Chapter 2: The Second Month
It was during his second month as a Grey Warden that Carver first tasted battle as a member of the order.
Surprisingly, it was not against the darkspawn.
Their patrol had been moving down the Minanter River. Stroud had heard rumors about a bandit operating in the area, a bandit that always hit his target in the right eye with an arrow. This bandit had been raiding passing nobles along the river for months, taking whatever coin and jewelry they carried, A bandit that had the nobles of the Free Marches in such an uproar that they had hired a full team of bounty hunters to deal with him.
In their last encounter with him, the bandit had killed three and sent their heads back to the city that they had come from.
These bounty hunters had not been amateurs, they had been skilled hunters. A common bandit should never have been able to touch them.
Stroud was impressed.
His contacts had given him the name of a small fishing village that was said to shelter the bandit. They had also said that the bandit was currently lying low, so it was possible that they might just catch up with him there.
Stroud was determined to meet this man; he wanted to test him for recruitment.
"You would take a common bandit?" Carver had asked, "You would make him a warden?"
"The wardens take anyone who is willing to join Charity," Arika informed him, "If this guy is as good as everyone claims; his skills are wasted on common thievery.
"Yeah," Nug chuckled, "his skills should be wasted on killing darkspawn, ain't that right boss?"
The senior warden frowned, sadly he saw no flaw in the dwarf's logic, and his attitude was not in question.
"I would not put it quite that way, but…yes," Stroud agreed.
Carver shook his head, when he had heard the tales of wardens in the past, the tales of Lyna, the legendary Hero of Ferelden, he never thought of the wardens recruiting killers and thieves.
Of course was he not a thief to? He had spent a year working as a smuggler. The city guard in Kirkwall could have technically hanged him and Garrett for what they had done in Athenril's employ.
Plus the wardens had recruited Anders.
If that did not show their willingness to recruit anyone, he did not know what did.
IOI
They arrived in the fishing village by midday; a cold breeze blew off the water, chasing the fishermen to their boats or campfires.
Carver was not sure if village was the right word for this place. It was mostly a series of huts with cook fires built outside. The only building that had any kind of stone was the local tavern, a two story structure that might have been a warehouse at some point.
The people here were dirty and hunched over; they looked at the wardens with curious eyes, bordering on hostility.
Carver could not say that he blamed them. Heavily armed people usually meant trouble, no matter where you went.
Stroud took the twins with him and headed to the tavern leaving the others outside to wait.
Nug took one look around him and snorted.
"Great Ancestors, what a dump," the dwarf said, "Never thought I would find a place that made me miss Dust Town."
Siobhan nodded in agreement, she could not believe that people lived like this.
"The Maker has surely forgotten this place," Nigel said with a shake of his head
"It isn't so bad," Arika said wistfully, "I grew up in a place like this, not a fishing village mind you, reavers don't fish, we fight."
"Are you from the Free Marches originally?" Carver asked.
"No, up north, Nevarra, up in the mountains where it snows almost all the time, only Reavers and dragons live up that far." Arika smiled at the memory.
Carver tried to imagine Arika in a place like this, living in a hut surrounded by livestock.
He just could not see it.
"I miss the snow and the mountains," she said with a slight frown, "It wasn't much, but it was home."
"Have you ever thought of going back, to visit?" Carver asked.
The Reaver's eyes turned cold.
"My village is not there anymore Charity," she said angrily, "And even if it was, I would not be welcomed there."
Carver winced.
"I'm sorry," he said, "for what it is worth I know how you feel, my home village was destroyed by the darkspawn during the Blight."
"Was it like this?" she asked motioning to the village around them.
"No," Carver said with slight smile, "Lothering was a trade village built on the old Imperial Highway. Chasind barbarians, merchants, priests, they all passed through Lothering at one time or another. With so many strangers, it was easy for my brother and sister to hide. We had a small farm there. We fled to Kirkwall because we didn't have any choice. We were nothing in that place, just another family of dirty refugees, and all because of the darkspawn."
"Were you close with them, your brother and sister I mean?" Arika sounded generally curious.
Carver felt old anger well up in his chest.
"My brother and I have never got along; it always seemed that no matter what I did, he could do better. My sister…Bethany…she…she died, an ogre it…"
He could not finish that sentence. Bethany's face came to mind, and that horrible moment when the ogre picked her up and…
Siobhan walked up to him, she placed a motherly hand on his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry Carver," she said with tears in her eyes.
Arika rolled her eyes, the mage cried far too easily. She never needed anyone's sympathy herself.
Still she knew how it hurt to lose a sibling, or two in her case.
"I'm sorry about your sister," the reaver said, "I had four older brothers myself, two are now dead, and the others would not talk to me even if I wanted them to."
They all gave the reaver a surprised look, the pain in voice was something she did not share often.
Carver was surprised to hear actual emotion in Arika's voice, he had a hard time seeing her being someone's daughter, much less someone's little sister.
Perhaps that was why she had pushed him so hard; perhaps she had sensed that they were similar.
Perhaps they had more in common than either realized.
"Is that why you were in the deep roads new boy?" Nug asked him, "Trying to take the fight to the spawn on their territory?"
Carver had to think on the answer to that question. Why had he wanted to go into the deep roads? To help his family sure, but also to prove himself, he wanted to show the world he was more than Garrett Hawke's little brother.
He also had wanted to avenge Bethany. The soulless bastards had taken his sister away from them. Bethany had never hurt a fly, yet she had lived in fear her whole life because of her magic.
It wasn't right, or fair.
"Does it matter why I went there Nug?" he asked the dwarf, "I went, I got tainted, and now I'm here. I'm a warden now, whatever reasons I had to be there don't matter now."
"Right you are Charity," Arika said with a curt nod.
Carver shook his head, one day he was going to get Arika to call him by his real name.
It was not the loftiest of goals, but it was a goal.
IOI
Stroud came back and led the others to the tavern. It was for the best, the people of the village kept giving them the evil.
Carver settled into his chair, the people here made the ones that gathered at the Hanged Man look almost saint-like.
Arika ordered herself a tall ale, throwing down a silver on the table.
Carver was tempted to order one himself, but he had no money right now.
"Here," Siobhan said offering him a coin.
"No thanks," he said, "I don't need charity."
He winced; he had had enough of that from the wardens already.
"It isn't charity," the mage clarified, "We will be returning to Ansburg next month. You will have at a partial stipend waiting for you by now. You can pay me back then."
Carver's eyes widened, "We get paid?"
Nug laughed.
"You think we did all this for free new boy," the dwarf snickered, "it may be a calling, but even wardens have to eat."
"We also take coin off any raiders or bandits that we kill," One of the twins said.
"It isn't like they need it," the other added.
Carver shrugged, it wasn't that much different from what his brother and friends did in Kirkwall.
Of course considering who they were looking for, it might not be a good idea to advertise that fact.
Once they had all settled, Stroud told them what he had learned about their quarry.
The bandit they were after was actually a woman, an elven woman to be exact.
That perked the twins up.
"Is she cute?" one asked.
"Is she available?" the other asked.
Nug rolled his eyes.
"She had a gang," Stroud told them, "but they were all killed recently. She was born here apparently, that is why the village protects her."
"Does she know we mean here no harm?" Nigel asked.
"I sent word that she should meet us here," Stroud informed them, "If she accepts, we should see her soon."
"If she is as good as we have heard, then we could use her." Arika said taking a deep pull of her ale.
"But the question is why do I need you?" a musical voice said behind them.
The speaker sat near the fire, her features covered by a full hood and cloak.
Stroud rose, he bowed in welcome.
"Greetings good woman," he said, "I am…"
"I know who you are," the elf responded, "I'm not interested in joining your order."
"Indeed," Stroud said, he sounded surprised.
"I'm putting together a new gang and striking out on my own again. I have no desire to spend my life crawling through the deep roads killing darkspawn."
"Many nobles in the Free Marches want you dead miss," Stroud informed her, "The wardens could keep you safe, give you a new life."
"I like my life the way it is thank you," the elf said, they could just make out a white teeth shining beneath the hood, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have…SHIT!"
The elf was on her feet, her bow drawn, an arrow nocked and ready.
Stroud glanced around them.
Apparently he was not the only one his contacts had told about this place.
He counted at least twenty heavily armed men and women. Their blades and bows pointed at the elven archer.
The senior warden shook his head; he needed to find better contacts.
He rose, the other wardens joined him.
"This woman is under the protection of the Grey Wardens," he informed the hunters, "You are ordered to disperse."
"We have no quarrel with you warden, leave; this knife-eared bitch belongs to us."
All the wardens tensed, many could already smell the blood in the air,
"I don't think they are going to play nice Stroud," Nigel said grimly.
"Good," Arika said with a smirk. She had been itching for a good fight for weeks.
Carver drew his great sword, all the other wardens followed suit, the elf tilted her head with surprise.
She had not expected this.
"You have to the count of three to leave wardens," the lead hunter said, "One…two…"
Arika dashed forward.
She took off the man's head with her imperial edge.
The hunters all gasped, they could not believe the girl had just done that!
"Three," the Reaver said coldly.
The wardens did not give the hunters time to recover from the shock.
They attacked.
What followed was not a battle, it was a slaughter.
The wardens were outnumbered…almost two to one.
The hunters should have brought more men.
IOI
The battle did not last five minutes.
When it was over Stroud ordered the wardens to search the bodies, he hoped to find out which of his contacts had tipped the hunters off.
He wanted to deal with that quickly.
Whatever coin the men possessed now belonged to the wardens.
Carver came away with two sovereigns. HE gave Siobhan her silver back.
Arika was covered in blood, it had been a long time since the Reaver had been able to let go, to let the frenzy take her.
She had missed it.
Stroud approached the elven archer; she gave him a strange look.
"I did not plan this if that is what you fear," he assured her.
The elf did not answer; she was trying to decide if she believed him.
Finally she nodded.
"We are leaving, you are welcome to come with it," Stroud offered her.
"It would be nice to fight with those who actually will watch my back," she said thoughtfully, "I shall accompany you back to your base warden. WE shall see if I am worthy of joining you."
"Splendid," Stroud said with a smile, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Stroud of the Grey Wardens."
The elf finally removed her hood.
Carver heard one of the twins gasp, the other just said "yum."
She was quite beautiful, pale porcelain skin, with fine almond shaped eyes, and raven black hair that fell to the small of her back. Her eyes were the color of fine copper, and tinged with danger. She did not wear her leather armor, so much as she seemed to be poured into it, her slim muscular frame spoke of many dangers that she had survived with her own cunning and wits.
She gave the senior warden a slight bow.
"Greeting Stroud of the Grey Wardens, " she said, "Here I am known as the black arrow, but you shall call me Lindariel, and…I am at your service."
"I bid you welcome Lindariel," Stroud said with a hint of a smile, "Welcome…to the Grey Wardens."
