Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age, that's owned by Bioware and they are the most amazing people and gaming developer ever.
His big brother had always led him into strange places but this had to be ranked as first on his list. Carver struggled to lift his sword as more darkspawn came in small waves. It was frightening, at first, to discover that darkspawn were more likely to jump out in the Deep Roads than bandits are to appear out of nowhere from their veil of darkness in LowTown. As he took in a few more breaths, he looked ahead to see his brother hurling fire balls at every darkspawn that came near them while the sound of bolts plunging into flesh that could only come from Varric's girl, Bianca.
Carver looked sideways to see four hurlocks storming their way towards him, waving their swords and axes in the air. He glared at them as he griped the hilt of his two handed sword tighter. He waited until they came closer to him, waiting for the right moment to strike. He took in a deep breath before lifting his sword as they drew near. He let out a bellow as he ran forward and swung his sword in an arch, cleaving all four hurlocks in half.
He breathed out haggardly as he lowered his sword, finding it to cause a great strain on him. He cursed as he spat out blood from his mouth; it seemed to be no end to them. It was now that he started to feel sorry for the dwarves who had to deal with these soulless bastards every second of their lives. He started to move forward only to double over in pain as the Taint spread throughout his body. He cried out as he fell to his knees and slumped into the cold and rocky floor.
He tried to lift himself but his muscles failed him and he collapsed to the ground once again. He gritted his teeth as another shockwave of pain resonated throughout his dying body. He could barely lift his head when he heard his name being called out; the Taint was finally starting to catch up on him after five days.
From his burly vision he could make out the dark boots of his brother running towards him. "Carver, get up! Don't die on me yet!" his voiced boomed as he smacked a hurlock with the blunt end of his staff.
Carver violently coughed as he lightly glared at him, "Easier said than done, big brother!" He started to shake uncontrollably but managed to bring himself on his right knee. He used his left hand to support himself and laid his other arm on his knee. He panted heavily; it took almost all of his energy to be able to move. He rested his head on his arm when a wave of nausea struck him hard.
Everything was now swirling together; his thoughts, his sights, even what he smelled was becoming into a horrid stench. What a complete and utter idiot he was. He knew that he felt something wrong after the fight on the first day of exploration when their group was searching for the "enchantment" dwarf, Sandal. He didn't say anything; he didn't want to say anything. He didn't want to drag everyone down because of him. Most of all, he didn't want to depend on his big brother. He didn't care if it was a poor excuse but that's what happens when you are hidden in the shadows for too long.
Carver breathed slowly as his brother lifted him off the ground. His brother, Garrett, slung Carver's arm around his shoulders and let him lean all his weight on him. He lazily looked up at Garrett; taking in the worry on his face.
He laughed dryly, "I think this is the first time I ever seen you frown, brother." It really was rare to see him without an amused smirk on his face. It was the same smirk he would give to someone who threatened his life or whenever he flirted with the local women.
Garrett looked down at him, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "If I frown as much as you do then I would get wrinkles," He quipped in a teasing manner.
Carver scoffed; even in the worst situations his brother would somehow bring humor into it. It doesn't even matter that he was dying by the minute. Garrett helped him move forward, stopping whenever Carver winced in pain. Garrett explained to him that Anders found the Grey Wardens that they were looking for. In that moment he didn't know whether to feel relief or anxious.
The Hawke brothers finally reached to where Anders and three Wardens were standing. At least his vision had slightly cleared up so that the four figures didn't look like blobs. He couldn't quite hear what they were saying but from the looks on their faces told that they were arguing. There was a stern looking man with a large black moustache, scowling at the mage in front of him. He had his arms crossed against his chest plate with the insignia of the Grey Wardens; a griffin.
There were two others standing behind him; a man with a two handed sword on his back and another man with a quiver of arrows and long bow strapped behind him. The man with the sword wore a full set of Grey Warden plate armor along with a helm so he couldn't see his face. The other man, a little shorter than the man next to him, had a Grey Warden leather armor set on. He also had a helm but he could make out a tanned skinned young face man; he couldn't have been a few years older than Carver.
The wardens noticed their arrival as they turned their attention towards them. The stern man frowned as he lowered his arms from his chest plate while two men stiffen at the sight of Carver. He already felt horrible; he must have looked horrible as well. The stern man locked his gaze at him with his scrutiny dark eyes for a moment.
The stern man whipped his head back at Anders, the scowl returning to his blood stained face. "You can't be serious," he said steadily with a slight Orlesian accent, "This boy…as a recruit?" He looked away as he shook his head in disapproval, "Of course you would."
Carver felt a burst of anger when he was called a boy; normally he would have made a snide comment to the man, not even caring that he was a Warden, and start instigating a fight with him. He had grown up too quickly to be who he was now; he was far from the boy who grew up in Ferelden.
Soon his rage was washed away by fear when the man turned his attention to Garrett and spoke in a grave tone, "I'm sorry but I'm afraid that I cannot fulfill this request."
Caver felt as if someone poured ice cold water all over him; all hope that he had had simply drifted away. He had thought that maybe, just maybe, he had a chance to live. He had hoped that he wouldn't die; he held onto the false hope that Anders gave him when they sought out for the Grey Wardens. He slumped as the realization caved in like a heavy boulder. He was going to die in the closed space of the Deep Roads. He was going to die.
"I know this comes as no comfort to you-"
Of course it doesn't you ass, Carver thought bitterly.
"But we do not recruit Grey Wardens out of pity," the man finished as he drifted his eyes to look at Carver. He couldn't help but to glare at the man; it was the only way he could take out his anger besides his sword. He couldn't tell if it was annoyance or curiosity that flickered in the man's eyes. Finally the man spoke solemnly, "It is no kindness…"
He was still glaring at the man but he took in the words. He heard stories about the Grey Wardens; he had grown up listening to them. He was fascinated with them when he was a little boy; they were the reason why the past five Blights were ended. They were an order of strong individuals whose sole purpose was to fight the darkspawn at whatever the cost.
He admired them-at one point in his life he considered the idea of being a Warden, but he didn't like how secretive they were. Besides their roles and involvements in the past Blights, no one other than Grey Wardens knew how a person became a Warden. He never bothered to try and learn more about them. He had more important things to keep in mind, like looking out for any Templars or moving from place to place to avoid being caught.
He wondered if they even accepted him to become a Warden, was he expected to actually be one. That was if, and it was a big if, he managed to stay alive.
He didn't realize that Garrett had tightened his hold of him when he heard the man's refusal to help him. "Carver happens to be a fine warrior," he stated firmly but still had small mirth in his tone, "You'd be an idiot not to recruit him."
Caver gaped at him; since when did his big brother ever defend him in anything? He and Garrett were not in the best of terms ever since they arrived in Kirkwall. A whole year of paying off the debt of his bastard of an uncle Gamlen with the Red Iron had also led to a whole year of fighting with each other. Even before that they often found themselves arguing with each other. Figures that all it took was for him to be infected with the Taint to bring them together.
The man's face didn't change but he could hear sternness in his tone, "Be that as it may, I cannot." All the remaining energy in Carver's body left quickly. That was it; the man had no intentions to recruit him. Carver looked up only to find his brother looking down at him. Dark blue eyes clashed with golden brown eyes in a wordless conversation but they both had the same thought.
"Stroud," Anders interjected, bringing back the Hawke brothers to reality, "Trust me, Carver is a skilled warrior. You saw how he fought against the darkspawn just now. You won't regret bringing him into the order."
Carver frowned in confusion; first his brother defended him and now the spirit harboring apostate was also sticking up for him? Of course Anders was dead set on trying to let him live but they weren't exactly the greatest of friends.
The man, or Stroud, looked back at Anders and opened his mouth to say something but Anders quickly interrupted him, "You know that the Wardens need every recruit that they can get! With the Blight over, there isn't exactly a long line of people wanting to join."
Stroud glared at Anders but the mage stood his ground and stared intently back at him. A long silence passed between their group and the Wardens. Stroud then let out a heavy sigh, "This is not a simple thing, Anders," He closed his eyes and held the bridge of his nose for a moment before speaking again, "This may well be a death sentence as the sickness. You know this."
Anders flinched and looked away from Stroud; a pained expression appeared on his tired face. Carver knew that the healer was probably reminiscing his time as a Warden. From the stories he told him and the others while in their daily visit at the Hanged Man, he had seen some pretty nasty shit in his short amount of his life.
Stroud took his hand off his face and turned towards the two Wardens. The taller man remained rooted to the ground while the other guy couldn't stop fidgeting. He immediately fixed his posture and gave Stroud an innocent smirk. Stroud shook his head, clearly used to his antics, and nodded once to them. The two of them seemed hesitate and looked back at Carver. Stroud nodded again, this time more firmly, and the Wardens slowly nodded back to him. Stroud motioned with his head to start walking, away from where they stood.
Carver stared at the Warden's retreating backs hopelessly as he started to shake in fear. They were just going to leave them, as if they never talked to them? How could they just turn a blind eye and pretend that nothing happened?
He didn't realize that he was trying to move forward until Varric, who had surprisingly stayed silent throughout the whole time, grabbed his elbow. "Easy there, Junior," he muttered softly, staring straight ahead to the Wardens. Carver suppressed a growl; too stubborn to listen to the beardless dwarf and tried to move again. He bit his bottom lip in pain as he took a small step but kept moving forward. His brother tried to hold him back gently, but then Garrett helped him stay on his feet and be used has a human crutch.
Carver started to pant loudly and his whole body trembled violently but he didn't stop; he wasn't going to give up now, not after searching for them, not after keeping his infection from his group for five days, not after he and his brother worked their asses off to raise coin to get in the expedition, not after seeking refuge in his mother's childhood home, not after his fraternal twin sister Bethany was killed by the damned Ogre in front of him.
He saw the archer stop and look over his shoulder, his dark brown eyes meeting with Carver's determined blue eyes. The guy frowned as he looked back at his fellow Wardens who still kept walking. He looked back at Carver, who was slowly catching up to him, but he didn't move from his spot. He did something that surprised him; he waited patiently for him to reach where he stood.
The tall man with the two-handed sword noticed the archer's disappearance and looked behind him. "What are you doing, Jayden?" he called out, his deep voice resonating throughout the area. He sounded Ferelden but there was something else in his accent that Carver couldn't pick out.
The archer, Jayden, didn't answer back as he stepped closer to him and his brother. Looking at his face more closely, Carver recognized a hint of concern. Jayden was also looking guilty as he searched for something in his rouge belt. He mumbled under his breath humorously, "You'd think that this would be more organized but noooo."
He went on a quiet rant about "having labels" and "different pockets for storing" until he found what he was looking for. "Aha," he declared in triumph, pulling out a flask of health poultice. He moved closer, bending forward and jiggling the dark red substance in Carver's face. "Just down it like a swig of ale. The one who made this, unfortunately, lacks the skills of herbalism," he said, a small grin breaking out on his face.
Carver blinked at the grinning Warden, not sure if he should accept his offer. Jayden sighed as he pulled out the cork, scrunching his nose in disgust from the smell of it. "It's not going to kill you, trust the potion tasting guinea pig," he said wryly.
A few seconds of awkward silence passed until Jayden broke it, "Okay, inappropriate joke. My mother raised a comedian but the point is," he stopped as he wore a more serious face, "drink it and you will feel less the pain that you already have."
Another moment of silence passed and nobody made a move. The two Wardens were standing a few feet away from them, waiting for their comrade and what would happen next. It wasn't until Garrett gently grabbed the poultice from Jayden's hand and nodded in gratitude.
He placed the flask against Carver's lips and said quietly, "You know…the last time I force fed you, you were just a baby. You were as stubborn back then as you are now."
Carver rolled his eyes and let out a small groan at his brother. Must he find humor in everything? "I'm dying and you're still making fun of me?" he asked while glancing at Garrett.
"Only for you, dear brother."
Carver glared at him as he grumbled before taking a drink from the poultice, "Thanks, you jackass." He gagged at the bitter taste of the poultice; this didn't even compare to how Anders' potions tasted. At least they were safe to drink. He heard a small snicker from Jayden but the man covered it up as a cough. He mumbled a quiet sorry as he tried to hide his amused smile. Carver ignored him as he chugged down the rest of the poultice.
He coughed after he finished drinking the disgusting poultice-if you can call that a poultice. It took a few moments for the potion to start kicking in but he did feel a little better than before. He looked up to see Jayden and quickly diverted his eyes to the ground. He was still a little peeved at the Warden's abandonment but at least one of them did something. "Thank you," he muttered softly, still keeping his gaze towards the ground.
He didn't look up but he could hear the mirth in Jayden's voice when he replied, "Ya' welcome."
When he heard Jayden's feet shuffle, he thought that he was going to go back to the Wardens. He looked up, surprised to see that he had only turned back to face the other Wardens. "Guys," he called out as he jabbed his thumb at Carver, "This one isn't going without a fight!"
The tall man sighed and went to stand next to Jayden. He took off his helmet and held it against his right side. He was old; that was the first thing he noticed, a little old to still be fighting and carrying a heavy sword on his back, at least. His faded blond hair was held up in a small pony tail, faint stress lines surrounded his squinting light blue eyes, a few scars were etched into his skin but it was hard to see them because of his beard.
His squinted eyes stared at Carver intently while wearing an unreadable expression. It made Carver nervous to be under his scrutinizing gaze. It was like he was trying to find out everything about him in one gaze. Only a minute passed before the old man spoke out softly to him, "Carver, is it?"
Carver lifted an eyebrow in confusion; where was this going to? Nevertheless he confirmed his question with a nod. The old man lowered his eyes, his face still remained unreadable. His eyes glazed as if he was anywhere but in the Deep Roads.
Jayden peered up towards the old man and waved his gloved hand close to his face rapidly. "Yoo-hoo," he drawled out, trying to get his attention, "come back to us, Ike. I promise to give you all the prunes your heart desires if you do!"
Ike blinked his eyes twice before grabbing Jayden's wrist. He looked at Jayden at the corner of his eye and frowned, making his wrinkles more noticeable. "This is not the time for your antics, Jayden," he spoke in a reprimanding manner.
Jayden yanked his hand free from Ike and held both his hands up in defense. He made a motion of zipping his mouth shut but had a mischievous glint in his eyes. Ike briefly rolled his eyes before looking straight back to Carver.
"Carver," he spoke out in a serious tone, "I only have one question." He made a brief pause and asked in the same serious manner, "Do you want to be a Grey Warden?"
Carver was thrown off by the question. "What do you mean?" he asked hesitantly.
"I mean exactly what I said," he replied stiffly, almost in an apprehensive way. "Joining the Grey Warden's is different from joining the army. We don't just take anyone; they must be recognized of their skill and character, to show the potential of becoming a Warden. They also must know the meaning of responsibility and sacrifices."
Ike stepped closer to Carver, who was hanging on to every word the old Warden spoke of. "The Grey Wardens is both a privilege and a great risk. When you join, you will never return to the life you had before. Any ties that you may have-husband, son, thief, or soldier, will have to be severed," His deep voice rang out and Carver could almost hear the wisdom of years and experience that he went through.
"I see great potential in you, Carver. I can tell that this isn't your first time in battle," Ike admitted, making Carver extremely surprised. Carver knew that he was skilled in fighting; he didn't enlist himself for the late King Cailin's army in Ostagar for nothing. But to hear it being acknowledged by some complete stranger made him swell up in pride.
"You would make a fine Warden, but are you willing to carry out that title? Will you accept the role of a Warden, knowing fully well of what you are getting into? Are you prepared for the hardships you will face in the years to come?" Ike asked in a demanding tone.
Carver felt the air escape his lungs and his heart pounded harshly against his chest. He tried to find any falsehood in Ike's eyes but found pure sincerity instead. Ike was not lying nor was he giving him false hope; he was giving him a chance.
Chance, that's rarely given to Carver. No one gave him a chance to find a job or position in Kirkwall all because he was a "Fereldan dog". Nobody gave him a chance to prove himself worthy in either Lothering or Kirkwall. He was always pushed to the side, forcing him to stay in the shadows while others were put in the spotlight. He became bitter because of it, he knew this with every snide comment or complaint he made. It was the only way for him to be heard.
But now, as the corruption flew in his veins, a man he barely knew was giving him a chance. He wasn't forcing him or offering out of pity. He was showing more consideration than any bastard Carver had ever met in his life. The chance that Ike was giving…it was tempting. Carver wanted-needed- that one big chance.
"You should go with them…Carver,"
It took a fraction of a second to recognize that the serious tone was coming from his brother. He snapped his head to his left, wincing at the process, and started at Garrett in bewilderment. Garrett wasn't looking at him; he was staring at Ike with his calculating eyes. His laugh lines were visible but he wasn't bearing his usual cocky smirk. The thing that Carver found extremely surprising was Garrett's dull eyes. There wasn't humor or that playful spark that he had; this wasn't his upbeat and sarcastic idiot of a brother.
Carver opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He stood there gaping like a fish out of water. He cleared his throat and managed to say, "But…w-what?"
Garrett pulled away his gaze from Ike and met with Carver's eyes. His demeanor didn't change when he repeated firmly, "I said that you should go with them." Carver frowned and began to protest when Garrett cut him off before he could say anything, "You and I both know that there's no other way."
"What, die now or die later? I'm not sure which choice is better," Carver muttered darkly and glared at his brother.
"CARVER!" Garrett shouted. Carver's eyes widen as well as Garrett's. Garrett turned his head to the side while Carver looked at him in shock. Garrett rarely raised his voice; he would use sarcastic remarks and witty comments whenever he was annoyed or mad.
Carver had forgotten that there were other people watching but he didn't care. Whatever Garrett wanted to say was important, or else Carver wouldn't bother listening to him.
Garrett looked back at Carver, his eyes full of grief that caught Carver off guard. "I don't want to lose you, Carv…not like this…not like…" Garrett whispered softly and filled with remorse.
Carver continued to stare at him and finished his brother's sentence with the same tone, "Like Bethany…" Garrett lowered his head and he nodded somberly.
Carver down casted his eyes to the ground, the memory of Bethany being snatched by an Ogre only to be smashed repeatedly to the ground replayed in his mind. The Blight took everything from him, from their family: their home, their friends, and they lost Bethany. Carver looked back at his brother who refused to look at him. Carver took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Ike.
Carver looked at him dead in the eye and said in a serious tone, "I want to be a Grey Warden…"
At that Ike nodded his head in approval while Jayden grinned from ear to ear and whooped gleefully. "We got another brother joining our ranks!" Jayden exclaimed as he clapped Carver in the back. Then Jayden squeaked out an apology when Carver grunted in pain.
Ike turned to face Stroud, who had remained silent during the time, and said, "Stroud…"
Stroud furrowed his eyebrows as he lowered his head, seemingly thinking about what Carver said. A look of doubt appeared in his face when he lifted his head. Just as he was going to speak, Anders quickly cut him off.
"He'll die anyway! Take him and try," Anders pleaded desperately, "I wouldn't ask anyone of this but you…" There was something in his voice that told Carver that the two of them had a history.
Stroud looked surprised for a moment until he closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. "Very well then," he said softly as Anders gave a small smile, "but if I do this, then we are even."
Anders nodded understandably as he let out a quiet thank you. Even Carver was filled with relief. Stroud turned to Garrett and said, "If your brother comes, he comes now and you may not see him again. It's like what Ike said; being a Warden is not a cure. It's a Calling."
Carver looked at Garrett who appeared emotionless. Carver thought he knew why because as the thought of never seeing that moronic grin of his brother…he felt numb. He couldn't stop himself from asking Garrett, "Are you sure about this?"
Garrett turned to look at him and after a moment he gave Carver a small smile, "I'm not sure of anything…but I want you to live."
Carver stared at him, probably because he may never see his brother again. Garrett's short but messy black hair, his stubble chin beginning to be more noticeable, faint scars from small accidents marred onto his face and his tired but full of mirth golden eyes stared back because of the same reason Carver had.
"We must move quickly if we are to make it to the surface in time," Stroud ordered Ike and Jayden, "Jayden I want you to go ahead of us and tell the others to start preparing to head back to Vigil's Keep."
Jayden faked a groan, "You want me to go by myself? Where the darkspawn are? What if they decide to take me into their lair and do whatever they fantasize doing with handsome rouges like moi? Nurren would be devastated!"
Stroud glared at him and said crossly, "Thatcher…"
Jayden lifted his hands in defense and said, "Alright, alright! I was joking! You do know what a joke is? It's both a noun and a verb and it can be a story, anecdote, or wordplay that is intended to-"
"Just get moving, Jayden…" Ike groaned as he rubbed his temples with his hand.
Jayden saluted while smiling idiotically, "You can count on me!" Jayden looked back at Carver and said in a teasing manner, "You better not turn to a ghoul on me. Stay alive, trooper!"
Carver was going to insult him but then Jayden turned around, started to jog to where they were going originally and before anyone knew it he melted into the shadows and gone from sight.
Ike grumbled under his breath and all Carver could make out was, "…that injudicious jester…one of these days…" Ike regained his calm countenance and spoke quietly to Carver, "We're ready when you are…you should start saying your goodbyes now."
Carver nodded his head and looked at his traveling companions. Varric was the first who came to him first and patted his arm. "Good luck out there, Junior. I better hear stories of you saving the world, battling evil darkspawn, and all that shit."
Carver smirked and asked, "I imagine that will change once you start spreading them?"
Varric gave a loud cackle and smirked as well. "At least I'll get some fodder, am I right?" he joked as he gave a sly wink. Carver rolled his eyes, remembering their little banter about him being used as a fodder back when they started to earn coin for the expedition.
Anders was next and gave him a smile but his eyes filled with guilt and sadness. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone…but something tells me that you'll make it through," Anders admitted it. Carver couldn't find himself to say anything back but to nod his head. "It won't be so bad," Anders continued, "at least you'll be under the fearless Warden-Commander. You should consider yourself to be lucky"
"Speaking about the Commander," Stroud interrupted him, "You know that I have to inform her of you."
Anders sighed and said in a miserable tone, "Andraste's knicker-weasels, I don't what to even want to know how she'll react…Alright, tell her. I'll just have to wait for my punishment." Carver raised an eyebrow at Anders who simply said, "You'll find out."
Carver didn't ask and said thank you for bringing him to the Wardens, albeit reluctantly. It was then that he looked at his big brother one more time. "Then," he started, "I guess this is it…" He didn't know what to say to him and that made him a little bit angry at himself; he couldn't find himself to say anything meaningful to Garrett. Maybe there wasn't anything left to say; their eyes told each other what they really wanted to say.
"I'll tell the rest of our misfits that you said goodbye," Garrett promised as he handed Carver to both Stroud and Ike. Carver smiled sadly as the thought of a tattooed elf infiltrated his mind. If only, he thought to himself.
The Wardens adjusted him so that he would be comfortable and able to walk. Ike asked him if he was ready to which he said that he was. Carver stared at Garrett for the last time and uttered quietly before limping into the shadows, "Take care of Mother."
Author's note: Hello people of Dragon Age fanfictions! I really don't have the energy to write a long disclaimer because I just wrote ten pages, TEN long pages and I know that this will never happen again. So as I was playing Dragon Age 2 the first time, I was MageHawke and I made Carver a Grey Warden without knowing. After watching his appearances, it made start to think about what he had been through. Since there's not a whole lot of fanfic about him as a Warden, I'm deciding to explore that idea and write about his time in the Wardens. That's all there is to know in a nut shell.
I know that I have other stories to write and that I suck at updating, but I have a really good feeling about this and I'll try my best to update frequently. I hope that you guys enjoy it and I would love to read some feedback from you. Comments, complaints, questions (they will be answered but very loosely), I'll take them all. Now I'll head off and start writing other things!