Cousland, Deep in the Wilds
Or,
My brother matters to me just as much as your guardian/grimoire/treacherous lover/sword means to you, you self-absorbed twits
After Ostagar, Dragon 9:30
His head felt like he'd been on a three-day binge. Delicate strings of pain plucked at his chest. The sunlight as he opened the hut's door was nearly unbearable. Nonetheless, Caradoc Cousland stepped out of doors to face life after Ostagar allowing his expression to show none of his discomfort. His battered armor was on, his boots were laced, and he had even managed to shave. Morrigan followed him, her lovely face amused. As soon as he appeared, Alistair greeted him with relief and wonder, and Flemeth with sardonic triumph. Then the conversation grew heated.
They were organizing his life very neatly, just like that bastard Duncan had. Use the treaties, forge an army, fight the darkspawn. They expected him to be in charge. Oh, and Alistair really wanted to call on his foster-father, Arl Eamon. Well, family was important. In fact, it was important to Caradoc Cousland, too. He interrupted all their tidy, self-congratulatory plans with a demand of his own.
"That's all very well, but I'm not going anywhere without my brother Fergus."
Alistair and the two women, one young, one old, stared at him in astonishment.
"You put your personal agenda above the danger to all Thedas?" Flemeth smirked. "You disappoint me."
"So sorry," Caradoc scoffed. "And don't tell me you don't have an agenda of your own, old woman. I don't know what it is, but I know you've got one, and it's something special. I never asked to be a Grey Warden, and so far I see no reason to think much of them. If I'm going to do this, I need a reason. That reason is my brother."
"Hey!" Alistair huffed indignantly. "The Wardens died for us...!"
Caradoc did not see recent events that way at all, but decided not to debate the matter at the moment. He had been forced into the Wardens under duress. Duncan had extorted his father's consent in the most unspeakably heartless way, under the direst circumstances. The bargain had been made that Duncan would see Caradoc and his mother to safety in exchange for Caradoc becoming a Grey Warden. As events fell out, Mother had stayed behind to cover their escape, and was no doubt dead. As far as Caradoc was concerned, the bargain was thus broken from the first, and he had no further obligations to the Wardens. He had only left because Duncan had slugged him and hauled him out by main force. He traveled with Duncan because he wanted to find Fergus and the Highever men. Together, they would take back their own.
Once at Ostagar, without Fergus to back him, he found no support in trying to escape conscription. Ultimately, it was a matter of accepting the cup of tainted blood or being killed on the spot. The King thought it all simply "glorious." Teyrn Loghain was carefully non-committal, but Caradoc had sensed his deep reservations about the Grey Wardens. As he had never regarded the Couslands as political allies, however, the teyrn obviously felt there was nothing to be gained by contesting the issue on Caradoc's behalf. For that matter, Loghain and the King were already at loggerheads, and the result was the disaster that had taken the King's life, the other Grey Wardens, and half the Fereldan army. As for Alistair's view that the Wardens had "died for us," Caradoc thought that ridiculous, or rather, he felt the same could be said for all the soldiers who had perished. He and Alistair had been sent away to what was supposed to be a place of safety, by the express order of the King. Caradoc puzzled over Cailan's motives, now to be forever unknown. It had not proved safe at all, of course.
There was much, in short, that he could have said, but he limited himself to the subject most important to him.
"You want to find Arl Eamon. I hardly know the man, but I can tell you that the Teyrn of Highever is even more valuable. He can get the entire north of Ferelden behind the Wardens and the war against the Blight. I'm not leaving my brother in the Wilds." He turned to Flemeth. "You found Alistair and me in the midst of a battle. I'm willing to bet what little I have left that you know exactly where my brother is."
"Caradoc," whispered Alistair. "He's probably dead! And he's just one man! You're a Warden now, anyway."
Caradoc shot him a bitter glare. He had not known this fellow more than a few days, and somehow he expected Caradoc to choose him and the Wardens over the brother that Caradoc had loved and fought with since he could walk.
"How many men are Eamon Guerrin? Where I come from, family matters! He's not dead. I know it," Caradoc said, narrowing his eyes at Flemeth. "And if his freshly killed corpse suddenly appears here, I will not be impressed. My brother is all I have left. Do what you like, Alistair, but I'm not deserting my own flesh and blood."
"Such a stubborn lad," Flemeth cooed. "And if I were to bring you your brother, what then?"
"Then we'd have a far better chance of success in fighting the Blight."
"Hmmmm. I'll consider it. Perhaps... it's not a bad idea, after all..."
Notes: It's very odd that in canon, Cousland does not mention looking for Fergus until already at Lothering. That makes no sense to me. I think Cousland's first conscious thoughts would be about Fergus. Well, maybe about pain, hunger, needing to relieve him/herself, and then Fergus. Flemeth's plans require giving the Wardens the best chance possible. A disastrous division would not suit them at all. and as one reviewer pointed out, the Wilds can't be all that impassable, since Morrigan has the party go right back there when she wants Flemeth dead. If Flemeth can turn into a giant bird (I suspect dragon, really) and carry off Alistair and the Warden from certain death at the top of the Tower of Ishal, she can no doubt find and rescue Fergus.
Interesting that the Warden PC lavishes gifts and kind words on his party, but no one feels the need to reciprocate. They go back and forth and around and around to complete the companion quests, but Cousland can't spend a day tracking his/her brother? And then the quondam comrades largely abandon the Warden once the Blight is over. I find it utterly unbelievable that a Cousland would not at least attempt to find his/her only remaining family member. And Fergus really is an immensely valuable chess piece.
If you have not heard elsewhere, the illustrated Victory at Ostagar is now edited, posted, and available for viewing at redhen(hyphen)publications..com. Check out my profile page for the exact url. Search the left hand menu. It's very graphics-heavy, and quite brilliant. I fixed oodles of typos and other mistakes.
Next up: The Assassin, Marked, Or, Hawke Does Not Forget That The Qunari Just Sacked Kirkwall: The Chateau Haine Hunting Party, Dragon 9:35
