Chapter 14

We've reached a most important chapter, my friends! First of all, I hated how you had to choose between the warden (Alistair if you were unlucky, lol) and Hawke while they were trapped in the Fade, so I've tried a different approach. Next, pay close attention to the voices! (You'll know what I mean when you read! Haha) And last but not least, I thought it a good idea for Vivienne to do some 'bonding' with someone in the Inner Circle.

Oh! And I'm also changing the memories part a bit, because the reveal in the Fade didn't seem all that horrifying to me, so I'm turning it into a bit of a melodrama, lmao!

In other words, I am NOT writing this up to look like the game at all. I'm straying from the game as much as I can, and will continue to do so, without touching the lore too much, haha! Well, for now, until my head canon shines through! LOL

As always, thanks so much for your fantastic feedback! And thanks so much to my darling beta, LadyDarksbane who is always there for me! :D

…

Beatrix stood up trembling. Looking around, she observed the bleak landscape that lay before her. There were distorted images of dark buildings, rocks and stones jutting out of the ground in inconvenient places and patches of fog here and there. And all of it was tinged in green. The very shade of green she had seen upon opening her eyes in Haven when she first dropped out of the Fade.

The Fade.

They were in the fucking Fade.

She shook her head, trying to contain the shudders she would be having if she allowed them. At that very moment Hawke and Alistair voiced their own opinion and agreed that they were in the Fade.

Dorian told the story of what had happened the first time he visited the Fade. Bull, however, was visibly upset and resorted to complaining, carrying out a perfectly normal conversation with Krem – even though Krem was nowhere near them, having stayed behind at Adamant. Beatrix chuckled.

There was nothing 'normal' about his conversation at all.

"I can't BELIEVE I listened to that…ASSHOLE!" Bull ending up muttering under his breath.

"Shite and spite!" Sera yelled loudly, eliciting a jump from Beatrix, who hadn't heard her creep behind her. "We're in the fucking Fade? What the fuck?"

"Please let it out, my dear. I do believe you left out one 'fuck'," Vivienne observed calmly.

"Ugh!" Cassandra interrupted, rolling her eyes so hard that Beatrix thought they would certainly roll out of her head this time. "I trust you two will keep quiet while we try to find a way out?"

"Shit, Buttercup! I hate this place!" came Varric's comment as he appeared beside Beatrix earning him a glare from the Seeker.

"This is fascinating," Solas said, his calm demeanor causing all her companions – and herself – to turn and stare at the elven mage as if he was growing two heads or something; his eyes were actually twinkling with delight.

"This is wrong!" Cole nearly shouted, his voice louder as he anxiously turned around, surveying the whole area with a fear that up to this point he had hidden so well. "I'm not supposed to be here!"

"Cole!" Solas replied in a hurry, walking quickly towards him. "This is wonderful! Look! It's the Fade!"

But Cole slid to the ground, holding his head in his hands in distress, rocking himself back and forth and softly moaning, "No, no, no! I can't return! I can't be here!"

Beatrix walked briskly to the spirit-boy, crouching down to speak to him.

"Cole," she nearly whispered. "It's alright. We'll find a way out."

Cole stopped his rocking and gazed into her eyes for a few minutes, while the rest of her companions stood by quietly. His breathing gradually slowed and she nearly sighed with relief when he gave her a small smile.

"That thing, yeah? Shouldn't help it! Shouldn't listen – it's just wrong!" Sera blurted out, and Beatrix felt the anger bubbling to the surface immediately, growing in intensity when Vivienne interrupted Sera.

"For once, I agree, darling. That demon belongs here in the Fade. Perhaps you could convince it to stay here? He seems to have taken a liking to you after all." The lovely mage fixed a cold stare upon Beatrix, ignoring Cole completely.

Beatrix rose up to her full height, letting go of her anger, unwilling to listen to Varric who warned her to be careful under his breath.

"Listen here, you stupid fucking peacock!" she shouted as Madame de Fer fixed an extremely angry glare on her. "Cole is WITH ME! So if you find fault with him, then you find fault with me! Perhaps things will look better for you if you return to your little palace, where you can IMAGINE you lead, NO MAGE WHATSOEVER if I recall correctly, since all of them are at Skyhold at this moment? I'm sure Empress Celene would welcome you with open arms!"

Everyone stood in stunned silence, looking at both Beatrix and Vivienne as they faced each other, their stares shooting daggers.

However, after a short time had passed, the mage looked away. Beatrix had certainly done her homework well, for at the moment Vivienne didn't lead a single mage. In truth, she only felt she had a better chance of climbing back to the top if she was part of the Inner Circle in the Inquisition ranks.

She couldn't really afford to leave at all.

"Nonsense, my dear," Vivienne replied coldly as she tugged at a non-existent thread from her sleeve. "I'm sure…Cole…and I can reach an accord."

"Nowhere to go, trapped, new arcane advisor with the Empress. It should be me. It should be me," Cole babbled to no one in particular behind Beatrix, his pale gaze fixed on Vivienne.

Vivienne's eyes widened for only a moment. Indeed it was so fleeting, nobody caught it. Nobody except for Beatrix, however. And that was because she was still staring directly at the mage.

"Yes, well, shall we devote our time instead to search for a way out?" Beatrix said quietly, nodding at Vivienne, her breathing much calmer as she looked at her companions.

"What! We're already looking to leave?" Alistair exclaimed in mocked indignation. "And such a lovely, peaceful place! What a shame."

"You're stealing all my lines, you know," Dorian remarked, giving the Warden warrior a wink and blowing him a kiss immediately afterwards.

Alistair turned a violent shade of red at this, trying unsuccessfully to hide behind Hawke. This caused Beatrix to burst into unexpected laughter, which immediately eased the tension surrounding them all.

"Well, let's just move along. It's better than doing nothing and letting the demons find us here, right?" she said as soon as she could speak.

"I couldn't agree more," Cassandra agreed. "Let's go."

…

They fought a lot of demons in the area they were currently in. However, Beatrix didn't know if it was because they were in the Fade, but the fact was that they never grew tired of fighting. Oh, they could get hurt and bleed – as some of them were – but they still had heaps of stamina. Beatrix also noticed her adrenaline shoot up to very high, and maintained an all-time high, even when she wasn't fighting. She checked with the rest of the group and they immediately let her know that this was happening to them as well.

This was strange, to say the least. But they were in the Fade, weren't they? At any rate, it would prove handy, because the demons just kept popping up.

Unfortunately, they weren't safe from injuries, but having Vivienne there as their healer and Solas to assist her made all the difference in staying alive.

Once they made sure everything hostile was gone, they started up a flight of crudely-made stairs. Beatrix smiled to herself as she thought of something carving them on the basalt cliff they were climbing. At least it was distracting to think that the demons were given jobs to do around here.

"Hey, you! I said the table should be UPSIDE-DOWN!"

"Where do you think YOU'RE going? You still have to make a couple of staircases, idiot!"

She chuckled to herself just as she reached the top of the stairs and took a few steps into the next area where she came face-to-face with something – someone – that rattled her nerves and paralyzed her.

The rest of her group had mostly made their way up and also speechless. Beatrix turned around to look at Cassandra who's jaw had literally hit the floor.

The only one who spoke was Cole, and he said hello with a faint smile.

At least the kid had manners.

"Divine Justinia?" Beatrix finally stammered out, her voice wavering slightly.

"It cannot be!" Cassandra said, now standing beside Beatrix.

"You stand before me and think I cannot do the same?" Divine Justinia tilted her head slightly as she spoke, her eyes on Cassandra before turning to each companion, a smile on her face and a soft glow emanating from her very robes.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Alistair observed. "But do human beings glow like that? I think only spirits can."

"Shite!" exclaimed Sera, a short distance away from the rest.

But Beatrix was already stepping forward stopping in front of the elderly woman, confusion written all over her face.

"I thought –" Beatrix faltered. The Divine smiled at her encouragingly and she stepped back shaking her head. "From what I remember, you're supposed to be dead."

"You are here in the Fade yourselves. You do not believe I could be in the Fade also, hmm?" Justinia asked with a kind smile on her face.

"Is it a demon? It looks 'demony'," Alistair observed.

"Doesn't feel like a demon," Hawke said. "I think it's a spirit."

"Well, and here I thought we would get eaten by a demon today," Alistair replied, shaking his head. "No such luck, then?"

"We've only just arrived, give it time," Hawke practically snarled back.

"I greet you both, Champion and Warden." Justinia interrupted looking at them both kindly.

"Well, then, whether you are a spirit or not, can you tell us how to get the fuck out of here?" Beatrix asked nervously.

"There are a few things we must talk about first, Inquisitor," the Divine said. "Then you must hurry to leave before it can kill you all."

"It?" Beatrix blinked in confusion.

"The Nightmare commands here. This is its lair. I am here to help you so that you can escape," the Divine explained, then paused. Her pale blue eyes searched Beatrix's face looking for something. Then she smiled at her, seemingly finding what she hoped to find. She spoke again, but her words were cryptic – confusing at best.

"I am here to help you get back your memories, so you can leave this place."

…

Cullen sighed as he watched the Grey Wardens lay their weapons down. They had finally succeeded in killing the demons and everyone was exhausted.

Mentally and emotionally drained as well.

His men still held their swords up defensively even though the wardens lay theirs down. He sheathed his sword and bristled angrily. If it wasn't for their stupidity, they wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place.

Barris stopped right in front of Cullen, saluting him.

"Commander," the young templar said. "the wardens have surrendered to us. What do we do?"

"Have our men lower their weapons," Cullen replied automatically. "We need…the Inquisitor to decide what to do with them, but…" he swallowed, forcing the lump in his throat down, willing his tears not to fall.

Then he was silent and stood there, just looking at Barris with the saddest expression Barris had ever seen on his face.

"Understood, Commander Ser," Barris said, then turned to face everyone.

"Lower your weapons!" he commanded. "The wardens have surrendered. We will have to make sure you stay in one of the main areas of the keep until the Inquisitor returns. She will decide what has to be done next."

"And if the Inquisitor doesn't return?" one of the wardens called out cheekily, prompting Cullen to take a step towards the young man who had spoken.

"If that is the case, may the Maker Himself have mercy on your soul," Cullen practically growled out. Then he turned around and left, everyone in the area stunned by what they had just heard.

…

Beatrix's memories did come back. All of them. She was forced to relive every single moment that had transpired, since before the Temple of Sacred Ashes exploded.

Her memories were not pretty. They were frightening and terrible. It was a wonder that she was still standing very much alive, while the woman who was with her was not.

The visions that appeared before her were not private either. The magic of the place made them appear to all.

All of them watched everything unfold, their eyes widening in surprise.

They heard every single word spoken.

"What the fuck is going on here?"

The Divine, suspended by red tendrils of magic, fueled by warden mages.

"Keep the sacrifice still."

"We have an intruder. Kill her."

The Divine freeing one of her arms and swatting at the orb that the Elder One held up to her face.

Beatrix picking up the orb and screaming out in pain, dropping it almost immediately, the Divine grabbing her arm as everything turned white.

Then, the Fade. Both of them alive, running from creatures that looked like spiders. The spiders cornering them once, Beatrix stabbing one of the creatures that had been biting the Divine.

Beatrix pushing the Divine away asking her to leave her and get to safety. The Divine climbing up some stairs and disappearing from view.

The spiders nearly overrunning her as well as she turned and simply ran.

She ran until she heard them no longer.

She ran until she fell to the ground, exhausted, crying tears of fear.

Then, a voice.

"Get up! Get up, little one! The place you are in is dangerous! Get up!"

Beatrix getting up in spite of her exhaustion and the spiders once again caught her scent. She could hear them chittering behind her.

Then she was climbing a cliff as she spotted the Divine who was glowing now. Beatrix didn't understand but didn't care. If she did not climb towards the glowing figure, then she would die at the mercy of the spiders and she didn't want to die.

So she climbed and prayed she would make it.

And she did make it.

"You must go through the rift! Go now!"

"But what about you?"

A bright light nearly blinded her as the spiders caught Justinia and Beatrix held on to her hand, trying to save her.

"You cannot save what no longer lives, my child."

Beatrix feeling surprised and sad as the Divine was ripped from her hand. Then she was turning and jumping through the rift.

"You, you died," Beatrix gasped at the spirit in front of her as the vision disappeared. "The people thought it was Andraste behind me in the Fade, but they saw you."

"Yes," the spirit replied sadly.

"You told me to get up? Told me I was in danger?" Beatrix asked.

"No," the spirit of the Divine said. "I was dying from the spider bites."

"Then, who?"

"That is a question we cannot dwell on. We are in danger. The Nightmare comes for us all. We must ready ourselves for a terrible fight."

"You're her spirit, aren't you?" It was more of a statement than a question and the spirit cocked its head to its side, regarding her for a moment before replying.

"If that is the story you wish to tell, it is not a bad one."

"Then this is a spirit, not the Divine," Alistair commented.

"You don't say!" Hawke sneered, turning to the Divine.

"I am sorry I disappoint you all," the spirit simply said. Hawke frowned at this, the sadness on his face surprising everyone who was looking at him.

Before the spirit did anything else, she turned to Cole.

"You are not like the Nightmare, Compassion. You will never be like it. Do not fear what you are doing in the world. You are helping."

Cole's eyes widened and then he smiled – one of the brightest smiles Beatrix had ever seen. Immediately after her words, the light surrounding the Divine became very bright and suddenly she was but a bright spirit hovering slightly above them.

"Come, we have little time. You must escape this prison and guide your people, Inquisitor. You must destroy Corypheus."

…

Vivienne saw everything that happened with just about the same surprise as anyone else. But when the spirit turned to Cole and spoke those words, she started to doubt the way she had felt about him before.

And when one is Madame De Fer, one does not simply doubt.

She said nothing as she fought, kept her mouth shut when she hurried to heal those that needed healing and took up her spirit blade again, slashing through the aspect of the Nightmare they were fighting.

She said nothing when she herself was injured and hurriedly drank an elfroot potion.

But when Cole fell to his feet in front of her, defending her from one of the spiderlings he had managed to kill before it touched her, she fell to her knees in front of the boy, her healing filling him and making his eyes open wide immediately, looking deeply into hers.

"You're safe, my dear," she whispered, her dark eyes gentle. "You will always be safe when I fight with you. I will not let them take you from us. I will not let you be harmed."

No game, no machinations, no ulterior motives.

And Cole smiled at her softly, then got up quickly to continue fighting.

…

When they won the battle, the rift across from where they stood blinked invitingly to them all.

"Quickly!" Beatrix told her companions as they ran ahead, passing through the glowing portal. But just as Hawke, Alistair and herself were about to sprint into a run to follow, the gigantic spider the spirit of the Divine had briefly banished before appeared in front of them, cutting off their escape.

What was that thing doing here? Beatrix wondered briefly as she stood in front of it paralyzed with fear.

"It will keep coming back," Hawke said. "It's the Nightmare, a demon that rules here. It can never die, only be banished for a time. If it were destroyed, all nightmares would cease to exist in the world and this would cause an imbalance."

"That's fantastic news," Alistair deadpanned. "What do we do now?"

"I'll stay and distract it, you two hurry and escape!" Hawke said bravely, adopting a defensive stance.

"NO!" Alistair shook his head. "I'm a warden! I should fix this mess!"

Beatrix let out an angry growl. "For the love of the Maker! I will not stand here and listen to or watch you two at each other's throats yet again! WE ALL FIGHT! We ALL make a stand!"

"You heard Hawke, Inquisitor," Alistair started to protest.

"I heard!" Beatrix snapped, unsheathing her daggers. "We'll stun it and make a run for it! Now quit yapping and fight!"

She disappeared from view, flanking it as Hawke sent out a force spell that drove the huge creature back, allowing Alistair to slash into one of its eight legs. The creature roared out in pain, and lashed out in turn, swatting Alistair away as if he was a fly. Hawke, who knew the principles of healing magic himself quickly applied a spell on Alistair, just as Beatrix reappeared, slashing into the same leg, almost directly below the thing.

They continued their assault for a long time, chipping away at its legs a little at a time, until they began to tire.

"Why are we getting tired now? We've never got tired before!" Alistair shouted as he bashed into the left side of the creature.

"It's too strong! I think it's feeding off our fear as well as our stamina!" Hawke puffed out his reply.

Beatrix for her part landed directly on top of the thing but one of its legs quickly found her and swatted her to the ground. She saw the monster advance on top of her and she panted, too tired to continue. Its fangs clicked loudly as they inched forward. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable, sorry that she would not see Cullen one last time.

And then –

"Use your mark, little one! Use it now!"

Beatrix opened her eyes and did not hesitate. She turned her left palm up towards the creature, the mark flinging out a powerful green beam that made the thing cry out in pain and scuttle backwards. Beatrix, free from the monster's grasp now stood up, advancing with her left hand held up as the beam suddenly turned into a searing light. Her left arm started to tremble violently and she cried out in pain.

The creature stood still, trembling as well, which gave them the opportunity to grab Beatrix, who fainted in Hawke's arms. They ran towards the rift, jumping through it immediately afterwards and landed safely in one of the main courtyards in Adamant – the rift closing behind them with an audible snap.

…