Chapter 29; Negotiations;
Characters of the chapter:
Bazyl Joubert, Orlesian ambassador to the South Kingdom of the Twin Kingdoms
Grand Cleric Beatrice Grand Cleric of Westeros, head of the Chantry in King's Landing
Nathaniel Howe Commander of the Grey in Westeros
Thom "Blackwall" Rainier Senior Grey Warden, assigned to Westeros
Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the Queen to Queen Daenerys
"Don't try to blame my people for this!" Beatrice shouted, slamming her hands on the table.
"The High Septon is dead!" Tyrion shouted back, sitting in his chair. "And last time we conversed you displayed no small amount of animosity towards him. You were just about to order your followers to assault his. You regarded him as a direct threat to your people, which you said you were willing to go to great lengths to protect. One can see why you might view him as a threat that needed to be removed. And by your own words you were tempted to violence towards him. So you certainly had a motive."
She scoffed. "I grant you that everything you just said was very true. I'm not shedding any tears for that piece of shit, and I certainly had a motive to do him harm. But I didn't act on that motivation. As far as I know neither I nor anyone else in the Chantry gave orders for anything like this to happen. As I explained during our last conversation my side in this confrontation will not be the first to use violence. My believers will defend their right to live and the right to worship our Maker. But that is all we will do, and all we want to do."
"Then who would you choose to blame instead?" He demanded.
"I haven't the fairest idea who might be behind this. I wish I knew, so I could first congratulate them on a job well done, then deliver the information to you so you can cast blame in the right place and stop pointing fingers at me and mine. I only know with certainty a single a faction that had nothing to do with this. My own." She said.
Tyrion pinched the bridge of his nose. "And do you have any evidence to that effect?"
Beatrice gave a dry smile. "How does one prove lack of action? But I don't think it is my business to prove my innocence in this matter. You have accused me of a crime and I have denied it. Now you can either take me at my word or you can investigate and hold a trial in an effort to prove my guilt. Now, it won't do you any good to try, but if you choose to investigate then you can rely on my full cooperation."
"I can?" He said, sounding dubious.
"Of course. I know that I haven't done anything, and so I have a vested interest in helping any investigation along, so my innocence and the innocence of the institution I represent can be proven with finality." She said.
"That's very good to hear. But I hope you understand that I'm not the only problem facing you know. Because members of the Faith of the Seven in the city judge you guilty already. Their leader is dead, and your faith is easiest thing for them to lash out at. To them that this happened at all is all the excuse they needed."
"I'm aware. And my people will do what is necessary in response." She said.
"I did not sanction violence before. I will not sanction it now." Tyrion warned.
"I got the message the first time. As I have said several times now, we will not be the ones to use violence first. But if it comes down to that we will have no choice but to defend ourselves. So if you want to prevent violence I think you have a great deal of work to do." She said.
"Aye. And as my first action in dealing with this I give you this warning: For your sake I hope you have been honest with me about the Chantry's involvement in this. Because if I find out that you have lied to me now, that you pulled this stunt to make this fight with the Faith of the Seven happen…" Tyrion said.
"Oh save your threats, Lord Hand!" Beatrice interrupted, not trying to hide the irritation in her voice.
"I could have made my move some time ago if I wished. I would approve of open conflict with the Faith of the Seven, but even so I never pushed to have that conflict, because I had no interest in antagonizing you or the Queen. But clearly whoever did this had no such problem, and they wanted this conflict to happen more than I did. It seems very possible to me that the Chantry is the real victim here, being framed for a deed we never committed. And right now you are playing right into the hands of those who seek to make us look like the guilty party. If I were you I'd spend a little more time contemplating that nasty possibility and a little less on pointless attempts at intimidation." She added with venom, then stormed off, slamming the door shut behind her.
Tyrion gave an annoyed sigh and leaned back on his chair. He was seriously starting to get annoyed by that woman and her persistently confrontational attitude! That behavior alone reflected poorly on her, making her appear that much more guilty in Tyrion's eyes. Still, in her finishing words she had made a decent point. While she might still be behind this outrage, there was also a possibility that some other faction was trying to set her up. The Orlesians might certainly be trying to create conflict between the faiths and so reinforce the message that they were here to protect the Chantry believers from rampant aggression. It would be an extremely dangerous move for them to make, since getting caught would bring the ire of the Chantry down upon their heads worse than it already had been, to say nothing of the Faith of the Seven. But nevertheless it was feasible. Briefly he wondered if I might be a good idea to talk to Bazyl, see if he knew whether there was truth to that possibility. But very quickly he concluded that would be a waste of time. Even if his Orlesian friend had knowledge of his people's involvement in this, he would not tell the truth of it. That much he had made clear in their last conversation. Besides, just as well there might be some third faction involved that he was not yet aware of. Now that he had time to think he had to concede that he did not yet know the responsible party with any certainty.
As soon as he had heard of what had happened to the High Septon he had dispatched some of his agents to examine the available evidence. Soon they would be returning to him with their findings. Assuming of course that those who had first discovered the ambush site had not messed it up already. Tyrion hoped that enough would remain to begin uncovering the truth of what had occurred. Once he had information to work with he would have to examine the facts very carefully. He could not afford to take anything for granted. He could accept no evidence at face value. If there was any truth to the Grand Cleric's words, the ones responsible might not stop at merely doing the deed of murdering the High Septon. They would be planting fabricated evidence to lead suspicions in the direction they desired. He would have to figure out if the evidence he would be presented with was the real thing, or merely someone trying to make him see what they wanted him to see. All that was hard enough, but if the latter turned out to be the case, things would get… complicated. Given that he didn't know whether this attack was directed against the Faith of the Seven, the Chantry or the Twin Kingdoms, the list of potential culprits was endless. He would have to whittle the candidates down until he was left with only the one. All that was going to be very difficult.
"Damn. I really am not cut out for this kind of work." He cursed, and not for the first time. Spy work and information gathering had never been his specialty. That had always been Varys's domain, up until the point he had decided to explore new career options, like becoming a pile of ash. Since his passing Tyrion had done his best to fill in, because Daenerys had neglected to appoint another Master of Whisperers. He was smart enough to learn the basics of the trade soon enough, and he liked to think he had done well enough. His efforts had gotten the Queen a great deal of much needed information, after all.
That *well enough* was probably why she had not bothered to appoint a proper replacement for Varys. That, or past experiences had soured her view of the role, causing her to try to make do without a Master of Whisperers. But gradually over the years Tyrion had become aware of other actors on the field, ones that evidently were far more practiced in this kind of work than he was. Event the Spider might have had difficulties with them, since Tyrion rather suspected he would not have been used to being challenged in his field of work. Tyrion was wise enough to know when he was outmatched, and brave enough to admit it. *Well enough* was not going to cut it any longer, especially not at a time the country was at war. They were going to need a new spymaster, and soon. Someone who could match these myriad clandestine enemies in their own game. Fortunately Daenerys had already given her agreement to that, based on the conversation they had had just before they had received word of the Orlesian invasion. All that remained now was to find a suitable person to fill that role.
Tyrion was still mulling over these questions when there was a knock at the door. A servant entered, bowing to him. "My Lord, as you requested, the Orlesian ambassador has arrived. He just entered the grounds of the Red Keep."
"Excellent, guide him here if you would." Tyrion said. A little while later Bazyl walked through the door while his guards (only four this time) politely remained on the far side of the door.
"My friend! Good to see you again. I must say it happened rather sooner than I had expected. I thought our agreement was that we were only to meet on official business." The ambassador greeted him.
"This happens to be official business. A matter made rather urgent by recent events. Please be seated." Tyrion said.
"My condolences about the High Septon by the way. I never claimed to like the man, but to be murdered on the road in cold blood… it seems a rather undeserved ending even for him. And I can only imagine the mess this has landed on your shoulders. I do not envy you, my friend." The Ambassador said.
"You have heard of that already!? I just received word of that myself." Tyrion asked, shocked.
"Lord Tyrion, I endeavor to know as much as I can about the world around me. Such is the prerequisite for performing my assigned tasks." Bazyl replied. "On my way here I came across the Grand Cleric. She looked positively enraged. I gather you confronted her about the murder." He added.
"I'm unsure what gave you that idea. Animosity towards her surroundings appears to be her normal state of being, at least in my experience." Tyrion said with a glint in his eye.
Bazyl laughed. "Well, let's say she was angrier than is typical of her."
"Of course, her attitude is understandable." He added seriously.
"It is?" Tyrion said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Are you aware of her background, My Lord?" The ambassador said.
"I know she's Westerosi. And I'm rather certain she's of no particularly high birth, otherwise I might have run across her name at one time or another." Tyrion said.
"It could be said that she was the opposite of being a highborn. Before she was involved with the Chantry she worked in one of the, um, establishments maintained by Lord… what was his name? Baelish! That was the name." The ambassador said.
"Littlefinger? She was one of his girls?" Tyrion said, this time raising both eyebrows. "Then it's truly a wonder I didn't know her form before. I've known quite a few women from that line of work."
"It would seem that this one escaped your notice. Sadly for her not being noticed has been a common theme in many points of her life. When the Sparrows took over the city they ransacked all Lord Baelish's brothels, and she was thrown to the streets to eke out a living in a city that didn't care whether she lived or died, amongst a populace that had always looked down on everyone like her, and was rapidly being reconditioned to outright despise her kind. And her lot didn't improve under Queen Cersei's reign. Even during the rule of Queen Daenerys she was overlooked. I suppose that with such large, all-encompassing designs upon the world single individuals may fall between the cracks." The ambassador said.
"How do you know all this?" Tyrion asked.
"As I said, I make it a point to know the world around me. And after becoming Grand Cleric she was noteworthy enough for me to pursue that line of inquiry." Bazyl answered.
"Anyway, with the arrival of the Chantry things finally got better for her. They were the ones to take her in when the rest of the city wouldn't lift a finger to help her. They were her salvation when the rest of the world had already condemned her. That kindness and compassion she repaid with absolute loyalty. She proved very accepting of the Chantry's teachings, climbing through the ranks with great speed, until finally Divine Victoria appointed her as the Grand Cleric to Westeros, seeing in her an opportunity to show what can become of a person who chooses the Chantry through hard work and belief. Also a chance to appoint someone born in Westeros to a position of importance, thus improving the Chantry's aims to be recognized as a domestic faith rather than a foreign religion brought and practiced by outsiders. The story of the Grand Cleric is one among many who have come to the service of the Chantry. They have often provided succor to those with a troubled past, and that strategy has gained them many loyal allies over the years." He said then.
Tyrion was quiet for a time. "It seems you were right. Knowledge of her past does help to understand her behavior a great deal better. The venom she carries towards the Faith of the Seven stems from the fact they tore apart what little she had in this life, and some of that ire spills over to the crown because we failed to heed her in her misery. Thank you ambassador. Thank you for educating me in this matter."
"Yes, well, I recommend not speaking to the Grand Cleric about this. It's probable that her past is still very much a sore point for her. Attempting to converse with her about the matter would likely make her even more difficult." Bazyl said.
"Oh, I won't be. Still, the knowledge itself can have its uses. You never know." Tyrion said.
"As it happens I don't think she is a very likely suspect in the murder of the High Septon, despite her animosity towards them. Her loyalty to the Chantry prevents that. She may want a conflict with the faith of the Seven, but she knows that the Divine doesn't, and Beatrice won't go against her wishes. And she knows that if it comes to open conflict between the faiths her people will suffer alongside the enemy. And that is something she doesn't want. If her people are attacked she will consider herself obligated to retaliate to defend them, but she would be reluctant to be the instigator, because she knows what it will bring." Bazyl said.
"And I suppose that now you are about to tell me what faction is actually behind this?" Tyrion said snarkily.
"Would that I could. But alas, even I do not possess that information at this time. And I'm sure that my nation is among your many, many suspects. I would refute that notion, but I have a feeling my words will not be sufficient." The ambassador said.
"Not on their own I'm afraid. But if you wish to go through the motions I will allow it. If you wish to." Tyrion said.
"I do, and I thank you for permitting me to do so." Bazyl said with a bow of his head. "My central argument against Orlesian involvement in this is that it is unnecessary. Yes, our operatives have sought to cause chaos and disruption, but that is something that has already been done. Nothing more is required on that front. And if more were to be needed later our actions would certainly be directed against the crowns we are currently at war with, not the faiths."
"One could argue that your objective might have been to reinforce the idea that the Chantry believers are in danger, and that your forces are here to protect them." Tyrion pointed out.
"One could make the argument, but again that would be unnecessary. We are already here, our claim already made. Those of our people who have sided with the Emperor and are willing to believe his claims already do, and the rest won't change their mind unless the Divine does. If we win we will get to write history as we please, and then the truth will be what we make of it. No need for us to arrange for anything of this sort." Bazyl countered.
"Furthermore if we won after doing this we would be stuck cleaning up a religious conflict we ourselves would have had a hand in making. Not a smart thing for us to do. And if we lose then the killing of the High Septon would have simply been pointless. The High Septon simply had no strategic value to our efforts here, no disrespect intended to his memory of course." He finished.
Tyrion nodded. "Well, thank you for you counter arguments. If you have told the truth I'm sure the evidence will exonerate your nation."
"I should certainly hope so." Bazyl said before clearing up and sitting up straighter. "But enough about that. I seem to remember you saying that you had called me here on official business. So, My Lord Hand, what can the Orlesian Empire do for you today?"
"Actually, it's more about what you yourself can do for me. And actually it is related to what we just discussed." Tyrion said. "It is something I had hoped could wait for a little while longer, but as recent events have shown, the need has now become pressing."
"You see, with the death of the High Septon a retaliation against the Chantry may be imminent. The fanatics among the Faith of the Seven will not be content to wait for the crown to find out the guilty party and punish them. Odds are they have already made up their minds, and will soon act on what they think they know. If that attack takes place Beatrice will consider herself justified to strike back in the name of the Chantry. That in turn will result in retaliation after retaliation until matters spiral into complete and utter chaos. I cannot allow that to happen. The Queen's available forces in the capital and elsewhere in the South Kingdom stand ready to stop and shut down any violence between these groups. On that regard we are ready. But I also require troops to defend the Chantry Cathedral here; to stand between fanatics and ensure that any violence directed against the Cathedral or its occupants is preemptively halted until my investigation is concluded and justice has been meted out through proper, lawful channels." He explained.
"And you come to me? I am uncertain why you would require my involvement. The Twin Kingdoms cannot be so starved for troops that some could not be spared for this task." Bazyl said.
"Numbers aren't the issue here. The issue is that at this time the Twin Kingdoms cannot be seen taking any sides except that of peace. That's the only way this can be kept from escalating. Our forces can handle stopping this elsewhere as part of our normal duties of keeping order. But the Cathedral has never been our area of responsibility to guard. If we deploy there those sided with the Faith of the Seven will think the crown has taken the Chantry's side, a group they currently believe to be responsible for the murder of the High Septon. It's like to cause the very thing we are trying to stop. No doubt the Grand Cleric would also be all too eager to claim that she had our support."
"So in other words you believe that direct involvement on your part will only make the problem worse. So now you are seeking alternate means of getting this done." The ambassador said.
"Quite." Tyrion said. "I have been in talks with the Inquisition, and they have readily agreed to provide troops as part of their overall mission of helping keep peace in the world. They are already affiliated with the Chantry, so their involvement won't give the Grand Cleric support she doesn't already have. At the same time the Inquisition has an independent command structure and a reputation for neutrality, so they hopefully will not be seen as an aggressive actor under the command of the Chantry. The Inquisition assets in the city are unfortunately insufficient, so I have also been in talks with other Thedosian ambassadors here, and a number of them have agreed to place a number of their personal guards under the command of the Inquisition for their support. Together they will present a force that will be intimidating for poorly armed fanatics to take on. At the same time they will be a purely defensive force, driven only to prevent or at least contain violence from happening, without at the same time becoming a vehicle through which more harm could be done. I have the most of the pieces I need in place. Just one more piece is required to make sure this works. That means your personal guard, or more precisely half of them. I would ask you to commit one hundred of your guards to this effort."
The ambassador leaned forward in his chair, taking a deep breath. "Lord Tyrion… I can see why you would want this. But considering what the situation is now I do not think that..."
"In return for each soldier you assign, I am prepared to recall one Unsullied soldier watching over your residence, up to half their current numbers, to stay away for as long as your guards are attending to their task. They are as many as your own guards, so a balance of numbers will be maintained." Tyrion cut in calmly, holding up his hand.
"You would do that? Why?" Bazyl asked, surprised.
"Quite simply to give you something in return for your cooperation. I'm sure that the presence of the Unsullied is quite a disruption in your life. Almost certainly you would like to have that disruption reduced." Tyrion replied.
"It's true, those soldiers are quite a burden. Dutiful lads I grant, but perhaps a bit too much so." The ambassador mused. "But tell me, how will the Orlesian Empire benefit from this? Given that our nations are at war I believe that is a requirement before I can offer my assistance to you and the Twin Kingdoms in this matter." He asked then.
Tyrion gave a sly smile, having already anticipated this move. "Well, as your Emperor has claimed, his armies are here to offer protection to the Chantry's faithful against rampant aggression from the local faiths. Now there is a good opportunity to demonstrate that this is indeed what you intend to do. On the other hand, your nation would look quite hypocritical if they did nothing when an actual danger reared its head."
"Ah. And this is why you went to the other ambassadors first. My nation can I'll afford to look hypocritical when every other Thedosian nation is already onboard. Even you are doing your part in this by maintaining peace where you can. Well played My Lord." The ambassador said.
"Thank you." Tyrion said with a nod. "But I would much rather do this with your willing support. You said that Orlais would not want this chaos. On those grounds and on our friendship I implore you, help me do this."
Bazyl sighed. "Very well. Give me one day to arrange matters, and then we may make a formal agreement. I trust that will be soon enough for your purposes?"
Tyrion nodded, and Bazyl stood up. "Excellent. Until next time then." He said and left for the door. Just as he raised his hand to the door handle he stopped and turned back to Tyrion: "My Lord, I have also been privy to the rumor that you have called Warden Commander Nathaniel to see you. Something about you trying to convince them to side with The Twin Kingdoms and against the Empire?"
Tyrion quickly hid his surprise that the ambassador already knew of that. "Considering the diplomatic status of our nations I'm afraid I can't confirm or deny." He said nonchalantly.
The ambassador chuckled. "Of course. Still, in an instance where you were planning on doing such a thing I would advise you to focus your efforts on something more productive. It is not the way of Grey Wardens to participate in conflicts like this. Attempting to convince them to do so is just a waste of your time, and theirs. Just as well I suppose. Grey Wardens are few in number, but extremely able combatants. Some of the best this world has to offer in fact. I would hate to see them in opposition to my people."
"Well, of course in that scenario you would understand that I could not simply accept whatever advice you have to give and I would have to make my own judgement." Tyrion said.
"I guess so." Bazyl said with a sigh. "You know, one more reason I hope for this war to end is so we can stop dancing around these subjects. Oh well…" He said as last words before departing. Tyrion for his part went back to work waiting for the Commander of the Grey to grace him with his presence.
"No! Out of the question!" Shouted Nathaniel Howe later that day.
"If you would just listen…" Tyrion tried to say.
"There is nothing to listen to. This is not something the Grey Wardens can take part in." Nathaniel interrupted.
"May I remind you that the Grey Wardens operate here at our sufferance. The Queen allowed your presence here on the theory your order could help her defend her realm. She provided you a base of operations here. She expects you to earn your keep in return for that." Tyrion said sternly.
"And if darkspawn ever threaten the Twin Kingdoms the Grey Wardens will stand ready to lead the battle against them. But if she allowed us here so we could be used to fight her political wars, then she was sadly misinformed as to the purpose of our order. The Grey Wardens exist for a singular purpose: to combat the threat of the Blights. If that is not good enough for her then it is within her power to exile us, but I tell you now that doing so would be utter folly on her part." Nathaniel said.
"Protection against creatures on the far side of the world." Tyrion said, unable to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "Do you truly think that an adequate justification for you being here, a foreign organization that has recruited many of our most able into your ranks over the years?"
"It should be. The darkspawn may seem a distant problem now. Perhaps it will remain that way for centuries to come. Perhaps it will remain that way forever. I hope you will be so fortunate. But I fought them in Amaranthine, and many more times since. I have seen what they did to Ferelden in the course of a single year. Trust me, if they come you will need us. Then we will be your only solution to their threat." Nathaniel said. It was the last thing he had to say, so he turned and strode away, leaving the stunned Hand of the Queen in his study.
As he was making his way through the throne room he came across Blackwall, leaning against the wall. Like Nathaniel he had been sent to King's Landing along with others to form the senior leadership of the Wardens in Westeros until the local recruits were experienced enough to take their place.
"So, what did the Hand of the Queen want?" Blackwall asked as his commander came close, matching his pace as he passed.
"To drag us into their war. I told him no in a way that should leave no ambiguity as to our stance on the matter." Nathaniel said.
"I have been thinking about that. Maybe we should help them. It's not right for the locals to be invaded like this by Orlais. In our time here I have gotten to know some of the locals and I can tell you that they deserve better than that. The Orlesians won't care for them. To the Empire they are just people they can tax and take from."
"Thom, don't start that with me. I already had Lord Tyrion trying to turn my head on this, I don't need you trying to do so as well. We are not a political order. These are not the kind of fights we are meant to get ourselves involved in." Nathaniel said, not trying to hide his irritation.
"The Hero of Ferelden did during the Fifth Blight. I did during the Breach War. And the other Wardens followed suite after Adamant." Blackwall argued.
"Mahariel only did what she did because she needed everyone united against the Archdemon. And the Wardens of Adamant joined with the Inquisition when it became clear that they had been manipulated by an intelligent darkspawn that was going to take over the world and enslave the wardens to serve as his minions. Both cases were exceptional circumstances requiring exceptional action in response to world ending threats. The war between the Twin Kingdoms and the Orlesian Empire is nothing of the sort. And you yourself are a poor example in your argument, since you weren't even a Warden when you joined the Inquisition." Nathaniel countered.
"But let's just for a moment imagine that we do side with the Twin Kingdoms in this war." He continued. "Imagine next that Orlais wins this war despite our interventions, which is entirely possible, since our numbers aren't great and we could simply be overwhelmed. Assuming any of us survive our confrontation with the Empire, they will be most displeased that we got in their way. The very least they will do to us then will be to throw us out of Westeros for fighting them, and perhaps from Orlais as well. The case of Sophia Dryden back in Ferelden is ample proof that that's exactly what would happen. Suppose that after we have been exiled there is another Blight, one that hits these lands. How many more lives will be lost then, because we weren't there to stop the darkspawn? And even if none of that happens taking part in this war would likely get some of us killed. Those are lives we can ill afford to lose against anything that is not the enemy our order was created to defeat. Those are our reasons. That is why we cannot be involved in this. We stand for them all, which is why we cannot stand for any one in particular."
Blackwall raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, I get it. I don't like it, but I understand."
"Good. But this conversation does remind me of something. I got word that we are going to get some new recruits from Thedas. We'll get them after the war obviously, since travel from Thedas is restricted at the moment, but they will be coming." Nathaniel said.
"That is good news. Local recruits only get us so far, particularly since we cannot conscript them. But why did you say that our conversation reminded you of this?" Blackwall said.
"Because among those recruits there is one that would also likely wish for Warden involvement in this war. An old friend of yours. Someone from Westeros." Nathaniel said.
Briefly Blackwall was puzzled, unsure who Nathaniel was referring to. Then his eyes widened. "Oh? She made her choice then?"
"She did indeed, a few months back in fact." Nathaniel said with a nod. "I guess she forgot to tell you."
"She always has been lousy at writing letters." Blackwall chuckled.
"Well now you know. She's one of us." Nathaniel said. "You seem less surprised about that than I expected." He added.
"She was always headstrong about her intentions. She was headstrong about most everything she ever decided to do in fact. I was the one who insisted she should wait and take a closer look before jumping. Apparently that did not deter her." Blackwall said. He sighed. "I hope she made the right choice for herself. I would hate for her to regret it later. Because this is one she will never be able to walk back."
"Surprised she's coming here though. She once told me she had no intentions of ever returning to Westeros." He added.
"Well I didn't expect to come here either. I didn't even expect for there to be a here. Neither did you. But fate has a strange way of playing these kinds of tricks on you. As someone who is from Westeros the folks back home felt she could help the other recruits acclimatize more quickly. And of course every Warden originally from Westeros we have serving here is a symbolic achievement for us. It will help us root ourselves more firmly in this part of the world." Nathaniel said.
"Very true. And I wonder if she would feel differently about coming here now that she knows about the Orlesian invasion." Blackwall said.
"Very likely. Which why I'm actually glad they are being sent here only after the war. I can't claim to know her as well as you do, but what I do know tells me that the reality of what it means to be a Warden might not have quite sunken in yet. I don't want her starting some renegade operation on her own because of her past loyalties. I understand why she might wish to, and I sympathize with that. Maker only knows what I would wish to do if my sister or nephew were in danger. But even so it is too much. As a Warden she cannot involve herself, for reasons I already explained." Nathaniel said.
"You do realize that if she wants to come here to fight in this war there's very little she will allow to stop herself from doing so?" Blackwall said.
"I know. And even with travel limited there are illicit methods that could get her here. I'm hoping that her friends in the Wardens will be able to keep her from doing anything stupid."
"To that end I'd like you to write to her. Remind her of her responsibilities as a Warden. I would do that myself, but I have never been more to her than someone of superior rank. She's not going to listen to me. But maybe you know the ways to get through to her." Nathaniel told his fellow Warden.
"I'll do what I can." Blackwall said.
"Good. That's all I ask. A Grey Warden should set aside the person they used to be. At a times like this… that can be a lot to ask. But all the more important she is made to understand that now."
"Yeah, one should set aside who they used to be. But hardly any of us manage it all the way." Blackwall said in contemplation.
"I'd say none of us really do." Nathaniel agreed. "It's just how it is with people. There's no escaping it. We are defined by our past and present in equal measure, and we use both to define our future. We can only hope her past won't affect her present so much she will compromise her future."