Dissonance (Arc II)

Chapter 4: Welcome Home

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Dragon Age or their characters or their stories. Bioware is to thank for bestowing us such amazing work. I only claim my own original character and any other made up character that I have created.

"It was a life I didn't want to leave behind. It was a life I didn't want to forget."

― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger

He watched the blue bird perch at the top of a tree, singing its song as a casual incantation of its day. He wondered what it was like to travel with wings instead of legs, what would he see, how would he feel? A small breeze grazed his cheeks while his hair flowed with the air. A gentle metallic tune played in the distance as the wind made its journey through the forest. He wondered where it was coming from.

"Have you remembered anything yet?"

Katarina stood over his tiny body while she appeared to be carrying two buckets of water in each hand. He swung his good leg in a pendulum motion while he shook his head. Katarina placed the buckets at her feet and squatted down beside him, "Not even your name?"

He turned his head to the armored woman and nodded his head, "I actually remember something, Rosincruetz."

"Is that your name?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged his shoulders, "There was a rose bush by one of the trees and the name just came to me…but I cannot be sure."

Katarina lightly knocked his head, "If you remembered something you should have responded yes to my first question."

He rubbed his head where he was hit. He was such a sensitive boy. Katarina stood up while picking up the buckets of water, "Well since that appears to be the only name you can remember, I will just call you Sin."

Sin.

Lautlos Hallow was true to its appearance as it was interpreted. The dirt road forked from the main road, appeared to have lead into the Fade itself, but none would have known it would journey them to a forgotten village on the edge of the bannorn. The village buildings were close together, but it appeared larger than he thought. There were two small districts: the merchant quarters and the farming quarters. The farming quarters' fields appeared to be closer inland to the bannorn. The merchant quarters appeared directly when you entered.

Sin took his first steps into the village, watching from behind his mask as the slender people of Lautlos Hallow went about their days. Their aberrant existence was questionable. Even if no one stared at him directly, he felt a small weight on his body. People were watching him.

"Excuse me."

Sin turned around to be greeted by a man in templar armor, "Are you here to trade business with the merchants? We are not looking for any trouble."

What should he say? Any of the names he remembered would only compromise his position and taking off his mask would only worsen the situation. Introducing Marea as well would still ensue chaos.

What were they going to do?

"I am here to escort my employer to see the Hanging Tree." Sin responded to the Templar.

Marea nodded. Thankfully she caught onto what Sin was doing, "I came from Highever to see this." She added.

The Templar nodded and bowed, "I apologize for being hostile. You can never be too careful." He commented as he rose from his former position, "The Hanging Tree is north east of here. If you take the path leading out of the merchant's quarters then you will reach your destination. There is an inn here as well on the way, although we do not get as much visitors these days it might not fit your proper accommodations."

"Thank you very much." She smiled. The Templar mimicked her action and walked away.

The weight on his shoulders slipped off gradually as the two walked down the path. Not as many people began to stare at the two after speaking with the Templar. But to Sin's surprise, the village people seemed quiet. He could hear a conversation here and there but it was no where near as much people and as loud when he was in Tallos.

Now Sin had to think: where could he start? He had to think of this carefully. To avoid anymore curious eyes, he could not draw his sword until he leaves this place. It was best to avoid any casualties while he was here. Second he must keep a low cover. He could ask around about Isaac and Camille Rosincruetz but he could not reveal his own identity. Third he must also keep Marea's identity a secret as well. In a village full of Templars, she is no safer than he was. Sin then came to a realization.

Where was she?

Sin turned around, searching for any sign of his red-headed companion. His amber eyes searched until they discovered her standing in front of a wooden stall. Sin walked his way to Marea about to question her as to what she was doing. Marea was admiring some type of fabric dangling from the edge of the stall. On closer inspection, the fabric bore two blackbirds circling each other in a clockwork motion with some foreign script on the bottom.

Judging by the merchant's set up these goods contained mostly imports from other provinces. Behind the stall, a small old woman smiled at the two. She looked over to Marea, "This used to be one of the past archon of Tevinter's banner." She commented as her wizened arm reached with her small hands to stroke against the fabric, "Apparently these creatures frequent at the Archon's old winter estate in Marothius."

Sin looked down at the old merchant, "What is the writing in?" He questioned. The merchant gazed at the mask staring back at her. Her eyes were bound by confusion, "Pardon? I couldn't hear you from your height, young man."

Sin exhaled before he squatted down so the edge of the stall was up to his chin. He repeated his question, "What is the writing in?" The woman gave a curious expression. Her gaze did not go through him, but directly at his eyes. Her mouth opened, ready to answer until Marea had already sated his question, "Tevene."

The merchant nodded, "Yes, it is in Tevene. An old friend of mine had it translated and strangely it is from the Chant of Light, Therondies 5:8, 'And then the Maker sealed the gates, Of the Golden City, And there, He dwelled, waiting, To see the wonders, His children would create'. "

"Why is that strange?"

"This Magister believed in greatness in all and that he wanted to make the Maker proud. It is ironic for a Magister to have that passage when it was in fact Magisters who destroyed the Golden City."

The banner billowed slightly as the wind carried it gently before passing. Marea kept her eyes on the cloth as if she was reading the same passage over and over again. Sin returned his gaze back to the merchant who continued to stare at him. Perhaps this woman knew something he did not, or she was beginning to grow suspicious of them.

As Sin stood back up, the woman seemed startled and went on the other side of the stall with a smile, "You two must have had a long journey to visit our small village." She grabbed onto both Marea and Sin's wrists and pulled, "Come, I can make you two a bowl of porridge and you may discuss your travels."

The gray mucky contents within the wooden bowl were a constant reminder why he never ate peasant food. His spoon swirled the mush in a clockwork motion to keep himself from eating the horrendous dish. He glanced at Marea, she was eating well. He then turned his attention to the old woman, who was carefully watching him. Sin placed the spoon on the edge of the bowl and placed his hands on his laps. In order for him to eat, he would have to remove his mask or take it partially off. She was a clever old woman.

The old woman frowned, "Please eat young man. You're so thin, you need your strength."

Even if she was trying to fool him, he would not eat the porridge anyways. Sin stared back at the old woman, "I came here seeking answers, not for leisure." he responded.

"And what answers are you seeking, young man?"

"What do you know about Camille and Isaac Rosincruetz?"

The old woman sat in silence as a solemn expression fell upon her face, "You must have heard about the story of the Hanging Tree then. Why do you seek them?"

Sin was about to speak when the old lady hopped from her large chair, walked around the table and towards Sin, "Take off your mask, please."

Her eyes sparkled with hope and anxiety. She wanted to see his face because she knows something. He knew his face could answer much for him. Sin hesitantly removed his mask and placed it on the table. The old woman's eyes immediately lit up with joy and she collided with Sin's torso and wrapped her tiny arms around his waist, "It's you! I knew it was you the second I saw your eyes, Virgil. You are well! Oh thank the Maker!"

Sin was confused nonetheless but this indicated that this old woman would be willing to answer his questions. Addressing Sin as Virgil only confirmed that his original name was not what he had thought. She released her grasp on Sin and stood before him with so much light in her eyes. "You knew me?" he questioned. The old woman nodded, "Yes. I was friends with your mother and father a long time ago. I would see you playing the market with your friends."

"Friends?"

The old woman's light dimmed as if her hope was destroyed like a fallen vase. She looked at Sin's eyes, "You…don't remember?"

Sin shook his head.

The old woman's eyes fell to her shoes. Sin cleared his throat, "That is why I have come here, to remember. If you could be kind to give me more insight, I will be most grateful."

The old woman looked at the bowl of uneaten porridge and smiled, "I can see you still don't like porridge." Sin nodded sheepishly.

She reached out and took the bowl from him. He wasn't going to be eating it anyhow. She placed it by the hearth and returned to her seat, "On the contrary to the old fable, you were actually well loved in the village, even your parents. You weren't any different from any of the other children. You had a hard time smiling from time to time but it was so enriching to see you do so."

It was hard to imagine a small boy with sadistic amber eyes and sharp teeth running around this village as if he was normal without any ridicule. The village life must have been more tight knit in the past than it is currently. Never once in his dreams has he remembered anything happy.

"I knew you would grow up to be a handsome man. You look just like your father."

Based on the story, Sin never got a chance to meet his estranged father. He wondered if they were still alive and he returned, how would they react to see him? Would his father give him a pat on the back and say how tall and strong he's become while his mother would be embracing him with tears overflowing her eyes saying how much she's missed him? Every orphan dreamed of meeting his or her parents, laying on the hay mat while lights were out. It was one of the only things they could dream about.

"Your parents were one of the happiest people in this village. Everyone loved them."

"Except the Templars."

The old woman looked down at her wizened hands, not saying a word this time. Sin stood up from his seat and nodded for Marea to do so as well. She slowly rose up and smiled to the old woman.

"Thank you for what little you told me. I think I had an idea what happened."

The old woman looked up to Sin with her large eyes, "It has been almost two decades since they last saw you. One look and they will recognize you. Please stay cautious."

Sin slowly nodded and placed his mask onto his face before he would open the door and return to darkness.

These villagers had no idea what cruelty was because it was part of them already. Each face that looked at him held in the urge to yell or throw stones at him. It meant that Marea and him did not belong here. But Sin needed to know what this village was hiding, even if it meant exhuming old graves to understand. Their path was to the Hanging Tree.

Sin was able to keep count of how many Templars he had seen. One of them was the one he had spoken to when he entered the village. Based on his count, this village was heavily guarded and paranoid. Even they were staring at him.

Being distracted by the armed men, a villager bumped into him. The man backed away for a moment to collect himself and looked up at the mask before him, "Oh sorry about that. I didn't see you there, you put the heart crossway in me. You almost blended wit' the trees." The man apologized. The man words flowed with a distinct brogue accent which Sin could definitely recognize from the farmlands in Gwaren.

Sin didn't acknowledge the villager, just looked down. But the man narrowed his eyes at Sin and into his eyes. Once he was able to see the glint of amber, the man's gray eyes widened and jumped back. The man continued to stare and while keeping his distance. Sin began to slowly back away while grabbing onto Marea's wrist. They were exposed, and they needed to escape.

The man realized Sin's actions and shook his head while he slowly approached Sin, "Wait! Wait!" He said in a hushed tone. The man slowly walked towards him and whispered, "Virgil, is that you?"

Silence fell in Sin's throat as the man stood before him. He was definitely young who looked about Sin's age, perhaps he was a friend. It was such an odd thing to imagine. But even Sin didn't say anything the man only smiled, "It is you! By the Maker you're alive! I can't believe it! You've gotten much taller since I last saw you."

Without a response, Sin watched the man's eyes move downward as if he was studying the ground. It took a moment for the man to speak, "It's me, Ruarc." When silence was Sin's only response the man's smile faded, "You don't remember me?"

His mind searched deep within for Ruarc. But none of his past memories could help him in this situation. There was no Ruarc to be found.

Sin lightly sighed through his mask, "I have forgotten everything. But that is why I'm here. I want to remember and I need help."

Ruarc's eyes rose from the ground and looked through his mask, "Our mums knew each other so we would play together a lot. We were really good friends when we were lads."

"You never thought I was strange?"

Ruarc shook his head, "I thought your teeth were interestin'." He smiled, "It was you, Granger and I, running around. Those were better times before you left."

"Granger?"

"He was another friend of ours at the time. We got along well and when you left, things got ugly with his parents and…well he's not the same no more." He commented as he looked down at his fidgeting hands. This seemed like an uncomfortable topic based on his subtle actions. Things didn't seem to end well since his absence and he couldn't even remember what had happened.

Sin hesitantly patted Ruarc's shoulder with light taps as a reassurance. Ruarc looked up at his old friend and smiled. "Would you be able to help me locate where I used to live?" Sin asked.

The honest man nodded and turned to point northeast of their direction, "Your family's farm is still standing if you take the road to the right once you make it down to the Farmer's Quarters."

Sin nodded to his old friend, "Thank you." He found he had been saying that more frequently today.

Ruarc turned back to Sin, "Please be careful, friend."