The Tainted Knight
A Dragon Age Fanfiction
By Bionca Femme
Chapter 1: Disturbing News
Selene Cousland set down the letter from King Alistair she received earlier that morning. It had been months since he had ended things between them but still, the pain felt as fresh as it had the day it happened. She shook her head to clear out the old anger that still plagued her. She had staunchly refused to think on it and most days it worked. Being the Grey Warden Commander of Ferelden certainly gave her more than enough to do, she simply raced from one thing to the next. It kept her busy enough that she fell into bed every night too exhausted to think of him. It had been a blessing from the Maker that he had not tried to contact her until now. She assumed that he was trying to give her space.
Now months later, he sent a letter that she contemplated ignoring...but then he was King. One did not simply ignore a letter from the King of Ferelden. She must admit now that it was wise that she had finally decided to read what he had to say. The letter said nothing of the two of them, for which she was grateful. Only it seemed that it was at the request of Arl Eamon (now Chancellor Eamon) that the letter was sent. Arl Teagan had taken over Redcliffe and had inherited a mess. On top of rebuilding the town and the castle, one of his loyal knights has come down with a serious illness. Normally, this would not be cause for her to be contacted, but it appeared that the Knight was somehow infected with the taint. Despite the illness he had survived thus far by will and courage alone. No one had realized he was even sick until he collapsed during his duties one night and developed a high fever. First Enchanter Irving had sent a mage to keep the Knight comfortable and from getting any sicker. Eventually however, he would die. The Knight had requested that she come, his last request being one only she could grant.
That Knight was Ser Perth. She had felt her heart drop into her stomach upon reading that. Brave Ser Perth, a kind man with a kind and chivalrous manner. He had asked nothing of her other than to help him increase the morale of his men. He was a man worth saving.
"Argus!" she shouted.
A grizzled looking dark haired fellow she had picked up as she was leaving Denerim opened the door, "Yes, Commander?"
"I am leaving immediately for Redcliffe, pick me three Wardens who know the pummel of a sword from the pointy end, and have them ready within the hour. I'm leaving you in charge, and by Andraste's blood don't kill anyone while I'm gone," she said the last with a grin.
"With this lot I'd be doin' you a favor!" he snorted and then raised an eyebrow at her in suspicion. "You alright? Did somethin' in the Kings letter upset you?"
Selene shook her head. "One of the Knights at Redcliffe has come down with the taint. He's a good man and helped me on my quest. He doesn't deserve to die like that," she rose from her seat and crossed the room. She set a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for your concern," she smiled softly.
The older man straightened and then nodded, "You're a good girl. King or not, what he did to you was not right. You might be the fearless Warden Commander but you got a heart of gold, anyone who takes advantage of that deserves to be knocked on his arse!" he finished with a growl.
Selene snickered, "As much as I would love to see that I think your head looks better attached to your neck."
Argus shrugged, "Old thief like me expects to lose it at some point. Better it be for something worth while like a Ladies honor than a few pick pocketed silvers."
She laughed then and hugged the older man tugging on his graying beard playfully, laughing further when he scowled and batted her hand away. "Take care of things while I'm away, Argus. I'm going to go get ready. Pick me out some good men, yes? Ones that know how to keep their mouths shut," she added as an afterthought.
He nodded and watched her leave her office, shaking his head when she was gone from sight. The Lady deserved some joy in her life. Unfortunately, Grey Wardens weren't known for happy endings.
Selene left her office and made her way down into the bowels of the Fortress at Amaranthine. Once the home of Arl Howe, the lower levels were full of prison cells and torture chambers. Selene had them all gutted and made into dormitories and Armories. The upper levels were reserved for guests and Senior Grey Wardens. Selene felt it a Grey Wardens due to receive rewards on length of service and accomplishments given their short life span. Argus had a room down the hall from hers, though he still refused to take rank as her second. He was after all in his early fifties. He didn't want to take over the Wardens as an old man, should she perish. Claiming it was a stressful job meant for a young person and she had no business putting an old man into it. She didn't point out to him that Duncan was most certainly in his fifties or late forties. But then again, she didn't know how long Duncan had been the Senior Grey Warden of Ferelden. It seemed 'Warden Commander' was a term not used since King Arland's days when Soldiers Peak was the Grey Warden stronghold.
She thought a moment about the Northern Stronghold and decided that it was perhaps time to go and check on Avernus once she had Ser Perth taken care of. Levi had continued to keep in touch with her, even after she had sent some of the newer recruits up there to garrison the fortress. He was her eyes and ears there and he said that he still hadn't heard a peep out of the old Maleficar. He didn't dare go up to the tower and check up on him. The newer recruits didn't bother either, thinking that if the old coot wanted company he'd come out sooner or later.
Selene knew better, of course. Avernus spent centuries in that tower, surrounded by abominations and corpses. The old mage was most certainly not unused to being alone. She wouldn't be surprised if he died sometime after the last battle and turned to dust over one of his experiments.
Pushing Avernus out of her mind she greeted a few of her fellow Wardens. Some that she had went out and recruited personally, some that had come to her on their own and requested the honor of testing. They were all good men and women. Each willing to do what it took to defeat dark spawn, each harbored a solid core of strength and iron will. They were a family, one large sprawling warrior tribe. She had not felt this at home since Fergus left for Ostagar all those months ago.
Finally, she reached the door to the Warden repository. Opening the door she felt the instant blast of spelled chill air. Here they kept vials of dark spawn blood and the preserved blood from the Archdemon. Silently she crossed the threshold and prepared a few vials to take with her. In three clean vials she mixed the proper amounts of dark spawn and the Archdemon's blood and put a stopper in each. She always brought some with her in case she happened upon a case where she needed to conscript someone, as in Argus' case.
It had been one of her greatest delights using the Grey Warden right of conscription. Alistair had to actually send her a missive to tell her to ease back after she had gone on a conscription rampage once she left Denerim. Many of them were apostate mages. The chantry was not amused. Alistair, being an ex-templar wasn't amused either. Though she could hardly have been arsed to care at the time. But she had acquiesced slightly and had refrained from conscripting escaped mages when she could help it.
With the last stopper snugly in place she left the room and carefully locked the door behind her. The vials safely tucked away in a pocket, she made her way up to her room.
Once there she took the Warden Commander Armor off its stand and slipped into it, expertly strapping the chest plate into place following it up with the gloves and boots. The act of donning the armor was so familiar that she might have been able to do it half asleep in the dark. Actually now that she thought of it, she had done so more times that she cared to admit. When she was sufficiently armored she grabbed a saddle pack and stuffed a few changes of clothes into it along with some other gear. Last but not least, she retrieved Duncan's sword and Starfang and strapped them to her back, the very blades she charged into the last battle with. The red steel of Duncan's sword clashed dazzlingly against the sparkling sheen of the blue star-metal. Even if she were to leave the Warden Commander armor behind, she would be known by these blades alone, which were now legends in their own right. It had been Duncan's sword after after all that cut off the Archdemon's head. She felt it only fitting at the time.
With her helm tucked under one arm and her saddle pack over the other she made her way down to the stables. There the other Wardens awaited her, along with Argus. She smiled, he had chosen well. The three crossed their arms at the wrist over their chests and bowed to her. She repeated the same back. It had become a Grey Warden salute of sorts. She looked them over, each wearing a type of Warden uniform. She had decided that the Wardens needed to be more organized and united once the blight was over, having taken to the Warden Griffin insignia of old she had made sure that some armor was made and shipped from soldiers peak, the heavy chain mail had the symbol of the Griffin emblazened on the front and outlined in blue. The same was etched into shields and sword pummels. The three Wardens Argus had picked were dressed in this uniform. With the exception of Xephi, (whom was wearing a blue tevinter style mage robe) the Griffin insignia was instead stitched into his belt. Xephi winked at her when he caught her looking over his attire. She rolled her eyes skyward, he was a bit too much like Zevran at times.
The other two were Cyrus and Niara. Cyrus was a former soldier of Howe's that she had found starving and locked in the dungeons. His crime was desertion, only the Arl had left Amaranthine and had not returned to have him hanged. When she asked why he was deserting he said that he had learned of Loghaine and Howe's plan and he had tried to escape to Ostagar to warn the King. She couldn't fault him for that. Had he made it in time, her family might not have been slaughtered, and the King might still be alive.
Niara had come to Amaranthine and challenged her to a duel. Apparently she had just beaten Isabella quite handily and was still looking for a challenge. When she was barely beaten by Selene she had dropped to a knee and sworn fealty to her and the Wardens, and was put through the joining that very night.
"I trust you are all ready to go?" Selene asked as she looked over each of them already standing by their horses, which looked to be packed with supplies and camping gear. They nodded.
"Alright then," she secured her saddle pack to her horse. Turning to Argus she took the reigns from him. "Look after them, old man. I'd hate to come back to find the place over run with dark spawn when I return," she grinned when he scowled.
"Don't get into trouble, Commander," he replied gruffly.
Selene vaulted up into her saddle,(no easy feat in full armor) and slipped her helmet over her head. Her long twin braids had long ago been cut off and her hair was now short. There was simply no time to manage it, and it had been a long time since she had anyone to look pretty for. After ripping the head off an Archdemon, she just couldn't bring herself to care about her vanity.
With a last goodbye to Argus and a nod to her new traveling companions she gently heeled her mount into a steady gait, it was time to go back to Redcliffe.
It took only a few days to reach the town of Redcliffe, her small party of Wardens seemed to actually get along quite well with one another, despite Xephi's many failed attempts to woo Niara into his tent. They had encountered a surprising number of Darkspawn which worried Selene. They should be more scattered than this, but they had encountered a few ambushes and the Emissaries seemed to have decided that she was the main target. All the dark spawn they encountered immediately tried to swarm her. Thankfully Xephi was quite adept at area spells and took down clusters of the foul creatures before they could even reach her.
Redcliffe however, seemed to be unaffected by the roving bands of dark spawn. In fact, since Teagan had taken over the reconstruction had brought many new shops and new homes were being built on the lake front. As they led their mounts over the first bridge heading towards the castle they were met by a familiar face. "Tomas! Its good to see you!" Selene stepped forward and clasped hands with the man. He looked much better than on her first visit to Redcliff and it gladdened her heart.
"My Lady!" he beamed. "The Arl sent me to fetch you. He's most anxious to see you," he said happily and motioned for her and her companions to follow.
Once inside the gates her horses reigns were taken from her from a stable hand. "Niara, Cyrus...go with the stable boy and make sure that the horses are rubbed down. Also see if you can't get some supplies from the Quartermaster. We may not be staying long," she said. They both bowed and did as she ordered.
She turned to Xephi who was grinning at her foolishly. She snorted. "Yes, yes...you get to come with me. Just behave yourself!"
Xephi flashed her a roguishly handsome grin. "What? Meeee? I'm a model of good behavior, a saint really. Why Andraste herself was a naughty little minx compared to me!"
"Yes?" she intoned dryly. "It was some other handsome mage that seduced that Chantry sister then?"
"I was only testing her love for the Maker, is all. She can't be a priestess with all those dirty thoughts, wouldn't be right. I was just doing my duty to the Maker is all," he chuckled.
Selene laughed. Xephi might be an incorrigible flirt but it was less disconcerting than traveling with some shy chantry raised boy. She had made a silent vow to herself to never again fall for innocent, shy men. It could only lead to heart ache and ruin. "Come on, lover boy. We need to go see Arl Teagan," she said.
Once inside they were lead to the Main Hall where Arl Teagan was immediately at her side. "My Lady Selene! You have come back to Redcliffe, at last! You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you. You're looking as radiant and beautiful as ever," he took one of her hands in his and lifted it to his lips, kissing it gently.
"Your Grace, please. Its Selene, you know I no longer hold any titles," she smiled as he straightened and met her eyes. They were full of something that she could only name as affection, with a trace of something deeper. She looked down, her cheeks aflame.
"You will always be a Lady to me, you're a good woman. The Maker blessed me the day he first sent you to Redcliffe," he looked over her shoulder to find her fellow Warden eying him. "May we be permitted to speak privately for a moment, my dear?"
Her eyebrows knitted together in question and then she glanced back at Xephi, whom looked like he was not so pleased with the familiarity that the Arl was demonstrating towards her. "It's alright Xephi, Teagan is a dear friend of mine, if you could wait outside in the hall, I shall be out momentarily."
Xephi looked as if he were about to protest and then narrowed his eyes fractionally, finally nodding he turned and strode out. The guards shut the door behind him.
Teagan's eyes watched the young mage go and when the doors shut he turned his gaze back to Selene. He laughed softly, "I see you have an admirer."
"Xephi?" she laughed. "He is an admirer of women in general."
He lifted an eyebrow and took her hand, tucking it under his arm. He lead her towards the fireplace away from the guards. When they reached the fireplace he turned and clasped both her hands in his.
"Teagan, you look worried. Is Ser Perth worse than I was lead to believe?" she asked.
"His condition is stable, for now," he reached a hand out and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "It's you, I am worried about."
"My Lord?" Selene tilted her head to the side in question.
"I heard about Alistair," he said gently.
"Oh," her heart sank. "I see."
"What he did, he did out of fear I think. He wants to be a good King. While he would have gotten pressured by the Landsmeet to provide an heir, that is true. It would not be so taboo that he would have lost the throne. He could have named anyone his heir. What he did, he did without getting all the facts or weighing the consequences," Teagan said.
Selene narrowed her eyes at him. "So, are you saying that he broke my heart out of ignorance, and I should what? Forgive him?"
The Arl shook his head, "No, he needs to seek his own forgiveness. I just wanted to tell you that while I can see how he did what he did, I would never be so foolish."
"Oh!" she answered as if she had just realized what was going on. "My Lord, I-" she paused as if searching for the right words.
"I found something in my brother's study, the day we took the castle back from those undead creatures," he said.
Selene was thrown off her balance. One moment he was confessing to having feelings for her and the next he was talking about something else. "What was it?" she asked softly, her eyes still locked on his.
"A letter from your Father to my Brother, apparently they had planned to introduce us...once your family finished its obligations to Cailan at Ostagar," the hand that had brushed the hair from her face traced its way over her cheek lightly, causing Selene to shiver.
"They were arranging a marriage?" she tried not to let her eyelids slide close at his touch. His palm cupped her cheek and she leaned into it unconsciously.
"Just so," his thumb ran over her skin. "I thought that perhaps...now that Alistair is no longer in your life, you might consider...what I mean to say is...I could have no better wife than someone who is as beautiful and as brave as you. If you would but have me," he watched as Selene's eyelids flew open and her eyes searched his.
"My Lord, this is very sudden. I'm not sure what to say!" she blushed.
"My, but the 'Hero of Ferelden' does blush prettily," he teased. "Say you'll think about it, that is all I can ask."
"I will think about it, My Lord," her cheeks growing hotter and she tried not to scowl at him for teasing her. Instead she moved on to the real reason she was there. "Perhaps if you could show me to where Ser Perth is being kept, I could take care of my current business?"
"Oh! Yes, forgive me. I have forgotten your true reason for being here. I had not planned on talking with you about this now, only seeing you, after so long, has caused me to temporarily forget all else," he offered her his arm again.
"Oh, I'll need my companion to come with us as well. He is a mage and is trained in healing spells," she inclined her head towards the door that Xephi had exited only minutes before.
Teagan inclined his head to her, "As you wish, My Lady." He signaled a guard to retrieve the Warden Mage from the hallway.
Xephi returned with a such a sour look on his face she had to wonder if he hadn't heard the whole conversation somehow.
As soon as she entered the room Selene could feel the black sickness of the taint calling out to her from the limp form on the bed in the center of the room. A mage sat at his side administering a health poultice. Selene let go of Teagan's arm and walked around to the other side of the bed, she laid her hand over Ser Perth's forehead which was burning to the touch. His skin was white and dark circles shadowed his eyes. "Xephi," she said softly and motioned for the Mage to join her.
Xephi checked Ser Perth and frowned. He looked at her and then arched an eyebrow. They both shared the same thought. He hadn't been treated at all, and it seemed that the taint had not spread as far as one would expect. With a shared look that was carefully hidden from the other mage and Teagan they both knew that they had been set up. Someone wanted her here, but for what reason? Whoever it was they wanted Ser Perth to live. He had been infected perhaps a day ago and could probably last a few more days before he fully succumbed. Not (as she was led to believe) almost two weeks ago.
Selene narrowed her eyes at the Knight and then came to a decision, "Xephi, would you be able to stablize him enough for travel?"
Xephi's nodded, seeing her reasoning. "Yes, I could hold back the taint for another week."
The young mage on the other side of Ser Perth scoffed. Xephi gave her a scathing look, "Funny the things they teach us Warden Apostate Mages outside the chantry's justice...how not to be a bumbling idiot for one."
The other mage looked as if he was about to say something equally scathing in reply before Teagan interrupted. "That is enough, Kalis. The Warden mage has personal experience with the taint, I am sure he knows what he is doing."
"Yes, your Grace," the mage stood and bowed, then left the room.
"Arl Teagan, I am afraid that Ser Perth's condition is rather grave. I need to take him to Soldiers Peak and perform the joining there. I cannot perform it here without help from more Warden's, which I did not think I would need. I apologize for not being more prepared," she looked at Teagan and noticed that while he was looking back at her, he would not meet her gaze. So...this was planned after all. I will get to the bottom of this, and I shall not be marrying a liar! Fool me once, shame on me. But there shall not be a second time! She stifled a growl and turned from him so that he could not read the expression on her face.
"Surely, he will not die?" Teagan asked, his tone sincere enough. Perhaps he had not thought that this would go this far. Someone had told him that it would take several days for the taint to take hold. Another Warden...Alistair. You bastard! What game are the two of you playing? As always, however...behind Teagan and behind Alistair...there was Eamon. The way she was brought here, Teagan's proposal, Ser Perth's condition...all obviously planned. How quickly everyone seemed to forget that one of her closest friends is an assassin and taught her a thing or two about traps and manipulation. The first thing she needed to do however, was undo the damage that had been caused. And get the hell out of Redcliffe before she got violent. How dare he use my feelings for Alistair against me!
"Not if I can help it, My Lord," she answered his question. "I wonder if I could trouble you for a horse and cart in which to transport him?" she pulled back the covers to reveal Ser Perth in nothing but his small clothes, a knife wound in his thigh bandaged tightly. Blood had seeped from the wound, a deeper shade of red than it should have been due to the taint.
"Xephi, could you heal the wound?" she asked. Her voice was thick with emotion as she wondered, just who had plunged the tainted blade into this brave Knight. She hoped that he had not volunteered. The few bruises and split lip he sported said that he had not gone down without a fight.
Xephi nodded mutely and had placed his hand over the wound in the Knight's upper thigh as he chated a healing spell. Once he was finished the Mage carefully unwrapped the bandage to reveal the healed wound now no more than a scar. "The taint still courses through his body, but at least now the possibility for other infections is minimal," Xephi said...more for the Arl than for her. She knew the taint could not be healed so easily.
"I will make the preparations for your departure," The Arl said and bowed to her once more leaving her and Xephi alone.
"We'll take him to Avernus, then we'll be heading to Denerim," she finally let her urge to growl seep through into her voice.
"Sounds like fun," Xephi replied tonelessly as he applied a cooling balm to Ser Perth's feverish skin.
Author's note: So, this is my very first Dragon Age fic. Hope with a little practice and time I'll get better at it. Feedback is welcome and appreciated. I do not as of yet have a beta for the story. Please accept my apologies for my horrendous grammar ahead of time. Have a Happy Valentines Day weekend!
