Ch. 12: In Which There are Negotiations

After wandering through the ruins a bit more, several wolves met them and, instead of attacking as the others had, bade them follow to speak to their leader. They were led to a large chamber with a tree growing in it filled with sunlight from a hole in the ceiling. The room was filled with werewolves, who growled and moved threateningly as they entered. However, before they were attacked something that vaguely resembled a woman but obviously wasn't one came forward, placing it's- her?- her hand on Swiftrunner's arm. The fingers ended in wood, the same sort of wood that twisted in tendrils about the- person's- ivory-colored body. Swiftrunner bowed, as did the other werewolves.

"Welcome, mortals." The personage's voice was soft- and echoing, but in a peaceful way rather than a disturbing one. "I am the Lady of the Forest." She certainly seemed a lady. There was just that feeling about her.

"Thank you," said Olivia politely. "I'm glad we're getting this chance to speak."

"Do not listen to her, Lady! She's working with the Dalish! We need to attack now!" Well, apparently Swiftrunner still didn't trust them.

"Hush, Swiftrunner," said the Lady softly. "Your responding to things by jumping into battle will only cause the deaths of the people you want to protect. Do you really want that?"

"No, Lady," said Swiftrunner. "Anything but that."

"Then the time has come to set aside our anger and speak with this outsider. I apologize for Swiftrunner. He struggles with his curse." Olivia decided that she liked the Lady of the Forest. And not just because she looked like an extremely attractive, naked woman.

"Don't everybody?" asked Olivia rhetorically. The Lady smiled. "So you lead the werewolves?"

"I helped them, and they are grateful for it. I give advice, but I do not tell them what to do. There are things Zathrian has not told you."

"I figured that much out for myself. What is really going on here?"

The Lady explained. Apparently, Zathrian was responsible for creating the werewolf curse, which he had unleashed upon a tribe of humans who had killed his children- horribly.

Olivia felt sick. "And so he cursed them in revenge."

Swiftrunner explained that Zathrian had summoned a spirit and trapped it in the body of a wolf, creating Witherfang, who had hunted down the human tribe, killing many and turning others into werewolves before learning to control itself and becoming the Lady as well, teaching the werewolves to do the same, bringing them peace and allowing their humanity to emerge.

"So you ambushed the Dalish to get revenge for Zathrian's revenge?"

"Partially," said the Lady. "Also we wish to end the curse. The acts that Zathrian created the curse to avenge were long ago, and the culprits dead for generations. Zathrian has ignored us every time we sent him a message asking him to come. We will not be ignored any longer."

"We spread the curse to his people so he must end the curse to save them," explained Swiftrunner. Okay, that kind of made sense.

"Please, mortal," begged the Lady. "Go to him. Bring him here. If he sees these creatures, hears their plight, surely he will end the curse."

Personally, Olivia suspected that there was no way that someone as consumed by revenge as Zathrian would do that, but… "I'll try."

The Lady smiled. "Thank you."

Olivia walked up over to the stairs and headed up them. At the top, Zathrian was waiting. Of course. "Ah," he said. "And here you are already. Did you get Witherfang's heart?"

Olivia crossed her arms. "No. I spoke to the Lady of the Forest. She wants to talk to you."

"You do realize that the Lady is Witherfang, don't you?"

"I believe it was mentioned, yes. The werewolves are no longer the savage, unthinking monsters you turned them into, Zathrian. They have regained their minds."

Zathrian looked disdainful. "I find that hard to believe. All they want is revenge."

"No, all you want is revenge. And your answer to this conflict is to let your clan suffer for your anger."

"Fine," said Zathrian. "I will speak to them. But what if all they want is revenge, will you protect me?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "It won't come to that." Honestly, if anyone attacked someone, it would be Zathrian doing the attacking.

When they got back to the room where the Lady and the werewolves were waiting, the wolves growled at Zathrian, angry. "So here you are, spirit," said Zathrian.

Swiftrunner growled and stepped between Zathrian and the Lady. "She is the Lady of the Forest. You will address her with the respect she deserves!"

"You named yourself, spirit? And your pets?"

"They named me," said the Lady calmly. "And they named themselves. They follow me because I helped them find their minds, not because they are my 'pets', as you call them."

"That hasn't changed from who their ancestors were! Wild, savage, monsters!"

"See? He won't help us, Lady!" snarled Swiftrunner. "Let's just kill him. Maybe that will break the curse!"

"There does not need to be any more violence," said the Lady. "Surely you must have had enough revenge, Zathrian."

"There will never be enough vengeance to end my pain. This is justice!"

"Are you certain of that?" asked the Lady. "Or are you only keeping the curse going because as long as it lasts, you will stay alive?" Wow.

"No! That is not how it is!"

"Just how far are you willing to go, Zathrian?" asked Olivia.

"I did this for my people! For my children!"

"You did it for yourself!" snapped Olivia.

"Zathrian's death would not end the curse, but his life does rely on its existence," said the Lady, "and I believe that his death plays a part in its ending."

"I will never end the curse!"

"We must kill them all!" snapped Swiftrunner.

"See!" yelled Zathrian to Olivia. "They're betraying you! Help me get Witherfang's heart!"

Olivia glared at him. "No. Way. You are going to end this curse if I have to make you myself!"

"We're standing for what's right here," said Alistair stubbornly. "No matter what." Bethany gave him a smile.

"Then you die with them!" shouted Zathrian. He pulled out his staff and fired a bolt of magic at Olivia. Automatically, she cast a spell to make herself stronger, one of the arcane warrior spells. A second later, when the spell hit her and barely caused any damage, she fumbled slightly in surprise before shooting a fire spell back at Zathrian, who dodged.

After a few minutes of intense fighting, Zathrian fell to his knees, bleeding heavily. "I surrender!"

"Kill him!" snarled Swiftrunner. "Kill him now!"

"No Swiftrunner," said the Lady. "We aren't going to kill him. If we can't be merciful, how could we possibly expect him to be?" Olivia really liked the Lady.

"I cannot end the curse as you want, spirit," said Zathrian unhappily. "I am too old to learn mercy now."

"You get revenge, then they get revenge for your revenge, then you want revenge for their revenge for your revenge. Hasn't this cycle gone on long enough?" asked Olivia.

"Perhaps I have lived too long," admitted Zathrian. "My hatred has consumed me. What about you, though, spirit?" he asked, turning to the Lady. "The curse is keeping you alive, as well. Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"You made me, Zathrian. You gave me a mind and body. A life. Thanks to you I have experienced pain and love, hope and fear, all the amazing things that it means to be a person." Olivia didn't entirely agree with that- Zathrian might have made the Lady sentient, but it was she who chose what to become. "But more than anything," continued the Lady, "I want nothing more than it to end, now. We are begging you- show mercy." That was… sad. The Lady was an amazing creature, and very wise. It was honestly too bad that she was apparently suicidal.

"You shame me, spirit," said Zathrian. "I have lived far too long."

"Then you will end the curse?"

"Yes."

Swiftrunner sadly moved a little closer to the Lady, who held out a hand, almost touching him, before straightening and looking directly at Zathrian. The mage and spirit nodded to one another. Zathrian raised his staff and brought it down on the ground, falling dead in a burst of light. The Lady held up her hand in front of her face, watching as it began to dissolve into flakes of pollen that drifted on the air. The werewolves surrounding her moved closer, one of them holding out a hand comfortingly. There was a second burst of light, this one enveloping the Lady, and she vanished, the werewolves glowing brightly before transforming into golden-eyed human men and women. "It's… over." Swiftrunner looked at his human hands in amazement. "She's gone and… we're humans. I can barely believe it. I don't know what to think."

"What now?" Olivia asked him.

"We'll go find other humans, I suppose. Should be interesting. Thank you. We… will never forget what you did."

The former werewolves turned as one and ran off. Their group mannerisms still seemed like wolves'. Olivia sort of wondered how they would adjust to rejoining human society after so long a time as wolves in the forest.

Olivia and the others went back to the Dalish camp and told Lanaya, Zathrian's First, what had happened. She seemed sad about his fate, but did officially agree to uphold the Dalish's agreement with the Grey Wardens and help them end the Blight.

"So…" began Bethany. "What was up with that gem earlier?"

"It contained the spirit of an ancient elf from an order of warrior mages called Arcane Warriors who gave me some of his memories," explained Olivia.

"You aren't going to start acting… like him, are you?" Bethany asked suspiciously.

"I'm not possessed," Olivia assured her. "And I'm not going to suddenly get identity issues from it- the memories were too incomplete for that. I just know some more things than I did before."

"Huh." Bethany sat in silence, apparently thinking. "So, could you teach me this Arcane Warrior stuff?"

Olivia smiled. "Sure."

"Well, that was interesting," she commented to Zevran that night at camp. "There were so many strange things in that forest. And I found some really nice armor."

"Can you even fight in armor?"

"I can now. That gem thing," she explained. "It's an ancient style of elven armor, too, so it's what I'm used to."

"Er, I?"

"The memories the gem gave me. Sorry."

"You're quite sure you aren't possessed?" he asked carefully.

"Very. I promise. I'm still very definitely Olivia Amell."

"If you're sure." They sat for a while. Zevran looked pensive. "I've been wondering."

"Yeah?" asked Olivia, curious. "What about?"

"After the Blight. What happens to me? Am I free to go or are you going to keep me around?"

Olivia looked at him seriously. "After the Blight you get released from your oath. Whether you stay or leave will be entirely up to you."

"I.. huh." He didn't really seem to know how to react to that. "And if I decide I do want to stay?"

Olivia smiled. "If you do, I'd be happy to have you."

He looked intently at the fire, seeming lost in thought. "Maybe I will, then."