Edited to add... spoilers for The Calling in this chapter. Basically amounts to a very very brief plot summary. I should have mentioned that when I posted this. So so sorry if I ruined it for anyone. :(
Alistair once told me watching a mage rush forward clutching a sword and wearing armor was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. Judging by the small groups who kept pausing in their own training and sparring to watch us, it seemed his opinion wasn't that rare.
"Back to work," I shouted to the snickering onlookers. "If you find it that funny I'll start grabbing people to spar with the mages. You won't be laughing when someone hits you with lightning!" That statement was punctuated with a not terribly ferocious growl from the puppy sitting by my feet. They grumbled but complied, I'm fairly sure the dog assumed it was her doing so I reached down to scratch behind her ears.
It had been the same thing for weeks. I watched the mages carefully, occasionally calling out instructions. They all mastered the spells quickly, to my surprise and happiness. I now had them paired up with each other. Light glinted off blades and magical shields as they alternated between magic and weapons to attack. Anders and I had even spent several nights enchanting a large pile of weapons, regular and practice, specifically for them to use. A few people had moved on already, joining Sigrun's training group for dual weapons, Oghren's for two-handed weapons, or Arthur's for weapon and shield training. They were fighting strictly with the practice weapons there, not wanting to accidentally cause permanent injuries to anyone with magic. I'd made everyone try out all styles at first, to see what they were best at, and let the rogues and warriors guide people in the direction they seemed best suited to.
The biggest problem, so far, was the robe issue. While most of the apostates were used to wearing armor or normal clothing, the circle mages had worn nothing but robes since childhood. Dermott and Aidan reacted to the change even worse than Anders and I had. They both veered towards dual weapons, but complained incessantly about either wearing just armor, since their legs were cold, or armor with leggings, since having something wrapped around skin that had never known anything tighter than pajama pants felt alien and uncomfortable. A few of the more flagrant apostates, who always wore robes, voiced similar complaints. I couldn't blame them. I'd finally given Master Wade two mages' robes, a men's and women's, asking if he could find some way to make light or medium-weight armor that was similar. Having such a bizarre project seemed to amuse him.
I finally dismissed everyone, realizing we were nearing dinnertime. "Don't forget, no training tomorrow. I want everyone in their best. That means Warden equipment, clean robes, and polished armor and weapons." Once they were gone I headed inside myself, taking the stairs two at a time with the dog at my heels. I'd scooped her up from the kennels when we returned from Denerim and she had been following me everywhere ever since. "You missed training," I called to Anders. He was seated by the fire, studying the darkspawn paperwork. Despite scouts leaving at least once a week we had yet to find any evidence of the darkspawn.
"Hm?" he looked up. "Sorry, just sitting here, shaking in terror. Must have lost track of time."
"What's wrong?" I asked, quickly crossing the floor to him. He silently passed the Architect's massive journal, held open with his thumb. When a Grey Warden says something has them terrified it's usually wise to sit before reading it. Fortunately Anders was there to catch me when I slumped.
"See what I mean?" he asked. I nodded, feeling ice flowing through me.
"Get Nathaniel, Sigrun, and Oghren," I said. "We need to… to…" I looked up at him, helplessly. "What are we going to do?"
He didn't answer, meeting my glance with an equally helpless one before leaving.
Sigrun arrived first, Nathaniel on her heels. "What's wrong?" she said, looking at the expression on my face.
"Wait for everyone," I said. They sat down on a small sofa by the fire, looking nervous. Anders finally returned with Oghren, who had been working in the practice yard. "Lock the door," I said. "We don't need everyone rioting." Anders did as I asked, returning to sit near me, arm around my shoulder. "So… you know how we all thought the blight was unusual? It began out of nowhere, the archdemon appeared after just two years, and was over just as quickly?"
"You make it sound easy," Oghren said. "But… I've seen the records in the Shaperite. Usually the bastards build their numbers for decades before even touching the surface. This, it was maybe a year or two. A year or two of a living nightmare, sure, but it's normally a century or more."
"And in past blights it's taken decades for the archdemon itself to appear," Nathaniel added.
"Well… it wasn't normal. I think Anders found out why, in the Architect's old notes." I passed the book back to him.
"Right," Anders said, pushing his hair back. "So, the Architect's little 'ritual,' the one to make his less-idiotic darkspawn?" Everyone nodded. "He performed it on the archdemon. He made the archdemon. It didn't work, and his touch was enough to corrupt the old god and start the blight."
"That makes sense," Sigrun said slowly. "Normally the darkspawn would know when they were close to the old gods, they'd… start preparing. If it was that sudden they wouldn't have the numbers." She shook her head. "I'm so glad we killed him."
"It gets worse," Anders said. "He knew where they are, the old gods. Where they all are, including the two still unaccounted for. He doesn't mention the locations, but says only his most trusted disciples shared in the information."
"If one of those disciples is leading them now…" Nathaniel said, shuddering. Sigrun gasped loudly, paling, and he put a protective arm around her shoulder. "How did he find out?"
"A sodding Warden told him," I said, slamming my foot on the ground in anger. "Stupid sodding bastard. If I could bring him back to life now I would, just to kill him myself! Went for his Calling and the Architect stopped him. He fell for that bull about freeing his people from the Old Gods' call. Fat lot of good it did."
"How did he know where they were to tell?" Nathaniel asked. "We don't know... do we?"
"I don't," I confirmed. I'm sure he wondered how many layers of Warden secrecy there were, if I had information none of them did. While the five of us knew quite a bit more than everyone else in the building, I didn't know anything that I hadn't already shared with them. I was never great with secrets, though. I barely opened my eyes before I told Jowan all about the Harrowing, and we'd had that secrecy drummed into us from childhood. "I know who the Warden he mentioned was, it was that whole mess with King Maric accompanying Wardens from Orlais into in the Deep Roads, tied to the conspiracy in the Circle, maybe twenty five years ago. He was commander in Orlais before his Calling, maybe they're privy to information we don't have? It's a larger nation. Most people think they're more important." I shrugged. "Maybe all the Commanders knew then, and because of this Weisshaupt keeps the information locked up now."
"What do we do?" Sigrun asked. "We need to do something, we can't just sit on this information."
"I know," I agreed. "I'm going to write to the First Warden. He either needs to send someone trusted here, or one of us will have to go there. They have to know this, but there's no way I can just send a letter."
"This might mean nothing," Nathaniel said. "The disciple who knows where they are, they may know trying the joining will just trigger a blight automatically from what happened before."
"True," I said.
"You want to risk it?" Oghren asked. "That Architct was a clever bastard, he didn't seem to learn his lesson after screwing up with the archdemon. Kept right on going, making the Mother and all of her blighters. These survivors don't exactly seem to be the pick of the litter."
"I know," I agreed. "I just don't know what to do. If we can find out where they are we can keep an eye on the area, watch for darkspawn numbers to go up… maybe we can kill the archdemon before it hits the surface."
"That sounds fairly suicidal," Anders said. I nodded and he sighed. "Well, I can't think of a better plan. Anyone?" They shook their heads.
"Only other thing I can think of… we need to finish going through these papers. There are hundreds of pages left. Its slow reading if you're actually studying them like Anders has been, but if we all take some of what's left we can just skim them for details. Maybe he listed the locations somewhere else. We've been sitting on them for a couple years now, who knows what else is hiding in there."
We divided the pages up, talking for a bit longer. "This couldn't happen at a worse time," Nathaniel groaned. "We have to act like nothing's wrong, at least until tomorrow is over." I nodded. We were dedicating the stature the next day, seeing every senior Warden in Ferelden gripped by panic wouldn't exactly reassure anyone.
"I think, until we have more information, we should keep this quiet," I said. "No one else should know. I don't want anyone saying something, or panicking."
"When are the Orlesian mages due?" Anders asked. So far, none of the other Commanders had written to us. Either they were too busy, or just not interested.
"Soon?" I shrugged. "They went to Vax Royeaux and caught a boat there, I got a letter when they departed. Depends on the winds I guess. Next week, maybe?" I'd never even been on a boat, other than the small ferry on Lake Calenhad. I had no idea how long they took to get places.
"Well, at least one of them speaks our language, then. I'm not completely thrilled with the idea of Orlesians here as it is." Nathaniel made a face.
I rolled my eyes at him. "Maker's breath, the war ended before any of us were even born! You can't think of them as Orlesian, just think of them as Wardens. And they all speak our language. I certainly can't teach someone a spell if I can't talk to them."
"I know," he said. "It's just… not easy."
"Avoid them if you have to," I sighed. "Just don't… say anything. They're Wardens, not Chevaliers; none of them were responsible for the occupation, I doubt any of them will even be old enough to remember it if they were even alive then. They fight darkspawn, same as us."
"You're right," he said. "It isn't easy to put aside everything I was told growing up, though." He shook his head.
"Well, we have to," I said. "Wardens haven't been in Ferelden that long, they're all judging the whole order here based on us, we have no reputation to fall back on."
"No pressure or anything," Anders said, laughing.
"Just think about how furious it would have made your father to see you getting along with Orlesians," Sigrun offered. "That alone should make it fun."
Nathaniel chuckled at that idea. "Well, you may have a point there."
After breakfast the next day Anders and I returned to our room to get ready. I puzzled over what to wear for some time before deciding on Warden robes. The puppy had been sent off to the kennels until the crowd was gone. It wouldn't really do for her to be trampled before I even thought of a decent name. "Why did I think this was a good idea?" I asked Anders as he buttoned up his robes.
"You're still guilty that he died so you could live," Anders answered without a pause.
"I'm that transparent?"
"Only to me," he said, smiling. "I think he made the right call, for whatever it might be worth. Leaving aside my purely selfish reasons for preferring you alive, Loghain couldn't do your job. I'm sure he knew that."
"You're kidding, right? The Hero of River Dane couldn't handle commanding a force of all of fifty people?"
Anders rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course, since that's all you do. He burned too many bridges. As much as you talk about how our past doesn't matter, do you really think the Orlesian Wardens he killed or tortured would be forgotten by the rest of the order? Or everyone else he wronged? Not everyone is as idealistic as you are." He sighed, holding up a staff. "Weapons or no weapons?"
"You're asking me? Be glad I don't wear weapons to bed."
"Fair enough," he said, adding a staff and greatsword to his back.
"New?" I asked, looking at the sword.
"Oghren's idea," he admitted. "He said once I stop 'running away from the front line like a pansy' that I'd be best with something like this. Something about my 'abnormal height,' according to him. But then, he says everyone is abnormally tall."
"Except Sigrun," I said, laughing. "Well, he doesn't call me abnormal. Just reminds me he's the right height to give a human girl a good time."
"Highly disturbing," Anders said. "If it was anyone else I'd get quite jealous, but I just find the mental image too odd to become angry over it."
We headed downstairs, one of the Keep's staff stopping us on the way to tell me that people had already started arriving. The main hall was already crowded with nobles and Wardens. I saw Arl Bryland talking to Ser Cauthrien in the main hall with a blonde woman who I assumed to be Anora, although I couldn't tell from the back of her head. Most of the local nobility was also milling about, for reasons I couldn't quite understand. I certainly hadn't invited them. Instead, I'd made a point of writing to invite most of the people who fought with Loghain in the rebellion that we could track down, and the people he was actually friends with. Or, well, on speaking terms with. He wasn't a man with many close enough to call themselves friends, after all. Varel had done a fantastic job, I could see a few very old men speaking with Caitlin and drawing strange looks from most of the nobles present. I suspect seeing elves who were very clearly not Wardens or servants was unexpected. "Stay near me," I whispered to Anders. "If you see anyone I haven't talked to let me know. I don't want someone leaving to complain that I ignored them."
"Yes, Commander," he said with a chuckle. We worked our way through the crowd, thanking people and making annoying smalltalk. For some reason everyone wanted to discuss the weather. After the seventh or eighth person said "cold, isn't it?" or some variation to that end I wanted to ask if they'd forgotten that it was still a week until Wintersend and we lived in Ferelden. Of course it was cold. Might as well comment on the smell of dogs if the goal is to state the obvious.
Anora was, proving Nathaniel's suspicions right, enormous. "Maker's breath," I said, looking at her. "Wow!"
"Wow is right," Anders muttered. "I really don't want to deliver a baby in the front hall. I hope no one comes up behind her and screams boo, she's close enough that could be enough to do it."
"Is all that baby? I mean… it would have to come out, right? Wouldn't that, well, kill most people?" Needless to say, my life as a circle mage and Warden hadn't exposed me to many pregnant women.
He laughed at me. "Well, it's not comfortable, but no, it isn't usually fatal. Very rarely fatal, in fact, with a healer or midwife onhand." Anders shook his head. "You're lucky you didn't end up normal, that could have been you." I shuddered at the idea before plastering a smile on my face and walking over to the group.
After exchanging greetings Anora leaned towards me, lowering her voice. "I have to admit, I was surprised to receive your letter. I've always thought you might have allowed him to live out of practicality."
"In part, maybe," I admitted. "I was no commanding officer back then. I'm better now, but that's all from things he taught me. I would have been a fool to throw away the greatest general in our country, especially with a senior Warden telling me I should recruit him. I always admired your father, though, even as a child. And now, well…" I shrugged. "He was a Warden who killed an archdemon. We don't take that lightly."
"That is… good to know," she said. "I'm shocked by how many people are here."
"Me too," I agreed. "I didn't invite the local nobility, but half of them came anyways." I dropped my voice even lower. "They don't much care for me. Although that one," I said, pointing to a man in a blue doublet whose name had escaped me, "said I reminded him of your father. I was flattered, but Nathaniel had to explain he didn't mean it as a compliment."
She actually burst out laughing at that. "Who are all the other people?" she asked. "I assume the ones in armor and robes are your Wardens, but all the old men?"
"My seneschal is brilliant," I said. "I had him trying to track down some of the people your father fought with during the rebellion." I gestured to the pocket of elderly elves. "Those men were in the Night Elves," I told her, referring to the elite group of archers Loghain formed from the rebel army.
Cauthrien perked up at that. "Really? I think I might like to speak with them. The teyrn was always very… reluctant to talk about that part of his life."
"Actually, so would I," Anora said.
"I think they'd be thrilled," I told her. "It would give them something to brag to their grandchildren about." I'd spoken to them earlier and mentioned she was there. They knew, but thought someone like her wouldn't be interested in what a few old elves had to say. They were actually some of the more entertaining people in the room, brazenly flirtatious in the way that only sweet old men can get away with. "Do you Wardens have a rule about only recruiting the prettiest girls you can find?" one had asked, with another adding that if the girls in the army looked like us he would have stayed on after the war ended before pinching Rose's cheek, to her surprise. They excused themselves to talk to the old soldiers, leaving Anders and I alone again.
We had just started explaining who everyone was to some of the new recruits when Varel tapped me on the shoulder. "We may have a problem," he said quietly. I gestured to the office; he and Anders both followed me.
"Someone steal the statue and replace it with one of a mabari?" I asked. "Alistair show up and knock it over?"
"The Orlesian mages are here," he said.
"Blast," I muttered. "They're early. Where are they?"
"Outside. And very confused." Well, understandably so since they apparently weren't being allowed in.
"Wait… someone just left them outside?" I shook my head, already walking to the door. "I'd better go talk to them," I said, already heading out the door. "Anders, if anyone tries to corner me on my way through the hall you'll have to distract them."
"Got it," he said. "It's been, what, two years since our last riot here? Should be fun!" I shook my head and walked as fast as I could through the room, hoping people would realize I was in a rush. Once I made it to the door we slipped out. I closed it quickly, leaning back and breathing a sigh of relief.
"Is there a problem?" an accented voice asked. I opened my eyes, seeing three mages who did, indeed, look very confused. I noticed the men both had very short hair and neatly groomed moustaches. The woman had light brown hair, twisted into an intricate braided bun. And she was wearing makeup. Makeup! To travel! I had a house full of minor nobility and hadn't even bothered with makeup. I noticed Anders' hand drift to the stubble on his cheek, thoughts perhaps echoing my own. So much for not looking like barbarians.
"No?" I answered quickly. "Maybe?" Shaking my head I realized this was not the best first impression I could give. "I'm really sorry, we weren't expecting you for another week, and you must think I'm completely insane."
"We had favorable winds," the same man said. "You're having… a party?"
"Dedicating a statue, actually," I said. "To be completely honest, I've got a building full of prissy nobles and old men who fought in Maric's army," I said, deciding mincing words wouldn't help any of us.
He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who is the statue of?" I suppose he would be the spokesman for the group.
"Loghain," I said plainly.
"The Hero of River Dane?" the other man said, sounding shocked. On the surface it would be a strangely political statue for a supposedly apolitical order. The woman with them seemed to understand, though. She hit him across the back of the head, muttering something in Orlesian. I managed to pick out the Orlesian words for archdemon and Warden.
"I don't speak much Orlesian," I admitted, "but I think you've got the sum of it." I shugged. "You're absolutely welcome to join us, the Keep's staff just put some food out, and then I have to give a speech which I'm sure will be horrid. And then hopefully all of these people will get out of our home and we can return to normal. But if you're not comfortable with that or just want to rest after your trip I can show you where your rooms are. Totally your decision, don't feel pressured either way."
Anders nudged me. "Forgetting something?"
"Maker's breath, I'm an idiot," I said, once his reminder registered. "I'm Maggie, this is Anders. I suppose I should have said that first." I couldn't help but put my hand to my face in embarrassment. "Welcome to Ferelden. I swear we're not usually like this. It's been a… trying week. These people," I gestured behind me, "are only the least of it."
The man in front chuckled at that. "I think we would very much like to join you," he said, in a tone that made me think he didn't really care how much the others wanted to, they would be there regardless. "We all had a past before the Wardens, after all. His was simply… more colorful. Giving your life to kill the archdemon, well, we all know what that means." I was fairly sure most of that was just him being polite but I appreciated the gesture. "This is Laurent and Marguerite," he said, introducing the other two, "I'm Alain."
"Oh!" I said, recognizing the name. "We've exchanged letters. I had no idea you were a mage."
"Very few do," he admitted. "But… keeping that from the Chantry has many benefits. I was an apostate before joining, so they had no records of me at the Circle. I prefer my robes, but if I ever have to make a public appearance I just wear light armor." He shrugged. "Had you not been so well known before being appointed I suspect Weisshaupt would have told you to keep it quiet outside the order as well. You aren't the first mage appointed Commander, just the first that they couldn't hide. It's like the 'one mage at a time' rule. We tell the Chantry that and then, once they look elsewhere, we simply do whatever we like."
Anders laughed. "She doesn't even tell the Chantry that much. We've got about a dozen mages right now."
"They would have hated me no matter what," I said. "But, they overplayed their hand and I think we should be fine now." I shrugged. "If not…"
"Ah, you got that lecture from Weisshaupt as well?" I nodded and the five of us shared a grin.
I invited them inside, waiving someone over from refilling one of the tables full of food to show the three mages where they would be staying. Nathaniel appeared next to me within seconds of their disappearance upstairs. "This isn't happening, right?" he said, looking nervous. "I'm still in bed, and this is a new political version of the Warden nightmares?"
"Oh no," I said, "it is."
"They're… staying upstairs, right?"
"Nope," I said. "The man with the dark hair, he insisted they would be honored to join us celebrating the Warden who killed the archdemon. And, since he's the Commander, I think the other two have to play along." I shrugged. "We're all heading outside very soon, hopefully no one will even be the wiser." Sure enough, they returned downstairs just in time for me to lead everyone into the courtyard.
Nathaniel and I pulled the drape off the statue. I was glad to see everyone looked impressed. The head of the archdemon was at the bottom, with Loghain looming over it, sword in hand as he prepared to strike. I'd rejected several sketches that made him look too angry. In reality, he looked almost relieved, maybe even peaceful. Well, until he actually struck the blow. Then... he didn't look quite so peaceful. That wouldn't make for a very nice statue, though. Below it was his name, birthdate, date of death and the line "Address me without a title, as you would any other Grey Warden," since I'd heard him say that to Zevran once and it stuck in my mind. It seemed fitting.
My speech, which both Anders and Nathaniel had heavily contributed to, was mercifully short. I talked about the strangeness of fighting alongside someone who was my childhood hero, became my enemy, and later my friend and brother, and how much I had learned from him in the short time we traveled together. Referencing the sacrifices of Wardens wasn't too difficult, I knew that the people who should understand would, and the others would just assume I was talking about the typical sacrifices in war. It ended with something vaguely inspirational, about how he represented what all Wardens could accomplish regardless of past. It was actually very nice, Anders had written most of that part, but the combination of our Orlesian guests arriving early and the discovery of the previous night had my head spinning. I was lucky the entire thing was written out, I don't think I could have repeated more than ten words from memory. I concluded with the Warden oath. To my surprise, I'd barely gotten two words out before the other Wardens all joined in, even the Orlesian group.
Thankfully it didn't take long for most of our guests to depart. From what I gathered most were staying at the high-end inn in Amaranthine. I'd never been there, but it was apparently very nice. And preferred over staying with a bunch of crazed warriors, no doubt. To my surprise I saw Anora speaking with Alain after everything was finished. I was even more surprised when she burst into tears and gave him a hug. Not as much as he was, but I still could think of about two hundred more likely scenarios than that. Apparently my turn was next. Her husband shrugged helplessly from behind her as she gave me a tearful thank you.
"I'm sorry," she said after releasing me. "I don't know what's wrong, I can't go two days without wanting to cry and hug everyone in sight. I swear, this baby can't come soon enough!" I made sure to give her the stuffed griffon for the baby before they left, causing her to burst into tears once more, this time because it was "so adorable." By the time everyone left I was ready to cry with relief.
Thanks for reading and reviewing! (did this get linked somewhere or something? My hits went insane yesterday and I can't figure out why. That, or maybe stats are wonky again.)