The smell of smoke and blood tainted the air, screams and the sounds of battle echoed through the cramped passageway. Eva's body moved mechanically, her mind and heart still with her parents who were most likely waiting for their death.
The voices were muffled and grew fainter with every step Duncan and Eva took, the loud, angry voice of soldiers and that smug, satisfied voice that belong to the treacherous Howe.
There were thumps, a struggle and all went quiet.
Eva froze, her lower lip trembling, and it was only the gentle nudge from her Mabari Hound that kept her from rushing back to slaughter whoever stood in her way.
"Come, there seems to be little activity outside. We may slip past the guards without notice." Duncan's gravelly voice murmured.
Duncan's assumption was correct, for they slipped into the night leaving the carnage and murder behind them.
~o~
Eva's eyes flickered open as the caravan she slept in, came to an abrupt stop. She squinted her eyes as a beam of light hit her from outside, soon hidden by the shadow of her Grey Warden companion.
"Ah, good. I was just coming to wake you, I wish to speak to you outside." His dark eyes flickered to the small elf child who dozed beside Eva.
Eva nodded and slipped from the child's weak grip, the child must have cuddled up to her during her sleep. Strange, since the child seemed afraid of Eva when they first met, perhaps she simply seemed more approachable in her sleep?
Eva hopped from the makeshift caravan and allowed her cramped muscles to stretch before walking the short distance to where Duncan stood waiting.
"I have asked the elves to stop the cart as I fear we soon will be attacked by a small band of Darkspawn, six or seven at the most." Duncan said, his eyes examining the trees that surrounded the empty highway.
"You fear? We have stopped because of a fear you have Duncan?" Eva questioned, knowing that the older man was hiding something.
Duncan stared at the young girl in front of him, the cheerfulness that he saw when first arriving at Highever now gone and replaced with dark circles and a clenched jaw
"Do not forget that I am a Grey Warden, Eva. Our fears, when concerning Darkspawn, are always correct."
Eva lifted her head slightly and gazed at the man, her nostrils flaring in annoyance, he was keeping a secret from her. Of course, she had quickly learned on the road that there was little he would say about the Grey Warden when she asked the few questions that seemed to nag at her tired mind.
"I am going to go scout the nearby forest and I need you to watch over the elves, it would not do to repay their kindness by leaving them unguarded and to the hands of the Darkspawn, especially after they graciously allowed us to travel with them and allowed you to sleep in their caravan."
Eva did not miss the slight emphasis when Duncan mentioned them allowing Eva to sleep in the cart turned caravan and frowned, did he really think that she would refuse to protect defenseless elves, the man was infuriating at times, aggravating her radically shortened temper.
Eva opened her mouth to retaliate but was stopped when Duncan held up his hand and continued; "I plan to hunt down the small group, they are only an hour or two away at most and with them dead it leaves the road slightly safer for others travelling to Ostagar without protection."
Eva resigned to being kept in the dark and instead asked; "Will you be fine on your own?"
Duncan chuckled at the question; "I am not the Warden-Commander of Ferelden for nothing Eva. Just keep your guard up and if it gets dark before I get back, light a fire and keep the family in the caravan. If the darkspawn do attack, they will go for you first and you will fare better than an unarmed family who have never fought a battle in their lives. I will see you soon, my lady."
Eva watched as Duncan quickly disappeared in the trees and turned to walk back to the caravan were two nervous elves awaited her.
~o~
Duncan sighed as he wiped the sweat from his face, the darkspawn had been closer than he thought and were certainly headed in the direction of the caravan. Thankfully there had been no emissaries and only one archer, a thought gnawed at him though, he had definitely sensed more than the four he killed. Could there still be darkspawn heading towards the caravan?
~o~
Eva suppressed a yawn as she leaned against the cart, half listening to the muffled conversation between Aria, the child who had become quite taken with Pup and her mother, Nesiara and half paying attention to the trees, waiting to hear a telltale rustle of Duncan arriving back.
She had to admit that she was extremely cynical at Duncan's claim of darkspawn nearby and she wished she could have kept going towards Ostagar; she needed some sort of purpose right now, to stop those dreaded thoughts and emotions that try to creep upon her and standing around did nothing to push them away.
Pushing herself away from the cart, Eva stretched her stiff muscles. The nonstop travelling had been something she definitely wasn't used to and sleeping on the hard ground had been a big wake up call, even when she had went hunting with her brother, they used luxurious bedrolls that would provide more comfort than the cold, grassy ground seemed to give.
A low growl silenced her thoughts and caused Eva to reach for the family blade which hung off her waist.
"What is it Pup?" Eva murmured to her faithful friend.
Pup's eyes narrowed as he stared into the dark trees, seeing something just out of Eva's sight. Reacting to a possible threat she moved to the cart and handed her spare dagger to an alarmed Adwen who took it uncertainly.
"Hide and only use that if you have to!" Eva said urgently, now hearing the footfalls of several… things.
She smelled them before she saw them, the rotting smell made her throat constrict and her stomach turn, her first instinct was to turn and run and she very nearly followed that instinct and if it hadn't been for the cart behind her, protecting three vulnerable elves, she would have fled for her life.
When she caught sight of them, her eyes widened in horror. These beings were like nothing she had seen, their skin poisoned by greens and grays, their lips gone baring their razor sharp teeth.
There were only three of these 'darkspawn' but for Eva it felt like a hundred times more, fear shook her heart and it was only when Pup charged that Eva followed, determined to not allow the fear that gripped her to win. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Pup go for the throat of the smaller darkspawn and eyed the two that circled her, spitting and snarling , readying themselves to attack.
She did not allow them to do so, drawing her dagger and sword she sidestepped the attack from the beast in front of her and used her foot to push it down the small incline leaving it dazed on the ground and allowing her to focus on the other.
It was only the loud war cry that helped Eva narrowly avoid being gutted as she turned and met the black blade with her own family blade and dagger. The clang was loud and Eva grunted in effort as the great sword bore down on her. The darkspawn was much stronger than she had anticipated but using her two blades she managed to throw her opponent off balance and spin out of his reach, her blade leaving a nasty cut through the darkspawn's torso.
The creature roared in anger and pain and swung its blade in a high arc causing Eva to duck but allowing her to slice at its legs, rendering it immobile and allowing her to decapitate it quickly. Looking over at Pup, she saw that he was killing the small darkspawn he had attacked. The sounds of fighting ceased and Eva panted, the adrenaline of the fight wearing off and leaving her feeling sore and sluggish.
A small blonde head popped out as Aria searched for Eva, wanting to see the dark haired human she had become strangely attached to. Seeing that the danger was over, Aria clambered out of the cart and gazed at the bloody sight in fear and shock. Tears of worry and fear coated her large blue eyes as she stared at Eva, waiting for confirmation that she was uninjured. Eva smiled reassuringly to the child and made to wipe the black blood of the tainted creatures from her face when she saw it.
In the heat of battle it seemed that Eva had forgotten about the third darkspawn that she had pushed down but it had regained its bearings and now, seeing an easier target, ran with its blade raised towards Aria who froze in horror at the sight of the monstrous being.
Without giving it much though, Eva dived towards the small child, hoping to push her out of the way and distract the beast, giving Aria time to hide with her family. Unfortunately tiredness had taken its toll on Eva and her reaction time was off, she had managed to push Aria out of harm's way but in doing so allowed the beast's blade to sink into her shoulder. Eva shouted in pain as black dots clouded her vision, the beast seemed to grin in malicious pleasure and let out a deep chuckle, knowing it had hit the mark. Grunting in effort, Eva stared into the milky white eyes of the humanoid creature and shoved her sword and dagger into its gut. The darkspawn growled in pain but soon fell limp, leaving Eva seemingly embracing the monster as she panted from exertion. Heaving the beast from her blades she winced as the weapon also freed itself from her shoulder. It no longer hurt as it did earlier, but Eva had heard that this was not necessarily a good thing and with the haziness of her vision, she assumed she was right before slipping into the Fade.
~o~
Duncan rushed to where the Cart sat, only to find several new additions to the scenery in the form of darkspawn corpses. His eyes widened a fraction when he saw the elven couple attending to an unconscious Eva while the child watched in fear, clinging onto the Mabari hound who refused to leave his owner's side.
"What happened?" Duncan asked, startling them all.
"She protected Aria Ser, pushed her out of the way of a blade but it got her instead. We've tried to clean the wound and bandage it with what we have but she seems feverish" Nesiara murmured, patting Eva's face with a damp cloth.
Duncan inwardly smiled at the courageous act Eva committed, she would definitely make a great Grey Warden. A groan caught his attention and he kneeled next to Eva, surveying her condition.
"What happened?" her voice was croaky and quiet.
"It seems you threw yourself in front of the blade of a darkspawn. While not the wisest decision, it was a courageous act."
Eva attempted to sit up only to fall back down, "Why do I feel so weak? And why does my body feel like it is on fire?"
Duncan frowned and focused on the young woman in front of him, feeling the familiar yet different pull and inwardly grimacing.
"It is just exhaustion, you have pushed yourself enough today. Come, let's get you into the cart where you may sleep."
Duncan lifted Eva with ease, slowly moving to the cart, only pausing to have Eva point out which darkspawn injured her shoulder. Leaving Eva to fall into a restless sleep, Duncan examined the blade that lay beside the darkspawn corpse that Eva pointed out and grimaced, it was as he feared. The blade was coated with the tainted blood of a darkspawn. With a sigh, he pulled out a vial which used to contain a health potion and filled it with darkspawn blood, slipping it into a pouch around his waist.
~0~
Eva's eyes fluttered open, feeling a damp cloth against her forehead and a hand in her hair, she pushed herself up with a grunt, flinching at the pain which shot through her shoulder and down her arm. Readjusting the sleeping Aria, Eva dragged herself to the edge of the cart and peered outside. They were still moving but at a faster pace and in the distance she could see great stone walls and hear the loud voices of various men and women.
Eva leaned back and allowed herself to play with Aria's her, despite the exhaustion nagging at her body she could not sleep, the images from her dream plaguing her mind. It had not been like her previous dream where she relived her family's murder.
No in this dream Eva seemed to be lost in an underground cavern, she was searching for something but could not figure out what until she heard the voice, the alluring voice that called out to her.
"Come my child, come to me. Come and we shall rid this world of those that taint it with their poison."
A shiver ran down Eva's spine as she thought of the words, they seemed to echo through her very being, leaving her empty and yearning more. It disturbed Eva yet intrigued her to know who this person was.
Deep in her thoughts, Eva did not realize that the cart had stopped until Duncan pulled back the canvas and spoke gently.
"We have arrived at Ostagar, come we must head for the Grey Wardens tent with haste."
Eva blinked as she clumsily moved to follow him, stumbling from the cart with little grace, if Duncan had not steadied her, she would have fell flat on her face. She seemed very aware at how the older man's hand felt cool against her burning skin and how her shoulder seemed to throb in pain with his contact, as if it was aware of him. A foolish notion she quickly dismissed of course.
It seemed she would not get to say goodbye to the elven family who, bar Aria, had begun unpacking their belongings and reporting to those necessary but when Eva mentioned this, her words slurring slightly, Duncan shook his head stating that she could speak with them later after she had seen a healer.
Eva didn't remember much while walking through the Ostagar camp, she felt the stares of curious soldiers but it seemed to pass through her easily as she walked along, supported by Duncan. The next thing that Eva seemed aware of was a cooling sensation passing through her shoulder, the kind but worried face of an elderly woman and the murmurs of soldiers who were dressed in silver armor.
Eva blinked as Duncan stood in front of her, her focus returning slightly, she stared at him watching him as he spoke to another man, one with reddish hair and facial tattoos. Realizing that Eva was now able to pay attention Duncan nodded towards the strange man, who then turned and began preparing what looked like a potion.
"Eva, unfortunately we must move quickly. When the blade of that darkspawn cut through you, it also tainted you and with the blood in your system you are turning into a ghoul." Duncan explained.
Eva opened her mouth but was cut off by Duncan continuing; "A ghoul is any person, no matter of race who have been poisoned by darkspawn blood. They will lose their sanity and feel compelled to find darkspawn and help them in various ways, there is no cure for this. The only chance you have to keep your sanity and not become a ghoul is to become a Grey Warden."
Eva clenched her fist and gave a grunt, "I was going to be a Grey Warden anyway, this just makes it more definite."
Duncan let out a low chuckle, "I guess it does. Now come, I wish to begin the Joining immediately."
Duncan helped Eva up and led her out of the tent as the redhead followed behind holding a chalice, Eva did not notice the young blonde man who began walking with them as they walked the short distance to a private alcove in the ruins.
"While everyone's circumstances differ when joining the Grey Wardens, the Joining we undergo is the same. We ingest the taint of that Darkspawn and it helps us battle them, we have been called upon to submit ourselves to the taint for the greater good and now it is your turn, Eva. It is tradition for the Junior Warden to speak before the ritual, Alistair if you please?"
Eva seemed surprised at the voice from her side, not noticing the blonde who stood awkwardly beside her and cleared his throat.
"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be foresworn, and should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten, and that one day we shall join you."
Eva reached out for the chalice the redhead offered her and quickly took a mouthful of the foul liquid which seemed to burn her tongue. Swallowing before she could spit it back out, her body seared with pain as her knees gave way and she fell to the stone floor.
Her whole body seemed to be on fire and with every beat of her heart the intensity of the flames increased, white hot and rushing through her, burning with anger and destruction until she saw the source, a black dragon seemed to look right at her and it roared. While her ears heard the roar, her mind and heart seemed to translate it with easy.
TRAITOR!
A/N; Reviews are welcome as I tried to do a different approach to the typical Cousland beginning, I'm not exactly sure how much I will differ from the game. I do plan to make changes and such but I am still writing/planning. Also I am not entirely sure when the next update will be. It took me a good few days to write this and the majority of it was done in the one go soooo.
So review/alert/favourite etc. It makes me smile to know people read/like my work. And yes I whoeheartedly love Concrit too. (: