Author's Note: Sorry, this one took me a little longer than a week! Things were a little hectic last week. I will try to get Chapter 13 up sooner to make up for it. Anyway, we're back to Ayla's POV and at the Circle this chapter. There will be a bit more involving the Circle the next chapter as well, as I couldn't quite fit it all in this one. If we're lucky, we may run into a certain elf in the next chapter too. If not, he'll definitely show up the chapter after that ;). As always, thanks to those who have favorited and followed.
Special thanks to Arialla MacAllister, who reviewed the last chapter for me. I can't have an artistic tantrum now, but I still would love to see more reviews. Seriously, even a "Hey I like it, keep going," would be awesome. It would motivate me a lot more if I knew people actually liked it and wanted to keep reading it. Anyway, to the 12 people I know for sure like it so far, enjoy!
Chapter Twelve: A Circle of Nightmares
Ayla sat on the deck of the boat, her back to the railing, watching the sun rise over the lake. It was coming up in a riot of oranges, pinks and reds that contrasted beautifully with the still-dark color of the lake. When they'd left Redcliffe yesterday, it had been approaching sunset, and everyone had elected to sleep almost right away, knowing that it would be a full day before they reached this Circle Tower.
She herself had just woken up from that much-needed sleep and left the small cramped cabin of the boat in order to relax out on the equally small deck. The boat they'd been loaned was really only big enough for the four of them and the sailor operating it. Ayla didn't mind though, she was just glad to be out on the open water again. Fallor bordered an ocean, and she'd always enjoyed going out on the ocean whenever she'd gotten the chance. It had been a long time since she had, though, and even going out on this lake was better than nothing. It was a relief to escape the stench of blood and death that had hung over Redcliffe. She felt like she hadn't breathed fresh air in a week.
It was also a relief to have some time to herself, she thought, especially after everything that had happened over the last few days. Everyone else was still asleep in the cabin, except the sailor, who sat in the stern facing out over the lake. He'd greeted her when she came out, but seemed content to leave her alone otherwise, for which she was grateful. She had a lot on her mind that she needed to think about.
The first thing that came to her mind, she was a little frightened to admit, was Alistair. She could admit she'd found him physically attractive from the start. That much was easy, simple, expected, even. Her growing fascination with him in general was none of the above. She knew that part of the reason for her fascination was the contrasts in his personality that he kept showing her.
He went from barely being able to look her in the eye when she flirted with him, to literally sweeping her off her feet when he'd picked her up after the battle in Redcliffe. She'd never had a man dare to do that to her before, and had been surprised by his sudden boldness. It also didn't help her level of attraction to discover that he was so strong. And then . . . there was that kiss. She'd been pleased when she'd finally been able to prompt him into kissing her, but she hadn't expected him to kiss her quite so hard – or grope her backside while he was at it. She'd quite enjoyed both, however.
Actually, if she was honest with herself, she couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a kiss that much. It was like her blood had turned into liquid fire. So she had sincerely meant it when she'd told him that he could kiss her as often as he liked. She could deal with fiery kisses that curled her toes. In fact, she was quite happy to do so. It was the sweet words and the flower that she wasn't sure how to deal with. The flower that she was now twirling in her hands, staring at it as though it could give her answers.
None of the men she'd been with before had ever given her a gift, or told her she was rare and wonderful. In Fallor, if you wanted to mate with someone, it was a simple matter of asking. No one was offended if somebody found them attractive enough to ask for a casual tumble, and no one was offended if they were turned down. It was a very common practice. It was only frowned upon to do so if one had a life-mate, in which case they were expected to remain faithful to their mate. If they didn't do so, they were typically shunned by everyone else.
She'd been quite happy making use of the casual, no-expectations type of mating that was common practice in Fallor. She hadn't wanted anything deeper, and didn't think she would ever want – or find – a life-mate. In fact, the very idea of caring about anyone that much had terrified her. So she'd never really been romanced before – and had no idea of how to deal with it. She'd actually blushed like a green girl fresh out of training! She still couldn't believe how much this simple flower and his words had flustered her. She'd always thought that guarding her heart would be easy – and so far it had been. But it was beginning to look like Alistair might present a bit of a challenge to her defences.
She knew it was much too late to run away now, however. Besides the fact that she would never back out on her vow to help, and had nowhere else to go anyway, she was far too curious about her attraction to him to pull away, especially now that she knew what kissing him was like. She wanted to follow it through to the end. She'd just have to make sure she was careful to keep her feelings out of it. Surely it couldn't be all that hard. She nodded firmly to herself, tucking the flower away. No matter how fascinating, sweet and attractive he might be, a man was just a man, after all. She needed to focus on what lay ahead – starting with saving the young child, Connor. Everything else could be dealt with when the time came.
It was just starting to become dark when they reached the opposite shore line. They were not allowed to sail directly to the tower, as only the ferry run by the Circle itself could land at the docks, Alistair had explained. So the boat had landed on the shore near an inn, which was situated directly across from the dock where the ferry operated. They all disembarked, thanking the sailor, who promised to wait at the inn until they came back.
The first sign of trouble came as they approached the dock, after stocking up on food and supplies inside the inn. A Templar stood at attention on the dock. "That's strange," Alistair murmured as they got closer. "They don't normally bother with having a Templar guard the ferry."
Aedan frowned, but kept going toward the dock. "We'd best find out what's going on, then."
Ayla waited with the others while Aedan approached the Templar and spoke to him. The Templar flatly refused to let them across to the Circle, and wouldn't tell them why. Even Aedan revealing that they were there on Grey Warden business didn't seem to help. Finally, Aedan persuaded the Templar that his commander would be upset that they hadn't been allowed across, and they were on their way.
The second sign of trouble came as they walked in the main doors of the tower. Templars were racing frantically back and forth in the large stone room, gathering weapons. Wounded men lay on pallets against the far wall. An older, grey-haired Templar was issuing orders as their group approached. "And I want two men stationed within sight of the doors at all times. Do not open the doors without my express consent, is that clear?"
"Yes ser," the other Templar saluted before heading to the barred metal doors at the upper right corner of the room, gesturing to other Templars nearby.
Ayla frowned. She'd been interested to see the Circle of Magi, knowing that it was where the mages were generally housed so they could be watched by the Templars, in order to keep them from being a danger to themselves and others. After seeing the damage that Connor had been able to wreak, she'd understood a little better why the Templars were thought necessary. But it didn't appear as though they had everything under control, after all.
"The doors are barred," Alistair said in a low voice only their group could hear. "Are they keeping people out, or in?"
"It looks to me like it's probably both," Ayla whispered back to him. The Templars that were running about didn't appear to have any desire to go deeper into the tower, but she didn't see any mages either, which meant they must still be locked inside. But what could possibly have happened? Had someone been possessed, like Connor? Surely all the mages couldn't be possessed, but if they weren't, why lock all of them up? She still didn't quite understand how mages were "managed" in this world.
Aedan sighed, shaking his head. "Something's obviously gone very wrong here, which would be just our luck." He approached the Templar that had been giving orders. "You must be the Knight Commander, Greagoir, I assume?"
The Templar turned towards them, scanning their group with a practiced and wary eye. "Who are you? I explicitly told Carroll not to bring anyone across the lake. We are dealing with a very delicate situation. You must leave, for your own safety."
Aedan gave the Commander a quick bow. "I am afraid I cannot. I am the Grey Warden Aedan, and these are my companions, Alistair, Ayla and Leliana. We require the aid of the mages to fight the darkspawn, and also have another matter we could use their assistance with."
The Commander, Greagoir, gave an exasperated sigh. "I am weary of the Grey Wardens' ceaseless need for men to fight the darkspawn, but it is their right. You'll find no allies here. The Templars can spare no men, and the mages are . . . indisposed." He began to pace restlessly. "I shall speak plainly. The tower is no longer under our control. Abominations and demons stalk the tower's halls. The Circle is lost. The tower has fallen."
"I was afraid it was something like that. What can we do to help?" Aedan asked. Ayla couldn't help but respect him for that; it was exactly the sort of thing her father would have done, and had taught her and her brother to do as well. The more time she spent following Aedan, the more she respected his leadership.
"I have sent word to Denerim, calling for reinforcements and the Right of Annulment."
What is that? Ayla wondered, at the same time as Aedan said, "You cannot seriously be considering that, can you?"
Alistair turned to him, looking uncharacteristically sober. "The mages are probably already dead. Any abominations remaining in there must be dealt with no matter what."
"This situation is dire," Greagoir stated firmly, slashing his hand through the air. "There is no alternative - everything in the tower must be destroyed so it can be made safe again."
"Destroyed?" Ayla cried, shocked. "You mean you're just going to slaughter everyone that's still in there?" Even if there were some abominations in there, there had to be actual people alive still. She simply couldn't agree with killing all of them. She had no problem with killing those who were already possessed; even Connor, if there had been no alternative, she would have been okay with. But not somebody who was still themselves, still human. Surely there had to be another way. She glanced sharply at Alistair, unable to believe that he was agreeing with this; he looked upset, but he merely shook his head sadly when their eyes met.
"You cannot just kill all of them," Aedan snapped. "The mages are not defenceless; some must still live!"
"If any are still alive, the Maker himself has shielded them. No one could have survived those monstrous creatures. It is too painful to hope for survivors and find . . . nothing." Greagoir did at least sound truly distressed about it, Ayla thought, but if he really was, why didn't he do something? Connor had sounded unnatural, but he'd looked just like an ordinary boy, and had fled rather than fight them. What did he mean when he said monstrous creatures, and why didn't he try to face them?
"If you will not look for survivors, then I will," Aedan declared. He turned to the rest of them. "Will you all come with me?"
"Of course," Ayla said firmly. "If there's anybody in there, I will not just leave them to their fate."
She looked at Alistair; she would lose a lot of respect for him if he backed out now. She was relieved when he nodded in agreement. "I'll go with the two of you, of course. If we're lucky, maybe it won't come to the Right of Annulment."
"Absolutely," Leliana smiled. "The Maker must have sent us here to help these poor people, so we must do everything we can, yes?"
"I assure you, an abomination is a force to be reckoned with, and you will face more than one." The Knight Commander sounded incredulous that they would even try.
"We are quite strong ourselves, I assure you, and it is the right thing to do. You will not talk us out of it." Aedan crossed his arms, staring Greagoir down.
Greagoir stood his ground, contemplating them for a moment before nodding. "If you succeed, I would owe you much, enough that I would pledge my Templars to your cause. Without word from Denerim, I must determine our course. Surely destroying darkspawn is a worthy goal."
Aedan nodded in return as Ayla breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps they could make everything work out yet. "We have an agreement, then."
Greagoir held up a hand to forestall them. "A word of caution . . . once you cross that threshold, there is no turning back. The great doors must remain barred. I will open them for no one until I have proof that it is safe. I will only believe it is over if the first enchanter stands before me and tells me it is so. If Irving has fallen . . . then the Circle is lost, and must be destroyed. May Andraste lend you her courage, whatever you decide."
"Then we will bring you the first enchanter," Aedan replied, before heading for the great doors that were now flanked by two Templars. Ayla and the others followed.
The Templars took down the bar for them, and their party made their way through the large metal doors into the rest of the tower. The doors were pulled shut behind them with a thud. They were left in a stone hallway, which was rather like the outer spoke of a wheel, curving away in front of them to the left, with rooms branching off to the right.
Aedan turned to face everybody. "All right, we'll make our way through the tower, checking each of the rooms for survivors. We'll also clear out any demons or abominations we find in any of the rooms. Everybody ready?"
They all nodded in response, and with Aedan in the lead, began to make their way through the first section of the tower. Judging by the bunk beds and small desks in this first area, it was where the younger mages lived. Ayla could already smell the blood and death that seemed to be everywhere in Ferelden, and wasn't surprised to find nothing but corpses, of both mages and Templars alike, in the hallway and the first few rooms. As usual, Aedan directed them to loot any poultices, potions or other supplies they found along the way.
Finally, they came to another door at the end of the hallway. As they opened it and entered, Ayla noticed several things: a glowing blue barrier blocking the open doorway across from them, a fiery being gliding across the floor towards them, and a white-haired female mage in reddish-brown robes between them and the advancing demon. As the party skidded to a halt behind her, the mage cast an ice elemental spell on the demon with her staff, killing it instantly.
Hearing them behind her, the mage turned as soon as the demon was gone, scrutinizing them all. Ayla noticed that there were a few other adult mages in the room, as well as several children. The older lady's eyes flared with recognition as she spotted Aedan. "It's you! No . . . come no further. Grey Warden or no, I will strike you down where you stand!"
Aedan spread his hands in a peaceful gesture, as Ayla and the others tensed behind him. Ayla kept her hands on her sword hilts, in case the mages suddenly attacked. "I've no wish to fight you, Wynne. What are you doing here?"
"I am a mage of the Circle. More importantly, why are you here? The Templars would not let just anyone by." The elderly mage, Wynne, continued to eye Aedan warily.
"Honestly? We came here seeking the aid of the mages. We had no idea what was going on when we decided to come," Aedan responded.
Wynne sighed wearily, relaxing a fraction. "And you were told that the Circle was in no shape to help you, I suppose. So why did the Templars let you in? Do they plan to attack the tower now?"
Aedan shook his head. "No, they are waiting for reinforcements."
Ayla relaxed her stance, noticing that Wynne seemed willing to talk so far. "They said something about a Right of Annulment, but it doesn't seem like they're ready for it yet." Ayla still couldn't believe that they were willing to just destroy everything. This Wynne and the others with her were proof that there were still mages alive and well in the tower.
Wynne began pacing back and forth with this news. "So Greagoir thinks the Circle is beyond hope. He probably assumes we are all dead. They abandoned us to our fate, but even trapped as we are, we have survived. If they invoke the Right, however, we will not be able to stand against them."
"That is why we came," Aedan declared. "We have no time to waste; we must clear the tower of the abominations as soon as possible."
Wynne suddenly relaxed, looking hopeful for the first time since they'd come through the door. "If you are here to kill abominations, let me help you. I erected a barrier over the door leading to the rest of the tower, so nothing from inside could attack the children. You will not be able to enter the tower as long as the barrier holds, but I will dispel it if you join with me to save this Circle."
Aedan nodded. "Of course we will help you."
"That is why we're here," Ayla agreed. "We wanted to find any survivors that might still be in the tower."
Wynne smiled, obviously relieved. "Once Greagoir sees that we have made the tower safe, I trust he will tell his men to back down. He is not unreasonable."
"I believe Greagoir said he will only accept that it is safe if the first enchanter says so." Aedan turned to look at the others for confirmation; Alistair nodded to him in response. Ayla noticed a look of concentration on his features, and wondered if he'd been keeping his Templar abilities at the ready in case the mages did decide to attack.
"Then our path is laid out before us," Wynne responded firmly. "We must save Irving."
Aedan began heading towards the barrier on the far side of the room, and Ayla and the others followed. "Then we should set off immediately."
Wynne turned to the other adult mages that were waiting nearby. "Petra, Kinnon, look after the others. I will be back soon."
"Wynne . . . are you sure you are all right? You were so badly hurt earlier. Maybe I should come along," one of the mages said, concern lining her face.
"The others need your protection more," Wynne replied soothingly. "I will be all right. Stay here with them . . . keep them safe and calm."
"We will not fail," Aedan called back over his shoulder to Wynne, "but we have no more time to waste. Let us be off."
Wynne nodded in agreement, making her way towards their party. "If you are ready, let us go end this."
They all stopped in front of the barrier, allowing Wynne to go up next to Aedan. After a brief discussion between the two, and a final warning to be ready from Wynne, the mage dissolved the blue barrier with a flash of magic, and they made their way into the next portion of the tower, leaving the other mages behind them.
Just around the corner from the room where they'd met Wynne, they entered a library, lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves and books. As they entered, they were suddenly attacked by hideous creatures. Far taller than any human, they still had a somewhat human appearance, standing on two legs, but their torsos and heads were grotesquely swollen and mutated, grey masses with tattered remnants of robes hanging off them.
Alistair and Aedan immediately took point, distracting the creatures while Leliana fired arrows, Wynne cast magic, and Ayla herself snuck around behind the creatures in order to backstab or hamstring them if possible. Though the creatures were fairly difficult to fight, being so large and strong, there were fortunately only two of them, and the five of them were soon victorious.
Ayla looked over at Alistair, who was standing nearby. "I'm assuming those are the abominations everyone has been talking about?" She could now see what Greagoir had meant by monstrous creatures; those things were not like Connor at all. She had a little more sympathy for the Knight Commander now, even if she did still think he was a coward.
Alistair nodded soberly. "That is what a mage becomes, if they allow a demon to possess them. Those were some of the weaker ones, I think."
Aedan frowned, sheathing his sword. "Well, let's hope we don't run into more than a couple at a time, then. At any rate, we should keep moving."
The five of them continued making their way through the first floor. They did not find any more survivors, although there seemed to be abominations around every corner, and more of the fiery beings as well, which Alistair explained were rage demons. Though some of the battles were intense and difficult, as they did run into larger groups, they were able to make it through without any major disasters. Wynne proved to be invaluable, both for her offensive magic and her healing spells, which were much more potent than the single one that Morrigan knew.
On the second floor, they encountered a survivor almost right away: a strange mage named Owain. Ayla found his lack of emotion disturbing, until Alistair explained to her in an undertone that he was something called a Tranquil, which was essentially a mage stripped of their powers, which also seemed to strip them of emotions. This apparently made it so he wasn't in danger of possession, but Ayla couldn't help but be horrified anyway. How could anyone think this was okay? Ayla was sure the Goddess Herself would be horrified at the idea of people taking away others' emotions, yet apparently the Chantry condoned the idea here. She shook her head in disbelief, but decided to keep quiet; this wasn't her world, after all.
Aedan and Wynne spoke to Owain while the others waited. From what Ayla could overhear, a mage named Niall had taken something called a Litany, which apparently protected one from the influence of blood magic. Wynne explained that if they ran into blood mages, it was possible that any one of them could be controlled by the mages, unless they had the Litany. Ayla didn't understand this whole blood magic thing; blood magic did not exist in her world, that she knew of, but apparently it was forbidden, and if it could truly influence people's minds, she could understand why. The thought of someone else having control over her actions was frightening, to say the least. Aedan decided at last that they would find Niall and aid him in whatever he was trying to do. Owain elected to wait behind in the stockroom, as apparently it had been safe so far. They left him behind as they went in search of Niall.
They continued battling their way through the rooms, encountering more abominations, hostile blood mages, which Alistair neutralized with his Templar abilities, and even more of the walking corpses they'd seen in Redcliffe. Ayla would have been quite happy with never running across those things again; she couldn't stand the smell of them, and it didn't get any better when they were killed yet again.
It was all made worth it, however, when they came across another mage who'd survived by hiding in a closet. Ayla was pleased that they were continuing to find survivors, proving that Greagoir fellow wrong. It had been the right thing to enter the tower and check, instead of locking everyone away and abandoning them. The new survivor elected to stay where he was, as well, until everything had been resolved, and the party kept going.
Things began to get less encouraging after that encounter, however. Each room they went in seemed only to reveal more abominations, demons, and corpses, both walking and not. The first enchanter's study was empty, and the amount of dead bodies seemed to increase the further into the tower they went. More and more of them were piled on the floor, and the mess and devastation around them only seemed to get worse. Wynne expressed her fear that they would not find anyone else alive.
It was shortly after she said this that they found two more tranquil mages being attacked by a particularly strong abomination accompanied by shades and corpses. Though this was the most difficult battle they'd faced so far, they were able to save the two mages. Ayla knew it was most likely only due to Wynne's help; her healing and defensive magic were incredible, and had kept herself and the other three from succumbing to any serious injuries so far. As before, the tranquil mages decided to stay where they were, though Ayla wasn't sure why they would want to. This room was decidedly the most disgusting and disturbing so far, with fleshy sacks of blood and pus attached to the walls and the statues. But with no time to argue, they could only continue on, leaving the two behind.
The higher they went, the worse things seemed to become. On the next floor, they encountered not one, but two desire demons that were controlling Templars, and were unable to save any of the Templars, having to kill both the demons and the men alike. The worst of them, Ayla thought sadly, was the one who'd been influenced to think he was defending his wife and children. She was only too happy to make sure the demons were good and dead after that. Though the desire demons were manipulative, and possessed some magic, they weren't all that hard to defeat, fortunately.
The next demon they came across, however, was an entirely different story. It looked just like the abominations that they'd come across, only larger. As soon as they entered the room, it turned to study them. "Oh, look," it drawled. "Visitors. I'd entertain you but . . . too much effort involved."
"Killing demons is entertainment enough for me, thanks," Aedan snapped, reaching for his sword. He had about as much patience as Ayla did for demons.
Ayla was reaching for her own weapons as well, but her limbs felt strangely leaden and sluggish. It was like pushing through mud. She'd never felt anything like it before.
"But why? Aren't you tired of all the violence in this world? I know I am. Wouldn't you like to just lay down and . . . forget about all this? Leave it all behind?" With each word that came out of the demon's mouth, Ayla could feel the leaden numbness weighing ever more heavily on her. Looking around, she could see the others were starting crumple under the weight also.
"Can't . . . keep eyes open," Alistair gasped to her right. "Someone . . . pinch . . . me."
"I'll not listen to your lies, demon." Though Leliana was trying to sound forceful, she could not seem to get her words out any better. "You have no . . . power over me . . ."
"Resist!" Wynne cried. "You must resist, else we are all lost . . ."
Ayla was fighting as hard as she could, since the very thought of falling asleep in front of this demon and falling prey to it was utterly terrifying to her. But she could feel herself sinking to the ground even as she protested. "I will not . . . I cannot allow it . . . Goddess . . ."
The demon pierced them all with an intense gaze. "Why do you fight? You deserve more . . . You deserve a rest. The world will go on without you."
The last thing Ayla heard before she hit the ground was Aedan saying, "No, we have to save them . . ."
She was furious, Ayla decided as she stalked through this strange place. Absolutely furious. That thrice-damned demon had not only tried to trap her in some illusion, but it had actually tried to make her think her father was still alive. As soon as she found it, it was going to be in pieces. Tiny pieces! Maybe she'd even shift forms so she could rip it apart herself, limb from bloody limb!
"Ayla, is that you?" she heard a voice float over to her from her right.
She whipped in that direction, swords out and at the ready. Aedan stood several feet away in the shifty haze that seemed to pass for this world, hands up. "Don't attack, it's just me," he said hastily.
"Prove it," Ayla snapped. Ordinarily she'd be able to tell; but none of her senses were working properly in this world. She couldn't smell anything, and her instincts felt dull, hazy and cut-off. Even her eyesight didn't seem to be working entirely properly; things that were farther away seemed blurred. She bloody well hated it here.
"Uh . . . we were in the Circle and some demon made us fall asleep?" Aedan shrugged. "I am not entirely sure what you want me to say . . . but we are in the Fade, and we need to get out. You're the first of our group I've found."
Ayla relaxed her stance, though she couldn't make herself feel comfortable enough to sheath her weapons. All the "people" in her illusion had been bound and determined to make her forget everything that had happened before. Aedan was as straightforward as always. Surely it had to be him. Besides, unlike her illusion, she wasn't in any place that was familiar to her. It was some sort of rocky island with odd, shrunken plants and crumbling stone ruins all around. "The Fade? Is that what this . . . place is?"
Aedan nodded, coming closer to her. "It's where the demons and spirits live and come from. Mages can travel in it freely, if they use lyrium. Ordinary people like us should only come here when we dream. That demon trapped us in here, trying to keep us in some never-ending dream."
"Well, how do we get out?" Ayla demanded impatiently. "I cannot stand it in here, and I have a demon that I would very much like to kill."
Anger flashed across Aedan's face, turning his grey eyes almost silver. "You and me both," he said grimly. "Anyway, before I found you, I found that mage Niall. He has been trapped in here as well. He says that demon is called a sloth demon, and probably rules this whole section of the Fade. It's on a center island, surrounded by five other islands, that are guarded by lesser demons. We'll have to defeat them all to break the wards and get to the sloth demon."
"Perfect," Ayla declared, sheathing her swords. "Any plan that involves more demons dying sounds like an excellent one to me. But where is . . . everybody else?" She'd just barely restrained herself from saying, Where is Alistair? She was ashamed to admit she'd worried about him before anybody else, when she'd broken free of the illusion and realized she was alone.
Aedan gave her a knowing glance as though he'd guessed what she'd wanted to say. "They're probably trapped on the outer islands. This is one of them; I got here after I defeated the first of the lesser demons. If we defeat the other four, we should be able to get to everybody else."
Ayla nodded. "Let's go then. The sooner we break free of this place, the better."
Aedan turned and began heading back the way he'd come from; Ayla followed him through the strange haze, trying to ignore the panicky feeling rising in her. She didn't know exactly what was causing it, but thought it was probably due to the dulling of her normally keen senses.
"So," Aedan began as they walked, "were you trapped in a dream when you first came here? I was."
Ayla scowled, clenching her fists. Thinking about it only made her furious all over again. "Yes. I was back home, at the Order, training with my brother. And . . ." she hesitated, glancing over at Aedan before continuing. "Alistair was there, only it was like he'd always been there, you know? Like he belonged. Everything was fine at first; I didn't even realize it wasn't real. But then my father came in, and I knew. I saw his dead body; there's no way I would ever forget that day. I knew there was no way he could be alive, so I rejected him, and suddenly everybody attacking me. So I killed them all, and then I was free. What . . . did it make you see, if you don't mind my asking?"
Aedan's face was black with anger again, but he sighed and began to relate his own story. "I suppose it is only fair, since you told me. It was pretty much the same as yours. I was back at Highever, and my family was all there. Morrigan was there too." He gave her a wry grin. "Well, not the Morrigan that we all know, but a version of her that would fit in my life in Highever. But I knew, just like you did. I've seen my family dead, and Highever burning. I rejected the fake version, same as you, and broke free in the same way. That sloth demon will pay for trying to make me think they were alive - and forcing me to kill demons that looked just like them." His voice was vibrating with fury by the time he'd finished.
"I know exactly what you mean," Ayla said in a low voice. "I'll try to leave you some when we get there, but I cannot promise anything."
"Same here," Aedan said coolly. "Now let's find everybody else and see if they are still trapped in their dreams."
They made their way through the Fade, using the magical pedestals that transported them to the different islands, and fighting the spirits, dreamers, and demons that blocked their way. Every island they went to was some twisted version of the real world, and full of battles. After what felt like hours of fighting, they'd finally defeated all of the lesser demons on all of the islands, and the wards were gone. They used the pedestal to go to one of the outer islands first, deciding that they would find all of the others before going after the demon.
The first island they went to was the one where Alistair was trapped. The rocky, ruined and desolate island was so small that they saw him right away, as soon as they got there. He was standing next to a woman – well, something pretending to be a woman, anyway – with short red hair wearing a homespun dress. There were several children around and behind them, surrounding a bonfire.
Ayla felt unaccountably jealous and angry when she saw that there was not a version of her there. It didn't seem fair – he'd been in her dream, why wasn't she in his? Who was this woman, that he was content to dream he was with her, and have children with her? She was working up to a good level of fury as they approached Alistair and the fake people, when Alistair spotted her and Aedan, and his face lit up.
"Hey, it's good to see you, Ayla! I was just thinking about you! Isn't that a marvellous coincidence? Oh, and Aedan, you're here too! This is my sister, Goldanna," he indicated the "woman" standing next to him, "these are her children, and there's more about somewhere. We're one big happy family, at long last." He finished with a beautiful smile spread across his face.
Well, now she felt better, Ayla had to admit, her fury deflating. He was dreaming of his sister, not some other woman being his lover. But since when did he have a sister? She looked at Aedan in confusion; he shrugged in return, looking equally confused. It appeared Alistair was still keeping secrets from the both of them. She felt a little guilty that they were going to break him out of this dream that seemed to make him so happy, but she wasn't about to leave him here.
Aedan came up next to Ayla. "It is good to see you as well, Alistair. But . . . you know those are demons, right?"
Alistair grinned and brushed this off. "Oh, that's what everyone says about their relatives, but I've never been happier."
"I'm overjoyed to have my little brother back," the demon Goldanna piped up. "I'll never let him out of my sight again!"
"May we borrow him for a moment? We have business elsewhere." Aedan crossed his arms, staring at the demon Goldanna in challenge.
Alistair backed away a few steps, shaking his head at Aedan. "I . . . don't think I'll be coming. I don't want to spend my life fighting, only to end up dead in a pit with rotting darkspawn corpses."
Ayla frowned. She couldn't blame Alistair for not wanting to leave a dream that made him happy to go back to a place of death and destruction, for duty's sake. Time to try a different tactic; just trying to talk to Alistair was obviously not going to work. She could only hope her idea would. "Let me handle it," she whispered to Aedan, as the demon and Alistair talked about staying for supper and mince pie, and he nodded. "Keep it busy if you have to." She turned back to Alistair.
"We'd love to stay for supper," she turned her best charming smile on Alistair, who grinned in return. "But can I talk to you in private for a second, over here?"
She gestured to a spot several feet away from "Goldanna", and Alistair nodded. "Of course." He followed her over there, as Aedan casually stepped between them and Goldanna, asking her something about her mince pie. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked her as they stopped, facing each other.
"I know that you're happy here, and I'm sorry to do this, but this place, and those people, aren't real." Ayla couldn't help but feel bad as she recalled his beautiful smile from earlier. If this sister of his actually existed in real life, she vowed she'd help him find her so that he could have this for real. "You're real, I'm real, and . . . this is real."
So saying, she closed the distance between them, and going up on tiptoe to take his head in her hands, pulled his mouth down to hers. He froze for a second as she kissed him, probably in shock or surprise, before he began to kiss her back, even harder than he had the first time. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground and crushing her against him with a groan. She felt an electrifying tingle sweep through her from the vibration of his groan, and the reminder of how strong he was.
She wrapped her arms around his neck in turn, trying to keep her balance as best as possible as the fire swept through her, making her throb with longing. She wished, not for the first time, that neither of them was wearing armor, but especially him, because it kind of hurt to be crushed against chainmail. Not that she would stop just because of that, however. He tasted as good as she remembered, and she loved the untutored fiery enthusiasm of his kiss as his tongue swept through her mouth. She'd almost forgotten the purpose of what she was doing when she heard Aedan clear his throat loudly behind her, and she unwrapped her arms from around Alistair's neck, pushing lightly at his chest.
He pulled away, taking deep, steadying breaths as he set her down lightly, not letting her go immediately, however. "Ayla, it really is you, isn't it?"
She shivered at the look of pure lust and wonder on his face, his hazel eyes almost black with desire. "It is really me, and it is really Aedan with me, but nothing else here is real. Do you remember what we were doing before, or how you got here?"
He frowned, his forehead furrowing with concentration. "I – it's a little fuzzy, that's strange." He shook his head, ignoring the demon Goldanna's call behind him to come have some tea. "No, wait, I remember a . . . tower. The Circle . . . it was under attack . . . there were demons. That's all I really remember."
She nodded, pleased that she seemed to be getting through to him. "That's right, and then we encountered the sloth demon, do you remember? He made us fall asleep."
"Yes, I – I think I do. Then . . . this is a dream? But it seems so real." He was looking at her in pleading disbelief.
"Of course it's real!" The demon Goldanna's voice was right behind Ayla. She whirled, startled that she hadn't heard the demon approaching. Bloody Fade! She would never have been taken by surprise in the real world! The demon had stalked over to them, followed closely by Aedan, who was already reaching for his sword. "Now wash up before supper and I –"
Alistair looked back and forth between the demon and Ayla as he interrupted the demon. "Something doesn't feel quite right here. I . . . think we should go."
Ayla sighed in relief, refusing to study just how relieved she was that they were going to free Alistair from this dream. "Yes, you should come with Aedan and I. We'll get you out of here."
"No!" Goldanna shouted in a horribly deep, raspy voice. "He is ours, and I'd rather see him dead than free!"
Aedan and Ayla drew their swords, and Alistair followed suit, stepping in front of Ayla as the demon Goldanna launched itself at her, bashing it with his shield, knocking it back several paces. Ayla moved to take on a "child" that had been going for Alistair's unprotected back, while Aedan engaged some of the other demons posing as children. The demons weren't particularly powerful, especially the ones posing as children, so it didn't take long at all for the three of them to defeat every demon there.
"G-Goldanna?" Alistair was staring in disbelief at the corpse that was supposed to have been his sister, having sheathed his sword already. Aedan and Ayla sheathed their weapons as well, coming up alongside him. "I can't believe it. How did I not see this earlier?"
Aedan clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We're in the Fade, it's not like the real world. It's difficult to know what's real and what's an illusion here."
"Yes, uh, well, try not to tell everyone how easily fooled I was." Alistair turned to look down at Ayla, smiling gently at her. "Thank you for . . . uh, waking me up, so to speak."
She cast him a wicked grin, enjoying the adorable blush that spread across his face as she did so. "I'll wake you up like that as often as you like."
He was opening his mouth to reply, still blushing, when suddenly, a mist started to swirl around him. "Are we going now? Wait, where are you going?" His voice was rising in panic as the mist swirled faster. "What's happening to me? Ayla? Aedan?" Just as Ayla reached out to grab his arm, he disappeared, and her hand passed through the air where he'd been standing.
"Alistair!" She was feeling that sudden rising sensation of panic again, now mixed with fear, and she didn't like it at all. She wasn't used to being afraid. "Where'd he go?" She demanded of Aedan, turning to him.
Aedan shook his head, looking startled. "I have no idea. Maybe he woke up completely and isn't in the Fade anymore? Maybe it's because he didn't figure out it was a dream on his own like you and I did?"
"Well - -" she puffed out a breath of air, ordering herself sternly to calm down. Panicking wouldn't help, and Aedan was probably right that Alistair had just woken up properly. They still had to find Wynne and Leliana, anyway. "I suppose we should just keep going then, see about finding the other two."
Aedan nodded. "That's the only thing we can do, I think. Once we get through this place and confront the sloth demon, we'll know for sure what is going on." He glanced at her as they headed over to the pedestal. "I'm certain he's all right."
"Of course he is," Ayla tossed her head, refusing to look him in the eye. "I'm not worried!"
Aedan regarded her skeptically, but didn't say anything further as they left the island. She focused on thoughts of finding the others, and killing the sloth demon. It had even more to answer for now than before, and she could not wait until they found it and confronted it.
A/N: I really hate going through the Fade in the game, which is why I basically skip over any detailed mention of it. But I like the trapped in dreams idea, so I still wanted to do that, which is why I didn't cut the Fade altogether.