Chapter 127: Leaving
Alim frowned as he looked down at the late Arl's body. After everything that he had seen down here he could not help but wonder if even a death such as this was too good for the murdering bastard. Torture, treason, and grand manipulation had been only a small part of the man's crimes.
His elven ears twitched.
Hanging was almost too good for a bastard like this, they would have had to have hanged him four times over before the elf would have been satisfied, still…perhaps the fact that Fergus and Kally had ended the bastard's life would serve to balance the scales.
The warden snorted. He had remembered reading once that revenge was never sweet; it was just something that needed doing. When someone was beyond the reach of the legitimate law, sometimes something more personal was required, it was not good, or right, it was simply a grim responsibility.
As Alim looked over at his two friends, he suspected that they understood that now. Fergus was staring grimly down at the fallen noble. Kally leaned against him, he face still speckled with battle blood.
Fergus took a shuddering breath. Kally wrapped her arms around his left; she rested her head on his shoulder.
Alim sighed.
"Feel any better?" he asked them.
Fergus's eyes narrowed.
"No," he sighed, "But this was a start."
"May he be lost forever in the void, the bastard," Kally added.
"Alim?"
He turned to Leliana, the bard was standing next to an open door, with the battle finally over, they could make out what sounded like sobbing coming from within.
The elf's ears twitched.
It seemed that they had found more prisoners.
He glanced back, checking on the status of his companions.
Oghren lay slumped against the wall, he had removed the arrows he had been struck with, and blood was now flowing freely from his wounds. Morrigan was at his side, applying both healing magic, and salves to aid in the healing process.
The warden tried to go to her, but she waved him off.
"Tend to the others, warden," she said, "I will see to the dwarf."
From his place on the floor, Oghren chuckled.
"Heh, heh," he said, "I knew you cared, witch."
Morrigan wrinkled her nose.
"I'm simply trying to keep the smell down here from becoming worse," she snorted, "You smell bad enough without adding death to the mix."
Oghren chuckled again, and belched.
Morrigan shook her head and continued her work.
Alim shook his head. He smiled slightly at Morrigan's reaction. The witch would never admit it, but she had come to care about her companions.
He would have to remember to tease her about that later, if for no other reason, then to get a rise out of their sometimes bitchy companion.
I might have sounded a little petty, but hey…
…just because he was trying to save the world did not mean that he could not be an ass sometimes, it kept things interesting, and provided a momentary distraction.
If there was one thing their little group needed now and then…
It was a distraction.
IOI
The dungeon as it turned out yielded three very different prisoners.
The first cell contained a mad man. He almost did not even acknowledge the presence of the warden and his allies. He kept babbling about their commanders calling for a retreat, that and about a witch haunting their dreams.
Alim's ears twitched.
Could the man have been at Ostagar? It was possible he supposed. As for his babblings about a witch…he supposed it was possible that the man and his allies had bumped into Flemeth as they fled the wilds. Why she would choose to torture Loghain's soldiers he could not say. Whether part of some greater plan, or for simple amusement, either was not beyond the old sorceress' motivations.
He thought it best that he mention this to Morrigan later, maybe she could shed more light on what he was hearing.
The next cell contained a man lost in both tears and prayer. It took a bit, but Alim was able to get out of him that his name was Irminric, a Knight-Lieutenant in the Denerim chantry.
The elf's eyes narrowed.
He…he had never seen a Templar in such a state. The man did not appear to have been tortured, but it was clear that something had been done to him.
The warden shook his head.
He had never imagined that he would ever see a Templar in such a state.
Slowly, and with a little bit of coaxing, the warden managed to get the man's story. He had left Denerim hunting an escaped blood mage. Apparently, he had caught his prey not far from Highever, but…unfortunately, for him.
Loghain's men had found them too. The Teyrn's men had taken the blood mage, and the Templar had ended up in here.
The elf shook his head.
…Too bad for the Templar. It was not hard to figure out who the mysterious blood mage was.
Alim pursed his lips.
It was a good thing that they had decided to leave Jowan at the Arl's estate.
If this man had seen him, who knew what he would have done.
Like the first prisoner, the Templar did not want to leave his cell. Though he did give Alim his ring, and asked the warden to see that it found its way into the hands of his sister, Bann Alfstanna of Waking Seas…
He also asked that the elf ask his sister to pray for him.
The warden did as he was bid.
It was the least he could do for the poor broken man.
The third prisoner, was for one of their party anyway, a joyous discovery.
"SORIS!"
Kally broke away from their little group; she embraced a young elven man in dirty finery. He blinked and gasped as he was pulled into their companions almost death-grip embrace.
Fergus regarded the young man suspiciously until Kally informed them that the boy was her cousin.
That made the noble relax…a little bit anyway.
As it turns out, Soris knew little of what had been happening these many past months. He had been taken into custody shortly after Kally had, when the Arl Howe's men had rode into the capital about the same time that the battle of Ostagar was about to take place.
Soris had no idea that Arl Urien had died. What how had intended to do with him was not clear, Kally's cousin had been fed, at least enough to keep him alive. Howe had never even tried to interrogate him.
Whatever the bastard's plan was it had likely died with him.
Alim shivered, his ears twitched.
Whatever Howe's plan was, Kally's cousin was very lucky that he had escaped it…
…Very lucky.
Fergus helped the young elf out of his cell; he offered the boy his arm to keep him steady. Kally said nothing, but it was clear, to Alim anyway, that she impressed by Fergus' show of generosity.
The warden smiled slightly.
Fergus continued to gain favor with their companion from the Alienage.
What that met for the future, Alim could not say, but one thing he felt was a surety.
It would be good for both of them, at least…
…He hoped so.
IOI
Alim led his group up from the dungeons, with Howe dead; there was no longer any reason to remain in this place. The deaths of his mage bodyguards should have disrupted the wards that had formed Queen Anora's prison.
The elf shook his head, the violence they had been forced to engage in had been necessary, Howe had made them fight for every inch of ground they had gained today. Every objective they had accomplished had been won with blood.
Howe had tested them, but in the end, he had lost.
The warden did not feel bad about the noble's death, after hearing the man talk, after seeing the horrors he had been performing here in his estate, it was clear to Alim the man had gotten what he deserved. His men however…
The elf shook his head.
Their deaths had been wasteful. Ferelden would likely need every fighting man and woman it could find if it was going to survive the coming months. Every fighter that died here would not be there to stand against the Blight…
…That…was wasteful.
Kally took point as they emerged from the Arl's dungeons. The she-elf's cool expression was the complete opposite of what he had seen only an hour ago, the fire in the girl's eyes as she had struck down Howe had faded, and in its place remained only cold competence.
Her ears twitched as she listened at the door, trying to decide if anyone was waiting for them up top. Alim heard nothing, and after a few moments, his fellow elf nodded.
They were clear to proceed.
She turned to her leader; she still had a death grip on her blades, ready for any threat that might leap out at them.
"What happens now?" she asked.
The warden sighed.
The halls of the Arl's estate had grown strangely empty.
He did not like it.
"We get the queen, and we get out," he murmured.
Kally nodded.
"What if Loghain's men are waiting for us?" she asked.
The warden mage frowned.
"We will just have to take care of it," he said.
…One way or the other.
Leliana and Kally took point as they made their way back to the room holding the queen. Once again Alim was shocked by the emptiness of the estate.
His stomach twisted nervously.
Had they killed all the guards down below? He did not think that possible, far too many up here to have had them all die down in the dungeons. Then there was the matter of the fact that the servants were gone too. Were they hiding? Had they heard the fighting and run off? If they had, then the guards should have been waiting to trap the warden and his allies.
Yet…there was nothing, not a peep out of the men and women who had been up here.
Alim did not like it.
They made it to the Queen's room without any incident. Erlina remained their standing in the shadows waiting for the warden and his allies to return.
He glared at the handmaiden.
"Where is everyone?" he asked.
"I…I don't know," Erlina replied, "I heard shouting, and then…nothing. I have not seen anyone for almost an hour."
Alim's ears twitched nervously.
Again, he did not like this.
He knocked on the door with his staff.
"We have returned, Your Majesty," he said.
"You can come out now."
There was a brief pause. Alim waiting, fearing that they might have fallen into a trap, it was too quiet in Anora's room.
Then the door open, the elf almost gasped.
A guard stood before them.
He almost raised his weapons, but then he saw that the armor did not fit quite right, and the face staring out at him from behind the helmet's visor was too pretty to be any common guard.
Hidden inside her armor, Queen Anora fidgeted.
"My thanks," she said to the elf and his companions.
Alim's eyes narrowed.
"Why are you dressed like that," he demanded.
Anora sighed.
"We are still in Howe's estate, Warden," she reminded him, "Filled with guards who likely want me dead. If I left as myself they might try and kill me, and those that wouldn't would likely return me to my father, who might also want me dead."
The Queen shook her head.
"I think wearing a disguise under such circumstances is a wise choice, no?"
Alim considered that, it did make sense, he supposed.
Still…he still could not shake the sense that something had gone wrong, very wrong.
Still…there was no time to think about it.
The sooner they were out of this place, the better.
He sighed.
"This way," he said, "The back exit should still be clear, once we hit the streets we can lose any pursuers in the sea of angry workmen outside."
Anora nodded.
"A wise plan, warden," she agreed.
Alim rolled his eyes.
He knew sarcasm when he heard it, but what could he do?"
She was still the queen after all.
It was unwise to argue with a queen, unless you were the king, of course, but then again…
…maybe that was not so wise either.
The group made their way down the hall, Oghren and Kally shielding Anora and Erlina on both sides. Fergus took the rear guard with Morrigan, and Soris in front of him.
Leliana stayed close to him, her daggers in hand. Alim tried not to glance too much at his lover, lest he get distracted, and he had to be honest.
Leliana could be very distracting.
He smiled slightly.
Perhaps I was wrong, he thought; hope starting to build in his chest.
Perhaps their group was going to catch a break for once, perhaps…
"WARDEN!"
Alim froze, the others nearly crashed into him from behind. He might have cursed their clumsiness, but right now…it was the last thing on his mind.
They…they…
His ear's rose slightly.
Oh Maker!
So much for luck being on our side for once, he thought.
The foyer of the Arl's estate was filled with soldiers, not the Arl's paid men, but actual Ferelden military troops. There armor and weapons were battered but well cared for. Clearly these were not just sell-swords brought in for show.
Alim blinked as he took in the wall of steel that now surrounded them, he made out at least two mages with the group, their robes spoke circle, he thought he even recognized one of them, one of Enchanter Sweeney's prize pupils from a few years back, a court mage who went to serve in Gwaren, and standing in the center.
"Elissa," Fergus spat.
Fergus' little sister smirked at him.
"Hello big brother," she said with a smirk.
"We meet again."
Fergus started to draw his blade.
Every soldier in the room drew theirs.
Alim raised his hand, stopping his friend from getting slaughtered. He might still have been had Elissa Cousland been in command.
Fortunately, for them, she wasn't.
"Warden," Ser Cauthrien called out in a cold militaristic voice, "In the name of the regent, you are hereby placed under arrest for the murder of Teyrn Rendon Howe and his men at arms."
The dark haired warrior's eyes narrowed.
"I would advise you to come quietly."
Alim glanced at Cauthrien, and then at Elissa. Fergus' sister looked like the cat that had eaten the canary.
It was not hard to imagine what she hoped that they would do. There little group was outnumbered at least three to one and with Oghren still healing, and he and Morrigan almost spent…
The elf shook his head.
It was not hard to imagine the outcome of this particular battle.
Alim sighed.
Cauthrien's glare intensified.
He tried not to shy away.
He…he…
Damn, he thought.
This one was lost even before it began.
He glanced over at his companions, and then at Loghain's men, all fresh, and well rested.
"What say you warden?" Cauthrien said, "Do we do this easy, or the hard way."
Alim's eyes narrowed.
Only one word came to mind, and it was not very helpful. He muttered it under his breath, hoping that Cauthrien would not hear it…
…Even though it fit this situation to a tee.
He sighed again.
"Shit."