Old Friends, New Secrets
None
Elanna wasn't quite sure what to make of the news that Byron's betrothed from Antiva just showed up one day, unannounced, and broke into the palace.  Usually the arrival of a future spouse from another country, especially one that was supposed to become a queen, was something planned for long in advance.  It should have been the event of a generation with celebrations and diplomatic meetings for some time leading up to the wedding, which would be equally public and grand.  Between the strangeness around her arrival and the fact that Byron hadn't shown any indication of knowing she was coming Elanna was worried there was something of concern going on behind the scenes.

Given the nature of her sudden appearance, and the fact she knew very little about Franziska, she made it a priority to find out more.  She'd made a point of staying well informed as she began to play an active role in Ferelden politics.  It helped her identify and neutralize threats early, to know when to help and when to quietly intervene.  The future queen being such a blind spot was uncomfortable to say the least, and with her friend and country's future potentially hanging in the balance she was going to make sure it wasn't a blind spot for long.

It was a simple thing to reach out.  A scrap of parchment with symbols and numbers that the average person wouldn't understand placed in a location where only a select few knew to look.  The Red Jennies had remained active in the shadows of Thedas over the years, quietly taking actions to shape the world for the better, and Elanna had both contributed to and benefitted from that over the years.  This was sensitive enough she'd requested an in-person meeting rather than simply inquiring of the network; she didn't dare put name to paper in case something unexpected happened to its carrier.

A few days later she was heading the meeting spot, dressed so as not to attract attention to herself, when she felt a presence a few steps behind her.  A smile crossed her face.  [color=#17b529]"Hello, old friend,"[/color] she said quietly to acknowledge his presence.
Zevran wasn't sure what he'd been expecting to happen after they'd finished dismantling the Eighth Talon, maybe part of him imagined he'd just float off into the sunset, but he was reminded it wasn't just the Eighth Talon that was a problem, no it was most of the Crows period. His work and goals might never be done, fuck he might die trying to bring down the Talons, but then he'd already considered his life forfeit back when he'd failed to assassinate Lana.

The Vultures kept him busy, and their alliance with the Red Jennies kept him even busier, but the upside he got to travel all around, which was something he enjoyed. He wasn't really the sit still in one place sort of person. He never had been, always enjoyed being on the go. When a good friend, Elanna, messaged him, he dropped everything he was doing and made his way to the meeting spot. There was a handful of people he would do that for, and she ranked high on that list.

He grinned as she spoke to him. He stepped out of the shadows.

Elanna, it is good to see you. Sorry I'm a bit late, I came as soon as I got your message, but had a loose end that needed to be tired up first. Not that he'd kept her waiting long, but still, just the same, he apologised any way.
She nodded in silent understanding.  [color=#17b529]"Of course, I hope I didn't rush you."[/color]  What she had to ask him was important, but it wasn't so urgent that he needed to cut something critical short.  He'd understand that, though.

[color=#17b529]"I trust things are going well?"[/color]  She continued to walk until they reached what seemed like a dead end.  The Jennies had a couple safe spots around Denerim that could be used as needed, and as this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have on the street she'd ensured this one would be available.  After a quick glance to ensure no one was the wiser, she pushed on a particular spot in the wall until a faint click signaled the locking mechanism's release.

From there it was just steps into a small, but comfortably appointed room with everything one might need for a short stay.  There was even a decanter of something waiting for those who wanted to drink, and while it was likely fine Elanna was just wary enough to avoid it all the same.  She instead produced her own bottle, holding it up to Zevran for approval.  [color=#17b529]"Care to join me for a drink?"[/color]

If he agreed, she'd lay out cups and pour, or simply set the bottle aside if he did not wish to partake.  Time to get down to business.  [color=#17b529]"What can you tell me about Franziska Lovette-Compana?"[/color]
Zevran smiled warmly and shook his head. Oh, no you didn't rush me, the job just took an unexpected turn, but you know how that can be. He said with a shrug. Plans rarely went as planned, though if they did, it would make his life a lot easier. He stretched his neck while they walked. Zevran had been busy the last month, so the only place he'd been sleeping was on the ground or in the occasional tavern room. He really needed a job with better hours, and perhaps better pay. 

Things have been pretty great since we took out House Arainai, though we don't want to stop there. On top of our work with the Red Jennies, we've been doing some work with the Rivaini rebellion as well, since our goals are somewhat aligned. He said with a grin and followed her into the room. When she produced a bottle, he nodded eagerly and took a drink. It tasted quite nice after his travels. Then it was time to get down to business. He couldn't say he was altogether surprised at her question, considering the position that Fran was now in within the Ferelden Kingdom. 

Well, a lot of what I know is public knowledge. Who her biological paternal family is and such. There's also her connection to the Crows via her mother. I've heard some interesting rumours on that account, but I can't say for sure whether they are just rumours or more than that. He'd always been torn between feeling bad for the Antivan royal family and actually disliking them.
Elanna took a sip of her own drink as she considered what Zevran had to say.  She too knew what most knew, that was easy enough for anyone to find out, but it didn't assuage her concern.  The connection to the Crows worried her, but at the same time who with enough wealth and power in Antiva didn't have some connection to them?  The question was whether or not their influence would unduly threaten her country with Franziska around.

[color=#17b529]"Are these rumors something I should be concerned about?  I know some level of connection with the Crows is hard to avoid, but should I be concerned about their level of influence over her?"[/color]  She was worried about undue influence on her country, yes, but she was also worried about Byron.  She didn't like to see him just married off so... though the reasons for that were likely more complicated than she wanted to admit.
I’m not sure Franziska is the real problem, if the rumours are true. Though if they wanted Byron dead, he would be. There’s a reason Antiva doesn’t need a standing army, and the Merchant Princes are happy as long as they are getting wealthier. He didn’t like to speak of things that he wasn’t sure on the sources, he didn’t want to be responsible for spreading false intel and he hadn’t had time to check all his sources.

If you ask me they are overreaching and overstretching. They don’t have an army, if they do have their sites set on Ferelden as well as the Free Marches. They are going to need more than fear of assassination. Now if the Crows had someone that Byron cares about, that would perhaps be a different story entirely. Zevran said with a shrug and took another drink. But again, rumours are what they are. I’ve heard tons of rumours about monarchs in various kingdoms having bastards all over. Something people do love to gossip about, but whether those rumours are true is always an entirely different story.

He always imagined he probably had a bastard out there somewhere, considering the amount of one night stands and flings he’d had over the years, but then he wasn’t an easy man to pin down. He tipped his head for a moment, there were machinations in play that was for sure, staying on top of them wouldn’t be easy.
At first, his words started to assuage her concerns.  Antiva didn't have an army, and while threat of assassination was always a concern it wouldn't topple Ferelden.  They couldn't invade, and if they could simply profit from trade ties then all would be well.

But the dots that Zevran ever so delicately connected for her gave her pause.  It was entirely possible that Byron had bastards out there, likely even, but she'd never considered that the Crows would have control over one.  And knowing Byron, if they did and he knew about it...

The implications turned her stomach.  She wasn't sure if she needed to drink more or if she was going throw up.  The answer might very well be both.  Maker, had she been so blind as never to consider this possibility?  It would explain so many things that she had never thought too deeply on because of how much she trusted Byron, perhaps even how much she-

Her wine glass had mysteriously emptied itself and she poured herself another.  She didn't want to speak the words aloud because she was afraid of the answer, but now that the idea was in her head she couldn't get it out.  She had to know. [color=#17b529]"Are there whispers of Byron having a bastard under the Crows' control?"[/color]
Politics, something that Zevran never cared for. There of course had been a time in his life when the only thing he needed to know was who the Crows said needed to die. Of course, that all changed during the fateful year when he failed to kill one particular Grey Warden. He still enjoyed being an assassin, after all, he was good at it, but now he had a harder time ignoring the politics. He shrugged, it really all hinged on if the bastard child part was true.

Like all kings, there’s whispers of bastards, and if I were a crow that wished to control a king, I would find something he loved and hold that over his head. It would be far more efficient than simply ensuring a marriage between two parties. The whole situation was a shit show, someone needed to step up and put the Crows in their place, but that was easier said than done. It had been one thing taking out a single talon, but taking out the entire Crow establishment was another thing all together.

I’m sorry my information isn’t more concrete. I have spies in a few of the talons and cuchilos but they aren’t high up and their information isn’t always reliable. It just seems to me that there must be more going on than just a marriage, the Crows aren’t usually ones to put all their eggs in one basket. There were other rumours of course, some said he was enchanted under Fran’s spell and simply her puppet while she was the one really ruling Ferelden. Another that suggested they themselves had a child in secret and that it was the real reason for why the two were suddenly together. There were even rumours he had a mistress amongst the help and that he and Fran had poly leanings. Rumours he was sure Elanna had probably already heard, figuring out which were true and which were lies was another story all together.
She waved off his apology. Zevran was right on all accounts, and while it seemed that she might also be right that there was something going on behind the scenes, she might very well have been looking in the wrong direction.  Byron almost certainly had a bastard or more, and if he found out about any of them and they were threatened he would absolutely do what he could to save them.  It was the kind of person he was, and right now that could actually be a bad thing.  [color=#17b529]"No need to apologize.  If anything, I feel the fool for not considering any of this earlier."[/color]

A sigh escaped her.  [color=#17b529]"I've known Byron since I was a child, and while he's not anyone that I ever would have expected to become king, he's a good man so I didn't think to question it when his name came forward to replace Alistair."[/color]  Another sore spot.  She'd never entirely stopped looking for Alistair, but after all this time ever finding out what had happened to him seemed somewhat hopeless.

[color=#17b529]"I should have though.  He's not the type to want it.  Ugh, fuck the Crows!"  [/color]Her frustration started to show at the end of that.  She'd been blind - so very very blind to what could have driven Byron to seek and accept the throne.

But while all of this would explain a lot, it was still conjecture.  She took a breath; she needed to take a step back.  She needed proof first before she took this as truth and figured out what to do with that knowledge.  [color=#17b529]"Alright.  How would we go about finding out just what the Crows want with either Byron or Franziska and what, if anything, they are holding over one or both of them?"[/color]
Zevran wasn’t entirely sure what advice to give his friend, it wasn’t as if the Crows would just roll over and give up the information on whatever leverage they had. If they did have Byron hanging over the coals, not having other Ferelden nobles know about it kept there from being any sort of uprising. No they needed the Ferelden nobles to think everything was five by five.

I suppose you could always just ask Byron, you’re probably far more likely to get an honest response from him than you are Franziska. The Crows won’t give up information easily, they want the Ferelden nobles complacent, if you knew the truth it wouldn’t be as easy for them. He thought about asking Elanna if Byron had any childhood sweethearts that were in his life and then suddenly disappeared one day without an explanation, but he was positive that Elanna was smart enough she was already trying to think of potential mothers who could have had Byron’s bastard.

I can see what I can do about getting some lips to loosen, but without being sure which Talon is involved, or if multiple talons are involved. It would be like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. They may be generally organised, but there are still rivalries amongst them, if I could find the right string to pull. It was a long shot, but for Elanna he definitely wouldn’t just walk away without at least trying to help out.
She nodded somewhat absently, an anxious feeling curling in her gut.  She could indeed ask Byron outright, and given the closeness of their relationship she might even get the truth.  But she was somewhat reluctant to do so; if he told her there was no underlying reason for seeking the throne other than wanting to be sure someone with Ferelden's best interests at heart held she would want so desperately to believe it that she might accept a lie.  And if he did admit it to her, then she didn't know what she'd do with that information.  She'd need to protect Ferelden, but what that would look like in practice she didn't know.

But her instincts were telling her there was something to this, and so were Zevran's, and she couldn't ignore both of those.  Looking into it could be dangerous if their suspicions were correct, but that hardly registered.  Making sure that Ferelden wasn't at risk of being swayed behind the scenes by the Crows was far more important.

She looked at her friend, both grateful for his insight and offer of help and almost wishing she'd never asked to have this conversation in the first place.  [color=#17b529]"I'd appreciate that.  Anything I can provide to help I'm happy to.  And I'll do some digging myself - it's been a while but I can probably track down some of the possible mothers.  See what happened to them."[/color]  And if there were any whispers of a child that disappeared, or one that disappeared themselves, they might have a clue as to the truth of it.

[color=#17b529]"One of these days we're going to manage to have a thoroughly uncomplicated meeting,"[/color] she said ruefully.  Wouldn't that be the day.
Zevran chuckled, it wasn’t like he never just ran into friends and caught up with them just for the sake of catching up with them, but it wasn’t nearly as often as he’d have liked. It always seemed at the very least it was about a transaction of information. Even if sometimes something just as simple as a heads up to some of his friends that he felt should know what was going on.

Ferelden would never be his home, but he did think of it as a sort of home away from home. After all, he had helped them conquer the Fifth Blight after failing to assassinate Lana and Alistair, a job he’d never expected to walk away from.

He’d even left a note in the secret space where he knew he could get messages to Merriva, his childhood sweetheart and mother of his child. Something he never talked about, even to close friends, for fear that any slip of the tongue could mean the Crows finding out where Merriva and Lia were hiding. Though sometimes he did hint at a great love that he compared all future relationships to.

The note had suggested he didn’t expect to live and wanted to say goodbye, but thankfully Lana had decided to let him live. Though that had put him even more on the outs with the Crows and that it was even less safe for Merriva and his daughter to come out of hiding.

Yes, but what fun would that be? How have you been any way? I mean beyond this mess of course. He figured he should at least ask, even if he didn’t have a ton more time to talk, he didn’t want to be rude, Elanna was a dear friend after all, and he imagined they had more going on than just this nonsense with Byron.
She chuckled.  What fun indeed?

[color=#17b529]"Oh, otherwise I've been fine.  Mostly the same old same old - stuck in politics and not doing anything fun.  Another Blight to clean up after and all."[/color]  My, how things had changed.  Before Howe and the Blight and everything she never would have imagined herself in this position.  She didn't know what her future held, but she fully expected it to lie as away from politics and all its complications as possible.  And now she was right in the thick of it, doing her best to keep things on the rails.  [color=#17b529]"It's always a relief when I get to just see a friend rather than trying to sway someone about something or other."[/color]

[color=#17b529]"Don't suppose you have time for a game of Wicked Grace before you head out?  You can catch me up on how you've been doing while I put up a valiant effort but inevitably lose."[/color]  She played a mean game of Wicked Grace, one that usually kept the patrons at the Gnawed Noble from challenging her unless they were prepared to lose.  They weren't Zev, however.
Zevran was glad to hear that his friend was doing well, or as well as anyone could be doing in the current climate doing a job they’d never imagined they’d be doing, during a blight they never imagined they’d see again in their lifetime. He smiled big at the comment about being glad to see him, versus the other things she could have been doing, and then perked up at the mention of Wicked Grace.

Well, for you I believe I have time for a hand or two before I must rush off. You know what they say about all work and no play. I think this will require another round of drinks though, don’t you! He couldn’t quite recall the last time he had played. He’d obviously played since the Fifth Blight, but much of the last years since were a bit of a blur. Always on the move, always looking over his shoulder. He chuckled a bit as he thought about those times.

You know, one of these days we should have a reunion over a game of Wicked Grace, like old times, the whole gang. We may have been facing death daily back then, but damn if we didn’t do it with style. Felt odd to talk so fondly about a Blight, but then Zevran hadn’t planned on surviving it. He owed that to Lana.
[color=#17b529]"Of course!  What's Wicked Grace[/color][color=#17b529] without few more drinks?"[/color]  She poured them both another round and pulled out a deck to start shuffling.  It had been one of the things she remembered fondly about their time on the road all those years ago during the Blight.  Those nights when they'd gotten their camp set up, managed to finagle a bottle or two, and actually let themselves relax enough to play?  Some of the best nights of her life, if she were being honest.

[color=#17b529]"We sure did.  Someone's going to have to pull out all the stops to convince Cullen to join in, though.  He seems a lot more shy about it after having to run back to his tent naked.  Can't imagine why,"[/color] she said with a grin.