Chapter 16
One month later….
Bann Esmerelle marched up the road to Stark Farm, fury and murderous purpose driving her forward. She hardly noticed where her feet were taking her; her mind was filled with images of hate, all of it directed at one man, no, one child; Matthew Cousland. The son of the Orlesian bootlicker had lived long enough. When that uppity rat had murdered Rendon Howe, he had destroyed her fortunes, as well as all she could have gained. Howe had promised her the throne of the Arling of Amaranthine once he had seized the Tyrner of Highever. Now that would never happen, thanks to the good man's death at Cousland's hand. Now, to rub salt in the wound, he had taken the Arling's forces away from her city in order to protect peasants, the seedy, unwashed, worthless lives that were already too numerous for her taste, and he had slaughtered the smugglers that were keeping her and her allies supplies and luxuries that had become even more valuable in the days following the Blight.
The annoyance had gone on long enough. This little boy with delusions of grandeur had to be dealt with.
Approaching the farmhouse from behind, she noticed that her coalition of nobles hadn't set up any guards. Shaking her head, she resolved to chew the fools out for their foolishness. Rounding the corner of the farmhouse, she opened her mouth to scold them for their amateur mistake-
And felt her jaw open in horror.
Every one of her allies, Lord Guy, Lady Packton, several other minor nobles, and the Antivan Crows they had hired were all dead, their bodies spread from one end of the small farm to the other, twisted in all sorts of positions, and covered in all means of grotesque injuries. Some were cut in two, several were decapitated, at least two disemboweled, one killed with her own sword, and at least three burned or frozen.
And standing in the center of the carnage, armor and sword coated with blood, was Matthew Cousland.
Terror. Pure terror filled her as the Grey Warden turned to her, and looked her in the eye. Everything about him screamed that he was her death; the long, braided red hair, the shinning white steel armor, the intricate tattoos that decorated his face, and the bright blue eyes filled with sheer hatred and bloodlust, and the glowing purple aura around him. It was at that point that she realized just how foolish she had been. This was no child playing at war; this was a warrior, one that held no equal and commanded forces beyond the ordinary.
And now she was at his mercy.
Pulling the tip of his blade out of the ground, he held it at the ready at his side, and then spoke. Though he whispered, Esmerelle could hear every word plain as day.
"Well, Bann Esmerelle? Are you going to leave me be, or do I have to get tough?"
The she had been holding anything in her hands at the time, she would have dropped them in sheer terror. She turned and ran. She had no chance against him and they both knew it. She only hoped he didn't shoot her before he made good her escape.
o-00-o
Matthew smiled grimly at the fleeing "noblewomen". He could have easily shot her as she fled, but kept his hands at his side. Killing a bunch of people who were actively plotting his assassination was one thing; killing a woman who was actively fleeing for her life, and against which he had no evidence of guilt, was murder.
Yes, let the little snake go. Morrigan's voice gushed with scathing sarcasm. It is a splendid idea to let someone actively plotting your demise live.
She needs allies in order to move against us, Morrigan, He replied. Whom we have just slaughtered. And after learning about this, I REALLY doubt anyone will be willing to help Esmerelle. Most of the remaining nobles support me, and those that don't certainly will not throw in their lot with her after news of our demolishing these fools.
I suppose there is no point in arguing it, Morrigan relented. What is done is done.
Matthew paused, slightly disconcerted by Morrigan's voice; she sounded very much worn out.
Morrigan, are you alright; you sound exhausting.
Oh, why would you think that, Morrigan snapped. It is not as if I am seven months with child, and I have just weaved several strong spells a few minutes ago. 'Tis a mystery indeed why I would be tired.
Her words sent a burst of panic through him, suddenly concerned for the health of his wife and unborn child. Before he could voice his concerns, however, Morrigan began shrieking at him.
MATTHEW COUSLAND, if you dare start behaving as if I am some delicate flower that must be fussed over, I WILL SET YOU ON FIRE!
Ok, ok, ok, Matthew responded quickly. He paused, and then muttered, "Geez, you try to show this woman a little concern, and she acts like it's a declaration of war."
Flames sprang up from the rosewood ring almost immediately.
NO NO NO NO NO, I TAKE IT BACK!
The orange flames flickered for a moment, and then extinguished themselves. Matthew breathed a sigh of relief.
Right before the fire reignited and burned the top of his hand, causing him to scream, first in agony and then in obscenity filled rage directed at his beloved, who was sporting enough to ignore him.
Gritting his teeth, Matthew reached into his pack, and took out a small poultice that was infused with elfroot plant juices and a warmth balm, which was enchanted to lessen the damage of heat injuries, and a bandage. First, he spread the warmth balm over the burn, sighing with relief as he felt the injury cool noticeably, then placed the poultice on the burn, and rapped the bandage around it.
Standing up, the Commander surveyed the scene, satisfied with events of the day thus far, apart from his wife's tantrum. An assassination attempt thwarted, his strongest political opponent in the Arling was rendered impotent; all in all, a good day. He had been especially impressed with his new Spirit Warrior abilities; while currently only able to ally with the Fade's weaker benevolent denizens, the results were already substantial. His reaction time was improved enormously, allowing him to dodge his opponents attacks easily.
As he was about to turn and leave however, he spotted a piece of paper sticking out of one of the traitor's pockets. Driven by curiosity, he reached down and pulled the piece of paper out of the pocket. Upon seeing the broken seal, he knew that this was a letter from another noble, likely part of this conspiracy. Opening the letter and smoothing it out, he realized it was written in cipher. Fortunately, he found a piece of paper containing the means to translate it in the most obvious hiding place possible; a hidden compartment in the man's boot. Silently thanking the corpse for its former owner's stupidity, he sat down, and deciphered the letter, writing the translation on a piece of blank vellum he had with him. Upon finishing, he picked up his copy, and read it from beginning to end, his formerly good mood souring with every word. Finishing the letter, he gathered his copy, the original letter, and the cipher, placed them in his pack, and began the return trip to Vigil's Keep.
He still had work to do.
o-00-o
Turning the last bend in the road, he saw Vigil's Keep a short way in the distance. It was much more impressive than he had seen it in awhile, or even when he first saw it. Thanks to the granite deposit he had found in Wending Wood, the fortress was being rebuilt even stronger than it was before the initial darkspawn attack. Most of the damage still needed to be repaired, and the original wooden walls were slowly being removed in favor of the new stone ramparts, but if what he was seeing was any indication, Vigil's Keep was going to arise from its defeat more resilient than ever.
After a few more hours walking, he entered the Keep through its new oak gates. After seeing the darkspawn completely destroy the original gates, Matthew had spared no expense in upgrading the fortress's entrances as well as its walls. In addition, he had spent several weeks helping to clear out the basement beneath the Keep, which seemed to stretch down to the deep roads. That job had currently hit a wall, or to be more accurate a giant pile of rubble. Workers were currently hard at work removing the debris, but he was still worried; until he could find a way to ensure the path to the Deep Roads was sealed, the darkspawn could always launch another attack from the ground. And given that they were now becoming more intelligent and gained a leader, the possibility of that happening was far greater than usual.
Passing through the second gatehouse, he watched as a group of soldiers marched past him, outfitted in shining silverite armor. In addition to the granite, the old silverite mine Matthew had cleared of darkspawn allowed for Wade and Herran, two blacksmiths he had encountered during the Blight and who had come to Vigil's Keep, to outfit the soldiers with the ore.
Heading towards the keep, he found Seneschal Varel and Captain Garevel waiting for him outside. Upon noticing him, the duo marched up to him. From the set of their jaws and anger in their step, Matthew could tell they were upset with him, a suspicion that was confirmed the moment the first words exited Varel's mouth.
"Forgive the insubordination, Commander," the Seneschal hissed through clenched teeth, "but where in the VOID have you been?"
"I was taking a walk," Matthew replied calmly. "Seeing the sights, enjoying the sunshine, wiping out a group of traitorous nobles bent on assassinating me."
Upon hearing what he said, and the incredibly offhand manner in which he said it, both the seneschal and the captains' mouths dropped open.
"I'm sorry, Commander," Varel stammered, "but, what did you just say?"
"I wiped out a group of nobles bent on assassinating me," Matthew repeated. "Come now, Varel, I told you about this plot earlier, didn't I?"
"Yes, Commander, but why in the Maker's name did you go alone?" Varel demanded.
"I was not alone, Seneschal," Matthew replied, holding up his bandaged hand with Morrigan's rosewood ring on it. "This ring doesn't just sit on my finger and look pretty. There is a link between this ring, and the one that my wife wears. It allows us to communicate with each other, and allows her to weave spells through the link."
"Your wife is weaving combat level magic," Geravel spoke up. "I am no expert on magic, Warden-Commander, but given her condition, that hardly seems wise."
"I attempted to tell her the same thing," Matthew explained. "Hence, the bandage. In any case, what were the two of you so worked up about?"
"Today is scheduled as a court hearing, Commander," Varel explained. "And YOU are supposed to be presiding over it."
"Why," Matthew questioned, both annoyed and confused. "Wouldn't that be a job for a magistrate?"
"Normally, yes," Captain Geravel said. "However, the criminals in question have committed crimes against you or other nobles in the Arling, and as you have the right of high justice, you preside over them."
Matthew groaned, then answered, "Very well, let's get this over with," and began walking toward the Keep. The three entered the Keep, and went through to maze of hallways leading to the throne room. Upon entering, he saw that there were many more people in the room than usual. In addition to his wardens, it seemed most of the nobles in the immediate area, the off duty soldiers, and servants had assembled to witness the event. Morrigan, however, was nowhere to be found, though the link between their rings told him she was sleeping in their room; apparently, the spells had taken more out of her than she had let on.
Deciding that complaining about the, at least to him, unnecessary injury, Matthew took his place in front of the throne, Varel and Geravel standing at either side of him.
"Alright, let's begin," Matthew said to Varel, who immediately told the crowd to be seated.
"The Warden-Commander will now hear the matter of The Crown against the sheepherder Alec," Varel intoned. At his words, a downright miserable looking man wearing dirty, commoner clothing stepped forward until he was only five feet away from the trio.
"On behalf of the Crown," Captain Garevel said, "I submit that Alec stole two bushels of grain bound for the garrison at Amaranthine. When confronted by guards, he confessed. The punishment for theft from the Crown is death by hanging."
"What say you, Alec," Seneschal Varel asked the shepherd.
"My sheep were slaughtered by darkspawn," Alec explained, his voice pleading. "My family was starving. I ask for mercy, commander."
"Poor bugger," Varel whispered into Matthew's ear. "If he had stolen from anyone but the crown, he'd have escaped with only a flogging."
Matthew was momentarily at a loss at what to do. He knew that the law needed to be upheld, lest the entire Arling fall into chaos, but executing a man for simply doing what was needed to save his family did not sit well with him at all. After a few minutes consideration, a new solution presented itself to him, one that would satisfy both his desire to give Alec a second chance, and the law's requirement that he face punishment.
"Alec," he finally said. "What you have done is not in question. You yourself have confessed to your crime, so your life is forfeit. However, I have no intentions of wasting anything in our present situation. And that is exactly what executing you would be; a waste. I am willing to overlook this crime, on a single condition; that you join the forces of Amaranthine, and fight against the darkspawn, and any other threat to the Arling."
Matthew had never seen a happier man than he did right now; Alec looked so joyful with the news the Warden-Commander was convinced the man would explode. Then, consternation clouded his features. "What of my family," the man asked.
"You may bring them here. No one here who works for the betterment of the Arling will starve at Vigil's Keep."
"Then I will bring them," Alec declared, beaming with joy. "Thank you, Commander." And with that he took his place back in the crowd; it was common curtsey to wait until the event was finished before you left.
The next case was bit darker and more difficult for Matthew to reach a satisfactory compromise. The defendant, a woman named Danella, was a soldier stationed at Vigil's Keep, who had been caught deserting her post. When questioned, the soldier declared that she had only left to retrieve her family. Matthew had thought long and hard about what to do with her; while he had sympathy for the women's plight, she had broken her oath of service to him, and could not be let off for it. In the end, however, he declared that Danella would be acquitted of her crime, as he felt that he had not taken the appropriate precautions to allow soldiers to bring their families' to safety, and resolved to change that.
"Mercy is all well and good, Commander Cousland," Captain Garevel whispered harshly in his ear, "But armies run on discipline. What are we to do when soldiers start shedding their uniforms left and right?"
"You hang them," Matthew said simply. "Once we can get a system set up so that soldiers can retrieve their loved ones in a manner so that Vigil's Keep is not threatened, the men have no true reason to desert aside from cowardice. As for our present situation, Danella will save her family, the other soldiers will not have to make a similar decision, and the Keep will not be threatened. Everyone is happy."
"Except Justice," the Captain declared.
"Justice is not a person, Garevel. It doesn't need to be happy."
Clearly not happy with his Commander, but no longer willing to continue the debate, Garevel stayed silent.
The last case had easily biggest impact; Ser Tamra, the noblewoman who had first warned him of the conspiracy, had been found murdered, and the defendant, Ser Temmerly, had been found a short distance away, covered in blood. Everyone believed he was guilty, something that was greatly reinforced by the man's abrasively superior attitude and the fact that he did not even claim innocence, only proclaiming that his noble lineage made him immune to the laws of man. However, the guards found no real evidence against him."
But I have, Matthew thought as Tammerly sneered his obviously fabricated alibi at him.
"Hang him," Matthew proclaimed as soon as the murderer was finished.
"But… you can't," Tammerly exclaimed. "You have no proof!"
"Oh, but I do," the Commander declared, and he then explained to everyone the conspiracy against his life, the coded letter he had found which held Ser Temmerly's seal, and how the letter described, in great detail, how he intended to murder Ser Tamra as part of this conspiracy. He then stripped Temmerly of all his titles and lands, and ordered the guards to imprison him in the Keep's dungeon, and to ensure he had no opportunity to kill himself before facing the noose.
"You have no right to do this!" Temmerly screamed as the soldiers dragged him away. "Rendon Howe would never allow a noble to be executed like some commoner!"
Everyone in the room held their breath and looked at the Commander with absolute terror; clearly, they were all concerned that Cousland would go into a rage at the mere mention of his family's killer.
Matthew, however, merely replied, "Rendon Howe is dead, Temmerly; how he ran this Arling is of no consequence any longer. You and your cohorts ignored that fact, and now you will pay the price. Goodbye."
And with that, he turned and left the throne room, hearing Seneschal Veral declare the meeting adjourned. After waiting a few moments, Varel and Garevel followed him into the otherwise empty hallway.
"Who is Temmerly's heir," Matthew asked immediately.
"He does not have one, Commander," Varel replied. "He was currently negotiating an arranged married with another noble's daughter, but the engagement was never finalized."
"Seize all his assets, and turn them over to the Crown," Matthew said. He was tempted to take Temmerly's fortunes for himself and use them against the darkspawn, but decided against that as it could be sited as evidence that he had framed the man in order to do exactly that. Turning to Garelvel, he ordered the captain to begin making arrangements for soldiers to leave the Keep to retrieve their families. Once the two had left, he immediately headed to his and Morrigan's room; between fighting nobles and Antivan Crows, the walk to and from Stark's Farm, and the court hearing, he was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.
Upon entering the first chamber, he hung up his crossbow, the Summer Sword, and his armor. Walking into their bedroom, he saw Morrigan laying on her said, breathing quietly. Sliding into the bed next to her, he wrapped his arms around her swollen belly, kissed her on the top of her head, and closed his eyes.
Unknown to him, his wife smilled even as she slept.
A.N.
Yes, I realize the irony of saying that Justice is not a person. I put that in intentionally.