Chapter 12: Conflicting Ideologies

"My Paragon!" a servant shouting as she threw open the door to my bedroom.

I was startled out of my sleep and shot straight up, "What?! What's wrong?"

"A large force of humans have gathered outside the tower," she said as she scurried about the room, grabbing some clothes for me. "They're demanding to see you and have threatened to come in and take you if you don't meet with them!"

"They're armed?" I asked as she helped me get dressed.

"They are, My Lady," she confirmed, still taking the time to ensure that everything fit correctly. "Ser Faren is outside with several warriors guarding the entrance to the tower, but they won't be able to hold for long if the humans decide to force their way in."

"Who are they? Have they identified themselves?" I probed as my mind began to wander.

"No, my lady," the servant said as she led me over to my vanity and set me down so she could begin braiding my hair. "They've refused to say who they are until you come out to meet with them."

"Where is King Maric? Has he not ordered them to disperse or to pull back and treat with us peacefully?" I inquired.

"Forgive me, Princess," she replied, shaking her head, "but I do not know. I was only told as much as I've told you now, and to bring you to the entrance to the tower when you're presentable."

It had been almost two months since King Maric and the other origins had arrived. There hadn't been any quarrels that I was aware of, and the worst thing that I could think of happening was when my engineers and Maric's engineers wanted to do repairs in different ways. To have a force of humans acting so aggressively outside our quarters and demanding my presence this way didn't make any sense. It took several more minutes to get my hair braided, my makeup done, my armor equipped… a few more minutes just to make them wait. Faren would forgive me.

When I was finally prepared, I took my staff and left my room. Several warriors were already in the hall and fell into formation around me. Dwarves all throughout the tunnels were moving into their battle positions and I stopped to give them some particular orders of my own. If King Maric wasn't able to stop this force… or didn't want to stop them for some reason… I wanted to be prepared for a fight.

One of the guards around me ran ahead to let Faren know I was about to arrive.

As I approached the doors to the tower, two guards opened them for me and Faren announced me.

"Here she is," he yelled over the crowd. "Paragon Merida Orodum, Princess of Orzammar!"

Faren and the other warriors outside of the tower all bowed. I stopped at the edge of the top step, looking down at the gathered humans. There were hundreds of them, most heavily armored. Those who weren't armored wore robes with stylized sun symbology on them. Templars and members of the Chantry. What did they want with me?

I glared imperiously down at them, not allowing an ounce of concern or fear show through, "I am Lady Merida Orodum, Princess of Orzammar. By what right does the Chantry and its Templar knights have with me that they would demand my presence by threatening force against me and my people, and risking a war with the dwarves?"

An eldery human woman with white hair and golden robes stepped forward, "Greetings, Miss Merida."

The lack of any title other than 'Miss' rankled me. I can only imagine what the reaction of the dwarves around me was.

"I am Grand Cleric Elemena," the woman continued. "I have brought the Templars because word over the years has reached my ears that you are a mage, and a powerful one at that."

"What business is it of yours if I am, Grand Cleric?" I asked, not letting the imperious air I was putting on falter, and intentionally using her title.

"As I'm sure you're aware," Elemena responded, "part of the Chantry's duties is to protect the people from unchecked magic users. We have come to escort you to Ferelden's Circle Tower where you can live safely and in comfort, Miss."

I narrowed my eyes, and took a few moments to collect myself, "To be clear, Grand Cleric, you heard that I was away from Orzammar and thought I was finally vulnerable. So, you decided you were brave enough to take on an isolated force of dwarves, and you gathered as many men as possible and came here to drag me back to the Circle whether I agreed to go peacefully or not."

"If you wish to put it that way, Miss," the Cleric said with a soft chuckle. "We would prefer that you come with us peacefully, but we are willing to bring you with us by force."

"And what does King Maric have to say about all of this?" I asked. "I doubt he would approve of the Chantry risking a war with Orzammar by abducting a dwarven Princess and Paragon, and killing her people in the process."

"My authority comes from beyond the king," Elemena said softly. "Now, if you would please come with us, Miss, we can avoid any unpleasantries."

"Do you think our Paragon would go without a fight?" Frandlin growled as he stepped forward by my side.

I looked at Frandlin and placed a hand on his chest to calm him, "Give me a few more moments with her. If things should turn for the worst, you know what to do."

Frandlin bowed his head, "As you wish, beloved. But know that we will not let them take you."

I gave Frandlin a smile, showing him my appreciation, "I know."

My demeanor turned to ice as I turned away from Frandlin and back to the elderly woman, "Grand Cleric Elemena, you have come here uninvited. You have threatened me, but more importantly, you have threatened my people. You have purposefully disrespected me by now once acknowledging my titles as a noble, royalty, and a Paragon. Your old age must be affecting your judgment and your eyesight, because we are neither helpless or human. We do not subscribe to your Andrastian religion and we are not bound by its dogmatic tenants of slavery for the greater good."

"The Chantry does not endorse sla–" the old woman tried to protest.

"Silence!" I barked. "Since your arrival, you have done nothing but provoke us, disrespect me, and have tried to enforce your dogma on those who don't belong to it. However, since it seems you want to force a cultural exchange, I will oblige you."

I turned and motioned to the Tower of Ishal, "This tower and its surrounding walls were little more than a ruin a few months ago. Now it is a fortress all on its own. The tunnels beneath the tower have been fortified by Orzammar's finest engineers, artisans, and military minds. We have been able to do this because we are connected to The Stone, and it shows us how best to mold it to suit our needs. Do you know what that means, Grand Cleric?"

"Please, enlighten me," Elemena replied, seeming amused.

"It means that the moment you approached this tower, you were outnumbered and surrounded," I stated matter-of-factly. "You've been so concentrated on where we leave the tower that you didn't consider that we would have created other exits. Take a moment and look around."

Elemena arched a brow curiously, then began to take a look at her surroundings. Her expression changed from that of a patronizing old woman to one surprise and concern. The ramparts were suddenly packed with dwarven archers, as was every window of the tower and the top of the tower. Behind them were a few hundred bronto cavalry who had left from the tunnels we'd made that led to the battlefield and circled around to flank the Chantry forces.

"What you don't see is inside the tower," I explained. "There are thousands of dwarves armed and ready to die to protect me. They will swarm through these doors in a fanatacil frenzy if you dare lay a hand on me. While it's true your templars will be able to prevent me from casting spells, you're out-numbered twenty to one. If you wake one step toward me, my betrothed will order my men to attack and every one of you will die in the next few moments."

"You wouldn't dare!" an armored man who looked to be in his fifties shouted as he stepped up to join Elemena. "If you kill the Grand Cleric then the Chantry would respond with an Exalted March against you and your people."

"And why should I care?" I asked as I grew more and more angry. "It would seem the Chantry is only brave enough to challenge the dwarves when we come out of our mountain. Did you come here hoping that threat would cow me into submission? That the threat of war would scare me into agreeing to your demands? Dwarves live in a state of constant war! We are battle hardened from birth to fight and die for our people!"

I slammed the foot of my staff into the stone steps, summoning my mana to me, "I have come here with my people to help save your country from a Blight and you repay my generosity by demanding I become one of your enslaved mages? I will show you how magnanimous I am. I'll give you this one chance; command your men to lay their weapons down at my feet, or I will have my people slaughter you here and now! Make your decision."

The stalemate last for what seemed like Ages. The Grand Cleric wrestled with her resolve while I dug deeper into my defiance. You could taste the tension in the air. It was the cleric's resolve that cracked first.

"Very well," Elemena conceded. "Templars, lay down your weapons before the Princess."

"Grand Cleric!" the older man protested. "We cannot do this!"

"Knight-Commander Greagoir," Elemena silence him, "I have made my decision. I will not sacrifice hundreds of lives in a hopeless effort. Now lay down your arms, all of you!"

One by one the Templars and warriors brought by the Chantry set their weapons down at the bottom of the tower's stairs.

"Now, we have done as you asked," Elemena grumbled. "May we leave in peace?"

"No," I snarled, marching down the steps and over the pile of weapons, flanked by Faren, Frandlin, and my other personal guards. "You will surrender to me. My men will bind you and we will keep you here until the Chantry makes amends for your threats and arrogance."

I stopped a foot away from the cleric and stared up at her, my expression daring her to refuse or strike me, "Now kneel, and command your men to do the same."

Elemena took several moments before moving to her knees. She was slowly joined by the others she'd brought with her.

"Faren," I called.

"Yes, Princess?" Faren stepped forward, bowing his head.

"Command the men to bind every human here. They're now our prisoners."

"As you command, My Lady," he turned and relayed the order. My guards, and other warriors who were waiting for orders inside the tower got to work taking custody of the humans.

"Lord Ivo," I called again.

"Command me, My Paragon," Frandlin stepped forward.

"I want cells dug into the tunnels by the end of the day," I stated firmly. "Bars, doors, and all. Don't bother with individual cells. Make three large enough to accommodate our guests for the long term."

"It will be done," Frandlin obeyed. He marched back into the tower to make sure the cells were prepared.

I glared down at Elemena now that she was on her knees, "I hope you'll find your accommodations comfortable, Grand Cleric. You'll be here for some time as recompense for your arrogance. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak with King Maric about what I'm going to do with you."

Faren remained at the tower, overseeing the capture of the Andrastians while a retinue of guards and nobles escorted me to King Maric's quarters. We didn't make it halfway across the bridge spanning the fort's chasm before Maric, Loghain, and several dozen knights approached us on horseback.

Maric looked down at me in confusion, "Lady Orodum? Where is Grand Cleric Elemena? We were told she had arrived with a large number of Templars and marched straight to the Tower of Ishal."

I glared up at the King, "King Maric, would you do me pleasure of bringing me to the meeting hall? We have something we need to discuss. And could you call for the Fated as well? I'd like their opinion on this as well."

Maric considered my tone and body language and nodded, "Of Course, Princess." He dismounted and helped me up onto his horse, and commanded Loghain to gather the other Fated before turning and bringing me to the meeting hall.

It took some time for Loghain to round everyone up, but we were eventually all together and seated in the meeting all.

"Now that we're all here," King Maric began, "would you like to tell us what's going on?"

The table we were at was set up so that Maric, Trianna, and I could sit at the head of it as the primary representatives of our respective peoples. Loghain, the other Fated, and a few select dwarven nobles sat along the longer ends of the table.

I stood with a stern expression, "Today, Grand Cleric Elemena marched through the fort without so much as asking for anyone's permission and set themselves outside of the Tower of Ishal. They demanded I speak with them or they would set upon my people and drag me out of the tower. They demanded that I submit to the Chantry and allow myself to be brought to the Circle Tower to be held for the safety of Ferelden's citizens."

"What?" King Meric gasped. Loghain and the other Fated seemed shocked as well. "Why would she do such a thing without consulting me first?"

One of the dwarven nobles slammed his fist onto the table, "She said that her authority came from beyond you, King Maric. She said it as if you weren't part of her concerns!"

"Why would she do something so foolish?" Loghain asked.

"Because she's a mage," Allen guessed correctly. "I'd wager they thought she was vulnerable enough on the surface to try to come for her that they took the chance."

"That's exactly what happened," I confirmed. "The Grand Cleric all but admitted it."

"There's another question that needs to be asked," Maric hesitated. "Why were you coming to see me without the Grand Cleric? Why is she not here?"

"Because I took her and her people prisoner," I stated with authority.

"You did what!?" Maric nearly shouted in horror. "You cannot take the Grand Cleric prisoner!"

I turned on the king, glaring at him, "And why not? What would you have done, King Maric, if an enemy force marched up to your front door and threatened to kill your people and take you prisoner? She should be thankful she isn't dead."

Maric stared at me. I could see how he was wrestling with the logic. Eventually he nodded in agreement, "You make a fair point. How long do you intend to keep them prisoner?"

"Until Divine Beatrix herself comes to sue for their release," I responded, crossing my arms.

"Are you mad?" Serena balked. "You can't demand that the Divine come here just to negotiate the release of prisoners!"

"I can and I will!" I shouted. My patience had worn thin. "I was accosted in my home by a Grand Cleric; the Divine's primary representative in Ferelden! Grand Clerics answer to no one but the Divine herself. So it will be the Divine I speak with, and no one else. That is my right as the victor."

"In this, you are correct. Only the Divine can answer for a Grand Cleric," Maric conceded. "But by doing this, you risk an Exalted March. Would you like us to send a messenger to explain things?"

"Would the news coming from a human messenger not send with it certain connotations?" Aelfric asked.

"What do you mean?" Loghain arched his brow suspiciously.

"A human running to the Divine to tell her that a dwarven princess has captured one of her Grand Clerics and a number of Templars might seem like asking for aid in rescuing them, regardless of the actual reason the Grand Cleric is being held," Aelfric explained. "I think it would be better to send a human and a dwarf. That way it looks more like a plea for diplomacy instead of a plea for aid."

"A fine point," Maric agreed. "And to drive home the importance of the need for the Divine's diplomatic intervention, I'll have Loghain be the human messenger."

Loghain glared at Meric, "You're sending me to Orlais? After we spent years throwing those bastards out of our country?"

"Who else should I send that would be able to drive home the need for urgency?" Maric growled back. "You will go and you will ensure that whoever the princess sends is heard in the proper manner. Do you understand me? Only someone who has defeated Orlais will be able to command the attention this matter deserves."

Loghain remained silent for a few moments before sighing in resignation, "As usual, you are right, Maric. I apologize for my outburst."

"I'll have Lord Ivo go with the Tyrn to represent me," I decided.

"Your betrothed?" Maric clarified. "Are you certain? Wouldn't you prefer to have him with you?"

"I would prefer not to have to have had to do any of this at all," I scolded the king. "But no one will represent my interests with more purpose than Frandlin. Additionally, he was with me when the Grand Cleric was making her demands; he is a witness to what all took place. So he can give a first hand account of what happened."

Maric nodded in agreement, "Very well. Until then, I insist that the Grand Cleric and her retinue be treated with all care."

"I'm not a monster," I huffed. "I'm having large cells carved out for them even now. We'll bring in cots and tables for them to sleep and eat in comfort. But they will not leave the cells until after I've spoken with the Divine."

"Sure, My Lady," Loghain said reticently, "they won't be forced to stay underground for that entire time?"

"They will," I replied with no room for negotiation. "We're spending a great deal of time above ground because we came here to help against the Blight. They can spend a few months in our tunnels. After all, it's better than being buried in the ground."

"That's a fair point," Loghain conceded.

"Take some men and prepare to ride to Orlais, Loghain," King Maric commanded. "Be prepared to leave when Lord Ivo is ready."

Loghain stood and bowed to Maric, "As you command, Your Grace." He left the hall and prepared for his journey.

We decided to end the meeting there. King Maric accompanied me back to the Tower of Ishal to speak with the Grand Cleric. I informed Frandlin of his impending journey. He was rather eager to give the Divine a piece of his mind, but I hammered home the need for professionalism. He was representing me in this matter so I expected him to act with all tact and care.

Frandlin and Loghain left within the hour. However, the capture of the Grand Cleric began to create a divide within the fort. Humans began to look at the dwarves with scorn. Their animosity was restrained by King Maric who decreed that the Grand Cleric was considered a renegade, and those who had joined her in the attempt to capture me were criminals as well. If any humans attempted to start a fight over it, they would be severely punished.

That evening I met with Purpose and the elven spirit of the phylactery. I was determined to double down on my magical training. If the Chantry thought I was a powerful mage now, I would eclipse their expectations of me a thousand fold.