We pulled up camp early the next morning, while it was still dark, and I was so eager to be back in Redcliffe that I didn't even complain about the early rise. It was mercifully dry for the first few hours, and the towers of Redcliffe castle were already in view before the heavens opened. By the time we reached the castle gates, we were drenched but relieved, and I slid from my saddle before my horse had even come to a complete halt.
Our approach must have been announced by one of the guards patrolling the ramparts, because Teagan was already on the front steps awaiting our arrival, and a few stable hands rushed forward to tend to the horses. The kennel master took the hounds, and they seemed excited to see him, clearly remembering that the last time he tended them they got lots of treats. Larry's whine when I told him to go wasn't as convincing as it usually was, and his wagging tail betrayed him.
"Grey Wardens!" Teagan had to yell to be heard over the sound of the rain. "I am glad for your safe return! Please, come in, and dry off!"
As we stood, dripping, in the entrance hall, Grayson started to explain what we had come to find in Brother Genitivi's home. At the mention of Haven, Teagan's eyes widened and he shot me a knowing look.
"Well, it's funny you should say that, because I also heard from another source that Haven would be a good place to start. Perhaps we could discuss it some more over a hot meal." He said, with a slightly smug-looking grin. I didn't have time to wonder exactly why he looked so much like the cat that got the cream, because a movement at the edge of my vision caught my attention and I looked around to see Wynne stooped over, a pained expression on her face. I could tell she was trying to be discreet, but her skin was pallid and she was shaking, whether from cold or exhaustion, I wasn't sure, but I was by her side in an instant, just as her knees gave out and she collapsed, and I caught her just before she hit the floor. I wrapped an arm around her waist, and she leaned on me for support without complaint, nodding in grateful acknowledgement.
I looked around at Grayson, Alistair and Teagan, and Grayson nodded at my silent plea.
"Bann Teagan, I know we arrived with short notice, but I don't suppose there are any guest rooms set up?" Grayson asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
"Of course, of course. The same rooms provided to you on your last visit have been kept ready for your return."
"Thank you. If it's not too much trouble, could you have the kitchens send some soup up to Wynne's chambers? And have one of the servant's draw a bath for her?" I asked, too worried about the elderly mage to care much about how presumptuous I sounded.
"It's the least I can do. Would you like me to escort you…?"
"That's okay. I can still find my way. You three should go and start discussions. I'll join you later." I said, turning my attentions back to Wynne. Leliana appeared on her other side, helping me to support her, and the three of us made our way up to Wynne's room.
"I don't mean to...be a burden…" Wynne said, breathily, as we walked. I shook my head.
"Don't start that." I said, sternly. "You know you're vital to the Grey Wardens. How long have you been feeling this way?"
"Oh...it comes and goes…" She said, trying to sound dismissive, but her breath was rasping and her chest heaved with effort. One of the servants passed us on the stairs, and by the time we reached Wynne's chambers the tell-tale sound of running water from the adjoining washroom greeted us. We sat her down on the bed, carefully removing her light, sodden armour, even as she protested that she was fine, that she was just a silly old woman. Leliana and I exchanged worried looks but said nothing.
When her bath was ready, we helped her into it, and she sank into the warm water, closing her eyes. Leliana washed her hair, gently, and I sat cross-legged on the floor beside the brass tub, holding her hand. Barely a word was spoken between the three of us, and I was glad that Leliana was there. She was good with this type of thing. I'd never been much of a caregiver, myself.
There was a knock on the bedroom door and I left, wordlessly, to answer it, expecting to find a servant but instead coming face to worried face with Zevran, holding a bowl of soup.
"I do not wish to impose." He said, in a soft voice that I wasn't sure I'd ever heard him use before. He handed me the bowl and I accepted it, studying his face. "I...how is she?"
I glanced over my shoulder, before stepping out into the hallway, and Zevran pulled the door closed behind me.
"Worse than I've ever seen her." I confessed. "I'm livid with her for not saying something sooner. She tries to do too much."
"I am only sorry I did not notice sooner that she was not faring well. Blasted Fereldan weather. Had it not been raining so heavily, perhaps we would not all have been keeping our heads down quite so much." He said, miserably.
"Don't blame yourself." I said, even as I shared his sentiment. "She'll be okay. I just wish...but then, wishing hasn't gotten us this far, has it?"
"Truer words were never spoken." He agreed. "I will take my leave. I only wanted to…"
"I know. I'm sure Wynne will appreciate your concern." I said, kindly. "I'm not so sure she'll appreciate being told that she's not coming to Haven with us."
"That...is probably for the best." He said, reluctantly. "Let us hope we have little need for healing magic then, yes?"
I grimaced, as images of a High Dragon assaulted my brain.
"Let us hope." I raised the bowl, pointedly, and he opened the door for me, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Thanks, Zevran. I'll keep you updated."
"I would appreciate that, Lauren. You have my thanks."
He closed the door behind me again and I smiled to myself, despite the dire circumstances, touched by his sincerity. I sat the bowl of soup on the bedside table and returned to the washroom, grabbing a towel from the fresh pile at the foot of the bed as I went, and helped Leliana to lift Wynne from the bath and lead her into the bedroom. When she was dry, we dressed her in a loose-fitting night dress, before helping her into bed. Leliana sat on her bedside and reached for the bowl of soup and, to my great surprise and embarrassment, I felt tears sting my eyes at the sight of Wynne looking so frail and childlike, as Leliana lifted the spoon to her lips, murmuring soft words of encouragement.
I turned away, clearing my throat and wiping the tears away on the back of my hand, and Leliana turned to me.
"Lauren...I'll stay with Wynne. We'll be alright on our own, won't we?" She asked the mage, who let out an exhausted sigh.
"I'm poorly, dear. Not simple." She said, at Leliana's unintentionally condescending tone. The bard grinned, good-naturedly, before turning back to me.
"You should go and join the others." I started to protest, but she cut me off. "We can't leave all the decision-making to the men. That never goes well. Oh, and be a dear, and ask Bann Teagan to send a healer."
"That...is actually a good idea." I conceded. "For the record, I know you're manipulating me. You just make some good points." I grumbled.
She smiled, sweetly, and I rolled my eyes.
"Alright, I'm going. I'll be back up when we're done." I promised, leaving with one final, parting look, quietly grateful to be doing something useful instead of just standing around, watching.
I was very much in my own head as I made my way down to the banquet hall and as I approached, I could hear snippets of conversation through the closed doors. I put my hand on the door knob and froze when I heard my name, straining to listen.
"Lauren told you? When? The last time we were here?" Grayson was asking, sounding equal parts confused and annoyed.
"Why...y-yes, she...I apologise, I thought you knew." Teagan's tone indicated that he had just realised he'd said something he shouldn't have and I was pretty sure I knew what it was.
"Ah, crap." I muttered, steeling myself for the onslaught of inevitable questions and opening the door, fixing my face into an innocent smile.
All three men looked up at my approach, and I gauged their reactions. Grayson's face was stormy, Alistair's was confused but his eyes still lit up when he saw me, and Teagan reddened, looking thoroughly uncomfortable.
"How's Wynne?" Alistair asked, rising to his feet as I joined them at the table.
"She's not doing so great. Bann Teagan, could we send for a healer? Hopefully it's just exhaustion and she'll be okay with some rest, but I wouldn't like to assume." I said, clinging desperately to the subject change, but I could feel Grayson's eyes boring into me like lasers.
Teagan nodded to a nearby servant, who left the room immediately, and I flashed him a grateful smile.
"I hope your friend is okay." He said, kindly.
"She will be. She's tough. But if you wouldn't mind extending your hospitality, I think it's best if she stays here and rests while we journey to Haven. The last few weeks have taken their toll on her." I said, and Teagan nodded, immediately.
"Certainly. I will personally see to it that she is well looked after."
"Thank you, Bann Teagan. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."
"Please, please. Just Teagan, will suffice. We're all friends here." He said, with a warm smile.
"Speaking of Haven." Grayson said, in a hard voice, and I could tell he hadn't taken his eyes off me since I'd entered. "Teagan was just telling us something very interesting."
"Oh?" I said, innocently, taking a seat beside Alistair, forcing myself to meet Grayson's eyes across the table.
"Apparently, you knew weeks ago that that's where we would be headed." He said. His words posed a question, and I hesitated, wracking my brains for a way out of this one.
"I apologise, my Lady. I assumed that your fellow Wardens knew of our discussion." Teagan said, sheepishly. I nodded, taking a long drink of water from the goblet in front of me and clearing my throat.
"That's quite alright." I said, brightly. "It wasn't a secret. I just wasn't sure how reliable the information was, and I didn't want to send anyone off on a wild goose chase. And besides...it wouldn't have mattered much. All we had was a name. Nobody knew where to find it, so we would have had to go to Denerim regardless. Brother Genitivi's research was invaluable." I chose my words carefully…a little too carefully, I realised, when I saw the suspicion on Grayson's face.
"Well…" Teagan shifted, a little uncomfortably, but he couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face. "I have some good news. A few days ago, our scholars came upon a very ancient map showing the precise location of Haven, and I've had our best cartographers replicate it."
I looked from his face to Grayson's, who raised his eyebrows pointedly, in a way that said "So we could have got a lot more shit done in the meantime if we hadn't had to go to Denerim". I winced under his gaze, and he softened only slightly at my obvious shame.
"Um...so, you...you had the scholars keep researching the location even after we left?" I asked, with a pained smile, my voice rising by several octaves. "That's...good."
"It's excellent." Teagan said, brightly, apparently unaware of the silent war happening across the table. "Ser Perth left with a faction of our best knights yesterday. They should be arriving there in a few days time. So that leaves you Grey Wardens to return to the task at hand...you said last time that you were planning on going to Orzammar?"
My blood ran cold, and suddenly Grayson's anger was the last thing on my mind. I stared at Teagan in horror as his words sank in, along with the implications of what I had done.
"You...you sent your knights. To Haven." I said, numbly.
"Y...yes." Teagan replied, slowly, his smile fading as he looked from me to Grayson to Alistair for an explanation of the despair in my voice.
I closed my eyes, my mind racing through countless possibilities, ignoring Alistair and Grayson as they questioned me. Their voices sounded far away, and I turned to Teagan again.
"Your knights...have they ever faced a dragon before?" I asked, quietly.
Teagan laughed, awkwardly, before slowly realising that I wasn't joking.
"Well...no. Dragons are very rare in Ferelden. There are very few-"
I held up a finger for silence as I bent over the table, fighting off a wave of nausea.
"Grayson...we can't stay here. We have to go." I said, scraping my chair back and rising to my feet, swaying a little unsteadily. "We have to...they left yesterday? On foot?" I asked, ignoring the confused and concerned expressions on the men's faces, focusing on Teagan, who seemed startled when he realised I was talking to him.
"Oh! Yes, they-"
"Right. So they have a day's head-start, but if we ride hard we might catch up to them before they reach Haven."
"Why?" Grayson demanded, rising to his feet, his anger clear. "Why do we have to catch up to them?"
My mind was reeling. I knew I couldn't explain this, not to any of them. But there were men's lives in the balance, men who had no business being anywhere near Haven...men who would be here, safe, if it wasn't for me and my bright idea of trying to cut corners. Flemeth's voice rasped in my head, scolding me for my stupidity.
"Because…" I said, sighing reluctantly, and the truth was on my lips before I could think twice about the consequences. "If they reach Haven before us, they're all going to die."