Maintaining Cohesion in Your Fighting Forces
Anders
She handed Nathaniel a bow she had found in one of the rooms under the keep. "Want this? It has your family crest on it." She ran her thumb over the bear engraved into the wood.
He took the bow from her and examined it closely. "Is this what I think it is?"
Anders felt a terrible joke welling up from somewhere. "It's definitely not a buxom wench, if that's what you think it is." He cracked himself up sometimes.
Oghren snorted. "No, that wench is rail thin. Doesn't look like much fun in the sack either."
Nathaniel glared at the two men for spoiling his reverential moment. "That's the Howe crest burned into the wood right there. This was my grandfather's bow."
"I'd hate to be expected to perform with a wench that skinny," Oghren said, teetering slightly to one side.
Nathaniel ignored him and continued. "Or rather, my grandfather was the last to use it. It was originally made for an ancestor during the Exalted Marches."
"It is yours now, Nathaniel," Lucy said smiling at him. "Ignore these two oafs."
He stroked the bow, admiring its fine construction and elegant sweep. "Thank you. It's good to have a part of my family's legacy. Something to be proud of."
"Damn, can't you wait until you've got some privacy to make love to that skinny girl?" Oghren growled, swaying on his feet.
"Maker, you're drunk already?" Lucy leaned down to sniff at Oghren's face. "Bleh! How can you do that so early? You need an intervention. Anders, fix him up."
"Commander, it's a waste of booze. He'll just be back at it again," Anders protested.
"Just do it. I'll carry his pack. He'll have to get through me to get his booze." Lucy began to glow with arcane energies; it sent a thrill of excitement through Anders. Another strange set of magics Lucy had somehow acquired. There was something primal and ancient about this magic, very foreign to his attuned senses. She easily hefted the dwarf's pack onto her back along with her own. Several bottles clanked together noisily.
Anders sent magic into Oghren that cleared out some of the alcohol from his blood. It wouldn't do to remove it all; that would just send him into a black, grumpy depression. There was a happy medium; Oghren just didn't know to stop when he had reached it.
They were deep under the dungeon now, well into an ancient area. It seemed like a shrine created by the Alamarri. Perhaps this was where they had buried their dead. Judging from the number of spirits and other creatures they met, the dead were not resting quietly here.
Anders felt oppressed. He sensed the weight of the earth above him and the thinness of the veil. He wondered what kept the ceiling in place and the Fade demons away. Lucy walked up behind him and placed a hand on his back and he nearly blasted her with flame. "Andraste's knicker-weasels! Don't do that, Commander."
"I'm sorry, Anders. You just looked tense..."
"Well, I am now!" he snapped. "Just... you should make noise when you walk."
"All right, I'll try to shuffle or something." She looked at him with concern. "What are knicker-weasels?"
It was a blatant attempt to change the subject, but he didn't mind. "Well, imagine a pair of frisky weasels in your knickers, Commander. All that activity might incite certain... primal urges."
Her face puckered as she tried to restrain her laughter. "I hope they're declawed and don't bite! That wouldn't exactly be conducive to primal urges. Or at least, not any sort of primal urge I've experienced."
Nathaniel intruded into their conversation. "Nonsense. Knicker-weasels are loin lice. Don't feed the commander your nonsense, Anders."
"Loin lice?" She pondered it a moment. "Crabs?"
"Crabs?" Both men looked at her looking confused.
"Hard to believe we're all speaking English here," she said.
"English?" Anders looked at her oddly again.
"Um... the common tongue. It's called English on my world. We call Orlesian, French. Antivan is Italian. Anderfellatio is called German."
"Anderfellatio?" Nathaniel asked.
Lucy smiled mischievously. "What is their language called? I just made that up."
Both men shrugged.
They marched on for hours, exploring and clearing out every room and every single twist of every hallway. Anders couldn't conceive how Lucy could carry two packs, fight like a banshee and still look fresh as a daisy – other than the dust and dried blood streaking her face, that and a rather sensual, musky essence that mingled with her usual scent of herbs and almonds. He began to wonder whether his infatuation with Lucy was entirely olfactory based. Not that she was unattractive. No, he liked looking at her too; especially when she wore that armored skirt that left a little bit of her leg exposed. Or that other, more form-fitting, armor that clung so closely to her backside, almost like a second skin.
Was it completely weird to really like the smell of someone's perspiration? Nathaniel's sweat stunk and Oghren... his odor was indescribably bad, but that had to do with alcohol in his system, food rotting in his beard and his complete disdain of bathing. Anders wondered what he smelled like. Did he have a pleasant, manly pungence? Or was he more like Nathaniel's sharp-smelling aroma? He wished he could ask someone for an opinion.
"How far down does this go?" Anders asked. "It seems like we've been at this for over a day."
Lucy looked up. "I suppose we should stop. It doesn't look like we can completely clear this out in a single day." She sighed and looked unhappy.
Anders knew she wanted to get back to Daniel. If they all had her abilities they could probably go on for days without resting. Even though Anders had been rejuvenating all of them, they were beginning to flag.
They stopped and set up camp. They didn't have tents - Lucy said they weren't necessary since they'd be deep underground and protected from elements - but they built a fire to warm themselves and give them more light than magic could provide.
Lucy scouted around the area and disappeared into a little room, hidden from view from the others. Anders heard water flowing.
"Commander, are you okay? Where's the water coming from?" he called after her.
"I'm fine. Just taking a bath. I'll show you when I'm done," her voice floated out to him.
Oghren snorted. "Never saw a person so crazy about being clean. Nearly every night she insisted on a hot bath no matter what. Makes the water come right out of her hands, she does. Right useful for cooking but I don't hold with all that bathing. It can't be good for ya."
"Perhaps you should," Nathaniel said dryly. "It might make the wenches more willing."
Anders had a sly idea. "Perhaps you can make a trade with her. Offer to take a bath and clean up in return for a bottle of your booze." Anything to get the dwarf to a slightly less aromatic state.
"Hey, Twitch, that's not a bad idea," Oghren agreed.
Anders could hear Lucy splashing in the next room over.
"Hey Sister. Go Sister. Soul Sister. Go Sister," she sang. Lucy's voice floated out to them in a song. It went high and thin and she sang: "Gitchi gitchi ya ya da da. Gitchi gitchi ya ya here. Mocca chocalata ya ya. Creole Lady Marmalade."
The three men looked at each other.
"Does she do this often?" Anders asked Oghren. He'd never heard such a strange song before. The lyrics seemed somewhat suggestive, but made no real sense.
He shrugged. "Often enough."
"Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?" she sang and repeated several times.
"Isn't that Orlesians?" Nathaniel asked.
"Um... yes," Anders replied. His grasp of Orlesian was very good.
"Translation?" Nathaniel prompted him.
"Do you want to sleep with me tonight," Anders replied.
Nathaniel looked at him and furrowed his forehead. "No, I don't. What was she singing?"
Anders sighed. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight. That's what she was singing."
Oghren snorted noisily. "Figures."
Lucy walked out of the "bathroom" in a loose pair of pants and a big shirt. Her hair was wrapped in some sort of fluffy, expanse of fabric. She saw the three men staring at her. "What?"
"We were just curious about that song," Anders said. "Hadn't ever heard anything like it." He picked at a fleck of lint on his sleeve. "Interesting lyrics."
Lucy smiled. "It's about a prostitute getting killed by her... date."
"Say, Commander... The mage had a good idea. Tell her, Twitch," Oghren prodded Anders.
"Well, I was just suggesting that Oghren might agree to a bath in exchange for a bottle of booze from his pack. A win all around."
"Hm..." Lucy mused. "It's a deal. The water is nice and deep and very hot." She pulled out her dagger and cut her bar of soap in half. "Here's some soap. Don't forget the hair and the beard. I expect you to be scentless when you come out, except for the smell of the soap! Otherwise, no booze."
Oghren grumbled and snatched up the soap. "Can I have one of those things?" He pointed at the towel wrapped around her head.
"One of my beloved towels?" She pulled one out of her pack and held it up to her face cuddling it. "You know, they don't use these here, they use linen. I had these made especially..." She snarled suddenly, "So help me, Oghren, if you foul this I will scorch your beard off!" She threw the towel at him.
He laughed raucously and went into the "bathroom". They heard a little water splashing.
"I mean it, Oghren. You'd better come out of there perfectly clean!" she shouted.
"By the Ancestors, woman, I'm washing!" The splashing became more vigorous.
"Better be," she muttered.
Nathaniel looked uncomfortable. "He should have gone last. I think I'll skip the bath."
Anders nodded in agreement. "I'm with you, brother."
Lucy dug into her pack and pulled out some traveler's rations. They were patties made of dried, powdered venison, chicken fat, honey, dried berries and salt. She called it "pemmican". They weren't bad tasting, but they got tedious quickly. More importantly they were a good source of protein and calories for people who needed loads of both.
Oghren came out of the bathroom after quite awhile, his hair also wrapped up in a towel and the braids were out of his beard. Lucy sidled up to him and sniffed, then grinned broadly.
"By the Maker, Oghren, you don't stink!" She hugged him.
"How am I going to re-braid my beard?" he grumbled.
"I'll do it," Lucy offered.
He handed her the strings and she set to work braiding him. She seemed to struggle with the task and he looked rather lopsided when she finished. "You might want to redo it when we get back, but the darkspawn don't care what you look like."
"Eh, whatever. Can I have my bottle now?"
She nodded gave him back his pack. "I'll trade you for the towel."
He unwrapped the towel from around his head and gave it to her. She breathed a sigh of relief after she examined it.
They chatted around the fire and decided on a watch, and then, just before they retired, Lucy got out a "special treat". Her eyes were glowing happily. "I think any trips to the Deep Roads need to be accompanied by chocolate so there's something to look forward to at the end of the day."
"Chocolate?" Nathaniel said. "Oh Maker, not that bitter drink the Orlesians love?"
"This chocolate is candy. It is a little sweet and it melts in your mouth." She rummaged around in her pack and drew out a fancy carved box and opened it. "Smell this..." she said as reverentially as if she were passing around Andraste's ashes.
Everyone took a sniff. Anders liked it. It smelled... rich and earthy. Very compelling. "That smells wonderful, Commander," he said.
She broke off pieces and handed some to each of them. They all popped it in their mouths. Oghren made a face and swallowed it quickly. He washed it down with his booze.
Anders' eyes grew big. "Maker that's... wow, that's good!"
Nathaniel's expression looked pained. "Bitter!" He swallowed his quickly and washed it down with water.
"Hmmm... more for us then!" Lucy said pertly. She poured a cup of sweetened tea for Anders. "Wash it down with that."
He took a sip and closed his eyes blissfully. "Ah... perfection."
The two mages ate chocolate and moaned indecently for a few minutes. Then they retired for the night. The camp got very quiet, except for the sound of Oghren slurping at his bottle.
The chocolate put Anders in a better mood. He actually slept well until it was his turn to take watch. He stopped thinking about all the rocks and earth over his head and started to think about naked women instead.
It took them another day, but they finally cleared out the darkspawn and other assorted creatures and Lucy turned them around and they began a much quicker assent. She pushed them until late at night. They were all bone weary, even Lucy, but they spent that night in their own beds in the keep.
Zevran
He dozed fitfully in the back of a wagon, buried under several feet of straw. Antiva City had gotten too hot for him. Nearly a third of his old Crow cell was dead, but now da capo had joined with another and both cells were hunting him. The deep wound in his side ached dully. He gave himself a fifty percent chance of surviving at first, but now he was feverish. His odds, he calculated during a rare lucid moment, were falling.
When the cart finally stopped at the end of the day, he poked his head out from beneath the straw. They were in a small village. He wormed his way out of the wagon and dropped behind it in a crouch, holding his hand over the leaking wound. He half-ran, half-limped to a shadowy alley and slumped down against a wall.
"Amore," he whispered. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. "Maker, keep my Lucia safe and protect our baby." His eyes drooped shut and he saw her face as he had so many times, hovering above his, her dark eyes half shut and her full lips coming closer to his. Her hair lapped the sides of his face, enclosing him in a russet cloud and she breathed his name like a sweet, cool breeze across his lips. Zevran.
Darkness enclosed him even while the sunset painted the clouds in vibrant oranges and pinks. It was a sunset that would have inspired his poetic soul had he but seen it.
Lucy
I awoke in a sweat, feeling hot and feverish. I sat up in bed with a panicked gasp and my eyes tried to pierce the darkness in the bedroom to look for the danger. There was nothing, just a feeling of unease. I kindled a mage light and peered around the room. I got up, opened armoires, checked under the bed and out on the balcony. I went into the nursery and saw Daniel resting peacefully. Iveta was asleep as well. I sensed no darkspawn.
My thoughts drifted to Zevran. I didn't really believe that people could be psychically connected, but just thinking of him was making me uneasy.
This is just a dormant fear that has decided to awaken in the wee hours, I told myself. Nearly four months now and not a word. I sighed and slumped onto the sofa in my bedroom. It was time to have this conversation with myself. How long does it take to defeat a Crow cell? Why hasn't he written? I tried to imagine myself in his position, but it was impossible. I knew so little about these mysterious Crows other than the stories he'd told me. How many people were in a Crow cell? Were they as good as him, or possibly better?
Perhaps he felt it was too dangerous to me to write. They'd certainly used me before to try to get to him. That thought heartened me a little.
How long until... I recoiled from the thought, but pushed myself to the precipice I didn't want to peek over. How long until I give up? I peered into the abyss. "No!" I sobbed at the thought. This is too soon. A year, maybe two years. After all Danny has only been dead for...
I leapt up from the couch and ran to my desk. I pulled out the calendar. Exactly one year today. It suddenly made sense. On some level, I must have remembered that this was the day the Blight ended and my Danny had died. That was why I had the moment of feverish panic.
I would have to make plans for a memorial dinner tonight. We four Wardens could remember the fallen today and be reminded as to our purpose. I would tell them about Danny and his heroism. I think they had the story now that he was Daniel's father and my dead husband, but I would tell them myself. Only Oghren knew that was perhaps a bit of a stretch, but I trusted he wouldn't tell. If it wasn't entirely true, it was essentially true.
We would need to be on the road again soon. At least the engineers were working on sealing off the Deep Roads entrance we found last week. We would go to the Wending Woods next; hopefully it would be a short jaunt.
There was no use sleeping when my mind was whirling like this. It looked like it would be dawn soon. I dressed and got an early start on my day.
~o~o~o~
We emerged, blinking, into the sunshine after having fought our way out of an abandoned mine. The homicidal Dalish elf wanted to join us... just my luck. We four Wardens seemed to be working well together, now this harridan wanted to tag along. I could only imagine how it would affect the dynamics of our group. I mean... what is holding her tits in place in that thing she is wearing? Industrial strength adhesive? There were laws of physics being violated and that made me angry. I was becoming annoyed seeing the three male Wardens also trying to catch a boob liberating itself from its unlikely containment field.
Anders was practically drooling over her blond hair and exposed cleavage. Nathaniel was being all "my lady this, my lady that". Oghren just stared a lot and made wisecracks. The elf had the nastiest disposition imaginable and she absolutely hated shemlens, which she took every opportunity to remind us we were, not to mention that we had personally oppressed her people for thousands of years.
I was going to have to have a good long talk with her before the Joining ceremony. I needed to know I could count on her loyalty and discretion. She had to prove to me she could get past her hatred of shemlens enough to work with us and I had to know she could be trusted with my secrets. There wasn't going to be fooling other Grey Wardens. When we fought darkspawn I had to be able to openly use my magic and sooner or later, she'd figure out that I was not really Elissa Cousland. There was no hiding this from her.
"How long were we in there?" Anders asked. "He could have kept us unaware for weeks, even months."
Velanna laughed harshly at Anders. "You know nothing, shem. We were only there a few days, if that."
Anders drew his eyes away from her chest and finally looked into her face. He looked miffed, which I confess made me a little happy. Shit! Am I jealous?
"And just how do you know that?" Anders asked. "Some sort of ancient elvish magic?"
Velanna sighed. "Even a child could tell you, as long as the child wasn't blind." She gestured with her hands. "Look around you, imbecile! Is the season different? We're at the end of autumn and the trees have only a few leaves left. When we emerged they had essentially the same number as when we went in. It couldn't have been long. They'll be gone in the next storm, which happens quite frequently this far north."
Anders harrumphed. "It could be exactly a year later!" He looked wounded. "I didn't grow up in a forest. I was locked in a tower and the windows were too high to look out of."
"Just another example of shemlen idiocy. Rather than making use of your powers you lock your mages away. Ridiculous! You could be out in the villages healing the sick, making life better for your people."
She was really on a tear now; however, I didn't disagree with her. "True, that," I said. "It is pretty silly."
Anders agreed with me and Nathaniel took the opposing view. We argued most of the way back to the Vigil. By the time we arrived – on foot, because our horses were gone when we emerged – Anders had stopped staring at her cleavage and flinched every time her shrill voice said anything. Nathaniel and Oghren were still drooling over her though.
I pulled the shrewish elf aside. "I'll decide in the morning whether or not you will undertake the Joining. I'll talk to you again this evening."
"Delays and more delays! The sooner I drink your foul potion, the sooner I can begin looking for my sister," she complained.
I blinked. "You know what the Joining involves?"
She nodded. "Of course, we Dalish share information like that. What? Do the shemlen keep it a secret from one another?" She barked with laughter.
I drew a deep breath and counted to ten. "I'll talk to you after dinner." I went into the keep and was met by a very worried Varel.
"Commander, we were worried, you are three days late coming home. Is everything all right?"
I told him the story of our captivity and he looked terribly worried.
"Thank the Maker you're all right. I'm sure you'll want to see your son. He's been just fine. There are some things we must discuss, but it can wait until after you've seen your boy."
I nodded and smiled at Varel. He was always thoughtful about my primary concern. I jogged up the stairs and into my sitting room where I stopped. Iveta was handing Daniel to Anders. He peered into my boy's face and started talking to him in a baby voice. It was so cute, my heart melted a little. They didn't realize I was there for a moment, then Iveta looked up and saw me.
"My lady! Warden Anders just wanted to see the boy he delivered," Iveta said, explaining why someone else was holding my baby.
Anders turned around, barely taking his eyes off Daniel. "Well, hullo! Here's your mama, now, Danny. You're getting big, little fellow. Very big! Did Andies do a good job bringing you into the world?"
I laughed at him. "Andies did a fine job bringing my boy into the world."
He looked up from the baby finally, his face looking relaxed and soft. "You know, babies are rather nice, and this one seems exceptionally nice. He doesn't fuss at all." As if in response to that Daniel flailed and punched Anders in the chin. Anders looked down at him. "Okay, but he does have a vewy, vewy bad habit of punching people!"
I took my baby from Anders. "I'll want to talk to you shortly. About Velanna. Will you be around?"
"Yes, I'll be in my room. Knock first though, I might be bathing and you wouldn't want a glimpse of my magely parts... or would you?"
"Magely parts?" I asked. "Your staff?" Then, after I said it, the double entendre occurred to me and we both laughed.
"Indeed!" he said.
"I will knock. I promise."
"More's the pity," he sighed, and left me with my boy.
I turned to Iveta. "Speaking of baths, I would like one. Perhaps Daniel can join me in the water for a bit?"
Iveta nodded. I filled the tub from my hands. She knew that the Warden-Commander was a mage, but she didn't know the whole story. I undressed and luxuriated in the very hot water, washing the dust and filth from my hair then I drained and refilled the tub again, with cooler water this time so it wouldn't burn Daniel. Iveta handed me a very naked, wiggly infant and we sat in the tub and splashed together. I sang him the Mr. Squirry, the Squirrel song, and Daniel looked very happy and content.
After bath time was over, I dressed in a simple, pale green gown. I really needed some trousers made, but I'd gotten used to gowns. I liked ones that were form-fitted down to my waist then flared out. My bosom had shrunk some, although it was a little larger than it was pre-pregnancy. It looked decent, I thought. Then I braided my hair into an Orlesian braid, where you start the braiding near the top of the head. Those always looked very nice.
Afterward I went to see Varel and he handed me a note that was delivered that morning.
Meet me at midnight behind the stables.
Wolf
"The Dark Wolf is dropping by to discuss things."
"When should we expect him?" Varel asked.
"I don't think this is a formal visit. I'm meeting him behind the stables. He's a bit shy."
Varel shook his head. "I don't know about this, Commander. I wouldn't trust him too far."
"I don't trust him." I don't trust myself either.
~o~o~o~
I wrapped a thick, fur-lined cloak around myself and waited behind the stables. I should have changed back into my armor, but I didn't. I had been busy talking to the other three Wardens about Velanna and trying to come to a decision about her. Then it had been midnight and time to meet the Dark Wolf, so I grabbed a cloak and came out.
The wind gusted every now and then, flapping around the bottom of my cloak and scurrying under my gown. I really, really needed more trousers made for winter, this was just too cold. The moon was bright, but it was hiding behind clouds for the most part. When it came out and shone brightly, the trees cast shadows.
I didn't have to wait long until I heard someone clearing his throat behind me. I turned around and saw a man dressed in black, with a black bandanna tied over his hair, holes cut out for his eyes. I didn't recognize his face because I hadn't seen the whole of it, but I recognized the way he stood and carried himself.
"Wolf," I squeaked. "You startled me."
"My apologies, Commander. I would hate for you to fry me with a lightning bolt." There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
He knows I'm a mage? "I thought I paid you to spy on the conspirators, not on me." My voice was stern.
"I like to know who I'm doing business with. In your case, I get the feeling I don't really know. You're something of an enigma."
"I dare say, you know more about me than I do of you." I clutched my cloak closer to me and shivered with another gust. "Well, let's get on with it. I'm freezing. What have you found?"
"Ah, come with me, we can't have you freezing." He grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind him to a small shed and went inside. There was already a torch lit and a table improvised from some crates. "Please, be seated."
I sat on a crate on one side and he sat on the other side. There was a bottle of wine on the improvised table. "Wine?" he asked.
I noticed a pair of the keep's wine glasses sitting on the crate. "How'd you come by these?" I pointed at them.
"Your security is lax."
"I guess it must be." I picked up the glass and held it out for him to fill.
He poured generously and then brought out some papers from within his cuirass. "I've found a few things." He slapped the documents down on the table. "A name and a very interesting letter."
I picked up the letter and read it:
Dear Lady Packton,
Please send the agreed upon amount to me immediately. Our circle of concerned friends has considerable expenses ahead and, if we wish to dispose of our problem, we have to pay upfront. We are counting on you, Liza. I'm sure with the bridge fees our mutual, but deceased, friend left you, you can meet your obligation.
Sincerely,
Your Fellow Concerned Citizen
"Where'd you find it?" I asked him.
"On a dead body, not far from Amaranthine. The messenger, presumably."
"Dead? How'd he die?" I asked.
"Not sure. He had been shot with arrows and sliced with a bladed weapon from the looks of it. But he hadn't been looted."
"It could have been darkspawn. Bandits would have looted him." I tapped my cheek with my finger, thinking. "Did he wear livery or have any identifying token on him?"
Wolf shook his head. "They were very careful to conceal his identity. However, his proximity to Amaranthine leads me to think..."
"Bann Esmerelle?" I interjected. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Well, there are other estates not much further away. It could be coincidence."
"I suppose so." I jumped to my feet, excited by a new thought. "However, I'm certain we have another conspirator too. Ser Temmerly is in my dungeon right now. Perhaps we could convince him that Liza Packton has rolled over on him."
"Rolled over?" he asked.
"Snitched. Finked. Informed on him."
"Ah!" He chuckled. "You have an interesting way of speaking." He got to his feet. "If I might suggest, perhaps you and I should visit this Ser Temmerly. He might be more intimidated by me than you and... I am good at getting people to talk, if I must say so myself."
"Fine. You can rough him up a little, but I draw the line at torture. Coerced confessions are worthless." I was adamant.
Wolf sighed. "You're as merciful as you are beautiful. Come, let's get started, it could take awhile."
~o~o~o~
Ser "Ox" wasn't such a hard nut to crack after all. When he'd heard that Liza had named him – our little lie – he spilled in return for exile rather than death. He gave us the names of a handful of nobles and a few wealthy merchants too. Bann Esmerelle's name was not amongst them, though, and that bothered me. I didn't think he was holding out on us, I just think he didn't know the top-tier of the conspiracy.
"Well, at least I know who to arrest now. Perhaps we can get more names once we start bringing them in." I said.
Wolf shook his head. "Oh no, not yet. We've only just begun to unravel this conspiracy. Right now it's this scrap of paper and Ser Temmerly's word. We can do much better than this. I'm sure I can get right to the top."
"How much time do you think we have before they'll act?" I asked. "I'd like to be around for my son's first birthday."
He took my hand and raised it to his lips, kissing my knuckles gently. "You will be, my lady. I swear it. I'll be in touch soon."
He turned and started to walk away. "Wolf?" I called after him.
He stopped and turned back. "My lady?"
"Will you keep my secrets?"
He smiled and bowed to me. "Every one of them."
I watched him disappear into the darkness and wondered what lay under that black mask. Did the rest of his face match the handsome jaw and finely crafted lips? This time I'd seen some wavy blond hair that curled around the strong column of his neck.
I shook myself out of my reverie and went inside the keep. Varel was waiting up for me in the great hall.
"Varel! Why are you still up? It's nearly dawn."
"I was worried. Your meeting took so long I was about to send out Garevel to look for you." His forehead was creased with concern.
I smiled at him gratefully. It had been a long time since I'd had a mother to worry about my late night returns. There was something rather familiar and comforting about it. "I'm sorry to have worried you. Wolf had found something interesting and we used it to question "The Ox". We got a lot of names out of him. It took a little while to wear him down and I don't think we've quite got everything... but it is enough to really begin unraveling this conspiracy."
Relief flooded his face. "Ah, good. I was afraid my leading you to the Dark Wolf might not have been such a good idea." He stood up and yawned. "Well, don't let me keep you up any longer. You must be exhausted. I, at least, got to doze off in my chair."
I couldn't help myself; Varel was such a sweet, good man. I gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Varel. For everything." I hurried away knowing I'd just embarrassed him. I ran upstairs, peeked in on Danny and then undressed and dove into bed as quickly as possible.
~o~o~o~
Boom. Boom. Boom. The darkspawn war drums were getting louder. I could hear their voices. Voices? Darkspawn don't talk... oh wait they do now. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Lucidity penetrated my dream. That wasn't a talking darkspawn, it was a talking Dalish elf. Boom. Boom. Boom. Someone banging on my door. "Commander! Get up, already. Make me a Grey Warden."
"What the fuck?" I growled. I had no idea what time it was, but I was very short on sleep. Then I remembered, I'd promised her an answer on the Joining today. I'd talked to the other three Wardens the night before. Anders was a no. Nathaniel was a yes. Oghren didn't give a damn. That meant I was the deciding vote.
My talk with Velanna hadn't moved me. Her motives were centered on her sister. I suspected once things were resolved with her, one way or the other, Velanna would be gone. That I could barely stand the woman, and that she seemed to have so little self-control over her tongue or actions, was a huge strike against her. Grey Wardens didn't need to be shining personalities, but they did need to be steady. Banging at the door of your Warden-Commander when she was trying to sleep was the clincher for me. Any indecision I had evaporated.
"Keep your pants on!" I called through the door while I got out of bed and pulled my robe on.
I flung open the door and saw a small crowd gathered in the hallway. Varel was there, so were the other Wardens and a couple of guards.
"I'm sorry, Commander, I tried to stop her..." Varel spoke first.
"It's time for me to drink your foul potion," she demanded. "You promised you would attend to this first thing this morning. Time is wasting while you sleep away the day!"
"I would have had the guards restrain her, but I didn't know if that would be appropriate," Varel continued.
Anders looked amused, and Oghren had a big smile on his face. Nathaniel was still staring at her cleavage. I think they were all hoping for a cat-fight. They would be disappointed.
I kept my voice passionless and calm. "Varel, please escort our guest to your study. I will be down in a few moments." I turned to Velanna and nodded to her respectfully. "I'll be with you momentarily."
"I've had enough waiting!" she yelled, as I shut the door in her face.
I tuned out the ruckus and spilled some hot water into a basin and washed up, then dressed. I hurried down the stairs to Varel's study. Best to get this over with quickly.
I strode in and shut the door behind me. Velanna was pacing and Varel was sitting patiently, trying not to glower, but not really succeeding. "I've decided to give you whatever supplies and provisions you need for the search for your sister, but you will not be becoming a Grey Warden," I said.
"What? No! I must take the Joining so I can track those beasts! I don't need to be a part of your stupid order, I just need to..."
Well, I was right. She had no desire to fit in or really work with us. "Velanna, do you have any idea what darkspawn do to women they capture? They turn them into broodmothers, great, bloated beasts that are continuously raped by darkspawn and give birth to more of the hideous creatures. Is that what you want? I've seen them! They should be a woman's worst nightmare!"
Velanna scoffed. "I know that your Joining potion leaves you infertile. I might be turned into a broodmother, but at least I wouldn't create more darkspawn."
"It was the old formula that did that. We have an improved potion now that removes some of the less desirable side-effects of the joining, including infertility. I had a son myself, as did the King. We were lucky to have had this new formula."
"Then give me the old formula! I don't care. I won't trouble you again." Her voice softened for the first time. "It's even more urgent I find my sister so she won't be turned into one of these nightmares. Please, Commander. I will beg if I must."
I looked at Varel and shrugged. "She knows the risks. Do you see any harm in it? We simply give her the potion and if she lives, she is free to pursue her sister."
Varel drew himself up. "I don't like it, but I can see her point. I think it is a passable solution."
"Very well. I'll make up the old formula and you may drink it, Velanna. You realize you could die and that your life will be shortened and you will be childless?"
She shook her head. "Just go make the potion."
I left the study and found Anders and got his help again. He was curious why we were using a different recipe this time and I explained.
"Maker that's so...brutal," he said.
"She knows exactly what she's doing. I can't have her join us, she's too unstable."
He nodded. "That's for sure. We might wake up with roots strangling us in the night."
I didn't mention it was just as likely that it might be me strangling her.
I took the completed potion downstairs and watched while she drank it. Varel stood by silently, not uttering the words he had been trained to speak. She would not be a Grey Warden in the sense of being a member of our team or order.
She collapsed and I caught her. We propped her up in a chair. "When she wakes give her whatever she requires. Within reason, of course."
Varel nodded. "As you wish, Commander."
My last glimpse of Velanna was her passed out on a chair in the study. If I were lucky, I would never see her again. Here's hoping!
~o~o~o~
Notes: Fortunately my power came back on so I can post this today. I hear 5 million people in So. CA and parts of Arizona lost their power when I did. It was just a little weird because not even cell phones were working for awhile. It's really strange trying to figure out what to do with yourself when there's no power. It made me appreciate how incredibly valuable entertainment would have been to pre-electricity humans.
My thanks to Biff McLaughlin who beta-read this for me and corrected a huge number of errors and even a couple of wobbles in the story.
And my thanks to all of you who read this, especially those of you who take the trouble to write reviews! You all are so awesome, I hope you know that.
To those affected by Irene, I feel like such a wimp having had my power go out for a mere 12 hours or so. You have my admiration how you have suffered through such a catastrophe.