Chapter Four: The Wardens That Weren't

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age.

Terror. As Aunn ran along the tunnels she'd been leading part of an expedition through just two days prior, she knew she had never been so terrified in her life. She might have been trying to remain calm for Gorim and for Harrowmont both so she wouldn't upset them even more and so she wouldn't lose face but now that she was out here on her own she could barely stop herself from panicking.

Panicking, though, was a bad idea. A horrible idea. Maybe if she had any intention of actually sticking to the spirit of her punishment and dying down here it might not be so bad as losing her head would surely cause her to die faster and she had little interest in spending weeks down here slowly dying of starvation, which was all that awaited her if she were careful. Well, she supposed that there was always the Legion but there was no way Bhelen wouldn't find out about that at some point and then who knew what he'd do? Not to mention that from what she knew of the Legion they required their members to get very distinctive facial tattoos so they would be easily recognized by their fellow dwarves and ancestors…no, she couldn't say that, could she? She wasn't in the records anymore, therefore she had no ancestors. She was still far too much of a snob to consent to facial tattoos, though. Maybe in a few weeks if she was starving and the Legion came across her and offered to save her…ugh. She really was fortunate that the Grey Wardens were down here, somewhere. If only she could find them.

She had no idea where she was going in the best of times of times and certainly not when she was as stricken as she was now. She didn't want to die, not like this. She almost wished she had killed Trian, just so that she would deserve this. If there was one thing she had never wanted to be, it was a victim and it was seriously pissing her off that Bhelen had turned her into one. Good, anger. Hold on to that so that it could spur her forward.

None of this was her fault! What was she supposed to have done? He gave her no warning! If she had said she would kill Trian then she very well might have gotten a chance to speak to Trian…but only after Bhelen had convinced him she was going to kill him. Trian had never been very reasonable at the best of times and if his paranoia was justified by her own words? Talking him down would have been tricky and she wasn't sure she could have managed it. Not to mention that with Ivo and – probably – that scout in Bhelen's pocket (for who knew if the ambush would have come before or after the scout's untimely demise?) one of them was sure to have been instructed to start something if it looked like it might have been resolved peacefully.

Aunn cursed at the burning in her lungs and defiantly sped up. She had been running for quite awhile and had already slaughtered the occasional Thaig crawler and roaming darkspawn. It was sad, really; this was the same path the expedition had taken a mere two days before and by the time they were through these tunnels had been completely clear of darkspawn but they had returned already. Orzammar really was in trouble but then again, so was she.

As Aunn turned yet another corner, she stopped short as she spotted the Grey Wardens slowly making their way towards freedom. She had never been so happy to see a human in her life, much less three of them, and unbidden a smile came to her lips. "I guess the ancestors haven't abandoned me, after all," she marveled. She could hardly believe it, yet here it was. She wasn't going to die after all. "Duncan!"

The leader of the Grey Wardens halted his journey and turned around at the sound of his name, looking a little surprised. It was to be expected, really: no one came down here unless they were on an official expedition and there wasn't another one planned anytime soon after the big one a few days ago.

Aunn hurried over to the Wardens. "Is that offer from three days ago still good?"

"By the maker, it's a dwarf!" one of the Grey Wardens exclaimed, sounding for all the world like it was unusual to run into dwarves in the Deep Roads.

Aunn rolled her eyes. "Well spotted."

"Lady Aeducan?" Duncan, if anything, looked more shocked upon recognizing her. "What are you doing here alone? Where are your troops?"

Aunn closed her eyes tightly. Her troops? Right. Because they had been ever-so-helpful in furthering her brother's plans. And to hear herself be called that again, after she had resigned herself to never hearing it again following Harrowmont's formal farewell…it hurt. She almost wished she didn't have to tell them what had happened but if she didn't then there was no way he would let her join them. The political considerations of taking a princess into their ranks when the king disapproved…no, they would probably attempt to return her to Orzammar and wouldn't that be fun. "I…that title is no longer entirely accurate, I'm afraid."

"Ah," Duncan said with sudden realization. "You have been made to walk the Deep Roads, then."

"You mean you were exiled?" the Warden from earlier gasped. "What happened?"

"I do not think matters of dwarven honor are any business of ours," Duncan said sharply, glancing over at his nosy compatriot. "You need not answer, friend," he said more gently, looking back at her.

Tempting, but she couldn't very well run from this. If they ever encountered anyone from Orzammar with her in their ranks the subject would certainly come up. Orzammar had never been kind to those it had rejected, whether due to birth or deed. She wondered which category she fell into. Probably both. "No, it's alright," she claimed. It really wasn't but it had to be done. Maybe voicing it would make it easier for her to wrap her head around, easier to believe that this was real. "My brother…"

"Prince Trian?" Duncan prompted. It seemed that now that she had confirmed her willingness to discuss the matter of her exile, however grudgingly, he was just as eager to know what had happened. She supposed it wasn't surprising, dwarven nature being what it was. It was probably the same for humans.

"He's dead," Aunn said shortly. "The Assembly decided that I did it and Bhelen led the effort to throw me to the darkspawn."

"So…did you do it?" that one Grey Warden just didn't know when to stop talking, did he?

"The Assembly certainly says I did, which means that legally I am guilty," Aunn explained. "Although, technically I no longer legally exist, either…"

"Orzammar law is weird," the Grew Warden said bluntly.

Duncan sighed heavily. "Terrowin, that's enough."

"Sorry, Duncan," the Grey Warden, Terrowin apparently, apologized, having the grace to look a bit sheepish.

"I am sorry to hear about your brother's death and your exile," Duncan told her sincerely. "It would seem that the brutal intrigue of the dwarven court continues. Your father intimated as much."

Aunn's heart stopped. Her father had what? He had suspected something like this would happen? Most likely between her and Trian and she supposed all things considered it wasn't surprising and yet…still…but no, there was no point in getting upset about this. If she kept along this line of thinking then she was sure to get some bona fide daddy issues and Trian and Bhelen had had more than enough for all of them. Of course, now that Trian was dead maybe it was her turn.

"You know, you're the first person to offer condolences for what happened," Aunn remarked, almost idly. "Everyone else either saw no need to commiserate with my brother's killer or was more concerned about making sure that I didn't die for something they believed that I did not do."

Terrowin looked like he desperately wanted to press her for an actual answer regarding her innocence or guilt but refrained, for which Aunn was somewhat grateful. She had no answer to give. No, she had not actually done the deed but legally she was responsible. Exactly how much could she be expected to defy the Assembly? They were the second-highest authority in Orzammar and the only person with more power than them – her father – was at least tacitly backing them on this. She may not agree, but she did respect their authority.

"It is not the way of this order to pass judgments on the pasts of others," Duncan assured her. "You've already proven yourself both resourceful and skilled and I would expect nothing less from an Aeducan."

Aunn started. Why was he still referring to her as an Aeducan? He already knew she had been exiled and he had to know enough of her customs to understand what that meant. Unless… "What is the Surfacer policy for exiles? Do they actually keep their name?"

Duncan nodded. "In Orzammar you may not exist anymore and were you a Grey Warden it would not matter but yes, on the Surface you would remain Aunn Aeducan."

"I'm okay with that," she admitted quietly. It's not like she knew how to not be an Aeducan anyway.

"As you are aware, a Blight is coming. I've been searching for those with your level of ability. Your exploits in the Deep Roads set you apart and there is no reason for you to walk these Deep Roads and die for something you did not do," Duncan said slowly.

"I never said I didn't do it," Aunn pointed out, trying not to sound too eager. Was he about to offer what she hoped he was?

"Even if you did, then you are still the child of my old friend, and do not deserve to die in this pit," Duncan said firmly. "You had expressed an interest in enlisting in our ranks at your feast and when you first found us you indicated that that was still something you were interested in. As such, as the leader of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden, I would like to formally invite you to join our Order."

"Yes," Aunn replied almost before he had finished offering. She was actually going to get to be a Grey Warden after all? Whoever would have thought, when she'd been turned into a sodding victim, that something positive could come out of this catastrophe?

"Then welcome," Duncan said warmly as the five of them continued towards the Surface. "We have a few stops to make before joining with the human forces lead by King Cailan at Ostagar to face the darkspawn hordes. Stay close, there are still darkspawn around every corner."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Terrowin asked her. "I mean, being a Grey Warden…you can't back out of it, you know?"

"What else could I do?" Aunn returned rhetorically. "I know next to nothing about the Surface, you know. Some people are convinced that if you go up there you will fall into the sky."

"Well, I can assure you that that has never happened to me," Terrowin said dryly. "Nor to any of the dwarves I've met, although admittedly there haven't been that many."

"I never said that I believed it!" Aunn said defensively. "…But that is good to know, thanks."

"No problem," Terrowin smiled at her. "But the question still stands."

Aunn shrugged. "I've seen what the darkspawn can do and I'm not about to sit back and try for a civilian life when a Blight is at hand. Besides, what else could I do? From what I've heard of Surface dwarves, they are usually merchants or smiths. I know nothing about smithing and couldn't possibly learn enough to support myself fast enough and I know very little about being a merchant and have no connections and no idea where to start. I suppose I could always marry a smith or a merchant, but if I were willing to just fade into the background and let a husband take control then I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place, now would I? Besides, all of those options sound terribly dull."

Duncan chuckled. "I fear the Grey Wardens will not be as glamorous as you no doubt are envisioning but it is certainly not 'dull.' When we stop at Denerim we should be able to get you some dwarven armor. I assume you have nothing but what you're wearing?"

Aunn hesitated. "Well…I did see some armor on a few corpses I passed but…"

"But?" Duncan prompted.

Aunn made a face. "Was I really supposed to put on armor I pulled off of a corpse? I wouldn't even have had an opportunity to clean it and I just…no. Not happening."

"That was reckless," Duncan admonished. "You might have been killed before reaching us."

"I'm supposed to get myself killed," Aunn reminded them. "And it's not like I needed it; the darkspawn didn't land a single hit."

"You are a very skilled fighter," Duncan acknowledged. "But if you are going to survive long enough to be a help against the darkspawn you are going to need armor at some point."

That was fine. Just as long as it didn't come from a dead man it had so very clearly failed to protect.

...................

Their first stop was the Circle Tower, supposedly home to all of the Ferelden mages. Aunn wasn't convinced as the thought that every mage in the entire country would be willing to go live there seemed a little far-fetched, especially considering how dreary and isolated the whole place looked. Granted, Orzammar was also quite insulated but it was also bigger and more populated than this giant phallic prison seemed to be.

In the two weeks it had taken to get from Orzammar to the Circle Tower, Aunn had very little time to dwell on the circumstances of her joining the Wardens, for which she was grateful. It might have been just travelling to her companions, but it was her introduction to a whole new world she had honestly never expected to see and which would, tragically, probably be her only world from now on.

Aunn really wished she could say that she had handled her first glimpse of the Surface with poise and dignity but, well, honestly she hadn't exactly. Of course, if anyone ever asked her, she intended to lie like nobody's business but she'd know the truth regardless. Her first glimpse of the sun had hurt her eyes and Duncan had had to warn her against staring into it directly. And the sky was just so open and empty that once she had managed to tear her eyes away from the big ball of fire in the sky she had stood transfixed staring at it, searching for the end, and the Grey Wardens had kept going for almost a minute before realizing that she'd stopped. The first time she had encountered grass she hadn't known what it was and wasn't sure if it was okay to just trample the small plant that appeared to be everywhere or if there was some strange Surface way of walking on it that she had yet to be made aware of, though she was assured that it was fine.

The Surface was…weird and not at all what she thought it would be. Admittedly, she hadn't really had a clear picture of what she had imagined it would be like – how did one go around imaging a giant hole where the ceiling should be, anyway? – but her continued surprise seemed to indicate that this was certainly nothing like her vague thoughts on the subject had been. Everything was so much brighter on the Surface and more colorful, too. It made things more interesting to look at but also distinctly alien. The smells were just wrong, although she didn't quite know how to explain it. That was another thing she had never really spent much time considering, but clearly the smell of the underground and the smell of the Surface were nothing alike. At least the dirt still smelled the same, even if nothing else did. Granted, picking up a handful of dirt and sniffing it had earned her some strange looks but she was homesick and an exile in a strange land so she was entitled to some eccentricities!

Everyone was so much taller than she was, too. She had seen humans before, of course, though not often and their towering above her people made her feel that their height was unnatural and not hers. Realistically, of course, Aunn knew that they were both perfectly appropriate for their separate species but now that she was the one surrounded by those that might not even notice her if they weren't paying attention…she didn't belong here. She knew that but the constant reminders were not helping matters. And she swore that the first time someone tripped on her, looked around at their eye level when she addressed them, or did anything else to make it clear that they didn't see her…well, it wouldn't end well for them, now would it? These humans she was travelling with now and the ones she saw on the way to the Circle Tower…they were a completely different species to her and she was having problems getting past that. They were a different species like nugs or bronto were different species. Granted, dwarves and humans were far closer related than either of them were to the nugs or bronto but it was still an indelible barrier between them. She might feel the difference less in time but she couldn't imagine in and honestly wasn't sure she would want to. If she stopped worrying about things like that then wouldn't that make her a 'proper' Surface dwarf? Had things been different and she'd been allowed to join the Wardens without being exiled first she would still have a lot of the same problems, she knew, but then at least she'd have the option of going home and feeling normal again if things got to be too much. Now, however…now this was the only option she had.

Fortunately, her companions were pretty understanding of her sensory overload, if a little bemused at just how many basic Surface things she had simply never heard of. Terrowin, as she'd expected, never knew when to stop talking but he meant well. Sadon was much quieter but whenever he did say something it was usually sarcastic, which she could appreciate. He actually reminded her a little of Gorim in that regard but she was most certainly not thinking about that. She liked Duncan the most, though. Not only was he the one who had saved her and gave her the option to keep the details of her exile to herself, but he was always very patient answering her sometimes incessant questions. She wasn't trying to be annoying, of course, and feared that it may come off that way despite her best intentions but she really just hated how ignorant she was of the Surface and was doing her utmost to correct that as quickly as possible.

When they had arrived at Lake Calenhad – named for the man who had united the warring lands into one country and became the first Ferelden King 400 years ago – there had been a messenger from the neighboring castle of Redcliffe. Apparently Duncan, Terrowin, Sadon, and another Grey Warden named Tybalt had stopped at Redcliffe first and had recruited the winner of a tournament into the Wardens and sent him off to Ostagar with Tybalt. The Arl, Eamon, had known Duncan intended to return to look into the situation with the mages the Chantry was allowing to join the King's army at Ostagar after he had first destroyed an ancient and corruptive Tevinter mirror (apparently already done) and then traveled to Orzammar seek further evidence of the Blight.

Apparently the army was amassing at this 'Ostagar' – which Duncan explained was an ancient Tevinter fortress – over a period of several weeks, during which time Duncan was travelling all across the land taking care of Blight business and searching for recruits. Several weeks sounded dreadfully inefficient to Aunn, but then again if troops had to come from all across a vast country with limited communication then that might explain part of the delay. It still wasn't very practical, of course, but there it was. Eamon was the King's uncle but for some reason the King wanted every other noble's forces at Ostagar except his. That was very strange and there was probably more to the story but all Eamon wanted was for Duncan to remind the King that his forces could arrive at Ostagar within a week if need be.

Duncan had agreed to deliver the message then sent Terrowin and Sadon to Ostagar with the rest of the Ferelden Wardens in case a battle should break out before he was ready to travel there himself. Aunn herself would be staying with Duncan as she wouldn't be much help in a battle without armor and he doubted that there would be any dwarven armor available at Ostagar.

After Terrowin and Sadon had left, she and Duncan had gotten onto a boat ran by a human named Kester and set off for the Tower. Aunn was actually glad that she was getting the chance to travel around Ferelden as that was sure to be an easier way of finding out about the Surface then sitting around waiting for something to happen at any army camp.

When they had arrived, Duncan had been taken right to the two people in charge, a mage named Irving and a 'Templar' named Greagoir. She really had no idea what that even was, but fortunately for her there was a man dressed similarly to Greagoir in front of her so she could probably get the answers to her questions that way. Unfortunately, he was a little distracted dreamily watching two girls arguing.

"Of course they're not going to give us a ceremony for becoming full mages!" a dark-haired girl with pointy ears was insisting. Aunn had never seen an elf before, but she was fairly certain this mage was one. "Honestly, Angélique, don't you think that if they were it we would have seen other people's ceremonies?"

"Maybe only full mages get to attend," the blonde human, Angélique, suggested. "I just wish I knew so I could dress accordingly. I certainly wouldn't want to wear an icky mage outfit if there's going to be a party."

The elf groaned. "First a ceremony and now a party? Can you at least pretend you're capable of rationality for two seconds?"

"There's no need to be so condescending, Caunira," Angélique sniffed.

"With you there's always a need to be condescending," Caunira muttered. "If we were going to get a medal or a party then why do some people not survive it?"

"Parties are serious business," Angélique said knowingly. "Some people just can't handle being that fabulous, I guess."

Caunira just stared at her for a moment. "…How exactly are you managing to get your Harrowing next week again?"

Angélique smiled winningly. "I'm just that talented. Don't feel bad, though, you must be adequate yourself since you're going the same day that I am."

Caunira rolled her eyes. "We arrived here within a week of each other and yet you going next week makes you amazing and yet I must only be 'adequate'? That is so typical."

"The world needs adequate mages, as well, if only to make us amazing ones stand out more," Angélique attempted to console the other mage.

"Please, tell me why it would be called the 'Harrowing' if it's supposed to be a party?" Caunira demanded.

"Maybe it's a misleading name," Angélique suggested. "It would be a great way to trick the newcomers. Too bad I'm too smart for them!"

Caunira threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "You know, that's it; I don't even care. I'm going to go find Jowan."

"Not if I find him first!" Angélique countered.

Caunira closed her eyes tightly. "You are so lucky he likes you, Amell, or I probably would have strangled you in your sleep by now."

"And you, Surana, are lucky that I am such an amazing and gorgeous person or else your constant negativity would really get on my nerves," Angélique returned.

The two glared at each other before storming off in opposite directions.

The minute they were out of sight the man she had been attempting to talk to blinked and looked down at her. "Sorry, you were saying something?"

Aunn rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you should just tell her you like her or something or get a transfer if you can't focus if she's in the same room."

"What?" the man started. "I'm not hopelessly in love with Angélique, why would you even suggest such a thing?"

Aunn shot him a look. "Really? Her?"

"What's wrong with her?" the man asked defensively.

Other than the fact she seemed to be shallow, self-absorbed, and a bit of an idiot? "Nothing, nothing…and the fact you were staring at her from the moment she walked into the room to the moment she left it might be some sort of indication."

"I can't be in love with her," the man insisted stubbornly if unconvincingly. "As I am a Templar and she is a mage."

"So you're a Templar?" Aunn asked, eager to get the conversation back on track.

The Templar nodded. "Oh, where are my manners? I am the Templar Cullen, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I am the soon-to-be Grey Warden Aunn," Aunn introduced. "So what is a templar, exactly, and why do you wear skirts? Is that a Templar thing or a Surface thing?"

"It is not a skirt!" Cullen bristled. "This is my templar uniform."

"That doesn't mean the uniform doesn't consist of armor on top and then a skirt," Aunn pointed out.

"You may not see the purpose but I assure you that it is an ancient templar tradition with-" Cullen began heatedly.

"Okay," Aunn said simply.

"Okay?" Cullen repeated. "Just like that?"

"Sure," Aunn shrugged. "Traditions are traditions, after all."

"Oh, well…that they are, I guess," Cullen remarked. "And you asked what a Templar was, as well? Have you really never heard of us?"

"I am going to assume from your presence at the Tower that Templars are somehow involved with mages – not like that – and I only recently left Orzammar where we did not have any mages," Aunn explained. Cullen had looked like he was going to have a heart attack when she'd Templars mentioned being 'involved with' mages.

Cullen nodded. "Right you are. Templars are a military order of the Chantry that watches the mages in the Circle tower and hunts down apostates and maleficars. We also preside over the Harrowings, which is a rite of passage for mage apprentices, but the details of that are classified. Do you at least know what the Chantry is?"

So she had been right, not all Ferelden mages did live here. Not that she could blame those that didn't; this place was rather dreary. "I have," Aunn confirmed. She might not know much but Brother Genitivi had told her a little about them the last time he had come through Orzammar. "But what are apostates and maleficars?"

"Apostates are mages that are not part of the Circle," Cullen informed her. "There are two kinds: Hedge mages who were never part of the Circle and rogue mages who have fled. Rogue mages are, of course, far easier to track down-"

"Why?" Aunn interrupted.

"Because rogue mages still have their phylactery, of course," Cullen replied. "You…don't know what that is either, I guess? It is the essence of a magical being. All mages apprentices have blood taken from them when they enter the tower that we templars can use to track them down if they flee."

Aunn made a face. "That sounds…I am so glad I'm not a mage and not just because that would require me to be a human or an elf."

"Me too," Cullen admitted. "But there are reasons for a lot of it. Mages can be a danger to themselves and others if they can't control their magic and they are the usual targets demons seek to possess, which results in them becoming abominations. Not to mention maleficars, which are mages that practice forbidden arts such as blood magic. Maleficars are not necessarily apostates and vice versa, but that's how it usually works."

"What's blood magic?" Aunn wondered. "Is it just magic that uses blood? How is that bad?"

"Blood magic was taught to humans by demons," Cullen exposited. "It involves sacrificing your life force or the life force of others to wield. It's very powerful, very much against the Chantry, and has a great potential for abuse. Some say the Tevinters used blood magic to enter the Golden City and turn it into the Black City and themselves into darkspawn. And let's not forget the potential for mind control…"

Aunn shuddered. "Sounds bad."

"It is," Cullen confirmed. "Which is why it's strictly forbidden."

"So back to what I was originally asking, why can't Templars and mages get together?" Aunn inquired. "Is it because they fear it would compromise the Templars' ability to guard the mages if they were involved?"

Cullen nodded. "That's why it would be worse if the person a Templar was involved with was a mage but Templars are actually not allowed to get involved with anyone. In fact, we've taken vows to that effect."

Aunn's eyes widened in horror. "You mean…ever?!?!"

"Chantry sisters and revered mothers can't, either," Cullen confirmed.

"Okay, take it back," Aunn announced. "I would so rather be a mage…"

....................

After the Circle Tower, they went to the teynir of Highever to look into recruiting a talented fighter. The news from the Circle Tower hadn't been promising. The Templars were agreeing to spare seven mages for the fight. Seven. Mages must be very powerful indeed for that to even begin to make sense. Aunn herself had never seen a mage in action aside from the rare darkspawn equivalent and, as a dwarf, she was naturally resistant to magic so she knew she really didn't have an accurate idea of their capabilities. Still, seven? Against an entire horde? If they were really all that powerful how ever did the Templars keep them in check? She should have asked Cullen. Maybe they had some sort of resistance to magic of their own?

Seven mages…sure she had gone into the Aeducan Thaig with only one other person to begin with and at most had only three people with her but she was just fighting stragglers, not an entire horde! The mage in charge, Irving, had wanted to send more but the head Templar, Greagoir, hadn't allowed it and wasn't happy about sending the seven he did agree to. Irving also wanted Duncan to recruit Angélique and Caunira but Duncan didn't have time to wait a week for their Harrowing and Greagoir, not thrilled with the prospect of losing two brand-new mages to the Wardens, refused to move it up. Duncan promised he'd be back to see if they were qualified after Ostagar and Aunn really, really hoped that they weren't. Caunira would be okay, she supposed, but the other one? Angélique? She'd sooner go back to properly fill out her sentence in the Deep Roads then deal with her on a regular basis.

Aunn wasn't entirely sure what a teynir was and so Duncan quickly explained the Ferelden system of nobility. At the top were the King and Queen, of course, followed by the Teyrns. In Ferelden there were two Teyrns: Teyrn Bryce Cousland of Highever and Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir of Gwaren. Loghain was apparently some big hero from when he had helped drive the occupying Orlesians out of Ferelden some thirty years ago. She had known Orlais was a neighboring country but this was the first she had heard of an occupation. Then again, as long as the Orlesians knew better than to try to invade Orzammar why would they care what was happening with Surface politics? Beneath the Teyrns there were the Arls and beneath them were the Banns. That sounded simple enough to remember.

Officially, Duncan was here to recruit one of the Highever knights, Ser Roland Gilmore. If the way Teyrn Cousland (why was it that it was Teyrn Cousland and Teyrn Loghain, anyway? Did they go by what sounded better since? One would think that they could at least be consistent with addressing them by their given name or their surname) was nervously eyeing his daughter and keeping her far away from Duncan was any indication, he feared that she was his real target. Grey Wardens had the right of conscription so technically Duncan could choose whoever he wanted to for the Order but recruiting Anastasia Cousland posed the same political problems allowing her to join before her exile would have: an angry and hostile father with a great amount of influence.

They had been at Highever three days so far and Gilmore was nearly finished showing off his martial prowess for Duncan to see if he was Grey Warden material and Aunn was waiting with Anastasia and her older brother Fergus in the library. Aunn was grateful that Fergus was there as things had been a bit awkward since she had inadvertently walked in on Anastasia and Gilmore in a compromising position the day before. It seemed she wasn't the only noblewoman to be more interested in knights then in noble boys. She had, of course, promised not to say anything and she intended to keep that promise but Anastasia had been a little wary ever since. It was hardly Aunn's fault that they had forgotten to lock the door before they started going at it, though.

"Oh, cut it out," Anastasia was saying, swatting at her brother playfully. "He will not!"

"You know that Arl Howe has always wanted one of us to marry one of his children," Fergus countered. "It took him nearly a year after my wedding to Oriana he seemed to remember that I was no longer available."

"Well, yes," Anastasia admitted. "But Thomas drinks too much and flirts with everything that moves. Not to mention he's five years younger than me!"

"And Delilah is eight years younger than me," Fergus countered. "And while I know you're not big on alcohol, you're hardly one to talk about being overly flirtatious. You're starting to get a reputation."

Anastasia shrugged. "Am I? Oh well. I'm not the one anyone's seeking to engage to one of the Howes so that's hardly relevant."

"Didn't you like Nathaniel when you were younger?" Fergus queried.

"I did," Anastasia conceded. "But he was far older than me and that crush died as soon as he grew that disgusting furry thing on his chin."

Fergus rolled his eyes. "It's called a 'beard', little sister, and it's a perfectly natural phenomenon. I have one too, you know."

"You don't have this 'beard' that you speak of, you have stubble," Anastasia corrected. "And laugh if you must but that thing gave me nightmares for a month!"

Fergus apparently must because he immediately startled chuckling. "You're so picky, Anastasia. No wonder mother can't find someone for you to marry."

"Oh, look who's talking," Anastasia shot back. "You're so picky you had to look outside the country for your bride!"

"At least I got married," Fergus said smugly. "And ever since Oren was born mother hasn't had anything cross to say to me."

"She's too busy focusing on me, I'm sure," Anastasia muttered. "You know that I'll only get married if it's for love, right? Because if I don't then I'll just end up falling for and having a torrid affair with the local blacksmith and you know what father always says about that."

" 'Marry the blacksmith'," the Cousland siblings said together.

"Still," Anastasia said slowly, biting her lip, "there are a lot of noble boys in the world. I'm sure to find someone someday." She didn't sound very happy about that and Aunn wondered if it was because of Gilmore. She could certainly relate, or at least she had been able to before the world had ended.

"Well, don't worry," Fergus told her warmly. "If he tries anything when he arrives – if he ever arrives, he's already delayed bringing his troops twice – then I'll distract him while you make a break for it."

Aunn watched silently as the two interacted. They were nobility, just like she had been. They were only marginally below actually being royalty so it really amounted to about the same thing anyway. Fergus was the elder but the Teyrn hadn't declared his successor yet so rumor had it his heir might be Anastasia. The two of them were rivals as well as siblings and yet there didn't seem to be any bitterness between them like with Trian. They looked as if they loved each other and there wasn't even anything slightly off like there had been about Bhelen for years. They were siblings that were genuinely close complete with loving parents, an easygoing wife/in-law, and an adorable child. They were nobility and yet the managed to have both power and a real family.

It almost made her wish…but there was no point.

.............................

As it happened, Gilmore did qualify to be a Grey Warden and so he set off with them towards the human capital of Denerim. Teyrn Cousland seemed glad to see the back of them, if only because this way he could be sure his daughter wouldn't be running off to join them. All Aunn could think about the entire time they were travelling was her promise to Gorim that she'd find him in Denerim. It had only been a few short weeks since she'd left – a few weeks that had felt like forever and yet practically no time at all – and so there was really no guarantee that he'd made it to the city yet. Her exile had been rushed and since Gorim had gotten in to see her just fine even though he'd been sentenced to come to the Surface, who even knew how long it would actually be until he left?

She tried not to get her hopes up as she scanned every area they passed through for any sign of him. Denerim was a big city so it was conceivable that he was already there but she was simply looking in the wrong places. She really wished that she and Gorim had been more specific about where they were supposed to find each other but then again they didn't know much about the Surface as it was and it wasn't like he could just stand in one agreed-upon spot forever just waiting for her to show up when there was really no guarantee that she'd even survive the Deep Roads long enough to find Duncan…It made sense that they couldn't have been more specific but she really wished that they had.

"What are you looking for?" Gilmore asked her curiously. "Or is this just your first time in a big city like Denerim? I know the first time I came here I got lost three times and Lady Cousland wouldn't stop laughing at me for a week."

Aunn shook her head. "I was born in a big city so I'm used to that. It's actually all the space in the country that feels a bit surreal. I'm just looking for a friend of mine who said he was planning on coming here the last time I saw him." That was nice and vague, wasn't it? No need to get into specifics.

"Well, if you don't find him this time you can always come back after Ostagar and seek him out, then," Gilmore suggested.

"I'll probably have to," Aunn sighed.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Duncan asked suddenly, looking amused.

Aunn glanced over to see a human with rather strange facial hair pull his hand back from where Duncan had caught it. "I guess you're not the easy mark I was hoping for after all. Sorry about that and now I've got to run," he said quickly before taking off.

"Hey, is that Daveth?" one of the guards asked.

"It is!" another one exclaimed. "Let's get him!"

Duncan was looking in the direction Daveth had run speculatively.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're going to have to go chasing after them?" Aunn wondered aloud.

"Probably because Wardens take recruits wherever they can get them and this Daveth character seems to be desperate?" Gilmore suggested.

"There's no need," Duncan told them. "They'll need to take him before the captain of the guard once they catch him."

Duncan led them to a bored-looking man in armor that looked like it had never seen combat.

"You're the Grey Warden they're talking about, aren't you?" the captain asked, glancing over at them.

"Indeed," Duncan nodded at him.

"Can I help you with something then?" the captain inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at the moment, no. Perhaps if we could just wait here?" Duncan suggested.

The captain shrugged. "Oh, why not? Just don't cause any trouble."

"We shall do our utmost not to," Duncan promised.

And then they had to wait. Aunn quickly grew bored and wished they'd been able to find the armorer before getting sidetracked by this baseborn dung-beetle of a thief. Nearly half an hour had passed and Aunn was about half-way through her fifth elaborate death scenario for Daveth when he reappeared in the custody of the two guards who had chased after him before.

"Captain, we managed to capture Daveth," one of them announced proudly.

"He's a tricky one," the other added, "but we got him in the end."

"Ah, Daveth…" the guard said slowly, sounding satisfied. "We've been trying to capture you for some time, did you know that?"

"I might have had some idea," Daveth said defiantly, looking the captain straight in the eye.

"Always making a nuisance of yourself, stealing from the rich, and just generally causing trouble," the captain continued as if he hadn't heard him. "I trust you've heard that we intend to hang you?"

Daveth said nothing.

"If I may," Duncan spoke up.

The captain started and glanced over at Duncan as if he had forgotten that he was there and had no idea why he was getting involved. "Certainly, Warden."

"I hereby invoke the right of conscription," Duncan announced.

"You…what?" the captain gasped. "Are you certain? He's a criminal!"

"I am certain," Duncan insisted. "And if you are so eager to hang him then that just goes to show that I was right in my estimation about him having skills."

"I suppose you are," the captain agreed reluctantly. "I can't say I think much of your judgment, Warden, but it is your right. Have him out of the city by tomorrow."

"I will," Duncan assured him.

"Am I hearing this correctly?" Daveth asked gleefully. "I'm NOT going to hang?"

"No, you're going to go be a Grey Warden," the captain confirmed, shaking his head in bemusement. "For all the good you'll do them…"

Daveth promptly flipped the captain off and followed merrily after Duncan as the Warden-Commander began walking again.

"Well," Aunn said, trying to be optimistic. "At least he's better than Angélique."

"Who?" Gilmore asked her.

Aunn merely shook her head. "Oh, trust me, you do NOT want to know."

"If she's female and half-attractive then I definitely want to know," Daveth piped up.

"She's a mage," Aunn said shortly.

Daveth grinned. "Kinky."

"The Grey Wardens do take all kinds," Gilmore reminded her.

"I know," Aunn said softly, remembering how she'd yet to give a conclusive answer on whether she'd killed Trian or not.

"Here we are," Duncan stopped suddenly in front of a sign that said 'Wade's Emporium.' "Wade is a little eccentric but he gets bored crafting the same types of armor so he keeps a variety of armor in stock and you can usually count on him to have something for elves and dwarves as well as humans."

Practically the moment the four had crossed the threshold into the store, they were greeted by an overeager if harried-looking blonde man. "Welcome to Wade's Emporium!" he greeted them. "Please tell me you're here to buy something we already have made and not expecting a custom order? And for the love of all that is good in this world please don't tell me you're here to order something custom-made."

"You're so mean to me, Herron," a dark-skinned man with an large mustache (Wade?) pouted as he came in from the next room. "Ah, Duncan! Did you manage to find the drake scale, heartwood, golem shell, or dragon bone I was looking for yet?"

"Wade!" Herron looked positively pained at this point. "Can you at least pretend that you're not illicitly trying to gain more 'interesting' materials and completely leaving our paying customer's orders unfinished?"

"You wound me," Wade said innocently. "There's nothing illicit about it if I'm asking right in front of you. And you just don't understand true art…"

"Not yet, old friend," Duncan spoke up, gesturing towards Aunn. "I was actually hoping to purchase some armor for my friend here."

Wade peered closely at her. "Ah, I believe I do have something for a dwarf. Herron?"

"Ah yes, let me see…" Herron disappeared into the back room for a few moments before returning with a set of armor in his hands. "We don't have many dwarven customers so I keep this apart from the rest of the stock but it's fine quality, I assure you."

Aunn inspected the armor carefully. It wasn't as nice as the armor she was accustomed to – but then again, as a princess with access to the Orzammar private royal armorer she was used to nothing but the best – but it was still very nice craftsmanship and looked like something the higher-ups in the warrior caste might wear. She really did need to work on that whole snobbery thing, didn't she? "This is something I can use," she announced.

She put on the armor while Duncan settled the bill. She wished she could pay for it herself but she had no money with her and wasn't sure when she would get any. She'd pay him back eventually, though. Her pride demanded it. The fact her pride's demand to get her out of rags and into some proper armor again was the only reason she could even bring herself to accept this.

"Aw, you could at least take your other clothes off," Daveth suggested, wiggling his eyebrows. Aunn decided the best way to respond to that was to simply ignore it.

Standing there, properly attired again for the first time in weeks, Aunn was almost able to believe that she could do this.

....................................

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Duncan asked quietly but authoritatively.

"The guards took her away," the leader of the elven alienage – Valendrian - clarified. The daughter of the woman he had once intended to recruit and who he had come to try to recruit in her place was gone and Duncan was not happy.

"What happened?" Duncan demanded.

"Two weeks ago Ahria's groom arrived early from the Alienage in Highever and so we decided to do a double wedding with her cousin Soris since his bride had also arrived," Valendrian explained. "But the Arl of Denerim's son, Vaughan, interrupted the wedding to kidnap the entire bridal party. Soris and Ahria's intended went to go save the women. The groom-to-be didn't make it, though Soris and Ahria were able to rescue everyone. Unfortunately, they killed Vaughan in the process and so the guards came to take the two away and we haven't heard anything about Soris since then but Ahria…Ahria is dead. She was the one to kill Vaughan – violently – and the humans made sure to let everyone know what had happened to her. Soris' sister Shianni is taking is pretty hard. She blames herself for provoking Vaughan earlier that day…"

"I see," Duncan sighed. "That is most regrettable and I am sorry for your loss. I do find myself curious as to why a wedding was scheduled two weeks ago when you knew I was coming to recruit her."

Valendrian looked down. "I wanted to keep her safe like Adaia. Joining the Grey Wardens is a dangerous choice and there's no turning back. Ironically, it turns out my actions made her exactly as safe as her mother…"

"A Blight is coming," Duncan informed him. "I need recruits."

Valendrian paled. "A Blight? Are you certain? Never mind, of course you are. If only I'd known…"

"You had no way of knowing that," Duncan pointed out. "Now, I'm very sorry that I cannot stay, old friend, but I must head south to Ostagar. If the darkspawn horde is not stopped there then it will spread and ravage the land unchecked until the Archdemon appears."

That certainly didn't sound good. To Ostagar, then.

Note: So that's why the DN is the Warden instead of any of the other options: Duncan arrived too late to save the DE after she and Tamlen touched the mirror, he wanted to recruit the DC but the Orzammar guards spirited her away after she broke out of prison and killed Beraht, the HM and EM had yet to go through their Harrowing so he was too early for them, Howe had yet to even arrive for the HN, and he was too late to save the CE.

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