Chapter 45: Antiva and Orlais (Aedan)
The Denerim three followed the Imperial Highway towards the capital. There were hills around and not a single soul, except for two humans and a dwarf.
- So, Leliana. You wanted to tell us why you need to go to Denerim, - Aedan said. - I can assume from your accent that you are from Orlais. Does it have something to do with this?
Leliana sighed and replied:
- Yes. I have not always been a sister of the Chantry. In the past, I was a bard.
Aedan immediately took out his sword.
- I know what people are called bards in Orlais. You are assassins and spies. You are not a devout sister! Tell me what you're doing in Ferelden!
- Calm down, Aedan, - said Sereda. - She said she was that bard or whatever. The key word is "was".
- You can't be an ex-bard.
- I swear I'm done with it, that's why I'm here and not in Orlais, - Leliana said.
Hearing this, Aedan put his sword away as Leliana continued.
- I had a mentor, Marjolaine. We loved each other, worked together for eight years, completed the tasks that the Orlesian nobility gave us. One of these tasks was in Denerim. I was supposed to give the documents to the local Arl. But for the first time in my career, curiosity got the better of me. I examined these documents and found the Orlesian seal there.
- I guess it's treason to hand over the Orlesian documents to a Fereldan Arl, right? - Aedan asked.
- Exactly. Marjolaine set me up. She betrayed Orlais and made sure I would be accused. Her Fereldan accomplice tortured me for a long time in his dungeon. I do not want to talk about it. But I ran away. Faith in the Maker helped me, and after that I became a sister in the Lothering Chantry.
- This Marjolaine, what happened to her?
- When we last met, I said I didn't want to see her again. But she showed herself. Somehow she found me in Lothering and sent a note to the Chantry saying "I know where you are." I had to leave the Chantry because of this.
- And I take it Marjolaine is waiting for you in Denerim?
- Quite possible. Can we look for her there?
- Of course. And this time you won't let her go.
All three noticed how a girl in peasant clothes was running towards them at full speed.
- Help! Please! The bandits have attacked us! she shouted and ran back around the corner.
- There is a gorge, - Aedan told the others. - And for someone who's been attacked, she's got a lot of confidence in her eyes. It's an ambush.
- Can we use some other path? - Sereda asked.
- Unfortunately, no. The only passage here is through this gorge.
- Then let's go. I'm going ahead, shielding you. Leliana, stay behind us. Shoot everyone you can.
The three walked on, and their way back was immediately blocked by a fallen tree. Archers came out from behind the rocks on the sides, and in the center, along with a fake peasant woman, were several warriors, led by an elf with long blond hair, dressed in light black armor with white details. He took out his daggers and shouted:
- Death to the Grey Wardens!
Sereda and Leliana hid behind a stone. The dwarf covered the archer with a shield while she successfully mowed down enemy shooters with arrows. Aedan ran forward towards the enemies from the center of the gorge. The false peasant woman turned out to be a mage and tried to strike Aedan with lightning, but the young Cousland was faster and dealt with her first, cutting her in half. Then two more assassins who attacked him fell from his sword.
- You're tougher than I thought. En garde! – the elf shouted and rushed into battle.
The assassin attacked Aedan very quickly, and he barely repelled his attacks. Any ordinary knight could not defeat such a fast opponent. But Aedan is no ordinary knight. Although he hadn't retrained as a rogue as he had wanted during his exile, he knew enough about how assassins fought. Repelling another attack from the elf, he punched him in the face with all his might, knocking out the assassin.
Before Aedan had time to run up to the remaining archers, they were killed in turn by arrows flying from the opposite end of the gorge. Three Qunari entered the fray, as big as Sten, but with horns. One of them had a large sword, another had a shield and a one-handed mace, the third one was an archer.
- Sereda, Leliana, I need help! - Aedan shouted.
Leliana wounded the Qunari archer by shooting him in the shoulder, and the two pairs of warriors began to fight. Aeidan attacked the Qunari with a two-handed sword, but with sheer brute force, the Qunari took the sword out of his hands. Then the giant grabbed the man by the neck with one hand and lifted him above him.
- You're not that strong, basra! - the smug Qunari shouted.
Suddenly he sighed and fell, pierced by two daggers. Aedan immediately got to his feet, in front of him stood the assassin, whom he didn't have time to kill.
- So, you saved me, and you have a weapon with you, - Cousland said. - What's next?
The elf nodded his head and threw one of the daggers at the back of the Qunari who fought Sereda. The dwarf took advantage of the moment and cut off the head of the giant in a jump.
- I'll interrogate the archer, - Leliana said, and ran towards the lone Qunari survivor.
Aedan raised his sword. The elf responded by throwing the remaining dagger to the ground.
- I don't want to fight anymore. I want to talk, - he said. - And I only like third parties in bed, not in combat, that's why I saved you.
- Well, tell us, - said Sereda, who had come up to him. - Who are you and why did you attack us?
- My name is Zevran Arainai, friends call me Zev. I'm from the Antivan Crows. We've been hired to hunt down and kill every Grey Warden in Ferelden. But after you killed the whole squad, and your friend almost broke my jaw with his fist, I abandoned this idea.
- Are all these guys from the Crows too? - Aedan asked, pointing at the corpses. - To be honest, I'm not impressed.
- No, only Lucretia, - Zevran answered, pointing at the false peasant. - To be more precise, she was from the Crows, until you gave her a split personality disorder. And the rest are just local mercenaries, they were cheap. Well, now, I would even say, they were free of charge.
- Who exactly hired you?
- Someone named Rendon Howe, you know him?
Aedan could hardly contain his anger when he heard the name of his enemy.
- I do. You're not very loyal to him, are you?
- If I were loyal to him, I would fight you to the bitter end, or I would run as fast as I could. Do you get it?
- Where were you supposed to meet Howe after the task was over?
- You see, no meeting was scheduled. Howe would assume that I either did the job or died trying.
- Too bad, I'd love to kill that bastard.
- We killed your friend, - said Sereda. - What do you think about it? Do you want to take revenge?
- Are you talking about Lucretia? She wasn't my friend. I didn't even sleep with her. Let's just say that I love life much more than Lucretia.
- You know, Zevran. You seem like a good guy, and that's why I don't want to kill you. But we can't let you go, because you know too much. What do you think about this situation?
- I have an offer. I really want to leave the Crowss, but not to part with my life, and this is an ideal opportunity. You're fighting the Blight, aren't you? I want to join you. To do a good deed for once. And I will be safe with you.
- What can you do? - Aedan asked.
- I know a thousand varieties of poisons, I recognize traps, I seem to be good with daggers, I know three hundred jokes. I also know how to do a fantastic massage, if any of you are interested in this.
- You're in, - Sereda replied. - You will accompany us to the end of the Blight. This is the price for sparing your life. But if you try to betray us or run away, then Aedan will finish what he started. My name is Sereda, and Leliana is also with us. Take your weapons and come with us.
As Zevran picked up his daggers from the ground, Leliana returned to the gorge. The Qunari archer she had questioned fled.
- These Qunari worked for Marjolaine, - she said. - I knew it. She's definitely in Denerim right now.
- I promise you, we will find her and kill her, - Aedan answered. - This guy is Zevran. He will come with us.
- Greetings, Zevran. I'm glad you've changed your mind and joined us.
- What, there are such beauties among you? Oh, it's like I'm in the Golden City, - the elf exclaimed.
- Whatever, let's go. The sooner we get to Denerim, the better, - said Sereda.
Aedan led the group forward, thinking about how many things they had to do in the capital.