Author's Note: Hello everyone! I just wanted to say thank you for reading my Prologue. I first put that up to see if there might be any interest in continuing the story of my Warden. I was surprised and very glad to see that it was pretty well received even though it was completely unbeta'd. This time I have a beta, and hopefully the first chapter will be of better quality.
Thanks so much to ShebasDawn for her help! Your suggestions and insights were very much appreciated, and I think this chapter really benefited from your eye.
One thing to note, the beginning portion is a flash back and what he refers to as "the Dreams" is the Fade. When he was that young, he didn't have a word for it yet, and that seemed like it would make sense for the common person to refer to it that way. This is mainly because people outside of the Circle don't usually know what the Fade is.
Anyway, please enjoy this chapter! Sorry the AN was so long!
Chapter 1: Warden's Fall
Kirkwall, The Free Marches.
Winter of 9:20 Dragon.
"He's a demon!"
Kayden huddled next to the bedroom door, ear pressed against the wood. His mother was arguing with a woman, he did not know who. If he hadn't been terrified, he'd run out to defend her.
"No, he's only a child, he's done nothing wrong."
"He's a mage! Have you even taken a good look at him? His hair, his skin, those eyes..."
"Just like his fathers..." he heard his mother whisper. He didn't know, he had never met his father. Did he have the same pale complexion and white hair as Kayden? And the same lyrium colored eyes? It was hard to believe that anyone would look like him, but it did make sense that he got his looks from somewhere other than the Dreams.
Did being a mage really make him a demon? It might as well, mages here were usually sent to the Gallows. He shuddered at the thought, and crossed his room to the window, overlooking the courtyard. He had to get away before the Templars came.
A crash came from outside, and he could hear the yelling of angry men. There was a bang at the front door. He jumped and looked for somewhere to hide. The cabinet maybe? He rushed over and stepped into it, closing the door behind him.
"Hurry, Revka, we have to get him away from Kirkwall, tonight."
It was a man's voice this time, but he did not recognize it. He could just hear his mother's panicked breathing as she ran towards his room. The door burst open and she quickly packed a few things in a sack for him; some food, spare clothes, and other small things.
"You are leaving with the Templars sooner than expected."
"But mother... what's going on?" he asked, peeking out of the cabinet. How did she always know?
"Don't talk back, be good now." She kissed him, brushing his white hair away from his eyes. She was trying her best to hide tears he could tell, but he had never seen her cry before. The situation was worse than he thought and he began shivering at the idea.
"Am I to be sent to The Gallows?"
"No," the man said again, as he entered the room. Kayden was able to get a good look at him. He wore the uniform of a Templar. The Sword of Mercy on his breastplate, the rich maroon skirt, the chain, and the terrifying helmet that covered his face, were unmistakable.
Kayden gasped and fell back into his mother's arms.
"Do not be afraid, I am here to help you," he said.
o O o
"It is finished." Duncan said.
Kayden opened his eyes, two men were hovering over him. Where was he again?
He sat up and looked around.
"Two more dead. When I went through the Joining only one died, but it was still... horrible," Alistair shuddered.
He was told a war meeting was taking place and that King Cailan had asked for them to join, but he had a headache.
"Take some time," Duncan said, "You can meet us there when you're ready."
He nodded, and looked over toward the mage encampment, wondering if they had anything for a headache. Wynne was there, she would know.
Alistair helped him up and he brushed the dirt off of his robes, "Nothing you said could have prepared me for that."
Alistair chuckled and ruffled his hair, "You'll be fine."
Kayden scowled, "No reason to treat me like a child, I've taken the Harrowing you know."
Alistair shrugged, "I'm going with Duncan now. Come by when you're ready, I'm sure King Cailan would like to see you."
Damn templar, he thought. Well... ex-templar. Though Alistair wasn't much like any of the Templars he'd ever met, save one. He didn't want to think about that, it was so far in the past it didn't matter anymore.
Kayden pushed a strand of white hair behind an ear and rubbed his temples, then decided to hurry to the mage encampment; if he waited any longer he feared his head would explode.
o O o
If it wasn't raining, the tower would probably be burning around them. Two soldiers had followed them into the Tower of Ishal, a tower that was now swarming with darkspawn. What luck.
They pressed on, killing all the darkspawn they saw as they made their way up the tower. He expected there to be a few here, but not this many, and Alistair seemed to be thinking the same thing when they reached the next floor.
"You could always try telling them they're in the wrong place," Kayden suggested, freezing the closest genlock.
"Right. Because clearly," Alistair sliced a hurlock across the chest, "this is all just a misunderstanding. We'll laugh about this later."
"Maybe. I never expected fighting darkspawn would be so much fun."
"Yes, this is a leisurely exercise to be sure."
Kayden smirked, and one of the soldiers looked at him like he was crazy, "Is now really the time for that?"
Another hurlock fell and Alistair pressed forward, "We have to hurry and light the beacon."
Kayden nodded, picking up the pace to run beside Alistair, "We're almost there."
They climbed the stairs, taking two, sometimes three or more at a time. He remembered only once running up the stairs in the Circle Tower like this, only to be scolded by one of the Templars for running indoors later. He had been excited about something then, what he couldn't remember. He must have been twelve at the time. The situation now was much more urgent.
When the reached the top of the stairs, Alistair stopped abruptly in front of him. Kayden almost slammed into the ex-templar, but was able to stop in time.
"Alistair, why did you stop. What is it?" He looked ahead. There was something big in the center of the circular room, and it appeared to be... eating. The body fell as the ogre stood up, and flexed it's muscles. It then turned its head to the newcomers and let out a guttural roar.
"Maker, that thing is ugly," Kayden blurted out, trying not to look at the very human body that had become the ogre's snack.
"You know, it might be stupid, but I'm sure it can understand that," Alistair said. He was speaking softly, hoping the ogre was hard of hearing.
He didn't have time to wonder if it did as the beast charged at them only seconds later. It took all his focus just to jump out of the way. The others had done the same and were now engaging it.
Kayden sent bolts of cold at the ogre, hoping to freeze it, anything to give the others an edge. He wished he knew just a few more spells; and maybe he'd be more helpful. He began casting weakness and vulnerability hexes, then enchanted their weapons with cold. He hoped it would be enough.
Unfortunately for him though, the ogre finally realized who was casting those spells and after punching one of the soldiers to a bloody pulp, turned its attention to Kayden.
It charged toward Kayden. When it was far enough away from the others, Kayden switched to heavier spells, ones that would have damaged everyone surrounding the ogre.
A cone of arctic air burst from his hands as the ogre grew closer, and he prayed it would stop it in its tracks before it could knock Kayden across the room. It was successful, but not before the ogre knocked his staff out of his hands.
It was frozen in place, but as he reached for his staff, the ogre came crumbling down on top of it, Alistair's sword buried deep in it's back.
"Hurry, light the beacon!"
He didn't have time to get his staff, and it had likely been broken by now. All that mattered was signaling reinforcements. He could hear the blood pumping in his ears as he raced across the room, pulling a flaming torch out of a sconce, he threw it into the pile of wood. It burst into flame, and he had to cover his eyes for a moment.
It was done.
He grinned, wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his robes and turned to Alistair, only to be stuck like a pin cushion. He looked down to see three arrows protruding from his chest. It was as if it was someone else's body, unreal.
Kayden's hand reached his chest as the blood began to ooze out, covering his robes and he fell back, hitting cold stone. Something hot dripped into his eyes, and he closed them tightly, trying to stop the stinging.
Then there was a thrum, like the sound of great wings. He tried to open his eyes again, and what he saw... a man. It was like looking in a mirror - white hair, lyrium blue eyes. But the hair was far longer than his and he wore the armored uniform of a templar knight. He was held in the air by great white wings. An... angel? And he was reaching out to Kayden. He had seen this man before, but he couldn't remember where.
Kayden shook his head. He must have seeing things, he told himself. As he closed his eyes again, just as he was lifted from the ground by something clamped tightly around his torso.
