Doom Upon All The World

Chapter 59: The Waiting

"Weeks. It has been weeks, waiting and standing, swaddling, swaying, wondering when the blow will come but ever fearing the final mighty strike. When does he march? How much shall we lose?" Cole's voice carries throughout the castle as they all sit at the table.
The children had run off to their own devices but the babies stayed in the many arms around the table. Adelaide is of course in her mother's arms, sleeping happily from having just been fed. Cullen leans over Cassandra, adoring their daughter as he has since the moment she was born. Torrance leans up against Maeve's chest, over her shoulder, as she pats him gently on the back. Camille is in Leliana's arms, beside her sister who sits in Alistair's lap, plucking at all the buckles on his clothes. The Montilyet twins seem oblivious to the loss of their parents, nor will they understand untill they are much older. Tavvy stays bouncing on Keiran's knee until Cole pops up. He takes the baby carefully from the mage and craddles her.
Looking down at her, he smiles as they all stare. "Fleshy, hairless, loud things, bigger than me, louder than me. Where has the Gray gone? We miss climbing it." He reads her and Maeve's heart sinks slightly. The dwarf infant has grown much since she first came to Skyhold with her fathers. Still Torrance is bigger than her and Camille and Olive are not far off. She will be small, even for her kind.
"Cole, please. You give us all heavy hearts." Solas tells him. Cole almost immediately shrinks away. He is still afraid of Solas. No one else seeems to see this though. "But your hearts are already ladden with the fear of what is to come, how can they become more lead like?" Sorrow, true sorrow and pain has elluded Cole in this moment. They all hang their heads in silence as Cole looks on expectantly. His eyes scan each of them.
"What are we to do? The waiting must stop. The sound of it, it hurts. Hurts to much to go on for much longer." He stops as Morrigan takes Tavvy from him, swaddling her gently. It has been years since she has cared for an infant, the feeling is soothing. Keiran looks between his parents as they both hold babies that do not belong to them. Maker! He hopes they don't get any ideas!
"I have a plan." Solas interrupts his thoughts suddenly.
"It is not fullproof. Nor is it good or a permanent solution." Solas looks to Morrigan and she nods. They had discussed it shortly after Cassandra's birthing. They both knew what had to be done. She agreed for the best of all of them.
"At my behest, Morrigan has transported the Elluvian back to Skyhold. It lays where it once did and remains closed but it may be the key to the survival of our children. I say children because that is just it. Only the children will go through. We must stop Gilderoy, lest he become a bigger problem for us later. Keiran will lead the children through the Elluvian with Cole. He will then return and help us fight the enemy. If Keiram does not return, Cole will know not to take them back to Skyhold. Undoubtedly we would all have to perish for that to happen. Gilderoy knows much of magic but he is no mage. He is a Templar and that makes him all the more dangerous. With the small force Alistair has brought with him, we may yet win the day. Hold onto hope but prepare yourself for the worst. This foe is... rare and knows more than he ought to. Already have too many of us succumbed to him. If the rest of us fall, I ask you Cole to take our children to Val Royeaux, to Divine Victoria, or Vivienne as we once called her. She will see to it that they are taken care of."
Solas tenses.
"Are there any objections to this plan?"
Cullen looks down at his daughter, brushing her golden locks from her face, "What choice do we really have, Solas? What cause to object? This is how we save our children, and that is all we can truly hope for in these dark hours."