Elissa clenched her fists beneath the head table, willing the dull throb behind her eyes to stop. She stared hard at the door, as if she could make Loghain appear through sheer force of will. It was the tangled and vicious politics of his domain that had given her such a ferocious headache. She knew it was her domain now as well, but they had only been married a fortnight. That was nowhere near enough time to absorb the goings on of the minor nobility, their tangled relationships, the ongoing feuds and petty squabbles. As Loghain had hurried away in answer to an urgent message from the edge of his borders, Elissa had no choice but to handle their affairs as best she could.
The cause of her problems was sitting next to her, trembling. Viola was a girl of sixteen and already a rare beauty, with delicate features framed by silvery blonde hair. She was also of a highly nervous disposition, apt to shriek and shake if a servant dropped a platter nearby. Elissa could hardly blame her. Her parents, wealthy banns, had fallen to sickness several years ago. Since then she had been pushed from place to place until she had finally come to Gwaren as Loghain's ward a few months before.
Viola herself was not the problem. That morning Bann Dolan, a minor man in both wealth and consequence, had arrived at the castle with a contract he claimed entitled him to marry Viola. Supposedly it had been signed by her parents long before their death, but Elissa was sceptical. The match was beneath the girl in every way. To begin with, when the contract was made he wasn't a bann and there was very little hope of him ever inheriting the title. If not for the unexpected death of his brother, Dolan would have spent his life as an insignificant second son. Even now he could offer Viola nothing.
There was little Elissa could do about him. No matter how strong her suspicions, she couldn't dismiss the contract out of hand without first consulting Loghain. As he was currently away, Dolan could either wait for his return or go home empty handed. She had told him as much, but still he had persisted in pestering her about the contract throughout the day.
Now that the evening meal was over and the hall was beginning to clear, she looked up to see him approaching her yet again. She grumbled under her breath and cast a sidelong look at Viola, whose wide eyed apprehension told Elissa she too had spotted him. While Dolan was an annoyance to Elissa, in Viola he seemed to inspire fear.
Bending her head to Viola's she murmured, "Perhaps you would care to return to your room for a while? You don't look quite well; the quiet might do you good."
Viola gave her a look of open gratitude. "Thank you," she mumbled, dipping into a brief curtsey before hurrying away.
"My Lady," said Dolan, arriving in front of the table and bowing deeply. "Is Lady Viola ill?" he asked, eyes following the girl as she hurried from the room.
"She is quite well, Bann Dolan, only weary from a long day." As am I, she resisted the temptation to add.
"I am glad to hear that. May I have a moment of your time, my lady?"
"That depends. Is this about your contract?" she asked, trying to keep the weariness out of her voice.
"Yes, I-"
"We have already discussed this," she interrupted. "There is nothing more I can do for you. I am afraid you will have to wait for my husband's return."
"I realise that every respect must be paid to Teyrn Loghain, and I assure you-"
She cut him short with an imperious wave of her hand. "It is not only a matter of respect," she said impatiently. "Lady Viola is his ward and by law only he can relinquish her into your hands. I repeat that you must wait for his return before you can pursue the matter."
"I understand, my lady, it is only that my time here is so short. I am eager to complete this business before I have to leave."
She stared at him incredulously. "Teyrn Loghain returns tomorrow morning. I trust your time is not so short that you cannot wait that long."
Dolan hesitated for a moment, mouth slightly ajar, clearly trying to come up with yet another reason why she should fulfil his contract. Apparently he had exhausted his mental resources for the day because he merely nodded and said with resignation, "No, my lady, it is not. If it pleases you, I will retire for the night."
"As you please, Bann Dolan," she replied, relieved that he was giving up so easily. He bowed and made his exit, and it was only when he had disappeared from sight that Elissa belatedly hoped that he would not run into Viola on the stairs. With any luck she had made it to her room by now; she had wished to hide from him and would not have dawdled.
Elissa cast around the room until her eyes fell on Seneschal Nevan. She smiled and beckoned him over. Over the past couple of weeks she had grown to like Nevan. He had acted as seneschal for many years now and he performed his job admirably. It was not only his competence she admired but his honesty. Some seneschals abused their position, supplementing their wages by sneaking coin from a household's coffers.
"What do you think of Bann Dolan's contract?" she asked abruptly as he arrived beside her.
Thankfully he had known her just long enough to learn that she appreciated blunt, even brutal, honesty. "I think it a clever forgery, my lady," he said without preamble. "I can see no reason why her parents would agree to a match so beneath her."
"We're of a mind, Nevan."
"I venture to suggest that he won't wait for Teyrn Loghain to return on the morrow."
"Indeed not. Things would go badly for him if the contract turned out to be false. I'm amazed that he even attempted it."
Nevan opened his mouth but snapped it shut again quickly, clearly thinking better of whatever he had been about to say. Elissa caught the gesture and looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "You have an opinion on the matter?"
He shifted awkwardly. "It is well known that there is a new teyrna at Gwaren. Perhaps he thought to take advantage of your inexperience."
She resisted the sudden urge to grimace, managing to turn the expression into a small frown. "I'm afraid I must agree," she said neutrally.
She lapsed into silence. Nevan had confirmed her suspicions. The timing of Dolan's arrival was too convenient. Perhaps he had called on some connections and made it necessary for Loghain to leave; at the very least he had waited and watched carefully for an opportunity like this. Forging a contract to steal away an heiress was a risky business, particularly when that heiress was the ward of a man so close to the throne. Elissa was willing to bet a large stack of gold that he would sneak out of the castle during the night. He probably planned to seize Viola and take her back to his lands by force. It certainly wasn't uncommon for minor nobles to kidnap young women for marriages that would improve their situations. Dolan's scheme, however, would be quickly abandoned when he saw the number of guards posted outside her bedchamber tonight. He did not have the forces, or the stupidity, to attempt an outright assault.
Elissa scowled down at the table, drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair in a way that would have made her mother scowl. She wanted Dolan caught and punished, and not just for the distress he had caused Viola. It wouldn't be long before Loghain returned to Denerim, leaving her to rule the teyrnir in his stead. If word got out that Dolan had attempted to pull the wool over her eyes and escaped unscathed, Maker knew how many would want to try their luck. Managing such extensive lands would be difficult enough without a stream of hoaxers.
She needed to underline her new authority and bringing Dolan to justice was the perfect way to do it. It would send a message to all those who believed that the teyrna's age meant that she was vulnerable.
But how to do it? There were currently no legal experts in the castle, no one who could say for certain that the contract was false. Dolan would almost certainly destroy it the moment he was free for fear of Loghain pursuing the matter. The only way Elissa could see was to catch him in the act of attempting to remove Viola from the castle. It would be a simple matter of making sure no one guarded her door that night. Dolan, hardly able to believe his good fortune, would be able to walk straight in and take her. After that all that remained was to apprehend him at the castle gates. There would be no refuting such evidence, and the crime would be great enough to ensure the loss of his title and lands.
The flaw in this plan was, of course, Viola. She was far too timid; Elissa could not put her through such strain. If she bore even a passing resemblance to Viola she could take her place and allow herself to be kidnapped by Dolan, but it was no good. With her dark hair and short stature, she looked nothing like the willowy and light Viola. Even a man working under the knowledge that he would shortly be pursued by the teyrna's guards would not be in such a hurry that he would fail to notice the difference.
It occurred to her suddenly that she was being unusually dense. They were not, after all, the only two women in the castle.
"There's a girl who works in the kitchens," she murmured, laying a hand on Nevan's wrist to draw his attention back to her . "I think she's new. Tall girl with blonde hair, of an age with Lady Viola."
He paused for a moment, clearly surprised by the abrupt change of topic. "Rosie?" he ventured.
"Rosie!" she exclaimed in quiet recognition. "Please find her and ask her to attend on me in my chamber."
"My lady, are you certain?" he asked, mild incredulity seeping into his voice. "She is not trained as a serving girl."
"I had a different job in mind for her."
"Does this have something to do with Bann Dolan?" he asked hesitantly.
"Perceptive of you," she grinned. "Coincidentally, could you see to it that a dozen guards meet me at the gates? Make sure they stay out of sight."
"I'll see to it immediately," he responded, trying and largely failing to smother his own smile.
An hour later and almost everything was prepared. She had sent a servant to request (loudly, for the benefit of any of Dolan's men who might be nearby) Viola's presence for the evening. Once she arrived Elissa had explained to her that there would be a slight change in their normal routine: Viola would spend the night in Elissa and Loghain's study, which was only accessible through their bedchamber. Deciding it was best not to alarm her with the suspicion that Dolan might attempt to kidnap her, Elissa had not explained the sudden change of plan and hoped that Viola would assume it was a strange whim. Nevan had sent a girl with a discrete note to inform her that the guards were stationed as she had ordered.
All that remained was to secure the help of the girl standing nervously in front of her. Rosie, Elissa was relieved to see, was just as she had remembered her. Her hair was a little darker than Viola's and she was not quite as slender, but in the dim light she could easily pass for her.
She smiled welcomingly and nodded at the chair next to her. "Please, Rosie, take a seat."
Rosie stared at her with blank incomprehension for a moment. Servants were not asked to sit with teyrnas as equals. Then she seemed to remember herself and hesitantly sat in the chair Elissa had indicated, staring at her as if she expected a reprimand.
Elissa waited until she settled and then, still smiling, began."I would ask you to perform a service for me, Rosie. This certainly falls outside the bounds of your normal duties so I cannot order you to do it, but you will be richly rewarded if you choose to."
Curiosity piqued, the girl seemed to forget some of her nervousness and leaned slightly closer. "What is it? My lady," she added belatedly.
"What I tell you must be kept secret, Rosie," said Elissa, dropping her voice confidentially.
"Of course, my lady," she replied in the same hushed tone.
"I believe that Bann Dolan plans to kidnap Lady Viola tonight. Now, I could post guards near her door and in all likelihood he would abandon his scheme. I would prefer, however, to catch him in the act so that he can be punished. That is where I need your help."
"Me? What can I do?"
"He needs to be caught attempting to remove Lady Viola from the castle. He wouldn't succeed – I already have guards standing by waiting to apprehend him and his men. Lady Viola, however, is... delicate. I don't believe she could carry out her part. But if someone impersonated her Bann Dolan might still carry out his plan and incriminate himself."
"You want me to pretend to be the Lady Viola?" asked Rosie, voice rising with slight panic. "You want to let the Bann to take me away?"
"I wouldn't let him take you away, Rosie. I would stop him before he could leave," said Elissa quickly, glancing at the door to the study and hoping they had not woken Viola. "I know I ask a lot of you. In return for this service you would receive ten gold sovereigns and a guarantee that there will always be a position for you in the castle."
Rosie flopped against the back of the chair, eyes wide. Ten sovereigns was more money than she had seen in her life, Elissa guessed. With that amount she didn't really need a guaranteed position in the castle. If she chose to, she could use the money to enter into a trade and begin to make a comfortable life for herself.
"Alright," she finally said, a little breathlessly. "I'll do it. My lady," she added again, wincing at her own forgetfulness.
"Thank you, Rosie!" cried Elissa, springing to her feet. Rosie scrambled to rise after her, certain that she wasn't allowed to remain seated while the teyrna was standing. For the moment Elissa was barely conscious of her, too busy retrieving the dress that Viola had recently discarded. Thankfully she had accepted Elissa's explanation that it needed to be hung properly to avoid becoming crumpled on the study floor. With any luck she would never learn of its role in tonight's deception.
"I'm to wear that?" asked Rosie as Elissa turned back to her, holding out the dress expectantly.
"If our plan is to work you must dress like Lady Viola."
"Okay," she said doubtfully. "But I've never had to lace up anything like that before."
"I will help you, of course," smiled Elissa.
Together, they managed to get Rosie into the dress. It was something of a struggle, particularly as they discovered that it was slightly too small for her frame, but with perseverance they succeeded. Once it was on, Elissa told her it was time to return to Viola's room for the night. She reminded her to always keep her hood pulled low around her face and to say as little as possible to Bann Dolan. She had two servants escort Rosie to the bedchamber, fearful that Dolan might attempt to take her in the corridor.
Alone again, Elissa opened her chest and rummaged through the layers of silk and velvet until her fingers brushed leather. Grinning, she hauled her armour out into the open. It felt like she hadn't worn it in a lifetime; in a way, she supposed that was true. The last time she had donned it was in the courtyard at Highever for a friendly spar with Fergus. But there was no time for reminiscing now. Shaking herself out of her memories, she hurriedly pulled on the armour before equipping herself with sword and dagger.
Picking up a candle, she opened the door a crack and peeked outside. Seeing that the corridor was deserted, she shut and locked her door and hurried along to the library. Had anyone seen her, dressed head to toe in leather armour and creeping so furtively only to reach the library, they would not have been able to fathom it. But Elissa had sound reasons. Loghain had told her that the creator of the castle, for reasons best known to himself, had built a hidden passage leading from that room to the courtyard. If it really did exist, it would make her job tonight much easier. It would be impossible to walk through the castle in full armour without drawing attention and alerting Dolan that something was wrong. The passage would solve that problem for her.
Inside the library she made straight for a large tapestry and flipped back the corner, relieved to see that Loghain hadn't been playing a joke on her and there really was a door. It took some effort to pull back the heavy bolt, but eventually she succeeded and slipped inside the passage. It was dank and dark, her small candle throwing only a small pool of light in front of her. Thankfully it was also short. She soon came up against another door and, after another struggle with a bolt, emerged into the cool, clean air of the courtyard.
The guards were exactly where Nevan had said they would be. Her orders to them were brief: for the time being stay silent and hidden, and when she ordered it detain Dolan and his men. If for some reason it came to a fight, do everything in their power to protect Rosie.
They didn't have to wait long before the kitchen door opened and a small group of men emerged. If Elissa hadn't been relieved that her plan was folding out so well, she would have been infuriated by Dolan's audacity. He could barely have waited before abducting Rosie, seemed completely unconcerned about being apprehended. Ignoring that, Elissa focused her attention on Rosie. Dolan had covered her fine dress with a tattered and dirty robe. Frowning, she saw that her hands had been secured behind her back with a length of rope. Her face was obscured by a hood, but Elissa guessed from the muffled cries she could hear that she had been gagged.
Furious at her treatment and eager to put an end to it, Elissa turned her eyes on Dolan's men. He was accompanied by five guards. They were armed but nowhere near as well as the Gwaren men, and they were quite clearly outnumbered. She would be shocked if they engaged in a fight when they were so obviously at a disadvantage.
Elissa emerged from her hiding place, flanked by her guards.
"Bann Dolan!" she called amiably. "An odd time of night to leave us. Is that Lady Viola you have there?"
Dolan froze in his tracks and visibly tightened his grip on Rosie. "I am taking what is mine by contract," he said cautiously.
"We both know that piece of paper is worthless," she said, straining to keep her voice light and reasonable. "If the contract was valid you would not be smuggling my husband's ward out of our home under cover of night."
"I feared your husband would not listen to reason."
"Enough of your excuses," she said forcefully. "Will you surrender peacefully or must we take you by force?"
Instead of answering, Dolan whistled sharply. Before Elissa had chance to wonder at this strange response, one of her men cried a warning and she whipped around to see two armoured men charging through the gates on horseback, heading straight for them. At the same time the guards surrounding Dolan charged them from the front.
Elissa's upper lip drew back in disgust. Dolan might have evened the numbers slightly and now had the advantage of two men fighting on horseback, but there was still no doubt in her mind that her guards would triumph. They were too well trained and equipped. This was merely a diversion: Dolan was sacrificing his men so that he might escape with his prize.
He was already slipping away, trying to edge around the clashing guards to reach the gate. Cursing, Elissa drew her sword and weaved her way through the fight. She made her way to the gate, hoping to reach it before Dolan and cut off his escape. Her goal was within sight when a horse blocked her way. She ducked as its rider flailed his sword wildly at her, and the blade passed narrowly over her head. She pressed forward, secure in the knowledge that one of her guards would easily dispatch a man of so little skill. Breaking through the brawl, she skidded to a half in front of the gate and turned to see if she had made it before Dolan. She had: he was a few paces away, one hand keeping a firm grip on Rosie while the other hovered over his sword hilt.
"Stop this now, Dolan," she ordered in a steady voice. "I will not let you pass."
With the fight at his back, he had no choice but to go through her to escape. He looked at her desperately and she knew he was weighing up his rapidly diminishing options. If he drew his sword against her, even if it never touched her, it would be a crime that Loghain would never forgive. He would be hunted across the kingdom. But if he relinquished the woman he thought was Viola, he had risked all for nothing.
His face tightened with frustration. With a snarl, he pushed Rosie at Elissa with as much strength as he could muster. Elissa caught her but lost balance and they both went sprawling into the mud, Rosie's weight landing fully on top of her and knocking the air out of her lungs. Dolan saw his opportunity and sprinted for freedom, and Elissa heard the sound of his footsteps running past where she lay.
Gasping, Elissa pushed them both upright again. "Are you alright?" she asked, pulling off Rosie's hood to yank away her gag.
Rosie nodded wordlessly, eyes wild.
She pointed. "Can you get to that wall?" Another nod from Rosie and Elissa continued, "Sit with your back to it and stay out of the fight. My men will protect you. Now I must go after him."
Elissa regained her feet and raced after Dolan. He had a head start, but her light armour gave her greater freedom of movement. She sheathed her sword in favour of her dagger, much easier to wield when running. They raced down the path leading away from the castle, Elissa quickly gaining ground on Dolan. Although the gap between them rapidly closed, she couldn't quite reach him. He remained tantalisingly just out of her grasp. Her energy was beginning to flag, and if she didn't catch him soon they would be too far away for the guards to hear if she called for help.
Gritting her teeth, she summoned a final burst of energy and sprinted forwards, managing to tangle a hand in a small piece of shirt that stuck out from beneath his armour. Seeing her opportunity, she leaped and threw her arms around his shoulders, hoping the added weight would send him falling to the ground. He faltered but somehow regained his balance, and immediately began trying to buck her off. She clung on grimly, determined not to give him another chance to get away. She altered her grip on her dagger and, raising it as high as she could, brought the pommel crashing down on Dolan's head.
Unconscious, he fell. Unfortunately for Elissa, he toppled backwards.
For the second time that night she found herself lying in the mud, pinned down by the weight of another body. This time, drained by the chase and struggle, she lacked the energy to push it off. She made a half hearted attempt to wriggle away but fell back, exhausted, when she heard hoof beats approaching. Good, she thought wearily. Perhaps Nevan has come looking for me.
But it wasn't Nevan's voice that rang out with an unmistakable air of command.
"What is going on here?" demanded Loghain. Elissa, startled, summoned the energy to lift her head just far enough over Dolan's shoulder to see Loghain, flanked by his guards, staring down at her. In the darkness it took him a moment to recognise her face, but when he did his eyes flew wide open. "Elissa?" he said incredulously.
Satisfied that help was on its way, she allowed her head to flop back down to the ground. She heard rather than saw him hurriedly dismount, and shortly afterwards his worried face came into view as he dropped to his knees beside her. Unceremoniously shoving Dolan out of the way, he slid his arm under her shoulders and eased her into a sitting position. "Are you hurt?" he asked, raking his eyes over her for any sign of injury.
"I'm fine," she said, attempting to sound reassuring. "Just tired."
"If you're certain," he said dubiously. "Who is that?" he asked, jerking his head in Dolan's direction.
"Bann Dolan. You might want to tell your men to secure him."
He stared at her only briefly before gesturing a couple of his guards over and ordering them to take Dolan back to the castle. "Perhaps you would care to tell me why that was necessary," he said when they had set out.
"Perhaps you would care to help me into a more dignified position first."
Lips twitching, Loghain helped her back onto her feet and led her over to his horse. She felt him watching her closely as she mounted, presumably looking for any sign that she would falter or slip. Once she was settled, she was surprised to feel him haul himself up behind her, and his arms come to rest around her waist. She opened her mouth to protest: she hadn't needed anyone to support her on a horse since the days when she was first learning how to ride. Then she realised the alternative was probably to walk back to the castle, and as she had no desire to do that she chose to remain silent.
"Is this suitably dignified?" he asked as they set off at a gentle pace.
"It will do."
"Now may we return to the matter of why I returned home to find you trapped beneath an unconscious bann?"
She relayed the story of Dolan's arrival, the false marriage contract and her plan to trap him, and finished with the confrontation at the castle gates, Dolan's flight and her pursuit of him. By the time she finished she could almost feel Loghain's eyes boring into the top of her head.
"Well thank the Maker you were here to chase down the villain and beat him unconscious," he said drily. "We wouldn't want to strain that garrison of guards I employ."
She waved a hand, dismissing the comment, and said, "Never mind that. What about you? I didn't expect you back until the morning."
"There was nothing there worth calling me out for. Clearly Dolan had something to do with calling me away needlessly." Elissa nodded in silent gratification of the confirmation of her suspicions, and Loghain continued, "I thought that someone might want to take advantage of my absence here."
"And you were worried that I couldn't handle it?" she suggested.
A long pause and then Loghain murmured, "Clearly I was wrong."
The words were quiet, and it was quite possible that she had imagined them, but Elissa thought there was a distinct possibility that she had impressed Loghain at least a little. Smirking, she relaxed against his chest and allowed herself to think that, between foiling a villainous bann and winning approval from a man famously sparse with his praise, she had acquitted herself quite well.