That You May Always Remember Me
Chapter 17
"chaos"
Viola wasn't sure how long she'd been out when she eventually came to, but she could vaguely make out Elissa and a guard on the other side of the room from where she lay. As her vision slowly cleared she saw the second guard unconscious on the floor, his weapon now being wielded by the Warden who was locked in fierce combat. Viola managed to raise herself onto her hands and knees and was suddenly overwhelmed by the sensation that the ground and sky had swapped places. Her lunch threatened to make a reappearance and when she was sure it would stay down and the world became a bit steadier she looked back up. The guard was hunched over in front of Elissa, her sword wedged deeply into his lower back. She pulled it out and kicked his chest so he would fall away from her and suddenly the joy of victory vanished as both women immediately noticed the dagger sticking out of Elissa's abdomen. It was mutual destruction.
Viola used every ounce of her strength to crawl over to the woman who now sat on the floor, her shaking hands clutching feebly at the penetration point. "You're going to be okay," Viola soothed, wiping the sweat off her forehead. The sound of clanging armor echoed in the hall as more guards swiftly approached and Viola realized she had never made such an empty promise.
She didn't know why the guards had attacked them or what happened during the Landsmeet, but she knew that she couldn't trust that the men approaching them now wouldn't do the same. Neither she nor Elissa were in a state to fight, so they had to get to safety. She threw one of Elissa's arms over her shoulders and dragged them both through the nearest door.
A closet. Of all the rooms and passageways in this giant castle Viola found herself in a closet with no exits. She laid Elissa on the floor and barred the door as best she could, cursing at her younger self for never bothering to learn healing spells. She remembered her Keeper desperately trying to instill some useful skill in her but all she ever wanted to do was let the fire in her veins loose. She pulled the dagger out and Elissa's weak whine was barely audible. She was losing consciousness. Holding her hands over the wound, Viola mumbled something she had barely understood the first time she learned it. Her hands began to glow as she managed to summon the magic within her but a bang at the door distracted her. Someone was trying to get in and it was only a matter of time until they succeeded. But there were no doors or windows or even an old servants' tunnel. Another bang and the door cracked under the strength of whoever was on the other side. There was only one way out that Viola could see, and although there was no guarantee of safety there, she had to take the chance. The Inquisitor ripped open the Veil and dragged Elissa into the Fade.
OOOOOOOOOO
Nobles clashed with one another, using their bare hands or the weapons they always wore to political meetings like this for 'ceremonial' purposes. "Enough!" Alistair yelled but his voice was ignored over the sounds of violence. He turned to start a fight of his own with the woman who had created all of this chaos, but caught only a glimpse of her skirt and ankle as she escaped through the western exit. Thinking quickly, he planted a strong kick on the back of Bann Ceorlic's knee and brought the man to the floor. Smiling over the fact that he'd just fulfilled a wish he'd had since first meeting Ceorlic he grabbed the sword from his hands and raced to follow his wife. "Anora!" he called after her down a long corridor The glance she sent to him wasn't nearly as evil as he'd expected but it was fleeting as she disappeared around the corner.
Before Alistair could follow her a large bald man stepped out of a room and filled the space between the king and the quickly retreating queen. Alistair recognized him immediately as a long-time lieutenant in his army. He'd been itching for a promotion for years but despite his glowing recommendations Alistair refused to approve it. While he could understand enjoying the thrill of battle, this man liked it far too much and that gave Alistair a queasy feeling in his stomach. He tried to avoid promoting men like that, but clearly Anora felt differently.
"What did she promise you?" he asked, trying to hide the crack in his voice. He would have been wary of taking on a man of this size alone in his prime; now the task seemed almost too daunting.
"General in the Queen's army," the man responded in a thick cockney accent, tightly grasping the axe he wielded.
"And the others? The Banns? Arls? Did she promise them things too?"
"Didn't bother to ask," the man shrugged and began inching toward the king. "But everyone wants something and I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be happy just to see your head on a pike." He took a heavy swing that Alistair managed to dodge and roll away. Unfortunately when the man turned to try again he found himself trapped in a corner with no path of escape.
The axe was raised high, its destination set for Alistair's skull, when suddenly Oghren came barreling into the hall. Landing with his full force into the man's waist the dwarf easily knocked him over and one bounce of the head against the stone floor put him out.
"Oghren!" Alistair exclaimed. "I didn't even know you were…"
"Yeah, yeah, you can buy me a drink and tell me how much you missed me later. Right now there's hell breaking loose in the other room. C'mon!"
With a quick look back down the corridor Alistair accepted that Anora was probably half way to the Free Marches by now and went to clean up the mess she'd left behind.
OOOOOOOOOO
The landscape was barren as Viola dragged Elissa from the portal and onto the rocky solid ground. Other than the Black City in the distance she could see nothing but floating sediment and dreamy dirt. It was a safer Fade than she'd found herself in in the past, but at the moment she needed help. She called the word loudly but it only echoed back at her. Meanwhile, Elissa was bleeding out before her. "Anyone! Help!" There was no response and Elissa's labored breathing had quieted. Suddenly the world had never felt so dark and cold…
But soon out of that darkness there came a light. It was a soft and golden ball of energy that meandered a bit as it approached, making graceful, shimmering trails behind it. It wasn't a spirit or demon as far as Viola could tell. It made her uneasy but Elissa had no options left, so the Inquisitor backed away slightly and allowed the light to get nearer to the dying woman. It twirled above her, as if examining the body in some way before making its decision and diving into her chest. Immediately Elissa's entire body began to emit that same golden light. Her skin glowed and her wound began to close, soon leaving no evidence that it had ever been there, save for the blood that still stained her clothing.
OOOOOOOOOO
After the fighting died down Alistair watched as a handful of men were arrested and led to the dungeon; a small fraction of the group who had so violently supported Anora. "This was planned," Teagan commented from his place beside the king. "They clearly knew what would happen. They even had escape routes! Who would've thought…"
"I should have. It's my job to protect Fereldan and I just threw it into chaos."
"To be fair, it looks like Anora was planning this coup regardless of what you did. Not that you didn't provide her with a nice list of reasons to present to the Bannorn."
Alistair shook his head at the mess he found himself in. "Thank you, by the way," he called when he caught sight of Oghren cleaning his blade across the room.
The dwarf grunted in response. "Saving your sorry ass again almost makes me nostalgic."
Alistair plopped down to sit on the step in front of his throne and let himself release a small chuckle. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Fergus ran out of ale. And I figured I'd come see what was taking Elissa so long."
"What do you mean? She isn't here."
"Sure she is. She came to talk to you before…" He gestured at the debris of fighting around him. "…whatever you call this."
"But…" Alistair stuttered as his mind put the pieces together and suddenly he stood in defense. "We have to find her!"
Everyone began to scramble at the king's orders but was soon interrupted as a bright light cut through the air in the center of the room and Viola and the still unconscious Elissa tumbled out.
AN: Next chapter starts Trespasser spoilers. Sorry for those who haven't played and choose not to read further, but it's great DLC and I highly recommend it. The story simply couldn't continue without that information. Thank you to all readers and sorry for the infrequent updates. Things are already written, by the way, I just suck at typing and editing.