As the message had been from Jose about how she was needed in the main hall, it was not Jose but Cullen who greeted her upon arrival.
"Forgive me, for personal interest, I have relieved Josephine. AS you might expect." Cullen said quietly to her, as he walked her up to the dais where the judgement chair sat. At first, she didn't understand what he meant, but quickly put it together. Samson must have awoken from his injured state enough to be judged. So she sat and waited for the injured man to be dragged forth. Sooner, the better, right? She took a moment to be amused at herself. She remembered when she avoided this chair just months before.
Cullen began the announcement as the chained Samson was brought before him. Even "healthy" he'd looked unhealthy. Now he looked downright close to death.
"Knight Templar Samson, General to Corypheus's army, traitor to the order. The blood on his hands cannot be measured. His head is too valuable to take. Many would see him dead and I can't say that I'm not one of them."
Samson growled up at them saying the red lyrium would soon take their vengeance for them. That is had only been Cory's direct intervention that had stopped him from dying thus far.
Samson, suddenly energized, went into a tirade about how the Order had always been used. Addicted, in pain, and discarded as soon as their use came to an end or if they stepped out of line.
Mara could see both Cullen's disgust and a resentful understanding of the issues. She was very much in an observational role for this case. Seemed like this was more an argument of opinion between Cullen and Samson. But Samson had lost. Two men, with the same beginnings... and drastically different endings.
"****** on it! Same lie as the Chantry. Prophet just isn't as pretty."
Cullen seemed quiet for the moment, so Mara spoke up.
Samson sneered at her and told her it wasn't her business. Mara shouldn't be surprised. Did she expect a prisoner of war to suddenly repent?
Cullen's anger was refreshed by the disrespect. "Maddox was so loyal he killed himself. for you."
Samson replied they were all going to die anyway. He'd just tried to feed them hope instead of despair. It had all ended as well as anything else he'd ever done. After a brief pity party, Samson said he would be killed on sight for his failure, so they could use him as they wished.
Mara steepled her fingers together in thought. Dagna had wanted to study him just as she had wanted to study the Inquisitor. Two other countries were directly interested in Samson's fate, so she could send him off to be judged by one of them. Then there was the good classics of exile and imprisonment. Skyhold's prison cells had yet to be used for anything more than waiting areas.
Exile seemed too dangerous; this man harbored a sickening charisma that had gathered many confused men to his side to their eventual destruction. Mara had no interest in using Inquisition resources to baby sit the man as a perpetual prisoner either. And remanding him to Kirkwall seemed like she was just pushing her responsibiltiy on someone else.
Cullen and Samson's fates were tied, for better or ill. Cullen was also very personally interested, an obvious fact.
"Cullen will be your handler.Perhaps he can get something useful out of you." She added.
Samson just seemed perturbed. "I doubt the Commander believes there's anything worthy left in me."
And that was that. Cullen stalked from the Main hall and Mara swiftly followed. Had she upset him with the judgement? She caught him halfway to his office; he hadn't heard her call to him 3 times.
He slowed down for her, apologizing, and indicated that she should walk with him back to his office. As they walked, he spoke of his anger regarding Samson. That he had taken everything from those Templars.
They arrived at his office, and Cullen returned to the other side of his desk. Mara crossed her arms as he picked up Inquisition missives in agitation.
Mara understood his agitation, but all of this was as solved as it would ever be,
Cullen took one heavy breath, before trying to relax. Not quite successful, but calmer nonetheless, he went on. Samson did not have his mind twisted; he had known what he'd been doing. That he dared speak of twisting the templars with red lyrium as a mercy made Samson a monster. Sneering, not at Mara, but at the mere thought of Samson, he concluded that the man had better be useful for his information; his life meant little else now.
Mara was curious, although she agreed with his assessement. Did he feel no sympathy for the man he used to know? But Cullen would have none of it. He only felt sympathy for those Samson had betrayed. Cullen began to pace again, his hand on the pommel of his sword.
"The Red Templars needed to have been torn down. We've broken Corypheus's army."
Cullen paused, became quiet, turning towards her once again.
Now that was an uncomfortable thought. could Cullen have been twisted as the other Templars had been? She'd like to believe he would have been one of the Templars who had been tricked into the lyrium, as much as that was a morbid wish for this alternative reality. Luckily, a different fate had been chosen by Cullen. He didn't seem to want to dwell on that thought process either and changed the subject.
Mara considered before answering. She'd thought everyone nuts for thrusting her into a position of leadership but had even surprised herself on multiple occasions about how well she'd taken to it. She'd expected to be wallowing in resentment, but had instead thrived where she'd thought she would falter. On the one hand, she seemed to just go with her gut and some quick thinking. On the other, when deep thought had been called for, she'd scraped up enough idealism and aggression to sound like wisdom. Whether due to luck or latent skill, it had all worked out. She realized, amused at herself, that Cullen was still waiting for an answer.
"Or it could have been worse." He quipped back.
Mara was pretty amused at his social awkwardness, but was touched that he'd reached out. He turned his eyes back to her.
"You've led us this far. Whether you were sent by the Maker or not, you were needed here."
Mara smiled, they shared a moment, and then she dismissed herself.
But seriously, taking into account the logistics of travel, weather, troop movements, etc, etc, it can't all be over in just a few months.
Retour en haut
about Clans kicking their extra mages. It almost sounds calculatingly reasonable until you remember how closely knit they are, how their species and culture is dying out...
Will have to redact when warranted.
