Neria sat there and sat, until the templars and Solona woke. They looked around in confusion, eventually turning their angry gazes on Neria. Gregoir stood and walked over to Solona, helping her up- and she helped Cullen up. Irving slowly sauntered over to Neria, looking down on her.
"How could you do this? You....should have told me about this. Then maybe I could have saved you from this....." He trailed off, and Neria glared defiantly at him.
"You don't care about the apprentices. You were ready to have Jowan made tranquil." She spat out at him, and Irving glared right back.
"He was a blood mage." He retorted slowly, every word cutting into Neria like a knife to her heart.
Neria looked down at the floor, then to where the templars where dragging a despondent Lily away- to Aenor. Neria flinched. Lily had become a friend, of sorts. She deserved better for her loyalty. That was when Duncan, the Grey Warden, showed up.
"Neria, correct?" He asked. Neria nodded.
"I can....make you a Grey Warden, too- it will spare you the consequences." He offered, and Neria looked up at him in disgust.
"I fear not the consequences of my actions, nor do I regret my actions. I stood by my friend, however unworthy he may have been. I would do it again and again, and again. I do not, however, wish to be a part of your order." She spat, and Duncan nodded.
"Understood." He said, squinting at her, then walked away, headed for the exit of the tower. Gregoir moved over to her.
"You...are brave. I admire your courage- though I do not envy your fate. Templars- take her to the harrowing chamber. Give her the Rite Of Tranquility." He ordered, a twitch of regret in his voice. Neria looked at Solona, and met her eyes. Solona was giving her the saddest look, and Neria hated it for it.
The last thing she wanted from her is pity.
~~~***~~~
Solona sat alone in her room, holding her head in her hands, crying her heart out. One of the bonuses of getting her own room rewarded to her for aiding the Circle so much was that she could cry as much as she wanted without getting told to hush so others could sleep.
Neria....Neria, how could you? You knew it was against the rules, what you were doing. You knew!
Solona thought, sobbing uncontrollably, when she heard a knock at her door.
"Sol? Solona..are you..." Cullen asked from outside the door. Solona wiped her face off furiously.
"I...I'm not crying!" She yelled, lying yet again.
Oh...I said that to Neria, too..right before..
She thought, her throat tightening again, tears threatening to flow over.
"Solona, can I come in? Please?" Cullen called through the door, and Solona swallowed her tears.
"I-I'm sorry...Cullen....but, can I be alone?" She responded, her voice thickening again with tears, and she couldn't hold it back anymore.
She started sobbing again, and Cullen came in anyway, sitting beside her and rubbing her back. She leaned back onto his shoulder, sobs racking her body until it hurt to even to even breathe.
~*~
Six Weeks Later
Neria was dead. She resisted agaist the rite...and the templars were ordered to kill her. Cullen..was forced to kill her. He had come back to her different that night, cold and despondant. He had snapped at her, said he wasn't in the mood- they hadn't spoken since.
That was two weeks ago.
Is it over? Did this finally ruin us- whatever us was? Solona thought every day, until eventually she grew distant and enveloped in her studies. With her boyfriend avoiding her, her best friend dead, her only other friend probually dead, she was all alone- if it wasn't for her studies, she would probually have even gotten depressed.
She was in the library when it happened.
Thump. Slam. Screech.
"What in the Maker's name..?" She muttered irritably, distracted from the book she was reading. Suddenly, a group of blood drenched mages burst into the library.
"Hurry! Run! Uldred....he's gone mad!" One screamed, then got burned to death. Solona gasped in horror and hid behind a bookcase.
"Do not fear." A weaselly voice yelled, and Solona's eyes narrowed.
I know that voice. Only one fugly, bald creep had that voice around here.
Uldred.
"What...what are you doing?" A mage asked him. Uldred laughed, a cruel, condesending one that made Solona shiver.
"What has to be done! The rule of the templars has ended!" He ranted, and murmurs erupted among the crowd.
"By using blood magic?" One mage spat out, and Uldred scoffed.
"A means to an end- one they have kept from us simply because they know that with it, they stand no chance against us! Join me, and we shall live free men!" He ranted, and Solona's stomach twisted in fear and disgust as she heard agreement throughout the mages, and heard them leave.
No! Blood magic is evil, not a thing the templars keep us from for spite! Where is Irving? Where is Cullen?
Solona thought in panic, and every moment they ever shared together ran through her head, up to the last time they spoke.
No, maker, no! I need to this not be the end! Please, please, maker- let me see him again... Solona prayed, creeping out of the library, looking for her lost love- and prehaps to save him.
~~*~~
Cullen had been so angry.
He had been so angry, and now she could be dead. He sliced through another blood mage, and he knew, he knew, she wouldn't join them.
She despised blood magic, and would sooner die than aid one.
It was why she let her best friend be caught and killed for doing it.
"Knight, behind you!" Gregoir yelled, and Cullen turned just in time to block a mages staff coming down fast towards his head, and parry the blow, slicing the mages' head off in a clean slash.
"Stay focused, men! We must remain viligant, and reach Irving! Greagoir yelled, and they all proceeded, and it was easy enough- until they started encountering abominations.
Then, people started dying, and he heard it. He heard her.
"Ahh!" Solona screeched, through a door. He ran away from the group, burst through the door, and he saw the abomination standing over her.
"No!" He boomed, dashing over her and blocking the abominations arm with his shield, which had been coming down to strike her.
"Cullen!" Solona gasped, as he stabbed the creature through the chest. He turned to her, and grabbed her fiercly, envolping her in a bear hug once he pulled her to her feet.
"You scared me." He whispered in her ear. Solona sighed.
"I scared you?" She snapped weakly, so it sounded more like a joke.
"For a moment there...I thought.."Cullen started, his throat tightening. "Please...never do that again."
Solona pulled away, looking Cullen in the eye.
"I..." She started, then leaned in. Cullen realized where it was going and he felt his heart beating faster and faster, until he felt as if he might die right there.
Oh, Maker preserve me- this women will be the death of me. He thought, and gently kissed her, his hands sliding down to her waist. Her hands slid up to his shoulders, then she pulled away, eyes shining with emotion.
"Cullen...if I never get another chance, I..." She started, but he put a armored finger to her lips.
"Don't." He said, shaking his head. "Don't say it."
Solona's lip trembled, then they heard screaming from the next room.Cullen drew his sword, and looked at Solona, steeling himself.
"Stay behind me." He commanded, and he started walking out of the door.
~*~
They fought their way through abominations and blood mages to outside the harrowing chamber, picking up some of Cullen's friends as they went. Most of the templars, along with Greagoir, retreated a long time ago, it seemed.
It matters not. Uldred will pay for this, even if I have to kill a thousand of his pet mages and abominations to get to the blood mage. Cullen thought bitterly, but then, Uldred showed up.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" Uldred drawled, eying Solona.
"Someone not about to cower to you......Your Baldness." Solona snapped, and even Cullen had to smirk at her nickname for Uldred. Uldred, unfazed as ever, simply chuckled.
"Oh, I see. Some people- so inconsiderate of others." Uldred muttered, then shot a blast of fire at her. Cullen shoved her out of the way, and leapt to the opposite side so he wouldn't land on her. Uldred grabbed Solona by the neck, and cast a barrier over where Cullen and the rest of the templars were- effectively trapping them.
"No! Solona!" Cullen yelled, slamming his hands against the barrier.
Uldred smirked, amused at Cullen's reaction, and lifted Solona with his hand around her neck into the air, gleaming a strangled sound from her. Cullen growled in anger, and drew his sword, attacking the barrier.
Uldred's hand glowed blue- and Cullen'e eyes widened in terror.
No. He wouldn't.
A burst of flame erupted from Uldred's hand, and Solona screamed in pain, and Cullen attacked the barrier with his bare hands now, his screams feral.
Eventually, Solona's screams faded, and all that was left of her was a charred corpse.
"If I don't get another chance..."
"Don't........"
"Just don't."