The Dalish Warden (The Daughters of Thedas Book 1)

15: Isolde's News

At the mill, we found Teagan looking over the lake at the castle. "Odd how quiet the castle looks from here. You would think there was nobody inside the castle at all," He turned to us. "But I shouldn't delay things farther. I had a plan... to enter the castle after the village was secure. There is a secret passage here, in the mill, accessible only to my family." That was convenient. He seemed to have forgotten to mention that yesterday.

"Why didn't you mention this before?" I asked.

"I knew you would choose to enter the castle instead of staying in the village... and we needed warriors. I'm sorry if I—," He gasped. "Maker's breath!" He was looking behind us.

I turned to see a blond-haired woman in a white and red dress running towards us, a guard trailing her. Alistair suddenly seemed a bit rigid.

"Teagan!" she cried. She had the same accent as Leliana. "Thank the Maker you yet live!"

"Isolde! You're alive! How did you...? What has happened?"

Isolde stopped her guard from stepping closer. "I do not have much time to explain! I slipped away from the castle as soon as I saw the battle was over and I must return quickly. And I... need you to return with me. Alone."

"Careful," I said, suspicious of Isolde. And not only because she was a Shem. "This could be an ambush."

"What?" Isolde turned to me with a disgusted look on her face as she looked me up and down. No doubt she was seeing the Dalish and not the Grey Warden. "I... Who is this woman, Teagan?" I was tempted to slap that look right off her face. She was looking at me like I was halla dung that she'd stepped in.

Alistair sighed, knowing she'd seen him since he was standing right next to me. "You remember me, Lady Isolde, don't you?" Then I realized that this was the Arlessa. The woman who had made Alistair unwelcome in the only home he'd known as a child. And, from what I understood, had forced Eamon to send my friend away. Just that knowledge made me dislike her even more.

"Alistair?" She scoffed. Apparently, after all these years she still resented him for the rumors. Although the look she gave him was slightly warmer than the one she gave me. Only slightly. Maybe a degree. "Of all the... Why are you here?"

I decided I didn't like her at all. High and mighty Shem.

"They are Grey Wardens, Isolde," Teagan said, trying to cut the tension. "I owe them my life."

Isolde's demeanor suddenly changed at the mere mention of our Order. "Pardon me," she said. "I... I would exchange pleasantries but... considering the circumstances..." Somehow I managed not to smirk at her embarrassing herself with her assumptions. Her guard stepped away a few paces.

"Please, Lady Isolde," Alistair said, being more cordial to her than she had been to him. I had to respect him for that. "We had no idea anyone was even alive in the castle. We must have some answers!"

"I know you need more of an explanation but I... don't know what is safe to tell. There is a terrible evil within the castle. The dead awaken and hunt the living. The Mage responsible was caught but still it continues. And I think... Conner is going mad. We have survived but he won't flee the castle. He has seen so much death!" Her voice broke and I assumed Conner was her son. "You must help him, Teagan! You are his uncle. You could reason with him. I don't know what else to do!"

"What about Arl Eamon? Is he still alive?" I asked.

"He is. He is being kept alive so far, thank the Maker."

"Kept alive?" Teagan asked. "Kept alive by what?"

"Something the Mage unleashed. So far it's allowed Eamon, Conner, and myself to live. The others... were not so fortunate. It's killed so many and turned their bodies into walking nightmares! Once it was done with the castle, it struck the village. It wants us to live but I do not know why. It allowed me to come for you, Teagan, because I begged. Because I said Conner needed help."

I frowned. Nothing was adding up. First, she said she'd slipped away now she was saying she'd been allowed to. She wasn't telling us everything and I didn't think that any amount of prodding would bring it to light. Especially from me. Grey Warden or not, I was still an Elf. A race she saw as below her.

"We need to decide what to do," I said, leveling a look at her and letting her know I saw she was hiding something.

"The King is dead and we need my brother now more than ever," Teagan agreed. "I will return to the castle with you, Isolde."

"Oh, thank the Maker!" Isolde's voice was full of relief. "Bless you, Teagan! Bless you!"

"It seems to me you have little choice anyhow," I said.

"I have no illusions of dealing with this evil alone. You, on the other hand, have proven quite formidable. Isolde, can you excuse us for a moment. We must confer in private before I return to the castle with you." That didn't make her too happy.

"Please do not take long. I will be by the bridge." She avoiding looking at us as she left, followed by her guard.

After she was out of earshot, Teagan turned back to us. "Here is what I propose: I go in with Isolde and you enter the castle using the secret passage. My signet ring unlocks the door. Perhaps I will... distract whatever evil is inside and increase your chances of getting in unnoticed. What do you say?"

I sighed. I thought it was an insane gamble but insane was beginning to be a normal occurrence. "What exactly am I supposed to do in there?"

"I wish I knew. I don't know any more about this 'evil force' than Isolde seems to. Ser Perth and his knights will be stationed outside the gates. Open the gates when you get to the courtyard and they'll aid you in taking the main hall. Here is my signet ring." He pulled his ring off and handed it to me. "It will open the lock on the door in the mill. Whatever you do, Eamon is the priority here. If you have to, get him out of there. Isolde, me, and anyone else, we're expendable."

I nodded. "We'll do our best."

"You're a good woman, nothing like the stories of the Dalish we hear. The Maker smiled on me indeed when He sent you to Redcliffe."

"So we are just going to send him with that woman?" Leliana asked. "It seems so dangerous."

"So is battling Darkspawn."

Alistair tried to hide a smile.

"I can delay no longer," Teagan said. "Allow me to bid you farewell... and good luck."

"Good luck to you."

Teagan went to join Isolde.

I turned to the others. "Sten and Tristan, go with the knights and wait for us there. I think four of us can slip through the castle unseen." The Qunari looked about to object. "No offense, Sten, but we don't know what will be waiting for us in the courtyard and I would like to surprise them with you and the knights." He nodded seeming to accept that plan. "Let's go."

Tristan whined but followed Sten while Morrigan, Alistair, Leliana, and I went into the mill.

After some rummaging around the mess that was the mill, I finally found the door and pressed the ring into the lock. It popped open and I pulled the door open to reveal a tunnel.

"I hope no one is claustrophobic," I said as I dropped down into the tunnel.