Part X
The Warden, his witch, and their son, made their way across the city from the royal palace to the Market District, which lay in the northern part of the city. There, nestled in a corner near the city walls and away from all the hustle and bustle of the vendors and shops, was the stoic Denerim chantry. The three of them entered the building, with Seth resting comfortably in his father's arm, through the large wooden doorway at the front.
Once inside, the trio headed for Brother Cantarus' workshop in the rear of the chantry. The Warden chose to use the lesser traveled passages and corridors in order to keep from drawing attention to himself and Morrigan from the chantry faithful who were gathered there as usual. Having found the good brother toiling diligently at his work, The Warden politely asked Cantarus if he could make the troubling letter available to Morrigan so that she could examine it for any sign of magical alterations. The old brother was only too happy to give the letter to the witch and get it out of his sight after all the fuss it had created. He tossed a leather pack across the wooden bench towards the witch saying as he did, "Here, do what you need with it. Just get that horrid thing away from me."
"I guess I should check up on Alistair while we're here...see how he's doing."
"True." Morrigan agreed. "He has been on his own for nearly a day. 'Twill be no small wonder if he still breathes."
"The king?" Cantarus asked in a nervous and shaky voice, "I haven't seen him. As far as I know, his majesty hasn't been to the chantry at all in more than a month. I would guess that his kingly duties prevent him from attending services regularly. But he comes when he can, I'm sure."
"That's odd." The Warden noted. "I figured this to be the first place Alistair would head for."
"As did I." the witch concurred with a slight nod.
"I do apologize, my lord. But the king just hasn't been here. I'm sure I would have heard about it if such a guest were staying among our humble brothers and sisters." the old brother said, trying to sound as sincere and convincing as he could.
After thanking Cantarus for his help, The Warden, Morrigan, and Seth all made their way back outside, again trying to stay clear of the main corridors. Unfortunately, though, the three of them had to brave at least a few admirers when they appeared from the side passageway and walked toward the front entrance. As was always the way in Ferelden, wherever The Warden went, people noticed. Even after The Warden and his witch were able to politely excuse their way through the group of gawkers that started to assemble and make it through the doors, they could still feel the curious stares of nearly everyone standing in the chantry compound. The Warden was well aware that there were already many rumors spreading through the streets like wildfire to explain his presence at the chantry this day.
"One would get the impression that the righteous and noble brother is keeping something hidden." Morrigan said as they stepped out of the darkened stone halls and into the bright sunlight.
"I was getting that, too. But he is an old man who's been under terrible strain for the past few days. He's probably just exhausted."
"Perhaps. Although such things are rarely explained so easily." Morrigan said as if she was filing the matter away for future reference if needed.
"What are your intentions regarding Alistair?" she asked. "I gather your aim is to look for him, is it not?"
"I'm going to have to, aren't I? Ferelden will be needing its king, after all."
"Twas my understanding that Alistair is no longer the king." Morrigan pointed out.
"That's only a minor setback...nothing we can't fix" he quipped, brushing off her negativity.
"Somehow, I fail to share your confidence. Were you to ask my opinion, I would say that none of this shall be remedied so easily. It will take a great deal of work and effort, with a fair share of that work being put forth by me."
"That's why I love you." he said, grinning mischievously.
The witch let out a long sigh and rolled her eyes, "Impossible man." she said.
"First, though, we need to find out who might have tampered with the letter. It won't matter if we find Alistair but still don't have any evidence to support him. I'm sure he's fine where he is until we can locate him."
"'Tis probably for the best. Although, I do suppose we should make some amount of haste. After all, Alistair has not shown the ability to care for himself in the past, I doubt if his skills have improved any. Having been on his own for this long may have already damaged him beyond repair."
"You think this is all very amusing, don't you?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side and rubbed his chin.
"Had it not involved me, then yes, I would find this entire situation to be quite humorous, indeed." Morrigan replied. "But alas, this tangled skein has somehow managed to snare even me within it's grasp. Though, Alistair's misery nearly makes the entire situation worthwhile."
"I'm sure Alistair will be thrilled to know he's kept you entertained."
"Indeed. And this is where I leave you." Morrigan announced, propping herself up on her tip-toes so that she could give him a parting kiss. "With a few hours of uninterrupted study, I shall be able to reveal any secrets this letter may hold."
"I'm hoping that it won't take me long to ask around a few of these street merchants. We'll meet you back at the palace in a few hours." The Warden replied, still having to bend down slightly to receive her kiss.
"If you are even slightly late, you can expect the guards to come looking for you." the witch warned.
"We'll be fine. You worry too much."
Morrigan gently grabbed the back of her son's head and pressed her lips against his forehead in a tender and motherly parting kiss. "I shall see you soon, dearest." she said while she held her own forehead softly against his. "Behave yourself for your father."
"Look, mutha!" Seth cried out excitedly, not paying Morrigan any attention, while his chubby little finger pointed to what had caught his interest. "Horsey!"
"That's not a horse, Seth." The Warden corrected. "That's an ass. They just look very much alike."
"Horsey!" the child shouted again. "I wanna see the horsey!"
"How like your father." Morrigan said, shaking her head. "So easily distracted by even the slightest things."
"He's two, Morrigan. He does that."
"And what would your excuse be?" she shot back, grinning a bit. "Sundown, Dwemer. No later. Am I understood?"
"Yes, mother." The Warden replied, groaning the last bit for emphasis.
"As usual, your attempts at humor are misplaced. Do not fault me for having concern for your well being, especially given that Seth will be with you." the witch huffed, folding her arms.
"I promise, I'll run away as fast as I can at the very first hint of danger."
"I have your word, then."
"Go. We'll see you this evening." he said, chuckling a bit at her insecurity.
The witch blushed slightly when she realized how she was behaving. She grabbed his arm one last time to caress it lightly before moving her hand to stroke her son's cheek. She slowly backed away, then turned and headed off in the direction of the royal palace.
After Morrigan had vanished from view, The Warden turned to his son, whose large round eyes were busy trying to take in all the new sights in front of him. "It's just us now, Big Man. You ready?"
"Da, look! Horsey!"
"I'll take that as a yes."
The Warden, with Seth riding high on his shoulders, rounded the wall that guarded the chantry grounds and stepped towards a small cluster of street vendors that had been set up just beyond. All three of these vendors were women of greatly varying ages. But they did have one thing in common: All of them were instantly taken with Seth. The ladies oogled over the small child; making comments on how adorable he was and asking were he got such jet black hair and beautiful golden eyes. Seth, of course, gobbled up the attention as if it were his main source of nourishment.
It seemed that having his son with him made his task much easier. The women were open to answering all kinds of questions about who they saw going in and out of the chantry. Sure enough, all three ladies reported seeing the young man race out of the chantry and dart around behind the corner of a building next to the alley. This, though, was all they were able to see. Once the man had gone around the corner, none of the women saw him again until he came flying around the building again at a full run.
The Warden thanked the ladies for their time and help before moving on to the next pack of vendors on the other side of the chantry. The ladies waved and smiled at Seth as he and his father moved off, causing the young Cousland to bury his face against his fathers chest in mock embarrassment while his wild giggling was muffled by his father's shirt.
At the next set of vendors, all of them men who didn't seem nearly as interested in Seth as the women did, The Warden repeated his actions, asking each of them who and what they had seen in the past few days. Within only a few minutes, Seth began to wiggle and squirm in his father's arm, growing more and more impatient. But as before, none of the merchants could offer any other information than what he already knew. If there was someone with the young man who was assisting him, none of them saw it. The Warden thanked the men for their time, and much to Seth's approval, moved on.
And so it went for several hours, with The Warden going from one merchant to the next and questioning them. The only thing he was finding out was that the farther from the chantry he went, the less people had seen anything. Most of the outlying booths and carts scattered at the far end of the Market District hadn't even seen a young man racing out of the chantry at all, let alone anyone helping him. If there were thieves, as The Warden suspected, then they were proving to be very adept at covering their tracks.
There must have been something he missed, The Warden thought to himself. Denerim was as busy a city as any in Thedas; home to several hundred thousand people. Surely someone somewhere had to have seen something. The thief and whoever may have aided him simply couldn't have vanished into thin air, could they? But he had gone around to all the merchants he could find who were setup outside the chantry. After hours of asking around, he still didn't know much more than when he first started.
It was then that The Warden remembered his initial suspicions that a mage was somehow tied into all of this. He'd seen Morrigan do many wondrous and amazing things with her abilities and had been witness to countless others with similar talents. Most of it he had little or no understanding about, it was confusing and foreign to him, but he did know enough to figure that if magic was involved, nothing could be ruled out. For all he knew, they very well could have literally vanished.
"Who dat, Da?" Seth inquired as he pointed over his father's shoulder at someone approaching them.
"Uh-huh." The Warden replied, mindlessly. His thoughts were busy elsewhere.
"Da!" the child said again, this time patting his little hand against The Warden's shoulder, trying to get his attention. "Who dat?"
Finally, the child broke through and his father looked back in the direction Seth pointed. "Huh?" he asked as he snapped out of his daze.
"Mister Grey Warden, ser!" a boy of about thirteen shouted as he waived and ran to where The Warden's stood. The lad stopped next to The Warden, bending over and putting his hands on his knees while he tried to catch his breath.
"Can I help you?" The Warden asked, casting a curious eye at the boy.
"I was watching you from over there..." the boy said, pointing back in the direction he came from, "I know you've been asking around about anyone seeing anything strange over at the chantry."
"That's right. I was." The Warden confirmed with a nod, "Why, did you see something?"
"Yes ser, I did."
Morrigan peeked out through the large and decorative window and into the city below. Then sun was hovering lower and lower in the sky and The Warden had still not returned with Seth. The witch was starting to get anxious. When her husband was out conducting his business she worried enough, but this time he had their son with him. Morrigan was starting to find it hard to concentrate on her own work as she glanced out the window once again, only to see the sun had dipped even lower toward the horizon and still no trace of The Warden or Seth.
She was fortunate enough to have the letter to keep her busy while she waited, but as the hour grew later she was finding even that did little to keep her mind from wandering. Her fingers tapped against the hard wood of the table and she bit her lower lip, trying hard to remain focused on her task. But it was no use. Her mind kept going back to wondering when her two men would return.
Finally, as the sun the settled itself down for the night and darkness once again began to creep across the city, the wooden door to the chambers burst open and The Warden strolled into the room, Seth passed out asleep in his arms.
"'Tis about time!" the witch huffed.
The Warden's only reply was to place his fingers to his lips and gesture towards the sleeping child he carried. He slowly walked over to the child's bed and carefully placed the slumbering tot within, pulling the warm blanket over Seth and making sure he was comfortable.
"The sun still hasn't set all the way. We made it back in plenty of time." he said in a hushed tone.
"When I said 'sundown', I had hoped you would have taken the hint and returned somewhat beforehand." she shot back, placing her hands on her hips as her face formed into a scowl.
"I told you there wasn't anything to worry about. All we did was walk around the Market District and ask questions, like I said I was going to." he replied, trying to defend himself.
Even though the witch didn't seem completely satisfied with his answer, she said nothing. Instead she walked over to where he sat down to pull his boots off and stood next to him, placing her hand against his shoulder and rubbing it lightly.
"Dwemer..." she said softly, "I've no intentions of being the nagging wife. 'Tis something neither of us wants. My only wish is for you to acknowledge your responsibilities. Have you even considered what were to become of Seth and me should something happen to you?"
His large blue eyes stared directly into her soft golden orbs. "I told you already. I'm through fighting. My blades are still packed away in the trunk, remember? All I did was ask a few questions. This wasn't much of a problem before, why all the concern now?" he replied as his hand went up to grasp hers and give a good squeeze.
"Before..." the witch started, "we did not have what we do now. We have a family...one that is growing...unless you have forgotten."
"Ah...I think I understand now." he said knowingly. "This is the pregnancy talking, isn't it?"
"Do not be absurd." she shot back, "I am merely stating the obvious."
"So this has nothing to do with you being pregnant?"
"Can I not simply say that I worry over you without being viewed as an overly emotional girl? You are my husband, after all. 'Tis you who protects and provides for this family." Morrigan said defensively. "Without you, Ferelden would hold nothing for me."
"That's not true. Fergus and Alistair would never let anything happen to you or Seth and you know it. They would do anything to make sure you are both taken care of."
"You are quite aware 'tis not what I meant. I need no one to 'take care of me'." the witch retorted, fixing her golden eyes on her warden. "You are going to force me to say it, aren't you?"
"Yep."
"Bastard." Morrigan grumbled. "I worry about you because..."
"Go on..." The Warden urged.
The witch let out a long, disgruntled sigh before finishing. "...because I love you."
"There now. That wasn't so bad, now was it?"
"Ass. You know as much, yet you still feel the need to coerce me into saying it repeatedly."
"When it comes to hearing you say those three words, I would face Flemeth, the archdemon, and Denolian at the same time if that's what it took."
"How well I know that you would. Although for the life of me I cannot understand why."
"You don't like to hear me say it to you?"
"Must we delve into this now? Surely there are more important things that we should be discussing."
"Answer the question first."
The witch let out another grumble, then relented. "Yes, of course I enjoy hearing you say it to me."
He reached his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. With his other hand he gently lifted her shirt so that her naked belly was exposed. He lightly touched his fingers against it, searching for the life that was growing within and causing Morrigan to flinch just a little as his light touches neared her sensitive navel.
"This right here..." he said, "this is all that matters. This is why I'm doing it. Our children deserve a better place to be brought into. We have to change things for them if for no other reason."
Morrigan's ran her fingers through his long hair as he held his head against her stomach, "Change comes at a cost, my love. And even then 'tis often met with great resistance. Is it a price you are willing to pay?" she asked.
"For you? Absolutely." he affirmed heartily.
"I fear even your shoulders may not be broad enough to carry such a burden alone."
"I'm lucky I have you, then."
"Yes, you are." Morrigan agreed without hesitation, "However, if we are to make a brighter future for our children, we must first attend to the situation before us. Tell me, was your time spent today fruitful?"
"Surprisingly, yes it was." The Warden answered, still putting most of his focus into stroking Morrigan's stomach.
"How do you mean?"
"I went to every merchant around the chantry I could find, but none of them could tell me anything I didn't already know." he explained. "That is, until a young boy came up to me. He saw me asking around the Market District and offered to tell me what he knew."
"And did this boy know a great deal?"
"Actually, yes, he did. He said his name was Elias, and he told me that he and a few friends were playing in the back alley behind the chantry when they spotted a man standing in the shadows near the edge of the alleyway. He said they watched as a young man came running around the corner and gave the mysterious stranger what looked like a folded piece of parchment. Elias couldn't tell for sure, but he says it looked like the figure did something to the parchment before handing it back to the boy a few minutes later."
"It appears that you may have found your evidence at last."
"Maybe so. But that's not all of it. Elias said he also knew who the young man with the stranger was. He didn't know the man's name, but Elias told me he'd seen him hanging around the Gnawed Noble."
"Not surprising since, we, ourselves have had dealings there. Your thief could be working for the barkeep. I trust you intend to interrogate him?"
"I plan to go there in the morning, bright and early. With luck, I'll be able to have the evidence I need to at least force the landsmeet to investigate further before taking a vote to restore Anora. Together with the letter, we'll be able to put things back the way they were...the way they need to be."
"Ah, the letter. I had nearly forgotten it." Morrigan said as if remembering something important. "It seems that you are going to have to confront the nobles without it."
"Why so? What happened to the letter?"
"Nothing happened to it. I was able to examine it thoroughly. However, therein lies the problem. I could find no trace of magic at all."
"What are you saying?" he asked, finally turning his attention from her belly and looking up at her.
"I am saying the letter was not altered."