First off, I want to start by thanking Jinx1983 for being such a good friend and helping me immensely with this fic by looking for the songs that you see at the beginning of each chapter! For those of you who don't know, she hosts a forum on this site, the link is on my profile and I invite all of you to take a look! It's fun and rated M for Mature, so you have been warned! :D
I also want to thank all those of you who have reviewed my fic and continue to lend me their support: Megglesnake, Jinx1983, Warrose, PheonRen, LadyCallia, aurodorina and Liso66! You all rock and your feedback is greatly appreciated! :D
The chapter was so long that I had to cut it into two parts.
Here is the first part! Enjoy! :D
Bioware owns! :D
Chapter 34 - The Landsmeet - Part 1
I won't let you turn around,
I'll tell you now, I'm much too proud
To walk away from something when it's dead
Do do do your dirty worst
Come out to play when you are hurt
There's certain things that should be
Left unsaid
La Roux - Bulletproof
.
.
They arrived at the port of the city of Denerim a day before the Landsmeet, and made their way to an inn near the docks that was called 'The Red Horse', and was full of sailors. They secured several rooms for all of them and then met in the common room of the inn, which had a great deal of tables and stools.
Alistair was wearing a cloak, and kept his hood up at Zevran's insistence. They spoke quietly and Alistair asked them to wait while he and Anders took a stroll around the city. He also told Zevran and Leliana to follow some distance behind them. Nobody at the table knew what he was up to, and Chantalle asked him to be careful. He assured her that nothing would happen to him and gave her a kiss before he left.
Alistair headed straight for the Market square, stopping at an estate that was very close to it. He spoke to one of the guards at the door.
"Is Arl Eamon available?"
The guard eyed him warily.
"And who should I say is calling to see him?"
"Tell him that it is an old friend from Redcliffe. I'm sure that will be enough," Alistair smiled at the guard.
The guard looked at Alistair long and hard. Alistair stood his ground and did not fidget. There was something familiar about him, but the guard did not know what. Shrugging, he made up his mind.
"Very well. Wait outside. I will go see if the arl will meet you," he said and gestured to his companion to take his place. "Keep an eye on them," he said as he disappeared into the estate.
A few minutes went by and the guard returned.
"The arl says you should come with me," the guard said, and he opened the great doors again, taking them directly to Eamon's study on the left of the main hall, right next to the library.
"Please wait here, the arl will see you shortly."
"Thank you," Alistair said.
They did not have a long time to wait. Eamon walked into his study, and stopped, looking at the two figures before him. One of them was clearly a mage, he wore robes and carried a staff. The other one had a dark cloak on him, and the hood completely covered his head so that his features were in shadow.
"Welcome," he said, still eyeing the cloaked tall figure before him. He had an air of familiarity about him that he could not place. "How can I help you?"
"Well, Eamon," Alistair chuckled. "That depends a lot on how you will react after you've finished listening to me."
Eamon recognized his voice before Alistair reached up to pull the hood down, but was still mildly shocked when his eyes confirmed that it was who he thought it was.
His hair was longer, and he looked so much like Cailan that he drew in his breath in surprise.
"Alistair!" Eamon replied, stretching out his arms as he moved towards Alistair.
But Alistair would have none of that. He raised a hand to Eamon, the amusement in his eyes rapidly changing into an angry glare.
Eamon stopped short, confusion written on his face.
"I've come because of the Landsmeet, to convince the nobles that I am not a traitor to the crown, Eamon," he said quietly. "But I have other matters to settle with you as well."
Anders chuckled next to Alistair and Eamon found himself staring at the mage angrily. Anders looked nonchalant and then smirked at him suddenly.
"And what is what you wish to settle with me, Alistair?" Eamon demanded, a bit miffed by his attitude.
Alistair's eyes filled with mirth and one of his eyebrows shot up. He walked slowly and stood right in front of him.
"Tell me Eamon," he said, pausing after each word, taking his time to speak very slowly and very clearly. "what do you know about an Orlesian Elven warden mage, by the name of Fiona, who followed my father King Maric into the Deep Roads on a mission with the grey wardens twenty-five years ago?"
...
Alistair was amused to see a pink flush rapidly invading Eamon's cheeks. Nevertheless, the arl stood his ground and kept his self-control.
"Excuse me? I don't know what you are talking about, my boy," he shot back, but there was fear in his eyes, and Alistair caught that immediately.
He leaned forward, his face a mere few inches from the arl's and was pleased to notice him flinch.
"Do not lie to me," he said between clenched teeth, "or I swear I will cut you down, Landsmeet or no."
Eamon wet his lips nervously.
"I see," he responded. Alistair straightened himself up and waited.
"I will save us some time, then. Fiona is your mother. Your real mother," Eamon said, "but I assume that you know that already, my boy?"
Alistair flushed with anger, his eyes now two burning coals in his head, as he glared at Eamon, his breathing irregular as he fought to get a grip on himself. Eamon took a step back and blinked.
"You power-hungry, manipulative hypocrite," Alistair began, feeling the anger course through his veins and unable to control it any longer. "How dare you lie to me? How dare you let me believe that my mother was someone else who died giving birth to me? Do you have any idea at all the guilt I felt because of that? Do you even know that I believed that I had a half-sister and actually went to look for her here in the city two years ago because I wanted a family? And she turned out to be a gold-digging harridan who would not have anything to do with me because I was not rich and had not taken the throne? Do you have any idea what I felt then?"
"Maric told me-" Eamon began, but Alistair cut him off, his voice now booming.
"Do not blame others for what you did, Eamon! Especially when they are not here to defend themselves. You could have done something about it all, because you knew the pain and bitterness all this was causing me! You were my foster father, for the Maker's sake! You did not care, did you? The only thing you've ever cared about is yourself and how your actions would best be convenient for you and your precious wife."
Alistair took a deep breath and Eamon started to relax, thinking it was over.
It wasn't.
"You sent me away to the Chantry, making my life even worse by that action. And while I was living under your roof, you forced me to sleep in the stables and whenever we visited Denerim, when we lived in this very estate, I slept with the hounds. Do not, ever again, call me 'your boy'! You have never done anything to make me feel even remotely like 'your boy'. Do I make myself clear?" He thundered.
"Very clear," Eamon answered back, his eyes full of fear and shame. This was an Alistair that he had never expected to see.
"I will see you at the Landsmeet tomorrow," Alistair said, in a much calmer tone, moving to put his hood back over his head and leave the room. Eamon stopped him.
"But we have to discuss how to -"
"I am not a child, nor your puppet any longer, Eamon. I know what I have to do and say at the Landsmeet tomorrow," he replied coldly, fixing an equally cold stare on him. "There is nothing left for you to tell me nor have I anything else to say for now. Goodbye."
And with these words, Alistair marched out of the room, Anders following him, winking at Eamon and smirking before he also left the room.
"There is still someone else I'd like to see, Anders," he said, stopping in front of the estate and waving to Zevran and Leliana so that they could get closer to listen in.
They followed him to another estate that was very close to the Arl of Denerim's and Alistair walked right up to one of the guards.
"Good morning," he said pleasantly. "I would like to speak to Teryn Fergus Cousland, please."
"And who might you be, my Lord?" The guard asked.
"Tell the Teryn that the Commander of the Grey Wardens is here to see him," Alistair said, smiling at the guard.
The guard immediately opened the doors for him.
Smiling, he stepped inside while he waited for Fergus to appear.
...
Alistair spent the rest of the day talking to Leonie first, then to Fiona. He told them everything and confided some of his plans to them. They both knew what they had to do.
Then he spoke to Leliana and Zevran, trusting them with some other information and requesting them to do something in his behalf. They nodded and agreed to help him out immediately.
When he had arranged everything and was satisfied, he went up to his room. Chantalle was sitting at the desk in the room, and turned to smile at him.
He crossed the room and took a parchment from his pack, then sat in a chair in front of her. He placed the parchment on the desk and took her hands in his, looking deeply into her eyes.
"My love," he murmured softly as she looked back into his eyes, knowing that he was about to reveal something important to her.
"Yes, my husband?" She asked and waited.
He kissed her then and took the parchment that was on the desk.
"I have something here that is of utmost importance and will play an important part at the Landsmeet tomorrow. But first I want to talk to you about that. And about me...and the throne," he added.
He took a deep breath.
"Do you trust me?" He asked. "No, hear me out, and really and truly listen to my question. Do you trust me?"
She looked into his eyes, and saw the determination in them. She also saw the love he had for her. She nodded instantly, even before she answered him.
"Yes, my love. I trust you completely and without reservations," she said, looking into his eyes.
He smiled at her tenderly, lovingly and his heart felt her loyalty, her unreserved faith and trust in him and it touched him deeply. So deeply, in fact, that he could not speak for a few moments.
"Then will you stand beside me? Even if I become king in the future?" He asked quietly.
Her eyes widened slightly, but she did not pull away nor make a sound. Instead, she raised her hand and caressed his cheek lovingly.
"I know you will do the right thing, my love," she said. "I know you will be wonderful, as king or as warden commander. I will stand beside you, whatever you choose to do."
"By the Maker!" He sobbed out, his voice hoarse, "What have I done to deserve someone like you?"
And his lips crushed on hers in a passionate and loving kiss.
...
The nobles waited for the queen to speak. She had been sitting on the throne and rose. All those present knelt, then she gave the command for them to rise.
She turned to her scribe as he sat at the desk on her right, and nodded.
"The Landsmeet is about to begin. Queen Anora Mac Tir, Queen of Ferelden!" He shouted.
"Maker bless the queen," came a resounding shout from the nobles gathered in the room.
She waited for them to calm down and began.
"Lords and ladies of Ferelden. There are some issues that I wish to discuss with you on this day. The first of them dealing with a terrible thing that has come to pass. I know that most of you, if not all, were present at the Landsmeet that took place here in this very room two years ago when my father was executed before me. Now, at that time, I was in shock, and there was a Blight upon us. All I did was to ask Alistair Theirin, bastard son of Maric Theirin, to relinquish his rights to the throne for himself and his heirs, which he did. He also swore fealty to me."
Some of the nobles fidgeted wondering where all this was leading. Anora's gaze turned to each of them, and they stopped, ashamed at being singled out by her stare.
"Some of you may be wondering where all this is leading," she paused as the doors of the chamber at the far end of the hall opened to let in a small group of people. She frowned momentarily.
How dare they show up late at the Landsmeet.
She turned to her left and motioned to her other advisor to approach her.
"Find out who has just arrived and come tell me immediately," she whispered in his ear. The advisor nodded and walked down the steps, disappearing from view.
"I will tell you all where it is leading, but first I'd like to call to your attention something that has reached my ears. News that is most disturbing, and I have chosen to remedy. It seems that Empress Celene of Orlais is playing a game with us. She has declared all elves free, and no longer second-class citizens, allowing them to bear titles, acquire riches and more importantly, bear arms and join her army." There were shocked murmurs at these words, which filled the whole room.
Anora waited patiently for the murmurs to cease and for absolute silence before she continued.
"The fact that by doing this, she will be increasing her army should be of great concern to us. As you all know, the Blight left us with a great death toll and we need more people for our army, in case the need arises. Therefore, I have decided to do the same. I have already signed a writ, that has been approved by the Chantry, and the Grand Cleric," she paused to nod to the woman, who nodded in her direction. "This document fully states that the elves in Ferelden are no longer to be considered second-class citizens and will be allowed to carry titles, acquire lands and riches, join the army and bear weapons."
"What?" One of the nobles yelled and there were shouts that followed.
The queen turned an icy glare towards Bann Loren who had first shouted out, and he was taken aback.
"Are you questioning the Queen's actions, Bann Loren?" She demanded.
The room grew so quiet that she could hear herself breathing heavily.
Bann Loren bowed his head.
"No my Queen," he murmured.
"Then I suggest you let me finish," Anora replied coldly.
He remained silent and she took a deep breath and continued talking.
"The reason I did all this, without taking the matter to this Landsmeet is because we are indeed facing a threat so great, we can no longer pretend it does not exist. Alistair Theirin, who is the Warden Commander of Ferelden is in Orlais, conspiring at this very moment with Empress Celene to seize the throne. She has named him 'Defender of Orlais". He is gathering an army at this moment and will not stop until he has killed your queen and the Orlesians have occupied Ferelden once again."
A man started to laugh mirthfully at these words. His laughter filled the room, making it impossible for her to determine exactly where it was coming from. She seethed with anger, not only at his insolence, but because the rest of the nobles were actually smiling, and some were actually looking like they would burst out laughing themselves.
"Who dares laugh at this? I assure you that I speak the truth!" She managed to say, before she noticed a man who was dressed in a black cloak and hood walking straight up to the dais. He was still laughing, but the hood hid his features from her, and she could not make out who it was.
"Who are you, Ser? How dare you laugh at your Queen?"
The man walked up the steps, and her mouth parted in amazement.
Just who did he think he was, standing there beside her?
Then her look changed to pure horror as the man slowly pulled the hood off his head and everyone in the room gasped. For a moment he looked so much like Cailan, that they thought it was his ghost, returned from the grave. Then they saw the differences: The hair had reddish brown glints in it here and there mixed with the blondness, the eyes were not blue but a warm amber that twinkled at Anora who stood there too stunned to speak.
"Why Anora," he chuckled. "I am the very person you say is in Orlais, planning with Empress Celene to invade Ferelden." He spoke loudly and could be heard clearly to the end of the throne room.
"But for those of you who do not know me, allow me to introduce myself," he said, pausing for a moment.
"I am Alistair Theirin, Warden Commander of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden, current Arl of Amaranthine and the only living son of King Maric Theirin and as you can clearly see, I am most certainly not in Orlais." Everyone in the room twittered at these words. They were all smiling now.
Alistair turned to the rest of the nobles gathered who were listening attentively to every word he spoke.
"Lords and ladies of Ferelden, I am here to defend myself, and to present my case to the Landsmeet."
Fergus Cousland started to clap his hands as soon as Alistair finished talking, and Bann Sighard followed. Bann Alfstanna did so also, as well as the rest of the nobles and soon the whole throne room was applauding, as they cheered for Alistair.
When the applauses died down, Alistair found that Fergus was standing beside him. The Teryn of Highever was second-in-line to the throne and nobody in the room would dare oppose him.
"Anora, this is a Landsmeet. The very same that agreed you would rule Ferelden two years ago. I suggest you let Alistair speak."
...