A/N: ==Pokes head out from under rock== So I have been pretty occupied with moving the last couple months, which has been very exciting (and a lot of work). With winter approaching and things starting to settle down, I will hopefully be able to get back to focusing on this story. Please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age Origins or any of its characters - They are the property of Bioware.
Chapter 8 – The Circle of Magi
The boat ride across the lake had been tense and silent until Leliana lightened the mood with one of her random comments that Jayden found quite endearing.
"The Circle Tower is so tall… the view from the top must be spectacular!" she said excitedly.
Jayden leaned in to whisper to the pretty redhead, "I'll see if the First Enchanter will allow me to take you up there to look around."
The smile she gifted him with was probably the only thing that could distract him at the moment. That girl could get me to do just about anything when she smiles like that, he thought before focusing back on the task at hand. Something big must be going down at the Tower. Why else would the templars close the ferry down?
By the time they reached the shore, Jayden was thoroughly worried. He leapt from the boat, only stopping for a second to give a hand to Leliana and Ashlyn, before setting off quickly for the thick, imposing doors leading inside the Tower. Please let everyone be okay, he prayed silently.
He pushed the heavy doors aside and walked into the foyer. The first thing he noticed was that there were templars moving around everywhere. He had no idea why so many of them were down here at the entrance and not spread out on duty through the Tower like normal. After a second of scanning the crowd, he saw Knight Commander Greagoir right in the middle of all the chaos.
He could hear orders being shouted as he pushed his way through the templars to reach the Knight Commander.
"… and I want two men stationed within sight of the doors at all times. Do not open the doors without my express consent. Is that clear?"
"What is going on here?" Jayden asked drawing the Knight Commander's attention.
"How-" Greagoir began.
"Sorry sir!" the templar from the ferry interrupted as he rushed his way towards them. He had been delayed due to docking the boat. "They said they were Grey Wardens and forced me to bring them across. I only agreed sir because that mage is dangerous!" he explained while pointing towards Jayden.
"It's okay Carroll. This mage is a Grey Warden… I will talk with him. Go on back to your station," Greagoir said.
The templar was visibly shocked by the Knight Commander's words. "But…"
Greagoir sent the young templar a sharp look. "That's an order."
"Yes sir," Carroll replied meekly and turned to go back outside.
"Now, why would he think you are dangerous Jayden?" Greagoir asked.
"Because he wanted some alone time with one of my companions, and I didn't approve," Jayden answered tightly.
"I see," the Knight Commander said finally noticing the redhead, elf, and wolf traveling with the mage. His expression darkened. "I will deal with Carroll later." He refocused his attention on Jayden. "I thought you were dead. We heard about what happened at Ostagar."
"It isn't so easy to get rid of me," Jayden replied.
"Yes, that much is apparent," Greagoir stated dryly reminding Jayden that their last meeting hadn't gone so smoothly. In fact, the templar had wanted Jayden sent the mages' prison, Aeonar.
Too concerned with the current situation to start a fight about the past, Jayden pressed on. "What is going on here?" he repeated.
"We are dealing with a situation that doesn't concern you, 'Grey Warden'," Greagoir responded.
"I am still a mage, and this tower is my home. I want to know what's happened," Jayden demanded.
When the Knight Commander realized that the mage wasn't going to take no for an answer, he decided to explain. "I shall speak plainly… the Tower is no longer under our control. Abominations and demons stalk the Tower's halls."
"How… how did this happen?" Jayden asked stunned.
Greagoir eyes softened slightly at the obviously upset mage. It appeared the man had a heart after all. "We don't know. We saw only demons hunting templars and mages alike."
Leliana placed a comforting hand on Jayden's shoulder at the same time Ashlyn spoke up. "Why is everyone out here then? Shouldn't you be fighting to regain the Tower right now?"
"We cannot defeat these monstrous creatures on our own. There are too many," Greagoir explained. "I have sent word to Denerim calling for reinforcements and the Right of Annulment."
Jayden had been frozen in disbelief until these last words were spoken. Specifically the words 'Right of Annulment' got his blood pumping like nothing would. "What? How can you think of annulling the entire Circle?"
"Excuse me, but could someone explain what this 'Right of Annulment' is?" Leliana asked confused.
Her light touch had a calming effect on him which was probably the only reason he was able to answer rationally. "The Right of Annulment gives the templars the authority to kill every mage in this Tower."
Both Ashlyn and Leliana gasped at his explanation.
"Surely not all the mages have been overtaken," Leliana reasoned.
"If any are still alive, then the Maker himself has shielded them then. No one could have survived the evil that is dwelling within," the Knight Commander said sadly.
"Let me go inside. I will look for survivors," Jayden said firmly.
"By yourself?" Greagoir asked incredulously.
Jayden stepped out of Leliana's hold to turn around and face his companions. "I can't ask you to go with me."
Leliana nodded to Ashlyn, and the elf said, "You don't have to. We are coming with you whether you want us to or not." Ashlyn continued on with a vow, "You are a brother to me now Jayden, and I will not leave a brother-in-arms behind again."
"And I cannot just sit here quietly when your life and the lives of innocents are at stake," Leliana added. "Besides, it sounds like you are going to need us."
Gratitude was showing in his eyes when he answered the women with a softly spoken, "Thank you."
He turned back to the Knight Commander, who looked skeptical. "Are you sure about this?" Greagoir asked. "I assure you, an abomination is a force to be reckoned with, and you will face more than one."
"The mages in there are my family. I have to save as many of them as I can. Nothing you can say will change my mind," Jayden said determinedly.
Greagoir released a sigh before responding, "Very well." He gestured for the group to follow him. He continued as they walked across the entrance hall, "A word of caution then… once you cross that threshold, there is no turning back. The doors must remain barred. I will open them for no one until I have proof that it is safe. I will only believe it is over if the First Enchanter stands before me and tells me it is so. If Irving has fallen… then the Circle is lost and must be destroyed."
He halted their progress once they reached the large double doors leading to the rest of the tower. The Knight Commander motioned for the guards to let Jayden and his companions pass before stating, "May Andraste lend you her courage, for you are going to need it." With these final words, the doors were slammed shut and locked behind them.
Nothing could have prepared Jayden for the sight that greeted him on the other side of the doors, a sight which took his breath away and made his heart fall into his stomach. The lifeless bodies of mages and templars were scattered about down the hallway. Those responsible for this senseless slaughter cared not for gender, race, or age, and Jayden was afraid this image before him would now compete with the darkspawn for center stage of his nightmares at night.
"Merciful Maker," Leliana whispered.
Knowing now was not the time for mourning, Jayden steeled his resolve. "Let's get moving."
He swiftly led his companions through the apprentice quarters. Bunk beds had been knocked over, and the contents of chests and closets had been strewn haphazardly everywhere. They searched every room, but they found no survivors. At least the same could be said about abominations.
They continued down the hall to find the first closed door they had encountered since they had been locked in. As they approached the door, several screams sounded in the next room. Without hesitation, Jayden charged through to find an older woman protecting a group of mages by battling against an inflamed rage demon. With a skill that only a senior mage could possess, she let loose an impressive arcane bolt that demolished the fire demon before her.
As she turned to face them, Jayden recognized the powerful, white-haired mage. "Wynne? Thank goodness you are okay!"
"Jayden, you returned?" Wynne asked surprised.
"Yeah, and thankfully not too late," he said looking around at the other mages in the room. He noticed Ashlyn had picked up a young female elf, and was clutching the small crying mage to her in a tight hug. Jayden turned his attention back to Wynne. "What happened here?"
"Let it suffice to say that we had something of a revolution on our hands, led by a mage named Uldred," Wynne began. "When he returned from the battle at Ostagar, he tried to take over the Circle. As you can see, it didn't work out as he had planned."
"There isn't going to be a Circle left for Uldred to rule if we don't stop the templars from annulling it," Jayden whispered to Wynne, not wanting to alarm the rest of the mages.
"They have the Right of Annulment?" she asked quietly.
"Not yet, but Greagoir has sent for it," Jayden answered. "He will only stop the assault if First Enchanter Irving confirms the tower is safe again. My companions and I are going to clear the Circle and search for Irving and other survivors.
The male mage noticed that Ashlyn had set the small child down and was walking with Leliana across the room towards them. Two other adult female mages also made their way towards the group. Jayden felt it was time to make introductions. "This is Leliana and Ashlyn, and the wolf there is Arrow," Jayden said indicating to each of them in turn.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," Wynne said kindly. "Although, I wish it had been under better circumstances. Jayden has told me what you plan to do, but it will not be possible unless I dispel the barrier I erected to block off the interior of the Tower. I will do this if you allow me to join you."
The two unnamed mages looked shocked at the older woman's words, and one of them spoke up, "Wynne, are you sure you're all right? You were so badly hurt earlier. Maybe I should come along?"
"No Petra. You and Kinnon must stay here to protect the others," Wynne instructed. "I will be alright."
Jayden took a moment to really study the white-haired woman. She did look flushed and slightly out of breath, as if she had been conjuring powerful spells for hours on end. "I don't know Wynne… perhaps you should sit this one out."
"Absolutely not young man. The only way you are going to get through that barrier into the Tower is if I go with you," Wynne said adamantly.
Leliana, always the peacemaker, said, "Then let us not waste time. We have much to do and little time to do it." The redhead withdrew a small sword at the same time Ashlyn pulled out her twin daggers.
"Very well. Let's get going." Jayden had noticed his companions' choice of weapons. While both women were natural archers, they had chosen blades for the impending battle as they now had two mages to protect.
Wynne pulled her magical energy tightly inside herself before releasing it at the barrier. When it had disappeared, the group pushed forward into the hallway leading towards the library.
"Now that the barrier is gone, we must be thorough in slaying any fiends we meet on our way to ensure the safety of the other mages," Wynne announced.
"No problem with that," Jayden responded.
They had just arrived in the library when the wardens and former Chantry sister encountered their first abomination. Standing over eight feet tall with distorted features, the hideous creature truly was the stuff of nightmares. Before Jayden could react, Leliana was charging the foe. She lithely ducked under the creature's attempt to stab her with its claws before plunging her sword up under its ribcage through its heart. She brought her right leg up to kick the abomination to the ground and extract her weapon.
If the bloody scene of the fallen Circle mages and templars would serve as material for Jayden's nightmares, then the replayed scene of Leliana's graceful fighting would be the stuff of his daydreams. Peaceful chantry sister my ass, Jayden thought. He was so distracted by the little redhead, that he missed the second abomination rounding the corner. Luckily, Ashlyn's survivor skills kicked in, and she threw both her daggers at the creature before it could attack anyone in their party.
It seemed like an easy confrontation until the abomination that Leliana had killed burst into flames. The explosion was so powerful that it sent Leliana flying back against a bookshelf.
"Holy Maker! What was that?" Leliana asked from the floor as Jayden rushed to her side to help her up. She had burns on her arms from when she had brought them up to protect her face from the blast.
"That is what happens when an abomination is destroyed," Wynne answered. She then proceeded to whisper a soft incantation and her staff let off a soft green glow. The burns on Leliana's arms magically disappeared.
The little redhead looked to Jayden in disbelief. "Ooh, my arms do not hurt at all now."
Jayden nodded his thanks to Wynne and announced, "Wynne is a spirit healer, probably the most skilled in all of the Circle."
"You flatter me young man, but you could have been a great healer too if you had applied yourself," Wynne lightly scolded.
"What? And not have developed my awesome offensive abilities that can turn darkspawn into crispy critters… I think not," Jayden said with a smile.
The loud explosion of the second abomination refocused the group. As they made their way through the library, they had to fight against several more abominations and a rage demon that was even larger and more vicious than the one the Wardens and Leliana had first witnessed Wynne battling. The white-haired mage's healing magic was felt by everyone by the time they defeated it and reached the stairs leading up to the second floor.
This next floor brought about the discovery of Owain and Godwin. They found the tranquil, Owain, cleaning in the stockroom, and Godwin, a regular mage, was later found hiding in a closet. While one was not bothered at all by the attack and was the perfect picture of calm as he proceeded to turn chests upright and arrange potions back onto shelves, the other was so afraid he refused to leave his hiding spot to get to safety.
At least Owain had been able to give them a little more insight as to what was going on. A mage named Niall had been searching for the Litany of Andralla, which could only mean one thing… blood mages were in the tower.
"Blood mages? As if we didn't have enough problems with the abominations and demons," Jayden said tensely as they traveled through the senior mage quarters.
"I don't understand," Ashlyn spoke up. "How do blood mages make the situation worse?"
"Blood magic is evil," Jayden answered. "The knowledge of how to gain the powerful dark magic can only be obtained by contacting a demon. The magic itself is conjured by sacrificing the life force of the caster or that of another person… willing or not."
Wynne further explained. "Going up against a maleficar is dangerous. The blood mage has the ability to take over your free will. That is why Niall was searching for the Litany of Andralla. When recited, it can disrupt the casting of mind control spells used by the blood mages."
It was shortly after that conversation that they found three blood mages battling another rage demon. When one maleficar noticed their presence, he sent a fireball straight toward Jayden and his companions. With lightening quick reflexes, Jayden put a barrier up around them for protection. He missed the look Leliana sent his way as he conjured up a paralysis spell to stop the blood mage from attempting any mind control spells. That was Ashlyn and Arrow's cue to attack.
Those two make quite an impressive team, Jayden thought while watching how the wolf covered Ashlyn's blindside while she spun and sliced with her daggers. Leliana had exchanged her bow for her sword while the blood mages were distracted. When Jayden realized her intention was to shoot the fire demon from afar, he enchanted her arrows with ice.
"Nice touch," Leliana said after she released two arrows at the flaming monster.
With the addition of an arcane bolt from Wynne, the rage demon was defeated.
Jayden returned his attention to see how Ashlyn and Arrow had fared. Out of the original three, there was only one blood mage still alive. As he approached his fellow Warden, he could hear the female maleficar begging not to be killed. She swore that she would do something good with her life if only they would let her go.
Jayden shared a meaningful glance with Wynne before turning the blood mage loose. "Enough mages have died here today," he said in a somber tone.
Before they went upstairs to the third level, they stopped at a large room filled with books and a beautiful ornate desk at its center.
"These are First Enchanter Irving's quarters," Jayden stated before watching Ashlyn and Leliana wonder around the room. His heart felt heavy with worry about the elder mage. He is the closest thing to a father I have, Jayden thought sadly.
Wynne, who had stayed by his side, interrupted his musings. "Irving told me about how you became a Grey Warden and that unpleasant incident that occurred prior to your departure from the Circle."
"Jowan was a fool. And yet, I wish it hadn't turned out the way it did. He was my friend."
Wynne placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "That's not something either of us can alter, so it is best to put it behind you. But that aside, you are a Grey Warden now, and perhaps I presume too much by saying this, but the Circle is proud of you. I know Irving is. He couldn't hide the sparkle in his eye when he spoke of you. Do not lose hope Jayden… we will find him."
"Thanks Wynne," he said before calling out to the rest of the group. "Let's get going. The First Enchanter is counting on us."
They raced up to the third floor only to stumble upon a room full of corpses that became animated as they walked through the room. If that wasn't bad enough, an arcane horror showed up, and threw tons of nasty spells at Jayden and his companions while they were trying to deal with the shambling skeletons. He wasn't sure they would have been able to defeat it without Arrow there to distract and keep the arcane horror off balance.
Further along the third floor, they were confronted by templars who had been charmed and possessed by a desire demon.
"Have I mentioned lately how much I hate self-important, Chantry-loving, tight -ass templars?" Jayden asked while bringing up his staff to block a sword strike from a possessed templar.
Ashlyn completed a fatal backstab before answering, "Alistair excluded, right?"
"Oh, if only that bastard was here with us," Jayden replied before starting to laugh. "Hey, I can really get away with calling him that now."
Jayden noticed Leliana fighting back a smile as she walked away from the desire demon that she had just beheaded. She ended up losing that battle and gave the male mage a full-out grin. "I am sure Alistair would be happy to know he is being so well thought of while away from us."
"I won't tell if you won't," Jayden whispered in the redhead's ear as she walked past him towards the room at the end of the hall.
The former sister looked back and said with a wink, "We'll see."
The room Leliana walked into was filled with abominations, shade demons, and more shambling skeletons. She yelped in surprise which kicked the Wardens and Wynne into action. They were breathless but victorious after the ensuing fight.
"Jayden, I'm having flashbacks of the Tower of Ishal," Ashlyn panted as they stopped for a moment to rest before finding out what the fourth floor had to offer.
Jayden chuckled. "I know what you mean. Just trade these abominations for darkspawn and it's déjà vu, right?"
"Let's just hope we have a better outcome at this Tower," the elf responded.
Jayden agreed with a nod. "Yeah, because if there is a giant ogre at the top of this thing, then I am going to have to learn the animate dead spirit spell."
"And why is that?" Wynne asked with a raised eyebrow.
"So we can kill this Uldred character twice for putting us through this," he answered laughing.
"Youth," Wynne muttered under her breath while taking the lead up to the next floor.
Finding a sloth demon waiting for them was the last thing Jayden expected. He and his companions valiantly struggled against the demon's mind control, but it was no use. One by one, they fell into the darkness of the fade…
- - - - - In the Fade with Ashlyn - - - - -
Floating. That was how Ashlyn felt, like she was floating into nothingness. Everything was black. Smell was the first of her senses to return to her. She could discern the scent of wildflowers, but there was another scent that was as familiar and as it was comforting… and distinctly male.
She could hear the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees. The forest, but weren't we in the Circle Tower? Ashlyn was thoroughly confused. She knew she needed to get up and figure out how she got back outside. With monumental effort, the elf forced her eyes open and looked around at her surroundings.
She realized she was indeed laying under a willow tree in a forest that reminded her so much of her home that it made her heart ache. If that wasn't enough to startle her, she discovered she wasn't alone. On either side of her body were two legs bent at the knees, and another's arms were folded across her chest enveloping her in a loose embrace.
Understanding dawned on the elf. This is where the male scent is coming from. Ashlyn yelped in surprise and made an attempt to jump up.
"Whoa there, lethallan," a disturbingly familiar voice sounded from behind her as he held tight to keep her from escaping his grasp.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Ashlyn demanded frightened.
"It's okay Ashlyn. It's me… Tamlen."
She turned in his arms and gasped. Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "But you're dead."
The male elf gave her a gentle smile. "That must have been some nightmare you were having. You have been out for quite awhile. Do you remember hunting earlier, and the shemlen we discovered?"
"Yes, they told us about the caves. And we went there, and you never left…" Ashlyn couldn't hold the sobs back at this point.
Tamlen pulled her into his body for a hug. He ran his hands soothingly up and down her back as she cried her heart out. "Shh lethallan. I'm here… I'm alive. There were no caves. They were just trying to stall for time by distracting us with a story. We thought there were only three humans, but there was a fourth out in the woods. He snuck up from behind and struck you in the back of the head. You went down and haven't been awake until now."
"You mean," Ashlyn hiccupped, "that it was all a bad dream?"
"That is exactly what I mean," he responded.
Ashlyn felt unbridled joy rise up in her chest. Happiness she never expected to feel again surfaced with the relief that Tamlen was fine and back in her arms. Without hesitation, she returned his hug, relishing at the feeling of being in his arms again.
She pulled back to look in his eyes. "I am so glad that it was just a nightmare and that you are okay. It was unbearable believing that you were dead."
"Everything's okay, lethallan. In fact it's better than okay. Fenarel showed up when I was fighting the shemlen. He helped me defeat them and then went off to get Keeper Marethari. We talked when you were unconscious. I told her everything… even from before with the visiting clan. Ashlyn, she gave us her blessing!" he said excitedly.
Could this possibly be true? Everything I have always wanted is happening. Tamlen and I can finally have our binding ceremony and begin our life together. Ashlyn was pulled from her thoughts when she felt the male elf run his hands down her sides, skin that was exposed as her Dalish armor didn't cover her midriff. His fingers continued their path down under her thighs and securely lifted her onto his lap. This position allowed no room for doubt just how ready he was for their joining.
Tamlen's never been so forward before… he always wanted to wait until after the ceremony.
He kept his gaze locked with hers as he caressed her thighs and slowly started to lean in. Nearby growling interrupted them before their lips could meet. Ashlyn turned away from him to determine the source of the disturbance. A beautiful grey forest wolf was staring at her intently.
"Arrow? What are you doing here?" Ashlyn asked the wolf.
"Friend of yours?" he asked.
"Yes, but I didn't meet her until after I was rescued from the cave… after you were gone." She stood up and walked over to the wolf. Something doesn't feel right.
Arrow gave a small wine and licked her palm before Ashlyn started to gently stroke the fur along the wolf's back.
The male elf stood up but did not join Ashlyn with her wolf. "Maybe you just became acquainted with the wolf recently, before the hunt, and that is how she got incorporated into your dreams."
"Maybe…" Ashlyn wanted to accept his words. It felt so good to have him back in her life, but it didn't make sense. Duncan was with me when I released Arrow from that spring trap, wasn't he?
"Come back over here. We can continue where we left off," he said while opening his arms wide.
Still not convinced everything was as it seemed, Ashlyn chose her words carefully. "I had better not. My head is hurting from being hit by that shem."
"Yes, you are lucky there isn't permanent damage," a voice said through the trees.
Ashlyn was surprised to see that the voice belonged to Keeper Marethari. Merrill, Fenarel, and her godmother Ashalle were walking behind her. Arrow started growling again at the approaching elves.
"It's okay girl," she said soothingly to the wolf.
"Our Keeper speaks the truth," Tamlen said. "You gave me a real scare. You must promise to stay with me… always."
Why doesn't this feel right? I recognize their faces, but what about everything that happened with the Grey Wardens? What about all those poor mages in the Circle Tower? Ashlyn realized she was trembling as her clansmen formed a half circle around her and Arrow.
"Ashlyn!" another familiar voice called out. "Ashlyn, snap out of it!"
She looked behind her to see Jayden running towards her. "Jayden, what are you doing here in the Brecilian Forest?"
"We aren't in your homeland. This is the fade, Ashlyn. You have to fight this and wake up!" the male mage demanded as he arrived at her side.
What my friend says makes sense, but if I believe him, then that means my Tamlen is still dead. She looked back at the male elf who resembled her lost love. I don't care. I lost him once, and I refuse to lose him again. She started to walk away from her fellow Warden and Arrow towards the elves.
"Ashlyn, they are showing you what would make you the happiest to keep you here. They are just demons in disguise… not the ones you love." In a softer voice Jayden said, "Your Tamlen is dead Ashlyn. Staying here will not avenge him."
His words caused her to stop and turn back towards him. Tears were rolling down her face as she whispered, "I know."
"Well, aren't you inconvenient," the elf who resembled Tamlen said. "We were making her happy without you. Why don't you and that silly wolf leave and never come back."
"I'm not going anywhere without my sister," Jayden replied.
Ashlyn's heart lightened at his words. We Wardens really are a family, and my new family is counting on me. She looked at the faces of her beloved elves one last time before stepping towards the male mage.
"Now we can't have that," the Keeper Marethari look-a-like said before attacking along with the rest of the imposters.
Ashlyn was grateful her weapons hadn't been removed since she had entered the fade. Jayden conjured the same barrier around both her and Arrow that he had cast around Leliana in Lothering. It prevented the masquerading demons from laying a finger on any of them. The Ashalle, Merrill, and Fenarel imposters fell first. As Ashlyn turned to face off against her next opponent, she saw Jayden getting ready to release a powerful lightening spell at the demon which looked like Keeper Marethari. She was getting ready to help Jayden with the "Keeper" when she noticed that the charlatan portraying Tamlen had his bow out with two arrows locked onto her fellow Warden. Knowing what she was about to do would haunt her forever, she took a deep breath… and let her daggers fly.