Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even my Wardens.

This is a rewrite of my original fic of the same title. Also uploaded in AO3 xD


From the Ground Up

Chapter 1: Taking Flight
I convinced myself that I would never find you when suddenly I saw you…

Elinore

The bustle of activity throughout the keep did nothing to mask the feeling of emptiness in the keep. Troops throughout Highever are gathering here in Castle Cousland, as my father decided to answer King Cailan's call to arms against the Blight. My brother Fergus himself is supposed to lead the main body of our army while our father and a smaller group would accompany Lord Howe and his men, the latter which would be arriving tomorrow due to some kind of delay.

Watching everyone jog around, preparing for the march, I feel a pang of envy. I should be going with them. My father might have agreed, since he was the one responsible for my tutelage in the art of war. The problem is that my mother would not let me do anything that a lady should not. Which is infuriating. I would have thrown a fit if I was younger, but I knew better.

It's not like I'm not having a busy morning, either. What is supposed to be just a small errand to look for Fergus and tell him that he will be leaving before our father turned into being ordered around to look for my Mabari, Interceptor, who is currently terrorizing the kitchens.

I heard a loud bark behind me and I turned to watch my other brother, Evain, running toward me with his black Mabari, Shadow, at his heels. His curly black hair was on his face, and his dark eyes shone with glee.

Evain is the second eldest in the family, and it was the reason why he was not allowed to join the troops either. He was to act as Teyrn while our father, and our eldest brother were away. Every lord and lady we've met in our lifetime mentioned that he is the one who looks the most like our father, except for the curly hair. That'sinherited from our grandmother.

He brandishes a rolled-up scroll to my face with a cheeky smile. "Elissa wrote back," he told me. "Finally!"

As the youngest child, my twin sister Elissa wasn't expected to wed until I did, but somehow she had so many suitors that she finally settled down… in Dragon's Peak of all places. She married Bann Sighard's son, Lord Oswyn. It was a good match, and neither of our parents objected to it. It did frustrate my mother, though, because no suitors approached me for marriage yet – except Nathaniel Howe, but I let them know quickly that I would rather be a spinster than marry someone like him.

Luckily Lord Howe laughed it all off.

I don't really mind not having suitors. Unlike Elissa, with her glossy dark ringlets and bright green eyes, I have unruly waves in a messy bun and plain blue eyes. Besides, she is the perfect lady, and I am not good with anything but my swords. Now that she's living near Denerim though, I can't help but miss her. Well, at least she still has mountains surrounding her. Huh.

Evain watches me as I read the letter, which was just Elissa talking about the different lords and ladies who visited during the past weekends and the bolts of cloth that she purchased during a recent visit to Denerim.

Nothing about the unrest throughout Ferelden since King Cailan decided to fight against the Blight while it's still young.

"I miss her," I told Evain.

He nods, not needing any words to let me know that he feels the same way. "Where are you going anyway?"

I shrug. "Interceptor is terrorizing the servants in the kitchens again," I tell him.

"Let me help you," he replies. We begin to walk to the kitchen together. "There are a pair of Gray Wardens recruiting here. Warden Commander Duncan himself is doing most of the scouting. I heard some people discussing Roland joining."

Ser Roland Gilmore, the red-haired young knight we grew up with, used to give my sister the moon eyes. He started avoiding us when Elissa got married. He is one of the best knights in Castle Cousland – no, in Highever – and he is the leader of the castle guards since the older men and the veterans are off to fight the Blight.

Joining the Wardens would be more interesting than being married off to some lord or another. Maybe I could ask the Warden Commander or his companion to take me with them. I could fight almost as well as Evain, anyway.

"Well, I suppose that you had a more interesting morning," I mutter. "Mother is with Lady Landra and Dairren. You do remember them, right?"

"Bann Loren's wife and son. How can I forget?" Evain makes a face, remembering the wild-haired lady's advances on him when she got too drunk. I think that was during the spring salon a couple years ago. She also tried to make a match between Dairren and I.

Dairren. Ugh.

Alistair

Castle Cousland sure is busy. Or maybe that's just because almost everyone is off to fight the Blight. Families are seeing the warriors off, the Teyrn's son – Fergus? Angus? – was leading the force. Northerners sure are a grumpy lot, but the Teyrn was nice enough to meet Duncan and me when we arrived.

The only thing that made me uncomfortable is the fact that he seemed to recognize me.

I eventually find myself sitting in the small room assigned to me, stretching my legs after the long journey from Ostagar. It sure was colder here than in Ostagar and Redcliffe. Duncan says that it's because we're in the mountains, but still… not a nice place to live in, in my opinion. He also told me along the way that the other parts of Highever are slightly warmer, especially the small coastal plains a little to the north.

The silence eventually started to get to me, and I go out for a walk. We would be here for a while, so I might as well as see the sights. At least this feels more like an adventure than going to the Circle Tower with Gregor and Duran. Too many mages glaring at former Templar me would definitely not be good for my health. Nope, definitely not.

People in the keep greet me as "Ser Warden." It has a nice ring to it.

It's smack dab in themiddle of spring, and I'm dressed for winter. No wonder they say that people in Highever are hardy folk. A few of the guards nodded to me when they saw the Gray Warden insignia on my armor as my wandering feet took me to the northern wall, which is right near the edge of a cliff facing the Waking Sea, raging against the grim gray horizon and the beach. It was a pretty sight, I guess, though I'd rather not go for a swim there. I'd probably be frozen with some bits falling off after a minute or two.

"Lovely scene, isn't it?" someone says behind me.

I nearly jump out of my skin as I turn to see a woman watching me. She's probably my age, or a little younger, and definitely beautiful. Beautiful, and dangerous. She has this pale, delicate face that seemed to glow, framed by bits of dark hair falling off a messy bun. Her eyes are like those sapphires I once saw in some marketplace or another. She's probably a daughter of one of the knights or something, since she's dressed in light armor and armed with a pair of swords across her back.

"Sorry, please don't freak out," she quickly says, taking a step back like I'm a startled puppy or something.

"No, not freaking out. Most definitely not," I tell her.

"Good," she says, and proceeds to stand up right next to me, her eyes on the sea. "I've never seen you here before. Are you one of those knights from the other cities?"

"Uh, no. I actually came here riding on a griffin that breathes fire," I tell her.

She cracks up and shakes her head. "Ah, you're that Warden!" Her eyes drift to the insignia on my armor, and her smile widens. "I should have known. Please tell me you're the Warden Commander or something and kidnap me when you leave!"

I strike up a pose and raise an eyebrow. "Do you want to be ravaged by a Warden Commander, then?" I hope I my voice sounds like a purr. "I'm afraid Duncan will knock that notion off your head, My Fair Lady."

"Ugh, no! I'd rather keep my dignity intact, thank you very much!" Her eyes sparkle when she smiles, and I hope she does it a lot more. "It must be more interesting than being married off to someone just because I'm a woman."

I've heard of many knight families marrying daughters off to other knights. "I suppose it is more interesting, if you put it that way," I say. "It's not exactly as glamorous as you might, think, though. We wake up, eat breakfast, and get hacked to pieces. I've suggested forming a circle and dancing to drive them away before, you know."

"You've never tried wearing dresses to complete the dance, have you?" she asks, gazing at the sea again. There's this distant look in her face that keeps nagging me, telling me that I should know her. "You know, I haven't even asked your name yet."

"I'm Alistair, most junior Gray Warden at your service." I bow to her with a cheeky grin.

She turns to me so quickly that I'm afraid she might get hurt. Her blue eyes lock onto my face as they widen. "I'm Elinore Cousland, my good Ser Alistair. If I may ask, have you ever been to Redcliffe?"

With those six words, I suddenly feel stupid.

Elinore

The first time our parents deemed us fit to accompany them to Redcliffe, Elissa and I were seven. Evain was eight, and Fergus was fifteen. It was a year or two before Arl Eamon married, and we were invited to dine with the Arl for Satinalia. It was a particularly boring affair, as Satinalia in Highever can get a little wild. The other noble children there weren't so interesting so I found myself wandering the estate after dinner.

I met the Arl's fosterling in the library. His name is Alistair, and we became sort-of friends. He was eight, or so he said, and told me a lot of things about female knights and the Gray Wardens. We talked a lot with each other over the next two days, and I threw a tantrum when we were about to leave.

I never saw him again after that, because when we visited again two years later, the Arl mentioned that he was sent to train with the Tempars at the Chantry.

Now, this Warden I found on the wall did resemble him, though his red-gold hair is cropped short. Even his hazel eyes sparkle the same way Alistair's did when we were kids. I don't know how that particular memory survived for twelve years, but I'm glad it did, because when Mystery Warden Hunk finally introduced himself, I nearly choked on my own spit.

"I'm Elinore Cousland, my good Ser Alistair," I finally manage to say. "If I may ask, have you ever been to Redcliffe?"

It's his turn to be surprised, and his eyes widen as I finish speaking. It takes him a moment to reply, and when he does, he sounds breathless. "Elinore Cousland. I should've known." His cheeky smile returns and he leans a little toward me. "Yep, I've been in Redcliffe. Bet no one can miss my charming face, after all. I hope you don't threaten men with castration anymore, or else I'll be running off screaming back to Ostagar."

Of course, I wasn't trained for combat yet when we first met, but I did have the habit of threatening boys back then. Of course, gullible fellow children that they were, they all believed me.

"Nah," I tell him. "Castration lost its appeal years ago. How about you? Do you still spark debates about the taste of griffin meat?"

"Nope, but I never did get my answer," he tells me. "Andraste's holy knickers, I never expected to meet you again."

"I bet you forgot that I actually live here."

"Well, uh, yes. That's one reason."

We catch up over the next hour, with him telling stories about being bullied during his Templar training and me telling him that the most exciting thing in my life is being trained to defend myself. I don't ask him about why he was sent away, and he does not ask about life as a Teyrn's daughter.

Evain finds me still talking to Alistair after lunch and tells me that our mother is looking for us. He stares at Alistair curiously. The Warden shrugs and smiles. "Go on, Lady Cousland, you can find me later if I haven't bored you to death yet."

I smile and pat his arm before we part. Evain leads the way down and stops at the foot of the stairs. He crosses his arms in mock-disapproval. "Flirting with a fit and young Gray Warden, my dearest sister? I never thought that you had it in you."

"I'm not flirting with the Warden," I snap, though a big grin forms on my face. "You don't seriously remember Alistair?"

Evain blinks. "Wait, you don't mean to say that he's the scrawny boy from Redcliffe who follows you around like some adorable puppy?"

"He wasn't scrawny, and he did not follow me around."

Evain just laughs as we walk on. We find our parents in their room, our mother standing by her mirror, our father by the bed. He smiles when enter.

I can't bear the fact that he's off to fight the Blight tomorrow. Smiling back is difficult. "You called for us?" I ask.

Our father nods as Evain closes the door. He clears his throat and takes his place beside our mother, wrapping an arm around her waist. "The Blight is upon us, as you both know very well. I myself will be leaving with Rendon and his men tomorrow morning to join King Cailan's forces. If you must know, I am not completely sure if you are both aware that Fergus and I might not return alive after the battle."

"Father, surely you can't say that," Evain says, making a face. "I have not even married yet."

I see faint amusement in our father's eyes, but I have never seen how old he truly is until now. "Ah, you have gotten into the topic that I wished to discuss," our father says. "I might not be here to see the day that you will be wed – to someone who loves you, and that you love, I pray to the Maker – which is why I am here to give you the heirlooms that we planned to give you on your wedding day."

"Father, don't speak like this," I say, finally finding my voice. "You'll return after the battle."

"It will not be an assurance, child." Our father's eyes have never been so sad before. He smiles and heads to the small chest by their bed. "We should at least prepare for the worst."


Alright, so that's the first chapter. For now.

Just a fun trivia, I've always thought that Highever/Castle Cousland is pretty cold, and situated in a mountain.. hence the "High" in Highever. xD The Couslands kind of remind me of the Starks from ASOIAF, for some reason...

Anyway, if you've reached this point, *slowly claps* then I must thank you so much for reading! Thank you so much for reading, and please don't hesitate to leave a review. It helps.

Next chapter: In which Evain Cousland wakes up to disaster, and Elinore learns to be careful what she wishes for.