So I absolutely love Shale. So much. So fun to write. Love her 3 Just thought I should throw that out there.

Not Wise To Anger The Golem

"It must get over it's fear of templars. It does travel with one," Shale pointed out uselessly.

"I don't fear them Shale," I answered, "my head really hurts when I'm around them." I watched the ex-templar in question flail at the man at the dock, also another templar.

It was early twilight, the stars just fading as the sun came up over the lake. It was an amazing sight to see the light rays play against the tower in the distance, despite the fact that I was slightly hungover from last night. Alistair was hopeful that we would only be gone for a day or two, even with the experimentation that was expected on Shale and I.

"We are about to embark onto that silly looking raft taking us to a place infested with templars. What is its plan once we get there?"

"Um, I wasn't trying to think about it," I admitted.

"It seems to do a lot of that, or lack thereof," it grunted. The golem was silent for a moment, "Does it not hurt to be around the other squishy warden? One would assume so because of its past."

I hadn't thought of that before either. I had spent so much time with Alistair and I had been pain free since Lothering. What was the difference between him and the rest of the templars?

"No, he doesn't bother me at all," I said. I looked up at the golem seriously. "For someone who says they don't want to know our information, you sure do pay attention."

Shale just grunted.

"He won't let us cross!" Alistair's angry voice reached my ears from behind me. "I told him we were here on official Grey Warden business and he laughed at me. The bastard thinks he's the Queen of Antiva!" he fumed.

I looked around Alistair to the "Queen" in question. "He must have spent a lot on work or magic to look like a real man, ironic really."

He gaped for a second at me, and then understanding flooded his face. "Oh, very funny," he said sarcastically. "Your humour must be legendary."

I ignored him. "Our turn Shale. Let's try to butter up the Queen."

"It would not be wise to put that man in butter at all. I fail to see how that could help its current situation," Shale commented in deadpan.

"Oh Shale," was all I said. "Come on Alistair."

As soon as we stepped onto the dock, the man visibly paled. I smiled, happy to have Shale by my side, if only to scare people. The throbbing started as I expected, but it wasn't as bad as I remembered it, Shale's soothing magic pulsated gently over the feeling, as if it was trying to wash the feeling out. A shield against the templars power. When we stopped in front of him, I noticed his eyes were dilated, as if he was going through withdrawal.

"Ah! Back again are we?" he squeaked, his voice annoyingly high and childlike compared to his large stature. "And you brought friends," he said to Alistair. The word friends was kind of stretched as he looked at Shale. "But I still can't let you across, not even if you had a pet dragon to top it all off!"

"Pet?" Shale asked haughtily. "Is the annoying squishy thing suggesting I am no better than an animal to be lead around?"

The templar blinked and then suddenly realized he had pissed off a giant talking rock. "No! That's not what I mea-"

"That's what he was trying to get past you," I said quickly, cutting the man off, faking indifference all the while. "He just figured you wouldn't be able to understand."

"The nerve!" Shale thundered, towering over the templar and jabbed at his armour with a thick rock finger. "It shall take us across this infernal water body, or it will soon find itself underneath it!"

"Alright! I'll take you!" he peeped, backing up dangerously close to the edge of the dock. He rubbed a hand over his now slightly dented breastplate. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Alistair looked at me in disbelief as I gave him the thumbs up, and a very angry golem muttered about the "annoying squishy thing's lack of manners".

The ride across the lake was mercifully peaceful; not a ripple passed over its great expanse. I worried about Shale's weight, but the little boat did not make a noise as we went came closer and closer to our first goal. I was beyond excited, our first treaty would be accepted, and we had little to no troubles so far, other than gaining the stone golem.

"You aren't smiling are you?" Alistair's voice teased.

I flashed a fake toothy grin at him. "Am I not allowed too? My apologies sir, it won't happen again."

"On the contrary, m'lady, I quite enjoyed the sight," he bowed his head dramatically.

My cheeks heated a little despite the cool morning air. "That's very sweet Alistair. Thank you." I moved over closer to him, careful not to rock the boat. "Keep me warm please," I demanded gently.

"If the little lady says so, I shall oblige," he laughed.

"I'm not little!"

"You are so little, it ceases to amaze me how you can pick up that sword and manage to hit anything," he poked my arm. "Must be magic. Your arms are like twigs!"

I tried to squirm away, but he closed his arms easily around me. "Let me go! I don't want to be harassed in this manner," I said playfully.

"You aren't even trying."

"Enough of this nonsense!" Shale growled. "I can barely stand the sight of the pair of you. Not to mention the fact that the boat is starting to go off course because of your childishness."

Alistair looked around, and slowly let me go. "I think its lying. We are right in front of the dock."

"Excellent," I said, trying to be somewhat professional again. "Let's go get us an army!"

We left the templar at the dock and made our way to the tower on a well worn path. The entrance to the tower was enormous, two large doors made out of steel covered it. As I got closer intricate carvings became clearer, covering every inch of the giant doors. A small blue luminance glowed off of them.

"Can you feel it?" Alistair asked me.

"Feel what?" I squinted at the doors, trying to figure out if the lighting was causing the glow or if it was my imagination playing with me.

"The doors are sealed magically so they can only be opened by non-magical people," he explained. "It's so mages can't leave without an escort. Can you feel the magic?"

I shook my head, only feeling the soothing sensation of Shale as clear as a bell. "Shale is probably masking it."

"Close your eyes and try to separate the feeling. This could be good practice."

I did as I was told and focused on the presence of the stone giant beside me, and attempted to look beyond it. All I could feel was Shale's magic, constant and bright. I wasn't sure what to do, I just stood there, sensing. I was about to give up when I felt a small pulse, so weak I almost missed it. I waited and the pulse happened again. So tiny it was, dark and almost impossible to feel. "Wow," I breathed. I opened my eyes to see Alistair open the massive doors. "I felt something! It's amazing."

He didn't answer, his face grim as he turned back to me. "What I see now? Not amazing."

Mages secretly using blood magic. Abominations running rampant through the tower. Templars and mages alike dead. That was what greeted us in the tower. My face must have been beyond shocked as the leader, the Knight-Commander, filled me in on the situation.

"We have called for the Right of Annulment," the older man, Gregoir said with his arms folded.

"You're going to destroy the tower," Alistair said quietly, purely for my benefit.

"We came here for help against the Blight. We need the mages help. Is there nothing that can be done?" I said calmly, surprising myself. On the inside I was screaming. The templars everywhere weren't helping either, Shale no longer helping compared to the number of wounded mage hunters.

The Knight-Commander sighed heavily. "Look at my men. This is our final hour, we fight no more. And if we were to go on, how are we supposed to know friend from foe? Mages I trusted my entire life have tainted themselves with demons and blood magic. The tower," he hesitated, "the tower can no longer stand."

He doesn't want this to happen. I thought. "We have to do something," I said aloud. "Let us into the tower to see if there are any survivors. Please," I pleaded.

Gregoir gave me a long, tired stare. "If I was to let you in, I cannot open those doors. Not until I hear the First Enchanter himself. I can't afford to wait for you, if the Right of Annulment arrives, the tower falls."

"I understand completely," I said seriously. Panic blossomed in my chest. Everything I feared was beyond that door. Blood magic and the mages that used it. There was nothing else I could do, we needed the mages, even if there wasn't many left.

The templar nodded. "Open the door," he commanded, and two men opened the doors silently. I looked at Alistair and he smiled bleakly at me. I straightened up and lead him and Shale through the door, it closing behind us with a final thud that echoed through the tower.