Chapter 4: The Lord Seeker

They had kept him waiting almost a week and a half before the Templars finally brought Reaper before the Lord Seeker. During that time, the young knight had spent much of his time alone. He meditated, read from the Chant of Light, and considered what he was going to say when he was brought before the Leader of the Seekers of Truth.

The truth, most obviously, he thought to himself. Of course given what he had seen in the last year, as well as the events that had occurred in Kirkwall, Reaper recognized the need to perhaps not be as…open as he normally would have been when he spoke with Seeker Van Reeves.

He had not wasted his time of isolation, nor was he broken down by it, if that had been the Lord Seeker's plan. Some people could not handle isolation, they grew nervous, angry, they lashed out and made mistakes.

Reaper was not such a man.

The isolation had reminded him a bit of his recovery in the Temple of Sacred Ashes back in Haven. The place was considered more than holy, likely the most holy site in Thedas, so it was not surprised to find it tended by priests and initiates who took vows of silence as they worked within its walls. All their energies turned to the contemplation of the wonders that surrounded them.

It was into that environment that Reaper had been born, or rather the world he had been returned to after his journey through the holy flames. Though curious, the various priests and acolytes had left any interactions with him to the Revered Mother or to Sister Leliana herself of course.

So the quiet had not been a problem. He had sat in the cell they assigned him and meditated. When he closed his eyes and let his mind drift, he could still see the flames that had restored him, cleansed him…

That…and he thought about Dee as well.

When it came to Dee he was not worried, Sister Leliana had promised that she would be protected. Plus, he did not really believe that the Seekers would see a blind sister as much of a threat. They underestimated his partner because they thought that her lack of sight meant that she was somehow helpless, dependent on him and him alone for her survival and protection.

As far as the Seekers were concerned, they could go on thinking that way. He had no desire to enlighten them.

He had seen enough in the last year to know that she could handle herself. He might like to think himself her knight in shining armor, but could not forget all the times he had lay bleeding and only her skilled hands had insured his survival.

She is more valuable than most people realize. He thought to himself. I must do what I can to shield her from the Lord Seeker's wroth. She may not like it, but it is far better than the alternative.

She is better than me. That light in her…I…I must protect her.

She was too important to him…to his work.

Yet that was not something he would share with the Lord Seeker. No, if anyone was to face the man's ire today it would be him and him alone. Though, if Leliana was to be believed…

…Ire was not the only thing that the Lord Seeker would offer him today.

The thought brought a grim look to Reaper's eyes.

He had spent the last year doing his duty, a duty that had included slaying Templars who were unworthy of their armor, men who had betrayed their oath. Dangers, yes, but still just minnows in the great sea that was the Andrastian Faith, both Leliana and the Divine were after sharks, not minnows.

It would fall to him to determine if the Lord Seeker was one such shark…

If the man was friend or foe?

His meeting today might go a long way in determining just that.

He was grateful when a Templar escort finally came for him, informing him that the Lord Seeker had returned and was ready to see him now.

Reaper nodded, brushed off his leggings and with as much serenity as he could manage, marched out into the corridor. They passed by several initiates and sisters, most of them young women who likely only recently had taken their vows.

Reaper must have been a strange sight to them. The Templars had taken his armor and weapons, leaving him only a rough spun shirt and leather breeches during his captivity.

He thought he heard a pair of young initiates twitter nervously as he and his escort turned a corner, they might even have giggled as well.

What they found amusing, he could not say, perhaps it had nothing to do with him. Perhaps they knew something about one of his Templar escorts.

What that could be, he could not guess, both men looked almost uniform in their matching armor and helms. They could have been mirror reflections of each other, both with similar builds and close to the same height.

The conformity of the Templar order, Reaper thought disdainfully. He had been one of them once, perhaps he had even agreed with whatever dogma was whispered in the barracks when the Clerics and Revered Mothers were no longer listening.

He found himself wondering more and more about the men behind him.

Did they know why he had been summoned?

Were they hoping that he would be punished for the deaths of their brothers?

Did they even care that those men had betrayed the chantry and everything it stood for?

Reaper did not know.

And he would not know…at least until he had a chance to speak with the Lord Seeker.

Then…he would have a better idea of what was truly going on in the Templar Order, and what he would need to do in the future.

The thought pleased him.

He was tired of dining on minnows.

The time had come to taste a shark.

IOI

His escorts showed him to a small office in one of the towers of the Cathedral, within the Lord Seeker awaited his arrival. The Templars ushered him in, before turning to wait outside.

Reaper took in his surroundings.

The office contained little in the way of decoration, it might have been sitting empty before the Lord Seeker had claimed it. No books lined the shelves, no plants or artwork was present. Only a single holy banner bearing the sign of the chantry marked this place as being part of the Grand Cathedral. His eyes fell to a large oak desk, and behind it the Lord Seeker sat, quill in hand, catching up on some pressing paperwork no doubt.

Reaper went up to him, and stood at attention, awaiting the man's word.

The Lord Seeker did not look like a man accustom to an office. Despite the salt and pepper coloring of his hair, the man had the bearing of a warrior. His features harsh, as if cut from stone. He did not acknowledge Reaper right away, just continued with his work, despite the fact that he must have heard the younger man enter.

Reaper said nothing, he did not clear his throat, or call out that he was reporting as ordered. If that was what the Lord Seeker wanted he would have glanced up at him, no, he suspected that there was something else going on here.

It is the waiting game again, he thought, First he keeps me waiting in my cell, now he does not acknowledge my presence. He wants me to be frustrated, off guard.

Reaper straightened his back though he did not remember much of his past life; he did remember the patience that had been drilled into during his Templar training.

If the Lord Seeker wanted him to wait, he would wait.

For almost five minutes this continued, he stood at attention while the older man wrote. When the Lord Seeker did respond, he did not even bother to look up from his papers; he might have well been addressing the weather.

"You are the one they call Reaper?" he said coolly.

"I am ser," Reaper replied, never once breaking his stance.

Still the older man did not meet his gaze; he might well have been a mouse for all the man seemed to care.

"What is your true name ser?" The Lord seeker asked.

"Now…it is Reaper."

That response finally warranted an action from the leader of the Seekers of Truth.

Lambert paused in his writing; his grey eyes came up, finally looking on the younger man for the first time.

Reaper resisted a desire to squirm.

The man had cold eyes, he thought, those eyes could flay a man.

"Is that supposed to be amusing?" the Lord Seeker asked.

"Not at all, ser, following my…assignment in Haven, the Divine herself summoned me here to the capital. She declared that I had been given a rare gift and that who I was…was gone."

The younger man shrugged.

"It was she that gave me my new name, as to who I was before, that man is gone. If the Lord Seeker wishes, I'm certain my former name is listed in the Divine's files, I'm certain she would allow you to see it…"

The man snorted, he waved his hand dismissively.

"Unnecessary," he said with a wave of his hand, "Who you were is unimportant now I'm sure."

Reaper almost smiled.

The man was cold but he was not that cold. Reaper could hear it in his voice.

Who he had been still interested the Lord Seeker, likely he would have his own agents dig into the Divine's files, searching for everything they could find on Reaper and his past.

A man with no past is most deadly, Leliana had said before sending him out for the first time. Such a man is not easily manipulated or leveraged.

Such a man was useful for many reasons.

No doubt she had known that the Lord Seeker would look into his past, whether there was anything left to find, he could not say, and truth be told, it did not matter to him if there was.

Let him look, the younger man thought, I have nothing to hide.

Whoever he was before was gone, burned away in the sacred fire of the Temple of Sacred Ashes.

He was Reaper now, now and forever.

That was all that mattered.

Again the Lord Seeker returned to his writing, again Reaper fell silent, waiting for the man's next move, after a few moments the man continued.

"Do you know why you were summoned?" he asked.

"I'm guessing you had questions about the performance of my duties, ser."

Again the older man looked up; this time he arched a single eyebrow.

"I was unaware that chantry duties included the murder of chantry personnel," he said, "I've heard that you were a Templar once; tell me, do you have any qualms about having murdered your brothers?"

Reaper tried to keep his face neutral.

Careful now, he thought to himself.

When the summons came to come to Val Royeaux, it had arrived in the hands of another trusted agent of Leliana; the elven girl had her own message, this one straight from the Nightingale's mouth.

She desired that Reaper leave his meeting with the Lord Seeker in the other man's good graces, barring that, at the very least in a place that he might be recruited by the man later. To that end, she had had some suggestions of how best to pique the man's interest.

Reaper did his best to follow those suggestions now.

"Those "men were no brothers of mine," he said coldly, "They were traitors to the order. All guilty of crimes that stained not only our honor but hurt our position in Thedas as well."

Reaper shook his head.

"Such men could not be allowed to live."

"I see," the older man said, his grey eyes revealing nothing of what he might think of all this, "Did it not occur to contact the Seekers, or the Revered Mother of the local chantry? Why did you not turn this matter over to them?"

The truth was that the Divine had provided him with the authority to act as he saw fit, but that was not the answer the Lord Seeker would likely want to hear.

So…Reaper gave him a different answer.

"There were no Seekers in reach. By the time they responded the men at fault would have had time to cover their tracks. As for the mothers well…"

He snorted.

"Prayer would do nothing to deal with this problem, nor any minor act of repentance. Any response the mothers offered would have been…ineffective at best."

"Hm," the Lord Seeker replied. Whether he agreed or not, the young man could not say. Though something in the slight nod he gave suggested that he might.

"You believed those men beyond saving?"

"Yes Ser."

"What about those under the thrall of a demon? Surely once the creature was dead, they would have been freed of its influence. They may have been redeemed given time."

Reaper almost laughed at that.

When it came to dealing with those that trucked with demons, the order's policies were quite clear. Had the three men been mages and not Templars, he and the Lord Seeker would not be having this conversation. He likely would have been commended for his swift action. The fact that those men were Templars…

Plus, Reaper had spoken with the leader of those men before he made his decision. Neither he, nor his two charges seemed to be under the demon's thrall, not in the usual sense anyway. They had even tried to attack him from behind when they learned he intended to deal with their demonic patron.

No, those men did not deserve to be saved, but Reaper did not tell the Lord Seeker about his discussion with those men. It was something that the Lord Seeker would not have wished to hear. He wanted strength, and almost fanatical loyalty to the order.

Reaper intended to give him just that.

"As I said before," he reminded the other man, "Those men weakened our position. They had lost the trust of their charges. Removing them was the best way to restore the people's faith in the order. I do not apologize for that My Lord."

Reaper gave him a sly smile.

"People need to know where the power lies."

This time…the older man did nod, he did not smile exactly, but he seemed to accept Reaper's answer.

"Chantry leadership in the provinces and villages has never been what it needs to be," the Lord Seeker said, "The mothers lack a firm hand, and those of the order stray without strong leadership to keep them on the path."

He sighed.

"The Divine would do better to grant the Knight Commanders tighter reins in their territories. If she did such actions as yours might be avoided in the future."

Interesting, reaper thought to himself.

His Lordship's words suggested that he believed that it was the chantry that was at fault when it came to straying Templars. Reaper was not sure he completely trusted the Knight-Commanders; such men should have learned what he had much earlier and dealt with the matter themselves, and would have, if Lord Lambert had his way. It was not a condemnation of the Divine, but a statement that suggested more than what was actually said.

His words were not treasonous, but did they hint at possible treason in the future? Did the Lord Seeker have designs beyond his station, or was he testing Reaper's loyalty on the Chantry's behalf? Was this all some game of the Divine's?

It would be up to Reaper to find out.

For nearly two hours the two men spoke. His Lordship asked questions and the young knight did his best to answer. It was an odd dance, yet Reaper did his best to follow the tune and the steps the other man called.

They spoke of Kirkwall; of course, Kirkwall was all the order seemed to think about these days. They talked about Grand Cleric Elthina's failure, and the Divine's ineffective response to that crisis.

The younger knight was smart, and did his best to keep his answers to such questions as neutral as possible. If this was all some test by the Divine, he had no desire to disappoint her.

The Lord Seeker next questions turned to him, and what had happened back in Haven. His Lordship was clearly curious about Reaper's new abilities, how they compared to those used by the Seekers of Truth, if those powers could be taught to others, and what they might mean for the future of the order.

He also struck Reaper as more of a politician than the young knight had first expected. The man may have begun as a warrior, but it was clear that had some point he had gained an appreciation and perhaps even a desire for true political power. He never came out and admitted his ambitions, but from what he said it was clear he aspired to be more than a humble servant of the chantry.

The man also asked about Dee, her commitment to Reaper, and her loyalty to the Chantry. His Lordship seemed very interested in where the girl's loyalty would fall if asked to choose between her knight and the faith.

Reaper did his best to minimize her value, he did not want the Lord Seeker to leave this meeting thinking that Dee was a lever he could pull to control the young knight's actions, and he emerged feeling that he had succeeded in that goal.

The Lord Seeker cautioned him to be careful around Dee, share only what he needed to share with her. It was discretion that was needed now. His Lordship had suggested that such discretion would be greatly rewarded, that Reaper, if he remembered where power truly lay, might find himself with a command of his own one day. The Lord Seeker expected loyalty, and loyalty would be rewarded.

By the time their interview ended and Reaper was escorted out he had more questions than answers. The Lord Seeker had said nothing to suggest he was conspiring against Justinia, but had hinted about…"changes" that would be coming soon to the order, changes that could benefit a young man looking to advance himself, a man loyal to his order and his superiors.

Reaper had a sense the Lord Seeker was not speaking of the Divine, but he could not prove it. He needed more time to gather evidence. Perhaps he was even wrong; perhaps the Lord Seeker was simply evaluating him at the Divine's request.

His Lordship promised to be in touch, in the meantime Reaper would return to his duties, and await further instructions.

He intended to do just that. Once he was out of the capital, he intended to get word to Sister Leliana through private channels.

The Nightingale and the Divine needed to hear what he had heard, hear his suspicions.

It would be up to them to decide what happened next.

Reaper returned to his cell, he felt soiled after his meeting; he wanted a bath, and a clean set of clothes.

He intended to collect Dee and be out of the Capital as soon as possible.

He kept thinking about the Lord Seeker's words, about the changes that were coming.

He was not sure what those words meant…and…truth be told…

…he worried what would happen when he finally found out.