by Milton Garby
"A fine plan indeed, Aedan." Morrigan commented. "Though I would examine, your food and drink far more closely from now on, were I you."
"I didn't realize you cared so much, Morrigan." Aedan laughed.
"But of course. If you died than we'd be stuck with Alistair. Then we'd all be doomed."
"Hey!" Alistair protested.
Aedan helped Zevran to his feet. "Thank you, Warden. I, Zevran Arinai, hereby pledge my oath of loyalty to you, until such a time you see fit to release me from it or death takes me. I ameyour man without reservation…this I swear."
Aedan looked at him seriously. "I accept your oath of loyalty, Zevran. And will hold you to it, lest you shame us both. Welcome to our merry little band."
And so the Wardens, with their newfound companion continued their long journey. Perhaps in serving the Warden, Zevran would find some worthy meaning to his life. Although Aedan questioned the wisdom of his decision when learned that Zevran was as deviant as he was skilled. This became apparent when Zevran immediately set to work on trying to get into Leliana's, Morrigan's and even his pants. Why couldn't he attract more normal people?
Happening in Kinloch Hold
Aedan was not a religious man. In fact you could say he held all gods in contempt, especially the Maker. It didn't matter to him if the gods truly existed, what mattered to him was the gods demanded so much and gave back so little. But right now what was really pissing him off was it seemed like all the gods in existence were conspiring against him! Here he was, knee-deep in abominations, demons and blood-mages in the middle of the circle tower! "Go to the tower first." He said. "It'll be easy." He said. Someone out there must have really hated Aedan's guts!
Three Hours Earlier
The party made their way west from Lothering and came to a fork in the road going towards Lake Calenhad. If they headed south they would reach Redcliffe within a few days and if they headed north they would reach Kinloch Hold and the Circle of Magi in the same amount of time.
"We should probably head south. If what Donnal said about what's happening in Redcliffe is true we will want to meet with the arlessa as soon as possible." Alistair suggested.
Aedan though for a moment. "A good plan but I think we should head north first, to the Circle tower at Kinloch Hold. If what Ser Donnal said is true than this would probably much easier."
"How do you figure?"
"From what you've told me, you and Arlessa Isolde have a frosty relationship at best and I don't think she will be forthcoming with our request. The mages however are probably a more simple matter. We arrive, we show them the treaty that compels them to lend us aide and from there we take a boat ride down to Redcliffe. It should be a simple matter of diplomacy. We'll be gone as quickly as we arrived."
Naturally everyone decided to go with Aedan's plan instead of Alistair's and they traveled north. To think that if everyone, including Alistair, valued Alistair's opinion they could all be at Redcliffe right now enjoying the Orlesian Alessa's frigid hospitality. There was definitely someone out there who had it out for Aedan. For starters when they arrived at the docks at Lake Calenhad to take them to the tower they were met by a Templar whose intellect was so questionable Aedan wondered if the man was lyrium-addled or just a prick. Probably both.
"Oh, look! In the water! There's a god-awful, hideous freak tainting the water!" Aedan cried.
"Where!?" Cried the Templar his sword drawn.
Aedan kick the man square in the ass and off the dock. "Oh, look. There it is. Come on, let's go." Everyone got in the boat and rowed off leaving the Templar wading in the water and looking stupid. Well, stupider.
"Just think Alistair that could have been you." Aedan joked. "If the rest of the Templars are like this then getting the Circle's aide should be no problem at all."
Present Time
Knight-Commander Gregoir made it adamantly clear that unless they were able to rescue the First Enchanter and confirm that the tower is safe that he would annul the tower. They could not allow this to happen. Aedan and Alistair were reunited with Senior Enchanter Wynne who came back from Ostagar to warn the Circle of Loghain's treachery only to discover that Senior Enchanter Uldred was in the midst of convincing the Circle to ally with Loghain in exchange for more freedoms. When he was confronted with the truth he somehow summoned forth demons and abominations that tore the Circle asunder. Wynne escaped and managed to rescue some children and a few apprentices and joined Aedan and his group to set things right.
They ran afoul of more blood-mages that resurrected the corpses of the slain to fight. Aedan smiled deviously. Yes, let them summon the dead, fill the air with their entropic energies and feed him. He reaved and slaughtered all the walking corpses that came at him, cutting the down and splitting them in half with his axe, and what injuries he received were instantly recovered by the entropic energy of the undead. Soon the living corpses became eviscerated corpses all that was left was the three blood-mages.
Alistair used a holy-smite to disable them before they could summon forth anymore spells. Aedan assumed the frightening appearance of a horned demon with burning eyes. The blood-mages could scarcely believe what they saw, a man turned demon! One of them was so overcome with fright he tripped over a dead body and broke his neck, the sound of the man's vertebrae snapping was like music to Aedan. He charged at the second blood-mage, a fat man with brown hair that looked like a pile of shit atop his head, and grabbed him by the neck, slamming him against the wall!
"MAKER SAVE ME!" He cried.
Aedan forced him to gaze upon his smoldering face, forcing tears and piss to leave the mage, "The Maker isn't here, bloodmage! But I'll take the message!" Aedan slowly squeezed his fist around the mages throat and felt his windpipe slowly crushing beneath his grip. The man's eyes bugged out of his skull as he died staring at Aedan's horrible face.
Aedan threw the mage's dead body against a wall and turned his attention to the final blood-mage, a young woman with chestnut hair tied into buns. She threw her staff to the ground and fell to her knees.
"Please, please, don't kill me!" she sobbed.
Aedan looked down on her and felt disgust, there was nothing more pathetic than a murderer begging for mercy. "The people you killed didn't want to die either!"
The woman focused her attention on the floor desperately trying to avoid the warrior's horrible face and trying to hold back her sobs. "I know I have no right to beg for my life." She wept. "Uldred said that if we sided with Loghain he would free us from the Chantry. You don't know what it was like. The Templars watchin…always watching."
"And so you decided to fight back."
"The magic was a means to an end. It gave us….it gave me the power I needed to fight for what I believe in."
This sounded familiar. Suddenly Aedan was reminded of the gift Leandra gave him.
"Fighting for what you believe is commendable." Wynne spoke. "But the ends don't always justify the means."
"You don't really believe that, do you Wynne? Change hardly comes peacefully. In any fight for freedom there is always blood spilt. Andraste waged war on the Imperium, she didn't write them a strongly worded letter. King Maric overthrew the Orlesians and won Ferelden back its freedom, but people died for it."
Aedan couldn't deny this truth. Of anyone who fought against the Orlesians for the freedom of their people, King Maric probably had the most blood on his hands. And it was worth it.
"We thought someone always has to take the first step, force a change no matter the cost."
"Nothing is worth what you've done to this place!" Wynne argued.
"And now Uldred's gone mad. And we are scattered, doomed to die by those who seek to right our wrongs."
Aedan's disgust slowly turned into pity. It was this woman and many like her that made Aedan despise the Chantry. She didn't ask to be a mage and just wanted to live her life as she wished, instead the Chantry made her desperate enough to want to fight for what should have been hers to begin with. But no matter h
ow just her cause was or how much he hated the Chantry that doesn't change the fact that she killed those who trusted her, murdered the very people she wanted to free. Such hypocrisy couldn't go unanswered.
"And now after murdering the very people you claimed to fight for, all you can do is wallow in self-pity? How pathetic." Aedan sneered.
"But was else can I do? I'm trapped here."
"Why should I even consider letting you live after what you've done, you hypocrite?"
"Please, if you let me go I-I could escape and seek penance with the Chantry." The blood-mage pleaded.
"You know, they'll never take you." Alistair interrupted "They're very picky about who they let in. I mean, harlots, murderers, war-criminals and even rapists, but malificarum? Oh no."
"You're comments betray your ignorance Alistair." Leliana argued. "The Chantry accepts all, regardless of what they've done."
"Well, it seems you're familiar with a very different kind of Chantry, 'cause the one I know wouldn't hesitate to stick a sword of mercy right through her heart!"
Aedan couldn't believe the words coming from Leliana's mouth. "Leliana are you blind or truly ignorant? If the Chantry was as caring and wonderful as you believe it to be the elves would have a homeland and people like her wouldn't need to resort to bloodmagic to fight for freedom." Aedan could tell that that stung Leliana.
"The Qun is perfectly clear on what to do with an unbound mage. You see what the weakness of your kind has brought here. You must slay her to ensure that this place is cleansed." Sten reasoned.
"You would slay someone simply for fighting for their freedom?" Morrigan interjected. "This woman merely turned to the only weapons at her disposal, to take back what this Circle stole. Would you, would anyone else, not do the same?"
"Everyone SHUT UP!" Aedan demanded all their opinions was giving him a massive headache.
"I just want my life. Please!" The mage begged.
"And how will you get out? With bloodmagic?"
"I'll find a way. I swear I'll find something good to do with my life."
"No! Not good enough! You've murdered too many people to be allowed to just have your freedom when it cost others more. You want to do something good with your life? Then fight the darkspawn!"
"F-fight the darkspawn? But I'm a…"
"Malificar!" Aedan spat. "So killing should come easy for you!" Aedan could tell that hurt the mage, but it was true. Her crimes and her victims demanded justice.
"This is not wise, Warden. You know you cannot trust her." Said Wynne.
"Contrary to what you believe, Wynne, there is such a thing as a grey area. She either redeems herself against the darkspawn or dies fighting them. Either way justice is served." Aedan reasoned.
"An…interesting observation. Very well. Do what you must."
The bloodmage stood to her feet. "What happens now? Am I to follow you?"
"Go to the apprentice quarters. Don't tell anyone who you are."
"Yes. I will fight the darkspawn. Thank you for your mercy." And she left.
"That was not wise." Sten pointed out. "That woman and all these mages are beyond control. Like a rabid animal it must be put down lest it spread its illness to others."
"You were locked in a cage, Sten." Aedan rebutted, "I would think you would know that a caged animal will only tolerate so much before it finally bites back."
"I would not do that to at the behest of a demon."
"Ah, so we are in agreement, then. You do not need a demon to be a murderer, do you?" Aedan glared at Sten, and Sten said nothing.
Wynne took the point and led the group to Irving's office if there was any luck he would be there. As much as Wynne was truly thankful that the Wardens arrived when they did, she found Aedan to be most unsettlying, frightening even. Alistair was obviously trained as a Templar and seemed like a well-meaning young man. But Aedan was different. It was obvious that he was trained to take command, he knew how to lead men but his methods of combat and his training were not of conventional means. He fought with unbridled anger and seemed to revel in the pain he inflicted. And his abilities…if it wasn't for the fact that he a non-mage she would swear he was using bloodmagic. Wynne had heard of warriors like him; Reavers, men who slew or worshiped dragons and used their blood to grant them incredible and terrible powers. How did Aedan come by such power, who was he?
They arrived at Irving's office only to find it empty. So far fortune was not on their side. "This is Irving's office. I had hoped to find him here, but I suppose that's too much to ask. Let's see if there's anything here that can help us."
Aedan found a tightly sealed trunk with protective runes scripted on it. The runes ceased glowing, the effects of what was happening in tower had worn them out. Aedan used his knife and popped the trunk open to search its contents. Inside Aedan found some master lyrium potions more poultices and some arcane tomes. He searched some more and found an ancient-looking leather bound tome with the image of a leafless tree inscribed into the leather. Flemeth's Grimoire. Morrigan had approached him about it, certain that the Circle would still have it, apparently she was right. Aedan flipped through some of the pages but it was written in some sort of Chasind scripture he couldn't read. This book contained Flemeth's knowledge of the dark arcane arts and Morrigan wished to have it to increase her power and gain the knowledge that her mother never wanted her to possess, knowledge that was potentially very dangerous. For a second Aedan thought about not giving it to her, but he concluded that this wasn't his to take.
The group pressed on through the tower facing the various demons, abominations and malificar that infested it looking for this Niall and the Litany of Adralla. If what Wynne and these bloodmages told them was true it would be their best weapon against Uldred when they reached the heart of this disaster.
They were now close to the harrowing chamber where Owain said Niall was headed, with any luck they could catch him. Aedan busted the door leading into the hall and they were horrified to be greeted by a tall sloth abomination, his flesh twisted and disgusting. At his feet was the body of a young mage, but he didn't appear to be dead.
"Oh, look. Visitors." The creature said in lazy, gravelly voice. "I'd entertain you but…too much effort involved."
"Oh, good, that'll make your decapitation that much easier." Aedan threatned.
"But why? Aren't you tired of all the violence in this world? I know I am. Wouldn't like to just lay down and….forget about it all? Just leave it all behind?"
Suddenly Aedan and the others felt strange, so very tired. No! Aedan had to keep his eyes open! What magic was this? Aedan's eyes started closing against his will, he had to stay awake.
Alistair tried, pitifully, to slap himself awake. "Can't keep…my eyes open. Somebody…pinch…me."
"This is ridiculous." Morrigan denied, but her deep yawning betrayed her. "You can't expect to sleep on a floor sticky with blood…"
Sten fell to his knees but fought to get back on his feet, but it was like the weight of the world was crashing on his back.
"I will…not…listen to your lies, demon." Leliana said defiantly, but vainly as she fell to the floor. "You have…no power over me."
"Resist!" Wynne implored as she fought he hardest to obey her own words. "You must resist, let we are all lost…"
The demon loomed over them, the strange magic radiating from his body. "Why do you fight? You deserve more…you deserve a rest. The world will go on without you." Aedan's eyes closed, his world went dark and he drifted off into sweet oblivion.
Aedan's eyes shot open, what the hell just happened? Where the hell was he? He couldn't remember what just happened, did he have a dream? Why couldn't he remember it? Aedan looked at his surroundings; he was back in his room in Highever Castle. How could he be here? Wasn't he supposed to be somewhere else? Slowly he rose from his bed and walked the room, everything was exactly as it had always been. His drawings still littered his table, all his books remained on the shelf; it was like he never left. D
id he even leave? Aedan put some cloths and walked out of his room. Perhaps walking the grounds would ease his mind.
Everything was just as it was, as it had always been. The guards at their posts, Brother Aldous in his study, even Nan was still hollering at the servants in the kitchen. Was his dream really just that? Aedan made his way into the great hall.
"Ah, pup there you are. You've been sleeping so long I wondered if you'd ever get up." Teryn Bryce stood at the fireplace with Fergus smiling at him. Why did Aedan feel so happy to see them?
"Father? W-what's going on?"
"Oh, your brother and I just got a message from the king. He wants to hold a giant celebration at Denerim to celebrate our victory."
"Victory? Wait. What happened to the darkspawn? What happened at Ostagar?"
"Have you forgotten already, pup? Well, I suppose if I was that drunk I'd probably be nursing a hangover for a month."
Fergus walked up to his brother and put his arm around him. "Ah, you should've seen it, little brother! It was truly a shame you couldn't there! The battle was everything King Cailan promised and more! The king's army held the frontline against the 'spawn while Loghain charged their flank and smashed them like they were made of glass! And when the Archdemon appeared, Oh, you should have seen how the Grey Wardens destroyed the creature! That was truly one of the greatest moments in Ferelden history!"
Could this be true? Were the darkspawn gone? Was Ferelden truly safe? Why did it feel like there was something tickling at the back of Aedan's mind?
"Come now, my husband." Chimed Oriana's Antivan voice. "You already made your brother so jealous he went and got drunk all night. You don't need to keep putting salt in the wound."
"Oh, alright, fine. Sorry, brother. The king will be hosting a grand tournament at the celebration. Perhaps you can show off your skill there."
"Uncle? You promised to teach me to use a sword when papa came home. Will you teach me now?" Little Oren came from behind his mother's skirt and walked up to Aedan, his little eyes peering up at him. Aedan felt overwhelmed with a feeling of utter joy that he couldn't explain, everything was just as it had always been yet he couldn't be so happier. Aedan felt tears of joy trail from his eyes.