ACT 1
COME OUT, TO A BRAND NEW WORLD
INTERLUDE
SAFE HAVEN
Now, a little pause. You see, there are some things that happened while Alice ran from the Tower and met the Dalish that will be of her interest. I mean, I want to please you all, readers, but what use would be a tale about Alice Amell who would not bring things new to Alice Amell herself? I want her to enjoy the reading of this tale! So, as I know things that she doesn't, I will make a brief interlude, to tell you (and her as well) of some happenings that correlate with her story.
So, Redcliffe. That's where Cullen and his mysterious companion are bound. Little did Alice know that the very day she learned if from the Dalish, a letter reached Isolde Guerrin, arlessa of Redcliffe.
This letter was resting on the chest of drawers while she gazed at her own reflection in the full-body silver mirror in her bedchambers. She tilted her head to a side, and then to the other, and undid the bun in her hair, letting her waves flow loose over her shoulders. This letter made her feel prettier, younger, even with the first strands of white in her hair. She eyed the letter once more, beholding the broken seal in sky blue wax, the seal with the Twin Leaves that was the sigil of House Cousland. Sha had traded correspondence with the Couslands before, and the arlessa knew that the wax in their seals was green. Only John used sky blue.
"Dearest Lady Isolde Guerrin, arlessa of Redcliffe,
Now married to another beautiful Orlesian, I will no longer open my letters praising your beauty as I often did before I left Highever to join the Grey Wardens. I am only thankful that you allowed me to taste of this exquisite beauty before my betrothal, and believe, this is a memory I will forever cherish. I write you to bring you news of my faring as Commander of the Grey and thus arl of Amaranthine.
It has been almost three years since I finally had the opportunity to actually rule this land. The first months were spent cleaning the more resistant bands of darkspawn that did not recede to the Deep Roads after I vanquished Urthemiel, the Archdemon. Now, with peace on the land and the commerce flowing swiftly through the Pilgrim's Path, Amaranthine thrives once more, and it is time to do here what I always thought to do in Highever, were I to become teyrn instead of my lord brother.
The first year I spent fortifying the realm. I managed to improve Vigil's Keep a good deal during the months I which I cleansed the last of darkspawn, and then I turned to the more fragile parts of the arling. The main cities now hold dwarven built walls, and now, as I write this letter, the sea fleet has grown to four times its previous size, and the entrance to the Waking Sea is ruled by my navy.
It all costs gold, but whereas other rulers spend, I invest, and I managed to raise the fortune of the realm considerably, and the citizens are becoming skilled in their jobs, and the farming lands are giving greater crops every year. We have enough to feed our people, fill our granaries and sell the rest.
The First Warden in the Anderfells sent almost no coin, but I had enough of my own, and the vaults of the Howes were full enough to make due. Since the Blight is ended, the First Warden seems to pay no heed to what goes on, politically, so far from Weisshaupt.
But why would I tell you all this, dear lady, as if I were writing a report stating my accomplishments as ruler? I tell you of the strength of the arling because it is befitting that you know that this is a safe place for the other, more subtle changes I am implementing.
As you may know already, I summoned the elves of Thedas, Dalish or not, to come and take shelter in my lands. I decreed that no harm may come to the Dalish elves, unless by the arm of wordly law, and subjected the Chantry to this very worldly law.
I am well aware that you are a pious woman, my lady of Guerrin, but you and I both know that the Chantry can intrude way too much in our lives, more than we would like it to. As arlessa, you know how many times your lord husband faced the direct opposition of the Revered (and lesser ones, too) Mother, thinking that her divine authority is greater than that of the ruler of the land. Just so you have an idea, beautiful Isolde, the Divine threatens to interditate the arling. Thankful enough, the priests of Amaranthine are not so tuned to the Divine's wishes. At least, not enough to actually carry forward an interdiction.
So, casting aside the Chantry's alleged authority, I tell you that as I do to elves, I will also do to mages. I intend in giving the mages a safe haven in Amaranthine, where they will be watched by the templars, but not confined in the cold walls of a tower. Their names will be theirs to bear, such as their titles. My good friend, king Alistair, as a quasi-templar he is, doesn't agree with this, but as was before, it is now: he lacks the will to deny me my decisions, and I have what seems to be a strong ally in our wise queen. She too is upset with the not always convenient intervention of the Church in noble ruling.
Pray, fair lady, understand that this is still a secret. I tell you this only out of the deep friendship I have for the Guerrins, the boyish love I felt for you in my child days, and our own desire that Eamon's lineage doesn't end with him. In Amaranthine, Connor will be able to inherit the honors he is due as the only trueborn son of the arl of Redcliffe, and the might of Amaranthine and of the Grey Wardens, even the very templars of the arling, will safeguard him from harm.
So, I invite you with all honors due to a highborn lady of your stature and beauty, to be my guest in the City of Amaranthine, where you will be able to see once more the child I helped to save and that will no longer be a prisioner in a guilded cage. Come, and meet Connor of House Guerrin, your son.
Je baise vos mains délicates.
Éternellement vôtre,
John Cousland
Called Hero of Ferelden,
Named Dwarva Salroka andTïntalle,
Commander of the Grey,
Arl of Amaranthine."
It was the third time she had read it, and each of the times, she giggled like a shy girl at the gallant compliments he bade her, and felt a deep happiness in her heart when she realized she was about to see Connor, hear dear son, once more. Trully, she had absolutely no idea why John insisted so much in helping the elves, but Elleanor had told her, he had always been like this.
Isolde was no more than a woman made recently of age when she married Eamon, still speaking Orlesian and always having the help of a translator, an old lady who had served the Orlesians when they ruled the land. She and Eamon had ridden north to congratulate the Couslands on the birth of their second son. After that, year after year, as Fereldan nobility gathered in Denerim to renew their bonds of fealty to king Marric, she saw the boy grow and met the good friend Lady Elleanor of Highever always worried of John's attachment to the elfling servants. They were all sure it would pass as he grew. And now, here he was, openly gathering the elves around him.
Still, in the late years of John's childhood, he always eyed the lady Isolde, smiled and blushed in her presence. One of these landsmeets Fergus said aloud how pretty John thought Isolde was, and that he hoped old Eamon would die soon so he would be able to marry the arlessa. That made a good lot of the nobility laugh out loud. With time, John came of age and announced his betrothal to Iona, lady in waiting in some of the Cousland's vassal families. An elf. This caused great commotion amongst nobility. Some praised the Maker that the Iona died in the Howe attack.
By then, Isolde had all but forgotten the boy crush John Cousland had on her, until the night he was a guest in the castle, with odd companions and many mages. It was late in the night, and she was watching Connor sleep a dreamless sleep, resting, free from the demon that had binded him and set her husband in a comatose slumber. She did not see him enter the room and stand next to her.
They talked for a while. She thanked him once more, and pleaded that he asked her a boon for saving her son's life. Also, he had promised, he would find the Urn of Sacred Ashes and restore life to her dear husband. She needed to thank that boy that was now a grown man, clad in armor and weary not only from the battle that freed her land and castle, but also from the battle that prevented the blood mages from taking over the Circle of Magi. After three denials from his part, he accepted. He asked for a boon.
Isolde had never betrayed Eamon in decades of marriage. But how to deny him a favor, especially one that made her fell so secure and wanted? How to deny her own self the comfort of his arms, when for months before that all ground beneath her feet had evaded her? So, as the letter she now had in hands said, Isolde allowed John Cousland to have a taste of her 'exquisite beauty'.
She giggled once more and, with her hair as it was, left her room and went to the castle's great hall, now empity but for the couple of visitors who brought her great news.
Kaitlyn and Teagan sat at the head of the long table, whispering to each other and choking laughters as they fed on freshly baked bread, ham and wine. Isolde wore a long and simple dress of white cotton, with burgundy cloak hanging over her shoulders, while Kaitlyn's dress was more elaborate, dark green with silver embroidery, as fitting a merchant who succeeded enough to buy her own nobility title and attract the attention of the bann Teagan of Rainesfere. It was the first time they came for Redcliffe, now a year after their marriage in Denerim.
"Isolde! I thought you had retired for the evening. Please, join us, and tell us what was in John's letter that gave you this smile that just won't leave your lips." Said Teagan, jesting. Kaitlyn giggled too, reaching for a piece of hard cheese.
"Oh, Teagan, you know that John is no longer a little boy. And how am I not to smile, when he tells me I am to see my son in Amaranthine?" It was reason for smiles, of course, even if the silly smile on Isolde's lips was not only due to her happiness in seeing her son.
"So, he told you, then?" Teagan frowned a little. "It is bold of him to write down that he will take a child from the Circle of Magi. So bold I would say reckless."
"Indeed." Said Kaitlyn, "I wonder, how is it that John intends to take Connor from the Tower without causing a major incident with the templars?"
Both the women's eyes were on Teagan now. Somehow, they knew he had the answer to how John Cousland was going to go so bluntly against the law of the Chantry and, in this case, of the kingdom.
"You must know something, my ladies," said Teagan, "this is confidential. Eamon knows this, and some other few chosen people, and no one else. He trusts you, love, because you are the very reason commerce in Amaranthine is so healthy, and you Isolde, because he knows you will not betray he who saved both your husband and son. But I must state this openly: this cannot leave this room."
Silence followed as the women nodded, apprehensive. Teagan looked around and made sure no one was listening, and explained: "A templar came from Kirkwall to John when he heard the call for the elves. Sheltering the Dalish meant sheltering their Keepers, who are, in the eyes of the Chantry, apostates. Ser Thrask was his name. At first, John thought he was there to bring trouble. But when the templar asked of John that he would hide his own daughter, Olivia, I believe is her name, he earned our good arl's confidence. Now, they both are involved in a plan to bring apostates up to Amaranthine and keep them there, where the very few templars – led by self-proclaimmed Knight-Commander Thrask, will guarantee that the mages are watched, but not imprisoned."
Isolde's eyes moved from Tegan to Kaitlyn and then back at him until she finally took a sit next to the other woman. "This is very serious, Teagan. His wife, lady Leliana, is very pious and religious. Does she know of this?"
Both Teagan and Kaitlyn's countenance grew darker at Isolde's question and the bann nodded, but in a way that made clear that this was not a good thing. "She does, Isolde. And so far, she did not alert the Chantry. But John is doing so much against the power of the Church in his lands, that it is taking its toll on her."
"I know of the things he does, Isolde, and they are not as innocent as he puts it. Even I, sometimes, find myself doubting. But what can I say? I see his arling growing at a tremendous rate. Poverty falls, the city is now beautiful, and day after day, there are more and more elves and dwarves walking the roads of the arling and the streets of the city of Amaranthine. He is casting the Chantry away, and everything improves. How can I say he is wrong?"
Kaitlyn added her voice to her husband's. "It dreads me too, but when I see how things were before and how they are now, I can't say I trust the Maker more than I trust my lord of Cousland."
"Kaitlyn!" Isolde shouted, frightened. "One thing is to turn a blind eye to other man's sins, but don't you speak blasphemy!" Still, the rage of her words did not reach her eyes. It was Teagan who spoke next.
"Admit it, Isolde. Even with all the blasphemy, you are glad you'll be able to see Connor, and that I will not be the only one to carry the Guerrin line forward."
Isolde did not answer. Both the love for her son and the love for her god fought inside her. She had not yet forgotten the price she almost had to pay for disobeying the laws of the Maker. And this she spoke aloud. "I don't know, Teagan. Was not it which brought Connor to be possessed by the demon, in the first place?"
"I thought so too, Isolde." There was something deeper in Teagan's eyes. He spoke now with more property of his words, as if, somehow, the subject mattered a great deal to him. "But you don't know what they will do to Connor in the Tower. The mages, they go through a rite of passage called 'The Harrowing'. Its own name is ominous enough, don't you think? The templars will have the mageling sent to the Fade to face a demon. If he fails, the mage is slain, simply like that. And Connor has already failed once. Eamon's influence was enough to have the templars in the Tower stay their blade. But Eamon is old, and there are dire news coming from Orlais and Kirkwall regarding the growing power and intolerance of the templars. Who is to say that, when it is Connor's time to face the Harrowing, they will tell he failed even before he tries?"
Isolde opened her lips to say something, but Teagan raised a hand and continued. "Also, as he has been once already possessed, who is to say that they won't have him go through the Rite of Tranquility?"
Isolde did not know what the Rite of Tranquility was, and Teagan explained it to her. By the time he was done, Isolde was shivering, so scared she was at the likely possibility that it would happen to Connor.
"In Amaranthine," said Teagan, "if a mage, even an accomplished mage, falls prey to a demon, he is dealt with and the templars, now under Knight-Commander Thrask, incarcerate him. Then, John and his High Kindred, as he calls his closest friends, will go into the Fade and slay the demon. Only then, freed, the mage faces trial and explains why did the demon took possession of the mage's body."
"So, if Connor were to ever fall prey to demon possession again…" Isolde began, "There will be people to free him again!", completed Kaitlyn, enthusiastically.
"Indeed." Teagan was smiling now. "In his first months as arl, John met a Dalish elf, Velana, one of the High Kindred, who knows a ritual that can send regular people into the Fade. That is how he does it. It would all be well, and we would be confident on the success of his enterprise, were it not for lady Leliana."
"Yes, Teagan, you said these changes were taking their toll on her." Isolde pointed, and helped herself to a piece of bread.
Teagan nodded, sipped some of his wine, and added: "Indeed it is. We listen to their arguments almost all nights, and they grow ever fiercer. I would not be surprised if Leliana fled to Orlais, only to return with an Exalted March behind her."
The mention of an Exalted March terrified Isolde and she closed her eyes for a second. "And what hope has a Fereldan arling against the might of the Chantry? And I doubt that Orlais would let this opportunity pass and justify their retaking of Ferelden. By the Maker, they don't even need to come by land; Amaranthine can be invaded by sea."
Teagan smiled a very sly smile. "You have no idea the size of the host John has amassed, Isolde. You know almost half of Ferelden fled the Blight to the Free Marchers, only to find such conditions there that made them envy those who lived in alienages. Trully, I heard that most of Fereldan refugees in Kirkwall lived in the sewers! Now, they all returned, but to Amaranthine, and where once they were an unruly lot, they are now skilled soldiers and sailors. John's navy rules the Waking Sea, Isolde. I am pretty sure his fleet would stand the Empress' ."
"But it is as they say, after all," said Kaytlin with all her folk lore, "lucky in war, unlucky in love. Every improvement he brings to Amaranthine is another brick that falls off of his marriage."
Isolde shook her head silently and finally shrugged, smiling a great, bright smile. "Very well, then! When is it that I am going to see my son?"
Teagan smiled as well. "If my calculations are correct, Ser Thrask will arrive by noon. Then, he will take you to Kinloch Hold, take Connor, and you will have all the road to Amaranthine to stay with him, my lady."
While that conversation carried on, now all smiles and laughter, a boy of Connor's age was glad he managed to escape the castle and come to the village. "One day, I'll have father's sword!" he thought. He missed his old friends, the ones who lived by the shore of the lake, in those houses so smaller than his; like the one he once lived.
It was dark, and Bevin was running through the streets, not scared of the dark, because he was like his father, and his grandfather, and like John, who used his father's sword to slay the walking dead, the darkspawn, and kill the Archdemon. He did not know that in one of the new inns a man and a woman sat, covered under cloaks, each sipping a goblet of warm beer.
"I think if you follow the boy back, you will find an unguarded entrance. Maybe, if I created a distraction, you will have no trouble finding the bann and ending his Maker forsaken life."
The woman looked at Bevin and nodded, taking a sip of her beer. "I saw where he came from. The mill. I have have entered the castle this way once. We will need bann Teagan's signet ring to unlock it."
"I thought you picked locks vey well", said the man.
"I tried, and I couldn't." She bit those words, angry at herself.
"So, your plan is to have the boy fetch it for us?"
"I like the way our minds work together, Cullen."
