Afterwards, Athos could not rightly recall how long he stood there staring at Howe's body. The last moments of the battle with Howe's mage and guards were lost to him. He stood staring at Howe and the growing pile of blood he was lying in. He had expected to feel some sort of peace, some sort of satisfaction but all he felt was a hollow and empty kind of relief. The kind of relief he felt when Arl Eamon had woken from his trance. No sense of triumph, just another barrier to the mission. With a heavy sigh, he raised his head from Howe's body to glance around the room. He had chosen his companion's well. Jowan, Sten and Lelianna had dispatched Howe's mage and guards with ease. However, any hope of their disguise still working was completely doomed. They were all covered in a copious amount of blood.
"Athos… Are you alright?" Lelianna asked gently.
"I am, thank you. Come Let us leave this awful place" Athos said.
"Whoever you are, I demand you release me at once" A nasally and outraged voice called from some of the cells behind them.
Athos's companions looked at him questioningly.
"Well, there's no harm in looking." Athos decided. They crept towards the cells in the back of the room. There were several prisoners in these rooms. A malnourished-looking elf dressed in rags and covered in filth. The elf looked at them with wary eyes. The other two prisoners were two human men. One was kneeling and babbling phrases in the chant of light and had not seemed to notice their arrival. The other human man was rattling his cell bars in indignation. Both humans were equally covered in filth as the elf. However, they did look better fed. The indignant man seemed agitated by their presence.
"You, you there. Let me out immediately. I am the rightful Arl of Denerim." The man declared. Athos almost laughed at the man's proclamation, however as he stepped into the light he realized that the man was telling the truth.
"Vaughan?" Athos asked surprised to see him. He had heard that there had been some terrible riots in the Alienage while Ostagar was happening. People had claimed that Vaughan was dead.
"Athos? Oh, thank the Maker. Howe threw me in here when he came to help with the elves. Please let me out, I'm innocent" Vaughan pleaded.
"LIAR" the elf growled in rage. Athos turned to look at them. On closer inspection, they were a woman. With dirty blonde hair and furious brown eyes.
"He's a rapist and a murderer. He kidnapped me and my cousin from my wedding and raped her. Then when my husband and Soris tried to free us he killed him." The elf confessed, voice cracking with emotion. Athos grimaced in horror at the tale. He did not doubt the elf was telling the truth. Vaughan had an unsavoury reputation particularly when it came to elf women. The trouble was, of course, that Vaughan was the Arl of Denerim's son and now the Arl of Denerim himself. His vote was invaluable in the Landsmeet. Of course, a piece of filth like Vaughan would survive Howe's madness and not his family.
"Well Vaughan, is this true?" Athos asked mildly.
"I, I I, I was simply exercising my rights when two elvish thugs attacked of course I defended myself" Vaughan explained indignantly.
"I see. Well Vaughan we both know you have no rights to the bodies of your people that way. This is not Orlais. In the absence of a landsmeet trial, I find you guilty and sentence you to death" Athos declared, drawing his dagger slashing Vaughan's throat before the wretched man could do anything.
Blood spurted out of his throat like a crimson fountain as Vaughan clutched at his throat ineffectively with a look of befuddled outrage. That was unwise Athos thought to himself. He'd just cost himself two votes in the landsmeet and ended a noble line that was over four hundred years old. Still what kind of King would he have been if he allowed Vaughan to live and go raping and murdering his subjects? If he had spared Vaughan it was very likely more innocent elves would have died and Vaughan would never have been punished. Athos turned to regard the elven woman. She watched the still-bleeding corpse of Vaughan with a mix of disgust and satisfaction.
"Rot in the void, you bastard," She said through gritted teeth, face wet with tears.
"I'm sorry this has happened to you" Athos said as he unlocked her cell door with the keys they had taken from Howe's belt.
The elven woman watched him warily but stepped out of the cell.
"Thank you, do you know what month it is?" She asked nervously, voice weak from disuse.
"It's toward the end of Cloudreach" Athos replied
"A year," the woman said with a disbelieving whisper.
"I'm sorry" Athos offered, knowing it was insufficient.
"What will you do with me now?" The woman asked.
"Nothing. You are free to go. I would suggest waiting a moment. With the chaos of our escape, you should be able to slip out without anyone noticing" Athos declared
"I tried to kill the Arl's son. Won't they come looking for me? She asked suspiciously clearly not trusting Athos in the slightest.
"Much has changed in the last year or so. Most people had assumed Bann Vaughan was dead. Arl Howe of Amaranthine had the City and he's dead now too. I don't think anyone will come looking for you. There is going to be a great deal of confusion in the city tonight."
"Thank you," the woman said and darted out behind them. Running as best she could after months of confinement. Poor Woman Athos thought. Still, at least some good had come from tonight.
There was another prisoner in the cells who turned out to be Ser Immric, Bann Alfstana's brother and a Templar to boot. The poor fellow was half-deranged from lyrium withdrawal Jowan guessed. He wasn't safe to move but Athos promised to inform his sister and the Grand Cleric in Denerim. It had the bonus of putting the Chantry against Loghain.
With justice dispensed for the first time in a long time in the Arl of Denerim's estate Athos and his companions made their way out of the dungeons. Athos stared at the corpse of Arl Howe as they walked past. Even in death, the Arl's face was forever frozen in a snarl of rage, Athos debated hacking the head off and jamming it onto a spear. It would be cathartic but pointless, no sense in alienating potential supporters with something so outwardly barbaric. Besides, he was in enough trouble as it was. He had just murdered a lord of Ferelden in his own home, the lawful lord of amaranthine. Despite their personal antipathy towards Howe, most lords would take a dim view of a future King murdering his political opponents in cold blood. Thankfully he could rely on the ancient custom of vendetta. Howe had slaughtered his entire family and as the survivor he had the right and obligation to avenge them. It wasn't much; it might be enough to blunt Landsmeet's concern, particularly if Anora could support him with her claims that Howe had abducted her. It all depended on what Anora's plans were.
They finished in the dungeon pausing only to loot a few choice items and some coins from Howe's treasury. Athos felt his companions deserved some sort of material reward for accompanying him on this fool's errand. Covered in blood as they were, there was no longer any point in stealth. A few of Howe's guardsmen tried to stand against them, but it was pointless, they were disorganised and surprised they were cut down with almost no effort. Battles had become so dull and repetitive now. Athos remembered when he was young, how much joy he had found in the training yard. The beautiful clash of swords, the subtle artistry of the blade. His master-at-arms had said he had all the makings of a tourney champion, now he felt more like a butcher, methodically cutting through flesh. Still, they had achieved what they needed to do. Athos took a quick moment to wash the worst of the blood off his face, he was about to see the queen after all. As they entered the antechamber of the queen's rooms Erlina was fretting anxiously. When she saw them she gave a subtle little knock on the door and it opened. Stepping out was a short woman, garbed in ill-fitting armour. She had intelligent blue eyes that regarded him coolly, she looked to be in her mid-twenties.
"Your Majesty," Athos said with a shallow bow.
"Lord Cousland. How lovely to see you again" The Queen replied with cool courtesy.
The 'Lord' courtesy was clever on her part, acknowledging his heritage but not any specific title so she could not be held to anything later.
"Shall we depart Your Majesty?" Athos offered whilst featuring with his arm.
She nodded and Erlina quickly fell in behind them. They walked cautiously through the hall until they came into the Estate entrance hall and stopped suddenly. Ser Cautherine, Loghain's most trusted Lieutenant, was waiting for them with a score of royal soldiers all pointing crossbows at them.
"Warden in the name of the Regent, I am placing you under arrest for the murder of Rendon Howe and his men-at-arms. Surrender and you may be shown mercy".
"I see" Athos replied whilst turning his head and making deliberate eye contact with Jowan.
"The Regent is well known for his Mercy," Athos said sardonically. Then quick as a flash he drew his dagger and held it to the Queen's throat.
"Unfortunately for you and him, we have a hostage" The queen's eyes went wide with shock and she opened her mouth to threaten or scream but a quick wink from Athos discouraged her.
Ser Cautherian and her Soldiers bristled with outrage at Athos' declaration.
"This is treason. The Regent will have hung, drawn and quartered" Ser brandished her greatsword at him.
"As unpleasant as that will be, it will not return her Majesty to life and, without the queen, Loghain has no claim to authority" Athos responded calmly. Watching out of the corner of his eye Jowan slowly and carefully drew a knife from his belt.
"What are your demands?" Ser Cauthrien asked through gritted teeth.
"Firstly you and your soldiers will lay down their arms and march into Arls chambers. We will then leave with the queen. We will then release the queen when are safely away from the estate." Athos offered
The soldiers looked to Cauthrien questioningly. Ser Cauthrien was gritting her teeth with frustration. She looked as though she would like nothing better than to cut them all down. This moment of indecision was all that Jowan needed. He quickly cut his palm and wave after wave of magic washed over those soldiers. It looked as though someone had dropped a bag of hammers on them as they collapsed to the ground unconscious. Ser Cautherien tried to struggle through the magic, she took a few faltering steps before collapsing to the ground.
"That was blood Magic" Anora exclaimed, mouth open in horror.
"Yes, it was, now we have to run. Athos replied, sheathing his dagger and nodding his thanks to Jowan. Sten and Lelianna looked appalled but they both knew that this was not the time for recriminations.
Athos, his companions as well the queen and Erlina made their way back through the Servants quarters. The estate was deserted, all the servants were either hiding or fled. What Few guards were left were probably looting the place bare. There could be a riot tonight Athos reflected as they walked. Howe was unpopular and cruel but he was a known quantity. The people out there were scared and desperate, such a sudden change could make them panic. A riot right now could be disastrous with all the refugees crowded in. Loghain would have his hands full keeping order in the City for the next few days. This would give them the advantage, they would be more easily able to manoeuvre. They cleared the Estate without any trouble and now they looked like any other squad of guards obeying their master's whims.
Athos took a moment to look around at his companions. Jowan looked tired and wan, but mercifully not like a crazed blood mage ready to kill them all for his power. He would have to keep an eye on Jowan. Supposedly this would have been the first time he had used blood magic since the incident in the Circle Tower. It may be wise to let Claudia know what had happened. Lelianna was alert and focused on the mission, this sort of Noble vendetta probably made her feel right at home. She would be horrified at the use of Blood Magic of course, even though she was consistently one of the few people to treat Jowan decently in their company. It was a strange paradox. Athos knew he must remember to talk to her and assure her that Jowan was only acting on his orders and was not slipping into old habits. Sten was easier, thankfully. He would warn of the dangers of the Saarebas, and Athos would agree to be vigilant but point out its utility. They would agree to disagree. The real problem was the Queen.
She had seen him order the use of Blood Magic against her father's most trusted lieutenant. Regardless of their current disagreements the Queen and Loghain were father and daughter, if she was desperate enough she would run back to Loghain. Athos would need to placate her, but what would she want? Most likely support for her extremely tenuous claim to the throne. Which Athos was reluctant to give her. Anora was a decent administrator in peacetime but had no experience or knowledge of Warfare. Furthermore, she was not a descendant of Calenhad. She would struggle to keep the Bannorn in line. Most families in the Landsmeet would have a better claim than her. They would be contentious and fractious. She was not the leader Fereleden would need to survive both the blight and the aftermath.
They walked through the streets of Denerim. Athos felt angry eyes on him as he and his companions marched through the back streets of Denerim. Athos wasn't sure if it was because they were wearing Howe's colours or because Athos and his companions had cut a bloody path through the back alley gangs of Denerim. Still, no one was foolish enough to challenge them. The queen and Erlina looked around in mild shock. It was not often that the queen saw the state of Denerim. Perhaps Loghain did not allow his daughter to leave the Palace with all the disruption.
They arrived at the Redcliffe estate without any incident, thank the maker. The Queen and Erlina took their leave to go and freshen up. The Queen invited Athos to join her at his earliest convenience. Athos agreed and promised to call on the queen as soon as he could. No doubt the Arl would be anxious to hear a report as soon as possible. Athos was exhausted. He had killed Arl Howe today. His hands were still sticky with the blood of his family's murderer. Yet he was about to go wash that off. Then eat something. Eventually, he would go to sleep and wake up in a world where Howe was dead. He had expected more fanfare, some sort of seismic shift, but nothing changed really. His family was still dead and he was still a Grey Warden. At least they had been avenged and he was still alive, and likely to become king. The Couslands would not end with him. He would have children. Highever would stay with the Couslands for ages more and the first step was to go clean up and talk to the queen. With a quiet sigh to himself, Athos walked towards the bathhouse of the Arl's estate.