Conscripted
[Intro: Denerim is the largest city and the capital of Ferelden. Long ago, the elves lived as slaves to humans and although they have been free for many generations now, they are far from equals. Here they live in a walled-off community known as the Alienage, working as servants and laborers when they can. Despite these hardships, Denerim's elves are a strong people who take pride in their close community. This is the only world you have ever known…until now.]
"Wake up cousin! Why are you still in bed? It's your big day!" Shianni said, shaking me.
I reluctantly sat got up, groaning as I did. I was still groggy and I wished more than anything to be able to go back to sleep. I had been so restless last night…the anxiety of today had kept me up.
"Huh? What? Did I oversleep?" I yawned.
"Yes. Your father and I thought that you deserved it," She said. "You do remember what today is, don't you?"
My mind was drawing blank right now. I suppose I must have had too much to drink last night.
"Someone's wedding?" I said.
"A double wedding! You're getting married and so is Soris! That's what I came to tell you! Your groom, Nelaros…he's here early." She replied.
"Already? Then I guess I don't have a choice." I muttered.
"That's the spirit! Well, sort of," She said, pausing when she saw the less than enthusiastic look on my face. "All right, I'll stop tormenting you. I should go take to the other bridesmaids and find my dress. Soris said he'll be waiting for you outside, so move it!"
I got out of bed and changed into the wedding clothes that Shianni had left me on my bed. I swallowed hard, trying to push down the growing anxiety that was slowly consuming me. Was I ready for this? I really didn't even have a real interest in getting married, but I suppose I had to. This wedding had been arranged for me and I couldn't just run away. Where would I go anyways? An elf couldn't make a decent living in the human's world. That's why they had as many of us as possible locked up in the blasted Alienage; they didn't want us in their world.
I noticed Father standing by the hearth with his back to me. He had his hands clasped behind his back and was starting intently into the fire. When I started to approach him, he turned around.
"Ah my little girl. It's…the last day I'll be able to call you that. Oh, I wish your mother could have been here." He said.
"Me too Father," I murmured. "Well…what should I be doing now?"
"You should go find Soris. The sooner this wedding starts, the less chance you two have to escape." He replied.
"Thank you, Father." I said, laughing a little. I hoped that I didn't appear as anxious as I felt.
"One last thing before you go…your martial training…the swordplay, knives and whatever else your mother trained you in. It would be best not to mention it to your betrothed." He said.
"Yes, Father." I said.
"We don't want to seem like troublemakers, after all. Adaia made that mistake." He sighed.
"Take this. Your mother would have wanted you to have it. It's the very least I can give you, as you start you're new life," He said, handing me a pair of mother's old boots. They were made of cured leather and appeared to be in good condition still. "Go on then. I still have some things to do and Soris is no doubt waiting for you."
I slipped on Mother's boots and left the house. As soon as I went outside I started to look for Soris, like Father had told me to.
As I walked around, I saw lots of people gathered around the Vhenadahl tree, which was at the very center of the Alienage. It was a massive tree with thick, twisted braches that seemed to reach up to the sky. It was the biggest tree in the entire Alienage. It possibly was the biggest tree in all of Denerim as well.
I found Taeodor standing alone on one side of the Vhendahl tree. He was glancing around, seeming to be looking for someone.
"Hello there. Congratulations on the big day," Taeodor said. "Have you seen Soris?"
"I'm looking for him myself." I replied.
"Well if you see him, ask him to come by and say hello, will you?" He asked.
"Sure thing." I said.
I took my leave quickly, in hopes that he wouldn't keep talking to me. I managed to escape him but I ran into an elderly couple, who were conversing quietly nearby. I cursed myself for not being more careful.
"Well, it's the lucky bride herself. Hello dear." The woman said. Her hair was greying from age and she had lovely blue eyes. She was still quite beautiful for her age.
"Now love, she probably doesn't remember us." The man said.
"Oh, of course. I'm Dilwyn and this is Gethon. We were friends of your mother. We haven't seen much of you since she…well…." The woman said.
I looked at them closely. There was nothing even faintly familiar about their faces. "Father never mentioned you before." I said.
"No, he wouldn't, I suppose." Gethon sighed.
"Adaia was beautiful and full of life. And a bit wild." Dilwyn said.
"She wanted you more than anything. It's sad that she never got to see you all grown up." Gethon murmured.
"We just wanted to see you today and express our good wishes." Dilwyn said.
"Thank you." I replied, smiling politely.
"We've saved a bit of money for this day. We'd…we'd like you to have it to help start your new life." Gethon said, handing me a small pouch of coins.
I was shocked. I hadn't expected anyone to give me money today. Everyone here was poor and was barely able to eke out a living in this hell hole. I felt terrible for taking their money, especially since I knew they would need it. But they had said they specifically saved it for me on this very occasion. It would be even ruder not to take it.
"I'm honored. Thank you." I said.
"Maker bless you." Gethon said.
I left the couple, and continued my search for Soris. I found him standing just several yards away from where the Vhendahl was.
"Well if it isn't my lucky cousin. Care to celebrate the end of our independence together?" Soris grunted.
"Getting cold feet?" I asked.
"Are you surprised? Apparently you're groom is a dream come true. My bride sounds like a dying mouse." He remarked.
"I'm sure she's quite nice." I said.
"Great. I'll spend the next fifty years with a 'nice' girl who hides grain away from the winter," He scoffed. "I suppose I should introduce you to your dreamy betrothed before you say 'I do'. I've already met mine."
Together, the two of off went to find our mates-to-be. I stopped in my tracks when I saw a group of humans inside the Alienage. I quickly recognized one of the men as Vaughan Urien, the son of the Arl of Denerim. Whenever he and his vile friends showed up here, trouble ensued.
I wasn't surprised when I saw him grab one of the women. His beady eyes were glazed and were full of lust.
"Let me go! Stop please!" An elven woman shrieked.
"It's a party, isn't it? Grab a whore and have a good time!" Vaughan laughed.
Vaughan and his men laughed as the elven women started cowering in terror.
Can't we ever have a nice day without one of these human fuckers coming to bother us? I thought. Don't they have a life? They're supposed to be nobles. Shouldn't they be playing at politics or bothering some human whore? There are plenty of them out there!
"Savor the hunt, boys. Take this little elven wench here…so young and vulnerable…." Vaughan said, reaching for Shianni.
"Touch me and I'll gut you, you pig!" Shianni snarled.
"Please my lord, we're celebrating weddings here!" One of the elven men said.
"Silence, worm!" Vaughan spat, smacking the elven man with the back of his hand.
Soris looked at me uncomfortably. "I know what you're thinking Aerlene, but maybe we shouldn't get involved." He whispered.
"Shianni will get herself killed! We can't just stand by!" I said.
"Fine. But let's try to be diplomatic, shall we?" Soris sighed.
I approached the group of men, who were now harassing any elven woman within reach.
"What's this? Another lovely one come to keep me company?" Vaughan said when he spotted me.
"Let's just talk this over, shall we?" I said.
"Maybe you should invite it over for dinner!" One of the humans howled.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" Vaughan scoffed.
He started to reach out and grab me, but Shianni came up behind him and smacked him over the head with a bottle. Her blow knocked him out cold.
"Are you insane?! This is Vaughan Urien, the arl of Denerim's son!" One of the humans screeched.
"Take him home. If you don't mention this, we won't." I said.
"You've a lot of nerve, knife-ears. This'll go badly for you!" The human man spat.
The humans gathered up their unconscious brethren and ran back into the city with him. I was glad to see them go, but I was worried that they would be back later. I couldn't imagine Vaughan letting this go, especially since he had been knocked out by an elven woman.
"Oh, I really messed up this time." Shianni said.
"It will be alright. He won't tell anyone that an elven woman took him down." Soris replied.
"I hope so," She murmured. "I should get cleaned up."
She walked off, muttering to herself. Despite what Soris had said, she didn't seem reassured at all. I could hardly blame her. The humans would most likely come back for her now, if they did choose to come back. I had a bad feeling that they would.
"Is everyone alright?" Soris asked.
"Yes, I think we're just shaken. What was that all about?" One of the women, said.
"Looks like the arl's son started drinking too early." Soris laughed nervously. "Let's not let this ruin the day."
A skinny brunette woman and a strikingly handsome man with pale blonde hair walked up to us. I'd never seen either one of them in my life before. They must not have been from this particular alienage. Otherwise, I would have known their names at least.
"Er…this is my betrothed, Valora." Soris said.
Poor Soris looked so unhappy. When I looked at Valora, I could see why. She wasn't exactly attractive. She had sharp, sort of aquiline features and her voice did sound like a dying mouse, like Soris had claimed. At least her hair looked nice and she had decent sized breasts. Perhaps she would bear Soris pretty children and be able to cook well. Otherwise, I could see Soris complaining every single day for the rest of his life.
"Then this handsome man must be Nelaros." I said.
"I'm a lucky man to be so warmly welcomed." Nelaros said.
"I'm…sure the two of you have a lot to discuss." Soris muttered. He gave me a meaningful look and took Valora a few feet away.
Nelaros turned towards me. He looked about as anxious as I felt; perhaps more so.
Perhaps this won't be as bad as I expected. Nelaros is quite handsome and he has a nice voice. I thought. It seems I got the better end of the deal, as opposed to Soris. He got a mousy-looking woman for his bride.
"Well…here we are. Are you nervous?" He asked.
"I was until I saw you." I said, smiling warmly.
"I'll spend every waking moment learning to make you happy." He replied.
At that moment, Soris and Valora returned. I guess he couldn't stand idle conversation with her any longer.
"Come on, cousin. We should let them get ready." Soris said.
"We'll see you two in a bit. Don't disappear on us." Valora said.
"Or we'll come find you." Nelaros added.
Nelaros and Valora then left. Once they were out of earshot, Soris turned towards me.
"Don't look now, but we have another problem." He said in a low voice.
"Is it Vaughan? Has he returned?" I asked. Panic started to rise in my chest as I glanced around, trying to look and see what he was talking about without being too obvious.
"Another human just walked in. Could be another one of Vaughan's or just a random troublemaker," Soris said. "Either way, we need to move him along before someone does something stupid."
I followed Soris's gaze to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, there was yet another human in the Alienage. He had dark hair and dark skin, and was armed with two deadly looking swords. He was dressed in a leather tunic and his hair was tied back in a ponytail. He was just standing in the clearing, looking around with his hands clasped behind his back. It seemed as if he were waiting on someone, rather than looking for trouble.
"I suppose we should go talk to him." I said.
"Right. Let's do this quickly." Soris murmured.
The two of us approached the human warily. By the looks of him, he was an experienced swordsman and I really didn't want to tangle with him. I knew some fighting techniques, but I highly doubted I would be any match for him.
"Good day. I understand congratulations are in order for your impending wedding." The human said.
"Thanks, but please go. I'd rather avoid any unpleasantness." I replied.
"What manner of unpleasantness might you be referring to?" He inquired.
For the Maker's sake…how do I explain this without offending him? I thought. I can see that he's not an idiot, but he most likely doesn't know about how things work here in the Alienage.
"The Alienage just isn't a good place for humans to be." I said.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of leaving." The human responded.
Is this some sort of stupid joke? Surely this human has some reason to be here, not just to piss me off. Ugh, if he would just leave, that would make life so much easier! Damn stubborn humans. They never listen to anyone! I thought.
"Fine. Perhaps we can compromise." I said. My patience was wearing thin, but I wasn't about to let this human know that. For all I knew, he could be waiting for me to snap so he could run back to his kind and get me in trouble. Humans were always looking for reasons to trouble us.
"She keeps her composure, even when facing down an unknown and armed human. A true gift, wouldn't you say, Valendrian?" The human said.
I was shocked when Valendrian, the Elder of the Alienage, came up to us. I hadn't even noticed that he was nearby at all. He approached the human, looking rather pleased to see him. It was so bizarre to me. Why would Valendrian be friends with a human?!
"I would say that the world has far more use for people who know how to stay their blades," Valendrian replied. "It is good to see you again, my old friend. It has been far too long."
"You know this human, Elder?" I asked.
"May I present to you Duncan, head of the Grey Wardens of Ferelden." Valendrian said.
My confusion only deepened. Why in the name of Andraste would a Grey Warden be here? I thought they only fought darkspawn. There's no darkspawn here. I thought.
"Why would a Grey Warden come here?" I inquired.
"The worst has happened: a Blight has begun. King Cailan summons the Grey Wardens to Ostagar to fight the darkspawn horde with his armies." Duncan answered.
"Yes…I had heard the news. Still, this is an awkward time. There is to be a wedding…two in fact." Valendrian said.
"So I see. By all means, attend your ceremonies. My concerns can wait for now," Duncan said. "Please, don't let me interrupt any further. We shall speak more later."
"Very well. Children, treat Duncan as my guest. And for the Maker's sake, take your places!"
I saw that lots of folks were gathered by the platform, looking expectant and excited. On the platform, I could see Nelaros and Valora, my father and Soris's parents, as well as a human priestess from the Chantry. Valendrian then took his place on the platform.
"Oh, there you are Soris. I was afraid that you had run off." Valora said as Soris and I walked up the steps.
"No…I'm here, with Nelaros's blushing bride in tow." Soris muttered.
Nelaros smiled nervously when he saw me. "You look radiant." He said.
"It looks like everyone is ready." Soris said.
"Good luck, Soris." I said.
"You too Aerlene," Soris replied. "Maybe it won't be so bad after all."
Once everyone was quieted down, Valendrian began to speak. He moved to the front of the platform and look at the crowd.
"Friends and family, today we celebrate not only this joining, but also our bonds of kin and kind. We are a free people, but that was not always so. Andraste, the Maker's prophet, freed us from the bonds of slavery," Valendrian said. "As our community grows, remember that our strength lies in commitment to tradition and each other."
"Thank you, Valendrian. Now let us begin," The human priestess said, moving forwards and standing before Soris and I, and our betrothed. "In the name of the Maker, who brought us this world and in whose name we say the Chant of Light, I-"
I groaned inwardly when I saw Vaughan and two of his lackeys, along with four city soldiers, storming into the Alienage, looking mad as hell. They shoved any elves who didn't move out of their way quick enough.
"Milord? This is…an unexpected surprise." The priestess said.
"Sorry to interrupt, Mother, but I'm having a party and I'm dreadfully short of female guests!" Vaughan said.
He and his two pals walked up to the platform and started grabbing women. The women shrieked in terror, while all the men could do was look on in silent fury.
"Milord! This is a wedding!" The priestess hissed.
"Ha! If you want to dress up your pets and have tea parties, that is your business. But don't pretend this is a proper wedding," Vaughan remarked. He then turned towards his pals. "Now, we're here for a good time, aren't we boys?"
"Just a good time with the ladies, that's all!" One of Vaughan's friends laughed. He had short black hair and cold brown eyes.
"Let's take those two, the one in the tight dress, and…where's the bitch that bottled me?" Vaughan said, scanning the crowd.
"Over here, Lord Vaughan!" A human with shaggy light brown hair exclaimed. He was standing beside Shianni, whose lip was curled in disgust.
"Let me go, you stuffed shirt son of a-" Shianni snarled. She was furiously trying to writhe free of the human's grip.
"Oh, I'll enjoy taming her! And see the pretty bride…." Vaughan said.
"Don't worry. I won't let them have you." Nelaros whispered.
"I won't let them take Shianni!" I said quietly.
Once Vaughan spotted me, he grinned and came over to me. He loomed over me menacingly. "Ah yes, such a well formed little thing." He said.
"You villains!" Nelaros spat.
"That's quite enough. I'm sure we all want to avoid further unpleasantness." Vaughan said.
"Please, don't hurt anyone!" I pleaded.
"Oh, we're going to have some fun." Vaughan said.
He stepped back, allowing his black haired friend to move forwards and smack me with the back of his hand. He hit me so hard that I was knocked unconscious.
XXXXX
When I woke up, I found myself lying on a cold, hard floor. There were several other elven women around me. Among them were Shianni and Valora. Everyone looked distressed and outraged.
"Maker keep us. Maker protect us." One of the women was saying, over and over again. She had her head bowed in prayer.
"Stop it! You're driving me insane!" Shianni snapped.
I slowly sat up. My head was throbbing and my back ached. Where the hell are we? I don't recognize this place. I thought. It looks like a human place…
"Oh, thank the Maker you've come to. We were so worried." Shianni said.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"We're in the palace, of course. Doubt we're getting the tour." Shianni replied.
"They locked us in here to wait until that…that bastard is ready for us." Valora said.
"Then we will need to escape," I said. "We can't wait around for them to rape us."
"Forgive me if I don't hold my breath. The door is locked and solid, and we're unarmed." One of the women cried. She had sun-tanned skin and dark brown hair.
"Maker keep us, Maker protect us." The last girl said. She was still praying desperately.
"Great. Now this again." Shianni sighed.
"Look, let's do what they want, go home and try to forget this ever happened." The dark haired girl said.
"She's right. It'll be worse if we resist." Valora said.
"It'll be worse if we don't!" Shianni snapped.
Suddenly, I began to hear heavy footsteps approaching the door. Everyone else must have heard them too, because they immediately fell silent.
"Someone's coming!" The dark haired girl whimpered.
"If you see an opportunity, take it. Don't let them hurt you." I said quietly.
The door flew open and four heavily armed human guards stepped through. They eyed us with gleeful lust. My stomach churned in anger. How dare these cretins treat us like this! We were people, just the same as them. We deserved to be treated with the same respect and decency, but I doubted that would ever happen. We have been second class citizens in their world for centuries now. It seemed that nothing was ever going to change that.
"Hell wenches. We're here to escort you to Lord Vaughan's party." The captain said.
"Stay away from us!" The praying girl suddenly screamed. I was surprised; I thought all she knew how to do was pray in times of crisis.
The captain slit her throat without a warning. The women gasped and watched in horror as the girl gasped for air, convulsed several times and bled out. A couple girls got blood on their dresses.
I stared at the girl's lifeless body. Blood was gushing onto the floor, pooling beneath her body already. The guards didn't seem fazed one bit. If anything, they just looked indifferent.
"You killed her!" The dark haired girl gasped, kneeling down beside the fallen woman.
"I suppose that's what happens when you try teaching whores some respect," The captain remarked. He then turned to his men. "Grab the little flower cowering in the corner. Horace and I'll take the homely bride and the drunk. You two, bind the last one. She's the little scrapper."
The women screamed and cried as the men grabbed them and hauled them off. The last two guards approached me, eyes full of excitement and desire.
"Don't worry," One of the human men said. "We'll be perfect gentlemen."
"Now you heard the captain. Be a good little wench or else you'll end up like your friend there." The second man said.
"Just you try it. See what parts you lose first." I snarled.
Both of the men laughed at me, which only further incensed me. Just because I was an elf didn't make me less of a person than them!
"Horace was right! This one is a scrapper!" The first man chuckled.
"Uh…hello?"
The two men turned around, revealing Soris, who was armed with a sword.
Dear Maker. Why the hell didn't you stab them from behind?! You could've slain them both before they even knew what was coming! I thought.
"Oh look at this. A little elfling with a stolen sword." The second man scoffed.
Soris didn't attack the men, however. He bent down and slid the sword to me. I quickly grabbed it and stabbed the closest human right through the abdomen. Hot, sticky blood gushed onto my hand as I shoved the sword into him, all the way up to the hilt. I then twisted it and jerked it out. The human crumbled on the floor, screeching and desperately trying to staunch the bleeding.
"Oh sod." The second man said. He took a step back and raised his hands in a nonthreatening gesture.
Now it was his turn to be terrified; to be uncertain about what was to come next. As much as I would have loved torturing him, I didn't have time. I slit his throat and spit on him.
"Where did you get this sword?" I inquired.
"That Grey Warden, Duncan, gave Nelaros and me his sword and crossbow, but that's all we have." Soris said.
"Nelaros is here?" I asked. Dread started to creep over me as I imagined Nelaros trying to storm the estate, looking for me and the other captured women. I might not have known him that well, but I was pretty certain that he was no warrior. His eyes and his hands were too gentle, as was his overall demeanor. There was no way he could be very skilled with weapons. But then again, perhaps I was wrong. For his sake, I hoped I was.
"Yes, he's the reason we're here. He lost it on those who wanted to 'hope for the best'. I...I didn't know what to do." He said.
"Well, you're here now and that's what matters." I said.
"Thanks. I couldn't just let him go alone," He replied. "Nelaros is guarding the end of the hall. Let's go figure out a plan with him."
I pried a longsword out of one of the dead guard's hands and handed it to Soris. I then slipped out of the chamber with Soris, hoping to find Nelaros quickly and get out of here. However, that didn't happen. No sooner had I walked into the next chamber, I was spotted by a random human. He wasn't armed and had no armor on. He looked to be in his fifties and was rather scruffy looking.
"What's this? I didn't recognize you elf," The human barked. He paused when he saw the blood splatters on my dress. "Wait…is that blood? You're…bandits! Rebels! Outlaws! The guards will make quick work of you-"
An elven servant came up behind him and knocked him unconscious with a glass bottle.
"You've no idea how long that shem had it coming." The servant said.
"Have you seen a group of elven maidens?" I asked.
"They took them to Lord Vaughan's room. You should hurry. He's not…gentle with women," The servant said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get out of here before the storm hits."
The servant darted off through one of the doorways. It didn't take long before we came across more humans. We found three off duty human guards when we stumbled into the mess hall. They were eating dinner when we walked in.
"Where did you get those weapons, elves?" The first guard demanded.
"Uh-oh…" Soris whispered.
The three of them stood up and began to approach us.
"You better talk quick, scum!" The second one said.
"Oh sod it." I growled.
I stabbed one of the men in the throat. His comrades gasped in shock and drew their weapons. Soris and I made quick work of them, and continued on. By this point, I was coated in human blood. It was quite satisfying. I had dreamed of slaughtering worthless, vile humans for years. Now that I was getting the opportunity…it was delightful. I couldn't wait to sink my blade into Vaughan himself and listen to him cry like a baby while his life's blood oozed out of him. Perhaps I would cut off his cock too for good measure.
We continued to run through the estate, looking for Nelaros and the others. Along the way, we had to fight a few guards, but we were able to get through them pretty easily.
It took several more minutes for us to find Nelaros. But by the time we reached him, it was too late. A guard slit his throat just as Soris and I walked in.
"See? I told you there'd be more. Elves run in packs, like rodents." The guard said to his two comrades.
"Should we keep the knife-eared bitch alive?" One of the human guards asked.
"They killed our boys. She dies." The first guard said.
The three of them drew their weapons and attacked. I parried the blow of the first oncoming human and punched him in the nose. I could hear the cartilage in his nose crack and blood streamed out of his nose. He didn't suffer long, unfortunately. I put the worthless asshole out of his misery by sinking my blade into his chest. I let him drop to the ground and I turned to deal with his comrade, who was trying to flank me.
"Your friend squealed like a stuck pig when he died. Let's see if you do too." The human sneered.
The human swung his broadsword at me with all his might. I quickly ducked and stabbed him in the side. He yowled with rage and hit me in the jaw with the pommel of his sword. Excruciating pain jolted up the side of my face, but I ignored it. I continued to parry with the human until I finally managed to strike him down. By then, Soris had dispatched the last one.
"Oh Nelaros…I'm so sorry." Soris said, kneeling down beside the lifeless body of my betrothed.
"He died to save me." I murmured. Sadness pierced my heart as I looked at his corpse. He had seemed like such a good man. I would've been lucky to have a husband like him. But now…no…he was gone now. And I was alone.
"Let's make sure his death wasn't in vain." Soris said.
Soris and I left the chamber and resumed working our way through the estate. We faced several more human guards before we found Vaughan and his companions. When we found them, they were just about to rape Shianni. They were trying to rip her clothes off while she was writhing and spitting at them, slinging every curse under the sun at them. Me and Soris's intrusion disrupted Vaughan and his two companions from their fun.
"My, my. What have we here?" Vaughan said, turning around to face me.
"Don't worry; we'll make short work of these two." One of Vaughan's companions said.
"Quiet you idiot! They're covered with enough blood to fill a tub. Do you know what that means?" Vaughan snapped.
I was rather surprised by his change in attitude. But then again, Soris and I had slain quite a few of his precious guards. Perhaps now he realized that we weren't a goddamn joke after all?
"You tell me, asshole." I hissed.
"All right, let's not be too hasty here. Surely we can talk this over." Vaughan said quickly.
"If you have something to say, make it quick." I barked.
"Here's our situation: obviously you are skilled. If we fight here, you might even manage to kill us. My father won't let that go, however. Your pigsty of an alienage will be burned to the ground," Vaughan said. "Or, you can walk away with forty sovereigns in your purses. You take that money and leave Denerim tonight. No repercussions and you can go wherever you like."
"What about the women? Will you let them go?" I demanded.
"The women stay. They will be returned tomorrow, slightly worse for the wear. By then you'll be long gone. That's the deal. Take it or leave it." Vaughan said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. Ignorant, spineless bastard. You really think that I'm stupid enough to fall for this? Sure, you will give me money to shut me up and let you continue raping my kith, but I highly doubt you will just let me walk away. I thought. I would have to be a special kind of stupid to even think you would honor a deal. You clearly have no honor for anyone, not even yourself.
"Oh I'll walk away alright," I said. "With your fucking head."
"Bah! I always regret talking to knife-ears. Now I will just have to gut your ignorant carcasses instead!" He spat.
Vaughan hung back while his two comrades threw themselves into battle. He thought they would wear us down or kill us so he wouldn't have to get his hands too dirty, no doubt. Too bad that wasn't going to work. Adrenaline fueled me as I brutally struck down one of his friends. I ran my blade right through his throat, killing him instantly. Meanwhile, Soris cut down Vaughan's other companion swiftly. Now all that was left was the greedy little pig himself: Vaughan.
Pure terror filled Vaughan's eyes. He knew he was about to die and now he was beginning to regret messing with us. He pleaded for mercy, but I had none left to give him. Vaughan had raped and tortured far too many of my people; no longer would they fear him. No longer would they have to suffer his brutal sexual assaults. It was time for me to end it all.
I let Soris duel with Vaughan, but not for long. I stabbed him in the back with my sword, pushing the blade into him as far as I could. Blood streamed out onto me and I heard him cry out. I ripped my blade out and he dropped to his knees. He's eyes grew wide in horror as he saw blood gushing out of his chest, staining his clothes.
My anger was not yet spent, however. I stabbed him in the shoulder and shoved him into the floor. He convulsed one last time and died.
"He…he's dead. Tell me we did the right thing, Aerlene." Soris panted.
Now that my anger was starting to dissipate, I was beginning to realize what I had done. I had killed the Arl of Denerim's son. Arl Urien was in Ostagar with the king's men, but when he returned and saw that his son was dead….
"What's important is that Shianni is safe," I said. "It's too late for regrets anyways."
"I…I'll check the back room for others. Shianni needs you." Soris said.
Soris ran off to find the others. I went over to Shianni, who was lying on the cold stone floor, sobbing. Her clothes were torn and her hair was in disarray. She had a bloodied lip and a black eye. I imagined the human swine had beaten her for her noncompliance.
"D-don't leave me. Take me home please." She sobbed.
"Yes, let's go home while we can." I murmured.
"There's so much blood…I can't stand to look at it. It's everywhere," She sniffled. "Did you kill them all?"
"I did what had to be done." I said.
"Good." She said.
Soris and Valora entered the chamber, but that was it. None of the other girls were with them. That must have meant that they were dead.
"Is…she going to be alright?" Valora asked upon seeing Shianni.
"I hope so." I replied.
"Er…we should go. Soon. As in now." Soris said.
"Yes. I've had enough of this place." I said.
"I'll take the rear guard. I can't wait to get out of here." He said.
XXXXX
Upon return to the Alienage, I saw Valendrian and Duncan standing by the gates. They looked anxious.
"You have returned. Has Shianni been hurt? Where is Tormey's daughter, Nola?" Valendrian asked.
"Nola didn't make it. She resisted and…." Valora cried.
"They killed her." Shianni said.
"Nelaros was killed as well. The guards killed him." Soris said.
"I see. Valora, would you take Shianni home? She needs rest." Valendrian said.
"Of course." Valora murmured.
Valora and Shianni walked away with their heads down. They both still looked shaken and pale. Once they were out of earshot, Valendrian returned his attention to us.
"Tell me what happened." He said.
"Vaughan and his men are dead." I answered.
"Then the garrison could already be on their way. You have little time." Duncan said.
Maker's breath…I…I'm such an idiot. I will surely be executed for this. I thought. They're not even going to let me have a trial. No one cares about a lowly elf!
"The guards are here!" Someone exclaimed before I had the chance to respond.
"Don't panic. Let's see what comes of this." Valendrian said.
Five heavily armed guards marched into the Alienage. They looked quite furious.
"I seek Valendrian, elder and administrator of the Alienage!" The captain of the group said.
"Here, captain. I take it that you've come in response to today's disruption?" Valendrian replied.
"Don't play ignorant with me, elder. You will not prevent justice from being done." The captain said.
"The arl's son lies dead in a river of blood that runs through the entire palace! I need names and I need them now!" The captain roared.
I took a deep breath and stepped forwards. I had no intentions on letting Soris or anyone else suffer. If anyone was going to have to suffer, it would be me. Though I imagined I was going to be executed, not just tortured and imprisoned.
"It was me." I said.
"You expect me to believe one woman did all that?" The captain snapped.
"We're not all so helpless, Captain." Valendrian said.
"You save many by coming forward. I don't envy your fate, but I applaud your courage." The captain said. "This elf will wait in the dungeons until the arl returns. The rest of you, back to your houses!"
Two of the men approached me, preparing to bind me and haul me away. Just when they were about to slap manacles on my wrists, Duncan intervened.
"Captain…a word, if you please." Duncan said.
"What is it, Grey Warden? The situation is well under control, as you can see." The captain growled.
"Be that as it may, I hereby invoke the Grey Warden's Right of Conscription. I remove this woman into my custody." Duncan said.
The guards looked outraged, while Soris and I looked at Duncan in shock. Valendrian's expression was unreadable.
"Son of a tied down…very well, Grey Warden. I can't challenge your rights, but I'll ask you one thing: get this elf out of the city. Today." The captain said.
"Agreed." Duncan answered quickly, not giving me the opportunity to respond.
"Now I need to get my men on the streets before this news hits. Move out." The captain said.
With that, the captain and his men exited the Alienage. As soon as they left, Duncan turned to me.
"You're with me now. Say your goodbyes and see me when you're ready. We leave immediately." Duncan said.
"But what is going to happen to my people?" I asked.
"For the moment, they are fine. There are far more important matters arising that endanger more than just your people," He responded. "I needed a Grey Warden and I found one. That conscripting you saved your life was only circumstance. You did what you had to in order to accomplish your mission. We need more people like you. Now quickly, say your goodbyes. Your life here is over."
With my heart heavier than stone, I went around and said my farewells to everyone. There were lots of tears, hugs and best wishes given, and it only made me feel worse. I feared for these people and myself. I didn't know what would happen to them after I left and I didn't know what the future held for me either.
Once I said my farewells to everyone, I left the Alienage with Duncan.