Author's Note: This chapter is long. Just as a warning. It's about as long as the first two chapters combined. It's the City Elf origin story, so it hints at rape and all that amazingly wonderful stuff. Oh, and I admittedly used a lot of dialogue from straight out of the game, though this chapter isn't as bad as chapter five will be.
I had known from the beginning that that day was going to change my life forever. The way that it played out, it changed my life in a way I didn't expect. And yet, no matter how horrible the events of that day... I have never regretted my decisions regarding it. I have never looked back on that day and thought "I wish this had gone differently." No, I've always believed that what happened that day was for the best. Always.
"Cousin, wake up!" Were the first words Chisa heard that morning, feeling herself being shaken. She had been sleeping - having a nice dream, at that - and she was being so rudely woken up by her cousin, Shianni. Her wedding, to a man she had never met, wasn't supposed to be for another three days yet.
Nelaros, she had been told his name was. An elf from Highever. And her father had apparently paid a relatively large sum of money in order to have him travel to Denerim. Because it "wasn't safe" for Chisa to travel, even though Chisa was the only elf in the alienage who knew anything of fighting.
And she had been told specifically not to make her betrothed aware of the fact that she had ever been trained in the art of fighting. Because that would cause trouble. Why would it cause trouble, anyway? She only knew the theory behind fighting; the one honest battle she had been in had been more of a joke than anything. And anyway, knowing how to fight wasn't the only oddity about her. About a year before that day, she had her face tattooed. Nothing as extravagant as the tattoos that the Dalish elves had. No, she would have never been able to deal with such a thing. She got enough odd looks from the other elves of the alienage and the guards, but she was proud of her defining mark.
"I'm awake, Shianni, I'm awake," Chisa replied with slight frustration as she sat up. "What time is it, anyway? Based on the light coming in through the window... it's about noon, isn't it? If you were going to wake me up like that, wouldn't it have been better to do it earlier?"
"We all thought you deserved it," Shianni replied with a smile. "You... do know what's happening today... right?"
"What, is there a rehearsal today or something? I didn't think you would actually insist on that. The wedding's in three days, remember?"
"No, no, the weddings are happening today! Your groom is here early!"
Chisa forced herself not to groan in annoyance. "I... see. And that means that we have to have it today?"
"The earlier, the better, cousin! And don't sound so unenthusiastic about it; I snuck a peek; he's absolutely handsome."
"Looks aren't everything. I don't even know him. But it's not worth arguing at this point. We both need to get ready then. I can't believe that you all just decided that hey, since Nelaros is here early, why not have the wedding the same day that he arrives? I mean, he obviously won't need time to recover from the journey here..."
"Actually, he got here last night, after you returned home. When I came by to tell you, you were already asleep."
"Oh. I see. That makes it so much better." Chisa sighed. "Well, I really should get ready, I suppose. They can't marry me off to a man I've never seen before if I'm not there... I think."
"Oh, come on, cousin! Weddings are so much fun! There'll be music, decorations, feasting..."
"And humans, especially those damned noblemen, lurking about, ready to interrupt the festivities. You remember what happened last time."
"But this time will be different, I promise."
"Because obviously, a double wedding will be less likely to get their attention." Chisa just shook her head. "Well, I really don't have a choice in the matter; I'm getting married today, and that's that. Father has been telling me anything and everything that I'll need to know, what to do... everything. I can't say I'm not prepared. Now you leave. This isn't getting done any earlier while I'm standing around chatting."
"That's the spirit... sort of. But it's like you say; I should go. You know, meet up with the other bridesmaids, find my dress... that sort of thing." As Shianni began to leave the room, she quickly turned back for a moment to add, "Oh, Soris said he'd be waiting outside for you."
"Okay," Chisa told her cousin. She watched as Shianni left.
At least someone was excited about all of this.
Chisa knew that Soris was just as happy about being married as she was. And the worst part was that despite Shianni being older than both Chisa and Soris, they were the ones getting married first. It just didn't make sense. But what was logical wasn't necessarily what happened. No, Chisa would just have to deal with the reality of being married. Married to a man she had never met, probably only similar due to the fact that they were both elves.
She forced herself to stand, dreading everything that was going to come. Against the wall was a small chest where she had been able to keep her belongings. Laid out on top of it was her wedding dress. It was beautiful, at least in comparison to the things she had ever been able to wear. It wasn't anything too overdone. It was simple enough for her tastes, with just the right amount of decoration to say "hey, I'm the important person here!"
...She really didn't want to get married.
After carefully putting on the dress, Chisa moved over to pick up her well-used brush. Her short, slightly reddish brown hair should have been easy to keep under control, but no matter how well she tried to take care of it, it was always a mess. She didn't need to have a mirror to know that much. Beyond the dress and her hair, she only had to grab the sharp knife from under her pillow (that her father didn't know that she even had there), and put it in her boot, like she did every morning. There was always a chance that something would go wrong, and she wasn't about to just let herself go down without a fight. Nelaros didn't have to know that she had it. He didn't have to know that she knew how to fight. But she had to have it; she would be horribly uncomfortable without it.
Once all of those preparations had been completed, Chisa went into the main room of the house, where her father was waiting. She smiled slightly as he caught sight of her. She couldn't hate him for wanting to see her married; he was her father after all.
"My little girl," he said, sounding amazed. "I... I suppose that this is the last day I'll be able to call you that. You look great, Chisa. My only wish is that your mother could be here to see this..."
"Why today?" Chisa asked suddenly. "He's here early, I get that much. But why couldn't you have at least given me a day to get to know him, and have it, say, two days early, instead of three?"
"So that you had less time to run away, my child. And even if you did not, Soris is even less excited about the arrangements, and therefore, we had to do what we could to keep him from leaving."
"Oh, come on, Soris doesn't have the guts to run away by himself. And to be honest, I just want to meet Nelaros before I marry him. The only reason I'd run away was if he seemed as if he would be horribly abusive with no good traits to make up for it. But I doubt that. You have good judgment, father. You wouldn't have found someone for me who would be that bad, and I know it. But really, it's been bothering me that I don't know anything about the man I'll be spending the rest of my life with besides the fact that he's from Highever. Do you know anything else?"
"He's the youngest son from a good family in Highever. A skilled blacksmith, from what I'm told. Beyond that, I don't know. Appearance-wise, you can ask Shianni."
"She's already expressed her excitement on the matter. The wedding itself, and the fact that my betrothed is, as she describes, absolutely handsome. I suppose she would know best, wouldn't she..."
"Anyway, Chisa, it's time for you to go find Soris. We need to get this wedding underway as soon as possible."
"Because otherwise Soris will run away, I know, I know." Chisa smiled slightly again. Despite how much she didn't really want to go through with the wedding, she knew she had to. "I'll see you later then, father."
Out the door, into the alienage. As always, people were wandering around, talking. Beggars, doing what they did best. But there was a different air around. It was the air of revelry, the joy of being blessed with two weddings on the same day. Just about everyone was happy, in their own way. And that was what Chisa loved about the alienage. Even though they were poor, and looked at as no better than dirt by many of the humans... they had a wonderful community. They looked after each other. And they were closer to each other than the humans in the main city. Even as more of an outcast, Chisa always felt comfortable in her home. She had never once truly considered leaving. She never wanted to live among the humans, or follow her childish fantasies of running away to the Dalish elves (though that didn't stop her from trying to study the Dalish culture when she had the opportunity). No, she had told herself that she would always live among the city elves, whether in Denerim or another city.
Well... there had been a few times she had considered leaving. Okay, more than a few. A lot more than a few. Enough times for her father to have a good reason to be concerned about whether she would actually stay for her wedding or not. Maybe that was why she and Soris were getting married before Shianni. Because the two of them had considered leaving so many times that some people might have actually thought that they were planning on doing just that.
Of course, people probably wouldn't have minded all that much if Chisa left. She was the odd one out of the alienage, after all. She felt like she was the only one willing to do something about how the humans treated them. Shianni was the only other one who ever talked back, who ever had a look in her eye that threatened to do something, but Chisa was the only one who had ever acted on her impulse to do something about it. Chisa was the only one who had actually helped to fight the nobles who came.
It had been during the time of the Landsmeet earlier that year. The third year that the younger son of the Cousland family had gone to try to defend the elves. The first year, he had succeeded. The second, he had gotten incorrect information. But that year, he had been there every night to make sure that nothing went wrong. And he had been losing the battle. Chisa, of course, had been watching. When she saw him losing the fight as badly as he was, getting as injured as he was, she joined in. She helped to drive them off, and the Teyrn's son had admitted that he would have definitely lost, and potentially gotten himself killed, without her help. She had fought back, and been successful. If only the others were at all willing to follow her example.
Although telling her that Soris would be waiting outside was a very vague description, Chisa knew where the younger of her cousins would be waiting. There was just that spot, the one location where someone in the alienage was almost certain to find Chisa or one of her cousins. Or a combination of the three. As Chisa approached, Soris greeted her. "Well, if it isn't my lucky cousin," he spoke, moving away from the building that he had been leaning on. "Care to celebrate the end of our independence together?"
"Were we ever really independent, anyway? Just saying. Anyway, it'll be all right. We'll get through it, and hopefully, it won't be too bad. I'm just as excited as you are," Chisa replied.
"You have every reason to be excited. Shianni said that your groom is a dream come true. My bride sounds like a dying mouse."
"Shianni says a lot of things. And she couldn't be that bad."
"Yes, she could be. But no matter. Let's go introduce you to your dreamy betrothed before you say 'I do.'"
Chisa sighed. There was no point trying to remind Soris that she didn't care about looks, that he probably had the better person anyway. Soris was marrying one of the girls who had been raised in the orphanage, who, like Soris, had to have her marriage arranged by the elder. Soris had had the chance to meet his wife-to-be many times already, so even if he didn't like her much, he had enough time to come to terms with the arrangement... not to mention that Valendrian had said that if there was absolutely no way that they would be compatible with each other, one or both could approach him and ask for things to be changed. Considering that the marriage was still going to happen, Soris probably liked her more than he let on.
Chisa, on the other hand, was marrying a man from Highever. From what she understood, the alienage there was quite nice, with the local nobles being friendly (she was quite familiar with how nice Highever's nobles were), and therefore, he would have difficulty adjusting to the lifestyle of Denerim's alienage. There wasn't much that a blacksmith could do in Denerim; sure, he could try to get a job in one of the shops in the Merchant Quarter, but he would probably be little more than a simple assistant. In the end, they would probably go back to Highever so that they could actually live. Which Chisa didn't want. Just because the nobles there weren't about to grab elves off the street to "have fun" with didn't mean that she would enjoy life there. She wouldn't have real family. She would have to meet new people.
And yet, she wouldn't necessarily be an outcast.
No, she told herself. She could not leave her home behind, not unless it was absolutely necessary. Denerim was her home. Her father had paid for Nelaros to marry her in her home, even though Nelaros' family could have paid for her to be sent there. She understood the logic behind the dowry, even if it wasn't the most cheery thing in the world. A monetary payment and loss of a child for one family, and loss of money and a new family member for the other. It wasn't particularly fair, but it made enough sense.
"Let go of me, please!" Suddenly, the voice of a scared woman cut through the normal sounds of the alienage. Chisa went from the walking pace she had been using to a run in order to see what was going on. A few elven woman were gathered, facing towards Chisa and Soris. In front of them were three human men, one of whom Chisa recognized as one of the nobles that she had helped Medren fight that one time. Chisa frowned. She had told Shianni that something would go wrong, and her cousin hadn't believed her.
"It's a party, isn't it?" The noble replied in that sickening way that most nobles spoke, "Grab a whore and have a good time." He laughed, and turned his head towards where Shianni stood among the women. "Savor the hunt, boys. Take this little elven wench here... so young and vulnerable..."
He began to approach Shianni, who clearly appeared displeased. "Touch me and I'll gut you, pig!" She exclaimed. That was what Chisa loved about Shianni. She didn't run away when she was in danger like most of the other women. Even if she didn't go so far as to literally fight back, she sure made it seem like she would.
"Please, my lord! We're celebrating weddings here!" One of the men on the side said. That wouldn't go over well. No, begging nobles like that would only encourage them.
The nobleman looked at the elf who just spoke. "Silence, worm!" He shouted, and proceeded to knock the man to the ground.
Chisa took a step forward to get involved, when Soris stopped her. "Look," he whispered, "I know what you're thinking, but maybe we shouldn't get involved..."
"Objection noted," Chisa replied. "Now, get out of my way and let me do what I need to do."
"Can we at least try to be diplomatic?" Soris asked. His request went almost unheard to Chisa as she moved forward.
"You!" Chisa shouted angrily, "get out of here, now!"
"What's this?" The noble asked, turning to look at Chisa. Getting a clear look at his face, she was able to recognize him as the one that Medren had referred to as Vaughan. "Another lovely one to keep me company?" Then, his face became a deep frown. "Oh. I remember you. Overconfident, aren't you, without the Cousland boy here to protect you?"
"It was two against at least ten, maybe even fifteen. One on three? I can handle that, no problem," Chisa replied with a smile.
Vaughan scoffed. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Oh, yes. You're a noble, who thinks he can do whatever he wants and then complain to mommy and daddy if something goes wrong. I have no respect for you, shem." Chisa spat out that last word. She almost never used it, despite how often Shianni or any of the others used it to describe any human. It sounded too dirty, in her opinion, and so she reserved it for the worst humans.
Chisa realized that as she spoke, Shianni ran off to grab an empty bottle. Just as Chisa finished her statement, Shianni smashed the bottle against Vaughan's head, knocking him out. Chisa would definitely have to congratulate her cousin on a job well done.
"Are you insane?" One of Vaughan's henchmen exclaimed. "This is Vaughan Urien, the arl of Denerim's son!"
That mattered very little to Chisa. So what if he was a noble; he brought it upon himself. But Shianni was clearly distressed, considering how Chisa heard her mutter, "W-what? Oh, Maker..."
"Well that's great for him," Chisa replied venomously. "Now I'd suggest you take your precious arl's son away from here and stay away for the rest of the day. I can't promise that it'll just be a bottle to the head next time."
"You've a lot of nerve, knife-ears. This'll go badly for you."
Chisa ignored the men as they picked up Vaughan's unconscious body and walked away. They would be back, most likely. Nothing was ever as easy as just hitting a guy in the head with a bottle.
"I really messed up this time," Shianni whispered loud enough to be heard.
"Don't worry," Chisa replied. "He won't admit to having been taken down by an elf. He certainly didn't after last time."
"I... hope so. I should go get cleaned up." Shianni walked away to take care of that.
"Is everyone else all right?" Soris asked.
"I think we're just shaken," one of the women replied. "What was that all about?"
"It looks like the arl's son started drinking a little too early today," Soris replied with a slight laugh. "Anyway, um... let's not let this ruin the day. Chisa, this is Valora, my betrothed." He gestured to the woman who had just spoken.
Chisa noted a man standing right next to Valora, and looked at him. "I assume that this young man is Nelaros?"
"I am indeed," he replied. She had to admit; he was handsome. Of course, that didn't mean that she would automatically like him. "I've heard a lot about you, from Soris and others. Some of it was even positive," he added with a laugh.
"Hey, I was just trying to give you a suitable chance to run," Soris replied, smiling. "Anyway, I'm sure you two have a lot to discuss. I'll leave you to it."
Soris and Valora moved to a different area in order to allow Chisa and Nelaros to speak. "So... um... what's life like in Highever?" Chisa asked.
"It can be a bit of a mess sometimes. The Teyrn's younger son often comes by the alienage there. He's much kinder than... well, you know. Highever is smaller than Denerim, though, so the guards around don't change quite as often. They're nowhere near as kind, and will often risk punishment in order to..."
"I... see. Well, here in Denerim, the local nobles love coming around here, and many of the guards tend to try to get stationed here. Never seen the king, though; I doubt that his wife or any of his advisors let him come by for multiple reasons. I've heard he's a good person, and so if he saw how horrible conditions are here, he'd probably try to change it, and none of the nobles would want that. Well, very few of them."
"Most likely, Lord Medren is the only who would agree with such a motion. From what I've heard, the rest of the Cousland family does not share as strong of an opinion as Lord Medren."
"What do you think makes him like that, though? If he's been raised to not be particularly fond of elves, or at least to think of us as way below him, why is he so friendly?"
"I think it's because of how he was treated in Highever. His skin is very sensitive, and so he can't go outside for very long unless it's cloudy or he applies a skin cream of sorts that he often complains about. Many of the humans within the city are overly nice to him because of it, and it seems to annoy him. We elves don't really treat him any differently, though. There's the extra respect because he's one of the local nobles, but to be honest, the first time any of us saw him, we had no idea who he was. We treated him perhaps a little bit friendlier than we did most humans because he appeared to have money, which, as you might imagine, everyone desperately needed. But beyond that, it was the same treatment as any human. He seemed to respect that, and started to come by the alienage whenever possible to become more acquainted with us."
"So you know him pretty well, I'd imagine."
"Yes, I think I was one of the people who had gotten to know him the best. As you may be aware, I'm a blacksmith; he had actually commissioned a sword from me at one point. It was quite an honor. Before I left to come here, he wished me a safe journey, and also warned me that you might be a bit difficult to handle." Nelaros chuckled. "I can see where he got that bit. He never mentioned that you two ever fought alongside each other, though."
"Well... it is against the law for an elf in the Denerim alienage to have a weapon, and I kind of had one. I also bet he's too embarrassed to admit that I saved his ass that night."
"He also had a wedding gift for you. I left it with your father, though."
"Really? Now that's not something I would have expected from a noble, even him. ...Great, that means I'll probably have to send a thank-you note. That'll be a pain."
Suddenly, Soris and Valora came over to where they were talking. "Come on, cousin," he said. "We should let them get ready."
"We'll see you two in a bit," Valora told Chisa and Soris. "Don't disappear on us."
"Or we'll come find you," Nelaros added with a smile.
"I wasn't planning on disappearing," Chisa replied, also smiling.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. At least she and Nelaros had something in common: they both respected the man known as Medren Cousland. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Some more time was spent talking to Soris and some of the other people in the alienage. Whether they really cared or not, almost everyone was attending the event, Chisa realized. It was a big enough deal when one person was getting married; two weddings in one day caused quite a commotion. The people who didn't care as much kept their distance, however, and so Chisa and Soris were mainly greeted by those who were happy for them.
Eventually, however, they knew it was time for the ceremony to begin, and so they approached the stage. Valora and Nelaros, along with everyone else needed for the wedding other than Chisa and Soris, were already there. "Soris, there you are!" Valora exclaimed when they arrived. "I was afraid you'd run off."
"No, no, I'm here, with Nelaros' blushing bride in tow!" Soris replied with a smile as he and Chisa took their positions.
"You look radiant," Nelaros said quietly to her. He had probably just forgotten to compliment her before while they were busy discussing respectable people. Either that or politeness had simply slipped his mind. Chisa hoped it was the former.
"It looks like everyone's ready," Soris said. Chisa wasn't sure who he was saying it to, but he said it. Chisa said nothing in return, simply giving her cousin a nod in acknowledgement.
Valendrian then began to speak. "Friends and family, today we celebrate not only this joining, but also our bonds of kin and kind. We are a free people, but that was not always so. Andraste, the Maker's prophet, freed us from the bonds of slavery. As our community grows, remember that our strength lies in commitment to tradition and to each other."
Mother Boann then stepped forward. "Thank you, Valendrian," she said. "Now, let us begin. In the name of the Maker, who brought us this world, and whose name we say in the Chant of Light, I-"
The commotion in the audience caused everyone on the stage to turn to see just what was going on. It was the last thing that they needed, but Chisa had expected it. Vaughan was back with his two henchmen from before, and he had about a dozen armed guards with him. She bit her lower lip. It was not odds that she could easily handle. "Milord," Mother Boann said, "this is... an unexpected surprise."
Vaughan pushed his way up onto the stage. "Sorry to interrupt, Mother, but I'm having a party and we're dreadfully short of female guests." He began laughing. Chisa knew exactly what was coming, lifting her foot up in preparation to kick or grab her knife.
"Milord, this is a wedding!" Mother Boann shouted angrily.
"Ha! If you want to dress up your pets and have tea parties, that's your business. But don't pretend that this is a proper wedding." At that point, all of Vaughan's men had made their way onto the stage, as well. Chisa was afraid, but she refused to show it. She wouldn't likely be able to handle fifteen men, not on her own. But she had to be brave. She had to be an example as to how her people should act, how they should stand up for themselves. She wouldn't just sit back and let herself be taken. Then, Vaughan spoke again. "Now, we're here for a good time, aren't we boys?"
One of Vaughan's henchmen from earlier spoke up in response as he laughed in a way that made Chisa shudder. "Just a good time with the ladies, that's all." The other man from before simply laughed.
"Let's take these two," Vaughan said, gesturing at the bridesmaids other than Shianni, "the one in the tight dress," he gestured towards Valora, "and... where's the bitch that bottled me?"
"Over here, Lord Vaughan!" Called out one of the henchmen. Chisa was losing track of which one was which; they sounded similar, and looked way too much alike for her liking. From her position, she could do nothing as the man grabbed Shianni.
"Let me go, you stuffed-shirt son of a-" Shianni shouted as she began to fight back, but was promptly interrupted by Vaughan.
"Oh, I'll enjoy taming her." The nobleman turned to look at Chisa. "And see the pretty bride..."
"Don't worry," Nelaros whispered to Chisa, "I won't let them take you!"
"I can handle myself. I know how to fight, and I'm not afraid to use that knowledge," Chisa said in response.
As Vaughan approached her, she responded with an attempt to kick him. Much to her dismay, she missed, and was quickly surrounded by some of the guards. She was roughly hit in the back of the head and knocked down. She felt her consciousness slip, the last things she heard being the screams of the other women.
"Maker keep us; Maker protect us. Maker keep us; Maker protect us."
"Stop it! You're driving me insane!"
Chisa slowly opened her eyes, hearing the commotion around her. She wasn't on the wooden stage in the alienage. No, she was on some kind of a stone floor. Of course; Vaughan had captured all of the women at the wedding. Chisa began to sit up, hearing Shianni speak, "Oh, thank the Maker you've come to. We were so worried..."
"All right then, those humans will all find themselves dead within the hour," Chisa murmured to herself.
"Glad to see you've still got some fight in you," Shianni smiled.
"They locked us in here to wait until that... bastard is 'ready for us.'" Valora explained.
"Well I don't know about any of you, but I'm not going down without a fight," Chisa replied. "I'll kill the first human that walks in the door."
"We're five unarmed women!" One of the bridesmaids replied. "What makes you think that we can kill anyone?"
The other bridesmaid suddenly began to speak once again, "Maker keep us; Maker protect us. Maker keep us; Maker protect us..."
"Great!" Shianni exclaimed, "This again."
Chisa stood up, "We can't just sit around and let them have their way. We have to fight back, or at least do something to show them that they can't get away with whatever they want to do just because they're bigger than us."
"No," the bridesmaid who wasn't praying replied, "We should just do what they want, go home, and then try to forget that this ever happened!"
"She's right," Valora said. "It'll be worse if we resist."
"It'll be worse if we don't!" Shianni argued. "I'm with Chisa on this one."
"Someone's coming!" The bridesmaid told them.
"Do what you think best," Chisa instructed. "I'm going to resist. You can be cowards and go with them if you want."
The door opened. Some guards entered. They were all armed, clearly prepared for someone to fight back. So they weren't completely stupid, after all. "Hello wenches," the group's leader said. "We're your escorts to Lord Vaughan's little party."
"Stay away from us!" The praying bridesmaid exclaimed. The head guard took a step forward and drew his sword, simply slashing it at the woman. She fell back, dead.
"You killed her!" The other bridesmaid shouted.
"I suppose that's what happens when you try teaching whores some respect." The guard captain then turned to the other guards. "Now, you grab the little flower cowering in the corner. Horace and I'll take the homely bride and the drunk. You two, bind the last one. She's the scrapper."
Shianni, Valora, and the bridesmaid were taken then, Shianni's attempt at resistance having easily been ignored by the guards. The final two guards approached Chisa once the others had done what they needed to. "Don't worry; we'll be perfect gentlemen," One of them said to her.
"Now, you heard the captain," the other continued, "Be a good little wench or you'll end up like your friend, there."
"Try it," Chisa said with a friendly smile. "Let's see what parts you lose, first."
"Hah, Horace was right! She is a scrapper!" One of the guards exclaimed, sounding almost pleased. Chisa bent down to grab her knife out of her boot. It wasn't much, but it was something. She had fought against more than two with just that knife, after all.
She moved into a defensive stance as the two guards unsheathed their weapons. What Chisa didn't expect was hearing two sudden thunks, followed by the guards falling to the ground. There stood Soris, wielding a wooden floorboard. Without a second thought, Chisa bent over and slit the guards' throats.
"I... can't believe they killed her! Are you all right? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Soris asked
"They're not strong enough," Chisa replied with a smile, "Of course, you really saved me there; I doubt I would have been able to handle that alone."
"Thank the Maker! Hopefully we can still save the others."
"We'll need to hurry."
"Nelaros is guarding the end of the hall. Let's figure this out with him."
"Nelaros is here?"
"Yes, he's the reason we're here. He lost it on the people who just wanted to 'hope for the best.' I... didn't know what to do."
"You've made the right choice in my opinion. Did you have to fight many guards to get in here?"
"We snuck in, although Nelaros did take down a guard armed only with a kitchen knife duller than yours. He's a savage fighter."
"Definitely a good match for me then. Let's hurry. We'll see if we can find better equipment as we go - for now, you take this guy's club and shield and I'll take the other's longsword and pair it with my knife. Lead the way, Soris."
Running down the hall to get to Nelaros involved the killing of quite a few guards. Not that Chisa minded, of course; it was more practice, which would be useful when they got to wherever Vaughan was. When she had decided that he would die within the hour, she meant it.
Then, they reached the room at the end of the hall. There stood Nelaros, along with three guards. If they had gotten there just a few moments sooner, he may not have had to die. The moment that Chisa ran into the room, weapons unsheathed, ready to run the guards through, Nelaros was killed, right before her eyes. She hadn't been excited about marrying him in the first place, even if it was clear that they would get along well, but she had never wished death upon him.
"Nelaros..." Soris muttered. "I-I'm so sorry..."
"He died to save me..." Chisa whispered, shocked. She bent down to look at his fresh corpse, trying not to cry over a man she hardly knew. She couldn't help but pick up the gold ring he had, deciding she would keep it in order to remember what happened. She slipped it onto her finger as she stood back up. "Let's go. We need to save the others. Nelaros won't have died in vain."
"Yes, of course."
More and more guards were slain, bringing Chisa and Soris closer to their goal. Thankfully, the hallway was relatively straightforward. There were a few side rooms that they entered, picking up whatever they could find from inside chests and other things. Eventually, they arrived in the room where Vaughan and his two henchmen (who were probably lesser nobles, Chisa realized) were. Shianni was there too, clearly afraid. It appeared there had been some fighting going on, the men's faces appearing to be scratched up slightly. Chisa wasn't certain how much had happened; perhaps they had just finished with whatever they had decided to do to Shianni, or maybe nothing had happened at all by that point. Either way, Chisa wouldn't just stand by and watch.
Chisa and Soris' entrance was clearly obvious to Vaughan, considering how he turned to look at them. "Well now, what have we here?"
"We'll make short work of these two," one of the henchmen said.
"Silence, idiot! They're covered in more than enough blood to fill at large tub. What do you think that means?"
"It means all of your guards are very dead, and we want to see the women you kidnapped returned to the alienage. All of them. I might just let you live if you agree quickly and quietly," Chisa replied.
"Considering that you're here, and from my own past experiences, you obviously have quite a bit of skill. We could fight, and you might just manage to kill me. But what would that do for you? My father wouldn't let you get away with that. Your alienage would be burned to the ground. Or... you could just leave, with forty sovereigns added to your purses. You can take the money and leave Denerim tonight, and there'll be no problems. Your women will be returned in the morning, and everyone'll be happy," Vaughan explained.
"Riiiight. And after all this trouble, you expect to pay me to leave you alone? I may be poor, but I won't throw away my pride for any amount of money. You're just scared. I've fought you once, and won. Soris and I have killed many of your guards, and although we're injured, we're not done yet. If you thought you could take us on, you would have attacked us the moment we entered the room. We would have been unrested, for one thing, and that would have made it easier. You have the advantage, anyway. You're three humans, and we're two elves. You're bigger than us, and you have numbers to your advantage. If you fought us in that situation, you would have been able to have your way in the end, and keep your forty sovereigns. Are you honestly afraid? We're exhausted, after all. We're injured, inexperienced, and haven't had any of the training you've certainly had."
"How dare you accuse me of being afraid! I am not afraid of you knife-ears, and I see now that you're unable to accept kindness where you should!"
"Prove to me that you're not a coward, then."
"Wait, Chisa, just a moment," Soris said. "What if... what if he's right? What if they purge the alienage again?"
"They will no matter what we do. If we leave and accept the money, there's still the issue of how we killed all of those guards. Do you really trust a human to ensure that there are no problems? He wants us to leave Denerim, Soris. He wants to ensure that we're not here when he causes problems, because he's not strong enough to stop us. But look, I understand if you don't want to take the blame for any of this. I'll understand if you choose to stay back and not do anything this fight. I may think of you as a bit more of a coward than I used to, but hey, I'll forgive you at least."
"I'll... stand by you, Chisa. You're right."
"Bah!" Vaughan exclaimed, "I shouldn't have bothered to even try to talk to you stupid knife-ears!" He drew his sword, moving into an offensive stance.
Chisa quickly examined her surroundings, seeing an opportunity to dart into the shadows and stay hidden. If she did that, she would be less likely to be seen, and she could get a clean hit on any one of the three. Soris was the one with the better protection, after all; he would be okay for a time while she moved into position.
She quickly hid, easily confusing her enemies. They must have been extremely stupid if they couldn't find her; she wasn't that good at hiding after she had already been seen. She positioned herself behind the arl's son and stabbed at his back with the sword she had been using.
He screamed in pain, but Chisa wasn't done with her attack. She twisted the sword, and stuck her knife into his back as well. She wasn't sure where she hit, but it didn't matter. His wounds were too deep (and the sword had probably gone all the way through, considering how far forward her hand had gone when she stuck it in), so even if he didn't die right away, he would end up bleeding to death. All the better. He deserved worse, perhaps to be beheaded, but she decided against it. Do the humans a service and at least leave his body in one piece.
With Vaughan's death ensured, Chisa moved on to help Soris make quick work of the other two. It couldn't have taken very long; not with strikes to the right places.
"Th-they're dead," Soris said, breathing heavily. "Tell me we did the right thing, cousin."
"We did. There's no way that it couldn't be the right thing."
"I... hope you're right. I... I'll go check the back room for the others. Shianni needs you right now."
Chisa nodded, watching Soris rush over to the door on the other side of the room. Chisa knelt down next to her other cousin, helping Shianni to sit up.
"D-don't leave me alone," Shianni said, sounding absolutely terrified, with tears starting to form in her eyes. "Please... please, take me home..."
"Are you able to walk?" Chisa asked softly.
"I... I think so." At that point, it was as if Shianni just saw the blood covering Chisa's clothes. "You... killed them, right? You killed them all."
"Yes, Shianni. Like the dogs that they are."
"Good. Good." After saying those two words, Shianni passed out. But she was alive. That was what was important.
At that point, Soris came back with Valora and the bridesmaid who had not been killed. "Is... Is she going to be all right?" Valora asked as she walked over.
"It looks like it," Chisa replied, "We'll have to carry her out, though, but that shouldn't be much of a problem."
"Shianni's strong," Valora said with a smile, "She'll recover."
"We... should go. Soon. As in, now," Soris suggested.
"Yes, let's get out of here. I've had more than enough of this place," Chisa replied.
"I'll take the rear." Quietly, Soris added, "I can't wait to leave this place."
The walk back to the alienage was thankfully uneventful beyond Shianni waking up. Once they arrived in the alienage, Valora and the bridesmaid took Shianni back to Chisa's house right away. Chisa and Soris stayed by the gate.
"I can't believe we managed to do that," Soris said. "I mean... I just thought that Nelaros was getting ahead of himself, that there was no chance that we would succeed, but I went with him anyway. And... I know that he..."
"Yes, he's dead," Chisa replied. "But he did a great thing. He gave you the opportunity to get to me in time, so that we could save the others before Vaughan got to all of them. Someday, I'll have to go to Highever and tell his family what happened... I'll make sure that I do."
Soris opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by some guards approaching the alienage through the gate they were standing near.
"Don't. Run." Chisa said softly. "They know what we did, and they've seen us. And even if they don't know what we did, we're covered in blood and have weapons on our backs. There's nothing we can do to stop what's going to happen now."
Soris simply nodded. The guards entered the alienage, their stares fixed on Chisa and Soris. "You two are the ones who killed Lord Vaughan," one of the guards stated. "I suggest you come with us quietly so that we are not forced to harm you."
Chisa nodded, and closed her eyes, expecting to be grabbed roughly and dragged away somewhere or another. But what happened was different. She heard Valendrian's voice. "What is the matter, guards?" He asked.
"I'm sure you're aware that these two have been in the Arl of Denerim's estate. What you may not be aware of, is that they killed Lord Vaughan Urien. Therefore, they are to be thrown into the Arl of Denerim's dungeons to be dealt with when he returns from Ostagar."
"I see. However, I have a letter here that arrived just earlier today concerning the woman you plan to imprison. You may wish to have a look at it."
Chisa opened her eyes slowly to see the guard carefully reading over the letter. He seemed to be murmuring the contents to himself. Clearly, he didn't like what he was reading, because a frown had begun to form on his face, and it kept on getting deeper.
After a time, he handed the letter back to Valendrian and said, "this is a genuine letter, yes. The woman is free to go. However, if she is not gone from this city and on her way to Ostagar by the time I do my rounds here tomorrow, I will ignore this Conscription and take her into custody anyway. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Ser," Valendrian replied. "I will ensure that she is gone by sundown."
"And this one," the guard placed his hand on Soris' shoulder, "is not covered by the letter. Therefore, he will still be taken into custody."
"I would not demand otherwise, Ser."
Chisa watched as the guards took Soris away. Once they were out of sight, she turned to the alienage's elder, "What was that about?"
"Three months ago, if you recall, a Grey Warden named Duncan came through the alienage looking for potential recruits. He asked me about you, seeing that you would have been a suitable Grey Warden. I explained that your wedding was in the process of being arranged. However, he and I spoke with your father, and it was decided that Duncan would leave us with a Letter of Conscription. Should something go wrong, he explained, we needed to only show the letter to the authorities and they would be forced to send you to Ostagar to assist the Grey Wardens there."
"So the letter didn't arrive today. You just said that it did."
"They certainly wouldn't have let you go if I told them that it had been sitting in my house for three months, now would they?"
"Point taken."
"I will go alert your father of the situation. I suggest that you go collect your things and say your good-byes. You will have to leave as soon as possible."
"Of course. Thank you. I'll do my best." Chisa ran off to her house. Her father probably had been forced out of the building, considering Shianni's condition. It wasn't her father that she wanted to see at that point, though. She would want to speak to him after everything was over, yes, but for the time, she wanted to apologize to Valora for not being able to save Soris, and she wanted to check on Shianni.
When Chisa entered the house, Valora approached her. "You look upset," she said. "Did something happen?"
"The guards came," Chisa explained. "Valendrian had a letter from the Grey Wardens that conscripted me, so I was safe. Soris... wasn't so lucky. If I had the chance, I would have told them that he didn't do anything, but they recognized both of us. There was no way to stop them from taking him."
"I... I understand. If there was nothing that could have been done..."
"I doubt they'll kill him right away. If I ever get the chance, I'll figure out a way to free him; I swear it."
"That's... more than I could ask of you. But... anyway, Shianni seems to have regained herself. I'll leave you two alone. I wish you luck as a Grey Warden, Chisa." Valora left the building, appearing somewhat upset, and yet not.
Considering how she didn't see her cousin at the time, Chisa assumed that Shianni was in the back. Therefore, she went to find her cousin.
"I heard what you said to Valora... it's too bad that nothing could have been done... poor Soris..." Shianni said quietly.
"I'll make sure I find a way to get him out of there someday. What sucks is that I have to go. Tonight. If I could stay longer, I would."
"Before you go, let me tell you something. You've always been there for me, but... what happened... was beyond what anyone could expect from another person. When the world was at its worst... I didn't expect that anyone would come; I thought that there was no reason to hope for anything. But then, you came, fire in your eyes, like something out of a storybook. I'll never forget what you did today." Shianni sighed. "I love you, cousin. Make us proud out there."
"I will, Shianni. And Shianni? I love you too."
"Oh, before I forget! When Nelaros first got here, he left a box with your father... said it was from the Teyrn of Highever's younger son, a wedding gift. It's over here... I think you should have it, even though the wedding didn't end well." Shianni picked up the small box from the table and handed it to Chisa.
Chisa stared at it for a few moments. The box was about the size needed for a piece of jewelry, perhaps a bit bigger. She was unsure of whether she was supposed to open it right then and there, or if she should wait until later, when she was alone, resting for the night.
"Come on, cousin, open it!" Shianni urged. Apparently, she was just as interested in the gift as Chisa.
Chisa opened the box, still uncertain of what to expect. When the top was removed, she noticed that there were three main things inside of the box. There was a note on the top, one that she would have to make sure she read. On the side, there was what looked like sovereigns; there couldn't have been many, but it didn't really surprise her that her noble friend had given her money. The third thing was not quite as easy to make out; she saw what looked like a chain underneath the note. Had he given her a necklace or something?
Before looking to see exactly what it was, she read the note:
Chisa,
You know, I'd have started this out with 'Miss Chisa Tabris' or something like that, except for the fact that by the time you're reading this, you should be going by a different name. For all the time I've known him, I've never actually learned what Nelaros' family name is, so that's why I'm not addressing you by it.
Enclosed in this box is, as you can tell, this note. Along with it are fifteen sovereigns, which I hope will help you. Also, you may wonder what the pendant I've included is. Traditionally, a gold version of the pendant is given to the highest knights of Highever. Although I had to settle for silver (my father would not let me give you a gold one, for obvious reasons), I chose to give you a pendant in the same style to represent that you have earned my respect.
I wish you well in your married life, and I hope you remember that you will always have a friend in House Cousland.
--Medren
Chisa stared at the note, surprised. After coming to terms with what had been said there (of course, she would have to let him know at some point that the wedding had been ruined), she removed the note from the box to look at the pendant.
At first, it looked as if it would be a simple chain with a charm on it that could be removed. Then, she realized, that if the charm was removable, the chain would just fall off the wearer. She had seen House Cousland's crest, before. She remembered how Medren's brother, the one time she had met him, carried a shield with the symbol of the laurels on it. But she had never considered how the laurels could be connected to the chain in the way that it was, making it a part of the chain.
And even though it wasn't made out of gold, it had been so carefully crafted that there was no way that it could possibly be seen as an imitation. Chisa carefully picked it up out of the box and put it on, feeling the cool metal touch her skin. Something about wearing it gave her a sense of pride. Pride that would hopefully give her an air of knowing what she was talking about, so that maybe people would listen to her. Yes, that was what she felt now that she wore the necklace.
"It's lovely," Shianni commented.
"It is," Chisa agreed. "If I ever see him again, I'll have to thank him. But now... now, I have to pack my things, and change into something that isn't so bloody. Then, I have to figure out just how I'm supposed to get myself to Ostagar."
It was exciting, the fact that she was going to become a Grey Warden. And at the same time, it was terrifying. First, there was the fact that there would be nobles collected at Ostagar. The king, for one, not to mention Arl Urien. The camp would consist mostly of humans, with elves acting as servants. The Grey Wardens, as well, would be mostly human.
But she would be strong. She would be able to handle it, no matter what happened. After all, a large group of humans couldn't be that bad. There would be places to hide. And from her own experience, there were humans who were nice and helpful. Clearly, this Duncan fellow had to be to have left an escape route for her.
All she had to do was speak with her father, and then go.
