Dragon Age Origins

Naruto Uzumaki

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Dragon Age and I am not making any profit from this.

Chapter 4

(Highever)

Elissa Cousland looked back at the only home she'd known her whole life. Unashamed tears flew down her cheeks as the Grey Warden and his companions led her through the sewer.

"Where to now?" the blond who identified himself as Naruto asked.

"We'll need to stick to the woods, I fear we're in unfriendly territory right now." Duncan said.

"Yeah, but where to next?" Naruto pressed on.

Duncan sighed. "I am going to visit the Dalish…alone while you continue to head west. I'll catch up to you at Lake Calenhad where we'll go to the Tower of Magi." Duncan said adjusting his pack.

Naruto nodded as he recalled the map he'd studied and Duncan continued speaking, "You will wait for me at Lake Calenhad Naruto, no going further ahead than that."

The whisker marked blond gave a chuckle as he had been thinking of pushing ahead to the tower and seeing what mages were fully capable to do. He'd been interested since hearing stories and wondered if magic was anything like chakra.

Kallian who was standing with him shook her head while Elissa looked lost.

"Keep low." Duncan said as they exited the sewers.

Elissa looked back as they did and against the backdrop of night the fires of her home could be seen.

"Come on, mourn later." Kallian said dragging the human with her as they followed Naruto and Duncan through the dark woods, the burning Cousland home their backdrop telling its own story.

XX

(On the Road)

It had been a day since Duncan had left them and Elissa Cousland found her traveling companions odd to say the least. At her side trotted her Mabari War Hound.

"What do you think Rox?"

The dog had managed to escape after being separated from Elissa during her search for her father. The fact the elf had nearly shot the dog when he exploded out of the brush was better left unsaid.

A bark was her answer.

"Yeah, but the Warden trusts them and father…father…" she closed her eyes knowing that she would never be called pup by him a nickname he gave her when she was little and would roughhouse with her older brother.

"Oh Maker, how am I to tell Fergus?"

Rox gave a soft whine and leaned his head against her leg.

"Who is Fergus?"

Elissa jumped a foot in the air and spun around to see the whisker marked blond. "DON'T DO THAT!" she yelled.

"Sorry, I thought you knew I was here. Again who is Fergus?" Naruto asked as he sat on a fallen tree near her.

"He's my older brother." Elissa said as she patted Rox's head. "His wife and son were killed back there as well as our parents and my sister."

"Where was he?" Naruto asked.

"He left earlier in the day with the troops our father was sending to Ostagar to help the king." Elissa said. "Now I have to tell him of Arl Howe's betrayal and…"

"Being the last survivor."

Both Naruto turned to see Kallian coming out of the brush with a couple of hares. "I pulled these out of the traps you set." The elf said to Naruto. He accepted them and went to prepare them for cooking over the fire.

"So you two know each other long?" Elissa asked trying to change the subject.

"No." Kallian said.

"Met Kallian a few days more than you." Naruto said as he skinned the hares. Rox was edging closer as Naruto put the hares on a spit over the fire. "Don't even think of it." The blond warned t he Mabari who was trying to get as close as possible without moving.

He gave Naruto a look.

"That doesn't work on me. A friend of mine had a dog companion and Akamaru was a master at the pathetic look." Naruto said as he had a kunai and was slicing up the fourth hare into strips.

Elissa watched as the blond moved about the camp with a practiced ease, and he managed to keep an eye on Rox who was like a statue watching the rabbits cook over the fire.

"You have a strange accent, are you Orleisian?" Elissa asked finally.

Naruto chuckled as he went back to the roasting hares. "Never heard of it."

Elissa cocked her head. "How can you not hear of Or…"

"He's from overseas." Kallian said deciding to end the game. The blond had dragged her into the game and it would have gone on for some time if Duncan hadn't taken pity on her and explained Naruto's homeland to her. Meanwhile Naruto had sported a grin and Duncan chuckled explaining he had a crash course on Ferelden history on the journey over and he wasn't as ignorant as he was pretending to be.

Kallian smiled as she recalled the arrow dodging session she had put the blond thru and it annoyed her at how dexterous he was in avoiding her shots and laughing at her while doing it.

"A long way from home to join the Wardens." Elissa said as she watched the blond work. She knew some survival skills, her father had made sure her and her sister could handle their own along with Fergus. (Looks like I better brush up, I'm not in Highever anymore.) she thought sadly.

"Didn't really have much choice. My village is well for lack of better term is in a civil war between the advisory council and our village leader. Duncan rescued me after…after I was tortured near death. Grandma Tsunade sent me with him to get me out of the thick of it."

"I think she messed up. Ferelden…" Elissa began but Naruto waved her off.

"Despite the Blight and other dangers its better for me here. You could say I'm a lightening rod and its better that I am out of sight so Grandma Tsunade can rally others to her cause of reclaiming the village."

Elissa saw hurt in his eyes and was about to ask why it was better when Kallian stood with her bow in hand. "We're not alone."

Naruto was up and his blades drawn while Elissa scrambled for hers.

"Hello in the camp." A voice called.

"Hello, show yourselves!" Naruto called out.

A pair of knights stepped further into sight. "That's close enough." Naruto called out.

Elissa had her sword out and gazed at the knights. "You're from Redcliff Castle?" she said recognizing the symbol on one of the knights shields.

"Aye. We're bound for Denerim at the Arlessa's request." On of the knights spoke up.

"An' what of ye?" a second knight inquired. "Lake Calenhad. We're meeting a friend there." Naruto said.

"Lake Calenhad? Near the Tower?" the first knight inquired.

Naruto nodded. "Our friend has business with the mages before we continue on our way."

"Be careful around those mages friend. They are nothing but trouble." The second knight said with a hint of disdain that Naruto usually heard when the villagers had talked about him.

"I'll keep that in mind." Naruto mumbled.

"Can we share your fire for a bit while our horses water themselves by the creek?" the first night inquired.

"Of course." Elissa said sheathing her sword.

The three knights entered the camp. "You elf, fetch…" the second knight began to order but stopped the moment Naruto's blade was at his throat. "So fast." The first knight whispered none of them seeing Naruto move.

"You will keep a civil tongue in your mouth and not order my friend around as if she were your servant." The blond said in a deadly voice and his blue eyes had a storm like aura about them.

"Of…of course. Sorry ser." The knight said barely breathing for fear of his throat being slit.

Kallian had tensed when the man started speaking to her and she nearly released the arrow when Naruto had moved. (He's so fast. Before when he was training me, he was holding back.)

The third knight shook his head. "I've told you before Lance to curb your tongue before someone removes it." He then looked at Naruto. "I am Ser Reynard Guile. I ask for you to spare my subordinate. He's still learning and I think his mother dropped him on his head as a babe."

Naruto looked at the elder knight. "Ser Guile, I'll leave him alive this time, but next time I'm taking his tongue should he speak to my friend like he did."

"Well boy?" Ser Guile said crossing his arms. "Don't you have something to say?"

The identified Lance mutters and Guile reaches out and gives him a head smack. "Do it properly and remember you represent the Arl of Redcliff. Your behavior reflects on him."

"I…apologize." Lance bit out and Naruto pulled his blade away. "You can use the fire." He said and retreated to where he was next to Kallian. Elissa looked from the knights to her new companions and wondered just what she had gotten herself into.

XX

(Lake Calenhad)

"You were rude to those knights." Elissa said two days later as they were near the lake and Naruto had called a halt, spending his time working with Kallian who had improved by leaps and bounds.

"They were rude to Kallian." He said back.

"Ser Guile apologized…"

"Because they were forced to." Naruto said as he blocked Kallian's attacks. She'd gotten very good with the twin daggers and Naruto knew if she was stronger two swords would replace them.

Elissa had to agree to that. She had been appalled at their behavior after the apology. (I guess my father was right. Elves are seen as a second class citizen.)

"Are you going to join in and practice or would you like to take a nap?"

Elissa looked at Naruto and realized she'd been sitting there while they'd been working.

Grabbing her family sword and the family shield she soon found herself in a three-way melee.

"WATCH IT!" when one of the elves daggers nearly connected with her face.

"Are you going to be telling that to the darkspawn as well?" Kallian said as she performed a flip kick off Elissa's shield knocking her back. With a growl she went for a powerful strike that Fergus had taught her but Elissa found her sword blocked by Naruto's own blades. "Don't attack in anger, you leave yourself wide open."

She looked down and saw his other blade had slipped past her shield as he tapped her armor-covered chest.

They practiced for a bit longer until Rox had enough and lunged, tackling Naruto and licking him while the two women laughed.

"Euck! Alright, that's enough." The blond said and wondered how he ended up being the level headed one and leader.

(It is nice to work again as a team. I thought I wouldn't see anything like this again after leaving Konoha.) he thought pushing the Mabari off of him and standing.

"Oh no."

Elissa picked up his blades and he winced seeing them both cracked. "Cheap crap." The former noble said.

Naruto winced as they had been a gift from Silas after his lessons. "I guess prolonged fighting wasn't good for them." He said taking them back.

"You can use mine, it should hold you until we can get you something else."

Naruto nodded and wrapped the cracked blades and stored them in his pack. (Hopefully I'll be able to find a blacksmith that can fix them, but it shows that I'll need something more sturdy, at least daggers designed for heavy combat like the ones Kallian's using.) he thought as he accepted Elissa's dagger. It was similar to Kallian's and Naruto thought that compared to his last daggers they were ugly. (And it's still better than a kunai.) he thought still missing his ninja equipment he had grown up with. Kunai were all purpose tools used for everything from throwing, defending, to climbing and digging. Daggers were bigger, reminding Naruto of ANBU short swords, if not thicker. With a sigh he closed his bag.

"Those were of Antivan design, weren't they?" Elissa asked.

Naruto gave a shrug. "They were a gift from a teacher I met on the way over."

Elissa felt bad for the way she had hammered his blades with her relentless attacks.

Naruto shrugged as he brightened. "Come on, Duncan told me there is an inn we can wait for him at."

Elissa looked at him in disbelief then looked at Kallian who had shouldered her quiver and pack as well. "Is he for real?"

The elf shrugged. "He just doesn't let himself get down with things that can't be changed." She said after she'd spent the time from Denerim thinking about the blond and his mercurial behavior.

"LAST ONE THERE SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR!" Naruto called back and soon he was just keeping ahead of Rox as the war hound was determined not to sleep on the floor if there was a bed available. They only had certain amount of funds and multiple rooms wouldn't be very helpful until Duncan arrived.

The elf and noblewoman exchanged looks for a second and raced off in pursuit. Recent losses put aside for the time being.

AN: A mage, a Dalish and a sword. Next time on DRO: Uzumaki.

I've heard numerous opinions on whom Naruto should be paired with, I even had one suggest Zeveran…(no) that's just not happening. Naruto's pairing(s) will be female ranging from one up to five. If you don't like how I'm doing this then you can always write your own. Thanks for the reviews and the patience. Hope to have more soon.

Yes I know that this will make the group larger. Some might not survive Ostagar…MIGHT NOT and I'm not specifying who for those who know about the joining.

Yes I gave Elissa a sister and more will be revealed later in the story and not until. Duncan arrives next chapter for those who complained I separated him too soon. I saw a story can't remember the name where Duncan survived Ostagar and joined up with the female character later in the story and had a romance I think it was a female city elf. Anyway stay tuned for more.