It was the silence that woke him.

With the coming of spring, the land seemed to be trying to make up for the harsh winter that had just ended. Since he had ended up spending far too much time in the benighted wilderness of Amaranthine, he'd gotten to learn just how damn noisy the forests were. And it wasn't just during the day, night was just as bad. Possibly worse given that the soundmakers were far too many frogs and various insects. At least during the day there was the pleasant sound of birdsong to break up the annoying racket.

Mindful that silence from the bugs and hopping things meant some sort of predator, he came out of his tent with sword in hand.

Seeing the strange, shadowy figure sitting at the small fire, he tensed, wondering what happened to the other Warden on watch. It spoke in an oddly breathless voice, "Peace, Grey Warden. I mean you no harm. As you can see, your fellow simply slumbers."

He did see the other Warden, an uncouth lout that was native to this miserable place and frowned to see the man sprawled out on the ground unconscious. Uncouth or no, no matter how loutish the man could be, he did know his duty. Sleeping while on watch wasn't like him at all. So he was either drugged or magicked to sleep. Studying what he could see of the figure as he slowly approached, he figured that the lout was magicked to sleep.

He took another look at the shadowy visitor. Only mages wore such odd looking robes. Next to it was a staff topped with a metal ornament fashioned into the shape of a dragon's claw holding a faintly glowing orb. The staff was the clincher that he was dealing with a mage.

The mage made no movement for the staff, just waited patiently for him to approach. Warily, he did so, sword still drawn, but point down so as to not be completely threatening. It seemed strange that a spellcaster would upset the noisemakers into silence and he didn't sense any darkspawn either. So he was more concerned about whatever predator was lurking about than his unexpected visitor.

Until he came close enough to see the misshapen visage, the pallid grey skin and long, attenuated fingers ending in claws. Darkspawn, his mind growled as his blade started to come up.

Curiosity stayed his hand. It had spoken to him, it had merely placed his fellow Wardens into a deep sleep, but hadn't harmed he didn't sense it. Ignoring his unease, he lowered his weapon, but didn't sheath it yet. And he was a little impressed at how well the creature spoke. Far better than the oafish Fereldens.

"Will you not sit, Warden? I wish to speak with you if you would be so willing."

"How did you approach here without alerting any of us?" He demanded.

"It was something I learned so that I could approach your kind in peace."

He hesitated again. It would mean sheathing his weapon since it wasn't a good idea to sit down with a sword across his lap since he was unarmored. The strange visitor merely sat and waited, somehow watching him through eyes that seemed to have been sealed shut. It was that unexpected patience that finally won him over.

More than a little reluctantly he sheathed the weapon and sat down opposite the creature. Harshly he asked, "I understand you want to speak with me. But why me in particular?"

It nodded, seemingly unsurprised, but it was hard to tell with such an...alien face. "We have spoken briefly in your dreams, Warden. You seemed receptive to my approach."

His dreams? That actually made a disturbing amount of sense. It was continuous dreams of someone trying to talk to him that made him go on this patrol. Not that he needed much of an excuse since he could only take the Fereldens just so long. The worst part was the number of his compatriots that described the louts as having "country cousin charm". Charm? Bah. But he had to be careful in what he said due to being far from home and a dwindling number of allies.

He would've gone on patrol on his own, but Caron was keeping a close eye on him, so he had put on a display of helping train the newer Wardens. He could tell the other man wasn't entirely accepting what he said, but seemed relieved that he had headed out and not causing trouble at Vigil's Keep. And now the source of that desire to be on the move was sitting before him.

The Warden wondered if he wasn't losing his mind at the fact he found the company of a talking darkspawn over his fellow Wardens?

"Well then. What is it that you wish to discuss?"

It took a moment for him to realize that the ghastly expression on the thing's face was an attempt at a smile. He wished it hadn't tried to do that, it was nauseating, but in the attempt to be polite, he kept his own face expressionless.

"I need your help."

"My help? Since when did your kind seek out my kind for help?" That was the last thing he expected to hear, which only only increased his curiosity.

"Yes. You, or another Warden. None of the other Wardens that I could reach were inclined to listen."

"Help with what?"

"Not to violate your oaths. Though it could be said that just by us speaking violates those oaths."

He shrugged, he wasn't a lawyer, so wasn't going to quibble about such things. "Go on."

"Very well. I need your help finding The Redeemer."

He frowned, he'd never heard of such a thing. Nor could he imagine why the darkspawn would look for a thing by that name. "You'll have to give more details."

"Of course. It is a bright and shining spirit. The fires of its soul burned away the taint in the Archdemon, the ice of its soul soothed the burns in Urthemiel's spirit when the Archdemon was slain and the god's soul was freed. We are familiar with certain emotions from your kind, hate, fear, loathing. But when the corrupted physical shell of the god was killed, there was none of those emotions. It was something different, it tasted almost...sweet. It redeemed Urthemiel's soul."

The implications were staggering. A spirit powerful enough to do such a thing...but there were a few issues. "I am no mage, I cannot possibly hope to track down a spirit. Considering your powers, you should be the one best suited for that."

The emissary shook its head, "I tried, but I had not yet...refined my approach. It wasn't receptive. But it is not simply in the Fade, it is here in the physical world as well."

"Then why not give me the physical description in the first place?"

"You are right, Warden. I was thinking of it in the terms of the spirit that I have seen the most. You have to understand that I have not seen it with my own eyes."

He waited, not very patiently, but still with that growing sense of curiosity. The darkspawn nodded to itself again as it thought over what it could tell him, then simply said, "She has silver hair."

Fury rocked through him, sending him to his feet and pacing to work off that rage. Of course it'd be the silver haired freak. He'd known there was something suspicious that she had survived when no other Warden had. She'd known why she survived, but hadn't been forthcoming.

Except...it was known that the meddling bitch Euphrobia had paid a visit. First to Orlais, then to Ferelden. There'd been a few, brief messages sent warning him to keep his head down and draw attention. That the Second Warden had managed to disrupt some long term plans that had been put into place when the Order had been allowed to return to Ferelden by Maric, the so called Savior of his kingdom. Since the silver haired bitch was named Warden-Commander, she must've told Euphrobia about how she survived. And given the sickening affection between Marlana and that callow idiot, Alistair, he must've known as well.

Unfortunately, Alistair and Euphrobia were out of bounds to him. Marlana would be difficult, but if he could somehow isolate her, he might be able to get the answers he'd been looking for. He stopped and considered his visitor. Maybe the too talkative darkspawn might be of assistance there.

"Do you know why she survived? The woman has been less than informative."

"That is one of the reasons why I wish to speak with her. I could sense that there was some spell involved, but it wasn't needed from what I could see. There was a sacrifice made by her and the god, but by then the link in the Taint had been broken."

He sat back down, so much for that idea. "I can see we both have much to discuss with her. But still, if you could approach me in my dreams, why not approach her in hers?"

It sighed, "I did attempt that, I grossly miscalculated how she would react. She took my approaches as an attack and reacted as such. Now she has a pair of guardian spirits that are beings that are not to be trifled with."

That made a good deal of sense, yet he had to be honest about the situation, "You should be aware I'm not exactly... close with the Warden-Commander. Besides, we will be replaced soon..."

Now that was a thought. The freaky bitch was going to be sending the last of the Orlesian Wardens home. She clearly didn't trust them, not even Caron who respected her a great deal. So she had been doing her best to build up the numbers of Ferelden Wardens quickly enough to send he and his compatriots off packing. Normally such an attitude would have caused him to feel deeply insulted, but the truth was, he was too happy to be going back to civilization.

"Yes?", prompted the creature.

"I might have an idea. But first, I would like to know what I would get out of this. Aside from a few answers, it seems like you are getting the better end of this bargain."

"Of course, Warden. If I get the answers I'm seeking, not only would my kind be freed from the Song that binds them to the old gods, I would be able to free you from the Taint."

Free of the Taint! It meant freedom from the burden of being a Grey Warden, that he could go back to his rightful place in his family... Oh yes, he'd do much more than hand over one woman to the very things she hated. He didn't care what they did with her, though he suspected she probably wouldn't survive the experience. Which would fit in with his family's plans very well. For some reason they wanted this miserable mudball of a kingdom back. He supposed it was a matter of pride after Ferelden successfully broke away at the beginning of this turbulent age, but quite frankly he suspected the louts did his people a favor with that action.

Realizing his mind was wandering, he nodded, "I agree to your deal. As for meeting with your Redeemer, would it help to know that she'll be coming to Vigil's Keep in a few days time? Perhaps we can work something out from that."

"Excellent, and since we are allies in this matter, I believe your surface customs are to introduce ourselves properly?"

He nodded, wondering what sort of hideous name the creature had for itself.

"My kind call me The Father in the mistaken belief that I act in such a role to them."

"I see. And what have you named yourself?"

"The Architect."

-oOo-

The old biddy was up to no good.

What it was exactly, Kallian wasn't sure, but she planned to find out. And this time she was in the perfect position to be able to listen in on the conversation the Bann was having with her latest visitor. Like most nobles of the elven's woman's experience, the Bann tended to act as if the elven servants were blind, deaf and dumb. Or just forgot they were there. Either way, the attitude was insulting, but Kallian intended to use that attitude to her advantage.

So she stood to the side, acting as if she were a piece of furniture, as Bann Esmerelle greeted the Lady Dairine Woolgar, wife of Bann Buck Woolgar. Normally such a social visit wouldn't be noteworthy, except in this case Woolgar's bannorn was out in the middle of Ferelden, and no where near Amaranthine. As the two exchanged meaningless pleasantries, Kallian studied the Lady.

Considering the hips on the woman, the Queen's spy decided that the name was fitting. It looked like Dairine could easily birth a cow or two. Add in that the woman had an ample bosom, she could understand why it was said that Woolgar looked past the woman's whey faced complexion, and a brain that made a cow look like a genius. And what little she'd heard of Woolgar, she figured the man made a bad decision, that line wasn't known for its brains.

Glancing at her temporary mistress, Kallian could see the derision in the Bann's face, as well as her voice. The cow-like Dairine either didn't notice, or was well trained enough to hide it. Bored, she still tried to pay attention to the little chat since now they were getting into some more interesting details. Such as just how well their respective bannorns were doing. Information she knew would interest Chancellor Teagan a great deal, if not King Alistair himself. Like the woman she truly served, both the King and Chancellor required proof before acting on anything.

Once she would've found that attitude tiresome and overly encumbering, but since they applied that to any accusations leveled against her people, and not just in the favor of the shems, she was inclined to go along with that policy. And since Shianni was now the Bann of the Denerim Alienage Bannorn, and her fiery cousin was enforcing the edict of evidence, Kallian had mentally thrown her hands up in the air and went along with it.

It was the need for proof that led Kallian to where she was now after hearing rumors in the shadowy parts of Denerim. Rumors that someone was out to make things difficult for the new Queen. Well, those kind of rumors had been floating around ever since she killed Howe before the Landsmeet had met, months before she became Queen. These rumors had more substance than most. Not surprisingly, she got the best leads from a distant cousin. Now that the elves were allowed to travel freely, a thing Kallian still marveled over, word spread faster than before among the long, complicated kin lines of the city dwelling elves.

Word was that the source of the rumors was one Bann Esmerelle of the City of Amaranthine, one time close friend of the now deceased Arl Rendon Howe.

That same cousin got Kallian onto Esmerelle's staff easily enough. There'd been a flux at the beginning of winter that took out some of the servants in the Bann's estate. Fortunately, her cousin had been the only family member working inside the main keep, and had managed to avoid the illness.

It had been oddly flattering to get the concerned look from her Queen when Kallian told her what she was planning to do, along with the genuine concern in her voice as she questioned, "Are you sure you want to pose as a servant?"

"Since it's a short enough time, I'll be fine."

She'd been the focus of one of those frightening, piercing sapphire looks, the kind that made a person glad to still be alive once it passed. Satisfied, Marlana had nodded thoughtfully, "My network of eyes and ears is still thin in that area, but I do have one person there that might prove to be some use if you get in trouble and need help." Her mouth quirked in a wry grin, "He thought he could get away with using the title Dark Wolf without me noticing. Since it serves as a decent enough distraction, I've let him keep using it, but he answers to me now."

That had been an interesting piece of news, but in truth one that only confirmed what Kallian had speculated once she had gotten to know the woman now called the Silver Queen. The person known as the Dark Wolf had gotten the title by targeting Loghain and Howe, indirectly and directly, something that would've appealed to the sharp edged young woman. She sometimes wondered if Marlana still had Loghain's crown as a trophy somewhere.

She focused her attention more on the current conversation when she heard Esmerelle sympathetically ask, "So you still haven't been able to arrange anything for your oldest girl, Ebba?"

"Unfortunately, no. Ever since the little idiot angered the King, no one has been interested in her. I love my girl dearly, but there are times where I wonder whatever happened to her brains."

Kallian had to work hard to keep from rolling her eyes at that last comment.

The old biddy gave her guest a long, thoughtful look as she stroked her chin with one hand, "And I take it she still fancies him?"

"Like I said, she's been a right idiot since she met him during the brief time she was at court. Of course she fancies him, and not just because he's King."

"Yes", said Esmerelle musingly, "A very handsome young man who is in excellent physical shape and charming manner..."

The cow-like eyes narrowed, showing a surprising gleam of shrewdness, "What are you suggesting, my lady?"

"Oh, just that accidents can happen, particularly to young women who are more active than they should be. Ifsomething should happen, another young woman who is warmly attentive could distract him from his grief. Say one who has ample endowments and an interest in him. One who has family and friends that can provide wise counsel to guide them..."

Dairine's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in consideration again. Then nodded slowly, "While it would be terrible if something happened to his bride, especially since she is so very young and has done so much for the kingdom, a young man like that still has certain...appetites to fill."

Esmerelle smiled, "Indeed. I see we have an understanding."

"Yes, what did you have in mind?" Dairine asked as she picked up her cup to take a sip of tea. Esmerelle went to refill her own cup, then sighed when only a small trickle came out of the spout. She looked around irritatedly, spied Kallian and snapped her fingers at the elf. "You, girl. Get us more refreshments."

Stifling her resentment at the treatment, Kallian bowed, took the tray and quickly hurried off to the kitchen, glad that the ridiculous uniform she had to wear was thick enough not to show that she was sweating. Granted she wouldn't hear the details, but she'd heard enough that she had to send warning to her Queen as quickly as possible.

Thank the Maker that the Queen would be arriving at Vigil's Keep in a few days time.