Jaden Tahal; Dalish Elf and Grey Warden (tahal) wrote in thedas,
Jaden dreamed. He had hoped that once the darkness took over, that would be it. But still he dreamed. He dreamed of the Darkspawn, of the Archdemon, of those he had just met going into (and falling) in battle. He saw those who had already fallen, their bodies unable to handle the Darkspawn blood. Abruptly, however, the course of the dreams seemed to change, and he was back with his clan in the forest. Back amongst his family as though nothing had ever happened. He saw his mother, his father, his sister, all smiling and going about their lives. It was so real that, for a moment, he found himself wondering where Faer was; if he'd come back with him. Panic threatened to set in when he didn't find him, and it was at that point that Jaden's mind began to fight for control, fight for consciousness. A battle that, after only a moment, it won.
He forced his eyes open, though it took him a moment to figure out where he was, and to accept the fact that he was alive. At some point, he'd been moved so that he was sitting with his back against the wall, which was fortunately not the same wall they'd been moving the bodies of the fallen to. Jaden wasn't sure if he'd have been able to handle that after he'd first come to. His mind still cloudy, he reached a hand up to pat his chest, as if making sure he wasn't some kind of spectre. But he was alive, and still in one piece, thank the Creator.
His awakening, however, was timed right along with the time that Maddock fell to the curse of the taint. Jaden could only watch as the man, who had seemed so strong and noble standing there, died before his eyes, the Grey Warden woman watching over his body. He clenched his eyes shut then, feeling as though, between the fallen recruits and the dreams, that he'd seen enough death for a lifetime. He did open them again when he heard Faer's name called, his heart jumping into his throat. All he could do was watch as Faer, looking as though he was either going to faint or run at any moment, stepped forward to accept the chalice. Watching his oldest friend writhe in pain was one of the worst things that Jaden had ever seen in his young life, and nothing matched the panic that he felt when Faer fell to the ground.
For a moment, he forgot what had happened to some of the other recruits who had stepped out of line. He forgot about the young mage who had been run through. All he could think about was getting to his friend, to make sure that he was alive, or to make sure that he didn't die alone on the cold stone floor. Mustering all the strength he had, he forced his body, fatigued from the ritual and the tainted blood, to move. In seconds, he had rushed (half stumbled, really) from the wall to his friend's side. Gripping the front of Faer's shirt, he gave him a small shake. "Come on, Faer. You're not getting out of this so easy. Wake up," he said, his voice still slightly hoarse, as if all the screaming he'd heard in his dreams had been his own.