A/N: You might be confused why there are ten chapters now instead of eight if you are an older reader. If you are an older reader then you should start on this chapter; the author's note will explain everything.
AN EARLY JOINING
Elezabeth
Elezabeth thought they would never reach Ostagar.
Traveling the surface had been hard in its own right. The ever changing slopes and curves of the land, combined with the intense sunlight bearing down on her, had been an intense experience even though they were using main roads. She'd marched through the Deep Roads a dozen times, and yet this experience wore her down and tired her far more than any trek into darkspawn-infested tunnels.
Though that could also be attributed to the poison in her blood.
She hadn't been able to believe her own stupidity, putting on pieces of armor from a gunlock roughly her size without taking into account how lethal the Taint was. Once the duster had discovered her condition and Duncan and the others confirmed her infection, Quincy had burned the Taint away from her armor. A little too late for her, but it'd keep her from infecting Darik as well.
That had been, however, the best part of slowly dying. The Grey Wardens, she knew, were immune to the Taint for some reason or another, but Darik was not. As such, the rest of the journey to Ostagar was spent with the two dwarves being kept as far from each other as possible. That didn't stop them from arguing, however.
Quincy spent a lot of time by her side, using his magic to slow the progression of the Taint during the ten days of traveling from Redcliffe to Ostagar. Considering how terrible she felt by the time they reached the ruins, she wondered if she would have survived without his help.
The eight Grey Wardens and Warden-Recruits arrived at Ostagar late in the evening. Ievos had been sent ahead by Duncan to alert the Wardens of his return with a Tainted recruit. That did not stop an envoy of soldiers, led by a man in golden armor, from crossing the bridge that spanned the gap between them and the large camp Elezabeth could see in the heart of the ruins. She immediately put on her helmet to avoid having her face seen by the oncoming strangers. It was vain of her, she knew, to be so disheartened by the drastic and horrid change in her appearance. But her looks were as deadly as her skill with a sword, and having them dulled by the Taint was as crippling as losing her sword arm.
As the envoy got closer, Elezabeth realized that the golden man was not just some high ranking soldier. She'd only seen him once, having never actually met him years earlier during his visit to Orzammar, but she knew this was the King of Ferelden—Cailan Theirin. He had a striking resemblance to his father, King Maric, what with his long blond hair and prominent nose. A large greatsword was sheathed on his back, though Elezabeth remembered him carrying a sword and shield the last time she saw him.
Duncan had clearly not been prepared with meeting the King, based on the surprise in his voice as the envoy and the Wardens met at the end of the long bridge. He shook the hand offered to him as he said, "King Cailan? I didn't expect—"
"A royal welcome?" Cailan finished for him, confidence practically radiating off every word. "I was beginning to worry you'd miss all the fun!"
"Not if I could help it, your Majesty," Duncan said.
Cailan grinned. "Then I'll have the might Duncan at my side in battle after all! Glorious!" He glanced past Duncan at the rest of the Wardens, his eyes staying longer on the dwarves. Elezabeth had moved far from the King, not wanting to be responsible for possibly poisoning him with her mere presence. The duster, on the other hand, was standing on Duncan's left, just a few feet from the King. "Your Dalish told me you've found some promising recruits. I take it this is them?"
"Allow me to introduce you, your Majesty."
Cailan stepped closer to Darik while looking at Duncan. "No need to be so formal, Duncan. We'll be shedding blood together, after all." He looked down at Darik. "Ho there, friend! Might I know your name?"
Forgetting his place—or blatantly ignoring that the man was royalty—Darik offered his own hand to King Cailan. "Name's Darik Brosca. You can call me Brosca."
That he practically ordered the King what to do made Elezabeth wonder just how brain-addled the duster must be. She was taken aback when Cailan readily accepted the handshake. "Pleased to meet you, Brosca! The Grey Wardens are desperate to bolster their numbers, and I, for one, am glad to help them." When the handshake broke, the King looked to Elezabeth. "And you are?"
"I am Elezabeth Aeducan, your Majesty," she said with a respectful bow.
"Aeducan? Wait, you're the daughter of King Endrin then, are you not?" Cailan asked.
"That is correct, your Majesty."
"So that makes us cousins of royalty, then," he said with a smile.
"I... am actually no longer recognized as an Aeducan in Orzammar, your Majesty," Elezabeth said uneasily, still trying to get over the fact herself. "I am royalty no longer."
The King frowned. "Oh. I am terribly sorry to have brought it up then." He managed to bring back a smile. "It sounds like there's a story behind that. I would hate to trouble you in telling me it, but I must admit I am curious."
"If that is what your Majesty wishes, then it would be my honor."
She could practically hear Darik rolling his eyes.
"I do. I'll make sure to have the finest dwarven brew brought up from the palace cellars." He winked. "After we've defeated the Blight, of course." He turned to Duncan. "Though that does remind me to tell you, Duncan, that we've had our own troubles in Ferelden nobility since you went to Orzammar."
"Oh?" said Duncan.
"Apparently Rendon Howe has decided to attack Highever with the mass of Bryce's soldiers here in Ostagar." Cailan shook his head. "I'd not know this had the Teryn's youngest not escaped the massacre and reported it to me directly. Unfortunately nothing can be done until we've won here in Ostagar and can push north."
"That is terrible news," Duncan expressed.
"On top of everything else, Vaughan Kendells has been murdered by an elf from the Denerim Alienage. Vaughan was certainly not my favorite person, but it is a shame that it happened."
Elezabeth raised a brow. Politics seem to be played the same above and below the surface.
"If only the darkspawn could be our main focus during a Blight," Quincy murmured.
"I couldn't agree more," Cailan said. "Anyway, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I should return to my tent." He, too, rolled his eyes. "Loghain waits eagerly to bore me with his strategies."
"Your uncle sends his greetings and reminds you that Redcliffe forces could be here in less than a week," Duncan said.
"Ha! Eamon just wants in on the glory. We've won three battles against these monsters and several more skirmishes. Redcliffe can keep its forces."
"Damn, sounds like darkspawn aren't doing putting up much of a fight," Darik said.
Cailan must have been a man of great patience to allow Darik to speak in such a manner around him. Or perhaps he knew the brand on his face meant that Darik was an uneducated man. Either way, he simply nodded. "I was hoping that they'd be less inclined to hop straight onto our blades. I'd be surprised if we're in Ostagar for much longer."
"Your Majesty," Duncan interjected, "I'm not certain the Blight can be ended quite as... quickly as you might wish."
"I'm not even sure this is a true Blight," Cailan said, sounding a little disappointed. "There are plenty of darkspawn on the field, but alas, we've seen no sign of an archdemon."
"Disappointed, your Majesty?" Duncan mused.
"I'd hoped for a war like in the tales!" Cailan exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "A King riding with the fabled Grey Wardens against a Tainted god!" He shrugged. "But I suppose this will have to do." He started back towards the bridge, the rest of the envoy sticking close to him. "I must go before Loghain sends out a search party. Farewell, Grey Wardens."
Though the King now had his back to the Wardens, all save for Darik bowed at his departure. His continuing to be a total arse irritated Elezabeth to a point where she couldn't contain her opinion any longer. "What is your problem, duster? Can you not offer respect in any capacity?"
He snorted. "I like the man, but he seems a bit too full of himself to have my respect." He chuckled. "Like someone else I know."
With the King and his envoy gone, Elezabeth removed her helmet. She smirked when he cringed at her blotchy skin and dead eyes, despite it confirming just how badly the Taint had affected her. "That 'man' is a King and you should refer to him as such."
"What should I call you then, princess? 'Spots'?"
"You bastard!" She dropped her helmet and started towards him, but Grigor easily held her back.
"We can't have you spreading the Taint, Elezabeth," Duncan said. He looked at Darik. "But you don't have to antagonize her. You two are to become Grey Wardens, and Grey Wardens do not bicker like children."
Still glaring at the brand, she muttered, "Sorry, Duncan."
Darik apologized to, somehow sounding less sincere than Elezabeth had.
"Darik, Cayden, Liam, Grigor, and Red: you five may go to the Grey Warden's encampment to rest and dine for the night," Duncan instructed. "Quincy, go with them. Ievos should have informed the others to what is going on. Collect the... item and return. We'll wait here."
Elezabeth watched as they all started across the bridge. She waited until they were out of earshot before she asked, "Why are we staying over here?"
"We can't have you going through the camp in your current state," Duncan said, refusing to look at her.
"And the item you are having Quincy bring back?"
"I cannot tell you. You'll find out when he returns."
They waited for the Warden-Constable in silence. As time went on, Elezabeth became more and more paranoid as to what was going to happen to her. Duncan and Quincy aren't going to kill me... are they? No, no of course not. They could have done it at the Deep Roads entrance then hide my body where it would never be found. The King has seen me, and knows I should be with the Wardens. Would he notice my absence?
There was little she could do to defend herself, if her first guess had been the right one. If she weren't Tainted, then she could see herself going toe-to-toe with Duncan with a chance of winning. The Warden-Commander was much older than her, but age brings experience and she'd seen plenty of proof that he fought well. And then there would also be Quincy to deal with; her natural resistance to magic would only keep her alive for so long. But given that she was barely managing to stay on her feet as it was, it would be one-sided if the Wardens tried to kill her. I doubt I could even fight the brand in my condition. The brutal truth of that made her shiver.
Twenty minutes later, Quincy came back across the bridge. In his left hand was an empty silver chalice. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to use this or not, Duncan, but here it is." He handed the chalice to Duncan. "And the other Wardens did have the Joining potion ready."
Joining potion?
"Let us find a more private location to do this," Duncan said, glancing at the soldiers posted around a large tower off to their right.
Elezabeth followed Duncan and Quincy to a more secluded part of the ruins, out of sight from the camp in the center of Ostagar and the soldiers at the tower. Had she not seen the chalice, she would have continued agonizing over the possibility that they were going to kill her.
When they finally stopped, Quincy procured a vial containing a dark liquid and poured every last drop into the chalice. Both turned to face her, Duncan holding the chalice in his hands like it was a deadly weapon. "To become what we are, Grey Wardens drink the blood of the darkspawn and master the Taint."
How Duncan said that in a calm tone was beyond Elezabeth.
"But the darkspawn blood we drink has been specially altered so that those that there is a chance we can survive and become immune to its effects," Quincy said. "You've had direct contact with the Taint. In time, it will kill you or will turn you into a slave to the darkspawn that we call a 'ghoul.'"
"Whether or not your initial contact with the Taint thus far has helped or hindered your chances of surviving the Joining is not known to us," Duncan said. "There has not been a reported case of the Taint on the surface in four hundred years, since the end of the last Blight. What we do know, however, is that you will not live long without the Joining.
"Normally, a recruit is tasked with collecting their own darkspawn blood, both to prove themselves capable in battle and to provide as fresh a sample of the Taint as possible for the Joining. You, Elezabeth Aeducan, have shown your worth but are physically incapable of providing your own blood. Otherwise, we would not have provided the blood for you.
"We speak only a few words prior to the Joining, but these words have been said since the first. Quincy, if you would?"
Quincy cleared his throat. "Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand, vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day we will join you."
Duncan handed the chalice to Elezabeth. She was normally brave and headstrong in dangerous situations new or old to her, but never had a single action been quite literally life or death. Accepting the chalice with hands that would not stop anxiously shaking, Duncan said to her, "You are called upon to submit yourself to the Taint for the greater good."
She stared at the darkspawn blood, gagging from the smell alone. Just one quick swig, and then I'm done. I'll either live or die, but I will be done. She tilted the chalice towards her mouth, letting the blood run into her mouth. The taste was vile, and when she swallowed it, an intense burning aggravated her throat.
Duncan and Quincy stepped away from Elezabeth as she dropped the chalice. "From this moment forth, you are a Grey Warden."
Elezabeth's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she felt her legs give way. She heard the roar of a dragon before she passed out.
A/N: I know the chapter isn't very amazing, especially since it's been more than three months since I've updated the story. This chapter is like the Duke Nukem: Forever of updates.
I've had trouble writing what happens to Elezabeth between Redcliffe and Ostagar, and I finally decided that it didn't matter. Hopefully now that I've gotten past my writer's block, updates will be done more frequently.
If you have read the story before 7/31/2014, you'll notice that there are a lot of new chapters. That's actually not the case. I took what had been Chapters 3 and 4 and basically split them up into two parters. I just didn't like that I having chapters that were so much longer than any other chapter in the story. You don't have to go back and read them as there isn't new content, unless you just need a reminder as to what has happened thus far.
Please review if you're glad the story's back. Or you can review telling me how disappointed you are in me for taking so long.