The Dwemer, who were they really?
Where did they go?
Why are we left with such wonders, left behind as if for a break
yet now we know only the ruins, the houses,
not the builders, nor the residents.
- Arrentus Silvia, Scholar of the Cynod
Ostagar
Talia was about to ask what Duncan meant, and how he could know that, when she noticed someone approaching them from the other side of the palisaded gate protecting their side of Ostagar. A thick barrier of sharpened trees, tall enough to make scaling without equipment close-to impossible.
The man approaching them was - and here she blinked to make sure her eyes were intact and not bullshitting her - wearing armor made from gold. Who by Zenithar makes armor from gold?
"Ho there, Duncan." The man hollered. His head was the only part of him not shielded by the massive armor, and long blonde hair flowed down his neck. Talia idly noted that it was longer than hers. His face was lit in an almost childlike smile upon seeing Duncan. Odd, maybe he was yet another Warden? Duncan's nephew could be a valid guess too, what with the man's obvious youth and happiness.
The golden armor lacked any sigils though, and the guards accompanying the man spoke of some higher importance. Maybe this was one of the other nobles, leading the army?
"King Cailan?" Duncan replied respectfully, if surprised, taking the man's outstretched hand. Talia felt like her jaw and hands were ready to drop straight off. This is the KING?! He's a child, by Akatosh!; "I wasn't expecting a-"
"A royal welcome? I needed to welcome back the Warden-Commander, of course. Also, Loghain is dragging on with his tactics. The Darkspawn will be here, and it will be glorious. Facing evil side by side with the Wardens. Just like the heroes of legend." Talia resisted the urge to groan. The king was not only a young, naïve man, he was also apparently going to fight on the front with the Grey Wardens. All that added up to one conclusion in her mind. We… we're kinda screwed.
Hopefully, whomever this Loghain was, he was somewhat less of a child.
"Your uncle sends his regards, your majesty. The forces of Redcliffe can be here within the week, if you are willing to wait." Duncan said as he repositioned himself after the somewhat awkward stand-by-Cailan he'd been pulled into. While Talia found it a bit funny, Aedan didn't seem to notice. Though, the king seemed to notice him.
"Eamon just wants in on all the glory. We've beaten back the horde before, and we'll do so again." Cailan said, then turned a smile at Aedan. A smile that wasn't returned; "You there, you are Bryce's youngest, are you not? I was surprised when he didn't arrive with the Highever forces."
"Are... are you not… even aware that my parents are dead?" Aedan asked in disbelief. Cailan's face went from happy, bypassed disbelieving and went straight to utter horror.
"Dead? What? Whe- how?" The king exclaimed, all joy now as if washed away from his face. Duncan saved Aedan from further words by stepping in himself;
"I am afraid we bring dire news as well, your majesty. Arl Howe has overtaken the Teyrnir of Highever, and murdered Bryce and Eleanor Cousland. We barely escaped with our lives." Duncan was indeed a better man to talk to the king. Talia looked at Aedan, and saw the fresh pain emerging at the mentioning of his parents' murder.
She wanted, not for the first time, to hug him until things were made better by it.
"What could he possibly hope to gain from-" Cailan cursed under his breath, then snapped back up to look at Aedan, a fury in his eyes that did not match his kind face; "You have my word, Aedan Cousland, that as soon as we have won our victory here, I will turn my army on Highever and bring Howe to justice. He will hang for this!"
"Fergus, my brother?" The reply seemed to have at least removed the dead look from Aedan's eyes, though the pain was still there. Cailan nodded;
"Fergus arrived safely with the Highever forces. Currently though, he is out scouting and likely won't be able to return before after the battle. I am sorry, but there is nothing more I can do." Cailan said. He looked like he genuinely wanted to march whatever soldiers he had, first out to find Fergus and bring him back, then off to Highever. He might be a fool… but his heart at least seems to be in the right place. Likely, he is a better warrior than a ruler.
"...Thank you, Your Majesty." Aedan's reply was clipped, but at least as polite as a royal person might require.
"...your father was a good friend of mine, and your parents both were valued supporters of the crown." Cailan nodded, his voice somber; "I cannot bring your family back, Aedan, but I can, and will, give you justice. You have my word."
Cailan then turned and left, leaving the three of them alone once more. Talia looked at Duncan for a few moments, trying to figure out the best way to voice her thoughts.
"Your king… is sorta weird." She settled with in the end. Duncan seemed to have expected the comment, but still wasn't exactly pleased with it; "But he's the good sort, I think."
"So, this isn't even a Blight?" Aedan muttered, looking at the king as he, and a good score of guards, returned to the camp. It was difficult for Talia to figure out what was going on in his mind at that moment, and she wasn't sure she even wanted to know. The question held both accusation, confusion and relief.
"What the king says is true. They haven't seen an Archdemon so far, so I don't blame him for believing it merely a large Darkspawn raid." Duncan explained as the two young ones looked at him. Aedan with something that seemed like disinterest, while Talia was somewhere between relief and annoyed that she hadn't a clue what an Archdemon was.
"Archdemon?" She asked, mild disbelief probably clear in her voice. Was that some sort of overpowered version of the demons she had already faced? Duncan nodded;
"In Blights past, there has always been a great, corrupted dragon leading the Horde. Archdemons are the old gods of Tevinter, of which there were seven in total. If this is a Blight, it will be the fifth..." Talia sighed and rubbed her eyelids at that one. It was frustrating how there were similarities in stupidity between this "Thedas" continent, and Tamriel. For some reason, morons seemed to climb each others corpses to worship dragons.
"...so they worshipped dragons?" Talia sighed, not really sure why she was even surprised; "And therefore, since no one has spotted an undead Dragon yet, you all assume this isn't a Blight?" Aedan asked. It seemed that somehow, she had managed to haul him from his depressed mood.
Not that she blamed him in the least. If her own family died, much as she loathed what they wanted for her, Talia knew she would probably be inconsolable as well.
"True. But I know in my heart that an Archdemon is behind this."
"Then why not just tell your king? An undead dragon should be enough to have him take this seriously. He's just... too much of a child the way he acts right now." Talia huffed as they walked. There was a huge ravine separating them from the rest of the camp, and the only way across was a stone bridge lined with statues. They all seemed to depict a woman, in varying versions of the same pose.
And all as one she found to be eerily familiar.
"I can't have the king act solely on my feeling, much as I like. Cailan does come across a bit… eager, I admit. But that is why we look to Teyrn Loghain to win the battle." Duncan explained; "I have a feeling he will ease your concerns quite a bit, even if he does not care much for our Order."
"There are more Teyrns?" Talia asked, stopping her walking as she looked at Duncan. The long travel had left her with blisters on her heels, so each opportunity to stop was welcomed. She hoped this "Alistair" they were supposed to find wouldn't be some sort of rigid arse who demanded them to stand all the time. She needed to sit down and perform some serious healing on her poor, aching feet.
"Two. Loghain is the second, and…The Highever Teyrns. So far, Loghain's strategies have worked well against the Darkspawn. We look to him to win the battle." Whoever this Loghain was, he sounded a bit like that General Tulius people always credited with victories. Talia had never seen the man, so she really wouldn't know. Or care.
"Well, problem solved then. We'll all just find some cushioned chairs and watch Loghain kick butt. Or, cut it, if he's using swords. Could be funny if he kicked the butt too, though." Talia mused. She wanted to get a grin out of Aedan, but the befuddled look on his face was, she supposed, just as good.
"I don't think the good general kicks the Darkspawns, no." Duncan sighed. It was only that much better to make the man, respectable as he was, exasperated. There just was a certain humor to it; "Regardless, I will have to leave the two of you for now. I suggest you go meet with Alistair, and find the other recruits at camp. To that length, I'd suggest not bringing your Mabari with you, Aedan. Not everyone at camp is comfortable around war hounds."
"Horker, Duncan. A child was just fine around Two-Sock, so people supposed to fight the armies of Darkness should be able to handle a dog. Seriously." And Talia really did call Horker on that one. She'd never seen a Mabari before Turk, and she wasn't the least scared of the slobbering beast.
"I suppose. In that case, do make sure he doesn't scare off the elven messengers at camp. Mabari's are much more frightening when you are just the size of a child." Duncan said, nodded to the both of them and then headed across the bridge. Talia looked at the man's back until she couldn't see him anymore, then turned to Aedan who'd been silent since his question about the Archdemon.
"It's… different than I thought." She offered when he seemed unable to initiate a conversation; "More… big, I suppose."
"You've never seen an army at camp?" Aedan asked, raising a brow as he looked at her. His eyes were ringed with bags and red from silent crying, but at least there was some humanity back in them. It was a start, but Talia still felt uncomfortable having Aedan near a steep drop. She shrugged to ward off the anxiousness as they started walking as well;
"Usually the Legion never made camps close enough to Winterhold that civilians were inconvenienced. It is kind of their policy, to keep the locals on their side. Still, usually Legion camps house between a cohort to an entire Legion." She explained, then focused on the statues as they passed; "That thing… the statues…"
"Andraste?" Aedan asked, looking at the apparently weeping woman with a raised brow; "What's with her?"
"I've seen that statue before… in the forests." Talia muttered; "Of course, this is in much better shape and not covered with moss and ruins and… stuff."
"I'm guessing there are statues of her spread all over Ferelden and beyond. Even in the middle of forests, people seemed to build statues in her honor." Aedan explained as they passed a small group of archers in the middle of a game of cards.
"It's just that… when we arrived in Ferelden, when that shitty scroll went wrong, I was almost dropped on top of that woman's head in some marsh." At his disbelieving expression, Talia added; "First time teleporting. I didn't really know what to do..."
"I suppose. Still, good thing you didn't actually land on her head. It'd be kinda blasphemic, I think." Aedan muttered, though his lip seemed to see a small, almost invisible creasing. Or, it might be her eyes messing with her again.
"Blasphemic?"
"The people worshiping her would be a little pissed that your ass ended up on Andraste's head." Aedan said. Talia stopped and turned, examining the nearest statue closely. She did her best to ignore the small, disturbingly thirsty voice at the back of her mind that reminded her of Aedan fondling said ass.
"I thought you worshipped your Maker? Where does Andraste enter the picture?" She said, giving him a look like he'd gone mad. Or stupid. Probably both, because she was pretty damn confused now. So, maybe they had two gods, but then why would Duncan had lied? He'd just said Andraste was the bride, not that she was actually worshipped on equal footing. Damn it, this is why I stay away from monotheists...
"Andraste is the Maker's bride." Aedan said, as if he read her mind, and as if that explained it all. Talia made it clear, by looking at him stupidly, that it didn't make everything clear. Aedan sighed, likely due to the prospects of a long explanation; "The Chantry says that the Maker abandoned his children when he saw our evil and unworthy ways and… other things. Then, a woman's voice reached him in Heaven, and he fell in love with her."
"So… your god fell in love with a mortal woman, who was then made a goddess? But you said to me people couldn't be made gods back in Highever!" Talia exclaimed, but wanted to take her words back when she saw Aedan flinch at the mention of Highever. Piss.
"It's… difficult to explain. Andraste was the prophet of the Maker, not a goddess. She is at his side though, I think. She's the one who spread the Andrastian faith." Aedan explained. Talia furrowed her brows in confusion as something was suddenly made clear to her;
"So… Andraste is like Talos? Only, not a man or a god of war, but still. Same thing." Aedan smacked a hand over his forehead, muttering something about wishing something called a 'Mallol' was there to save him. Talia had no idea what he meant.
"Let's just… go find those other people." He muttered and passed by a guard manning the fenced gate leading into the camp proper. It was all apparently located in the ruined grand hall of whatever the place had been once, and Talia saw people use the ruins for very different purposes than they were meant for. Pillars, for example, were likely never meant for latrines.
Turk didn't seem to mind though, and trotted along with the same dog-ish dog-smile on his face. Talia wished she could call up Two-Sock for some intelligent and non-moody company combined in one "person", but knew some people were probably going to be pissed at seeing a Familiar. Or scared. Probably scared.
"Look. That's the Circle's part of the camp." Aedan pointed out, gesturing at where mages and templars were occupying a rather large section of the camp. Talia noticed she'd started grounding her teeth when he said the words, and stopped with an effort. She still looked, though, and saw that a good part of the are was dedicated to templars guarding some sort of ritual. Mages, inside some purple barrier, were weaving their arms through the air like they were being chased by bees.
The image was a rather amusing one.
Talia's amusement vanished though, when she recognized a person resting by one of the trees at the mages' camp. An unconscious twitch made Talia look like she was smiling before she got in under control and looked at Aedan with a forced one plastered on her face;
"Will you wait here? I won't be long, just… gotta see a ...friend." While "friend" was definitely an overstatement and far too friendly a term, she managed to get the words out without obviously lying. She didn't even wait for Aedan's reply either, and made a furious beeline towards the mage-camp. Her eyes were locked on a single person. A single, inconspicuously looking woman. Said woman now seemed to have seen her as well.
"Appren- Warden recruit Talia. I am glad to see you are still with Duncan." The old lady said. Talia still didn't know her name, but wasn't bothered by it. There was no need to. Instead, she pointed an annoyed finger at the older mage.
"I still don't like you. And Irving stole my book. And your Circle is wrong, and Irving is a murderous cunt. And your templars are stupid." It really was a shame that she couldn't come up with more fitting insults now that she finally had the chance. The old woman didn't seem the least surprised by her words. Only slight annoyed, judging by her deepened wrinkles and brows;
"Young lady, your opinion of me is irrelevant at this time, with all that is at stake, as are your views of the Circle and Irving. Regarding your book, however, it was found to have been dropped from your satchel while in Irving's custody." The woman said, pulling a purple book with an Oblivion-gate on its cover from her own pack; "The First Enchanter hoped I would meet you here, so that you could have-"
Talia snatched the book, giving the old mage a wary look.
"- your belongings returned to you." The old woman finished. She looked like she wanted to reprimand Talia, but didn't. Good, Talia didn't need another lecture on how the mages were best served with being locked up in a tower until a sick ritual would either kill them or leave them imprisoned for the rest of their lives.
"Thanks. But... I still don't like you. And I still want Irving to eat a giant's toenail. And then catch fire. Hopefully while inside your tower so it burns down." She said, glaring at first the woman, then the templars only a few meters away; "And I hope all the templars will be in there too...Maybe not with you inside though..."
She turned, and left while both mage and templars seemed to still be considering how to respond. When she reached Aedan, he was looking at her with a deeply confused expression. Talia just waved her purple book in front of him.
"What?"
"I told Duncan earlier how I knew Irving to have taken my book." The grin on her face died a little as she tried to figure out why he would even give it back to her, coming up with nothing; "...I'm guessing he got a guilty conscience and sent it with the old lady over there...It's not to say he's not still an old cunt though, just...that at least he's not a thief."
"...Irving?" Aedan asked as they started going around the camp. Neither had any idea what this Alistair looked like, so finding him would be a bit of a chore. Talia huffed, annoyed by the mere use of Irving's name unless it was spoken with contempt.
"The leader of Kinloch Hold, the place where they imprisoned me and Onmund." She muttered, tucking the book into her satchel. Aedan nodded slowly, apparently remembering her words about Onmund and the tower.
"I see."
"Yeah… So… Duncan mentioned there being elven messengers running around, right?" Talia said, blowing hot air on her hands, laced with inner magic. It was cold this far south, and the weather didn't help much. The large bonfire in the middle of the camp looked very appealing. Aedan looked at her hands with badly disguised envy, but didn't remark on it.
"I guess. Are you still that eager to see an elf?" He said, eying the camp from where they were.
"Just wanna see if there's a huge difference." Talia defended herself at Aedan's 'you're like a child' tone. Still, she followed his eyes as he seemed to spot something.
"See that person running over there?" Aedan asked, pointing at a tall child running between stands of armor. Talia nodded, not entirely sure what a child would be doing there, unless it was a squire. Those tended to be kids, right?
"I… do?" she said. As Aedan didn't say anything more, Talia looked at the child again. There was something off about him, because she could see it was a boy alright; "Wait… that's an elf?!"
"It is." Aedan nodded. Talia looked at the elf again, trying to figure out how elves could be so different from Tamriel to Thedas. The Thalmor would probably laugh their butts off (in haughty laughter of course) if they ever saw the elves of Thedas; "Probably somewhere around sixteen or younger."
"Julianos, that's disappointing." Talia muttered. It was a major let-down, considering the elves she knew had been all tall and magical and sometimes mocking. These ones were probably frail and scared in turn. Figures. In that case, the Dwemer were probably cave dwellers here.
"What are elves like in Tamriel then?" Aedan asked as they passed by soldiers guarding tents and receiving blessings from a priestess on a platform.
"Tall. Tall as humans, and the Thalmor are slightly taller. Then there's the Bosmer. They are mostly brown-skinned with these predatory eyes. Brelyna is a Dunmer, or a Dark-elf."
"Right. Dark skin." Aedan remembered; "I think the elves here will be a bit disappointing then, sorry."
But Talia wasn't saddened by the discoveries. Instead, she was happy that Aedan seemed to have finally snapped out of his depressed state of self-loathing and grief. It did wonders to his appearance when he didn't look like a candidate for suicide. It brought her no small amount of relief that he seemed to be alive again.
"So… Duncan mentioned other recruits, right?" Talia asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Yes, but I have no idea how to spot them." Aedan admitted, slumping his shoulders a little at the realization. Talia gave him a light punch on the shoulder;
"Hey, maybe they'll be waving banners saying 'Grey Warden recruit' for us to spot?" She suggested, grinning in the hope he would mirror it. He didn't, but his lips creased a little, so it was a start; "Or, we could ask someone for directions?"
"...As long as it isn't someone from the Circle, right?" Aedan mused. Talia gave him a sideways look, trying to figure out if he was being considerate or if he had actually regained enough humanity to make a joke. It seemed to be the former, for which she felt glad but would have preferred him to have regained his sense of humor. She'd only had half a day to find out about it at Highever before… those things happened.
"If we can avoid them… how about that guy over there?" Talia said, pointing at a soldier obviously trying - and obviously failing - to charm his way into a female soldier's iron-clad leggings. The woman didn't seem to think much of him, even when he argued that 'tonight might be their last night alive'. Talia fought against the laugh threatening to burst out when the soldier simply scoffed and left the man in the dust.
Honestly, she was pretty sure she would have fared better, regardless of the woman's preferences.
"Oh well, dunno what she's missing out on." The man said, shrugging as he turned to notice Talia and Aedan looking at him; "Well what dayaknow, the camp seems full of beautiful young ladies today."
"..." Talia gave him a flat stare, letting him know she was, pointedly, not interested. He really didn't seem like her type, for starters. Much too smooth. That, and there was no way in Oblivion's multitude of planes that she would do something like that in front of Aedan.
"Name's Daveth. Archer extraordinaire, Warden Recruit and appreciator of the wonders of Thedas, hereby meant lovely ladies and food of such equal quality. And who might the two of you be, to approach me?" Daveth rubbed his hands toghether, his jovial tone and easy smile doing a good job of making up for Talia's initial slight repulsion at his chamber-talk. Her expression became a worried frown as she processed his words;
"Wait- You are a Warden Recruit?" She exclaimed, trying to justify Duncan recruiting this guy. Maybe he really was an extraordinary archer, but other than that, she couldn't see it.
"Indeed I am, fair lady. I almost take it by you obviously being a mage without ties to the Circle that, if I may say so, you are as well? I don't believe I caught your name, by the way." Daveth smiled again. Talia found herself in the odd position that she was unsure if Daveth was flirting with her or Aedan. He definitely seemed to throw enough gazes both ways. Ferelden is messed up…
"Talia Aulus."
"Aedan Cousland. Are you one of the two other recruits here?" Aedan asked. Talia herself was still somehow hoping this guy wasn't a recruit, as Grey Wardens were supposed be… more 'Warden'-ish. Daveth looked like a criminal from the streets.
"Cousland? Aren't you buggers the high'n mighty folks in Highever? How'd Duncan ever talk them into sending you here?" Daveth's friendly grin faded as he seemed to notice the pained expression on Aedan's face; "Hey… ehm, listen if it's because they dumped some third-born or…"
"My parents are dead. I'm one of the last Couslands alive, thank you for asking." Aedan bit out. Daveth seemed to almost blanch, if only because he actually didn't seem capable of being horrified.
"Shite…I… I'm sorry, I won't bring it up again." Daveth muttered. Talia sighed and stood between the two boys before something happened; "If you're looking for Dela or Alistair, I think I saw them heading for one of them mages from the tower, up there."
Talia and Aedan nodded and started off for Daveth's directions, before Talia took a step back and whispered to the archer;
"Thanks... Listen, it's not your fault, just… don't talk too much to Aedan right now." She said. Daveth nodded, a much-desired note of seriousness on his face;
"Got'cha, Tali. Nice meeting the two of you, 'spite the shit with the Couslands." she nodded and ran to catch up with Aedan as he headed up a ramp, past what seemed to be the camp's logistics, made up of several rows of tents, each housing either piles of crates, or sweary, sweaty craftsmen. The hammering of metal upon metal resounded throughout the camp.
In between the tents, runners seemed to emerge and vanish like flying fish, either delivering material or written orders. It honestly almost looked like a busy market-street, just without the civilian customers.
They found a meeting to be taking place in one of the ruins, a large and circular room that might once have been an atrium of sorts. Now it was little more than the loose floor-tiles and shattered columns. The two stopped, preferring to silently observe instead of interrupting.
At least, that was Talia's reasoning.
"What is it now? Haven't the Grey Wardens asked enough of the Circle?" The mage was visibly teetering on the brink of disregarding niceties. His partner in what appeared to be some sort of negotiation, was a younger man, maybe around her own age, but seemed a year or two older. Wild, red-blond hair and a cheeky grin, for a moment it was as if she was looking at a human J'zargo.
"I merely came to deliver a message from Revered Mother, Ser mage. She desires your presence." He said, obviously doing his best to keep a straight face. Aedan's hand stopped Talia from interrupting, not that she intended so. Looking at his face, Talia could see he was just as curious as she.
"What her Reverence desires is of no concern to me. I am busy helping the Wardens -on the king's order, I might add." The grumpy mage stated. The one who was Alistair - for it had to be him, didn't it? - grinned.
"Should I have asked her to write a note?" Talia's mouth started moving, trying to ask herself out loud if he had just joked around with his religious leaders - and if such wasn't considered some sort of blasphemy with these people. The expression on Aedan's face revealed he thought much the same.
"Tell her, I will not be harassed in this manner!" The mage exclaimed, seemingly trying to waft away a fly with his hand.
"Yes. I was harassing you by delivering a message."
"Your glibness does you no credit."
"Here I thought we were getting along so well…" The young soldier said in a mock-hurt tone. Talia's hand went to her mouth to stop the laugh trying to escape; "I was even going to name one of my children after you… the grumpy one."
Aedan coughed in shock and sucked in his breath when the mage sent a discarding glare at them both. Talia did much the same, and rolled her eyes when the mage almost threw a fit;
"Enough! I will speak to the woman if I must. But do not think this is forgotten, Warden." The mage turned and stomped towards Talia and Aedan, showing no signs of waiting for them to move; "Get out of my way, fools."
They obliged, though Talia managed to trip the mage as he stormed past them, causing him to stumble and flail all the way down the ramp before stopping himself by grapping an eerily calm mage standing by the tents. He sent a glare towards them, but scoffed and moved on. So. Worth it.
The Warden, and now both knew this was Alistair, noticed them and smiled as he walked towards them. Talia couldn't help but notice his nose. It was very special, in the way it almost seemed to resemble a beak, like an eagle. Just… not so much 'tear through flesh'-ish.
"You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together." Alistair said with a witty smile. Talia's 'lunatic' sense was slightly heightened when a man described an army of Darkness as a good way of bringing people together.
"Sorry… what?"
"It's like a party. We could all stand circle and hold hands. That would give the Darkspawn something to think about." Alistair grinned, then seemed to finally regain sense and sensibility; "Wait… we haven't met, have we? I don't suppose the two of you are mages?"
"Ehm…" Aedan muttered, looking between himself and Talia. Talia returned the wondering glance he sent her, shrugging before letting him handle the maybe-crazy Alistair; "Well, Talia is… I'm not."
"Really? You don't look like a mage?" Alistair said; "I mean… ehm, how… how interesting."
"The whole 'robes' thing didn't give me away?" Talia mused, sensing Alistair's awkwardness. It was oddly entertaining; "I'll grant you, you're probably used to the archaic dresses your mages use."
"Oh wait, I do know who you are. Duncan's recruits from the north, right? One Circle-mage and…" Alistair trailed off at Aedan; "Knight from Highever? Sir Gilmore, was it?"
Talia managed to stop herself from palming her face, though Aedan clearly didn't have that kind of restraint. It wasn't nearly as funny though, when she saw the pained expression in his eyes. Apparently, Gilmore had been a friend to him. She decided to speak before he started a fight with Alistair;
"Talia Aulus, and Aedan Cousland. You're Alistair, right?" Alistair's eyes seemed to light up at Aedan's name;
"Oh, so Duncan recruited the Teyrn's son. I bet this means we can have twice the cheese, what with your noble discounts and all. They still count, right?" Talia breathed a sigh as Aedan muttered a long string of prayers for strength under his breath; "I'll bet if we ask the king he'll let us plunder the supplies."
"You're a very strange man, Alistair." She said, trying to see if it would cause a reaction. Alistair just nodded and smiled;
"Mmmm, that's what they tell me. Well, as the Junior member of the Order, and technically your senior, I'll be accompanying you when you prepare for the Joining."
"The Joining?" Aedan asked, eyebrows lifted in curiosity. Alistair did a small shake of his head;
"Sorry, can't tell you about it. Warden hush-hush and all."
"Ah…" Aedan muttered.
"So I'm curious. Have you ever actually encountered Darkspawn before?" Alistair asked. Aedan shook his head while Talia made a small frown;
"Does fighting the undead grandparents of your classmates count?" She asked with an innocent, curious expression. Time to see if she could get under Alistair's skin as well. He did look slightly surprised, and took a moment to reply;
"I…don't think so, no…Why would your friend's ancestors try to kill you?" to which Talia merely shrugged;
"Long story... So, have you ever encountered Darkspawn?" Here, Alistair grew serious. The playful light vanished from his eyes;
"I have. When I first fought one, I wasn't prepared for just how monstrous it was. I can't say I'm looking forward to encountering another..." Alistair said, then took a breath before returning to a bit less moody demeanor; "Anyhow, let's get back to Duncan. I'm sure he's eager to get things started."
"Wait, we were supposed to meet another recruit. Dela, I think it was." Aedan said. Blast, that one had slipped her mind. Alistair nodded;
"She's a bit of a one-of-a-kind, if you ask me. She's from Orzammar, Casteless, so… don't ask too much about her past. Tends to get uncomfortable. Also, don't ask about the tattoos." Talia frowned at that last one. She glanced at Aedan's tattoos, even as he did the same. What's wrong with tattoos? Aedan's look good. Or, he looks good and they…
Regardless of the fact that she still found Aedan very attractive, Talia felt she had no right to do anything about it. She was part of the reason Oriana and Oren were dead, she felt. Even if it wasn't true, the feeling was hard to let go of. And Aedan probably wanted nothing to do with her on thát personal a level. Not after that night.
"A dwarf then? Huh…" Aedan mused as they walked towards the bonfire. Duncan was there, waiting with a low-cut person. It looked most of all like someone had stuck an overweight four-year old in a suit of thick armor and called it a day.
Duncan looked up and greeted them when the trio, joined by Daveth who had come out of nowhere, stopped at the bonfire. Talia outright stared at the small woman, because it bloody was a woman, and didn't even realize that she did it in plain view.
"Talia?" Duncan asked. She snapped up and looked around, suddenly aware that everyone was looking at her.
"Why's that girl looking at me like that? Never seen a Duster before?" The armored, (and small, Talia couldn't leave out small) woman asked. It looked like someone had put armor on a goblin. Of course, the woman was much less ugly than a goblin. Dark braids covered most of her head, leaving just the face free, as well as a strange tattoo on her cheek.
"I…what's a Duster?" Talia blurted out. She could hear Daveth smack his forehead behind her. She knew it was him, because he started cursing with a city-ish string of words she was more or less sure neither Alistair nor Aedan knew. Or, she hoped neither knew.
"Casteless dwarf, genius. Hey, I'm Dela. You two new faces gotta be the poor nugs Duncan went north for. Circle mage and…warrior-something, right?" Dela pondered as she obviously examined Talia and Aedan; "No… probably not Circle. Your clothes don't look like you're getting ready for a Noble party."
"I'm not sure if that was a complement or…Wait, you're a DWARF? As in a Dwemer!?" Talia exclaimed as the pieces fell together. Dela looked confused and surprised, and stared at Talia for a moment before examining her hands, both clad in heavy gauntlets of some black metal;
"I… think so. Dwarf at least. Never heard you humans call us "Dwemer" before. Slur or something?"
"But… but… but you're so…" Talia struggled with the words. There was no way in Stendarr's arse this woman's people could have built Mzulft and the other Dwarven ruins beneath Tamriel.
"Female?" Dela suggested. It was clear she was too confused to be snarky. Which was good, because the rest of the party seemed more or less ready to smack their faces in exasperation; "Absolutely Super-Gorgeous? Lacking a beard?"
"…small." Talia managed to breathe out after being all red in the face for an entire minute through Dela's suggestions. The dwarf seemed to lose her air as the obvious was pointed out.
"Hence the name 'Dwarf', I'd say." Daveth chuckled. Talia didn't even bother sending him a glare.
"What, you expected me to be ten feet, girl?" Dela mused. At Talia's numb nod, Dela's mouth formed a small; "…oh."
So currently we're in the middle of a bit of revisement of the early chapters, mainly because their quality isn't really up to scratch. Writers improve over time, hence why I'm doing this.
