Epilogue
"SELENE!" Terra screamed out as she awoke suddenly and sat up in a makeshift bed. She looked around the room hazily as she came face to face with the Architect. She screamed and jumped back in her bed as she groped around for her battle axe. "Do not be frightened. I am not here to harm you. All of your wounds have been tended to and if you would please follow me, I will take you to Selene. She said she wanted to speak to us all before you depart," the Architect said as he stepped aside and directed her attention to the nearby door. "Why should I believe you Darkspawn? Your kind killed my brother and sister and made me casteless!" Terra said defiantly as she kept herself in her bed. "I am sorry for what my brethren did but I do not control them either. I am…sorry for your loss," the Architect said, bowing to her then straightening. Just then a magical aura filled the air as a shadow form of Selene made it's appearance next to the Architect.
"Selene? Are you…are you dead? Is this a hallucination? Please tell me this is all a hallucination," Terra said as she stared in awe of the spiritual presence in the room. "No I am not dead. And no this is not a hallucination. Please, allow the Architect to lead you to where we started at on our journey. I promise I'll explain everything when you get up here," Selene said as her spiritual projection disappeared from the room.
Terra reluctantly got up from her bed as the Architect left the room ahead of her. As he waited for Terra, he couldn't stop but replay the events of earlier in the night in his head. In the room, Terra noticed that she was not restrained to her bed and that she had her armour on still. She stepped off of the bed and felt a bit light headed as the room began to spin in her vision. She grabbed her forehead and waited until she felt ready to walk around again. 'What happened earlier this night? I wonder where Selene and Armand…wait…the last thing I saw…that's right…Selene killed Armand. Well then, where is Selene?' Terra thought as she walked towards the door.
After the battle, Utha, Seranni, and the Architect stood in the darkness, their breaths caught in their throats. "Selene? My dearest Selene?" the Architect managed to choke out into the silence. Then a small light shown in the darkness as it became brighter and illuminated the cavern once more. Selene leaned on her staff, breathing heavily as she said, "Terra…is…still…alive. Stopped…Armand…in…time…so…there…shouldn't…be…any Blights starting up…in the near…future." "But how are you still alive?" Seranni asked. "I'm…I…" Selene tried to say but fainted to the ground.
Some time later Selene awoke to the Architect stroking her face lightly with a damp cloth. The cold water on her face felt so nice as she reached for his hand with her right hand. She held onto his hand as he stopped stroking her face while taking off his newer mask and looked down at her lovingly. "Thank you Architect. You're so good to me," she said, smiling sweetly at him and touching his face gently. "You're welcome my dear," he said as he looked at her with a more serious face this time. "I am confused my dear. You said before that if your master died, you'd die too. But here you are, alive and well," he said as he continued to stare at her intently. She removed her hand from his face and sat up in his bed, hugging her legs to her chest and thought on what he said.
For a moment she said nothing to him then looked at him, and asked, "How did I get back here?" "I carried you back while Seranni and Utha carried your traveling companion. She is sleeping in one of my holding cells for now and I've tended to her wounds too." "You…you carried me back? That must have been quite the sight. A Darkspawn Emissary carrying a Grey Warden back to his room and laying her on his bed," she said as she stretched out her legs and smiled at him mischievously. "Yes it was a curious sight, but an exciting one at that," he said while touching one of her legs lightly absent-mindedly. She then sat up on her knees and put her face close to his.
He had never had anyone be so loving with him as she looked into his cold, dead white eyes. "Selene, you do not want to love a creature such as myself. I am a Darkspawn, an ancient one at that. I…I am… undeserving of your love," he said as he tried to keep his voice as neutral as he could. She just smiled at him then said, "You may be a Darkspawn, but I don't care. I do admit at first I was confused by my sudden feelings for you, but now I know that you are the only creature I am willing to be with for the rest of my days. Architect, I love you. Please, be with me as I will help you with your task of ending the call of the Old Gods and freeing your brethren," she said as she touched his face again and pulled him in for a kiss. At first he did not know what to do but it felt so intoxicating as she deepened the kiss. He reached his thin arms around her back and held her close as he found himself toppling her over onto the bed. She broke the kiss as she landed on her back and looked up at his face.
"I have never done this before," he said while still trying to keep his dignity. "Neither have I, especially not with a Darkspawn," she said as he lowered himself onto her for another kiss. Just then a small rapping at the door spurred them back into the here and now as Utha and Seranni stood at the open door way, Utha's sword leaning against the door. Utha stared at the two of them while trying not to laugh. Seranni turned away with her hands covering her face and said, "The one known as Terra is stirring in her bed." "Thank you Seranni. Architect, can you bring her to me up at the chasm entrance? Utha, Seranni and I will head up there now," Selene said after the Architect had removed himself from her and put his mask back on and she sat up. She adjusted herself as he said, "Yes, I will my…beloved." Selene blushed slightly as she stood up and headed out of the room ahead of the Architect with Utha and Seranni in tow.
The Architect kept quiet as he continued to think on those events. As Terra walked beside the Architect, she felt conflicted. She took a quick glance at the creature, then continued to stare straight ahead. She wanted so badly to end this creature's life, but put those feelings aside as she thought about Selene. Even though she and Selene barely knew each other, Terra felt a sort of kinship towards the strange elven mage. She couldn't think of a way to explain it, but she knew that it was there. 'If I cut this creature down right now, Selene would never forgive me. I just can't believe that she is in LOVE with this creature,' Terra thought to herself as she had noticed earlier the way Selene stood with him before the final battle.
Some time passed by as they traversed the Deep Roads to reach the secret entrance within Knotwood Hills. As they walked onward, Terra noticed that they passed by the abandoned camp to which Selene, Armand and Terra herself were all sleeping soundly just a few moments ago. For a moment she cursed knowing the two mages, but thought better of it as she felt a cool breeze of the outside world.
She shielded her eyes as they finally left the Deep Roads. But she needn't have to worry, as it was still night time; the moon hung in the sky, showing off its brilliance far off in the distance. "Wow!" Terra said in a whisper as she never thought that she would have ever gotten out of there alive. The brilliance of the moon's glow darkened as Terra noticed Selene sitting on the old wooden railing of what was once a mining staircase leading down into the open-air chasm.
Utha and Seranni were both there too, conversing with each other enthusiastically; Utha with her hand motions, and Seranni interpreting and laughing back. They took notice of their master's presence and took a quick bow. The Architect on the other hand, did not take notice of them. Instead he seemed to be too enthralled by Selene's presence the most. 'There is no doubt about it. She seems to have a euphoric hold on me,' he thought before calling out to her. "Selene! My dearest, we are here as you wanted," he said as she snapped out of her daydreaming and looked down at everyone. She smiled sweetly as she quietly and gingerly, walked down the stairs towards them.
"BY THE ANCESTORS! WHAT THE SODDING HELL HAPPENED TO THE REST OF YOUR SKIN?" Terra asked as every one took notice to Selene's skin colour around her face had changed. "At first I too was uncertain of that detail but now I know. As most of you already know, Armand and I made a blood pact before the end of the last Blight. One to which we'd be linked to each other even in death," Selene began as everyone hung on her every word. "So since he died, you should be dead too then?" Terra asked as she began to understand the situation. "Yes, I am supposed to be. But after coming back up here and thinking things through, I remembered that I read in one of his books, that if a blood pact is formed when one person isn't one hundred percent satisfied with doing it, that person has the upper hand and will not die when the other person meets their demise," Selene replied simply.
"So…that's how you were able to fight through you master's hold on you?" Seranni asked after interpreting Utha's hand motions. "Yes, it appears to be that way. It also went on to say that if the unsatisfied person who took part in the blood pact finds satisfaction in another being, then they will become like that being instead," Selene said as she looked to the Architect. "You…you're…changing into a…Darkspawn?" Terra asked in disbelief. "Yes, I am but only slowly. It will take time until I am a full Darkspawn. To which could take ages to finish. So for now I am the way I am. Sort of half way between a ghoul and a Darkspawn until time catches up with me," Selene said as silence filled the air.
"But what about your duty to the Grey Wardens? They will certainly try and find you eventually if you do not report back," the Architect managed to finally say as Terra through a nasty look at him. "YOU! ITS YOUR FAULT SHE IS THE WAY SHE IS!" Terra exclaimed as she stepped away from everyone and held her battle axe high in the air. Utha drew her sword and set it at the ready as Seranni flattened herself against a wall. The Architect began to conjure up a spell but was stopped short as he and the others found themselves frozen to where they stood. Selene had her right hand outstretched at them all with a bluish glow dancing around it. A cold gust of air flew into the chasm and held itself around Selene as everyone watched her play with the frost element. She then let everyone go as the cold air created a bluish aura around her body as she lowered her hand to her side.
"Finger pointing should all be directed to me if there is to be any. It is my doing for twisting myself even farther this time as I am the one who formed the blood pact, and was unsatisfied with Armand. Upon meeting the Architect I have fallen in love with him and thus became, in a word, satisfied with him. To which I was able to kill Armand without dying and save you, Terra, from fulfilling his plans of creating another Blight," Selene said as Terra began to open her mouth in protest then decided against it. "Thank…thank you Selene…you know…for saving me and all. But why? Why would you twist yourself further just for this…creature?" Terra said as she pointed her battle axe to the Architect. "I do not know to be honest. I think it might be because I really have found love with him. Which brings me to answer your question my love," Selene replied then turned her attention to the Architect.
"Yes it is true that my commander will indeed try and find me if I do not report back to her. So that is where you come in, Terra," Selene said as she held her staff then quickly snapped it in two against her knee. "What the sodding hell are you doing?" Terra exclaimed worriedly. "If I do not report back to my commander she will hunt me down. And even though Armand and I have already destroyed our phylacteries before coming here in the first place, the Templars will no doubt try and find me. The only way they will stay away is if this is destroyed," Selene said as she handed the two halves of her staff off to Terra. "Will you take this back to my commander and tell her that while you were travelling by you witnessed Armand and I in a heated battle. The likes of which killed both of us and obliterated our staves? They won't know the difference as Armand and I both had the same staves so you can present these to her and say that this was all that was left," Selene asked Terra as Terra looked up into Selene's dying eyes.
"Yes I will…I was actually thinking of becoming a Grey Warden anyway. Perhaps, after I fulfill your last wish, I will become a Grey Warden and one day upon my calling we'll get a chance to fight?" Terra said as she gave in to Selene and placed the broken staff in her pack. Selene looked down at Terra and smiled sweetly, "I would be honoured to fight you on your calling." "OH and here take these as well," Selene added as she rummaged in her own pack for something. Terra stood curious to what else this mage would want to give her then was surprised when Selene handed her some weirdly coloured sticks. "Sticks?" Terra managed to say as she tried to stifle a laugh. "Not just any sticks, they're wards. One for healing, two for an ice storm to keep enemies at bay and three for repelling demons whilst you dream at night," Selene said still with the same sweet smile on her face.
"Thank you Selene. Well I'd best be off then, I promise to keep your secret safe," Terra said as she holstered her battle axe and made her way to the rickety steps. As she placed a foot on the bottom step, she turned to face Selene one last time. "Best of luck to you and for your future with…the Architect. And you Architect, if I do not get a chance to fight Selene on my calling when the time comes, I will be coming after you instead," she said then turned back to the stairs and began to ascend them slowly.
Selene walked over to the Architect and placed her head on his chest affectionately. "Will you not miss the surface?" he asked as he found himself stroking the top of her head absentmindedly. "No, my place is with you now my love. Come let us go now. There is much work to be done," she replied as she walked away from him while clutching his left hand with her right. Utha and Seranni followed after them as they all returned to the dark abyss of the Deep Roads and continued with the Architect's work.