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Loghain's granite and oak personality gave Maric all the foundation he needed to build an airy palace of cheerful rejoinders and wild emotions; without him, Maric felt his soul begin to crumble.
Maric pressed his hands against the stone that had trapped him here, breath shaking ever slightly as fear seeped its way back into his chest like a sort of poison. "Loghain," he called, "My torch is going out."
"You'll be alright!" The voice was muffled on the other side of the cave-in, and another even more muffled voice said something he couldn't understand. Loghain and Katriel, he knew that much from their tones. The two never did anything but argue, eyes narrowing and tongues spewing venom. A third voice broke between theirs, one he recognized as Rowan's-- the current voice of reason between the two, whether she liked it or not.
They were here to help him, to dig their prince out of the tomb he'd found himself in, trapped in the inky darkness of the Deep Roads with nothing but filth and fire to keep him company. He was alone, and it made his heart ache. Maric touched his forehead to the stone and closed his eyes, feeling his hope sink in his chest. "I need you, please, just... Don't let me die in here."
"Maric..." The voice was soft, but he knew it had to be Loghain. He imagined the commander, hands pressed against the stone with his face twisted in that familiar expression, the one Loghain got when he was afraid but wouldn't dare admit it to himself, let alone anyone else. Open palms clenching into fists at the realization that he couldn't save Maric this time, that all they could do was dig and wait. Much to Loghain's dismay, all the willpower in the world would do nothing to save their prince.
The dying torch Maric had with him sputtered and gave a final, pathetic cough of smoke, finally burning itself out. There was a tiny crack towards the top of the cave-in that the smoke escaped from, and he knew that the little bit of heat in the chamber would soon follow, selfishly leaving him for the promise of the open cave beyond.
Maric gazed behind him into the darkness, then up at the ceiling, and swallowed hard. He found himself wondering if the rest of the chamber would decide to give way as well. According to Katriel's knowledge, this area hadn't been inhabited for centuries, and it was crumbling around them. Would it be quick? Would it smother him slowly?
"Loghain?"
"Are you alright?"
"Loghain, you can't let me die in here."
"I..." He hesitated. It lasted only a moment, but for Maric, it stretched on for an eternity. "You'll be fine."
"Loghain?"
"Maric, trust me, you'll be fine--"
"Why did you hesitate?"
Silence filled the space between them, penetrating even the thick stone. It hung like a curtain, and both men felt their hearts sink down into their chest. "...Katriel can see in the dark so we're going to send her with a few members of the Legion of the Dead to keep an eye out for darkspawn."
"What?"
"We're in the Deep Roads, Maric. Just... Just wait there. We can take care of ourselves."
Hours passed.
Sounds from the other side were soft, but just the knowledge of someone there was enough. He took comfort in having that anchor, that way to ground himself to reality. It sounded like they'd gotten more members of the Legion of the Dead to help clear out the rubble, which was another comfort-- they did this all the time, didn't they? Maric thought a moment, then frowned at the realization that they probably just blew up most of the cave-ins in their way.
Not so comforting anymore. Maybe they wouldn't be able to help.
He gazed at the little crack of light, that tiny, unreachable, flag of hope so far above his head for an immeasurable amount of time-- he might have fallen asleep and woken back up, he didn't know. Maric briefly wondered how much air he had left in the chamber, but quickly chased the thought away. It made his chest tighten just to consider the idea of being stuck here until he suffocated.
It could have been a couple of hours, it could have been an entire day, but all of the time spent alone with his thoughts suddenly seemed to be worth it when a section of the rock shifted loudly. Maric jumped, moving away from the source of the noise, but his fear quickly gave way to an almost crushing wave of relief.
"Maric?"
"Rowan, Loghain! Katriel!"
They'd managed to clear a tiny hole up against the side of the cave, just enough that the prince could reach through and take his lover's hand. Loghain's grasp was firm and grounding, and Maric cherished it, reaching a second hand out, which he felt a softer touch on. Rowan laced her fingers with his and he squeezed gently in response, and Katriel's worried voice filtered through to his side. The sound of her voice was a treasured one.
Maric was here, alive, with the three people he loved. It mended the broken hope in his heart, and the three spent a few moments whispering reassurances to each other. Of course, however, their hold had to break at some point. The emptiness in their hands that followed was heavy, but it fueled their desire to truly reunite.
Maric dug against the stone, wary of stray rocks and rubble that inevitably fell, sealing some cracks and breaking others open. He flinched away at the crumbling rocks, coughed out the dust that threatened to sneak into his lungs-- his hands ached, gauntlets scratching and nails wearing down until some of them started to bleed.
It must have taken hours more, but finally, finally, after sweat and tears and blood from the desperate effort to be free, Maric emerged from the cave-in with tears down his face and dirt under his nails. Rowan, Loghain, and Katriel rushed forward, kissed him, hugged him, cried with him-- with the approving cries of the Legion to accentuate the triumph of the moment, the four felt that things would be alright. They didn't care that their cries echoed through the Roads-- let the darkspawn come. They had the fighting spirit. This was one more obstacle they'd climbed, and so they were closer to their escape.
They would make it out of the Deep Roads together.