A/N: Okay so the first time I uploaded this chapter I uploaded the wrong version of this chapter! I can't believe I did that! I feel like an idiot! I have to of course thank my amazing Beta reader Momonigiri, she is totally fantastic with helping me and of course her own stories she's working on. Check them out!
Just want to give a little info on the story before you continue. This starts about 6 months to a year after the Blight has ended and our fearless Wardens have to rebuild their order. This will not follow any other story other than Origins, but there will be your favorite characters from all three, DA:O, DA:A, and DA:2. Please let me know what you think and of course I do not own anything of the DA world, just my OC.
Alistair Theirin, bastard son of the late King Maric Theirin and half-brother to the late King Cailan Theirin, the one who was meant to take the throne, but instead, thanks in large part to his friend, did not. Queen
Anora, King Cailan's widowed wife took the throne instead, not surprising to anyone of course. Anyone who knew the late king and his wife knew that it was always Anora that pulled the strings, and made everything run smoothly. There was no way that Alistair could have done any better, he was always meant to be a Grey Warden.
Alistair and his fellow Grey Warden, Alim Surana, made their way through Highever, the final resting place of their friend and mentor, Duncan. The warrior and the mage watched as the everyday lives of the people moved along at their normal paces, but Alistair felt as if his life was standing still. The Archdemon was dead, the Blight finished before it even had a chance to really start, he should be on top of the moon, he should have felt like dancing on the moon, but that couldn't be furthest from the truth.
"Alistair. Hey, Alistair, you there? Have you read this note yet from the Commander yet?" Alim said, shaking his fellow Warden out of his thoughts. "Hey man, are you okay?" he asked, noticing that Alistair wasn't acting in his usual goof-ball way.
Alistair shook his head, trying to refocus himself on his friend.
"No, yeah, I'm totally fine. And what note are you talking about?" he said, trying to quickly change the subject, but he knew that there was no getting past his mage friend.
Alim passed the note to Alistair, knowing that there was something wrong with his friend, but not wanting to push the issue. Alim felt guilty about many of the decisions he had made at the Landsmeet, but Alistair had said time and again that he had no desire to become king.
So, what is his issue these days? He isn't king and he is not dead…. Maker's blood, Morrigan. It's the fact that I talked him into sleeping with the one woman he hated the most. How does he not see that it was meant for the best?! We are both saved! Did he want to die, or did he want me to die?
"Commander wants us to meet him at Vigil's Keep, preferably with a new recruit," Alistair said, his turn in shaking his friend out of his own thoughts. "Where are we supposed to find a new recruit?"
Alim shook his previous thoughts out of his mind; there was no sense in dwelling on something he could not change now, and Alistair would just have to get over it. "I haven't the foggiest idea on that, my friend. Duncan found me at the Circle, and you at the Chantry, maybe we should start looking there," Alim said as he shifted his staff on his back.
Alistair ran his hand over Duncan's shield, remembering his mentor and everything he had done for him. Duncan had saved his life in more ways than one, and Alistair just wished that he could have told him how much Duncan really meant to him. There was no changing what happened to Duncan, that was a fact, but by honoring him, Alistair would be the best Grey Warden he could be.
The two Wardens made their way through the market, both of them buying the supplies that they would need for their long journey. The market was a busy place here in Highever, neither of the men had ever been there before, but it was no different than the market place in Denerim or any other place. Busy people, rude and otherwise, ran around looking for what was needed for the day. Woman shopped for soft fabrics, while their children played.
The sights and sounds of the market place always put a smile on Alim's face. Having spent nearly every moment of his life in the Circle of Magi the hustle and bustle of the market place always excited him. There was always something going on, and today was no different.
As the two Wardens made their way through the market, they noticed that there was a crowd of shouting people, both elven and human standing around the entrance of the city's Keep. Neither of them could understand what was being said until they made their way closer.
"Murderer!" one noble yelled, throwing a rotten head of cabbage at a struggling chained woman that was being dragged along by the guards.
"That bitch deserves to die!" a noble woman yelled, holding her frightened child's hand. Alistair couldn't believe that a woman would let her child watch such depraved behavior. Shaking his head, Alistair turned to walk away. However, out of the corner of his eye, Alistair saw an elven woman, crying and holding her daughter close to her chest.
Making his way through the crowd, Alistair made his way to the woman. He didn't know what his reasoning was, but there was something in that woman sad eyes that told him he needed to know what was going on.
"Milady," Alistair said trying to get the attention of the crying elven woman. "Milady, I would like to ask you what is going on, do you know that woman the guards dragged off in chains?" Alistair asked as the woman's red rimmed eyes looked at him.
The elven woman stood up, straightening her back, becoming taller then she really is, and she wiped the tears from her eyes as the expression on her face changed from sadness to anger. "I do not know that woman you speak of kind sir, but she saved my daughter's life!" The woman exclaimed.
"What do you mean, 'she saved your daughter's life'," Alim said, now standing next to Alistair.
The two men watched as the woman nodded for them to follow her. "We mustn't speak of this in public," she said in a whisper. "Follow me."
Alistair and Alim looked at each other; shrugging their shoulders they followed the elven woman and her child into the Highever alienage.
It didn't take long for them to reach the alienage, every elf in there stared at them with daggers in their eyes. The two men could almost feel the point of their blades in their flesh. It only took moments for them to reach her little hovel. Alim walked in first, while Alistair had to duck his head to clear the doorframe, damn tiny doors…. Or my height, I don't know which is worse!
"Would you care for some water or stew? It isn't much, but it's hot," the elven woman asked as she ladled a spoon full into a bowl for her daughter before shooing her out of the room.
"No milady, that will not be necessary," Alistair said as he looked around the small hovel. It hadn't been until recently that he even went into the alienage. Alistair felt pity for the people, no one deserves to live like this, but that didn't change the fact that this part of any city always made him nervous.
"We are still interested in the woman in chains. You said she saved you daughter?" Alim asked as he took a seat next to the fire.
"Ah, yes, yes she did," the elven woman said as she stirred the stew on the fire. "We've been having problems for quite some time here at the alienage. The noble men think that it is there right to take some of our woman, and do things with them. We allowed this, because we would always come home, only a little less for wear," the elven woman said as she rose from her seat.
Alistair and Alim waited for the woman to find her courage again, "but recently one of the nobles has been taking it too far. A few months ago one of the girls that was taken never came back, and a couple weeks later another girl," Alistair watched as the woman nervously played with the hem of her shale before she went on. "Then recently our young girls were being taken, my little Io is only 11 years old!" The woman exclaimed nervously.
Alistair and Alim looked at each other, the woman's tale was sad indeed, but they were struggling in seeing how this had anything to do with the woman that was chained and being dragged to the Keep.
"Celaeno, what are you doing with these outsiders?" An elven man said angrily as he kicked the front door in. Alistair and Alim jumped to their feet quickly, pulling their weapons, readying themselves for a fight.
"You know one day I would like there not to be an ambush waiting for us when we decide to help out a stranger," Alistair said, while Alim nodded in agreement.
"Stop Kronos," the elven woman named Celaeno said. "These men are no mere strangers, they are Grey Wardens. You should leave now; you have no business being here."
Alistair and Alim looked at each other, both surprised that she knew who they were. The two men lowered their weapons, but did not sheathe them; they still waited for Kronos to make his move first.
Kronos looked at the two Wardens, and then turned to the elven woman that now stood strong and proud in her little hovel. Kronos scowled before cursing to the Maker and exiting the little hovel.
Alistair and Alim breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed their weapons. The two men were used to fighting, but that did not mean they were always willing too. They preferred to keep things civil and do things diplomatically; things always seemed to work out better that way, or at least they always hoped it would.
Celaeno stood firm, between the Wardens and the now closed door, she shook her head, as if wearily of the recent events. "I am sorry for that. The people of the alienage do not trust outsiders," she said as she took her seat by the fire, rubbing the chill from her small body.
Alistair and Alim both took their seats, Alistair rearranging his chair so that he was now in between Alim and Celaeno and the door to the small hovel.
"How did you know that we were Grey Wardens?" Alim asked as he watched Celaeno. He watched as a small smile crossed her lips and distant look crossed her eyes, as if she were remembering something from a long time ago, in a different place and a different time.
Celaeno shook her head, shaking the old memories way. "My father used to tell me stories of the Grey Wardens and their heroic deeds," she said with a small chuckle, but as quickly as that chuckle arrived, it went away, replaced now with seriousness. "That is why I have asked you here. That woman, her name is Iola. She came to the alienage a week ago. When she found out about what was going on between the elves of the alienage and the nobles in town she was furious. She stayed here with my daughter and I while she infiltrated the noble estates, trying to figure out which of the nobles where taking the girls.
It didn't take long," Celaeno said shaking her head in sadness. "I never asked Iola what she was doing when she went into the city at night, I was afraid that if I knew something, bad would happen to myself or my daughter, but that did not stop the men from coming here. I don't know if they came here because they knew that I was helping her, or it was just a random coincidence, but they came here two nights ago and took my daughter," she said in a wiping a single tear from her cheek.
Alim reached his hand out and took Celaeno's hand in his own. She looked up with a mix of sadness and anger in her eyes; she squeezed his hand while taking a deep breath before continuing. "When Iola came back in the morning I told her about the men and that they took my daughter, Io. She was furious and she took off in a storm. She did not tell me what she had planned, nor did I care, I just wanted my daughter back," Celaeno said as took the poker from next to the fireplace and stirred the embers.
Alim glanced at his fellow Warden, both of them waiting for the woman to finish her tale. "What happened next?" Alim asked urging the story forward.
Celaeno smiled, if not a little evilly. "I do not know. All that I know is that my daughter came back home and then the nobles were in an uproar ever since she came back home. The rumors are that Iola broke into one of the richer noble's estate, I do not know his name, nor do I care. Rumor has it he had many guards, something close to fifty and she took down every single one of them, plus the nobles that were there. Apparently they were having some kind of 'party'," Celaeno said rising from her seat, the two Wardens following suit.
"Please, if you can help her, do so. She is not a bad person, she is my hero," Celaeno pleaded with the men.
Alistair and Alim looked at each other, wondering what it was she thought they could do when it hit Alistair, maybe she can be the new recruit we've been looking for.
Alim looked at Alistair, as if the two friends shared the same mind and thoughts. "We will do what we can milady," Alim said bowing.
"Oh, thank you, thank you very much," Celaeno said throwing her arms around Alim's neck.
Alim was taken by surprise for moment, but leaned into the hug, patting the woman on the back. "You're welcome, but my friend and I must take our leave. We have a lot of ground to cover before the night falls," Alim said while walking out of the hovel.
Alistair the first to exit the small hovel, he was the first to see the small mob of elven men hanging outside.
"What are the strangers do here, in your home Celaeno? Have you not done enough damage by having that woman here?" The man Celaeno had called Kronos said in a fury, many of the men behind him nodding in agreement.
Celaeno stepped out in front of the two Wardens before either of them had a chance to pull their weapons. "These men are here to help the only person that would help our girls! That woman, that human you hate so much was the only person that would get my girl back. I would do anything to help her!" Celaeno screamed in anger at the foolish men that stood in front of her.
No one, not even the two Wardens expected such anger and rage to come from the small elven woman that stood next to them. "Go, get out of here. I can handle these drunks," Celaeno said turning to Alistair and Alim.
The two men looked at each other, unsure if leaving her with this angry mob, even if it we only a few and her own people, was a good idea. "Are you sure you don't want us taking care of them for you? I will be no trouble at all," Alistair with a crocked smile.
Celaeno laughed, "No, I will be fine. These drunks will soon forget what they are doing and all go home."
Alistair and Alim said their goodbyes, but not before eyeing every single one of the men that still stood outside Celaeno's small hovel, making sure that none of them would even think about doing anything to hurt her or her daughter. The men quickly got the hint and dissipated, all of them heading in different directions.
As Alistair and Alim headed out of the Alienage, they heard the sound of splashing puddles of running footsteps. As the two men turned, they saw a little elven girl, Io, Celaeno's daughter. She stopped only a few feet away, shuffling her feet under her, looking to the ground, "I wanted to ask you your names?" The little girl asked nervously.
Alim smiled at Io, lifting her chin so that he could look into her green eyes. "My name is Alim, this is my friend Alistair," Alim said standing back, letting the girl find her own courage.
Io smiled, "Are you going to save Iola?" She asked, her green eyes growing big, pleading with the two Wardens.
"We intend to take her with us, have her join our order," Alistair said stepping toward the little girl.
Io nodded, and clutched a small, dirty stuffed rabbit in her hands. "I want you to give Iola my stuffed rabbit, and thank her for saving me. I owe her my life, and I will work hard, become strong and brave like her, and maybe one day she can teach how to fight like she does," Io said handing the small rabbit to Alistair. The little girl's eyes were full of hope and thankfulness, Alistair couldn't help but smile down at her.
"I will do that, I promise," Alistair said taking the stuffed rabbit and placing it gently in his pack. Io smiled widely as she turned and ran back to her hovel, saying 'thank you' as she ran.
The two Wardens smiled at each other, both of them wondering before if they were doing the right thing, but now knowing that conscripting Iola was the only thing they could do. This woman, without knowing or even being a part of this city and its society, saved a young elven girl from her dome. There are very few people in this world that will do such a thing, and to let someone who will die just didn't set right with either of the men.
As the two men neared the Keep of Highever, they noticed that the crowd had slightly dissipated, but the anger was still radiating off the crowd in huge waves.
As they entered the Keep and made their way to the cells, they were stopped by one of the guards, asking them their business. When Alim told the guard they were Grey Wardens and that they wished to speak to their Guard Captain about one of their prisoners, they received a burst of laughter as if the guard did not believe they were Grey Wardens.
Alistair and Alim rolled their eyes at the man. "My name is Alim and this is Alistair. We are Grey Wardens and if you do not take us to see your Guard Captain I will make sure the rest of your career will be spent cleaning the stockrooms and weapons lockers," Alim said standing only a few inches away from the Guard's face.
Alistair covered his mouth, suppressing a laugh. There was always something funny about the tiny elf mage intimidating people that made him laugh, always.
The Guard scowled and said something incoherent under his breath before leading the two men to his Captain's office. Alim shrugged as Alistair let slip a small laugh before quickly covering his mouth again.
Down the hall, and inside a small office the two Wardens stood, talking to the Captain, explaining that they were interested in taking the woman that they recently brought in. The Captain eyed the two young men, for he was a man that looked to be close to retirement and cared little for what they wanted.
"Fine, take her. I can't stop you, no one can, but I warn you, she's dangerous. Took out over fifty personal guards and a couple of mine, I'm not really sure how we even got her," the Guard Captain said shaking his head.
"Understood, thank you for your graciousness," Alim said bowing his head, Alistair doing the same.
The two Wardens followed the Guard Captain to the cell that held their new recruit. Evil looks and curses followed the men as they went down the hall. "What is their problem?" Alistair asked as he was rudely shoulder pushed by one of the Guards.
"I lost all of my good men when Bann Tygian decided that he wanted to sack the castle and take over the land. These guys are sodding worth less," the Captain said as they neared the cell.
"Oh holy Maker, who stripped the prisoner down to her small clothes?" The Captain asked throwing his arms in the air in annoyance. "Here," he said opening the cell door. "I'll find her armor and weapons. Looks like the guards roughed her up a bit. You might need to patch her up before you leave."
The Captain left the keys to her shackles before turning to leave the Wardens to enter the cell. Alim was the first to enter, and to say that she was only a little roughed up was putting it mildly. Alim quickly dropped to his knees in front of her, not sure where to start first. She was covered in blood and her black hair was matted in blood and pieces of rotten cabbage; the only thing that Alim could think of was to start with healing auras.
"Alistair, I need you to unlock the cuffs. We need to see where she is bleeding from," Alim said turning to his friend.
"If you are here to cure me, just let me die. There is no saving me now," the woman said as Alistair unlocked her shackles. She didn't move, didn't even look up when she spoke; her voice heavy and broken.
"Well, unfortunately for you, we are not going to let that happen. My name is Alistair, and my healer mage friend here is named Alim. We are Grey Wardens and you are now recruited to be one," Alistair said as he carefully started to remove the chains that tied her arms to each wall and her feet and legs on the floor.
The woman known as Iola said nothing more, allowing the two men to heal her wounds and bind her up. There was little they could do here, but Alim made sure that she was well enough to walk out of the Keep on her own accord.
It wasn't until the Guard Captain had returned that they had gotten anything else out of the woman. She stayed motionless and wordless throughout the whole process of Alim healing her many wounds, but when she heard the Captain entering the cell she snapped her head up and glared at him, her eyes burning a hole through his head. Her face was covered in blood, swollen and starting to bruise at her mistreatment at the hands of the guards but her eyes were fierce and full of fury.
"The blood of those noble men and their guards are on my hands, but the blood of all the innocent girls you let them kill are on yours. For you let them rape and torture those girls time and again and did nothing," Iola said in a low rumble. Both Alim and Alistair glanced at each other before looking between the Guard Captain and Iola. She did not back down, nor did her gaze waver.
"Okay, so I think that we should leave. Yes, yes that sounds like a good idea, doesn't Alim," Alistair said trying to break the sudden chill that entered the room.
Alim grabbed Iola's armor and weapons from the Guard Captain, but before he turned and left, he suggested that they take the tunnel exit under the Keep, it would lead them out through the sewers. "I don't want any riots or mishaps while you try to leave the city. Good luck Wardens, I hope to never see any of you again."
With that being said the Captain turned and left the two Wardens and their new recruit.