XXV. NATHANIEL

Bhelen sat on his throne, tapping his fingers on the arm rests, listening to the petitioners before him. Nathaniel could barely restrain himself from walking over to the little group and pushing them all out of the way. They'd been waiting long enough now for an audience with the dwarven king. Nathaniel guessed Bhelen was punishing him for arriving late.

There'd been no sign of the other Wardens, though he knew from the dwarfs guarding the entrance to Orzammar that they had passed through three nights ago – with a boy. Sammy is in Orzammar, in danger. Nathaniel knew something was wrong. Knew it the moment his heart had twisted in his chest in the mountains.

Finally, the petitioners finished their business and took their leave. Vartag Gavorn nodded in Nathaniel's direction. With a small sigh of relief, Nathaniel made his way forward, Velanna and Madoc following closely on his heels. Bhelen frowned hard as they halted in front of his throne.

"You're late." Bhelen said, gripping the arm rest so hard, Nathaniel could see the whites of his knuckles. "You missed the feast I provided."

Nathaniel tried to remain calm. He wanted answers, he wanted reassurances, but he did not want to anger the king. He inclined his head apologetically. "You have my deepest apologies, King Bhelen. It was not my intention to disappoint you."

Bhelen scrutinized Nathaniel closely. Nathaniel resolved not to flinch under the king's gaze. After an uncomfortable minute of silence, Bhelen shifted in his seat. "What is your purpose here? The feast is over after all."

Do not reach for your bow, Nathaniel warned himself as his hand flexed. "Where are my Wardens?" he asked the king.

Bhelen shifted again on his throne. "Unfortunately, they met with a slight misfortune while in the city."

"A slight misfortune?" Nathaniel repeated. "I ask you again, where are they?"

Bhelen motioned at his guards to open a door. Sigrun came barreling through, an angry scowl on her face. A woman Nathaniel did not know followed through the threshold.

"Nathaniel," Sigrun said in surprise, stopping before him. "They have taken Melisende and Sammy."

Nathaniel felt the blow of those words on his gut. "Who is they? What has happened here?" and then he turned to Bhelen. "Why didn't you tell me this at once?"

Bhelen shrugged. "I don't have all the details. I am a busy man."

Nathaniel nearly reached for his bow this time, but a hand pulled him back. It was Velanna, who shook her head in warning.

"Sigrun has more to tell us." Velanna said.

Nathaniel turned to Sigrun.

"We were invited to the Provings by Anto Bemot, a noble. Melisende accepted, but she was… late in arriving. Anyway, Sammy and I went on ahead. I never got to the matches. Somebody accosted me, knocked me over the head and left me passed out in a storage room. I missed the whole sodding thing. And it was on purpose. Lina here," Sigrun gestured toward the strange woman, "was not at the games. She was looking out for your arrival."

"When none of them came back, I went to the Provings to find them, and only found Sigrun." Lina said.

"We questioned many people, but nobody had seen Melisende or Sammy since before the final match. And nobody had seen Anto either." Sigrun explained.

Nathaniel felt his blood boil. "Then how do you know they've been taken?"

Here, Bhelen produced a scrap of paper and waved it in the air. "This was sent to me."

"To you?" Nathaniel asked as Bhelen handed the note to Vartag Gavorn, who then handed it to Nathaniel.

"If you want the Warden returned, then you better pay up. I want all that was lost to me when the Grey Wardens put you on the throne and when you killed Harrowmont. If not," Nathaniel paused briefly, reading the last part to himself before saying it out loud."I'll send you her pretty head."

"I knew Anto was up to something." Sigrun said with clear frustration.

Nathaniel turned angrily on Bhelen. "If anything happens to them…"

"The man is nothing, a fly on a nug's ass." Bhelen said with a flick of his fingers.

"You say that, but we don't have coin enough to ransom her back. And what about Sammy? What have they done with him?" Nathaniel asked.

Bhelen laughed. He laughs! "For all the man preaches to have lost everything because of me, if Harrowmont was on the throne in my place, he and everyone else around here would still be paupers. I opened up Orzammar to trade. Anto is just mad that he is too stupid to make his own fortune."

"Then why is he taking this out on us and not you?" Nathaniel asked angrily.

Bhelen shrugged again. "The man's a raving lunatic?" Bhelen stroked his beard in thought and then leaned forward on his throne. "But you have a point. I've faced many assassination attempts since I came onto the throne. This is the first time a plot is not aimed at me. The Wardens put me on the throne… though it was from the mouth a paragon." Bhelen smiled slyly. "If Anto couldn't get me before, maybe he thought the Wardens would be easier to take revenge on."

"Where is this man's hideout? We will fight our way through this noble." Nathaniel could not stand around and do nothing anymore. Melisende and Sammy's lives were in danger. He couldn't help but feel responsible. If he would have come to the feast on time, this could have all been prevented.

"That might not be a good idea." Sigrun piped in.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Word on the street in Dust Town is that Anto has resurrected the survivors of the old carta – Jarvia's cronies. Tristan and Melisende decimated the carta during the Blight, but some got away." Sigrun explained.

"Thugs do not frighten me." Nathaniel said with impatience.

Sigrun crossed her arms in frustration. "Clearly you know nothing about the carta. You're still thinking like a noble know it all."

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes in Sigrun's direction. Her insinuation hurt more than he cared to admit. "Clearly you're still cowering in fear like the casteless vermin you used to be."

Sigrun's eyes opened wide in surprise – and hurt. Maker's ass, I didn't mean that. He hadn't meant to lash out at Sigrun. "Sigrun, I…"

She turned away from him. That was something father would say, he thought with revulsion. He didn't want to be like that man. He tried to bury these kinds of thoughts before, but somehow they still came out.

Bhelen cleared his throat.

Great, I've embarrassed the order in front of the dwarven king, Nathaniel thought in shame.

"I will give you the ransom… but I want it back." Bhelen said.

That is only fair, Nathaniel thought, Anto did send the note to you. Still, Nathaniel felt slightly uneasy that Bhelen wanted the ransom returned. "So you want us to lie our way to their base, and dishonor ourselves through treachery?"

"They fooled Sigrun, they fooled Melisende." Velanna said behind him.

"The elf is right; forget about honour, the noble has none. He invited her to the Provings, at my feast, and then turned on her, right at the day's main event too. Let your scruples go, topsider, this man is better off dead, and all his carta wannabes with him. Orzammar will be a better place without them all." Bhelen smiled slyly again.

Nathaniel felt like he was doing the king's dirty work. "Fine," he grumbled. "I'll need a map." And he needed to get Melisende and Sammy out of this mess.

"You'll need a bronto to carry the ransom, too. And please, don't let that creature die; I won't be happy if my pet comes back in pieces." Bhelen said with a hint of warning in his gruff voice.

Nathaniel shuddered inwardly. No, the king was not a man to mess with, that was plain to see. He was glad he was not part of his own noble circle anymore. The vicious backstabbing and political maneuverings were more than he could take. He would take Bhelen's help, even if it pained him. He needed to get Melisende and Sammy returned, safely.

Sammy is like my own flesh and blood. And Melisende… he felt the familiar pain in his heart. I cannot live without her.