Shadow and Rose
by Lady Norbert
A/N: This story does end eventually... right? ;) I hope those of you who celebrated it all had a great Thanksgiving holiday.
Chapter Fourteen: Wilhelm's Special Brew
This dark-colored ale gives off a thick, oaky smell. Swirling it in the tankard, you notice it takes on an unexpected glow.
I've given Elissa the rose, and she seems pleased with it, but I'm not sure what that means for, well, us. Are we anything more to each other than what we were yesterday?
Well, if nothing's come of it by the time we get back to Soldier's Peak, I'll just have to find the courage to spit it out completely. For the moment, I'll try to focus on our mission to Honnleath.
I'm watching the interaction between Elissa and Zevran closely. Probably a little too closely; Wynne's having far too much fun smirking at me. But while I'm definitely seeing that he stares at her plenty, and makes subtle little suggestive comments, she doesn't seem to do anything to encourage it.
Actually, and I'm giving this maybe entirely too much thought, but I don't know that his interest is all that sincere either. I almost get the impression that he's flirting more out of force of habit than anything. He probably uses sweet talk and suggestion to get close to his marks.
Come to think of it, isn't that what Leliana did as a bard? I'm pretty sure I've heard that about Orlesian bards. And Elissa's not treating Zevran really any differently than she treats Leliana. Who knows, maybe I'll wake for my turn at watch one night and find them braiding each other's hair.
All right, that mental picture was more amusing than I want to admit.
So today we reached Honnleath.
The village is set on an elevated hillside plateau, and only one road leads in or out. We were just striking up the path when I felt it, and I could tell by the way she pulled Starfang that Elissa could too. Darkspawn.
Even if we hadn't been able to sense them, the hanged bodies dangling over the road would have been a dead giveaway - darkspawn enjoy doing that, for whatever reason. A few escaping villagers rushed past us as they managed to flee the sight of the carnage, but although we very soon defeated every darkspawn warrior we found in the village proper, we arrived too late to save any of the residents who lay scattered on the ground.
"So this is what you do?" Zevran asked, once the fighting was over. (I will say that the elf might not have been a match for us, but he acquitted himself very well against the darkspawn.) "You go around killing these things in the hope of stopping them from killing others?"
"That's a very succinct way of putting it, but essentially, yes, that's what Grey Wardens do," Elissa replied.
"Two Grey Wardens against an entire army of these monsters?"
"There used to be more of us. We can tell you about it when we camp tonight, if you wish."
"I admit to being intrigued."
The golem in quest of which we had come stood in a little garden-y sort of patch in the center of the village, its arms reaching to the sky. Elissa pulled out the control rod and uttered the command phrase the merchant had given her, but nothing happened.
"Well, never mind this thing for now," she said. "We should look around to see if there are any other survivors, because there are definitely more darkspawn. You feel them too, don't you, Alistair?"
"Yes."
"You feel them?" Zevran repeated.
"It's a Grey Warden thing. Elissa and I can sense when there are darkspawn nearby." I guess I was trying to make it sound like this was something special she and I share. At least, I suppose that's how it sounded, because Wynne was smirking again.
After some poking about in corners, we found an open door leading into someone's very, very, very large basement. I've never seen a basement that large that wasn't in a castle. It seemed like there were layers and layers of basement. The darkspawn were collected in the rooms, and as we reached what seemed to be the final room, we figured out why. What surviving villagers remained were huddled behind a protective magic barrier. The darkspawn couldn't get to them, but they were in genuine danger of starving to death.
"Thank the Maker! We're saved!" one of them cried, once the darkspawn were all dead.
Elissa began to speak with the owner of the home, a man called Matthias. His father had been an apostate mage named Wilhelm, and he had taught his son to make use of the barrier. He asked if we'd been sent by the bann, and looked repulsed when she revealed that a merchant had told us about the village. "You came for Shale, didn't you?!"
"Is that the golem's name?"
"My mother must have sold the control rod years ago to prevent it from being revived."
Elissa apologized for asking, then explained that the activation phrase hadn't worked. He offered a trade - his daughter had fled into the lower recesses of the basement (like I said, layers!), and there were traps in there that he couldn't get past. The neighbor who had tried to go after her had been killed by them, but Matthias reasoned that a Grey Warden would have better luck. If we would bring out his little girl Amalia, he would give us the correct activation phrase and the golem was ours.
The traps weren't difficult, at least not compared to some of the stuff we've already seen. A walk in the park compared with the Fade, for example. In the very last room (for real this time) we found Amalia. She was kneeling and talking to a yellow cat, which she called "Kitty." Amalia said she and "Kitty" were playing a guessing game. Frankly, the child was more than a little creepy, insisting that the cat could talk. Of course, then it did talk, and its eyes glowed purple with every word.
"Demon?" I muttered to Wynne.
"Demon."
The demon was fairly straightforward with us. Wilhelm the apostate had trapped it there, penned in by a barrier across the door through which only mortals could pass. What the demon wanted was to take possession of Amalia's body and experience the outside world through her eyes. The only reason this hadn't yet happened was because there was a complicated puzzle set into the floor, which controlled the barrier, and Amalia could not solve it.
"I can't let you have the girl," said Elissa. "Let her go and I will solve the puzzle so you can be free."
Reluctantly, the demon agreed. What Elissa had to do, by all appearances, was connect a sequence of flaming squares so they created a path from one corner of the floor to another. She kept yelping in pain as she got burned, pushing the squares around.
Wynne was kept busy casting spells to cool her skin. "You're doing just fine, Elissa."
"Do you want help?" I asked. I felt awful. I'm not very good at puzzles like that, but knowing that she was hurting - I would rather have been the one getting burned than watching her go through it.
"It's all right, Alistair, I think I've almost got it." Finally, she was done, and I sort of caught her as she staggered away from the puzzle. She leaned against me for a minute, looking grateful, and behind us the weird yellow glow over the door faded.
"I can feel it!" the demon cried. "The barrier is dissolving!"
"Don't forget your promise," Elissa said sternly, standing on her own again.
"I have changed my mind," said the demon. "I like the girl. I do not think I will find another like her." A demon going back on its word - I was so surprised, truly.
Amalia, fortunately, finally decided that "Kitty" was frightening, and she ran out of the room. So then the demon took on its true shape - a desire demon by the look of things - and summoned some friends to help it attack us. I wonder what it says about our lives that this felt almost commonplace. It was new enough to Zevran, though, and he took a pretty heavy injury to one arm and had to be tended by Wynne as soon as the fighting was over.
"We'll need to get you some better armor when we get back to Soldier's Peak," Elissa commented. "Are you sure you'd rather take your chances with us than with the Crows?"
"Oh, no, this is very interesting," he replied lightly. "Besides, I made my oath."
We returned to Matthias, who was overjoyed to have his daughter back safely. As promised, he gave Elissa the correct phrase to activate the golem, and then he and Amalia (and, I'm guessing, the rest of their neighbors) fled. I can't blame them for wanting to get out of Honnleath, which probably holds too many bad memories to be endured any longer.
Back outside, we examined the statue once again, and Elissa spoke the activation phrase. This one worked - the statue's eyes and mouth began to glow, and its limbs began to move, and we all backed up. "Are you sure this was a good idea?" Wynne asked Elissa.
"It's too late now even if it wasn't."
The golem stretched, for lack of a better way to put it, and its arms and legs made cracking sounds. It looked at us and emitted a sigh. "I knew the day would come when someone would find the control rod." It sounded almost... bored, in a way. Its voice has a strange echo-y sort of quality; I know that's how I described Connor's voice when he was possessed by the demon, but this is different. Connor had sounded like two voices talking at once. Himself and the demon, I guess. The golem's voice sounds like it's echoing out of a stone chamber, which come to think of it does make a lot of sense. Anyway, it stared at Elissa for a moment. "And not even a mage this time. It stumbled across the rod by accident, I suppose."
I think Elissa was a bit taken aback at being called 'it.' She and the golem - Shale, Matthias had called it - began to speak. Shale revealed that it had been standing in one spot for a good thirty years, unable to move, absolutely harassed by birds. The villagers had even put baskets of birdseed near the golem (there was one right there as it spoke) to encourage the birds to 'visit.' Considering what the birds most likely did to Shale when they were there, what kind of a mess they must have made, I can't really fault it for not liking them. Also, it watched the villagers, who evidently had no idea they were being observed. Creepy. It clearly had no affection for the villagers (although, again, I guess I can't blame it) and seemed somewhat disappointed to learn that some of them had survived the darkspawn invasion.
A curious development occurred then, as we discovered the control rod was now useless. Shale could move without being ordered, and could in fact ignore any order Elissa gave. They tested this theory, with Elissa directing Shale to move to a specific spot and Shale surprised to find itself able to say no. "I feel nothing! I feel no compulsion to carry out its command!"
Elissa asked - warily - what the golem might do now. "I suppose, since the control rod is broken, that means I have free will," Shale mused. "What should I do? I have no memories, beyond watching this village for so long; I have no purpose. I find myself at a bit of a loss. What about it? It must have awoken me for some reason. What did it intend to do with me?"
"I thought you might be of help to us against the Blight," Elissa admitted.
"Might I ask what sort of things it gets up to?"
"Oh... killing darkspawn, mostly. A few other things too, but mostly that."
"Hmm. It speaks of the darkspawn - the very creatures that destroyed this village. Darkspawn are an evil that must be destroyed, it's true," Shale noted agreeably. "Though not as evil as the birds, damnable feathered fiends." It tilted its head, studying Elissa. "I suppose I have two options, do I not? Go with it, or go elsewhere. I do not even know what lies beyond this village."
"What do you want to do?"
"I have no idea." Shale said it had only vague memories at best of life before coming to the village, and spoke of its former master Wilhelm with distaste.
"If you wish, you're welcome to come with us," Elissa offered.
"Are you sure you want to bring that thing with us?" I asked her. "It could be dangerous. And large." I knew she was sure, of course. She is the way she is, and I wouldn't have her otherwise. But I thought it was a good idea to point out the potential for trouble.
She glanced at me, her lips quirked in a not-quite-smile. "Think of it as a portable battering ram."
"...all right, that could be useful. Better it than me, anyhow."
"I will follow it about, then," said Shale. "For now. I am called Shale."
Elissa introduced herself and the rest of us, but I don't think it mattered too much to Shale, really. It seems to prefer saddling each of us with nicknames. So far Wynne is simply 'the mage' (though I wonder if that will change when it meets Morrigan), and I'm 'the second Warden,' which I don't mind. Zevran is 'the painted elf.' I think he likes it, actually.
Elissa, on the other hand, is still 'it.'
We are headed north once again, and my bones are looking forward to sleeping in the cots of Soldier's Peak once more. Elissa has been amusing herself by describing the fortress to Zevran and Shale, although I'm not sure how much Shale actually listens. She's explained the Grey Wardens a bit better to Zevran as well; I don't know if they just don't have them in Antiva (I don't think they do but I could be wrong), or if he just never bothered to learn anything about them.
We expect to be back in Soldier's Peak within a few more days. I've lost exact count but I believe we've been away for roughly a fortnight.
I've been thinking, still, about what went through my mind after Zevran attacked us. It bothers me a lot. So while he and Elissa were both asleep, I got up to join Wynne on her watch. She's the only one I'd feel comfortable talking to about it, besides Elissa, and given the subject matter I'm not sure Elissa's the one to consult.
"You're not going to ask me to darn your socks again, are you?" Wynne asked as I approached her.
"No, no."
"Then sit down and tell me what's on your mind. I can see something's bothering you."
I obeyed. "I'm concerned about Zevran," I explained.
"I'm going to presume that you're not worried about him catching a cold."
"Er, no, hadn't crossed my mind, actually."
"I've seen how he is with Elissa. I can imagine that's not to your liking."
"It's not, but even that's not my point. If she starts encouraging him, though, I'll be back for more advice. Or I'll go get drunk."
She chuckled. "What is it, then?"
I told her my fears - that I had, by not acting the part of senior Grey Warden, placed Elissa in danger. "Morrigan teases me about preferring to follow, but it's Morrigan. I don't generally put stock in anything she says to me," I said. "But I'm starting to worry she has a point. Zevran turned out to be halfway decent - you know, for an Antivan assassin whose eyes keep wandering to places they don't belong. We might not be so lucky next time."
"Next time? What do you mean?"
"It was Loghain who hired Zevran - well, really it was Arl Howe, acting on Loghain's behalf. He hired Zevran - well, contracted with the Crows, who sent Zevran. I'm digressing. My point is, sooner or later, Loghain's going to realize that Zevran failed. Don't you think he'll try again?"
"I see why you're worried." She was frowning deeply.
"Not that anything is ever going to be able to touch Elissa," I added. "I mean, I wouldn't let it. Even if I didn't... you know, feel like I do about her, she's still my friend and a Grey Warden. Not to mention you and the others - you'd protect her too, right?"
"Of course I would. Elissa is very dear to me, as she is to all of us. Whatever I can do to keep her safe, I will."
I smiled. "You know, of all the mages I've ever met, you're the first one I've ever really liked."
"Why, thank you, Alistair. I'm quite touched." She did look pleased. "I like you too. I imagine my son would have grown up to be someone like you."
"Your son?" I repeated. "I thought you said you were never married."
"That's true, I never have been."
"I - oh. Then this wasn't before you joined the Circle?"
"I joined the Circle at the age of nine," she pointed out. "So no. Do you still like me?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Good. It appears you got away from the Chantry just in time."
"You forget, my parents weren't exactly married either," I pointed out. "We seem to have gotten off topic."
"Very well. To come back to your point, then, try not to worry too much. We'll all just have to do our best to protect each other. All right?"
"All right. Thank you, Wynne."