Chapter Fifty-Five: Hava Nagila

Habemus cancellaria. We have a Chancellor.

The day after the vote and count, there was another formal vote for the position of High Chancellor, called by Velarana herself. Just to keep everything above board. Maybe she was nervous at the legality of the quick vote before, or wanted to see if the Lucrosians under Leha would split her way again. They did, along the exact same lines as before. Our new leader had ninety seats of the National Assembly, a majority of seven.

I simply couldn't understand why Julie had made this situation happen.

Velarana still had the Jaderites in her pocket. It would have meant running a government on a majority of only one seat, which would have been difficult, but the mage could have done it. Admiral Fisher had two other Fishers elected, his daughter and granddaughter no less, puppeting the entire Jaderite fraternity. He owed her something, and wouldn't betray her as a result. Was Julie just bowing to the inevitable?

Julie and Leha were absolutely silent on the matter, instead opting to keep their own counsel and fidget over what looked to be account books at every available opportunity. The official handover of power would happen a week later, and I'd find out the answer to my question. But for the moment, I was stumped. So too were the rest of my companions, even Tam and Armen being kept in the dark.

In the mean time, more and more ships kept arriving. Pretty much every merchant vessel and pirate ship available on the Waking Sea and the Bay of Rialto. Some of our historians believe it was the largest single fleet ever assembled, but the Qunari probably hold that record in truth, during their first invasions of the Marches. In the end, there would be thirty-five rows of ships, made up of ten or even more vessels lashed together, filling the harbour and part of the bay beyond. Our own battleships moved outwards to cover them, while our shore cannon did the same from the dockside.

I was under the impression before that we would have to transport our people in a series of voyages. That Tiberius couldn't possibly pull together a fleet to do it in one trip. Yet he had, and it left me feeling the pressure. How much gold did he spend on this? Just to merge my blood into his dynasty? It left me unwilling to speak to him about the Fade spirit that seemed to be following my life from beyond. I had a sneaking suspicion that it was giving him his marching orders. Perhaps even Aurelia too?

My Tevinter fiancée was the person I was mainly dealing with by this point anyway. She seemed to have completely usurped Tiberius Senior in the role of leadership of the family, although the captains still answered to him. But when there was a message, "from the Tevinters" as Barris always said, it was always by her hand or in her words.

Unable to ask her how much this was costing her family, I kept my mouth shut on the subject around Aurelia and instead tried to get a feeling on the matter from the other direct source of the information. It was only a couple of days after the election, but the city still had a party atmosphere.

I wandered down to the Crown and Lion at night, alone, causing a stir as I made my way through the crowded tavern, the roaring fires in the fireplaces crackling almost as loud as the conversations. I found Admiral Isabela when she was in her cups, both Hawkes with her. I asked how much she was being paid for participating in this exodus. Marian and Isabela simply laughed.

"Same as the merchants," the 'Admiral' said, "Which isn't very much. But the job is easy. Three days sailing at most, zero risk."

"You're not telling him the best bit," Marian Hawke said, admonishing her lover, "The big hat magister said that every ship that participates in moving you people from one shore to the other gets safe harbour in Tevinter for the next five years without charge, and any ship not crewed by Vints that doesn't help gets charged double next time they're up north."

I was confused, my lips thinning at the remark. That didn't sound like a very good threat to me.

"Do you go up north regularly?" I asked, "Don't the Qunari have a port in Rivain somewhere? North coast?"

"No, not usually, and yes, they do," Isabela replied, "The Tevinters charge heavily for foreign ships docking in their ports. Their own trading companies do most of the moving up there. But free docking in Tevinter means there are harbours in the north that any of us can use. That means traders can compete with the locals, and we pirate types can raid the Qunari supply lines and take their ships. It's open season on the giants, and I for one intend to enjoy every second of it."

Now it made much more sense. Tiberius had paid for the whole affair with political power, not only his wealth. Truth be told, I doubt the coin involved was entirely his. Either way, it was the Imperium that was paying the real price. How could it have refused a two thousand year old dynasty, after all?

"Isabela here has history with the Qunari," Hawke smirked, pulling her unnecessary eyepatch up onto her forehead, "Trouble that I got her out of."

"I don't think you can complain about that, dear sister," Bethany added, pointing with her mug of ale, "You were loud enough to be heard on the other side of the Hanged Man." Implying that she had gotten her reward for that trouble-shooting long ago.

Isabela broke into laughter once again, while Marian just rolled her eyes and continued. "The magister also threatened cut off from Tevinter trade any pirate that interfered in this little project," said the Champion of Kirkwall, "Which would screw most of the Armada, considering Tevinter is the only place the slaving bastards can sell people in."

Not strictly true, of course, there were slaves elsewhere, albeit not kept in chains by law. Nor in anything like the same numbers. As much a third of the Tevinter population is enslaved, the largest proportion of them being Tevinter in origin themselves. Those who aren't are either Qunari or foreigners captured on the seas.

I bit my tongue for a moment, growing irritated. A pirate moralising to me about slavery. Pirates were scum in my books. They were a menace even in my world, requiring the attention of all the world's navies to control. Well, not exactly, we could have ended piracy by bombing the shit out of certain coastlines until no one was left, but the United Nations wasn't in the habit of sanctioning mass murder just to deal with pirates.

Somalia probably deserved it, but hey, principles have to apply to everyone or they aren't worth a damn. They're expensive like that.

"What, and you don't take slaves?" I asked, "You're pirates too, right?"

Both Isabela and Marian paused, mid-drink, and slammed their cups back down on the table again, spilling ale on the wooden table. They glared at me, danger pouring off of them. I leaned back away from them slightly, as if to concede that perhaps I had been a little harsh.

"If you want to point fingers," Marian said, "Point them at your new Tevinter friends. They're the ones that buy the slaves. We almost didn't take this job because it was their offer. You're lucky we hate the Qunari just as much."

That remark bit deep into my soul, clutching my chest. I still hadn't talked to Aurelia about that topic either, not yet.

I crossed my arms and averted my eyes to the ceiling. Trying to figure out a response. None came. The truth of the matter was that we were allying with Tevinter to save our own skins. Slaving, imperialist Tevinter. No words came to explain this to a third party, detached from the realities we would face by refusing that alliance.

Deciding I had had enough, I stood up and left without a response. I felt... defensive about Aurelia in particular. Like they were saying I was a bad person for undergoing what was a political marriage. I should have told the pair of them to go jump in the sea, as I was only involved with the Tiberian dynasty to get my people the fuck out of Ferelden, but I wasn't in the state of mind to do it.

Nonetheless, as my questions about Julie's plan,Velarana's future rule and that bloody ghost-prophet lady floated about in my head, I searched out Aurelia to answer the more pressing one.


It was the first time I had gone looking for my fiancée, rather than the other way around. Stopping dead in their tracks and their heads moving to follow my every step, the Templars and Tevinter guards both were stunned when I showed up at the north wing of Anora's Keep. On the one hand, it was against protocol. Brides were not meant to see their betrothed so close to the bells. On the other, no one expected me to break that convention either.

My reputation for having multiple lovers worked against me. As I have written elsewhere, the supposed list of my lovers covered almost every single woman in regular personal contact with me, not just my actual ones. So, everyone assumed that I had shown up to claim my bride early. It probably didn't help that I arrived during the night and was decidedly not looking to run into Tiberius, Gaius, to say nothing of Aurelia's parents or other relatives.

I caught one Tevinter guard alone in a side corridor as I wandered about, and managed to get the location of Aurelia's bedroom out of him. Adding to the future rumours in doing so, I might add. Something I finally caught on to by the tone of his voice, which higher in pitch from amusement. So, cursing quietly to myself, I made my way to my destination.

Everything seemed relatively quiet in the north wing. The stone floors and walls were covered with rugs and tapestries with Fereldan-style patterns on them, lots of mabari, bears and deer on them, the same as the royal wing on the east side of the castle. It was late, about the time most were either going to bed or getting ready to. A few lanterns lit the way, the chandeliers being overkill for the relatively narrow passageways of the residential quarters.

I reached the door to Aurelia's chambers, the northernmost of them all. I smiled to myself as I remembered the complaints of how drafty this wing of the castle was, and it didn't surprise me one bit that Aurelia had chosen what had to be the room with the biggest problem on that front. A bigger statement could not have been made. Half-tiptoeing to the wood, thinking to myself that Tiberius' and the parents' chambers were probably the ones directly beside hers, I knocked gently on the door.

"Enter," said an unfamiliar voice.

I pushed the door open, into the more-or-less standard nobles' quarters. Furs and rugs on the ground, large fireplace providing almost all the heat and light in the room. My own quarters were only better in that they were larger. The door opened into a kind of small reception area, the room being L-shaped with the fireplace in the corner of the L. No sign of Aurelia.

The person greeting me was a she-elf, averting her eyes. She was wearing a light blue set of linen sleeping clothes, and around her neck was a gilded plate that read 'AUR. TIB' in the dwarven script. I paused, staring at the thing. It was identifying who this person belonged to. This was a slave. For some reason, I was astonished by the sight. She looked like she was about to go to sleep herself, in the same room as Aurelia. Why did this person not open her master's throat and steal out of the castle?

A question that has bothered people when thinking of slavery, on two worlds.

"Lady Aurelia is..." she began, raising her head to look at me. She stopped dead, mid sentence, and her eyes widened to the size of oranges. Her mouth opened and closed once or twice. And she fled, leaving me standing even more in astonishment.

I scratched the back of my head, coming in all the way and closing the door behind me. No point letting the rest of the castle hear the aftermath of whatever outrage I had committed by my mere presence. Hopefully, I could smooth over whatever the problem was.

"Are you coming in or what?" snapped another voice, again unfamiliar. It had a dangerous edge to it that made my hair stand on end. Like a strict elementary schoolteacher, if I had been six or seven years old.

I made my way forward, to where the wall made its turn. Around the corner was the four-post bed, more or less the same as the other rooms in the castle. Well, the nobles' rooms. Beside it was a vanity dressing table, with a large mirror and a leather-covered chair in front of it.

Aurelia was sitting in the chair, wearing grey silk bedclothes. She was reading something from a piece of paper, while another she-elf brushed her curly hair with no apparent lack of difficulty. She was not looking at me, in other words. I saw through that pretence at once, and I broke into a smile. The other elf slave that had answered my knocking turned a bright rose-red from her neck to the tips of her ears, assuming something or another. I breathed out, just barely suppressing a loud laugh.

"What business do you have of my Lady?" said the elf with the brush said in perfect unaccented Common, turning her head towards me and pausing in her work. I realised she was the falconer from before, the one with the hood. She also didn't have any necklace declaring herself the property of anyone, which was interesting.

"It is inappropriate for you to be here," the elf continued, "Especially at this hour of the night."

Her tone of voice dropkicked my amusement out of my mood, and replaced it was a low simmering anger. The wish to ask her just who she thought she was sprung to mind, but the idea of saying that to an actual slave stuck in my throat. Instead, I just ignored her.

"I've discovered the price that your grandfather paid to get so many ships," I said, addressing Aurelia directly.

My fiancee placed the letter she was reading down on the table, and I caught a glimpse of Japanese script on the paper. The golden irises were soon locked on to me.

"You're welcome," she said flatly, "Do you have any idea how many favours he had to call in to provide this opportunity?"

She had known this conversation was coming, I could tell. And ran through it enough times in her head.

"You're going to provide safe harbour for pirates to sell you slaves," I said, pointing at the obvious slave in the room, "You're right, we do need saving, but you better pray that no one else hears about this. My people will tear you to pieces and take the fleet now that it's here. I'm pretty sure Fisher is already thinking about that."

Aurelia stood up, all five or so feet of her, and squared off against me. My mind wandered as she did so, to a far more pleasant topic, before I caught myself and put my consciousness back on its wheels.

"So you know you have no choice," she said, perfectly calmly, "You should also know that the pirates will be attacking Qunari vessels. There is no freedom in the Qun. They are all slaves, save for their three leaders. That makes Holy Tevinter considerably more free, even for slaves. Slaves in Tevinter can have families, can buy their freedom, and can rise to the highest ranks if their magical talent is sufficient. There is no escape from the Qun from within."

Holy Tevinter? Holy shit.

I crossed my arms. "You make it sound like you are liberating the people you intend to have abducted and forced to work for you," I replied.

"No, we aren't," Aurelia admitted, her eyes not wavering for a second, "But they are completely without hope under the Qun, outside the Maker's grace, and it was the price we had to pay to move your people regardless of your final destination. Most of the Magisterium think we are utterly insane. The revelation of your existence has been met with confusion at best."

"Because they don't believe the stories?" I asked.

"Yes," Aurelia replied, "We have not told them everything of course. They don't know that people from your world are dragged to ours regularly. And most are sceptical of what will happen when we do have children, despite our claims. They believe that we are wasting our influence. Some even whisper that we're betraying the Imperium to ally with foreign upstarts, although those people will be dealt with in time, if I have any say."

She'd just admitted her family had put everything on the line to secure this union, and it made me stupidly conscious of myself. I looked at the fireplace, unable to keep looking at her.

"I hope that your stories are true, then," I said, "Otherwise, you've burned yourself for nothing. And we've shredded our principles on a lie."

A small hand reached up and gently pulled my head around again.

"It's a certainty," Aurelia said, "And if you want to maintain your principles, ask these two here if they are unhappy in my service. If they are trapped. Do not pretend that freedom is an absolute virtue everywhere. Keijiro told me all about your country. Can you claim that your poor citizens are as free as your wealthy citizens? Not to mention the ridiculous notions you men of Earth seem to have about the colour of human skin."

The racial divide on Thedas being along human-elf lines, for the most part. Dwarva seem to escape most of that, for some reason. Perhaps a legacy of their ancient empire?

I snorted. "America in 1942 is not America now," I said, "And being poor is not the same as being a slave."

"Is it not?" Aurelia said, "The poor and the slaves both have to work day-to-day in order to merely survive."

"The poor man can make something of himself," I said, "Drag himself out of poverty. A slave can do the same to win freedom, sure, but starts at the bottom and has to do the same as any other free person."

Aurelia shook her head slightly.

"Your impressions are from your own world," she said, "Most people here are trapped by serfdom, which is slavery with a different name. A poor free man cannot make anything of himself either. Most paths to wealth are guarded well. By the guildsmen who don't want newcomers joining their professions and taking their work. By monopolising merchants who don't want to share profits. A comfortable life is not waiting for peasants simply for working hard. I am doubtful it was on your world, but it certainly is not on mine."

I rubbed my face, unable to deny that. Abolishing the guilds had been something Julie had done back in Orlais, although that was a popular decision in the Eastern Dales because of all the tax and trade exemptions that some settlements were getting to the detriment of others. Everywhere else, things were more or less run in cartels, with all the associated violence that word invokes in the mind of we Earthlings.

It was perhaps just another piece of proof of my disconnection from the world I was living in, in that I didn't realise just how unfree ordinary people were no matter where they lived. It went some way towards explaining just how popular Julie was, and just why Velarana had a bulwark of support too.

"As for slaves, masters who abuse them tend to end up murdered eventually," Aurelia continued, "I can also tell you that not one of the Tiberii have fallen to a blade of their slaves in almost two thousand years. It is a point of pride in our family. I hope that makes you feel better about just what sort of people we are."

I did make me feel better, but only a little. It wasn't something I could confirm from an objective source, except by asking other magisters. But they weren't exactly just hanging around to be asked. Instead, I looked to the slaves. Maybe they knew something of it.

"Is that true?" I asked the two slaves.

They exchanged glances, and the younger, meeker one met my gaze briefly before averting it again. Very well trained, I thought darkly. The other seemed to have no such problem, I thought.

"We do not know," said the falconer, "But no incidents of that kind have ever occurred at Treverorum while I have been in the service of Lady Aurelia."

"I was born among the Tiberii, and can't remember anything like that either," the other confirmed.

I nodded, willing to believe it if they said so. It wasn't like Aurelia was in a position to coerce them with our armies all around her, not to mention myself present in the room. With the fleet arriving, she couldn't even hang that over our heads any more. If we wanted to backstab the Tevinters, the probability of succeeding was higher than ever before.

Something Aurelia was aware of, and probably worrying about, I realised. I didn't want to operate like that, or even be suspected of being that much of a bastard. Tevinter had shown absolutely no hostility towards us, despite our huge values dissonance. They were probably the only major power to not do so.

"Slavery is still wrong," I said, "And I won't tolerate it."

"Then I'll free my own slaves," Aurelia said, without hesitation, "All of them. Here with you and those I possess in Treverorum. This alliance is worth far more, and almost all will seek to remain in our service."

I sighed, and reached out, putting my hands on both of her shoulders, trying to reassure her. She was trying, at least.

"What a pair of spouses we make," I said, more lightheartedly, "Politics. I thought I got enough of that from Julie already."

Aurelia smiled widely. "Never mind," she said, "We can concentrate on the practical matter of our marriage, if you'd like?" The baby making, in other words. I heard the gasp of air from the younger she-elf, and even without looking I could tell she was glowing luminescent red by this point.

"We're not married yet," I blurted out, "I probably get enough of that from Julie too." Mouth moving ahead of brain, there.

"If that was true, the Warden-Commander would not be your lover," Aurelia replied coyly, "Or does she just watch?"

I cleared my throat, feeling my own skin become hot, to my further embarrassment. "Absolutely not," I said quickly, my need to defend myself overrunning my good sense.

"What fun you must have," Aurelia said, picking up the letter, "I wonder if Uncle Keijiro would have been like you, if he had not had his injury. Then again, it is not your fault entirely."

I cocked an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

Aurelia lowered her chin, looking over her nose at me in genuine wide-eyed surprise. She did not reply at once. "You have not realised?" she said, "Julie Marteau manipulated you from beginning."

"What?" I blinked, "Manipulated me?"

"She is Orlesian," Aurelia continued, her eyes rolling at my perceived naiveté, "She is as avid a player of their Game as any other ambitious woman. Think about it. At every turn, she has used you to increase her own power. The inventions of your world, your noble status, your military prowess, our reports indicate no opportunity she has had failed to exploit."

I felt my jaw clench. This was slander. "I rescued her from a prison cell," I said, "From murder and rape, more than likely. If you're suggesting her feeling for me is false, I don't believe you." You weren't there in that Chantry chapel, I was tempted to say.

Aurelia shook her head, and held up her hands to calm me. I must have appeared very offended indeed. I took a half step back, to give her space. "I did not say that," she said, "She probably does love you. Now, at least. But at the beginning... Have you not wondered why she was so willing to jump into bed with you? You, whom she had only known for mere hours?"

Aurelia was very well briefed on my personal history, and new knowledge about Earth. Tiberius' spies had seen to that. No doubt much of the detail having only been filled in since the Vints' arrival in Amaranthine. Not many people knew the story about what had transpired on the hill by the road to Hearth, when we sat in our foxhole contemplating how it might be the end of us.

"I had just rescued her from rape and murder," I repeated.

"Do you think women are in the habit of offering themselves to men after that?" Aurelia replied, softly so that I knew it wouldn't be an accusation, "Of their own free will?"

"Tam was willing," I pointed out, "Are you suggesting she was playing me too?" Tam wasn't the sort that really needed it. She'd likely die before submitting.

"Qunari are far more open about their physical needs," said Aurelia, with a shake of the head, "Although I'm certain she is sincere now, her kind do indulge themselves."

"To the point of madness," said the falconer from the side. Referring to the Qun's policy of mass state-backed prostitution no doubt, of which Tam was a participant, once upon a time.

"The Warden-Commander likely saw an opportunity to relieve stress," Aurelia continued, with a nod, "You should be flattered. The Qunari do not engage in intercourse without precautions with just anyone, but that is one method of theirs to deal with trauma." Due to the consequences for their racial characteristics... Eugenics is part and parcel with the Qun.

"So Tam liked me enough for that, but Julie was just clinging to me for what? Protection?" I said, "You're making a lot of assumptions."

"I am making judgements based on the available evidence," Aurelia replied, "I do not know your lovers well enough to be sure. Mostly, I want you to consider my theory yourself, and measure it against what you know of them."

Now who was being manipulative?

"Why?" I asked, "To divide us?"

"Not exactly," said Aurelia. She reached up again and gently stroked the side of my face with her hand, along the line of my chin.

"We were destined to be joined from the moment you arrived," she said, "Perhaps from the moment I was born. I want you to be aware of that. It is necessary for what we must accomplish together. Not just the merging of our bloodlines, but the nurture of our children."

It wasn't the language of love that Aurelia was speaking. It was still that of alliance.

"Julie believes Tam and I are her fated ones," I replied, "Who do I believe?"

"She is wrong," Aurelia stated, "Is she a direct descendant of the First Outlander? The blood of Roma and Tevinter flowing in her veins? You are a citizen-soldier of the greatest empire of your own era, just as he was, serving another Senate sitting on another Capitol Hill. I am a daughter of Tevinter, ambitious and ready to receive you, just as my ancient ancestor who greeted him was. The parallels are perfect."

Too perfect. Pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, previously jumbled in different parts of my head fell together at last. Aurelia had shaken everything up and now it occurred to me. Coincidence was beginning to feel too far fetched an explanation for it all, and the Maker didn't strike me as the one who was pulling the levers any more. The Maker wasn't even conceptualised when the first Tiberius arrived on Thedas, after all.

"Aurelia... This is going to seem like a strange question," I said, "But do you talk to a Fade spirit? One in particular, appearing as a friend and offering advice on the future?"

My fiancée's eyes widened. She turned to her servants. "Leave us," she commanded, "Wait outside the door. Take your furs."

"Yes, domina," said the falconer. She took her younger shy colleague by the arm and frogmarched her away, grabbing some furs slung over another chair with her free hand. The door shut loudly behind them. Aurelia tracked their movement around the corner, and turned to me once the bang confirmed that her slaves were gone.

Her entire demeanour changed to one of utmost seriousness. "This is a surprise," she said, "You have spoken to the Lady?"

"...The Lady of the Skies?" I asked. That was the only 'Lady' I knew of when it came to the Fade.

"No," Aurelia started, before backtracked, "Well, maybe. The Avvars do contact spirits regularly, perhaps she is the Lady of the Skies. You would need to speak to that giant of a shaman to be sure."

"The Avvars said she commanded them to join us," I said, "Does that sound about right?"

Aurelia tilted her head, thinking about it. "It could be," she said, "The Lady is a … persistent presence throughout my family's history. She supposedly guided my family through our entire history, allegedly assuring our survival through the centuries and guarding our bloodline from absolute decay. I have seen her in my dreams twice. Once, when I was just a child. The other, around the time you arrived."

"What is she?" I asked.

"We don't know," Aurelia said, "She has always claimed to be our patron goddess, though even my ancestors were dubious about that claim. Sometimes, a century has gone by without her making any appearance, despite the arrival of multiple Outlanders in the same space of time. Other periods record multiple visits to multiple members of my family. The Dragon Age has been one. My grandfather, father and Uncle Keijiro have all been visited too."

I got that sinking feeling, the one you get when loss of control seems inevitable.

"She advised me to abandon Julie and Tam," I said grimly, "She said that my descendants would make war on each other. She even showed me a battle in the war. I haven't even told Julie or Tam... I don't know what they would say."

"That is wise," Aurelia replied, "As for her prophesies, they are not always true. They are warnings of possible futures. According to the research of Magister Gereon Alexius, the future is not a set path but an infinite set of branches. Navigating forwards in time is nearly impossible. It's why time travel is not magically possible."

Not without the aid of Foci, which can create a sort of set path between two points in time. People going around shooting fireballs out of their hands is a whole lot less scary than time travel, at least to me.

"She seemed pretty god damn certain," I replied, "Is that just a trick?"

"Impossible to know," Aurelia said, "It could be anything from her own personality to a rule of the Fade that we cannot comprehend. As much as Fade spirits have personality."

Which brought me to the other conclusion.

"What if it's a demon?" I asked, feeling silly for asking, "A smart one?"

"It could be," Aurelia agreed, "But the line between spirit and demon is very much blurred, save for those that have totally given themselves over to one form of vice or another."

I kneaded my palm, thinking about that. A spirit that watched over the Tiberian dynasty, one that could foretell futures but not with certainty, one with an unknown but seemingly friendly agenda.

It was quite disappointing that Aurelia didn't have more information than that. It was getting late too. Julie and Tam would probably be wondering where I was, I thought as I covered a yawn with the back of my hand. Nothing else was forthcoming.

"That's that, I guess," I said, "If your slaves say you've never abused them and you say that you will free them, then I guess I have no choice but to accept your word. The Fade spirit, the Lady, whatever, can go climb a tree. I can only act how I act, you know?"

Aurelia smiled brightly. "I know exactly what you mean," she said. I felt a very anti-platonic stirring, and not for a brief moment, as we stared at each other. She really was beautiful. But I caught myself before I did something stupid. Her fewer years than my own struck me, not to mention the more important thing.

"Well, I'll be going," I said, "We'll be married soon enough. All the time in the world to talk about things then." I turned to leave, but she grabbed one of my hands with both of hers.

"You can stay," she said, "If you'd like." She looked up at me, not suggestively as Julie would or with a sort of intensity that Tam possessed, but with a sort of innocent anticipation.

My breath caught in my throat for just a moment. Enough for her to notice. "I can't," I said, "Not yet. We're not married. If I do this now, it's a betrayal of Julie and Tam. Sorry."

Aurelia's brow shifted upwards in surprise, and down again in disappointment. "And here I thought you wanted me," she said, "It appears I was mistaken."

"I do," I said quickly, "God help me, I do. I'm a complete dog. But I can't go behind my wives' backs on this." I had to swallow some air just to deal with the madness of me using that line. Had things had changed in my morality since arriving, or was I always like this? A question I never really had answered.

"Will I have such loyalty when we are married?" Aurelia asked, "Or is only for those you actually love?"

"You will have it," I replied, "My word is my bond. Marriage isn't meant to be without... that."

My fiancee examined my face for a minute, before looking up at the ceiling in exasperation.

"Loyalty is good enough," Aurelia sighed, "Love would be better."

"Who knows what will happen," I said, "Maybe we will fall for each other."

"Perhaps," Aurelia said, sitting back down, "For now, run along, Doggy. I'm going to attempt to move the wedding forward. This state of being around you, but unable to start, it's intolerable."

I smirked, going to the obvious conclusion that she couldn't wait to have sex with me. Male arrogance, of course. Regardless of her desire to do that, it was just as much a political matter. Bloodlines, dynasty-extension, heir-creation, etc etc.

"Good night," I said. She did not reply, but took up her hairbrush and ran it through her curly hair, making sure it wasn't tangled in the mirror.

I left the room, and found the two slaves waiting with their backs turned in the corridor outside, furs over their shoulders to protect them from the cold leaking in from the arrowslits, the sighing movement of the ocean coming in with it. They bowed slightly upon noticing me, averting their eyes. They hadn't expected me to be leaving so soon, obviously.

I opened my mouth to say goodbye, but stuck when I realised I didn't know their names.

"I don't think I've actually introduced myself to you," I said, offering my hand, "I'm Sam. What about you?"

The falconer took my hand and shook it, vigorously. "I'm Maya," she replied, "This one is Firi."

"Nice to meet you," said Firi, fiddling with her tag-necklace.

"Nice to meet you too," I said, stretching my arms, "Well ladies, good night. I'm very tired."

Probably shouldn't have ended on that line, because of the innuendo it conjured. Which in turn implied I lacked... endurance. Firi's face went rose-red once again, while Maya looked at me with something approaching pity. I groaned, and feeling even more fatigued, left for bed.


The formal handover of power from Julie to Velarana was a small affair.

It happened at dawn on December 22nd, in the Chantry chapel of Anora's Watch, in the presence of the big hats only. High Command, senior fraternity leadership, the Arlessa and the Vints. All in formal dress. It was quick too, a simple matter of Mother Brandon giving a blessing and Velarana taking her place beside the cleric after Julie stepped down from the same. There was some light applause, but the tension of the moment was too much for anything beyond that.

Velarana stood, as we all watched her, clutching the document in front of her with Julie's signature on it, staring at the page. Reading every word. I shifted on my feet, uncomfortable with what I read in her face. Something akin to glee. She wasn't very expressive most of the time, but she was at that moment.

Which is probably why Julie chose to interrupt right at that particular second.

"High-Chancellor," she said, "Now that you have taken office, we need to speak about something important. Immediately."

I shot a dark look at my wife, as did Tam, for the provocation. It wasn't the time, in my mind. Julie looked back. To her, it was the perfect time... no, the only time. And in retrospect, I think she was probably right.

Velarana, to her great credit, responded with great grace and called on me.

"Marquis, could you please clear the room?" she said, "The Leader of the Loyal Opposition and I will converse."

"What I have to say is relevant to my husband," Julie stated, "As well as the Admiral, Seneschal Clermont, and Madame Cadas."

"Is it now?" Velarana asked, wondering what could possibly require the attention of all three branches of government and the military. It should have been obvious really. There is only one thing that connects all four so intimately.

"Very well," she concluded, before raising her voice to the rest of the room, "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but the business of state waits for no one. If any of you have anything to say to me, I will come to you each in turn over the course of the day. Until then, I need the room."

Our new High Chancellor gave a nod to Fisher, who issued orders to his party of Marines to begin ushering the guests out, with particular attention to the Tevinter group. This was largely unnecessary, as everyone recognised the new authority present. Maybe it was a sign of doubt that Velarana had to issue the order at all.

Warden-Commander Andras winked at me as she passed. "Good luck," she said, "Looks like you'll need it."

"I hope not," I grinned back. She sauntered on past, joining the throng leaving. Almost everyone commanded to did so. The exceptions were perhaps predictable.

Tam didn't budge from Julie's side, instead putting her hands on her hips and staying on the spot to deliver moral support. Taking her duty as a wife seriously, in other words. She knew Julie would appreciate it. Ciara and Armen didn't feel the need to do the same as a result, and passed us by with knowing smiles, aware that Julie's plotting had come to a head.

The other person who didn't leave was Aurelia, a fact I noticed when a spot of black curly hair appeared in my peripheral vision on the left. Her motivations to stay were opaque. It could have been just curiosity, but I think she was trying to weigh in on Julie's side. For what reasons, I could have guessed. An easier life in my own household, for one. Forcing her to live with me for the sake of our children meant living with Julie too, which would be infinitely more comfortable if there wasn't a political chasm dividing them.

Although how she intended to follow the conversation, I don't know. Aurelia's Orlesian was rudimentary.

"You should go," I whispered to her, "I know you're trying to build goodwill, but this doesn't look like it'll be pretty." A Tevinter presence was indeed far from welcome, and people were beginning to visibly wonder why she wasn't moving on.

Aurelia gave me a golden stare, her lips thinning in thought for a second, before she gave a slight tilt of her head. "Only because you asked," she said. My fiancee made her exit with all remaining eyes on her, practically gliding out of the room.

Once the doors closed, Velarana's eyes swung towards Julie and went Antarctic. "That, Madame, was entirely inappropriate," she said, "What is so important that it required such a public declaration?"

"A lesson in the limits and responsibilities of power is always timely," Julie replied, crossing her arms, "Besides that, what we have to talk about affects everything else you want to accomplish. It is not something I want to delay, for any reason. When we walk out of here, I want it to be known that whatever dispute we had was resolved. It needs to be a matter of public record for that to happen."

Velarana's gaze did not warm to that. "Get on with it," she commanded.

Julie smiled, clearly in her element and pleased to have her political opponent on the back foot so soon after a serious political defeat. "Your plans are expensive," she said, "No doubt you wish to take control of the treasury immediately."

"Of course," Velarana replied, "Unless you intend to withhold the money? I hope I don't have to remind you that you couldn't for long?"

The Assembly wouldn't like it, that was for sure. Even members of the Libertarians would want the money transferred on general principle. Which would leave only my support for her to lean on if she wanted to do that. The High Chancellor's icy stare soon turned its way to me, as if warning me that path would be resisted violently. That wasn't the intention of this whole business, however.

"Of course not, that would be suicidal," said Julie, "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Then what is this about?" Fisher asked, "Is there less money than you previously indicated?"

"No, there is more money," Leha cut in, "Several hundred thousand royals' worth, in fact." The seizure of treasuries of the chevaliers, the Wolf's Lair, Halamshiral and Ferelden had been very lucrative indeed. We also had small personal fortunes, mine being made up still of the dragonteeth and various gifts from the nobles of the Eastern Dales.

"This is about the debt," Julie said.

"Debt?" the admiral said, incredulous, "What debt? We never borrowed from moneylenders, did we?" He wouldn't know. He had been a refugee. It was quite easy to forgive him that.

Especially as I had the same question. I couldn't ever recall any borrowed money, and no bank or moneylender guild would have ever extended us a loan to begin with. Revolutionaries don't make for good investments. Even when they win, they don't tend to make good on their debts. They tend to have higher priorities once they do win.

"No, but that doesn't mean there isn't debt," Julie said, "Leha, tell them."

My dwarven companion was breaking out in her evil smile as she pulled out the documents from behind her back. She unfolded the first and waved it about.

"The Free Army started as an addition to the personal army of Baron des Arbes," Leha began, "All costs, including payment of wages and the cost to equip the soldiers, were technically his. Lord Clermont can confirm this."

Everyone turned to the seneschal for confirmation.

"That is correct," Clermont said, "The baronet of Ancienmaison, Sam Hunt, was merely in command of it, but the Free Army did belong to Pierre des Arbes, Baron of Hearth." Despite me paying for it out of my own pocket, with 'ill-gotten' gains.

"Until the formation of Free Orlais," Leha continued, "When two things happened. The guilds were abolished, and Free Orlais took on the military costs of all those barons and baronesses that signed the Proclamation from the Dales. It was a lot of background paperwork that I hated, but it was the only way to keep things fair among the nobles, otherwise they would have cheaped out on the army."

"I can imagine," Velarana said coolly, "Get to the point."

"The point is that the costs of the Free Army were transferred to Free Orlais," Leha said, "Of which our new city will be a successor state. All debts owed by Baron des Arbes, Free Orlais under its Viceroy, and our exiled army under Julie, are now owed by the Trojan Republic."

"Of course, otherwise we could never be trusted to repay money we borrowed in future," Velarana agreed, becoming visibly impatient, "But there are no debts. We never borrowed money, or those we did owe money to through other arrangements are dead. Baroness Doucy's entire bloodline was destroyed, you're not suggesting we owe money to her distant cousins, are you?"

"Not all of them are dead," Leha said, "In fact, the biggest creditors are still very much alive." The dwarf pointed rapidly between herself and Julie.

That was the point that I understood what they were driving at, and I couldn't help but smile at the ingenuity of it. But I kept silent, to let Julie and Leha have the fun.

"The realm owes you money?" Velarana growled, "But you were High Chancellor and Quartermaster."

"Not when the arrangement was originally agreed," Julie said, "And almost all of the debt was created before I became High Chancellor. In fact, when I was elected to that office, I deferred all debt payments to myself because there was no point paying myself from the treasury, I already had control of it and we had to fight a war."

Moving money around like that being pointless in those circumstances, of course.

"But as you say you want peace, there's no reason to defer any longer," Leha grinned, wagging her finger, "The debt stands."

Velarana frowned, seemingly unable to deny that Leha was right. At least in her mind. She had just spent the whole election campaign arguing against unchecked flights into revolutionary government. Defaulting on a debt would have been a pretty big jump in that direction, and worse, only the worst of rulers ever did it. Tyrants like Meghren or Judicael Valmont I, names that were reviled in their own time and kept in memory as warnings even to this day.

"What did that debt buy, exactly?" Fisher asked, "If we have several hundred thousand crowns at our disposal, surely we can just repay you and be done with it?"

Leha cackled, like that suggestion was absurd.

"Admiral, it paid for everything the Free Army carries into battle," Julie said, "The firelances, the cannon, the helmets and armour of the Peacekeepers, the refurbishment of captured armour and weapons for the rest of the army, looking glasses, horses and ponies, wagons, tools, tents... Absolutely everything."

"So we can't afford it," Fisher said, coming to the natural conclusion, "How much is owed?"

"Three million, three hundred thousand Orlesian royals," Leha said in Common, "Or three hundred and thirty million silver crowns. Assuming that the Orlesian currency isn't being debased as we speak to pay for the civil war."

"Approximately the same as the annual income of the Empire," Julie added cheerily.

A stunned silence fell on us all like a blanket from above. It was a truly colossal sum of money. It also likely didn't exist in the hands of any single person in Thedas. Not even the merchant princes of Antiva had individual fortunes that large.

"Ridiculous," said Clermont, "How could the realm owe that much?"

"Silverite tools are the most expensive in the world," said Julie, "Silverite itself is not particularly rare, but it extremely hard to work with. It is also the perfect metal for almost any tool. Lighter and stronger than steel, able to be worked for flexibility or hardened for durability without additives. Furthermore, it does not foul when blackpowder is used in it and blood does not cohere to it easily."

"Never mind outfitting an entire army is always expensive," said Leha, "There is a reason only high nobles can usually afford it. There are a hundred cannon and eight thousand firelances out there, which requires a whole lot more complexity than a dagger or a set of armour needs, making them even more pricey. We undercharged, to be honest. We could have charged sixty-six million crowns instead of thirty-three."

Our new High Chancellor shifted her weight on her feet, feeling her responsibilities more keenly. Again, to her credit. "And you say we only have several hundred thousand with which to pay," Velarana said.

"Six hundred and ten thousand in royals and crowns," Leha clarified, "Well, silvers and sovereigns too. We've got a lot of Fereldan coins now, and they're worth a little more than Orlesian ones. They're a little bigger and a little more pure."

Our treasury had to be carried in no less than five of our largest wagons, so that didn't surprise me. We had nearly five metric tons worth of coinages and bullion. Nearly the entire treasury of Ferelden was in our hands, after all. We paid our troops in silver, to their great delight, because we no longer carried copper coins around with us due to the number required being too high for us to move.

"We cannot pay," Velarana said, "Without that money, we cannot pay the Army or buy things we need to found the city. We'd be entirely dependent on you."

"Obviously," Julie agreed, "However, without money, I cannot continue my own work. My experiments will stop, investments in lucrative areas will cease, and I won't be able to employ as many people as before. I have some money of my own, but not enough to keep us moving forwards at the speed we will need to in order to survive."

"Which means no more new toys to make life easier for all of us and no more to help keep us safe," Leha added, "Toys we could sell for whole shiploads of gold and silver."

"If we fight over this, one of two things will happen," Julie continued, "Either I win, and your status as High Chancellor becomes meaningless. Or you win, and everything that will make us prosperous in the future will be strangled. And that's a guarantee, because I'd rather go down fighting than let you win outright."

"I could say the same," said Velarana, "But I suspect you have an alternative."

"We do," Julie confirmed, before looking to Leha.

"We have consolidated all our interests under a single charter," Leha said, handing over another document, "Incorporating all our property into one body."

Velarana glanced at the page with interest. "Fabrique Mithril de Troie," she read aloud.

"Mithril for short," Julie replied, "From the Earth word for silverite."

I hummed my appreciation for the name. "Very good," I said, "Always was a Tolkien fan."

"As for the debt, you will authorise the creation of a National Bank," Leha continued, handing over another document, "Consolidating all debts that the state owes. Obviously, you can't pay the full amount any time soon, but you can pay interest on the full amount owed. A very small amount, given how huge that amount is. That should keep Mithril well funded for decades to come."

"Without bankrupting the realm," Velarana thought aloud, "Clever. Although it would take up a significant amount of the national budget."

"You're going to have to live with that," Julie replied, "Besides, with a national bank, you can also borrow money from our citizens or foreigners wanting to make a safe return through government bonds. It's another Earth idea, and we could eventually compete with Antiva and Val Royeaux if we managed it correctly. Relying on actual gold or silver reserves will limit us too much."

"We'll also take all of the treasury total as a part repayment and donate two thirds of it straight back," Leha said, "Pass a law calling it an emergency wealth tax, which all the fraternities can support for some extra political capital. That will reduce the debt owed to two million, six hundred and ninety thousand crowns, at a cost of just over two hundred thousand."

"I think four hundred thousand is enough money to get the city on its feet," Julie added, "Don't you agree?"

"Quite," Velarana said shortly.

"One last thing," said Julie, "Leha will be your Minister for Finance."

Velarana's eyes flashed with anger. "Unacceptable," she said, "Madame Cadas is your friend and ally. I cannot have the friend of my political rival operating in my own government, I couldn't move with you hearing about it."

"Why?" Julie asked cheekily, "Do you have something to hide?"

It was indeed a strange problem to raise. After all, public finances were supposed to be just that; public. Velarana opened her mouth to retort, but restrained herself, simply contenting herself with a narrowing of the eyes.

I had my own objection to that idea, however. I stepped forward to get everyone's attention, holding out my hands to show I didn't want to get stuck in the mire of the more general argument.

"Hold on. Leha is quartermaster of the Free Army," I said, "She's a genius at the job too. I wouldn't want to lose her unless absolutely necessary."

"The fact she's a genius is exactly why it's absolutely necessary," Julie replied, having apparently anticipated the objection, "Madame Velarana, you intend to create new institutions to provide for our citizens in ways that no realm ever has. You need Leha. That's why I had her vote in your favour as soon as I was sure I would lose. To give you the political cover necessary to appoint her as your minister."

"Even though watching you fail under the weight of the bureaucracy and corruption would be far more amusing," Leha smirked, "None of us wants to live in a country with those sorts of problems."

"So we are giving you our best tool against money problems," Julie said.

"Me," said Leha, thumbing at herself, "Although my salary probably won't be great, I'm actually glad to be leaving the Army to someone else."

Velarana slowly exhaled, blowing out what must have been a considerably amount of frustration. It seems her political power was not to be as absolute as Julie's had been. Frankly, I thought that was all the better, and wanted to kiss Julie and more for this spectacular turnaround.

The High Chancellor allowed herself a small smile, once she had completed her political calculations.

"Very well," she said, "We have an accord. "

"I'm glad we could agree," Julie said, "We have enough enemies without fighting each other."

"Indeed," Velarana said, "Admiral Fisher, will your fraternity join us in this?"

"I do not like it. That money is the realm's by right," Fisher replied, "But with the three other fraternities in favour? I can't see my daughter and granddaughter standing against the consensus."

I rolled my eyes at the fiction that it wasn't him giving the marching orders to the Jaderite fraternity, but Julie played the politician well.

"There is nothing wrong with bowing to the inevitable," she said, "Just as long as you're sure it is inevitable."

"Which it most definitely is, in this case," Leha said.

"Is that all?" Tam asked, speaking up for the first time, "These two did not eat breakfast, because they are idiots." Implying that we were going to go eat after. I had thought the handover was going to be a short thing, without extension. Julie just couldn't eat, probably out of nerves due to her having this entire stunt ready to go.

"Actually, my first act as High Chancellor was going to be a discussion with the Marquis," said Velarana, "Privately."

"We can do that now," I said, before Tam could interrupt her to say that breakfast was more important, "I'll follow you, if you want."


The High Chancellor got her furs together and led me a spot on the walls close to the final tower overlooking the harbour, the opposite one to where we had first spotted the Tevinter flotilla and the Sirens' Revenge. The west wall had an expansive look at the massive fleet assembled below us, the masts of the tallest ships not enough to obscure view of the others even as far as the east wall.

Velarana liked coming up there to look at the ships, according to Mariette. I recalled the tidbit of information well enough.

"Do you know why I became a knight-enchanter, Marquis?" she said suddenly, "I wanted to sail the seas. I read books describing the ocean as a child, and I spent the rest of my life trying to get there. Knight-enchanters are the only mages permitted to serve with the navies of any kingdom, so I worked hard. I earned my place, even served on two voyages to Antiva. And then Kirkwall happened."

I was slightly taken aback that she had such a dream. "Careful now," I replied, "You sound a little like a Libertarian."

"There is no danger of that, Marquis," she said, "I was taken to the Circle at a young age, after my Dalish clan was annihilated by an abomination. I cannot speak for those in Kinloch and even less so for those who were at Kirkwall, but Orlais' Circles never denied paths to freedom for ambitious and capable people."

"I'm sure Madame de Fer agrees," I frowned. I took a second to think about where she must be. Fighting on behalf of Celene in the civil war, as it turns out. Her place at court usurped by a far less conventional mage in the mean time.

"Madame de Fer believes the Circle is without flaw," Velarana said, "Which even a child can see is not the case. If it was, would I be here, now?"

We seemed to doing nothing of importance, and it began to annoy me. Unlike her, I didn't like sitting around in the winter winds.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I said, "Since you are here and not with Lady Vivienne."

Velarana turned away from the ships, and towards me, wind picking up some strands of her hair and whipping them across her face. There was menace in the look.

"People talk about you as if you are the anomaly to be feared," she said, "But it is Julie Marteau... Julie Hunt that is the true anomaly. She is a danger to everything you value. I was convinced of that before today, but now, it is absolute truth."

I scoffed. "And what makes her so dangerous?" I asked, "My firelances? My radios? My world's ideas?"

The High Chancellor shook her head slowly, gravely. This was no joking matter.

"Her genius," said Velarana, "She absorbs capabilities like a sponge, and is as ambitious as Drakon himself. In the past two years, she conquered you, roused the sleeping commons and discontented lower nobility to open revolt, and created weapons the likes of which the world will fear forever. Today, she showed both the ruthlessness of a monarch and the savvy ability to compromise of a merchant-princess. If she is left unattended, she will eventually become a tyrant."

"You exaggerate," I replied, "She wouldn't dream of it."

"Not consciously, no," Velarana said, "But as a means to defend the people's interests? The names of Caesar and Napoleon ring out in your history books. They both saved their countries from ruin. Yet they were tyrants."

That was a lot more likely. Julie marching on our still unfounded city, to remove the traditionalists from power and restore order? I could see it happen. I could see a great many of the Peacekeepers following her if she asked it of them too. She had a certain arrogance in that she often believed she was the only person that could help. But what did Velarana want to do about it?

"What are you saying?" I asked, "That I convince her to remain out of politics? To stick to her experiments and engineering?"

"No, she would never agree to that," Velarana said, "What I require from you is far greater a favour. Something that will save the realm from the Marquise's ambition and natural genius, as well as from its noble enemies."

"I'm not sure I can do anything for you that would be that … effective," I replied.

Our Chancellor leaned towards me, standing on the tips of her feet to get close to my ear.

"You can take the crown of the Trojan Republic," Velarana whispered, "And rule as our Emperor."

I stopped breathing. Half because it was such a hilariously stupid idea, that I had to choke down the laughter so as not to insult her. But once that passed, I still could not breath because of what the Fade spirit, the Lady, had prophesied. She said my children would wear crowns, but that I myself did not need to accept a crown from anyone for this to be the case. If I wanted to avoid the war between my descendants from breaking out, did that mean I should accept the crown offered now? Or was it meaningless either way?

"I don't think you understand how a republic works," I said, stalling for time, "They can't have kings."

"France did, under Napoleon," Velarana said, "And you would be Emperor, not a king."

The word Emperor being derived on both worlds from the Latin/Ancient Tevene word Imperator, meaning a general. It was a distinction that was technical and more or less pointless. A fig leaf to cover the reality.

"And your role would be more or less the same as it is now. Supreme Commander of the Army, protector of our rights and liberties. And the only living person that can restrain the Marquise as well as be accepted by the nobles of the Marcher states as a monarch. The actual governing would still remain in the hands of the Assembly and High-Chancellor."

I saw exactly why she wanted that arrangement at once.

"You want to stop Julie from becoming High Chancellor again," I said, "Because she's my legal wife in the South, she would be Empress, and you could pass a law to prevent an Empress from participating in politics. And you think I could control her."

"I knew you would understand," Velarana smiled, "It is the best thing for everyone, really. Her genius is best utilised where she has the most experience and drive; in inspiring our people and in forging magnificent creations. Her descent into the arena of politics has been bloody and will be more bloody still."

"It would go against what she wants," I said, "There's no way I could do that."

"You were Viceroy before, and she did not object then," Velarana said, "You could convince her to accept it, especially as it would place her at the top of our society for the rest of her life while preventing her from doing any harm to it. She would have all the influence she would need, and not enough to recreate Orlais' absolute rule."

"It would mean retaining the institution of nobility forever more," I said flatly, "That isn't something Julie is willing to accept, except maybe in the military."

"I did not say she would accept immediately," Velarana said, "The truth is that she may be right about our enemies. If we are attacked, I intend to conquer the aggressors and humble them completely. Keeping the peace afterwards means keeping them humbled, and that will require a new order."

I shook my head. "No, sorry, you can find another person," I replied, "A new order doesn't require me to be Emperor."

"It does require an Emperor, the aristocrats of this world do not bow to their lessers, the nobles will only accept hegemony of a monarch," Velarana said, "Or, if you refuse, it requires an Empress. "

"I hope you don't mean yourself?" I snorted, "Because that would be far more revolutionary than anything Julie proposes." An elf mage monarch would likely have set the whole continent ablaze. Even in the Dales, the new tolerance of mages was mostly pragmatic and far from unlimited.

"Of course not," Velarana replied, "I'm speaking of the only other person with the prestige to rule besides you or I."

Now we were in the realm of true crazy. My eyes opened so wide, the winter cold almost immediately made them fill with tears, forcing me to blink them to clear my vision again. Even that wasn't enough. The whole sight was enough to make Velarana laugh throatily.

"You cannot seriously tell me you haven't considered it," she chuckled.

"She'll never accept," I said, "She'll see exactly what you're doing; sidelining her."

"I'm sure she will," said the High-Chancellor, "But eventually, she'll come to want that."

"You're mad." I began, "Julie wants to change things. She won't accept any position where she cannot do that."

"Oh, I think she will," Velarana said, looking out over the ships again, "And you'll be the reason why she will."

Fury rose in my throat. "I will not betray her!" I shouted, "I won't do your dirty work for you!"

"It won't be a betrayal, quite the contrary," Velarana replied, her voice wavering ever so briefly with fear, "And if you're so worried about it, accept my offer. Become our Emperor. Become the symbol that everyone already considers you to be."

That sounded positively cultish, and I wanted no damn part in it.

"No," I said, unable to remain polite if I were to elaborate further.

The High-Chancellor sighed softly, and took a single step to leave. Elaboration wasn't something that she cared about on this, not yet.

"As you wish," she said, "I will ask you again, at a more opportune time. Until then, I wish you luck in your Tevinter marriage. If you'll excuse me, I have business of state to attend to."

With that, she moved off, back towards where the wall met Anora's Watch and shelter.

My face curled up with utter vehemence, I watched her go, so I could be sure she was gone before I burst out with a series of well planned, maximally offensive curse words. I was utterly furious. Our new glorious leader had really pushed my buttons, in the way only a politician looking to use me ever could.

And I was so close to spouting that glorious string of foul language, if it wasn't for that meddling kid. Although it's probably a very bad thing to call her that, considering our current relationship.

"A meeting with the High Chancellor?" said a voice from behind, dripping with sarcasm, "How lucky!"

"Son of a!" I shouted, jumping on the spot. My head spun to the source, but I already knew exactly who it was.

"You're really quite amusing when I surprise you," said Mariette de Villars, "I must remember that."

This was the last thing I needed.

"Don't," I replied, "In fact, forget it entirely and put the idea of enjoying my reactions to anything completely out of your mind."

Mariette proceeded to pout, pursing her lips. Or maybe just pretend to pout. But she got serious after a few seconds. Even worried. Which was strangely relieving.

"You're in a bad mood," she said, "What were you talking about with Lady Velarana?"

There was no way in hell I was going to talk about that with her. I was even sure I didn't want to talk to Julie and Tam about it. I would tell them both I had something big to talk to them about as soon as I met them again, but that it should wait until everything settled down.

"We talked about the wedding," I said, "It wasn't a nice talk."

Mariette's baby blues rolled about for a bit, considering it. "I can see why that would be an annoyance," she said, "To think that I'll be expected to marry for politics soon. I'll need to find a rich, powerful idiot." The baby blues shot at me and smiled, along with the rest of Mariette's face.

That naïve line actually greatly cheered me up, and didn't warrant a greater response that a shake of the head and a laugh as we got the hell out of the cold.


The wedding happened on our last day in Amaranthine. Velarana refused to allow it to happen earlier. My marriage to Aurelia was not a personal matter, but a political one. Aurelia's request to move it forward was firmly denied.

So the original plan went forward. Our people and possessions were loaded onto the ships over the days leading up to launch. That was a harder task than you'd think, especially with the horses. It seems poor Bellona shared my dislike for the sea, and like many other mounts, had to be given partial sedatives to get her on board. On the morning of the wedding itself, the ships cast off from the docks and prepared to make sail. Only the Oceane, the Elodie and the Tevinter catamaran remained tied up, along with a few longboats.

Those attending the wedding would be the last to board ship for the promised land.

The ceremony itself was to be held in the ballroom of the keep, rather than the main Chantry of the city. The local Revered Mother refused to allow it, and Brandon backed her. Getting out of the Chantry Quarter when our troops had withdrawn from everywhere but the keep and the quays could also have proven a security challenge, so I would have ordered it to happen where it did in the end regardless.

So, I found myself in one of the siderooms, in the most formal uniform I could put together, waiting to be summoned.

Tam was fussing over me, trying to make sure everything was in good order. She was in her Grey Warden blues and new silverite scalemail, and jingled slightly when she moved. Julie sat watching, her legs crossed, lost in thought. She wore her red dress, the same one she had worn at the ball on the occasion of her own rise to the Chancellorship, re-cut and modified with fur lining on the neck and wrists. Ciara, Armen and Leha were in good spirits. Ciara was wearing her utterly headsmacking green dress, the other two in their usual robes and leathers respectively.

All three were drinking ale. I winced when they started, because we were about to take a damn sea voyage. I can hold my drink very well, but not when I'm rocked around like a damn stone in a boot afterwards.

I felt a strange sort of tension in my gut. Not fear, not anticipation. Was it completion? A sense of moving forward with my life? No, not even that. Now, I think I was at a complete sense of loss about what my life would be like with children in it. Those from Aurelia that had to come to maintain a military alliance, those from Tam that we wanted, and those from Julie that would inevitably come as a result of our love for intimacy of the kind that makes children.

"She is keeping you waiting," Tam said, evening out my collar, "Why?"

"Tevinter weddings have the higher ranked family waiting in the chapel," I said, "'And the Tiberii are ranked above everyone except the Archon,' to quote Grandpa Tiberius directly."

"That man thinks far too much of himself," Leha said, before gulping down some ale.

"He's a member of the ruling class of the second largest empire on Thedas," Armen smirked, "And his family has been in that position for two thousand years."

"Would make me arrogant," Ciara shrugged.

Armen laughed loudly. "No, it wouldn't," he said, "Arrogance isn't in your nature."

"Stop flirting," Leha said, pointing with her mug, "Get a room. Get married. Do something, but do it away from me."

Armen eyed me. "Your wedding is making everyone crazy."

Julie snapped her fingers, and stood up, smiling. "Can you even call it a wedding?" she said, "It's being officiated by a man!"

"Does that matter?" Tam asked honestly, "I mean, does the Maker care who speaks the words to join two people?"

"Of course he does," Julie said, not really meaning it, "Andraste was a woman. It doesn't make sense for a man to be involved in religion."

I know a lot of former classmates in Philly who'd agree.

"And yet," I said, "The Maker is a man."

"The Maker is a god," Julie shrugged, "I'm not sure a god needs..." She bit her lip, searching for the words, her hand making little rolls in the air too.

"Man bits?" Armen supplied in Common, "Or, maybe it's more appropriate to this occasion to say wedding tackle?" A cheeky cock of the brow followed. Julie pointed at him and nodded.

"As much as I'd love to jump into this philosophical talk and all," I interrupted, "I'm a little too distracted to care. I'm getting another wife and a new name. It's ridiculous." Perhaps I spoke a little too harshly.

"What crawled up your ass?" Leha growled, aiming a kick at my shin. I moved my foot just in time to avoid it.

Julie laid a hand on my shoulder, and looked up at me over her freckled nose. "Relax," she said, "Remember our wedding? This is quick."

"Except it lasts forever," I replied, "Which is fine if it's just us, but..." I almost blurted out everything; the Lady in the Fade, her prophesy, her relationship with Aurelia's family, Velarana's offer of a throne and a crown... But I snapped my mouth shut and closed my fists to either side of me. I didn't have anything like a way of beginning that conversation.

"She is not so horrible," Julie said, making the wrong assumption, "Although I would prefer that she went away, if it buys our people the freedom they fought for, is it not worth the price?"

"No," said Tam flatly, "But it is tolerable to increase our chances of survival. The Qun knows and acknowledges no rivals except for Tevinter. This alliance will make the Arishok think twice before coming after us again. We can't be free if we're dead."

A Tevinter soldier appeared in the archway leading to the ballroom, camouflaged segmented armour and all, the sound of his footsteps ending our little talk early. The time had come.

"We're ready, dominus," he said, "They await you."

"Right," I sighed, "Lead on."

I followed close behind, down the passage. The others followed behind.

The ballroom was a different sight to when it had been a temporary hospital ward or a counting room. The fine carpets and furniture had been returned to their rightful places. The Fereldan tapestries too. The open space was filled with people. On one side, the entire National Assembly and the rest of our best and brightest. On the other, the entire Tiberian family, their retainers and the captains of their flotilla. Old Glory hung opposite the Black Dragon to either side of the gap in between the 'families'.

I made my way up the middle, as planned, until at the halfway point, I was ordered to stop. I could only see a very narrow strip of the way ahead, and a single figure beyond.

Revered Father Edra was a man in black the likes that Johnny Cash would have recognised. A mage with a pockmarked face, dark deep-set eyes and a well trimmed grey beard and moustache. Not the face of a man who had lived an easy life. He held up his hand, and called to me in Tevene. I didn't speak the language, but I had been informed beforehand what he was to say.

"Halt!" he declared, "Who comes to claim Aurelia of the Tiberii?!"

"Samuel Venatus Tellurus!" I replied at the top of my voice. My Tevene name, literally meaning Sam Hunt born of Earth. Just as my bride was Aurelia Tiberius born of Valentine. You'll note that I didn't use my father or mother's name, because there was no way to put either in Tevene in a way that didn't sound like a dog's burp.

"Proceed!" Edra called.

I moved once more. The part of the ceremony that was different to the Southern Chant was over.

With the Revered Father, a woman in white waited to the right, her face covered with a veil. Her stature and the black curly hair leaking out across her shoulders told me who it was: Aurelia. Her family waited in a semi circle around her, her grandfather and father directly beside her.

My entire body itching with the anticipation of it, and the stares of the multiple Tiberiuses and Tiberias, I went to join Aurelia. Julie and Tam stood beside me to the right, while Armen, Ciara and Leha fanned out further past. Now every witness was present and in their proper place. I felt calmer for knowing that. The itching stopped, for one thing, and my heartbeat slowed, so it must have been going like crazy for me to have noticed that. Something was telling me I was making a colossal mistake. Thankfully, I didn't act on that instinct, because it was wrong.

Father Edra took my right hand and Aurelia's left, and joined them.

"Repeat the vows after me."

And so we did. I pledged to Andraste and the Maker to love Aurelia for the rest of my days, even though I didn't love her as I spoke the words. She made the same promise, to love me, and I very much doubted she loved me. I could only hope that the Maker would forgive the lie. I think he did.

The moment I pulled away the veil over Aurelia's face is immortalised in the Palais de la Liberté, on the second of the great frescos in the main hall. Just as Julie's stand on the mound before the armies at Sahrnia is depicted in the first, my marriage to Aurelia in the ballroom of Anora's Watch is considered the second great action on the path to our nationhood. Frankly, I would have preferred to have a battle scene myself. The third fresco depicts Tam, and she got a battle scene too. My masculinity has been seriously damaged by this terrible injustice.

This is what happens when you allow a committee to design national monuments. At least it was painted in part by Julie herself, so I don't look over-idealised or like some random person off the street, which seems to be the only two styles that were around at the time the frescos were created. Julie even painted Aurelia true to life, which was kind of her.

Aurelia and I kissed like we meant it. That was also agreed upon beforehand, so that no one would have any doubts about us doing our duty where the practical point of the union was concerned. Unnecessary interference on Tiberius' part, but let's face it, that's his game.

I glanced at Julie and Tam just after. I think you would have needed a crowbar to get Tam's jaw open, which I expected, but Julie was the exact same. Which struck pure terror in me, I'm not ashamed to admit, just long enough for people to notice. I recovered just in time to turn around and lead Aurelia by the hand back down between our two peoples, before someone commented.

Her family and mine followed directly behind, in a sort of procession. We led the entire congregation out of the ballroom and out into the courtyard.

There, waiting under an overcast sky in the gloomiest day we had seen in a while, was Andras, her Wardens and her city guards. In full silverite armour and fully armed, for the first time since our arrival. They looked brighter than the sky did, even their faces looked better. We were about to give them their city back, after all, and in better shape we found it in. Purged of its worst criminal elements. Beyond, our escort of dismounted chevaliers awaited.

"Warden-Commander," I said, addressing Andras, "Our time is up. The City is yours again."

"We'll miss you," Andras replied, without sarcasm and malice, "Congratulations on your weddings." Weddings plural, you note she'll said. What a joker.

"Thank you," Aurelia replied flatly, "We're very happy."

"I'm sure you will be," Andras said with a knowing smile, "Warden-Commander Tam. My Constable, Bethany Hawke, will be accompanying you to the Free Marches to further train your own Wardens and put you into contact with the Order in the Marches. She is already aboard the Sirens' Revenge with her sister."

How Bethany Hawke must have felt about that, I can only imagine. Or perhaps Andras felt she needed to get away from Warden Howe? Otherwise he might find an ally in her. Which could have fucked our trade arrangements with Amaranthine.

"A wise decision," Tam said, echoing my own conclusion.

"Well... it was nice knowing you," I said, "Hell, if you're not too busy, come visit."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer, Marquis," Andras said. I hoped she would.

We made our way past the Fereldans, and out of the gate to the docklands, towards the ships. Which would have been a whole lot quicker if we had horses. It more or less ended up as a stroll, since our ships were in the middle of the quays near the central avenue. It was very pleasant, in fact. Also a little eerie, because the quays were more empty than ever before. There were no cheering crowds to see us off. Not even the Alienage elves came. We were still invaders, after all.

"You know," I said, to no one in particular, "I'm actually going to miss this place."

"The winters are warmer," Julie said from behind, "Remember last year? Everyone had to spend so much time shovelling snow."

"Which is probably the only reason the Templars came in numbers we could handle," Armen called from further back.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, "Not everything is a military consideration." A generous notion. Too generous.

"Must be warmer in summer too," Tam said, "That would be more comfortable."

"The Marches are even warmer, Lady Tam," Aurelia said over her shoulder, "Although none are as warm as Seheron."

"I remember," Tam said, "But Seheron has tropical storms."

Fucking huge ones, mostly hitting the north coast. Hurricanes, in truth, but they didn't use that word back then. Sea dragons love the damn things too, just for added shits and giggles.

"Do not remind me," Aurelia replied, quite rightly.

At last, we came to where the Elodie and the Oceane were docked. Where my companions and our escort were to board. So we came to a stop at the gangplanks.

Julie and Tam drew me into a close, long hug. And then kissed me together.

"Safe journey, you hear?" I said, "If that Jaderite wheelman of yours runs the ship into some rocks, it won't matter if he dies or not, I swear I'll hunt his ass down through the Fade and kill him a second time."

"We'll tell him," Julie replied, smiling, "See you in a few days."

"In our new homeland," Tam nodded, before kissing me again.

I wasn't going to be on the same ship as them. I couldn't be. It was winter. Storms did happen. Ships could sink. A maximum of two VIPs per ship was ordered by Fisher. And besides, I had a duty to perform.

Julie and Tam boarded the Elodie, with Armen and Ciara giving me a wave each as they joined. How neither of them were on the VIP list, I don't know, but I consider it a great insult on Velarana's part. The new High-Chancellor herself moved past to board the Oceane. Leha went with her, because she was a VIP, a brace of chevaliers around.

Leaving me alone with the Tevinter group. I must have looked a sorry state as we walked the last hundred yards to the catamaran, because they immediately tried to cheer me up.

"I hear you get seasick," Aurelia said lightheartedly, taking me by the hand and pulling me gently along. I knew what she was about at once.

"Very badly," I replied, "It's strange, because I never get other types of motion sickness and I can swim perfectly fine too."

"That's alright," Tiberius said, "We've prepared medicines for that. Non-magical."

"They'll be necessary," I said, "Otherwise, this could get messy."

"They'll be necessary because we're not formally married yet," Aurelia stated, with a slight blush, "Not until..."

"Consummation," I said, with false weariness, "Can we really not talk about this in front of your grandfather? I think your father is in earshot too." Tiberius scoffed in response. It was his business, at least in his mind.

"Or me?" Gaius said.

I shot him a glance, seeing my excuse. "Yeah, spare poor Gaius," I agreed, "Plenty of time for that later."

Aurelia laughed deeply, ripping her veil clean off her head now and shaking her hair a little. Could she have been more cliché?

"No," she said, "We're going to be very busy." And indeed we were.

We boarded the ship, and left Amaranthine behind us, sailing between the islands of Brandel's Reach at the head of the fleet. Northward to the Marches. And the medicines? They worked like a charm, to my immense benefit.

I really must learn to stop ending these chapters just as I'm about to … consummate.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello all, sorry once again for the delay, Christmas time and a new job run merry hell with my scheduling.

This is the last chapter of the Ferelden volume! I think I wrapped everything up nicely, but as usual, rolling edits will likely occur to make sure I didn't forget anything.

Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year!

Thepkrmgc: How's that for tricks up sleeves? Thanks as always!

5 Coloured Walker: Cheers!

Katkiller: Vel is a politician though, and quid pro quo is a decent motivator for almost all politicians. Julie's power, as this chapter shows, did not simply disappear entirely with an election loss. The result of not having laws against conflicts of interest, in this case. Hell, the Orlesian Empire more or less lives and dies on such conflicts.

You're not wrong about the Jaderites.

As for Hawke, this more or less set up the idea of her being very capable in the mind of Sam, but just how absurdly so she is won't become clear to him until later. It's quite deliberate, because she's a showstopper and it deserves a less cluttered chapter to get into.

A sea battle will be featuring early in the next volume. Possibly two. All I'll say about that is Greek fire isn't exactly known for its stability. In fact, some mixtures make gunpowder look positively safe.

Glad you enjoyed the last one either way.

SilverBladeStar: Julie didn't give it away. She was going to lose, by the most slim of margins. I hope this chapter elaborated on why she made that move.

OnkelJo: Continue living vicariously, by all means.

Makurayami: Eventually.

How Aurelia is going to fit into the political scene, I don't know yet. Officially, she isn't a citizen. She can't run for anything. But somehow, I don't see that stopping her. What is factori dominae?

The Isolationists didn't run candidates. They are more like monastic monks than their own political namesakes. They want to stay out of politics entirely, whether that's Circle politics or politics more generally. They've got their own plans.

Guest: Really? Steam power is a thing in the core canon? This changes things. Julie is going to have fun.

S058: Thank you, I appreciate the compliment.

As for Orlais, yeah, the horse is well out of the stables by this point. Don't forget that Briala is kicking around too, organising guerrilla operations. We'll be seeing a little more of Orlais' situation in the coming volume too. Though you overestimate just how large the Eastern Dales was. It had maybe a million people versus twenty million in the entire empire, and out of those, maybe thirty-five thousand left? So 3.5% of a border region left?

The war is obviously far wider ranged and destructive, though not all of Orlais is seeing fighting. Mostly the Dales, where most of the Chalons chevaliers' lands are, if canon is to be believed.

As for supplying Ferelden with arms, they're not interested in intervening in Orlais. Julie as High Chancellor ruled over more people than Alistair does. Ferelden cannot project its power. It's too weak, economically and demographically. God help anyone invading them, because they can fight well as long as they don't have to go too far to do it. But any intervention in Orlais will inevitably come back to bite them in the ass.

Viper0300: Keijiro didn't bring back how to make samurai armour, but he knew the aesthetics of it, and had similar armour made accordingly.

Binarytrees: Churchill lost a general election right after the end of the Second World War. Sometimes, when the opposition is offering something that the people want, famous and seemingly invincible figures can lose elections. Velarana is no slack either, she captured Alistair and stood up to just such an invincible figure, Julie, without flinching. Furthermore, the election wasn't only a choice of leaders but a choice of directions.

That was my logic in making Julie fail to win the election.