We woke up to a city that wasn't anything close to recovered, that was only barely under control, and a summons from the Grand Cleric for a proper Council of War. Cullen had demurred until the situation had stabilized, which took until the early afternoon.

I wasn't nearly as involved in all of that, mostly because no one came to wake us up at dawn like we'd said. It was closer to noon that a recovered Shina had shown up to rouse us, refusing to answer any questions until we'd all eaten a heavy brunch.

Someone had apparently gotten up to Varric's place because my real armor was waiting for me, including a helmet that I hadn't known Meredith had created, and someone else had cleaned up Merrill's and Evelyn's.

We'd all gotten ourselves washed, then armored up, and then gone out to face the bitter daylight. Evelyn and I went to the Chantry first, to say a private goodbye to Meredith Stannard. She'd been laid in state there, Elves coming and going constantly to mourn.

For all of the evil that she had done in life, all the cruelty towards Mages... she had been the Alienage's protector. It's guardian. Little Trevelyan was far from the only one who cried next to the shrouded body, though she was the only one I gently guided back outside.

There we found everyone getting ready for the march up to Hightown, to finally answer the Grand Cleric's summons. To my relief all of my friends had come through the night alive, if exhausted and battered. Elowen insisted on sending her personal guard among the team to escort us, which made me insist on Fenris staying behind to protect her. He'd agreed, and we'd made one quick stop to check on an Anders who proved to be passed out on a pew in the Chantry.

Leaving him to recover from all of the work he'd done overnight, we'd finally departed to join the group getting ready to meet with the Grand Cleric. Cullen had been placed in command by acclamation of the surviving officers, though he'd named me his second to my displeasure. I'd complained, but Nethon and Brennan had told me to shut up and accept it, while Captain Ruka had been fine with the chain of command.

At Cullen's order, it was a joint force that escorted us; twelve each of the Templars, Guard, Night Watch, and Stone Watch, making our unity of purpose clear. Thrask was given the honor of commanding it, and been promoted by Cullen to Knight-Captain for his valor the night before. Six more Templars carried Meredith at the center of the formation, moving her from our little Chantry to the Grand one in Hightown.

Our procession had an immediate impact when we reached the upper levels. The milling crowds going silent when they got the final confirmation of her death. They followed slowly, forming an impromptu funeral procession, Thrask and Cullen leading our column toward the Grand Chantry.

Few tears were shed, if I was being honest. Meredith had never been loved outside of the Order and the Alienage. But she'd been respected, in her own way, and despite the city's official power structure, everyone had known that she had been the city's true ruler. That her acceding to Elthina and Dumar's orders had been a token politeness on her part. That the city's ruling coalition of Human nuevo-riche, the Dwarven Merchant's Guild, and Templar Order had been forged by Meredith personally. Maintained by her personal gravitas and military power.

And now she was gone, leaving a power vacuum at the worst possible time.

The mood of our escort descended into frigid anger when we arrived at the Grand Chantry to find the long missing Battle-Mages and their escorts standing guard all around it, keeping the civilians back as we passed. Cullen held his temper until we reached the doors, until a Knight-Lieutenant tried to tell him that only his presence was required.

Without a word he'd reached out, grabbed the other man's pin denoting his rank, and ripped it off in front of half the city's nobility.

"You dare-"

"Silence!" Cullen's roar shut the man up in an instant. "You! Get this prisoner to the Keep at once! The rest of you find any man claiming to be of rank in this formation of cowards, and arrest them as well! Now!"

Two of our people stormed forward, grabbing the man's arms before he could try to reach for his sword.

With their nominal leader being hauled off, the rank and file yielded with grace. Several of the Mages quickly bustled over, hauling the doors open with Templar style salutes, clearly trying to assert themselves as the obedient ones.

Cullen nodded in approval as our march resumed, saying something quietly to the Enchanter on the right. The man bowed in reply, Thrask peeling off to speak with him further. I wasn't sure what that was about, but a further distraction was waiting inside.

Elthina was waiting for us at the far end of the massive hall, accompanied by a miserable looking Saemus Dumar, and the Knight-Captain whom Meredith had ordered executed the night before.

"Be right back, ma vhenan." I growled.

Merrill made an understanding noise. "Be safe, ma vhenan."

I patted her arm, lengthening my strides to catch up to a Cullen whose own pace was gathering steam when he saw who was waiting for us.

"Mine." I growled when I drew even with him. "That one is mine."

His grunt was a low, furious thing. "Very well, but I am the one who will speak."

My nod was sharp, fingers already drawing my sword. The sight of bared steel in the Maker's building had Elthina's eyes widen, then narrow. It had the Templar, who proved to be brown haired and rather handsome without his helm, begin snarling something into her ear.

The younger Dumar winced at whatever was said, cautiously taking a step or two back as he realized that this was unlikely to end peacefully.

"Knight-Captain Adams!" Cullen boomed before Elthina could seize control by speaking first. "By the order of Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard, you are found guilty of cowardice before the enemy! Of disobedience of a direct order in a time of war! Of criminal negligence of your duties! Of the abandonment of the faithful!"

The man's hand dropped to his own sword, half drawing it as his own voice rose. "I obeyed the orders of the Grand Cleric!"

"You had no such orders!" Cullen snapped back. "And this is not a trial! Your guilt was declared by our Order, and your punishment is death! Dame Maeve!"

I advanced at once, sword rising to a high guard.

"Grand-Cleric!" Adams drew his own blade, readying himself. "End this farce!"

For the first time I saw Elthina actually look rattled, completely unprepared for something that was happening. She got herself under control, taking two quick steps to place herself between the coward and I, forcing me to draw up short.

"Thank-" Adams began, only for Elthina to cut him off.

"Quiet, all of you!" She managed a nearly Meredith level bark of command, and the fact that it came from her of all people worked to shut everyone up in a hurry. "I will not have violence in the Maker's Hall! Maeve, lower the blade!"

I had to force myself to do it, but I obeyed.

"Thank you." She said primly, voice returning to its usual soft tones. "Now. Tell me why Meredith ordered his death, in detail please. No, Knight-Captain. I wish to hear the Dame's words."

Inhaling slowly, I kept my tones only sort of livid while Cullen stewed on my right. "His men arrived at the southernmost point of the battle lines last night. I attempted to order them in my place as Meredith's subordinate to split their force. To keep half at my position, and to send half back to seize the Qunari's Compound while it lay undefended. The Knight-Captain refused both orders, and when alerted that the Qunari were all to the west and north, instead cut east to avoid them."

Elthina frowned very slowly. "Witnesses?"

Armor clattered behind me, and Evelyn Trevelyan spoke. "I was there, Grand Cleric. I called this faithless creature a craven to his face, and inspired nine of his men of true faith to stay and defend the Chantry behind us. Every one of them went to Andraste's side with honor, and valor, while he fled, claiming that you needed his protection."

"Everyone else knows Meredith's last orders." I went on before a reddening Adams could say a word. "She dispatched them through the city, trying to have him arrested to get his men into the battle. If that bastard had obeyed, we would have easily held our ground last night. Driven the Qunari back and ended this in a single evening."

Cullen couldn't stop himself from interjecting as well, his voice still low and furious. "She is right, Grand Cleric. The battle would be long over, our Knight-Commander alive, and this chaos ended. Now we must face days or weeks of bloodshed ahead of us because of one man's cowardice."

Adams finally snapped. "I am no coward! I obeyed my orders to defend the Grand Cleric in case of a crisis! I obey no knife-eared whore when she-"

Everyone in the procession behind me, every damned one of them, began shouting challenges before he could finish. Demanding he face them for insulting someone honored by Meredith's very soul.

"Quiet! Peace!" Elthina tried to regain control, holding her arms up. "Quiet!"

The mixed force obeyed, but far more slowly, and far more sullenly that time. Her authority only barely enough to get them to shut up for a moment.

She clearly noticed, pursing her lips, regarding me, then Cullen.

Then she slowly walked closer to me, forcing me to lower my sword all the way, until its point was on the ground.

When she spoke her voice was a murmur, intended for me alone. "Did he truly depart mere minutes before Meredith fell? Would... would he have saved her?"

"Elthina," I said, just as quietly. "It was a half hour at most. If he'd been there, we'd have easily won last night. His mages could have cut down the gambit that broke our lines. And even if she'd still fallen, she'd have fallen in victory. Not this... blood soaked stalemate we've got now."

The old woman let out a slow, tired breath before nodding once, saying more loudly. "I see. My only requirement, Knight-Commander Rutherford, is that a proper trial be held. I will not see summary justice in my halls."

Adams paled at once. "Grand Cleric! I obeyed you!"

She shook her head, stepping aside, a hand on my elbow to tug me along with. Making sure I didn't get any ideas about going after him with my sword. As badly as I wanted to, I let her pull me along, let Cullen wave for several other Templars to storm forward.

The man didn't fight. He looked to be in shock, voice calling out for the Grand Cleric as his weapons were stripped, his markings of rank removed. As he was marched out out of the building, to the cells of the Keep.

Elthina bustled around after that, clearly distracting herself by arranging where Meredith was to be laid down. Her hands pulled the sheet back just enough to see the other woman's face, lips moving in quiet prayer before gently letting the shroud fall once more. A reminder that, for all of their differences over the city's Elven question, that Elthina had cared deeply for Meredith. That they had been friends for more than a decade, if not longer.

Cullen had our escort move back, waiting for us at the entrance, leaving just those of us with ranks waiting for her to finish having her moment. Well, those of rank, plus Merrill and Evelyn. No one told either of them to leave when they came over to stand near me.

Finishing her prayers, Elthina guided us all over to one side of the hall where chairs and pews had been arranged in a rough circle. We all sat, and at her request, Cullen recapped the night's events for her.

She listened intently, asking few questions until it came time to describe Meredith's death. Forcing me to relay that engagement yet again. I didn't say anything about my glowing sword, not until Cullen brought it up.

"So that was the source of the light." Elthina said, staring harder at me. "I believe the entire city saw the glow. You truly felt no magic, no spirits?"

"No." Cullen said confidently. "Neither did any others, and I asked many of the Order both last night and this morning. All agree, Grand Cleric. No foul spirit nor magic was in play. It was Andraste herself honoring the Knight-Commander's sacrifice."

I did my best not to shift uncomfortably, forcing myself not to look away when Elthina kept up her stare.

"Remarkable." She murmured finally. "Well. Do continue, Knight-Commander. How did the battle proceed from there?"

He went on, with contributions from Brennan and Ruka, describing the running battles back toward the Qunari's Compound. The two attempts to breach its walls, both quickly aborted thanks to a lack of siege weapons, mages, and coordination. How a third effort had been planned, then cancelled as the civilians in Lowtown had begun to assemble into mobs. Some to vent their fury at what had happened to their homes and loved ones, some simply seeking to take advantage of the total lack of law and order in the city.

"The situation is now under control. We found the tunnels the Qunari used to stockpile their supplies, and sealed them off again." Brennan said, "But right now nearly all of my remaining Guardsmen are occupied policing the streets. I sent enough back to keep the Hightown gates manned, but I literally do not have the men to spare to patrol up here any longer."

Ruka grunted, speaking up in his gruff voice. "My lads are coming back to handle that, but there's but a hundred of us left alive. We'll be thin."

Elthina folded her hands in her lap. "I see. What is the status of the Order, and the Night Watch?"

At Cullen's wave, Nethon spoke first, "We're in bad shape, Grand Cleric. At least fifty dead, and nearly that many still trying to recover from wounds. When we departed I could only call on sixty of the Watch still able to assemble."

"And the Templars?" She asked.

"More than a hundred dead, and as many wounded, though we were still trying to get a proper count." Cullen sighed. "I've had to strip the Gallows down to a skeleton guard just to keep enough men facing the Qunari to stop a second attempt to break out. I don't think they have the numbers for it, but we're so spread out that they might try it regardless."

Elthina frowned. "Surely their own losses must be dire."

"We believe so, but it will take many more days to count the bodies." He replied. "Our best guess it that most of the Viddathari were slain, but at that at least two hundred of the Antaam survived. Possibly as many as three. We don't know how many of their chained mages remain alive either."

The Grand Cleric frowned further. "You are saying that we took far more losses than they."

"...yes, Grand Cleric." He admitted.

"Why?" She demanded.

I cleared my throat, leaning back from where I sat between my companions. "Because they were more organized, more deliberate. Each time they attacked they did it in force, and they burned through their converts to keep their real soldiers from having to die scouting."

"As she says." Cullen said. "They were better prepared and trained than any of our people, save those of the Order, and frankly it took us far too long to move down in force. The Guard and Watches were forced to fight battles they were not trained for, and suffered as a result."

"Plus," I felt the need to repeat, "The lack of mage support. The Qunari had their Saarabas, and they had a lot of gaatlok ready to use. We had a grand total of two mages, and Orsino vanished halfway through, which meant we really just had one who was constantly exhausted, and eventually wounded."

Elthina's eyes flicked to Merrill, but she asked about Orsino. "The location of the First Enchanter?"

Cullen's scowl returned. "We cannot find him, Grand Cleric. All have been alerted that he is missing, and wanted for desertion."

"Good." Elthina said, voice cold. "I expect that he fled to Darktown. I want those sewers searched at once, and the former First-Enchanter brought to face trial as soon as possible. Assign the loyal mages to that task, escorted by those who showed the greatest valor last night."

The Knight-Captain pursed his lips, "Grand Cleric, we will need those mages to breach the Qunari's compound."

One of the woman's pale eyebrows rose. "Knight-Captain, you all just regaled me with the tale of how severe our losses were. I may not be a warrior, but even I know poor odds in battle when they are told to me. Do you disagree, Dame Maeve?"

Not thrilled to be called out, I had to mull the question for a long moment before replying. "It depends on how many losses we're willing to take. With the battle-mages joining them, the surviving Templars probably could breach the walls, and wipe out the remaining Qunari, but it'll be bloody. We'd lose hundreds of people. To stomach it, I think we'd want the whole Guard to come down to back them up, and probably more mages. Enough to hit them from at least two, preferably three directions at once. Do that and we can probably lower our losses considerably."

Elthina nodded, turning then to Brennan. "If your Guard was assigned to such a task, what would the state of the city become?"

"...dire." Bren admitted. "In all honesty, the city's under martial law at the moment. A thin one. We just... we don't have enough men, Grand Cleric. I can keep the main streets clear, keep an illusion of law and order, but if something else sets off the Commons and Hightown at the same time? If the Qunari time a break-out to another large riot? I can probably deal with one crisis, but any two would see the city fall apart."

"Then," The Grand Cleric said firmly, "We focus on maintaining law and order, and on maintaining the siege. You all made plans for just such a containment of the heretics, did you not?"

We had, but those plans had all relied on manpower that we seemed to be lacking thanks to last night.

"Yes, Grand Cleric." Cullen said, apparently out of a lack of anything else to say. "We will adjust them in light of our losses. But I must inform you that those plans were only meant to be temporary, until a final confrontation came with the arrival of the Qunari's supposed evacuation ships. Ships that are still coming."

"I am aware." She replied. "Focus on your plans, Knight-Commander. I will begin recruiting among the nobility and knights of the city to find you reinforcements, as shall our new Viscount."

That brought everyone's attention to the other elephant in the room; Saemus Dumar squirming uncomfortably when we all fixed our eyes on him.

Captain Ruka's voice was low. "The old man's dead then?"

Saemus looked down, though it was Elthina who replied. "We must presume that he is. He withdrew to his personal office to calm himself shortly after the battle began. When it was opened an hour later by a Templar, they discovered the office disheveled and the Viscount gone."

"Not gone." The man's son finally spoke, "There was... there was enough blood to know what happened to my father."

I grimaced. "Any idea what actually happened to him?"

"The Qunari, obviously." Elthina replied. "Though the means are unknown. The Templar suspected magic or their powder, but there was no sound of an explosion, nor any feeling of magic. Our assumption is that one of their assassins killed him, and absconded with the body to sow further confusion at a critical time."

They'd wildly succeeded in that case.

When everyone kept looking at each other, clearly not wanting to be the first to say it, I sighed and spoke. "No offense, Saemus. But you're not the Viscount we need right now."

The young man gave me a wan smile. "I quite agree."

"Then-" I began, only for Elthina to cut me off.

"There shall be none of that." She said firmly. "This is not the time for a succession crisis. If young Dumar wishes to abdicate peacefully, he may do so with my full blessing once this crisis is resolved. Until then we must mitigate how many situations we are dealing with. I trust that he will do a fine job in his short time in the role, and will understand that his ill-advised hobbies must be put in the past while he reigns."

Saemus's hands twitched at the blatant shot of his preference for the Qunari's ways. "I understand, Grand Cleric."

I stared at him, hard, then turned to my right. "Cullen."

My tone made my request clear, even if I didn't actually say the words out loud. For his part, Curly winced, but gave me a tight shake of his head. He wasn't up for messing with the political process by removing Saemus from office. Not right after the Grand Cleric had made her own opinions known.

I exhaled, but let Merrill pull me back from where I'd begun to lean forward. Elthina gave me a flat look, making it clear that she knew I would have preferred a military coup to happen right in front of her. Saemus had certainly noticed as well, but his expression was more understanding.

Hell, I think he'd have preferred to be overthrown.

I didn't contribute further for the rest of the conference. It mostly consisted of Elthina insisting on a quick investment ceremony for Saemus as soon as could be arranged, with Cullen being the one to actually put the little crown on his head. Something-something, as Meredith did for his father, something-something.

The rest was much of the same. Preparing for the bureaucratic mess that the battle had caused, trying to get a handle on the damage to Lowtown, and a proper accounting of the dead. All the while making sure our defenses didn't weaken, making sure we had enough men looking for Orsino, and remembering to send messengers along the coast to keep watch for the Qunari.

Elthina promised to start canvassing the nobility at once, and as soon as Saemus was officially the Viscount, he could start calling the March's knights to arms. Start conscripting levies from the rural nobility. It would take time, but if we could keep the status quo for another couple of weeks, we'd eventually get more than enough reinforcements.

None of us were sure we'd have that time, but it was the only option open to us.

For his part, Cullen promised to make a personal inspection of the Gallows this evening, make sure the chains were ready to rise, and to ensure that the mages over there weren't getting any ideas just because so many of the Templars had been moved across the bay. I started to get a sinking feeling in my gut around then, but I didn't want to bring it up in front of everyone.

So I held my tongue while we moved on to the chain of command. Elthina generally approved, beyond a token attempt to convince Cullen to appoint someone 'with more experience' as his second. His immediate rebuttal had her back down, to my surprise, but she was probably remembering the uproar that had occurred earlier. As much as she didn't like me, she seemed resigned to the fact that everyone else still approved of me.

Apart from that, Elthina generally assented to the new organization, formally approving Cullen's promotion to Knight-Commander. I was officially drafted as a Chantry-Auxiliary, per the original agreement that had created the Night's Watch. I got a promotion up to Knight-Commander as well, at Cullen's insistence.

"She needs the official rank." He said firmly. "If she is made a Captain, there will be too many others with seniority. If anything should happen to me, our chain of command must be clear."

Elthina had still hesitated, until I pulled an old memory from high school out. Something about how there'd used be regular and volunteer officers in my own country's army. I really had no idea how that had actually worked out back in the day, but it might be a functional solution on another planet.

Not that I wanted a rank at all, but Cullen had spoken over my attempt to demure. Making it clear he wasn't going to let me get out of it.

"I'll be Knight-Commander of the Auxiliaries." I proposed as a compromise. "When I'm officially under arms, by Chantry order, it'll give me the right to command troops, but when I'm not, it'll just be an honorary title. That way you can yank my authority as soon as this is over, without anyone getting too upset."

Elthina had liked that, even if we were basically making up new laws on the spot, and had agreed. Once a few other odds and ends had been discussed, mostly consisting of figuring out who would stand guard around the Keep and Grand Chantry. The answers to that turned out to be the Stone Watch and Night Watch respectively, though both would be under Templar command. That settled, we started to break up again.

She dragged Saemus off, apparently not about to let him out of her sight, while Brennan and Ruka had gone to the Keep to organize things there. Nethon had gone out to find Thrask to start moving the Watch up to Hightown, and to make sure that the Militia were ready to protect the Alienage.

Cullen had started to go off as well, but I quietly asked him to stay behind to speak privately.

Merrill and Evelyn stood guard, while he and I found a quiet corner for me to voice my concerns.

"How many men do you have at the Gallows?" I asked.

He grimaced before admitting, "Not more than a hundred. Mostly squires, or those close to mandatory retirement."

Kids and old men with the lyrium shakes, in other words. Christ.

"I think you need to reinforce them, soon." I told him seriously. "I'm pretty sure that's where Orsino is going, if he's not already there."

"The Gallows?" Cullen seemed to hesitate, voice dropping to an even softer whisper. "You think me means to incite a rebellion? Now? Of all time?"

"What better time?" I countered. "When would the mages have a better moment? There's what, more than a thousand of them? If Orsino bailed for Darktown, used the smuggler's tunnels, he could already be there. Trying to convince everyone."

His hands clenched, jaw working. "...Maker damn him. I should have thought of that, but who would I send, Maeve? We have no one left!"

I grimaced. "Thin out the lines against the Qunari, just for tonight and tomorrow. They've got to be as exhausted and beaten up as we are. Plus, even if they try to break out again, what are they going to accomplish? Dumar and Meredith are already dead, and there's way too few of them left to actually control the city."

"A point." He was still clearly struggling, but then again he hadn't exactly been prepared to become Knight-Commander. "Dammit. I'll go there at once with whoever can be spared. Remind them all that the Order remains vigilant."

"You might," I suggested, "want to think about getting more mages out of there. We need more of them on the line as it is, and if letting a few out of the Gallows for a little while calms them down..."

My voice trailed off, Cullen visibly considering it before he exhaled. "I do not like the idea, but at least in the city there will be more Templars present to watch them. And any who favor rebellion might simply flee without violence, which I'd sadly prefer at this point."

"Yeah. We should also send messengers to Starkhaven. If Seeker Pentaghast is still there, maybe she could come down here soonest." I said. "Let's be real, neither of us is really up for this command thing. I'd rather have her in charge."

His smile was a faint thing. "In that I believe we are agreed as well. I'll send the message as soon as I reach the docks. Are you returning to the Alienage?"

I nodded, "Not for long, I just want to talk to Elowen. Then I'll be down to check out the barricades and make sure the lines are settled. I'll stay at our command post there until you get back from the Gallows."

Cullen nodded, and we broke, his pace hurried as he headed off. Merrill and Evelyn came over in his absence to find me leaning on the stone wall of the building, arms crossed, focus on my breathing.

"Ma vhenan." Merrill murmured, carefully stepping in to hug me. Feeling me slump into her embrace. "It's all right. It will be all right."

Taking one more breath, I slid an arm around her, gently hugging her back. My armor clinking against the chain-mail under her clothes, both of us separating slowly.

"Let's go find Varric." I said finally. "Then to the Alienage, then to the Docks. Evelyn? Since Cullen didn't say anything, I'm using my new rank to say that you're my squire."

The girl nodded. "Yes, my lady. I will stay with you at all times."

"You might regret that." I told her bleakly. "You're going to learn more secrets soon, I think. Come on."

Merrill and I clasped hands, my second squire following along behind as we got moving once more.