Chapter 68) Memories of a Golem
Cleon POV
"Isn't this beautiful?" Lyna laughed. We had separated from the Clan because she had decided to chase a butterfly. And, well, it did lead us to a beautiful meadow. "How perfect…"
"Think it's worth whatever punishment we're getting?" I asked dryly. Still, I sprawled out in the grass, staring up at the clear, clear sky framed perfectly by blossoming trees. "It's like it's its own world."
"A place untouched by time." Lyna flopped down too, head next to mine, but feet pointing the opposite direction. "How wondrous. I wonder what stories the flowers can tell?"
"Who knows?" I smirked. "But maybe they're chatting about two more da'len who are going to get a lecture that would cow the Dread Wolf into submission from Keeper Marethari."
"Ahahahaha!"
Everything was silent. And no, not just because I couldn't hear. I could tell everyone was quiet, because their mouths were thinned lines and their hands didn't move. And I knew why. They were tired. Everyone was tired. I could see by how their shoulders slumped, and how their feet dragged, just how exhausted they were. I was actually carrying Morrigan on my back after a bit of stumbling had resulted in a twisted ankle Wynne was too exhausted to heal. She fell asleep, little vibrations on my shoulder and neck hinting she was mumbling in her sleep again.
It made me think of Aiden's words. I was… relatively… certain that my relation with her was just physical. I did not bond with her as I did Merrill. But, then again, didn't that make sense? Morrigan was a different person. Even if I was falling in love, it would feel different, even if it was just as romantic. However, I could not deny that I still loved Merrill, dearly. It hurt to be separated from her.
But, then again, who demanded that a person could not love more than one person? Who decided that? It was okay, right? I mean; I shouldn't hide it or anything. Or maybe it was bad… ugh, I don't know anymore. Dread Wolf, take these thoughts. I'd curse Aiden for putting them in my head, except our lives were cursed enough with bad luck.
Shaking my head, I focused continued to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. One step at a time, keep moving forward. Oghren would pause every once in a while, looking back down the path. I wondered if he was thinking about… everything. Hespith, that broodmother dwarf I never got the name for, Branka. Branka… her death haunted me. I still could never forgive her for what she did. I still felt she was a monster, a true monster.
But all monsters start from somewhere. All monsters start from a single idea, a single thought, that becomes an obsession. And I could have saved her. I had her hand. Then I didn't, and she smiled. And died, by jumping into lava.
Regardless of how I felt about her, it hurt to not be able to save someone even when I tried. It reminded me of Tamlen. I had him too. I had him by the arm, the hand, and had tried to drag him to safety. But then he was ripped away, and he died. He died, without his body even buried.
A burst of pain knocked me from my thoughts. My nose stung as I blinked slowly, trying to figure out what happened. Had I run into the wall somehow? I was staring at stone. Wait, no, I had run into Shale. It had stopped in the middle of the path, focused on a side-path I only saw because I was wondering what it was staring at.
Noticing no one was stopping, I quickly nudged the closest person, Sten, and nodded to Shale. He said something to catch everyone's attention and slowly everyone stumbled to a stop. And, even though everyone did their best to smile, I could tell they were all thinking 'what went wrong this time?' by how strained those smiles were, and how tense they held themselves.
'I have been thinking on what Caridin said,' Shale explained. Sten signed for me, and I assumed someone had actually asked what was wrong. 'And I just realized I know this location. There is a thaig down the path here.' Okay? 'Might we… go see it?' What.
'A thaig?' Aiden asked, signing slowly. He was slowly becoming more stoic, and I wondered if he was taking lessons from Elspeth. 'What thaig?'
'I… think it might be Cadash Thaig.' Was that not where Shale was… oh, Creators.
Biting back a sigh, Aiden and I shared a look. Even if we were bone-tired, there was only one answer to the golem who was stuck with us. Aiden and I shared a look. Really, there was only one answer. 'Yeah, let's go.'
I gasped when I saw the thaig. The thaig proper, not the surprisingly well-kept tunnels that we had to walk through to reach it. I jostled Morrigan awake so she could see it to. It was… absolutely… amazing.
'This is it.' Leliana signed for me as Shale rested a gentle hand on one of the buildings. 'Cadash Thaig'. Well, she used the sign for 'Shale', but the name of the thaig had been spelled out for me earlier. 'I… remember it.' Leliana paused between the words, to show how Shale was… awe-struck. Likely by remembering. 'I was found here, by the mage. I had… run here, angry over something.' I wondered if she had run here after Caridin chased her away. 'It had been darker then.' Well, now it wasn't. There was sunlight. Sunlight. In fact, we were standing in a patch of it! It was weak, but after who knew how long without the sun, I couldn't help but smile. I felt better already.
Some stirring on my back told me Morrigan had finally gotten around to waking up, and her hands came up to sign, 'where are we? What did you all do, get lost?'
'We are looking into something for Shale,' Wynne replied easily, signing lightly. She was smiling, though, a surprise. She and Morrigan rarely smiled at each other. 'I see some medicinal herbs, actually, that will be good for your swelling. Let's sit you down on the stairs here.'
'If you must.' I felt her sigh against my neck as Zevran and I got her off my back and sitting onto the steps. It looked like they had led to a house at some point. 'So, what are we doing?'
'I think we are admiring the beauty of the place,' Zevran signed. It wasn't even a joke. This place looked as pretty as anything I'd see on the surface. 'And enjoying the rest.' Because we were the only souls here. I couldn't see signs of anything, not even critters.
'While Shale is trying to find things to help its memory, the rest of us are going to wander and make sure things really are as safe as they seem,' Aiden signed. He waved to catch our attention before signing the words again, just to be certain. 'I am not trusting the calm.' Nope. Because since when are we lucky? 'Make noise if you find something. Cleon, bash something.' I nodded, a little pleased they were going to let me scout alone. I was aware that could be dangerous without my hearing, but it was still nice to be treated as fully competent. I was still adapting, after all. 'Have fun, everyone.'
Smiling and nodding, we split up, Wynne and Morrigan remaining at the stairs as Wynne tended to her ankle. I took a path lined with moss, feeling how soft it was under my hand. I almost took off my boots, but decided against it. I had no idea what was under the moss. As I walked, I did start to notice signs of other creatures. Droppings, half-eaten carcasses, little nests. No signs of the creatures themselves, so I wondered if they had hidden when we arrived. I liked that. It would be so wasteful to attack creatures defending their homes. Anduril would be mad.
My feet eventually took me to something that almost looked like a meadow, fed by the surprisingly clear water of the nearby river. Sunlight filtered down here too, so flowers bloomed. After checking to make sure there was no danger, I sat down in the moss, back resting against the wall of a little alcove, and just… let myself relax. If I closed my eyes, focused on the scents, I could pretend I was in the Brecilian Forest, dozing as I waited for Lyna, Tamlen, and Merrill to join me for… something. Of course, I would catch smells of blood, ground deep into the rock, and just this general dampness that you could not find in a forest. But the mental image was good. It reminded me of where I started. It reminded me of the good times I was fighting to protect. It reminded me of my path, as winding and hard as it was.
It was a good mental image. It reminded me of how to move forward.
Opening my eyes, I tilted my head to stretch out my neck and then started to pick the flowers nearby. A flower crown for Morrigan, a flower crown for Wynne, a flower crown for Leliana. Like I was a da'len again. I made one for Zevran, just to see his reaction. I picked one for Shale, because I thought it might give me a weird look with a full crown. A flower for Oghren, in memorial for his losses. A flower for Sten, just for his reaction. A flower for Aiden, as a reminder of what we fought for. Flowers for the others, who were hopefully having some luck with those weird ashes, to be carefully pressed and dried, so that they were not forgotten.
As I went to pick one last flower, one for me to remind me of beauty in surprising places, my hands found a patch of roughened rock. I followed the lines of it to find it was a carving, and I stilled when I realized what it was. Mythal. It was a carving of Mythal, as I had seen in ancient ruins. What was this? Why was this here? Why would Mythal be here?
Carefully, I brushed away some of the moss and dirt, studying the carvings. I saw in it a story I had seen before: Mythal striking down giants who made the earth rumble and quake. Not far from it was a depiction of an elf and a dwarf, the dwarf looking tall and protective of the small and frail elf. Close by was a carving I had also seen before: the Fall of Arlathan. Had this thaig once been a refuge to my people? But did not dwarves have an alliance with the Imperium? Did they give refuge anyway?
A vibration in the group caught my attention, and I turned to see what had caused it. I saw it was Wynne, waiting patiently until I nodded before approaching. 'We found something on the hill up here,' she signed, pointing to the hill when she finished. I nodded and straightened, finding the crown I made for her and placing it on her head. 'For me?' Her smile was warm and cheerful. 'Thank you, Cleon. I'll treasure it.' I simply smiled back, glad that she like it. 'Here, let me help you carry the rest.'
'Careful, some of these are for the ones not here.' I quickly separated everything out, signing to her who got what. I ended up carrying the crowns. I was too worried they'd be crushed!
So, instead, I held them cautiously as Wynne led the way up the hill to where the others were. When there, I just went around and plopped the crowns on their recipients' heads. Morrigan looked startled, Leliana laughed, and Zevran went so far as to pose dramatically to make us all laugh. With Wynne's help, I passed out the single flowers. As I expected, Sten gave me the best 'What in the Creators' name is this for?' look that just made me grin.
Shale, sadly, didn't really react to the flower, even with Leliana got on a rock and the tips of her toes to tuck it neatly into Shale's collar. But, then again, Shale's attention was decidedly elsewhere. It took me a second to figure out what. There, hidden among the moss, was a stone, much like the registry we found by the Anvil. The writing was still sharp and clear, though, as if it had been carved just yesterday. Dates and names. I couldn't really understand either.
But Shale did. I could tell by how its eyes widened. 'I know this…' it murmured. Wynne signed for me, her eyes shining. 'This was erected to honor those who volunteered, those who became golems. I had just seen its completion before…' Shale's finger fell onto one name. 'Shayle of House Cadash. This is me. Just as Caridin said.' The sign for Caridin was 'atoner'. I thought it fit. 'I… remember her, now. Mostly. I remember Shayle of House Cadash.' Wynne took my hand to spell out the name. I found it hilarious how appropriate the name was. 'I remember she was me.'
'That is wonderful, Shale!' Leliana laughed, signs light and dancing. They matched the good cheer in her eyes.
'Wonderful to remember being a soft, squishy creature of flesh?' I had to bite back my grin. I saw Zevran laugh, tossing his head back from the force. Even Sten smiled. 'Perhaps.' Shayle fell silent for a moment. 'I… want to thank it.' It turned to us, eyes focused on Aiden and me. 'It gave Caridin the end he wanted. I am… pleased to have been a part of it.' Oh, right. If Shale remembered being Shayle, then it remembered Caridin. 'I have much to think on. There was… is… a great deal to absorb." Right, Shale was over a thousand years… old… oh, wow, that was old. Looked great for the age, though! 'But I do have a request.' Another one? 'Let me head back and gather the golems.' …WHAT?! 'Even if the Anvil is gone, and Caridin is dead, they remain. We remain.' Wynne sighed the sentence twice. The signs were strong and certain, and I knew that reflected Shale's tone. I could see by its eyes. 'I will go to them. I will convince them to fight for it… you.' Did… did I just read those signs right?!
'Are you certain?' Aiden asked. His wide eyes and dropped jaw showed his shock. It actually took him a few fumbles to make the proper signs. 'I mean…'
'We are warriors who made a sacrifice. I do not regret it, despite the pain.' Shale… 'But we fought against the Blight before. Why should we not do so now?' I thought I saw it smile. 'I will not force, though. You might just get me.'
'We are honored to have you, Shale.' And Aiden smiled. 'All right. Meet us in the Quarter?'
'Have fun with the annoying ones. Try not to splatter their brains too much.' That… shouldn't be funny. But it was.
So, with all of this chaos, we possibly were getting golems? I could live with that.
Author's Note: And here is Shale's personal quest, only available after visiting the Anvil of the Void. I removed the darkspawn just to have some mercy on the poor characters. They've fought enough during this little quest line. As for the golems… why not? It seemed like fun. Something to reward the chars for going through so much hell.
The codex entry for Shale states that she became a golem 'three-hundred' years ago after completing this quest, but this is impossible since the Anvil hasn't been used for over a thousand.
As for Cleon finding some elven stuff, Witch Hunt reveals that the thaig was built ontop of another settlement, Cad'halash, which gave shelter to elves fleeing Arlathan's fall. That said, I added a couple of things found through Trespasser DLC (and the Descent DLC).
Next Chapter – Sacred Ashes with Layla
