Chapter 57: Chains

The Deep Roads.

Alim shivered, he…he should have figured that Sereda would return to this place, months trapped down here…

Where else would she go?

He…he had hoped to never see this place again, and it was made even worse by the dwarf's mind. Seri's imagination brought back everything that was bad about the deep roads.

He tried to ignore the bloated taint filled sacks, the skeletons of fallen dwarves, and the ruins of what had once been a part of their vast empire.

This wasn't real he reminded himself, none of this was real.

He made his way down the dark tunnels. He could sense her up ahead.

He hoped that she would listen to reason.

Sereda sat near a small campfire; the rags she wore looked more like prison clothes than armor. She glanced his way, hearing his approach, but did not rise.

Across from her…lay a body.

The dwarven woman sighed.

"Go away warden," she murmured.

"You recognize me?" his ears twitched with surprise.

"Yes," she said sadly, "I…I was trying to find my way back the Aeducan Thaig. I thought I would be safe there."

Seri chuckled mirthlessly.

"Imagine my surprise when I realized that where ever I went down here, my brother's body would be waiting for me. Tell me warden, why is that?"

Alim gave her a sad look.

"Because you are dreaming Seri," he replied.

She chuckled again; it was such a hopeless sound.

"Dwarves don't dream," she sniffed.

"You have been taken into the fade against your will. If you don't free yourself…"

"I will die?"

The elf paused, he hoped not, but never the less he nodded.

A grim smile came to her lips.

"Good," Seri said.

Her words surprised him.

"Good?" Alim repeated.

She shot him an angry look.

Yes warden, it is good," she snarled, "Do you understand why Bhelen tossed me down here? Do you truly understand what I did? I…I murdered my own brother. I…I thought I was doing it for the good of Orzammar, but…"

She shook her head, fighting back tears.

"Trian was an ass, but he…he did not deserve this," she said pointing at the body, "I…I murdered my own brother. I…I do not deserve any mercy. I…I thought I could redeem myself fighting at your side but…"

She sighed heavily.

"Leave me to my death warden, please."

Something in her attitude made him angry. After everything he had seen so far, he had no desire to see the arrogant little dwarf wallow in despair. He had heard stories of Prince Trian during his time in Orzammar. The nobleman had been no doe eyed innocent. If Seri had not slain him he likely would have slain her.

They had both acted rashly…foolishly, but there was more that she could do to make up for it.

Anything was better than despair.

Alim's ears lowered in anger.

"Get up," he growled.

The anger in his voice surprised her. She was not used to hearing such an order.

"What?"

"You heard me Princess," he spat, jabbing her with his staff, "Get off your ass, NOW!"

He gave her a vicious smirk.

"Look at you, one of the mighty Aeducans, wallowing in the dark, ready to cry any moment…pathetic!"

Now she was angry, she rose and got right in his face.

"You dare insult me! You dare insult my family!" she glared coldly at him, "You have no right to say that to me! We Aeducans have a right to be proud!"

"Then prove it! I'm not going to leave you here to die wallowing in self-pity," the elf snapped, "The mages are still in danger, Orzammar is still in danger, you're fighting days are not yet done. Your home needs you Seri, do it for your family, for Orzammar. Prove that you are still an Aeducan, get up off your ass and fight!"

The girl glared at him. Alim thought for a moment she would take a swipe at him.

Instead, she stood up straighter, her hands at her side.

"For Orzammar," she whispered.

Alim nodded a slight smile on his face.

"Behind you," he whispered.

Seri spun; her sword appeared in her hand.

Trian's corpse lunged at her, snarling and spitting up black blood.

She decapitated the demon.

"Great Ancestors!" she gasped.

The dream ended.

Seri looked around at the raw fade, seeing it for the first time.

The dwarf sniffed.

"So this is the realm of dreams?" she snorted, "Doesn't look like much, guess my people are not missing anything."

Alim chuckled.

"Let's get going," the dwarf said, "I want to…wait…where are you…?"

Seri vanished.

Alim sighed.

He was really getting tired of this.

"This is really, reeeeally getting old," he snorted.

He thought about finding another of his companions.

Another door appeared.

He walked towards it.

Onward to the next nightmare he went.

IOI

He found himself in a Dalish camp.

Alim did not recognize any of the elves here, clearly this was not Belle's people, not that he expected to see any.

Theron might not even have known Belle's people.

The elves regarded him with curiosity, the flat ear in their midst. He looked down and discovered something interesting.

His warden clothes were gone, he was dressed in a set of forest green battle armor, a lightning bolt clasp held up his cloak, his sword sparking in his sheath.

He immediately recognized what he was wearing.

He was dressed in the armor of a Stormbreaker that explained why the elves here had not attacked him yet.

He suspected that this had something to do with the old stormbreaker's memories. Being in the Dalish's dream must have caused this to manifest.

He…he felt comfortable in this armor…it felt right.

Theron was here; he could sense the Dalish's presence.

Now he just needed to find him.

A Dalish hunter stepped forward to greet him.

Alim nodded speaking the traditional greeting of the people.

"I am Tamlen," the hunter said, "What brings you to our camp noble warrior."

"I seek Theron of the Sabrae clan," he replied in flawless Dalish, "Is he about?"

"With his mate," Tamlen responded, "they are off gathering herbs in the forest."

Alim thanked the hunter and followed the direction that he had pointed.

He suspected the demon that held Theron here has likely disguised himself as the boy's mate.

This would likely not be easy to save him, but it had to be attempted none the less.

Alim would leave no one behind here.

The tranquility of the forest seemed to be conspiring to put the warden mage at ease, he resisted it of course.

He would not slip back into a cage, this one, or any other. An elvhen woman sat in a grove; she was leaning against a tree inspecting the herbs and flowers she had gathered. She had short braided black hair, and large emerald eyes. A content smile graced her lips.

She looked up as Alim approached, her smile widened.

"Ooh… Andaran atish'an brave warrior," she said with a nod, "I am Merrill, First to the Keeper, it has been a long time since a stormbreaker has graced our camp. Have you travelled long? What brings you to our camp? Can we offer you anything? I…"

The girl stopped herself, she blushed slightly.

"I'm rambling…sorry."

The warden mage chuckled. The girl did not feel like a demon, likely just another part of Theron's dream, another part of the cage that held his companion…

…A dream that had to end.

"I'm looking for Theron," Alim replied.

The young Dalish emerged from the trees, a contented smile on his face.

A smile that fell when he saw Alim, the color drained from the young elf's face.

"You?" he said, his eyes wide.

"Hello," Alim said, "Remember me Theron?"

The Dalish shook his head violently.

"No…I…I do not remember you! Go away!"

Merrill frowned.

"Ma Vhenan," she said to him, "you are being rude."

"Do you remember me?" Alim repeated.

"Aye," the Dalish said, "You…you are part of a nightmare! I saw you in the most horrible of dreams!"

Alim sighed.

He knew; he could see it in Theron's eyes. The Dalish knew this wasn't real, but he did not want to accept. He wanted to remain with his family.

Alim could relate.

"No Theron," he replied, "This is the dream…I need you to wake up, your people need you to wake up. You're a Grey Warden now…remember…you have an obligation to help us defeat the Blight."

"No, the boy said, "That…that was a dream. This…this is my world, my clan; I never wish to leave it, not again!"

Alim gave him a sad look.

"If you stay here, we will fail, the Blight will spread. Your clan will suffer under their blades."

"You don't know that!"

"We both know that!" Alim said harshly.

"No," Theron whimpered, "I…I can't…I won't!"

Merrill rose from where she was sitting, she made her way over to Theron, putting long slender arms around him.

It was then that Alim realized something else about this dream.

Merrill, Theron's mate…she looked like she was several months pregnant.

Alim shook his head.

Wonderful, it gives him not only a home, but a mate with a child on the way.

The demon was really laying it on thick here.

"Do not be sad ma vhenan," she cooed. She lightly kissed the boy's lips. "Stay with me."

She drew his hand to her belly.

"Stay with us."

Theron whimpered; his ears lowered in sorrow. Alim thought that the Dalish knew this was a lie. He just needed to accept it. Then he would be free.

It would hurt, but if he truly loved his people he would do it.

They needed him in the real world.

"The boy stepped away, he kissed her hands lightly.

A single tear ran down Merrill's face.

"You must go?" she asked.

He nodded fighting his own tears.

"Then find us again," she said with a smile, "Come back to us when our world is safe again."

An arrow whizzed past Theron's head. He pushed Merrill behind him and fired back instinctively.

Tamlen, the hunter that had greeted Alim when he arrived fell dead, he no longer looked like an elf.

The markings of a demon were clear.

The forest vanished.

Theron looked behind him.

"Merrill?" he whimpered.

The girl was gone.

He shook his head and turned to Alim, wiping away his tears.

"I…I am ready," he said, "Let's depart I…"

The Dalish vanished as everyone else had.

Alim was alone again.

He sighed and carried on.

IOI

Alistair was laughing.

He was sitting at Goldanna's dinner table, telling his nieces and nephews stories about his time with the wardens.

This was nice, no running, no fighting, just peace with those who loved him.

He had never wanted more; he could spend an eternity like this.

What story should I tell next? He remembered right after Ostagar, when Alim had…

Thinking about his elven companion disturbed.

Alim…the circle…something about a…

A loud knock sounded at the door.

Goldanna hurried over, eager to answer it. Alistair was grateful; his little niece had crawled into his lap demanding attention.

He did not wish to disappoint her.

His sister returned, behind her followed…

"ALIM,' Alistair said happily, "I was just thinking about you, isn't that a marvelous coincidence?"

The elf snorted and glanced around the room. Something in the elf's manner had started to put him on edge.

"Hello Alistair," he said looking at the children running around, "You look…happy."

Alistair grinned at his companion.

"I am," he chuckled, "I have never been happier in my entire life! Isn't that strange?"

Alim shrugged.

The simple act made Alistair laugh.

"Is your friend staying for supper Alistair?" Goldanna asked.

Alim gave her a curious look.

"Oh…Alim, this is my sister Goldanna," Alistair said grinning, "Two of his nephews ran past the elf nearly knocking him over.

Alistair smiled.

The little rascals.

"These are her children," he said motioning to the little ones running around him, "There are more around here somewhere," he said warmly, "We…we are one big happy family…at long last!"

Alim's ears twitched.

"So," he said curiously, "You live with your sister?"

"There is nothing wrong with living with my sister Lim," he said, "I never had a real family. Now that I have found them again, I never want to let them go."

"Would you like to stay warden," Goldanna asked the elf, "I'm sure there is enough food for all of us."

"Say you will stay," Alistair begged, "Goldanna is a great cook, maybe she will make her famous mince pie."

"Of course dear brother," Goldanna said tousling his hair, "Anything for you."

Alistair grinned.

Could things get any better?

He did not think so.

IOI

Alim hated this.

He hated seeing his friends like this, their desires laid bare for his perusal. He felt like an intruder.

Alistair's cheeriness about this was not helping either.

He will never accept this is all a trap; he is too into the dream.

It could be worse he realized. Alistair could have dreamed up a world where he was married to Morrigan.

Now…that would be disturbing.

"I have come to fetch you Alistair," the elf said, "We have work to do."

The former Templar frowned.

"I don't think I want to go back," he said sullenly, "I don't want to end my days surrounded by darkspawn corpses. I thought that being a grey warden would make me happy, but it didn't."

He smiled at Goldanna again.

"But this does."

"I'm so happy to have my little brother back," Goldanna gushed, "I will never let him go again."

Alim rolled his eyes.

He felt the desire to projectile vomit.

"Alistair," he spoke as if he was talking to a young child, "Do you remember how you got here?"

The knight gave him a suspicious look.

"Your acting very strangely," he said.

So says the guy living with his sister, Alim thought.

"Indulge me Alistair," he repeated, "How did you get here?"

"Well, I," Alistair frowned. He tried to remember making the journey to Goldanna's home…

But…he could not.

"It…it is a little fuzzy," he murmured, "I can't…why can't I remember? What is going on?"

"Because this isn't real," the elf said.

"Of course it is real," Goldanna blurted out, "Alistair, dear brother, get washed up for supper…"

Alistair was still frowning; memories came unbidden to his mind.

"I…I remember the tower," he said, "The circle…it was under attack…"

"That is when we encountered the sloth demon," Alim said, "It trapped us here in the fade."

"The…the fade," Alistair shook his head, trying to clear it, "This…this is a dream?"

Goldanna, the thing pretending to be Goldanna, glared at the elf.

Alim smirked at her.

Alistair was starting to wake up.

"You really need to get ready for supper Alistair," she repeated.

"No," Alistair murmured, "No…I…I have to go. Lim needs me."

The elf smiled triumphantly.

"You lose demon," he told Alistair's false sister.

Goldanna did not take that well.

Claws sprouted from her fingers, her mouth filled with razor sharp blades. The children glared angrily at the two wardens, but they were no longer children.

They were demons too.

"No," the Goldanna demon growled, "He is ours! We would rather see him dead than free!"

The children lunged at Alistair while Goldanna attacked Alim."

The warden mage drew spellbinder, he met the demon sword to claw.

Alistair's Templar training took over, he battered away the false children, his sword and shield appeared in his hands.

Between the two of them, the two wardens dealt with the creatures. The demon pretending to be Alistair's sister died last.

The former Templar blinked, he…he could not believe it.

"Lim," he gasped, "How…how could I not see this before?"

The elf gave him a sympathetic look.

"This is the fade," he shrugged, "It takes what you want most and twists it against you."

Alistair gave him a sheepish look.

"You won't tell the others how easily fooled I was," he asked, "You won't tell Morrigan?"

Alim chuckled.

"I won't say a word."

"Good, I…Hey" Alistair looked down at his hands they were starting to fade away.

"Lim…am…am I going somewhere. What's happening to me? No! Heeeey!"

Alistair faded away.

Alim shook his head, he would honor Alistair request and not tell the others about this.

He still needed to find Wynne, Solona, and Zevran, with luck they would not take to their dreams as Alistair had.

Another friend free, another step closer to the Sloth demon…

…He continued on his journey.

Another door, another dream…he felt sooo lucky.