Chapter Fourteen
Alright, lovelies, here's the next chapter! See ya at the bottom!
!
The group approached a stone bridge, where a man stood, a bow and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back.
"A group of travelers! Though, I can scarcely believe it. Have you come to help us?" He asked hopefully.
"We're on important business. We're here to see Arl Eamon." Xavier said evenly.
"The arl? Then...you don't know? Has nobody out there heard?" He asked.
"What are you talking about? Heard what?" Alistair asked him.
"We're under attack. Monsters come out of the castle every night and attack us until dawn. Everyone's been fighting. And dying."
"Apparently, everyone seems to agree that a Blight is the perfect time to start killing each other. Marvelous, really." Morrigan quipped.
"We've no army to defend us, no arl and no king to send us help. So many are dead, and those left are terrified they're next." The man lamented.
"Hold on, what's this evil that's attacking you?" Alistair asked in an authoritative voice.
"I... I don't rightly know. I'm sorry. Nobody does. But I should take you to Bann Teagan. He's all that's holding us together. He'll want to see you."
"Bann Teagan? Arl Eamon's brother? He's here?"
"Yes. It's not far, if you'll come with me."
And with that, the man lead the group into the village.
!
They walked into the chantry, and noticed many lying wounded around them. Others, they're faces stained with tears, had their heads bowed in prayer, hoping the Maker hadn't forsaken them.
Leliana sent a silent prayer their way, and continued on to this Bann Teagan.
"It's...Tomas, yes?" He began. The man leading them, Tomas, nodded.
"And who are these people with you? They're obviously not simple travelers."
Tomas shook his head. "No, my lord. They just arrived, and I thought you would want to see them."
Teagan smiled. "Well done, Tomas. Greetings, friends. I'm Teagan, Bann of Rainesfere, brother to the arl." He bowed.
Alistair smiled at him. "I remember you, Teagan. Though, I was a lot younger. And covered in mud."
Teagan thought for a moment. "Covered in mud..? Alistair? Is that you?"
When Alistair nodded, the Bann hugged him tightly, before pulling away to examine him.
"You're alive! This is wonderful news!"
Alistair chuckled. "Still alive, yes. Though I'm just as surprised as you are, believe me."
Bann Teagan pulled away, walking backwards to face the rest of them.
"Indeed. Loghain would have us believe all Grey Wardens died Along with my nephew, amongst other things." He said grimly.
Xavier stepped up. "Why? What has he said about us?"
"That Loghain pulled out his own men in order to save them. That Cailan risked the entire nation's safety in the name of glory." The Bann's upper lip curled in disgust.
"Loghain calls the Grey Wardens traitors, murderers of the king. I don't believe it. It is an act of a desperate man."
"Desperate, indeed." Leliana said to herself, crossing her arms.
Genius move, really. To try to turn the population against your enemies, assassin Leliana mused.
And desperate, Leliana shot back. He had no other proof of this. It will be easy to tear down once the people get over his past deeds.
"So..." The Bann's voice brought Leliana out of her thoughts.
"You all are Grey Wardens, as well?" He asked.
"Leliana and Xavier are. Morrigan just mostly sulks in the background." Alistair put in.
"This coming from a man who follows the two initiates around like lost mabari. 'Tis sad, truly." Morrigan shot back.
"A pleasure to meet you." Teagan chuckled.
"I wish it were under better circumstances. You're here to see my brother, correct? Unfortunately, that might be a problem. Eamon is gravely ill, and no one has heard from the castle in days. No guards patrol the walls, and no one has responded to my shouts."
He put his hands behind his back, a general's stance. "The attacks started a few nights ago. Evil...things...surged from the castle. We drove them back, but many perished during the assault." He looked remorseful.
"We could help you drive them back." Leliana offered.
"How pointless, to help these villagers fight an impossible battle. One would think we had enough to contend with, elsewhere." Morrigan snarked.
Bann Teagan ignored her. "Thank you! Thank you, this...this means more to me than you can guess."
He turned to Tomas. "Please tell Murdock what transpired. Then return to your post."
"Yes mi'lord." Tomas nodded, and rushed off.
"Murdock, the village mayor, is outside the chantry. Ser Perth, one of Eamon's knights, is just up the cliff at the windmill, watching the castle. You may discuss with them the preparations for the coming battle."
Leliana nodded. "We're on our way."
!
On the way, she passed a woman next to the doors looking particularly devastated.
Leliana stopped next to her. "Are you okay, Madame?" She placed a hand gently on the woman's shoulder.
"Sorry, and I bothering you?" She sniffed, and looked down at the ground.
"I...I'll try to be more quiet."
Leliana smiled reassuringly. "You are not bothering me."
The woman's tears seemed to come more rapidly at that, and she berated herself aloud.
"I shouldn't be such a crybaby. With mother gone now, I have to be brave. I just...I can't help myself. I'm so frightened!"
She tried to compose herself, but only started crying harder. "Those...those things dragged my mother away. I don't know what happened to her, but I hear her screaming all the time, everywhere!"
Leliana winced at the thought, having flashbacks of being chained inside of a small room, hearing her friends' endless screams around her.
Luckily, Alistair stepped in for her. "How terrible! You poor thing...I wish there were something we could do to help." He wrapped an arm around the girl.
She buried her face into his shoulder. "And now my brother, Bevin...he ran off. I...I don't know where he is! I'm so scared they got him, too!"
Leliana shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Don't worry, Madame. We'll look for him."
The girl's eyes seemed to have a small glimmer of hope in them. "You, you will? Thank you so much! Please find him!"
She nodded, and accepted the crushing hug the girl, who's name she was told was Kaitlyn, gave her.
"He may have gotten scared and ran back to the old house." Kaitlyn told them, wiping her eyes furiously.
Leliana nodded, and she and the rest of her team headed out.
!
"You know, it's a lot easier to find a house a young boy might be in when you know which house it is." Alistair remarked sarcastically.
Leliana smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I should've asked her where it was. My mind was elsewhere."
Xavier chimed in. "I noticed that. Where'd you go when you spaced out like that?" He inquired, his gaze calculating.
"I had a bad dream last night. It just drifted back to it when she mentioned the screams." Leliana lied easily.
"Here. This door seems to be unlocked. Perfect for a young boy." Morrigan was the only one who seemed to notice the lie, but said nothing, instead distracting the others.
Upon entering, they noticed that it wasn't a house, but a store.
"Maybe there's something in here the refugees could use?" Alistair suggested. They began to look around.
It was Alistair who thought to check inside the barrels, and found that at least five of the seven barrels there were filled with lamp oil.
"This may come in handy later. Demons are still flammable in this realm of existence, you know." Xavier chuckled. The group agreed, and made a mental note to tell one of the commanders about this before that night.
They exited the store, and began to look for the boy once again. Eventually, they found another home left unlocked, and tried that one.
This one seemed much more like a home, and they began to look around in places a small child may hide. Leliana entered what looked like a bedroom, and immediately heard movement from inside a large wardrobe. She heard a sharp inhale, and then silence. The rogue stuck her head out of the room, and silently motioned her friends over. She drew her bow, and Alistair took one of the knobs, while Xavier took another. They looked back at Leliana.
She gave a short nod, and they looked to each other, silently counting down, and yanking the wardrobe open. A small boy fell out, and Leliana exhaled, replacing her bow on her back.
"Please don't hurt me! I'll go back to the Chantry if you wish! I didn't mean any harm!" He curled up into himself.
The bard bit her lip to keep from laughing, and bent down next to the boy.
"You must be Bevin. Your sister is looking for you, you know." He looked up at her, and she slowly coaxed him into standing.
"I just...didn't want to be at the chantry anymore. Everyone's scared, and I wanted to be brave." He puffed his chest out.
Xavier looked down at the boy. "You need to be brave for your sister. She's worried sick, and she's a mess without you."
"Y-yes sir...thank you sir!" He ran out of the house.
Alistair turned to Xavier. "How is it that you're so much nicer to kids than people?"
Xavier smirked at him. "Because children are just naive, and are molded by what they grow up with. Adults are just stubborn fools who're stuck in their ways."
Alistair nodded. "Fair point." The group then headed back to the Chantry to make sure the boy got back.
When they entered, they found Kaitlyn giving him the same bonecrushing hug she'd given them just moments ago.
She caught Leliana's eye, and hugged her again. "Bevin said you were the one who found him. I can't possibly repay you!"
The redhead smiled, and hugged her back gently. "Just stay safe, both of you."
The girl pulled back, and kissed her cheek. "The Maker sent you. I just know it." She then released Leliana, missing the flash of anger that went through Morrigan's eyes.
!
When they exited the Chantry, they headed straight for the man who seemed to be in charge closest to them, a man by the name of Murdock.
"So you're the Grey Warden, are you?" He asked, his voice gruff. "I didn't think they made women Grey Wardens."
This irritated Leliana, and her assassin side was already plotting ways to end this man using his own beard braids.
She smiled, hiding her irritation. "I don't think the darkspawn care who kills them."
He scoffed. "If you haven't noticed, there aren't darkspawn around these parts. Not yet, anyway."
He seemed to realize how he was coming off, and backtracked. "We aren't turning down anyone who wants to help, though. Don't take me for an ingrate, or anything." He said sheepishly.
Morrigan was just about to interject when Alistair cut her off. "Well, we want to help any way we can. You can trust us."
Murdock extended his hand, and the party (besides Morrigan, who gave him a withering stare that made him physically take a step back) shook it.
"I'm the mayor of what's left of this village, provided we aren't all killed and hauled off to the castle tonight." He said grimly.
Leliana smiled at him. "Have faith, missuer. We will defeat this evil together."
He seemed astonished at her optimism. "I...I hope you're right. I've been trying to hold us together, but it isn't easy."
"Anyhow, you're here, and they tell me you're in charge."
Leliana shrugged. "I wouldn't say 'in charge'. We just want to know what we can do to help."
Murdock got straight into it. "We need whatever weapons and armor we've got repaired, and quickly, or half of us will be fighting without either."
He motioned to a home next to them. "Owen's the only blacksmith who can do it, but the stubborn fool refuses to even talk. If we're to be ready for tonight, we'll need that crotchety bastard's help." He scowled.
Leliana nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Anything else?"
He went on. "We could use some extra bodies. Having a veteran like Dwyn in the militia would help a lot, but he flat out refuses." He pointed in the direction of the houses by the lake.
"Well then, we'll see what we can do to fix the situations." The lay sister promised.
The group headed first in the direction of the blacksmith, since that seemed to be more essential.
Alistair knocked on the door, and was met with a rather morose voice. "Go away, curse you! Leave me in peace! You've already taken everything out of my stores! There's nothing left!"
"He doesn't sound too happy." The ex Templar observed.
"Is this Owen the blacksmith? I'd like to speak with you."
The voice seemed surprised. "Oh? Who is that? What do you want? I've been through enough..."
"I'd prefer to speak face to face, if that's alright. Do you mind if my friends and I come in?"
Silence for a moment.
Finally, "alright. Let me undo the locks. All I ask is that you don't make any trouble."
They entered, and found a sad old man leaned against one of the walls of the blacksmith.
"Maker's breath! Leliana exclaimed. "What is that smell? It's like someone set a brewery on fire."
Xavier chimed in. "Somebody's been drinking..." He said in a sing song voice.
The man seemed unmoved. "Alright, so I let you in. You wanted to talk; now we're talking. Mind telling me who you are?"
Alistair straightened up. "My name is Alistair, a Grey Warden helping Bann Teagan."
The man laughed drunkenly. "A Grey Warden, is it? Ha, it takes all kinds." He walked towards the group.
"Anyhow, my name's Owen...though you might already know that. Care to join me as I get besotted? Or is there something in particular you wanted?"
"The militia desperately needs your help." Alistair replied.
This seemed to anger the blacksmith. "Why should I help Murdock when he wont help me, hmm? My girl, Valena, is one of the arlessa's maids and she's trapped up there in the castle, but the mayor won't send anyone after her."
Alistair saw an opportunity. "We will rescue your daughter. Just help these men so that they might buy us some time to do so." He said.
"It'd do me a world of good to think maybe someone like you could go in and find her..." He trailed off. "Provided any of us live through the night."
"We'll do our best to bring her home safely."
This seemed to anger Owen. "Not good enough! Murdock said the same damned thing and I didn't believe him, either."
Morrigan scoffed. "You're lucky our buffoon friend here is even offering this. You are asking a great deal, you wretched little man."
"I want a promise. Promise me you'll look for her, that you'll bring her back to me if you can." He pleaded to the group.
Alistair placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "You have my word. We'll find her."
"I'll accept that. It's something to hope for, at least." He turned to the forge.
"Right then. It seems I have some work to do. Murdock just better send his men in here as soon as possible if I'm going to get to all these repairs and get them done by nightfall."
The group then headed to Dwyn's home, which they found locked. This was something Leliana easily fixed.
Upon entering, they found a short dwarf, and two human mercenaries next to him.
"Wonderful. Intruders." The dwarf deadpanned. "I hope you've a good reason for breaking and entering into my home."
Leliana took the lead. "I apologize. We mean you no harm."
"Apology accepted. The name's Dwyn. Pleased to meet you. Now get out."
"Murdock says he needs you for the militia." Leliana crossed her arms.
"So, what? You're recruiting for him? I'll tell you what I told him. I'm not risking my neck for this town." He mimicked Leliana's stance.
She drew her daggers, and regarded him with a cold look, one of an assassin. "You are outnumbered, love. Either die out there or here and now." The air became thick. Nobody expected this out of such a sweet girl.
Finally, Dwyn spoke up. "So, this is what it comes down to, huh? Fine, I'll go if you want me out there so badly."
"Good man." She smiled and sheathed her blade once more.
The dwarf scoffed. "Spoken like someone who doesn't know me very well. Go tell Murdock he won. And I better see you out there when the time comes." He pushed past the group to get to his bag, unloading things he'd need for the attack.
They headed back out to Murdock, and told him the news.
"The damned fool is falling over drunk and can still make smithing look easy. Good enough, I say." He cracked a smile.
"And thanks for persuading Dwyn to finally come out. He's going to be great help, I just know it."
He went on. "I'll inform Bann Teagan the militia is ready to fight. We'll give those bastards a welcome they won't forget!"
Leliana smiled at his sudden hope. "We're not only ready, Murdock. We're going to win." She spoke confidently.
"I hope you're right. We may just be village folk, but we're going to fight like there's not tomorrow." He leaned in close.
"I've got a good feeling about tonight."
!
Yep. I'm ending it there. A bit of a cliffhanger, yeah? I don't have much to say down here, so I'll see you soon!