Chapter Text
Kirkwall before the Blight that happened in Ferelden years ago.
Raleigh Samson was a man who had chosen the Templar road with a single purpose: to help and protect people. He never thought that his choices would lead him into a ferocious and inevitable decay.
But let's start from the beginning.
At the time he was still a recruit, eager to serve the Templar Order, when he met Cullen Rutherford, one of the many refugees, escaped from the Ferelden region, more precisely from the Circle of the Magi, at Lake Calenhad. Cullen had seen and suffered the horrors of Uldred, so much so that the desire to protect people overcame his fear.
They ended up sharing the room and exchanging a few words, more for simple education than for wanting to know each other.
As Samson proceeded with his training, he began to adopt a blue liquid substance called lyrium, which sisters would offer them in silver goblets, with the symbol of Andraste craved in it. All of the recruits thought it was a rite to prove their loyal to the Chantry, to the Sacred Andraste and to the Maker. But it was something else.
One day, he met a mage, a certain Maddox; a kind and friendly person, so much that he often found himself talking to him. The more time passed, the more he had become friends with him in secret, far from prying eyes and ears.
One day, Maddox went to Samson to ask him a huge favor: to bring a letter to his beloved in High Town. Raleigh was hard to convince: after all it meant enormous danger for both of them; but a few attempts later, he accepted the assignment and left, using a convincing excuse to his superiors.
Arrived at High Town, he looked around and saw a woman talking to two other ladies. It was love at first sight: his breath stopped and stood still for a few seconds, before shaking his head and going to talk to her, mostly to ask where Maddox's beloved is, with the utmost discretion.
As their eyes met, she smiled and left the conversation with the two ladies, receiving a surprise sound from one, and a disapproving sentence from the other, "What an ungrateful act for a noble like her!"
"Can I help you, Sir Templar?" her voice was sweet, but he was certain that from her previous behavior she hid much more than what appears.
"Good morning, my lady," he said, with slight bow, "I'm here to deliver a letter to a girl ... er ...". He didn't have time to think about a good excuse when the letter in question was taken from his hands.
"I know the woman whose letter is referring to... But you can not be him" she looked at him suspiciously, but Samson reacted immediately this time. "It's a letter for a friend of mine, nothing personal, I need to give it to her and I'll go back to my duties."
"I see ... But I can deliver it to the girl in question."
"That can't be done, miss...".
" Eleanor, Eleanor Forth, And you are? "
"Samson, my lady, Raleigh Samson."
"What is your purpose, Sir Samson? Why do you have a letter from Maddox? Is he your friend?" Samson shook his head "No ... umh...Listen, my lady, but I really need to bring this letter as fast as I can. I can't waste more time than I've already did!" Eleanor softened her eyes and handed the letter to Samson, who took it and hid it immediately. "I believe you, Samson. For now. Follow me then. I will take you to her ".
It took little time to reach the girl in question, who was terrified to see her friend accompanied by a Templar, but Eleanor immediately reassured her, saying what she learned few moments ago. "Read the letter and write an answer: Samson will take care of the rest".
While the girl was writing, Samson and Eleanor waited, often giving each other fleeting glances, until the girl spoke: "So, how did you both manage to keep a friendship in a place like the Gallows?"
"It's a secret"
"But there must be something under it. I really want to know. You must really care about him"
"It's nothing but a favor. Even I can't let two lovebirds like them separate"
"You do not approve their way of doing, do you? You would not be so friendly otherwise."
"That is only duty, my lady." Samson observed a spot, hypnotized by the noise that the inkwell produced in contact with the rough paper.
"Samson..."
"My lady ...?" Samson did not realize how close he had been to the woman, his body moved unconsciousely near her, until Maddox's girlfriend interrupted them with a slight cough. "The letter is ready ... please, Templar, protect Maddox for me ..." Raleigh took gently the letter and put it in a safe place under his armor. "Do not worry, he will be safe."
"Please, let me escort you to the Gallows, Sir Templar..." Samson didn't even have time to argue Eleanor, because she was already going in the direction of the Circle of Magi of Kirkwall. He gave a single nod to the lady before following the curious noblewoman.
"Last time I remember, I knew where the Gallows are, my lady"
"Of course. I just want to be sure about the letter"
"I see you still don't trust me at all. Why would I risk so much then?"
"Oh, well...I'm not saying I don't trust you. But I need to know that the letter will be safe"
"It will. You have my word" she smiled and looked at him, soon his annoyed expression turning into a smile.
"You are a noblewoman with unusual ways, no one has taught you how to behave?" the Templar teased her, but Eleanor had no time to answer, because in front of them was standing Cullen. "Samson, I was looking for you ... Our sword training has already started ... What ...?" Cullen noticed that he was not alone. A noble woman was beside him. "My lady," he bowed slightly and then turned to Samson, with an angry look, "Was this the commission you were talking about? You know we can not afford this luxury, Raleigh."
"It's not as it seems, Cullen ..." Eleanor stepped forward, watching Cullen with a stern glare.
"No, in fact, he fulfilled his mission and was about to go back, I just decided to accompany him because I was going to the Gallows. I need to meet my cousin, Richard. Sir Cullen, right? Please do not blame him, for things he has not done ". She softened at her last words, mostly praying that he won't punish Samson. Why would she care so much anyway?
Cullen tried to find an answer, but sighed and nodded. "Come on, Samson, we can not keep Meredith waiting much longer. My lady, it was a pleasure. Altough we can't allow you to go inside the Gallows until you have a permission."
"Ah, very well, then. "
Cullen had already left, but Samson whispered a sentence in Eleanor's ear, which, though it was innocent, made her blush.
"... I will come back for you, my lady"
And so they began to see each other in secret, protected by Cullen. It was not easy to convince him, after he caught them for the tenth time together, but even he couldn't let them apart for long, so he decided to help them.
"Alright, but you only have ten minutes. I can't do more." Cullen left them in an isolated room of an abandoned house in the Dark Town.
"Only ten minutes? What should we do in only ten minutes ?!" Samson snorted, but he smiled when he saw Eleanor laughing at his sentence with little "pure" intent.
"My dear, are you already thinking about how taking off my clothes?" she approached slowly, putting a hand on his chest, protected by the templar armor.
"I'm afraid it's a euphemism to say "taking off" , but I won't do anything that you will not let me do." Samson put his hand on her face gently and smiled.
"I hate to see each other like this everytime"
"But it's the only way. Even if this place sucks."
"I know ... Samson, there's something I have to tell you." Eleanor took his hand on her face and squeezed it. "I'm afraid we will not be able to see each other again"
Samson looked her in the eye, he could not understand why. Everything was going so well, right?
"I guess it's useless to ask why, is it?" Samson pulled his hand aside and folded his arms. "Have you found someone else who can satisfy you? A nobleman, by any chance ?!"
Eleanor shook her head altered. "Henrietta is dead". One sentence, and Samson understood everything.
Henrietta was a sister at the Chantry. Before Cullen decided to help them, what other undisturbed and safe place could they go, if not there? Eleanor lied to her parents by saying that she was going to pray, while Samson did the same. One day, a young girl found them together and when she looked down on their intertwined hands, it was enough to understand that it was not something religious. But she smiled, and let them do it, also making sure that Grand Cleric Elthina wouldn't notice.
"Of course, someone like her would surely approve of the love you feel. It's not wrong, you were born only under different circumstances.If you found protection and love in a sacred place like the Chantry to share your forbidden love, for me it's the most romantic thing that could ever exists. The Maker and his beloved Andraste could never forbid such a deep and pure love as yours " Henrietta smiled at her own words, and Eleanor imitated her; Samson, instead, laughed. "This is only because we have a minimum of decency towards the Chantry, otherwise I would not be so" pure" with my intentions ".
Eleanor nudged him on the ribs, receiving a painful moan from his companion, who, for once, had allowed himself to take off his armor. "Be kind. At least she's not calling the guards. Or worse. Meredith."
"Of course, of course, I am happy that you keep a purity in this holy place. You have my blessing and my protection, for what's worth. Nobody will know it from me." These were Henrietta's last words.
When Eleanor entered the church with her father, she heard two sisters talking about how Henrietta was brutally murdered, right outside the Chantry. No one ever knew who the murderer was, but it was enough to warn Eleanor, even if it wasn't related to their secret relationship.
"If they find out, it could be the end for both us, try to understand!" Eleanor started to walk back and forth, hands crossed and eyes down. Samson looked at her for a moment, before approaching and taking her hand. "And what should we do, do you really think is that easy? Every week at the Gallows, I'm waiting for the moment to come here just to smell your hair and see your face...It's ...hard, with the lyrium and not seeing you. Not being able to sleep with you".
"It's not easy for me either, but ... it's not just that" Eleanor hugged him and started to sob quietly, at first. Samson was surprised, but he did not waste his time to embrace her from the waist and be close to her as humanly as possible.
"So what? Eleanor ..." Samson suspected something, after all, the Forth family was still a noble family. A succession of thoughts overwhelmed Samson's mind, but when Eleanor answered him, everything turned into silence all because of two simple words.
"... I'm betrothed".