Avelin walked alongside Duncan in silence for the first few hours following their escape from Highever Castle, her mind set only on the path that now lay in front of her. It took all of her focus to put one foot in front of the other without looking back. She had already done that once, and it had cut her so deeply that she'd spent an entire thirty minutes sobbing as Duncan gently guided her along the Imperial Highway.
Four long, grueling hours later, when the sun was just barely breaking the roots of the trees, the pair stopped to rest. Normally, Avelin would have been grateful for such a rest, but her mind was too uneasy to sleep. Volunteering for the first watch so that Duncan could get some much needed rest, she settled down at the root of a broad oak, her eyes staring blankly in the direction they'd traveled from. Behind her, Duncan settled onto his bedroll before speaking softly, "For what it is worth, my lady, I am sorry for what occurred at Highever Castle. The loss of your mother and father will hurt Fereldan for a time yet." A small smile tugged at the corners of Avelin's mouth, and she murmured a soft, "Thank you, Commander..." in response to his offer of condolences. After a short time, the only noise she could hear was Duncan's soft, even breathing, and the sound comforted her a little. It was the only normalcy she'd had in almost an entire day.
Fortunately, Avelin's watch was an easy one with no signs of trouble. When Duncan woke, he offered to take watch so that she could sleep, an offer she declined. Though she was exhausted, her mind was still in too much turmoil to be able to settle. Hiking her pack onto her shoulder once more, she adjusted her armour so that it did not dig into her neck before they pulled up the rest of camp and began to head into the Hinterlands, towards Ostagar, following the same path that Aedan and Fergus had followed just the afternoon before.
The signs of the army's movements were clear; usually firm ground was churned up underfoot, and there were visible wheel marks from the supply caravans that had travelled to Ostagar with the men. It took a week of walking to reach the foot of the ruins, a period of time with which Avelin used to grieve over her family's losses, and to speak to Duncan about the Grey Wardens. She'd learned much from the older gentleman, and though he could not tell her of the Joining ritual she would have to go through, she found herself oddly at peace with everything he told her. The Grey Warden order had always fascinated Avelin, and to become one was better than anything she'd ever dared to hope for.
Upon entering the camp, they were greeted by guards with the traditional salute – arms crossed over their chests and a short, respectful bow. Avelin felt odd to be on the receiving end of such a formal greeting, even despite having receieved it several times in Highever. She was no longer a noble, not in her eyes. She was a Grey Warden recruit, and it took precidence over all other titles she possessed. The guards returned to their posts as she and Duncan made their way across the ruin, passing the Tower of Ishal, before they were met with a rather pleasant surprise.
Duncan stopped short, Avelin following suit. Her eyes followed Duncan's gaze, and she grimaced inwardly as the Warden Commander greeted their adversary properly. "Your Majesty! I wasn't expecting a-"
"A royal welcome?" Cailan interjected with a boyish grin, his eyes twinkling. "Here I was beginning to think you'd miss all the fun!" His eyes shifted to the young woman standing alongside Fereldan's Commander of the Grey, and he stared at her in surprise. "Avelin? What are you doing here? I was only told your brothers were to be here, along with your father." The surprise quickly turned into concern, and Avelin sighed softly. His depth of feeling for her was written all over his face, and she could almost hear Duncan's amused grin.
"I'm the last recruit Duncan sought, Cailan. My father...he..." She paused for a moment, her voice thick. "He won't be joining us here at Ostagar."
"Oh? I do hope nothing's happened to him. He is one of my best advisors." Cailan mused softly, his eyes searching Avelin's face for clues, but she avoided his gaze. She knew that Cailan had wanted her for his Queen for a long time, but it was not a fate she ever wanted for herself, and he'd respected that ever since they were small. However, his concerns for her intensified when she stifled a sob at his words, her hands balling into fists. "Duncan?" The young king looked up at his close friend for an answer, which Duncan provided after laying a comforting hand on Avelin's shoulder.
"Arl Howe has shown himself a traitor, and overtaken Highever Castle. The teryn and teryna are both dead, Your Majesty. Had we not escaped, he would have murdered us and told you any story he wished to convey." Fereldan's Warden-Commander spoke softly, keeping a hand on the youngest Cousland's shoulder.
"I...I can scarely believe it! When we are done here, I want the army ready to turn north. We are going to rectify this situation right away." Cailan's voice was tinged with adamancy, and he gently knelt before his childhood friend, an act she protested with a strangled cry. The king, however, would have none of that. He took Avelin's chin in his hand, tilting her face up to look at him before speaking quietly, "I can never bring your parents back, and for that I am sorry, Avelin. But I will not let this disloyalty lie. I will return Highever to you, I promise."
Avelin could only nod, whispering softly, "Thank you, Cailan..." Her body trembled with exhaustion now that the adrenaline rush she'd been working on finally wore off. Cailan scooped her up, much to the protests of both the young Cousland and his guard, but a stern look shut all of them up. Holding her to his chest, Cailan started back across the bridge to where most of the army was situated, and once there, made to enter his tent with her.
"No!" Avelin protested, struggling against her longtime friend's chest. To her, he was still the impish little blond boy she'd grown up with rather than Fereldan's king. She found it incredibly foreign to refer to him as "Your Majesty" or anything formal, and thankfully, Cailan did not correct her. "You need sleep, Avelin. Forgive me, but you look like death." Ignoring her persistent protests, he ducked into his tent with her and lay her down on the bed within. Once he had her settled, he began to undo the buckles to her armour, at which she stopped him.
"No, Cailan. Leave it. If I have to sleep here in your tent, fine. But don't remove this armour. I'll sleep better knowing that I still have this on." Her voice was firm, and Cailan sighed. "As you wish, my lady." He turned on his heel and left, likely to return to whatever he'd been doing before she and Duncan had showed up. Flopping back on the bed, Avelin sighed, her eyes fixating on the roof of the tent, following the stitching patterns until her eyes fluttered closed, and sleep closed in on her.
Some time later, a groggy Avelin emerged from the King's tent, trying to get her bearings. It was relatively dark, she realised, and the camp was tinged with flickerings of red and gold from the various fires that each sector had lit. She noticed the Grey Warden tent not too far off, and headed in that direction. She had yet to meet the other recruits, and she didn't want to appear as if she were getting a free ride. When she arrived at the tent, she noticed Duncan accompanied by 3 other Wardens, one of whom looked vaguely familiar to her. Shaking the suspicion from her thoughts, she wandered over to the group, smiling faintly at Duncan as she approached.
"Ahh, Avelin, there you are. I trust you are alright now?" The commander questioned warmly. Avelin nodded, responding with a soft, "I've been better, but yes, Duncan, I'm fine." From her left, a roguish looking fellow piped up, "Saw her coming out of the King's tent, I did. Who'd you have to bribe to get in his bed?"
Before Duncan could react, Avelin's hand had shot out, her fist connecting solidly with the rogue's jaw, sending him sprawling at the feet of their commander, who appeared vaguely amused by the warrior's antics. "Anyone else want to take stabs at me?" She asked quietly, venom lacing her words. When no one said anything, she hauled the rogue to his feet again, glowering at him. He seem to shrin under her gaze, making the sandy-haired Warden to Duncan's right chuckle a little bit.
"Normally, all our recruits go out into the wilds to collect a vial of darkspawn blood each. However, all the preparations for the Joining have been completed while you recovered, Avelin, so there is no need for you to enter the Wilds." The warrior began to protest, but Duncan held up a hand, effectively silencing her. "You needed the rest – you did not sleep at all on our journey from Highever." Sighing, Avelin relented, closing her mouth after issuing a quiet thanks to her fellow wardens for looking out for her. "Alistair, please take them to the old temple while I make the final preparations."
The sandy-haired Warden nodded, and the three recruits followed him as he made his way to a part of the ruin that was isolated from the rest of the camp, so as not to disturb anyone or reveal too much about the Joining. Avelin utilized much of the time spent waiting for Duncan to try and place why Alistair looked so familiar to her, getting increasingly frustrated with being unable to place him. When Duncan did arrive, he was holding a silver chalice filled with some kind of pugent smelling liquid that turned Avelin's stomach.
"At last, we come to the Joining." He spoke softly, Alistair looking down at the ground whist he did, looking somewhat forlorn. "The Grey Wardens were founded during the first Blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation." Duncan placed the chalice somewhat reverently on the altar stone before turning back to the three recruits. "So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their taint."
Avelin's blood turned to ice, and she glanced between Duncan, Alistair, and the two warden recruits beside her, whose names she had learned while they'd been pacing back and forth. Daveth was the snarky rogue she'd clocked earlier, and Jory was another knight of Highever. She'd been relieved when he'd not recognized her. Jory was the one who spoke first, terror in his voice. "We're going to drink the blood of those...those things?!"
"As the first Grey Wardens did before us, and as we did before you. This is the source of our power, and our victory." Duncan explained patiently, before Alistair added, "Those who survive become immune to the taint. We sense it in the darkspawn. We take that gift, and can use it to slay the Archdemon."
Avelin forced the words she was thinking from her throat, though they felt sticky. "Those who survive?" Now she was beginning to understand why they hadn't been able to tell her anything about it. If the recruits knew the sacrifice they made to become a Warden, they'd run for the hills, and the order would die out.
"Not all who drink the blood will survive, and those who do are forever changed." Duncan responded, his eyes saddended as he relayed this news to the three young recruits before him. Daveth looked surprisingly calm, but Jory's eyes were wild with horror, his entire body trembling. This is why the Joining is a secret. It is the price we pay. We speak only a few words prior to the Joining, but these words have been said since the first. Alistair, if you would?"
Alistair stepped forward, looking very solemn as he carefully spoke the words from memory. "Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand, vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day we shall join you."
Avelin was silent during the recitation of the words, committing them to her memory. She would never forget. Her thoughts were interrupted as Duncan asked Daveth to step forward and submit himself to the taint. The rogue never hesitated before he lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip of the noxious liquid it contained. Not a moment had passed by before the rogue cluched at his throat, his eyes rolled back into his head. Falling to his knees, he grasped his throat more tightly, but eventually succumbed, his body falling still at Duncan's feet. "I am sorry, Daveth." Duncan murmured, and one look at his face told Avelin that he truly was sorry for the young rogue's fate.
"Step forward, Jory." Avelin glanced at the knight, frowning as he backed away, sputtering nonsense and reaching for his blade. He grappled with Duncan before the Warden-Commander sank his dagger into the knight's side, piercing his heart swiftly. "I am sorry, Jory." He murmured, wrenching the dagger out. Jory collapsed at his feet as swiftly as Daveth had, blood pouring from the wound on his side.
Finally, Duncan turned to Avelin, offering her the cup. "You have been called upon to submit yourself to the taint for the greater good. From this day forth, you are a Grey Warden." Avelin tilted the chalice to her lips with no hesitation. The foul liquid burned as it traveled down her throat, and she felt as though her insides were on fire. Grasping at her head, where the pain was centered, she fell to her knees as a wicked vision of a dragonesque figure erupted before her eyes, spewing violet flame from it's horrid looking mouth.
The next thing she knew was her eyes opening to reveal both Alistair and Duncan hovering over her, and they both sighed with relief as her eyesight focused. "Thank the Maker.." Alistair murmured, brushing a strand of her hair from her face, making Duncan grin a little. "Welcome to the Grey Wardens, Avelin Cousland. It seems I was right about you."
At the mention of her last name, Alistair froze, his eyes locked on her face for a brief moment before he rose rapidly, hastily pulling something out of his pocket. It was a vial-shaped pendant, and one look at it told Avelin what it contained. "One last thing to your joining." Alistair mumbled softly. "We take some of that blood, and place it in a pendant. Something to remind us of those who...didn't make it this far." His eyes slid to the bodies of Daveth and Jory, Avelin's gaze following shortly after.
"Did you dream?" Alistair asked abruptly, causing Avelin's gaze to snap back to his face. "I had terrible dreams after my joining." She nodded quietly, Duncan interjecting at the exchange. "Such dreams come when you begin to sense the darkspawn. Now, both of you, come with me. We've been summoned to a war council meeting with the King and Teryn Loghain." At the mention of Loghain, Avelin's eyes narrowed, making Alistair grin and whisper in her ear, "I don't like him much either." The two wardens erupted into giggles as they followed Duncan, who merely shook his head at their antics.
At the council, they stood beside Duncan proudly, Cailan congratulating Avelin on making it into the order, though it was obvious he knew nothing of what it took to join. She thanked him anyway, Loghain's eyes narrowing as he recognized her. As was his way, he took to arguing with Cailan over his fascination with glory and legend, an argument Cailan won with simple logic. When the Tower of Ishal was mentioned, Cailan demanded that Alistair and Avelin light the beacon, ignoring their protests.
The Wardens were dismissed, and Alistair grumbled all the way back to the Grey Warden tent. The rest of the Wardens had joined the King's army on their march earlier, and Duncan would accompany Cailan. Alistair was indignant on knowing why he couldn't fight, to which Duncan responded, "We are Grey Wardens. We do what is asked of us, no matter how needless the task may seem."
Alistair sighed, but spat, "Fine. Just so you know, if he asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm drawing the line." Avelin snickered next to him, but bravely retorted with, "I think I'd like to see that." She was surprised to see Alistair grin wryly at her. "For you maybe. But it has to be a pretty dress." Duncan shook his head and waved them off, but not before Alistair said quietly, "Duncan. May the Maker watch over you."
A sad smile crossed the Commander's face as he looked back at them over his shoulder. "May he watch over us all." With that said, he disappeared beyond the gate into the Wilds, leaving two very young Wardens staring after him quietly, their previous mirth vanishing completely and being replaced by solemn expressions.
Turning to face the bridge, Avelin spoke boldly, "Right then. Let's go."
A/N: So that's that! Avelin is officially a Warden, and Alistair figured out who she is before she's even had a chance to recognise him. Poor lass. She'll figure it out eventually!
Also - Wow! I want to thank everyone who has read this story so far– I'm flattered that you guys think so highly of my work! Considering this is my first ever fic, I'm absolutely chuffed to bits. :)
I also want to apologise that this update is a bit later than scheduled – I had a heap of stuff come up this week, and it delayed so many projects. But, alas, I can't control everything, even if I want to!
Please feel free to leave reviews, general comments, suggestions, or ask me questions!
Special thanks to ElyssaCousland for giving me some great tips – if you haven't read "There and Back Again" by her, I suggest you do it! Her work is phenomenal!
Until next time! :)