Chapter Four

A solemn promise

Duncan did not wait happily for the return of Alistair and his charges. Alistair was a more than capable fighter who, in his six months as a Warden, had gotten his darkspawn related nightmares easily in check and used his so-called Warden-sense to great advantage. He knew the boy would come to no harm in the Wilds, but still he paced and fretted. Apart from a select few of the other Wardens who had known him well for decades, no-one would have been able to discern from his posture how he was worrying inside. Outwardly he was cool as ever.

He cast his mind to the recruits who were being accompanied by Alistair. He had caught Daveth attempting to pick his pocket in Denerim and admired the young man's verve and tenacity enough to recruit him. He had travelled to Highever for their annual tournaments to seek a possible recruit and found Ser Jory who was built like a bear and wielded a two-handed blade as though it were a light stick. The man had a wife at home with a child on the way, but he had been proud to be accepted into the fold of the Wardens on the back of his numerous victories. And then there was Caden, Adaia Tabris' only daughter who'd received something of a baptism of fire and blood in order to make it to the Wardens. Duncan visited the Alienage in Denerim on many occasions, but usually purely for the chance to meet up with Valendrian rather than to recruit the elves. He didn't doubt their potential, but the ones in Denerim in particular seemed to exist under a cloud of despair and their eyes showed little depth. Many of them stank of cheap hooch, brewed in their own homes so that the smell permeated their clothes and hair and skin. Duncan had little doubt that it had much to do with the Uriens' cruel treatment over those who dwelled in the Alienage, something that perhaps Caden had changed for the better, although at what cost to her own sanity?

He sighed. Truthfully he was loathe to bring Caden to the Wardens at this time. If not for the fact that there was a Blight looming (never mind what Cailan thought—he didn't have the ability to feel the swell of darkspawn pouring out from the Frostback Mountains) and if Caden hadn't been facing an execution, he might have been tempted to leave well enough alone. He expected her to survive the Joining, but her mental state was a worry to him. Maybe he shouldn't have taken Alistair aside to explain things to him, but he couldn't help but feel nervous about expecting her to take up so much responsibility and he wasn't about to let Alistair take a damaged individual into the Wilds without some idea of what she had been through and why she might be the way she was.

"Duncan!" Duncan snapped back to the present and turned to view the speaker. It was a messenger of Cailans.

"Yes?" he frowned. "What is it?"

"The king has received dire news." The elf spoke in a rushed tone. "News from Highever. The Teryn and his household have been slain—there are no survivors. Save for the son who came on ahead and is currently scouting the Wilds, none will be able to assist in the battle."

"That is dread news indeed." Duncan said in a troubled voice. "The whole household you say?"

"Yes Ser," the elf said. "Everyone in the Arls estate has been slaughtered."

Duncan excused the elf and his frown deepened. This was not good news.

"Daveth?" Duncan called out confused. The young cutpurse was walking towards him. "What are you doing back—where are the others?"

Daveth came to a halt before the Warden and fished in his pocket for the vials of blood they had collected in the Wilds. He handed them to Duncan before explaining. "I had to return, Ser," he said. "Ser Jory sustained a serious wound to the leg after stepping on a trap. He couldn't walk so we bandaged him up and he and I hobbled back to camp. He's over yonder being treated by healers."

"I have to deliver some grave news to him," Duncan said. "Walk with me and explain to me why Alistair and Caden have yet to return."

They began to head over to where the healers had set up their station. Daveth began to speak.

"After the good Ser got his leg chewed out, we debated the merits of returning home right then." He started. "We decided that we already had enough blood for whatever horrible purpose you need it for, and Alistair said someone else could be sent on after us to find those papers you wanted. However, that pretty blonde elf put forth the opinion that it would be foolish for them to return empty handed as they figured they were nearly at the right location, so they decided to stay. I had to get Ser Jory back regardless and having seen Alistair and the elf girl fight I don't feel too bad about leaving them. She's got a lovely face, but Maker she can't half wield those blades!"

Duncan listened silently, taken it all in. So Caden had insisted on remaining until the task was complete. He oughtn't to have been surprised after all she had not been satisfied merely going after Vaughan in order to sate her revenge; she had bathed the entire estate in blood after all. Perhaps he had underestimated her devotion. He was slightly taken aback that Alistair had not insisted on them returning, but then it was possible that Caden had refused to leave. Alistair wouldn't leave anyone behind to face fights alone after all. Duncan scratched at his beard. It was all very intriguing, but he would have to wait until the pair made their way back to camp before learning any more.

As they came to a stop beside Ser Jory and Duncan knelt beside his makeshift bed to deliver the unhappy news Duncan forced thoughts of Alistair and Caden from his mind. For the time being at least.

"Well she was as mad as a bucket of frogs." Alistair said cheerfully as soon as Morrigan was out of earshot and therefore unable to overhear his comments about her mother. Caden said nothing, but raised her eyebrows. She shifted her pack onto both shoulders and was glad to feel the hefty weight of the treaties inside there. Success had come to her at last and she was surprisingly pleased with the result. She even found herself looking forward to returning to Duncan with the news. "Well she was." Alistair went on as they started walking. "What was all that about stockings? I didn't want to think about her stockings. Or anything else for that matter."

"You talk a lot don't you?"

"Noticed, have you?" Alistair grinned unabashedly. "It's just something I do to pass the time. I like the freedom of speech. I spent such a large portion of my life cloistered away in the Chantry being told to be quiet all the live long day that it's a relief to be able to speak freely."

"Do you ever shut up?"

"Hmm, when I sleep, I suppose." He countered thoughtfully, noting the slightly teasing tone in her voice. "Mind you I have been told by those who've had the misfortune to share my tent that I have on occasion been partial to sleep talking."

Caden shook her head, unable to keep the small smirk off her face. He reminded her a little of Soris, if Soris had ever had the courage to speak with confidence. Soris was not known for doing anything with assurance. The thought of Soris and of home came with the now familiar feeling of regret and pain, so she pushed it away and latched onto something Alistair had just said. "You were in the Chantry? Doing what, the dishes?"

Alistair laughed loudly and Caden couldn't help but enjoy the sound. It was easy to forget the sorrow her memories of home brought when that raucous sound filled her ears. "Well, we all took turns doing those. Although now that I think of it my turn always seemed to occur more often than everyone else's. Why do you ask? Do I not seem the holy type?"

"Well...not really, no." Caden admitted. Alistair chuckled again.

"You have me there." He agreed. "I believe in the Maker well enough, but a life of devotion and quiet contemplation was not really one for me. Boy was I ever glad when Duncan came and decided he could put my skills to good use!"

Caden chewed on her lip for a moment. These snippets of Alistair's life before the Wardens were oddly tempting—she found herself wanting to know more. In spite of her almost relaxed mood she was reluctant to get into a conversation with Alistair...especially one that might lead to awkward questions about her own upbringing and life before this. She didn't want to explain to someone unfamiliar with life in an Alienage about what went on behind its walls. Still, she couldn't resist.

"So, did you spend many years in the Chantry?"

"Since I was ten," Alistair said easily. "When I was old enough I began to train as a Templar."

"A mage-hunter?"

"Well, yes, although that's not all that Templar's do." He said. "Do you know much about them?"

"Not really, no," Caden admitted ruefully. "I...I grew up in an Alienage so didn't see much beyond that."

"Templar's do hunt down errant mages, or apostates," Alistair began to explain. "We're trained in skills to drain mana and disrupt spells."

"So, you use magic to hunt mages?" Caden asked slowly. Alistair grimaced.

"Don't say that out loud to any Templar...but you're half right." He said. "I don't have the ability to do magic, none of the Templar's do. We're not born with the arcane within us as mages are."

"Where does it come from?" Caden wanted to know. Her interest was most definitely piqued.

"It's a bit crude, really." Alistair said. "Have you heard of lyrium?"

"Um..."Caden searched her memory for some mention of it and came up with nothing.

"I didn't expect you to having had little cause for its use." Alistair said. "Mages use it to enhance their abilities and restore mana, but Templar's use it to give them the power of magic. The only problem is that it tends to have rather addictive properties and many knights become hooked on it."

"Hmm," Caden said darkly. "So it gives Templar's magical properties in order to hunt mages and it gets them addicted to this substance in order to keep them in check?"

Alistair glanced at her. She was remarkably shrewd and she had reached conclusions in mere moments that had taken him weeks to come to himself. Not for the first time he wondered what kind of life she was leaving behind to make her so calculating. Earlier, when Ser Jory had fretted about the reality of facing darkspawn, she had laughed and said she was looking forward to killing them. It had uneased him then and it uneased him now. The conversation petered out there and Alistair was grateful when the gates to Ostagar loomed out of the forest at them.

Caden wanted to find the kennel master straight away, but Alistair insisted on returning to Duncan. When Caden seemed unhappy with this proposal, he suggested splitting up so that he could get straight back to Duncan. She agreed and allowed him to take the backpack with the treaties.

Duncan breathed a sigh of relief when he caught sight of Alistair walking over to him, but that quickly became a renewed anxiety when he noticed the absence of Caden. "Where is Caden?" he asked with a voice laden with concern as Alistair came up to him.

"She has returned with me, but she had to make a detour to the kennel master." Alistair told him. "One of the mabari is sick and Caden volunteered to find a flower that might save him as we were going into the wilds anyway." He slid the pack off his shoulders. "We found the Warden documents. They had been removed from their hiding place by some apostate mages who were keeping them hidden."

"Excellent," Duncan said taking the treaties. "I fear we shall make use of these much sooner than we know." He looked up at the younger man. "I understand that it was Cadens idea to carry on for the treaties?"

Alistair hesitated. Was he being reprimanded somehow? And was it for not having pulled rank on Caden and brought them both back or for the fact that he should have been the one doggedly searching for the treaties? "Yes. I thought we should travel back together, but Caden didn't want to leave without having found their hiding place at the very least. She was quite insistent and to be honest, I didn't think she'd listen if I told her we had to come back. I don't think she really recognised my authority as the more senior Warden."

Alistair's voice trailed off as he spoke and his ears gained a pink tinge. It was not something he desired: power, influence. But to have it entirely ignored by someone he had barely met and who knew next to nothing about the Wardens or even basic life outside of her Alienage...it was not the greatest confidence boost.

Duncan sighed. "Alistair, I have told you some of what Caden went through on her wedding day, but I fear that there is much more pain in her past than what she witnessed that day. I tried to get her to open up about it on our travels, but she remained close mouthed, unwilling to talk of most things."

"We talked a little." Alistair said. "Mostly about Templar's and the Chantry: not things she is overly familiar with. I think she is curious about life in Ferelden that have been alien to her for so long. I even spoke to her a bit about her husband-to-be, although she clammed up quickly about that."

"I know it is a lot to ask Alistair," Duncan said placing both hands on his shoulders. "But I want to ask you to take Caden in hand somewhat. Just talk to her, try to get her to speak about what happened that day. I fear she is very fragile and I expect that she could use a friend right now. Can you be her friend?"

Alistair swallowed. "Of course, Duncan." He said. "I'll do my best. If she survives the Joining that is."

"Oh, I have a feeling she will." Duncan said calmly.

From her vantage point obscured behind a wooden dais, Caden bristled silently. She heard Duncan's request to Alistair and the dutiful knights solemn promise. Bastards, she thought. She was not a project, nor some damaged flower needing tending to; cradling from danger by the heavy hand of a man. Caden felt a strange stab of regret pierce her as she watched Alistair. She had just started to warm to the idea of his company. He was certainly odd and said stupid things every time he opened his mouth, but he was so very different from any other human man she had ever met...or so he had appeared. She saw now how very familiar he was to those she had left behind. What a disappointment.

She sighed and pulled herself together, marching over to where the two Wardens stood.

"Right then, shall we get this thing over with?"