Author's Note: Oh! Hey there! Sorry about, you know, dropping off the face of the earth for like a month or so. This idea for something original took over my brain and I dove down that rabbit hole. If you're interested at all, I'm posting bits and pieces f-locked on my lj, which is under the same username. If you have an lj, and would like to see this thing, just friend me! Although, I will warn: it's kind of a social science fiction thing, and not fantasy. I don't know if you're into the whole space scene like I am.
For those of you only interested in this particular piece? Yes I will be continuing. Just much, much more sporadically. I would recommend putting it on alerts because I make no promises as to when I'll actually get to this again, other than a vagueish "at some point, sooner or later." I hate leaving things unfinished. So you can rest assured I will complete this. I just make no promises as to when.
Without further ado, time for the story!
Redcliffe
9:32,
8 months after the end of the Fifth Blight
Maebh paused at the windmill, looking out over the small village as dusk settled in.
"Commander, do you sense something?" Renaud asked quietly.
"Hm? Oh, no. I..." Maebh hadn't realized she was tensing as if for battle. She laughed nervously. "I guess since the Blight I've just come to expect bad things to happen when I come here. You know, the first time it was the undead scourge. And then the second time I had to battle a demon and send my best friend to be made Tranquil. And then the third time, well, the third time was just darkspawn but there were an awful lot of them. In fact, I don't think I've ever been to Redcliffe without something awful happening."
"Oh, that's not true," chided Loghain. "There was that time, when you were eight? We we--"
Maebh whipped around and glared at him. "I was seven, and we were celebrating the official announcement of Cailan's betrothal to Anora. So yes, that would count on my list."
Loghain frowned. Maebh scowled back before turning and leading them down to the village.
Avoiding the castle was a tactical decision on Maebh's part. She hitched BonBon to the post in front of the the tavern and wiped sweaty palms on her robes. With any luck, she would not be recognized. She regarded her father a moment as he took off his gauntlets. It was possible that he would not be recognized as well. How many of Redcliffe residents had ever seen him up-close?
With any luck Ghislaine would be the center of any attention anyway. While Maebh had taken to wearing more modest Tevinter Enchanter robes, Ghislaine still preferred the more daring offerings from the north. Heartened by this thought, Maebh led the group into the tavern.
The place was warm, smoky, and dark, in a way that was instantly familiar and comforting. Maebh relaxed slightly in the glow from the fire and the buzz of happy, relaxed conversation. A minstrel sat on a stool in the far corner, strumming some kind of instrument and singing and old song about a scholar and a princess.
"Renaud, would you mind getting us a round?" Maebh asked as she handed him a silver. He nodded and made his way to the bar while Maebh slid into a corner booth. Loghain sat beside her as Ghislaine bounced over to the minstrel. The two sat in silence a while.
Loghain cleared his throat. "So... seven, eh?"
Maebh scowled. "I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled as she traced her fingernail along the graffiti carved into the table. Someone sure felt strongly about their suspicions with regard to Connor's true parentage.
"I certainly don't remember you being unhappy," he pressed. "Besides, you were seven years old. You cannot possibly expect me to believe that a child of that age is capable of understanding..."
"I said I didn't want to talk about it," she repeated more emphatically.
"Well then, what would you like to talk about instead?" he challenged.
She scowled at him. "I wanted to kill you."
"When you were seven years old?" he scoffed.
"Yes. And when I was nine and you sent me to the Tower. And again when I was fifteen and you tried to have me made Tranquil because of something Cailan had done. And again when I was twenty-five and you killed him. And again when you sent an assassin after me. And again at the Landsmeet. I was hoping you would die at the Joining and I'm rather feeling like would like to kill you right now. So drop it, Father," She paused, her gaze venomous. "Please."
He scowled back at her. He took a breath to begin arguing with her but at that moment Renaud returned with their ales, oblivious to the tension. "Commander, you will not believe it!" he grinned broadly.
She tried to smooth her frown. "Is that so? Try me."
He handed a tankard first to her and then to Loghain before settling in beside her. "Were you aware," he continued, "That this the tavern owner has changed the name of this, how do you say, establishment? Since the last time you were here?"
Maebh drank deeply before responding. "No. I was not."
"Would you like to know the new name?" he asked, eyes twinkling with barely-suppressed mirth.
She looked down.
"I don't suppose there's any way we could you telling us at this point," grumbled Loghain.
"The Warden's Rest!" Renaud announced.
Maebh and Loghain sighed in unison. "That's great," she responded lamely. She looked up, eyes wide. "You didn't tell them who I am, did you?"
He looked from one to the other, confused. "Why are we even here if you are so afraid? Have you offended these people somehow? They seem to be universally fond of you."
She shifted. "I just don't like attention. All I want to do is drink my drink, find Eamon or Teagan or whomever and leave our horses here, then get out at first light," she frowned. "Given the choice I would have stopped anywhere else but there was no other option. We can't take them to Ostagar, and Lothering is hardly any better. Anyway, if we can get through tonight without being recognized, I will be much happier."
"Why not just stay at the castle?"
Her frown deepened. "Because I did not want to stay at the castle. I don't like it there."
"Fair enough," Renaud mercifully let the topic drop.
The minstrel and Ghislaine began singing a song in Orlesian, a happy, jaunting tune that soon had the other patrons tapping and nodding in rhythm, regardless of the fact that they lyrics were incomprehensible to most of them. Renaud hummed along as Maebh relaxed even more. She might be able to escape unscathed after all. Loghain concentrated on his drink.
As the evening progressed, there came a moment when Maebh realized she was on the verge of actually enjoying herself. In that same moment, the door burst open with a fanfare of shouts and laughter. In strode Arl Teagan with Ser Perth at his right hand. They were followed by a veritable retinue of the best and brightest Redcliffe had to offer. Maebh groaned and sank down as far as she could on her chair, wondering if anybody would notice if she hid under the table. Renaud leaned forward ever-so-slightly, shielding her in the shadow his body cast. A wave of gratitude washed over her, and she had to fight the urge to squeeze his hand in thanks.
"Bella!" cried Teagan, flush with mirth. His companions seemed to multiply until the entire tavern was full. "A round on me! Minstrel! Play my favorite song!"
"Yes, Arl Teagan!" the two replied as the customers cheered. The minstrel strummed as Bella began filling tankards.
"Maebh, the mage they call Maebh!" The minstrel began as the crowd cheered again and got to their feet.
"Oh Maker," gasped Maebh. "What is this?"
The minstrel played a few chords in quick succession as the crowd began to dance to the refrain.
"She killed the Archdemon
And she done saved our hides
Stood up to the beast
She fought on our side
Our love for her now
Ain't hard to explain
The hero of Redcliffe
The mage they call Maebh!"
Renaud turned to her, eyes wide in shock and amusement. Loghain began to chuckle as Ghislaine shrieked with joy and hopped up and down, clapping her hands. Maebh muttered a prayer of gratitude to Andraste as Ghislaine's display attracted quite a bit of attention, opening an avenue for her to sneak out. Before she could do so, the minstrel continued.
"Our Maebh saw the apostate come to town
And summon the demonic villain
And she saw the undead come killin'
Every person and leavin nothing around
So she said, 'you can't do that to my people'
She said, 'you can't kill them and eat their brains'
So Maebh strapped on her staff
And in five seconds flat
Felled every undead in Redcliffe right away."
The crowd joined in as he sang the refrain. Maebh anxiously tried to execute her escape plan. Renaud casually moved to join in the dancing as Maebh inched toward the door.
The crowd grew quiet as the minstrel dropped his voice for the beginning of the second verse.
"Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I
The mage they call Maebh
She entered the Fade
And made that demon right die
She done saved all our houses
She done saved all our hides
The mage they call Maebh
She stole away our pain
And headed out for the Blight!"
The crowd, including Loghain, cheered wildly and sang the final refrain. Maebh dashed for the door but just as she was about to escape, the dwarf Dwynn caught her wrist and pulled her into the fray.
"She killed the Archdemon
And she done saved our hides"
Dwynn grinned as he passed her off to Perth, who did not recognize her at first.
"Stood up to the beast
She fought on our side"
But realization soon dawned and Perth laughed as he spun her into the center of the room. Maebh despaired as her escape route was eliminated and desperately looked for Renaud to help. He reached for her, but a quarter-turn later and she was ripped out of his grasp.
"Our love for her now
Ain't hard to explain"
Perth passed her to Teagan, who held her so tightly around the waist that she could not leave without resorting to magic.
"The hero of Redcliffe"
No, that would be a bad idea. Although, there weren't any Templars in the tavern...
"The mage they call Maebh!"
A hush fell over the crowd as Teagan stared at her in delighted disbelief. "Is this some kind of joke?"
She pushed herself away from him and crossed her arms. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked as she tried to not look longingly at the door.
Teagan laughed uproariously. "It is you! Maker's Breath, Maebh, what are you doing here?"
And the crowd cheered wildly as they all realized who was standing before them. Maebh burned with embarrassment and turned toward Teagan to hide her face. He raised his hand to hush the crowd. "Yes, yes, we are all very happy to have you, whatever your reason. But perhaps we should go somewhere a bit more private, hm? Bella!" he turned to the hostess. "I'd like the upstairs room, please."
Maebh turned and gestured to Loghain, who raised his eyebrows, but obeyed. Teagan's smile faltered a moment. "Oh, yes, of course," he quickly recovered. "Your companions are welcome as well."
Bella opened the private room for Teagan, Perth, Maebh, and her companions. "I'll send the girl up with some refreshments right away, ser."
"Thank you, Bella, that will be lovely," Teagan winked at her as she left.
Once Bella had left, Maebh turned to Teagan. "Well, first things first. Let me introduce my fellow Wardens: Renaud and Ghislaine."
"Monsieur, Mademoiselle, enchanté," Teagan bowed and took Ghislaine's hand, pressing her knuckles to his lips.
"Ser is too kind," Ghislaine gushed as Renaud nodded.
"And, may I introduce my companion, Seneschal Perth."
Perth nodded.
Maebh clapped her hands. "Oh, Perth! You've been promoted? That's wonderful!"
"Yes, my lady. Today, in fact. That's why we came to the tavern to celebrate, in fact."
Maebh threw her arms around his neck. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you, my lady," Perth blushed.
There was a tap on the door and Renaud opened to admit the serving girl. "Merci," he said and took the tray.
"Ser," the girl said softly. "Miss Bella wanted me to pass along her apologies. She did not realize My Lady the Hero of Ferelden was here. She said she mistook your group for traveling Orlesian merchants and offers her most sincere apologies." The girl tried to give the silver back to Renaud.
"Absolutely not!" burst Maebh. "You take that back to Bella and tell her that if she won't let me pay for my drinks, by Andraste's Holy Eyelashes I will take that silver and make her eat it."
The girl paled. "Yes, my lady," she squeaked and bolted from the room.
Renaud set the tray on the table in the center of the room, and the group helped themselves to the tankards before settling on the various benches and chairs. Teagan opted for the large chair towards the center of the room while Renaud and Ghislaine perched on the bench by the fireplace. Loghain sat in an armchair towards an alcove in the corner, half lost in shadow, while Maebh and Perth found themselves on a loveseat by the door. An awkward silence settled over the room. Maebh gulped her drink as her eyes searched for a neutral place to look.
"So," Teagan broke the silence and leaned back, "Maebh. You kill an archdemon and the moment you're well enough to stand for more than a few minutes at a time you bolt off to Vigil's Keep, making virtually no contact with anyone save a handful of Orlesian Grey Wardens, admitting only the most royal of visitors. And then you traipse into my arling without any advance word, where you pay for your drinks like a common fishwife while trying to sneak out the door just as I happen to arrive with a retinue that also includes a good friend of yours." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know if I'll ever understand you. Is it because you're a mage? Or is it because you're a Mac--"
"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Teagan, you know I despise the kind of display like the one that just occurred. And I am not too proud to pay for that which I consume."
"More like too proud to accept the gratitude the people would like to offer. If I may be so bold, my lady," Perth chided gently.
She shook her head. "You want me to act as if I think myself high-and-mighty. How does that help anybody? I don't have time to play queen, that's Anora's job. I have work to do."
"Anora has work to do as well, girl, you know that," reminded Loghain from the shadows.
Maebh scowled.
Teagan sighed. "That's neither here nor there. How have you been, my darling? You would not believe the rumors that have been flying about you."
Maebh took another deep drink. "Like what?"
"Oh, that you're hiding the fact that you're carrying the king's bastard. Ironic, isn't it?"
She rolled her eyes. "Of all the absurd notions."
"There's more! There's also a rumor that you're planning a coup against the good queen. This one has a few variations on your plans for her husband, I must admit."
"What possible reason could I have for doing that?" Maebh exclaimed in exasperation. "I have enough bother with the darkspawn!"
"Oh, I know, I know, my dear. Would you like to hear the best one?"
She took another deep drink. "There's one even better?"
"My personal favorite is the rumor that you've begun to transform into an archdemon yourself."
Maebh choked on her drink as Renaud, Ghislaine, and even Loghain began to laugh heartily. "Oh, of all the nonsense," she spluttered.
"Oh, I don't know Commander," joked Renaud. "You are a monster on the practice field."
"And in the potions laboratory," groaned Ghislaine.
"She certainly has the temper of one," Loghain said, almost fondly.
She scowled, glaring at them all.
"But, now that I can see that these rumors are all entirely false, might I be so bold as to ask what brings you to my humble holding?"
Maebh fell silent as she regarded the now half-empty mug in her hand. "I'm leading an expedition to Ostagar," she said quietly. "I was rather hoping I could board my horses here. I don't know what we'll find there, and I'd rather not go through the trouble and expense of shipping in new horses from Orlais, should something unfortunate happen to them."
"Of course! My home is yours. Just ask and I shall provide," he said, holding his arms wide.
"Ser is too kind," breathed Ghislaine.
Teagan winked at her before turning back to Maebh. "But, why Ostagar? Why now?"
She swirled the drink in her mug. "I was not completely cut off from the world up in Soldier's Peak, you know. I received the same information you did, I'm sure. About Cail--" The name caught in her throat. "About the late king's body. Somebody has to investigate. If it is true that the darkspawn have committed outrages upon his remains..." Tears welled in her eyes. Cailan's body on the cold ground. "I couldn't bear the thought of it any longer," she finished, voice barely above a whisper.
Perth patted her on the back. "Of course not. Perhaps, my lord, we could send some knights? I could assist you, if the Arl would give me leave."
Maebh smiled and shook her head. "No, I could not risk that. I wouldn't want to expose non-Wardens to the dangers of darkspawn blood, now that I actually have that option. Don't worry, if we run into anything we can't handle, we'll retreat and send for reinforcements."
Loghain snorted. "Something we can't handle? You think there's another archdemon lurking about in the Kocari Wilds?"
She rolled her eyes. "As shocking as this may sound, am not so foolhardy as to try to press my luck and see if I would survive a second encounter with such a beast."
"You have a point, I suppose," he replied.
The conversation lulled. The fire crackled soothingly, the sounds of merriment floated up from below. Maebh shifted and cleared her throat. "Well, anyway, I appreciate your hospitality but you really should go back down to the party. Especially, you, Perth!"
"You won't join us?" Perth asked.
"Oh, no," she drank the rest of her ale. "We have to leave at first light. And I'm no good at these things anyway. Thank you again, Teagan."
"Not at all. I'll send word to the castle to have some rooms made up for you and the stables made ready. Would the rooms you were provided on your last stay be satisfactory?"
Maebh bit her lip. "To be honest? No. If it is at all possible." She looked down briefly. "Not very pleasant memories, you understand."
"Of course, of course. I shall include instructions to put you in the East wing." He rose to his feet as Maebh and the others stood to go. "You really should visit more often, you know. The people here love you. They're talking about making a statue!"
"Oh Maker. Don't let them. Please."
The next morning dawned grey and miserable. Maebh met Loghain and Renaud in the courtyard, where Perth was seeing them off.
"Where's Ghislaine?" she asked as she made her way down the rain-slicked stairs. "Is she not awake yet?"
Renaud shook his head, a wry twist to his mouth. "She's saying goodbye to the horses, Commander. She is quite overcome, I'm afraid."
Maebh crossed her arms. "She'll get over it. We need to get going."
"My lady," Perth said, pale and squinting, "Arl Teagan sends his regards. And apologies. The festivities lasted much longer than we anticipated. The Arl is in no condition to attend to guests, I'm afraid."
"Not at all, Perth, I rather expected it."
Ghislaine finally joined them, eyes downcast, sniffling softly. "Please, ser, be good to my BonBon. And Citrouille. And Demonté and Cocotte."
"Of course," his reply was delivered not in his usual gentle manner. His tone with Ghislaine was downright tender. He took her hands in his. "You can rely on me, my lady. They will be well taken care of."
"Oh, thank you!" The Orlesian woman looked up at him, face shining with gratitude.
"Yes, well, let's be off," Maebh turned to lead the others out the front gate. "I hope you Orlesians remember how to walk."
"Oh, we do indeed," Renaud replied. "It is very what we would call provinçial, but eh, you know. As they say, when in Tevinter…"
Maebh sighed.
"Now now, Commander!" Ghislaine chirped brightly. "If we get tired, why, that is why we brought along your fine, strapping friend, oui? He can carry us the rest of the way."
Loghain regarded the woman with an icy stare. "You give me too much credit, madam. I would have no problem leaving you and your sore Orlesian feet behind in the dust."
"That's enough, both of you," Maebh scolded.
This promised to become a very long walk.