Chapter three: Ostagar
The Bannorn had a beautiful landscape. There were lush grasslands that stretched for hours on end, and small rivers that cut through the woods, reflecting a shimmering sky. Its beauty taunted Alice, reminding her of how breathtaking her home in Highever was once as well. The sun warmed Alice's back as she, Duncan and her faithful hound, Cerberus, cut through the Bannorn, to avoid the main roads. They had briefly stopped by the Highever village to buy food supplies, such as hard biscuits and dried fruit, and continued south to Ostagar. The horrors that went on in Castle Cousland were still fresh in Alice's mind, as clear as a picture, and she relived them every night in her dreams. The image of her father's bleeding body haunted her thoughts, and she caught herself one evening washing her hands about four times, believing she still had the blood stains on her palms. Howe—longtime friend of her father, Bryce Cousland—has betrayed them all and slaughtered everyone inside their home. He had purposely told his men to delay their marching and attacked during the night, when most of Bryce's troops had left for the war, along with his son, Fergus. Alice's mother, Eleanor, had stayed with her father until the end, and now she can do nothing but assume that they are dead, along with her old friend and bodyguard, Ser Gilmore. Howe's forces outnumbered theirs, and took no hostages, blindly killing everyone in sight, including Fergus' family. He was currently in Ostagar, unaware, fighting against the Darkspawn, and it tears at Alice's heart to bring him the news of the death of his wife and child.
Cerberus barked at Alice as if reading her thoughts. She smiled at him and hugged him around his neck, "You and Fergus are all I've got, boy." He licked her cheek.
Alice had almost been murdered by a couple of Howe's men when they went upstairs to the bedrooms. She escaped by chopping off her own hair as a distraction and killed them swiftly with the help of her hound and mother. She recently got into the habit of touching the back of her head- whenever she thought of home or her family—where she would grasp at nothing but air, half-expecting to feel her once long black hair. It was now a small pixie cut; Alice had evened out the edges with her knife, but told herself fiercely that she would have been dead if it wasn't for this diversion whenever she regretted it. She remembered wishing to join the Grey Wardens, an ancient order of warriors who battle the Darkspawn and only recruit the very best, but it was a bittersweet moment when she was accepted by Duncan. There was nothing else she could do but travel south.
She had heard many tales of Ostagar, the fortress was once one of the most important defensive Imperial holdings south of the Waking Sea. Standing at the edge of the Kocari Wilds, its Tevinter military base watched for any signs of invasion by barbarians (those known to Ferelden as the Chasind Wilders). Overlapping a narrow pass in the hills, the fortress kept the Chasind from the rich lowlands of the north, being exceedingly difficult to attack due to its natural defensible position.
Duncan informed her briefly that the King's army and the rest of the Grey Wardens were camped there, awaiting more troops. He had mentioned that there were sightings of thousands of Darkspawn in the Wilds, and told Alice promptly to keep an eye out in the open. Despite his gruffness and silence, Alice enjoyed Duncan's company, grateful for his aid during the trouble in the castle. He was not unkind to her during their travel, and always offered her seconds during meals, when they could afford it. He did not say any comforting words, but understood when she wanted to walk by herself for a while. Alice found herself wondering at times about him, he rarely spoke much and seemed deep in thought all the time. He had come to Castle Cousland looking for a recruit, seemingly wanting to test Ser Gilmore but keeping an eye on Alice. Her dual wielding tactics were extraordinary. Duncan admitted that he had heard of her skill from some of the guards who slept away from the castle in the nearby village.
Alice's hound whined softly as they reached the end of the plains and came across the West Road. Duncan examined a signpost that pointed to Lothering, a small village north of the Kocari Wilds.
"Will we be stopping there?" Alice asked him.
"No I fear it will only delay our progress. Many refugees are swarming the village as we speak, we will be no less welcomed than they are," Duncan promptly said, "We are not far from the Kocari Wilds, Ostagar will be within our sight in a matter of days if we march quickly."
They made a small camp farther ahead from the sign and dined swiftly. Alice volunteered to take the first watch, and when she heard Duncan's light rhythmic breathing, she took out her blades—the Cousland sword and a shortblade—and practiced swinging them. It was awkward at first, the long sword was much heavier than the shortblade, and it took time adjusting to the weight difference. She imagined a foe before her, and swung her blades at it, and deflected when it countered. She noticed her footing was slightly off, due to the fact that she hadn't practiced since they left Highever. She sighed and breathed in the fresh night air, glad for the exercise, and when she noticed the moon lowering down towards the west, she woke Duncan up and fell into a dreamless sleep.
Ostagar lived up to its reputation. It was the largest fortress Alice had ever seen, with two large towers on either side of a stone bridge. It rested on a high hill, towering over the swamps defiantly, and Alice felt rather small walking through its large archway of an entrance. There were many soldiers bustling about, stopping only to greet Duncan and Alice briefly, then continuing on their errands. They weren't all knights or swordsmen however, Alice noticed a couple of mages and shifty mercenaries. Many sisters and priestesses from the Chantry in orange and white robes also populated the scenery, blessing the soldiers with prayers. Alice also noted that they all particularly greeted Duncan with a certain level of respect.
Up ahead was a small group of people. There, everyone stopped for about a minute to address the man walking towards her and Duncan with two bodyguards. Then Alice found out why.
It was King Cailan Theirin. He had on a glossy gold heavy armor, with the royal crest carved in the breastplate. His long blonde hair was tied back, but small strands fell in front of his face. He was young, with a square jaw and straight nose, and maybe only a bit older than Alice, but creases formed near the corner of his dark eyes. Nevertheless, he grinned widely at Duncan and grasped his arm in greetings.
Duncan looked surprised. "King Cailan? I didn't expect—"
"A royal welcome? I was beginning to worry you'd miss all the fun!" Cailan laughed. He seemed unusually cheery to Alice, but she had bowed all the same.
"Not if I could help it, your Majesty," Duncan replied warily.
"Then I'll have the mighty Duncan at my side after all! Glorious!" King Cailan exclaimed as he stepped beside Duncan. He noticed Alice and turned to him once again. "The other Wardens have told me you've found a promising recruit. I take it this is she?" Cailan looked curiously at Alice, as he probably had not expected a woman.
"Allow me to introduce you, your Majesty," Duncan began.
"No need Duncan," Cailan smiled at Alice, "You are Bryce's youngest, correct? I don't think we've never actually met."
Alice had gone to his coronation years ago, although Bryce was the one that actually spoke with him. "Yes, your Majesty. My name is Alice," she replied.
"Your brother has already arrived with Highever's men, but we are still awaiting your father," Cailan looked expectantly at Alice.
Her face turned grave. "He's not coming, your Majesty. He… died when our castle was taken." Her fists clenched.
King Cailan looked horrified about this, wanting to think he misheard Alice. "What do you mean? Taken by whom? Duncan, what do you know of this?" He crossed his arms and looked at the Warden.
Duncan glanced at Alice before answering. "Teyrn Cousland and his wife are dead, your Majesty. Arl Howe has shown himself a traitor and overtaken Highever Castle. Had we not escaped, he would have told you any story he wished."
Cailan placed his hands in front of his face. "Bryce… A good man. I can scarcely believe this! How can Howe think he could get away with such treachery?" He asked rhetorically. "As soon as we are done here, I will turn my armies north and make sure he faces justice. You have my word," he promised Alice.
"Thank you, your Majesty," Alice replied gratefully, bowing her head.
"No doubt you wish to see your brother Fergus. Unfortunately, he is scouting in the Wilds, and we will be unable to reach him at the moment," Cailan said forlornly.
"But he may be in danger!" Alice exclaimed. Her brother was all she had left…
"We are all in danger, my friend. We can do nothing but wait, and I fear he will return after the battle," his mouth was set in a straight line, "I apologize, but there is nothing else we can do. I can only ask that you vent your grief at the Darkspawn, for the time being."
"I'm sorry to cut this short, but Loghain waits eagerly to bore me with his strategies." Cailan shook his head as if nothing was worse in the world.
"Your uncle also sends his greetings, and reminds you that Redcliffe forces should be here within a week," Duncan said solemnly.
Cailan regained some of his composure. "Hah! Eamon just wants in on the glory! We've won three battles against these monsters, and tomorrow should be no different," Cailan beamed around his surroundings.
"I didn't realize that things were going so well," Alice said. Duncan had mentioned that many Darkspawn haunted the Wilds, and did not understand the King's enthusiasm.
"I'm not even sure this is a true Blight! There are plenty of Darkspawn about, but we've yet to see any sign of the Archdemon!" He sighed, his brow furrowed.
"Disappointed, your Majesty?" Duncan asked.
"I had hoped for a war like in the old tales! A king, riding beside the fabled Grey Wardens against a tainted god!" Cailan pouted slightly, "But I suppose this will have to do. Now, I must go before Loghain sends out a search party. Farewell, Grey Wardens!" The King left swiftly with his bodyguards, and many people who passed by him bowed lowly.
Duncan folded his hands behind his back. "What the King said is true. They've already won several battles here against the Darkspawn." His mouth turned into a slight grimace.
"Yet you don't sound reassured," Alice said.
Duncan motioned Alice to follow him down the same stone path the King walked by. "Despite these victories, the horde grows larger by the day. By now, I fear they might even outnumber us," he explained, "I know there is an Archdemon behind all of this… but I cannot ask the King to act solely on my hunch."
They stopped before the bridge, and Cerberus rubbed himself against Alice's legs. "Then we should move quickly," Alice replied.
"To that end, we should proceed with the Joining ritual without delay," Duncan said, almost darkly.
"I suppose a hot meal would be too much to ask for?" Alice joked.
Duncan chuckled, relieved to hear Alice's old humor. "We have until nightfall to begin the ritual," his face turned serious again; "Every new recruit must undergo a secret ritual to truly become a Grey Warden. The ritual is brief, but there are some preparations that must be done. It shall be over with soon."
Alice wondered about this. She has never heard of any ritual of any sort, "Why is this so secret?'
"The Joining ritual is dangerous. I cannot speak any more of it, except that you will learn all in good time. Until then, you must trust that what is done is necessary," Duncan said mysteriously.
"Am I your only newest recruit?" Alice asked.
"No, there are two others, they have been waiting for us to arrive," Duncan replied.
"Then what do you need me to do?" Alice petted Cerberus on the head.
"Feel free to explore the camp. All I ask is that you do not leave it for the time being," Duncan said, "There is another Grey Warden in the camp by the name of Alistair. When you are ready, seek him out and tell him it's time to summon the other recruits. Your hound can stay with me, while I attend to some business." Cerberus barked excitedly.
"The Grey Warden tent in on the other side of this bridge, you can find us there, should you need to," Duncan excused himself and left with Cerberus following him along.
I just want a bath right about now… Alice sighed and walked across the stone bridge.
After Alice was given her meal by a guardswoman (Roasted potatoes with a light lamb stew and wheat bread) she sat down on a log nearby and devoured her food eagerly. It was still broad daylight and she watched everyone bustle about on their business, and her eyes wandered to the mage's tent. They were recruited into the King's army from the Circle, and large tower in the middle of Lake Calenhad, in the Bannorn. Mages were brought in the Circle by the Chantry's Templars when they showed any signs of magic, often at a very young age. They are torn away from their loved ones, but the Chantry claims it is necessary, to "protect them" from the evils of magic. Magic is to serve man, not rule him, the prophet Andraste had once said. Yet Alice could not help but feel sorry. Sometimes, when the mages could not control their powers, the Chantry would make them into Tranquil, cutting them off from the Fade (The place where spirits and demons reside, and where one goes when dreaming), but in turn also removing all of their emotions and feelings. In that state, they cannot be possessed by demons, but assume a monotone voice and have no reactions to pain or other expressions. They are alive, but dead in the inside. Alice cannot imagine the Chantry being too pleased having the mages here… and immediately saw the small group of Templars outside of the mage's camp.
Templars were knights in the service of the Chantry, who wore battle-dresses and helmets that completely covered their heads. They swear vows and were trained to battle and control mages. They claim to be guardians, but Alice has heard many rumors about corrupted officials, who sometimes turned mages into Tranquil for no reason, or found any excuse to slaughter an innocent mage. But they mostly occurred in other places, such as the Free Marches, more north across the sea. Still, mages have the power to consort with demons, and turn into blood mages, who rely on their life source and others to summon creatures from the Fade and do necromantic acts. Alice resumed her gaze on the rest of the camp and finished her stew.
Standing near her was an old woman with a stern face. She was dressed in red and ivory robes, with her grey hair tied back. She carried with her a small metal gemmed staff, and Alice assumed she was one of the more senior mages of the Circle. She certainly had the sense of authority of over her.
"You can just take the plates over to the washing area, dear," She said in a surprisingly kind tone, "You must be the new Grey Warden recruit. My name is Wynne, one of the mages summoned by the King."
Alice bowed her head. "A pleasure. You can call me Alice, Wynne."
"The Darkspawn will not be easy foes, Alice. I urge you to be wary as soon as the onslaught starts," Wynne said grimly.
"Have you faced them before?" Alice asked curiously.
"Stragglers, not the hordes that the scouts tell me of," Wynne smiled grimly, "Horrible, humanoid creatures. To defeat them, we must all work together. Unfortunately , it is not an idea that everyone is willing to grasp," Wynne sighed, "Tell me how much do you know of the Fade?"
"I know it is the place where we go when we dream," Alice replied.
"Any time your soul leaves your earthly body, whether to dream or to die, it passes through the realm and into the Fade, "Wynne explained, "It is home to many spirits. Some benevolent, others far less so. At the heart of the Fade lies the Black City."
"Darkspawn aren't surely dream spirits?" Alice doubted.
"No, they are neither kin to the gentle Fade spirits, or the malicious demons. Shamefully, they were once the souls of men. Some say the Black City was once the seat of the Maker. But when the Tevinter mages invaded it, they tainted it with their sin. That same taint turned those men into the twisted creatures we battle today, the Maker had banished them to earth and they became the first Darkspawn." Wynne touched a spot on her shoulder, "At least that's what the Chant of Light says."
"It's something to ponder about," Alice said.
"Indeed," Wynne agreed, "I should be off then, Grey Warden Alice. May the Maker smile upon you, on these coming days." She walked away to the mage's tent, and Alice cleaned up her plates and left as well.
Alice quickly washed, and sighed in contentment when the hot water touched her skin. She rested for a while in the small tent she was directed to when she asked one of the women for a quick bath. She did not dress in her armor she had taken with her from Castle Cousland, but rather a in a light chailmail leather bound battle dress she had bought from one of the weapon smith's stands. It hugged her body, and she practiced running around in it, evading an invisible foe.
It was now noon, and the campsites were now teeming with people. Nurses rushed in and out of small white tents looking harassed, and the mages were now practicing their spells, closely watched by the Templars. On each passing hour, the soldiers grew nervous and frequented the Chantry tents. Some men returned from scouting missions, unfortunately none of them was Alice's brother. A pair of elves were helping some guards carry two men on planks towards the infirmary. Alice caught a quick glimpse of their faces and immediately regretted doing so. There were large boils near their eyes and on their cheeks, thick green and blue veins were protruding from their necks, and the area around the mouth was turning black. Their eye colors were fading fast, and there were large gashes on their limbs and torsos. But they were alive, and both men were groaning in agony. Alice heard many people whisper as they were rushed past. "Darkspawn taint," one man said to Alice, "Poor blokes won't last long. There's no cure when their blood seeps into yours." He clicked his tongue, almost disapprovingly, and sighed, "And to think that I'm going to fight them for the rest of my life… I'd be luckier if a sword ran me through during the battle."
"You're one of Duncan's recruits, I take it?" Alice asked and curiously looked at him. The man had dark brown hair and eyes and was extremely thin, as if he never had anything proper to eat. But he also looked fast, and his fingers quivered slightly as if itching for a coin purse.
He laughed, "What luck, eh? One day I'm the gallows, ready to hang, and next thing I know a man named Duncan pops out the ol' Right of Conscription. Name's Daveth, by the way."
"Duncan recruited me as well. We just arrived a few hours ago. My name is Alice," she replied.
Daveth looked stunned, "Well, you're certainly not I expected!"
Alice's brow furrowed, "What did you expect?"
"Not a woman! Me and Ser knight, the other recruit, were betting on who the third person would be." He looked her over and made Alice blush angrily, "I didn't think they'd recruit lovely ladies such as yourself."
"Not unless they know how properly kill a man, I suppose," she retorted and he sobered.
"Well, do you anything about the tests?"
"Tests?" Alice repeated. Duncan had told her there would be a ritual, but nothing about this.
"I heard a rumor that they were gonna send us into the Wilds! Can you imagine? Already battling Darkspawn and the day's barely beginning." Despite his joking, Daveth whitened a bit at the thought.
"Maybe they will. We'll have to wait and see," Alice said thoughtfully.
"Like we have a choice," scoffed Daveth, "You should talk to Alistair if you want to know more."
"Have you seen him around?" Alice asked. She remembered Duncan mentioning the other senior Warden.
"I saw him go towards the old tower, east of here. He was following one of them mages, I think. I heard he was once a Templar, before he was recruited," Daveth said.
Alice immediately imagined a Duncan look-alike in her mind in Templar armor. "I should go seek him out then. Maker watch over you, Daveth."
"That I hope he does!" He replied, said goodbye and walked away briskly.
Passing the Templar fort, Alice walked towards an old broken stone tower that Daveth pointed to. It looked like it had stood for centuries, before finally collapsing. Most of the rubble was cleared out when the King's army arrived here first. Now it was just a large semicircular room, with an open roof and a view of the Wilds. Alice liked the way the trees moved in a unified motion, and felt a cool breeze brush past her. Luckily it was also empty, and for a while, Alice stood before the eternal abyss of the swamp. Are they really going to send us out there? She thought to herself. An image of her family sprung into her mind, and she absentmindedly touched the back of her head. What would she be doing now, if none of this ever happened? Scolding Nan for yelling at her hound? Practicing with Ser Gilmore? Running away from Eleanor's suitors? Alice's heart sank deeply when she thought of her little nephew, and the way he would always split into a sly grin whenever he saw her. She traced the Cousland crest on her blade.
Our family always does our duty first.
There was suddenly a small commotion nearby. Alice snapped out of her trance and walked cautiously to it. Up ahead was a dark skinned mage with a wooden staff looking extremely annoyed. In front of him was a young soldier, with pale skin, dark eyes, and short blonde hair, slightly spiked towards the front. He had a slightly squared jaw, with a small goatee, and wore medium chainmail armor with heavy greaves and gloves. Their voices carried over the ancient walls and Alice listened in.
"Haven't Grey Wardens asked enough of the Circle?" Asked the mage, wrinkling his nose. Grey Warden? Alice thought. Could this be Alistair? She had imagined him as old as Duncan, yet he looked about Alice's age.
"I simply came to deliver a message from the revered Mother, ser mage. She desires your presence," the young Warden replied with a slight sneer.
"What her 'reverence' desires, is of no concern to me! I'm busy helping the Grey Wardens, by the king's orders, I might add!" An angry vein showed itself on the mage's forehead.
"Should I ask her to write a note?" The Warden retorted sarcastically. Alice looked disbelieving at him. He reminds me of Cailan… She thought with a frown.
The mages nostrils flared. "Tell her that I will not be harassed in this matter!"
"Yes I was harassing you, by delivering a message," The young man rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Your glibness does you no credit!" The mage assumed a look of disgust.
"And here I thought we were getting along so well! I was even going to name my children after you…" The Warden smirked, his boyish face lighting up.
"Enough! I will speak to the woman if I must!" The mage held his head high, "Get out of my way, you fool." He left brusquely. The mage walked past Alice, but he barely noticed her in his anger.
The young Warden sighed and started towards her. "You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."
He was only half talking to her, his eyes wandered lazily around them. Alice studied him curiously. He looked strong, equipping a wooden, metal-lined shield and a grey longsword. He carried himself with the grace of a well-trained warrior. Yet he reminded her of a young boy. "You're a very strange man," she concluded.
The young Warden laughed and his eyes lingered on her face, far too long for Alice's liking. "You're not the first woman to tell me that," he finally broke away his gaze, "Wait, we haven't met, have we? I don't suppose you happen to be another mage?" He looked annoyed at the thought.
"No, we haven't met. You must be Alistair, yes?" Alice said, ignoring his mage comment.
"And that makes you Duncan's new recruit, I suppose? Glad to meet you," Alistair replied kindly. "As junior to Duncan in the Order, I shall be accompanying you when you prepare for the Joining."
He might not look the part, but at least I might be able to get answers out of him, Alice thought. "Pleased to meet you, my name is Alice."
Alistair grinned. "Alice. Riiight, that was the name," he looked away thoughtfully, crossing his arms again, "You know… it just occurred to me that there have never been many women in the Grey Wardens. I wonder why that is?" He grinned slyly.
Another flirt… Alice's cheeks reddened a little, but she retorted, "You want more women in the Wardens, do you?"
Alistair chuckled. "Would that be so bad? Not that I'm some drooling lecher or anything. Please stop looking at me like that." He noticed Alice glowering, but continued smiling nevertheless.
"I can handle myself better than most," replied Alice a little harshly.
"Hmm. I'm getting that impression," Alistair said, looking her over again. His face grew serious however, "So, I'm curious. Have you ever actually encountered Darkspawn?"
"Have you?" Alice asked. She knew nothing of them except for what they said in stories and rumors.
"When I fought my first one, I wasn't prepared for how monstrous it was," Alistair murmured distantly, "I can't say I'm looking forward to encountering another. But I digress. Whenever you're ready, let's get back to Duncan, I imagine he wants to get things started."
"Started? As in going into the Wilds?" Alice asked remembering Daveth's comments.
Alistair nodded. "If sure Duncan will fill you in. We won't be completely alone, there are scouts out there as well."
"My brother might be among them!" Alice exclaimed, looking out into the Wilds again. "The King sent him with a group."
"It's not a guarantee that he will be. The King sent various groups off in different directions of the Wilds," explained Alistair, "Most of the horde is coming from the Uncharted Territories, more south. If he's a good swordsman, if expect that's where he'll be."
Alice turned her face away so he could not see her worried expression. She needed to find a way to Fergus, she would not leave him in the dark any longer.
Alistair noticed however and sensed her grief. He reached for her arm, "C'mon." His expression softened.
Alice pulled away gently and walked ahead of him, leaving him in a small state of confusion.
There was a large gathering near the main campsite. A single soldier stood in front of the crowd and Alice and Alistair noticed a small corpse near his feet.
"A Darkspawn," Alistair muttered, "We call those Genlocks, and they're the smallest of the lot. Still deadly, and some even become powerful necromancers, Duncan once told me."
The creature had its chest slashed open, black blood spilling out into the ground. Its face was twisted to resemble human features, but large spiked uneven teeth protruded from its mouth and small horns grew out of its skull. Its skin was charred, as if it was burned at one point, and wore armor made out of various animal bones. Alice had never seen anything like this, and at once thought of Fergus, alone in the swamps.
The soldier standing by the Darkspawn yelled to the crowd, "Don't touch it or even breathe in its stink! Their blood is poison, and if it gets into yours, you might as well slit your own throat. It's a slow death, and it has gotten to some of our Marbari. We will burn this corpse, so it does it not spread its taint." He finished talking, and gathered a few soldiers to carefully remove the Genlock.
Alistair shook his head and led Alice into a secluded area, where Duncan and Cerberus were standing by a large fire pit. Alice was surprised to see Daveth, and a knight in grey heavy armor, with a greatsword on his back. He seemed nervous, and his eyes shifted from Duncan, to the rest of the campsite.
Cerberus barked at once and jumped at Alice, and she hugged him around the neck.
Duncan nodded. "Good. I'll assume you're ready to begin preparations," then turned to Alistair with a stern look, "Assuming that you're done riling up the mages, Alistair?"
His piercing gaze made Alistair look down on the ground, and a slight blush appeared on his face, "What can I say? The revered Mother ambushed me. The way she wields guilt, they should stick her in the army."
"We cannot afford to antagonize anyone, Alistair," Duncan replied firmly, "We don't need to give anyone more ammunition against us."
Alistair noticed his disappointed gaze and lowered his head again, "You're right, Duncan. I apologize."
"Let's begin then," Duncan said promptly. "You four will be heading into the Kocari Wilds, to perform two tasks. The first is to obtain three vials of Darkspawn blood, one for each recruit." He handed Alice, Daveth, and the knight a small clear glass vial.
The knight looked at his curiously, "What do we need Darkspawn blood for?"
"I'll explain when you get back, but it is crucial for the Joining," Duncan said. "The second task will be finding an old Warden archive. It was abandoned, long ago, when we could no longer maintain such remote outposts. It has recently come to our attention that some scrolls may have been left behind, magically sealed to protect them. Alistair, I want you to find these documents if you can." Alistair nodded.
"What kind of scrolls are these?" Asked Alice.
"Old treaties, if you're interested," replied Duncan, "Promises of support made to the Grey Wardens, long ago. They were considered only formalities, with so many that have forgotten their commitment to us. I expect it may be a good idea to have something to remind them with."
Duncan turned to Alistair again, "Watch over your charges, Alistair. Return them quickly, and safely."
"We will," he assured Duncan.
"Then may the Maker watch your path. I will see you when you return."
9