Summary:

In the wake of the attack on Highever castle, Duncan leads his recruits on their next destination. He attempts to break through to Adora Cousland as she laments the loss of her family and freedom.

9:30 Dragon, Draconis 20th

They were traveling southeast across the Bannorn. The North Road was too much of a risk, likely being patrolled by Amaranthine's soldiers. As things stood, the arl couldn't risk anyone escaping. Surely he'd have his men search the bodies for familiar faces. When Adora was discovered to be missing, he'd have his men scour all the roadways, especially any which ran past Denerim. If the sole survivor of his slaughter had anywhere to go, it would be Denerim or Ostagar. Denerim was closer, where the young Cousland could hide among noble allies; perhaps even take command of her family estate in the capital. Ostagar was less likely as a destination due to its distance.

Unless the arl suspects I have taken her as a recruit. Duncan realized that was a very real possibility. He'd said as much in front of the man himself just days ago. Had there been some way to take back his words in front of the arl, he would have done so in hindsight. If he'd suspected the nobleman of such treachery upon meeting him, though, things would have turned out very differently.

He knew the best thing they could do was evade detection for as long as possible. If they headed straight towards Ostagar, they risked being spotted. If they took a detour, however - say through the edge of the Brecilian Forest - then they'd have a better chance at remaining undetected.

They were halfway through the lowlands already. So far they'd been lucky. They'd passed other travelers, but no one who even vaguely resembled a threat. There'd been a few bandits lying in wait, but when they'd gotten a good look at Duncan and his recruits they'd left them alone. Normally he'd see about ending the various menaces, but he simply didn't have the time. If they didn't waste his time, he wouldn't waste them. It was as simple as that.

They'd just passed another marker. Soon they'd be drawing close to the Hafter River. It would bring them a little closer to the Imperial Highway than he wanted them to be, but they'd need to cross the structure eventually. He was thinking about eventually taking his group near South Reach to gather information. It wouldn't hurt to hear about any possible rumors from up north, but he was mostly hoping to hear about any Dalish clans passing through on their way into the forest.

He could certainly return to Ostagar with the three recruits he'd already chosen, but he was hoping for at least one more. Not to mention he did want to stay out of the roads to Ostagar a little longer, just to be safe. They'd have to take the West Road into the old fortress. It was a better bet than trying to maneuver through the Southron Hills, even if they did risk an ambush by Howe's men.

I keep coming back to that, don't I? He knew that he was more than capable of handling any thugs the arl sent their way. Nereus and Leif were obviously just as adept. They'd handled themselves well during the siege of Highever. Adora, though… the girl was not doing well.

After their escape, she'd had a complete breakdown. Any attempts to speak with her were met with only silence. She hadn't acknowledged him at all. When he'd tried to drag her up from the beach, he'd been met with a knife at his throat. Her gray eyes had been empty, as if she weren't even seeing him. He'd disarmed her, of course. That had led to a very brief fight from the anguished girl with him as the victor.

He needed to get through to her. They needed to escape before the exit was discovered and they were followed.

The mabari had nipped at his hand. He'd forgotten about the hound. Looking down at the dog, he'd suddenly thought of Hafter, one of his companions from long ago. The warhound had been one of the bravest creatures he'd ever known. Smart, too. He hoped that Adora's hound was just as smart.

Desperate, he'd knelt before the dog and looked into her big brown eyes. "Your mistress is in terrible danger."

"Is he… talking to the dog?" He'd heard Leif ask uncertainly.

Nereus had hushed him. Duncan continued, feeling more than a little foolish, yet equally hopeful when he got a response from the hound. She'd whined and looked at her companion. "We need to leave. I want to keep her safe."

The dog barked. He'd taken that as understanding when she padded over to the girl lying prone in the sand. Sniffing at her and pulling on her armor, the dog eventually managed to force Adora to sit up. She'd stared at the forceful beast for a moment, her eyes foggy. Then she'd collapsed against the hound, her arms encircling the thick neck as she sobbed into her fur.

"I can't…" Leif was still stuck on him talking to the dog. The young dwarf looked completely beside himself. "The dog listened to you."

"Of course she did," he'd said confidently, as if he'd never had a doubt. "She's a purebred mabari. They're the smartest dogs you'll ever meet."

After that, Adora had clambered up from the sand. Without saying a word, she'd started walking. Assuming she knew the best way out of the cove, they'd followed her under the light of the moons with the smoke from Highever beginning to obscure the starlight.

She'd led them to the North Road and from there, Duncan had taken them away from the Highway and into the lowlands of the Bannorn. Adora had followed silently, one hand down to touch the ears of her hound every step of the way.

He was still leading and she was still following. Nereus and Leif stayed behind a bit further, watching her just to be safe. Duncan wasn't sure he was willing to trust her not to run away just yet. So far she'd shown no inclination. For the past three nights he and the other two men would keep watch, letting the young noblewoman get a full night of sleep. Not once had she tried to sneak away. She ate when food was brought to her, drank water when she was reminded to, but otherwise she was silent.

Duncan knew she would snap out of it, but at the moment he was feeling impatient. He knew she had the potential to be a great warrior. He'd traced her path in Highever from her room, all the way to the kitchen. He'd spoken to the surviving men, fought beside them, and learned of how she'd fought with her mother by her side until meeting up with his recruits. How even after gaining the aid of two skilled fighters, she had continued to fight alongside them, rather than hang back and allow them to protect her.

Perhaps, he also saw some of himself in the young girl. He had not wanted to become a Warden. He had chosen to die rather than be recruited, yet even that choice had been taken from him. Just like he'd taken the choice from her.

Nereus and Leif were meant to be Wardens. He could feel it. They would survive the Joining and they would do great things in the future. Adora… he worried for her. Would she survive against all odds like he had? Or would her grief consume her? He didn't know what it was that let people survive the ritual of the Joining, but he worried that the tragedy she'd so recently encountered would have some kind of part to play in her experience.

This is your time to be a mentor to your new recruits. That's what he'd been telling himself for days. Instead, he'd simply led them along on their long walk, occasionally giving them information when asked. He was distracted. That was to be expected. There was no way he could have fathomed the situations he'd recently found himself involved in back when he'd first left Ostagar.

Things always had to be more complicated than he'd set them out to be. That was just his luck.

He had to find a way to turn things around again.

The river was sparkling in the distance now. Not too far, then. It was drawing closer to sundown anyway. They'd made good time, all things considered.

Fording the river had been tiresome, but necessary. They were still trying to cover their tracks, after all. He'd settled on a nice sharp bend in the river for their campsite. Having mostly water to their backs wouldn't be a bad thing. They'd hear anything approaching across the water easily enough and then they'd have a smaller perimeter to watch.

Leif had already set the tents and Nereus had gotten a nice, smokeless fire going. Adora was sitting listless on a fallen tree, her hound by her side. Since she still hadn't spoken, he had yet to learn the dog's name.

I suppose I should remedy that. It would be a start.

He crossed the short distance to the young woman and knelt before the dog. The hound smiled the way all dogs do, with her tongue lolling out and her lips pulled back in a doggy grin. He returned the smile and scratched her neck and ears. He wasn't looking, but he could feel Adora watching him as he praised her hound.

"She's a remarkable beast," he was saying to her now, his voice quiet and neutral. "I never did catch her name, I'm afraid. You can't tell me, can you girl?"

The dog barked happily, then licked Adora's leg. Duncan couldn't help but smile at the gesture of affection from the dog. It was clear the two of them had a long history.

"Lady."

Her voice had been so quiet, he'd almost missed it. It was like the echo of a whisper in a breeze. He looked from the girl to the dog, suddenly understanding. Lady was her name. When he'd asked, the dog had licked the nearest lady in response. Or was he giving her too much credit?

Lady looked at him expectantly and he obliged by scratching her ears again. "Lady. What a lovely name. And appropriate. She's every bit a noble."

Apparently Lady agreed, lunging forward to lick his face in appreciation. If she'd been trying to kill him, he would have let her. The hound was quicker than he'd expected. Instead, he received the wettest, slobberiest kiss he could recall in recent years. It was so unexpected, he found himself laughing openly in response.

"Oh! Well, perhaps I was a bit too forward!" He chuckled, patting the dog on the head when she settled back into place beside her mistress.

It didn't seem that Adora was going to say anything more. Still, he'd at least started a dialogue. Of sorts.

"You know, when I was younger, one of the other Wardens had a warhound. Not a purebred, like you. No, Hafter was a special case. He was a bit of a mongrel, but he was as smart as any mabari." He looked like he was talking to Lady. Mostly, he was. She looked very interested in his story. He thought Adora was listening, too. "Hafter wasn't just smart. He was brave. In fact, he was a Grey Warden, just like me. I think he'd been a Warden longer than I had at the time I knew him."

This seemed to make him worthy of a question. "How does a dog become a Warden?"

He looked up and found Adora looking at him. She already seemed more animated, somehow. Or maybe he was just imagining things.

Duncan smiled, patted Lady on the neck and stood. "That, I cannot tell you. Not yet."

"Why not?" She sounded petulant now. A good reaction; anything was better than the numb girl he'd been growing accustomed to.

"Only those who are about to become Grey Wardens may be told." He was aware that the other two were listening now. They were clearly curious about what made Wardens special.

The girl scowled and dropped her gaze. "You still expect to make a Warden out of me."

"I do." He sensed a fight brewing between the pauses in their conversation. That was fine. She needed to work things out.

Adora shook her head. Her hair was still pulled up into braids and twisted around a bun. Her previously bright red hair was dingy now and much of it had fallen loose from the braids. He wondered why she didn't fix it. It looked uncomfortable after so many days.

"You made a mistake choosing me." Her voice was pitched low, like she was having difficulty speaking.

The Warden watched her with patient brown eyes. "I disagree."

He thought she was crying again, but when she looked up, her eyes were dry. Still, they were red with anger. "You won't have a Warden. All you'll have is a bitter, weak little girl." She laughed quietly under her breath, her gray eyes trained on him. "You should have gone back for Roland. He would have fought your war. I'm not meant for this." Her shoulders sagged and she hugged herself as she began to shake. "I should have died with them."

"Your mother sacrificed herself so you could live." He had given her time and space both. While he believed she deserved more, he did not have the luxury of giving her more. "You would dishonor her by wishing you had died as well?"

Her sharp intake of breath paused her trembling. She raised her head to look at him again and now he saw the tears he'd been expecting. "What is honor to someone like me? I failed them already. What more could I do? I can't…" She heaved, sobbing. Lady whined sympathetically and leaned against her as a support.

"You can't… what?" He intoned softly, pushing her to continue speaking.

Adora shook her head, burying her face in her dog's neck and holding onto her like she was the only thing tethering her to the earth. Lady huffed a sigh and nuzzled her head on top of hers.

The dog was clearly experienced at comforting the young woman. He admired her for that. Duncan wasn't so great with the whole comfort thing. He'd been a Warden for too long now. The Commander of the Grey wasn't exactly known for his soothing spirit.

"I can't… I can't tell Fergus…" she'd whispered it against Lady's neck, the sound so muffled it had barely traveled enough for Duncan to hear. "Oh, my brother… I'm so sorry."

She dissolved into tearful sobs again and Duncan was unable to get more words from her. He'd done enough for the night. She was speaking and reacting to her feelings now. Things would work themselves out in time. He hoped.

Leaving the girl to deal with her grief, he walked over to the fire and dropped down beside Nereus. The mage offered no comment, only pausing from watching the kettle of stew he was tending for a moment. Leif sat nearby, glaring at him from under his damp bangs. The dwarf had, naturally, had the worst time crossing the river.

"I see you've made the poor girl cry again. Good job, boss." Leif had been cross with him ever since they'd left Highever behind. He'd disapproved of his handling of the situation the most and he'd remained vocal about it.

Duncan somehow managed not to flinch. Instead, he leaned forward with a sardonic smile. "That's 'Commander,' Warden-Recruit Brosca."

"Oh, excellent," Nereus quipped without looking up as he stirred the watery stew. "At last, we're on a disparaging last name basis. I've been waiting for this."

At least someone was having fun.

9:30 Dragon, Draconis 21st

Duncan had pulled the last watch of the night. It was just as well. He had plans for the early morning. He could feel dawn breaking before he could see it. There was a certain shift in the air and the sounds. Then there was that subtle burning on the horizon, the deep glow that edged the true light of day.

He rose from his seated position and stretched, listening to his bones creak and his joints pop as he moved his sore limbs. In later years, he'd certainly come to dislike sitting around for long periods of time. He was getting used to always being on the move and constantly training.

He chuckled to himself. When did I become this man? He'd never been so serious before. Never would he have imagined he'd become such a stoic, vigilant man. The Wardens had truly changed his life in ways he couldn't have predicted. He'd been so young, so insolent; always on the lookout for trouble. He'd lost a certain spark when he'd decided to take being a Grey Warden seriously.

Sighing softly, he moved over to the tent that Adora shared with Lady. The hound heard him approach and looked up, all traces of sleep gone from her dark brown eyes. She huffed at him; her version of asking why he was disturbing her, he supposed. He smiled down at the dog and looked to her owner.

"I need to show her something," he said softly, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. "She's slept enough."

Lady must have agreed, because she set about waking Adora. The girl whimpered softly in her sleep, rolling away from the dog that was actively licking her face. The dog whined and pawed at her. The massive mud covered paw must have done the trick, because Adora jerked awake, moving away from the offending paw immediately.

The mabari sat back on her haunches with a doggy grin and panted. Duncan imagined she felt very satisfied for completing her duty.

"Adora," he said quietly, drawing the girl's attention. She frowned at him, but crawled the rest of the way out of her tent. She said nothing as she looked at him, so he continued. "Indulge an old man. I'd like to show you something."

The young woman said nothing in response. Instead of speaking, she began pulling her boots on and adjusting the straps. She'd gotten out of Highever with nothing but the clothes she'd been wearing beneath her armor that night. There had been no time for her to secure any of her other belongings, so she'd been sleeping in the same clothes for the past four nights.

When she was ready, he began walking and heard her follow. He motioned for Lady to stay at the camp. The hound whined, but obliged his silent order, curling up in the space vacated by her mistress.

They didn't walk far from camp. He knew there were some hills nearby that offered a nice view of the rising sun. The further they moved from the river, the quieter the constant buzz from the insects became. Eventually, the predominant noise came from the sound of their boots crunching along the frozen morning dew.

At last, they'd crested the small hill he'd been seeking. There were boulders strewn about everywhere, as if from some ancient explosion of rocks. He chose a large one and climbed atop it, offering Adora his hand. She ignored the gesture and stared up at him with confusion clouding her stormy gray eyes.

"What are we doing here?" She asked exasperated.

"I asked you to indulge me, did I not?" He still held his hand offered out to her.

Disregarding it, she heaved a sigh and climbed up herself.

She stood there beside him, her arms crossed over the stained blue tunic she wore and a deep frown wrinkling her pale, freckled face. Duncan remained quiet and just stared out at the brightening horizon.

"This is stupid," she muttered under her breath.

Without acknowledging her response, the Warden continued his silent vigil, his dark eyes trained on the rising sun as the bright orb breached the surface of the glowing sky. It was heralded by ribbons of colored light streaking across the atmosphere in every direction. For just a moment, there was so much color in the world he could hardly register all of it with his eyes. The moment passed and the sun was still shining up from the edge of the world.

He sensed Adora moving at his side. Finally, he pulled his gaze from the eastern skies and looked down at the girl he'd just dragged out from sleep. Her head was bowed and her shoulders were shaking, causing the red hairs that had fallen loose from her styling to tremble lightly in the breeze. He could hear the soft sniffles that warned him about the tears to come.

Carefully, not wanting to startle the poor girl, he laid a gloved hand on her shoulder. She didn't resist and he pulled her closer into what started as a very awkward embrace. She broke against him, arms coming up to hold him as she burst into a new set of sobs. He imagined that her father or her brother would have held her the same way, petting her red hair and telling her everything would be okay. He wouldn't lie to her, though. Her father was dead and her brother's family was, too. She'd be lucky to see her brother again at the rate things were going.

So instead of talking, he just let her cry. He rubbed her back in soothing circles and he held her. It was the least he could do for her. After all, he'd forced her to leave her family to die and in doing so forced her into a life that she had never wanted. It was a life he had never wanted, yet he found himself thinking that being a Grey Warden was exactly what he needed to be.

He didn't know how it had worked itself out, but it had. He'd held her until she'd stopped crying and they'd both watched the sunrise. When it was high enough in the sky and it no longer looked so close and full, she had climbed down from the boulder and he'd followed her.

When they walked back to camp, Adora was quiet again. It wasn't like before, though. This time, she did not trail behind him like a shadow. The young woman was walking by his side with eyes red and puffy from crying. Her silence was no longer a thing born of anger, but instead security.

Upon their return, Lady had come up with a big grin on her broad mabari face. She'd barked cheerfully and headbutted Adora, who in turn set about petting the hound.

"Hey, girl," she whispered softly, bending down to bump heads with the dog. "Yes. Thank you."

Duncan smiled and left her with the hound. Nereus and Leif were already up and packing things up, he saw. The two men were perched on either side of the magical fire that Nereus had brought up again. He joined them, sitting an equal distance between the two of them.

"Gentlemen," he inclined his head, and then reached for the cheese that Nereus had set out nearby.

Apparently the young mage had nicked a few things from the kitchen and larder during the castle siege. When Duncan had first asked him about it, he had simply shrugged. "Better us than the arl's men, don't you think? I was simply thinking ahead."

That had the old Warden wondering about what else the mage could have stolen in the time he'd spent in the keep. Leif hadn't produced any evidence that he'd stolen anything, but Duncan couldn't discount the potential that the dwarf could have done the same. Then again, the gruff blonde seemed to have a completely different set of morals from the slender mage.

"Hm, moving away from calling us 'recruits' so soon?" Nereus's smooth voice was the essence of playfulness. "That's too bad. I rather liked hearing 'Warden-Recruit Amell.' What do you call new Wardens? Are there any fancy titles?"

"There are plenty of titles," Duncan admitted, savoring the bite of cheese he'd had before Nereus had started speaking. "However, if you are a new Warden, you are simply referred to by your last name preceded by the title of Warden. So when you are made a Warden, you will be called 'Warden Amell.'"

The mage sulked. "Well, that's boring. What's your title? You said something about being a commander?"

Duncan nodded. "Indeed. Commander of the Grey. It means I lead the Grey Wardens in Ferelden."

"All of them?"

He hesitated over the last bite of cheese and sighed. "Yes, all of them."

"I'll bet that gets you invited to all of the fancy parties." Nereus joked, going back to his own serving of cheese.

Duncan finished his portion and chuckled. "Hm, maybe a few centuries ago. However, the Wardens are no longer held in such high regard." He sighed. "We used to receive tithes and donations from all over the land. Recruits came to us not the other way around."

"Sounds like bein' a Warden now sucks." Leif finally spoke up.

Looking over to the formerly silent young man, Duncan noticed Leif was watching Adora as she played with her dog. He let slip a small smile and took a long drink from his canteen. "Hmm, I suppose it does." He rose from his seat between the two recruits and winced when something in his back pulled tight. "Ah. Well, no matter. The Wardens are necessary to defend the world against the Blight. It is a noble calling, regardless of how we are perceived."

Adora was approaching now, with Lady at her side. The dog was panting and nipping at her hands affectionately. The redhead smiled down at the dog before resuming a neutral face. She took Duncan's place at the fire, sitting a little closer to Leif than to Nereus. The mage leaned forward, handing her a slice of cheese and some toast.

"You are looking radiant today, Lady Adora," he declared with a pleasant smile.

She accepted the food from him with no comment, making efforts to avoid his inquisitive blue eyes.

Duncan took the initiative to intercept the mage's attention from the girl. "We should get going soon. South Reach is still some days away."

It was clear he had all of their attention. Adora was the first to speak. "We're going to South Reach?"

The Warden bobbed his head in response. "Yes. From there, we will enter the Brecilian Forest in search of the Dalish."

This led to a shared gasp between Nereus and Adora. Leif looked puzzled.

"The what now?" the dwarf asked brusquely.

"The Dalish are various clans of elves that travel throughout Thedas in tribes," Duncan explained patiently. "They do not settle in cities, rarely taking the time to pass through cities at all if they can avoid them. They travel in search of the history and artifacts of their people."

"Huh." He nodded his head slowly. "Okay, so we're lookin' for elves."

"Why? " Nereus asked, his tone aghast. "The Dalish hate humans. They'll shoot us on sight!"

"That's not necessarily true," Adora interposed. "Dalish clans pass through Highever every few years. They're always perfectly respectful."

Duncan took a moment to appreciate the narrative that had been established between all of them. He'd gotten so used to the silence over the last few days that it was a very welcome change.

"While the Dalish may sometimes be aggressive to humans," he admitted, bringing the attention back to him. "They have always been trusted allies of the Grey Wardens. They will recognize my armor before they shoot, I can promise you that."

That seemed enough to assuage the mage of his hesitancy in approaching the Dalish. He snuffed the fire with a wave of his hand and picked up his staff and pack. He was already wearing the armor that he'd received back in Highever.

"Well, didn't you say we had some ground to cover?" He seemed impatient, perhaps feeling as if he'd lost an argument.

Adora had finished eating, she wiped her hands on her pants and rose to collect her armor. "The sooner we leave, the better. I could use a walk."

By the time night fell, they'd crossed over the river again. They were drawing near to the part of the Imperial Highway known as the West Road. Duncan didn't want to risk them drawing any closer to the well-traveled route, so he had them set up camp a few miles away; far enough that any firelight wouldn't draw much attention from the raised roadway.

He'd decided it would be the first night he asked Adora to keep watch. She was still quiet, but she now occasionally piped up for small talk. It was a vast improvement already and Duncan was glad for it. He knew she would never be the same person she was before he'd come to Highever, but he was hopeful that she would grow into a stronger woman.

Losing one's family and home to traitors wasn't something anyone could easily put behind them. He knew that partly from personal experience and partly from simply knowing the difference between right and wrong. He truly did want the arl to face justice. As soon as he returned to Ostagar, he would personally bring the matter to Cailan.

As they set up camp, he began to take note of who found certain tasks to be routine. Leif and Nereus were both quick to help set up the tents, but Adora was helping as well this time. Nereus could create a magical fire that needed no fuel and therefore gave off no smoke, but if they wanted the fire to last outside of his watch, they would need firewood. Leif volunteered to retrieve some and Adora offered to go with him.

That left Duncan alone with Nereus for at least a short time. He took the opportunity to join him and see what he was preparing for dinner. The mage was very resourceful when it came to food. On top of him having clearly stolen from the Cousland's larder, he was quite adept at preparing quick meals out of next to nothing, including whatever game Duncan and Leif had been able to bring in from time to time.

"Did you do a lot of cooking at the Circle, Nereus?" He asked, watching the other brunette as he pulled a few vegetables from his bag.

"Hm? Oh, I suppose I did from time to time," he commented absentmindedly, producing a knife from a belt on his waist. "We all did our fair share in the kitchens. It was a good way to ensure we ate a little better than everyone else. The templars watched you more when you were preparing food for them, so that meant we had to get really sneaky about taking a little extra for ourselves."

"From what I know of life in the Circle," Duncan said thoughtfully, thinking back to his brief excursions in Kinloch Hold when he was younger. "Mages can be wilier than most city pickpockets."

The mage laughed appreciatively. "Oh, absolutely! It's the only way to get by, really." He'd chopped some carrots and onions and thrown them into the modest pot Duncan had been lugging around to prepare stews. "You learn a few things to spice up food and to make things last. Especially when shipments to the Circle are late due to weather."

They were quiet for a few minutes while Duncan watched Nereus perform his food miracles. Maker's breath, he even managed to pilfer spices. He shook his head. The young man could have given him a run for his money when he'd been his age and stealing things. It was not a skill he would have imagined a mage to have.

"I feel like I should be checking my pockets around you." He admitted with a small laugh.

Nereus's eyes gleamed like a cat's in the light of the magical fire. "That's not a bad idea, old man." He flicked his wrist and opened his hand. A master silverite rune sat in the palm of his hand. "I've never seen a rune like this before. What does it do?"

For a moment, Duncan simply gaped at him. When he regained his ability to speak, he calmly asked him, "When did you take that?"

Shrugging, the young mage passed the rune back to its original owner. "When we left the Circle."

Duncan was impressed and distressed at the same time. On the one hand, the boy was certainly talented. On the other, he'd stolen from him and had managed to avoid being caught. He suddenly had the thought that the mage was going to be more of a handful than he'd previously thought.

He made a point of returning the rune to an inner pocket only to discover that it, too, had been breached. He'd had a small coin purse with a white runestone he'd "found" in the Circle. He'd been planning to give it to Alistair, since he knew the lad enjoying collecting them.

Nereus was laughing at him. "Ah, I do so enjoy the look of utter shock etched upon your grave features." He grinned, revealing even, white teeth. "Seriously, lighten up. You've been a sourpuss since Highever."

He gave up and tossed the rune to the sneaky mage-thief. "Perhaps that is because of the heinous event we were witness to."

The mage marked him with a sharp gaze. "Politics. Killer, aren't they?"

He could hardly believe the callousness he was witnessing. "Nereus, what happened to the Cousland family was a tragedy in the truest sense."

"I'm not discounting that," he agreed with a serious look in his bright blue eyes. "However, as you said yourself, the Blight poses a greater danger. You're a Grey Warden. If you said the Blight is a bigger threat than a coup against one of the highest ranking noble families in Ferelden and a bigger threat than a blood mage, then I'm inclined to believe you." He paused, letting his words sink in. "You recruited me to become a Grey Warden, like yourself. While you may feel the need to soothe broken hearts and sore egos, I do not. That tragedy didn't happen to me. I did what I could, took what I could, and we left."

In some dark part of his heart, he knew Nereus was right. Grey Wardens didn't belong in political disputes. They owed no one their allegiance. They had the right to take any measures available to defeat the Blight and they could destroy as many lives as they needed to do so. They did not need to fix whatever else may be broken in the world.

"As a Grey Warden," Nereus continued, filling the pot with water as he spoke. "I will do whatever it takes to end the Blight."

Duncan was silent. He hadn't expected the young mage to be so dedicated to a cause he had yet to fully join. It was a relief, truly, that he had accepted the plight of the Wardens so quickly.

"Would you risk everything?" He intoned quietly. "Even if it destroys the lives of others?"

Nereus didn't even blink. "To save the world and secure my freedom? In a heartbeat."

No hesitation. He would need that. Nereus Amell was clearly not looking to be a hero.

He will be a leader. Duncan knew without a doubt that it would be so. He vaguely wondered if he would be around to see it.

Notes:

This is the first chapter where I get to show a little more about the current recruits and how they handle upsetting situations.