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Tainted Dreams	By : wyldehart Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 3478 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: All characters and Dragon Age are property of Bioware/EA. I made no money, sadly.

Chapter List
- 33
- 34
Welcome to the final installment of Tainted Dreams. I want to thank Tropical Fool for proofing it and making it that much more enjoyable for the rest of you. And thank you to my readers for favoriting and commenting and reading my monster baby. At well over 100K words, this qualifies as a novel in most cases and I wonder just exactly how I will be able to top it. There is a sequel that hopes to make things interesting and considering the events of DAII, I doubt much will change. Curiously, the timeline is almost spot on to the conclusion to DAII sooo...

Thank you, readers, for sticking it out this long! I had great fun writing it and I learned a great deal in the process.

Garrick walked in wearing a smile that lit up the room. Elissa, having nursed her adorable little ones, sat in a gown as regal as she didn't feel at the moment. She thought she looked disheveled and uninspiring though the dress seemed to alleviate some of that. Clauzette handed Amber Rose to Elissa and leapt to her feet as she rushed the Templar with a squeal and threw her arms around his waist. He laughed and, balancing on his cane and his good foot, Garrick returned the hug as much as he could. "Garrick saved my life, your maje-uh-Elissa! He tried to save Lawson's too but my brother was stubborn. He'd have made a fine Grey Warden if you ask me. He readily sacrificed himself for my sake so that the Blood Mage Garrick had bribed into watching us could keep me alive. I owe him everything."

The Templar blushed so red his cheeks rivaled Alistair's for the sheer deep hue of them. They reminded her of the first time her own Templar saw Elissa naked. *Ah, I …well, I just set it up so that she kept her brethren from harming you both after the Abomination gave the go ahead to kill you. I think she had fallen for your brother by that time. Did he at least lose his virginity first?* The final thought was a stray and Elissa's expression told him that she and the girl had both heard him. *What happened exactly?* he asked, trying to ignore his previous comment.

The girl smiled sadly and hooked her slender arm through his. "Well…The Blood Mages had begun torturing me. It was…bad. I guess I won't be marrying as a virgin myself, thanks to them…"

*Maker's BREATH! They raped you?* Another stray thought but valid. The girl looked away and nodded slowly.

"They used…implements. I had given up, I think. They were feeding off the power released by my blood, fear and pain. That was when your mage stepped in and freed my brother. Together, they killed or caused the other mages to flee. They were in shock! Then Garrick walked in and used his own powers against mages to kill or shut down the rest. There was a fight, I think, but I was dying. My brother, Lawson, begged the mage, Demica was her name, I think, to save my life. But without a blood sacrifice, she couldn't do it. He offered up his own life because he was already mortally wounded. It would be better to save one child if one had to die anyway. The mage argued, I think…" Garrick nodded, encouraging her to continue.

In Elissa's mind, images from Garrick's memories flooded through her. The boy, eighteen and bleeding from a nasty wound in his side, begged the young Blood Mage, offering his own life in return. Why the sister? Because she was Ambrose's true daughter and the son was born of another man. It was the son's gift to the father that raised him: his natural child kept alive through an act of evil for an act of love.

The mage cast her spells and traced the dying girl with runes created from Lawson's dark blood mingled with her own. She kissed him farewell before raising a dagger to deal the final killing blow. Magic flooded the room, blinding everyone within and killing both the boy and the mage, who tumbled together in an eternal embrace within the ruins of the girl's bedroom. Garrick then lifted the dazed teenager and dragged her small protesting form out of the room to safety. "I owe him my life…"

*Which reminds me, Your Majesty…or is it 'commander?' For this request, it should be 'commander' I think. Um, how do I say this…* An image crossed Elissa's mind of him sticking his tongue out at the Templar Commander as he proudly displays his Grey Warden credentials and thus his immunity to chantry laws forbidding the fraternization between Templars and mages, especially apostates. It made her smile.

"Let me guess… You want me to conscript you?" she said, grinning as she bounced her tiny babies in her lap.

He peered at her shyly. *Ah… Yes. You see, it was my desire to aid my beloved Malificar that put us in the situation that started all of this. Technically, I should face the punishment they decree, and that will either a permanent stay in a lovely facility for us naughty sorts or death. Either way, it would mean the loss of my head and not something I look forward to. I've discussed it at length with King Alistair and he said it's up to you so… Um…will you?*

Elissa handed her babies to the girl, who happily took them to the crib the Empress set up next to the bed. She took Garrick's hands in hers with a gentle smile. "Now is not a time of need, my friend. Conscription is something we Wardens do but sparingly to avoid the problems that got us ostracized in Ferelden. However, if you are willing to go before witnesses and volunteer, I would happily accept you. We would do it among the Orlesian Grey Wardens and I will deliver the joining myself. Is this truly your wish? Taking the Joining could mean your death, my friend."

*Not taking the joining will guarantee my death. I'd rather half a chance at a life than no chance at all. The Chantry has no concept of true justice, you know. A Templar breaks a law and that's it… Judged and you're done for. I'll take my chances with the Wardens, if you don't mind.*

Laughing, Elissa hugged Garrick just in time to see Alistair approaching with a handful of papers. He took her in his arms and pressed her against him, his mouth on hers in a long, wonderful kiss. "My love, it's so good to see you up and about. Will you walk with me? I have something to share that you could not be present for during its initial reading. Clauzette, would you mind watching the little ones?"

The girl shook her head and sat in the rocking chair that sat next to the crib. Smiling, she started singing Orlesian lullabies as the royal couple left the room.

Elissa, reassured that her children were in good company, happily reached for his hand, but he evaded her and slid his arm around her instead. "Is it Ambrose's will, my love?"

He nodded. "Sort of. This is his letter to us. It talks about the will a bit but it's not nearly as dull. He listed to whom he wanted to give his socks! Veranon read it to us the day following the battle. He was pressed for time for whatever reason but insisted on us hearing it. The letter is the most important part and the most…touching. Oh and Ambrose's former mother in law is causing trouble. She's convinced he's cheated her family out of their rightful inheritance. The magistrate signed off on the will when she openly challenged it. Then she was escorted out of the courthouse by her scrawny arms by the guard. It was pretty funny, really. Her greedy daughter then tried to grab Clauzette, who zapped her with a bit of electricity. Quite funny, really. She wants to come live with us and meet all those handsome Fereldan boys. Maker's breath…what is it with you women?"

"Anyway…" He led her outside to the Empress' private arbor and they sat down on a bench together. Around them, things bloomed out of season in the warm air of the secluded garden and birds sang happily among the trees. Whether magical or solid, the roof of the arbor was hard to discern, but it certainly seemed to keep the creatures and the heat in and the weather out. The scent of flowers and cool water was delightfully pleasant in light of what she feared she was about to read. She nestled in Alistair's arms, against his broad chest, as she took the papers from him. They were written in the neatest, prettiest script she'd ever seen come from a man's hand. Even Alistair's neat letters could not compare. This was art! "I'm here for you, Love…" Elissa smiled but said nothing as she read the letter. Then the tears came…

Dear Friends,

Dear Lovers…

If you are reading this, I am either dead or dying or Veranon has panicked and given this to you in the hopes of having you stop me from martyring myself. He's like that, you know. I think the fool loves me. I hope he knows that I love him too. Without him, I'd be a destitute soul begging for alms on the street corners. Thank the maker for good partners, I say; the boy is a fine entrepreneur and a savvy investor. And it's for those reasons that he is to remain in charge of the business. If he wants to own it, it's his; otherwise, it belongs to you, Elissa, Alistair. However, even if he turns down ownership, I still want him to run it. SOMEONE has to hire people to exterminate giant rats from merchants' cellars! And make a killing in the process, I'll add…

Next, my daughter is to go to Ferelden with you, Mon ce'aire, if she chooses to. If she chooses instead to remain in Orlais with her grandmother, I am afraid that her inheritance, which includes the lands of Desperia and a sizable amount of gold, will be in trust to you or her brother until she is twenty-one. Otherwise, she will get her inheritance at eighteen. Please seek mage training for my daughter. She shows much promise, but get that training outside the confines of the Tower. Butterflies are more beautiful when left free to spread their wings and fly, after all. Also, there is quite a bit of jewelry I have given to my wife over the years. You and my daughter are welcome to it. Whatever she does not desire, Mon ce'aire, is yours. That is assuming, of course, that my wife perished in the course of your stopping the abomination. Whatever you do, keep her mother's hands off of it!

You may notice that I left my son, Lawson, out of the custody part. He is plenty old enough and wise enough to his grandmother's wicked ways to handle himself. His destiny is his own, though I will leave any weapons and armor he desires so that he may pursue that destiny. Anything he doesn't want goes to Veranon for the business, or to you if there is a specific piece you desire. There's an entire room full in Lydes and Desperia has an impressive armory full of stuff. His specific inheritance is listed in the actual will. He too will have a stake in Desperia if he wants it, though he's often claimed that a noble's life is far from his ideal existence.

Now the hard part of this letter. I am writing this the night of the Lover's Ball and after deciding not to go, but Veranon has just convinced me that I have to go. You see, there is something about you, Elissa, that calls to me. It's not merely sexual, though doubtless that is part of it. No, it is so much more than that. You are like rain to the barren landscape of my soul and you give this life purpose. You give me hope that maybe, just maybe, the Calling isn't the end of my destiny. Sadly, since you are reading this I must not have to worry about the Calling anymore. My feelings for you transcend friendship, and I, for one, am proud of it. Alistair, over the weeks, I feel that I grew closer to you, closer than I have to any man other than Veranon. If he was my anchor, you gave me wings. King and a Grey Warden, you epitomize everything that a man can aspire to become and I am honored to have known you.

I find myself running out of things to say at this juncture. Well, I could say that I love you, both but doubtless you knew this. I do want to say that I wish I'd trusted you sooner. So convinced I was that she could kill my children with only my thoughts to provoke her that I feared even thinking about seeking aid from you. I want to say that I was wrong. Hindsight being what it is, I do hope I managed to tell you everything before I got myself killed. Forgive me. I wish you luck on your road ahead and hope that love finds you wherever you travel. Oh and Alistair? Keep a leash on that woman! She's quite the vixen, you know!

Good luck and good fortune, Sincerely…

Ambrose Fazsile

Lydes, Orlais

Elissa was sobbing by the end of the letter and held Alistair tightly. There was very little for either of them to say so they rose and walked back to the rooms.

The king and Queen did return home in good time. They had left during the late autumn months and arrived back in Ferelden during the height of summer. The people were delighted for their return and swarmed the new arrivals as Alistair and Elissa protectively, if proudly, held their babies against the press of the crowd. News from Redcliffe, sadly, was bad. Eamon, having never fully recovered from his close brush with death, finally had died. His brother, Bann Teagan, now Arl Teagan, held the lands his brother had watched over for many years. Curiously, he had a young woman by his side that Elissa had never seen before. The terminally single man had finally caught himself a lovely lass and all during the time she was gone. There was a lovely story in there that she desperately wanted to hear.

Fergus was happy to see them and gave her his own good news; his wife had given birth some months ago and was pregnant again. Well, if nothing else, the girl was decent as a brood mare, Alistair decided of Fergus' wife. The nobles' sons were beside themselves at the sight of the lovely Clauzette and Alistair felt himself prickling protectively as he laid down certain laws pertaining to his new daughter. Elissa decided at that point that she had chosen the perfect man to have children with; he could handle the whims of a teenager and a diaper all at the same time.

Garrick did pass his Joining but no sooner had they returned with him than the Templars tried to retain custody of him. Elissa and the king stood up to them, and refused to let them have him, much as Elissa had stood up to the Templars on behalf of Anders once. She was used to dealing with them, and not unexpectedly they met their fate in the same way Anders' would-be captors met theirs. He became quite popular in Amaranthine and among the Wardens in general. His new ability came with an unprecedented gift: if he "listened" he could hear the thoughts of others. It took concentration but it was possible and it came in quite handy in many situations. Varrel suddenly began inviting him to court functions.

Eventually, they created a statue dedicated to the memories of those Grey Wardens who have died during the years since Orlais was ousted from Fereldan lands. If there was irony that two names on the statue were Orlesian, nobody really cared. The people found the bronze and stone statue of a Grey Warden, sword aloft and a Hurlock Alpha dead at his feet, stirring. Names would doubtlessly be added, but for now three stood out prominently. The day after it appeared in the courtyard outside the palace gates, wreaths were placed and flowers laid about it. A lot of flowers. Someone even placed a stuffed bear at the base of it. The people of Ferelden would never forget the sacrifices made by the Grey Wardens again.

But even as a peace settled across Denerim and Ferelden, not all was perfect in the world. In Orlais, at the Grand Cathedral, a new White Divine had been brought forth to power; a woman whose desire for control of mages and of elves trumped sanity. In her mind that which the Chantry could not control must be destroyed and even the Grey Wardens' mages and elves were no longer safe from her persecution…

To Be Continued in Tainted Memories,

The Sequel to Tainted Dreams
- 33
- 34
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Tainted Dreams