Chapter 95: Nobility
The group slipped out of Denerim one fine early evening. It had taken them several more days before they had been able to make the attempt. Word had come of rioting in Highever and near Amaranthine. The refugees fleeing the Blight were becoming a problem stealing and attacking farms and merchants looking for food or supplies.
Loghain responded by cracking down on the roads. He reinforced the guard in Denerim with his soldiers. Martial law had been declared, execution was authorized for the most minor of crimes.
It slowed the wardens gaining new supplies. The price of food was skyrocketing, starvation was not a problem yet, but as time went on…if something did not change, the situation would become far too grim even for the Hero of Riverdane to hold things together.
Kally proved her value to the group during these troubling days. The elf had friends with connections to both the black market and the local thieves' guilds. Neither group approved of Loghain's tactics; too many of their friends had been hanged as examples. The blonde elf did not tell her contacts who she was working with, just that they were enemies of Loghain.
That seemed wise, the bounty on the wardens was still live, and had grown several hundred sovereigns in the last few weeks.
The group stuck to Marjolaine's safe house, its location served them well, and as long as they caused no problems, the increased guard patrols left the place alone. Leliana suspected that Marjolaine had likely bribed the guard to keep them off her; it was funny that her precautions now protected those who had slain the cruel bard master.
Leliana recovered, but she did not seem to be the same woman, the cheery chatty bard was gone. In her place was now a cool distant young woman. She spoke little, even to Alim; they still shared a bed, but no longer were intimate with each other. Alim wondered if he had done something wrong, he even asked his lover about it.
Leliana shook her head, asking that he give her time to think.
He agreed, though he did not understand what she needed to think about, her former master, her tormentor was now dead.
She should have been happy, or at the least at peace.
When the day came that they were finally able to slip out of the city it was a welcome occurrence. The wardens had spent those days going over Brother Genitivi's notes, both seemed confident that they would be able to find this Haven that the notes mentioned. Between the battle with the false Weylon and the reavers outside the Spoiled Princess, Alim found himself curious just what it was waiting for them in the remote village.
If the ashes of Andraste were simply a myth, then why go to so much trouble to try and conceal it? Everything that they had seen up to now suggested that the ashes were more than just a story.
He hoped that it was true, for Arl Eamon's sake, if the wardens could not revive the Arl, he was not sure if Bann Teagan would be enough to rally the remaining free nobles of Ferelden against Loghain, much less against the Blight.
If Loghain could not be stopped, then there was likely no hope for Ferelden. Loghain would see the whole country fall around him; the Archdemon would leave Ferelden a barren waste…
…And all because of politics.
Alim frowned.
He hated politics.
By the time the group reached Sten and Shayle, the two had already been prepared to leave; several attacks by bandits had forced the Qunari and golem to take steps to leave quickly. It would likely only be a matter of time until someone reported the unusual campers to Loghain or his hatchet man Howe.
The group broke camp quickly and began heading west, back towards the mountain paths. The whole journey north now seemed like a waste of time. They might have found a lead on Genitivi, but it likely could lead to another dead end if they were not careful.
All three wardens were plagued by increasing nightmares. The advance of the Blight had continued; the dark clouds that had once hung over the Korcari wilds now covered the bulk of the central bannorn. They shielded the darkspawn from the rays of the sun, and brought tainted rain down, ruining the land.
Alistair shivered as he stared at those clouds.
He wondered if they were too late.
If there would be anything left of Ferelden to save?
He could no longer say for certain.
IOI
The sun set on another day, and again the wardens and their allies made camp.
Fergus and Seri took first watch tonight. The dwarf seemed almost serene tonight, she at least was grateful to be out of Denerim. Something had happened to her in the marketplace the other day, Fergus had seen her talking to a dwarven merchant, and afterward…she had seemed troubled. She said she just wanted to get out of the city, but the noble suspected that something more had happened, that the former dwarven princess had other reasons to want to flee Denerim.
After being cooped up in that house for days, he agreed, but would have preferred to handle some business before he left…
Personal business…
He stared out at the darkening skies, his thoughts heavy, his heart troubled.
So close, he thought, so very close.
The knight's eyes narrowed.
Howe had been in Denerim when they had been there.
The thought of vengeance denied ate at him, and with those thoughts came the faces of his family.
The ones he had loved.
The ones he had failed.
He had broached this topic with Alim. Surely striking at Howe would have weakened Loghain's position in Denerim. It might even have helped turned the tide in the civil war. Howe had quickly become seen as the Teyrn's arm of vengeance.
If that arm were to be removed, the nobles might have felt bolstered enough to fight on against Loghain and his allies.
Alim agreed, it would likely prolong the war, and that was the reason that they could not act.
The elf's admission had shocked him, he almost blew up at their leader, but the elf demanded that he hear him out.
Fergus fell silent and listened.
Could they have reached Howe, possibly, but could they have escaped unnoticed, unlikely. Slaying Howe in his home would not aid their cause; it would only harden Loghain's resolve. He might even strike back savagely against the nobles that still resisted him. They would fight back, of course, and likely kill many of Loghain's soldiers in the process.
Soldiers that would be needed to help fight the darkspawn.
He swallowed hard, he…he had not considered that.
Alim gave him a sad smile.
"I know what you want my friend," he said, "I promise, Howe will answer for his crimes, but only once he is stripped of his many allies. We will need every warrior in Ferelden if we are to have a chance of ending this Blight."
The elf's eyes turned wolfish.
"Howe will answer for what he did to your family, and when the time comes, you might even live to celebrate that vengeance, but for now…trust me."
Fergus took a deep breath. He knew in his head that Alim was right, but in his heart…he still felt like he had failed his family. Mother, Father, Elissa, Oriana, and Orin, their killer still walked free, until Howe was dead, he could not say that he had done his duties as not just a Cousland, but as a son, brother, husband, and Father.
Howe's arrogant features danced before his eyes, filling him with a cold rage.
He would have the bastard, one way or another, but…for now…
He would wait.
He glanced over at Kally; Wynne sat before the elf, inspecting her damaged eye. The blonde haired elf blinked, she still complained that her vision was very blurry in her bad eye, Wynne promised to do what she could, but she did say that the elf might have to get used to the idea of her vision never totally returning.
With a sad sigh, Kally put her patch back on. She glanced up at him, acknowledging his regard…
Then she turned away.
The noble's temper flared slightly.
Kally had been cordial to him before Redcliffe; they had actually been able to have friendly conversations, since finding out who he was…
She treated him like he was some unpleasant thing she had seen along the side of the road.
He could not take it anymore.
He excused himself. He was no longer willing to let this go on.
The elf would hear him…now.
"Kally?" he called after her.
The elf paused before her tent.
"Yes Milord," she said coldly.
Her words struck him hard, the cold anger of them. He realized how imperious he had just sounded, it was not the way to make peace with the elf, and that was what he wanted.
He took a deep breath, tried to let go of his anger.
He lowered his head and started again.
"Kally," he said softly, "I…want to speak with you, as a friend, you can lose the whole "Milord thing."
She turned to him, he could still see the anger in her eyes, but he saw something else there as well.
Sadness? Guilt?
He could not say for certain.
The elven woman sighed.
"Gus," she sighed, "Or Fergus, or whoever you are. I don't see why my opinion is so important to you. Alim needs me to fight darkspawn, so I fight darkspawn."
"This is not about your abilities," he said, "I…I want to apologize to you."
She winced, the look on her face …it was almost murderous.
"Apologize," she hissed, "And what makes you think I will accept your apology? Noble shem bastards, who step on me and mine with barely a thought. Who treat us like vermin, and force us to live in walled up holes, with disease and filth to keep us company."
"I'm not responsible for what happened in Denerim," he reminded her, "I did not purge the Alienage Kally."
"No," she spat, "Rendon Howe did, your father's friend was he not?"
"Howe betrayed my family," he said hotly, "He murdered them in their sleep! He is no friend of mine!"
"And now he is the right hand of the regent," she growled, "He sits at the right hand of the man who will be king!"
"We will stop Howe…and Loghain."
"How?" she demanded.
"What?"
"How are we going to stop them, and even if we do, what will that mean to my people!?"
"Your people will be safe," he said, "Safe from both Loghain and the Blight!"
She almost laughed at him.
"And then what oh mighty Teyrn of Highever? Will whoever replaces Loghain tear down the walls of the Alienages? Will they bring the dead back to life?"
He lip quivered, she…she seemed on the verge of tears. Fergus had never seen her like that.
He caught Wynne trying to rise, to intervene before the two of them came to blows.
He saw Alim stop her out of the corner of his eye. The elf shook his head no.
Fergus was not sure what Alim was playing at, but was grateful.
He was tired of Kally's coldness, he could not undo what had been done, but that did not mean that he was responsible for what had happened.
He…he did not want her blaming him.
He gave her a sad look.
"I…can't undo what has been done," he admitted, "Nor can I promise that things will change. I can only swear to do my best to help make things better."
The sighed, her elven ears lowered.
"More promises, made by those that don't give a damn about us. They lie to us, because it suits them."
She spat at the ground at his feet.
"You're all the same, no better than Vaughan Kendals!"
She glared hatefully at him.
"No better than that bastard Howe!"
Fury flashed in his eyes, the whole world turned red, he raised his hand.
She did not back down.
"Go ahead," she spat, "go ahead Milord, put this uppity elf in her place. It won't be the first time some shem struck me."
Fergus struggled, his own temper boiling over. He…how dare the arrogant elf think…think he was…
How dare this knife-earred…knife-eared…
Fergus lowered his hand.
He…he…oh Maker.
His father would have been appalled!
Kally looked at him, waiting for him to prove her right, to prove that he cared nothing for what had been done.
He…he would not do that.
The camp fell silent; the others found things to do, leaving the two of them to finish this.
At first, Fergus Cousland did not know what to say; he…who had addressed the Landsmeet, and its many lords and ladies did not know what to say to a simple elven woman.
He sighed and gathered his courage.
He met her cool even stare.
"I'm not like Vaughan," he said softly.
"Yes you are," she spat, "You…you are all like him!"
"I'm not…I…Kally please…believe me…I…I didn't lie to hurt you…I…I could not face what telling you meant…"
"And what was that?" she growled.
"That I had failed," he gasped, the admission, almost sent him into tears.
He tried to hold her gaze, but it was not easy.
"I failed them," he gasped, "My family…they…they died…and I wasn't there. I…I couldn't help them! I…even if I returned to Highever tomorrow I would be too late."
He wiped at his face, struggling against the tears that wanted to come. He…he did not want to cry around her.
"I was too late to save them," he whimpered.
Kally shuddered, she…she looked like a terrified animal looking to bolt; a tear ran down her cheek, with a feral snarl she lunged at him, beating on his chest. He grabbed her, holding her close.
She struggled like demon, but he did not release her.
She glared at him with her good eye.
"Bastard," she shouted, "I hate you! You liar! You soddening liar! You don't care about anyone! You…you don't…don't…"
She laid her head against his chest, her body wracked by heaving sobs. He crushed her to him.
"I…I could not save them," she whimpered, "That bastard purged the Alienage because of me! It…it was all my fault! I…I…couldn't…couldn't…"
She wailed and fell sobbing against him.
He did not let her go.
"It wasn't your fault," he murmured, "It was Howe. He will answer for what he has done to us. I promise. I promise."
He…he was not sure how long he stood there, in the center of their camp, this brave stubborn woman sobbing in his arms, but finally, she exhausted her tears.
He picked her up and took her back to her tent.
She looked at him with a red rimmed eye.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered, "I'm so sorry, for your family…for everything."
"I'm sorry to," he murmured, "I will help you, with Howe…with everything. You have my word."
He lay her down on her bed roll; she looked so tiny, so young.
She gently stroked his cheek.
"I…I did not mean it," she sighed, "Those horrible things…I…I didn't mean it, any of it."
He took her hand in his, they were small, soft.
He gentlemanly kissed her knuckle.
"I know Kally," he murmured…
"I know."