Chapter 52) High Liberation
Cleon POV
The wind in my hair, the sounds of the leaves rustling as I passed… truly, nothing beat it as I rushed through the trees, keeping one eye on my quarry below. A bear had gotten too close to the camp, so it was the job of hunters to lead her away, and show her where there was other food for her cubs.
A crash and a yelp caught my ear and I glanced over to see Tamlen had fallen. I paused in my run and looked down, but upon seeing him stand up with nothing worse than bruises, I laughed and continued on my hunt.
I'd tease him later. I had a job for now.
The four of us were the fastest, but as we chased after Thomas, I could tell the differences between the four of us easily. Zevran constantly had to slow himself down, as I was the best at tracking, yet he easily outpaced all of us. Elspeth was the slowest, no doubt because of her slight limp, but I recalled that punch of hers way back when we saw the Archdemon after Ostagar. I'd be willing to bet she was the strongest of us four, or that she would compensate by becoming it soon.
I did wonder why Nuada had her come with us, though. I would've thought he'd want her with him and Fergus when the castle was free. Or come himself to see Thomas die. Whatever. I'd ask later.
Movement caught my eye and I slid to a stop as Zevran jumped in front of me, Leliana and Elspeth slowing as I did. He made sure he had my eye before signing, 'we are making too much noise.' I winced as I realized that was likely the case, and remembered why I couldn't notice. 'Cleon, how far are we?'
I glanced at the tracks in the ground, and signed, 'not far. These look very fresh.' They'd gone into a nearby forest, likely hoping it would hide them. Idiots. They'd be making so much noise a da'len could find them.
'Then let's slow a little, so we can ambush.' Right. That would be better for many, many reasons. I couldn't fight on the frontlines like I used to. Too dangerous. 'Suggestions for ambushing?'
Leliana waved her hand for attention, signed only when she had it. 'Zevran and I can go one way, while Cleon and Elspeth head another. We can catch them in a pincer.' I bit my lip in thought before nodding. With us four, that would be the best way. 'Then we'll go ahead and catch them.' Leaving me, who couldn't hear, and Elspeth, who had a limp and might not be able to move as quietly as needed to bring up the rear. Clever, even if it annoyed me.
'Are you all right?' The gentle hand motions brought my attention to Elspeth as those two ran off. 'You look annoyed,' she signed. She pointed to the space between her eyebrows for emphasis and I automatically tried to hide it. She covered her smile, and likely giggles, with her hand.
'I suppose I am a little,' I signed back after a moment. I frowned as I studied her, though. 'You, however, look pale.' I prodded her cheek, grinning as she made a face and batted my hand away, before signing again, 'are you all right?'
'I am fine.' Her signing was sharp and certain. Combined with her setting her jaw and her slight scowl, it was obvious she would refuse to elaborate. All right. No need to tire out my hands, then. Just hoped she'd tell me later.
'Off we go, then.' And we were back to running. I kept one eye on her as I followed the trail, since she was significantly slower. I thought about making a joke, but decided not to. Because punching, and the more we ran, the darker her expression got.
As we entered the forest properly, I signaled for us to go off the trail. I glanced up, and saw how tall and sturdy the trees were, just like the ones in the other forest. 'Ready for advanced tree walking lessons?' I signed to her, grinning a bit. She eyes the branches above us dubiously. 'Trust me.'
'I wish I didn't right now.' Her signing was a little shaking, and I pat her shoulder reassuringly. 'Following you.'
Without another sign, I swung up into the higher branches, the slight shaking telling me Elspeth was climbing too. I waited until she was on the branch below me before taking off for the path. I didn't pay attention to tracks anymore, but rather the swaying of the trees ahead.
It was really different, hunting without hearing. But, surprisingly, not as much as I'd expect.
A slight spark from metal hitting metal caught my eye and I shifted the branch-path to head towards it. The branches wobbled a lot more when Elspeth stepped on them, but I couldn't quite fault her for that. Yet. Next time, for sure.
I crouched as movement below held my attention. It didn't take long at all to figure out they were the enemy. Zevran was bouncing around, acting like an agent of Fen'harel to sow confusion, while Leliana aimed her arrows. I hunted for her in the branches and found her across the path. I sharply brought my hand up, counting on the fast movement to catch her attention, and smiled when it did. She smiled back, before returning to her aiming.
The branch wobbled, and I twisted as Elspeth crouched next to me. She was frowning as she watched below, before pointing out a youth with long black hair and fine armor that looked unused. 'That is Thomas,' she signed carefully. 'Deal with his guards first.' Wouldn't it be smarter to just- 'Trust me.' …Fen'harel's teeth, I couldn't not, especially when I'd used that same phrase to get her up into the trees.
'Got it,' I signed back. She smiled slightly. 'Down, I go.' Literally. I jumped down, slamming my daggers into a guard's skull before twisting and kicking another one's throat to collapse the windpipe.
Clunky and inefficient. I really needed to get better at this. And fighting shemlen, and elves, in general.
Still, between arrows, daggers, and quick movements, we had the guards dead within record time, Thomas backed against a tree, already shaking.
His eyes, however, lit up as Elspeth dropped down from the trees next to me, and could read his lips enough to understand what he was saying. 'Elspeth.' And that's when I remembered. She'd once called Howe 'uncle'. She had to know Thomas. Maybe not friends, but she had to have known him for a long while. And we were about to kill him. In cold blood, basically. Not that it was anything different than what Howe did to the Couslands, but still.
Leliana and Zevran stepped forward, and Thomas seemed to yell in fright. He certainly flinched back, at least. But as Leliana and Zevran drew their weapons, something made them pause. It wasn't until they turned to stare at Elspeth that I realized she must've said something.
When I looked at her, I saw her bow was out, and she had an arrow already out. Was she…? 'I can do it,' I signed quickly. Her eyes darted towards me, but all I could focus on was how pale she was. 'Or Leliana, or Zevran.' She shifted her arrow to her other hand to free up one for signing. 'Really, we can-'
She brought her hand up sharply, to make me stop signing. When she saw I had, she signed, carefully and deliberately, 'No.' Her eyes flicked over to Thomas, shaking and cowering. 'No, it must be me.' She signed must twice, to emphasize it I guessed. 'If Zevran did it, then Howe can shift blame to another noble, citing they hired a Crow to do it.' Despite how pale she was, her eyes were stubborn. There was no hesitation in her, and I realized she'd known this from the start. This was why Nuada had her come, and she'd known it. Yay, twins. …I missed Lyna. How was she? …Not the time. 'If Leliana did it, then their have evidence for their story of Orlesian invasion.' Leliana winced and nodded, confirming and accepting that reasoning. 'You cannot do it, as they'd use it as an excuse to go after the Dalish.' I grit my teeth. She was right. 'I, however, am a Cousland.' She hesitated on her last name, before using the signs for protector and land. I got the meaning. I think. Considering how often Nuada and her used that phrase as an explanation, I'd be surprised if it didn't turn up. 'This man is a usurper of my land. His execution, by my hand, is justice by Fereldan law.' She had a little wry smile as she signed the rest, 'There is a bit of vengeance too, but I am the calmest of us three siblings. I can keep my head and make it quick and clean. Nuada and Fergus do not trust themselves to do the same.'
'You three know each other well.' I really couldn't think of any other reply.
'We were all each other had for a long, long time.' Her smile became warm. 'Now, though, we have lots of friends and people we can trust. We are still learning how, so I beg your forgiveness for future bouts of idiocy, like not warning about Zevran properly.' Ha!
'I reserve the right to complain anyway.' She grinned, actually grinned, but then it faded as she focused again on Thomas. This was it.
Thomas's eyes were wide and he shook even more as Elspeth drew the arrow and aimed. He screamed something, fingers digging into the dirt even as the rest of him shook. His face was pale enough for me to pick out all the veins in his face, made more noticeable by the sweat dripping down his face. His chest heaved with frantic breaths and he screamed again, something that made Leliana turn away, flincing, and Zevran wince and pale, face tightening in pain.
But whatever it was had no effect on Elspeth. With a face like stone, she fired the arrow and it thudded into Thomas's head, right between the eyes, with enough force to jerk it back. The tree actually rustled from the impact. Yes, I'd call her the strongest of us four. Easily.
I held up a hand as Elspeth brought down the bow. 'What did he say?' I signed, curious. I thought of asking Leliana and Zevran, but both of them looked too lost in their thoughts. Hurtful thoughts, based on their eyes.
She stared at me a moment before smiling wryly. 'He said he had always loved me,' she signed, hands not even trembling. I felt my thoughts clunk and stumble a bit in my head. Wha…? 'Lying until the end.' Was it one, though? A lie, I mean. He didn't look like the type to be crafty while afraid. Then again, what did I know about shemlen? 'I need to carry him back.' I thought about offering to do it, but figured it was another thing she felt she had to do herself.
So, instead, I simply nodded and helped her get the corpse on her back, ripping the arrow out to make it easier after I confirmed he wasn't breathing. She didn't comment on the blood dribbling onto her neck.
Leliana stepped up to help Elspeth keep her balance as she led the walk back to the castle. Zevran remained where he was, staring at the spot, looking very, very far away. I waited with him, not wanting to leave him alone while he was lost in his head.
It didn't take him long to shake whatever he was seeing out of his head, but he didn't even try to fake a smile when he saw me. 'I don't think he was lying,' he signed, hands not quite as graceful as usual. 'I saw what she signed, but I don't think she's right. His feelings… were genuine.'
'Still a poor time to reveal them, considering everything his family has done to hers,' I signed back. He broke into a bitter smile, shoulders hitching forward slightly as a short laugh escaped. 'And what he's done to Highever.'
'Yes, and those are undeniable proof, and not something simply told and forged.' I… had a feeling there was something going on that I knew nothing about. Again.
So, I smiled, making my hand movements light and a little bouncy. 'To change the subject, though, might I ask a favor?' He eyed me curious. 'Teach me.' The curiosity changed to shock. 'I am skilled, but my way of fighting is no longer suited to me. I need another base to work from. I think yours will fit.' He kept his hands up, ready to sign, but they remained still as he thought. 'I will not force you, of course, but…' I broke off signing to shrug, to signify I had no more words to try and explain.
He still waited a bit more before signing. 'But you're right. You must ambush, and an assassin's trick suits that nicely.' He hesitated a bit more before nodding decisively. 'Yes, I will teach you. But!' He gestured sharply, making it an explanation, and he grinned, bad mood gone. Or, at least, hidden by a mask. 'We must not tell the Crows. Lots of trouble, very bad.'
I grinned and nodded. 'Yeah, sounds good.'
'Excellent. We'll get started as we follow the lovely ladies who didn't wait!' A quick glanced showed that, indeed, we were left behind. 'Let us chase!'
'Race you.' Even though I knew I would lose, and he knew it too, we bolted into a run. And it was on that run that I realized something.
We just liberated Highever. We saved something we had to abandon. We found victory where they had been defeat before. Maybe, just maybe, we could do the same with the Blight and Ostagar too? No, not even a maybe.
We absolutely would.
Author's note: And Highever is liberated! Yay! And our Wardens are starting to pick up their second specializations, as originally indicated by Layla picking up Arcane Warrior. Fun fact: the heraldry for Amaranthine features a bear.
Thomas's confession is stemmed from what Howe will tell a female!Cousland during the Human Noble Origin. While he's most likely lying (Awakening proved he was with a Male!Cousland and Delilah), I thought it would be fun to… well… have it. As for why Leliana and Zevran winced? Remember their backstories. Especially Zevran's.
Next Chapter – Aftermath with Layla, wrapping up this little arc
