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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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Pressure

Zelda sighed heavily as Arawin and the others went out of her sight. The tension that had built during their scuffle started to relax. Her emotions came down slow and she sighed again, more regretful. “C-Come on…” she stuttered, taking a step forward. That’s all it took before everything came crashing down on her.
The little control she had obtained before walking into Orzammar was now gone. Her and Arawin’s fight had pushed her over the edge. Zelda placed her hands on her heart, feeling the tightness in her chest nearly suffocating her. She took a step back, breathing fast and staring up at the ceiling, noticing that it looked a lot closer than it did before.
“Zelda? Oh Maker no,” Alistair said as he took a hold of her. She struggled with him at first, but then relented as he set her down, and leaned her against a building.
“What’s with her all the sudden?” asked Morrigan.
“She’s going into hyperventilation,” said Wynne. She knelt in front of Zelda and examined her. “Alistair, what's going on?”
“She’s claustrophobic,” he said joining her. “At first she didn’t want to come in Orzammar, but she was doing so well we forgot to ask you for help.”
“You mean a spell to help calm her nerves?”
“Yes.”
“N-No…” Zelda said shaking her head. “J-Just get… get me o-out of h-here…” She was breathing so fast and feeling so confined, Zelda could barely think. She fought to stand back up and run out, but Wynne kept her from doing so.
“Wynne, what are you doing?” Alistair asked. “Are you going to do anything to help her?”
“Not yet,” she said. “Just wait.”
Zelda stared at her frightened, unsure of what was going on or why Wynne wasn’t doing anything. She couldn’t breathe, and it was beginning to scare her more than the mountain crashing down on her. It didn’t take long before she finally passed out.
“There we go,” Wynne said as she caught Zelda and placed her gently on the ground.
“What do you mean, what just happened?” Alistair asked as he went over and took Zelda’s head to place in his lap.
“Exactly what she needed,” said Morrigan. Alistair looked over at her horrified.
“When someone goes into hysterics,” explained Wynne. “It’s best to let them continue until they pass out as long as you stay to make sure they’re all right. This allows for their brains to reset. Zelda should be fine when she wakes, or at least after I cast a few spells.”
“No, not yet,” Alistair said stopping her. “Zelda didn’t want that to happen this early. She thought it best since the spells would eventually not work to wait until she really needed them.”
“She really needs them now, Alistair. It is true though, the mind will resist the spells later on, but if I don’t do something now to help her then they won’t work at all later on. Hopefully we won’t be under this mountain for very much longer, but if we are then we’ll just have to think of something else if this happens again.”
“I don’t ever want to see her like this again.” Alistair removed the loose hair from Zelda’s eyes. He noticed she looked more peaceful now.
“I agree with you, Alistair, but I’ll wait till she wakes before I do anything.”
It only took a few minutes before Zelda woke. Once she began to stir and her eyes fluttered open, Wynne began to place spells on her. They were similar to the ones Esumi had used to help calm her nerves and improve her circulation. When Zelda was fully aware, Alistair helped her to sit.
“Are you feeling better?” asked Wynne.
“Yeah…” she said timid. “It was just…”
“Alistair told us, and I did do a few things to you, but don’t worry,” Wynne added when she saw the horror-stricken face Zelda gave her. “We’ll think of something later if you have another attack.”
Zelda looked away from her, embarrassed. Never had she been hit so hard before, not even when she was in the tunnel under Lake Calenhad. She knew it had to do with the fight she had with Arawin. Zelda hoped the two wouldn’t have a blow like that again. Next time she might not be able to take it.
“You are looking much better,” said Morrigan who was standing behind Wynne. “If this had been brought to my attention sooner, I might've been able to brew something up for you.”
“There is no potion or anything that I know of that helps with such matters,” Wynne said glaring over at her.
Morrigan rolled her eyes at the senior mage. “Perhaps I might know a few things you do not? My mother was Flemeth after all, and she did teach me many things that would never even be considered at your precious Circle.”
“I highly doubt blood magic would work for phobias.”
“No, but a placebo might.”
Wynne soon kept quiet, realizing her mistake.
“Doesn’t matter anyway,” said Zelda as Alistair helped her stand. “The best thing to do right now is to go find Lady Dace and Lord Hemli and show them these papers. The faster I can talk to Prince Bhelen and get him on the throne, the faster we can have our troops and be out of here.” Zelda was now more determined than anything to get things done, whether Bhelen was right to be king or not. And she also found she didn’t care whether the papers were real or forged.
The spells she found were working very well as she took a step forward and made her way through the Diamond Quarter without another word. They worked so well in fact, Zelda’s chest wasn’t even tight, and thinking about the mountain above her did nothing. She was grateful for it, but knew it wouldn’t last. It wasn’t until they were half way through the Quarter before Zelda stopped, realizing that she didn’t know where she was going.
“Zelda, is something wrong?” Alistair said looking concerned.
“I’m fine, it’s just… I don’t know where to find Lady Dace or anyone. I don’t know Orzammar.”
“Neither do I. This is my first time being here.”
“As is mine,” said Wynne.
“The farthest I have ever been is Lothering, so I am no help,” Morrigan put in.
“Great,” Zelda sighed. “We don’t have time for this.”
“Maybe we should've asked Vartag before leaving him,” said Alistair.
“Uh, excuse me.” They all turned around to see a dwarf standing behind them. She was very pretty with red hair and blue eyes which sparkled from the make-up on her face. Her dress was very brilliant with embroidery and beads, looking to be made of silk and lace. She also had a S-shaped tattoo under her right eye, a light brown which was dark against her fair skin. “I don’t mean to be rude, but are you the Grey Wardens?” she asked.
Zelda walked in front of her. “We are. My name is Zelda, and who might you be, my lady?”
“Oh, I am no noble,” she said looking surprised by Zelda’s kindness. “I am Rica, and only a simple courtesan in Prince Bhelen’s court.”
“You sure look like a noble.”
“Only because Bhelen provides me with everything my son and I need. But I came to find you because I heard you might be helping him in becoming king and thought I could lend you my assistance if needed.”
“That would be appreciated,” said Zelda. “But you’re not going to get in trouble, are you?”
“Oh no, I am free to go about as I wish, so when I ran into Vartag and heard he had spoken with you, then I knew I wanted to help. You see, my son’s father is Prince Bhelen, so him being king makes Little Endrin’s chances to inherit the throne very likely, as he is Bhelen’s first son.”
“So you're only willing to help us because you want your son to become the next king, yes?” said Morrigan. “Trying to beat out all the other courtesans before they bear him a son as well?”
“It’s not like that at all,” Rica said sounding a little ashamed.
“Morrigan,” said Zelda. “Be nice.”
“'Tis not being mean,” she stated. “I'm just trying to get the facts straight.”
“I don’t really care if my son becomes the next king or not, but if Prince Bhelen doesn’t take his father’s throne, then there’s a chance my son and I will be thrown on the streets.” Rica looked down at the ground. “I guess I should've said something like that instead.”
“Oh that’s horrible,” said Alistair. “Why would they do that?”
“Because if Harrowmont is king he will have no need for me or Little Endrin.” Rica stared back up at them. “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you with this, I only want to make sure my son grows up better than I did. I also want to make sure there is a nice warm bed for my mother to sleep on, and a loving home my little sister can finally come back to.”
“Well I’m trying to help Bhelen,” said Zelda. “And in order to do that, we could really use yours.”
Rica smiled broadly. “I am glad to hear it. I’m sorry, but I overheard you saying you did not know where to find Lady Dace. If you would like, I could show you to her house.”
“That would be excellent.”
“Then come this way.” Rica took the lead and they followed her through the Quarter and into an adjacent street. Down it were many tall buildings carved into the stone with fences and patios. They stopped at one with a half fence—or at least half for humans—and saw inside a garden of stone. A tiny stream curved its way through the yard with a bridge arching over it. The starting point a small waterfall coming from the house. Rocks of many colors were laid about in patterns within dug out areas, and small statues also littered about. There was also a dwarf, dressed in expensive clothing like Rica’s, in the far corner.
“Lady Dace loves working in her garden,” Rica said gesturing to the dwarf. “That would be her.”
“Thank you, Rica,” said Zelda. She then waited for Rica to lead the way but the dwarf never did. “Are you coming?”
“I’m afraid I can’t go in there without Prince Bhelen’s consent, or Lady Dace’s. I may have certain privileges, but I am still casteless.”
“If you’re with me then it shouldn’t matter.”
“That might be true, but I would still like to refrain from starting anything unnecessary.”
“Alright, but please wait out here.”
“I shall, Grey Warden.” Rica then bowed to her as Zelda took them into the garden and up to Lady Dace.
“Excuse me, Lady Dace?” Zelda said once they reached her. “Sorry to bother you, but may we talk for a moment?”
The dwarf looked up from her arranging of stones and was taken back as she strained her neck to look up at the tall humans. “Huh? Oh, you must be the Grey Wardens everyone is talking about.” Lady Dace stood and dusted herself off. “Sure, if you would like to talk I have a moment. Though I am wondering why you would want to speak with me.”
“My name is Zelda, and I was just wondering who you planned on voting for as the next king?”
“Are you going around petitioning every deshyr about their vote?”
“No, not necessarily.”
“So I was the lucky one, then? Well, unfortunately I can’t say, not even to you, Warden. It’s one of the rules in the Assembly. I’m forbidden to tell until the stones are cast.”
“I thought as much,” said Zelda. “So as a deshyr, does that make you the leader of your house?”
“I am my house’s voice in the Assembly, but I don’t lead them. My father does that.”
“Oh, well I would like to show you these papers anyway.” Zelda handed Lady Dace the parchments.
“What are these?” Lady Dace asked as she looked over them. “Wait, is this what I think it is? This isn’t exactly a surface broadsheet. Where did you get these? Never mind. It is true enough. But there's nothing I can do about it. This deal was made on behalf of our entire house. Only my father can revoke it.”
“Because he is the leader.”
“Yes.”
“Okay, then may we speak to him?”
Lady Dace gave the papers back to Zelda. “You could if he were here, but he’s not.”
“Then where is he?”
“In the Deep Roads searching an old site that was recently discovered due to the lack of darkspawn attacks. He left several weeks ago and I don’t know when he’s coming back.”
“How far is the site?” Zelda asked timidly.
“Not far. We were surprised that we found a thaig so close, but the darkspawn have been knocking on our doorsteps for quite some time we couldn’t go very far. Why? Are you thinking of going into the Deep Roads to search for him?”
“I-I don’t know yet.” Orzammar had been one thing, but the Deep Roads were another. Already she could feel the spells beginning to fail just from the thoughts.
“Probably not,” said Alistair as he noticed her sudden change in mood. “But is your father really the only one that can revoke it?”
“Afraid so.”
“No, we’ll go,” said Zelda making Alistair stare at her odd. “If it will get you to change your vote to Bhelen, then we’ll go.”
Lady Dace’s eyebrows raised. “Really? Bhelen’s victory means that much to you that you would brave the Deep Roads? Hmm, well I still can’t tell you who I’m voting for, but I will say I might have changed my mind.”
“That’s good,” Zelda breathed. “So do you know how we may find your father?”
“Wait here.” Lady Dace walked into her house then came back to them in only a few seconds. She then handed Zelda a folded-up map. “My father left me with this map in case his expedition never returned. I’ll give you a pass as well. Usually, no one is allowed past the front lines without a deshyr’s permission.”
“Thank you,” said Zelda. “We will go and deliver this to your father.”
“I appreciate it, Grey Warden.”
Zelda nodded then turned to leave. They went half-way through the garden before Alistair stopped her. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Alistair. Wynne’s spells, remember?”
“Those spells won’t last, especially if you get anxious,” said Wynne.
“And you look terrified,” Alistair added. “I don’t think you can do it.”
This made Zelda back away from him. “What? You don’t think I can do it? Alistair! You are the last person I thought would say that.”
“I just don’t want to see you go through that again.”
“Oh leave her be,” said Morrigan. “I think Zelda knows her limits better than you do. If she wants to go and thinks she can do it, then let her. It is the only way she is going to get over her fear.”
“Maybe, but not now.”
“Now is the perfect time. What better place than the Deep Roads?”
“Morrigan, you’re not helping,” said Wynne.
“I think I’m helping better than you are. You only want to mask the problem. Dealing with it head on is the best way to go.”
“But it’s not the best time,” said Alistair.
Zelda still couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “No, we’re going,” she said. “And I don’t want to hear about how I can’t do it. We just need to get it over with.”
“But Zelda…” Alistair pleaded.
“You put me in charge, Alistair, so my word is we go.” Zelda pushed past him and out of the stone garden, not looking back.
***
Rica lead them to the same stairs they had used to enter the Diamond Quarter. Once there, she told them when they reached the Commons to turn right and they would find the entrance to the Deep Roads. Rica stayed behind, not wanting to leave the Quarter. Once back in the Commons, it didn’t take them long to find the entrance.
Zelda could feel it, the pull of the taint from the Deep Roads. The mouth of the entrance wasn’t nearly as high as most of the doors in Orzammar were. It was dark beyond, and whispers seeped from the darkness making Zelda’s blood run cold. She noticed it was doing the small thing to Alistair, but he only showed concern for her instead of himself.
“Are you really sure you want to do this?” he asked.
“Now that I’m seeing them, no,” she said swallowing hard. “But we don’t have a choice.”
“Except we do,” said Wynne. “Lady Dace said she would change her vote. This is probably something that can wait until her father returns.”
“No,” Zelda said shaking her head. “I made a promise, I have to go through with it.” Knowing they wouldn’t be able to fight with her or wanting to send her into another attack, everyone agreed and followed her to the entrance.
Standing in front of the entrance were several dwarves dressed in heavy armor. They had all been sitting and talking before seeing the humans making their way over and soon stood and took positions to block the entrance.
“What’s this? Humans?” said the commander. “Did we make these tunnels tall enough for humans? I’m sorry, but I cannot allow you past the front lines without a deshyrs permission. And I’ve heard nothing of any new patrols scheduled to leave today.”
“We do have permission from Lady Dace,” Zelda said handing him the pass.
The commander took and examined it. “Hmm, this is unusual. Lady Dace isn’t well known for her interest in the Deep Roads. May I ask why you wish to go in?”
“We’re looking for Lord Dace’s patrol. Just need to… show him something.”
“That so, well, then by all means, you may enter if you wish, but finding Lord Dace’s patrol is unnecessary.”
“What do you mean?” Zelda asked.
“Lord Dace returned about a day ago. He and his men are in the cleansing rooms so they do not bring the darkspawn filth into the city. If all you need to do is talk to him, then you may enter the rooms. They are right over there.” The commander pointed to the right from where they stood and Zelda saw several doors within the stone.
“Thank you,” she said, her relief clearly showing on her face. She did not have to enter the Deep Roads, or at least not yet.
When they reached the doors, Alistair went in front of her, blocking her from entering. “I think it might be faster and better if I go in alone and tell the Lord,” he said. “That way you can stay out here and not go into any small spaces.”
“Alistair, I’m not a child,” Zelda said crossing her arms. “And you also shouldn’t remind me of such things.”
“Uh, sorry.”
“But he is right,” said Wynne. “It would be faster if he went in alone.”
Zelda considered before finally relenting and handing Alistair the papers. He took them and kissed her on the check before going into the cleansing rooms.
“He’s only doing what he thinks is best for you,” Wynne said once Alistair was gone.
“I know,” said Zelda. “And I know I freaked out in front of him, but I don’t like being treated like a delicate flower.”
Wynne chuckled at this. “You are anything but a delicate flower, Zelda, and Alistair knows this. You are a formidable woman, but there is still a chink in your armor, and Alistair is only trying to guard that part the best way he knows how.”
Zelda knew what Wynne was saying to be true. Alistair was only looking out for her as she would have been for him. Just the way he was doing it was a little over protective, but Zelda knew he would get better about it over time.
It didn’t take long for Alistair to return, telling them how mad Lord Dace had gotten over learning of the deal, but grateful that the Grey Wardens had brought it to his attention. He vowed that he would make sure his daughter voted for Bhelen, and would never make another deal of any sort with house Harrowmont again.
Once everything was situated, they made their way back into the Commons and through the marketplace. Zelda remembered Vartag mentioning Lord Hemli could be found at Tapsters, which they found fairly easily even amongst the large crowd of dwarves. Once inside, nearly everyone had to cover their noses due to the smell. Rupee snorted and scratched at her nose.
“Oh, well looky here, humans now,” said the barkeep. “What can I get for you, Grey Wardens? I’m not exactly sure if you can handle our brew, but it’ll be interesting to see nonetheless.”
Zelda could tell from his comment that Arawin must have been in here at some point. “No thank you,” she said. “We're just here to see Lord Hemli, if he's here.”
“Oh, he’s always here, except when he’s meeting with the Assembly, which has been a lot recently. If you wish to speak with him he’s right over there.” The barkeep pointed to a nicely dressed dwarf on the other side of the bar. He was all alone, sipping from his mug and looking off into the distance as if lost in thought.
“Excuse me, Lord Hemli?” Zelda asked as she went over to him.
“Yes, that is I,” he said. “Though my father is also called Lord Hemli as well, but I assume you're not looking for him since he has been dead for the past five years.” He turned around in his seat and looked up at her. His mug in hand, he held it up then smiled and drank down the rest of the contents before slamming the mug on the bar. “Lord Denek Helmi, honored deshyr of the Orzammar Assembly and terrible disappointment to my esteemed mother, who doesn’t like me spending time in taverns. You understand what I’m saying, right? On the surface, there are no castes and it works fine. Am I right, Warden?”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Zelda. “We try to make it equal, but it really isn’t.”
“Ah, perhaps, but you still at least talk to the others? I mean, there’s an elf Grey Warden, and I saw she was traveling with a Qunari, and I see you are traveling with mages. Here, however, most castes wouldn’t be caught dead talking to another caste, especially the noble caste. And you can forget the casteless. No one will even look them in the eyes. It’s no wonder the prince has been able to hide himself so well in Dust Town.”
“Uh, what are you talking about?”
“Just some of the things I’ve noticed about our society while sitting here and observing. You know, most smiths and tavern-keeps would make decent deshyrs if we gave them a chance and a seat in the Assembly. Orzammar is so mired in tradition no one bothers asking if the castes are even necessary. It’s the whole reason why I decided to take my father’s position in the Assembly, but ah… It’s no use trying to change something when you’re the only one doing it. Oh, sorry Warden, don’t mind my little outbursts. It’s just what I do. Now, what is it that you needed? I’m sure you came to find me for other reasons than to listen to me rant.”
“It’s no trouble,” Zelda said fingering the papers. “Kind of interesting, actually. I don’t know much about dwarvern society, so how does the caste system work?”
“Badly,” Lord Hemli said as he took a swig from a fresh mug the barkeep had brought to him only moments ago. He looked up to see Zelda’s confused face. “Oh, you’re serious. Well, it’s simple, I guess. The king and elected deshyrs of the Assembly are at the top, then it’s the nobles... Then the warriors and all the craftsmen. At the bottom are servants; the casteless and criminals are below even that. Your caste is determined by that of your same-sex parent and that’s where you stay your whole life, whatever your skill.”
“That sounds somewhat like the Circle,” said Morrigan. “Only it doesn’t matter who your parents are.”
“Hmm, then maybe Orzammar and the surface aren’t that different after all,” said Lord Hemli.
“Maybe so, but let me get to the real business of why I'm here,” said Zelda. Lord Hemli gave her his full attention. “I don’t know who you’ve decided to vote for as your next king, but I just thought you might want to have a look at this before making up your mind.” She handed him the papers and he glanced over them.
“Oh, well I already knew about this,” he said.
“What? You did?”
“Unlike with the rest of the deshyrs, I actually look into my deals. I took it anyway, though otherwise my house would’ve killed me. Responsibilities, you know. But now with this proof, I will have to go through the whole process of rejecting the deal, and Harrowmont and Bhelen both have to try something else. And I thought it was going to be a nice day.”
“Sorry I had to wreck it,” Zelda said feeling bad.
“You’re just doing what you think is right. Don’t worry about it. Besides, I was only going to vote for Harrowmont because Mother told me to. Bah, now I can actually vote for who I want. Bhelen sees the things I see, maybe even more. He wants to propel us into the future, while Harrowmont wants to keep us in the past. Course in the end I guess it doesn’t matter. All kings end up the same after awhile.” He downed the rest of his mug and slammed it on the counter once more. “Well it was nice talking to you, Warden, but I better go and get this over with. Mother is not going to be happy.” Jumping down from his seat, Lord Hemli adjusted his tunic before making his way out of the tavern.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try something, Warden?” the barkeep said to Zelda.
“How much did the other Grey Warden drink?” she asked.
“Actually, she didn’t drink anything and neither did any of her party. Course I wouldn’t have served to those two casteless dwarves with her. Bah, bringing that filth into my bar. She’s lucky she was a Grey Warden or I would’ve had the whole lot of them thrown out. Filthy brands.”
“I’m beginning to see what Lord Hemli was talking about,” whispered Alistair.
“Yeah, but let’s go ahead and get back to Vartag,” said Zelda. “With both the deshyrs informed, that should be good enough for me to get an audience with Bhelen now.”
“Bhelen!” came a loud voice from behind them. Everyone jumped when they heard it, turning around to find a very drunken dwarf. He was wobbling on both legs, barely able to keep himself erect as he held a pint in his hand. His hair was red, short and messy. He had no bread, but a long mustache that was braided and reached past his chin.
“Uh, excuse me, dwarf,” Morrigan said pinching her nose. “But you have a most foul odor.”
“Ha, typical woman,” he said. He took his pint and poured it down his throat, some of the ale missing his mouth and running down his chin. When he was done he wobbled some more before regaining his balance.
“Bhelen, bleh. Sooo doez ’at meen you ‘ne of ‘is ‘ittle lackeys?” He was so drunk and slurry that it was hard to understand what he was saying.
“Uh, not really,” Zelda said unsure of what to say to him. He looked at her strange, one eye directly on her while the other one seemed to drift to the side a little.
“’hen wha’ are you runn’ errands for ‘im… for? Huh?”
“Do you really think we should be talking to this drunkard?” Morrigan asked. “He obviously doesn’t even know what he’s saying.”
“He probably doesn’t, but-”
“Hey! I’m talkin’ to ya!” the dwarf burst.
“Excuse me, but you don’t have to be so rude,” Zelda said glaring at him.
“Ah, I ge’ it now,” he said sounding a little more sober. “I ge’ it. Bhelen wantz what Branka was affer, right? And ‘e thought you could ge’ it outta me? Well, Oghren’s not tha’ easy ta mo-nip-you-late… huh.”
“Jee, he sure has us there,” Morrigan scuffed.
“Wait,” Zelda said shaking her head. “Is Branka a Paragon? Didn’t Leliana mention a Branka in the Hall of Heroes?”
“Of course she’s a Paragon!” the dwarf blurted out. “The only livin’ one in generations, an’ she’s been missin’ in the Deep Roads for two sodding years! No one willin’ ta look or anything.” He staggered over to the bar and put down his pint. “Two sodding years, an’ no one gives a rat’s ass.” He gestured for the barkeep.
“I think you’ve had enough, Oghren,” he said taking the pint away.
“I’ll tell you when I’ve had enough,” Oghren huffed. “Now give my mug back an’ it butter be filled with ale.”
“Sorry, Warden,” the barkeep said to Zelda. “Oghren’s the local drunk, even amongst dwarves. So pay no attention to what he says.”
“But who is this Branka he’s talking about?” Zelda asked.
The barkeep gestured for her to come closer and he whispered in her ear. “Paragon Branka was his wife. They had a falling out and she left him here, taking their entire house into the Deep Roads to find some lost technology or something. Haven’t heard from her since.”
“Ah, I see.” As she stood, she looked Oghren over again. He had his head on the counter. “Sorry to hear that she left you.”
“Huh?” he said picking back up his head and staring at her. “You’re a human.”
“Yeah.”
“And did I hear ’im call you a Warden?”
“Yes.”
“Funny, I thought you were an elf wit red 'air.”
“Well there is another Warden running around this place somewhere. Hopefully not causing too much trouble.” Zelda looked around the bar. She had hoped to find Arawin in here, or to see her coming back, but so far there was no sign.
“Shouldn’t you be at the Proving?” Oghren asked.
“Proving?” Zelda said turning back to him. “I’ve heard of those. Is one going on right now?”
“Yeah,” he belched. “Bhelen verses Harrowmont. You’re elf friend has gone.”
“That would be Arawin,” said Alistair. “Wanting to see some action I suppose.”
“Nope,” Oghren said staring up at the ceiling. “From wha’ I overheard, she’s fightin’.”
Zelda froze. “What?”
“Fightin’ ’or Harrowmont.” He belched again. “An’ winnin’ too.”
Zelda could feel her anger beginning to swell again. She had really hoped Arawin wouldn’t have done what she said she was going to do. At first it seemed hopeful, as there was nothing going around Orzammar about a Warden supporting Harrowmont, but apparently now there was.
“That little bitch,” Zelda muttered through her teeth.
“Zelda,” Alistair said hearing an uncharacteristic tone in her voice.
“Ugh, she is going to ruin everything! Why does she have to do this?”
“I don’t know, but getting mad over it is not going to help matters,” said Wynne.
“Oh, but I’m past mad,” Zelda said. “I’m furious now!” She stormed past them, heading out the door.
“Ooh, this should be good,” said Morrigan.
“Zelda, hang on, calm down.” Alistair tried to stop her but Zelda was able to escape his grip.
“No, Alistair! Arawin has defied me for the last time. I’m not going to take it anymore!”
***
“And the winner is… the Grey Warden!”
The crowd cheered as the Proving Master announced Arawin as the winner. She stood in the middle of the Grounds, beaming up at the crowd while servant dwarves came out from the sides to drag Piotin, her last opponent, away. But with the cheers there was also booing as well from the Bhelen supports. It had been announced before hand that she would be Harrowmont’s only champion, as the Proving nearly didn’t start until she came. Staring up at the first seats, she saw her companions where they sat, watching her duels.
“I’d have to say, pretty impressive,” said Rylen. He and Sora were only up in the crowd after sneaking in. They had first gone with Arawin into the fighter's quarters, pretending to be her aides. “She really is worthy of the Grey Warden name. Uh… I mean she’s good enough,” he said after seeing Sora’s heated look. “Of course you're better, love.”
Sora rolled her eyes. “Stop it. Yes, she’s good. Maybe I misjudged her the first time.”
“You wouldn’t be the first,” said Zevran. “And I’m sure you won’t be the last. There are many things about that woman that I’m still trying to understand.”
“Don’t I know it!” Rylen laughed. “I still don’t understand Sora most of the time, but then again, I never really understood women that much in the first place.”
“And you’re going to understand even less if you don’t stop!” said Sora.
“Sorry, love. Just having some fun.”
“Is it over? Are we able to leave yet?” asked Leliana. “It was exciting and all, and watching Arawin fight is interesting, but I think it might be time for us to see Dulin again.”
“Of course,” said Rylen. “But not yet, we still need to wait for the Proving Master to bestow the Ancestor’s Blessing on Arawin, declaring her champion. It doesn’t take long.”
“Alright.” They looked down in the Grounds to see Arawin playing up the crowd. The Proving Master had come down from his balcony and was now making his way across the Grounds toward her with several dwarven guards behind him. Leliana then heard Sten grunt and Kunjo bark with excitement. “Oh, Alistair!” she said looking over and seeing him and the others making their way to them. “Wynne, Morrigan, what’s going on? Where is Zelda?”
Rupee made her way next to Kunjo who was sitting at Sten’s feet. Alistair, Wynne, and Morrigan found seats behind the others, and Leliana noticed an unease on their faces that disturbed her.
“Has the Proving ended?” Alistair asked her.
“Yeah, it just did.”
“With the lovely Ara champion, naturally,” added Zevran.
“Well that’s good, I guess,” said Alistair. “Maybe then it won’t be so bad.”
“What are you talking about, Alistair? And where is Zelda?” Leliana asked again.
“I don’t know,” he said. “When we came here she told us to find you guys then she went off in another direction. I would've followed her, but she ran off too quick.”
“She got upset after finding out what Arawin was doing,” said Morrigan. “’Twas very amusing, actually.”
“Oh I was hoping this wouldn’t happen,” Leliana said worried. “With you guys helping Bhelen and with us helping Harrowmont, I’m sure we’ve accomplished nothing.”
“Wow, wow,” said Rylen standing up. He stared directly at Alistair. “You're helping Bhelen?”
“Not by choice,” said Alistair.
“Doesn’t matter, you shouldn’t be supporting that snake at all!”
“Rye, calm down.” Sora said standing up with him. She forced him back in his seat. “Getting all angry is not going to help with anything.” Rylen calmed from her touch, but he still glared in Alistair’s direction.
“So wait,” said Wynne. “Did I hear correctly that Arawin won?”
“Yes, she’s just down there awaiting the Proving Master,” Sora said pointing to her below.
Arawin was still in the middle of the Grounds. The Proving Master stood before her. She bowed to him and he turned to the crowd. “Dwarves of Orzammar, it is an honor to have a Grey Warden amongst us today, as well as to witness her skills with the blade. The Ancestors have shown their favor to Harrowmont through her. The Assembly shall know. Now, with great humility, I bestow upon Arawin-”
“Hold it!” came a shout from the doors that lead out of the Proving Grounds. Arawin, along with everyone else, turned to see Zelda standing at the doors. Arawin let out a slow hiss as Zelda stormed across the Grounds. When they were face to face, their eyes met, and a fire flared between them. “I challenge you, Arawin Tabris!” Zelda cried.
“You challenge me?” said Arawin, pointing at herself. “How dare you!”
“You have come too late, Grey Warden,” said the Proving Master. “The Proving has already been won.”
“I have not come here for the Proving,” said Zelda. “I, Zelda Cousland, have come here to challenge Arawin Tabris to a duel. Here, in front of all of Orzammar!” She gestured toward the crowd, but kept her gaze away from their companions sitting in the first row.
“This is worse than I feared,” Alistair moaned as he put his face in his hands. They all had stood once they heard Zelda shouting through the doorway.
“Oh, this should be good,” said Zevran as he perked up. “It’ll be interesting to see who is the better, no?” A smile crept up his face as he looked down at the two women glaring at each other.
“Absolutely not!” said Wynne. “Alistair, go and stop them.”
“How? Zelda won’t listen to me. They’ve both gone nuts.”
“Don’t stop them.” Everyone turned to Sten. “They need this. They are in a power struggle and need to work things out. I am actually respecting the two of them more for it.”
“But this isn’t helping our campaign,” said Leliana. “The dwarves are already confused on who the Grey Wardens support, and now they’re going to see them fight each other?”
“But Sten is right,” said Morrigan. “Their emotions are out of control and nothing else is going to bring them together. Besides,” she said gesturing at the crowd behind them. “This might be good. The crowd seems... enthusiastic.”
Alistair only moaned while Zevran sat back down and propped up his feet. The others also sat down and stayed silent as they watched the two Grey Wardens.
“What say you, Arawin?” shouted Zelda as she pointed Silverbrand at her. “Do you deny my challenge in front of all of Orzammar and declare yourself a coward?”
Arawin fully faced Zelda. Both of their shoulders were back with chests raised and heads high. “I accept your challenge, Zelda Cousland,” Arawin said grabbing Fang and returning the favor. “Now prepare yourself.”
The two women posed, gripping their weapons. They were locked in a death gaze. Neither one of them daring to look away.

Paraphrasing from Dragon Age: Origins
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