A/N: I don't own dragon age.
6.
Aedan Cousland:
We were running.
I barely had time to register thoughts as the embers of the latest hit exploded behind me in a burst of fire. I stumbled as rubble spat against my back, playing tin drums on my armour.
"We need to keep running!" Alistair called over the bursts of panicked noise, catching my arm and hauling me forward. I nodded my thanks and happily complied.
This was my first taste of battle, proper battle (the mocks my father had organised in hopes of me growing into a great warrior like my older brothers counted for nothing compared to this) and to be honest I was pissing my breeches. My thoughts felt frantic and on edge, constantly jittering from one to another. Should I be doing this? Why wasn't I doing that? What would happen if this goes badly? After years of training was I anywhere near prepared?
"The tower of Ishal," Alistair pointed towards the structure looming over us. My breath caught in my throat. It was menacing, lit by flaming missiles and tearing brutally into a sky that roared with thunder. Yeah, I'd definitely pissed my breeches.
"We have to go... in there?" I asked Alistair dubiously.
He smiled reassuringly and was about to reply when Daylen cut in.
"If you'd rather sit here and cry I suggest you carry on," he said coldly, "it would be unfortunate if your blubbering would distract me from battle."
I know he's my brother but that didn't stop Daylen from being an absolute prick.
Alistair frowned at Daylen before turning to me and asking if I was fine. I gulped and waved away his concern. I was sincerely glad he was here. If we ever got out of this I'd have to buy my fellow Warden a drink.
"Daylen will you cease spreading your poison and be silent," Elissa snapped, "we're all a little on edge there's no need to shake anyone up."
"And will you cease babying him, if he's unprepared I'll suffer," he retorted already striding off towards the tower as if the great, imposing structure was about as terrifying as a kitten.
Elissa seemed furious but preferred to follow after Daylen casting a glance for Alistair and I to follow. We hadn't managed five paces before a solider came sprinting up to us.
"The tower is under attack!"
"Attack? How? By whom?" Elissa questioned.
"The Darkspawn. They're attacking from inside the tower. You need to hurry!"
"How did the Darkspawn get into the tower?" Elissa mused.
"There's no time for that, we need to hurry," Daylen calmly drew his Long sword.
I pulled an arrow from my quiver, loaded my bow and then prayed to the Maker that I wouldn't die tonight.
Kallian Tabris' POV:
I wiped clean the wolf blood from my blades and took a moment to draw breath into my aching lungs. Dirt and blood caked my armour but now began to flake and peel away with the heavy pounding of rain. Raindrops as large as thumb prints beat out all of the fires I tried to make. I looked up as the sky tried to tear itself apart with thunder and chuckled. It could be worse; at least they'd find an attractive corpse frozen to death.
"Out here alone Warden?" a figure, obscured with the dark and the veil of heavy rain, came towards me.
"It certainly seems that way," I smiled.
"Where's your brother?"
A cruel smile set on my face as pain, dagger sharp, bit my chest and ravaged it in its jaws.
"Unable to make it."
The figure crept closer, my hands slipped to my blades.
"There's no need for violence, I'm here to offer you food and a warm bed," the voice spoke.
"Am I warming the bed or have you warmed it especially for me?" I smiled. I had to say this stranger had piqued my interest before the offer but now my curiosity only grew.
"Must you do something for me before I can treat you with kindness?"
"I'm afraid that's the way the world works," I shrugged, "but I must say all this mystery is very intriguing. Let's speak plainly what is it you want?"
"My mother wishes to speak with you."
Recognition snapped in my head.
"The lady in leather returns," I grinned.
There was an exasperated sigh from the now identified Morrigan.
"Must you refer to me as that," she said.
"You wear leather and you are a lady. A very sexy lady," I winked. A night with the wild witch with or without food and a warm bed was not something I'd say no to. Morrigan however didn't seem interested.
"Tis unfortunate that the Warden I happen across is a sexual deviant," she sighed, "but no matter. Mother still wishes to speak with you."
Morrigan turned and made her way through the brambles and claw like trees as I began to lift myself up.
"Is that a no?" I called after her.
"Most definitely," she replied.
"Spoilsport," I pouted, sprinting after her.
Elissa Cousland's POV:
I didn't have time to worry for Aedan anymore. I barely had enough time to worry for myself. Not that I needed to, I was a Circle Mage and I am a Cousland and Grey Warden. I could handle this. I froze the Genlock that had come shambling towards me, its grotesque face stretched in front of my own. I barely had time to wrinkle my nose disapprovingly before Aedan let fly an arrow that shattered the Genlock's frozen body.
I moved to heal the soldiers that panted and limped away from the Darkspawn corpses as if they'd rise to terrorise them once again.
Daylen griped my arm, "We haven't time."
I pulled it from his grip and instead decided to hastily place as many bandages and health potions as I could spare. I was a healer after all I didn't really need them.
Daylen was beginning to be problematic. His methods and his attitude were not befitting for a Cousland especially the second son. And once again mother and father came sneaking into my thoughts just when the heat of battle had vanquished them. No, Elissa Cousland you will concentrate on the Blight. Fantastic you've begun speaking to yourself and are finding it progressively difficult to stop. It was important that I concentrate, Mana was directly linked to willpower and I needed concentration to utilize that.
Daylen, Alistair and I went storming into the tower with Aedan following bow drawn. The Darkspawn had infested the tower and spread like lice. Dispatching them proved easier than I had first thought as the combined force of Aedan, myself and the fool Warden seemed to work well together. The Warden would meet the Darkspawn head on, batting them back with his shield as Aedan skewered them with a volley of arrows, I meanwhile cast healing spells and glyphs that aided their skills and relying on elemental magic when one or another broke ranks and charged towards me. Daylen didn't bother merging his skills with ours instead cutting through any Darkspawn that dared wander towards him with that cool ferocity. We only paused on our assent when we stumbled across a great gaping hole yawning wide open in the floor.
"That's a big hole," Alistair whistled.
"How observant of you," I pouted, wavering on the edge of the hole, "I think the Darkspawn may have crawled out of there."
"How observant of you," Alistair muttered.
"Should we close it up or something?" Aedan interjected, "with a big rock or something."
"Unfortunately we haven't the time. We have to light the beacon as Duncan requested but we'll need to remedy the problem once that is dealt with."
"This is slowing us down, we need to keep moving," the nonchalant tone of Daylen interrupted us.
For once I couldn't argue.
Kallian Tabris' POV:
The shack seemed much more homely with the storm raging outside. Not that I'd looked down on it beforehand, I wasn't a snobby, spoilt brat like the Couslands and I'd grown up in much worse.
"Mother, I've brought the elf," Morrigan called.
The old crone lifted her head as we entered.
"Sit down child, let the fire warm those cold bones," she gestured to a ratty chair opposite her own.
I happily obliged, stretching my body cat like as liquid heat began to seep into my skin which felt like ice.
"There's much I need to say and not much time to say it," the old witch began, leaning forward she caught my gaze with her own in the same manner a hare is caught in a trap. Uncomfortably I found it difficult to blink and looking away from those unnerving hawk like eyes seemed an impossible feat. My skin seemed to shrink against my bones; my teeth grew sensitive in a head that felt too heavy for my body. Was this witchcraft or just the full blown effect of looking the woman straight in the eyes, something I'd just realized that I had unconsciously avoided until now? Whoever or whatever she was she was far more than some old woman living in a shack I could feel it in the air that stirred like dust at my feet.
"There something you must do for me. I've drawn a map and left instructions with the item you'll need. I've also left food and camp equipment, no need to thank me."
I hadn't opened my mouth. I no longer believed I could.
"You are to do as I ask. Then you are to return to the Denerim Alienage. Do you understand?"
My head nodded.
"Good," she smiled, drawing her eyes from my own. My body sagged in relief and I released the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.
"Now I'm off, there's an appointment I need to keep. Morrigan will lead you to the edge of the Wilds. You're welcome to the stew before you leave."
With that the woman was gone along with the fist that had been squeezing my heart dry.
Aedan Cousland's POV:
Battle actually came easily to me. At first I'd fretted but now that I'd been thrown into it, the desperate anxiety was exhilarating, freeing in a way from any form of thought but the primeval. I found my body moving without me wishing it to do so. I found thoughts crashing into my head without me willing them into existence. And the urge singing through my body was as liberating as it was terrifying. How did Daylen keep that unmoved expression through combat when I felt like I could barely contain it all?
We finally sped into the top floor of the tower and froze.
The ogre ceased chewing the intestines of some poor soul and lazily turned to us with its beady little eyes like two black holes in its crumpled head. Needle teeth protruded from bloated lips, horns curled atop its head and its arms hung down from the enormous bulk.
"Maker protect us," Elissa whispered a prayer. Even Daylen seemed thrown of stride by the brutality of the ogre's image. Only for a moment. He quickly moved sending the gigantic blade hacking into the beast's leg.
"Move!" Alistair yelled pushing Elissa and me to the floor as the ogre charged towards us like a bull to red rag.
Elissa scrambled to her feet pulling Alistair and me up as the ogre turned its gaze towards us.
She let out a grunt as a powerful spray of ice erupted from the end of her staff.
"Aedan load your bow!" she yelled.
"Grey Warden I need you to keep its attention, I swear I'll aid you anyway I can but Aedan needs concentration if he's to do any real damage," Elissa instructed.
I noticed that she didn't even bother trying to involve Daylen.
Alistair and I nodded, thankful that Elissa had spent some of her time at the Circle revising battle tactics.
And it was all going to plan until Daylen got involved. Alistair was drawing the ogre's attention to himself, blocking and striking effectively releasing a battle cry to snap the beast's attention back to him whenever it wandered. And Elissa was supporting us well enough to impress any seasoned mage, she worked attentively and quickly not even giving the wound enough time to register before it was closed and boosting my attacks and Alistair's defence greatly. Even I was pulling my weight, pulling my bowstring as far and as fast as possible until my fingers bled. But we'd all been working like a well oiled machine ignoring Daylen's presence. The ogre hadn't.
The powerful warrior at its legs was proving much more of a distraction than Alistair. The ogre must have been more intelligent than we'd first thought because it saw the link between Alistair's ongoing health and Elissa. It griped Alistair by the waist, Daylen's relentless attacks numbing it to the distracting effects that Alistair had put into play, and flung him (like a toy) into Elissa. Neither had time to move as Alistair's tall, muscled body was sent flying into my sister's smaller, softer one. There was an 'oof' as Elissa was pulled from her feet and hurled into the wall along with Alistair both slumping groggily to the floor.
I froze.
Without Elissa and Alistair I had no way to defend. There was only so far ranged attacks could go before the ogre was breathing in my face.
Daylen, whether intentionally or not (unfortunately I suspected the latter), was my saviour. With a grunt he swung the Great sword in an impressive brutal arc that ruptured the ogre's leg. It sank to one knee.
Now, now Daylen had it.
He ran, jumped Long sword raised above his head and sent the blade plunging into its skull.
The ogre's body jerked, it slid to the floor as Daylen leaped down and sheathed his blade onto his back with an expression and air about him that suggested he'd just completed a very easy training exercise.
My mouth fell open. I may find Daylen cold hearted but the bastard was cool as fuck. I didn't have time to congratulate him as the door swung open to noise and movement. I fell.
Oh, is that an arrow in my shoulder.
Oh, there's another one.
Then I blacked out.
Kallian Tabris' POV:
"I need to return now," Morrigan said, she raised a finger and pointed across the barren swamps beneath a sky that morning drew its fingers across bleeding a pinky red as it did so. It was quite beautiful.
"Just continue in this direction then follow mother's map."
With that Morrigan turned away from me and towards the carcass of the Wilds. Her body shifted and it was as if a giant hand had took her skin and pulled it away like a coat. A wolf lay underneath; it loped away and disappeared into the thorny undergrowth.
"That was interesting," I said aloud.
Right, I believe it's about time I took a look at what mountainous task was ahead of me. Hopefully it was just a shopping list but when was anything that simple? I sat myself on a nearby boulder and curled my legs under myself. With one hand I lifted the bearskin and leather (they certainly had a task for leather) and with the other hand I started to rummage around inside.
"An apple," I smiled, "what a pleasant surprise."
I brought the crisp skin to my lips, finally retrieving the small bundle of instructions and contently chewing away.
First there was a map, a detailed map annotated with the only language I knew how to read. Dalish. I wasn't Dalish nor was any member of my family but I had learnt to read in the Alienage or more precisely underneath the Alienage. Dalish was a language the shem couldn't decipher if any of our messages were intercepted and therefore couldn't spill any valuable information.
It seemed that the old witch wished me to go to some underground ruins near a Dalish camp, haul an elf from there, give him the concoction in the vial and then... My fingers leafed through the others but they just went into greater detail about the first tasks. There was a map directing me from the Dalish camp back to Denerim. I emptied the bag. Food, camp equipment as promised and, ah, there it was at the bottom. A final envelope with a circular bulge protruding from it.
I opened the letter allowing the object, a ring, to fall free and leafed through the final letter.
"How interesting," a smile spread across my face.
I stuffed the letters back into the bag and headed off towards the Brecilian forests.
A/N:
A shorter chapter I know I apologize. Thank you Zukafew 119 for your reviews I really appreciate them and they encourage me to keep writing so THANK YOU :D :D! I'd just like to say that I intend to develop the characters as the story progresses but I'm glad that you actually feel involved with them because it means I've managed to do something right. So once again thank you.
THANKS FOR READING!
