Chapter 8
~Broken Circle~
Alistair
The bright sun met my eyes and I groaned. Another dream about darkspawn. Of course, at this point, I was used to it. I sat up, stretching my now aching joints from sleeping in my armor. Note to self: when we get to the next town, buy a tent and remove armor at night. Leliana is still asleep and Sten is gone from his bedroll. Morrigan remains at her small "camp-near-a-camp". The only person who is awake is Morriana, which doesn't surprise me. I swear she never sleeps. Maybe she's part owl or something. And the darks circles under her eyes prove my point. She does not see me wake. Her eyes are set on the dead fire pit.
When I stand I catch her attention. I smile at her but she doesn't return it. Maker I wonder if she thinks "if I smile it would kill me, so I kind of want to stay alive". I walk over and stand next to her.
"So, you think we should travel northward today?" I ask. I know she is capable of a conversation.
"Perhaps. How many days do you think it would take to get there?" I hum.
"By my guess, about five days, a week at most. Longer if the weather decides it hate us." She looks up at the sky, and I do too. By the dark clouds the weather has chosen to hate us.
"Well, then, we should get a move on." She stands and whips the dirt off her leather armor.
"I'll wake up Leliana if you wake up Morrigan." Maker, but I don't want to be the one who wakes Morrigan and ends up begin a toad then set on fire. That would be a damper on my day. She doesn't reply. Just stands and walks to Morrigan's camp. I walk to Leliana and gently shake her.
"Come on, Leliana, you have to get up." She groans and rubs her eyes. Once I am sure she is awake and won't fall back to sleep I head to my spot and pack up my things. A bark causes me to jump as Sten and Orrick emerge from the woods. Orrick stops in front of me and drops a stick. I laugh and throw the stick for him. He bolts after it and I shake my head. Just another puppy.
"And I was wondering if Alistair was going to chase after the stick too." I sigh and turn as Morriana and Morrigan walk up to us.
"Well, if I did then the dog would beat me to it. Then I would have to wrestle him to get the stick and mess up my hair. I don't like messing up my hair this early in the morning. Maybe tonight I'll chase after it. Just for you." I smirk as her comment back fires. She scoffs while shaking her head. Morriana doesn't even acknowledge our bickering. She quickly packs up her thing and once Leliana and Sten are done and Orrick comes back with his stick we head off.
Morriana leads, since she has the map, and Leliana and Sten follow. I go behind them and Morrigan behind me. I resist the urge to look behind me, thinking she is about to put some weird witch spell-thing on me. I focus on the road ahead of me and Orrick rubs against me so I can throw the stick for him again. I throw it ahead of me but when he finds it, he does not come to me. He walks backwards in front of Morriana, waiting for her to throw it. I can see her between Leliana and Sten as she throws it for him. Then he runs back to me with it then came back to me with it. We did this a few times with him switching between us. Apparently, this dog has grown to like me.
We have probably been walking about an hour before Sten walks faster to be next to Morriana.
"I don't understand, you look like a woman." He says to her, obvious that he doesn't plan on being quiet.
"I am a woman," Morriana replies, throwing the stick for Orrick.
"Then it follows that you cannot be a Gray Warden." Even I am confused at his statement. I had seen a few lady wardens, and other females fighting in general in my life.
"Okay… why is that?"
"Woman are priests, artisans, shopkeepers or farmers. They don't fight." Sten seems obvious to stand his ground in his opinion. Orrick barks at my feet, so I throw the stick, pretending I don't hear them.
"Well, what if they don't want to be any of those things?"
"And does it matter? We do not get to choose who we are. A man does not choose whether he is clever or foolish. The size of his hands, the color of his skin or hair. We do not get to choose these things. And we do not get to choose the things that happen in our life." This seems to have struck Morriana, seeing how she begins to slow her pace. After a moment, she picks it back up and looks at Sten.
"That may be true, but a person can decide what to do with their lives." She states, and I couldn't have said it better myself.
"Can they? We'll see about that." Sten looks down at her but I see something that wasn't there before. I didn't think it possible for this giant creature to look at Morriana with this newfound respect. However, it's there either way. A long silence hangs in the air and the only sound is our feet trudging on the road, Orrick's happy barking, and the natural sounds of the forest.
The wind blows around us, and I get a cold chill. It's obvious winter's coming, which means traveling will be more difficult. I sigh at the thought of traveling in the snow.
"So, Alistair?" Leliana falls at my side. "You used to be a brother, before you were a Templar?" I lifted an eyebrow at how she knew and she giggled. "Morriana told me."
"Well, I was never a full Templar. I still hadn't taken my vows."
"Oh. Did you enjoy it in the cloister?" I chuckled.
"It used to get so quiet that I would start screaming until one of the brothers came in. You never know right?"
"I… no. I enjoyed the quiet. It gave me such a sense of peace and tranquility." I sigh, then laughed again.
"Suit yourself. But the looks on their faces was always priceless." Leliana smiled and shook her head.
We traveled all day and took a break every couple of hours. I noticed the sun was finally dropping and the light dimmed.
"I think we should set up camp," I suggested to Morriana, when I walked up to her. She looked up at the sky and thought.
"Why don't we walk a bit longer? We'd cover more ground that way." I nodded and we walked until the sun was only a strip on the horizon. We found a clearing in the woods and set up. This time Leliana set up the fire with Sten while Morriana disappeared to hunt, along with Orrick. Morrigan did the same "I have my own camp" thing again and set up a few yards away. Not that I'm complaining, of course.
Morriana helped Leliana with dinner as Sten scouted the perimeter. So I went off to wash. When I came back dinner was ready. We all ate in silence, since we had a long ways to go before we'd be have delightful conversations and gossiping with each other.
Sten was the first to sleep, then Leliana. Morriana, like she had the night before, put out her bedroll on the other side of the fire, away from us. I walked over and sat down beside her. Orrick laid on her other side, chewing the bone of the animal she killed. Morriana poked at the fire with a long stick and watched at the wood changed and burned.
"You know," I started, though she did not look at me, "maybe you should sleep. I can take up the first watch." She shook her head.
"I'm fine, I can…" she looked at me and saw I had no thought of backing off. She sighed, slightly irritated. "Fine. I'll try to sleep." She moved so she could get under the covered on her bedroll. I smiled, proudly, and stood.
"Good night, Morriana." She paused for a moment, then mumbled "same". She closed her eyes to sleep. I walked to my bedroll and sat down. My eyes drifted to Morriana and I found myself smiling once again.
###
Morriana
It took up about five days to get to the Circle, like Alistair said. The colossal tower came into view and I sighed in relief. It was about noon so we still had time in our day. I walked up to the docks where a Templar stood, apparently manning the boat there.
"Hold," he said we came to him. "You're not looking to get across, are you?"
"Well, yes, we need the help of the mages."
"Sorry. No one if to go across. So go on and get out of here."
"Why?"
"It doesn't matter, so gone on. Shoo. Get out of here, or else." He demanded. I lifted an eyebrow.
"Or else, what? You'll attack me with the boat paddles?" Wow. This has to be the scariest Templar I've ever seen. I mean, he's manning a ferry! And nothing is more terrifying than that. I hope he doesn't attack me. It's worse than any Templar.
"Maybe we could work out something." Alistair suggested.
"Hmm, now that you mentioned it I am a bit famished." I stayed silent, unknowing the word.
"Pashera," Sten mutters passing me. "Here, take these." He hands the Templar a small bag of… cookies?
"Sten, where did you get those?" I asked him, trying not to smile at the Templar's five year old delight.
"At the last village we passed." That's right. We passed a village the day before and got tents and more supplies. Sten had wondered off. And now I knew. He was probably off stealing cookies for kids and candy from a grown man.
"Alright," the Templar said, whipping the crumbs from his face. "You scratch my back I scratch yours. Come along, I suppose." The six of us-since Morrigan turned into a bird (while scaring the crap out of the Templar in the process, much to my delight. I held back from smiling though) and perched herself on my shoulder- climbed in and the Templar rowed us across. It only took us five minutes before we got to the tower. We the boat hit the land where it Circle was we climbed out. The Templar, Carroll, as he told us, took the boat back to the other side of the lake without another word. Morrigan shimmered back to normal and received a disgusted look from Alistair.
As we walked in I noticed everyone looked worried. Even the Templars who had their helmets on made themselves obvious to that. There were only a couple of mages here and they were being watched by two Templars.
"…And I want the doors locked at all times," a man said to a Templar. The Templar bowed and headed off to do… whatever he was to do. "Now we wait and pray." He turns to me as the doors closed and looks at us in anger. "And what are you doing here? I specifically told Carroll not to let anyone pass."
"Knight Commander Gregior," Alistair said, walking up.
"Alistair? I heard you had become a Warden. And now. . . here you are." Knight Commander said with a sneer.
"Yes well, it's more complicated then 'I was gone and now I'm back'."
"We will talk later. For now we have a mess to deal with."
"What kind?" I ask. He stays silent, thinking of what to say.
"Demons and abominations stalk the halls. We no longer have control of the Circle." I heard Sten's scoff from behind me.
"Mages." I imagined Morrigan rolling her eyes at him, but focused on this Knight Commander.
"We have sent for the Right of Annulment." He states and Alistair gasps.
"I take it that's not a good thing?" I ask Alistair.
"It means that they've sent for reinforcements to destroy everything and everyone in the tower." Now it is my turn to gasp.
"You can't do this." I tell Gregior. "What if we go in and take care of this problem?"
"I assure you, you will not just one or two abominations. Hundreds are in there."
"These demons and abominations will not stand against us." I lift my chin to show I will not back down. He sighs.
"Very well, you may pass. But know that I will not open the door until First Enchanter Irving come to me." I nod and we walk to the opening doors. I gasped as they shut behind us and I saw what laid beyond the doors. Bodies littered the floor, and the coppery smell of blood and death filled the air. My eyes swelled with tears, but I pushed the will to want to cry away. Now was not the time. I tried not to think of who these people were or, especially, how old they were. I didn't want to think about these mages and Templars on the floor. Simply looking at them made me sick. We were careful not to step on the bodies as we passed. The apprentice quarters were completely empty save for the furniture toppled over.
We got into the next room to see a woman freezing a flaming monster. As it slipped into the floor, dead, she turned around. But when she saw us she went back into her battle stance, her staff pointed at us.
"Step no further," she threatened. "I will not let you harm these children." Looking around the room I saw a few kids, two of them were maybe seven or eight, and a couple of twelve and thirteen year olds. Near them were older mages, though most were in their early twenties or late teens. I held up my palms to the mage in front of me, when I noticed she looked familiar.
"I won't harm anyone. But, do you remember me, Wynne? We met at Ostagar." She thought for a moment, then her eyes widened.
"Morriana? But… what are you doing here?" she lowered her staff and I lowered my hands.
"We needed help from the mages against the Blight," Alistair explains, stepping forward. "When we heard what was happening to the tower we wanted to help clear out the demons and abominations and look for survivors." Wynne sighed.
"So, they have sent for reinforcements?" We nodded. She shook her head and put up her staff. "They abandon us to our fate, leaving us to die from these creatures. Please, if you are going to fight them, I wish to come."
"Of course, Wynne," I said.
"Should we even try to help these Circle mages?" Morrigan asked, stepping up. "They allow themselves to be corralled like cattle and submit themselves to people who will simply use them." I looked at Morrigan and shook my head.
"It doesn't matter. Either way they are strong and I will not abandon them like the Templars already have." She sighed, irritated.
"Fine. Have it your way."
"Okay, Leliana, stay here and help the kids. You too Morrigan. Sten, Wynne, Orrick, and Alistair, you come with me." They nodded. Leliana went to the kids and began talking with them in her 'cute-voice' and Morrigan leaned against the wall, already board and irritated. I know I'd probably be if I had to stay in a room with a few kids and frightened people. "Come on." We followed Wynne to the magical barrier that she must have put up.
"I'm surprised I was able to hold it this long." She muttered.
"You did what you had to do to protect these people." She smiled at me the raised her staff to the barrier and it disappeared.
"Let's move." I nodded and pulled out my sword and dagger, and the others pulled out their weapons also. Waking through the hall they ended up in, what seemed to be, the library. I jumped as large monsters growled an unearthly growl at me.
"Abominations," Alistair yelled. One of the abominations charged at me. It swung its claws at me and I barely missed it. I stabbed my dagger into its arm and the sword through its middle. Wynne shot a spell at another and Sten hacked at it with his great sword. Alistair bashed his shield into the last one then sliced his sword across its face.
"Good fight." I commented. I noticed Alistair's furrowed brows. Then, all of the sudden, Alistair pushed Sten and Wynne back and grabbed my arm. Orrick noticed his actions and backed away. Alistair jerked me towards him, and I was about to hit him when the dead abominations suddenly exploded. Alistair let go of my arm and laughed.
"Why am I always saving you from explosions?" He asked me. I sighed as Orrick trotted back to us and we began to continue on.
"Why must I save you from animals?" I
"That happened one time." He stated.
"So far," I said. I noticed robes on the abominations and wondered if these were actual people. "Alistair, these abominations… were they mages." Alistair bits his lips and nods.
"Blood mages are capable of turning other mages into them. The best thing to do for them is to give them a mercy killing them before they harm others. Or prevent them from harming more." I nodded, sadly and then we continued on. Alistair told me the difference in the demons: desire, rage, hunger, sloth, and pride. In all honesty, I wasn't sure which one scared me more.
We stopped when more abominations came towards us, this time with one of those fire demons. Wynne was able to freeze it, killing it immediately. Sten and I took one while Alistair and Orrick took another. It seemed as the entire floor was filled with these monsters. We were finally able to get to the second floor.
On the second floor we found a Tranquil named Owain. People that were once mages but then were cut off from the Fade. No emotions, no dreams, no hopes, no thoughts. It always scared me. He was apparently cleaning the stock room. He explained to us that it was Uldred who began all of this. Niall had a litany to use against the blood mages and Wynne suggested that we had to find him, which I agreed to. We took a break in the stock room, since it seemed to be safe. We were back on our feet and moving back on in about a half an hour.
As we moved on we came into a room where we were met with some undead being controlled by an arcane horror. In every room we went in there were either demons, abominations, undead, or all of them. We fought against them and won every battle. Well, not without a few cuts in the process. I managed to get cut on my side, which Wynne healed instantly, leaving a scar. We finally came to the room that should lead to the next floor. However, there was what Alistair and Wynne identified as, a shade. We walked in and a light surrounded someone and turned them into another shade and undead rose from the floor.
Sten and Alistair attacked the undead, swinging their blades so that their head rolled away. As one shade tried to hit me I blocked it with my sword and slashed its arm with my dagger. I ducked from its next attack and raised my sword to go through its stomach. The second tried to come behind me but I quickly spun around and through my sword down onto its head. Two people came to us, their faces emotionless.
"Thank you," one said. "That was very unnerving." I jumped at them but then remember they were Tranquil.
"Go down to the first level. Other people are down there and they will help you." Wynne told them. They bowed their heads and walked out of the room. I blew breath and my limbs ached. We were covered in blood and my sore muscles protested as we trekked up the stairs, but I had to move on.
The third floor was not better. We found a few desire demons that had a few Templars under their control so they attacked us. Alistair took a nasty blow to the head by one Templar and would have died, had I not thrown my dagger, making it loge in his neck. I walk over and take my dagger. Alistair stands, but stumbles a bit. I hold out my hands to catch him if he falls. But the thing is, I didn't even think of doing that. Wynne heals Alistair's head wound and drinks a lyrium potion. I know we should be careful. Wynne cannot keep healing every wound we get.
We walked down the hall, our weapons out incase and demons come out to us. I stop at a door when I hear two people talking about…dinner? Confused I entered the room and there was a demon with a Templar, his eyes blank and possessed. The desire demon turned to us and I held my weapons tighter.
"What is going on here?" I shouted.
"Did you hear something, love?" the Templar says to the demon.
"It is just the door, my love." The demon says. "I will get it. Go say good night to the children."
"Don't be late. The kids will want you to say good night." The demon walks around him and to us.
"May I ask why you are interrupting on this loving moment?" I scoff.
"This is not a loving moment. Release him now, demon!" I shout at her. Her eyes narrowed.
"Fine then, if this is how your end should be." She turned to her Templar and "gasped". "Help! There are bandits at the door! They're going to murder the children!"
"They will not get past me." The Templar said before pulling out his sword and shield. I sighed when I noticed we would have to fight the demon, the Templar, and more undead. The Templar charged at me and swung his massive blade. I ducked and slashed at his stomach with my blade. Only he was a possessed Templar so he was stronger. He turned his blade to hit me with the butt of it and I fell to the floor. Everything was blurry at first but I could still see his figure. As he lifted the blade I quickly kicked both of his legs and came up quickly to stab him in the chest. Alistair had just pierced his sword through the demon's middle and Sten beheaded the last of the undead. My vision was still blurry and I got dizzy. I knelt down to wait until my vision came back to me clear. The side of my head throbbed.
"Morriana?" Alistair asks as he walks to me. "Are you going to be okay?" I suck in air and try to stand, only to notice I am a bit wobbly. Alistair puts a hand on my arm and I flinch, swiping his hand away.
"I'm fine." The words slip from my mouth and he moves away. It took me a moment to regain my balance.
We walked out and entered a room across the hall that held a demon. It was standing over a dead body and I heard Wynne gasp and whisper "Niall". So I presumed that was our guy. The demon turned to us, its black eyes staring and it said,
"Oh look, visitors." I pulled out my blades and the others followed. "Why do all of this?" it asked. "Why not take a break from all this excitement?"
"Because, killing you would be an excitement I'd enjoy," I reply harshly.
"Why not take a nap?" It asks and suddenly I feel tired. Really tired. Orrick fell to the ground first with a thud and I stumbled. Sten said something about that we must stand and fight, Alistair couldn't keep his eyes open, and Wynne told us to resist. However its magic proved too strong for us and we all ended up of the floor. The last thing I heard was the demon's voice whispering to me. "Sleep," it kept saying to us. And, even though I tried to refuse, my body and mind complied.