I'll try to write something short-ish. I apologize in advance, because my writing skills are sorely lacking.
Disclaimer: Ugh, so much angst. It doesn't start out too bad, but it gets proggressively angstier. God, I feel like an emo teenager writing fanfiction.
Prompt 2
"...What is this smell? Burning corpses? A sewer? Mountain air?...I'm scared. I want to scream, but I can't. They're coming. They're too many, I need to run. I need to run..."
Alessia Cousland wakes up in her tent, alone. It's still dark outside. She takes a minute to fully wake up, and leaves her tent. Outside, there are 4 other tents laid around some burned logs and ash. She lights the bonfire and sits by it. Her family's death still haunts her, even more so in these desolate mountains. She can still remember the smell of the smoke and blood. Her father bleeding out on the floor. She thought she heard a scream when Duncan helped her escape. Was it mother's? She has almost no family left. At least Fergus is still alive. They lost so much. Killing Rendon should have felt good, but it didn't. Her family was still gone, no matter how many times she stabbed his corpse. Not many things feel good after all she's been through. In these silent nights, all she can think of is her lost family, the ever present song of the taint, and Morrigan's child. Can she still call herself the Hero of Ferelden, after what she's done?
The sun is rising. But she still has things to live for. She still has people to live for. There's Fergus, Zevran, and her fellow wardens. And Alistair, even if they didn't part on the best terms. She has all of Ferelden to live for, she's a symbol now. She'll pull through. If not for herself, then for her people.
Sleepy wardens are leaving their tents, and they start packing up.
"Warden James!" Shouts Alessia.
"Warden-Commander!"
"Get me two ravens. I'm sending letters to Highever and Antiva."
"Antiva... To the usual place, then?"
"Yes. Thank you, James."
There's trouble brewing in southern Thedas. One of the first darkspawn is trying to conquer the fade. But wardens can't help now, because the magister can control anyone with the taint. All that remains is hope, hope that her people will endure this.
Erik Hawke wakes up in his room, alone. It's still dark outside. He needs wine. Or whiskey. Maybe he'll mix them tonight. He leaves his room and walks down the stairs, into the main hall of his estate.
"Love? What are you doing up so late?" Anders asks, not taking his eyes off the paper he's writing in.
"I could ask you the same thing, Andy. I'm just going for a midnight snack"
"I'm writing. The mage underground, or what's left of it, needs to organize. Big things are going to happen soon. And it's way past midnight. And you're not going to the kitchen, you're going to the cellar."
"Ooh, big things, so scary. Don't be a killjoy. I bet you want to get drunk and fool around a little too, don't you? Let's stoke the flames of our passion!" Said Erik, with a big smile, still walking to the cellar
Anders stops writing at once, steps between the cellar and Erik, and puts a hand on his shoulder "Love, you're deflecting questions with humor again. Did something happen? You know you can trust me"
Erik looks frustrated and makes exaggerated gestures "Ugh. 'Oh, look at me, I'm Detective Anders and I can read Hawke like a book, look at me, I'm so handsome and'..." Hawke sighs "Okay, I... I had a dream. I dreamt about mother. And Carver, and Bethany. I'm just... I'm just sad because I failed them, you know? I'm the eldest, I was supposed to protect them. It's... It's not important. I'll just go back to sleep. I'm sorry I bothered you"
"Don't say that" Anders interrupts, and embraces him "It's not your fault, no matter how much people claim it is. You did all you could, and were the best child a mother could want. You don't need to suffer alone. Remember that I'm here for you, whenever and wherever you need me. You don't need to hide your emotions with me, love."
"...Thank you, Anders. Wanna go to bed and cry ourselves to sleep?"
DISCLAIMER2 : This one is too bad, don't read it. Oh my god, so cringey. It's too angsty, even for me. What have I created? Why haven't I deleted it all, oh my god. You have been warned.
No, really, turn back now.
Ghilen Lavellan wakes up in his bed, in Skyhold. It's still dark outside. Sometimes he wishes he never got his memories back from the Nightmare. Not all elves made it to the Conclave, so they had a hard time coordinating. They were found out, just before the wardens attacked the Divine. He still remembers Terys screaming, and the look on his face. Ghilen buries his face in his pillow and weeps as quietly as he can.
"...A...Amatus? Are you crying?" Dorian wakes up beside him.
"Oh... vhenan, sorry. It's nothing, really. Just... just go back to sleep, I'm okay" Ghilen whispers, with a broken voice.
"That is not possible. I'll inquisit you. What's wrong?"
"It's... It's silly, really. I'm just thinking about some old friends." Ghilen sits up and wipes away his tears.
Dorian sits up after him and holds his hand "I'm here if you want to talk about it or just need a shoulder to cry on. I'm your shoulder, amatus"
They hug eachother, Ghilen cries while Dorian comforts him for a few minutes. Ghilen lets go of Dorian, and wipes away his tears again.
"I... I never told you the whole truth about what happened at the Conclave. There were supposed to be three of us, three elves spying on them. Valras never made it, I don't know what happened to him. The templars were getting suspicious of Terys and I. When the fighting broke, we got caught up between the mages and the templars. We ran, but Terys tripped and..."
Ghilen covers his mouth and burst into tears. Dorian quickly takes him into his arms, holding him tight "I'm sorry. I can't imagine-"
"I ran, Dorian. Terys needed me and I abandoned him. I'm useless. I couldn't save my friend from a few templars, how am I supposed to save Thedas from Corypheus? I'm scared, I'm so scared..."
After a some minutes, Ghilen stops crying and goes back to sobbing. Dorian hugs him tightly and says "It's okay to be afraid. I'm afraid too. We all have done things we regret, we all caused to our loved ones. Remember that you're not some kind of perfect prophet sent by a god to save us. The people look up to you because you're just as mortal as any of us, yet you still accomplished so much. You stopped at least one war and one civil war, stopped a time-travelling magister, defeated an army of demons. And you don't have to do it alone, you, Cassandra, Cullen, Leliana and Josephine command the whole Inquisition. Corypheus was defeated before, and we can do it again. Even if you're afraid, you're probably braver than all of us"
Ghilen rests his head on Dorian's shoulder and sighs "... I... I guess I'm just one person. I just feel so alone and useless here sometimes, away from my people, but you..."
"Hm?"
"You're in a strange country too, surrounded by so many people who hate you just because of where you come from, and I never think about how you feel. I'm so sorry, I-"
"It doesn't matter. Let's be outcasts together, shall we?"
"...Dorian?"
"Yes, amatus?"
"Ar lath, ma vhenan"
I got a little carried away.