Varric followed the seeker and the prisoner who apparently was called Shartan with Chuckles on Varric's right side, Varric was trying to puzzle out what was with the tensions with this group. The Seeker seemed to be bouncing between wanting to jump Shartan and wanting to kill him while Shartan just maintained a mood of cold snark with a strange warm teasing towards the seeker, if that was not enough Solas looked down right scared of the prisoner while Shartan looked at him like he was measuring him to be made into a fur coat finally having enough Varric popped a question. "So prickly?" he directed at the large pale man. "Prickly?" "Yeah you strike me as the prickly sort." "You are not far off master tethras." Solas spoke softly. "Watch yourself mutt do not think I have forgiven you yet!" Came a growl of hate from the large man.
Cassandra decided to ask a question that had been bugging her since the first rift. "What is your past with Solas?" her soulmate looked at her with sad eyes before answering. "Solas and I were once allies in the old empire until his views split the leaders of our people, to stop the battles I helped him make the veil but in doing so doomed myself to live forever and to watch you die over and over again." Shartan said with a very weary voice as if all the years of his life were weighing him down, Cassandra stopped suddenly as what he said sunk in and she could see the dwarf realize it at the same time. "Wait prickly your saying that you made the veil!?" Varric asked shocked. "One if you must call me something either call me Shartan or Prongs and second I did not create the veil I helped supply the power and hold our enemies back in doing so I tied myself to the veil, as long as it exists I cannot die or be truly scarred or maimed." Shartan said before moving up the path again with Solas on his heels, leaving the other two to catch up as their heads spun with what he had just said both no quite ready to believe what he had just revealed was true just yet.
Leliana saw the group come up the walkway with Shartan at the front looking despite his dress like a great general rather than a prisoner. When she tried to introduce the man to the councillor he simple yelled. "Enough I order you to chain him and have him prepared for travel to the capital at once!" Before they could even respond the man in question started laughing coldly at the man. "Scream all you want but if a single guard moves to chain me I will remove your head before anyone can blink, so think carefully is your life worth failing at this task?" Leliana felt a shiver of fear when she looked into his eyes and saw nothing but cold and burning hot hate battling for dominance, 'How can this man be Cassandra's soulmate?' the councillor backed down at the threat and Leliana outlined the two paths they could take before asking Shartan his opinion.
"What would you rather do Ma Vhenan?" He asked looking at Cassandra. "Why ask me?" "Because I can make either one work but I know none of these people so their lives matter not to me but your happiness matters to me so I will take the path that makes you happier." "Is it really that simple?" Leliana asked sceptical about that when Solas piped up. "It really is that simple for him, he has waged wars and slaughters for his soulmate before and would do so again most likely." Solas remark "One more reminder of the past Cur and I will give Ma Vhenan a new winter coat lined with real mage wolf fur understood!?" Came a voice that sounded like a cross between a Hart bellowing and a demon roaring, Leliana saw Solas back away in a fear that was so great you would have to be blind to miss it. 'What is their past and just who is this man?' Leliana wondered as the group decided on charging in the path.
Shartan walked among the soldiers and saw that many were losing hope and moral quickly, knowing that would only cost more lives in the long run he decided to fix that with a bit of showmanship as he walked up the steps he gathered his magic around him like a cloak. With a single loud whistle, he caught every person's attention and once they were focused on him he called on a simple spell that had a pair of hawks coming to perch on his shoulders, with great sword wrapped in power to make it glow as if on fire in his left hand he raised it high into the sky and called out. "Do not given in men today you fight not for yourself or even your brothers in arms today you fight to protect the entire world from the wrath of the demons that fall from the breach! But do not let them poison your hearts with fear! Let the maker guide your hand and lift you up should you fall! I can stop the breach from growing and bring an end to this endless stream of Demons but I can not do it alone! So I ask you will you fight not for me, not for yourself or for your brothers in arms but will you fight for every man woman and child out there now at the mercy of these demon!?" a roar followed his loud bellow and even Cassandra felt herself wanting to cry out beside them. "I can not hear you! Will you stand against the demons and show them the power that we of this world can bring too bare when attacked!?" a louder yell answered him this time. "Then ready yourselves and we will be back at the village in time for dinner!" A somehow even louder yell followed him as he marched forward to the battle field leaving a newly invigorated army behind him, Solas fell in step beside her. "I see that he has yet to lose his touch at rallying the troops."
Varric heard Chuckles comment and got close enough that Shartan would not hear as anything Solas said seemed to piss him off and Varric was getting the idea that those who upset the man did not live long. "What do you mean Chuckles?" "I mean that he can still inspire even the most tired of groups to fight as if they came from a peaceful nap and good meal." "He's done this before then?" Cassandra broke in as the man reached the railings and was about to jump down. "Once he led an army of beast masters the likes thedas has never seen before or since in a war that consumed the entire know world at the time and his forces were never beaten once whenever he took the field." Solas said before leaping down followed by the others as they landed Shartan signaled Cassandra forward, while the other pair stand back to provide cover fire. As they charged into the battle field.
Cassandra watched Shartan out of the corner of eye as she fought and realized something, 'He was holding back during our sparing matches!' she thought as he cleaved demon apart with ease more dancing than fighting this made her determined to prove to herself that she was just as good and she redoubled her efforts. She heard Shartan laugh and for the first time since meeting him in the waking world it was a warm happy laugh. "There is the spitfire spirit of my soulmate! Come we have demons to kill Emma lath!" as he smiled and she flushed at the smile feeling herself grow moist at his laugh and the happiness on her soulmates face, Cassandra found herself smiling and soon laughing quietly along side him. When the last demon fell Shartan settled his sword in his dominate left hand and raised the right hand but paused first before turning to Cassandra. "Brace yourself Emma lath this will hurt." He warned and when she nodded he lifted his hand up and Cassandra felt a surge of pain through the mark and gritted her teeth against it.
Shartan listened to the voices at the breach as they spoke and he knew at once that something had stolen his memories of these events and that made him very unhappy, once the voice quieted and a plan made he force the rift open and at once felt the flow of magic from the breach. This rift was unlike the others as it was linked to the breach the fade was spilling over so much that his powers began to return, Shartan laughed as the powers lost to him except for when his soulmate died return to him.
Cassandra heard Shartan start to laugh and glanced at Solas to see of the man knew what her soulmate was laughing about but the look of fear and awe on his face made her worry. "Solas what is it?!" she demanded as Shartan started to glow as power wrapped around him. "You wondered how powerful your soulmate is what you are seeing now is some of the power he once wielded, the magic mages wield today is nothing but a drop in the bucket compared to the power he commanded in the time of our empire!" as he finished speaking a loud boom voice called out. {Be gone corrupted spirits this world is no longer for you!} the demons turned with a hiss before they turned into wisps of power before being puled into the rift that slammed closed at the last wisp vanished, at once the light coming from her soulmate vanished and he collapsed. "SHARTAN!" She cried as she rushed to his side. "Peace Seeker he is simple exhausted from wielding power his body has not had in centuries, he shall be fine in three-days time." Cullen came up in time to hear that and ordered a stretcher to carry the man back to the village, while the breach was still in the sky it was sealed for now and much smaller. There would be much that needed to be discuss and Solas promised answers but only after Shartan awoke saying that he valued his life to much to reveal anything that Shartan did not want revealed, as he was already on thin ice with the man he would not risk it further so the group would have to wait for answers as to who this man was.
TRANSLATION:
Emma Lath = my love
Ma Vhenan = My heart.