The following morning, Liao was awoken quite suddenly when Leliana jumped on her bed. The young elf groaned and dug her head on her pillow, hoping the human girl would leave her alone. By her estimates, she would have barely gotten 5 hours of sleep. She could already hear the morning birds chirping outside the window and could see the bright light of morning beginning to cascade over the room.
"Wake up, sleepy!" Leliana giggled at her friend and pulled the pillow off of Liao's head.
"What, more darkspawn?" Liao mumbled as she reached for another pillow to hide beneath.
"No, we're going to the city today. We need to leave as early as possible. Come on, get dressed and have some breakfast," the bard urged as she tried to pull Liao out of the bed by her arms.
"Can't we go later? I haven't even talked to Varel yet about what happened last night," Liao rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and caught herself just as Leliana had managed to pull her to the floor.
"You can tell him about it over breakfast. We need to go shopping!" the bard sang and for a moment gave up on pulling Liao's limbs.
"Seriously? We have to go shopping right now?" Liao threw the remaining pillow at Leliana out of annoyance.
"Yes, we do! You said Wynne and I could help plan the wedding. You're going to need a dress and shoes," Leliana moved over to the window to open the curtains fully and the light blinded the sleepy elf for a moment before she adjusted to it.
"This must be a human thing," Liao grumbled to herself. "Ok, fine, whatever. Just let me put some clothes on and we can sort this out over breakfast."
By the time Liao had made her way down to the dining hall, Leliana and Wynne had already finished their meals. Shale just grunted in greeting and went back to digging through a pile of old Tevinter books that she had collected from around the keep. Liao spotted Captain Garevel already talking with Seneschal Varel at the officer's table.
"Ah, Commander, it is good to see you are well today," Varel greeted Liao as she approached the two men. "Sounds like I missed out last night."
"You didn't miss much. Just a few darkspawn, nothing to get worked up over," Liao shrugged and began piling eggs and sausages onto a plate.
"I'm glad you can be so relaxed about it," the seneschal chuckled. To non-Grey Wardens, darkspawn were the most fearsome creatures in the world aside from dragons.
"We repaired that barricade early this morning," Garevel added. "But one of the dwarves reckons we should dig deeper into the tunnels and find a more permanent position to seal off."
"Very good, sounds taken care of," Liao was more interested in eating than in conversing.
"One of your friends mentioned you were travelling to Amaranthine today, ser," Varel began casually, "It'll be a nice day to visit. You should probably introduce yourself to Constable Aidan while you're there. He heads the city watch and would be happy to meet you in person."
"I'll do that if I get the opportunity," Liao said. She wasn't going to get a choice on whether she wanted to go to the city or not that day, it seemed to all have been decided for her. The elf should have known how persuasive Leliana could be by now. What annoyed her most wasn't the plans to go to the city themselves but that she wasn't involved in the planning process. Leliana only gave her a large smile when she looked over at her.
Within the next hour, Liao found herself following the North Road to Amaranthine with Leliana and Wynne. They had debated about riding on horseback but Wynne wasn't thrilled about the idea given her long mage robes. Liao was excited about the idea of learning how to ride horses at some point. The concept had fascinated her since she had first seen horses in Ferelden though they had been few in number since the Blight. She had heard stories about armoured knights called a cavalry that had fought against the Orlesians during the Fereldan Rebellion. The girls had compromised on the debate by agreeing to ride horses on the way back to Vigil's Keep.
They knew they were close to the city walls when they came across an assortment of refugee camps. Not everyone had been able to find work or rebuild their homes in and around Denerim after the short-lived Blight. The darkspawn horde had destroyed much of Denerim's infrastructure and had sent thousands of people scurrying to the safety of the north. The camps were relatively organised with families sharing tents and camp fires with one another. It almost looked like a large, Dalish camp from afar only with human inhabitants instead of elves.
The three women were only harassed a couple of times by beggars on their way towards the Amaranthine gates. They all felt guilty for turning each of the refugees away but they had little themselves to give. Some of the beggars were children that claimed they had been orphaned but Leliana told her friends that it was hard to tell whether they were genuine or not and if they wanted to make any donations they should do so through the Chantry.
Amongst the refugees, there were a few shady individuals that seemed to prey on the misfortune and chaos. Food seemed ample enough but other goods were being tightly controlled by small gangs of smugglers who could take advantage of the desperate and downtrodden. Leliana caught one such man trying to pickpocket her. She roughly twisted his arm around as he reached for her side satchel. The lowly thief gave up without a fight and ran off down an alleyway in search of a more unsuspecting victim.
The presence of guards in splintmail armour increased as they got closer to the city's gates. Liao could never quite grasp why the splintmail in particular was so common throughout Ferelden. Maybe it was easy to produce in abundance. Maybe it was simply easier to wear than heavy chainmail or required less time to put on than plate. To the young rogue's mind, it was better suited for moving about than it was in protecting the wearer from heavy blows though it still wasn't an ideal material for close-combat manoeuvres.
At the city gates themselves, there was a checkpoint of sorts set up by a few guards that wore armour that was shiny enough to reflect the morning sun. They were probably checking refugees and other visitors for smuggled goods or keeping an eye out for suspicious characters. When it was Liao's turn to be checked, one of the guards got suspicious due to her wearing a full suit of leather gear and all her weaponry being clearly visible. Leliana and Wynne had looked a lot less conspicuous in their more traditional day-to-day clothes but the Warden-Commander wasn't in the habit of travelling around Ferelden without being prepared for anything.
"Sorry, ma'am, but we've been told to check everyone. Constable's orders," the guardsmen told her in a tone of voice that indicated he wasn't at all apologetic. He seemed to rather enjoy the chance to show off his authority in front of his fellow soldiers. As an aside he added, "Mind you, you're going to get a lot of attention dressed like that. This is a city not a battlefield."
"Are you one of Constable Aidan's men?" Liao asked, hoping that there wasn't any other constable for the city of Amaranthine. She was prepared to create a scene if she felt her dignity was being infringed upon too much by such a runt of a guardsman.
The man looked worried suddenly, "Yes, ma'am."
"Bring him to me. And address me as 'ser'. I outrank you," she enjoyed watching his face turn from a boastful expression to one of panic. He didn't stick around long for her to relish it, however. Within a few seconds, another figure in heavy armour appeared. He had short, curly blond hair and bright blue eyes.
"I am Constable Aidan," the man said. He looked confused as to why he had been summoned.
"I'm Warden-Commander Liao, the new Arlessa of Amaranthine," she put out her hand out in greeting and he shook it vigorously.
"I had no idea you were coming into the city today. It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" the constable was genuinely excited to meet Ferelden's latest hero and was trying to ignore the embarrassment that his subordinate had just caused.
"It was a bit of a surprise visit, I'll admit," Liao gave Leliana a look as she said it but the red-head was too heavily engaged in a giggle-filled conversation with Wynne.
"Are these two lovely ladies with you then, ser?" Constable Aidan had followed Liao's gaze, the two women burst into more laughter but didn't say anything.
"They are. I don't often travel alone. The three of us do much together. Such as destroying darkspawn hordes, slaying archdemons, and shopping," this was said more for the rude guardsmen's benefit, so that he knew exactly who he had chosen to harass that day. Unfortunately, it also had the effect of encouraging whatever it was that her two companions had found so amusing and the two were nearly on the street in tears.
"Let me make this up to you then," the constable said, though now the laughter was becoming infectious and he found himself smiling for no apparent reason. "The Crown and Lion has just received a new shipment of their famous ale. Allow me to buy you a round or two."
"That sounds lovely," Wynne managed to say as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Mm, beer," was all Leliana could say before the giggles took over her again.
"That's very kind. Lead on, ser," Liao agreed to the offer.
The four of them spent a brief time at the Crown and Lion Inn as it was still a bit early in the day and the constable had other business to deal with. The girls finally stopped giggling and revealed to Liao that Wynne had been lustfully eyeing Aidan before he had been summoned over by the rude guard. The young elf still couldn't figure out why they had found it so funny.
The girls decided that before they were to go shopping that they should settle the matter with the local chantry about the marriage ceremony. Liao had her reservations about it but the two humans agreed that if she wanted to include a human ceremony that the Chantry would have to be involved. Part of the young elf wanted to just do the Dalish bonding ceremony and skip all the fancy song and dance and costumes that seemed to come with a human one.
Liao could hear the familiar sound of the Chant of Light as they got closer to the local chantry. It was the usual portion of the chant that was recited in the human cities, the Canticle of Transfiguration. Basically, it was the Chantry's way of reminding citizens to follow the basic tenants of good morality: don't murder, don't steal, don't lie, don't worship false gods, and magic is bad. The last two bits were the ones that rubbed Liao wrong. The false gods portion of the chant was directed at her people specifically and magic was nothing that needed to feared.
Overall the Chantry did good charity work in the human lands but they had some questionable policies and methods. Their religion worshipped one single god, the Maker, who had turned his back on his creation because the Tevinter magisters of old had corrupted his city, or something like that. It was supposed to be the Chantry's version of where darkspawn came from but it was mostly their way of saying "Don't disobey the Maker or bad things will happen". It was also their rationale for their complete mistrust and hatred of magic.
"Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him.
Foul and corrupt are they
Who have taken His gift
And turned it against His children.
They shall be named Maleficar, accursed ones.
They shall find no rest in this world
Or beyond," the chanter droned on.
Liao shook her head at it all. The verse gave no reason as to why mages had to be treated like prisoners. If anything, she was mildly surprised that mages weren't used as slaves in Ferelden. They were just tossed into a tower, locked up, and forced to repent for daring to be born with the gift of magic.
The Dalish keepers used magic as well and were the reason that the Dalish people were nomadic. The whole clan had to be constantly on the move to avoid the attention of the Chantry's templars, warriors trained to hunt magic users. They had been forced out of their homeland, the Dales, by an Exalted March led by the Chantry during the Glory Age not long after the Second Blight. The Dalish had lost two homelands, one of which had been given to them by Andraste, the prophet of the Maker herself. Now the Dalish elves were nothing but a broken people without a home. They had little patience for the Chantry of Andraste and its teachings.
"Oh, this is the Chantry of our Lady Redeemer! This is where Andraste revealed the Chant of Light before she went to fight against the Tevinter Imperium. There's so much history here," Leliana remarked as they ascended the steps towards the chantry. A statue of Andraste greeted them in front of the chantry's grandly decorated doors.
What would Andraste think of how the Chantry treated mages and the Dalish now? She always looked so peaceful and poignant in her statue form. But Andraste was a warrior, a leader of men and women. She may have been the Maker's beloved but she knew a thing or two about justice and equality, something the distant god figure didn't seem to understand at all. Liao bowed her head respectfully at the stone figure's feet. She had no love for the Chantry itself but her heart filled for Andraste, who had been betrayed by the one she loved.
The three women entered the chantry proper and were met with silence as the few Andrastians inside were deep in meditation and prayer. The Reverend Mother wasn't seen near the altar at the head of the room. There were a few female templars talking quietly to one another in one of the alcoves. The ceilings were high with large, stained glass windows. The numerous amount of books and religious symbols showed off the chantry's wealth.
A priestess appeared out of no where to greet them, "Welcome to the Chantry of our Lady Redeemer. How may we help you today?"
"We need to speak with the Reverend Mother, is she available?" Wynne asked.
"She may be in the middle of afternoon prayers at the moment, but let me go check. What is this matter concerning?" the priestess asked.
Liao looked at Wynne for support. The elder mage nodded encouragingly, "Um, it's about a marriage."
The priestess stared at Liao for a moment, not comprehending. Liao's facial tattoos were one of the first features humans noticed about her usually, most of the time she didn't even have to explain that she was Dalish to them. The woman in the brightly coloured priestess robes asked finally, "For whom? For you?"
Liao felt foolish, but she had promised she'd try and keep the ceremony friendly to both human and Dalish cultures. She hated asking the chantry for anything, least of all permission to ordane her wedding. The Dalish never made such a fuss about rituals and rules. "For me, yes."
"Is the man a follower of Andraste?"
"Yes."
"Are you?"
"No."
"I see," the priestess looked baffled. She had probably never met a pagan before in her life and would assume Liao was some sort of heathen that believed in blood sacrifices or some other nonsense.
Wynne spoke up again, in her softer voice,"Perhaps this is something we could discuss with her reverence? Please do not past judgement on my friend here. Doesn't the Maker love all His children equally, even the non-believers?"
The priestess couldn't think of a non-offensive response. Lucky for her, the Reverend Mother of the Chantry had just joined the small group by the door. "Let us converse in my office."
The old woman led them to one of the backrooms of the building that featured a desk, several bookshelves, and enough chair for all the women to sit in. Liao, however, chose to stand as she was feeling incredibly nervous as she heard the chanting and singing beginning in the main room. She felt like her presence would somehow defile the holy site simply because she believed in the Creators rather than in the Maker.
"What is your name, child?" the mother asked Liao.
"Liao Mahariel," Liao gave her full name. She had not used her surname since becoming a Grey Warden as all Wardens cut ties to their families once they undertook the Joining. Given her parents had died when she was young, she hadn't needed to use her family name often.
"As in Warden-Commander Liao? The hero of Ferelden?"
"Yes."
"Ah. Your reputation precedes you, ser. What business did you wish to talk to me about?"
"Well, I am engaged to a human man. We were looking for a mother to ordain the wedding ceremony," Liao began though she knew it would invite the Reverend Mother to ask the same things the priestess had earlier.
"Right. For a marriage to be performed in the Chantry, both partners must be followers of the Andrastian faith. If you are not a follower, you will have to renounce your false religion and accept Andraste as your prophet and the Maker as the one and only god. This is how things have always been done," the woman said in a dry, matter-of-fact tone.
"Your reverence," Leliana spoke up before Liao could find a constructive way to respond, "Liao is the saviour of Ferelden and the man she is engaged to helped us defeat the Archdemon at Denerim. Surely the Maker would not forbid such a union? They are good people who have sacrificed much for the greater good."
"It is not for us to decide the Maker's judgement," the mother answered her. "All we can follow are the guidelines in the Chant of Light. It doesn't matter what good deeds one has done so long as they have faith in the Maker and follow the Chant. The Maker's commandments are clear and just."
"Did Andraste not love the elves who helped her cause against Tevinter?" Liao spoke up at last. "She did not judge my kind. What gives you any right to do so?"
"My rights are given to me by the Maker I serve. You are starting to test my patience but I understand you are ignorant of how the Chantry functions," the woman said dismissively.
"At Shartan's word, the sky grew black with arrows. At Our Lady's, ten thousand swords rang from their sheaths, a great hymn rose over Valarian Fields gladly proclaiming: Those who had been slaves were now free," Liao recited a portion of the Canticle of Shartan to show just how ignorant she was. The canticle used to be a part of the Chant of Light that spoke of the elven leader, Shartan, who led the elves out of bondage to fight alongside Andraste but was removed after the Chantry pushed the Dalish out of their homeland.
Leliana gasped and Wynne looked suitably uncomfortable. The verse had long been labelled as heresy and it was sure to anger anyone who served the Chantry. The Reverend Mother looked disgusted, "I will not tolerate this in my chantry! I gave you your options, if you do not wish to accept the Maker as your god then that is your decision but do not tarnish these walls with your heresy."
"I am no heretic. I am Dalish. We are the last of the Elvhenan, and never again shall we submit," Liao said in an equally threatening tone before she turned to walk out of the room.
Wynne and Leliana just looked at each other, unsure if Liao had wanted them to follow.
"How can you two Andrastians follow that..pagan of a woman!" the Reverend Mother said with exasperation.
"Liao may be Dalish but she has always done many good things," Leliana tried to assure the mother. "She might not seem like it today, but she is a warm and compassionate person."
"Are you sure you should have dismissed her so quickly, your reverence? She is the Arlessa of this region as well as the Commander of the Grey. In political circles, she wields great power and responsibility," Wynne added.
"The Chantry is above such petty politics. We are above the crown itself. I will not yield in this matter," the old woman said and stood up behind her desk, "I have other duties to deal with today. If there is nothing else, I wish you to leave me in peace. May the Maker guide your path."
The two women left the chantry but found no signs of Liao outside the building. They decided maybe she would turn up at the Crown and Lion Inn later when she had calmed down. In the mean time, the pair went to the Crown and Lion's pub to have a calming drink or two.
Liao caught sight of her reflection in the shallow, slightly murky water below her feet. The water ebbed and flowed in a consistent rhythm against the wooden dock's supports. She tapped the surface of the water with the tip of one of her boots and the resulting ripples distorted her reflected image until it disappeared altogether. It was a small distraction but the sound of the moving tide was oddly disarming. The young elf almost found it to be almost peaceful and relaxing.
It was easy to tune out the background noise of the working dockhands going about their business. There was the occasional sea bird calling overhead to its flock but otherwise the area felt devoid of animal life. There were very few fishermen or nets surrounding the area which indicated the sea life must have been just as quiet as that of the land and air. It amazed the young Dalish that such a huge area could be so full of humans and so absent of any other living organisms. The wood and stone docks of Amaranthine were bustling with the productivity of a civilisation that relied on the sea.
The sound of a mewing cat met Liao's ears. She glanced around the crates and barrels that dotted the dock for signs of the animal. Instead, she saw a rather large, mangy-looking rat darting out from under a rotted box full of ropes and chords. A few seconds later, a young, ginger tabby was lunging its body at its scurrying prey. The rat evaded the scrawny predator and the cat seemed to have lost interest in it almost immediately. It stopped where it sat on the wooden planks and began to thoroughly clean its paws, altogether ignoring Liao's presence.
Liao envied the small creature. It had all the freedom of which she lacked. It could go where it pleased, hunt whatever it liked, and befriend whoever it wished without fear of upsetting were no vassals to appease, recruits to train, social pressures to navigate through, or religious types to avoid. The young cat didn't care whether the Chantry dictated peoples' lives or not. All he had to worry about was survival, something Liao had understood all too well before Duncan had whisked her away from her clan.
The cat trotted off further down the dock where it could reach the water level for a quick drink without fear of falling into the Waking Sea. It brushed past a man on its way. The man was wearing long, colourful robes that were generally only worn by mages of the Circle of Magi. The elaborately adorned staff that he carried in his hands was further evidence of his status. It was always unusual to see mages outside of the Circle given how tightly the Chantry tried to control their movements.
"Ah, I see this spot is already taken," the mage said when he spotted Liao in her moderately concealed hiding place behind some old shipping crates.
"There's enough room for two," she said warmly. Unlike the Fereldans that had been fed so many lies by their Chantry, Liao did not fear or mistrust people simply because they had been born with the gift to manipulate magic.
"You must not be from around here," the blond-haired man said with mild surprise, "But who am I to say no to such a friendly invitation."
The mage sat down near Liao and placed his staff across his lap. The robes he were baggy enough that he could sit in a cross-legged position without much difficulty. Liao was still sitting with her legs dangling over the dock's edge, her boots constantly flirting with the water's surface.
"What brings a mage to this area of town?" Liao asked casually.
"What makes you think I am a mage? Maybe I am just dressed up for a costume party," the man said cheerfully.
"I may be Dalish, but I'm not stupid," Liao retorted, "Mages aren't exactly likeable figures that people are eager to emulate at costume parties."
"I'm perfectly likeable," the mage defended himself. After a pause he asked, "A Dalish in Amaranthine? What's a Dalish doing in this area of town?"
"I asked you first," Liao pointed out stubbornly.
"There's a long story behind my being here but I don't think you'd be interested in hearing all of it," the human looked off in the distance at the large ships moving about the harbour as he spoke.
"I've got plenty of free time to listen to stories," Liao said, "Mine probably isn't half as interesting yours. I'm just avoiding some friends who I am supposed to be shopping with at the moment."
"Shopping sounds like such good fun," the mage said sarcastically.
"It might have been if it didn't revolve around some silly human traditions. I don't know whether I should care or not at this point though. What's the point in shopping for a wedding dress when the Chantry won't even let you get married because you don't believe in their stupid god?" Liao's voice sounded incredibly bitter but she didn't care. She wanted to rant.
The man looked thoroughly confused, "Well, the Chantry are pretty good at ruining everyone's fun. They're the reason I am lying low at the moment as well. Not exactly the same circumstances as your own, mind you. I'm just your typical escaped Circle Mage lusting after freedom and a decent meal." He sighed.
"An apostate?" Liao asked.
"Apostate is such a crude word. My name is Anders. What's yours?" the mage introduced himself by offering his hand to Liao.
"I'm Liao, nice to meet you," Liao shook his hand gently.
"Is it common for the Dalish to get married in a chantry?" he asked, still sounding a bit puzzled over what Liao had said earlier.
"Not at all. My fiancé is human, so I guess it's a bit of an unusual case. We were trying to keep the ceremony balanced between human and Dalish traditions," she tried to explain.
"How romantic, a marriage of two unlikely cultures," Anders remarked, "I'm guessing the Chantry wasn't quite as open-minded about the idea as you were?"
"Let's just say they weren't thrilled and I told them they could shove their Maker where the sun doesn't shine," Liao exaggerated the story a bit but it felt refreshing to say what she really had wanted to say to the Reverend Mother earlier. She could still feel the hints of racism and arrogance that had accompanied the words of the priestess and the mother.
The mage just laughed at this, "Tell me what you really think!"
His face become more sober though as he spoke again, "The templars aren't exactly forward thinkers either. This has been my seventh escape attempt from the Circle and I doubt they'll give me the chance for an eighth. Eventually you just run out of buttons to push."
"At least you're persistent. I reckon most mages would give up after the first attempt. We Dalish believe in an oath: 'We are the Dalish: keepers of the lost lore, walkers of the lonely path. We are the last of the Elvhenan, and never again shall we submit'. You mages should come up with something similar and stick to it," the elf offered helpfully.
"It's catchy, that's for sure," Anders agreed, "Anyway you're probably not interested in listening to some stranger's troubles." He tried to look relaxed but there was clearly more on his mind. The yellow tabby appeared again and nuzzled against the mage's hand with affection. The mage looked at the young animal with a similar look of envy that Liao had felt for it.
"You'd be surprised at how much of my life has been spent listening to the troubles of others," Liao said, recalling all the ridiculous errands she used to get sent on during the Blight. The cat had now made itself comfortable in Anders' lap and he was scratching its ears lovingly. The grim expression on his face had turned into a small smile. "So what is your story exactly? Are you trying to flee Ferelden?"
"No, but that's not a bad idea either," Anders admitted, "A friend of mine has helped me locate my phylactery. I intend to retrieve and destroy it so that this can be my last escape attempt. No more running from the templars for me."
"The phylactery is in Amaranthine?" Liao remembered mages at the Circle talking about how they were often stored in Denerim in a secret location. Anders nodded in response to her question. "Do you have a plan to reach it without getting yourself killed in the process?"
"What, you mean I'm not supposed to die? Now I have to rethink all of my plans!" the mage laughed again, "I was just planning to walk in through the front door without any hassles."
"Seriously? This is why you keep getting caught," Liao pointed out.
"It was a joke, but you're right. Having a plan could be a good idea. All I know so far is the location for the phylacteries. I hadn't gotten much further in the planning process than that," the mage admitted.
"Sounds like you're going to need someone to help you," Liao advised.
"Probably, but that would be risky. No one needs to put their life on the line for my benefit," Anders looked off into the distance again, not meeting Liao's gaze.
"Your chances of success would be a lot higher though," she urged.
"True, but who would be crazy enough to play accomplice to a known apostate?" Anders asked. He look like he had already decided that he was defeated.
"I might be willing to help," Liao offered. Anders turned to look at her as if she had said the most outlandish thing imaginable.
"What? You hardly know me. Why would you do that?" he asked, sounding doubtful but slightly more optimistic than earlier.
"Because I don't support the oppression of people due to ignorance. Or maybe because the Chantry has royally pissed me off enough today. Or maybe I'm just feeling incredibly altruistic. Does it matter?" she shrugged her shoulders. At least it sounded more interesting than shopping with Wynne and Leliana and she had the chance to help someone out who deserved to be as free as anyone else in Fereldan.
"It matters a great deal, Liao. I'm glad to have you met you today," he had wanted to shake her hand again but the sleeping cat in his lap wouldn't allow him to move his arm.
"I reckon we should wait until nightfall to pull this off. Where should we meet up?" Liao asked. The mage gave her directions to a warehouse not too far away from the docks and suggested they meet around midnight to avoid any potential witnesses.
It was almost mid-afternoon already and Liao felt it was time that she meet up with her friends again who were probably worried and beginning to look for her. She had no intentions of telling either of them about Anders or her plans for later that evening. She wasn't entirely sure what motivated her to offer to help him but she knew somehow that it was the right thing to do. There was certainly a lure of danger and excitement that Liao always found hard to resist and she had no qualms about hurting the Chantry.
Liao ran into Wynne and Leliana near a shop that sold silks and other rare fabrics. Apparently they hadn't started to look for their friend at all and Leliana had decided they should still have a dress of some kind made for Liao. The Dalish tried to explain that she had no need for one but the Orlesian girl could not be dissuaded. Liao suspected that Leliana just liked having an excuse to shop for something that she wanted for herself. Wynne was more interested in the novelty items that could be bought from trinket shops similar to the Wonders of Thedas in Denerim's market.
The only shops that interested Liao were ones that had spices, recipes, and food items from across the Waking Sea. Most of these shops had a fragrant smell surrounding them as well as sample platters of food to try out. The elven commander also took an interest in the various leather-works that could be bought around the marketplace but she had no immediate need to upgrade her current equipment. Most of the leather was being fashioned into shoes or satchels instead of cuirasses or bracers anyway. She was slightly disappointed by the lack of bowyers showing off their latest hunting implements since she had been thinking about buying a compact recurve bow.
Around dinner time, just after sunset, the three women made their way back to the Crown and Lion Inn for an evening meal. With a few choice words, Liao was able to convince her friends into consuming a hefty amount of alcohol. She hoped that they would be too busy chattering away so that she could slip out of the pub unnoticed for the rest of the night.
It didn't take long before Leliana was expressing her displeasure with the local band of minstrels. She took matters into her own, personal hands and began to play a merry tune on one of their larger lute instruments. The red-haired human started to tell a ludicrous story about dancing dwarves deep in the Deep Roads. As she continued to weave the tall-tale, she began to incorporate a known drinking song into the lyrics and soon enough the entire room was singing along with her. Wynne joined in with the merriment and used a spell to change the colours of the lights in the room every time a new verse was added to the epic song.
Liao took the chance to duck out of the room and back out onto the cobblestone streets of the city. The wind was howling fiercely but the night time sky was clear. It was still too early to rendezvous with Anders. She decided to take a walk around the large city's sprawling streets instead to familiarise herself more with the layout of the city. She also took note of the positions of the city guards and tried to approximate when they changed shifts. Hopefully nothing would go wrong later that would require her to rely on such information but it didn't hurt to be overly prepared.
Most of the shops had closed up when the sun had gone down a few hours prior. There were numerous lit torches and lanterns along the larger, more trafficked streets. In sharp contrast to the bigger laneways, the alleys and back streets were much shrouded in darkness and empty of any pedestrians. Patrols of guards only walked up and down the one main street that went through the city gates at regular intervals. From within the walled city, it was hard to make out the refugee camps but every now and then Liao could see one of their campfires glowing in the distance.
Eventually, she calculated that it must be approaching the middle of the night. The streets were empty and a majority of the city watch had stopped their patrols for the remainder of the night. Even the noise and activity that came from the direction of the docks had quieted down substantially. The only sounds that could be heard in the seaside town at that hour were those of crackling flames dancing on torches and the chilling wind that was threatening to blow them out. Even the Waking Sea itself seemed silent and distant that night.
The elven rogue made her way to the back of an abandoned building that resided beside the warehouse that Anders wanted to infiltrate. It did not unsettle her that Anders hadn't arrived yet since he had said it would be hard for him to move around easily with the templars on alert. Liao had no idea how a man in bright robes and carrying a large staff was supposed to hide himself, his appearance was painfully hard to ignore. There must be some sort of magic that he used to disguise himself or discourage people from noticing him. She spent the long minutes waiting for him trying to figure out how an apostate would survive in a crowded city full of mage-haters.
Liao heard his approached before she saw his figure emerge around the shadowy corner. He looked tired and uneasy. The young mage was clenching his staff with what looked like apprehension or nervousness. She hoped he would be a decent man to have in a fight if it came down to one. It wouldn't do the Grey Wardens any good if their leader was caught assisting a criminal in the dead of night. The elven commander briefly wondered if she should have told Anders that she was a Warden but didn't see any benefit in revealing such information.
"Sorry I'm late," Anders said in a hushed voice. "I was tailing the templars back to the chantry. Looks like all of them are there at the moment so we should be able to do this without any surprises."
"How many are there?" Liao asked. She was surprised by how bold the mage was. If they had noticed him following him, they probably would have attacked first and asked questions later. He must be confidant in his abilities if he was prepared to take on multiple templars on his own, she thought to herself.
"One knight-captain and four knights. The knights aren't that experienced yet but the captain is formidable. She would probably take much delight in killing me," Anders seemed to be quite familiar with this particular group of templars.
"Let's hope we can do this without disturbing them," Liao said. She revealed the plan that she had thought up earlier that evening, "I've noticed that one of the windows to the warehouse is fairly accessible. It should also be quite easy to unlock. I could sneak in there, get the phylactery, and get out without much fuss. Then you can do whatever you want with it."
"You want to do all the work? Are you good at this sort of thing?" Anders looked sceptical.
"It's the easiest way to do it. If you want to steal something, better let a rogue do it. Magic could attract too much attention," said the elven archer.
"True enough," Anders agreed. He looked over at the high window that Liao had indicated. At least he could make himself somewhat useful and help her reach it.
"Do you know exactly what to look for?" he asked her.
"I assume it's just a phial with some blood in it," Liao responded.
"Right. They might not be labelled but I'm sure I could pick out my own phylactery if you bring them all to me," Anders assured her. As an aside, "If worse comes to worse, we can just destroy all of them. I doubt any mages will be upset about that."
"Ok. Are you ready? All you have to do is give me a boost to the window and keep a lookout for any wandering guards," Liao said as she adjusted her armour and unslung her bow. She dropped the longbow along with her quiver near Anders' feet, "Too bulky, I'm leaving this with you. Don't let anything happen to it." The window wasn't big enough for her to get through with her usual equipment. Her bow wouldn't do her much good in a tight, indoor fight where she would be on her own anyway.
They decided the best way to reach the window was for Liao to sit on the mage's shoulders. The young man wasn't very strong in his upper body so he couldn't handle holding her weight from a crouched position. Instead, they found some crates behind the warehouse and stacked them so that Liao could stand on them. This allowed her to position herself without relying on Anders supporting her from a kneeling to upright position. He was still a bit shaky and she wobbled a bit but she put her arms out for balance.
"You know, most men fantasise about being mounted by a pretty lady. I can't figure out what all the fuss is about, Maker you're heavy!" Anders attempted to joke while he struggled to walk towards the window's ledge with an armour-clad, elven rogue on his shoulders. She only dug her boots into his arms in response for fear that he might drop her if she made him laugh.
Luckily they had stacked the crates relatively close to the wall that contained the window of interest. The rogue fumbled through her belt for an appropriate lockpick to use on the window's mechanism. She used her leg muscles to steady herself.
"Try not to kick my head off," Anders reminded her.
She found the window's locking mechanism and began to pick and pry at it with the small tools. There wasn't any light inside the room to guide her so she had to use her reflexes and instincts. She also hoped that the window didn't open into a position that would make her vulnerable. The young elf had to remind herself that the templars weren't going to show up any time soon but it was still a good idea to try and avoid any unnecessary exposure when she didn't have a ranged weapon to back her up. It only took one attempt on the lock to pry it open and once it clicked open she pushed against the pane of the glass with both of her hands.
The window tilted inwards and revealed boxes and bookcases inside. The tricky bit would be getting enough purchase on the small ledge. Liao stretched out and gripped the window's interior ledge and began to pull herself forward. Anders quickly ducked out of the way to free her legs and to avoid being kicked. When she was halfway through the window's frame, she stopped for a moment to decide the best way to get onto the floor in the room without landing face-first.
She twisted her body around so that she was no longer crawling on her belly. There was nothing close to the window to grab onto so instead she braced her hands against the stone wall on either side of the window. She pushed with all the strength in her arms to pull her lower torso and legs through the window. Liao bent her legs as soon as they were under her and stood in a crouched position briefly on the little ledge before jumping backwards.
There was no way to see what she might land on so she tried to pull her limbs in close to her body to reduce any damage during the short drop. She could hear and feel the crunching noise of a box full of papers and books collapsing beneath her weight. She had found solid ground with her right foot but her left was harder to place and she stumbled backwards into the tough, oaken wood of a bookcase's backside. The noise sounded incredibly loud to her but she tried to ignore her moment of clumsiness and focus on finding clearance on the cluttered floor for her other foot. The bookcase hadn't budged when she fell into it and she could still feel the impact against it in her lower back.
"Are you alright?" Anders whispered loud enough for her to hear from outside. He sounded startled by the brief amount of noise Liao had just caused.
"Fine," she grumbled. "This lovely bookcase broke my fall. And possibly my back." She instinctively rubbed the portion of her back that hid hit the object and felt the tenderness of a bruise forming.
"I thought you were supposed to be good at this sort of thing," Anders said in response.
Liao didn't respond, instead she tried to survey the room for some sort of torch or candle. The window had opened up to an alcove full of junk, probably furniture and shelves full of books judging by their shapes. The rogue stepped quietly over the books and crates that littered the area where she had fallen.
In the darkness she couldn't tell if the warehouse was broken up into several rooms or not. She was cautious of traps even if the templars weren't presently guarding the phylacteries. It was safer to assume that they may have left some sort of surprises for any potential burglars. Liao didn't quite feel comfortable about illuminating the room yet since to light a torch would give away her position.
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness at last and she could somewhat make out the layout of the room she was in. There were bookshelves, boxes, and desks lining the walls. It seemed to be a building used to store documents and records. phials of mage blood should stand out relatively well, provided they weren't stashed away in a box somewhere.
The elf continued scanning the room for any signs of traps. The warehouse was an odd choice for the templars to hide something so important and she suspected there was more to it than she first thought. Perhaps they weren't counting on anyone founding out about the location or they were just using it as temporary storage. She looked out for any loose rope or other strange objects that could be used to trigger traps.
There was a backroom with shelves full of scrolls and other items that she couldn't see. This looks more promising she thought to herself. The small amount of light that had came through the window didn't reach the more interior room. She was feeling more confidant about the lack of guards and traps now. Liao decided she was going to need a little help after all and she walked back to the window.
"I need some light in here. Can you meet me at the front door?" she whispered, hoping Anders could hear her.
"Yeah, no guards have walked by here yet," Anders reported.
She met him at the thick wooden door at the front of the building and unlocked it. He knocked softly when he was ready and she quickly opened the door to allow him in before closing it after him. Neither of them could see the other very well. Anders rectified this difficulty by casting a small spell that produced a soft, glowing blue light atop his staff.
"Strange place to hide something so valuable," Anders remarked once he could see the assortment of books and other items being stored in the warehouse.
"I agree. You're sure about the information your friend gave you?" Liao asked him.
"Definitely. I've seen the templars come and go from this building over the last few days. They usually came one at a time, probably trying not to draw attention to themselves," Anders assured the elf.
"I want to take a closer look at the backroom, come on," she took the lead. Anders followed after her with his illuminated staff.
The backroom was indeed full of scrolls and artefacts. With the extra light, the pair could see all sorts of glassware as well. The glassware was the type used in alchemy and potion-making.
"Look at that, lyrium sand," Anders pointed to a bowl full of a pink-coloured powder.
"Isn't that stuff rare?" Liao asked, having remembered from visiting the dwarves that lyrium was a precious commodity. She knew that lyrium potions were used by mages and templars as a catalyst to power complicated spells.
"Yeah and there's all the right equipment here to make lyrium potions," Anders noticed, "But I wonder why it's hidden away like this? Everyone already knows that the Chantry controls its templars with lyrium."
"We can speculate about it after we find those phials," Liao said as she searched the numerous shelves for the objects.
"Here," Anders said excitedly. He had been looking on the lower shelves and found several racks full of different coloured phials. He reached out and pulled one of the racks full of dark red phials off the shelf. "This is it. It's one of these."
"Which one?" Liao asked, wondering how he could tell them apart. There were no noticeable labels to distinguish the translucent glass objects.
He set the phials down on top of one of the shelving units so he could see them all properly. He produced a small candle from the pack on his belt and set it alight with a small spark of flames that had come to life out of thin air. The candle was set down next to the phials and it burned with a normal, orange flame.
The mage took one of the phials and held it over the burning flame for a few seconds but nothing happened. He put the phial back and tried another one with the same result. He did this a few more times until one phial produced a green flame.
"Is that one yours?" Liao asked, assuming the spell he had cast would help him pick out his phylactery from the rest.
"Yes," the mage held up the phial above his head and looked at it with astonishment, "This small bit of glass has held me captive since I was fourteen."
Liao could feel acute anger for the way the Chantry treated mages. Here before her was an ordinary man who could do great things. Unlike most mages, he had lived and experienced a normal life outside the Circle for many years only to have it stripped away from him. She couldn't rationalise why he should be punished for something the Tevinter magisters had done over a thousand years ago. The look of relief and satisfaction on his face lifted her spirit immensely.
This is the right thing to do, she reminded herself. If I hadn't been chosen to be a Warden, I would dedicate my life to fighting for freedom of his and my people from the Chantry. The mages deserve so much more, if only the rest of the Dalish knew their hardship. They would fight by their side.
"What should we do now?" she asked aloud.
"I don't know. In all my dreams about this moment, I either woke up or got caught by the templars again," Anders said, sounding as if he were still in a state of disbelief.
"First thing we should do is leave this building," Liao offered helpfully.
"Yeah, I suppose we should. I ought to leave the city tonight while I have the opportunity. Guess I will have to settle down somewhere and live out the rest of my life in peace," he agreed to her suggestion.
The two left the unremarkable warehouse behind and walked to the end of the small street that had led to it in silence. Anders kept the phylactery in his free hand. Apparently he hadn't quite felt ready to smash the glass to pieces yet. Liao felt more comfortable now that she wore her familiar bow and quiver on her back again.
"Liao," Anders paused for a moment to address her, "No amount of thanks can express my gratitude right now. I owe you my life for what you have done."
"I didn't really do that much," she felt humbled by his words. "But you're welcome. You deserve liberation, all of your kind do. I hope you'll go on to accomplish great things some day."
"We'll see about that," he bowed his head as a sign of respect. "For now, I must go. Alone. Thanks again." He continued down an adjacent street after she returned the bow.
When he had rounded a corner, Liao followed after him. The least she could do was see him off safely past the city's gates. She kept to the shadows and didn't follow too closely, Had he wanted her company he would have asked for it and she didn't want to disrespect his wishes.
After she followed him down a few streets, her heart sank as she could hear the familiar clattering of people walking in armour nearby. She ducked behind a wall and hoped Anders had heard them as well. He hadn't, of course, given his human hearing wasn't as keen as her own. She was too far away to warn him.
"Halt!" a woman's voice cried out and Anders stopped suddenly in his tracks, not realising that the templars were already so close.
Liao could see the scene from her position but she hadn't known the best way to approach without making things worse. She unslung her bow just in case she would need it and waited to see what would transpire.
Four more templars, the knights, approached from the same side street as the first who had called out, "Relax boys, it's just Anders. Again."
"You're crushing my little ego," Anders said jovially, though his facial features didn't seem nearly as cheerful as his words.
"Out for a stroll are we?" the knight-captain taunted him.
"Oh yes, it's a beautiful evening! Care to join me?" he was stalling, Liao could tell. The young elf realised she could do something to help the mage after all and she walked towards the small group.
"Who's this, your girlfriend?" the templar said as she saw Liao.
"Not exactly," Anders said as he followed the templar's gaze. He looked both horrified and relieved to see the rogue again.
"What's going on here?" Liao asked the knight-captain.
"Nothing important, citizen. Just arresting this apostate and taking him back where he belongs," the templar said dismissively.
"I haven't committed any crimes," Anders pointed out. Unfortunately, that was the moment the templar knight-captain chose to look at his hand, the one clutching onto the phylactery. There was just enough torchlight to reflect off the glass surface.
"Ah, Namaya was right then. You fell for the bait," the templar said, crossing her arms and looking intimidating in her plate armour. "It seems you have committed a crime this time, Anders. I was just going to take you back to the Circle, but alas, I cannot forgive this offense."
Liao looked at Anders who seemed as pale as a ghost now. Namaya must have been the friend that had told him about the phylacteries. Some friend, she betrayed him, Liao thought to herself.
"I cannot allow that," Liao spoke up.
"Excuse me?" said the snotty templar.
"I'm Warden-Commander Liao, Arlessa of Amaranthine," the elf introduced herself, pulling the rank card out of her bag of tricks, "And I happen to need a good mage in my ranks."
Anders looked absolutely dumbfounded by the revelation. She wasn't going to give him a choice and part of her felt guilty for that. Not everyone was eager to become a Grey Warden but at least she could give him a better, more secure future.
"And you want this one?" the captain looked offended. "This one is a criminal! He's stolen from the Chantry and killed countless innocents."
"Countless only because the number is zero," Anders said off-handily.
The templar ignored his remark. "Ser, I must protest. I've been hunting this man for the last week and now I've caught him red-handed. Surely the Wardens believe in justice."
"Caught him red-handed? Sounds like you were setting him up to me," Liao said pointedly. "Anyway, the matter isn't up for debate. I'm conscripting this mage into the ranks of the Grey Wardens as of now."
"What?" both the templar and Anders exclaimed.
"Thanks for asking me first," Anders added.
"You can't just do that!" the templar looked furious.
"I can and I have," Liao crossed her arms in a similar fashion as the other woman to emphasise her position.
The templar knew it was an argument she couldn't win. The Rite of Conscription was an infamous tool of the Wardens. If the Blight had occurred so recently, most people would have forgotten about the existence of the Grey Wardens and their rites but Liao's victory over the Archdemon was too recent. The knight-captain would look foolish if she attempted to feign ignorance.
"Alright," the templar sighed. "But he still possesses Chantry property and I want it back first."
Anders looked over at Liao and she nodded. He noticed that her bow was already in her hand. If she was really the infamous hero of Ferelden, then she must know a great deal about how to survive a fight. Five templars to a rogue and a mage weren't great odds if it came down to it but he was committed if it had to happen.
"Fair enough," Anders extended his hand towards the templar knight-captain but conveniently let go of the object just as she reached for it. It created a loud shattering noise and the blood stained the street where it fell. The templar immediately reached for her sword and shield on her back and yelled a battle cry.
Liao had retreated further up the hill during the exchange so that she had a good vantage point. Before Anders could cast anything, the templar had thrown her arms out and unleashed an anti-magic missile from the sky that knocked the mage backwards off his feet. Liao had been both too far away and immune to the smite attack. The captain was closing the gap towards Anders quickly with her blade but Liao managed to lodge an arrow into the side of her knee, just between the plates of armour. It had been a lucky shot since the templars wore cloth skirts over their chainmail and plate lower armour that hid the weak spots. The captain buckled over as she lost momentum and felt the rushing pain of the wound.
The four knights rushed in to join their commanding officer but Anders had had enough time to recover and he summoned the powers of winter as they approached. By the time they reached him, he had unleashed a cone of cold that froze them in place for a few seconds. The magic had missed the captain, however and she was rushing madly at Liao now.
Liao fired off two arrows at once that met two of the templar ice sculptures. They shattered immediately and as the other two thawed they look bewildered and genuinely frightened. Anders used the opportunity to paralyse them in place with some other spell. He then turned to cast a regenerative spell on Liao who had just dodged the knight-captain's first attack. Liao dropped her bow and unsheathed her daggers. She caught the captain's second attack between the two blades and forced her backwards with a kick to her midsection. Liao felt power surging through her veins as Anders' spell took its effect.
Anders returned his attention to the two paralysed templars. He had wanted to use fire magic but didn't want to risk setting any surrounding buildings alight. Instead, he resorted to cold magic again and began to summon a blizzard of swirling ice and snow. He had just enough time to cast it before the remaining knights were mobile again but they couldn't see him well enough through the storm. He could still hear Liao fighting one-on-one with the captain behind him.
It occurred to Liao that she had never fought a templar on her own before. There had been the occasional possessed templar back in the Circle of Magi that she had been forced to kill with her companions. She certainly had never had a chance to spar with Alistair before and reckoned he might not have been as tough as a fully-trained templar anyway. The captain used savage attacks and Liao was constantly forced to move backwards out of the way. She couldn't afford for the templar to land any hits with her large shield since she had no proper way to defend against it.
Anders threw a ball of ice at the templar captain and she stopped attacking for a brief moment. Liao used the opportunity to dive at the woman's neck, the only visible weak spot she could find with the furious blizzard half-blinding her vision. She leapt with enough strength to knock the templar backwards. Liao was in too close for the templar to react with her bulkier weapons once she had snapped out of Anders' spell. With a great effort, Liao stabbed downwards with both of her daggers and eruption of blood splashed out onto the dead templar's armour and began to cover the street.
At the same moment, Anders had refrozen the other two templars. They looked on in horror from within their icy prisons. Liao, still straddling the knight-captain, threw a dagger each at the sculptures and the horrified expressions of the knights shattered into millions of tiny pieces along the road.
The battle had been quick but messy. Liao had blood all over her hands and armour. The tiny pieces of the templar corpses littered the ground and looked as if a bunch of drunken men had puked all over the place. The knight-captain's body, however, was still mostly intact and would be easily identifiable.
Anders bent down to pick up the arrows and daggers that had killed the knights and offered them back to their owner, "I've never seen anyone fight like that before."
"I've had tougher challenges," Liao boasted as she got back up to her feet and accepted the weapons.
"This isn't going to look good for the Wardens," Anders pointed out the obvious.
"We should hide this body. Maybe it will buy us some time. And I need to clean up before this blood stains my armour," she said.
The two of them managed to carry the captain's body the entire distance back to the docks. The fight hadn't lasted long enough to alert the local guards and hopefully they wouldn't see the evidence of it until well into the morning. They tossed the body off an old, out-of-the way pier. Afterwards, Liao jumped into the water nearby and let the salt soak her gritty armour. It didn't feel clean, but it would at least keep people from asking her uncomfortable questions later.
Liao and Anders walked back towards the Crown and Lion Inn in the residential area of town. The Warden-Commander wasn't sure how she'd explain Anders to her friends in the morning but she had told him to keep the night's events to himself. She'd think up something after she had at least an hour's sleep. Luckily the room the three had rented for the night contained four beds and Anders was eager to have a rest after his first adventure with Liao.
Around sunrise, Liao woke up and urged her companions to get ready to go back to Vigil's Keep. Wynne and Leliana were obviously hungover from the night before so they didn't put up much resistance. When they asked about Anders, she explained she had recruited him into the Wardens and would tell them more later while they travelled to the keep. This appeased their curiosity for a short while and Anders kept mostly quiet the whole way.