CHAPTER FOUR
The journey towards the Vigil was uneventful. Alexa didn't say much, but there was no need. Mhairi kept the conversation going for both of them. Alexa learned that the young woman had an idealistic view of the world. She was enthralled with the tales of Kings and nobles; the idea of fighting the good fight. Mhairi had been betrothed to a trader when she turned sixteen, but did not look forward to such a life and enlisted in the army. She was deeply affected by King Cailan's death, Loghain's betrayal and the remarkable victory of Ferelden's remaining two Grey Wardens against the Blight that she felt she had to join the Grey Wardens when the call for volunteers was sounded. She was looking forward to a life of loyalty and devotion to Ferelden and the Grey Wardens. Alexa just let the young woman talk. Her reverent talk about becoming a Grey Warden reminded Alexa a little of Ser Gilmore.
He was a tall, handsome young man who was serving her father as a squire. If the world had been perfect, it would have been him that was recruited by Duncan into the Grey Wardens and not herself. But Arl Rendon Howe had other plans. He launched an attack on her family and all the occupants of Castle Cousland. Ser Gilmore stayed behind to give the Teyrn and his family time to escape. But it was not to be. Bryce Cousland had been mortally wounded and would die at Castle Cousland. His wife Eleanor would perish at his side. But not before they had pledged their daughter to the Grey Wardens. It was the sacrifice they made in order to save her life. Unlike Mhairi and Ser Gilmore, she didn't wish to become a Grey Warden. It was a duty thrust upon her; a duty that had become a heavy burden to bear. Ser Gilmore had died in service to her father; another death that weighed greatly on her conscious.
Alexa and Mhairi had pushed their horses to make it to Vigil's Keep in one day, so it was early evening when they finally arrived. Alexa was expecting some sort of welcome, but it was eerily quiet. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as they drew closer to the keep. They dismounted and tied their horses to a tree, making their approach on foot.
Suddenly a man came charging out of the Vigil with several darkspawn on his heels. Instinctly, Alexa pulled her blade and shield and attacked. Between the three of them, the few darkspawn went down quickly. She turned to the man and noticed he was carrying a Grey Warden shield.
"Are you hurt?" Alexa asked him.
"N…no," he replied. He looked at Alexa and immediately recognized her. "Maker, it's you…the Hero of Ferelden. My lady…" he began.
"We have no time for that," Alexa began. "What has happened here?"
"Darkspawn…they've overwhelmed the keep."
"Where are the rest of the Grey Wardens?"
"I thought there was a mage behind me. He may have been a Grey Warden. But I've mostly seen Vigil soldiers."
"Who are you?"
"J…James, ma'am," he responded.
"James, are there soldiers or Grey Wardens on patrol in the area?"
"There should be. I mean, yes, ma'am."
"Then see if you can go find a unit. Mhairi and I will continue into The Vigil."
"Yes, ma'am," James saluted, then ran off to find reinforcements. Alexa and Mhairi continued on foot towards Vigil's Keep.
Alexa and Mhairi battled their way towards the main gate that led into the Vigil itself. They met groups of shrieks, darkspawn and even an ogre as they fought their way in. In a few instances, they met either civilians or Vigil soldiers that were being overcome by groups of darkspawn. Alexa and Mhairi cut the groups down rather swiftly, saving a merchant and helping to retrieve medical supplies for soldiers wounded in the battle. They moved from the outer to the inner courtyard until they were able to enter the keep itself.
When Alexa and Mhairi entered the Vigil they found themselves within the first set of inner walls. They had yet to breach the interior of the fortress itself. With no imminent threat, they took a moment to catch their breath.
"How were the Grey Wardens caught off guard by the darkspawn?" Mhairi asked in bewilderment.
"Do you know how many Grey Wardens were assigned here?"
"There were about a dozen along with several units of soldiers."
"We should continue onto the main hall. Ready to kill some darkspawn?" Alexa asked her with a smile.
"Ready Commander," Mhairi replied with a grin.
They moved only a few steps forward when a group of shrieks took them by surprise. Reflexively, each pulled their blade and defended themselves before going on the attack. A few parries and thrusts later the shrieks lay dead. Seeing their way through the main gate blocked and the lever unreachable, Alexa and Mhairi ran up the stairs on their right, charging through the door, expecting another group of darkspawn. Both of them stopped short at the scene before them.
A mage was burning the last of a group of darkspawn to death, the flaming creature falling to the ground. The mage shook his hands as if trying to cool them down and turned towards Alexa and Mhairi. He looked surprised to see them standing there. He gazed back at the dead bodies on the floor. A few templars were among the deceased. He turned back and looked at Alexa.
"Ah, I didn't do it," the mage shrugged. "Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not broken up about them dying to be perfectly honest. Biff there made the funniest gurgle when he went down."
"And who are you supposed to be?" Alexa asked him.
The mage smiled. "You may call me Anders, my dear lady. I am a mage and, sadly, a wanted apostate."
"An apostate? At Vigil's Keep?" Mhairi responded with a bit of disgust.
Anders smiled and moved deliberately towards her. He obviously was used to such a response. "You weren't here when we arrived. I'm sure I would have remembered such a lovely young woman as yourself."
Mhairi blushed in spite of herself. Meanwhile, Alexa was sizing-up the mage; young, blonde with sharp features. His manner may be light and jovial but his eyes were anything but; constantly on the look-out for something or someone. His attitude could be considered either charming or smarmy. Alexa wasn't sure what to make of this mage.
"I really don't care what you were," Alexa remarked.
Anders looked away from Mhairi and at Alexa. His eyes twinkled in amusement at her words. With barely a glance, he looked her up and down, taking her all in.
"Pretty and pragmatic; a striking combination," he grinned. "Look, I could help you with the rest of these darkspawn…or you could just let me go," he suggested without missing a beat. "They'll send more templars to find me eventually. They always do."
Alexa gazed at the mage. She wasn't sure he could be trusted, but she also needed help in defeating any remaining darkspawn.
"Look, I can't make you any promises, but…" she began.
Anders smirked at her. "No, I don't expect you could, could you?" He gazed at her and made a decision. "Well, tell you what. I'll help you and we can discuss what comes later…later, once all these bastards are properly put down, yes?"
"Agreed. I'm Alexa and this is Mhairi."
"Ladies, a pleasure," Anders said, giving a sweeping bow.
"Stay behind us and try not to kill us when you're aiming at the darkspawn," Alexa said only partly in jest.
"But my dear lady, of course!" Anders replied. He watched Alexa and Mhairi move towards the door and smiled. He liked Alexa and would enjoy being with them, even if it was only temporarily.
The three of them made their way around the Vigil, fighting darkspawn and rescuing any civilians still in the keep. They finally made their way to the lever and opened the gates to the main part of the fortress. Groups of darkspawn were everywhere. They finally came to one area where someone was already in a fight. As Alexa entered she saw a dwarf swinging his battleaxe taking down many darkspawn in one fell swoop. She stopped as she recognized him. The dwarf turned when he heard them enter. He paused, smiled and waved at Alexa, then continued fighting. They had no time for pleasantries at the moment and Alexa joined the dwarf in finishing off the enemy. Once the room was secure, the dwarf turned to them and addressed Alexa.
"A-ha! There you are! When these darkspawn showed up I thought just wait until the new commander gets here and you'll all be spitting teeth out of your arses! Followed the screaming and sure enough here you are. Good on ya!"
Alexa stared at the dwarf in disbelief. "Oghren? You're here?"
Oghren smiled, "Doubting your eyes, huh? I get like that after the fifth bottle or so. Came here thinking I might try my hand at becoming a bona fide Grey Warden."
"He was here when I left," Mhairi said, a little disgusted. "I can't believe the Wardens didn't kick him out."
Oghren's gaze shifted over to Mhairi. His grin grew bigger. "Hey! If it isn't the recruit with the great rack!"
Mhairi looked over at Alexa, "Yes. A prize for the Wardens to be sure," she said referring to the dwarf.
Oghren took her comment in stride. "I know, I know, too good to be true, right?" He then turned his attention to Anders. "Hey, who's the mage? Boyfriend? Should I leave the two of you alone?" he asked Mhairi. The young woman blushed in spite of herself.
Anders looked at Oghren, obviously unimpressed. "Wow. A dwarf that smells like a brewery. You never see that anywhere."
Oghren stared at Anders. "Huh. A mage comedian. Thought they normally died young."
"Oghren, you know there are risks to joining the Grey Wardens, right?" Alexa asked. His request to become a Warden disturbed her.
"There are risks to getting up in the morning. I piss on risk," he said, dismissing her concern.
"I'm sure risk appreciates it," Anders replied.
Oghren looked at the mage. He wasn't sure whether he liked him or was going to kill him. He turned back to Alexa. "Well, we can talk about that later. Right now, there's more darkspawn around in sore need of a beheading!"
"Agreed," Alexa nodded. "We can discuss your Joining later."
The four of them moved through the rest of the keep's rooms until they came to a hallway where one soldier lay. He was obviously wounded. When they came closer, Mhairi recognized the man and ran towards him.
"Rowland?" she asked with concern.
"Mhairi?" the soldier said, barely able to speak.
Mhairi turned to Alexa. "Commander Rowland was a knight recruited from Denerim like me. We must do something for him!"
Alexa looked at Rowland. She had seen enough dying men to know she was gazing upon one now.
"He looks beyond healing magic," Anders noted softly. "Maybe a shot of whisky for the pain?"
"I like the way you think," Oghren replied inappropriately.
"Stop joking! This isn't funny!" Mhairi said. Alexa could hear the fear and desperation in her voice and her heart went out to the young woman.
"Oghren," Alexa said softly to the dwarf, reprimanding him for his outburst. The dwarf let out a disgusted noise and turned away.
"The…the Commander?" Rowland asked, his eyes barely focusing on Alexa. She approached the dying man and kneeled next to him.
"I'm here Rowland. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner," she told him quietly.
Rowland tried to give her a smile of gratitude at her words, but the pain was too much. He needed to tell her what was happening before it was too late.
"We…only had…a moment's warning before they were on us, Commander." He winced in pain, but continued. "The seneschal ordered a…counter-attack but…they came out of nowhere! There's one with them…a darkspawn who talks…his magic is…powerful."
"A talking darkspawn? The lad must be delirious," Oghren said dismissively.
"There's something in my blood! It hurts!" Rowland whispered, his face twisting in pain. He inadvertently grabbed Alexa's hand. She grasped it, trying to comfort him. She knew he didn't have much time.
"Where is this talking darkspawn?" she asked softly but urgently.
"It went…that way," Rowland said, his eyes gazing towards the door to his left, "after the…sen..e..schal…"
Rowland gasped his last breath and died, his eyes rolling back into his head.
"Rowland? Rowland!" Mhairi cried, shaking him. Alexa turned to the young woman.
Alexa closed his eyes, then turned her attention towards Mhairi.
"He's gone," she said, placing her hands on Mhairi's shoulders, trying to pull the woman gently away. At first she resisted, but then allowed Alexa to help her stand.
"I will avenge you Rowland. I swear," Mhairi said with determination.
"Come. We must find the seneschal," Alexa told her. Mhairi nodded, then the four of them headed towards the door.
They found themselves on the roof the Vigil. They began walking around, weapons drawn. Suddenly they saw them; three darkspawn and the seneschal. He had a blade at his throat. As they approached they realized the darkspawn was talking very clearly, but they weren't close enough to understand. The seneschal saw them out of the corner of his eye.
"Commander…" the seneschal pleaded.
The darkspawn turned to face the group. It made a gruesome attempt at a smile. "Capture the Grey Warden. Kill the others." Its voice was stilting as if talking was unnatural. Alexa and her companions charged towards the enemy.
There were three darkspawn in total. Alexa ran towards the one that spoke, determined to take him down. He was the more powerful of the three. Rowland was right; his magic was potent. Her companions took down the other two darkspawn and between the four of them, the final one fell. Alexa then turned to the seneschal.
"Are you okay?" she asked as she walked towards him, sheathing her blade as she did so.
"I am yes. Thank you for your timely rescue. I am Varel, the Seneschal of Vigil's Keep," he said rising, then saluting and bowing. As he spoke, the sky opened up and a storm began.
"Let us continue this conversation indoors," Alexa suggested. Varel nodded and led them into the main hall of the keep.
As they walked towards the main hall, they passed several soldiers. Alexa gave the order to secure the Vigil as best as possible and to gather the dead in the courtyard where a funeral pyre could be lit. Varel added that any civilian survivors should be tended to as well. Once in the hall, Alexa asked what happened. Varel informed her that the darkspawn mounted a surprise attack on The Vigil. It appeared the Grey Wardens were the intended target as all of them, with the exception of one named Kristoff were either dead or missing. Kristoff had fortuitously traveled to Amaranthine to investigate a clue that might tell them more about the darkspawn attacks in the arling prior to the raid on Vigil's Keep.
"Commander," Varel began, "because of this we should commence with The Joining as soon as possible."
"Why so quickly?" Alexa asked.
"I know of only one Grey Warden currently assigned to Ferelden. That needs to be rectified before any serious investigation of the darkspawn attack can occur."
Alexa looked at her companions. She needed to speak with each of them before continuing with anything. "Give me a moment to speak with my comrades," she asked Varel.
"Of course, Commander," he responded.
Alexa turned to both Mhairi and Oghren. "Do the two of you still wish to become Grey Wardens?" she asked.
"Absolutely," Mhairi responded, determination in her voice.
"Sure, why not," Oghren replied. There was a bit of resignation in his tone.
Alexa bowed her head then looked at them. "I was not told this before my Joining, but I cannot in good conscious let you agree to this blindly. You need to know that once you become a Grey Warden you most likely will not be able to have any children."
"I already have a daughter. One child is enough," Oghren stated.
"I understand," Mhairi replied.
"Also, becoming a Grey Warden…is a death sentence. You will have thirty years to live…if you're lucky."
"Eh, thirty years sounds good to me," Oghren replied.
"It will be thirty years of service to a worthy and noble cause," Mhairi responded.
"You also…may not survive the Joining," Alexa revealed.
This gave them both pause, then Mhairi spoke. "There is no higher calling than becoming a Grey Warden. I would rather die trying than never even make the attempt."
"Well put," Oghren said. "I agree."
Alexa gazed at them. There is no higher calling. Her father said those exact words to her ages ago about the Grey Wardens when she inquired about possibly being recruited by Duncan. How naïve they all were back then.
"Very well. Let me speak with Anders and then we can begin."
Alexa turned to the mage. "You did well back there. Thank you for your help."
"I didn't feel right just leaving you at that moment with the darkspawn still a threat. But now that it has subsided for the moment, I guess we need to decide what's to become of me."
"If I let you walk away, where will you go?"
"I don't know," Anders shrugged. "Perhaps I'll leave Ferelden."
"Won't the templars continue chasing you?"
He let out a heavy sigh. "Most likely. They will take me back to the Circle and then I'll escape again."
"You know, you could join the Grey Wardens. The templars couldn't touch you then," Alexa suggested.
"They couldn't?" he asked.
"No."
"Well, there's an idea."
"Of course, becoming a Grey Warden is not without…sacrifices."
"Yes, I heard." Anders thought a moment. "Could you force me to join?"
"I could conscript you. I do have that power. And although Grey Wardens are desperately needed in Ferelden, I wouldn't do so."
He thought about it a few minutes. "Me? A Grey Warden?" he said softly and with a bit of surprise. The idea seemed to appeal to him. "Very well. You have a new recruit."
Alexa turned to Varel. "Prepare for The Joining."
"Yes, Commander," Varel said and went to make the preparations.
Twenty minutes later they all were gathered in the main hall. A fire had been lit in the fireplace providing the only light at the moment. It crackled as the recruits talked. They seemed to be in a good mood, but nervous. Varel brought the goblet over that would be used in The Joining. It was filled with darkspawn blood as well as a touch of the blood from an Archdemon and other magic. As the goblet was set on the table, the recruits fell silent. Varel then spoke.
"We say only a few words before drinking from the chalice. But they have been said at every Joining since the first. Commander," he said, turning the ceremony over to her.
Alexa just stood there, remembering her own Joining. It was Alistair who spoke the words she was about to say. She was the only one of three recruits who had survived her Joining. With a heavy heart, Alexa cleared her throat and solemnly spoke.
"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."
Alexa took the chalice in her hands and approached Mhairi, handing her the goblet. "From this moment forward Mhairi, you are a Grey Warden."
Mhairi took the chalice. "I have waited for this moment," she replied eagerly and took a drink. She handed the cup back to Alexa. Immediately, the tainted blood overtook her body, choking her, poisoning her. She could not fight its deadly essence. Her body convulsed and then she fell to the floor, dead. Any frivolity that was left from the preparations was now gone.
"I am sorry, Mhairi," Alexa said. She turned to Oghren and Anders. Both of them looked horrified. She thought they might bolt and wondered if she had the strength to slay them as Duncan had slain Ser Jory during her Joining when he refused to partake of the blood.
"From this moment forward Oghren, you are a Grey Warden," Alexa said and handed him the chalice. He paused then took a drink. She saw the change overtake his body, but Oghren was strong and did not pass out like so many others. This seemed to give Anders a bit of courage and he faced Alexa with a weak smile.
"From this moment forward Anders, you are a Grey Warden," Alexa proclaimed and handed the goblet to him. He gazed into its crimson contents then took a drink. He gave the chalice back to Alexa and was immediately overcome by the tainted blood. His eyes turned milky and he fell to the ground. Varel moved towards him and examined him.
"He will live, Commander," Varel pronounced.
Once Anders recovered, Alexa gave him and Oghren their Grey Warden pendants and explained they were to remember their Joining and those that did not survive it. Varel then turned to her and declared they still had much to discuss. She still needed to meet with Captain Garevel and Mistress Woolsey. Alexa held up her hand.
"Varel, I need a few moments to process everything that has happened. Is there someplace where I can gather my thoughts and take a slight rest before continuing?"
"Of course, Commander, how thoughtless of me." He turned to one of the soldiers who were accompanying Mhairi's body to the funeral pyre. "Take the Commander to her chambers," Varel ordered. The soldier saluted and then asked Alexa to follow him. Oghren and Anders were to be shown to the barracks where the other Grey Wardens had lived.
Alexa followed the soldier and recognized she was being taken to the Howe family living quarters. They passed the former rooms of the Howe children before she was escorted into the master chamber. He opened the door and allowed her to enter.
"This was Arl Rendon Howe's room," she said.
"Yes, Commander, I believe it was. Is there a problem?"
Alexa stared at the solider. Plenty, she thought but kept it to herself. "No," she finally responded. "Tell the Seneschal I shall meet with him, the Captain and Mistress Woolsey in my rooms here in twenty minutes."
"Yes, Commander," the soldier saluted. He then left Alexa to her own thoughts.
Alexa watched the man leave then gazed about the room. The irony was staggering that she would be in charge of the former Howe estate. Wherever Rendon was, he must be spitting nails, she thought. Alexa removed her weapons and armor. A basin of water and a cloth were waiting for her. She washed her body with the lukewarm water then changed into something more casual but befitting her station as Commander. She then sat in a chair and closed her eyes trying to forget everything that had happened today. But she could not forget that wherever she went, death seemed to follow. It was just never her own. Her thoughts turned to Alistair and she imagined he was there at her side. She heard him call her name. I'm proud of you darling, he said with a smile. In moments, she had drifted off to sleep putting the day's events out of her mind and dreaming of her Grey Warden with the blonde hair and boyishly handsome face.