The sound of the wind rustling through the trees calmed Linn's nerves. Leaning back against a tree, she took a moment to close her eyes and take deep, steadying breaths. They were approaching Redcliffe. Linn had opted to leave Sten and Morrigan at the camp. While she had told them that it was because they needed someone to stay behind and guard their camp, the real reason was that she didn't think that the people of the village would take kindly to a Qunari warrior and an apostate mage. The fact that Loghain had offered a reward for her and Alistair was troubling enough. She didn't need anyone else to make things more difficult.
The sound of laughing caught her attention, and she opened her eyes to see Leliana and Rabbit playing in the distance. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. Rabbit had been the dog that she had helped save at Ostegar. Luckily, the dog had escaped the devastation, but it was now intent on following them. Likely because they were the only Grey Wardens left… And Leliana… Linn let out a troubled grumble. Leliana was a bard of some kind who had decided to join their group after a "dream from the gods." As much as Linn wanted to turn her away for Leliana's sake, Linn couldn't deny the free help.
The sound of something rustling made her turn to see Alistair pacing with a worried look on his face. Despite his trust in the arl, something was bothering him. Alistair glanced her way and froze like a deer caught in the headlights. Linn waved for him to join her, which he did after taking a deep breath.
"Look, can we talk for a moment? I need to tell you something. I, ah, should probably have told you earlier," Alistair confessed as he took a seat beside her.
"What's wrong?" Linn asked, hoping that it was just a case of nerves.
"Well, let's see. How do I tell you this?" Alistair mumbled with a small groan. "We're almost at Redcliffe. Did I say how I know Arl Eamon exactly?"
"I think you said he raised you."
Alistair took another deep breath and explained, "I'm a bastard. My mother was a serving girl at Redcliffe Castle, and she died when I was born. Arl Eamon took me in and raised me before I was sent to the Chantry. The reason he did that was because… well, because my father was King Maric. Which made Cailan my… half-brother, I suppose."
"So… you're not just a bastard but a royal bastard?" Linn joked, trying to ease the tension.
"Ha! Yes, I guess it does at that. I should use that line more often." Alistair said with a small smile, and his shoulders relaxed. "I would have told you, but… it never really meant anything to me. I was inconvenient, a possible threat to Cailan's rule and so they kept me secret. I've never talked about it to anyone. Everyone who knew either resented me for it or they coddled me… even Duncan kept me out of the fighting because of it. I didn't want you to know, as long as possible. I'm sorry."
"You don't need to be sorry," Linn assured him, and Alistair stared at her in bewilderment. "You don't owe me any kind of explanation… But I'm glad that you trusted me enough to tell me."
Alistair sighed with relief and continued, "Good. I'm glad. It's not like I got special treatment for it, anyhow. Arl Eamon eventually married a young woman from Orlais, despite all the problems it caused with the king so soon after the war. He loved her a great deal. Anyway, the new arlesa resented the rumors which pegged me as the arl's bastard. They weren't true, but of course they existed. The arl didn't care, but she did. So off I was packed to the nearest monastery at age ten. Just as well. The arlesa made sure the castle wasn't a home to me by that point. She despised me."
"That's awful! Blaming a child…"
"She felt threatened by my presence," Alistair explained. "I can see that now. I can't say I blame her. She wondered if the rumors were true herself, I bet. I remember I had an amulet with Andraste's holy symbol on it. The only thing I had of my mother's. I was so furious at being sent away… I tore it off and threw it at the wall, and it shattered."
"You were just a child… You shouldn't blame yourself for that," Linn said, and Alistair looked down at his hands. "You felt abandoned…"
"Still… the way I acted… But maybe all young bastards act like that, I don't know. All I know is that the arl is a good man and well-loved by the people. He also was King Cailan's uncle, so he has a personal motivation to see Loghain pay for what he did. So there you have it. Now can we move on, and I'll pretend you still think I'm some… nobody who was too lucky to die with the rest of the Grey Wardens."
Alistair continued looking at his hands, and Linn could see his grip tightening.
"As you command… my prince," Linn joked with a smile.
Alistair feigned irritation, but Linn could see the hint of a smile. "Oh, lovely. I'm going to regret this. Somehow I just know it."
Linn laughed, and Alistair helped her to stand. After releasing his hand, she turned to check on Leliana and Rabbit before looking back at Alistair. A part of her recognized that she could leave this world at any time, but Alistair… This was his home. Linn just hoped that she was doing the right thing by staying to help… and trying to find a solution to her own problem.
"Alistair… there's just one more thing," Linn said, and Alistair gave her a nervous look. "You seem to think that Duncan sent you to the tower because of your lineage… I didn't know him as well as you did, but I think I got an accurate assessment of the man. And… I think he sent you to the tower because he trusted you to help me if I needed it. Lighting that beacon… We almost died. Without you, I would have died well before we got to the top. I… I just wanted to say that I'm happy that you're still here."
"Me too," Alistair muttered. "I mean… happy that you're still here. When I saw you in Flemeth's hut… I didn't think you were going to make it. I thought… that I really was alone… So, uh… Yeah… Redcliffe is just over there… and down a hill. Let's keep moving."
Alistair quickly took the lead as Linn gestured to Leliana and Rabbit to follow them. As they approached the bridge leading them to Redcliffe, they saw a man walking to the bridge. Linn hung back but listened to Alistair speak with the scout. Redcliffe Castle was now closed, and the town was currently preparing for an attack by creatures that attacked at night.
"Terrific," Linn muttered as she followed the man and Alistair into the village.
Linn scanned the village, trying to take in as many details as she could. Barricades were set up around different points including the Chantry. Alistair gestured for the others to follow him inside. Linn checked the Chantry for templars, but there were only a few inside. Likely the others were preparing for the possible attack. Linn continued to scan the building as she followed Alistair. The chantry in Lothering had been smaller. Luckily, the scout quickly led them to a man giving orders to the templars. Linn could tell by the man's clothes that he was someone wealthy… Perhaps he was this "Bann Teagan" that the scout and Alistair had spoken of earlier.
The man gave their group an inquisitive look but spoke kindly to the scout, "It's… Tomas, right? And who are the people with you? They're obviously not simple travelers."
Tomas spoke up quickly, "No, my lord. They just arrived, and I thought you would want to see them."
"Well done, Tomas. Greetings, friends. My name is Teagan, Bann of Rainesfere, brother to the arl."
Alistair spoke up with slight hesitation in his voice, "I remember you, Bann Teagan, though the last time we met I was a lot younger and… covered in mud."
"Covered in mud? …Alistair?" the man asked with surprise and elation. "It is you, isn't it? You're alive! This is wonderful news!"
"Still alive, yes, though not for long if Teryn Loghain has anything to say about it."
"Indeed. Loghain would have us believe all Grey Wardens died along with my nephew, amongst other things."
"So you don't believe Loghain's lies about us then?" Linn asked, still keeping her distance and eyeing the templars warily.
"What, that he pulled his men in order to save them?" Bann Teagan asked with disdain. "That Cailan risked everything in the name of glory? Hardly. Loghain calls the Grey Wardens traitors, murderers of the king. I don't believe it. It is an act of a desperate man. So you are a Grey Warden as well? A pleasure to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances. You're here to see my brother? Unfortunately, that might be a problem. Eamon is gravely ill. No one has heard from the castle in days. No guards patrol the walls, and no one has responded to my shouts. The attacks started a few nights ago. Evil… things… surged from the castle. We drove them back, but many perished during the assault."
"What kind of evil things are you talking about?"
"Some call them the walking dead, decomposing corpses returning to life with a hunger for human flesh… They hit again the next night. Each night they come, with greater numbers. With Cailan dead and Loghain starting a war over the throne, no one responds to my urgent calls for help. I have a feeling tonight's assault will be the worst yet. Alistair, I hate to ask, but I desperately need the help of you and your friends."
Alistair shifted uncomfortably and turned to Linn before saying, "It isn't just up to me. Though the Grey Wardens don't stand much chance against Loghain without Arl Eamon."
"Of course we'll help… Sten will probably be happy for the chance to fight, and Morrigan… Well, she might take some convincing, but we'll make due with what we have, I suppose."
"Thank you! Thank you, this… means more to me than you can guess," Bann Teagan assured her before turning to the scout. "Tomas, please tell Murdock what transpired. Then return to your post."
"Yes, my lord," Thomas replied and quickly left the chantry.
"Now then. There is much to do before night falls. I've put two men in charge of the defense outside. Murdock, the village mayor, is outside the chantry. Ser Perth, one of Eamon's knights, is just up the cliff at the windmill, watching the castle. You may discuss with them the preparations for the coming battle."
"We'll see what we can help them with," Linn assured him, and he gave her a grateful smile.
"Very well. Luck be with you, my friend."
Linn turned to lead the others out of the chantry when she spotted a young girl crying in the corner by the door. She approached the girl and gently asked her if she was okay. The girl's brother was missing. Linn felt a chill go up her spine as she reassured the girl that she would look for her brother. The girl seemed a little more assured.
The group left the chantry, and Linn took a look at the fortifications around the chantry. Spikes and roadblocks wouldn't do much against shambling corpses… But it could be used to gather them in one spot. Alistair left to speak with the people that Bann Teagan had mentioned while Linn took a look around the village with Leliana and Rabbit.
After speaking with the villagers, she found out that the corpses were coming directly from the castle… which was closed off. However, they had to be escaping somehow. Linn couldn't imagine a corpse having the strength to hurl itself over the castle walls… And the only way to stop the dead from rising would be to get rid of the magic causing it or cut off the supply of bodies.
Linn started walking up the hill to get a better look at the castle when Alistair caught up with her. He passed along what information he'd gotten from the knight. The town blacksmith had shut himself in the house after his daughter had gone missing, and the soldiers were low on morale…
"Well… I can try to talk to the blacksmith, and we'll go from there," Linn said with a sigh. "And… someone will need to go to camp for Sten and Morrigan."
Leliana and Alistair made a face but seemed to agree that they needed help. With some subtle maneuvering, Linn got Leliana to agree to talk to the others. As Linn watched Leliana and Rabbit walk over the bridge, she felt a slight nudge.
"You're very crafty, aren't you?" Alistair asked with a smile.
"I need to talk to the chantry sisters… and I'm pretty sure Leliana wouldn't like what I have to ask them for. She's a true believer after all," Linn explained as she walked down the hill back to the chantry.
"Are you going to ask them for a token or something?" Alistair asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Something like that… People fight better when they believe that they have a chance of winning… or if they believe a god is on their side."
"Maker save us… and not strike us down for blasphemy," Alistair whispered, half-jokingly.