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SPOILERS: I incorporate events from the games, the novels and the comics. If you have not played or read, please beware.
A SONG IN THE STILLNESS
Chapter 2: Sans Chevaliers
9:31 Dragon, Justinian === Denerim
Liam Amell, Warden-Commander of Ferelden, glared at the Orlesian warden, while wondering how any woman could be more stubborn than Morrigan, but Warden Caron - no the self-proclaimed Warden-Commander Caron, who had refused to even give him her first name - had proved she could be. Not for the first time since the Orlesians' arrival, he wondered why he had accepted the position as Warden-Commander of Ferelden.
"Is it not true that the so-called Fereldan Warden-Commander died slaying the Archdemon?" the Caron woman asked, her barely intelligible words, spoken in Common tongue, garbled by a thick Orlesian accent.
Given the perfection of her grammar and word choice, Liam suspected the woman exaggerated her accent to annoy him. She had refused to acknowledge his attempts at Orlesian, which he admittedly read better than he spoke. Upon arrival, without preamble or introduction, she had presented him with a list of demands decorated with the embossed seal, ribbons, and wax impression of the signet of the Warden-Commander of Orlais in Montsimmard. The document claimed the Orlesians acted on instructions from Weisshaupt, but no vellum dripping with ribbons, wax, and the impression of the First Warden's signet had appeared. Liam had stared at the document and reviewed, in his mind, the events leading up to this confrontation.
A week ago, Arl Nathaniel had sent a bird warning Liam that Orlesians, claiming to be wardens, had landed in Amaranthine and were headed to Denerim. Reluctant to fight a group of soldiers purporting to be wardens, Nate had let them go, but shadowed their progress, much to the Orlesians' annoyance. Once at Denerim's gate, a full patrol of Denerim Guard had met the wardens and escorted the Orlesians to the Warden Compound where an alley, formed by Nevarran wardens on one side and Fereldans on the other, welcomed them.
Warden Caron, at the head of the dozen Orlesian wardens, announced that she had come to assume the position of Warden-Commander of Ferelden. Ignoring the presence of almost thirty Fereldan and Nevarran wardens, she had presented the document Liam now held, and proceeded to claim that Weisshaupt had ordered Montsimmard to investigate the reported Blight in Ferelden and ensure that, if the Archdemon had been slain, the Fereldan wardens followed all relevant rules regarding disposal of the Archdemon's body and collection of its blood. Weisshaupt, she added, intended her to do all this as Warden-Commander, since the First Warden had not replaced the dead Warden-Commander Duncan.
"Reported Blight!" Colum had snarled from his place behind Liam. "Woman, you are a warden. You know very well an Archdemon rose, just as we knew in Cumberland, and just as they did at Weisshaupt. Ferelden has its own wardens who led the fight and defeated the beast, without your aid."
"Or that of your chevaliers," Taina had added. "Dwarves, elves, Nevarran wardens, mercenary allies, and Fereldans defeated this Blight and killed the Archdemon. The monster is not allegedly dead, it is dead!"
"Then I repeat my question," the Orlesian warden had snapped, "is it not true that the so-called Fereldan Warden-Commander died slaying the Archdemon?"
Quelling the urge to rub his hand through his hair, Liam rolled up the vellum document he held and forced his thoughts back to the present and the stern, stubborn woman facing him. "Yes, Warden-Commander Alistair died slaying the Archdemon. I witnessed his death and that of the monster, as did several of the wardens here."
"If that is so, there is Archdemon blood which we must retrieve," the Orlesian Warden had said, frowning. They had heard the Nevarrans had joined with the Fereldans, but she had not expected a warden as senior as Colum to lead so many Nevarrans. The rank of Nevarrans lining one side of the bailey opposite their Fereldan allies had destroyed the Orlesian assumption that only a few rogue Nevarrans had joined the Fereldans. Her superiors had not believed Warden-Commander Amaury of Nevarra would act officially, but, given the evidence, he had. That meant he had notified Weisshaupt and recognized the Fereldans as a separate Warden establishment. She realized the Fereldan still spoke.
"That has been done, but perhaps I might introduce myself, before further discussion."
"And you are?" Warden Caron asked, through clenched teeth.
"Warden-Commander Liam Amell."
A glare had greeted his words. "We'll see, Warden Amell. That document does not confirm you in your post."
Liam had inclined his head, acknowledging Caron's introduction and then held out the document. "This document cannot confirm me. Ferelden, as a sovereign state, does not obey Orlais or its wardens. The Grey Wardens of Ferelden do not acknowledge any authority other than the First Warden in Weisshaupt," he said, maintaining a pleasant demeanor with some effort. "This document from your Warden-Commander in Montsimmard, the Orlesian Warden-Commander, has no authority here in Ferelden. Can you present the instructions from Weisshaupt naming you Warden-Commander?"
"I am not discussing my orders in the dust of your courtyard, Warden…Liam is it?" She pulled off her gauntlets. "Show me to my room and my wardens to their barracks. I require a bath and a meal. I will summon you to meet with me at my pleasure."
To her shock, Liam chuckled and the rest of the Fereldans and Nevarrans began to laugh. It seemed the only response to the arrogance of the Orlesian warden. Wearing an amused smile, a slender, young blonde woman joined the Warden-Commander, her blue eyes narrowed as she met Caron's glare.
"More wardens, Warden-Commander? They're a bit late for the fight, yes?"
Liam bowed his head to the woman, as did all the other Fereldans and Nevarrans. "My Lady," Liam said, using the less formal address that Anora had insisted people close to her begin to use, "this is Warden Caron from Orlais."
Caron and her wardens quickly realized that the Warden-Commander had been joined by the Dowager Queen and Regent of Ferelden, but Caron persisted. "Warden-Commander Caron, Your Majesty."
"Orlais has sent its Warden-Commander to Ferelden? On what mission?" Anora enquired.
"I am not…I am Warden-Commander of Ferelden," Caron replied. "Appointed at the wish of the First Warden."
"Ferelden has a Warden-Commander, Warden Caron. One accepted by the Regents and our people." She looked at Liam and Colum. "Has the First Warden appointed a foreigner, one not a member of the Ferelden wardens and one not acceptable to us."
"No, my lady. Warden Caron's…instructions, for want of a better term, come from the Orlesian Warden-Commander. She presents nothing from Weisshaupt."
Anora looked over the wardens standing in three columns behind Caron. "You bring only wardens?" she asked. "Sans chevalier?" When Warden Caron failed to answer, Anora began to question her in such perfect Orlesian that the Orlesian warden had no choice but to reply in the same language. Anora left no doubt that she considered the Fereldan wardens answerable only to Weisshaupt and would tolerate no influence from Orlais. When Caron noted the presence of Nevarran wardens, Anora replied that they served under the Fereldan Warden-Commander when in Ferelden. The Nevarran wardens and Hrothgar's Wrath mercenaries, Anora explained, were Ferelden's allies, arriving at Ferelden's invitation, not landing unannounced and marching through the land as invaders, accompanied by chevaliers.
Caron's jaw clenched as the Queen Regent spoke.
"Perhaps the Orlesians do need to rest, Warden-Commander," Anora said to Liam. "I'm sure you will find them more…diplomatic…after a hot bath and a good meal. If they remain within the Compound, neither I, nor the other regents, will object to their stay, but they may not venture out of the Compound without an escort. Captain Kylon will provide guards, if they wish to leave."
"We will see that they abide by your wishes, my lady," Liam said. He waved to Daveth and the Warden Compound Seneschal. "Show them to the accommodations we prepared." He nodded to Caron. "I'll arrange to meet you in the morning, Warden, but please provide me with any other documents you carry so that I may review them tonight."
Grudgingly, with the Dowager Queen still watching, Caron retrieved several documents from her satchel and handed them to Liam. He noticed none bore the distinctive blue and silver ribbons of the First Warden. The Wardens' seneschal stepped forward, bowed and indicated that Caron should follow him, while her wardens followed Daveth into the barracks. To Caron's surprise, an apartment had been prepared and a female dwarf, the one who had spoken in the bailey, directed servants carrying food, drink and hot water as she entered. Caron looked at the dwarf, not quite hiding her surprise at how prepared the Fereldans seemed.
"Messengers," the dwarf said, reading Caron's questioning stare. "You think your arrival in Amaranthine went unnoticed? Surely experienced wardens would notice scouts shadowing them as they marched south?"
Caron pressed her lips together. "I did not expect such organization. I expected a land devastated by Blight."
"Right, because a bunch of disorganized barbarians couldn't defeat an Archdemon before it destroyed everything." Taina indicated the young human standing by the bath. "Jocelyn will serve you, Warden. She'll arrange for your evening meal once you've bathed. If you want to see your wardens, let her know and I will come and escort you." Seeing the woman about to object, Taina added. "The compound is large. We don't want you getting lost."
Three of Caron's wardens joined her in the common area of her apartment after their evening meal, most likely, Liam assumed, to adjust their plans for the morning. As the three left later that evening, Denis looked in on the Caron, while Daveth followed the three wardens, inviting them for a drink in the common room.
"Cecily, isn't it?" Denis said, moving into the doorway before Warden Caron could shut him out. "I was a few years your junior as a chevalier, but I remember you." Seeing her blank look, he added, "Denis."
Her mouth opened to form a small 'o', as she recognized the man with grey-streaked, dark hair. "Denis de Riveaulx?"
"Warden Denis," he corrected and entered her room.
"But…you died. Your father named your brother his heir."
Denis shrugged. "I'm a warden, it's of no interest to me."
"Why are you not Warden-Commander?"
His mouth widened into a smile as he shook his head. "Lack of seniority and experience, not being Fereldan…Warden-Commander Liam fought with Warden-Commander Alistair for a year; he's traveled the Deep Roads; he fought the Archdemon; and he worked with our allies from Nevarra. I'm just a new warden who joined in time to fight the final battle."
"You don't mind serving under a Fereldan mage?"
"Do you object to his being Fereldan, or being a mage?"
"Both!"
"You object to warden mages?"
"Mages, all mages, need watchers. I object to unsupervised mages, without templar guardians."
"Isn't one of Orlais' Senior Wardens a mage?"
"Clarel? Yes, and in line to be Warden-Commander. I will obey, but I do not have to agree with that choice. We need mages, but not in leadership."
Eyebrows raised, Denis poured himself a glass of wine from the pitcher on Caron's table. "I have no issues with my Warden-Commander. In fact, he saved my life more than once."
"I serve with mages," she snapped. "But I often ask templars to march with us."
"Along with the chevaliers?" Denis asked, thinking there must be a reason the woman hated mages so much.
Cecily's jaw flexed, as her lips pressed together, but she made no reply.
"At least he's not an elf," Denis smirked, thinking to lighten the mood. "Or a dwarf."
Cecily Caron snorted. "That tattooed dwarf, is she the Warden-Commander's servant?"
Denis shook his head. "Taina is the Warden-Commander's second, the Warden-Constable." He sniffed at the Orlesian woman's raised eyebrows. "Not fond of dwarves either?"
"Dwarves have their place, but I object to the Carta."
He hesitated before continuing, wondering if he should placate the woman any further. He decided to speak out. "She's forgotten more about fighting darkspawn than you'll ever know, as have all the others, Fereldan and Nevarran alike. Cecily, these people just fought and defeated a Blight. Orlais did nothing beyond threaten them with chevaliers at their border. Coming here with some document from Montsimmard will get you nowhere. Neither the wardens nor the regents believe Weisshaupt ordered anything. They're aware Orlais keeps Weisshaupt convinced that Fereldan is a tribute state to Orlais and not sovereign, but I'm sure Ferelden's Nevarran allies have corrected Weisshaupt's perceptions." Denis grinned. "Or will, if they haven't already. You don't have a shred of parchment from Weisshaupt do you?"
Cecily's mouth tightened into a thin line. "I think it's time you leave Warden Denis."
"As you wish Warden Cecily. Keep in mind that your wardens stand on what Fereldans call thin ice and tread carefully." Cecily Caron held the door open, slamming it behind him as he left.
Denis knocked on Liam's door to report the conversation to him and Taina. Daveth joined them a short time later. He revealed that, as they suspected, three of the 'wardens' were, in fact, chevaliers. Assigning Daveth to watch the Orlesians, Liam and Taina went to the palace to confer with the Regents. Early the next morning, Liam summoned Warden Caron to his study. Reluctantly, persuaded to agree to Liam's summons by Denis and Colum, Warden Caron entered Liam's study, where Liam sat behind his work table. He did not offer her a chair, but immediately stated, in Orlesian and then in the Common tongue, that there would be no further discussion until the chevaliers had gone. Taina sat to his right, as his second, Denis stood on his left to interpret and Petyr, newly returned from Highever, stood next to Denis. Colum and Daveth sat on chairs against the wall, observing. A raven perched on a rafter above them.
At Caron's look of feigned surprise Liam said, "You're not going to try and tell me you were unaware?"
"We did not know what we might face," Caron said.
"And your wardens can only fight with chevaliers to lead them?"
"They do not lead us. We fight together."
"Not in Ferelden," Liam said. "Fortunately for you, General Mac Tir is away, so you won't have to face him. The Regents wanted to expel all of you immediately, but I asked that we be permitted to deal with our own - the wardens that is - first." Liam added that, as luck would have it, a ship would leave on the tide for Ostwick and he expected the three chevaliers to be on it. A contingent of guards waited outside the compound gate to escort them.
"And, once they leave, how will you deal with us, Warden-Commander?"
"We will show you the former Warden-Commander's ashes and the Archdemon's blood. Since we already sent to Weisshaupt, advising them of everything you say you came to discover, nothing we tell you is news. Once you have your answers, you too will leave and not return. Another galley leaves tonight on the tide.
"We serve in Ferelden with the agreement of the Landsmeet, not," he held up his hand at she began to speak, "not under their rule, but in alliance with the Fereldans and with respect for their laws and culture, just as you do in Orlais. We recognize the authority of Weisshaupt, but Ferelden has the power to allow us to stay or, as they've done in the past, expel us. As a representative of Montsimmard you have no standing here beyond that of fellow warden. While we appreciate your efforts to educate us regarding the rules for collecting Archdemon blood and dealing with the Thaw following a Blight, you provided no new information. Please, keep these for your own edification, should a Blight arise in Orlais." He handed the documents to her. "I do not recognize the authority of your Warden-Commander over any Ferelden warden. I am Warden-Commander of Ferelden."
Caron accepted the documents, but did not step away, instead standing motionless, staring at the vellum and parchment in her hand. Liam watched her, wondering if she ever relaxed her jaw. He waited for another angry outburst. Finally, she looked up.
"As your warden Denis has probably informed you, my name is Cecily Caron, Warden-Lieutenant Cecily Caron. I will inform my superiors that we must all await Weisshaupt's determination regarding who becomes Warden-Commander in Ferelden."
"Weisshaupt has two choices: confirm a Fereldan or see the wardens expelled. No Orlesian, no non-Ferelden, will ever serve here."
"You have surprised me, Warden-Commander. We expected a rabble which somehow, through some happy accident, succeeded in killing the Archdemon. I see now, that is not so."
To her surprise, Liam laughed. "It may have, ultimately, been a happy accident, despite our planning, plans in which your warden Riordan played a key part, but we are not and were not rabble. Rabble did not defeat Orlais thirty years ago, despite the myths fostered by Val Royeaux, nor did rabble defeat the Archdemon. While we may have our internal squabbles, not unlike Orlais and its Game, Ferelden is a united country with a Queen, a Regency, allies and people who will fight for their land against Blight, invasion or any other peril."
"A nice speech, Warden-Commander. I will relay that to my leaders." She smiled then. "I had hoped to meet the infamous Loghain Mac Tir. We heard his star had set after he abandoned his king."
Liam stood, leaned forward, his hands pressed against the table and, speaking softly, said, "I was at Ostagar Warden-Lieutenant. Loghain did his duty. You should hope to perform your duty half so well. He made other mistakes, later, but he remains General of Ferelden's armies. He has no love for Orlesians, so be glad you did not meet him."
Cecily Caron, inclined her head almost imperceptibly. "I'll accept your word, Warden-Commander."
"We'll meet in the bailey at Prime. To show our goodwill, I'll show you, and any wardens you choose to bring, the ashes and a cask of the blood."
"A cask?"
"You don't think I'm going to reveal where we store it do you? You persist in thinking us fools."
"No, no of course you won't. A cask will prove you have the blood."
"We will await orders from Weisshaupt regarding its disposal."
"And if Weisshaupt does not accept you as Warden-Commander? They may prefer one of your other wardens, one not a mage, perhaps?"
"We'll see if that happens, however, I suspect the First Warden has more pressing concerns than ousting me. My fellow Warden-Commanders in Nevarra, Ansburg, Antiva, Ostwick and Starkhaven have acknowledged my position and conveyed their recognition to Weisshaupt."
"I see. You, "her eyes narrowed, "or your Nevarran advisers, are politically more adept than I expected."
Pursing his lips, Liam crossed his arms. "Warden-Lieutenant, I lived in a Circle of Magi for fifteen years. Politics is as much a part of me as my mana."
Caron stepped back, surprised at the sudden intensity of Warden Commander Amell's gaze. "Amell. I've heard that name before. Your family is a noble one in Kirkwall?"
"Ah, now I'm a noble, so marginally worthy of my post?"
"Blood will tell."
He laughed. "So we are led to believe. Go home, Warden-Lieutenant. A galley awaits you and your wardens in the harbor. Once we show you the blood and ashes, you'll be escorted to the quay and guarded until the tide turns. The ships will carry you to Jader. Don't bother us again or your wish to meet General Loghain may be granted."
9:31 Dragon, Solace === Jader
Motioning to her wardens to follow her onto the quay, Warden-Lieutenant Cecily Caron debarked from the galley which had carried her and the Orlesian wardens from Denerim. At the three chevaliers' insistence, the galley carrying them had waited for the warden's galley to join it outside Denerim's harbor, in hopes the chevaliers could transfer to the wardens' ship. Rough seas had prevented the transfer. The two galleys had sailed north together, hoping the seas would calm, but the chevalier's galley had not reappeared after a storm separated them as they sailed from the Amaranthine Ocean into the Waking sea near an island the Ferelden's called Brandel's Reach. There's a reason we prefer to sail from Amaranthine, she thought, shifting her weight to adjust to land after a week at sea. Fewer storms. She motioned for her troops to join her, gave them orders to report to the joint chevalier and warden barracks and sent them on their way. She turned in the other direction.
Jader had the look of a border seaport, with Fereldans, dwarves, Nevarrans, Marchers, elven servants, and Orlesians, each speaking an accented Common tongue or their own language, clogging the narrow streets. Half-timbered buildings, their upper stories hanging over the passage ways, hosted shops at street level, their doors and shuttered windows open to the road to display the wares offered by the artisans, toiling in their workshops inside. Cecily Caron ignored the shouted enticements and hurried past the displays. Turning into a side street, she stepped over or around the detritus from the butcher shops lining this part of town and climbed the hill to a neighborhood close to the wall surrounding the city. Here the clacking of looms filled her ears for a time, but the smell of dye vats soon replaced the noise. Her eyes watered until she left the vats behind and turned toward a nearby town house, above and upwind from the dye yard. The owner of the textile compound, Felice, deserved to know of Riordan's fate and she doubted his fellow wardens, reluctant to divulge warden secrets, would tell her. Caron and Riordan had formed an odd friendship, he a street urchin, thief and murderer and she a chevalier and child of nobility. Felice, Riordan's longtime lover and friend, had opened her home to Cecily as well, providing a refuge for a woman trying to succeed in what many considered a man's role. Felice was her friend too and she would carry the sad news.
"I did not expect him to return," Felice responded, her eyes dry. "Even without the Blight, his time had come, he said. He died as he would have wished, fighting. He said his goodbyes, but knowing how it ended…thank you for that Cecily. He could be hard, but he was a good man. Now," Felice stood and motioned towards the kitchen, "my cook, Solange, has prepared dinner and I ask that you join me."
Sitting in front of Felice's hearth after a good meal and better conversation, a glass of soft red Lydes wine in her hand, Felice asked if Cecily knew much about Waking Sea and its bann, Alfstanna, or the Storm Coast? When Cecily shrugged, Felice began to explain about the two banns and their enduring alliance with Highever and the Couslands, which had culminated, for Eleanor Mac Eanraig, also known as the Seawolf, in marriage to the Cousland heir.
All of Ferelden's North thrived on trade, legal or illicit, and both opened opportunities for agents. Riordan had benefited from Felice's intelligence and now she offered it to Cecily, who would take up Riordan's post as Warden-Lieutenant in command of Jader's warden outpost. Felice had her own string of agents, more focused on the secrets of trade and her textile business, but they often came across information of a more political nature, which she had relayed to Riordan as well as her contacts in Valence. Unlike Riordan, Cecily wanted to rise within the warden ranks and, aware that such intelligence would both help her do her job and enhance her position, she gratefully accepted Felice's offer.
Cecily knew her superiors would consider her mission to Ferelden a failure. Merde! I consider the mission a failure. No one expected the stubborn Fereldans to accept her as Warden-Commander, but Montsimmard had expected some sort of compromise, with the Fereldans agreeing to accept Orlesian assistance or even an Orlesian Warden-Constable - particularly a female, who might seem less threatening. That not even a foothold had been established to undermine the existing Commander would disappoint her superiors. Even worse, Nevarrans have the influence Montsimmard wanted. Cecily frowned. Montsimmard should have known Nevarran had joined the Fereldans. I should have known. I should have talked with Felice before I left. She deals with them all time. Better her advice than the arrogant presumptions of Montsimmard or Val Royeaux.
Upon returning to her quarters at the warden compound, she mulled over how she might recoup her loss. Perhaps keeping Warden Denis' identity a secret and contacting him with apologies would help? Correspondence might follow and even innocent correspondence could divulge information. More difficult would be writing a letter of apology to the mage, Liam Amell. She decided to pursue both options and offer to exchange information about darkspawn activity along the coast between Jader and the Coastlands, noting that even before the Archdemon rose, the Storm Coast and Three Sisters islands had more than normal darkspawn activity. Sending the completed letters by messenger, she sat back. We'll see what they say. I have nothing to lose and much to gain if they agree to communicate. What Warden Denis did with his letter would also reveal a lot. Would he keep it secret and respond without telling his Commander or would he reveal her private communication? I did not ask him to keep it secret. We'll see how he reacts.
9:31 Dragon, August === Vigil's Keep
Instead of returning home after the Orlesians departed, Warden Colum and a dozen Nevarran wardens, at Liam's request, established an outpost at Vigil's Keep to quell the unusual Thaw activity in the surrounding area. Nate provided space and support, welcoming the help the wardens lent to his efforts to protect his already beleaguered nobles, farm holders and artisans. A contingent of his former Hrothgar's Wrath mercenaries also remained to lend support. The young arl, and his sister in Amaranthine City, had hoped that, with so little Blight damage, Amaranthine might begin recovering from his father's depredations, but the Thaw foiled his and Delilah's efforts.
As the darkspawn attacks increased in Solace and August, Liam promised to send Wardens Denis and Anders to join Warden Jowan and the Nevarrans and liaise with Nate, while the rest of the Nevarrans and Fereldans scoured the Bannorn, the Hinterlands and Coastlands for other darkspawn outbreaks. For some reason, Gwaren remained untouched, but Liam decided to send Eryhn and Pery to scout that city and the Brecilian, just in case. He left Redcliffe and its surrounding area to a new set of warden eyes led by Warden Petyr. With a new outpost at Ostagar, Petyr's wardens could use his links with the Chasind to clear the Hinterlands and edges of the Wilds of darkspawn. A second outpost at Rainesfere would patrol the Frostbacks and West Hills and try to establish good relations with the Avvars. In the North, Fergus and Alfstanna worked with the wardens there to seal caves and mines and rid their lands of the last vestiges of the Blight. From Soldier's Peak, Alistair, now Ser Alun, took his new wardens and warden recruits out to the surrounding areas, collecting vials of darkspawn blood, eradicating marauding bands of 'spawn and sealing caves.
Nate, focused on clearing Amaranthine of darkspawn, met Denis and Anders riding north on the Pilgrim's Path just south of the road leading to the Vigil. Returning from the Wending Wood, where another merchant caravan had been attacked, he admitted to being confused by the evidence he had found there of both darkspawn and elves. Delilah and Albert heard weekly complaints from Amaranthine merchants of attacks on the Pilgrim's Path, but, so far, he and his Amaranthine troops had been unable to find the source, even with warden assistance. As they approached the Vigil, Nate groaned at the sight of smoke rising in a thick, dark column above the trees.
"Is that-" Denis began, but Nate interrupted.
"-it's the Vigil. There's nothing else in the area that would provide enough fuel to make that much smoke." He raised a mailed fist, made a circle and thrust his arm forward. His troops urged their mounts into a canter. As they approached the keep, genlocks rushed towards them across the open farmlands bracketing the road to the main gate. Half the troop and the two wardens dismounted, while several others, who rode horses accustomed to fighting darkspawn, unsheathed their swords and rode into battle. Nate, his archers and Anders stayed back and began loosing and casting. It ended quickly and no more darkspawn came through the gate or over the wall. The troop remounted and rode into the bailey, where they met and felled more darkspawn fighting the Vigil troops in front of the keep.
A frantic Jowan met them in the range of buildings outside the Keep's gate. "We didn't sense them," he said to Nate and Denis. "They fell on the Nevarrans in the hall while they ate the mid-day meal. Only a few of us, who had just left, survived. We barricaded the doors to slow them and give us time to alert the rest of the keep, but, Maker," he swallowed, his eyes unfocused, "Maker, they just tore down the barriers. I've been healing the ones who managed to get out here and giving them the pills, but…there's so many." Jowan's head snapped up and the men around him jumped at the sound of a great explosion.
"What in the Void-"
"-that's Dworkin Glavonak," Nate said with a sigh. "Voldrik always control him." He looked at Denis' and Anders' puzzled faces. "Voldrik is a dwarf I hired to repair and rebuild the Vigil. Dworkin is his brother and an expert with dwarven explosives. Since the keep is not collapsing, I'm hoping he merely killed a lot of darkspawn with that blast." He looked to the Keep gate. "We should go see. Jowan, stay here and keep healing." He looked at Denis and Anders. "That is if-"
"-you're in charge Arl Nathaniel," Denis said. "We're here to help, not take over."
They found Colum battling more darkspawn inside the Keep, accompanied by another dwarf. Oghren waved to Nathaniel, Denis and Anders, yelling it was about time they showed up to join the fun. Together they battled their way to the roof. This seems familiar, only in reverse, Nate muttered to himself, recalling his battle to take the Fortress from his father's troops. Was that less than a year ago? They crept along a wall towards a voice they heard threatening a prisoner. The harsh voice said it has ended just as he foretold. The sound of a man screaming followed. The same voice ordered that someone should be taking this one gently. We are wishing no more death than is necessary. The voice defiantly replying to the threats sounded like Varel, Nate's Seneschal, who referred to your kind as if the speaker was not human. A dying defender, in the halls below, had spoken of talking darkspawn, but the wardens had believed the words to be the ramblings of a mind confused by pain.
"Could they have human help?" Anders whispered. "Maybe your kind just means humans helping darkspawn?"
"Hush," Denis said as the conversation continued.
"You are thinking that you know of our kind, human. It is understandable, but that will soon be changed."
"Others will come creature, they will stop you," Varel promised.
"Our kind? Creature?" Denis said. "Sounds like it's not human, Anders. That soldier may have been right."
"The prisoner's my Seneschal, Varel," Nate said. "Capture the darkspawn if you must, but not at the cost of Varel's life."
"Right, no fireballs, then," Anders murmured.
As the wardens, Nate, and several soldiers rose to attack a well armored darkspawn facing Varel, it spoke. "We will see," it said.
"It is talking," Anders said, amazed.
"Well, let's shut it up already," Oghren snarled.
As they attacked, the talking darkspawn gave orders. "Capture the wardens, these others may be killed."
A second darkspawn, holding its sword to Varel's throat, fell with an arrow to its own neck, dropping the Seneschal, unharmed, to the stones tiling the roof. The other darkspawn fell quickly, but the talking 'spawn who called itself The Withered, fought viciously, felling one soldier and wounding Denis, before a combination of ax strokes, spells and arrows brought him down. Denis finished him, plunging his sword into the darkspawn's chest.
Varel rose once the darkspawn all lay dead. "My lord, wardens, I owe you my life," Varel said.
"Let's get you inside," Nate said as Anders cast a healing spell. "We'll need to sweep through the keep and ensure no darkspawn remain and then find out how in the Void they got in."
"Probably through the patched-up entry to the Deep Roads," Varel said. "They came up from the dungeons, through the kitchens and into the hall. They captured me in the kitchens and brought me up here."
"Then we'll need to search and close that hole again," Nathaniel muttered.
"Let us search the Deep Roads first," Denis said. "We'll guard the breach in the dungeons while we do and then your builder can repair it permanently. Maybe we can find the source of all these incursions down there."
"Agreed," Nate said, "but we must do it quickly. Now let's get inside and find whoever survived."
9:31 Dragon, Kingsway === The Orphanage
"Maker Save Us," Nate muttered looking at the still smoldering remnants of a boat amidst the bodies of humans and darkspawn. "We must have pushed the 'spawn ahead of us and these poor sots got in their way, but what were they doing here?" He looked up at the ramparts above them. "And what is this fortress?"
After learning of the darkspawn attack on the Vigil and the loss of most of the Nevarran wardens, Liam had sent Taina, Daveth and a contingent of wardens to the Vigil where Colum lay wounded, but recovering along with only two surviving Nevarrans. The Fereldan wardens and the arl's Amaranthine and Wrath troops had cleared the Vigil, while Anders and Jowan had healed the injured, and then the combined force had pushed through the dungeon and into the Deep Roads, defeating any darkspawn who stood and fought and driving the rest ahead of them. Nate tasked Voldrik with repairing the great dwarven door they discovered broken in the Roads and with adding a door between the Vigil's lower dungeons and the Deep Roads to prevent further incursions, but allow wardens access for patrols.
Now, after weeks of repairs and fighting, they had reached a finger of the Amaranthine Ocean and found more human dead. Taina waved to the wardens to join her. Jowan, Denis, Daveth and several other wardens gathered around her. "Get the darkspawn piled up and burned. We don't want Nate's troops doing that and, Jowan, check Nate's troopers for any signs of Blight. I know they all took pills before we left the Vigil, but make sure and then you can blast the darkspawn pile with a fireball." Chuckling at Jowan's grin, Taina left Denis and Daveth to see to the 'spawn, and walked across the stony ledge to join Nathanial.
"Do you know this place?"
Nate shook his head. "Had no idea this was here." He looked at the cliffs surrounding the fort. "The Vigil must be over that mountain. The Deep Road tunnels beneath it. This must have been a dwarven port, like the one we found on the Storm Coast. Let's explore. There's a stairway, but let's check out that door first. It looks like the darkspawn tried to get in but couldn't."
Taina looked at the scoring made by darkspawn claws. "We'll need Daveth," Taina said, "he's better than I am at these old locks."
Nate smirked, pulled something from his belt pouch and bent over the lock. Taina watched Nate, heard a click and the Arl pushed the door open to screams. The arl and the warden stepped inside to find six women huddled at the far end of a corridor. A few held wooden staves. Nate held up his hands. "You're safe. We've killed all the darkspawn."
"Darkspawn?" one said.
"Is that the growling we heard?" another whispered. "The screams and the growling and the scratching at the door."
What about the guards? And the Tevinter? And Ser Thomas?" the other women chimed in, challenging his statement. A blonde stepped forward, still holding her stave and motioning the rest to stay behind her.
"Everyone…everything outside is dead," Nate said. "We did see human bodies. Who were they? You said a Tevinter?" He stopped, afraid now to find out who Ser Thomas might be…afraid he knew.
"Why are you here?" Taina added in response to the questions.
"The guards put us here when the fighting started," one woman replied. "Said they'd come back to take us to the ship."
"Thomas, the son of the Arl that put us here, and his Tevinter mage was outside," the blonde said.
Taina looked at Nathaniel and back at the women. "Thomas Howe?"
"It's his Orphanage, innit?" the woman snapped. "He took over after his father, the old Arl, died. His elves bred the elven brats sent off to Tevinter as slaves."
Taina and Nathaniel exchanged pained looks. "He bred slaves?" Nate asked.
"Him and his father before him. Brought us here as laundresses, cooks and housekeepers, but we soon found out they expected us to provide other services. The humans couldn't touch the elves. Didn't want no half-bloods, but Tevinters buy human kids too." The woman dropped her stave and leaned against the wall, her defiance draining out of her. "Was breeding his own brat too. Him and his wife. Her in the keep. Some noble wench he brought back with him. She didn't come down and meet the likes of us, oh no. She stayed in her rooms and let her servant wait on her. We saw her though, standing on the keep's roof with her big belly. He won't sell that baby."
Taina and Nate exchanged another glance. No women had been among the dead on the shingle at the cave's entrance, but what would they find in the fort above them?
"We'll search the fort, but first let's get you all out of here. We have food and water. Are any of you hurt?" Taina asked. "Can you all walk?"
The doors along the passage opened at the blonde's command and a dozen more women poured out.
"We need water and food, but otherwise we can walk," the blonde said.
"You take them to your soldiers," Taina said to Nate. "I'll take some wardens to search the fort."
x==========x
"Nothing Nate," Taina reported, after searching the fort. "It's been abandoned. There's furniture, some supplies, but nothing to show who stayed here."
"The women say the guards told them to stay in the cells to be safe and that they would come back for them. For all we know, the guards meant it, but they all died. There's a dozen or more human corpses." Nate ran his hand over his hair. "There's also several crates and casks filled with gold and jewels - treasure. It must be what the humans were after." He looked at the inlet. "The women spoke of a ship. After the darkspawn attacked, the ship left. The wife, this prisoner the women mentioned, and the elves left. Maker save them if they're sailing for Tevinter." If what the woman said was true, I have a nephew or niece on that ship.
Taina looked at the chests and went to poke through the remains of the burned boat. "Someone set this boat aflame, maybe to prevent the humans from escaping. There's treasure here too. Partly melted and mixed with the metal supports of a chest. Wasn't a lot of fuel, beyond the boat itself, and the strakes must have been wet. Only the uppers and mast burned."
The bodies had been removed and laid out on the ledge, at the cave entrance, in preparation for a pyre. One of the burned bodies from the boat had a darkspawn arrow between its shoulder blades.
"My lord," one of the Vigil soldiers called. "I think…this body, it may be your brother, my lord. His ring." The soldier held the glove he had removed. The body had only partially burned in the shallop, lying, as it had, in the water covering the boat's hull.
Taina had never seen Nate look more bleak, as he rose to climb out of the boat and join his soldier. She stayed in the boat and watched as Nate looked at the signet on one of the corpse's hands.
"Must have been in the water sloshing around the bottom of the boat, my lord, so it didn't burn."
"Right," Nate said softly. "It's Thom's."
"Could be stolen," the soldier said.
Nate moved on to the next body, which had burned. A strip of silk cloth with gold thread running through it remained. "No, it's Thom and this is the Tevinter mage who served my father. The servants at the Arl's estate in Denerim said this mage, Nicephorus, and Thomas had been at the estate and left together. They must have come here."
"With a wife," Taina said. "I wonder who he married?"
Nate shook his head. "I guess we should look for a missing noble woman."
"Could it…?"
"He must have left before the battle, Taina. I did ask the women when Thom arrived, but they have no idea what month it is, much less when the Battle of Denerim occurred. Nor do they know the woman's name. From what Delilah says, Thomas would run away from a fight if he could. I doubt he stayed in Denerim during the battle." He looked back at his sergeant. "Let's make a pyre. Those bodies - they need to burn now - even my brother's. My sister and I will make a suitable memorial without the body. There's nothing more for any of us here." Nate walked towards the stairs. "We'll make camp for the night up in the fort's courtyard," he said, not looking at anyone. "We'll scavenge for anything useful in the morning and then head back. The way should be clear for a few days." He looked at Taina for confirmation.
"We're sensing nothing right now. We'll scout ahead and behind, but if the women can move quickly, we should get through safely."
A/N: Thank you for reading and to those of you who reviewed, favorited or gave kudos. Thanks to my wonderful betas Kira Tamarion and Elyssa Cousland whose efforts make this a better story. Any errors are mine. I hope you continue to read and enjoy.