Dragon Age: King in Exile

Part Ten

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King Cailan has written Alistair into the succession and is ready to recognize him publicly. Loghain will do almost anything to keep that from happening. The darkspawn give him the perfect opportunity. Alistair/Cousland, featuring F!Tabris.

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Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize from Dragon Age belongs to me.

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Alistair was pacing and Wynne staring into the distance when Kallian appeared with a tear-stained Elissa.

"Sweetheart!" Alistair said, jumping forward as soon as he saw her. "Are you alright?"

Elissa looked at him blankly and took a shaky breath. "I can't do this now." She looked at Kallian. "You said there's a demon to fight?" Alistair looked hurt as he took a step back, but Elissa didn't glance his way.

Instead, she looked around her. They were standing in the raw fade, a strange barren landscape unlike anything in the waking world. The sky was a sickly green, swirling and churning above them.

"The demon that trapped us here. That bastard lost his greatest trick, putting us to sleep, but he gets stronger while we wait. We need to go."

Alistair gave Elissa another worried look, but she only fingered the bow that was back in her hands. "Let's go."

Kallian led them to where the demon waited, and every one of them was ready for vengeance. He'd hurt them deeply, and he would pay.

The demon turned as they approached. "What do we have here? Some rebellious minions? Escaped slaves? " He laughed in his slow, dragging voice. "My, my… but you do have some gall."

Elissa's fingers tightened on the bow.

"Playtime is over," the demon continued. "You all have to go back now."

"You will not hold us, demon," Wynne said, angry. Her staff was in her hand. "We found each other in this place and even you will not stand against us!"

"If you go back quietly, I'll do better this time," said the demon, lazy and unconcerned. "I'll make you much happier."

"I will never be your slave," said Kallian, low and menacing. "Not yours or anyone else's." With that, she attacked.

The others followed in her wake, honing their hurt and anger into weapons sharp enough to pierce his illusions as he changed form again and again. He cycled through demonic illusions as they destroyed each one, until Kallian, wild with fury, got the last strike. As they all stood, staring at one another, the world seemed to simply fade away.

"What is this?" Alistair asked. "Where are we going?"

…

He got his answer as they woke on the hard floor of the circle tower, next to the sprawled body of a stranger. The demon was nowhere in sight.

"Without the demon, there was nothing to hold us any longer," Wynne said, dusting herself off as she slowly stood.

Kallian bent over the stranger's body and pulled a scroll out of his pocket. "I spoke to this man in the fade. He said we can use the Litany of Adralla to stop Uldred from making more abominations. He's been turning all the mages that resist."

"Niall," Wynne said as she came to see the man's face. "Maker bless you," she added in a whisper, bending down to close his eyes.

"He gave us a chance," Kallian said, looking serious. "Now let's finish this and get the hell out of here."

They were near the top of the tower now. After climbing one more staircase, they came upon a templar trapped inside some kind of magical prison.

"This trick again?" the man said. "I know what you are. It won't work. I will stay strong."

Wynne approached the barrier and studied it. "Uldred must have trapped him. I'm not familiar with this spell." She looked at the templar inside. "Rest easy, help is here."

"Ugh, enough visions!" the man cried, huddled on the ground. "If anything in you is human, kill me and stop this game!"

Kallian huffed. "He's no use to us, and we can't help him while he's trapped in that cage. We need to find Uldred and finish this!"

Elissa fingered her bow, eyes troubled but focused. "We know what we need to do and there's only one way forward. We can come back for him after we deal with Uldred. Let's go."

…

They found Uldred and his followers in the harrowing chamber. The resisting mages—including the First Enchanter—were tied up, looking starved and frightened. One was being tortured in the center of the room as some of Uldred's people were chanting.

Wynne swore under her breath. "They are weakening the veil, trying to create abominations."

Uldred stopped everything when he saw them standing in the doorway. "We have guests. Volunteers, perhaps?" He chuckled.

"Uldred, I presume?" Kallian said, seemingly unafraid. "Your little revolution is over." Her hands tightened on her daggers.

"I think not," he said, eyes flashing. "If you're here, that means you've killed my servants. They will need replacing, you know."

"That's not going to happen," Alistair said, stepping up beside Kallian.

"Ah, you brought a templar," Uldred said. "Good, I could use a new plaything. The last has gotten… tiresome."

Elissa nocked an arrow, bowstring creaking ominously.

"You will not have him," Wynne said. "Or any of us. This is over, Uldred."

"You think you can stop me?" Uldred said with a dark chuckle. "A mage is merely a larval form of something greater. The chantry has convinced you to fear your power. Whereas I have ascended, and become something… glorious." His smile widened. "I will give you this gift, Wynne. You and all mages. Whether you welcome it or not!"

And Uldred began to grow and transform, shifting into a massive, grotesque demon.

Kallian shoved the Litany of Adralla into Wynne's hands before running towards the creature, Alistair hot on her heels.

While Kallian and Alistair fought the demon, Wynne and Elissa fired on his followers as they attempted to turn some of the captive mages. Elissa defended Wynne as she used the Litany to block their attempts.

Alistair had never seen something so horrifying as this creature, like a troll but larger and almost appearing skinless. Black ichor oozed from the wounds he created as the monster fought on. He cried out as it clawed him, the injury burning as if acid had flooded his veins. A wave of cool, healing magic swept over him and he mentally thanked Wynne for her intervention. A glance at Kallian showed her mostly uninjured—she moved so quickly that few could land an attack on her.

As he fought, he could hear dark chanting in a demonic sounding language, and then Wynne's clear voice with the Litany over it. He couldn't look back, but prayed to the maker that she was successful. As his and Kallian's siege continued, the demon slowed. Alistair tried to keep his footing on the now slick and slimy floor.

In a moment of the demon's distraction, Kallian grabbed his shoulder and motioned for a boost. Understanding her meaning, he tossed her atop the creature where she landed with both daggers pushing down, into the demon's skull. It let out a fearful screech and fell to the floor.

Alistair helped Elissa and Wynne dispatch the last of his followers before they were finally able to breathe. Elissa went immediately to free the captive mages, while Wynne cast needed healing magic upon them. Alistair turned back to Kallian, who was attempting to wrench her daggers out of the demon's head.

"Let me," he said, and yanked the daggers free.

"Thanks," she said, but the tone was grudging.

"Nice move," he said with a nod.

She shrugged. "Nice toss." And they went to join the others, helping the remaining mages to head back down to the base of the tower. Alistair did a head count and winced. Less than twenty adult mages remained. It was a sad state of things, but it was better than the Right of Annulment.

…

After some long discussions with Knight Commander Greagoir and First Enchanter Irving, they'd hashed out a plan to save Connor, and committed themselves to helping with the blight when the time came. Wynne asked leave to travel with them, and though Kallian didn't like the old woman, she wasn't fool enough to turn down healing magic. Besides… maybe she'd be lucky enough to get to watch the old woman duke it out with Morrigan. That, at least, should be entertaining.

At the end of the discussions, Greagoir offered to let them sleep at the tower before leaving for Redcliffe in the morning. Kallian couldn't miss the fear on Alistair's face or the sudden stiffening of Elissa's spine. She hoped that she wasn't as obvious.

"We're going to take rooms at the Spoiled Princess," Kallian said, as if that had been the plan all along. "We'll meet up in the morning."

Kallian almost rolled her eyes at Alistair's clear relief. If this idiot was going to be king, he'd need to learn to hide his emotions before then.

Within minutes they were back on the ferry, and even Kallian let out a little relieved sigh at leaving that accursed place.

…

It was a quiet group that sat with their ale and wine that night. None had come out of the fade untouched by the experience.

Wynne couldn't stop thinking about how weak and foolish she'd been. A simple illusion had deceived her. She could have been trapped until her body gave out, had the warden not come to her rescue. She should have been better than this.

A part of her couldn't stop picturing that little boy. She knew he was a demon, that he wasn't real. But it looked real, sounded real. Which was the point.

This was a lesson learned the hard way. It would be a long time before she forgot it.

Elissa was haunted by the sight of her mother dying, the blade sticking out of her chest, the red stain blooming from it. Was that how she died that night in Highever Castle? Was she afraid, in pain? Did she suffer?

In spite of these thoughts, Elissa was also ashamed of herself. She was a useless, sobbing mess while Kallian had to save her. She had always prided herself on her abilities, on her bravery. She'd seen that as what set her apart from the other girls of her class, girls like that useless Habren Bryland. If she wasn't brave, wasn't useful, then what good was she?

Alistair couldn't help thinking about his brother, and how Cailan had set him on this path. By taking him out of the chantry, Cailan had saved him from becoming a full templar, from taking lyrium and living in the tower, hunting mages or killing them in the Harrowing.

In the end, he'd still ended up at the circle tower, striking down a demon in a familiar guise. Templars were taught not to see mages as people so that they could strike them down easily if possession occurred. It wasn't easy, even knowing that Cailan wasn't in there. And yet… he had done it. What did that say about him?

Kallian was furious, more so because she was hurting. How dare the demon make her feel that way? How dare it tear her down to the innocent fool she was before that day? Her world was never a safe place, an alienage couldn't be. But torture and death and rape? It had changed everything. It had changed her. Forged her into a stronger person. The person she had to be to survive this world. She couldn't go back. She couldn't be weak again.

Shianni, Soris, and her father were still there, still suffering in the alienage. She left them behind. She didn't have a choice, but… she left them. Abandoned them. Despite her resolution never to feel weak again, she could never feel truly strong until they were free.

Leliana, who'd been left guarding the mage children, didn't understand what they'd faced and wasn't sure if she wanted to know. She settled for playing the lute for her friends, hoping that the healing powers of music would help them. When the others went to attempt sleep, she prayed for them.

None of them slept easy that night.

…

The mages met them the next morning for the day-long trek back to Redcliffe. Wynne chatted with her fellow mages, trying to seem unaffected. Elissa and Alistair walked close to each other, talking quietly with Kitty close behind. Kallian stalked out in front of the group, as angry and alone as ever. Leliana watched each of them curiously and carefully, still trying to puzzle out what had affected them all so deeply.

All the party were relieved to arrive at Redcliffe and find it seemingly unharmed. They met the rest of their party at the castle gate, who'd seen them coming up the road. Morrigan stared disdainfully at the group of mages, while Sten was his usual, unaffected self.

"The demon has been quiet while you were away, but I do not know how much longer it will last," Teagan said by way of greeting. "Thank the Maker you were successful in your task."

"How is Eamon?" Alistair asked.

Teagan sighed. "He is unchanged."

They met Isolde pacing within the great hall. "I sent a guard for the mage, Jowan," she said. "Please, let us do this as soon as possible."

"How long do you need to set up?" Teagan asked the First Enchanter.

"Not more than a few minutes, I believe," Irving replied. "But I wish to speak to Jowan first."

Jowan looked shaken upon seeing Irving and the other mages, most of whom were dreadfully familiar from his days in the tower. Irving pulled the younger man aside and had a quiet, intense conversation with him. When they returned, Irving looked satisfied while Jowan looked as if he'd been scolded. Neither seemed interested in sharing the topic of their conversation.

"We are ready to begin," Irving said. "But first, we need a volunteer to go into the fade."

Kallian looked at Wynne, who already appeared tired from the long day of marching, and then to Morrigan. She didn't trust any of these strange mages to get it right. She wanted this done properly so she could have Eamon's gratitude—and his soldiers.

"Morrigan," she said. "Can you do it?"

As she saw Morrigan toss her head, she knew she'd hit the right nerve.

"Of course I can," the mage said disdainfully. "As long as these circle mages do their part properly." In her voice, 'circle mages' sounded almost like a slur, an insult the others ignored.

"Then let us begin." Irving cleared his throat then began chanting in unison with Jowan. As the other mages joined in, the air in the room seemed to get heavy before Morrigan fell to the floor.

…