Chapter 56
"We've managed to get all the supplies we need to tide us over until spring," Bill told the group as they all sat around a table in the Gnawed Noble tavern. "How about you two?"
Gavin looked up from his dinner and nodded, "I think so. We even picked up some healing supplies just in case."
"But you don't need them surely?" John said in a low voice.
"I prefer ordinary methods," Gavin shrugged. This wasn't the time or place to instruct the boy on how and when it was appropriate to use magic. They'd managed to go unremarked and he wanted to keep it that way.
Fenris said nothing, merely sitting quietly and observing those around him. He'd gotten used to the stares of the common folk and ignored them. However, he'd recently become aware of intense scrutiny, but with the crowd in the tavern he couldn't determine whose attention they'd gotten. Whoever was watching had left, for he no longer felt the eyes, but his unease didn't go away. The idea that they could have been identified made his stomach twist in knots.
The conversation continued and they were preparing to sort out the bill when a shadow fell over the table. Gavin looked up and felt his heart plummet into his stomach. A group of soldiers stood before them. Members of the royal guard judging by their arms. This was not good.
"Gavin Hawke, Lord Amell, Champion of Kirkwall," the knight leading them looked right at him as he stated the facts simply.
Fenris leaned a little closer and muttered, "How do they know exactly who you are?"
"King Alistair has requested your presence messere," the knight spoke again, his tone saying refusal wasn't an option.
Gavin slowly got to his feet, aware of the shocked looks his companions were giving him. "I guess I'm glad you waited till I finished dinner." He said his goodbyes and moved to leave, stopping when one of the men blocked Fenris from following. "He goes where I go," he growled, glaring at the knight next to him.
Fenris saw the knight nod and hurried forward to fall into step with Hawke. "I don't like this. No one who knew we were coming to Ferelden would have said anything. Plus, we haven't met or spoken with any foreigners. And no one we know or met recently would have access to any royal courts."
"We'll find out when we see the king," Gavin said evenly. "I don't think we're under arrest at least."
They said nothing further to each other for speculating would be useless. They were escorted right through the castle gates, then through the main hall, past the throne room and into a large kitchen. There, to their surprise, they saw the king sitting and joking with the cook and two scullery maids.
"You should have seen it," Alistair was saying. "I never knew Teagan was so athletic, but there he was doing flips and leaps. Of course, it wasn't funny at the time because he was being controlled by a possessed kid who-" he stopped as he realized he had a new audience. "Oh good, they found you," he jumped to his feet with a grin.
"I'm Alistair, uh, the king, of Ferelden, that is," he said as he reached out to shake their hands. "I'm so glad you could meet me."
"I didn't think we had a choice Your Majesty," Gavin looked askance at the knight.
"Ser Perth, you did ask them to come right?" he looked at the man in confusion.
"I guess I wasn't as tactful as I should have been sire," Perth bowed to him.
"How do you know who Gavin is?" Fenris growled.
"You must be Fenris then," Alistair smiled at him and then motioned them to follow him as he led them from the kitchen to a smaller chamber off it. Once inside, he told Perth to stand watch and then closed the door. "I was travelling about the Free Marches this past summer looking to cement alliances with the ruling families there. I was in Tantervale when knews of a Qunari attack on Kirkwall arrived. Of course by that time the whole thing was said and done. However, once my business was concluded, I travelled directly to Kirkwall to see for myself what happened."
"You were concerned about possible threats to Ferelden," Gavin nodded.
"Well yes, but I'd also been getting requests for sanctuary from mages who'd managed to get free of the Circles in Ostwick and Kirkwall," Alistair told them. "This added up to something potentially dangerous to not only Ferelden, but all of Thedas. I figured if I went to Kirkwall, I could get a better understanding of what was going on. Needless to say, I was shocked to arrive there and be greeted by the Knight-Commander instead of the Viscount."
"The Viscount was killed by the Arishok during the uprising," Fenris informed him. "And if you've been harboring escaped mages then I imagine Meredith wasn't too welcoming."
"You can say that again," Alistair shuddered. "I actually felt like checking to see if my balls were still intact, let me tell you. Did you know that she has taken the Viscount's place in the affairs of the city?"
"What?!" Gavin exclaimed. "Andraste's tits, that's the worst thing that could have happened. Why did the nobles allow it?"
"You see, that's why I wanted to talk to you," Alistair said nodded, his voice going somber. "I heard about your fight with the Arishok, it was described in great detail. You won, were made Champion and the nobles and common folk thought you would be the one to lead the city in place of the Viscount. But, you disappeared and no one knew where you'd gone. They were upset and angry, but also hoping against hope that you would return soon. You left a big, gaping hole in the chain of command and that bitch stepped in to fill the void."
"How can she just take over?" Fenris argued. "The nobles are the ones who elect a viscount aren't they?"
"She commands the Templars, and they are the single largest armed force in the city," Gavin slumped down in a chair near the fire. "Elthina is a pacifist. She's waiting for the Maker to come down and straighten everyone out. Orsino has been fighting with everyone and losing control of his mages left and right. The nobles can't or won't trust him."
"Leaving the Knight-Commander as the only real authority," Alistair finished. "Besides the Champion, that is." He nodded at the look of understanding that crossed Gavin's face. "Yes, that's why I wanted to meet with you. I wanted to see if I could convince you to go back."
"How did you know where to find us anyway?" Fenris asked.
"That was the easy part," Alistair grinned. "When the wife and I were fighting the Blight, of course she wasn't my wife then, we made some interesting friends. One of them happened to be a member of the Crows, or former member, or something. Anyway, his name was Zevran. After I became king, he told me that if I should ever have need of his services to contact him. He was the one who figured out where you'd gone and followed you from Lothering to Denerim for me."
"I thought I'd felt someone watching me, someone other than curious onlookers," Fenris scowled at the knowledge that he'd been seen without ever seeing any sign of this assassin.
"Don't look so worried," Alistair assured him. "Zevran is possibly the best assassin and spy there is. Even other Crows fear what he can do."
"So you, what, had me followed and brought here to catch me up on what's been happening in Kirkwall?" Gavin asked sarcastically.
"No, although I'd love to hear about some of the adventures you'd had," Alistair shook his head.
"You want him to go back to Kirkwall," Fenris stated flatly. "You feel that he is the solution to that city's problems."
"No, absolutely not!" Gavin jumped to his feet and started to pace around the room. "I only went to Kirkwall because that's where my mother was from and we had nowhere else to go. I never wanted to be a noble or the Champion or the leader, ruler, whatever. I've managed to put it behind me and make a life for myself farming the land. Besides that, I'm a mage, and we all know what people think about a mage ruling."
"And I never wanted or expected to be king, but the people needed me to be one," Alistair said softly. "My wife's best friend Leliana once told me that we do the Maker's work and that she believed the Maker's plan for me was to become king. That it was my fate and I shouldn't fight it. And as it turned out, I was quite good at it and enjoyed it. You my friend were meant to be the leader of the people of Kirkwall, mage or not. Besides, from what I hear, your being a mage is actually a positive because it shows that not all mages are power hungry demon summoners."
"What that city needs is something I alone can't give them," Gavin argued. "I couldn't even get those in power to see reason with regards to the Qunari. The nobles are unable to agree on anything and prefer to walk around and pretend that nothing's wrong."
"Saving the city from the Qunari almost killed him, Your Majesty," Fenris said firmly. "And why are you so concerned about the city anyway?"
"A great many Fereldens fled to Kirkwall during the Blight," Alistair looked pointedly at Hawke. "Most of them are still there because there's nothing here for them to come back to. Not yet, at least. According to reports I've received, they looked to you to be their voice, their advocate. And they're not the only ones. The city guard and their Captain, Aveline, are also hoping you'll return and support their efforts. I even got a request from one Knight-Captain Cullen for your return. I met Cullen when we freed the Circle all those years ago. He seems to have gotten over his hatred of mages enough that he's willing to support you."
Gavin looked at the king and shook his head, "I don't know if I can be what they want. Besides, I won't be able to go anywhere until the spring and by then everything should be back to normal. Or at least as normal as that place can get."
Alistair waited silently in front of the fire and let the man think things through. He knew what if felt like to not want to do something and yet be given no real choice in the matter. Even though it worked out well enough for him, he knew that wasn't always the case. He knew in his gut that more was riding on the Champions return than what was on the surface. He just didn't know if he could convince Hawke of that.
"I will stand by whatever decision you make Hawke," Fenris said softly, catching and holding the mage's eyes. "These past few months have been some of the happiest in my life and I will treasure them always. But the truth of the matter is they were only that special because you were with me. We have skills that few others have and they weren't meant to be used to raise and protect crops."
Alistair, seeing the man starting to waiver, played his trump card. He reached into his pocket and withdrew an envelope. "I have a letter here from one Sebastian Vael, the Prince of Starkhaven. It was give to Zevran to be given to you when you were found. Zevran had business to attend to elsewhere and so asked me to pass it on," he held it out.
After staring at it like it was a snake that would bite him, he took the letter and opened it. It wasn't very long and when he was done he sat in the chair again and stared into the fire. After a while, he looked up and held Fenris' gaze as he summarized it.
"There is a threat to Grand Cleric Elthina's safety. There is also an extreme cult of mages, possibly out of Tevinter, running around. Apparently, they've already tried more than once to infiltrate the Circle and the Templars. Meredith is making decisions that have caused the nobles to talk about leaving Kirkwall. The mages are practically prisoners in their own rooms and Elthina has run out of ideas of how to help. Sebastian is begging us, me, to return before it's too late. It seems that if I don't, then the city is going to end up being torn by civil war, or worse fall into hostile hands again."
Fenris was silent for a while, absorbing it all and reading between the lines. Sebastian was a proud man, a capable man. If he was reduced to the point of begging then the situation had to be dire indeed. "It seems that we have little choice. We must return to Kirkwall as soon as we are able." He shivered a little at the thought of what dangers awaited him personally.
Gavin looked at him and knew what he was thinking. "Denarius most likely still hunts you. Here, you aren't known, but in Kirkwall?"
"I can't run from him forever," the elf shrugged. "Perhaps it's time to take the fight to him."
"Then you'll go back to Kirkwall?" Alistari asked hopefully. Seeing both men nod he clapped his hands, "Excellent. You obviously can't go until spring, but as soon as the seas open up I will arrange passage for you both."
"I have two elven servants that will wish to remain on my land," Gavin told him. "That might cause problems if I'm not there."
"I will have a decree written up stating that the farm is under royal protection and they have full rights and privelages," Alistair offered and saw a look of suprise cross their faces. "You're doing me a huge favor by going back, it's the least I can do in return. You will also have my favor in the future so don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Gavin bowed, as did Fenris. "Now, we should get back to our friends and get some sleep for the trip home."
"I'll arrange for your escort," Alistair opened the door and spoke quickly to Perth who nodded and then left. "Ser Perth is going to meet you at the front gates. I'll take you there," he said and led the way.
Gavin and Fenris followed him silently, each lost in their own thoughts. Neither man could completely mask the trepidation they felt at going back to a city that had been less than kind to them. The future just became a little bit bleak and a lot more uncertain.