Chapter 26: Ghosts of the Past
Solona and her companions made their way back to Lake Calenhad. They returned to find a full brigade camped near the Spoiled Princess; the bulk of the men's shields bore the laurels of Highever.
Lady Cousland had arrived.
Kallian embraced her friend, The Teyrna looked tired, and she had clearly lost weight since the war had begun. She nodded to the Wardens and their companions. She asked them to follow her; the one they had to see did not have much time left.
His name was Elric Maraigne; once upon a time he had been a member of King Cailan's honor guard. He was badly wounded and clearly infected with the taint. He gasped as he clung to the last embers of life. Upon seeing the wardens, he forced himself into a sitting position, they needed to know what he knew and quickly.
He spoke of King Cailan's royal arms chest, the one abandoned in Ostagar. It was said to contain the missives between Cailan and Empress Celene of Orlais. It was important that those missives found their way back into the hands of those still loyal to Cailan here in Ferelden.
The poor man held on just long enough to tell Solona where he had hidden the key in Ostagar, to force a crudely drawn map into her hands.
Then he collapsed and breathed his last breath.
Solona closed the poor man's eyes.
"We need those documents," Elissa told them, "with luck; they might give us what we need to get the Orlesian wardens here. The blight continues to grow. If it is not stopped, we won't need Loghain to destroy us, that sodding dragon will do it for him."
"Agreed," Solona nodded, "Lord Urthemiel has used his puppet Loghain to weaken us. Any advantage we can claim at this point is needed."
"Urthemiel?" Alistair asked with a raised eyebrow.
""The Archdemon Alistair," Solona shuddered, thanks to Avernus's 'gift' she heard the Archdemon's call so clearly now. Not that she doubted the value of what the ancient warden mage had given her. There seemed to be no limit to her powers now, in giving up a piece of her humanity, she had gained yet another weapon against the Blight.
She hoped it would be enough.
"Urthemiel was the dragon of beauty, the patron deity of Tevinter artists and craftsmen," She said coldly, "but he was also the dragon of cunning and intelligence. The smartest of the seven…the taint may have driven him mad, but he is no less dangerous."
"Lovely," Elissa scoffed, shaking her head, "an intelligent monster."
"He will not fall easily," Solona shrugged, "but he will fall."
Solona rose, she was starving, it was hard to believe that she was hungrier since Avernus had altered her, but she was. She hoped that the soldiers had left something to eat in the Princess.
Elissa regarded the retreating mage curiously, "She has become more…intense, hasn't she?" the noble woman asked him.
He nodded, he wasn't sure exactly what had happened to his lover in Soldier's Peak, but it was clear something had changed.
He was not sure if he liked it.
IOI
"Warden may we speak."
Morrigan's words stopped her in her tracks. Solona turned to find the witch looking…upset? It was not something she was used to seeing; Morrigan was unflappable most of the time.
"Of course Morrigan," she said, "what do you…"
"Not here," the witch's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Follow me."
Solona followed, she found herself growing curious about what had worried the witch.
She was not pleased when she found out.
IOI
"Kill Flemeth?" Solona shook her head; she could not believe what she was hearing, "Isn't that a little extreme."
"Should I sit idly by and wait to be filled like sack," The witch growled, "I have told you why this must be done. Do you wish to see Flemeth steal my body for her own?"
Solona shuddered, the Tevinter mages had studied the art of essence transfer, with little success, it seemed that Flemeth, with her many years of life, had perfected the art.
The Grimoire she had recovered in the tower had in actually been the witch's ledger; it contained a list of her daughters that had come before. It was a record of their preparation, as Flemeth readied them to be her newest host.
Morrigan had not been born yet when it had been stolen, or she would likely have found herself in those pages as well.
The witch was clearly frightened.
"Tis not like you are actually murdering her warden," Morrigan reminded her, "I doubt anything could kill Flemeth forever, but it will delay her. If you do this t'will give me valuable time, time to learn to defend myself against her. You will also need to retrieve her true Grimoire for me."
Solona considered this carefully; they were on their way back to Ostagar anyway. Stopping by Flemeth's hut would not be that far out of their way. Still she doubted that the witch would fall easily.
"You are certain of this?" she asked Morrigan.
"Yes."
"There is no other way."
"Tis not, I assure you."
Solona cursed under her breath, kill the witch of the wilds, a monster of myth.
No problem.
She nodded.
"Thank you," the witch said gratefully, "Tis no easy thing I ask, but it must be done. I am in your debt war…I mean Solona."
Solona sighed; first Flemeth, then Ostagar, and try to slip passed the horde while they were at it.
They lived such boring lives.
She returned to her tent.
Suddenly, she was not very hungry anymore.
IOI
After a brief rest, she joined her companions by the fire, Binder slept peacefully, while Kallian stroked his coarse fur. Leliana told stories while Alistair sharpened his blade. Wynne sat quietly reading some trashy romance novel. Oghren played cards with Zevran and Shale stood watching and chuckling on how bad the dwarf was doing. Morrigan had gone for a run in wolf form, Solona had been tempted to join her, but it was clear the witch needed some time to herself.
Sten was off in his own little world again; his sword had not been in Orzammar. The trader had apparently sold a Qunari sword to a dwarven merchant in Redcliffe.
Solona had to talk fast to keep the giant Qunari from striking out on his own. They would likely need him in Ostagar. He complained how he did not see how this helped them defeat the Blight.
"We will need all the weapons we can when we face the Archdemon," she reminded him, "You would not go to war without your armor and weapons would you?"
The Qunari flinched and the mention of a lost weapon, but he did heed her words.
She noticed Lady Elissa sitting apart from the group, her eyes drawn to distant Kinloch Hold. It was strange for Solona to be so close to the tower and not a part of it anymore.
She dismissed those feelings, the grey wardens were her life now, Alistair was her life now.
She found that she was pleased with that fact.
She joined the noble near the icy lake.
'You have done something few would have thought possible warden," Elissa said, her manner suggested that she was impressed, "Alistair speaks highly of your skills, as do the rest of your companion, not bad for a girl who spent years locked in that tower."
The familiarity in which the noble had used Alistair's name made the mage bristle. Solona was not a jealous person by nature, but for the first time she had someone to love her. She was understandingly protective of him.
She remembered how Alistair had blushed under the lady's gaze the first time they had met. That memory now made her uncomfortable.
"Alistair is very special to me," the mage confessed, "It has been a lonely time for me these past few months, Alistair has changed all that."
"I understand," Elissa nodded, "I remember the first time I met Dairren, he and I…"
The woman stopped, grief shone in her gray eyes.
Solona cursed under her breath, she had not wanted to hurt the woman.
"Was Dairren your betrothed?" Solona asked.
Elissa shook her head.
"My Mother hoped that might have happen," Elissa sighed, "Dairren was the son of Bann Loren; his wife Landra was a close friend of my Mother's. I had been…resisting choosing a suitor for some time. Dairren was someone I could have fun with, be myself."
"But you cared for him?"
The Teyrna nodded.
"Yes, we had been lovers for about three months, not that we saw each other much mind you. Dairren was always busy on his Father's lands, and I had hoped for an opportunity to win honor on the battlefield before I settled down," Elissa laughed fatalistically at her younger self's desires. "I guess I got my wish."
"What became of Dairren, if you don't mind me asking?"
Elissa's eyes turned glacially cold.
"His Father supported Loghain and Howe," she said grimly, "he had apparently taken a young lover, who was now with child. She convinced him to rid them of his wife and eldest son, to protect their new child's noble claim."
Solona gasped, that was horrible.
"Landra died with my family in Highever," Elissa spat angrily, "Dairren had come to Denerim to escort me home, we heard about Highever when we were half way there, when Loghain's men attacked us. Dairren…he…he was…he died in my arms."
The noble woman's eyes darkened with hate. She wiped away tears she refused to let fall.
There would be time for crying later.
"Bann Loren tried to trap us shortly after you met me." the Teyrna said coldly, "We were able to turn the tables. He was defeated and my men captured him. He begged me to spare his life, claimed that it wasn't his fault, that Dairren and my family had died under Loghain and Howe's orders, that it was all Howe's idea."
Solona shook her head. Did the man not care that he had helped murder his own family.
"I killed him with my own two hands. I wished it were Loghain and Howe there, but that is simply not to be, at least not yet." The noble woman frowned, "I will not let them live warden, too many good people have died by their hands."
"Loghain and his allies will answer for their crimes your grace. You have my word on that."
Elissa nodded, she didn't care about what Loghain had done during the Orlesian Wars.
All that mattered to her now was her dead family and lover.
She would see the old bastard pay.
Solona moved to leave; clearly the Teyrna had a lot on her mind.
"Kallian has asked my permission to join your little group warden," Elissa said stopping her, "I told her that I would leave it up to you."
Solona nodded, the elf would be an asset in the battles ahead, plus she was a link to the Teyrna once they had conferred with Arl Eamon.
"She is welcome to come, but we are going into some dangerous places soon. You should let her know."
"I shall," Elissa promised her.
The mage felt sorry for the poor woman, to lose not only her family but her young man in almost the same breath, Solona did not understand how the Teyrna continued on.
Because she has to, a cold voice In the back of her head reminded her. It sounded a bit like Duncan's, that little grey warden voice.
The Blight required hard choices from all. Many had sacrificed so much already.
In the Teyrna's case, she had sacrificed everything, and now she was giving up a friend to aid in Solona's cause.
Solona hoped to prove herself worthy of what had been given to her, and what had been lost.
Tomorrow they would head south to Ostagar, and Flemeth.
Their work was far from done.