- Chapter 12: The Revelation, Part II -

Alistair walked off the last step of the seemingly never ending stairs to find the High Dragon that had threatened them not long ago. He found himself in a deep, moist cave, illuminated solely by the iridescence of what seemed to be large eggs, huge and blue. They looked like crystal, but their glow lit up the whole cave.

The dragon growled at the sight of him and Yavana soothed it. "It is permitted. Tonight, and only tonight." With her words, the dragon kept its stare on Alistair but seemed to understand why that man was there.

"Where are we?" The King asked, somewhat afraid of the answer. Why was he down there? What could Yavana possibly want from him in a cave – with a dragon?

"The Hall of Sleepers," she told him while gently caressing the huge beast, who was wrapped around one of those egg-like crystals. "When dragons were nearly extinguished from this world, the builders of the temple called to the few that remained." She let go of the dragon and walked to the crystal it was wrapped around. Yavana put a hand on top of it and Alistair noticed something moving inside, aware of her touch. "The dragons that came would rest here for generations until awakened by power."

Alistair was getting confused. Are those really eggs? Or are they some kind of pods where these dragons… rested? His eyes wandered around the Hall and noticed just one of those crystals broken. A pod. From where the High Dragon was awakened.

Yavana carried on with her story. "I revived a few – very few – that had not died in their sleep. They were the first dragons to roam our land in many ages. But the great ones were always beyond my reach."

Alistair's eyebrows shot upwards. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. That's where this beast comes from. "Maric changed that." The only way Yavana could have brought the High Dragon back to life was with the help of Maric, Alistair was almost sure of that. That must be why she was so interested in him and his bloodline. But what could he have done?

Yavana walked towards the King and smiled. "The blood of Calenhad the Great, first King of Ferelden, flowed in his veins. It called to my Queen of Dragons and woke her."

Alistair gave another look at the High Dragon present in the cave whom was still staring at him. "How?"

The witch got closer and closer to him. "Blood is power. That is why Aurelian Titus took your father from me. A fool with power desires only more power." She put a hand on Alistair's chest. "Your heart beats with the old blood as well. Can't you hear it?"

Alistair just listened to her, even though her story was beyond weird. Damn these witches and their prophecies.

Yavana continued, oblivious to the frown forming on the King's face. "It sings of a time when dragons ruled the skies. You see your blood as a curse, your crown as a burden. Use them now to claim your freedom!"

It was no secret at all that Alistair never wanted the crown – he had made it clear in the Landsmeet. His crown was indeed a burden, but it was also his duty – a duty he was willing to endure for his kingdom's sake. "What are you saying?" he asked as he stepped away from the temptress.

"Awaken the last of the Great Ones as your father was meant to!" Yavana trailed after him, hoping he would comply. "Absolve him of his oath and we will search for Aurelian Titus together. Your father will then relieve you from your crown." She got closer to him again and whispered, "Your life will be yours again."

Alistair stepped back one more time. Rituals, rituals all over again! "You and Morrigan and Flemeth… All you do is manipulate and lie!" he hissed. He was getting angry, more than he already was. He was tired of witches, tired of rituals, and tired of being manipulated in order to serve someone else's desires.

Yavana sounded desperate. "That is our craft, but not our purpose. Mankind destroys without understanding yet I preserve." She got closer to him again and caressed his face, pulling him closer to her. She was a beautiful woman, but then again, all Witches of the Wilds were. Flemeth's making, obviously, as a way to tempt men into their twisted plans. "What is your purpose?" she asked in a low, slow tone.

Their lips were getting closer, almost locking together to fulfill their agreement. "Justice," Alistair whispered before letting his sword penetrate through the witch's gut. She twisted and screamed in agony as Alistair withdrew his sword, leaving her on the floor choking to death, a pool of crimson blood slowly forming around her. After a few moments, the choking stopped. The mist he had seen before emanated from her body as her soul left her corpse behind.

"You took Maric from me. From my brother. You took him from Ferelden. Everything that happened to my country is because of you."

Once the mysterious fog dissipated, the High Dragon growled and plunged itself forward in Alistair's direction, stopping inches away from his face. Alistair showed it no fear when its red eyes locked with his', anger flowing through them, and Alistair left it behind with its beloved's corpse. He knew the dragon would not go after him. The mighty blood he had in him was good for that, at least.

"Isn't he taking too long?" Elissa was pacing back and forth on the edge of the pit. When she heard no answer from her companions, she unsheathed her sword and walked to the stairs. "I'm going down there."

"What if they're in the middle of something?" Varric proposed. "Witches and their deals, she might be demanding from Alistair what she couldn't get out of Maric."

"And what if his life is in danger?" Elissa retorted. "What if Yavana made him prisoner? What if she is torturing him? What if he's ready to become dragon food?"

"You worry too much, sunshine," Isabela said with a smile. "You, from all of us, should know best what Alistair's… abilities are."

Elissa's sudden blush was stopped by the sound of steps coming from below. She already had her sword in hand, so she also unsheathed her dagger to be fully prepared. Isabela and Varric followed her lead and readied their own weapons. The three of them were now in combat stance, waiting for who or what would come out of there.

The morning sunlight that came into the Grove illuminated Alistair's golden hair. Elissa breathed in relief and sheathed her weapons, stepping away so the Warden could pass. Once he got close enough to her, however, she noticed the dark look he had on his face. His sword was in his hand, dripping blood.

"What happened?" she faintly asked.

Alistair didn't answer her. Instead he briefly met her eyes and walked out of the building.

They followed a few steps behind the King with confusion splattered across their faces. None of them knew what was going on nor why Alistair had blood on his sword. He'd definitely gotten into a fight, but had it been with Yavana, the High Dragon, both, or something else?

Varric decided to break the silence as soon as they stepped out of the Grove. "I take it things went well?"

Alistair sat on the tall, green grass, covered in the shadow of a nearby tree. The woods didn't look as scary in broad daylight; it actually emitted a peaceful aura. The companions took Alistair's lead and all three of them sat down in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Isabela asked.

Without taking his eyes off of the ground, Alistair answered her in a hopeless tone. "No. I killed her."

Elissa was actually relieved that the witch wouldn't be able to hunt him anymore, although she got a little disappointed because it hadn't been her sword to take Yavana's life. It is a terrible thought, I know, but by Andraste, how I hated that woman! "What now? Time to go back?"

She had the slightest feeling Alistair wasn't done yet, but her heart ached for Eleanor. She had never been so far away for so long from her daughter and the pain was getting bigger by the day. Hopefully Alistair was ready to go back, but even if he wasn't, she would not dare to leave him behind; not after she agreed to go with him in the first place.

Alistair locked his blue eyes on her green ones. "Not yet." He got up and so did his comrades. He turned his back to them as he pondered his next words. "I'm tired of being a pawn. I'm going to find Aurelian Titus and I'm going to kill him. He's earned that much."

Elissa smiled and stood next to him, showing her support by resting her right hand on his left shoulder. He smiled back faintly at her and covered her hand with his. "When that's done, I'm going to find Maric." He turned back to all of them so they could hear him right. "And then I'm going home… To be King."

"Spoken like a true King," Elissa stated, smiling and crossing her arms.

Alistair got close to her and told her in a low tone, "I need to talk to you once we get the chance. In private."

Elissa nodded. Alistair started walking back to The Siren's Call and they all followed.

"I should ask for a second ship," Isabela told him in order to lighten the mood. "Or a title. Bann Isabela – I like the way that sounds. Anyway, you do intend to pay us to stick around…?"

Elissa opened her eyes widely as she looked from the pirate to the King. "Wait, you're getting paid? What do I get from all of this?" She was joking, of course, as money was something she didn't actually need.

Varric decided to speak his mind while Isabela laughed and Alistair revealed a genuine smile. "The pleasure of our company was probably what our mighty King had in mind, Blaze. Isn't it a wonderful reward?"

Author's note: With this chapter, the first third of this story is concluded. The next few chapters will follow the second volume of the comics, Those Who Speak. It's been wonderful and so worthwhile writing this story I had trapped in my head for a while due to all the reviews I get and to all the people I get to meet along the way. So a big thanks to all of my readers, known and unkown, and to Awinters25 - Team Angst for checking this chapter for me :) By the way, team angst rocks \m/