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"I can't believe you didn't tell me this story before Varric." Merrill said, curling her feet under her like a cat as she curled up in the chair in Varric's private rooms.
"You mean you haven't heard the tale of the Wardens? How they were thrown together into chaos, were rescued by a dragon and saved all of Thedas?"
"I know they killed the archdemon, but that's about all." Merrill replied. "But the Hero... was she very beautiful or was she as scary as they say?"
"Who says she was scary?" Varric frowned.
"Why lots of people of course. They say she was so scary the darkspawn would flee at the sight of her or faint dead away and she'd just walk up to them and stab them where they lay helpless on the ground."
Varric laughed. "And where have you been hearing these stories Daisy? Surely not here in Kirkwall."
"Well, now that you mention it, most of them come from the elves in the alienage. I've asked some of the people in Lowtown if it's true or not, but most of them just look at me like I'm crazy and don't answer."
"Well I don't know if she's scary Daisy, but the Hero of Ferelden is beautiful. So beautiful in fact that King Alistair was smitten from the moment he met her."
"Really?" Merrill cooed. "That's so romantic. Tell me the story Varric, I want to hear everything."
"Everything?" Varric smiled. "Those are dangerous words Daisy. Besides, I wasn't there so I don't know everything but I'll do what I can."
"I know you will. You tell the best stories."
"Now you're just flattering me, but I'll tell you what I know."
"Let's see.... back when King Cailan was gathering his forces and calling for help from all the Wardens across Ferelden to join him at Orzamaar, our hero was just a young woman. Her father was gathering his own forces to join the king while they waited for Rendon Howe's men to join them in Denerim."
"Eww." Merrill wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You're not going to tell me bout the Butcher of Denerim are you Varric? He's not very nice."
"I have to Daisy. It's where our hero's story begins."
"Well alright. Just so long as we don't spend too much time on him. I like the other parts better."
"But without the bad parts, the good parts aren't as good. It's all about balance."
"I suppose, but I still don't like it."
"Very well. Can I continue now?"
Merrill nodded.
"Where was I? Ah yes, our Hero's father was waiting on Howe's men to arrive and he placed his daughter in charge of the castle while he would be away. Unfortunately, she never got the chance to be in charge since Howe's men attacked the castle in the middle of the night and killed everyone. She was helped by Duncan, the Grey Warden who had come to find more wardens, when her father was gravely injured and her mother chose to die by his side."
"You mean the Hero's mother was still alive when she left the castle?" Merrill was horrified.
"Sadly yes Daisy. She was. No one knows how she died though, so I won't go into that. Of course, the Hero's journey had just begun. By agreeing to flee the castle with Duncan, she'd promised her father she would become a Grey Warden, but didn't know what that meant yet. She thought she would just be given a uniform and join them, but there are secrets only the Grey Wardens know and it has a lot to do with how they're able to to kill archdemons."
"So what did she not know?"
"I can't tell you. All I know is they have to go through some sort of test. If you fail, you die, if you pass you become a Grey Warden."
"But that's horrible!"
"I suppose it is." Varric agreed. "But many people aren't deterred by the rumours and whispers about what it means to be a Grey Warden and they still line up to become one of them.
"Well I don't think I would ever want to be a warden. It sounds lonely."
"It does, but without the wardens, we'd have no way of stopping the Blights."
"I interrupted again, didn't I?"
"It's fine Daisy. It lets me know my audience isn't falling asleep."
"Well I promise I won't do it again. Please continue Varric."
"So our Hero passed the warden's test and together with Alistair they set off to light the signal fire which would bring the King's army to the battlefield. They fought their way to the top of the tower and lit the fire, but were ambushed by a horde of darkspawn and overwhelmed by an ogre."
"Goodness!" Merrill exclaimed. "An ogre was at the top of the tower? How did he get up the stairs? I imagine it must have been a tight fit."
Varric laughed. "It was probably a sight to see for sure, unfortunately our Hero blacked out and didn't see what happened next."
"She and the King survived? How did they manage that?"
"Rescued by a dragon no less."
"A dragon? Why would a dragon care about a bunch of wardens? Surely dragons would be more interested in eating them."
"Well it wasn't really a dragon Daisy. It was Flemeth. She saw what had happened to the King's army when Loghain fled the battlefield and she flew to the top of the tower and swooped down to rescue the Hero and Alistair."
"If I hadn't seen Asha'bellanar do that very same thing on Sundermount, I might find it hard to believe that really happened." Merrill said.
"Oh? She did that when you saw her at Sundermount?"
"Oh yes, of course. Didn't Hawke tell you?"
"I think her mind was on other things at the time Daisy."
"Oh... well then. Anyways, what happened next? Did Flemeth ask for a favour from them?"
"Surprisingly the only thing she asked was that they take her daughter Morrigan with them the next day when they left her home."
"What a strange thing to ask for. Was her daughter feeble then?"
"Morrigan? No. Definitely not feeble. Dangerous maybe, hard to get along with certainly, but never feeble."
"She sounds a bit intimidating."
"I have no doubt she is. Anyway, the Hero and the King left Flemeth's home in the wilds and headed for Lothering where they met a caged Qunari and a Chantry sister from Orlais."
"What was a Chantry sister doing in Lothering? I didn't think Orlesians liked Ferelden much."
"Ah well, that's a story for another time. Turns out she was hiding from someone when she'd been a bard in the Orlesian courts."
"Aren't bards usually assassins?"
"How do you know that?"
"I hear things. Like, don't walk through wet grass in Ferelden, your feet will get stinky. Or don't talk to a pretty smiling woman outside a tavern, she might not be what you think."
"Wise words. Anyway, the Hero took pity on the Qunari and freed him, then she let the sister join her group. Much to Alistair's and Morrigan's displeasure."
"I thought King Alistair and Morrigan didn't get along. They both disliked the bard and the Qunari then?"
"Apparently. For different reasons of course, but in this they were in agreement."
"Strange how these things get overlooked when you hear these stories from other people."
Varric laughed. "You have no idea. It's why I like to get as many details as I can. That way I know my story will be closer to what really happened and stands a better chance being remembered."
"So the Qunari and the bard joined them. What happened next?"
"They left Lothering and headed for Redcliff to gain the support of the Arl. Of course, things didn't go as planned and they had to take another trip to the Circle tower in Lake Calenhad to gain the favour of the mages. But the mage tower was in turmoil, so before they could return to Redcliff they had to fight a bunch of demons and abominations to restore order."
"Sounds like they were being led by the Dread Wolf himself." Merrill whispered.
"It does, doesn't it? Anyway, from what I heard they almost didn't make it. As they reached the top of the tower they were attacked by a sloth demon. Our Hero had to work her way through the different levels of the tower in the Fade itself. Then she had to save her friends who had been trapped in the Fade by their personal nightmares."
"That sounds very frightening. How did she manage it all?"
Varric smiled. "Well first she became a mouse. Then she became a spirit and a burning man and finally a golem."
"But I thought you said she was a rogue? I thought only mages could do that."
"I guess the Fade doesn't always work the way we think, but that's what happened."
"It's all very interesting Varric, but I thought you were going to tell me about the Hero and King Alistair? Did they fall in love right away? Did he sweep her off her feet? Or rescue her from terrible danger?"
"Well, I don't want to add to the King's rumoured short-comings, but he was very nervous around her. He'd been brought up by the Chantry so he wasn't used to talking to women who weren't in the habit of wearing habits."
Merrill giggled. "That sounded funny. But is the King as handsome as they say?"
"Of course. Our Hero was smitten with him by the time they reached Redcliff, but Alistair was so uncomfortable she was smart enough to wait for him to make the first move."
"And did he? From what I heard about him, he was always tongue-tied and embarrassed and constantly making jokes. I can't imagine him making the first move."
"Well he did. Apparently while they were in Lothering, he stopped to pick up a beautiful red rose he found in one of the gardens there. He kept it with him all through the journey to the tower and through the battle with the sloth demon. The next time they returned to their camp, he gave it to our Hero."
"Oh, that's romantic. I wish someone would give me flowers. So what did he say? Did she swoon into his arms?"
Varric laughed. "Not that time, no. He compared her to the beauty of a rose and how he marveled that something so beautiful could exist in the same world while so many bad things were happening. She thanked him for the thought and told him she thought the same about him."
"Goodness. That's sweet." Merrill's eyes were damp with unshed tears. "I think I might cry a little."
"It's getting late Daisy. Maybe we should wrap this up."
"No! I need to hear the rest of it. Tell me about the wedding. Did he get down on one knee and ask for her hand in marriage?"
"Nope. The Hero asked him. Well, not in so many words mind you. It was after the Landsmeet and Loghain had been out-voted by the lords. He and Alistair dueled in one on one combat and after Loghain was defeated, the Arl of Redcliffe asked our Hero who she thought should be made the new ruler of Denerim. She chose Alistair. And when Princess Anora objected, the Hero announced that she would rule by Alistair's side."
"Oh my goodness! I bet he was surprised by that!"
"That's putting it mildly, but yes he was surprised. After the Landsmeet he was beside himself with worry and happiness. Worry for the Hero's safety and joy for not having to ask her to marry him. Apparently he'd been wanting to ask her for some time, he just never worked up the courage to do it."
"And the wedding?"
"The most beautiful wedding Ferelden has ever seen. The streets were filled with flowers and adoration from the people for the Hero and their new King as they paraded through the square. It was clear to everyone how smitten they were with each other. People wept with happiness at the love they saw in their King and Queen's eyes. It was breath-taking, a sight that won't be forgotten for a very long time. In fact, I think it will become one of the greatest legends in all of Thedas as the most romantic story ever told."
"I agree." Merrill sniffled. "I think it's beautiful. Do you think we'll ever get to meet them Varric? It would be wonderful to see them together."
"Stranger things have happened Daisy." Varric smiled. "Stranger things have happened."