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In good times and in bad	By : kruemel Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 14752 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Dragon Age and the characters of the game do not belong to me. This is a no profit fanfiction

Chapter List
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- 38
"So, Teagan walked in on us?" Rori asks when we both hurry down the corridors towards Eamon's room after we've dressed hastily. Rori is half hopping, half walking as she still tries to put on her second boot.
"He didn't exactly walk in on us doing... well, you know... on us..."
"Licking a lamppost?" Rori suggests.
I almost stumble over my own feet at her words. "You know, after what you did today, I'm not sure I'll be able to use that comparison ever again." It sounded so innocent when I first came up with it, like nothing dirty... but now... whoa... is it only me or is it quite hot in here?
We arrive a little late and Isolde glares at us as if she's about to skin us alive. Rori pokes her tongue out at her when she turn her back at us. She couldn't stand her from the very beginning when Isolde persuaded Teagan to return to the castle with her. Although Rori is mostly responsible for saving her son, the feeling is mutual on Isolde's side. I nudge Rori's rips. "Behave," I hiss.
"Why?" she whispers. "Fantasizing about spanking me again?"
I bite my lips to prevent me from grinning. "Don't you challenge me"
"This is all an empty promise."
The mage performing the ritual turns to silence us with a glare and we both shut up before someone could decide it's frog time for us.
What I always find astonishing when it comes to magic is how fast it works and what it can do. Five minutes of waving hands and murmuring strange words in an ancient language and a man who has been condemned to die rises from the dead. Well, Eamon isn't completely dead. But almost. When you see that raw power, it's amazing and terribly scary at the same time.
I think it's a bit odd to be here in this room that smells of illness and decay. Eamon lies in his bed, deathly pale. It's a rather private moment and I don't get why Isolde and Teagan insisted on us being here with them. We're not family. Rori for sure isn't and I - well, they made it quite clear I am not a long time ago. Rori feels equally uneasy, shifting her weight next to me uncomfortably. I take her hand in mine and soothingly caress her palm with my thumb. She smiles and gently squeezes my hand in response.
It really is awkward to see Eamon open his eyes and hear him ask for his wife and son. Rori and I stay in the background well out of sight. When Isolde kneels down to take Eamon's hand, Rori begins to slowly and silently inch towards the door, dragging me along. I don't object. Eamon means a lot to me. More probably than I will ever admit. But this scene... it once more shows me that I am an outsider. I don't belong here and I am thankful that Rori is with me because she is as much in the wrong place at the wrong time as I am.
"Much has happened since you fell ill, Brother," Teagan says solemnly when Rori quietly pushes the door open. "Some of it will not be... easy for you to hear."
"Then tell me. I wish to hear all of it," Eamon replies with determination.
We are half out of the door when he spots us and calls us back. "Alistair? What are you doing here?"
I freeze and Rori freezes with me and we both turn to see everybody staring at us. Well, at me. "I... I... uhm... it's nice to see you again, my lord," I stammer.
"Alistair is responsible for your healing, Brother," Teagan explains.
"Oh, no, no, I'm not. This is all Rori's doing." I push her to stand in the spotlight. The glare she shoots me, makes me wince.
"Maybe I should spank you," she coos ever so sweetly. It's no more than a whisper but in the silence of this room you could have heard a pin drop. Teagan almost chokes when trying to suppress his laughter. Isolde is so indignant I wouldn't be surprised if she had us both sent away to the Chantry if only this was possible.
"Is this some private joke?" Eamon asks, looking from Rori to me. "Don't I know you, young lady?"
"This is Teyrn Cousland's youngest, Brother."
"Bryce's little spitfire," Eamon chuckles. "Ahh, yes, now I remember. How is your father, Lady Rori?"
"He is dead." Rori says curtly. The smile she has only just forced forward is wiped offher face at Eamon's question.
"Dead? How?"
"As I said, Brother, much has happened."
"Then why am I still here in bed? Meet me in the hall in half an hour. I don't want to have to digest all these bad news when wearing nothing but my pajamas."
Rori and I flee from the room, when Isolde starts fussing over her husband. We collect the rest of our companions to meet with us in the hall so we won't have to tell the tale over and over again. When Eamon finally enters, his knees still a bit wobbly, we are all assembled, waiting for him.
"Lady Rori, you have my deepest sympathy. Your father and I have known each other for a very long time. Would you tell me what has happened?"
She inhales deeply, trying to find the words to express what she still cannot accept. I take her hand, squeezing it lightly. A gesture that doesn't stay unnoticed, especially since I do not let go of her hand anymore. I couldn't if I wanted. Rori's fingers curl tightly around mine and I'd have to pull myself free from her grasp - but of course I won`t. Eamon can raise his eyebrows and look at me questioningly all he wants, I don't care.
"They are all dead. Father, Mother. My sister-in-law. My nephew. I do not know of my brother. Fergus wasn't in Highever when Howe attacked. It was treachery. He fooled my father into believing his troups were late and Father sent Fergus and the Cousland knights away to Ostagar. The night after they left, Howe's men arrived. Once inside the castle they slaughtered everybody." Rori's voice is empty of all emotion. This doesn't get easier for her no matter how often she has to tell her story. "This is no coincidence. Howe's betrayal, the rebellion of the mages, your poisoning, Cailan's death..."
"Wait! What did you say? Cailan is dead?" Eamon has listened silently, sitting in his chair with his head bent, his arms resting on his knees. Now he jumps up, pacing the room. Cailan was his nephew, his sister's son. "The king... is dead? Are you sure."
"We paid him our last respect on our return to Ostagar. Yes, my lord, he is dead. He died in the battle against the darkspawn. But it was as much Loghain's treachery that killed him as it was the darkspawn." The memory still hurts. Those of us who have fought in Ostagar will never forget it.
Rori and I tell him about Ostagar, about Loghain's plan and how we fought to light that damn beacon. A beacon never meant to be lit. And without us, Loghain now wouldn't have to explain why he retreated. There never would have been a fire if Cailan hadn't decided not to let Loghain's men light it. Too bad his plan didn't work out.
Teagan fills him in on Eamon's own poisoning and the rising of the undead, with Rori and I adding the missing pieces about the spying elf and what occurred at the Circle. The only one who stays silent is Isolde. She doesn't offer a single word of explanation why she hired a mage as a teacher for her son.
"This is most troubling," Eamon finally declares.
"That's quite an understatement, don't you think?" Rori mumbles. "This is a fucking huge peck of trouble!"
"Language!" Wynne hisses from behind.
"There is so much to be done, that is true," Eamon agrees with Rori, not commenting on her lack of proper manners. Well, he said he knew her father. And he obviously has met her before. He probably knows what to expect of the Cousland spitfire. "But I should first be thankful to those who have already done so much." He motions at Rori. "Lady Rori... or would you rather be addressed as a Grey Warden now? You have not only saved my life but kept my family safe as well. I am in your debt. Will you permit me to offer you a reward for your service?"
"Oh, that's really not necessary. You help us get rid of Loghain and save Ferelden from getting overrun by darkspawn. I think that should be enough of a reward."
"Are you nuts?" Zevran comments. "He's rich! Ask for money!"
"Zev," Rori hisses back at him. "We've stolen a dragon's treasure. We're probably richer than him. With all that gold you could buy his castle."
"Nah, he can keep that old masonry. It's moist and cold in here and there's a draught near every window."
"Well, I am glad you will let me keep the castle of my ancestors," Eamon comments. "I wasn't thinking of a payment but of something to honour you. So allow me to declare you and all those travelling with you Champions of Redcliffe. You will always be a welcomed guest in these halls."
"Honour doesn't buy me no drinks," Zevran says sullenly. I kick his shin.
"Or jewelry," Morrigan adds. I kick her shin, too. She beats me over the head with her staff in return but before I can counterattack, Wynne makes us stand appart like two students having gotten into a fight in one of her classrooms. I am so tempted to stick my tongue out at Morrigan but I pull myself together and try to behave before anybody gets the impression my story of having been brought up by flying dogs could be true after all.
"We should speak of Loghain, Brother," Teagan says. "There is no telling what he will do once he learns of your recovery."
"He hopefully will be hopping mad," Rori remarks.
"As he already hired the Crows unsuccessfully I doubt he will have a second try. I am afraid I didn't do any good for the reputation of my former employers." The elf doesn't sound sorry at all. Actually the thought of having angered the Crows seems to make him quite cheerful.
"Loghain instigates a civil war, even though the darkspawn are on our very doorstep. Long I have known him. He is a sensible man, one who never desired power." Eamon shakes his head in disbelief.
"Sensible is not the word I'd use to describe him," I mutter. More likely treacherous, false, viperish, mean, evil... well, you get the impression.
"I was there when he announced he was taking control of the throne, Eamon. He is mad with ambition, I tell you," Teagan says forcefully. Loghain must have made quite an impression on him, too.
"Mad indeed. Mad enough to kill Cailan, to attempt to kill myself and destroy my lands."
"I don't think this is about madness," Rori interrupts. "It's all about Orlais. Loghain still hasn't gotten it into his head that the times of war between Orlais and Ferelden are over. Cailan was seeking an alliance with Orlais. I think... reading the letters he received from Empress Celene, he might even have considered a marriage. I don't know if Loghain knew about that. He knew about the alliance for sure. I heard Cailan and him talk about it. My father was an ambassador in Orlais. He and Cailan kept close contact on that matter. If there have been deals made, Father certainly was part of them. The Guerrins and the Couslands were Cailan's most powerful allies. And they were both friendly with Orlais."
"She's a rather smart girl, isn't she?" Teagan murmurs next to me.
"And there I thought they chose her for the Grey Wardens because of her pretty face," I comment.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Morrigan snorts. "You wouldn't recognize someone of higher intelligence if they wore a sign around their neck reading SMART!"
"I thought it was her prominent attributes." Zevran sighs. "Everytime I look at her, I think to myself: Zevran, old boy, if you hadn't ogled her boobs first time you saw her, you might have won that fight."
"Let's just say she has a lot of virtues." Before I feel tempted to punch someone in the face.
"You guys realize that I am standing right here next to you, don't you?" Rori mumbles.
"Whatever happened to him, Loghain must be stopped," Eamon declares.
Fine, we can agree on that.
"What's more we can scarce afford to fight this war to its bitter end."
Not if we want there to be anything left of Ferelden for the archdemon to destroy and corrupt.
"But you can unite the nobility against Loghain, can't you?" Rori asks hopefully.
"I could unite those opposing Loghain, yes. But not all oppose him. He has some very powerful allies," Eamon says tiredly. "If your father was here, it would be easier. Maybe we could succed. But he isn't and so it's only me. Loghain has indeed planned this well. Teyrn Cousland could have made the difference."
As there's only two teyrnirs in Ferelden, one being Highever formerly ruled by the Couslands, the other being Gwaren ruled by Loghain, the Couslands would have been the strongest of Loghain's opponents. One for sure can say a lot of things about Loghain MacTir. But he certainly is not stupid.
"But Rori is Teyrn Cousland's heir," I point out. "Shouldn't she inherit the title?"
"Are you nuts?" Rori hisses next to me. "I already got my personal mission impossible with the Blight. Don't you put a second one on top of it."
Eamon chuckles softly. "As much as I admire and respect the young lady, she is not accustomed to political gamesmanship. Many know her as Teyrn Cousland's youngest daughter - and - forgive me, lady - she has not yet made the impression that she could become an outstanding ruler like her father, although Bryce believed in her. For the moment the Couslands are defeated. The chances that declaring a new Cousland teyrna could change a thing are very low."
"No offense taken. It's true, I didn't exactly cover myself with glory." She pauses and an impish grin tugs at the corners of her mouth. "Especially the nobility that has sons of marriageable age isn't going to remember me fondly."
"Anyway, we have no time to wage a campaign against him," Eamon returns to the matter at hand. "Someone must surrender if Ferelden is to have any chance at fighting the darkspawn."
"But once everyone learns what he's done...," Rori exclaims.
"I will spread word of Loghain's treachery, both here and against the king. But it will be but a claim made without proof. Those claims will give Loghain's allies pause, but we must combine it with a challenge Loghain cannot ignore. We need someone with a stronger claim to the throne than Loghain's daughter, the queen."
Oh no.
Is he looking at me?
Why is he looking at me?
He cannot possibly...
Doom.
DOOM!
"Are you referring to Alistair, Brother? Are you certain?" It's as if Teagan had pointed at me as everyboy is staring at me now.
Say you aren't. Please say you aren't!
"I would not purpose such a thing if we had an alternative. But the unthinkable has occured."
Errr... hey! I don't like that idea but that... well, that sounds as if I was the fill-in. Not even plan B but plan C. Or plan D. Oh well, Alistair, stop fooling yourself! Of course you're a fill-in. Nobody in their right mind would make you king. They have to be completely desperate.
"You intend to put Alistair forward as king?" Rori sounds as shocked as I feel.
"Teagan and I have a claim through marriage, but we would seem opportunists not better than Loghain. Alistair's claim is by blood."
One moment please! This... this just can't be true. This is a dream. A nightmare. It has to be. One without darkspawn - which is rather rare - but still, it has to be a nightmare. I do not want to become king. They said Rori couldn't pass as a teyrna but they think I can be king? Are they all mad? "And what about me? Does anyone care what I want?" I sulk.
"You have a responsibility, Alistair. Without you Loghain wins. I would have to support him for the sake of Ferelden. Is that what you want?"
This is emotional blackmail! Eamon has to know how I feel about Loghain. How much I want him to pay. "I... but I... no, my lord." I need a drink. Or two. Good thing I know where the wine-cellar is.
"I see only one way to proceed. I will call for a Landsmeet, a gathering of all of Ferelden's nobility in the city of Denerim. There Ferelden can decide who should rule - one way or another. Then the business of fighting our true foe can begin. What say you of that, Lady Rori? I do not wish to proceed without your blessing."
"My blessing? Why should I get to say anything about that matter? I... I don't want Loghain to win... but..." She looks at me and I can see she's as trapped as I am. She knows I don't want this. I cannot be king. I do not want to be king. But it is the only way to defeat Loghain. I wish we could just kill him and that's it. Blast it, I would even consider hiring Zevran if I thought he could succeed. "I guess it's the best we can do," she finally says, sounding rather compunctious.
"There's still the matter of that mage, Jowan," Eamon sighs. "I will have to deal with him later. For now, please excuse me, I need to rest."
We are dismissed and I walk out of the hall like in a dream. Everything seems so unreal. Someone please pinch me, I think they just decided to make me king!
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In good times and in bad