Chapter 128: Dead Men
Pain.
If Alim could sum up his world into one word at that moment…it would have been…pain.
The elven mage was curled up into a fetal position in his cell, all around him the stone walls of Fort Drakon rose like an impenetrable monument. The shadows cast around his cell seemed to swallow any light coming from the few torches scattered through the small chamber. In fact, they almost seemed to be reaching out for the light, long dark fingers stretched out towards the torches. If the darkness could…in this harsh place…extinguish the light…Alim had no doubt…that it would.
He shivered against the cold stone, wrapping his arms around his slender chest.
Yes, his feverish mind repeated.
If the darkness could eat the light…?
The elf whimpered.
…it would.
Most of the time he drifted, lost on a sea of pain and discomfort, but sometimes, just sometimes his mind would fight through the shadows and come up for air. For a few brief moments lucidity would return to the mage's mind.
It was during one of those brief moments…that he remembered what had happened.
He suppressed a sob.
He remembered.
IOI
Cauthrien's men had had them surrounded. Elissa Cousland had been smirking like the cat that had eaten the canary.
Alim's eyes narrowed.
Oh…what he would not have given to wipe that smirk off the arrogant bitch's face, but as he looked around at his companions, he knew that that would simply not come to pass.
His allies were all good fighters, but they were also exhausted. The fight through the lower levels of Howe's estate had left them all at the end of their rope. Even Oghren swayed slightly as he faced the force around them.
The elf's ears twitched.
How could he ask them all to die here? Would they? Probably, but that would not help their cause. If fighting broke out, they would likely die, and if they did not, Queen Anora might die in the crossfire.
Alim's eyes narrowed.
No, he could not allow that.
He could not let all that they had fought for here be for nothing.
He had risked a glance at his companions. Fergus and Leliana, though tired, looked ready for a fight. Morrigan looked miffed, and was clearly gathering her power, despite how exhausted she must have been. Oghren gripped his ax with both hands. Kally was…
The warden had to blink.
Kally looked terrified.
Of course, he should not have been surprised. She had spent a brief time locked in Fort Drakon, who knew what had happened to her before they had put her in the crow's cage they had found her in months ago.
Despite her fear, she still held her blade at the ready, if Alim gave the order…
…he had no doubt that she would attack, perhaps she even preferred to attack, to go down swinging rather than risk being captured and locked up again, locked up under Teyrn Loghain's tender mercies.
Alim swallowed hard, in the end that is what it came down to didn't it?
How far were they willing to go?
The warden pursed his lips.
If they went down, he was determined that they not go down alone. He would try for the Cousland bitch first, after their first meeting on the king's road; he had wanted a rematch. As the one warden here he would likely die first. Oghren did not strike him as the type to surrender. He would likely follow the elf into death. Fergus likely would not surrender either. He would…
Then what, he had thought.
What happens when you go down swinging?
What do you think that Loghain will do to the survivors? Interrogation, most definitely, torture, most likely…would you want Morrigan to undergo torture, would you want Kally to undergo it…?
Would you want Leliana?
That was the thought that froze him in his tracks.
Leliana's mother might have been Fereldan, but with her accent she would no doubt be treated as an Orlesian.
What would Loghain's men do to an Orlesian girl?
What would Loghain permit them to do?
The very thought made him shudder.
No, he thought.
No!
He could not allow Leliana to go through that! He could not allow any of his allies to go through that. Even if the queen was not here, he would not.
He would not leave his friends to suffer.
He glared at Cauthrien.
"A lot of good people are about to die here, Ser knight," he had said.
The dark haired woman's eyes narrowed.
"Not if you surrender, warden," she responded.
His elven ears twitched.
He knew what he said next would not go over well with his companions…
…Well…they would just have to live with it.
At least…they might just live.
"Let my allies go," he said, "It is me you want."
His elven ears lowered slightly.
"Let them go," he said, "And I'm yours."
He heard a gasp behind him, likely from Leliana.
He wished that he could meet her eyes, let her know that this was alright.
My decision, he thought.
My choice.
Cauthrien remained silent; perhaps she was unsure what to make of this offer.
Elissa Cousland smirked.
"And why would we want to let your conspirators go?" she asked with a smirk, "We have you cornered."
Alim shot her a shark-like grin.
"Yes, you do," he said, "But we will still do damage before we fall. Not every one of your men will make it out of here alive."
He sneered at the noble.
"You will not make it out of here, Lady Cousland."
If the girl was afraid she did not show it. Her eyes narrowed.
He turned his attention back to Cauthrien.
"Your lord will no doubt want a prisoner; just image what he could learn from me, from the Commander of the Grey. And I'm offering myself freely; all your men will get to go home to their families."
He glanced around at the soldiers surrounding them.
"There has been enough bloodshed today," he said, "I have no desire to shed more."
He heard a feral snarl escape Fergus' sister's throat, but the girl did not attack. Cauthrien continued to watch him; he could almost imagine the wheels turning in the warrior's head.
Since she had not ordered the attack, yet, he assumed that she was at least considering his offer. From his few brief encounters with the woman he did not think her overly bloodthirsty. Perhaps she looked at her men more than just pawns that could be sacrificed.
He found himself hoping that she was. That she did.
His eyes met hers again.
Come on Cauthrien, he wanted to say.
You know this is a good idea.
The knight's eyes narrowed.
"You killed the Arl," she said flatly.
"You do not know the whole story," Alim said, "I'll explain if you let the others go."
"Alim," he heard Leliana murmur, her voice was thick with pain.
He could not bear to look at her, afraid that seeing her sweet face might undo him, make him lose his courage.
He pushed on.
"I'll surrender," he repeated, "Just let the others go."
From her spot next to Cauthrien, Elissa Cousland growled.
"No deals," she spat, "You will surrender now, or…"
"Not your choice, Milady," Cauthrien said interrupting her.
The noble glared at the knight.
"How dare you," she hissed, "I'm a Teyrn's daughter!"
"But not a Teyrn," Cauthrien spat back, "Nor are you commander of me, or my men."
She glared at the noble.
"You will stand down."
Elissa glared at her.
"Cauthrien."
"I said you will stand down!"
Fergus' sister fell silent, though she still continued to glare daggers at the other woman.
The guards said nothing, awaiting the orders of their captain.
Cauthrien sighed.
"Submit now, warden," she said, "And your allies will go free. I give you my word."
Elissa looked at her like she had suddenly turned into a genlock.
Cauthrien stopped any response she might have had with a raised hand.
"A live warden commander is worth more than his dupes," she said, "He will no doubt know all the traitors plans. My lord will want to question him, and it is to him that I owe my allegiance."
She stepped forward.
"Drop your weapons warden," she said, "Come to me and your friends are free to go."
Elissa looked like was going to protest, that was going to order the men to attack anyway.
"They will," she repeated, "Be free to go, that is an order!"
If any of the soldiers wanted to protest, they did not show it.
The ones blocking the door started to part. Elissa Cousland was forced to slide over to accommodate several archers.
She glared at Fergus.
Her elder brother glared back, it was a glare full of unspoken promises.
Their time would come.
Alim laid down his staff and sword. He raised his hands in surrender.
He stepped away from the others.
Some of Cauthrien's soldiers tensed.
"Remember your promise," he said glaring at Cauthrien.
The knight frowned.
"I've given you my word. I keep my word."
She glared at her soldiers.
"Stand down," she ordered.
"Now."
The few soldiers that were resisting obeyed, grudgingly.
Alim took a deep breath, and went to the knight's side.
One of her aids slapped manacles on him.
It was only then that he dared turn.
He saw the looks of disbelief on his allies' faces, the pain in more than a few of his friend's eyes.
Kally looked like she might be crying.
Oghren looked ready to explode, but a gentle touch from Fergus calmed the berserker.
Morrigan's eyes narrowed; no doubt the witch saw this as a stupid move.
Perhaps it was, Alim thought, but it was also strategic.
They needed to get the queen out of here.
This was the safest way.
It was only then that he looked at Leliana, her blue eyes were awash with emotion: fear, anger, disbelief, no doubt she would have preferred a fight over this, but that would be her heart talking, not her head thinking.
No, this was the smart way, perhaps the only way.
He gave her a sad smile.
"Help Alistair," he shouted, "Help Theron, they will need you all now."
There was a bit of angry muttering, but for the most part, the others obeyed.
He nodded.
They were all good friends.
He was grateful to have known them.
When he was safely bound, one of Cauthrien's lieutenants turned to her.
"What about the others, ser?" he asked.
Cauthrien blinked.
"What do you think," She replied, "Let them go, we have the warden, Loghain will not care about the others."
Alim looked at his allies, they seemed rooted in place.
"You heard her," he called out, "Go."
They remained where they were.
His ears lowered in anger.
"I said go," he repeated, "NOW!"
It was only then that his friends left. Fergus led the way, he and Kally keeping the disguised queen, along with Erlina and Soris close to them. Oghren kept looking from Alim to Cauthrien, a look of disgust on his face, finally the dwarf left. Morrigan snorted and started for the door, she paused when she saw she was all alone.
Leliana remained where she was, looking into Alim's eyes.
Her eyes shone with unshed tears.
"No," she murmured, "no."
He gave her a weak smile. He glanced at the witch.
"Get her out of here," he said to the witch, "Now."
Morrigan sneered and turned back to Leliana, she took the bard gently but firmly by the arm.
"We can do nothing here now," she murmured, "but there will be another time."
Elissa, who had heard the witch's words laughed harshly. Again Cauthrien silenced her with a look.
Leliana finally let Morrigan lead her out, her eyes never leaving Alim's.
They continued to stare at each other until the door leading outside closed…
…sealing the warden off from his friends…
He sighed.
Perhaps…forever.
He stood still for a moment, waiting for Cauthrien's order to move. Two of her men had swept up his sword and staff. Surely she would take him back to her lord now.
She never got the chance.
Elissa sprang like a jungle cat.
The nobles' gauntleted fist struck Alim's jaw like a war hammer, stars exploded before his eyes as he flew back.
He came down hard on the stone floor, striking his head.
He thought he heard Cauthrien admonish the noble, but what did it matter, the deed was done.
Alim sank into unconsciousness, his face and head a wall of pain.
Had he known what was going to happen, he would have been more grateful.
That pain…that was nothing.
The worst was about to begin.
IOI
He did not even bother trying to sit up, even if the chains binding him were not so tight, he would have found that difficult. Loghain had taken no chances with his prisoner, he was being fed a watered down version of mage's bane, not enough to paralyze him, but more than enough to prevent him doing magic.
Once that had taken effect, the Teyrn's men had gotten to work on him.
Alim shuddered even now at the memory.
They had not been gentle.
He had lost track of time, no longer aware how long he had been in this cell. Days, weeks, the drug made time and space, it all seemed to blend together. Loghain had come to Fort Drakon recently, he remembered that much, the Teyrn had wished to question the warden himself. He asked the same things over and over again, and Alim, over and over again, had given him the same answers.
What are the Orlesians up to?
Where will they attack first?
How many allies have you brought over to their side?
Alim would just smile.
Then…he would tell the Teyrn to go to the void.
It was then that Elissa Cousland would strike him, even as the Teyrn vented his anger about stupid, arrogant fools.
Alim tried not to chuckle, but…
The Teyrn had been furious.
Any other time, it might have been…amusing.
The warden got the feeling that the Regent was not pleased with his answers. It might even have been funny had Loghain not insisted he be hurt after every displeasing answer.
It was just something the elf was trying to deal with, though he knew that his time was short, if he did not break, Loghain would likely just order him killed.
As the torture progressed, Alim realized that that thought no longer scared him.
He had likely been a dead man the moment he surrendered, he had known that, but had done it anyway.
There had been no choice, he thought.
Leli had to be kept safe, they all did.
What happened next did not scare the warden.
It did not scare him, not one little bit.
He did remember Loghain berating Cauthrien, saying she should have taken Alim's allies as leverage. The knight responded that that would not have been honorable.
Loghain had spat and turned away from his captain, clearly displeased with her answers.
The pained look on Cauthrien's face almost made Alim feel sorry for the knight. Despite the horrors around her she was still trying hold on to knightly ideals.
The elf almost smiled, had he not been in so much pain, he might have said he had been proud of the woman. It was not an easy thing to stick to what one knew to be right.
He managed a shuddering breath.
When the time came, Alim hoped that she would not blame herself for what happened.
He hoped that his fellows would not blame her.
Cauthrien had just been doing her job, in another place; they all might have been friends.
He shook his head.
It was a great tragedy.
He heard the sound of a key in a lock, but did not bother trying to rise. It seemed that it was time for more questions.
He managed a shuddering breath.
Lucky me.
He had been given no chance to recover from his previous questioning, in the end Elissa Cousland had grown tire of his answers. She had grown tired of the whole business.
She had gone over to the table where the interrogator kept his tools. She found a set of large gardening scissors.
What came next had set the elf's world on fire, pain and agony in equal parts. She…she…
SNIP!
His cried had echoed off the hard stone walls, even as the noble smiled fiercely.
She grinned into his tortured face.
He tried to regain his control, but he could not.
She held up the bloody scissors.
"Be grateful," she cooed ruthlessly.
"I could have taken the whole ear."
He had passed out then, only coming to a few minutes ago.
His hair was sticky with blood, any twitch of his ears set a fresh wave of agony.
He shuddered.
The bitch had snipped his right ear.
For an elf, such an injury was beyond painful. He did not think she had cut the tip off completely, but she had definitely left a cut in it, the burning pain, had denied him any decent attempt at rest, and now…now…
The warden shuddered, now they were back again.
He heard the door open, and hard boot steps on the cobble stone floor.
"I'm here for the prisoner," a voice he did not recognize said.
Alim shivered, even though he thought he might be burning with fever.
New face, new tortures, he thought.
The elf shook his head.
Why did the bastards not just simply end it?
Did they not see he was already dead?
He heard the key in the lock of his cell; he tried not to whimper as the guard doused him with a bucket of water.
He groaned weakly as he was pulled to his feet. He found himself staring into a Fereldan guard's helmet, blue eyes shone out of the slits.
"Be careful with this knife-ear, the guard trusted to watch him growled.
He is a tricky one.
"We will see," the new comer said.
His jailor shoved Alim forward; he would have fell face first had the new guard not caught him by the arm.
The warden squeaked in pain, once again, he tried to call on his magic, but the buzzing in his head from the mage's bane kept him weak.
He cursed under his breath.
He did not mind dying, but he would have preferred to die like a man, fighting.
Loghain seemed to want him broken first, but of course he would, why would he not?
Alim was a warden, a vile traitor, was he not?
The elf shook his head.
To all of Ferelden, he likely deserved whatever it was he got.
This way, the newcomer said yanking on his own, move, elf."
He glared at this new torturer.
Who knew what new pain this new enemy had for him?
He could only guess.
He staggered, but managed to stay up right, his escort helped him, surprisingly.
Alim's eyes narrowed the left one almost swollen shut from Loghain's first visit.
He did not expect any better treatment this time.
His escort led him up the stairs, surprisingly, they did not make the turn that led to the lower torture chambers.
His ears twitched, the right one screaming at him, reminding him that he was a fool for forgetting that it was still damaged.
He managed a glance at his escort.
"Wh…where?" he managed to say.
"No talking," the man said, "Just go."
Alim shook his head, wondering if this was all a dream, if his mind had finally snapped.
"Where…" he repeated.
"Silence," the guard said, forcing him to turn up the next stairway.
Alim blinked.
Where were they going, he thought.
What was going on?
The guard sighed with frustration.
"If you want to get out of here," he growled in a low voice, "You will do exactly as I say."
Alim blinked.
Was…was this some kind of trick?
Were they going to execute him?"
He coughed.
"Are you going to kill me," he murmured.
The guard sighed, and shook his head.
"No," he whispered, "I want my life back, and the only way that will happen is if you live."
His eyes narrowed.
"The witch wanted you alive, elf, enough that she saved me, but I won't get my life truly back until we are out of here. So shut up, and let me work."
Alim blinked, trying to digest what he had heard.
Witch?
Did…did the man mean Morrigan?
"Who," he murmured, "Who…who are you."
His escort tightened his grip, but at least he did not seem to be trying to hurt the injured warden.
He sighed again.
"My name is Carver," he murmured, "Carver Hawke."
The soldier let out a tired sigh.
"The witch sent me," he said, "I'm here to help."
Alim blinked.
Carver Hawke?
Who the fuck was Carver Hawke?