Chapter One Hundred One: Accusation and Explanation
*Trigger Warnings: Mentions of all of the Very Bad Things you fear would happen in a medieval dungeon. No detailed descriptions.*
Once all of our companions – except Wynne, Aedan, and Duncan, for obvious reasons – were there, Alistair stood. He rubbed at his neck the way Theron always did, and I saw Anora flinch. "Alright, so, would
someone
please explain what in the Void happened over there?"
Zevran was the first to speak. "We were betrayed, is what happened, isn't it, your Majesty?" His gaze never left Anora's face, and she flushed slightly. "You had the opportunity to stop it, to tell the truth, and you lied to save yourself."
She stood, pacing a couple of steps back and forth. "I told you that no one could know it was me. I told you I'd be taken back to the palace, perhaps even killed. The Warden spilled my identity to a room full of those who identified themselves as my father's soldiers! What did you expect?"
"I expected that the reigning monarch would have enough control over her own people to assure her own safety. I expected that she might consider the good of an entire nation over her personal well-being. Do you know there are only three Grey Wardens in the country who can end the Blight?"
That she was supposed to know of – Aedan, Alistair, and Riordan.
"And your selfish actions almost caused the death of one of them."
He stalked closer to her slowly during his tirade, and Anora stepped back again and again, until her back was against the bookshelves behind her. Finally Alistair put out his hand, and Leli stepped forward and tugged on Zevran's arm.
With a disgusted snort, he shrugged them off; the assassin turned and stepped back against the opposite wall, then brought out a dagger and began ostentatiously cleaning under his fingernails with the sharpened edge.
Leliana offered a small curtsy to Anora. "I am Leliana, your Majesty. We didn't have a chance for introductions earlier." They exchanged nods and she turned back to Alistair. "Perhaps if I tell the story from the start?"
Alistair nodded and gestured; he and Anora sank back into their chairs.
"We infiltrated the estate through the ramparts, as we planned. We had poisoned the guards' food, and so there were very few walking the halls. We worked our way toward where her Majesty was being detained. When we arrived at her door, we discovered her door had been sealed with magic. We went to find the mage responsible.
"We found Nathaniel in one of the rooms, chained to the wall; he can perhaps tell us his own story after, yes?" The archer nodded, and Leliana continued, "He asked to come with us, and Aedan agreed. Kallian was with him, and after Anders healed her, she came as well."
I blinked.
Kallian? As in Tabris? As in, the city elf origin? I'd assumed Tabris had died in the assault on the Arl's estate, after Vaughn interrupted the wedding in the Alienage...
I realised I was missing what Leliana was saying.
"...stairway to the dungeon was in Howe's actual bedroom! What sort of depraved person has private access to the dungeon from his bedroom?"
Kallian had paled at the mention of it, and shrank back behind Wulf; I realised my worst imaginings probably didn't do the truth any justice. I shuddered and shot the poor girl a sympathetic look, which she didn't see, hiding as she was behind Wulf. I checked Nathaniel's expression, but he was staring at the wall, not allowing any emotion to creep through.
Leliana continued, "We went into the dungeon and fought our way through the guards – apparently they hadn't eaten any of the poisoned food. We found a nobleman, Oswyn, the son of Bann Sighard, in a cell, having been tortured to within an inch of his life – all because he knew that one of his guards was in the army and had been ordered to leave the field at Ostagar before the King was over-run by darkspawn."
She paused, letting that sink in for everyone. "There was a templar, Alfstanna's brother – the one who'd caught Jowan – in Lyrium withdrawal, being detained so he couldn't tell anyone that Loghain had freed a blood mage and sent him to Redcliffe; Anders gave him some Lyrium, and we've already sent a message to his sister, who should be here soon. We also found Vaughn, the son of Arl Urien, the late Arl of Denerim, but he was...already dead."
I doubted most of the group would have noticed Leli's brief pause before saying Vaughn was dead. I glanced back at Kallian to see her tensing, looking ready to flee.
Vaughn might not have been dead when they arrived, but he didn't last long after. And no one will miss him, either.
I wondered whether they'd managed to find his stash of gold before he died, not that we were in desperate need of the money. Wulf reached out and squeezed her hand softly, and she relaxed slightly when no one jumped up to accuse her of murder.
"We freed some other prisoners, including Kallian's cousin." I was fascinated to learn there were others we didn't see in the game; it made sense – it was a huge dungeon, there had to be other victims. "Then we finally found Howe. He must have heard the commotion in the rest of the dungeon, because they were waiting for us when we opened the door. We fought; Anders was injured, but we won. Nathaniel killed Rendon Howe, and we left to see if her Majesty was free."
I was rocked again.
Nathaniel killed Howe?
There was more to that story, I knew, but clearly Leliana wasn't going to give details.
