Chapter 37: Ashes
The four returned to camp, exhausted and yet somehow revitalized from their experience. Most of the remaining companions greeted them happily and were relieved they were all unharmed. Leliana was nearly shaking in anticipation of hearing their story once they confirmed that they had, indeed, been successful at retrieving the sacred ashes. As they all sat around the camp fire, Wynne was the first to speak.
Wynne made a conscious decision to not mention the specific questions The Guardian asked each of them as well as which spirits appeared for each. She felt the information to be too personal in nature, and if her friends wished to describe their own experience it was their own decision to make. However, she described the battle against their spirit doubles, the riddles and the room with the bridge before finally recounting their experience in the final room.
"There was an altar, with words written in the ancient Tevinter language. Delia translated it for us, and it gave directions for us to remove our clothing and cleanse ourselves by walking through the fire."
Hearing Wynne tell this, Aeden, Alistair and Delia all blushed furiously and couldn't look at anyone. Zevran suddenly became quite interested in the story and pressed for more information.
"So, let me understand this properly. Each of you took off your armor and clothing and stood naked? Ah, to have been a fly on the wall! But, this is not entirely fair, as now our wardens have had the pleasure of seeing two of the most luscious women in all of Ferelden as naked as the day they were born, and I have been deprived of the same pleasure! I believe this needs to be remedied!" He leered at the two women, earning a well-deserved slap from Wynne.
"Behave yourself, young man. We didn't do this simply for entertainment."
Zevran turned to the wardens. "At least you two could tell me more about this. So, describe what our lovely ladies look like. I would like to hear every detail."
Alistair blushed even redder. "It's none of your business, Zevran. You will mind your manners. I'll not speak of this anymore."
Zevran laughed. "Ah, my dear Templar, I'm afraid I have offended your Chantry values, yes? Well, I shall be patient then. Perhaps another day when we have an opportunity to speak alone you will divulge their secrets to me. Or, even better," he looked at the two women lustily, "perhaps I shall be able to experience their beauty for myself."
Alistair stood and glared at the elf. "You stay away from them, do you hear me? Or you may meet the end of my blade."
Zevran laughed and put his hands out in a mock gesture of surrender. "Never fear, my handsome warrior. I shall remain a true gentleman. At least for the time being. Now, should you wish my services for yourself, I am, of course, your man."
He smiled at Alistair, earning a huff from the man. Delia reached up and put her hand on his arm, pulling him back down to sit next to her.
"Pay him no mind, Alistair. He's simply trying to tease you, and you're allowing him to get under your skin."
"I would much rather get under your skin, mi querida," the elf purred.
"Not likely to happen," she responded as she crossed her arms for effect.
Aeden was not happy with the tension that was building among the party, so he decided to disarm the situation by asking Zevran to start cooking dinner. Luckily, the elf took the hint and complied without complaint, but as he walked past Alistair he leaned over and made a kissing noise in the Templar's ear. Delia grabbed Alistair's arm to prevent him from going after the assassin, and attempted to sooth his anger by holding his hand.
The conversation turned to Aeden's plan for returning to Redcliffe Castle. One thing Delia needed to investigate was how to dispense the ashes to Arl Eamon. Would it be best for him to ingest the ashes, have them sprinkled on him, or was there another method that would make the cure more potent? She took Brother Genitivi's research log out of her pack and read through it, but still found nothing to enlighten her.
She asked Leliana, Wynne and Morrigan to discuss her question with her. Leliana was the most familiar with Chantry beliefs and rituals, and Wynne and Morrigan had their herbalism and potion making skills to help with ideas. Their first idea they came up with was to brew a tea, but felt it might dilute the power of the ashes as well as getting a comatose man to drink it would be quite difficult. Sprinkling the ashes on the Arl was also discounted, as they could be blown off before they could renew him.
Leliana remembered a ritual performed when a woman decided to become an initiate. The sisters of the Chantry would create a ritual fire, using ash wood blessed by the Blessed Mother. Once the fire burned itself out and cooled, the remaining ashes were mixed into a small amount of lanolin and then infused with a single drop of lyrium. The four women agreed they should try to replicate the ritual, and so they found a tiny jar and created the concoction using half of the ashes in the pouch. That way if the ointment didn't work, they had more ashes to try another solution. Delia placed the remaining ashes and the jar in a special pocket of her armor, so that nothing would happen to the priceless objects.
The evening passed quietly and after determining the watch order most of the party went to sleep early. Aeden wanted to travel early in the morning. If they had any luck, they would arrive at Redcliffe Castle by midday. When morning arrived, Delia rose with the sun, as she normally did, and she started her routine. The one thing she did that was different than any other day was she began her training with a prayer asking the Maker and Andraste to assist her and her friends as they continued their quest to defeat the archdemon and the Blight.
She started to stretch, making sure to work the muscles of her legs and arms. It was cold this morning, and she didn't want to have muscle cramps while they rode the horses. Alistair watched her from a distance, unsure if he should join her or not.
He had dreams during the night that frightened him more than any darkspawn or archdemon dream ever had! In his dream, he found Delia naked, along the banks of a waterfall. He wanted to reach out and touch her. He wanted to feel the smoothness of her skin, and as he was nearly close enough to touch her he woke up and his reality left him feeling embarrassed. He had no right to picture her body, and the images left him feeling both excited and guilty.
As he turned around to return to the camp fire, Delia caught sight of him. She had a feeling that Alistair was avoiding her, and she thought she knew the reason was due to the events of the day before. With a sad sigh, she went back to her practice alone.
The rest of the camp woke soon after and immediately became a buzz of activity. Before long, a light breakfast was ready and, once everyone ate, the tents and packs were readied for travel and the horses were saddled. Aeden double checked to be certain they were all ready, and then they mounted the horses and were on the road. Aeden and Alistair led the way, with Delia riding near the cart with Ser Trent alongside her.
As Aeden had hoped, they arrived at the castle nearly at midday. The knights guarding the gate recognized the group as they approached and opened the gates fast enough that the horses didn't have to break their strides. They rode straight into the courtyard and dismounted, the horses then led away by some of the castle warriors as Bann Teagan walked out of the castle doors.
"You've returned! Have you been successful?" Teagan couldn't help but be hopeful.
Aeden nodded. "Yes, Teagan. We found the ashes, and Delia believes she has an ointment that will cure Eamon."
Teagan smiled broadly. "Let's go straight to Eamon's room then. " He opened the door of the castle and allowed Alistair, Aeden, Delia and Wynne to enter before he followed. Quickly they walked to the second floor of the castle, straight to the family quarters. Eamon lay on his bed, still comatose. Teagan spoke to several of the guards and they left the room, returning several minutes later with Jowan, Isolde and Connor. Isolde glared at Delia, who, for her part, ignored the woman.
Once Teagan gave her permission to start, Delia took the small jar out of her pocket. She said a prayer to the Maker and Andraste, asking for Eamon to be given a new life through the blessing of Andraste. Using her finger, Delia started to draw the symbol of Andraste on Eamon's forehead with the ashen ointment. Miraculously, as soon as she completed the symbol Eamon's eyes opened with a start.
"Where… where am I?" Eamon looked around and his eyes found Delia who was standing next to his bed. "You… Lady Delia, what are you doing here? You are not welcome in my home. I thought I made myself clear. Guards!"
Teagan stepped toward him and took his hand. "Be calm, Brother. You have been deathly ill for a very long time. Do you remember nothing?"
"Teagan? What are you doing here? Where is Isolde?" His eyes darted around the room.
"I am here, my husband." Isolde spoke from near the doorway.
"And Connor? Where is my boy? Where is our son?"
Isolde had a single tear fall down her cheek. "He lives, though many others are dead. There is much to tell you, husband."
Eamon looked confused. "Dead? Then… it was not a dream."
Teagan frowned. "Much has happened since you fell ill, Brother. Some of it will not be… easy for you to hear."
Eamon nodded. "Then tell me. I wish to hear all of it." His eyes glared at Delia. "First, remove this woman from my sight. Guards, take her to the dungeon."
Teagan put his hand out in front of her. "Guards, belay that order. Eamon, Delia is the reason why you still live. She, with her companions, sought out and discovered the Urn of Andraste's Sacred Ashes. The ashes were the only remedy to cure you from a poison that left you comatose. Please, Brother, you must hear everything before you make any decision regarding Delia, and I believe that once you know everything you will owe her more than an apology for everything you have said in the past year."
Eamon frowned. "I cannot believe you support her. After everything her father…"
Delia put her hand on Teagan's arm. "Teagan, I will go out to the courtyard and allow you to speak with Eamon and the wardens without my presence. We will talk later." She looked at her friends, and with a sad smile she walked out of the bedroom.
Teagan was careful to tell Eamon every detail of what had happened. How Isolde had not only sabotaged his hopes to marry Delia by placing the herbs in her father's drink, but how she had also allowed Jowan to poison him and kept Connor's magical abilities secret, causing the near desolation of all of Redcliffe. Eamon was more than shocked. His own wife, the woman he had fought the Landsmeet for the right to marry, had betrayed him, his brother, and all of the people who relied on his rule.
"What say you to this, Isolde? There must be some mistake." His eyes showed the sadness he otherwise tried to hide.
"It is all the truth, Husband. I am no longer willing to deny my feelings for Teagan."
"And you would have allowed me to die? I thought… well, my feelings are irrelevant, aren't they?" He looked at his brother. "Teagan, take Isolde and lock her in the west tower with adequate guard. I must… think… about how to handle this."
Teagan nodded and motioned to Ser Jordan to lead Isolde away. As she was exiting the door, Eamon cleared his throat.
"There is one thing I need to know before you leave, Isolde. Did you ever have feelings for me, or was our entire life a lie?"
She turned around and looked at him sadly. "I was… enamored of you, Eamon. You were exciting and dangerous. Once we were married and I met Teagan, I realized how… old… you are. There was no excitement, no passion. I should have listened to my own parents instead of my romanticized ideas of what life would be like with you. I am sorry, Eamon." She turned back around and walked away, leaving Eamon with Teagan, the wardens and Wynne. Two knights stood guard outside the door.
Eamon looked at his brother and sighed. "I am sorry, Teagan. You could have had the happiness that I thought I had, and I destroyed that for you. And then there is my friend, who I also destroyed. I should have known… I should have begged for his forgiveness so that he could have died in peace. He deserved that. And what is to come of my son? I suppose I will have to send him to the Circle. Now, I have nothing…"
Teagan sat on the bed next to his brother. "No, you have lost a great deal, Brother, but you still have me. And Connor isn't totally lost – I'm sure you can visit him from time to time. Right now we must put our mourning aside for the sake of the country. These wardens need your help."
Eamon carefully sat up on the bed and looked at the two wardens. "Alistair? Is that you?" Alistair nodded, then Eamon looked at Aeden. "I know you as well… you are Bryce's son, aren't you? Why in the Maker's name would he permit you to become a Grey Warden?"
Aeden explained the events at Highever that led to his being conscripted and Delia's recruitment into the wardens. Eamon's face grew more and more pale as he realized how Delia's losses had snowballed.
"I am truly sorry for everything you have gone through, and for what Delia has dealt with as well. Know that I will do everything in my power to assist you."
Teagan cleared his throat before he spoke. "We should speak of Logain, Brother. There is no telling what he will do when he learns of your recovery."
The brothers discussed Logain's actions of the recent past. Eamon was disturbed that Logain would seek the throne of Ferelden for himself, when he had never known the Teryn to be power hungry. Logain must be stopped before the entire country would be destroyed. The question before them was since Cailen was now dead, who should be the new king?
Eamon looked seriously at his brother. "We need someone with a stronger claim to the throne than Logain's daughter, the queen. I would not propose such a thing if we had an alternative. But the unthinkable has occurred."
Aeden's eyebrow rose in surprise. "You intend to put Alistair forward as king?"
Eamon nodded. "Teagan and I have a claim by marriage, but we would seem opportunists, no better than Logain. Alistair's claim is by blood."
Alistair was enraged. "And what about me? Does anyone care about what I want?"
The Arl looked fiercely at Alistair. "You have a responsibility, Alistair. Without you, Logain wins. I would have to support him, for the sake of Ferelden. Is that what you want?"
Alistair's eyes went wide with shock. "I… but I… no, my lord."
"I see only one way to proceed. I will call for a Landsmeet, a meeting of all of Ferelden's nobility in the city of Denerim. There, Ferelden can decide who shall rule, one way or another. Then the business of fighting our true foe can begin." Eamon rubbed the furrow on his brow. "I think we should have a dinner this evening to thank you for everything you and your party have done for Redcliffe. Teagan, would you please send a messenger into the town and request the presence of the mayor and the Blessed Mother as well as any others you can think should be included? Oh, and please arrange for proper clothing for our guests. I'm certain they are traveling lightly and do not have proper court clothing. You and I can loan the men clothes, and the women can borrow from Isolde's closet. Would you please make the arrangements, Brother?"
Teagan bowed. "Of course, Eamon. I will take care of everything."
Eamon nodded. "Thank you. I think I need to get some rest."
"Begging your pardon, Arl Eamon, but I can help you in your recovery. I also believe, Bann Teagan, that your brother needs nourishment. Would you please ask the kitchen staff to bring some broth and toasted bread?" Wynne moved toward the Arl, who seemed to recognize her.
"Wynne, isn't it? I'm surprised the First Enchanter has allowed you out of his sight." Eamon smiled at her.
"I'm surprised you remember me. I am flattered." She bowed slightly in his direction.
Eamon chuckled. "I have been friends with Irving for far too long to not remember his best healer. Thank you for helping me. I'm certain that a rejuvenation spell or two would help me quite a bit."
"Wardens, if you would follow me, I will show you where you might find appropriate clothes for tonight. Brother," he looked worriedly at Eamon, "I shall return in a short while. I leave you in the very capable hands of Enchanter Wynne." He held his arm out towards the chamber door, and the wardens bowed at the Arl and exited the room. Eamon was left to contemplate his shattered life, and everything he needed to do in order to salvage his family, his people and his country.