Well it has been a long long long long long long time since I last updated. Hope you enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: Bioware owns all
It was beyond infuriating… and beyond Fayne's comprehension. How could one man make her so mad, so pull-her-hair-out mad? Not even the bastard Howe's son could do that. Oh, Thomas made her want to hurl, but Leric made her want to kill something…slowly. She shook her flaming locks to get the leaves out of their layers. It was that elf's stupid idea to go out hunting, to learn "the way" of his people.
Regardless of the fact that she wanted to kill Leric, Fayne still felt a nagging sensation in the pit of her stomach as she walked away from him. Maybe laughing at the poor sod had not been the correct course of action, it wasn't very lady like at all. Fayne looked down at the mossy forest floor as she made her way back to camp wondering if her jabs at his ability had offended Leric.
"Arggg," Fayne yanked the branch of a young sampling and threw it to the ground. Did it matter if she hurt Leric's feelings? She had to stop thinking about the man.
"I see you're feeling better Fayne, I do wonder what was wrong with you." Said Morrigan. She was standing at the far edge of camp where their clearing met the forest.
Fayne started, she hadn't even realized she was on the outskirts of their camp. She eyed the witch, and then looked around, "Don't pay games with me Morrigan, I am not in the mood." She whispered; Fayne knew Leric was not far behind her.
"Ha ha, t'is not a game warden, you are far too valuable to play with." Morrigan said as she picked dirt from her cloths, "I am simply trying to…help you."
Fayne walked up to the woman and lowered her voice even more, "You know EXACTLY my problem!" she hissed out as she went to poke Morrigan in the chest.
However Fayne was stopped by a hard cold hand closing over hers. It was too fast for her to have seen it, but somehow Morrigan had grabbed her wrist, "Really, play nice now dear, I wouldn't want you to over exert yourself." The moment the words left Morrigan's lips, a dull throb started in Fayne's temples. It pulsated hard enough to make her squint.
"What is going on here?" rumbled Leric as he emerged from the brush. He dusted himself off and raised an eyebrow at Fayne.
"I was just talking to Morrigan" Fayne said as she messaged her now cold hand.
"Reaaaaallly. How could you possibly be talking to the witch when she is over there talking to Lilianna?" Fayne turned around, only to find the space behind her empty. Where Morrigan had been seconds before was an empty space of forest.
"She..she was just her-," she looked over to the fire pit where everyone was congregated by. Sure enough the animated archer was tittering away with Morrigan, the witch nodding every once in a while. While Fayne looked at the pair, Morrigan turned to the side and locked eyes with Fayne. Her face spreading into her trade mark sarcastic smile while the witches eyes glowed dimly in the fire light like a cat in the wild. Fayne couldn't look away, and in the end it was Morrigan who broke the eye contact with her shit-eating grin still in place. Fayne was not stupid; the witch was playing with her.
"It's good to know your bitchy as well as crazy" mumbled Leric as he walked passed Fayne into camp. Fayne watched as he tossed two dead hares at the Anitivan crow who swore when the rabbit carcasses hit his head.
Letting Leric's last remark go without a fight, Fayne slowly walked to the center of the camp. Everyone was there; Lilianna was talking to Morrigan, Leric was sitting with his back to the fire mumbling in his people's language, Zevran was skinning the rabbits…and watching her…again, and finally Alistair was sulking against a tree. She didn't want to interact with any one of them. It was so frustrating to be stuck with a group of people she wanted nothing more than to flee from. Her heart beat started to quicken and the urge to run away grew. What was Fayne going to do? She was supposedly with people who had her back, but she couldn't trust them, not any of them.
A crushing hug snapped Fayne out of her flight instinct and back to the moment. "It is great to see that you're awake Fayne!" Alistair released his bear-hug and held her out at arm's length, "By the maker, I thought you had been taken over by something Fayne. Are you sure you are alright?"
Fayne just stared at Alistair, a little dazed from the bone crushing hug. She looked down at her arms encased in Alistair's silver gauntlets, and then looked back at his face-pointedly. Alistair dropped his arms immediately. In this close a proximity to Alistair, Fayne could have hit herself; it was so painfully obvious that Alistair was the late king's son. But that thought made her eyes narrow. What other secrets had Alistair been keeping from her?
Fayne ignored Alistair in favour of talking to the rest of the group. "Alright everyone, where are we?" Before she had been overwhelmed by a vision the crew was on their way to Redcliff.
Of course, the ever flirtatious Zevran, chose that moment to speak up, "Ahh dear woman… we are just outside of Redcliff, maybe three hours away from the city gates." He looked up from pulling his sharp blade threw the rabbit's skin, efficiently separating the fur from muscle.
Fayne frowned at him, "I see that you are armed again Antivan."
Zevran stopped his work and pointed the curved blade at her, "Do not fret so, Warden, I would never raise my blade to your pretty little neck again." Zevran chuckled, "Actually, I should say that I promise never to choke you again." He winked at her and went back to his task.
Well, that was reassuring, Fayne thought sarcastically. "I think we should pack up first thing tomorrow morning and make our way Redcliff. I know we are running low on supplies so we need to split up; four of us go to Redcliff and the rest to the traders wagon we saw up the road yesterday."
"I will be ready to go at first light." Alistair said.
"No." Fayne turned to regard Alistair and gave him a stern look. It was the type of look she used to use against some of the guards at castle Highever when they got too rowdy or drunk. From years of practice in mimicking her mother, Fayne was pretty sure the look was menacing.
He threw his hands in the air, "What do you me 'NO'? I can go where I please Fayne. And did you forget I am the most senior Warden here, ergo the man in charge."
"Ha! Do you even know the meaning of the word 'ergo' boy?" sneered Morrigan.
Fayne rubbed the bridge of her nose, now was not the time for arguments. She raised a hand at the witch, "Morrigan stop it" she then looked back at Alistair, "I meant what I said, you. will. not. be. coming. with. me. Understood?" she went over to her resting area and turned back to Alistair's stunned face, "Oh and don't go playing the senior warden card. Where was your authoritative nature when we were stranded in the wilds?" Fayne was pissed at Alistair for hiding his heritage and whatever he else he had hidden. She needed to be separated from him until she could cool down.
Alistair still had a stubborn set to his shoulders, and before he could utter another word Fayne said something she knew would hurt the man, "If you were such a great warden, then Duncan would have made the succession of authority clear before his death."
As she expected, Alistair visibly recoiled from her bitter words like a person slapped in the face. He said nothing as he went back into his tent. Fayne was happy that at least now she could have peace, her headache had only gotten worse since she last spoke to the witch. Once she had finally gotten to her bedroll she realized it was right beside Leric's, he must have put her there when she was unconscious.
"That wasn't very nice you know." Leric stated as he flopped down beside her and handed her a piece of rabbit on a stick. Fayne looked at the meat as if it might bite her.
Leric sighed and put the stick on his bedroll, between the two of them. In his other hand he proceeded to eat his own share of the meal, "I didn't poison the food in case you were wondering," he said between mouthfuls.
Fayne looked at the brown meat and back to Leric's face, "Since when do you care?"
Leric rested his food on his bent knee as he turned to regard Fayne fully, "I don't want you to get sick, when you fell unconscious earlier, I became…worried." Leric cleared his throat, "What I mean to say is that I don't want you to become a liability to stopping this blight. Regardless of how you view me, I would never see you fall." His words were no longer said in his usual aloof manner, but rather they held an passion that caused Fayne's breath to still.
The feeling growing inside Fayne were foreign, she had an unrelenting need to slap the man, but…at the same time…at this moment she wanted to…kiss him.
Fayne opened her mouth and said the first thing that came to mind, "I was talking about Alistair, since when have you cared about his feelings?"Just like that- the moment was ruined as Leric withdrew into himself. He straightened up his posture and leaned away from Fayne. She hadn't even noticed he had crept closer to her.
"Oh." Leric picked up his food and turned his face to the fire. Fayne was slightly shocked to see it was tinged pink. "I don't usually care what that shem thinks." Responded Leric as he continued to eat, "But you were rather more cruel than usual."
Fayne's eye got big as she fought of the urge to laugh, "Me? Cruel? Ha! That is rich coming from you Leric." A small giggle escaped her, "Need I remind you of the lovely banter we just exchanged in the forest trying to hunt for that stupid dear."
Leric gave her a sideways look, "I may be honest, but never cruel. I don't seek to cause people pain."
Fayne rolled her eyes, "Uhuh, keep telling yourself that Leric. Then what do you call all the mean things you said to me and our other members?"
Leric tapped his now empty stick on his chin as he feigned deep thought; "Well" he said in a slow drawl, "I like to view it as illuminating other peoples' flaws. In a way, I am doing everyone a favour by showing them what they need to fix."
Fayne's jaw dropped. It was the most pompous thing Leric had said yet.
"Anyway," continued Leric as he ignored Fayne's incredulous look, "I haven't gotten into an altercation with any of the others." Fayne thought about it for a moment and realized that he was right; Leric had never gotten into a big fight with anyone other than Fayne.
"Oh ho! So you save your grumpy-elf-personality for me do you?" Fayne playfully shoved Leric's arm.
He looked at her then and said, "I suppose I do Fayne, I save all of it for you." Leric picked up the rabbit and handed it to her again. This time she took the offering.
It was not hard for Fayne to get on the road the next morning; Alistair had already left with Lilianna by the time she was ready to go to Redcliff. Maybe I was a little harsh, though Fayne as she, Leric, Zevran, and Morrigan made their way to town.
Like Zevran said the previous day, it had only take the four of them three hours to make it to Redcliff, but what greeted them was not what Fayne was expecting. From her past experiences, cities prominent like Redcliff had at least a couple guards at the gate and a torrent of merchant carts waiting to get through. However what met them was an open wooden gate with absolutely no one in sight. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"What a warm welcome, t'is like no one is even alive here." Morrigan said as she pushed the gate open the rest of the way. Fayne secretly hoped that the witch was wrong. "I can sense strong magic here…uncontrolled magic."
"Let's not waste all day then. I am sure we will find another person to talk to once we get further into the city." Said Leric as he walked down the earthen steps leading to the main road. He pulled his bow off his back and notched an arrow, ready in case of attack.
They had only just walked over a slight hill when a young man came rushing up to them, he was sweaty and out of breath. It took him a couple of moments to compose himself enough to speak, "Are you here to save us?"
Leric and Fayne exchanged glances, "What do you mean 'save us'?" asked Leric. That simple question opened a floodgate of information which spewed out of the boy's mouth about how Redcliff was being attacked by undead creatures. By the young man's description they did not sound like darkspawn.
"This has nothing to do with us Fayne, let's just leave these people and go somewhere else" Leric placed his bow upon his back.
Fayne sighed and messaged her temple trying to alleviate the ever present headache, "You must have forgotten what Alistair said earlier."
"I try to ignore him as much as possible."
She rolled her eyes, "I know that. What I meant was, we need to go to Redcliff in order to get an army to defeat the darkspawn. So yes, right now this is our problem." Fayne walked up to Leric, pulled the bow off his back and jabbed it into his hands, "Come on we have some things to kill."
It hadn't taken the four of them long to gather information on all the able bodies in town. With Zevran's silken tongue and Leric's intimidating presence, Fayne was able to recruit almost every man in the village. Many of them were farmers and hardly fit to hold a sword let alone fight with it. Fayne shook her head, for many of these men she would be sending them off to the Maker. When nightfall finally made its way to the village, Fayne had organized the men to fight in two areas that were being regularly attacked by the undead. Morrigan had chosen to accompany Fayne by the lake, while Leric and Zevran took the higher ground. It was time to start the fight.
Fayne sat on a pile of loosely piled wood while she fingered her long dagger, waiting for the perfect time to strike. She could smell the sweaty farmers in their old warn leathers fidgeting behind her. It made her uncomfortable being in charge of such a liability. Again her temples started to pound and she placed her pale hands delicately to her face hoping to sooth some of the pain.
"Is your head giving you more problems?" Morrigan's cold hands came to rest on Fayne's shoulders and she had to resist the urge to pull away from the woman.
Fayne waved Morrigan away, "I am fine, just stressed about the upcoming fight"
Morrigan walked out from behind Fayne and grabbed her face, turning it left and right as she scrutinized her paler than usual completion. "I don't think you are alright Warden. Trying to lie to me is pointless. Remember I do know what ails you." How could Fayne ever forget? Morrigan was the only other person besides her now-dead-maid who knew she could see the future.
Morrigan released Fayne's face and went into her satchel, rummaging around until she found what she was looking for. Morrigan pulled out a small vial full for purplish silver liquid which seemed to have its own current. Examining the liquid in the moonlight Morrigan nodded in satisfaction and thrust the vial in Fayne's face.
"Here drink this; it will help your body in dealing with your ailment."
Fayne took the bottle and looked at it, "Which ailment do you speak of?" Fayne was not stupid. Often Morrigan would say one thing and mean something totally different. With her it was always a game of double-entendres.
Morrigan smiled, "Your headache, of course."
Even the moonlight that lit up the night was starting to hurt Fayne's eyes, the pain was becoming too much. With a quick motion, Fayne downed the entire content of the vial, surprised to find that the liquid had a pleasant floral aftertaste much like lavender and honey. Just then, a strange and swirling mist started to make its way over the flattened earth by the lake. Like the other villagers had said, it was not long after the mist came that rotten flesh ridden creatures emerged out of the ground and water. Their foul smell made Fayne gag as she twirled her twin daggers. Disgusting, what abomination is this?
However Fayne's contemplation of the origin of these creatures was cut short by their cries of dead fury. As one, all the creatures surged forward to attack the nearest person. To the left of Fayne, a group of the undead blew up in an explosion of fire created by Morrigan. Fayne grimaced; the creatures smelt worse while burning. Much like Morrigan, the battle on Fayne's side was over in a matter of minutes. Fayne was skilled in rouge techniques which served to aid the inexperienced farmers who used the slash-slash method. And she couldn't deny the usefulness of Morrigan's magic either; it destroyed many of the rotten bodies before they had even set foot out of the lake. With one last huff, Fayne despatched the final creature. It oozed black blood onto her boots and leather leg wrappings. This is disgusting, thought Fayne as she looked at each foot in dismay.
Fayne waved at Morrigan to get the witches attention, "Hey Morrigan." Said woman looked at Fayne, "I am covered in grossness, I am going over to the lake to clean up." Fayne turned once she was sure that she had been heard and walked down to the bottom of the lake. Most of the water was blackened with the blood of the creatures, so Fayne took off towards the furthest corner of the lake. It was a relatively clean a secluded spot for her to clean herself.
As Fayne untied the leather straps from her boots, she heard a noise like an animal moaning. She froze in place, afraid that it might have been another volley of the undead creatures. For a while Fayne stayed in her prone position until she was satisfied it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Once her nerves had been quieted, Fayne proceeded to wash not only her boots, but her leg bracers as well. Oh what I would do for a hot bath, mused Fayne as she watched the slow and lazy river current carry away all the grime.
The sound came again.
This time Fayne bolted upright and grabbed her weapons, she was sure something was behind the bush. With care, Fayne slipped into the newly developing shadows of dawn and crept around the raged sides of the bush. However, instead of finding the creatures she had been slaying all night, Fayne found the bloodied body of Bann Teagan. She stopped short and sucked in her breath. This is not what I was expecting!
It had been years since Fayne had last seen Bann Teagan, not since her 12 birthday when her father had invited Howe and his entourage over to her family home. Fayne's hands tightened into a fist. That was right, Bann Teagan was a close friend and confidant of Renden Howe and even Tomas. Fayne approached the body and slowly went to feel for the Bann's pulse. It was there, but only faintly, he must have been trying to defend the villagers. She pulled her hand back and wiped the blood on her pants, What am I to do with you Teagan?
But Fayne already knew what she was going to do. This man…this man was best friends with her now enemy, the very man who destroyed her life. There was absolutely no way Teagan was free of guilt, he must have known what Howe was planning to do. With a determined and angry stride, Fayne made her way towards the other members of her party, completely ignoring the greetings of the people she had just saved. She needed to complete her new mission before someone found the Bann alive. Squinting, Fayne located Leric and Zevran in front of the Chantry steps, helping the wounded and the fallen.
Fayne walked up to Zevran and touched his arm, "I need you to do something for me."
Intrigued with what the fiery Warden could want from him, Zevran turned to regard the woman, "All you had to do was ask my dear. I knew it wasn't long before you fell to my charms…come let us go." Zevran took her hand and pulled her to the Chantry gates.
"Zev…Zev!" Fayne pulled her hand out of the assassins grasp, "That is…not quiet what I had in mind."
"Well then, how may I be of service?"
Fayne made sure she was out of hearing range of the others before she whispered, "I need you to kill someone for me."
Zevran looked at her, his usual smirk replaced with a contemplative stare, "Who?" his question was simple, but it held all sorts of consequences.
Fayne closed her eyes and willed her voice to be steady, am I really sure I want this? "His name is Bann Teagan. I found him behind a bush about 20 feet that way" Fayne pointed to the river, "He is pretty beat-up, but will most likely survive."
"Then I take it, Warden, that you do not want him to survive"
Fayne nodded her head, she had decided she definitely didn't want him to survive. She wanted to take away what mattered most to that bastard Howe, just like he had done to her. "Come on Zevran, I will take you to him." Fayne escorted Zevran to where she had found Teagan's body earlier. This time, though, Bann Teagan had somehow rolled onto his back and was conscious. Upon her arrival with the Antivan, Teagan let out a small shout of joy, "Ah thank the maker you found me" his voice was rough as he started to cough, "I didn't know if I would ever be found."
Zevran cocked his head to the side as he slowly made his way over to Teagan's body, "Such misunderstandings are tragic are they not?" Zevran's accented voice questioned Fayne as he bent down next to Teagan and pulled the man's hair.
Teagan let out a grunt while he too looked over at Fayne. His expression turned to one of shock, "You..you are alive! I had thought you died during your brother's betrayal."
Fayne crossed her arms and regarded the man with an icy fury. Zevran patiently held tight to Teagan hair making it impossible for the man to move his head, "You wish to watch dear Warden? Something like this…it is not like killing in the heat of battle."
Zevran had a point. What she was about to allow, no what she had ordered was cold blooded murder. Teagan's eyes became even wider with fear, "What are you talking ab-Fayne Cousland what is this?"
"Do it." Fayne's icy words cut through the quiet pre-dawn as she motioned for Zevran to make his move.
It was like time had taken to moving at an incredibly slow pace, everything was so clear and precise. This is for my family, Fayne thought to herself as she watched Zevran pull the struggling Bann's head back to expose his neck.
This is for my family….
Zevran pulled out a silver curved short blade from the inside of his boot. Oddly enough, Fayne noticed it held a beautiful flower filigree design.
This is for my family….
Zevran flipped the blade so the curved tip met the flesh at the base of Teagan left ear.
This is for my family….
His hand flexed on the hilt of the blade, Fayne could see his tendons flex in restraint. Then his hand pushed the knife past the delicate layer of skin at the base of the Teagan's jaw line. The cry that escaped Teagan's mouth did not deter Zevran as he smoothly and quickly drew the blade from one end of the Bann's neck, to the other. The blade was so sharp that it took the blood a couple of seconds to start pouring from the wound.
Quickly, so as to not get blood on his armour, Zevran jumped back from the struggling man. Fayne watched in mute fascination as Teagan struggled to close a wound that could never be closed. Zevran had been exact in his stroke for the Bann died within seconds of the cut.
This is for my family….
Fayne hadn't realized she was still staring at Teagan's carcass until Zevran had asked her a question, "Sooo…it take it that this was for revenge, yes?"
Fayne watched as the Antivan washed his blade in the river, "What else would it be for?" she asked in a detached manner.
Zevran looked at her with a wicked smile, "From my time with the lovely Crows, I have learned that people kill for three main reasons. One…for a woman. Two…for power. Three….for revenge" he chuckled lightly, "I myself, find killing for a woman a rather romantic notion."
Fayne looked back to Teagan and frowned, it was no use in double guessing her choices now. However as she made to go back to camp, Zevran's words stilled her. "Warden…if I may." Zevran sheathed his weapons and walked up to her, "This revenge of yours was a cold thing. While I make no condemnation of your actions, I do warn you that this path is a destructive one. No peace will come to you at the end." He reached out and touched her on the chest, where her heart resided, "You…are not this type of person, no. Do not become the victim of your own choices."
Fayne slapped his hand away, "There was never a choice here Zevran. I had to do this for my family."
"There is always a choice my dear." Argued Zevran
Fayne threw her hands in the air, "Fine then! I choose revenge! I choose this coldness."
Zevran closed his eyes briefly while a sad smile came upon his face, "Very well mi amiga." He bowed and then slung and arm around her shoulders and winked at her, "Then it looks like you will be needing more of my services in the future."
When the vision came to Fayne, she was read for it. Ever since she had collapsed on the road to Redcliff, she could tell when her body was going into its future-seeing mode. She was currently wrapping a clean bandage on a fallen soldiers arm when her vision started to narrow and dim. Excusing herself from the man, Fayne stumbled in an attempt to quickly find a place from prying eyes.
Just as Fayne settled into the corner of the Chantry, she was thrust into another place entirely. This time she could clearly make out a royal dining room with a blazing fire. She turned around and spotted a familiar insignia, Ahh so this is Eamon's castle, thought Fayne as she ghosted about the room. Bodies lay here and there; it looked like a fight had just ended. Bitter laughter interrupted her search and Fayne found herself face-to-face with a young boy with sandy hair. He was maybe ten years old and held the typical angelic face of a child.
"Who are you?" Fayne froze in fear and shock. Her hands started to shake as icy tendrils laced down to her stomach. She didn't know what frightened her more, the fact that this boy could see her and was asking her a question…or the fact that he had a rumbling demonic voice.
His eyes, once a pale brown swirled into a scorching red as the boy opened his mouth in an horrid fashion, "I SAID WHO ARE YOU!" the question came out as a roar which forced Fayne to cover her ears and fall to her knees.
However instead of feeling the cold stone floor of the castle, Fayne felt the warm wood of the Chantry. Slowly other noises of people talking and laughing filled her ears; her vision had ended abruptly. With shaking hands Fayne pushed back her hair and got up from her kneeling position.
"Another dream again child?" Fayne jumped and twirled around to see Morrigan standing across from her, hidden in the shadows.
"How long have you been there?" Fayne demanded.
Morrigan shrugged her shoulders and sat on the nearest pew, motioning Fayne to follow her example, "Not for very long, but you were rather dramatic this time. T'was exciting to watch you fall to your knees and cover your ears."
Fayne sat down next to Morrigan and rubbed her eyes, "This…this was not like the others. It was so clear and realistic."
Morrigan smiled eagerly, "This is a good thing is it not?"
Fayne closed her eyes again, "No, well yes and no. While it was good that I could make sense of where it happened, I was seen… by something."
Morrigan raised a delicate eyebrow, "What do you mean by this?" Fayne went on to shakily explain her vision, going through her experience with the red-eyed child and the monstrous roar he emitted. She even told Morrigan how he could see her and talk to her directly. All the while Morrigan quietly listened and bobbed her head in understanding.
"It looks like, Warden, that you met a demon in your vision." Morrigan explained the event as if it were an everyday occurrence.
"But, but how did it see me if I was looking into the future." Fayne asked. She was truly perplexed.
Morrigan sighed, "Demons do not exist the same way that we do, therefore it is safe to say that they experience time in a totally different manner as well. You must have given the demon a reason to be afraid if it is sending out all its power into creating living dead."
This whole situation was giving Fayne another killer headache, Great! Just what I need. A future seeing demon, seeing me, see the future. She sighed as she rubbed her eyes again.
"Are you suffering fromm headaches again Fayne?" asked Morrigan.
"Yes." her answer was short and curt. It was pretty obvious to any bystander that she was experiencing pain. A purple vial was thrust under her nose; it was the same concoction the witch had given her earlier. Knowing the liquid helped, Fayne grabbed the bottle and downed its contents like a greedy child. Having emptied the vile, Fayne handed it back to Morrigan with an appreciative head gesture. It was time they dealt with their living dead problem permanently so that warden business could be attended to. Fayne walked over to where Leric sat and tapped him on the shoulder, "I know where the magic that caused this mess is coming from."
Leric stopped his work, "How did you find this out?"
Fayne scrambled for a source of information, "Uh… one of the villagers said they heard…uh, strange noises from the castle." Fayne smiled at him.
Leric's eyes narrowed, but other than that he said nothing. Now was not the time for him to voice his growing concern over Fayne's mental health. Leric grabbed his quiver and bows, "Alright then, let's head down to that castle. That 'villager' better not be wasting our time." He gave Fayne a pointed look as he went to go find Zevran.
"You excel in the art of lying." Morrigan's sarcastic remark made Fayne blush as she went to meet up with the other two men.
The treck to the castle was a short and bitter one. The group didn't meet any resistance until they passed the castle gates, once inside the grounds dead soldiers and guards men sprang back to life brandishing their weapons. A usual, Morrigan and Leric took up the flank; killing foes from afar while Fayne and Zevran weaved between the bodies, slicing off bits as they went. Fayne was surprised to see how well her fighting styles paired up with that of the Anitivan's. By the time they had made it past all the ghouls and into the main dining hall, the sun was high into the sky.
Just like in Fayne's vision, the large fire place had a roaring fire which heated the entire room. A pale faced woman in her late thirties was wringing her hands nervously in the corner saying something to the young boy in the center of the room. While Fayne could not make out what was being said, the older woman's tone was pleading. The minute Fayne and her troop became visible to the woman, she dashed over to them with tears in her eyes, "Ah thank the Maker you are here. You must help my son." She grabbed Leric by the arm and dragged him over to the boy.
Leric, who was disgusted by the human's hold on him, shook her off and pointed at her son. "What is wrong with that child?" Everyone in the room could feel the demented aura emanating from the boy. It also did not help that he was bouncing on his feet while laughing in a deranged way.
"What is wrong with MEEEEEeeeee" the child motioned to himself in falsified shock. His voice was far too deep for his age and it sounded like two people were talking instead of one, "More like… what is wrong with heeeeerrrrrrrr." The boy pointed to Fayne. "I have seen you before, what are you!" he asked in a petulant tone.
His mother sighed and went to grab him, "She is a woman my son"
The boy looked at his mother and slapped her right across the face. The impact of the hit sent her sprawling to the carpeted floor, "I DID NOT ask you, dear mother.
Leric notched an arrow in his quiver and pointed it at the boy. It did nothing to deter him as he threw his head back and laughed, "And what are you, pointy-one?" he asked Leric. When Leric gave no response, the boy continued to speak, "Well it matters not. I'll just kill you all anyway." With the flick of the boy's wrist, ten guards came out from the passageways along the dining room.
"Morrigan, deal with the boy" yelled Fayne as she pushed against a sword that came very close to cutting her open. These guards, unlike the others, were alive and therefore more powerful. The six foot tall man was pushing against her blade, slowly getting closer and closer to her stomach. Thunk. An arrow protruded from his chest as he stilled and fell to the floor. Relieved, Fayne looked across the room to see Leric loading another arrow. As their eyes locked, she mouthed a 'thank you' to which he responded to by ducking his head.
The guards suddenly froze and then fell to the floor; Fayne shared a confused look with Zevran and Leric. But her question was answered for her when she saw the unconscious boy on the floor, his shirt singed from an electric attack courtesy of Morrigan. All three of them walked up to the boy only to see his mother rush to his side and start sobbing. While they watched the woman fuss over her son, Morrigan explained to the rest of them how the boy was possessed by a demon and was therefore a poorly trained mage.
"You must help me please!"
Leric scoffed, "We must do nothing for you, you're lucky we helped out at all."
His statement infuriated the woman, she stood up straighter and anger crossed her features, "I am Arllessa Isolde! You do what I tell you elf!" Isolde went up to Leric and tried to tower over him like she had, no doubt, done with her own servants.
Fayne had problems with how nobles treated others, especially elves, as lower class citizens. Even though she had her own issues with Leric, she was not about to let this bitch of a woman try to order him around. Fayne walked up to Isolde and pushed her away from Leric's face, "He is right! We are not under your command." Fayne smiled at the noble woman's shocked expression.
"You! I know you. You're a Cousland. How could you possibly side with an elf? You are a disgrace to your family's name, defending him like that." Spat Isolde as she reared her ugly personality towards Fayne.
Fayne went to slap the woman, but something caught her wrist before she could raise it. Leric was behind her holding her hand, "She is not worth the effort." He whispered in an attempt to calm her down. Fayne closed her eyes and counted to three, secretly wishing that the whole situation was just a stupid dream. She knew that in order to gain the Arl's men, she had to aide his family and deal with the undead situation first.
Ignoring Isolde, Fayne looked to Morrigan for answers, "What can we do?"
Morrigan crossed her arms, "Well there is a possibility that the Chantry circle may be able to lend aide to this stupid boy. Or a blood magic ritual can be performed to forcefully remove the demon…"
Fayne had the suspicion that there was yet another option, "We could also end the boy." Said Morrigan, "It would be the quickest method." Isolde sobbed at hearing the last statement and ran to her child, cradling him in her arms.
Fayne walked up to Morrigan and lowered her voice, "Can you perform the blood magic ritual?" she was loath to resort to that type of thing, but she knew time was running short. She didn't know if the village could handle another volley of those creatures, and she was anxious to get back on her Warden business.
"T'is a tragedy, but alas, I do not know this form of magic. My mother would never teach it to me, said only the foolish played with demons." So the option to perform the ritual was out of the question, and Fayne had no idea how long it would take to reach the Mages Circle. Also, given her erratic and numerous visions she was receiving lately, it was the last place she wanted to go. However the option Fayne was left with was the very last thing she wanted to do. She could kill monsters and men just fine, but taking the life of a child was a whole other matter. But he allowed a demon inside him, he is a killer….whispered Fayne's mind as she struggled to get a grasp on what she was about to do.
She pulled out her dagger and headed towards the boy, luckily he was still unconscious and did not know what was about to happen. Isolde, on the other hand, knew the fate of her son and she jumped up to block Fayne. Leric too, stepped between Fayne and the boy, his lips drawn into a grim line, "Don't do this Fayne." He grabbed her hand which was on the hilt of her dagger, "Let me do it for you." Fayne's eyes widened at his request, it was not what she was expecting, "I have done this before" he said as he pulled the blade from her numb grasp. He motioned to Isolde, "Just keep her out of it."
For a few seconds Fayne just stood there in shock, what did he mean he had done this before? Why did he take her blade? Was she really going to allow this to happen? But she lunged into action the minute Isolde tried to stop Leric. She grabbed the woman by the upper arms, and when she began to squirm, hit ,and bite, Fayne hit her on the head hard enough to make her pass out. By the time she had subdued Isolde, Leric had dispatched the boy.
When she saw Leric's trim form leaning over the dead boy's body, she couldn't help but think of her nephew who had been killed in a similar manner. When Leric looked at her with grief on his face, she had to close her eyes and stop the flood of tears that threatened to escape. She had to get out of that room immediately, she couldn't deal with this.
Fayne fled from the dining room as fast as she could without breaking into a run, hot tear streaming down her face as she did so. She needed to find a way to silence her heart, so stop feeling the way she did. Alcohol, I need alcohol, she thought as she changed her course to get down to the larder. It was a quiet walk, no one was alive in the castle, or if they were, they were still hiding. She couldnt even hear anyone following her. So when Fayne pushed the thick larder doors open and saw a large collection of beer and wine, she let out a bitter laugh. What a perfect way to forget herself.
It hadn't taken her long to get thoroughly sloshed, after about the third bottle of wine, she was well on her way to sweet oblivion. The liquid was saccharine and she enjoyed drinking it. Every time she caught a glimpse of Isolde's son or her nephew in her mind, she would chug away and try to forget what she was depressed about.
"Well this is a classy picture" said a deep voice from the doorway. Fayne pushed her wild hair out of her face only to meet the disapproving gaze of Leric.
She tried to stand up to greet him but ended up flat on her ass. She raised a bottle, smiling, and said, "Com'join me." Her words were slightly slurred from the alcohol's influence.
Leric walked over to her and sat down, folding his arms in frustration, "You're drunk." He sounded less than thrilled.
Fayne's smile slipped away and was replaced with a forlorn look, "Yah well here-," Fayne handed the bottle to Leric, "You should drink too, I know killing that child affected you regardless of the cool visage you try to keep." Leric frowned at her but took the bottle anyway, sniffing it cautiously. Once he was satisfied it was wine, he tipped the bottle back and took a deep swig.
Fayne rested her head against the cool stone wall of the basement, amused at the situation they were it. Never in her life did she think she would be sitting on a dirty floor with Leric sharing a bottle of wine. "What did you mean earlier when you said you 'had done this before'?" asked Fayne.
Leric took another swig of wine and wiped his mouth, "I….when I was with the Dalish-," Leric's throat caught and he coughed to clear it, "When I was with my people, life was not so easy. We were good hunters, but injuries happened quite often. Usually, it was the young boys trying to gain favour with their future wives." He chuckled as he reminisced over his years with the Dalish. However his smile turned into a frown when he continued with the story, "One day a young hunter came limping back to the aravels, he had fallen and a branch had gone through his leg." Fayne winced at the image, "He had been missing for several days, and by the time we found him, it was too late."
She knew where this was going, "I take it he had an infection?" she asked.
Leric nodded, "Yes…a very bad one that had already infected his entire leg and his blood. There was nothing we could do except watch him suffer. As people who live with nature, we understand the cycle of life and death, but it is never easy to watch pain and misery." He closed his eyes, "One night, the boy asked us to end him and release him from his pain." Leric opened his green eyes and stared straight at Fayne, " So we did, I along with our elder quickly put him out of his misery."
Fayne placed a comforting hand on his arm, "It was the merciful thing to do."
Leric smiled sadly, "It may have been merciful, but it sure doesn't make me feel any better about it." He grabbed another wine bottle and opened it, swallowing some of its contents. He passed it over to Fayne.
"If it bothered you so much, why did you volunteer to kill the Arl's son? Fayne had been itching to know ever since he had offered.
He shrugged, "I thought it might be easier for me to do it." He sighed, "But it wasn't, it was not any easier to do." He diverted his eyes from Fayne and whispered, "I wanted to save you the guilt of killing a child." His voice was so light that Fayne barely made out his words. He cares…Fayne was astounded by the very thought. While she was physically attracted to Leric, she always thought the man hated her, and she in turn hated him. But maybe it was all a defensive act, after all, he seemed to have a sensitive and open side.
Fayne didn't know if it was the liquor or Leric's words that made her do it, but she leaned over and kissed the side of his cheek. His scruffy jaw tickled her lips, "Thank you" she breathed against his face.
Instead of him pulling away, he turned his face so that it was aligned with hers; his lips were flush against Fayne's. His deep green eyes locked on hers with intensity, he seemed to be searching her very soul. Leric's hands came up to cup her face, his thumbs softly tracing patterns on Fayne's cheek. He closed his eyes and softly placed his lips on hers; it was a delicate and emotional display on his part.
Fayne was the one who pulled away from the kiss. Her eyes were glazed over and she had a pretty smile on her face, "Leric…" she put a hand on his chest. "I am sooo tired…" Fayne promptly fell onto Leric's lap, unconscious from all the alcohol.
Leric brushed her curly hair away from her pale face and stared at her. He sighed and repositioned himself so that they were both leaning against the larder wall, "I am tired too Fayne….so very tired." Leric closed his eyes and let darkness overtake him.