sleep. The scars there did not bother him, they were a part of her, his beloved Betts, he never wanted more.
She had told him how she had received those scars. It had been right after the failed Qunari attack on Kirkwall, right after Marian had been named Champion. Knight-Commander Meredith had summoned her to her office. The Knight-Commander had had Bethany's quarters searched, they had found contraband items: candles from Hightown, a few sweets from Ferelden imports in Lowtown, even a few letters from her friends, letter s that had been missed by the Templar censors.
The Knight-Commander had demanded to know where she had gotten them from.
Bethany did not know; she suspected that her sister and friends had contacts within the Gallows. They had never told her who. That way if she was questioned she could not tell who they were.
Meredith had believed her, but felt she still deserved to be punished. Bethany had expected a week in quarantine, or that perhaps she would have to submit to weekly searches for a while.
The knight Commander had other ideas, she would have Bethany whipped, twenty lashes.
Bethany had protested; this was after all her first offense.
The Knight-Commander considered that, she made it thirty, and healers would not be allowed to tend her once the punishment was done.
Bethany had sat there; she had no idea what to say.
"It had never been about the items that had been found," she told Justin that night, "the Knight-Commander had wanted to send a message to Marian. If the Champion opposed her in anyway, then her sister would suffer.
The funny thing about that was that Bethany and Marian had not been speaking then, Bethany had blamed her elder sister for the death of their mother.
They would not even begin talking again for almost two more years.
Justin's blood boiled at what the Templar bitch had done to the woman he loved. If she had not already been dead, the young warden might have killed her himself.
Bethany murmured his name as he continued to run his fingers down her body.
She awoke; she looked at him with those beautiful honey brown eyes.
"Can't sleep?" she asked.
He nodded.
"I think I might be able to help," she smiled playfully.
She rose up and kissed him softly.
Justin decided he liked Bethany's idea.
He accepted her help; it was the only polite thing to do.
IOI
The sun began to rise as Leliana and Justin gathered their allies in the court yard of Haven. The two finalized their plan of attack. As dawns first rays crept over the mountainside, they began.
"Time to take out the trash," Justin growled.
"Oh," Merrill exclaimed, "will we need many bags, I always needed so many when I cleaned my home in the alienage.
"I think fire will work better Merrill," Wren chuckled, "bodies burn better, and you will not need bags."
"Oh….right," The Dalish said finally getting what Justin meant.
The Warden Commander chuckled; he could always count on Merrill to relieve tension.
Bethany had volunteered to go up the old mountain path, Faizyl and Milady would go with her to protect her. They would follow Leliana and twenty Templars. He would just have to trust the chantry sister, not to pull anything foolish with the Betts.
Justin along with the rest of their party would proceed through the mountain with about sixty Templars, seekers, and chantry sisters in support. Justin had complained about the priests, but Leliana had assured him that they could fight, that some of them could do much more than that, seeing them in their armor, some metal, some leather made him realize that these sisters had lived more interesting lives than a common chantry priest.
Much like Leliana herself had.
Serene had complained about allowing Bradley to go through h the mountain with them, but the young Templar wanted to go.
"If you come down with the taint don't come crying to me." The bard sniffed angrily.
Justin however could hear the worry in the elf's voice.
She may be angry with him, but there was still love there.
As they came in sight of the door to the mountain temple, Leliana called them to a halt. She bowed her head in prayer. Most of the soldiers accompanying them joined her, asking the Maker to forgive their sins and watch over them in the coming battle.
Wren rolled his eyes, he was eager for the prayer meeting to get over so that they could get to the ass-kicking part.
They arrived at the door.
Leonie advanced first, "knock, knock," the golem hissed eager to smash through the door.
Justin stopped her.
"Faizyl," he asked?
The dwarf bounded up to him.
"Yeah cap'n?"
"Could you get the door for us please," Justin asked sweetly.
The dwarf looked at the door and at the Commander, his eyes shining, his grin growing larger.
"You mean…boom," he asked hopefully.
"Yes Faizyl," Justin replied, "Boom."
The dwarf cackled happily, he brought out one of his explosive arrows.
"You all may want to step back," Justin warned the others, "Faizyl likes to make these things a little heavy on the powder."
Faizyl lit the fuse with an assist from Merrill. He knocked the arrow, and fired, it hit the door square.
Nothing happened.
The dwarf grinned; he whispered one word under his breath.
"Boom."
The door exploded chunks of stone and wood went flying, darkspawn squealed as they were hit by flying debris. Injured exaltednists staggered from the mountain, only to be struck down by Faizyl and Leliana's arrows.
Faizyl laughed madly, he truly did enjoy his work.
The two groups separated. The wardens, being the tip of the spear plunged in to the mountain. Leliana and Bethany led the rest up the mountain path.
The battle for the ashes had begun.
IOI
Serene darted back and forth in the cramped tunnels; she stuck to her short sword and dagger. Darkspawn flowed out of the side passages. The chambers pulsed with darkspawn corruption.
The taint in the elf's blood throbbed noisily she was afraid that she going to be sick.
A hurlock charged her from behind sending her sprawling, she swung her leg out trying to sweep it off its feet, but the monster was ready. In pinned her to the ground with a foot in the gut.
She struggled to free herself, as the spawn raised its great sword.
The bard's eyes widened in fear.
Suddenly, he was there, driving his shield into the beast, his long sword flashed, severing the spawns head from its neck. He reached down pulling her to her feet.
"Are you all right," Bradley asked.
She nodded resisting the urge to kiss him. Maker help him why did he have to be so…so…noble all the time.
It made it harder for her to hate him.
They ended up falling into their old rhythm, him blocking with his shield as she moved around him, pushing some away, and driving others into his waiting sword. They worked so well together, hand in glove.
Serene hated to admit it, but she needed him here.
Another wave of darkspawn flowed down the tunnels.
They still had work to do.
IOI
Bethany did her best to stay behind Leliana, Groups of exaltednist Templars, in threes and fours attacked them as they ascended.
"Kill them for the prophet," an exaltednist cried, "Hail Del…"
Leliana put an arrow in the man's throat. He fell with a clatter.
Bethany threw a fireball, it exploded knocking several more exaltednists off the narrow ledges, they fell to their deaths on the rocks below.
Leliana whispered a quick prayer for their souls before continuing on.
Milady barked a warning causing the group to fall back, an arrow whizzed past Bethany's head. Faizyl shot at the archers above them, but they had too good of cover. He couldn't use an explosive either, because that would likely collapse the ledge supporting the path.
The mage took matters into her own hands.
Bethany began to murmur a spell, her hands raised to the sky; it turned black, pregnant with menace and dark clouds.
Fire began to rain down on the Exaltednists.
One of them tried to step into the open and smite Bethany, only to catch an n arrow in the eye from Faizyl. The remaining exaltednists ended up having to withdraw.
Leliana gave them time to clear the way. She motioned for Bethany to end the spell.
The mage complied.
The group continued on.
IOI
The tunnels beneath the mountain were filled with screams of anger, and the cries of the dying.
Wren did his best to keep their allies alive, though it personally sickened him to be treating Templars.
Still they were making progress.
Leonie was the perfect battering ram; the golem would crash through the enemy lines giving, Justin, Colo, and the other Templars the perfect opportunity to engage the enemy. Bradley stayed close to Serene; the two were lethal in such close quarters. Wren and Merrill followed behind them. The healer tending to any of the injured, while Merrill battered the enemy with lightning and those ugly black roots she summoned from the ground.
It was hard going, but they were making progress.
The Exaltednists fell back, overwhelmed by their attacks, but the darkspawn refused to back down. They threw themselves at the invaders.
Justin raised Vigilance, the silverite runes burned the spawn, or at the least left them writhing in pain.
These were easy prey for Merrill, chain lightning filled the corridor.
The stench of burning darkspawn filled the cavern.
"Lovely," Wren cursed under his breath, "we will all likely be burned to death, defending the bones of a madwoman who did burn to death."
The Templars ignored as much as the others did. The healer sighed why didn't anyone…
A pale clammy tentacle exploded out of the ground near him. Wren managed to avoid being scooped up by it, a seeker standing near him wasn't so lucky, the tentacle wrapped around the man and crushed him, it dragged the soggy mess back into the ground.
"Broodmothers," Colo snarled, "Commander we have brood mothers up here."
Justin hissed; he could make out at least four of the bloated things blocking the way up ahead. He tried to ignore the remnants of the chantry robes they wore.
They were not sisters anymore…they were darkspawn.
They were no longer like his sister, they were not like Ursula.
Fury blossomed in Justin he glared at the beasts, "Merrill burn them!" He cried.
The Dalish did not respond.
"Birdie where is Merrill!"
The healer looked around.
The Dalish was nowhere to be found.
IOI
Merrill knew she was lost the moment it had happened.
She tried to backtrack, but in all the smoke she could barely see.
She closed her eyes for a moment trying to center herself.
Her darkspawn sense went wild.
"Grey one! You die!"
The Ravaged leaped at her from its hiding place.
Merrill managed to block the creature with her staff; she swung the bladed end wounding the awakened shriek.
The spawn fell back hissing, trying to slip away.
Merrill would not allow that.
Black roots of Wrath of the Elvhen swarmed The Ravaged.
She walked up to the restrained, creature, drawing her Dalish dagger.
She would do this up close and personal.
"Grey one filth," the Ravaged hissed, "May the prophet damn you, may you all…"
It got a closer look at the Dalish's face.
The Ravaged gasped; somewhere in the destroyed corners of its mind it knew this woman, this elf.
It knew her.
"M…M…Merrill?" the Ravaged asked.
Merrill paused, "How do you know my name blighter," she hissed angrily.
The darkspawn tried to remember what had come before; it was so hard to think, even after the Prophet had blessed him.
It remembered Merrill.
"Lethallan," it croaked, "Is that being you Merrill?"
Merrill froze something in the voice was…familiar.
She looked closer at the shriek, the remains of its leather armor were familiar, they were dirty, torn, and patched up badly, but familiar. As she looked closer at the creatures badly puckered face, she noticed something on the grey skin. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but The Ravaged's face was tattooed.
The markings were Dalish!
The darkspawn whimpered in fear.
"Not you Merrill no cannot be being you! Not being you Lethallan please no!"
Merrill's eyes widened, she recognized those markings, and the voice even though phlegmy with the taint, she knew it.
She knew him!
It could not be! No! The Creators could not be that cruel to her! They couldn't be!
She looked into the darkspawn's tortured eyes, they were begging, pleading with her not to be her.
She said the name, the name she had never thought to say again, and in that one moment her world came apart.
"T…T…Tamlen?"
The Ravaged gave a hissing sob.
Merrill shrieked in fear, thunder rumbled inside the mountain.
After all this time she had found Tamlen.
Creators preserve her.
