Chapter One: Meant for More
The sound of fast-paced music and joyful voices filled the camp. All around, the gypsies danced merrily for their own enjoyment. At the center of it all, a beautiful girl dances with two others. Her midnight black hair, cascading in hypnotizing waves down to the center of her back, moves around her with a life of its own as it ripples like water in the firelight. Dark green eyes flash with mischeif and joy as she dances with her friends.
The three laugh together as the song dies off and the group prepares for dinner. The gypsy girl looks at her companions, a boy and a girl, with a smile. The boy laughs. "Why is it I can never keep up with you, Aleta?"
Aleta smirks playfully, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder. "Because I'm just that good, Nerus." The second girl, a tanned young lady with short brown hair, laughs.
"Or maybe Nerus is just that bad!" Nerus directs a glare at the brunette, biting the inside of his cheek as he is known to do when irritated.
"Gee, thanks. Love you too, Kara. You know, one of these days you're going to take a jab at the wrong person and I'm going to laugh as they string you up from a tree by your ankles."
Aleta shakes her head and giggles. "Can you two ever stop with your bickering?" She happily takes a swig from an offered waterskin while the three take a seat near the fire.
"No! She's an immature brat!"
"Oh, I'm a brat? Who's the one constantly complaining that-"
"Enough!" The two shut up as one of their elders shouts at them from across the fire. "Both of you, pipe down and eat your dinner." The companions do as told and settle in to an evening meal with all the others.
The sound of an approaching party causes the group to go on the alert. Aleta gets up on her feet and looks towards the direction of the sound, suddenly wishing she had brought her sword out from her tent. Too late for that now. Let's hope these people are friendly. She watches as two figures, both male, appraoch out of the darkness, both appearing very weary and worn down. Behind one, a third figure could be seen: this one a canine. The elder of the two, a dark-skinned man in large armor, appraoches first.
"Excuse me, but might I ask if we may join all of you? We have been on the road for the better part of the night and it's safer to be near a large group. I promise you, we won't be a bother and we'll compensate for anything we use." The elder that had yelled at Kara and Nerus stands and gestures both men to come closer. Aleta can see, on closer inspection, that the younger man appears to be only a bit older than herself.
"Of course. You both look terrible. Please, sit and eat with us." The dark-skinned man corsses his arms over his chest and gives a respectful bow.
"Thank you. We are very grateful." The two sit down not far from Aleta and her friends with the canine, a mabari war hound, laying down in front of the younger one. The three watch the newcomers with interest.
The elder looks to the armored man. "Mind telling us who you are, stranger?"
"Of course. "My name is Duncan, Commander of the Grey Wardens. This is my newest recruit, Aedan Cousland."
Aleta blinks in surprise. "You're a Grey Warden? I've heard a lot about them. Great warriors, bravely giving all they are to combat the Blight."
Duncan chuckles a little. "You're a very well-informed young woman, it seems. Yes, I'm a Grey Warden." Nerus frowns in confusion.
"But what is a Grey Warden doing way out here?" The camp begins to murmur, obviously wondering the same thing.
Duncan sighs. "The king has called all the Wardens in Ferelden to Ostagar to stop the Blight before it goes too far." The group stirs in worry at this news. "However, our numbers are too few, so I have been searching for new recruits. In fact, if you have anyone to recommend with good battle skill, we need as many possible recruits as we can find."
"Well, we have some among us who have fair skill with various weaponry. We have to be able to defend ourselves, you understand, but we are mainly performers Duncan. Most of our number have never even seen a darkspawn."
Unable to keep quite on the issue, Aleta speaks up. "But if there are those of us who can fight, shouldn't we at least try to help? Even if it isn't by joining the Grey Wardens, shouldn't we help to defend our country?" Seeing Duncan watching her with an unreadable gaze, she ducks her head in embarrassment for drawing attention.
"You're a brave soul to be willing to brave an enemy you've never seen for people you've never met. " The gypsy elder shifts nervously.
"Aleta is very brave, but she's seen little of the world. I'm sorry, Sir Duncan, but we can't..."
The trumpeting sound of a horn cuts off whatever he might have said as vile creatures appear from the shadows outside the ring of firelight. Duncan and Aedan leap to their feet and draw their weapons as the gypsies scramble for either their own weapons or to remove themselves from the line of attack.
Aleta rushes to her tent and ducks inside, ripping her longsword free from the sheath that rests beside her bedroll. Running back out, she rushes to meet the threat head on before these disgusting creatures can harm her family.
With the same flowing grace that shone in her steps before, Aleta dances out of the way of the enemy swings and strikes back with the reflex of a viper on the offensive. With the ferocity of a wolf defending its pack, her sword rips into the teriffying monsters. At some point in the fight, Aleta found herself briefly fighting side by side with Duncan and his recruit. She spares only a second to survey their side of the fight before the enemy draws her attention again.
In what seems like both an instant and an hour, the last creature falls and the camp falls silent except for the crackling of the fire and the harsh breathing of the fighters. Aleta looks around and notes only a few were injured at all. Thank the Maker for that. We could have lost someone...
Nerus is the first to choke down his fear and asks, "What were those things?!"
Duncan looks around the camp with regretful eyes. "Those were Darkspawn. Most likely a scouting party, or there would have been more of them. I should have expected it so close to Ostagar..." The gypsies start talking to eachother all at once in hurried fright.
Aleta looks at the blackened blood on her blade, then to the wounded members of their family. "Duncan... How large is the main body of the Darkspawn?" The large Warden shakes his head.
"Of those above ground, their numbers are far larger than we anticapted. We can only guess how many of them populate the Deep Roads."
"And with so few Grey Wardens, what is the likelihood of this threat spreading?"
"We're hoping that with the help of the king and his army, it won't. But if we should fail... The threat of the Blight is very real and will not stop until the Archdemon is slain; a feat only a Grey Warden can accomplish."
Aleta looks over the terrified faces of these people she has lived with all her life. These people who she would die to keep safe. Her next words send them all into stark silence.
"Then let me join the Grey Wardens."
Duncan faces the young woman and truly looks at her for the first time. He took in her dancer's build and the way she carries herself. Despite every sign showing she would be only a minor threat in a fight, he had seen her go toe-to-toe with Darkspawn and come out unscathed. She had faced an unknown enemy without fear, thinking only of the people in need of her protection.
One look in her eyes is all it took to see the fire burning in her to defend those she loves the most.
As Duncan opens his mouth to accept her offer, a middle-aged woman pushes her way forward. "No! Aleta, you can't! I won't allow it!."
Aleta sets aside her sword and takes the woman's hands. "Mother... I know you don't want me in danger, but I have to do this. You saw these creatures. If Duncan and Aedan hadn't found us here, we wouldn't have gotten away so easy. He says only Grey Wardens can end the Blight. I want to help end this before more of us are hurt. Before any of us are lost."
The older woman stares her daughter in the eyes for several long moments, confronted by the determination and love she sees there. "My sweet girl... I can't turn you from this path, can I?
"No. I have to do this, mother. Please believe me." Aleta turns to Duncan. "We'll leave in the morning?"
Duncan nods. "We'll need to burn the bodies and we should rest as well."
Aleta's mother smiles sadly and speaks to the entire group. "Than we have only tonight to celebrate our sweet Aleta and give her a proper send off."
The gypsies raise a tentative cheer. Some start to help clear away the dead Darkspawn while other prepare to celebrate their last night with their shining dancer.
They celebrate and make merry well into the night, those closest to Aleta all giving her small gifts and baubles to remember them by. When the time comes for sleep, the young dancer finds the full weight of her decision weighing down on her and making sleep elusive. In the morning, she would leave her family behind to join the Grey Wardens. It could be years before she could see them again, even with the promises that they would all send letters to keep her informed about what their doing.
Sleep claims her slowly and morning comes all too soon. With a few final goodbyes to her beloved family, she mounts her horse and joins Duncan and Aedan.
No words are needed between the Warden and his recruits as they set off for Ostagar to join with the king's army and the rest of the potential Warden recruits.