Apologies for the delay, and the length; this may be the shortest chapter yet. Final one before Denerim, though, and I got stuck trying to tie the two halves together. Hopefully it works
Orzammar, Orzamamamar... sure is a lot more people camped out in with the surface merchants now. At least Chirpy brought me up here for a walk – it'd be bad enough, stuck down there waiting for the group, but the city stinks like butt. All so Mistress could take Rumble-Bum sightseeing in the tunnels... and I got left behind again. Everytime she does that, lately, they get jumped by Dragons and everyone gets injured. Morrie's Mum Dragon, Mountain Temple Dragon... Braids said the Werewolf cave had smaller dragons in there, too. Are underground dragons a common thing? I knew I should have gone. Dragons everywhere, wanting to ambush Mistress. Once is bad luck, twice is a pattern, and thrice... is a fun word to say. Chirpy's still talking to vendors, from what I can tell, so maybe I should check things out as well. She's been moody, so I'll let her have space away from all the group. Is the bacon man still here? Ugly, ugly, hairy guy... come to think of it, most of these people are ugly and/or hairy. Especially the Dwarves. Mistress thinks they're all here to rest up, before trying to flee over the border for safety... I guess the pretty people still move to Denny Rem. I hear a faint impact, like a fight, so I sneak over to the far edge of the camp. Oh, it's just someone practising archery. Her stance isn't great, and she really shouldn't have her fingers like that, or she'll...
"Ow! Crapbiscuits!" Yep, friction-burn her fingers. "Rotten stinker..." she gripes, blowing on her hand. Wait, wait a second. Is that... Elf Friend, what are you doing here?!
"And now I've got a mutt yappin' at me... I'll tell you what I told that other joker who kept laughing at my training. 'Piss off, before I shove an arrow up your rear.' I'm gonna be self-taught, so hang all you clowns." Huh? No, I'm just saying hello. It's me, Max! … The jewellery dog? I crouch down, and put a paw on my head like the tiara. "... What are you bloody d-" Elf Friend stares at me for a moment. "Wait... you're the tiara dog. Didn't think to see you again." She glances around, apparently looking for someone. "Don't see that Warden of yours... word is they died, since nobody's seen the two of them for a while. But if you're here... either way, I'm getting across the border and away from all this shitness while I still can. Things back in the city got even worse, too... there wasn't even no riot or anything, but they sealed the Alienage gates with no timeline to open. 'Arl's orders'. That kind of thing's never good, and I wasn't gonna get mistaken for one of them Elves. Didn't have the coin for a boat, so here I am. Freezing my bum off and hoping for a wagon."
Mistress isn't dead, we've just been busy with Murder-Town and smart-mouthed arsehole ghosts. I guess you probably left before the Fussy Man got back to Denny Rem. Actually, do you know the guy? Old man, says he's a writer or something. He also made jokes about sharp things going up arses, so you might get along with him. Jenny Teevy, he said his name was. Heard of the guy? No? Not friends with Jenny? … I guess not, then. Oh well.
Still rubbing her hands, she takes a seat on one of the boxes. "... They've upped the reward on your friends, and I hear goon squads have started forming for it. Meanwhile, the guards are only hounding any Orlesian toffs... like the oil lady. That shifty Antivan stall right behind her has gone oddly unchecked, so friends in high places there... and apparently Tevinter snobs have been arriving, probably looking all slimy and mustached like they usually do. If you're gonna worry about foreigners, then hassle all of 'em, I say." Hmm... I've no problem with foreigners, so long as they stay in their own countries. Well, except for old Orry Anna. I liked her. And Scruffy and Chirpy. I suppose Braids and Qunie are alright. Can't say I ever met a Tevinter snob, though. Speaking of Chirpy, it's too bad you aren't taking lessons; I could have introduced her, to train you. Maybe you two will meet, if she goes back to Orlesia one day and you're still there. Not sure what the odds of that would be, mind you... well, I better be going. Later days, Elf Friend.
"There you are" Chirpy calls, her head leaning past some crates. She and Elf give each other a brief look, before we walk back towards the gates. "Trying to hire an Elf, since we don't have one?" Chirpy asks, still apparently confused about what we were doing. That's just my Elf buddy, Chirps. You don't need to worry about her.
We enter the Warden compound again, and Al instantly looks shifty as he straightens up. Annoyed, Chirpy silently heads to her room. Okay, they've been like that since Mistress' group went into the tunnels. What are you up, Al?
"... Trouble, Alistair?" Biddy asks, appearing from somewhere. Stay out of it, you.
"Thinking... or trying to."
Great... Biddy sits down opposite him. "Perhaps I can help?" I very much doubt it.
"Well... Eamon's insistent I take the crown. But..." he trails off.
"I don't suppose there's much alternative, is there? … What did the Warden say?" Would you stop calling her that?! You know her real name now.
"That I had some hard thinking to do... 'you'll have to step down from the Wardens, if you do this. Get killed against the Archdemon, and Ferelden will have to go through this mess all over again.' She said she'll back me, whatever I want, and we should find out if the Queen's alive and not part of her father's lunacy before I decide... it'd be great if we knew that for sure."
"What did the Arl say to that?" Biddy asks, with a sympathetic look.
"Oh, she waited until we were on the road. Probably so he couldn't try to speak for me... she was mostly avoiding him anyway. After what happened, you know... and he did say to go take care of anything undone, while he's writing everyone to call a Landsmeet." Lucky for Rumble.
"So what else did the Arl talk to you about? You two were talking a lot, before we left?"
"He was talking – I just answered questions. What happened at Ostagar, my view of things... mostly confirming what Teagan told him about Ostagar and everything after." Al thinks briefly. "I don't know if this affects those papers we found, but he utterly brushed off the 'Orlesian Warden conspiracy'. Didn't even look concerned about the idea Orlais could do anything. He said Loghain used the exact same excuse last time he lost a battle, years ago. 'To this day, he claims nothing was wrong with his plan for West Hill. Orlesian spies and plots... that's always the man's excuse when he leads people into a massacre. First my father, now Cailan.'"
Biddy frowns in thought. "... I don't recall anything about that battle, beyond it being one of the worst losses in the Rebellion. Regardless... I was going to ask about Leliana. The two of you-"
He sighs. "... Distant? I've been thinking about the other thing Amanda told me, and I guess I have avoided her."
"... Oh?"
"She said... if I'm even considering putting myself forward as King, 'you'd better end things now.'" He glances over at Chirpy's door. "'If the Landsmeet caught the slightest hint of a rumour about you and an Orlesian, you'll lose before the vote... never mind the bard business.' She was hoping Eamon wouldn't want to push me at the throne, or she would have said something much earlier."
"... I'm afraid she might be right, on this. So Leliana doesn't like your lack of a decision?"
"What?! No, I haven't told her yet" he panics.
"Alistair... you should have. She's clearly noticed something is wrong... and she's smart enough to put together what Eamon wants. If she hasn't already... she might decide things for you, regardless of what you eventually want" Biddy rises, and takes her little pouch. "This is the kind of thing I warned you both about, at the start. But... I hope things will work out. Provided you work for that."
Once Biddy's door shuts, Al drags a hand across his head. "... I think I would have preferred if Morrigan were here instead. She's much more direct and less thought-scrambling when she calls me an idiot." And if Braids were here, his advice would have involved something really stupid. Good thing they're both with Mistress and Rumble to find Caddish Tag... also a good thing you didn't go. A place called 'Caddish' is not somewhere that'll help you gentlemanly resolve this emotional conundrum you and Chirpy are in.
The chair scrapes back, and he lightly slaps his own face while standing. "Okay. Here goes..." he tells himself as he heads for Chirpy's door.
