Chapter 23:
He saw her sitting on the ground, examining the map. Sylina had been quiet since the encounter with the dwarves. Whenever he looked over at her she was biting her lip and looking worried. When they had stopped for camp that night she had asked Leliana if she had a map and the sister had surprised them all by saying yes. Sylina had taken the map and had been sitting away from the camp and examining it ever since. Alistair had washed himself up first after they had stopped and had eaten as well. Now, sitting by the fire, he was watching Sylina's brow furrow as she looked over at the map on the ground.
Alistair got up from the fire and walked over to her. He tried to sound cheery. "So...decided where to go yet?" Sylina looked up at him, frowning.
She shook her head and sighed, looking back at the map. "I was talking to Leliana. She thinks we might want to wait to seek out the elves, since that could take awhile. Even if the Brecillian forest is the closest."
Alistair scratched his head and bent down to look at the map. "We could go to the Circle," Alistair said casually. "Or Redcliffe." He had wondered why she didn't want to go to the Circle first since it was where she was from. He saw her bite her lip and her hand went to the chain around her neck.
"I'm not sure the Circle is a good idea. I think, perhaps, I should let them...just no." She sighed. "And you heard your knight friend earlier. The Arl is sick. It would be pointless to go there now. We can wait until he is better."
Alistair nodded. He was worried about Arl Eamon and would have liked to head there first, but he saw that it wouldn't be much help if the Arl was too sick to even see them. He looked at Sylina, who was glaring at the map as if waiting for it to tell her what to do. "Well then, you are left with one option." He bent down and pointed to the Frostback Mountains. "To Orzammar we go." Sylina looked at where his finger was pointing and she frowned.
"I know. I realized that hours ago. It's just..." She looked up at him and blushed. He couldn't keep a smile from creeping up every time he saw her blush. "Well, it's a long walk to Orzammar." She finally said, looking down at the map. Her nose wrinkled as he had noticed it did when she was less than happy about something.
Alistair smiled. He knew that she was tired after their walk that day and that she tried to pretend her feet didn't hurt when they did. "Well perhaps it is best to get the long walk over with then. Or you know, I could always ask Sten to carry you." He chuckled and saw the corners of her mouth twitch.
"No. You are probably right. We will head to Orzammar and...walk. Hopefully I won't hold everyone back." She looked up and smiled shyly at him. "And by the time we get there I will be so quick I will be able to outrun you!" Alistair laughed and she giggled.
"You can certainly try, but I will warn you what will happen if I catch you," Alistair said, grinning.
Sylina looked up at him with big eyes. "What will happen?" she asked, feigning fear, but he saw the corners of her lips tugging up.
Alistair's eyes twinkled with mischief. "I guess we'll have to wait and find out, won't we?"
They were headed to Orzammar when a merchant hailed them. When he said the word 'golem,' Sylina's eyes had rounded and she had eagerly taken the control rod from his hands. And that's how Alistair found himself walking up a path to a small village called Honnleath. "Golem..." he muttered.
Sylina turned around and smirked at him. "We could use a Golem," she said, continuing their climb up the hill.
"We don't NEED a Golem, Sylina. Just admit that you want one and that need has nothing to do with it." Alistair was smiling at her and shaking his head.
She laughed. "Alistair, we are the last two Grey Wardens in Ferelden. We have to stop a Blight and the only army we have at the moment is you, me, Lelianna, Sten, Morrigan and Hesper. I think if there was ever a time when we needed a Golem it was right now." She smiled back at him but he was still frowning. "Cheer up. Think of all the darkspawn it'll kill. And you won't have to shield me anymore. That can be its job."
Alistair glanced at her. "I don't mind shielding you," he said, hoping she didn't see the blush creeping up his neck.
She chuckled again, her eyes bright. "Nobody can shield me forever, Alistair."
She walked ahead to catch up to Leliana and Alistair muttered under his breath, "I could try."
When they made it to the village and killed the darkspawn they discovered that the rod didn't work. Sylina was furious. Alistair wasn't sure if he was relieved or angry that the merchant had given them a useless rod and they had wasted the day trying to get a golem. Then he noticed Sylina was walking toward one of the doors in the village. "I think I saw something move over here, perhaps one of the villagers can help us." Sylina walked into the door and Alistair hurried to catch up.
They fought darkspawn and made their way through a cellar. Eventually, they came upon a room with a strange purple wall behind which many of the villagers were standing. Sylina convinced them that she was not going to harm them and the leader pulled down the magical wall.
"I am Matthias. Why are you here?" the man with a blonde ponytail who had taken down the strange magical wall asked.
"I am Sylina, a Grey Warden. I was trying to activate the golem in the center of your village," Sylina said, walking toward the man.
"Shale? That is why you are here. That damnable creature has brought nothing but trouble. It killed my father, Wilhelm, the mage to the arls of Redcliffe and a hero in the war against Orlais. What did he get for his service? One day we found him lying dead, the golem standing as he is now. My mother sold the control rod years ago," Matthias said, watching Sylina.
Alistair saw Sylina thinking. She was biting her lip, which he had come to realize meant she was considering her next action. "Well, the control rod didn't work..."
"My mother most likely gave the wrong activation phrase. She said she never wanted to see the golem harm anyone else." Matthias looked back to the door that led deeper into the cellar. "Listen, how about we make a deal? I know you saved me and I'm grateful, but my daughter...she ran back there and I can't reach her. My father has all kinds of traps set and I have never even been that deep in his laboratory. If you bring Amalia back, I'll give you the phrase to activate Shale." Alistair could see that the man was worried about his daughter.
Sylina looked from the man to the door. "I will help you. To save your daughter." Alistair sighed – he had figured she would do the right thing.
"Oh, we are going to help every helpless soul are we?" Morrigan said disapprovingly.
"You don't have to come if you are afraid, Morrigan," Sylina said, a slight smirk on her mouth as she headed for the door to the laboratory. Alistair chuckled and Morrigan shot him a death glare. He smiled sweetly at her and followed Sylina.
They made their way down a winding stone hallway and into a room with bookshelves and a fireplace. "The air feels cold here," Sylina said, taking out her staff.
"Shades," Morrigan said, looking around. Alistair unsheathed his sword and heard Sten do the same. Leliana knocked an arrow in her bow. They stepped further into the room and suddenly there were shades popping out of thin air around them. Alistair had never seen a shade before. They were ghostly spirits that seemed to float toward the group. They had long grey arms with claws and a hood with glowing purple eyes. Alistair swung his sword and the nearest one and it floated back and hissed at him. He took two steps and with swung again, but the shade dodged his attack by side-stepping. Alistair had been expecting this and swung his shield out to hit the hood of the creature, feeling its flesh crunch under the blow. With the creature momentarily stunned, Alistair sliced across its midregion and it sank back into the ground with a wail. Alistair turned and saw Sylina freezing the shade closest to him. With a grin, he took three steps and buried his blade to the hilt into the shade. It crashed to the ground and shattered. Alistair looked around and saw that all the shades had been dispatched. Sylina nodded and they headed on.
They headed down another hall, going deeper and deeper into the cellar. They approached a door with what appeared to be a hazy barrier. Sylina stopped and put out her hand to the barrier. It rippled and she nodded and walked through. Alistair followed and saw Sten hesitate before growling and following as well. Once inside the room, he saw Sylina walking toward a little girl and a cat. He frowned and walked up beside her.
"I am glad you are safe, Amalia. Come on, let's get back to your father," Sylina said, smiling at the girl.
"Nothing you say will convince her to go with you," the cat said from his position next to the girl. Sylina jumped back and almost landed on Alistair who put his hand out to stop her from falling. They both stared, wide-mouthed, at the cat.
"Oh, great. A demon," Morrigan said, frowning at the cat.
Now that Alistair looked closer at the cat he saw that its eyes were glowing a faint purple, like the shades' had been doing earlier. Sylina stepped forward. "What do you suggest demon?" she asked, frowning at the cat. Alistair stared at her. Was she truly going to make a deal with a demon?
"I propose you help me. Release me and let me have the girl. We will then return to her father." the cat got up and stretched and Amalia petted it lovingly.
Sylina rubbed her chin. "Okay. What do I need to do?"
"What?!" Alistair and Leliana blurted out simultaneously.
Morrigan laughed. "Oh, how fun!"
Sylina shot Alistair a glance that told him to be quiet and he frowned at her. "There is a ward that must be broken and only a mortal can approach it. Break it and I will be free."
Sylina nodded. "Show me where it is." Then, very quickly, she turned to Alistair and whispered, "Break the girl's concentration on the cat."
Alistair stared at her and watched her follow the cat/demon toward the back of the room. Alistair walked toward Amalia, "Um...hello?" he said as he approached. The girl looked up at him, but wasn't really seeing him. He thought he saw a faint purple in her eyes. Perhaps it was too late. "W-what a nice day? I-I mean how did you get down here?"
"You are an idiot." Morrigan shoved him aside and slapped the girl across the face. Alistair jumped and grabbed the mage's hand before she could slap the girl again. He heard a hiss and looked up.
"Stay away from her!" the cat growled and Alistair saw Sylina's staff come down on something.
He heard something break and then Sylina shouted, "I never said I would let you live, demon!" Alistair let go of Morrigan's hand as the demon started changing. He heard Amalia scream and run back the way they had come in. "I won't let you in Kitty!" she yelled. Then, the room erupted with more shades and he saw the demon Sylina was fighting. It was no longer a cat. Alistair saw that. It was a woman – a woman with purple skin and horns. He blushed upon realizing that it wasn't wearing any clothes.
Sylina was throwing spell after spell at it, but Alistair saw that it was barely making a dent in the demon's strength nor was it stopping it from getting closer to her. And suddenly he was running – he was running toward Sylina because he knew she wouldn't survive an encounter with the demon's claws.
"Think you can take my plaything away from me mortal?" The demon advanced and Sylina took another step back, but she was nearing the wall with nowhere to go. She cast a frost spell at the demon, taking another step back, but the demon simply walked through it. Alistair saw worry flash across Sylina's face and the demon raised its hand having almost reached her. Alistair shouted, the demon paused to look back at him for split second, but it was enough. He reached the demon before it could bring its hand down on Sylina and the demon spun around. He didn't stop running as his body met the demons and his blade sliced through it. They landed against the wall and he felt a searing pain in his shoulder where the demon's claws had ripped through his armor and shoulder. He gasped and the demon smiled at him as she died. Alistair stumbled back, gripping his shoulder and the demon fell to the floor taking his blade with it. He sunk to the ground and felt small hands grasping him. He blinked and looked up to see Sylina's face close to his. He thought about how beautiful her eyes were.
"Alistair. Alistair, stay with me!" she shouted, her hands tearing his away from his shoulder. He saw that his hand was red with blood. Was it his, or the demon's? "I can heal this, Alistair, you just have to stay awake, you hear. I need you to stay awake." Alistair dumbly nodded and slumped against her. His shoulder hurt and he felt tired. "Leliana! Sten! I need help!" Sylina pushed Alistair and put her hands over his wound. Suddenly Leliana was beside her. "I need his armor off, I need to see the wound, to heal it." They began moving him and Alistair laughed.
"N-no not there! Ha. I'm ticklish." He felt a wave of dizziness overcome him. "Oh, that's not good," he said, blinking and putting a hand out to steady himself. He was still on his knees and felt Sylina's hand reach out to grab him. His breastplate was off, and his shirt had been torn away from him. He blinked and saw Sylina leaning against him, her hands over his wound. She was whispering. He felt a pressure against his other side and looked down to see Hesper leaning against him. He put his hands through the dog's fur and felt a burning in his shoulder. "Ow. Hey, that hurts!" he said, trying to move back, but Sylina moved with him.
"Alistair please, I am not very good at this. You have to stay still." She looked up at him. He nodded and his hand reached out and held her robe, bringing her a bit closer. He didn't take his eyes off her as she healed his shoulder. She was on her knees next to him, her hands over his wounded shoulder and as she tired she leaned ever so slightly into him. He winced at the pain, but didn't move. Finally, she was done. Leliana handed her bandages and she wrapped them around the wound. Alistair watched, unable to say anything. The only coherent thought in his head was how good she smelled – why was he thinking that? Wasn't he wounded? But she smelled like the air, fresh and clean. Not like him. He smelled like blood...and mud. Alistair always seemed to smell a bit like mud.
She sighed and looked at him. "It's done. I have healed it to the best of my ability. You will need to rest it for a few days, but it should be good as new after that." She gave him a quick grin and tried to stand. She staggered and Leliana put her hands out to steady her. Sylina smiled gratefully at the red haired woman. Alistair put his hand out and was surprised to see it still entwined in the Mabari's fur. He pushed off the dog and got to his feet. He then put his hand against the wall and leaned. He blinked a few times and felt his thoughts clear up. He sighed.
"Let's get back to Matthias," Sylina said. She sighed and walked toward the entrance. Alistair nodded and straightened. He picked up his breastplate from the ground and looked down at the tattered remains of his shirt. That would have to wait he decided.