The welcome home. (Teagan)

[Ser Cauthrien]

The beaten army trudged towards the gates of the capital, many were wounded, some crippled but all were scarred. So deep was their collective thousand yard stare that they barely even noticed the black haired woman standing before them until they were only a few feet away.

Ser Cauthrien, usually quite stoic had a look of shock plastered on her face. The royal guard captain just couldn't understand the scene before her, the reinforcements that her queen had sent to reinforce Gwaren were returning in horrible shape, it was almost as if- no. They couldn't have been beaten surely? Clearing her throat she prepared to speak. "Halt, in the name of the queen!" She called, getting just the sort of reaction that she had hoped for as the 3,000 men and women, most of whom wore the emblem of redcliffe on their shields, ground to a halt. "Where are your commanders? Where are Teyrn Landon and Arl Teagan?" Slowly several of the troops stepped aside to allow Cauthrien to reach the Arl. Striding up to him Cauthrien fixed him with a fierce glare. "What in the maker's name has happened?" She asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper, though it seemed to cut through the silent air like a knife. In the pit of her stomach Anora's bodyguard already knew the answer.

[Teagan]

The battle.... If you could call it a battle.... Had been a route. It was much more akin to a damned massacre than a battle. Teagan trudged along with his surviving troops, a mere fraction of those who had gone with him with the late Teyrn Landon from Redcliffe. His armor was muddy and bloody, and missing part of the arm guard and helm. His hair disheveled, and were it not for the fact that he still bore the shield of his late brother it would be neigh impossible to tell him apart from the rest of the men. However, as they marched he noticed the men stopping, and stepping aside to let through a woman wearing some very fancy armor. It took him a couple of second to recognize her, but as soon as he did Teagan sighed a heavy sigh and looked to his men. Great, it was Ser Cauthrien. He should have figured he'd see her again soon... She was after all Anora's guard captain...

Gritting his teeth at her question, he looked back at the woman and growled slightly. "Want to know what happened? It appears that the teyrns of Gwaren have a penchant for foolishly sending men to their deaths, that's what bloody happened." He moved past her for a moment and shouted some commands to what commanders remained, ordering them to take what wounded were still alive to the chantry for healing and for the men to go to the city barracks to earn some hard earned rest. The men continued to shuffle on past the two, including nearly as many men leaning on a comrade for support or on a stretcher as men who could walk. It was a pitiful sight. Men who a mere few weeks before had been proud soldiers of Ferelden got much of the fight beaten out of them. They were still in shock, and amazed that they were even alive at all.

Teagan then turned to Cauthrien and eyed her carefully. She had always been at the side of the the Teyrn of Gwaren until made Anora's Captain of the Guard... After being Loghain's lackey during the civil war that raged during the blight. Teagan had never fully forgiven her for that... Or Anora or that matter. But that was a separate issue. He then continued his explanation.

"What happened was a blighted massacre. Landon marched us straight into the heart of a damned barbarian horde in the middle of the brecillian forests with too few men. We were out numbered at least 5 to one, and that was only the numbers I could count. They got the jump on us, my horse was killed out from under me at around the same time the teyrn got an arrow through his throat." He turned away and looked at his men, taking in a deep, heaving breath while running his dried, bloodied fingers through his hair. The soldiers.... His boys.... Continued to shuffle almost aimlessly past them. Teagan could feel the rage building inside him, a rage he would direct at Ser Cauthrien. "This is the second damned time an entire army has been wiped out due to the arrogance a Mac Tir. The first was Loghain and his power grab by leaving my nephew King Cailan to Die at Ostagar, and now we've suffered a second massacre because Queen Anora put her idiot pet Landon in charge of the army. Instead of waiting for reinforcement from the Bannorn and Highever like I had advised, now nearly 20,000 boys lie rotting in the dirt of the Brecillian forests, many of which are MY men. All because of the arrogance of the queen's bitch and her own stupid pride..."

He angrily spat on the ground, and shakily grabbed his canteen in an attempt to drink some water. Upon realizing it was empty, he raged and tossed it to the side, looking back up at Ser Cauthrien with eyes that had grown dark and misty, the eyes of a man who has just gone through the worst hell he'd gone through since the blight, daring her to contradict him.

[Ser Cauthrien]

Cauthrien looked like she had just been slapped round the face as Teagan explained what had happened. No wonder Landon didn't have the balls to show his face. By the time he turned back round to her she had just about recovered herself before he continued. So Landon had underestimated the barbarians? What a pity. It was no secret that she was hardly the Teyrn's biggest fan but Anora would not be happy. As Teagan turned back to his men she took a moment to process the information that she had been given. The teyrn was dead, that would sort itself out in time, but the important thing was that the barbarian threat was far greater than they had thought, though she agreed with Teagan, Landon had been far too impatient. She turned her attention back to the Arl just in time to recognise what was coming. Then he erupted. Standing her ground unflinching Cauthrien listened to Teagan's angry rant, her only reaction being a slight wince as he mentioned Ostagar. She was able to resist the urge to punch him however and as he finished she allowed her face to soften slightly. "I can understand how you feel Teagan, but the queen is not responsible for Landon's failures. No one could have predicted the change after he became Teyrn. And it is better that you vent your anger at me than Anora. But," Her face turned to a scowl. "If you ever speak to me like that again I will have your head. And that would be merciful compared to what the queen would do if she were me." She purposefully avoided being dragged in by the Ostagar comment, having given up justifying Loghain's actions to the likes of Teagan long ago. "I would advise you to choose your words carefully in front of the queen, she will be more than a little angry over this." She stated, her calm returning. Then suddenly it hit her like a hammer to the gut. "Wait, Teagan, what of Gwaren?" She asked, her face blanching. Although she asked the question she wasn't sure that she wanted an answer.

[Teagan]

It was now Teagan's turn to appear as though he had been slapped in the face. Did she really just threaten to execute him? Did that seriously just happen? Oh no, Teagan was not about to let an insult like that slip. Damn the consequences, he was going to put this dog of Gwaren in her place.

"Excuse me, I don't think I heard you right, did you just threaten to execute me for, what, voicing the truth? Please, enlighten me, who do you think you are?" Teagan normally was not like this. Normally, he was calm, even headed, and courteous. He wasn't one to swing his rank and status around... Ever. But He had just lost most of the men he had taken with him to relieve Gwaren because of the teyrn of Gwaren, the lover of her majesty, had lead them straight into an ambush. Yes, everyone knew, and it was simply too much. "Miss let's get something straight here, I'm the Arl of Redcliffe. Despite the losses we took, I still have the second largest army in all of Ferelden, not to mention strong ties with Highever and many in the Bannorn. So next time you dare to threaten me in the name of the queen you would be wise to remember that." After that, Teagan bit his tongue and took a deep breathe, beginning to walk off when she suddenly asked about Gwaren. He stopped, and grit his teeth as he turned back to her.

"Take me to the queen immediately. There is... Much her and I need to discuss that I will not discuss here. My men have been through enough that they don't need to hear us at each others throats, don't you agree?" He looked at the men, who by now a small circle of them had formed around the two, paying attention to what each had said. Some maintained a dumbfounded look, as though they were simply stopping to rest or because they had seen others stop and were confused. A few, however, had heard Ser Cauthrien's threat to the Arl, and had angry glares of their own to share with the Royal Guard Captain. One does not simply insult the man who saved their lives.

[Ser Cauthrien]

Hearing Teagan roar back at her the guard captain wished that she had kept her tenper in check. "Of course, please accept my apologies Teagan, I should not have gone that far, though it is no excuse Teyrn Loghain and... that battle are still sensitive subjects to me." Cauthrien responded calmly with a bow. She had let him get to her, how embarrassing, he was right about one thing however, it wouldn't do any good for the men to see them at each other's throats. "If you'll allow me to explain, it would be tantamount to me insulting the late Eamon. I do however understand your position," She hesitated for a moment. "However the queen may not but I promise you that I will try to make a good case for you. Ferelden needs men like you Teagan." With that she signalled to two of her subordinates. "Escort the arl to the queen and do it quickly. She made a mental note that many of Teagan's men had been staring daggers at her and wondered just how many would have happily tried to strike her down there and then. Shaking her head to get rid of the thought she moved to lead the group headed to the palace, she only prayed that tje queen was in a good mood.

[Queen Anora Theirin]

Anora summoned up a smile, holding it carefully on her face whilst praying fervently that the nobles would cease their squabbling long enough to resolve today’s matters.

She was well practiced at faking a smile, at least. Decades of practice did pay off eventually.

She was about to cut in on the two lords arguing over land or money or some other banality when the doors to the throne room opened just enough to admit a solitary guard.

Usually, they would skirt around the room, interrupting proceedings as little as possible.

This man ran straight through the hall, brushing past Lords and Banns alike until he reached the foot of the steps leading to her throne.

He dropped into the fastest bow Anora had ever seen, and it was only when he straightened that she saw how wide his eyes were.

The nobles that weren’t glaring at the guard and muttering behind his back were still arguing.

“My lords, a moment of silence, if you will!” She called, but it was far from a request as her voice rang throughout the room.

The requested silence fell immediately.

Anora dipped her head to address the guard, making her voice as soothing as possible.

“At ease, guardsman. What news?”

He nodded, and she saw his slow blink as he gathered himself.

“Arl Teagan and Ser Cauthrien return, my lady,” he said, loud enough only for her ears.

Anora felt her body go still for a moment without her permission.

Teagan and Cauthrien. The battle was over, then... and from the guard’s frozen stare, it had not gone as well as hoped.

So what of Landon? She may not have trusted him anymore, not entirely, but she still cared deeply for him. If he had fallen...

That was no the question to ask right now. Focus.

Abruptly, control flooded back into her limbs and Anora nodded.

“You’ve done well. Bring them in, then go and rest, guardsman. Dismissed,” she said, lifting her head to address the nobles as the guard bowed again and left the way he came.

“My lords and ladies, an urgent matter has arisen that I must attend to immediately. You are all invited to return at a later date to resolve those issues that have yet to be addressed. Dismissed!” She called firmly when some of them began to grumble. They all bowed and left, some still complaining, even as the guardsman reappeared at the door, saluting Teagan and Cauthrien as they entered.

Anora could see at a glance that things had gone poorly. Theirs wasn’t the air of the weary but victorious. Teagan’s armour was damaged and some was missing entirely. Yes, that could happen even in a successful battle, but something told her that wasn’t the case.

She found herself standing as they approached and the last of the nobles filed out, the doors closing behind them with a dull boom that left the three of them alone except for the guards stationed around the walls.

“Arl Teagan, Ser Cauthrien,” she acknowledged, dipping her head briefly as she descended the stairs to meet them.

“I can see from your faces things haven’t gone well,” she said, clamping down on the unnerving way her voice wanted to shake. Strength. Don’t show your weakness, not now. Not here.

She could feel the anxiety etched into her face, even as she tried to hide it. She was desperate to ask how things had gone – how Landon had fared; surely he was injured, merely injured, if he wasn’t here?

This wasn’t the place, however. With matters such as these, Anora didn’t even trust her own guards and servants.

“This way, please, and we can discuss this safely,” she said quietly, turning and leading them briskly through a side door that connected to her own quarters.

She stopped when they reached her personal study. She’d passed Erlina on the way and asked her to ensure the servants’ corridors were empty around the room. No need for anyone to overhear this yet, accidentally or not.

Anora closed the door behind the three of them with a sigh, gesturing briefly to the seats in the room in a silent invitation to sit as she did so herself.

Her hands fidgeted in her lap as she suppressed the urge to put them to her mouth, to shield herself from the coming news.

“What happened?” She asked, sitting straight and bracing herself, not only for the worst, but for the anger. No doubt Teagan would blame her in some way or another; he had never approved of nor trusted her. Any battle – particularly one she had been involved in organising – that went ill would end up being entirely her fault, she was sure, justified or not.


[OOC: I didn't know if Cauthrien was coming to meet Anora as well or not, so I included her. If she isn't, I'll just edit her out when I know haha. If I've got any facts wrong, let me know and I'll edit.]

[Teagan]

Hearing Ser Cauthrien speak the name of his late brother in the same breath as that traitor caused Teagan's blood to absolutely boil, but instead of exploding Teagan grit his teeth and simply spoke in a low tone. "My late brother didn't go around poisoning people or giving lands to lunatics like Rendon Howe... But enough talk. Lead the way Ser Cauthrien..."

Teagan remained silent through the entire trip to the palace, leaving the remnants of his army behind. He hated to be the bearer of bad news, but he had no choice in the matter. One could only hope the queen was in one of her better moods.... Actually, who was he kidding. Anora, for all her faults, was a good ruler, if a cold and calculating one, but would understandably be angered by the news of what had occurred. How she'd react was entirely open...

As they entered the court, Teagan eyed the other nobles and grimaced. They all had that look... The look of fear, of pity, of misunderstanding. He didn't like it for a second, and was greatly relieved when Anora dismissed them all and told the two of them to go to her study. Following her majesty up the stairs and into the study, Teagan readied himself for what was undoubtedly going to be a very unpleasant conversation.

Going into the room after Anora, Teagan stood at the edge of her desk with his hands behind his back, his eyes on the queen, watching her fidgit. She already knew... She had to know. Or at least, she had a vague idea. Well... Moment of truth... Teagan took a deep breath, working to maintain his composure as he struggled to piece together the story. He decided to start as vague as possible, then gauge her response and continue from there, changing his approach as need be...

"Your grace... I'll be perfectly blunt with you. Landon is dead, as are 20,000 of the men sent to reinforce Gwaren... As for the town of Gwaren we haven't heard anything from it, but as we approached the city we saw plumes of smoke from the direction of the city. I'm sorry your grace... There is little reason to believe Gwaren is still standing..."
Teagan swallowed, taking a deep, heaving breathe, as he then looked to the side of the study. Biting the inside of his lip, he looked back up at the queen with his eyes distant, his face haggard, appearing to have aged years in the past few days. "It wasn't a battle your grace... It was a massacre..."

[Ser Cauthrien]

"Yet from the tone of your voice my point is proven milord." Cauthrien pointed out without a hint of malice or humour before turning towards the palace, silently praying that she could talk the queen around.

Swallowing slightly as she entered the throne room Cauthrien kept her head high as she advanced towards the queen, breathing a sigh of relief as the crowd was dismissed and her and Teagan were invited to Anora's study. That would make things easier. However when she saw Anora's body language a lump grew in her throat. This was potentially bad for Teagan. Saluting as the queen acknowledged her the royal guard captain took her position near the door, her only reaction whilst Teagan spoke was a slight uncomfortable shuffle as Teagan mentioned Gwaren, hoping against the evidence that it had held out. As the arl finished speaking Cauthrien cleared her throat and stepped forwards. "My lady, I personally do not feel that Arl Teagan is to blame for this... Disaster, we should regroup and prepare to strike back, avenging both the Teyrn and the City in one fell swoop." She chipped in with a bow. She could only hope that the queen would listen.

[Queen Anora Theirin]

Everything seemed to detach suddenly; everything had been pushed away, leaving her in a still, emotionless, airless little bubble.

The words scarred themselves into her mind, even as she struggled to focus on them.

Gwaren, gone? Twenty thousand men lost.

Landon, dead.

Massacre. Disaster. Revenge.

It was a massacre...

Why?

It was only when the question, the need to know whipped through her that the world came rushing back. There was air again, and movement, and emotion. Pain.

She realised that her mouth was open and her hands had clenched on her knees, her finely manicured nails digging through layers of silk and cotton to leave red crescents in her skin.

Anora closed her eyes tightly, her mouth snapping shut as she forced herself to unlock her fingers. They ached when they straightened.

Breathe, Anora. Now speak.

“Why? What happened, Teagan? What went so wrong that we lost so many, that we lost Gwaren?!” She asked, fully aware of the strain grief, shock, and yes, anger put on her voice. She didn’t try to hide it now; it would be futile and pointless. Her childhood home destroyed, her soldiers decimated, Landon killed... even a queen had every right to grieve after this.

Not now, though. She had to focus. Mourn later, plan now. You can’t fall apart yet.

“Do we have the forces and the supplies to strike back? Do we know what the horde plan to do next? If Gwaren... if Gwaren has fallen, then where will they target next?” She asked, striving to force the note of blame out of her voice as she turned to both Cauthrien and Teagan. It might not have been their faults, even if some irrational part of her demanded Teagan take the fall for it.

Despite their presence, Anora found herself wishing desperately that her father was there. Even in his paranoia, he had been a fine general, and a brilliant strategist. She felt unprepared without him there, even after all these years.

[Teagan]

Teagan took a deep breathe as Ser Cauthrien spoke. Of course it wasn't his fault, he wasn't in charge of the army. Teyrn Landon was, or more accurately had been. But that wasn't the point. Right then, he had to explain to Anora what happened... He decided to not hold anything back. She was the queen, and deserved to know the entire truth.

"Well your majesty, to put it bluntly, Landon did not listen to facts. We had information that the horde was over a hundred thousand strong, and yet when presented with these facts he blindly ignored them. I advised him to wait for the reinforcements I had called in from the Bannorn and Highever, but he was earnest we march out immediately. So I gathered 15,000 of my own men to supplement the 10,000 he brought, and we marched to Gwaren. The barbarians were already waiting for us... With numbers at least three times our own..."

Teagan sighed, then looked up at the queen again. Did they have the supplies? He wasn't sure. However, it shouldn't be too difficult.

"Well your grace, I have 60,000 men at your disposal in Redcliffe. I thought it prudent to leave the majority of my force behind, in case an event such as what occurred would happen." Landon was an idiot, and Teagan had had a sickening feeling from the start something like that would have happened. "The troops of Highever and the Bannorn have yet to be mobilized. Also, there were a few of the Dalish Tribes that refused to stand with the barbarians. Perhaps if we foster better relations with them, they'll help us."

He then looked at Anora sternly. "Now your grace, I have a question. Why on earth did you not just let me handle it? Teyrn Landon grossly underestimated our enemy, and our boys paid the price. Pardon my orlesian, but the man was an idiot. You should have known better than to send him."

[Ser Cauthrien]

(Sorry this took so long)

Cauthrien couldn't help gulping slightly as she watched Anora's reaction to Teagan's explanation. She had a bad feeling about this, that was for sure. She only hoped that Teagan would play his cards right and had a tremendous amount of good luck. Her eyes fell to the floor in an attempt to hide her own grief however as Teagan continued his explanation at the queen's request, what had happened was nothing less than horrendous, a slaughter the likes of which had not been seen for ten years. It quickly turned to anger however and she felt an overwhelming desire to find the leader of these barbarians and carve his heart out. It was no less than the people of Gwaren deserved though if even half of what Teagan was saying was true then Landon got what he deserved at least, a decent commander always listened to intelligence and more experienced subordinates. She raised her scowling features once more as the queen asked about their supplies and nodded once Teagan had finished. "There are two likely routes, they may go through the south reach, travelling north towards the bannorn and from there here. Or... They might be able to travel through the brecillian forest, the implications of which I'm sure I don't have to tell you for that reason alone I agree that we should extend the hand of friendship towards the Dalish. I cannot judge their movements better than that however, the bannorn will be more heavily defended than the forest however if it falls there will be no escape should they besiege Denerim... I would recommend splitting our defensive forces between denerim and the south reach personally." The guard captain mused, looking to Teagan, ready for him to chip in if she had overlooked anything.

[Queen Anora Theirin]

Anora squeezed her eyes shut as Teagan answered, shaking her head in something that would have been disappointment if not for the sorrow creasing her face.

Twenty five thousand against one hundred thousand. What had he been thinking?

“Oh, Landon you fool,” she whispered as the Arl trailed off. The Teyrn had always been impetuous, but she wouldn’t have believed him capable of this level of idiocy.

That’s all it was. Care for him though she did, even she could not call his last act anything other than stupidity. Not even Cailan would have thought he could best those odds.

As the two soldiers detailed their resources, Anora drew in a deep breath, dug her nails into her knees to make her focus, and shoved everything other than Ferelden’s safety out of her mind. Concentrate now. There will be hours tonight to grieve and doubt and panic instead of sleep.

When they fell silent, Anora nodded and began giving orders, her mind flying but oddly detached from her, as though it was working several feet above her head instead of inside her skull.

“Sixty thousand. Including those at Highever and the Bannorn, we should equal their predicted numbers, yes? Mobilise them. I also want soldiers recruiting in every town and city for more volunteers. I don’t want to resort to conscription just yet, with things as unsteady as they are. I agree with you both,” she said, looking up at the two of them for the first time, her gaze clearing as she looked without instead of within.

“We must send out emissaries to the Dalish. Start with the clan that Alistair and the Hero of Ferelden recruited to aid us against the Blight; there is a precedent there. They may still harbour neutral views of us, at least. If Alistair was here, he may have been able to go himself – he’d be a familiar face...” she mused, almost to herself for a moment, before snapping back to the present.

“Is there any way to discern which path they will choose? Do we have any spies who could find out? In the meantime, I think Cauthrien is right – split the forces between Denerim and the South Reach. That may even enable us to attack on two fronts, if the horde can be drawn far enough north. We also...” she trailed off, thinking.


She finally continued slowly, her eyes still vague and far-away.

“Is there any conceivable way to evacuate Denerim, should the worst happen and the horde attempt to surround us? Either try to get them past the barbarians before they reach us, or load them onto ships and get them to Highever or Gw-” she cut herself off, her lips thinning in suppressed grief when she remembered that Gwaren was no longer safe nor standing.

“I know it will be impossible to evacuate everybody, but the children, elderly and mothers with young children, at least. Would we have enough ships, be able to contact enough friendly vessels or build extra in preparation? It is a distant possibility at best, I know. I do feel that we should try to have some precautions in place, should the worst happen. Denerim – Ferelden is nothing without its people,” she said softly, shaking her head as she gazed blindly at her knees again.

With a sigh, she drew herself up. There were other things – countless others that she must do and organise, informing Alistair being one of them. She couldn’t think of any that could be addressed immediately, or of equal importance to what they had discussed, though she knew she was probably forgetting a hundred things.

“Is there anything else?” She asked, uncertain whether she meant plans or in general. There was just too much to consider.

Teagan evidently thought so. There was the blame she had been expecting. Not as much clear anger as she would have guessed, but that may still come.

Her first instinct was to snap back – it was Teagan, after all, and they had rarely got on – but his stark words jerked her to a halt.

An idiot. Hadn’t that been exactly what she had thought?

With some reluctance, Anora snapped her jaws closed again, her lips folding to close over her teeth and thin in displeasure. Swallowing her pride had never been easy.

“You’re right, Teagan. He was a fool, and...” she heaved a heavy sigh before continuing bleakly, “and by sending him, I am responsible for what happened. I apologise for that, though it does nothing and means little more than that. I sent him because I truly thought him capable.”

She looked up at him then, her clear eyes honest and showing all the pain and grief she was holding back. “I knew he could be rash, Teagan, but I swear to you I did not think him this blind. If I had, I would never have let him lead another soldier again, never mind an army. I did not think myself this blind. If I had not been, I would not have made such a grievous mistake. All I can do is apologise, to both of you and to the families of the fallen, and try to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.” She bit off her last three words, having to force down the knot of grief in her throat between each one.

Anora clenched her jaw, curling her shaking hands into fists until her nails left deep crescents in her palms. The pain stopped the clot in her throat from rising and blinding her, and her eyes stayed dry as she lifted her chin and spoke again, her voice trembling slightly with the effort of keeping it strong.

“I will promise you now that I will not make Landon’s mistake. If I propose a strategy and one of my generals or advisors warns me against it, I will listen. I cannot do more than that,” she said, a bitter grimace masquerading as a smile twisting her mouth.

By the Maker and Andraste his Bride, she would not make his mistake again.