There and Back Again Ch. 081-082

Kardol stared at Duncan for a moment and then roared with laughter. "That's what you're here for? Duncan, my friend, you've been sent on a fool's errand. Branka's been missing for two years. No one survives two years in the Deep."

I looked to Duncan, who nodded, and then I spoke. "Actually, she's alive. If you're crazy and ruthless enough, it's possible to survive - by sacrificing everyone who followed you. She's in Bownammar. She's chasing a relic, the Anvil of the Void."

"And you would know that because...?"

"Long story. Very, very long story." I sighed. "It doesn't really matter, though. We're going across that bridge, to find Branka. It would be very...helpful, if we knew that Sereda would be here waiting when we were done."

"Will you help us?" Duncan appealed to the grizzled dwarf. "Please, my friend."

Kardol looked at Duncan, then myself and Gorim in turn, looking thoughtful. I hoped our earnest expressions would convince him. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his frown was making me nervous. I waited with bated breath for what he would say...

It turned out it didn't matter. I heard the loud sound of a clanking, armoured footstep, and turned to see a dwarf ducking through the small opening in the back. Kardol looked surprised, and somehow...afraid? We waited until the new arrival stopped in front of us.

Gorim was on his knees before the helmet came off to reveal a stunning, red-haired female dwarf with a scowl on her face.

"Your Majesty," Gorim whispered, apparently almost overcome.

She directed her frown to the kneeling warrior, reaching down to put her hand on his shoulder. "Get up, would you? I didn't stop hating all that nug-humping ceremony just because I've been in the Deep for a few months..."

Gorim looked up, grinned widely, then jumped to his feet, gripping her hand. She laughed and put her arms around his neck, kissing him soundly. I looked away, embarrassed and nervous for her reaction when she learned about his wife.

He seemed to have the same thought, stiffening up after a moment, pushing her back slightly and peeling her arms away. Surprise flitted across her face, before she slammed an expressionless mask down over her features, reminding me of Zevran in the early days.

Sereda bowed to Duncan and then to the rest of us, and we all returned the gesture.

"You really know how to find Branka?" Her voice was musical, and much more feminine than I'd have expected from a dwarven warrior, princess or not.

I nodded, and she considered me for a moment. "Ignoring the obvious question for a minute, just what makes you think she'd support me?"

"She doesn't care who is on the throne, as long as she gets the Anvil. She'll support anyone who helps her get it, or allow us to choose if we help." I wasn't going to mention Caridin, not yet, and not in front of Kardol. We would have to convince her of the truth of my story first.

She stared at me for a moment longer, then gestured to Kardol. The two of them went through the small opening, standing just on the other side; we could hear whispers, but I couldn't make out any of the words. We waited politely on our crates while they spoke. I risked a glance at Gorim to see him blushing and shifting around nervously. I felt sorry for him; no outcome was going to be entirely good for him. Either he abandoned his wife, who was with child (even if it seemed the child might not be his), or he left Sereda, which I wasn't sure he'd be able to do. And that's even if she let him walk away - if she became Queen, she could just as easily have him arrested or executed if he tried to leave. I hope she's not that kind of ruthless. Dwarven politics is cut-throat, but hopefully not to that extent...

After a few uncomfortable minutes, Sereda and Kardol came back out together.

"I'm coming with you," she stated, as though there had never been any doubt she would help us. "I've not officially joined the Legion, so I can still leave." Gorim sighed in relief, and my eyebrows raised. It hadn't occurred to me what might have happened if she had actually joined the Legion of the Dead. "The Legion will help us get across the chasm to Bownammar, but they dare not go any further. We will have to make it through to Branka by ourselves."

Duncan nodded, and delved into a discussion with Kardol about when to launch the offensive. Of course, Duncan wanted to begin as soon as possible, but Kardol insisted he needed time to pull in his patrols and relocate the camp.

Sereda motioned to the rest of us, and we followed her out of the supply room and into the tunnel, leaving Duncan and Kardol talking. We followed Sereda back to the main cavern, where we joined up with the rest of the group. Sten was sparring with a Legionnaire, with everyone else watching. They appeared to be well matched, and it was sort of amusing to see the giant get knocked over by a stout dwarf. Shale was surrounded by a group of admiring dwarves, and appeared to be quite pleased with their admiration.

Bel dropped to his knee, face red, as soon as he saw Sereda approach, but she was quick to pull him to his feet. Faren stayed back, expression inscrutable, but Sereda nodded to him and offered him a friendly arm, just as she did for everyone else, and he relaxed. After introductions, we all sat to eat. Aedan filled everyone in about the planned offensive to the gates of Bownammar, and I could see relief in everyone's eyes when they learned that Sereda would be coming, and that the Legion would help us get across the bridge. I could practically see the fear that we'd come all this way and then not find Sereda recede.

Gorim and Sereda alternated staring at each other longingly when they thought the other wasn't looking, though they both tried to act as if nothing strange was going on. It was awkward, but we kept up with small talk to cover the discomfort.

After a while, Duncan rejoined us. Kardol had the Legion move their camp to the plateau we currently occupied, and we arranged for one Warden at a time to be on watch with a Legionnaire. We settled in to sleep for a while, though looking at Duncan, I knew he wouldn't be sleeping again. I offered to stay with him, far from the other Wardens; he just shook his head and began pacing around the area.

For once, we slept without armour; it felt strange, and I kept shifting, expecting to feel the discomfort of stiff leather digging in where I lay. Alistair curled up protectively around me, the rest of our group nearby, as usual. It felt strange to be so near him, to feel the heat of his body against mine. I worried briefly that I probably smelled rank, but realised he probably did too, and we were both inured to it by now. I wasn't truly tempted to make too much of it - we still had no privacy, and I wasn't having sex again until I'd had the world's longest bath - but we were both somewhat giddy just to be close again. Nervous about the upcoming battle, and distracted by Alistair's presence, I had trouble sleeping, so I was quite awake when I heard Gorim creep out of our camp in response to Sereda's whisper. I closed my eyes and pretended not to see them walk away quietly. I don't know what possessed me, but I furtively wiggled out of Alistair's arms to follow them.

They went back into the storage room we'd been in before; I snuck cautiously up to the door and peeked around the corner in time to see Gorim kneel in front of a seated Sereda, expression agonised. He spoke, too quietly for me to hear, and then Sereda's smile faded, turning into tears. She slid down off the crate on to the floor in front of him, and he pulled her sobbing form into his arms.

Embarrassed to witness such an intimate moment, I turned and tip-toed back the way I'd come, climbing back into Alistair's arms. When I finally slept, I had nightmares of Alistair leaving me, and woke being cradled in his arms as I sobbed. I kissed him passionately as my tears slowed, trying to shake off the remnants of the dream.

The kiss rapidly deepened, both of us desperate to forget where we were and what was happening, only breaking off when Zevran started clapping and Oghren made a rude comment about forging the moaning statue. We sighed and separated reluctantly; my cheeks were aflame.

I climbed to my feet slowly, seeing the Legion camp already mostly disassembled and dwarves rushing about everywhere. I struggled into my armour, looking up as I was finished to see Gorim approaching, dressed but somewhat more rumpled than normal; he avoided eye contact with anyone and just started packing up his own things. A few minutes later, Sereda emerged from the same hallway, and I smirked. No one else seemed to have noticed, and I didn't draw attention to the fact that they'd obviously been doing what Oghren had implied Alistair and I were about to do. They have enough problems to sort out, without adding being teased to it.

Once everyone was mostly packed, we joined Duncan and Kardol standing in front of the heavily guarded bridge. Duncan smiled at us, his eyes bloodshot but not rheumy, then turned back to the bridge.

Kardol shouted orders, and the dwarves fell in to formation in front of him, shields at the front and archers with crossbows behind. Duncan turned to me.

"Feel up to a little scouting expedition, Sierra?"

I lifted my eyebrows, surprised. It hadn't occurred to me. "You want me to check on numbers, and things? Yeah, I could do that."

Alistair shifted uncomfortably, and I gripped his hand with one of mine as I reached up with the other to cover Aedan's mouth before he could say anything. "I'll be perfectly safe, and if for some reason I'm not, if I have to, I'll run like hell. It'll be fine."

I put down my pack, drew my daggers, and walked around the amassed dwarves. I could hear shouts of alarm as I stepped out onto the bridge, but ignored them. I could feel dozens of eyes on my back as I picked my way across the rubble on the bridge. I looked back to see Kardol watching skeptically, and Oghren at his side sneering. I sighed and turned back to concentrate on my footing.

After a minute, I was past the midpoint of the bridge, and another minute or two brought me close to the far side. I don't know what I'd expected, but the dozens of spawn in ranks in a massive semi-circle around the bridge was not it. They ignored me entirely, which I did expect, though it was still creepy to be able to walk within a few feet of the disgusting creatures without drawing any attention.

I snuck behind the first rows of hurlocks and genlocks with crude swords and axes already drawn, to see two ogres on each side, and one Emissary at the back in the centre. There was also a row of archers on either side. That's a lot of darkspawn. I took a moment to count, memorising positions, then hurried back to the bridge.

On the other side, I approached Kardol and Duncan, who stood with the rest of our party. I explained the layout, scratching a rough picture in the dust at my feet, and the men all around me looked grim. Kardol and Duncan debated, briefly, before deciding that the Legion would bear the brunt of the melee fighters, while the Wardens and companions would fight their way around to deal with the archers, ogres, and Emissary. Jowan and Anders were to focus entirely on healing. They tried to insist on another Storm of the Century, but it would only have prevented our allies from getting into the fight, and wouldn't have hit the entire group anyway.

Everyone knew there would be casualties. I sent up a brief prayer to God, the Maker, or whoever else would listen, that we could all come out of this unharmed.

I volunteered to cross to the far side again and take out the Emissary as soon as the group attacked. Duncan nodded and kissed my forehead, as did Aedan. Alistair gave me a scorching kiss, ignoring the catcalls around us entirely. I grinned and slapped my helmet into place.

"Good luck!" I called, and then headed back across the bridge, pack back in place and daggers glinting in the dim light.