Had this idea the other day, since I've always been curious as to how exactly Anora knows that the Joining is possibly fatal. Decided might as well write it up.

Disclaimer: Dragon Age is owned by Bioware, and its EA overlords.

"The Joining itself is often fatal is it not?" Queen Anora tried to helpfully point out after Riordan had suggested the crazy idea of not killing Loghain and inducting him into the Grey Wardens instead, "If he survives you gain a general, if not you have your revenge. Doesn't that satisfy you?"

While Alistair looked enraged at the mere suggestion that Loghain be spared after everything the Teyrn did, the other two Wardens present, Riordan and Dravid Aeducan, each had a very different look of horror on their faces. Queen Anora had just revealed one of the greatest Grey Warden secrets in front of everyone in the entire Landsmeet.

The Queen seemed pleased with herself, apparently thinking that Loghain had a good chance of not being executed for treason, but the look on her face changed to worry when she saw that Riordan had begun slumping dejectedly, and when Dravid began pacing back and forth. She looked around at the other nobility that had gathered for the Landsmeet, some of them shrugging at the sight and others whispering amongst themselves, before she decided to ask if she had said something wrong.

"Is everything okay?" Anora questioned as Riordan looked sick to his stomach, and as Dravid looked like he was about to murder someone.

"You bitch!" Dravid stopped pacing and snapped at her to the gasps of the Landsmeet and to Loghain stepping protectively in front of his daughter, "Do you know what you just did?!"

"I can't say that I do," the queen answered honestly, not seeing what had distressed two of the Wardens so much. Alistair on the other hand seemed just as confused as she did, though that wasn't something that really surprised her to be honest considering that his brother was Cailan.

"Please tell me that you're not serious?" the former Dwarven prince practically pleaded, "Please tell me that this is just an extremely convoluted way that you came up with to join the Grey Wardens?"

The whispering amongst the nobles had ceased, them instead being drawn in to the Dwarf's implication of the queen becoming a Warden herself, and the confusion on Anora's face only grew from there. She furrowed her brow, not quite knowing what to do, and then for a moment met eyes with her father, Loghain only scratching his head and shrugging in response.

Clearing her throat, the queen replied the distressed Dwarf in the most diplomatic voice that she could muster. "I truly do not know what it is that you're trying to say, Warden."

Dravid's mouth opened in shock, Riordan only face palmed because the rumors back in Orlais about Ferelden being ruled by a simpleton were true, but Alistair instead simply coughed, not knowing quite what it was that was wrong. Despite the fact that they were in a very public place amongst all the most powerful nobles in the country, Alistair practically whispered to his two brothers-in-arms. "Guys, I don't really know why the two of you are freaking out either."

"Ancestors," Dravid muttered as he rubbed the crease of his nose in exasperation, "even Trian would have made a better ruler than you two dumbasses."

"Hey!" both of the potential rulers of the country protested, Anora having always viewed herself as the genius chess master who was the real power of Ferelden, and Alistair never quite getting used to all the times during their travels that his buddy had called him an idiot.

Ignoring them, Dravid just sighed and shrugged as he unsheathed his sword and prepared his shield. "Well, now it's time to murder you all."

The Landsmeet remained quiet, none of the nobles quite knowing what to say. Dravid looked around the room as he considered on who to kill first, he thought it was a shame that Isolde had decided not to show up, but it was then as he couldn't make up his mind that Arl Eamon came from behind him and tapped him on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, Warden, but did you just say you were going to murder us?"

He didn't look back at Eamon, instead focusing his eyes on Anora since she would be a fun kill, but Dravid did respond the Arl. "Yup, and you have your queen to thank for just unveiling one of our biggest secrets. Isn't that right, Riordan?"

Every eye in the room turned to the senior Warden, who just sighed and drew his swords since it looked like a massacre was about to happen. "Well, I would rather not kill them, but I don't see that I have much of a choice if you seem so intent on attacking them. I can't let one of our only three Grey Wardens get killed now of all times."

"Them kill me?" the Dwarf laughed, "I routinely slay things like high dragons and highly skilled assassins. I don't think that a bunch of poncy Human nobles stand much of a chance against me."

With that Zevran and Morrigan also prepared their own respective weapons, and Dravid took one purposeful step in Anora's direction, despite Loghain's burning eyes, before Alistair rushed himself in front of the Dwarf. "Woah! Hold on, there's no need to kill everyone here!"

Dravid just rolled his eyes since Alistair had always been a pansy when it came to trying to do the 'right thing', just like that time that Alistair had complained when he slaughtered the Dalish to bring justice to the werewolves, or when he had let Branka keep the Anvil of the Void in exchange for golems to help against the Blight. "Dude, Warden secrets come first before a bunch of people that I hate."

"Look," Alistair tried to persuade the former Prince Aeducan, "I'm with you when it comes to killing Loghain, but isn't there another way we can fix this without, well, performing a massacre?"

Dravid sighed in response as he lowered his weapons and turned back to Riordan, "Right of Conscription?"

Relieved, Riordan nodded his head in agreement. "Right of Conscription."

A few hours and a lot of dead nobles from the Joining later, there were a lot more new Grey Wardens in Ferelden. Queen Anora would later go down in history as one of the most legendary Grey Wardens to have ever existed when she ended the Blight by slaying the Archdemon Urthemiel and lived to tell the tale.

Just had the idea for this. I honestly am not very pleased with it if I have to be one hundred percent truthful. Oh well, we all have our duds.