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The True Tale Of The Fifth Blight	By : Serena_Hawke-Theirin Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 13108 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Just as he had the previous morning, Garrett cooked breakfast for Miriana and served it to her in her cabin. As they dined on poached eggs, bacon, fried mushrooms, and toast with orange marmalade, the captain and his guest enjoyed some light conversation about different books they each had read. Mercifully, Miriana made sure to steer clear of any mention of the Gerard books, and chose to instead talk of other adventure tales she enjoyed.

By the end of their meal, as they both sipped their tea, she actually seemed comfortable enough in his presence that he felt it time to alter their discussion to more personal matters. He still needed to convince her that foregoing the trip to Kinloch Hold in favor of turning to Denerim was the better plan. He was confident if he could only assure her safety, she would agree to his request.

“So, love,” he began. “We have discussed every manner of book under the sun, but I still know precious little about you.”

Her alabaster cheeks flushed a dark shade of pink as she concentrated on the cup in her hand. “There’s not much to tell, really.”

“I find that difficult to believe,” he argued. “Well, maybe we should start with the basics. I know you said you were from the Circle of Ostwick. Is that where you hail from originally?”

She shook her head with a timid smile. “No, I was born in Kirkwall. When I was five, my father took us from the city to Cumberland.”

Cumberland.

That was the city from where Marko had picked up the little girl they took to Kinloch all those years ago. Garrett couldn’t quite recall her name, but he knew it wasn’t Miriana. Still, Miri looked as he imagined that young mage would have at the same age. The timing of that trip from Cumberland was about right as well. Miriana used the word, “us.” Perhaps the child he met years before was a sister.

“My dad gave passage to a young mage around fourteen years ago. We took her to Kinloch. It was the only time my dad ever made that journey as far as I can remember.” He chuckled. “She was just a little spit of a girl, but she had the temperament of a sea witch. Threw a plate of fish at my head.”

The young mage’s brow furrowed with curiosity. “Was her name Solona, by chance?”

That was it. Solona. He nodded his head. “Yes, I believe it was. Friend of yours?”

“She’s my twin sister,” Miriana affirmed with a wistful smile. “She was taken by the templars when we were five, along with our two older brothers, Decimus and Maddox. The templars tested all four of us for magic along with our father. They didn’t find a trace of it on me. I suppose I came into my gift a little later in life. I found out I had it when I was eight.”

Her face took on a pensive frown. Garrett imagined the memory of it all was difficult for her. He couldn’t fathom what it must have been like to have half of his family torn away from him at such a young age. As hard as it had been growing up knowing his birth parents never wanted him, losing family like that couldn’t have been much easier, if any.

“I’m sorry, love,” he offered in apology for prompting her to recall what was obviously a painful memory.

She waggled her head. “It’s fine…It’s just that…Mages are never assigned to the same Circles as other family members, especially not immediate family. If I’m being transferred to Kinloch, that must mean…” Her lapis eyes began to glisten. “Solona must not have survived her Harrowing.”

“Harrowing?” he queried.

Garrett had heard the word before, and he knew it had something to do with Circle mages. Beyond that, he didn’t have a clue what it was. From the expression on Miriana’s face, he could tell it was nothing good.

“It’s the test apprentices must go through to prove that they will not pose a danger in the future. We aren’t allowed to speak of it more than in general terms, but if an apprentice does not pass…they lose their heads.”

The captain arched a brow. “I hope you mean in the figurative sense, love.”

“No,” she whispered. “The templars behead apprentices who fail.”

“That seems a bit…harsh.”

The mage shrugged. “It’s necessary. The Harrowing proves to the templars and the Chantry that a mage is less likely to fall prey to demons.”

Garrett grimaced. “I would think there would be a better way to do it. Perhaps further study or better preparation? The Circle in Rivain doesn’t do Harrowings, leastwise I’ve never heard of anyone losing their head. Of course, that Circle is little better than a school. The mages of Rivain basically attend when they feel like it, and go home at the end of the day if they wish. As far as I know, there has never been a major attack by demons or the like there.”

“I’ve heard Rivain is much more lax in its rules,” Miriana admitted. “But very little is known about that Circle among the others. It seems to be left out of the lore and histories that I’ve seen, other than to say the light of the Maker was finally allowed to shine on a land full of witches and thieves.” Her face flushed crimson. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any offense by that.”

The captain laughed. “None taken, love. Rivain does rather know its fair share of both, but it’s where my dad hails from and where he retired to. It’s also where he found me. So I suppose it’s my home of sorts.”

“Found you?”

“Aye,” he said. “I was left on the docks of Deriav among some cargo. Ramirez heard me crying in the larder and took me to the captain. Marko decided to adopt me, so here I am.”

The mage’s eyes filled with empathy, not pity, but true understanding. Garrett hated when anyone pitied him his childhood, but he appreciated the genuine concern in Miriana’s lapis eyes. Somehow, he felt she understood what he had endured, as if she had gone through a similar experience. She never mentioned a mother. Perhaps they had more in common than just a love a books. Either way, he thought it probably best to change the subject.

“It’s too bad it’s not a bit later in the year,” he mused. “I could really go for a swim about now. I do enjoy my baths, of course, but there’s nothing like fresh salt water against the skin to make you feel alive.”

Miriana shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been swimming.”

“Never?” he asked with surprise. “Not even in fresh water?”

She shook her head. “No. Not that I remember.”

“I suppose Ostwick is a bit inland,” he surmised.

“It’s not that,” she explained. “There were fresh lakes around Ostwick. My escorts and I passed them on our way through. I just never saw them when I was in the Circle. In fact, my journey here is the first time I’ve been outside since I was nine.”

“They didn’t allow you to go outside?” the pirate inquired. He had always heard mages weren’t allowed to venture outside their Circles, but he had no idea it meant they never ventured outdoors at all.

“No,” she confirmed. “Apprentices are never allowed out of doors. Some of the Senior Enchanters are allowed to leave on occasion, but that is only after they spend years proving they are trustworthy enough for the privilege. They even board up all the windows in the Circle. That way, no apprentices or lower level mages are tempted. The Chantry believes it’s cruel to wave such temptation in the faces of the gifted.”

“So even small children aren’t allowed fresh air?” he questioned. “Surely they…”

“Especially not the children,” the mage replied. “The Chantry and the templars have been operating in that manner for ages. It is a formula that seems to work well.”

Garrett was surprised by the fact that there was no bitterness in Miriana’s voice. She actually seemed a bit defensive over such cruelty, as if she agreed with it. Perhaps she just needed a reminder of the taste of true freedom. His lids narrowed as an impish smirk formed on his lips.

“Never been swimming, eh? Well that is a travesty we will simply have to remedy, love.”

She presented him with a curious frown. “What do you mean?”

“I think my friend, the one that bonny dress belonged to, left swimming attire in the VIP quarters. I’ll have Carlos fetch it for you, and I will call again in another hour or so.”

“B…but…but…” she stammered.

The pirate stood and flourished a bow. “I shall see you then, my dear. I am very much looking forward to showing you the wonders of the sea.”

For a moment, Garrett worried she might refuse his offer, but she simply smiled and gave him a hesitant nod. He hoped a swim might urge her in the direction he wanted to go. Besides, if he couldn’t convince her otherwise, she was about to go back into the Circle where she would be locked away for the rest of her days. She should at least have the chance to live. If only for a few moments.

Miriana’s teeth chattered as she wrapped the soft blanket tighter around her shoulders. The water had felt like ice against her skin at first, but she had gotten accustomed to it rather quickly. Sitting in the longboat while the ship’s crew slowly hauled it back up to the deck, however, was almost torturous. The young mage was chilled to the bone. More than once, Garrett asked if she would be alright. It was a question Miriana could only manage to answer with a shivering nod of her head.

The captain had been very patient with her during her first swim. He taught her how to float on her back and tread water. A few times, she was sure she nearly drowned the poor man when she panicked, but he reassured her he wouldn’t allow her to sink and he would be right there to catch her if she happened to falter.

When Miriana’s feet were solidly back on the wooden planks of the ship, Garrett turned to her with a smile. “I took the liberty of having a pot of tea delivered to my cabin upon our return. Would you care to join me, love?”

Any other time, his request would have sent the mage’s nerves into a frenzy. At that moment, however, she was simply too cold to care. “T…tea would be l…lovely, Garrett. Th…thank you.”

“It is my pleasure, love,” he told her as he placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her to his quarters. “If you’d like, I could add a little rum or brandy to your cup. Warm you from the inside out, so to speak.”

Miriana’s eyes lit up. She adored brandy. First Enchanter Wenda would allow her a small glass on occasion when their training exercises were exceptionally taxing after she passed her Harrowing. She was sworn to secrecy about the special treat, which actually made those sessions even more significant to her.

“I do enjoy brandy,” she admitted.

“Then brandy it shall be,” he said with a slight tilt of his head. “I happen to have a bottle of hundred year old Antivan brandy in my cabin. My dad gave it to me the first time I visited him after I took over as captain of the Call. Never been opened. My tastes run much simpler most days, so I decided to save it for a special occasion.” He gave her a wink and an uneven grin. “Having a bonny lass such as yourself join me for a drink seems a grand enough occasion to finally remove that cork.”

A small giggle escaped Miriana despite her best efforts to keep it in. She bit down on her lips to prevent herself further embarrassment. After the time they had spent together over the last two days, the mage had finally begun to realize that the man at her side was not Gerard, but a man who was real and far superior to the rogue from her favorite storybook.

Garrett filled Miriana’s cup with tea and then brandy in equal measures. As he placed the bottle upon the table, he couldn’t help but be saddened by its sight. He had meant to give it to Bryce years ago, but he always forgot it on the ship, promising next time he would remember. Now, next time would never come.

He watched the mage take a sip from her cup. A smile of satisfaction formed on her lips upon her sampling of the mixture. Although he knew he should wait until Miriana had the chance to warm up and settle in a bit more, his memory of Bryce prompted him to ask the query that had been on his mind for days.

“I have a question, love,” he began. “A proposition of sorts.” When her expression turned to a worried scowl, he shook his head with a chuckle. “No, nothing like that,” he assured her. “I was wondering how you would feel about delaying your trip to the Circle for a while…perhaps, indefinitely.”

She placed her cup and saucer down upon the surface of the table. The lines in her forehead deepened as her lids narrowed in quiet contemplation. After a long pause, she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Garrett,” she refused. “But I can’t. While I have enjoyed my time on your ship…the Circle is my home. It’s where I belong. The longer I delay my journey, the more trouble it could bring to both of us.” The space between her brows disappeared. “I hope you can understand.”

The captain felt his stomach drop as he released the breath he was unaware he had been holding until that moment. He couldn’t imagine why anyone would choose to go back into that sort of captivity, especially after the little bit she had told him about it. He wanted to be angry with her, tell her how foolish she was being, but the sadness in her lapis eyes wouldn’t allow it.
As he inhaled a deep breath, Garrett came to the realization that it wasn’t the delay of catching up to Howe that upset him most, but the fact that Miriana was so adamant about leaving him. For the first time since Maggie, he actually felt something more than just lust for a woman, something real, and it scared him nearly to death. He waggled his head to shake away his thoughts and emotions. He couldn’t allow himself to feel that kind of pain again. He wouldn’t allow it.
He picked up his cup and saucer then sat back and took a sip of his brandied tea. “Then I suppose we’ll just have to find a way through these storms so we can get you back to the Circle.”

Through the eyes of the gull sitting outside the captain’s window, Remus watched the man and woman sitting at the table inside. All day, the Tevinter had observed the pirate woo the woman who had become his obsession. Gone were his thoughts and worries over his father and the Venatori who followed him. The stone embedded within him was forgotten, though he could still feel its power pulsating throughout his body and soul. The only thing that really mattered was her. Miriana.

You will not have her. Not as long as I still draw breath. She is mine.

The wheel shifted in Martinez’s hand. The deviation was subtle, but it was definitely more than the typical shark hitting the rudder and the tap was too soft for a whale. He peered up to spy dark, heavy clouds roll in overhead. A glance to his left informed him the clouds weren’t blown over from the wall of storms that had plagued the Call since leaving Highever.

The first mate watched the freak storm moving in. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. He had lived at sea long enough and had been through enough gales to know, clouds weren’t supposed to maneuver in such a sudden and odd pattern. Something was definitely wrong.

Another jolt, but that one nearly jerked the wheel from his hand. He held the helm as steady as he could, maintaining enough control to prevent the ship from pitching too far to the right. Whatever was beneath them was big. Larger than any whale or shark they had ever come across. They were too near shore for it to be a true creature of the deep. The ones written about in books and haunted every sailor’s worst nightmares.

Something slammed hard into the portside of the ship as sheets of rain mixed with heavy pellets of ice began to assault the large man’s face. Between whatever was assailing them from below and the unnatural squall, the Call would surely founder. If he didn’t know better, he would swear the spirit of the sea aimed to see them dead. He looked to his right and spotted Ainsley struggling against the wind.

“Fetch the captain,” he cried over the din. “We need him on deck. Now!”

With the reflexes of a cat, Garrett managed to catch Miriana before she hit the floor after the jolt to the ship sent her careening out of her chair. The first two pitches of the ship he chalked up to the gale from the terrible storm that finally moved in from the shore. The last, however, told the captain it was something far worse.

“Are you alright, love?” he inquired of the lady cradled in his arms.

“I’m fine, Garrett,” she nodded. “What in the Maker’s name was that?”

The pirate helped the mage to her feet as the ship continued to sway and rock in the wind that cast it about. A frantic pounding at the door echoed above the din of the hail and rain pelting the outside of the cabin and the loud creaks and groans of the wood as it fought against the rising tide. Ainsley didn’t bother to wait for the captain’s answer before spilling inside and nearly falling on his face from the force of the gale at his back.

“Captain!” he hollered. “Mister Martinez needs you at the helm, ser.”

Garrett swallowed back his own creeping sense of dread and turned to Miriana with as much confidence and calm as he could muster as he gripped the beam next to him that ran floor to ceiling. “I’ll be back momentarily, love” he told her. “Martinez can’t do a thing without me.” The worry in her lapis eyes nearly stole his breath. “Don’t worry, love, this sort of thing happens time and again. Nothing I can’t handle.” He presented her with a wink and a flirtatious smirk. “As I told you before, I never said there weren’t any adventures. Just settle yourself here while I take care of some business.”

“Very well, Garrett,” she agreed.

The captain gave her another grin and a small bow and followed Ainsley back out onto the deck. The storm was even worse than he feared. He held onto the wall at his side as he began to make his way against the sleet and the hail and the driving wind to the stairs that led to the helm.

He had only managed a few steps when an enormous tentacle slithered over the railing and across the deck to wrap around Ainsley’s left ankle. It gripped the man’s limb so tightly that the crewman screamed out in pain as the monstrous thing lifted him from the planks to hang several feet over Garrett’s head. The monster flung Ainsley back and forth like a wet dishtowel for several moments then unraveled from the man’s leg, launching him past the railing and several yards out to sea.

The appendage came crashing down onto the deck, generating a large hole in the wooden planks and prompting Garrett to roll out of its way. He pulled his ebony handled cutlasses from their sheaths and sliced through the end of the creature’s limb, creating a tremendous roar which resonated from somewhere below. The tentacle was withdrawn only to be replaced by another ascending from the opposite side of the ship.

The captain leapt for the stair railing, grabbed hold, and used it to launch himself onto the upper deck where he found Martinez struggling to keep the wheel under some semblance of control. The first mate’s face was as red as a ripe autumn apple and his knuckles as white as a freshly shorn lamb as he tried to keep the wheel from spinning too far in any one direction.

Garrett ran to the larger man’s side and gripped the spokes. “Martinez,” he bellowed. “Get some men on those ballistas. If we don’t rid ourselves of that beastie, we’ll all be lost to the void.”

The cool grass felt good under Miriana’s bare feet. Especially given the heat radiating from the sun overhead. A light breeze blew across her skin and caught in the loosened tendrils of hair framing her face. The light chemise she wore billowed about her knees. The place she found herself in was quiet, peaceful. Quite a change from where she had been before.

Where had she been before?

The young mage searched the recesses of her mind. She recalled a ship, a storm. Gripping, unyielding fear. She was tossed to the floor and hit her head. But where was she now?

The Fade.

But it was no mere dream. Something was amiss. She concentrated, willing herself to wake. When she opened her eyes, she was still in the meadow. She could sense it around her. If she looked either left or right, she could perceive the lea. If she kept her eyes forward, she could still see the grassy land in her peripheral vision. Straight forward, however…

It was almost as if she were peering out a small window, just inches from her eyes. Through that perception, she could see the sails, the storm, the monstrous creature that reared its body from the water and threatened to crush the ship. Every step she took across the deck, she took within that place in the Fade.

“Let me help you, Miriana,” a familiar voice whispered on the wind. “If you do not, you will die along with everyone on the ship, including your captain.”

“But Faith,” the mage argued. “Only demons possess the living. Are you a demon?”

“No, child,” the spirit assured her in a calming, ethereal voice. “I am no demon. You know me. You have known me your entire life. I only want to protect you. Keep you safe.”

Miriana could feel the warmth of the spirit. It was exactly the same as it had always been. Still, she hesitated.

Then, through the window, she heard Garrett’s voice. “Miriana! Get back inside!” A long moment passed before the captain cried out to the cabin boy. “Carlos! Get her to my cabin! Now!”

As the boy made his way toward her against the wind, something large crashed into him from the side and sent him hurtling over the railing.

“The rest will die as well,” Faith said, her voice held sadness that nearly broke Miriana’s heart. “As will you. Please, Miriana.”

Miriana didn’t say a word. She simply nodded her head. The next moment, everything went cold and black.

Garrett couldn’t release the wheel. If he did, the ship would founder on its side and they would be lost to the abyss. What was that fool woman doing out on the deck? The wind rushed around her as she moved toward the bow, whipping her hair and dress all about her, yet she didn’t seem to struggle at all as she glided across the ice and rain soaked planks under her bare feet.

When she reached the bowsprit, she climbed atop the wide wooden spike and inched her way toward its tip. Just when she had come to the middle, she stopped and lifted her arms in the air. The monster of the deep rose from the water with slow precision and towered over the woman before it.

Garrett had seen giant squid before, but nothing prepared him for the size of that creature. His dad had spoken of the legend of the kraken before, but even the old man admitted he had never laid eyes on the beast. Only a handful over the ages ever survived to tell the tale of the monster, and those had only seen it from afar. If the creature before them truly was the one from the legends, it had certainly earned the designations, “Destroyer of Ships” and the “Wrath of the Sea”.

By all accounts, they were doomed. Each and every one of them. Garrett, however, didn’t hold much weight to old tales and stories told to children to keep them from choosing a life at sea. The thing was colossal to be certain, but any creature that drew breath could die. He called out to his crew manning the ballistas.

“On my order men,” he cried then waited for them to ready their positions. “Fire!”

Large bolts soared through the rain and sleet toward the beast then promptly fell away when they hit their mark. The captain’s gaze turned to Miriana who was surrounded by a glowing light. From what he could tell, nothing penetrated the lambency as it grew larger and brighter.

The radiance remained around the mage, but the growing excess moved toward the beast until it hit the creature directly in the numerous eyes buried within the front of its gigantic head. It careened back, releasing the ship from its many snaking tentacles as it went. With a loud groan and a roll to its rear, the kraken dove back under the water.

Within moments, the weather began to clear and the faint glow of the sun, dulled by thin grey clouds, shone down upon Yavana’s Call. The light that had surrounded Miriana faded. She took several steps backward, until she was at the ship’s end of the bowsprit, then collapsed onto the deck.

Being raised on a ship, I never could understand how people could live their entire lives without ever leaving their hometowns. There is a vast world out there begging to be discovered. I believed all mages wanted to be free of the Circles, they just had no way of making that freedom a reality. This was the first time I was confronted by the fact that some mages actually wanted to be part of the Circle. Later on, after Miri explained it to me, I could understand how the Circle might be better than what she had known before. At that time, I just couldn’t comprehend her wanting to return when I could offer her what I felt was a much better option. As much as I wanted her to stay, seeing the look on her face, made it impossible for me to even consider refusing her wish to continue to the tower.

I don’t know what would have become of my crew and I if Miri hadn’t allowed Faith to vanquish the kraken. The Call is a sturdy ship, and my crew was second to none, but we had never been faced with a creature like that before. Many people would have thought her evil for allowing a Fade spirit to possess her that way, but it only deepened my feelings for her when I later discovered what she had done. She risked everything for me and my crew, and I could never thank her enough for what she did.

-G
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The True Tale Of The Fifth Blight