Ok so this is a new story that i thought up while i was daydreaming during my off time. It's a crossover between Dragon age and Naruto but later I'm going to add something special. So, I'm writing this during the week between school and my job so I'm trying to limit myself between 4,000 - 5,000 words and I'm going to publish them every Friday so cool. So, enjoy the story oh also if you have any tips about writing in general I'm open I might not follow but they will be considered.
Our world is built on the backs of legends and myths, stories of heroes and heroines achieving remarkable things against all odds. I should know I have written a few myself. But this story is one of my favorites and I can guarantee from firsthand experience that every bit of it is true. But before I begin let me warn you this is not a tale for the faint of heart. For those who are set in their ways or those who have closed their minds to new extraordinary possibilities. Because this story will have you questioning the very beliefs that your hearts are set upon as well the foundation that are very civilization rests upon. If so then I suggest you leave and never think of this story again but if you do choose to stay prepare to have the very world around you change. You see this story is one of love and loss, war and peace. It has witches and dragons, demons and spirits. This is a story of death as well as new beginnings and it all begins with a charming scoundrel. This is the Fox
-Chapter 1 the Fox in Ostagar-
The sound of soldiers training filled the ruined halls of the old Tevinter fortress of Ostagar. two travelers walked towards a large bridge leading to the king's camp. the first traveler was an older man with black hair tied into a bun and a full Beard that framed his wrinkled face, he wore silver and blue armor with a griffin motif engraved into its shoulder and both a longsword and a dagger that were sheathed on his back. The second traveler was a handsome man with shoulder length blond hair, whiskered cheeks and a large black wide-brimmed hat. he wore a long black leather Coat, dark brown leather pants and boots and a broadsword with an ornate basket hilt strapped to his waist.
"So, this is Ostagar, looks like crap" the blonde said in a cheery tone.
"Yes, well it's not odd for old Tevinter structures to be nothing but ruins" said the older man.
"Yes, but it's odd for someone to make those ruins the base camp of their army" the Blonde replied as he tapped his knuckles against one of the stone walls as if expecting it fall over.
"The walls are sturdier than they look Naruto" said the older man as he watched the blonde's action.
"oh, I bet" Naruto muttered as they started to walk towards a long bridge. "So, Duncan" Naruto asked getting the older man's attention "why exactly are the darkspawn surfacing here of all places" god he hated swamps they were always so fucking humid that you could hardly breath.
"I'm sure if you ask nicely they would move the battlefield to some place sunnier" Duncan said sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"I thought you were a grey warden not a jester" snorted out the blonde.
"Yes, well it makes it kinda hard to get through the life of a grey warden without some sense of humor".
"Yea yea, whatever old man" Naruto said as they walked closer towards the bridge his face slightly scrunched up in confusion.
"Something on your mind Naruto" Duncan asked when he noticed the look on the blond's face.
"What does the joining involve exactly, you keep mentioning it but never go into depth" asked Naruto making Duncan sigh slightly.
"I can't really tell you Naruto it has to be kept secret until the actual ritual" said Duncan.
"And why exactly" Naruto asked.
"We'll all I can say is that you will understand when you take the Joining" Duncan said cryptically but Naruto didn't have time to ponder on his words when they both spotted a man approaching them dressed in golden armor with two Knight escorting him.
"Is that" asked Naruto.
"Yes, it is the king" confirmed Duncan.
"Ho there Duncan" said the king.
"King Cailen I didn't expect a-" Duncan began to say before the king interrupted him.
"A royal welcome? I was beginning to worry you'd miss all the fun" Cailen said finishing Duncan's sentence with a grin.
"Not if i can help it your majesty" said Duncan as he tilted his head in a slight bow.
"Then I'll have the mighty Duncan at my side in battle after all! Glorious!" said the king cheerfully "The other wardens told me you have found another promising recruit, I take it this is he"
"Allow me to introduce you, your majesty" said Duncan getting ready to introduce Naruto
"No need to be so formal, Duncan. We'll be shedding blood together after all. Ho their friend! Might i know your name" the king asked and Naruto took his hat off to reveal a scarlet red bandana tide on top of his head and gave a bow
"Capitan Naruto Uzumaki of the Vixen, at your service" Naruto said introduce himself.
"Pleased to meet you, the grey wardens are desperate to bolster their numbers, and i for one, am glad to help them. Are you by any chance apart of the Raiders of the Waking Sea" the king asked with excitement in his voice.
"Well i was your majesty, but I left after there was a... change in leadership that i didn't agree with" Naruto explained trying to be as vague as possible.
"Amazing, you will have to tell me all about your adventures sometime. Sadly, we have a war to attend to right know but maybe sometime after. Until then allow me to be the first to welcome you to Ostagar, the wardens will benefit greatly with you in their ranks" said the King.
"Thank you, your Majesty."
"Know I'm sorry to cut this short, but i should return to my tent. Loghain waits eagerly to bore me with his strategies" said the blonde king.
"Your uncle sends his greetings and reminds you that Redcliff forces could be hear in less than a week" Duncan quickly added before the king had a chance to leave.
"Ha! Eamon just wants in on the glory. We won three battles against these monsters and tomorrow should be no different." spoke the king with confidence in his voice.
"It sounds like things against the Darkspawn are going well" said Naruto slightly surprised he had heard of darkspawn and the destruction they caused but never actually seen them.
"I'm not even sure this is a true Blight there are plenty of Darkspawn on the field, but alas, we've seen no sign of an Archdemon." spoke Cailen.
"Disappointed your Majesty" asked Duncan.
"I'd hoped for a war like in the tales! A king riding with the fabled grey wardens against a tainted god! But i suppose this will have to do." he said slightly disappointed. "i must go before Loghain sends out a search party. farewell, grey wardens!" he finished then left to join Loghain.
"What the king said is true they've won several battles against the darkspawn here" said Duncan but something in his voice let Naruto know otherwise.
"he didn't seem like he was taking these blighted creatures seriously" said the blond captain as he stared at the back of the blond king's head
"True, despite the victories so far, the darkspawn horde grows larger with each passing day. By now, they look to ought to number us. I know there is an Archdemon behind this. But i can't ask the king to act solely on my feeling" said Duncan.
"The we should move quickly if we want to get things done" Naruto sighed out as he looked up into the morning sky his face had a contemplative look on it.
"Yes, we should proceed with the ritual tonight" said Duncan.
"In truth I would rather have something strong to drink" Naruto muttered.
"Hahaha, I agree. Although we have until tonight to begin the ritual" Duncan said, "The ritual is brief but some preparation is required, we must begin soon".
"So, let's get going" said Naruto.
"Alright, feel free to explore the camp here as you wish." he said to Naruto as they started to walk across the bridge towards the direction of the king's camp.
"All i ask is that you do not leave it for the time being there's another grey warden in the camp by the name of Alistair seek him out sometime today and tell him it is time to summon the other recruits. Until then I have business I must attend to. You can find me at the grey warden tent if you need to." he said as he left, leaving Naruto to his own devices.
"Well he said explore the camp, were ever shall i go first" Naruto said as he pulled a bottle of Rum from his coat "hello darling" he said to the bottle as he opened it with a loud pop and took a swig.
"Hail, you must be the grey warden recruit that Duncan brought" an overly friendly guard said. he was stationed on the end of the bridge where he was heading. Overly friendly was good they tended to reveal a lot of information without much trouble.
"Yes, I am, pleasure to meet you" Naruto greeted his gloved hand outstretched.
"You to, this place hasn't seen such bustle in centuries, I'll wager. Need a hand getting anywhere" the guard said as he returned the handshake.
"Could you tell me a bit about Ostagar, I've been curious since i stepped foot here" Naruto said making conversation. It was always a good idea to get people like him talking, that's how the good stuff tends to slip out.
"Used to be a fortress, long time ago, so i understand, back in the days when the wilders used to invade the lowlands. You were just on the eastern side of the ruin, the tower of Ishal is there. But Teyrn Loghain's closed it off until the battle. This side is the king's camp. We got the Grey wardens here, the Circle of Magi, the Chantry…. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting somebody important" he said.
'So, all the VIPs were here interesting' Naruto noted yet cringing at the dead cat thing 'Fereldan metaphors are so weird.' he thought
"I'm looking for the grey warden Alistair" asked Naruto.
"Try heading north. I think he was sent with a message to the mages" answered the guard.
"Thank you, also again I don't want to take too much of your time but could you tell me were Duncan's camp is"
"Oh, it's no trouble at all." the guards said before pointing to his left "it's not far just straight ahead past the royal Encampment, most of your fellows are in the valley are in the army but the recruits seem to be staying up here for now".
"Do you know how many recruits are here" asked Naruto
"Well there's you, a thief from Denerim I think he mentioned, a night from Redcliff I think, an elf from the mage's circle quite peculiar that one, a dwarf, and a noble woman I think that's all of them.
i think i will be on my way" said Naruto as he headed into the camp.
"Good luck to you then" said the guard. As soon as Naruto walked into the camp he started to look around. it looked like the king's and the Teyrn tents were on the left side of the camp and the mages on the right.
'Hu, left or right' Naruto thought as he took another swig from the bottle in his hand. Suddenly he took out a gold coin from his pocket and flipped it then caught in the same hand with surprising speed. "right it is" he mumbled. Before he went towards the mage encampments. as he got closer he could see two templars blocking the way into the encampment 'better not' he thought he didn't like dealing with templars, they were always so rigid. He looked to his left to see a lone mage, she was an older woman in tan colored robes. 'Why not' thought Naruto as he walked up to her.
"Hello how are you" he asked.
"Oh, what do we have here, I had heard that there was a new grey warden recruit that had just showed up" she said.
"And how do you figure that, I could just be a drunk vagrant that wandered into the camp for a chat" Naruto said with a grin on his face then took another swig from the bottle.
"Most people tend to stay away from the mages of the circle, but you just strut right up and started talking. Not many people other than grey wardens do that." she said as a single eyebrow lifted up on her wrinkled face.
"Ha-ha very perceptive of you, Naruto Uzumaki" he said as he stretched his hand out to shake.
"Wynne, a pleasure to meet you" she said as she went to shake his hand only for Naruto to grab it and plant a small kiss on her knuckles. "My quite the charmer aren't you" she said her face doing well to hide her amusement.
"Of course, being anything else would be awfully dull" he said as he took off his hat and performed a dramatic bow.
"And eccentric too" she said smirking.
"Of course," Naruto said putting his hat back on. "So, from what the king told me the battle seems to be going well".
"The king must always seem confident. His behavior affects the troop's morale. He does seem to find his enthusiasm easily, though. Reminds me of a puppy, and i say that with both respect and affection. He is a fine man." she said then paused slightly as if thinking about what next to say. "To defeat the darkspawn, we have to work together it's not an idea everyone seems able to grasp"
"Most people find it hard to put aside their prejudice for the greater good, others impossible. It's hard to forgive or ignore centuries of hate" Naruto said as he gained a far-off look for a minute but the took another swig from the bottle "do you know much about the darkspawn?" asked Naruto
"Some. do you? Do you know about the connection between the Darkspawn and the fade, for example"?
"What does the fade have anything to do with these blighted creatures"
"Anytime your spirit leaves your earthly body weather to dream or to die, it passes into the realm we call the fade. Its home to many spirits, some benevolent, others far less so. At the heart of the fade lies the black city."
"So, the Darkspawn are fade spirits?" asked Naruto
"Sadly no" said Wynne
'Then why did she mention it' thought Naruto slightly annoyed
"They are kin to neither the gentle fade spirits nor the malevolent demons. Shamefully they were once the souls of men. Some say the black city was once the seat of the maker. But when mages from the Tevinter Imperium found a way into the city, it was stained with their sin. That taint transformed those men turning them into twisted reflections of their own hearts. And the maker cast them back to the earth, where they became the first darkspawn. At least that's what the chant of light says."
'So, she really doesn't know anything about darkspawn.' Naruto thought disappointingly "the chant of light says many things" Naruto said. He never was a big fan of the chantry or any organized religion if he had to be honest.
"It may be allegory, meant to teach us that our own evil causes human suffering. Or it may be true it is as good an explanation as any for now" said Wynne
'That has to be one of the biggest loads of bull I have ever heard' Naruto thought with a smile "well good day lady Wynne, I am hoping to explore more of the camp before i am called off by Duncan" he said then bowed once more.
"Oh, ok don't let me keep you" she said as she watched him walk away 'what a strange man" she thought.
'Dear god I felt like I was in one of Iruka's lessons, I'm surprised I didn't fall asleep. I hope I never have to meet that woman again' Naruto thought as he left the area heading towards the kennels
As he neared them the sound of pained barks dare Naruto closer and closer to the kennels where he saw the kennel master looking into one of the pens mournfully. As he goes nearer Naruto noticed that he seemed to quarantine on of the dogs into its own pen and from the wails of pain the Mabari hound seems to be in intense pain.
"Hmmm. This isn't good. I'd hate to waste such a promising member of the breed." the Kennel master sighed out loud.
"Excuse me is there something the matter" Naruto asked the man his eyes still lingering on the whimpering mabari.
"Are you the new warden? Could use some help" the man said hopefully.
"Of Course, whatever do you need" Naruto said.
"This is a Mabari smart breed his owner died in the last battle and the poor Hound swallowed darkspawn blood. I have medicine that might help, but I need him muzzled first" the man said making Naruto look into the pen to see the dog looking at them as it laid there whining.
"I'll give it a shot" he said.
"Go into the pen and let him smell you will know right away if he'll was responds" he said getting a head nod from Naruto before giving the kennel master his bottle and walked in. as soon as Naruto walked into the pen the dog got into an aggressive stance ready to lunge at him if their was any sign of aggression. Naruto smiled gently to the dog causing it to put its head down breaking it stance Naruto could see the dog was intelligent but he could also see that he was in a great deal of pain. Naruto got closer and pat the side of his neck lightly before reaching for the muzzle making the dog stiffen slightly.
"Don't worry boy trust me it will all be ok" Naruto said his voice soothing the large dog before he put the muzzle on him. The Mabari whines a bit but didn't put up a fight when Naruto put the muzzle on him. After he was done Naruto started to scratch the animal's head causing it to further calm down.
"Good job now I can treat the dog properly poor fella, come to think of it are you heading into the Wilds anytime soon" asked the Kennel master.
"I might be why" said Naruto.
"there's a particular herb I could use to improve dog's chances it's a flower that grows in the swamp here if I remember, if you happen across it I could use it, it's very distinctive all white with a blood red Center" he told Naruto.
"where in the Wilds would I find this flower "asked Naruto he was ready to help if it meant helping the dog.
"it usually grows in deadwood that collects at the edge of ground pools there should be plenty this time of year" said the man.
"I'll see if I can find one" said Naruto.
"good in the meantime I'll begin treating our poor friend" said the man before handing Naruto back his bottle and heading into the kennel to treat the sick dog. As Naruto left he could hear the dog wine making him turn around.
"Don't worry boy, I will help you. just let me get that flower and you'll be all better." Naruto said he's always had a soft spot for animals he didn't know why but it felt like it was ingrained into him.
As Naruto left the kennels he saw a man and a woman talking. And as he got closer out of nowhere the woman straight up slapped the man hitting him to the floor, then walking of with a look of anger and disgust marked on her face.
'Oh shit' Naruto thought as he saw the man pick himself up 'maybe should move along' Naruto thought headed up a stone slope to the right of the dog pin and towards what seem to be the nurse's tents. Through the archway there were two large tents marked with the chantry sun and in front of them were cots that laid sick soldier who a chanters sister was doing the best she could in taking care of. To their right was a group of soldier kneeling as a mother preached the chant of light and giving the shoulders the makers blessing. not wanting to interrupt he looked around before he noticed a woman leaning against the archway. She was tall and you could just see the light contours of muscle on her slightly tanned white skin. Her hair was short and black and from the scowl on her face she looked like she was pissed.
"Excuse me but you look you could use a drink" Naruto said to the woman while holding out his half empty bottle of rum. She looked at him with her piercing bright blue eyes for a minute then took the bottle and started to chug it causing Naruto's eyes to widen.
"Wow darling slow down or you'll choke" Naruto said as he looked at her in shock. She stopped drinking and glared at him
"I have a name and it isn't darling" she said the scowl still etched on her beautiful features.
"Well someone's got their panties into a twist" Naruto said causing the blue-eyed woman to scowl further. She stood there for a couple of seconds before breathing in deeply then breathing out, calming herself.
"Sorry i didn't mean to snap at you, i just have some…. family trouble" she said as she handed the bottle of rum back to Naruto
"It's fine" Naruto said as went to take a swig from the bottle only to find it empty which caused Naruto to send her an irritated glance "did you have to finish the bottle" he said.
"Hehe sorry, my bad" the black-haired woman said as a sheepish look appeared on her face.
"Yeah I bet" Naruto said before he threw the bottle behind him into the grass and held out his hand "Naruto Uzumaki, Captain of the Vixen and Grey warden to be" Naruto said introducing himself.
"Captain and grey warden my that's quite the resume" the woman said with a grin.
"I aim to please" Naruto said matching her grin as the woman grabbed his hand. Naruto turned brought her hand up to his mouth and gave it a light kiss.
"Marian Hawke but my friends call me Hawke, pleasure" said hawks blushing slightly.
"Hawke hu, it fits well" said Naruto.
"Really and what about my name fits" asked Hawke with a smirk as she stepped a little closer to him trying to provoke him.
"Well those beautifully intense eyes of yours of course" said Naruto as he to stepped closer to her until they were right up against each other.
"My Captain Uzumaki, are you trying to seduce me" Hawke asked.
"Seduce you of course not" said Naruto halfheartedly. "If I was trying to seduce you, you'd be in my arms already"
"Oh really". Hawks said coyly
"Well Hawke, the battle doesn't begin till tonight and who knows what could happen. so how about a little fun" Naruto said his grin getting wider.
"Oh, and what did you have in mind" Hawke asked her grin becoming slightly sultry.
"Well we could take a long nice stroll along the bridge and talk to each other about the Intricacies of our lives, or." Naruto trailed on
"Or?" Hawke asked interested
"Or we could spend a little time with my friend here" Naruto said as he pulled another bottle of rum from his leather coat "and then we could see what happens next" he finished.
"I think that's a wonderful idea" Marian said as she took the bottle from him, uncorked it with a loud pop, and took a swig.
"oh my, a woman after my own heart" Naruto said his grin turning to a full-blown smile.
that's a wrap so what did you think I didn't really have time to do an in-depth Grammar scrub but this is what I could do with the time I had I have the next two written and don't ask for spoilers but thanks for reading, love you guys have a good week end see you next Friday.