Chapter Text
The dungeon was dark and Rowan felt a shiver begin in her spine as she opened her eyes. The smell of blood and moss hit her nose, making her gag slightly.
Taking a shuddering breath through her mouth, she lifted her unreasonably heavy head and saw she was surrounded by guards. Their armor was dented and tarnished, well used and dangerous. The look of danger was completed by a ring of swords (actual metal swords) pointed towards her.
“Tergen! Get the Seeker!” One of the guards shouted from beneath a faceless helmet, causing her to flinch. One of the other guards sheathed his sword and ran for the door, closing it with a clang behind him.
The chained girl watched the speaking guard warily as he came towards her. “So, you're up now. I'm sure the Seeker wouldn't mind us getting a few licks in” Her brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to ask what he meant when an armored fist met her cheek, causing her to fall sideways to the floor.
The guard didn't stop though and he grabbed a hold of her dresses collar, stretching the soft cream fabric. He raised his hand to deliver another hit and paused at the dungeon door slamming open. Two women walked in, along with the guard who ran out earlier.
“Ah, Seeker. Just in time. Thought I should get a few hits in on this bitch before you take care of her” The guard grinned beneath his helmet, yellowed and crooked teeth showcased beneath the fire-lit metal. One of the women frowned and narrowed her bright eyes as the other watched the girl with a blank look.
“Argus, stand down. She will get her dues soon enough.” The dark haired woman motioned for ‘Argus’ to move away. “Go with Tergen to the front camp. We need someone to escort the apostate and Master Tethras to the rift”
Argus made a noise and dropped the girl, letting her crumple with a whimper to the floor. “As you wish Seeker” He aimed a petulant kick to her side and strode out of the dungeon, yelling for the scout.
The Seeker turned to her prisoner. The young woman was dressed in what used to be a nightgown, now ripped and stained with ash. Her hazel eyes peaked out from behind strawberry blonde hair, showcasing the bruising around her eye and around her cheekbone.
“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you.” The armored woman circled the girl and watched her eyes widen and the girl looked like she was about to cry. The Seekers brow furrowed, about to order the girl to answer before she said the words Cassandra had hoped she would never hear in this situation.
“Please, I don't know what you're talking about! Why are you doing this to me?” The girl had practically sobbed Cassandra’s soulmark, the only other one she had besides-
“Don't lie to me!” Cassandra wrenched the girl's wrist, turning her hand to show the green gash along her palm. “What is this? Explain!”
“I can't! I swear I don't know what's going on!”
Cassandra growled. “Stop lying!” She raised a hand, only for her wrist to be gripped by Leliana.
“Enough Cassandra. We need her” The Nightingale led her towards the door and searched her eyes. “You are normally more composed. What has you so on edge?”
Cassandra looked back at the bruised and crying girl. “She said my words Leliana. I just lost him, and now his killer is saying my words.”
Leliana sucked air through her teeth. “Are you sure?”
Cassandra nodded and Leliana looked at the prisoner. “How about I do the talking next? It will give you time to get the plan ready for the front march.” The Nightingale stepped forwards, slippers quiet against the stone floor. “Do you remember what happened? How this began?” To her surprise, the girls face fell even more, and she slumped down, with a whimper.
“This wasn't how it was supposed to be. For either of you” the whisper was quiet, almost too quiet to hear, but the meaning was clear. Cassandra twitched and Leliana met her eyes with a nod. Turning away, Cassandra growled.
“We are getting nowhere. Leliana, go to the forward camp. We will meet you there” Cassandra unfurled a length of rope from her belt and nodded towards the door.
The Hands brushed shoulders as Leliana left and Cassandra knelt before her prisoner. The manacles were undone quickly and the rope was tied roughly around her pale wrists.
“Where are you taking me?” Her voice was timid, as if she thought silence was better, but her curiosity had gotten better of her.
“You will see soon enough” The Seeker replied tersely.
Standing, she helped the girl up and paused as she got sight of her legs. Or rather, leg.
Hiding beneath the gown, the metal of her fake leg stood out against the cream of her nightgown. It was a simple pole, connected by hinges and disappearing underneath the gown. Slowly, Cassandra looked up from her prisoner's leg and saw only resignation in her verdant eyes.
“Can we go now?”
Speechless, the Seeker nodded and continued leading her forward until they reached a small pile of gear. She untied her prisoner for a moment and tossed her the clothes.
“That gown won't protect you. This is all we can spare.”
The clothes were simple, standard recruit fare. A mostly grey woolen tunic, simple breeches, boots and a leather chassis. The girl looked up at her and when she saw Cassandra wouldn't turn, she stripped quietly.
Cassandra’s eyes widened as more of her prisoner was revealed. All over her pale body were Marks. Bronze, Silver and Gold words swirled around her body and Cassandra saw her own precise writing on the girl's right shoulder before it was covered by the grey woolen tunic. The metal of her leg, she realized, went up halfway and was held in place by a sleeve of black fabric and a metal button. The breeches went on quickly, draping loosely over the pole and the boots were slipped on shortly after.
After retying her hands, they walked into the grey and white landscape of Haven. Cassandra didn't miss the sharp inhale that came from the prisoner and turned to see her gazing up at the Breach.
“It’s called the Breach. It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It’s not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave.” Cassandra watches the expression on the girl's face and sees no sign of recognition, no sign of triumph. The only things lurking in her hazel eyes are confusion, fear, and sorrow.
“What exploded? How does an explosion make that? Also, what do you mean demons?” Brow furrowed, she looks at the Seeker who looked back impassively.
“That what we are trying to find out. And as for demons-” Cassandra was about to continue on when the Breach and the girl screamed out in unison.
Cassandra watched as the girl fell to her knees, and seized. She was quick to act, holding the girl as her body fought against the Mark in her hand. When the episode was done, her prisoner was sobbing and trembling like a leaf.
“Each time the Breach expands, your Mark does too. And it is killing you.” She spoke quietly into her shaking prisoner's ear, who let another small sob escape.
“What do we do?”
The Seeker was silent for a moment. “We must travel to the Breach. One of our allies has a theory that you may be able to close it. But it is only a theory.”
Panting heavily, the Prisoner met her gaze. “A theory is better than nothing. I'll do what I can”
The two of them continued forward slowly, the Prisoner following quietly behind. As they walked through the village, Cassandra listened with half an ear at the shouts towards her prisoner. At one point during her explanation to the girl, she heard a whistle, thud, and yelp in quick succession. Glancing behind her, she saw blood trickling from the girl's head and a rock at her feet. Shaking off her inkling of guilt, she tugged the girl forwards and ignored the urge to shield her.
They may have been Soulmates, but this girl killed him. Or was at the very least a witness to his death. She would give no pity to this girl.
She could give no pity to this girl.
They arrived on the bridge with little fanfare, most of the soldiers preparing for the Valley with narrow focus. Turning back to her prisoner, she pulled her dagger from her belt and saw the girl tense.
“I'm not going to harm you girl,” Cassandra said, making quick work of the bindings on the girl's hands.
“Rowan”
Pausing, the Seeker looked up from tucking her knife away. “Pardon?”
The girl met her eyes, for the first time looking like something other than a scared child. “My name. It’s Rowan. The very least you could do is use my name before I die”
They considered each other, eyes unwavering. Cassandra was the first to break, nodding slightly. “Rowan then. Come, your mark must be tested on something smaller than the Breach. We need to know it works before risking my soldiers”
“Yes ma’am”
“Open the gates! We are heading into the valley!” Cassandra strode past her soldiers and twitched at the noise Rowan made as she was tripped by a soldier. The soldier chuckled as Cassandra waited for her prisoner to get up, brushing snow off of her knees. As they were about to round the hill to the bridge, a pulse went through the air and Rowan gasped, going to her knees. But instead of screaming outright, Cassandra watched as Rowan folded over and gritted her teeth, holding her seizing left hand in a death grip. When the spasm passed, Rowan unfurled her stiff fingers, ignoring the imprint on her wrist.
Cassandra knelt in the snow and held out a hand. A pale hand slipped into hers as she helped a panting Rowan up. “They are coming faster now”
Rowan began to walk first, Cassandra watching her for another collapse.
She didn't have to wait long.
From the swirling sky, a comet made of crackling emerald energy hit the bridge just ahead of Rowan's feet, blasting it into pieces and sending both women flying.
Rowan blinked the blackness from her eyes and groaned. All around her was debris, crumbled stone and old wooden crates broken into pieces. Getting into a better position, she saw the crumpled form of her soulmate, the Seeker whose name she still couldn't place, sprawled motionless at the base of a group of crumbled stone.
Struggling, she got up and tried to go towards her, only to find herself stuck. Looking towards the source of the resistance, she saw her prosthetic was stuck between a pair of stones. Then she heard it.
Whispering.
Glancing back at the Seeker, she saw a form rising out of a pile of inky sludge. It was dressed in rags, with no discernable face beneath its ratty hood. It paused for a moment, looking between the trapped girl and her unconscious Mate before sliding slowly over to her Seeker.
“Seeker!” She screamed and her Soulmate didn't move. Her chest moved, but there was no twitch, no blinking awake as the Thing crept towards her Seeker.
Turning back to her trapped leg, she tore the breeches off her leg using a nearby dagger and undid her prosthetics socket. Grabbing the nearest stick, she balanced on her working leg and threw the sharp blade at the Shambler.
“Over here you pile of rags! Come and get me you moth ridden slut!” She shouted, using the staff to hobble her way to a pile of supportive stone. It pulled her knife from its chest and turned towards her, whispers intensifying.
With a chill, she saw the amalgamated mess of a face that thing has beneath its hood.
“Food” It whispered, in many voices that rang past her ears. “fOOD!” It rang like a klaxon siren in her head, sliding towards her with its claw-tipped hands outstretched.
Swearing, Rowan braced herself against the stones for balance, the stump of her leg pressed against crumbled bridge. As it got nearer, she saw her Seeker struggle upwards, blinking away fuzz.
“A little help would be nice!” She hollered, slashing at the Thing as it got closer. The Seeker looked towards her and focused on the Thing and followed Rowan's example by swearing.
Rowan jabbed at the Thing and focused on keeping it back until Cassandra was closer. She didn't wait long, seeing her Warrior charge the Thing and lop its head off in one smooth movement.
The two met eyes, Rowan clutching her staff in a death grip and Cassandra panting from her charge.
“You didn't run,” The Seeker said dumbly, causing Rowan to blink at her.
“Excuse me?”
“I was unconscious and there were demons. You didn't leave me. Why?”
Now, it was Rowan’s turn to stare blankly. “Because you're my Soulmate. You may have me as your prisoner for something I don't remember, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you be eaten by weird rag things.” She quietly hobbled over to where her leg was still sticking out from the rubble. “Kill me if you want, but I am not leaving your side.”
Digging her leg out, Rowan missed the surprised expression on Cassandra’s face as she mulled over the girl's words. The Seeker watched her struggle to free the metal limb before she walked over and lifted the last rock holding her leg.
Rowan was quick to slip on her socket, rocking into it slowly to get rid of the air bubbles to prevent blisters. Cassandra watched as she fit her leg back on, frowning at the tattered breeches.
“Wait. You breeches are just going to get tangled if you keep going like that.” Cassandra unsheathed her knife again and trimmed the breeches until most of Rowan's metal leg was bared. “There. Now you don't have to worry about the loose fabric getting caught in something.”
Rowan examined the trim-job and wiggled. “Hadn't thought of that. Thank you.”
The Seeker eyed her and nodded. “No thanks necessary. We need to keep going”
There was a quiet pause as Cassandra sheathed her knife and Rowan picked up her discarded spear.
“By the way, what the hell were those things?”