Dragon Age: King in Exile

Part Fourteen

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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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Once Leliana had stitched and bandaged Morrigan's injuries, the three of them carried her inside. There was a short hallway leading into a small atrium, with a spectral guardian standing across the room before an ornate door.

"I'll stay here with Morrigan," Leliana said. "You three go on." Her voice went soft. "Perhaps one day I will be able to see the ashes for myself. But not today."

After settling Morrigan, Kallian gave Leliana a nod and approached the guardian. Alistair and Elissa followed behind.

"I bid you welcome, pilgrims," the guardian said as they approached. "I am the guardian, the protector of the urn of sacred ashes. I have waited years for this." He paused. "It has been my duty, my life to prepare the way for the faithful who come to revere Andraste."

"Well… we're here," Kallian said, clearly uncomfortable and sensibly unwilling to say what their real goal was. "Where is the urn?"

"You have come to honor Andraste, and you shall… if you prove yourselves worthy."

Kallian frowned. "How do you decide if we're worthy?"

"It is not my place to choose," the guardian said. "The Gauntlet will do so. If you are found worthy, you will reach the urn."

Kallian let out a weary sigh. "Right. Let's get on with this, then."

The guardian held up a hand. "Before you go, there is something I must ask. I see the path that led you here was not easy. There is suffering in your past. Your suffering, and the suffering of others. Do you blame yourself for not reaching your cousin Shianni in time? Do you believe you could have spared her suffering had you acted differently?"

Kallian bristled. "That is none of your business! Get out of my head!"

"Peace," the guardian said. "I will respect your privacy."

He turned to Alistair. "Young prince. You wonder if you could have convinced your brother not to go into battle. You wonder how things could have been different. Do you feel you failed him?"

He hung his head. "Yes," he confessed. "Yes I do. I should have done anything to keep him from fighting."

Elissa squeezed his hand. "He wanted to fight, it was his choice, his free will," she said. "It's not your fault."

"And you," said the guardian. "A lady before your time." Her spine straightened. "You left your father and mother to die. You abandoned them to the mercies of Arl Howe's men." Alistair growled at this, squeezing Elissa's hand back so tight it almost hurt.

The guardian continued. "Do you regret leaving them, even knowing that staying would have meant your death?"

Elissa closed her eyes for a moment. "No," she said finally, and opened her eyes, full of tears. "No matter how much I wanted to stay, I know I did the right thing," she said in a trembling voice. "They wanted me to live. I may be the last Cousland left." It still hurt not to know what had become of Fergus. Even now, they had heard nothing of his survival.

"The way is open," the guardian said. "Good luck, and may you find what you seek." He disappeared into mist, and the door behind him swung open.

Kallian looked behind her, at her two companions gathering themselves. "Come on," she said, and stepped through the door. They entered a room full of ghostlike figures, who each identified themselves as a person who was touched by the life of Andraste. Each had a story to tell and a riddle to solve.

Between the three of them, none of the riddles seemed terribly hard, and they progressed through the room easily. As they solved the final riddle, three doors at the end of the room opened.

"We had better each take one," Elissa said. At Kallian's nod of agreement, they stepped through their respective doors.

…

Kallian came face to face with the spectre of the man she had almost married. "Nelaros," she said in surprise.

"So you haven't forgotten me," he said.

"I barely know you," she countered.

"It's not about me," he said. "It never was."

"I know," she said, and she did. It was about what happened that day, and about what her people faced every day.

"You got out," he said simply. "It wasn't how you meant to get out. But you escaped, and they're still back there."

"I know that," she said again, sharply this time. "I think about them all the time." She thought about that pile of gold that the dragon had melted. She thought about Morrigan laying still on the icy ground.

"It wouldn't have helped," Nelaros said. "An elf with gold? Must be stolen. They would only punish you, or worse, punish them."

"Then what?" She began raising her voice. "Are you trying to tell me I can't help them? You know I won't stop trying!"

"That's not what I'm saying," he said. "It's not just your people. It's not just your alienage. It's systematic."

Kallian threw her hands in the air. "How am I supposed to fix the system? I'm just a poor idiot who accidentally ended up a grey warden!"

"A poor idiot who walks with royalty, Kallian," he said softly.

As she considered his words, he said, "Remember us, Kallian. Remember what you're fighting to protect." And he disappeared.

Kallian now noticed a door beyond where he had stood and stepped through it.

…

When Elissa walked through the door, she started running, until her father raised a hand. "I'm not really here, Pup."

She stopped short, let out a little shuddering laugh, and said, "Of course not." Through the glitter of tears she said, "Is it really you?"

He smiled. "As real as I can be, in death."

"I'm so sorry—" she began, but he shook his head.

"Don't, Elissa. You've done nothing to be sorry for." He smiled. "I am so proud of you."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "Really, Father?"

"You have done your duty," the specter said. "You carried yourself like a Cousland. You've supported your friends, fought against evil, and taken care of as many people as you could along the way. But it's not over yet. You have a long, hard road ahead, Pup."

"I know," she said, thinking of the war, of what they had to accomplish to even face the darkspawn.

"You have many choices ahead of you. Remember a Cousland does their duty first. Do not allow revenge to lead you astray."

"I won't," she promised him.

"Your mother and I will see you again someday," he said. "But I hope not for many years. Goodbye, Pup." He disappeared into mist, revealing a door behind him.

Wiping away her tears, Elissa went through.

…

Alistair blinked twice at the apparition in front of him. "Brother?"

Cailan smiled. "Alistair. How I wish I could be with you. What a grand adventure!"

Alistair couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, but I'd rather not be on it if I had the choice."

Cailan's smile turned a little sad. "You already have wisdom I never managed to acquire. You're going to make a wonderful king, brother."

"I never wanted to be one," Alistair said immediately. "All I wanted was a family."

"I know," he said. "That's why I betrothed you to the lovely Elissa so quickly. I knew she and her family would be good to you. And she still will."

"I love her," Alistair confessed, as he'd never done before. "I don't know where I would be without her."

"She was what you needed. Not strength, just… confidence." Cailan smiled softly. "She makes you your better self. Anora did that for me, when I let her."

"Why did you have to fight that night?" Alistair asked. "Why couldn't you stay back where you were safe? I should have argued harder. I should have made you stay!"

"You couldn't have made me do anything, Alistair," Cailan said, with a hint of steel in his voice. "No one can force the monarch. They can only be persuaded. Something to remember, in the future." He paced in front of Alistair. "And as for why I fought? We've already had that discussion."

"But that was before you—"

"Before I died," Cailan finished. "I know. But it doesn't change anything. It was my choice to fight that battle. My destiny to die. And yours is to save Ferelden and rule over it."

"It's too much," Alistair protested. "You can't expect that of me. I may be your brother, but I'm nobody. A child who slept with the dogs. A failed templar initiate. A—"

"A king," Cailan interrupted solemnly. "You are a king. And you were always meant to be. Trust me, Alistair, if you can't trust yourself."

Alistair swallowed hard. "I'll try."

With one last boyish smile, Cailan vanished, leaving a fine mist in his wake.

After a few deep breaths, Alistair strode through the door that appeared before him.

…

Somehow, all three of them seemed to enter the next room at the same time. They saw each other a moment before noticing the others in the room.

"What…" Elissa trailed off.

Alistair's eyes went wide.

"Maker's bloody balls," cursed Kallian.

Across the room stood three spectral enemies… who looked exactly like the three of them.

It was the strangest battle they'd ever fought. Two Alistairs and two Kallians battled in the middle of the room, while two Elissas took shots at each other. Alistair was embarrassed by how quickly the real Kallian seemed to defeat his double as they took hers on two-on-one. All the while, Elissa—well, both Elissas—were shooting and running, trying to avoid each other's arrows. His Elissa was limping now, as she'd taken a shot in the leg. The other Elissa had blood running down her shoulder, but it hadn't seemed to slow her down. As he and Kallian took down the other Kallian—who was so damn slippery!—they moved to swarm Elissa's double, overtaking her quickly now that it was three on one.

When the last specter had vanished, so did their injuries.

"That was weird," Alistair said.

"Not really keen on killing myself," Kallian said. She smirked a little. "Not too sad you didn't manage it though."

"Laugh it up, warden," Alistair said. "This just means I'm going to want to train with you later."

"Damn it," she said, as they headed into the next room.

Across the room was a door, but between them and the door was a deep chasm. There seemed to be the end of a bridge near the door, but it only extended a few feet. Ringing the chasm were some large inscribed plates.

"A puzzle, I think," Elissa said with a frown. "I suppose we should try standing on the plates."

As they explored, they discovered that a part of the bridge would appear for each plate they stood on, but it was transparent, not corporeal. Almost by accident, they realized that a plate on each side would correspond, and if both correct plates were pressed, the part of the bridge would become corporeal. Unfortunately, as soon as they stepped off, it would disappear.

"What if someone's standing on that part of the bridge?" Elissa called, as she stepped on the plate for the first piece.

"Then they fall to their death," Kallian said, deadpan. "Not it."

"I'll do it," Elissa said, looking at Kallian. "I trust you."

Kallian blinked and looked away. "Fine. Go stand at the start of the bridge."

Kallian stood on her plate and Alistair stood on his. Elissa stepped onto the first part of the bridge. It was solid.

"Seems safe enough," she said. "Now one of you step off your plate."

Alistair looked like he was going to protest, but Kallian stepped off before he could do so. The bridge piece remained.

"Good," Elissa said. "Now find the next one."

Alistair and Kallian filled in the bridge piece by piece until it was completed, and they followed Elissa across. The door in front of them revealed a long hallway, and they could see a fire burning at the end of it.

"A cozy fire seems like just the thing right now," Alistair murmured. The temple was awfully chilly.

When they reached the room, their eyes were drawn past the fire, to a set of stairs with a small altar and a beautiful sculpture of Andraste at the top. A shaft of light shone down on it, giving the altar a heavenly glow.

"The ashes must be there," Elissa said softly.

Kallian motioned before them. "We have to get through this first."

The fire they had seen was a barrier across the entire room. Before them was a small podium with an inscription.

"Cast off the trappings of worldly life and cloak yourself in the goodness of spirit. King and slave, lord and beggar, be born anew in the Maker's sight," Alistair read.

"We have to get… naked?" Elissa asked, blushing hard.

Alistair blushed too, unable to reply.

"Sure sounds that way," Kallian said with an annoyed huff. "No looking," she added, and began to remove her leather armor.

Alistair looked away immediately, blushing harder than ever as he began to remove his own equipment. He could see Kallian out of the corner of his eye, approaching the flames and passing through them.

"Hurry up," she said through the flames. "It's cold as balls to be naked in here!"

He tried not to peek as Elissa went through, and then followed after, protecting his most sensitive parts with his hands. As soon as he passed through, the flames extinguished themselves.

In their place appeared the guardian. "You have been through the trials of the gauntlet, you have walked the path of Andraste, and like her, you have been blessed. You have proven yourselves worthy, pilgrims. Approach the sacred ashes." With that, he disappeared again.

The three of them each went for their clothes and gear first, before turning to approach the altar together. Now that they were closer, they could see the urn before the statue. While the carvings were well-done, it was less ornate or showy than any of them had imagined.

"You do it, Kallian," Elissa whispered, nudging the elf. "We wouldn't be here without you."

While Kallian wasn't sure that was true, she could see she was least affected of the three of them. Elissa's eyes were wide and seemed nervous. Alistair looked like he was muttering a prayer.

Kallian stepped forward, kneeling down in front of the urn. She took a small leather pouch from her belt. Her heart pounded a little as she lifted the lid of the urn, as if she'd expected something to happen.

But it was just an urn, and these were just ashes. She reached in, pulled out a small pinch, and deposited it within the leather pouch. Standing, she handed the pouch to Elissa.

"Don't lose that," she said, and Elissa gave a nervous laugh.

"Let's go," Kallian said, moving down the stairs. "We need to get Morrigan back down to Wynne."

With a last glance at Andraste's altar, they left the temple.

…