The fog dissipated quickly but the demon was not done, it came for her, its nails the length of daggers, Sunny could hear the slicing of the air as the demon clawed at her too close for comfort, but all in all it was a desire demon, so its forte was in disarming you mentally and giving you what you desired ultimately placating you and eliminating the danger you pose to it and being faced with a physical force that refuses to be pacified they struggled. It did not take long for the demon's form to allow an opening and Sunny ran it through with the blade she held to the hilt coming face to face to the demon.
It drew one last rattling breath as it tried to speak, tried to make a deal one last time, but Sunny twisted the blade earning a splatter and voiceless shriek from the demon. Slowly the fade began to fall away, the world flipped and she felt her back against a cold but flat stone floor, she was back in Thedas. Relief washed through her, she made it back in one piece, she had saved the boy and the demon was slain. Sunny blinked once, everything was blurry and held no colour, she couldn't define any shapes. She blinked twice and colour flooded her but all she could see was a pair of honey coloured eyes, eyes that held her with contempt, she blinked again and again and her focus expanded, the honey eyes sat in a young face, a young and handsome face. Looking at his breastplate she saw the young man was a templar, but she still lay on the floor, she heard Alistair ask if she was awake as the templar held out his hand, knocking it aside she pushed herself into the sitting position, the room spun and she held her head, maybe staying awake the entire time she was here to make sure Isolde didn't approach the blood mage whilst Elissa and Alistair were away seeking help for her mistake and then running about in the fade wasn't such a good idea.
Sunny tried to stand and fell back, the templar caught her, calling back to the First Enchanter.
"Is it normal for the mage to be this worn out?" His voice suited him, it was deep but still held a tone that could convey emotion without making him sound weak, she looked at him, her brows drawn in concentration, trying to remain focused on him, he was young but was mature, he had seen a lot in a short amount of time. He held her gently, his hands on her biceps keeping her up, keeping her steady, but his eyes didn't trust her.
"No, this is quite out of the ordinary." Irving replied with worry.
"I am fine, I just haven't rested." She looked toward Alistair, "I needed to make sure that Isolde wouldn't approach the Blood Mage as soon as your back was turned." Alistair nodded in agreement, though he voiced that he thought she was foolish, a smile on his lips. The two continued to talk and she was telling them what had happened in the fade and all the while she was getting heavier and heavier in the templars arms. The young templar spoke again.
"Are you alright?" His voice was quiet and close to her ear, she turned to face him and only then did she realise she was only still standing because the templar was holding her up with his hands under her arms. There was a little bit of shock on his face, he couldn't believe that any mage could hold this much hatred for another mage, he saw it in the way she looked at the mages from the circle, but he thought maybe that was because she was an apostate. Or maybe she was a Warden, she was travelling with two. She pushed herself to standing taking a few shaky steps back to steady herself all whilst glaring at him, the lump in his throat grew, the mage could stare down a dragon, her emerald eyes looked molten and the faint white markings on her skin that he thought were the tattoos the Dalish wore made the image that more daunting, but the smouldering look faded replaced with an exhaustion he knew all too well and made it to her in time when he saw her eyes roll back.
He caught her face on, pulled to his knees as she knelt on hers, and he watched as she tried so hard to remain focused on his face, on his eyes.
"Would you like to return to your room to rest? You have done your part." Her eyes watched him wearily, "the templars will make sure Jowan does not go free."
"Knight Templar Cullen. You have no right to promise that" Irving chastised and the man named Cullen sighed, a smile starting to form on Sunny's lips.
"The lady can barely stand, she is exhausted, she has protected where it is not her duty but ours, she deserves some kind of reassurance that we will do our part." Cullen spoke and for just a Knight Sunny thought his voice held a lot of authority. His head whipped round as Elissa answered him.
"And it was already decided that the Arl would deal with the Blood Mage, when he awoke." Her gaze burned on Sunny and Cullen noticed Sunny's expression fell away leaving her looking empty, almost wooden.
"He should have been killed where he stood. In that dungeon" Sunny spat as she tried to stand, the Templar Cullen helping her, shock definitely apparent on his face.
"Sunny we went over this." Alistair groaned.
"You knew he was a blood mage and still brought him up here with you." Cullen looked at the trio with uncertainty.
"Well, we didn't until Sunny had him in a vice grip." Alistair chuckled and Jowan shuddered at the memory. He saw the question in Cullen's eyes and answered. "She knows that just as she knows you and myself are Templars, it's a magic she has. Like surveying the area, she could tell you how many people were in a room, including the number of templars and mages, she says they feel differently and thus she can tell who is a blood mage and who is just your regular friendly neighbourhood magician."
"We did go over it, didn't we? May I return to my room for the night? If you plan to leave tonight then just tell me where you are going and I will do my best to meet you after I have rested. Though if you are going to see the Dalish, I will wait out of sight" She turned out of the Templars arms and began to walk to get to her room before she embarrassed herself further with her inability to stand still and steady for more than two seconds. She heard Elissa and Alistair call after her but she raised her hand to silence them and felt her knees tremble. "Just. Leave a note or something" Sunny bit out, she focused her attention on the doorway she could feel the Templar at her side, which angered her further and turned her blazing gaze fully on to the young man, Cullen held her glare, more out of fear of looking away than anything, this woman was angry for reasons beyond him, or maybe she just wanted to rest, after a few seconds he gulped as he held out his hand to her, her eyes flickered from his hand back up to his face and he was sure he saw uncertainty wash over face before it was replaced with disdain.
"I would much appreciate your assistance in helping me get to my room" her voice was barely a whisper, her eyes averted. He nodded and stood beside her as she clutched his forearm, her shoulders sagged as she relaxed against him, a breath of thanks leaving her lips. Cullen slowed his steps from his normal brisk pace to match her unsteady steps, he could hear the Grey Warden Alistair call after her again and whine when he was told to let her go.
They made the way mostly in silence, upon reaching the hallway the woman sagged against him, barely able to stand, he pulled her arm over his shoulder and helped her back to her feet, somehow thinking she wouldn't like it if he carried her the twenty steps to her room. Struggling through the door he laid her gently on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her, she stopped him with her small hand on top of his gauntlet. There was a determined look on her face, one that Cullen found he preferred on her face to the constant scowl he had seen in the hall. She was beautiful, she looked different compared to any elf he had seen in the circle tower, her large and round elven eyes framed underneath with the faint white tattoos that the Dalish had like small branches that reached into her hairline, he had no idea which elven god they where for, but they added to the air of beauty and power that she effortlessly carried. He marvelled at how tall she was, just shorter than himself. She was stunning. But he reminded himself she was also a mage. No matter that she didn't seem to like them herself.
"The Blood Mage," she readjusted herself into a seated position as she started to take off her leather gauntlets. "What do you think should be done with him?" The question took him by surprise, he knew what he wanted to say, the damage that a mage could do simply because they felt like it, or because they didn't like someone, was ridiculous, the man should be taken somewhere where he couldn't hurt anyone.
"He will be dealt with by the Arl but I would take him back so my Knight Commander could place judgement" Cullen said with formality, a Templars duty was to protect and watch, not to cast judgement and kill a mage for being a mage.
"I did not ask what a Templar would think, I asked what you think. You are the Templar they found at the top of Kinloch are you not?" Cullen flinched at this statement. She faltered a little in her speech but continued." Y-You have seen what a mage can do when they believe their view is the right view, they do not think they need to heed to the same rules like the rest of Thedas. They see a chance and take it with no qualms or second thoughts as to the consequences of their actions, they should not..." she let her view go unfinished and it hung in the air. "Why do you still serve?" she asked when she realised he would not talk further. He doesn't answer and moves to the door. "Most would be given leave and a nice sum to keep them going, as well as quiet."
Cullen stands with his back to her in the doorway, biting the inside of his cheek. Why did he still serve? he was offered to leave and he said no, he was to move to another hold, he was worried and excited all at the same time, he had heard so much about Kirkwall's Circle, it was so different, he had heard it was a lot more strict on the mages than the Ferelden Circle.
"I want to protect." He said simply. "I've wanted to be a templar since... before I can even remember. I pestered the templars in my home town until they finally took me seriously, I don't know if there is anything else I can do now." His mind went to the leash of Lyrium he had, if he left on good terms surely they would still give him enough to keep the pain of the addiction at bay. He could hear Sunny stifling a yawn, she was so... different, was that the word. She was a mage and an elf, but acted like none he had ever met before, she was perpetually angry. She held an odd three-pronged sword on her hip and a bow across her back. She didn't even have a staff, well at least he hadn't seen one. She had the markings of the Dalish on her face but was quick enough to protest on meeting with them, perhaps even admitting she dislikes them. Whether it was because they were Dalish in general or she personally knew them he didn't know. Well he had no right to know, he didn't want or need to know anything about her he told himself.
"That is noble" was all she said as she was removing her armour to settle into bed.
"You can tell a Blood Mage from the norm?" He turned to look over his shoulder, his hand on the door knob, Sunny nodded. "Would you travel with us back to the hold, to make sure no blood mages are still amongst them, or at least tell us if there is?" he turned back to face her as he asked, her hand came to her chin in deep thought, she really was tired and now her skin looked pallid, her eyes dark and sunken.
"I will have to ask Alistair, I can't see that he will have any objections but I still need to ask." Sunny started to get up, she was clothed in nothing but a small slip of fabric, something silken to stop the chafing of her armour, he could see the outline of her form, and felt something stir he didn't think would again, not after Surana, not after what happened. Cullen let go of the door, his arms outstretched, telling her to get back to bed, she needed the rest and he was more than capable of asking Alistair. His hands now on her shoulders gently pushing her back down onto the bed."No. No. I should be the one to ask him, he did not deserve the way I treated him today."
"Then I would suggest asking him after you have rested, come for breakfast in the morning and ask him then." Cullen reasoned and she seemed to nod and agree before letting Cullen lay her back gently onto the bed, her chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm, she was already fast asleep. Cullen left quietly, closing the door softly behind him. He would ask the Warden Alistair himself, though he wondered what hold the man had over her, what he asked, she seemed to do, even when she seemed not to agree with it.
Not that it had anything to do with him, nor did he care, but a woman that strong, following the will of another, he couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.