Chapter 7: The Elf and the Stone

Serena and I kept in relatively regular contact. Loghain had insisted that human messengers make regular runs between Orzammar and they're group that was looking for the Fated. I was pleased to learn that the mage origin was found, and that it was human; Allen Amell. Serena's report suggested that he was well on his way to mastering almost every elemental spell.

The next letter I received said that they wouldn't be heading for Denerim as she expected. They received information about a group of Dalish elves in the southeast, so they were going to see if the Dalish origin was among them. That would be one of the trickiest Origins to find since the Dalish were nomadic and it wasn't a guarantee that any clan they met would be the right one. She sounded hopeful, though, and that was something I was pleased to see. Apparently their visit to Orzammar was more productive than they expected when they met Faren and myself, so that gave Serena's story some merit and lifted the morale of King Maric and Loghain.

It had been four months since King Maric's visit and in that time one of Veron's sources had found the item I had challenged him to look for. He was rather proud of himself that he was able to pull off that particular task. I was so happy that I assured him that when he and Rica were finally wed, I would offer a wedding gift that would make even the wealthiest of nobles blush with envy. I meant it, as well. I had an idea in mind that would surprise everyone.

I took the next month to make preparations to leave for the surface with a large contingent of my household Guard. I had to take advantage of the next seven years and this was going to be an important step. The servants busied themselves by stocking up on provisions, while I made sure to get my riding lessons in. I was quite the proficient equestrian at this point (if equestrian was even the correct term for someone who rode a bronto instead of a horse). Brontos couldn't exactly jump a hurdle, but they could most certainly plow through one, and my stable master assured me that there wasn't much of anything on the surface a bronto couldn't smash it's through if the need called for it.

It was actually during one of those riding lessons when a group of Aeducan guards approached the practice yard with an elf in tow.

I guided the bronto over to the yard fence and waved a greeting to the guards, "Ser Darev, Ser Kirfto! It's good to see you!"

The dwarven guards bowed, with Darev responding, "Paragon Orodum, it is a great pleasure to see you once again. You've become an excellent rider since last we watched you on the field in your younger days."

I snickered and winked, "I thought that I was still in my younger days."

Darev floundered for a response but Krifto just chuckled and elbowed his fellow guard, "She got you there, Darev."

We shared a laugh before I nodded my head to the elf who seemed to be a few years older than I was, if I was any decent judge on the age of an elf, "Who's your friend?"

"My Paragon," Darev shifted to move out of the elf's way, "This is Trianna of clan Sabrae, a Dalish elf who was sent to your care by Lady Cousland."

She sent me the Dalish elf? I was hoping for the city elf, but I supposed it didn't matter so long as we were all safe and separated so that nothing could happen to all of us at once. This did, however, mean that Serena's lead had paid off and that they'd found the Sabrae clan.

I climbed down from the bronto, took its reins, and squeezed through the fence. I tied off the reins quickly then approached the elf, offering a curtsy, "I'm so pleased to meet you, Trianna. I am Paragon-"

Trianna cut me off, much to the chagrin of Darev and Krifto, "Pragaon Merida Orodum." Her tone suggested some irritation. "Yes, yes. A pleasure."

I paused and looked up at her in confusion. I'll admit, I was rarely spoken to rudely in my first life and never spoken to rudely since I was reborn, so this was like a slap to the face.

Still, I regained my composure before Darev or Krifto could say anything, "I see Lady Cousland has already informed you of who I am and our situation."

"She did," Trianna said. "And she said you insisted on having one of us with you as insurance."

I had to wonder if maybe our plans had been lost in translation somehow when Serena had explained things to her. "Just so that we could be safe and not caught or attacked together," I explained. "Honestly, I suggested that the city elf be sent here. I figured you would prefer to stay above ground, and that the city elf would be more comfortable in another city."

"Don't get me wrong," Trianna replied, "I get the idea behind it all, but I was close to activating the eluvian network with the mirror that was in the Brecellian Forest ruins."

"You actually found it?" I asked with a mixture of surprise and envy.

"I was there for the past twelve years," she replied curtly. "I was the Keeper's First and when I showed signs of magic and advanced knowledge, I was able to convince them to go to the area that had the ruins."

"Wait," I paused, "You're a mage?"

Trianna arched a thin, black brow, "Well, yes. A First and the Keeper have to be mages. How else do you think I was able to safely activate the eluvian?"

My face hurt with how wide I was smiling. I looked to Darevn and Krifto, "Thank you both for bringing Lady Trianna to me. I'll see to her care from here on."

Darev and Krifto both bowed before taking their leave.

I motioned for one of the stablehands to put my bronto up, thanking her as she took the reins, then took Trianna's hand to walk back to the house proper.

"The Dalish elf doesn't normally have the option to be a mage," I said excitedly.

"I was playing with a mod," Trianna answered. "I think that's what influenced it."

"Really?" I asked. "I suppose that tracks."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm also a mage," I said with a smile. "I wasn't playing a modded version, but I was wishing I could play a dwarven mage."

"Dwarves can't use magic, though," Trianna observed.

"I wasn't a dwarf," I suggested. "So I think our minds from before still follow the same rules they did from before."

"I guess that would make sense," Trianna said thoughtfully. It was the first time she'd said anything that didn't sound barbed with irritation. "How many spells have you learned?"

"About a dozen," I admitted.

"What? How'd you learn so many? You're younger than I am!"

"I've had help in the Fade," I grinned. "I met a spirit who helps me hunt other spirits every night while I dream."

"Wait…" Trianna said, stopping dead in her tracks. "You mean to tell me that you don't even rest in your sleep? You just… keep working on things?"

"Well, just on magic," I said sheepishly. "But it gives me plenty of time to practice and learn. And Purpose, that's the spirit who helps me, has made sure that I'm never in over my head."

"Still, though," she said exasperated, "that would mean that you have… how many years of active magic use?"

"Nine and a half. I started on the night of my first birthday."

"That's just as much as I have, and I'm three years older than you are!" Trianna exclaimed.

"It's not a competition," I laughed.

Trianna sighed, shaking her head, "Seeing what all you've accomplished makes me feel like I've been wasting the past thirteen years."

"I disagree," I said, looking up at her. "We know that the eluvians are a network of traveling portals. And since you're close to unlocking their method of travel, we can use that knowledge to our advantage."

"How?" Trianna asked. "Do you happen to have one we can wield?"

I shook my head, "No. But the lost Thaigs have a few since a number of them were built under, or around ancient elven cities.. They're also in the Fade."

"It takes a lot of magical power to redirect a mirror to the Fade," Trianna added. "Do you know of any Thaigs that have an eluvian in them?"

I grinned up at her, "I do, actually. And your timing couldn't be better. We're about to take the first step to getting there."

"I don't know why Serena wanted to send me here, but I think we both lucked out that she did," Trianna said, smirking. It was the first time I'd see her with any sort of positive emotion since she'd arrived.

"I concur," I laughed. "I don't suppose you've learn to ride yet, have you?"

"What? Why?"

A few days later we left Orzammar. I brought Faren, Trianna, Dagna, and Trianna with me along with the original one hundred guards gifted to me when I became a Paragon. Those hundred warriors were fiercely devoted to me and I knew I would be safe with them at my side. Each member of the expedition was mounted on a Bronto, but Trianna was… less than competent on the mount. I had a few of the guards keep close to her just in case she started to fall.

We were going to be gone for at least a month, possibly two, so I had Rica represent me in the Assembly. We had to be quick about our business, because one additional stipulation for the Surface Caste was that Surface Caste dwarves would be required to spend fifty-two percent of their time underground. This was added because dwarves who spent too much time above ground lost their stone sense, and there was no convincing enough of the assembly that a dwarf who lost one of the key things that dwarves were known for could still be considered respectable. It was a fair enough rule, and one that most Surface Caste worked with. They had taken to designing storefronts that were above ground, while their storehouses, factories, smithies, etc that were far enough below ground to keep their stone senses honed.

This new rule meant that once we returned from the trip, I would need to spend the next four months underground. No problem there. I was planning on staying underground for the next six to seven years anyway.

We were on our way to the village of Honnleath, far to the south. I did want to stop by Redcliffe on the way to meet Arl Eamon and Bann Teagan, but I decided to wait until the trip back. I had time, after all, and they weren't going anywhere. Redcliffe, and by extension Lake Calenhad, were one of Orzammar's best trade partners. The dwarves primarily brought ore and Lyrium to trade for other goods from Ferelden and Orlais. With the establishment of the Surface Caste, the dwarves were starting to expand on the goods they important and the goods they exported. I was curious to see how this affected the area.

It took nearly two weeks to get to Honnleath. I'm glad we brought the brontos. Walking would have taken twice as long. When the town came up on the horizon, I had a guard ride ahead to announce our arrival. I didn't want to frighten the townsfolk with over one hundred dwarves riding brontos just showing up on their doorstep. Not that I had planned for all of us to enter the town. Still, I didn't want it to come as a surprise.

Just outside of the town I had the majority of the guards stop and wait for my return. When the rider I'd sent ahead returned and said the village would admit us, I brought Faren, Trianna, Dagna, and ten guards with me. In order to present myself properly to the people in charge, I was dressed in thy finest gambeson and armor, with a silver and gold tiara. We dismounted and entered the village with the guard surrounding me, Tianna, and Dagna.

Upon reaching the village square I set my eyes on Shal for the first time. She stood there, frozen in her stone glory as a silent reminder to the power and violent potential of golems thanks to one person.

A small entourage of humans approached, intercepting us before we could approach the frozen golem. Among them was a tall, rail thin woman with haughty, sharp features. She looked over our group, trying to figure out who to address. She settled on addressing the group as a whole, "My name is Petricia Sulzbacher. We welcome you all to the town of Honnleath. But I must ask what business brings such a large contingent of armored dwarves to our small town."

I stepped forward and offered the woman a curtsy, something I couldn't help but notice she went without offering us, "Greetings, Lady Sulzbacher. I am Paragon Merida Aeducan, Princess of Orzammar, daughter of King Endrin Aeducan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

If Petricia had panicked in the slightest at her lack of propriety, it never once showed. She bowed and offered a smile, "My Lady, if we had known we were to expect such distinguished guests, we would have prepared a proper welcome worthy of someone of your station."

I shook my head, smiling, "Please, think nothing of it. As to our purpose here, we have come to do you two favors."

"I wasn't aware we were in need of favors, My Lady," Petricia said. Her ability to maintain her composer to the unexpected was impressive to say the least. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I have come to rid your village of a demon and a golem," I stated as cheerily as I could.

"Shale?" she asked. "What do you mean you've come to rid of us that thing? And what demon?"

"We've found out that there is a demon in the deepest level of your husband's cellar," I said, moving from a cheery tone to one more suited to business. "It is bound there with a magical barrier but it still has enough influence to attempt to lure others to it."

"I know nothing of any such demon," Petricia said haughtily. "Why would my husband do such a thing?"

"Because he was a mage outside of the Circle and conducting experiments that, should the Chantry learn of them, would have your lands taken from you by King Mairic," I said directly. "You may have thought him eccentric, but your husband was experimenting with powers well beyond his control."

"How could you possibly know that?" Petricia hissed. Now she was losing that calm demeanor.

"It's what killed him," I said, motioning to the frozen figure of the golem behind her. "His experiments only led to his death. In his passing he left you with a village to run and a demon beneath your feet with the veil weakened. I'm here to solve the demon and veil problem, and in return, I will take Shale off of your hands."

"The golem is of no use to you without its control rod," she seemed to snort.

"Leave that detail to me," I said. "Would you please direct me to the entrance to your husband's cellar, please? The sooner we get this over with, the sooner your village can be safe and we can be on our way."

"You must be joking," Petricia sneered. "Do you think I would let you into my husband's cellar just because you claimed there was a demon there?"

"You're more than welcome to come with us," I offered. "You can see the creature for yourself. If I'm lying, I will give you my tiara. It's made of silver and gold, and made by the finest of Orammar's craftsmen."

"And if you're not lying?"

"I'll have rid the village of a demon and the golem," I said. "But since we're getting into negotiating the safety of your village, I will also ask for all the books and gems in your husband's cellar."

"I can understand the gems," Petricia said, obviously playing on Dwarven stereotypes, "but why the books?"

"I like to read, and my arcanist would like to start a library for magical research," I admitted.

Petricia took a moment to consider the offer she had dug herself into, "And if I refuse?"

"At this point? I'll simply take Shale and leave you with the demon," I said bluntly. "I came to offer our help freely, but you met my offer with paranoia and offense. I could understand some emotional reaction since it was Shale who killed your husband. But the emotion I would expect would be gratitude. So, I ask you, do we have a deal?"

Preticia seemed like she wanted to snipe back at me, but reconsidered when she assessed the situation. There were eleven well armed dwarves a few steps away from us. I'd wager they were glowering at her for the way she was speaking to me.

"Very well," she relented with a huff. "If it is as you say I will give you whatever you like from my husband's cellar. But I will be coming with you to make sure that this is not some scheme to rob me of my husband's goods."

"You impertinent wench!" Faren said, marching forward and drawing his sword. This caused the other dwarves to draw their weapons, and the one human among Petricia's retinue who had a weapon to draw his.

"Paragon Orodum has spent two weeks riding straight to your little spot in the road village to do nothing but aid you, and treat her like some thief?" Faren barked. "I should run you through!"

"Faren!" I called out. I allowed him his speech, but I didn't think he'd actually threaten the woman. "Stand down. I'm sure Lady Sulzbacher did not mean that I am a thief, only that she did not want me to act like one. A sentiment I'm sure we all share, yes?"

Faren glared up at the woman before sheathing his sword and stepping back into the formation, "Indeed, My Lady. Please, forgive my outburst."

Looking up at Petricia, I smiled, "I apologize for his outburst. My guards hold me in high regard and are rather sensitive to possible slights against me."

"Not at all," Petricia responded, clearly shaken by the threat. "The fault is mine for not having spoken in as clear a manner as I might have."

I offered a bow of my head to accept her apology, then offered my hand up to her, "We have a deal, then."

Patricia shook my hand daintily, "It would seem so, Princess. Come this way. I'll show you to the cellar."

Petricia and her retinue led us up a small hill and to the right, coming to a wooden door on the side of the largest house in the village. She took a few moments to unlock the door then led us inside.

The smell of books and parchment greeted us along with the sight of dozens of shelves of books. I could feel Dagna's excitement behind me and heard her mumbling about what she could see. The information in those books would be worth a fortune to the right buyer, but they were going to become part of my library instead. I hadn't intended on things going this way, but Petricia's attitude rubbed me the wrong way, so I figured I may as well take advantage of the situation.

We passed through the hall with a small resting room, a room with large casks, then up some stairs into what I always called the 'study room' which held a few more bookshelves, scrolls, and gems. Moving through this largest room, we came to another door that Patricia had to unlock for us.

"This is where things will get dangerous, Lady Sulzbacher," I said as Faren and a few guards passed through the doorway. Please, stay near me while we continue further on. My guards and I will protect you."

"How could you possibly know it's going to get dangerous?" Patricia asked.

"Because the Veil is thin here," Trianna answered for me. "Spirits could have easily passed through and started wandering the place."

"I see…" was all Patrcica said in response.

I had to wonder why she would take Trianna's work for it when she did nothing but question me. I chalked it up to being more of a child and much smaller than Trianna. It might also have something to do with me just showing up and talking about demons and taking Shale. Still, she could at least show some deference for my status as a princess. I had to wonder if she would still be alive if Trian had been there to hear what she said. I didn't let that thought linger.

We continued the slow trek down into the cellar and I couldn't help but notice how much more comfortable it felt being underground again. However, the comfort of being underground was muddled with the unease I felt at the thin nature of the veil in the area. It was like feeling a silk curtain billowing across my senses.

The smell of rotting hay mingled with the staleness of the air as we entered a room that looked like a strange, small stable. As if on cue, a series of high pitched screams erupted from nowhere in particular before three ghost-like phantoms erupted from the dust in the room. They were thin and gray of color, wrapped in tattered cloth and pallid flesh. Another creature appeared as well, twisting into a spiral. Its body was an open carcass with exposed ribs and an ethereal orange glow coming from its insides.

"Spirits!" Danga shouted.

"And an Ash Wraith!" Trianna added as Faren and the other warriors form a perimeter around us.

As Faren began to command the warriors to keep me safe, I was quick to call upon my mana and cast the Frost Weapons spell, "Feel the chill of death, you spirits, as Orodum blades bite with frosted teeth and blow with winter's fury!"

Trianna let loose with a blast of flame, aimed at the Ash Wraith to keep it at bay.

The warriors set upon the spirits, three warriors to each spirit while Faren held the Ash Wraith at bay. Dagna had enchanted the weapon of every Orodum warrior, allowing them to cut into the spectral essence of the foes. The fight was over fairly quickly. The guards dispatched the spirits with ruthless efficiency, crying out 'For the Paragon!' and ' For House Orodum!' WHen the spirits were finished, all ten set up upon the Ash Wraith in brutal fashion, hacking away at it while bolstering Faren's bulwark. It was rather spectacular to watch, even if the battle only lasted about a minute.

"My word…" Patricia gasped and looked at me. "You were right. There are spirits here."

"I don't trade in lies, Lady Sulzbacher, I said as I scanned the area for any more threats. "Let us move on. We don't want to linger any longer than we have to while the demon is keeping the Veil open. Faren, let's move."

"As you common, my Paragon," Faren replied, then commanded the warriors to get back into formation.

An alcove at the back of the room opened into a massive chasm, large enough to swallow a house. I wasn't able to tell how deep the hole went even with my stone sense. A small wooden bridge was built into the wall of the chasm, leading down to another alcove. The bridge was plenty wide for dwarves, but Patrician had to watch her step. Passing through the alcove, we entered a carved hallway, at the end of which was a soft glowing magical barrier.

"Prepare yourselves," I said to everyone cautiously. "When we pass through the barrier, the demon will be waiting. It will try to sway us from our purpose here, or manipulate our minds. Do not listen to it. As soon as I give the word, cut her down. She may summon reinforcements, so I want at least four of you to stay close to Lady Sulzbacher and Lady Danga. Keep them safe."

"Your safety is paramount, My Lady," Faren said. "I have given my command, Faren. Trianna and I can handle ourselves if push comes to shove. I want the non-combatants to be kept safe."

"As you wish, my Paragon," Faren said. He turned to the other warriors and pointed to four of the warriors, "I want you four keeping Lady Danga and Lady Sulzbacher safe. Nothing gets close to them. The rest of you, keep the formation tight and be ready to bring swift, decisive violence down on this wretched creature."

"Aye, Ser!" the warriors responded in unison.

I continued to reserve my mana for the Cold Weapons spell, but reserved some more of my reserves to cast Stone Armor to give myself some additional protection. More of my mana was held for Heroic Aura. Once my spell preparation was ready, I motioned for Faren to continue leading us forward.

We passed through the barrier and entered a large, round area built from stone bricks with several pillars supporting the weight. I had to wonder if all of the other dwarves were offended by what passed for acceptable construction of such a space as I was. The disappointment about the area's construction quickly faded as the Desire Demon stood up from where it had been sitting in the middle of the room. It walked over a series of puzzled tiles which would remove the barrier, but was unable to be interacted with by anything from the fade.

The creature's face curled up in a sultry smile, its heavy voice calling out to us, "What do we have here? The wretched widow, a contingent of dwarves, and a lost little elf. Have you come to set me free?"

"I can't believe it…" Patricia gasped, "He really did summon a demon…"

"Don't act so surprised," the demon purred back. "You knew how much he lusted for power. Did you really think it was beyond him?"

"Now!" I shouted. I held my staff out and summoned a Blizzard centered at the back of the room. This would allow the effect of the spell to encompass all but the edge of the room we were in, but enough to catch the demon in it.

As the demon moved to leave the spell's effect, Trianna followed up by casting Repulsion Field. The pulse from the spell slammed into the demon and shoved it back into the blizzard's effect.

At the same time Faren surged forward with six of the warriors joining him. I had ensured that Dagna had enchanted the warrior's armor in House Orodum resisted frost magic so that they could wade through my blizzard's without taking any frost damage. The warrior's took full advantage of this fact as Faren rushed the demon with his shield, shoving it further into the blizzard, by flanking the demon and attacking it with coordinated strikes from high and low. The demon did what it could to ignore the blows as it worked to cast a spell of its own. Faren's shield clapping its jaw broke its concentration, however.

Between the combination work of Faren's shield, the warrior's coordinated attacks, and Trianna and I casting spells like Stone Fist and Flame Blast, the demon had no time to do much of anything. Still, even with the barrage of attacks and spells we threw at it, the demon held on for a full minute before we were finally able to bring it down.

"Get back!" I shouted as the demon crumpled to the floor. I canceled all the spells I had active at the moment as the dwarves quickly backed away, just in time to be out of range as the remains of the demons erupted in a ball of flame.

"By the Maker," Patricia said in stunned shock. "I had no idea…"

As soon as the fireball from the demon's death had subsided, Dagna was already where it had been, scooping the remaining pile of ash into vials for testing and rambling about the possibilities it could do for her research. Faren and the other warriors fanned out to check the area while the dwarves ordered to protect Dagna and Lady Patricia just sighed as Dagna had bolted from their care. There really was no controlling her excitement.

I turned to check on Patricia, smiling up at her, "Are you alright, Lady Sulzbacher?"

She looked down at me, fear and shock readily apparent on her face, "He really did bind a demon. I never thought…"

I pat the air to dismiss the guilt she was feeling for doubting me, "It's alright. We're happy to have been able to help. Luckily, there weren't as many spirits in the area as I thought there might be. I guess it's because we got here before things got any worse. Kind of lucky!"

Patricia was still trying to come to terms with everything that had happened in the span of just a few minutes, "Lucky? I suppose that's a matter of relativity in cases like this. Still, we owe you our thanks."

I shook my head, "I was happy to help. And I do believe we already agreed on terms for the matter. I don't suppose you wouldn't have known if the stuff down here just up and disappeared, would you?"

From what I could, Patricia seemed to be fighting back a scowl, "No. I don't suppose I would."

I smiled innocently. It still worked at ten years old, "And if nothing else, you can rest assured that anything down here won't continue to give you any more problems."

That seemed to seal the deal, because her expression seemed to tell me that she hadn't exactly considered that as a possibility, "How can we help get the items to you?"

"My Lady," Faren called as he made his way back to me, bowing his head before continuing, "The area's clear of any other threats. Shall we begin making our way back out?"

Turning to Faren I gave him a nod, "Yes. Send one of the men to the rest of the guards that are waiting outside of town. Let them know we're going to be packing their saddlebags full, so they need to get ready to be quick and efficient."

"As you command, My Lady," Faren responded, then turned and quickly sent one of the other dwarves to execute my instructions.

Patricia looked between Faren and myself, "Exactly how many men did you bring with you, Lady Orodum? Did you expect to walk away with all of my husband's things?"

It was Trianna's turn to speak up, "Lady Orodum had only intended to come with the dwarves you see here. The people under her command and in the city hold her in such high regard that they insisted that she bring one hundred guards. And each one you see eagerly volunteered for the chance to escort her."

"And the only thing she came for was that golem," Dagna added, smiling wide as she rejoined the group, carefully packing away the vials of demon dust remains into a pouch. "She never mentioned we'd be helping to rid the place of a demon. That was just a bonus."

As happy as I was to have my friends come to my rescue, I still answered for myself, "I offered to do this because I wanted to keep you and your people safe. If you'll recall, I offered you my tiara if you found I was lying, and it was you who asked for terms if I was not lying. We dwarves are rather insistent in our deals. My original offer was to do everything for free, then you asked what I would want if I wasn't lying."

Patricia stared at me as if she were trying to figure out just what, or who, I was, "You genuinely came here just to help us and take Shale?"

Another innocent child's smile and nod, "I did."

She seemed to regain her composure. Her demeanor softened even as she brought herself to stand up straight once more, "Then I believe that my husband's work is a small price to pay for the good you did here today. And I have no doubt that he would find it rather exceptional that dwarves, of all people, had taken an interest in his work."

Faren and the warriors escorted us back to the surface. The rest of my warriors arrived a few minutes later and spent the next hour carefully emptying the cellar of every book, crystal, parchment, box, and object used for magical study and experimentation that they could find. Dagna coordinated the effort, buzzing round the warriors like a mayfly in her excitement. She would be reading books for the next two weeks while we rode back, and would likely devour the rest of them before my birthday. Hopefully something beneficial would come from it.

While the packing effort was underway Patricia, Faren, Trianna, and I made our way up to Shale.

"I still don't understand how you're going to activate it without the control rod," Patricia mused.

"I wasn't planning to activate her without the control rod," I said as I pulled my sword from my staff. The control rod rested snugly in the bottom of the blade's fuller. It was just small enough to fit between the blade's fuller and the sheath. I plucked the rod from the sheath, then allowed the blade to slide back down into the staff with a crisp snap.

"You had the rod this entire time?" Patricia asked incredulously. "Why didn't you say so?"

"Did you think I would come all this way without it?" I laughed.

"Why didn't you just activate Shale when you arrived?"

"I'm not a rude guest," I answered immediately. "And my primary concern was the demon."

"I feel like I've misjudged you, Princess Orodum," Patricia said with some regret. "I misjudged you from the very start. Can you ever forgive me?"

I chuckled and dismissed her concern, "I'm used to it, Lady Sulzbacher. Forgiven, forgotten. Now, I'll have to kindly ask you to leave."

The sudden demand for her to leave seemed to fluster Patricia, "Excuse me? May I ask why?"

"Oh, because Shale hates you," I said with a bright smile. "I mean, she really hates you since you were the one to convince your husband to chisel her down in size. So I'd rather not activate her only to have her try and stomp you to death."

"How did you-" Patricia began to ask, then simply shook her head and offered a curtsy. "It doesn't matter. Thank you again for your help, Princess. If there's any way we can help you in the future, you have but to ask." With that, she took her leave.

I waited until Patricia was well out of sight before approaching Shale and held the control rod up, "Dulen harn."

It took a few moments before Shale's form began to creak and scrap, and she was able to move freely. Her stone arms dropped to her side as she looked down… then further down until her glowing white eyes rested on me. She groaned, "Just my luck. Another mage."

I loved Shale so much. I grabbed the flowing skirt of my gambseon and dipped into a very low curtsy, "Lady Shale Cadash, it is a very great pleasure to meet you."

"What?" Shale asked in confusion. "What did it call me."

"I called you Lady Shale Cadash," I answered. "That is who you are."

"My name is Shale," she responded with hesitation, "but I don't know anything about a Cadash. Why does it call me that?"

"It's your name, my Lady," I smiled, remaining polite. "And I am Paragon Merida Orodu, daughter of King Endrin Aeducan, Princess of Orzamar."

Shaped hummed as she assessed me, "It looks like a dwarf and it has a dwarf name, but dwarves cannot be mages. Is this some sort of trick?"

"It isn't," I promised. "I am one of a few individuals who are able to… break the rules of the world. This is Faren Orodum, the head of my House Guard, and Trianna of Clan Sabrae. We are three of the known six Origins, some people call us the Fated. We were born with vast amounts of knowledge about the world of Thedas, including its past, present, and specific events in the future."

"And it believes the knowledge it has of me is correct," Shale asked with some scrutiny.

"I know it, my Lady," I responded confidently, still all smiles. "In fact, I went to great pains to retrieve your control rod, travel from Orzammar, and free you."

"Why would it do this?" The golem continued to prod for information.

"Because, my Lady, it is our goal to stop a Blight that will occur ten years from now," I explained carefully. "We also intend to hunt down and kill the rest of the old gods before they can be used to start more Blights in the future."

Shale gave a low hum of consideration, "And it believes I am an important part of its plans to be successful?"

I bowed my head, "I do, Lady Cadash. I believe you and Paragon Caradin will both help us succeed where we might not be able to. Only golems are resilient and strong enough to be relied upon to see us through to the end. We creatures of flesh are so easily struck down, so I look to you and yours for your aid. You and Caradin are unique amongst the golems, as only you two have kept your minds, though your memory has been lost."

"It proposes that golems fight with the dwarves and the elf? It… has the control rod, does it not? I am awake, so it must," Shale said with no small amount of paranoia. "It can simply command me and I must obey."

I smiled up at her and presented the control rod, "I do have it. But it will not work on you any more. It was only useful in waking you."

"It does not work? How can I know that?" Shale mused. "Well, go on then, out with it. Give me a command."

I shrugged and stepped forward, then pointed the control rod at Shale, "Crush me to death."

Shale stood in place, staring down at me. Her face was impossible to read, "And… I feel no compulsion to obey. What it says must be true. But why would it give me such a command? What if the control rod had worked? It would be dead now."

"I told you," I snickered, "I knew it wouldn't work. And what better way to show you how much faith I have in you than literally putting my life in your hands?"

"It is certainly not what I expected from a mage," Shale responded, seeming somewhat surprised.

"Perhaps you could simply think of me as a dwarf who can use magic," I offered. "After all, anyone who can show up the mages at their own game must be better than a standard mage, yes?"

"Hey…" Trianna protested.

I looked back at her with a grin and winked.

Shale considered that for a few moments before nodding, "I suppose I could at that. At least it isn't one of the filthy human mages. Ugh! The last one who had the control rod was a wretched creature."

"I hope you will tell me all about it," I laughed.

"I suppose I have two options, do I not?" The golem pondered. "Go with it or… go elsewhere? I… do not even know what lies beyond this village."

"May I make an attempt to sweeten the offer, My Lady?" Faren asked me, stepping up to my side.

I nodded to him encouragingly.

Faren looked up at Shale and grinned, "Lady Cadash, if you choose to join My Lady Orodum, she will be bringing you back to Orzammar. There are no birds in Orzammar except ones that are dead and cooked."

"It makes the situation sound better and better!" Shale bellowed, then looked at me. "I will follow it about, then… for now."

"Excellent!" I exclaimed, with Faren and Trianna giving a small cheer as well. "You have no idea how happy and honored I am to hear that, Lady Cadash! You've made this trip well worth it!"

"This should be interesting," Shale mused. "Will we be off, then? Or is there business yet to attend to in this dreary little mudhole?"

"My men are currently emptying your former master's cellar of all of its storage," I explained lightly. "It won't take them more than an hour. If you'd like to leave the village now, we can wait for them some ways out."

"Yes," she agreed quickly. "I would very much like to put this place behind me."

We left the village of Honnleath behind with Shale in tow. We didn't wait long for the guards to finish emptying the cellar before they returned to us, packs filled with arcane lore and items that would keep Dagna busy for the next year. Or so I hoped.

Shale was able to keep pace with the brontos so we didn't lose any time as far as that was concerned. We did stop in Redcliffe for two days. I really wanted to see it! We met, and had dinner, with Arl Eamon and Bann Teagan. That was a real treat! They were pleased to meet me as well. Apparently they had wanted to meet the person who was responsible for increasing the trade between Ferelden and Orzammar.

I found out that the Surface Caste had started calling long-term contracts made with humans a Meridian Pact; named in honor of me. Apparently things had gotten so lucrative that a Meridian Pact was the preferred method of doing business now. Guaranteed long term gains were becoming preferential over single shipments or as-needed orders. It was rather flattering to have my people think so highly of me that they would name things that would last a long time after me.

When we returned to Orzammar, there was a great amount of fanfare. Apparently people had been worrying for me ever since I left. When one of my guards rode ahead to announce our return to the gate guards, word spread throughout the outside and inside of the city like wildfire. The streets were packed with cheering dwarves who offered their well wishes, others offered goods, food, and their services. I understood that my actions had helped the dwarves considerably, but I hadn't honestly thought I was so well regarded in their minds to warrant such fanfare. It would have been a slight to refuse anything offered, so I had my guards collect the things given, and make note of those who offered their services so I could at least commission something from them.

Shale was an inspiring sight to the dwarves, though she loathed the amount of activity as we entered the city. Still, once we'd gotten home things were much quieter. The servants, Kalah especially, fawned over me for some time and tried to figure out how to handle Shale. In the end, Shale would stick close to me whenever she wasn't exploring the House grounds and figuring out the lay of the land.

I had commanded our miners and smiths to have Dagna's library and experimentation room significantly expanded. She would need it to accommodate all of the items we'd procured for her during our trip. I also invested into a much larger stable, and put out the word that House Orodum needed more warriors, more servants, and potential applicants. The trip had confirmed the practicality of some ideas I'd had, and gave me a few more ideas for potential efforts moving forward.

When the time to confront the darkspawn at Ostagar and retake the lost thigh came along, I was determined that House Orodum would have a force unlike any other.