Chapter 96) Dark Rituals
Cleon POV
"Here." Keeper Marethari solemnly handed me my tenth birthday present. My first pair of daggers. "Take this, and know what they mean, Cleon," she whispered.
I nodded as I took them. They felt heavy, and I knew why. They were the burden I would carry as a hunter. I would train until I barely noticed it. That was my job.
"Be wary, Cleon. Do not let the burden overwhelm you."
The Landsmeet was done. Now, we had to deal with the actual threat. Days… months… had been building to this.
The day after the Landsmeet, we got new armor. Things Nuada had commissioned for us, paid for by Highever. Supposedly as 'thanks' for helping reclaim Highever. And something about 'the winners of the Landsmeet have to look good for parades'. I had thought he was joking, but… well… he hadn't been.
'You better be prepared for more things like this,' Fergus teased. Nuada was the only one not too tired to sign for me. 'When you win, there will be a lot more of that.' Nuada signed 'lot' twelve times. Creators, kill me now. 'Though, you can be grateful you are not Alistair and Elspeth right now.' Those two were still out, because all of Denerim wanted to see their new king and queen. Wynne, Sten, and Oghren were with them as extra protection. Because it wasn't like we were going to trust the guard.
'How is Anora?' Nuada asked. I caught how conflicted he looked. 'She doing okay?'
'Well, she isn't screaming, and Oren loves having her around to play with.' Was that an answer? Nuada nodded like it was. 'Regardless, though, I have some things for you four.' He moved to the back for something, and the four of us exchanged looks of confusion. Even Nuada didn't seem to know what was going on.
But then, well, it became obvious as Fergus laid out everything on the table. Weapons. He had gotten us weapons.
'These are… incredible,' Aiden sighed before picking up the giant greatsword. It was the strangest one I had seen, though. The hilt was gold and bronze, and asymmetrical, curling into the blade. The blade itself was silver, with some sort of runes imprinted into the blade as it curved slightly. I worried how that might weaken the blade, but Aiden just looked impressed.
'Wade, the person who made your armor, indulged me in two weapon requests,' Fergus explained. Nuada continued to sign for me, but I could see his eyes sparkling at the sword and shield. 'A fellow of the Drydan family, Levi, contacted me to let me know about how his family was managing the old Warden fortress for you.' Levi? 'His brother is a smith. When I asked, I got two requests from him as well.' Oh, I see. And it was only two because of the time limit. 'Regardless, Wade named that 'Vigilance'.' Why that? Well, I guess you had to be vigilant to make sure people didn't steal it. 'Anyway, Nuada…' He smiled sheepishly suddenly. 'Well, when I commissioned the sword for you, I hadn't known your friends had the same idea as I did.'
'The family sword and shield are yours at last,' Nuada deadpanned. I could tell by how exasperated he looked, and how Aiden and Layla snickered. 'I wanted to give them to you at Highever.'
'I was injured then!' But, regardless, we had already given Nuada the sword we had found at the Keep, and he had permanently retired his family heirloom. 'Regardless, I'm not sure what you'll want to do with Starfang.'
'Might for the Darkspawn, Fang for everything else.' He shrugged, undoing his belt to slide the Starfang's sheathe onto it. 'It isn't bad to have options.' He carefully took a few steps, nodding. 'Doesn't even throw me off. I'll do some practice swings to be safe, though.' He picked up the shield, eyes narrowed. 'This is…?'
'A shield traditionally awarded to the winner of the Landsmeet, should it proceed to a duel.' I wondered if it was a good one. Nuada's sparkling eyes hinted it was. 'So, that one isn't commissioned. The Grand Cleric demanded I pass it to you.' Fergus shook his head and looked to me. 'I was uncertain if these would suit your fighting style, but I went ahead and commissioned then.'
Carefully, I picked up the daggers, studying them closely. Fergus let me be, talking to Layla about the rapier she had, something about being forged from a high dragon's fang, but I focused on the daggers. They were a pair, mirrors of each other. Blue and purple in coloring, and a jagged blade, almost like a lightning bolt. I could sense the magic within them, and I noticed that while one was 'warm', the other was 'cool'. Fire and ice. These were enchanted, and I could see the runes glinting in the hilt. One was the rune of 'devastation', places in each hilt almost like the centerpiece. These daggers were completely about doing as much damage as possible in a single strike. That was perfect for a hunter, for an assassin, for a shadow. For a Warden.
I felt a little conflicted, though. After all, the daggers I had wielded from the forest to now… they had been my mother's. I had gotten them from Lanaya, after reading the letter. It felt like… I didn't know. It was a strange, heavy feeling, whatever it was.
But there was something I needed to remember. My mother had only been a hunter. Her daggers have served me well, but with my role, these new ones would be better. They would be better because, like the first daggers I ever received, they had been tailored for me.
Besides, there was nothing that said I couldn't carry four daggers on my person. Having two hidden ones might prove to be very, very good in the coming days.
I waved my hand to catch their attention, and smiled when they looked at me. 'They are very nice,' I signed. Layla's bright smile hinted she was the one translating for me. 'Ma serannas.' Though, a thought did occur to me. 'What of our companions, though?'
'They're getting new things too,' Fergus immediately promised. He grinned. 'Leaders, however, need to look the part.' I thought that stupid, but based on how Aiden and Nuada both nodded, it appeared appearances were somewhat important. 'Ah, but I have eaten up enough of your time.' He had? …HE HAD! THERE WAS A WAR COUNCIL! 'There is still time to go change.'
The four of us bolted, taking our new weapons with us. I think Aiden and Nuada headed directly for the place. I ran to my room, personally, to drop things off. However, I slowed as I passed the library, and noticed who was inside. Loghain. While we had been outside, he had been on 'house arrest' within the estate.
He seemed to be writing something down as he poured over maps, but he glanced up suddenly, as if he sensed me there. Maybe he had heard me. I wasn't being careful about my steps.
I stared at him for a long moment, fighting back the anger rising in me. I hated him. I hated him. I hated that he was here. I hated that I was now stuck with him. If I hadn't completely understood why Aiden pushed the decision off, if I hadn't realized that we were all just tired and wanted to rest, but Creators above, we just couldn't yet… I would be 'screaming'.
Deciding that I needed to vent my anger a little, I walked over to him. He didn't know the signs, but he had paper and pen, so I snatched them both from him to write: 'I will never forgive you for Ostagar.' I would never forgive him for anything he had done, but that there… that there summarized it far more than anything else.
He blinked slowly, tilting his head, before writing back. 'Good. You shouldn't.' …There was something just plain eerie about how easily he accepted that. Just accepted my anger, my hate. 'If the Fereldan Generals give you trouble, cite protocol 62. That'll shut them up.'
I left without writing a reply. I didn't want to give that man any sort of thanks.
After the war council, I was even angrier. Even though the thought had made me ill, I ended up having to follow Loghain's advice. Turned out protocol 62 was 'King's Champion overrides the generals'. Which Nuada took full advantage of so that we could split the forces exactly as had we had wanted to. These people were expecting another Ostagar. We were expecting another Ostagar and wanted to keep some people back, damn it!
Sighing, I stumbled into my room, planning on just going to bed. However, I noticed something off. Morrigan was standing in front of the fireplace, the only light in the whole room. The curtains were shut, even.
I kicked the doorframe as I shut the door behind me, to let her know I was here. She turned to face me, and she looked very resigned to some. What was going on?
'Perhaps I should wait until Riordan tells, but I do not wish to wait any longer,' she signed slowly. When I stepped towards her, she took a step back. 'Please.' Well, I wasn't given much of a choice in this scenario. 'I…' She hesitated, before shaking her head, whispering something she did not sign. 'I know what happens when an archdemon dies.' Everything stilled at the words. 'I know a Grey Warden must be sacrificed. The mutual destruction of two souls. That is how the Archdemon dies.'
I remained silent. So, our suspicions were true. In order to kill the Archdemon, after everything that happened, one of us would die. Sure, it could be Riordan. Elgar'nan, we could throw Loghain at it. But I doubted that it could be anyone but us, and I didn't want Loghain to take the easy way out. Redemption by glorious sacrifice? Ridiculous. He fell, and he was going to crawl his way back up, and I wanted to watch him struggle.
But that meant it would be one of us. I didn't like that.
'But, Cleon, I have a plan.' She slinked towards me, angling herself so I had a very good view of her figure. She hadn't done things like this since we started having sex. 'A way out. A loop in the hole, so to speak.'
'Something Asha'bellanar taught you,' I signed back. Pieces were starting to click together. 'The reason she sent you along.'
'She might have sent me along for this, but it is my own choice to offer it.' She stopped right in front of me. 'A ritual, performed on the even of battle, in the dark of night. Old magic, from long before the Circle of Magi was created.' She shrugged. 'Perhaps its roots even come from Arlathan.' That wouldn't be all that impressive, actually. Many spells nowadays had their roots there. 'Some might call it blood magic, but I think that matters little to you.' That depended. 'Will you listen?'
'Very well.'
She smiled softly, moving to sit on the bed. 'I propose that you lay with me tonight.' This was different from normal nights, how? 'And from our joining, a child will be conceived.' She wanted me to what. 'The child will bear the Taint. That is the beacon that draws the Archdemon's soul to the Warden, and why the Archdemon continuously resurrects.' It used the Taint to sustain itself, like the legends of Asha'bellanar using her 'daughters' to sustain her own life. 'At that early stage, however, the child is in no danger. Not like a grown Warden. Thus, there are no sacrifices.'
'Except an unborn child.' This didn't sit quite right with me. Children were precious. 'A child born with the soul of an ancient.' They would be an outcast. They would never find a place to belong.
'The child will be mine.' Her eyes sharpened, but I saw her dig her free hand into the sheets. 'After this is over, you will…' She paused, and her eyes became glassy. 'You will let me walk away.' The words… hurt. They really did. 'Walk away, and you will not follow. The child will be mine to raise, to nurture.'
'Is this why…?'
'Caring for you was never part of my plan.' She shook her head. 'But this is important to me. I feel I must do this. And I want to do this.' She looked up at me pleadingly. 'I do not want you to die for them. I do not want any of you to die for these people. But that it might save you, in particular, makes me all the more determined.' Her free hand came up, reaching for me entreatingly. 'Please, Cleon…'
I studied her closely. She and I had been getting into more arguments recently. Clashes over what was 'moral' and a 'good choice'. And it made me feel… hurt, pained, that there had been an ulterior motive to our relationship this whole time. I did not like the idea of sacrificing a child, and I did not like the idea of not being able to watch over that child myself. But that didn't change the fact that I still did hold a love for her and, more importantly…
'I trust you.' I signed the words slowly, so that there was no misinterpretation. She looked ready to cry at them. 'So, what do I need to do?' I trusted her. Even with everything else, that was a fact.
Based on her smile, I thought it was the greatest thing I could have said to her. More than any words of romance or lust, those were the words she longed to hear. 'Just relax.' She smiled slowly, but it was a warm, almost shy one. 'We will make it a night to remember.'
Author's Notes: In game, you don't learn about the Dark Ritual in Denerim. I moved it up, mostly because story wise, everyone is 'expecting' the battle to actually be in Redcliffe, so the 'eve of battle' would actually be before setting out to Redcliffe.
Next Chapter – Redcliffe with Layla (Including interludes, we are 14 chapters away from the end)
