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Vhenan'ara	By : Arcanis_Born Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 6576 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from this.

Chapter List
- 24
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Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Bioware, as with all its characters, the story as it deviates from canon is mine, however, as with the personalities of characters as they deviate from those in the game.
Thank you all so much for your continued readership! It means so much! And a BIG thank you to everyone who leaves a review!
Translations:
Mi bella: Antivan. "My beauty." Endearment Zevran uses for Riel.
Dal'en: Elvhen. "Child/little one."
Fenedhis lasa: Elvhen. A curse/swear. Extension of Fenedhis. "Crap."
Rock licker: Dwarven phrase. A nickname for brontos, a large beast of burden and source of meat.
Le agradecemos, querido amigo: Antivan. "Thank you, dear friend."

"I swear if one more Blighted dwarf makes a joke about my ears…."
"Easy mi bella… I do not think they mean harm-"
"Don't you dare defend them, Zevran!" Riel hissed, pointing her finger in Zevran's face. "We've been down here for two whole days already, and we have yet to meet with either Bhelen or Harrowmont! We've just had their damn lackey's run us around all of Orzammar, cleaning up their messes so we can prove ourselves to them! I am a Grey Warden, not some personal assistant who jumps whenever they bark a command!"
Riel paced back and forth by the table that the rest of her companions sat, nestled in a dark corner of the bar Tapsters. She hated being trapped indoors anywhere, reminding her of the years of her abuse. No windows, no fresh air, no way to feel the sun. In fact the first time Riel ever saw the glowing orb in the sky was when she escaped her master's house.
And now here she was again, trapped underground without even the ability to look through a window to see the space outside. Only this time, there was Darkspawn. Lots and lots of Darkspawn.
Riel and her companions hadn't officially entered the Deep Roads yet, however Riel could swear she could almost hear them breathing for how close they felt. An entire horde of foul, Voidborn beasts who swarmed and destroyed everything they touched with their vile corruptness.
And the only one who seemed to understand, ironically, was Alistair.
He was being nice to her again. Speaking kinder words to her, and even apologizing for being an ass in Redcliff. And it turned out what he wanted to speak to her alone about earlier was the very thing plaguing her own mind. Darkspawn and being this close to the Archdemon. And the best news he shared, was how Warden's who lived through actual Blights usually fared worse than during peaceful times. The Taint in their blood being accelerated by the very Archdemon that they needed to kill.
Maybe that was why he was being nice. Hard to hate someone who shared the same death sentence you did, complete with frightening nightmares, itchy skin, and an hypnotic and eerily dark voice that called out to you from the shadows. And if all that wasn't enough to deal with, the small degrees that Riel had bonded with Alistair over their shared fate only seemed to increase the tension between her fellow Grey Warden and her elven lover.
As much as Riel wanted to explain everything to Zevran, the words just never seemed good enough. To describe the constant headaches, muscle stiffness, and endless humming that she heard whether she was awake or asleep. All of her previous symptoms having multiplied since entering the underground city. However, being a Grey Warden wasn't something that could easily be understood or even explained. A person had to experience first hand the mental horror and drain of willpower that being a Warden was. Especially when in the midst of a Blight.
Frustrated, irritable, and tired of arguing, Riel wanted nothing more than just to run for the gates that led back outside to the surface above. To feel the sun and wind on her skin. To see the sky and the stars and know that despite the whispers in her head, she was still free.
"We go into Dust Town tomorrow looking for this Jarvia. Once we cut that loose end, Vartag said he could get us into see Bhelen. That should at least get things moving."
Riel looked over her shoulder to Alistair, noticing the hard set of his jaw and the way his shoulders bunched up despite his attempt at looking 'relaxed'. He was just as drained as she was, and in this strange and underground prison she found herself in, the ex-Templar was a surprising port in the storm of her misery. Something that Riel knew was causing even more strain on her relationship with Zevran.
"Do we know much of anything of this Bhelen? Or of his challenger, Harrowmont?" Leliana asked, bringing up another headache of worries for Riel.
"I have heard tales of the Aeducans occasionally from traders who visited the Tower. Bhelen's father was much loved by the people, and his sudden death has probably shocked a lot of dwarves," Wynne replied in her usual soft manner.
"But is the son like his father? And what of this rumor that the previous king did not want his son to succeed him?" countered Leliana.
"Harrowmont is a traditionalist," Alistair stated, folding his arms over his chest. "And apparently that has caused a few problems with the fractions that want to increase trade with the surface."
"Not just that, Alistair. The word is that he has voted repeatedly to keep it illegal for the Casteless to hold any trade or start any kind of business."
"Voidtaken cursed bastards of demonic offspring!" Riel suddenly cursed out, her hand going to her forehead and her body curling over.
Instantly Zevran was at her side, holding her gently. "Riel, are you alright?" he asked, his face laced with worry.
"No, I am not flaming alright!" she screamed out, pushing herself away from Zevran's embrace. It was another one of her headaches. The ones she had been getting with increased frequency since setting foot in Orzammar the other day. "Fenedhis lasa!"
"Eh! Keep it down, you blighted surfacer!" a dwarven male cursed out at Riel from several tables away. "Nobody asked you or your kind down here anyway!"
Reacting more on instinctive anger than rational thought, Riel lifted her head and glared at the dwarf who spoke. Narrowing her eyes she pulled free her dagger from its sheath at her back and in one smooth and lightning move launched the blade through the air towards the male and his laughing friends. With a solid thud, the blade came to a rest just an inch above the dwarf's head, stuck in a wooden portrait of one of the ancient dwarven paragons.
"By the stone, woman!" the dwarf spat, his mushroom ale dripping from his bearded mouth and spraying over himself and the male beside him. "You almost killed me!"
"Be thankful then I wasn't aiming for your stone thick head, then!" Riel cursed back, her eyes nearly glowing at the fiery temper that boiled inside of her.
Suddenly the several male dwarves that sat the table stood, their hands going for their weapons. Riel didn't look the least bit intimidated as she continued to glare at the dwarf who first spoke, even when he grabbed hold of a rather large double headed hammer and hefted it in his hands.
"Friends, friends! Please, there is no reason to fight!" Zevran quickly stated as he got in between the dwarves and his Riel.
"If the pointy eared elf wants to cause trouble, we got no problem showing the rock licker the door!"
"You just insulted a Grey Warden, ser," Alistair sneered as his blade suddenly appeared at the mouthy dwarf's chin. Looking over at the warrior, Riel was surprised he managed to move so quickly. She hadn't even heard the familiar clank of his armor when he stood. "I suggest you find your tongue and offer the lady an apology before my blade finds your tongue first."
"G-Grey W-Warden?" the dwarf stuttered, looking from both Alistair to Riel. With wide eyes, he quickly dropped the attack stance he was in and placed his hammer back down to the ground. "My apologies, Warden. My kin and I shall leave you in peace," he added before nodding to his fellows who also sheathed their weapons before gathering their things and leaving.
Still with his sword out and ready, Alistair watched the dwarves leave through narrowed eyes. Only when he heard the door of the tavern thump closed behind them did he finally sheathe his sword and look over to Riel. His face grim, he stalked over to Riel and stared harshly into her face.
"They are getting worse, aren't they?" he stated, all but ignoring Zevran at Riel's side.
"They're fine, Alistair. I can handle them," Riel tried waving him off however Alistair refused to budge.
"What are getting worse?" Zevran asked, his narrowed eyes going back and forth between the two Wardens.
"Andraste's ass you can, Riel! What happens when you are down in the Deep Roads? If you're this bad now, what is it going to be like then?"
"I'll handle it, Alistair!" Riel all but screamed back. "I'm not some pathetic waife that can't handle a few drunken dwarves or some Voidridden Darkspawn!"
"You need to go see the apothecary and get something for the pain! You're no use to anyone when you are curled up on the ground, crying!"
The entire tavern was now silent around the two of them, almost holding their breaths as the two large humanoids argued in ever increasing voices. Dwarves were not accustomed to outsiders in their city even at the best of times. However to have two of them nearly drawing each other's blood made them more than uneasy.
"How dare you! I am not a cowering dal'en, Alistair!"
"Well you're certainly acting like a child! Maker's balls, Riel, you almost took that man's head off!" shouted Alistair, pointing behind him to where Riel's dagger still stuck above the table.
"It wasn't my blade pointing at his chin, Alistair!"
"I was keeping him from smashing in that thick head of yours!"
Zevran had had enough. By a long mile. Stepping in between the two screaming Grey Warden's, he got right up in Alistair's face, his hand resting on the handle of his dagger behind him.
"You will not speak to her like that, Templar!" Zevran seethed, his own anger boiling.
"Fine! You talk some sense into her! And do it preferably before she gets herself killed because she is too damn stubborn to take the medicine that will help keep her sane!" Alistair shouted before turning and walking off to the rooms that they rented.
Zevran stared after him for a moment before turning to face Riel. She had her arms crossed over her chest as she seethed, her usually lush lips a thin line as she tried to control her anger. Zevran could tell she was barely succeeding, however, as her slight trembling was visible even in the low light of the tavern.
"What is this about medicine? And what did he mean by pain?" Zevran demanded, his voice hard as he confronted her. Riel didn't answer, her eyes locked on the space off to the side. Sighing, Zevran gently placed his hand on her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. His voice softer, he tried again to reach her. "Talk to me, mi bella. What is happening?" It was then that he say the tear streak down her cheek and drop to the floor below.
"It's the Darkspawn," she replied quietly, pausing before continuing. "As Grey Wardens, you know we can sense them. It's part of what makes us who we are. However, we also can hear them, if they are close enough."
"You can hear them?" he asked, confused.
"Not words or anything. Not really." Riel wiped at her eyes, smiling angrily at the bitterness of it all. "From what Alistair says, it's normally not this bad. The connection between us and them is usually only a faint whisper. But during Blights…" Riel paused again, remembering Alistair's grave words. "He told stories the other Wardens used to tell him of how some Wardens from the last Blight went mad from the headaches and voices they heard. So the Warden mages came up with a drink to help silence the voices that whispered to us through the taint."
"And this medicine is what he was speaking of?" Seeing Riel nod silently, Zevran continued. "Then why do you not take it?"
Riel sighed heavily, shifting her weight on her feet before answering. "Because it makes my head feel weird! Like I'm drugged or something! It's just too much like… like…" Riel paused as a sob lodged in her throat, memories from her past assailing her.
"Mi bella…" Zevran whispered as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Up on the surface, I could deal with the headaches. They would come and go, and it wouldn't be that bad. Here though… And they just keep getting worse…."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Oh yeah," she laughed hard, pulling away from him and pinning him with an incredulous look. "I'll just go and tell everyone who rely on me to lead them against this damned Blight that everytime I get close to the Darkspawn I am supposed to be fighting, I start hearing voices and develop painful headaches!"
Zevran looked over to the table where the rest of their companions were desperately trying to look as invisible as they could. Sitting at the large stone table, all of their eyes looked off elsewhere, either to the floor or the mugs in front of them. Zevran then cursed to himself. This was not the place to having this discussion he thought to him. They were in the middle of a public tavern, the dwarven patrons looking even more uncomfortable as they averted their gazes from the two elven surfacers.
Sighing in frustration, Zevran pulled Riel against him once more. "Let me take you back to our room, mi bella. It has been a long day, and I think you could use some rest." Riel nodded silently, too tired to argue further. "Leliana, would you be so kind as to retrieve our lady's weapon?"
"Of course," Leliana smiled shyly, obviously pleased to be able to be of some use to her friend. Quickly she stood and fetched the blade, grunting quietly as pulled it free from the wood. She then offered it Zevran who sheathed it behind Riel's back for her.
"Le agradecemos, querido amigo," Zevran replied with a smile before leading his precious Warden past the tables and into the back where the rooms were kept.
Once behind the closed door, Zevran made quick work of undressing Riel, his nimble hands and fingers this time working to comfort instead of arouse. What she needed was comfort and rest, not his pawing and groping at her. So when Riel's armor laid neatly on the floor and all that remained on her skin was the tunic that she often wore, Zevran gently led her over to the bed and helped her to lay down.
"You rest here, mi bella. I will not be gone long. There is something I must see to," he whispered to her, his fingers tucking her hair away from her face and behind her ear.
Riel remained silent, perhaps even too drained to even nod her head. She just closed her eyes and sighed, her body going limp as sleep quickly descended on her. Smiling sadly down at her sleeping form, Zevran then took one of the blankets and covered her before standing and heading to the door.
Outside of the room, Zevran called the mabari over from where it lazed over by a small fireplace in the main tavern. Yawning, the beast stood and lumbered over, his intelligent eyes looking up in curiosity at the mate of his mistress.
"No one is to enter your mistress' room until I return, do you understand?" he said quietly to the hound.
"Woof," Fen'harel responded back just as quietly before positioning himself in front of Riel's door and laying down.
Satisfied for the moment, Zevran headed back into the tavern and looked around. The table they were using earlier was now occupied by strangers, and after a quick scan of the tavern, Zevran couldn't spot of his travelling companions. Turning around and heading back towards the rooms, he walked past the door that belonged to Alistair and Sten and instead stopped at the door to the room that the women of their group shared.
However Zevran had barely lifted his hand to knock when it opened sharply, revealing the dark and mysterious witch. Exactly the person who he was looking for.
"You come seeking me, do you not?" she stated briskly, her yellow eyes narrowing in on his own honeyed ones.
"Then I see we are of the same mind, then, my beautiful Morrigan?" he replied with his usual charming smile.
"You do not need to flatter me, assassin," Morrigan replied rolling her eyes. "Riel is… She is…" she stumbled, looking for the right words, yet still looking uncomfortable. "Well, she is kind to me. And as such I do not need your empty flattery to persuade me to try and ease her when I can." Morrigan opened the door fully and walked back into the room. Looking around, Zevran saw that the young witch was alone in the large room, yet he was of no mind at the moment to inquire as to where the other two women were.
"I would never use empty flattery on you, dear Morrigan," he winked as he stepped inside. "However, I do hope this means you have something that would help?"
Morrigan didn't look up at him as she lifted up her bag and started sorting through it. After a few minutes of pulling out various small satchels and placing them on the bed, she looked over her inventory and frowned.
"I may be able to help her, yes," Morrigan stated with a frown. "However, I am missing a few things."
"What do you need?"
"Several deep mushrooms, a palm sized drake stone, lyrium dust, and a vial of deathroot extract."
"Those sound like poison ingredients, witch," Zevran replied harshly, his eyes narrowing on her.
"Because they are, assassin," she replied, matching his glare. "However, when mixed with some other things that I do have, and combined with a minor spell that I happen to know, it can temporarily ease the effects the taint causes in someone infected with it. It is no cure, however it should not only help her mind, but work to relieve the headaches she is also suffering with."
"And how do you know of this spell and mixture?"
"T'was it not you who came to me, assassin? And now you raise suspicions of the help that you actively sought?"
"When it comes to our lady Warden and her health, you will find that I trust very little. She above all else is my priority, and I will do anything to protect her."
Morrigan smiled wickedly, her features going dark. "Good. Because you will most likely need to do exactly that."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So if I find this Branka and bring her back, the assembly will finally get off its collect ass and make you king, which allow you to give me the army I need?"
"Precisely," Bhelen smiled.
Riel didn't like the dwarf, reminding her too much of the shifty humans she had met in the cities and other places. His smile seemed fake, and whenever he looked at her the way he was now, Riel felt like she needed a bath afterwards. However, from what she and the others could gather from the local dwarves and shopkeepers, Bhelen seemed like he would most likely make the best choice for Orzammar's future. Even though he seemed as slimy as an insect and grinned like a spider about to devour its meal.
Whatever… I need this army….
"Fine. We'll leave first thing in the morning," whatever passed for morning in this pit, anyway Riel thought bitterly before continuing. "I ask that my merchant liason and his son continue to be allowed sanctuary on the surface. I doubt the passages would be wide or safe enough to bring them along. And that our rooms at Tapsters be reserved for when we return."
"Fair enough, Warden. I'll send a messenger to your merchant, and I have Vartag talk to the owners of Tapsters. Anything else you require?"
"Just have my army ready when I put that crown on your head, my liege…" Riel said the last word through gritted teeth as she forced herself to bow to the prince and would-be king.
"Good. Here are the maps my people were able to acquire of the areas that we know Branka to have gone," Bhelen replied as he handed Riel a stack of papers. "The Assembly plans to meet again in two weeks to discuss another vote. I can't impress upon you enough how important it is that you return before then."
Seething in anger, Riel just nodded and bowed again before turning and leading her companions out of the palace. Once free of the royal grounds and away from the prying eyes of the deshyrs and their escorts, Riel ducked into a hidden alley with Zevran right behind her. However before he could stop her, she screamed out, releasing her pent up anger and as she punched the side of a wall.
"Shit! Fenedhis!" she cursed out, cradling her hand to her chest as pain exploded through her fingers and up arm.
"Mi bella!" Zevran cursed out, reaching for her. "Let me see it," he sighed, gently taking her hand and examining it.
"Ow! Zevran!"
"Well, it is broken. However, I don't think it is too bad. Nothing that either Wynne or Morrigan can't heal." Zevran released her injured hand and instead cupped her cheek. "This anger is not like you, mi bella. Talk to me."
Riel sighed, closing her eyes against the pain in her skull. "It's just my head, Zevran. I'll be fine. Just find me something to kill, and I should be all sunshine and rainbows again," she replied, trying to smile.
"I fixed you some tea this morning. Did you drink it?"
"Some of it. It tasted funny though, and I got distracted by Fen chasing yet another one of those blasted nugs."
"I will make some more when we return to the tavern. And I want you to drink it this time. It should help," Zevran purred, trying his best to keep his voice level despite his increasing worry.
"Fine. But if Fen eats another one of those nugs, you are the one who has to apologize to the tavern owner again," she laughed softly.
"It goes into the Deep Roads, yes?" Shale asked once Riel and Zevran exited the small alley they disappeared into. Riel looked up the stone golem and tried her best to hide the cringe she felt every time the creature called her 'it'. It was some strange kind of weird joke the golem insisted on using whenever speaking to anyone of the group.
"That's where this Branka supposedly is. Why?" Riel answered, gritting her teeth against the pain in her hand.
"Then I wish to go with it. Spending time in this place has…. awoken something in my memories. Fragments, really. However, I feel compelled to follow where these small bits of memory are leading me."
"We'll discuss this back at Tapsters," Riel snapped with more irritation than she meant to.
"By the Maker! Riel! Look at your hand!" Leliana gasped.
"Oh. It's bleeding," Shale remarked in near disgust as it spied Riel's hand. "Well, come on then. Fleshy creatures such as it tend to make such a mess if not tended to properly."
Zevran took gentle hold of Riel uninjured arm, and almost dragged Riel as he maneuvered her quickly past the high values homes and manses of the upper class Diamond Quarter. Once past the large double doors that led into the Merchant District, the way was made more difficult do to the shoppers and stalls that littered the open area. If she wasn't in so much pain, Riel might have thought to grumble at the heightened pace Zevran set as he guided her as best he could through the crowd. Yet more than once Riel felt someone carelessly bump into her, the contact wearing her already nonexistent patience past safe levels. So when the old tavern that was nestled in the back at the far end of the district finally came into sight, Riel couldn't help but breathe a deep sigh of relief.
"Wynne! Morrigan!" Zevran shouted over the din of the tavern, his rich Antivan voice carrying over the heads of the dwarven patrons to the far back where the rest of their companions waited.
"How did it-... Maker! What happened?!" Wynne gasped as she spotted Zevran all but dragging Riel over to the others. Immediately both Wynne and Morrigan stood, both of them coming over to inspect Riel's now swollen hand.
"I had an argument with a wall. It won," Riel dryly mused as she held out her hand for the mages to see.
"May I?" Morrigan asked, meeting Riel's eyes before reaching for the limb. Only after seeing her friend nod did the witch carefully take hold of Riel's hand. "'Tis broken, plainly," she stated, before prodding her fingers higher up Riel's arm. "Up here too, judging from the wince you just gave."
"I know just the spell," Wynne replied before looking over to Morrigan. "If you don't mind, that is."
"Not at all. I am no real healer. What little I know functions well enough when needed, however elements and entropy are where my talents truly lie," Morrigan replied sincerely. Wynne smiled and reached out to take Riel's hand, however was stopped when Morrigan's hand came down heavily on her arm. "Riel is a special case, old woman. Touching only when necessary, and only when she agrees." Now Morrigan's voice was hard, her warning cold and stiff as she eyed the older woman.
To her credit, Wynne hardly blinked. She only smiled warmly, first at Morrigan, then at Riel. "Of course. Where are my manners?" Wynne caught Riel's gaze before continuing. "May I, dear?"
Again Riel only nodded, the pain in her hand distracting her normal anxiety about being touched by people she didn't feel comfortable with. Holding back her winces at the old mage's light touching, Riel finally breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the magic suffuse her throbbing hand.
"There, all better," Wynne smiled as she stepped back.
"Perhaps it would be wise to in the future travel with either Wynne or Morrigan in our group, eh mi bella?" Zevran teased lightly, however Riel caught the note of seriousness in his voice.
"You know that I don't like going around in large groups, Zevran. With small numbers, it's easier to bypass enemies or navigate tunnels," she countered, rubbing her now healed hand absently.
"Our group is growing, mi bella. What good is it gathering allies if we are to leave most of them behind?"
"Someone has to stay behind and protect the camp and look after Bodahn and Sandal, Zevran," Riel replied with more bite than she meant to. Sighing, she looked up him, softening her features. "I know. You're right. It's just…"
"Bodahn and Sandal are safe up on the surface right now, and Bhelen said he would send word allowing the both of them to stay there longer. If we are to head into the Deep Roads, then wouldn't it make sense to bring as many as you could, given the number of Darkspawn there?"
Riel looked over to Leliana as her mind worked over the bard's words. They had travelled most of time in a group of four, with her leading. In the beginning, that was all there was. Just her, Alistair, Morrigan, and Riel's mabari. Then Leliana and Sten joined. So Riel would occasionally take different people with when she explored something, leaving the other two behind to watch over the merchant and his son. And then came the ambush by Zevran and those others hired to kill her and Alistair.
After Zevran had joined them, everything seemed to change. And not just between the two elves. Riel's relationship with the two women of the group grew closer, and her and Alistair grew farther apart. And now there was Shale and the mage Wynne added to their numbers. Enough members for two small groups instead of one, yet the thought of dividing them like that seemed strange to Riel. It was one thing to leave a person or two behind at the camp, however to send off her companions off without her seemed wrong.
Willing or not, she had become their leader. And she was responsible for them. To divide them risked too much in her mind. And yet, she knew that she couldn't keep leaving such important assets behind when they were needed. Perhaps they would have fared better against the dragon at the Temple of Sacred Ashes if Leliana and Sten had been with them. And no doubt Morrigan's magic and Leliana's bow would have aided her during the fight through the Circle Tower. Not to mention Sten and Shale's power in attacking the nightmare demons.
Looking down at her hand, Riel thought of the pain she was just in because of her anger and stupidly punching that wall. There was no mages with them then. Confident that she wouldn't need her side pack since they were in a city, Riel had no potions on her either. What if something worse had happened? What if thugs had attacked them like they did in Dust Town? Lackeys of Jarvia who were pissed their patron criminal was now dead because of Riel and the others?
"Alright. I'll consider changing our normal numbers. However, right now, we have other things to discuss," Riel sighed, rubbing at her temple and the pain that was growing there.
"I take it Bhelen gave you another task?" Morrigan quipped, her brow furrowing.
"Apparently, the Assembly are a bunch of fools who refuse to acknowledge any claim any time soon," Zevran explained. "Bhelen said that only the will of a Paragon would break the stalemate they have worked themselves into."
"And where do we find one of those?" Alistair asked from behind the mages. Curious, Riel hadn't noticed him since just then.
"The Deep Roads," Leliana answered this time. "I have been asking around since coming here, and from I heard, Bhelen wasn't lying. Branka is a Paragon to the dwarves. Years ago, she invented a type of smokeless type of coal. It impressed the people so much, she was elevated to the rank of Paragon. Sort of a living god for the dwarves."
"And she is in the Deep Roads?"
"That's what Bhelen believes," Riel answered to Alistair. "Two years ago, Branka and her entire house left for the Deep Roads and never returned. They sent out search parties but never found her."
"Two years? In the Deep Roads? This is the same Deep Roads that is swarming with Darkspawn and other nasty things?" groaned Alistair, his hands rising to rub at his own temples. "Who's to say this Branka is even alive?"
"Yo, surfacer! Did you just mention Branka?"
Riel bit back another curse, her patience in dealing with the dwarves wearing dangerously thin. With the comforting feel of Zevran's hand on her back, Riel somehow managed to bite back her bitterness and put on yet another fake smile as she turned to face the dwarf who spoke.
Of average height for the subterranean species, this one didn't conform to the usual coloring that most dwarves had of dark hair and beards. Instead, his hair and intricately braided beard were a bright red, reminding Riel of Leliana's own coloring. However, his seemed even brighter than the bard's cherry locks.
"You're going after Branka, aren't ya?" he asked again, his stance tense.
"Bhelen seems to think that she is alive, and wants to see if we can bring anything back of hers," Riel replied, her head beginning to throb again painfully.
"Hot damn!" the dwarf laughed, slapping his knee in excitement. "I've been telling those sodding stone addled heads that she was alive for two blighted years!"
"Wait, I know you!" Leliana started, walking closer to the dwarf and squinting her eyes as she took in his appearance. "You're the one I've been hearing about. You're Branka's husband!"
"Oghren's the name, sweetheart," the dwarf replied with a wink.
"Do you know him, Leliana?" asked Zevran.
"Not really. Just what I have heard from around the people here. Rumors mostly."
"Eh… And what you heard was probably right," Oghren stated, his hand massaging his neck as he looked uncomfortably between them. "Look, I'll be the first to say that I'm a sodding dusteater when it comes some of my behavior since Branka disappeared. But if you're going after her, you have to take me with you."
"If you are her husband, then why did she leave you behind?" asked Alistair.
"Oh that… Well, Branka is… she was always a bit of stone headed broad when it came to certain things. Once she got her mind set on something, not even a charging bronto could change her mind. And when she decided to go into the Deep Roads after Cairidin's research, we got into a bit of a fight over it. I told her to stay, she called me a dirty nug licker, and the next morning she and her whole house was gone before I even rolled out of bed."
"Another squishy one. Wonderful," Shale muttered from the corner where she stood.
Riel looked at each of her companions. From Shale over in the corner, to the ever stoic and quiet Sten as he silently sat at the far end of the table they usually used. To the mages Wynne and Morrigan, and Leliana with her ever hopeful and friendly smile as she stood next to Alistair. The over to Zevran at her side, and now this dwarf who now insisted on following them on this probable grand goosechase through the dark and deadly tunnels known as the Deep Roads.
Looking at them all, even the the dwarf who was all but a stranger, Riel couldn't help but smile. A strange feeling came over her then, something that tweaked at her memory yet refused to materialize in her mind. Sighing Riel knew what she had to do.
"Alright," she smiled. "We leave in the morning. So make sure you are all ready to leave. Be well stocked on potions, poultices, and make sure any equipment you're bringing is mended and in good condition. If you need to buy anything before we leave, come see me and I'll make sure you get it. We travel light, but prepared. Dried meats, fruits, and water skins as full they can be."
"Excellent!" Zevran exclaimed, followed by several similar sentiments by the other members of their group.
"I've been itching to get back at these bastards!" Alistair smiled broadly.
"Not you, Alistair," Riel shouted over the noise of the others, calling attention instantly back to her.
"What?!" he shouted back at her.
"You're staying here, my prince," replied Riel with a short and deliberate bow.
"Oh don't you dare you pull that, Riel!"
Riel steadied herself, knowing that this confrontation was coming, yet dreading it. Ever since catching up with Leliana and the others about what happened at Redcliff without her, Riel had been toying with this idea and knew that she would eventually have to make the choice final. Ignoring the confused and angry look from both Zevran and Alistair, Riel took a deep breath and explained her reasoning.
"Tell me Alistair, after the Ashes healed Eamon, did he or did he not tell you of his plans to take over the crown from Anora?"
"That has nothing to do with this, Riel!"
"It has everything to do with this, Alistair. We are both Grey Wardens, and so we know that one of us is needed to defeat the Archdemon at the end of all of this. And even if there was a way to defeat it without us, you are still the heir to the throne of Ferelden. I can't have you going into the Deep Roads. Not when you're needed on the surface."
"Bullshit!" Alistair shouted, storming up close to Riel and going toe to toe with her. "You are not leaving me behind!"
"I actually agree with the Templar, as strange as that is," Zevran added, his voice thick with anger. However, even with both males facing off against her, Riel knew that she was right.
"I am not arguing this with you two!" she shouted back at them. "Alistair is too important to take into the Deep Roads."
"You are too important to risk to the Deep Roads!" Zevran angrily shouted back.
"No, I'm not, Zevran," Riel countered with a groan. "I'm just an elf who had the dumb enough luck to become a Grey Warden to save my life. Alistair here is the heir to all of Ferelden!"
"Damn Ferelden!" Alistair shouted, surprising Riel that he was the one who said it, and not Zevran. "I'm a Grey Warden, not a bloody prince!"
"Even you weren't a prince, there is no reason to risk the only two Grey Warden's in all of Ferelden going into the Deep Roads! If something were to happen, this Blight doesn't end here and all of Ferelden is lost!"
"Now I'll say it! Damn Ferelden!" Zevran shouted this time. "If the Grey Warden's are needed to end the Blight, then you stay, and let Alistair go to the Deep Roads!"
"I agree!" Alistair yelled out beside him.
"Oh by the Creators! Why of all times did you two have to pick now to actually start agreeing on anything!" Riel threw up her hands in frustration and walked several feet away.
"I agree with Riel. Alistair needs to stay behind."
"Thank you, Leliana!" Riel smiled over at her friend, grateful for someone's support in this shouting match she found herself in.
"This doesn't involve you!" Alistair shot back toward the bard. "I'm not staying!"
Sten was the next one to speak up, his low baritone voice echoing along the walls even though his voice was calm. "The female Warden is correct."
"The whiny knight is to be a prince, it says? Well, I suppose it wouldn't do to have it squished. Hard to put a crown on a puddle. Yes, the whiny knight should stay."
"If we are to be offering up morsels for Darkspawn snacks, I would gladly volunteer the fool for the cause. As much as it pains me, I have to agree with Alistair. If a life is to be risked, 'twould far better for it to be his."
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Riel, Alistair. Ferelden needs a king of Theirin's line, and you are the last of it."
"Oh sod it all! I don't care which one of you Wardens goes to get Branka. I've waited two years for this, so hurry up and make up your stone addled minds!"
"Woof!" Fen'harel barked before growling and baring his teeth quickly at Alistair before standing at his mistress' heel.
"You're staying, Alistair!" Riel shouted even as the others in the group voiced their opinions.
"You can't keep me here, Riel!"
Riel smirked. "Want to bet?" Riel then looked over to Morrigan. "If I asked, would you?"
Morrigan rolled her eyes and groaned. "Yes… you know I would. Even though it is complete foolishness!"
"You stay, Alistair, or I have Morrigan put you flat on your back for days. By the time you come out of it, we'll be long gone with the maps. It would be suicide to try to come after us then. And as thick headed as you are, I doubt you would do that."
"I'm - I'm thick headed? Oh that's rich coming from you!"
"No, I'm right. There is a difference," Riel snapped back.
"Riel… listen to me," Zevran replied, taking gentle hold of Riel's arms and forcing her to look at him. "You must not do this. If it is too dangerous for one of you, it is too dangerous for you. I will not have you risking your life to protect his."
"Zevran, I understand," she sadly smiled up at him. "But it has to be done this way. Believe me when I say that I have no intention of just lying down and letting the Darkspawn take me. However, I also can't risk all of Ferelden because I wasn't brave enough to do my job."
"This isn't your job, though!" he exclaimed back at her.
"Yes, it is. I am a Grey Warden. This is what we do. We sacrifice ourselves so the rest can live." Riel lifted her hand and placed it lightly against his cheek. "I've made up my mind. I'm going. Alistair is staying. Even if I have to have Morrigan drug him. Don't make me get her to drug you too."
"And if I instead drugged you, mi bella?"
Riel sighed heavily. Without looking up, she called out to her friend. "Morrigan?"
"Why do you put me in these situations?" Morrigan grumbled, her anger evident.
"Morrigan….?" Riel called out again, her voice harder.
"Oh fine! Yes! Happy now? I would aid you in your foolish endeavor risk your life in the Deep Roads!" Morrigan cursed.
"I thought you were her friend, witch?" Alistair shouted.
"I am her friend you walking piece of metal target practice," she hissed out. "However, I swore to her to do as she wishes as long there was no direct threat to her life."
"This is the Deep Roads! There is a direct threat!" Alistair shouted again at her.
"Riel will have us there, Alistair. She will be fine."
"Leliana…" Alistair groaned, clearly feeling the loosing ground he was on.
Zevran had refused to take his eyes off his Riel this entire time, watching her carefully. He hated this whole thing, and the position that it put all of them in. It was obvious that his Riel had been thinking of this for a while before finally voicing the decision. Her careful mind most likely working through each alternative until only one clear path was left. It was how she always made such decisions, no matter the source or consequence. When it came to this war and the hard choices put before her, Riel rarely ever made a decision without carefully examining everything available to her.
And this was no different. Even with the danger waiting for her in those dark underground tunnels, Zevran could not see any fear his lovely Warden's eyes. She was tired. Weary from fighting, both enemies and allies. She was also determined, her mind set and the choice made. This was the Grey Warden in her. The warrior half to her sweet, innocence that had finally opened up to him over the past two weeks.
And as she said - This is what Grey Wardens do. Even if he despised it with every fiber of his being.
True, Zevran could continue to argue with her. Demand that she stay behind. Riel would then pull her card with Morrigan and the witch would attempt whatever poison or drug she planned on using with the Templar on him. Although Zevran doubted any drug either she or Morrigan concocted would work on him due his training, he knew they they would at least try.
She was right. Mostly. This wasn't just what a Grey Warden does. This was what she does. His beautiful, amazing, talented and incredibly stubborn Riel.
So with her choice made, there was only thing for him to do.
Zevran would do as he had sworn to do. He would follow and protect her as he always had. May the gods themselves be damned if she thought that she was going to attempt any of this foolishness without him.
"Fine." The word was bitter in his mouth, but Zevran knew that he had no choice. "However, you do not go anywhere without me, mi bella. You do not stand guard without me, you do explore somewhere without me, and you do not fight without me at your side. Are we clear?"
Riel nodded at his demands, knowing they stemmed from his love for her rather than a need to control her. Zevran then quickly pulled into a tight embrace, almost squeezing her against his chest. Riel allowed his near death grip on her, knowing without even asking that Zevran was terrified for her. That he hated that she was doing this. And that with leaving Alistair behind, she was risking her very life. However, she loved him all the more for still allowing her to do what she felt that she must. For that, she would agree to almost any rule or demand he made for her safety.
Almost.
"Are you sure we can't switch your place with the Templar's?" Zevran again asked, his voice on the verge of breaking as he whispered it against her neck.
"He's staying," Riel again confirmed, getting a deep groan from Zevran.
"Fine," Zevran finally replied, pulling back from her slightly and looking over at the Templar. "I'll get the rope. Morrigan, you work on the potion to drug him. Sten, Shale, you hold him down. Leliana, go make sure the tavern owner realizes they are going to have a very pissed off and hung over Grey Warden in a few days. And perhaps ask them to check in on him every so often. After all, I'm not about to have him die safe in his bed while our lovely Warden here is risking her precious life in the Deep Roads."
"Hey! I'm right here! I can hear everything you're saying, and I'm not going to cooperate!" Alistair snapped, glaring at Zevran, then shifting his eyes over to the others.
There was a collective silence as Alistair eyed each and every one of them before they all stood up and started talking at once.
"Give me an hour for the potion," Morrigan replied before heading back to her room.
"I'll talk to the tavern owner," Leliana stated.
"I'll help you dear. We need to make sure they know to still give him food," Wynne added as she followed Leliana.
"Rock creature. Come," Sten motioned to Shale before standing up and approaching Alistair.
"By the Maker… I really don't like this…." Alistair moaned helplessly.
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Vhenan'ara