A/N: No major notes for this chapter. Alistair makes an appearance, yay! As always, thank you for your support and Dragon Age is not mine in any way, shape, or form.
~*~
It didn't take long for the small group of recruits to find the Grey Warden Alistair. He was engaged in a verbal sparring match with a man whom Tierne quickly learned was a mage. After the mage departed in a bit of a huff, Elissa walked up to Alistair.
"You must be Alistair. We're the new Grey Warden recruits, Duncan told us to find you."
"The new recruits?" Alistair asked as he looked over the four. "That's interesting, I haven't met a female recruit before, nor an elven one. Daveth and Ser Jory I've met, who are you two?"
Elissa spoke up before Tierne had the chance. "I am Elissa Cousland, daughter of the late Teryn of Highever."
"Right, Elissa, I heard you were in camp but I hadn't seen you yet. Terribly sorry about the whole Highever business. Ser Jory informed me earlier. So, you are to become a Grey Warden now? And you," Alistair said as he turned to Tierne, "What is your story?."
"Well," Tierne started as he debated the best way to state things, "To make a long story short, Duncan recruited me from the Denerim alienage. He wanted to recruit my mother long ago, but the community wouldn't let him. My mother passed on her skills to me before her death, and by recruiting me Duncan saved me from my execution by recruiting me."
"You too, eh?" Daveth said with a chuckle as he clapped Tierne on the back. "So, what're you? Another cutpurse?" Tierne shook his head as Daveth continued. "Then what? A burglar? Member of a crime group? Murderer? You know, come to think of it, you haven't even told us your name. Do you have one?" Before Tierne could respond, he heard a familiar voice call out.
"Tierne Tabris! Is that you? What are you doing here?" His heart fell as his mind identified the voice and he turned to face his greeter. Nessa's father was walking towards Tierne, with the former's wife not far behind. "How is Nessa? Didn't you say you would stay behind and protect her?" All eyes were on Tierne now.
"Um," well, that was a start, "This is going to be hard to explain. You see, Bann Vaughn came to the alienage during my wedding to bring some women to his palace for, er, entertainment purposes. Nessa was one of the ones taken. I went to the palace to rescue her, but by the time I arrived, she had been killed. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Tierne lowered his head in shame as several things happened in quick succession. Nessa's mother cried out and brought her hands to her face in shock. Nessa's father let loose a primal sounding scream and threw a punch at Tierne's jaw. Tierne saw the punch coming, but his mind made the split second decision to take the blow. The fist connected with his jaw and he fell to the floor. He heard shouts from Alistair and his fellow recruits as well as their footsteps as they rushed over. There was a blend of confusion and yelling before some one helped Tierne sit up and he was able to get a good look at the situation.
Elissa was the one who supported his shaking frame as he looked around. Alistair was standing in front of them in a protective stance with his shield drawn but his sword sheathed. Around him, Tierne could see Daveth holding Nessa's father, who looked just as shocked as Tierne felt. Ser Jory was standing near Nessa's mother with a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"What's going on here?" A soldier yelled as multiple onlookers rushed over to see the commotion. Elissa helped Tierne stand as the others quickly tried to explain the situation.
"Please, listen!" Tierne called out. "It's my fault, there was a promise I failed to keep, please don't hold it against- ow!" He winced as the adrenaline wore off and he felt a strong ache in his mouth and jaw, as well as a warm liquid drippingpouring out of his mouth.
"Right, can some one see to the elf who was hit?" The guard asked. Elissa nodded before taking Tierne by the arm.
"Come this way, I have some healing suppliesthings." Tierne tried to resist, but Elissa's grip was strong. "Don't worry about them, I'm sure the other three will take care of it." Reluctantly, Tierne allowed himself to be led towards a pile of crates. Elissa gestured towardindicated one of them and he sat down on it. As Elissa dug through her bag and emerged with a healing poultice, she spoke.
"I learned you can cut these open and use the herbs inside for smaller wounds. I've had a bit of injury training from looking after the mabari in my family's kennels. I don't imagine the procedures would be too different for a human.- Or, ratherwell, an elf." She cut open the poultice and pulled a few pinches of herbs out before crushing them between her gauntleted hands. "Here, open up."
His jaw was hurting too much for a normal response to her odd request, so Tierne raised an eyebrow at her instead.
"Open your mouth. Your teeth probably bit your tongue or cheek when you were punched, and that caused a cut which is causing the blood. You can't see it, but you've been bleeding from your mouth since you were hit. I need to see where the cut is. Open up."
Feeling very much like a young child being checked on by a healer, Tierne opened his mouth and allowed Elissa to look inside.
"Yup, you bit your tongue and it's bleeding. Hold still." With that, Elissa reached into his mouth and pressed the crushed herbs onto Tierne's tongue. The cut soon started to sting, causing Tierne to wince as Elissa pulled her hand back.
"Okay," she said before taking off her gauntlets. "Keep that on your tongue. Time for the next part. I'm going to have to feel your jaw to see if any bones are broken. This will hurt." Before Tierne could protest, she swiftly ran her bare hands along his jaw line, pressing slightly. He almost cried out when her fingers touched a sore spot, but he managed to restrain himself. Elissa didn't take any longer than she needed and pulled her hands away with a satisfied nod.
"Good, you're just bruised. This should help." She took out a waterskin and poured a splash of water onto the rest of the poultice before handing it to Tierne. "Hold this against the tender area, it'll make it heal faster."
Tierne tried to protest against using up her healing supplies, but before he managed the first word the movement of his tongue caused him to swallow some of the bitter herbs in his mouth, making him almost choke. Once he managed to prove to himself he could still breathe again, he did as he was told. Elissa did not seem like the type to lose many arguments, especially when the opposition was literally speechless.
"Everyone alright over there?" Tierne recognized Alistair's voice and looked up to see the Grey Warden, along with Daveth and Ser Jory, walking towards them. Tierne managed to remember that his last attempt at talking brought only pain, so he stayed quiet and allowed Elissa to speak for him.
"The impact bruised his jaw and caused him to bite his tongue, but he should be fine. Don't ask him anything, it will be best if he doesn't talk for the next few minutes." She replied.
"I can't believe that man would just strike him like that." Jory said, his eyes wide as he stared at the quickly drying blood on Tierne's chin and neck.
"He just found out he had lost a loved one. That's never easy, and different people react in different ways." Elissa let the weight of her words linger on the air, and Tierne remembered she had just lost family as well.
"Right, well, nothing too bad is going to happen to that elf, if you were worried Tierne." Alistair spoke up. "I managed to talk the guards into just cutting his wages." He seemed to spot the confused look on Tierne's face so he continued, "If you're wondering why the three of us humans decided to stand up for an elf, it was because you clearly wanted him to not be punished. You're one of us, and the Grey Wardens stand together to take care of our own. Come on now, surely us big scary humans aren't all that bad. Oh, okay, I'm not being fair, blathering away when you can't say anything back. Here, why don't we wait here for a while and then go see Duncan?"
It only took a few minutes before Tierne was able to spit out the herbs on his tongue and take the poultice off his jaw. The five of them soon fell into a steady rhythm of conversation. It wasn't long before they knew each other's stories,. They all found out hhow Alistair was raised by Arl Eamon of Redcliffe and was given to the chantry;. They found out about Elissa's life as a noble in Highever and her family's betrayal at the hands of her father's closest friend;. They found out about Ser Jory's time in Redcliffe and how he met his wife and moved to Highever;. They found out how Daveth lived as a pickpocket in Denerim for years until he cut Duncan's purse. And, Ffinally, they found out about Tierne's life in the Denerim Alienage and how he became a murderer in his only half-successful attempt to save his friends. Elissa, Alistair, and Jory were soon talking together about knights and nobles Tierne had never heard of. He tried to pull Daveth into a conversation, but the rogue shrugged and didn't seem too interested. Out of the corner of his eye, Tierne noticed a man trying to wave him over. After briefly excusing himself, he jogged over to see what the man wanted.
~*~
"What was that about?" Daveth asked as Tierne returned to the group. The other three, previously engrossed in conversation, looked up with curiosity.
"I'm not sure," Tierne admitted, "But I think I just agreed to go into the Wilds to find a flower for a mabari who swallowed Darkspawn blood." He shrugged, "I never really wanted a dog. I was attacked by one when I was younger and my mother had to kill it to save me. Still, I suppose if I just pick a flower for it, that'll be an easy enough way to save a life. I don't know if I'll be going into the Wilds though."
"You will be," came Duncan's voice from behind Tierne, causing the elf to jump. As he turned around, he saw the other four stand up in respect.
"As much as I enjoy seeing you all get along, I would appreciate your punctuality." Duncan said, though he was smiling warmly. "The four of you are not yet Grey Wardens. There are two important tasks I must have you complete, and they will take you to the Kocari Wilds surrounding the camp."
"The Wilds? With the Darkspawn?" Jory asked with a shake in his voice.
"It is the duty of the Grey Wardens to fight and defeat Darkspawn. It is only natural your initiation would have this aspect. Now, I will need you to go into the Wilds and collect four vials of Darkspawn blood, one for each recruit. There are also some Grey Warden ruins to the south. Within these ruins you will find a chest bearing our insignia. This chest holds treaties that promise aid to the Grey Wardens in times of need. I need you to retrieve these treaties and bring them back to me."
"A vial of blood for each of us, and these treaties. Understood." Elissa responded. "Anything else?"
"Alistair will be accompanying the four of you. Full fledged Grey Wardens are able to sense the Darkspawn, so you won't be caught unawares. Now, I suggest you head off before darkness falls."
~*~
Tierne's original expectation was for the Darkspawn to be more challenging opponents than the guards at Vaughn's palace. This turned out to be only halfway true. Their strikes were stronger, their tactics were harsher, and their fighting style more vicious. However, Tierne and his companions had two points in their favor. Firstly, they were not burdened by thoughts of morality. These were no farmers that had turned to mugging to feed their children; they were twisted beings of depravity who existed to extinguish humanity. Second, the recruits soon learned that the Darkspawn put the extermination of life as their highest priority. This often left their defenses open, allowing one of the others in the Grey Warden quintet to strike. The five quickly discovered their best strategy was to have Elissa and Alistair charge with their shields and heavy armor to draw the Darkspawns' attention while Tierne and Ser Jory ran around to flank and Daveth peppered them with arrows from afar. This strategy served them well, and they made it near the ruins with little difficulty.
The ruins were in sight now, and all of the vials had been filled. Alistair had nodded, the signal that more Darkspawn were ahead. Elissa was about to join him and charge forwards when Tierne grabbed her arm.
"Alistair, Elissa, stop!" He whispered. "There are traps!" He quickly pointed to an array of leghold traps lying under leaves and torn grass. Without another word, he knelt next to the traps and started disarming them one by one. He was so engrossed in his work, he didn't notice the hiss of an arrow aimed for his head.
"Tierne, look out!" Jory called as Elissa quickly took action. She held her shield above Tierne's head and held her arm steady as the arrow crashed into the metal. "Daveth, return fire!" She ordered. If the rogue had an objection to Elissa's tone, Tierne didn't notice it as arrows soon flew in both directions above his head. He managed to keep his hands steady and soon enough the last trap snapped harmlessly closed.
"Ok, now!" Tierne called out as he got to his feet and drew his blades. Alistair and Elissa kept their shields raised and Tierne and Jory took cover behind them and the four charged under the cover of Daveth's fire. Their blades made quick work of the remaining Darkspawn, and while the recruits caught their breath Alistair reported that he could sense no more of them in the area.
"These must be the ruins then, they have to be!" Tierne exclaimed as he stepped forwards into what once was probably a magnificent fortress. "And here's the chest with the insignia, just like Duncan said, only-" He paused as he saw the chest was shattered. He walked over to it and knelt down before sifting through the pieces.
"Only what?" Elissa asked as she and the others caught up.
"The treaties, they're gone! This can't be happening." Tierne's voice grew panicked as his searching grew more frantic.
"Oh, but it is." A mysterious female voice wafted towards them and a young woman with raven colored hair stepped into the clearing. "And what have we here, I wonder. Scavengers? Thieves?" As Tierne stood back up, he couldn't help but wonder if this woman was dangerous.
"We're neither, we're Grey Wardens, and we're here for the treaties you stole!" Elissa called out boldly.
"Don't anger her Elissa," Daveth said, his voice trembling. "I'll bet she's a witch of the Wilds!"
"A witch of the Wilds? So she could turn us into frogs?" Ser Jory responded.
"Witch or no, I don't think she can be trusted." Alistair said, his voice the calmest of the group.
"And how about you?" The woman turned her golden-eyed gaze to Tierne. "Am I a witch? A thief? A danger?"
Tierne responded with a shrug, "I don't know who you are, we've just met."
"I wouldn't call this a proper meeting. You haven't even told me your name."
"Don't tell her." Elissa ordered. Tierne shook his head.
"She'sYou've done nothing to endanger us so far," he said to Elissa before turning back to the witch.. "My name is Tierne Tabris. Pleasure to meet you."
"And there is a proper greeting!: fFrom an elf, no less. I've decided I like you. You may call me Morrigan." The woman responded as her gaze softened. "My mother removed these treaties long ago. Come, I will take you to her." Without another word, the woman called Morrigan turned around and began to walk through the forest. Tierne saw no option but to start following, and the rest of the group soon joined him.