In your final moments, your life flashes before your eyes. That was what they said. Yet the only sentiment Kallian had was bitterness and regret as sharp as the edge of the sword pressed firmly on the flesh of her neck. She could hear their voices, like echoes coming from the depth of a well. They were speaking about her imminent death, Riordan, Anora, Alistair and the man holding the sword.
Her father, Shianni, Soris and all the remaining elves in her Alienage, they were doomed now. She had been full of anger and so full of herself, she had attacked blindly, fury replaced reason and her agility and swiftness made place to more aggressive attacks, trying to do maximum damage with each hit….a rogue going berserker was never a good thing. And now she was lying at his feet, defeated, humiliated and soon dead.
Finally, the sword pressed against her thin neck was removed, Winn's voice resonated in her ears as the old mage was trying to heal a deep wound in her left flank.
Kallian lifted her head, Riordan, Anora, Alistair, and Loghain, they were looking at her as if they were waiting for an answer…somehow she knew that no matter what, she would be doomed.
"Warden, did you hear me?" Riordan asked.
Kallian kept silent.
"Let us get done with this and move to more pressing matters" Loghain growled.
"Loghain, only a warden can kill the Archdemon" Riordan said quietly.
"You have my men, make them all gray wardens if you wish, but this one, this one shall die" Loghain stated, pointing his sword toward the kneeling elf.
"I do not have what is necessary to create an army of gray wardens, only one or two and we have no guaranty they would survive the joining" Riordan insisted.
"If even this… girl has survived the joining, my best warriors would…she has nothing special" he added viciously.
"Nothing special except an army of dwarves and dalish elves, the best warriors and the best archers of Thedas and I doubt they would follow your lead if you kill her." the old Warden was exasperated by the amount of stubbornness…not stubbornness but a blinding hatred.
"Father, you should listen to reason, Riordan made a fair proposition" Anora said putting her hand on her father's shoulder.
"Ferelden's men will not line behind you, Loghain, you do not inspire loyalty anymore they saw the girl rising against your tyranny… let her lead them"
"This is a sordid preposition, Riordan, after all she has done for you, you are going to reward her by a forced marriage. Kallian would prefer death to this humiliation" Alistair argued.
"So let her speak and say it by herself," Anora said.
"Warden, do you consent to this marriage?" Riordan asked.
"I…"
They were hoping for a positive answer, all but Alistair and Loghain who was still holding his sword squeezing the pummel glaring at her as if she was the one who was selling his family and not the other way around.
"Yes," she finally managed to voice.
"No!" Loghain simply said
"Do you really wish to put this elf where your mother used to stand, Anora?" Loghain hissed looking at his daughter.
Anora took a step toward her father and whispered only for him to hear.
"Father, you do not seem to measure the consequences of your acts. I would marry even a brainless monkey to keep my throne and if you wish to keep your lands, you should do the same"
"I won the duel and I am…"
"Look at those nobles eager to see the peasant's disgrace. Do you think they are buying it that the death of a king and his three advisors in less than a week is a coincidence?" Anora asked but the only answer she got was that chilling stare.
"Do not be over emotional. That's what you have taught me. Practice what you preach" she added.
After a moment of heavy silence, he finally spoke.
"I accept," Loghain said sheathing his sword.
"Bring a Chantry sister and let us be done with it" he added.
Riordan had witnessed many funerals in his life but not one of them was grimmer than this wedding's ceremony. And when he thought things couldn't be worse, the cleric asked what dowry the bride had brought and Kallian said "my people the children and women he was selling to Tevinter to buy himself a golden crown." at this point the only question was who was going to kill the other first.
Two months later.
"Warden it is so good to see you," Anora said squeezing Kallian's hand tentatively drawing a warm smile on her face.
"I received the dresses you sent me, they are very lovely," Kallian said politely
"You are going to need them to assume your new position"
"I doubt that the wardens in Amaranthine give an importance to such things" Kallian had a bad presentiment about this.
"Amaranthine? You must be mistaken my dear, a warden from Orlais is going to be warden commander of Amaranthine, you are going with your husband to Gwaren"
"Anora, don't…No" Kallian shook her head raising a finger in the face of her 'stepdaughter'.
"Fear not Kallian, can I call you Kallian? You are not going to be bored in Gwaren the duties of a Teyrna are so numerous"
"Do not toy with me Anora! I'm not one of your nobles. The Archdemon is dead, I did my part of the bargain now we can forget about this abomination called wedding"
"oh, dear warden, keeping you alive had for purpose to end the blight more quickly but the wedding it was for my father's sake, he needs you. You do not have to be nice to him or love him, you are free to spit at his face in private as long as you stand by his side in public and do not dishonor him"
"For the dishonoring part, I think he doesn't need me he is already doing a good job of dishonoring himself by his own ways" kalian frowned in confusion.
"Let me rephrase it; no other men" Anora explained.
Kallian grunted in disgust. Did this woman thought that there was a possibility that this marriage would be consumed?
"My Alienage, if something happens to them your father is not the only one who could make a man's death look like an accident" Kallian finally said.
"I promise you, Warden. Be nice to him and I shall be nice to your people." Anora said with a victorious smile.
A carriage drawn by four horses took her to her supposed new home. The journey was tiresome and disagreeable even when she managed to sleep all the time, nightmares reminded her of her new situation and that she would never enjoy peace of mind again as long as she lived under his roof.
Usually, everywhere she went she was always welcomed by an overjoyed crowd cheering and rushing to take a glimpse at the Hero of Ferelden, the woman who slew the Archdemon. Yet, when they reached Gwaren, no one was here to welcome them and it said all about what the people here thought about Loghain. He never truly cared about them and they returned the favor.
They didn't speak, it was some sort of tacit agreement that they had to purposely ignore one another after the masquerade they called a wedding.
at least Now that she was far away from the royal palace and all the festivities she was no more forced to stand by his side, arm-in-arm, and smile politely to the nobles that she despised.
Kallian stood in the hall of the palace, Loghain surely liked opulence and to show the nobles that he was now one of them, so peasant boy made his castle fancier than the royal palace itself typically like a new rich. She couldn't help but laugh at this thought and it draw the attention of the man who was talking to his seneschal. He made sign to a servant to come and ordered her "escort the Teyrna to her room" the girl looked confused until he pointed to the elven woman dressed in a grey warden armor "yes my lord!" she said and walked toward Kallian to bow before her and say "follow me please my lady Hero of Ferelden"
Kallian followed the young woman. The castle was big, old and very cold, every stone of it filled Kallian with sadness and despair, she was startled when the servant said "those are your quarters my lady"
"Kallian looked inside the room without stepping inside.
"We cleaned and prepared it when we were told that Teyrn Loghain was coming home with a new Teyrna"
"And yet you seemed so choked when he told you to escort me to this room"
"My lady…we knew the Teyrn married the Hero of Ferelden but nobody told us…you…forgive me I talk too much" the woman stuttered
"The seneschal didn't tell you I was an elf…this man must be very tolerant or very bigoted, who knows!" Kallian laughed.
"Do you wish anything else?"
"I'll be taking my meals in my room, so tell the cook if she wants me to stay away from her kitchen to send me my meals here"
"My lady, it is not her kitchen it is yours now, and you can fire and hire anyone you want. those are the traditions, the new mistress of the domain hires her own servants"
"Oh, tell everyone to ease their minds, I am not planning on changing the actual personnel"
"Thank you my Lady" the woman said before turning over to leave.
"Don't forget about the food!" she shouted, before she got into her room and closed the door.
The room was spacious and nicely decorated, the chests containing her personal belongings were carefully disposed at a corner near the bed.
The bed…it was nice and big but the decorations, the carvings, and the colors made Kallian uncomfortable... this bed was made for more than the only purpose of sleeping. She sighed and chased her fears away, the man hated her almost as much as she hated him. He would never seek her company in the intimacy he would rather jump off a cliff. The idea of him jumping off a cliff and dying made her smile as she took off her clothes and lay down for a nap.