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A Match to Tinder	By : Anesor Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 4095 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age 2, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. Aldera is my character, as are a few new ones.

Chapter List
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The Dragon Age world, plot, and their characters aren't mine but belong to Bioware. I get no money for writing this sequel.
--- x x ---
-- The Frostback Mountains - Elvhenan ruins
Aldera:
I wished I could trust Harjen as easily as I had when I met my friends in Kirkwall, but Maker, I thought Fenris spoke more over the first weeks I'd known him. He had a slightly better reason for extreme paranoia because he was alone. Unlike his prickliness, we couldn't keep some distance from her. We needed her as a guide too much.
Merrill wanted her approval or perhaps through her, the Keeper's approval. She only sounded like herself when the other elf was away. Once we were in our tent for the night, I could see that Merrill relaxed and slept a little closer to Anders and I. Paws was also staying closer throughout the day.
I'd asked Merrill one time while Harjen was away, but she was evasive or unwilling to admit anything. What had the Keeper said to her? I was looking forward to Harjen staying behind now.
After a couple of days of climbing higher into this side of the mountains, I thought we should start wearing our true armor. Harjen said we were almost there. Ruin or graveyard, I'd never seen one where something hadn't tried to kill us. This time we knew something was dangerous ahead.
When I'd pulled my Champion armor out, I traced the shinier bits and the red I'd always thought was looking for trouble and blood. I remembered how embarrassed I'd been and a little proud every time another piece had been finished. All the other armor I'd ever owned had been second hand, but this was mine and only mine. I saw Anders was looking sadly at his pauldrons too, but I was reluctant to admit it out loud. It had been hard enough to convince him that his armor was too well known.
Mine was too, at least for those who'd seen me and not that plated 'Champion' statue at the docks.
As we settled for the night, I prayed I wouldn't have another nightmare. I couldn't explain it very well, nor did I want to remind Anders of what hadn't happened. Even so, bits of the dream kept coming to me over the next several days. Anders' body, still walking around, first with the wet of blood darkening his black Kirkwall armor. That could be cleaned, but seeing his mobile expressions flattened to almost nothing made me as sick as I could feel in the Fade.
Justice knew the extremes of emotion, but not pouting, smirking, or making one of Anders' silly little smiles. It'd be the difference between a puppet and an actor. It wasn't just that Anders was gone in the nightmare, but that his body, having so little finesse, reminded me too much of how Mother had moved so stiffly and awkwardly at the last.
I didn't hate Justice enough to want him destroyed. There weren't enough who wanted justice outside the Fade. I just didn't want to lose Anders.
The night passed peacefully and I didn't remember any dreams. I woke early, earlier than usual for me, looking forward to exploring the elven ruins. Anders stirred as well and happily scrambled into his Kirkwall armor.
His sigh of happiness was almost musical as he ran his fingers over the feathers.
“You do look nice,” I admitted, leaning over for a kiss.
Anders was smiling as he scoffed, “You, love, are not picky about what people wear... unless.” He frowned without finishing his sentence.
I laced my fingers through his. I waited a long moment and reminded him, “Six months of staying quiet, and then the Chantry and Templars will have too many other problems to hunt us quite as much.”
“I think Justice agrees with you,” he said while looking away with a pout.
No, Justice didn't care about Anders' looks; I did because it made him happier. Moving closer, I told them, “I'd rather you live longer and help more people than get killed by some overeager Templar working off an old sketch.”
“It is not as if you discarded your feathers, Anders,” Merrill added while sitting up. “We probably should darken your hair again. I can see it is lighter at your roots.”
“I'm happy enough right now, I don't care,” Anders claimed, moving his hands over his feathers.
My fingers were still in his; I didn't really care about the feathers either way. I just liked touching him.
“We need to pack,” Merrill said with a smile at us being sappy.
When we left the tent, and stepped into the clear, early morning light, my breath caught. My stomach churned as I finally noticed that Anders' robes hung on him. He'd always been lean, but he'd pared down even more since the last time he wore these robes.
I would have to make sure he ate more, all jokes about warden appetite aside.
Harjen was awake and eager to leave but we ate first. The trail had become steep and rock had shattered from cold winters, making it loose scree and hard for climbing.
Climbing another steep incline, I saw an entrance in the rocky ridge, There was a level space in front of it. It was exposed to the weather, so the carvings had become weathered, with thick and ropey vines climbing up the rock. Some looked dead, with no leaves or green color. Others still had growth and life. The vines only partly hid the carvings that looked a bit like statues I'd seen around the Dalish camp, except maybe twice as tall.
Merrill started some kind of chant, listing names I did not recognize, I'd heard them before, most likely from her tales, but like the names of those who helped Andraste, I barely knew the names.
“This is our people's place of wisdom and study, Pariah,” Harjen said in an angry voice. Her glare only glanced off Anders and I, but centered on Merrill. “The Keeper demands you recover knowledge from the Elders' study. And I will be here to ensure you do not send others to do your duty.”
With those words, Merrill flinched, but did not reply.
I clenched my fists, really wanting to knock the bitch out.
She knew Merrill was skillful and wanted this Keeper's approval, and the hunter abused that because she could.
So I settled for snarling, “Too bad you 'superior' sorts have to depend on people you hate and disdain to accomplish what you cannot...”
Harjen's outraged shout of, “Shemlen!” came at the same time as Merrill crying my name in horror.
“No, she doesn't have to like us, but she should at least give us a bit of respect for our skill. She should respect you more than that, as you're Dalish too. If she doesn't respect you, then this is only a twisted way to send us to your dread wolf while acting as snotty superior as any shemlen king, and as cowardly as nobles have proven,” I said with my arms still trembling with my desire to make her be nice to Merrill. That is, pound her face enough to make snooty airs physically painful.
“Lethallan, the Keeper trusts us to recover the lore,” Merrill said carefully. “The hunter must obey the Keeper in clan matters.”
Anders gripped my arm and I forced myself to take a breath, and to think of all the tasks I'd been sent on by people who'd later been friends. Then I remembered that they usually came along, Anders in the Chantry, Fenris and the slavers in Danarius' mansion, Isabela, Aveline... actually Vael had been the only one that sent us to do something dangerous without coming along.
I'd think about that one later. “Let's get inside, something smells out here.”
I would have liked to study the carvings for my own curiosity, but we moved inside and the light was very limited. I stepped aside, glancing around for traps while the others followed me in.
One of the things I regretted was that no armorer had ever been even vaguely interested in making a protective collar for my mabari, something that could take runes. Not even when I was 'Champion.' I'd seen them on the occasional war dog that passed through Lothering, but hadn't the interest or funds then.
I knelt and said to my mabari, “The kitten is kind of helpless, Paws. You have to keep him away from combat and magic.”
He looked puzzled for a second, but Mew must have shifted in the basket as Paws looked disappointed and licked my face. A hug and an ear scritch and I thought he'd hang back, or try to.
We prepared ourselves. My daggers were out and ready, and their staves were glowing slightly, enough to even out the faint light from the entrance and infrequent holes we usually saw underground. Looking around for detail, there were carvings a little below waist height that almost had a pattern or resembled something deliberate. It had obviously been many years if not generations since this had been used regularly. There were a few large vines that had sent roots in through the entrance, but the light dropped rapidly not far into the hall, so there was only bits of crumbled stone and broken bits of wood and vine on the floor. I was surprised I didn't smell that this had been an animal den.
I moved forward, watching for old traps and moving creatures. None of us were surprised when the winding tunnel-hall opened up into a spider lair. Aside for a couple of warning barks, Paws backed towards the entrance while I put my favorite poison on my daggers, especially for every spider I nicked.
A stab at the neck and slices at leg joints and I kept moving from spider to spider, only seeing the mage spells out of the corner of my eyes. I knew I was indulging too much in the temptation of pride, but it took a lot more than even giant spiders to scare me anymore. If I lost, I'd be a corpse for dinner. If we fought Templars or Sebastian or Qunari or Magisters, the outcome would be far worse.
Still I got webbed once and the thing reared up like the bottom of its carapace was going to scare me. The fangs were, even without the rearing. The webbing kept me upright and unable to dodge the spider's attack much, only enough give to let me lean. Its bite landed a little off center, slicing my shoulder, nearly to the bone.
A bark and a curse, and the sheen of one of Anders' protective barrier spells sprang up around me. By the time it dissipated, I'd worked myself free of the web and swept both blades into the spider.
Looking around, there were only two spiders left and they already looked battered. When they were dead, I looked around to make sure no more were about to appear before I relaxed.
Anders asked his usual question about our injuries, although he'd almost reached me as he said it. Merrill rarely was injured badly, but she shook her head this time. Once I felt better, we moved further inward and reached a low hall where the support columns resembled arched tree trunks. Holes in the ceiling let in light, and there were stone benches that still had light shining down on them. Some arches further in the hall led into darkness, but one showed dim light.
I looked at Merrill, but she'd moved to the pillar and was tracing something only she could see with a careful reverence. Anders drifted a step closer too, so I knelt to comfort Paws for a little. Taking a short path around the hall with Paws for company, there were three hallways that ever so slightly resembled a tunnel through bushes instead of rock ones. The fourth looked as if it went outside, with a door hanging a little off its hinges. Looking back the way they'd entered, I wasn't sure if that hall was plain because it was outside or it had been damaged over years of weather.
Anders had left the pillars and sat with Mew on the bench beside him. Soon my mage was making noises at Paws and leaning forward as he clicked and almost cooed as if the mabari was a kitten too.
Big Paws must have decided Anders was taunting him, as the mabari looked at me. If a mabari could roll his eyes, his face said he wanted to. I could feel my smile as Paws lunged forward to lick Anders all over his face. He yipped happily and sat watching as Anders spat and tried to wipe his face off before glaring at Paws.
Anders glared at me next, even if he hadn't tensed in true ire, and started a complaint.
Squeezing him a little, I was nearly laughing when I said, “He can tell when you're mocking him, love. He does have other ways to express his annoyance.”
Paws barked again to agree, diverting Anders.
Once he'd grumped for a moment more, Anders returned to Mew, dangling a strip of fabric for the kitten to play with. Cheery after that, Anders said with a grin towards where Merrill was busy, “This may take longer then Ser Snobby-bow expects. I am so broken up about it, too.”
Sliding over to lean against him, I realized I'd gotten chilly now that we were both underground and still. Turning on the bench, I put my head in Anders' lap and looked up at the look of mild surprise on his face. His nose and jaw were even more prominent from here. I settled and let my head sag, closing my eyes tiredly and saying, “I've missed your silly feathers.”
“Dera?” Anders said what seemed to be immediately after. Though I realized a hand's worth of fingers were now cupping my skull and massaging. At my sleepy growl, he continued, “Merrill's done for now.”
-- x --
Anders:
It had been too long since I could just watch Hawke sleep in the light. I'd done more of that than Justice liked over the years, but with what had happened eventually, it had always been a comfort. Dera's face had relaxed into sleep and I threaded my fingers into her hair, more easily since she'd left it loosely tied like Aveline's.
Merrill came back, and on seeing us was surprised enough to say, “Oh, I'm sorry I took that long. It is fascinating. Some pillars have variants of the stories of our Creators, and it is fascinating. They are carved, and the titles for the Dread Wolf change. I found fascinating hints of how he ranges...” Pausing as if she wanted to flush, “Oh, I've went and said fascinating too many times haven't I? I wonder if the Keeper already knows these tales. I feel I might even learning something about eluvians if I study long enough. How could they leave all this behind?”
That is an easy question to me, I'd left everything behind, for good and bad reasons several times. “To survive, Merrill. Lore does no good if there's no one left alive to know it. No lore I know of helps mages who join with benevolent spirits stay sane. All anyone knows about it are about the ones who lose their sanity and become wild killers.”
Still speaking quietly, Merrill agreed, “We know of spirits who become embroiled, like... Marethari, but not for very long. They always become a threat to their own clan. Those are our most grievous hunts, shared with other clans at need. I have long seen that you are still mostly human and wonder how long you can continue.”
Great, I'm... no, we're, Merrill's study project. I had an image of her standing at a lectern in front of a group of mages, describing my slow descent into madness, with diagrams of the hidden arcane meaning of how and where I glowed. No, she was Dalish, so her students would be clustered on the ground around a log with edible and decorative fungi.
Justice was annoyed at one or both of us, but didn't say anything. This really wasn't relating to his purpose, nor did it impede our work.
Running fingers through Hawke's hair again, I reminded Merrill, “Wardens don't live long.”
“Have you sensed darkspawn, Anders?”
“No, I could not rest idly like this if I had.” Wondering if research here counted for her bargain, I suggested, “You might as well learn what you can here until Hawke wakes.”
She nodded and turned away, Paws stood and followed her.
At last I'd woken Hawke; she'd been looking tired so the rest was just what this healer wanted for her. She was irritated like many other times when she'd been woken, but she was cute like that so I didn't mind.
“You're ready to move on?” she asked Merrill at her return, and with the other mage's happy nod, we made plans to explore the other tunnels.
As we explored, this area seemed either an inn or a school. Some rooms had bunks with shifting webs shrouding them and some were smaller, looking like studies. Merrill found a couple of books in an alcove of one larger cave along with yet another group of spiders. These were different, but the faster survivors finally fled through a hole in the roof. We found some corpses, all in very decayed states in different rooms. Some few looked human or dwarven, but Hawke looted as we went, disarming a trap or two.
Then the last archway was the one that we believed went outside, and Merrill said, “I do hope that there is more, neither of these books fits the description that the Keeper gave me.”
I'd been wondering myself, as I hadn't seen so much as a bookshelf like the one in Merrill's Alienage home. There had to be more. We stepped into the brighter hall and it moved downward slightly before opening out into what must have once been a protected garden. The way the garden was bowled it might have had a roof once, though now it opened to the sky. Only slightly overgrown in the current cold, a path through the small valley to another entrance beckoned.
We moved forward, when I started to feel uneasy without knowing why at first. We were well over halfway when I felt the earth shake behind me. Turning, I called to Hawke and Merrill in front of me. I looked up and up into the maw of another Varterrall.
As it lunged, I threw up a shield, to only be able to see the maw of a creature that wasn't quite alive. I'd been well back the other times we'd fought them and tried backing up.
Hawke knocked me over, but once I scrambled back out of the way, we slowed it enough between poison and our spells that we disabled it. I couldn't say we killed it, but it would be quiet for a time, I hoped. It had taken much longer this time than near Kirkwall.
“This shouldn't have blocked an all elf group, right, Merrill?” Hawke wondered.
Looking up from the creature's markings, Merrill said doubtfully, “No, they should not, but Pol's death says that perhaps the magic is fading after all these years.”
Thinking about the magics of elven ruins that I'd seen and heard of, even fading they were impressive, “Then this should not have blocked this clan from their ruins then. I...”
I had to stop.
It was there, the first time I'd felt it in many months now and still only an echo at the moment. “There are darkspawn in there,” I announced, feeling myself snarl. Even as I spoke, I could feel some getting closer. “The spider was keeping them underground!”
I was getting angry, what good was a guardian that couldn't communicate?
Hawke spun and told Paws, “Guard behind us.”
The mabari bared his teeth and took a step forward, but Dera glared back and said the dog's name more sharply than I could remember. The stand-off felt like it was long, but the mabari shrunk a little, before Dera petted him again. She was blinking a little too much, but her darker hair against his fur showed his gray even a few steps away.
It wasn't a perfect solution, but we couldn't leave him with Orana or even training with Aveline now.
Even as this happened I could feel more spawn getting closer to the surface, “We have to go before too many get close...” and we would be overwhelmed.
Hawke led, with Merrill next. Paws was behind me a distance, and Ser Mew was quiet.
The next was dirty and bloody, a nightmare that was too real. The further we got in, the more I was worried that there was a broodmother in there. Some areas we passed through looked relatively intact, but others had the unlovely fleshy mess that darkspawn left behind. But no, this was hours and felt like days as we worked our way into the mountain.
Most of what we fought were shrieks and genlocks. The shrieking made concentration difficult, and Justice helped there, as Hawke darted in and out of their groups much like ever. After every fight, I checked her very carefully and cleaned her injuries, praying yet again she'd not repeat what happened to her sister.
It would be days before we could be sure, and I dreaded if she ever needed and asked for mercy. A nightmare every time we faced them. Having the nightmares might have almost been more comforting than the blankness when I slept, because then they were only Fade-dreams.
I checked Merrill as well, but she didn't get as many injuries as Hawke; I ignored a few uses of blood magic she'd used for healing when fighting darkspawn. As much as I hated blood magic, it was somehow less an issue to me when fighting them.
As we got further in there were fewer and shorter breaks between fights, and we were using more potions. I was nearly out of lyrium now and doubted the others were doing much better for restorative potions.
Then we got past the elven areas and found rough caverns; tunnels not dug with tools and neat like the work of dwarves either. I could only think it was a lost section of the Deep Roads, once part of the dwarven thaigs.
How large and powerful had the dwarven kingdoms been? Orzammar, I'd heard from someone, once had not been one of the older or more powerful thaigs. Perhaps it was just more stubborn. The Deep Roads were some kind of sunless mirror of the Imperial Highway, spreading under Thedas.
This tunnel was crude and had decayed fleshy bits like any area owned by darkspawn for any period of time. We'd found no broodmothers yet, and I didn't want to go any deeper looking with only three of us. And only one warden, that could not end well.
“Love?” I said, realizing that was the first thing any of us had said out loud for some time now. “This is going too deep for just us to handle. We need to collapse a key point, like we did near Amaranthine.”
Hawke sighed with relief. “I am so glad.”
Merrill smiled and said, “At least we can explain the problem to the Keeper, and that... you will tell wardens about this place?
“Yes, I will have to find some wardens and soon,” I said with my heart heavy. I could not leave this area for only an elven artifact to guard, and one that may not last if it attacked elven groups, too. I doubted my welcome from most wardens would be warm. I'd only seen three wardens and their commands since Bethany had her Joining: Nathaniel Howe, Alistair, and of course Bethany.
I had no idea where any of them were right now.
We moved inward and down, looking for a choke point where our spells might cause a large collapse. We found one, and I almost wished I had more of what I'd used on the Chantry.
It might have taken us a day, as we had to rest as we weakened the rock with cold and Merrill's earth spells. Hawke and Paws kept watch, and once we started the collapses one rock hit her on the back as she retreated. More rock, more shaking earth and it was blocked for weeks at least. A bit more retreat and another collapse, and Merrill thought the Varterral should be able, well before the darkspawn could get out.
Time was passing in a more immediate need that left me irritable as we explored and and did some looting. Merrill was looking for the tome for the Keeper and we'd seen many shelves on our way in, while chasing the darkspawn. Now we spent a more peaceful time while Merrill and I searched and studied.
Hawke found some gems and smaller weapons as we went, but spent less time with the books. Some carvings I studied showed elven mages using swords. I'd heard about them from the Warden's tall tales, but...
You lack the focus for swords.
Glad your opinion of me is one constant in my life.
No, you are a healer. That should be no surprise.
Justice sounded less aggravated the second time, but he'd always disapproved.
After the day of searching Merrill found another locked stone cabinet. No touch of the Fade was discernible at first, but once the stone door was unlocked, there was a very deep shelf inside. There were slight magics there, of preservation or protection maybe, but we could feel them now, even if very faintly.
Merrill reached inside and found several tomes, but only one still had the fading magics. Her hush as she pulled them out had a weight of its own. She opened it reverently.
I looked at the others and then Hawke did as well. They were treasures, lore on magic and healing and some very different explanations of the same history I doubted. Even in Hawke's eyes I could see some regret, I doubted we could keep these, even if they only wanted the other tome.
Hating the Deep Roads as I did, I'd be willing to stay a day or so if we could copy at least parts of the herbal.
Merrill didn't mind, as long as we left these others here. She studied the elven lore books, but when food for Paws was getting short, we had to leave. Merill packed the other books back to where they'd been safe and wrapped up the tome we'd come for; we left the tainted area very carefully. The Varterral only twitched as we passed.
As we made our way back out, the darkspawn back there began to weigh on me. Every other time I'd faced them, I'd never left any behind me and alive. Justice was restless as well, sometimes in Amaranthine I'd wondered if a spirit could become tainted to fight darkspawn like wardens were, as he'd been so easy to convince for the Warden. He'd never really argued it, even with me.
We found the Harjen in a small camp outside, and she was her customary pleasant self in her greetings.
Tired enough that I didn't care what she thought, I said before Merrill could speak, “Darkspawn, but too many for a group this small unless we were all Grey Wardens. Deep in is a passage I think may lead into some part of the Deep Roads. The Wardens must be notified even though we blocked them for a time. Let's go.”
She wasn't pleased, but I didn't care what she liked right then. Hawke and Merrill were tired or annoyed enough not to cater to her this time.
We traveled past sunset every day, using magic to continue, falling into our blankets every day. The hunter finally was of some use, keeping watch much of the time.
I didn't want to ask what we looked like when we'd left the darkspawn lair.
--- x x ---
A/N: Thanks to my beta readers who have been kind enough to read this and point out stupid flubs. Any typos that remain are not intentional... Reviews or a PM to let me know what you think would be very adored.
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A Match to Tinder