Chapter Ten: I Can Do Blood

Previously: Landsmeet

 

They circled each other for several moments, their footsteps immaculately balanced. Fergus's stomach was in knots, but Elissa? Elissa was perfectly calm.

 

When Loghain struck first, swinging his giant sword, she dodged nimbly, almost like a dancer. In fact, she dodged the first several strikes with ease, not bothering to parry or thrust. Fergus thought he might be imagining things, but it seemed as though...

 

"She's toying with him," Alistair said grimly, as if he were reading Fergus's thoughts.

 

Indeed, she was toying with the older warrior, like a cat with prey. She ducked and weaved and spun on her heels, circling Loghain over and over until he became visibly frustrated.

 

She's a Grey Warden. Fergus didn't understand why it had taken him so long to understand this. It suddenly occurred to him he'd never truly seen a Warden in action. He'd never even seen a darkspawn, and yet on her first hunt, Elissa killed three of them on her own.

 

Fergus's eyes widened. The old man never stood a chance.

Chapter Nine: Landsmeet

Previously: Once and Future King

 

10th of Drakonis, 9:31 Dragon

 

My dearest brother Teagann,

 

We have arrived in Denerim safe and sound, hard as that is to believe. I was certain Loghain would send assassins, but moving in secret worked to our advantage.

 

I called the Landsmeet before we left, and other nobles have begun arriving in the capital. Loghain pretended to be unimpressed and even amused by our claim, but I can tell he's uneasy. Rumor has it he's even gone so far as to lock up his own daughter when she challenged his regency.

 

And speaking of Anora, I can already tell she's going to be a problem. She wants the throne, same as her father. She has openly boasted of having successfully run the country for years. When an arl from the south suggested she marry Alistair for the sake of unity, she shot the idea down immediately.

Chapter Eight: Once and Future King

Previously: Matters of the Heart

 

Elissa Cousland blinked, waking. She'd been at Redcliffe Castle for a few days now and was still struggling to get used to the warmth of her bedroom, the cozy softness of her bed. She'd been sleeping on grass, rocks, and hard beds for so long that comfort now seemed unnatural.

 

Her brother had to remind her to call the maids for a bath each morning, and to brush her hair. She drew the line at wearing gowns or even perfume, however. The ever vigilant Warden insisted that gowns were less practical for fighting, and that perfume made her easier to track.

 

Elissa hated the quiet. It forced her to think about all the things she'd rather forget -- trekking for endless hours in the wild, riding in a smelly caravan, traveling for weeks without a proper bath or a satisfying meal. And death... she was tired of death. Tired of losing fellow Wardens, and even tired of watching the light fade from her enemies' eyes.

Chapter Seven: Matters of the Heart

Previously: Shadows of Highever

It was hard to explain what Alistair felt when he saw Elissa. When she first strode into the great hall, she was like some sort of thunder goddess, accompanied by her unkillable hound. Their entrance shook the room, and it was like being struck by lightning. All of him was awake, alive. Even his fingertips were tingling.

His breath caught in his chest as he headed to the kitchens. For a moment there, he feared he'd actually faint.

 

He couldn't say what it was. He wasn't sure. He didn't know if it was love, lust, worship, or all three. Elissa had a way about her, commanding fear and awe in equal measure. When they'd first met, her training already surpassed his. And despite being the senior Warden in their party, everyone naturally deferred to her, including Alistair.

 

In battle, she had no rival. In decision-making, she brooked no hesitation. Her conviction was unyielding.

Chapter Six: Shadows of Highever

Previously: Secrets of Redcliffe

 

"Alistair, my friend," Fergus chuckled, shaking his head, "you are a terrible chess player."

 

"I didn't learn to play until I joined the Chantry!" the young Warden protested. "Need I remind you once again that I didn't have a noble upbringing?"

 

It was early winter's afternoon at Redcliffe Castle. They were sitting in the great hall, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the grandeur of the room. There were guards and servants present, so they couldn't speak openly about Alistair's parentage. Rather than press the issue, Fergus began to reset the board.

 

"Then I have much to teach you," he said. "I've been playing since I was six."

 

"How nice for you," Alistair replied, scowling slightly. "I was already working in the stables."

Chapter Five: Secrets of Redcliffe

Previously: Letters

 

"She's wintering at Soldier's Peak?" Alistair asked, blinking. He shivered. "I wish I could be there for her -- well, not there, exactly. I can only imagine the cold." He stabbed his fork into his mutton and began to cut it with a knife. "And don't get me started on the food."

 

Fergus Cousland offered a weak smile. These days, he took comfort in the oddly cheerful young Warden, even though he wasn't entirely sure what to make of him.

 

It was a ritual of theirs, dining together every evening in Fergus's room. As an honored guest, he was granted a suite of rooms. The Guerrin family was not as wealthy as the Couslands had been, and their castle was not as fine. But seeing as Fergus was cut off from his own resources, he was in no position to complain.

Chapter Four: Letters

Previously: Fall

 

5th of Justinian, 9:30 Dragon

 

My dearest brother,

 

I arrived in Ostagar after our castle fell to Arl Howe and his men. Duncan and I looked for you at once, but they said you were lost on a scouting mission. I wept for you, as I did for Mother, Father, Oren, and Oriana.

 

With the demon hordes drawing close, my Warden training began. Duncan entrusted me to a junior Warden named Alistair. He took me and two other recruits out into the wilds to hunt darkspawn as part of our initiation.

 

I don't know if you've ever seen darkspawn, but I can say they are indeed nightmare made flesh. They stank of blood and rot, and the unholy noises they made chilled my bones.

 

I  personally slew three of them. 

Chapter Three: Fall

Previously: Beauty

 

"When I first came home," Dairren confessed, as Elissa led him through the endless halls of Castle Cousland, "everything seemed smaller. Mother's carriage, my father's country estate... but I must say, your family castle is as massive as ever."

 

"How long were you in Orlais?" Elissa asked, walking slowly. She didn't want the conversation to end too soon. Dairren was the first and only boy to ever hold a special place in her heart, and now he was a man fully grown.

Chapter Two: Beauty

Previously: Duty

  

Elissa didn't sleep that night. She stared at the ceiling, unsure of what to think. She was irritable; she didn't like the way her father dismissed her. It was obvious Ferelden was about to go to war, most likely with darkspawn, and it was clear her father had no intention of letting her fight.

 

I could run away, she thought to herself. Running away had been on her mind for a very long time. The only thing was she had no idea what lay beyond Highever. She hadn't traveled much. She'd never had to hunt for her food, or haggle in a marketplace. She'd never fought someone actually trying to kill her.

 

They kept me ignorant, she grumbled. Probably thought it was the best way to get me to do what they want.

Chapter One: Duty

Previously: Politics

 

Elissa walked into her father's study to find him and Fergus standing with an old friend of the family, Arl Rendon Howe, and a tall, imposing warrior in full armor. Elissa's eyes widened and her breath caught in her chest as she realized she was standing just a few feet away from a real-life Grey Warden. Not a story, not a statue.

 

In the candlelight of her father's study, his armor gleamed. He was the tallest man in the room, and was like a being from another world. 

 

"Father," she interrupted haltingly, when no one noticed her entrance.

 

Bryce's eyes widened when he saw her. He hastily glanced between her and the Warden. But before he could speak, Howe gestured for her to come closer. The Arl of Amaranthine was an older man, older than Bryce. His hair had long gone fully gray, but his eyes were still as icy blue as the sea in winter.

Prologue: Politics

Previously: Dramatis Personae

 

Castle Cousland

Terynir of Highever, Ferelden

9:30 Dragon 

 

It was evening at Castle Coustland. The winds blew in warm and wet from the Waking Sea, and the fading sun bathed the coast in shades of burnished red and gold. Spring was ending; as the month of Bloomingtide slowly drew to a close, summer's warmth began creeping in.

 

Elissa Cousland adjusted her armor; it was brand new and a tight fit, but still allowed a wide range of motion. She carried two long daggers strapped to her back. The blades were castle-forged steel set into dragon bone handles wrapped in leather. Though she trained with the daggers at least four hours a day,  Elissa had little use for them out here. Out here, nothing happened.