Chapter 10: On to Ostagar

The day of my seventeenth birthday was rather surreal. I woke up knowing that the very next day I would be leaving Orzammar for at least three years, and I might not come back alive. It was strange to think that this new home of mine had grown on me so much after everything that had happened.

Still, I was now a fully grown dwarf. I was a bit taller than Kalah at this point, and was slightly tall for a female at four feet, two inches. Faren was four inches taller than I was, a mountain of a dwarf if you'll excuse the pun. Trianna was a foot taller than I was. I had to wonder how much taller Serena was now after these last few years apart.

It's strange the things you think about when you know that things are about to drastically change for the foreseeable future.

Kalah had made sure that I was treated to my favorite breakfast foods, and had surprised me by inviting Father, Bhelen, Rica, Veron, Oghren, Branka, Aedun, and Orta to join Faren, Trianna, and I in the meal. It was like a small, private birthday celebration. The day had also become known as The Medarius, a new dwarven holiday celebrating the birth of the Surface Caste.

Ruck and Branka had worked together tirelessly to craft me a new suit of armor; black as the knight with crushed ruby powder on the chest in the symbol of House Orodum, an anvil with a magical triangle above it. They worked with Dagna to have her enchant the armor against cold, fire, and poison.

Father had continued Mother's tradition of having a new garnet gambeson created for me. This one had silver thread with golden studs with the symbol of House Orodum stamped into them. The collar was raised and came up to my jawline. If I wore it without my armor, it was designed to look like a professional gown and helped to cut an impressive figure.

Trian and Nerav had married the year before, and Nerav had moved to Aeducan Thaig. They had sent their regards with a messenger who'd brought a present. Trian had another staff made for me, tall enough for my adult height. He'd learned from the last design and ensure that the 'staff's' handle was thin enough for me to grip properly and had a bit of a crossguard when the two pieces met. The staff itself was made from stained hazel wood, and the mages at the Circle had ensured it would increase my mana reserves and elemental damage that I did.. He had the blade made of white-blue silverite and had Dagna enchant it with cold, fire, and lightning damage.

Rica and Veron probably did the best by far. The box they gave me was no larger than a simple ring box, but inside it was a gem-like phylactery. They warned me that something spoke to those who touched it. Veron had remembered me mentioning it one day when I was speaking with Dagna. He had hired dozens of adventurers to search for the thing. As soon as I touched it, flashes of memories and a voice cried out to me. I assured the spirit trapped within that I would help it if it would teach me its skills. While it would take some time, I would ensure that it was set free. It seemed content with the exchange.

Orta gave me a journal to write about my time in Ostagar. The binding was beautifully red stained leatherl, with black inlaid pictures of House Ordum and House Aeducan symbols. There was also an ornate inkwell and feather pen that went along with it. It was thicker than my arm. Orta was sure the Shaperate, and Orzammar's citizens, would want an exhausting record of the events. I promised that I would write in it every day.

Faren and Trianna had commissioned an artisan to craft a set of jewelry for me. In all it was a tiara, ear rings, a necklace, and a ring. Each bore the symbol of House Orodum. The ring had an inscription on the inside of it which said 'Fate brought you to us'.

Frandlin arrived with a messenger from Cadash Thaig just as we were finishing our private celebration.

The messenger explained that Shale hadn't even considered sending a gift until the nobles who had joined her House convinced her to. Once they convinced her, she had ordered some of her craftsmen to forge a smithing hammer for me, though she had apparently insisted that if you could be used to shape metal, it could be used to crush heads as well. So she had a built with a loop on it to carry the hammer fashioned for me as well. I thanked the messenger and ask that he tell Lady Cadash that I would keep it at my side always. As proof, I put the belt on right then, and slipped the hammer into its loop.

Frandlin… astonished everyone.

"Merida," he called me by my first name with no 'Lady' or 'Paragon' title attached. This wasn't uncommon since we were friends, but it was the first time he'd done so around others. He would always keep to etiquette in the company of other people.

"We have been good friends for years now," he began. "House Ivo has been a friend and ally to House Aeducan for generations, and I have done my best to foster that friendship through to House Orodum after you were named a Paragon. I believe that we have grown close over the years and that more than friendship has blossomed between, though events have kept us too busy to properly explore that connection."

He risked a glance to everyone else in the room before pulling a beautifully carved wooden box from his pocket. He moved to one knee and opened the box. Inside was a pear cut emerald that had been shaped and polished in a way that reflected light and color in a dazzling display. The ring it was attached to was some of the warmest color rose gold I had ever laid eyes on. It was inlaid with silverite depictions of various flowers, the petals of which were colored with fine dust from precious stones.

A hand subconsciously rose to my mouth in disbelief. The ring was beautiful beyond measure, but Frandlin's intent astounded me.

"I freely admit that I have fallen in love with you," Frandlin continued. "I understood it for certain six years ago when you fell to the ogre's boulder and my heart sank for the fear of losing you. Since that day, I have wrestled with my feelings and did my best not to pressure you into reciprocating them while you were busy with your plans. I believe you hold strong feelings for me just as I do for you."

He took my hand gently and slid the ring onto my finger. The fit was perfect.

"But now, the planning is done and tomorrow we set out to see those plans to fruition," Frandlin said with a growing, but managed, desperation in his voice. "So, I ask you now, will you take my hand in marriage?"

I can safely say I wasn't the only one in the room who was surprised by the proposal. Usually this would have been done through offers from family members, with dowries and negotiations that could go on for months. Frandlin was the head of a now prominent noble family, and I was the head of a new and highly regarded noble family. A proposal between two such families could easily take a year or more to iron out.

This, though? As far as I was aware, something like this between two people of such high stations was unprecedented.

I was at a loss for words and stared down at him, unaware that my cheeks had flushed red, tears began to well up in my eyes, and a smile had crept up into my features. I didn't know how to answer, and I had apparently been keeping everyone in suspense for longer than they could handle.

"Merida?" Father called gently from behind me.

I turned my head to look back at him.

"Answer the man," he encouraged me softly.

I looked down at Frandlin, whose hopeful eyes gazed up at me. I sniffled a bit before quietly nodding, "Yes, Frandlin. Yes. I will marry you."

My friends and family cheered and clapped excitedly as Frandlin leapt up and took me into an excited, warm embrace.

"You don't have to worry," he reassured me. "My sister is ready to become the head of House Ivo. I am happy to be a part of your House."

Father chuckled as he approached us and placed a hand on Frandlin's shoulder, "I hope you've planned out an impressive dowry, my boy. There are those in Orzammar who would give all they had, and more, to ensure a match with my daughter."

It turned out that Frandlin had indeed thought of a dowry to offer. Unlike in other cultures, it wasn't necessarily the woman's family who paid the dowry; it was the lesser family that paid. In this case, it was House Ivo. Frandlin had ensured that House Ivo would become a vassal House to House Orodum. It essentially guaranteed that all of House Ivo was subject to House Orodum; its materials, gold, and manpower was mine to call on as I see fit. He had also made arrangements that ten percent of all revenue collected by House Ivo would be sent to House Orodum over the next ten years. As if those two things weren't enough, he had a few the other Houses that members of House Ivo had married into would also send between one and five percent of their earnings to House Orodum over the next five years.

I understood why they would agree to this, of course. By sending the gold, they hoped that I would look to them when it came time for me to contract out work for House Orodum. Doing the work would help them recoup some of the lost revenue while also increasing the prestige of their craftsmen, which would, in turn, bring in more work and thus more gold. It was a capital investment, and one they considered worthwhile enough to dedicate themselves to.

The rest of the day was spent walking the city and surface with my friends and guards, with Frandlin by my side. The guards had to rotate out because I was given so many gifts by the people that they couldn't carry them all. Most of the gifts were in the form of provisions and materials we could use at Ostagar. Some gifts were tokens, crafter weapons, clothes, or other goods people wished for me to have.

In turn, I had my guards hand out one gold sovereign to people at random. It was my way of giving back to the people that loved me so much.

When we got to the surface, I announced my engagement to Frandlin. The crowd's reaction was rapturous. The Surface Dwarves lavished us with gifts as congratulations. The day became a massive celebration. It was nice to spend the day before leaving surrounded by happy celebrations.

By the time the evening came around I was mentally exhausted. Truthfully, I didn't even want to sit down to dinner, but Father insisted we celebrate my engagement. It was going to be my last time seeing him for three years, so I agreed.

I admit that I wasn't the most engaging guest of honor. I smiled, nodded, and engaged in some small talk, but otherwise I was simply there. I could tell that Frandlin's mother was rather insulted that I wasn't very engaged, but she hadn't had the day I did. Still, she was too engaged in the effort to connect her House to mine to say anything that might put that in Jeopardy.

Frandlin, along with my guards, escorted me home. We shared a kiss at the door before I wished him a good night.

After I fell asleep, I met with Purpose who was speaking with someone I didn't recognize. It was an elf who seemed like he was suffering through some great trauma. When I approached them, the elf looked up at me and seemed to panic.

It ended up that the elf was the spirit trapped inside the phylactery. He hadn't been able to speak to anyone directly in Ages. We did our best to console and calm him. We spent the entire night doing so. Before I woke, we at least managed to get him to accept that we weren't there to hurt him. I managed to figure out that wherever the phylactery went, he was pulled along through the Fade. Using this information allowed me to convince Purpose to follow him so that it could stick with me over the next few years.

The next day, House Orodum, several other noble Houses, as well as many other dwarven warriors, smiths, and artisans gathered outside Orzammar, ready to leave for Ostagar. Kalah wanted to go with me, but I insisted she stay and take care of Bhelen. Father and the Deshyrs, as well as a great many citizens saw us off. We were going to be gone for the next few years, so it was the last time we would all see each other for some time.

We left with great fanfare, with people still trying to give us gifts and provisions for the trip. The journey to Ostagar would take a month even with the brontos. Ostagar was located in a small mountainous area at the edge of the Korcari WIldlands, which were a large swath of swampy woodland.

The trip took a bit longer than it normally would have because I insisted that we stop by Redcliffe to meet with the Arl and Bann. While we were there, I went through the market to see how it had been coming along. To my surprise, the size of Redcliff had doubled in the years since I'd last been there because of the market and increased trade coming in thanks to the creation of the Surface Caste. Arl Eamon escorted me through the area himself, but he made mention that there was a Carta presence in the market and asked if there was any way we could help handle it.

I honestly hadn't thought about the Carta since I was reborn into Thedas. The Carta was essentially the underground criminal element in Orzammar and throughout the Deep Roads. They were smugglers, assassins, and all around thugs. I assumed their presence would have been wiped clean with the implementation of the Surface Caste since Carta members were all casteless who turned to crime to survive.

I assured the Arl that I would send word to Orzammar requesting that they make hunting the Carta among their top priorities. Luckily, I had close friends in the Assembly who would keep me apprised of everything that was going on.

When we left Redcliffe, Arl Eamon added twenty carts to our caravan, hitched to brontos that weren't already hauling goods. The carts had food, building materials, and one was packed with wine. He wanted to be able to help in the rebuilding effort somehow.

I might have let it slip to him that he would want to look in on his son because I thought I sensed magic coming from him. Now, you can't actually sense magic from a person, but Eamon didn't know that. And I just knew that if left alone, his wife Isolde would hide the fact that her son was a mage. That would lead to a horrific series of events. Better the boy be looked after properly than by anyone untoward.

We had left Orzammar in the last week of winter, and by the time we arrived in Ostagar Srpring was in full bloom. The place was more of a ruin than a fort, but it was large enough to be a solid defensible position against a force like the darkspawn who would simply charge in with no real tactics in mind. The reports from our scouts were extremely detailed and my engineers assured me that they believed we could get everything done according to our schedule; sooner if the humans showed up to help.

Our first priority was securing the tunnels below the Tower of Ishal, which was on the western side of the fort. This would allow us to prevent the darkspawn from using the tunnels to take the tower, and would give us a place to remain underground for the purposes of keeping our castes. There was some dispensation for the people who came with me because we couldn't guaranteed half the time we were there would be underground, but we were going to do our best to rotate the work so that three shifts could work on the fort for eight hours every day while went back to the tunnels for the rest of the day.

Within the first two months of around the clock work, the tunnels were fortified, expanded, and secured. The Tunnels became a large town in its own right, with room enough for the brontos to wander, and for the smiths and artisans to set up their crafting stations so they had more than enough room to work. There was an armory, a few different galleys, and sleeping around for each House's warriors, servants, and artisans. The nobles received small houses of their own where they could stay and take meetings. We converted some of the larger spaces that were already in the tunnels into training grounds, and one area we had to dig out into a meeting room where larger meetings of the nobles, warrior commanders, and engineers could take place. Each space was designed with the idea of making it a defensible position to fall back to in case the darkspawn tunneled in during the attack.

In the third month, King Maric's forces had arrived. By then we were working at the base of the fort, securing some of the failing stonework and reinforcing the gates. When the scouts reported King Maric was close, I hurried to the tunnels to wash and change into something presentable. I was helping with the smithing work and molding the stone with magic when needed so I was an absolute mess.

By the time King Maric arrived, there were one hundred House Orodum warriors arrayed on either side of the road, with warriors from the other noble Houses positioned there as well. I stood at the entrance to Ostagar, flanked by Frandlin, Faren, and Trianna. Behind me were a handful of nobles who weren't currency on their shift work who joined me to make as respectable a welcome as we could.

King Maric brought his horse to a stop a few yards from us and dismounted. I could see Tyrn Loghain behind him dismounting as well. I recognized Serea, Cailan, and Alistair. They had two other individuals with them as well; a male elf, and a male human. I assume those were the city elf and human mage origins.

I lowered myself into a graceful curtsy as Maric approached, "King Maric. It's an honor to have you join us. I hope our early arrival didn't force you to hurry any plans you might have had."

Maric smiled and bowed, "Paragon Merida, it is a great pleasure to see you again. I must say you've grown into a beautiful young woman."

"And to answer your question," Loghain interjected, "we did not rush any of our plans. We assumed, and rightly so if the state of the fort has anything to say about it, that the industrious Princess of Orzamar would not sit idly by while she waited on our arrival."

I smiled and bowed my head, "You give me too much credit, Tyrn Loghain."

"I don't think that's possible," Maric doubled down on the sentiment. "It seems you've put your people to work. The place is already cleared of debris."

A chuckled slipped from me as I turned and motioned for the pair to follow me, "If I may?"

Maric signaled for his people to dismount and begin setting up their tents, then he and Loghain fell in step behind me.

"As you can see," I began with just a small amount of pride in my people's work, "we have cleared the area of debris and leveled the best places for your people to set up tents. We have already fortified and expanded the Tower of Ishal and the tunnels beneath it. I hope you don't mind, but we've taken the tunnels as our living quarters for the duration of the time we'll be here."

"You should make yourselves comfortable, of course," Maric nodded.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I continued, leading them to the bridge that gapped the chasm between the eastern and western towers of the fort. "We're currently working on the lower part of the fort; repairing and reinforcing the stone work there. We'll work our way up over the next few months before we begin work on the bridge. We've brought enough materials with us to get the fort back into prime condition."

"Did you consider that we might want a say in how things are done, Princess?" Loghain asked, ever the realist.

I stopped and turned on my heels, pure positivity directed at the more taciturn of the pair, "I did, indeed, my Lord. Which is why I'm bringing you to the engineering headquarters we've set up. I would like you and your engineers to look over our plans. We were only able to make them from scout reports. We believe they're accurate, but we want your input on any changes or alterations you would like to make."

"Arl Eamon sent several cart loads of materials and supplies as well," I added, making sure to give the man the credit he deserved. "We can use those to help with anything further that you might want done. I assume you brought your own materials, supplies, and ideas as well. So I'm eager to see how our plans can work together."

"You were right, Loghain," Maric laughed and clapped his friend on the back. "It's not possible to overestimate this young lady. She has an answer for everything."

"So it would seem, Maric. The same seems to be able to be said for all of the Fated," Loghain mused. He looked down at me with an arched brow, "Tell me, Princess. We received reports of dwarves riding large creatures south from Orzammar. Where are these beasts?"

"You must mean the brontos," I assumed. "They're in their pasture below the Tower of Ishal."

"I was unaware that dwarves used beasts for more than pulling carts," Loghain mused. "Do you ride them into battle as well?"

I looked up at the man with a proud expression, "We do! House Orodum sports the largest cavalry in all of Orzammar, and we've brought all of our brontos with us. Two hundred brontos. Some of the other Houses have brought some of theirs as well, but House Orodum makes up the bulk of our cavalry."

"And you intend to utilize them during the battle?" Loghain pursued the topic with interest.

"We do," I confirmed. "We have already used them in three large battles against the darkspawn since last we met. So you don't have to worry about inexperience being an issue."

We continued to speak for some time as I escorted them around the fort, showing the work we were doing, and the work we had accomplished. I also showed Loghain the bronto pasture, which seemed to impress him. They went over the plans we had laid out for the fort's repairs and fortifications, and let us know what differences they had planned for.

When I asked if they would join me for dinner tonight, King Maric informed me that a dinner together would have to wait. The other Fated wished to meet with Faren, Trianna, and myself this evening. Maric had not only assured them this would happen, he prioritized a large tent to be set up so that we could all meet in private.

It seemed I was about to meet the last two origins at long last.