Freely We Serve (a Dragon Age fanfiction)

Negotiation

Judith stumbled through the hallway, trying to reach her room before her tenuous hold on herself broke. Then, turning a corner, she cannoned into a tall figure.

"Hey, hey," Alistair said, concerned, tilting her chin up to look at her. "What's wrong?"

His voice was so safe and familiar, the arms that went around her so comforting, that Judith couldn't hold back any longer. She buried her face in his shoulder and the great, wracking sobs tore through her. Alistair held her, stroking her back, wisely refraining from speech. His eyes were far away, gazing over her shoulder.

At last the torrent of weeping eased, and Judith pulled away, swiping at her face.

"You want to tell me what that was all about?" he asked gently.

"D-Daniel. He— He flinched. I tried to t-touch him and he flinched." She sniffled, the tears threatening to overwhelm her again. "H-He said that Howe used a blood mage on him." She paused, calming somewhat. "Which must have been horrible. But then he f-flinched. From me! As if I was ... one of them. A m-maleficar!" The moment flashed before her eyes again, and she was overtaken by another spasm of weeping. Alistair held her tightly, his cheek resting against her hair. There was a certain amount of satisfaction in being able to comfort at least one hurting woman in the castle today. Leliana still refused to understand, and he had no idea how to make that whole mess better.

Finally Judith pulled back, rubbing her sleeve over her face. "Thank you," she said.

"Feel any better?"

"No." She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. Grey Wardens. Ferelden. Eamon. Darkspawn, she thought. Civil war, Blight, Archdemon. Much more important than being rejected by some man. She hoped if she said it to herself enough, she'd believe it. "What were you up to, before you were so rudely interrupted?"

"Coming to look for you, actually," Alistair said. "Anora's here."

"Here?" Judith said, startled. "Why in Thedas is she here?"

Alistair shrugged. "I can't imagine. You think maybe we could, I don't know, ask her?"

"Solid plan. Let's do it. But after I wash my face and make myself presentable."

"Good idea," he said, surveying her with a smirk.

She stuck her tongue out at him, grateful for his innate ability to let humor bubble to the surface at any occasion, and went to her room to freshen up and prepare to meet the monarch they were planning to dethrone.

Once she was presentable again, Judith went to Arl Eamon's study. A willowy blond woman whose blue eyes were calculating behind a mask of prettiness stood up to meet her.

"Ah," said Eamon, rushing to stand between the two women. "Queen Anora, meet Grey Warden Judith Amell."

The two women nodded at each other, sizing one another up like fighters in a duel. "Your Majesty," Judith said. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"It has come to my attention that you broke into Arl Howe's estate last night and killed him," Anora said coolly. It was impossible to tell from her tone or expression how she felt about that.

"Well, we killed him, certainly, but I didn't break in. I was invited. And perhaps it would be more accurate to say we executed him. What we found in his dungeons ..." Judith shuddered. "Let's just say killing was too good for him."