Credits:

Portuguese Beta: Rohh Lael

English Beta: wintryone

Artwork: I will post this chapter's artwork when I get home ;)

Disclaimer: Dragon Age Universe belongs to Bioware.

Chapter 10

After the Storm

.

The silence was eerie.

The wind echoed through the rough, icy stone walls of the tower. The floor had been replaced by a thick layer of dark blood, coming from the various Darkspawn bodies around the room.

Kallian was standing idly beside the pile of ashes that served as the beacon hours before. Her daggers were on the floor, a few meters from her feet, near the inert arms of the ogre. They were so stained with blood that it was hard to see them.

She was looking out towards the balcony. The sun was rising on the horizon – blue, pink and golden rays were fighting for their own space in the gray sky. Although the heavy clouds make it looks dense, it was a pretty, peaceful scene. She would stay here, enjoying the view for the rest of day if she could.

"We won?" Noah asked approaching, pushing a bookcase out of his way. Kallian watched the shelves fall to the ground before looking at him. His brown hair was messed up because of the tough fight, falling carelessly over his tired eyes. His expression, however, was serene, as if he was like any other normal person. Maybe he is just too tired to argue, Kallian thought.

She was also tired as well. The last few days had not been easy, especially last night. The Joining had been exhausting enough.

The last thing Kallian remembered was that she was fighting in the tower. Thereafter ... Well, there she was.

She was not in Denerim, like she always was when she was in the Fade. There was no sign of the demon, much less of that air that hung heavy and suffocating every time that he was around. However, that didn't mean that she was safe.

And Noah was there, instead. Just like her mother, her brother and her cousins were before him – pretending that everything was alright. She'd know the Lion for long enough to know how tricky he could be.

Blighted demon…

"What is it, elf?" Noah said, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes in an attempt to pull her from her thoughts.

She took two steps back, staring at her daggers from the corner of her eye. Before he could ask her anything, she ran toward the ogre and took the weapons off the floor, holding them defensively against Noah.

"What do you think you're doing? We won," he said, walking toward the balcony and looking down. Ostagar was silent, with small signals of fire burning in several places. There was a dense mist blurring his vision, but he could see a few people dancing and drinking around the pyres. "The army returned to camp. The Blight is over."

"I know who you are," she said, taking a half step back, positioning herself better - slightly lowering her back and holding her daggers up near her nose, in an offensive position. "You don't fool me, demon!"

"What's your problem?" He asked, crossing his arms against his chest.

"You are my problem." Kallian, in a sudden burst of courage, advanced against Noah, brandishing her daggers violently. Caught by surprise, his cheek was deeply wounded before he had time to react. Kallian had no time for a second attempt, because he pulled the sword from his belt and used the blunt side to defend himself against her fierce assault

Noah was really surprised. She was fast. Very fast.

She moved her feet with incredible accuracy, dodging and swaying in her own weird and impressive dance. Moreover, she seemed so light, like a feather or a leaf. She didn't seem to have any weight at all, and Noah was starting to wonder if she was boneless as well.

He had been forced to take several steps backwards to avoid her, and even with his affinity with to one-on-one duels, he was suffering a lot of small cuts on his arms. After all, he didn't want to harm her, and if that was the price to bring her back to her sanity, so be it.

She was very talented yes, however, if Kallian had agility, Noah had strength.

Despite the ferocity of her attacks, she was hesitant. Realizing this, he took advantage of a loophole in her defenses to drop his sword and hold the elf's small, still clenched fists, placing the blade of her daggers between his own fingers.

"Control yourself!" Noah shouted, increasing the space between her hands to force her to open her arms, so his face could get closer to hers. "It's me!" He said, looking deeply inside her golden, scared eyes.

She tried to struggle, but Noah stood firmly until she stopped resisting and finally looked at him.

After a long moment of silence staring at his light-brown tired eyes, she asked, "You're not the demon?"

"What, no!" He said, confused. "What are you talking about?"

She opened her mouth, but then closed it. This made no sense. He looked exactly like Noah, rage and grumpiness included, yet there was no sign of that evil fire of the demon burning in his eyes.

This was the Fade, for sure, but if he was the real Noah, then what did that mean?

"Can I let you go or you will attack me again?" He asked, looking at their hands. Once Kallian realized his fingers were bleeding, she nodded, dropping the daggers as soon as he loosened his grip. They fell with a muffled crack, spilling blood over their boots.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically, rubbing his fingers. "What was that, anyway?"

"I thought you were something else ..." She replied hesitantly.

"A demon? You must be joking." He crossed his arms. "That would be impossible."

"If you have not noticed, we're in the Fade, and yes, it is possible." She took her dagger from the floor and began to clean off the blood using her pants.

Noah stared at her a bit before answering, "Tell me one thing: Did you hit your head or were you born an idiot?"

"I'm serious."

"Me too. We're not in the fade. This is Ostagar and we won. End."

"Okay, then tell me how we got here," she said, frowning.

"Walking." He replied, waving his hand to disperse a purple smoke that began to hover near his face.

"By the Void, I'm serious!" She said, scratching her head frantically.

"I came walking up from Highever to Ostagar, I had walked to this tower, I climbed those damn stairs walking, I fought those damn Darkspawn and ..." He paused, searching for words. He looked at the elf with a blank expression, trying to say something, but the words just didn't come.

She raised her eyebrows, victorious. "You were right, Kallian, excuse me for being a fool. I Promise that I'll listen to you next time," she said with her best mocking tone.

Noah, in counterpoint, responded with his best scowl.

"Assuming this is the Fade, what are you doing in my dream?" he asked crossly.

"What are you doing in my dream?" She sheathed her daggers. "Unless ..."

"Don't tell me we're dead?" He asked, leaning against the wall, feeling his legs failing. Dead? How had that happened?

"I don't know, maybe," she said staring at the ground. At this point, the purple smoke was stronger, forming a thick layer that almost touched her waist.

Then reality finally bit her heels.

Literally.

Kallian felt the lion's teeth carving deep in her tendons. She desperately tried to tell Noah, trying to warn him, but he was not anywhere to be found.

She felt the ground disappearing beneath her feet, and soon she was falling down, watching the tower fall apart around her.

Kallian's body slammed hard against the cold earth, jarring every bone in her body. When she managed to recover part of her reason, but everything was still spinning. She looked around, still lying on the floor. Ostagar - powerful, cold and gray - the same way it was in the previous afternoon. At her feet, the lion awaited smiling.

"Hello," he said, making a brief bow. "How is your new life as a Warden, my friend? Are you having fun?"

"I'm not your friend," she replied, closing her eyes. She was so tired of this.

"One thing happening after another, and I had no time to breathe. Yeah, I understand little one, and I must insist that we are friends." He walked over and sat next her head, putting his nose to within inches of hers.

She opened her eyes, startled by the sudden breath brushing her face. The demon's eyes shone a blend of red and white that would be something interesting and beautiful if the owner was not who he was. She remained static, feeling his disgusting energy infusing her body.

"Why do you ask? Can you read my mind? You know everything about my life. Besides, you know very well that I will not sell my soul to you, then why the hell do you still insist?" She asked, feeling her voice failing. The tremors did not help much, but she tried to stand firm.

"The hardest battles provides the most enjoyable victories." He gave a long lick on her forehead. "Stop trembling, girl. I'm not going to bite you." He flashed a toothy, sharp and bloodstained grin. "Oops, I just did, didn't I?"

"I don't believe in you."

"You do not need to believe, but you'll thank me." He lifted his head, giving her space to sit. "Today I have come to offer you something special. Something you will need a lot."

"I'm not interested." She replied without hesitation.

"We're talking about oblivion. It will be very, very helpful. For the price that you already know, of course," He raised his head, satisfaction written all over his face.

"Go away!" She repeated, trying futilely to stand, and falling soon after. Her ankle was bleeding - it seemed that the lion's teeth were still in her flesh. She reached for her daggers, but only found the empty sheath on her back.

"Now, now… Have you forgotten how this works?" He stood, positioning himself so he could be eye to eye with the little elf. "My world, my rules."

Kallian sighed deeply, feeling his breath on her neck again. She closed her eyes, waiting for darkness to surround her and for the torture to begin again. But instead, all she received was a cold breeze and a feeling of emptiness in her stomach.

She opened her eyes hesitantly, in time to see the back of the lion walking away.

"What's the game this time?" She asked, surprised. Something was wrong. For the first time, it was the dawn instead of the twilight. There was sun, and no darkness to haunt her. The scenario was not the same. Incidentally, it was the first time she was brought to a different place than Denerim. And, perhaps the most troubling detail of all: Never before he had left her when she told him to do so.

Never.

"Missing the drama?" He sarcastically asked, returning his gaze to her.

She was silent, not knowing whether it might give a reason for the demon to stay longer.

"I'm trying something different," he said, turning his back to her again. "Ignorance is bliss, as they say. This time, I'd offered you a very interesting benefit, but as always, you dismissed my help. Then, so be it. I'll be in the shadows, waiting. I'll devote my full attention exclusively to you, to think about a new game for us. Actually, I have something in mind. Not just one, but several ideas. "

He paused, taking a long breath. A purple mist began to surround him, forming a small tornado around him.

"And you, go back to your Warden life. No, you are not dead," he answered her thoughts before she could react, and continued before she could open her mouth. "But you will want to be. Anyway, you will collapse. You'll be lost. Maybe you would spend a day or two awake, but in the end, you will lay your head on the hard ground on a cold night and you'll begin to regret not having accepted my blessing.

"You will hear the leaves rustling, breaking the silence of the night, making you see things that do not exist. The shadows will remind you of our small talk. You will be wondering in which one I'll be hiding, thinking of what kind of games I had prepared for us, and then the panic will take hold of your soul. You will not have much to do, except to be consumed by dread, stretching out the wait, until you finally fall asleep and go straight into my arms.

"When the time comes, we'll talk again about my proposal. Meantime, think wisely." He finished with an evil laugh that sent chills throughout her body.

When the Demon disappeared, Kallian threw herself against the ground, lying on her back with her arms opened. The cold burned her skin, but she didn't seem to be feeling anything.

Sometimes, feeling nothing was worse than feeling pain.

Noah

I was alive.

I could not see anything, but I was alive.

I was in the dark. I could hear my breathing, feel the wind touching my feet... I could also smell the blood scent that was permeating the air, almost suffocating me.

I could hear someone moaning, too.

I tried to raise my hands and they responded promptly. That was a good sign, I guess. I could see the silhouette of my fingers, so it was not as dark as I thought.

I ventured to get up and take a look around me. Apparently I was lying on the floor in a corner of a log cabin. By my side, two people were lying partially naked and covered by a thin sheet and bandages.

I also had bandages covering almost my entire body. There was no part of me that wasn't aching.

Man, I never felt so groggy in all my life. Not even when I got drunk at my Champion coronation. I was not just slow-witted - It was as if my mind and body were on completely different frequencies.

My body was moving, but it was taking a long time for my mind to process it.

It took me a while to realize that the red-haired person beside me was the Elf. She was thrashing and moaning, her body completely wet with sweat. Her pale skin was shining in the dim light of the candle, which was lying on a table a few steps from my feet.

She was wearing tight pants, torn off at her knees, and just that. She wore nothing from the waist up, except for the bandages that covered most of her torso. Even for an elf, she was very small, especially without those thick slabs of leather tied here and there.

For the first time her soft curves made me notice she was female. Since we met, all she did was fight and drive me crazy. Who could imagine that, beneath all the leather, metal and that ever-present frown would there be a girl of such delicate features? It was true she had the features of a warrior - strong thighs and sinuous arms - but even so, I could not keep my eyes from lingering on certain details, such as how the light reflected on the smooth skin of her legs or how her breathing was playing with the bandages covering her chest, revealing and hiding the curves of her breasts.

And then I remembered how annoying, stubborn and sassy the owner of that body was, and I suddenly lost my interest.

Something else caught my attention: There were two thick white lines reflecting at the orange glow of the candle – one on her right ear and the other on her shoulder, near her neck.

I had never considered what was underneath those bandages the first day we'd met.

To me, they were just some injuries. Simple bruises, coming from a stupid teenager adventure. But those things were blade marks. What were they? Signs of a fight? Torture? For the first time, I was curious about her story.

Or was it just a headache talking? Who knows?

I decided to wake her. I shook her shoulders until she jumped up, then quickly sat back down.

Even now, I have no words to describe that look.

Fear. Horror. Panic. Dread.

She was terrified, to say the least. She shook like a leaf in the wind and I didn't know what to do.

"Calm down," I said. Incidentally, my mouth said that by itself.

She blinked a few times, whispering "It's not real" repetitively. It was the same thing that happened when we were in that tent in Ostagar. She wasn't seeing me at all.

I reached for her, holding her trembling hand firmly. She tried to get free, but since I didn't loosen my grip, she was forced to look at me.

"Everything will be okay." I said, tracing small circles with my fingers on the back of her hand.

I could see her pale and tired face relaxing slowly, but her hands didn't stop shaking.

She fell back against the makeshift bed, doing her best to cover her eyes. Her hand never left mine.

"It's so dark in here ..." She whispered breathlessly, her voice weak as I'd never seen before. "Make it stop…" Was she serious? She was afraid of the dark? I opened my mouth to ask, but after seeing her state of nerves, I realized that she was.

I drop her hand gently on the sheets and looked toward the light source. With much effort and more pain that I was able to handle, I managed to drag myself to the table. I grabbed the plate with the candle and placed it on the floor, a few inches beside her head.

The elf turned her head to look at me. I could see the surprise on her face.

"Better?" I asked her. She only nodded.

She was silent for a long time before she finally asked, "We're alive?"

She was totally prostrate, but her gaze remained steady.

"I guess so," I replied, lying again. She looked at the ceiling, watching the orange candlelight play with the shadows of the wood. Her breathing was far more controlled, almost normal.

"Mhmmm ..." I heard a muffled groan coming from the other side of where the Elf was. By the dim light, I could see that was the templar.

Apart from his heavy breathing, nothing more was said. She remained silent, staring at the ceiling.

"Go to sleep, Elf," I said turning my back to her, facing the wall of the hut, or cabin or whatever this place is.

"Let me be, Noah, I'm fine." She replied.

"You can't sleep?" I asked her.

She was silent for several minutes, thinking about it. In the end, she sighed and replied softly, "No."

"Don't worry," I replied. "I will be still awake for a while. Moreover, if something gets in here, it will take Alistair first."

I heard her stifling a giggle, but she said nothing.

I waited for long minutes, to see if I would get a response. As the only sound in the room now were the stupid snores of that idiot Templar, I decided to peek over my shoulder.

She was sleeping, facing the candle.

I turned back to the wall, thoughtfully. Poor elf. I had no idea what troubled this girl, and to be honest, until now I didn't care. But for some reason, I felt an impulse of compassion for her at that moment. I'd known her for just a few days, but I didn't think she deserved to be tormented like that. No one deserves to wear such dread on their face that way. Especially someone so small like her.

At that moment, I felt something different. It was something stronger than me, as if a higher power was guiding my actions.

Or, it was just a headache talking. Who knows ...

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