Death and Survival
"I have no idea what I'm doing. Everything I loved , everyone I cared for in the world is dead, except Pentheryn, now I'm surrounded by strangers who are supposed to help me save the world?" She thought before looking at the five of them and saying "We're going to go to the circle first."
Alistair looked a bit crestfallen. She was surprised he even noticed. He hadn't really been very observant since Ostagar. She was a little angry, he was grieving the loss of his friends at Ostagar and she understood that he felt the need to grieve but it was making her a little bitter that he was grieving when she couldn't. She knew either way she would be the one in charge, they had discussed it before leaving Flemeth's hut that she had the experience so he deferred to her. She kept her mouth shut about her annoyance because Morrigan was already making him feel pretty terrible.
She was trying to not be overwhelmed. Things were moving so fast now. She and Alistair had awoken in Flemeth's hut. She was Morrigan's mother, Morrigan being the Witch they had run into when they had gone to the Kocari Wilds. Flemeth had apparently rescued the two of them from atop the tower in bird form. Morrigan told them that Loghain had turned his troops around and left the Grey Wardens to die along with the king. Flemeth had sent Morrigan with them, supposedly to help them to fight the blight.
Sareyna wasn't sure she believed any of it. Although, she was finding very quickly that at least some of it was true. When they reached Lothering, the village that Morrigan led them to so they could get supplies, they learned that Loghain had indeed turned his troops around. He said that the Grey Wardens had killed the king. And that the battle was already lost by the time the beacon was lit, so he had turned his troops around to save them from a lost cause.
They had tried to find out how exactly the Grey Wardens had supposedly killed the king. They could not get a straight answer from anyone. They were just told the Grey Wardens had killed him and Loghain had named himself regent for his daughter and had declared the Grey Wardens traitors.
Besides supplies they had also picked up two new traveling companions while in Lothering. A Quinari called Sten was held in a cage and Sareyna had suggested they try to take him with them. She was well aware of their battle prowess having fought against them previously.
Alistair hadn't been too sure but Morrigan had agreed with Sareyna. They had convinced the Chantry to let them take him along with them so he could help them against the blight and therefore atone for killing a family.
When they were in the local tavern they had ended up running into a lay sister who told them that the Maker had sent her a message that she had to help them. She had already proven herself handy with a blade. They had been attacked by some of Loghain's men in the tavern and she had assisted in the brawl. Sareyna had agreed to let her come along; she seemed to genuinely want to help even if she seemed a little flaky.
They stopped to help a young boy who had lost his mother and now seemed to be without any family. They found the boy's mother; unfortunately she had already been killed. When they returned to the Chantry with the news Sareyna felt angry and despairing tears prick her eyes, she held them back with some effort. It hurt her damaged heart to know that the boy had lost his family at such a young age.
Although she had lost her family, at least she had grown up surrounded by their love. She wondered how many people were taking advantage of the troubles with the Darkspawn to line their pockets or perpetrate crimes against others. She wanted to be surprised, wanted to think better of the world. But the world was a shit hole and if you didn't stand up for yourself, you deserved what you got. Sareyna hoped someone would take the time to make sure the boy knew that when he grew up.
As soon as she had delivered the news she turned and left the chantry without waiting for a reply. Sareyna took a deep breath once she was outside, the smell of desperation and despair had been overwhelming.
She envied a lot of the people in Lothering. At least most of their troubles had come from strangers, or the evil Darkspawn. They were yet to experience loss at the hands of someone they considered a friend. Maybe things would have been better if it was the Darkspawn who had overrun her home. At least everyone knew they were evil. She took a deep breath and spoke with her companions, trying to set her demons aside.
"So, does everyone have what they need? I have no idea how long we're going to be on the road for, so everyone needs a tent, a bedroll, armor, all the trappings ok?" Everyone nodded as she continued. "I think we have enough food staples to last us a while. If we're all set we should get going."
So here they were; an orphaned noble, a grieving "almost" templar, an apostate, a Quinari who was also a murderer, and a Chantry lay sister who might be a bit touched and Sareyna's faithful Mabari war hound. Look out blight, here come the misfits. "I hope we can all survive this" she thought and she started walking down the Imperial Highway.