Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age or any of its related characters. This is just for my own enjoyment and the potential enjoyment of other fans like me, and no monetary gain was expected or received.
Rating: T
Spoilers: May contain spoilers for Origins, Origins DLC, Awakening, and Dragon Age II as well as the novels The Stolen Throne and The Calling.
Chapter Three: Lothering
Deep barking heralded the arrival of a gravy-colored mabari hound, who raced up the road toward them with his stumpy tail wagging. Hot on his trail was a group of hurlocks. Loghaina roared and charged, and her daggers flashed bright glints in the afternoon sun. The dog turned to fight alongside her, and his sharp teeth and powerful jaws made short work of any darkspawn they latched onto.
Loghaina moved to strike a dagger into a hurlock that seemed to be acting as a commander of sorts, only to have it turn into a block of ice in front of her. "Got it!" Morrigan shouted. Alistair smashed it with his shield and it broke into a thousand darkspawn pieces. Loghaina shrugged and moved on to other targets. Between the four of them, they quickly dealt with the small group.
When the last hurlock was felled Loghaina knelt before the dog and scratched its ears. "You're the one I helped back at Ostagar, aren't you, boy?" she said. The dog barked happily.
"I bet he's been looking for you. He's chosen you," Alistair said. "Mabari are like that. They call it imprinting."
"Does this mean we're going to have this mangy mutt with us the rest of the way?" Morrigan said.
"He's not mangy," Alistair crooned. "He's cute and cuddly."
"I never thought I'd have a dog…a mabari, no less! Elves don't keep mabari. If we have any pet at all its usually a stray cat or a mangy rat terrier mutt. And then you're lucky if you can keep the other elves from eating it. I think I'll call him…Gravy."
"Ha! That's not a good name to give him if you don't want him to be eaten," Alistair said. "It's making me hungry."
"No one's eating this dog. Although I don't doubt him capable of eating somebody. Let's go. Lothering's still some miles away, isn't it?"
They continued on, and as the sun crept toward the western horizon they found the Imperial Highway. From there it was but a short stroll to the outskirts of the little village Morrigan had suggested for supplies and information. A small band of men came forward to greet them.
"At attention, gentlemen, we have travelers. Led by an elf, of all things. A lady elf, and pretty, too," the gang leader said.
There were knowing chuckles. Loghaina's hackles went up. She drew her daggers.
"Now now, is that any way to greet a fellow? Let's be polite, shall we?" the gang leader said. "A mere ten silvers guarantees you safe passage into the village. Quite the bargain, wouldn't you say?"
"Safe passage? The only thing standing in my way is you."
"Highwaymen, looking to rob us," Alistair said. An unnecessary statement since Loghaina had already figured that out for herself.
"They are fools to get in our way. I say we teach them a lesson," Morrigan said.
"I agree," Loghaina said, and attacked.
Her style was swiftness and skill, as her mother had taught her. Dash in, slash the victim, dash out, back and forth until they fall or call for mercy. With her deadly new friends there was little difficulty in defeating this clumsy band of bandits. With Gravy's fangs sunk into his leg, the bandit leader pleaded for his life.
"Gravy, drop him," Loghaina commanded. The bright-witted dog complied immediately and released the bandit's leg. "Hand over everything you've stolen."
"Here. Take it. Take it! Just over a hundred silvers. Now please, let me go!"
"I'm turning you in to the authorities."
"But there aren't any! Just the templars, and they'll hang me!"
"They'll do what they must."
"I'm not going down without a fight!" the gang leader shouted, and lashed out. Loghaina dropped him with a swift blow to the throat.
"Senseless waste of life," Loghaina said, and jingled the silvers in her hand. "Oh well. At least we've a little money for outfitting, now."
"Er, not to be that guy," Alistair said, "but that money was stolen from innocent people seeking shelter here in Lothering. Are you really going to keep it?"
"I seek to protect these people from what they're seeking shelter against," Loghaina said, "and I've barely a copper to my name. If it bothers you, consider it payment for taking out a group of bandits. No one else will be attacked."
"Preeminently practical," Morrigan said. "We're going to get along well, I can tell. And I'm not even being sarcastic, for a change."
They walked down the off-ramp to the village. "There it is. Lothering. Pretty as a painting," Alistair said. He might have been sarcastic, but if not then Loghaina did not agree. She had heard of "small-town charm," but Lothering lacked it, possibly due to the sea of refugees camped on the outskirts. The place reeked of desperation.
They headed into the village, where a templar warned them they would find no safe shelter there. There were wagons everywhere - some coming in from the outlying farms, others heading out from the village itself. Everyone looked panicked to some degree, from mildly spooked to hyperventilating. A child stood in the middle of the bridge over the little millstream and called for his mother. A man with the look of a Chasind wilder stood before the doors of the Chantry and shouted imprecations of doom at passersby.
"It's just a guess, but I'm thinking the people of Lothering already know about the approaching darkspawn horde," Alistair said in his whimsical way.
"Good. Saves us from having to get them moving," Loghaina said. "Let's find the local watering hole and see what the scuttlebutt is."
They found the tavern easily enough, just across the bridge. But before they could ask the bartender for the good word, a soldier in steel splintmail stood up.
"Well, lookee here, boys. Seems we've been blessed. Didn't we spend all morning asking about an elf of this very description?"
Other soldiers stood up as well. "Everyone said they hadn't seen 'er," one of them said.
"It seems we were lied to," the soldier-in-charge said.
A woman in the robes of a Chantry sister walked up from the back, where she'd been listening to the bards play. "Now gentlemen, I'm sure there's no need for unpleasantness," she said. She had an accent Loghaina couldn't place. "These poor people are just seeking shelter, like all the others."
"They're Grey Wardens. The Teyrn gave us orders, and we aim to carry 'em out," the soldier said. "No traitors are going to walk free while we're around."
"Well, that answers that question," Loghaina said. She drew her daggers. "If you really insist on a fight, bring it on."
The soldiers brought it. Strangely enough, the Chantry sister pitched in to help Loghaina's party out in the fight. She was a good fighter, and a great help despite the fact she carried only a small dagger. The soldiers weren't invested in their charge to the death, and soon enough the commander held up his hands in surrender.
"All right, please, stop," he said.
"Good. They've learned their lesson, and we can all go on now," the sister said.
"You work for Teyrn Loghain?" Loghaina said. "Take a message to him. We're not his enemies. You got that?"
"G-got it." The soldiers scarpered.
"I am glad that you found it in your hearts to show those men mercy," the sister said. "I am Leliana, lay sister of the Lothering Chantry. I heard what they said. You are a Grey Warden? I am surprised that you are an elf, but elves must want the Blight defeated as badly as the rest of us. You will need all the help you can get, yes? I will come with you, if you'll have me."
"I do need help, and you are an excellent fighter," Loghaina said, slowly, "but why so eager to come along? You know what I must do is dangerous. And often not what you might call pious."
"That is so, you will be engaging in some nasty business. But what you do - what you are meant to do - is the Maker's work. I would help that. Besides. The Maker told me to."
Loghaina's eyes got wide. "Right. Backing away…slowly."
Leliana blushed. "I know that sounds insane, but it is true. I had a vision."
"Well, I don't know anything about visions, but I know another blade would come in handy. Are you sure you can deal with it? Evidently there are people out to get us, you realize, quite apart from the darkspawn we attract. Some of them might have to be killed."
"I understand. You will not regret this, I swear to you."
"Evidently your head was cracked worse than Mother thought," Morrigan said.
"Let's get outfitted and get out of here," Loghaina said. "We'll need more coin, especially now. Let's check the Chanters' board and see if there's any work to be had here."
As Alistair pointed out, it took some dedication for the Chanters to still be operating their board under these circumstances, but up and running it was. They signed up to take care of bandits and wild, Blight-crazed animals, and headed out of the village to attend to the tasks. On the way, they came upon a horned giant in a cage too small for him.
"The Revered Mother said he slaughtered an entire family," Leliana said. "Still, to be locked up and left to the darkspawn…no one deserves that."
"Qunari are supposed to be legendary warriors," Alistair said. "If you're really serious about looking for help, you might try asking him."
Loghaina stepped up to the cage. "Are you a murderer, or a soldier?" she asked.
"Both," the Qunari said. "I am not here for your amusement, elf. Leave me in peace."
"I am seeking skilled help to aid me in defeating the Blight," she said.
"The Blight. Are you a Grey Warden?"
"Yes."
"My people have heard stories of the Grey Wardens. Peerless strategists and warriors of exceptional skill. Well, I suppose not every story can be true."
"What is your name?" Loghaina asked.
"I am Sten of the Beresaad."
"Loghaina Tabris. A pleasure to meet you."
"You mock me," Sten said. "Or you show manners I have not come to expect in these lands."
"If I let you out of this cage, would you help me?"
"Yes. It seems as likely to bring my death as waiting here. The Priestess has the key. Perhaps you can convince her to let you have it if you tell her you seek aid against the Blight."
"All right. We'll be back."
Loghaina led her party out to finish up the tasks for the Chanters' board, and then trooped back into the village to collect, resupply, and see the Revered Mother. Just inside the Chantry, they were stopped politely by a tan-skinned fellow wearing the heavy plate of the templars.
"I am Ser Bryant, Knight-Commander of Lothering. And who might you be?" he asked.
"I am Loghaina, of the Grey Wardens," Loghaina said.
"I see." He seemed taken aback. "Did you know that Teyrn Loghain claimed the Grey Wardens responsible for King Cailan's death?"
"Did he, now?" Loghaina said.
"And set a bounty on any who survived. I do not think the Wardens would do such a thing, but it is perhaps best you not linger here, just in case."
The Knight-Commander bowed and turned away. Loghaina turned to her companions. "A bounty. That means trouble."
"What are we going to do?" Alistair said.
"Go to Denerim and face him directly," Morrigan said.
"Oh, right, yeah," Alistair said derisively. "Its not like he won't be looking for us, and its not like he doesn't have loads more experience and an army at his back."
"Morrigan is right," Loghaina said. "I'm going to Denerim. We need to put an end to this before it gets out of hand."
"You're going to go bouncing into the lair of the beast and throw yourself upon his mercy?" Alistair said. "Well, I'm not following you to the chopping block. No way."
"I didn't say you would. You aren't going anywhere near Denerim. Stay back, in case things go badly for me. But give me a chance to get out in front of this before it bites us in the ass worse than it already has."
"You're really going to do this?" he said. He sighed. "Well, all right, if you really think it best. But I think you might be suicidal."
"Suicidal would be to let this build up to a head," Loghaina said. "I'll take care of it. I promise."
