A Tale of Two Wardens
Chapter 2 - Life and Death in the Alienage

"Maker's ass, Shianni!" Theron barked, spitting out some of the water that had poured into his mouth. Quickly he pulled off his wet shirt, revealing his lean and pale body. Even though his father was slightly better off than other alienage elves, they still were poorer than most Shems. He pulled over a rag and ran it over his face and arms, mopping up more of the water. "What the hell was that for?" he barked at his cousin, who was giggling to herself, their hair the same deep red though his seemed darker when sopped with water

"You were out cold, I needed to get you up! You do remember what day it is?" she asked him, handing him a spare shirt after placing down the empty cup that she splashed him with.

"How could I forget? The day I meet the woman I will be spending the rest of my life with! Oh and the best part? I'm meeting her for the first time today!" Theron threw up his arms in exasperation, still annoyed at the fact of his arrangement

"Oh hush, she'll be here soon with Soris's betrothed, I have to go get dressed, see you soon," she laughed and walked out. He could hear her saying goodbye to Cyrion, his father, on the way out. He glanced at the folded up package on his dresser, muttering out loud, "Shianni leave that?" He walked over, pulling on the string and letting the paper fall out to reveal his wedding clothes then lifting them out of the crumpled packaging and smiling, no one in the alienage could afford such nice clothing so it gave him a twinge of pride that he could wear this today.

A few moments later, Theron walked out into the "living room" of his home, hardly a living room to a normal household, but it was reasonable enough for the little home. Cyrion was there standing, clearly having been waiting for him to get up. "Morning, my son. It's the big day...oh I wish your mother was here. Adaia would have been so happy to see you getting married."

"I wish she was here too..." Theron sighed, thinking back to the day his mother died, but he forced the memory away, not wanting to sully the day with unpleasant thoughts, well, more unpleasant.

"You should probably go see Soris, its best we get this wedding done with quickly, less of a chance for you and Soris to run away!" Cyrion teased and shook his head, muttering, "Oh, Theron, it would be best...if you didn't tell your betrothed about what your mother taught you. We'll just look like a troublemaker, that's what lead to your mother dying."

Theron raised an eyebrow, "What my mother taught me? I have no clue what you are talking about." In fact he knew exactly what his father was talking about; his father was never a fan of the martial training and knife play that his mother taught him.

Cyrion wasn't fooled, letting out an exasperated sigh, "You know exactly what I'm talking about, and I know you are hiding a knife in your sleeve, I may be old, but I am not stupid." Cyrion squeezed the bridge of his nose and looked up at Theron, "Just, your mother was killed by those humans cause she acted like a troublemaker to them, and sometimes she was, bless her heart, but she was a quite fiery."

"Mother wasn't a troublemaker; it was the fault of those Shem who killed her," Theron barked, crossing his arm in defiance, feeling his mother's old blade tucked into his sleeve, the same blade that Cyrion had been referring to.

"Yes, of course son. But please, go find Soris. I will see you later, and remember that I love you," Cyrion muttered as he walked over and placed his hand on Theron's shoulder, holding it there for a moment and walking away. "I love you too, father," Theron muttered under his breath before walking out.

The Denerim Alienage, the home of free elves. Though free was a matter of perspective, most of the homes were very rough wooden shacks, put in every inch where space could be found, creating an unorganized mess of apartments, but it was home, and most of the people here made it the best they could. He started walking down the street, his eyes running around to see the people slowly gathering at the stage near Hahren Valendrian's home, the shadow of the Vhenadahl washed over it, a real thing of beauty in the poor alienage. The giant tree created a wave of shadows as its leaves danced in the sun. He stopped walking for a moment to chuckle as he remembered the time he and Shianni decided to see who could climb highest on the Vhenadahl while Soris judged from below, leaving The Hahren walked out just as Shianni was supposed to grab a branch, the same Theron was about to grab and they both stumbled down. Later that night all three were chewed out by Cyrion and Valendrian, it was a pleasant memory of a simpler time.

"Just look at his face, he looks exactly like Adaia." Theron heard someone say so he quickly turned around to see an older couple. "Excuse me? Did you know my mother?" He asked and the two elves looked up at him. The she-elf walked forward and cleared her throat, "Oh hello there, my name is Dilweyn and this is my husband Gethon. You probably don't remember us, but we knew your mother." "I'm sorry, I don't really remember my mother or father mentioning you," he apologized while watching the two older elves. "Adaia was such a great woman, it's a shame she couldn't be here to see this," Dilweyn continued with her arms crossed as Gethon walked up, holding out a small bag. "We have a wedding gift for you, here," Gethon explained and slipped a small brown coinpurse into Theron's waiting hand. "We are going to go visit your father, it was nice meeting you," the two of them said as they walked away, leaving Theron with his mouth hanging open. "Well alright then..." he muttered to himself and opened the small purse. With a quick flip he poured the coins out into his hand and slowly started counting them. It wound up having thirty silver; it was a very generous gift from an elf.

"Theron! Hey!" a familiar voice called out, making Theron quickly turn around and smile, seeing his cousin come walking over. He walked forward and they met for a quick embrace, the coinpurse still in his hand. Both of them were lean and skinny, but Soris was notably gaunter and weak compared to Theron's stronger and lithe build. "Ah, so there is my lucky cousin, you ready to go end our independence?" Soris asked.

"Sadly we must, unless you want to go run away," Theron offered, more as a joke than anything, but a month back when Cyrion joined Valendrian in telling them that their arrangements were made, they were seriously considering it. Though it was a thought that quickly ended when Alarith told them the story of how he met with the Dalish, brutal bandits for the most part. "I'm sure the Dalish would like my skills. Yours? Well...I'm sure they have laundry," he teased his cousin, making Soris respond with a quick jab to his gut

"From what Shianni said; you have no reason to run! Your betrothed is a gift from the maker himself, mine on the other hand is a dying mouse," Soris bemoaned but let out sigh of defeat and looked up. "Who was that couple you were speaking to?"

"I'm not totally sure, friends of my mother. They gave me a nice wedding gift," Theron said and shook the small purse, the beautiful sound of coins bumping against each other rang from the bag and brought a smile to Soris's face. "Well looks like you are going to be buying our feast tonight," Soris teased

Theron was about to respond when from across the Vhenadahl he heard a screech, both of their heads turned to the source. "That sounds like Shianni!" Soris yelled and Theron loosened the knife hidden against his wrist as they began to run across the alienage, only to see Shianni and a few other women getting accosted by a group of Shems.

Theron felt Soris grab onto his wrist and begin to protest about getting involved, but he pulled away and walked up. "Get off of them," Theron barked and tried to put on his most confident face but he could tell this Shem was someone of importance. Elegant and fashionable clothing, a perfectly cropped hair cut but even more telling was the air of confidence and arrogance he wore that was more obvious than the color of his clothes. Just from the man's gaze, Theron could tell that he had an utter disdain for the people beneath him. One of the two men with him made a grab for Shianni as she pulled away, quickly skittering to the side. Theron hoped it was to get help.

"Do you know who I am, knife ear?" the Shem barked at him, "I'm Vaughan Kendells, the Arl of Denerim's son, and because my father is gone, I have the power of the Arl!" Vaughan laughed manically and turned to face some of the alienage women as well as others that Theron didn't recognize. Soris was standing back, his face almost as green as his outfit from his nerves. "Come on boys, grab a whore!" Vaughan barked to his boys with a sickening grin. "Now look at this elf, so weak and...vulnerable," Vaughan muttered as he neared one of them, the emphasis on the word as he placed his thick hand on one of the bridesmaid's cheeks was enough to make Theron even more furious. With the knife in his hand he began to walk forward to stop this, when all of a sudden there was a loud crack and Vaughan crashed to the ground. An odd gurgle fell from lips and Theron saw Shianni standing there behind where Vaughan was standing with the broken end of a bottle in her hand.

"Look what you did, you crazy Knife-ear!" one of Vaughan's companions barked, making Shianni drop the bottle. All the confidence and adrenaline she just had was gone at the realization of her actions. Theron quickly slid the dagger into its sheath without anyone seeing and beckoned Soris over to help them lift the body. As they lifted him he up, he looked up at Vaughan's lackeys and said, "Now I'm sure the Arl's son would probably prefer to have it a secret that a little Elven girl floored him, so get him out and no one will speak of this." They lifted Vaughan into the arms of his companions, both of them glaring daggers at Shianni. The poor girl was standing there shaking, her face flushed with embarrassment that was almost as red as her hair. "You'll regret this, bitch!" they yelled with Vaughan hanging from their arms.

Soris began to stumble, ready to pass out as the nerves got to him. "Go check the others," Theron called out, bringing Soris back to his senses as he walked over to Shianni. "Shianni, it's ok, shh," Theron whispered to her, trying to reassure her with a gentle hand on her shoulder, just like Cyrion did to him this morning. Soon Shianni looked up and nodded and quietly muttered, "I have to...have to wash up. I'll...I'll see you in a bit." Shianni walked away with some of the other women to wash up. Theron let out an exasperated sigh and glanced up over at Soris who was speaking to two women he didn't recognize. With another sigh, Theron ran his fingers through his long red hair and made his way over, catching the butt end of what Soris was saying.

"Yes, yes it does seem like the Arl's son was drinking too early," Theron joked as he walked over and turned to face the women. One was dark skinned with a small sharp face, almost like a mouse and he couldn't help but chuckle at the accuracy of the description as Soris introduced her as Valora, his betrothed. "So this beauty must be Nesiara," Theron beckoned to the woman who stood before him, Shianni wasn't wrong, she was incredibly beautiful, especially for an elf as they are famous for more delicate beauty. Large hazel eyes stared up at him, cascaded on both sides with her blond hair that perfectly fit with her light skin. Slowly he leaned in and placed a soft kiss to her cheek. Nesiara let out a cute laugh and blushed as Soris patted Theron's back and said, "Well I'll leave you to meet your betrothed, see you later cousin." Soris waved and walked away with Valora in tow

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you. I heard a lot about you," Nesiara said as she brushed a small piece of hair behind her ear. "May I ask? Are you nervous about this?" She asked, her voice was smooth and calming. "A little, but less now that I saw you," Theron smiled, might as well start off on a good foot, he thought. "My father said you come from Highever? How is the Alienage there?"

"It's rather nice, for an alienage of course," Nesiara laced her fingers into his hand and smiled up at him as they walked into the shade of the Vhenadahl, little dancing shadows were moving around him from the breeze through the leaves. "The Cousland family is incredibly kind to the elves of Highever, very little prejudice there. So yes, it's nice. I would ask about this alienage, but I saw the Arl's son..." she whispered but it couldn't help but make Theron laugh, "It isn't that bad, it's family, I'm sure it'll become family for you too."

They continued speaking for a little while when Soris walked over and put his hand on Theron's shoulder, squeezing it to get his attention. "Yes, Soris?" Theron asked, turning to face him "I hate to interrupt, but we have more company," Soris whispered and beckoned with a small gesture of his head to the Shem standing a little ways down. This time unlike the pompous Arl's son, there stood a broad shouldered older man, his chin decorated by a well-trimmed beard and a gold ring adorning his ear, probably worth as much as most elves' month salary. What really caught his eye were the silver and steel armor set and the two swords at his back. Theron quickly nodded to Soris and bid goodbye to Nesiara with a kiss on her cheek.

Soris looked to Theron as they walked up, whispering just for him to hear, "He is armed…and armored." The nerves were starting to break through his voice as Theron turned around, "We have to though, just get the unpleasantness out of the way." Theron cleared his throat, "Excuse me, but we have to ask you to leave. Shems aren't going to be very comfortable here right now." Theron watched as the man ran his deep brown eyes over the two, taking in every detail of what he saw. "We are celebrating weddings!" Soris added and the man started laughing in a relaxed but confident voice, "Oh? And why would I have to do that?" He asked in a way that made it seem like he was daring them on. Theron could tell that Soris's momentary confidence was waning, so he responded, "We have had problems with your kind today, so please, it's nothing personal." The man laughed and shook his head, returning with, "I'm sorry; I have no intention of leaving." Theron sighed and felt his eyebrows creasing from annoyance. Slowly the dagger slipped out of his arm bracer and he walked a few steps forward, right up to the man, his armor glowing slightly from a line of sun on it. "I'm asking again, please," demanded Theron with a quick upward glance to meet his gaze, a nervous drip of sweat sliding down his temple

Footsteps cracked against the dirt behind Theron as the man's eyes lifted off of his face and to whoever was behind, "Keeping his cool in the face of an unknown and armed enemy? A true gift, wouldn't you say, Valendrian." Soris's eyes shot open and even Theron stepped back a bit at the revelation that the Shem was friends with the Hahren. "It would be better for the world to have more people who could stay their blade," responded Valendrian

Theron felt a rock form in his throat and Soris was staring wide eyed at him. "We had no idea you were friends with that Hahren, I apologize," Theron said and offered a quick bow but the man raised his hand, gesturing to stop. "No need, I wasn't being entirely forthcoming and your worries were well placed." Theron looked over at Valendrian who was laughing, "Soris, Theron, may I introduce you to Duncan, Commander of the Ferelden Grey Wardens."

"A Grey Warden? By the maker, what would someone like you be doing here?" Theron questioned as he tried to compose himself, having heard some stories of the Wardens and the skill they were renowned for. "Yes Duncan that is a good question," Valendrian added and Duncan looked down, his brow furrowing with a clearly dark thought, "I believe the terrible has begun, there are Darkspawn rising in the south and King Cailan has called for all Grey Warden. I have come looking for recruits on my way to Highever and then I will be heading down south to the ruins of Ostagar."

Theron was about to make mention of his own skills when Valendrian looked up to Duncan, cutting him off, "I'm sorry old friend, but this is an awkward time, we are celebrating a wedding, two of them actually." Theron glanced at Valendrian and if he didn't know better, it was almost like he was stopping Duncan from asking about him.
"Ah yes, of course, go with your ceremonies, my issues can come after," Duncan told Valendrian who let out a sigh of relief, "Well thank you, come on you two, time to get ready." Valendrian beckoned Soris and Theron to move away and get ready.

"I'll be there in a few minutes; I want to ask Duncan some questions, if that is ok?" Theron asked and looked up at the older man. What anxiety Theron had before was replaced with interest and curiosity. "That's fine, of course," Duncan said as Valendrian and Soris walked off to finish preparations.

Theron cleared his throat, letting his eyes run over Duncan's armor before beginning, "Can anyone become a grey warden, as it is a noble order, and I would figure you have to be pretty highborn...?" Theron asked nervously but to his surprise Duncan shook his head, responding with, "Quite the opposite actually. The Grey Wardens are all equal, no matter where they come from. You give up your life to face war with the Darkspawn…and sometimes that could lead to some very desperate measures Though to answer your question, no, we take anyone with the will and strength to become a warden, from nobles to carta thugs." Theron listened intently closely and when Duncan was finished, Theron asked, "What about elves? Are there any famous elven Wardens?" Again, much to Theron's surprise, Duncan nodded, "The Elven Grey Warden, Garahel, led the world against the fourth blight, four hundred years ago. His name is still sung in songs of joy as the savior of us all." Theron smiled at the idea, "Oddly, I've never heard that story here; you'd think it would be a popular story in the alienage," Theron remarked and realized Duncan was staring into his eyes. "I knew your mother, you know. That is how I recognized you. You have to same bearing as she did, as well as her eyes. I once tried to recruit your mother, but Valendrian stopped me by rushing ahead her marriage, as there was no blight then, it was not something I could push. We fought together a few times, she was impeccably well skilled. Did she teach you?" Theron's eyes opened wide with pride and he nodded, "Yes, she trained me as a rogue like she was." In just that instance, Theron slid the blade out of his sleeve and swung it at a wood post, running the thin silvery metal perfectly through an old wood mark. "I don't get to use them much, sadly," Theron mentioned as he walked over to pull the blade out and return it to its sheath. "Yes, I can imagine. Though that isn't necessarily a bad thing, might I ask, how did your mother die?" Duncan asked and it made Theron stop in his tracks, the memory flashing back to the day she died in front of his eyes. "I should go attend my own wedding, can we continue speaking later?" He asked and Duncan nodded, "Good luck today." With a quick shake of his head, he pushed the thought away and walked to the stage to meet with Soris. "So what is the great Commander like?" Soris prodded as Theron walked over, "Seems like a good man, very respectable…but intense."

Nesiara walked up with Valora and everyone took their place, her arm slipping into his. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his father smiling at him while Mother Boann walked up the stage, the only chantry priest who would be willing to come to the alienage. She took her place next to Valendrian as he walked to the center of the stage and started speaking to the crowd of elves. "Friends and family, today we celebrate not only this joining, but the bond of kind and Kin. We are a free people, but this was not always so. Andraste, bride of the maker, was the one who led us to freedom from servitude. So remember, that as our community grows, its strength lies in tradition, and each other."

Theron held Nesiara close through the whole speech as Mother Boann stood up and raised her hand and start to chant a small rite from the Chant of Light, only to be interrupted by the sounds of marching. "Excuse me, Milord, this is an unexpected surprise!" she exclaimed and Soris called out to Theron, "Look who it is!"

Theron looked up and saw Vaughan and his lackeys, along with a few of his guards, all of them wearing the same disgusting scowl as they stared at the women. "I apologize, Mother, but we are having a party and are dreadfully short on…. female company," Vaughan snickered, the sound was even more horrid and cruel then what was heard before. One of the lackeys walked over and pulled Nesiara and Valora away as Mother Boann yelled, "Milord! This is a wedding!" For most people, insulting a mother of the chantry was too far but Vaughan simply walked over to her and smiled, "If you want to play dress up, that's fine, but don't pretend this is a real wedding." Mother Boann was pulled away, albeit a bit gentler, by a knight as Vaughan looked around, asking, "Where is the bitch that bottled me?" One of the other lackeys grabbed Shianni and yelled for his attention. "Good..." Vaughan muttered as he faced Theron. "I believe I owe you something," he laughed and punched Theron hard in the gut, leaving him coughing and writhing on the floor. Vaughan turned and faced his companions as they were holding the two betrothed women and a few bridesmaids and called out, "Let's go boys!"

Everything had gone black as Vaughan's fist met his gut and hours might have passed before Soris nudged him awake. "What...?" Theron groaned from the pain when it all came back, Vaughan took the women away. Forcing the pain to the back of his mind, he shot up and yelled, "Where is that bastard?!" Over in the distance the Hahren and Duncan were talking as elves yelled around them.

Theron reached up and grabbed Soris's outstretched hand to pull himself off the ground. Broken tankards were strewn around the ground as they walked to the massed crowd. "We need to help our women!" One of the men yelled when all of a sudden Elva barked, "You're mad! You'll get us all killed!" Valendrian hushed her down, "Elva, these people have a right to defend their women. Ah, Theron, it's good to see you are ok," he said and Theron nodded, looking up to Duncan. "We need to save them, will you help us?" Theron pleaded, aware of the skill that he must have had to be not only a Grey Warden, but the Ferelden Commander. "I'm sorry, I can't join you. Grey Wardens can't get involved, it upsets out neutrality, but I also cannot stand by while depravity occurs. I'll offer you two my longsword and bow, but how you handle it is left to your skills." With a quick nod, Theron reached out and grabbed the sword, sliding it into his belt while Soris took the bow and quiver. "I can help you get in; I work at the Arl's palace," a young boy called out and Valendrian waved him over, turning to Theron and said, "Theron, so this is your plan?" "Yes, Hahren, we can't leave them. We have all heard stories of the...tastes that Vaughan had, only a few weeks back the smith's daughter was found dead after being with him."

Soon after, Soris and Theron had snuck through to the side of the Arl's palace. From the side they were standing; the palace was very even and symmetrical, the cold stone brick running alongside everything. "Soris, do you think this will end badly for the alienage?" Theron asked as he held his blades out in front of himself, the knife in his left hand and the longsword from Duncan in his right. Soris sighed, "Can it end well?" They both looked down the garden, surprisingly there were few guards, most likely because they had been taken to Ostagar, so they slowly crept to the door that the boy directed them to when all of a sudden there was a loud bark and a deep yell. "Maker's ass!" Theron spit and threw his knife, piercing the mabari's fur with a loud whine as an arrow buried itself in the arm of the guard. Theron ran forward and pulled the dagger from the hound and in the same movement, cut the guards arm with the longsword, the armor buffered it but the shock was enough time Theron needed to bury the dagger in his neck. A spray of warm blood shot onto his hand as he backed away, letting the guard fall down on top of his hound with a dying gurgle.

Theron looked over to Soris who was clearly beginning to panic, muttering to himself, "We...we killed them..." Theron tried to get some of the blood off of his hands before putting it on Soris's shoulder to try and reassure him. "We have to do this," Theron said turned away, searching the guard, taking some money and anything of value as Soris stood watch. After taking out two more guards and their hounds, they snuck through the garden and got to the unguarded kitchen door. After making short work of the lock with the lockpicking skills that came from his mother, they got in. The guard inside was sitting on a couple of boxes, a bottle of whiskey dropped on the floor from his empty hand. Crouched down, Theron slowly walked over and placed his hand over the guard's mouth. "I don't need to kill you," he muttered to himself and grabbed the bottle and smacked it over the guard's head. "That'll keep him out for a while…this must be the kitchens," He whispered to Soris and opened the door, revealing an old fat shem, the cook probably, who was in the middle of barking at a servant in front of the firepit. "You two are late!" the cook yelled as he turned around and then staggered back, "Why are you covered in blo—Urgh," the chef groaned and fell forward, his head falling into a pile of dough which coughed up bits of flour into the air. Behind where he was standing, stood the elven servant with his fists braced. Slowly, he looked up at Theron and Soris and lowered them. "You don't know how long he has had that coming. The women, right? It's who you are looking for? They were taken to Vaughan's quarters. I'm getting out of here before the storm hits," The assistant explained and he began to walk away but Theron stopped him, placing his hand on the servant's shoulder to give him a quick thanks.

"We should change into cleaner clothes," Theron said then looked to the side, to make sure no one was coming while Soris reached into a bag they were given by Valendrian. They pulled off the bloody clothes and stashed them in a bag of grain in the dusty old larder, not something that seemed to be checked often. Theron quickly turned to Soris and said, "Time to act like proper servants. I was in here once with father when his lord was visiting the Arl, we should head to the armory, get gear, and then fight the rest of our way to Vaughan." The two of them finished getting changed, sliding the weapons under their clothes as best as possible. Soris had to ditch the bow and Theron had to ditch the longsword, but there would be weapons they could take from the armory, Soris put his hand on Theron's arm and nodded, trying to look confident, "I'm with you cousin, you lead just...just don't die."
Soris and Theron walked out of the kitchens as three guards were walking in their general direction. "Out of my way! Bloody knife ears, cuff the lot of em, I say!" One of them barked as the others nodded in agreement, walking away they added, "Cut off their lil spikey ears as well!" They all laughed and clanked mugs, ignoring Soris and Theron who faced similar insults all the way to the armory. "Excuse me, messere...my lord Kendells asked us to clean up in here for when his father comes back," Theron whispered to the guard as he pulled away from the straw sack. "Wha? Damn...I got to loosen up this armor," the guard muttered, passing them by as they slipped in. "Come on, let's quickly change." Theron walked over to one of the armor stands and picked out the smallest set possible, strapping the leather set of armor over his clothes. Normally you were supposed to where a set of comfortable linens and have properly fitted armor, but this would have to do. His blade fit into its slot on the back and after he grabbed a sword from one of the stands, he positioned it next to the dagger. He glanced over and saw Soris had slipped on a large Chainmail and was holding a crossbow. "It's better than nothing!" Theron yelled and they walked out, ready to fight.

A few dead guards later they were in the royal suite of the palace, Theron looked over as a much heavily armored guard stood over at a metal door, the vault possibly. "Get his attention," Theron whispered and in response Soris shot out a bolt into a shield above the guard's head, catching the guard by surprise as Theron charged with his blades out, but when his long sword met the armor, it didn't slide in or even stagger him, the metal plates easily deflecting the blow. Theron was quickly knocked aside by the guard's shield and the man laughed as his lifted his blade above Theron, holding it out to show his power. That moment was all he needed, Theron kicked out, sweeping the man off his feet and making him fall like a block of metal in his thick armor. Quickly slipping the dagger against the Man's throat he looked into his eyes. "I won't kill you, is that Vaughan's room?" Theron asked and pulled a key off of the guard's chain and threw it to Soris. The man nodded "Maker spites you, Knife-ear! You'll die for this!" the guard barked and spit into Theron's face, who was silent for a moment and then the blade was shoved into the guard's throat, ending his life in an instant, some of the blood shooting out onto Theron's hands. Theron wiped his face, spit on the floor and muttered, "Wrong move."

"Soris, what's in the vault?" Theron asked and looked over to see a pile of gems and gold, his mouth watered at the thought of all the things he could do with that money but he shook his head to knock the dreams away. "We can't take it all, but we'll get some when we leave, first comes Vaughan," Theron said and bit his lip anxiously. Soris nodded in agreement and they walked across the chamber and kicked the door in, the only thing Theron could think was that it was a good thing they hadn't eaten today.

One of the women lay dead at their feet, her back at an awkward angle and bruises on her face and down her arms, over in the back of the room, the other women were all shackled to the wall by a series of chains. Vaughan and his lackeys stood over a quivering and bloody Shianni, the skirt of her dress ripped up and her cheek cut and bruised. "Get the hell away from her!" Theron barked and one of Vaughan's lackeys laughed, "It's that elf you knocked out!" "Yes, I realize that Braden. I also can see they are covered in enough blood to fill a tub!" Vaughan yelled and turned away from Shianni, saying, "Now I'm sure you are a reasonable man, how about I pay you…say 40 sovereigns and you turn away, we return the woman, a little worse for wear, but alive, tomorrow." A look of disgust formed on his face as he made the offer, but no one expected Theron to swing out his arm, leaving a blade buried in Braden's chest. "Does that give you an answer?" Theron barked and drew his longsword, charging at Vaughan while the other lackey ran to Soris. "Bad move knife ear!" Vaughan barked and blocked Theron's blade with a dagger taken from his thigh. Vaughan was big, but not skilled, his form sloppy, so with an unsportsmanlike kick, Vaughan was on the floor. "I hope the Arl is happy when he comes home from Ostagar," Theron whispered and there may have been a moment of fear or regret on Vaughan's face, but all Theron saw was the blood as he picked up Vaughan's blade and pushed it through his chest, ripping muscles and bone as a slow gurgle rolled from his lips, the blood spreading out onto the carpet. The image of the dead elf and Shianni all battered and bruised fueled an anger inside of him that he had never felt before, taking the blade out of the man's stomach and shoving it in again and again, the blood splashing onto his face. When he felt his nerves calm down, he looked up, feeling the blood from Vaughan drip down his cheek, Shianni was laying on her back but when Theron faced her, she started to back away, muttering, "No more blood…no more blood…" "Shianni, it's your cousin, Theron," he said and started to walk over to her, but it only made her back away more, swinging her arms out in front of her and muttering incoherently. "Take care of her…" Theron mentioned to Soris as he got up and walked to the other end of the room and started washing the blood off of his face and hands in the washbowl, the blood turning a deep red from the thick blood. Theron turned around to see Shianni shaking in Soris's arms, holding her skirt closed. After having calmed down slightly, he walked over to Vaughan's corpse and pulled the key out of his pocket. The key fit the shackles holding the four remaining women and they smashed to the floor with a bang. "Come on, we have to escape quietly and quickly," muttered Theron as they all looked at him with a fusion of relief and shock.

The sun was beginning to set down in the sky, small rays of orange and gold at the horizon, accenting them as they got back to the Alienage, many glares and looks were aimed at them as they walked home. Valendrian was at the gate with Cyrion who ran forward and started looking over Theron for any wounds. "I'm fine father...take Shianni," he whispered, his voice still shaky. Duncan and Valendrian stared at them. Cyrion took Shianni in his arms and carried her home as the two men walked over. "This will end bad...we have to run, or something, we had to kill Vaughan," Theron told Valendrian as Duncan stood quietly, listening intently, his deep brown eyes constantly focused on Theron. "That might not be so," Duncan muttered and whispered to Valendrian, not loud enough for Theron to hear. Soris walked up to Theron, looking even more pale than usual and the bags under their eyes were growing from exhaustion. "Cousin, you were always my hero as a child. Now it is just official," Soris laughed and reached out to hug Theron, as he pulled away, he added, "If we don't make it out of this, at least we got rid of the pig."

A few minutes of silence passed and then the gates of the alienage opened to reveal a troop of guards. The lieutenant of the group, an older man with a thick set of white and grey hair falling from his chin, walked up. "Valendrian, a trail of blood runs through the Arl's home and we know the culprit is here." Valendrian stepped forward and stared at the guard but before he could try and come up with excuses, Theron walked up and presented the blood covered blade to the guards, admitting the truth, "I did it, when our women were taken; I stole this blade from the Grey Warden and slew Vaughan Kendells." If the guard didn't have his chin held up by his helmet, his mouth would've fallen open in shock. "One elf did all that?" The captain asked and Valendrian nodded, a proud smile on his face from Theron's willingness to stay honest to protect Soris and the others, "Not all of us are helpless." The captain stood up and turned to Theron, taking the sword. "Well you are either brave or stupid, but come on," The captain beckoned and Theron started walking but Duncan put his arm out, gaining the captain's attention, "A word captain?" The old warden beckoned to the captain who let out a sigh as he walked forward. "I would like to invoke the rite of conscription; I'll take this prisoner into my custody." This time the captain's mouth did fall open; his gauntleted hand reached up to squeeze the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "I can't argue it cause you have the right, but get him out by night. The people will want blood," The captain barked and ordered his troops out, muttering about the paperwork as he walked.

"What did you do, Duncan?" Theron asked as the gates slammed shut and Valendrian walked forward, letting out a sigh, "Well looks like you got your recruit, shame I couldn't stop you this time." Duncan laughed and then looked to him, explaining, "I saved your life, Grey Wardens have a royal right called the rite of conscription, we can induct anyone into the order as a recruit, but it can't be freely used lest we lose our right to work in Ferelden. You should get your things and say goodbye to your family, we have to leave." Duncan took Valendrian to the side and they spoke amongst themselves as Soris walked up to him.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye Cousin." Soris acknowledged as he walked up, placing his hand on Theron's shoulder and saying, "Who'd have thought, you'd become a Grey Warden." Theron laughed and shrugged. "Maybe I'll do something good, what will you do?" He asked Soris as he grabbed a cloth and started cleaning his mother's dagger of the crusted blood. Soris began to walk away after responding with, "I'm getting married and settling down, that's for sure! Valora is a good woman. I...I'll see you when you go, go check on Shianni."

Theron walked over to his house and saw his father leaning against the wall. "My son, I never thought it would end up like this..." Cyrion lamented, the sadness clear in his father's eyes. "Father, I had to do it...I had to. Mother would've been proud..." Theron laid his hand on his father's shoulder; it almost looked like his grey hair grew grayer in the last few hours. "Yes she would have. Let's go inside and see Shianni and Nesiara, shame...she'd have been a good wife," He sighed as they walked in.

With a tight embrace Theron looked down at Nesiara, saying, "I'm really sorry it turned out this way, what will you do?" She looked up at him with her bright hazel eyes and smiled, "I'll probably stay for a while, maybe start a business with Valora. I'll be ok; your father is letting me stay here for now. Grey Warden, eh? You're a big deal now." She teased and brushed her lips against his cheek, bringing a smile to his face. Theron walked past her to the bed where Shianni was laying, anxious to face her after what had just happened but thankfully she looked up at him with a soft smile, her voice was still shaky and it was clear no one would be getting close to her for a while, "You're a hero...you really are..." Shianni tried to brighten her smile, but she couldn't, "Did you kill them?" she asked. Even though it was rather macabre, Theron nodded "Like the pigs they were." He reaches out and kissed her cheek, "Be well cousin, I love you," he whispered and left her as she lay down in the bed.

As Theron began to walk out, Cyrion handed him a small brown box, wrapped in an old cloth, "This was your mother's family heirloom. I was going to give you it later after the wedding." The box was set on the table and the wrapping quickly ripped off to reveal a beautiful silver and blue dagger, the blade gave off an otherworldly glow as it was picked up and slide onto the back sheath. "It was lyrium enchanted, good luck son. I love you." Theron hugged Cyrion tight and walked out after saying I love you.

With the ragtag leather armor and glowing blade at his back, plus a bag with some clothes, Theron walked to Duncan, "It's time to go then." He couldn't help but sigh as they walked out of the Alienage, his home for his entire life, but that is how it goes, nothing stays forever.

With a quick stop at Wade's armor shop, Theron was fitted into a proper leather suit, tight and crisp from how new it was, but much better fitting then the old suit he salvaged. Along with a new sword, steel and curved to fit his style, it was slid next to his dagger as well as a few throwing knives, all place for easy access.

"Where do we go to now, Duncan?" Theron asked as they left the city. Duncan looked down at Theron and then straight ahead, "A few days trip to Highever and then a week across the Bannorn to Ostagar."