Chapter One Hundred Ninety: Still Alive
I watched the four people in my great hall -- Leandra Amell and her youngest two children, and Karl Thekla, Anders' ex-boyfriend -- stiffen as I called them by name. Carver and Bethany exchanged wide-eyed looks, and Leandra blanched. I immediately realised my mistake, and winced.
Maybe I can distract them with my wit? Nah, that only works for Alistair.
Regardless, it was done, and I'd have to roll with it, no matter how weird it felt. I cleared my throat and tried to project confidence, interrupting the young man before he could lose his temper, which, if his red face was anything to go by, was a near thing.
"I am Sierra, the Steward of Soldier's Peak. You must be tired after your journey. I think it's important we talk first, briefly, but then we can provide you with rooms and whatever you need after that. Would that be acceptable?"
They all exchanged weighted looks, and I knew they couldn't figure out what to think of me. Finally, they agreed, and I turned to lead them out into the hallway with Alistair following me. I had a sitting room on the main floor for just this sort of thing -- it was private and more intimate than trying to have a conversation in the main hall, and more comfortable too.
It was incredibly surreal, walking down the corridor with four living ghosts following in my wake. I'd only played the second Dragon Age game all the way through once, but I remembered these people like they were close friends -- and their deaths were still vivid after all this time. I'd played a mage in the game, so Bethany had died early; even though it had been a game to me, I still held some of the horror and guilt from her death. Carver had frustrated me to no end, and he'd died in the Deep Roads leaving me feeling deeply conflicted -- as a player, I didn't particularly want him around whining, but it was a terrible way to die, and even as a fictional character I felt guilty for disliking him so much. I wondered how it was that both Hawke siblings had survived, and knew I'd have to make an effort not to jump straight to interrogating them about it.
It was equally strange to have Leandra here; the horror of her death had haunted me long after I'd finished the game, and knowing she would be safe here made me almost giddy with relief. For all that I'd written to Varric and sent Anders and Solona to Kirkwall with a certain amount of knowledge about the future, I hadn't honestly believed that any of the Hawkes would listen to my suggestions. And I could hardly blame them; having someone claim they were a seer and give mysterious warnings must have been more than a little suspicious.
Karl was an even bigger surprise. I'd hoped Anders would manage to save him from Alrik's plan to make him Tranquil, but I'd never dreamed he'd send the mage to us. For all that I liked Anders, he wasn't exactly dedicated to the Wardens, seeing it as little more than another form of imprisonment; he had his reasons -- and what had happened to Solona certainly hadn't helped -- but he wasn't committed to our cause the way the rest of our Wardens were. I would not have expected him to even suggest us to his friend and first lover.
Not that I'm certain becoming a Warden was what Anders had in mind for Karl.
I tried to ignore the whispered conversation between the four as they followed me down the hall. It wasn't surprising they wanted to talk amongst themselves; they'd just been thrown for a loop by being greeted by name before introducing themselves, after all, and I wondered if Leandra was reminding Carver to put a lid on his temper. I figured it was only a matter of time before he'd be yelling at me anyway.
I turned into the sitting room and gestured to the assorted chairs and sofas. Avanna gave me a hard look, and I shook my head, smiling reassuringly; she waited outside with Alistair's guard, though reluctantly. It would be difficult to explain that I knew, without a doubt, that these four people posed no danger to me or Alistair. Our guards had no doubt heard some of my secrets since coming to work for me, but I'd never sat and explained everything in detail. I settled on a sofa with Alistair beside me; Carver and Karl chose armchairs, and Bethany and Leandra sat together in a sofa facing me.
I waited a moment to see if any of them would want to begin, but it seemed they must have had an unspoken agreement to wait and see what I said.
Either that or they're too stunned to speak.
I forced a smile onto my face and tried to sound calm.
"I'll start. As I said, I'm Sierra Theirin, the Steward of Soldier's Peak. This is my husband Alistair, the Warden Commander of Ferelden." I stifled a smirk when Leandra's eyes widened; I assumed she'd just realised she was sitting across from the Prince of Ferelden.
It would have been funnier if it didn't make me a princess.
I turned and gestured while looking at Alistair. "This is Lady Leandra Amell -- her cousin was Solona's mother." Alistair nodded and bowed his head to her respectfully, even as I heard an indignant mutter of 'Hawke' from Carver. "These are two of her children, Carver and Bethany Hawke."
Alistair nodded at Carver, and then turned to Bethany. "Warden."
Bethany almost squeaked, and Alistair smiled kindly. "I take it your Joining was recent?"
She nodded. "Three weeks."
"We'll talk more later, but you'll find that, after a while, Wardens can identify another Warden as easily as we can sense darkspawn."
She nodded again, though she didn't really look any less confused.
I pointed at the last of the group, drawing attention away from the blushing Warden. "And this is Enchanter Karl Thekla. Do you remember Anders talking about him, love?" Alistair flashed another smile.
I looked between the four of them, and suddenly couldn't repress my smile. "You are all very welcome here. When I issued the invitation through Varric, I didn't really think you'd all accept, but I'm delighted you have."
They shared looks again, and finally Leandra spoke. "Your Highness." I was relieved she didn't try to curtsy or something equally silly, though she ducked her head respectfully. "So it
