A/N: The earlier chapters have - Origin at the end of titles to refer to the AU/OC aspects. Characters will join, and the story will speed up. For future reference, this story will eventually focus on Alistair and Zachary, a human commoner.
Zachary marvelled at the haste of his parents while packing their belongings. The strength of his father's arms, the swiftness of his mother's movement, and the repeated tidiness of their assets during every move had never failed to astonish the green-eyed son. The Lawson family had often had to migrate, most likely due to what they did for a living. The business that they ran isn't exactly honourable. His parents, happily together for 30 years, scavenged and looted any unfortunate souls in the wilds and abandoned roads and hoped to sell them elsewhere in Fereldan. They often had regulars that they would go to, and at other times, their regulars found them. How and why they started this business was still a mystery to Zachary—he had never known of any other life and thus never questioned his current one. An outsider would pity the family's way of living, but the three of them, well, once four of them, lived comfortably enough.
"Let's go, Zack," his mother, Elena, reminded the young man, "We're off to Ostagar." The family had heard from their regulars that the blight was beginning to spread from the wilds. They had been lucky not to encounter any so far, and they weren't looking forward to do so. Moreover, Ostagar was a good place for business—news spread that King Cailan was defending against the darkspawn there. Wouldn't they like some gear?
Zachary reminisced about the easier and younger times. His father, Aleks, had always splurged him with stories of the mighty Grey Wardens. He told him of their feats with the defeats of many Blights, the darkspawn, and the Archdemons. Zachary learned that the year he was born was the same year King Maric allowed the Wardens back into Ferelden. He'd always felt that he had some special connection with the Grey Wardens, some grandiose life that awaits him, perhaps away from all this. A young man can dream, can he not?
During the younger years of Zachary, Aleks had always kept him safe. The family had often collided with other opportunists and thieves, rival merchants, occasional guards, and occasional stragglers. Had it not been for the patriarch, the family wouldn't have had survived for so many years. Zachary recalls that once, during a midnight robbery, a group of cunning rogues attacked their camp. Nearing the end of a Grey Warden tale, the quiet hours to which the family grew accustomed were interrupted by soft clicks that night—the sound of locks. Zachary remembered clearly the absence of birds and owls that night. The smell of the grass during springtime was strong to the senses. Aleks, adept in detecting stealth, easily dispatched several thieves with his swords training. The man depended on his platinum-plated two-handed great sword to protect his family, and to this day, he carries this family treasure to sleep. His taunts and timely stonewall talents protected himself from backstab attacks. Elena and Zachary, left behind in the tent, unfortunately, were also faced with these opportunist rogues. The soft moonlight revealed them, as their shadows were cast against the tent. Perhaps Zachary was too young then; his memory didn't serve him well. He briefly recalled feeling tired and hearing screams of horror. His parents told him that he was probably too scared and conjured some false memories. Nonetheless, Zachary always felt safe with his father.
After that incident, however, Aleks was unsatisfied with how easy their lives could perish with this nomadic life. He decided to train the young Lawson in physical fighting. Although a warrior himself, Aleks had learned bits and pieces of other talents throughout the years, including dual weaponry, weapon and shield, and archery. Having no mages in his lineage, he wasn't able to teach Zachary any spells. Perhaps the young Lawson wasn't destined to physically fight. Although his favorite, he was only mediocre at best handling a sword and a shield. With his smaller frame and slightly toned muscles, Zachary was slightly clumsy with his smaller sword and shield. He tended to focus on parrying attacks rather than finding an opportunity to strike. Still, he had not had to fight much; only once or twice after that incident did he ever had to arm himself to defend his family.
"Yes, mother," Zachary had replied, while brushing against his short, brown hair. He sheathed his sword, wore the scabbard on his dark brown, leather sword belt, and harnessed his sturdy metal shield to his back. He opted to wear a light, leather armor rather than his father's heavier, veridium armor—A personal choice to favor lower fatigue over armor. Especially since the trip from the southwestern end of the Korcari Wilds to Ostagar was going to be a long one, it seemed suitable for the young warrior to choose the lighter armor.
The trip was going to take at least a week. With the wilds being abandoned due to the recent appearance of darkspawn, they had not seen another human soul in the forest for the first half of the trip. The wilds seemed to look sicker every passing day; the leaves seemed to darken, the sun seemed to be clouded by mist, and the flowers seemed never to blossom. Perhaps, Zachary thought, the darkspawn's highly feared taint was destroying the wilds.
Aleks keenly observed his family's surroundings for any danger. His constant alertness resulted in both his mental and physical exhaustion at night. Even the laughter that resulted from Elena and Zachary did not seem to wake the father up during these nights. Aleks took note of the flora and fauna; the wilderness entailed a variety of beasts, large and small, malicious and benign. The plants and trees seem unlively, the dark green and black leaves with little variety. He was, however, surprised when he took sight on a particular Wilds flower, the red-centered, white-petal flower. The gloomy surroundings made this bloom of a plant more captivating. The family patriarch covertly plucked one for a future surprise for his beloved Elena.
Once in a while, Aleks would take arms and fend off wolves and bears that seem to thwart his family's journey. He noted that during several of his shorter battles with these wilderbeasts, an obscure spider would watch the fight, hiding from the Lawsons. The spider had always disappeared before the battle ends, however, and it never interfered with the brawl. At first, Aleks wasn't sure if there were simply spiders lurking the forests at all times. However, he noticed that this particular one had amber eyes. The soft stares from this spider gave it a more human appearance, strangely, and Aleks had a feeling of familiarity with this creature.
The black spider watched the family curiously as the humans traversed the woods. It had known the Lawsons for a long time, whether they were aware of it or not. In fact, the creature had an encounter with one of the Lawson heirs, and this perhaps, regrettably, had led to the separation of the heir from his family. The spider's sly movements have kept it hidden from the family for many years. The realization that the family was headed towards Ostagar provoked the spider to look out for the family, to keep a promise. Perhaps the spider would finally be relieved of this task of keeping the family safe, perhaps the spider would finally enjoy the wilds without humans influence, or perhaps the spider would now venture off to wherever it liked.
The spider had kept its eyes on the young Lawson, watching his uncoordinated movements as he defended his mother against the looming darkspawn. The creature could tell that the young man was horrified, as he glared at the ruthless monstrosities. The hurlock swung its two-handed mace against the young man, destabilizing the determined soul. The darkspawn's warcry stunned the nearby Lawson and the defenseless boy was easily swept off his feet. As the spider was about to intrude and halt the imminent death of its protectee, it felt a strange aura that slowed the movement of the darkspawn. In fact, the Lawson recovered rather quickly, held up his shield, and bashed the hurlock. He gripped his sword fiercely and pierced the armor of the intruder. A horrible scream was let out as the hurlock struggled and eventually still on the ground, lifeless.
The aura wavered eventually, and the rest of the darkspawn had fled. "Father!" Zachary cried as he neared Aleks. The wound on the mature Lawson was deep with the arrow entering from the back. The crimson blood crept out of the wound slowly, the speed limited by the intruding arrow. Elena checked on her lovers breathing and his heart, making sure the vitals are still in check. Careful not to move the arrowhead, she snapped the tail end of the arrow to prevent unnecessary clutter. Elena ordered her son to grab some poultices from their gear, and to set up camp for his father could definitely use some rest.
The young man went to where they left their gear and began nervously scavenging for any healing items. He noticed a vial of blue liquid, stashed and wrapped up in his mother's belongings. He had never seen his family use this blue liquid before for injuries. An uncertain curiosity began to brew in the young Lawson. Almost immediately after, he remembered the direness of the situation and brought the poultices to his family. Surprisingly, in this short duration, the arrow had already been removed, the wounds cleaned, and the father had gone into a deep slumber.
Zachary, in disbelief at how his mother alone could tend to his father without healing items, began to set up the tent to prepare for nightfall. The family, under the pale moon, near a glimmering lake, took their much needed rest as the spider who watched the events unfold, knowingly head back to its home.
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