9:36 - Dragon (One year before the Mage Rebellion)
The air had grown humid, was it summer already? Lily opened her journal and carefully noted the change in weather at the top of the first page.
This journal was brand new, the leather binding still stiff, and was once again a small gift from Knight-Captain Brynn.
Well, less a gift this time, and more a consolation prize for the test she had just been forced through. She thought they had accepted she was no threat, it had been a year since her last test, but she supposed it made sense that they had to make sure.
Demons could lay in wait, emerging unexpectedly, and the Aeonar was good at bringing the worst out in people.
She squeezed the bandage on her wrist and forced the thoughts away. They didn't test her as often as the mages, but they did test her, and each test left a scar. A reminder that she was just as much a prisoner as the apostates and soon-to-be abominations in the cells around her.
The sudden clatter of armored footsteps tore her from her morbid thoughts.
"Did you hear?" a Templar walked past her cell, and a second later the thick musk of Gustav's cologne wafted into her nose, she turned her back to the door to conceal the grimace on her face.
"Hear what?" Gustav grunted as jogged to catch up with the other Templar. It sounded like he had come to torment Kena again, his obsession with the mage a topic of gossip amongst the newer recruits.
Lily tried to pretend she wasn't listening, writing the chants she remembered into her journal to look busy.
Eavesdropping is a sin, she reminded herself.
But she listened anyway.
"I heard the Knight-Captain yesterday, talking, he says they fear an uprising. The Circles are throwin' a fit about their rights, all King Alistair's fault if you ask me," the Templar barely whispered the next part, "he's too easy on the mages I think."
Gustav snorted, "That bastard King ain't good for nothing!"
"He's the King of Fereldan, have some respect!" the younger Templar snapped, but Gustav laughed.
"I'm no Ferelden, and he ain't my King."
The younger Templar huffed and stomped away, and the smell of Gustav's cologne suddenly assaulted her nose again, the musky fumes sliding down her throat and taking her breath away.
"Eavesdropping is a sin, sister." He spat from the doorway of her cell.
Lily put her quill down and turned to face the Templar. He'd only gotten more angry in the last year. It seemed the more tests that she and Kena passed, the more obsessed he became. As if breaking them were his personal duty.
"I was not eavesdropping ser," Lily smiled, feigning politeness.
Lying is also a sin.
"Huh," Gustav said, a snide smile tugging at his lips, "the sister can lie."
Lily bit her tongue and turned her back to him, she'd already been tested, and if Gustav so much as entered her cell Knight Captain Brynn would have his hide.
A loud clang rung through the air as Gustav kicked the bars of her cell, startling her into dropping her quill, and that seemed to satisfy him. He laughed obnoxiously, and turned his attention to Kena's cell, again.
Lily bit the inside of her mouth to focus and composed herself, picking up her quill she defiantly began writing the chants.
Damn this place, she thought, blinking back tears.
His hands were warm and rough, holding her in all the right places. Kena shuddered against his chest, and felt his breath over her hair.
"I've missed you," he whispered, running his hands down her arms, snaking them around her waist...
A sudden sound of clanging metal jerked Kena awake, and she felt her heart thumping against her ribcage.
The same damn dream again. A demon for sure, this time wearing the face of Cullen. Kena wanted to spit, slapping herself for not realizing it was a dream this time. She hated him, wanted to see him suffer, yet the demon had decided coming to her in his form was a good idea.
She felt sick.
The last year had been a blur. There was a blissful few months where it seemed everyone except Lily had forgotten she'd existed, but come summer and Gustav returned to torment her with a vengeance, rejuvenated by whatever leave he had been sent on.
And she'd been losing her resolve. Her dreams were melting into reality and it was hard to remember what was and wasn't real most days.
Kena's nose prickled, it smelled like Gustav's cologne in the air, and just as she made the realization the Templar stopped in front of her cell, resting his arm against the bars and resting his forehead against his wrist like a child staring at a circus exhibit.
"Did I wake you?" he crooned mockingly, "They tell me it's your birthday today."
Kena wrinkled her brow, still woozy from the nightmare, "I… what?" She didn't even know when her birthday was, but she supposed it made sense it was in a record somewhere, and the idea that Gustav knew something she didn't pissed her off.
She heard a wet thunk, and turned to see a half eaten chicken leg by her foot.
"Lunch, eat up," Gustav ordered, once again banging the bars and leaning back on the wall across from her cell. He crossed his arms over his beefy chest and smiled at her, if the sickening toothy maw he twisted at her could be considered a smile.
Kena picked up the boiled chicken and sniffed it. It was old, probably from the day before, but she was hungry, so she ate it. Shame losing out to hunger yet again.
She knew Gustav enjoyed watching her, seeing her so low she might as well be rat squealing in a trap, but she didn't care anymore. She was barely hanging on, the demon's voices were a constant murmur now, and she had nearly let a few in.
They'd become more… persistent lately. The hungrier, more tired she felt, the louder they became.
One tried to approach her as Jowan, but that was easy to deflect. She knew Jowan, and they could never quite get him right.
Then they approached as a dark haired elf with strange tattoos, and then a red haired Avvar she remembered drawn in her history book at the circle. All the girls had squealed over that portrait for a few days.
The memory made her chuckle to herself as she chewed mindlessly on the leg.
And now Cullen. It seemed his visage was a favorite of the demons, and every time he came to her, the dream felt more real. She'd nearly given in just now, and so she was grateful to Gustav.
Not really.
"Are you still hungry?" Gustav asked eagerly, his eyes were unblinking. Kena felt a strange sickening sensation at the way he looked at her, as if he were a demon too. She blinked quickly a few times, afraid she might be in another dream.
He pulled a piece of bread from his pocket and tossed it with a flask into her cell, "Eat up, drink up."
Her thoughts were clearing up, the food was helping.
Why was he suddenly so generous? Her stomach gurgled with hunger and she took the bread, taking large bites and sipping from the flask, she coughed as the sickly sweet mead coated her cracked throat, and she looked at Gustav, confused.
She felt more awake than she had in weeks, and her head was spinning from the sudden intake of sugar, "Why are you giving me this?" She nearly asked him if he was real, but thought netter of it. It was best not risk that question until she was sure he was a demon, lest they drag her out for another test.
Gustav shrugged, scratching at his chin, his face was clean shaven now and Kena spotted a swollen cut on his neck.
If only I could split that open further, see his pink and white insides…
The thought startled her, and she shook her head to focus.
Gustav seemed to take her staring a different way and smirked, "Hungry for more than just mead, eh mage?"
"Fuck you," Kena yelled, throwing his flask back at him and turning to face the wall.
"I'm sure you'd love that," he chuckled, grabbing the flask and tucking it into his breastplate, "Knight Captain says you need to eat more. So I'll be bringing you lunch more often."
"Thank the Maker," Kena whispered sarcastically.
She heard Gustav spit, and could hear his armored boots clanking down the hall.
The whole exchange was odd, but she shrugged it off. Fatigue was beginning to settle in again, but at least now she felt strong enough to fight off any demons that might approach her.
Galel closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun, and the feel of grass beneath his palms as he leaned back into the earth.
It had been dreary for too long. Seeing the sky clear, the sun shining, and the birds chirping brought a joy to his heart he didn't realize he'd lost.
"Maker's balls I finally caught one!" he heard Jowan screech just beyond the treeline, and he laughed aloud, the peaceful moment lost. He looked over his shoulder at the disheveled mage stumbling out of the forest, a dead rabbit swinging in his hand, "Dinner!"
"I'll make the fire," Galel stood and dusted his palms off, "nice catch."
Jowan held up the fat rabbit, proud of himself, "It'll be full bellies tonight!"
The men prepared dinner, Galel preparing the fire as Jowan attempted to clean and gut the rabbit next to him.
"Here, right?" Jowan asked, pinching the skin up around the rabbit's neck and jabbing his knife into it.
"Just like that," Galel said, "you learn fast, shemlen."
"I guess it was about time I started helping you hunt," Jowan said bashfully.
Galel laughed, and Jowan seemed pleased with himself as he began to slice the pelt off, asking Galel whenever he wasn't quite sure if he had it right. Galel was astounded at how fast the man could learn things. A few tries, and he had it, minus hunting of course. Jowan had claimed to be too squeamish to kill any animals, and Galel didn't pry about why, though he was sure there was probably another reason for why Jowan was hesitant to take a life, any life.
However, Galel had recently been sick, and after a few days of no meat, Jowan finally set off to help his friend.
The elf wouldn't admit it, but the gesture reminded him of the comradery of the Dalish camp, and he felt ashamed that even after the years he'd spent with Jowan, he was still surprised the man would help him so quickly.
What had once started as a life debt had become a genuine friendship. Galel had learned a lot of shemlen magic from Jowan, and he had in turn taught Jowan a thing or two about Dalish magic.
Jowan rinsed his hands off and proceeded to place the skewered rabbit over the fire, sitting back on his haunches and admiring his handy work.
"You know, I never thought I'd enjoy this forest living, but this isn't so bad!" he proclaimed, smiling over at Galel.
Galel laughed, taking a sip of water from his flask before handing it over to Jowan, who gladly gulped some down.
"Any luck today?" Galel asked, watching the fire sizzle at the rabbit's flesh.
"I thought I saw a statue today, but it was only a weird shaped rock," Jowan's brow was furrowed, he crossed his legs and stretched out his neck, "I know we're getting close though, I saw some cave drawings, following the rabbit. We're definitely near an Avvar area."
"Hmm," Galel mused, rotating the rabbit slightly.
Jowan scratched nervously at his neck, "I had a dream again."
Galel nodded, "The same one?"
Jowan nodded, picking at the base of his neck, "I swear it's her. It seemed too real not to be, what if she's trying to find me in the fade?"
"It's nothing but wishful thinking, and you should be wary. A demon can sense your desire and pull you further into delusion."
"I know, I know. But I could see it clearly. Stone walls, black and grey, and she was so... hungry."
"Be wary, and force the dream away," Galel said. "It's the veil, it's thin here, but if you're vigilant, you'll be ok."
But Jowan's revelation troubled him. The shemlen seemed afraid of spirits and demons in a way that only a man who had danced too closely with that danger would, and Jowan had been plagued with nightmares ever since they'd entered this part of the mountains. Something about him seemed overly sensitive to the fade.
"I hope they're just nightmares," Jowan mumbled.
"I'm sure they are." Galel lied.
The rabbit was tough, the creature was obviously old, but the men enjoyed their meal nonetheless.
Galel stood up, stretching his legs, "The sun is getting low, I want to bathe before dark."
"You enjoy that, still too cold for my human blood to go prancing about in a lake," Jowan flopped back on his bedroll.
Galel wandered down to the lake and stripped off his clothing, he waded into the cool water and began scrubbing at his skin. He wanted so desperately to have a proper bath, with soap and a washcloth, but this would have to do until their task was complete.
The cool water soothed his skin, and he took the chance to swim a few laps across the lake.
Swimming around a large rock, he kicked off back toward the shore when he felt something odd from below him. A vibration, like a tremor from below the earth.
He swam back around, and felt the vibration again, looking down, he couldn't see the bottom of the lake, but he felt a clear connection to the energy.
Magic?
Galel took a deep breath, and dove beneath the surface of the lake.
It was dark, the sunlight waning, but he released a burst of magic to light his way. The water was deep, but clear, and it wasn't long before he saw the stony shape of a man on its side.
A statue, covered in swaying plants and mud.
The vibration rippled through the water again, and Galel felt the unmistakable dread of dark magic.
His lungs began to beg for air and he quickly shot back to the surface.
Galel was stunned. Could it really be that easy? Could a coincidence really be the reason he had found the statue? He laughed and looked to the sky, "Dirthamen, if ever you were real, I would believe it now!"
He was smiling so hard his face hurt, Jowan would be ecstatic. He punched the water in celebration and swam to shore. He shook off the excess water and dressed as he darted back to camp.
"Maker's breath I was worried you'd drowned," Jowan said. "Do Dalish always take such long baths?!"
"I found it!" Galel half yelled, sloppily pulling on his tunic. He was more excited than Jowan had ever seen him.
"Found what?!" Jowan exclaimed, jumping up, "You can't mean-"
"The bottom of the lake, I felt it," Galel grabbed a cloth and ruffled it through his hair, "an Avvar statue, and it had magic."
"Maker," Jowan whispered, falling to his knees, "I can't believe it… just like that."
Galel knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "It won't be long now, if this statue can help us."
Jowan breathed out, "It has to."
If you read this far, thank you! I appreciate you!