"Come Endrin, there is much to do." Sten said, and Endrin could hear the big qunari leave the battlement and start to make his way back to the ground. Endrin looked back down the road that Tylis had disappeared down, and then she turned and followed Sten.

"So where should we begin?" Endrin asked just before she jumped off the ladder and dropped the last few feet to the ground.

Sten looked around at the Wardens, soldiers, and servants who still stood in the courtyard. Some of them were starting to drift back inside the keep, other began forming up for the daily patrols, and others gathered with their friends to trade jokes and small talk. Sten grunted in disapproval before looking back over his shoulder at Endrin and saying, "I believe we should start with an inspection."

Endrin, having no military experience at all when it came to even basic military protocols asked, "What are we inspecting?"

Sten grunted in disapproval again, and his small smile was almost imperceptible. Endrin knew it was Sten's unusual sense of humor when he answered, "I see I have much to teach you about command." And then before Endrin could respond, Sten shouted, "Soldiers! Wardens! There will be an inspection in one hour, bring your full kit! And tell those who are not here!"

When no one seemed in particular hurry to carry out Sten's instructions he shouted a voice that he usually reserved for battlecries, "Did you not hear what I just said?! Move your useless legs! Anyone not back in one hour will pull double duty!"

The change that came over the courtyard was instantaneous. Soldiers and Wardens alike all began scurrying around the courtyard to gather pieces of dropped equipment, or running back to their quarters to grab the rest of their gear and inform their comrades. Even the servants and other workers who had not been addressed by Sten in any way were suddenly in a hurry to leave. Seeing a seven foot tall qunari, fully armored and with a massive greatsword across his back, shouting threats proved to be a good motivator.

And just to add to Sten's validity, Endrin called, "Sten speaks with my authority."

An hour later, the soldiers and Wardens of Vigil's Keep stood in a square formation, an officer or Warden at the head of each rank and they all looked forward at Endrin and Sten who stood at the front of the formation.

"And now you inspect them." Sten said quietly enough that only Endrin heard him.

"What am I looking for… and shouldn't you be the one who inspects them?"

"No." Sten answered bluntly. "You are simply looking anything out of place on the troops, rusty armor or weapons, any sign of drunkenness, any soldier who is missing something for his kit."

"And if I do find something?"

Sten gave his small smile. "I will handle that. Just follow my lead, my friend."

Endrin laughed as she followed after the giant. "Follow your lead?" She said happily. "Why don't I just let you have command?"

Sten only grunted in response. As he came to the first troop awaiting inspection, he found it to be Kensha. Sten had to fight to keep from snarling. He'd never liked mages, or saarebas as he sometimes still called them, and to date the only mage he'd learned to tolerate and perhaps even befriend was Tylis. The fact that Kensha was a blood mage did absolutely nothing to improve her standing in his eyes. Sten's eyes moved up and down Kensha, and he leaned to either side for a better view. Kensha's auburn hair was still short, no longer short enough to be called 'boyish', but was still far from stylish. She still wore the peasant's clothing that she'd been sporting since she'd escaped the Circle of Magi, all muted brown, complete with thin leather boots that had several holes in them. Her metal tipped staff held in her right hand. Kensha looked up at Sten, trying not to look intimidated, and failing.

"Mage…" Sten said, keeping his voice neutral. "That is neither armor, nor a uniform that you are wearing. Why are you wearing it?"

"Because it's all I have?" She answered, fearing that there was a storm coming.

Sten exhaled in a half-growl before he asked. "Do you ask, or tell me?"

"I… I'm telling you."

"You have been here at Vigil's Keep for the better part of six months. And yet you have not deemed it necessary to acquire any sort of proper armor. Even though there is a smith here whose sole purpose is fashion weapons and armor?"

"But mages don't usually wear armor."

Sten shook his head in disbelief. "Many mages died in Denerim. Your magic does not make you all-powerful, nor does it make you invincible. You will report to the smith and obtain armor and a proper weapon. Understood, mage?"

"Yes-sir!" Kensha answered quickly.

Sten grunted again and moved on to the next soldier. Before Endrin followed she looked at Kensha and laid a hand on her shoulder, giving an encouraging look. Sten had been rather hard on her, and Endrin wondered if he would be like that to everyone else, or if it was solely because of his disdain for mages and especially blood mages. Endrin looked back to Sten to find him standing in front of the next soldier, waiting for her. The soldier himself was an older man, and lifetime soldier judging from his grim look and scarred face. Endrin looked over his person and his armor and finding no fault, she said, "Show me your sword."

The soldier immediately complied and withdrew his sword, holding across both his hands and offering to Endrin. It was a shortsword, made from veridium guessing from the weight and color, and it was nicked and scratched along the entire length of the blade, but there was not a single speck of rust on it and the soldier had obviously gone to great pains to take care of it.

"What is your name?" Endrin asked.

"Laxus Tielock." He answered. "Originally from Ostwick up in the Free Marches, my path eventually took me here?"

Endrin wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that, but it become clear when Sten stated, "You're a mercenary."

"Aye, that I am Messere."

"Did you serve Arl Howe?" Endrin asked.

"Aye." Laxus said again. "But if you're worried that I will suddenly turn against you, then you have nothing to fear." A sly smile spread across his face as he said, "As long as my fee is paid, then my sword and my loyalty are yours."

Endrin heard a growl emanating from Sten's chest, but before her towering friend could say anything she answered. "Fair enough."

As the inspection continued, Endrin found that Sten had not in fact been treating Kensha with any particular bias. He treated even the smallest infractions as if they were serious crimes. Everything from rusty armor and weapons, to holes worn in boots, to soldiers who weren't standing straight. Predictably he berated Anders for not having armor… and then he came to Roaran.

Roaran Brosca stood leaning on his axe like it was a staff, his back hunched and a look of extreme boredom on his face. He belched loudly just as Endrin and Sten came to a stop in front of him, and they both smelled the various alcohols that were carried in his breath. This time it was Sten who spoke before Endrin had a chance.

"Dwarf Warden…" He growled.

"Yeah?" Roaran grinned through his unkempt beard.

"Where do I even begin…?" Sten angrily eyed him up and down. "Your hair both smells and looks foul, I can see the remnants of your supper from last night in your beard, I can smell the spirits on your breath! There are stains on your armor and—"

"And what?" Roaran interrupted him. "I ain't some kinda disciplined, sword-swinging warrior. I'm a Grey Warden… and a casteless Grey Warden at that! So whatever it is you have to say… well, you can shove it up your—"

"Roaran!" Endrin shouted, this time she was the one who did the interrupting before there was a fight between Sten and Roaran. "That's enough!" Endrin also knew that Roaran wasn't casteless anymore. One of Dharr's first acts as Paragon had be to raise Roaran to warrior caste, officially starting the Brosca Line. But for some reason Roaran refused to acknowledge himself such, still referring to himself as a casteless.

Roaran grinned maliciously up at Endrin for a moment, but then the expression faltered and Roaran only shrugged. "Oh alright, fine, fine Tattoo. Just don't expect me to fall in line like the rest of these push-overs. Both of you knew what I was like the first day you met me, and ol' Roaran ain't changin' that for no one!"

"I'd be disappointed in you if you did!" Endrin said, breaking into a grin.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about Tattoo!" Roaran beamed. "Now can I finally get out of here? My feet turned sore a while ago!"

Endrin had to stifle a laugh, especially as she heard Sten growl again, then she called loud enough for everyone to hear. "The inspection is over, you can all go back about your business." Sounds of relief come from several of the soldiers.

"So what's next on the agenda?" Roaran asked. "I can't speak for everyone but I am tired of looking at the walls around here. I'm ready to get out and do some righteous Grey Wardening! C'mon Tattoo… whaddaya say? You and me, hunting down some spawn again just like the old days?"

Endrin smiled at Roaran's sudden surge of buoyancy and answered, "There's a patrol leaving soon."

Roaran rolled his eyes and groaned in exasperation. "No…" He said started rapidly thumping his battleaxe against the ground for additional emphasis. "No, no, no, no Tattoo!" He made a loud groaning noise in his throat. "I don't want to go on patrol! That's just walking along dirt roads, showing the locals that we're still here! Come-on! Let's get out… really see the land! We can even do the elf thing and go through the woods… stop at the river for who knows how long and just listen to the water, watch the deer and cute little nugs frolic around!"

Endrin finally allowed herself to laugh, Roaran's humor just couldn't be denied. "They're called rabbits, not nugs."

Roaran shrugged with an expression of feigned innocence on his face. "Whatever… same difference." He said nonchalantly.

Endrin chuckled again. "Alright, you sold me. Just let me get things sorted out here first."

"Fine…" Roaran groaned again. "I'll be in the larder whenever you're ready." And with that said, he brushed past Endrin on his way back into the keep. Faith's Edge already slung lazily over one shoulder.

Endrin watched him go for a moment, then chuckled again to herself. On first meeting Roaran it had taken a while for Endrin to get used to Roaran's never-ending sarcasm, his unusual personality, and the massive amounts of alcohol he'd take in on a daily basis. But after several months had past, she'd discovered that the irrepressible Roaran had grown on her, and after all their time and various adventures together that Roaran had never let her down. Kylae had once told her that Roaran was the most honorable person she'd ever known, and although he constantly denied having any scrap of honor… or any other good qualities for that matter, Endrin had to admit that Roaran had a very basic but genuine sort of honor. It wasn't the kind of honor that the human nobles sought to achieve, the kind that took a lifetime of noble deeds and heroic victories, but could still be lost in a single act. And it certainly wasn't kind of honor that the dwarves cultivated, clinging to the glory of long-dead ancestors. Roaran's kind of honor consisted of two very basic principles, first, he was always good to his word, and second, he never backed down on those he called friends.

Endrin turned to find Sten standing a respectful distance away, so as not to intrude on her talk with Roaran, but now Sten closed the distance between them with quick, long strides.

"Well, that's taken care of." Endrin said. "What happens next?"

"Training." Sten answered. "We need to test the skill of the soldiers here since none of us have ever fought with them before. I imagine that some of them are indeed good soldiers, while others will need to relegated to more befitting tasks, such as messengers or apprentices to various craftsmen." Sten stopped talking and rubbed his forehead with two fingers before saying, "I will never understand humans, or how they have survived for so long… Most of these 'soldiers' are nothing more than farmers who are now swinging swords! That bas, Laxus, is not the only mercenary we now have working for us. By my count, we have we have less than a dozen proper soldiers, the others only play at it."

Sten sighed sadly. "I do not understand it, my friend. The Dalish and the dwarves at the very least are intelligent enough to assign tasks to those who are best suited to carry them out. But these humans…" He shook his head in annoyance. "I do not understand." He said again. "The tamassrans would never allow for such foolishness!"

"You want to go home, don't you?" Endrin asked, although with what Sten had just said, the answer was painfully obvious.

"Yes." Sten answered. "Very much."

This wasn't the first time that Endrin had heard Sten make such a confession, and while she would normally tell him to do as he wanted, she instead told him, "I want to go home too. But I can't, neither of us can… because we both belong here."

"So this is my place?" Sten said quietly, a slight tone of mocking in his voice, but Sten had far too much respect for Endrin to challenge her on the matter.

"Yes." Endrin answered immediately, not taking the bait that Sten had offered. "You helped us stop the blight, now you need to stay here and train these humans how to be warriors so that we can survive the after effects of the blight, or whatever is going on here."

"That is my place?" Sten growled with a touch of anger now in his voice. "I am to stay here and train these venak hol? You ask for the impossible, Kadan. A fox cannot become a bird simply because it wishes to."

"Yes it can." Endrin assured him. "And you have already done it once before when you took dozens of Dalish hunters and turned them into warriors… Please Sten…" She reached up and placed a hand on his bicep. "You asked before where your place is… it is here. We all need you! The only warrior I have ever met who could be called your equal is Eebon, and you are a far better teacher than he is! That's why we need you here, and that's why only you can do this!"

"Meravas." Sten finally answered. 'So it shall be.' "Endrin… you have asked for the impossible, but I will find a way to do it. The Grey Wardens shall have an army." He gave his barely perceptible smile before saying, "An army of farmers."

"Sten, did you just tell a joke?" Endrin asked, knowing that he had.

"I do not know what you are referring to." Sten replied, although his smile was slightly wider.

Endrin stopped in her most recent journey and ran her fingers around the contours of an animal track. It was a moderately large track, roughly in the shape of dog's, but Endrin knew that was certainly not any sort of canine beast. The claw marks in front of each toe indicated it to be a cat of some sort. At first Endrin had thought that it was a cougar, but the shape and the stride were slightly off. "Perhaps a lynx." Endrin muttered quietly.

"A what?" Roaran asked from where he stood a few steps behind, absently looking up at the clouds.

"Oh…" Endrin said, she'd almost forgotten that he was there as the hunt was taking over most of her thought process. "I think that we're following a lynx."

"What's a lynx?" Roaran asked, still looking up at the clouds.

"A big cat." Endrin answered, "They're pretty rare in these parts… or so I'm told. They were common back in the New Dales, but I've never seen one this big?"

"A cat?!" Roaran said in mock anger. "Endrin I said to find us some darkspawn! What in sod-all am I supposed to do with a cat?"

Endrin laughed. "I was trying to find some darkspawn for you and your axe, but so far I haven't sensed any, or even found any signs of their passing. So after a while I just got bored and told myself I would start tracking the first thing I saw." She glanced back at Roaran and chuckled at seeing him with his head tilted back and drinking from a flask. "Perhaps we'll get lucky and the lynx will lead us to some darkspawn."

Roaran lowered the flask and said, "I can only hope." Then he tapped the flask, and even though Endrin hadn't inquired he still told her, "Whisky… apparently it's made from grain, and grain is what they grow around here, so they make plenty of it. You want some?"

Endrin started following her lynx again as she answered, "You know I don't drink."

"No I don't, and yes you do!" Roaran said, running to catch up with his friend. "I've seen you drink before. Ya just always try to be subtle about it." He held out the flask again. "Come-on, just a sip… call it a personal favor."

"Why is this so important to you?"

"'Cause it's always better to drink with someone."

Endrin stopped again and looked at Roaran, then held out an open hand for the flask. "Alright." She said as Roaran slapped the flask into her hand, the she lifted it up in a toast. "Here's to you Roaran." She took a swig. Then promptly shoved it back at him and fell to her knees, choking and coughing violently.

Roaran burst out laughing and clapped her on the back until she stopped coughing and stood back up. Endrin took up the hunt again, and Roaran with his shorter legs had to jog to keep up. "I guess I forgot to mention that whisky is some pretty powerful shit!" Roaran beamed. "But don't worry, after a while you get used to it and don't even notice the burn anymore. Next time won't be so bad."

Endrin glared down at Roaran before saying, "There won't be a next time!"

Roaran laughed again. "We'll just see about that!" He said happily. "Alright, now let's go find us a lynx!"

"Jukka, come-on!" Sigrun shouted as she pulled her fellow Legionnaire through the tunnel.

The injured dwarf did his best to keep up, but with every step, Jukka bled out a little more, and now the most he could do was stumble along. If he'd been wearing the standard issue Legion armor, then the darkspawn sword that had cut open his chest, and the two arrows still buried in his back would have only bounced off. But unfortunately he was wearing scout armor, which was much lighter and thinner to let him move faster, and squeeze through smaller spaces. "I'm not going to make is Sigs…" Jukka rasped the words out.

Behind them they heard the angry roar of a hurlock. The tunnel the two dwarves used was small enough that the big hurlocks had trouble maneuvering, and they were also blocking the much smaller genlocks. That was the only reason that Sigrun and Jukka were still alive.

"Don't say that!" Sigrun snapped, and she readjusted her grip on Jukka's shoulders, it was getting harder to pull him, by now he was almost nothing but deadweight. "We're almost to the surface… come-on, I can see tree roots breaking through the ceiling!

"No Sigs… I… I can't hang on. Just leave me here… We still have an axe left, and I still have a little fight left in me."

Behind them there was the twang of a bowstring and Sigrun screamed as she felt the crude arrowhead cut into her shoulder, slowed but not stopped by her armor. "Just keep moving!" She growled through her teeth, "Just keep pushing… we're gonna survive this!"

"I'm already dead… we both are. Let me go Sigs… The Legion will live on… through you."

"No!" Sigrun shouted, but even as the word left her mouth Jukka twisted out of her grip, and pulled the darkspawn axe from her belt. It was the last weapon the two of them had. Sigrun spun around to grab Jukka again, but he stepped out of reach.

"Goodbye Sigs." Jukka said, glancing over his shoulder at his friend one final time. "Just… just go! Remember… you have to give our report to… the Paragon!"

"I know!" Sigrun said, a fresh wave of determination and resolve coming over her. She would not let the sacrifice of Jukka and her fellow scouts be in vain. Sigrun slapped a fist to her chest in salute. "For the Legion!"

"For the Legion!" Jukka returned. He looked back at the darkspawn as the first one emerged from the gloom, a genlock with a curved sword and a jagged shield. "For the Legion!" He shouted as loud as he could and limped towards the genlock. Sigrun didn't stay to watch, she knew that Jukka was already too weak to kill it, and he knew that too, he was just buying her a few more seconds.

Sigrun started running as quickly as she could, trying to ignore Jukka's screams and the darkspawn's snarls. Instead she tried to look for some kind of opening on the ceiling, a hint of sunlight, anything that could be used as an escape from the underground world she'd always known, and into the surface world above. She had to make it, then get back to Orzammar, and then tell Dharr about what was waiting for him Kal'Hirol.

Endrin was perched on top of large outcropping of rock. She left her bow across her back and chose to only quietly observe the creature. In a way she admired it. Animals lived such simple lives. All they wanted was a meal, a safe and dry place to sleep, and judging on the time of the year, perhaps a mate… but for animals even choosing a mate was a simple matter. There was none of the nonsense that people had to worry about.

'Why couldn't it have been like that for me?' Endrin asked herself, and Alistair's face appeared, unbidden, in her mind's eye. 'Why Alistair?' She mentally called out to the only man she'd ever loved. 'Why did you have to do that to me? Why… why couldn't we just have been happy together?' Endrin reached over her shoulder and silently withdrew Falon'Din's Reach. She still had no intention of shooting the lynx, she just wanted to hold her weapon again… it was like an old friend who had never let her down.

More memories flashed through her mind. The first was the hardest, the night following the Landsmeet where Endrin had fought Loghain, and then chose to let him live. Alistair had found her afterwards, and she had never seen him so angry. 'I hate you Endrin…' He'd shouted in her face, and it had been all she could do to keep from falling to her knees as the emotional blow hit her hard. 'Do you hear me, Endrin?! I hate you! And the only reason I'm staying is to defeat the Archdemon! After that there will be a reckoning!'

Endrin nearly choked, and made a quick sobbing noise. She gripped the bow harder, and she saw the lynx look back at her over its shoulder and twitch an ear, but it either didn't see her, or it sensed no hostility from her. And then the next memory hit her. In their last few moments before Endrin and her friends battled the Archdemon she'd been in one of Fort Drakon's armories salvaging more arrows, and when she'd turned to leave she found Alistair once more in the room with her. 'I don't want you back Endrin.' He'd said, and then quickly clarified himself. 'I'm just trying to say that I'm with you again, and that you can count on me… Commander.' Endrin had been far too angry to think much of anything about what he'd said, and her only real response had been to shoulder her way past him.

The two of them never had the chance to talk again and move past what had happened. And Endrin never had a chance to forgive Alistair, at least not while he was alive. And that was what led to the third and final memory. The dragon's head jerked towards Endrin, then swept down directly at her, jaws wide open. Endrin knew that she didn't have time to get away, this was the end for her… only it wasn't. Alistair slammed his full body weight into Endrin's right side, sending her sprawling away and taking her place as Urthemiel's jaws closed around him and bit down. Alistair didn't make a sound as his life quickly drained away.

Endrin had been so engrossed in her memories that she didn't even notice the sound of Roaran's armor scraping against the rock as he climbed up next to her. "Hey you found it!" Roaran said happily, trying to keep his voice down, but Endrin still jumped in surprise. "And y'know… I still don't know much about these surface critters but that is the biggest damn cat I've ever seen!"

Endrin choked back another sob and forced herself to focus on the lynx again. "What… what about the sabertooth that we killed just before Mithra and her hunters found us?"

Roaran chuckled, and the lynx looked back at them again, this time it began to slowly inch away towards the nearest patch of scrub. "Hey, Endrin… the big damn cat is getting away… shoot it already! And the sabertooth doesn't count, it wasn't a cat, it was a sodding monster!"

"I'm not going to shoot it, why would you even want that?"

"Because it would make a very nice rug for my room back at the keep!" The lynx had all but disappeared into the bushes. "And the big damn cat is about to get away, Endrin! Shoot-shoot-shoot!" The cat disappeared. Roaran sighed sadly. "Sod-it-all Endrin… I wanted a rug!"

Endrin looked at her dwarven friend. Judging from the grin on his face he was joking but Endrin still wasn't sure.

Whether he was serious or not, Endrin would never know. Roaran only shrugged his broad shoulders and said, "So can we go back to that town we passed earlier?"

"Why?"

"Because being out in the open country like this feels weird. There's too much green, it's too open, it smells strange, and my fingers get itchy."

Endrin arched an eyebrow. If nothing else just talking to, and being around Roaran was pushing the memories of Alistair farther and farther away. "Your fingers?" Endrin asked in confusion.

"Yeah… my fingers! I need to steal something!"

Endrin reached down and touched her own coin purse to make sure it was still there. Then she smiled mischievously, indicating that it was her own joke.

Roaran feigned hurt and said, "Tattoo… now that's just not nice! I don't steal from friends, that's just wrong."

"Stealing is wrong!"

"Says who?"

"Everyone…" Endrin said, like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah well… I'm attracted to things that are wrong." Roaran grinned. "So can we go?"

Endrin couldn't help herself anymore and started laughing. "Sure… sure let's go back and find that town. But can you limit it to just one theft?"

"I can try."

"And Roaran?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happens, don't ever change!"

Roaran chuckled. "I don't think we have to worry about that."

The growls and roars of the two genlocks behind her were growing more frustrated, and also growing closer. The stunted genlocks had left their larger hurlock brethren behind and were moving fast through the low ceilinged tunnel. Sigrun knew that she was slowing down, she was still bleeding from the arrow in her shoulder, and as if that wasn't enough she was also starting to die from hunger. She had perhaps a few minutes to find an exit to the surface before the genlocks were on her.

"Stone help me!" She whispered. "Ancestors hear me! Get me out of here! Don't let me die like this, don't let me become one of them… please!"

As if in answer to her prayer, a beam of light, brighter than anything she'd ever seen underground cut through the darkness. The beam was only a few inches wide, but it was the only chance that Sigrun had. She placed herself directly under the beam and had to close her eyes to keep them from being burned by the intense light, then she rolled her hand into a fist and smashed it up towards the small hole, she felt dirt and gravel give way and start to fall, and so she punched upwards again.

Darkspawn roaring sound from down the tunnel, they were almost on her!

Sigrun punched the earthen ceiling a third time and felt her fist break through! She frantically started clawing at the edges of the fist-sized hole making it bigger, and finally opened her eyes when she felt the hole was big enough for her squeeze through, and she screamed as her first glimpse of real, unfiltered sunlight beat down on her face, overwhelming all her senses. Sigrun could have sworn that she heard the sunlight actually make a booming sound, but she didn't care, she seized hold of the surface and jumped, pulling the top half of her body into the surface world. And then a genlock grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back down.

"No!" Sigrun screamed as loud as she could manage. "Someone! Anyone! Get me out of here!"

The darkspawn was joined by the genlock, and together they started to drag her back the way they'd all come from.

"No, no!" Sigrun screamed again. "Please, someone help me!" Even though she knew no one would come.

But someone did…

A male voice bellowed a feral sounding warcry, and as Sigrun looked back she caught a brief glimpse of a red-haired dwarf covered in silver armor leap into the tunnel. "Finally some darkspawn!" He roared. "My day just keeps getting better!" A massive battleaxe flashed across the tunnel, taking off a genlock head. The second darkspawn turned towards the new threat, but was too slow. The battleaxe flashed out again and buried itself in the last genlock's chest.

The fiery haired dwarf looked around, then he looked down at Sigrun and grinned. "And now this is the best day that I can think of! I start out on a sodding nature walk with Tattoo, sense some darkspawn and kill them with extreme prejudice, and now I end up rescuing a dwarf-girl." He looked closer at the armor. "And a Legionnaire, I never would have expected that!" And then he caught sight of the casteless brand. "And you're a casteless too! What more could I ask for?" Then he looked back towards the hole and shouted, "Hey Tattoo! We got us a survivor down here." He looked back at Sigrun. "So you ready to meet your first elf?" He asked.

Sigrun couldn't take it anymore. After everything that had happened, running from the darkspawn, losing Jukka, nearly escaping to the surface only to be captured by the darkspawn, and then rescued by this odd dwarf, and just to top it off there was out of nowhere the prospect of meeting an elf! It was too much. Sigrun passed out.

When Sigrun opened her eyes the first thing she felt was a rush of panic at not knowing where she was. She was laying on her back, her armor had been taken off, and it felt like there was a thin blanket on top of her. The only thing she could see above of her was black, but she knew that wasn't in the Deep Roads due to the flicking orange light at the edges of her vision, a fire of some sort. She could feel that her wounds had been bandaged, and could smell what she assumed was some kind of healing salve. And then a voice sounded from only a few feet away, she didn't know the speaker, but the voice did sound vaguely familiar.

"So anyway, Elf-Lady starts moseying down the street just acting like a servant, or homeless girl or something… and let me tell you, when Elf-Lady puts her mind to it, she's a damn good actor! So the guard standing outside the door doesn't pay her any attention until she lunges at him and then shoves a dagger up through his chin and into his brain!" Whoever was telling the story stopped talking long enough to give a chuckle, and judging from the slurping sound take a drink of something.

Then a feminine voice that she didn't recognize said sarcastically, "You sure do tell good stories, Roaran. Do you know any that don't involve stealing or killing?"

"Yeah." The male voice answered. "But why would you want to listen boring shit like that?" Another round of chuckling followed.

The woman sighed in a somewhat annoyed sounding voice, and after a few seconds of silence she said, "I think that our guest is awake."

Another few seconds passed before a face appeared in Sigrun's field of vision. About the only features that were visible were the cheekbones, a pair of mirthful looking eyes, and a mouth which was turned up in a humorous expression, the rest of the face was obscured by bushy and unkempt hair, and matching beard. She could also see that he was wearing a suit of silver colored armor. At first she thought she'd never seemed him before, and then she remembered him as the strange dwarf that had came to her rescue, easily killing two darkspawn in the process, but that was all she remembered.

"Ha! You're right about that, Tattoo!" The peculiar dwarf beamed. "Hi there Dead-Girl! Welcome to the surface!"

"The surface?" Sigrun repeated. "How did I get here?"

The dwarf shrugged and said, "Well, I jumped down into that air shaft you were crawling through, killed two spawn, then handed you up to Tattoo. You probably don't remember, you were a little unconscious at the time!" He chuckled again.

"The surface!?" Sigrun shouted in surprise, rolling over and grapping at the strange looking plants which grew up from the ground. She held on until she realized that she wasn't falling up. She looked back at the dwarf, and he suddenly started laughing uncontrollably.

"That's right Dead-Girl!" He roared. "Nobody falls up into the sky!" He laughed again, then moved away from her and sat down next to campfire.

That was when Sigrun noticed the woman, the one that the dwarf kept calling 'Tattoo'. Sigrun had only heard one or two stories of elves, and had never seen one, but she instantly figured out that this was an elf. She was at least a head taller than the tallest dwarf she'd ever seen, but was impossibly thin, so thin that Sigrun was surprised this elf hadn't starved to death already. The elf wore a thin looking clothes, a green shirt and light brown pants. She had short black hair that ended just before he shoulders, but the most striking feature about her was the elaborate tattoo that covered almost all of her face.

"Hello." The elf said in a voice that also higher pitched an almost any dwarven voice. "If you get up and over hear by the fire, then we have some food left over."

"Hardly!" The dwarf scoffed. "Tattoo only shot two rabbits, and insisted that I leave an entire rabbit for you… That means I only got half a damn rabbit! And a dwarf like me needs more than that… I'm starving!"

That was about the time Sigrun noticed that the smell of roasting meat was wafting through the air. She didn't recognize the particular meat that was cooking, but it still made her mouth water. Sigrun pushed herself into a sitting position and realized that the blanket she'd been under had actually been a very large green cloak, she guessed it belonged to the elf just from the size of it. "What's rabbit?" Was the only thing she could think to ask.

The dwarf laughed again before answering, "That's just what I said! Rabbits are a bit like nugs, but they're about half the size, and they're easier to chew. C'mon! See for yourself!"

Sigrun did indeed get up from the makeshift bed she'd been laying in, and made her way closer to the campfire, and the roasted animal that the elf was slowing rotating over the fire. It smelled inviting. Sigrun wasn't able to tear her eyes away from the elf however, the pointy-eared woman was so fascinating! Sigrun was no stranger to facial tattoos, but the elf's tattoo was so strange and exotic looking. And the ears… the ears! Pointed ears! The stories she'd heard about elves had of course included their pointy ears, but finally being able to see it for herself was something else entirely.

"I take it your name isn't 'Tattoo'?" Sigrun asked as she tore a leg off the roasting rabbit.

The elf smiled in a friendly sort of way and shook her head, apparently not bothered by the way Sigrun was opening gawking at her. "No. My name is Endrin Mahariel." She motioned with her head towards the dwarf. "Roaran is the only one who calls me Tattoo. I tend to think of it as a term of endearment. Everyone else just calls me Endrin."

"Roaran…" Sigrun repeated the name. "For some reason that sounds familiar."

Roaran shrugged and chuckled again. Sigrun was already getting the impression that he laughed a lot. The red-haired dwarf said, "Usually when I hear that it's a bad thing. Did I steal from you or murder a family member?"

"Not that I know of." Sigrun answered. "And I don't have any family worth mentioning."

"Sounds good to me!" Roaran grinned happily.

Sigrun looked even more happy as she tore into the rabbit, and her new companions watched with certain sense of curiosity as she devoured the meager meal, neither of them saying anything until she'd finished. Once the bones had been meticulously picked clean, Endrin said, "The meat is a bit bland. I couldn't find much in the way of spices on such short notice."

"There's no need to apologize." Sigrun answered as she wiped the last of the juices from her mouth and chin. "That was the best meal I can ever remember!"

"She's casteless" Roaran explained.

Sigrun quickly corrected him, "Wrong, I'm not casteless, I'm a Legionnaire of the Dead now! And speaking of which, I need to get back to Orzammar!"

Roaran rolled his eyes. "Why in sod-all would you want to go back there? Everything's better up here! And what was a sodding Legionnaire doing so close to the surface anyway?"

"Trying to get to the surface." Sigrun answered. "The rest of my unit was killed by darkspawn, and I was trying to get away to the surface so I could make it back to Orzammar without getting attacked and turned into a broodmother. Our orders were to scout out the lost thaig of Kal'Hirol and now I really need to get back to Orzammar and report to the Paragon. I have urgent news for him, so could one of you please point me in the right direction, I seem to have already lost my Stone sense."

Roaran took another swig from his flask, then passed the container to Sigrun. "One step at a time there, Dead-Girl! It's a long way back to Orzammar."

Sigrun took a swallow from the flask and passed it back to Roaran, she noticed that the elf called Endrin wrinkled her nose is disgust, she must have not been a drinker. "How long?"

Roaran shrugged. "I dunno, a couple weeks at least. Maybe 'bout a month or so."

"That long?" Sigrun said in disbelief. "Then I really need to get started. Which way is it?"

It was Endrin who spoke next. "That way." She pointed. "But if you want word to get to your Paragon faster, then you could come with us back to Vigil tomorrow. We can send word with messenger on a horse, they'll get there much faster."

"What's a horse?"

"An animal that humans ride on." Endrin smiled again in her friendly way. "Trust me… it would much faster than going on foot."

"Are you sure these horses are reliable?"

"Completely."

"Then I'll go back with you." Sigrun answered. "Can we go to your Vigil now?"

Endrin nodded. "Of course." She stood up and started to don her armor, and Sigrun was impressed to see that the armor had been fashioned from dragon scales.

Roaran shook his head for a reason that Sigrun wasn't sure and said, "Now hold on just a sodding minute! You said you need to give your report to a Paragon… what Paragon are we talking about?"

"Are you daft?" Sigrun answered, and she moved to start putting on her own armor. "The Paragon Aeducan! Dharr, second son of the late King Endrin Aeducan!"

Roaran and Endrin were both silent for a few moments, then Endrin broke into a grin, and Roaran rolled his eyes and groaned sarcastically.

"What?" Sigrun asked, feeling lost again.

"Dharr…" Roaran broke into another fit of laughter. "You're talking about Lordship!" He started laughing again, and this time even Endrin joined in, though not nearly as loud as her dwarven friend.

When the laughter finally began to subside, Sigrun said, "Okay… hold on a minute… just stop where you are… You know the Paragon?!"

Both the dwarf and elf nodded, grinning as if they knew something she didn't.

"You could say that." Endrin said as she finished with the leggings and began putting on the chestpiece.

Roaran wiped tears of mirth from his eyes and said, "We traveled with him for over a year, and I was working for him before then! We stopped a sodding blight together… you might have heard of it!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sigrun said, holding out her hands towards the two grinning and laughing strangers. "Are you telling me that you are the Wardens who traveled a fought alongside the Paragon?! There are legends of both you!" Before either of the Grey Wardens could answer, Sigrun continued, "You're really Endrin, the one who led the Wardens during the blight and killed the Archdemon itself! And you're really Roaran, the casteless who left Dust Town and Orzammar became a Grey Warden! You have no idea how much of legend you are!"

Roaran grinned, and looked like he was about to say something humorous.

Before he had the chance, Sigrun said, "Would you sign my breastplate!?"

Roaran threw back his head and roared with laughter once more.

There were ten people on the patrol, but Anders was the only Grey Warden. As such, he was the one officially leading the patrol, but since he hadn't been the arling for very long, it was Sergeant Samantha Maverlies who was doing most of the actual leading. Maverlies had informed Anders that it was just a routine patrol around the Fereval Plains, and if they were lucky it would be a quiet patrol… It wasn't. One of their first stops had been to the Turnoble Estate, a large manor house surrounded by expansive farms. And from the look of it every person who'd lived or worked there was dead, killed by darkspawn.

By the time Anders, Maverlies, and their soldiers arrived there were only a few darkspawn left, feasting on the flesh of the dead humans and elves. Anders had never felt so justified in using his magic before. What he wasn't used to was how eager everyone else was to see him casting spells. And it was thanks to his healing and barrier spells that not a single soldier had died.

Now they were on their way home… Home… That was another concept that Anders wasn't familiar with yet. As far back as he could remember he'd never had a home. Kinloch Hold certainly wasn't a home, and he'd be perfectly happy if he never had to lay eyes on it again!

The mood of the patrol was still somber however. The carnage and death they'd discovered had put everyone in a bad humor. They were only an hour away from the Vigil when Maverlies held up a hand, silently signaling for a halt.

"What is it?" Anders asked quietly.

Maverlies motioned with her head into the dusk that was rapidly turning into night. "There's something on the road up there, and it looks like a body."

Anders quickly made his way to the unmoving body which lay in the middle of the road, he was hoping that there was a chance whoever it was, was still alive so that his magic could help, but he realized before he even reached the body that it was dead. He couldn't tell anything else however, since the corpse was still wearing a full suit of armor to include a full face helmet. Anders removed the helmet to find a woman with long blonde hair. He recognized her from the ceremony where Tylis was recognized as arl, but he didn't know her name.

"Ser Tamra." Maverlies filled in as she came to a stop near Anders, looking at the body. "She's been beaten to death, you can tell because the armor is more or less in one piece."

Anders scowled hatefully. "It wasn't darkspawn." He said. "They would have dragged her off or eaten her. People did this… And the body is still warm so the killers aren't far away, we can still find them!" He looked back at the rest of the soldiers. "Five of you keep heading toward the keep, the other three come with me and the sergeant. We're going to head back and see if we can find the culprit!" He suddenly wished that the damn blood mage was part of the patrol, he knew enough about blood magic to know that it would be a simple matter for Kensha to make some kind of tracking spell.

It was fully dark when Anders made out the form of a large figure lumbering down the road.

"Halt in the name of the Arl!" Maverlies ordered, and the armored figure did indeed stop, but only to turn around and throw a dagger at her.

Anders quickly held up an open hand and raised an arcane barrier, the dagger harmlessly bounced off and fell to the ground. He was then going to blast the man with a stream of fire that would reduce him to ash covered skeleton when he heard Maverlies shouting at him.

"Don't kill him! He'll need to be interrogated!"

Anders agreed and instead of using fire, he used an ice spell, freezing the ground between himself and the man, and causing him to slip and fall hard. The supposed murderer proved to a huge man, but before he could back to his feet and make use of his size, he found Maverlies sword at his throat.

Sergeant Maverlies apparently recognized the man, and she growled. "Ser Temmerly… you are under arrest for the murder of Ser Tamra, and the attempted murder of myself!" Then she looked back at one of her soldiers and barked, "Bind his hands! If he resists, cut them off!"

Sorry for the slow updates, but with the way my life is going I just don't have much time for writing. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little intermission. Mostly I just wanted to get Sigrun with the Wardens without waiting for them to get to Kal'Hirol and find her. Also, I know that Roaran and Endrin didn't get much, if any interaction in Rise of the Wardens but I wanted to show that the two of them are friends and that they get along very well. I hope I did a good job of that. Next chapter goes back to Tylis and his group... which means I'm finally going to have to write a chapter in the Fade... Damn it! I hate the Fade!