He's really going to try to do this. Elissa had fully expected Vaughan to try an accusation of treason at the Landsmeet, especially since his efforts thus far had been thwarted at every turn. She was shocked that he planned to continue to try after Zevran had so masterfully set the stage to remind everyone why she was called a hero, however, and wondered if he had come up with some angle that hadn't occurred to the elven assassin. She tried to surreptitiously glance at the floor of the Landsmeet chamber, but she couldn't see any sign of blonde hair and pointed ears.
She turned to look at Alistair, who was frowning, but his posture was relaxed. He had one hand on the railing, and the other was behind it, hidden from the crowds below but easily visible to Elissa. He made a gesture and Elissa's eyes widened. Is that …? She looked at Fergus, who actually made eye contact with her and nodded slightly. When did Fergus have the time to teach Alistair our family's hand signals? For Alistair had just given her the signal that things were going as planned. I hope you're right.
"Treason?" Alistair looked directly at Vaughan. "Treason is a serious charge, Arl Kendalls. Are you certain you want to accuse the Hero of Ferelden of treason?" He emphasized the most common title that Elissa was known by and several people murmured down below.
"I most certainly do!" Vaughan's anger was slowly dissipating and was being replaced with something darker, more sinister, more calculated. His frown turned into a sneer as he waved a young-looking female elf to his side and handed her some scrolls. "I have proof." The murmuring increased and Vaughan's sneer turned smug. "I'm sending my servant to you with contracts signed by the Warden-Commander herself. These contracts call for the assassination of King Alistair and Queen Alfstanna."
There was outright gossiping on the floor below at this point. The elven servant walked around the upper balcony, moving slowly but surely toward Alistair while the buzz below gradually rose in volume and threatened to drown out all but the loudest shouting. The servant started to walk past Elissa and she moved to allow the woman past. As the elf passed her, she murmured quietly, "The Dark Wolf sends his regards." If Elissa hadn't been paying close attention, she would have missed it. The servant barely moved her lips to speak and her expression never changed from that of an abused employee. The woman continued on her way, passing Fergus and making her way over to Alistair. She handed him the scrolls she was carrying, and Alistair opened them up one by one and looked at them. As he examined them, a feeling of anticipation swelled in the room, causing a hush to fall over the Landsmeet.
Alistair examined the seals on each document, then appeared to read each one carefully. The tension in the room grew to the point where it became a tangible thing, making the air thick and heavy. It bore down on the assembled nobles, causing many of them to shift uncomfortably in their spots. Finally, Alistair spoke. He addressed Vaughan first. "How did you come into possession of these?" he asked.
"Does it matter?" Vaughan's gaze had become confident and arrogant. "What matters is that justice is done!" He sneered at Elissa, then looked back at Alistair.
"That is true. We do want justice for crimes committed. Tell me, Vaughan: have these documents been changed or tampered in any way since they came into your possession?"
Vaughan straightened and a look of victory came upon his face. "No, Your Majesty. I personally kept them safe. I knew that they were important evidence so I ensured that nobody else would even see them until I had the opportunity to give them to you." He crossed his arms, his entire posture radiating smugness. He was even smiling. The look was not attractive on his face.
Alistair paused and carefully handed the scrolls to Alfstanna, who also looked them over. The Landsmeet held its collective breath as he cleared his throat. "These documents," he said, addressing the nobles, "appear to have the Cousland seal upon them. They also appear to have been written in the last week. Since I have the assurance of the Arl of Denerim that they have not been altered in any way, I trust that they were written on the dates listed. The signature on the bottom is signed in what appears to be a woman's handwriting, and the name listed is that of Elissa Cousland." Murmuring started again on the floor, but Alistair raised his hand and the nobles fell silent. "However," he continued, "I have good reason to believe that these documents are forgeries." Elissa watched Vaughan's eyes grow wide and the Landsmeet chamber went from silent to excited gossiping in a mere instant.
Alistair let the Landsmeet's collective voice come to a roar. He's certainly developed a flair for the dramatic in the past two years, hasn't he? Elissa also suspected that he was stalling for time. For what, she did not know. She watched Alistair make eye contact with someone down below and followed the path of his gaze. She was surprised to see that he was communicating silently with Nathaniel, who was quickly making his way to the stairs of the Landsmeet chamber. Nathaniel passed by the guards, who obviously had been informed that this would happen and let him pass without incident. He made it to Elissa's side before the noise died down on its own. Elissa turned to Alistair, who was half-facing her, and half-facing the Landsmeet. Fergus had backed off so that they could have a clear line of sight to each other.
Once the talking had abated enough, Alistair began to speak again, silencing the rest of the gossip. Elissa could almost see the neck strain of everyone craning their necks to hear what he said. He kept eye contact with her as he addressed the nobles. "Many of you know that Lady Cousland fell ill with the chicken pox two weeks ago," he started. Many of the nobles bobbed their heads vigorously in agreement, having seen her personally. "What you do not know, however, is that she has been under constant supervision during that entire time for her own safety. She spent a week in the Arl of Redcliffe's estates, and then for this past week she was a personal guest of the throne, staying in the palace under lock and key. She has been guarded constantly during that entire time by guards that I hand-picked to ensure that nobody would attack her in her weakened state."
"But I saw her at the wedding yesterday!" one noble shouted.
Another cried out, "And she was shopping in the market district three days ago! I saw her there with her men!" The din swelled again and it took several minutes for order to be restored.
When it finally did slow down, Alistair addressed the nobles who shouted. "Did you see the face of this person?" he asked. Puzzled, the nobles looked at him and shook their heads. "I heard the rumors as well. However, all the rumors involved a woman wearing a veil who did not speak with anyone. Bartholomew!" he called to the floor.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" One of the guards stationed around the chamber stepped forward.
"Please, explain to everyone where you spent the last week."
"I was captain of the guards keeping watch over the tower, Your Majesty."
"Why were you keeping watch there, Bartholomew?"
"Because you ordered us to protect the Hero of Ferelden and her second-in-command, Your Majesty."
"Did you see their faces?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Elissa thought she detected a smile on Bartholomew's face. She recognized him, now, and remembered when he had burst in at an … inopportune moment and got to see much more than just their faces. To be fair, it probably did sound like we were being attacked. She repressed the urge to grin and refused to look at Nathaniel's face, afraid she might start to laugh at the worst time possible.
"Can you point out these people to the Landsmeet, please?"
The guard nodded and pointed directly at Elissa and Nathaniel. "Those two, up there, Your Majesty. They're the ones standing in front of Amaranthine's colors." Quiet murmuring arose from the floor again.
"Did they communicate with anyone while they were under your protection, Ser?"
"Just a pair of elven servants and yourself, Your Majesty."
"Did they ever leave during the time that you were to protect them?"
"No, Your Majesty."
"Very good. Thank you, Bartholomew." The guard bowed low to Alistair and stepped back to his post.
Elissa heard Vaughan's voice rise above the murmuring. He sounded angry again. "The scrolls! Your Majesty, those scrolls have the Cousland seal!" This set off a new round of whispers and gossip. "You protected this traitor and she was sending out assassination orders from the palace?"
"I am getting to that, Vaughan!" Alistair's voice was sharp and commanding. Vaughan fell silent, but glowered across the room. He didn't need to say anything to make his displeasure known. Alistair turned to Elissa. "Lady Elissa, I need to ask you about these documents. Did you write or sign these contracts?"
Elissa bowed. "No, I did not, Your Majesty."
Vaughan shouted, "You can't take her word-"
"SILENCE!" Alistair's voice turned thundrous. He glared at Vaughan to make his point. "I am still speaking!" The hall hushed as Alistair turned back to Elissa. He kept his voice stern, but she could see his eyes twinkle. "I presume you can prove that you did not write these?" He idly waved the documents that he was still holding.
"I can, Your Majesty." Be proud of the truth. "You said that those documents have the Cousland seal upon them?"
"Yes I did." Alistair waited for her to continue.
"I have not had a Cousland signet ring in my possession for months now. I returned my mother's ring to Teyrn Cousland upon his request."
Alistair turned to Fergus. "Is this true, Teyrn Cousland?"
Fergus stepped forward and looked at Elissa, his gaze unsure until he saw Nathaniel standing at her side. Then his gaze hardened and he spoke loudly. "Yes, it is true, Your Majesty. I requested that the former Teyrna's signet ring be returned to me four months ago, and the Warden-Commander complied with my request immediately."
"Why is that, Teyrn Cousland?"
Fergus' voice strengthened. "I had become aware that Grey Wardens traditionally give up their former lives once they join the order, and thus the Cousland family ring needed to return to its proper owner." He showed his hand to those assembled; his pinky glittered in the light. "This was my father's ring." He fished out a necklace that was hidden under his clothing. Another heavy ring glittered on the end of the chain he held. "And this was my mother's ring. These are the only two legitimate Cousland signet rings in all of Ferelden."
With all the ebb and flow of noise that occurred in the Landsmeet that day, Elissa was sure that somewhere an ocean was missing its waves in compensation. The room burst with shouts and talking as people excitedly discussed everything that was going on. For her part, Elissa was somewhat stunned. Fergus had the perfect opportunity to announce that he had disowned me. Why didn't he? She looked at him questioningly, waiting for him to acknowledge her. He refused to look at her, instead focusing on the floor below.
Alistair, for his part, looked inordinately pleased by the events thus far. He should look pleased; he's putting on a great show. Elissa glanced at Alfstanna, who looked at Alistair proudly and smiled as she met Elissa's eyes. I'm glad that you two found each other. She smiled at Alfstanna in response.
Once the noise had settled to a dull roar, Alistair took center stage again. "I believe that we have adequately proved that Lady Elissa did not write these missives. The question now becomes, 'who did?'"
This observation caused the room to fall silent as if an invisible blanket had fallen over the crowd. Nearly everyone in the room looked confused, glancing at each other with wide eyes. Elissa risked a look at Vaughan, whose face was shocked and furious. The change that overcame it was subtle, yet Elissa could pinpoint the exact moment when his alternate plan clicked in his mind. He straightened yet again, and broke the silence. "I would suggest that Nathaniel Howe is behind all this," he sneered.
Before the crowd could start, Elissa jumped in. "That is not possible." She let conviction ring in her voice. "Nathaniel is my second-in-command and has not left my side for the past two weeks." The wide eyes turned to her, then to Nathaniel. Some of the nobles' eyes got impossibly wider as they recognized the distinctive Howe profile.
"Not left your side!" Vaughan scoffed. "Surely you have bathed and slept in the past two weeks." His voice turned to a sneer and his look dared her to contradict him.
"We both have, and I did not misspeak." Elissa raised her chin. Be proud of the truth. "When I said that Nathaniel has not left my side for the past two weeks, I meant it." She felt Nathaniel's arm across her shoulders, reassuring her at the same time that he punctuated the meaning behind her statement. All erupted into chaos again.
Nathaniel murmured softly, so that only Elissa could hear it. "Between Alistair and yourself, the nobles will be sure to get in line to attend the next Landsmeet." She smiled as she heard him chuckle under his breath.
Vaughan's face had bypassed red and gone straight to purple with rage. His shouting was drowned out by everyone else's excitement, but Elissa was fairly certain that she knew what he was saying. She was also certain that none of it was flattering, especially given Teagan's raised eyebrow when he looked in Vaughan's direction. Elissa looked to the floor and was surprised to find Zevran in his former spot, looking up at Alistair and nodding. At this, Alistair raised his hand again and little by little, the nobles fell gradually silent.
"Now that we have also firmly established Nathaniel Howe's innocence in this matter, we must look elsewhere." Alistair paused. "Does anyone have any information pertaining to this matter?" He paused again as the nobles looked around the room and murmured softly. This time, Elissa thought the pause was probably a bit too long, but she supposed he couldn't have perfect timing every single time.
A quiet female voice meekly cut through the murmuring. "I...I do, Your Majesty." Vaughan's elven servant, who until now had been forgotten, stepped forward next to Alistair. "I work for Arl Vaughan Kendalls, and I have seen evidence that he is the traitor."
"WHAT?" Vaughan roared with fury. Elissa was glad that the elven woman was on their side of the room. Otherwise, she was sure Vaughan would have disemboweled her on the spot. "You knife-eared bitch! Nobody would believe your word, whore. You're nobody and I'm the Arl of bloody Denerim!" He lunged to the railing as if he wanted to leap across it at the woman. "You have no proof."
"VAUGHAN!" Alistair's voice barked out. He looked commanding, imposing even, and the tone of his voice actually got through Vaughan's tirade. Vaughan growled but stood down. Alistair continued. "I will listen to this charge as I would do for any other citizen in Ferelden. A treason charge is a treason charge, and it must be investigated." He turned to the elf. "What is your name, miss?"
"Myrella, Your Majesty."
"How long have you worked for the Arl of Denerim?"
"Three months or so, Your Majesty."
"Can you confirm this, Arl Kendalls?" Alistair looked across the room at Vaughan, who was fuming.
"Yes." Vaughan's answer was angry and clipped. It was obvious to everyone that the elf no longer had a job at his estate.
"What evidence have you seen, Myrella?" Alistair's voice was encouraging and soothing. For her part, Myrella played the part of the frightened, oppressed servant so well that Elissa started to imagine that the woman had informed her she was part of the Dark Wolf organization. The woman stammered and looked down at the floor, wringing her hands and murmuring something unintelligible. Alistair took her by the shoulders. "Please, speak up miss," he said quietly as a hush fell over the crowd. Everyone seemed to be straining to hear her words.
Just then, the main doors to the landsmeet chamber opened with a loud bang and several armored guards came rushing in. "Your Majesty!" one of them shouted as he ran to the middle of the room. "Your Majesty!"
Alistair turned to the center of the room. He managed to pretend surprise well enough that Elissa thought most people would have thought it was genuine. "Captain! We are in the middle of an important meeting here!"
The captain, for his part, looked nonplussed. "But Your Majesty, I come with important news!" He took a deep breath, suddenly realizing that all eyes were focused on him. He stood up straight and saluted Alistair. "We received an anonymous tip this morning, Your Majesty, and investigated it. I found something!"
Alistair raised an eyebrow. "Well, what is it, man? Don't leave us all in suspense!" Elissa heard Nathaniel's smothered snort behind her. As if we haven't had suspense all day. She made a mental note to tease Alistair about it later and turned her attention back to the floor.
"We were told that the Arl of Denerim had been planning treason and was trying to set up the Couslands to take the fall, Your Majesty. When we searched the Arl's room, we found a Cousland signet ring and unsigned scrolls that called for your assassination!" The guard's eyes widened as a wave of noise broke out, drowning everything else he might have said out completely.
If the scene had been chaos before, now it had turned into an absolute frenzy. The guards were shouting and waving weapons, several ladies fainted (and some of them might have genuinely fainted rather than affecting it!), and other nobles drew weapons and started to attack. Elissa looked about to try to assess the situation on the floor first – the Wardens were acting in concert with the guards, trying to protect those most likely to be attacked. She noted with satisfaction that Eric was keeping Shianni close and that Anders was casting his magic. He looked at an oncoming noble with daggers in hand and chanted, causing the noble to slump forward as if in a deep sleep. Satisfied that while the floor was a mess, it would shortly be under control, she looked at the balcony. A quick sweep indicated that in the confusion, she had lost track of Vaughan. She swore to herself and pulled the daggers from her boots. We can't let him get away!
"Fergus!" she heard Nathaniel shout as her brother somehow magically sprouted an arrow from his shoulder. Nathaniel grabbed the teyrn and brought him to the floor just as another arrow narrowly missed Fergus' neck. He quickly removed the arrow from Fergus' shoulder while she looked with wide eyes to see how Alistair and Alfstanna were doing.
Alistair had placed his bride behind him and somehow had managed to find a shield, although he was swordless. Elissa pulled one of the long daggers from her skirt's sheathes and tossed it to him, pommel first. "Alistair! Catch!" He caught the weapon deftly and nodded to her as he continued to block both himself and Alfstanna from any stray weapon fire. She crouched down by where Fergus was lying. "Thanks." She grimaced as she looked at Fergus' shoulder. "I can keep pressure on it." Nathaniel nodded and quickly removed his hands so that she could replace them with hers, and she applied pressure.
Fergus was awake and grimacing in pain. "I'll be all right," he muttered, then tried to shift his position slightly. It was apparently a bad idea; he let off a string of colorful curses. "Hurts though."
"We'll get you a healer," Elissa promised as Nathaniel ran off. "We just need to keep you from bleeding too much before they control the mess downstairs."
Fergus nodded, although his face was a mask of pain. "Busy day today," he remarked, the sound almost casual but still marked by his injury. Elissa nodded as she kept the pressure on her brother's shoulder. He looked at her. "Let's talk later."
"All right," she agreed. She studied his face; it was not calm, by any means, but she saw something in his eyes. She couldn't identify what it was, exactly, but it gave her hope that her relationship with her brother was not completely lost. He watched her as well, and remained silent as a look of concentration fell on his face and sweat broke out on his brow. For her part, Elissa focused on trying to keep the bleeding from going out of control and waited.
Nathaniel returned shortly with Irving and Greagoir in tow. Nathaniel was guarding the Grand Cleric while Greagoir was shielding Irving with his armor-plated body. "Irving can heal," he shouted above the din. "I'm going to get the Grand Cleric to – ELISSA!"
The sound of alarm in Nathaniel's voice caused Elissa to look up at him. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched him lunge forward. She followed his progress, turning her head to see Vaughan headed straight for her, daggers drawn, with a look of murder in his eyes. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that murder was exactly what he had in mind; they had pushed him too far and he looked crazed.
Time sped up again and went faster than it should as the two men clashed. Nathaniel's daggers were also drawn by the time he reached Vaughan and he blocked Vaughan's progress. Elissa had not realized that Vaughan was as accomplished in melee as he was, and she and Nathaniel were both somewhat at a disadvantage when fighting in close quarters. Despite this, Nathaniel was holding his own and had managed to disarm Vaughan quickly.
Vaughan was not deterred, however. "Die, bitch!" he shouted and tried to lunge straight for Elissa. "I'll kill you!" Nathaniel blocked him by crouching low and shoving his shoulder into Vaughan's stomach, causing him to lose forward momentum and lose his balance. Vaughan overcompensated by swaying backward and time slowed again.
Vaughan's hips hit the railing, but the force that Nathaniel had hit him with kept him moving backward. Elissa saw the shock in Vaughan's eyes, then she felt shock as he grabbed on to Nathaniel's tunic to try to right himself, but it wasn't enough. Vaughan kept going …
… and pulled Nathaniel over the railing with him.
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A/N: Sorry about yet another cliffhanger. This really seemed like the best place to end the chapter, rather than making this chapter three times as long as most of the others. Bear with me – I will try to get the next chapter out soon, despite the holiday weekend. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me!