My deepest thanks to Jinx1983, megglesnake, LadyCallia, PheonRen and Warrose for their awesome reviews.
This chapter is long and complex. I've decided to write a little based on The Calling here, because it is necessary to the plot of the story.
So I warn those of you who haven't read the book yet that there are spoilers in this chapter.
The Calling, written by David Gaider, is a fantastic book. I urge you all to read it.
Bioware owns, and David Gaider does too! :D
Chapter 33 - Satinalia in Amaranthine
Now I've faded
Into someone else
Made me someone I don't wanna be
Yeah I'm faded
My true colour's gone
Like a picture nobody sees
Now I've faded
Like I never was
Till I don't even know myself
Yeah I'm faded
Into what you want
But I'm not takin' it too well
Cascada- Faded
.
.
Fiona reached Alistair's study and straightened herself before knocking on the door. After a few minutes, Alistair's muffled voice came through.
"Come in."
She opened the door and went inside. He was looking at some papers, all bann-related, and frowning. He hated this part of his job, but as the current Arl of Amaranthine, there was nothing he could do to avoid it.
"Can I speak to you, Commander?" Fiona asked, and he looked up from his papers, surprised that it was Fiona who was standing there. He half-expected to see Nathaniel or Anders.
"Fiona! Of course," he gave her a smile. "Please, take a seat." He motioned to one of the chairs in front of his desk and waited until she had sat before carrying on. "What can I do for you, Fiona?"
"Well, Alistair, I'm here to let you know what I was researching before they sent me to Orlais," she said seriously, her eyes fixed on his.
"I don't understand," Alistair frowned again, twirling a quill absentmindedly in his right hand. "I thought you said you were researching on the Architect?"
"Yes, that's true. But you must understand that the First Warden was greatly intrigued about the Taint and why all traces of it vanished from my body after our journey into the Deep Roads was over and we were able to stop the Architect from carrying out his plans back then."
Alistair nodded, leaning forward slightly in his chair and setting the quill down on the desk. He was also very interested in the matter, apparently.
Fiona took a deep breath and continued.
"The thing is that the brooches we were wearing had been enchanted by the First Enchanter Remille, who was Orlesian. He also was an ally of the Architect, but we didn't know this till much later. The Architect had taught him darkspawn magic, which was essentially evil and was pretty much what the Taint could do if it was given a certain..." she groped for the right word..."essence. He had harnessed this magic and learned it and in exchange enchanted the brooches so that we would be lured into a false sense of security while travelling the Deep Roads. He told us the brooches would hide us from the darkspawn...that what would happen is that they would not be able to sense us. This was true, but what he failed to tell us was that the brooches also enabled the Architect to know exactly where we were at all times. That, and also the fact that they were accelerating the Taint in us. The First Enchanter had also agreed to help spread the Taint on all people in Thedas, and did this to kidnap Maric and take him back to Orlais as a prize for the Orlesian Emperor."
She stopped. Alistair's eyes were so big, that they looked like they would pop out of their sockets any minute.
He shook his head slightly from side to side as if clearing it. After a few minutes, he found his voice again.
"So this brooch only affected the Grey Wardens, am I right?"
"You are correct."
"And it accelerated the Taint in them?"
"Yes," Fiona said calmly.
"Then that means that you, you..." his voice trailed off, groping for the right words, and Fiona interrupted him briskly before he could continue speaking.
"All the wardens, save Duncan, went through their Calling in the Deep Roads. Commander Genevieve, she was looking for her brother Bregan, another warden who had gone into the Deep Roads to die, but that is not important here. The point is that she turned. And Utha, turned too. Because the Architect finished the acceleration process when they said they wanted to follow it and they turned into darkspawn-like creatures themselves."
"Maker's breath!" Alistair hissed. His head was reeling from this information.
He then stood up and began to pace the room and after a few minutes, stopped and leaned against the desk, his arms crossed on his chest before him.
"What stages of corruption are we talking about for you and the rest of the wardens, I mean?"
"Our skin started to...rot and ...turn into darkspawn skin. We also heard the Calling in our heads. The hum...the...song, pulling us to join them." Fiona said, her eyes staring off into space.
"Maker!" Alistair ran his hand over his long hair, yanking on it on purpose-he needed some sort of pain of sorts to tell him that all this was not just a nightmare and he was not dreaming. He drew in a deep breath again, looking down at Fiona, who was calm and composed.
"But that isn't why I'm here, Alistair." She tilted her head up to look into his eyes again; hers were intense and fixed. They showed a strength of character that did not surprise Alistair at all.
"What is it then? What do you have to tell me Fiona?"
"I have one of the brooches with me. I have continued to study it, hoping for an answer as to why the Taint vanished without a trace for me. I think the brooch might have had something to do with it. I also have the dagger," she said quietly.
"Dagger?"
"I told you that Duncan hadn't experienced what we were experiencing. As a matter of fact he was the only one that remained untouched by the foul magic of the brooches and he managed to stop the First Enchanter when he was attacking us using darkspawn magic. Remille had created a dark cloud, full of the Taint, that was like an animal. I saw it consume our commander before our very eyes." She ignored Alistair's curse and went on, relentless, unwavering..."Duncan had a dagger, which looked like it had been made out of the same material used to make the brooches. Well..." she paused and tilted her head once again up to him.
"Do you remember the 'sticky fingers' story I told you a while back?" She asked, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly.
"He stole that dagger from the circle tower then?" Alistair guessed.
"Yes, Alistair," Fiona smiled. "From the First Enchanter's study, no less. And this dagger was the only thing that was able to fight the darkspawn magic and defeat it. This is why the brooch he was wearing had no effect on him."
Alistair grinned but Fiona did not. She was very serious when she spoke her next words.
"The point here is, that I have both. The dagger and the brooch. And this time it's different. This time, I'm going to discover a way to stop the Taint from spreading. This time, I'll find a way to give a grey warden more years to live, more time between his Joining and the Calling."
She stood up, resolute and trembling slightly, in spite of all her bravado.
"Because nobody deserves to end up that way... Nobody."
...
"So what is this Santa- Saten- Santi-" Chantalle frowned her mouth puckering deliciously. Alistair fixed his eyes on it and had to refrain himself from kissing it for he could tell that she was serious and knew very well that his wife had a very bad temper if the occasion arose.
"Satinalia," he said quickly, his eyes warm as they gazed into hers.
"I don't know why I have such a hard time remembering the word," she sighed.
He pulled her into his arms and she nestled into his chest. They were resting in bed after a torrid session of love-making that had left them spent and relaxed. Alistair felt that his heart would burst from the love he felt for her. He never thought that he could love somebody as much as he loved her and his love seemed to grow more as the days passed.
"It's because you didn't grow up hearing the word, love," he murmured. "But to answer your question, it's a feast day, where people celebrate and exchange gifts between their family members and friends. And they play pranks on them too," he grinned, remembering all the pranks he had played.
"Pranks? Like a...bad joke?" She looked up at him.
"Yes, that's exactly what a prank is," he laughed softly.
"What else do people do? I want to know, please," she asked, smiling at him.
He tightened his grip on her, and bent to kiss her forehead before replying.
"Well, they drink a lot. There are celebrations, and balls. A lot of dancing, even on the streets. We can go into the city of Amaranthine that day, if you want."
"I do want to, but only because I know you would love to go," Chantalle laughed softly. He captured her laugh in a passionate kiss and she hummed into his mouth. This sent his blood rushing to his head, and he tightened his grip on her for a few minutes, his hands caressing her hair and back tenderly.
She broke away, and he could see another question coming. He smiled.
"And these gifts, can we go shopping for things, my love?"
"Yes, darling. Anything you want," he murmured, lost in the twin sapphires of her eyes. "I do want to get small gifts for each of my men. I already have your gift. I got it in Orlais," he added, his eyes twinkling merrily.
She smiled again, and nestled back on his chest, the beating of his heart lulling her into sleep.
Alistair stayed awake for a while, still massaging her head gently, lost in thought.
It was a real shame the Landsmeet was only two days after Satinalia. Unfortunate, really.
Somehow that put a real damper on the feast day ahead.
...
Leliana filled her in with details, so that by the time they went shopping for gifts, Chantalle looked like a child in a candy shop as she looked around for gifts with her. They both giggled as Anders and Alistair walked behind them, also looking around for suitable gifts themselves, while Duran made it a point to lean over and pinch the bottoms of each attractive servant that passed their way, earning a jump, a blush and a giggle from them every time.
"Duran," Alistair warned, "you are going to get yourself in trouble one of these days."
"Yes," Anders quipped. "Think about what they'll do to you if they discover you are a grey warden."
"I like the sound of that," Duran grinned wolfishly and suddenly turned to follow a servant girl that batted her eyelashes at him and had swayed her hips invitingly as she passed him.
"Well, been nice knowing you both. I have to...ah...buy some gifts," he called out cheerfully before disappearing into the crowds of people in the square.
Both Leliana and Chantalle disappeared into one of the stores, smiling and Alistair turned to Anders groaning.
"Do you realize what this means?" He turned to Anders, sighing.
"They will shop for something at the store?" Anders retorted, puzzled.
"No, no, no. Look at what the store sells, man!" Alistair groaned again.
It was a shoe store.
...
Alistair woke up on Satinalia before Chantalle did. It was still dark but he knew it would be morning soon enough. He looked at his wife as she breathed in and out deeply, her breasts rising and falling under the sheets. She had fallen asleep on his right arm and it felt cramped. He tried to move and she stirred moving further away on to the right and he was able to ease his arm from underneath as she did so.
Without making a noise, he got up, barefoot on the stone floor and made his way silently to the chest of drawers in the corner of the room. He opened the last drawer inch by inch, slowly and silently, until he managed to get his hand inside. He rummaged through the clothes until he found what he wanted. Then he silently closed the drawer.
"Alistair?" Her voice called sleepily from the bed. He froze in his tracks, then cursed to himself as he heard her sitting up and lighting the candle on the table beside the bed. He had never been good at sneaking around.
"What are you doing there, crouching on the floor?" She demanded.
He stood up and turned around, hiding the package behind him as he smiled nervously at her.
"Uh...nothing?" He said hopefully.
She rubbed her eyes and yawned, covering her mouth.
"You are a bad liar, Alistair. What are you hiding behind your back?" She smiled prettily at him and his eyes caught the dimple appearing.
That was enough.
He crossed the room and sat on the bed, placing a parcel before her. Her eyes widened slightly and she smiled up at him again, then she ripped the brown paper open excitedly and he laughed out loud at her reaction.
There was a box there.
She looked up suspiciously at him.
"Nothing is going to jump at me if I open the box?" Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"What? No!" He protested, and chuckled.
"All right. I trust you."
She opened the box very slowly and gasped when she saw its contents, which glittered at her as they caught the light in the room.
"Alistair!" She whispered, not daring to believe what she was looking at.
It was a necklace, but a very fine one. All silverite, with lots of tiny sapphires encased all around it. They shimmered and glittered beautifully at her. Simple but elegant, it truly was a thing of beauty.
She felt the tears brim over and trickle down her cheeks.
"Oh, don't cry! I didn't mean to upset you!" He said, worried at her reaction, placing a hand on her cheek and wiping some of her tears away gently.
"No, my love. I am not upset! I've never seen anything so beautiful," she said, as she lifted her face up to his.
"I have," he murmured, "and it's right in front of me."
They kissed each other tenderly and he held her close afterwards, murmuring that he loved her as he stroked her silky blonde hair.
"Oh, I must give you my gift!" She said excitedly breaking away from him. She ran to her pack and searched for a package which she soon deposited on his lap. Her eyes twinkled like twin sapphires, and he smiled.
He opened it slowly and carefully.
"Chantalle!" He exclaimed.
It was a miniature golem figurine. It looked like the one Arl Eamon had gotten him a long time ago when he was a child. He had told her about it some time ago while they had been reminiscing about their past.
"I can't believe you got one so like the one I used to have!" His eyes were shining and he was flushed. He gave her a boyish grin and turned the figurine over in amazement and wonder.
"Thank you so much, my love! This means a lot to me," he said, and kissed her tenderly.
"Help me put the necklace on," she said, and he fumbled with the clasp on the back of her neck, kissing her there when he was done. His kisses soon reached her ear, and he breathed another "I love you" into it as he caressed her shoulders lightly.
She trembled and pressed her back onto his chest and his hands started to fondle her breasts.
"I'm the luckiest and happiest man in Thedas," he murmured.
...
The elated feeling continued for Alistair all day, as he pushed aside all dark thoughts of the looming Landsmeet up ahead away from his mind.
They laughed and played pranks on each other at the keep, finally setting off to the city in the afternoon after sharing a midday meal with all the wardens.
Fiona had given Alistair another figurine of a desire demon and he felt so happy he laughed at Anders teasing him about his 'doll collection'.
When they arrived at the city, it was mayhem. People were running around wearing masks, drinking and dancing in the streets. The inns and taverns were quite full. Zevran and Leonie disappeared into one of them, while Alistair, Chantalle, Anders, Leliana and Duran continued walking. Fiona had stayed behind at the keep, waving them off and telling them to have fun.
The people were so happy, it was contagious. They laughed into their faces, and asked to dance, their masks giving them a surreal look. There was a tinge of alcohol in the air which was beginning to make Chantalle slightly dizzy.
Eventually, they arrived at the city square where bards were performing. The music filled the late afternoon with their songs and soon Alistair, Anders and Duran each had a tankard in his hand.
"Are you sure you don't want to drink some of this my love?" Alistair asked Chantalle again, but she merely shook her head and wrinkled her nose in disgust, which made Alistair laugh under his breath.
They started to clap and dance themselves, but as soon as Alistair let go of Chantalle to catch his breath and take another swig from the tankard, she found herself looking down into a pair of large brown eyes that belonged to a little elven boy, who couldn't have been more than eight.
He was wearing clothes that were worn and tattered in some places, and started when he saw her looking at him. Turning around, he broke into a run, weaving in and out of the people there. Chantalle broke into a run, as she followed him. Alistair muttered a curse under his breath, handed his tankard to Anders, and followed her.
The boy ran right past a set of gates and into another area of the city that obviously was separated from the rest of the place, for there were walls all around it, but Chantalle didn't see this at first.
Her eyes took in the run-down houses, the poorly dressed elves and the sickly pallor on most of them as they looked at her curiously. One young girl talked to her.
"You'd best go to your master, he's come to look for you," and she motioned for her to look behind her.
Chantalle turned briefly and saw Alistair who was jogging up to her. She turned back to the elven girl to protest, but she was already talking to Chantalle.
"He'll have you flogged for sure," she was saying.
"What is your name?" Chantalle asked gently.
"It's Neira," the Elven girl inclined her head. "You aren't from around here I see..." her voice trailed off as she eyed Chantalle's tattoo. Another elf was screaming at her from the door of a small shack.
"Neira! Come back here. That shem will take you away, he will. He's probably looking for another one to please him!"
Chantalle saw Alistair flinch visibly at the woman's words, his breathing hitching slightly.
"What is this place, Neira?" Chantalle asked, but she already knew the answer.
"I can't believe you don't know," Neira replied, her eyes darting from the shem back to Chantalle before answering. "It's the place where we are kept away from the shems, so that they can continue to live their lives while we live in squalor and poverty. This is the place where the human men like you," she spat at Alistair who flinched again, "can come and take whatever girl they desire."
Chantalle's eyes were wide with shock.
"This is the alienage of the city of Amaranthine."
...
A/N: Keep this last bit in mind...lol
Next chapter: Landsmeet at last! Yayness! :D