Chapter 14: Balance of Power
Nearly two weeks in Val Royeaux and Marcus was beginning to go stir-crazy. He was not being poorly treated, far from it. His 'cell' was a luxurious apartment usually reserved for visiting dignitaries or members of the nobility. His meals, served thrice daily, were of the finest delicacies fit for any royal banquet. His sheets and clothes were changed and washed daily, and he had at his disposal all of the gilded benefits the Grand Cathedral had to offer. Still he was a prisoner, and he knew it.
He was confined to his room, which was warded against magic and guarded at all hours by Templar Knights, save for one hour a day in which he was permitted to walk the cathedral grounds with an armed escort. No one spoke to him beyond trite pleasantries, he had heard nothing from Victoria, Leliana, or Cullen. For all Marcus knew, Cullen could have been confined to the room next door, but he may as well have been on the other side of the Frostbacks. Somewhere in the wide world beyond his four walls, Marcus knew that events were being set in motion that could not be undone, and he was absolutely powerless to intervene. The stress it caused was reaching unbearable proportions, and in the darkest part of his mind he began to fear he would remain locked in the Grand Cathedral until the day the Dragonborn brought the entire roof down on his head.
So when one of his Templar guards curtly informed him that he had finally been summoned by the Divine, Marcus was far too thrilled to be out of his prison to even inquire as to the reason, not that the guard would have given him an answer. He strode briskly through the winding hallways with two Templars at his back, and at an intersection he met Cullen, being similarly escorted.
"Marcus!" Cullen exclaimed as he stepped quickly to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"Yes Cullen, I am well," Marcus replied calmly as Cullen's guards fell into step in front of the pair and Marcus' continued following a few paces behind.
"Thank the Maker," Cullen said, visibly relieved. "You had nearly fainted last I saw you. I kept asking how you were but they wouldn't tell me, they didn't bloody tell me anything at all."
"Don't worry Cullen, I'm alright. Can I assume they didn't tell you why we're finally out of our cages either?" A brief sneer cracked the veneer of Cullen's professionalism and he shook his head.
"No idea," he said, "But I imagine whatever the reason, it bodes ill."
"Of that I have no doubt," Marcus said grimly. Presently they came not to the great doors of the official reception chamber as before, but normal looking unadorned ones. They were ushered in to what looked like a private study. Victoria was seated behind a simple wooden desk, vacantly staring at a piece of parchment, one of many stacked in front of her. Leliana stood next to her, face grim, and avoided eye contact with her onetime friends. Victoria motioned them forward, and as they approached Cullen managed a stiff bow, but did not take his eyes off the Divine or her Left Hand. Marcus remained standing upright, perfectly still, face a blank slate. He noticed that Victoria was dressed quite plainly without any garishness or symbols of her authority, which was odd. This was a woman who in the past had insisted on going into battle dressed in attire that Marcus always thought was better suited for a royal ball. And she looked tired, very tired, and out of her element for the first time since Marcus had met her.
"Leave us," Victoria said absent-mindedly, and the Templars bowed deeply and left the room. The four of them stood in silence before Victoria finally sighed, set the parchment she was reading delicately to the side, folded her hands on her desk and looked firmly at Marcus and Cullen.
"Ferelden has fallen," she said simply. Cullen looked at Marcus, who blinked, but otherwise showed no reaction.
"Ferelden has fallen," Cullen repeated, "How?"
"It was invaded," Marcus cut in before Victoria could answer, "By a vast army from the east. From across the ocean." Marcus' words were cold and Victoria fixed him with a glare which he met without flinching. The stare-down was brief, and Victoria relented, averting her eyes and nodding.
"Quite so," she said, a rare admission of defeat evident in her voice. Cullen's brow furrowed and he took a step forward, holding out a hand as if he was trying to grab a tiny dust mote flitting in front of his face.
"We've not been here two weeks," he said, "When we left Skyhold, I'm quite certain Ferelden was not at war. How could any army conquer a kingdom that size in such a short of time?"
"They do not yet occupy the whole country," Victoria said, "Although for all intents and purposes the war is over. Ferelden's army is destroyed, King Alistair is either a prisoner or dead, the remaining garrisons and holds will likely not offer any further resistance." She leaned back in her chair and after a pause added quietly, "Nor should they."
"According to the reports we began receiving a few days ago," Leliana cut in, "The invaders made landfall in two groups, both only a few miles away from Denerim. They marched directly there and took the city, they knew exactly where and how to strike." She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "The battle lasted only one day."
"One day!" Cullen exclaimed. He ran his fingers through his hair and his hand came to rest at the back of his neck, he looked utterly bewildered. "Denerim is one of the most heavily fortified cities in all of Thedas. Its walls have not been breached in a hundred years, and you're telling me that it fell in a day?"
"Actually," Victoria said grimly, "It was more like an afternoon." Cullen looked at her wide eyed, at a loss for words.
"Half of Ferelden's army was defending the city," Leliana continued, "The other half arrived with Arl Teagan two days later to find their capital surrounded and occupied. There was no way they were going to retake the city, so they withdrew to Redcliffe. The enemy pursued them and forced them to make a stand behind the walls of the castle." Leliana lowered her eyes, "They did not last much longer than Denerim." Cullen was pacing now, shaking his head and mumbling curses.
"I just don't believe it," he said. "In a few days these invaders marched across Ferelden and took its two grandest cities, both of which were defended by three times as many soldiers as they should have needed. I just can't believe it!" Leliana and Victoria exchanged glances.
"My dear," Victoria said, surprisingly sympathetically, "They did not take Redcliffe." Cullen looked from Victoria to Leliana in confusion.
"What do you mean?" he asked, "You just said they took Redcliffe."
"No, I didn't," Leliana said. She hesitated before closing her eyes, her normally unflappable composure faltered. "They took Denerim. They destroyed Redcliffe."
"Destroyed?" Cullen asked as if the word was foreign to him.
"They levelled it," Victoria said grimly, her eyes fixed on her desk as she slowly shook her head, as if she didn't quite believe her own words. "Castle and city, burned everything, put every man, woman, and child to the sword. When the fires died down, they spread ash and salt and laid enchantments over the earth so that nothing will ever grow there again. Not a stone is left on a stone." Victoria looked from Cullen to Marcus. "There is no Redcliffe anymore."
Silence hung over the room like a death shroud.
"All those people," Cullen whispered. He collapsed into a nearby chair and put his head in his hands. "An entire city, wiped off the map. How is such a thing possible?" Victoria and Leliana exchanged another glance.
"Dragons," Leliana said quietly. Cullen's head snapped up, both he and Marcus stared intently at the spymaster.
"What did you just say?" Marcus asked.
"Dragons," Leliana repeated. "They cleared the walls of Denerim and breached the main gate, allowing invaders to march unopposed right up and into the city." She paused and gritted her teeth. "Apparently, they were utilized far more extensively at Redcliffe. It seems this enemy wanted the capital more or less intact, Redcliffe did not merit the same consideration."
"The Dragonborn," Marcus said softly, all eyes turned to him. "Their leader, he is called the Dragonborn, this must be why. He can bind dragons."
"That's impossible," Cullen said as he got back to his feet.
"It's not impossible." Marcus looked at each person in the room in turn. "You know of what I speak, all of you were there." Cullen, Leliana, and Victoria all looked at each other, each of them remembering that fateful day Marcus had called down a high dragon to help vanquish Corypheus.
"That was Myhtal's doing, not yours," Leliana said firmly.
"A spirit," Victoria added, "A powerful one, but a spirit nonetheless."
"Marcus, you said yourself you were only able to summon that beast because Mythal allowed it," Cullen said. "No mortal could do such a thing on his own. Mythal was a…"
"A god?" Marcus cut him off and Cullen stared back blankly. Marcus slowly turned to Leliana, and then Victoria. "Or a spirit, call her what you will. But she was an ancient being of power so immense that as far as any of us in this room are concerned, she was a god. An old god, who could bind a dragon." He turned to Leliana. "You said dragons, plural. Do you know how many?" Leliana looked at Victoria pensively, and the Divine nodded.
"There were at least seven at Denerim," she said, "Possibly more at Redcliffe." Cullen's mouth dropped open as Marcus slowly nodded, folded his arms behind his back and began pacing in a half circle around Victoria's desk.
"Seven," he repeated calmly. "Mythal was an old Elven god, who had bound to her the will of one, solitary high dragon." He came to a halt and fixed each person in the room with a hard stare. "Whoever leads this army against Thedas has at least seven. Think of the power that would require." Marcus paused for effect, "Our enemy is a god."
Silence hung in the air once more. One by one, expressions changed ever so slightly as each of them came to grips with the reality of what they were facing.
"He was right," Cullen said, "Solas was right, about everything." Marcus nodded, and he noticed Victoria's face twist into a sneer.
"This is what is going to happen," he said with authority as he walked right up to Victoria's desk and looked her square in the eye. "If you know what happened, so does Empress Celene. I imagine you are going to hold council with her and the court very soon." Victoria nodded slowly. "You are going to convince her of the absolute necessity of calling her banners. Everyone from the chevaliers' right down to local militia. Orlais must be prepared for war, and it must be prepared soon. The Chantry must use its influence wherever it has it, the people of Thedas must stand together, or we will fall one by one. Cullen and I are returning to Skyhold, today, right now. We will muster what forces we can, and try to discover all we are able about this enemy. I will consult with Solas…"
"No!" Victoria said and shot to her feet. "Solas is at this moment being escorted to Val Royeaux by a regiment of Seekers and Templars to…"
"No, he's not," Marcus said evenly. "Because Solas is under Inquisition protection, and the Inquisition does not, nor did it ever, answer to the Chantry. Blackwall and Bull are in command at Skyhold, and they will not give Solas up."
"The High Seeker has a writ from my own hand demanding…"
"Perhaps you did not hear me the first time," Marcus said as he leaned in closer. "The Inquisition does not answer to you. If you want Solas, you will have to fight us for him, and that is not a fight you want, Most Holy, especially not now, and it is a fight that Cassandra is not willing to start. Am I right?" Victoria's hands balled into fists and she shot daggers at Marcus with her eyes.
"You are walking a dangerous line, my dear Trevelyan," she growled, "The Inquisition is not what it was when Corypheus was the enemy. You would do well to remember that."
"You are right, of course," Marcus said with a slight bow, "But you and Thedas need now as much as you did then. Do you know why?" Victoria's eyes only narrowed as Marcus straightened invisible wrinkles on his tunic and smiled at her mirthlessly. "Because we have the one man in Thedas who saw this coming, and he happens to be a god himself." He nodded curtly to Victoria and Leliana in turn and headed for the door, Cullen falling into step behind him. "I trust we will work well together now as in the past for the good of the people," Marcus said casually, "We will be in touch." He paused before he opened the door and looked over his shoulder. "And one more thing," he added, "It is Inquisitor Trevelyan, your Holiness."