Sebastian leaned back in his chair and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. He had barely slept at all since Anders' disappearance three days before, too worried over the mage's fate to rest. When he did sleep, his dreams – nightmares, really – frequently contained all-too-graphic images of what Anders might be undergoing. What was worst of all was that he couldn't even tell himself that they were just nightmares, unreal imaginings – he knew enough by now to know just how terrible were the things sometimes done to mages in the name of control and punishment, or merely because their tormentor could.
He was, he knew, doing a very poor job of covering up just how upset he was over Anders' abduction. Part of him knew he should be trying to do a better job, that he might come to regret this lapse later, once Anders returned... and part of him just couldn't care about hiding his feelings that absolutely, not when the mage night be lost to him forever.
Even the children had noticed the difference in his demeanour. He smiled sadly, remembering how he'd had them come to his apartment and join him for lunch today. Afterwards, they had sat around on the floor playing with Tighe, watched over by Ganwyn and Haelioni, the two dogs lying down quietly and watching rather than taking part in their play.
Ewan had sat up after a while, looking over at the two hounds. "I think the dogs are sad," he said. "They must miss Anders. When is he coming back?"
"I don't know," Sebastian answered, unable to quite keep his own emotions out of his voice. "Zevran and Fenris have gone to find him and bring him home, but we're not sure where he's gone." Gone; not taken. He didn't want to enter the morass of trying to explain to the children what had happened to one of their favourite people.
"Do you miss Anders too?" Niawen asked, looking at Sebastian curiously.
"Yes, I miss Anders too," Sebastian answered softly.
Meridwen must have noticed his distress at the children's questions; she quickly diverted them to a less sensitive subject, and a short time later declared it was time for them to return to Ewan's room and their lessons.
After the children left he'd had to retire to his bedroom for a while to regain his composure. Even that had been painful, seeing the bed they'd shared so few times, but with such great tenderness and love. Eventually he'd pulled himself back together, returned to his study and the pile of work waiting him, tried to lose himself in the routine of reading and signing, occasionally reading and putting aside for further thought, or to write a reply to later. But it was a poor distraction. Even the purring of Ashes, curled up on the corner of the desk, could not soothe him; if anything, it reminded him all the more of the man who wasn't there. Every time he looked up from his work and saw the chair in the corner where Anders had so often sat and read while Sebastian worked, it sent a pang through him.
He welcomed the interruption when a guard knocked and entered, informing him that Dugall was at the door, asking to speak with him for a moment. "Send him in," he replied with a smile. The guard nodded and went back to his post.
Dugall walked in a couple of minutes later, looking ill-at-ease. "Prince Vael," he said, and produced a folded scrap of parchment, holding it out. "This came to Sister Maura today... from the Revered Mother."
Sebastian straightened up abruptly, and rose to accept the paper from the other man's hand, breaking the bit of wax sealing it shut and unfolding it, quickly scanning the few words scribbled inside. His expression darkened. He handed it back to Dugall. The man gave him a startled look. "Read it," he said grimly. "I will need witnesses to this."
Dugall looked down at the scrap of parchment, lips moving as he read it.
I require a rescue.
This situation has become intolerable.
Dugall looked back up at the prince. "What will you do, m'Lord?" he asked anxiously.
"What I have been asked. Go back to the clinic and fetch Sister Maura; tell her that her knowledge of healing may be required, have her pack a bag of supplies. Bring her here... no, wait, bring her to the throne room. There are others I will need for this."
He followed Dugall to the door of his apartments, and sent one guard racing to fetch Guard-Captain Cerin, another off to summon several liveried servants to act as messengers for him. He paced back and forth in his sitting room, mind racing as he decided whom he would need for this, either as help, or as witnesses. Eventually the Guard-Captain arrived, shepherding the requested servants into the sitting room.
"I have vital messages for several people," he told the messengers. "Their presence is requested and required in the throne room of the castle within the hour." He quickly sent them off, summoning together the templars from the scriptorium, and the ones guarding the mages who were helping in the construction of the new quarter, along with several of his key noblemen – including two who he knew had little liking for he himself, but good reputations for honesty – three of the most-respected guildmasters, and a pair of representatives from among the refugees, one each from Ansburg and Tantervale.
Only after they had been dispatched did he outline to Cerin what he proposed to do as soon as the people requested could be assembled. The Guard-Captain nodded, asked a few questions, and hurried off to assemble a suitable force of his own men for the venture. Sebastian quickly bathed, and changed into his armour. By the time he headed down to the throne room, he looked every inch a Prince.
The people gathered in the throne room were standing around in groups; the templars standing quietly, the nobles and guildmasters talking quietly together, looking puzzled, the others standing scattered about the room. They all fell silent as Sebastian entered and walked over to stand near his throne.
"Thank you all for coming," Sebastian said. "I am afraid I cannot tell most of you why I have summoned you today, other than that I require your presence as impartial witnesses. I ask only that you accompany me and pay attention to events. Thank you," he said, then turned to face the group of templars. "Will the senior templar present please approach the throne. Guard-Captain Cerin, to me as well."
There was a brief muttering among the templars, then one walked forward to join him and Cerin. He quickly explained to the man – who proved to be one of Knight-Commander Lawrence's captains, sent to oversee the templars guarding the mages at the construction site – about what little he knew of the Revered Mother's situation, and showed him the note he had received. Knight-Captain Thomas asked to speak with Sister Maura, and confirmed from her that, to the best of her knowledge and belief it had indeed come from the Revered Mother's hand, then nodded acceptance of Sebastian's plan to mount a rescue.
The Knight-Captain and the Guard-Captain both returned to their men, and when Sebastian marched out of the throne room a few minutes later, it was with them following behind. His selected witnesses accompanied him as well, grouped between himself and the two armed forces. He led the way out of the castle, and down the hill to the chantry.
He stopped within the nave, and called over one of the priests on duty there. "Could you please send word to the Revered Mother that I am sorry to disturb her on such short notice, but that I have discovered a matter that requires her immediate attention," he said, voice carrying to be sure all within the room – both those attending on him, and those there for their own reasons – could hear clearly what was said.
The priest looked startled, but dipped her head and hurried off. Sebastian stood and waited patiently; whatever it was that Grand-Cleric Odile's followers were up to, he doubted they could refuse to have the Revered Mother grant him an audience after such a publicly delivered summons. Sure enough, another priest soon returned, who nervously explained that the Revered Mother would be down to speak with him shortly. Sebastian nodded, and continued waiting.
A small force of templars entered the room, moving to stand to either side of the door, then the Revered Mother entered, accompanied by a group of priests; all but one of them Odile's people, he was sure. She walked forward calmly. Had he not been watching for it, he might have missed the stiffness in her carriage, the slight glaze to her eyes. In pain, and drugged so that she could ignore it enough to function, he suspected.
"Revered Mother Glynis," he said, bowing formally to her.
"Prince Vael," she said, dipping her own head in response. "What is it you wish to speak to me about?"
"I received a note a short while ago," he said, and saw her expression change, just faintly. "I thought it best I came and asked your opinion of the news contained in it," he said, drawing the scrap of parchment out of a belt pouch.
One of the priests stepped forward, as if to intercept the paper. Sebastian closed his hand around it, giving the woman a cold look. She glanced around, taking in the number of curious witnesses, then flushed and eased back into place. All of the priests were looking tense now. He held out his hand again, and Glynis stepped forward to take the piece of parchment.
Immediately he grabbed her hand and stepped backwards, yanking her away from the priests accompanying her, catching and supporting her as his sudden move pulled her off balance. The dagger in the right hand of the priest who had been standing behind and to her left was clearly visible; several of his gathered witnesses gasped or exclaimed in surprise, either at his sudden move, or because they'd seen the weapon and likely realized that Glynis had been under threat.
Sebastian quickly stepped between the Revered Mother and the priests, his guards moving forward to shield her and his witnesses from Odile's people. "Knight-Captain Thomas!" Sebastian snapped out. "I call on you and Sister Maura to examine the Revered Mother and ascertain her condition, before these gathered witnesses. Further, I ask you to take custody of these priests until such time as this examination is complete."
The templars that had accompanied them moved forward, quickly surrounding the priests, disarming the one with the knife. The templars over by the door looked uncertain if they should intervene or not – one slipped out and hurried off, presumably to seek their own captain for advice.
Sebastian turned and watched as impassively as he could while the Revered Mother co-operated with the examination. She looked well enough at first, but once her heavy over-robe was removed, she pushed back the lighter sleeves of her underrobe, silently displaying the bruises there. By the time she was down to her shift, the witnesses had gone from looking uncomfortable at her being disrobed, to being indignant and angry over the marks of abuse clear on her arms and legs. Glynis held her own head up throughout the procedure, silent and dignified even in a state of undress.
"I believe that is enough," Sebastian said formally. "Unless there are other marks you believe we should see, your Reverence?"
Glynis nodded, and turned her back, speaking softly to Maura. The woman lifted the back of her shift; showing additional marks there – she'd been beaten with a cane or similar object at some point, the marks of it still clear on her back. She turned back, and with Maura's help drew back on her over-robe, resuming some degree of modesty.
"Who has done this to you, and why?" demanded one of the nobles, directing a suspicious glare at teh priests being held nearby.
"It was done at the orders of Grand Cleric Odile," she answered. "She knew I was unwilling to co-operate with certain plans of the Divine, and hoped to persuade me otherwise."
"Plans? What plans are these?" another asked sharply.
"Among other things, the conquest of the Free Marches," Glynis responded. "Not in the name of Orlais – the Divine was intelligent enough to know that the Marches would never easily submit to Orlesian rule. Instead they made an offer to Prince Vael, that they would help him become King of the Free Marches, in return for his obedience to the Divine and assistance in her plans to also conquer Antiva, Rivani and Ferelden, followed by a concerted attack on either Tevinter or the Qunari."
"The chantry made no such offer!" exclaimed one of the priests, angrily. "I do not believe you produce even one shred of evidence..."
"Of course there is no hard evidence!" Glynis snapped. "It is so easy to deny something that has only been discussed verbally, is it not? So there is no evidence – no evidence but the word of Prince Vael that such an offer was made," he nodded his head in agreement, "And my own statement, that I am prepared to swear before Andraste and these witnesses, that I was present when such an offer was made, and also present when it was refused," she added sharply, drawing herself up, before turning to look at Sebastian.
"Prince Vael, I thank you for this timely rescue. I had of late begun to fear for my life, yet was powerless to protect myself from these... people... that the Grand Cleric left to oversee me."
Sebastian bowed to her. "I am pleased to have been of assistance to you, your Reverence. And now, since it is not the role of secular authority to police the religious hierarchy, I will step aside. Though I do offer you the temporary assistance of my own guards under Guard-Captain Cerin if these templars who have accompanied me here are not sufficient for whatever you wish to do now that you are not under the control of these priests."
"My thanks, Prince Vael," she said. "I believe the templars will suffice," she added, running her eye over the number gathered there. "But I would ask you to remain here with your guards and these witnesses, to ensure that all is done here as openly as possible, and that there are reputable witnesses for anything done."
Sebastian gave her a shallow bow to acknowledge acceptance of her request, then stepped back to stand near the witnesses instead of at the front. His guards dropped back as well, while Knight-Captain Thomas moved to her side. She quickly ran off a series of orders.
When the Knight-Captain that Odile had left in charge of the templars here at the chantry hurried into the room some minutes later, he had little chance to protest before he found himself being taken into custody. A number of his men were also taken prisoner. The rest seemed quite pleased to find themselves being given into Knight-Captain Thomas' command, and in a very short time the entire population of the chantry was being summoned to the nave, and separated into three groups – Odile's people, those Glynis trusted, and those she did not know whether or not to trust.
Glynis once more removed her robe, holding out her arms and turning around so that all might see what had been done to her, then in unequivocal terms spoke of all that had happened to her since Grand-Cleric Odile's arrival in Starkhaven.
"I no longer find myself able to accept the authority of either Grand-Cleric Odile, or of the current Divine," she finished. "Not when they could countenance, even instigate, such unwarranted treatment of an anointed member of the chantry. I will be sending a letter to the Divine, as well as copies to other Grand Clerics and the Revered Mothers at larger chantries throughout Thedas, outlining what has occurred here and my reaction to it."
The senior priest of those Odile had left behind pushed forward to the front of the group. "You stand in rebellion to the chantry!" she exclaimed, all but stamping her foot on the floor in indignation.
Glynis drew herself up and turned a cold look on the woman. "No. I stand in rebellion to a Divine who would warp the chantry into an instrument of subjugation in pursuit of her own goals. I remain true to the chantry itself, and to the faith of Andraste."
"Well said," one of the guildmasters muttered approvingly.
It took some time for the Revered Mother to begin to put her house in order; it was late evening before she was finally satisfied that all of Odile's partisans had been rounded up, her own trusted people put back into key positions. By then whatever painkiller she'd been given had worn out, and she was clearly in some distress; she thanked Sebastian and the witnesses, and retired to her rooms with Sister Maura and several trustworthy guards in attendance on her.
Sebastian also thanked the witnesses, before returning to the castle with his guards. There would still be loose ends to wrap up over the next few days – such as what to do with the templars and priests that had been detained. For now they were under guard, but a more long-term solution would need to be found. Perhaps shipping them off to Tantervale to rejoin Odile would suffice. That, of course, was Glynis' decision to make, he reminded himself.
As tired as he was when he retired that night, he still found himself unable to sleep for some hours, tossing and turning until exhaustion finally won out over fear-filled thoughts to plunge him into another night of uneasy sleep and dark dreams.