Chapter 4: Heroes
On the morning of the Landsmeet, the party assembled at the hall of the estate, every last one of them armed and armored for battle in case their bid for Alistair to take the throne did not pan out. For this momentous occasion, Daylen had donned the Warden Commander's armor set that the Dryden's had salvaged from Soldier's Peak. Proudly displaying the double-headed griffin emblem across his chestplate, Daylen looked every inch the legendary Grey Warden of old.
Alistair, on the other hand, had donned the late king's golden armor they had reclaimed at Ostagar. With his brother's shield and his father's blade strapped to his back, Alistair cut quite a heroic figure standing next to his Warden brother. Bethany suspected this controversial fashion choice must have been the result of a lengthy argument that Alistair had lost.
Loghain looked ready to spit fire when he saw the Wardens at the Landsmeet. "Ah! And here we have the puppeteer! Tell us Warden, how will the Orlesians take our nation from us? Will they deign to send their troops, or simply issue their commands through their would-be-prince?"
"Neither." Daylen said confidently. "Your paranoia is their best weapon. All they need to do is keep their borders closed and let the darkspawn have us. Without the Warden's ability to slay the Archdemon, the Blight will reduce Ferelden to ashes."
"Lies! Sheer arrogance!" Loghain shouted. "The Grey Wardens betrayed the King at Ostagar! I'll have you executed for treason!"
"Then the Grey Wardens must be terrible at playing traitors if we were almost killed to a man while you got away with your own units intact." Daylen laughed harshly. "Which one is more likely - the Grey Wardens conspiring with the Orlesians to get themselves all killed in battle, or the valiant Hero of River Dane being too prideful to admit his role in the defeat at Ostagar that he had to resort to finger pointing?"
Loghain's face purpled with indignation. "You Wardens got Cailan killed by poisoning his mind with grandiose tales of griffins and heroics. I saved half of our army!"
But Daylen's argument had sent a wave of doubt ripping through the nobles at the Landsmeet. People were nodding while eyeing Loghain with clear disdain. It appeared the Teyrn did not have many true friends at court. Some of them must have harbored an old grudge against the peasant-turn-noble for rising above his station.
"So you claimed." Alistair was having none of that. "Cailan was king, but he appointed you as the general of the entire army, did he not? As the commanding general, honor demands you take responsibility of losing the battle. I had thought you were merely a faithless traitor. Now it appears you're an honorless coward!"
"You know nothing! I have bled for this country. A snot-nosed brat like you doesn't get to lecture me on honor and sacrifices!" Alistair's attack on his personal honor had hit a nerve. Loghain was shaking with rage now, and once he completely lost it in front of the nobles, they would win.
Daylen smirked. "But being honorless is not your only crime, Teyrn Loghain. We've discovered your slavery ring with your Tevinter business partners. Tell us; what's the punishment for consorting with hostile foreign agents for profit? Do you think we will let you get away with selling Fereldan citizens into slavery?"
The nobles didn't like that one bit. They demanded Loghain to explain himself. The answer he provided was so pitiful, no one was buying it.
Alistair shook his head at Loghain in disgust. "That's your excuse? Because their living conditions are so bad, that slavery is mercy? Whose fault is that?! You are the regent of the Crown, your duty is to protect Ferelden, to improve her citizens' lives, not sell them to a foreign nation for profit when you failed at your job. You're not taking responsibility for anything! I'm seeing a pattern here."
"Death before slavery, Teyrn Loghain. As a veteran in King Maric's Rebellion, you of all people should understand that." Daylen tutted at the old general.
The two Wardens had clearly rehearsed their lines beforehand. Their breathless tag-team attack had pressed Loghain on the defensive from the get go. And Loghain was a dour military man, not a charismatic orator who could spin tales endlessly. They listed out every transgression meticulously, each accusation crafted to attack his personal honor, thus whittling his credibility down to nothing. They rounded off the long list of accusations by pointing out that the Blight was the true threat to Ferelden, and that Loghain's selfish power grab had harmed them all.
Loghain's effort to turn the table by accusing the Wardens of kidnapping his daughter ended up blowing up in his face. Queen Anora strolled into the hall and accused her own father of betraying her late husband to his death by quitting the battlefield, that he had locked her away to seize power to the throne. If the situation of a daughter turning on her own father weren't so tragic, Bethany would have laughed at the incredulous look on Loghain's face.
Under siege from all sides, Loghain called for unity, relying on his history of aiding King Maric to end Orlesian occupation to sway the nobles. His plea fell on deaf ears. One by one, the nobles cried out their supports to the Grey Wardens. Loghain was alone and friendless.
"Traitors! Which of you stood against the Orlesian emperor when his troops flattened your fields and raped your wives?" Foaming with fury, Loghain's control on his temper snapped. "None of you deserve a say in what happens here! None of you have spilled blood for this land the way I have!"
"Teyrn Cousland did, and you slaughtered his entire family! Arl Eamon did, and you had a blood mage poison him! You are the traitor here!" One of the noble shouted down from the balcony. Bethany recognized her. She was the younger sister of the Templar they had rescued from Howe's dungeon.
"How dare you judge me!" Loghain raged.
Daylen gave him the final push and asked him to settle this dispute honorably. With all the nobles as witnesses and the Grand Cleric as the mediator, Loghain accepted the terms of the duel.
Alistair stepped forward.
And no more words were said. The crowd backed away to give them the space for the duel. Alistair drew his sword. From the way Loghain's face twitched it was obvious he recognized the blade. The same blade King Maric had wielded fighting side-by-side with his best friend, now an instrument to deliver justice to the same man.
The outcome was predictable. Alistair was younger, stronger, faster; he was simply better at single combat in every aspect than an old and tired has-been. The killing blow was merciful and quick.
"All hail King Alistair!" Daylen clanked his gauntleted fist loudly against his chestplate.
The crowd cheered. The former queen was allowed to attend her father's funeral service at the chantry, and later to inherit Gwaren as its new teyrna. But for now, Anora was temporarily placed under house arrest. Arl Eamon's knights escorted her out of the palace without meeting any objections from the nobles.
Arl Eamon then announced that since all the nobles were already gathered for the Landsmeet, King Alistair would like to use this opportunity to marry his betrothed, Bann Alfstanna Eremon, the late Teyrna Eleanor Cousland's niece. Since neither the groom nor the bride looked at all surprised, Bethany assumed they had planned this out in advance. No wonder Alistair seemed sour back at the Arl's estate. Being paired off like a stud horse had not been his life plan.
"He should really thank me. The fertility potion I've brewed should keep his bride satisfied, regardless of his non-existent experience." Morrigan commented with a dry chuckle.
Bethany stared at the witch with wide-eyed disbelief. "You what?"
Morrigan looked exceptionally pleased with herself. "Ferelden needs an heir to the throne to maintain stability. I'm helping."
Bethany palmed her face.
x-x-x
The days following the Landsmeet went by in a haze. While the Wardens worked closely with the nobles to consolidate troops and resources, the companions were left to their own devices. During this supposed down time, Wynne had free reign over Bethany's training since Morrigan seemed completely absorbed in her own secretive project.
By this point, Wynne had more or less given up on making a healer out of Bethany. Instead, the Senior Enchanter introduced her to the complicated art of rune. Rune was a branch of arcane that required years of dedicated study - the major reason why all the best rune masters amongst the Formari were Tranquils. However, without the ready access to reference books, Bethany's study was slow to start. Not to be deterred by the limitation, Bethany spent many hours watching Sandal work his magic. Her journal was quickly filled with drawings and diagrams, and every night she went to bed with more questions than answers.
Not surprisingly, Wynne was exasperated by Bethany's nonconventional learning method. Truly, it must have been frustrating to see one's student keep seeking instructions from other teachers (a hedge witch with stunted social skills, and now a slow-witted dwarf boy incapable of normal speech). Feeling quite guilty about the unintentional snub, Bethany consulted Leliana on what she should do. Leliana reasoned that Wynne would feel happier about Bethany's success, regardless where she received instructions. Bethany was not completely convinced by her optimism.
Two weeks after the Landsmeet, Riordan, the Senior Warden they had rescued from Arl Howe's dungeon, reported back from his scouting mission with grave news. The Archdemon and its army of darkspawn had been spotted in the Wilds. The aimless swarm in the south had regrouped under the Archdemon and their next destination looked to be Denerim. Worse still, a portion of the army had splintered off in the direction of Redcliffe where most of the troops and supplies had gathered. If Redcliffe were sieged, all the resources they had fought so hard to raise would be stranded instead of being put to use here in Denerim. Their second battle against the darkspawn army would be lost if half of their fighting force were boxed in from the start.
Arl Eamon proposed the Wardens to send in a small relief force to hold off the assault while the allied troops retreat towards Denerim at top speed. Daylen had a different idea.
"How fast can you fly?" He asked Morrigan.
"With fair wind, I can reach Redcliffe in two days." Morrigan answered quickly, understanding what Daylen was trying to ask. But in the end, she shook her head in objection. "Alas, the spring gust is foul this time of year. This trip to Redcliffe and back may take well over a week. You must have me here if you are to face the Archdemon. I will not risk missing the battle."
"Can we not send a raven and be done with it?" Alistair asked, puzzled by Daylen's request.
"We will send out ravens to all the Bannorns to reroute their troops to Denerim regardless. If we get them to march as soon as possible, some of them might reach us before the darkspawn do. But a simple letter to Redcliffe is not enough. We need to find out which route the darkspawn is taking so the troops there won't be delayed. We can't risk them being cut off on open field. It would be a slaughter." Daylen explained.
"The priority is the Archdemon. I hate to say this, but we need to stay here to organize defense. The ballista at Fort Drakon are our only hope of grounding the flying friend. Besides, there are too many civilians here at the capital. The evacuation alone will demand all our time." Alistair frowned unhappily. "Maybe if we delegate to Arl Eamon and Alfstanna to organize the defense, we can still make it to Redcliffe before the Archdemon arrives?"
Morrigan huffed in annoyance. "Need I remind you all I'm not the only shapeshifter here?"
All eyes were on Bethany. She tried not to squirm at the center of everyone's attention.
"Can you make it?" Daylen asked gently.
Bethany considered the request. She had only shifted for short periods of time to scout. Staying in flight for days was a challenge she had never considered before. "I'm not sure."
"You can. 'Tis within your capability." Morrigan said with certainty.
Bethany believed her. "If Morrigan says I can, then I'm willing to try."
"Are you sure, child?" Wynne interrupted. "The demand on your focus and stamina will be extreme. You will be going alone, with no one to help you."
Leliana also interjected. "Send me instead. I'm a decent scout, and a fast rider. Give me two horses, and I can reach Redcliffe in a week and be back in another."
"Not in this weather, not when the rain has turned most roads into mud." Zevran said, and earned a withering glare for his trouble.
"It's alright." Bethany made up her mind. "I can do this. I may not be as fast as Morrigan, but I'm your best option."
That ended the debate. After a hasty meal, Bethany took off at full speed. She soon realized what Wynne meant when she mentioned how taxing it would be on her focus. The first time her attention wandered after hours of flying, she promptly shifted back to human form. Falling out of the sky shook the last drop of sleep out of her. She took short breaks only when she couldn't lift her wings, and even then she dared not close her eyes to catch a nap. When she finally made it to Redcliffe three days later, she could barely stay on her feet.
Armed with the freshest intel from Bethany, the allied troops took the North Road to avoid the bulk of the darkspawn swarm and retreated in good order. It would take them three weeks to reach Denerim, less if they could force march. The villagers in Redcliffe, on the other hand, were evacuated north by boats. Bethany hoped Knight-Commander Greagoir had enough sense to take care of the refugees when they showed up at the Tower dock.
After a good night's rest, Bethany stayed at Redcliffe long enough to stuff down some food and water before she took off towards Denerim. The return trip took longer, but it was a little easier since she could afford to take more breaks. Still, when she finally returned to the estate, she had to be carried to bed. When she left the bed three days later, the horde was a week's march away.
Fort Drakon was designated as the stronghold to stockpile their supplies and men while the rest of the city was mostly abandoned. The streets were trapped with tripwires and explosives; they knew they could not fend off the darkspawn in a siege, but they were going to make them pay through the nose to occupy the city. This tactic allowed them to buy time until the allied troops arrive. More importantly, this allowed them to protect the ballistas at Fort Drakon.
The bulk of the Bannorn army reached Denerim before the horde did. King Alistair and Queen Alfstanna rode out with Arl Eamon to meet them by the South Gate. Alistair came back to the city alone. Under the Queen and Arl Eamon's command,the Bannorn army would lie in wait outside the city until the allied troops arrive for a pincer attack.
At the first day of the battle, the Archdemon was nowhere to be seen. The Denerim city guards garrisoned atop the city walls were able to repel the sieging darkspawn. Their luck did not hold since the Archdemon showed up the next day and easily destroyed their defence by breathing fire down on the defenders. The gate was breached in short order. Content with letting its minions sack the city, the Archdemon then flew up high into the sky, well out of ballista range.
It took the horde two days to move through the trap-filled streets. By the time the darkspawn reached Fort Drakon's walls, a white signal flare could be seen hanging at the western sky.
The allied troops had arrived.
Moments later, an answering red flare went up from the south. The Bannorn army was ready to charge.
At the signal, Morrigan and Bethany once again combined their ice and lighting and raised a raging storm from atop the Fort's battlements, clearing a bloody path in front of Fort Drakon's gate. The Wardens, their companions, plus a contingent of Denerim guards used this opportunity to charge through the rank of disorganized darkspawn. Their goal was to rendezvous with the troops so the fresh fighting force could help the Wardens slay the darkspawn generals that had led the assaults on the city.
Their plan would have gone smoothly, if the Archdemon had not come back. They had managed to clear out the West Gate to allow the allied troops into the city, but their army almost routed when the dragon circled back and scattered their force.
Riordan shouted for them to kill the generals before taking off in a dead sprint after the Archdemon. Bethany had no idea what his plan was, but she had no time to ponder. A fresh wave of darkspawn poured into the break in their formation and Bethany found herself all of a sudden within melee range. It was nigh impossible to locate her friends in this chaos. All she could do was cast as fast as she could and hoped her mana never ran dry.
Fortunately she didn't have to hold out for long. Sten and Shale found her in the middle of the bloody mess. Bethany supposed it was easy to spot a mage by her colorful spell works. Between her two formidable protectors, no darkspawn could touch her. It took them awhile to retake the West Gate, but their victory was not as costly as it could have been. Dalish archers had proven their worth by securing the walls and raining down death from above.
"Did you see Daylen?" Bethany asked when she failed to locate her cousin.
"The Wardens have moved on ahead. I am tasked to lead the troops here to secure the gate," Sten said.
Bethany did a quick scan of the area. Both Wardens were gone, so were Morrigan and Leliana. The rest of the companions were all accounted for. Oghren was sporting a limp that Wynne was attending to. No one else was injured.
Another wave of darkspawn crashed against their front rank shield wall. They came from the direction of the Market District, likely where the Wardens had disappeared to. Bethany suppressed the urge to go after her cousin and stayed in position. The Wardens already had Morrigan with them. She would be needed more here.
The assaults lasted through the night. After each wave, the allied troops pushed a little further into the city. Occasionally they would hear the Wardens' horn calling for reinforcement. Each time that happened, they changed from a more defensive tactic to aggressively rushing towards the Wardens' position.
"Oh, Maker! Look up!" Someone shouted in the crowd. Gasps and curses followed.
Bethany looked up and saw the Archdemon flying right at them. Its black maw opened wide, spewing purple flames into the crowd. All the mages in the army shot forth a hail of ice overhead, dampening the effect of the deadly heat, but many were still burnt alive, rolling on the ground and screaming until they were ashes. Half of Bethany's left sleeve was burnt away, her injured arm covered with painful blisters. With a practised motion, Bethany immediately downed a healing potion before the shock set in. Burn salves would have to wait because the dragon had circled back again after the initial attack, poised to annihilate them all on its second pass. It didn't get the chance to open its mouth again. Something dropped on top of the beast, making it jerk wildly and fly away. It was too far to see what exactly happened, but Bethany could guess.
She prayed that her cousin wouldn't be as reckless as Riordan.
The Archdemon didn't come back, but its soul piercing roar that almost dumped everyone on their knees could be heard throughout the city. From a good distance away, Bethany saw the beast crash land on top of Fort Drakon.
At once, both the allied troops and the darkspawn converged towards the stronghold. The intensity of the battle escalated to a fevered pitch. By the time Bethany really noticed, she had reached the gate of Fort Drakon. The entire fortress shook as the Archdemon rampaged. The Fort had been lost and retaken so many times in the same night, neither side was able to hold position. Several times Bethany had to fall back on the defensive when more darkspawn pushed into the fortress by sheer number. By the time the way to the top floor was cleared, the staircases were covered in so many corpses, she had to literally climb on top of mangled bodies to move forward.
Bethany eventually made it to the rooftop of Fort Drakon with Oghren and a group of Legionnaires. Some of the companions were already there when she arrived to join the fray. Knowing that her magic would do little against the Archdemon's thick hide, she focused on a group of darkspawn located nearby a still functional ballista instead. The dwarves with her caught on and charged forth to lend a helping hand.
The first shot missed. The Legionnaires operating the ballista cursed loudly while making adjustments. The second shot punched deep into the Archdemon's hind leg. And all of a sudden, they were set upon by another wave of darkspawn. By the time they repelled the attack, the ballista had been badly damaged by an emissary's fire. The sorry sight almost made her want to repeat the colorful curses coming out of Oghren's mouth.
Out of ideas, Bethany's attention turned to the metal spike sticking out of the Archdemon's thigh. What would Marian do? She thought, and an idea came to her.
Gathering magic in her palms, Bethany lifted her staff and carefully aimed a bolt of lightning at the spike. The Archdemon's pained screech from the attack was loud enough to make her ears ring. All the mages on the rooftop saw what she had done and those who could cast lightning joined in with glee. Their combined lightning strikes bypassed the dragon's tough hide and caused serious damage. Even at a distance, Bethany was gagging from the acrid stench of the beast's literally boiling blood.
"Move back!" Daylen shouted. His order, combined with the thrashing beast's wild attacked, was enough to make most people obeyed.
Alistair didn't move from his spot.
"Enough, Alistair. Move back!" Daylen shouted again, but Alistair was determined to ignore him.
Sten was there to make sure Daylen's order was followed. The Qunari tackled the Fereldan King to the ground, heedless of Alistair's frantic objection.
Daylen dropped his shield and held his sword with both hands. Blood erupted along the Archdemon's serpentine neck as his blade bit deeply into its tough flesh. The beast's death throe almost knock him over a couple times, but he kept on slashing away until a blinding light exploded out of the beast's head where Daylen's blade had stabbed through its skull.
When the light went out, the Archdemon lay dead.
The allied troops cheered. The remaining darkspawn horde scattered and fled. Daylen's sword slipped off his slack hands. He closed his eyes and sank to the ground.
"You bastard! I told you not to be a hero! You can't die! It should've been me! It's not fair!" Alistair fought off Sten and scrambled towards Daylen.
Bethany felt her insides froze. This couldn't be real. What did Alistair mean?
The secrecy. Alistair's strange reaction every time someone spoke of a Warden's duty and sacrifice. Bethany finally understood. The Warden who slayed the Archdemon was destined to die.
"Cease your unsightly tantrum." Morrigan sighed with a hint of disgust. Bethany frowned at the witch and noticed the faint smile on her pale face. A flicker of hope fluttered in her heart at the sight.
Alistair snarled at Morrigan.
Daylen groaned. "Can you please not shake me so much? Unless you want me to puke on you. I'm injured, damn it."
Alistair's mouth dropped open in shock. "But, but, you're… How?"
Daylen grinned tirely at his Warden brother. "Magic."
Bethany laughed at her cousin's cheeky reply as tears of joy rolled down her face. She turned to talk to Morrigan and saw the witch shifting into a raven and flying away.
That would be the last time Bethany saw her friend in a very long time.
x-x-x
A whole month after the Battle of Denerim, the city was still in rough shape. Clean up was messy and time-consuming, and it was a miracle that there had not been an outbreak of plague following the battle.
News trickled in that the remaining darkspawn had fractured into small warbands terrorizing the countryside. Anxious to go home and defend their lands, the nobles quickly left with their armies instead of lingering in Denerim to help with the reconstruction. Daylen called the period of chaos after the Blight The Thaw. Alistair called it The Migraine. The poor guy would have torn all his perfect hair out if not for his wife helping him cope with being the ruler of a country.
Speaking of which, Alfstanna had turned out to be an excellent choice as queen. She was an experienced leader with a good relationship to the chantry. Getting pregnant right after being married to Alistair also earned them a great deal of support from the nobles. It also helped that Alistair seemed to genuinely like her. They were both good people; Bethany could see Ferelden flourish under their rule.
But as the days went by, Bethany's mood steadily worsen. Wynne had gently reminded her a few times that perhaps it was time for Bethany to return to the Tower. Daylen would be leaving for his new post in Vigil's Keep in Amaranthine to establish a new Warden Order. Unless she wished to joined the Wardens permanently, she had no excuse to follow her cousin like a lost puppy.
Bethany had killed enough darkspawn to fill ten lifetimes. She would choose being locked away in the Tower over patrolling the Deep Roads in a heartbeat. Still, the urge to fly away and never come back was strong. Knowing that she could do just that and no one would be able to stop her made it even harder to restrain herself.
At the end, her salvation came by the way of Leliana. The bard had been summoned by Mother Dorothea of Valence, and the invitation had been extended to Bethany as well.
Bethany wanted to go. How could she not? Even though Leliana had not shown her any affection beyond the platonic, her own hopeless crush had not lessened in any way. The prospect of spending more time together was irresistible.
"You are answering a summons from a Revered Mother. No Templars will stop you. Quite the opposite, I believe they are honorbound to assist you, if you so require." Leliana said with a grin, and it was the last push Bethany needed to jump at the offer.
Before she left, Wynne cautioned Bethany to never forget her status as a Circle mage. Puzzled by the rather peculiar warning, Bethany bid her mentor goodbye but didn't think too much of it. She would come to regret dismissing Wynne's concerns so carelessly a few years down the road.
Alistair gifted her a wickedly sharp dagger he jokingly called his most prized cheese knife and bade her to stay safe. Bethany promised to visit again once his child was born. Daylen gave her the Spellward amulet he had spent a fortune on and asked her to write often. Bethany was only too happy to oblige.
Zevran didn't give her anything, but he told her where to find Captain Isabela to secure a safe passage to Orlais before he left the city.
The ride across the Waking Sea aboard the Siren's Call was the beginning of a new exciting adventure. Isabela, Maker bless her promiscuous heart, was equal parts hilarious and infuriating. The pirate queen loved to say outrageous things just to make her blush. Bethany's face had almost burst into flame when Isabela showed her a book called Hessarian's Spear and tricked her into reading the vulgar summary out loud in front of Leliana.
Also, she could really do without another conversation about diddling a Sister in Leliana's presence. Bethany was certain Isabela was doing that on purpose. It didn't help that she had to sleep on the same bed as Leliana - not that she was complaining, it was just nerve wrecking.
They were dropped off at Cumberland a week after they departed from Denerim. Although Bethany had traveled in her youth with her parents and had seen several large Fereldan cities, she was blown away by the sheer size of Cumberland. They stayed in the city for a couple days to do some shopping at Leliana's insistence. Apparently it was considered rude to visit a Orlesian chantry in shabby clothes. The blue dyed velveteen robe felt very different from the rough spun wool she was used to wearing. To be honest, Bethany felt quite out of place. It was almost a relief when they left.
Their destination was a small Orlesian border town called Val Chevin. Leliana hired a wagon, and it took them two days to reach Val Chevin from Cumberland. The road was well-travelled and safe, but Bethany couldn't help but feel antsy. It took her awhile to relax when she was so used to jumping at shadows. They even got to spend the night in a roadside tavern instead of next to a campfire.
Valence Cloister was nothing like the Fereldan chantries Bethany had seen before. Everything here was so excessive and luxurious that Bethany feared to breathe too loudly, let alone touch anything. Why was everything here gilded in gold and draped in expensive red silk? When Mother Dorothea bade her to sit in one of the delicate-looking chairs with intricate weaves of golden vines and silver flowers sprawling across its surface, Bethany almost refused.
Mother Dorothea was not quite what Bethany had expected. From Leliana's story, she had learnt that the Mother was an exceptionally compassionate and devout woman. However, it was not until Bethany had spent some time with the Mother herself, did she realized how effortlessly charismatic the woman was. It was almost alarming how easily she got Bethany to relax around her. Case in point, she found herself spilling her life's story before the first round of tea was finished.
Unlike a typical member of the clergy, Mother Dorothea showed great empathy towards mages' plight. Later when the Mother requested their personal help to aid her in her bid to ascend the Sunburst Throne, Bethany agreed immediately. After spend the better part of last year helping the Wardens defeat the Archdemon, Bethany could not stand the thought of going back to the Tower and withering away in meaningless captivity. This was her one chance to better her fellow mages' lives, to work with the system to facilitate meaningful changes. Of course she was going to seize it with both hands.
The fact that Leliana had also agreed to take up the role as Mother Dorothea's spymaster was a definite plus. Although Bethany was unsure what a mage inexperienced in the Game could be of use, both Orlesians assured her that her help would be invaluable.
In the beginning, their confidence in her seemed overly optimistic. For the next few months after she joined Mother Dorothea's camp, Bethany was at most a glorified bodyguard for the Mother's new top agent as Leliana/Sister Nightingale maneuvered the dangerous battlefield that was the chantry politics.
It didn't take long until Bethany realized how intertwined state politics was with chantry hierarchy. Leliana once explained that a well-connected Revered Mother in charge of a wealthy chantry in Orlais was easily more powerful than the Grand Cleric of Ferelden. Plainly put, the power of the clergy stemmed from their backers in court. Orlesian court, to be exact. The Empress herself, being an open-minded reformer, greatly tilted the Orlesian nobles towards her parallel of the chantry reformer, Mother Dorothea's side. Leliana's job, therefore, focused more on ensuring a smooth transition once Divine Beatrix III died of old age than to out-maneuver Mother Dorothea's rivals. It could be anytime now, since the Divine had been languishing in her sickbed for years already.
Their first major hurdle came in the winter of 9:31.
Starkhaven's Circle Tower was burnt down as a part of a brutal coup d'etat that usurped the ruling Vael family. As the Vael's were historically a very close ally to the chantry, a number of important members of the clergy were deeply concerned by the event. While publically the culprit was a mercenary group called the Flint Company, mage involvement could not be ruled out. Leliana and Bethany were both dispatched to Starkhaven to investigate as soon as the news arrived.
There, at the bank of Minanter River, next to the blackened remain of the former Circle Tower, Bethany met Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast for the first time.
x-x-x
If mages were to compare Templars to man-eating wild bears, then Seekers were thought to be as terrifying as acid-spitting alpha wyverns that ate wild bears for breakfast.
Seeker Cassandra left a surprisingly good impression on Bethany. The woman was scary in her own way, but Bethany would say that the Seeker was a lot more reasonable than most Templars she had met. She even called her by her name, instead of growling "mage" in a derisive tone. More importantly, Cassandra did not even bat an eye when Bethany explained that she was sent here by Mother Dorothea, as if a mage working for the chantry was a commonplace occurrence.
The Divine's Right Hand then explained that she was sent here for the same purpose - to determine the mages' involvement in the coup. So far, the evidence suggested that the two events were not directly related. About half of the Starkhaven mages actually stayed willingly and submitted to Templar custody immediately after they fled the burning Tower. A handful more were captured in Starkhaven soon after, but a good portion of them were seen fleeing the city. All the City States in the Free Marches were already put on high alert to watch out for fugitive apostates.
"The fire was the work of powerful blood magic," Cassandra said, frowning deeply at the flame-licked stones of the broken Tower.
"So it was," Bethany agreed. The familiar cloy stink of blood magic was hard to miss.
"Then you are dealing with a cult of maleficarum. I would check Kirkwall first. That place seems to be cursed."
Bethany watched Cassandra spin on her heels and marched away. "Are you not coming to Kirkwall?"
Cassandra paused long enough to answer her question. "No. My work here is done. Chasing down apostates is the duty of the Templar and the Seeker Orders. As the Right Hand, my priority is to the Divine. I have what I came here for, now it's time for me to go. Good day." And then she was gone.
Later that day, Bethany briefed Leliana on her side of the investigation. Leliana had spent her day inside the palace of Starkhaven, wheedling information out of the disorganized court. Their next best lead, the Vael family's most legitimate heir to the throne, was the former Prince's youngest son. Sebastian Vael had been serving in the Kirkwall chantry as a Brother for years. Most likely he was not involved in the coup, but he might have insights on his family's enemies.
"Kirkwall again. Maybe Seeker Cassandra was right. That place is cursed." Bethany said.
Leliana studied her face with some concern. "Something is bothering you. Wait, don't you have families in Kirkwall on your mother's side?"
Bethany shrugged. "You're thinking about the Amell's. I'm afraid I don't know much. There is supposed to be an uncle I've never met before."
"Don't you want to meet him?" Leliana asked.
And say what? Hello my rich, noble uncle I've never met before. I'm your long lost niece. You might recognize me from my uncanny similarity to your lost long sister. By the way, I'm a mage. Just like the guy your sister eloped with. Now, treat me like family and shower me with affection.
"Not really." Bethany admitted.
"In any case, I'll send a raven to Mother Dorothea right away. We'll see where she sends us next. Now we know that the mages were not involved, our focus needs to be shifted from the cause to the ripple effects. Starkhaven is the most prosperous city in the Free Marches. We must keep this region stabilized despite the coup."
They stayed in Starkhaven for another week, conducting interviews to assess the effect of the sudden power vacuum. The Grand Cleric of Starkhaven was a good friend of Mother Dorothea. With her endorsement, they were able to move freely within the city without being bothered by Templars already high-strung due to recent events. It was enlightening to interview the remaining mages. Some freely offered the names of the missing mages who were suspected maleficarum because they were angry that their home was destroyed. Bethany supposed if she had grown up in the Circle, she would have been furious about the arson, too.
Mother Dorothea's reply came, not by raven, but by courier. Leliana received one letter, but Bethany received a thick bundle of them. Puzzled, Bethany opened the one at the top of the stack and began to read.
Her startled shout made Leliana abandon her own missive to come to her side. "Is everything alright?"
"They're alive!" Bethany cried. Laughing tearily, she flashed Leliana a brilliant smile before going back to her letters.
They were all from her families. Her mother and her siblings had somehow met up after Ostagar and escaped Lothering together with nothing more than the clothes on their back. They boarded a ship in Gwaren and sailed all the way to Kirkwall to live with her uncle in poverty. During the Blight, the price of sending letters to Ferelden had become so exorbitant, they couldn't afford to send anything until the Blight had ended. After that, since Bethany didn't go back to the Kinloch Hold, she didn't know there were letters sent to her. It was not until Mother Dorothea formally requested her name to be registered under the Cumberland Circle, did those letters find a place to go. They had been forwarded again from Cumberland to Val Chevin before Mother Dorothea couriered them to Bethany in Starkhaven.
"Maker's breath! They're in Kirkwall. All this time without hearing from me, they must have been worried sick!"
"Then it's decided. We must go to Kirkwall right away." Leliana was all smiles.
The trade route between Starkhaven and Kirkwall had been long established. By now, Bethany had gotten used to riding, so it took them barely a week to reach the City of Chains.
Kirkwall was as depressing as its epithet suggested. A heart of the slave trade during Imperial times, its architecture of harsh lines and stratified layers fully reflected its ugly past. Sculptures of the Old Gods and murals of crying slaves still dominated the city scape. The dreaded Gallows sat in an isolated island inside the harbor, forever a grim reminder that a mage's place was no better than that of a slave's.
Bethany would notice more of this later. In her first visit to Kirkwall, she was paying very little attention to her surroundings. Just by being in the same city as her family had her walking on clouds.
"Did they tell you where they live now?" Leliana asked.
Bethany shook her head. "Not really, there was no return address. Marian only briefly mentioned it's a hole in the wall close to the alienage. She wanted me to send my letters to a local tavern call The Hanged Man in Lowtown instead. Something about not trusting my uncle."
After some debates, Bethany followed Leliana's suggestion and went to the Hanged Man by herself while Leliana went to interview Grand Cleric Elthina at the Kirkwall chantry. The Hanged Man was easy enough to find since it was a popular drinking hole in Lowtown. The tavern was quite busy when Bethany arrived in the early afternoon. A small crowd had gathered in front of the fireplace to listen to a clean shaven surface dwarf telling tales.
"... you'll never guess what we found down in the Bone Pit." The dwarf paused for dramatic effect. "Dragons."
The crowd gasped.
"Big, leathery, fire-breathing beasts. I thought I was done for. But Hawke, ha! You know what she did? The mad woman grabbed the nearest spider pod - I'm talking about those giant man-eating spiders the size of a Mabari hound - and shoved it down a dragon's throat. All hell broke loose after that. You can all agree it couldn't be comfortable gagging on a ball of sticky spider pod, not even for dragons. Now imagine the pod burst open in your mouth and hundreds of ravenous spiderlings crawl all over your face. Never seen a dragon looking so terrified in my life, and I've seen some shit."
This story had to be an embellishment, even though it was undoubtedly entertaining. Marian was all kinds of awesome, but fighting a nest of dragons while armed with nothing but a spider pod? It simply couldn't be real. Bethany found an empty spot at a table nearby and sat down. She wanted to hear more.
"That's one dragon. You mentioned dragons, plural. What happened to the rest of them?" Bethany asked.
The dwarf send her a roguish grin. "So you noticed. Excellent attention to details. I'm getting there." He raised his beer mug as a hint.
Bethany waved down a waitress to send him more drinks.
"Here is a safety tip for all of you. When you see one spider pod, chances are you'll probably find more spiders in the same cave. When you see pods lining the walls like oil lamps, you better get the hell out of that damn cave. But of course this rule doesn't apply if your name is Hawke."
Bethany leaned forward with great interest.
"See, when she took the job, Hawke knew it was going to be messy, so she came prepared. While we didn't expect dragons down in the Pit, spiders on the other hand, were a given. We went down there with bandoliers of tar bombs. Let me tell you, this stuff is nasty. You're not gonna get out if you step in it. Better yet, it catches fire like nothing else. I've been told pirates use them regularly to sink ships. When you combine tar bombs with dragon fire in a confined space? It's a miracle I still have both eyebrows. With the stuff Hawke usually gets up to though, next time I may not be so lucky." The dwarf laughed and put his mug down. It was his cue that he was done for the day, and the crowd dispersed after his story had ended.
"You must have more stories." Bethany prompted.
"Oh yes, I do." Said the dwarf with glee. "And you'll be surprised how many of them involved my eyebrows almost going up in flames. Off the top of my head, Hawke's legendary bad luck had turned a simple fetch job into a bloody clash with Tevinter slavers, a rescue mission into a complete slaughter, and a missing person request into a serial killer conspiracy."
It was unreasonable, but Bethany felt a pang of loss at missing out on her sister's life. "It sounds like you and Hawke are very good friends."
The dwarf gave her a funny look. "Good friends, yes, but not friends, if you catch what I mean. Hawke is a fine woman. Alas my heart already belongs to another." He said with an exaggerated sigh.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply…" Bethany held out a hand. "I'm Bethany. I didn't catch your name, storyteller."
"Call me Varric." He shook her hand. "I don't believe I've seen you here before."
"I'm new in town."
"Of course you are." Varric said, staring at Bethany a little longer than necessary. It didn't escape her notice that his eyes briefly swept up to the plain-looking staff strapped to her back. "You sound Fereldan. What brings you to Kirkwall?"
"I'm looking for someone." Bethany couldn't decide if she wanted to come out and say she was looking for her sister. What was she going to say? By the way, the mad woman Hawke in your story was actually my sister. Now bring me to her. No, it would be too awkward.
"Then you've come to the right place. There are a lot of Fereldans here in Kirkwall, most of them got here a while ago to escape the Blight. Did you come from Denerim? The Waking Sea is choppy this time of the year. It couldn't have been an easy journey." Varric seemed interested.
Bethany shook her head. "No, I'm not from Denerim, and I've been in the Free Marches for a while. I was in Starkhaven last week."
"Starkhaven, you don't say." For some reasons, mentioning Starkhaven was the wrong thing to do because it put Varric on guard instantly. "Well, I wish you good luck on your endeavor. I need to take a nap and sleep off the drinks." He yawned and walked towards the rooms in the back.
"Wait!" Without thinking, Bethany grabbed his sleeve to stop him from walking away.
Varric flinched at her touch.
All of a sudden, Bethany understood what the problem was. Varric must have known about the escape blood mages from Starkhaven and suspected her to be one of them.
"Look, Sunshine. You're lovely, but I'm not interested. Like I said before, my heart already belongs to another. Now if you'll excuse me."
"It's not what you think. I'm looking for Hawke."
Varric pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course you are. Hawke is a busy woman, if you… shit. Worst timing ever."
Bethany turned to see the group of people coming into the tavern. Marian was here.
"Bethany!" Someone else was faster than her sister. While Marian stood frozen on the spot with her eyes locked with Bethany's, Isabela had rushed in and encircled her in an enthusiastic hug. "Look at you! I thought you were in Cumberland. What are you doing here?"
"No no no. No touching! She is strictly off-limit! Isabela, keep your hands to yourself!" Marian none too gently pried the bewildered pirate off Bethany before taking Isabela's place. "Maker's breath! You're alive!"
Varric spoke up. "Alright, now I'm very confused. What's going on?"
Bethany waved at him. "Hi, I'm Bethany Hawke. I'm Marian's little sister."
x-x-x
"I should've known. You and Leandra had the same face. I've only seen your mother once, but still." Varric seemed quite embarrassed about the mix up. He had quickly ushered everyone into his room in the back for some privacy.
"Huh. Now that you've mentioned it. I thought Leandra looked familiar." Isabela said, grinning at the Hawke sisters. "You two don't look much alike though."
"Your hair is the same shade of black. It's very pretty." Said the quiet elf girl who had following Marian into the room. Bethany almost didn't notice her.
"I take more after our father." Marian said, still not letting go of Bethany's hand. "All that aside, Bethany, why did you ignore our letters? And how do you know Isabela?" She lowered her voice. "I've heard rumor about some unrest at the Tower during the Blight. You're my sister. No matter what happened, I will protect you."
Bethany squeezed Marian's hand to reassure her. "I didn't run away, if that's what you're asking. It's complicated. Long story short, I was transferred to the Cumberland Circle after the Blight. Now I work as a consultant for Revered Mother Dorothea in Val Chevin. I'm allowed to travel."
Isabela tossed her head back and laughed. "You're going to gloss over the part where you aided the Hero of Ferelden during the Blight and defeated the Archdemon?"
Bethany ducked her head down, a little uncomfortable to be in the spotlight. "Daylen is the hero. I didn't do much."
"That's amazing! You have to tell me more." Marian'e blue eyes were shining with excitement. "Oh! We must tell mother you're back. She has been crying every day. We thought you were dead."
"You thought I was dead?" Bethany was incredulous. "I thought you were dead! I saw what the darkspawn did to Lothering and Ostagar. How did you survive?"
The grin on Marian's face was so big, it almost split her face in half. "Would you believe me if I say a dragon swoop down and rescued us from the darkspawn?"
Bethany stared at her sister. "If the dragon's name is Flemeth, then yes."
Marian's jaw dropped open in shock.
"And here I thought Hawke is the crazy one in the family." Varric grumbled.
"Speaking of which, where is Carver?" Bethany asked, and got an eyeroll from Marian.
"The Rose, probably. He was in an awful hurry. I don't get why he still goes there after the 'Exotic Wonder From The East' tried to kill me with blood magic."
At Bethany's confused look, Isabela clarified helpfully, "think The Pearl, but without the greased nugs."
Bethany scrunched up her face in distaste. "I didn't need to know that."
"You haven't told me how you knew Isabela." Marian reminded her.
Isabela spoke up cherrily before Bethany could. "Oh, we met at a brothel in Denerim."
"Isabela!" Bethany turned beet red.
"What? It's true." Isabela pouted. Meanwhile, Marian was trying to set the pirate on fire with her eyes.
Varric jumped in to mediate before the conversation derailed again. "Why don't we all calm down and start from the beginning?"
x-x-x
Bethany was about to set Gamlen's hair on fire when Carver came home and interrupted her.
"Whoa! What's going on… Bethany?!" Carver was about to rush over to breakup the fight but he stopped when he noticed the ball of flame in her palm.
"He sold our family for gold!" Bethany's face was red with outrage.
"To indentured servitude, not to slavery. There's a big difference. And it's only for a year. What's done is done. We're free now. You can let it go." Marian put out the fire and gently tugged her back a few steps away from their terrified uncle.
"Why do you still live here? We were simple peasants in Ferelden, but we didn't live in squalor either. Mother shouldn't have to put up with this." Bethany said, still feeling quite put out.
Carver spoke up. Her twin had shot up half a head taller since she last saw him, and his features had grown sharp and sullen. "Why do you care? You have no idea how hard it was for all of us. You weren't here. Mother cried about you every day and you didn't even care to write her back. You have no right to come in here in your fancy clothes and tell us how to live our lives."
"Carver!" Marian snapped at him, which only earned her a rebellious glare as a response.
"That's enough, all of you." Mother raised her voice.
Gamlen found his courage to speak after mother had reprimented the siblings. "I'm not taking in more freeloaders. Especially not an ungrateful brat like you." He stabbed a finger angrily at Bethany's direction. "Threatening a man in his own house with dangerous magic! I should report you to the Templars."
"You will do no such thing!" Mother's eyes were glowing like lit coal. The sight was terrifying to behold. "You harm my children, Gamlen, I will make you regret it."
Gamlen gulped fearfully and wilted under mother's glare. It was clear he was bluffing because he was too cowardly to get the authorities involved. After all, harboring apostates was not a small crime in Kirkwall, and he had been exploiting Marian for a year to make money off her talent as a mage. It make Bethany ill thinking about how much worse it could have been if Gamlen's creditor had been in a different business than smuggling.
"We still need to move mother out of here. And it seems to me, uncle Gamlen would also like that very much." Bethany said.
Marian winced. "Not gonna lie, money is tight right now. The gold we've been saving has been earmarked to pay for a promising venture. If everything goes well, we can afford to do a lot more than just move out."
"What kind of venture?"
"It's…"
Carver interrupted sternly, "that's none of your business. Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be in the Tower?"
Bethany was not impressed by Carver's unwarranted hostility. By the Maker, her twin had always been sour, but this was excessive. "I'm here to see my family, you ass. I've only gotten all the letters a week ago. Before that I thought you had all died in the Blight!"
"I'm hurt by your lack of confidence in me, Bethany. You should know it takes more than a few darkspawn to do me in." Marian said.
"Wait, does that mean you're not staying?" Carver asked with a frown.
It was difficult to hide the bitter edge of her reply. "I'm a Circle Mage, Carver, I have no choice. I go where I'm told. So no, I can't stay."
Mother held her hand tightly. "But you can visit from time to time. And you are going to write us back from now on, isn't that right?"
Bethany smiled at the warning tone. How she had missed her. "Yes, mother."
x-x-x
A/N: We're officially in DA:II timeline now. I'm very happy I've managed to wrap up DA:O in three and a half chapters. Speed run!
