Chapter 35 Pride of a Queen

Arl Eamon's Estate

Aedan: "You did WHAT?!"

We returned to Arl Eamon's estate, but instead of a queen, we got a Grey Warden, a nobleman's son, and a Templar with lyrium withdrawal. Arl Eamon had his guards escort Oswyn back to his father and Irminric back to the Chantry, Aedan even sent Oghren and Sten just to be safe. Warden Riordan will stay in the estate for the time being.

"What? You wanted to kill Howe yourself?" Said Darrian, with an unconcerned tone.

Aedan: "That too… but no! That is not important! You took the queen hostage!"

Darrian: "We didn't do anything, Fox did."

Aedan: "Kitsune is under your command, and you're under my command, who is under Arl Eamon's protection! Do you have any idea what you have done?"

"What choice did we have? Besides, the queen betrayed us."

Aedan: "You don't get it! This is a game!"

"Game?"

Aedan: "This whole who should side with who, who should take the throne, and who can get the most out of this."

Again? I thought we already did that with the dwarfs.

"If this is a game, then what's Anora end goal?"

"Survival, maybe even more power. I doubt it's for her father or for the safety of the realm." Said Arl Eamon.

"You have such a low opinion of her."

Arl Eamon: "She is, in a way, the stereotype of a self-serving politician imagined by the common people."

"Typical of selfish shemlem. As long as you benefit, the rest of the world can die." Said Mithra in disgust.

Darrian lets out a "tsk" sound.

Aedan: "I agree that humans should be more united, but do not forget, Zathrian could have broken the werewolf curse anytime he wanted, but didn't because he wanted to live forever."

"Zathrian didn't break the curse because of what you shemlem did to his family!" Said Mithra, a little angrily.

Aedan: "So you admit Zathrian let his people suffer for his own sake, or are you saying you would gladly turn into a werewolf for his vengeance?"

Mithra: "Did you forget it was you shemlem who killed his son and raped his daughter?!"

Not "you shemlem", it's "some shemlem".

Aedan: "From what I know, the "shemlem" who were responsible have been dead for centuries."

Mithra: "So? Their descendants are still here, and they attacked us, so they deserve to suffer the curse."

"And the Dalish elves, did they deserve the werewolf's curse?" Darrian finally spoke, without even looking at Mithra.

"Of course you would be on your shemlem master's side." Mocked Mithra.

Darrian's eyes begin to glow red, and it feels like the room temperature just dropped, and everyone instinctively reaches for their weapons.

? "What did I miss?"

I turn toward the door, Kitsune has returned. Darrian closes his eyes, walks pass Kitsune and left the room. I know he never liked her, but this is the first time he argued with a companion, well… not really argued, he just asked a question.

"Just some elven drama." Replied Morrigan.

"I misspoke, I apologize. But for your own sake, stop provoking people." Warned Aedan to Mithra.

I'll admit, that looked really bad, it almost looked like Aedan and Darrian was ganging up on the elven ranger.

"You should tell that to your elf." Said Mithra, who also leaves the room.

Aedan curses under his mouth something about "ally" and turns to Kitsune. "What happened to the queen?"

"I left her, unharmed. Aside for a small cut on her neck." Said Kitsune.

"You people… Are like selfish, dimwitted children. Creating a mess wherever you go, and then I have to clean up after you." Said Aedan as he sits down, looking down, with one hand on his forehand. "Why couldn't you just played Anora's game and let her feel clever and in control? What do we do now? We just lost the support of the most important person in Ferelden."

You 're starting to remind me of that crestfallen chainmail guy.

"They wanted Darrian dead." Said Zevran.

Aedan: "You don't know that! They might just throw him in a cell, maybe rough him up a bit. We are Grey Warden, we can handle it."

"Easy for you to say."

Aedan immediately stands up. "I would do ANY THING to fight the Blight!"

I believe you, no need to get so defensive.

"There may still be hope." Said Arl Eamon.

Aedan: "What?"

Arl Eamon: "Anora is a realist. She may not like us, but she still needs us, at least as insurance."

Aedan: "Which means she will only turn on her father if the scale tips in our favor."

"Why do we even need her when our chances of wining is greater?" Said Alistair.

"Every little advantage helps Alistair." Said Arl Eamon to Alistair.

"Is it really that simple? I know you don't think highly of Anora's character, but in this "game" her father losing means death, or do you let traitors and king slayers go free in this country?"

Arl Eamon: "Then we can only hope she is as self-serving as I think she is, or we are in trouble."

Ah… So we are betting on her less desirable qualities. "So what now?"

Aedan: "Now we wait. And pray."

Next Day. Morning

Anora and her handmaid Erlina paid Arl Eamon a visit first thing in the morning and Aedan goes out of his way to please her. Seeing him like this does make me feel bad for him a little, just a tiny bit.

"That elf woman… where is she?" Asked Anora.

"What elf woman, your majesty?" Said Aedan with a smile.

"That elf woman with the strange accent, who had a sword on my neck." Said Anora, touching the small cut wound on the left side of her neck.

Aedan: "Who? Oh, you mean that mercenary my subordinate hired just for that mission and whom I never met or approve of?"

Anora: "Yes… her. Where is she from?"

Aedan: "I have no idea. I apologize for my subordinate for hiring her. She is a barbarian who have no understanding of how we civilized people behave."

Anora: "Where is she now?"

Aedan: "I got rid of her as soon as I heard what she did. Without pay."

Anora: "Bring her to me. I wish to speak to her."

Aedan looks around. "I don't know where she is now. She may not even be in the city."

"I said, bring her to me." Anora repeated.

Some time later…

"So, what's your name?" Asked Anora.

"Kitsune." Kitsune answered.

Anora: "Interesting name. Elven? Qunari?"

Kitsune: "Maybe. What are those names like?"

Anora: "Where are you from?"

She looks over to Aedan. "Tovintor."

Aedan facepalmed.

Anora raises an eyebrow. "Tovintor? Don't you mean Tevinter?"

Aedan immediately jumps in. "That's how they say it in the region where she was raised."

Clever…

Anora: "Whatever. I heard you are quite the swordswoman."

Kitsune: "All lies."

Anora: "You know, I'm quite the swordswoman myself."

Kitsune: "I can tell."

Anora: "I was trained by my father since I was a child. And by the best battlemasters gold could buy."

Kitsune: "Good for you."

"Cough" coughed Aedan.

"Your majesty." Kitsune said in a soft voice.

Anora: "Let's do a little sparring."

Later… Training area

"You know what to do right?" I asked Kitsune as I handed her a wooden sword.

Kitsune: "Let her parry me, leave myself open, then let her beat me."

"And make it look real."

"Let's begin." Said Anora, in full golden armor, reaching for a wooden greatsword her elven handmaid is holding.

The two of them stand face to face. With Anora holding her greatsword with two hands while it's resting on her shoulder. Kitsune is also holding her sword with two hands, in a high stance with her wooden sword raised over her head. Both of them are trying to stare each other down, then suddenly Kitsune rushes towards Anora and strikes, Anora parries the strike with her sword, and what happen next, shocked us all – Kitsune's sword flies off her hand… falls on her butt…

"Ahhhhh…" Screamed Kitsune sitting on the ground with her hand holding out.

Wow, that didn't look fake at all…

"What are you doing?" Asked Anora, with a slightly irritated voice.

"That parry was so magnificent that I've fallen on my butt." Said Kitsune with a flat tone.

"You think you're being funny? You think I'm some spoiled noble that doesn't know anything? I trained in the art of combat for over fifteen years! By the time I was sixteen, not even my father's most elite soldiers could beat me!" Said Anora, so angry that her sword is trembling as she points it at Kitsune.

Kitsune: "I can see that, the parry you did was so-"

Anora: "Pick up your damn sword! Fight seriously this time!"

"Wait!" I said as I rush to them.

"What?" Said Anora, irritated.

I kneel down and check Kitsune's right ankle.

"She sprained her ankle."

"Out of the way, let me see." Said Anora with a dubious look on her face.

I moved away as she kneels down and checks. Indeed, Kitsune's right ankle is red.

Later… Noon, Dinning hall

Lunch looks great. Meat, fish, vegetable soup and bread. Unfortunately for me they all taste like dirt. It seems it's the same with Kitsune, judging by the fact she only had bread and water. Oghren on the other hand only has meat on his plate and wine in his mug.

"I thought shinobis were mostly spies, aren't spies supposed to be good at acting?" I asked Kitsune, sitting in front of me on the long dinning table.

"Shinobi?" Asked Zevran, sitting to my left.

"Shinobis are mostly spies, I just happen to be part of the combat division, specializing in sabotage and guerrilla warfare." Kitsune explained.

"Interesting." Said Zevran.

"If I didn't use my fire to make your ankle look red, our alliance with Anora would have been over."

Kitsune: "I did what Aedan told me. To let her parry me and leave myself open afterwards."

"When was the last time you parry someone and they fall on their butt?"

She just looks at me and says nothing.

"I still can't believe you took the queen hostage." Said Jowen.

"She's not my queen." Replied Kitsune.

"But she is still this country's queen, beloved by the people! If the rumors are true." Said Zevran. "Seeing her, I can see why."

Kitsune: "There's nothing she can do that can scare me."

Morrigan: "Bold, aren't you?"

I'll bet. You seem to have no fear of hollowing. I do not know of how you see death in your native land, but Astorians would rather die as human than go hollow.

Zevran: "I don't think you thought this through."

No, there is no real way of punishing an undead in this world. Seath the scaleless can trap undeads in his tower, but here, I haven't seen anything like that, for now.

Zevran: "So, what did the dear queen said about this whole "Howe's thing"?"

"She didn't, and Aedan didn't ask anything, just kept apologizing for what happened."

Jowen: "Maybe there was no scheme. Maybe the whole thing was just a coincidence?"

Zevran: "No. Those soldiers were waiting for us. I doubt they even checked if Howe was even dead before they ambushed us. If we had let Howe live, I have no doubt they would have killed him themselves, and then blame us for it."

Morrigan: "Howe was probably too stupid, or too vile, even for Loghain."

Zevran: "The whole thing was too easy to begin with. Do you know how heavy six sets of armor are? You expect me to believe a female elf smuggled six sets of armor without anyone noticing? If that is true, then Howe's quartermaster would be the most incompetent person in the world."

Morrigan: "Maybe Loghain even bought off some of the people there."

Zevran: "The way I see it, either Anora really didn't know about her father's plans, and was used to lure us to killed Howe, or she was in on it."

So, She is either ignorant or evil.

Morrigan: "Or she knew about it, and then used it to her advantage to undermine her father's ambitions."

So still evil. That lady knight was specifically after Darrian, or the Grey Wardens. I saw all the torture devices in Howe's dungeon, am I to believe Ferelden's official dungeon is better?

"What did Anora think would happen to Darrian if he was captured? Or does Anora just thought Darrian could just break out of prison before he was tortured or killed?"

Zevran: "If that is true, no offense to Darrian, but Anora is way overestimating his abilities."

Jowen: "But he is a Reaver. His power has the same effect as entropy magic."

Oghren:"Reavers are not that rare, there are plenty of people in Orzammar who know how to kill them. I know how to kill them. We berserker sare immune to their dumb mind trick."

"Resistant, not immune." Said Morrigan.

"Whatever." Said Oghren as he takes another huge drink of wine.

Zevran continues. "I think it went like this, Loghian wanted Howe dead for whatever reason, and he saw the opportunity to get rid of the Wardens as well. Anora played along because she needed the chance to form an alliance with us, so she can maybe stay as queen in case her father lost. There is no real need to hide any of this because as Aedan said, it's all a game, an open secret. Aedan and Arl Eamon needed her and will overlook this betrayal, just to have her on our side."

Oghren: "Noblemen and their stupid games. Humph. What a waste of time!"

Jowen: "But I thought Erl Eamon wanted Alistair to be king."

Zevran: "Yes. Unfortunately for her, all her scheming will be for nought. This Eamon, from what I've seen, is a very conservative person. He will never allow a non Theirin as ruler of Ferelden."

So fortunately for us, his stubbornness worked in our favor in this case.

Zevran: "Though I must say I do not mind a beautiful scheming woman."

"Maybe she will get Alistair to marry her." Marrigan laughed.

Oghren: "Marrying Alistair? Isn't he her brother in-law? Isn't that kind of-"

Just then the dinning hall door flies open. Darrian walks in, grabs a large bread, and immediately rushes out.

"Not going to use the table?" Asked Zevran.

Darrian ignores him and walks out. A moment after he left, Aedan rushes in.

"Have you seen Darrian?" Asked Aedan.

Zevran: "He was here a moment ago."

"What happened?"

Aedan: "It's the Alienage. Something has happened."

To be continued