For Shades of Grey: This takes place just after the Broken Circle quest and the group has saved Connor.
Aftermath…
The Circle Tower was cleansed and freed. The abominations were eradicated, and Uldred, or more to the point what used to be Uldred, was slain. Only one blood mage was left alive, and she was captured by the Templars while still within the tower. Her fate was decided as soon as she was found, and a magical ward placed to imprison her until the Rite of Tranquility could be performed. Greagoir and Irving had both wanted her killed, but the wardens had convinced the two tower leaders that tranquility was the best option as she could still help serve the Circle in the rebuilding process. Unfortunately later that first evening she was found dead of an apparent suicide, she feared tranquility over death. Irving himself was angered at the turn of events, but surprisingly Greagoir appeared sympathetic saying she was yet another wayward mage lost in a tragedy that should never have happened. He placed the blame for it solely on Uldred and his few followers, and praised those mages left alive for their fortitude and resilience in the face of extreme circumstances. The man was actually proud of them. Dan had requested a special recommendation posthumously for Niall. His actions had been vital in the success of recovering the tower and saving the mages. Irving and Greagoir agreed and mentioned a statue might be placed in the library honoring Niall’s memory.
Dan and his companions had caught the ship that was returning to Redcliffe. After their previous experience with the storms, he was glad to have smoother sailing all of the way across Lake Calenhad. Several mages had accompanied them including Irving. With their help along with Morrigan’s the boy Connor had been saved. The mages had returned to the Circle leaving on the ship the day before, and Dan watched the waters of the Lake around Redcliffe from the balcony of his room in the castle. Isolde was staying by Eamon’s side, and she had tasked them with finding the Urn of Sacred Ashes. She believed it was the only way to wake the Arl, and before Irving had left he agreed. Neither he nor any of his accompanying mages could wake Eamon using magic.
The water was calm from Dan’s vantage, and a slight morning breeze blew up from it. He closed his eyes and let it wash over his face and bald head. He had seen more horrendous things in the past few months than he thought he would ever see. From the murder of his family, the darkspawn in the Korcari Wilds, the defeat of the army at Ostagar, the torn veil and demons at Soldier’s Peak, the walking dead in Redcliffe, and then the Tower, he didn’t know what was yet to come. Alistair and Sten had been insistent they head for Denerim right away, but Dan wanted another day in Redcliffe to rest in some semblance of comfort before hitting the road again. It took some persuading to get Alistair to agree, and then the two a lot more to convince Sten as well. Today was the day they had decided to leave.
His darkspawn nightmares were less frequent or vivid as they had been right after the joining, but that didn’t stop ones like the one he had just woken up from. He was back in the Circle Tower fighting demons, abominations, and blood mages bent on either killing him or subjugating him to their will. It was not those that had caused him to wake in a cold sweat, but what he saw before encountering them. The bodies in the apprentice and mage quarters along the first and second floors of the tower were the images that haunted him in his dreams. Children were burned and broken, their faces contorted in looks of shock and fear. Some older ones showed signs of struggle as they had tried to fight whatever had attacked them. Worse was the second floor where the bodies showed even more signs of surprise. Dan suspected these more experienced mages had been caught unawares. Injuries to the back or side of the head were a common sight amongst the bodies. There were even two sets of couples that apparently were in the middle of sexual fervor when they were killed. Leliana had found the first couple in one of the more private corners of a smaller library. Their bodies were still intertwined, and faces expressing bliss. Hopefully they never knew what had happened to them or anything around them when they had died. The second couple was found in one of the quarters. He had been killed trying to protect her, both bodies burned enough one could not tell if they were elf or human. Still more had been killed in their sleep and never aware of any danger. He shuddered at the thought that reminded him of his home and the night Howe had murdered his family. Similar scenes of chaos and destruction though both stemming from different sources the results looked eerily the same. Death and destruction looked the same to him no matter where it came from.
He continued staring out at the water when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He recognized her smell, and turned to see her standing behind him smiling. Leliana was still asleep when he had woken and snuck out trying to let her continue sleeping that morning. She was barefoot and wrapped in a blanket from their bed. He smiled back at her and brushed some of her hair from her eyes.
“Sleep well?” he asked.
“About as well as you,” she replied. “Were they bad this time?”
“Like usual,” Dan said and then turned to look over the lake again.
They had not been sleeping together long. It was only the ship ride to the Circle Tower when they finally announced to the rest of their group that they were a couple. But it had been long enough she could tell when he had nightmares, and enough to tell when they were especially bad. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his back.
“Last night was worse than usual,” she remarked. “You were even talking in your sleep this time, about demons and not darkspawn.”
“I was back in the tower. I still can’t get those children out of my mind. They…they…” he trailed off.
“I see them sometimes in my dreams too,” she replied. “They ask me to help them, but I can’t because they are already gone. Sometimes I wake up crying in the middle of the night.”
He turned around and wrapped one arm around her, and held her head with the other hand as she laid it on his shoulder.
“I thought my vision was about the Blight,” she continued. “But everywhere we go is the darkness and chaos. And we haven’t even gone anywhere to fight darkspawn yet.” She looked up into his eyes. “Do you think this will ever end?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “But I intend to keep fighting it until it’s over or it takes me.”
“And I’ll be there at your side, always.”
They held their embrace watching over the lake and the calm waters. Neither knew how long they held that embrace until Dan’s stomach growled. They both chuckled at the sound enjoying a light moment amongst the dark mood of the morning. The time hers growled they parted. She started towards the bed to replace the blanket, and he towards the door.
“I think I’ll head down to the kitchens and find us something to break our fast. Anything in particular you want?”
“Let me get dressed and I’ll join you,” she answered.
“Nonsense. This morning I will bring it up here for us to enjoy together, just the two of us.”
“Ooooh…in that case see if there are any sugary cakes,” she smiled.
“As you wish, my love,” he replied and blew her a kiss as he went out the door.
He walked down to the kitchens to find what the cooks had made so far that morning. He found some bacon and ham, boiled eggs, and some freshly baked bread. He also grabbed two goblets and some wine. There were no cakes or anything sugary that he could take back to Leliana. He found a serving tray to carry it all and began his trek back to room. He was happy to not come across any of his other companions but also surprised none of them had woken up yet. He got back to find Leliana sitting in bed wearing the same gown.
“I thought you said you were getting dressed,” he said smiling as he closed the door behind him.
“No sugary cakes?” she said frowning. He shook his head no. She lowered her head and pouted at him. She couldn’t hold it long, however, and soon was smiling at him. They shared their meal playfully feeding each other and drinking from each other’s goblets. They were almost finished when the knock came at the door. Dan cracked the door when he answered since her gown was lighter and more revealing than what she normally wore when travelling. Alistair was standing in the hallway.
“Morning,” the former Templar said. “You two sleep in this morning?”
“We’ve been up for some time,” Dan replied.
“Have you two…you know?” Alistair grinned.
“No…not that I would tell you if we had,” Dan answered.
“Well, I was getting ready to head to the kitchens. Want to come along?”
“We actually just finished out morning meal,” Dan replied. “I brought it up here so we could eat alone.”
“And you didn’t invite me?”
“I said so we could be ‘alone,’” Dan grinned.
“But…wait…is that bacon I smell? Maybe I could join you now?” Alistair started to push on the door when Dan stopped him with his hand and shook his head smiling. “Oh…alright…good morning, Leliana,” he said. Dan began pushing him out of the door. “Ok…ok…come down and join me later?” he asked as Dan closed the door on him.
Leliana smiled at him as he walked back over to their table. They cleaned up the empty plates and goblets, and he left her to get cleaned up and dressed as he took them back down to the kitchens. He met Alistair in the dining hall, and he was alone with a plate of bacon, bread, and cheese.
“There wasn’t any cheese when I came down earlier,” Dan said as he sat across the table from his friend.
“There isn’t now either,” Alistair said grinning, and then he took a bite of the cheese.
“An old stash of yours?”
“Nope, but I know where Teagan kept his.” He laughed as Dan just shook his head grinning.
“Can I ask you something?” he said looking at his friend who nodded back. “You still think about what happened back at the tower? I mean with the demons and abominations?”
Alistair finished the piece of cheese he was chewing on, and then washed it down with some wine. “A little. When I was in the chantry they told us about what we could expect to see, but none of that prepared me for what we saw in the tower.”
“Kind of like when you first saw darkspawn?”
“Yes, exactly,” replied Alistair. “But…we got out alive and mostly in one piece. I feel sorry for the mages, though. They have a lot of rebuilding to do.”
“I’ve been having some nightmares about it,” Dan said looking down at the table.
“About the demons and abominations? I found them scary too.”
“I mean the dead we found,” Dan said looking back up. “Especially the children. And some of those we found on the second floor…the way we found some of them…some even…” he trailed off as Alistair nodded.
“I guess that is one good thing going for the Templar training I got. They trained us to look at mages as potential threats to people more than people themselves. I never believed in that, myself, but I guess part of it must have stuck with me. It bothers me how we found them, but not enough to have any nightmares.”
“I envy you on that,” Dan said quietly.
“Don’t,” Alistair started. “I wish I did have nightmares, actually. Especially about the children.”
“How do you think that Templar we found is handling this? Cullen I think his name was.”
“He’ll probably get sent off to Greenfell,” Alistair replied.
“He saw the worst of it, I think. He saw fellow Templars slaughtered or enthralled, mages killed and tortured by other mages, and others messing around with his own thoughts. He thought we were visions when we first found him.”
“I don’t think I would have lasted as long as he did.”
“No?” Dan asked.
“Not like he did. I can understand his hatred of mages after what he went through. I hope what feelings and compassion he might have had for mages returns to him wherever he gets sent to.”
“Did you agree with him? I mean about killing all of the mages?”
“Why ask me that?”
“Because of that Templar training you had. It almost sounds like they try to desensitize you to them.”
“I think they try, although most of the recruits I knew didn’t agree with it. I know I didn’t. Not all mages will become blood mages or abominations. I mean, it’s not their fault they were born with magic. And that harrowing thing they have to endure is much like our joining. I actually have a lot of respect for harrowed mages. They go through a lot just to live a life even if it never will be what you or I would call a normal one.”
“Well, I hope that Cullen comes through ok,” Dan said. “I mean…I’m having nightmares after only seeing the aftermath of the whole thing. I imagine he must be living a waking nightmare having lived it and seen it all happen firsthand.”
“So do it, but only time will tell,” Alistair replied as he began to stand up. “I doubt we’ll ever find out. Have you talked to Leliana about this at all?”
“We talked some this morning,” Dan replied standing up as well. “Though the thing about Cullen I’ve been meaning to ask you about since you had the Templar background.”
“I get the impression that Greagoir will make sure he’s taken care of. Not only does he seem to care about his men, but cares about the mages under his care. He talked about how painful it would have been to find no mages left alive. That I think is rare in a Knight Commander. But then again, I didn’t know a lot of Knight Commanders.”
The two men walked out not saying more, and then parted to begin packing their things for their trip to Denerim. The plan was to begin after they and their companions were all awake and ready to leave. No matter what they felt about the remaining mages and Templars at the Circle Tower, their priority was to end the Blight, and to do that they needed to find the Urn and cure Eamon. But Dan still thought about those children as he packed his things along with Leliana. If only they had gotten there sooner, and how many times would he be saying that again before it was all over.
Modifié par RagingCyclone, 05 novembre 2011 - 09:16 .
eerily prophetic? 
)
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My main mage is definitely Glorfindel of Gondolin - Bold, daring, willing to give it all for the safety of his companions, his lord, and his home. 
Love the new prompt *puts on thinking cap* I will definitely have to fill this weeks! 
But then again, my Dalish will nagging me until I have finished her story, so don't worry. 
You say that now, but I'm sure you'll hate me for my next chap, lol. 
And I won't leave, I just find it a pity that my brain is uncapable to produce anything in writing than OEaH atm. I used to be good at that prompt thingie. *sadpanda*
