Anger, The Cold, and a pair of Gloves
~Chapter 4~
After getting a good laugh in at Jarad’s expense, Ella reaches into her backpack and grabs a pair of large pants that also have a tear in them, but on the right butt cheek. She hands them over to him with a small impish smile that flashed her teeth off slightly.
He takes them with a sharp glare and shoves them on over his other ripped pair, grumbling under his breath about pants, stupid wood, and how he hopes his wood doesn't tear his pants in the front next time…
‘Óh dear cheesecake...why does he do this?’
Once Jarad fixes his little problem the group moves on.
They fight a few more battles before arriving at a massive stone bridge with inhumanly large and ornate doors for a freaking bridge!
“Who needs doors that fucking big?” Ella asked staring at the large ten foot tall dark wooden doors.
“People who are obviously compensation for something,” Jarad says before the great wooden jaws are opened wide to let them in.
Ella and Varric chuckle lightly at that, Solas smiles a little, and Cassandra makes another one of her disgusted noises.
Cassandra takes lead for a moment and leads everyone to a Table that has Liliana pacing beside it and a man, dressed in a weird white and red robe thing that has gold accents, leaning on it with his forearms.
When he sees us approaching he straightens up, “Here they come.”
‘Oh, I remember this guy! What was his name...Rodger? Dick? Rick?’
Liliana stops pacing and turns to face us with a relieved smile on her face, but Ella can see the stress hidden there.
“You made it!” She exclaims,” Chancellor Roderick, this is-”
Roderdick cuts her off with a wave of his hand, “I know who they are.” He points a finger at Ella and Jarad, who is looking through a chest for loot a little while behind the group. Jarad pops his head out of the chest when he feels stares on him. He regards the finger pointing at him for a moment before shrugging, “Later this will be useful,” and then he goes back to rummaging through the chest.
Roderdick makes an offended sound before declaring, “As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry I demand that these two...criminals be taken to Val Royeaux immediately to face execution as punishment for their crimes!”
Cassandra looks indignant for a moment and starts to say something before Ella interrupts, “Where is your proof?”
Roderdick sputters for moment,”P-Proof? We don’t need proof, you and that- that Qunari are obviously responsible for all of this!” His face goes all red.
Jarad walks calmly up to stand beside Ella, “So you believe, but where is your proof? That we have a mark on our hands that is killing us? That we survived?”
“Yes!”
“Why would we want to kill ourselves slowly and painfully? There are better ways. Also as to why we survived? I have no idea, it could simply be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Jarad says matter of factly.
“Why would we even want to kill your conclave? It was a chance for peace and all people- elves, dwarves, humans, and qunari- are being hurt right now. Violence it occurring at every corner, because your chantry failed to make peace with the mages.” Ella interjects.
Cassandra shoots Ella a slightly disapproving look, before the truth of the matter settles in her eyes and she looks down at the ground slightly ashamed.
Jarad continues, “Where we are from their is a thing that says under the law all people are innocent until proven guilty. Even if the evidence is damning, they still get a trial before being sent to death. Would you not even listen to our side of the story? Just assume that because of a little evidence that doesn’t even make sense that we did it just to get the guilt off of your chest? How inhumane of you, Chancellor. To kill the innocent and victimized”
The chancellor sputters for a moment before looking angry again, “I-It doesn't matter! I order-”
Cassandra gets in his face then, “Order me! You are a glorifies Clerk, a Bureaucrat!” She scoffs angrily.
He looks shocked for a moment before replying with, “And YOU are a thug. A thug that supposedly serves the Chantry.”
“We serve the most holy, as you well know, chancellor,” Liliana interjects calmly.
“Justinia is dead!” He shouts then lowers his voice when a few fearful and sad looks are tossed to the group. “We must elect a new divine and obey her orders on the matter.”
Ella throws her hands up in frustration, “You want to do politics when the whole fucking world is in danger from a giant hole in the sky!? Dude, get your priorities right.”
“This is all your fault in the first place!”
“NO IT ISN’T,” Ella shouts drawing even more looks, “YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE ANY PROOF!. I DIDN’T BLOW A FUCKING HOLE IN THE SKY. YOU ACORN BRAINED ASS SHAT,” She finishes glaring angrily at the chancellor.
Jarad lightly grasps her shoulder in a firm hold before addressing Roderdick, “We didn’t destroy your conclave chancellor, we were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Roderdick scoffs loudly, “You expect me to believe that?” He scoffs before turning to Cassandra and his eyes soften slightly, “Please, end this before more lives are lost, Seeker.”
Cassandra shakes her head slightly, “We can stop this before it's too late.”
“How? You won’t survive long enough to even reach the temple, even with all of your soldiers.”
“We must get the temple, it's the quickest route.”
Liliana steps forward, “But not the safest. Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains.”
“We lost contact with an entire squad on those mountains,” Cassandra rebuffs, “It is too risky.”
Roderdick interrupts again, “Listen to me please! Seek-” Then he is interrupted for once.
Ella wished he wasn’t, even though she thought he just needed to shut the hell up for once, because what interrupted him was a pulse from the breach in the sky as it grew...and so did the marks on both her and Jarad’s hands.
They pulsed and lashed out like green lightning for a moment before dying down to a faint glow.
‘It didn’t hurt as much this time. Is that a good or bad thing? I’m gonna stick with good, for the sake of my sanity.’’
Cassandra stares at their hands for a second before marching up to stand in front of them, “How do you think we should proceed?”
Jarad shakes his head in amusement, “You're asking us? Your prisoners?”
Solas interjects , “You both have the mark.” Ella rolls her eyes slightly before muttering under her breath, “No duh…”
Solas merely raises an eyebrow at her with a haughty look. ‘Why does he wook so sexy? He’s BALD! Bald people aren't supposed to be sexy…’
Ella feels heat at her cheeks and steps closer to Jarad, who looks down at her in slight brotherly amusement.
“You are the ones we must keep alive, so if we cannot agree…” Cassandra trails off.
“Why not do both?” Jarad states bluntly.
Ella looks at him in surprise, her blush gone, “Both?”
“Yes both, dear sister. One of us shall take the mountain path while the other charges.”
Cassandra looks about to scream when she starts to say, “Absolutely NOT! We need-”
“That actually might work, no?” Contemplates Liliana, “We shall see who was correct when we arrive at the temple.”
“Fine...that might work, “Ella says softly then makes a low humming noise, “We should each take a small group with us.”
“We should each have one person of every class, “ Jarad muses lowly.
“Hmm...I’ll take Solas and Cassandra then. You should take Varric and Liliana. We don’t have enough of each class to be even, but this set-up should work.”
Jarad frowns slightly then pouts, “But I wanted Cassandra…” Said person slightly blushed.
“But then I would be the only melee fighter on my team. You don't want me to be hurt because I’m the one doing all he close and personal fightin do you?” Ella asks trying to sound innocent, but failing miserably.
Jarad nods slowly after a minute and his frown turns more thoughtful, “...You should take the mountain path, I’ll charge with the soldiers.”
Ella looks ready to protest before she sees the logic in it, “As you wish brother...just make sure you come back to me alive ok?”
Jarad smirks at her a bit, “Of course I will, I would never forgive myself if I left you now.”
Ella takes a few quick steps before throwing her arms around Jarad’s midsection. “I love you, bro.”
Jarad his arms around Ella in return and smiles into her red locks, “Love you too sis.”
Reluctantly letting go of eachother they turn to the group of people who were nice enough to look away while they said their “see you laters”...well except Roderdick who stared at them in disgust, “You are even together! That is even more ‘evidence’ against you!”
SLAP
In a blink of an eye Ella was in front of the chancellor, “Don’t you dare presume to talk about things you know nothing about you mother fucking bastard! He is my brother in all things but blood, we are not together in any romantic shape or form. Just because a man and a woman worry about the safety of another means they half to be romantically involved? No, it doesn’t. It means that they simply care for eachother like a family you big headed moron. Just because you think you have all the answers mean nothing to-” She growls out at him, staring straight into his frightened muddy brown eyes with her own blazing green ones.
She feels a hand on her shoulder and quickly snaps her head to the side about to turn her fury on however dared to interrupt her rant when she sees and all of her raging fury leaves her at once.
“He is nothing, do not waste your breath on a meaningless man with nothing but scorn and prejudice in his heart. He is not worthy of even a single glance his way from you.”
Roderdick sputters in shock for a moment before a look from Cassandra silences him.
Ella stares into her brother’s dark eyes for a what seems like an eternity before nodding and turning away, “Let’s go Cassandra, Solas. We have a mountain path to wander across,” She pauses and turns her head slightly, “be safe brother, or I will find a way to bring you back to life so I can kill you.”
Then Ella lead the way to a small path that Liliana says will lead them to a passage through the mountains that heads straight to the temple.
Jarad looks after her a moment before turning to Varric and Liliana, “We should hurry….I want to be the one to get there first.”
~~~~~With Ella~~~~~
To say Ella was mad would be an understatement. To say she was angry would be inadequate. To say she was a rage demon would be a bit too much.
But to say she was she was livid? Yeah, if you had to say anything at all. Though most wouldn’t because you know, they actually want to live.
‘Why are people so damn stupid! Can’t they see that people should be able to fucking care about eachother without being in a relationship? Why do people always think Jarad and I are romantically involved? Yeah, I know he is good looking and maybe even sexy but... He is my brother! He has always been my brother and never anything more! I had hoped that maybe people would be smarter here in that regard...it seems I was wrong...again.’
‘...I need to hurt something, where the hell are the demons when you need them?’
Ella knew Cassandra and Solas were giving her worried looks, but she couldn’t bring herself to care as they climbed up a rocky mountain trail. This was the reason she hated people so much, no matter what race they always jumped to conclusions without understanding.
Ella sighed when they finally came to a system of ladders leading up into the sky, “I hope I don’t slip...Jarad would never let me live it down if that was how I died.’
Ella reached out and touched the cold wooden ladders before jerking her hand back.
“Holy Shit! That’s cold.”
‘I know I picked up some gloves earlier…’ She digs through her pack looking for something to cover her hands, a few moments later she sighs quietly, ‘nothing.’
Suddenly a pair of dark forest green gloves are thrust right in front of her face. She follows the long, lightly muscled arms to see Solas without his gloves on.
She frowns up at him, “Your hands will get cold, I can’t take your gloves, “ She protests waving her hands around slightly.
Solas smiles lightly down with her (She swears it was a smirk) and raises an auburn eyebrow elegantly before his hands glow slightly with a light reddish orange light for a brief moment, “I do believe that I will be fine, ‘ He smirks slightly then hesitate for a moment, “Ella.”
Ella switches between looking at the offered gloves and Solas’ face before nodding slightly and reaching out to take them from his hands, “Ma serannas, Solas” She smiles at him slightly before pulling on the gloves. They are slightly too big for her, but they will work to keep her hands from freezing as she gripped the hard wood.
She flexes her fingers for a moment before grabbing onto the ladder, but this time she didn’t feel anything except the warm fur on the inside of the gloves.
While climbing up the ladders to reach the mountain pass solas starts up conversation...kind of.
“You are Dalish,” He observes, “Clearly away from the rest of your kind. Why did they send you here?”
“What do you know of the Dalish?” Asks Ella as she glances back at him.
“I have wondered many ruins in my time. I have crossed paths with the Dalish on more than one occasion.” He sounds a bit bitter.
“Crossed paths?”
“I mean I offered to share knowledge, only to be attacked without preservations.” ‘Definitely bitter… but I would be too if I was attacked.”
“Ir Abelas, then. I apologize for them, the fact that they would attack show just how far we have fallen. I hope to show you that not all Dalish are savages...just the majority” Ella smirks slightly.
Solas looked shocked for a moment before replying with, “Tel’abelas. You have nothing to be sorry for, it was not your actions but those of others that you have no control over.”
“Still…” She trails off, “They shouldn’t have acted like that. Like small children whose favorite toys were taken for a moment by an elder so that it could be fixed.”
“An interesting view point.” His small smile seems to actually reach his eyes this time.
“I try,” She smirks then looks at the last ladder before they reach the top, “Ohh, thank Yoda! We are almost at the top.”
Cassandra interjects from below her as she starts climbing up, “Who is Yoda?”
“A really old and short green man with huge ears, “ She says absentmindedly as she focuses on pulling herself over the edge of the platform, “He is also really wise.”
“A green man!?” Cassandra asks in shock as she climbs up after Ella, “Is he some sort of demon?”
Ella laughs loudly at that, “No, he just simply is. I suggest we leave it at that.”
“I have never seen a green man before,” mumbles Solas while he pushes himself up to stand when he reaches the top, “I think I might like to meet this Yoda one day.”
Ella smiles at him, “I’m sure you would have, but you can’t. Though he was very old and very wise he isn’t here right now.”
Solas stops, “My condolences. I am sorry for your loss.”
Ella shrugs, “It was a while ago.” ‘It’s been years since I have seen the movies’ She shakes herself off before starting for the carved hole in the mountain side, “We should hurry up, don’t want Jarad beating us there now would we?”
“No we can’t have that.”
Ella barks a laugh and turns her head to smile at her companions before heading past the dark, grayed with age, stone entrance into the mountain.
~With Jarad~
After beating a demon to death with his staff and lighting another one on fire as Varric fires bolt after bolt into them and Liliana digs her daggers deep into the soft exposed parts of some shades, Jarad sneezes.
...Loudly
He rubs the back of his hand over his nose then continues fighting.
‘Someone is talking about me...it's probably Ella.’ He thinks as he bashes his staff into the head of another demon to get it away from a young male soldier with bright blonde hair and a sluggishly bleeding arm.
“Move!” He yelled, “You’re injured so go take some shelter man!”
The young man nods quickly before fleeing behind a ruined part of some sort of building. When he is running however he trips and lands right next to a small and lanky green demon with sharp claws. ‘Terror demon’
Jarad fires a burst of ice as the little terror brings down his arms and claws aiming at the boy’s fleshy neck. The ice freezes the demon mid swing and the boy scrambles away quickly. Another older, soldier grabs him by his arm and yanks him away from the fight and over to a small group of wounded soldiers all clustered in a circle to protect the each other’s backs.
After finishing the last of the demons off with a wave of fire, Jarad turns his marked hand to the rift and wills it to close. After a few agonizingly long moment it folds in on itself with a loud SMACK that echoes across the ruins.
A handsome man with curly blonde hair pulled stylishly back and warm caramel eyes steps in front of Liliana.
“Liliana! Well done, you managed to close the rift.”
Liliana shakes her head and gestures to Jarad with her hands, “Do not congratulate me Commander, this is the prisoners doing.”
“Wasn’t there two prisoners? And where is Cassandra?” He asks looking slightly worried.
“She is with the other prisoner, they took the mountain path.”
“I see,” The commander mumbles lowly before looking straight at Jarad, “I hope they are right about you. We risked and lost a lot of people getting you here.”
“I hope so too,” Jarad says softly looking into the commander's eyes.
“We’ll see soon enough,” he pauses before turning towards Lilina, “The way to the temple is cleared, we should move now.”
Liliana nods before looking to Jarad, “We should hurry.”
Jarad gestures with his hand for her to lead, “After you, mi’lady,” He gives her a devious smile.
Liliana smiles slightly before turning away and gesturing with her hand for him to follow, “It is not far now.”
After a few minutes of walking Varric starts up some conversation, “So, Shiny, are you innocent?”
“I don’t remember.”
Varric sighs loudly, “And THAT will get you every time. “You should have spun a story.”
Jarad smiles lightly, “If Cassandra was here she would say how that is something only YOU would have done.”
Lilina chuckles lightly, “She would.”
Varric barks out a laugh at that, “Yes, but a story would be more believable and result in less premature execution.”
Jarad laughs loudly, “True, but Ella can’t lie to save her life.”
“Really?”
“Yeah...but she can twist the truths of the world fairly well, if it suits her purpose.”
“I see…”
Liliana suddenly stopped in front of a crack in stone, “This way leads to the foot of the breach and contains the first rift, Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be. I hope Ella has already made it.”
They step through the crack and appear on a stone balcony that had bright crystals of red shooting up through the numerous cracks. Jarad reaches out to touch a piece of the crystals when a rough hand grabbed him by the elbow and jerked him back roughly.
Varric looked panicked while he still held tight to Jarad’s arm, “This is red lyrium, Nightingale!”
“I see it Varric.”
“But what is it doing here!?” He raised his voice, “Whatever you do don’t touch it, that stuff is pure evil,” he said as he pulled Jarad away.
They make their way down the winding ruins of the temple and avoid all the tempting bright red lyrium.
When they reached a ledge, that offered a view of everything, Jarad carefully glanced around in a large circle.
“Where is Ella?”
~~~Ella~~~
ACHOO
“Ugh…’”Ella groans, “Someone was talking about me.”
“...Or this thick fog is messing with my sinuses...I hope that’s not the case.”
“What are these…’Sinuses’ you’re talking about?” Aks Cassandra, “I have never heard heard of such a thing.”
Ella hums slightly considering what to say, “Well….they are what happens when the environment abruptly changes. I messes with your nose, throat, and head. It makes everything really stuffy inside…”
“Stuffy inside?”
“Like it gets hard to breathe, or when you breathe it feels slightly labored...that’s the best way I can explain it.”
“Where did you obtain this knowledge?” Asks Solas, “ I have never heard of anything like it before.”
“I have to keep some secrets don’t I?” At their disapproving looks she amends, “I currently can’t trust you, I mean I woke up in a cell, but maybe I will tell you later when I do.” ‘Will I ever trust them? Should I?’
“Ma nuvenin,” Solas says quietly from her left, accepting her reasons for privicy.
“Ma serannas, Harhen,” Ella smiles gratefully at him.
They turned around a corner of the passage and Ella smelt the strong metallic scent of blood before she saw it.
“Well there is the missing patrol.”
Cassandra shakes her head, “That can’t be all of them, perhaps there are survivors up ahead?”
“We shall see,” confirms Ella as she lightly grasps the warrior woman’s shoulder, “If we can I want to save them.”
Cassandra nods gratefully, “Thank you.”
Solas interjects, “We must not dally. If we don’t close the breach more lives will be lost.”
Ella shoots a dark look at him, “Every life is worthwhile, and if we see them we must help them.”
Solas gives her a long steady look, “...As you wish, da’len.”
Ella shoots a glare at him before responding, “ I do, Harhen.”
The group continues on through the dark and foggy passages, encountering a few more groups of demons before entering into the light. As they follow the downward path they hear sounds of fighting coming from further ahead.
Ella starts running toward the sound, “That might be them!” She shouts as she pulls out her daggers.
Two bodies lay ripped and carved in a bloody mess of to the side. One woman looks beat up as she fights to protect the two younger armored people behind her. Both of them look worn and bloodied.
Ella feels the smooth and cold sensation of a barrier sliding over her skin as she approaches the closest demon to her, a shade. She disappears and then feels a rush as she reappears behind it stabbing it cleanly in the back of it’s neck. Pivoting on her heel she slashes out with her other dagger, biting shallowly into a nearby terror. She follows up with a magically enhanced kick from her left leg straight into the gut of the terror, knocking it back slightly.
The terror brings it’s claws both down in a downward arc and Ella quickly tries to dodge, but only half succeedes. The claws slash violently across her lower right leg and she almost loses her balance and falls, but shifts her body so she rolls instead. She lands unsteadily on her feet and puts most of her pressure on her left leg.
Cassandra comes in at that moment and thrusts her sword straight through the green terror, causing it to melt down into a puddle on the floor that bubbles slightly.
As quick as she could, Ella hobbled up to the crackling rift. LIfting her hand she thought for it to close, fold on into itself, and cease to be. Pulling with the power in her hand, she closed the rift with a sound snap that echoed out into the mountain air.
Solas calmy walked to her side, “It seems you are becoming quite perficient at this.”
Ella smiled weakly at him, “I try.”
Solas cast a look at her, “Would you like me to heal you?”
She hesitated slightly before sighing softly, “Yes, please. Ma serannas.”
His hand glowed a dark blue for a moment before fading to a pale light blue with a darker blue at the center. He gestured for her to sit down so she sat on the edge of a broken stone wall and propped her right leg up carefully. His hands hovered over her pale leg and Ella immediately felt soothing waves of cool magic enter her skin and bones.
She feels her pain fade deep inside of her, then Solas takes his hands away and moves to stand. Ella gently grasps his arm in her hand and smiles up at him, “Seriously, thank you, Solas. I would have been in pain for awhile without you, friend.” She takes her hand off of his and turns to see the three remaining survivors of the patrol bowing low in front of her.
“Thank you for saving us,” Says the older woman who was defending the other two earlier, “We would have perished like the rest of our squad.”
Ella looks at them shocked for a moment before stuttering out, “I, umm...It was worth saving you...if we could,” She hesitates for a moment, “What is your name?”
The woman looks shocked for a moment before replying, “Anna, My Lady.”
“Anna,’ Repeats Ella to herself before flashing her a bright smile, “You have a pretty name. It was worth saving you.”
Anna smiles back a bit hesitantly, “Thank You,” she blushes while she looks away then clears her throat, “We should head back.”
Cassandra nods, “We cleared the mountain pass, you and your group can head back through there.”
Anna nods before motioning to her charges to follow her as she leads the way back into the mountain pass.
Ella shouts after them, “Be safe okay Anna! Maybe we can talk later.”
Then the group disappears behind a cliff’s edge and into the pass.
Ella turns her bright smile onto her little group, “Let’s go. I have a feeling Jarad beat us already.” She pouts slightly before turning on her heel.
If she would have glanced at her companions she would have seen Solas’ slight blush and Cassandra’s slightly girlish smile.