Chapter 121: Allies
"What happened," Leliana asked with a concerned frown.
"You all look like you have been through a war."
Alim chuckled as a tavern girl brought him a drink.
"Well," he began, "We started out visiting Alistair's sister…"
Morrigan snorted like an angry mare.
"Twas a waste of time," she said coldly.
Alistair glared at her.
The witch's eyes narrowed.
"Do not blame me," she said holding up her hands, "I told you what a bad idea seeking this woman was, but you chose not to listen to me."
The former Templar glared at her, about to fire back an angry response.
Alim stopped him. He put his hand on his friend's shoulder
"Easy, Ali," he said softly.
Alistair turned to his fellow warden.
"How can you take her side?" he demanded.
"I'm not," he said with a shrug, "What Morrigan said was not the most…tactfully put, but that doesn't mean that you are not thinking the same thing."
Alistair grumbled and looked down.
"I…I just…just thought that she would accept me for who I am. Isn't…isn't that what family is supposed to do?"
Leliana gave him sympathetic smile.
"I take it she was not grateful to see her little brother?"
"You could say that," Morrigan volunteered. "The woman was a heartless shrew who blamed Alistair for the loss of her mother! A shrew that only saw him as a means to get more coin to feed her rodent progeny."
Alistair winced at the harshness of the witch's words. No doubt the sharpness brought back what he had experienced in his sister's tiny house.
He…he still could not believe it.
His sister had rejected him.
He shook his head.
"I'm alone," he murmured.
The pain in his voice shocked his friends; even Morrigan seemed to wince at those words. Once she might have jeered at his pain…
…not anymore.
Leliana gave their friend a sad look.
Alistair," she said, "I'm sorry."
He smiled wanly.
Morrigan however was not finished.
"Tis not right!" she exclaimed,
"The woman was a fool!"
Alistair gave her a cold yet surprised look.
"I'm surprised that you would even think so," he said, "Considering everything you have said about me in the last few days."
She sneered and gave him a haughty look.
"What had happened between you and me does not diminish your value to our cause," she replied.
Alistair paused, trying to digest that.
He could not decide if it was a compliment or an insult.
With Morrigan it could be hard to tell.
Alim tried to help.
"What our rather cold witchy friend is trying to say," The warden mage said, "You're not alone in this. We're here. We're all here."
If Morrigan took exception to being called witchy, she did not show it. She let Alim continue on in his defense of his fellow warden.
He put his hand over Alistair's.
"You're not alone," he said.
The former Templar smiled slightly. Leliana nodded agreeing with what her lover had said.
Even Theron tried to cheer him up.
"No one who is part of a clan is ever alone," he said, "And you have a clan Alistair, you are one of the Grey Wardens."
The elf's ears twitched.
"Your friends are with you."
IOI
Morrigan sneered at the display, at least openly.
It served the fool right for putting all his hopes in a woman he had never met.
Still…
She frowned slightly.
Still…
He had not deserved to be treated in such a way.
A fool he might be, but he was still their fool."
He…he deserved better.
IOI
Leliana frowned.
That explained why Alistair had looked so down when they entered, but that was not the only question here.
She turned again to Alim.
"Was there some kind of problem at Alistair's sisters," she asked.
"Is that why you all look like you have been through a war?"
Again Alim chuckled.
"If only that was the case," he said with a snort.
He took a long pull from his mug, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
"We were just trying to do the guard a favor."
The elven mage shook his head.
"That did not go very well."
Alistair's eyes narrowed.
"What was supposed to be some back alley thugs turned out to be some old friends of Zevran."
The assassin chuckled, even though it made him wince from the pain.
"Taliesin always liked his subtle traps," he said with a shrug.
"This time it cost him."
IOI
Seri gave the elf a worried look. Zev seemed okay, but that had not changed the fact that he had killed one of his best friends.
Such an act was never easy, nor was it something that would fade from his mind quickly. She still had nightmares about Trian sometimes.
She might not have liked her brother all that much, but he had still been her brother.
How would her lover react to killing someone who was his brother in arms?
She could only hazard a guess, and even then she was not sure it was right.
Zevran Arainai was not an easy man to get to know. It had taken quite a bit of time to get him to tell her about what happened before he came to Ferelden…
He and this Taliesin had been involved in some mission with a woman, a woman that Zev had come to care for. They had killed her when they thought she had betrayed them. When Zevran realized that their masters did not care that the girl had been killed it had led him to take what he had thought, perhaps even hoped, would be a suicide mission…
Yet, he had managed to survive his initial fight with Alim.
This…this Taliesin had tried to convince Zev to join him, to help him complete the contract on the wardens. Her lover had refused of course, and now he was staying with them not out of fear of the Crows or some oath sworn on some empty road.
No.
Now…Zev was staying because he wished to stay. He had made some excuse about staying for whatever rewards or treasures the wardens would likely find before their journey was done, but Seri did not buy that. The other's might, but she did not.
There was more to Zev than he let others see.
Was he staying for her? She could not say for certain, but for once she was willing to entertain the hope that he was.
She smiled slightly.
They had both been through a lot. She had lost her life in Orzammar, and he had lost his life in Antiva. Was it possible, would they be able to make a life here?
She smiled slightly.
It was an interesting thought, even if nothing ever came out of it.
She glanced at Leliana and Alim. They had come from two almost completely different worlds. The elf from the circle, the bard from the salons and back alleys of Val Royeaux, Seri had never been to Val Royeaux of course, but if it was anything like Orzammar, then it was amazing she had managed to come from that life…to the place she was now.
The dwarf hated to admit it, but she was a bit jealous.
She pursed her lips.
Alim and Leliana, what they had, she could see it in the concern in the human woman's eyes. She was madly in love with the elf.
Did Zev feel the same about her? She could not say for certain.
Seri smiled slightly again.
It would be fun finding out.
IOI
"Crow problems and family issues aside," Alim continued, "We might have allies here in the capital."
"We have seen graffiti scribbled on the walls, and even a few posters in discreet places in the back alleys," Alistair added.
Alim smiled slightly.
"All of them calling for the friends of the griffon to unite."
Leliana considered this.
Was it possible the wardens still had friends here in the capital, she supposed it was, but considering what she had heard of Loghain's reputation, she found it hard to believe that he would allow any opposition to flourish here in his capital, and considering her vision...
The bard frowned.
No, she did not like the sound of this at all.
"It could be a trap," she said thoughtfully, " A way for Loghain to lure in warden sympathsizers."
Seri nodded.
"Aye," she agreed, "I said as much myself, it is the kind of thing you would expect in Orzammar, extend a hand, then slit the throat with a dagger when your enemy draws too close."
Alim frowned.
"But what if it isn't," he said, "What if we actually do have allies here. Don't we owe it to ourselves to at least reach out and see if they are there?"
"You seem pretty sure about this," Leliana said.
Her lover shrugged.
"I'm just hoping that maybe, just maybe, after the year we have had that something may finally start to go right for us. Maybe we can find some allies and get the ball rolling against Loghain and Howe."
Alistair shrugged.
"It would be nice to have some good news."
He turned to Leliana.
"I don't suppose you have the names of any nobles who might support us?"
Leliana shifted in her seat. All she had heard today suggested that the nobles were curious about what Eamon was playing at, none seem properly motivated to even think about trying to stand up to the Regent and his adviser."
As much as she hated to do it, Leliana shook her head no.
"I say we try this," Alim said with a nod.
"I agree," Alistair said.
Theron gave him a critical look, he gave them both critical looks.
The Dalish frowned.
"I nearly died fleeing this city once lethallin," he said, "I'm not in a hurry to take such a chance again."
He turned to their leader.
"Let us say we do this, if we find new allies goo, but we have to ask ourselves…
"What happens if you're wrong?"
The warden mage sighed.
"Then it is just another trap that we will have fought our way out of."
He shook his head and looked at his companions.
"Am I the only one at least willing to consider that this might be genuine?"
Leliana and Theron glanced at each other. Once the Dalish would have been the first to take this chance, but since the attack that killed Brother Genitivi, he had become much more dour, sadder, but as the same time more careful."
She understood the value of hope, but at the same time.
The bard sighed.
Where are these friends of the griffon supposed to meet?"
Alim blushed slightly at that.
"That…is why..um…why I decided to come to you all first," he said.
"The meeting is…um…it…it is…ah…"
Zevran chuckled.
"It is in the local brothel," he said, "A place called the Pearl."
Leliana gave her lover a curious look.
Alim's ears turned beet red.
"Yeah," he said, "that place."
Leliana gave him an arched look.
She was surprised that her love was so…hesitant to speak about a brothel, but then again, Alim had lived a solitary life in the tower.
Perhaps the whole concept made him feel…uncertain, or it could be the fact that he had not wished to go to the place without telling her first.
She smiled slightly.
Alim was a flirt, she knew that, she had seen how charming he could be, Maker knew, she had fallen for those charms herself. Maybe he feared that she would get the wrong idea if their little group had simply gone ahead to the Pearl without her, perhaps he feared that she thought it would be an excuse to…sample local pleasures?
If that was the case?
Oh, she thought, her sweet dear man.
Oghren chuckled.
He had likely came to the same conclusion.
"Had to get your lady's permission before you headed down to see the whores warden?" he asked.
Alim glared at him.
Overhead thunder rumbled.
Leliana chose to spare Alim any more embarrassment.
"It looks like we are going to the Pearl," she said.
"And if we must, we will fight our way out of it."
Alim nodded, though he did grasp her hand affectionately.
"Thanks," he murmured, "For being understanding about this."
The bard's smile brightened.
"You are welcome."