Tale of the Grey One

The Well of Emerald Waters

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"The Grey One", from Tales of Heroes, a Compendium of Stories in the Dragon Age, ca. 9:33. The following copy, certainly no original, was only found in 10:22 near the end of the Lords Age. It seems to have been kept as part of a collection belonging to the Arl of Redcliffe, probably as part of the exalted library inaugurated there in 10:67 by the great great granddaughter of famed Arl Sehun of West Hills, around whom part of this legend revolves. Though old, the tale of the "Grey One" is deemed by scholars all over Thedas as overly dramatic but 'probably historical'. The fragment reprinted here is one of only three surviving parchments detailing certain highlights of its hero's life. Songwriters and bards galore as well as many a tavern wench will likely appreciate the tale as having involved other known and revered names including the Three Adventurers of Ferelden, who slew the dragon Yixing and many other beasts besides; Ser Jongdae and Suho Skywalker, legendary warriors both, though their fame is much kept to dwarven retellings in Orzammar; not to mention Xiumin the Great, also called Minseok, and his templar companion, unnamed. Several other characters will our readers hear about and ponder, but whether our story here speaks the truth of what really happened involving the Well of Emerald Waters, that song of old, we will never entirely know. Its author is a mystery.

(Author of this forward also unknown, though it is historically accredited to the Scholar of the Dales, Baekbeom Byun, died ca. 11:71)

 

It was a time of legends, a time of enchantment, a time of dragons and their slayers, nay a time when the Taint of the earth roamed the land, which is just about every age so if we stick to this version storytelling you will surely not know when to which we refer, for this is our story and my story as much as it the story of the Grey One. Does any titled person have such murky reverence as one whose color was known as grey? You will ask me why he was grey. Some say it was the robes he wore, some say it was his hair, aged over the years and faded with the burden of wisdom. And yet, the story of the Grey One begins as most stories do: with a birth, in a quiet village in Ferelden, one gurgling, happy baby, a little malnourished but not unto death. His birth name was Kyungsoo, though not many people speak or even remember this now. He was a good little lad, prone to curiosity as most babies are, also not unto death though the same could not be said of his eldest brother. They say this eldest brother took off when Kyungsoo was but five years old, and when he returned, the little boy was then ten. One curious little ten year old boy, drunk on the tales his sibling did bring home: of great cities and powerful lords, or giants and wolves, and magic with all its forbidden arts. He showed them a few tricks, before the templars came through his door, and the man was never seen or heard from again.

At this point in the story our readers will understand that this brother was a mage and an apostate. Why do I tell you this, well perhaps because it much affected little Kyungsoo, in that it was his first brush with magic, and also with the consequences of it. And he might have become compelled to follow in his brother's ways except that he himself had no magic at all. In any case, famine came on the heels of the templars and took with it the rest of his family. I would call him the Grey One, except of course he wasn't grey at this time. So perhaps we should hurry along and get to that part of the story before I am accused of fluffing the tale with inconsequential facts.

The truth is, there are no inconsequential facts. This boy at age ten became the sole survivor of his family, and alone set off in a vague search for the only other relative he knew, his mage brother. I am told his journey sent him far and wide across Ferelden on many dead ends and false routes. Eventually he learned that his brother had been sent to the Circle Tower, and from there to another Circle in a yet further land in Thedas, much too far for a young lad of barely twelve or thirteen. If you think this contradicts the facts of earlier wherein the brother was never heard from again, suffice it to say that he was practically, like the dead. So Kyungsoo was set adrift then and still alone. It is here that history turns into myth, or perhaps myth into fantasy, or fantasy into history. Bear with me, for the story is long! And before that, perhaps my readers should be told that I speak with authority for this story was told to me directly! - or near directly - by the Grey One himself. In fact, readers will delighted to learn that I myself was a friend of the Grey One, before he was known by that name but after he became grey. When I met him...

 

(~~~Fragments here remain lost in the midst of the story where the parchment had decayed and worn thin, a sad unfortunate reality thus alluding to the mystery of its author~~~)

 

My point is that somewhere before our tale begins, the boy Kyungsoo became 'found' so to speak by one who is not spoken of anymore. This person, if indeed it could be called a person, or maybe it was once a person, is better known to people (but not called this by The Grey One) as The Architect. Legends suggest the Architect was a darkspawn emissary, unique among darkspawn in that he did not hear or obey the call of the Old Gods. Some speak of him as one of the gods himself, a magister of the Ancient times, who tried to enter the Golden City but was then cast down weakened and deformed. Much as has been speculated about the Architect about his magnanimous plan to create a harmony between darkspawn and human. I shall leave off his story, however, and speak once again about Kyungsoo, even as I wish wholeheartedly to veer off on another exciting tale. We'll leave it, however, for another day.

This boy was in a sense adopted by the Architect. Certainly he was raised alongside him for many years learning of this emissary's plans and much of his lore and wisdom. You would think it strange perhaps that a young boy and a darkspawn would have anything in common, and many agree. Perhaps he was instead one of the Architect's experiments to spread the Taint to humankind in order to bring about a kind of kinship with the darkest of darkspawn. If anyone cannot fathom this, it should be remembered that the Grey Wardens, in order that they may fight darkspawn, drink of the darkspawn's blood. Those who survive the ritual become Grey Wardens. Those who don't, die. Yet Kyungsoo never drank of the darkspawn blood. Readers should find this curious indeed, but the Grey One never did explain why, only that he didn't.

So how did he become grey? Simply this: through prolonged proximity and exposure to his master. As the boy grew and experienced the changes lads always do, he stayed thin and wiry, but his complexion darkened and greyed. His hands grew deathly as to rot, but not fully so. In fact his whole body had taken on the Taint in a way most unique. The result was that he was not a darkspawn, having neither the misshapen appearance of one, or the mindless, groveling calling of one, but like the land after a Blight, his body reeked of the essence of it. He was dying, slowly and surely of the Taint.

It was in 9:31 that the Fifth Blight ravaged Ferelden, when the Hero of Ferelden defeated the Archdemon and the land settled back to rights, but only on the surface. Within the forgotten Deep Roads of Thedas, the Architect still worked, untroubled by the Blight above but deeply moved by a desire to end all Blights, no matter the cost. No one knows why but in 9:33 after several skirmishes between darkspawn and wardens in the Arling of Amaranthine and Vigil's Keep, the Architect disappeared. Not so, his disciple. He was seen and met wandering the ancient highroads of Ferelden where he met finally the Three Adventures of Ferelden, heroes of so many other tales including the Well of Emerald Waters where...

 

(~~~The following half sheet of parchment is missing. Scholars suggest it might have just been lost in the course of the scroll's history, torn from wear, or else intentionally removed by those who would keep us ignorant. Speculation remains that it contains the origins story of the Grey One's companions on that epic adventure to either save or steal the powers of the well, for it is on this topic that our tale is most cryptic~~~)

 

...so by the time all companions were assembled, including The Honorable Qunari, and Tao, human brethren of the High Light Beasts, and they had all come to include the Grey One within a reasonable degree of trustworthiness, and they entered the great gates of Orzammar, it was there the trouble truly began. Now, of this epic chapter in our tale I could sing all day! For it comes second in heroism only to the great deeds of the Three Adventurers and their great battles with the High Dragon Yixing, the first of which we have already spoken of above Edgevalley Manor where they three-handedly brought down the greatest of all dragons; second in romance only to the story of the Grey One himself and young Arl Sehun; of this I speak: the legend of the Grey One's descent into the dwarven stronghold wherein he rescued Xiumin the Great from the clutches of the dwarf lordling Yibo, saved the fair dwarf maiden Yoona (some say she wanted to marry him, but his heart was already taken), and along with the Three Adventurers lead their friends through safety into the Deep Roads beyond where any human or dwarf had traveled.

Now Xiumin the Great was a hedge mage from Ferelden, or Orlais, it matters no difference here, and with him a templar named...

 

(~~~The name here has been blotted out, curiously so because this was the last word on the parchment, and the next one also has been lost. One has to wonder then that the story really wasn't deliberately fractured so to keep the templar's anonymity. Or if this be mere coincidence, I believe it cannot ~~~)

 

Having slew the giant spiders and thwarted the darkspawn, we proceeded still deeper into the Deep Roads. Does it shock the reader that I know of these journeys? While many would say that I lie, that I heard of them only secondhand, would any believe if I said I too was there? You may make your own choice, believe in my heroism or not, but either way, what is known now was not known then, so that his companions believed Kyungsoo was just a sickly looking man, and not a former colleague of the Architect himself, by whose knowledge he learned the roads and memorized maps and solved such puzzles in the caverns of Thedas which had been lost even to the dwarves in ages past.

Weeks we walked the roads, growing tired and sluggish, our legs weary and our bellies empty. We ate of insects and drank no water, until our wineskins were flat and the air so petrid we could hardly breathe. Only then did the path turn upwards and eventually lengthen out until we reached the west side of the Frostbacks and unknowingly onto the den of drakes and their precious eggs. Should I include a poem I heard about the second battle against the dragon, there to guard her nest?  Indeed I shall:

 

**A cave of dragons,

Dark and foreboding,

Met its match in a handsome elf,

His legend known far and wide,

Skilled with a blade and with a mind just as sharp,

He slew the young dragons,

And captured many a heart,

With his dashing looks and bravery,

That his companions could only dream of possessing,

They were a jealous lot,

But really who could blame them.

 

Strange how it speaks only of an elf, but enough about that. Winter had arrived on the other side of the mountain, and with it bitter cold and all manner of beasts, dragons, giants and spells. Our party splintered, and there we heard the last of the Grey One until our last, final meeting place: the Well of Emerald Waters. Surely you will want to hear of this place, and yet I tell you it is a story unfit to be told, for there is much evil in that place so that even to speak of those times gives a person over to shivering. Nay, let's back up and I'll tell you now of the Grey One and his love, the young Arl of West Hills.  

Of Arl Sehun there is as much myth as there is romance, even on the subject of his name and face. Anyone curious would do well to visit the Arl's estate and look on his portrait, and you would understand then why the Grey One fell in love with him. They passed, as some say, like ships in the night. Only they were on land and Sehun was on horseback dressed in disguise as the most beautiful of women. The Grey One, as he was now grey, was not disenchanted when the disguise came off but even more so enamored. There was a shine about Sehun, he liked to say, a beacon just as light shines on a jewel, that caused Kyungsoo to follow him from a distance as they traveled Ferelden. Twice did he save that unknowing boy's life with nary a word shared before he vanished again, and the only mark left to speak of the truth were the handprints upon that young arl's body. They were grey, ashen, bruised but uninjured and they faded in moments. Like a wisp The Grey One trailed this boy and grew ever more in love, exasperating the boy's protectors and companions until they thought him a demon. Yet Sehun grew to know him, and to trust him, and to befriend him, to love him. They were companions truly by the time of their descent from Orzammar, shy with one another but hopeful. 

Then came the Betrayal, that greatest threat of True Love. Wherein young Sehun learned of a secret which caused him to doubt and all others around him too. For the evil of the Well was at work even then, hiding and disguising a person's true intentions. It was after Xiumin the Great revealed the existence of the gems of power, cursed objects belonging to the Well, that The Grey One's interest in Sehun was revealed as just another quest to obtain power. Indeed, everyone was Tainted then, not by the Blight but by greed, even the great mage himself and most his companions. Not so for the Three Adventurers though, whose task then was to protect the young arl and guide him home. They fought a duel with the Grey One and cast him off mountains where, injured almost to death by the great dragon Yixing, he had to be carried all the rest of his journeys. And Sehun was grieved for they told him he died, and when he heard of the Grey One's death he forgave everything and tossed the gem which had been the cause of all sin.

Here our story should have come to an end, and indeed, some versions here do. Some tell of the young Arl completing his journey and succeeding to the headship of West Hills, alone and broken, lovesick all the days of his life, wherein the Grey One, thought dead, became a wanderer forever. Others claim that there had never been a love between them, only comradery, and that the Grey One became Kyungsoo again and was seen here and there throughout the years in the company of Xiumin the Great. None of these tales however give credence to the legend surrounding this Grey One. For why bother telling a story about someone who merely disappointed his friends, or did not disappoint them but was a casual side hero? I ask this again: why do I bother? Because in the Tale of the Grey One is the story of the Well of Emerald Waters and the two are not unrelated but the two happened because of the other. For there is no Grey One with the Well, and there is no Well without the Grey One, just as there is no Well without Xiumin the Great, and no Xiumin the Great without his companion the Templar (~~~Here again, the name has been blotted out~~~) 

Shall I tell you now a great secret? What really happened that night, in the twilight hours of day in the heart of the Dales, where a sinister power lay dormant but was finally awoken? Shall I tell of marauders who met once again, of the reunion of the Grey One and his love? Or of the great battle of magics and of the demise of the great dragon Yixing? 

It began in the place where the snow strangely melted...

 

(~~~Readers should not be surprised by now to learn that the following two parchments are listed among the vanished, thus obscuring forever what may have happened. At least the conclusion remains~~~)

 

And so the Grey One departed. His heroics done, his life deed achieved. He left us, there in the shadow of the Well, to return to other things, greater things, or perhaps such mundane things as we could never imagine. For what does a man do who has achieved everything he desired at the cost of so very much? But before he walked away, I spoke to him, yes I. And I said to him 'Kyungsoo' per the name he was born with 'may I tell your story?' And he said 'yes.'

Now accuse me if you think I'm making all this up. But writing tales takes time, and time breeds imagination and not a little exaggeration, and as for exaggeration, I never apologize. 

 

(~~And so here ends the fragmented tale. Many a historian and many a romantic have cried over its end, not only because it is incomplete. Thrill seekers for generations have saught the Well of Emerald Waters, yet none have found it. I leave it here mentioned that this is probably for the greater good, as the tale does not speak of it so highly. Alas, we shall never know. As for what happened between the Grey One and Arl Sehun, no one is entirely sure. We still do not even know who penned this tale, although years later there was another song recovered who many believe to have been written by the same hand. Curiously, it bears a similar narrative to the poem quoted above. There have been conjectures made that the two poetic authors are the same, and may even be the same as the talemaker himself~~~)

 

**They tell of a grey one,

His legend well known,

He appeared from the shadows,

Lacking in height,

And a sickly ashen color,

Really it was strange,

Looks aside,

A great quest he undertook,

And along the way,

He captured the heart of a young arling,

A youth who knew little of legends and lore,

Who fell in love with a creature,

That was really quite dainty,

Not tall at all,

Definitely not as tall and strapping as his elven friend,

 

 

(~~~Long have Thedas' bards been singing this song, yet they always stop here claiming to have forgotten the rest of the song, and they do not name the 'elven friend'. Perhaps his name too, like the unknown templar, has been lost~~~)

 

 


 

No one spoke much to Kyungsoo for the rest of the day, only Minseok who had to confer with him about several important matters of direction and who doubtless had already heard his story. But other than he, just Suho shared a few words with the man. And his were words of sympathy which everyone felt in some small form or another, but few knew how to word. The fact that Kyungsoo had lived with a darkspawn was almost too much to bear. Even Luhan who had overcome so much to understand Minseok's apostasy could not fathom how indeed a child like Kyungsoo might come to his current state of being. 

"Are you really... dying?" he asked in muted tones as soon as he dared.

The grey man regarded him with sullen eyes sunk deep into his hood and then nodded. He hadn't spoken half a dozen words since finishing his tale of origins. 

"Is that why you seek the well?" Luhan might as well for it was on everyone's minds. 

Again, Kyungsoo nodded, and Luhan felt ashamed. Ashamed because there was an inkling still that Kyungsoo wanted to activate the well for a more nefarious reason. Could it have something to do with the Architect? Even imagining such a being made Luhan chilled to the bone. And yet the truth was that Kyungsoo really was dying a slow and tainted death. 

As the evening came upon them and dusk drew near, Luhan drew Minseok privately away from the others and asked, "How long have you known this?" 

"Since I touched the ring," the mage replied. The two of them looked ahead where the rest of their weary party marched slowly down the path. Both Minseok and Kyungsoo hoped it would lead them to Alistair, and then to Sehun, where the gems could be reunited and thus saved. But from what, Luhan did not know. 

The mage held Luhan's arm as they walked, and there was an apology in that gesture that made tears come almost come to the templar's eyes. 

"I have dragged you on for so many leagues, Luhan, not knowing if you would trust me. At every point, I have lied to you and kept my secrets. Even now I do not trust myself. Do I want to find the well or do I not? Do I want to see it activated so that Kyungsoo can save himself, or do I fear even that? Have I, who have lied to you, been lied to myself? Or do I want it myself just to fulfill some vague curiosity? Luhan, I do not know, but I am glad you are with me. You will hold me back, won't you? Whatever we find, you will save me from myself?"

His grip tightened, pinching the templar's skin, but Luhan did not move away. "Minseok, you know I would..." he started to say. 

But there was a frenzied scurrying from the forest on their right side. Everyone froze, and Minseok drew out his staff, Luhan and Jongdae their weapons. Kris was about to spring into action, except they heard the familiar barking of an old, old friend.

"Alistair!" Luhan cried, as the hound leaped out and flattened him to the ground. "Alistair! Alist-ugghhh, help! Help me!!"

Minseok laughed as he went and pulled his own dog off the half crushed man. "Alistair, as ever I must question your loyalty." But he tutted, and the beast when he caught sight of his master sat up obediently and his chin. Luhan continued to cry for a long while before heaving himself off the ground. He was covered head to toe in muck and drool and he made a nasty face to show for it. 

Unbothered Alistair then made the rounds to each and every party member, giving them a sniff or a , two extra for Kyungsoo who smiled for the first time since the morning and laid an ashen hand across his nose. Kris he ignored but Alistair appeared especially interested in Tao who giggled as he pet his once cousin of a beast. Then the hound turned and as the group grew together to reassess he sat down on Suho's lap, completely obscuring the dwarf behind. 

Alistair had not come alone.

Several minutes later there was another rustling and Yixing appeared from where the hound had been. He was smiling, like out of relief. 

"Yixing!" said Minseok, rushing forward to embrace him. "It's been days. Are you alright?"

"I am." He pulled back and looked around, and Luhan could see him checking the group to make sure they too were alright. He paused by Kyungsoo and inclined his head curiously. 

Minseok answered his unasked question. "He was injured by the drakes on the mountain, if you'll remember. I have tried to heal him but as you can see it has not worked."

"I understand. Kyungsoo, I will see what I can do to help you, but right now we have to talk. Minseok, I have seen Xiumin. He has followed us across the Frostbacks and I believe he's wandering these parts. There's not a doubt in my mind he will try to cause trouble."

Minseok stilled. "You... saw him?"

"And spoke to him. He would have dueled me then, except he knew he had not the power. I think he will try again."

"Of course he will. He wants the Well."

"And he will have it, if we don't do something about it. Can I infer that you and Kyungsoo have caught everyone here up to the truth?"

Gravely, Minseok nodded. 

"Good. Then we should get a move on. I found Alistair on my way here. He was quite upset about something and seemed in a hurry to get to you."

"Yes," said the other mage. "He can lead us to the others. He should able to track Sehun pretty well, and the rest. You haven't seen them?"

"No. No one since I woke up from the battle, except Xiumin, and now you. We should hurry. I don't know where they are, but I fear for them."

 


4,390 words

 

Woooahh yeah a quick update!!! 

**Song verses written by LondonCalling. She is my hero. She should have her own epic tale. 

 

 

 

 

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ShiningRose
Maker's Crap! Guys, this fic is NOW COMPLETE! *sets off fireworks, then takes a very long, long nap*

Comments

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imanma #1
Chapter 54: I literally could not get enough of this fic. Characters are awesome. The entire thing is so great from start to finish. So many great moments throughout. I’m kinda just in shock now that it’s over. Thanks you so much for writing this, authornim!
Xiuhanisloveok #2
Chapter 54: YO DUDE I FINISHED THIS IN THREE DAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF MY EXAMS AND I LOVE IT! SO! MUCH!
deerestwinter
#3
Chapter 54: I wanted to skip the coex but i can't find myself to do it. Hahaha i didn't realize this has been going on for 2 1/2 years already.. It was long but sure worth reading. And thank you for that. i guess we have to look forward to for more.
Rb2012 #4
Chapter 54: Congratulations on completing the story . Yaaaaaaaaaaay
pukkajoe
#5
Chapter 54: It's complete and I will miss your story so much. I really like the plot, the adventures, characters, and end(s all) were great! Thank you!
RedRoses96 #6
Chapter 54: OMYGOSHHH ITS THE END!!!! T-T ( >~<)
I THOUGHT THE ENDING WERE BETWEEN THE 6 /im bewildered so much especially the handsome baek's one tho/. and then i saw the epiloge x'''''D

Holy molly u should now how much i love this fic. After almost 2 years following this fic, its so hard to describe how i feel right now lol x"D *sob*
Thank u so much for writing this wonderful fic authornim *smooch both of ur cheeks* lop u and this fic so much, gbu! <333333
MoroccanBlackDragon
#7
Chapter 1: How did u make a map?
Rb2012 #8
Chapter 45: Whay happened T^T
RedRoses96 #9
Chapter 45: Is baekhyun dead?!? OMO O_o
OMG i'm not ready for the end T-T
This fic has been my jam for years
1fanfic #10
Chapter 44: ohhhh shoot. I just caught up up with the story, reading three chapters in a row, only to be left with another bloody cliff hanger! lol the frustration ;D