Soundtrack:

The Nazgul ~ Howard Shore (Loghain's Theme)

We returned to Redcliffe Castle and found Arl Eamon, Teagan, and Isolde in the main hall.

"Ah, you return," the Arl said. "You've gathered all the allies you could?"

"Yes, we have," I answered.

"That's good. We can call the Landsmeet, if you are ready." I was far from ready. Politics was not something I was accustomed to. And I knew Alistair was farther from ready than I was. But it was not something we could afford to postpone. "I prefer not to give Loghain time to consider but it is up to you. I do not wish to go to Denerim unless you are with me."

"Then we shouldn't delay any longer."

"I shall make the arrangements. Let us be off to Denerim and may the Maker watch over us."

~~~

We approached the gates of Denerim, but instead of trying to blend in and keep from drawing attention to ourselves, this time we were part of an Arl's entourage. And I wasn't looking forward to returning to the smelly city. Just the thought made my stomach turn.

"Denerim," Eamon said as the gates loomed closer. "The heart and soul of Ferelden. The city of King Calenhad and the birthplace of Andraste. As stubborn as a mabari and as good to have on your side." Tristan barked and the arl chuckled. "If we defeat Loghain here, the rest of the nation will follow us." We passed into Denerim as he spoke. "By calling the Landsmeet, I've struck the first blow. The advantage, for the moment, is ours. He'll have little choice but to show himself to oppose us directly. He will strike back at us. The only question is how soon?"

Like all of the arls, Eamon had an estate in Denerim. He had servants show us to our rooms. We were still getting settled in when a servant came in to inform me the Arl wished to see me in the receiving hall. Alistair met me in the hall and together we went to see Eamon. We had barely arrived when Loghain walked in, a man and a woman I didn't recognize trailing behind him. The man had an arrogant air about him and the woman had a proud stance. We met them about halfway. As much as I wanted to jump on Loghain right then and there I had to restrain myself, not only for my sake but for Ferelden's sake. It needed all its The Grey Wardens, not half of them. I glanced over at Alistair and our eyes met. We'd have our chance, just not now.

"Loghain," Eamon said. "This is... an honor. That the Regent himself would find time to greet me personally."

"How could I not welcome a man so important as to call every lord in Ferelden away from his estates while a Blight claws at our land?" Loghain answered dryly.

"The Blight is why I'm here. With Cailan dead, Ferelden must have a king to lead it against the Darkspawn."

"Ferelden has a strong leader; its queen. And I lead her armies."

"Considering Ostagar, perhaps we need a better general," I said. I couldn't hold my tongue.

"And who is this, Eamon?" Loghain looked me up and down. Obviously, he didn't recognize me. We were both in that war meeting where it was decided that Alistair and I would light the beacon. Perhaps he thought the two sent to the tower were overwhelmed by the horde. Let him think that. "Some new stray you picked up on the road? And here I thought it was only royal bastards you played nursemaid to, not wild Elves."

"Well, you're admitting the 'royal' part," Alistair said. "That's a start."

"I am a witness to your crimes at Ostagar."

"You should curb your tongue." He took a step towards me, stopping inches from me. "This is my city and no safe place to speak treason. For anyone." He paused waiting to see if I would back away. I only looked him in the eye the best I could, I was several inches shorter than him due to my race. He studied me a moment before he backed away and turned back to Eamon. I'd seen the recognition in his eyes. "There is talk that your illness left you feeble, Eamon. Some worry that you may no longer be fit to advise Ferelden."

"'Illness'? Why not call your poison by its true name? Not everyone at the Landsmeet will cast aside their loyalties as easily as you and these..." He motioned to the two people behind Loghain. "Sycophants."

"How long you've been away from court, Eamon! Don't you recognize Rendon Howe, Arl of Amaranthine and Teyrn of Highever?"

I heard Alistair scoff. This was the man who'd hired the elven spy we met in Redcliffe. I was expecting someone more... menacing, not an arrogant bastard. But if the rumors and reports we heard about Highever were true, he was a cunning arrogant bastard. Which made him dangerous.

"And current Arl of Denerim since Urien's unfortunate fate at Ostagar," Howe added what Loghain failed to mention. "The Regent has been... generous to those who prove loyal."

"Bootlicking appears to be profitable these days," I commented.

"Don't interrupt, churl," the woman said. "Your betters are talking."

Alistair placed a hand on my shoulder to keep me from saying something insulting to her.

"Enough, Cauthrien," Loghain said. "This is not the time and place." He turned back to Eamon. "I had hoped to talk you down from this rash course, Eamon. Our people are frightened. Our king is dead."

Alistair squeezed my shoulder. I took it as him asking me to hold my tongue. We'd started to be able to communicate without words.

"Our land is under siege. We must be united now if we are to endure this crisis. Your own sister, Queen Rowan, fought tirelessly to see Ferelden restored. Would you see her work destroyed? You divide our nation and weaken our efforts against the Blight with your selfish ambitions to the throne."

"You're the one who divided Ferelden," I said.

"I was not talking to you."

"I cannot forgive what you've done, Loghain," Eamon said before I could retort. "Perhaps the Maker can but not I. The people deserve a king of the Theirin bloodline. Alistair will be the one to lead us to victory in this Blight."

"Oh, is that all I have to do? No pressure...."

I managed to hide a smile.

Loghain stood toe to toe with Eamon. "The emperor of Orlais also thought I could not bring him down. Expect no more mercy than I showed him. There is nothing I would not do for my homeland." He turned on his heel and left, followed by Howe and Cauthrien. That's odd. I was under the impression that it had been Maric that brought the Orlesian occupation to an end, not Loghain.

"Hmm," Eamon said, before turning around and facing Alistair and I. "That was... bracing. I didn't expect Loghain to show himself quite so soon."

"And you," Alistair pointed at me. "Are insane."

"You're not the first to tell me that."

Alistair grinned, no doubt remembering that that was one of the first things he'd said to me at Ostagar.

I turned to Eamon. "Now what?"

"Calling the Landsmeet is only the start. Now we must ensure that every noble there sees Loghain's duplicity. We have no small task ahead of us."

"No surprise."

"We need eyes and ears in the city. Loghain has been here for months. The roots of all his schemes must begin here. The sooner we find them, the better we can turn them to our advantage. Go have a look around and see what you can turn up. Better yet, find the nobles who have arrived for the Landsmeet. Test the waters, see how many will support us. When your ready to talk strategy, come upstairs to my sitting room. We can lay out our plans for the Landsmeet then."

"Sounds good."

"I will see you then." Eamon left.

"I don't think I would have been able to trade words like you did with Loghain without it going south," Alistair said. "You're a better leader than I can hope to be. How could I possibly do this?" He touched my cheek. "Things are getting complicated and I'm not liking it."

"Things are very complicated, now. I'm not looking forward to this, but it has to be done."

"I meant us. I don't know—"

I put a finger to his lips. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now we need to figure out how to turn the nobles against Loghain."

He nodded and took my hand. "How are you holding up?"

"Huh?"

"You haven't said much since...since Tamlen. I just want to know you're doing alright."

I smiled at him. "I have closure now. Ever since I became tainted, I carried the burden of not knowing what became of him. All of us, including Duncan, I believe, assumed he was dead. I guess it's a relief knowing he's no longer suffering. And I think the bit that was holding onto my pre-Warden life died with him."

He lifted my chin so he could look into my eyes. "For the record, I think your Dalish abilities will come in handy, just like my Templar abilities do. Don't completely let go of your past. It does find a way to bite you in the ass."

I chuckled.

"Let me know when you're ready to go wander around Denerim." He gave me a kiss and went into the main part of the estate.

I smiled. But I knew our time was becoming limited. And we cherished every moment we had. Whether he became king or one of us made the ultimate sacrifice, we didn't know how much time we had. I walked towards the rest of the estate.

Wynne stopped me. "Realin, may I have a moment?"

"Of course."

"I have watched you and Alistair for a time and... perhaps I was wrong. There seems to be something special between the two of you. He seems less guarded when in your company, allows himself to relax. And he seems genuinely happy."

"And I am happy with him."

"I have noticed that, myself. You are more open around him. You seem more human than Elf around him. No offense."

"None taken."

"You are both different around each other. I think I was too harsh in my judgment before and I am sorry."

"You only wanted the best for both of us."

"What you have may not last forever, death and duty may part you but love's worthiness is not diminished because of that. I should have seen this before. Instead, you learned to cherish every precious moment that you spend together, knowing it may be the last. And for those of us watching." She smiled. "Well, it brings warmth to these old bones to know something so beautiful can be found in the midst of chaos and strife." It reminded me of what Alistair had said when he gave me the rose. "Cherish it, Realin, like you are. It gives me hope to see something like this blossoming."

I nearly ran into Teagan as I rounded a corner. I quickly sidestepped to avoid crashing into him.

"You're quick," he said with a smile.

"Well, where I'm from you have to be," I replied.

"No doubt. I was actually just looking for you. I wanted to talk to you out of earshot of the others, especially my brother."

"What about?"

"Jowan actually." Teagan motioned for me to walk with him. "See, after you left, the Templars went down to the dungeons to collect him to escort him back to the Tower. Only when they arrived, Jowan was gone."

I stopped and crossed my arms. "Are you accusing me of something?"

Teagan raised his hands. "Oh! Of course not! But I did see two of your companions sneaking around the night before. The elf and the red-haired girl."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Naturally," I sighed. "I really wouldn't have put it past them to free him."

"I hope he learned his lesson and gives up Blood Magic."

"So do I."

I was looking for Alistair to let him know I was going to venture out, when he came out of Eamon's study.

"I was just coming to look for you," he said.

"What a coincidence. So was I."

He motioned to the Arl's study and we went in.

Eamon was there with a dark-haired Elf wearing a pale purple dress. "Ah, Realin," Eamon said when Alistair and I walked in. "I trust you've made yourself comfortable."

"Yes, thank you."

"Good. Because it's likely to be your last rest for a while." He motioned to the Elf. "This is Erlina. She's —"

"I am Queen Anora's handmaiden. She sent me here to ask for your help." Loghain's daughter? Asking help from the Grey Wardens? I smelled a trap. But I would hear Erlina out, although I was surprised to hear the same accent coloring her voice as Leliana's. Considering her father's aversion towards Orlesians.

"Or the young lady prefers to speak for herself."

I chuckled. "Why would Anora ask us for help?"

"The queen, she is in a difficult position. She loved her husband, no? And trusted her father to protect him. When he returns with no king and only dark rumors, what is she to think? She worries, no? But when she tries to speak with him, he does not answer. He tells her not to trouble herself."

"Are you saying that the queen believes that Loghain killed Cailan?"

"My queen suspects she cannot trust her father. And Loghain, he is very subtle, no? But Rendon Howe, he is privy to all the secrets and... not so subtle. So she goes to Howe. A visit from the queen to the new Arl of Denerim is a matter of courtesy. And she demands answers."

"And I guess that didn't go well?"

"He calls her every sort of name, 'Traitor' being the kindest, and locks her in a guest room."

"Loghain would allow that?" She was his daughter. Would he allow something to happen to his own flesh and blood?

"King Cailan was like a son to him and Loghain left him to die. Does he love Anora more? Who can say? I think... her life is in danger. I heard Howe say she would be a greater ally dead than alive. Especially if her death could be blamed on Arl Eamon. Or even the Wardens."

I shook my head. Loghain was a greater villain than I thought. "Would Loghain kill his own daughter just to frame Eamon? Or Alistair and I?"

"We may have no choice but to trust Anora," Eamon said. "The queen is well-loved. If Loghain succeeded in pinning her death on me..."

"It would go badly for us," I finished. Eamon was right.

"I'm not sure that's a risk we can afford to take."

"What's the plan?"

"I have some uniforms," Erlina said. "Arl Howe hires so many new guards every day, a few more will not cause much stir. I will show you to the servants' entrance. We must slip in and out with my queen before anyone is the wiser. I will go ahead to Howe's estate. Meet me there as soon as you can."

~~~

The whole lot of us would draw attention to us, so I decided I'd take Wynne and Zevran with Alistair and I. Zev was proving to be quite handy with his blades and I was beginning to trust him and Wynne was our best healer. Of course, finding them was going to be the challenge. I was sure we'd find Wynne in the library, but Zevran could be anywhere.

"How did you become a Grey Warden?" I asked Alistair as we looked for them.

"The same way you did," he said. "You drink some blood, you choke on it, and you pass out. You haven't forgotten already have you?" Smartass.

"Ha ha! Very funny."

Alistair grinned. "I do my best. What can I say?"

I chuckled.

"Let's see. I was in the Chantry before. I trained for many years to become a Templar, in fact. That's where I learned most of my skills."

"What skills might those be?"

Alistair laughed. "It wasn't an easy life, you know. I don't know whether or not you've noticed but I'm not the Chantry type."

"Oh, I noticed." I gave him a wink and smiled at the red tint that appeared on his cheeks.

"The Grand Cleric didn't want to let me go. Duncan was forced to conscript me, actually, and was she ever furious when he did. I thought she was going to have us both arrested. I was lucky."

"Why did she want to keep you?"

"I wondered that myself. It's not as if she valued me highly. I think she just didn't want to give anything to the Grey Wardens is all. The Chantry didn't lose much. And I think I can do more fighting the Blight anyhow rather than sitting in a temple somewhere. I'll always be thankful to Duncan for recruiting me. If it hadn't been for him, you know, I would never... I wouldn't have..."

I stopped and put my hand on his chest. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." Any talk of Grey Wardens always brought up Duncan.

"No, it's... I'm sorry. I shouldn't be... it's fine. He died a hero. They all did."

We didn't continue the conversation since we found Wynne, and surprisingly Zevran, in the library. We told them the plan and we left the estate.