Author's Note: So, this chapter has one of Alistair's more infamous exchanges with the Warden. I was never pleased with how few options you're given in-game to respond to this pretty drastic turn-of-events. You can basically be really nice or really flippant, but what about those of us who just want to freak out a little? Bleh. Anywho. As always, thank you to those of you following and reviewing, it is greatly appreciated!
Chapter 24 - Just The Prince Thing
Serena walked along beside the Feddic's wagon, enjoying, for the first time in ages, the smell of the salt water from Lake Calenhad, her mabari beside her. The road was thankfully empty save for a few other merchant caravans that Bodahn waved to enthusiastically. Morrigan was asleep in their wagon, with Leliana sitting along the back, lightly strumming her lute.
Sten, despite staying up on watch duty the last two nights, seemed decidedly untired, and walked along with the wagon on the opposite side. He was still dressed in simple, albeit large, peasant garments, and Serena hoped to find some sort of armor that would fit his massive frame at Redcliffe village. If she was lucky, perhaps even a sword, although his stunt with crushing the frozen darkspawn was proof the qunari was just as deadly with his fists as with any weapon.
If they hadn't been on their way to secure men from the arl for army, they could have been a band of traveling minstrels, or wandering adventurers, moving from town to town, enjoying Ferelden's beautiful countryside. The Frostback Mountains laid further ahead, and sight of their snowy peaks made Serena's hands itch with want to draw in her journal. She hoped Redcliffe castle had a study...
Alistair, however, had been strangely subdued all morning. The closer they seemed to get to Redcliffe, the quieter he became. He walked in silence behind Serena, her only way of knowing he was even there was the sound of his scabbard tapping against his splint mail armor. She wracked her brain thinking of something she could have done to upset him, but her mind kept coming back empty.
She heard a quick shuffle of steps, and then he was beside her. "Hi. Um... I know I've been... a bit weird, this morning..."
Serena glanced at him, not sure what to say. At least he knew he was acting strangely.
"Look... could we talk... for a moment?" Alistair gently pulled Serena to the side of the road. She nodded, waving to the wagon.
"We're nearly to Redcliffe, you go on ahead and we'll meet you all at that bridge, alright?" she called to Leliana. The bard nodded, hoping off the wagon and climbing up next to Bodahn at the front. Serena could see her explaining the situation and was thankful for her ability to simply do things without making a fuss about the why and rolling her eyes, like Morrigan would have.
Serena turned back to Alistair. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I... I need to tell you something," Alistair said nervously. "I, uh, should probably have told you earlier."
Oh, boy. Serena breathed deeply, trying to keep control of her face. He wasn't going to talk about them, was he? Because as much as she liked him, and she really, really liked him, this was just... not the time. Then another thought came to her. Oh, Maker, what if he's married or something? He's going to tell me he has a wife waiting for him in Redcliffe! Wait, that didn't make any sense... he's said Duncan had taken him right out of the monastery. So then... what was this about?
"Am I... am I going to like this announcement?" Serena asked, her heart sinking fast.
"I don't know. I doubt it. I've never liked it, that's for sure." Alistair's hazel eyes looked into hers and for a moment he looked pained. So this was... not about them? Serena didn't know if she should be relieved or not. The look on his face had her leaning towards not.
"I told you before how Arl Eamon raised me, right? That my mother was a serving girl at the castle and he took me in?"
"More or less, yes..." Serena was completely confused. Where was this going?
"The reason he did that was..." Alistair paused, taking a big breath. "Well... my father was... King Maric. Which made Cailan my... half-brother, I suppose."
"Wait. Wait, wait, wait." Serena held up a hand, shushing him. She started to pace back and forth along the road, trying to sort out what he'd just told her. "So when you said the other day you were just a bastard stable boy... you weren't alluding to your temperament, huh? Your... your father was King Maric? The king of Ferelden, was your father?" She knew she was babbling now, but she couldn't help it, her shock was so complete.
"Yes," Alistair said quietly. "I know I should have told you sooner, but-"
"You're a prince. A prince." Serena pulled on her braid in frustration, unable to control herself. "You're a prince? Why didn't you... I thought you were going to say... anything else! I thought maybe Eamon was your father and that's why you were... being so weird! Or you had some secret wife in Redcliffe and you were going to tell me off! Oh, Maker, I am so stupid... How did I not see this?"
"A secret what? You thought I was married?" Alistair couldn't help the laugh that burst out of him. "You really thought I was married and hiding it from you?"
"You hid being a prince!" Serena shouted. "Is it really more of a stretch than you being a... I can't believe this..." She felt faint.
"Serena, please," Alistair said gently, reaching out to her. "I just wanted you to know... It really doesn't matter, does it?"
She turned on Alistair, her hands shaking. "Y-your father was King Maric! And you are a prince!" Serena was breathing heavy now, completely overcome by emotion. How many times had she thought she was simply embarrassing herself in front of a fellow Grey Warden? Oh no, this particular Grey Warden was the heir to the throne of Ferelden. She felt her face flush anew.
"Oh, Maker..." Serena put her face in her hands and felt tears forming at her eyes. "I am so sorry, your... what do I call you now? Your Highness? Your Majesty? My liege?" She dropped to her knees, ducking her head. "I feel like such a fool."
"Serena..." Alistair got down on one knee beside her, his arms closing around her. "I... I would have told you, but... it never really meant anything to me. I was... inconvenient, a possible threat to Cailan's rule and so they kept me secret." He held her tightly, willing her to look up at him. "Serena... I've never talked about it to anyone. Just... just you."
She looked up and Alistair was heartbroken to see a tear slip down her face. "Everyone who knew either... resented me for it, or they coddled me... even Duncan kept me out of the fighting because of it."
"D-duncan knew, too?" Serena whispered, another tear sliding out. "Of c-course he did, that's... that's what you meant, wasn't it? When you said 'I know what this is really about'. Oh, Maker, I am so stupid. How can you even stand to be near me? I must be the dumbest girl in the entire realm."
"Serena, you aren't stupid. I... didn't want you to know, for as long as possible. I thought you would... I just... wanted you to like me... to know me for me, not as some prince." Alistair stroked her hair, wishing he could make her stop shaking. "I'm sorry, but I thought-"
"Thought what? That it'd be funny to see me make a fool of myself?" Serena wiped at her face, her body slowly calming down from the rush of adrenaline. "I... we... I like you, Alistair, and I can't... I can't do that anymore. You're a prince."
"So? You're a teyrn's daughter," Alistair insisted, his hand coming to rest on her cheek. His thumb rubbed small circles into her skin, and she wished more than anything she could just melt into his embrace. Why was he making this so hard? Didn't he understand what this meant for them? "I like you, Serena. A lot. Prince or not, it doesn't mean we can't be... friends."
"Friends," Serena repeated. "Right." The word sounded so hollow to her and she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at him. As if people who were meant to be friends carried on the way they did. She'd never felt like this about... anyone. She pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. "I... so can I still call you Alistair?"
"You can call me anything you like, my lady," Alistair said, grinning at her. Serena felt a smile tug at her lips and she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Well, my prince, we should... probably head back... they'll be wondering about us, I bet." She stood up, straightening herself out. "I don't look like I've been punched in the face, do I?"
Alistair stood and stroked her hair, his hazel eyes scanning her slowly. "No, you look beautiful."
"You are a terrible liar." Serena flapped a hand at her face to cool her skin. "There aren't... any other secrets you've been keeping from me, are there?" she asked carefully, dusting off her leather armor.
"Besides my unholy love of fine cheeses and a minor obsession with my hair?" Alistair ran a hand through his blonde hair, smiling crookedly at her. "Nope, that's it. Just the prince thing."
"Ah, good, as long as it's just that little thing," Serena said, poking him in the ribs. "Let's... not keep secrets anymore, hmm?"
"Yes, no more secrets between us," Alistair said, and she could tell he was serious. "I'll tell you everything from now on, I promise."
They headed down the road into the valley together, moving quickly. The Feddic's wagon was ahead on the bridge that led into the village. Serena could see the huge figure of Sten standing near the wagon, talking to who she could only assume was Morrigan inside. Leliana was speaking with a man she didn't recognize on the bridge, Serena's mabari standing next to her.
"What do you think is going on? Are we being barred from entering the village?"
Alistair held up a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "I... don't know. That man looks to be a part of the town militia... He's armed, at least." They sprinted the rest of the way down the road to the wagon, catching up to Leliana and the militiaman.
"This is Tomas," Leliana said, waving to the auburn haired man blocking the bridge. "He says we shouldn't proceed into Redcliffe."
"Hey, you lot... I was just telling your friend here that the village isn't in any reasonable shape for villagers. Probably be best if you just turned 'round." The man had a quiver of arrows and a large bow strapped to his back. Serena noticed his clothing was torn in a few places.
"We have business with the arl," Serena answered. "We need help to fight the Blight."
The man shifted uncomfortably. "So you... don't know? Has nobody out there heard?"
"We've... heard Arl Eamon is sick, if that's what you mean?
"He could be dead, for all we know! Nobody's heard from the castle in days!" Tomas frowned, his reddish hair falling into his eyes. "We're under attack. M-monsters come out of the castle every night and attack us until dawn! Everyone's been fighting... and dying. We've no army to defend us, no arl, and no king to send us help. So many are dead, and those left are terrified they're next."
"What sort of... monsters?" Serena asked. "Darkspawn?"
"No, worse! I... I don't know what they are. Dead things! It's horrid." Serena saw the man shiver in memory. "Maybe... maybe you all could help? I should take you to Bann Teagan. He's all that's holding us together now... Everyone in the village is holed up in the Chantry..."
"Bann Teagan? Arl Eamon's brother? He's here?" Alistair turned to Serena. "He's bann of Rainesfere, it must be really bad if he's left his home to come here. Maybe he knows something about Eamon, too."
"Alright," Serena said, addressing the young militiaman. "Could you take us to Bann Teagan, then?"
Tomas nodded, leading their small caravan across the bridge and into the village. Redcliffe Village itself had obviously seen better days. Scorch marks covered many of the buildings… but from what, Serena had no idea. A pile of bodies burned in a heap near the shore of Lake Calenhad and a few men were standing nearby, tending the flames. A heavyset woman was sweeping what appeared to be bones from the Chantry's porch. Serena shivered involuntarily. What had happened here?
The thick stench of death and decay hung over the tiny lakeside village like an angry cloud, merciless in its unforgiving melancholy. Even the castle in Highever hadn't been as utterly without hope during the attack as this town appeared to be.
A few people were milling about outside the Chantry; their eyes equal parts lost and suspicious of their new faces. Serena could only hope they would be more obliging than the people of Lothering had been to their group.
Behind her, Serena heard Leliana praying under her breath, and she silently joined her in reciting the passage from the Canticle of Trials.
"Though all before me is shadow,
Yet shall the Maker be my guide.
I shall not be left to wander the drifting roads of the Beyond.
For there is no darkness in the Maker's Light
And nothing that He has wrought shall be lost."