And as the black clouds came upon them,
They looked on what pride had wrought,
And despaired.
-Threnodies7:10

Duncan kept Elissa walking the entire night, stopping only as the eastern horizon finally began to blush a golden rose. "Here," he said quietly, tossing her some jerky from his pack. "You'll need to eat to keep your strength; I do not intend to stop any more often than absolutely necessary until we reach Ostagar."

Elissa tore off a piece of the meat. "I understand." She couldn't believe how weak and raw her voice was. "It's weeks to Ostagar from here, though, and Howe's sure to realize that I escaped last night. I have to get to Fergus and tell him what's happened before Howe can get to either of us. I should also deliver these, I suppose," she added, gesturing at the extra blade and shield. "He'll be the next teyrn if I can get to him before Howe does, so these are his now."

"Of course, your Grace. There are enough byways through the Bannorn that we should be able to catch up with your brother's forces by the time they reach Ostagar. Possibly even by the time they reach Lothering."

"Don't call me that," Elissa whispered, tears suddenly falling to her cheek. She looked back at where Duncan was sitting while he let her rest. "That form is used for a teyrn or teyrna, no one else. Until I know beyond a doubt that Fergus is also lost to me, the title is his and his alone."

"Very well, my lady," he consented. "In the meantime, I know you have little with you but I suggest that you allow me to take anything that you can spare into a village not far from here to sell. I have some few supplies, but we'll need more than we have if we're going to reach Ostagar."

He returned an hour later, tossing her a bedroll, a small knapsack and a cloak. Peering inside the bag she saw a few changes of clothes, some food, a firestarter, and a whet stone.

"My necklace got all this?" she asked, genuinely surprised. It had been gold, certainly, but the stone set in the pendant wasn't particularly rare or valuable—just one she had thought was pretty.

Duncan allowed himself a slight smile. "While everything there was procured legally, I wasn't always the noble Warden, sacrificing all for the cause. There are quite a few unethical ways to increase or decrease the value of goods in barter."

Eyes narrowing, Elissa peered at him. "Was it threats, or trickery?" she asked, smirking in spite of her situation. She suddenly suspected Duncan had not always been the stern man he now appeared to be.

"Flattery works just as well as either, my lady," he shrugged, "and sometimes to a greater degree." He peered eastward for a moment before glancing south again. "If you've rested enough, we should get moving. Use that cloak to cover your family arms as well as you can. You'll need it for warmth as we move south but I suspect for now, it will be more important to conceal anything that may identify you should we encounter men loyal to the Arl."

"Yes, ser," she nodded, arranging the cloak. That she carried an additional sword and sheild was still obvious, but at least the Cousland laurel wreaths were now hidden. "But I certainly hope you'll educate me on the way. I know only the legends of the Wardens of old, the tale of Commander Dryden's rebellion, and that Maric allowed the order to return while my mother was carrying me. If I'm going to become a Warden, I'll need to know more than just fairy tales and decades-old court gossip."

"That you know even Sophia Dryden's name tells me that you already know more of the true history of the Wardens than most recruits before their Joining, but very well. I will tell you what you are permitted to know prior to your Joining as we move."

Duncan kept them moving at a gruelling, but not impossible pace, stopping only at night and allowing only a few hours sleep even then. He hadn't been lying about needing the cloak for warmth—Elissa had never been this far south at this time of year. He also wouldn't allow any but the smallest cookfires as they travelled, so while at least Elissa was able to fill her belly with fresh hare caught by Moira once they stopped each night, she was certain her toes would snap off if she tried to remove her boots.

He was true to his promise to educate her on the Warden's history, however. He began with Garahel's defeat of the archdemon Andoral at the Battle of Ayesleigh—though he wouldn't clarify when she asked how archdemons had names and how the Wardens knew them—and continued through the exile from and eventual return of the Wardens to Ferelden, including Maric's own disappearance with a party of Wardens some twenty years ago.

Elissa had heard the story of how Maric had briefly run away in shame following Queen Rowan's death, but was surprised to learn that Duncan was a member of the party involved in that incident. She tried pressing the matter, to discover what they had done in the king's absence from court, but he refused her every attempt to wheedle the information from him. "Perhaps another time," was all he would tell her when she asked, and he would then fall silent for hours.

It was well after dark when they stopped the fourth night, and when she rose the next morning the southern horizon was black for as far as she could see. She presumed at first the brooding darkness was merely a far off storm blocking the rays of the rising sun. As the day pressed on and they continued their way south the darkness persisted and the clouds of the southern skies seemed to roil in place, never moving. There did seem to be lightning at times, but Elissa couldn't be certain at this distance. In any case, they reminded her of boiling pitch she'd seen once when the Highever troops were training, simulating a seige to the keep.

The ominous clouds spooked her more than she anticipated, and she did not pester Duncan with questions that day as she had all the others. They set camp for the night earlier than usual that day. Grateful that she'd be able to get more sleep than she'd had in a week Elissa didn't question the decision, though she found it almost as difficult to sleep that night as she had the night of Howe's coup. After dozing only a few hours, huddled against Moira for warmth, she woke and could not sleep again. Duncan had allowed the fire to burn for once to help keep the increasing wild animals at bay, and as she sat up groggily she realized he was still awake, gazing solemnly into its flames.

"That storm in the south. It's the Blight, not a true storm, isn't it?" she asked quietly. She was certain she knew the answer, but the question had to be asked.

Duncan nodded silently after a moment. Standing, he looked south into the darkness. "That it is. A storm is brewing as well, and will likely hit by tomorrow night or the night after, but what you've been seeing all day is a result of the darkspawn's taint across the Kocari Wilds. If we Wardens fail our duty, that taint will spread first across Ferelden, and then on to the rest of Thedas." He studied her carefully. "You know the stories and you have learned what history you are permitted to know before being officially inducted as a Warden yourself. You understand that most Wardens do not survive a Blight, and that no Warden that has ever faced an Archdemon has lived regardless of whether he managed to slay the beast. Every one has died of his wounds following the battle. The senior Wardens protect the junior ones whenever it is possible, but anything can happen. Are you prepared to face this risk?"

Elissa was frightened by the sudden direness of his tone but nodded as confidently as she could manage. "The old tales I learned as a child may have focused on the glory of the Wardens, ser, but I am a Cousland. I will always do my duty."