She was in her sanctum, receiving a petitioner. She sighed in annoyance. Asking for a blessing? Without paying- ah, making a donation to the Chantry? What was this fool thinking? She would do no such thing.
She sent him away and leaned back in her seat. Perhaps it was time to leave after all. The Chantry saw fewer visitors each day, after all. There was little point in remaining for the darkspawn.
That was when she heard the screaming.
She leaned forward, frowning. "What is that?" she demanded, pointing to one of her templar guards. "Go and find out this instant."
The man bowed and retreated from her study, only to bounce off Ser Bryant as he practically charged into the room.
"Ser Bryant, what is the meaning of this foolishness?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Revered Mother, the darkspawn have arrived," he answered. "We need to leave now."
"The darkspawn?" she gasped. "No! No, they can't come now!"
"I know," he agreed, "we are unprepared, but nonetheless, the time has come. I will gather the villagers-"
"Why," continued the woman, "we'll have to rush just to get the collections chest, let alone my books, and I don't know what we'll be doing about the rest of the library…"
Bryant stared for a moment as she continued to mutter about her possessions before his lip curled and he turned to the templars in the room.
"You two, with me, now," he ordered, and strode away without a backward glance.
The Revered Mother, already bending to get at her personal stash of coins, didn't see them until they were gone.
She didn't care until she was finished collecting her personal favorite books, left her sanctum, and found the Chantry empty.
"Well!" she said. "I never!" Laboring under her possessions, and muttering about the uselessness of templars – having to carry her things by herself, ridiculous – she moved to the door, hearing movement outside.
"Ser Bryant," she panted, finally making it out, "I hope that you have an explana-"
The darkspawn outside did not react favorably to the sudden appearance of something that wasn't one of them. The Revered Mother of Lothering died when the nearest one stabbed her in the heart on reflex.
She was fortunate that she escaped the fate of a Broodmother.
A/N: A slight amount of personal bias on my part against the...esteemed Revered Mother may have slipped through here. I find I have little sympathy for those who refuse blessings because they haven't been paid. Seriously, tell her you can't pay. Literally, tell her that you have nothing to give. She'll sigh over how frequently this is happening with apparent sympathy. When you ask for her blessing, she'll snap at you about people who haven't donated asking for the Maker's blessing and refuse. Instant unfavorite character, just add pettiness!
In any event, I was merciful. She's a bit old to bear children, I imagine, but the darkspawn almost certainly would have tried anyway. Fortunate indeed that she surprised them and got stabbed for her troubles.
And no, the petitioner in this chapter is not the Warden. They won't be appearing in this story...yet, anyway.
