Heroes of the Past and Present
Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious, do not own the video game
A/N:
Chapter 21 (Bad Blood in a Haunting Past)
"Grand Cleric Elthina, we need your advice," Trina declared as she loudly stormed up the steps. Elthina turned to her, startled by her sudden outburst. The grey haired woman flattened her gaze and pat her hands along her Chantry robe. "We need to talk about Meredith and Orsino, but it has nothing to do with what's going on right now."
"I'd like to apologize first and foremost for her outburst," Sinjin chuckled and Trina turned her glare slowly onto him, causing him to silence. Elthina looked beyond her at Sinjin, Tori, and Jade. Sebastian and Aveline were making their way up the steps behind them. "She is not in a good mood lately, and I really need to shut up now before she kills me."
Slightly embarrassed, she turned back to the woman and straightened herself, quick to clear her throat. "No he's right. I didn't mean any disrespect, I'm just in a bit of a hurry. Terrible, terrible things are happening." Elthina walked towards the podium near the giant statue of the God they worshipped.
"I believe I have said the best action is peace, I am aware of the tension growing between Meredith and Orsino."
"I need to know if you know anything about their past, though." Elthina raised an eyebrow and glanced quizzically at her. The woman didn't appear to recognize that she wasn't Sarah, or that what she wanted to know was if the woman knew anything about their illegitimate child together.
"That past is between the two of them, my dear."
"Yet it affects everyone, including them. They had an affair, a son. Didn't they?" Elthina froze, her muscles tensed and the darkness in her eyes gave way to the truth of the matter. Trina took a bold step forward, trying to emotionally reach out to this woman. "Please, this could very well be for their sake too. It's important, something has happened to Sarah. The Champion's in danger, and we think…we think it might have to do with something that happened to Meredith and Orsino in the past. What happened? Where is the son?"
"I do not know…I was also sworn to secrecy."
"Really? What are you, the freakin' pope?" Elthina gasped out and Trina moved her hand to her forehead, sighing heavily. "I apologize again."
"You need to think before you speak…now…are you not the Champion? Is my eyesight failing me?" It seemed to be true, only Gamlen had been able to tell she wasn't Sarah. It was quite a strange fiasco, really. Even Charade had been surprised to find out she wasn't Sarah when she went to talk to Gamlen for the first time. She wanted desperately to meet her.
"I am not." She held her breath for a moment, thinking of what she could possibly say. She couldn't just blurt out the truth without seeming insane, but she had to say something. "This is going to be difficult to explain, so you may want to sit down."
"All right…follow me."
At a table in the right wing of the Chantry, Elthina sat at the head of the long rectangular table with dull expression on her face, mixed with contemplation. Trina sat with Sinjin and Tori to her right, while Jade and Aveline sat on the other side with Sebastian beside Elthina. The aged woman pat her palms on the wooden surface and leaned back in the chair, sighing theatrically.
"Okay, so you're telling me…you're from the future, thanks to blood magic and a portal created by this…evil mage?" She waved her hand in the air and stared down at the table, attempting to process the situation the best she possibly could. "The mage locked the Champion away with her ancestor, the son of Meredith and Orsino?"
"Yes, yes, and yes. Or, we think so anyway. She let the ancestor in on the plan, so it's very possible that either Orsino or Meredith could be the one who has her." Elthina dismissed the thought without so much as a blink of an eye, brandishing her hand in the air and shaking her head.
"Impossible, they wouldn't do that. I know things are tough and both are at each other's throat, but there is good reason for that. At the root of everyone's hatred, there is a cause. You mentioned in your story that a lyrium idol has driven Meredith to the brink of insanity and blood magic has made Orsino crazy…but I am telling you, those are merely tools. Tools used to gain power and erase fears. The only way they know how…"
"They're both potentially risking a war that is going to lead to many dead," Sinjin replied, "And for the record…I highly recommend you please seek shelter away from the Chantry."
"Let's not start this again." The woman inhaled deeply and moved her fingers to her right temple. "Sarah and Sebastian have already attempted to move me from this place for 'my safety', but I am performing the will of the Maker. Whatever the Maker so chooses as my path, so be it. I am not going to further discuss that matter." Her eyes flicked off to the right, then closed over as a sigh left her lips once more, this time it was a breath of guilt. "I know I promised secrecy, as I suspect the pope or priests of the Catholic church must do when one confesses to them. Yes, Meredith and Orsino had a brief affair, a falling out, and they came to me…to 'fix' it. Or, I should say, Meredith came to me. I keep this a private matter, because if people were made aware of the past, then it could spell disaster for one of those two."
Aveline slammed her hands on the table and rose up, glaring down at the woman, "You're saying you know incriminating information that you've been withholding from Kirkwall?! We are in a state of disaster, if a war breaks out because of those two over something that you knew and could have stopped, then blood is on your hands!"
"If it is as you say, and she's gotten her hands on that idol…then I'm afraid it's inevitable." The lyrium idol was what the group found on their Deep Roads Expedition several years back, where Varric's brother was driven insane by its mysterious power and locked him as well as Sarah, Merrill, and Aveline in the ancient tombs. They escaped and found his brother driven insane by the idol, having killed all of his guards and too far goon to be saved. They had to put him down like a rabid animal, and the idol was gone, it had been sold to someone else. Knowing the stories from her father, Trina knew that the person who bought the idol was in fact, Meredith. An attempt to gain more power. It indeed drove her insane, eventually killing her in the heat of battle.
Their father always said that throughout the generations the story goes that the desperation, fear and pain remained glued onto Meredith's expression as her body turned to stone and crumbled into dust.
"Grand Cleric…Why does Meredith hate mages so much? Does it have to do with that child of hers?" Elthina shook her head and crossed her arms.
"Orsino is the reason she dislikes mages so strongly…Twenty years some odd years ago, I was a young mother in the Chantry here." Elthina's voice lowered to a small whisper and her body began to tremble as everyone listened to her tale with eagerness, in hopes it would divulge something for her. "This young lady, ten years my junior, came to me with tears in her eyes and blood covering her body…in her arms, she held a strange young infant. Seeing the pain in her expression, I had to help her…The thing is, Orsino was already a high official, close to the seat of First Enchanter at the time, so it wasn't something that…I could let out. My Grand Cleric would allow no such thing…"
"Please, I need someone," the young, thirty year old blonde cried. "Please don't turn me away, please. You're the only one I can turn to, he's trying to kill us!"
"What are you talking about?" Elthina put her arm around the woman's back and started to walk towards the altar with her. She brushed her light blonde hair from her face and smiled through her gentle eyes. "You're safe here…" This woman was trembling as though she were freezing, she was covered in cuts, and the baby in her arms was screaming so loud that she feared it would wake her superiors in the Chantry.
The Grand Cleric at the time was not one to allow for someone in after hours, she had strict regulations regarding just who could enter. "What is your name, sweetheart? What happened to you?"
"My former boyfriend…he, he uses blood magic. We were seeing each other, he's the father of my baby. Look, my baby." The woman's hand shook above her child's breast, and the wide eyed infant gazed up in silence. Her hair still covered her face, making it difficult for Elthina to get a good look at the woman. "He's trying to kill my baby!"
"Shh, calm down, it's going to be okay." Suddenly a sharp pounding came from the large doors. The woman gasped out and ran beneath a nearby table, clutching her baby to her chest.
"That might be him! Please you can't let him find me!" The woman pulled her hair back, finally revealing her face. Elthina was stunned to see it was one of the Templar recruits at the Gallows, Meredith Stannard. She moved her hand over her mouth and looked back to the door. "H-He was someone I met at the Circle. I thought I could help him, he was trying to get me to see not all mages were bad."
"I don't think they all are, dear…"
"We were dating. He's in a place of power, he doesn't want me to speak out, I think." A place of power? Then who in the hell was this guy then?
She sympathized with Meredith, however. It was not so long ago that she lost her family and her sister, a mage turned into a demon. She was rescued by the templars, but that demon that turned her sister wound up killing several people. Magic was therefore an incredibly sore spot for her, the fact that a mage got her pregnant was stunning enough, but there was no doubt she didn't admit that fact to anyone. "How did you hide the fact that your father was a mage?"
"He used political leverage, and I kept it quiet. The Templars would be angry! I don't want to lose my baby…I know I'm going to lose my baby to the circle, but at least I have time if he doesn't…hurt him…"
"Just be quiet, I won't let anyone hurt you." She pulled the tablecloth down, covering Meredith up and turning just in time to see the doors open. An angry man stepped in, glaring at Elthina with anger in his eyes. His ferociousness stifled her, she froze up and clasped her hand over her chest.
The man had pointy ears, like an elf, and black hair combed back. His eyes were narrow, snakelike, and his mouth was pulled back into an angry grimace. He was a tall and lanky figure with a onyx staff in his hand. After a second, she recognized him as Orsino, the right hand man to the current First Enchanter! She let out a gasp and heard Meredith's timid whimper.
"Mother Elthina, have you seen a blonde woman and her baby? I am looking for them." She was not to lie, but at this point of time, it seemed protecting Meredith and that infant was most important. How on earth could she contend with the First Enchanter's right hand, though? "It's nothing serious, it's just…I am trying to talk her into not going to the Viscount or the First Enchanter about this…"
"What do you mean? Also, I do not know who you speak of, since I am the only person here tonight. With the exception of the Grand Cleric, who is sleeping in her quarters at the moment." She took a step forward, crossing her arms and narrowing her sharp gaze onto this man. He had blood on him, likely blood he was attempting to drain out of Meredith to silence her. "But I assure you, I realize that you must be up to something. I will bring this matter to the Grand Cleric, Viscount, Knight Commander, and the First Enchanter if you do not cease and desist in attempting to harm someone. I can see the blood on your clothing…"
"What?" Orsino bowed his head, wincing at the blood on his clothes and body. "Fine I will not harm the person. All I want is to ensure that she will not bring up that I am the child's father. She is insisting on bringing it up to the leaders…" He put his hand to his forehead and chuckled softly, closing his eyes and shaking his head, "She believes by doing so, my status will prevent the child from ever having to go into the circle in the future. The child clearly has magic tendencies, as it has used magic without realizing it...Either way, if it gets out that I fathered a bastard child with one of the Templar recruits, then I'm done. If this gets out, I have no chance, my reputation will be tarnished for good."
"You are the father, you should be able to take care of it…"
"I cannot. Meredith's irrational fear of mages has her thinking, for god knows why, that she's going to lose the baby to demons in the future." He put his hand to his chest and gave her a charming smile, "As well as thinking that I am going to turn into some kind of monster. I'm no monster, I just can't have it getting out that I have a child. You understand, surely?"
"I am sorry, I cannot help you. I will…I suppose, let you know, if I see this woman. Just promise me that you will not harm this woman or her child now or in the future. I mean that, promise me that or I will report it to the Viscount." Orsino looked to her and stared for a minute, his eyes drifted to the table, where the cloth seemed to sway for a second.
"Yeah sure…I promise, I will not harm her or the child."
"Thank you…" Orsino left after that, and Meredith crawled out from beneath the table, trembling as she clutched her child close.
"Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank-"
"I'm afraid we're not finished here," A woman's voice burst from the steps and the women turned to see the elder Grand Cleric staring down at her. Elthina could feel her heart cease as she feared the worst, this woman was not a calm Grand Cleric, like one ought to be. Rather, she ruled with a iron fist and often sided with those in power. "Orsino is correct, that baby must not be known. I have to take the child…at the very least, for its own safety."
"What?" Meredith gasped and took a slight step back. "No! No you can't, you won't do anything to me or my baby. The chantry isn't supposed to interfere like that…"
"Grand Cleric?" Elthina stepped up in Meredith's defense, but shrank back at the woman's glare.
"I should punish you for openly lying to the First Enchanter's right hand, but I am not a cruel woman. I can understand the fears of a woman in danger, you were protecting her…there is nothing wrong with that…but do not interfere again. This exchange is not to leave these walls, either. Do I make myself clear?"
"The Grand Cleric took the baby away at that point, much against Meredith's cries." Elthina folded her wrinkled hands over each other on the table and Trina stared blankly at them in a state of shock. Never before had she ever sympathized with either Meredith or Orsino, but even now, she felt sorry for the woman. Losing her family, losing her sister to magic, and finally her own baby? It was horrendous!
Aveline shook her head, trying to find a sense of ground in all of this, "You don't know what happened at that point?" She looked up hopefully at the woman while Trina simply listened. Her heart was pounding and a mixture
"I do not. I am not sure if the child was given to a family, an orphanage, or even if it was sent to a Circle. Either way, neither Meredith, Orsino, or I have ever seen the child since. Not to mention…none of us have ever spoken of what happened that night. Until now…"
"So, bringing up the child to either one of them. Probably a bad idea." Aveline rubbed her forehead and groaned. "Is this war even about Mages and Templars? I'm not even sure anymore."
"It is, but it's the deep rooted past that's the issue, I'm sure neither has forgotten. Find the Champion, and take it from there…if she's with anyone, I would not be surprised if it was that child. Meredith and Orsino have one thing in common, they both respect Sarah Hawke with high regard and would not willingly hold her captive."
"Should we warn them? Could their child come after either of them?"
"I don't know…I do not know the best move, unfortunately. I also understand that you wish to do nothing to influence the future too much."
"We'd like to salvage what we can," Trina muttered. This was all too much for her, she didn't even know where to begin and her stress was well on the rise. "There are so many theories about time travel, like one where no matter what you do the past cannot be changed…so, it might be inevitable anyway, we're going to find my ancestor and she is going to stop the war…" She'd figure something out about Sarah's location and the location of that son, she had to, but perhaps it was best to try and talk to Meredith. Talking to Meredith, dangerous as it was, would probably manage to be the thing she could use to open the woman up to helping them. Though she didn't feel strongly about the idea, considering Meredith likely had no idea where the kid was.
"I feel it goes without saying," Elthina reminded, "Time has changed those two in many ways. The bad blood and tension is still there, but to state the obvious, it is much worse and I fear many innocent lives are going to be lost because of this. Please, do your best to find Sarah Hawke, if anyone can help ease this situation without too much damage being dealt, it's her."
"Yeah…we're going to do our best…"
So a little background provides you with the root cause of the war, and the gap between Meredith and Orsino. Tell me your thoughts