Chapter 27: Schemes, Faith, and Reunions
Queen Anora proved herself to be an agreeable traveling companion, with nary a complaint and no expectation of preferential treatment. While the humans and elves struggled to adjust to traveling with Anora, Diala had no such trouble. In another world, they may have been social peers, and they had, in fact, met before, though only in passing. Anora and Cailan had twice visited Orzammar after Cailan's ascension in 9:25 Dragon, and Anora had been polite enough, though Diala liked Cailan better at the time.
Together, though, they had a wide appeal in Orzammar. Cailan was boisterous, charismatic, and a hell of a swordsman, even accompanying a small Deep Roads expedition while he was there, and he was quite popular among the dwarves that appreciated that kind of thing.
His queen, however, was another thing entirely: well-read, soft-spoken, double-talking and calculating. She probably knew more about dwarven history and customs than Diala herself, no doubt studying before her arrival. Her diplomatic skills and attention to etiquette were exemplary, impressing the entire Assembly. Though the trip was supposed to be ceremonial, Anora was able to secure some trade agreements while she was there, to everyone's surprise. Bhelen had liked her a lot, but Diala tried not to hold that against her. To her credit, Anora seemed to appreciate Diala treating her like a normal person while they were on the road, especially since she mostly remained cloaked from view. It would not do to let everyone know that the Queen of Ferelden was traveling with a small band of Grey Wardens across the Fereldan countryside.
"What do you think your commander will make of the Ashes, Warden Aeducan?" Anora asked as she walked alongside Diala, dressed in well-made drakeskin leather armor and wearing a black cloak, a longbow resting on her back.
"Please, Anora, call me Diala. I'm not even an Aeducan anymore, technically. And I'm not sure; Mercy is focused on the Blight and probably won't be too excited about going to a town we aren't even sure exists to find something you topsiders consider a myth."
Anora considered. "A practical woman, by all accounts. Are there no other options for Arl, then?"
"Not according to our healers," Diala explained. "He seems to be worsening by the day. And Alistair insists that Arl Eamon is our best chance of opposing your father from a political standpoint. Keegan seemed to agree," she added, shrugging. She could see Anora choosing her next words very carefully. It was her father that had Eamon poisoned, after all.
"I see. It is true: Arl Eamon was not at Ostagar and still has all of his forces. Arls Wulff and Bryland are also important voices in the Landsmeet. Bryland is in Denerim with the remainder of his forces, but it was very astute for the Commander to seek out Arl Wulff. Arl Eamon's brother, Bann Teagan, has been an outspoken critic of my father since Ostagar, and is apparently indebted to the Wardens for what happened in Redcliffe…" Anora trailed off.
"And since his son isn't of age and Eamon is incapacitated, Bann Teagan could become Arl Teagan in the interim, at least until the Blight is over, right?" Diala asked, raising an eyebrow. She may not have liked all the surface politics and history she learned at home, but she couldn't say that the knowledge hadn't come in handy on the surface. "Then, we could find a cure for Eamon? If he were to survive that long, which he probably won't be doing?"
"I was simply wondering if anyone had considered the option, as, like you said, it may be unwise to chase legends and folktales in a Blight," Anora said.
Diala considered for a moment. "If I were in charge, I think I'd make that decision, yeah, but Alistair wouldn't be happy about it, and neither would Leliana. It would risk the Arl. Isolde and Teagan also wouldn't agree. But, regardless, this Gentivi guy is pretty respected, right? Not known for being crazy or for being biased? Rayne puts a lot of stock in him, and I don't see Mercy flat-out refusing. If she doesn't go herself, the Ashes will probably be investigated. If not, she'll never hear the end of it from Rayne."
Anora nodded, satisfied with the answer, even if it wasn't the choice she would have made. These people were her allies as well as her subjects, but the ally part was a lot more important at the moment.
Ahead of them, Keegan walked with Alistair at the front of the line. Felix walked just ahead of them and looked back every few seconds to ensure his human's safety. His human had been in better spirits lately, and Felix was overjoyed by that fact. The golden lady had made him really sad for a second, before helping making him better.
"So, Alistair, my good friend," Keegan started, his tone jovial.
"Oh, are we friends now?" Alistair asked sarcastically, an edge to his voice. "Am I not whining too much for you, my good and noble lord Cousland?"
Keegan sighed, smiling a bit and scratching his head awkwardly. "Sorry. That was… Unworthy of me. I wasn't in the best place with the whole slaughter of my entire family and what have you."
Alistair winced a bit, backing down. "Right… I'm sorry, too, my lord, I—"
"No no!" Keegan interrupted. "Don't you go my-lording me again. I was explaining, not justifying. You just lost your family as well," he said softly.
"If you say so, Keegan… So, what do you need?"
"Well, you know how you're the bastard son of Maric the Saviour, the only remaining member of the Theirin line, and possibly Cailan's heir?"
Alistair eyed him suspiciously. "…yes. Why?"
"Well, Eamon and Teagan both are fairly traditional. Eamon has never completely agreed with Maric about making Loghain Teyrn of Gwaren, and he has never liked the idea of Anora on the throne. We will need to call a Landsmeet to end this civil war, and I don't doubt that the Guerrins will insist you take the throne."
"What?!" Alistair gasped, turning white. "But I'm a Grey Warden, and I don't want the throne anyways. I think Anora's a great queen. As far as I'm concerned, she's welcome to it."
"My thoughts exactly, Alistair," Keegan said, nodding. "I just wanted to talk to you now so you aren't shocked with our alternate proposal for the landsmeet: that Queen Anora marry me, and I become King of Ferelden."
Alistair was shocked at this as well, but less so than when Keegan mentioned getting put forward as king. He considered it for a moment, but then nodded. "Anora I trust, but you… You, you'll have to convince me before I'm really okay with the idea. I'd still prefer you than me though," he shrugged. "And I'm a Grey Warden, anyways, so my opinion really shouldn't matter."
Keegan thanked Alistair, and they continued walking. "Regardless, I will try to convince you," he said, smiling genuinely. Things were looking up.
Enid and Mayrin's squad was making good time from the Brecilian Forest to Soldier's Peak, if the maps from Dryden were to be believed. Zathrian— or Lanaya's— clan would soon make their way to Redcliffe with the rest of the forces they were amassing, as well as some other, less influential clans. Enid and Merrill did not know what exactly became of the Sabrae clan, only that they had left the halla and gone north to the Free Marches. Enis had asked Merrill if she wanted to head to Redcliffe with Zathrian's clan since she wasn't a Warden or sworn to them, but she insisted on staying, of course.
Enid had been doing a great deal of inquiring into other religions and cultures in the time they had to speak on the journey, to Merrill's chagrin. Merrill, to her credit, had been practicing the shapeshifting and healing magic she learned from the other mages she had met, with Wynne's help. She had mastered the form of the halla easily, after she knew the theory behind being a shapechanger.
From Mayrin, she learned about the dwarves and the Stone, and Ancestors and Paragons. She had learned a little bit from Marethari and the rest of the clan growing up, but nothing like what Mayrin was able to give her. The way they venerated their ancestors— and not any creators— was interesting, and nothing in his way of looking at the world interfered or contradicted the Dalish's faith in the Creators.
Merrill did not have the same attitude about her conversations with Cadoc. While her and Cadoc were walking along one evening as dusk was falling, they were engaged in another discussion.
"So your faith says that, despite everything they made and all they have given, that your Creators did not create this world, right?" Cadoc asked thoughtfully, his dark brown eyes considering something.
"It does, lethallin. Why do you ask?"
"Well, is it possible that these Creators, and the Forgotten Ones, were some of the Maker's first children, the spirits, and that they were just particularly powerful spirits who helped shape and guide the first of the elves?"
Merrill overheard this. Well, she had likely overheard everything, but this was the first time she reacted, indignant. "I can't believe that—" she began, before Enid raised a hand to cut her off calmly.
"What I think Merrill was going to say, Cadoc, was no. If I understand it correctly, spirits— according to our Keepers— embody a single facet of our material existence: valor, bravery, rage, hunger, curiosity, faith…" She said, smiling at Wynne. "Despite their power, they are simple. But the Evanuris, according to our stories, were incredibly mutlifaceted and complicated, stories sometimes contradicting themselves. They were anything but simple. To your other point, though… I suppose it's possible the Maker created the Evanuris," she conceded before adding: "and neither Merrill nor myself can offer anything to contradict it."
Many Dalish— Merrill included— would be scandalized by this notion, but Enid was open-minded, and her faith was strong. Any new viewpoints and perspectives just made it stronger. Merrill pouted and Cadoc smiled, not smugly, but satisfied.
"However," Enid started conspiringly, "you must also be open to a view of your Maker that many Dalish hold. No one can dispute Andraste's power, influence or existence. Andraste is respected, even among the most xenophobic of clans, as opposed to the Chant of Light that sprung from her actions. But many stories tell that Andraste was, in fact, just an incredibly powerful mage, even a somniari. Perhaps your Maker truly exists, or perhaps He was merely a powerful spirit that granted power to— or even possessed— Andraste."
Merrill nodded smugly. "Spirits are shaped by our impressions of them, our feelings and our beliefs, just like the rest of the Beyond, and a somniari has even more power there. Perhaps your "Maker" didn't even truly exist until Andraste believed it did," she said haughtily.
Cadoc's face was a comical mixture of shock, outrage and bewilderment. "You— you can't be serious! Andraste was not a mage! She was fighting against mages!"
"Oh, no… I don't think so. Or… Well, I suppose she was, but not because they were mages. She was fighting against the Tevinter Imperium… And I think she was much more opposed to slavery than magic, don't you think? Surely, owning another person was a bigger priority than people having magic, unless you disagree?"
Cadoc considered gravely, choosing his next words carefully. "I think… I think that she had many reasons for doing what she did," was all he could say, before walking ahead of them.
Enid put her arm around Merrill's shoulder and brought her in tight. "Be nice, lethallan! You are going to make the poor boy's head explode!" she said, before frowning when she realized what she had been told of Redcliffe. "That was a poor choice of words, but go easy on him… We are representing The People, you know."
Enid's party was the first to arrive. Denerim was much closer to Soldier's Peak that the Brecilian Forest was, but Mercy supposed that Denerim was more exciting a trip than she had originally planned. It worried her slightly, but she was confident in her people.
They brought good news, and Mercy was proud of their conduct with the Dalish, and excited to meet this Lanaya. As soon as they returned, Cadoc grafted back onto Sten like a lost Orlesian puppy, unfortunately. Cadoc was intrigued to learn about his ancestors, but tried not to show it when he heard Sten's feelings on the subject. He was surprised that Arland was a tyrant, however. History had apparently forgotten that. Wynne gave Jowan and Avernus a wide berth, and made her discontent about the two of them known. She stayed close to Enid, Merrill and Leliana, and she seemed more confident and at peace than before she had gone to the forest.
Any Wardens who were up for it were put through Avernus's modified Joining ritual, and all reported good things. The Drydens helped bring Soldier's Peak to life, and assisted in reconstruction and restoration efforts. Mayrin was even able to offer some advice; apparently even casteless dwarves knew as much about stonecraft as any human mason.
The biggest point of contention was the child, Darla, that Enid's party had brought back with them. Mercy couldn't very well make her a Grey Warden, but had no desire to leave the girl to fend for herself. Luckily, the Wardens and their allies were not the only inhabitants of the Peak. The Drydens agreed to take care of and watch over the girl while the Wardens were away, until a more permanent solution could be found. Levi and his wife Rose already had a few children, and they were excited to meet their new friend. Darla was glad of their company as well… When she could finally be convinced to leave Wynne's side.
It took the Denerim crew another two days to arrive, and they had apparently collected another couple of companions. It was Leliana who spotted them from the lookout where she had been discussing Wynne's experience with her. She raised the alarm, and Mercy and other others, slowly but surely, made their way to the gates.
At the back of the procession was, as usual, Bodahn and Sandal's cart, drawn by their oxen. Perched on the oxen were two familiar ravens. In front of them, Alistair walked beside Diala, closer than they had before. Eve and Nathaniel were in front of them, and it seemed that Eve was actually smiling when she spoke with him. On Eve's other side was an elven woman dressed in fine leathers and armed to the teeth, an active participant in the conversation. In front of them, Teyrn Keegan was walking beside a cloaked figure. A woman, certainly. And Felix seemed to trust her, which boded well… Who was she?
As they approached, there were some happy reunions, but Mercy didn't take her eyes off the mystery woman. When she asked Keegan about it, he ushered her and the others inside, telling them that he would explain there. When the entire group was inside the main entrance, Keegan raised a hand to speak, as the woman put down her hood. Her hair was gold and tied tightly into braids. Her eyes were an icy blue and she carried about her an air of dignity and confidence. The newest elven woman went to stand beside her, deferential but confident. Mercy could tell this was a woman who was possibly as used to killing as Zevran.
Keegan said with a smile to which his companions were not yet accustomed: "Grey Wardens and allies, I present to you all Queen Anora Theirin of Ferelden, our newest ally in the fight agains the darkspawn, and her personal bard, Erlina.
"Thank you, Teyrn Keegan," she said easily. Raising her voice only slightly so that she could be heard, she added: "I am honoured by the trust you have placed in me and the risks you have taken on my behalf." She walked towards Mercy and extended a hand. "If I am not mistaken, you are Warden-Commander Hissera. It is my honour to finally meet you."
"The honour is all mine, Your Majesty," Mercy smiled, taking her hand and meeting her eyes as an equal. Unlike most people, Anora did not turn from Mercy's unsettling purple eyes, but met them with confidence, smiling confidently at her new ally.
Note: thank you so much to my three reviewers: guest, the ever-present Judy, and my first reviewer that was signed in, Joseph Sage. I really appreciate it. Sorry I had to kill Bethany, Joseph! But I've actually just gotten an idea of where I might be able to have her show up, since you like her so much!
Expect some drama over the next chapters while they iron out some sticking points at the Peak before setting out to Ostagar, Orzammar and Haven!