Chapter Eighteen

Tower Talks


I heard snippets from Anduin talking with Cullen, "If you hurt her… I will hurt you. I have already accepted that I won't be her only husband since she's a Dragon, but I have been in love with her for at least two years. I'm glad she's no longer ignoring me – but I swear…"

"I offered for her hand because of a promise I made to my family – one woman. I haven't followed how open this circle is because I only wanted one woman in my bed. Yes, I think I developed a bit of a liking toward her but I'm in no real position to act on such feelings. I'm only 18 and still rather low in the Templar ranks – and we still need to get permission from the Knight-Commander and a Grand Cleric… not to mention… actually I think she'd be granted permission on the whole basis of 'Immune to Demons and blood magic' alone."

Anduin coughed, "You and I are of the same age?"

I laughed, "Apparently, I like the youthful blonde men; who knew?"

Daylen snorted, "My cousin was not blonde, commander."

"No, Hawke was black haired… and I swear that man was 100% muscle – not an ounce of fat on him. He had some interesting tricks too."

Cullen cleared his throat, "I was unaware you had family in the area, Amell."

I spoke, "The Hawke family in Lothering; Garrett, Marian, Bethany, Leandra and Carver. They took us in for the few days we spent in Lothering – even as big a group as we have."

Daylen laughed, "I'm sure it had nothing to do with my cousin getting you in his bed."

"Oh, I'm sure that played very well into it. But honestly, he was more interested in what I could teach him outside the bedroom, not in it."

Lyna giggled, "For a Shem, he was cute."

Morrigan smirked, "He certainly seemed to like her. I was surprised when he let her go so easily."

"Actually Morrigan… I have some news for you that relates to that."

Everyone waited while they held their breath. "Oh; what might that be, I wonder?"

"I sensed the kinship in you both… but you have no relation to Daylen. Meaning… Hawkes father was your father. Malcom Hawke sired you."

She blinked, "Interesting, but I have no care for that."

I shrugged, "It won't stop you from… starting something with Daylen at least. I know you two like each-other."

Daylen flushed, "You know, I used to have this big crush on Cullen? And I heard rumors that he liked me too."

Cullen choked, "I… well, I mean… that was…"

I giggled, "Oh that's something I would have loved to have seen… it sounds sexy."

Alistair grumbled, "What does…?"

"Guy-on-guy action. I'd pay to see that sometime."

Lyna let out a giggle but Sten said, "There is no benefit to it… other than release of needs. Soldiers will sometimes partake when there are no Tamassrans or suitable women nearby."

I nodded, "Prisoners will do that too. In my first life, there was a saying about it among inmates."

"This I have to hear," Aedan chuckled.

"It's not gay if you quit 30 days before you get out." I shrugged.

"How are we on this topic?" Anduin was flushed. Leliana finally spoke in a teasing tone, "I would lay with you, Tara… perhaps."

I looked her over, "Are you sure? You are so damn beautiful that I would hate to have you lower your standards for me."

Laughter was abundant as we hit the library on the first floor. She smirked, "I guess we will have to see then, won't we?"

"True – we'd have to kill your ex first." She froze.

"We… will have to kill her?"

I nodded, "After the ambush she set, we will find her in Denerim so… and you know as well as I that she won't leave you in peace."

The way I had worded it made Cullen – at least – think that the ambush already happened. He said, "This woman set an ambush and you think she will back off?"

Leliana looked at me; I shook my head gently so she said "I… suppose you are right."

We got to the big double doors, the other mages and Sereda following us now. "Greagoir, we have Irving and Uldred lies dead! Open these doors before my cousin knocks them over."

The doors opened slowly, the Templars on the other side all looking battle ready. Jaws dropped as they saw the green bear under me. I slid off him and said, "Greagoir, meet King Anduin – my first Husband – and this hunk of bear is my cousin, Inas. Inas, be polite and shift back."

He did so. Gasps resounded as he took his antlered elven form.

"He's… purple…" Greagoir said, not lowering his weapon.

"Well what did you expect him to be? He's a Night-Elf – he's not going to be pink."

Inas snorted, "He seems more upset by my coloring than my antlers – that's a good sign, I think."

"Speaking of the antlers…" Irving pointed out.

"They are a sign of his great druidic potential. Just means he's more in tune with nature than a less powerful druid. They… had a mage portal them here."

Anduin gave me a sharp look at my evasion but nodded, "Speaking of, the Lord-Admiral sends you gift, my wife – she had this set up before the kidnapping and I only just got someone to retrieve it."

I looked at him, "You had the whole time we were in the tower to give that to me, and you wait till now?"

He flushed and said, "Yes well… it was meant to be a betrothal gift."

"I see…"

Greagoir sounded like he wanted to both laugh and cry. "My Lady – you have done us a great service today… as promised, I pledge both the Mages and the Templars to aid you against the Blight."

I nodded to him, "It was the right thing to do – but Cullen needs a promotion. Two damn weeks of demonic torture and blood mages doing… ugh; he's stronger than many his age would be."

"I will… consider your words." He said carefully.

I shrugged. Cullen spoke up, "And what about you, Lady Stormlight? You proved your immunity to demons. Knight-Commander, she was tortured by four different demons, none could use their magics on her. The blood mages had to resort to physical instruments to harm her!"

Greagoir froze, "You were tortured?"

"I was the only one of my group that the sloth demon couldn't put to sleep – so yes, I was tortured. Pride demon gouged out my back, desire and despair… point is; the only reason I look so healthy is because of that blessing I told you about, Commander."

"I will send word to the Divine about this… maker willing; you will see a commendation at the very least."

I shrugged, "I don't need it – really. I'm the Commander of the Grey for now; even if I'm not a Warden in truth, this needed to be done. We needed the allies. That's all there is to it."

Anduin pulled out a box, "This is the gift I spoke of, Iris…"

"Wait – I thought your name was Atarah," Cullen looked quizzical.

"You can call me Iris, love – only family and those that have shared my bed get to call me that."

Greagoir froze, "Then why…?"

"Uldred got his rocks off watching us… be intimate. Speaking of that, Cullen offered for my hand – I want to accept, but he says we'd need permission."

I was opening the box that Anduin handed me as I spoke and gasped, She got me a phoenix egg?"

"There's a bracelet in there too – it's connected to the ley energy of Azeroth so you can contact more than just your brother. Magni, Jaina, Malfurion, Lor'themar, Thrall… all the leaders of Azeroth have one… including Inas and now you."

I glanced in the box and saw a gold 'charm' bracelet. Just looking at the charms, I could tell who was who – Jaina was a ship anchor, Anduin was a lion head and so on. I nodded, "Thank her for me… when you find her."

"Of course," Anduin smiled.

Inas said, "Speaking of – her brother says hi."

"Tandred or Derek?" I asked.

"Tandred of course…" Inas said.

"I don't get why Derek avoids me," I muttered.

"He's heard of what happened when the forsaken held you captive all those years ago – he feels seeing him as one would be… detrimental to you."

I shook my head, "Tell him he's a dunderhead then. I knew him when he was a child – he was a sweetheart. Dying wasn't going to change that."

Greagoir choked, "Dying?"

I glanced at him, "Forsaken are also called the Undead, Commander."

Cullen threw up. Inas jumped to heal him but Cullen waved him off, "Nothing just… you said the Forsaken… had you… Lady Stormlight."

I nodded, "If you get sick thinking about that, remember who lived it."

Greagoir caught on, "Maker be merciful…"

"Death does not change a person. Experiences do. Lillian Voss is a good example of that." I pointed out.

I discreetly opened a portal and said, "Ah – looks like your transport is ready."

Anduin pulled me into a kiss, "I will speak with you later, my Queen – preferably before bed tonight?"

"Very well, my King – I suppose you have someone making me a Crown?"

"Not yet – tradition states you and I must be married in the chapel first before the process of forging can start." He smirked.

I shrugged, "Good – I didn't get one when I was crowned Queen of the Illidari and I don't need one now."

He laughed, and moved for the portal – Inas gave me a hug before he left. The portal closed.

"How is that possible?" Irving muttered. I snorted before dissolving into semi-hysterical giggles.

Alistair said, "I think she's lost it."

"No it's just… literally everyone has asked that damn question of me – some people more than once!"

Cullen rubbed at the back of his neck, "I uh… she's right."

Leliana said, "I will cook dinner for us… Sereda, Lyna why don't you two come help me."

The three women were off without another word. Aedan said, "Daylen, Alistair, we should go straighten some of the guest rooms so we have a place to rest tonight."

This left Morrigan, Sten and I… and Shana and Silverite. Hero had gone with Aedan.

Greagoir asked, "So… do you still wish to marry Cullen?"

I nodded, "Yes – I do."

"I will add it to my letter to the Grand Cleric Elemena about what happened here. We don't currently have a Revered Mother to perform the ceremony. Was there anything else?"

"No, Commander… I'm going to take Cullen and stitch him up though. No magic, just a needle and dissolving thread."

Cullen relaxed at my words of no magic. "Dissolving?" Irving asked.

"Yeah – why?"

"Could we get the recipe for that thread?" Greagoir added.

I sighed, "Sure – but in that case, I want provisions for our trip to Redcliff."

Irving nodded, "We can do that, easily."

"I'll write it out for you later."

Greagoir inclined his head. I dragged Cullen behind me into the apprentice dorms. I saw most of them giving us strange looks as I lightly pushed him onto one of the bunks by the door that wasn't… covered in gore. I rummaged around in my void pack until I came up with a needle, stitches, antiseptic wipes, and pain numbing liquid medicine.

I handed him the vial of cool blue liquid – mint flavored, another 'invention' of yours truly using what I had available in Azeroth. "Drink this – it will numb the pain while I work."

He blinked, "Really?"

"Honestly you won't feel any pain for the next 3 hours – if I can't finish stitching you up by then, I'll give you another dose – but a person shouldn't have more than 2 doses in a 24 hour period. Most you will feel is me poking you and sitting on your waist – sorry, no chairs in sight."

He debated for a second before tipping back the contents of the vial and lying on his chest. I heard the whispers around us, "He's letting her sew him up…"

"Did you hear? She's immune to demons and blood magic – she also got a small Templar training session from Greagoir almost two months ago."

"I heard she had Dragon wings – red, like blood."

"That's nothing – they say she and Cullen are getting married!"

I was trying really hard not to laugh – Cullen was flushed down his chest and to the tips of his ears. "Er… Atarah…" he muttered.

"Yes, love?" I teased. He groaned, "This isn't funny!"

I chuckled, "Well, gossip will happen everywhere – at least they're accurate for now. Just wait; eventually it will be that I'm pregnant with your secret love baby and you and I are running off to my home-lands where I'm a famous duchess or something." no one would think I was Queen unless they heard me with Anduin earlier.

He snorted while I moved to a different gouge on his back, "I highly doubt that."

"You've never been the center of gossip, have you? Not real gossip, anyway. I once heard a rumor about myself – I found myself quite curious how I had landed in such a… dramatic situation – it never actually happened."

I heard someone sniggering behind me. A quick glance revealed it to be that the men had all returned – so I guess they cleaned a few rooms. I spotted Leliana and the girls too – each holding trays of food while more people piled in to the apprentice dorms with more trays.

"Don't do anything half assed, do you, girls?" I smirked.

Leliana giggled, "Don't mind us, dearest – what was the rumor?"

"Supposedly, I seduced my way into the Horde capital city just so I could attend a party being hosted by a notable Orc male. The rumor goes that I was then captured and had to seduce my way out. I tell you, just on rumors alone, I'm such a whore."

Cullen grumbled beneath me, "But I don't think that would be true."

"That's my point, sweetheart; Rumors get more dramatic the longer they go. Leliana could probably tell you a few she's heard that turned out to be over-exaggerated."

"Oh yes – I was a bard for the Imperial Court of Orlais after all." She gave me a seductive wink. I stuck my tongue out as the others in the group gaped at her.

Lyna chuckled, "I knew there was more to you than a simple chantry sister!"

I lifted and looked at Cullen, "Flip over – I need to get your chest."

He flushed when he realized how I was positioned atop him. He tried looking anywhere but at me. Aedan laughed, "You're traumatizing the poor man."

"Haven't you heard the rumors, Ensign? We're engaged to be married."

"Do you really have wings, my lady?" a kid asked.

I nodded and allowed them to unfurl while I continued to stitch. I smirked, "You know, Cullen… perhaps you'd like to share my bed tonight?"

I felt a twitch beneath me and smirked. . Leliana said, "He is quite handsome."

"Give it like… 10 years and the nobles of Orlais will be inquiring about his birth origins."

She nodded seriously, "Yes, I could see that."

Cullen growled out, "I have no desire for that."

I laughed as I got off him, "No noble women in your future hmm? Does that mean you won't consider a courtship between us?"

"You said you have an estate?" Sereda injected.

I nodded, "I have a vast estate with a few farms and vineyards. I grow my own foods and medicinal herbs. I've taken to having Inas live there to maintain it since he refused his own lands."

Daylen laughed, "You're way too good for my cousin, Commander!"

I smirked, "What about you?"

Morrigan shot me a look, "Oh by all means, Daylen; just be sure to…"

I shook my head, "I may be one hell of a flirt Morrigan, but I don't poach. He's all yours and I have Cullen and Anduin and Alistair anyway. Don't take my flirting to heart – I just have too many years of doing that to realize sometimes."

Cullen stood up and held me too him, "Thank you – for not pushing on the magic healing, for helping to stitch me up… for rescuing us all."

I folded away my wings and said, "A red Dragon protects life… but all dragons will protect their nest. If you have need of me, Cullen, send a Raven and I will respond. What we went through and the fact that we may end up married…"

He chuckled, "What you were saying… about what if you…"

"If I… oh, if I had magic?" I clarified. He nodded flushed, though our voices were lowered so no one could hear. I could also tell he realized I did have magic – he must have been going through our previous conversation in his head while I'd stitched him up.

"What about it? Did you change your mind and decide you might hate me after all?" I gave a soft smirk.

"No – especially not now. You just stitched me up rather than use magic, if you have it. You didn't push me on the blessing, you didn't chastise me when I said what I did about mages – rather, you understood. Told me that what I was feeling… was valid. For someone with magic to say that…"

"Well, after an ordeal like that, I can't be surprised. Millennia ago, when I suffered those two centuries… I avoided all men – even my cousin. I surrounded myself with only women. I viewed all men as… vile, abhorrent creatures. It took me more than a decade to even allow any male to get close to me."

He stepped back, "Then I apologize if I…"

"Like I said – it was a long time ago."

We all sat down. I gave him a sly look, "I'll make you a bet, Cullen."

The whole group heard me and stopped what they were doing to listen. I began writing out the stitch design as Cullen gulped, "I'd have to hear it first…"

"If I beat back this blight with my forces within… let's say two years… I want you to sing for me."

He flushed, "How is that any sort of prize?"

"You have a very soothing voice," I teased.

"And if you don't succeed?" he challenged.

"If it takes longer than two years, I'll get you a sword and shield that absorb and deflect all magics."

He blinked, "I think I'm getting the better prize…"

I laughed, "You're worth more than a set of armaments that I could make myself – honestly I plan to have them made anyway; I just want an excuse to give them to you."

Leliana giggled, "You can forge weapons?"

"Weapons, armor – I can't mine or skin a kill, but I can work the leathers and ore. I can sew, cook, garden and do inscription work just fine. Don't ask me to enchant things though – I'm lousy at that."

"Then how would you get the armaments?" Aedan asked.

"I said I could make them – never said I would be the one to enchant. Inas could do that for me. He's an Enchanter and a Skinner. He can mine well enough and do engineering too. He can do what I cannot; it works out."

"Okay… okay, I accept your terms." He smiled at me.

"And if I get it done in one year… I want two songs."

He flushed, "I… well… makers' breath, you have odd ideas for a bet."

I giggled, "If it takes me only one year… not only will you get the armaments, I will give the recipe for my pain numbing tonic to you for you to sell or give away at your discretion."

He looked stunned, "I really am getting the better end of this…"

I grinned, "That's what you think – I wouldn't make a deal that didn't benefit me, dear."

Sten nodded, "No one would."

Leliana was giggling madly, "Just how does this benefit you more than him?"

"I plan to give him the Armaments anyway – because it would better protect him and he's basically my fiancé unless we don't get permission. As to the pain-numbing recipe; I'd give that to him anyway if he asked after we married. So basically, this bet only includes prizes for me."

"Then there would be no need for conditions like beating the Blight in a certain amount of time," Lyna pointed out.

"Gives me a deadline and a bigger reason to push all you whelps harder." I gave a sadistic grin.

Sereda laughed and Daylen snorted. Aedan said, "Like you don't already? You have us walking all night, camping in the day – when night is longer, due to this being Ferelden – not to mention, we all get an hour of training in after we make camp – regardless of if we had to fight a group of bandits or darkspawn that day. The only ones who avoid cooking duty are Alistair, Morrigan and Sten, but that just means they get wash up duty instead. You also have us stopping and skinning those two types of trees – the ones Lynas' people like – so that we have leverage for the Dalish. I swear if we found red lions, you'd have us take one or two down for stronger leverage with the Dwarves!" we had started walking at Night as of last night since I wouldn't take a familiar.

I nodded, "You're not wrong. We travel at night so that we don't get sun-burnt. I get extra crispy in the sun, besides it means we move further, faster. Alistair would kill us with his cooking by accident, Morrigan would do it on purpose and Sten doesn't know raw beef from mud. I think I'd like some red lion fur, actually… make a nice set of coats from it. As for the training, you need to stay sharp. Sten understands."

The giant in question nodded, "In the Antaam we practice four hours a day if there is what you call, 'down time'. If we are in active pursuit of something, we still manage an hour."

"Knowing our weaknesses is a strength we need." I said.

"How does that make any sense?" Alistair asked.

"If you were afraid of heights, would you fight on a cliff with your back to the edge or away from it so you could see where your line was? If you knew your opponent was afraid of heights, what would you do? Building a fight around your weaknesses can make you stronger – or at least seem stronger to your enemy."

Sten looked impressed, "That is wise for a Bas."

I looked back to Cullen, "Do you accept my terms?"

He flushed – likely hoping I had forgotten the bet. "I… I accept."

I noticed Greagoir listening in to us and shot him a wink. "Greagoir! I have your stitch plans here!"

"I admit – you are more and more formidable the longer I know you, Lady Stormlight."

I bowed my head, "You heard the details of the bet, didn't you?"

"That I did; and I tell you, if you beat this blight within the year, I will contact the Divine on your behalf."

I groaned, "If Cullen hadn't already taken my bet, I'd now have a reason to draw it out. You're cruel, Commander."

He looked startled, "How so?"

"I'm rather used to being… invisible to the general public – and I prefer it that way."

Cullen laughed, "Then I really am getting the better deal!"

I rolled my eyes, "Not a word, Prince Alistair!"

The man in question snapped his mouth shut and lowered his hand, "I wish you wouldn't call me that."

"Prince?" Greagoir asked. I waved my hand, causing Lyna to explain the circumstances.

Morrigan looked amused, "They really are well trained to your commands."

"I run a tight ship, Lady of the Wilds; as you are well aware."

She smiled, "How often will you call me that?"

"Unless you wish to take your fathers' name, then that will be your title."

She rolled her eyes, "Lady of the Wilds it is."

I sniggered.