Nolo, Nolle, Nolui : Chapter 23

[nithu]

A/N A snug - a small, secluded room in a tavern - this is commonly used in the UK, but might not be familiar to non-british readers.

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Alistair's idea to coat the barricades in oil and set them alight turned out to be inspired. The road down the hill to the village was flanked by steep banking and served as a funnel. The only way for the shambling monsters to get at the men beyond the barriers was through the fire. Dried and desiccated, the skeletal corpses caught light quickly. While the fire didn't seem to cause them any pain or do much damage, it did appear to disorientate and confuse them. Flaming monsters staggered around in circles and they were easily picked off by Leliana and Zevran, using bows, and Wynne and Morrigan using their staves. Alistair, Fearghal and Sten were almost disappointed that there was little for them to do.

 

"This is too easy, I feel like a spare part." grumbled Fearghal.

Zevran laughed as he fired another arrow. "Be careful what you wish for, Warden."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than their attention was drawn by a breathless yell. The young man who'd been guarding the road that day staggered to the top of the hill and braced his hands on his thighs as he leaned forwards, trying to catch his breath.

"M-Murdock sent me. They're c-coming from the lake. Dozens of them!"

"We're heading down the hill, Ser Perth. You can manage here?" called Fearghal.

The tall, red-haired knight nodded and waved them away. Fearghal and his companions jogged down the hill. Murdock and his men were struggling to fend off the swarm of monsters that had emerged from the lake. Leliana took up a position part-way up the hill and started firing arrows before the others had reached the bottom. Zevran threw down his bow and quiver at her feet and drew his daggers, preferring to engage the enemy directly. Bane sped past them all and hurled himself at the nearest monster.

The fighting was fast and furious but gradually they started to get the upper hand. The arrival of Fearghal and Alistair, with their companions, cheered the men fighting outside the chantry. It was slow going initially as monsters that were destroyed seemed to be replaced by others immediately. Eventually, the steady stream of reinforcements slowed, then stopped. It was almost sunrise when the last creature was killed.

Then came the heavy work of shifting and disposing of the remains of the walking dead and also seeing to those who had died during the fighting, mercifully not many. Alistair, Fearghal, Sten stripped off their armour and worked alongside the men of the village. At the top of the hill, Ser Perth and his men did likewise. The monsters were stacked on a pyre just outside the village and by the time the sun came up, the oil-soaked remains were well alight.

Teagan emerged from the chantry and gave a little speech which was well-received by the villagers but which seemed to embarrass Fearghal no end, when he was singled out for thanks. Teagan walked with them up the hill to the inn.

"I'm sure accommodation will be no problem and I think you all need to clean up. Bella cooks a fine breakfast. Fearghal, I need to speak to you and Alistair. There's a little snug, I thought we three could breakfast in there."

Fearghal nodded and entered the inn. Teagan has arranged for their packs to be brought up. In moments he was upstairs, eyeing the basins of hot water gratefully as he stripped off his filthy clothes.

~o~O~o~

Alistair reached to open the door to the snug, when Fearghal's voice made him hesitate.

"Not now, Teagan. I'm too tired and... "

Teagan's voice came through the door, a soothing murmur of indistinct words.

Alistair pushed open the door.

Teagan, sat at a laden table, looked up and smiled. "Ah, Alistair. Come, sit, before the food gets cold."

Alistair glanced over at Fearghal; he stood at the window staring out, his posture stiff and his shoulders hunched with tension. He barely turned his head to acknowledge Alistair, before resuming his brooding, staring across the lake.

Alistair sat at the table, eying the spread, his stomach growling with hunger. He piled his plate with bacon, eggs, sausages and mushrooms, then cut several thick slices of bread and tucked in.

"Mmmm, this is good. I haven't had a breakfast like this since we left Denerim," he mumbled, stuffing food in his mouth.

Teagan watched him with growing amusement. "You'd better hurry up, Fearghal, before Alistair eats everything."

Fearghal grunted and came and sat, piling his plate as high as Alistair had.

There wasn't much talking as they ate, with a brief respite as Bella brought in steaming bowls of porridge. She viewed the heel of bread, all that was left of the large loaf, with amazement.

"Shall I bring in more bread, My Lord?" she asked Teagan.

With an awestruck glance at the two Wardens, who were already half way through their porridge, Teagan nodded. "I think you'd better. And some more tea, please, Bella."

By the time they had finished breakfast, Alistair noted that some of the tension had eased from Fearghal's shoulders and breathed a sigh of relief. They sat quietly, all nursing large mugs of cooling tea.

Teagan glanced out of the window. "The castle looks so quiet from here. You'd think there was nobody inside at all," he murmured. He looked at Alistair, then Fearghal. "I had a plan... to enter the castle after the village was secure. There's a secret passage, from the mill up there."

"Maferath's balls, Teagan! Why didn't you enter the castle in the first place?"

"I have no idea what's in there! And I couldn't just abandon the people here. What if..."

Fearghal groaned, pushing his chair back and starting to pace. "I... understand. But if we'd known of this yesterday we might have been able to prevent last night's attack from happening at all!"

Teagan went white. "Maker's breath! I never thought... I-I was so caught up with... " He groaned and leaned his elbows on the table burying his face in his hands.

"It's done now," sighed Fearghal. "Tell us about this passage."

"It runs from the mill to the dungeons. Not many people even know about it and it can only be opened by a member of the family." Teagan lifted his hand and waggled his fingers, the large signet ring he wore flashing in the early morning sunlight that was pouring into the room.

Fearghal rubbed his face, trying to organise his thoughts.

"You should both get some rest," suggested Teagan. "I'll send your armour and weapons down to Owen; he can clean and repair them, as necessary. I'll send someone to wake you at noon."

Fearghal nodded wearily. "Alistair, can you let the others know? I think it best if we only take a small group through the passage. Wynne and Morrigan, I think."

Alistair pushed back his chair and went in search of the mages. By the time he reached the room he was sharing with Fearghal, Fearghal was face down on the bed, fast asleep.

~o~O~o~

Fearghal, Alistair, Morrigan and Wynne met Teagan at the top of the hill, by the windmill. A reluctant Bane had been dragged away from Bella's kitchen where he was being spoiled with titbits and leftovers.

As they reached the top of the path, they saw Teagan's eyes widen. "Maker's breath!" muttered Teagan.

They followed his gaze and saw a well-dressed woman hurrying down the path, followed by a nervous looking guard. Alistair groaned.

"Teagan! Thank the Maker you yet live!" Even out of breath as she was, her strong Orlesian accent was plain.

"Isolde!" exclaimed Teagan. "How did you... ? What has happened?"

"I don't have much time. I slipped away from the castle and I must return quickly." Her eyes flicked away briefly. "I need you to return with me, Teagan."

Fearghal's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You slipped away? And now you expect Teagan to go back there with you?"

The arlessa whirled on Fearghal. "What? I... Who is this man, Teagan?"

Alistair stepped forward, with a sigh. "You remember me, Lady Isolde?"

"Alistair? Of all the... why are you here?" sneered the arlessa.

"They are Grey Wardens, Isolde. I owe them my life," explained Teagan.

"Pardon me, I... I would exchange pleasantries, but... considering the circumstances... " she smirked at them, her dismissal plain.

Alistair felt a flare of anger. Isolde hadn't changed a bit. "Lady Isolde, we had no idea anyone was even alive in the castle. We need to know what's going on in there!"

"I-I don't know what is safe to tell," confessed Isolde, casting a desperate glance at Teagan. "There is a terrible evil in the castle. The dead awaken and hunt the living. The mage responsible was caught, but still it continues. And I think... " Isolde faltered, her voice cracking. She took a deep breath and continued, "I think Connor is going mad! We have survived but he insists on staying there."

Isolde grasped Teagan's arm. "You must help him, Teagan! You're his uncle. Maybe you can reason with him," she implored.

"Why do I get the feeling you aren't telling us everything?" Fearghal's voice was as cold as his eyes as he regarded the arlessa steadily.

He didn't flinch as she whirled in him, bristling with indignation. "I... I beg your pardon! That's a very impertinent accusation!"

Alistair couldn't stifle the little moment of glee he felt as Fearghal replied, "Not if it's true."

"An evil I cannot fathom holds my son and husband hostage! I came here for help. What more do you want from me?" demanded Isolde.

"Isolde," interrupted Teagan. "What do you mean by this 'evil'? Did it create those monsters? What is it?"

"It is something the mage unleashed. So far it allows Eamon, Connor and myself to live. It had... killed everyone else; it turned their bodies into walking nightmares. Once it was done with the castle, it struck the village. I don't understand why it has spared us. It allowed me to come for you, Teagan, because I begged; I said that Connor needed help."

"What about this mage you mentioned? Who is he?" asked Fearghal.

"He is an infiltrator; one of the castle staff. We discovered he has been poisoning my husband. That is why Eamon fell ill."

"Eamon was poisoned?" Teagan's face flushed with anger.

Isolde nodded. "He claims to be an agent of Teyrn Loghain."

Fearghal's mind started working furiously at this revelation. Loghain was plotting before Ostagar? How long has he been planning this?

His head snapped up as he heard Teagan say, "I will return to the castle with you, Isolde."

"I think this is a mistake, Teagan. You're going to get yourself killed!" protested Fearghal.

"I know this may be a trap, but this is my family. I must try," argued Teagan.

Fearghal opened his mouth to disagree, then realised he couldn't. He understood exactly how Teagan felt and knew that he would do no differently.

Sensing his hesitation, Teagan pressed his case. "I have no illusions of dealing with this evil alone. You, on the other hand, have proven quite formidable."

Teagan turned to Isolde. "Will you excuse us for a moment? We must confer in private before I return to the castle with you."

Grudgingly, Isolde walked a little way up the path. Teagan walked towards the mill, beckoning the others to follow. He pulled off his signet ring and held it out to Fearghal.

"This will unlock the entrance to the passage. There's a trapdoor at the back of the mill. Maybe, once I'm inside, I can distract whatever lurks in the castle and increase your chances of getting in. I'd prefer to go with you, but this seems the only way."

Fearghal reluctantly agreed and accepted Teagan's ring.

"Ser Perth and his men can watch for danger at the castle gates. If you can open them from within, they can move in and help."

Teagan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Eamon is the priority here. If you have to, just get him out of there. Isolde, me, anyone else... we're expendable."

"I understand. I'll do my best." Fearghal's voice was strangled, the words almost choking him. He didn't like it, but he did understand. He held out his hand to Teagan. "Good luck, Teagan."

Teagan grasped Fearghal's wrist. "You're a good man, Fearghal. The Maker smiled on me indeed, when He sent you to Redcliffe."

Teagan paused to grasp Alistair's wrist, then hurried after Isolde.

 

Comments

[scarylady]

Isolde, grrrrrrrrr

That were a proper English breakfast. None o' them foreign pastries and suchlike. Warden Food.

Makes me want one.

[nithu]

I think I was munching on a bacon and egg buttie when I wrote that bit! :)

I have very mixed feelings about Isolde. Her voice is like chalk on a blackboard and everything about her just sets my teeth on edge, never mind how she treats people, Alistair in particular. It also irks me that she has set in train such a terrible series of events. At the same time, I can understand why she did - in her place, I can't say I would have done differently to try and keep my child out of the tower. In addition, when faced with Jowan's offer, she doesn't hesitate to offer to sacrifice herself - something I admire her for. As a person, I think she's shallow and conceited but as a mother, she's a different kettle of fish.

[scarylady]

I don't have a problem with what she initially did to keep her kid. I do have a problem with how far she was prepared to push it. I know virtually every parent in the world would do the same... and I have a problem with that, too. How many people have to die to save one?

[nithu]

I think that's one of life's great dilemmas. When you're standing outside, when it's not your child, it's easy to be objective (and not just in regard to children, with all things that we love). I know I can do it myself, be objective and see that something is the wrong course of action, however I know that if I put myself in their place, I would feel differently and I don;t know, for sure, if I would react any differently.

I think it's particularly difficult in any situation that involves a child, because they arouse such strong emotions - it's really quite a feral thing, in some ways.

In Isolde's case,I wonder, too, if things just simply got out of control. I used to love watching 'You've Been Framed' for just that reason. They take a situation and escalate it, bit by bit, into something quite bizarre. I think it's the gradual escalation that sucks people in - if they went straight to the endpoint, people would just refuse, recognising it as ludicrous, but they don't - it's very cleverly done. I think the best one i ever saw was when they convinced the photographer's assistant to marry a bride wwho had been jilted at the altar!

[scarylady]

I always feel that this is what happened with the vast majority of the german army in WWII. You turn up for duty at a death camp, and get assigned to seeing people off trains and segregating them male/female. It's not so bad. And then another duty, and another, until you're too far in to protest. And you know that, if you do, you'll be shot and it'll carry on anyway.

[nithu]

Absolutely. I read a book several years ago that basically asked how could so many ordinary people have been sucked in by nazism? It concluded, that mainly, people got sucked in, little by little, and by the time they realised the truth of it, everyone was in too deep; the few people who did dare to speak out were made examples of and the rest were too afraid to try and challenge it.

Doesn't fan fic lead to some interesting discussions.

[elysium_fic]

My sympathy pretty much ended when both Jowan and Isolde herself made it clear that at least part of her motivation for hiding the fact that Connor was a mage was shame.

[nithu]

Maybe I pick different conversation options, I've never got that impression. Then again, that's one of the things I love about the game - there are so many ways to play the story.

[elysium_fic]

Down in the dungeon, Jowan says that Isolde is very pious and having a mage for a son was an embarrassment, and in the Main Hall, Isolde acknowledges that magic runs in her family, but the relatives who were mages were "wicked, sinful men."

[nithu]

I shall have to go back and look through those bits again, maybe look at different options :)

[elysium_fic]

Going to my videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev5fKrAMLFA&feature=player_detailpage#t=198s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BryrrSwfQGc#t=97s

[nithu]

I see what you mean in the first vid. n the second one, I've managed to never take that option! I need to get a little more adventurous!

[elysium_fic]

Aww, Fearghal got to sleep by himself for once!

Mind you, I'm not certain this is a good thing.

[nithu]

I'm working on it! ;

[elysium_fic]

Actually, nevermind, I just saw they were sharing a room. Somehow missed that line the first read-through.

All is right in the world again.

[nithu]

You know you these things go sometimes though - one step forwards, two steps back *evil grin*