The Blue Beard pub was a busy place in the evenings when the market began to close down for the night. Those that had no desire to tangle with the normal patrons of the Gnawed Noble frequented the lower class pub. It was a small squat building, built of hard stone with boarded floors and a thatched roof, and smelled of dogs and ale. Truly Ferelden, in every sense of the word. Most of the patrons here were rowdy and loud as they drank, swapping stories. A small ring had gathered around a table where a dock worker and a crate carrier were having an arm wrestling match on the table top, bets and shouts flowing in equal measure from those gathered.

A little away from the chaos was a small group of what looked like soldiers, one of the round shields propped against a chair bearing the sigil of Amaranthine, a brown bear on a brown and white checkered pattern. They were talking amongst themselves quietly; heads bowed as they drank and ate and conversed.

"How do we know the rumor's even true?" One of them asked, eyes darting nervously toward the door, the crowd, then back to the other five men seated around him. He was fairly young for a soldier and reeked of inexperience, the impeccable upkeep of his armor indicating that he was either superb at blocking incoming strikes, or else had never been in a fight.

"Little late to be askin' that." Another replied, the eldest looking one of the group. A scar on his face from a wound received very long ago marked him clearly, the jagged discoloration traveling from the side of his temple to his jaw. His skin was dark from many days marching without a helmet and the ease with which he moved in his armor spoke of many years being saddled with the equipment.

"Yeah, if you were doubting, then you shoulda stayed behind." Another added, an archer if the quiver on his back was any indication of his profession. He was clad in lighter leathers than what his fellows were wearing, though his gear was likewise stamped with the heraldry of Amaranthine.

"Even if the rumors weren't true…" A bulky man that had a two-handed great sword resting against his chair drawled, pinning the youngest member of their group with a silent glare, "…I wouldn't stay."

"Yeah." Another big man with a similarly large weapon chimed in, taking a long swig of his ale. "The Arl's been actin' shifty. I don't like it. And what's that about accusing the Couslands of selling information to the Orlesians?"

One of the gathered men sputtered on his drink, coughing when the first two-handed wielding soldier pounded him heartily on the back. "The Couslands were selling information to Orlesians?" The man asked weakly, his voice scratchy and raw from nearly choking on the ale he had been drinking. Unlike the others gathered at the table, he didn't bear the markings of Amaranthine, or any heraldry at all. He was a bit on the young side as well, though didn't have the same air of weakness and inexperience as the other younger soldier at the table.

"That's what the Arl told us when we attacked." The archer replied, leaning back slightly in his chair and shaking his head.

"Attacked?" The question came from more than one throat, the two youngest men at the table asking in tandem.

The archer nodded solemnly. "I was in the ranks when the Arl took our forces to meet up with Teyrn Cousland's and march to Ostagar to aid the king. Before we got there, we were stopped and camped for a day just outside of Highever. We were given orders to wait until the Teyrn's men departed from the castle and then attack once it was left undefended. We were told that the Teyrn had been dealing information in return for favors from Orlais, and that he needed to be stopped. So we attacked."

"That's ridiculous." The younger unmarked soldier said, glaring at the archer. "The Teyrn and the Arl fought against the Orlesians together. He of all people should have known-"

"Why'd you think we left?" The archer asked, and the eldest of the soldiers as well as the great-sword wielder that had pounded the younger one on the back all nodded in unison.

"I thought it was fishy, the plan." The eldest said, leaning his forearms on the table and sighing, shaking his head and face falling. "The Couslands of Highever have always been loyal to Ferelden and the crown, ever since King Calenhad. It never sat right with us to attack, especially in such a disgraceful way. Ransacking the castle in the middle of the night…" Silence passed over those gathered, the ones that had actually been part of the attack taking a drink of their ale as one in remembrance for the lives lost that night. "Even with a skeleton guard, those Highever bastards fought like the Maker was on their side. Rest their souls."

"But if the Teyrn's boy survived, then he'd make the Arl see reason." The archer continued, sparing all of those gathered at the table a short glance. "Or put a stop to this madness. The Bannorn can't keep fighting each other like this with the Blight in the south. Teyrn Loghain is a fine general, but even he can't defeat the Blight without the Grey Wardens and half of Ferelden's fighting forces dead."

"You said that you knew where we could talk to the Teyrn's boy, right?" The elder soldier asked, inclining his head toward the younger unmarked man.

"Yes." He replied with a nod, and finished off his pint of ale. "He stays around the docks to look for recruits. I was going to see if I could join as well when I heard you guys talking."

"Then it's a good thing we met." The archer raised his mug slightly in a mock-toast, then downed the rest of his drink, the others following suit. "Let's not stick around here any longer then. I'd like to see if this rumor is real or not."

The six soldiers filed out of the Blue Beard soon after, making their way out of the market district and toward the docks across the river that split the city in half. The young unmarked soldier leading them stopped in a dead ended alleyway and placed his hands on his hips, turning to face the others that had followed him. "Well, we're here. This is it."

"What's the meaning of this?" The eldest one asked, narrowing his eyes. "Is this some sort of joke? There's nobody here!"

The five from Amaranthine turned sharply when they heard armor and weapons clanking, watching as the alleyway behind them filled with a handful of armored soldiers. They all bore the heraldry of Highever on their shields, and stood at the entrance watching silently.

"I'm honestly sorry for the need of deception." The younger soldier said, taking a few steps forward. "Be at ease. I am Aedan Cousland, son of Teyrn Bryce Cousland, and heir to that title. I have heard the honest desire of you honorable men to join my forces. If that is still your desire, kneel, and swear your allegiance to me as you liege lord."

Gaping, the Amaranthine squad simply stared at Aedan, unable to believe that they had just been drinking with a Teyrn a few moments ago. The archer and one of the great-sword wielders did as Aedan asked, kneeling in the alleyway without reservations. The others were a little slower to follow, taking a bended knee before Aedan with the Highever soldiers at their backs.

Aedan looked over them quietly and began pacing slowly in front of the small cell of men. "Soldiers of Amaranthine, you have traveled far and abandoned your lord because you felt him to be wrong. If you swear yourself to my cause, you must pledge your blade and life to Highever. You will swear to defend the honor of your country and liege lord, and know that your life is forfeit should your foreswear this oath. Lave now if your heart would betray you, for cowardice has no home here." He eyed them all, searching for weakness in their bowed heads. "What say you?"

"I pledge my allegiance to the Teyrn of Highever." The archer spoke first, keeping his head bowed though he clapped a fist over his heart. "May I find redemption in the Maker's sight by serving you." The others made similar utterances of faith, pledging their lives and skills to Aedan unreservedly.

"Then rise, arms of Highever." Aedan said when they were done, gesturing for the five to stand. "Rise and join your brothers in arms. You are now soldiers that fight in the name of Teyrn Aedan Cousland."

•º•.•º•

"You've gathered quite a number of men." Solona said quietly, her gaze tracing the profile of Aedan's face as they walked together in the maze garden. The sweet smell of roses was inescapable here, the sound of pattering water in the fountain the only thing to disturb the quiet beside their soft footfalls. "Kallian is concerned that others in the area are catching on. Those that have taken jobs in other estates say that the other nobility are whispering."

"Let them whisper." Aedan replied with a shrug, completely unconcerned that their presence was becoming known in the city. "It will only add legitimacy to my claims when I go before Arl Eamon to try and forge an alliance on behalf of the Wardens. This way, there will be little surprise, and hopefully my sudden presence won't seem so sudden anymore. The rumors have it that the Wardens are still in the Brecilian forest, so there is time yet before Eamon will dare to officially call the Landsmeet and Howe have justice done to him."

"You have a plan then?" She asked, ignoring the touch of bitterness that had entered Aedan's voice. Since the night that they had entered the Fade and Aedan had been touched by Mouse's vile scheming, he had changed. It was very near imperceptible by most, but Solona knew, and she could clearly see how the shadows pulled over his features when he started talking about his revenge on Howe. The closer that they got to reaching his goal of bringing the traitor to his doom, the more focused Aedan became on the end result with a single-mindedness that worried her. She was concerned, but at the same time had no desire to try and persuade him to stop this quest to see the murderer of his family put to justice. Solona had agreed to help him out in this, and asking him to stop now when they had already done so much seemed like a waste of time and effort.

"Yes. Before Eamon calls the Landsmeet, I will ride to Redcliffe. I do not know if the Wardens would have told him that there are allies in Denerim to back them, but hopefully he will believe us." Aedan looked up as their passing startled a bird out of the bushes, the creature taking flight overhead with a loud flapping of wings. "Eamon will need allies against Loghain, and I will need someone to campaign with me to restore my rights as Teyrn and take Howe down for good. When I've gathered enough men to impress the Arl, we'll go."

"What of the elves?" Solona asked, letting her gaze drop to watch the ground in front of her as they walked through the maze, keeping track of what direction they were going in.

"If some of them wish to come with me to try their luck in Redcliffe, then they are by all means welcome to come. The rest… I'd imagine that they would remain here like they are now. Kallian will probably want to stay as well, so I'll leave her in charge of things." Truth be told, he wasn't sure if Kallian would actually want to stay behind or not, but he was sure that he could convince her to stay back. The elves really respected her as a leader of their people, and he'd seen first hand how she was the final authority on any disputes or questions offered by the elves he was harboring. She was needed here, whether she wanted to be or not.

Solona nodded silently, knowing his reasons for wanting to have the elf left behind without him having to voice those concerns. "How do you intend to get everyone out of the city without drawing attention from Howe?"

A heavy sigh escaped Aedan then, and he looked up to the sky as if searching for answers. "I don't know." He replied honestly, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Perhaps if we leave as a group with the Highever banner, Howe won't do anything about it until it's too late. I can't imagine how trying to sneak out a contingent of men in full battle armor can be done successfully. It seems impossible at best, so I'll have to try and bluff our way out. Denerim is full of soldiers these days it seems, maybe we won't be noticed at all. I'm more concerned about actually getting to Redcliffe, though. Taking the south would be the faster route, but by all reports, anywhere near Lothering is crawling with darkspawn. But going the north route would put us near Highever and Amaranthine, and if Howe realizes that the men following me are not loyal to him, he may try and stop us on the road." He pressed his fingers to his temple, rubbing at a headache that had started creeping up on him as of late.

Solona frowned slightly, halting where she stood and placed her hands gently over Aedan's. The warrior looked back at her curiously, but she simply let her hands glow with soft blue magic, the small pulse of energy leeching away the lingering headache that plagued him. "I know this is important, but please look after yourself." She chided gently, withdrawing her hands. "With all these rowdy soldiers, we can't afford to have our leader out of action on account of a cold."

He smiled at that, chuckling. "As you say, mother."

The garden's peace wasn't to last for much longer however, for as the two started to continue their walk, the sound of jangling armor and heavy running footsteps came from behind them. They both turned to see Sticker round the corner of a rosebush, his face flushed from running and normally calm expression replaced by one of dread. "Trouble!" He managed through gasps for breath, the elf standing now with his hands on his knees and breathing hard, obviously having run a long way.

Aedan walked toward him immediately, his expression grim. "What kind of trouble? Are we under attack?"

Sticker shook his head furiously, then took a deep breath and righted himself. "Kallian." He supplied, still huffing a little bit from his exertion. "I was on patrol with her, an' we found a safe-house that the slavers have been usin' to keep the elves in before sending them to the docks. We were gonna come back an' tell you, but we were ambushed. They took Kallian!"

Aedan looked stricken by the news, but Solona had completely blanched when she heard it. "No! We can't leave her to them!"

"I agree. We need to go ferret out these slavers once and for all." Aedan was already walking when he made the declaration, heading out of the maze garden with a determined stride, Sticker and Solona falling in behind him readily. "Sticker, go find Rido and the two of you wait in the foyer. We'll take a few soldiers with us to go rescue Kallian."

"Why not all of 'em?" Sicker asked, very nearly having to trot to keep up with Aedan's longer stride, the elf maneuvering closer so he could see the human's face. "Those slavers ain't easy to deal with, an' we won't be the ambushers this time."

"I'm well aware. But there's no time to waste waiting for all of them to get into their armor. A small cell should be doing drills right now and already armed, so we'll take them." The three entered the estate through the back servant's entrance, emerging into the hallway next to the groundkeeper's quarters. "The others will just have to catch up and serve as reinforcements when they're done putting their gear on." Sticker nodded and went running off immediately to find Rido as he'd been asked, leaving Solona and Aedan to make their way down to the basement where the sparring ring was.

Before they got to the stairs that would lead down to the basement, however, Aedan pulled Solona aside and scanned the halls first, making sure that nobody was around. "We'll be fighting against unknown odds when we do this." He said in a low voice, locking gazes with the mage to impress upon her the direness of the situation. "And what's more, we'll be up against who knows how many blood mages. I don't want you to hold back."

She paused, simply staring up at Aedan, then nodded slowly. "I understand. But what if the others see? If it's as bad as we're making it out to be, I might have to use… that."

He watched Solona's face carefully for a few seconds, then simply took her hand up in his own and splayed her fingers, revealing the light scars on her palm from using blood magic. "In the heat of battle, sometimes soldiers aren't entirely sure what they're seeing. Either way, believe that I will defend you if things get out of hand."

Relieved, she nodded and closed her hand over the scars, withdrawing her hand from Aedan's carefully. "Understood. There will be no holds barred, then. I will do my best. I hope Kallian is alright…"

"She will be." Though his eyes were uncertain, Aedan's voice was confident, and Solona took some small measure of comfort in that. "Kallian is tough and knows how to handle herself. We'll get there in time."

"I certainly hope so…"

"One can assume a few things in dealing with these people: First, they value loyalty above all things, beyond wealth, power, and reason. Second, although few things in their country are remarkable to outsiders, they are extremely proud of their accomplishments. Third, if one insults their dogs, they are likely to declare war. And finally, one has underestimated Fereldans when he thinks he has come to understand them."

-Empress Celene I of Orlais

My lord Howe,

Some of the men are not pleased with your plan. They will incite others against you. For the plan to succeed, our forces must be united. If word gets out, if even one of them informs Cousland, it will be your head on a plate. I say this with all due respect, ser.

Your captain,
Lowan

Above is my reasoning for defecting Amaranthians. Take it or leave it 8'D And ohmygawsh, Kallian taken by slavers? Will they get there in time, or will the Tevinters have spirited her away? Find out next time on Heirs of Honor!

PS University has started up again, so, as I mentioned earlier, I'm going to have to cut back to once a week updates. The general notion was that you guys preferred a Friday update, so that's what's going to happen. Sorry to anybody that liked starting their week off with another chapter!

PPS Super thanks to JayRain for being a bouncing board for ideas again. I'm excited to have ideas settled, so hopefully I'll run into writer's block far less often now at critical times.