This is my first attempt at fan fiction. Any constructive criticism is certainly welcome. Due to an epic fail of the universe, I do not own Dragon Age. Sad but true.
Chapter 1: What have I done?
The smoke was a blessing and a curse.
I could barely make out the Griffon on Duncan's shield in front of me. The tunnel was so narrow that we had to walk single file. With the smoke obscuring everything but my companion, it was easy to believe that he and I were the only ones that existed. There was no noise in the tunnel at all. For a man wearing armor and carrying weapons, he makes absolutely no sound when moving. A useful skill for escaping a burning building unnoticed, no doubt. With no distractions, my fractured thoughts begin to overwhelm me.
The memories of my precious little nephew's twisted body was just a bad dream. My sister-in-laws torn dress and bloody remains a figment of my imagination. My Mother's grim determination to stay and fight to the death protecting my dying Father….
All of it is just a bad dream. The smoke was real and Duncan was real, but the rest did not happen. It couldn't! Maybe if I keep repeating this…
Was it really only hours ago that I wanted to be fighting with my Father and Fergus in a glorious battle with the King against the Darkspawn?
No my dear, you must stay at the castle and be in charge while Bryce and your brother away….
Yes, Mother.
What was I thinking? Probably that It would be just like sparing with Ser Gilmore…
I trip over a large rock that is on the tunnel floor. Closing my eyes, I wait for the pain of falling flat on my face…on the tunnel floor? The Fade? Oblivion? At this time, I don't think I can bring myself to care.
The pain never comes. I open my eyes to see where the pain is supposed to be.
Instead I see a beard, the face of a man with a beard. Duncan! He holds me for a moment longer. The look he gives me is a mixture of emotions. Part searching for an answer to a question that I cannot begin to imagine. Part worry that I seem to be present physically only. Perhaps that is the answer he seeks: Where are you?
I pull out of Duncan's arms and make a motion for him to lead on. His hand squeezes my shoulder once before he turns around and begins moving again.
Parry, Parry, Girl! Footwork is important, reprimands a voice in my head sounding like my dear friend and protector.
Yes, Ser Gilmore.
After the usual training, we would have some lemonade and eat sandwiches that Nan had made while talking. No one ever really got hurt during those training sessions. If I did not block an incoming attack, it would hit me to teach me a lesson, but the blow was nowhere near the full force that a powerful night like Ser Gilmore was capable of.
Focus on the task at hand. Anything else is simply a footnote to be reviewed later when there is time. Eyes on the goal, Pup!
Yes, Father.
He was so happy when showing me how to fight, saying it would be peace of mind for him to know that I could defend myself if anything happened to him. Deep down, I would always feel dread and fright when he said that. I could never imagine a time when my Father would not be there. I try to hold onto that memory of his happy face and definitely not my last memory of him….
And then there is a sudden noise in the tunnel ahead of Duncan. It is like the walking from a quiet hallway into a room with a party going on- suddenly quiet to suddenly and painfully noisy.
The tunnel lead us to the old fort, on the outskirts of Highever. How fitting that we are here, in a place where my ancestors of old were besieged by an overwhelming force a century before. When I was younger I would always try to imagine that battle. In my dream, my family fought heroically. The enemy fell at the skill and tenacity of The Couslands. I knew deep down that if I wanted an accurate picture of what this fort must have looked like during that battle, I could just turn around and see…
No, best not to do that.
I don't want to have anymore fodder for my nightmares to come. I am still trying to wake up from this one. My family is gone, but I am becoming a Grey Warden just as I so desperately wished to be, only hours before. If I could go back in time, I'd take it back. I'd take everything back for just one more day of the oppressive, boring life of a noblewoman compared to this.
What have I done?
A/N: This is the first chapter of my first fan fiction. Let me know what you think! Good or bad, but good is rewarded with ice cream…maybe J