Rescue (Fenris)

This continues the current story arc.

“Well we can't just leave them to die damn it!!!” I yell as I slam a fist on the table and glare at Varric. “Broody I get your upset, but we need to plan first. Leliana isn't that right?” She nods and places a stack of papers on the table, reports from Josephine that she's been sneaking on Ali’s condition. It worries me to think what's happened to them, I scan the reports.

General condition: Good, moderate, bad, severe

Symptoms: drastic weight loss, bruising and scabs, large horizontal cuts along the arms, scarring across back, no verbal responses, vomiting, disappearance for hours to days at a time.

Notes: this is very very very bad Leliana, come get your kid back. Quickly!

Josie

Hawke comes and looks over my shoulder “We going soon.” I nod and rub my eyes, reading makes my eyes hurt sometimes, not sure why. The others come into the room with their things at the ready, off we go I guess.

We wait stationed on the outskirts of Skyhold as Leliana and Zevran scout ahead under cover of darkness, eventually the two come back about half an hour later. “Okay, here's the plan. Tomorrow the inquisitor will be holding a meeting in the main throne room, so what we do is we wait until the meetings started...and then break down the goddamn doors and barge in.” Zevran says pointing out locations on a map. It's a rather forward plan, but should get the point across, you hurt Alarian, there is repercussions. In fact I'm rather certain that Marien is at least a bit afraid of me. Likely because I could rip out her heart or something of that sort, but I don't do that kind of thing very often, though I am sometimes tempted to. The night draws on until it's just Hawke and I awake, he comes and sits next to me at my place by the fire and wraps his coat around me, as I had been shivering in the cold air. After nearly 5 years in Kirkwall and adventures to Ferelden, I never got used to the cold. Maybe I still have a Tevinter part of me hidden somewhere. The two of us sit in mutual silence, until we too drift off to sleep. 

I blink awake and see the sun rising above the mountains. Today's the day I guess. I roll over and elbow Garret who's fast asleep next to me- and snoring. He coughs and curls up after I elbow him. That woke him up. “Agh what was that for?!” He asks glaring at me. “You were snoring, so I made you stop.” I reply with a grin. He rolls his eyes. Ha so I guess this is what I'm like when I don't want to get up. I stand up and walk to the opposite side of the camp to talk to Leliana. Maybe she'll have more information.

“Morning Fenris.” Leliana says sitting on her bedroll eating a slice of bread. “Need something?” I sit down “Actually I have a question. A uh, geography question.” She rummages through her pack and withdrawals a map of the area. I point to the smaller map of the inside of Skyhold “I've never been inside so where's the dungeons. While you and Zevran are busy interrupting the inquisitor and keeping them occupied I can go find Ali.” Leliana tells me the layout of the castle, just inside the main door there is a smaller doorway on the right side that leads down to the dungeons. “You sure you don't want anyone going with you? I'm not sure if commander Cullen will be down there, and if he is he’ll likely be rather heavily armed.” Morrigan interupts then “I'll go. I still want a chance to smack that son of a bitch upside the head. Show him what mage's can really do.” She looks at me “Whaddya say to that?” I nod, though I'm not entirely comfortable with mages or magic on the whole, I know it's not a choice one has, and that even though one possesses magic, it doesn't mean their inherently evil. “Agreed.” Morrigan smiles and gives a thumbs up. “So you understand everything Fenris?” Leliana asks after I look over the plans one more time “Yes. Thank you.” I stand up, brush the dirt off myself and wander the camp looking for food, then rest until Wynne calls us all together.

We gather around her as she addresses us, making sure everyone's ready and understands what's going on. “Alright, rouges you stand over here...Mages you're with me, Warriors stand with Alistair. Alright, now that we're all organized we can begin.” Wynne says as we look at her, listening intently. “Leliana, Morrigan, Zevran, you three know the castle the best and have personal relations with the inquisitor, you are key to this operation. Zevran are you listening?” The assassin looks up “Pardon?” Wynne rolls her eyes “Never mind. As I was saying, Leliana: you and Zevran will be in charge of infiltrating the meeting and keeping them distracted. Morrigan: you and Fenris will search the dungeons. The rest of you: spread out and look for our Warden. Do you understand?” Some people nod and others murmur their agreement. “I said, Do you understand?!” That gets more of a response. Wynne is an interesting person, sweet and grandmotherly at one time, and special operatives director at another. Just- not both at once. 

“You ready?” Morrigan whispers to me as we open the door to the dungeons. I nod and follow her inside. We walk down a dimly lit corridor, if it weren't for me one would have needed a torch, lucky me I'm a walking night light. We walk in silence further into the dungeon, past some empty cells. 

Then we hear a scream of agony.

Morrigan and I look at each other, we'd know that voice anywhere, and at that thought we sprint further into the darkness. We run with light feet, barely padding against the stone floor. Until Morrigan stops abruptly and I nearly crash into her. She's staring straight ahead, I peek from behind her and all blood feels as if it turns to ice in my body.

Right in front of us stands Cullen Rutherford, the military commander, with a whip in his hand. And below him, kneeling on the ground, sobbing in pain, cut and bloodied, is Alarian Surana. The queen of Tevinter. A teenage warden who never asked for anything. An inch from death. Cullan stares at us “I thought you'd come eventually. Unfortunately you came too late.” He kicks them sharply and they cough up a bit of blood. He goes to do it again and my hands reach for my sword. “You do that again ‘commander’...you'll regret it.” He doesn't do it instead he looks at us, Morrigan has drawn her staff in one hand and a spell on the other. “So you wanna fight eh? Let's fight then.” He lunges at me and I parrey his strike, he tries again and fails. At one point his sword cuts across my hand and I feel the very familiar pain of it. I activate my lyrium as he goes to cut me again and grip the sword, grabbing it out of his hands and throwing it across the dungeon where it lands with a clatter. Morrigan casts an ice spell at him than renders him Immobile and ties his hands with a strip of leather that was on the table. She then slaps his across the face and punches him in the nose, knocking him out. The two of us then rush to Ali’s side. 

Dear god how are they still alive?! Oh wait their immortal never mind, but still! Morrigan lifts up their tunic, you can see their ribs clearly, even trace them with your fingers. How long has it been since they've eaten? Their pale- or much paler than usual. With short messy hair and a black eye. Their face gaunt and ghostly looking. We turn them over and look at their back. It's torn up from all the whipping, at least some of those will be permanent scars. We assess the rest of the damage, the cuts on their arms, their feet cut from walking with no shoes, the back of their neck cut from what seems like gauntlets. Morrigan casts some simple healing spells and they improve a bit, but we need a healer, a real healer with some actual restoration magic experience, like Anders, or Wynne. Ali whispers something as we look at them. We lean in closer and they whisper it again-

“Thank you.” 

Morrigan moves a hair out of their face and does something I've never seen her do… Hugs them. Alarian hugs them back tightly, how long they've been without human touch, contact, interaction, I know how they feel. Morrigan eventually let's them go and stands up. “Can you walk?” She asks and Ali shrugs. So I pick them up and carry them. We get back to the main part of the castle and Morrigan takes them to Wynne to get some adequate care, I have my own matters to settle.

I stomp through the castle until I get to the war table room. I hear yelling coming from inside, such a shame for a meeting to get interrupted, but oh- that's life. 

I burst open the doors with a crash-

The inquisitor looks at me, first with a look of anger, then one of fear. “Surprise bitch. Bet you never thought I'd show up.” I cross my arms and look at her. “H-how…” She trails off. “Oh, and we already got Ali back I'll have you know. Your boyfriends currently unconscious and needs a new sword.” I say glancing out the doors. Zevran interrupts then “and I swear, if you ever do that again...The Antivan Crows will send their regards.” Leliana interjects after “As will the league of Spies. We're watching you, remember that.” At the end of that notion the three of us exit the room. Leaving the inquisitor to think about what they've done. 

We walk back to camp, I walk to the medical tent to check on Alarian's condition, but their asleep when I check. I sit on the cot across from them. Wynne pokes her head into the tent and steps in “Morrigan told me about what happened today. Thank you for helping.” I smile “My pleasure. It also confirmed my suspicion, Marien is most definitely scared of me.” Wynne stifles a laugh “S-she should be. Your like them, small but mighty. And a rather good rescuer.” She says “Probably from years of showing up last minute when Hawke screws stuff up.” I admit. Then from outside by the fire there's a yell of “I heard that!” I look out and smirk at him, he gives me a look and walks away. I sit back down, my gaze drifting to Alarian, their breathing better now, I can see their chest move up and down, up and down. Over and over in repetition. “I'm glad to have you back kid”,I think to myself.

I'm glad to have you back...

I told you Fenris would kick everyone's asses and save them. 

There should be at least one more story in this arc a little while after Ali’s been home. 

Until next time,

Max