Chapter Thirty-Six

Court Date

I handed over the Granite the minute we were past the gate. The Dwarven man lit up so brightly that I swore it was noon in the middle of the damn night. His brother got quite a bit of Lyrium Sand and a few recipe suggestions.

Wade was over the moon when I handed him the ancient heartwood, the materials to craft with it, and even a sketched design for a bow. He looked at the design – an altered Dark Ranger bow from Azeroth – with a critical eye. Herrin glanced at it too, "That looks difficult Wade…"

"Are you suggesting that I cannot do it? Bah! I will show you!" and scuttled off to his work station. I gave Herrin an amused look, "You did that on purpose. I thought you would try to dissuade him…"

"Nonsense; he does his best work when his reputation is on the line… what's that?"

"Silverite from the mines in the Wending Wood – enough to keep our soldiers armored. There is Viridium under the Keep for the weapons. The Silverite Armor will actually become famous when all this is over – the Silver Order, under the tutelage of the Wardens; they will develop into one of Ferelden's most revered military forces."

Herren looked so damn excited, "Viridium… under the keep?"

"We plan to collect it when we go clear the last of the area in the morning. For now, I need some rest – court in the morning, and Lyna is going to make me do it."

Herren sniggered, "With Wade working like a Demon, that bow should be done in… 2 days, tops."

"We're here for three so that's something to look forward to, at least. Good night, uncle."

He grinned as Velanna watched me confused. I sent her to take her joining while Mistress Woolsey intercepted me.

"The First Warden left something for you, Your Worship. You seemed to be in a hurry when you left before, so… and someone sent this to the keep – a Ser Wolf?" she handed me a letter and a package.

The letter identified Bann Esmerelle… and several others. I gave a dark grin, "Woolsey, have someone collect a noble family member from each of these listed conspirators – they are now hostages. If the conspirators think to move against us, conscript the family members."

She looked stunned but nodded, "A wise course of action – I will have Varel see to it at once."

I then opened the package and gave a small chuckle. The First Warden had gifted me a priceless artifact – the very sword used to kill Zazikel by the Warden Corin in the second blight. With this blade, was a scabbard made of dragon hide with Griffons engraved on it.

I let myself smirk, "Such an honorable gift deserves an honorable return… do you think the First Warden would like a pet Dragon? It will always be tiny – it's a miniature of the cloud serpent variety… I'm thinking blue."

Her jaw dropped, "You would give him a pet dragon?"

"Again – it will stay tiny. No bigger than the length of a Dwarven forearm and unable to spit fire more than enough to light a log; but this Sword was used to kill Zazikel himself – the Old God of Chaos and Freedom. I do get his intention in such a gift, Madam Woolsey – he is saying he sees me as a Hero Warden without the blood taint. A Dragon from me would be saying I accept his views. So again I ask – would he like it?"

"… Who wouldn't want a pet Dragon, your worship?" she was still a little pale. I nodded, "I will have someone prepare the egg and take it to him directly, then. Thank you for your input."

The next morning was a Court date. The seneschal was watching me in amusement as I sat on Lynas' 'throne' in the main hall with a look of displeasure on my face. The captain of our guard was looking at the traitorous brat who stood with the rest of the wardens in the back corner watching how this would play out. Madam Woolsey stood to my left with a stern expression – I was positive the woman had become my biggest champion after our talk last night and seeing a human man arrive through a portal this morning with a blue and white egg no bigger than a chicken egg. The human man from Stormwind had taken a map and Guide from the stern mistress and set out at once with the gift for the First Warden.

The throne was a stained Whitewood chair with two bears – the sigil of Amaranthine – carved into the top. There were people knelt before me, before Varel called out, "All rise! Her Grace, the Tyren of Gwaren and Chosen of the Maker is ready to host court. The Warden-Commander and liege-lord of all Amaranthine has named her to hold court today."

I nodded my head and said, "Bring up the first case, Seneschal."

"Our first case is the Matter of the Crown against the Sheep-herder Alec on behalf of the Crown."

The Guard-captain stepped up, "I submit that Alec stole two bushels of grain bound for the garrison in Amaranthine. When confronted by soldiers, he confessed. The punishment for…"

I raised a hand, "I am well aware of the cost of what many see as treason, Captain – your defense, Alec?"

"My sheep were slaughtered by the Darkspawn, your Worship – my family was starving. I ask for mercy."

I nodded, "A starving family is a justifiable thing, Alec… Join the army and not only will your life be spared, your family will be fed. Your oldest son can take control of your farm in your stead. I will personally see to it that he receives a score of sheep to replace what was lost."

The man fell to his knees with awe and relief in his eyes, "Thank you, your worship – it is more than I could have ever hoped for… thank you." He wept. I waved my hand, "Captain – see him to Master Herren with instruction that he is to be outfitted in the new armor sets I've commissioned. Alec will do will me proud – I just know it."

The captain bowed his head to me and motioned to a guard to take him to Herren for measurements.

The captain spoke again, "Next is a serious matter; Danella, a soldier of the Vigil, abandoned her post and was caught three leagues away. She is charged with desertion. Even if it were not a time of war, the penalty…"

I shot him a look, "Captain, you need not tell me the penalties of every matter – I know them well. I helped write these same penalties in another kingdom. I need only to know the matter at hand, and who is the defendant or accused –whichever you wish to call them."

"Oh… yes, your worship."

"And you, Danella – what is your defense for your abandoning your post?"

She looked hopeful, since I let Alec off easily for the sake of his family, as she said, "I asked the old captain several times to release me from my oath – the Darkspawn are too near my family's farm. They need me, Your Worship. I am no coward."

I stopped the captain from speaking, "Danella – why did you not think to bring your family here. Lyna and I are reasonable sorts, we would have allowed it. Any who pull their weight here will be fed and looked after, too. You're an accomplished scout – good enough that the work you do would keep your whole family fed without them having to do much more than perhaps keep a garden watered. And when this is all over, they can of course return to their farm. As you committed this 'desertion' under a time when Lyna and I had yet to arrive, there was no leadership yet – I will overlook this offence provided you bring your cause for desertion here and swear not to do so again. We do need you, Danella – you are our best scout."

I heard gasps throughout the hall as the captain sputtered, "There was a leader…"

"No, Captain – a guard who simply thought act in Lynas stead is not leadership. Howe was dead, Lyna was not here – nor I, since I am the one presiding over this court. I am not without Mercy. And there is no justice in killing Danella for running to the danger rather than away. Have a guard accompany her to collect her family and a maid to set one of the abandoned homes to rights for when they arrive. Next case."

Danella smiled gloriously at me, "Thank you, Your Worship! You'll not regret this so long as I live."

"I know I won't. When you return, see Wade for new armor as well."

Varel spoke now, "The next matter is of a civil nature. Lady Liza Packton is the Sovereign of…"

I waved my hand, "Just tell me what is going on, Seneschal."

"I prefer to speak for myself. The old Arl, Rendon Howe, made certain promises to me. Some of these he committed to paper. I was given the right to the incomes from the southern bridge."

A man stepped forward, "And what part did you take in Howes conspiracies, eh Liza, to get such a fruitful prize? I am Ser Derren and it is my land she seeks; taken from me because I was one of the few nobles who stood against Tyren Loghain."

I coughed lightly and all heads snapped to me. "I know just how to solve this. As the papers are legally binding, Lady Liza may keep the bridge – however, I will be awarding Ser Derren with the land it is on. Lady Liza, that bridge was built by his father, after all. Seeing as the land itself is his, you must pay a tithe of 15-20% to him for having a structure operating for wealth on his land. If you do not wish to pay the tithe, you must then either give the bridge back to him or stop charging fares for the crossing. And as the Bridge is yours, you are responsible for its upkeep. Should it need repairs or even a new coat of paint that falls to you unless you denounce your claims to the bridge. Derren, you may not actively attempt to do damage to the bridge. Nor can you pay, bribe or con others into doing so for you. I also name that Lady Liza cannot just tear the bridge down for this dispute. If she does, she must pay to have it restored – the bridge is a crucial piece of architecture."

Lady Liza looked furious and Ser Derren looked stunned but somewhat pleased. He bowed, "Thank you, Your Worship."

Lady Liza bit out her own thanks though she could do nothing – her brother had already been rounded up the night before as our hostage. Oh, the hostages were well treated – to the point most wouldn't wish to leave if given the choice – but they were still leverage against their ruling family members.

Varel spoke again, "This session of the Arlings court is over." People began filing out, though some came to me after to pledge their own service to the Wardens. I directed them to Lyna.

I noted that Nathaniel was waiting to speak with me, so I motioned him over.

"You were kind to them." he said. I shrugged, "A merciful person can get much more than a tyrannical one. Alec, the sheep-herder, will become a hero one day. Danella will work twice as hard and my words will sway her to actually return since her family will not only be taken good care of, but also allowed to return when their safety is certain. Those same words will discourage desertion for the same reasons in others, while bringing up morale. As for Liza, she was largely a traitor, but I couldn't outright rule in Derrens' favor as that would encourage more rebellion. So I ruled technically in her favor but made it so difficult that I think she will return the bridge or cut out fares to cross within 5 years. The nobles will note that I am not to be trifled with, the common folk will note that I can be approachable and everyone will know that I stand for justice."

He smiled, "I sorely misjudged you, Lady Stormlight."

I snorted, "The only titles my pack can get away with are Alpha, or commander – I may tease Lyna that she's the commander, but I know she allows me certain liberties."

Said woman spoke from beside me, "You got to play court in my stead as penance for those liberties – how did it feel?"

"Like I never want to do that again, you bitch. Push it on Varel next time – he can do pretty much the same as us if you tell him to rule in that kind of way during court sessions."

Mistress Woolsey snorted, "The First Warden was right about you – fair to a fault with a bright future ahead of you."

I grinned, "Wait till he gets the pet dragon – he'll be singing my praises all over the Anderfels."

Nathaniel sputtered, "A pet dragon?"

Andres looked like he was going to faint. I giggled, "He gave me Ser Corins' sword – the one used to kill the second Archdemon – so I sent someone with a miniature blue cloud serpent. It will only get as big as Oghrens' forearm – so about the size of a tankard. Still – a dragon is a dragon."

I showed them the sword that rested at my hip. Mistress Woolsey flushed, "I… have to admit to why… he originally brought that as a show of strength or prestige. But people admitted to seeing you arriving with a woman on a Griffon… he's hoping to foster relations with…"

"Oh, someone saw Nia? She's a good griffon – my first, actually. She's getting on in age, so that was kind of a last ride for her. I'll probably go pick out a new hatchling soon. But it won't be the same."

"Hatch… there are more?"

"Oh, yeah – Azeroth is full of Griffons and other unique mounts. I'm sure tales of my stone horse with the blue glow has circulated. I have more griffons already, but most of them are used for other things. One is a breeder for the Stormwind Stables; another in Dalaran. If I want a Griffon for riding, I need to go pick a new Hatchling now that Nia is too old. I might look into a Snowy Griffon – Nia was a regular run-of-the-mill armored griffon. I adore her quite a bit."

She was pale as she stammered, "Do… do you think…"

"No. Not only no, but fuck no. I know exactly what happened the last time the Grey Wardens had Griffons, Madam – and I will never allow such a monstrosity to happen again. The Wardens are the cause of their extinction – they have to live with it for now. If – one day – I can be assured that the Griffons would be properly cared for, I might approach Anduin about it. But for now, that answer is a resounding, stone carved no."

She looked confused, "What… they just died out, right?"

"No – the Wardens tried to put griffons through the Joining – that's what killed them all. When even the non-joined ones showed the signs of aggression and going crazy that the joined ones did, all that was left was to put them down. It's all in the First Wardens' personal library – ask him about it, now that you know. He would need to exhibit miraculous qualities for me to consider bringing Griffons to Thedas – and for now, that isn't going to happen. I'm an animal rights activist; meaning I am not going to endanger any animal. He got a pet dragon, because I know he'll care for it."

She nodded shakily, "I will… inform him of your stance…"

"Good – I would hate for him to assume he could get something like that so easily when I know the truth of the matter. Feel free to quote me, Madam."

When she was gone, I looked at the others and brought them to clear out the Deep Roads tunnels… meaning yes, we took care of the door, the shade thing, and even found Dworkin more Lyrium sand. The Viridium was easily mined for Wade who finished the bow the next day and presented it to me with a florish.

I kissed his cheek, "You've out-done yourself, Wade. This bow is perfect. I know just who to give it to, too. This is a weapon fit for a king – I think Alleria Windrunner, the leader of the Void Elves, would love such a bow." Wade had his chest puffed out like a proud chicken.

I set the bow in my Void Storage for the moment – I had a meeting with the Azerothian leaders next week, so I would give it to her then.

Herren accepted the Viridium and told Wade that I had also brought Silverite for him to work with too. Wade kissed my cheek and got to work.

The day came, half-way to the Blackmarsh, that I had my meeting with the Azeroth Council. I'll be honest, I didn't have a clue what was going on right now – I had only played until Shadowlands before dying. I had discovered new lore and such each and every day I lived in Azeroth – I had no desire to look either.

I entered Dalarans' Violet Keep – the gathering area for Neutral meetings and Kirin Tor alike. I saw my sons and Bella. I had brought Duncan and Alistair too – by Anduins request. Apparently, everyone wanted to meet the child. Little Duncan couldn't get enough of seeing so many variously colored people and arcane energies abounded in the meeting hall too.

Alistair kept close to me with his guards – who couldn't stop gawking. "Where exactly are we, love?" he asked.

"This is Dalaran – the floating city and home of the Kirin Tor. Dalaran is home to the majority of the Mage population of Azeroth, as the Collage of Magic resides here. This is also neutral ground as the Kirin Tor accepts both Horde and Alliance in their ranks. This is why it has historically been used as a meeting area when both factions need to meet."

"What a way to simplify it, little sister!" Inas called out. I flushed as I realized everyone had listened to me speak. The hall was huge so there was magic in place so that whoever was talking could be heard by all without raising their voice. On the contrary, one could whisper and be heard by all.

I looked at Alleria – the Void Elf leader – and said, "Ah – just the woman I hoped to see first thing! I have a gift for you, Alleria."

Curious gazes meant no one else dared to speak. She tilted her head, "Did I miss an occation, Lady Atarah?"

"Not unless you count your own birthing-day, Lady Windrunner. It was yesterday, was it not?"

She looked thoughtful before chuckling, "So it was. Very well, I'll accept." I handed her the bow I had packaged in a silver paper.

When she unwrapped it, there were gasps – it was a beautiful bow, and I'd had an enchanter do some work on it as well. I had personally imbued some shadow magic into it – though no one but Elune and I would know that – even Cenarius was unaware just what my domain was. She looked it over, "This is… I have not seen such masterful wood work in centuries. Might I inquire who made it?"

"A friend named Wade – he's eccentric but does damn good work. I gave him the design base, but it is his work."

She smiled at me, "It is quite impressive."

"Well, the wood alone made me think of you – Void-touched as it was. I hadn't expected that when I went looking for it. Once I saw that, I knew this wood was meant for you and had Wade set to work at once."

Inas came over and looked at my son, "… I thought he was a Green Dragon? Alexstrasza hasn't been able to stop talking about for months now…"

"No Magic, but yes, a green dragon." I smiled.

Alistair groaned, "About killed me when I walked into his nursery last week only to find a small green dragon in my sons crib. Tara failed to warn me how soon that would be happening."

"I didn't know, actually. With me, I didn't shift until I turned 6 – like all druids. Dragon was my first form, which attracted the attention of the Dragons themselves. But Duncan, as my first Dragon child, is an unknown. Back in Skyrim, Dragonborn people gave birth to Dragonborn people – but then Alstus and Asthan were 'normal' so…"

"I know why!" Alexstrasza cried. I glanced at her.

Asthan said, "We learned what our vile father did, mom – he… we were supposed to be dragons, like Duncan and you."

I felt my face darken, "What did he do?"

Alstus patted my shoulder, "You surly realize that Duncan has a green birthmark?"

Alistair nodded, "Shaped like a little blob on his shoulder."

Alexstrasza said, "That mark – until they grow older – is the source of their Dragon Soul. It was on both your sons too – theirs were Bronze, according to their father. Nozdormu is not happy about that. He went back and looked at the timelines – if this mark is cut off before one reaches 10 years of age, they lose their Dragon Soul. After 10, they absorb it. Their father cut the mark off when they 'shifted' as you call it, the first time. They never turned again."

I felt sick, "If they had… been allowed to grow… without…"

"They would have sought you out – everything would be different. We can't change it, I'm afraid."

I took Duncan from Alistairs' arms and just… held him. I looked at Alistair, "I… I just need to hold him – to comfort myself… sorry."

Alistair shook his head, looking just as sick as I felt, "I get it – believe me I get it. How could someone do that to their own kid?"

The meeting began not long later – Alistair and I had mostly been invited because of Duncan. We weren't really needed there. Duncan got a kick out of all the people wanting to hold him and even turned into a dragon when he saw a picture of a green whelp. After that, I got Alistair and Duncan back to their own plans before heading back to my group.

"Lethallan… you look a bit ill – are you alright?" Lyna asked as soon as I stepped through the portal.

"I learned that… I got some sickening news about the 'father' of my two sons in Azeroth… how could someone… do that?" I felt tears slip down my face.

Lyna held me, "From what I know, you didn't know the man yourself, right? It wasn't… it was when you were imprisoned?"

"That is such a nice way to say it, love… so sweet and… yes, you're right – I didn't know him well. He was the only choice as father since he was the only male blood elf to… but still…"

"What happened, exactly?" Anders asked.

"Which part are you referring to? The news I got or how I had two sons with a man I didn't know?"

"Er… both?" he asked.

I gave a quick run-down on my 2 century stint in the slave rings before saying, "And that… that bastard went and mutilated them! He cut off their dragon marks! They will never be able to shift like their brother or I – they will never have that… that sense of being whole! The Keepers of Time are furious – Asthan and Alstus were supposed to be Bronze Dragons, like them. My sons – mine! I'd kill him if Nozdormu hadn't beaten me to it."

Nathaniel and Anders looked so sick. Velanna looked furious, "No wonder you have this insatiable need to help others with their families."

I gave a cold laugh, "That is one way to look at it. I should have stayed with Alistair tonight…"

Anders blinked, "That was a bit random…"

Lyna snorted, "She needs a way to let off steam when she's angry or upset in any fashion. You know what…? I've been curious for some time now, commander – I'm more than willing to take your mind off things."

I blinked at her before grinning widely, "Well… who am I to deny you a chance at learning if you're into that kind of thing? And when Alistair finds out, I don't think he'll mind…"

Nathaniel asked, "I'm so confused – what's going on?"

Anders snorted, "I think the two commanders are going to bed together tonight – at least… that's my understanding of it."

Velanna sighed in annoyance, but didn't comment – Oghren however, did the little number from the game where his brain fried and he passed out.

I smirked, "Are you sure you want to do this, Lyna? Vanessa and Alistair are prime examples…"

"That people get addicted to you? Yes, I'm aware… but I'm so curious and I can't stop thinking about it! Maybe I'm not as 'straight' as I thought I was."

I had influenced a lot of words here – bingo, straight, hell… and many more. I put a hand at the back of her neck, "A test, then… if you'll allow?"

She nodded, so I pulled her into a kiss. It was both sweet and somewhat passionate. I nipped at her lip and in the resulting gasp I took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. When we pulled apart, she was breathing heavy.

I smiled at her while the others just stared at us. She took a shaky breath and muttered, "I'm really not as straight as I thought I was…Creators, Lethallan…"

I chuckled and pulled out the plates of food that I snagged from Bella's new Tavern in Dalaran before coming back – she'd named the place Storms' Light; I found it endearing.

"Dinner is served – enjoy."