Chapter 2: Long Lost Brothers and Sisters
The ancient Tevinter ruins stretched out before her, looming in the distance. There was a dark cloud of despair that hung above the crumbling stone walls that was known as Ostagar. Lynara's heart sank as she realized the terrible fate that the many soldiers had faced. She could feel hundreds of darkspawn gathering in the distance. The irritable sensation in her chest caused her to tense, her breathing hitched.
"Ostagar... It is lost," she breathed, her eyes clouded with sadness.
"I do not understand how this could be," Rem had muttered, shock coating his voice. "They had said that the victory of this battle was a sure thing."
A thought floated into her mind, making her breath catch in her throat. "This is not good. If Empress Celene were to find out about this, all of Ferelden will be lost."
The lithe elf set off in a sprint towards the ruins, her breath coming in wild pants. Rem quickly responded to this, running after her, calling out her name. "Wait! What do you think you're doing?" he huffed, trying to keep up.
Ignoring him, she continued to run. She had to find survivors. She needed to know if anyone lived. If the King had lived.
Fire ran through her veins as she approached the ruins, a thousand darkspawn called to her blood. She halted, a bewildered look distorting her beautiful features. Rem had finally caught up to her and he cursed loudly.
"Are you mad?" he asked, breathing heavily.
"Damnit! Damn it all!" she screeched, throwing her hands into the air. "No one would survive such an attack. What fools!" She couldn't believe how things had taken a turn for the worse. There was no chance that anyone lived. Not will all of the darkspawn masses down in the ruins. All of the Ferelden Wardens had been down there. Now the nation would be doomed to the Archdemon and surely the Empress's desire for power. How could these foolish men let such a thing occur? Had they not thought about the consequences if they had lost? Her mind went mad at such thoughts. She wanted to scream. She wanted to raise the King from his early death just to yell at him and tell him what a fool he was.
"Lynara, calm down. We will figure out what to do. We will contact Riorden immediately and he will send more Wardens. I am sure if it," he tried to comfort her with words, but she was so angry that she would have none of it. She childishly crossed her arms and stormed away, her back turned to the overrun ruins. She put Ostagar behind her, leaving all of the dead bodies in the vile hands of the darkspawn. For there was nothing they could do.
They were silent for a long time as they traveled north on the Imperial Highway. Her mind reeled with thoughts about Ostagar and the fate of Ferelden. She was sure that Empress Celene would invade if she knew that army had been destroyed during the battle against the darkspawn. She was sure that the Empress would take advantage of this. There was no way that they would be able to let her know about this. She must never find out.
"We can't contact Riorden," Lynara said abruptly.
Rem looked at her quizzically, an eyebrow raised up to his hairline. "And why not?"
"Are you so slow to realize that Celene would take control of Ferelden if she knew they were in a rut such as this?" she spat at him, her words full of disgust.
"I guess that didn't cross my mind. Do you really think she would do such a thing?" he asked dumbly.
"That's like asking if I think that a bird can fly," she rolled her eyes. "Of course I think she would. She's an opportunist and a power-hungry ruler. Hasn't this been a goal of hers since Ferelden gained its independence again?"
"I guess you are right. But what does that have to do with Riorden?"
"You really are stupid, aren't you?" sighing, she spoke her inner thoughts. "If we send a letter to Orlais, it will be intercepted. Don't look at me like that, we are talking about Orlais here. Anyways, if the Empress knew that we sent a message to Riorden, she would go to all costs to find out what was inside that letter. If she knew what state Ferelden was in, she would send the Chevaliers to conquer the country." she eplained, watching Rem's reaction with a blank expression.
"I hate to say it, but you're right. But what are we supposed to do? Two wardens can't defeat a Blight by themselves," he pointed out, a worried look crossing his face.
"Then we will need to find help. Somehow, we'll need to find others to aid us."
"Easier said then done. We're Orlesian. No one in this country will take us lightly."
"I didn't say this was going to be easy," she said, her eyes growing dark a she stared straight ahead.
They traveled north for about two days and they ran into darkspawn on a regular basis. Fighting wasn't a problem since they had learned to work together with ease. Rem would take the creatures head on, bashing them with his shield and slicing through their flesh. Lynara would keep her distance and fire her spells, neutralizing and eliminating the threat. If they came close to her, she would reach for her swords and slice through them like butter. She was becoming quite the battlemage. For she was quickly learning how to use her magic to aid her in melee combat.
It was night, and the stars were bright against the black sky. Lynara told Rem that they should get some rest tonight, so they both went about their duties and set up camp. Covered in sweat and blood, Lynara insisted on bathing before dinner.
After she was clean, she slipped into her favorite pair of black leather breeches and a cream colored tunic with laces at the top. She sat in front of the campfire, basking in the heat of the flames, orange and yellow flickering against the night sky. Rem worked on putting together a hearty stew on the other side of the fire and she watched closely, her mouth watering.
The stew was tasty and she could pick out the spices that flavored the vegetables. After she slurped down the last of the broth, her eyes began to droop and she could tell exhaustion was taking over.
She was just about to head to her tent for the night when her whole body stiffened. There was a tingling in her chest and a slight irritation arose into her mind. Darkspawn? No. She reached out an realized what she sensed was all too familiar. She looked over to Rem who mirrored her expression of surprise and confusion.
The sounds of voices reached out, confirming Lynara's suspicions that it was not darkspawn. That, it indeed where fellow grey wardens.
All exhaustion melted from her as she quickly stood up, her heart fluttering with hope. Had Riorden sent more men after her? Did someone actually survive Ostagar? The latter of the two was what she hoped for. Maybe then they could finally understand what was going on.
"Idiot. I will not stand here and listen to you go on about the Circle and all of it's mighty ways. It is a prison, meant to confine mages. The chantry and their beloved templars are filled with hypocritical fools who, alas, want nothing more then to constrain mages and all that they are," a regal voice started to make itself known as the party approached their camp. The woman sounded annoyed and the way she spoke seemed very condescending.
"I'm not entirely supporting the Circle. I just... I just think that it seems wise to train mages the way they do. Having apostates running around without the right training is very dangerous. All the chantry is doing is protecting people from their power. Power that you and your mother exploit. You are the reason they have created the Circle of Magi in the first place," a mans voice now came forward, and he seemed rather timid and scared in the way that he talked.
The woman scoffed loudly and continued to argue. "Mother and I are not turning into abominations or reeking havoc on people. It seems we are the only mages who have control enough to avoid those Chantry fools. Tis most unsurprising. Those people they call mages allow themselves to be imprison and abused by the templars."
Lynara listened very carefully, her ears picking up their heavy footsteps. She had to admit, she much preferred the woman's opinion of the Circle and mages. It was refreshing to hear such an opinion when all she came across were Chantry followers who yelled 'Apostate!' at her face. She scowled at the very thought of it.
Their footsteps halted when another female voice arose from the bickering. "Would you two be quiet for a second?" she asked, clearly annoyed. There was a silence and then she spoke again. "Do you feel that? There is someone... or something ahead. Be on your guard."
Not wanting the three intruders to attack or become startled by their presence, Lynara walked over to where she had the voices coming from. Rem followed behind her, a blank expression on his face.
"Fellow grey wardens!" she called out, her voice friendly. The three figures came into view, their weapons were drawn. "Please, put your weapons away. We are one of you, as you should be able to tell by the sensation in your blood," she explained, tilting her head to the side, a faint smile on her lips.
They were only a few feet away from them now, and their expressions were priceless. Well, the mans face was priceless at least. One of the women had a look of disinterest, and the other had a look of disbelief and shock. The man just stared at the elven girl with a dopey expression on his face. She bit her cheek, trying to bite back a laugh.
After a few moments of awkward silence, the man finally spoke. "Grey wardens... we thought everyone had died in the battle, but here you are!" he said, clearly relieved. His warm amber eyes glistened with hope, and Lynara couldn't help but stare at them. She had to admit, for shem he was very handsome. He had blond hair with a faint tint of red to it and it was swooped up in the front. His facial features were strong and masculine. His jaw was firm and his skin was dyed from the sun, making it a dark creamy color.
Lynara finally broke away from her admiration and regained her thoughts. "We did not make it in time for the battle," she explained, her Orlesian accent coming through. "We were sent by the Warden-Commander of Orlais."
The other human girl bristled at this. The woman had shoulder length hair that was brown and wavy. Her grey eyes were guarded but wise as she stared at the Lynara and Rem. "Orlesian's?" she spat. "They have come to aid us? That doesn't seem like something they would do."
Rem didn't take kindly to this. He was a proud Orlesian and he hated how the Ferelden's were quick to jump to conclusions. "We are wardens, madame. You should remember that nationality and race should not interfere with your judgment. We were sent by the Warden-Commander. Not by the Empress," he said through clenched teeth. Although this was somewhat a lie, he dared not mention what the Empress had wanted. Not yet at least.
The woman was taken back by this and she hung her head with what looked like shame. The man stepped forward. "It is good to see you here, brother and sister. I am Alistair. And this is Isabelle," he said, pointing to the human who was hanging her head. "We are the only wardens left in Ferelden. The rest died on the battle field with our Commander Du-" he started to say, but quickly stopped, his eyes dropping down to the ground. A sad pain appeared in his eyes and his eyebrows knitted together.
Lynara was no fool. It was clear to her that their Commander meant something to this Alistair. He was clearly taking the loss difficultly. She cleared her throat. "A pleasure. I am Lynara. And this is Rem," she said, waving to the human man next to her. "To say the least, we are very grateful for you two to be alive. When we saw that Ostagar was lost, we ourselves were unsure what to do. After all, two wardens cannot defeat a blight on their own. And, warden or not, it is clear your people do not take kindly of us," she said, her eyes flicking to Isabelle. The human woman didn't look at her, she just stared off into the distance, her expression hard to read.
Alistair looked at Lynara with a glisten in his warm eyes. He eyed her, taking in her long, golden locks that cascaded down to her chest. The tips of her ears peeked out of her hair and he couldn't help but revel in how cute that was. Her eyes were two light sapphires that twinkled in the starlight. He was mesmerized by them, but was ever more so by the tattoo on her forehead. It resembled a tree, with branches that reached out across her skin and was decorated with leaves and flowers. It swirled around by her eyes, the light ink standing out against her pale, fair skin. She was beautiful to say the least, and he couldn't look away.
Lynara was starting to feel uncomfortable by all the scrutiny. She fidgeted, looking away toward the ground. Clearing her throat she started to talk, hoping to end the horrible awkward air that surrounded the two groups. "Well, now that we have found each other, I suppose we should work together, no? Do you have a plan?" she asked, looking between the three, wondering which one was the leader.
The human, Isabelle, stepped forward. She had a very proud demeanor and she was sure that this woman was a natural leader by the way that she held herself. "We plan to go to Arl Eamon for aid, for his armies were not at Ostagar. Then, we plan to seek aid from three groups. You see, we have treaties that require their aid in a Blight. We were to go to the Circle of Magi, then Orzammar, and then to the Brecillian Forest, were we hoped to find the Dalish," she said, her voice never faltering.
Lynara nodded at this, pursing her lips as she considered their plan. It sounded reasonable and wise. If they had treaties, then these three groups would have to comply. This Eamon on the other hand was another story. "Why was your Arl Eamon not at the battle?" she blurted, slightly angry that he wasn't there to aid his people.
"We are unsure. He was running behind and was not able to arrive before the darkspawn attacked," she said, hard guarded eyes looking at Lynara.
"I see," she said, but she really didn't. She couldn't understand why the man had skipped out on the battle and she was angered by this. This Eamon was a good example of a human lord who was arrogant and out for himself.
"I must ask," Rem interceded. "What has happened to your King?" his eyes held great worry, for he feared the worst.
There was a long pause, and they already knew the answer. Finally Isabelle spoke up. "King Cailan was killed in battle, along with many other great men and women," she said, sadness glistening in her eyes. "Teyrn Loghain deserted the battlefield, leaving everyone to die."
A quiet air of sadness fell over everyone in the camp. "The plan was that once Alistair and I were to light the beacon at the top of the Tower of Ishal, Loghain was to take his troops and flank the darkspawn, ensuring our victory in the battle. But, everything went entirely wrong. Darkspawn infiltrated the Tower and the beacon was surely late. Once we achieved in lighting it however, he never charged and this caused many lives to be lost. We would have died too, if Morrigan's mother hadn't saved us," she said, looking at the woman in a dark, sexy robe, a grateful look in her eye.
Lynara understood that the third member of their group was this said Morrigan. So her mother had saved them? She wondered why this was. The woman looked different, unlike most humans she saw. She was beautiful with yellow eyes and a round, heart-shaped face. Her black hair was pulled back into a bun and her robes were tight around the woman's voluptuous curves.
"I am very sorry to hear this," Rem said, looking over at Lynara from the corner of his eye. She held a worried look on her face as thoughts of the Empress flooded through her mind. She didn't want to say anything, for she worried that the others would not take it well. She just bowed her head in silence, closing her eyes to say a short prayer to her Gods.
When she finally looked up, she noticed Alistair was looking at her again. This made her uncomfortable and she quickly looked away, turning her gaze towards Isabelle. "Well, I do encourage you to accept our aid against this Blight. We will follow you and your companions until the end," she said, her proud grey warden nature coming forward.
A soft expression came over Isabelle's pretty features, making her look much more friendly in the process. "We would gladly except your help. Thank you," she said, nodding her head at Rem and Lynara.
Isabelle turned back to her group and spoke quickly. "Let us set up camp and get some rest for the night. Tomorrow we will arrive in Lothering and we will stock up on supplies. From there, we will head to Redcliffe."
"Good idea," Alistair said, a lopsided smile forming on his full lips. Morrigan said nothing, but went to set up her tent away from everyone else. Lynara was most curious about her, and looked forward to being able to converse with her sometime soon. For now though, she would let everyone get some rest.
"Before anyone heads to bed for the night, I suggest we set up shifts for keeping watch. I don't mind going first. After that, Rem can take it from there. And then, Alistair, Isabelle and then Morrigan. Does this sound good to you?" she asked, directing the question at Isabelle.
"Yes it does," she said, smiling.
"There is some stew left over if any of you would like some before you go to sleep," Rem started to say. Isabelle and Alistair quickly jumped at the opportunity to satisfy their warden appetites. They muttered their thanks and quickly ate the tasteful food.
Lynara smiled, glad that things were finally starting to look up. She sat down on a log that was stationed in front of the fire. Eventually everyone left to sleep in their tents, leaving her alone in the open forest.
This is the way she preferred it. It was just her and nature at its best.
