A storm was coming.
It wasn't hard to read. The day had been overcast, and the day before that, but the clouds were thickening, building, preparing to unleash their fury on the city. By Ithilian's estimate, that would be tonight. That was unfortunate. His job was going to be difficult enough already.
The past three days, Ithilian had rarely been seen in the Alienage. Instead, he wandered, out and about, gathering information, planning. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he needed to keep a level head throughout all of this. It was a difficult task, considering the circumstances, but he was determined to do it. He would not allow history to repeat itself, to take a member of his clan from him. They had been beyond his power before, but this time, he could do what needed to be done. He still had that strength left in him.
He kept Amalia informed of his activities, feeding her information and hearing her thoughts on each new piece he uncovered. On the first night, he informed her that Lia had not returned to the Alienage, at least not to her home. He was inclined to think she was with that boy, the one that had been brave enough to ask her to dance at the wedding festival. The following morning confirmed that that was not the case. On the second day, he inquired throughout the Alienage, and then the rest of Lowtown, to see if anyone knew of Lia's whereabouts. Ashton was able to confirm that no, she had not come in to work at the shop that day, but he had seen her leave the shop yesterday. Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred then. But she had never made the trip home.
Many residents of Lowtown were not inclined to speak with an elf, even one so threatening as Ithilian, bearing his brutal scars for all the world to see. He was tempted to pull knives on them and wring them up against the wall, like a filthy rat of a shemlen merchant years ago, but his newfound center stayed his hand. Anger had done little to save his family before. Patience, focus, clarity... these things would bring Lia back to him.
His next thought was the Qunari compound. Lia had fallen under the illusion that the Qunari were the safest people to be with, or perhaps she had been persuaded by her friends to follow them there, impressionable as she still was. She was not with the Qunari. Many elves had recently joined with the Arishok, but none had been fifteen year old girls. He had been about to leave the docks when his eyes settled on something, across the waters.
The Gallows.
By the end of the day he had determined that yes, Lia was being held in the Gallows. Her crime had been heinous, but no one seemed to have witnessed it apart from the city guard. The guards themselves were not inclined to speak with Ithilian, and there was no way he would be allowed visitation without hacking his way through all of them and finding her cell himself. To make matters worse, the Viscount and his daughter had not left the Keep for the past two days, and in their silence, the city rather quickly seemed to be going mad. No one cared for a little elf girl who committed a crime. The Gallows were being turned more or less into an army encampment preparing for battle, as the Templars eyed the Qunari across the water. No elf would be leaving the dungeon without Knight-Commander Meredith's express permission, considering that they were all being considered potential allies of the hornheads now.
And so for the third day, Ithilian made preparations to take matters into his own hands. The Gallows were a fortress, traditionally accessible only by a small dock entrance on the near side of the island. The bastion was made up of three corners, three separate fortresses each holding their own brand of prisoners. The one was dedicated to the Circle of Magi in Kirkwall, and this Ithilian had no interest in. Another was the home base for the Templar army of Kirkwall, and this Ithilian would seek to avoid at all costs. The last, the one facing the open waters of the sea, was the dungeon, where the many prisoners of the crown were held until proper justice could be dispensed to them. The brands of justice being dispensed by Meredith and the captain of the guard, a brutish man named Aatrox, were not forgiving.
The windows of this place were not barred. Unfortunately, they were high enough up from the sea such that throwing oneself through one would undoubtedly result in death. They were accessible by way of a roughly one hundred foot climb up a sheer cliff face. That was the way in. Ithilian would need to row around to the rear of the castle, climb up the cliff, clamber inside, locate Lia, free her, and then make the climb back down far enough such that they could jump the rest of the way. Certainly not a flawless plan, and there were many places where it could easily go wrong, but Ithilian was not interested in allowing Lia to rot in the Gallows, and this was the only way to get her out without defeating an army of guards and Templars first.
He would need help, though. The climb would not be safe without a partner. Even then it would be perilous. But with two of them, they could tie ropes to one another, such that a fall could potentially be caught, if their grips were strong enough. The cliff face looked to have many strong handholds, and the rope would come in handy for the return climb. Secondly, there would be killing. Ithilian would likely need to acquire keys, and if he was detected, the climb would be impossible while being chased. The question of who to ask for help was one he had been thinking over for the day. In the end, it was a difficult choice, but one he felt strongly about.
He found himself at Ashton's shop in the waning hours of the work day. He patted the mabari on the head as he entered. "I need your help with something, Ashton," he said, without delay. He had once claimed he'd end the man's life if anything happened to Lia. But this was not in any way his fault. "Do you have access to a rowboat, and a large amount of rope?"
It was a odd moment of activity that Ithilian caught him in. Ashton was in the process of closing up the shop when Ithilian entered. With the coins counted and stock replinished, all that had remained was sweeping the store and he was doing a terrible job of it, too. Dust and dirt piled up randomly across the floor and more was in the air than on the ground. He already knew that he relied on Lia for a lot, but with her missing he became acutely aware of just how much. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he looked up to meet Ithilian, though the first words out of his mouth wasn't something he was expecting to hear.
"Yeah, I use it for fishing and I'm sure I have a spool around here somewhere..." He was quiet for a moment as he realized what the implications were. "So you found her then?" he asked tentatively. He reminded himself that if the worst had indeed come to pass, than Ithilian's temper wouldn't have been so even and the only reason he'd be seeing him was because the Dalish had come to stab him. Still, he couldn't help but let recent tragedies color the present. Once he'd realized that Lia never made it home the last time he saw her, Ashton had done a little digging himself. However, his search lead to nowhere, as everyone he asked knew as much as he did.
"In the Gallows, yes," Ithilian answered, plainly. "She'll be home by tonight, though. We're going to see to that. When you're done, get Nostariel and meet me at my home. I'll discuss the plan there."
"I'll be there," Ashton answered, leaning the broom against the counter. Ithilian made him promise once that he would protect her should anything happen, but more than that, Lia was a friend. It was a promise that would be kept, Gallows or not.
Ithilian was thankful for the timely arrival of his friends, given that he wanted to be in position to begin as soon as the sun went down. A light rain had begun to fall outside. It would get worse before it got better.
Ithilian had hardly pulled Amalia out from under the tree when Ashton and Nostariel arrived, and the four of them moved through the door into Ithilian's house, taking a seat around the same table upon which he had shared dinner with Lia only a few nights before. The fire had been neglected for a while, and burned low, casting dark orange flares across the scarred right side of Ithilian's face. He surveyed the three he had gathered for a moment, before beginning.
"Lia was taken to the Gallows three days ago," he said, mostly for Nostariel's benefit, as the other two were already aware of this. "I can't so much as get in there to see her, with the guard and the Templars watching over the place, seeing enemies in any non-human. I don't know what they plan to do with her, and I do not intend to find out. I will be breaking into the Gallows tonight, and freeing her." Honestly, Ithilian was surprised at his ability to remain calm through this. He refused to allow himself to think about anything that might have been done to her while he planned and prepared. There was no use in it, and it would only harm his effort to free her.
"The dungeons can be reached through their windows, some hundred feet above the water's surface, a straight climb. Ashton will provide a rowboat which I will use to reach the base of the island under cover of darkness. He will also provide the rope that I will use for the return climb. And if he is willing, I would have him make the climb with me." The two didn't exactly have the longest history of trust and cooperation, but Lia seemed to find no fault in the man, he was more than capable of assisting... and Ithilian preferred to have only him for company.
"I would have the two of you stay here," he said to Amalia and Nostariel, gritting his teeth. He knew that the request would not be taken kindly, certainly not by Amalia. "No more than two are needed for this. If there is killing of city guards to be done, I will do it. And these elves... I will not risk leaving them with no one to be an example." It was his own pitiful way of saying that what he was planning was dangerous to the point of foolishness, and he would not risk Amalia or Nostariel for that. The job could be done just as well with two; there was no reason to risk the lives of more.
The Gallows? Nostariel had heard that Lia was missing, but she would mot have expected that she would ever end up there. Perhaps she should have, considering the turmoil taking place in the city right now. She was not blind to the fact that many elves were joining up with the Qunariâit was the talk of the Alienage, and even people from Lowtown were noticing. No small number of the humans there had joined too, whether for protection or the chance at a better life, she could not say.
Frankly, the plan sounded terrible. Not because it was strategically bad given what they had to work with, or because she doubted their ability to do what Ithilian said they were going to do, but because there was a very high chance that even if they did succeed in getting into the prison, they would never leave it again. Her concern was only magnified given the tension in Kirkwallâthe Guard would likely not be asking many questions, and if they were really to kill guardsmen to do this⊠it could mean trouble on their heads for the rest of their lives. However long or short those were. She was torn between being supportive of them, of reassuring both that she would look after things here and awaitâexpectâtheir safe return, and expressing her very real concerns to this effect. Her stomach fluttered uncomfortably, and she felt very much like she might be sick. For Lia, for Ithilian and Ashton. Even for herself and Amalia, who were being left behind while this happened. For the Guardsmen who thought they were only doing the right thing, keeping order as best they could, who would die at the hands of equally-good people driven to desperate ends.
"Please.â The interjection was gentle, but edged in anxiety. "Is there any chance this can be solved some other way?â She knew how important it was for them to get Lia back, but she didnât want them to risk their own necks and take the lives of good people to do it when there might be another way⊠and then she landed upon it. Nostarielâs eyes widened minutely, and when she spoke, her words were faster, staccato. "You know what would work⊠I could get her out. I donât know if you know this, but the Wardens have something called the Right of Conscription. We can take anyone, anywhere, for Warden service, if they agree to it. Even right out of Circles or Prisons! I could say Iâm taking Lia by Right, and there would be nothing that could stop them from letting me walk out with her. With the city as it now, nobody would even notice she never really leaves. Especially as she ages.â
Ithilian studied her as she proposed the idea. He knew what the Right was, but he had not thought of it, if only because he had not thought of actually going through with it, as Nostariel suggested. He would not approve of Lia actually attempting the Joining to escape imprisonment, but falsely attempting it... if Nostariel was willing to do it, Ithilian was too. There was no harm in trying, at any rate. "If that works, perhaps this can be avoided. I tried to see her myself, but the guards were a solid wall to me. They are not fond of elves, to put it lightly." He scowled, mulling it over. "You can try it, but I will be moving ahead with my plan in case it fails. If Lia is not free of the Gallows by nightfall, I'll see to it myself."
Ashton hoped that Nostariel's plan worked. It would save both Ithilian and him a dangerous trip into the Gallows, and even better ensure that Lia had a safe departure. However, nothing was ever so simple in Kirkwall, and agreed with Ithilian. If it worked, then good. If it didn't, then he would be ready. And he would be ready. There was no question in his mind that he would be there beside Ithilian as they worked their way into the Gallows. He turned his eyes to his hand, to the tips of his fingers. A tree wasn't a wall, and he hoped that the mortar and stone were ragged enough to provide for a relatively easy climb.
"Not by yourself you won't. I'll make the climb with you. I promised you that I'd help keep her safe, remember?" He asked. It didn't matter if Ithilian did or not, because he remembered. "I hope your plan works, I really, really do," He said, turning to Nostariel. "But if not... She's coming home one way or another," He said resolutely. Ashton then took to his feet nodded. "So it's decided then? Best I leave to prepare in case Nostariel's idea doesn't pan out..." He said. "Good luck," he told her, finally taking his leave.
âYou as well.â Nostariel sorely hoped he wouldnât need it. He shouldnât; one would have to be a fool to turn away a Warden. She had faith in the weight of her order to do what she alone could not, and she would have to wear that faith as confidence. It certainly didnât feel quite right, deceiving the City Guard, but it was so vastly preferable to the alternatives that she wouldnât hesitate for a second. Ash left, and she turned for a moment to the other two. âIf this⊠doesnât go well... Iâm at your disposal. I really am. If you need somewhere to hide, or a way out of the city⊠I can find you those things.â She may not be a full-time Warden anymore, exactly, but she still had her networks. People who could make other people vanish without a trace. It wasnât always the most aboveboard, Warden business, but she had the benefit of being able to do things with a minimum of questioning from the authorities, something she would take advantage of for his sake, or Liaâs, or any of her beloved friends.
She worked as hard as she did for the title, the title might as well work for her, sometimes. Inclining her head, she left the two of them there. This would necessitate every formality and official piece of documentation she had. And she would need to wear the armor and her badges of rank. Nothing could be left to chance, not now.
Amalia had kept her silence throughout the whole exchange, leaning as inconspicuously as someone like her could get against the far wall of Ithilianâs home. Sheâd been dressing in her armor every day since the Viscountâs son was killed, knowing it was only a matter of time before tensions boiled over. She still did not know exactly where she would find herself when that happened, but she wanted to be prepared, wherever it happened to be. She watched as both of the other two took their exits, Nostariel to try talking sense into men who were long beyond it and Ashton to prepare to exercise a different brand of recklessness in the aftermath. It made about as much sense as any plan would haveâit was a situation that never should have been in the first place. The solutions were likely to be just as illogical. Risk was not unfamiliar to her, nor was it always unwelcome.
But this time, none of the risk was to be hers. And that, she did not like. Gauntleted hands tightened where they held her biceps, and she pushed herself off the wall with the foot laid flat against it. âYou are asking me to sit by and do nothing while my kadan stakes his life on an unlikely outcome. To abide his decision to place his life at least partly in the hands of another who does not know him so well as I. To make no attempt to help in a cause he holds most dear. I would sooner you did ask me to draw steel on a Qunari.â Like everything she said, the statement was blunt, unadorned, and entirely true.
Ashtonâs competence had nothing to do with it. She knew Ithilian like nobody else didâto deny that was folly. She knew how he fought, how he moved, how he thought. Just as he knew her. So surely he knew that what he was asking her to doâto not do, as the case may beâwas perhaps the most difficult thing he could have asked. Amalia was made for the kinds of skill this operation required; stealth, infiltration, assassination. She would not even have blinked had the request been made of her. Instead, he tied her hands and feet with his words, and she wanted to know why. Examples were all well and good, but they were not enough reason to discard an increased chance of success. She didnât like it, and as of yet, she hadnât accepted it, either.
For a moment, Ithilian did not think he was strong enough to deny her. He was going to acquiesce, to allow her to come with him and throw herself into the gauntlet alongside him. The way she spoke about it, it sounded more appealing... but then he found his resolve, remembered that it was why he couldn't stand her coming along at all in the first place. "No more of my clan will die. Not one," he said, doing his best to keep his voice steady. "If it comes to a fight... more likely when it comes to a fight, I will make sure that Ashton gets out with Lia." He felt that if need be, he could command Ashton to leave him, if it meant saving Lia's life, but Amalia... he knew that she would not abandon him, that she would stand her ground and die beside him without a second thought if it came to that.
"I cannot do this with you," he said, feeling a constricting sensation in his throat. "I am crippled by the thought of your death. You must stay here... and wait for me."
A muscle in Amaliaâs jaw jumped as she clenched her teeth together. She wanted to be there, with a fierceness to which she was not accustomed. Not in this sense, anyway. But it was for the very same reasons that she desired to be there that she would stay behind. Because she was capable of considering someone else first, even when it might beâwas, surelyâillogical to do so. She shook her head, her eyes narrowed, and when she spoke, her tone was unusually thick. âAnd what do you expect happens to me, when I think of yours?â Much less when it happened somewhere she could not go, a place she could not reach, because he had asked her not to. He even sounded like he was expecting to die.
âI know nothing of clans. But I have only one kadan.â She took in a deep breath and then released it. Saying these things was an action without a purpose. He knew what he was going to do, and she had decided to abide by his wishes in this. Speaking now would change nothing, or cloud her resolve, and that she could not do. Not when the matter at hand was so important. And not when she was wasting time he needed to prepare for it. Amalia started forward as if to leave him, but paused when they drew even. Swallowing, she raised a hand to his shoulder and let it rest there.
âDo notââ she almost couldnât make herself say it. âDo not die.â Though phrased as a command, it sounded more like a plea than anything. She squeezed the shoulder briefly, then let her hand fall away, and her feet carry her the rest of the way to the door.
It wasn't hard to read. The day had been overcast, and the day before that, but the clouds were thickening, building, preparing to unleash their fury on the city. By Ithilian's estimate, that would be tonight. That was unfortunate. His job was going to be difficult enough already.
The past three days, Ithilian had rarely been seen in the Alienage. Instead, he wandered, out and about, gathering information, planning. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he needed to keep a level head throughout all of this. It was a difficult task, considering the circumstances, but he was determined to do it. He would not allow history to repeat itself, to take a member of his clan from him. They had been beyond his power before, but this time, he could do what needed to be done. He still had that strength left in him.
He kept Amalia informed of his activities, feeding her information and hearing her thoughts on each new piece he uncovered. On the first night, he informed her that Lia had not returned to the Alienage, at least not to her home. He was inclined to think she was with that boy, the one that had been brave enough to ask her to dance at the wedding festival. The following morning confirmed that that was not the case. On the second day, he inquired throughout the Alienage, and then the rest of Lowtown, to see if anyone knew of Lia's whereabouts. Ashton was able to confirm that no, she had not come in to work at the shop that day, but he had seen her leave the shop yesterday. Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred then. But she had never made the trip home.
Many residents of Lowtown were not inclined to speak with an elf, even one so threatening as Ithilian, bearing his brutal scars for all the world to see. He was tempted to pull knives on them and wring them up against the wall, like a filthy rat of a shemlen merchant years ago, but his newfound center stayed his hand. Anger had done little to save his family before. Patience, focus, clarity... these things would bring Lia back to him.
His next thought was the Qunari compound. Lia had fallen under the illusion that the Qunari were the safest people to be with, or perhaps she had been persuaded by her friends to follow them there, impressionable as she still was. She was not with the Qunari. Many elves had recently joined with the Arishok, but none had been fifteen year old girls. He had been about to leave the docks when his eyes settled on something, across the waters.
The Gallows.
By the end of the day he had determined that yes, Lia was being held in the Gallows. Her crime had been heinous, but no one seemed to have witnessed it apart from the city guard. The guards themselves were not inclined to speak with Ithilian, and there was no way he would be allowed visitation without hacking his way through all of them and finding her cell himself. To make matters worse, the Viscount and his daughter had not left the Keep for the past two days, and in their silence, the city rather quickly seemed to be going mad. No one cared for a little elf girl who committed a crime. The Gallows were being turned more or less into an army encampment preparing for battle, as the Templars eyed the Qunari across the water. No elf would be leaving the dungeon without Knight-Commander Meredith's express permission, considering that they were all being considered potential allies of the hornheads now.
And so for the third day, Ithilian made preparations to take matters into his own hands. The Gallows were a fortress, traditionally accessible only by a small dock entrance on the near side of the island. The bastion was made up of three corners, three separate fortresses each holding their own brand of prisoners. The one was dedicated to the Circle of Magi in Kirkwall, and this Ithilian had no interest in. Another was the home base for the Templar army of Kirkwall, and this Ithilian would seek to avoid at all costs. The last, the one facing the open waters of the sea, was the dungeon, where the many prisoners of the crown were held until proper justice could be dispensed to them. The brands of justice being dispensed by Meredith and the captain of the guard, a brutish man named Aatrox, were not forgiving.
The windows of this place were not barred. Unfortunately, they were high enough up from the sea such that throwing oneself through one would undoubtedly result in death. They were accessible by way of a roughly one hundred foot climb up a sheer cliff face. That was the way in. Ithilian would need to row around to the rear of the castle, climb up the cliff, clamber inside, locate Lia, free her, and then make the climb back down far enough such that they could jump the rest of the way. Certainly not a flawless plan, and there were many places where it could easily go wrong, but Ithilian was not interested in allowing Lia to rot in the Gallows, and this was the only way to get her out without defeating an army of guards and Templars first.
He would need help, though. The climb would not be safe without a partner. Even then it would be perilous. But with two of them, they could tie ropes to one another, such that a fall could potentially be caught, if their grips were strong enough. The cliff face looked to have many strong handholds, and the rope would come in handy for the return climb. Secondly, there would be killing. Ithilian would likely need to acquire keys, and if he was detected, the climb would be impossible while being chased. The question of who to ask for help was one he had been thinking over for the day. In the end, it was a difficult choice, but one he felt strongly about.
He found himself at Ashton's shop in the waning hours of the work day. He patted the mabari on the head as he entered. "I need your help with something, Ashton," he said, without delay. He had once claimed he'd end the man's life if anything happened to Lia. But this was not in any way his fault. "Do you have access to a rowboat, and a large amount of rope?"
It was a odd moment of activity that Ithilian caught him in. Ashton was in the process of closing up the shop when Ithilian entered. With the coins counted and stock replinished, all that had remained was sweeping the store and he was doing a terrible job of it, too. Dust and dirt piled up randomly across the floor and more was in the air than on the ground. He already knew that he relied on Lia for a lot, but with her missing he became acutely aware of just how much. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he looked up to meet Ithilian, though the first words out of his mouth wasn't something he was expecting to hear.
"Yeah, I use it for fishing and I'm sure I have a spool around here somewhere..." He was quiet for a moment as he realized what the implications were. "So you found her then?" he asked tentatively. He reminded himself that if the worst had indeed come to pass, than Ithilian's temper wouldn't have been so even and the only reason he'd be seeing him was because the Dalish had come to stab him. Still, he couldn't help but let recent tragedies color the present. Once he'd realized that Lia never made it home the last time he saw her, Ashton had done a little digging himself. However, his search lead to nowhere, as everyone he asked knew as much as he did.
"In the Gallows, yes," Ithilian answered, plainly. "She'll be home by tonight, though. We're going to see to that. When you're done, get Nostariel and meet me at my home. I'll discuss the plan there."
"I'll be there," Ashton answered, leaning the broom against the counter. Ithilian made him promise once that he would protect her should anything happen, but more than that, Lia was a friend. It was a promise that would be kept, Gallows or not.
Ithilian was thankful for the timely arrival of his friends, given that he wanted to be in position to begin as soon as the sun went down. A light rain had begun to fall outside. It would get worse before it got better.
Ithilian had hardly pulled Amalia out from under the tree when Ashton and Nostariel arrived, and the four of them moved through the door into Ithilian's house, taking a seat around the same table upon which he had shared dinner with Lia only a few nights before. The fire had been neglected for a while, and burned low, casting dark orange flares across the scarred right side of Ithilian's face. He surveyed the three he had gathered for a moment, before beginning.
"Lia was taken to the Gallows three days ago," he said, mostly for Nostariel's benefit, as the other two were already aware of this. "I can't so much as get in there to see her, with the guard and the Templars watching over the place, seeing enemies in any non-human. I don't know what they plan to do with her, and I do not intend to find out. I will be breaking into the Gallows tonight, and freeing her." Honestly, Ithilian was surprised at his ability to remain calm through this. He refused to allow himself to think about anything that might have been done to her while he planned and prepared. There was no use in it, and it would only harm his effort to free her.
"The dungeons can be reached through their windows, some hundred feet above the water's surface, a straight climb. Ashton will provide a rowboat which I will use to reach the base of the island under cover of darkness. He will also provide the rope that I will use for the return climb. And if he is willing, I would have him make the climb with me." The two didn't exactly have the longest history of trust and cooperation, but Lia seemed to find no fault in the man, he was more than capable of assisting... and Ithilian preferred to have only him for company.
"I would have the two of you stay here," he said to Amalia and Nostariel, gritting his teeth. He knew that the request would not be taken kindly, certainly not by Amalia. "No more than two are needed for this. If there is killing of city guards to be done, I will do it. And these elves... I will not risk leaving them with no one to be an example." It was his own pitiful way of saying that what he was planning was dangerous to the point of foolishness, and he would not risk Amalia or Nostariel for that. The job could be done just as well with two; there was no reason to risk the lives of more.
The Gallows? Nostariel had heard that Lia was missing, but she would mot have expected that she would ever end up there. Perhaps she should have, considering the turmoil taking place in the city right now. She was not blind to the fact that many elves were joining up with the Qunariâit was the talk of the Alienage, and even people from Lowtown were noticing. No small number of the humans there had joined too, whether for protection or the chance at a better life, she could not say.
Frankly, the plan sounded terrible. Not because it was strategically bad given what they had to work with, or because she doubted their ability to do what Ithilian said they were going to do, but because there was a very high chance that even if they did succeed in getting into the prison, they would never leave it again. Her concern was only magnified given the tension in Kirkwallâthe Guard would likely not be asking many questions, and if they were really to kill guardsmen to do this⊠it could mean trouble on their heads for the rest of their lives. However long or short those were. She was torn between being supportive of them, of reassuring both that she would look after things here and awaitâexpectâtheir safe return, and expressing her very real concerns to this effect. Her stomach fluttered uncomfortably, and she felt very much like she might be sick. For Lia, for Ithilian and Ashton. Even for herself and Amalia, who were being left behind while this happened. For the Guardsmen who thought they were only doing the right thing, keeping order as best they could, who would die at the hands of equally-good people driven to desperate ends.
"Please.â The interjection was gentle, but edged in anxiety. "Is there any chance this can be solved some other way?â She knew how important it was for them to get Lia back, but she didnât want them to risk their own necks and take the lives of good people to do it when there might be another way⊠and then she landed upon it. Nostarielâs eyes widened minutely, and when she spoke, her words were faster, staccato. "You know what would work⊠I could get her out. I donât know if you know this, but the Wardens have something called the Right of Conscription. We can take anyone, anywhere, for Warden service, if they agree to it. Even right out of Circles or Prisons! I could say Iâm taking Lia by Right, and there would be nothing that could stop them from letting me walk out with her. With the city as it now, nobody would even notice she never really leaves. Especially as she ages.â
Ithilian studied her as she proposed the idea. He knew what the Right was, but he had not thought of it, if only because he had not thought of actually going through with it, as Nostariel suggested. He would not approve of Lia actually attempting the Joining to escape imprisonment, but falsely attempting it... if Nostariel was willing to do it, Ithilian was too. There was no harm in trying, at any rate. "If that works, perhaps this can be avoided. I tried to see her myself, but the guards were a solid wall to me. They are not fond of elves, to put it lightly." He scowled, mulling it over. "You can try it, but I will be moving ahead with my plan in case it fails. If Lia is not free of the Gallows by nightfall, I'll see to it myself."
Ashton hoped that Nostariel's plan worked. It would save both Ithilian and him a dangerous trip into the Gallows, and even better ensure that Lia had a safe departure. However, nothing was ever so simple in Kirkwall, and agreed with Ithilian. If it worked, then good. If it didn't, then he would be ready. And he would be ready. There was no question in his mind that he would be there beside Ithilian as they worked their way into the Gallows. He turned his eyes to his hand, to the tips of his fingers. A tree wasn't a wall, and he hoped that the mortar and stone were ragged enough to provide for a relatively easy climb.
"Not by yourself you won't. I'll make the climb with you. I promised you that I'd help keep her safe, remember?" He asked. It didn't matter if Ithilian did or not, because he remembered. "I hope your plan works, I really, really do," He said, turning to Nostariel. "But if not... She's coming home one way or another," He said resolutely. Ashton then took to his feet nodded. "So it's decided then? Best I leave to prepare in case Nostariel's idea doesn't pan out..." He said. "Good luck," he told her, finally taking his leave.
âYou as well.â Nostariel sorely hoped he wouldnât need it. He shouldnât; one would have to be a fool to turn away a Warden. She had faith in the weight of her order to do what she alone could not, and she would have to wear that faith as confidence. It certainly didnât feel quite right, deceiving the City Guard, but it was so vastly preferable to the alternatives that she wouldnât hesitate for a second. Ash left, and she turned for a moment to the other two. âIf this⊠doesnât go well... Iâm at your disposal. I really am. If you need somewhere to hide, or a way out of the city⊠I can find you those things.â She may not be a full-time Warden anymore, exactly, but she still had her networks. People who could make other people vanish without a trace. It wasnât always the most aboveboard, Warden business, but she had the benefit of being able to do things with a minimum of questioning from the authorities, something she would take advantage of for his sake, or Liaâs, or any of her beloved friends.
She worked as hard as she did for the title, the title might as well work for her, sometimes. Inclining her head, she left the two of them there. This would necessitate every formality and official piece of documentation she had. And she would need to wear the armor and her badges of rank. Nothing could be left to chance, not now.
Amalia had kept her silence throughout the whole exchange, leaning as inconspicuously as someone like her could get against the far wall of Ithilianâs home. Sheâd been dressing in her armor every day since the Viscountâs son was killed, knowing it was only a matter of time before tensions boiled over. She still did not know exactly where she would find herself when that happened, but she wanted to be prepared, wherever it happened to be. She watched as both of the other two took their exits, Nostariel to try talking sense into men who were long beyond it and Ashton to prepare to exercise a different brand of recklessness in the aftermath. It made about as much sense as any plan would haveâit was a situation that never should have been in the first place. The solutions were likely to be just as illogical. Risk was not unfamiliar to her, nor was it always unwelcome.
But this time, none of the risk was to be hers. And that, she did not like. Gauntleted hands tightened where they held her biceps, and she pushed herself off the wall with the foot laid flat against it. âYou are asking me to sit by and do nothing while my kadan stakes his life on an unlikely outcome. To abide his decision to place his life at least partly in the hands of another who does not know him so well as I. To make no attempt to help in a cause he holds most dear. I would sooner you did ask me to draw steel on a Qunari.â Like everything she said, the statement was blunt, unadorned, and entirely true.
Ashtonâs competence had nothing to do with it. She knew Ithilian like nobody else didâto deny that was folly. She knew how he fought, how he moved, how he thought. Just as he knew her. So surely he knew that what he was asking her to doâto not do, as the case may beâwas perhaps the most difficult thing he could have asked. Amalia was made for the kinds of skill this operation required; stealth, infiltration, assassination. She would not even have blinked had the request been made of her. Instead, he tied her hands and feet with his words, and she wanted to know why. Examples were all well and good, but they were not enough reason to discard an increased chance of success. She didnât like it, and as of yet, she hadnât accepted it, either.
For a moment, Ithilian did not think he was strong enough to deny her. He was going to acquiesce, to allow her to come with him and throw herself into the gauntlet alongside him. The way she spoke about it, it sounded more appealing... but then he found his resolve, remembered that it was why he couldn't stand her coming along at all in the first place. "No more of my clan will die. Not one," he said, doing his best to keep his voice steady. "If it comes to a fight... more likely when it comes to a fight, I will make sure that Ashton gets out with Lia." He felt that if need be, he could command Ashton to leave him, if it meant saving Lia's life, but Amalia... he knew that she would not abandon him, that she would stand her ground and die beside him without a second thought if it came to that.
"I cannot do this with you," he said, feeling a constricting sensation in his throat. "I am crippled by the thought of your death. You must stay here... and wait for me."
A muscle in Amaliaâs jaw jumped as she clenched her teeth together. She wanted to be there, with a fierceness to which she was not accustomed. Not in this sense, anyway. But it was for the very same reasons that she desired to be there that she would stay behind. Because she was capable of considering someone else first, even when it might beâwas, surelyâillogical to do so. She shook her head, her eyes narrowed, and when she spoke, her tone was unusually thick. âAnd what do you expect happens to me, when I think of yours?â Much less when it happened somewhere she could not go, a place she could not reach, because he had asked her not to. He even sounded like he was expecting to die.
âI know nothing of clans. But I have only one kadan.â She took in a deep breath and then released it. Saying these things was an action without a purpose. He knew what he was going to do, and she had decided to abide by his wishes in this. Speaking now would change nothing, or cloud her resolve, and that she could not do. Not when the matter at hand was so important. And not when she was wasting time he needed to prepare for it. Amalia started forward as if to leave him, but paused when they drew even. Swallowing, she raised a hand to his shoulder and let it rest there.
âDo notââ she almost couldnât make herself say it. âDo not die.â Though phrased as a command, it sounded more like a plea than anything. She squeezed the shoulder briefly, then let her hand fall away, and her feet carry her the rest of the way to the door.