Elissa dreaded the coming days. Never before had she remained behind, safe, while someone she cared for left to fight an enemy. She envisioned long hours spent straining to hear the clatter of a messenger's horse, even longer nights spent in sleepless imaginings of the terrible things that could have befallen Loghain. This last prediction quickly came true. No matter how exhausted she was, the absence of his solid form kept her from sleep, made her wonder where he was and whether he was resting easily.
She quickly discovered that during the day there was simply no time to worry. Surprisingly, Gwaren's affairs didn't demand much of her attention. The seneschal ruled it based on orders left by Loghain, sending reports monthly unless something urgent demanded the teyrn's attention. What took up most of her time, and taxed her patience and energy to their limits, were the council meetings she attended daily.
The council might accept Anora's authority, but the same was not true for Elissa. She was young and unknown, having been kept away from court by her parents, and every day the councillors fought against her presence amongst them. It was never obvious. Loghain might be absent, but they still feared him too much to risk rousing his anger. Instead there was an undercurrent of hostility and constant, subtle attempts to undermine her.
She couldn't look to the queen for support. How could Elissa be trusted to shoulder a teyrna's responsibilities if she could not defend herself? If she wanted the respect of the councillors, she would have to earn it herself.
Matters came to a head three days after the army's departure when Lowell, a powerful bann from the west, presented what amounted to an outright challenge. As servants cleared away the remnants of their midday meal, he turned to address the queen. "Your Majesty," he began, his voice loud enough to carry across the table. "You must be worried about leaving your father's affairs in Gwaren untended while he's at war. I would be happy to mind matters on his behalf."
Around the table the councillors stirred, eyes flying to Anora in anticipation. She might have left Elissa to deal with the problem so far, but such a brazen insult to her father's chosen teyrna could not be tolerated. Elissa saw the queen's lips compress, her back straighten almost imperceptibly, as she prepared to dismiss the challenge. Catching Anora's eye, she gave a minute shake of her head. Puzzlement showed briefly in the queen's eyes before she nodded and sat back, allowing Elissa to take the lead.
Elissa suppressed a grin. A direct challenge was almost a relief; unlike the snide, half heard comments, she could respond to this directly. Turning to Lowell with a sweet smile, she said, "That is ever so kind of you, Bann Lowell, but Gwaren is governed by its teyrna."
"My dear," he said with a condescending smirk, "such an undertaking requires an experienced, steady hand."
She could have pointed out that she was the daughter of Fergus Cousland, trained from the cradle to govern a teyrnir, but she did not have to justify herself to him. She adopted the tone she would have used on a child trying to wield an adult's sword rather than its wooden training weapon. "Running a teyrnir is quite different from running a bannorn, Lowell. I'm afraid you lack the necessary experience."
Again she had to bite back a smile as she realised there was another card she could play. The hours spent with the queen's ladies had not been a complete waste of time; the careful listener could find useful information in their unceasing gossip. Among them it was common knowledge that Lowell's wife used the hours he spent in lengthy council sessions to dally with men beneath her station, court musicians and mercenary knights.
"Besides," Elissa continued, arranging her features into an expression of deep concern, "I couldn't possibly burden you with more responsibility after speaking to Mathilde. She sees so little of you and, for all that she loves her music and other little amusements, they cannot completely distract her."
Lowell paled as realisation dawned in his eyes. He sat back, mumbling his thanks for her concern. The other councillors, who had never spent a day in the company of the queen's ladies, exchanged confused glances, unsure what had happened but aware that Elissa had somehow won a victory.
When Anora looked at her, however, the gleam in her eyes was positively wicked. "Well said, Elissa," she said neutrally. "Lowell's offer was indeed thoughtful, but my father could have picked no one better than you to oversee Gwaren."
Long after darkness had fallen, when the council session finally drew to a close, Elissa reached her chambers with gratitude. She collapsed into a chair while Meryl fussed around her. After several weeks in her new position Meryl seemed to be gaining confidence, so that she felt perfectly comfortable in scolding Elissa lightly. "You'll make yourself ill, my lady," she said, sliding a tray of food onto the table. "Stuck in that room all day, and probably without a bite to eat."
Elissa tucked into the game pie with as much haste as courtesy allowed, fervently thankful that the custom of eating as a household had been suspended until the king's return. "Someone brought something in at midday," she said after swallowing a mouthful of pastry.
Meryl looked sceptical but made no comment. Instead she changed tactic. "Begging your pardon, my lady, but I'm sure that Teyrn Loghain wouldn't want you to strain yourself so."
"Exhaustion is a small price to pay to maintain a voice on the council, I'm certain."
Meryl pursed her lips and looked very much as if she wished to argue, but at that moment there was a peremptory knock on the door and Anora swept in. "Sit, sit," she said, waving Elissa back into her seat when she began to rise. "This is just a brief visit to inform you that the council will not be meeting tomorrow."
"Why?" asked Elissa, alarmed.
"I have arranged a hunt instead."
"A hunt? Considering the circumstances, is that appropriate?"
"Entirely," said Anora firmly. "Nothing could be better than for the people to see us carefree and confident."
Elissa raised her eyebrows, sceptical. If loved ones of hers had marched to war, seeing the queen and her nobles cavorting would be a slap in the face. But she had to concede that Anora and Cailan knew the people of Denerim far better than she could ever hope to, and so far they had not misjudged the mood of the city.
"I can count on you joining us, then?" said Anora, seeing her silent acquiescence.
"Of course."
So it was that the next morning found Meryl helping Elissa struggle into her uncomfortable riding gown. She had wanted to wear breeches but Meryl persuaded her against it, insisting that all the women of the court wore the cumbersome dresses on such occasions.
Stomach churning, Elissa refused breakfast. Last night she had been relieved at the prospect of a break from the council, but anxiety came with the dawn. She never hunted. She could barely keep her seat on a stationary horse, let alone one racing across rough terrain. Perhaps Anora would overlook convention and allow her to ride at the rear of the party, with the elderly dowagers.
As the servants were accompanying them, Meryl followed Elissa to the courtyard. The servants would follow at a more sedate pace to prepare the midday meal at a prearranged place. They would also, no doubt, have the unpleasant task of hauling the felled game back to the palace. Despite the prospect of a messy, tiring day Meryl seemed in high spirits, happy for the break from her usual routine and a chance to speak to her friends. Unwilling to ruin her mood, Elissa held her tongue and plastered a smile on her face until Meryl peeled away to join the other servants.
Elissa's spirits sank as Anora waved her over, but abruptly rose again when she saw the mount that had been prepared for her. It was the same placid horse she had ridden to the city gates only a few days earlier. She would have an easy ride after all. The smile she greeted the queen with was genuine.
"A fine morning for a hunt, is it not?" said Anora.
"Being no expert, I will defer to your majesty's judgement."
"Surely you're being modest," said Anora, arching an eyebrow. "There is no better place to hunt in the entire kingdom than Highever."
"That might be true, your majesty, but I'm not a natural rider and usually avoid such sport."
"Well no one will expect any great feats from you today," said Anora. "With the kingdom's two most powerful men at war, no one will want the two most powerful women to risk their lives. At most, they will expect you to look decorous."
Elissa thought that even this much would be beyond her, but before she had the chance to say so Anora spotted someone and moved away to speak to them. Alone, Elissa glanced around discretely. The mood was buoyant, everyone talking and laughing as they waited for the signal to depart. As far as she could tell, no one was paying her the slightest attention. This would be a good time to mount her horse, while everyone was too preoccupied to notice any embarrassing slips or scrambles.
She reached out to grasp the pommel. The moment her fingers brushed its fur, the horse's demeanour changed entirely. It made a noise she had never heard before; a shriek of anger and fear. It reared, its front hooves lashing out wildly. All around her people were shouting and scrambling to avoid a deadly strike from its hooves. For a moment, that seemed like an eternity to Elissa, she stood frozen with shock. It was Anora's voice, imperious and commanding while everyone else panicked, that roused her. "Don't stand there, fools!" the queen ordered."Help her!"
Elissa sprang into action, ducking a kick that would have cracked her skull. The movement put her off balance, and when she tried to regain her footing she became entangled in her cumbersome skirts. Arms wheeling frantically, she fell backwards and her head collided with something solid. A sickening pain radiated from the spot. The voices around her seemed to recede, and the world swam in and out of focus until she was plunged entirely into darkness.
When she next opened her eyes it was to find that she had been moved. Someone had picked her up and placed her in bed. The same person, she quickly discovered, had stripped off her restrictive gown and replaced it with a nightdress. She tried to sit but fell back with a groan. Her back and legs throbbed as if someone had pummelled them while she slept. At her moaning, a face appeared above her. It disappeared quickly, reappearing after a few seconds with a candle. Now she could see that it was Meryl, her face clouded with worry.
"Are you alright, my lady?" she asked in a hushed voice, as if speaking to someone deathly ill.
"Perfectly fine," said Elissa, giving away her lie a moment later when she tried to rise and gasped in pain. "A little sore," she conceded through gritted teeth.
"I'm so glad, my lady. The healer said you'd make a full recovery, but you were still so pale. Oh!" she cried suddenly. "I must fetch the queen! I promised I'd tell her the moment you woke up."
"A moment, Meryl!" said Elissa, reaching out for the servant, but Meryl was already gone. Elissa was left to struggle, biting her lip to stop herself whimpering, into a sitting position. By the time she managed it, Meryl had returned with the queen. Anora took a seat by the bed while Meryl, now carrying a small box, stood cringing by the door.
"I must confess that I'm relieved to see you awake and well," said Anora, a small smile tugging at her lips. "My father would be quite furious with me if you came to harm."
"His confidence in me will be completely erased, I'm afraid," said Elissa, only half joking. "Away for less than a week and I'm thrown from a horse and nearly trampled."
"Ah," said Anora. "That is what I wish to speak to you about. I don't believe your accident, as we will call it for the time being, was due to your ineptitude as a rider. Meryl!" She beckoned the servant forwards. Meryl all but ran to the bed and dropped the box onto the blankets, backing away with an unmistakeable air of relief at being free of her burden. Elissa looked at her strangely, unable to fathom her behaviour, until she reached out to open the box. As soon as her fingers brushed the lid, she was overcome with anger. She lashed out, sending the box flying to the ground. The lid opened and something spilled out onto the carpet.
"I should have warned you," said Anora mildly. "It can have that effect if you're unprepared."
"What is it?" asked Elissa, horrified at her outburst, while Meryl, looking like she wanted to cry, darted forwards to scoop the thing back into its box. She thrust it at Elissa, who was this time prepared for the sudden surge of violent emotions. Mastering herself, she peered into the box. There was a small stone, little more than a pebble, its surface covered with incomprehensible scratchings. It had been split cleanly down the middle, and from the core came a faint red glow.
"It was found on the ground, near to where you were thrown," said Anora quietly. "We believe someone placed it on your horse."
"To what end?" asked Elissa.
Anora looked at her steadily. "I would have thought that was obvious."
Elissa gave a small nod, her eyes turning reluctantly back to the stone. She didn't know what it was, or how it worked, but the malice radiating from it was unmistakeable. Someone wanted to hurt her.
"It's magical, that much is clear," said Anora when Elissa continued to say nothing. "But as to its true nature... I am no mage. I have sent messengers to the Tower requesting their assistance. In the mean time, we are holding someone in the dungeon who, we believe, had a hand in this."
"Who?" asked Elissa, losing interest in the stone at this fresh information.
"No one of significance. A stable boy was caught trying to flee. The guard captain believes, as do I, that he was paid to place that," she eyed the stone with distaste, "on your horse, but he won't give up the name of his master."
All information imparted, Anora seemed to grow uncomfortable. "You shouldn't concern yourself with this now," she said suddenly. She held open the box and waited for Elissa to drop the stone inside. Once it was safe in its container, she slammed the lid shut and passed it to an unhappy Meryl.
As Anora rose to leave, Elissa thought she glimpsed a coolness in the queen's expression. It was almost as if she had offended the queen, but she doubted she had managed to do that while unconscious. Perhaps it was the strain of the situation. An attack on a teyrna was not likely to inspire confidence, and keeping the faith of the people was imperative. As Anora left the room, and Elissa lowered herself gingerly back onto the pillows, she put the queen's coldness out of her mind.
The mages arrived before the week was out. There were three of them: a tall, greying man called Gwydion and two elves, barely adults, introduced not by name but as "my apprentices" by Gwydion. They were accompanied by a single templar who was clearly ill at ease with having sole responsibility for three mages outside of the Tower. His fingers constantly flexed around the hilt of his sword, and not once did Elissa see his eyes leave his charges. She wondered angrily what kind of fool had chosen the man for this job. One wrong move from any of the mages and, she feared, the result would be a bloodbath.
Anora clearly felt the same for she nodded at the templar and said, "You can wait outside while we talk."
"I cannot, your Majesty, I must-"
"Obey your queen," said Anora imperiously.
The templar flinched and for a moment Elissa thought he would obey Anora's order. Then he seemed to stiffen and his mouth set in a grim, determined line. "With respect, your Majesty, I take my orders from Knight Commander Greagoir. I must remain here for your safety."
Elissa almost winced. He was brave, she had to admit, but undoubtedly foolish. Anora's eyes narrowed a fraction. "I am not going to argue with you," she said coldly. "Leave now or my guards will carry you out. Be grateful I am offering you a choice."
The templar's eyes darted to the guards posted along the wall. They had not moved, or even glanced in his direction, but there was a sudden tension in the air as they waited for Anora's order. Templars might have certain advantages over mages, but one alone stood little chance against six heavily armed men. Seeming to realise this, the templar allowed his hand to fall from his sword hilt, bowed stiffly and left the room. The apprentices watched the whole exchange with barely concealed glee. No doubt they were not used to seeing templars overruled and dismissed.
"Now," said Anora, turning her eyes to Gwydion, "to the point. I apologise for rushing you here but the matter is urgent." She crooked her finger at a guard and he stepped forwards, bearing the box that contained the stone. He set it down on a table and backed away quickly. "I would like to know what you make of this," said Anora, nodding at the box.
Wearing a puzzled frown, Gwydion approached the table. The closer he came, the graver his look became. "What is this?" he murmured, hand hovering over the lid.
"That is what you're here to tell me," said Anora. "All we know is that it is dangerous."
"That much I can tell." He hesitated, as if steeling himself, before unlatching the lid and throwing it back. Reaching inside, he pulled out the broken stone. He held it in the palm of his hand, studying it closely. As the seconds passed he seemed to lose some of his trepidation, curiosity taking its place. There was a full five minutes of silence, punctuated only by Gwydion's murmured, unintelligible musings, before he motioned to one of his apprentices. "Come and tell me what you think," he called to her. "Not you!" he added quickly as the boy made to follow.
He held the stone out for the girl to see, making a sharp noise as she reached out to touch it. "Just look," he said sternly.
The girl did as he bade her. "It's crude," she said immediately.
He smiled approvingly. "Correct." He turned to address Anora. "As a rule, mages are ostentatious. Most would choose something grander than a pebble to imbue with their magic."
"It's not just the container," the girl said quietly, brow creasing delicately as she leaned in closer. "There's no skill to this. Someone has just forced their magic into it."
"It's powerful, nonetheless." There was a warning note in Gwydion's voice that made the apprentice's eyes snap up to meet his. He nodded curtly and she backed away, resuming her former place.
"May I enquire where this was found, your Majesty?" said Gwydion.
"It was used in an assassination attempt. It was placed on the target's horse, which went wild when she touched it. Fortunately, she survived the attempt unharmed."
"That was indeed fortunate. If the mage who created this had the slightest notion of what they were doing..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "The stone was imbued with a spell designed to induce a frenzy of rage. Well, to call it a spell is not entirely accurate. There was no design in this: the mage merely forced their magic to do their will. That's why the stone – and the spell along with it – broke. A crude method, as my apprentice noted, but still powerful. I could feel the residual magic from across the room. I assume you have captured the mage?"
"We have the accomplice – one of the palace stable boys," said Anora.
Gwydion raised his eyebrows. "Have you considered that he might be your mage?"
For the first time in the unusual meeting Anora looked unsettled. "He is only a boy, barely fifteen."
"Youth would account for the clumsiness of the spell, and if left untrained young mages can be quite lethal. May I speak to him, your Majesty?"
"I hope you're not thinking of taking him for the Tower," said Anora harshly. "If your guess is correct, he tried to commit murder."
"You said yourself, your Majesty, that he is little more than a boy. He can have no personal motive for wishing to harm a member of the royal household. Someone must have bribed or coerced him into helping with the plot."
"So I am to let him go free?" demanded Anora. "Whether he was the architect or not, he has still committed a crime."
"Wouldn't you prefer to capture the instigator of the plan?"
"Of course, but so far the boy has refused to name any accomplices."
Gwydion paused, thoughtful. "Perhaps he fears for his safety," he said contemplatively. "If we offered him a safe haven-"
"Such as the Circle Tower?" said Anora sharply.
"Yes, the Tower, your Majesty. If I could get him to reveal his master's name, would you allow me to take him to the Tower?"
The queen fell silent, searching Gwydion's earnest face. "I would consider it," she said finally.
Gwydion's face broke into a large smile. "Thank you, your Majesty! You won't regret this."
Anora pursed her lips. "I will reserve judgement on that." She motioned to one of the guards. "Captain, please escort the mages to see our prisoner. The rest of your men can wait outside while we dine."
The room emptied but for Elissa, Anora and the few servants who arrived within minutes bearing their meal. When the servants left, an icy atmosphere sprang up between the two women. It had been the same since the day of the hunt; Anora could not seem to stand being in Elissa's company, and avoided her whenever she could. Elissa was baffled, completely at a loss as to what she had done to warrant such animosity.
They lapsed into an uncomfortable, almost hostile, silence over their food. Elissa hadn't felt so ill at ease in the queen's company since her first few days at the palace. Unable to bear it, she took a guess at what was bothering the queen and began hesitantly, "I'm sure the mage will find whoever is behind this. A new life in the Tower in a good inducement for the boy."
"I have no doubt," said Anora, eyes on her plate.
Elissa paused briefly before trying again. "Are you worried for Cailan and Loghain? They-"
"My father is a warrior of legend and Cailan, whatever his faults, is not unskilled with a blade," interrupted Anora. "I have no fear for them."
"Forgive me, your Majesty, but you seem preoccupied," Elissa persisted.
"I'm afraid that you are the reason for my... preoccupation, as you call it. I am sorry to say," said Anora, sounding far from sorry, "that I have not been entirely truthful with you. Well, I haven't lied, but I have withheld some rather important information from you. When you were injured-"
Her words were lost as the doors were thrown open with a resounding crash. Gwydion strode into the room, his face a mask of fury. Elissa started from her seat as she saw that his hands were covered in blood, fingers twitching towards weapons that weren't there and would be no defence against a mage.
"Despicable," he seethed. "How could you – just a boy – "
There was a great clattering and a dozen guards, led by the templar, raced into the room. "I warned you!" he snarled, voice oddly triumphant. "You can't leave mages unguarded, not even for a moment." He unsheathed his sword.
"Stop!" The apprentice who had been called forth to examine the stone appeared in the doorway. Even though she was younger, and smaller, than anyone else in the room, her ringing command held them all motionless for a few seconds. She took advantage of the momentary pause to place herself between the templar and Gwydion, who was staring at the queen with cold hatred. "He has done nothing wrong," said the apprentice.
"I beg to differ," said Anora, composed as ever even when confronted with a furious mage.
"He has performed no magic," persisted the apprentice, addressing herself to the templar rather than Anora. "No one has been hurt."
"I would say his intention is clear," said the templar, looking over her shoulder at Gwydion. "Now move."
"No," said the apprentice with a firmness startling in one so young. "You can't kill a mage for losing his temper."
"People die when your kind lose control!" he snarled.
"No one has been hurt," she repeated. "The Knight Commander doesn't like templars who are too eager to wet their blades. What will he do when he discovers that you killed Gwydion while he was in full control of his magic? I promise you, unless you intend to slay me too, he will find out."
This made the templar pause.
"The mage trespassed into my private chambers and insulted me," interjected Anora coolly. "If the Tower does not intend to punish him, I will."
The templar didn't answer for a long moment, staring at the apprentice. Even from across the room Elissa could sense his assessment of her. The girl met his gaze unflinchingly, rigid body not swaying an inch. Finally he said, "I will leave his judgement to my superiors. Rest assured, your Majesty, that he will not go unpunished."
"Captain," said Anora sharply, addressing the head guard, "choose several of your most trustworthy men. They will escort the templar and his charges back to the Tower, and remain there until justice is done. I expect them to depart within the hour."
"Right away, your Majesty." Turning to the templar he said, "You heard the queen: move."
They marched from the room, templar and the guards keeping their blades in hand. "Just a moment, apprentice," called Anora as the girl made to follow. She stopped and turned to face the queen, eyeing her with as much dislike as her master had. "What happened?" demanded Anora.
"We did as you asked, your Majesty. We went to question the boy. We found him dead in his cell, his throat cut." Without waiting for Anora's permission, she turned on her heel and strode from the room.