(Extra super special warning: this chapter deals with the City Elf Origin. So yeah, some content, though only implied, is still a little triggery.)

15. A Desperate Rescue

If we run into trouble, Soris had warned him, we won't be able to talk our way out of it. Finian had just smiled tightly and said something about how he could talk his way out of anything.

Soris would say "I told you so," if his stomach would stop heaving.

The plan had started out well enough. They snuck past the kitchens without incident by keeping their heads down, pretending to just be common servants. Soris did see a couple of the estate's nicer trinkets disappear into Finian's pocket, but his cousin was careful enough not to get caught at it.

But then they opened a door and stumbled onto a trio of guards standing over Nola's body, the humans making disgusting comments about how she was "still warm enough if they're not too picky," and something in his cousin snapped. The next thing Soris knew, daggers popped out of Finian's sleeves and cut twin trails across the first guard's throat. Things had… spiraled down from there.

Now, they were cutting their way through the Arl of Denerim's palace, leaving a trail of human bodies behind them. Soris had a guard's stolen longsword clutched tight in one hand, though it was slippery with blood by now.

"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad," Soris couldn't stop muttering as they ran through the palace corridors. They were going to be in so much trouble for this… if they even made it out alive. Finian didn't say anything, and that scared the crap out of Soris.

They rounded a corner and came face-to-face with one of the bodyguards that had accompanied Bann Vaughan to the Alienage. The man was leaning outside a closed door, looking bored. Two armed, blood-covered elves caught his interest, though.

The guard didn't ask any questions, just attacked. Soris brought his sword up once again when the guard swung his mace in, and the elf managed to messily parry the swing. He wasn't particularly strong or skilled, and he would have given his life's savings for some armor right now… but he didn't really need to be all that good. He was just the distraction.

Soris didn't know where Finian had learned how to fight, though he suspected his aunt—Finian's mother—had something to do with it. Aunt Adaia had reputedly been something of a wanderer before meeting Uncle Cyrion and settling down. It seemed she hadn't settled down too much, if she'd taught her son to fight like this even under the watchful eyes of the Alienage guards.

Finian flitted behind the guard, his daggers simultaneously going into the human's sides, then pulling back out. When the guard stumbled, Finian kicked him in the back, and Soris stabbed his own sword in while the man was distracted by the pain.

Soris's sword was still stuck in the shem when he fell, so Soris toppled to the ground after him with a squeak.

Finian laughed. Once. It was wheezy and tight, but Soris was glad to see his cousin's grim expression crack, despite the oh-so-very grim circumstances.

To think, the day had started out so promising. A double-wedding… it should have been exciting, despite Finian's twitchiness over the prospect. Then the humans had arrived, and everything since then—the arguments, the abductions, the infiltration—had been one long nightmare.

His cousin helped Soris extract his sword, then held out a hand to pull him to his feet. When Fin was trying to pull him up, their blood-slicked grips slipped loose, and both went tumbling down onto the expensive rugs.

Finian, lying flat on the floor, threw back his head and laughed, maybe just a little hysterically. "Ha ha ha… By the Maker… ha ha… we are in so far over our heads, aren't we?"

Soris sighed in relief and sat up. "We must be crazy to try this. Are we crazy, Cousin?"

"Probably." Finian sighed and turned his head toward Soris, all mirth leaving his eyes. "But someone has to be. We can't just let him… that he would…" Fin closed his eyes and turned away, apparently overcome.

"We'll save them, Cousin," Sors assured him, his voice holding a great deal more confidence than he felt. "We have to."

Finian's eyes opened again, this time sparkling with tears. "It's my fault, Soris. If I hadn't tried to talk to the bastard—twice—he wouldn't have been able to take the women. If we'd just fought him when we had the chance…"

"We'd all be dead. You know the guards would never have let us get away with that… they'd have seen it as some sort of riot." Soris sighed, tossing the borrowed sword between his hands. "Though they probably won't be very happy about this, either."

"No, I don't think they will." Finian looked at him then, his eyes surprisingly clear and considering. Soris wondered what was going through Fin's head, to make his cousin look at him like that.

Finally, after being stared at for almost a minute, Soris cleared his throat and stood up. He dusted himself off by force of habit…and only managed to smear more blood onto his borrowed servants' linens. "Well, we should get moving."

Fin nodded and climbed to his feet, not even bothering to sheathe his daggers. They pushed through the door into an empty antechamber.

That was when they heard the sound of someone crying.

Both elves ran to the other door, bursting through it together. Inside the bedroom beyond was what—or who—they had come for.

Two men in rich clothing—Soris recognized them as the men who had come with Vaughan to the Alienage—knelt on a plush carpet in the middle of the room, holding down an elven woman. That woman, Soris realized, was Shianni, and the tear-streaked face she raised to them when they entered made Soris want to rip out the throats of all humans present.

Vaughan, standing over the others, turned at the sound of the door opening. He'd been smirking, but that expression died as he took in the sight of them.

"Well look at that," one of the nobles sneered. "Some more elves want to join the party."

"Quiet, you idiot," Vaughan snapped. "They're covered with enough blood to fill a tub. What do you think that means?"

Finian stepped forward, wearing one of his patented cheeky smirks—though this one was quite a bit darker than it was when he was just riling guards. "We heard there was a party. We wanted to dress for the occasion, but we didn't have enough dead babies to suit your tastes… so we went with the blood of your guards instead."

"So I see." The nobleman's eyes flickered toward the blades both elves held bared, and Soris was surprised to see fear flash through the man's eyes. He was a sick bastard, but he wasn't stupid. "All right. Let's not be too hasty here. Surely, we can talk this over."

Fin's grin turned into a rictus. "But we already did, at the Alienage. I seem to remember us having a rousing conversation. You made an excellent point with that backhand of yours… I thought I might offer my counter-argument." He pointedly flicked his daggers, splattering blood all over the bedroom carpets.

Vaughan stared at the daggers, and there was a moment of silence where the only sound in the room was Shianni's sniffles. Then, Vaughan raised his eyes again, a sly smile stealing across his face. Soris knew that look. It was the same look Finian wore when his tongue was about to get its most silver.

"Think for a minute," Vaughan said silkily. "Kill me, and you ruin more lives than just your own. By dawn, the city will run red with elven blood."

Soris felt his own sword lowering. The shem was right… this was a bad idea.

Vaughan dared to take a step toward them, his voice gaining confidence. "Think about it. Or we could talk this through. Now that you have my undivided attention."

Finian did something unexpected, then. He threw back his head and laughed. Everyone stood, frozen in a stalemate, while the elf's laughter bounced off the walls.

"Oh, you're good!" Finian crowed. "The calming tone… the confident stance! The way you figured out what was most important to us and used it against us! If I didn't know better, I'd never guess you were terrified for your own life!" His laughter abruptly stopped, and his face darkened. "But see, I do the same dance, so I know all the steps. You know we can kill you." He twirled his daggers deftly around his hands. "You want to talk, bann? Then let's talk about how you're going to let the women go before I get a little stab-happy."

"Please," Shianni's voice pled. "Please, I want to go home."

"I always had every intention of returning your women," Vaughan said smoothly. "A little worse for wear, perhaps, but all alive, I assure you."

Soris felt himself pale, looking down again at Shianni. His female cousin was staring down at the carpet, suppressing sobs.

"If you…" Finian took a harsh breath. "You've got a lot of nerve, treating other people like that."

"Oh, that is cute. You think you're people?"

"People enough to kill you." Finian's voice went low. "You know what? I'm done talking." One of his hands flicked up and back, and one of his daggers soared across the room, lodging itself in Vaughan's chest.

The bann stumbled back, but his two friends leapt forward in his defense. As all three nobles drew the swords at their hips, Soris gulped and brought his own sword to bear.

What happened next was a frenzy of whirling blades and pain. It was all Soris could do to dodge most of the swords swinging at him. The bann's two friends were both going after him, for some reason (they probably figured he was the easier target, which he wouldn't deny), which meant he was ducking under and parrying blades from both sides. It didn't surprise him when he felt one of the blades graze his hip, and then another swipe through his shoulder.

But he got a couple lucky shots in himself, and one of the nobles went down after Soris's sword found his throat. Soris barely ducked in time to avoid getting his head chopped off by the other guy.

"You know what my favorite thing about you knife-ears is?" Soris could hear Vaughan say tauntingly. "Your women. So lithe and supple, and unable to do a damn thing about me claiming what's rightfully mine."

"Shut UP!" Finian could be heard shouting, but Soris didn't have time to look over and see how that duel was faring.

He stumbled back as his opponent's sword swept his aside, then twisted. Pain lanced up the elf's arm at the maneuver, and his sword slipped from his grip. Unarmed, Soris could only back away from the noble advancing on him. The shem smirked, sensing victory.

Clonk.

The man fell, and Soris saw Shianni standing behind the human, a heavy book in her hands. She looked up at Soris with wide, pained eyes, then collapsed.

Soris leapt forward to catch her, easing his cousin to lie back on the floor. Her face was tight with pain, and her hands were fisted over her stomach. Soris swallowed nausea at what this implied. She needed healing, and him throwing up wouldn't help matters.

"Fin…" Shianni whispered, looking over Soris's shoulder. He turned and saw that the rest of the battle had resolved itself in Finian's favor… though the sight made Soris's gorge rise once again.

His cousin was straddling Vaughan's defeated form, shaking and stabbing into the corpse again and again. The young man's usually expressive eyes were wide and scarily blank. Again, the dagger stabbed in. And again. The body's chest cavity was a mess of gore.

"Finian," Soris managed. "Fin, he's dead."

The dagger stabbed in one last time. Then, Finian sagged, a ragged "…Maker…" passing through his lips. "Maker… Soris, what have we done? Oh Maker, we killed them all…"

Soris forced out a laugh. "Don't fall apart on me now, Cousin. If you go crazy, there's no hope for me."

Finian blinked up at him, then seemed to recall himself. "Shianni… Shianni, are you alright?"

Shianni didn't answer at first. She looked between them. "Take me home. Please."

"Yes, of course," Soris assured her, then stood up. "I'm going to go look for the other women."

Fin nodded and stood up himself. As Soris left the room, he saw Finian head over to check on Shianni himself. As soon as he was out of their sight, Soris sighed in relief… then promptly got sick in a flower pot.

They collected the other women—who were in a better state than Shianni, thank the Maker—and headed out of the palace by the same bloody path they'd come. Soris took the rear guard, and it was saddening to see the way they huddled together. Poor Valora… if what had happened to Shianni had happened to her…

No wait. That was an awful thought. It shouldn't have happened at all.

Finian procured a pair of cloaks from among the launderer's things, so that the men wouldn't attract too much unwanted attention with their blood-stained garb. Soris had to leave the sword behind, though he felt vulnerable without it. After this ordeal, he doubted he'd ever feel perfectly safe ever again.

When they returned to the Alienage, they found a small crowd waiting for them. Valendrian was at the head of it, with a good amount of worried elven faces behind him. As soon as the rescued women came through the door, their families and friends rushed forward to greet them. Soris looked away from the sight of Nora's father searching in vain for his daughter.

Soris's eyes turned to the side, to a sight that made him tense up and miss the weight of that sword. There were humans in the Alienage again—that had worked out so terribly for all involved last time that Soris wondered why Valendrian allowed their presence so soon afterwards.

They stood back from the crowd, respectful of the community's private matters. The closest one was tall, bearded, and armed. His face watched the proceedings with a compassionate, yet shrewd, eye. His contemplative gaze briefly met Soris's, and the elf looked away.

The other two watched from behind the bearded human, both leaning against the wall of one of the houses. One was a scruffy, dark-haired man with keen eyes and a bow on his back. He watched the elves avidly, one brow arched as his gaze followed Finian.

The other man was blond, and would have been handsome if his eyes weren't so icily cold. He leaned against the wooden wall with his arms crossed, his gaze absent as he scanned the crowd, as if he wasn't even aware of what was going on. There was a gigantic dog at his knee, and Soris shivered. There had been such dogs guarding the Urien estate.

"Tell me," Elder Valendrian said as the two men stopped in front of him. "What happened?"

Soris exchanged a look with Finian. The latter sighed and tried to dredge up a small, wry smile. "We asked nicely?"

The elder eyed the blood stains that covered them both. "I see. We won't have much time, then." He glanced over at the bearded man. "Duncan, I think now is a good time to finish our discussion."

The bearded human stepped forward, and Soris noticed Finian tensing. It seemed Soris wasn't the only one shaking off the sense of fight-or-flight.

"This is Duncan," the Alienage elder explained. "He's a Grey Warden, and an old friend of mine."

"Valendrian speaks highly of you, Finian Tabris," the human said, quite respectfully.

Finian blinked, obviously taken aback. Then, he threw on an abashed smile. "You obviously have me mistaken for some other Finian Tabris. I'm just the local lovable rogue."

"Somehow, I suspect you are quite a bit more than that." Duncan eyed the bloodstains pointedly. "I came here to ask Valendrian about possible recruits, but found the entire place in quite an uproar when I arrived. Not many mere pickpockets would risk themselves to rescue others."

Finian shrugged. "They'd taken my family and friends. I just retrieved them."

"And it is that attitude that does you so much credit. It takes more than fighting skill to be a Grey Warden." He nodded behind him, to the other humans.

Finian's eyes landed on the brunette man and widened. "Wha… you?"

The scruffy human smirked. "Said I'd be seeing you around, didn't I?" He made a motion toward his cheek. "You've a bit of blood… right there."

Finian absently rubbed his cheek, where a splatter of blood had, indeed, dried. It did not come off.

Heavy footsteps heralded the arrival of the town guard, and most of the elves in the square scattered. Soris made to go with them, but Valendrian laid a hand on his arm. "Don't panic," he said firmly. "Let's see what comes of this."

Soris swallowed thickly, but nodded. That didn't stop him from hiding behind Finian, though, as a small contingent of guards rounded the corner into the square.

"I seek the elder of the Alienage," the leader called. "Is he here?"

Said elder stepped forward. "I am Valendrian, Captain," he said calmly. "I take it you're here about today's disruption?"

"'Disruption'?" the captain said sternly. "Either you are playing dumb, or you have no idea what was perpetrated just now." The captain raised his voice so that any elves brave (and stupid) enough to remain nearby could hear. "The arl's son lies dead in a river of blood that runs through the entire palace! I need names, and I need them now!"

Soris felt himself go cold, and he drew the concealing cloak tighter around himself. This was it; he was sure of it. He was never going to see the light of day again…never going to see Valora again… to know what sort of life he might have had with her…

A hand on his arm startled him out of his panic spiral, and he looked up to see Finian flash him a wry smile. Then, the hand left as his cousin stepped forward.

"It was my doing," Finian said.

Wha… what? What was his crazy cousin doing?

The captain scoffed. "You expect me to believe one man did all that?"

Soris started to step forward himself, but Valendrian stopped him with a hand. "We are not all helpless," the elder said firmly, and Soris wondered whether Valendrian was speaking to the captain or to him. What did the elder know? What was going on?

The captain considered his cousin with honest respect… so very rare from a human to an elf. "You've saved lives by coming forward. I don't envy your fate, but I applaud your courage." Again, he raised his voice. "This elf will wait in the dungeons until the arl returns. The rest of you, back to your houses!"

Many elves disappeared through doors and around corners, but just as many stayed to watch this until the bitter end. Soris was one of those who stayed, though he had to fight back tears over what his cousin was doing for him. Prison was one of Fin's biggest fears, and yet he was willing to… He owed it to Finian to stay.

His cousin was white as a ghost, but he made no attempt to go back on his words.

Then, Duncan stepped forward. "Captain. A word, if you please."

"What is it, Grey Warden?"

"I'm afraid I must intervene on behalf of this man. I hereby invoke the Right of Conscription. I remove this prisoner into my custody."

Soris wasn't the only one who stared: he saw Finian jerk around to gape at the Warden as well. Valendrian, however, watched the exchange with a soft, knowing smile.

"You… you can do that?" Finian sputtered. Soris almost laughed at seeing his silver-tongued cousin so tongue-tied.

"Son of a tied down…" the Captain groaned. "Again?" He cast a glance back at the scruffier of Duncan's human companions.

The brunette grinned and waved.

The captain scowled and turned back to Duncan. "Very well. I cannot challenge you. But for the love of the Maker, get this elf out of the city. Today. He must not be around when the news hits."

Duncan bowed his head. "Agreed."

With that, the captain brusquely excused himself and motioned for his men to move out.

Finian looked dumbstruck, watching the guards who might have arrested him calmly walk away, and Soris couldn't say he blamed his cousin. He was a little dumbstruck himself.

"I… I can't believe you did that."

Fin turned at the sound of Soris's voice. Then, he smiled with such relief that Soris couldn't help but mirror it. "Honestly," Finian laughed, "I can't either." He shook his head. "Wow. Me, a Grey Warden… it feels…"

"Amazing?" Soris ventured.

"Weird," Fin laughed.

"So… you're leaving then?" Soris felt his smile fade. "I mean, of course you're leaving. Heh, dumb question…"

"Yeah…" Finian blinked, and started looking around the Alienage as if seeing it for the first time. "Yeah, I… I have to leave." A slow smile stole onto his lips. "By the Maker… I'm actually getting out of here." He grinned at Soris. "I told you so, didn't I? I told you I'd find a way to get out and…" his face fell again. "…and leave you all behind."

Soris could tell his cousin was struggling with how to feel about all of this, so he just put a hand on Fin's shoulder. "It's not like you won't be able to visit. Shianni and me will be expecting handouts, after all. Being the family of a Grey Warden has got to have its perks, right?"

That seemed to settle Finian's anxiety, because his grin turned bright again. "Damn straight it will, and I entirely intend to play favorites. You'll keep my father and Shianni safe while I'm gone, right?"

"Of course. And you'll keep Ferelden safe in return?"

"By the Maker, Soris," Finian laughed. "You make me sound like an actual hero, or something."

Soris, however, wasn't laughing. "Well, you have been my hero since we were kids. It's just official now."

Finian again looked a little dumbstruck, so Soris just squeezed his shoulder and left. When he glanced back at his cousin one last time, Duncan had started talking to him, Finian smiling that sly way he had when he was looking for openings for his word games. The Grey Wardens had no idea what they were in for.

Soris smiled and turned back around, heading back home. He had business with Valora to attend to, after all.