Shadow and Rose

by Lady Norbert

A/N: I have drafted a rough outline of what will be happening in each of the upcoming chapters.

This story is going to be forty chapters long... and then we move on to the sequel, which will cover Awakening. By the shifting skies of the Fade, what did I get myself into?

Chapter Twenty-One: Ring of Ages

The shopkeeper claims this artifact may be among the oldest magic items in all of Thedas, from an era before even the elves mastered the magical arts. Quite likely that is mere salesmanship, but the ring is certainly powerful and feels truly ancient.

Immediately after breakfast, Elissa and I followed Morrigan to where we could read the poster she had described at dinner last night. It was tacked to a wall near the entrance to the Alienage, which a guard told us is sealed off because of some sickness that's been plaguing the elves. (Why do I get the feeling that's something we're going to find ourselves investigating at some point? Probably because sooner or later, everything seems to fall into our jurisdiction...)

Anyway, the wording was pretty strange. "Don't believe the lies! Friends of the Grey Wardens assemble. The hidden pearl holds the key to resistance. The griffons will rise again." I have to wonder how Morrigan worked out that the phrase 'hidden pearl' was a reference to the Pearl, but according to Zevran, its exact location is somewhat of a mystery. If you ask me, it's not so much that people don't know where it is - we were able to get directions easily enough - but rather that they do their very best to pretend it isn't there.

We're going to be heading over there shortly, but Elissa's off on some errand here in the market district. I think she's just stocking up on supplies, or maybe she's sending something back to Soldier's Peak with Bodahn Feddic again, or something like that. She didn't say much about it.

It turned out that Elissa had actually gone to the Chantry. Apparently she unearthed some document while rooting around in the Brecilian ruins that she thought they would want to have, so she went over there to give it to their archivist. I'm going to have to remind her that she told the rest of us not to go anywhere in the city alone, and she ought to follow her own rules.

On the way back she encountered a Sergeant Kylon, of the royal forces. This turned out to be an okay thing; he assured her that he doesn't believe a word of Loghain's lies about the Wardens, although he did warn her that keeping a low profile was in her own best interests, and said something about having his hands full with enough problems. Elissa, being Elissa, asked if there was anything she might do to assist, and he told her about some problems being reported at the Pearl. Some group of mercenaries called the White Falcons had more or less set up shop and were driving the proprietess batty. She promised to take care of it as peacefully as possible, and it's not like we weren't going there anyway.

So that was our first order of business, once we located the Pearl. We went in a small group - Elissa and I with Morrigan and Zevran. Wynne wanted to take a turn watching Brother Genitivi (actually, she went over and visited with him for a while), and Sten somewhat reluctantly accompanied Leliana to the Wonders of Thedas shop. I have to write down what he said because it was just so funny. "Wonders of Thedas? What does that mean? Do they sell geography questions?"

The White Falcons were easy enough to dispatch. Elissa confronted the leader, who mistook her for - of all things - one of Arl Howe's men. I can only imagine what a terrible taste that left in her mouth, but she went along with the deception because it meant that the mercenaries left without a fight.

Zevran, meanwhile, had his attention caught by a woman in another part of the main room. At first I thought he was, um, partaking of the local custom, but he quickly explained that this was someone he knew - the pirate Isabela. He was willing enough to introduce us, but at the moment, the lady was otherwise occupied, by which I mean she was participating in a minor brawl.

Elissa asked the proprietess about where to find the 'friends of the Grey Wardens' that were mentioned on the poster. The woman immediately assumed an unpleasant expression, and directed us to a locked room toward the back of the building. Elissa knocked, and was prompted for the password.

"Um... the griffons will rise again?" she guessed.

"Enter."

The door opened, and we moved inside to find ourselves confronting a few soldiers. I guess I shouldn't really have been too surprised that it was a trap; it did seem too good to be true. One of the soldiers immediately began to exult that they'd captured more supporters of the Grey Wardens, but the lone female in the bunch advised him to take a better look. "That's a Grey Warden," she said. "She's the one Arl Howe's been looking for!"

Well, that answered my question about how long it would take for Loghain to try again to kill us.

The soldier woman continued ranting about how they were in the employ of Howe and it was all perfectly legal for them to kill us and I don't remember everything she said. At this point, I think I've grown a little tired of describing fights. The fact that I'm updating this record in perfect calmness should be proof enough that we won, they're all dead, and Loghain and Howe will have to find some other tactic.

Truthfully, I was more interested by our interactions with Isabela, when we returned to the main room. Her fight was over, she was sitting calmly playing cards, and greeted Zevran like an old friend. Elissa complimented her on her fighting style and even sat down to play a few hands of her card game, though she lost every one. I kind of think Isabela may have cheated - she is a pirate - but Elissa took it in stride. She didn't even bat an eye when Isabela called her "sweet thing," although I certainly sat up a little straighter.

We left the Pearl some little while later and ran into a man whom Elissa introduced as Sergeant Kylon. He congratulated her on getting the White Falcons to leave the brothel without incident, but the friendly meeting was interrupted by the mercenaries' captain showing up and demanding an apology. "No one gives orders to my boys but me!" There was no avoiding that fight, which Kylon and his men joined as well, and we trounced them pretty handily between us all. Once it was over, Kylon gave Elissa an amused sort of look.

"And people actually attack you voluntarily?" he asked.

She smiled, and shrugged modestly. "I suppose I don't look all that intimidating. But you'd think that my friends here would make people hesitate."

"Well, in any case, I'm grateful." He gave her a pouch of coins. "I may have another task for you, if you're willing."

"What's that?"

"There's a bunch of louts who've taken up space at the Gnawed Noble Tavern, and if you could dislodge them, I think the landlady would thank you."

"It's hardly out of our way - we're all staying there for at least another night," she replied. "We can take care of it on the way back to our rooms."

Pretty talking, but the truth was that when we got to the tavern, Elissa - for the first time in all the months I've known her - seemed to have absolutely no idea how to deal with the drunken sods who called themselves the Crimson Oars. Any attempt at persuasion was shot down by the leader, who just kept yelling for more ale. "We like it here! We've got good coin and we'll keep spending it!"

She looked at the rest of us, perplexed. "I don't know what to do," she admitted quietly. "I know Kylon said we could rough them up a bit if necessary, but I'd rather avoid that. But he's so drunk I don't think he's hearing much of anything I say."

I was at a loss myself, and Morrigan certainly wasn't offering any suggestions; she was being so quiet, in fact, that for a few minutes I forgot she was even there. I guess it's lucky that Zevran was with us. "My dear Warden," he said to Elissa, "would you permit me?"

"If you've got a plan, Zevran, be my guest."

He sidled up to the leader of the Oars. "Good fellow," he said in the silkiest voice I've heard him use yet, "why would you waste your time here when there are establishments near the docks that will better tend to your needs? Where the ale flows freely and the women are... shall we say... friendlier?"

Elissa looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole. The Oars leader, however, threw his head back and made a sound that was some sort of cross between a hearty laugh and a belch. "Aye! You make a good point, elf! Landlady, you and your maids are too old and cross! Come on, boys, to the docks - let's find us some wenches!"

They more or less poured themselves out of the tavern, and Zevran returned to us with a grin on his painted features. "Well?"

"I'm not sure I approve of your methods," Elissa said with a weak chuckle. "But I can't deny that they were effective. That was neatly done."

He offered a half-bow that was only slightly mocking. "I told you that I have my uses."

"I never doubted that for a moment."

Something's up.

Wynne came back from her visit with Genitivi, and I heard her remarking to Elissa that they'd had a very nice long conversation about different things. One of the subjects was apparently about their regrets, which I wouldn't have expected Wynne to really have, but it would seem that she does. The two of them were still sitting by the fire and talking in hushed voices when I came up to my room.

It's pretty late, who's that at the door?

Right, I guess I should have figured it would be Elissa. She looked very serious indeed, and for a moment, I was worried. "I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong, love?"

"Nothing, exactly, I just... would you do something for me?"

"Anything in the world. Though now I'm wondering if I should have asked you to be more specific before I answered you."

She smiled. "It's nothing very bad. I want to make a quick trip back to the Brecilian forest before we go to Orzammar, and I'd like you to come."

"The forest? Whatever for?"

"Well, it's Wynne." She explained that Wynne had told her about a student mage she'd had many years ago, when she was still pretty young herself. The mage was an elf - Aneirin was his name - and she'd been so hard on him that he'd ultimately run away from the Circle of Magi. I didn't quite get the straight of how he did that without them tracking him down through his phylactery, but apparently the Templars had gone hunting for him and refused to tell Wynne if they'd found him alive or not. "She seems pretty convinced that he's dead," Elissa concluded, "but I thought it would be nice to give her some closure, if we can."

"It's for you and Wynne? Of course I'll go."

"Thank you, dear. I think we can leave most of the rest of the group here," she continued. "It's only about a day's walk to the elven encampment, if we leave at first light, and we'll move faster with fewer numbers. I'll bring Toby along, and I'd like to invite Zevran to join us as well."

"How come?" That seemed a little strange to me.

"He told me his mother was Dalish - that was why I brought him the gloves when we were there the first time - and I think he might find it interesting to see how they live."

Makes sense, I guess. "Whatever you like. You'd better get some sleep then."

"I will, as soon as I speak to both of them."

She gave me a kiss and wished me pleasant dreams. "Promise me you'll be in them and they will be," I replied.

"Oh, you." Her eyes danced a bit. I'm still not very good with the whole wooing thing, but Maker knows I do try, and she loves me so I must be doing something right.