Origins CH20: Allies

She could feel the hesitation in her body as she opened her eyes. For a minute she felt like she was still dreaming until the bloody mess of the tower came into focus. Quickly she turned, looking around to see her companions stirring around her.

Looking down she saw a tanned arm around her waist. I suppose he did catch me after all Merlissia thought as she felt Zevran's muscles beginning to work underneath her. Slowly she brought an arm up, rubbing it against her face before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Let's…" Merlissia started as she slowly pushed herself off of Zevran.

"Not do that again," Zevran insisted as he pulled himself from the cold stone floor.

"My thoughts exactly," Alistair announced as he helped Wynne to her feet.

"Well now that we're finishing each other's sentences can we finish this… I don't know how long we've been here but we didn't have a lot of time to start with," Merlissia insisted as she looked down at the demon collapsed to the ground, stabbing her sword into the back of its head for good measure before turning to the Niall's body.

Silently she searched through the mage's things to find the Litany to use against Uldred. "I'm sorry… I wasn't able to save you," she whispered before she stood up, plucking her sword from the demon's skull. "Everyone okay?" she asked over her shoulder watching as they all nodded, not willing to go any further into what had happened between them.

They were silent as they searched room-by-room killing any stray demons or abominations that were scattered about until they found a templar sealed in a magical barrier. Quietly she looked around, inspecting the barrier curiously as she ignored the templar's ramblings until she decided that she would get neither here nor there by looking at the cell.

"Have you seen anything like this Wynne?" Merlissia asked as she looked to the kneeling templar. Yes… go on a pray to the Maker… as if that will do you any good she thought bitterly as she shook her head trying to focus on what was going on.

"No… Rest easy, help is here," she assured the templar in her motherly tone.

"Enough visions. If anything in you is human… kill me now and stop this game," the templar pleaded desperately. "You broke the others, but I will stay strong, for my sake… for theirs…" he went on.

"Calm down.. you're going to be okay," Merlissia said, trying to be as soothing as she could be.

"Silence… I'll not listen to anything you say. Now be gone!" he shouted as Merlissia shook her head. She couldn't blame him after being sealed and tormented like this but her patience for the tower was wearing thin. "No… you're still here? But that's always worked before," he insisted as he looked around.

"That's because I'm really here, it's going to be okay," Merlissia said again with a soft smile at the corner of her lips.

"Did Greagoir send you? How… how did you get here?" the templar asked nervously, but clearly more settled down than he had previously been.

"How I got here? I have a sword and I'm quite familiar with it," she said lightly, noticing how he didn't appreciate her levity. "I'm a Grey Warden… I came to save the tower if it could be done," she explained plainly as she watched the disbelief in his eyes.

"Good…. Kill Uldred. Kill them all for what they've done," he said quickly, his anger still too near the surface. "They caged us like animals… looked for ways to break us. I'm the only one left… They turned some into… monsters.. And there was nothing I could do," he explained grimly.

The look in the templar's eyes was almost haunting. She could sympathize with the templar for his situation, not like she would ever admit it. "I'm sorry…" she whispered as the glare in her eyes softened. "Where are Irving and the other mages? Surely some must live," Merlissia asked carefully.

"Irving and the other mages who fought Uldred. Where are they?" Wynne asked softly as she saw the confusion in the templar's expression.

"They are in the Harrowing Chamber. The sounds coming out of there… oh, Maker… You can't save them… you don't know what they've become," he shouted nervously.

"I can't just kill them all," Merlissia said as she averted her eyes at the thought of killing innocent mages.

"They've been surrounded b-by blood mages whose wicked fingers snake into your mind and corrupt your thoughts," he mumbled shaking his head.

"His hatred of mages is so intense…. The memory of his friends' deaths is still fresh in his mind," Alistair commented softly beside Merlissia.

"He's suffered pain and anguish like few have had to endure. That and his lust for revenge have confused the issue—" Wynne insisted.

"Do not presume to judge me, mage! I am thinking clearly—for perhaps the first time in my life," he insisted angrily.

"So, every mage should be condemned? Have you never witnessed anything to think that they all aren't so bad?" Merlissia asked curiously. Watching as the templar took a step back as he thought.

"Once… an apostate… It was one of my first missions… We were searching for a family of mages… we stumbled upon them just out of South Reach… the templars I was with… were terrible… They found one of them… a girl…" he paused as he remembered her. "Unlike any mage I had ever seen… They tortured her and still she didn't give in and fight back… it wasn't until they killed her lover that she attacked. She left me alive with a warning to not follow her… that I was the worst of them all." He said softly as he balled his hands into fists. "I just stood there and watched as they did as they pleased… I did nothing to protect her… I ran into her later after a squad of templars had invaded her home… slaughtered her father before her," he said as he looked off to the side.

"She was dangerous… a mage who didn't have to sing their chants or move their hands for spells to attack you… It's like all she had to do was think about it and it would happen... but she let me live again," He finished as he looked to his feet.

"And you don't think there would be others as strong as her? Ones who could resist Uldred? I want to save everyone who can be saved, templar," she said as he peeked back up into her emerald eyes.

"I will not kill an innocent… I have enough blood on my hands, templar," she said as she started to turn away.

"You have to kill them, you cannot just ignore this!" he shouted adamantly.

"There is nothing you can do about it," Merlissia said as she took a step closer to the barrier, eyeing the templar as he pleaded for her to hear his reason. "Everything will work out… if not we won't be coming out of this tower alive," Merlissia said as she headed up the stairs listening to the screams echoing from the room above them.

Quietly they walked in to see a mage casting spells on another. There were abominations around the room aiding his magic. They watched in horror as the mage stood up as another one of his abomination.

"Ah… look what we have here. An intruder. I bid you welcome. Care to join in our… revels?" the mage asked darkly.

"I'm afraid your revels aren't really my thing… But I assume you're Uldred," Merlissia said flatly.

"Oh! Very observant," he mocked. "I'm quite impressed you're still alive. Unfortunately, that must mean you killed my servants," he deduced aloud.

"Yes, she is rather challenging to kill," Zevran joked quickly, feeling uneasy with how quite his companions had been since they woke from the Fade.

"Well, they are probably better off dying in the service of their betters than living with the terrible responsibility of independence…" he finished ignoring Zevran's quip.

"What are you up to?" Merlissia asked, annoyed with the delay in the mage's death but she knew it was better to have as much of an understanding as she could. She listened as the mage spoke his nonsense.

"Oh Uldred… I already have my demons… I have no interest in what you offer… I'm done with this," Merlissia said as she drew her blood stained sword with a smile. "Goodbye, Uldred," she said as the rest of her companions followed suit.

The battle proved to be more challenging than Merlissia had hoped. At first they began attacking the abominations, hoping that as smaller prey they would be easier to deal with. However, Uldred had remained a constant problem. Always attacking them as they focused on the lesser abominations or the mages.

Wynne had remained off to the side, to use the Litany when needed and to act as a healer for those who needed it, while the rest were trying to balance between defeating abominations and the larger demon.

Once the abominations had been dealt with, however, defeating Uldred was an easy task. Zevran positioned himself as the role of a distraction. Constantly trying to keep Uldred's attention focused on himself so that Alistair and Merlissia were free to attack the monster.

Merlissia took a deep breath of relief as she heard the monster howling in pain as Alistair ripped his sword through its spine. Distracted, she turned looking over the room to see Wynne already heading over to Irving. Zevran was wiping his blades off as he watched the demon begin to fall.

Immediately she was brought back to reality as she felt herself colliding with the floor with a heavy weight on top of her. Looking up she watched as the demon collapsed where she was standing. Quickly she shifted her eyes to see Alistair lying between her legs, his hand pressed firmly against her breastplate.

"If it weren't for all this armor I would say this would be quite awkward," Merlissia said lightly as she watched Alistair's face turn every shade of red known to man.

Quickly he jumped off of her, pulling his hand as close to his chest as he could.

"See that could have been your prize if you were playing our game!" Zevran insisted as he walked over to the two Wardens.

"I—I uh… I didn't want to…" Alistair started unsure how to say any of what was on his mind.

"What I am not desirable enough for you?" Merlissia asked plainly… "Oh, wait… I know why…" she said quietly as she walked passed Alistair shaking her head.

"Maker… I'm too old for this," Irving said as he pushed himself from the ground as Merlissia approached.

"Irving? Are you alright?" Wynne asked nervously.

"I've… been better. But I am thankful to be alive. I suppose that is your doing, isn't it, Wynne?" Irving asked calmly.

"I wasn't alone… I had help," she answered calmly.

"The Circle owes both of you a debt we will never be able to repay. Come, the templars await. We shall let them know the tower is once again ours," Irving announced, the relief was clear to see even as tired as the old mage must have been. "Ill need you to guide me down the stairs… Ah, curse whoever insisted the Circle be housed in a tower," he complained as he watched Merlissia smirk.

"Irving? Maker's breath, I did not expect to see you alive," Greagoir said surprised.

"It is over, Greagoir. Uldred… is dead," Irving explained calmly as Merlissia wandered over to the templar serving as a merchant. Selling off what goods she didn't want. Buying two cloaks and a new pack in exchange.

"Uldred tortured these mages, hoping to break their wills and turn them into abominations. We don't know how many of them have turned," the templar said quietly voicing his worries.

"I believe order has been restored to the Circle," Merlissia said loudly from behind the templars, clearly uninterested in their discussion.

"We will rebuild. The Circle will go on, and we will learn from this tragedy, and be strengthened by it," Irving said softly with an appreciative nod to Merlissia and her companions.

"We have won back the tower. I will accept Irving's assurance that all is well…. Thank you, you have proven yourself a friend of both the Circle, and the templars," Greagoir said calmly as he ignored the other templar's nerves.

"It had to be done," Merlissia said with a shrug as she adjusted her new pack.

"I promised you aid, but with the Circle restored, my duty is to watch the mages. They are free to help you, however. Speak to them," Greagoir said as he watched her shake her head.

Slowly, Merlissia turned to the First Enchanter as he began to speak to her. "Here we are, the tower in disarray, the Circle nearly annihilated… though it could have been much, much worse. I am glad you arrived when you did. It's almost as though the Maker Himself sent you."

"Ha! I doubt that. I'm glad I could help, but I need allies to defend against the Blight," Merlissia said plainly. "I wish I could say I was just a do-gooder, but alas we all have our motivations," she admitted freely.

"The least we can do is help you against the darkspawn. I would hate to survive this only to be overcome by the Blight," he admitted.

"So I have your word?" Merlissia questioned bluntly.

"You have my word, as first enchanter. The Circle will join the Grey Wardens in the fight," He agreed.

"Thank you… but I do need another favor. Arl Eamon's son has been possessed by a demon, I was told that with enough mages and lyrium it would be possible to send a mage into the Fade to kill the demon without harming the boy," Merlissia explained as she watched Irving ponder the predicament.

"Yes… yes it is possible. I will gather what is needed and meet you back at Redcliffe," he said thoughtfully.

"Here," Merlissia said quickly as she scribbled down a note before giving it to Irving. "Give this to Bann Teagan when you arrive," Merlissia instructed with a polite bow.

After a few more polite words and a surprising offer from Wynne to join their ragtag group Merlissia was set to head off, completely forgetting that they were heading to the one place in all of Ferelden she had no interest in going.

The boat ride back to the shore felt twice as long as it should as they sat in silence. Each member finding their own way to avoid another's eyes until Wynne finally spoke up.

"Thank you Warden… if it weren't for you… I would never have seen past that illusion," Wynne admitted. "But… might I ask… How should I address any of you?" she asked watching as Merlissia's shoulders bounced.

"I suppose that would be proper, since we just cleared out an entire tower of abominations together. Merlissia is fine," she said with a shrug. "And this is Leliana, she added motioning to the cloistered sister who was sitting beside the templar rowing them across the river.

"Merlissia? Merlissia who?" Wynne inquired curiously as she looked the warden over, noticing how everyone's ears perked at her question.

"That's it.. that's all that is necessary," she said bluntly as she looked off into the lake.

"Alright, once we land we'll head north and try to get as far as we can before we have to set camp. We're already not too far but if we can get a couple hours in we'll arrive by midday tomorrow," Alistair suggested as he looked over a map.

Instantly Merlissia remembered where they were headed and dreaded it. I would go through the damned tower again if it meant I didn't have to go there she thought desperately as she tried to keep her expression to herself.