The life of a Royal Bastard, Alistair

 

My head feels dizzy. Yet, I feel the happiest I have ever been. My sister Goldanna was having me over for dinner. She was cooking a turkey that she had covered in herbs, primarily rosemary. The smell was making my mouth water. Her children scampered all over her house. Her youngest was a little girl of 3 that was playing with a doll under my feet. I picked up the girl and put her in my lap. I showed her the white runestone that I had in my pocket. I remembered that Rose had given it to me, when I said I like arcane artifacts. Must be a holdover from my Templar days, whenever I got into trouble, which was a lot, I had to help catalog all the magical artifacts that were taken from mages who were caught trying to escape. I had come to like the items, despite how I was trained to mistrust all magic. The little girl took the runestone into her hands and nibbled on it. I placed the runestone back in my pocket and wondered for a second where Rose was. The second I let go of the runestone, I lost the thought and took the girl and proceeded to tickle her without mercy. She giggled and squealed and I couldn’t help but laugh.   Goldanna started to tease me for not having children of mine own yet, which I knew there was some reason due to the Grey Wardens for it but I couldn’t quite place it. I loved children, and had always wanted that life, but what was keeping me from it? My head started to hurt and I let the idea drop. I had my family all around me and life seemed as though it was perfect. I put down the girl and walked over the Goldanna to see if I could be any help in the kitchen, when I saw someone approach.  Rose walked up in her armor covered in gore, for some reason I did not question this.

“Rose! I am so glad to see you! I want you to meet my family. My sister Goldanna is making dinner and if you would like to stay, I am sure she would let you. Goldanna, can Rose please stay and eat with us.”

Goldanna walked over, wiping her hand on a towel, and said, “ Sure any friend of yours is invited.”

Rose looked back and forth, fumbling for words, and her eyes looked…sad?

Rose finally replied, “Alistair, I would love to meet your whole family. However, I need your help so can you please come with me?”

“Rose, can it not wait until later? I want you to get to know my sister. Plus a good turkey should never be wasted.”

“No, I really need you to come now.”

“What is this about?”

“Alistair, things are not um… as they appear.”

“Ok, did you get into a wine cask and fall in? I know your small enough that getting out must have been a barrel of laughs.”

Rose smacked her forehead, and took my hand in both of hers. She looked me directly in the eyes with her piercing green ones and said, “Alistair, remember the white runestone I gave you? I found it in the Circle Tower, and you couldn’t get your eyes off of it. I just gave that to you today, we haven’t left the Circle Tower. Demons are masquerading as people we care about here. For you, demons are pretending to be your family. “

I didn’t want to believe her. But the contact of her hands reminded me of when I held hers before in Ostagar. We are trying to defeat a…a..a Blight. We need the mages help, but they needed help first? Rose’s eyes pleaded for me to understand.

“We came to the Circle for mages to help in the Blight, but they were overrun by demons weren’t they?” I asked for confirmation.

I looked at Goldanna, and rage had taken over her face. She suddenly spoke in a gravely deep voice, “Meddlesome woman, I will kill you now to stop you from entering any more dreams as you already have.”

Goldanna and her children suddenly morphed into demonic bodies. Rose drew her swords and quickly I drew mine. Anger filled me that I had been fooled so, and with that anger I took my sword and swinging as hard as I could, cut off “Goldanna’s” head. Looking over to Rose as she finished off a demon, I thought she is the closest thing to family I have. Smiling at the thought, I helped to destroy the creatures that had given me a false life when this one had its own good as well.