Chapter 1: A Noble tale.
"To Arms! Rendon Howe's men shall not pass this gate!" A guard shouts, running towards the wooden door with splinters flying from it as Rendon Howe's men bash against it.
Dead bodies covered in armor and blood, lay thrown about the floor of the castle's main hall, my mother beside me, hysterical about finding her missing husband. My hound barred his fangs, and I, Ezekiel Cousland, with my family's blade in one hand and my father's shield around the other, am preparing to fight. This day went from being a momentous occasion to one of the most dramatic events in my life.
-Earlier in the day, Point of view: Ezekiel-
"Ezekiel, you must wake from your slumber, Teryn Cousland wishes to speak with his son, and I highly doubt he wishes said son to be late." A knight, Ser Gilmore, awoke me from my slumber, requesting me to get dressed and make my way to the main hall.
"Ugh, Gilmooore, did you really need to wake me up just now? I was having the most delightful dream, entertaining the most beautiful red-haired woman I had ever dreamt, let alone seen. Besides, what does father request of me this early in the day?" I shoved the blanket that was wrapped round me and arose from my bed, still wearing my pajamas and walked over to my closet to choose what I should wear today.
"It's the early afternoon Lord Ezekiel and your father said to come dressed in your armor for this meeting. Our ally, Rendon Howe, is here and we shouldn't keep him waiting as long as you have." Gilmore moved away from the doorway which he stood in and allowed my nephew to waltz in, "Uncle Zeki! Are you gonna go to war too?" Oren asked me, bubbling around and grabbing my brown lengthy hair as he climbs up me like a monkey up a tree.
"Ouch, Oren, I'm not a tree and you are not a monkey! Besides, I have no idea what father has in store for me. That's probably why he called me in," I said, letting Oren down off my shoulders and onto the ground, "And even if I was to march off to war, I don't see the point of leaving you, mother, and Oriana here alone. So if I go, you guys will most likely be moved to a different location, or have a neighboring Arl look after you here till we return." I place my breastplate where it belongs and my shoulder guards snuggly on my shoulders. " 'ow did you know I was going ta ask that?" Oren looked at me with obvious amazement. "Your mother probably asked you to ask it Oren. That is, after all, what she sent you in here to do. Am I right, O' sister-in-law?"
Oriana looked around the corner of my doorway and chuckled nervously, "Well, it looks like I was caught red handed, but I have my answer.. c'mon Oren, time to let uncle Ezekiel get to his important meeting with grandpa." Oren quickly fled the room, but not without saying a quick goodbye and thank you to Gilmore, who nodded at the small child. "I knew you were involved, you betraying bastard! You're supposed to be my knight, not Oriana's." I frowned at Gilmore, and he blushed slightly, "Sorry your highness... it's just I never am able to wake you completely from your slumbers, so I enlisted Oren, who then told his mother and then told me to allow her to listen. Which, I allowed." I puffed my cheeks out, but decided to laugh it off. "All right, enough of your games then Gilmore, I do need to head down to the main hall." I said as I pushed past the orange haired knight and quickly down the stairs into my personal armory, grabbing my favorite and sporty looking sword and shield which bears my family crest upon the face of course. Then I went down into the main hall, where Howe and My father were speaking about their time in the war.
"Ah, there you are pup, I see that Gilmore got you up, fine and dandy! You remember Rendon Howe, yes?" I nodded, but choose to say nothing to the man. Rendon Howe was someone I was both cautious and friendly to when I was forced to be. I found him to be quite creepy in fact, so I usually avoided him. "Good," my father's voice snapped me outta my thoughts, "Listen pup, Howe and I, we will be riding out tomorrow, probably by the dawn, and I decided to leave you in charge of the Castle while I and your older brother Fergus are away." Father gave me the look he gives to Fergus when my brother decides to be a smart ass, so, with careful thinking, " Understood Father, thank you for this chance to shine." I nod as father chuckles a bit, "Now, now pup, this isn't to prove yourself, I just need someone to stay behind and keep the castle in order. Besides, we have a guest that will be staying with us overnight, I need someone who isn't about to go out to war to keep this man company." This sparked my curiosity even more, as it did Howe's, for he made the first move to figure out who the man was. "A guest Byrce? You should have told me, I would have looked more suitable, who is the man anyway?"
As Rendon finishes his sentence, a darkly tanned man, walks into the room, his eyes looking around the main hall, then stopping on me... how weird, my thoughts are wrestled from me once more when I hear Rendon gasp in shock. "Bryce, is that Duncan? The Grey Warden?" A Grey Warden? From the legends, where is his Griffi-Oh wait... they are extinct. I return my attention once my father calls my name. "Duncan, this is my pup, Ezekiel, and Ezekiel this is the Grey Warden that Howe and I were just about to discuss. Duncan, he is here looking for potential recruits for the upcoming attack in Ferelden, Ostagar to be exact. He has his eye on your knight, Gilmore, for the recruiting." I frowned a bit; I didn't wanna lose my friend, possibly my only one next to Nan. "Actually Bryce, I was more interested in your younger son in joining." Okay never mind, take Gilmore, in fact, take Nan with you too. Fortunately, my father coughed and caught Duncan's oddly creepy but determined stare away from me and onto himself, "I do not have many spare spouses Duncan and I do not think I will give my son up," I sighed in relief, "unless you want to invoke the right of conscription on him." Wait, what in the name of the maker is the right of conscription?" Now, I do not want to make the Cousland family an enemy to the Wardens." Duncan knew when to back down, but after the talk of Recruitment my father sent me to retrieve my brother and tell him to march out tonight, since Howe's men were late marching here.
After leaving the room Gilmore found me, "Nan is throwing a fit, your Mabari hound is creating a ruckus for her, and she can't get anything done." I sighed, that Mabari hound won't listen to anyone but me, "I will go get Esther, he won't listen to anyone but me anyways, I just wish he wouldn't get into sooo much trouble." I walk to the kitchens with Gilmore, and to our surprise, Nan is flailing her arms in rage at her elven staff. "I told you to get that hound out!" One of the staff moves forward, cowering a bit, "But it won't listen to us, only to Lord Ezekiel." Nan turns around when I move my foot forward, making a creaking sound in the wooden floors. "Boy! Get that filthy Mabari hound outta the storeroom! He's causing a mess and I need to get into my storeroom in order for you and your family to get dinner! Got it? I have an entire army to feed as well, so you better hope I don't make Mabari roast." Nan, being Nan, never really means anything she says, but I rush in and take the Mabari hound out regardless. "I'm sorry Nan, you can get back to work now, Esther won't bother you anymore, right Esther?" I give my war hound a menacing glare, and he whimpers. Esther is a big softie. "Make sure he never does again... got it? And what are you two doing? Don't just stand around, GET TO WORK!"
I run outta there when Nan starts yelling, and continue to run, running past my mother and her friends. I still need to tell Fergus something and I really don't have time for mother's friend. She's what, 50, and when she is drunk... she kinda likes to flirt with younger men... really young men, me to be direct. I shudder as I recall that moment, but quickly shock it off as I turn around to find only Esther. "Um... Gilmore?" I guess he has better things to do, not like I was paying any attention in the first place. I push the door open and walk down the hall. Across from my room, I can hear Fergus and his boy talking to one another, his wife just telling Fergus to be careful tomorrow. "Hey! Fergus! Father says to march tonight!" I can hear Fergus sigh as I walk in, seeing his wife's face makes me wanna not tell him that though, just the sheer sadness in those eyes. I look away as my brother continues to talk about something with his wife as father and Mother both walk into the room and begin chatting away with Fergus. With which I take my leave with Esther following silently behind and walk across the hall into my room, not bothering to put up the shield and sword I had taken from the armory. I don't even bother to shed my light armor, I fall soundly asleep.
- Nighttime, Point of view: Ezekiel-
I awake to Esther growling and barking at my door, which raises curiosity inside me as I grip the hilt of my sword. My door suddenly bursts open, "My lord, the castle is under attack! You must get outta here quickly before they-" The man falls dead to the floor, an arrow lodged into his back. The attacker looks me dead straight in the eyes before beginning to prep another arrow for launch. "Esther! GO!" Esther is already at the man's throat before I can finish my scream. But another man replaces him, his arrow already aimed and ready to fire, until Esther bites the man's leg, giving me the chance to unsheathe my blade. Hopping out of bed, I stab the attacker in the stomach, "Fall before the blade of Cousland." I kicked the man off my blade and dodged another arrow. I'm about to charge when those men also fall dead, arrows lodged in their backs. "No one will take my son from me!" Eleanor, with her bow in her hand and a quiver full of arrows, looks down on the dead with a scorn look, one a fierce Lioness would wear if one would be unlucky enough to mess with them.
"Mother!" I ran over to hear and embraced her, "I thought I had lost you to- Wait! these shields... this emblem..." I let go of mother and run to the shield, picking up and giving it to mother, "This is the Emblem of Rendon Howe, So, he thinks he can get rid of the Couslands? Well, let us show him that we mean busine-," Mother gasps and drops the shield," Have you seen your father?" My eyes open wide, "No mother... I thought he had returned to bed with you?" Both of us become panicked, until mother remembers that he had joined Duncan for a midnight walk.
"He should be fine, let us check up on Oren and Oriana." I say to mother, trying to calm her a bit by distracting her from father. "They were right across the hall." Both of us turn and see the door slightly ajar, which is not a good sign. I walk over to peek inside, only to see something that someone should never have to see," Are they alright? Please tell me Ezekiel!" Mother leans against the door, opening it all the way, to see the massacred bodies of Oriana, and her son, my nephew, Oren. "OREN!" Mother runs over to what could be identified as Oren through the size alone, "NO NOT MY LITTLE OREN!" I begin to cry, clutching my hand into a fist, and begin to curse and swear obscenities at Howe's men, lying dead on the floor, kicking their dead corpses as hard as I can and in their faces as much as I can. Until my mother places a hand on my shoulder, "It... it does us no good... to waste our energy... let us move forward and RIP HOWE'S TRAITOROUS HEAD OFF HIS VILE NECK!" I dry my tears and nod my head, Esther nudging his head on my hand, urging me to move forward and get away from here. "Yes mother... he will pay, we must go and get out of here and find father before we leave."
I stride toward the door as calm as I can and continue to search throughout the castle, killing any of Howe's men with rage and anger, sometimes purely slicing their heads off brings me great relief. But as I near the front gate where we both thought father would be, my thoughts begin to drift to Gilmore, to how he disappeared earlier and how he acted around me. I dismiss the thoughts though and push through the door to the main hall.
"To Arms! Rendon Howe's men shall not pass this gate!" Gilmore shouts, running toward the wooden door, splinters flying from it as Rendon Howe's men bash against it.
I drop to the ground at the sight of dead bodies, covered in armor and blood, laid thrown about the floor of the castle's main hall, when I see my father's shield in front of me, "Mother! It's father's shield!" I shout at her, picking the shield up off the ground and place it firmly around my arm. "Where is your father? He wouldn't just leave his shield behind... unless.." My mother falls to the floor, tears falling down her face with the ideas flowing into her mind. "The Teyrn was badly injured," Gilmore kneels next to mother, "He retreated to the Servent's secret exit, he should still be there... go milady, take Ezekiel and the Teyrn out of this castle, and away from Howe." Gilmore gets up and meets eyes with me, looking gently at me, "Good luck, my lord." Gilmore turns from me and runs to the front gate, holding it alongside his men. I get up with my mother beside me, hysterical about finding her missing husband. My hound baring his fangs, and I, Ezekiel Cousland, with my family's blade in one hand and my father's shield around the other, am preparing to fight.
"Come on mother, let us head to the servant's quarters, meet up with father and leave this burning hellhole..." I grab mother's hand and exit the main hall with reborn vigor. My blade rips into enemies like thin sheets of paper, until we reached the Servant's Quarters, where father lies bleeding and barely hanging on to life. "My love!" Mother runs to father, hoisting him up onto her lap, his blood staining her clothes. "Eleanor, my lovely wife, I am so glad that you're alive." "You can thank your son; he fought bravely to get here." I blush as mother grabs father's hand when Duncan walks in, "I am sorry for this Teyrna, but it seems that the castle has been lost." Mother shakes her head, "It doesn't matter... as long as we can get vengeance on Howe..." I look at Duncan and see his eyes still darken, which I think is weird, till my father speaks. "I... I won't be able to leave this castle my dear... my wound is... too severe.." Father clutches his side in pain, "You must take the pup and leave..." "NO! I won't leave without you!" Mother holds father close, tears falling down her face. "I am afraid the Teyrn is right, we cannot slip by Howe's men in his state." I look down on father and mother, their tears not tangled together on the ground. "I will provide cover for the two of you." I look at my mother in shock, "What? No! I am not leaving you behind!" Duncan grips my shoulder, "We may have no choice but to... I am sorry... Teyrn, I also need your son in the Grey Wardens... I came here looking for a Recruit, and I have found one in your son." My eyes grow wide as my father looks down in sorrow, then raises his head up, "I understand Duncan... I give you permission..." "Father! NO! I refuse to join something as a bargain!" Duncan increases the strength of his grip, "Then I invoke the right of conscription, you are now under my authority." I curse Duncan, but allow him to lead me down the escape hatch, hearing my parents exchange sweet 'I love you's' to one another, till we are far enough to hear them no longer.