DA fic: A Bedtime Story, part 4 (final)11:17 Aug 02 2010
Times Read: 641
The conclusion of Solona's story. Now with more rhyming!
I hope you have enjoyed this. This is by far the longest piece of fanfic I have writen (also the only multi parter), and I would love your feedback.
She felt his forehead – he had a fever. So she bundled him into bed and plied him with restorative drinks which he accepted with a grimace.
When they started to take effect he sleepily begged: “Finish the story, mamae. Please?”
Smoothing damp hair back from his face she smiled and agreed. “Very well da’len. But then, sleep for you.”
He nodded and coughed, a little.
“For a full day the armies of Ferelden, which Solona had worked so hard to gather behind her, marched. They arrived at the gates of Denerim as the sun broke through the clouds. They could see the hordes of darkspawn massed and the slaughter they had caused. Buildings were on fire, streets torn up, bodies were strewn across the ground. It was a terrible sight.
“Queen Anora strode to the front of the army with Solona and gave them a speech, urging them to fight in the name of Ferelden, rousing their courage for the battle ahead. With a final cheer, the army charged down to the waiting horde.
“There was a resounding clash as the armies met. Swords and shields crashed and clanged upon the enemy’s weapons and armour. Battle cries were yelled out and cut off. But the Fereldens pressed forward, sweeping through the ranks of the horde and driving them back.
“And all the while, overhead the dread archdemon itself soared above the battle, swooping down to rain fire and destruction upon Denerim and its defenders. Every time it passed overhead, the darkspawn surged anew against them, and Solona’s armies shrank back in its shadow. Its roars shook the nerves of even the most battle hardened warrior. It was terrible and deadly and yet beautiful, in its own way.
“However eventually the might of Ferelden’s army proved itself and the darkspawn were forced back from the gates. The army cheered, and Solona and her companions gathered together to decide who would face the archdemon.
“Solona chose to take Wynne, Sten and Leliana with her for this battle. She had always regarded Wynne as a mother figure, having known her in the Tower, and knew she would need her healing skills; while she depended upon Sten’s strength and fighting ability; and Leliana’s skill with a bow. She knew she could rely upon all three to support her.
“She left behind her remaining companions – Shale, Oghren, Zevran, and her mabari hound Niko, under the command of Loghain – to face any attempts by the darkspawn to retake the gates, for if the gates were lost, then all hope of recourse would be lost too, and they would be trapped inside a fallen city and be left to the mercies of the darkspawn.
“Of her other companions – Morrigan had disappeared the previous night, not leaving a trace behind. No one knew where she went. And Alistair, true to his word to leave the Grey Warden order, had remained behind in Redcliffe.”
A sniff. “How come she did not take Loghain with her, mamae? He was a Grey Warden now too.”
“I do not know for sure, sweetling. But I think that she believed that this fight was her burden to bear. She was the senior Grey Warden of Ferelden, now that Alistair had left the order.”
And her eyes were dead…
“And so Solona, Sten, Wynne, and Leliana pressed into the city. They made their way first to the Market District, fighting many skirmishes along the way, where a darkspawn general had been spotted, organising the horde.
“The general ordered several of his emissaries and large ogres to attack Solona and her companions, hoping to overwhelm them, but they were beaten back. Using strong magics, Solona defeated the general, while Sten hewed his way through the ogres. Leliana shot arrows through the hearts of the emissaries, felling them where they stood, and Wynne supported them all, healing their injuries before they even truly felt them.
“When the marketplace was cleared, they fought their way to the Alienage, where another darkspawn general was lurking, sending waves of the horde against the elves still in residence there.
“Solona charged forward, blasting the darkspawn with energies from her fingertips, waiting until they surrounded her and then stunning them all. Sten followed, yelling strange battlecries in his own language, and cleaving the stunned darkspawn where they stood. Leliana fired arrow after arrow into their ranks. Then they faced the general, but he feinted and ran away, heading towards the palace.
“Once the general had left, the remaining darkspawn in the Alienage were easy to defeat. The elves were grateful, and tried to press gifts into Solona’s hands, but she refused them, saying they would need them in the days to come. Wynne soothed their hurts, and they made their way to the palace.
“However the archdemon spotted them leaving the Alienage, and swooped down and blasted fire upon them, destroying the bridge. They stumbled back quickly and were not seriously hurt. Then, as the archdemon soared back up for another pass, they saw a figure leap from a nearby tower and land upon its back – it was the Grey Warden Riordan, and he stabbed the archdemon with his sword, anchoring himself to its back.
“The archdemon howled horribly and fought to knock Riordan off its back. It swooped to a nearby tower and sideswiped it, knocking him loose; however he caught himself upon its wing with his sword. The archdemon flapped frantically, trying to gain height, however its efforts only made the sword rip through the membrane of its wing, tearing it completely and making flight impossible. The archdemon fluttered down to the top of Fort Drakon. Riordan, however, fell from the archdemon to his death.”
Her son gasped, and she hugged him reassuringly.
“Solona and her companions witnessed Riordan’s fall, and with heavy hearts pressed on.
“Outside the palace, the companions quickly realised they were being lured into an ambush. So Solona called upon her allies the Dalish elves, and under covering fire from their bows they stormed up the palace stairs. Two emissaries were stationed there, blasting them with their deadly magics. Solona directed the companions to slay the emissaries first, then turn their attention on the other darkspawn.
“It was while they were fighting the emissaries that they heard a terrible cry behind them, and turning around Solona saw that the elves were being beset by a dragon thrall, called by the archdemon’s presence. It was breathing fire upon the elves, and, though they were bravely shooting their arrows at it, they had no resistance to its terrible breath, and were falling.
“Solona directed Sten to take care of the dragon, and was left facing the emissaries alone. Both of them immediately targeted her, laughing their evil laughs as she was held frozen in a spell, writhing in agony as it attempted to crush her. However she soon shrugged this off, and with Wynne’s healing renewed her attack, paralysing one and freezing the other so that Leliana could shatter it with one of her arrows.
“Meanwhile Sten had dispatched the dragon with mighty swings of his renowned sword Asala. The elves cheered and thanked him.
“After the emissaries had fallen, the companions regrouped and forged into the palace grounds. They found many traps laid for them by the darkspawn, which Leliana disarmed. Then they found the general waiting for them, with lines of darkspawn, which it immediately ordered to attack.
“Solona called upon the troops from Redcliffe to aid them as they met the attack, and they soon appeared, charging down upon the darkspawn from the flank. While the darkspawn were engaged, Solona and her companions faced the ogres and shrieks the general had called, pressing back to the emissaries and the general itself. Once they were downed, Sten leapt towards the general, and with mighty swings of his sword took its head right off!”
He giggled weakly, and she smiled and continued.
“Eventually, they had felled all the darkspawn, though not without cost as the troops from Redcliffe started ministering to their fallen. Wynne assisted as she could, but she was weary, and there was more fighting ahead.
“Solona and her companions then pushed open the gates of the palace and disappeared inside. We’ll never really know what they faced inside the palace, we only know that when the call went out for repairs and to clean it, we found the interior covered with the bodies of the darkspawn, and their blood and filth coated the floor and walls.
“Finally, though, they made their way to the rooftop of the Fort, where the archdemon had landed.
“Solona called upon her allies one last time, requesting assistance from the dwarves, and as they arrived she pressed the attack upon the archdemon. She directed Wynne to man one of the ballistae upon the rooftop, firing its bolts into the archdemon as she used her healing magics from a safe distance. Leliana was to shoot her arrows upon the archdemon from another portion of the rooftop, while she and Sten pressed forward and attacked it directly, along with the dwarves.
“It was a terrible battle. The archdemon, though wounded, was a formidable opponent. It could breathe fire upon its enemies, and its fire burned with the taint. It swept out with its tail, crushing its opponents, and ripped at them with its clawed feet. If anyone ventured too close to its head, its horrible fanged jaws closed down upon them, tearing the life from them. Many of the dwarves fell before it.
“The archdemon also summoned its own allies – waves of darkspawn, alphas, emissaries, and shrieks – which swarmed upon Solona, her companions, and her allies. However it was at this time that more reinforcements arrived – Arl Eamon, joined by the First Enchanter himself, and Kardol of the dwarven Legion of the Dead. They all pressed their attacks upon the archdemon, which roared in anger as it felt its injuries mount.
“And then the archdemon reared up, crying out in pain, and crashed to the ground, shaking the tower. Breathing heavily, the companions gathered around with weapons raised, but before they could strike Solona rushed past them, a sword in her hand, and running up to the archdemon sunk it deep into its awful head. There was a great roaring noise, and a blast of light and energy, and when it was over, the archdemon was dead, and Solona was lying motionless on the ground next to it.
“In sorrow, the companions made their way back down to the gates of Denerim, where the darkspawn horde had been defeated, its remnants retreating. Sten cradled Solona’s body close to him, allowing no one else to touch her. Wynne and Leliana were weeping as they rejoined the rest of their companions. In shock, they gathered around her one last time.”
She heard a small sniffle, and looked down. Her son was listening raptly, though his face was slightly damp, and she continued.
“Solona’s funeral was held the next day, along with a service for everyone who had fallen in the battle. Queen Anora herself gave a speech about how brave Solona was, and how she would be missed. Everyone wept. And while Alistair was present, he said not a word about his former love, and would not even look at her still, pale body as it lay upon a cold stone slab in front of him. And none of the companions joined him. He had left them, and her, behind.
“Eventually, however, all things move on. Solona’s body was transported to the Grey Warden headquarters at Weisshaupt, and her faithful mabari followed her to the end. Queen Anora declared that a statue was to be erected for her in Denerim. One by one, all her companions disappeared – Sten went back to his people in Par Vollen, Zevran went back to Antiva, Wynne and Shale left to travel to the Trevinter Imperium. Only Leliana was left at court. It was said that she was composing a ballad in Solona’s remembrance.”
“Did she make that ballad, mamae?”
She nodded. “She did indeed, sweetling. Would you like to hear it?”
“Yes please, mamae,” he replied.
“Very well.
“It was about a month after the archdemon was defeated and Solona had fallen. The King and Queen, newly crowned, were holding a feast in honour of the sacrifices made. All the nobles of Ferelden attended, along with delegations from the mages, the elves, and the dwarves. Speeches were made, treaties forged, much wine was drunk. At the end of the feast, Leliana approached the King and Queen and announced that she had completed her ballad and would now, if it pleased them, present it to the court. They agreed, and so she brought out her lute, and sang in a clear, strong voice, sweet and throbbing poignantly:
O People of Ferelden
Lay down your swords
Lay down your shields
You need fight no more.
The Blight is quelled
The archdemon slain
The Hero who saved us
Has passed into lore.
Lament, all you nobles
Be you false or true.
The Grey Warden Solona
She died to spare you.
O People of Ferelden
Lay down your axes
Lay down your bows
You need fight no more.
The Blight is quelled
The archdemon slain
The Hero who saved us
Has passed into lore.
Lament, all you mages
For though you yet be few
The Grey Warden Solona
She died to redeem you.
O People of Ferelden
Lay down your staves
Lay down your shields
You need fight no more.
The Blight is quelled
The archdemon slain
The Hero who saved us
Has passed into lore.
Lament, all you elves
In your forests be true.
The Grey Warden Solona
She died to free you.
O People of Ferelden
Lay down your daggers
Lay down your maces
You need fight no more.
The Blight is quelled
The archdemon slain
The Hero who saved us
Has passed into lore.
Lament, all you dwarves
Do not struggle anew.
The Grey Warden Solona
She died to reprieve you.
O People of Ferelden
Lay down your weapons
Lay down your arms
She has ended this war.
The Blight is quelled
The archdemon slain
The Hero who saved us
We remember her ever more.”
She hugged her son close, and wiped away a tear. “Now, it is sleep time for you, yes? Go to sleep now, sweetling. Rest easy. I will be here.”
He sighed, and hugged her back, and sank into sleep. And as he slept, she remembered the final verse that Leliana had sung, the one that the nobles tried so desperately to suppress, but which was spread throughout the court and the city anyway. Because the servants were there, and they saw it all, and they had held Solona dear, too.
As Leliana drew to a close, there were muffled sniffles and hidden tears throughout the room. The Queen wiped her cheeks discretely, however the King sat stony faced, his mouth hard and set. Just before the last notes died and silence claimed, Leliana strummed another chord, this one slightly discordant, and moved to directly in front of the King, and sang one final verse to him, her brows drawn, and her voice hissing sibilantly:
Lament, o King of Ferelden.
Lament for a love pure and true.
Lament for your hard hearted words.
Lament for what little you knew.
Lament for your misunderstandings.
Lament for potential wasted.
Lament for the hurt you caused.
Lament for her desperation.
Lament, King Alistair Theirin.
Lament for a lost love true.
Lament for the Grey Warden Solona:
She died because of you.
And she strummed a final, jangling chord, and bowed to the King mockingly, and gathered up her lute, which Solona had given her. Cradling it like a child, she departed, and was not seen in Ferelden again. And they remembered that Leliana had loved Solona first, before Alistair had forced a choice between them.
The nobles gasped, and the Queen’s face whitened, but Alistair made not a sound. His hand clenched upon his goblet, until the wine overflowed and soaked his sleeve. His hard face hardened even further, and remained hardened, for every day thereafter.
And instead of being the Golden King, as his reign had started, he became the Betrayer, for what he had done to her. And though he ruled well, he was always tainted; both by his blood, and her memory.
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