"Warden--like the Grey Wardens?"

"Indeed," says an elderly elf, coming up behind her. "And one I know well. Duncan, old friend, it is good to see you."

"Likewise," Duncan says. "Although I could wish it were in happier circumstances. You've heard about the Blight, of course."

The elf shudders. "Yes, indeed."

"Elder Valendrian!" she says, surprised. "Well, if these sh--these humans are here with your approval, I can hardly argue..."

"And it's your wedding day," Valendrian chides, not unkindly. "You can leave watching out for troublemakers to the rest of us for one day, can't you?"

"It doesn't turn off so easily, Elder, but I suppose I can try."

...hmm.

"If Elder Valendrian's vouching for you, you're probably alright," for shemlen, she doesn't say, "but please be careful not to make trouble."

"Of course," she says, nodding.

"I think they're going to want to start the ceremony soon," Valendrian says, "and they can hardly do that without you. You should probably at least start heading over there."

"Yes, Elder." She leaves.

Maybe they'll find someone elsewhere in the city.

Who knows.

Certainly not Acara, standing with her cousin and their respective betrothed as a Reverend Mother from the human Chantry makes some kind of speech. Her eyes flick over the crowd, and then she remembers what Elder Valendrian said, and trains them on her fiance instead. He is pretty. That's not enough to make a marriage, by itself, but it's not nothing.

The Reverend Mother gets to the part where she actually marries them. "In the name of the Maker, who brought us this world, and in whose name we say the Chant of Light, I—"

A commotion by the gate. The arl's son is back, and he brought friends. Lots of friends.

Oh, crap.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mother, but I'm having a party and we're dreadfully short of female guests," he says, laughing. His friends - and his guards - spread out among the crowd, shoving people aside as necessary.

How dare they how dare they how dare they--

Stay calm. Putting him in his place won't help anyone. It clearly didn't help when Shianni did it--she scans the crowd for her cousin, suddenly almost as afraid for her cousin as she is angry.

Shianni is... over there, looks like. One of the nobles is standing next to her. That can't be good.

"Milord, this is a wedding!" the Reverend Mother says sharply.

"Ha! If you want to dress up your pets and have tea parties, that's your business, but don't pretend this is a proper wedding," says the arl's son. "Now. We're here for a good time, aren't we boys?"

Nasty laughter from his friends. One of them calls out, "Just a good time with the ladies, that's all!"

The arl's son scans the crowd thoughtfully. "Let's take those two, the one in the tight dress, and... where's the bitch that bottled me?"

"Over here, Lord Vaughan!" calls the one standing by Shianni.

He. Is. Not. Touching. Shianni.

Calm down, calm down, kill him here and bad things happen. Distract him. "Bottled you, milord? Do you mean she served you wine? Surely you're not suggesting that a mere elven woman could harm a big strapping man like you."

"Oh, look at the pretty bride," says the arl's son, which is probably not quite the result Acara wanted. "Thinks she's funny. We'll take her too."

Nelaros looks like he might be contemplating doing something unwise, but he doesn't say anything.

"Milord, I beg you reconsider, for both our sakes."

"Hmm, let me think about that..." He pauses, tapping his finger theatrically against his chin. "...No."

"Get behind me," she mutters to Valora.

A guard grabs Shianni, and one grabs two of the girls Lord Vaughan indicated while another approaches Valora, but Lord Vaughan must be smarter than he looks because he makes a gesture and two guards come for Acara alone.

Two guards can die, then. Or--no, maybe it's not their fault--she'll take them down without killing them, if she can. One of them gets the knife of her foot to the throat at speed and goes down with a gurgle, did she succeed in leaving him alive, does she care. The other one is more ready but not ready enough, fuck you fuck you guards like the ones who killed Mama--

This one definitely dies. She really, really does not care. She dives for the one who has Shianni.

That one manages to clip her a blow to the head that leaves her spiraling into darkness.