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I looked over my army, glad that I had gained so many allies from the fade. "The time draws near, Fen'Harel approaches. He brings my former allies for an unknown reason as well as an unknown purpose. We must be prepared for any outcome. I ask that you hide yourselves from them, until the time to strike rings true. What say you?" The spirits roared in agreement. I chose to leave the sword planted with its energy as I headed back into the castle.

Chapter 12

Dar'misaan:

To see so many spirits come to the call of my beloved is nothing short of an empowering sight. I was lucky to have gained her affections. Banal'ras was a force to be reckoned with; I dare say that she and the Dread Wolf are evenly matched. Considering her control of the mark and the reformed orb, she would stand a better chance than anyone against him. I pray that it doesn't come to that. As she disappeared into the castle, I followed as I would wherever she went.

I gently walked up behind her and kissed her neck. She sighed and leaned into me with relative peace. "It seems my shadow has a lot on her mind" I commented, wrapping my arms around her lithe figure. "I fear what is to come. The intentions of the Dread Wolf are unknown. I would think he now seeks my death, but even that seems too simple. I know he cared about me, but I cannot stand liars. I cannot forgive. Promise me you will not fight Fen'Harel Dar'misaan. It would be worse than death for him to take you from me" she vented, each word growing more desperate and weak. To see her in such a state brought me back to the time in Emprise du Lion. I held her tightly, "I promise". This was the only thing I could say to ease her fears. She seemed to relax and she finally smiled up at me, "Thank you". I smiled back and picked her up, surprise the first expression on her face. Carrying her back to our room, I placed her on the pile of furs we called our bed. My goal was to put her fears in the back of her mind, at least for a time. This was the only place where Banal'ras was not the predator, but the prey. I devoured her lips in a kiss and let my hands roam where they may, be it her hips, thighs, breasts or sides. She writhed under my touch and whimpered against my lips. Soon our clothes were shed, and I was paying her body the due worship it deserved, every scar that marred her body only added to her perfection. Each mark was given equal attention from my mouth. She whimpered at the slow pleasurable torture and continued to squirm beneath me. Her eyes begged for more, and I would grant her every wish if I possessed the power. I slid into her tight heat and made sure she would forget her fears, at least for tonight.

The next morning I awoke to find Banal'ras still sleeping at my side, a content smile on her face. Her smile was contagious and brought a small one to my face as I brushed stray hairs away from her face. With that single touch her eyes snapped open to meet mine. She spoke no words and only nuzzled into my hand before going back to sleep. Considering I required no more sleep, I got up from the fur pile gently and proceeded to get dressed for a walk around the old fortress. The battered halls were no longer empty as many spirts walked about, some talking and others just moving around. There was an atmosphere of peace, one that was to be disturbed within the next few days. I prayed that Banal'ras was able to defeat him one final time.

Banal'ras:

The air shifted and sparked with power, it seems Fen'Harel shall arrive sooner than anticipated. I sat up, cracking various bones to release tension. Dar'misaan was gone, so I put on my armor. It had been modified some time ago in the event I needed to combat the Dread Wolf. The black elvhen metal, known only as Cursed Stormheart, reflected no light and covered my most vital areas, black dragon hide was soaked in demon blood and protected my joints and areas that required movement. To add to the effect, I had a wolf pelt draped over my head like a cloak, its head sitting on top of my own. Fully dressed for battle, I made my way to the armory to get my weapons. Opening the door, I was met with the sight of many gleaming swords, daggers, axes, maces, and hammers. In the center of my room laid my custom made daggers and bow. The daggers were crafted from the same materials as my armor, leaving it as dark as shadow. My bow on the other hand was crafted from bloodstone and great bear hide. I put my daggers at the base of my back lying perpendicular to my spine and the bow diagonally across my back for easy access.

I had just exited the armory when a spirit of rage approached me, he was known as Ashbel. He gave off a general green glow of the fade, and red reflected in his eyes. "The Dread Wolf is at the gate with your former circle" he growled, his voice deep and gravelly. I nodded and waved my hand in dismissal. Ashbel disappeared in a red tinted smoke, leaving me to make my way to the gate. Walking through the main hall, I converged with Dar'misaan. He was dressed in his old sentinel armor, its gold metal was recently cleaned to provide a brilliant shine. We exited the main hall together and walked down to the gate. As we drew closer to the confrontation, Sou'nin appeared in his full form. He was the size of a great bear and no longer appeared as a mere shadow. His fur was as dark as the night itself and his eyes now a darker shade of silver than my own. The three of us descended the stairs, the awaiting group already assembled. Everything seemed to be in place, except for the mabari hound at Cullen's side. It looked like a mouse compared to Sou'nin, but it didn't act like one. It growled at our approach, a loyal hound by all means. Sou'nin just have a snort, clearly unintimidated like the rest of us. "I see you anticipated our arrival" stated the Dread Wolf, who was in his old Solas garb at the head of the group. "You thought you were the only one with spies?" I retorted, snapping my fingers to reveal an army of spirits. They were lined along the battlements, and filled the courtyard behind us. All eyes were trained on the invading party, awaiting any sign of an attack. "Have you really stooped so low as to use blood magic? Binding all these spirits to you, I thought I knew you better than that" Solas growled. I laughed openly at him, "Every spirit that is here is here of their own free will. All I did was tear holes in the veil. These are not even all the spirits that drifted into this plane, just the ones that chose to follow". "Why did you have Cole wipe our memories? I thought we were your friends" Dorian demanded. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair "You forget Dorian, that I had a life before the Breach. I knew that once I did my job in ending Corypheus, more trouble would come of it. I wouldn't be able to live in peace with everyone vying for my favor, attention, and assistance. By making the core of the Inquisition forget me, I had the chance to get back to my old life, as well as get over the fact Solas here dropped my ass like wildfire. If Cole didn't make you forget, odds are you would come find me to fix the next problem that decides to show up." There was no arguing after that. "What was the point in bringing them all here Solas? You've wasted their time". It was his turn to smirk, "Actually, they sought me out. They began to suspect that the Inquisition had a leader and wanted to know who it was." Leliana chose this time to speak, "What Solas said is true. Our intention was to obtain answers, not to disturb you. I must ask why you have an army of spirits. As Divine, I need to know for the safety of Thedas". I put my hand on Sou'nin and ran my fingers through his fur, "Thedas has no need to worry about these spirits. One such spirit has been causing trouble in the Qunari. He uncovered a plot to destroy the nobility of Thedas. According to him, they aim to destroy the Inquisition as they are working for the agent of Fen'Harel. They're currently dealing with a civil war amongst their ranks. Even the Ben'Hassrath are divided in the war. I very much doubt they'll have the forces required to carry out their plot after it's over". Iron Bull scoffed, "How the hell did you manage to cause a civil war under the Qun". I gave him a diabolic grin, "A well placed desire demon, or choice spirit as he calls himself. He took out Red Templars in Emprise du Lion, so why not the Qun. I will admit I didn't order it, I just told him to cause distractions to keep people away from the area". Bull grunted, "Must be a clever bastard if he managed that". Imshael chose that time to appear, "Never thought I'd get a compliment from a Qunari". He wore a cocky smirk as he walked around my former group, "They arrived earlier than I anticipated, sorry bout' that". I shrugged the slight off, nothing could be predicted when I came to my former lover "It's fine, what's done is done". Imshael grinned and disappeared once more. With the return to silence, the tension in the air thickened. The spirits stirred and began to whisper amongst themselves, "Honestly Solas, what did you think bringing them here would do. I can't forgive you for what you did, especially for the reason you did it. Your goals, while admirable, I cannot partake in, and nor can you without the anchor or the orb. Try and take it if you will, just know that I will not show you mercy".