An Unlikely Hero

Chapter One

She awoke in the street, mud caked across her face and rain splattered on her head. The memory of last night was slowly revealing itself to her and she groaned as her body began to recognize the pain it was in. She tried to sit up but the pain was unbearable. Someone has to notice me soon. She thought to herself hopefully. The night before had not been pleasant and she did not wish to remember it. Her own husband had thrown her out on the streets, not caring about what could become of her. In a sense she was relieved to be out of the house that she had been trying to escape for years. The pain she felt was not only from being thrown out onto the street but also from the countless nights of abuse her husband had put her through.

He had been so charming at first, when had he turned into the evil tyrant that lived in her home now? Anything she did that wasn't to his exact liking made him slap her across the face or sometimes beat her till she was on the floor sobbing, wondering what she had done wrong that time. Flashbacks of the previous years made her shudder. The bruises, the lies she told her family when they came to visit, the way he would hold her after he had made blood come out of her nose, sobbing, saying that he didn't mean to and begging her not to leave him. She never thought of leaving though, there was always the voice in her head that told her to escape but a louder voice that said What if? What if he found me? Then what? She would ask herself.

She forced herself not to think about that because this time he had thrown her out. Yelling at her that he didn't want to see her face ever again, that she disgusted him with just the sight of her. She took in her surroundings and saw that she was in an alley off of the main road. The rain was starting to fully soak her lightly clothed body and she began shivering from the cold. She forced herself to sit up this time, ignoring the pain in her body that told her to just keep lying there. The world around her started to spin and she stuck her head between her legs like her mother had taught her when she was a child and used to get dizzy after spinning around, wanting to see how fast she could go before she fell down.

She heard footsteps approaching and she tried to look up but she was still dizzy. The footsteps stopped next to her and she felt someone staring at her. She refused to look up, afraid that the world around her would still be spinning. "Can I help you ma'am?" It was a male, and his voice made him sound about in his early 20's, like herself.

"I'll be fine. I just got a little lightheaded." She waved him off.

"Where is your husband?" He asked obviously noticing the ring upon her finger. She couldn't help but laugh a little at the question. Her husband was the last person she wanted to see right now.

"He threw me out last night." She told him after she lifted up her head and made sure that her surroundings were going to stay in one place.

"Excuse me?" He seemed puzzled by this. Obviously he had never known wives to have abusive husbands who decided to throw them out at random where he lived.

"He threw me out." She said through chattering teeth. She was tempted to close her eyes and lay back down on the dirt road. Instead she took of her wedding ring, letting it drop out of her hand and looked at the man who was talking to her. He had dirty blond hair and a little bit of scuffle on his chin. His eyes were a deep blue that were friendly. Rain bounced off his plate mail armor and she noticed the sword and shield strapped across his back within reach should he need it. She wondered if he was a guard but then realized that she hadn't seen him before and wondered if he was just a traveler who had come into town looking for supplies. Instead he had found her. Hesitantly she took his hand and let him help her up.

"Now why would he throw a pretty lady like you out into the streets on a rainy day like today?" The man asked her, a gentle smile forming on his lips.

"It wasn't raining last night and to him it doesn't make a difference." She mumbled. He frowned at her response and brushed her plastered hair out of her face.

"How about we get you some dry clothes, something warm to drink and you can talk about what happened if you feeling like talking. I'm Alistair by the way." He introduced himself. She wondered at what she should do. Was he really the kind man that he portrayed himself as or was he just trying to lure her to his bed? Was she really willing to take that chance?

"That sounds…nice. I am Cohava." Obviously she was willing to take that chance. Where else did she have to go? She had no money; her family lived in Redcliff which was at least a four day travel on foot, and she had no friends because she was always afraid of the harm her husband would try to cause them. Cohava followed Alistair to the local inn and led her up to his room. He frowned as he rummaged through his clothes looking for something that could possibly work for her to wear. In the end he just gave her one of his shirts that when she tried it on went past her knees.

While she changed out of her wet clothing in the bathroom and put on the shirt that Alistair had let her borrow, he was busy having one of the servant elves get them some tea so that she could warm herself from the inside out. She was a little self conscious about the fact that she was only wearing a shirt and nothing else but she realized it was either that or catch pneumonia from staying in cold wet clothes the whole day. Cohava did her best to dry out her hair with the towel that was in the bathroom but it was so wet that the towel did barely anything. She stared at herself in the mirror and took in her appearance. It was slightly better than what she thought it would be once she cleaned off the mud that had covered her left cheek. She looked for any signs of bruising on her body and she noticed one forming along her side.

She noticed how there seemed to be no life in her grey eyes. Her hair which was normally a fiery red seemed darker due to the rain and again she attempted to dry it with the only other towel that was in there. She was a little surprised that her face did not have a bruise somewhere upon it since that seemed to be her husband's favorite spot to hit her. He was careful though, to not 'damage her pretty face' as he put it too much for then the neighbors might realize that something was wrong.

Cohava stared down at the rest of her body, all 5ft and 5in of it. She was skinny and guessed that she only weighed about 107lbs at the most. Though she was skinny she still had curves that had first attracted her husband to her. She shuddered at the memory and looked around for something that resembled a brush so she could fix the mess on top of her head that was her hair. She gave up when she heard someone knock on the door, giving Alistair the hot pot of water and a few different bags of tea leaves and instead wrapped the less wet towel around her head and headed out of the bathroom.

"Which would you prefer? Earl Grey or Jasmine?" Alistair asked her when he saw that she had finally come out of the bathroom.

"Jasmine please." She told him softly. She looked around for a place to sit and saw only the bed. Alistair waited for her to sit down at the edge of the bed before handing her the cup of Jasmine tea.

"Careful, it's hot." He warned her as she took a small sip. Cohava couldn't help but smile as the warmth from the tea seeped into her body and finished what Alistair's dry clothes had started. He waited until half of her tea was gone before he spoke again. "Would you like to talk about it?" He asked her quietly as if any sudden movements or loud noises would scare her and have her running out of the room.

She thought about it for a second. Did she really want to talk about it? Risk the life of the man who had probably just saved her life. She feared that if she talked about it Jonathan, her husband would find out and go after not just her but Alistair also. She could already hear his angry shouts as he called her a cheating whore and a bitch that didn't deserve him. He was the one who put food on her table, made sure she had a roof over her head and clothes on her back. He was also the one who repeatedly beat her without a reason or a cause.

"I fear if I tell you he will somehow find you and murder you. He doesn't like other men looking at me let alone talking to me. He always says that I lead them on and that it is my fault that their eyes linger on me." She explained doing her best not to break into sobs.

"He doesn't know me though, so how could he find me?"Alistair asked in a soothing voice.

"He might not know you but he knows everyone else. The people around here like to talk. As soon as someone sees me with you it'll be all around town, and then he'll find out and…and…"She couldn't help it any more the thought of him finding her and the one man that had shown her any amount of kindness since she married Jonathan being murdered by Jonathan frightened her out of her mind. She was surprised when he wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her down; she flinched away though, not used to the comforting touch of a man, only the slaps, kicks, and other methods of abuse Jonathan had used on her. Realizing that she didn't want to be touched Alistair didn't try to comfort her by his touch again.

"Why not leave then? Leave the town and start somewhere new where nobody knows you."Alistair suggested once her cries quieted down. She blinked the tears from her eyes and stared at him.

"I…I couldn't do that. I have no money; all my clothes are back at my house, and what if he somehow found me?" She asked him.

"I'll protect you." He said confidently. "You can travel with me and I'll make sure he can never find you." Even though this man knew nothing of the horrors her husband had put her through he was still willing to help her, even at the cost of his own life. There was the sound of the doorknob turning and Alistair quickly stood up from the bed and grabbed his sword from where it was lying against the wall not far from where he was sitting. He kept it at the ready and waited for whoever was going to be coming through that door. Alistair relaxed when he saw the person on the other side of the door but Cohava stayed tense until she saw for herself who the person was.

He wore the same armor as Alistair had earlier but that was where the resemblances stopped. Instead of dirty blond hair this man had dark brown and it was a bit shorter than how Alistair had his. The man also had a full beard that matched the color of his hair. His eyes were hazel and he was quite a bit taller than Alistair.

"Hello Duncan." Alistair greeted him smiling. Cohava relaxed again when Alistair spoke to him obviously knowing the man.

"Hello Alistair I assume your trip went-." He stopped midsentence as he noticed Cohava sitting on the bed in nothing but Alistair's shirt. "If I had known you were with someone I would have waited to come up." The man named Duncan told Alistair in a cold voice as if he disapproved that there was a woman sitting on his bed.

Alistair sighed before saying, "It isn't like that Duncan. I found her out on the streets this morning, head between her legs like she was dizzy, and she told me that her husband had thrown her out of the house last night and since she was soaking wet due to the rain I thought it was in my duty as a Grey Warden to get her some dry clothes and something warm to eat and drink so she didn't catch pneumonia and die."

"Why did her husband throw her out?" Duncan asked his voice softening as he realized that Cohava wasn't just some prostitute looking for a few sovereigns. Alistair looked to Cohava to explain since she had yet to tell him why Jonathan had thrown her out. She wasn't entirely sure herself.

"I'm not exactly sure why he threw me out. He always threatens to but never does. Last night he had too much to drink and he was just angrier than usual and he just told me to leave. Leave and never come back, he told me that the sight of me disgusted him and that if I ever returned he would kill me. When I hesitated he grabbed me by the arm and threw me out onto the street." She said after a pause as she thought about what the reason could be.

"So he threw you out for no reason?" Alistair asked, angered by the idea.

"I don't know. He probably does have a reason just one that you wouldn't understand…you don't know what he's like." She dropped her head into her hands. Alistair sat beside her again but didn't try to touch her as he remembered how she flinched away last time.

"Obviously this man has to be dealt with." Duncan said flatly. She wondered what he meant by dealt with. Did he mean killed? Or did he simply mean that he needed to be put in prison just to be released a few years later, able to subject another woman to his abusive ways? Or did he plan to take her away from this town and threaten Jonathan to never follow them or it will be the end of his life? The possibilities of what Duncan meant were endless and made her mind spin.

"What do you mean dealt with?" She asked her voice shaking with fear, not for Jonathan but for herself. She didn't want him to be able to find her but yet she also didn't want him dead. There would be no way for her to avoid the guilt she would feel should either Alistair or Duncan claim his life.

"Well I would prefer not to kill him but we have to make sure you are safe from him." Duncan explained obviously sensing that even after all Jonathan had put her through she did not want him dead. She could not have that blood on her hands.

"Then what are we going to do Duncan? We can't have him following her out of the city but yet we don't want to harm him if necessary. This is already getting complicated." Alistair sighed. He's right, she thought it is getting complicated. As soon as she thought this there was a loud angry knock on the door. She couldn't help but get tense all over again.

Alistair picked up his sword again and Duncan cautiously went to answer the door. Obviously Duncan wasn't moving quickly enough because after a brief pause the angry knocking came again. Out of instinct she hid in the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack to see what was going on. Duncan opened the door and it was the last person she wanted to see step through the doorway. It was Jonathan.

"Where is she?" He roared. She was surprised at Duncan's calm composure.

"Who are you talking about?" Duncan asked smoothly, playing dumb.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about! Where is my whore of a wife! People said they saw here come up here with this man." He yelled pointing at Alistair as he said it.

"I assure you sir no woman has been in my room." Alistair said calmly but she could sense the rage starting to build in him.

"These people don't lie to me! I know they saw my wife with you! I swear when I find her I'll kill her! That cheating whore! I do everything for her and this is how she repays me! Sleeping with some man who thinks he's all high and mighty just because he has a sword!" Jonathan yelled louder this time.

"I assure you sir I don't know who you are talking about and no woman has been in my room." Alistair told him angrily but refused to yell.

"Then you won't mind if I look around." Jonathan's voice went from outrageously yelling to icy cold in a matter of seconds. She couldn't breathe after he said that. She felt like someone punched her in the stomach, he was going to find her for sure and there was nothing Duncan or Alistair could do about it. Was it better to let him find her or would it be better to just reveal himself and hope for the best? She truly did not know. She wondered why Jonathan wasn't controlling his rage better. He usually hid it from everyone but her, and he was usually pretty good at it. Maybe the thought of her possibly getting away put him over the edge.

She decided to remain hidden, hoping that Alistair or Duncan could somehow think of something to keep him from finding her. Of course she had never been lucky in life. The bathroom was the first place he looked and Alistair and Duncan stood there not able to think of what they could do to stop him. "Hello Cohava. I knew your innocence was too good to be true you little whore."Jonathan's voice was so cold it made her shiver at the sound of it.

"Jon…Jonathan let me explain it isn't how it looks." She spoke quickly.

"Explain? What is there to explain darling? See from the way I see it, there is nothing to explain. You're up here with this guy who likes to play solider, you're wearing his shirt, and for all I know you probably fucked the bastard. So, to me there isn't much to explain here, because it's pretty simple if you think about it. You're a cheatin whore! Isn't that right Cohava! How many affairs have you had behind my back?" He yelled at her furiously as he grabbed her by the jaw. Before Alistair or Duncan could interfere she was on the floor curled up in a ball trying to protect as much of her body as she could from Jonathan's strong, powerful kicks.

Alistair soon threw him out of the bathroom and stood protectively in front of her. She tried to keep her sobbing quiet but whenever she tried her breathing became fast and hysterical. "Get the hell out of here Jonathan!"She heard Duncan yell. She couldn't see what was happening but she did hear the sound of a sword being drawn out of its sheath.

"I'm not leaving without my wife!" Jonathan yelled back furiously. Oh Jonathan please don't put up a fight, I don't think they would hesitate to kill you. Her thoughts pleaded.

"Leave now and we won't harm you but if you insist on staying I will kill you." Duncan threatened him. Jonathan laughed in response.

"I have every right to take her! She is my wife! The authorities would be more willing to believe me; they have known me since I was a child. Why do you fight for her? She is just a whore and nothing more. She will never be anything more than that." Jonathan laughed coolly.

"And I as the leader of the Grey Warden's have every right to recruit those who I see fit to become a Grey Warden for the upcoming Blight that is upon us." Duncan told Jonathan with authority in his voice.

"And how is she fit to be a Grey Warden? She couldn't kill something even if her life depended on it." Jonathan laughed. He was right she had never picked up a sword let alone trained out to fight. She had always wished that her brothers would have taught her when she was little but they always laughed at her and said that fighting wasn't for girls.

"War isn't always about killing it is also about mercy." Duncan told him. Jonathan didn't care though. He started to make his way back over to me but Alistair wouldn't let him come close. This seemed to anger him more than Duncan's words.

"Fine…you want her? Take her! If she ever steps in this city again and I hear about it, she'll be gone and dead before you know it." Jonathan finally gave up with a threat of his own, before Duncan or Alistair could say anything Jonathan stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him. After he left and Cohava was sure he wasn't coming back she completely fell apart. Alistair sat beside her on the floor and gathered her in his arms and this time she did not flinch away.

"Shhh it's alright, he's not going to hurt you anymore." Alistair told her in a soothing voice as he stroked her hair, trying to reassure her that it was all over now. Duncan stood by silently watching the two of them. After her cries quieted Alistair picked her up and gently laid her on the bed, pulling the covers over her. "I'll take watch her Duncan if you want to check around and make sure that scum doesn't call the authorities on us, or does something stupid." Alistair suggested. Duncan agreed and headed out of the room. Alistair sighed and closed his eyes; it had only been three hours since he had found Cohava sitting with her head between her legs and offered her his help. He reopened his eyes and watched as Cohava slept.

He watched as she tossed and turned, wondering what dreams were being displayed in her head and the realizing that he probably didn't want to know. It had been a rough start for the day and he didn't blame her for being exhausted. She probably hadn't really slept last night since she had been thrown out onto the streets by the monster that she had called her husband.

He wondered if Duncan was serious about having Cohava train to become a Grey Warden or if it was just a bluff to get Jonathan to leave. One thing was for sure though, they had to get her out of the city and soon. Duncan returned an hour and a half later saying that Jonathan had not contacted the authorities and he had also gotten supplies.

"Duncan, were you bluffing when you said that you would train Cohava to become a Grey Warden and then have her face the Joining or were you serious?" Alistair asked him as they quietly started to pack up their belongings. They would be leaving in a few hours so Cohava could rest some more.

"Well I will leave it up to her to take part in the Joining but I would like to train her so that if she doesn't decide to become a Grey Warden at least she will be a woman who is able to defend herself." Duncan told him.

So tell me how it is people =). Review and comment.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the characters that are not originally to Dragon Age: Origins and Bioware.