Blood and Steel
"Take that, ya bastard!" The small girl hollered, her sharp eyes glittering as she once again hit the tall tree. Dents and chips riddled the large oak from the sword clutched in her tiny fist. She stopped momentarily to push the fire colored hair out of her eyes, smile proudly at her handy work and continue her flurry of strikes. Most eleven year olds hadn't been taught to wield a sword or shoot a bow, especially elves, but none of that concerned the proud warrior.
"Lilith no! The Elder is gonna scold you again!" Another small elf yelled, running towards the tree, her striking hair showing a distinct familial resemblance.
"It's not my fault that this place only has one tree, Shianni!" The girl yelled back, pausing her passionate fight with the tree to lean against it and drop the heavy blade to the ground.
The Alienage did mostly consist of brown weeds and depressing shacks on the outskirts of the city. The tall tree reaching towards the sky slightly redeemed the sad sight that came to be associated with the elves home. The evening sun seeped through the slated roofs of the houses and soaked into the packed dirt floor of the town square, casting a dim glow on their surroundings. Shianni halted by the tree, shooting a worried look at her trouble maker of a cousin.
"Look what you've done now. Your father isn't gonna like this, cousin." Shianni sighed, her hand running over the bumps in the otherwise perfect tree.
"Oh it's fine, we'll just blame Soris." Lilith brushed it off, a wicked gleam in her eye.
"Why do you keep doing this? First stealing that sword from the Arl's guard when they came through, then chasing those humans with it and now your trying to chop down the Vhenadahl. You're just asking for trouble."
"Those kids deserved it! They came in here where they don't belong and started throwing rocks at that stray dog who lives by the orphanage. " She snapped back, grabbing the sword from the ground. "They deserved worse for picking on him."
"It's what humans do." Shianni replied, the look in her eyes reflecting a deep sadness beyond her years.
"Well, I'm gonna protect them. I'm gonna be a hero one day and stop this. Stop all of those damn humans!" The small girl cried, swinging the blade to hit the tree again.
"Careful cousin! You're gonna lop my head off too." She said, laughing at her cousins passion. Only Lilith would determined enough to say she could take on the whole human race.
"Only if you stand in my way, cousin." She winked, before resuming her assault on the helpless plant.
"What on earth do you think you're doing?!" The Keeper shouted, his finger pointed at the two red headed troublemakers from across the square.
"Run!" Lilith cried, grabbing Shianni's hand and dropping the sword to better their escape. The two elf children laughed as they sprinted away from their crime and dodged between the shacks and people blocking the way. Anyone who saw the girls fleeing could only guess the fresh horror the two had released on the Alienage from the looks on their faces and the sound of the Elder shouting distantly.
Red faced and hearts pounding, they stopped to rest in an alley between two buildings. Lilith laughed, her small voice filling the space and bouncing off the stones. Shianni hesitated before cracking and smile and joining her friend leaning against the cool bricks.
"The Elder is gonna kill us." Shianni breathed.
"Let'm try." Lilith replied, pulling the girl close and ruffling her spiky hair.
"Hey! Stop!" She laughed, struggling to free herself from the elfs iron grip.
"Well, what've we got here boys?" A loud voice rumbled behind them. Both girls swung around, Lilith instinctively putting herself between the unknown stranger and her younger cousin. Three large men stood at the end of the alley, their shadows looming over the two elfs. The a bearded human in front took a long swig from the bottle in his hand and shot a look at his two companions.
"Looks like we found two little knife ears who lost their way home." He leered, smashing his bottle on the floor. The older girl felt Shianni jump behind her at the loud crash of glass shattering and clutch her tunic even harder. The dagger hanging from the man's hip glinted menacingly in the late afternoon sun as Lilith surveyed their situation. Two of them had weapons that she could see and they were outnumbered two to three.
"Shianni won't be much help fighting, not that I have much of a chance against three full grown humans." Lilith thought, her mind going a mile a minute.
"Maybe I could grab that broken glass and distract them long enough to let her escape." Her muscles tensed, cursing herself for ditching the sword. Her hands balled into tight fists anticipating the worst.
"What's wrong? You look scared, little girl." The farthest man said, advancing on the unarmed pair with a lecherous grin.
"Don't you touch her!" Lilith seethed, glaring down the trio.
"Woah! Looks like we have a fiery one today! Don't worry, little bird, we're not gonna hurt ya if you behave. It would be a shame to mark up such a pretty face." One of them replied, his eyes travelling over her pointed features. The men had closed the distance now between them and stood close enough to smell the booze rolling off their tongues. The bearded human in the middle crouched in front of the scowling girl, his face inches from her own.
"That small one behind her has the prettiest eyes. I want that one." The smallest one of the humans said, nudging one of his friends with his elbow. Shianni gasped, burying her head in her cousins long hair. Lilith could feel the tears pouring from Shianni's eyes and running down the back of her shirt.
"I like this one. Just look at those pretty lips." He smiled, dragging his thumb across her chin before she recoiled in disgust.
"These humans won't have her. I won't let them." She thought, her teeth clenched.
"Get away from us, you pigs!" The girl cried, striking out and hitting the man directly in the nose. He fell backward, his face showing a mixture of shock and pain as blood started to pour from his now broken nose. Clearly, he had never met an elf so willing to fight against their human oppressor. The wounded man's companions drunkenly laughed as he struggled to stand and stem the heavy flow of blood from his face. His nose looked bent now at a sickening angle as he angrily rose to his feet.
"Why you little bitch!" He said reaching out and grabbing the girls arm. He pulled her close, blood from his broken nose pouring onto her face. Lilith lashed out, trying to land another blow on her attacker; she fought to free herself from the tight grip crushing her arm. He swung out with his free hand, hitting her right above the eye with is armored fist and knocking her to the ground. He quickly picked her up and pinned the girls arms behind her back, one hand pulling the dagger from its sheath and placing against her throat. Blood from the fresh cut on her forehead poured into her eye making it hard to see what had happened to Shianni.
While Lilith had fought with her attacker, the remaining humans had pounced on the defenseless Shianni like wolves after the scent of blood. Each man held an arm as she kicked out, helpless against men twice her size. One sleeve of her dress had been torn away and her bottom lip had already begun to swell from a blow delivered by one of the two.
"You're gonna regret that, knife ear! We promised to be gentle if you behaved, but Maker knows what will be left of you when we're done now." Her attacker breathed in her ear.
"Quite the hero I turned out to be, I'm useless right now. I'm so sorry Shianni. I couldn't protect you." Lillith cried, her tears mixing with the blood still pouring from her head.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" A voice boomed behind the group. Lilith craned her neck trying to get a look at the new arrival as her captor glared over his shoulder, his blade still digging deeply into the young girls pale throat. Another human stood at the end of the alley, the quickly fading sunlight a searing background for the timely hero. The large griffon emblazoned on the chest piece of the strangers armor stared coldly at the men, daring them to take on such a formidable foe.
"A Gray Warden." One of the men holding Shianni growled, warning his closest companion of the danger they faced. The mere mention of the ancient and powerful order caused the other captor to release Shianni's arm and back away in terror.
"Release them now." The newcomer seethed, each word brimming with rage and hatred: his eyes focused on the leader with his dagger still a threat to the child. Scarlet blood trickled where the blade made contact with her pale skin and fell in thick droplets to the ground.
"Just turn away and go back where you came from. We're just using these knife ears like they're meant to be; It doesn't concern you, Gray Warden." He said, turning to face his opponent as Lilith weakly pulled on the hand holding the knife. Eyes the color of icy steel stared at the leader behind the slits in the helmet and dared him to force him to leave.
"I'll only say this one more time. Release them now." The Gray Warden hissed. The hand resting on the longsword strapped to his side tightened anticipating a fight.
"I'm getting real tired of you. Guess we'll have to teach you a lesson as well." The man replied, his effort of intimidation doing nothing to send the warrior running.
"I don't know if this is the best idea, he looks pretty strong." The human still holding Shianni's arm said, his reluctance evident in his shaking voice.
"Shut up, you idiot! Do you really think he's just going to let us go? We have to make sure he won't tell a soul." He said, shoving Lilith away from him. Her head slammed against the cracked brick of the building next to her with a sickening thud.
"Cousin!" Shianni cried, tearing her arm away from her captors half hearted grip and dropping to cradle her friends head in her lap.
"Shianni…. are you...alright?" The battered elf asked, her body struggling to remain conscious.
"Yes, I'm fine Cousin. Don't worry about me." Shianni said between her sobs.
Before the darkness pulled her under, Lilith saw the outnumbered Gray Warden draw his sword and charge headlong into what would almost certainly mean defeat.
"Will she be alright?" Lilith heard Shianni's trembling voice ask.
"Yes, young one. The cut above her eye will heal alright, though there will be a scar. Her head took quite a bit of injury as well, but that too will recover in time." Lilith heard the Elder say from the other room. She sat up, her hand slowly rising to feel the thick bandage around her skull and throat. She recognized the surroundings as her home in the Alienage that she shared with her Father. Heavy iron lanterns hung from the walls and cast wavering lights across Lilith's thin cotton covers. Her thoughts swirled as she tried to remember how she had gotten there.
"What happened to the rapers? Where is the man who saved us? Did he win the fight? Is Shianni alright?" The elf pondered, piecing the scarce information she had together like a puzzle.
"I have to find out what happened." Lilith thought, swinging her legs over the side of her small bed and letting her feet touch the cool stone floor. As she tried to stand, a bout of nausea struck and she had to remain sitting; Her white knuckles gripped the wooden post of her bed, tethering her to her conscious. Blue and purple bruises bloomed underneath her light skin, working their way up her arms.
"Ow… Shit, that hurts." Lilith growled, the headache growing stronger from her feeble attempt at standing.
"Cousin, you're awake!" Shianni cried, hearing her voice and dashing into the room. Lilith's father, Cyrion and the Elder entered moments later and stood at the end of her bed.
"How do you feel, child?" The Elder asked while crossing his arms. Shianni gripped her cousins hand tightly, as if she feared she'd be taken away from her at any moment.
"Like my head just got tossed at a wall." Lilith responded wryly.
"Well, at least she's still got her spirit." Cyrion said, walking to sit on the bed next to his daughter. The elf's calloused hand raised up and cupped the child's face, careful to not touch the swollen black eye by his fingers. He let out a deep sigh, clearly holding back tears at the injured sight of his precious little girl.
"Your wounds were not too severe, though you lost a lot of blood. Luckily, that Gray Warden interrupted those fiends and brought you home." The Elder said.
"It's true cousin, I saw the whole thing! He beat those humans up pretty badly and sent them running. It was so heroic, Lilith! Then he brought you here while I ran and told the Elder what happened." Shianni said.
"I shudder to think what might've happened if he didn't intervene when he did."Cyrion whispered, his voice choked with emotion.
"It's alright, Father. Look, I'm feeling better already." Lilith stated, her bruises and bandaged head proving the exact opposite. She made a move to stand, but Cyrion gently grabbed her hand and pulled her back down to the straw mattress.
"However true that might be, just humor your father a bit and rest a little more." He chuckled. As much as Lilith wanted to argue, the drumbeat of her migraine caused her to give little resistance to her father's wishes.
"What happened to the Gray Warden?" Lilith asked, suddenly noticing his absence.
"After making sure you were taken care of, he left to speak with the captain of the guard about the incident and lend his assistance with hunting the criminals down. He should be returning any moment." The Elder replied.
Just then, a gentle knock on the door alerted the group of the warriors return. Cyrion stood and walked to the door, the Elder following several steps behind. Lilith faintly heard her father's hushed voice as well as the newcomers quiet tones after the man had been welcomed in.
"Is that the Gray Warden? He sounds so different from before. Why did a human protect two elf children?" The battered elf thought, using Shianni's arm to pull herself up out of her bed.
"Cousin, be careful!" Shianni said, holding onto Lilith with a tight grip.
"I want to see him. Help me over there." She responded, her tone making it clear that the matter was not up for debate. Shianni pursed her lips and quickly nodded her head before slowly leading her cousin to the edge of the room.
The two girls hobbled to the door frame, poking their heads out and straining to catch a glimpse of the Gray Warden. Cyrion stood next to the man, an angry look staining his usually calm face. The elder stood by the fireplace, his back to the pair and his eyes trained deeply on the dimming embers. The children were not close enough to hear all the words being exchanged between the adults, but they could tell that whatever the Gray Warden had reported had not been good news.
"So they intend to do nothing?" Lilith heard Cyrion whisper, her ears straining to hear their muted conversation.
"Unfortunately, this is what I expected from them. Hopefully the men don't return to the Alienage after today. I'll tell some of the men around town to keep an eye out for the group, in the meantime, I wouldn't let those girls wander." The visitor responded.
Without his winged helmet on, the man looked shorter than Lilith remembered. Long sandy colored hair hung just above his shoulders and he still wore the gleaming silver armor from earlier. She couldn't make out most of his facial features in the dimming light from the fire, but he couldn't have been more than 20 from the sound of him.
"That is definitely the man that saved us but…. Why? What does this human want from us?" Lilith puzzled silently.
"Speaking of which, I believe we have some more company." The Gray Warden said, gesturing his head over to the doorframe where Lilith and Shianni stood. Lilith heard Shianni gasp as their hiding place was discovered by the three adults.
"I asked you to stay in bed, child. You're not well enough to be walking around yet." Lilith's father chided, crossing the room. The Gray Warden followed, a small smile ghosting his lips. Cyrion's concern for his daughter barely registered as the young girl sized up the newcomer in the better lighting. She recognized those piercing gray eyes from earlier that afternoon, though they were no longer filled with hatred. His face was almost boyish and gave off the impression of someone without a care in the world.
"Did you really think she was going to listen to you?" The Elder chuckled, turning and coming to stand by the group as well.
"I'm sure she just wanted to size up the newcomer is all. I do hope she likes me, I'm no match for that little warrior." The Gray Warden joked, coming to kneel in front of her.
"She had those men squared away long before I got there, believe me. One of them even looked like he had a broken nose. " He smiled, resting his head on his propped up hand.
"Who are you?" Lilith asked in a commanding tone. Lilith's narrowed eyes never left his, her confidence iron built even in her weakened state.
"Name's Kit. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He beamed.
"Why did you save us, human? What do you want from us?"She glared, taking a step forward on shaking feet.
"Manners, child! This man saved your life today." The Elder cut in, shaking his head.
"No, that's quite alright Elder. After today she has a right to be distrustful of humans." Kit said, brushing off Lilith's rude approach.
"I'm sorry to disappoint, little one, but I'm actually not human." He smiled, tucking his long hair behind his ears and showing their slightly pointed tips. Both Shianni and Lilith's eyes widened as they realized the implications of what that meant.
"An elven Gray Warden? I've never heard of one of those." Cyrion said.
"Halfbreed actually. My mother was elven and my father was human. My sister and I were raised in the Alienage just outside of Redcliffe. Luckily, the Gray Wardens don't discriminate nearly as much as others these days. I joined a couple years ago and never looked back." Kit replied, the corner of his mouth still turned up in the perpetual grin. Lilith still watched the man although she no longer held her defensive posture and had stepped back to lean against her father's legs for support.
"Thank you so much for what you did today. I'm really glad you were there to protect us Sir." Shianni smilled, fresh tears building on her lashes.
"It was my pleasure, little one." The knight replied, standing up and reaching his hand out for a shake. The small redhead blushed and quickly gave his calloused hand a small shake before dropping her hand to clutch at her dress.
"Leave it up to Shianni to get a crush at a time like this." Lilith thought, smiling to herself.
"She always did love those stories of the gallant heros riding off to battle on their noble stead and saving the helpless princess. Bet she never thought it would happen in real life, much less to us." Lilith mused.
"Whenever we read those stories, I wasn't the princess that needed saving, I was the hero saving the weak. Just like him…" She thought, looking at the silver griffon at eye level.
"How do you become a Gray Warden?" Lilith suddenly burst out, grabbing everyone's attention.
"So you are a little warrior after all." Kit said, one eyebrow raised in a knowing smile.
"Lilith, you don't want that life. It would be dangerous, especially for people like us. My little girl is meant for more than to end up dead on the other side of the world." Cyrion cut in, stopping Lilith's response and effectively ending her line of inquiry; Or so he hoped.
"I think now is the best time to take Shianni home. I'm sure Soris and her parents are concerned about her whereabouts." The Elder said, putting his hand on Shiani's shoulder. The small elf nodded and gave one last hug to her cousin before opening the door and heading outside with the old man.
"We can offer some supper and a place to sleep tonight, though it's not very fancy." Cyrion offered the Gray Warden once the two had left.
"Haha, I've spent most of this year sleeping in ditches and backroads all over Thedas. A cot by the fire will serve me just fine, if it's no inconvenience to you." He replied.
"It's the least we could do to thank you for all you've done." The older elf said.
"Now Lilith, I want you to get into bed and stay there while I go get some food for supper. I'll have no argument about that, young lady." Cyrion said when Lilith opened her mouth to interrupt.
"I'll watch over her while you're out and make sure she stays put." Kit said as Lilith trunched back to her small room.
"Thank you, my friend." He responded, grabbing his coat and stepping into the dark Alienage.
After checking that she made it to her bed alright, the Gray Warden added some logs to the fire and stoked it back to a happy blaze. He then quietly pulled a chair just inside Lilith's room and began to polish the heavy longsword that previously hung from his belt. The lanterns in her room burnt low and cast dancing shadows across his face and blade.
The elf girl listened as she heard him begin to quietly hum a tune as he cleaned his weapon. Having finally laid down on her mattress, she was careful not to disturb the wrappings around her head. Despite her willingness to argue about the state of her wellbeing, even she knew that the trip earlier had not been a wise one. Her head felt incredibly heavy and it was almost impossible to keep her eyes open. Still, her questions were unanswered and that was something the girl could not abide.
"Kit?" She asked, wondering if he would even hear her.
"Yes, little one?"He replied.
"How do you become a Gray Warden?"
"They warned me that you don't give up. Hah, guess I should have expected that from the girl who got her head scrambled instead of letting those men take what they wanted." He smirked.
"They were going to hurt Shianni. I couldn't let that happen." She said matter of factly.
"Is that why you want to become a Gray Warden? To protect her?"
"No… I want to protect all of them. All the elves who suffer at human hands." She whispered.
There was a brief weighted pause before Kit spoke again.
"Well…. I think that's very heroic. You know, if you do become a Gray Warden, you'll have to protect humans as well. No one will thank you. There are no victory wreathes or acknowledgments for us, only a trail of Darkspawn and corpses left behind." He said, his usually happy demeanor shifting into something darker.
"Why did you join then?" She asked.
"I didn't have much of a choice really. I killed a nobleman's son for doing exactly
what those men meant to do to you today. She didn't make it." He said, his hand stopping its cleaning of the sword. Kit's eyes closed momentarily as if remembering his past life.
"A Gray Warden happened to be travelling in town, and he conscripted me,
saving my life and putting me on the course I am now. I was resentful and bitter around humans for a long time after that. When I looked at them I only saw the man who took everything from my sister, even her own life. The man who conscripted me taught me many hard learned most important being that regardless of class or race, it was my duty now to defend the world against a far greater evil." The warrior said, opening his eyes and leaving his memories behind.
"But that human killed her! He deserved what happened to him! How can you protect the humans when they treat us like that?" She said, sitting up.
"In peace, vigilance. In war, victory. In death, sacrifice. I must be willing to sacrifice anything and everything to be what I am. That includes my own prejudices against humans, which you must learn too if you ever hope to be one of us." He stated, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What if I can't let go of this? This hatred I have for them?"
"You will, child. You have people you need to protect, remember?" He responded, a small grin returning to his face.
"Now, sleep little warrior. Lest your father return and scold us both." Kit chuckled before resuming his quiet song.
Lilith laid back down, turning her back to him and pulling her covers close.
"I do have people I need to protect." She smiled into her pillow. The sight of Shianni running between the guards and stealing baked goods from Alarith's shop flashed in her mind; Cyrion cooking stew while her cousin, Soris stole spoonful after spoonful. Her home the Alienage with its raggedy weeds and dirty bricks. All the precious parts of her life that desperately needed a hero to save them ran around her head filling her with hope and determination.
"I swear it. I swear it on Andraste herself, I will be a Gray Warden one day." She declared. Burrowing deeper into her blankets she at last closed her eyes and let the hum of her newfound friend carry her off to sleep.
Fin