A strange sort of procession awaited them when they arrived at Vigil's Keep. There was a large party of armed dwarves waiting in the courtyard, and Zeriah sighed. Hopefully no more trouble would be made. She had had enough. Zeriah stood as tall as she could and strode into the main chamber. There, a pleasant surprise greeted her.
"Zeriah!" Sereda Aeducan exclaimed. The blonde rushed to her side and embraced her enthusiastically.
"Sereda! What are you doing here?" she asked in shock. She had not seen the dwarven queen since the fight against the Archdemon. The woman smirked, her blue eyes mischievous.
"I was in Denerim to declare a formal alliance with your husband, and I hoped that I would see you there as well. Instead, I ran into a certain Grey Warden of yours, and I couldn't let him get away this time." she said mysteriously. Zeriah grinned. She knew that Delnan had tried to end things with Sereda when he left Orzammar, but the queen was not one who would let go that easily.
"Are you saying that you have kidnapped my second?" she asked wryly. Sereda laughed.
"It was only sort of against his will. He just needed a little convincing." she replied happily. The dwarf in question entered the room now with a fond smile for his Queen.
"I told her that she would need to ask your permission before she took me anywhere, Commander." Delnan said in his quiet voice. Zeriah smiled.
"What exactly are you planning?" she asked. The two dwarves looked at each other, love in their expressions.
"I have asked him to marry me and rule by my side, Zeriah. I know this takes a good man away from the Wardens, but..." Sereda explained.
"Say no more. You have my leave and my blessing, Delnan." the small Warden assured them. Their smiles widened.
"Thank you, Commander." Delnan said fondly. She nodded.
"But before you leave, is Alistair all right?" she asked worriedly. Delnan nodded, and she felt a huge weight lift off her chest.
"He is just fine. That hound of yours is keeping him well protected. As are the large number of guards that are posted near him always. As far as I could see, the only assassin in Denerim was Zevran, and he was on his way out." he promised. Zeriah arched an eyebrow. Zevran was finally leaving? He was probably going to pursue the Crows.
"Thank you, Delnan." she said happily. The dwarf stuck out his hand.
"Your king also asked me to give you this. Apparently I strongly resemble a raven, and I am now used to deliver messages across the world." he said sarcastically. Zeriah chuckled and took the letter.
"Good to know. When are you planning to return to Orzammar?" she asked Sereda. The queen smiled.
"We were only waiting for your return before we headed out. First we are going to make a stop at Kal'Hirol to try to clear it out. After that, we will return home and have a grand wedding for all the nobles to gossip about." she explained. Zeriah nodded in understanding.
"It was good to see you, Sereda. Congratulations to both of you." she said, embracing them both. She watched them walk out before turning to stare into the fire. She was relieved that her husband was all right. It was the first good news she had had in what seemed like weeks. She unfolded the letter, wanting to see what he had to say.
My queen,
I would have gotten news to you sooner, but I thought that if one of your Wardens was seen rushing to the capital, and then a series of ravens passing between us, the attempted assassins would realize that we knew of their plan. I told Delnan that he had to act as though he had heard of Sereda's arrival and rushed to see her. Not that he wasn't delighted, I'm sure, but, you know, appearances. I wish that you were able to return home to me, as Dane does not really enjoy cuddling at night. I miss you, and I hope that you will keep safe, my love. It is absolutely terrible to worry about you all the time.
All my love,
Alistair
PS: Seriously, come home soon. Eamon is starting to irritate me and I need you to come bully him for me. I love you!
She laughed as she finished the letter. Only Alistair could manage to sound so formal and yet so hilarious at the same time. She shook her head. Hopefully this would all be over soon.
Traven inconspicuously walked over to the armory, where Wade and Herren were arguing as usual. He cleared his throat, and they both turned to him.
"Ahh! Master Amell! Is there something I can do for you? Do you need a new staff perhaps? I got a hold of an enchanter and we could work together to make you the ultimate weapon!" Wade cried.
"Wade, I am sure he doesn't want that, do you Master Amell?" Herren whined. Traven would never understand the men, but he knew they were excellent at what they did.
"I am not here for myself, Wade. I am here for Zeriah." he explained. Wade lit up.
"Ooh! What does she need? I am certain that I could make it! I made her dragon scale armor, after all!" he replied excitedly. Traven nodded.
"Zeriah's sword was destroyed in the Blackmarsh. This is all that is left of it." he said, tossing Wade the clump of sword that he had had Nathaniel steal from Zeriah's pocket when she wasn't paying attention. Wade shook his head ruefully.
"Tragedy, that. It was a fine weapon. I'm afraid I won't be able to repair it if this is all you have." he answered. Traven shook his head.
"I know. I also happen to know that there is a large supply of dragon bone in the Blackmarsh, and I was hoping that you could use the dragon bone, and the remains of her family's sword, to make her a new, better weapon. Preferably, one that can withstand the elements, and possibly even wield them." he suggested. Wade looked as though he were about to cry.
"Oh, Master Amell, you are too kind to me! I will do this at once! I assume you want to keep this 'hush-hush', as they say? Good. This will be my finest work! I will call for you when I need you. I think I know a way to infuse some of your magic in the blade. This is so exciting!" he rambled, dashing about the armory with joy.
"Of course, Wade. Just be sure that her heraldry is still on it, all right?" he said.
"Anything! Of course I will do it!" Wade said, ushering him out. Traven chuckled softly. The armorer was certainly a character. He began to head to his rooms for what would hopefully be a nice, long rest. He froze as he saw that someone was leaning against the wall outside his door.
"Mhairi." he said coolly. She looked up at him with those wide blue eyes.
"Traven." she replied. He was startled. He didn't think she had ever said his name before. He was surprised at the warm feeling it gave him.
"Have you come to judge me? Because I happen to know a certain type of magic?" he asked sternly. Mhairi's plain features softened.
"I have come here to thank you. And to apologize." she explained. He frowned.
"Apologize for what?" he asked warily. She sighed.
"You have saved my life twice now, and when I found out what you practice, I reacted with fear. I should not have. Blood magic is a tool like any other, and so long as you are not dealing with demons, it is fine with me." she admitted. Traven gaped at her. What was this woman?
"No, you were right to judge me. I hate myself for using blood magic. It...it can be an evil thing." he argued. She smiled softly.
"So can a sword, if you use it for evil purposes. Anything can be good or evil, it depends on how you use it. You used it to save our lives. There is nothing evil in that." she said before walking away. He went into his room and sat down on his bed. Mhairi was a very confusing person.