Disclaimer: I do not own Bioware or Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As soon as Marian and Wanda went out from Merrill's house after visiting her, they saw an elven woman arguing with a templar, the woman on verge of tears.
"I am sorry for your loss, Mistress. But I can offer your son mercy only if he turns himself in." The templar said.
The woman sobbed as they noticed the Dalish tattoos on her body, realizing she was like Merrill a Dalish elf from the woods. "I'm trying to find him, but…"
"The templars cannot tolerate apostates." The templar said gently as he held her shoulder, comforting her before he left as the woman sobbed.
"Maker…" Bethany whispered.
"This will be mother if we're not careful." Carver said as they realized what would happen if the templars were onto Wanda and Bethany.
"It sounds like your son is in trouble. Is there anything we can do?" Marian offered.
"You… you heard all that and still would help? An apostate?" She hesitated, then glanced from themto Merrill. Merrill gave her an encouraging smile, and she turned back to Marian. "Oh, thank you… I am Arianni. My boy, Feynriel… he's all I have, all my family. When I learned he had magic, I could not bear to send him to the Circle. But his connection to the Fade… it gives him nightmares, dreams of demons, speaking in his mind. I would rather lose him to the Circle than to himself."
She began to explain the nightmares her son had been been having and when he heard that, she contacted a templar Ser Thrask, he ran away. She also mentioned that she was once Dalish, but fell in love with an Antivan merchant by the name of Vincento, but when she was with child both her clan and Vincento cast her aside. All things considered, Vincento was likely the better option. Though it seemed Thrask was a good man, at least.
They found Vincento near his stall in front of the Hanged Man. At first, the man denied even having a son. Hawke called a small amount of fire to his hand, then asked him again. Almost immediately, Vincento changed his tune, and suggested they go talk to a former templar named Samson.
Samson, at least, was easy enough to find. The smell alone could lead anyone right to him. It became abundantly clear that he was suffering from lyrium withdrawal, Bethany had mentioned it happened if templars did not get their hands on lyrium. Wanda shivered, thinking how lucky she was she did not need the mineral to fuel her powers, since it seemed addictive to both the templars and mages. Samson then mentioned that he led Feynriel and another girl came to see a man named Reiner, who would help the mages for money.
They arrived too late to help the girl, but found no trace of Feynriel. Aveline found a shipping manifest that mentioned the name of another man and a location in Darktown. Marian discovered the girl was Thrask's daughter, because she had a letter addressed to him, and tucked it away for later.
They made their way into Darktown and found the man they had been looking for and apparently, he was quite pleased to see them, though for quite different reasons.
"Why, look here, boys. Volunteers! Clap 'em in irons, and let's see what the Tevinters will pay for them." The mage smirked, surrounded by his guards.
"Make him talk." Marian said as she turned to Fenris.
Fenris gave a small smile as he stepped forward. "I can do that." Blue light surrounded him as he stuck a hand through the slaver's chest, then moved it around a bit.
The man fell to the ground, gasping and choking. "Andraste's great flaming ass. How did you do that?" He shook his head, then quickly began to talk. "Never mind. I-I've stashed the boy in a cave. A smuggler hideout on the Wounded Coast. Tevinters will be by the finish the deal today. Now… c-can I go?"
"And let you kidnap more innocent, then send them to slavery?" Wanda scoffed.
Marian pulled out her blades as she slit the slaver's throat before Fenris, Aveline and Carver attacked as well. Anders and Bethany trapped the slavers' legs before they finished them off, while Wanda lifted them up and slammed them to the ground.
"Looks like they took him to some bolt hole in the Wounded Coast." Marian said as she found a map on one of the corpses.
They left Aveline with Bethany, Carver and Fenris to finish up with any remaining slavers. Anders, Merrill, and Isabela headed out with him towards the coast.
They fought their way through another dozen slavers, and then found Feynriel. Unfortunately, Feynriel had a knife to his throat. "Take one more step, and the boy dies."
"Tell this dirtbag who we are." Marian turned to Varric, who was now using his charms.
"If I were you, I wouldn't be threatening the viscount's son." Varric told the slaver.
"What?" The slaver demanded, perplexed.
"Oh, I suppose you just got a tip from a slaver that he was selling mage-flesh cheap. You never thought to ask where he got it?" Varric asked. "You never wondered if you were buying the viscount's well-known love child from his elven mistress, the boy he swore to protect even if it meant raying the entire Free Marches?"
The slaver lowered his sword, apparently buying it. "I seek no war with the Free Marches. Take the lad to his father."
"We will, once you're dead." Marian said, not wanting to let a slaver walk free.
"Time to die, little man." Fenris said, more than happy to kill a slaver.
Isabela reached for one of her knives slowly. Then, quick as a flash, she flung it and impaled the man's throat and he fell to the ground dead.
At once the other slavers retaliated, but facing against two mages and Wanda, they were outmatched as Bethany and Anders used their staffs to attack them with their magic, while Wanda lifted them in the air and threw them back. Once they were all dead Feynriel ran down the steps towards them looking quite furious.
"You would have let him kill me! He had a sword at my throat and you just… I mean, thank you, but… What if you were wrong?" The boy demanded.
"You were too valuable for him to kill." Marian assured him.
"Is that my choice? Prisoner or slave? Who are you? Are you working for the templars?" The boy asked.
"Your mother sent us." Marian said.
"Hrmph. Hardly a difference." Feynriel snorted. "I can't believe her. My whole life, it was all, 'I'll love you and protect you.' Then I have some bad dreams and it's 'off to the templars'!"
"Look, the Circle of Magi is the best place for you, as much as we don't like it. You need to learn to control your powers." Wanda said.
"Well, I'm not going!" Feynriel protested. "I was trying to get to the Dalish. They wouldn't be afraid of my magic."
"You'd be alone among the Dalish, even more than a Dalish would be here." Marian pointed out.
"Compared to being held prisoner? Or made Tranquil? I'll risk being lonely!" Feynriel snapped. "Look, I know it's different in other kingdoms but here, no one helps Circle mages. Anything the templars don't like you get a brand." Wanda shivered, thinking how lucky she was the templars had not decided to take her or Bethany in, it would most likely be like Raft all over again. "The Dalish, they've had magic forever. They could teach me. I wouldn't be a danger, I swear."
"Because no Dalish mage ever went astray." Fenris deadpanned.
"If there is another place he can harness his gifts, I cannot blame him for wishing to go there." Bethany argued.
"His own mother says he's plagued by demons. Do you really want him loose?" Carver pointed out.
"It will be your humanity that marks you among the people, not your magic. But I think they will take you." Merrill pointed out.
"Keeper trains him, keeps him safe from demons, no one gets locked up. Sounds like a winning plan." Anders agreed.
"They probably could teach him. Whether they would is another matter entirely." Isabela said.
"I'm not sure." Wanda said. On one hand, considering his dreams, Feynriel needed to be kept in check but would it be better if he did not feel oppressed in the Circle?
"You deserve a chance at freedom." Marian said, deciding to let Feynriel go.
"Th-thank you! I did not… in my wildest dreams, I could not have foreseen this." Feynriel said, relieved, although Carver and Fenris were not exactly happy to see Feynriel leave to the Dalish, thinking it would have been better to keep him in check.
They let Arianni know what had befallen her son. She was pleased by the news, and insisted on rewarding him with an antique Dalish ring. Afterwards they returned to the Gallows and gave Thrask the letter from his daughter promising not to inform the templars that he neglected his duty to the Order.
They saw Cullen wave them over. With a slightly reluctant sigh, they went to see what the man wanted. Cullen actually smiled at them.
"I have told the knight-commander of your service." Cullen said.
"Oh, more attention. That's just grand." Carver muttered.
"She commends your quick thinking and has agreed to keep the lad Keran around for observation." Cullen said, scowling at Carver briefly
It was probably best to hear what the knight-commander was like from a templars' perspective.
"I've heard a lot about the knight-commander. What's she really like?" Marian asked.
"She is not an easy taskmaster. But it is not an easy task. I would not have liked her when I was younger. I thought mages deserved a softer touch. But Meredith is never fooled by a sweet face. She always sees the demon behind it." Cullen said.
"You sound Fereldan. How did you end up here?" Marian asked.
Cullen sighed. "I was in the Circle tower in Ferelden when Uldred summoned his demons. I was held in a cage for… I can't even say. Weeks? Months? It was one unending nightmare. I watched… what those mages did, what they became. I would gladly give my life to avoid seeing that again."
Wanda did not dare to enter his mind, seeing that Cullen had been reliving the nightmare.
They had heard some rumors about what had happened in the Ferelden Circle of Magi about full of blood mages and demons until the Wardens cleaned them up. But from what they had heard, it had been a mage that had put a stop to it. Marian's, Carver's and Bethany's cousin, in fact.
"No offense but from what I understand, the templars have brought it in themselves." Wanda said.
Cullen sighed. "That is the popular school of thought, no?" He then turned and looked at the statue's of former slaves. "It used to be that templars were welcomed wherever they went—for defending people from dark magics. Now the townsfolk are as likely to slam their doors as offer us a bed. The image of the poor, chained apprentice is a powerful one. And one the mages are more than willing to exploit."
On that happy note, Marian decided to deal with this merchant Hubert who needed help from the Bone Pit. It turned out the trip was quite worthwhile, because after saving several Ferelden miners from a nest of dragons, blooper not, they were given ownership to half the mine.
If the Deep Roads expedition did not go as well as they thought it would, then at least they would have some business enterprise and would earn them a lot of money.
Then Magistrate Vanard approached him, hearing he made his name in the Red Iron, wonders his help recapturing a prisoner. He said as he did this he would offer aid to them and at first it just looked like a simple job.
Marian, Wanda, Aveline, Carver, Bethany, Merrill and Varric went to meet up with several guardsmen at the entrance.
"We've been sent for the man you've cornered here in the ruins." Marian said, approaching the commanding officer.
"Ah. So you're the reinforcements the magistrate promised. The man you're looking for, he's holed up in the ruins. Though I doubt he's still in one piece." The officer said.
"That bastard's to be brought in alive after all he's done?" A voice yelled as they noticed a very angry elf making his way down the slope. "Just because it isn't you and your pretty little shemlen children he's after…"
"Please, calm down and tell me what happened." Marian tried to calm him down.
"The man you're after, he targets elves!" The elf yelled furiously as they turned to the cave's entrance. "He dragged my daughter into the ruins and killed her. I want him dead My girl, Lia, she wasn't the first victim. Over the years he's taken dozens of our children are not once has he paid for his crimes!"
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Wanda asked.
"My name is Elren, I'm a merchant in the city." Elren had begging look in his eyes. "Please, no one else cares that our children are being slaughtered like beasts."
"A man who murders children won't survive long in the courts of Kirkwall." Marian said.
"No! Don't you understand? If you take him in, he'll be free again by nightfall!" Elren protested.
"You have so little faith in the law?" Aveline wondered. Wanda did not blame the elf, since things had been similar like that in Sokovia.
"For all my damned coin, I'm still only an elf to these shemlen. There'll be no justice for my girl in the courts of Kirkwall." Elren snapped.
Marian then turned to the guardsman. "What do you say about this?"
"Yes, what do you have to say?" Aveline asked, her eyes narrowing
"They won't go in after him." Elren glared. "They're stalling, trying to give the murderous bastard a chance to get away."
"Oy now, elf. Like we said before, you're bleeding mad if you think we'll be going against the magistrate's orders." The guard said.
"This murderer cannot be allowed to walk free." Wanda said.
"Then that bastard will finally get what he deserves. Thank you." Elren said gratefully.
"Not wise, stranger. You try to take justice into your own hands, the magistrate'll have your head." The guard warned.
Aveline narrowed her eyes. "Only if it's reported."
"Justice will come soon enough." Wanda said, echoing T'Challa's words as they went into the caverns.
The ruins were crawling with giant spiders, but they were easy to take so they had no problem navigating the ruins.
Then they came across a small elven girl lying on the ground with a frightened look on her face. She looked at them fearfully. "Who are you? Please, can you get me out of here? I just want to go home."
"Don't be afraid, da'len. Everything is going to be all right." Merrill assured.
"Lia?" Marian guessed and slightly surprised as the girl nodded. "Your father told us you were dead!"
Lia looked up. "My father? Is he safe? Kelder said he'd hurt my family if I don't come with him…"
Something wasn't adding up. If Kelder was the murderer, why the magistrate had not had him executed? Or for that matter, why had he not alerted the guards?
"Are you OK?" Wanda asked Lia, none of them seeing any injuries on her.
"He hit me, told me I was nothing, I begging to stop hurting me." Lia said, lowering her head for a moment as she looked at them. "I didn't think he would, but out of nowhere, he pushed me away and just… started crying." She then looked up into Marian's eyes. "Don't you see? He didn't mean to hurt me! He told me! There are demons, they make him do these horrible things!"
Marian wiped her face as the rest shook their heads in disbelief.
"I'll have to remember to use that. 'A demon made me do it!'" Marian said sarcastically.
"There are a lot of cruel people out there, princess. Completely demon-free." Varric said kindly.
"But… it's true! How else could he do something like this? Please…" Lia begged. It was obvious that she was young and didn't understand.
"I'm sorry, Lia. It's too dangerous to let Kelder live." Marian said.
"But it's not his fault! It's not!" Lia said.
"Run to the entrance, you'll find your father there." Marian pointed to the passageway as Lia ran off.
They found another group of giant spiders they easily dispatched before they saw a young man leaning against a stone pillar, who they had assumed was Kelder.
"I knew my father would eventually send someone. I was hoping the beasts down here would get to me first." Kelder said as he looked at them.
"The magistrate sent me, I've never even met your father." Marian said.
"He didn't tell you, did he? The magistrate is my father. He tried so hard to keep me—and what I've done—hidden away." Kelder said.
"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Wanda said.
"I'm disgusted by the both of them." Aveline muttered.
"The magistrate is supposed to protect the people of the city, and that includes the elves." Marian agreed.
"Father is a good man. He tried to help, to stop me. But he can't… no one can." Kelder said as he got up before he turned his back on them. "That elf girl. She had no right to be so beautiful, so perfect. The demons said she needed to be taught a lesson, like all the others." He then turned and looked at them with a slightly furious expression. "The Circle was supposed to help me, but they lied! They said there was no demons, that I was mad. This isn't my fault."
Suddenly, they realized that he was insane.
"Let me get this straight. You torture and murder elven children for being too beautiful?" Marian demanded.
"While blaming demons that aren't even there. He's just mad." Carver said.
"I… I didn't want to hurt them. They forced me! The demons don't like it when they cry." Kelder said.
"If the Circle suspected a demon at work, they wouldn't risk setting you loose in the city."
"No! They lied!" Kelder snapped.
"Excuse after excuse. Can we just kill him!" Carver said, annoyed.
"I can't stop. I've tried too many times. Please, you have to kill me. There's no other way." Kelder begged.
"There! See? He wants to die. Problem solved." Carver said.
"Just tell my father I'm sorry… for everything."
"If nothing short of killing you will stop this, then so be it. Goodbye, Kelder." Marian said.
"Some people are simply broken." Aveline agreed. Even Wanda herself felt some sympathy, knowing that with Vision, the only way was to kill him… but it was all for nothing in the end.
Marian pulled out a knife and slit Kelder's throat as he fell back, dead.
When they returned, Elren was relieved to see his daughter safe and Kelder was dead. Hawke watched as Lia looked at him, she hoped that someday that Lia would understand why she had to do it.
The lieutenant wasn't too pleased and walked off with the rest of his guards.
"Deplorable. If it came to the guards, then we could have saved a lot more elven children." Aveline said.
"At least no more elves are going to die." Wanda said.
Present
"I didn't realize that such depravity resides within Kirkwall." said Cassandra shaking her head in disbelief. "Slaver? A magistrate that ignored the deaths of innocent elven children, just so he can protect his son."
"Kallian was living proof of the injustice of elves and is proof that they need the same rights as any human. It would seem that the Champion was a symbol for justice after all." Leliana said.
"It's still too soon to say, you remember what had happened." Cassandra reminded.
Leliana nodded. "Then let us see what our storyteller has to say."
So, what do you guys think about it?
Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far and want for me to continue.