A/N Sorry about the lateness. Certain things over at dA a few weeks back knocked me off balance a little. Back on track now. Reviews are always welcome. Hope you enjoy the story so far.
Dragon Age. Origin
Levyn
Chapter Ten – Dawn, The Dalish Alliance
It was very close to dawn. The star in the night sky was slowly fading and the edge of the horizon had already turned white. Jethro and Levyn arrived at the gate and found Ser Ciaren, Gwen, Zac and Flemeth standing by the half opened door, talking to a rather large group of what seemed like Dalish elves, led by an unfamiliar female elf. Like most Dalish elves Levyn had encountered, she wore the symbolic tattoos on her face. She was about the same size as Gladys, and appeared to be a lot wiser than whatever age she actually was. Carrying a large ironbark magic staff and dressed in a mage robe, her strawberry blond hair was braided neatly behind her ear, on the base of her neck. Seeing them approach, she politely inclined her head.
"Andaran atish'an." The elf grinned. Her eyes glittered with hidden excitement. "My name is Lanaya. Our clan is here to offer you our assistance."
Like Flemeth, Lanaya and her clan had been tracking and following the darkspawn for days, since they spotted them near the Brecilian Passage not very long ago. It was unusual, as the Spirit of the Forest usually protected the area. Sensing something must have happened to their woods, the clan also grew curious when the dark creatures began to attack Gwaren. They decided to offer the Gwarenians aide, but on their way they were ambushed by another group of darkspawn, losing almost one third of their clan.
The Gwarenians welcomed their help, since after the second attack most people in the city were injured and unable to fight. A few people in the gathered crowd recognized the clan. They approached the Dalish keeper to hug her and exchange a few pleasantries in low voices. Apparently it had something do to with the werewolf crises during the Blight, which Levyn heard resulted in their previous Keeper sacrificing his life in the process.
Several Dalish elves immediately volunteered to join the Deep Roads expedition, and the remaining ones stayed behind to defend the city. Lanaya would join the Deep Roads crew. She was quite surprised to see Flemeth among the Gwarenians. According to the Dalish Keeper, iAsha 'belanna,/ithe "Woman of Many Years," had always operated alone. Other than her daughters, she had never been seen with people, let alone in a city.
"Cha-cha," the old witch laughed. "What do they usually say? 'Extreme circumstances require extreme measures.' Not very long ago, I wasn't even the one who was supposed to save lives, either. And last night I just saved the entire city. What do you know, aye?"
"This is good." Jethro sighed as they walked back to the house. "Now we have more people. The Dalish are here, as well! Who would have thought…."
"At the end of the day, we still don't know why the darkspawn wanted Gladys so badly, or what's actually going to be down there." Levyn chew his lips thoughtfully. "Let's just hold to the thought that there aren't many left to come back to attack the city while we are gone."
"I should have gone down with you, mate." The Chasind logger looked grim.
"Don't be absurd." The blood mage's glare was deadly serious. "You have Tabi and Boo up here. They need you."
"But…"
"No 'but.'" The mage sighed and wagered his finger sternly. "I thought we've concluded that?"
Jethro grunted rather reluctantly. They returned to the house in silence. There were only a few hours remaining before sunrise, so they could not see any point of going to bed. They gathered around the dining table. Tabi served cheese and bread, uncorked a bottle of Antivian wine purchased from Lothering a few years ago and poured generously into the goblets in front of them. They toasted and sipped wordlessly, munched the food half-heartedly, and watched as the fire crackled, each buried in their own thoughts. Only Boo snuggled comfortably in the makeshift bed, sleeping, completely unaware of what was going on around him.
Levy kept glancing at Gladys over the rim of his cup. Her face looked white and slightly stricken. He could not read any expression in her face. What was she thinking? Was she also thinking about the kiss they had shared? Or was she thinking about the coming uncertainty? They did not have much time to talk before Wolf knocked on the door. Was she sure?
Was she going to stay by his side after knowing the truth, or was that kiss just in sympathy?
The hours drifted past without anybody saying anything. When the first ray of sun hit the windowsill, they all automatically got to their feet and moved toward the assembly point. Zac already stood in front of his house, gear and weapons ready, and murmuring something with Ser Ciaren and Mihi the Chasind mage. Wolf leaned against a tree, chewing a piece of grass absently, his mind clearly somewhere else. Lanaya was near several barrels of ale with some of her fellow Dalish scouts and archers, talking with Flemeth and the Revered Mother. There were several Gwarenian nearby, as well, bidding goodbyes to their love ones.
As soon as they approached, Zac cast them a teeth-baring grin.
"Good, you guys are here." He clicked his tongue. "Let's go."
"Best of luck!" Gwen shouted as they gathered their gear and began to enter Zac's old stone mansion.
"May Andraste's grace be with you all," the Revered Mother nodded.
"Make sure you come back, mate," Jethro nudged Levyn's shoulder.
"Spare a few darkspawn for us, aye?" Mihi winked.
"Levyn." As Levyn turned and walked away with the other expedition crew, he heard a soft, hesitate voice call out behind him.
"Gladys." He came to a halt and turned, watching the Chasind girl approach him and stop just inches away from him. Her breath stirred a few strands of his hair.
"I…." She tilted her head sideways, seeming unsure where to begin. Several emotions flickered through her face, none of them, however, were regret.
He looked at her beautiful agile features, suddenly threw all the caution and worry into the wind. His hands reached out and gathered her face in between them, his lips pressed against hers. He felt her body trembled. His head once again swooned. People around them let out surprised gasps and cheers, but he did not care. For a brief moment, everything around them seemed to disappear and mattered less. There was much, much more in their kiss than the first time. comfort, solace, peace, and…
Want.
Something familiar surged and stirred from the blood mage's lower abdominal area. He felt his heart twitched. For the first time since escaping from the Tower, he felt like he want someone this badly. And from what the Chasind girl response, she felt the same as well.
However, now wasn't exactly the best time, with the looming fact he was about to enter the Deep Road and the entire city was looking at them with the great amusement.
"I will return, this I swear to you," Levyn whispered into her ear after they finally broke apart. His face leaned tightly against her chin. "If…if you are still sure, wait for me."
Gladys nodded. Tears glistened on her face.
The blood mage slowly let go of the Chasind girl and, walking away backwards, his eyes remained fixed on her features. Gladys' poised figure stood breathtakingly beautiful in the morning sun and cooling breeze. Feasting in what might be the last image of her, Levyn's heart ached in places he had been previously unaware of. As his hands touched the doorframe and his back reached the wooden door surface, the blood mage's vision became blurry. He wiped the tears off his face and gave Gladys one last longing look, before he turned and entered the house.
"Right," Zac grunted as they all stood in front of a large, octagonal steel gate. "Stay back a bit. I am going to unlock the gate."
People near the gate stepped backward a little, watching as the dwarven weapon smith tilted his head for a moment, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He slowly stepped forward, brushing away the spider webs, dry vines and debris covering a small fist-sized hole and inserted his hand while muttering something inaudible under his breath. It seemed it also had been some time since the dwarf last visited this part of his estate. The Dwarf's hand seemed to get hold of something, and then he pulled and twisted. Almost immediately, they heard a loud clang somewhere behind the stone wall, followed by a series of scraping sounds of metal chains being pulled. It seemed like the weapon smith had activated something.
The metal gate, as high as the cave wall they were situated in, started to turn. First clockwise, then it paused. After a deafening unlocking groan echoed throughout the cave, there was more metal scraping the rock surface, suggesting more chain pulling. The second time, the heavy gate went counter-clockwise. Another pause followed, another unlocking click. More chain pulling, and then back to clockwise again. The whole rotating sequence lasted about half an hour long. By the time the gate finally swung forward and opened, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"Every generation's Keykeeper comes down here when they are coming of age, to test their courage and wits." Zac withdrew his sword and held it firmly in his hand. "Usually it's the oldest. Since I don't have any children, I would be the last one who came down here. It's been years, so no one knows what else is here. Weapons ready, folks."
Several people lit torches and held them firmly in their free hands. They proceed down the road cautiously. The Deep Roads were more like grand hallways, ceilings reaching as high as anyone could see, supported by large columns carved with ancient Dwarven runes — just like what Levyn had seen when he was passing the secret passage with Jethro. They were darkened and covered with grime, dust and blood — clear evidence that the darkspawn was nearby. Every now and then, they saw giant paragon statues standing next to the roads with markings and words on them. The intersections had carvings on the walls, giving them some vague direction about where they were going. Zac chipped off some small bits from the blackened stonewall while studying the runes on the wall every now and then, to figure out the route they were going. According to him, because of the darkspawn activities there, the route to the Dwarven Gwaren ruins was different each time, to avoid confronting the dark creatures head on.
When the weapon smith stopped by a Paragon statue, he chewed his lips thoughtfully and seemed trying to figure out the route again, Wolf approached Levyn and murmured quietly in his ear. "Mage, if I could have a word?"
"What is it?" Levyn shot him a curious glance. Usually, the Templar refused to even look at him, let alone actually talk.
"You and the Chasind girl, Gladys," Wolf arched his eyebrow. "Is it my misunderstanding, or is there something going on between you two?"
"I don't know yet. At the moment, it's just…." The blood mage sighed before he stared at the Templar with a frown. "Is that a problem now?"
"It will be if you try to do her what you did to Lily," Wolf sneered. "Does she know what you did? Or are you planning to hide it from her, just like you've done with the rest of the Gwaren?"
"It so happens that she knows," Levyn shrugged. "Told her before we get down here."
"You…you did?" The Templar's eyebrows shot up.
"Yes, I did. She seemed to be taking it well." The blood mage sighed. "Now I don't think it was a crime the last time I checked, so if you'll excuse me—"
"Lily mentioned you," Wolf suddenly blurted out, just as Levyn was about to walk away. "When I visit her at…you know where."
"Oh?" The blood mage paused, head half turned. "I thought you said she's—"
"I know what I said!" The Templar growled in frustration. "And now I am telling you she mentioned your name in one of her senseless mumblings."
"OK." Levyn nodded, remembering the last time he saw Lily and her distasteful glare. "Mostly hatred, I presume?"
"Surprisingly, no." Wolf shook his head. His voice was full of amazement. "She…from what I gathered, she…didn't seem to mind what you are, even in such a maddened state…"
"What?" The blood mage's eyes widened in surprise. This was entirely unexpected. The hateful look on the Chantry sister's face was still imprinted in his head. Her slightly high- pitched and shaking voice yet echoed in his brain and tormented him even now.
Lily could not believe what she had just witnessed. She seemed rooted to the spot. Her eyes kept darting between the fallen Templars, the First Enchanter and Jowan.
"Lily, hurry, we must go!" Jowan urged.
"How could you… Blood magic is… evil, Jowan. It corrupts people, changes them…how…how could you even think of doing that?" Tears welled up in Lily's big brown eyes and trickled down her porcelain cheek. She kept shaking her head, as if by doing so the truth she just learned would go away.
"I swear to you, Lily, I only just use it so I… Please, we must make ha—." Levyn tried to reach her, but the Chantry sister slapped his hands away in disgust.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed and went hysterical. "I do not want to see you again! Stay away from me! Holy Andraste, what have I done? What have I done!"
Levyn's hands tighten into fists. How could she not hate him after that? He betrayed her trust and her love. Even he hated himself for that. If he had not resolved his troubles with blood magic, none of that would have happened; if he could have practiced a bit more and ignored the outstanding performance of his friend Neph, if he wasn't weak….
But Gladys did not think of him that way. Another small voice piped up inside his head. As the matter of fact, other than Wolf, none of the Gwarenians thought of him that way. Had he not proven that he was not weak? Had he shown the others what he was capable of after the whole ordeal as Jowan? Those people did not mind non-Chantry approved magic, as long as you put it into a good use. Hadn't he proved just that? What was he afraid of? What did he still feel guilty about?
"…I'm still watching you, mage. That's not going to change." Wolf finished his sentence, which Levyn missed as he was too immersed in his own thoughts.
"Thanks for sharing," the blood mage nodded and turned. "Now if you'll excuse me." He walked away from the Templar and joined Lanaya the Dalish keeper. The former glared at him for a long while before he finally stormed past them and joined Zac at the front.
"They called you a maleficar." The elf starred at the back of Wolf for a few minutes before she jerked her head around and scanned Levyn curiously. "Is that true?"
"Yes." Levyn bowed his head politely.
"Humph…." Lanaya stared at him thoughtfully. "I must say, you don't really strike me as a maleficar kind."
"You aren't the only one." Levyn chuckled.
"Truly?" The Dalish Elf grinned. "I suppose we all shouldn't judge a book by its cover."
The blood mage smiled half-heartedly, his mind still dwelling on Wolf's revelation. He was under the impression that the Templar hated him to the bone, wanting to execute him on the spot every time he saw him. Why did he want to tell him about Lily? What did he think that would achieve?
Oh, Maker. Now he was bloody confused.
"Dalish keepers usually know about Blood Magic and do not hesitate to pass the knowledge down to their apprentice." Lanaya went on, unaware Levyn's internal conflict. "The previous keeper of my clan was a excellent blood mage; such a shame he passed away just before the Blight ended."
"Wouldn't that give the Dalish trouble, knowing that each clan has at least one possible blood mage?" The blood mage frowned.
"Indeed." The Dalish elf's grin deepened and her eyes twinkled. "The Chantry in particular is very found of playing cat-and-mouse games with us."
"I can understand how you feel." Levyn sighed. "I've been experiencing the same privilege for the last couple of months."
"Is that why that Templar was talking to you?" The keeper's eyebrows shot up. "Is he aware there are plenty of other apostates and blood mages alike in Gwaren?"
"Yep," the blood mage grimaced. "He also knows about the King's order to the Chantry to go easy on blood mages and apostates alike. Why he was after me was…a slightly personal matter to him…"
"Oh, my apologies." The elf looked slightly uncomfortable. "I didn't meant to pry."
"No, it's all right." Levyn smiled sadly. "You are not. Besides, I don't think there is anything I can do to change his view about me."
"Change his view?" Lanaya seemed surprised. "No, nobody can change another's view. It defines what they are. But, you can change your own view about yourself. It's where you can truly find peace."
The blood mage stared at the Dalish keeper in shock. Somehow, he realized she was speaking the truth. How could he expect to move on if he insisted to see himself as a depressing lunatic?
Is that how he had been seeing himself all this time? A useless, weak and soft mage who's good at nothing, who had to rely on Blood Magic to boost his power? Did he see himself as someone who keep making mistakes and achieving absolutly nothing? Maker's breath, no wonder his life was a mess!
"Ah." The Dalish's smile deepened. "I hit the right note, have I not?"
"How old are you?" Levyn stared at her in disbelief.
"Not much older than you think I am." Lanaya chuckled. "Let's just say my life experience has made up for it."
"Shh." A Dalish archer suddenly paused and tapped the keeper's shoulders. "I heard something."
Immediately, Zac appeared next to them. "What is it?"
"Over there." The archer pointed at a dark cave entrance not very far from the group. It was deep. From where they stood, they couldn't make out what was at the other end.
Levyn narrowed his eyes, trying to see deeper. Dark shadows danced in the corner. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he heard a grunting noise.
"What's in there, Zac?" Wolf tightened his grip on his broadsword.
"That one," the Dwarven Keykeeper rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "leads to a Thaig ruin. It has long been abandoned, even before the darkspawn invaded the Deep Roads. I am pretty sure I blasted and sealed off the entrance with some explosives. Strange…."
"Do you think it's worth investigating?" asked Lanaya.
"Humph." Zac crossed his arms. "Might as well, since we are not sure where the darkspawn are hiding. We need to explore every possibility."
He raised his torch high over his head. "Well, shall we?"
The group nodded. Each of them entered the cave passage, into the unknown.