I spent my Halloween evening scaring myself with how many typos and errors and removed page breaks there were in Find The Way. I think I got them all (unlikely) and I resubmitted all the fixed chapters. Sooooo, if you were ever interested in reading it, it should make more sense now :)
Thanks, as always, to everyone who favorites/alerts/reviews!
Sigrun half-collapsed next to where Leliana leaned casually against the wall, her armor clattering. "Remember when you were telling us about the King? About how we wouldn't know who he was until we saw him on the battlefield?" she managed around gasping breaths.
"Yes?" Leliana replied innocently.
"I don't think I'll need to wait until then to know who he is."
Leliana laughed indulgently before a resounding crash brought her attention back to the educational display going on in front of her. "Oh, Oghren," she whispered affectionately under her breath as the dwarf staggered back to his feet. The bard shifted her gaze to the other exhausted dwarf beside her. "You can always let him tackle Alistair one-on-one for a while. He'll continue until our dear former Chantry lad knocks him unconscious."
Sigrun removed her horned helm and attempted to wipe the sweat off her face. "I think I'll do that…for a bit."
The Orlesian laughed again, then more noise had her watching the center of the room again. This time, instead of the clamor of an armored dwarf behind knocked to the ground, it was a bellowing war cry.
Oghren, keeping his feet this time, grinned maniacally at Alistair and swung his axe in wide arc. "Come on, boy, you've got more in you than that!"
Snarling inarticulately, Alistair charged forward.
"Was that…a smart move?" Sigrun asked, eyebrows rising in surprise.
"No. No, it wasn't," Leliana answered, wincing as Alistair's shield smashed into Oghren with enough force to make the dwarf shake his head to clear, she assumed, the deafening ringing that was in his ears.
"And yet he's still laughing," the former legionnaire marveled.
"He would," the redhead snorted. As much as she enjoyed the spectacle, it was about time to call for a break. Alistair wouldn't appreciate it, but he would listen. He'd pushed himself enough for the moment. And though Oghren would never say it, he could probably use a second to breathe, as well. "Hold!" she called out, raising her hand and stepping forward.
Alistair froze, the authority in her voice stopping him on a base, templar-trained level. Oghren weaved drunkenly for a moment at the sudden halt, but recovered himself enough to hook the back of Alistair's boot with his axe blade and yank the man off his feet.
"Oghren!" Sigrun shouted disapprovingly over the racket of clanking armor.
He chuckled in satisfaction. "Ah, he'll live. Isn't that right, Chantry boy?"
Leliana rolled her eyes, because that was what Oghren wanted her to do, then she pointed imperiously to a corner of the practice room. "Break now," she said sweetly.
"Oh, yes, ma'am," Oghren said, bowing. "Feel free to keep ordering me around. I like it!"
"Of course you do," she replied blithely before turning to check on the fallen King. "Everything all right down there?"
"How is it that he can even make the word 'ma'am' sound perverted?" Alistair asked her, staring the ceiling.
"A rare talent, perhaps," she suggested sagely. "Need some help getting up?"
"No, I'm all right down here for a minute. The ceiling's actually quite lovely. Never have spent much time on my back in here."
"Oh. I would've surely thought your bloodthirsty Queen would have made certain that this, of all rooms, was checked off the list," Leliana said, putting as much bewilderment in her voice as she could.
"List?" He craned his neck to look at her. "What list?"
"You know, the list," she whispered loudly.
"No, I don't," he whispered, just as loudly. He pushed himself upright.
"You know," she admonished, reaching down to rap her knuckles against his breastplate, "the list of every room in the palace." She brightened suddenly, like an idea had miraculously occurred to her. "Unless of course your comment about the ceiling simply meant that you were on top. Yes, that must be it."
Amber eyes flew wide in shock, and Alistair dropped himself back to the floor in another clatter of armor. "Maker's breath! I- You're…you're…incorrigible!"
"So some have said."
"What have I done to deserve such torture!" he lamented, covered his face with gauntleted hands.
Her laughter pealing as merrily as a bell, the bard clapped her hands together delightfully. "Oh, you are such a sweet friend to go to such lengths to entertain me! What a darling man!"
"Yes, that's what I'm doing. Not having a mild heart attack or anything like that."
"Of course not. Now, let's get up, hmm?" Placing her petite hand in his larger, metal-encased one, she made of a show of pulling with her all her strength. "Come now, I'll need a bit of effort on your part."
"Can't. You've killed me with your bedroom talk."
"I find that highly unlikely, Grey Warden. You have faced far more fearsome foes than my frank sensuality."
"Not so sure about that," he muttered darkly, but got to his feet anyway.
"There! Much better." Leliana stared into his face critically. "How are you feeling?" she asked in a quieter tone, meant just for him to hear, instead of the show she'd just put on for the rest in the room.
"Good, I guess," he answered lamely, rolling his shoulders and avoiding her eyes.
"Well you've resumed eating and sleeping like a regular person, so you'll not hear any complaints from me." She ran her gaze over him again. "You're putting some of your weight back on, your face isn't looking quite so cadaverous. You look good, Alistair," she assured him.
"If you say so."
"Well, I'd say we need a considerable break at the moment. Sigrun's about had it for the day, and Oghren…" she trailed off, raising an eyebrow as the dwarf downed a mug of ale in one go. "Let's just say I don't trust his body's pain sensors to keep him alive, hmm?"
"How long of a break?" he demanded, his eyes going a bit wild. "I don't want to."
"You could use a break, too, darling," she advised, trying to get him to come to the conclusion himself. Ever since these sessions had started, she'd had to stop every one before her former companion had exhausted his newly-regained energy.
"Can't we find some of the guards to-" he begged, ignoring her comment.
Apparently, today was not to be any different.
"To what?" Leliana asked. "To terrify? To accidentally kill?"
He shrugged uncomfortably, but still his eyes pleaded with her like those of an abandoned puppy.
"Alistair, don't you make those eyes at me," she said sternly. "You will gravely injure someone other than a Grey Warden-"
"What's all this lounging about? I thought mighty Grey Wardens sparred day and night!" called Aednat as she strolled into the practice room.
"Perhaps they need their afternoon nap," Aideen suggested, coming in on her friend's heels.
Alistair's eyes flashed with unholy glee, and Leliana exercised all her effort to hold in a sigh. The Twins seemed to take just as much delight in throwing themselves at Alistair as Oghren did. And with there being two of them, they had infinitely more success…and were an added challenge to the pent-up ex-templar-to-be besides.
Well, there was nothing for it now. She just hoped he didn't fight until he dropped. Waving her hand like a mother telling her child to play, she backpedaled out of the center.
"Brilliant," Aednat grinned, snatching a shield off the nearest wall and drawing her sword.
"Hope you're not too tired, Your Majesty," Aideen added with mock concern as her broadsword flashed in torchlight.
Leliana resumed her position on the wall beside a much-recovered Sigrun as Alistair retorted, "Plenty of spirit left to deal with you two. No worries."
"He all right?" asked Sigrun.
"Yes," the Orlesian answered. "He just has no where to put his anger right now. Once we're on the move, things will be better. I just hope Zevran and Nathaniel find something soon, before Alistair takes out everyone capable of handling his 'sparring'."
Worry lines creased Sigrun's eyes. "You think they've met up?"
"The boys?" Leliana made sure the best laugh she had came passed her lips. "Most certainly. And I'm also certain that Zev's presence is making it much easier for Nathaniel." At least physically, she added wickedly in her own head.
"Good," Sigrun said, watching as Aideen danced out of reach of Alistair's sword. "He hates being alone," she added after a few moments, almost to herself.
"Indeed?" pressed Leliana quietly.
"Yes. He's not good at it. He thinks too much, he can't just…" the dwarf paused, searching for a word, "be."
"Some men are like that," the bard said, still quiet. If Sigrun had not noticed she was having this conversation out loud, Leliana wasn't about to point that out.
"I know he blames himself for what happened to the Commander." Sigrun snorted, "He's probably spent the entire time beating himself up over it."
"Probably."
Sigrun's eyes tightened, and her worry lines creased deeper. "When we find him, I'm going to-"
"To find the lot of you, one just need to follow the ridiculously loud sounds of combat," Anders interrupted cheerfully, coming up next to them.
Again, Leliana held back a sigh. Well, she certainly hoped Zevran's matchmaking skills were being put to better use than hers. "Why, ser mage, you know that to find me you need only to follow your heart."
"Well, yes, of course. If I were deaf, that would be my next course of action," he said, winking at her.
The Orlesian beamed at him. And perhaps your matchmaking skills are failing because you've been otherwise occupied, her inner voice sniped. She ignored it. She was enjoying Anders a great deal. Oh, of course, they had done nothing more than flirt so outrageously that often Alistair or Sigrun excused themselves from the pair's presence, either laughing hard enough to break ribs or looking decidedly green.
He'd warmed up to her eventually, the blushing and the stammering fading until they were almost nonexistent. She sort of missed them occasionally, but she could always manage to get them to show up if she was particularly…honest.
Zevran would probably be shocked speechless to find that she'd yet to lay an inappropriate hand on her blond mage. Then he would most likely nod gravely when she reminded him that foreplay came in all kinds of variations.
"I thought you disliked being nearby when the King was waving his templar skills about," Sigrun smirked. "Thought it made the mage nervous."
"Oh, it does," he assured her, "but you ladies have a received a letter."
"From who?" the former legionnaire asked sharply. "For both of us?"
"From Varel," Anders said, before smiling with mischief. "I'm not sure the poor man is aware as to which of you lovely ladies is in charge. In an effort not to offend, he addressed it to you both."
"Well, wasn't that nice of him?" Leliana said brightly, snatching the letter from him. "Come, come, my co-leader. Let's read together, shall we?" Her fingers snapped the seal quickly, and she bent down to share the letter with the woman beside her.
Greetings, my ladies. I trust you have things well in hand, and I also trust that if you have any need of me, or any of my resources, that you will not hesitate to ask. Dworkin is offering explosives, but… I don't think you really want those. And rest assured, I have kept the truth to myself, but everyone in Vigil's Keep is aware that something is amiss. They are, after all, not stupid.
Which brings me to my real reason for writing. Part of the reason all inhabitants of the Keep are on edge is because once Anders told me what had happened, I placed the Keep under lock down. No one has been allowed in or out for these past months. I am not ashamed to say I have lost many nights of sleep, wondering how these traitors could've known the Commander's whereabouts so precisely. My men have been systematically investigating every single person inside this Keep, though it hurt my heart to think of anyone we knew betraying the Commander in such a way.
There I go, rambling again. I promise you, my ladies, that I shall get to the point. As I am writing this, my men are removing the body of one of the traders who frequent Vigil's Keep. He hanged himself last night, apparently feeling our net beginning to close around him. Among his things we found correspondence from his cohorts. Alas, they do not give any detail to the 'why' of this crime, just pressure for information. I will not begin to speculate as to why he was told to stay after he sent them the information regarding the Commander's latest trip, but it matters little now.
I hope you both find peace of mind in knowing that the culprit who enabled this fiasco has, at least, been identified, if not brought to the justice we all wish he could face.
May Andraste guide and keep you,
Seneschal Varel
Leliana closed her eyes briefly and finally allowed herself to sigh. She hadn't even bothered to hope that they'd be able to find the leak. What with she and Zevran getting here when they did, and everyone more concerned with actually finding Lorelai (as they should've been), the window for that opportunity seemed lost.
When she finally met this Seneschal, she vowed to kiss him straight on the lips. If he happened to be married, his wife would simply have to forgive her.
"Leliana? Is everything all right?" Anders asked. "The suspense is killing me…and now you've gone all pale."
"Varel found the man who leaked where the Commander was going to be," Sigrun answered numbly. "One of the traders at Vigil's Keep."
Anders swore so viscously it brought a rush of color to even Leliana's cheeks. "My word, ser mage," she gasped, feigning shock. "Such language!"
"Learned that one from a templar," he said tightly. "The things you overhear while incarcerated…"
"Should we tell the King?" Sigrun asked, flexing her legs in sympathy as Aednat caught him across the back of his knee with her shield.
"Not now," Leliana answered hurriedly. "Maybe once we get on the road-"
A page burst into the room, and flinched in shock at the vicious battle going on before him. For a moment, his mouth hung open in slack-jawed amazement as he stood frozen in place.
"Come now, lad!" Leliana called as a chill ran down her spine. "Over here!"
Jumping like he'd heard an explosion, the boy hurried over. Cheeks flaring red, he bowed deeply and mumbled. "From the roof, my lady, two messages. The King said-"
"Never mind what the King said," the bard assured him as gently as possible. "I'll take care of it. Go on now."
Gratefully, he surrendered the letter and scurried from the room.
"Two?" Sigrun's eyes gleamed joyfully. "Two!"
Leliana ignored her and tore the first one open. "Maker preserve us," she breathed, only just preventing herself from convulsively crushing the note in relief. "Sten is coming."
"The qunari?" Anders pried the message out of her hand to read it himself. "That's encouraging, and yet somehow terrifying all at the same time…"
The next message shredded open even faster than the first. Usually a master of her own emotions, Leliana suddenly found herself on the edge of tears. Putting on a happy face for everyone around you will do that to a girl.
This time, she couldn't keep her muscles from tightening, crumpling the paper in one, swift movement. Gritting her teeth, she consciously relaxed her fingers and pushed her tears to the farthest corner of her mind. Perhaps there would be time for that later.
"Alistair!" she called, and was impressed with how even her voice sounded.
Apparently she shouldn't have been too impressed with herself. Something, her tone perhaps, gave her away enough that all three combatants wrenched themselves to a stop. The room, so deafening earlier, could now be a place where infants were rocked to sleep.
His amber stare robbed her of speech, and for a moment she could do nothing but hold up the wrinkled piece of paper. Forcing as much cheerful bravado into her voice as she could, she said, "I don't care what you tell Mistress DeWitt and Arl Eamon, but you're going to have to come up with something."