Elissa walked with a fierce look in her eye and a confident walk as she strode into the centre of the room and demanded everyone's attention, a brief look at Alistair and Sunny could see the journey was not taxing at all and he was unharmed, though they were all a little weary from their travels. Sunny saluted the two and inclined her head slightly asking them if they would prefer to rest first, but Elissa wanted this done, she didn't want any more suffering on either side of the party. Then Jowan drew all attention talking with the First Enchanter, about his escape from the Circle tower and what had happened, this only stoked Sunny's anger toward the Blood Mage more, that they had an inkling he was one before he left the circle and did nothing to stop or control him but before she could speak Alistair had moved to her side and pinched her arm.
"This has nothing to do with us" Alistair whispered.
"But-"
"Enough." He bit out. "Wardens are impartial."
"I am no Warden," she hissed through her teeth. Alistair was shocked, she said it like he had really insulted her, like being a Warden was the worst possible thing. He regained his composure quickly.
"Then please be quiet on the matter, for now, for me." His light brown eyes locked with hers and for a moment he thought he wouldn't be able to hold her gaze when she nodded and her face dropped all emotion and she turned away to look at Elissa and the First Enchanter, he tapped her arm to get her attention to say 'thank you' but she refused to look back at him, giving him a simple nod, a movement so small he wasn't sure it happened at all.
"I could walk the fade." Wynne said, "As could Morrigan."
"I could also." The First Enchanter offered. They talked about it around Elissa and she watched the group talk, her mouth set in a hard line. They were offering their services and Elissa was grateful, but she was worried Wynne could get hurt more than necessary, she was their only Healer other than Sunny, and Morrigan, well, she didn't want to say she didn't trust the woman but she was a very dark and secretive person, and she didn't quite know if Morrigan would do what she would do or just tell her she did to appease her, but Sunny, it would be good for Sunny to work out some of her frustrations about mages now with both mages and Templars in the room. She seemed to distrust any mage despite being one herself and though she could half understand Sunny's disinclination toward Jowan, that didn't mean he had to be condemned.
"Sunny, you will go." Elissa told her, her voice was commanding and held no hesitation, Sunny did not answer at first, her facial expression didn't change either, though if Elissa really looked she was sure the elf's eyes darkened. When finally she spoke and the chill chased up and down Elissa's spine.
"Why is it me that has to go?" Sunny crossed her arms over her chest, her voice holding nothing but distaste, the Templars that arrived with the First Enchanter watched her wearily. Sunny stood to her full height as Elissa did, Alistair still at Sunny's side started to panic, the two women stared at each other, Elissa's hands rested by her side. On the whole journey to the tower Alistair was full of praise and questions about Sunny, truth was they knew nothing about her, though Elissa was sure that was only because Sunny hadn't had any time alone with Alistair, even so Alistair trusted her because she spoke of his father.
"Because Sunny, though you haven't been with us long, you have shown that you are more than capable and Alistair trusts you, I wanted to show you I could trust you too." Elissa's voice was cool and calm despite the stare Sunny had fixed on her.
"What is it you would ask of me? Our options are limited. I either find the boy in the fade and kill him making him Tranquil and the demon will have no bonds with which to hold the child or I can talk to the demon and get it to leave or I could fight it. Though that would be most difficult as weapons don't exactly follow you to the fade." She listed off her fingers.
"I leave it to your judgement as to what has to be done."
"So you wish me to sleep here and fall into the fade and simply do as I will." Sunny shrugged as she walked into the centre of the room. She sat down and rested her forearm on her knee and rubbed her eyes with that hand as she leant back on the other, "let's get this over with." She closed her eyes.
"Can you really just fall asleep, just like that" Alistair spoke as he knelt by her side.
"My kind enter Uthenera when we grow tired and weary with this world, and being a hunter I need to grab sleep whenever possible, so to answer your question I can sleep and wake at the drop of a hat, how else would I be able to protect you, Your Majesty." He grimaced at her formality. And saw her face pull into a frown as his face fell, they said nothing but he knew it must be hard for her to go from addressing someone all the time that way and then being told to stop. She closed her eyes as the Templars and Mages surrounded her preparing for the ritual, semi asleep she was half aware of Alistair leaving her side and another Templar stepping forth, but her awareness fell away piece by piece and soon she was more than aware of the cold hard rock that jutted into her back, she growled audibly she had arrived to the fade unscathed and all she needed to do was to kill this demon in order to get back.
Sunny never enjoyed the fade and being sent here did nothing to help that fact, the air moved different here it was thick, like a tar on the lungs, the entire area was rocky and mountainous and areas were covered in swirls of a green gaseous fog that seemed to cling to your skin and make you feel cold and sweat all at the same time, the sky always a starless night, the only light was either that of your own production or the eerily placed lanterns that seemed to line your path as if someone here already knew where you were planning to go. Nothing here was in your control, and Sunny wasn't used to having no control, in the real world she could turn disadvantages on their heads but here when things happened you had no idea whether it was true or just a figment of your imagination, almost everything here wanted you dead, or tried to convince you to stay, a new play thing in a dull existence.
She walked slowly down the winding path she could hear a child calling for its parents, that was no doubt the boy, Connor, her fingers itched at her empty belt, of course being sent here in her sleep she was also without her blade and there wasn't exactly a blacksmith in the fade that you could go to. Her fingers stroked her leather gauntlet, the hidden dagger also missing like she knew it would be. Upon reaching a small clearing she felt a ghostly rush at her side and saw an ethereal boy run past her, she followed the movement of the wraithlike being only to see many more running around, all calling for help. One of them ran to her.
"Mother?... Father? Where are you? I can't find you, I can't see you." The boy stopped on the tip of his toes directly in front of Sunny. "I haven't seen you before. Are you real? Do you know where mother and father are?" Sunny watched the boy suspiciously, wisps of the fade seemed to float from his strangely luminescent skin. She wasn't sure whether this really was the boy's essence trapped in the fade or whether it was the demon toying with her, so she remained silent. "Why won't you answer me? Where are we?"
"In the fade."
"Wait I know you... you are the pretty elf that stood near mother in the Hall. When... when... I don't know when, I can't remember."
"It was not but a week ago, Connor." The boy's eyes widened at the use of his name as both hands covered his mouth. Before Sunny could stop him he ran off, leaving her to traverse more of the fade in search for this demon.
The fade reflected where you were in the real world so the rocky walls were tall and foreboding just like the castle walls, everything was square and the path was clear and angular, there were moans of an older gentlemen and she was willing to bet her sword arm that the owner of the moaning was the Arl. She continued down the path that was so obviously laid out for her and it did nothing to calm her nerves, the demon knew she was here and was waiting for her. She simply had to pass through the lands she hated the most. There was a constant hum of magic, and a chatter in the back of your head, like you hear in a spider's den in the deep roads. But it echoed around your own head, you simply couldn't get away from it. It only took her a few minutes of walking to realise that she couldn't hear her own footsteps, there seemed to be a delayed echo the closer she drew to the bed and bedside table. The Arl appeared before her as she reached the bed.
"Where is my son? I can hear him but I can't find." The Arl held her arm, her eyes flickered from his hand on her arm to his face, the man recoiled quickly.
"Your boy is here and I'm here to get you both out."
"You're lying-"
"Believe what you may," she spotted a sword stuck behind a shield on the wall above the bed and moved to get it, jumping on his bed and ripping it from the wall with a smile on her lips as she whipped the sword around testing its balance. "But I am your only hope of getting out of this wretched place, so you can either work with me or against me." She held the sword out at him pointing at his throat.
"No you are nothing but a demon you are trying to kill me and my family." He shouted angrily.
"It was your family that put you here." She said nonchalantly as she sheathed the sword. The disbelief on his face let her know that this was truly the Arl and not a demon posing as one, she turned her back on the man and made her way down the only path left to her, leaving the Arl standing afraid to follow and left to look for the son he was unable to find.
With a sword at her hip Sunny walked exuding confidence as she made her way into the apparent arena that the demon stood in the centre of, the Desire demon waited hand on hip and other hand outstretched.
"I knew you were going to come to me and here you are," the demon purred. "Surely we can come to some... arrangement." She touched herself trying to allure Sunny into her. But Sunny smiled a sadistic smile and drew her sword.
"I am afraid your death isn't up for negotiation. I need the boy and his father freed for my master and the only way I get that is your death." She grinned, poising herself for the fight.
"But don't you desire to be free from your bonds... so, so long have you been bound to the Theirins, they use and abuse you" it touched itself roughly as if to accentuate what she was saying. "you have served for so long and with no thanks. Don't you wish you could leave and fall in love like all the people around you, like the king you serve now, looking at the other Warden like some lovesick pup." The demon pulled that straight from Sunnys head, and was rewarded with a snarl.
"Enough, you are just postponing your demise." Sunny struck and the demon faded beneath the blade and appeared behind, but didn't strike.
"It doesn't always have to resort to fighting-" before the demon could elaborate Sunny struck again this time the demon didn't dodge but summoned a wall of ice."Have it your way." The beautiful face turned vile as a snakes' tongue came out between her purple lips. Sunny coated her blade in flames and broke through the ice wall, shock apparent on the demon's face. "I thought you preferred to battle it out like some galumphing oaf but it appears you have some magical talent if you can melt my ice with a weak flame spell like that."
"I am far from weak, demon." Before Sunny could strike again the demon had disappeared, it had evaporated into some form of misty fog, she couldn't see an arm's length the fog was so dense, but lucky for Sunny her seeking magic worked on demons too, she closed her eyes, there was no need for them as she couldn't see the demon, and focused on the sounds around her, she concentrated on the movement of the air on her face and she felt the fog thin by her left cheek and struck out there with a forward thrust, she was met with a violent screech and a splatter of blood as it hit the floor accompanied by the screech of her blade as she withdrew it.