Anyone else find the Alistair dialogue in this part of the game just a bit too "I was in the first game. Cameo here! Wink Wink!" Just me, then?
Another chapter with chunks of direct-from-game dialogue. Bioware owns it. Like they own my very soul.
"I will avenge you, Rowland. I swear it." Mhairi stood above her dying friend and I put a hand on her shoulder. There was nothing we could do. The poor man had been injured severely, well beyond the reach of any poultice or healing spell. I actually winced looking at the injury. Just before he died he had told us about a talking darkspawn leading the attack. I put that down to his dying hallucinations.
Kicking myself for not arriving sooner I asked Mhairi if she wanted to take a few moments before we pressed forward. She shook her head, eyes determined.
Once the building was clear I insisted on checking the battlements. I could still sense darkspawn around us, although their numbers were very small at this point.
"Do you always do that," Anders asked as we climbed the stairs.
"Do what?"
"Cheer after every fight."
"What, you don't take pride in a job well done?" I laughed. "Besides, you have no idea how bored I've been for the last year."
"Hey, as long as you're having fun, that's what matters." He laughed along with me. "Were you back at the Circle? I've been out since before the blight started, so I'm afraid I don't have all the recent gossip."
I gasped. "Maker, no. They'll have to drag my cold corpse through the doors if they want me back. I was staying with Alistair."
He looked like there was more to ask, but we had reached the roof. Seeing us, one of the darkspawn walked over. Behind him were bodies, and a single man still alive, sword to his throat. The darkspawn stopped near us, weapon still on his back, and began to accuse me of working with someone or something he called 'the architect.' My jaw dropped open, Rowland had apparently been right. He ordered his fellow monsters to take the Warden, being me, alive and I snapped. "Talking or not, he'll still die. Attack!"
The bastard just wouldn't go down. I drained myself completely trying to keep him frozen while damaging him as much as I could and he was still stumbling around, taking swings with a greatsword. "Sod it," I muttered, grabbing the knife I kept tucked in the belt of my robe. Slicing my palm open I began to cast again, throwing the darkspawn leader backwards. Another spell to boil his blood from the inside out, and finally he was dead.
"That was unexpected," Anders said near my ear in a cold voice as we helped the man to his feet. Oghren, of course, knew already. I don't think anyone else realized what I just did, and I wasn't about to have a 'getting to know your maleficar Commander' question and answer session for everyone else.
I shrugged, saying only "Grey Wardens are allowed to use any means necessary against darkspawn."
I sat on the edge of the roof, catching my breath, as the man we saved introduced himself as Seneschal Varel and gave a rundown of what happened before I arrived. It was, by now, late afternoon. I'd been fighting nonstop since the previous evening and wanted nothing more than a bath and a nap, and perhaps not even in that order.
"Anders," I called.
"Yes, my lady?"
"Please don't call me that. How's your healing?"
"Healing just happens to be my specialty."
"Fantastic! You have no idea how happy I am to hear that." I replied. "If you would?"
He came over to me, casting a glance up and down. "What's injured?"
I held up my palm. "I'd like to avoid scarring if I can. It tends to create uncomfortable questions and people wanting to kill me."
He shook his head and took my hand, making a tsk sound that reminded me disturbingly of Wynne whenever I'd ask her for the same thing. His fingers were cool against my palm, brushing my skin with the gentle touch of a healer. "You can't heal that little cut? How'd they ever let you take the Harrowing?" I watched him mutter an incantation and I felt warmth surround my hand and a pulling sensation as the flesh knit back together.
I examined it and smiled, there wasn't even the hint of a scar. "Very nice work!" He visibly puffed up and I resisted the urge to pat him on the head. "I'd be able to heal it, but not without leaving a scar. I focused on primal and entropy," I explained. "I've picked up a lot since leaving the Circle, but it's all combat magic. During the blight we traveled with a healer."
A horn sounded in the distance. "Looks like we have company," Varel piped up. I looked out at the road, catching sight of the standard banners.
"Hey, it's Alistair!" I exclaimed. "Looks like someone else mapped this for him; the route he gave me was horrid."
"Who is Alistair?" I heard Mhairi ask in a whisper as I bounded down the stairs.
"Some friend of hers she's been staying with since the blight ended," Anders supplied. "Maybe the elf that dwarf mentioned? Or the assassin. She mentioned being friends with an assassin."
"What kind of person is friends with an assassin?" Mhairi asked.
"Your new boss?" Anders chuckled in response.
"The elf is the assassin, you gossipy nug humpers!" Oghren bellowed. I could hear him laughing all the way to the front gates.
I walked through the courtyard, smoothing my robes as much as I could, before bending to one knee. "Makers breath, Maggie, would you get up," muttered a familiar voice. I snickered and jumped to my feet, tossing my arms around him while Mhairi gasped behind me.
"Sorry, just having a bit of fun. You missed all the excitement!"
"So I see. I wanted to give the Wardens a formal welcome, I wasn't expecting this. Did you write the darkspawn a note saying you were back to work so they could meet you?"
"Maybe they don't know we ended the blight?"
"Yes, that's got to be it. Just a simple misunderstanding; I'm sure we'll all laugh about it later."
"Absolutely," I agreed. "I'll have them over for tea next week and explain everything."
"Seriously," he asked, his face darkening. "What's happened here?"
I shrugged. "The keep was overwhelmed when I got here, all the Wardens from Orlais are dead, and I've been fighting nonstop since last night. Seneschal Varel can tell you more, he was here when it started."
Varel filled him in while I watched the crates being unloaded. Eamon had told me we would get a smith here, and to my joy I saw Master Wade griping as he climbed out of a wagon. Alistair's guard captain gave me a rundown of the supplies being delivered, and said my personal effects were in the master suite. I nodded.
"Mags," Alistair called. "I hate to do this to you, but I only stopped here on my way to deal with some trouble in the Bannorn. I can't stay."
"You sure? Killing darkspawn isn't the same without you standing in front of me screaming 'DOWN YOU GO!' every time you decapitate one."
"Believe me, I'd prefer it. I've missed the whole darkspawn killing thing." I nodded in agreement. Alistair's personal guards were looking at him like he was the Maker himself. I suppose the occasional reminder that he's an actual national hero who was actually used to fighting in armor, instead of just wearing it for show, in addition to the king, was a morale booster.
He was turning to leave when a woman in templar armor elbowed her way forward. I hadn't even been aware they took women. It would have made me happy normally, but I avoided using happy and templars in the same thought. "Your majesty, beware! This man is a dangerous criminal!" she said forcefully. Maker, I hate templars, I thought to myself.
"Oh, the dwarf is a bit of an arse but I wouldn't go that far," Alistair brushed her aside.
Anders stepped forward, his head hanging low. "She means me," he muttered.
And here we go, first conscription coming up! I thought, fighting back the temptation to bounce up and down. "This is an apostate who we were in the process of bringing back to the Circle to face justice!" Wow, she was shrill for a templar. They usually went with 'quiet seething hatred' over 'angry screaming.'
"Oh please," Anders interrupted her. "The things you people know about justice would fit into a thimble." I nodded forcefully in agreement and caught Alistair rolling his eyes at me. "I'll just escape again anyhow," Anders finished.
"Never! I will see you hanged for what you've done here, murderer!" she howled.
Anders protested but gave up halfway through. I suspected he did kill those templars, or had some hand in their death, but couldn't blame him. I would do the same in his place. After all, I slaughtered my way through the whole of Fort Drakon to escape once, and most of those guards were just hired hands, not even Loghain employees. People will do funny things when their freedom is at stake. All I cared about was that he had happily volunteered to slaughter darkspawn with us, didn't run in terror from them, and was a competent healer, something I would sorely need. That it furthered my 'save every apostate from Chantry style justice' plans and he was capable of chatting and laughing in battle like my former companions was a fringe benefit. Alistair caught my eye briefly and winked.
"It seems there isn't much to say," Alistair deadpanned. "Unless you have something to add, Commander."
"I do," I beamed, "I hereby conscript this mage into the Grey Wardens." The templar raised a protest, but Alistair shut her down quickly. Defeated, she turned around to return to her position. I stuck my tongue out at her retreating back and snickered, adding a little dance.
"Me, a Grey Warden?" Anders sounded shocked, and not entirely thrilled. Not entirely unhappy, either, though. "I guess that will work…"
"Looks like somebody forgot our chat about not recruiting every apostate in Ferelden," Alistair said just loud enough for Anders and Mhairi to widen their eyes. Oghren laughed.
"Don't think of it as recruiting," I answered. "Think of it as liberating. That sounds so much nicer."
"Well don't come crying to me when there's an Exalted March on the Wardens."
Alistair said his goodbyes, giving me a hug before turning to leave. I watched the procession walk off for a moment, making sure the templar didn't turn around and come back. When I was sure she wouldn't try to undermine the king I sent Varel inside, asking him to prepare the joining for me.