Guardian 9:34 Dragon
'Pain and suffering is what your future holds…'
Adrianne awakened from the darkness of her mind with the echo of the witch's cryptic words replaying themselves over and over. Her mind was in a fog, and she didn't faintest idea of where she was. It felt as if every inch of her tanned skin was covered in bruises and scratches. An ache and heaviness overtook her body as she struggled to breathe without hurting her ribs. Adrianne made no attempt to sit up, and instead lay as she remembered only the blackness of her mind. Somehow, the light broke through the darkness and gave her the ability to awaken from the endless night.
Still, Adrianne could only recall those words: Pain and suffering is what your future holds. The witch's words from so long ago that she had almost forgotten them completely. Somehow, her mind chose to remember them now. Ever since her beginnings, Adrianne has had to endure the pain and suffering...Was it her destiny to do just that?
'Pain and suffering is what your future holds…'
Adrianne's thoughts were broken as she heard the hushed whispering of two people standing over her. A man and a young woman whose voices were familiar to her. The fog It took several moments for Adrianne to realize where she was and recognize whose voices were speaking: she was in the Gallows healing room, resting from the battle with Eleanor and Cullen standing nearby.
"It seems like she's awakened, apprentice" Cullen said.
"I'm so glad nothing bad happened to her," Eleanor smiled.
Adrianne winced in pain as she attempted to sit up. Not only that, but her mind felt as if it was being split in two, "I-I don't..." slowly, her brain and memories became fuzzy. She could hear the crackle of flames, and see...a little boy's eyes? "What happened-"
In an instant, Adrianne remembered the events that led up to the present. The Qunari Invasion. She could hear her comrades dying screams as the room spun in circles. The blood she couldn't remove from her hands and the earnest and soft face of the little boy who perished as a result. Adrianne felt the raw emotions of the battlefield as if she were there. The clash of swords, the gust of magic in the air...and Adrianne was living in the moment once more.
A slow warm tear rolled her cheek as she felt the pain she had been hiding for so long surface. Even when Ser Alrick had tormented her countless times before, Adrianne had never felt so fragile and delicate. She was like a shattered glass: anything could break her now.
She couldn't save any of them...everyone around her was dying. Adrianne began to feel the flood of emotions come forward. Her eyes stung in an attempt to keep tears from falling. Every emotion she held was delicate as.
"Senior Enchanter! Does something hurt?!" Eleanor cried.
Everything...everything hurt.
Adrianne realized she could not hold on any longer as her entire world came crashing down around her. Everyone: Enchanter Bryant, her family, Guinevere, they were all gone. The suffering she endured alone because she felt it was necessary to shoulder it herself...it was too much. This facade of strength she tried so hard to keep upright and hard like stone crumpled to the ground. All the pain that had been festering over the years, the memories she had buried, the feelings she made herself believe were gone, pushed her over edge.
I can't do this anymore...
Adrianne reached for Eleanor's hand and squeezed it with only the desperation left in her driving her strength, "I can't…" Adrianne's voice shook with emotion, "I really can't anymore"
Eleanor knelt to her bedside with her face plastered with concern, "What's wrong? You can tell me…"
Adrianne glanced over to the Knight Captain who stood by the doorway. He kept himself hidden from view. Last time she had seen him, he had delivered her news of her impending execution. He was another person of her past who was both there and not. Would he be gone as well? He was one of the last people who knew of who she was...
The two formers locked eyes,"Should I call for the healer?" Cullen asked her with a steady voice.
When Adrianne didn't respond, Eleanor spoke for her, "I think you should, Knight Captain"
Cullen nodded his head before exiting the room.
A single tear trickled down Adrianne's cheek as she turned stare at the ceiling. No response... "Is this what the witch meant?" She whispered as she remembered Flemeth's words so vividly now. Was this fate...or was it something more. Weariness swept across her mind. However, Adrianne refused to close her eyes as she continued to stare at the ceiling above her, "Was I destined to only to suffer…" Adrianne faint voice trailed off as the darkness took over once more.
The only thing she knew was this: she couldn't continue on alone anymore.
Hey guys! Sorry for the weird update schedule. School takes up a lot of my free time so I can't update as much as I like. It is my hope to finish this story within the next couple of months (hopefully). I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! You guys are awesome.
