When Zeriah arrived in the grand hall, she was slightly disheveled, but she held herself regally. Years of training instilled by her mother, Eleanor, ensured that. She smiled to herself as she saw the nobles staring at her with slightly irritated expressions.
"Never show up to an event early, my dear. You must make them wait for you if you want to show them who is really in charge." Eleanor had said. Her smile faltered slightly. Even though it had been over two years since her parent's death, it still cut like a knife whenever she thought about it. She shook her head slightly as Varel announced her. The nobles began to bow to her, upset sneers still firmly in place for the most part. She calmly waited for everyone to settle down before speaking.
"I would like to thank all of you for being here. I am dedicated to bringing a stop to the darkspawn that are continuing to harass our lands. Together we can finish off the last remains of the Blight. Know that I will need your assistance in the time to come just as you will need mine." she said simply. The gathered nobles applauded primly and Varel stepped forward once more.
"Thank you, Commander. Now, let us celebrate." he exclaimed. The cheers were much louder when the word "celebration" was mentioned, and Zeriah was grateful. Like her husband, she wasn't the biggest fan of formal affairs. Varel leaned over toward her. "Now you need to mingle, Commander." he whispered. She groaned softly.
"I hate mingling." she grumbled. He laughed at her.
"You're the Queen of Ferelden, I would have thought you'd be practiced in this sort of thing by now." he chuckled. She grinned.
"Just because I'm good at it doesn't mean I have to like it." she said pleasantly. He laughed again and she scanned the crowd. Anders was there, studying people intently. She saw a shift in the shadows and realized that Nathaniel was there as well. "Who should I know here, Varel?" she murmured. Varel nodded his head in the direction of a hawk-nosed woman and a dark-skinned old man who appeared to be arguing.
"That is Lord Eddelbreck. He is the largest farm-holder in Amaranthine, and he is in charge of the Feravel Plains. The woman he is arguing with is Bann Esmerelle. She takes care of the city of Amaranthine. Both of them are horrid to deal with, but I would say they are the two most important people at this party, excepting yourself, of course." he whispered. She nodded and continued to watch the bickering nobles.
"I suppose I should speak with them, then." she grunted. He nodded and she made her way through the crowd, deliberately avoiding the important nobles. After about an hour of mingling with minor nobles, her plan finally worked.
"Your Grace, we haven't had the chance to meet." Lord Eddelbreck said as he tapped her on the shoulder. She smiled beautifully at him.
"We haven't. Who might you be?" she asked. There was a flash in his eyes when he realized that she did not know who he was. Zeriah had to try not to giggle at his frustrated expression.
"I am Lord Eddelbreck of the Feravel Plains. Your Grace, I must ask that you send more forces to the farmlands. We have no defenses against the onslaught of darkspawn. Your people are dying out there, My Queen." he pleaded. She glanced at Varel, who nodded slightly. The lord was telling the truth.
"Do not listen to his whining, Commander, he is simply trying to wheedle away more for himself. Amaranthine is what you should be defending. It is the heart of your arling and the location of the majority of your people." Bann Esmerelle said slyly as she slid into their conversation.
"The city has its walls, Esmerelle! The farmers and their families have nothing!" Eddelbreck shouted. Zeriah raised a hand. She would not put up with that sort of behavior.
"That is enough. If the two of you cannot behave properly, I will have you escorted out." she snapped. Both nobles gaped at her in surprise. "Now, I will do what I can to defend both the farmlands and the city. My people will be protected." she assured them.
"I suppose that is all we can hope for." Eddelbreck agreed, bowing to her and walking away. Esmerelle sniffed haughtily and stormed off.
"Well that went well." Zeriah murmured to herself.
"Zeri, we need to talk." a hushed voice said behind her. She turned to see concern in Traven's blue eyes.
"Are you talking to me now?" she teased. He grabbed her by the arm and all but dragged her out of the hall. Anders was there, as was Nathaniel. "Traven, what is going on?" she asked. He glanced at the other two Wardens.
"There are whispers of a conspiracy against you, Zeriah. Some of the nobles want you...out of the picture." he responded in hushed tones. Her brow furrowed.
"Who?" she asked. He shook his head.
"We don't know. Anders heard some nobles whispering dark things, and so did Nathaniel. They brought it to my attention." he explained. She smirked at that.
"And why was this not brought to me immediately?" she asked. Anders shrugged.
"You seemed busy. And Traven is basically your second in command, isn't he?" he asked. She arched an eyebrow and looked at her friend. The mage shrugged sheepishly and she chuckled.
"I suppose he is, though Delnan should hold the same title." she agreed. Traven smiled softly.
"Excuse me, I might have something to add." a voice said from around the corner. Zeriah turned to see a tall, fox-faced woman gliding toward them.
"Who are you? I don't believe we met." she said, stepping forward. The blonde woman bowed her head, wise gray eyes studying her intently.
"Forgive me. I am Ser Tamra. I recently intercepted some letters that hint toward a conspiracy against you, Your Grace. I will need more time to get the exact members of this group, but I wanted you to know." she explained. Zeriah froze as a thought entered her mind.
"Alistair. Are they after my husband as well?" she breathed. Ser Tamra shook her head.
"As far as I've seen, the conspirators are only after you. They are Howe sympathizers who want Cousland blood." she said. Zeriah exhaled in relief.
"Thank the Maker. We should still send someone to warn him, just in case." she said. Traven nodded.
"Delnan left a short time ago. I have to admit, it was rather humorous to watch him ride a horse at that speed." he said with a chuckle. Zeriah fought an urge to grin.
"What do you think I should to about this, Ser Tamra?" she asked. The woman thought for a moment.
"There are a few options, your grace. You could do nothing and see what happens. Another choice would be to...invite members from the noble families to stay in the keep as 'guests'. However, that is very Orlesian and the nobles will probably hate you for it. I believe the best option would be to contact the Dark Wolf." she suggested.
"Who is the Dark Wolf?" Zeriah asked. Tamra smiled wolfishly.
"He is brilliant. He can find any information you want. Nobody knows who he actually is, and he is incredibly difficult to find." she explained.
"Then how-" Anders began.
"He has probably already heard of this conspiracy, and will come looking for you. Or rather, he will let someone know that he wants to meet with you. It is his way." Tamra explained. Zeriah nodded slowly.
"Then I suppose I shall have to await his summons." she decided. Tamra arched an eyebrow.
"A difficult task, for a queen." she pointed out. Zeriah frowned at her.
"And why would that be? I am unused to people waiting on me hand and foot. I rather dislike it, in fact. I know when someone has the upper hand." she argued. The fox-like woman smiled slyly.
"You are an enigma, your grace. I will continue to search for information, if you please." she replied. Zeriah nodded and watched the woman glide away. Hopefully they would find what they needed soon, before people she cared about were put into needless danger.