Chapter 26: Responsiblity
It felt good to truly be among the People again. Enid had done well adjusting to life among the Wardens, better than most of her fellows probably would. She quickly accepted them as her new clan, and she knew it was her responsibility to make the Dalish proud and do her duty. It helped that they were mostly all competent, capable, and free of the prejudices she had come to expect from humans.
Merrill was overjoyed to see Lanaya and some of the other mages again, and it felt good to be near the Halla again. Even Cadoc seemed taken by their beauty, which made him a little less twitchy about all of the mages and heathens about. Wynne was quite taken by the Dalish, and given the deference due to a mage of considerable years and experience. Mayrin found the whole thing rather quaint, but was respectful and fascinated, even if his view was tainted somewhat by Zevran's less than stellar opinion of the People.
Merrill couldn't understand why a fellow elf would show such scorn to the Dalish, but Enid couldn't blame him. She knew how the Dalish talked about flat ears and shemlen, but, on the other hand, she understood why the Dalish were so insular and xenophobic. What good had ever come from elves trusting humans? Never again shall we submit.
Hahren Sorel was even less friendly than Hahren Paivel, and Zathrian was nowhere near as warm as Marethari, but he was still happy to see Enid, and especially Merrill, who he remembered well. Merrill was fascinated that Zathrian had somehow rediscovered the secrets to immortality, and tried to get him to reveal as much as he could. Perhaps living for so long could make one jaded. At least Lanaya was friendly.
Enid was practically vibrating after her conversation with Varathorn, the clan crafter. The elder elves of clan Sabrae never much wanted to talk about her parents, and Ashalle had played the part well, so Enid never asked all that much. Still, to hear of Keeper Mahariel from an old friend of his, and to hear that he would be proud of her for becoming a Grey Warden… Well, words couldn't describe. What better way could someone wearing Mythal's vallaslin protect the world than by fighting darkspawn?
As much as Enid and Merrill wanted to stay, however, they had a job to do… And, by the sounds of it, it would be messy, but at least it would be easy. Morally, at least. No quandries, no hard decisions… She just had to kill some beasts, and they clan could join the Wardens. Easy.
This was supposed to be easy. It was supposed to feel good, for once, without any moral quandaries over which to puzzle. Enid was nearly vibrating at the prospect of slaying some monsters and saving some fellow Dalish. At protecting the People, just like Mythal before her and her brethren were imprisoned by Fen'Harel. It had felt like coming home. Zathrian was powerful enough, and Lanaya and Merrill picked up right where they left off from the last Arlathvhen. The elven children were happy to spend time with the shemlen child they brought along until their quest was over, not yet as xenophobic as their elders. She even found some nifty ancient armor, the Juggernaut Plate! She felt invincible, at least for a little while.
This was supposed to be easy.
But the werewolves were… Sentient? They were supposed to be mindless beasts ruled by and bound to a terrible spirit, not real people— monstrous as they may be— trying to end their curse. Enid was lost in thought, but at least capable to communication. Since leaving the Lady of the Forest's chamber and heading up the stairs, Merrill had barely acknowledged her companions, let alone what they had just learned. She was completely silent and staring at her destination with an almost Keegan-like emptiness in her eyes.
"Hey, Enid?" Mayrin asked. "I know it isn't really my place, but this isn't normal, right?"
"Which? Merrill or the magic shit? Because if you ask me, the answer is neither," Cadoc responded.
"He was not asking you," Wynne interjected with uncharacteristic harshness in her voice. "Merrill, dear, can we do anything to help?" Wynne tried to offer, putting her hand of Merrill's shoulder before the elf shrugged it off.
"To answer your question, Wynne," Enid responded, "none of this is normal. Merrill is usually, well, you know Merrill, but this doesn't sound like a Keeper at all. Mythal'enaste, they're supposed to protect us…"
"Unfortunately for our fellow elves, it appears he does not take is duties too seriously. But fear not, my elven beauties, I will protect you!" Zevran said, smiling at Enid halfheartedly and trying to lighten the mood. Wynne was still trying to be serious, but couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as she rolled her eyes at the Antivan assassin.
True to his word, as soon as they entered the antechamber, both Zevran and Mayrin stepped in front of the Dalish elves when they saw who was waiting for them. The gesture was unnecessary, but sweet.
Kneeling over the corpses of some werewolves, Zathrian said absentmindedly, with more than a little bit of condescension.: "Ah. And here you are."
Before Enid or anybody else could respond, vines violently burst forth from the floor, shattering the stone above them and securing Zathrian. As Merrill screamed in fury, the green energy from her staff became brighter and brighter, animating carious branches and plant life scattered throughout the ruin, all of them making their way to Zathrian and restraining him like a great serpent.
"Ma harel lasa!" she screamed. "Ma banal las halamshir var vhen!"
"Free me, da'len!" Zathrian responded in surprise and anger. "What is the meaning of this? Let me go, child. You do not want to do this," he said threateningly enough that Enid assumed a defensive position in front of her First, fully prepared to test the limits of her new Juggernaut Plate.
"Dirthara-ma," Merrill responded with enough venom in her voice to melt silverite. She clenched her fist, and the vines constricting Zathrian tightened even further. Cadoc looked to react, but Mayrin stopped him before anything could be done, letting Merrill say what she needed. "You call yourself Keeper? Keeper?! A Keeper guides their clan, teaches them, nurtures them… But, before anything else we protect them! I understand vengeance against shemlen; all elvhen do. But the moment that your vengeance got in the way of your clan's safety and you chose not to do anything to help them was the moment you failed not only as a Keeper, but as a Dalish elf."
Zathrian looked ashamed now. This condemnation from anyone but a First would not have meant much, but because it came from another Keeper, it meant everything. "You cannot understand, da'len," he said, hanging his head in shame.
"Na melana sahlin, hahren. It is up to you to decide how it happens."
With that, Merrill let the vines retract and Zathrian fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Everyone's blades were out, but they waited to see what the man before them would do. He took a second before leaning on his staff to stand up and making eye contact with Merrill for the first time.
"Ma nuvenin, da'len," he said as he set off down the stairs. "Let us put an end to this curse."
"Ma serannas, lethallin. For this, and for Enid," Merrill said to Aneirin as he finished healing every last scratch on the emerald-eyed elf. The cutesy smile she gave him almost made Cadoc forget that she put the fear of the Maker into all of them in that tomb with her magicks. His father had always said that the Circle was too harsh for mages, and Cadoc had always agreed, even after fighting alongside fellow Warden mages. But seeing what Merrill really could do, seeing the horrors Zathrian committed… It made him wonder if the qunari were right about mages all along. Sure, Zathrian had relented and broken his curse, but he was hundreds of years old, and was only able to live that long because of his foul magic. Sten had already proven himself wise and practical about many things, and Cadoc was grateful for the guidance he had received so far. What if this was just one more thing he was right about?
"What she said," Enid contributed. "Aneirin, you saved my life; there's nothing I say to show you just how grateful I am, but… Thank you."
"You are quite welcome, Enid. I am pleased to see that you survive. It seems some of your lessons took root, Wynne," Aneirin said, smiling at his old mentor.
On the way back from the werewolves, the group had finally managed to track down Aneirin, Wynne's old student and… Another apostate. Maker, how many apostates were there roaming Ferelden? He had really begun to questioning the efficacy of the templars and the Chantry. He should discuss this with Sten when they reunited.
The Wardens and their allies in Denerim sat around the dinner table at the Cousland Estate once again, Mistress Peyton and their servants bringing out bacon, eggs and bread for breakfast.
They were thanked, and both Eve and Rayne passed on some silvers to excited elven servants, to Morrigan's annoyance. "Are you sure we should be starting without the teyrn, or his… Guest?" Alistair asked skeptically, though his stomach was cursing him for the delay in dinner.
"Teyrn Keegan told Mistress Peyton to serve us all without him," Nathaniel explained. "Him and his guest are not to be disturbed."
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Diala said, digging in, more and more impressed with human cuisine. Alistair smiled at her as she took a bite that should have been impossible considering the size of her mouth.
"Well, we need to wait until Keegan's arrival to share what we've learned," Rayne said, slicing some dinner for Garahel and putting his plate on the ground. Morrigan scoffed and, again, rolled her eyes, but Alistair noticed her sly smile. He was concerned about her, and her influence over his fellow Warden. Everyone knew mages were vulnerable to corruption, but Alistair thought the Chantry had always just meant demon corruption. Well, he supposed that made sense, knowing Morrigan.
"But, how has everyone's trip to Denerim been? Relaxing? Entertaining" Rayne asked casually, soliciting a chuckle from a few of his companions. They idly discussed Denerim for awhile as they ate, bringing one another up to speed. It seemed that Bodahn and Sandle were the only people who had trips that weren't stressful, except maybe Rayne, who was still quiet about what they found at Genitivi's house.
Alistair may not have had the best time meeting Goldanna, but he was happy that Diala had been there with him, and that she had helped him start looking at things from a new perspective. He also saw that she kept the rose he had given her in her pack, which gave him all kinds of butterflies.
Eve and Nathaniel had, along with their royal rescue, been able to make it into the Alienage. From what Alistair understood, it was not a good visit. Before the nobility put a stop to it, there had been slavers in the Alienage, and a lot of her community had been sold like cattle, but her family was safe. She was shaken, and even angrier than usual.
Nathaniel and Keegan had their new drakeskin armor. Additionally, Keegan had brought the Queen to them and saved her from her father. The Queen's servant elf, Erlina, also joined them for dinner, and thanked them for their hospitality. She was a sharp girl, in more ways than one, and her Orlesian accent was thick. Alistair wondered why the Teyrn ever permitted an Orlesian so close to his daughter.
She noticed Alistair eyeing her and smiled curiously, raising her eyebrows. "I assume you are wondering, Ser Alistair, how I came to serve Queen Anora."
"Among other things… You helped ferret her out of the castle? You hid her in the Alienage? It all seems a little bit…"
"What, Ser Alistair?" she asked. "Convenient? Suspicious? To answer the question you're too afraid to ask: yes, I am a bard, an Orlesian spy."
The servants still in the room had to stifle gasps when she said that, and they weren't the only ones. While Morrigan only raised an eyebrow curiously, Rayne reached for his staff and Eve her dagger, while Diala only looked at Alistair, waiting for him to act. Nathaniel put a hand on Eve's, bidding her to stop. "She is trustworthy, My Lady," he assured her, before turning to the rest of the table. "Wardens, let her speak. She is an ally."
The table calmed, but regarded her wearily. "Why don't you tell us everything, Erlina?" Nathaniel asked gruffly.
"Everything, my lord? Surely, there are some secrets that—"
"Everything," Rayne insisted sharply, his spell wisp vibrating angrily. Nathaniel nodded at her.
"Very well, Wardens. I was trained in the bardic arts from a young age in Orlais and grew up in her capital, Val Royeaux. I eventually came to serve Empress Célène when she ascended the throne, but by then, I had become of the Shadows of the Empire, Orlesian assassins. Nowhere near as famous or powerful as the Crows, of course, but just as effective."
"An assassin?!" Alistair interrupted before being shushed by Rayne.
"Indeed, though I was not sent as one. I came to serve Queen Anora when she was simply Lady Anora of Gwaren, daughter of the Hero of River Dane, a thorn in my birth country's side for a long time. Within a few years, the order came to… Take care of her. She would grow to be as capable in peacetime as her father was in wartime, and I was to use inheritance powder, but I… could not do it. I told the queen everything, and to my surprise, she told me she had known for awhile, and been feeding me false information.
"By the time she ascended the throne, I had become her spymaster. I trained her in combat and poison, archery and stealth. She learned the intricacies of The Game and how to properly contend with the Orlesian nobility. From her, I learned loyalty and compassion, and I learned what it was like to be valued and appreciated. I would give my life for my Queen, do not doubt that," Erlina affirmed, smiling. Rayne had a million questions, which he was unable to ask, as the estate's seneschal announced the arrival of Queen Anora and Teyrn Keegan.
The whole table stood, and was silenced. Anora and Keegan entered, both of them dressed in Fereldan finery, silk and fur displayed in equal measure. Anora sat at the head of the table, Keegan sitting to her right.
The rest of the table sat down as well, and Anora spoke. "Thank you, Erlina. Though I do hope that it doesn't come to that. Now, Warden Surana, I hear you have news about the Urn of Sacred Ashes and Brother Genitivi? Please share all that you can. We will be setting out for Redcliffe in the morning, and I wish to prepare as much as I can before we do."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Rayne offered. "Forgive me but… Am I to understand that you are coming with us?"
"Certainly, Warden Surana. Ferelden is in crisis. I cannot sit idly by while you and your fellows toil to unite an entire country against this Blight. I can help; indeed, I must help. It is my duty as a queen."
Elvish translations:
Ma harel lasa means "You lied to me!"
Ma banal las halamshir var vhen! means "You do nothing to further our people!"
Dirthara-ma means "You will learn", used as a curse
Na melana sahlin means "Your time is come"— Also one of Merrill's battle cries.