That You May Always Remember Me

Chapter 16

"The Landsmeet"

"Good riddance!" Zevran fell onto the bed in Elissa's room at Fergus' estate. "Alistair's a fool for putting up with that Anora all these years. Let him reap his reward."

"I don't know. Have you seen her from the back?" Oghren started giggling drunkenly.

Elissa raised an eyebrow toward Zevran. "We're friends with him?"

The Crow nodded tiredly.

"Hey!" Oghren protested. "I came all the way out here from Amaranthine as soon as I got Zev's message." He moved to stand near where Elissa sat at her vanity. Shuffling his feet a bit and looking down he spoke quietly, "I guess… I'm glad you're not dead."

Elissa smiled at what she was pretty sure was a sweet sentiment. She leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his forehead, which caused Oghren to erupt with more laughter. "And this isn't about punishing Alistair," Elissa continued, staring at the face in the mirror that still didn't feel quite right. "It's about making the hard decisions so that he doesn't have to."

"I think Alistair's been making his own decisions lately." Elissa frowned at the mysterious face that appeared in her doorway but Leliana smiled sweetly in response. "I'm an old friend." Glancing at the other two in the room she added, "Though I suppose you've been hearing that a lot lately."

"You've seen Alistair?"

"Oh, yes." Leliana moved to stand behind the Hero, picked up a silver brush and began combing her hair gently.

Elissa watched her closely in the vanity mirror and asked, "Is he upset?"

"It was somewhat hard to tell through the slurring… but he's absolutely distraught." Elissa's eyes fell on her own reflection where the pain of hurting the man she loved was visible. "I wouldn't give up on him just yet, though."

"Why not?" Zevran asked from his lounging place. "He's the one who got married."

"Did you expect him to stop living?" Leliana retorted. "We all moved on with our lives."

A loud belch from Oghren interjected. "Ah, give the little pike-twirler another chance!"

"It doesn't matter!" Elissa said angrily, shaking Leliana off her hair. "I'm not leaving because of what he did or how I feel. It just needs to be done. We can't all keep living in the past!"

Leliana glanced at Oghren and Zevran and despite Elissa's words they were all suddenly transported ten years in the past, listening to the only person in all of Thedas who could lead such an unlikely group of allies to achieve the impossible. Suddenly Leliana's fears about her agreement with Alistair faded as she understood more than ever that Elissa deserved a happy ending, if it was at all possible. "He's leaving Anora." All eyes in the room widened at the revelation. "He even got Chantry approval, I hear. It's all very official."

"Why would he do that?" Elissa asked quietly.

Leliana's laughter was as melodious as her voice. "For you, of course!"

"I…" Elissa seemed speechless for the first time in a very long time. "What should I do? Should I try to stop him?"

"Talking to him couldn't hurt."

"Right…" Elissa stood and wandered to the door as if in a daze.

"If you are going to try and convince him not to go through with this," Leliana called. "You might want to wipe that grin off your face first."

Elissa's smile only widened as she realized she couldn't.

OOOOOOOOOO

Alistair nervously paced the hall, his head still throbbing from the night before, but he had sobered up and thought long and hard about this and there was only one way forward. The other option was to let Elissa go, and he promised himself that he would never do that again. When Anora finally appeared he stopped her before she could enter the Great Hall. "We need to talk."

Anora seemed surprised but still guarded. "Now? The Landsmeet…"

"It can't wait until after."

The Queen reluctantly nodded and folded her arms to hear what he had to say.

"I… I'm sure I don't need to say it but this isn't working. I don't think it ever really worked, but it was enough for us to… at least for me to…" He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"What are you saying, Alistair?"

"I got this from Leli… Divine Victoria." He held out the hastily written note to Anora whose mouth fell open as she read it.

"You… want me to just leave?"

"No!" he interjected before another argument could start. "We both know you were never in this marriage for me. I can't give you the crown but… We never did fill the Teryn position in Gwaren after…" He motioned absently with his hand. In all this time he never could find the right words for 'I beheaded your father'.

"Gwaren?" Anora spoke quietly, turning the words over in her mind.

"I know Teyrna isn't the same as Queen and we'd have to wrestle the title away from the Banns who've been controlling the land for the past ten years but you'd live in a nice estate and still be involved in politics." He frowned at the lack of expression on her face. "Say something. Please."

She stared down at the paper clutched in her hands. "This is… generous, I suppose." She looked at the door hesitantly. "Could I make the announcement? I think it might be easier."

Alistair was shocked. "Of course!" As he followed her into the Landsmeet he couldn't believe it had been that easy. Maybe she realized that their marriage continuing would only cause more pain. Maybe she'd been looking for a way out too.

OOOOOOOOOO

Elissa marched into the palace but was stopped at the wooden doors that separated her from the room of nobles. "There's a Landsmeet in progress," the guard snarled, "and it's not to be interrupted."

"I have to speak to Alistair," she protested.

"Get in line." The man nodded toward something behind her and she turned to find the Inquisitor leaning against the far wall. She moved to stand next to her and after a while of silent waiting, Elissa spoke up. "I don't think I ever really thanked you for your part in finding me. So… thank you."

"Don't mention it," Viola sighed and looked sideways at the other woman. "How have things been since you got back? Do you feel any different?"

"Not really."

Viola frowned and silence filled the room again.

OOOOOOOOOO

Alistair stared out at the crowd of nobles. After all these years it still didn't feel any less intimidating to have those eyes on him, expecting greatness but waiting for failure. Teagan smiled at him weakly but up on one of the balconies Fergus still fumed with anger. Anora cleared her throat and the room was instantly hushed. "I don't relish in saying this," she started off quietly. "Fereldan has always been my home and it has been an honor to serve it all these years: first by Cailan's side and now Alistair's." She glanced at her husband. "And I believe that in that time I've come to know exactly what this country needs…" A flash of doubt crossed her face but it was swiftly swallowed and replaced by fierce resolution. "That's why I've called this Landsmeet - to implore you to see the truth. Alistair should not be your king!"

His mouth fell open but he wasn't sure why he had ever expected anything else. This is what Anora did the first time they attended a Landsmeet: lied and betrayed. He watched the malicious look on her face and suddenly knew it had been there for ten years and he was just too foolish to see it. The room erupted in debate but he only caught a fraction of what was being said.

"…talking to himself…"

"…disappeared for days…"

"…saw the mistress walking around…"

Teagan's voice cut in severely. "And what does she have to do with his ability to be your king? This isn't Orlais; we don't choose leaders based on rumors and gossip. He's Maric's son and that should be enough for all of you!"

"Well it wasn't enough for me! Not even during the Blight!" called an angry Bann from the rafters. "I fought for Loghain."

"Did you forget who helped to end that Blight?" Bann Alfstanna chimed in. She was smart and level-headed and managed to remain on Alistair's side since his reign began. His heart was lightened slightly to see his enemies didn't outnumber his allies as much as he would have expected.

"Oh yes, the great Grey Warden," the opposing Bann mocked. "Didn't we exile them for a reason? And what about those Rifts that popped up over all our lands? What did he do about them?"

"Are you seriously trying to blame Alistair for the Breach?" Fergus leaned over the railing and stared the older man down. Thankfully, he was wise enough to know where his loyalties lie, despite personal differences.

"These issues aside," Anora spoke up and called the attention of the room. The sound of her voice chilled Alistair to the bone. "The mental disorders, the Taint in his blood, the infidelity… These are things I've keep quiet about for years…"

"Years?" Alistair questioned, but not loudly enough.

"…out of respect for this throne, but this last incident has forced my hand." She straightened her dress and stood taller. "Alistair has demanded a divorce from me. He wishes to further weaken the backbone of our nation, and he has done all of this despite the Chantry's objections."

A collective gasp crossed the floor and Alistair struggled to take in what he was hearing. Demanded? Weaken the nation? And didn't he show her Leliana's note? The note, he slowly realized, that he had blindly handed over to her. The note that had surely been destroyed by now along with any evidence of the truth. Whispers began to travel across the once silent room as lines were quickly drawn. It had already become blatant that there was no room for grey areas in this argument. As whispers turned into murmurs and murmurs into further debates it came as no surprise to Alistair when the first blade was drawn. He hadn't heard the entirety of the thoughtless Bann's comment, but he knew it had been at Elissa's expense because Fergus turned on him with the ferocity of a dragon, and soon the entire room was at war.

OOOOOOOOOO

Elissa left the wall where she and Viola were waiting in awkward silence. She approached the doors and the guard watched her cautiously as she gently rested an ear against the wood. "Are they fighting in there?"

Viola scoffed at human politics until she caught a glimpse of the guard's hand twitch toward his weapon as his beady eyes watched Elissa's back. She was quick to react once he touched the hilt and a blast of ice froze his fingers and the blade. Elissa turned at the sound of the man crying out and saw the danger she was suddenly in, but before Viola could do any more a second guard crept up behind her and bashed the back of the Inquisitor's head with the blunt end of his weapon.

And everything went black.