"It's..." Colin trails off, rolling his shoulders back. "You did your bid for king and country, as it's said in Ferelden. You all fought for my freedom while I hid aboard a merchant ship. I should at least know what it was like for you. What you did, what the enemy did."
"King and country, huh? Wish one of them would've sent a thank you card." The joke is that he has neither, fought for neither. But the sentiment is nice enough--maybe if you consider mages as their own country.
Overthinking a saying is pushed aside in favor of mulling over Colin's request. It's not something that can be answered easily, and Gareth gives it the thought that it's due.
"To preface, the experience was obviously different for everyone. I know for a lot of people, it was the worst time of their lives. But for me?" And here, he breaks into a smile, leaning forward with an excited energy. "It was the best time of my life. After a life in the Gallows, it was--it was amazing, Colin. I was living among my fellow mages, free mages, we were all free and we were all united in fighting for that freedom. No more bowing to the Templars, no more running and hiding, no more Tranquility. I'd been afraid for so long, and finally, I could fight, I could defend myself. We weren't outmatched anymore."
Gareth is, if nothing else, good at getting hyped up, spreading that energy. He all but bounces in his seat as he goes on, hands gesturing along with him, saying as much as his words. "I won't lie, it was brutal. People died, people I fought alongside died. But people I knew had been dying before this--dying, or worse. Now they were at least dying fighting for something they believed in. And I knew I could die, but I wasn't afraid, not any more. I killed--I killed a lot of people. I did. But they were all Templars." Or at least, they were on the Templars' side, or they were not on his side--he tried to be careful. He tried--could he guarantee?
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Overthinking a saying is pushed aside in favor of mulling over Colin's request. It's not something that can be answered easily, and Gareth gives it the thought that it's due.
"To preface, the experience was obviously different for everyone. I know for a lot of people, it was the worst time of their lives. But for me?" And here, he breaks into a smile, leaning forward with an excited energy. "It was the best time of my life. After a life in the Gallows, it was--it was amazing, Colin. I was living among my fellow mages, free mages, we were all free and we were all united in fighting for that freedom. No more bowing to the Templars, no more running and hiding, no more Tranquility. I'd been afraid for so long, and finally, I could fight, I could defend myself. We weren't outmatched anymore."
Gareth is, if nothing else, good at getting hyped up, spreading that energy. He all but bounces in his seat as he goes on, hands gesturing along with him, saying as much as his words. "I won't lie, it was brutal. People died, people I fought alongside died. But people I knew had been dying before this--dying, or worse. Now they were at least dying fighting for something they believed in. And I knew I could die, but I wasn't afraid, not any more. I killed--I killed a lot of people. I did. But they were all Templars." Or at least, they were on the Templars' side, or they were not on his side--he tried to be careful. He tried--could he guarantee?
He doesn't share that with Colin.