A/N: Finally got a new chapter up! I apologize for it being a monthly update again, I had really hoped to have it up sooner but ended up being too busy! Anyway, I will do my level best to have the next one up sooner!
Thanks to all those who've favorited, followed, and read the story! Really glad that you're liking it, although I'd like to hear directly from you too!
Special thanks to those who reviewed, XZanayu, xneseyx, overtherisingstar, and especially my faithful reviewers, Valtharia, Barleyguy, and PheonixTears589. Always happy to hear what you think and to have your support!
This chapter is heavy on the DA plot for obvious reasons, but again I tried to throw in original bits and pieces here and there :). Hope everybody enjoys! PS Internet cookies for anyone who can guess the inspiration for the chapter's title :).
GIFT FIC TO 100TH REVIEWER. SEE CHAPTER 30 A/N FOR DETAILS. ONLY FOUR REVIEWS TO GO BEFORE SOMEONE GETS IT :).
Disclaimer: As always, don't own DA, dialogue, or characters, just all the original bits and character!
Chapter 34: Follow You Into the Dark
It was now the second night since they'd entered the Deep Roads, and they had found a small, semi-open cave to rest in for the night. They had only a very small fire going, for fear of attracting more darkspawn or any of the other creatures that lurked down here. Most of the others were sleeping already, while Ayla, finding herself unable to sleep, was going through the series of stretching exercises taught to her by her former instructor. Her father's style of fighting had been quite different than her own, so he had eventually left her instruction to Pakal, who had helped her develop her current method of fighting. The stretches were designed to keep her limber and agile for her more acrobatic style.
She had found herself doing the exercises far more down here than she normally did, however. She was in desperate need of something to distract her from how much she hated this place. The oppressive feel of the rock tunnels, the lack of fresh air, the constant and overwhelming smells of death, decay and rot, the ever-present darkness broken only by flickering torchlight or firelight, it was all getting to be too much for her. She had not realized just how much she would miss open skies, sunlight and fresh air. The lack of all of the above made her want to break down and panic, so she did her best to keep herself occupied and not focus on where she was.
It also made her wonder why in the Fox's name she had ever told Alistair she would come down here with him when he had to face his inevitable death as a Warden. Did she really want to die down here, so far away from the sun and the sky? Did she want this place, this horrible, dark place, to be the last thing she ever saw? Surrounded by it as she now was, she truly wasn't sure any more.
She was in the middle of one of her stretches, bent over completely backwards, hands planted on the ground, her right foot on the ground while her back was completely arched and her left leg was pointed straight up in the air, when she heard the sound of footsteps and the faint clanking of armor coming towards their cave. Alistair was returning; he'd gone scouting a little ways ahead of them to make sure there were no nearby spiders or creatures that might attack them during the night. She didn't bother to move out of her stretch, certain that it was him; she'd know the sound of that armor anywhere.
She heard a faint groan as he stopped a few feet away from her. "Ayla, must you do that?"
She straightened up back onto her feet, turning around to face him. His eyes were full of blatant hunger as he stared at her, causing an answering hunger to leap within her. It still amazed her sometimes how one simple look from him could take her breath away and fire her blood. And that, she realized, was her answer. That was why she would go and follow him into the dark when he went, because he was her love, her life-mate. It would be his face that would be the last thing she would ever see, she decided, and she would be fine with that, wherever and whenever that might occur.
She still hadn't told him what being a life-mate really meant in her world, or discussed the ceremony that would bond them together. If the bond was very strong, which she suspected theirs might be, she may not be able to survive his death for very long anyway. That is, if he agreed to do the bonding ceremony. It might be a bit much to expect from someone who was not of her world. But if they did become bonded, that would be why it would be necessary for her to go, whether or not he agreed, and she had nearly forgotten that in her panic and anxiety down here.
"Yes, I must," she said at last, "because I need something to distract me, and the other distraction I can think of would be a bit too much. Anyway, you don't have to watch me," she pointed out, smiling.
"As if I could look away," he grumbled. "Besides, you should be sleeping; you need your rest." His face had softened now, his eyes changing from hunger to a more tender warmth and concern for her, which warmed her from the inside out.
"It is hard to relax down here," she replied, glancing at the stone walls around them, "what with so many spiders and lizard creatures and darkspawn around. And so many unusual smells and sounds."
She did not add that his own anxiety was also making it more difficult for her to relax. He had told her last night that even if there were no darkspawn immediately nearby, in the Deep Roads, he could constantly feel the presence of the horde that lived there. He had described it as a constant pressure on his spine, a weight that bore down on him and made it impossible to relax. She had seen it wearing on both him and Aedan; they were having difficulty sleeping when not on watch, and tended to be more jumpy than normal as well.
"I know," he said softly. She did not miss the wince he gave as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But you have to try. Anyway, we should come across Lord Dace sometime tomorrow, and then we can head back and get out of here. So let's try to focus on that."
"I could stay up and keep watch with you," she offered. "I have the next one anyway." As they had done out on the road, they had split the watch between her, Alistair, and Aedan due to the higher danger and risk of darkspawn attack.
He frowned and shook his head. "No, please, Ayla, you need to sleep. I'll be fine; I'll wake you up when it's your turn."
She nodded slowly. "All right, I'll try." First, however, she closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling it down lower so she could bury her face against his neck, breathing deep of the smell of pine that seemed to hover around him along with his own distinct smell, trying to at least temporarily relieve herself of the smells of rot and decay. He, in turn, buried his face in her hair and held her tightly before they finally pulled apart. After they shared a quick kiss, she returned to her bedroll.
She did not know how long she laid there, trying to relax and think of other things, wishing fervently that they would find what they were looking for the next day and be able to head back to Orzammar soon. She was eventually able to fall into a fitful sleep, Alistair pacing back and forth at the edge of the camp being the last thing she saw before her eyes drifted shut.
"Why must there be so many of these foul creatures down here?" Morrigan growled as she brushed bits of lizard – or deepstalker, Alistair had called them - off herself.
"I wish I knew." Ayla was also brushing bits of them off, as the lightning spell Morrigan had blasted the last wave with had caused the small, vicious creatures to explode all over the two of them. "I suppose they're better than darkspawn, at least."
"Hmmph," Morrigan snorted as the two of them fell back into line, following the others through the twisting tunnels. More ruins of stone houses, pillars, and bridges were cropping up in this area, meaning they were hopefully getting closer to their destination of this abandoned city, or thaig, as the dwarves called it. "I am not so certain about that; they seem to possess greater numbers even than the darkspawn."
"You may have a point there," Ayla agreed. Though they had run into several bands of darkspawn down here as well, they usually appeared in groups of about half a dozen or so, whereas the deepstalkers attacked in large swarms that were almost impossible to count, but probably lay somewhere in the dozens. Though one in itself was not difficult to defeat, the swarms became much more problematic. Still, they had made it through without serious injury so far.
She looked ahead to where Alistair and Aedan were leading them through the tunnels, just ahead of Zevran and Leliana, who were between them, reassuring herself that none of the group was seriously injured. Though no one appeared to be, she could see the slight hunch to the shoulders of the two Wardens as they walked, and the way they would occasionally roll them as if trying to shrug off a weight. "Is there nothing you can do for them?" she asked Morrigan quietly, nodding ahead to the two of them.
Morrigan shook her head. Ayla could see the worry and concern flash briefly in her friend's eyes; as much as the witch would never admit it, she knew that she was as in love with Aedan as she was with Alistair. "A healing spell would grant them temporary relief from the pain it causes them," the witch replied softly, "but it would come back almost immediately. There is no way to fix it other than getting them away from the darkspawn."
Ayla nodded in response; she had expected as much. "And it would be a waste of your healing spells and lyrium down here to use it on something like that, in case there is a more serious injury."
"'Tis true," the witch agreed. "I do not possess so much lyrium as to use it on something like that when we are under near constant attack."
It was at that moment that Ayla noticed the two Wardens had disappeared around a bend in the tunnel ahead, and she heard Aedan shout something that sounded like "We found them!"
"Come on!" she gestured to Morrigan, breaking into a run as Leliana and Zevran disappeared around the corner ahead, too.
In no time, the two of them reached the area where the others had gone; just around the bend, the small, cramped tunnel opened up into a large cavern that extended far above their heads. The cavern itself was littered with the remnants of many small stone houses and pillars, even a dais in one corner. In the center of the ring of houses was a group of armored dwarves, fighting for their lives against the largest swarm of deepstalkers she had seen yet.
Alistair and Aedan reached the deepstalkers and began attacking just as she and Morrigan came around the corner. Leliana halted ahead of them and began firing off arrows into the crowd of lizards while Zevran ran onwards, launching himself into the fight. Morrigan stopped beside Leliana when they reached her and began to send arcane bolts and icicle blasts into the fight ahead, while Ayla drew her swords and sprinted forward, stabbing a deepstalker going for Aedan's back.
The fight lasted for several minutes before they were surrounded by nothing but dead bodies of lizard creatures. Their party and the dwarves took a few moments to recover their breath. Aedan was just opening his mouth to address the older, grey-haired dwarf that appeared to be the leader, when Zevran shouted, "There are more coming!"
Ayla looked ahead to where Zevran had ended up by a stone bridge beyond the party of dwarves, to see more deepstalkers swarming over the bridge as Zevran skipped back, and more coming out of seemingly nowhere around them. She beheaded one that appeared to her right, and cried out as she felt the jaws of another close around her thigh from behind, finding the patch of bare skin between the skirt of her armor and her boots. Just as suddenly as the teeth dug in, they were gone, and she whirled around to see a now iced-over lizard lying on the ground behind her.
Ignoring both the pain and the blood running down the back of her leg, she nodded a thanks to Morrigan and resumed fighting the deepstalkers as they approached. After several more minutes, the latest swarm lay as dead as the first one. By this time, the throbbing pain in her left leg was reaching new heights, while the blood dripped down onto the rocks behind her. She sheathed her swords, limping painfully over to where Aedan and Alistair stood with the grey-haired dwarf.
"You pulled us from a tight spot, friends," the dwarf said, bowing low. "You have my gratitude. I am Lord Anwer Dace. So what are humans and an elf doing out here, anyway?"
Alistair turned as Ayla approached them, and his eyes shot wide with worry as he spotted her. He was next to her in a second, whispering urgently, "Are you all right?"
"I'll be fine," she murmured back, nodding to Morrigan who was hurrying up behind her, before she knelt and began to examine the back of her leg. Alistair frowned in concern, but nodded as Morrigan began the healing spell, turning his attention back to Lord Dace.
"We are Wardens," Aedan was saying, gesturing to himself and Alistair, "travelling with our companions here, and your daughter sent us to search for you so that you might be able to see these papers." He handed over the papers from his pouch that Vartag had given him back in Orzammar.
Lord Dace's brows drew together in confusion as he took the papers from Aedan. "I don't understand. What could -?" He trailed off as he read over the papers, his confusion being steadily replaced by anger. "These are the terms of a deal we made with Harrowmont." He looked back up at Aedan. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I owe you twice now, my life and my house's fortune."
"We are at your service," Aedan replied formally, bowing low.
Lord Dace nodded in response. "May the ancestors smile on you. I must return now. My men need healing and I want to look into this. Do you wish to travel with us?"
Aedan glanced behind him, looking at Ayla, Alistair, and the others that had gathered behind him, as Morrigan straightened up, her healing spell complete. Alistair nodded as Aedan's eyes fell on him, and Aedan turned back to the dwarven lord. "Yes, it might be best. There is safety in numbers, and passage from this area looks limited anyway."
"Then let us reach Orzammar before more beasts find our scent," Lord Dace replied, beginning to march back the way their party had come. He gestured to the half dozen dwarven warriors surrounding him, and they quickly fell in step behind their lord, as did Aedan and their party.
"Thank you, Morrigan," Ayla murmured as they followed the dwarves. The witch had done an excellent job of healing the wound, as always; her healing abilities had grown remarkably since she'd been training with Wynne. Ayla could no longer feel even a twinge in the previously injured leg.
"Bah, 'tis merely my role as the only one present with healing magic." Morrigan waved her hand dismissively. When Ayla merely stared at her, raising her eyebrows, the witch sighed and added softly, "But you are most welcome."
Ayla grinned as the witch then hurried on ahead to check Aedan for any injuries, while Alistair fell back into step beside her. "What happened to your leg?" he asked quietly.
"Oh, it was nothing, really," Ayla responded quickly, hoping to diffuse the worry still lurking in his eyes. "One of those foul lizards just caught me a little off guard and bit my leg. It feels perfectly fine now, though."
He smiled in relief. "That's good. Still, I should not have left your side, it might not have happened if I –"
"Stop," she interrupted him, holding up a hand, though she couldn't help smiling fondly at him. "You cannot be everywhere at once, and it was not a serious injury. I can protect myself, you know."
"I know," he said at last, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently. "But I cannot help worrying about you, all the same."
I worry about you too, she thought, noticing the dark circles under his eyes showing his lack of sleep. "Morrigan had me covered," she said instead, hoping to distract him.
"Well, at least she likes you," Alistair snorted, making her smile. She'd known that would work.
"Not to worry," she assured him, "because she likes me and I love you, she won't let you die either."
He rolled his eyes, though he was smiling widely. "If you say so. Let's get back to Orzammar, then we won't have to worry about the Deep Roads anymore."
"Right," she agreed. The sooner she got him away from the ever-constant presence of the darkspawn, and from worrying about her when he should be worrying about himself, the better off they both would be.
It took them two days to get back to the dwarven city, reaching it just as night fell. Though they had still run into a few fights on the way back, it had not been nearly as bad as on the way there, especially with the help of the dwarves. They had stopped for shorter periods of rest at night as well, everyone eager to get back as soon as possible.
After dropping Lord Dace off at his home and receiving assurance of his support, Aedan had decided they would go talk to Vartag about meeting Prince Bhelen in the morning. They had made their way back to Tapster's, all of them only too happy to get a solid night's sleep for the first time in several days.
Ayla awoke a few hours after dawn the next morning, having slept far later than she originally planned to. But then, Aedan had not specified when they would go to see Bhelen in the morning, and obviously he had yet to come looking for her or Alistair.
She had awoken to find herself lying on a still-sleeping Alistair's chest, and she was relieved to see how much more peaceful he looked now. The change had been almost instant and obvious in the two Wardens as soon as they were back within Orzammar. The city was obviously far enough away from the darkspawn horde to finally rid them of the burden of its presence, and she had seen the instant relief on both their faces once they were free of it. She hoped it would be a long time before they had to go back down there again.
She lay there, eyes half-closed, content to watch him sleep for several more minutes before the insistent rumble of her stomach got to be too much, and she headed down to the tavern for breakfast. She found Leliana, Zevran, and Morrigan down there eating already; a quick check with Morrigan revealed that Aedan was still sleeping as well. They were all nearly finished breakfast by the time both sleepy-looking Wardens finally made an appearance.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Alistair asked her softly as he slid into a seat next to her, while Aedan sat next to Morrigan.
"I thought you could use the sleep," she whispered back as Aedan signalled for more food for the two of them. "I was concerned about how little sleep you were getting down there, you know."
"I was getting enough. I was fine," he insisted.
"And yet, I could not help but worry about you," she retorted, echoing his earlier words back at him.
He grinned in acknowledgement, before leaning in and whispering huskily into her ear, "Wake me up next time."
She shivered at the tingles that husky tone of his never failed to produce in her, and nodded in response, not trusting her voice at the moment. Goddess, they needed some alone time, and soon! He smiled at her, fire in his eyes, before he turned his attention to Aedan, who was discussing the plans for the day.
After the two Wardens had finished their breakfast, they headed to the Diamond Quarter to go speak to Vartag. Ayla went with Alistair and Aedan, and Morrigan and Zevran accompanied them once again. Leliana elected to stay behind again to hear more stories from the dwarves, and Wynne and Sten had apparently already left the tavern to do errands of their own.
It did not take them long to reach the Assembly Hall, where Vartag was hanging out in his alcove again, looking slyly pleased as they approached. "Lady Dace just came through the quarter on a tear," he said before they could even greet him. "She's telling everyone who will listen what a leech and a liar Harrowmont is. Good job. So you were serious about wanting to help us." He studied their group for a moment as Aedan merely nodded in response. "Are you ready to meet Bhelen now?"
"We are ready, please take us to him," Aedan replied curtly.
"I warn you, be on your best behaviour," Vartag said sternly as he began to lead the way from the Assembly Hall. "And keep your weapons sheathed."
Ayla exchanged an amused glance with Zevran as they followed the dwarf through the quarter, knowing that he was thinking the same thing she was. Weapons sheathed or no, either of them could easily attack and likely kill Bhelen in seconds if they really wanted to.
Vartag led them to one of the largest, most impressive buildings in the Diamond Quarter. He led them in the front door, and just judging by the sheer, staggering size of the stone hall as they entered, Ayla realized that they had to be in the dwarven palace. Apparently, though the throne was not yet his, the prince had yet to be forced to leave. They were led through several of the elaborately designed stone rooms, the floors covered in expensive rugs, the walls lined with works of art, before Vartag finally stopped next to a door, gesturing to their group to go inside. They filed in, the door closing behind them as they entered the large, richly appointed stone room, the walls lined with bookshelves and more artwork, before they stopped in front of the blonde-haired dwarf Ayla vaguely recognized as one of the ones they had seen during the argument when they'd first entered Orzammar. He sported a long, braided beard as well as very finely wrought and obviously expensive plate armor.
Though he looked pleasant enough as he smiled at them, Ayla could tell almost right away from the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach that probably everything they said about him was true. Still, she reminded herself, though he may be a harsh and potentially dangerous leader, that did not necessarily constitute a bad thing, and in any event, it was too late to change their minds now.
"I am impressed, Wardens," Bhelen said, nodding at Aedan and Alistair who were directly in front of him. "Not many outsiders so quickly grasp Orzammar's rather . . . convoluted politics. I am Prince Bhelen. Vartag told me of your efforts against the usurper who tried to claim my father's throne."
Aedan exchanged a quick glance with Ayla, and she gave him a minute shake of her head, letting him know that Bhelen was not as trustworthy as he'd hoped. "In all honesty, Prince Bhelen," Aedan began carefully as he turned back to face the Prince, "our main concern is getting troops to face the Blight."
Bhelen's expression was blank for a moment, though Ayla could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to work out just what Aedan meant. He gave a short nod. "Then we have a common goal. We may not like each other, but the Blight is our first priority. We need absolute unity to fight against the fulcrum of true evil."
"Then you will your honor your agreement with the Wardens?" Aedan pressed.
"Absolutely. And sworn on the mail of my ancestors . . . as soon as Orzammar is united under my rule," the Prince clarified, making Ayla sigh. It would appear they wouldn't be leaving Orzammar quite yet. "Unfortunately, while the debate rages, I have no power to send the troops you need. You've seen for yourself; the city is a slaughterhouse. Criminals run lawless. I could never hold the throne if I allowed such chaos."
Aedan exchanged a look with Alistair this time; Ayla could see the weariness in both their gazes as Alistair inclined his head slightly. They were both tired, she knew, tired of not only having to fight the darkspawn but of fighting everyone else's battles as well, just so they could get the aid they needed so badly. Yet what choice did they have? Aedan turned back to the dwarven prince. "In that case, how can we help you take the throne?"
Bhelen smiled, having heard the words he obviously expected. "You have struck a blow against Harrowmont already, and I thank you for that. But there is another faction in play here." He paced for a moment, before turning back and asking, "Have you heard of a woman named Jarvia, and the carta of criminals she runs?"
Aedan nodded slowly. "I have heard some rumors about them causing much chaos in Orzammar."
"They know Orzammar is divided now and has no time for them. It's made them bold. If I show the city I can eliminate such a threat . . ." Bhelen trailed off, eyeing Aedan significantly for a moment before continuing, "Well, let's just say my position would be stronger."
"And if we succeed in defeating them for you? What then?" There was an edge of impatience in Aedan's tone as he addressed the Prince.
"If you can eliminate them, I promise as King, I will send as many troops as you need to fight the darkspawn," Bhelen vowed, gauntleted hand over his heart. Oddly, in spite of her lack of trust in the man in general, Ayla felt that he meant this vow whole-heartedly. "Unfortunately," the Prince continued, "I have little information on Jarvia. Her base of power is in Dust Town, the lowest part of the city, and my men have few sources there. Maybe the casteless will talk more freely with a stranger."
Aedan bowed stiffly. "We will go look for her and the carta right now."
Bhelen smiled. "And I will wait eagerly for your return."
They left the room the Prince was in, and only when they were all the way out of the grand building and well out of earshot of anyone else nearby did Aedan stop and turn to face Ayla. "So, what did you think?" he asked in a low voice.
"He is definitely ruthless and dangerous, and likely not trustworthy overall," Ayla began, "but he meant what he said about granting the Wardens troops. Of that I am certain."
"A bit of ruthlessness is not a bad thing for a King to possess," Zevran commented.
"Indeed," Morrigan agreed, "in order to keep his power, he must remain strong, and not be swayed by weakness."
"It's not like we have a choice anymore anyway," Alistair muttered. "No way would Harrowmont's people trust us now. Backing Bhelen is the only thing we can do now, if we want the dwarves to honor the treaty."
"Right," Aedan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, let's go to Dust Town and see what we can find out about this Jarvia. Hopefully this is the last errand we have to run to get Prince Bhelen his throne."
They followed Aedan as he headed out of the Diamond Quarter. In order to get to Dust Town, they had to head all the way back through the Commons to the opposite end from where the stairs to the Quarter were. On their way past Tapster's, Aedan went quickly in to check for the others, and finding Leliana there talking to some dwarves, got her to come along to help.
In no time, they were heading down the stairs to Dust Town itself. True to its name, the streets were not made of stone as in the rest of Orzammar, but rather dusty ground that seemed to permeate the very air. The buildings, though still made of stone, were all old, crumbling, small and cramped compared to the other areas of Orzammar. The dwarves wandering the streets either looked ill and starving, or the type that would stab you in the back and smile while they did it. Almost all of them sported odd tattoos or brands on their faces or heads, and the place nearly reeked of desperation.
They were attacked shortly after entering by a small group of bandits who thought to steal from them, but the party was able to dispatch them with ease. They began to roam around the small section of town, talking to anybody who was willing to even speak to them. Eventually, Aedan found an injured dwarven woman who was only too happy to tell them everything she knew for a few silver coins. And that was quite a bit, considering she had been a former member of the carta before her injury. All they had to do now was find someone who carried a finger bone token, and then find which building in Dust Town the token opened, which would lead them into the carta's hideout.
They were checking all the doors to the crumbling stone houses in the town to try to spot which one might have an opening for a finger bone token, when one of the doors swung open, revealing two dwarven men in leather armor with hard expressions.
"Well, look what we have here . . ." the first one drawled.
"Jarvia said you were looking for trouble," the second one added. Ayla noticed another half a dozen dwarves in the room behind him. The two walked out of the house, facing their group on the dusty street as the second dwarf gestured to the others behind them, who followed them out. "Congratulations, you found it."
The dwarves suddenly launched into an attack on their party, which they were quick to respond to. Ayla blocked a dwarf's sword with one of her own, lunging forward with the other, catching him on the arm. As the dwarf temporarily dropped his stance in surprise and pain, she shoved his sword away and plunged both her swords home into the dwarf's belly. He dropped to his knees, blood spilling out as she yanked her swords out, before finishing him off with another stroke.
"D-don't kill me!" a panicking voice cried. Ayla looked, noticing that all but one of the dwarves already lay dead, having fallen to arrows, spells, or the swords of her other companions. The only one left was the second, dark-haired dwarf who'd spoken. He was facing Aedan, hands up in the air, pleading for his life. "Sodding ancestors, what do they teach you on the surface? You fight like a bleedin' archdemon!" He glanced around him at the bodies of his companions. "Sweet bloody stone, look at them all!"
Aedan lowered his sword, staring at the dwarf coolly. "I suggest that if you don't wish to join your friends, you tell us where we can find Jarvia."
The dwarf nodded frantically. "The base is below the city. Y-you can get to it through the wall of the third house on this row. Put this token through the slot and it'll open." He shakily produced a finger bone token from his pocket, handing it to Aedan, who sheathed his sword and took the token, tucking it away. "Will . . . will you let me go now?"
"Yes, just this once," Aedan said after a long moment, turning and fixing everyone with a significant glance. Ayla scowled, not agreeing with the decision to let the bandit go, but she reluctantly put away her weapons as Aedan continued, "You will not want to be at Jarvia's when we get there."
"R-really? Oh thank you. You're a . . . a good person," the dwarf stammered in disbelief. "How do they say it? The ancestors have shown their favour. Bless you!" He turned and ran frantically past them.
After a quick check to make sure no one had been injured, Aedan led them to the house the dwarf had indicated. There was a stone door on the front of it, but it appeared to lack any sort of normal devices one would use to open a door. After some inspection, Leliana found a small slot concealed in a fold of the stone. "This is it," she announced, smiling. "It is quite clever, really." She took the token from Aedan, putting it in the slot. There were the sounds of mechanisms whirring, and the door opened.
It led into a tunnel carved out of cave rock which the party proceeded along, following its twists and turns towards a small stone door next to a large torch. They pushed their way through it, and found a fully constructed stone room on the other side, showing no indication of the cave stone that surrounded it. Five dwarves were loitering around the large room, one of whom got up immediately as they entered and came forward to confront them. "What's the password?" he demanded.
"Uh . . . any ideas, Alistair?" Aedan hissed under his breath.
"How am I supposed to know?!" Alistair whispered back.
"How about die, bandit scum?" Ayla suggested loudly, staring at the dwarves scornfully.
"Looks like we have a martyr, boys." The bald, branded dwarf gestured to the others behind them, and once more their party was attacked. Though decently skilled, all five dwarves were only short range fighters, and quickly fell to well-placed arrows or spells from Leliana and Morrigan while the rest of the party kept them busy.
Once all five lay dead, they sheathed their weapons and looked around the room. They took any money and supplies they could find, and found a door in another corner that appeared to lead deeper in. "Well, I guess we go through the whole hideout, room by room until we find this Jarvia," Aedan said at last. "We'd better get going, who knows how big this place is?"
They made their way through the door, discovering that it opened into another series of cave tunnels, off of which were several rooms. Aedan put Leliana and Zevran in the lead, suspecting that such a hideout would likely be full of traps, which turned out to be right. At several points as they went throughout the tunnels and rooms, the two rogues uncovered several tripwires and leghold traps.
Nearly every small room they entered contained dwarves who were only too happy to attack as soon as they opened the doors, obviously guessing by the blood spatter on their armor and the weapons they had out that they were not meant to be in here. Though most of the carta members they encountered as they went through the hideout were the branded, casteless dwarves, they did run into a few qunari and elven mercenaries fighting with them as well.
The first such qunari mercenary they encountered nearly flattened Ayla with his warhammer when he popped out of a side alcove. She just barely rolled out of the way in time with a startled cry as the hammer slammed into the stone floor. Alistair was suddenly there by her side, catching the hammer's next blow on his shield. The qunari had swung with such force, however, that it knocked Alistair backwards off his feet. The qunari, apparently forgetting about her, advanced on Alistair as he struggled to get up. Dropping her swords, she pulled a dagger out instead, leaping off a crate onto the qunari's back and stabbing the dagger into his neck, twisting and yanking backwards viciously. With a gurgle, the qunari fell forward to the ground and she leaped clear.
"Are you all right?" she demanded of Alistair, scrambling to his side.
He nodded, back on his feet, sword and shield at the ready again. "I'm fine, what about you?"
"Also fine," she replied, smiling wryly. "Let's go!" she added, noticing that Aedan was already heading through another door.
In yet another room, an elven mercenary who also happened to be a mage blasted Leliana and Zevran off their feet with a wind spell as they entered, slamming them into the walls. It was only with the combined efforts of Alistair smiting her and Morrigan paralyzing her from behind with a spell, which allowed Alistair to deal a finishing blow, while Ayla and Aedan struggled to deal with the armed fighters in the room, that the damage was not more severe.
All in all, they managed to make it through all the rooms and fights without any serious injuries that were beyond Morrigan's ability to heal. They were also lucky to find many lyrium and health potions to aid them as they looted their way through the rooms once the carta members were defeated. None of the carta members in the hideout itself had asked for any quarter, and their party gave none. Ayla was only too happy to clear out a bandit hideout; she knew it was probably not right to enjoy the slaughter they inflicted, and yet she could not help the sense of satisfaction it gave her.
Finally, after many hours, rooms, and fights, they found themselves outside of the only remaining door in the only remaining tunnel in the carta hideout. It was a fairly large stone door, built into a designed stone wall, with a sloping hallway of flagged stones leading up to it, and large braziers with torches burning on top to either side of the door.
"This has to be it," Aedan said, as they all stopped to catch their breath outside of the room, starting to feel the exhaustion and weariness from the battles setting in. "If Jarvia's anywhere, it has to be in this room. Is everybody ready?"
Everybody nodded, Ayla especially. She could hardly wait to enter the room beyond and confront this Jarvia person. Then they could end the reign of this carta, these bandit criminals, once and for all. And then, perhaps, they would finally be able to fulfill the treaty and leave Orzammar, so she might once again see the sun and the sky, and breathe the fresh air.