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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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It turned out that getting into the phylactery chamber hadn't been as simple as Lily imagined, which came as no surprise whatsoever to Solona. The lock of the door she had retrieved the rod for was warded against magic, so the three of them had to find a longer way around. Which meant they would be forced to traverse the dungeons and storerooms leading to the repository.

As they spanned the basement, Solona made it a point to check every cell in the hopes to find Anders. Her guts were in knots each time she peeked through one of the small windows of the heavy wooden doors, knowing the healer could be behind any one of them. It had been a year. What would she say when she found him? What would he say? Would he apologize? Beg her forgiveness? Would she accept his words of contrition or tell him to go to the void?

In her heart, she knew she would forgive him. She always forgave him, no matter what he put her through. She had loved him from the first night they spent together, the night she gave him her virginity. No matter how many men she took to her bed, there was ever only room for one man in her heart.

When she finally found him, Solona's plan was to get him out, destroy Jowan's phylactery, then the four of them could escape the tower together. She knew that if anyone could get them out of there without detection, it would be Anders. They would find someplace to hide, at least for a while. Perhaps between the two of them, they could figure out a way to keep ahead of the templars. She and Anders would spend the remainder of their lives on the run, but at least they would be together.

She thought of the Grey Warden. Perhaps that was the solution. It would take days for word of their escape to reach Denerim. In the meantime, they could hide out along the road to Ostagar and watch for Duncan. Anders was the most talented healer she ever knew. The Warden would be a fool to reject him.

Solona would miss Jowan of course. The Wardens would never take him, but at least she and Anders would be together. It wasn't exactly freedom. Duncan had made that fact perfectly clear, but it was more liberty than she or Anders would ever have in the Circle. Maybe even enough to convince the healer to settle in and stop running.

Upon checking the last cell, Lily finally spoke up. "He's not here."

"Who?" Solona asked nonchalantly.

"Anders."

"What do you mean, he's not here? I know for a fact he was sentenced to the dungeons."

"Yes," Lily informed her. "The lower dungeons."

Solona's stomach sank. As far as she knew, no one alive in the tower, save maybe a few templars on patrol, had ever even seen the lower dungeons. The stories of mages who were sent there in ages past were horrific, however. It was said that anyone who had spent time in those cells was driven completely mad within a few months. Anders was put there for a year. How could Irving allow such a thing to happen to him?

The knowledge of the fate of the man she loved was almost more than Solona could bear. Would he ever be the same man? Would she even recognize him anymore?

She tried to open the door that led to that horrible place, but Jowan stopped her. "We have to go, Solona."

Tears flooded her eyes and streamed down her cheeks as she tried to figure out the locking mechanism. There was no way she would leave Anders now that she knew the horror that had befallen him. "I can't just leave him down there."

"Solona," Lily proffered. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Who gives two shits what you think, you stupid cow?" Solona hissed as she continued to rattle the door. She removed the rod of fire from the pouch at her waist and aimed it at the lock. She closed her eyes and allowed her mana to flow into the object. It twitched in her fingers, but there was resistance. It wasn't working.

"Stupid bloody thing is useless," she hissed before tossing it across the floor.

The young mage began to probe the wards surrounding the door. If she could discern which ones were used, perhaps there was a way to untangle them. She had to try. After a few moments, she felt her best friend's hand on her shoulder.

"Solona…If we stay any longer, we're going to be caught."

She jarred the door a few more times in frustration before slamming her fist into it. She placed her forehead against the wood and screamed in rage as more tears rained down her cheeks and onto the floor. She knew Jowan was right, but that knowledge didn't make the notion of leaving any easier. She dropped to her knees and pawed at the heavy wood as waves of choking, heart wrenching sobs poured from her.

"Solona, please," Jowan begged. "Somebody is going to hear you. We have to go."

She couldn't say anything, but simply acknowledged his words with a small nod. The racket she made had surely caught the attention of the templars. They would likely be there at any moment. It would do no good for them to get caught now.

"I'll be back for you, my love. I swear it," she whispered to the door.

With renewed determination, Solona rose from the ground. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the backs of her hands, straightened her shoulders, and breezed past her two companions. As she headed for the door of the repository she swore to herself that someday she would make good on that promise. She would ensure Anders' freedom, if it took her dying breath to do it.

Luckily, no guards found them before they reached the repository. Once inside, Solona located a crack in the wall that led to the phylactery chamber. After getting Jowan to help her move a bookcase that was doing a poor job hiding that flaw, she used an ancient Tevinter statue that would magnify her magic to blow a large hole in the stone. It only took a few minutes to locate Jowan's phylactery, which he promptly destroyed by dropping the vial.

Less than an hour later, the three of them emerged from the basement only to find Irving, Greagoir, and a half dozen templars waiting for them. It had been a trap all along. That was why no templars came. They had been waiting for them outside the entire time.

The Knight Commander stepped forward. "I guess I owe you an apology, Irving." He scrutinized Lily for a long moment. "The initiate seems shocked, but fully in control of her own mind." He turned to Solona with a sneer. "And you…I should have known you'd be a part of this given your previous associations with that healer."

"It's not her fault," Jowan yelled, the forcefulness of his words shocking his best friend. "This was my idea."

Irving waggled his head. "I'm very disappointed in you, Solona. How could you do this?"

Before she could respond, Greagoir lifted his hand to silence her. "Enough. As Knight Commander of the templars here assembled, I sentence this blood mage to death." He pointed to Solona. "Perhaps you and your boyfriend should become reacquainted. You will be taken to the lower dungeons where you will remain for the next six months. Maybe that will teach the both of you some respect for our rules."

"Greagoir," Irving attempted to intervene.

"Silence," the Knight Commander bellowed as he glowered at Lily. "As for you, girl, by conspiring with a blood mage, you have scorned both the Chantry and your vows. I sentence you to Aeonar, where you will remain for the rest of your days."

As the templars behind Irving began to approach Lily, she backed away toward the basement door. "The…the mages prison. No…please, no. Not there. I'll do anything, anything you ask."

"You will not touch her!" Jowan shouted as he drew a dagger from his belt.

Before Solona knew what was happening, her best friend plunged the blade into the palm of his hand, splattering blood everywhere. She gasped as the thick crimson liquid began to spray all around Jowan to form what appeared to be a tidal wave. He threw out his hands and a loud boom echoed throughout the room as everyone but he and Lily were toppled by the spell.

Lily and Jowan were talking. He seemed to be begging, but in her hazy state, Solona couldn't make out the words. The wind had been knocked out of her lungs and her head was spinning from bouncing against the cold stone floor. As she watched her best friend run past her toward the door leading out of the tower, she tried to call out to him, but just couldn't form the words. She put her pounding head back down to the ground and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe it. Jowan actually was a blood mage.

After another minute she finally managed to roll onto her side, then crawled over to check on Irving, who remained face down on the floor. Blood oozed from the top of his head, but he was still breathing. At least that was something. After a few moments, the old man propped himself up onto his hands and knees.

"Are you alright?" he winced with pain.

Solona pursed her lips. She was still in shock. She thought she knew everything about Jowan, but he had been keeping secrets from her, obviously for a long time. She thought everything that transpired that day were relatively new developments, but Jowan had apparently abandoned her long before he decided to leave the tower. She drew a long, ragged breath.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"And you, Greagoir?" the old man questioned. "How do you fare?"

"As good as can be expected considering the circumstances," Greagoir sneered. "If you had let me act sooner, this would have never happened. Now there's a blood mage on the loose and we've no way to track him down."

"I'm sure you'll think of something Knight Commander," Solona said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look at it this way, you'll finally get to use that sword of yours on something other than mages in the grips of their Harrowing."

Greagoir rounded on her. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner? This is your fault. If it wasn't for you helping Jowan into the phylactery chamber, he would have no hope of evading us." He then circled on Jowan's girlfriend. "And you! You helped him."

"You forced his hand!" Solona interjected.

Lily bowed her head. "I can speak for myself," she told the young mage. "Knight-Commander…I…I was wrong. I should have never…I will accept whatever punishment you see fit. I deserve it. Even if that means I will spend the rest of my life in Aeonar."

"So that's it?" Solona asked incredulously. "Not an hour ago, you were professing your undying love for Jowan. Now you're just giving up? He revealed himself a blood mage to protect you and has made his life forfeit. Did his sacrifice really mean so little to you?"

"Blood magic is evil," she replied. "Therefore, Jowan is evil. He drew me in with his lies about love. It was stupid of me to ever trust a mage, any mage."

"You fucking bitch!" Solona bellowed as she lunged toward the other woman.

It was Lily's fault. The entire thing. Jowan would have never behaved the way he had if it wasn't for that heifer. She was the one who lured him in, but she was going to pay, and pay dearly. Solona was going to tear every mousy brown hair out of that cow's head then feed them all to her.

It took two templars to finally wrestle Solona to the ground. As she struggled against her captors, screaming in rage, Greagoir pointed to Lily. "Get her out of my sight" he bellowed.

As they led the initiate away, the Knight Commander rounded on Solona. "Your antics and words have made a mockery of this Circle! I may not be able to punish Jowan for his crimes just yet, but your sentence will be carried out immediately."

The young mage stopped struggling and glared at the templar through narrowed lids defiantly. "Do whatever you want. I really don't give a damn. Jowan was my best friend and a good man. But you'll never see that will you? You were never going to see that. I'm glad he escaped. I only wish he would have taken your sorry ass in the process. "

Greagoir crouched on the floor next to Solona and lowered his face to hers. His lips curved into a wide grin. "You were best friends with a blood mage? I find it difficult to believe you didn't know. Maybe you're one as well."

"Prove it," Solona challenged.

He waggled his head. "I don't have to."

"Knight-Commander, if I may…" a familiar voice interrupted. Duncan approached the scene causing Greagoir to grimace up at him angrily. "I am not only looking for mages to join the king's army. I am also recruiting for the Grey Wardens. Irving spoke highly of this mage and I would like her to join the Warden ranks."

"Duncan," Irving reasoned. "This mage has assisted a maleficar and shown a complete lack of regard for the Circle's rules."

The Knight-Commander stood and raised his chin with an air of superiority. "Yes, she is a danger to us all."

The Warden gave a small smile to the young mage. "It is a rare person who risks all for a friend in need. I stand by my decision. I will recruit this mage."

"No!" Greagoir spat. "Absolutely not! I refuse to let this go unpunished!"

Although still on her knees with each of her arms being squeezed by templars, Solona's back stiffened and she held her head high. "If the Grey Wardens will have me, I will gladly go. Maybe they'll actually appreciate my talent."

"Greagoir, mages are needed," Duncan reasoned. "This mage is needed. Worse things plague this world than blood mages…you know that." He put a gentle hand to Solona's shoulder. "I take this young mage under my wing and bear all responsibility for her actions."

The Knight-Commander shook his head with disgust. "A blood mage escapes and his accomplice is not only unpunished, but is rewarded by becoming a Grey Warden. Are our rules nothing? Have we lost all authority over our mages? This does not bode well…for any of us."

"Greagoir, that's enough," Irving interjected quietly. "The Wardens retain the Right of Conscription by order of both the Chantry and the laws of Ferelden. We have no more say in this matter."

Solona saw the old man's eyes glistening as he stared at her. After so many years of working to gain it, she had lost his respect. Other than leaving Anders behind, it was her only regret. She felt a tug at her arm.

"Come," Duncan commanded. "Your new life awaits."

Without another word to Irving or Greagoir, Solona turned and followed Duncan out into the hall. He allowed her enough time to go to her room and gather her few things into a pack. She grabbed an extra set of robes and some toiletries along with a small, clay figure of a bird Jowan had made and given to her for a Satinalia gift when they were still children. It was Maker-awful. It hardly resembled a bird, but it still held great meaning for her.

As she strapped her pack to her shoulder, she heard someone lightly rap on the door. Solona looked up, expecting to see Duncan. Instead, her eyes met with Cullen's whiskey brown orbs. What in Andraste's name was he doing there? Did he intend to get a tumble in before she left? Was he really that desperate?

"So it's true," he whispered. "You're leaving."

"Yes," she confirmed.

"I heard what happened." He paused for a long moment as if trying to discern what he wanted to say. "Just tell me one thing…why? Why would you do something like that?"

She couldn't explain it, but something in those eyes compelled Solona to answer, to explain her actions. Her cold exterior softened in his gaze.

"He was my best friend and they were going to make him tranquil. I couldn't just stand by and let that happen."

"But he was a blood mage."

"I didn't know that, alright? I didn't even suspect it. I thought I was doing the right thing."

Cullen nodded then stepped closer to her. He cupped her chin with his fingers and lifted her face to gaze deep into her eyes. His own orbs flooded with tears. Actual tears that began to spill out onto his cheeks. There was no faking that. Was it possible? Did he actually have real feelings for her?

"I will never forget you, Solona," he whispered before tenderly pressing his lips to hers.

He pulled away and unclasped a silver chain from his neck before placing it around hers and refastening the catch. At the end of the chain dangled a small silver amulet with the templar symbol etched into its front. Those amulets were only given to templars at the end of their training. They were irreplaceable.

"This was given to me the day I gained my commission," he told her as he thumbed the tiny sword and flames. "I want you to keep it…to remember me."

She stared down at the metal charm for a long moment. Why would he give her something he worked so hard for, something so important to him? She peered up at him and what she saw caused her to gasp. She recognized heartbreak and loss. Two things she knew all too well.

"I love you, Solona," he confessed.

The sincerity of his words caused her knees to buckle. They were words she had been longing to hear since she was thirteen. Cullen, a templar, a man she barely knew, someone she had intended to use to get back at Anders, actually loved her. Her eyes began to sting and she blinked hard to stem the flow that threatened to seep from her lids.

He bent down once more and tenderly kissed her cheek. He hesitated only a moment before circling to head out of the room.

"Cullen…" she quietly called after him. She had no clue what she was going to say if he actually turned around. She only knew she didn't want him to go.

He stopped and put his hand on the wooden frame of the door. His shoulders trembled with a deep, ragged breath, then slumped as his head bowed. He remained in the doorway for a long moment then walked out of her life forever.

Solona was pretty angry with Varric when the dwarf made Jowan little more than a byline outside of his escape from the tower and the mistake he made with Eamon. He was a good man, especially considering the fact that he was a hero in his own right during the darkspawn's siege of Vigil's Keep. As a Grey Warden, he certainly redeemed himself, but that is a tale for another day.

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The True Tale Of The Fifth Blight