boxofmisfits | A Sith & A Mage & Hijinks...

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A Sith & A Mage & Hijinks...

It had been a week now since that day they had decided to start traveling together.

It had been nice- traveling alongside someone else, having stories shared with him and even sharing some very heavily edited ones of his own given that edited stories were all he could offer without sounding completely off in the head. It had also been difficult given that Altair had to be very careful to not let even a slip of skin show. Wandering off on his own during times Anders was otherwise occupied to clean himself or to eat or drink.

Still, Altair preferred it to traveling alone- even if he had found a lot of ghosts along the way to talk to. Having a friend among the living was nice too.

As they traveled on this particular day, the light was quickly being replaced with the darkness of night.

Some old and unused path through a forest, that had once been a well-traveled road if the old rock fence he was currently keeping his balance on as he walked along the top of it rather than on the path through the trees was anything to go by- maybe the place had been settled some time ago. Maybe people had lived out here. It seemed likely, all things considered. Maybe they'd find something neat if they kept walking in this direction.

Who knew.

He wasn't so focused on that at the moment though, instead keeping his head tilted back so his face was turned up to the sky- knowing that the stars would be starting to come out soon.

"Do you ever wonder if there's life out there?" He asked his companion, breaking the comfortable silence they'd been traveling in for a little while.

It was a question that had been on his mind, all things considered.

Maybe there was a similar Empire to his own out there. Maybe a Galactic Republic or something like it. Or perhaps all the worlds out there were like this one- still so early in their development.

Altair wondered if this planet had even gotten to the part of history where they were wondering or theorizing about whether or not there was life out in space too. Maybe he was sounding completely insane to Anders by asking.

But then, a lot of things Altair had said and done since they first met probably seemed completely insane, so it really was business as usual.

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Altair placed his foot on an uneven rock as he wandered atop the stone fence, feeling it slightly give beneath his weight as he stepped over it, making him wobble slightly though not lose his footing, despite the fact that he was looking up at the sky. If he was concerned about falling, there was no indication of it.

"I think there is."

Maybe he should try to bring a ship through if he went back to his own world and then returned here at a later date. Though he imagined that a lot of people would think the end times had come even from seeing a ship as small as the Fury sail through the skies. Altair imagined that magic could advance technology in this world, but all things considered, that sort of advancement seemed a long ways off.

Regrettably.

"If the sun is a star, and the sky is filled with stars so far away that they're pinpricks against the darkness of night, then it stands to reason that there are planets out there just far enough away from their own sun- or suns- to be suited for life as we know it."

He hummed thoughtfully, "It's only logical, isn't it? Or perhaps it's life as we don't know it."

In his own galaxy there were plenty of species who had evolved perfectly for environments that most near-humans couldn't handle, after all. It was interesting to think about- especially since this world had species that Altair had never heard about back in his own.

Humans seemed to be inevitable, though.

"You really think so?" He almost tripped on a rock and looked ahead once more, but still glanced up at the sky once in a while. "You think that each of those stars out there has its own Thedas, teeming with life?"

It sounded ridiculous. The Chantry taught that there was just the world of mortals, Thedas, and the world of spirits and demons, the Fade, with nothing beyond that. The very idea that there were other mortal worlds out there, that there was life among the stars, seemed blasphemous. Like such a thing went against the will of the Maker.

"I doubt it would be all of them," Altair said, thoughtfully. Even in his own world it wasn't like that, after all.

"After all, had I thought that proximity to a star was all that is needed for life to flourish," He said, pausing so that he could hop over a gap in the fence before continuing, "Then I'd be going on about people on the moon too."

Sure there were places where even a planet's moon was populated, but based on the size of the moon here and the look of it, it was entirely unlikely to have an atmosphere that would support any complex lifeforms. Not that he'd gone up there to check- yet- but still. Educated guess.

"And then we'd know I'm entirely off my rocker, wouldn't we?" He asked, with a laugh.

"It just seems likely, though. And it's a bit comforting to think that off on some planet where the sky is green and the trees are blue and the water red, there's another pair of travelers looking up at the stars and wondering whether or not there's more to the universe than this."

His tone was entirely playful for that- that at least seemed to be meant as a joke- even if everything else was serious.

"There are probably more stars than we can see too. Space that goes on endlessly beyond the darkness."

Certainty again. Had Altair been from this world then it probably would never have entered his mind, but. Since he was from an entirely different dimension where space travel was commonplace, he couldn't help but wonder.

Anders chuckled at that. "Life on the moon? Now that sounds ludicrous."

He looked ahead to make sure he cleared the fence, wondering how Altair could navigate the way he did without looking to see where he was going. It just gave more credit to the blindness theory.

"It's hard to imagine, the idea that the sky goes beyond what we see up there. But, they say that the Fade is endless."

"I think you could probably spend an eternity exploring space and still have many places that you wouldn't have seen. I think it must be so vast and indeed endless that it's difficult to wrap one's mind around even the idea. Like the Fade then, probably. If it's endless too."

Even in his own world there were endless galaxies. Places no person from his little slice of space could even dream of. Altair liked thinking about it, wondering about it, but then, Altair also liked musing about impossible things in general. When he was a slave he hadn't thought much about things at all.

Hadn't had the luxury for much more than a bit of stolen thread and dull needles to break up the monotony.

But ever since becoming Sith, he'd had much time to think indeed. And used it to the fullest, chasing thoughts and mysteries.

Even coming here would have seemed impossible until he did it. So he could think of other impossible things too.

Though he was still unsure exactly how it had happened.

"If you did meet someone from another world entirely, do you think you'd be afraid of them? There is a chance they might look very different from what you'd expect, after all."

"If there are other worlds out there, beyond the stars, then that would truly be something. Worlds without the Chantry, without the darkspawn, without the injustices that plague Thedas."

Perhaps it was foolish to think that there were worlds without injustice. Even Altair's land, enlightened as it was, had the injustice of slavery. He was still hedging his bets that Altair was an escapee from Tevinter. He just wanted to believe that people were inherently good and injustice was a product of the corrupt and powerful.

"I don't know... I don't think that I would, no. I mean, I've met demons, and they certainly look different from mortals. I've also met qunari, and they look different from humans and elves."

"That's what I like about you. Kind and openminded."

In a world that was anything but. Altair still remembered the shrieking and the attacks back when he'd first arrived. He hadn't known the language enough to put it into context, but by now he knew that they had called him demon- had thought him something truly evil based only on what he looked like.

Not that he was about to share his otherworldly nature with Anders just yet.

Discussions were well and fine, but... Well. Long explanations and all. Plus there was the crushing reality of slavery existing even someplace technically more enlightened.

Sensing movement up ahead- too far off to be seen or heard just yet- he hopped down from the fence and to Anders's side to grab his hand and pull him off to the side where trees and bushes would hide them somewhat from sight- he also made sure to gently shush the other man, indicating he should keep quiet from now. A few moments later people came down the path they'd been on- heavy armor from the sounds of it, though it was difficult to tell whether they were mercenaries, soldiers, or more of those abominable Templars.

Either way it was best if they stayed quiet a little longer, he imagined.

"You're too kind." Anders wondered if Altair would think that about him if he knew what he'd done in Kirkwall. Altair bore no love for the Chantry, but how would he feel if he knew that Anders had destroyed the one in Kirkwall and killed their Grand Cleric, along with a handful of sisters, mothers and Templars?

A lot of people blamed Anders for the current situation. Some of the Loyalist mages had even blamed him for the fact that they now had to live as fugitives. Yet, the war didn't officially start until almost a year after the Kirkwall rebellion.

He allowed Altair to pull him aside and fell silent. He soon heard it too. He resisted the urge to peek from around the trees to see if it was Templars or not. He didn't sense the taint, so they weren't Grey Wardens, anyway.

Templars, Altair thought, once they were close enough and Altair had calmed down enough to get a proper read on them. They felt... Off in the way that he'd learned Templars often did. He didn't like how they felt. Of course he couldn't say as much without having some explaining to do, and so he simply kept quiet, listening for the noises of the men disappear off into the forest. The likelihood was high that there were more of them along the road through the woods, he imagined.

And while he wouldn't mind leaving them all for the scavengers, it was probably better to play it safe while they could.

"Perhaps we should stay off the trail for tonight," He said, keeping his voice quiet.

They'd need to set up camp to get some sleep eventually too, but. Probably best if they kept walking for a while longer, and away from the path. Winding through the trees, which would be easier on him than on Anders, Altair imagined. He didn't think the nights here were as bright as they could be back in his own world.

"Can you see where you're walking or should we hold hands so that I can act as a guide?"

However silly it seemed for a supposedly blind man to play guide.

"Good idea," Anders whispered back. Shrugging, he replied, "You might as well guide me." Altair just kept reinforcing Anders's theory that he had enhanced senses, or had some magical second sight. The Warden Commander had told him that he'd met a blind Templar once, who had learned to get by with his other senses, as well as the slight magical sense that lyrium gave him. The Commander hadn't shed many tears for the man when a demon killed him.

He brushed his fingers against Altair's, inviting him to hold hands.

Altair took Anders's hand, holding onto it with a gentle but secure grip. Holding hands like that probably meant that Anders would feel that the fingers covered by thick gloves were a tad thinner than one might expect from looking at him, but it wasn't like his thinness was something Altair was trying to hide.

He moved to lead him along, easily navigating the more uneven ground through the trees- never even getting close to running straight into anything- giving small warnings here and there where the ground was particularly tricky and easy to trip over, such as where there were roots sticking up out of the earth.

Out of all of them, Altair's kitten definitely had the superior ride- currently asleep in Altair's bag.

Altair's head would turn every now and then and occasionally he'd stop to listen to something far off in the distance.

"Is it truly so dark that you can't see where you're walking?" He asked, still quiet just in case, but wanting to talk since walking in silence besides the commands about where to step to avoid tripping would get awkward, he thought.

Anders looked at their joined hands. Maker, his fingers were thin. If he was an elf, then he was a particularly skinny one, in addition to being super short. He was fairly sure that even Velanna was taller than Altair.

"I mean, the sun is setting, and the trees casting shadows makes it even darker. Plus, there's no full moon tonight."

He carefully followed Altair's lead, stepping over roots when he saw Altair do so.

"Then I am glad I'm here to be your guide," Altair said, with a soft hint of amusement.

Perhaps Anders would have been on another road entirely had they not been traveling together, but still. While he was playing it off as being blind and being able to make his way around regardless, being able to sense his surroundings was a blessing now especially.

Anders was hardly the first companion he'd traveled with since coming to this world- but he probably was the one who was most at risk.

"Hopefully we'll be able to find a clearing to set up camp in for the night soon. I'll be staying up to keep watch first when we do, by the way."

"You're too kind," He reminded Anders of the Warden Commander, in a way. They were both kindhearted individuals who cared about the downtrodden and wanted to protect others. Birch had made sure he was safe, just as Altair did now.

It made Anders wonder if he could trust Altair to know about Justice.

"Tell me, how does your homeland feel about those who are possessed by spirits?"

"You are deserving of kindness. I wouldn't say I'm too kind to everyone, you know."

In fact, plenty of people in this world deserved just the opposite of kindness. But good people were worth protecting. Worth caring about. Altair had indeed met precious few like that in this world. And healers were... Special. There hadn't been a lot of healers back when he was a slave. But the ones who had been there had been wonderful. Warm hands and kind voices when he'd had precious little else that was good in his life. And doctors of all kind that he'd met were good people too- for the most part.

"And I'd say it depends on who you ask," Altair replied, sounding entirely honest. Not scared like one might have thought, not immediately shrieking about abominations or the like like one might perhaps expect, "Some have no particular opinion, others might think only in terms of what they might gain from being possessed, and others still might see it as something quite fine so long as both parties are willing."

His own situation was rather unique, so he didn't mention it. But still.

"That's where I'm at. If a spirit is willing to tie its life to a living person's and the person is willing to walk with the spirit, then that sounds rather like a blessing to me. Perhaps not the most common opinion in my homeland, but I think most would just be intrigued. Why do you ask?"

It certainly sounded different than the way southern Thedas saw spirit possession. There was no immediate condemnation, and the word 'abomination' hadn't entered his vocabulary. At least, it sounded as though Altair had no problems with it.

Silently, he asked Justice for his opinion. Justice reminded him that Hawke had been fine with them, and there were people they could trust to know about their union. If Altair turned on them, then they would go their separate ways. He trusted that Altair hated the Templars too much to go snitching.

"Because... I may have some personal experience with that sort of thing."

"Do you?" Altair asked, turning his head as though to glance back- even though that just meant that there was a slight glint of gold from the edge of his mask to indicate that his head had moved at all. Still- it was just interest- innocent and curious. There was no tension, no letting go of Anders's hand, or immediately turning on him.

In fact, he didn't sound particularly shocked at all. There was only that curiosity and openness to the concept.

"From your line of questioning and your tone, I assume it was a willing thing."

He could have assumed or guessed that Anders was talking about someone else, he supposed, but then he wouldn't have brought it up at all. There was only the two of them, after all. Or rather, the three of them.

Four if they counted the cat, which Altair didn't think counted right now.

"If so, all I'd have to ask is are you both happy? And also that I'm here if you need to talk about it. Or I guess it's you both, in this case."

Relief washed through Anders. Part of him had still been certain that Altair would immediately tell him to get lost after revealing that, despite his open-mindedness and assurance.

"It was, yes. We talked about it before hand and ultimately agreed to be equal partners." Though it wasn't exactly a smooth transition, and there were a lot of bumps in the road while they figured things out.

"I'd say we're happy. I mean, there were times when we weren't," Kirkwall hadn't been good for either of them. "It's complicated."

As though he could sense the relief- he could, but he wasn't exactly advertising that fact- Altair gave Anders's hand a gentle and comforting squeeze to reassure him. There wasn't really anything the other man could do or say to scare him off, really. Though Altair imagined a person actually from this world would have reservations. He had one of them though, and his friend was his friend, spirit or no.

"I'm glad you can say you're happy together now."

Complicated times would come and go, Altair imagined, but still.

"And I meant what I said. I'm here if either you or your spirit friend need to talk about anything. Despite my lack of sight, I'm quite aware that most of the people we've been speaking to while traveling together are ghosts. And if I can listen to every sad tale of the dead without any fear for what I might hear, then listening to a friend is so much easier."

He sounded like he was smiling a little beneath his hood, "And stars know you've listened to me go on too."

Anders smiled back. He'd yet to hear anyone swear by the stars, but the Dalish swore by their gods and the dwarves swore by their ancestors, so perhaps in Altair's land, they swore by the stars.

"You've been a good friend. Better than I deserve."

Too kind and better than he deserved. Was that really how Anders saw him? And was that really how he saw himself?

"You know... Sometimes it feels like you look at yourself and see someone undeserving of any kindness you receive. I'm your friend. Listening to you is the least I can do."

That was how Altair felt, anyway. Friends were meant to support each other. And he knew that he personally had a tendency to go a little overboard sometimes, but really- Anders was his friend and Altair was happy to listen and happy to help however he could.

"Perhaps I'm way off, but... I want to continue being a good friend to you and I'm going to have to remind you that you deserve it, I think."

His tone was mild- sincere, friendly, but light enough to dismiss as him joking if Anders felt the need to brush it off, if he needed to draw that line. Altair did mean it though- though he'd go light on the reminders depending on the other man's response.

"You don't know the whole story."

Anders came to a halt, still holding onto Altair's hand, so he would have to stop too. He was confident that they were alone now, and could afford to stop for the moment, so Anders could say what he needed to say. He owed Altair the truth. If he drew the line and left them, then that was the price they would pay.

"A little over a year ago, I did something... something that made me the most wanted man in Thedas." He looked at their joined hands, unable to meet the masked face. "Even if we win this war, even if I'm officially pardoned, there are still going to be those who want me dead. You deserve to know who you're getting involved with."

Altair stopped when Anders did, turning slightly to look at him- saying nothing yet, only listening to what the other man felt like he needed to say.

"Knowing you, whatever you did, you must have had a reason for."

Altair didn't know what Anders had done to become the most wanted man in Thedas, but whatever it was, Altair was certain that whatever it was had been done for a good reason. Anders was a healer. Altair remembered the sense of hope among the people who had been there when he had come dragging his near dead friend into the refugee camp. And Anders himself needing to be pressed into accepting a reward for helping.

Altair couldn't imagine him doing anything that would leave him the most wanted man in Thedas without having a good reason to do it.

"And how very good then that I am not adverse to murdering those who threaten those I care about."

Like he'd done to those Templars not so very long ago.

"I'm also not easily scared off. If you want to tell me what made you the most wanted man in Thedas, you can. If you'd rather not talk about it, you don't have to. I'll be here regardless."

Whatever it was, Altair was certain that he'd done worse in his life.

He said that now, but Anders still felt like he was setting himself up for heartbreak by confessing this. "Before all this happened, I was in Kirkwall. It was home to one of the largest Circles in Thedas, and it was well known for being atrocious even by Circle standards. The mages there were suffering, dying, and the Chantry was completely apathetic to it all."

Finally he looked back at Altair's mask, focusing on the eyeholes. "Grand Cleric Elthina claimed she couldn't take sides, that she couldn't get involved, and that the mages and Templars just needed to sort things out for themselves. She was content to sit on her hands in her gilded castle of a Chantry, ignoring everything the allowing the Templars to abuse and murder mages."

After a certain point, refusing to take action was as good as helping Meredith. Elthina's apathy had allowed so many mages to die.

"Then I found out that Knight-Commander Meredith had sent for the Right of Annulment, and I knew that the mages were running out of time. She was going to slaughter every single mage in the Circle, even after the Grand Cleric said no. Meredith was going to go over her head, carry out mass murder, and Elthina would have made a show of being sad, all while claiming that there was nothing she could have done."

She would appear to be the benevolent Grand Cleric who tried to stop the slaughter and keep the peace, when in reality she'd have plausible deniability and could claim innocence in the slaughter. She had to have known that Meredith would go to the Divine herself, given that she'd broken Chantry law more than once.

"I knew that if the mages were going to survive, something had to happen. Something radical. Something that would show the world how unjust the situation was and give mages everywhere a reason to rise up and rebel."

The moment of truth. The moment that he just knew that Altair would pull his hand away.

"I made a bomb, planted it in the Chantry, and detonated it that night. I killed the Grand Cleric, along with a handful of Templars and Revered Mothers." He'd made extra sure that the Chantry hadn't suddenly decided to take in orphans and refugees before doing so. "Meredith called for the Right of Annulment right then and there, despite the fact that I'm an apostate and the Circle had nothing to do with it. After that, it was open rebellion. The mages fought back, with my friends and I defending them. The surviving mages fled Kirkwall, and we've all been on the run ever since."

He braced himself for Altair's reaction.

Altair remained silent, as Anders told him his tale and every now and then his head would tilt as he considered his words. He seemed so afraid that Altair would turn on him, even though Altair really wasn't hearing anything any sane man would judge Anders for. Maybe it would have been different if he'd been from this world. Or if he'd been a Jedi who'd found his way here somehow.

But as a Sith he was a man of action. And Anders had taken action.

When he finished talking, instead of pulling his hand away, Altair moved to grasp Anders's hand with both of his and giving a comforting squeeze. All that apprehension he could sense. Anders really did believe that he would pull away from him after hearing this. That he'd think less of him, somehow.

"So your people suffered from both the apathy of the Chantry and the cruelty of the Templars, including a woman who wanted to slaughter all mages in this Kirkwall Circle for no crime other than what?- being born?- and you did something to make sure that that didn't happen..."

An apathetic Grand Cleric content to sit by and weep false tears to garner sympathy it sounded like, monstrous Templars, and some Revered Mothers lost to give the mages a fighting chance where before all they had been promised was death at the hands of the prejudiced. And considering Anders hadn't mentioned any innocents being caught in the blast, Altair was pretty sure he'd taken precautions to ensure that none would be, which would have been the only reason why one might blame him for anything.

"And I'm supposed to what? Judge you for that? Blame you? Get angry? For doing what you could to save lives in an impossible situation?"

Maybe some people would argue that there was a better way, but. Not him. In that sort of situation, answering in a moderate way would amount to nothing, and innocent lives would be lost as a result.

"I think you did what you could when most others were content to sit on their hands doing nothing besides offering empty platitudes. I'm not going to turn on you for that. And certainly not judge you for it. If anything, I think you were very brave and that you saved a lot of lives doing what you did."

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