Royal Secrets Revealed

The route to Redcliffe was quiet. It was strange, Narascha thought it would have been busy with people evacuating from the south of Ferelden, but there was hardly anyone around. Except for Sandal and his father Bodahn who were now tagging along.

"So you think this road should be busy?" Torph said.

"According to the map, yes," Narascha said, staring down at it as they walked down the road, Torph by her side.

"There have been rumours about monsters," Bodahn offered. "It might be why people are avoiding Redcliffe."

"Darkspawn here?" Torph frowned.

"Not darkspawn, undead creatures," Bodahn corrected. "That's what I've heard on the road anyhow. Take it for what it is."

"Undead creatures?" Alistair paled. "In Redcliffe?"

"That's odd, Redcliffe doesn't have any large crypts from what I'm aware of," Ciara mused.

"I bet Redcliffe is full of squishy people," Shale huffed.

"And undead apparently," Torph sighed. "Why can't we ever get something easy to kill?"

"I suspect it's just a rumour," Bodahn reassured. "If I've heard right Arl Eamon is ill, so maybe his people decided to spread that monster rumour to keep refugees away from him while he was in poor health."

Torph snorted. "I dunno, with the way our luck has gone lately I think those undead fucks probably ate the Arl or something."

Alistair flinched. "He'll be okay-"

"I don't understand why we're going to this man in the first place," Sten sneered. "We should face the Archdemon-"

Torph snorted. "Oh right, we'll just go slaughter our way through armies of darkspawn and murder a fucking dragon. That will be so easy! Why didn't our fellow Grey Wardens think of that in Ostagar?"

Narascha saw Alistair flinch again.

"We should just finish off gathering those treaties of yours and move on," Sten insisted.

"We don't have enough people to face all the darkspawn and the Archdemon," Narascha sighed. "Even with all the treaties. Nations and races came together to face the last set of Blights in the past. It has never just been down to one country before."

"Which puts us in a very difficult position," Ciara said softly. "I doubt there have ever been bounties on Grey Wardens during a Blight before. At least I've never heard of it happening."

"It's fucked up," Torph said.

Narascha grimaced. "We just have to do our best. Duncan and the others gave their lives so that we could defeat the Archdemon for them. We will do our best to honour them and all the people the darkspawn are currently murdering."

"Do you think they've reached Lothering yet...?" Alistair mumbled.

Ciara's gaze darkened. "If not they'll be very close."

Torph winced. "Poor fucks..."

"Maybe they all managed to evacuate in time," Alistair said hopefully.

Sten snorted.

"What?" Alistair glowered.

"You Grey Wardens are awfully naive."

"I think that's just him, big guy," Torph said.

"I want to be hopeful. Is that such a bad thing?" Alistair huffed.

"It is foolish," Sten said.

"And squishy," Shale added.

Narascha groaned. "Now I think I know how Duncan feels putting up with us."

Torph sniggered.

"I hope the others are getting on better than we are with the Dalish treaty," Ciara murmured.

"I'm hoping Lawrien hasn't accidentally set their forest on fire," Torph said.

Ciara shuddered. "It's a horrible possibility."

"I think Epona would stab her first," Narascha said, and paused. Was that supposed to be reassuring?

"If we're lucky Cobian managed to keep the peace?" Alistair offered.

"Pfft, more likely he's writing down the results of a forest fire right now," Torph sniggered.

"Leliana will hopefully keep the peace," Ciara said weakly.

"Would anyone in that group even listen to her?" Torph asked. "She's soft-"

"She's also a bard, don't underestimate that," Ciara said, and Narascha paused when Ciara sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Alistair, how long will you continue to fidget for?"

"Um..." Alistair looked queasy.

"If you need to be sick go throw up in a bush." Ciara put on her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, forcing their slow walk to a stop.

"I didn't even realise he was fidgeting," Narascha admitted.

"He's been trying to hold it back, but poor sod's been looking ready to vomit for the past half an hour now," Torph said.

"Such squishy things," Shale groaned. "Drunken fools used to puke on me when I was frozen in place, helpless. You better not puke on me."

"I'm not about to be sick!" Alistair protested, waving his hands. "I promise. It's just... Ciara, do you remember how I told you and Lawrien- though Lawrien probably wasn't listening- that Arl Eamon raised me right? That my mother was a serving girl in his castle?"

Torph rolled his eyes. "Course she'd remember."

Ciara nodded. "Yes. I remember that. It was quite the oddity. There aren't many nobleman who would raise a serving girl's child, many would assume the Arl had you out of wedlock-"

"No!" Alistair cried. "By the Maker, no."

Narascha shrugged. "Nothing to be upset about. It's kinda normal, at least for dwarven nobles. We've got to repopulate."

"Wedlock?" Sten blinked.

"Yeah, not married?" Torph raised a brow.

"I do not understand the word. Speak plainly."

"I'm not fucking explaining every single little thing to you like I'm your ma-"

"What is a ma?"

"We're off track here!" Alistair yelled. "No, Arl Eamon did not have me out of wedlock. I am not his child."

Ciara frowned. "Then what has you so distraught?"

Alistair sighed. "He cared for me because..." Alistair squirmed, and Narascha paused when she saw Ciara lay a hand on his shoulder. Alistair took it and squeezed it gently. "Well, my father is King Maric, which makes Cailan my half-brother I suppose..."

Narascha heard Torph choke beside her. Her mind was too busy racing to care. Alistair did look like King Maric. Eerily so in fact.

"Wonderful news," Shale said dryly. "And this affects us how?"

"No wonder you and Cailan looked so alike," Narascha said. "You're both copies of your father."

Alistair paused. "How do you know what?"

Narascha froze. "Uh... Portrait?"

"That sounded more like a question, Princess!" Torph cackled.

Alistair crossed his arms. "Why would a portrait of King Maric be in Orzammar?"

"Why not?"

"And Torph keeps calling you 'princess'. Are you some kind of high ranking noble?" Alistair's eyes narrowed.

Sten sighed. "How do you not know that your own Grey Warden is the Princess of Orzammar?"

"Wait! She really is a princess?" Alistair screeched.

Bodahn let out some kind of choking noise, while Narascha's heart skipped a beat. She barely noticed Torph's eyes narrowing, and how he shifted so he was more in front of her.

Narascha barely managed to speak up, her heart now hammering in her chest. "How would you even know that?"

"My people know the current rulers of your homes," Sten huffed "We have done our research. There is only one known dwarven woman by the name Narascha who fights as if she was a man. That is Princess Narascha Aeducan, the second child of the King of Orzammar."

Torph shrugged at her. Alistair was still stammering, blinking at her, then at Torph, then Ciara. Ciara who did not look bothered at all, only amused. Alistair's face flickered, confused, then he stared hard at Ciara.

"You knew?"

"I was there when she was recruited," Ciara chuckled.

"I was not expecting that..." Alistair groaned. "I... I don't know what to think right now. I've just revealed my biggest secret and another one comes to plough through me. Narascha, why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't you?" Narascha crossed her arms. "I didn't want to."

"Yes, but you're important-"

"And you're the last of the line of kings in Ferelden-"

"Don't tell me that!" Alistair cried.

"Like it or not, you are the last of the Theirin line."

"Oh no, no no no no no no!" Alistair shook his head so fast it was a wonder he didn't break his neck. "I am not the last line of anything. My mum was a maid! She worked in Arl Eamon's castle-"

"Yeah, I don't get that. Why did he take care of one of his maid's babies?" Torph raised a brow.

"Because his sister was Queen Rowan. He... He was trying to protect her honour after King Maric cheated on her."

"It wouldn't have been cheating considering the timeline," Ciara said. "Queen Rowan died before you were born."

Alistair groaned. "Not important right now, Ciara."

Ciara smiled sweetly.

"It doesn't matter if she was a maid," Narascha said. "You still have his blood, and blood is very important to many kingdoms."

"Like yours is?" Alistair scowled. "How come you aren't sitting somewhere safe and sound, waiting to sit down on your throne?"

Narascha winced. "I am in a similar situation to Cobian's to be honest..."

Alistair's brow furrowed. "Your uncle figure betrayed you and murdered your family? Because that's really bad, especially if that's happened twice-"

"My brother Bhelen murdered our eldest brother and put the blame on me, causing me to be exiled," Narascha said quickly, earning a horrified look. "I found and joined Duncan's expedition into the Deep Roads and became a Grey Warden. Ta da, there's my story."

"Ta da!" Alistair screeched. "That is all you have to say?"

Narascha shrugged. "What else would I say?"

"Your brother tried to kill you-"

"And he didn't manage it," Narascha said, and wished she felt as confident and nonchalant as her words were.

Bhelen hadn't even tried to have her exiled. He tried to have her murdered. Executed in cold blood. Torn apart by darkspawn-

She nearly vomited at the thought.

Torph swung an arm around her shoulder, yawning. "Who wants to listen to boring old politics? I have a tragic back story if you wanna hear it?"

"I can't believe you're the Princess..." Bodahn mumbled. "We were rescued by the Princess..."

"She has the song!" Sandal cheered, clapping his hands.

Yeah, that was something she still didn't entirely understand either.

"I'm not a princess anymore," Narascha huffed. "I'm a Grey Warden now."

"It's really tragic..." Torph trailed off, and Narascha couldn't help but smile.

"How did Duncan manage to find so many people with terrible pasts?" Alistair groaned.

Ciara chuckled. "I suppose he thought people with darker pasts might be better equipped to deal with Grey Wardens darker tendencies."

Alistair paused. "Darker tendencies? We're heroes!"

"Depending on the Grey Warden," Ciara said. "There are some who will think for the greater good and sacrifice everything and everyone in order to defeat the darkspawn. They'd cut their brothers and sisters throats and watch them bleed if it helped them in the long run."

"That's rather dark, Ciara." Alistair shivered.

"But true."

Torph cackled. "Where was that lecture you gave me about heroic Grey Wardens, Alistair?"

"That's how Grey Wardens should be, not whatever horrors Ciara has been learning about," Alistair grumbled.

"Sometimes we have to get our hands dirty in order to save a life," Ciara said softly. "Where do you think the saying 'the healer has the bloodiest hands' comes from? But none of that matters right now either. We will all have to make choices in the next coming days in regards to saving Ferelden."

"What a way to lighten the mood," Alistair sighed. "Anyone else reeling from this?"

"Yeah, Nara's still a royal ass kicking maniac, and you're supposed to be a Prince-" Torph began.

"Not a Prince!" Alistair yelped.

Torph cackled. "Not with that yelp!"

"Look..." Alistair shifted, and he looked worried, worried about Ciara. "I'm sorry I never told you... I never really cared about it to be honest. Anyone who knew either resented me for it or coddled me, we both saw that Duncan kept me out of the fighting because of it, and I... I didn't want you to look at me differently."

Ciara softened. "I understand, and I don't see you differently because of it, Alistair."

Alistair's shoulders slumped in relief, and he looked absolutely delighted, his face brightening. "Thank you, Ciara. You don't know what that means to me."

"And what about us? You don't care about your dwarven companions opinions?" Torph huffed. "I'm crushed. Disappointed. Heart broken."

Narascha snorted.

"In agony-"

Alistair sighed heavily.

"Ruining the moment, duster," Narascha muttered to Torph.

"So, Prince Alistair-" Ciara grinned wolfishly.

"No! Never call me that again!" Alistair cried. "By the Maker, just hearing that gives me a heart attack."

"Of course, your Highness-"

"Ciara, please, by the Maker, you're killing me!" Alistair groaned. "The throne is not in my future, that was always made clear to me, and I wouldn't want it either."

"I don't know, it might be comfy," Ciara teased.

"Let's just move on, please, for my sanity's sake," Alistair pleaded.

"As you wish, my prince," Ciara laughed.

Alistair shook his head. "I'm going to regret this, especially when you tell Lawrien about this." Alistair froze, then paled. "Oh by the Maker, Cobian! Cobian is going to freak out."

"And study you," Narascha added.

"Yeah, you're fucked," Torph cackled.

"I should have just kept my mouth shut."

Torph held Narascha back as the others walked by, moving on once more. She raised a brow, while his eyes lingered on her.

"You okay?" he asked. "That was some shit to get revealed at such a random time."

Narascha shrugged. "It doesn't really matter anymore, does it? I can't return to Orzammar. We both know that, Torph."

Torph grimaced. "Yeah, still it was a shitty way for the others to find out. Sorry, Nara."

"It wasn't your fault. Sten knew an awful lot." Narascha frowned, crossing her arms. "Which is a rather difficult thought. How does a qunari soldier know so much about politics?"

"I doubt he's just a soldier at this point," Torph said. "He's probably one of their commanders or something which is why he's such a pain in the ass with us. You're the only one whose been a commander before."

Narascha sighed. "And look how that turned out..."

"Your brother is a fucker."

"Yeah. They both were." Narascha smiled weakly. "Thank you, Torph, for checking in with me."

"Us dwarves gotta stick together." Torph winked. "Even if you're a spoiled princess."

"Or a filthy duster." Narascha grinned.

"Damn fucking right!"