Alistair had talked me in to going back to arl Eamon, first, to get everything situated on that end. I complied, only because I knew either he or someone else would follow us and only end up being more of a hindrance than a help. Plus, it would help to have a layout of the dungeons, so we could be better prepared for guard patrols and nonsense such as that.
"The queen has been kidnapped."
I smacked myself in the face, causing eyebrows to raise, "You're kidding me."
"This is Erlina. She's-"
An elven woman stepped forward, "I am Queen Anora's handmaiden. She sent me here to ask for your help."
"Or perhaps the young lady prefers to speak for herself."
"Why would Anora ask us for help?" I asked with every ounce of pleasantry I still possessed. Admittedly, it wasn't much.
"The queen, she is in a difficult position. She loved her husband, no? And trusted her father to protect him. When he returns with no king and only dark rumors, what is she to think? She worries, no? But when she tries to speak with him, he does not answer. He tells her 'not to trouble herself'." The whole thing had been rehearsed, and poorly so.
"I'm still not seeing where 'our' help comes in." I pushed.
"She goes to Howe. A visit from the queen to the new arl of Denerim is only a matter of courtesy. And she demands answers."
"Just, please, get to the point of this story. My patience is kind of wearing thin. Not sure if you can see that."
"They now know she is a threat to her father's power. I think... her life is in danger. I heard Howe say she would be a greater ally dead than alive. Especially if her death could be blamed on Arl Eamon."
"Would Loghain kill his own daughter to frame Eamon?" I rubbed my temples.
"We may have no choice but to trust Anora. The queen is well-loved. If Loghain succeeded in pinning her death on me... I'm not sure that's a risk we can afford to take."
"You're right. We have to help." I ground out through clenched teeth. This headache was killing me. It had suddenly started pounding after we walked in. I suppose suppressing a vision wasn't helping anything.
"I have some uniforms. Arl Howe hires so many new guards every day, a few more will not cause much stir. I will show you to the servants' entrance. We must slip in and out with my queen before anyone is the wiser. I will go ahead to Howe's estate. Meet me there as soon as you can."
She left with her head bowed, as if suffering great pain emotionally. Liar.
Arl Eamon opened his mouth, but I held up a hand, "I have a headache. I won't hear a word you say. I barely paid attention to that woman."
"Erlina."
"Mhm." I waved my hand as I backed out of the room.
Hands guided me to a room, and I felt myself being pushed down on to a comfy chair. Then the magic took me, and I was watching as someone named Ser Cauthrien appeared out of what seemed to be thin air to arrest me and my fellow Grey Wardens for kidnapping the queen. Anora, that frigid bitch, told her that she had been minding her own business, when we'd barged in and threatened her. We'd kidnapped her. Not Loghain.
The vision replayed itself several times, until I realized what I was missing; Ser Cauthrien only arrested the Wardens present.
"That's it!" I yelled, jumping up.
"Aaaaa!" Leliana and Morrigan screamed together. I joined them, forgetting someone had brought me to this room.
The library, I gathered as my eyes roamed.
"What did you see?" the witch glared at me, pretending to be affronted by my scare.
"Zevran and I are going to save the queen from evil arl Rendon Howe."
"Just the two of you? But what about us? Surely, we can help." Leliana sounded hurt.
I shook my head, giving her a gentle look, "No. You guys all need to be here, keeping Alistair safe from possible attacks and making sure the city keeps running. You two can come with us as far as just before the castle, okay?"
"Oh, that reminds me. Here." the bard handed me an envelope, "Someone gave this to me to give to you."
I opened it and skimmed the letter, "Leli, would you go to the Gnawed Noble Tavern and steal something for me?"
"What?"
"It's from Loghain. It's... his crown." I grinned up at her, "Someone wants it, and I'll be busy with the queen and all that. Can I count on you?"
"Steal from Loghain?" Her eyes lit up, "Only because you asked so sweetly, of course. Ordinarily, I would never think of such a thing."
"Perfect. Well, I'm off to find Zev." I stretched a little, walking toward the door.
"I am here." He said, waiting for me in the hallway.
...
Zevran murmured, "I have a bad feeling. I will hide in the shadows to scout ahead."
We took a side alley, not wanting to run in to the trouble he'd feared we might. Of course, we ran smack in to it.
"And so here is the mighty Grey Warden at long last. The Crows send their greetings, once again." A man with an accent much like Zevran's stepped in to view. "And where is Zevran? I don't see him with you. How very disappointing."
"I didn't bring him. Obviously." I sounded bored.
"Hmm. Then I shall need to seek him out once we are done."
"Here I am, Taliesen." the assassin walked forward, revealing himself. "Tell me, were you sent? Or did you volunteer for the job?"
"Oh, ho! And he makes an appearance!" the man chortled, "I volunteered, of course. When I heard that the great Zevran had gone rogue, I simply had to see it for myself."
"Is that so? Well, here I am, in the flesh."
"You can return with me, Zevran. I know why you did this, and I don't blame you. It's not too late. Come back, and we'll make up a story. Anyone can make a mistake." Taliesen's voice grew cajoling.
"Zevran doesn't need the Crows any longer." I rolled my eyes.
"Oh? Does Zevran need to live?" My eyes had never rolled so hard before.
"I suspect I will manage just fine, Taliesen." Zevran agreed with me, "I'm sorry, my old friend. But the answer is no. I'm not coming back... and you should have stayed in Antiva."
Without further ado, Taliesen and his men attacked. Leliana and Morrigan took many down, with me killing any who got too close to them, but I prevented them from killing the leader. It was our assassin against theirs, and I knew who would win. I wasn't afraid at all.
Zevran waited patiently, anticipating a chink in the other man's defenses, and he was rewarded. His dagger embedded itself in flesh, slicing through the organs in the stomach. Taliesen bled out, collapsing to the ground.
"And there it is. Taliesen is dead, and I am free of the Crows." I felt bad at the heartbroken expression on his face, "They will assume that I am dead along with Taliesen. So long as I do not make my presence known to them, they will not seek me out."
"That's a good thing, right?" I asked cautiously.
"A very good thing. It is, in fact, what I had hoped for ever since you decided not to kill me. I have enjoyed our company, but I am wondering if it is not time for me to leave. That would be the practical thing to do, no? There is a freedom awaiting me that I have never known. But I suppose the decision is yours. Will you let me go?"
My heart stopped. What about... A piece of me died, but I nodded, "I wish you would stay. I need your help. But if you want to go... you're free of the oath you made."
"Do you? Hmm. I suppose there are worse things I could do with my time than save the world..."
"I... I ask you to stay as a friend." My eyes threatened to water, but I held it at bay. Now was not the time to burst in to tears.
The elf chuckled, "And who could resist such a request? Very well, I will not abandon you. Let us return to the task at hand, then. There is still much to be done, yes?"
I controlled my emotions, debating whether or not to throttle him later. I would hold off for now. We reached the gates to the arl's estate soon after that scene.
"Alright. This is where we part." I nodded to Leliana and Morrigan.
They nodded back. Morrigan had a look of suspicion on her face, and I stuck out my tongue. She left with Leliana, glowering the whole time.
"Good. Let's go save us a scheming queen." I waited until we were out of earshot from any eavesdroppers before telling him what I had seen.
"Over here!" a voice whispered. Erlina stood by a lone tree, not acting suspicious at all. No, not her. She waited until we got closer. "The servants' entrance is on the other side of the house. We must slip past this crowd to reach it. We will have to be very careful: Arl Howe is inside."
As I was surveying the gathering of protesters outside the doors, I couldn't help but feel slightly bad that the Couslands wouldn't be there when I killed Howe.
"Howe's here?" Zevran asked.
"Yes. And wherever he goes, a great many guards go with him." As if that would deter me.
"Let's go." I ordered, tired of waiting.
"I will be right behind you."
"I was talking to Zevran. You go wait with your queen." I gave her a look, "I can't pass for a guard. We'll find our own way in. Wouldn't want to get hurt, or die, if we're spotted, would you?"
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head, "I'll... go ahead of you and wait."
"Good girl." I flashed a smile, which quickly turned wolfish when she was gone, "C'mon. We're going in with her."
I held out my hand, and he took it, knowing how I was going to go about this. In a matter of seconds, we were invisible and running silently across the grass.
"We walked past the queen's handmaiden." the elf observed.
I nodded, giving a shrug of my shoulders, "She's not important right now. She'll betray us no matter what we do. There's probably a mage behind her imprisonment, anyway, and they'll probably be with Howe, to make sure nothing bad happens to either of them. Find one, find the other."
"I love the way you think, my dear."
Before we knew it, we were in the dungeons.
"Keep an eye out for prison cells." I muttered quietly.
"What? Who goes there?!" A guard called out, having heard me.
The man in the hold behind him grabbed him around the neck and snapped his neck.
I blinked in surprise. That wasn't something you saw every day. I watched as the body was dragged closer to the man and the door swung open. He'd pilfered the key.
"I thank you for creating such distraction, stranger. I have been waiting days for the opportunity." Riordan walked out of the cell, dressed in the dead man's armor, "You can come out of the shadows, now."
I was so... the magic slipped from me, and we were visible.
"Do you think you could-You? I feared you were not real." His eyes held recognition. Had he seen me when I was in the vision? How would that even be possible? "I'm Riordan, senior Warden of Jader, but born and bred in Highever and glad to be home."
"How did the arl capture you?" I was more than a little befuddled.
"With an offer of hospitality and a poisoned chalice. I was fool enough to think Loghain didn't yet know who I was."
"Yeah, he has this thing against us. Have you seen Howe?"
"I saw him go in to the dungeons. He may still be there."
"Thanks. Now, we need to keep going, but you should go. The arl of Redcliffe is here, and he's on our side. There's a Landsmeet going on, and they're deciding who the ruler should be. Alistair, have you met him, is there. Arl Eamon wants to put him on the throne instead of Anora." I tugged on Zevran's hand, pulling him with me as we skirted the other Warden, "We can talk later."
"Good luck... Sister."
We pushed onward, going deeper and deeper in to the dungeons. Torture chambers galore, down there. We slew everyone in our path who dared to raise weapons against us.
We found and freed Oswyn, the noble who'd been kidnapped and tortured.
"Was this supposed to be a lesson? Did my father think it funny to leave me for so long before sending you?"
"Who are you?" I asked him.
"Then... my father didn't send you? I am Oswyn, son of Bann Sighard, of the Dragon's Peak Bannorn." He looked bewildered, "If you aren't one of our soldiers, pray tell me, who should I be thanking for my rescue?"
"I am Anastasia, here for the rightful king Alistair." I lied. I was here of my own accord, but he need not know it.
"Maric's bastard? Then I need not question why you're here, for your friend's claim to the throne is the greatest threat to Loghain's regime. You have my heartfelt gratitude and, I assume, the gratitude of the entire Dragon's Peak Bannorn. If my father sent no one after me, I can only assume that he does not yet know the true colors of the snakes he has allied with. But if you talk to him, I'm certain he would off you any reward you might ask."
"Will your father side against Loghain at the Landsmeet?"
"Then there is a Landsmeet after all? Howe said the Arl of Redcliffe was dead, and the Landsmeet called off. I swear, if there be any forum to speak out against Loghain, my father will be there. Now, please, I must try to get to him. I... I cannot see the last of this place too soon..." He started for the door, but I stopped him.
"You could put on one of their armors. It'll be easier for you to get out, than... underwear."
He nodded, finding the wisdom in my words and quickly began stripping one of the bodies. We left him to it.
Found a mad man and set him free, even though Zevran warned me against it because the man was clearly insane.
"They're sounding the horns for retreat. Do you hear it? Do you hear the dogs howling?" he asked us, holding the bars that separated us, "They said to retreat. The horn sounded and we turned and then the screams... We rode and they screamed and screamed and-"
He'd been at Ostagar. He'd been one of Cailan's soldiers.
"Shh. It's alright." I murmured.
"Mother, can you smell the blood? They said it was only darkspawn, but we ate them, too." my stomach soured, "They died and we left them. In the swamp. The witch. The witch!"
"He's obviously mad." the elf whispered, "I don't think you'll get anything more out of him."
"You're free now. Go somewhere safe." I unlocked the cell door.
"Safe. Is there a safe? Perhaps next door..."
"What if he hurts someone in his delirium?" the whispering in my ear was annoying.
"I don't think he'll hurt anyone. Trust my intuition."
He fell silent as we watched the man hobble away.
"Soris." I stopped in front of his cell and deftly unlocked it, slowly taking him in. He'd seen better days, that was for sure. Who even knew how long he'd been down here?
"What month is it? Are you some enemy of Arl Urien's? Wait... Anastasia? Please... I feel like I've spent half my life down here."
"Why were you imprisoned down here?" I asked, frowning.
"It all goes back to the wedding. They arrested me after you took Kallian away."
My hands clenched in to fists, and I wanted to punch something, "You should get back to the Alienage. Shianni has been worried sick about you, and the 'plague' that supposedly started is gone now. The 'plague' being Tevinter, in origin. Tevinter and Loghain."
"Be careful down here. I saw a group of guards walking with a man and a mage."
"They're who we're after, actually. Thanks for the tip."
I walked backward, watching as the elf slowly crept along the hallway, moving away from us.
Eventually, we found Howe, his mage, and his guards. All hiding in one room. How nice of him, to gather everyone we were hunting.
The door flung open, and we stepped inside the small room.
"Well, well. The Grey Warden." Arl Rendon Howe stood, waiting for us, his arms crossed, "I must say I'm surprised Eamon would condone you invading my castle and murdering my men. Is he losing faith in the persuasive powers of his Landsmeet?" The man was arrogance personified.