Chapter 77

The thought of fighting Ser Cauthrien didn't sit well with Emma. Initially, when playing the game, she'd ended up in a terrifying battle where the warden and companions were outnumbered...by a lot! However, after a few playthroughs, she'd found that if she got captured, she would have a chance to talk Cauthrien down outside the Landsmeet chamber. She hoped she'd sowed the seed in Cauthrien's mind so that she could talk her down during the Queen's rescue rather than later. Still, if that didn't work out, it would be a good idea to have another plan in place. It would have been ideal if they could have taken all the companions with them, however, Erlina had vetoed that idea, claiming that a small team entering the castle would be less conspicuous. As she brooded over this handicap a sudden idea came to mind. She didn't know whether it would work and so decided to call the group together for a talk.

-x-

Aedan looked at the disguises that Erlina had brought them and grimaced; they wouldn't fit Sten or Shale into one of these metal suits. Revek had to be excluded too after they'd been told that all the mabari were confined to kennels, and it would look odd if Aedan and his group were seen walking around with one by their side.
"Just how small a group are we taking?" Zevran asked, bemused by the fact that so many warriors were being excluded from the mission.
"Erlina said around four, but I think we can stretch it to five," Aedan replied. Eventually, they decided that Aedan, Alistair, Zevran, Emma and Oghren would go in to rescue the Queen.

They travelled through the back streets of Denerim to reach the Arl's home when suddenly they found themselves surrounded by well-armed mercenaries. Their leader stepped forward and Emma recognised the man. "So here is the mighty Grey Warden at long last. The Crows send their greetings."
A flash of sadness crossed Zevran's face before the mask dropped back into place. "So they sent you, Taliesen, or did you volunteer for the job?"
The Crow grinned, an easy familiar smile meant for an old friend. "I volunteered, of course. When I heard that the great Zevran had gone rogue, I simply had to see it for myself."

As the conversation continued between the two Crows, Emma held her breath to see which way Zevran's loyalty would lie. She had no approval bar to check, and that made her nervous. A trickle of sweat rolled down between her shoulder blades at the possibility of having to kill the loveable assassin. Aedan's voice brought her out of her reverie. "Of course, I'd need to be dead first." He looked at the elf, his eyebrow raised in an unspoken question.
"And I'm not about to let that happen," Zevran answered.
Emma started breathing again. Taliesen took a step back, shock and anger evident in his expression. "What?! You've gone soft."
Zevran smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, my old friend. But the answer is no. I'm not going back… and you should have stayed in Antiva."

Knowing there could be no chance of getting Zevran back on his side, Taliesen drew his weapons and charged down the stairs. Emma turned and cast Blizzard over the archers who had materialised behind her group and were getting ready to fire. The fight quickly deteriorated into a flurry of blades and spells, and the scent of blood filled the air.
After the last assassin had been dealt with, Zevran knelt by Taliesen's corpse, his eyes closed and his hand resting on his friend's chest, then after a few seconds, he gently lowered Taliesan's eyelids and stood.

Emma wished Leliana was here to offer him comfort, but in her absence, she did what she could to ease the assassin's pain. Walking over to him, she pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry it came to this, Zev." He didn't speak but dropped his head to her shoulder as he mourned the loss of a friend while accepting that he was finally free from the Crows. When he lifted his head, he kissed her cheek and winked at Aedan. "Ah, you are a lucky man, my friend."
Emma flushed and slapped Zev's arm, speaking before Aedan could. "That's not true, I'm the lucky one."
Zevran grinned. "Oh, I know, my dear Emma. I've heard your sounds of pleasure coming from the tent."
She laughed as she moved away, knowing he would be fine - the assassin had a way of bouncing back from almost anything. As he moved past her, he nudged her shoulder. "Thanks, Emma."
"Anytime, Zev."

-x-

The sound of shouting reached their ears as they cautiously entered the courtyard of the Arl of Denerim's estate. Spotting Erlina hiding behind a wagon, the group made their way over to her. "What's going on?" Aedan asked, indicating the angry citizens gathered at the front entrance.
"The Arl has had a lot of renovations done on the estate, and he's less than prompt with his payment."
"Seems a bit pointless complaining when he's not at home," Zevran commented.
"He is at home. We will need to be very careful."
Aedan's hands clenched into fists, and a closed, cold expression replaced his usually genial features. "Arl Howe's here?"
Erlina saw the dangerous look on his face and nervously nodded. "It doesn't matter whether he's there or not, the main thing is getting the Queen out of there."
"It isn't any more!" Aedan growled as he strode past the handmaiden, taking the passage at the side of the building.
Erlina opened her mouth to protest, but Emma shook her head. "We'll get the Queen out, don't worry."

She rushed ahead and caught up with Aedan. "Take a deep breath, love. You'll get your chance at him, but we have a lot of soldiers to get past first." His hands flexed rhythmically, as though he were imagining squeezing the life out of Howe, and his body remained tense. She took his face in her hands and spoke in a hushed tone. "Aedan, you can't walk in there looking like you want to murder everyone; disguises or not, I'm pretty sure that's going to ring some alarm bells for most of the soldiers."
He pulled away, his eyes burning with anger and whispered in a rough voice, "This isn't a joke, Emma. I've waited months to face that bastard. I can't just forget what he did to my family and home!"
She brushed a hand through his hair and down the temple in a soothing gesture. "I know, love, and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be flippant. But you have to remember, there are only five of us going into a well-guarded building. If we arouse suspicion as soon as we enter, we'll find ourselves in one hell of a battle, and may never make it to the Arl."

He drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out, then another, and another. It didn't seem to be doing much, and if he carried on like that he would end up hyperventilating, so she leaned in and captured his lips in a soft kiss. He made a surprised noise in the back of his throat, then he cupped her head and slanted his mouth over hers, deepening the kiss and finding a measure of peace in her arms. He rubbed a thumb over her slightly swollen lips. "Well, that worked."
She smiled and pulled him along. "Okay, now we go and rescue a Queen and kill a tyrant."

Erlina enacted her screechy performance and drew the guards away so that Aedan and the team could slip inside the estate. Once she'd finished with the guards, she returned to them and led the way. They passed through the room that would later be filled with Ser Cauthrien and a lot of soldiers. Emma's eyes slid over to the large double doors, and then they were outside the room that held Anora. There were a few moans when she told them the door had been magically sealed, and so the group set off in search of the mage who had put a spell on the door. This time, Emma led the way and made sure to collect the Grey Warden documents before heading down to the dungeons.

The stench of death and dried blood almost made Emma retch. Bloody hell, this was worse than she could ever have imagined. A guard called out to them, but before they had a chance to answer, two hands reached through the bars of the cell and snapped the man's neck. Hinges creaked as the door swung open, and the corpse was dragged into the cell. A heavy tension settled over everyone as they waited to see who would emerge, except for Emma who was practically bouncing at the idea of meeting the suave Orlesian.

Riordan stepped out of the cell, and Emma's jaw dropped. Blimey, he looked much better in real life. "I thank you for creating such distraction, stranger. I have been waiting days for the opportunity. Do you think you could… Alistair? Is that you?"
The Grey Warden in question stepped forward to get a better look before he recognised Riordan. Introductions were made, and Emma just managed to restrain herself from hugging the senior Warden, instead settling for a vigorous handshake. After handing over the documents, she directed him towards Arl Eamon's estate, and Riordan took his leave.

They opened the door ahead and found more steps leading down. "Isn't this welcoming? The dark stairways, the splashes of dried blood, and the stink of death. I really must get the name of his decorator," Zevran said, sarcastically. No one laughed as they descended the stairs; the place seemed to knock the urge for any levity right out of a person.