I want to thank Jinx1983, Warrose, PheonRen, LadyCallia and megglesnake for the fantastic reviews. All of you give me the inspiration to carry on! :D
A special thanks to megglesnake for helping me with some Celene, Maric and Cailan related issues I had when I wrote this chapter! Her help was invaluable and is much appreciated! :D
Bioware owns! :D
Chapter 25 - News
The world seems not the same,
Though I know nothing has changed.
It's all my state of mind,
I can't leave it all behind.
Have to stand up to be stronger.
Have to try to break free
From the thoughts in my mind.
Use the time that I have,
I can't say goodbye,
Have to make it right.
Have to fight, cause I know
In the end it's worthwhile,
That the pain that I feel slowly fades away.
It will be alright.
Pale- Within Temptation
.
.
Two weeks later they all trudged into the main hall of the Orlesian compound wearily. Leonie stood there to welcome them, a smile lighting up her entire face.
"I do not know how you managed it, mon cheres," she said happily. "But there have been no more attacks here in Orlais and we have received a missive from Empress Celene herself asking us to the Palace to thank us personally. I decided to wait for you to arrive, and let her know that you are the ones responsible for this victory. Also, there has been news from the battle at Weisshaupt. The First Warden has written."
Alistair perked up at this.
"What news from the First Warden?"
"He writes to say that there are darkspawn attacking the darkspawn that are fighting them and are helping them in the battle tremendously. He does not understand why or how this is possible but is sure you have to do with it," she grinned. "Here, Fiona. He sent you a personal missive."
Fiona took it and frowned. She hoped it didn't contain orders for her to return to Weisshaupt.
"I will write back to the Empress and tell her you have arrived. She will ask to see us very shortly, no doubt." Leonie added. "I am sure that you will want to rest, no? Please go on to your rooms. I will have hot water sent up immediately so you can all enjoy baths and then get some rest."
"We would like to tell you what has happened first, if you are feeling all right with that, Fiona?" Alistair turned to the elven mage who smiled affectionately at him.
"Yes, of course, we should talk at once," Fiona said quickly.
Chantalle squeezed his hand, and turned to leave.
"I'll be there shortly, my love," he whispered to her and watched her leave, then turned back to Leonie and Fiona.
Let us go to my study. It is better there," Leonie said.
...
Leonie swore audibly when she heard what Alistair and Fiona had to say. They had left nothing out and went into details of what The Beloved wanted the blood for.
"This is insane! You no longer carry the Taint, Fiona! What do you hope to accomplish with all this?" She finally was able to put into words what she was feeling.
"Well, killing off The General is more than enough. It goes without saying that the attacks have now ceased all over Orlais. I would call that an improvement, wouldn't you say?" Alistair remarked dryly.
"That is not the point here," Leonie argued angrily. "Fiona does not have what it is asking for! Yes, you managed to fool it successfully, but have you two thought about what will happen when it discovers you have lied to it and not given it what it wants?"
"Yes, there is that, that's true," Alistair said thoughtfully. He was very calm and that in itself sent Leonie into a fit of angry expletives.
"You underestimate us, Commander," Fiona deadpanned. "Surely you do not think that we would agree and trick it without a plan?"
She stopped in the middle of an expletive and hope flashed over her features for the briefest of moments. Then she burst out laughing.
"Ah! Well, you should have started by saying this, yes? I shall write to the First Commander, telling him that your work here is not done yet. He asked me for a full report once you two arrived," she said happily.
"If there is nothing else, we'd really like to rest now," Alistair said.
"Oh, of course, mon cheres," she waved them off, a grin on her face.
Once they were out of earshot, Alistair turned to his mother.
"You don't have a plan, do you?" He asked, knowing full well what her answer would be.
"No, Alistair. I do not. But I decided to do something Maric taught me to do and Duncan would approve of instantly."
"And what is that exactly?" He asked curiously.
"Improvise."
...
Fiona shut the door of her room with a sigh.
She walked over to the only chair in the room and sat down facing the small desk. She smiled remembering how Alistair had burst out laughing from her last comment to him about improvising. She thanked the Maker that they were getting along so well, despite feeling a pang of guilt every time they spoke.
She took out a slightly wrinkled parchment from her pocket and flattened it over the desk, pressing on it to smoothen the wrinkles out. Then she broke the Grey Warden Seal and opened it.
Bending over it, she held it in her hands as she began to read.
Warden Fiona,
It has come to my attention that your endeavors in Orlais have been more than satisfactory. I do not know how you have managed to do this. Needless to say, I would like an explanation.
There are darkspawn that are assisting us here in our battle. Without them, we would have been obliterated. They arrived a few hours ago and already the battle is turning in our favor. One of their messengers, a talking darkspawn, informed us that they will not stop until the enemy lies dead or has fled back into the Deep Roads. I cannot believe that darkspawn are helping us out. I will again point out that I need an explanation to why this is happening.
Therefore, I urge you to send me a missive as fast as you can. I must know all the details. Also I have heard from some scouts that arrived yesterday (one of them made it past the enemy lines alive) that the problem in Orlais seems to have finally been solved and there are no more attacks. I wish to know about this as well.
I would normally ask you to return immediately and ask for your report, but if you have managed to accomplish this great task then I will grant you a reward for your services. Allow me to be the first to tell you that I am assigning you to the Warden Commander of Ferelden. He is now your commanding officer and you should help him continue to recruit other wardens and rebuild the order in Ferelden. The numbers in his ranks are very low, if there was another darkspawn attack on Ferelden at this time, it would be catastrophic in nature. He needs all the help he can get and only a fool would not see this.
Therefore, I am relieving you of your duties in Weisshaupt. I will be sending off a trunk with all your belongings to Vigil's Keep immediately.
Thank you for all your help.
Report to Warden Commander Alistair Theirin to inform him of this at once.
Meilso Cronen, First Warden
Fiona sat there for a few moments, staring at the written words in a state of mild shock. Her hands trembled slightly and the first thing she did was place the parchment on the desk.
She lifted her face up, and thanked the Maker silently.
Then, reaching inside a drawer in the desk, she took out a blank piece of parchment and a quill.
A smile lit up her face as she dipped the quill in the inkwell and began to write her reply.
...
Alistair stood in the antechamber, dressed in his dragonscale armor waiting with his nine fellow wardens for Celene to call them into the throne room. Leonie also stood before them, all dimples and smiles. She was clearly enjoying this immensely.
Despite his calm appearance, he was nervous. He did not like being in a palace or a throne room for that matter. It brought back memories of the Landsmeet and what had happened when he had been called forth as a candidate for the throne of Ferelden.
He supposed that things could be worse. He could be King of Ferelden and living in court right now. He shivered at the thought, disgust written plainly all over his face. Still, the memories had come flooding into his brain, unwanted, and made him think about how lucky he was at the moment. He smiled when his eyes rested absent-mindedly on Chantalle.
Yes. He was lucky. An extremely lucky man, in fact.
A guard materialized before them closing the massive doors to the throne room behind. He spoke to Leonie in Orlesian and she smiled and bowed her head. He then turned and opened the massive doors again, and stepped inside, announcing them to the Empress in Orlesian.
Taking the cue from Leonie, they all followed her through the room and stopped only in front of the Empress herself, who immediately knelt in front of her. Alistair and the rest followed suit.
He had time to take in the details of the lavishly decorated room, which was full of plants and tapestries on the walls. The furniture, as well, was overly decorated with colorful cushions and pillows, the wood carved in Orlesian style. A statue of Andraste stood at the far end of the room, behind the golden throne. On the far right was a miniature waterfall, a man-made fountain that bubbled cheerfully in the room. It was completely different from the cold throne room in the Palace at Denerim.
The Empress herself was dressed in a low-cut, tight-bodice gown inlaid with golden threads and precious stones. She was a beautiful brunette, who looked not a day older than thirty.
Empress Celene smiled down at them and bid them to rise. She knew that nearly all of them were Ferelden and spoke in that language in deference to Alistair and his wardens.
"Rise, Grey Wardens." Her voice had the lilting, musical Orlesian accent and was soft and vibrant.
She looked at Alistair and smiled. "You are the Warden Commander of Ferelden, yes? You are King Cailan's half-brother, are you not? You refused the throne after he died," she smiled prettily at him.
Alistair blushed slightly, and smiled back, hiding his discomfort.
"Yes, your Imperial Highness," he replied in a clear voice, inclining his head.
"You also assisted the Hero of Ferelden in stopping the Blight, oui?" She asked again.
Alistair inclined his head respectfully, and his eyes darted to Duran, who was looking very uncomfortable.
"You are the Hero of Ferelden, oui?" Celene's clear blue eyes regarded Duran curiously. "You were the one who killed the archdemon?"
"Yes, your Imperial Highness," Duran mumbled, repeating what Alistair had replied and bowing his head.
She went through all those present in the same fashion, until her eyes rested on Fiona and Chantalle, who were both standing together.
"This is the elven mage from Weisshaupt, yes?" She asked Leonie. Leonie bowed respectfully and nodded. "You came from Weisshaupt. But you were born here in Orlais, oui?"
"That is correct, your Imperial Highness," Fiona replied in a monotone.
Celene dimpled at the both of them. "Elves are considered to be low-class citizens all over Thedas. Let it be known from this day forward that elves should be treated equally and have the same rights as humans," she turned to one of her advisors, who obviously knew Ferelden well as he nodded and scribbled furiously on a parchment. "Here in Orlais, the Empress decides the rules and the nobles obey what we say."
"Let it also be known that Alistair Theirin, the Grey Warden Commander of Ferelden is hereby given the title of 'Defender of Orlais'," she said in a clear voice. "You all have my eternal gratitude for what you have accomplished. There will be a banquet in honor of all of you -Heroes of Orlais- tomorrow night. We have much to celebrate. You may leave now." Empress Celene gave them a final smile and turned to leave the room, as they knelt before her again.
...
Alistair looked at the gift from Celene in mild shock. He read the parchment over and over and shook his head. Opening the pouch he saw the gold sovereigns and turned to his group.
"She's given us one hundred sovereigns!" He said weakly and the rest were in shock at his words.
"She must really be grateful," said Anders.
They had arrived in the compound after walking around the market square, looking around the shops and inspecting the street vendors' wares. They had gone to the nearest inn afterwards to have their midday meal together. Upon returning to the compound, they had met with the surprise of a package from the empress.
"Well, that settles it then! Tomorrow we'll go shopping for new clothes for the banquet and new armor for ourselves as well," he grinned.
"Alistair, could I have a word with you?" Fiona said.
"Yes, of course," he grinned at her and led her to the nearby mess hall table. They sat down and she smiled back.
"I received a missive from the First Warden as you know," Fiona began and stopped when she noticed the startled look in his eyes. "Is there anything wrong?"
"Not yet. But there will be if it contained orders for you to return to Weisshaupt," he replied, his voice serious.
"You do not wish me to leave, if I had to leave?" Fiona asked, a lump in her throat.
Alistair shook his head.
"No. I don't want you to go anywhere. I want you by my side. We have done a lot for the Grey Wardens. I will write to the First Warden to ask him to relieve you from your duties at Weisshaupt."
"That won't be necessary," Fiona said softly and handed him the parchment.
Alistair's eyes quickly ran over the letter. When he had finished, he smiled at her, relief all over his face.
"Well then, I suppose I am your Commanding Officer now. How do you feel about that?" He asked, giving her a lopsided grin.
"I think I might like the idea," she replied, "Warm up to it even."
He chuckled and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"That's good to know."
...
They stood in the lavishly decorated room, dressed up for the banquet. The nobles of Orlais were smiling at them as they walked around the large room, nodding and smiling.
"Ugh. I cannot stand this dress any longer," Chantalle complained again beside him.
Alistair turned and looked at her, suppressing the laughter he felt bubbling inside him. She looked like a goddess in that dress, but was wearing a scowl on her pretty face.
"My love, you have to smile and look pretty. This is the Orlesian nobility and the Empress is standing over there on the dais, watching over us carefully. We should look like we are having a good time."
"You are having a good time," she retorted, wriggling slightly to catch her breath. The bodice on her dress was too tight and although it lifted her breasts and revealed a lot, causing Alistair to be enraptured by the sight of her as soon as she had appeared before him, she had been complaining ever since she laid a hand on his arm at the start of the evening.
"I'm having a good time because you are here by my side," he murmured sincerely. The comment alone caused her to smile prettily at him, her elusive dimple showing briefly. It was gone before he could capture it with a kiss.
He sighed and tried to tear his eyes away from her enticing figure, his eyes falling on Anders and Leliana who were deep in conversation. Duran strolled over to where they were standing.
"I hate these formal affairs," he informed Alistair in a loud voice. "I'll be happy once we can leave."
"But there are ten different kinds of cheese here!" Alistair protested as he made a beeline for one of the long tables in the room, practically dragging poor Chantalle along who glared at him.
Fiona was dancing with Fernan and seemed to be enjoying herself. She looked quite beautiful in her new mage dress robes made of purple silk, which shimmered as she twirled past them. The rest of them were helping themselves to food and drink at the various long tables placed around the huge room.
He snacked on the cheese, offering a sliver to Chantalle, whose glare had turned to a smile. She could not remain angry at him for long, and now, as she studied his boyish grin and his eyes lighting up with delight at the cheese spread on the table, her heart skipped a beat and she stood on her toes and breathed a quick "I love you" into his ear, which momentarily caused him to forget he had all the cheese he ever wanted at his disposal and his heart started to beat wildly in his chest.
He was going to have a great time undressing her tonight.
...
They were laughing and teasing each other when they arrived at the compound later that night. The rest said their good nights and went on their way to their rooms, still chatting away cheerfully, while Alistair put an arm around her tiny waist and squeezed gently.
As soon as he closed the door, his lips descended on her, and she walked backwards into the room, still kissing him passionately until her back bumped into the small table and they both heard something clatter to the floor.
He broke away and his eyes searched until they found a silver tray lying on the floor. A letter had flown off it and was lying a few inches away.
Bending down he retrieved it, and Chantalle saw his face change as he glanced at the handwriting scrawled over the front, recognizing it instantly. Flipping the letter over, he saw a seal that confirmed what he was thinking and his eyes darkened.
"What is it my love? What has disturbed you so?" She asked gently.
He could not bring himself to answer her immediately, but continued to gaze down at the seal that was holding the missive together, his eyes dark and foreboding.
The seal of the Arl of Redcliffe.
Eamon Guerrin.
...