Cottages and small hovels skirted the broad city of Amaranthine. Their chimneys spewed smoke as the villagers inside lit their fires to keep warm from the approaching bitter cold Ferelden evening. Captain Aidan and his guards lined Amaranthine's gates, keeping an eye out for smugglers that were now abundant within the city's walls. Alert, Captain Aidan squinted at the oncoming party of four, trying to make out the heavily armed pack from the distance.
He could see a human archer, with a hardened expression and stiff, serious walk. Clad in fine leather gear, the archer frowned as he gazed towards the female knight at his side. She was armored in a heavy red cuirass, and wielded a shield that had the Grey Warden herald painted upon it. Just to her left was a mage, whom strangely resembled a young man that he had seen on Wanted posters just recently. Draped in blue and gold robes, the mage held some sort of orange feline within his arms, petting at the creature as they approached.
The leader of the pack was completely hidden beneath his black and crimson body armor, his eyes illuminating from the small slit of his winged helm. Glowing in what seemed like a mystical orb, Captain Aidan could see that the leader was an experienced Battlemage. This alarmed him, as he did not want any trouble within the city's gates under his watch. He gathered two of his men, ordering them to approached the three before they could pass through the gate.
"Halt!" ordered one of Aidan's guards, blocking the group's path as they came to a stop before them. In return, the leader lifted the helm from his head, revealing himself to the guards. They were stunned, spotting the elven man beneath for the first time. With a soft, almost sweet face, the leader smiled, his pointy ears perking up from beneath his platinum blonde hair.
"A knife-ear!" exclaimed one of the guards, immediately bringing a response from the group's stern archer.
"You'd best watch your tongue, fool," growled the archer in a rather gruff voice, his tone full of violence.
"Oh?" laughed the guard. "An important knife-ear, then?"
"You are speaking to the Commander of The Grey. Show respect," answered the female knight.
"The Hero of Ferelden? A knife-ear?" snorted the other guard skeptically.
The archer's hand shot towards his sheathe, readying to attack the guard when the leader laid a hand on his breastplate, stopping him.
"Halt, Nathaniel," said the elf in a soothing tone. "This is not the first time the ignorance of a human will be witnessed, nor will it be the last."
Nathaniel, the archer, gradually moved the hand away from his belt, glaring at the guards so fiercely that they swallowed.
The elf's attention returned to the guards, his strangely lit turquoise eyes blazing through the darkness of the night.
"Hail. I am Elias Surana, Grey Warden and Commander of The Grey," introduced the elf. "These are my companions; Nathaniel Howe, Mhairi, and Anders. We have business in Amaranthine."
"We weren't told of any visits from the Grey Wardens. Now best begone, knife-ear. We have too many of your kind around here as it is."
"Can I kill them now?" asked Nathaniel, bringing a weary sigh from Elias.
"May we speak to your captain?" the elf asked.
"The captain? What for?" rebutted the guard, folding his arms.
"We have an important message for him. It's regarding the darkspawn horde heading in this direction."
"Darkspawn horde? You lie, knife-ear!" shouted the guard.
"Perhaps, but your captain would certainly be angry if he awoke to a darkspawn dagger in his chest," said Elias, raising an eyebrow.
"I know I would be," chuckled Anders, petting the orange feline that was curled in his arms.
"Fine, fine! We'll go get the captain," said one guard.
"Bloody knife-ears," said the other as they turned, wandering back into the fort to retrieve Captain Aidan.
"I must say, Commander," began Mhairi, "I envy your patience."
"Is it truly wise to allow such abuse?" asked Nathaniel. "It will never end unless you put a stop to it."
"By killing every human to insult me? If I did that, you would be long since dead, Nathaniel," laughed Elias, bringing a breathy laugh from the gruff archer.
"Must you always bring up the past? I was a fool, then. I saw you merely as my father's murderer. But now, my father's treachery has been revealed to me, and I can see you just as you are; my friend," admitted Nathaniel almost sheepishly, lowering his eyes away from the elf's.
"As you are mine, Nathaniel," grinned Elias.
"Isn't this just precious, Ser Pounce-A-Lot?" commented Anders cheerfully, lifting his kitten to his cheek to nuzzle it.
"Shut up, Anders," both Elias and Nathaniel frowned, sending charged glares at the smiling mage.
Mhairi only sighed, becoming attentive as she spotted the captain approaching with the two rude guards at his sides. "Stand ready, boys."
"Hail, friends," said Captain Aidan as he approached. "My, my, you are the Hero of Ferelden! You must forgive the actions of my guards, Commander. They are not well-versed with those of importance. They will be strictly reprimanded."
The two guards had bewildered expressions upon their faces, gulping in apprehension.
"Good," remarked Nathaniel under his breath.
"That won't be necessary, captain. May they learn from this experience that "knife-ears" deserve respect as all do," replied Elias, bowing his head at Aidan and the guards respectfully.
"Knife-ears!? Off with you two, before I do not abide with the Commander's wish!" shouted Captain Aidan, obviously heated when realizing the full actions of his guards. "Once again, I am truly sorry. Let's attend to the matter at hand, shall we? What is this I hear about a darkspawn horde?"
"Diminished, actually," Elias began to speak quickly, not wanting to be caught in his lie. "For now, they have been scattered into straggling groups among these parts. It is my wish to enter Amaranthine for another purpose that I cannot immediately reveal. You must understand."
"Secret business, I see? As you wish, Commander. Be wary, though. There have been reports of smugglers in Amaranthine."
"We appreciate your warning, captain," replied Elias, and with a gesture of his hand, he began to move towards the gates as he replaced his winged helm back onto his head. His party followed obediently, trailing him into the giant city silently.
Inside of Amaranthine were stone buildings of all shapes and sizes; their brick roofs intact and perfected in architecture. Though it was night, they all wandered into the city curiously, surveying the stone roads and empty streets.
"Whom was it we were looking for, Commander?" asked Mhairi as they moved further into the city.
"The scroll said to seek out Frieda. It is assumed that she will provide the next clue," said Elias as he gazed about.
"Frieda? Did you say… Frieda?" asked a child's voice, and their attention was drawn to a small, elven boy. Startled, he ducked behind a wooden barrel before peering out at them once more.
"Do you know Frieda, elf?" questioned Mhairi in her stoic tone.
"No, I… perhaps I should have stayed quiet," shuddered the small boy, ducking behind the barrel in fear once more.
Elias sent an unspoken order to Mhairi through his eyes, requesting for her to remain silent. Removing his helm, he tucked it under his arm as he approached the barrel, lowering onto one knee. "I'm Elias. What's your name?"
Hesitantly, the boy peeked out, eyeing Elias's pointy ears, instantly warming up to him as he smiled a kind smile. "It's Pick, ser."
"I knew a Pick. He was a messenger for the King's army at Ostagar."
"For the King? Really?" asked Pick in an excited tone, bringing a nod from Elias.
"He passed on important messages among the camp. Without him, the King's orders to his men would have never been heard. Is there a message you wish to pass onto me, Pick? About Frieda?"
"Well," Pick began shakily. "They took her. Away."
"Someone took her?" asked Elias, tilting his head. "Who?"
"The bad men. I watched as they did, behind this barrel. There," explained Pick, pointing to a trap door just on the other side of the booth he hid in. "They took her there."
The Commander glanced over at his companions, who gave him concerned looks in return.
"Thank you, Pick. You did a good thing by helping us. I have something for you," began Elias, pulling a tiny gem from a small sack tied to his waist. He dropped the gem into Pick's hand. "This is a ruby. Do what you will with it, though I imagine it will fetch a high price if you bargained well."
"Wow, a ruby! Thank you, ser! Thank you so much!" cried Pick in gratitude, instantly taking off in a fast sprint away, disappearing down a stone road of Amaranthine.
Elias slowly rose to his feet with a disturbed look about his face.
"It seems we are not the only ones looking for this Frieda," said Anders, slipping Ser Pounce-A-Lot into the cloth sack about his shoulders.
"Should we not dally here, then?" suggested Nathaniel, his fierce expression on the trap door.
"At your order, Commander," saluted Mhairi, watching Elias as he slipped his winged helm over his head, securing it tight.
"We enter the caverns. Frieda cannot be smuggled out of Ferelden, or we shall never find what we seek," said the Grey Warden firmly, nodding toward his companions. "Prepare yourselves. I don't suppose this will be an easy task."