Chapter 32 -- A Rough Night
*****
Nearly everyone was nervous at breakfast the next morning. I think only Riordan and I sat back with an air of calm, thinking that whatever happened would be left to fate. We'd do our best to make the lords and nobles of the land see sense, and hopefully convince Loghain that he was a fucking nutcase. If he didn't, then I knew it would end with violence and bloodshed, though we all spoke of our hope that it could be avoided, particularly Anora.
Eamon would head to the palace first with Anora, the queen slipping in a side entrance, out of view. Loghain would know by now that she was in our hands, though I'm sure he probably thought we'd kidnapped her or something. The rest of us would head to the palace as a group, as Leliana had assured that rumours about Alistair had circulated.
The city was alive as we left the estate, noticing numerous other nobles making their way towards the palace. The markets were teeming with people wishing to sell their wares, offering food and strong drink, while even working girls were out on the street, offering themselves for the price of a few silvers. Our group ignored them all, heading straight for the palace. Eamon had suggested that, as Wardens or their allies, making a grand entrance would make a point. I wasn't entirely convinced but went along with it.
Guards ringed the palace, keeping back the crowds. They recognised Alistair, and although there was brief hesitation, they recognised Cerys as a Warden, and they seemed to know me too, and finally let our group through. Nobles were crowding the courtyard, thinking it strange they were outside, so I figured it might be standing room only inside.
"Ready for this?" I asked Alistair. I met his eyes and was pleased to see the determination in his gaze.
Our entry into the main hall was blocked by Ser Cauthrien and at least a dozen armoured men. I held up a hand to the rest and approached her, keeping my hands away from the weapons at my hip. She stepped forward to meet me. "Knew you'd come."
"I'm sure we were expected, my lady. And you know we belong in the Landsmeet."
She looked past me, obviously at Alistair. "I'm not entirely convinced. If he was meant to be king, shouldn't he already be in there?"
"He is here to claim his rightful throne now, my lady. But tell me this; you've seen what Loghain is capable of? You saw what he did to me. Did you know he was selling off elves to the Vints as slaves?" I held out my hand, Cerys handing me the documents, which I allowed her to glance at. She shook her head, immediately crestfallen. "Tell me this, my lady. Did you agree with his decision to leave the field at Ostagar? Did he order it? Did he allow your king to die?"
Her eyes met mine, and I could see the conflict in them, but all the heartbreak, because she knew I was right. "He's my lord," she whispered.
"And you have shown him near unbreakable loyalty in return, my lady. But should that loyalty come at the price of your honour? After all that he has done, your word, loyalty and honour can only mean so much." I stepped closer to her. "Your lord is a tyrant, my lady. And it is time to end his reign here today. Will you stand by our side and lend your voice?"
She lowered her eyes, obviously thinking. I watched her shoulders and her hands, wondering if she would unsheathe, maybe to die simply to protect her honour. She finally lifted her eyes to mine and returned the briefest of nods, before turning to her men. "Remain in position with weapons sheathed," she ordered.
Joining our large group, we entered the main hall and into the middle of an argument. Eamon and Loghain were already trading accusations. Both landed hits, though there were plenty of gasps when Eamon accused him of being behind his poisoning. The argument went on for a good few minutes before Loghain finally noticed our appearance, myself in the middle, flanked by Alistair to my left, Cerys to her right. I noticed surprise when he no doubt recognised Ser Cauthrien with us too.
From there, the Landsmeet went as we expected. For every blow we landed, Loghain had a counter-punch, but whereas we had evidence, all he had was his word and his crumbling legacy. There was plenty of noise when we accused him of allowing slavery, and I was surprised at the vociferous response, underestimating how much people either really hated slavery, or didn't even want elves sold off as slaves.
He tried to accuse us of the murder of Howe. That's when Cerys stepped up and explained what happened that night, long ago at Castle Cousland, what happened to her mother and father, her sister-in-law and nephew, her fellow warriors, the servants who had proudly served the family. By the end of her speech, Loghain couldn't say a word that would have convinced anyone that justice wasn't served. The Howe name was mud.
Accusing him of regicide led to exactly what we wanted, as he tried to shift the blame straight to the Wardens. I retorted immediately, stating that it was the Wardens who had died alongside the king. Yet where was Loghain and his army? That's when Ser Cauthrien stepped forward and her words were damning.
"Lords and ladies, I have served my lord for many years and have shown his unquestioning loyalty. But I cannot stand by and watch this farce. Loghain allowed the king to die by ordering his army from the field. I was the one he personally gave the command to do so. We watched the Ferelden army collapse in the face of the darkspawn. I will carry every single death that occurred on the field of Ostagar to my grave, as will every soldier who walked away that day."
For once, Loghain was speechless. It didn't last long.
Then we played what I thought was our ace in the hole, by introducing Alistair as the bastard son of King Maric, half-brother of King Cailan, and therefore the rightful heir to the throne. Loghain tried to argue, and failed miserably. Blood was blood, and Alistair was the heir, no matter what anyone thought.
I thought that would have been it, that Loghain would have stepped down. But he wouldn't go quietly, accusing everyone in the hall of being traitors to Ferelden, of wanting the Orlesians to return, of besmirching his name and legacy by siding with us.
That's when Anora walked in. And she tore Loghain, her very own father, apart with her words. If anyone had doubted her loyalty, at least to Ferelden, those doubts ended as she called out her father on all his crimes. And when he turned his bile and anger on his very own daughter, that is when he had well and truly lost, not only the debate, but the very people he was meant to be protecting.
And he still wouldn't have the good grace to step down. A sane man would have realised all was lost. A sane man wold have stepped aside, having realised he'd lost any semblance of authority. But his obsession with Orlais, and with seeing the Wardens blamed, had been his undoing. The only option was to force him to stand down, which meant someone had to step forward and fight him.
I would have happily done it, but Alistair wanted to prove worthy of the crown, and practically ordered me to stand aside. I did so without hesitation, pleased that his first act of being king would be to duel the man he would be effectively replacing.
A circle was formed, the two men pacing in front of the other. Loghain was good, I'll give him that. I could see the talent. But he was also much older, and probably hadn't wielded a blade in anger in a long time. Alistair had spent months fighting darkspawn and who knows what else. He was sharp, faster, and just better.
I knew something was going to go wrong when Loghain refused to yield. Instead, Alistair fought him until he had him on his knees. It happened so fast, but I remember every minute detail. Anora shouting out for him to stop. Of Loghain's eyes looking up at Alistair, an almost imperceptible nod that he knew what was coming. Of the shouts from our group, telling him not to do it. Of the sword coming down in one long swoop, connecting with the neck of Loghain.
Of Alistair's cry, "For my brother, for Duncan, and all the fallen soldiers at Ostagar, you son of a bitch."
Alistair didn't celebrate, standing there, looking down at the body. It was a ghastly sight, Loghain's head rolling off to his side, a large pool of blood forming. Anora was on her knees, cradling her father's body. The look of hatred she returned, I knew any agreement was ruined the moment steel had touched skin. "You bastard!" she cried.
The look he returned was blank. "Justice was served, Anora."
"You call that justice?! You're no better than him!"
You could see that hurt, as his eyes narrowed. Any idea about an arranged marriage was definitely over. But when he lifted his sword again, I knew he was about to possibly do something very stupid. When he put the tip of his sword at her throat, I knew I had to get involved. "You speak to your king in that manner?"
