Title: Last Goodbyes

Summary: A series of short character-based pieces focussed around each companion saying goodbye to a female Tabris, their Grey Warden. Those who've read my other works know I love long speeches, so expect mostly dialogue and a fair bit of emotion. Just warning you.

Author's Note: One of my favourite sections in the game is when you're off on the final assault and all the NPCs come to say goodbye as I found it so very telling of each of their characters and how they'd changed over the course of the story. I wanted to write this because of a desire to explore how the Grey Warden's death would affect those around her and what their response to the tragedy would be. Much as I liked the final funeral scene (well, not liked, but found fitting), I would have preferred to hear the other characters speak, not just Anora/Alistair, so decided to give them their chance here. Some chapters will be brief, others long, hopefully all in keeping with the characters.

I'm going to shut up and get on with it now. Oh, expect the occasional bit of bad language and spoilers (obviously). And finally – please read and review.

Author: RinoaTifa

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age Origins. If I did, you wouldn't have to resort to sex with Morrigan to get a happy ending.

The First Gathering

Anora had always had a way with words. Whenever it had been required for Cailan to make a speech, it was inevitably her quill that was able to articulate what the nation had needed to hear. As such, when she stood on the raised platform in the palace's great hall, beside the body of the young city elf Emmeline Tabris, with the eyes of so many expectant citizens and friends upon her, Anora knew exactly what to say. The queen's eulogy was eloquent but heartfelt, formal but personalised, filled with meaningful sentiment rather than empty praise. She described the Grey Warden's bravery, her strength, her ability to inspire those who followed her, and with her words held each of those virtues up to the light like precious gems to be admired and emulated by all. In the saviour of Ferelden's name, Anora proclaimed the building of a monument, the redistribution of lands and the change in treatment of Alienage elves.

Alistair knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Emmeline would have hated every moment of it. It was all so… planned. To someone as impulsive as Emmie had been, nothing could be worse. A person's actions here, now, in the heat of the moment – that was what mattered to her. Well, what had mattered to her.

Oh, he didn't doubt that she'd have approved of the Alienage being granted such new freedoms (frankly he rather suspected she'd have expected it after all the not-so-subtle references Emmeline had made to the treatment of her people when she'd agreed to back Anora as queen) and would have been overjoyed at the idea of her own dear father being made a bann, but doing it in front of an adoring crowd such as this? Delivering a speech so carefully planned that every punctuation mark had probably been agonised over? And as for a statue being built of her…

No. Not his Emmie. In fact, the more he listened to the Queen of Ferelden, the less he could recognise the woman he loved in her words. Certainly she'd possessed those qualities, performed those actions but that wasn't the sum of her. The essence of her, the true nature of what had made Emmeline the person that she was, was missing.

And so it was that when the funeral ceremony came to an end and the elf's body was taken away reverently by two guards, Alistair was not content to stand around and make chit-chat with the other attendees. He glanced around the space, taking in all those assembled. The crowd consisted of people from all walks of life – those who had known Emmeline personally, veterans of her army, noblemen, elves, dwarves, mages, templars – and yet her death had united them all, even if it was simply to mourn their saviour. Alistair couldn't help but feel savagely proud of his fallen love for having accomplished something so impossible even after her death.

After spending so much time with rogues and thieves, Alistair liked to think he had picked up a thing or two about stealth and subtlety. He had noticed, for example, that Emmeline's body had been taken into one of the side chambers, presumably to be kept until she could be transported back to the Alienage for burial. There had been a great deal of debate about where her final resting place should be, with many feeling the soon to be erected tomb at Weisshaupt would be most appropriate, or in the crypt of Denerim castle where many heroes had been laid to rest but her companions had come to the decision that her old home seemed most fitting. Two guards stood on duty outside the chamber and Alistair approached, ready to use all his guile and wit to sneak past them…

"Do you wish to see the Grey Warden's body, ser?" asked one as soon as they spotted him. "Go right on through."

Alistair blinked at the man in surprise before remembering that he was no longer some anonymous traveller having to talk or fight his way into places with his companions. They were all now known throughout Ferelden. By the Maker, he'd almost been made king – of course Denerim's guards knew who he was! Feeling himself begin to blush, Alistair mumbled his thanks and scurried through the door into a small corridor where—

"And what in the name of Andraste are you all doing here?" he exploded when confronted with the sight of each of his companions stood, sat or crouched in the passageway.

"I imagine the same thing as you are here to do, my friend," replied Zevran, his full lips quirked up in an amused smile.

Leliana stepped forward, placing one hand lightly on Alistair's arm. "We wished to come and say our goodbyes to the Warden. It seems only fitting for us to be able to do so, alone and in private, don't you think?"

Still a little shocked to find that not only had they all had the same idea but the others had managed to get there first (for the love of the Maker, even her dog had somehow beaten him to it), Alistair simply nodded. After all, they had all known Emmeline better than anyone else. Well, apart from probably her father. And Shianni. Possibly Soris too… Anyway, the point was that they were her friends and they had a right to see her one last time.

He licked his lips and looked round at the others expectantly. "Well? Who's going to go first then?"