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Blood Bond	By : Hikari86 Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 4278 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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Chapter List
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In the Halls of the Deep Lords

Dark. Confined. Suffocating.
They stood within it, seeing only him in front of them. His immediate glory, radiating through and penetrating every last defense they had. The slow and steady hum emitting from his throat intoxicated them, filling them with peace and love. He was so beautiful, so gorgeous. Did they really have to destroy him?
Growls and sharp breaths attacked their ears. Movement was all around them, stirring within the darkness, creeping closer and closer. Should they do something? Or should they submit to the song? Allow themselves to be completely drawn in, to become one with him, to become one with them all.
Urthemiel...
His great eye fixed on them, peering deep within their soul. His mouth opened slightly and a small jet of flame passed over his teeth. He stared at them mercilessly, not taking his gaze away, trapping them within his dazzling eyes. They couldn’t look away, they couldn’t even contemplate fighting it. He was so perfect.
More growls and a twitch from beyond. It was getting closer, danger was coming to them, but still they could not look away...
***
“Arawin! Arawin! Wake up! Wake up!” Zevran took Arawin by the shoulders and shook her, trying to force her from sleep. She had started to scream, something he had been used to on occasion due to her dreaming of darkspawn, but this seemed different. Something didn’t seem right. “Arawin!”
She woke with a start, gasping with her heart beating against her chest. She stared up at Zevran, confused and unsure of what was going on. She had been dreaming of darkspawn again, she was sure, but it was different. It was calmer than before. “Z-Zev...?”
“Arawin,” he said relaxing. “You were screaming in your sleep. Are you-”
A shriek cut through the darkness, interrupting his question and forcing both of them to cover their ears. Then Arawin began to feel it, the electric chill that ran up her spine and froze her blood. Instantly she flung herself forward, pushing Zevran back just as something sliced through their tent. Sharp claws hit empty air and the high pitched sound came from the creature again. It was a darkspawn, Arawin knew, but different than any they had encountered before. It was tall, with a thin neck and long face that had sharp fangs curving from the top of it’s mouth. They dripped a black bile and it’s eyes were red and glowed a focused heat. It’s hands were sickle-shaped claws, razor sharp and flying as they worked to get a hold of the creature’s fleeing prey.
The tent began to fall as Zevran and Arawin began to scurry away, grabbing whatever weapons they could and escaping the tent as it collapsed on the creature. It popped through, ripping it’s long talons along the fabric and pounced upon the two elves. It went after Arawin first, barring it’s sharp fangs and swiping at her with it’s claws. Arawin found she had Dar’Misaan in her right hand along with a foreign dagger in her left. She didn’t have time to examine it however, as she used the dagger to bloke the creature’s attack. She then pulled Dar’Misaan forward, driving the blade across it’s armored belly. Bolts jumped from the blade to the creature, electrifying and charring it’s skin. The creature shrieked and jumped back, but it didn’t stay away for long.
With a cry, it leaped toward her again, but not before Zevran stabbed it in the back with his dagger. There was a green mist surrounding the blade, sizzling when coming into contact with the darkspawn’s tough skin. It screamed and rounded on him, but with his dagger, Zevran rolled away and stabbed both daggers into the creature’s back again. Arawin came to it’s front, slicing Dar’Misaan across it’s throat followed by the dagger. The darkspawn cried out one more time then gurgled as black blood spouted from it’s cut throat and fell to the ground.
“Stay back!” Arawin said as she noticed Zevran coming up to her. She was covered in the dark blood and saw as it seeped into the ground. She looked around and saw similar sights throughout their camp. The same creatures were laid about the area, dead. Zelda and Alistair had both their blades each embedded in one of the creature’s heads. Sten loomed over several while Leliana and Wynne stood on either side of him. Morrigan was on the far end of the fire with both dogs, breathing heavily and looking plastered.
“What just happened?” said Leliana. “One moment I was asleep, and then the next I’m being violently awoken and having to fight for my life. How unnerving.”
“I would like to know as well,” Wynne added. “Were those darkspawn?”
“Yes. They’re called shrieks,” said Alistair. “Duncan told me about them, but they’re rarely seen. Only coming to the surface during Blights.”
“So I guess we know what that means,” said Arawin as she wiped the blood from her face.
“But what was this?” asked Zelda. “An ambush?”
Zevran scuffed and rolled his eyes. “Some ambush.”
“I guess it’s like Duncan once said,” Alistair stated. “We can sense them, and they can sense us. We’d best be more careful from now on. This camp isn’t safe any longer.”
“Well that’s just perfect,” Arawin moaned. “That means we’re not safe anywhere.”
“What I want to know is how they got past my barrier,” said Morrigan. “Anything that passed through it should have alerted me, but I received no such alarm.”
“Something tells me they might've been following us,” said Zelda. “Maybe even studying your barrier and Wynne’s.”
“Are darkspawn really that smart?” Leliana said stunned.
“No, but with an archdemon giving them directions, anything is possible.” At that point Zelda and Arawin caught each others eye. They both knew what the other was thinking: the dream they were having before the attack happened. It was as if the archdemon had snared them, trapping them within the dream to keep them from feeling the approach of the shrieks. And they had allowed it to happen.
“Here, I think this one is yours.” Arawin blinked away from Zelda and faced Zevran who was handing her Fang. She looked in her left hand to see the dagger she was holding was his Crow dagger.
“Oh, right, thanks,” she said taking back Fang and handing him his. “Too much chaos at the moment.”
“Completely understandable,” he said. “Considering you’re standing out here in almost nothing.”
“What!” Arawin looked down at herself to find she was in nothing but her smallclothes and breast band. “Damn it!” She ran to her fallen tent and lifted it up to go inside.
Zevran laughed at her. “It’s quite all right. It’s still dark. No one saw or noticed you. Besides, there’s a lot of fine looking, half naked ladies out here.”
“You’re lucky I’m not out there, or else I would have to beat you!”
Zevran shook his head and laughed again.
***
The next several nights as they made their way through the Frostback Mountains had them being more cautious than before. Two stayed up for watch instead of one, sometimes three. Fortifications around their camp also increased with Morrigan and Wynne creating mores wards and alarms. They were not going to let another ambush happen to them again. But it was the ambush that plagued both Zelda and Arawin’s minds.
They'd both had the same dream that night, seeing the archdemon and being taken in by his song. They now knew the dream to have been some type of lure, a way for the archdemon to distract them while his assassins crept forward. It would have worked too, if it hadn’t been for their friends. Sten was the one keeping watch at the time. He had been in a meditative state and heard the creatures creeping in the darkness. He jumped up immediately right before they attacked and cut a few down while yelling at everyone to wake. Yet Arawin and Zelda had been sucked in, enchanted by the song and swimming in it’s beauty. It made them worry, as Zelda had found out Alistair had the same dream, but he was the one that woke her, saying her own screams had awoken him.
Were they different somehow? Did the bond between them make them closer to the darkspawn than any other Grey Warden? For the song didn‘t seem to affect Alistair the same way it did them. This had happened before. Flemeth had said the bond was the same as how the darkspawn communicated within the horde. If this was true, then maybe it made them more susceptible to the song as the darkspawn were. But it could have also been that one of them might be weaker when it came to the song, and the weakness leaked over to the other. Who it was though, neither of them knew, and neither of them wanted to ask as they did not want to start one of their famous fights. But whatever the reason was for why they had been captivated by the song, it did make both of them afraid to sleep. Every night they would volunteer to take a shift, and every night they slept very little.
Traveling through the northern region of the Frostback Mountains was tougher than traveling through the south. There were fewer trees to guard against the wind and snow, and winter was now at its harshest. They traveled along Gherlen’s Pass, which was the main road used to cross the mountains and to travel between Ferelden and Orlais. However, this time of the year no one traveled due to the rough weather that made the mountains nearly impossible to cross. This was why they came across no one on the Pass as they forced their way through the biting winds and deep snows. It wasn’t until they had traveled through the mountains for nearly two weeks did they finally see signs of life.
The Avvar were a tribe of people descended from the Alamarri who used to rule Ferelden before Calenhad united the warring teyrns. The remaining Alamarri were forced to live in the Frostback Mountains where they divided into three different tribes, the Avvar being one of them.
They did not greet the travelers very well as the Avvar were not well known for their hospitality. Mostly they traded with those who passed through the mountains, but only during the traveling season. When coming across Zelda, Arawin, and their friends, they seemed very surprised to see people making their way through the winter storms. This nearly everyone saw as a good sign for it meant they were getting closer to Orzammar.
It wasn’t long after they started spotting the Avvar that they soon came to the gates of Orzammar. They weren’t hard to spot, as the gates were chiseled in the face of a mountain that reached high above the clouds. The doors of the gates were tall, towering over the area around them. In front of the gates was a set of steps carved right into the bedrock and around those were people, humans and dwarves alike pedaling goods from tents and carts. When the new travelers arrived, everyone within the small marketplace seemed stunned to see them, but did not question too much as travelers meant coin.
“What’s a market doing all the way up here?” Arawin asked as they came into the circle of bazaars.
“Orzammar is a main stop on the way between Orlais and Ferelden,” said Zelda. “During the travel season, those crossing the mountains would need to stop here to regain supplies before heading on.”
“Ah yes, I remember stopping here,” said Leliana. “I believe it was the first time I tried dwarven ale. Bleh. Never again.”
“What’s wrong with dwarven ale?” said Arawin. “It’s actually quite good. A very nice kick, although it can leave you with a hell of a hangover. I can’t wait to try it straight from the source!” Arawin rubbed her hands together as she stared up at the gates.
“If everything goes as it should, then I don’t think we’re going to be here long enough for you to try any, Arawin,” Zelda said making the elf glare at her. “I don’t want to stay here longer than we should. We need to get the king to acknowledge the treaty, then head straight back to Redcliffe to get the Landsmeet started.”
“You always know how to take away the fun, don’t you?” Arawin pouted. “Well I don’t care what you say, I say we will have time.”
Zelda rolled her eyes and shook her head. She did not want to get into another fight with Arawin, so she said nothing more. But she could feel Arawin’s mood beginning to seep into her; a mixture of excitement and annoyance. Zelda looked around for Morrigan and saw the witch coming up to both of them with two vials, apparently already knowing what she was going to ask.
“Here you both go,” said Morrigan. “You should know that I had to double the ingredients from last time. The bond apparently is growing fairly rapidly, perhaps due to the archdemon’s influence. If I were either of you, I would start thinking about not using the potion anymore and start trying to control the bond yourselves before it gets too late.”
Both Zelda and Arawin took their vials and looked into them as Morrigan said this. It was another thing that had been on their minds as Morrigan was constantly increasing the strength of the potion to counteract the strength of the bond. They knew eventually the potion, no matter how strong, would not work anymore and by that time it would be too late for them to try and control the bond themselves. Without control, the bond would eventually consume them, driving both of them mad, and soon leading to their deaths. The only problem was, in order to control the bond they needed to work together, and neither of them saw doing this anytime soon.
Their relationship had grown stale. Although they didn’t fight as much as they used to, becoming friends and working together seemed like an impossible thing. They had avoided each other most of the trip, not wanting to say something to the other to set anything off. It seemed to have worked in order to keep the peace, but now it appeared to be working against them as they knew eventually they would either be forced to work together and try and get along, or kill each other because the bond forced them to.
They both kept their eyes on the vials trying to determine if now was the time.
They both drank simultaneously.
“If you two are good now, maybe we should head up to the gates, then?” said Alistair.
The potion was bitter as it ran down their throats, making them shudder. Zelda looked over at Alistair as she felt Arawin slip away. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Together everyone walked to the stairs where they could start to hear shouting and arguing at the top. They could not see past the stairs, but they knew it was not a good sign. When they reached the top they found several dwarven guards standing in front of the gates, arguing with a group of humans. Zelda nearly froze when she saw them as she recognized the herald on their shields and armor to be that of Gwaren. They were Loghain’s men.
“Veata!” cried one of the dwarves. “This land is held in trust for the sovereign dwarven kings. I cannot allow entry at this time.”
“I demand that you do!” said the captain at the head of the humans. “King Loghain demands the allegiance of the deshyr or loads or whatever you call them in your Assembly! I am his appointed messenger.”
“I don’t care if you’re the king’s wiper, Orzammar will have none but its own until our thrown is settled.”
“Wow, hold it!” Zelda said coming up to the two opposing groups. Alistair was right behind her with the others, wondering what had gotten into her to cause her to blurt out like that. Zelda’s outburst had caught both the dwarves and human's attention and they all turned to her. “What did you just say?” she said to the captain. “King Loghain? What lies are these that you speak?”
“Lies?” the captain said stunned by her. “Loghain is king of Ferelden.”
“No he's not, he's only regent. He can only be king if the Landsmeet allows it and there has been no Landsmeet called to decide.”
“Foolish woman,” the captain breathed. “You are about ready to ruin everything with your own lies!”
Zelda looked from him to the dwarves and back again, understanding. “Do not treat the dwarves as if they are stupid! They would've found out eventually that Ferelden has no king!”
“Why do you speak this treason? Who are you, woman, to make you think you can speak of King Loghain in such a way? I demand you answer me!”
“You ser, are not worthy,” Zelda said turning away from him. “I will not give my name to a lowly messenger of a false king.” The captain growled but made no move to come at her. Zelda took that as a sign she had gotten to him and fully faced the dwarf in charge.
“I don’t know who you are,” said the dwarf. “But if you seek entrance into Orzammar, then I shall say the same to you as I did to this fool.” He gestured to the captain. “Orzammar has been closed off. No one is to enter without very good cause.”
Zelda nodded and pulled out the treaty from her pack. “Good dwarves,” she stated. “My name is Zelda, and this is Arawin and Alistair. We are Grey Wardens, and we seek the aid of our traditional dwarven allies.” She handed him the treaty and the dwarf took it.
“What?” the captain blurted. “Grey Wardens? You’re the ones who killed King Cailan. There is a mighty bounty on your heads as you are sworn enemies of King Loghain!”
“Oh shut up!” said Arawin. “Before I put my knife in your throat and silence you permanently.”
“Arawin, calm,” said Zelda. Arawin growled but stayed put.
“This treaty is valid,” said the dwarf. “That is the royal seal which means only the Assembly is authorized to address it.” The dwarf handed Zelda back the treaty. “Grey Wardens, you may pass, although I’m not sure what help you might find.”
“You’re letting in these traitors?” the captain yelled. “In the name of King Loghain, I demand that you execute this... stain on the honor of Ferelden!”
“I don’t need to do any such thing,” said the dwarf. “You are not my commander.”
“Then we will take care of them. I did not trudge through these mountains for nothing.” The captain pulled his weapon out and charged toward Zelda but dropped down dead when an arrow hit him in the throat. Leliana notched another arrow in her bow and pointed it at the other soldiers, daring them to come at them as well. The soldiers looked down at their captain then at each other before backing away and down the stairs.
“Nice shot,” Arawin said to Leliana.
“Zelda was right, he was a fool,” Leliana huffed.
“I thank you, Grey Wardens, for finally getting those humans off my door,” said the dwarf. “They’ve been here, barking for nearly a week.”
“So what has happened in Orzammar?” Zelda asked.
The dwarf sighed as he ordered the men behind him to open the gates. “Just as with Ferelden, Orzammar has no king. Endrin Aeducan returned to the Stone not three weeks ago, sick over the loss of his sons. The Assembly has gone through a dozen votes without agreeing on a successor. If it is not settled soon, we risk a civil war.”
“That does sound like us. Who are the candidates?”
“Genli, run ahead and announce the Grey Wardens' arrival.”
“Yes, Ser.” A younger looking dwarf then ran through the still opening gate.
“There are only two; Prince Bhelen and Lord Harrowmont,” the dwarf said turning back to Zelda. “They both have legitimate reasons for becoming king and they also have an even number of followers which is why neither has been chosen. I don’t know if we’ll be able to help you, Grey Wardens, but I am not the one to speak with. That would be the Assembly. Now, if you wish, you may enter.” The dwarf turned to the gate and gestured for them to go forward. Zelda nodded her thanks as did everyone else as they passed, but it wasn’t until Zelda came to the threshold that she stopped. Alistair noticed her sudden pause and knew exactly why.
“Zelda, are you going to be okay?” he asked her.
Zelda took in a deep breath and looked at him. “Not really,” she said. “Just thinking about it makes my chest start to tighten, but… I don’t really have a choice.”
“Yes you do. We don’t have to go in if you can’t handle it.”
“And what, leave it up to Arawin? Ha! She knows nothing of Orzammar and dwarven politics. And even though I know very little, I’m sure I know more than she does. No, I have to go in. I just have to deal with it.”
“What about Wynne? Can’t she help you in anyway?”
“She can, but I’d rather wait to ask until it becomes overwhelming. The spells she’ll use will eventually not work anymore and I’d rather save them for later than to use them up now. With the Assembly in a deadlock, who knows how long we’re going to be here now.” Zelda began to laugh making Alistair look at her funny. “It never fails.”
“What’s so funny?”
“There’s always something going on with the dwarves that delays things. I was hoping we might be able to avoid it, but I guess not even the Grey Wardens are immune.”
“I guess not,” Alistair smiled. “I remember Duncan saying last time he was here, he was delayed due to something happening with the Assembly.”
“Right…” Zelda took in another deep breath and grabbed Alistair’s hand, squeezing it. “Come on, I’m sure the others are wondering what’s happened to us.”
“Again, we don’t have to,” Alistair said squeezing back.
“Just come on, I’m going to need your support.”
“That’s something you’ll always have, love.” He kissed her on the check then lead her gently over the threshold. Zelda immediately felt the tightness in her chest grow but she found it to be manageable with Alistair close by. She just hoped she could withstand it as the gates creaked and closed behind her. She also hoped that whatever was going on with the dwarves was not going to complicate things with their asking for aid against the Blight.
***
The chamber they entered was none like any they had ever seen. Despite the short status of the dwarves, everything about their structures towered over even humans. The hall was enormous with tall ceilings and statues littered about the area. The statues were at least ten feet high and each one carved in the likeness of a different dwarf. As they came to one statue everyone looked to see writing carved into the base.
“Oh,” Leliana exclaimed. “Paragon Bemot, that’s who this statue is. Hmm.” She stood and looked around the room. “I do believe this is the Hall of Heroes. All these statues are Paragons. Look, here's the Paragons Aeducan and Garal. Then over here is Caridin and Astyth the Grey. She was the first female Paragon from the Warrior Caste. Became one because she founded the Silent Sisters. Oh, and look!” Leliana ran over to a statue closest to the other side of the hall next to the other door. “This is Paragon Branka, the only living Paragon at the moment. Ah, this is so exciting!”
“You really know a lot about dwarves, don’t you?” Arawin said looking at the statue of Caridin.
“I’m a bard, learning about history and tales from all cultures is what I do.”
After examining the statues the whole group then began making their way to the smaller doors. They opened them and made their way into the city of Orzammar. It was a place of great majesty, large with a ceiling stretching hundreds of feet high. Stone carvings were everywhere, paved streets, road signs, and even more statues. The city was round, curving in both directions from the door they stood in front of. In the middle was a bridge that lead to a another set of large doors carved in the stone face. Looking up, they saw another level of the city. Giant statues of dwarves with their hands above their heads appeared to be holding the level up. As they walked over to the bridge, they looked down to find Orzammar’s light source. On the surface, the light source came from above, in Orzammar it came from below. Deep under the bridge as well as the city, a large river of magma flowed, churning slowly and casting it’s constant light up to the city.
Orzammar was truly a brilliant sight to behold, but there was something about the city that didn’t feel right. Things were wrong, and everyone could sense it.
“Veata, surfacer!” a dwarf cried. He ran and placed himself before them. “I am the Captain of the Guard here, and I am bid to let you walk the Commons, but keep your place. Warden or not! I want order.”
“Oh, yes of course,” said Zelda. “We are only here to gain assistance from Orzammar against the Blight.”
The captain scuffed. “Surface problems. Unfortunately we won’t be able to help you, as we have no king, but I’m sure you were already told that. You can join the shouting at the Assembly in the Diamond Quarter, if you want. Bunch of deshyr lords bickering over sand. Bhelen, Harrowmont... is one so different?”
“Where is the Diamond Quarter and the Assembly?”
“I can show you that,” said the captain. “Just follow me. I even think the Assembly is in session right now. If you are able to gain audience, then now would be the best time to plead your case. But good luck! At the moment all the Assembly cares about is this king business. Nothing else is being discussed, and I don’t even think you as Grey Wardens could get a say in.”
The captain lead them through the area they figured to be the Commons. It was full of mostly merchants and their shops, shouting out their goods. Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing however, when the Grey Wardens walked by.
Taking them around a corner, they came to a large set of stairs that lead up to the higher level. Once at the top, they found the Diamond Quarter to be quite different than the Commons. Here no merchants and their shops stood, instead were tall buildings carved in the stone with elaborately decorated tapestries and carvings. The Quarter was very clean looking and all the dwarves walking around wore expensive looking outfits of silk and lace.
When they finally came to a building at the far end of the Quarter the captain stopped and gestured forward. “This is it,” he said. “But from here you’re on your own. I wouldn’t be caught dead in there, hearing the bickering and whining of over-privileged lords. Bah.”
“Thank you for bringing us here, anyway,” said Zelda. “We can take it from here.”
The captain waved them away as he walked off.
Making their way through the door, inside was nothing more than a small hallway with glowing blue lines in the walls. The blue glow was another source of light used by the dwarves. Zelda had to concentrate very hard and squeezed Alistair’s hand tightly in order to keep from thinking of the suddenly lower ceiling. Out in the Commons and in the Quarter, she had fared better than she thought, as with the very high ceilings, she could pretend she was not under a mountain. She felt Alistair stroke her fingers, but it did very little to help calm her.
When they reached the end of the hall, they found the door closed and locked. A guard stood next to the door and he looked up at them. “Atrast vala, Grey Wardens,” he said. “We heard news that you were here.”
“Yes… and we were wondering if we could seek audience with the Assembly,” said Zelda, forcing herself.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” said the guard. “The Assembly will not take any audiences with anyone unless it has to do with this king busy.”
“But this is more important,” Zelda protested. “We are here to seek aid from the dwarves. This treaty means that you must help us.”
“I understand that, Grey Warden, and please forgive me, but I also understand that only our king can acknowledge those treaties, and we do not have one at the moment. So please, stand aside.”
“Oh, this is so frustrating,” Zelda said walking away. “How are we suppose to get anything done?”
“Hmm, it appears the two potential kings are the ones we may need to talk to,” said Arawin. “What were they, Bhelen and Harrowmont? The only thing is, who should we go and talk to first?”
“Perhaps if you are willing to listen, I could make that decision easy for you.” Everyone looked to see a another dwarf standing in the corner of the hall, next to the entrance. If he had been there the whole time, they had missed him, or he might have been following them.
“And who are you?” Arawin asked.
The dwarf smiled. He had no beard, but stubble upon his chin with dark short hair. “My name is Vartag Gavorn, top adviser and second to our good Prince Bhelen.”
“Bhelen, huh? You’ve been following us, haven’t you?”
“It’s not hard to spot either of you, Wardens, or those traveling with you, as you are the tallest living beings in Orzammar at the moment.”
“If you’re here to tell us that Prince Bhelen is willing to speak with us,” said Zelda. “Then could we please go and see him?”
“I could…” Vartag said rubbing his chin. “But I think you will need to prove yourself first.”
“Prove ourselves?” Arawin questioned. “We’re Grey Wardens, why do we need to prove ourselves?”
“You must understand, Harrowmont hides behind his good reputation while sending spies and assassins. Bhelen can’t know who to trust. It’s been like a knife in the heart for Bhelen to see so many of his father’s men stand with the usurper.”
“And I suppose Bhelen hasn’t sent any of his own?” Zevran asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“Such is the way of politics in Orzammar,” said Vartag.
“Doesn’t sound too different from Antiva.”
“Or Orlais,” Leliana added.
“Yes, but from what I heard, you Grey Wardens are here to have us up hold the treaties signed long ago,” Vartag continued. “If that is the case, then Bhelen would be more than happy to send you the troops you need.”
“But only if he’s king, right?” added Zelda.
“That is the only thing that is keeping him from helping you, I’m afraid. So, if you're willing to help him, then Bhelen will help you.”
Zelda thought as she stared at the dwarf. Vartag smiled up at her, his short dwarven stature being only about half her size. She felt as if she was looking down at a child, but she knew better than to think of him as such or any of the dwarves. She found that she didn’t really like Vartag, as he appeared to be sly and sneaky as if he wasn’t telling them everything. But he had come to them while no one representing Harrowmont had. Zelda was determined to get everything done as quick as possible, not only to get back to Redcliffe but to also get out from under the mountain. She would just have to do whatever Vartag wanted.
“What must we do in order to prove to Prince Bhelen that we mean him no harm?” she asked.
“Glad you asked.” Vartag’s smile broadened. “In order to gain ground over our good prince, Harrowmont has engaged in a campaign of bribery and coercion to ensure that every house serves him. To do this, he has offered the same portion of his estate to two separate houses; Dace and Hemli. I don’t think I need to explain to you why this might turn out bad in the end, when they both realize they’ve been used after the vote is cast.”
“So what does that have to do with us?”
“If someone such as I were to go up and tell their deshyrs, Lady Dace and Lord Hemli, about this, they would think I was lying. But if a neutral party, a stranger, were to approach them, perhaps with irrefutable evidence of Harrowmont’s deception, then they would more than likely believe it.”
“And what evidence do you have, I wonder?” Arawin said with suspicion.
“Copies of promissory notes Harrowmont gave each of them. Once they see those, they should both reconsider their votes.” Vartag handed Zelda two slips of paper. She looked at each of them and didn’t see anything suspicious, but then again she wasn’t very learned in dwarven documents.
Arawin looked at them from Zelda’s side. She didn’t like how things were going, and these promissory notes didn’t seem right to her. “So how did you get a hold of these?”
“That’s not important,” Vartag said, waving her off. “What’s important is that you show those to Lady Dace and Lord Hemli. If they ask how you got a hold of them, say you found them while searching the shaper’s libraries for your treaty.”
Looking up from the papers, Zelda nodded. “Right, we’ll do this for Prince Bhelen if it will give us an audience with him.”
“Of course,” Vartag said coolly. “You will find Lady Dace here in the Quarter, while Lord Hemli is more than likely going to be at Tapsters. Just whatever you do, don’t mention you got these papers from me or Prince Bhelen. You found them and drew your own conclusions.” He bowed to them and left the hall.
Zelda folded the papers and placed them in her pack before leaving the hall as well. She was relieved to be back in the Quarter even if she still was underground. It was much less confining than the hall was.
“Alright, are we ready?” she asked the others without turning around. “I think since we’re already in the Diamond Quarter, finding Lady Dace-”
“What in the Maker’s name do you think you’re doing?” Arawin’s outburst caused Zelda to stop and turn to the others behind her. Arawin stood fixed with her arms crossed and eyes firmly on Zelda.
“Oh, please don’t start this, Arawin,” Zelda moaned. “This is something we need to do.”
“Except we don’t,” Arawin forced. “Usually I’m all in for a little forging and fraud, but you? Why are you suddenly jumping on Bhelen’s ship? We know nothing about Bhelen! What if Bhelen is horrible? What if Harrowmont is the better choice?”
Zelda fixed her own self in front of Arawin and glared at the elf. “We don’t have time to check both of them out. We need to do whatever we can to make one king and get him to promise the troops we need, then we can get out of here. Since Bhelen sent his man first, then he is the one I choose to support.”
“So now we’re on a time table? When we were in Haven all you wanted to do was wait, now you just want to jump without looking? And even if you choose to support Bhelen, doesn’t mean I do.”
Zelda couldn’t believe Arawin was doing this. She couldn’t understand why she needed to fight her all the time. “Why? Is it because I made a decision for us? Is it because you always have to do the opposite of me? What? What is it, Arawin, that makes you think you can fight me at every decision we have to make?”
“I don’t agree!” Arawin shouted.
“Well I don’t care if you agree or not! I’m doing this, and we don‘t have time for you to have one of your temper tantrums!”
Zelda was sure Arawin would lash out at her again, but instead she only stood and stared. The look on Arawin’s face was menacing and unreadable. It was the way a predator looked before leaping on it’s prey. “Fine,” Arawin said more calmly than Zelda thought she would. “Have it your way. Do whatever and be a lackey for Bhelen, but just so you know… I’m going to go to Harrowmont and support him.”
“You can’t,” Zelda said stunned.
“Oh, but I can, and I will.” Arawin walked away and started heading back to the stairs out of the Quarter.
“Arawin, don’t you dare!” Zelda shouted at her.
“How are you going to stop me?” Arawin shouted back, stopping.
“You’re going to make things more complicated than they already are!” Zelda began making her way toward Arawin, anger blazing on her face.
“Hey, hey,” Alistair said getting in front of Zelda and grabbing her shoulders. “Both of you need to calm down. We can’t be fighting like this, especially not in front of the dwarves.”
“Let me go, Alistair,” Zelda said through her teeth.
“Not until you calm down.”
“Look, I’m going to find a way to speak to Harrowmont no matter what you try and do, Zelda,” said Arawin.
“But what about the rest of us?” said Leliana. “Arawin…? Zelda…?”
“I don’t care what you guys do,” said Arawin. “If you want to come with me, fine. If you want to stay with her, fine. I’m not going to hate any of you. I just hate her. So do what you will, I’m going.” Arawin turned back and started heading for the stairs again. Kunjo raced after her, but not before looking back and whining a little at Rupee.
Zevran sighed as he watched Arawin leave. “I guess someone needs to go with her to try and keep her contained.” He soon followed, shouting her name as he ran after her.
Sten sighed as well and soon followed without saying anything.
Leliana also stared out at the retreating group then at Zelda who was still being held back by Alistair. “Zelda? I’m sorry, but…”
“If you want to go with her then go. I don’t care,” Zelda said looking down at the ground.
“It’s just… what Vartag wants us to do... It’s not right.”
“There’s nothing right or wrong about it, but if you want to go with Arawin, then go. I’m not going to hate you.”
Leliana nodded then ran after the others.
“So what about the rest of you?” Zelda said looking up after she heard Leliana leave. “Why aren’t you following her?”
“You know why I’m not,” said Alistair. He finally let her go but still stayed close.
“I would more than likely have to agree with Leliana,” said Wynne. “But I will stay with you.”
“Why?” Zelda asked.
“Because someone has to make sure you keep your sanity. I don’t know what gets into you two sometimes, but it needs to stop.”
“I know,” Zelda sighed. “Arawin’s just so…”
“As for me,” said Morrigan. “I would have to disagree with both you and Leliana.”
“Of course you would,” Wynne said.
“I actually find this forged business quite fun and would very much love to see what will happen when we reveal the truth.”
“That’s not the reason why I agreed to do this,” said Zelda. “But come on, if you all are staying with me then let’s get this over with. Hopefully Arawin won’t cause too much trouble. Otherwise I might really need to put her in her place.”

Paraphrasing from Dragon Age: Origins
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Blood Bond