#donc-desole

Something punches Solona just beneath her sternum. It hits her so hard she slams against the stone wall and drops Starfang. It clatters against the ground. The sound echoes all around them. She falls to her knees and catches herself before she pitches forward, but black spots dance in her vision. When she looks down, an arrow shaft juts out of her armour. The feather fletching is dirty and smells of rotten meat. Were she not a Warden, the corruption would kill her. It’s purely academic at this point. She takes a deep breath and grasps Starfang. Darkspawn crowd the cavern. Their eyes are pale and flat, devoid of emotion. They regard her with snarls and the Alpha bares his teeth. They’ll take her alive if they can.

She forces herself off the ground. Her knee buckles. She tries again. The muscles in her legs tremble with effort before failing. Stiff, sticking warmth expands underneath her tunic. She can hear her blood dribbling on stone. The bones in her left arm feel as if they are shattered all over again. But she is a Grey Warden. She grasps Starfang with both hands and looks the closest darkspawn in the eye. A genlock. It holds a massive battle axe that’s nearly taller than it is.

The Hurloc Alpha throws its head back and roars. That’s all the encouragement the other darkspawn need. They surge forward as a single entity, weapons raised not to kill, but to maim. To capture. She grits her teeth and draws on the last of her mana—

The cavern ceiling, quite literally, explodes.

An unearthly roar shakes the stones and blinding light forces Solona to shield her eyes. Daylight. It feels like an age has come and gone since she last saw daylight. Dust hangs in the air like a mist. She blinks rapidly and pushes herself back until she hits rock. A great silhouette looms higher than the largest ogre. Then it vanishes. A wind swirls around her. It starts out gently enough, then whistles through the tunnels. Ice begins pelting the ground like arrowheads.

The dust is overtaken by dirty snow. More roaring, but it’s hard to hear over the blizzard. A deep chill starts sinking into Solona’s body. She raises her hand towards Starfang, but she’s too heavy. Too tired. A very long sleep is in order after this.

The wind starts to die down. When it clears, the cavern is cold and fraught with ice. All six darkspawn lay in contorted poses. They form a rough semi-circle. Morrigan casually steps over the Alpha. Every footstep is punctuated by the loud thunk of her staff against the earth. Her face is beautiful. It’s always beautiful.

Morrigan looks up at the gaping hole overhead. “Kieran? Are you alright?”

A tiny silhouette appears. “Yes, Mother.”

“Good.”

She kneels down and sets her staff aside. The scent of flowers is everywhere. She gently removes Solona’s helmet and leans forward. Her eyes are wide and appear to have their own inner light. She raises her hand and delivers a slap that could knock the whole of Thedas on its arse.

“Fool.”

Solona’s eyes smart. “Ow! Great tits of Andraste.”

Morrigan grasps a piece of paper from a small pouch on her belt and holds it up. “‘I would rather die a Warden?’” She rolls it up and uses it to hit Solona on the head before setting it aflame. “There. That is what I think of your choice. I did not go to all this trouble so you could throw it all away. Freedom is one thing. Pure stupidity is quite another.”

“Mother! Say I said hello.”

“I will,” she calls and turns back to Solona. “Your son says hello. I suggest you do the same or I will redden your other ear.”

Warmth suffuses Solona’s face, but the pain in her body is a little more bearable. She looks up. A small dark cutout of a boy looks down at them.

“Kieran. Are you still practicing?”

“Every day,” he says and his voice echoes throughout the cavern. “I can lift the sword with one hand now.”

Is he so astute or has she been down here so long? Solona shakes her head.

“There’s no point to this. How will you escape the Deep Roads with me as I am?”

Morrigan smirks and pushes Starfang and her staff against Solona’s leg. “Hold these, will you?”

A bright arc of light suddenly overtakes her body. She burns brighter and brighter like a small sun. Then darkness swamps the cavern. It takes a moment for Solona’s eyes to adjust. She blinks rapidly and looks into the tawny eyes of a massive dragon.

“Don’t worry,” Kieran says earnestly. “Mother’s been practicing. She’s a very good flier now. We hardly hit any trees on the way here.”

The dragon curls its lip in what could be a smile.

Femharel -  You are the first person to interact with me and greatly motivate me to keep moving forward. Also the first to ever write something for me! Ahh! I am going to read it again! Thank you!! You seemed to have moved on from Tumblr, so I wish you the best and I hope we can talk again soon.

Qunaributts - You have a wonderful talent for writing! I am so happy we both took that step forward to talk to each other. You have been nothing but thoughtful and caring when you talk to me. I honestly don’t feel like I deserve your friendship...you have been so.. UGH I CAN’T EVEN FIND WORDS, I AM NOT WORTHY. You have been such an amazing friend it really saddens me that you live so far away, I really hope we do meet one day. I really want to hug you tight!

CheekywithCullen - Where do I even start. WHERE DO I EVEN START? SHANELL? One of the best things that has ever happened to me. Those two are such a big part of me now, anything related to them just brings my happiness levels to crazy amounts. That being said, you are the big motivator in all of this. That want to draw them together constantly has improved my drawing A LOT. Thank you for helping me. Thank you for your music. Thank you for being...you. Jess, I cannot stress enough that you have made a big impact on my life, thank you for being my friend. I hope that in some way, I am doing the same for you.

Antivanruffles - You my friend are incredibly supportive! When I am sad I can count on you to send me puppies, cats and bird things that make me smile. Talking with you is so nice and calming and really helps me settle down. Thank you for your drabbles and thank you for being so kind to me.

Donc-Desole - OK DES. Your humor and music is A+ let me start off with that. I met you in one of your streams and that was such a fun experience. When I was in an art slump you picked me up and showed me what to do. I never really did art studies before, and watching you made me start. In which has opened my eyes to something new. Thank you for your advice and your kind supportive words. It really has helped me improve! THANK YOU!

Xfreischutz - We usually just send some words to each other through twitter and tumblr, but even though we don’t really converse that much you really have made a big difference in my life through your art. Your art is truly motivating and inspiring to look at. Your detail and attention to clothing, patterns and colour to me is mind blowing. I want to do that, I want to put time and effort to making something unique like you do, it really urges me to try harder next time I draw. Your sketch blogs, your art blogs, everything, a big inspiration to me. Thank you for sharing your art and I always look forward to seeing more. I wish that we can talk to each other more in the future. :>