Okay, so I have a new Warden. Sort of. This is Erys Surana, a blind Spirit Healer, who is in love with the oh so fabulous Cullen. When it comes to my two Couslands, she's merely a Circle Mage who ends up serving in the court for six years before being summoned to the Conclave (only narrowly missing it and her death thanks to a certain Crow) and then joining the Inquisition. This little one-shot is what it would be like if my Cousland girls had died in Highever and Duncan had recruited Erys instead. So, summary, Erys and her group (consisting of Wynne, Alistair, and Leliana) have almost made it to the top of the tower. The Sloth Demon has been venquished, now all that's left is to find Irving and kill Uldred. So, what happens when Erys discovers her love...just not the way she imagined him to be?
"Y-you! Not again! I will not tolerate these cruel visions!"
Erys froze, her frame shaking at the shock over hearing his voice again. Was it…? He was alive? Hope began to blossom in her chest. She swallowed back the tears and shakily whispered "Cullen? Cullen, love, is that you?"
His voice cut through that hope quickly. He looked up in his prison and glowered, no, glared at her form. His eyes were narrowed as if locked on his prey. "Silence! I will not…I will not give in. You may have defeated my brethren but you will not break my will. Torturing me with the one woman I desired…with the one mage I once would break my vows for…tormenting me with the very thing I could and can never have." The pained templar growled, closing his eyes as if to block out the visions.
He waited, tensed, for the pain to come all over again but he was surprised to find that he was perfectly fine. Well, as fine as he could be in these circumstances. Cullen opened his eyes to see Erys Surana standing there, a look of frozen horror and pain etched on her face. Guilt pinged in his heart but he quickly threw it out. She was a mage. Her kind had torn the Circle apart, killed his brethren. Mages deserved no mercy. They were a threat to the mundane."You're still here?" He breathed out in disbelief, pretending there was no relief in his words. She nodded and raised her hand as if to touch him but hissed at the pain of the shock from touching the barrier. Wynne quickly took her hand and clucked his tongue at the small wound before healing it. "Erys, dear, stay back. His prison is meant to keep us out as it is to keep him in." She advised, glancing back and forth between the two. The Warden merely nodded at her words and knelt down as if to face Cullen. Her eyes, unable to see, were saddened and full of tears. "Oh, Cullen, what have they done to you?" She whispered, trying not to break down. She needed to be strong. She needed to be strong for them both. A feeling of dread began to build in her stomach. Something…something was terribly wrong.
"They've tortured me, laughed at my pain and suffering, taunting me with visions you. My biggest mistake…and regret." Cullen spat out, his face hard as stone. Alistair made to move in protest at his words but fell still at Wynne's warning look. Erys flinched but quickly regained her composure. "I see. I'm sorry you had….I'm sorry." A pause. "Cullen, where's Irving and the others?" Wynne interrupted, anxious to find her friend and fellow mages. The templar startled. "Others? What others? What are you talking about?" He asked incredulously. Alistair replied, rather shortly, "The other mages. We need to find the First Enchanter." Cullen nodded, oblivious to the other man's disapproval of his reaction toward Surana. "Ah. Uldred and his…filthy blood mages took them into the Harrowing chamber. You're too late. You have to end this now." He stated with a dark scowl towards the pained Erys. She said quietly "What do you mean?" He barely managed to hold himself back. "Stop acting so pathetic! You and your kind. To think, I once thought we were too hard on you. Now I see otherwise. Magic is a danger to everyone and it is our duty to see that danger ended. To ensure that this is ended, to ensure that there is no more blood mages, you have to kill them all. You have to end this before it spreads to the outside!" Cullen shouted, trying to fight off the painful memories. The Templars….they had been his brother in arms…he was forced to watch them die and kill each other like dogs all for the sake of entertainment. He had been forced to relive his memories of a mage he once loved, of a sin he had done.
Silence. Erys recoiled, stumbling backwards. Her mind reeled. He wanted…he wanted them dead? At that moment, she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. For a moment, she drowned in her pain and hurt before being devoured by the sudden rage. She barely heard Alistair talk about how the memories of his friends' death being so fresh blinded him. Cullen had not deserved this. None of them had. The templars, her fellow mages, Uldred would pay. She shuddered under the weight of her rage and felt the sudden clamp of a hand on her shoulder. Judging by the weight and sudden squeeze, she knew it was none other than Leliana. She cast her friend a grateful smile before standing on her own two feet again. She then faced in what she hoped to be her former love's direction and stated calmly "Stay safe, Cullen. We will deal with Uldred and then get you help." A pause. "I promise." Erys turned and prepared to head up the stairs, into the Harrowing chamber, when she heard Cullen's bitter scoff. "Maker turn His gaze on you and hope your compassion hasn't doomed us all." He sneered, lowering his head as if to pray. She acted as if she hadn't heard but Alistair sure did. His head turned to sharply scowl at the templar, his eyes filled with disapproval and anger. "Better her compassion than the blood of an innocent." The ex-templar-in-training retorted before following the rest of the group upstairs.
The sudden sound of a door being slammed caused Cullen to flinch. He then wept, whispering prayers for his brethren…and for his lost love.
Well! I hope you enjoyed reading this little bit of a one-shot. ^^ Hints of SuranaxAlistair but it's mainly SuranaxCullen as promised.