Chapter 21

"Freedom"

There was still no word from Lady Liza or the others. Indeed, time was growing short as rumours of their conspiracy must have reached the Warden Commander by now. Though she would never dare risk travelling to the old farm during the day, Esmerelle knew she had no choice, she and her fellows would have to act now, or else be executed as traitors, charged with treason against the Crown.

Bah! The Crown. It has become weak and pathetic. Maric's bastard sits on the throne, placed there by Bryce's youngest. That little brat should have been drowned at birth.

The doors to her study opened to reveal an armoured figure standing by the fireplace, stoking the embers, his back to the Bann. Without moving, the figure watched the flames dance, the light giving his helmet an unnatural glow. "You seem surprised to see me, Esmerelle. I wonder why that could be."

Esmerelle backed away, realising that the Arl of Amaranthine stood before her. Does he know? He must, why else would he be here? "How did you get in here? Guards!"

The figure removed the helmet, revealing long black hair pulled back behind the head, clean and orderly, a contrast to the last time Esmerelle saw Aedan. "Oh, they won't be joining us right now. Or for some time. By the way, you might want to see about hiring some new guards." The Arl began to chuckle slightly, the sound clawing at the back of Esmerelle's mind, sending a shiver up the woman's spine.

So he has come to accuse me then. There is nothing I can do except hope that someone heard me. "You killed them?"

The Warden turned to face Esmerelle, his face clean shaven, save for a small circular beard around his mouth. She had never known it to see it when she had sworn fealty to the boy, his face then covered in dirt and a rough growth, but now, against the fire, Esmerelle thought she was looking into the past, as if Bryce Cousland stood before her, alive and well.

Aedan spoke, and something in his voice terrified Esmerelle. A strange quality in the words scratched inside her mind, each word haunted by the whispers of a dozen voices. "No. Wouldn't have been worth the effort. It might have been fun of course, but that's beside the point right now. No, you're guards are fine, they'll be nursing some headaches tomorrow, and I'm somewhat certain some of them will need to change their breeches. But they'll live. Can't really say the same about you though Esmerelle."

It was those last words that truly terrified her. He knows then, that's why he is here. "What…what do you mean?"

The Warden walked towards her, each step casual, almost a little jaunt, and yet in Esmerelle's eyes, each motion was unnatural, as if the boy was tied to a puppeteer's string. "I mean, that depending on how our conversation fairs, you might live, you might die, or you might wish you were dead." He paused, motioning to two chairs, separated by a large, heavy desk. "You know, I dislike have a conversation like this, so, let us sit down and be civilised. We are nobility after all."

It was the utter calmness in the Warden that disturbed her most of all. The Bann was sure that Aedan knew everything, and yet for a man whose life was on the line, he was so calm, too calm in fact. "Very well."

"Oh. And Esmerelle. Don't even think about using that dagger hidden under your desk." With a light laugh, Aedan produced a thin stiletto from his belt, toying it in his hands. "You couldn't even if you wanted to."

He is toying with it, just as he is toying with me. Idiot, does he think this a game? Her ire was rising, furious that she was being mocked by a boy. "What do you want?"

Never taking his eyes off the blade, Aedan explained himself, the stiletto passing between his fingers, the scraping of metal against metal rang in Esmerelle's ears. "I know about you and your fellows, about the little scheme you tried to hatch against me. I came here to inform you that it won't happen anytime soon."

"Without going into too much detail, but I found your meeting place at Old Stark's Farm. Delightful place by the way. Nice and secluded. I can almost see why it would be a popular place for traitors to rendezvous." Bored with the stiletto, Aedan tossed it in the air twice, before throwing it into the fire, the force splitting one of the burning pieces of firewood.

"I can also appreciate you hiring some Antivan Crows for the task, I mean; they are the greatest assassins in Thedas, famed for never failing in their mission. That said, you should know that they were hired before to kill me, last year in fact. You should also know that they died. Quite horrifically if I can remember correctly. There may have been a couple of decapitations, I definitely remember one of them setting off one of their own bear traps. It was quite funny. It was even funnier to watch him being hit square in the chest with an arrow fired from a friend of mine." He chuckled to himself again, and again a shiver crept up Esmerelle's back. "Forgive me, I tend to get a little bogged down when I reminisce, a small fault of mine. My point is. Antivan Crows, usually an excellent choice for when you want someone dead. Not so much if you send them after a Grey Warden, I truly hope you hadn't sent the fee to their masters yet. That might be somewhat embarrassing."

Her hands turned white as Esmerelle gripped the arms of the chair she sat upon. With each passing second, she feared for the inevitable blade to fall onto her neck. "You killed them?"

"Not all of them. I made sure one of them lived to deliver a message to their masters. Of course not all of him will be going back to Antiva. You want to know what the message is? Because I have the same message for you." He reached for a small pouch tied to his belt, tossing it onto the desk. "Take a look inside."

Pulling at the strings, Esmerelle turned the pouch upside down, and several gold signet rings fell onto the desk. Each ring she recognised, and then the Bann knew her time had come.

The tapping of a gauntleted hand on the table drew her attention as Aedan reached across the table, picking up one of the rings. "Let's see, this one is the Packton family crest, is it not? I was tempted to leave the rings on the fingers, but of course then you would have gotten a small bag of bloody rings and fingers, and we both know how difficult it can be to remove those blood stains from velvet."

Her body began to shake as she watched Aedan pick up the rings, placing them back in the pouch and tying the pouch shut before leaving on the table, patting it as if to make sure it stayed there. "You killed all of them?"

Aedan's eyes beamed with a curious delight as he heard the question. "You seem rather preoccupied with that aren't you, Esmerelle. I suppose if I was in your position, I would most likely worry about that myself. Though, I must say as well, I quite like the look on your face right now, the fear in your eyes, the way the terror has taken a hold of your throat." He smiled to himself as he sniffed the air, his tongue licking his lips. "You can almost smell the sheer horror, and it is a delicious aroma, quite invigorating."

The Warden stopped for a moment, mulling something over in his mind. "Still needs a little kick to it though. Suppose I told you I did it on my own. None of my fellow Grey Wardens, none of the soldiers under my command. Just me." The horrified look in Esmerelle's eyes brought no end of joy to the Warden, his lips parting into an almost demonic smile. "And there it is! Oh yes! We got it!"

"You see, you forgot one thing, Esmerelle. I am a Grey Warden. Hundreds of Darkspawn fell before my blade. I braved the terror of the Deep Roads. I have slain Dragons and battled the true Witch of the Wilds." And for the first time, Aedan's face contorted, spitting to the floor with sickened contempt. "I have destroyed abominations and demons. I slew the Archdemon. And most importantly of all, I hunted down an insignificant worm of a prick named Rendon Howe and killed him. A number of fat and lazy nobles too idiotic to remember that, didn't really even cause me to break a sweat."

Esmerelle pushed herself away from her chair, backing away from the still seated Warden, searching for some way to escape him. "Why are you taunting me, just finish it already!"

There it was again, the damned chuckle. It sounded so inhuman. But then, everything Aedan had said haunted her, tormented Esmerelle. "Why am I taunting you? Why dance under the moonlight? Actually, why dance? Why not sing? Why do anything?" He shot up from the chair, the speed of the movement causing Esmerelle to jump. "Because it's fun, you stupid bitch!"

"You're insane!" In an instant Aedan had crossed the distance between himself and the Bann, and in that instant, his hand grasped her neck and slammed her against the wall.

His tone became serious, his grip tightened, just enough to make sure he wasn't interrupted. "Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I gained an insight to the world and that has granted me a long awaited freedom." Aedan brought himself face to face with Esmerelle, his eyes filled with contempt and hatred. "You still live because of only one reason, Esmerelle. I don't have proof. I don't have absolute proof that you were involved in the conspiracy against me. I don't have absolute proof that you were involved in my family's murder. Rest assured that if I did, you would suffer a fate worse than any twisted nightmare, though, as much as it galls me to say it, thanks to 'Ol Rendon, I do have some pretty twisted nightmares, more so than people might expect." With that, his grip relaxed and Esmerelle slid down against the wall, coughing hard.

"So what do you want from me? Revenge? Do it, let the people what kind of monster rules over them! Rendon was right about the Grey Wardens! You are all pathetic! Just as your father was."

The flash of the sword silenced Esmerelle before she spoke another word, the blade pointed directly at the sagging flesh of her throat.

She was unsure if it was the lack of air from Aedan's grip or her own fear playing tricks on her, but Esmerelle was certain that the Warden's voice had changed, becoming more demonic then human. All she could do now was listen in terrified silence. "I'll tell you who was pathetic. Howe. The man blamed the world for his own failings, and when justice finally came for him, the worm tried squirm his way free. My only regret about killing him was the fact I didn't make the bastard suffer for longer!"

"I came here to deliver a message, and here it is. You are on borrowed time Esmerelle. Your co-conspirators are dead, your assassins are dead. You are on your own. I won't kill you today Esmerelle, I doubt I'd like the taste as that last shred of life left your body. No, you get to live, until I find proof. And when I do, I will come for you." The blade slid back into its sheath, and Aedan turned away from the frightened Bann, walking towards the door. "Think very carefully Esmerelle. Do you want to try something and have me returning, or do you want to take that matter into your own hands?" He paused one last time in the doorway, fixing the helmet back into its place. "Let me put it this way. You don't want to have me returning."

The Seneschal welcomed Aedan, greeting him with a traditional salute. "Ah Commander, there you are. I trust your business in Amaranthine has been taken care of."

Nodding his thanks with a smile, Aedan strode across the main hall, taking his place on the throne. "Yes, it has Varel, thank you. Have you anything to report?"

Varel nodded, withdrawing a scroll from a satchel, the older man opening it to deliver his daily report. "Yes, Ser. Oghren has returned with the others from investigating the cellars. Apparently they found a passage connecting the cellars to the Deep Roads. Seems to be how the Darkspawn were able to appear as if from nowhere during the attack. They were able to seal the passage by having Voldrik repairing a Dwarven barrier door."

The Warden waved off a servant who had finished pouring a drink. "Well, that's one less thing to worry about. Continue."

"Indeed. Speaking of Voldrik, the Dwarf has reported that repairs to the Keep are well underway. He has though, requested a number of soldiers to guard our miners in the Wending Woods, as the region was well known for its high quality granite. It should make the walls far sturdier, offering more protection."

Draining the goblet, Aedan rolled his hand towards Varel, motioning to move on. "Yes, yes, fine. He can have them. Is there anything else?"

"The only item left is this." Varel beckoned the servant over, the young woman carrying a small package in her hands. "A messenger from Highever arrived last night with this and this." The Seneschal rooted in the satchel before finding the letter. "I believe it is from your brother, Ser."

Aedan took the package and the letter, and started to leave the hall. He looked at the package with a mild curiosity, before speaking as he passed through the doors of the hall. "My thanks Varel. I will go to my chambers now. See to anything that might arise."

"As you command my lord."

He peeled away the seal, a pair of laurel branches pressed into the wax. Aedan smirked to himself at the sight of his family's seal, not because of the fact that Fergus had bothered to write to him, but because of the satisfaction that those who had attempted to end his line had failed, and for the most part were dead for their troubles.

As he held the letter to the candlelight, Aedan sat down at the desk, and read his brother's letter, the usual chicken scratch that typified Fergus' writing staining the paper. And yet, Aedan could read each word perfectly as his mind deciphered the writing with ease.

Brother.

I trust you are well, though that just means I'm still annoyed with you for not letting me know you had taken up your Warden duties again. But knowing you, and from what I have heard from the Dwarf, you are no doubt in your element and doing Mother and Father proud.

You know I was never much of one for writing letters little brother, so I will end this before I begin to ramble. Take care of yourself or else you'll find me standing next to you, nagging you.

Good luck Aedan. You continue to do me proud.

Fergus.

P.S. Beast found this in your room, and I thought you might want it. Again, take care.

The package. It was small, no larger than a typical purse of coins. It had been wrapped in the same type of paper as the letter, tied together with a butcher's string. Tearing away the paper, Aedan found a box, and something rattling inside. As he opened the box, Aedan found the source of the rattling, a ring. Made from silver, the banding of the ring was decorated with crossed spears, laying on top of a tear drop, the symbol of Highever. But, it was the centre of the ring that had brought the smile to Aedan's face.

A small piece of blue sapphire had been set into the mount of the ring, the gemstone creating a field for the laurel branches, made from silver, to rest upon. It was Aedan's signet ring, the one presented to him by his parents when he had returned home.

Removing the gauntlet, Aedan touched the ring, the metal cool against his skin. He slid the ring onto his finger, placing it beside the rosewood ring Morrigan had given him all those months ago.

Walking towards the window, Aedan looked out across the keep, and watched the moon slowly rise in the night sky, turning the rings over on his finger. "Oh, I'm better than you might think Fergus. I feel like a new person right now."

Aedan cackled to the sky, revelling in the new freedom he had been granted.