Captured

CONTENT:
Rating: Mature
Flavor: Adventure/Drama
Language: yes
Violence: yes
Nudity: no
Sex: no
Other: none

Author's Notes:

The plan went something like this... Morrigan, as a raven, is circling the estate; Leliana, Wynne, and Erlina went inside as Chantry Sisters, the latter having rendesvoused with the elves, who snuck in the back. Alistair is in the market with everyone else, causing a distraction.

Captured

==#==

This was fun. Alistair couldn't give a speech to save his life, but story-telling, now that was a different, well, story. He didn't care about garnering support for the kingship, but he did care about rallying people to Grey Wardens' cause.

He was reminded of Bannon's idea of a warrior who'd prefer to be a bard. Maybe that was Alistair. Or, since they weren't qunari, he could just do both.

Just as he was getting to the ogre at the Tower of Ishal, there was a large commotion in the market. Everyone turned to see - and get out of the way of - a contingent of Loghain's guards. Alistair tensed, getting ready to call his comrades to arms, but the soldiers passed by without so much as a sneer in his direction.

Well, that was... good? Wasn't it?

No, they were marching on the Arl of Denerim's estate. This was bad, very bad!

Alistair looked towards the sky, and waved his arms, gesticulating and panicking.

==#==

Like Morrigan couldn't see the disaster approaching. They hadn't worked out a signal for 'get the hell out, Loghain's army is attacking,' so she just flew around the mansion, cawing a general alarm.

==#==

Leliana shared a concerned glance with Wynne. Something had Morrigan in a frenzy, and it couldn't be good. "Sister Lucretia, perhaps you should go check on Sister Gracianious. She may have gotten lost again."

Just then, a guard burst in. "Ser! Where is Arl Howe? Loghain's troops are at the gate!"

Leliana jumped up. "We must find Sister Gracianious and leave at once!"

"No, Sister," the seneschal said. "You can't leave during a battle."

"There's a battle?" Wynne exclaimed.

Leliana said, "Nonsense. No one would harm the Maker's handmaidens. We shall pass through under a flag of truce."

"I can't allow that. Please, Sister, I must attend to this crisis quickly! I beg you stay here." He ushered the guard into the hall. "The arl is downstairs..."

==#==

Bannon worked on the lock now that the magical ward had been removed from Anora's door. "Erlina, you should return to the others."

"But my Lady."

"This will work best if you don't blow our cover."

The handmaid went to the door. "My Lady, what should I do?"

"You should go, Erlina. It will be safest."

"As you wish." But before leaving, she reached down her robes and pulled out her pot-belly stuffing. "This is a disguise for my Lady."

Bannon got the door open. "Hurry."

Erlina scurried off while Anora shrugged on the clothing. In a minute, she came out dressed in a stained cotton shift, with a ratty shawl draped over her head.

"You're disguised as a drudge?" Zeran remarked. "Best not to let anyone see your delicate, unblemished hands."

The queen looked about to retort, when Erlina raced back from the front hall. "They're attacking!"

"Who is attacking?" Bannon demanded. "And who is it they're attacking?"

"It's Ser Cauthrien!"

"Who?"

Anora supplied, "My father's lieutenant."

==#==

"You have no right to come in here, in force, and attack the arl's estate!"

"General Loghain MacTir has every right to wrest his daughter - Queen Anora - from Howe's traitorous clutches!"

"Loghain is not king. And even if he were, the king has no right to attack his vassals!"

Bannon and Zevran eased back from the corner of the hall. "Well, this is one crowded rescue," the thief complained.

The assassin snorted. "We were here first."

Bannon turned to the queen. "Well, your highness, looks like you have your pick of rescuers. Are you going to run off with your father's men and leave us here to get caught and executed?"

"Is there any way we can escape them?" she asked.

"Well, Howe's and Loghain's guards are blocking the front hall and entryway, but..." Bannon got a canny look on his face. "The other dungeon door is past there." He turned to the others. "We can go back down, cut across, and come up on the other side."

"They sent a guard to fetch Arl Howe," Erlina said, wringing her hands.

"Shit! Zevran, kill him."

"At once."

"Then take Anora to Arl Eamon's estate."

The women were already scurrying for the door down the hall, but Zevran lingered. "What about you?"

"I'll distract them." Bannon limped back to the corner.

"What about afterward? How are you-?"

"Zevran, just go. Now!"

"I will not leave-"

Bannon whirled on him. "This is a direct order! You swore your loyalty to me, now obey, before we're all fucked!" He shoved him, hard, and Zevran backpedalled. He couldn't leave Bannon.

He had to.

"As you wish, mi patrone." He ran to the door where the women waited. Behind them, a woman's voice yelled out.

"Ser Cauthrien! Stand down, at once!"

Anora gasped and looked back. Zevran smirked at Bannon's no end of tricks. "Move, highness," he encouraged her coldly. "You had better be worth this."

==#==

"Milady...? Queen Anora?" The lieutenant sounded confused. "Is that you?"

"Of course it is I! You go tell my father that if he wants me to leave the protection of Arl Howe, he had better well come himself!

"I can't do that, your highness."

"I am your Queen!" Bannon shouted back in a classic imitation of a royal hissy fit. He hoped Zevran was hurrying.

After their initial shock, the guards all sprang back into action. One of Howe's guards got the brilliant idea to grab Anora as hostage, and Loghain's troops fell on them with a vengeance.

Bannon knifed the completely confused guard when he came around the corner and found no queen. He made sure to get a lot of the guard's blood on him, then lay on the floor, acting more wounded than he was. At least everyone's attention was focused on this end of the hall, and not the other.

In another moment, a handful of Loghain's guards came charging around the corner, led by a woman. "Milady?" Ser Cauthrien took in the scene quickly.

"Madmen!" Bannon exclaimed. "They're madmen! They took the queen upstairs! If you hurry, you might still catch them."

The guards charged past him, but then Ser Cauthrien yelled, "Hold it!" She pointed her sword at Bannon. "You're a Grey Warden." So much for hiding that. "Where is Queen Anora?"

"Upstairs, I tell you! She's not in that room!"

Ser Cauthrien directed her men to batter down the door. Luckily, they didn't try the knob, because Bannon hadn't thought to relock it. He hoped Zevran was high-tailing it back to the Alienage. This ruse wouldn't last long.

The door cracked and flew open. The guards boiled inside and began tossing the room as if Anora might be hiding under the cushions or something. "Ser, she's not here!"

The lieutenant glared down at Bannon. "Where is the queen?"

"I told you she wasn't in there!"

Cauthrien growled. "Split up!" she ordered her men. "Scour the estate - stay in pairs. Secure the exits."

"Ser, the arl will be regrouping his troops."

She swore. "Get up," she snapped at Bannon.

"Well, I would, of course. But you see, those fiends who kidnapped Anora nearly cleaved my leg off."

For a moment, she looked as if she was about to cleave his head off as well. She refrained. "Bring him," she snarled. "Make sure he's disarmed."

Bannon held up his hands in surrender, but that didn't stop the burliest guard from punching him in the face. Apparently, they were serious about disarming him of both blades and fists. He didn't have to feign wooziness and disorientation as they hauled him to his feet. He allowed himself to go limp and be dragged out.

==#==

Zevran watched as Eamon and Teagan escorted Anora to a room they had prepared for their royal guest. You had better be worth this, he thought viciously at Ferelden's queen, and not for the first time.

He joined Alistair in the dining hall, pacing fretfully.

At last, Leliana rushed in, along with a breathless Wynne. "Bannon's been captured!"

"What?" yelped Alistair. "No no no no no, this can't be happening!

Zevran's heart stuttered as similar thoughts raced through his mind. No! he snapped at them. 'Captured' was not 'killed.' Though of course there was always the chance of execution, perhaps after interrogation and torture. He shook the nightmarish images from his mind, locked them deep in their own dungeon. "Where are they keeping him?"

"Loghain's men took him. Morrigan is following them."

Well, it would be too much to ask for them to just throw Bannon into the dungeon at the Denerim estate. "Brasca! If they take him to the palace..."

"Or worse," Alistair said, "to Fort Drakon."

"What is Fort Drakon? And how is it worse?'

"It's a huge tower. And a prison."

"Perhaps it is not too late to intercept them." Zevran paced again, more rapidly. "Surely they've discovered Howe is dead by now. So soon after Loghain attacked him, hopefully it is clear who is to blame."

Leliana said, "That might work to Loghain's advantage. Many of the banns were calling for Howe's head. Still, things might be in an uproar at the castle, as Loghain hastes to 'explain' what is going on. In the chaos, we should strike."

"Well, I'm not staying behind this time," Alistair insisted.

Just then, Morrigan rushed in, her hair and feather decorations a bit bedraggled. "They've taken him north, to a huge tower." She grabbed a pitcher and poured herself a glass of water.

"Fort Drakon," Alistair confirmed. "This is bad."

"Actually, it is good," Leliana said. "Loghain saw us all at the palace. There may be some guards at the Fort who don't yet know us."

"Leliana," Wynne said, "you should work with Queen Anora and Arl Eamon. I'll represent the Mages' Circle making a delivery to the fort."

"And I'm your Templar!"

"If you can find the proper uniform," Wynne allowed cautiously.

"I'll go get my skirts!" Alistair dashed off.

Wynne turned to Morrigan. "Are you up for this?"

The witch shook her head.

"I will go," said Shale.

The old mage turned to him. "Will you pretend to be a golem in service to a mage?"

"Yes," said Shale, barely hesitating. "For you, I will."

"Good. Thank you, Shale."

"I would also like to try this 'lying' again.'

"Lying?" Wynne's brow furrowed. "Have you been lying, Shale?"

"No, I have not." The golem's stone face lit up with a smile. "Hah! Am I not getting good at this?"

Wynne pressed a hand to her face.

Zevran said, "I do not think we should take Shale. It is too well-known that the Wardens have a golem."

"Leliana said the guards at the tower might not have seen him with us."

"It is a chance. I am not willing to take that big of a chance in this." Zevran lowered his brows at the old woman.

She met his glare face-on. "If we do not take Shale, we will be less capable should we have to resort to a fight." Then she nodded once in concession. "Yet, there may also be a smaller chance of getting into a fight."

Zevran chewed it over. "You believe you can convince the guards this is not the Wardens' golem?"

"Yes. We mages have some clout when it comes to the rare and unique."

"Very well. But if we do have to fight our way out, Bannon and I may have to leave you behind and disappear into the streets."

She nodded. "Understood."

"Very well."

==#==

Alistair returned wearing a templar tabard and skirts over his mail. "Hey, Zevran... I was hoping the armorer would let me borrow a bucket helmet. Will you go with me to ask him?"

"Of course, Alistair. I think I can persuade him on your behalf."

"Great! Let's hurry."

They managed to avoid Herren, which would have made this transaction ten times as difficult. Wade held a bucket helm in his hands - not his work, he insisted - as he contemplated just giving it to them.

"We'll just need it for the afternoon," Alistair cajoled. "If anything happens to it, I promise, we'll pay in full."

"But why do you need it?"

"Uhhh..." Alistair faltered. "It's for a good cause, but... it's kinda a secret."

Zevran just leaned in. "We're going to play Templar and Apostate," he said in a conspiratorial tone.

A sly smile spread across Wade's face. Without another word, he slid the helm over to Zevran.

"Grazie." He and Alistair hurried from the shop.

"I don't want to know what that meant, do I?" Alistair asked.

"You're catching on." Zevran shoved the helm at him. "Put that on, Chantry boy."

==X==

End Notes:

"Well, Howe's and Loghain's guards are blocking the front hall and entryway, but..." Bannon got a canny look on his face. "The other dungeon door is past there." He turned to the others. "We can go back down, cut across, and come up on the other side."
- You know, that seemed a reasonable escape route to me in the game, but... the game didn't allow it!