Chapter 1.5 A Fall from the Heavens

Cailan's POV

Cailan had been tracking the Darkspawn with his retinue when the world suddenly shifted. It was subtle at first—just a strange tremor in the earth that made him pause, a ripple through the very fabric of reality itself. But then, it came with a roar—a violent, shuddering crash that split the night sky in two.

A blinding light, impossible and pure, poured from the heavens, streaking across the landscape. Cailan's first instinct was to draw his sword, to prepare for an attack, but something stopped him—a sense of awe, perhaps, or dread. The light was so sharp, so intense, it seemed to burn the edges of his vision.

And then he saw her.

She was falling.

At first, he couldn't quite believe it—couldn't process the sight. She dropped from the sky, her body twisting through the air with unnatural grace, surrounded by the brilliant light. It was as if the very heavens themselves had opened, allowing her to slip through. The glow illuminated her form, turning her into something otherworldly—a figure caught between sky and earth, almost too ethereal for his mind to grasp.

His heart thudded in his chest. He didn't hesitate. He couldn't.

"Move!" he ordered sharply to his men, and they fell into formation, galloping toward the clearing where she would inevitably land.

He was the first to reach her.

The glow was fading as he approached, but she was still alive—he could hear the rapid intake of breath, the rustle of leaves beneath her. Cailan jumped down from his steed, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, and reached out to her as she stood, her body trembling. But before he could get close enough to offer reassurance, something shifted in her eyes.

"Are you… alright, my lady?"

She looked up at him, wide-eyed and filled with panic. Her gaze was like lightning, so bright it almost felt like it pierced him, an unsettling, radiant blue that burned through the chaos of the moment.

"I'm Cailan Theirin," he said gently, trying to calm her, his voice steady despite the strangeness of it all. "King of Ferelden. And you, my lady... have been delivered to us by the Maker himself."

And then, as quickly as it came, that fear overwhelmed her. Her breath caught in her chest, her frame wracked with a violent shudder, and her eyes fluttered shut. She was fading—fainting—right before him.

Cailan moved without thinking. He stepped forward, catching her in his arms just before she collapsed. Her body was light, almost fragile, but warm. Her breath came in uneven gasps as she slumped against him. He was momentarily stunned by the weight of her, but more than that—the strange, unexplainable pull he felt as he held her close.

Her dark, black hair spilled over his arms, glistening like silk in the fading light. It framed her sharp features—her high cheekbones, delicate jawline—but it was her eyes that held him captive. Even closed, her features seemed... otherworldly. Beautiful, in a way he couldn't quite place, as though she was meant to be here yet utterly out of place all at once. Her face still seemed to be illuminated by the faint remnants of that otherworldly glow, like some celestial light had left a mark on her.

She wasn't just fragile—there was something powerful about her, something that felt both like she didn't belong here and like she was meant to be. Her body was slender, a dancer's build, strong and supple, yet the way she fell—as though the very world had rejected her—made his stomach tighten with a strange, inexplicable concern. Even now, in her unconscious state, there was an air of quiet strength about her, a kind of resolve that intrigued him more than it should.

Cailan cradled her against him, his heart pounding in his chest as he took in the sight of her. For a moment, he simply looked at her, trying to piece together the mystery of what she was, what she meant. The very air around her felt different—charged, like a storm was brewing, even though the night remained still.

As he held her, the weight of the situation became clear. The pull of that light, that strange event that had just unfolded, was no accident. It had led him here—to her. And now, the responsibility to protect her, to understand this strange occurrence, was his.

His mind raced, but his instincts told him to focus on the now. She was in his arms, unconscious for the moment, but he wouldn't let her slip away. His men would take care of the Darkspawn, but this woman—this mysterious, lithe figure who had fallen from the sky—she was something else.

No words had passed through her lips, her name a mystery to him, but as he gently shifted her in his arms, preparing to move her to safer ground, something whispered to him that this was only the beginning.

A/N

Hi Y'all! I'm so excited you decided to stick around this far. This story means a lot to me, I've been working on different portions of it for a couple of years now. The idea is what does a girl from our world do when she's pulled into her favorite video game (original, I know, but stick with me). This is a long-haul kind of story, we're talking Origins to Veilguard, okay? There's going to be ups, downs, sideways, all over the place stuff centered around Maryse and crazy situation she finds herself in. I have future Maryse fleshed out exactly how I want her, but these early chapters will be me working on not making her a Mary Sue.

Come with us on this adventure, my friends! I can't wait to share it with you :)