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The Mage and the Templars	By : Nyghtlei17 Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 8458 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age or any of its characters. I do not make any money off of this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 11
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- 13
Being inside the Chantry made her nervous. Prayers made her nervous. The idea of talking out loud about all of your hopes, dreams, and fears to nothing seemed kind of scary. She never understood why it comforted people. How did they know anyone was listening? How did they know anyone cared? There were so many people, humans and elves, praying and crying, pleading and worshipping. It was all very unsettling. Alistair looked uncomfortable as well. “I hate these places”, he mumbled.
   She nodded in agreement. They were getting some looks of course. It was unusual for a Mabari to be seen inside the Chantry. Their attire might also have been a factor. “Ho there, friend”, a Templar stopped them. “Not often we see Grey Wardens here.”
   “How do you know who we are?”, Kitsune asked.
   He smiled, “All of Lothering is talking about the silver haired elf and the spider lady who made quite the scene in the pub. The name is Bryant”, he extended his hand.
   Alistair took the man’s hand eagerly. “Ser Bryant. I’m Alistair.”
   “Alistair? Like the little ginger boy who was always being scolded for sliding down the banisters, that Alistair?”
   He blushed as he answered, “That was definitely me.”
   “I had heard Duncan recruited you before you took your vows. The Grey Wardens must have seemed more glorious than the Templars.” She noticed how uneasy Bryant’s comment was making Alistair.
   “You two know each other?”, Leliana asked.
   “We’ve never properly met but I remember hearing about Arl Eamon’s charge making all the sisters want to pull out their hair”, Bryant smiled at Alistair.
“Were you really that horrible?”, Kitsune asked. She knew he had an unusual knack for annoying people but she could only imagine what he was like as a child.
“I used to scream like a banshee in the middle of the night. The sisters would come rushing to my room asking me what was wrong. I would tell them I was just checking. That place could get very quiet, very lonely”, he had a faint smile on his face. “They never really forgave me for that.”
“Even as a child you were a nuisance”, Morrigan grumbled, her arms folded across her chest. Being in the Chantry and surrounded by people that opposed her was making her uneasy as well, Kitsune noted.
“You must have been quite the handful”, Leliana said.
“Most of us speculated that the Arl brought him to the Chantry because he was too much to handle”, Bryant chuckled but it quickly faded. “Now it’s the Arl that’s the handful.”
   “What are you talking about?”, Alistair said with a concerned tone. “What’s wrong with Arl Eamon?”
   “You haven’t heard about what’s going on in Redcliffe?”, Bryant was utterly puzzled. “Arl Eamon has fallen ill. He’s been in comatose for almost a month.”
   “A month?!”, Alistair raised his voice. Whichever eyes weren’t on them already were now. “What happened?”
   Bryant shook his head. “No one can really say for sure. The Arl fell ill and now the Arlessa Isolde has everyone and anyone looking for the Urn of Sacred Ashes.”
   “I thought the Urn was just a myth”, Leliana said. “Just a story.”
   The Templar shrugged, “Lady Isolde is desperate to save her husband.”
   Kitsune was sufficiently confused. She had read about the Urn of Sacred Ashes long ago when she was still a child. It had magical healing properties but that was just a tale. Alistair was the Arl’s charge before living in the Chantry? It made sense now, why he wanted to go immediately to Redcliffe with the treaties. “Ser Bryant”, she said. “Where is the Revered Mother?”
   “She is in her study but I must warn you, she is not in the most friendly of moods.”
   “How wonderful”, Morrigan sighed.
   The Revered Mother's study was brightly lit and the walls were lined with tall bookshelves. The only place that rivaled that many books was the library in the Tower. The Revered Mother herself was an elderly woman with dark grey hair and thin pursed lips. Leliana bowed in front of the woman with much respect in her voice as she greeted her with a quiet 'Revered Mother'. The rest of them did not bow.
   She raised a suspecting eyebrow, "Two Grey Wardens and an apostate? What brings such an unusual group to the Chantry?"
   Kitsune was already unimpressed by the woman's attitude. She had only just saw them she had no idea what is was they needed help with. Wasn't the Chantry here to help people, not to cast judgement on those they don't know? She figured it was these same beliefs that the Templars had. “We have come to ask you to release the Qunari”, Kitsune said firmly. She used the word ‘ask’ but she meant 'demand'.
   The Revered Mother’s face twisted into a scowl, “You want me to release that murdering beast?” Her nostrils flared with anger. “Maybe you are unaware but that thing killed children. Families!”
   Kitsune squared her shoulders. “I am aware, the Qunari told me of his crimes”, she said impatiently. “I did not come here to talk about his sins, I want him released into my custody.”
She could tell the old woman was doing all she could to keep herself from shouting, "Why should I release that animal into your custody?"
Kitsune was not going to let this old woman intimidate her. She was a Grey Warden, not the elven mage who was too afraid to speak. "As Grey Wardens we have the right to recruit anyone in Ferelden. His crimes make no difference to me. Will you release him to me?" No one else had said a word yet. Alistair was watching the Revered Mother, Morrigan was watching Kitsune, Leliana was watching the floor with her lips pressed in a tight pink line, and Amaterasu was watching something that skittered under a desk. Kitsune wasn't going to outright threaten the Revered Mother in front of Leliana but she wasn’t sure if she had a choice.
The Revered Mother glared at her. “No”, she said flatly.
Kitsune sighed audibly, “Why not?”
“That monster doesn’t deserve to be released. He will die in that cage!”, she spat as she yelled.
Kitsune wiped away the spit that landed on her cheek. She walked away, hearing the footsteps of the others echoing behind her. Damn that old bat. Why won’t she just release him?   If the Maker was so gracious he would have him die at the hands of the Darkspawn.
“You are going to give up?”, Morrigan asked. “Tis all you’re going to do? Just walk away?”
“What do you want me to do? Threaten her?”, she asked.
Morrigan shrugged. “Why should I care?”
   There was no way Alistair or Leliana were going to like threatening the Revered Mother. Whether he wanted to admit it or not Alistair still respected the figures of the Chantry. And Leliana of course was very devout in her faith. Kitsune turned on her heels and walked back to the old hag’s study. “Where are you going?”,Alistair asked. She ignored him.
“Revered Mother”, she said as she reentered her study.
“Why have you returned? You are all that I oppose.” She seemed annoyed.
“I want the key to the Qunari’s cage”, she demanded this time.
“I already told you no. Now leave, you are not welcome here”, she retorted.
“I will not leave until you give me the key.” She wasn’t leaving without that damn key. “Give it to me or I will burn this Chantry to the ground.”
She heard the sharp breath Alistair inhaled as he walked into the study. “You cannot actually be threatening me inside my own Chantry?”, the old woman questioned..
Kitsune smiled, “I am. Now give me the key.”
The Revered Mother scowled and removed the key from a desk drawer, she threw it at Kitsune’s feet. “You are no better than that beast in the cage.”
Amaterasu picked the key up and wagged his tail. “I am not the one that locked him in there.”
They returned to the caged Qunari with the key clutched between Ammy’s teeth. “You’ve returned. And with companions to help you mock me”, the Qunari said.
“We have not come to mock you”, Leliana said. “We’ve come to release you.”
Kitsune unlocked the cage. The Qunari stepped out landing on the ground with a thud. “What do you wish of me?”
“A thank you would be nice”, Alistair spoke up.
“Why would I thank you? I did not ask to be released from this cage.”
Alistair smacked his palm to his forehead. “This should be fun.”
“What is your name?”, Kitsune asked.
“Qunari do not have names. We have only ranks.”
Shehuffed, “What shall I call you then?”
“I am called Sten by my people”, he folded his arms across his broad chest.
“I am Kitsune, this is Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana, and Ammy”, she introduced them all.
“What use do you have for a Qunari warrior?”, he inquired.
“Have you ever killed a Darkspawn?”
“Yes.”
“Good, that is what I need you to do”, she smiled and they made their way out of Lothering.
They walked in silence through Ferelden. Alistair pointed out the roads to Redcliffe as they came to each sign. It wasn't until Ammy crouched low to the ground and started growling that someone finally spoke.
"It's not Darkspawn", Alistair said.
She knew that. She could sense them as well. "Bandits", Sten said.
Kitsune hadn't realized it but the Qunari was unarmed. Hopefully he was good with his hands.
Three men and a mabari hound painted blue appeared from behind the shrubbery. Before Leliana, Morrigan, or herself could cast or fire an arrow, the two warriors and Amaterasu had taken out the bandits. Sten had taken out two of them on his own, unarmed. She smirked to herself, no sense in worrying about him being unarmed. Unlike the others, Sten didn't wipe the blood off. Instead he bent over the two dead bandits and studied them closely before taking the Steel Greatsword from one of them.
"We should camp", Alistair called to them. "It's getting dark out."
They set up camp just as night fell. Morrigan had set up her own camp away from the others.She figured the apostate was not accustomed to being near people and decided to let her have her space. The rest of them relaxed by the fire after they ate the meal that Leliana had hunted and Kitsune prepared. She tossed the elk bones to the drooling mabari. The last time she sat in front of a fire like this it had only been her and Alistair.
“Leliana?”, Alistair said over the fire. “Your accent, you’re from Orlais, right?”
“Yes, but my mother was from Ferelden.”
Kitsune stopped listening to them. She was lost in her thoughts. She looked up at the starry sky, thankful to finally see it again. She wondered about the treaties and Redcliffe. If Arl Eamon was indeed sick then what should they do with the treaties? “Kitsune”, she heard Alistair say.
Her eyes snapped open, “What?”
“You fell asleep”, he said as he helped her up from the log she had been lounging on.
“I was not asleep. I was thinking.”
“About?”
She shook her head. “It is nothing. We should go to bed.” She looked at the tents. There were only four and three of them were occupied. “I will sleep with Leliana, I am sure she will not mind.”
“It’s fine. I’m taking the first night’s watch. You can have your own tent”, he kicked at the dirt near the fire.
“I think I will stay out here with you, if that is okay?”, she had no interest in sleeping alone and she didn’t want Alistair to be the only one staying up.
She wasn’t sure if she saw a smile playing at the corner of his mouth or if it was just the shadows from the fire. “Fine, but don’t think I’ll carry you to the tent if you fall asleep.”
They sat down on the same log, it was a little small and their legs were forced to touch. Her face was growing warm but she was sure it was from the fire. It almost felt like they were back in Ostagar. She smiled to herself as she remembered when she fell asleep on him. He had carried her to her tent then. “What are you thinking about?”, she asked him. She hoped he was thinking of that night in Ostagar too.
“Duncan”, he said.
Why would she expect anything else? She touched the back of his hand, he turned it over and she drew circles over the callouses on his palms. “What about Duncan?”
“How much I miss him”, he sighed. “How lost we are without him to guide us.”
She nodded but she knew he didn’t see it. She continued to trace the circles until she was grew tired of it and rested her hand in his. She yawned quietly, trying to hide her exhaustion from him.
“Why don’t you get some sleep?”, he asked.
“I do not want to leave you out here all alone”, she said through another uncontrollable yawn. “How much further until we get to Redcliffe?”, she asked trying to change the topic.
“We should be there by noon as long as we leave at sunrise”, he looked down at her with a blank face. “Go to bed.”
She shook her head.
He took his hand away from her and pointed to the empty tent. “Go.”
She sighed and reluctantly got up and dragged her feet to the tent. She patted Ammy on the head when his eyes popped open. “Goodnight, boy”, she cooed. She opened the flap of the tent and before going in wished Alistair a good night. He smiled gently and continued to stare into the fire.
She felt like she was drowning, every inhale was fruitless and only made her strain more. Her vision was blurry and her heart was pumping fast. Flashes of black and crimson scales were all she could make out. Then the screeching started, the most violent sound she had ever heard. She tried to cover her ears but it didn’t matter. She could hear it calling to her. Just like it had during the Joining. The Archdemon.
A firm hand on her shoulder propped her up as she coughed and choked, the drowning had felt so real. “It’s okay”, he whispered. “It was just a nightmare. It wasn’t real.” He paused for a moment. “Well it kind of is.”
She could barely see him, it was so dark in the tent. She trembled as she reached out and clutch the fabric of his tunic. It still smelled like lavender. “The Archdemon.”
“The dreams will stop eventually. You should get back to sleep. We have a lot of travelling to do in the morning.”
He tried to leave but she didn’t release him, “Stay with me? Please?”
“S-stay in y-your tent?”, he asked nervously.
“I would feel safer if you slept with me”, she quickly added, “in here.”
“I have to finish my watch”, he said lamely.
“Ammy is out there. Please, Alistair?”
He sighed and crawled further into the tent. When he lie next to her she could hear how heavily he was breathing. “Happy?”
“Very”, she smiled. Gently she started lifting his tunic up his torso.
“What are you doing?”, he asked incredulously.
“You will not be comfortable if you sleep in this.” She forced it off of him before he could protest further. He didn’t speak, so she listened to the sound of his breathing. She laid her head on his bare chest, she could feel the softness of hairs on her cheek. “Do you have the nightmares?”
“Sometimes, not so much anymore.” She heard the echo in his chest say.
The warmer she got from him the heavier her eyelids got. She snuggled closer to him, her almost bare breasts pressing into his arm. “Go to sleep”, she whispered in his ear. She felt him shiver so she wrapped her arm around him.
“Goodnight”, he said but she was too tired to respond.
She awoke with her hair plastered to her forehead and Alistair’s arm wrapped around her shoulders. At some point in the night Ammy had crawled into the tent with them and fell asleep against Alistair’s other side. She watched them sleep for awhile wondering how she got this far. Her life in the Tower seemed so far away now. They had the treaties for the Circle, she wasn’t looking forward to going back to that damned prison. She was startled by the sound of rustling outside of the tent. The sun was just beginning to rise maybe it was just a wild hare. She ignored it and tried to fall back asleep when the rustling got louder, closer, she figured she should check.
Ammy jumped to his feet when Kitsune brushed against him while trying to grab her staff. She put a finger to her lips as they stepped out of the tent together. Alistair was sleeping so well she didn’t want to disrupt him if it was just an animal and it would make an early breakfast for Ammy anyway. The orange glare from the rising sun made it hard to see more than a foot in front of her. She could feel something watching her. It felt like Darkspawn. Before she could plan her strategy two large hands pushed into her back causing her to fall to the ground. She heard the whistling of an arrow and looked up to find that it had imbedded itself in the Qunari’s chest.
“Sten”, she said as he snapped the arrow off, leaving the arrowhead in his skin. Ammy took off in the direction of the arrow and Sten was brandishing the Greatsword he got from the bandits. The darkspawn came out of the surrounding woods and all she could think was how this was her fault. If she hadn’t made Alistair stay with her last night. “Get up”, she said aloud to herself. She grabbed her staff and fought off the Genlock that was charging her. She froze him in place as she scrambled to her feet. An arrow pierced the Genlock’s frozen head. She turned to see Leliana pulling another arrow from her quiver.
Sten and Amaterasu were nowhere in sight and more Darkspawn were coming from the woods. She noticed the Emissary to her left but she couldn’t move fast enough to dodge the fireball coming at her. The force of the spell sent her across the campground, gravel tore at her back and arms. She hadn’t had time to cast an armour spell. She struggled to her feet. There were so many of them now, she couldn’t count them. She ran toward her staff which was knocked from her grasp when she was struck. She picked it up and noticing it was much lighter than normal, she glanced down at it, it was broken in two.
Maker’s breath, she was useless without her staff. Without it all she could manage was a weak Arcane Bolt. She tried to run for Morrigan’s tent but the growing numbers of Darkspawn blocked her path. Leliana was taking out as many of them as she could but she too was getting overwhelmed. The elf was about to start praying when she heard the sound of a sword clashing ring through the air.
He had on nothing but his leather pants, and his sword and shield in his hands. Within seconds he was covered in Darkspawn blood, roaring with each of his strikes. She looked around for Morrigan, a bolt of lightning led her sight right to her. Everyone was fighting this hoard back but all she could do was watch. The sensation of something getting closer to her made her turn around. To her dismay a Hurlock stood towering over her with his curved blade about to come down on her. She shut her eyes tight, not wanting to watch herself be struck down.
When the pain never came and the sound of something cracking almost deafened her, she opened her eyes. Alistair’s shield lie in splinters around them, blood looked as though it poured straight from the blade lodged in his forearm. His feet were planted firmly in the dewy grass not letting the wound get the better of him. She tried to cast but all she managed was a weak ball of light. It only angered the Hurlock further, he removed his blade from Alistair’s forearm and raised it up higher than before. Alistair’s large bloodied hand pushed her to the ground. She watched in shock as the Hurlock’s crimson blade came down on the warrior’s back. The sound of steel cutting through flesh, his cries as he fell to the grass, and the suctioning sound when the blade was ripped from him. It echoed in her mind over and over.
The Hurlock locked his yellow, merciless glare on her as she tried to get away from him. Her hands and feet slipped on the wet morning grass, all she could do was raise her left arm to shield her face as he swung at her again.
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The Mage and the Templars