Chapter 1: The Aftermath
'How had it come to this?'
What good was being the Champion when she couldn't even stop the destruction of the Chantry–from a friend no less–his betrayal was wrought about with a misguided belief of justice. Words cannot describe the rage burning in her heart and boiling beneath her skin. Killing Anders did nothing to ease the anger but for a moment, a sickening moment, it felt good.
Everything up to this point had been a struggle but together their ragtag group always came out stronger; though, not always for the better. Meredith had been right; she is a fool. But she likes to believe she is a loyal fool; whenever her sister or their friends need her and she will always fight for them, they are her family– it was her loyalty which is what led to the city's downfall all because she was blind and ignorant to keeping her people happy.
Fearing that the Chantry will be sending an Exalted March to Kirkwall to put down the rebellion, their broken group agreed that they needed to separate and leave the city. Perhaps it would save lives by forcing the Divine to divide her forces; Merrill and Bethany followed her while Varric and Isabella took to her ship. Aveline wanted to stay in Kirkwall with Donnic to help restore order and protect the rest of the civilians, and Sebastian was relatively safe in Starkhaven as the Prince. Fenris left them when she chose to fight for the Mages; the smallest saving grace was his unwillingness to fight against them with Meredith.
'Andraste, give me strength.'
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No matter where they went, disaster followed around every corner—always haunting their steps. Like wolves nipping at their heels, circling in the dark.
Their latest encounter with the Templars was the worst fight they have had to contend with thus far. They were far more erratic and all together strange. They even seem to have taken to using that strange red lyrium that drove Bartrand and Meredith to madness.
No matter how many they killed and searched, none of them carried Bethany's phylactery. 'How are they able to keep tracking us?' Hawke groaned as she shrugged her shoulder, attempting to alleviate the pain from a blow that made contact. The templars keep getting way too close for comfort. Weariness has long since set in as they made camp within a cleared out cave off the beaten path; Merrill setting wards as a precaution and to give them a forewarning should more enemies attempt to sneak up on them.
"I think we should consider an alternative plan; we can't keep running in circles with these Red Templars," Bethany bowed her head, staring at the ground in deep thought.
"Do you have a suggestion? I'm all ears, this is not my idea of taking a holiday," Mairan forced humor falling short but neither one bothers with a retort. 'What I would give to have Varric here to ease the tensions and weariness with his stories and commentary. I hope he and Isabella made it to wherever they were going to hide out.'
Merrill hummed considerately, "Maybe… we could use the Eluvian to put some distance between them and us?" She flushed immediately and stammered out, "only if you want to, of course!"
"That probably isn't wise, Merrill. We would have to travel back to the city and even if we make it all the way in without needing to fight through crazy Red Templars, we have no clue where the mirror will take us. We don't even know if it will be possible to get out on the other side; what if it's the wrong side?" With a heavy sigh, Bethany looks to me with the forlorn expression, "Our options are very limited, Sis. You will have to make another hard decision regardless, I could even set out on my own to find other Circle mages. That would make it harder for them to find you."
"Absolutely not. Wherever we go, we go together. We are not separating now, not after everything that's happened," Hawke levels Bethany with a glare before sighing, shaking her head, she was too exhausted to hold onto the fumes of anger. "What I want is to protect you. You're in danger with and without me so I rather you be here where I can at least keep an eye on you. We will leave the Eluvian as a last resort. Maker, I hope it doesn't come to that."
Bethany rose from her side of the cave to tuck herself beside her sister, her voice softening as she spoke, "You always were the protector of our little family. Alright, we will keep brainstorming. There has to be something we can do." Looking to their other companion, Bethany beckons to her. "Come here, Merrill, let's try to rest for a little bit." Hawke nods and raises her other arm to allow her to nestle under, causing an embarrassed stammer from Merrill before she quickly relents after a pointed look from both sisters. Finding sleep doesn't come easy but resting like this together brings a small amount of comfort to all of them.
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Their determination was dwindling and finally at their wits end, they decided to give into the temptation of the hope that the Eluvian will get them as far from here as quickly as possible…
Torrents of rain poured down in the darkened gloom, drowning everything as it overhung what was left of Kirkwall. This monsoon perfectly accented the destruction that beheld the city, weeks following the aftermath of a war within the walls. The dead littered the streets and alleys; Templars and Mages alike, average citizens and city guards—no one was coming to collect the fallen.
This was almost nothing compared to the warpath the Templars and Mages were on outside the city, but this was her city in everything but title. It left a foul taste in the mouth—aside from the taste of death in the air that the rain couldn't wash away—this was a personal failure. Hawke's choices led to this and for that she will forever hold onto the guilt.
Aside from the storm, an eerie silence hung over the city like a cloak, making it feel as though they were being watched; a chill crawled down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. They slink through the shadows as best they could, moving as quickly as they dared; none of them as skilled as Isabella or Varric are when it comes to this. Thankfully it was easy to get into the Alienage without having to fight their way in, no one else seemed to want to be outside this late nor in this weather.
The door to Merrill's small house was seemingly intact and it doesn't look like it's been looted. They shuffle up, waiting while Merrill works on getting the door unlocked while Hawke guards their backs. The feeling of being watched lingers but there is no one in sight and the shadows don't move. 'This place is creeper than usual.'
The door finally opens with a small creak that is drowned out by the sound of rain, Merrill turns to beckon us forward, "Please, come in."
Giving one last glance through the darkened courtyard of the Alienage, Hawke follows them in. The door closes with a quiet click and it's sealed with the wooden latch. It's a small comfort, anyone who wanted to force their way in wouldn't have too much issue with it.
Bethany removes her sodden cloak first and hangs it near the fireplace to dry as Merrill sets about getting only a small fire going. They can't risk someone becoming too aware of their presence here, they are already becoming far too desperate as it is. 'We really shouldn't be here anyways.' Hawke allows herself to relax after a few moments and proceeds with ridding herself of her cloak too, feeling much like a drowned Lowtown rat.
"At least some things haven't changed, it is good to be somewhere familiar," Bethany sighs with relief as she settles down to rummage through her pack, "Everything outside seems so foreign, it's only been a couple of weeks but it feels like a lifetime ago since the First Enchanter and the Knight-Commander."
She hands out the remains of wrapped bread, broken into semi-even pieces; they're stale and bland but edible. Beggars can't be choosers right now and it's easily washed down with the remains from their water skins.
"We still can't afford to be reckless, we will set wards near the entrance like usual but we will need to rotate keeping watch for a few hours in order to get some rest."
"I should check on the Eluvian, I want to make sure we can enter it safely," Merrill looks vaguely hesitant, "as safely as expected, since it hasn't been done before...in our lifetime."
Bethany stands up and draws her arms over her head to stretch with a small grunt of satisfaction as a bone pops, she turns towards the door, "Go ahead and start on that, I can get the wards in place."
Hawke glanced between both of them before giving a nod, "Alright, get a move on then. I'm going to begin sharpening my blade; I'll be taking the first watch anyway." They each give a nod before moving off to get to work.
It had become routine for Hawke to sharpen every blade they carried, not just her own. Neither of her mage companions liked it but they didn't put up a fight after being sternly lectured on the importance of having the knowledge to at least know how to wield a dagger—knowledge courtesy of Isabella. There could come a time when even their magic fails them, it's always better to have a backup plan that could still surprise other people who won't expect a mage to be capable of anything else.
The night melted away quickly, moving onto Bethany's watch with nothing but lingering doubts of watching shadows. This was a dangerous plan and it had put them all on edge but they danced around it long enough that it was still too hard to acknowledge that in a few short hours they will be attempting to travel through the Eluvian. Maker only knows what they will find, if they even find anything at all. 'Let's just hope we don't get trapped in there.'
Hawke hovered on the edge of sleep, barely noticing when Bethany switched out with Merrill but only adjusting slightly to allow her to snuggle into her side like Merrill had been. The warmth helps pull her back into a light sleep again.
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"HAWKE!"
The sound of Merrill screaming Hawke's name had her jumping up hard enough to toss Bethany over the side of the small bed. Only a second later, a fiery explosion shook the fragile foundations on the front of the Alienage house.
With heavy-lidded eyes, Bethany gave a winded gasp as Hawke grabbed her up by the crook of her left arm and dragged her upright. Hawke only had time to get a hidden dagger out of her boot before Merrill dodges into a half-roll to get further into her bedroom. Beyond her, a Templar had his sword raised to slash downwards, without wasting time to debate the loss of a blade, Hawke threw it towards the eye opening in his helmet hitting its mark.
'Maker bless Isabella for all those lessons!'
As he drops dead within the doorway, they can see more filing into the main room; there is no escaping the way they came. "Merrill! Get the Eluvian ready!" She wastes no time in dashing back to it, a panicked look on her face. Bethany covers her retreat by casting ice spells through the door, hitting whomever was stupid enough to stand in the way.
Her attacks gave them a few precious moments for Hawke to grab her sword and Bethany's staff; Merrill already had their packs by the mirror but their cloaks were lost to the Templars in the main room. The narrow doorway enabled them to corral the Templars for easier fighting. While Hawke fought those that made it past the door, Bethany worked on casting force spells to keep the rest back. While she was proficient with her fire spells, they couldn't risk her setting the whole house on fire with them still in it.
But no matter how strong they are, their small group is outnumbered and slowly being worn down. The Templars were starting to fight back with their corrupted red lyrium abilities and Bethany is showing signs of strain and fatigue from constant use of Telekinetic Burst. Hawke was forced to rely solely on her last dagger due to the smaller space in the room not allowing for full strikes from her sword; she did not want to risk more structural damage to the house while they were still trapped in it.
One templar lands a heavy blow that Hawkes dagger couldn't block, sending her stumbling back into Bethany who cries out, "Sister! Watch out!" Before she brings her staff up to physically block the next blow, nearly splitting her staff in two. Her arms strained to hold back the weight of the blade bearing down on both of them, sweat drips into her eyes but she fights back to urge to close them.
Merrill suddenly rushes forward and with surprising strength, swings her own staff at the Templar's helmet, knocking it off his head as he falls back and remains unmoving. She quickly follows up with a Spirit Blast, her intervention relieves the tension in Bethany's arms and causes her to fall forward over her sister. Merrill turns her head to regard them and with seemingly new found bravery, "Quickly! Get through the mirror! I'll cover you, I have to be the last through so I can close it!"
Bethany was quick to jump up and grab her sister's arm, helping her stand long enough for Hawke to half-drag Bethany back towards the creepily glowing Eluvian as Merrill followed up with continuous attacks, ranging from her quick attacks to her more destructive spells–she no longer cared if she brought her home down on the Templars heads so long as they couldn't pursue them. Hawke wastes no time before loading their packs into Bethany's arms before forcing her through with a less than gentle shove.
She turns back to provide support to Merrill when the next moment she feels her feet lift from the ground and being thrown backwards, wind knocked from her chest. The rough landing had Hawke gasping for air, head spinning.
"Sister! Are you okay?!" Bethany rushes forth to kneel at her side as Hawke wasted a precious moment lying there confused and letting her sister fuss before realization sets in. She couldn't quite sit up yet but she could maneuver herself onto tired forearms to look up at the mirror. Bethany follows her gaze before growling in frustration, she stands and rushes to the mirror but as she reaches it, her flame-lit hands smack against it.
Gasping in horror, Bethany frantically runs her hands around the mirror looking for a way through with no success. Hands shaking as her flames die out and she steps back, Bethany shakes her head in disbelief as tears brim her eyes. As soon as Bethany steps back, Hawke gives a roar as she bursts forward and attacks the Eluvian with a heavy downward strike followed by a quick succession of slashes–each one pinging as sparks fly when her blade connects but no scratches or marks are left behind–Hawke hunches as she catches her breath, sweating pouring down her face. There was nothing she or Bethany could do from this side.
Hawke yells in frustration as she slams her fist against the Eluvian's mirror and rests her forehead next to it, forcing herself to watch as the scene plays out. Maybe it was some kind of Elvhen magic that made it seem like time was slowing down as she watched, overwhelming her with every painstaking single detail–Merrill was being overwhelmed. She may have had determination to fight but none of them had been well rested or well nourished and she was fighting alone now.
"Merrill!" Hawke cries out as they are forced to watch her take a blow to the side, she couldn't heal with her Blood of the First spell active. Tears that burned as they dripped down Hawke's face, her heart refusing to accept what her eyes were seeing–she doesn't even register that Bethany has thrown herself into her back, hiding her face between her shoulders refusing to watch their friend die. With Merrill's defensive position broken, another Templar takes the opportunity to rush the mirror and she gives a cry of desperate fury so unlike her, the pain in her voice constricts Hawke's heart. "No! Stay away from them!"
In a seemingly last ditch effort, Merrill forces mana into her staff before hurling it like a javelin, straight at the mirror, just as another blade pierces through her chest. Hawke and Bethany can do no more as they watch in horror as the mirror go black and the Eluvian's glass splinters, forming spider web-like cracks. Her Keeper's Staff clanks off the stone as it drops, the sound echoes within the vast emptiness.
Merrill is gone now. She was lost and they were now trapped.