A/N: I don't own Dragon age.
Prologue.
The Cousland estate:
"Men and women from every race, warriors and mages, barbarians and kings...the Grey Wardens sacrificed everything to stem the tide of Darkspawn... and prevailed. It has been four centuries since the victory and they have kept their vigil. They watch and wait for the Darkspawn to return."
Bryce Cousland paused for effect, the fire throwing flickering patches of light and shadow across the lines of his face. On the other side of the fire his children sat huddled together in one mass of skinny limbs and wide eyes.
"Rubbish," Fergus dismissed the tale promptly his arms crossed over his skinny chest.
"Quiet, I'm trying to listen but I can't hear over your nonsense," Elissa Cousland swept her eyes sideways at the offender before turning their full attention to her father.
"Yeah quiet, too much nonsense," Aedan Cousland mimicked his older siblings; an act that only got him a slap round the head from his oldest brother.
"Ow," he pouted massaging the back of his head.
Daylen watched his brothers squabble with indifference, drawing himself away from them all, head resting on his knees and chin tucked against his chest.
"Fergus don't hit your brother and Aedan stop acting like an idiot," Bryce Cousland attempted to organize some form of order before the inevitable bickering began between his oldest and his youngest child.
"You may as well ask him to stop breathing," Elissa said, picking the mud from the embroidered hem of her dress.
"Aedan don't hold your breath like that, your face is bright red," Bryce removed his son's hands from his mouth and nose.
"Bryce darling isn't it time they were in bed?" his wife called from the other room.
"You heard the boss everyone up in bed."
No one moved as all the children attempted to feign sudden deafness.
"First one in bed gets extra pudding tomorrow," Bryce sighed as the two boys scrambled upwards in a frantic flurry of movement. Aedan was promptly pushed to the floor roughly by Fergus.
"Hey!" the youngest Cousland called after him as he tended to a wounded backside.
"Goodnight father," Elissa said placing one quick kiss on her father's stubbled cheek.
"Goodnight pup," he smiled fondly back at her before pulling himself to his feet.
"Hey wait!"
"Stop that!"
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Aedan and Fergus scrambled and scrapped at the bottom of the stairs. Elissa merely lifted her dress slightly, stepped past them and continued upwards.
It was only as Bryce Cousland began to leave the room that he realised that his third child was still seated, silently watching his father.
"Oh, goodnight Daylen," Bryce smiled.
Daylen nodded once in reply and slunk away after his brothers and sister.
The Denerim Alienage:
"Men and women from every race, warriors and mages, barbarians and kings...the Grey Wardens sacrificed everything to stem the tide of Darkspawn... and prevailed. It has been four centuries since the victory and they have kept their vigil. They watch and wait for the Darkspawn to return."
"Even elves?" Kallian asked, her attention completely absorbed by the tale her father was spinning for her.
"Yes, even the elves," he said poking at the pathetic single flame that was optimistically called the fire.
"Even the elves from Alienages like here?"
"Yes."
"Wow," the revelation actually made Kallian lean backwards against the thin, ratty wall with an expression of absolute stupefaction. Her brother, Darrian, watched his sister with a bemused wonder; his fingers curled tightly around the grubby blanket as he fought a yawn.
"Even the elves?"
"Yes Kallian," Cryion chuckled lightly to himself as he handed a moth eaten blanket to his daughter.
"I bet the elves were better than the humans anyway."
"Probably," he said lightly, paying no heed to his daughter's fierce expression as hatred broke through her pretty little features again.
"Maybe they work together?" Darrian's suggestion fell on deaf ears as Kallian continued passionately.
"I bet all the humans are all like 'hey elves help us because we can't do anything without you' and the elves just laugh and carry on fighting Darkspawn and saving all the other elves."
"Yes, I'm sure they do."
"How do you become a Grey Warden?" Darrian asked drowsily as his eyelids began to droop with fatigue.
"Another Grey Warden has to recruit you."
"So a Grey Warden could recruit me?"
"Yes, they could do."
"Wow," Kallian was once again overcome with wonder.
"Goodnight Kallian," her father said placing a kiss gently on her forehead.
"Goodnight father," she replied through a yawn as she curled up on the straw mattress with only a paper thin blanket covering her tiny, sinewy body.
"Goodnight Darrian," Cryion placed another feather light kiss on his son's head. But there was no reply from the boy who was already snoring softly.
"Even the elves," Kallian murmured before drifting into sleep.
A/N:
Well there's the prologue. I was struggling with a beginning after this idea popped into my head when Duncan was narrating the beginning of Origins. I find multiple Warden Fanfics really interesting so I've wanted to start one myself for some time but kept dithering about with my characters. I have most of their character in mind but I think they'll flesh out as it goes on. As you may have noticed (and like it says in the summary) there are five wardens in this fanfic, three humans and two elves. The two elves are related and the three humans.