The Enchanter and The Lion

Chapter 16 - Redcliffe

They left for Redcliffe just as dawn was cresting the mountains. She hadn't been able to face Cullen after the attempted embrace behind the Chantry. She knew her reaction had been borne of the freshly churned up memories from Fiona's words. Any other day, she knew she would have leaned into that embrace.... hell not ten minutes before that she had been wanting it. Instead, she had hurt his feelings by pulling away and she didn't know how to explain to him what had happened, why she had had that gut reaction. Not without opening a closet full of demons from her past that were the reason for her intermittent sleepless, nightmare-filled nights.

When they made camp at dusk on the second night out from Redcliffe a raven flew in bearing messages. One was an update from Leliana about travel conditions, rift locations that may impact their journey, and such. The other was for Maeve personally. Cassandra raised an eyebrow as she handed it over. 

She crossed to the firelight and sat down to read it.

Maeve,

I didn't get a chance to apologize for my behavior before you left for Redcliffe. I don't want it to wait until you return. I need you to know that I'm sorry. I crossed a line that I had no right to. To lay a hand on you, to assume such intimacy was acceptable to you without asking was unforgivable. I will not use the withdrawal as an excuse for my behavior; I knew what I was doing. I only hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me and that I haven't irrevocably damaged any respect you may have had for me. 

Maker watch over you on your journey,

Cullen

Maeve folded the letter and bowed her head in her hands. She needed to find a way to make him understand and, Maker help her, the only way to do that would be to tell him the truth. But if she did, he would never look at her the same way again. She'd be a broken thing to him and she didn't know if she could live with that. But making him live with this remorse and regret, she definitely knew she couldn't do that.

"Hey, Sparks. You look like someone just told you your puppy died," Varric said sitting next to her. "Wanna talk about it?"

Varric had nicknames for everyone and had taken to calling her Sparks because of her magical affinity for electricity.

She bit her lower lip as she considered her words. "I unintentionally hurt... a friend. And, now I don't know how to fix that without potentially making it worse," she said, trying to be vague.

"Hmph," he grunted. "Worse for them, or for you?" 

She considered for a moment before replying "Probably mostly for me." 

He nodded. "Well, honesty is usually the best policy for repairing friendships, or so I'm told."

"I know, but sometimes honesty hurts," she replied as she felt tears start to prick her eyes. She blinked them back as Varric put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him. 

"Yeah, it does," he agreed.

-----

She took another day before writing back to Cullen. They were a day's ride outside of Redcliffe and had rendezvoused with Corporal Vale and some of his men as they headed back to Haven after having been relieved in protecting the Crossroads. Varric and one of Vale's men were entertaining the company with stories, so she slipped off to the side to write.

Cullen, 

You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm afraid the reason for my reaction is something too complex to convey in a letter. Although it's such ancient history that it doesn't really matter, if you wish an explanation we can talk more when I return to Haven. Until then, know that you are utterly forgiven as there was no wrong done to me by you, and that I still think of you with the utmost respect. 

Maeve

She sent the raven on its way before she could change her mind and hurried to rejoin the group around the fire. 

"There you are, Sparks. Corporal Vale here doesn't believe me that you can sing! Care to show him I'm right?" Varric smiled innocently at her. 

She flushed as all eyes turned to her and a few people echoed the request with 'yes' and 'please do.' She sighed, but nodded to them. She cleared her throat and sang.

"There was a girl with hair of gold, who loved herself a soldier bold. But he himself loved only war, and so she watched the distant shore. I'll wait here my love, bide here my love, until you come home to me. And the soldier bold he did fight on, until no foes were left beyond. He finally turned himself toward home, and the girl that he had left alone. I'm coming my love, home to you love, how could I have been so blind. When home he finally did arrive, he found that she had gone and died. He hung his head over her grave, and the tears they fell in great waves. Wait there my love, bide there my love, until I come home to you."

Corporal Vale's mouth hung slightly open as she finished. Varric sighed, "That was beautiful, Sparks." 

She smiled at him, "Thank you, Varric. Goodnight, everyone."

-----

As they came down toward the gates of Redcliffe, the mark pulsed. "Rift!" she alerted the group. 

Two terror demons, with their long thin bodies and reed-like arms and legs, and three shades stalked toward the gates where a small group of soldiers stood defending them. She formed a stone fist with Fade energies just in front of her that she hurled into one of the terrors. She then threw chain lightning at the shades, giving Varric and Sera plenty of time to pepper them with arrows. Cassandra and the soldiers had moved to engage the terror Maeve hadn't knocked down, so she quickly made sure they had barriers up around them. 

The remaining terror screeched as it got up and started coming toward her, its long limbs swinging claws in her direction. She parried with the staff, spun right to sweep the staff blade across its side and then hit it with an energy barrage from behind. It managed to turn and slashed her across the chest before she could get a barrier up, knocking her ten feet across the ground. The breastplate took most of the impact, but the inside of her right upper arm burned from where one of the claws had raked it and her breath had been knocked out of her. 

She gritted her teeth and called down a lightning bolt from where she was laying to scorch it out of existence. She glanced to her left to see that Sera and Varric had dispatched the shades and Cassandra and the soldiers had dealt with the other terror. She raised herself up on one knee and reached out with the mark to close the rift.

"Maker, I fucking hate demons!" she exclaimed as Cassandra helped her to her feet. The gates to Redcliffe opened and they walked through to meet one of Leliana's agents.

"Herald," he saluted. "We made known that you were coming, but you should know, no one was expecting you. Not even the Grand Enchanter."

"That...seems odd," she furrowed her brow, the hair on the back of her neck raising with the feeling that something was very wrong here.

An elven mage approached them to take them to Fiona in the tavern and explained that a man, a Magister from Tevinter, named Alexius had taken charge and would join them there. She glanced nervously at Cassandra and could tell that the warrior was just as on edge about this as she was. Varric was acting casual and Sera was displaying her usual flippancy, but even the two of them had wary expressions as they all followed the elf to the tavern.

If mages from Tevinter, where they ruled non-magic users, treated them as second class citizens and dabbled in forbidden blood magics, were here then something was very wrong indeed.