Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Griffin's Walk	By : Anesor Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 2489 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The Dragon Age world, plot, and their characters aren't mine but belong to Bioware. I get no money for writing this fiction.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
--- x x ---
Denerim Chantry, the Grand Cleric's parlor
Warden-Commander Cousland:
This tea did not have enough alcohol to make me this chatty, this quickly.
I didn't know what could affect me this quickly. I hadn't studied the uncommon poisons enough lately.
Neither had I stopped speaking. “...Void take it. I don't like being blindsided by politics and Nate said there were still too many darkspawn there for this long after the Blight. Fucking hornheads attacked Alistair's party and the Knight-Cow wouldn't allow any recruiting from Kirkwall despite the treaties.”
“I'm sure she had her reasons; blood magic is common there.” Elspeth disapproved of my criticism.
As if I cared right now with anger boiling up, hard to control. “Void-take-it, phylacteries are blood magic too. The Wardens exist for one reason, to defeat the Darkspawn. Between Blights, I will not allow some idiot to interfere with that because she wants to keep my potential recruits in a... vaccary to moo at the rest of us.”
“The Knight-Commander had a duty.”
“So do we. If we're all corrupted into darkspawn, there is no Chant. It won't do any good to lock up all mages when we need them to fight emissaries and the greater darkspawn. We can't recruit Templars very often between their lyrium problem and their disobedience about Warden mages.”
She set her jaw. I bit my tongue to stop there. Velanna was worth more than ten Templar recruits.
Aside from Alistair, of course.
Elspeth snapped, “Did you send those Wardens to attack her?”
That shocked me for a moment, but then I laughed without any humor. “No, I would have done that years ago if I could. Kirkwall needed a strong leader, like Orzammar and Denerim. Perrin had no power to hold the city when Qunari came. Meredith should have concentrated on Chantry business, not pretending she knew how to run a city. It's too bad they didn't have a Landsmeet with a little teeth.”
Elspeth looked angry.
That was fine, so was I.
Her next question was what I expected. “Rumor has it that Scourge was a Warden.”
I felt my smile become hard and almost dripping with blood as I called on the dark skills Avernus gave my blood to hasten my actions.
I stood in a vesuvian rush of anger with a copper taste in my mouth; I loomed over her suddenly terrified face. “Wardens take care of their own. He has been disciplined and will not do anything like that again. Another Warden will assassinate him if necessary.”
“Why was he not executed?” Her voice was raised too even if she was still pale.
“Why did the cow not demand it immediately, instead of rushing away to annul the Tower? He was sitting there.” I threw myself down on the chair and heard it creak.
“You have spoken to him! I demand you turn him over.”
“Wardens take murderers, thieves, and traitors, not just volunteers, remember? He has been hurt in a deeper way than death. Do not interfere.” I saw she was about to speak again. “He has an assignment and he is not the leader of a mage-March or the martyr you must fear.”
The Grand Cleric sighed. “Then the rumors of him fighting at other Circles are only rumors?”
That I was sure of, for now, and I nodded.
“That is a small relief, but I will be informing the Divine.”
“Never expected any different; the poison you gave me was unnecessary. Interfere with Warden business again and Andraste's mercy will run out.”
“Arlessas are not above Chantry oversight, nor is theirs the granting of Her mercy.”
I was tired of this, and wondered if she had had training in protocol and precedence that I'd learned in my leading strings. “I was a Grey Warden before Arlessa. Mercy in the Deep Roads is very real and without Sisters. This is Warden business, not Amaranthine, and that is what you question.”
She still looked angry at my refusal to deliver my underling.
Spreading my arms with a forced smile, my voice felt battle-rough. “I share my information, mostly for the asking. But force me again on Warden business and suffer the consequences.”
“Yet you are having difficulty with the Court and Landsmeet.”
“That is not Warden business, aside from Warden barrenness making this Landsmeet awkward. Most do not want to know about the costs Wardens pay.” I let the silence hang, because I wasn't sure if she was stupid or arrogant.
“That makes Redcliffe's stubbornness much less admirable...” She sighed and took another sip.
I wouldn't.
After a moment she asked, “Is that why you protect your Wardens? They are your children?”
Remembering my mother's frustration and the problems at the Vigil with my new Wardens... “A bit of that, for some. Most are cousins, and some are the batty uncle in the attic. One, I hope to marry...”
“I will speak with her Majesty.” With that our conversation was essentially over. She rang a bell and a Sister came to escort me away.
Walking out, the coppery taste was gone and I looked at the large statue of Andraste as I passed the Sisters and Templars on duty.
Alistair was close to the exit and I saw him grow tense as I closed the distance between us. Tabris was tagging along, to guard Alistair.
Once we got outside Alistair asked in a quiet voice, “I hope you aren't planning anything stronger than verbicide for the Grand Cleric?”
He knew I still acted as the Dark Wolf once in a while.
“Nothing lethal this time, but poisoning a Warden-Commander will not go unanswered.”
Alistair swiftly grabbed hold of me and held me tight against him, the weight of my skirt making us sway a little until it settled. “What madness is this?”
--- x ---
A/N: Challenge words this time are vaccary, verbicide, and vesuvian. Thanks to my beta reader who has been kind enough to read this and point out stupid flubs. Any typos that remain are not intentional... Reviews or a PM to let me know what you think would be very appreciated.
- 13
- 14
- 15
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Griffin's Walk