Things just got more and more complicated as the group went on, there were darkspawn everywhere and more demons at the next seal. Hawke seemed too eager for Cullen's taste to keep moving, seemingly just so he could add a new upgrade to his staff. Larius popped in again, making Corypheus' consciousness known to Kora as he seemed reluctant to speak to anyone else. Kora claimed she was the only one who didn't frighten him but that didn't make Cullen feel any better. Just another thing to add to the list of things that make me uneasy, he thought to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off a headache.
When they reached the Tower Base they took another break, everyone seemingly unnerved by the fact that they were officially in the Deep Roads. Cullen decided to let them get acclimated and made the rounds, checking on injuries and making sure everyone had enough supplies. When he approached Hawke and Merrill the elf gathered up whatever it was they were inspecting and shoved it into Hawke's pack.
"What was all that?" Cullen asked. When the mages became nervous he put his hands on his hips and looked over his shoulder. "I can just call Kora over and she could-"
"No need!" Hawke insisted, standing up to slap Cullen on the back, hoping the symbol of camaraderie would ease his mind. And distract him. "How are you holding up, Knight Captain? I noticed you seem to be in pain, a headache? Merrill could help you with that, she is quite the herbalist!" Cullen leveled Hawke with a look and turned, looking for Kora.
"Your Grace," he called out, "do you have a moment?" Kora smiled suspiciously and stood, making her way over. Cullen glared at Hawke once again. "Show her."
Knowing full well that was not a request, Hawke didn't bother trying to argue and removed the cloth with a dagger wrapped in it. Kora seemed confused at first but then realization dawned on her as she took it in her hands. She then looked at Hawke with an accusing glare.
"You know what this is." It was a statement more than a question. The mage seemed to turn instantly into a little boy who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked at the ground. Kora sighed, handing the dagger to Cullen. "It's harmless. On its own anyway. What were you going to do, Hawke?" He shrugged.
"I just… found it and… I thought maybe it may be useful?" he replied, his voice growing higher in pitch as he seemed to bat his eyelashes. Kora and Cullen continued to glare at the Champion and Hawke gave up. "Alright, I wasn't sure but I realized it was related to Dumat so I grabbed it. It's harmless, right Kora?" He looked to the Arlessa hopefully as she glanced at Cullen. She knew she couldn't trust Hawke so she put her hand out to him.
"Give up the other piece you found," she dead-panned. She saw the gears turning in Hawke's head and stepped closer to him. "The crown Hawke, now." Defeated, Hawke shook his head and removed that from his pack as well, handing it to Kora. She looked it over then passed it to Cullen. "You hold on to those, they were meant to be used in a ritual further in. Maybe something can be learned from them at the circle." Hawke's look went from defeat to outrage.
"Are you - honestly - Kora, you're going to give those to the circle?" His face reddened as he clenched his fists. "You can't seriously be considering giving them to some tranquil who will stare at them and - they are relics from a time long past, no one there will have any answers!" Kora admitted to herself he had a point and decided to give it some thought.
"Alright, there is logic in that. We'll consider it." She looked at Cullen, waiting for his response. He reluctantly agreed, handing the pieces back to Kora so she could put them in the pack still strapped to his back. Kora slipped them inside and gave the pack a slap, letting him know they were secure. The Knight Captain turned to address the rest of them.
"Alright, let's get moving!"
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Continuing forward the group waded through deepstalkers, darkspawn and spiders galore. Along the way Varric recognized a corpse clad in Legion of the Dead armor, piquing his curiosity. Looking around he waved Kora over to see as well.
"I assume this has some significance?" he asked, toeing the breastplate. Spotting the journal Kora picked it up and handed it to the dwarf.
"Ring any bells?" she asked, walking back over toward the group.
"Legion of the Dead, sent after Paragon Garen's heir, why does that sound familiar?" he asked himself as he followed. "Paragon Garen was sometime in the early Exalted Age, hundreds of years ago." Kora smiled, giving him a sly wink.
"It will come to you later," she promised and kept walking. When they reached the small building that she knew had another body in it she motioned to the entry way and headed inside. Varric followed and saw a second journal page on the ground next to another Legionaire corpse. He picked it up gently and read it, moving his lips with the words. Suddenly it all clicked and his jaw dropped.
"That's where I know the name! Tethras Garen should have been the heir to the Garen Clan, but he was accused of killing his sister and sent into the Deep Roads to die. When the real murderer was caught they tried to find him. They never could. Instead, every Garen heir from that time on took the name 'Tethras' in his honor. One of them became a paragon in his own right and founded my clan." Varric stared at the ground, trying to process it all.
"I'm sorry," Fenris said from the doorway. Kora and Varric practically jumped out of their skin, not realizing anyone had followed, and turned toward him. Fenris, Hawke and Merrill were standing near the entrance. "This is a hard way to learn about your family." Kora smiled at Fenris warmly and, catching her grin, Fenris smiled shyly back.
"So this was one of your ancestors?" Hawke asked.
"Not directly, but… a little closer than I'd like to come to my past, you know." Varric took one last look at the journal and shook his head as he tucked it into his duster, turned and walked back out of the structure.
As they moved on toward their goal more darkspawn emerged, this time with an Alpha, and attacked the group with a renewed frenzy. As Kora was fighting off one of the Genlocks she heard Cullen yell. She finished off the smaller darkspawn and turned to see him lying on the ground, the Alpha looming over him with its maul over its head, ready to crush Cullen's skull. Not close enough to aid him in time, she scanned the nearby allies and spotted Carver.
"CARVER!" she shrieked, drawing the man's eyes, "CULLEN!" Kora pointed to her friend and when Carver saw what was happening he rushed the Alpha with the battle cry to end all battle cries.
Throwing his shoulder into its gut, the creature flew backward and Carver landed on top of it with a thud, giving Kora enough time to cross the battlefield and back him up. Taking advantage of the beast being knocked silly she saw its armor left its neck exposed and struck, jamming her sword into the flesh and twisting it for maximum damage. Its shriek rivaled hers as the ichor exploded from the wound and flowed into the dirt, taking the beasts life with it.
Once it stopped moving Kora released the breath she was holding and scanned the area for more darkspawn. Seeing none, she rushed to Cullen's side, dropping her sword and shield along the way. She fell to her knees and grasped each side of his face to see if he was conscious.
"Cullen?" she asked quietly, trying to keep the panic from her voice but failing miserably. His eyes fluttered then eventually opened and met hers. He tried to huff out a laugh but winced in pain instead.
"Shit," he murmured, "bastard almost took me out." He tried to sit up but shouted in pain, allowing Kora to guide him slowly back to the ground.
"Stubborn ass," she whispered, "lie still." She looked over at Carver and nodded. "He'll be alright, take a team and search the area for any more threats. Once clear we'll make camp." Carver crossed his arm over his chest and nodded to Lyle. They each took two of their own and set out to secure the area. Kora looked down at Cullen, his smile weak but genuine.
"You are so bossy," he breathed out, unable to raise his voice any more. Kora looked into him and found the broken ribs and break in his femur. She waved Hawke over and took off her gauntlets to feel his head for fever. He was cool to the touch, making her sigh with relief.
"You are an ass Cullen Rutherford!" she hissed at him, "taking on an Alpha all by yourself, you are mad and an ass and I should kill you myself." Hawke cleared his throat as he crouched down.
"Easy now, we don't want to further injure the man until I've healed him." He gave Cullen a once-over, his hands glowing, and nodded. "Broken ribs, broken leg, bruised ego. I got this." He gave Kora a wink and got to work. Kora stood and walked away, too angry to trust what would come out of her mouth. Instead she went to check on the others who were injured.
It wasn't over yet.
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Cullen awoke to a shout of laughter from outside the tent he'd been put in. Remembering the broken ribs and leg he took a deep breath to see how far along the healing was. A muffled groan startled him as he craned his neck to see Kora sitting in the back corner of the tent with a blanket over her, a book lying face down on her chest. Her arms slowly came up over her head as she opened her eyes.
"Hello there sunshine," Cullen teased as he gradually brought his body into a sitting position on the cot. Kora's eyes squinted then registered Cullen, bringing a smile to her lips.
"Hi there," she whispered then cleared her throat. "About time you woke up, we've got to get going. How's the breathing?" Cullen shook his head and took a long, deep breath and smiled.
"Seems alright, although the leg still feels a bit stiff," he said as he extended the offending limb out in front of him and grunted. Kora stood up, dropping the book and blanket to stick her head out the tent flap.
"Hawke!" she shouted and waved him over as she turned to face Cullen. "We'll have you fixed up in no time."
She approached the Templar and put her hands on either side of his face then slid them down to rest on his neck, sending an unexpected surge of heat straight down into Cullen's chest. Unaware of his response to her touch, Kora smiled at him, her face a few inches away from his. "No fever, good. How's your head?" Feeling short of breath, Cullen gently pushed away her hands and laughed.
"I'm fine," he insisted as Hawke entered and skirted around her to sit on the cot next to him. A smirk from the mage made Cullen roll his eyes, his control over his body returning. "The leg, it's not quite healed." Hawke smiled as his hands began to glow, moving them over the affected area until Cullen seemed satisfied.
"Well then," Hawke sighed, standing to leave, "if the two of you are done using and abusing me, we have things to kill." With that he swept out of the tent, leaving the two warriors shaking their heads and smirking. Suddenly Varric peeked into the tent. Kora waved him in with a smile.
"So, there was a part three to the Legionnaire Journals," he drawled out, pulling a piece of parchment from inside his duster. "Looks like a ritual. I know this is kind of inconvenient…" he said as he scratched the back of his head, looking at the floor. Kora put a hand on his shoulder then Varric looked up at her.
"We'll keep an eye out," she assured him. Varric smiled warmly and nodded.
"Thanks Gracie," he said softly as he turned and left the tent. Kora returned her gaze to Cullen who was smiling up at her fondly. "What? I like the dwarf," she said defensively as she crossed the tent to get her blanket and book. "You would too if you got to know him." Cullen laughed.
"You find the good in everyone," he said as he stood and grabbed his chest plate. "I'll get ready, shouldn't take long and we can get back to killing things." Kora turned to see him wink at her and pull the plate over his head.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The group made their way toward the tower, finding the final resting place of Tethras Garen. Hawke took the parchment from Varric, who was choking up a bit, and read the Dwarven words over the body. Varric thanked him and immediately asked that they all leave before he was seen crying.
Further on they encountered yet more darkspawn and another seal, this one with an added bonus after it was broken. An earthquake.
"He feels the seals weaken, he knows you are close. You must be ready!" Larius insisted, appearing out of the shadows. Then his head snapped around to look behind him. "What's that? Who… no. NO! They're here!" Hawke stepped forward trying to calm him. Him and everyone else.
"Who is it this time? Puddles the turtle? The holy cheese wheel of Andraste?" His gaze remained steady and always on Larius. Kora could feel the tension flowing off of him and knew it was a coping mechanism but she was thankful for it. Larius was less so.
"The Wardens," he insisted. "They listen to Corypheus. They want to bring him the light. Stop them, you must stop them." And with that he disappeared back into the shadows.
Enter the Wardens.
"Something must be happening," one of them said as they approached, a female mage who appeared to be leading the group. Three others followed, all looking around as if waiting for the shadows to jump out at them. "The prison's breaking down. But it's stood up to tunneling before. What could…
"You!" her gasp of surprise and gleam in her eyes set everyone on edge, prompting Kora and Cullen to slowly pull out their shields and grasp at their pommels. The Wardens failed to notice, all staring at Hawke in disbelief.
"You have the key! And you've come through the seals. But how?" She rambled. as if talking to herself. Hawke remained silent, his gaze just as steady as before but his right fist clenching and releasing as if to ready it for using his staff. The Warden Kora knew as Janecka didn't seem to notice that either, attempting to use her charms to get him to agree to her plan.
"Champion? Are you the one? The same Hawke, child of Malcolm? The Carta said they were close, you must be him. I am Janecka. I lead this unit of Grey Wardens."
"Yes, fine, whatever," Hawke finally piped up, throwing his hands in the air and simultaneously grabbing his staff. Knowing where he was going, Kora pulled out her long sword and hugged the shield on her arm tight to her chest as their group readied themselves. Hawke laughed at Janecka's shocked expression as he continued.
"Let me sum up, shall I? You want to try and bind Corypheus with your fancy little spell, not going work by the way, and we are eventually going to fight to the death because you want us to help you and I'm really not all for releasing the all-powerful darkspawn out into the world. Let's get this over with, shall we?" he said, nodding to her with a wicked grin. Janecka was startled, if only for a moment, and pulled her staff from her back. Kora jumped in front of Hawke, unsure of how things would end.
"This prison will be broken. The blights will end," she nodded toward her fellow Wardens, "Come."
Janecka raised her arms and suddenly a great wall of fire blocked the path. Kora recoiled back into Hawke, his arms reflexively wrapping around her waist to steady her. Stunned, they just stood there staring after the Wardens as Larius approached them.
"With me. We will beat them to the seal," he shouted as he strode off. As the others moved to follow, Hawke released Kora but she stood stock still. Alarms went off in his head so he rested his hands on her hips and craned his neck to look at her face.
Her eyes were still staring after the Wardens.
Kora had made the mistake of reaching out to feel what Janecka was thinking, hoping to find a way to get through to her. All she found was Corypheus. He was in her head, controlling her thoughts, her feelings, even her actions and her conscious mind had no idea he was doing it. It was terrifying and sickening all at once and the longer she observed the more she had felt herself getting sucked in as well.
Pulling her close, Hawke nudged her ear with his nose.
"It's one thing to imagine it," he whispered, snapping her out of her daze. She gulped and nodded, unable to speak. What had just happened?
"Kora!" Cullen was in front of her now, his hands on her cheeks, trying to look her in the eye. "Are you alright? What happened?" Kora took a deep breath and sighed heavily, trying to clear her mind.
"I'm… I'm alright. Just light headed," she weakly insisted as Hawke withdrew his hands. Without warning her legs gave out, landing her in Cullen's arms.
"Let's take a few minutes to rest then push on," he suggested. "Hawke?'
"On it," Hawke replied as he shouted to the others. Cullen walked her slowly over to a rock, sitting her down on it. Her head spinning, Kora couldn't even find the energy to argue.
"Come! Now! We must beat them to the seal!" She could hear Larius encouraging everyone to move. She felt Cullen put an arm around her to hold her to his chest.
"We need a moment," he insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument as he pulled the pack from his back with his free hand and to retrieve a water skin. Uncorking it, he handed it to Kora who took it gratefully.
Cullen watched her drink, the worry plain in his eyes. Kora finished and corked the skin, looking up at him. She didn't need to see into him to know what he was thinking. Knowing he wouldn't relent, she decided to tell him what she saw.
"It was… terrifying," she whispered, hoping no one else could hear. "I could see him, feel him in her mind, controlling her thoughts… and then it was as if he were in my mind as well."
"What were you thinking?" he hissed, stern concern in his voice and on his face. "This ability of yours, do fully understand it? Can you even control it? Kora, your face was white as a sheet and your eyes… they were vacant, like you weren't there. You've told me how little is known of this thing, this Magister, do not take a chance like that again."
Too late he realized the harshness of his tone. Kora winced visibly, looking away. Cullen instantly felt guilty, reminding himself that he had no idea what she had been through in the last 7 years. She was not the girl he once sparred with, verbally and physically, at Kinloch. She was a grown woman with experiences and issues like any other. He squeezed his eyes shut and gulped, chastising himself as he released her to take the water skin from her hands.
"I'm already dead."
She said it as if it were a well known fact, something irrefutable that he should already know. He watched as her posture straightened and her chin lifted ever so slightly. When she turned to face him, her eyes were determined and focused with just a hint of something behind them, something he could tell she was trying to hide.
"Kora?" he asked, her name all the question he needed to verbalize to make her mask slip ever so slightly. And there it was, the secret that she would conceal until her dying breath.
She was terrified.