Full summary: The Grey Wardens are a prestigious group, one dedicated to fighting the darkspawn. However, with their good name is slandered, and many of their members dead, the ones who remain have to find the will to continue fighting in order to defend those who want nothing more than to see them dead. A Dragon Age: Origins retelling, with major twists and turns.
"The Grey Wardens need more recruits." Duncan said, running his fingers through his hair. Though there had been two possible Grey Warden candidates already recruited—Ser Jory and Daveth—Duncan felt a need for more. "With darkspawn amassing on the surface, we need as many able bodies as we can find."
"Shall we go out and find new recruits, Duncan?" In truth, Duncan hated leaving the recruiting in the hands of others. In the past, recruits that weren't his had not made it past the joining ritual. The young Grey Warden grinned sheepishly, almost as though he had read Duncan's mind. "You could always turn them down, Duncan."
"No," the firm reply came, causing the young Warden glance up. "I need to figure out if there is, or isn't, an Archdemon among the darkspawn. For that, I need to go to Orzammar; I'll search for recruits on the way."
"You're going alone?" The Warden asked, the shock written on his face.
"For the most part. I want some of you to travel ahead to Orzammar. We have much to look into, and I'm positive I can leave that to you for several days while I search for our recruits." Duncan watched as the young Warden excused himself. There was much to do, and very little time to do it, Duncan noted bitterly.
There were, in his opinion, a lot of places that he could visit in search of recruits—unfortunately, he needed for his path to lead him to Orzammar quickly.
That was why he decided that his first stop would be Castle Cousland. The Cousland guard had amazing warriors amongst them, and Duncan did not doubt that at least one of them would make a great Warden.
With a charcoal stick, Duncan wrote a quick note to himself about his path, before looking over the next possible route. From Castle Cousland, he would head straight to the Circle of Magi. Not only did he need to meet with the First Enchanter about receiving more mages for the King's Army, but the Grey Wardens needed a Mage amongst them. Their last had gone to Orzammar years ago in order to seek a proper Warden's death. It was a shame to see him go; he was a powerful mage, stronger than, Duncan believed, the First Enchanter himself.
As soon as he left the Circle of Magi, he would head right for Denerim. The city was a large one, and Duncan was positive that he could find at least one more warrior from the city.
From Denerim, he would go right to the Brecilian Forest to seek out the Dalish Elves. The Dalish were graceful and deadly—a people worth having on your side. Elves always made a decent Grey Warden, with them being so dedicated to what they did.
After meeting with the Dalish, he and whatever recruits he had gathered would head straight for Orzammar to meet with the other Grey Wardens. There, he would find the answers to his questions before going back to Ostagar. He didn't know if his potential recruits would be able to survive the joining or not, but that was always a risk that the Grey Wardens had to take.
Grabbing his swords, Duncan left the room in order to collect supplies. He would be on the road for several weeks, but he felt that he only needed to bring the minimum. He had no doubt that he would receive whatever he needed from allies.
A/N: Hello, all, and thank you for reading the first chapter of A Warden's Promise.
When I saw a similar story pop up, I was a little wary about posting this up, but I spent a long time planning it out, and I wasn't about to stop writing it~! That, and my friend encouraged me to throw it up.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this extremely short, introductory chapter. I'm in the middle of editing chapter two, and I can tell you that it's going to be way longer than this. Remember, reviews help an author keep going!