Lothering. If there were a word for "almost a city" it would be Lothering. Alistair has expressed an interest in staying, in helping. Morrigan is eager to leave, I believe, having phrased it, "Let's rest our feet and leave."
I'm inclined to agree with Morrigan; we need information and a chance to find our bearings. The Blight will not end if we die assisting refugees.
I will likely lose what little sleep I get over this decision, but Alistair has lost his earlier enthusiasm. The weight of his loss presses down on him yet.
I wish I could help.
Tritus wanted one thing from Lothering - news. He wanted to know everything from idle gossip to reliable information. Morrigan was at the tavern, Alistair at the Chantry, so that just left Tritus and Mathias to explore the refugee camps. So far, Tritus had learned nothing except that people were despairing the Darkspawn. He also learned that Mathias had a bad habit of wandering off.
"Mathias," Tritus whisper-called, finally leaving the camps. "Why didn't I ever learn to whistle?" He lamented, before calling for his Mabari friend again.
Eventually he found his stalwart stray playing with another Mabari.
"Mathias, get away from him." Tritus ordered sharply, before his attention was diverted by an unfamiliar voice calling a familiar name.
"Tritus," the new female voice called affectionately, "Did you make a new friend?"
Tritus, the human, went still as a stone at the words, and remained that way until the other Tritus, the newly identified Mabari, leapt at the sound of the new voice.
Tritus, still human, was considering his options when he accidentally made eye contact with the new woman. She had shoulder length black hair, and she was likely a few years younger than himself.
"Can I help you with something?" The woman asked cautiously. She likely didn't trust him, which was fair, as he didn't trust her either.
"I was just looking for my dog." Tritus explained carefully, before addressing his Mabari, "Mathias, here boy." His wayward hound yelped, and sprang to his master's side. The young woman visibly relaxed at the sight.
"I didn't know anyone else in Lothering had a Mabari," she said casually, kneeling to pet her own pup.
"I'm new in town, " Tritus replied, still backing away slowly, before being stopped by the bite of steel against his back.
"Who are you?" The owner of the sword demanded.
Tritus waved a growling Mathias down, before the dog could do something rash.
"I am a Grey Warden, my name is…" Tritus tried to explain before being interrupted.
"The Grey Wardens died at Ostagar," The man at his back said, "Which makes you an imposter."
"Carver, calm down," the young woman demanded, holding back her furry friend, who had started barking at tense duo.
"As I said," Tritus tried again, "I am a Grey Warden, and I don't like being threatened."
"What are you going to do about it?" Carver scoffed.
A burst of energy surged from Tritus and a brief scuffle later, Tritus had Carver pinned to ground with a dagger at his neck.
"Are you ready to behave?" Tritus asked before again being silenced by the feel of a blade at his neck.
"Oh, when is he ever?" This was new voice, deeper and threatening despite the sarcasm, "And I'm sure you're right to be threatening his life," The blade was pressed a bit deeper into Tritus' neck, not enough to break skin, but enough, "But I would much prefer you put that dagger away right now."
"He pulled a blade on me!" Tritus declared.
"He does that." The young woman said.
"Can you put your sword away now?" Tritus requested.
"He and I share similar bad habits." The older man's voice said.
"How about now?" a fourth voice called, one belonging to Alistair, "Can you put your sword away now?"
Tritus craned his neck. He looked to the woman instead. "I can't see, what's he doing?"
The woman obliged him with an explanation. "Your friend pulled a sword on my big brother."
"He does that," Tritus repeated her earlier words.
The eldest sibling, as he had just been identified, suggested, "Right then, how about we all put our weapons away on three?"
Carver moaned into the ground, "I like that idea."
"One." Tritus started.
"Two." Alistair continued.
"Three," finished the other man.
Everybody put their weapons away and Tritus and Carver got off the ground.
"Right then," the sword-wielding, shield on his back, eldest sibling began, "Now that we're all bosum buddies, introductions. I'm Garrett Hawke," Garrett motioned to the younger two, "Those are Carver and Bethany, I forget which is which most days."
"This is Warden Alistair," Tritus continued the introductions, ignoring Carver's protests, "and I'm Warden Tritus, Tritus Amell."
At the sound of "Amell," The three sibling froze.
"Sorry," Bethany said, "Did you say Amell?" She took a few steps towards Tritus.
"I did," Tritus said, backing away slowly.
"Do you think it's really him?" Carver asked, looking to his brother for guidance.
"It's possible," Garret said, before addressing Tritus, "Do you know who your mother is?"
"I never knew my mother," Tritus clarified, "But the Circle told me her name was Revka."
The three siblings reacted differently, Carver froze, Garret let out a "Maker's sake," and Bethany hugged Tritus, something to which he did not react well.
"Alistair," he yelped in alarm, "What's she doing? Alistair! Help!"
"Bethany, let go of the poor man," Garrett laughed, pulling his sister away with a tug at her hair.
"What's wrong with you people?" Tritus demanded.
Alistair frowned at him. "You've lived a weird life if hugging is wrong."
"We're sorry about that," Garrett said, "Bethany just gets a little excited about this sort of thing."
"What sort of thing?" Tritus demanded, still shouting.
"Family," Bethany said.
"You're our cousin." Carver added.
"On our mother's side," Garrett finished, "She'll be thrilled to see you again."
Tritus arrived at the Hawke homestead alone, having sent Alistair away with a hastily ordered, "Find Morrigan."
The introductions didn't go as well as anyone hoped. Leandra, somehow, recognized Tritus the moment she laid eyes on him. Like Bethany, Leandra went for a hug, but Tritus backed away.
"Please, stop trying to hug me," he requested, before being offered a seat and a cup of tea.
He sat quietly and listened to Leandra's story. How she met Malcolm and they ran away to Ferelden, how Revka had followed a year later, only to die in childbirth, and how he was raised with the Hawkes until was old enough to develop his magic. Even how he was taken away from them before they could run.
The Hawke siblings added their own commentary. Carver and Garrett told stories of the wonders they'd seen in Ferelden, whereas Bethany just kept finding ways to apologize.
"I developed my magic a year later. If we had discovered it sooner, the circle may not have taken you."
Tritus questioned her thought process, but didn't say anything. He sat there and listened, Mathias' head on his lap, and his cup of tea growing cold on the table.
The family finished their tale by offering Tritus and his companions a place to stay for the night. He accepted and requested someone to help him find the tavern.
Garrett accepted.
"A lot to take in isn't it?" Garrett said, breaking the previously uncomfortable silence. Tritus remained quiet.
"Sorry if we scared you," Garrett didn't seem sorry at all, "But you were like a brother to us, Bethany especially. She always blamed herself, thought Mother and Father tried harder for her than for you."
Tritus was silent for a few moments longer.
"I don't remember anything," he finally said.
"Not a thing?" Garrett asked, seeming surprised.
"Not even a flash or a vague feeling," Tritus clarified, "I think I might have remembered at some point, but I try not to dwell on the past."
"You've lived in the Circle most of your life, how much of a past can you have?" Garrett asked, lacking his usual tact.
"Keep a secret?" Tritus asked.
"Usually, why?"
"Your parents were right to keep Bethany out of the circle," Tritus said, "It's not a home worth having."
Garrett would have asked for clarification, but they had arrived at Dane's Refuge.
"Hear anything?" Tritus asked, having found Morrigan and Alistair at a table in the corner of the room.
"Wardens have been outlawed," Morrigan responded, "And these people are doomed."
"The two things might be related." Alistair joked.
"Well," Tritus said, "I found us lodgings for the night."
"Truly?" Morrigan asked, "How?"
Alistair answered for him. "He's got family here."
"Can they be trusted?" Morrigan wondered aloud.
"Of course, they can be trusted," Alistair said, ignoring Tritus' attempts to get them to shut up "They're his family."
The trio were interrupted by a loud - and probably drunk - lunatic.
"Finally! We've waiting for the second one all day."
"I know them," Alistair whispered hurriedly, "They're Loghain's men."
"Two Wardens Loghain sent us to find!" The man shouted and the tavern went quiet when a few others stood up. "And two Wardens we found. Surely we are blessed, right men?"
Tritus and Alistair stood and faced the growing mob, both trying to look tougher than they are. Suddenly, a redheaded woman garbed in Chantry robes approached to two groups.
"Gentlemen," she said with a thick Orlesian accent, "Surely they are just refugees, there is no need for fighting."
"They are Grey Wardens," The leader retorted, "Traitors to the crown. They, and anyone protecting them, will die."
"Shame," Tritus said, "Cause I like living, right Alistair?"
Alistair shrugged.
"We're Grey Wardens, how attached to our lives can we be?" he joked.
"Not enough apparently," Loghain's man, snarled. "Get 'em!"
The ensuing scuffle started mostly as fun and slightly short of harmless.
"I'm too sober for a bar fight!" Tritus shouted, ducking a right hook.
"They're not," Alistair replied. "Look at them," he pointed at one, "He can't even stand." He proceeded to topple the man over with only two fingers.
However, things got serious when Loghain's men started drawing blades.
"Could use a little help here," Tritus called to Morrigan after being slammed into her table.
"Use magic." Morrigan advised with a sniff, sipping at her drink.
"The Maker hates the lazy!" Alistair cautioned as he tossed a man down the nearby flight of stairs.
The fight started to veer in the direction of Loghain's men, until the redheaded laysister joined.
Then it was almost unfairly weighed in the Wardens' favor, to the point that the Wardens were hardly even fighting.
"Tritus, my friend," Alistair said, wide eyed as he watched the redhead, "I think I'm in love."
"Well, impress her," Tritus insisted, "Giver her a hand."
Which Alistair did.
"Are you going to leave your troops to fight on their own?" Morrigan asked.
"Nope." Tritus said, rejoining the fray.
Unfortunately, that was the last good moment of the night. The fight soon turned bloody, when all was said and done, both Alistair and Tritus got nicked, and all but one of their attackers lay dead.
"So," Tritus said, turning to the lay sister, "Who are you? And are you looking for work?" He was sporting a grin a mite too large for someone bleeding profusely from his side.
"My name is Leliana, and indeed I am, monsieur." Leliana was also grinning, wider than she should, considering Tritus soon passed out at her feet.
Last Night I saw a lay sister slit a man's throat and that wasn't even the most exciting part of my day.
I don't know how I feel about finding out I have family. They seem like good people, but they are strangers to me, and I am so much more to them. I don't know what's to happen next, but a part of me hopes that after we depart, I will never have to see them again.
Leliana seems to be a good woman. She is certainly a good fighter. Beyond that, I can't get a read on her. There's a certain air about her, I'm almost afraid of her.
Note to self: stop waking up in places you didn't fall asleep, it's bad for your health.