Old Debates and Old Wounds
The three Grey Wardens awoke to a beautiful morning, well rested and ready to take on whatever the day had in store for them. That day proved to hold little as they were all quickly met by Twilight, the young scholar already having their plans for the day figured out.
To better adjust the four newcomers, it was decided they were to be given a full tour of the castle. Though to the Fereldeners, it seemed more like a way to keep them out of the princesses' hair as they planned on what to do about the otherworldly visitors. Twilight herself had volunteered to do so, a grand idea as she already knew the castle layout and was the most comfortable being in the presence of the bipedal creatures. The idea itself garnered mild groans from both Anders and Alistair, but the commander accepted the gesture well and led the others to follow the unicorn.
As Twilight played tour guide, her voice continuously rattled on about the castle and the many different rooms it held. They saw the banquet hall and dungeon first, both of which Alistair was already familiar with. Then they came across the library, a personal place of interest for the student as she spent much of her time there while staying in the castle under Princess Celestia's tutelage. There was a moment where they were to visit the gardens and where the royal animals were kept, but after several vocal protests made by Shale, which nearly shattered a few eardrums, they skipped it.
Time continued to pass as their tour took quite some time to complete, mostly due to the fact that the three humans preferred to drag their feet. There was also the problem of their location, much of the tour was spent walking the maddeningly long hallways that the castle held. While they were very beautiful pieces of architecture, they were all identical to the other and it became old quickly.
Their time walking from location to location, several feet behind Twilight as her joyful trotting was much quicker than their begrudging trudge, it allowed them chances to speak to one another. The commander himself felt a need to discuss a few things, it being the first time he was given the chance since arriving in the strange land.
“So why did you not tell the princesses you were our king?” Commander Cousland asked, eying Alistair with an accusatory expression. “Seems like an important detail to simply slip your mind.”
A huff left the Warden-King as he folded his arms. “You know how I feel about my title,” he responded. “I figured it didn't matter if they knew who I was.”
“Didn't matter?” Anders mimicked, walking beside his fellow Grey Wardens. “Heh. Only you would think letting these creatures know you're important is unimportant.” A cheeky grin widened his lips as he held his chin in thought. “Although, we are in a land with two rulers who have not only managed to keep their land in a perpetual state of peace for the last thousand years, but they also move the sodding sun and moon like it was nothing. When compared to your own abilities well... talk about inadequacy issues.”
“It's not that!” Alistair snapped, glaring daggers at the mage. “It's just, what bit of my kingly power holds in this world? Now it's just a title that puts me in a position above the rest of you in their eyes, and I don't want that.”
“Or maybe you just don't like sharing a pedestal with other royalty,” Anders chided, his mirthful look never ceasing.
“And what's that supposed to mean?” the king growled.
Anders was quick in adopting an expression of innocence. “I've heard the stories about the time you visited Orlais and met the empress. You two made quite the impression on one another. Not to mention how she cornered you in your chambers and you two,” the mage raised a fist to his mouth and coughed forcibly, “consummated the truce between our lands that your brother didn't have the chance to.” Alistair didn't say a word, his face aghast as he stared at Anders.
“That's ridiculous,” the commander remarked, rolling his eyes to the absurdity. The mood on his face soon shifted however as he smirked and said, “I heard it was a broom closet.” Anders clamped a hand over his mouth as he burst into a momentary fit of laughter, causing Twilight to look behind her and toward the humans.
“Shut it, both of you!” Alistair hissed. “First of all, that didn't happen! Second, it's things like that that make me hate the idea of being referred to as a king!” Slowly, Alistair's agitation subsided. Sighing, he looked toward the two Wardens and murmured, “It's like back when I was a Warden and templar in training. I could do something stupid or make a fool of myself without so much as a sideways glance, because that was who I was. Now as a king, people can easily see how I am far from any sort of royal material.” He pointed down the hall, as if the subject of his direction was actually there. “You both saw how Princess Luna looked at me when she found out I share an authoritative position like her own. I'm almost certain she would have had me thrown out of the castle if it wasn't for Celestia's influence.”
A frown formed on the faces of the two Wardens. They both began to realize that their king had a point. But the commander's frown didn't last very long, his attention peaking as something his friend had said caught his focus. “Wait a minute,” he muttered, looking at Alistair with a raised brow, “'Celestia'?”
Noticing it himself, Anders matched the commander's look as he too stared at their king. Alistair's lips tightened quickly however, showing a hesitancy toward replying. As the two current Grey Wardens were about to press the sudden subject, they were interrupted as the sound of galloping hooves echoed down the hallway. Everyone looked toward the source to see a guard approaching them.
The guard halted as he made it toward the outsiders, catching Twilight's full attention as well. “Ahem,” he breathed, gaining their curious glances from everyone there as he stood at attention. “Princess Celestia would like to invite you all to the banquet hall for dinner.”
“Dinner?” Alistair questioned, his eyes immediately becoming drawn toward the nearest window. To his surprise, he could already see the sun nearing the far off horizon, the sky shifting from blue to orange and the foreshadowing darkness that was soon to come. Mild groans escaped the three humans as they realized how much of a day they had wasted that could have been put to getting them home. The king rubbed his eyes as he thought on the prospect of a good meal and turned to his fellows and said, “Well, let's not make her wait on us.”
Within the banquet hall, Celestia sat happily alongside her student and the visiting creatures from the land of Thedas. The sun princess took her rightful place at the end of the table. Twilight sat next to her on the right side of the table, while the commander took the place next to her at her own right. Alistair sat across from Twilight at the end of the left side, while Anders took the seat at the king's left. An empty spot existed next to Celestia, the second seat in the widened end of the table. A spot meant for Princess Luna who was not there. The princess of the night was away, busy with business of the royal kind. Though, the excuse was taken differently among the three humans, already knowing the pony princess' disposition toward them all.
Luna's absence was quickly forgotten however as the servants began to bring in what they would be dining on. Despite staying in a castle of vegetarian ponies, mouths began to water as they glimpsed at the amazing spread that had been created for them. A wide variety of dishes were made, using vegetables in ways that seemed unbelievable among the humans. Culinary masterpieces were brought to them, with delectable soups, casseroles and salads. A long slab of banana bread wafted its scent straight into their nostrils, making them all eye it like a shortened skirt of a curvacious woman. The only one of them not enticed by the meal was Shale, having taken to standing away from the table, such confections being of no interest to the golem.
As the feast began and went on, it was difficult for a word to be said. Even whilst in the presence of polite company, it was difficult for the three Grey Wardens to keep to their manners. A loud slurp or sudden moan of savory delight would often escape one of the three, being quickly met with a quick apology and embarrassed expression.
Soon enough however, the three slowed down their eating, no longer looking like a pack of starved animals. With their eating more tame, it allowed discussion to be brought up. Many important things needed to be talked through. One detail in particular was nagging the commander's mind, certain that it could not be stalled for a moment longer.
“We all aren't here,” the Warden-Commander said, almost offhandedly as he nibbled on a piece of bread he had soaked in his latest bowl of soup. The near silent murmur was heard by them all however, their eyes focusing on the commander with interest. Noticing the curious glances directed toward him, the Warden was compelled to elaborate. “We are forgetting something. Though we've been fortunate in finding each other after being separated, this wasn't our entire group. We're forgetting about the templar Corvick. He was with us in the cave.”
Both Anders and Alistair blinked forcibly as they were struck by the realization, just now figuring out that the commander was right. “I had forgotten all about him,” Alistair muttered, beginning to rub his chin in thought. “I mean... it makes sense that he should be here. After all, we all ended up here.”
“Who's Corvick?” asked Twilight, curious as she hadn't heard the name mentioned before.
“Someone else who was with us right before we were sent here,” the commander replied.
A small frown appeared on Celestia's expression as she became fully aware of what they were thinking of. “If there is another of your kind within Equestria,” she said with sincerity, “then I will send word to be on the lookout for such a stranger.”
“Maybe he wasn't sent here along with us,” Anders said, little worry in his voice for their still missing. “Maybe we were only sent here because we're Grey Wardens and Shale...” his eyes shifted toward the construct, “well, that was just a fluke.”
“It's not something we can rule out,” the commander added. “He could be dead for all we know. It's not as though Avernus' spell, for whatever he was attempting, left us unscathed. Felt like I was being torn apart from the inside. I can't imagine what it would have been like for someone as old as he was.”
Anders let out a breath of amusement as he took a small bite from his latest salad. “The world would certainly be a better place without him,” he said snidely.
All Alistair could do was look at the mage, mortified. “How can you say that?” the king responded. “Templar or not, he was still an innocent man.”
From the look of the mage's face, it was all he could do to not start laughing, treating it as though the Warden-King had just told the greatest joke in all time. “Innocent? Ha!” the mage chortled. “There's nothing innocent about Knight-Captain Corvick. The guy was about as sadistic toward mages as they come. When I lived in the tower, all the other mages could ever talk about, besides what new spell they could shoot from their fingers, was the exploits of that monster. He's slain more mages than any other living templar, not to mention made tranquil more than anyone else combined. By the Maker, he even wore a tranquil brand just so he could use it whenever he thought a mage was out of line.”
“You stayed within one of those schools, Anders?” Princess Celestia asked pleasantly, listening in on the discussion amongst the Wardens.
“A school?” Anders scoffed, his scrutinizing gaze looking between the princess and Alistair. “Oh yes, of course he would try and tell you such a lie.” The mage shook his head as his eyes narrowed. “It was a prison, plain and simple. The templars were our jailers while the older mages were as submissive as trained dogs.”
“You know it's nothing like that,” Alistair retorted, his tone rising steadily.
Anders rolled his eyes, making it clear to everyone that he was doing it. “The words of an ex-templar. It's all the same, from every single one of you. Going on about the light of the Maker and why magic is bad, yet all I've ever seen it do is blind you.”
Having enough of the mage's tone, Alistair's gaze became a leer as he stared down his fellow Warden. “Pray tell, Anders. What do you even know about the 'strife' between mages and templars? From what I've gathered, you've hardly spent any time with the tower at all. Most of the time, you were out on the run after your latest escape, or you were locked away as punishment after you were captured. So please, tell me exactly what makes templars so horrible to you, other than the same prattle that every mage seems to speak as though it was first-hand experience!”
For a long time, there was only silence. Princess Celestia, the commander and Twilight only watched as the king and mage both went at it. Now, they still remained silent, realizing quickly that it was a debate that none of them had a right to be apart of. Anders himself looked almost struck by the words, staring at Alistair with a growing look of contempt.
Then, Anders' eyes seemed to darken as his gaze lowered down to the table. “You want to know what I have against templars?” he asked gruffly, not even looking up at the king he was addressing. “Years ago, after I was dragged from my mother, from my home, by templars who wanted to lock me away in the tower along with everyone else, I became friends with two mages. They were brother and sister, twins from Amaranthine who were several years older than myself. And they were prodigies, the First Enchanter himself praised them for their ability to control magic. But their skill only caused the templars watching us to be more paranoid toward them, as if they would suddenly turn to blood magic, just like that.” Anders snapped his fingers.
The look in Anders' eyes was becoming distant, his mind no longer in the banquet hall with the others as he recalled old memories. “I will never forget the day when I was practicing my magic alongside them,” he continued. “They were practicing high level spells that were far beyond my understanding. And then... something went wrong.” Placing his hands on the side of the table he was facing, the mage closed them tightly around the surface, trying to hide the small trembles that shook them. “The brother fell, his body not moving at all... All I remember hearing were the panicked wails of his sister, trying to help him with her magic. But there was nothing she could do... his heart seemed to have just stopped.” Anders paused as he took a long, and much needed, breath. “With nothing else to try, she cut herself in desperation, using the power of her blood to try and save her brother. The templars there, who had been watching from afar the entire time... cut her down without a moment of hesitation. The brother died shortly after, unable to get help in time...” A shaking sigh rattled from the mage's throat as he relinquished his tightened hold on the table, turning his sunken gaze back toward his king. There was no hint of the funny, sarcastic Anders that the other Wardens knew of. “You might think you know about templars, what it's like in those towers. But the truth is, you don't know a thing.”
It was Alistair's turn to look stricken, the mage's words pounding against him like a hammer. “I'm sorry, Anders,” he murmured, as though the simple gesture had any meaning. “But that doesn't change the threat that magic brings to Thedas. It doesn't change the truth of the dangers mages posses if left unchecked.”
“And how so?!” Anders snapped, his anger peaking as he glared at the Warden-King. “What makes a mage any more deadly than bandits who plague the roads? What makes blood magic so much more lethal than a sword through the chest?” With a fiery swing of his hand, Anders gestured toward the commander. “What if our dear Warden-Commander were to suddenly turn on us? How many do you think would fall to his blade before he was stopped? Greater numbers than a simple maleificarum or abomination would produce, I'm sure!”
“And what do you know of blood mages and abominations?!” Alistair shot back, his tone now rising with his anger. “Exactly what have you seen in the dangers of magic in your years as a mage? How many abominations have you ever seen? Having to face off against such people, their power used against their will by the dark entities that have taken control of them!”
Still, the three spectators at the table never said a word. The commander simply bidding his time, waiting for the inevitability of the discussion to come to pass. Twilight on the other hand, payed great attention to what she was hearing, using it to grasp at the concepts of the world they were form. Even Celestia had her attention caught as well, her gaze glued to the king as he continued to rant.
Alistair raised his arm to point an accusatory finger at the mage. “You weren't there in Redcliffe, Anders,” he said sharply. “You didn't have to see the massacre that had befallen the peaceful village. To see so many lives taken in such a short amount of time. Then, to find out that all of that death and destruction was caused by only one person. A child, possessed by a demon, unable to control his power as so many people were hurt.”
Though no one saw it, Celestia's normally serene expression of indifference was beginning to falter. Her face lapsing into a look of sadness and concern as she continued to take in every word that Alistair said. To keep her facade going, the princess levitated her tea to her lips, barely taking a sip as she began nursing the drink. It did little to help as the bottom of the porcelain cup began to rattle uneasily against the saucer that was lifted with it.
“He was consumed by his own desperation,” Alistair continued, his anger not yet subsiding. “And that's what demons do, they feed off of every bad emotion you have, using it as a way to take control of you until you're nothing but a puppet being forced to watch as you harm everyone around you. You see it in their eyes, the glimmer of life within them all but snuffed out, seeing nothing but darkness. And you're forced to take them down, to destroy the innocent life of the mage along with the demon just to stop the destruction. It's like a living nightmare!”
Suddenly, the loud clattering of a dish broke through Alistair's rant. He turned toward the source, just as everyone else within the room did. Their gazes fell on the spot at the very end of the table, where Princess Celestia sat. She had placed her teacup back down onto the table with such a force, the saucer underneath of it had nearly shattered. Now, the princess looked between her guests, her face lit up with a frantic need.
“I-I'm sorry,” the princess said quickly, rising from her seat, shaking the table with her hast. “I've just... just come to realize I have something important I must attend to.” She bowed her head down sharply in farewell. “Please, continue to enjoy your meal.” With that, Celestia turned her back to them and hurriedly left the room, her stride taking her through a small door at the far end of the chamber with an amazing speed.
A stark silence befell the hall once again. The previous argument between the two Grey Wardens had been extinguished as everyone looked toward one another in surprise. Though Celestia seemed adept in keeping her emotions in check, her ability failed her at that moment, it was clear to them all that something was wrong with the princess.
Twilight began to rise from her own seat, her mentor's plight on her mind. But the unicorn stopped mid-way as a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked to see the commander staring at her, shaking his head lightly and causing her to sit back down without protest, but not lowering her worry.
The commander's gaze then shot toward Alistair, making the Warden-King retract slightly in surprise. Not saying a word, the Warden-Commander raised his arm and jabbed a finger toward the doorway that the princess had exited from. Alistair simply held an expression of confusion, looking toward the commander with a gaze that asked 'Why me?'
Still, the Warden kept his hardened gaze on Alistair, matching the look a father would show toward their disobedient child. Again, he pointed sharply toward the door, silently commanding his friend to go. The unspoken conversation between them was however pointless, as everyone could easily see the strange gestures that they two Wardens were performing.
But after a moment of hesitation, Alistair submitted and rose from his seat and took off after the princess, gaining the feeling that he was to blame for the sudden departure.
Some time had gone by after the two rulers had left. No one had anything to say, continuing to hold a familiar silence about them. There was still food to be had on the table as well, but none of them touched it. Their appetites had left them.
It was with the overbearing silence however, that caused them to nearly jump out of their seats, the chamber shuddering as the large double doors that led into the banquet hall were thrown open. Twilight, Anders and the commander all gaped at what they saw, seeing a figure standing in the doorway. The young scholar was the most surprised of them all, having never seen the odd creature before, though having seen something similar.
Like a man, but nearly half the size, the fiery red hair on his face was parted as a wide grin stretched his mouth to near supernatural lengths. His echoing laughter and booming voice immediately flooded the chamber. “By the ancestors! It's about sodding time I find you blasted nug-humpers!”
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Hmm... seems like Templar Corvick is probably going to be hunting Unicorns, maybe? Also... DAT OGHREN!
Oh hell yes! Oghren is in the house!
The endning made me laugh so much
FUCK YEAH!!!
OHGREN'S BAAAACK!!!!!!
I really do love Dragon age and this really does seem interesting. I'll add this to my read later.
ohgren?FUCK YA.other then zevern and the main caritor.one of the best caritor is back btiches.
Ohgren the best dwarf ever!
Oghren! Yay!
1810900Corvic won't live long then.
1811013 it is worth the read, also i love your profile pic
1811666 He might. Remember, Templar have magic suppression powers for 'dealing' with Mages. I've never liked the conflict between Templars and Mages. It's like the Chantry blames all mages for what the Tevinter Imperium did to the precious maker's Black City. Being trapped in the Circle Tower having the Templars "watch" you for corruption is like having someone always walking behind you with a gun at your head. No wonder the poor mages snap, or lose it and turn to Blood Magic or other desperate measures. Hopefully this Templar will learn that not all magic is bad before some kind of incident happens involving pony death...
1811908 The thing is I doubt his magic suppression powers will work on pony's if at all in Equestria. Remember the magic suppression I would think works by blocking off the magi's connection to the void and thereby turning them into a lesser human without any demons to corrupt them from the inside. and if he does kill a pony one of two things will happen either the EOH will be used to turn him to stone or the princesses and their guards will hunt him down and either kill him or bring him to justice.
just my thoughts on it.cheers
Oghren! No Dragon Age fic would be complete without the best character.
Oghren is best dwarf!
1810900 He'll probably just cut their horns off, as long as they don't resist.
1811908
Kinda watering down the whole Chantry/Mages to good vs evil when it's actually grey vs grey. Mages(Tevinter magisters) did start the whole blight thing and there is the blood magic which can control a persons mind aganist their will, abominations, and all the crap the Tevinter Imperium does. You can see why that the Chantry might be a little harsh when it comes to mages.
Orghren offically turned this good chapter into an awesome one. I feel bad for the Templar everyone just forgot about him. I just hope he doesn't go on a rampage. Ander's story about how the girl who lost her brother and then turned to blood magic actually,IMO, reinforces Alister's point about the Templers. The fact she turned to blood magic means she was atleast studying it so the Templers suspicions were correct and decision to kill her was the smart,albeit kinda dickish, choice.
I was thinking when they were eating they really needed Oghren to liven the place up a little.
It seems my prayers have been answered.
Oh all the people I wanted to make it to equestria, ohgren was my first choice, LET THE ANTICS BEING
1813252
Can't argue with that, though I do wonder if the Templars aren't making a self-sustaining vicious circle by the way they act. One of the problems I've got with the way the mages are treated from what I've seen is that they are often left in tiny cells, worse than old style monasteries and treated as if they're going to turn at any moment. That's bound to breed resentment, meaning people more likely to want to do anything to get away. Add to that the fact that daemons hunger for negative emotions or are spawned of them and that mages are more open to the fade and probably some aren't trained how to shield their minds and... well, I can see the 'temples' becoming problems in a hurry. The places are practically feeding grounds for the daemons and there's a lot of irate or desperate people there. I'm surprised there aren't records of more explosive confrontations around.
1815543 - It's a difficult situation to be sure. It's also one driven by history and raw human psychology. The masses are not magical, but subject and with very little protection to a guy who can start chucking fireballs at will, or raise the dead, or summon daemons. That only the truly powerful dark mages can do that is irrelevant.
Plus there's the Tivinters, a whole empire of mage-lords free from Templar control, but they are a dark nation. Slavery and blood magic are common, but by all experience, it's not as if they are rife with malificarum. If anything, they are probably policed just as fervently, if not more so there. But, that is good evidence at what the future might hold if the mages were allowed free. The point about the Warden Commander and a Sword is rather disingenuous. Yes, he's dangerous, but he can't force other people to take up swords for him. A mage can.
All this said though, yes... the Templars do reinforce a fairly negative circumstance. Mages are treated like prized pit-bulls, but heaven forbid they ever bite their owner.
The commander simply bidding his time
Twilight on the other hand, payed great attention
1. Biding.
2. Paid.
Now the main question here would be on how Oghren got to Equestria... He was stationed outside the cave right? But if he did get sent there by the same magical backlash... No... If he was sent there he wouldn't be so cheery now would he? Think the mages managed to get some sort of magic circle to find them?
Write faster. I need more please.
A much befitting entrance for one such as Oghren.
I wonder how long the castle's wine cellar will last now that Ohgrens here?