Chapter 24: Secrets Revealed

Aeden asked the knights to enter the castle with his group. Since they didn't know what they would be facing once inside, he decided it would be far better to enter with as large a number of warriors as possible. He took a deep breath to strengthen his resolve and opened the doors.

They walked into the receiving chamber, and what they saw startled them all. Isolde and Connor stood in front of the fireplace and Teagan was performing for the amused child as if he were a court jester! Delia's jaw dropped open as she saw the man she admired so much acting like a fool. He was not in his right mind.

For his part, Connor was clapping along with Teagan's dance. Isolde just stood there, head lowered as if in defeat. Connor noticed the group as they entered and as Teagan finished his performance the boy motioned for his uncle to sit on the floor at his feet.

"So, these are our visitors? The ones you told me about, Mother?" Connor's voice didn't sound normal. It was almost as if there were two voices speaking as one.

"Y-yes, Connor," Isolde answered quietly.

Connors eyes glared at Aeden. "And this is the one who defeated my soldiers? The ones I sent to reclaim my village?" Then his eyes shifted to Delia. "And now this one is staring at me. What is it, Mother? I can't see it well enough."

"This… is a woman, Connor. Just as I am…" Isolde's eyes showed her anger at Delia's presence in her home.

Connor sneered at his mother. "You lie! This woman is nothing at all like you! Why, just look at her! Half your age and pretty too! I'm surprised you don't execute her in a fit of jealousy!"

Although his comments obviously infuriated Isolde, she managed to keep her wits about her. "C-Connor, I beg you, don't hurt anyone!"

The boy's hand went to his forehead and he bent over; as he stood his voice seemed to change. "M-Mother, what… what's happening? Where am I?"

"Oh, thank the Maker! Connor! Connor, can you hear me?"

Connor's voice went back to the original timbre. "Get away from me, fool woman! You are beginning to bore me."

Ser Perth stepped forward in front of Delia. "Maker's breath! What has happened here?"

"Grey Wardens… please don't hurt my son! He's not responsible for what he does!" Isolde pleaded.

"You've been protecting him this entire time?" Aeden shook his head in disbelief.

She snapped her head to face him and continued. "Connor did not mean to do this. It was that mage, the one who poisoned Eamon—he started all this! He summoned this demon! Connor was just trying to help his father."

"It was a fair deal!" the demon/Connor snarled. "Father is alive, just as I wanted. Now it's my turn to sit on the throne and send out armies to conquer the world! Nobody tells me what to do anymore!"

Teagan threw his head back and quipped, "Nobody tells him what to do! Nobody! Ha-ha!"

The demon/Connor was enraged. "Quiet, uncle. I warned you what would happen if you kept shouting didn't I? Yes I did. But let's keep things civil. This woman will have the audience she seeks. Tell us… woman, what have you come here for?"

Bravely, Delia stepped around Ser Perth. "I need to see Arl Eamon."

"So you're a concerned well-wisher. Why didn't you say that in the first place? All this sneaking around and killing is so unnecessary. But father is so very ill. We really shouldn't disturb him. Isn't that right, Mother?"

"I… I don't think…" she sputtered.

"Of course you don't!" the demon/Connor screamed. "Ever since you sent the knights away, you do nothing but deprive me of my fun. Frankly, it's getting dull. I crave excitement! And action! These people spoiled my sport by saving that stupid village and now they'll repay me!"

With that, the remaining castle guards led by Teagan himself attacked the wardens and knights. Aeden commanded that Teagan was not to be killed, but merely stunned. The demon/Connor ran out of the room, leaving Isolde cowering in the corner. The battle was furious. Delia positioned herself near Isolde in order to protect the unarmed woman. One of the guards attempted to get past Delia, but was rewarded with a slash across his throat, killing him immediately.

At the close of the battle, Delia walked to Isolde and offered her hand to help her stand up. As she grasped the Arlessa's hand, she allowed her gift to enlighten her. "The daughter of an Orlesian noble who fell in love with a Fereldan freedom fighter because he seemed like a character from one of her romance novels… insecurity bordering on paranoia… meeting Teagan and becoming enraptured by the younger brother… jealousy whenever another woman was near Teagan; in her mind he was meant to be hers... a desperate need to be rid of Delia… placing herbs in Bann Loren's drink to alter his demeanor… watching with delight as the Loren's were banished from Redcliffe… terror on discovering her son held magic… begging Logain for help… watching as Jowan poisoned Eamon, then throwing the mage into the dungeon… the undead creatures and helplessness… Her heart is untrustworthy as she cares only for her own desires." Delia suddenly was infuriated. This woman had sabotaged her chance to marry Teagan and destroyed her beloved grandfather in the process! On top of that, she knew that Jowan was poisoning her husband and hoped Eamon would die so she could have Teagan for herself! Isolde needed to be exposed and brought to justice for her crimes against the Lorens, the Guerrins as well as all the people of Redcliffe.

Delia was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Isolde rushing to Teagan's side. "Teagan, Teagan, are you alright? Blessed Andraste! I would never have forgiven myself had you died, not after I brought you here. What a fool I am!"

"Yes, Isolde, you are a fool indeed. You truly thought that you would get away with all of this, didn't you?" Delia's eyes flashed with a furor she had never felt before.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Delia. I am simply worried about Teagan." Her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.

"You can't hide any longer, Isolde. Your secrets have been exposed. You don't seem to have any problem destroying people to get what you want."

Teagan stood and looked between Delia and Isolde. "What exactly are you accusing Isolde of doing, Delia?"

"I remember we had a very interesting conversation last summer regarding my herbology classes." She looked directly into Isolde's eyes. "You impressed me with your knowledge, specifically with herbs known to be poisonous or mind altering. If you had reason to believe that Eamon was being poisoned, you would have known exactly what to look for. I suggest we bring the mage from the dungeon and ask him questions to discover exactly what Isolde knew."

Isolde's expression went from anger to fear.

Teagan brought Jowan from the dungeon personally. When they entered the receiving hall, he started questioning the mage. "Jowan, I want you to answer my questions honestly. If you tell the truth, I shall speak to Eamon on your behalf. My first question to you is did you poison my brother?"

Jowan looked at the floor. "I did, but it was at the request of Teryn Logain. He told me that your brother was a threat to Fereldan and if I dealt with him Logain would settle matters at the Circle of Magi for me. I am an apostate… a blood mage."

"Did Isolde know you were poisoning Eamon?"

"She walked in when I was adding the poison plants to his tea. It was soon after I had started to use them on the Arl, and he was showing signs of being ill. She started to put her hands out as if to stop me and her mouth opened, but then she pulled her hands back, took a deep breath and just said hello to me. She seemed to calm so quickly, and almost smile… it was… odd."

Teagan kept a calm expression on his face, but his feelings were betrayed by a furrow in his brow. "Did Eamon know that Connor was a mage?"

"No, the Arlessa was adamant that he not be told. She said that he would do the 'right thing' and send Connor away, to the Circle of Magi. The thought of losing her child seemed to be destroying her. I never said a word to Eamon. As far as he knew, I was simply a regular tutor for his son."

Teagan turned to his sister-in-law. "Isolde, I would like to know why you kept Connor's abilities from Eamon, but more importantly I want to know why you allowed him to be poisoned! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"He would have sent Connor away, don't you understand? I couldn't lose my son."

"That doesn't explain why you would allow him to be poisoned. If you have knowledge of poisons you would surely have recognized the symptoms and summoned a healer. And then if Jowan's accusations are true and you actually caught him in the act of making the poisoned tea, why in the Maker's name would you not save Eamon?"

"You would not understand, Teagan. You are not a woman."

Delia snarled at her. "Then explain it to me, Isolde. I think that I know your reasoning."

"Oh, is that so, Delia? Then enlighten us, please," Isolde sniped back.

"You want to marry Teagan yourself."

"You're mad!" Teagan was shocked at her accusation. "Isolde and Eamon have been happily married for years."

"Teagan, think about last summer. Remember how it seemed that every time we turned around Isolde was there? How she would monopolize the conversation and maneuver herself to stand between us? Eamon even noticed and was getting annoyed with her. The only time we had alone was once Eamon started to pull her away from us. She was so angry when we were going to have the banquet… remember how rude she was greeting my parents?"

Teagan sadly nodded his head. Everything she said was correct.

"Teagan, I believe that she used herbs to disrupt my father's behavior. I heard rumors that she was… going to do something to ruin the night. Her herbal knowledge is vast and there are many local plants which when brewed in the correct manner…"

"She was not good enough for you, Teagan." Isolde's eyes were infuriated. "You deserve so much better. You and I… think of the babies we could have together. You are much more handsome than your brother ever was. Did you not ever think of what we could do together?"

Teagan was shocked. "Isolde, you are my sister-in-law. In my mind, there has never been any thought to your being anything closer to me than that. You disgust me! My brother deserves a wife who appreciates him, not one who conspires against him. He will learn about your betrayals." He turned to Jowan. "Jowan, are you responsible for the abominations that have overrun the castle?"

Jowan shook his head. "No, Bann Teagan. I swear, I did not summon them. A demon approached Connor in the fade, and he made a bargain with it. The demon is creating the monsters."

"What do we do to stop the demon?" Teagan's face was filled with sadness.

Jowan thought before he answered, trying to answer as gently as he could. "The easiest way to do that would be to kill Connor, but there is another way. A mage could confront the demon in the Fade, without hurting Connor himself."

"What do you mean?

Jowan explained how the demon controlled Connor from the Fade, rather than from within his actual body. A ritual could be performed to send a mage into the fade using the power of either lyrium potions and the spells of several mages, or blood magic. The advantage of the blood magic would be that they could perform the ritual immediately; however the power required would mean draining someone of all their life energy. Someone would have to die.

Teagan was shocked. "So… someone must die? Someone must be sacrificed?"

"Yes, and then we send another mage into the Fade. I can't enter because I'm doing the ritual. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. It's… not much of an option…"

Aeden looked concerned. "Is there no other method?"

Jowan shook his head. "The power has to come from somewhere, and that means either lyrium… or blood."

Isolde suddenly straightened her back and brushed wrinkles from her dress. "Then let it be my blood. I will be the sacrifice."

Teagan was furious. "What? Isolde, are you mad? Eamon would never allow this."

"Either someone kills my son to destroy that thing inside him or I give my life so my son can live. To me the answer is clear."

"Blood magic. How can more evil be of any help here? Two wrongs don't make a right." Alistair shook his head in disbelief.

"Connor is blameless in this. He should not have to pay the price." Isolde seemed convinced her death was the only choice.

"There must be another way to enter the Fade." Delia did not want Isolde to die, at least not before Eamon had a chance to dole out her punishment.

"You can find lyrium and more mages at the circle of Magi - if they would even do it." Alistair looked thoughtful.

Delia nodded. "The Circle Tower isn't far from here… and one of the treaties is for the Circle of Magi after all."

Teagan's eyes lit up with hope. "The tower is about a day's journey from here across the lake. You could attempt to get the mages' help."

Isolde was incensed. "But what will happen here? Connor will not remain passive forever!"

Delia looked her square in the eye with all the fury she could muster. "I will take that chance."

Teagan ignored Isolde and spoke again to Delia. "I will keep Jowan here as a precaution. He says he wants to help, so he will keep an eye on Connor with us." His eyes softened as he looked at Delia, his unspoken thoughts of regret communicated clearly. "Go to the tower quickly, then. The longer you are away, the greater the chances of disaster."

"We will need some supplies. May we gather what we need?" Aeden started to make a mental list.

"Of course, my friends. Let's go to Eamon's study to write a list for the servants." Teagan led the group down the short hallway to the study. In the hall, animated suits of armor attacked the group. Amazingly, the enchanted armor was surprisingly strong, and it took both the wardens' group along with Ser Perth and his knights to defeat them. As soon as they finished the four enchanted creatures, Teagan opened the door to the study only to be attacked by more undead creatures. Again, with the help of the knights, the creatures were quickly vanquished.

Teagan led Aeden, Alistair and Delia into the study. After Teagan took a piece of parchment and a quill from the desk drawer, Delia noticed something else that caught the light of the fire. She pushed aside another paper and found an amulet with the symbol of Andraste. The crystal on the front had been broken off and repaired. Could this be the amulet Alistair had told her about? She quickly put the amulet into her bag before the men would notice. Once the men completed the list of supplies, Teagan handed it to one of the few remaining servants and within a half hour the party had plenty of food for their trip.

Alistair and Aeden went to the courtyard to assemble the rest of their party, but Teagan asked Delia to remain for a moment. She agreed, much to Alistair's dismay, and he shot her a worried look before he took his leave.

Teagan shut the door behind them, and taking a deep breath he looked into Delia's eyes. "My dear, I had no idea the lengths Isolde pursued to ruin our happiness. I can't tell you how sorry I am. Can you forgive me for being so stupid?"

"You were not stupid, Teagan. Neither of us realized her behavior was purposeful." She placed her hand on his arm to comfort him."

"Nonetheless, we could have been happily married by now, had it not been for her. Please, reconsider marrying me. I can't think of any other woman that I could be content with. I… need you, Delia."

She looked at him sadly, not wanting to hurt him any more than he had been already. "Teagan, you know that I can't make any promises to anyone, not until the Blight is over. I gave my word to Duncan – to the Grey Wardens."

"And yet you seem to be very… cozy with Alistair," Teagan fumed. He didn't want to lose this woman again, and yet he didn't have a choice but to wait. "Then I shall wait for you. I wish I could convince you otherwise, but I understand your duty to the wardens. Please, travel safely. May the Maker watch over you."

"And you as well, Teagan. We will be back here as soon as possible with the mages."

Teagan lifted her hand to his lips and gave her a kiss goodbye and then she quickly walked out of the castle to her group. Almost as soon as she arrived, the party gathered their packs and started their journey north, to the Circle of Magi.