Chapter One. Rescue
Hooves were beating the ground. Her fingers pulled her hair loose around her. The wind whipped her face. She felt free. Serena Cousland galloped through the woods on her white mare, Persephone. Serena delighted in the wind flowing through her long, jet-black hair after a long day of having it piled atop her head in an intricate design of braids. Mother is going to kill me when she sees the state I'm in, she thought, looking down at her ruined dress and wincing. The day had been spent meeting with the nobility of Ferelden in celebration of King Cailan's coronation and a beautiful dress had been provided for her. It was now virtually shredded by the branches of the trees.
In truth, it gave her some pleasure. Her seventeenth birthday had just passed and suddenly Serena was being paraded around every formal gathering in the grandest dresses, as her mother showed her off to all her possible noble suitors. Seeing one of them destroyed made the weight on her shoulders seem a little lighter. Riding Persephone was calming her after a stressful day.
Sighing, she slowed her pace slightly, enjoying the sights of the forest and attempting to forget her troubles. She was riding alongside the walls of the Denerim chantry, hoping to hear the sounds of the Templar's training. It seemed, however, that they were finished for today. She sighed in disappointment, gazing up at the Chantry's tall tower. She wondered then if the Templars really were as fearsome as everybody said. Surely not all of them were simply 'mage-hunters'. Serena became lost in her thoughts for a moment.
As it happened, this distraction was most unfortunate, for it was at this precise moment that Persephone reared back suddenly, throwing Serena from her saddle. She landed heavily, the wind knocked out of her. Pain was instantaneous. Darkness began to eat away at the edges of her vision and she blinked furiously trying to keep it at bay. If she passed out now in the middle of the woods, who knew what could happen to her.
Turning her head to look for Persephone, Serena nearly screamed. Three long arrows were protruding from her horse's body, marring her beautiful white hair with crimson blood. Forcing herself to her knees, Serena crawled to her mare's side, without the slightest clue of what she should do. Persephone was breathing, but rapidly losing blood. She felt panic begin to well up inside her.
"What's happened to you, my friend?" She sobbed, hands hovering over the wounds. It was then that she heard twigs snapping behind her. Whirling around, she whipped the concealed dagger from it's place on her thigh. She held it clumsily, still recovering from her fall. A tall man emerged from his behind a tree, his expression unreadable. He held a bow in his hands and had a quiver full of long arrows on his back. He was far older than Serena and his face looked worn from long years exposed to the harsh environment of Ferelden. He wore light leather armour which bore no crest.
Suddenly, his expression melted into one of despair. "Oh, Maker! I am so sorry, my dear girl." He began in a rush as he saw Persephone lying still behind Serena. "I have been hunting wild beasts in these woods for many days now. I did not realise anybody would be in here. Please, forgive me."
Serena hesitated. The man's words were sound enough, but his delivery rang false. There was something wrong here, but she couldn't place her finger on it. She kept her dagger raised high, pointed at the stranger. Truthfully, her skill in close combat was limited as she favoured a longbow, but even a child could not miss a single target coming straight for her. Serena believe herself safe, as long as she kept her dagger pointed at the man. Unfortunately, she was wrong.
The stranger's eyes flicked behind Serena as though looking at somebody. Too late, she realised her mistake. He was a distraction. Before she could turn, two large hands grabbed her from behind, one covering her mouth and muffling her scream, the other wrestling the dagger from her hand. Serena kicked and writhed, but a huge arm wrapped around her, squeezing her body in a cage of flesh. She bit down on the hand which covered her mouth, tasting blood, but still the hand remained firmly in place.
"Little bitch!" A deep voice spat behind her. "She bit me, Mikail!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Mikail scolded. Serena's eyes widened he walked towards her, the heat in his eyes plain to see. "We need to be kind to our little lady here." He brushed a hand through Serena's hair, bringing a piece up to smell. The look on his face made her want to vomit.
"She must be rich." Remarked the man holding her. "She smells too good to be a commoner."
Mikail smiled an awful smile, looking into Serena's eyes. "Is that true, little lady? Is your daddy rich?" All Serena could do was stare daggers at him, attempting to put all her anger into that one look. "Maybe we should let her answer, Bron." Mikail continued.
The hand covering Serena's mouth lifted slightly and she spit in Mikail's face. Rather than getting angry, he simply wiped it away. "Well, little lady, you are feisty, aren't you?" He smiled, reaching out and running a hand up her thigh as Bron held her still. "That's good."
Realising his intent, Serena's mind went into panic as she shook her head and writhed, trying to kick her legs and loosen her arms. She tried with all her might, but could get nowhere. The fear began to overwhelm her. Mikail started to raise her skirts, running his hands up her legs as he did so. Serena opened her mouth and screamed.
The young Templar was staring up at the orange sky, watching the sun set over the Chantry walls. He was supposed to be out here tidying up after today's training as punishment for getting into another fight with the other recruits. Truthfully, the work was largely done when he arrived, so he decided to spend the rare free time admiring the Maker's most beautiful spectacle. The sun.
His moment of relaxation was broken when he heard sudden screaming. A young woman's screams by the sounds of it coming from over the wall to his left. Looking over to the Chantry doors, he doubted anybody else could hear it through the thick wood. Without any time to go get help, he quickly formulated a plan. Without a second thought, he rushed over to the training area, retrieving one of the blunted swords the Templars allowed them to practice with. It wasn't a brilliant option, but it was better than nothing. He also managed to gather a small wooden shield in his rush, before running to the east wall.
Conveniently, this was also the wall which he often scaled to go wandering into the forest at night. When all the other boys were asleep, this young recruit chose to seek a few minutes each night to himself, away from the Chantry walls. As such, he had found the perfect spots to place hands and feet in order to cross the wall quickly and quietly. He used the same footholds now, holding the sword and shield in one hand and climbing with the other.
What he saw when he landed on the other side shocked him. Two men seemed to be wrestling with something in their arms. He realised with a shock that it was a woman. A young woman with dark hair and a beautiful, albeit slightly tattered dress. One of the men was reaching under her skirts with one hand, using the other to fumble for his belt.
The young Templar needed no further information. He sprang into action, leaping forward he struck the huge man holding the girl over the head with his shield, throwing all his weight behind the blow. Templar training is vigorous and it payed off in this case, as the man crumpled to the ground. Rounding on the next one, who seemed to be in a sudden state of shock, he lunged towards the young lady's attacker, thrusting the sword as hard as he could into the man's chest. A difficult feat with a blunted sword, but he just about managed to strike a killing blow. The man crumpled to the ground.
Panting heavily, the young man turned to the terrified young woman and dropped his weapons. She had fallen to the ground with the huge brute who had been holding her and was frantically trying to disengage herself from his arms. She's terrified, the recruit though, and with good reason. Maker knows what would have happened if I hadn't been out here.
He kneeled down beside the girl very slowly, not wanting to frighten her. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. It was then that the young man realised how beautiful she was. Her sapphire blue eyes stood out against her pale skin, contrasting her long, black hair which fell down her back in loose curls. He knew, now was not the time to notice the young woman's beauty, but the way she stared at him, he couldn't help it.
"Hello." He stated simply, not knowing what else to say. When she said nothing, he reached out very slowly. Carefully and gently, he wrapped his arms around her, trying to pull her free of the unconscious man's embrace. She flinched slightly at his touch, but allowed him to pick her up, all the while staring into his eyes. The young man felt his cheeks begin to grow hot.
"Are you alright?" He asked, standing with her still in his arms. There was a moment of silence in which he thought she wouldn't speak. Then she blinked, as though realising where she was.
"They...they were going to-" she swallowed, beginning to shiver. "You saved me."
He didn't know what to say, so he just nodded his head, placing her feet gently back down on the floor. As it turned out, this was the wrong thing to do. Shock and adrenaline had overwhelmed the young lady and the realisation of what had just happened seemed to finally dawn on her. As much as the young man would liked to have claimed that he caught her, the young lady did in fact collapse to the ground at his feet.
Serena did not know how much time had passed when she opened her eyes. For a second, she thought that she had dreamed the whole thing up, but the sight of her unfamiliar surroundings quickly convinced her otherwise. She was lying on an uncomfortable bed in a small room. Through a window to her right, she could see enough time had passed for the sky to darken and the moon to rise high in the sky. Oh, hell! she thought, sod the dress, I really am going to be in trouble now.
The door to the room opened suddenly, startling her. In walked an elderly woman in priestess's clothing and a man with a long staff. A mage, she guessed. The two approached Serena slowly, as you would a wounded animal.
"Ah, it seems you are awake." Said the old woman, in a very matter of fact tone. "I am the Grand Cleric of this Chantry. This," she said , pointing to the mage beside her, "is Tommen. He has seen to your health."
Serena could not think straight. She sat up and simply said the first thing that came to her head. "Where is the boy that saved me?"
"He is outside child. You may see him soon." The Grand Cleric replied briskly. Serena opened her mouth to reply, but the old woman carried on, "First, may I ask you some questions?"
Serena nodded, not feeling totally at ease. She needed to get back to her family. They would be worried sick and there was no point in making a fuss. The sooner she answered, the sooner she could return.
"Firstly, what is your name child?" The old woman tried to smile kindly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I am Serena Elodie Jae Cousland, daughter of Bryce and Eleanor Cousland." Serena answered formally out of habit, having introduced herself to countless nobles of late. The Mage gasped. Obviously, he had not realised he was in the presence of the daughter of such a high-ranking noble. Serena had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She hated that reaction. The Grand Cleric, on the other hand, simply nodded.
"Very well." She said simply. "Could you please explain to us what happened?"
Serena sighed, growing frustrated. "I was out riding my mare in the woods beside the chantry." Realisation suddenly dawned on her then. "Where is my mare? Where is Persephone? Is she alright?"
The look the two adults before her shared told her all she needed to know. She clapped a hand over her mouth, but refused to cry. What had happened was bad enough without any more tears being shed too. Swallowing hard, she continued her story.
"I was riding Persephone when she fell suddenly. She...she had been shot with arrows." Again, Serena took a moment to compose herself. "A man appeared, telling me it was an accident. By the time I realised he was lying it was too late. They grabbed me...I couldn't...they wanted to-" She couldn't help it, the tears were coming now. "I was so scared. But then, he saved me. Before they could do anything, he came out of nowhere and thank the Maker that he did. Then I blacked out."
Serena chose not to mention the brief conversation they had shared. For some reason, short as it was, it felt private to her. She stared into the Grand Cleric's eyes and waited.
"It seems that our young recruit is a hero." The old woman clapped her hands once. "I will allow you to rest. I will send a messenger into the city to find your family and inform them that you are well." With that, she turned and made for the door.
"Wait!" Serena called. "Can I meet the boy?"
"Ah yes, I almost forgot. " The old woman opened the door and had a brief, hushed conversation with somebody just outside. Finally, Serena heard her say, "You may enter now."
The boy entered. In the candle light, Serena could see him for the first time without fear hazing her vision. He looked to be about her age, but was exceedingly tall. His dark blonde hair matched his amber eyes, which stood out among strong features. He smiled sheepishly at her.
"Nice to meet you again. Under better circumstances it seems." He laughed awkwardly, not seeming to know what to say. "How are you feeling?"
"A little stiff, but it would have been far worse without you." She couldn't help the small shudder that rolled through her at those words. "Thank-you." There was silence for a moment then.
"Oh, damn!" He suddenly blurted, nearly making Serena laugh. "I was supposed to address you as Milady. The Grand Cleric said you are a Teyrn's daughter."
"You can call me Serena." She smiled, sitting up straighter. "You saved my life. I think we're past all that Milady nonsense. Besides, I never much cared for it anyway."
"As you wish, Serena." The boy laughed. "In that case, you can call me Alistair."
"Alistair." Serena repeated the name, deciding she liked it. It suited the boy who was her saviour. Reaching out, she took his hand to convey the seriousness with which she said her next words. "Well then, Alistair, let me say that I can never thank you enough for what you did tonight. I owe you my life."
"You don't owe me anything, Serena." Alistair smiled back sheepishly. Serena found herself enjoying this awkward boy's company. In that moment, she decided that he was wrong. She owed him everything and somehow she was going to show him.
