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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
- 17
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- 19
He glared down at her, golden honey pierced her good eye. “Fine”, he pushed her weapon away. She continued walking, leaving him a bit behind. “First, will you tell me what happened to you?”
“You know very well what happened to me”, she spat.
“No. I don’t.” His long strides matched hers now.
“Did you forget what your Knight-Commander did to me in your haste to run with your tail between your legs to Kirkwall?”, she snapped.
He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “I didn’t forget! I can’t forget! That’s why I had to leave!” His eyes were on her, he seemed to be looking through her. “When I’m in this place… all I can hear are your screams. All I can remember is what he did to you.”
She felt guilty for bringing this up. His hand lingered on her shoulder, she didn’t pull away this time. “How do you think that made me feel? You left me broken and lost. How could I stay here without you?” Tears were threatening to fall. “And then that… that stupid note you left with Duncan? I figured that meant you were gone for good. I moved on. I went to Ostagar to become a Grey Warden. Imagine my surprise to find you here, like you never left”, she shrugged. “Like you have been waiting for me to come home.”
“Y-you’re a Grey Warden?”, the twisted look on his face told her he knew exactly what that meant. She was tainted.
She nodded sheepishly. “What else was I to do? I was desperate to escape.”
He choked on his laughter, “But a Grey Warden?” He looked her up and down. “All of these scars and injuries… they’re from battles with Darkspawn?”
“Yes”, she lied. She couldn’t tell him she lost her eye to the improper use of Blood Magic.
“Maker’s Breath”, he sighed.
They continued to walk in silence. There was still no sign of Alistair or Leliana. There was nothing but quiet. She found herself watching him; the tight grimace on his face, the gentleness in his eyes when he glanced at her. She hadn’t forgiven him, it was unlikely that she ever would. But strangely, she felt safe with him. Maybe it was because deep within her heart, she knew she was. On the surface of that heart though, was the longing to see Alistair. She needed that smile, his voice. Anything.
The feeling of being watched made her stop. “Cullen?”
He put a finger to his lips. She knew this feeling.   Mages who are weak. Mages who are angry. The pace of her heart quickened, fluttering in her chest. “Cullen”, she whispered. Wherever the demon was, he was close and he knew she was vulnerable.
“You’re fine”, his hand on her arm kept her mind at ease. “You’re a Grey Warden, right? What’s a demon to a Grey Warden?”
She nodded and let air fill her lungs. She grabbed her staff with sturdy hands. She wouldn’t be taken over this time. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Kitsune”, she heard it, that voice that her heart was longing for. “Kitsune”, it was getting louder. It was coming from…
“The library”, she took off in a sprint.
“No! Don’t! It could be a trap”, Cullen chased after her.
For once she wished she would’ve listened. The Sloth Demon stared back at her, her staff suddenly too heavy to lift. “Come in”, he beckoned her in Alistair’s voice. “Why don’t you rest?”
Her feet were moving, getting closer to the demon. Her nose was filled with the scent of rotting flesh. “I am”, she was struggling to speak, “stronger than this.”
“Yes, yes but for now, why don’t you relax? The Blight can wait”
Her eyelids were heavy. Fight back, Kitsune.
“Templar”, she heard the demon’s true voice. A strangled sound like it was choking. “Join the mage. Go to sleep.”
“S-stop talking demon”, Cullen was faltering. “Kitsune, don’t give in.”
She didn’t answer. Through shaky vision she looked at him, her hand reached out. He took it, his grip weak, barely able to hold on.
“Good children”, the demon cooed as they lie on the floor hand in hand. “Sleep now.”
   She couldn’t remember how she got here. Her thoughts were cloudy as she struggled to stand. At least she had her staff strapped to her back. Where she was, she didn’t know but she recognized the tan figure standing in the distance. His gold earring glinted in the light of the setting sun. “Duncan?”, she couldn’t believe it was him.
“Ah, Kitsune!”, he greeted her with a cheerful smile. “I’m glad you’ve finally made it to Weisshaupt.”
“Weisshaupt?”, she looked around. She wasn’t exactly sure if she knew what that meant. “But… I was just at Lake Calenhad, wasn’t I?”
Duncan chuckled, “You’ve never been back there since you left. Now that the Blight is over I suppose you could return there but why would you want to?” He looked around the ruins they were standing in. “All of the Grey Wardens are here. This is where you belong.”
She saw many people standing where no one had been before. “I…”, she started. “Where’s Alistair?”
Duncan turned his head to the side. “Alistair? Informally addressing the King are we?”
“No”, she hurriedly exclaimed. “I did not mean... King?” Alistair was king now? She had a faint memory of his coronation but she had no memory of anything before that. “He is not a Grey Warden?”
Duncan shook his head, “He was but we are no longer needed.”
Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t figure out what parts made sense and she was beginning to think none of it did. “So the Blight is over? The Archdemon has been slain?”
“Don’t you remember? You and Alistair killed the dragon. We gathered an army and took down the Blight.”
She had memories of that too. They didn’t seem real. None of this was real. Duncan was dead. “You are dead”, she whispered.
“What?”
“You are dead, Duncan.” His eyes began to glow a fiery red.
“I am not dead. You are in Weisshaupt. The Blight is over. Go and enjoy what time you have left in your life, Kitsune.”
She started to reach for her staff, still unsure of what was actually going on. “No, Duncan. You are not real.”
His unsheathed his sword as he took his stance. She held her staff to his face, ready to set her Commander on fire. “I am sorry, Duncan. You are dead in the real world.”
   She evaded his first attack, his second knocked her off balance. She used Winter’s Grasp to freeze him and get to her feet. The ice was gone almost instantly and the sound of it shattering drew the attention of other Warden’s. They chased her far away from where she had found herself. She ran as fast as her legs could take her only turning back to fire a spell at Duncan or the others that were after her.
Maker, what was going on? The last thing she remembered was Cullen’s hand. They were… “The Fade!”, she shouted aloud. In the distance she saw something jutting from the ground. It was a pedestal. When she reached it she used a chain of lightning spell to stun her pursuers. She investigated the pedestal quickly; there were five points that all seemed to be connected. Her heart drummed in her ears as she placed her hand over one of the points. It responded to her, glowing white, before the light enveloped her completely.
Duncan and the others were gone. She took a few deep breaths and tried to collect her thoughts. She knew two things; one, she was in the Fade and two, she knew there was something about that pedestal. It was desolate where she was now. There were no Wardens, no demons, and no sign of her companions. I have to find them, she thought. Maker knows what has happened to them.
She wandered the Fade, avoiding the pedestal all the while. There was nothing save for the occasional wisp. Her mind was tiring and her will to proceed was dwindling. She walked through a forest of grey and twisted trees, there were more wisps here than anywhere else. They seemed harmless, for now.
“Tell me!”, she heard his husky voice buried somewhere in the forest and wisps. “Speak, demon”, his tone was threatening.
Her will to run found her again. “Cullen”, she cried out. “Cullen.” She wanted to find him, she needed to find him. She pushed through the bramble, wicked twigs tearing at her skin and clothes. There was a clearing deep in the center of the trees. Cullen was holding his blade to the back of a demon. “Cullen!”, she shouted out in relief.
He glanced up at her before thrusting the metal into the monster. Its body disintegrated. “Thank the Maker”, he said as he closed the distance between them. “Are you alright?”, he examined her, his eyes falling over her cuts.
“I am fine, just a few scratches.”   She cradled his face in her small hands. “Do you remember what happened?”
He nuzzled against her palm, his beard tickling her. “I’m not really sure. I recall a Sloth Demon, I think.” He cupped her chin, “I’m glad you’re okay. I-”, he started to say something.
“What is it?”, she stared up at him.
He leaned in, his eyes closed almost all the way. His lips touched hers. “I missed you.”
She pulled away from him abruptly. She felt a pain in her heart when he touched her. Like she was missing something, missing memories. “We have to get out of here”, she said finally. “I have to find Leliana and…”, his name, what was it again? “Alistair”, she said at last.
“I’m not even sure if they’re in here”, he looked around the clearing.
“We have to look.” She led him through the forest and back to the pedestal. “I touched this and came here. I am not sure how it works though.”
He rubbed his chin as he inspected it. “Hmm”, he reached out toward it and the point closest to him began to glow. He snatched his hand back and the light faded. “It appears to be a teleporter of some sort.” He took her hand in his, intertwining his gloved fingers between hers. “Ready?”
She looked from him to the pedestal. Her hand is in his was making her uncomfortable. She nodded and he put his hand out over one of the points until the white light took them away.
The gentle crackling of a fire and the smell of a home cooked meal greeted them. The room they were in was empty but there were two small beds that had been done up. They exchanged a look before wandering over to the slightly open door. They peaked out, seeing a red haired woman and Alistair, sitting at a table.
“Your children are beautiful, Goldanna”, he said to the woman. “They look just like you.”
“Do you have any children of your own?”, she inquired while scooping more food onto his plate.
He laughed nervously, “Well… no but one day maybe.”
“Is there someone special?”, she asked.
He chuckled and said, “Special? She is certainly something more than special.”
Cullen huffed, “Let’s go”, he nodded toward the door.
“Wait”, she said desperately wanting to hear what else Alistair was going to say. “We do not know what is going on. We cannot just run out there. What if Goldanna is a demon?”
Cullen sighed impatiently but listened.
“When will I get to meet her?”, Goldanna asked with a suggestive tone. “This girl who is ‘more than special’”, she giggled.
“I’m not sure”, Alistair sighed. “It’s already been so long.”
“So long?”, Kitsune repeated aloud. “What is he talking about?” Whatever the Fade was doing to them, it was distorting their memories and their perception of time. “Stay here. I am not sure what he will do if he sees you.” She started to make her way out of the space of the door before he stopped her.
“You’re not going out there alone”, he growled.
“Cullen, trust me.”
He rolled his eyes and let her make her way to Alistair. She stood in the doorway, waiting for him to notice her. He looked up and did a double take before realizing who she was. “K-kitsune?” He stood up, awkwardly bumping the table with his thighs and nervously fixing his clothes. “W-what are you doing here? It’s been months.”
“Months?” She walked towards him. She noticed Goldanna never truly looked at her. “It has not been months, Alistair.”
“Of course it has, once we defeated the Archdemon, you left. You went to Weisshaupt with Duncan and the other Wardens.”
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “Please try to remember, Duncan died at Ostagar.”
He laughed, “What are you talking about? Duncan never went to Ostagar.”
The Fade was toying with him, giving him the memories he so longed for. Duncan was alive, the Archdemon was gone, the Blight was over and he was home with his sister. “Yes he did, that is where we met.”
“Alistair, dear”, Goldanna interrupted. “Would you mind gathering the children?”
He nodded and promptly left the house. Goldanna turned to her, where amber eyes once were they were now dark and hollow. “Leave him out of your trickery mage”, she hissed.
“My trickery? You are nothing but a demon feeding him lies to fill your own needs”, she spat as she drew her staff.
Goldanna barred her teeth, “You’re pretending to love him.”
She took a step back. “What?” She knew better than to listen to demons. She couldn’t help but feel that maybe it was right. “What are you talking about?”, she set the base of her staff on the floor.
“Are you sure your feelings for him are not meant for another?”, Goldanna circled her as she spoke. “Are you sure it’s not someone else that you love?”
Kitsune stopped her circling with her staff on her chest. “I know what I feel.”
“Do you?”, she challenged.
She pulled her staff back, ice shimmering at the top of her staff.
“Have you gone mad?”, Alistair burst through the door with no children at his side. “Attacking my sister?”
Before she could speak Goldanna threw herself into Alistair’s arms. “Brother! She’s positively mad”, she cried.
“You should go”, he sneered at her.
“Alistair this is not real! Can you not see she is a demon?”, Kitsune retorted.
“Leave.”
“I am not leaving, not until you see her for what she really is.”
Goldanna whispered something in his ear, his eyes grew wide and his pupils took up most of the iris. “You’re the demon”, he took a sword from the above the fireplace. “I told you to leave.”
She stared him down. “No”
He reared back, the pommel of the sword collided with her nose. She could feel the trickle of blood on her lips. How was she going to stop him? Her white oak staff buzzed with lightning. “Alistair”, she took a step back.
He swung the blade at her, it stopped with ringing sound. Cullen stood between them, his sword crossed with Alistair’s. With a snarl on his face he fought Alistair back. Kitsune directed her attention toward Goldanna, who stood in the center of the room, watching as her puppet dueled a Templar. “Let him go!”, she shouted.
The woman smiled a yellow fanged smile. She shot ice at the demon, trying to freeze her but she dodged her spells. “He’s mine now”, Goldanna grabbed a fist full of silver hair. She angled Kitsune’s head, forcing her to watch as Cullen and Alistair duelled. “He’d die for me if asked it of him.”
She took Goldanna by the wrist and tore herself free, yanking her down to the floor. With a foot on the demon’s throat she crushed her. “Then ask him.” More pressure on the jugular. “Have him save you!”
The charade faded, Goldanna revealed her true natural. The demon reached a clawed hand out, abruptly the echos of the two men’s fight were silenced. Kitsune whirled around to find Alistair seething and charging at her. He was too close to escape, too fast for her to cast.   Cullen collided with him, sending Alistair and his weapon to the floor. Before he could recover it, Cullen was on top of him, the point of the sword rest on his chest.
“Wait!”, she yelled, her foot still rest on the monster’s neck. She put all her weight into that one leg and aimed Cone of Lightning at Goldanna’s face. With the hum of electricity the evil being was reduced to a pile of dust. “Get off of him”, she pushed Cullen away.
“Alistair?”, she straddled him, her staff dropping beside her. “Come on”, she patted his cheek. “You have to get up.” She thought to heal him, but of what? “Why is he not coming out of her spell?”, she asked herself. His eyes were vacant, mostly black.
“Maybe it wasn’t her that glamored him”, Cullen spoke with a strain in his voice.
“What do we do?”, she touched his stubble with the tips of her fingers. She touched her staff to his chest to heal him. That was a mistake.
He shot up, sending her flying back. He pinned her, his hands on her shoulders and his spit dripping from his mouth as he frothed with anger above her. She looked up to see Cullen standing over her, sword moving back. “Cullen, no!”, she could barely raise her staff but she did so in enough time to freeze his sword arm.
“Kitsune!”, Cullen was shocked. “What are you doing?”
“Alistair”, she cooed. She blinked with each drop of bubbling saliva that dropped on her face. “Listen to my voice. Try to remember who I am. You do not want to kill me.”
“Kitsune!”, Cullen shouted again.
She held the amulet up to him so he could see it. “Remember? Arl Eamon? Connor? Duncan?”
He started to blink, his pupils retracting just a bit. “Dun…”
“Duncan”, she grinned. “You can get out of this. You just have to remember.”
He slowly eased off of her. The ice on Cullen’s arm shattered. His fisted landed on Alistair’s jaw.
“What are you-”, she hurried over to Alistair, shielding his body with her own. “Stop!”
Below her, he was coming to, “Ki-tsu…?” His eyes opened wide, staring above her. He pushed her off of him with a grunt. She tumbled across the floor.
“Maker!”, she gasped. Both of them, their eyes were a fiery red. Alistair held Cullen’s fists in his hands, a beast like look on both their faces.
- 17
- 18
- 19
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The Mage and the Templars