Author's Note: So this is my first try at Dragon Age fanfiction. The amount of details and lore scared me for a while. I haven't really written any fiction in nearly two years, but a Mythology class has me inspired to try again. The main point of this story is to develop my characterization skills. It would be really easy for me to make all the wardens have the same personality, but my goal is to make them very much individuals. That said, the wardens will not get equal "screen time". I plan to follow the most interesting story lines, so this first section will probably be the only time the chapter are divided equally. I hope to update weekly or at least every two weeks, but I am in the middle of applying to graduate school, so be patient with me! Wait to see which romances I picked because that's half the fun. Please R&R.

Prologue

"In War, Victory. In Peace, Vigilance. In Death, Sacrifice." -Grey Warden Motto

Denerim

Duncan paced back and forth in contemplation one hand touching his chin while the other supported his arm. His meeting with King Calian had gone as well as could be expected. The King had believed his report of darkspawn in the Korcari Wilds. Even better he had accepted that the Grey Wardens could tell if this was a true Blight and had agreed to send the King's Army to Ostagar, the ancient Tevinter fortress. Duncan worried that the King's willingness to aid the wardens stemmed from his foolish desire to be a "warrior king," but he would not turn away help when it was offered.

Alistair stood relaxed before him in the Grey Warden compound in Denerim. He watched Duncan nervously but patiently waiting for his mentor to say what was on his mind. His respect for Duncan stopped him from making a joke about his strange behavior. Eventually Duncan sighed in resignation and turned to address him.

"King Calian has agreed to send his army to Ostagar to defeat the darkspawn. As I speak they are busy preparing to leave at the end of the week."

Alistair straightened up as he heard the news. "Just like that? He didn't want to confirm it himself?" Alistair looked shocked to hear things had gone so well. He knew that Duncan had been worried politics might have gotten in the way.

Duncan nodded. "He has much respect for the Grey Wardens. He dismissed any complaints from the nobles. Teryn Loghain Mac Tir will be commanding the army."

"Well…maybe we have a chance after all. It's too bad. With Loghain this shouldn't last too long at all. I was rather hoping the fun would last," Alistair quipped.

Duncan furrowed his brow. "I seriously hope you are joking. Not that this is a subject I think you should take so lightly."

"Just trying to lighten the mood," Alistair answered waving a hand in the air. "So we'll be going with them then?" he asked.

"You and most of the other Grey Wardens here will. I and a few others will rejoin you at Ostagar after our journey."

Alistair looked puzzled. "Where are you going?"

Duncan sat down in a chair by the central table exhausted from the day's events. "There are so few Grey Wardens in Ferelden, and it will take time for the other wardens to travel here. I will be searching for new recruits, several in fact, to help strengthen our numbers. I do not want to risk most of them dying in the Joining or losing them all to darkspawn. The more I find the less of a chance there is of that occurring."

Alistair sat opposite Duncan. "How long will this take? The whole thing might be over before you return."

"No more than a few weeks hopefully. I will first go to the Alienage here in Denerim before you and the rest leave. I once tried to recruit an elf named Adaia, but it didn't work out. I hear she has a daughter that resembles her greatly. Then I plan on visiting the Dalish in the Brecilian Forest, the Circle of Magi, Redcliffe, Orzammar, and then Highever before heading to Ostagar with the Teryn and his men.

Alistair raised his eyebrows. "That's not exactly the straightest route."

"No…I supposed it's not," Duncan smiled.

Alistair looked up down at his lap, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. "Dwarves, Mages, and Elves…it sounds like the start of a really bad joke. You really want that many new Wardens running around? It might be too much to handle at once."

Duncan laughed. "Only if they're all like you. Honestly we shouldn't have let this situation happen, but we've only been back in Ferelden for thirty years, and without the threat of a Blight, strengthening our numbers for a war wasn't a top priority."

"Do you really think it will come to that?" Alistair asked his leader seriously.

"Blights can go on for decades. It is unlikely that this will be a quick affair. At best we can only hope to hold them at Ostagar for a time, but Ferelden is so unprepared. Until more help arrives, the situation doesn't look very good."

The two men sat in silence for a few moments both pondering the months ahead. This was going to be difficult. Ferelden had been relatively at peace since Marric and Loghain had ousted the Orlesians. The occupation which had lasted a century was over, but Ferelden would not be allowed to go one generation without entering another major conflict. One that if things went as they had in the past, would last awhile; and that was if they were lucky. There was a fairly decent chance they would both die soon and gruesomely. There was a fairly decent chance that they would lose at Ostagar, and if that occurred, there was a fairly decent chance that defenseless Ferelden would be quickly overrun by darkspawn.

Both men knew that the likelihood of a happy ending was small, and they accepted that fact. After all this was what Grey Wardens did, right? I should really consider myself lucky Alistair thought to himself. How many Grey Wardens joined only to spend their short life chasing darkspawn in the Deep Roads? At least I'll die doing something cool. Surely this was the time to be a Grey Warden.