Chapter One:
How in the hell did this happen?
September 29th; 2023.
"Alistair, you can do this!" Cillian said as she touched the nervous templar's shoulder. His sharp but puppy-like features clearly showed the emotions he really felt, even if his words said something completely different. The man seemed to lean into her touch; accepting the comfort and attention she was giving him. Ever since the pair had been thrown together, they had become a source of comfort for the other. They were the last two remaining Grey Wardens in Ferelden. The red-haired human female didn't even judge him when he finally blurted out that he was, her words in jest, a royal bastard.
The crackling of the fire and the hums of the creatures of night were the only sounds between them for a moment. A moment that seemed to hold calm, clarity, and just for a time, the weight of everything that had been placed on the young shoulders seemed to lift.
Suddenly, the air between the pair began to thicken with a sense of... need. Turning towards the woman beside him, Alistair had a sudden burst of courage. "Cillian..." He whispered; almost hesitant before their lips slowly began to inch towards each other. "May I- BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Right when things were getting to a good place, the sound of a blaring and interrupting alarm rose the redhead from her dream, causing a groan to escape her.
'You need to work. You need to pay for food and rent.' She repeated the same mantra in her head just as she did every morning. Slowly rolling herself out of the warm embrace of her blanket, Cillian reached her hand up to brush back wild red curls. The same curls that she felt Alistair touch in her dream. If it were a reality…
"Meow!" A demanding cry came from the living room, causing the unsatisfied redhead to actually crack a smile. "I'm coming, Cailan." She chimed to the demanding kitten.
The beautiful tan colored King strolled beside his human servant as she padded her into the kitchen. The feline sat happily on his throne while his tale thumped in impatience.
"Alright; alright!" Cillian smiled before quickly getting a mixture of dry and wet cat food together. If he had it his way, it would be strictly wet food, but she was HOPING to slowly get him off the stuff. But what can you do, Kings always wanted things to go their way after all.
It wasn't long before the smell of coffee filled the tiny apartment, causing some of the stress Cillian was already feeling to start melting away as she looked over her schedule. Today's schedule for work didn't seem too bad, which meant she could get some reading in. It always put Cillian in a good mood to glance over some of the Dragon Age writing other's had thought of, the talks of how the upcoming new game.. it had every buzzing and practically dying with excitement and anticipation. "Let's get the work day started, shall we?" Cillian beamed to the eating feline who just swished his tail in response. He had what he wanted, so nothing else mattered.
Cup of coffee in hand, she slowly padded her way out of the kitchen and to her makeshift home office. A must have for the 'work at home' thing she had going. A call center gig that had shitty pay and grueling hours, but it kept a roof over her head, food in her and her King's belly… what more could she want? Cillian hardly ever left the house, having to deal with constant fear and anxiety when around people. She hated crowds, loud noises… it was all too much for her. So, she needed something that she could do from her cozy little safe space.
"If a new Grey Warden could battle an archdemon by the seat of her pants with no idea what the hell she was doing, I could push through another work day." She muttered before starting another day that was to be the same as before.
—
11 hours later, Cillian could finally say that she finished her day with some pride left in her. People were not nearly as frustrated and the amount of times someone called her a 'stupid bitch' was far much less than normal. "A good day, all in all." She beamed as she signed out before beginning to stretch. Of course, before stepping away from the computer, she had one more thing to do. The beautiful melody of the opening screen of Dragon Age: Origins began to fill the room before Cillian stepped away, deciding now would be a good time to eat.
Food and drink in hand, she soon returned to watch in horror as Cailan looked her dead in the eyes, knocking the very cup that she had hardly drank from this morning right on to her computer. "No!" She shrieked in surprise, dropping what was in her hands to quickly try and salvage the mess, the cracking of now wet electronics and the smell of something definitely burning filled the air. "You-" she growled, before sighing, patting the computer before taking it apart. If she c-
In that moment, her hand brushed something that it shouldn't, a piece of the computer that was now crackling where it shouldn't, pouring its current into the human flesh that touched it. Cillian, quickly literally, was shocked. Her body began to convulse and flail before her heart just simply.. couldn't take it. To put it simply, she died. That should have been the end of it, the end of the poor excuse of the life she lived. No fulfillment, a waste of an existence.
It should have been the end of it.
She should be dead.
If that were the case, why… was there the sound of birds chirping?
