This chapter was Beta Read By jeybird . art and lokeofassguard On Instagram
Following Bann Teagan's departure to Redcliffe castle, the Warden's group of 8 wasted little time funneling into the windmill and into the old passage that led underground and to the castle. Thankfully, once getting underground, the tunnel opened up quite considerably. Thus, it wasn't too tight for the large group.
No one had been entirely sure how long the trek to the castle from underground passage would take, as Redcliffe castle proved to be a bit far off from the village itself. The group traveled mostly in silence, aside from Alistair and Kara's whispers from the front of the group. It became pretty apparent that the group wasn't incredibly close, how long they had been traveling together could be up for debate. Because if they weren't quiet, they were bickering…
The dark-haired mage, who had been entirely quiet for the most part, finally spoke up for the first time in roughly ten minutes. It sounded as though she was speaking to herself, however, as she was speaking somewhat quietly. "A tunnel that goes under an entire lake?" She let out a short scoff, sounding somewhat in disbelief at the existence of such a large tunnel. "Who would build such a thing?"
"Or why for that matter." Leliana hummed as she added to the mage's rhetorical question. Her addition didn't appear to be welcomed as the apostate shot the Orlesian an annoyed look. Though, Leliana took it in stride, simply making eye contact with the irritable mage as she continued. "I was wondering, Morrigan… Do you believe in the maker?"
Nela let out a short huff as she turned her eyes away from the group. Whilst it was finally nice to have a name to put to the previously nameless face, it didn't take a scholar to realize that mage had no belief in the maker. The assassin was not eager to listen to a religious debate between two humans, it was exhausting. So, she found herself tuning them out and focusing her attention on the others.
Solora didn't appear to be too interested in what was happening either. Despite everyone present being aware of the fact that she was a mage, it appeared that the Dalish elf was more comfortable in her animal forms. She had been easily keeping pace beside Nela the entire time, aside from when they first got down into the tunnels anyways. Solora had attempted to land on the assassin's shoulder as an owl, only to be shooed off immediately. So, the shapeshifter opted to walk at her side as a cat instead.
Well, she was.
When Leliana and Morrigan started talking, the mage-turned-cat took one look at the duo before speeding up. Her slick beige-tipped tail raised as she moved into stride beside Doshiel, who was directly behind the Wardens.
Solora didn't appear too interested in whatever the Wardens were doing, instead, she looked right up at the stocky warhound and let out a short meow. It was clear the animal held quite the distaste for Solora. Regardless of if she was an elf or not, the fact of the matter is that she could turn into a cat. So the Mabari didn't like her.
Doshiel hadn't been aware of Solora sneaking up to him. Thus, when he heard the meow right at his side, the animal let out a short welp. Sidestepping lightly before turning his head down to look at the smaller creature, letting out a warning growl. Thankfully, Solora could take a hint, slowing down so she could return to her place at Nela's side.
Nela didn't like the mage all that much, but it was incredibly clear that the shapeshifter was already comfortable around her. That detail left a bit of irritation directed at Solora. The last thing the assassin needed was a random Dalish elf latching itself onto her, regardless of the situation.
Turning her attention to behind the group, Sten had wordlessly stationed himself at the group's flank. It was both a detail that remained somewhat comforting but also unnerving. Yeah, a Qunari was a force to be reckoned with if someone or something did attack. But, if there was one thing Nela remembered from her days in Tervinter that she actually still believed;
Never trust a Qunari.
Forcing her attention away from the hornless Qunari, Nela finally tuned back into Leliana and Morrigan's conversation. Thankfully, only hearing the end of the debate.
"Attempting to impose order over chaos is futile. Nature is, by its very nature, chaotic." It was clear the mage was very over the conversation by this point. Though, that would be with the assumption that she had wanted to be a part of the conversation to begin with.
"I don't believe that." The redhead shook her head, finally turning her eyes away from Morrigan. "I believe we have a purpose. All of us."
"Yours, apparently being to bother me." Morrigan shot back in response, ending the conversation immediately with her sharp tone. Leliana seemed to realize there was no point in pushing her argument, as she didn't dare try to start up a conversation with the irritable apostate again.
Not that there was any time to anyways. As the group had approached a door, causing Kara to raise her hand and signal the group to a halt. Everyone remained silent for a moment, making the groaning screeching of the undead and skeletons on the other end very apparent. Sounding almost like they were after something.
Both Alistair and Kara made silent eye contact for a moment before some sort of unspoken decision had been made. There was a moment of hesitation before she finally opened the door, the old thing squeaking on its hinges. Grabbing the attention of the undead that had been scrambling over each other to try and reach whatever was in the cell.
Surprisingly, it seemed they had already been attacked prior to them arriving, chunks of ice sticking to the undeads' rotting bones.
Their groans and screeches turned to the group that was standing just at the door. Though, Kara didn't allow enough time for them to stumble closer to them. She moved her staff over her head, spinning it a few times as electricity gathered around it. It only took her about two seconds before she was satisfied, slamming her staff into the ground and sending a powerful electric shock between all three of them with chain lightning.
As the three creatures dropped to the floor, surprisingly being defeated rather quickly. It solidified the suspicion that they had actually been attacked before their appearance.
Kara looked as though she intended to comment, her mouth opening slightly as she began to shift her attention back to her group. But, she wasn't able to get that far. As a fourth corpse stumbled into the room with a screech. The warden-mage was forced to turn her attention back towards it as she prepared to attack. But, she never got the chance.
From the cell to the side of the room, a white ball shot straight between the bars of the cell. It hit the undead straight on, its body freezing entirely once it came into contact with the magic.
Everyone present had been surprised to some capacity by the sudden spell usage. However, Kara didn't appear to dwell on it long. Taking this as her chance to get this fight done and over with, fire began to engulf the end of her staff as well as her hand. Quickly setting off a flashfire towards the enemy. It both melted and dropped dead where it stood rather quickly.
"Well, that was weird." Being the first to speak up, Alistair simply pointed out the obvious. Earning himself a scoff from Morrigan who was standing a few paces behind him, looking somewhat bored.
Kara, ignoring him. Turned to look at Morrigan specifically before speaking. "Could you go forward and check if there are any other corpses nearby please?"
Simply rolling her eyes rather than giving a verbal response. Morrigan took a step forward as a quick flash of light engulfed her. Taking the form of a raven as she flew off down the hall and into the next room. This surprised Nela. She hadn't been expecting the irritable mage to also be a shapeshifter. Though, that explained why the mage had been sent to speak to Solora earlier.
Speaking of Solora…
Looking down at Solora, who was still standing at her side. The elf-turned-cat looked entirely amazed (as much as a cat could look it anyways). Her eyes were wide as she took a step forward, tilting her head curiously as she stared after the raven-haired mage.
Turning her attention back up to the rest of the group, they had moved towards the cell. Kara and Alistair once again took up the front of the group, approaching where the winter spell had come from only mere moments ago.
Giving Solora a nudge to the side with her foot so the shapeshifter was paying attention, Nela walked towards the cell as well to see what was going on.
There was a brief moment of silence as Kara simply stared into the cell before a very baffled "Morwen?" left her mouth, looking entirely bewildered at the sight in front of her.
An elven mage stood within the cell, only a few steps away from the bars. She looked just about as surprised as Kara was, her eyes wide in shock as she took a step towards the bars.
"Kara?" responded the elf in a similarly baffled tone as the other mage, her expression shifting to a concerned one. "Why and how are you here? You obviously aren't one of the arlessa's guards— at least hopefully you aren't.." Her focus moved away from Kara when saying her last statement, taking note of the others that were on the other side of the cell door.
"I should be asking you that." The warden pointed out, her eyes narrowing in confusion at the mage in front of her. "Last I saw you, you were whisked out of the circle to live with a noble family. How did you end up in a cell at Redcliffe of all places?"
The elven mage suddenly became tense upon hearing the question, one of her hands clenching into a fist. She hid her clenched hand behind her before she began to speak, "The arlessa hired… me to tutor her son. Though that ended when I was thrown in here." It appeared as though the mage was choosing her words carefully, but it wasn't entirely clear as to why.
"Wait, does this mean she's the mage the Arlessa said poisoned the arl?" It was Alistair who spoke up, being the first to connect the dots. The man appeared like he was about to take a step forward towards the cell door, he only stopped when Kara gently put a hand in front of him, shaking her head to urge him not to do anything rash. When she appeared confident Alistair was going to listen to her, she turned her full attention back to Morwen, allowing the mage a chance to defend herself.
Morwen had shot a glare towards Alistair before looking back to Kara, her expression softening when her eyes landed on the mage. "I never wanted to do it. The arlessa didn't know I was hired to do so when she took me in as a tutor." She raised her hand to face as she lowered her head, pinching the bridge of her nose with two of her fingers. "I… I know the horrible position I'm in, but I did not do this—" her hand dropped to her side as she only looked at Kara. "I didn't cause all the undead and murders in the castle. I had already been locked up before it all started! I-I.."
Her words were cut off by a deep inhale, looking as though she was trying to formulate her words properly. "When Lady Isolde came down here with her men… she was demanding I reverse what I'd done, I had assumed she meant the poisoning, but that was when I learned about the undead." There was a brief interruption by a scoff that came from the elf. "She thought I did this. That I wanted to torment her family and destroy Redcliffe by summoning some demon!" Her tone sounded rather offended at the accusation, though her demeanor quickly changed when she continued to ramble. "...There wasn't anything I could say or do that would appease her. Even… after all the torturing… I ended up being left to rot here."
"I… think I believe you." Kara started, her expression softening as she pondered what Morwen had explained. "If you were trying to teach a child magic, I'd be more willing to believe this may be caused by the child. Most likely by accident.
"You believe her!?" Alistair spoke up in shock, looking entirely surprised. His outburst pulled Kara's attention from Morwen to him again. "You may have known this mage in the circle but she still poisoned the arl. She could be entirely capable of doing this."
The imprisoned mage gave an annoyed 'tch ' in retort to Alistair's statement, rolling her eyes at the blonde-haired man. Kara ignored it, however, as she appeared more interested in pondering Alistair's point. Pursing her lips as she held back on responding at first, appearing to be lost in thought for a moment before finally speaking up again. "You have a point, she did still poison the arl… But I can barely picture her willingly releasing demons on the town like this." Turning her attention back on Morwen again, she stared at her curiously. "If you didn't want to poison the arl, why did you do it?"
Once she was addressed by Kara again, she relaxed for a brief moment before registering what she had been asked. Her eyes didn't look towards Kara, simply staring down shamefully. A hurt expression on her face, her voice lowered as she spoke up. "A lot has changed.." Her eyes finally shifted up to look at the Warden once more, the somber look unchanged. "Ro—" She stopped herself, clearing her throat before continuing in what appeared to be an attempt to correct herself. "Logain... instructed me, more like threatened me, to do it. After all this time, I got myself into... some of the forbidden arts. I'm a maleficar now; a blood mage."
An amused tone laced with sarcasm had come into earshot. Morrigan, now on foot came around the corner as she rejoined the group. "You? A blood mage? Truly? I never would've guessed."
The comment earned herself a warning glare from Kara, though the raven-haired mage seemed entirely unaffected by the look sent her way. Instead of acknowledging it, she simply commented on the task she had been sent out to do.
"There were few undead on the way to the exit, I picked them off easily enough. It'll be more of a fight further in, however."
"Thank you, Morrigan." The mage-warden responded, looking mildly annoyed at being brushed off, but overall just chose not to comment on it. Instead, she turned her attention back to the familiar mage in front of her.
" He told me he would send me back to the Circle. I'd be condemned to death for what I've done, I couldn't go back there.." A long sigh left the elf's mouth, her hand once again up to her face, this time rubbing her temple. "I can very much assume that I've been left here now, stuck to deal with a whole different mess than intended. Perfect. "
"Okay, hold on a second," Kara spoke up, hoping to halt Morwen before they moved too far past the information the elf-mage was providing. "So it was Teyrn Loghain who had hired you to poison the arl?" If the mage-warden's expression was giving off anything, it was disbelief at the particular information.
Though all Nela could really ponder on was why the name seemed so familiar. Looking down at Solora at her side, her eyes seemed to have widened in shock at the name. She knew something Nela didn't, that much was evident.
Morwen gave a slightly confused look, shrugging her shoulders before answering. "Yes," she began, "My… er… Rose, the noble I was assigned to, and I were in Denerim. Somehow the teryn knew about me being a maleficar, that's when he threatened us. I wouldn't be turned in for what I did if I went through with this whole plan of his.
Kara opened then closed her mouth, looking as though she had a question that she wanted to ask but had thought better of it. After a few seconds of pondering, she finally continued. "And the arl? Was it ever mentioned to you why you were sent to poison him?"
"He didn't exactly explain himself, something about the arl being a threat to the nation?" Her statement came out more like a question, the mage seemed unsure of herself at that point. "If I'll be honest, it just sounded like some crap he added on to make it sound like this was a good thing. So, I didn't pay much attention to the extra details."
"So you poisoned the arl to save your own skin? I've done more for less..." Nela finally spoke up, the sudden comment earning her a not-so-subtle glare from Alistair. The man appeared very unimpressed by the easy admittance. Probably not the best time for Nela to be making said comments, but the elf simply sent Alistair an amused smirk in response.
The annoyed huff in disapproval wasn't lost on her. But hey, it wasn't her fault he was so easy to bother.
It seemed that Kara had opted to simply ignore her companions, for the time being, the comments and jabs being thrown around weren't helping her line of questioning at all. So ignoring them was probably a good choice.
"If we are taking into consideration the child is responsible for this, I need to know how much magic you... taught the boy." The words weren't spoken, but the implication was clear as day. She wanted to know if the child had been taught any blood magic himself.
The white-haired mage blinked in surprise at the question given to her, shaking her head before opening her mouth to speak. "Not much at all. Lady Isolde wanted him to know enough so that he could hide it, she didn't want anyone to know so he wouldn't be taken to the Circle. Not even the arl knew about it." She explained, as her hands fiddled with strands of her long hair.
"That doesn't entirely rule out the chance of a demon being responsible, though how this happened worries me…" Kara had ended up muttering the last part of her sentence, narrowing her eyes as she seemed to fall into a state of deep thought. It was surprisingly Nela who had interrupted again. Though this time, it was with a question rather than a stupid remark.
"So what are we doing with the blood mage?" The elven assassin questioned, raising an eyebrow as she glanced toward Kara. "Letting her out? Leaving her to be killed by the corpses?" It was clear Nela wasn't actually too concerned for Morwen's wellbeing, but more so curious as to what fate the other elf would face.
"We could let her out…" The mage-warden began, though she didn't get much of a chance to continue. Alistair, as unagreeable as ever, was immediately ready to speak against this idea.
"Hey, hey! Let's not forget she's a blood mage!" The other warden reiterated in an attempt to halt the idea in its tracks. "You can't just… Set a blood mage free!"
Kara had turned around to address Alistair, though she was given no leeway to do so. Most of her companions seemed keen on giving their two cents on the situation, much to her displeasure.
"Better to slay her? Better to punish her for her choices? Is this Alistair who speaks or the templar?" Morrigan of course spoke up to antagonize the poor man, having been leaning against the doorframe leading out of the room. "I say this girl could be of use to us. But if not, I see no reason to keep her prisoner here."
Alistair sent her an annoyed scoff, crossing his arms in front of him. "I'd say it's common sense to not let a blood mage to their own devices, we don't even know the full story yet."
Kara pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, taking a moment to take a deep breath before turning back to Morwen. She had seemingly decided not to humour either side of the debate between ex-templar and apostate. "Would you be willing to help us if we let you out?"
Morwen had only been glaring towards Alistair during the parties' entire interaction, when her gaze shifted over to Kara once more her expression softened. "I'll help in any way I can, as long as you keep your templar pup on a short leash while I'm with you." Her focus moved back to the blonde while she spoke, crossing her arms as she did so.
"Hey!" Alistair snapped back in clear annoyance, turning his attention straight back over to the mage in pure displeasure.
"Ah, this one I like," Morrigan responded, turning her yellow eyes towards Morwen in amusement following her comment.
Kara simply heaved out a heavy sigh, turning her attention back towards Leliana with a look of exhaustion. "Could you unlock this please?"
"Of course," Leliana responded, walking back up to Kara and crouching down in front of the gate so she could begin to pick at the lock. From behind her, Alistair provided Kara with a look that could only be described as unimpressed.
Kara, entirely done with his approach to this entire conversation simply met his gaze with a blank stare. Only breaking it when the click of the gate being unlocked could be heard behind her. Turning her attention back to the cell just as Leliana was standing back to her feet and opening the gate for Morwen.
"We've wasted enough time standing here, it would be unwise to continue doing so." It was Sten who had finally spoken up, for the first time since approaching Morwen's cell. The large Qunari had never moved from his spot behind the group, simply watching in silence with his arms crossed in front of him. His expression remained as emotionless as usual.
Kara seemed almost relieved for Sten's input like he was the only one being a voice of reason at that moment aside from herself. Giving a short nod in agreement, she gestured her head towards where Morrigan was still standing. "Sten's right, we should hurry up and get to the castle." Doshiel was the one to give his owner a supportive bark of agreement.
Making their way throughout the underground passage towards the castle in question was a bit of a feat. Though thanks to Morrigan for clearing out some of the undead before they set off again had managed to make life a little bit easier. They got through easily enough. Even managing to find the blacksmith's daughter and sending her back towards the village now that the path behind them had been cleared out.
The enemies that did need to be fought were easy to clear out considering the size of the group fighting back. Only Solora not taking part in the fights this time around, probably turned off to fighting again after spending the entire previous night tasting rotting blood.
Nela really couldn't blame her.
The group had managed to get back up to the service without much of an issue. The fight directly outside the castle managed to be the most difficult with the appearance of a revenant. But the fight was doable, and they eventually managed to get through it.
No one traveling with the wardens knew what to expect upon finally entering the castle, but Ban Teagan hopped around the main hall like a court jester. The guards stood rigid towards the sides of the room. None of them reacted to the large group of people entering the castle.
A child, likely the Arlessa's kid, stood in front of the fire cheering on his uncle. Happy clapping and laughing as the man hopped about in front of him, acting like a fool. Beside the child stood Isold, her posture and expression giving off the look of a woman who seemed utterly defeated. Her attention only appeared to change from the scene in front of her when she had noticed the Wardens group had entered the main hall.
It didn't take long for Connor to notice them either, the child's back had straightened as he looked at his 'guests' with interest. Holding his hand up to signal Teagan to stop, the man ascended the small steps in front of his nephew to stand beside him.
"So these are our visitors? The ones you told me about, mother?" For being a child, Connors's expression seemed almost sinister. He didn't manage to sound much like a child either, his voice sounding deep and distorted and words sounding more calculated than what was common for a child.
Something was definitely off.
"Y-yes, Connor," Isolde responded, her tone sounding weary as she directed her eyes to the ground. Almost like she couldn't face her child or the warden's group in front of him.
"And this is the same person who defeated my soldiers?" Connor continued to question, turning a critical eye on his mother. "The ones I sent to reclaim my village?"
"Yes," Isolde responded again, her tone of voice quiet.
"And now it's starring at me!" The child continued, his attention turning directly to Kara who stood at the front of the group. His expression appeared frustrated. "What is it, mother? I can't see it well enough."
"This… this is a woman, Connor. Just as I am…"
"You lie!" The Arlessa's son snapped back at his mother in anger. "Why, just look at her! Half your age and pretty, too. I'm surprised you don't order her executed in a fit of jealousy!"
The Orlesian woman's eyes widen in shock at the comment. Her back straightened as she looked at her son in horror. "C-Connor, I beg you, don't hurt anyone!"
As Isolde had been talking to her child, the boy had leaned his head forward, hand pinching the bridge of his nose as he squinted in pain for a brief moment. It was only a moment of silence before Connor had begun speaking 'normally' again. "M-mother? What… what's happening? Where am I?"
"Oh, thank the Maker! Connor!" The Arlessa exclaimed, immediately kneeling in front of her son and taking his hands in hers. Her tone was desperate to get through to her son. "Connor, can you hear me?"
Connor stared down at his mother for only a few seconds before his expression changed, ripping his hands out of Isolde's. The child appeared angry now, taking a step away from the Orlesian as he began to yell. "Get away from me, fool woman!" The eerie tone Connor had held before the small breakthrough had returned, startling Idsode enough to cause her to stumble back. "You are beginning to bore me."
Isolde turned her desperate look to the Grey Warden's group, pushing herself back to her feet. "Please don't hurt my son! He's not responsible for what he does!"
"So he is the force of evil you spoke of," Kara spoke, letting out a huff of exasperation. "At least that confirms our theory." The last part of her statement had been spoken a lot quieter, but she was still easy enough to hear to anyone within the room.
"No! Don't say that!"
Nela was not entirely impressed by the woman's unwillingness to acknowledge what was actually happening here. To an extent, she could understand the worry the mother held. Maybe. But makers breath, how long did she intend to pretend her child wasn't possessed?
It seemed Morrigan wasn't too impressed by the Arlessa's approach either, as she spoke up, further explaining what was going on. "So the boy has become an abomination and sundered the Veil?"
"Connor didn't mean to do this! It was the mage, the one who poisoned Eamon-" Her voice was desperate, begging for the Wardens group to understand that this wasn't her son's fault. Despite the damage, the child had caused due to his actions. "She started this! She summoned the demon! Connor was just trying to help his father!"
With how the woman was talking, she didn't appear to notice Morwen standing towards the back of the group with Sten just yet. Though Morrigan didn't appear to believe she needed attention to it as she continued. "And made a deal with the demon to do so? Foolish child."
"It was a fair deal!" The child… Demon... snapped back, seeming enraged by the conversation happening before it. "Father is alive, just as I wanted. Now it's my turn to sit on the throne and send out armies to conquer the world! Nobody tells me what to do anymore!"
"Noooobody tells him what to do!" Teagan cackled, sitting on the floor nearby. The scene was quite unnerving, something was definitely off with him. "Nobody! Ha-ha!"
"Quiet uncle!" The demon snapped. Turning around to face Teagan in annoyance "I warned you what would happen if you kept shouting, didn't I? Yes, I did."
As his threats managed to shut Teagan up, the demon turned his attention back towards the group before him. "But let's keep things civil. This woman will have the audience she seeks." His eyes narrowed down at Kara specifically as he chose to address her. "Tell us… What have you come here for?"
"I-" Kara stopped for a moment, glancing to Alistair at her side before looking back to the demon-controlled Connor before correcting herself. "We came here to help. If we could"
"To help me? To help father?" The demon questioned, beginning to slowly pace back and forth, its eyes never leaving Kara. "To help yourself? Which?"
Kara stared for a moment. Looking as though she was considering her words carefully before she spoke. "To help you, of course." The mage-warden didn't look as though she even believed what she was saying. However, it seemed the Demon did.
The response did little to help, as all it did was seem to anger the Demon instead. "I don't need help, I can do everything myself!" He finally turned his attention away from Kara and to Isolde who stood beside him still. "Isn't that right, mother?"
"I… I don't think..." Isolde tried, attempting to go along with whatever Kara was trying to do. It was a fetal attempt forever, as this only set off the demon further, as he cut her off to continue its spiel.
"Of course you don't. Ever since you sent the knights away, you do nothing but deprive me of my fun. Frankly, it's getting dull." He snapped back at the woman, turning his attention back towards Kara to point an accusatory finger at her. "I crave excitement! And action! This woman spoiled my sport by saving that stupid village, and now she'll repay me!"
The demon-child took off out the main room, and down one of the side halls. With him out of sight, the guards and Teagan attacked.
Here we go again.
When the fight had begun, Solora didn't attempt to fully join the fight again. That being said, she hadn't been entirely useless this time around either.
When Solora had realized what was happening, the shapeshifter wasted no time switching from her cat form as she moved towards Teagan, shifting directly into her mountain lion form as she reached him. Seeing as it became quite clear that the man, much like the guards throughout the room were being controlled by the demon-child, she had to intention of killing him. Instead, she slammed her body directly into Teagan, forcing him to the floor with a loud thud.
His sword fell out of his hand following the crash easily enough, which made the following task a lot easier. She had been immediately met with the Bann's shield in her face, making it difficult to keep him down as he attempted to use the shield to shove her off. Letting out a loud growl, she lowered her body just enough to shove her head between Teagans body and the shield, using the new angle to raise her head and force the shield right out of his hand.
Once the shield was gone, The mage-turned-cougar dropped the entirety of her body weight on the top half of Teagans body. Making it impossible for the man to move and difficult for any attempts to fight back. Thus, she had an easy enough time simply sitting there until the fighting around them had halted.
Most of the guards sadly didn't manage to get out of the demon-controlled fight with their lives. But luckily, some did, including Teagan. When the fighting had stopped, the Arlessa ran right for Solora and Teagan, only stopping a few steps away - being weary of the massive animal lying down on top of her brother-in-law.
Taking a moment to look down at Teagan and confirm he was no longer a threat, Solora heaved herself off of the Bann and walked over to where Nela was standing off to the side of the group.
"They could have just knocked him out, you didn't really need to do that," Nela spoke to Solora, leaning against the wall looking somewhat bored. Though her attention remained on the big cat below her.
Solora stared up at Nela for only a moment before finally deciding to transform back into her true form. The elf immediately rolled her eyes at the elven Assassin upon being at eye level. "I figured containing him rather than knocking them unconscious would be the better move, no?"
Nela gave a short hum, looking off to where Teagan and Isolde were currently talking to the Wardens before looking back toward Solora. "I guess. Knocking him out would have been faster though."
"Faster doesn't always mean better," Solora responded, letting out a short snicker as she too looked towards where the Wardens were talking.
"Perhaps," Nela responded, not entirely agreeing or disagreeing with the Dalish elf's reasoning. "By the way, I needed to ask you about the name Morwen mentioned earlier.."
Solora turned her head towards Nela curiously, opening her mouth to respond to the other elf, but was ultimately cut off by Isolde yelling. The sound caught both elves off guard as they turned their heads to find Isolde yelling at Morwen.
"You did this to Connor!"
" I did no such thing," Morwen snapped back, looking completely irritated with the accusations being thrown her way. "I already told you that. I am here to help you with this entire mess."
"Help!?" The Arlessa snapped back, her voice strained as she yelled at the blood-mage. Looking as though she couldn't believe the explanation Morwen was trying to give her. "You betrayed me! I brought you here to help my son and in return, you poisoned my husband!"
"This is the mage you spoke of?" Teagan questioned, sending a critical eye towards the white-haired mage. "Didn't you say she was in the dungeon?"
"She was," Isolde spat, crossing her arms in front of her. "I assumed the creatures had killed her by now. She must have been set free."
"I was the one who let her out." Kara clarified as she had finally found an opening to re-enter the conversation. Isolde had sent a look of disgust her way following Kara's statement. Nonetheless, Kara continued unphased. "I figured she could help, having more knowledge on Connors abilities than we do."
"Figured she could help!? After everything she did, she should be executed!" The Arlessa spun around, glaring directly at the blood-mage in front of her. If looks could kill, Morwen would already be dead with the glares Isolde kept gracing her with. "Without her, none of this would have happened!"
"Your secrecy made her actions possible, Isolde." Teagan pointed out, resting a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm his sister-in-law down.
"But I…" Isolde started, attempting to defend herself.
"I honestly do not care what you think of me. But I do apologize for your current situation, and for taking advantage of it." Morwen cut in, though not seeming incredibly remorseful in regards to how Isolde felt.
"Well, I shan't turn away her help. Not yet, and if Connor is truly an abomination-"
Isolde shook her head at Teagan. as if wanting to brush away the notion of her son being such a creature. "He is not always the demon you saw. Connor is still inside him, and sometimes he breaks through. Please, I just want to protect him!"
"Isn't that what started this?" Bann Teagan questioned. "You hired a mage to teach Connor in secret… to protect him."
"If they discovered Connor had magic, then they'd take him away! I thought if he learned just enough to hide it, then..." The Arlessa trailed off, not looking too sure about how to proceed anymore.
"Where is Connor now?" Kara questioned, grabbing Isolde and Teagan's attention. "Any idea why he ran off?"
"I think he ran upstairs," Teagan answered truthfully. "To the family quarters."
"Violence… scares him." The admission caused Kara to give the woman a look of disbelief. Isolde caught this, rushing to clarify herself. "I know it sounds strange. He may have run-up to his room, or…"
"...Or he might be waiting in ambush?" Kara finished, urging Isolde to continue.
"I don't know." Isolde sighed. "The fighting may have scared Connor into… coming out again, and so he ran."
"So you're saying he may be vulnerable?" Teagan questioned, his face contorting into a frown. Having to discuss possibly killing a child was distressing for everyone involved. Isolde taking the brunt of the possible decision the hardest.
"I… perhaps. Is there… Is there no other way?"
"Morwen?" Kara immediately questioned, looking to the blood-mage in hopes that she might have something else they could work with.
"The easiest way to destroy that demon is to kill Connor…" No one missed the distraught look the Arlessa sent the blood-mage at the confirmation, but Morwen ignored her as she continued explaining. "Although, there is another way. A mage could confront the demon within the fade, this would ensure that Connor is not harmed."
"What do you mean? Is the demon not within Connor?"
"Not physically." Morwen clarified following Teagan's confusion. "The demon must have approached Connor while he dreamt, that is where it controls him from. We can use the connection between them to find the demon."
"You can enter the Fade, then?" Isolde asked, hopeful. "And kill the demon without hurting my boy?"
"I cannot do it myself, but I can enable another mage to do so. We'd normally need lyrium and several mages," Morwen cleared her throat before specifying. "But with my blood magic..."
"How exactly would this ritual work?" Kara questioned, looking a bit apprehensive about the idea of using blood magic to solve this issue.
"Normally lyrium would provide the power for the ritual," The blood-mage explained. "But I can take that power from someone's life energy… However, this ritual will require all of it.."
"So... someone must die?" Teagan questioned, his eyebrows furrowing at the white-haired elf. "Someone must be sacrificed?"
"Yes. I can then send one of the other mages into the Fade, though I can't enter as I need to perform the ritual," Morwen could see the many unsure looks being sent her way following the suggestions. Thus, she quickly continued. "It doesn't seem like the best plan, but it is another option on the table."
"I am willing to be the sacrifice." Isolde offered up, not missing the shocked looks of everyone around her. Specifically, Teagan voiced his distaste for the very idea.
"What? Isolde, are you mad!? Eamon would never allow this!"
"Either someone kills my son to destroy that thing inside him or I give mine so my son can live." The Arlessa snapped back, seeming set on the idea. "To me, the answer is clear."
"Can we not go to the circle and ask the mages there for help?" Alistair was the one who asked this, finally chiming into the conversation and looking between Morwen and Kara as he spoke. "I'm sure they would help, especially with a child's life on the line."
Kara went silent for a few moments as if pondering the idea. It didn't last long, as the mage-warden let out a defeated sigh. "That's a few days trip just to get there and back, and that's assuming they are willing to help us," Kara explained, Alistair opened his mouth like he wanted to argue - but the mage-warden continued. "We would be stupid to believe another attack wouldn't hit the village tonight, let alone every night that we are gone. That's way too many lives to be risking to head back and forth for one child. As much as I'd like to try, we simply don't have the time."
"Blood magic." He let out a frustrated huff, clearly not happy with where this was going. Even if he knew Kara had a point. "How can more evil be of any help here? Two wrongs don't make a right."
"It does seem like a sensible choice," Morrigan cut in, to Solora's surprise. "With a willing participant." The shapeshifter would have thought the irritable woman would have been more on board with killing the child with her usual attitude.
"Connor is blameless in this, he should not have to pay the price." Isolde clarified. "Nor should the rest of the village."
"It would be up to you, my friend," Teagan responded with a tired exhale. "It would be you or one of your companions who would be going to the Fade. The decision is yours."
"Are you sure you want to do this, Lady Isolde?" Kara turned to the Arlessa, still unsure of their plan. She knew someone was going to die tonight, there was no avoiding it. But she didn't appear too pleased to just be letting Isolde die.
"If there is even a chance to save Connor, I am."
"You rest your hopes on this young mage?" Teagan questioned in disbelief. "She poisoned Eamon, and she could take your life power and attack, for all we know!"
Isolde looked towards Morwen, who looked less than pleased at the assumption but said nothing. "She would be a fool to try." The Arlessa spoke with a little more certainty, looking back at Teagan. "I am willing to take her word, I will give my life for a chance to undo what I have done."
"I still do not agree," Teagan admitted, shifting his attention back to Kara. "But it is not my choice."
Kara went silent for a moment, almost like she was hyper-aware of everyone's eyes on her, awaiting her decision. With a heavy sigh, she seemed to know what decision she had to make. "We will do Morwen's ritual, I feel we do not have a better choice."
"Thank you," Isolde responded to her decision, her eyes sad as she seemed to be coming to terms with her fate. "If it will save my son, then I am not afraid."
"With that settled, who will be going into the Fade?" Morwen questioned, looking between Kara and her other mage companions curiously.
"Uh," Kara spoke, looking unsure as to who she would be willing to send. The mage-warden turned her head, making eye contact with Morrigan - whose expression hardened immediately.
"Absolutely not," The apostate snapped, crossing her arms in front of her in displeasure. "You would be a fool to expect me to go demon hunting to clean up a mess that is not my own."
"You did say this was a sensible decision," Alistair pointed out, attempting to throw her own words back at her. This only managed to earn him a sharp glare being shot his way from the raven-haired mage in response.
"With a willing participant, which I am not. "
"It's fine, it's fine, I will go then." Kara quickly cut in, not wanting to antagonize Morrigan further. This seemed to do little to help, as Alistair immediately turned his attention towards her.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? We're the last Grey Wardens in Fereldan. What happens if you die in the Fade?" Alistair questioned, though he didn't say it - the clear indication was there. I'd have to do this alone.
"Do you have that little faith in me, that you believe I would die to this demon?" Kara questioned, raising her eyebrow at Alistair in an accusatory manner.
"No that's not what I-" Alistair didn't get much of a chance to continue as Solara stepped forward, cutting the senior Warden off.
"I will go."
"You will what?!" Nela snapped in disbelief, both of her eyebrows raising in pure disbelief at the sudden volunteering to go after the demon. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Do you not believe I could do it?" The elven-shapeshifter mirrored Kara's own words towards Alistair, turning around to face her partner by mere circumstance.
"No, I do not actually." Nela shot back, unamused. "And your constant need to play hero is getting irritating."
"Good thing it is not your choice then," Solora huffed, turning back towards Kara and taking the few steps forward to stand near her. "You guys already don't trust us, and there is no need for you to take the risk. If Morrigan does not want to go, I have no issues going in her place."
Nela let out an irritated snort of her own from her spot by the wall but was overall ignored as Kara turned to focus on the Dalish mage who had approached her. "Fine." Kara relented, not looking too fond of the idea that had been presented to them. The mage-warden looked as though she would have rather been going herself, though she had a lack of a choice in the matter now. Alistair and Solora both brought up good points, it was better for her to stay behind.
"You have my eternal gratitude," The Arl's wife spoke, taking a few steps towards the Dalish elf and tentatively touching the younger woman's arm. The Orlesian woman had been flooded in relief as she realized they had quite the chance. "May the maker go with you, madam."
Though Solora rarely gave little care towards the human god, she had to force her face not to scrunch up at the comment sent her way. Whatever way she chose to look at it now, the usually uptight woman was going to be taking her final breaths very soon.
Her personal feelings on the matter weren't important at the moment, now wasn't the time.
Morwen stepped up to the two interacting, glancing at both of them before speaking up. "Shall we get this started then?"
Solora didn't think she could ever get used to the brutality behind blood magic. Watching the life being sucked out of the Arlessa was horrifying to put it into simple terms. The shapeshifter didn't even have much of a chance to process what was happening in front of her.
The second Isolde's body hit the ground, Solora felt her own body begin to convulse before everything turned white. When she could finally see again, Solora found herself in the fade.
Solora had never feared the fade. It may be a realm filled to the brim of Demons and spirits alike, but her previous training with her clan's keeper had left her fully prepared and capable of dealing with whatever she would risk facing in the fade.
The Dalish elf allowed herself a moment to gather her bearings, looking around the distorted and almost faded landscape of the fade. She knew she had to find a way to get to this stupid demon, it was just a matter of how she was going to find it now.
Opting to try and stay out of sight as much as possible, Solora shifted back into her cat form. The smaller size of the animal made it easier to stay out of sight of any other demons. She knew that she didn't have a lot of time to be fighting everything in her path, making this the easiest outcome to simply stay out of their way and hopefully stay unnoticed.
It didn't take too long for Solora to find a clue as to where she should be going. The sound of a man's voice calling out could be heard in the distance. Choosing not to waste any more time. The shapeshifter slipped into the long, dead grass lining the area and started heading down in that direction.
The first spirit to make its appearance (if you could even call it that), was the translucent form of Connor. The boy walked straight past her and down in the direction of the way she came. Solora had hesitated for a moment, watching the boy move past her. Her attention was pulled away by the same yelling as before, although, it seemed closer this time.
"Is that you, Connor?" The mage-turned cat twitched her ears curiously. Trotting forward, still out of sight. She was soon able to spot a spirit, similar to the one that looked like Connor - though of an older man this time. He was moving in the opposite direction than Connor was, yelling out in a frantic voice. "I can hear you! I'm coming!"
The spirit, who Solora assumed was probably of Arl Eamon, moved out of view. So Solora picked up her pace, not wanting to lose sight of the spirit. Though as she turned the corner she froze in surprise, her head peeking out of the grass in amazement as many of the spirits sharing the likeness of Arl Eamon and Connor were walking about. Each one of them yelled for each other in this dreaded place.
"Father! where are you?" One of the Connors called out. It was soon followed by another Connor that was crouched on the floor not too far away from each other. The translucent spirit looked distraught as he spoke. "I don't understand, it's so cold! I want to go home!"
The sight was distressing for Solora. The elf-turned-cat froze in place as she scanned through the spirits at a bit of a loss. It was like starring into a mob of people, absolute chaos. The only difference was that she could see through them. It did little to help her predicament.
Seeming to realize she would get nowhere hiding in the grass, she finally moved out. Hoping her small form would still keep her from being too distracting to any unwanted attention. Quickly slipping between each spirit as she trudged forward.
It didn't take long for Solora to reach a fork in the path. One of which lead right into a dark purple portal, likely leading into another side of the fade. The other, towards some bookcases, a bed… and Arl Eamon?
It was the first Arl Eamon to give off the unnerving appearance of a spirit, peaking her interests slightly. Deciding to test her luck she allowed herself to move closer to him, ignoring the yelling coming from the spirits around her as she switched back to her true form once she was right in front of the Arl.
"You there! Have you seen my son?" The older man spoke, turning his attention directly to Solora. "I can… I can hear him, but I cannot find him. This blasted fog has me turning in circles!"
"Arl Eamon? This is the Fade. A demon has you trapped here." Solora tried reasoning with the panicked man. It seemed to do little to help though, as the man continued to speak to her in pure frustration.
"A what? I… don't understand. Is Connor here or not?"
"I think so," Solora responded honestly, hoping she could reason with the man. "Connor made a deal with a demon to try and save you, he was possessed by it afterwards."
"What? Possessed?" The older man question, his expression turning to one of distraught after learning this information. "Then… We must help him! Is that why you're here?"
"Yes, I'm here to try and help Connor." Solora clarified. "I just need you to trust me."
"You…" He went silent for a moment as if trying to decide if he did trust her. "I do trust you. We… must help my son. But…" The arl let out a long, exhausted sigh. "I can never find him in this fog. You must find Connor! Please, I beg you…"
"I'll do whatever I can," Solora responded, finding further resolve in her choice to come to the Fade. She didn't wait around for any sort of response, turning around and taking the form of a cat once again. She quickened her pace, running straight through the portal she had seen before.
There was a lot of walking down empty paths after going through that first portal. If it hadn't been a one-way path, the mage would have been almost certain she was lost. But considering this had been the only way forward, Solora knew that she had to be on the right track.
As the path began to elevate upwards, she knew she was coming upon something. When reaching the top she caught sight of what looked to be Connor, the only things near him were a bed and a chair. Solora felt a little suspicious of the boy simply sitting out in the open like this, but she approached anyway. Turning back into an elf before approaching the boy.
"Who are you? Are you the one that made father ill? Tell me now!"
Solora was a tad off-put by the child yelling at her. Thus, she chose to keep a safe distance in case this went sideways as she attempted to speak to him. "Connor… is that actually you?" Solora tried questioning, watching the boy in front of her cautiously. "Or are you a demon pretending to be him."
"You could be a demon too!" Connor snapped back, not pleased with the assumption at all. "You could be a demon that just looks like a person!"
The immediate defensive the boy had taken up, proved enough for Solora to not believe the boy at all. "Or you could be a guardian of this realm, meant to confuse me or lead me off track."
"Fool! You won't get near her!" It seemed that Solora was right, as the child's stance straightened, anger burning in his response to the elf. "I won't let you!"
Solora stumbled back as the demon masking itself as Connor let out a screech. A bright light overtook him as it began to transform back into a desire demon. The mage did not want to waste any time fighting the demon, but she knew she didn't have much of a choice.
She could only pray to the creators that this thing wouldn't be too difficult to take on.
Thankfully the creature was not difficult to take down, though Solora could only guess that the demon she was actually looking for was going to prove more of a challenge. For now, however, the fight was easy enough. As soon as the demon's body hit the floor, Solora had shifted into her owl form, hastily flying down the hill and through the second portal.
Making it through the second portal, Solora was met with more Spirits of Connor wandering around before her. Each one shouting out to their father, or shouting out to some unseen enemy for being responsible for his father's illness. As she flew further down the path, she saw a few spirits of Arl Eamon as well, though they were a lot fewer than the first time she had come across them.
Trying not to dwell too long on the spirits around her, Solora continued flying forward. She again, shifted into her true form as she landed on the ground before a small archway. Carefully walking through, she was once again met with another Connor. This time, she approached it with the assumption of it being an actual demon.
"Why do you keep hurting me!?" The demon disguised as a child yelled at Solora as she neared. "Why are you trying to stop me?
"You didn't manage to trick me the first time demon, you won't do it again." The elf warned, making no attempt to approach the demon. Instead, keeping her distance for when the demon inevitably showed its true form once again.
"You will not find what you seek! Turn back now!" The demon attempted to warn.
"If you truly believed there was nothing for me to find, you wouldn't be trying so hard to get me to leave." Solora pointed out, knowing full well she would only succeed in enraging the demon more than she did the first time.
"Trespasser! I will drive you out!"
And show its true form, it did.
The last fight proved to be a little more difficult than the last, the desire demon summoning a rage demon to fight at its side. Solora managed, surprisingly enough. She hadn't known truly what it meant to fight like your life depended on it until the night before, thus facing down each demon was proving to be somewhat unnerving.
The demon following the third portal had followed a similar fighting strategy as the second, making it a little more predictable.
What worried Solora was facing the demon responsible for this mess.
The fourth and final portal the elf had gone through, opened into a winding path. It wasn't as long as the previous ones. The path itself had ended in a giant clearing, somewhere in the middle, another desire demon floated, making no attempts to hide as it watched Solora approach her. It seemed that the demon had given up on trying to fool her.
Now it suddenly wanted to talk, interesting.
"Very well, no more illusions. Now we meet face-to-face. You see my true form and stand in my domain." The demon in front of her spoke, slowly trailing its hand up its own body. The motions managing to make Solora quite uncomfortable. "It is here I am most powerful, and yet I have no wish to engage your power. Nor should you be so eager to engage mine. Perhaps we should converse instead?"
"About what, exactly?" Solora questioned, staring at the demon in unease. "I don't see what I have to gain in talking to you."
"I possess the boy's soul. We could battle for it or we could negotiate like civilized beings." Solora couldn't help but snort at that. But the demon continued, ignoring the noise she had made. "If you are smart, you could even come out ahead."
"I've heard of your type before," Solora responded, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Desire demons, ones that can be whatever the person it is conversing with desires. Is this what you are attempting to offer me?"
The demon watched her carefully, almost seeming surprised she had made the assumption so quickly. It didn't allow that to show beyond its silence, however, as it responded as easily as it had done before.
"Perhaps. Let us pause and speak of your desires, it costs nothing but a moment of your time to do so."
Solora stared at the demon, she couldn't find it in her to be surprised at the demon's poor attempt at getting her to make a deal with it. She would not be pulled down such a road. "I am not willing to barter with you, demon. You've caused too much harm."
"Alas, that is sad." The demon spoke, its tone almost sounding disappointed at the elf's unwillingness to even hear it out. "Very well, then. If you wish for a battle, you will have it. Let us see if your power matches your boldness, creature."
Solora was only left a moment to react before a stream of fire was going straight for her.
When the fight with the demon had finally finished, Solora was exhausted, but also relieved. The immediate danger the stupid creature had been causing was finally over. That being said, following the fight - Solora wasn't left much time to catch her breath. She found herself thrust out of the Fade as the demon's realm collapsed along with it.
When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself starring at the ceiling of some room within Redcliffe castle. Letting out a short groan, she raised her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as she got readjusted to being back in the real world.
She was surprised to find Nela sitting beside her when she finally turned her attention to whoever had been in the room with her, the elven assassin looking at her with a calculated expression as Solora made eye contact with her.
"What are you doing here?" Solora found herself questioning, squinting her eyes shut with a short groan. "How long was I in the Fade?"
"About two hours," Nela responded, resting her dagger that she was sharpening on her lap as she addressed the Dalish elf. "The boy was back to normal about a half-hour ago. I'm surprised you managed to do it, didn't think you had it in you."
"That didn't answer my first question." Solora clarified, removing her hand from her face so she could get a better look at Nela.
"As much as I hate to admit it, until we figure out what's going on I need you to be in one piece." The assassin clarified, standing up from her chair. "So try not to pull any more heroics until we get this shit figured out, okay?"
Solora let out an amused snort. Of course, that's what Nela was still focused on. But that was about the best response she was going to get from the other elf at the moment, so she would take it. Allowing herself to drop back down in the bed in exhaustion, she let out a loud exhale. By the gods, she never wanted to do something like that again. So, she was more than happy to give Nela the response she was seeking.
"Okay."
A/N: So this chapter came out later than intended but sitting at over 10.7k words, I hope it was worth the wait (It definitely ended up being a hell of a lot longer than I was even expecting)!
But we're finally through it! Assuming things go as planned, most chapters shouldn't be mostly focused on canon plot stuff (despite some of it being changed). As for what will be changed... I don't really want to spoil it!
Also, Morwen has finally been introduced! (Morwen belongs to my friend and Beta-reader jeybird . art on Instagram). She's got quiteeee a few things going on throughout the Timeless series as a whole, which I'm really excited about! If your wondering what the hell happened to Jowan, that will be revealed eventually - just not quite yet!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! I know I don't have much of a posting schedule, but I'm hoping to get the next chapter done sooner than I did this time around. But we will see I guess!
Want more information on the Breach Age and the characters involved? Maybe you want to check out the Codex or art relating to the story? Check out the stories ToyHouse for the art, as well as a link to the codex and anything else relating to the story!:
toyhou . se / 11274884 . timeless-series-dragon-age-
Word Count: 10,715