Into the wilderness
If Trevelyan had to summarize their journey to the Arbor Wilds, the words he would use would be the sort to be frowned upon by Mother Giselle. Though it didn't stop him from muttering them under his breath as he rode his mount as fast as possible while trying desperately to avoid getting hit by a storm of flying arrows. It was more difficult than he remembered as he ducked and jumped off of the twigs and roots that cut his path.
The giant trees with their large trunks and many branches hid the Sentinels away and Trevelyan made sure to steer clear of them as he dropped near the river and followed it up. He could hear the rest of his party just up ahead.
He only slowed down when he saw Cullen's mane like armour and his raised sword. The troops of the Inquisition had marched for the Arbor Wilds before the sun was up with their commander heading them. So far they had done a good job of keeping the sentinels away but then Samson and his soldiers had appeared, erasing almost any time they could have gained from their surprise march on the wilderness.
A second group involving Lavellan's inner circle had followed the troops soon after and helped clear the road in advance for Trevelyan and his current companions. He had appreciated the gesture since his left side was steadily losing its senses, with or without Solas' medicine.
"Herald!" Cullen yelled towards him as he dismounted his horse "It's good to see that you made it here. Samson's men are blocking the way, we'll need to clear them out before I can let you go forward."
"Is there any way to pass by them with only a few of us?" Trevelyan asked. He already had an idea as to what the answer would be. The voices of battle; metal clinking and arcane energy sweeping was enough to put his pain aside and refocus his attention on the mission he was tasked with.
"Between the red templars and the sentinels, I doubt it. Inquisitor and our finest soldiers are working on clearing the road. Best if you waited for our clear signal in the forward camp just south of here. Catch your breath, you are looking a bit pale"
"Alright, just let me know as soon as possible." he said with a heavy heart and before the commander could turn around he grabbed his shoulder with a serious scowl "I am sorry it didn't work out as we had hoped, Cullen. But rest assured as soon as Samson falls, we will gain the upper hand once again."
"I know, Trevelyan. You have helped us more than you can imagine. Or perhaps you can imagine it. Either way let us not waste this chance we were given."
"We will overcome this trial. I'll make sure of it." Trevelyan assured and his hand's grip slightly increased on the commander's shoulder " Regardless of the ending, it's been an honour to fight alongside you, Cullen."
"You too, Trevelyan. Have faith that we will make it through" After a mutual pat on each other's backs, Trevelyan grabbed his horse's reins and rode for the camp without glancing back.
The fighting screams and the intense energy surges subsided greatly once he was amongst the Inquisition soldiers who were getting ready to march forward. He nodded his head gently at Josephine and Briala as he passed them by and found Cassandra waiting for him by a large tent.
"Good. You have made it" she snarled, already in the mood for the upcoming battle.
"Yes, it was nice of you lead the way, so efficiently." He snapped back and somehow they ended up smiling at each other.
"If I didn't believe that you were capable of following, I would have rode slower. Yet, here we both are."
"I am glad that you think so highly of me"
"After learning that you were an Inquisitor with another me on your side, I thought that if I had trusted you enough to follow you into an Elven temple, then the least I could do is to repeat that and make sure you succeed this time around"
"Yes, I agree" Trevelyan nodded "Also it's good to be back in my armour. I even got a proper staff this time around. We will make it in with little problem."
"I hope so, Trevelyan, for all our sakes." A solemn look passed her eyes as they walked around the camp and he thought to himself, what the hell.
"So I hear Varric is working on the next instalment for Swords and Shields!"
"You are joking!" Cassandra exclaimed and startled a few soldiers resting nearby. Even Trevelyan looked taken aback with the hopeful way she twirled towards him. "I mean not that I would care but I had heard from other people that he had given up the series.
"You don't need to worry. It turns out both Lavellan and I had the same thought and got him started on it again."
"I am not worried" she said and nervously fidgeted with the helm of his sword "Did he say when he'd finish it? I am only asking because I do not want him focusing on such stuff while we have bigger concerns."
"Soon. Lucky for you I had already read it in my time. I can give you a summary of what to expect"
"Don't tell me!" she said defensively and then continued whispering to herself "I'll read it when he completes it"
"So you actually read one those books?" asked a husky voice behind him and Trevelyan could feel his ears burning as Dorian's hands caressed his neck. He almost moaned at that but stopped himself before he opened his mouth.
"You were right, I actually felt myself getting dumber after reading it but the book definitely was an experience, of some kind..."
"I'm not surprised to have said that" he replied and tightened his hold before releasing him "We are almost ready to move out."
"Alright, let us move" Cassandra said but Dorian shook his head.
"I am afraid, I have been requested to stand by our Inquisitor's side and assist them in creating a diversion while you enter the temple. Samson is fast approaching and we do not have much time left."
"I see" Trevelyan grimaced. He had wanted to have Dorian by his side for the end but he understood Lavellan's reason for taking him with her. He would have made the same choice if their roles were reversed.
"Don't go lamenting now, Tsion. Solas and Varric will accompany you two and if all goes well we'll meet with you by the Well of Sorrows. Hopefully Morrigan knows the way in as well as you do."
"I talked to her through the path back in Skyhold. She'll be ready. You on the other hand, just be careful, love" Cassandra made a disgusted noise beside him but it was easy to ignore as Dorian cupped his cheek and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.
"Same goes for you, Tsion. If you don't come back from this, I'll make sure to pull you out of whichever Thedas you fall into and kill you myself."
"I have no choice but to return to you, then" he replied leaning in for a second kiss.
"You better... Now get a move on. You won't have much time once the signal is lit."
With a heavy heart, Trevelyan turned away and followed Cassandra towards the edge of the camp.
...
"Try not to step on the dwarf's foot" Varric complained as they silently walked pass the battle site while remaining hidden amongst the thick collection of branches and the bushes.
"Sorry. Slipping through this shit is not as easy as I imagined it to be" Trevelyan whined in return.
"Be silent. We are not supposed to be heard" Cassandra hissed and cursed as her shield got stuck on a nearby twig. Trevelyan could easily imagine Solas sighing as he walked in front of them without compromising his elegant stance. He wanted to hurry the elven mage but he knew one wrong move or one too loud of a voice would ruin all their plans. So he forced his mouth shut and laid low while his heart continued to hammer in his chest with all the new possibilities as to how this could end.
Another ten minutes later, they were safely away from the closest fight and Varric was free to complain "Are we there yet, Chuckles? I think I sprained something and there are leaves in my unmentionables."
"Yes, we are, dwarf." Solas sighed and climbed down the short pathway, ending in front of two giant halla statues. Trevelyan let out a deep sigh at completing the first quartet of their mission. He took the lead and much to his dismay when they passed through the almost hidden passageway, they were faced with a new obstacle.
The long bridge stood before them with the guardian statues still intact. Last time, they had come here Corypheus had been kind enough to destroy them and eliminate the sentinels along with it. Now the tall statues were brimming with energy and a couple of sentinels were bracing their bows against them.
Solas moved past them and addressed the ancient elves "We are not here to harm you or your temple, friends. A dangerous foe approaches to your temple with a foul intention and he must be stopped no matter the cost. Please, allow us entrance and let us speak with Abelas." The sentinels were disturbed, possibly shocked to hear an outsider speak Abelas' name. They took a step back but did not lower their weapons.
"Whatever Chuckles has said them better work or our journey is going to end a lot faster than expected" Trevelyan frowned as he faced Varric. When he saw the similar unsympathetic looks on both Cassandra's and Varric's, he realized that he was the only who was able to understand Solas' elven speech.
"Oh, I see" he mumbled as the voices in his mind began their chattering and told him as much. He walked to Solas' side "Tell them that I carry the wisdom of the Well of Sorrows and if they move aside I can prove them that I can pass through the guardian statues without ending up extra crispy."
Solas narrowed his eyes but delivered the request in better words to the sentinels. Now amused and certain of his certain death, they side stepped from the path. Little they knew that Trevelyan's few talents included surviving in the direst of situations.
He stepped forward with a determined stroll and just at the tip of the bridge, where the statues stood, he felt the energy accumulation. His skin prickled and at the same time as the statues started acting up, his elven marking glowed a deep blue. Loud gasps were heard and as the blue was just about to turn its crimson shade, the statues were deactivated by the sentinels.
Solas and the sentinels exchanged a few more words but Trevelyan was busy not blacking out. He released a breath he had been holding in and staggered sideways. Cassandra was there to keep him straight when one of the elves motioned them to follow him with a great distaste on his face. Trevelyan didn't blame him for it.
Upon crossing the bridge with taking some help from his staff as a source of balance, they reached the giant doors of the temple. The inside was as Trevelyan remembered it, old yellow walls wrapped up by various plants, pathways broken and split by overgrown roots of the nearby trees and a jungle like scenery dominating the ancient great halls of the temple. Without hesitation, he pressed on and even passed their guide, on his way to the ritual place in the middle of the courtyard. The ache in his arm had flared upon activation and he didn't want to waste a second in case it got agonizing enough to incapacitate him before they reached the well.
This time around he could clearly read the inscription on the sole of the statue but he didn't bother with it, already knowing what it said. The whispers in his mind guided his path. With a single try all ground beneath his feet lit up and the door beyond the long staircase creaked open.
The sentinel stood in awe and even his companions raised their brows at him. "Let's go!" he urged them. Anger and fear was bubbling in his chest as he thought of Dorian, Cole and all the others facing off red templars so that they could reach the inner sanctum. They simply didn't have time to dwell on pondering when they could be pacing forth.
The Hall of Shrines was free of any enemies, besides the sentinels surrounding them. There was no hole in the ground to jump through and the door leading to their was shut tight. His arm felt heavy on his side and he drank the last drops of his medicinal tea from his leather flask. A final push, he told himself. One last push and they could convince Abelas to directly take them to the Well without the drama or Samson in their way.
"To prove yourself, you must take-" the sentinel started as he reached him in the temple grounds but he really didn't have the patience to hear another speech.
"The petitioner's path, I know" shouted Trevelyan as he ran towards the first ritual ground. He recalled Morrigan's words as he completed the rituals one by one.
"Mankind blunders through the world" she had stated as if she wasn't one of them "crushing what it does not understand: elves, dragons, magic..."
"Well, this man had done something beyond even that, Morrigan, and screwed up the time itself. It gives blundering through a whole new meaning. To stem the tide, you said. Let's see if I can do better than that"
"Should we go, help him or something?" Varric's voice ringed through the empty space "He is talking to himself. I am getting worried here"
"I must agree. We should lent him a helping hand" Cassandra concurred but Solas interrupted her.
"Let us wait until he finishes the rituals and show his respects to the elven ways. The sentinels are certain to value a display of deference." As if on cue the magic on the main doorway was dispelled and Trevelyan appeared in their peripheral vision. "Well done, my friend. Only a selected few would have taken the time to complete these rituals."
"Don't praise me yet, Solas. We still need to convince Abelas of our cause. This bit might be more tricky"
"We should press on quickly then" Cassandra said as she stepped forward "Inquisition soldiers are fighting tooth and nail outside. We need to finish this now"
Trevelyan couldn't have agreed more.
The chamber, as it had done before revealed Abelas and his sentinels. Their self-proclaimed guide summarized his actions, passed on their request and emphasized on the elven markings he carried. As Abelas went into great detail of explaining who they were and what their mission was, Trevelyan listened with an undying patience out of respect.
Abelas sounded as indifferent as before but there was a glimpse of curiosity behind his words. "I know what you seek" he said "Like all who come before, you wish to drink from the Vir'abelasan. It is not for you. It is not for any of you"
"Yes, a bit too late for that" Trevelyan interjected. That had Abelas paused. "You see, I have already been here and done that. This is not the first time we are having this conversation. I know everything about the well and your past. I can hear it as whispers in my mind, constantly intercepting with my own thoughts. But they lack focus and ever since entering the temple it has gotten worse. I am clearly running out of time and still got so much to lose that neither of us can afford to waste more of it. There is an army lead by Corypheus, waiting outside to run over your temple. They search for the Well and the Eluvian. We must reach it before they do and the ancients in my head are all rooting for that too. So, please let us cut this short and get to the well before all is lost, again."
"Trespassers you are, but you have followed rites of petition. You have shown respect to Mythal. If what you say is true then you have already-"
A loud explosion noise rattled the chamber and dread filled Trevelyan's mind "They are already here. Did Lavellan- no. I must focus... Abelas, there is no more time. Please aid us!"
"Sentinels" Abelas shouted to his men "protect the sacred ground. If these others who defile our grounds are enemies of yours, we will aid you in destroying them. When this is done, you shall be permitted to depart. But the Vir'abelasan shall not be despoiled. Even if I must destroy it myself."
Trevelyan was about to protest but one of the whispers in his mind cleared a path through the rest of noises and made itself heard. His breath hitched as the words gained meaning and that meaning gave the momentum he needed to convince Abelas.
"And that's exactly what you had done last time, Abelas" he screamed after the Elvhen sentinel. Solas and Cassandra whipped their heads towards him in shock and Varric shifted his stance to get a better visual on him. "Last time, we had earned your trust and you had fought alongside us. Helped us defeat Samson and his men. You promised us your aid and even agreed to preserve the wisdom of well. You granted us permission to drink from the well and use its power to stop the oncoming nightmare. But you had lied, you son of a bitch. You had already poisoned the well long before we had reached it and when I took one sip from it, the poison reacted to my anchor, rejecting it and all of the elven originated magic within it. It almost cost me my life and everyone around me." His markings glowed with a fierce blue and Abelas recoiled physically at the sight "It was your fault that the world shook that day and I was thrown into this unknown world. It was you who condemned us and your own ancient gods, forcing them to take drastic measures so that we could have a world to live in."
"Is this true?" he inquired. Solas nodded in agreement.
"Yes, it must be. Otherwise how do you explain, a human carrying the markings of the ancients? What you had done in his timeline caused a rip through the time. He was sent back to the past and was faced with a whole new trial because you failed to keep your end of the bargain."
"I don't know much about elvish commitments but this one sounds serious" added in Varric "Are you really going to risk destroying this world over misplaced pride? Because I can assure you , it never ends well"
Abelas contemplated on their words and measured them each separately. In the mean time, Trevelyan reached out for a support to prevent himself from falling. Cassandra found his arm and threw it over her shoulders. He was grateful for it.
His markings lost their colour and this time around the red that embodied them stuck instead of fainting. Trevelyan knew that his countdown had began. He was prepared for it though; To meet his end and give the rest of the Inquisition a fighting chance. He had to made sure that Abelas didn't harm them, that the well was secured and his friends remained safe. If only he could have had Dorian with him too but perhaps this was better. Without him to remind him the reasons to live, he could easily give up anything and everything we ever wanted.
"Abelas" he slurred as the pain shot through his anchor and his whole arm lost its feeling. "We won't get a third chance. Help us preserve the world." The elvish tongue spilled perfectly from his mouth as he repeated the words from his mind "Let us protect the world and the vision of Mythal"
It took only another nervous second before Abelas nodded in agreement "Very well, follow me"