Hello,
to answer complaints concerning lack of the time for the Inquisitor in this fanfiction.
Well, I am sorry about that but this story is focused principally on the Warden and Leliana.
Don't worry I am sure Bioware will make up for it in DAI. I just wish that the Warden would appear there as well.
Also my favourite character from DAO makes appearance in this chapter.
Enjoy reading and please leave a review.
-ooo-
"Deputy Warden Commander Nathaniel Howe from Amaranthine." Herald announced and left the war room when a duo of wardens made a way to the throne. Next to the Deputy Commander walked a red-haired dwarf.
"Commander Howe, I welcome you in the HQ of the Inquisition." The Inquisitor greeted from her seat.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. Though I wish it was under better circumstances." Howe politely replied.
Before anyone could carry on, the meeting was interrupted with swearing and a wolf whistle. "By the tits of my ancestors. Look at that cutie in the corner." The dwarf turned to Nathaniel and pointed to the corner where agent Harding was comfortably seated in the chair. Her cheeks reddened but contrary to her flirting with the Commander, her eyes were flashing in barely hidden fury now.
"Oghren." Nathaniel next to him sighted slightly rubbing his temple in frustration. He turned to the throne and apologized. "My apology, Lady Inquisitor."
"Apparently some things never change." A melodic giggle came from the silhouette behind the throne.
Oghren's eyes almost popped out."No way. It can't be. Show yourself, lass."
Radiant redhead stepped out of the shadows and slowly walked before him. "Hello, Oghren. It's good to see you."She smiled at him.
"Lass, I …" Leliana couldn't believe it. Oghren was crying. Trying to hide it, he fiercely hugged her and lifted her up slightly, while she was smoothing his hair lightly.
He put her down gently while rubbing furiously his eyes and continued. "I missed you. I missed even that delicious snack which your lover boy had gifted to you. How pathetic is that?" The dwarf asked and pointed his finger at Howe. "You all left me and I had to remain with this spoilsport."
Howe grimaced slightly while a trio on the throne was doing their best to keep a straight face. They failed horribly.
Leliana knelt and gently embraced the emotional dwarf and whispered. "It seems our path is crossing again."
Oghren restored a fragment of his composure and in his usually gruff voice rumbled. "Red, I know you have always had the hots for me but I prefer dwarven wenches. No offence."
Leliana sweetly smiled at him. "Good. I wouldn't like to explain our indiscretion to the Commander and neither would you."
"That's right." Oghren smiled before furrowed his brows. "Wait… What?"
Before he could question her again she retreated to her place behind the throne. The Inquisitor cleared her throat and attracted the attention back to her. "Commander Howe, I assume you agree to our request concerning the fabulous Silver Order?"
"Yes, my lady. Extermination of demons is a priority right now. The silver knights are awaiting your command." He replied.
"We appreciate your cooperation, but there is much more important matter that must be addressed now."
"I learnt that you cut all your connections with Weisshaupt Fortress in Anderfels." The Inquisitor looked for the confirmation and she got it. Her guest was no longer smiling.
"The threat from Anderfels is much bigger than you realize." She carried on.
"What do you mean?" The Deputy Commander asked suspiciously.
"The First Warden has been possessed by ancient Darkspawn. I don't have to tell you what trouble it will cause."
"What? How do you know that?" He sharply demanded an answer.
"I told her that." A shady silhouette appeared behind the throne and answered in an authorative voice.
"No sodding way." Oghren whispered in astonishment.
"Allow me to introduce you Commander of our a…" The Inquisitor began but was cut off by indignant Oghren.
"Commander? Commander? This is THE Commander."Oghren roared out.
"Oghren." The individual behind the throne sighted, already knowing where this was heading, and stepped out of the shadows.
"What do you mean?" Cassandra asked her interest peaked.
"This is the sodding Commander of the Grey." Oghren looked around at blank expressions. He sighted and slowly spelled.
FOR SLOW-WITTED
THE COMMANDER OF THE GREY IN FERELDEN
THE ONE THAT KILLED AN ARCHEDEMON AND SUPPOSEDLY DIED
YOU KNOW THE HERO OF FERELDEN.
For a moment there was an absolute silence in the war room as Oghren dropped the bomb. Then all turned to the Warden Commander and compared his face in memories with paintings they saw after the Blight.
Leliana surprisingly calmly confirmed his claim. "Oghren is correct. It's him."
Oghren snorted. "Of course I am right. Who do you think saved his sorry ass during the Blight?" He haughtily remarked.
The Warden Commander dryly rebuffed him. "You mean from that dwarven ale, don't you?"
"Indeed." Oghren roared with laughter, Leliana joined him as well with small giggles.
The dwarf slightly composed himself, turned to Leliana and smirked. "So, are you still polishing his old Anvil, if you take my meaning?" Causing Leliana to blush furiously.
"Oghren." The Commander of the Grey failed with his strict voice unable to hide his amusement.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry Commander. With you in charge I actually have a good feeling about this." Oghren responded confidently and seriously and surprised the ones that didn't know him.
"Warden Commander, may I ask?" Nevarran Seeker interjected. "I had a feeling I knew you from somewhere and also my suspicions. All that knowledge you have, all that experience you possess, all skills you master and all hints you have left for us. However in the end it came to your alleged death. So I banished that thought. Why did you feign your death?"
All heads in the room eagerly turned to him awaiting to learn the truth about the legendary Warden who had risen from the ashes and to the ashes pulverized the Blight.
Leliana came beside him and took his hand in hers. He gravely explained. "I didn't fake my death I died. There is a reason why the Grey Wardens are needed to stop the Blight."
"Basically when you kill the archdemon, its immortal soul jumps to the nearest body with a taint. If it is a darskpawn, the Old God reborns and the Blight continues. It is also reason why first Blights lasted for centuries before Wardens devised a new solution. That solution is the taint in our veins. When the archdemon attempts that technique now, its soul collides with a soul of the nearest Warden and both die in the process."
The Inquisitor inquired in awe. "So what changed? What have you done?"
The Commander of the Grey sighted. "The difference was that I knew about the problem, I had enough lyrium to blow Orzammar sky-high and because I am probably one of the most powerful mages in generations."
Leliana softly squeezed his hand and he continued. "The battle of Denerim was relentless. Luckily Senior Warden Riordan crippled the archdemon and it felt on the top of Fort Drakon unable to fly. I, Allistair, Leliana and golem Shale fought our way through the prison filled with the darkspawn. We got on the rooftop and engaged Urthemiel in close combat and we almost killed it."
"Primarily thanks to you and your skills." Leliana proudly supported him.
"Regardless I knocked out Allistair determined to deliver a killing blow."
"Wait a moment. You knocked out the King Theirin?" The Inquisitor asked in amazement.
"Yeah, little pike-twirler wasn't very pleased with it. Got over it eventually." Oghren snorted.
The Warden metodically explained. "He is a great man and my brother but he wouldn't have a chance. Moreover he has been a new king of the united Ferelden, the one that has cemented alliances in this country. All stood as one against the Blight."
The Warden pressed on. "So I did what I had to. Then I used as much lyrium as I could, casted the spell and finished the archdemon. Essentially I pulled its essence with mine to the Fade."
"I was fighting a terrible battle in the Fade and I was losing. I had to fight off not only its physical attacks but also its attempts to penetrate my mind. The Old God managed to strike me down with some unknown but incredibly powerful spell. I was slowly dying with only one image in my mind." The Warden Commander looked to his beloved next to him and smiled a little.
"I breathed my last and drifted to the darkness." He looked around seeing that a small group in the room was holding a breath. Except for Leliana. She had already known this story.
He steeled himself. "It was not the end. Benevolent spirits of the Fade have assisted me. More specifically one of the most powerful – the Spirit of Hope as ancient as the Fade itself. It healed my wounds, augmented my strength and merged with me. We were powerful enough to annihilate Urthemiel and end the Blight."
"You have a spirit inside you?" The Seeker asked in astonishment.
"Yep. How do you think I could turn myself to a transparent mode on the battlefield?" The Warden lightly joked.
"You can turn yourself transparent?" The Inquisitor wondered disbelievingly.
Realizing they weren't familiar with this piece of information, he slightly smirked. "Ups?"
Leliana intensely elbowed him to ribs and elicited a hearty laugh from Oghren.
The Warden Commander continued. "When I woke up I was placed in a chapel waiting for funeral with only Leliana next to me. "
Leliana took it from there. "I was praying to the Maker for the return of my beloved and then he opened his eyes and was smiling brightly at me. It was a miracle."
The Seeker interjected. "That is amazing... But why did you fake your death even after that?"
The Warden sighted. "When you go through so much shit thrown at you from all sides, when you lose almost all you hold dear to your heart, when you sacrifice everything to stop the world's end, and when you return from the afterlife itself, you realize one important thing."
"What's that?" Agent Harding breathed her question reverentially in awe from a living legend in front her.
The Warden Commander smiled at her and addressed all in room. "Life is too short. What gives your life a sense of fulfillment, a sense of joy? Find out what is it you want and go after it. There is no tomorrow. Only the present day."
He pointed at Leliana. "I have found her. She means everything to me." Leliana blinked back her tears of joy, lovingly rubbing his hand in hers.
He turned to the Nevarran beauty. "I don't give a shit about some hero title. You think it was hard to walk away? It was the easiest thing I have ever done. When you lose so much, you focus on the most important things." The Warden pressed redhead closer to him.
Leliana explained. "With the help of the king we maintained a legend of the fallen hero."
Her partner added. "During the following years some of our companions learnt the truth. Oghren and Wynne, when Allistair needed my help in Amaranthine. Zevran, when I was travelling through Antiva. In the end the official version still remains that of the fallen Hero of Ferelden."
Oghren slowly bobbed his head in agreement.
Leliana provided. "I have never regretted it. I have spent with you the best years in my life." She pecked his cheek softly.
Deputy Commander Howe cleared his throat. "What about that business with the Elder One, Warden Commander?"
The Warden related his story briefly to Howe and Oghren.
"That means that Corypheus is now controlling the highest leadership of Wardens and planning to wage a war in Thedas?" Nathaniel summarized it.
"So what? We we will kill this son of a nug and hang its head above the entrance of Vigil's Keep." Oghren stated confidently.
The Warden stopped them strictly. "The threat is much greater than you realize. I am guessing now but you have encountered less and less number of darkspawn in Deeps Roads with each passing week during the last year , have you not?"
Nathaniel was left momentarily confused with a change of topic but still answered. "You are right. How do you know about that?"
"Just a lucky or more likely an unlucky guess." Came a short response. "Do you know what kind of knowledge has the First Warden in possession?"
Warden Howe looked thoughtful for a moment when his eyes suddenly widened in fear. "No, it is not possible."
The Warden nodded gravely. "That is exactly what I would have done."
Leliana looked at him in dread as well as the others. "What…What do you mean by that?"
Nathaniel Howe answered instead of him. "The First Warden knows the locations of the prisons of two remaining Old Gods."
Leliana and the trinity of women on the throne gasped when they realized implications.
"So what? They are buried deep underground." Oghren asked unsure what all the fuss was about.
Cassandra summarized all info and to a dead silent room whispered. "It means that the Elder One has assumed a direct control over the darkspawn and sent them to dig out the Old Gods."
The Commander of the Grey agreed. "Pretty much. Therefore I have pressured to consolidate the power of the Inquisition as quick as we could. We must move forward and engage the Elder One as soon as we are strong enough."
He mused thoughtfully. "Also, I should probably inform you that the Hawke is gathering new allies in Rivain, Tevinter and Free Marches as we speak. He will join us in Skyhold when the time will come."
The Inquisitor announced. "That's great news. We must stand united against this threat." All nodded in agreement knowing a reputation of the Champion of Kirkwall.
The Warden turned to Oghren. "Have you brought what I messaged you about?"
Oghren nodded firmly understanding the Warden's reference to a secret base of Wardens in Ferelden - Soldier's Peak.
The Commander of the Grey slightly motioned with his hand. "If you may?"
"Of course, Warden Commander." Oghren bowed slightly and called inside two silver knights who were carrying an enormous chest between them.
"By your orders."Oghren stated when knights put the chest down before the throne and exited room. He carefully opened a chest with a magical key that had been placed around his neck.
The leadership of the Inquisition was in shock when they realized that the chest was full of sovereigns and gold ingots. Even Leliana couldn't stop herself and leaned a little more to see. The Warden chuckled, grasped her around waist and pressed her firmly to him once more.
Josephine stepped from her armchair to observe it. "I would say at least seven thousand sovereigns."
"Ten in fact." Oghren proudly announced.
Leliana turned to her beloved. "The Maker had to send you to us. You have already helped so much."
"I agree." The Seeker and the Inquisitor muttered to themselves.
The Warden Commander quipped to Leliana silently. "The Maker had to send you to me. I think we are even."
Leliana couldn't stop her cheeks blushing furiously. He noticed she was gazing into his eyes with a strange gleam and blinked. She leaned closer to his ear and whispered sensually. "Later."
The Warden addressed a trio in front of him. "It should be enough to reconstruct Skyhold and accelerate our preparations."
The Inquisitor rose. "Commander, we are in your debt. Again. You came to us when we needed help the most and showed us a better way to do things. The Maker knows we needed it."
-ooo-
Weeks passed quickly. The Inquisitor and her team had been intensively working on mending the veil of the Fade in Ferelden. Thanks to the collective effort of the army of the Inquisition, the organization was able to secure an entire country except Redcliffe, where the Venatori were still holding the castle and its surroundings.
The plan was put in motion. The Warden Commander designed a strategy that explored that secret passage to the castle from the village.
King Allistair loaned out a few companies of troops, while teyrns of Highever and Gwaren sent a few platoons each to end the last threat in Ferelden itself. King Bhelen of Orzammar sent a company of heavy infantry augmented with dozens soldiers of the Legion of the Dead. The united clans of elven from Ostagar sent three platoons of archers.
The Warden and Leliana who insisted to be at his side, were accompanied by three dozens of elite soldiers from Haven who had been trained by the Warden Commander himself. The Warden activated Flaming Weapons and Rock Armor for his troops and led them through a hidden passage to the castle. The majority of their army, led by Commander Pentaghast, was engaging the Venatori in area around Redcliffe and at the gate of Redcliffe Castle. The Inquisitor supervised their progress with Lieutenant Cullen from the windmill in the village.
The Venatori were practically wiped out in Redcliffe. The Warden and his troops called the Immortals cleared and seized the castle very quickly to a great surprise of the Venatori inside. Then Leliana with a flaming arrow sent a signal to the forces of the united Ferelden outside the castle.
The rest of Venatori battalion was squeezed between a rock and a hard place. From the direction of the village charged a mixed army of dwarves, elves and humans, while from the castle attacked a platoon of elite troops dressed in black. The Venatori formations crumbled swiftly. Armed forces of the enemy were entirely crushed very soon after that.
FERELDEN WAS SECURED.
-ooo-