When the news of the Cousland's slaughter reached her in Antiva, Kierrai had been infuriated. Her heart, already broken from her time in Starkhaven nearly a year before, shattered completely. She cried for days before finally coming to a decision. She demanded that she be allowed to return to Ferelden and seek justice for her family, and the nobles that were fostering her decided to allow it.
Now she stood on the bow of a ship headed to Denerim, where she fully intended to take out revenge on Howe. The wind whipped at her long, thick braid of hair that was tossed over her left shoulder, but she didn't care. She idly toyed with one of her onyx daggers as she stared at the city they were rapidly approaching.
"Err…Miss?" a rough voice asked behind her. She turned and eyed the sailor that approached her. He was attractive enough, but she was too focused on revenge to think about physical pleasures.
"Yes?" she asked absently. The young man cleared his throat.
"The captain told me to ask you if you wanted an escort to your inn." He explained. She shook her head.
"Tell him thank you, but I can handle myself." She answered. The sailor bowed awkwardly and walked away from her. She faced Denerim again, eager for their ship to dock. She pulled a cloak over herself and raised the hood: she wanted to remain anonymous. When the ship reached the docks, she quickly paid the captain and left the boat, wanting to get on with her business. She walked briskly through the city toward the marketplace, ignoring the catcalls from many of the drunken sailors at the docks.
People were milling about all around her, so she found it easy to slip into the bustle of the city. She was confident that no one would recognize her or think she was doing anything suspicious. She was wrong.
"Walk with me." A low voice said behind her. She groaned as she felt the tip of a knife poking into the base of her spine. She realized that there were four large guards surrounding her and she had no way out.
"Have I done something wrong?" she asked innocently as they began to lead her toward the palace district.
"A mutual friend wishes to see you, my lady." The guard said. She sighed, not knowing who he was talking about.
"You're addressing me somewhat properly, I suppose, so that means you're coming from a nobleman. Then again, you said 'friend' and I don't recall having any of those. Well, aside from my surrogate family that was most foully murdered, of course." She hissed. The guard sighed.
"Just keep walking, my lady." He replied quietly. If they were taking her to Arl Howe, she would be infuriated. They walked through the castle doors and into a small office that was near the Landsmeet Chamber. They had her sit and wait while one of them retrieved whoever had brought her here. To her surprise, Teyrn Loghain strode through the door. He gestured for the guards to leave and close the door behind them before studying her intently. She resisted the urge to squirm under his calculating gaze.
"I wasn't expecting you." She said drily. He had no reaction.
"I would think that you would know better than to come straight to Denerim during a Blight, your highness." He eventually replied.
"You know full well why I- Did you just call me 'your highness'?" she asked incredulously. A cold smile crossed his hard features.
"That I did. Do you yet realize why I have brought you here?" he interrogated. She frowned and shook her head.
"You're obviously addled in the head if you think I'm the Queen." She spat, getting irritated with Loghain's games.
"You aren't Queen yet. Now, Kierrai, you may have heard that a Landsmeet has been called. Eamon hasn't arrived in the city yet, but they should be here any day now, and when that happens, you will be the extra card up my sleeve. If the Landsmeet does not side with Anora, they will side with you." He explained. She raised an eyebrow. He had definitely lost it.
"You are completely insane." She said, shaking her head. His icy blue eyes narrowed.
"Listen to me, girl: You will be Queen, and I will be your…advisor." He snapped. She blinked.
"So you want me to be a puppet? And you think you'll be the one pulling the strings?" she said, gaping. He nodded.
"You will do everything that I tell you to do, and together we will make a better Ferelden and defeat the Blight." He roared. She closed her eyes to think of a way to get out of it. Loghain clearly didn't know her very well if he thought he would be able to pull any of her strings.
"Is Eamon trying for the throne himself, then?" she asked, trying to get any information she could before making a decision. Loghain scoffed.
"Of course not! He intends to put Maric's other bastard forward as king!" he laughed. Kierrai refused to acknowledge the fact that he had basically just insulted her. Alistair, then. She hadn't seen her half-brother in years, but the young man she remembered would be a king that was well-loved by his people. He had a natural goofy charm that made it difficult to not like him. She forced herself not to smile: Alistair would be king if she had anything to do with it.
"My half-brother? Eamon surely didn't come up with this plan himself: he isn't that clever." She said pretentiously. If Loghain thought she was on his side, it would make her life much simpler. Loghain nodded in approval.
"The Grey Warden surely had her hands in it. You haven't heard about her? I suppose you have been in Antiva for quite some time." He wondered at her confused expression. "The Grey Wardens betrayed Cailan at Ostagar, and Alistair and Zeriah Cousland were the only ones that survived. They have been a thorn in my side ever since." He grumbled. She froze. Zeriah was still alive? Things were looking up with every word that passed Loghain's lips.
"If I am going to accept your…offer, I have a condition." She stated. He raised a thick eyebrow at her.
"Oh? I'll play along, what is your request?" he asked humorlessly. She sat a little taller in her chair.
"I get to kill Rendon Howe." She said coolly. Loghain studied her for a while before nodding.
"I will allow it. Howe is too ambitious to be kept around. He was only a means to an end. As soon as you are on the throne you may do whatever you wish to him." He said approvingly. She gave a sharp nod.
"You have yourself a Queen, then." She agreed.
Apparently, being a candidate for ruler of Ferelden meant you were confined to a room until the Landsmeet. Kierrai sighed. They hadn't given her a room with a window: Presumably because they knew she would climb out of it. She had at least three guards in her room at all times, so she had someone to chat with, but generally her "protectors" were the gruff, silent type. They took good care of her, she supposed, but a gilded cage was still a cage.
Presently she sat on her bed, idly toying with a pillow as she plotted the best way to hand her brother the throne at the Landsmeet. A knock sounded at the outer door to her prison, and she heard hushed voices. She strained to hear what was being said, but the voices were too quiet. A new guard entered the room.
"You have a visitor." He said brusquely. She stood and arched her eyebrow, curious to see who would be in her rooms at this time.
"Hello, Kierrai." A nasally voice said. The man who the voice belonged to stepped through the doors and she had to fight the urge to launch herself at him.
"Why are you here?" she spat, voice full of venom. Arl Rendon Howe laughed.
"I can't visit a former foster daughter?" the rat asked. She growled.
"No, you can't." she hissed. He rolled his eyes at her and leaned casually against her bedframe.
"Tsk, tsk. So hostile. I cannot imagine what I could have done to deserve such cruel treatment." He whined. Her jaw clenched furiously.
"You murdered the only family I ever had." She said, voice cold and hard as ice. Howe shrugged.
"That is what this is about? The Couslands were worthless and they stood in my way. I took care of them as they deserved." He replied calmly. Kierrai snapped and began to sputter incoherently.
"Deserved!? The Couslands were your friends!" she finally managed to shout.
"Bryce Cousland was a traitorous coward." He retorted. She roared in shock and rage.
"Bryce! You have the nerve to call Bryce a traitor?! Bryce Cousland had more honor and bravery in his little finger than you have in your entire body and soul!" she snarled. Howe had the nerve to laugh at her statement.
"Bryce Cousland was weak, and I am glad I got to watch the light go out of his eyes. Although I must say, making Eleanor kiss my feet in front of him as he died was just as satisfying." He drawled.
Kierrai had no idea how, but suddenly both of them were on the ground as she punched and clawed viciously at him. She found herself wishing they hadn't taken her daggers away from her. He cried out for the guards to help him as she beat him as well as she knew how, and soon she felt many sets of arms pulling her from the bastard. Blood was streaming down his face as she glared at him, panting heavily. She could feel the warmth of his blood on her hands, and she smiled fiercely at the deep furrows she had clawed into his face. Even the most skilled of healers wouldn't be able to prevent that from scarring.
"You bitch!" he hissed. Her grin became terrifying as it widened.
"Consider that a gift from the Couslands: they taught me how to fight with my bare hands." She offered. Howe stumbled out with the assistance of one of the guards, his skin already mottled and bruising from her quick assault. As soon as he was gone and the doors were locked, the youngest guard turned to her.
"Remind me to never get on your bad side, my lady." He said in awe. She smiled prettily at him.
"Don't ever harm my family, and we shouldn't have a problem." She promised. The knight nodded his head in understanding, and she noticed a glint of fear in his eyes.
"Good. Some people should fear me. It's healthy." She thought to herself. She made her way over to the washbasin and cleaned herself up.
About a week later, Loghain entered her room and told her that Howe had been most brutally murdered by the last Warden. She had frowned, pretending to be upset that she hadn't gotten to take revenge, but inside she was soaring. Zeriah had gotten the vengeance that the Couslands deserved.
A few days after she received the news, she was told to prepare herself for the Landsmeet. She dressed herself in a fine gown and pulled her hair into a neat, pretty style before nodding to her guards to escort her to the Landsmeet Chamber. She took a deep breath as they reached the doors. A wide smile appeared on her face as she heard loud voices on the other side. Loghain was in for a huge surprise.