Reports from the City

Alistair desperately wanted to rest, or even time to just sit and consider what had passed, who had passed, but too much needed to be done upon his return to the city. He kissed his wife and hugged her close, he kissed Aedan's children and he hugged Luke again for good measure. It felt good to do these simple, almost normal things and Alistair let each person go reluctantly, dropping another kiss to Brenna's cheek before whispering, "I will find a way to be with you before I leave again."

"You have to leave again?"

"The Roads must be cleared and mapped and we have to find the other entrances, somewhere beyond the southern edge of the city."

"I will stay here then, wait for you."

"Brenna, it might not be safe here."

"Alistair, I am standing in a room full of Grey Wardens and soldiers. Where could be safer?"

With a rueful grin, Alistair acknowledged her statement. "I must talk with Peter and Oghren. I will see you soon." Looking at Luke he jerked his head back towards the gathering of Wardens and soldiers. "Let's attend to business, shall we?"

He noticed that although Luke looked tired, dejected and just so very young, the brown eyes held his steadily and that the Warden seemed prepared to continue with his duty.

Alistair rejoined the weary men and nodded towards Peter, Oghren and Garrett. "Captain, Commander, Warden, we all require rest, but if we could hold a brief meeting first, we can hopefully sleep a little easier."

The men nodded at one another and Alistair indicated the collection of benches and they took a seat, many of the other Wardens sitting, standing and reclining about them. They had just fought an awful battle together, now was not the time to stand on ceremony.

Alistair turned to Peter first. "What news of the city?"

"The peddler has not been seen and now, with your victory over the Mage, I assume he will not be, Thank the Maker."

Here everyone observed a moment of silence as their thoughts likely ranged over the costs of war and the battle itself. Alistair raised his gaze from his lip and gestured for his captain to continue.

"We have found no further traces of the amulets," Peter hesitated, "On living folk. The last patrol to report back brought news of a warehouse full of corpses. That area is usually deserted at this time of year and, well, the smell of that quarter of the city successfully hid the odor of what was found within." Here Peter paused and indicated Nicholas.

The mage stepped forward. "Your majesty." He nodded politely and then continued with his part in Peter's report. "The corpses within were quite badly decomposed, but the rigor of the facial bones and the hands and feet would suggest they died in great pain. I fear they may have been earlier subjects or simply perhaps a collection of" here he hesitated and creased his brow, "failed experiments. They would likely have been frenzied, mindless, for all intents and purposes – ghouls." The mage's voice took on a musing tone next. "The darkspawn have always made use of ghouls in the past, used them rather than discard them. Their disposal in this way is something new."

A quiet murmur rippled through the assembled men and Alistair did not need words to interpret the meaning. Nearly everything about their recent dealings with the darkspawn included something new. He tried to suppress the shudder that wanted to travel down his spine and felt his skin move beneath the stiff dampness of his undershirt. As soon as this meeting ended he wanted to get out of his armour, wash and put on a clean shirt, if nothing else.

Alistair blew out a sharp breath. Fatigue pulled at every muscle and his mind felt a little numb. He tried to process these new facts and with the losses, of innocent citizens and soldiers, he could only currently summon a small amount of relief at the thought they had killed the Mage and hopefully stopped this tainted plague in its tracks. On and off throughout this ordeal he had called Aedan to mind. He had questioned his brother's motivations and his beliefs at almost every turn, but now he simply commiserated with his absent friend. This was too much for one man, but how did one share such a burden? As a King and a Warden he now felt compelled to carry it, but knew he could not. He had a country to rule and a people to serve. He had to let it go and let it be shared.

Peter cleared his throat and Alistair realised he'd fallen into a glum silence. He glanced up.

"Two breaches in the city wall were found in the vicinity of the warehouse. One in the wall itself and another beneath it, through a disused sewer system," the captain informed him.

Alistair's mind focused on one fact: Why, when that quarter of the city already lacked good hygiene at times, did they have a disused sewer system? He blinked at his Captain and said, "I need to find a new Arl of Denerim."

Peter blinked back at him. "Ah, yes, your majesty."

"The sewer, did they find tunnels leading to the Deep Roads or…"

"No, nothing like that. It merely led to a spillway outside the city walls. I'd say it provided an entrance and nothing more."

Something else to deal with. Alistair turned to Oghren and saw the dwarf's eyes were closed. He thought to wake him briefly, to relay instructions for the next patrols and then he remembered the last time they had slept – in the prison cells of the Mage. Oghren and two of the soldiers had woken to find amulets around their necks. They had been removed, but no one knew how long they had been there. Turning back to Peter he enquired after Bann Sighard's health.

"He is well, no sign of the taint."

"Two of the men and Oghren woke up with amulets around their necks." Alistair took a breath, held it, debated with himself and then made his decision. "I'd like the three of them confined until we can confirm they are healthy."

Peter looked nervous and Alistair could not blame him. Confining Oghren would be… interesting.

Thinking on it a moment, Alistair added, "The Commander can use his room here at the Fort, put the soldiers in the smaller room next door and," he dropped his eyes, "lock the doors after them, please. Quietly."

Rubbing his eyes, Alistair wrapped up. "Alright, I don't know about all of you, but I can't think straight. We'll sort out who goes where after some sleep." He looked up with a tired smile. "Thank you, Peter, everyone. See you in a few hours."

When he awoke several hours later, Alistair felt refreshed. He'd had the chance to lie down on a soft bed, change into clean clothing and cuddle his wife. He felt human again. Now nature called and his stomach rumbled. Time to face the world once again. Rolling out of bed, he winced as his bare toes touched the cool stone floor and then he luxuriated in the sensation of having no boots on his feet, of having the air circulate and tickle his toes and heels. Simple pleasures. Brenna lay on the bed still, asleep and looking so peaceful he had not the heart to wake her. The children's nightmares and dreams combined with her own worries had robbed her of sleep lately; she needed the rest almost as much as he had.

An odd tableau awaited him in the dining room. Sitting within a circle of children on the floor, Rory, Grace, and little Aedan and Alistair, was Zevran. The elf looked comfortable and bemused as he sought to deter Alistair from crawling into his lap. Luke wandered over to the group then, plopped down to a cross legged position and said, "Who wants cookies?"

The children immediately turned their attentions to the young Warden and Rory actually bowled him over in his enthusiasm. Zevran laughed and reached out to tickle the back of Grace's neck, eliciting a squeal of delight.

Alistair blinked and shook his head. Had he wandered into the Fade? Brenna stepped to his side and he took in her smile. "Zevran is playing with children. Tell me I am dreaming."

Brenna chuckled and reached for his hand. "After all you have seen in your life, my love, you think that is strange?"

"Um, yes?"

Zevran chose that moment to look up and he winked. "I am conducting a mission of diversionary tactics, Alistair, nothing more."

"Diversionary…"

"Felsi is visiting with Oghren." Luke provided.

The way he said 'visiting' gave Alistair every clue to the nature of the… visit. He raised a brow.

Zevran elaborated, as Zevran would. "The dwarf did not take kindly to being confined."

Ah! Everything made sense and Alistair felt a proper grin stretch his mouth. Then he became aware of his wife standing next to him. The woman he had barely managed to kiss before he'd succumbed to exhaustion hours before. Now that he was free of the sweat and grime and taint, he could smell the soap in her hair and he flushed lightly, his thoughts heading in an entirely un-king like direction. He glanced at Brenna and she looked at him and they exchanged a shy smile.

"Seize the moment, my friend, everything is well in hand and will remain so for the next… ten minutes?"

A laugh barked out of Luke and he quickly clapped his hand over his mouth. Alistair saw the realization dawn on the young man's face. Yes, he had just laughed at the expense of his king. Alistair fought his blush and tugged on his wife's hand, leading her back to his quarters, calling softly to Zevran. "I think we will be a little longer than that."

When he emerged from his room for the second time, every eye in the dining room fell upon him and Alistair instinctively looked down to make sure he' fastened all of his buttons properly. Andraste's flaming sword, did they all know what he'd just been doing? A further wink from Zevran confirmed that they probably did. Alistair sighed, squared his shoulders and cleared his throat. In as regal a manner as possible he walked over to his Captain and asked for a report.

Now that everyone had had a proper amount of sleep and rest, a formality began to seep back onto proceedings. Or perhaps Peter simply meant to make up for being one of the grinning faces that greeted his second entrance to the dining room. Either way, the bow, the respectful, "Your majesty," and the crisp and business like tone of his captain helped to soothe his ruffled feathers.

The warehouse had been purged of its grisly cargo, the bodies burned and most of the contents of the building swept clean. The sewers had been thoroughly mapped and the parchment was spread before him on the table. Nicholas prepared to give Oghren and the soldiers a clean bill of health, he'd found no trace of the taint or anything other than injuries they may have sustained in battle. This news Alistair greeted with a deep sigh of relief. Though he knew at one time his dwarven commander had harbored an ambition to be a Grey Warden, it had been a scheme to escape the responsibility of his growing family, a last ditch effort to duck his new found maturity. Now that the impulse had passed, Oghren often expressed his gratitude towards Aedan and the fact the Warden Commander had chased him back to Denerim with his tail between his legs.

Garrett stood and bowed. "Your majesty, the Wardens are ready to start the first foray into the Deep Roads. We will split into two groups. A team to stay down the usual time required to map a section and a team to follow any logical paths to the surface in and around Denerim."

Alistair acknowledged these plans with a satisfied nod. "Thank you, Garrett."

Peter cleared his throat and Alistair returned his attention to the captain. "As soon as Oghren returns, we can dispatch a patrol outside the city to scout out the other entrances to the Deep Roads."

Another nod acknowledged this plan. His men had been busy while he slept and… spent time with his wife, and Alistair found himself comforted by the knowledge he had such good people working at his side. Voices sounded at the end of the dining room and two men walked in, side by side, deep in conversation. Alistair recognised them both instantly in the shadowed light of the far corner and strode immediately over to greet them.

"Teagan, Fergus. It is good to see you."

Both men smiled and crossed their arms in a formal bow before stepping forward to exchange fond arm clasps and shoulder thumps.

Alistair turned to the Teyrn first. "Fergus, you are just arrived from Highever?"

"Last night, your majesty, and I have all the men I could muster with me."

"I hope they will not have to draw their blades while they are here, and I further hope this news does not dampen their enthusiasm. But thank you for answering my call, Fergus." Alistair gripped the man's arm and bowed his head in respect. The Teyrn must have left Highever within hours of receiving his message. The quickness of his response warmed Alistair's heart. But, of course, he would expect nothing less of Aedan's brother.

Alistair turned to Teagan. "Teagan, words just can't adequately express my thanks for all you have done for Brenna while I fought underground." Brenna had told him briefly of Teagan's tireless efforts on his behalf, handling the endless reports, correspondence and paperwork that normally fell upon a king's desk. Things that would have looked entirely foreign to him at the moment - his mind still dwelt within the Deep Roads to some extent.

"Alistair you did what you must. Ferelden is fortunate to have a Warden for a King, I think. With Leliana returning next week, I will be happy to retire back to Redcliffe." Teagan looked down then and smiled at the small boy plucking at Fergus's pant legs.

Alistair watched as Fergus reached down to collect his nephew. Though the resemblance between Rory and Aedan was striking, he knew Fergus felt it more keenly, particularly in light of having lost his own son. The Teyrn's face gentled and he kissed the small boy's cheek. "Ah, Rory, how is our little warrior?"

Rory grinned and wrapped his arms about his uncle's neck and Fergus turned with his burden to greet Luke with a half hug, the boy between them preventing more. "Luke, I am happy to see you well."

"Hallo Fergus."

Alistair felt the familiar twinge of jealousy as he watched Fergus fuss over his nephews and niece, his brother's children. Despite Aedan's continued absences, the Couslands always managed to look the picture of a happy family. Leliana took the children to see Fergus at least twice every year and the Teyrn always spent extra time in the city when he came to Denerim.

Luke looked a little dazed as he asked Teagan for clarification on Leliana's return. "They are returning so soon? Maker, how long were we down there?" Alistair felt the same confusion. He knew days had passed. Luke's face creased into a frown. "Will you come with me to greet his ship, Fergus? We will have to tell him about Wyman, I don't think I can do it alone."

Alistair put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "We will all be there, Luke." Blowing out a sigh, Alistair wondered what Aedan's state of mind would be and how damaging this new attack would be to his hopefully somewhat restored presence. "Let's see if we can't finish cleaning up this mess before the Warden Commander gets home."

An exchange of smiles followed his comment and Alistair felt his spirits lift with those of his friends. A bellow preceded Oghren's release and the dwarf stumped into the room and swept up his children. After fussing over them and handing them off to his somewhat flustered and disheveled wife, he walked up to Alistair and said, "Well, your majesty, are ya headin' back underground with yer Wardens or leading yer soldiers south the city?"

Alistair glanced from one group to the other and felt truly confused for a moment. For the past week he had been a Warden and a King, two roles he had previously combined in name only since the Siege of Denerim. He looked at the familiar faces of all the men standing about, the Wardens and the soldiers; he had just shed blood with all of them, side by side.

"My place is up here, Commander, with my city, my people." Turning to acknowledge Garrett, he added, "The Wardens are in good hands."

Garrett bowed and as Warden to Warden, Alistair returned the gesture.

Alistair reached for his armour and turned to face Teagan. "When the city is secure, I will sit on my throne again."

"I would not expect anything less of you, Alistair. Maker watch over you."

"And you."

Turning to Fergus, Alistair asked, "Would you and your men join us south of the city? My hope is that we will do nothing more than locate holes and fill them, but perhaps they will feel they have not come all this way for nothing?"

Fergus grinned and bowed. "Of course, Alistair. The men of Highever would be honored to join their King in such an endeavour." The Teyrn's eyes sparkled with humour.

The men separated. Wardens clasped soldiers' arms and soldiers patted Wardens on the shoulder and the two companies formed up and made ready to move to their separate tasks.

Luke and Zevran stood with the Wardens and Oghren stood with his king and the soldiers and Alistair looked from man to man and then nodded to Luke and Zevran. "I'll see you in a few days."

"That you will, my friend," Zevran replied. The former assassin and Ferelden's youngest Warden would be in the short range Warden team, the cleanup crew. They would return to the surface in time to meet Aedan's ship.

And so once again men left the Fort in search of darkspawn. The pace was more relaxed and everyone felt healed and well rested. While a sadness for those they had lost pervaded the atmosphere, in general every face wore a smile and every voice held humour. The worse was over; a light had appeared at the end of the tunnel.

Alistair and Oghren lead their men through the city towards the gates and many of the citizens of Denerim flocked the cobbled streets and lanes to greet their king and his army. The men exchanged smiles and words with the people as they passed and Alistair couldn't help feeling relief that they cheered rather than jeered. They saw him as the savior of their city, not the king who had lost so many lives to the plans of the Mage. Though the dead would be mourned, they reveled in their own lives. A lesson to be learned, he thought.

The armies walked south for a day, covering only ten miles as they spread themselves as far as possible and walked slowly enough that the men could look around every rock and tree and stop to inspect every cave and crevice. Alistair felt no touch of the taint and the feel of the late summer sunshine and the breath of fresh air across his cheeks did more to restore him than all the sleep and food at the Fort might have. Men were not made to live underground.

The campfires that night were surrounded by weary but satisfied men. Flutes made appearances and voices lifted in story and song. Food was actually cooked rather than eaten cold or as they could grab it from packs and Oghren had managed to bring some ale.

After handing out watch assignments, the dwarven commander flopped down next to Alistair and Fergus. Oghren handed him the ale and Alistair took it without hesitation. Though his friend often had dubious tastes in alcohol, preferences that might kill another, Alistair felt at ease enough to indulge and so he did, though sparingly. He passed the bottle to Fergus and leaned back against the log they had dragged forward for such a purpose.

Oghren took the bottle again from the Teyrn and mused, "If I had been tainted from that Amulet, would ya have tried to make me a Warden or put me to rest with the other blighters?"

Alistair blinked at the dwarf. "Yes, Oghren, it's been a fine day and I am feeling well. Yourself?"

Oghren laughed is deep, gravelly laugh and Alistair and Fergus joined in. Though they'd eaten a hearty meal, one of the dark leather strips appeared at the corner of his mouth and Oghren chewed it and moved his lips over it as he rephrased his question. "Would you have given me a choice?"

Heaving a small sigh, Alistair acquiesced to the conversation. "Yes, Oghren, I would have. I could not offer such a thing to just any man or woman, but I think Garrett would have been amenable to making it to you and the two soldiers who were also exposed. Trained men." He had almost added, 'valuable men', but stopped himself. Every life was valuable, but not every person could be a Grey Warden. Some might have considered it a fate worse than death. "Not everyone survives the Joining. The offer would not have been made lightly. Do you think you might have accepted?"

"That's what I kept askin' m'self and I don't know. I'm happy I didn't have to make the choice. Either way was a death sentence."

The dwarf did not know all the Grey Warden secrets, the reduced number of years or what swilled inside the tainted cup. The idea that not everyone survived the ritual had taken hold and spread, despite their efforts to keep such news quiet. But servants at Amaranthine could not help but notice the empty chairs after each ritual and the somber faces of those who tried to celebrate their new status as Wardens. In the end, Aedan had decided it acted as an effective deterrent to all but those prepared to accept even that first challenge and they had let the rumour fly.

Alistair raised a brow. "Had you survived the Joining you might have lived to a ripe old age, Oghren."

"Heh!" Oghren heaved out a sort of chuckle. "Felsi might have killed me long before that, Alistair. She'd have figured I did it on purpose." The dwarf winked, swallowed his strip of nug and lifted the bottle to his lips to noisily drain it to the last drop.

The following day passed without incident or discovery. Their third day out from the city Alistair awoke with a familiar roiling in his gut and sweat creeping down the back of his neck. He sensed the taint, darkspawn. He sat up and called out. Fergus rolled over and sat up beside him, rubbing at his eyes blearily.

Alistair turned to the Teyrn and said, "I think we'll be doing more than filling holes today, Fergus. Let's get everyone up and ready."