Road to Ostagar: Chapter One
~~On the Road~~
Bioware owns all character and setting. I own nothing
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Duncan said it would be a weeks journey to reach Ostagar by foot. Daylen was not used to walking so much, in the Circle most of his days were comprised of sitting in plush, over-sized chairs and reading dusty old books. By the end of the first day he was exhausted.
"Where are we?" Daylen asks falling to the ground, leaning back against a nearby rock.
"Close to the mountain pass that leads to Orzammar." the older warden says, placing kindling in a pile to start a fire. "Be a good lad and see if you can find some branches." he points to the woods behind Daylen.
The tired mage rises to his feet with the help of his staff, leaning against it for support. He turns and looks into the darkened woods, he had never seen the woods up close before. He had heard stories of creatures hiding in there waiting to pounce upon unsuspecting travelers and whisk them away into the darkness. The thought sends a shiver down his spine.
"Go on now." Duncan urged. "Otherwise we will starve and freeze." the warden teased.
"Sorry sir," Daylen said, not taking his eyes off the growing darkness, "I've never been in the woods before, let alone at night." the mage swallowed hard, "I've heard tales of monsters living in the woods, waiting to snatch up travelers and take them away, never to be seen again." Daylen said turning to face Duncan who had a big grin on his face.
"Those stories you heard are just that, stories. There is nothing lurking in the woods waiting to pounce on any weary mages, just collecting firewood." Duncan said walking up next to the mage. "Besides i'm sure one as skilled as yourself could easily befall any who dare oppose you." He added patting Daylen on his back.
'Duncan was right', Daylen thought to himself, 'I could handle anything that comes across my path'.
Daylen headed off into the woods, he whispered words to his staff causing the orb on the end to glow with a dim light. He walks a few feet, the dry, dead leaves crunching beneath him as he stepped, the smell of pine filling his nostrils with every breath. I'm free, he thought, I am out of the Circle, not that he ever wanted to be, unlike some of the other mages, but to actually be outside, surrounded by trees and dirt, he never knew how it would feel to be out from under the constant eyes of the Templars.
Well except for one templar in particular. Thoughts of Cullen begin to flood into Daylen's mind. 'If only he could be with me here.' The mage began imagining the feel of the larger man's strong arms holding him, how Cullen's lips tasted of mint, sweet and warm, the musky scent of the templar's skin as Daylen's head rested on his sweat drenched chest. Soon he will be back to claim the templar and the two of them will go to a far away land, where no one knows who they are, to start a new life together.
The sound of rustling leaves startles Daylen back to reality. 'What was that', he thought scanning the trees for any sign of movement. Pointing his staff in front of himself and slowly moving it from side to side to guide the light.
"Who's there?" he squeaks, sounding more like a mouse than he meant to. He waited, no response. 'Would a monster reply', he wondered. There he heard the rustling again, off to his right. He turns, gripping his staff in his right hand, his left hand readying a lightning bolt. A dark shadow darts from one bush to another, moving closer to the frightened mage. A low growl comes from the bush directly in front of Daylen, he releases the lightning at the creature, an injured yelp comes from the bush as a small fox tumbles to the ground, dead. Daylen could feel his heart pounding in his head as he glances at the dead animal, lying on the ground.
"Daylen!" Duncan calls, running up to the mage, "Are you alright?" he asks shaking Daylen gently to bring him back to focus.
"Y-y-yeah," he stammers out still staring at the fox.
Duncan follows Daylen's gaze until he sees the small animal lifeless on the ground.
"Looks like you have gotten us dinner." Duncan said walking over to the fox, picking it up by its hind legs. "Now if only we had some wood to cook it with." The warden says with a smirk on his lips.
"Come on," Duncan gestures to Daylen to join him, "I'm sure we can find some on our way back to camp." he chuckled.
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"That was better than the dried beef I had in my pack." Duncan said cleaning the last of the meat from the bone. "You look exhausted." the warden says throwing the meatless bone into the woods. "Try and get some rest, we still have a long journey ahead of us."
Daylen nods in agreement, as he slides down to lay flat on the pallet beneath him. Looking up at the sky breaking through the branches of the trees above him, his mind begins to wonder. What would life as a warden be like. All the adventures he would go on, the exotic places he could visit. The warm beaches of Antiva, the rolling hills of Nevarra, and the great deserts of the Anderfels. Daylen's eyes grew heavy, sleep would come easy for him tonight. Within minutes of the mages eyes closing he was asleep.
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The sound of birds tweeting woke Daylen. He slowly opened his eyes, letting the first rays of the morning sun in. He sat up stretching his aching muscles, 'Maker the ground was not meant to be slept on', he thought to himself looking around for Duncan. The Warden was bent down rummaging through his pack.
"Morning," Duncan said turning to face the mage. "Sleep well?" He asked rising to his feet.
"As well as can be expected with the ground as my bed." the mage said getting up to fully stretch his legs. "I kinda got spoiled at the Circle i guess." he said with a slight smile.
"You will get used to the ground," Duncan teased handing Daylen some dried beef he got out of his pack. "When you finish with that, we will pack up camp and head out. We still have a long way to go." The warden turned and headed back to his bag to finish packing it up.
Daylen propped himself against the rock that was by his bedroll while he ate the tough strip of beef. Sitting in the growing light of day, the shadows from the night before began to dissipate, revealing the beauty of the woods that surrounded him. As soon as he had finished the meat, he bent down and began to roll up the makeshift bed he had used the night before. Tying the straps to secure it closed he threw it over his shoulder, grabbing his staff from the ground he turns to Duncan who was waiting for the mage at the edge of the road.
"Ready?" Duncan asks, throwing his own pack over his shoulder.
"As ready as i'll ever be." the mage enthusiastically says walking toward the warden.
"There is a Dalish camp half a days walk to our south. We will be stopping there on the way." The warden says heading off down the road.
'The Dalish' Daylen thought, he had only heard stories of them. The only elves he had ever met were the ones at the circle, but they were all city elves coming from the various alienages throughout Thedas. He had heard that the Dalish valued magic, saw it as a gift not a burden. Even the leader of the clan had magic, 'the Keeper they were called', he thought to himself.
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