REMEMBER THIS IS ALL IN CULLEN'S POV.
"Cullen," a gentle voice is calling for me. My eyes refusing to open as the morning light finds it way through the open window above my head. "Cullen, you have to get up. The kids need to go to school." I roll over, I think I mumbled something but a finger is brushed against my forehead. A soft brush of lips against my skin and I wake up. My eyes open slowly taking in the room around me. When did… Where is this? The questions cross my mind until her lips were upon my jaw, my neck moving their way down across my shoulder to my collarbone. I must have flinched because she had stopped. "Cullen?" Her soft gentle voice is of one I know only too well. "Amell?" I find myself amazed by her tone. Though I cannot seem to remember what was going on before I fell asleep. I think I am missing something, I just can't put my finger upon it. "My love, what is wrong?" Love? She had never called me such. Her fingers tap against my lips as a smile curves upon her own. I can't seem to make my eyes leave her, she was a figment of my imagination - she just had to be. "I… I don't know?" Her dark luscious hair drapes over her shoulders, covering her until her waist. Those hard steel eyes watch me but it was her lips. Oh Maker, I found myself being pulled into her arms as her fingers touch every part of me. My skin was burning under her touch. But she pulls away, her eyes studying me until she laughs. That deep full hearted laugh that makes me shiver all the way up my spin. "You silly, silly man. We can't do that now. You need to get dressed and take the children to their lessons." I pause wondering as to when kids came into this picture.
She seemed to sense my confusion. Concern crosses her eyes but I look away only hesitantly. Something just wasn't right, I can't put my finger upon it. I slip out of the warm bed and find a pair of clean trousers and shirt waiting for me. I get dressed as she hums about the bedroom picking up our clothes. Everything, everything was perfect. Just like my dreams of having a life of our own. To be with one another and not to worry about the differences between us.
She was a Mage and I was a Templar.
Evidently we found a way around this but I just can't bring myself to ask as to how this came to be. Her gentle fingers pat my back as she passes me, my eyes watch her. The way she walked, the way she flipped her hair when she didn't think I noticed and the way she hummed although I knew she was doing things she wouldn't normally do. I find my way to the kitchen, the place was small but it was comfortable. Just as I thought there were two boys sitting at the table eating what I assumed was breakfast. "Good Morning, Daddy." They call out to me in unison but it just seemed off.
I pause before the stove, wanting nothing more than to pour myself some hot water and have tea with my breakfast. "Love, is everything alright?" She asks of me again but I squeeze my eyes shut. I want to remember, I want to feel this love that has been inside of me for years now. I want to see her actually smiling in my direction. But this wasn't real, I suddenly find myself trying to figure out.
She was a Mage and I was a Templar.
She is a Mage and I am a Templar.
It hits me like a swift horse kick to the stomach. "This isn't real, demon." The words leave my lips but she is behind me. Her arms wrapping around me but I flinch under her soft touch. "What do you mean, love? I am real." I want to pull her off of me but something so overwhelming is inside of me. Trying to break free and I can't bring myself to accept this. She was a Demon, she was not real. She was not my Solona Amell. The Solona I have come to love over the years would put up a fight rather than have children and become a housewife. She would pursue her interests, hoping that I would tag along with her. "You are not real." I mutter under my breath.
I fall to my knees, my hands clasping before me as the Chant of Light comes to me. "Maker, my enemies are abundant. Many are those who rise up against me. But my faith sustains me; I shall not fear the legion. Should they set themselves against me." I feel pressure upon my chest, my eyes squeeze shut. My head resting against my clasped hands I continue the chant until I hear a screech behind me. "Your Maker will not save you here." A gentle growl comes from behind me but I know I am back to where I need to be. I reach up over my shoulder, my weapon is there and I do not hesitate. I stand up, my feet planting themselves firmly upon the ground and I unsheathe my weapon. The sword rings against the metal as she watches me.
"I could give you everything you have ever wanted." She purred against my will but I knew better than to give in. "No, I already have all that I needed." She moves towards me slowly. Her feet hitting the floor not too far from the tip of my blade. "She could be yours, all yours if you let it happen." My eyes close as I take a deep breath. "No, I will not ask for her if she does not want me." Her purring turns to a growl and I swing taking her down in a few hits. She falls at my feet and the world changes to a softer haze. A small rune glows in the corner of the room and I move to it. Touching the top, a small map is shown there. I touch the only one that is glowing. "That one it is then." The world spins and with a rush I find myself standing in the midst of another area. "So you found your way out of the trap too, hmm."
I turn on my heel to meet the shape of a Mage. I knew who he was, "Niall?" He looks me over but he does not recognize me. Some how I wasn't surprised. "How do you know me?" A retort, I find myself amazed he had lasted this long within the fade but it hits me. The lifeless body before the Demon. No wonder he seemed so familiar. "It doesn't matter," I change the subject quickly. "How do I get out of here and how do I find my friends?" The man hesitates, his weight shifting nervously as if he is afraid of me. "I know you found the Litany and you intended to use it." He turns his gaze to me, but I know just what he was thinking. "I am Cullen." I figured we'd start this out the easy way. "Cullen? As in that Templar all the girls were chatting about?" I thought I should have been impressed but I wasn't. "I guess that would be I." His nervousness comes to a slow and I relax. "I can't get out of here but you might be able too. As for your friends I do not know what happened to them." I feel myself panic. My concern was directed to one person and the pain she must be going through… I cannot bear myself to think about it.
"Then I'll just have to find my way out of here." I want to force him to come along but something tells me he won't be able too. I give him a nod as I move towards one of the many doors within this area. I find one that lets me pass through and is only greeted by a Demon of Rage. I take him down with great ease but I find that this place tugs at my stamina. "Oh Maker, thank you for saving me." I look down, a mouse is speaking to me… I want to shake my head of the thought but I don't. "You must defeat them… in order to get to Sloth… take… my… power…" He disappears slowly but the rush coming from him hits me. Well, things just couldn't have gotten stranger.
Over the course of a few travels and some new abilities I took down the rest of the so-called guardians within this realm. As I touch the pedestal it glows under my finger-tips and three new places appear. I touch the one upon the left only to land upon a small closed off area.
I look around for a second, taking the place in slowly only to smell what I thought was food but this was the Fade. It messes with your mind. I find the source of the smell but an Alistair with a young woman at his side. They are chatting like a group of giddy children. He is laughing, she is laughing and the group of children running around makes me worry. I stop before him and he comes to a stop with his laughter. "Oh… Cullen! Hey, I was just thinking about you! This is my sister, Goldanna." He had a sister? I am not surprised he never mentioned her. Lately he has been keeping things from me all these years. A hint of betrayal hits me but I shake it away. I needed to get him out of here. "You seem… content." He shrugs it off looking between the two of us. "I am. But you should stay! She makes the greatest stew… can he stay?" He pleads of his sister. She smiles, warmly in my direction but I knew this game. "Of course, little brother, he can stay for dinner." Or I could stay forever if that was what you wanted to really say.
"Hey, Alistair? We should go, see as how we have a Blight to defeat." He hesitates when I mention Blight. "No, no I can't possibly leave her behind." Suddenly I was finding this all very annoying. "Okay how about this. How about you think real, real hard on how you got here." He looks at me but twists his gaze to his sister and it just clicks. "This… this isn't right…" The words leave his lips hesitantly but I would give him this much credit. "This is the Fade, Alistair." It was all I had to say before Goldanna revealed her true colors to the both of us. "You cannot take him from me, Warden." She forms, her skin the grayish tint but I do not stop. I take out my dagger and shove it through her stomach. She falls to the floor in a heap as her children turn into what I assumed were skeleton warriors. We take them down together only to stopped by a tingle upon the back of my neck. "So let's keep this a secret, yes?" He asks of me but I sigh, just slightly glad he could think hard enough to get that this wasn't real. "Yeah, yeah come on. We've got to save Wynne and Amell." I move for the pedestal but I stop only to hear a, "What's going on?" As I turn Alistair seeps into the ground. With a groan I realized I had to do this myself.
I touch the far right one, the spinning again and the sudden stop. I can hear the cries, the weeping coming from someone as I take the steps down to find Wynne. She is standing before a pile of bodies, Apprentices I assumed. "I couldn't save them…" Her tears hit me. I realize why she felt this way. We all did. "I failed them all…" I pause before her but she has her back to me. "You didn't fail them, they are still alive." I offer my words of courage to her but she brushes them away. "How dare you say such a thing." The tone in her voice changes. "You are a Templar you have no idea what it is like to go through this." I flinch at her words, knowing she will not listen to me despite what I could say. "Think Wynne, think back to before you saw this." I press her, she watches me closely but with a heavy sigh she closes her eyes. For a few moments everything was quiet and she gasps. "Cullen?" Her eyes open, "You… you are right. I should get away from this place." I give her a small smile but not before one of the dead Apprentices get up from the ground. "You can't leave us, Wynne." He calls for her but she doesn't stop to pull out her staff. The fight was as how I expected, sort of like Alistair's but I had more mages to fight then I would like.
The battle finishes quickly and she breathing heavily. "Thank you, Cullen." She starts but doesn't finish as soon as she falls to the ground, with a cry. So I really was meant to do this alone, it seemed. I move to the pedestal and I had one place left to go. I hoped that Solona was there.
When everything came to a stop, I take the place in. It was different from the others. There was no open area, there was no steps but only a closed off room. There were no windows and no door. Just large stone walls stretching up only to never end. In the midst of the small room was Solona. Her arms wrapped around her legs, she was rocking back and forth as her cries hit my ears. "No… No… I did nothing wrong, Mother." She crawls along the floor. She doesn't notice me as she scratches against the walls with her nails. "I didn't mean to burn down the barn, Mother!" Her voice catches with a small choking sound but I cannot stop here to watch. I move forward, my hand touching her shoulder and she jumps. Her body goes ridged as she turns to look up at me. "My Prince has come for me." She moves to her feet. "But you did not show up soon enough. If you would have made yourself known…" She moves through the small room. Her fingers dragging along the walls as she mumbles incoherently under her breath. "Knew you where there… always knew. Should have done something… never had the courage. I have failed… I have always failed…" My feet make the moving easy for me because my willpower dies off as I watch her. "Solona," I call her name quietly but she doesn't seem to notice me anymore. "Mother… I failed… I am so sorry Mother."
She stops before the same wall with the scratch marks. She is tracing it slowly with each mark, with each finger. She is chewing upon her bottom lip just as she did when she was studying. Something I have always found to be appealing. It was her little habits like this that caused me to shudder whenever she brushed past me in the hall or laughed when she heard Jowan say a horrible joke. My hands grip her shoulders, turning her around to look at me. She doesn't fight and I am glad she doesn't. "Solona, this is the Fade." I offer but she doesn't seem to notice I am there. I do the one thing I have yearned for all those years to do.
I tip my head down, my hands take the sides of her head and I pull her to her tip toes. My lips find her own but she doesn't fight me. I press further, my hands drop from her head to find her waist. Letting her press against me as I part her lips with gentle urging. A sigh escapes her between breaths. I do not want to pull away but I do. I let go of her, let her take a few steps back to find her footing. "Cu-Cu-Cullen?" She stammers, her fingers to her lips. "What's going on? What was that? Why are you here? What in the Maker's breath is going on!" The last part sounded more like the Solona that I remembered. "This is the Fade." I answer her questions. "That doesn't explain why you just kissed me now." I guess I should have expected this but she isn't glaring. "It was better than giving you a few smacks." I offer and she relaxes a bit. "Well, let's get out of…" She falls to the floor and I sigh again, realizing that I had to do this all alone.
I find the pedestal as it shows itself again and touch the top of it. My hands brush against the stone to find the center part. Somehow this had to be the main man. The head of all of this. Without a second thought I hit it.
Once again I found myself in the midst of an open area. My mind is reeling from everything until I see the figure off in the distance. His back was to me but I do not hesitate. "So it has decided to show itself." The Demon turns around. "Yes, well I guess it would eventually come down to this." He is laughing, or at least I think it was a he. I couldn't really be sure. "What is going on?" I hear the startled voice of Alistair followed by Wynne. "You could not part us, Demon. Together we are strong." A gasp escapes Solona as she appears beside me. "So you're the dirty little Demon who placed me in that… place." She was growling but I found it oddly appeasing to hear that tone in her voice. "Ugh, that's it. I'm firing off a bolt of lightning so strong that you melt into a million tiny pieces of Demon." Apart of me wants to laugh but she looks to me, a small smile is upon my lips and she returns it. A rush of relief hits her and I wonder as to why I could sense this now. "So you choose a life of misery, than happiness?" I do not stop my hand as it reaches over my shoulder. "Sorry, but we make our own happiness."
Solona moves behind me as the weapon is already out of it's holder. The spell she was focusing upon took time and I knew this. "Alistair," I call for the other Templar and he is there knowing exactly what I was asking of him. I move, my feet taking the steps burned into my skull after years and years of training within the Chantry. The sword pulls up next to me as I duck with the timing of Solona's bolt towards the Demon. A rush of energy hits me as Wynne supports and Alistair moves to my right.
We flank the demon quickly. I duck from the freezing spell and watch as Alistair absorbs it. He focuses the blast towards the Demon sending it back a few steps. I move up and block the series of counter moves from him. Another spell comes my way this time I absorb it. The tingle feeling shooting through me to my very bones and I fire it back towards him. The blast sending the Demon further than Alistair's own move. Without a second thought we move in together and finish the Demon off but not before Solona is behind me and sets the creature aflame.
We stand there watching it peacefully and she had that usual smug look that I always found to be very her. Though from what I had just seen, I wonder if she hides it.
Well the pain that is.
"So you did it…" I recognize Niall's voice behind me and I turn. "Niall?" Solona speaks his name but doesn't stop moving. She is wrapping her arms around him and he is returning the gesture. "I am already dead… yes?" He asks of me but I watch Solona hold the man tightly. Suddenly I was getting frustrated with this place. "Yes, you are." He pulls away from her but the look of loneliness is behind her eyes as she backs to our own group. "I had that feeling… if that is so then take the Litany from off my body." She moves forward, she was going to protest again. "No, you can be saved. Wynne? Right? He can be saved… you have to live." She was muttering again but Wynne shakes her head. "Solona," Niall calls for her but she avoids his gaze. "I am sorry for everything… you were a good friend." She is chewing upon her lip, nervously again. "You did the right thing Niall, your mother would have been very proud of you." Wynne nods to the poor soul of the man who stood before us. "I hope you're right."
Without another spinning, moving everything goes dark. I find myself slowly waking up to the soft sobs of someone close by. Slowly I begin to sit up as my eyes open up to see the Demon who once held us, dead at our feet. And Solona, crying over the body of Niall as she cradles the Litany to her chest.
"Solona," Alistair speaks her name as he squats down next to her. "He will be avenged, I promise you." The pit in my stomach returns when he touches her shoulder and her hand grips his arm tightly. She is nodding, her bottom lip between her teeth as she hears both Wynne and I moving up. "Thank you, Alistair." She gives him a weak smile and I move for the next set of stairs. "We have one floor left." I call to them, though my frustration was getting the best of me at this point.
A/N: So some quick shout outs! darkmage6: i thought about it, but i figured it would be kind of interesting to have him see into her own little nightmare. kind of make it more personal for him, in a sense. but you know she'll be like... so was that real? wtf is going on with my head! ugh! which shall be amusing! xmaster: cliffhangers make everything awesome, yes! ;) sandradee27: once again! thank you for your support it means quite a bit! ;) mapachita: i am a huge fan of the mages as well. when i do my own playthrough i normally hit the tower first before anything else. i can blow through that level with my eyes close... which is kind of sad but you are not alone! i enjoy the way they set up their mages in the game. neferit: thank you! haha, i loved that little banter with carroll. i even thought about having morrigan there so she could explain every little detail in which she was going to do to him, alone. i wish though that carroll had more of a part in the mage origins. haha, thank you though! and you didn't talk too much! i quite enjoyed what you had to say, even your little description! ;) Much love to all of you for your reviews, i really appreciate it!
On the side-note, the rest of the chapters within Origin will be through Amell's POV. I was testing the waters with this one when it came to Cullen's personality and well POV upon everything. And the next set when they are alone in camp again, I figured Amell will explain to Cullen what he had seen in her nightmare and etc. Might even hint at a few background notes with Alistair and Cullen's history. Might even be a little Zev showing up, WHO KNOW! Hahahaha, okay okay I'm going to wrap this up.
And I do not own Dragon Age it belongs to Bioware! *-*