Shadow and Rose
by Lady Norbert
A/N: This chapter was initially intended to center around Shale's sidequest, but Alistair is so tired right now - seriously, his voice in my head sounds absolutely exhausted - that I thought it was actually more in-character to have him essentially gloss over the details and push ahead to get to their return to Ferelden proper.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Key to the City
Key to the city of Orzammar: a traditional diplomatic boon granted by the Assembly, in acknowledgement of the bearer's understanding of the complex dwarven social weave.
I wonder if it will ever be possible to sleep enough to recover from everything that's happened in the last several months. Elissa should certainly sleep for a week at least, if she ever gets the chance; she has to be even more tired than I am, and believe me, that's saying something. And Wynne - I've been trying to convince Wynne to let me carry her sometimes, because in her condition she's got to be worn to the bone. She doesn't give in, though.
Anyway, we visited the place where Shale apparently lived back when she was a dwarf, and then we made our way back to Orzammar proper. I don't have a lot to say about that; we didn't encounter much in the way of obstacles or enemies, which felt almost like a vacation compared to what we had to deal with on the way to the Anvil.
When we stopped to rest, we did a lot of talking amongst ourselves. For one thing, we had to determine who was going to be named king, since Caridin had pretty much forced us - forced Elissa - into making that choice. She was relying a lot on Oghren, as a resident of Orzammar, and he was pretty forthcoming about the differences between our candidates.
"Bhelen's an ass, right enough," he confirmed. "Everybody's pretty well convinced that he killed Trian and framed Duran for it. Or maybe he conned Duran into actually doing it. Most people figure he poisoned old Endrin too."
"You say this so calmly," said Wynne.
"Dwarven politics." He shrugged. "It's just the way the game is played. You telling me it's not the same topside?"
"Not exactly, no... or at least, not usually," Elissa said with a frown. "Lately, though..."
"Well, in any case, he's an ass, like I say. But, to be fair to his High and Mightiness, he doesn't really act too high and mighty," Oghren noted. "He's actually pretty decent to the casteless, which doesn't win him any popularity points in the Assembly but it does make him better liked by the common folk. Harrowmont, on the other hand, would probably wipe the casteless out or seal off the entrance to Dust Town if he had half the chance."
"But he seems so reasonable - he's such a nice person," I said.
"Sure he is, if your station's high enough. Oh, don't get me wrong, he means well." Oghren took a swig from his apparently bottomless flask. "And I wouldn't be surprised if Endrin really did say he wanted Harrowmont to take over for him, since by the end there wasn't any love lost between father and son. But you asked my opinion about who's best for Orzammar, and if those are my only two options, I have to say, it's probably Bhelen."
Had to leave off writing for a minute - Leliana was looking for Elissa and thought she might be in here with me. We're back at Tapster's, expecting to leave tomorrow morning, so I'm trying to get this journal caught up to the present. There wasn't much time for writing in the Deep Roads, and even though the return trip was quiet, I wasn't about to pull out this journal where Morrigan might see it. As far as I know she's still unaware of its existence and I'd like it to stay that way.
If I had to guess, Elissa's probably still talking to Oghren. Whenever we weren't discussing things as a group on the way back, that's usually what she was doing. I know she feels guilty about the fact that we had to kill his wife, and she was trying to help him deal with that. They also spent a bit of time talking about what Oghren would do next. From what she told me when we were able to talk privately, Oghren's a disgraced warrior here in Orzammar; I mentioned that already, I think. It seems that he was pretty highly regarded until he accidentally lost control and killed someone in a Proving, and ever since then he's been forbidden to carry a weapon within the city. Elissa explained that Oghren is a berserker, which is someone who sort of lives for fighting, and so to be restricted that way was torture for him. Probably why he drinks so much, come to think about it. And then his wife up and left him on top of that... yeah, I'd turn to the bottle too.
Anyway, the long and short of that is that when we leave tomorrow and get back up to the fresh air and sunshine (which I never knew I could miss so much), Oghren's coming with us. I need to ask Elissa sometime if she used to feed a lot of Highever's cats when she was younger; adopting strays just seems to be something she does. She made the offer, and he says he's got nothing left for himself here in Orzammar, with Branka and their whole house dead and gone, so he might as well. She said he seemed grateful for the offer and even perked up when she asked if he'll teach her more about berserking when we're in open spaces again.
So we got back to city. Wynne, Morrigan and Shale headed back to Tapster's, to let the others know we'd returned in one piece, while Elissa, Oghren and I headed to the Assembly. As some attendant showed us in, Bhelen and Harrowmont were arguing and demanding a vote.
"Well, Warden," said Bhelen, "what news do you bring?" Both he and Harrowmont were studying us with sort of narrowed eyes; I think that might have been the first time they'd realized there were two of us, and that we'd - well, to them it probably didn't look very good, really.
"I bring a crown," she said, "forged by the Paragon Caridin on the Anvil of the Void."
"Caridin was trapped in the body of a golem," Oghren added. "These Wardens granted him the mercy he sought, releasing him and destroying the Anvil of the Void. Before he died, Caridin forged a crown for Orzammar's next king, chosen by the ancestors themselves!"
"I would like to believe Oghren's word," said Harrowmont, "but it's well known that the Grey Warden is Bhelen's hireling!"
"No more than this other Grey Warden is yours," Bhelen replied. "These topsiders have been playing both sides against the middle, Harrowmont, isn't that obvious?"
"We have done what we have done in the interest of remaining objective," said Elissa. "We are not natives of Orzammar; we had no way of knowing who could best be trusted. You both consented to an audience with a Grey Warden, and that is what you both received."
"Enough!" said the steward, Bandelor. He accepted the crown from Elissa and studied it closely. "This crown is of Paragon make," he confirmed, "and bears House Ortan's ancient seal. Tell us, Warden, whom did Caridin choose?"
"The Paragon chose Prince Bhelen," she replied. Not exactly truthful, but it's what we agreed she would say - Oghren said that if the candidates knew the choice had been left to an outsider, it would spark an outrage that might never be controlled.
Harrowmont looked grave; Bhelen, delighted. "At last, this farce is ended," he said. "I can take my rightful place on my father's throne!"
The coronation was held immediately, with all the deshyrs pounding their staves on the stone floor in what I guessed was some kind of traditional rhythm. Bhelen came down the stairs from where he stood, and knelt before Bandelor so he could be crowned. "Let the Memories find you worthy," said Bandelor, "first amidst the lords of the houses, the King of Orzammar."
Bhelen's first act as king was to turn and ask Harrowmont if he acknowledged him as king, which Harrowmont did. To our horror, his second act as king was to order Harrowmont's arrest, pending execution! "Your Majesty, please," said Elissa. "Harrowmont is an honorable dwarf and your father's friend. Please don't do this. Let him retire in peace."
"You know better than anyone the war facing us, Warden," Bhelen told her. "Orzammar cannot afford to be divided. Anyone undermining my reign is serving only the darkspawn."
"Then let him be exiled," she begged. "On the surface he can surely do you no harm."
"I thank you, Warden," said Harrowmont heavily, "for you mean this kindly. But I would prefer death to exile. At least I can face my ancestors, knowing that I did my best, and the Stone will receive me."
Harrowmont was taken away, and Bhelen informed us that he was returning to the palace to gather his generals and prepare for the surface. He told us to come and see him there in the morning, so that he can thank us properly for his throne, and then he left.
It was late and we were exhausted, so we headed back here to Tapster's, but Elissa insisted on stopping to see Ruck's mother before we entered. Filda wasn't far away, and Elissa didn't want her to endure another moment of wondering what had become of her son. It was a painful lie to tell, but it's what Ruck had requested, and it gave Filda peace.
Oghren got his proper introduction to the group over breakfast. He's about as cheerfully lecherous as Zevran, judging by the way he leers at Morrigan and Leliana. He and Zevran are actually pretty funny together, to be honest. They sort of sized each other up for a minute, and then Zevran said, "Hello, my stocky little friend!"
"Huh. You got small breasts for a gal," said Oghren.
"Ah. This is where we begin the typical dwarven/elven rivalry, is it?"
"Nahhh."
Oghren's tolerably respectful of Elissa and also of Sten, probably because he only comes up to about Sten's knees and doesn't want to get kicked across the country. Of me, not so much. "So. You and the boss, huh?" Whereupon he launched into a litany of the strangest euphemisms I've ever heard. That he figured out Elissa and I are a couple doesn't bother me, but his choice of words is colorful, to say the least.
"Are you just making these up right now?" I asked finally.
"Nope. Been saving 'em." And he laughed.
Most of the group stayed behind at Tapster's to pack up our gear, and Oghren went back to wherever he's been living to get his things. But Toby (who is apparently starting to grow annoyed at being left behind so much, according to his mistress) and I went with Elissa to finish up some things here in Orzammar. First and foremost, of course, we had to drop in on King Bhelen and accept his thanks for getting him on the throne. He presented Elissa with a warhammer that he said had belonged to his eldest brother, and promised to send as many troops as possible to aid with the Blight.
"I would also ask a boon," she said. "Oghren was of great help in our search for the Paragon, and if I may be blunt, Your Majesty, he's rather miserable here in Orzammar. With your permission, he has expressed an interest in joining my group and living on the surface."
"Oh, by all means, take him. He'll do you more good than he can do here."
"Thank you." I know my Elissa; she doesn't like Bhelen. But she's a royalist, even if he's not her king, and she kept a civil tongue in her head.
From there we went to the Shaperate, where we had the more pleasant task of delivering the lost Ortan documents into Orta's hands. She was thrilled - they were exactly the proof she had been seeking, and she could petition for the return of her noble house's place in the Assembly. She pressed some gold into Elissa's hands and tried to promise more, but Elissa shook her head. "Your happiness is thanks enough."
While we were in the Shaperate, the Shaper himself came to thank us for restoring some kind of order to Orzammar. She gave him a tracing she had taken of the monument where we found Shale's name in the old Cadash Thaig. In return, he presented Elissa with a ring he called the Key to the City, saying it was an honor reserved for outsiders who had come to grasp a firm understanding of Orzammar's culture. "The only other recipient of this in living memory is your scholar, Brother Genitivi. You are a rare topsider, Warden, and Orzammar is in your debt. You will always be welcome here; the Memories ensure that you will never be forgotten."
Once we were all together again, the nine of us - nine companions, and we started as just two (plus the dog) so long ago - made our way back through the city, through the big entrance hall, and outside. We stood there for a few minutes, blinking at the brightness of the sunshine and just smelling the air. "Are you all right, Oghren?" Elissa asked.
"Give me a moment," he mumbled.
"Of course. Take your time."
"By the Stone, I feel like I'm about to fall off the world with all that sky up there." He squinted up at it. "All right. I'll get used to it; let's go."