Chapter 76) Snowy History

Cleon POV


"Tamlen, stop targeting only me!" Lyna yelled, thoroughly annoyed. "It's boring!"

"Well, it's either you or Cleon!" Tamlem justified. He lobbed another one at her, but she ducked. "You're easier to hit!"

"Get over here and say that aga-WHOA!" I snickered from my spot in the tree as a bunch of snow went flying. Merrill had used magic. "Merril, no magic!"

"It wasn't supposed to be that big!" Merrill squeaked. She flailed a bit, eyes wide. "I'm sorry!"

"Oh, it's okay. Just don't use magic. Build up those arms!" Still, Merrill looked ready to cry. This was her first winter with Sabrae.

So, I jumped down and headed to her side. "Let's switch teams," I suggested with a grin. "Me and Merrill versus you and Tamlen." Merrill gave me a grateful look. "That good?"

"Prepare to lose, Cleon!"


Snow. Snow, snow, and more snow. I had been startled to see it, but after checking with a village on the date, Aiden and Elspeth agreed that snow was very common at this time of year, especially in the north. We were, after all, in the middle of winter. It just startled me, since there had been no snow anywhere else. And it also startled me that we were only just now in winter. Hadn't it been summer when we fought in Ostagar? Or was I misremembering? I couldn't remember, and my sense of time was very, very warped.

'Arlessa Sophia Dryden was one of the two contenders for the throne early in the Storm Age.' As we hiked through the snow, more or less unprepared because none of us had expected such weather, Elspeth was giving us history lessons. I felt like I was with the Clan again, traveling to where we would make our next camp, but I didn't mind. Honestly, I liked it. 'When her rival, Arland, was voted King by the Landsmeet, she refused to relent,' she continued, signs light and crisp. She really was most at home where she could gain and share knowledge. 'In order to prevent a civil war, she was forcibly conscripted into the Grey Wardens.'

'Why would that have led to a civil war again?' Zevran asked. He looked thoughtful, signs dancing. 'Because it is normally around this time assassin business booms.'

'She was originally slated for execution, but the vote had been close, and her allies continued supporting her despite it. It was feared her death would be seen not as a traitor's death, but as a martyr.' Elspeth was smiling softly even as she explained. Yeah, she loved this far more than battles. I hoped, when all of this was over, she would be able to return to such things. 'Sophia survived the Joining, and the leadership and charm that won her supporters dazzled the Wardens. She eventually became the Warden-Commander, and thanks to her political connections, she was able to reinvigorate the Wardens, when they had been seen as a relic of older times, and unnecessary.'

'Foolish.' Sten's signs were crisp and the stoic expression he had gave them exasperation. 'You can see the results of such mentality,' he noted, gesturing around. Even though things were peaceful here, we got the meaning. 'Was it because it was a useful tool they could no longer remember the use for?'

'That is a good analogy, but not quite perfect,' Elspeth replied. I noticed Morrigan shivering next to me and gave her my cloak. 'So many darkspawn died during the Fourth Blight that surfacers truly believed they were all killed. Knowledge of how darkspawn are… created…' Her hand shook slightly. I had taken upon myself to warn the females in our group about Broodmothers. Never seen all five of them so quiet. 'Regardless, it was not so much they forgot, but that they did not it a needed tool anymore. Without darkspawn, Wardens are simply a neutral army. Templars and Chevaliers are easily their equals in might.' …Chevaliers? What was that? 'Regardless, while she was doing this, Arland was proving to be…' She stopped walking for a bit, eyes closed as she attempted to think of the words.

'I am guessing he was not a kind king,' Leliana helpfully prompted. Elspeth nodded, but still didn't move. The rest of us just shrugged and decided the breather was probably a good idea. We did need water, and the like. 'So…?

'Historians agree that he was ultimately chosen for being young, easily manipulated,' Elspeth finally began to sign. Her eyes were soft, sad. 'But it was not long before he proved himself immoral, ruthless. If even half of his crimes are true, even Howe looks like a charming person.' …Well, damn. 'He would wipe out entire families for idle words. He would have commoners flogged to death for something as simple as crossing his path. It was a reign of terror. He remains the only legitimate king of Fereldan my family rebelled against.' Her smile turned very wry. 'My family paid dearly for that, when he learned about the rebellion. He hunted down anyone in Fereldan with familial ties, leaving only a single successor to the throne, a three-year-old child, who escaped into Lowever."

'That…' Leliana's hands shook as her eyes widened. 'Maker, how horrible.'

'The rebellion was centered on Sophia, and it almost succeeded, but Arland's spies managed to crack their coded message. As he hunted down the noble rebels, he cut the Wardens off from everything and laid siege to Soldier's Peak in year five of the Storm Age. Some Wardens left, disgusted, but many others stayed. After several months, the siege ended in Sofia's death and Arland's triumph. The Dryden family was stripped of all lands and titles and forced into hiding, hunted like animals out of fear of them taking up the rebellion. I believe her brother and son escaped into Antiva, but that's less certain.'

'This is also what led to the Wardens being exiled,' Aiden signed. He looked thoughtful. 'You and Nuada told us that part before.' I think it was at Ostagar. 'And so, for 200 years, the Wardens were forbidden to come to Fereldan.' And now, here we were. With a Blight. '…I am not certain if we said this before, but either Fereldan is really unlucky or the Archdemon is incredibly tactical to start it all here.' That was true, but the mood was starting to droop.

I didn't want that. For once, just once, we were safe and fine. We were traveling together. We deserved to have a bit of fun. So, I bent down, scooped up some snow, and threw it at Aiden. It hit him straight in the face, and Aiden just froze, blinking slowly, like he couldn't believe this was happening.

So, Zevran was the one who retaliated. I ducked so it would hit Morrigan, and she used magic to launch snow at all of us. From there, it just devolved into most of us in having a huge snowball fight.

Only Sten didn't get involved, standing apart. But I could tell, even in his exasperation, he was rather fond of watching us play, so it was okay.


We made camp sometime that night, in a cave to protect us from the snows. As we did so, though, Elspeth had found and sent Zevran off ahead for some reason. When I gave her a questioning look, she had signed that she just remembered something about the Keep and sent Zevran to check if she was remembering correctly before raising a panic. I went along with it, since it wasn't her forgetting to tell us.

That said, the grim look on Zevran's face when he returned, and the way Elspeth sighed, told me she had been correct. 'You were right, Elspeth,' he signed. He flopped down next to Aiden and downed the water Leliana gave him. 'The main pass is cut off.' …What.

'I am sorry,' Elspeth signed. Her eyes were sad, and she curled into herself to make herself smaller. It startled me when I saw Morrigan scoot over to let Elspeth lean into her. The look on her face told me it startled her too. 'I only remembered when we were near here. The Wardens collapsed the main pass to force Arland's forces into the mine shafts below.'

'Those are still clear.' Still, there was a depressive mood over us now. We had expected we could at least get to the place before trouble erupted. 'That said, I did see old markings in the shafts that I checked. It's likely the path is marked.' It would just be longer than us walking up. 'More complicated, but…'

'It is setback, not a journey-ender,' Aiden signed. He shifted to smile at Elspeth, and only looked away when she half-heartedly smiled back. 'The main difficulty is that we have to arrive in Denerim for the Landsmeet, so we do not have as much time to wander.' That was true. 'So… Sten, what is it?'

I glanced up to see Sten was standing now, heading to the entrance of the cave. 'Someone approaches,' he signed. All of us tensed. Morrigan had a spell in hand, and Elspeth and Leliana reached for their bows. 'Too clumsy to be an attacker. But an unusual place nonetheless.'

'Who is the best at reading weather among us?' There was a bit of awkward fidgeting, before I tentatively raised my hand. 'You mind, Cleon?'

'I do have training in it…' I signed, making my signs tentative to make it obvious that this might not be accurate. I just seemed to be the only one with the base of knowledge. 'So, let's see…' I pushed myself up and leaned out. I thought of Zaphikel and all he taught me. He had been very good at this. If I could read just half of this, then… 'No blizzard, but temperature is going to plummet fast.' I glanced back and saw Leliana moving out. 'Getting him?' She nodded and darted off. 'Guess we better prepare another bowl.'

We had just got it dished out, along with a spare blanket, when Leliana returned with the man. He was smiling, and his posture implied a great amount of gratitude. He even bowed when he sat down and all but inhaled the soup we gave him. Elspeth and Morrigan shared a look before giving him some more. This one he ate more slowly.

'Thank you again,' the man was saying. Zevran signed for me. 'My name is-' He waited to continue as Zevran spelled out his name, so I assumed Leliana had warned him already. Still, I was surprised by the name. Levi Dryden. 'What brings some travelers out here, though? If I'm not being rude.'

'You are not,' Aiden reassured. I noted with some amusement that, without really meaning too, we had arranged ourselves so that he was in the center of the group, and Levi sitting opposite him. It just… visually made it clear who was the leader. 'Cleon and I are Wardens, and we and our Companions are hoping to investigate the Keep here.'

'Really?' Levi looked startled. 'That's… odd.'

'How so?'

'Well, truth is, before the Blight business started, I talked to Warden Commander Duncan, good man, about investigating the Keep." Wait, what. 'I'm sure you know why. I see you have Lady Elspeth Cousland in your number.' Elspeth smiled wryly. 'I'm sure you got a history of the place.'

'She told us it on the way, yes. We learned about why they started the rebellion.' I knew it wasn't my imagination that Levi relaxed slightly at that. I guess being a Dryden in Fereldan had its problems. 'So, you talked to Master Duncan about it?'

'Yeah, he was really interested about heading in. But then…' He shook his head. 'Well, I'm sure you lot know more about Ostagar than I ever will.' He shrugged, but I saw his eyes were sad. 'I came to try and brave the path on my own. I went through, once, as a child. I was going to show him.' He was…? Creators, what are you plotting?

'Then why not show us?' Aiden asked with a gentle smile. 'We hope to go there and see if there is information on Blights and the Archdemon.'

'I will gladly assist.' Levi smiled back, and held out his hand. Aiden took it for a firm handshake. 'Well, talk about luck, yeah?'

Yeah. Luck. It was completely and totally lucky. Which now just made me suspicious. What were we going to find there?


Author's Note: In game, Levi meets you at your party camp to tell you about the quest (and have you buy it if you haven't gotten it already). Since he actually is semi-involved in the plot of the DLC, I decided to have him join here.

Next Chapter – Ostagar, with Layla