Chapter 14: Surrounded by Wolves
"-. You could try and tell them that. I'm sure they'd be quite eager to rectify their mistake .-"
Blood sprayed over Faren's face, making it almost indistinguishable from his red hair and thick stubble, as he yanked his dagger out of the hurlock's throat and gave it a strong push. "Damn!" he could barely speak, so heavy his breaths were. "How many... are still on out tail?"
"I don't know!" Kallian shouted back to the dwarf as she decapitated a shriek that had tried to sneak up on her from behind. "That thunderstorm must have caused some of them to break off from the main horde!"
The four Grey Wardens had been fleeing from the site of battle for about an hour. They had had to shake off or kill a fair amount of darkspawn as they tried to get as far away from the thunderstorm as they could. Soon after, they managed to escape from Ostagar through the wilds, as there was no way to get to the Imperial Highway from where they had been fighting. Much to their increasing aggravation, however, raving creatures started to crop up from amidst the trees and foliage. That was when Theron realized his skills as a hunter would be pushed to their limits.
Alim looked completely exhausted and his eyes kept giving out their sickly, red light, as he helped the Dalish hunter carry the King. Theron was actually amazed he could even move after what he had pulled off, and he still couldn't understand how he had recovered from that arrow shot. Darkspawn finally caught up to them, however, and he knew he would have to somehow find a faster path through those wilds. There weren't as many trees as in the Brecilian Forest, but there weren't any beaten paths either.
The problem was not that he would have had trouble guiding everyone away safely. The issue was that their progress was quite slow because of the dying shem they had been forced to take along. Even though they had taken his armor off and left it behind as they fled, one piece at a time, Cailan, now dressed in a thin jacket and leather pants, was still a fairly heavy burden. Theron half wanted to suggest they just leave him there to his fate, since it was obvious he wasn't going to live through this anyway, but knew that the redhead dwarf would go ballistic if he even suggested it.
The sound of metal cutting through flesh and bone was heard one last time, accompanied by an agonizing scream that filled the wilds and scared off whatever birds or critters hadn't yet fled for their lives.
"Dammit dwarf!" the hunter shouted as he looked back over his shoulder. "I told you to kill them quickly and not give them a chance to scream! It'll alert others to our position!" His words had merit, he knew this, but regret for having said them so brusquely suddenly fell over him when he saw that Faren let himself fall to his knees, next to his latest kill, and clutched at his left arm, now heavily bleeding from a fresh but deep cut.
Kallian ran to where Faren was and knelt in the shrubbery next to him, trying to find whatever bandages she had in the small pack at her side. "Maker's breath, we're out of poultices."
Faren winced slightly as she started to tie the bandages but looked as though the possibility of bleeding to death was the least of his problems. He was still in denial after having abandoned the others.
Meanwhile, Theron and Alim put down the unconscious king. Alim, dressed in his now ragged robes and with his torso completely bare, let himself sit down and lean with his back against a very thick, moss-covered log, even though the ground was still soaking wet from the rain. It wasn't raining anymore, but sporadic thunderclaps could still be heard from the south, no doubt the last cries of an otherwise dying cloudburst.
"Alim, how are you holding up?" the Dalish inquired, quite worried, though he was a bit amazed and, regardless of how much he hated to admit it, a bit scared of the mage. After all, he had ravaged quite a sizable chunk of the horde by himself just an hour earlier.
Surana was barely able to breathe anymore, and even though his eyes still shone red, he looked as if he was about to pass out any minute. "It wasn't... It.." His words faded into a whisper.
Theron leaned in close to listen, and put his hand on the other one's chest, feeling for his heartbeat. "What's wrong, lethallan?"
The mage could barely whisper now, making Theron wonder just how he had managed to carry that king for so long. "It wasn't supposed to go off... It wasn't supposed to go off like that..."
"What are you talking about?"
"The storm... I didn't... It shouldn't... By the Fade, It shouldn't have blown up like that!" Alim just barely managed to exceed the whispering decibel barrier, drawing the attention of the other two. Then, he covered his face with his hands, not at all helping Theron to get over his confusion.
"What's he going on about?" Faren called out from his position, his grumbling voice a testament to the city elf's resolution to tie the knots on the bandages as tight as she could.
"It wasn't... wasn't supposed to go off like that..." the weakened elf faintly repeated.
"He's not looking too good... He's getting delirious..." the hunter replied, not drawing his eyes away from Alim. On the surface, he looked mostly uninjured, likely something to do with his inexplicable regeneration after he was struck by that arrow. Strangely enough, there seemed to be odd, flowing white lines on his body, all of them giving a faint glow. Theron didn't know what to make of them, however, as they didn't resemble any of the old magics that their keeper ever used, none he'd seen anyway.
"Creators, I have no idea what's happening to him. I think he may be suffering from overexertion, but I'm not a magic expert and I'm not sure this... delayed reaction would be normal anyway."
"What about the king?" Kallian reminded, quite curious herself.
Theron glanced at the others impassively and spoke in a fairly dismissive tone. "I don't think he'll make it. He's not bleeding that much on the outside, but I'm quite sure his insides, and bones, are a mess. Even if we had spare poultices, they wouldn't do any good. I'm surprised he's still breathing. Really, I don't know why that dwarf prince even bothered telling us to take him along."
Faren frowned and looked away in subdued rage as he was once again reminded that he had just abandoned him to his fate. "Che!"
Kallian returned whatever supplies she had left to her small pack and immediately tried to shift the conversation in another direction. "I don't think we should dally here. Can Alim still move?"
Theron looked over the blood mage one more time, but before he could answer, Alim managed to pull out a blue vial from his small pouch, the last one apparently, and drank it down. The crimson light in his eyes seemed to gain some intensity, but only slightly. "Just... give me another minute..."
The situation was hardly one that favored such a respite. Though everyone was injured, Theron was well aware that staying in one place for long was a distinctly bad idea, knowing that they were probably still being pursued. Not to mention that that darkspawn's scream earlier had likely drawn the attention of other creatures. On the other hand, Alim looked like it was taking everything he had to stay conscious, and Faren was pretty beaten up himself. Between that, the fact that it was getting dark even without the blight clouds, and the fact that they were all exhausted, it was quite clear there was no way they would be making much progress without rest, especially while carrying that shem along.
Unfortunately, that reasoning would prove pointless as the hunter's incredibly sharp hearing picked up a very familiar sound.
Theron instantly tilted his upper body to the left, dodging a flying arrow by just an inch as it almost grazed his neck and stuck into the trunk of a tree that stood proud and tall just a couple o feet behind him. "Darkspawn."
Again arrows were heard flying, two this time, and the elf managed to crouch and bend quickly enough to evade them.
"Damn!" the city elf let out in aggravation as she sprung to her feet. "That darkspawn sensing ability would be really handy about now! Why can't we sense them?"
"Maybe it takes time for our bodies to adjust!" the dwarf hypothesized as he jumped to his feet himself. He and Kallian were standing with their backs at each other, trying to guess where the enemies were. Panic died before it had a chance to surface and all the pain, worry and any other type of emotion that Faren felt at that moment were overshadowed by a single feeling that he couldn't stop from giving form as he helplessly tried to guess from behind which bush the monsters would jump out. "I hate forests."
"Shut up!" the Dalish hunter suddenly shouted.
The rogue couldn't help but feel stupefied at what he perceived as aggravation over insulting the elf's habitat. "You can't seriously be getting pissed about th-"
"Shut up!" he enforced, as firmly as he could, with a raised hand and eyes closed. A moment later, his ears twitched and he managed to duck and avoid another shot that lodged into the trunk of another tree. "Stay still unless I tell you otherwise... and don't make a sound."
Silence fell as everyone did their best to obey that order. Faren finally understood what the elf wanted, so he tried to stop his chain from making noise as he practically stood rooted to his spot. Kallian sought to stay still as well, trying to listen as closely as she could. Cailan was unconscious already, and Alim wasn't too far off from drifting away either.
For a very long minute, almost nothing could be heard. The thunderstorm in the south had finally stopped, or so it seemed, and the lack of critters in the trees excluded any possibility of animal sounds. So Theron was finally able to listen closely, trying to discern where his enemies actually were. He closed his eyes and listened to the faint lisp of the fern as the rain water dripped on its leaves from the trees above. He noticed how the weak breeze cut through the underbrush, and he could also distinguish the familiarly-sounding gale as it passed through the perennial broadleaf trees that towered around him on all sides.
He heard Kallian and Faren as their muscles tensed and their feet crushed the grass underneath as they fidgeted. He took note of Alim's slow breathing as he clung to consciousness, and of the almost inaudible jingle his Warden Pendant gave out as it slid across his bare chest as he inhaled and exhaled. He listened to Cailan's irregular breaths as he clung to life.
And finally, like soft leaves falling to the ground during an autumn day, he heard his own steps as he tiptoed ever so slowly towards the nearest tree and carefully, almost soundlessly, dislodged the arrow that had embedded itself into its bark.
"Keep quiet," he carefully uttered as he slowly drew back his bowstring.
His mind tapped into all the years of experience he had accumulated, of walking the wilds and coming face to face with dangerous animals that he barely managed to escape, almost dying several times if not for the keeper's magic. Memories were awakened, of weeks spent traveling the forests blindfolded, suffering Tamlen's jibes and bad jokes as he couldn't help but stumble on every root he came upon.
His muscles flexed as he remembered the first time he managed to hit a bullseye blindfolded, then relaxed as his awareness expanded beyond what he and the other could see, until it finally reached far enough to bring the huffed steps of multiple creatures to his attention. Then, the familiar sound of a vibrating string notified him that the wait was over.
"Duck!" he yelled as he side-stepped, dodging yet another bowshot. The other two reacted instantly, the corrupted projectiles only narrowly grazing them on the side and shoulder as they let themselves fall to the ground.
And at last, Theron opened his eyes wide and let go of his arrow, sending it flying through the foliage and trees, until it was heard piercing bloody sinews, finally sending its previous owner into a fit of agonizing hollers.
"Here they come!" he instantly notified them as he hurriedly picked up another arrow.
The band of darkspawn showed itself and immediately began to give the city elf and the dwarf a fair bit of trouble. They managed to take them out, however, and Theron even succeeded in killing two of the archers with whatever arrows he could retrieve. Unfortunately, he was again left with no projectiles, and just as the other two managed to defeat whatever enemies were near them, they noticed that five archers, plus three genlock rogues, had formed a group on the mound just twenty paces away from them.
"Bronto shit..." Faren mumbled as his right arm held tight to his chained knife. His left was mostly useless after having been cut so deeply, but still managed to clutch at his chest pocket, where the treaty entrusted to him was hidden.
The fair-haired elf just cursed something, unintelligibly, most likely outraged that she had used up all of her throwing daggers in the battle of Ostagar.
Saying that the situation was bad was a serious understatement, and Theron couldn't help himself from throwing Alim a hopeful look. Out of everyone, he was the only person with the power to change the course of the fight. But he didn't even move. He just lay there, his emerald-green eyes twisted into the same crimson they had been shining since he went wild on the battleground. The hunter couldn't even tell if he was still aware or not.
He was getting ready to take out his Dar'Misaan and make a last stand, when his sharp hearing picked up another set of hurried footsteps, this time sounding quite different and much more numerous. The sounds got closer at an alarmingly fast rate, until he could actually guess what they were, so many times he had heard those sounds before.
Obviously the darkspawn picked up on those noises as well, as they started to look around in confusion and delayed their shots. Their mistake, as a pack of wolves suddenly jumped out of the deep shadows and broke through them like a scythe through the grass. Barks, snarls and growls mixed with screams and bloody cries, and the denizens of the forest, more than a dozen in number, easily neutralized every last monster.
The slaughter ended as the largest of the wolves bit off half of a hurlock's throat and spat it out. Then, it howled at the full moon that had just appeared in the rapidly darkening sky.
The Grey Wardens, those still conscious, were left speechless, but their amazement steadily turned into nervousness as the animals, grey and menacing, started to spread around, until they formed a circle around them. The wolves held their heads low, as though they were getting ready to jump at their throats.
Faren's expression twisted, his outrage visible for all to see. "I. Really. HATE. Forests."
Kallian clutched at her hair in frustration. "This just keep getting worse!"
The wolves kept closing in, one step at a time, snarling at them, blood and spittle dripping from their fangs. But just as Faren was about to snap and lunge his silverite knife at the one nearest to him, the apparent alpha male growled menacingly and howled from the bottom of its lungs.
The rest of the pack suddenly drew back a step, but did not lose eye contact with the bipeds, still snarling as they made room for the pack leader to approach. Some of them seemed to relax as they walked to the side, slobber dripping from their mouths incessantly.
"What are they doing?" the redhead warily asked, still clutching at his blade.
Theron seemed to relax and took his hand off the hilt of the sword that hung off his side. "I think... I think they're purposely salivating in order to get the tainted blood out of their mouths before they have a chance to swallow it..."
Kallian kept her blade between her and one of the wolves that was waiting just a few feet away, staring straight at her. "I... don't think that's what he meant by that question..."
"I mean why aren't they chewing on us yet?" the dwarf articulated with a shrug of frustration.
"Do you want them to?" the hunter scolded him, getting only a scoff in response.
The animals made way for the alpha male to walk near. It was larger than the others, with white fur on its underside but its back and head covered in a dark shade of grey. Two keen, brown eyes were distinctly visible, even now that the light was growing dimmer and dimmer, and every step that it took could barely be heard. It stopped a couple of meters ahead of the city elf and eyed her, and Faren, in turn, after which it just tilted its head to the left, as though it were studying them.
Faren clasped its chain tight and didn't even try to stop himself from grumbling. "Fuck, it looks like it's trying to decide which of us is the tastiest. Damned animals and their fetishes."
Theron rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Faren... shut up."
"Hmpf!"
The animal studied them intently for a time, after which it slowly drew its gaze away and met the archer's stare. Its eyes flickered in the pale moonlight that was now stronger than the one conveyed by the dying sun, whose last sunrays were fading behind the dispersing clouds. Then, the animal just ignored everyone and everything else and walked up to him.
The two odd actors stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but it really only was a few minutes, until, finally, the Dalish elf got on one knee and made a reverent bow, to which the Alpha wolf answered with what seemed like a bow of its own.
At that point, all the other wolves relaxed and snarled dismissively a few times, after which they walked away, leaving the Wardens in a state of mind that only allowed for the articulation of a single sound. "Uuuhh..."
"Ma serannas, great wolf, for your timely rescue!" Theron pronounced as he kept his head low, though he was now looking straight into the animal's eyes.
Kallian and Faren exchanged confused glances but couldn't bring themselves to say anything, so completely stumped they both were. Fortunately, the other one took pity on their poor, confused souls and explained the situation. "This is the same wolf I treated in the wilds yesterday."
Both of the still conscious wardens made a face in surprise, but they finally realized why it was that the wolves hadn't yet turned them into mince meat, especially knowing it would have been easy, considering how beaten up they all were.
"Oh..." Faren finally managed to let out.
Kallian, on the other hand, was far more reserved about the entire situation. "This is just like one of those fairy tales completely bereft of logic that my mother used to tell me when I was little."
"You know," Theron carefully retorted, "you could try and tell them that. I'm sure they'd be quite eager to rectify their mistake."
The blonde decided that that sarcasm had its place and decided to just play along. "So, now that it repaid you for saving it, what next?"
The alpha male barked a few times, alerting the rest of its pack, which quickly assembled, as if they were getting ready to leave. The animals still eyed the elves and dwarf with weary eyes, but they obeyed their leader. Then, the great wolf glanced at Theron one last time and slipped past him.
"Come on, I think it wants us to follow him," the hunter notified the others as he went over to check on the mage.
"Awkward..." two voices articulated.
"I'm... I'm fine, I can still walk," Alim told him as he let himself be helped to his feet. He almost lost his balance, but eventually regained his footing and, along with the dwarf rogue, followed after him and the she-elf as she took the mage's place as carrier of the dying king.
For a while, they walked in silence, resigned to just following their unusual escort, though they were growing increasingly anxious the darker it got. Most animals had already fled north, trying to escape the corruption of the Blight, and this made the entire wood almost totally silent, except for whatever rustle the leaves produced as the wind passed through them. The wolves would also occasionally snort or groan, but they mostly strode onwards.
Kallian subtly cleared her throat, drawing Theron's attention as they hoisted Cailan over a fairly large unearthed root. "Isn't this a bit too convenient?"
The tattooed one raised an eyebrow at her. "What, you think these wolves are leading us into an ambush or something?"
"(scoff) Very funny. I mean that it's a bit too much of a coincidence that these wolves showed up when they did."
"Actually, they'd been following us for a while before the last group of darkspawn attacked us."
The lass almost gasped at that, but immediately realized that it made sense. "So... you knew they were there all along?"
"Yes, but I didn't expect them to be 'friendly'. It's more of an alliance of convenience, if what I could sense from the pack leader is anything to go by," Theron explained. "The darkspawn drove them out of their home, these wilds. We fight to eradicate the darkspawn, so they jumped our attackers. It's a more refined form of survival instinct on the Alpha male's part to help us after we helped it yesterday. I think it's about as smart as Gwen's mabari, though it doesn't actually understand human speech. I guess we're lucky I'm Dalish."
"Still too convenient, but whatever."
The Wardens continued their wandering of the wilds, until, finally, the pack of wolves led them to what looked like a particularly large cave entrance. There, some of them scattered, seemingly in order to keep watch for whatever dangers may still be lurking about. Needless to say, the Wardens wasted no time in getting the king inside the cave, where they let him lie down. The cave floor was covered in a thick layer of dry leaves, likely there since the autumn of the previous year, and Theron realized that it was, in fact, a den of some kind, possibly belonging to one or all of their 'rescuers'.
The wolves didn't enter the grotto, some falling asleep outside while others just wondered about, doing whatever it was wolves did when they weren't killing or eating things.
"Oh, nug spit, my feet are killing me..." the dwarf interjected as he sat down with a thud, leaning with his back against the cavern wall. He restrained himself from saying how dreadfully hungry he was, and somehow managed to prevent his stomach from making any horrid noises.
"Andraste's warts, this shem is heavy," Kallian complained as she massaged her shoulder.
"Here," the hunter exclaimed as he threw Faren a chunk of dried meat. He always had some supplies, he had learned long ago that one should never be caught unprepared. "You're probably starving. I know I am." He then passed Kallian a similar chunk and wanted to do the same to Alim, but the latter gestured at him that he didn't need any.
The mage was massaging his temples and looked spend, his eyes still red and his upper body still covered in lines of shimmering white. Still, he moved in close to Cailan and started to feel for his life signs. First he checked the pulse on his neck, then he put his ear on his chest and abdomen, his expression becoming more and more grim as he neared the end of the medical inspection. Eventually, by the time the three had finished munching on their meager snack, he put his hand on the human's forehead and sighed deeply.
"Theron was right, the king isn't going to make it," he finally assessed, only confirming the fears that the others hoped would not come to pass.
The Dalish was not overly phased by this news. In fact, even though he definitely felt some sympathy with the dying man, he was more annoyed at having had to carry him along, endangering all of them in the process. They had almost died because of it after all. "Great, so we dragged him after us for nothing. Why did that guy tell us to take him along again?"
There was no answer, and for awhile, nothing could be heard except for the occasional yelps of some of the wolves, now locked in a wrestling match meant to help pass the time. The lass just sat there, resting her head against the rocky cave wall and looking outside, and Faren hung his head low and was staring at the ground while his elbows rested on his bent knees. Eventually, the latter looked up to the tired circle mage and finally asked what they all were wondering about. "Can you wake him up?"
Alim nodded in confirmation, though he didn't look at all pleased with the prospect. "I think I might have enough strength left to bring him back to consciousness for a short while, but healing magic can only do so much. I'm not exactly an expert healer, but I know enough to say for sure it wouldn't do him good even if I were."
"Are you sure we should wake him?" the tattooed hunter suddenly surprised them.
Even Kallian frowned at that as she drew her gaze away from the cave entrance and scrutinized her fellow elf. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"(scoff) Well, forgive me for caring, but I don't think hearing he led his men to slaughter will give him an easy death."
Regardless of how biased Theron may have seemed, his words still had some merit and actually made the others wonder whether they should wake him up after all. On the other hand, if they just left him there, it would have made carrying him all that way completely pointless.
It was the dwarf that finally helped everyone make up their minds. "That guy obviously knew this Cailan wasn't going to make it, but he made us take him away anyway. Maybe he just felt that letting him die there wasn't worthy of him. Or he thought this king may have some last words he would like to say before he went on to wherever humans go when they die."
The four exchanged looks for a moment, and the others finally caved in.
"Alright, then I'll use the last of my magic to wake him up," Surana reluctantly declared as he focused a golden light into his palm. He threw a last glance at the others before forcing that spell into the human's body. "Make it count."
Alim firmly pushed the creation magic into Cailan's chest, and all of the human's muscles suddenly strained, causing him to rack in pain and gasp helplessly as his returning consciousness mercilessly made him aware of the facts that his left shoulder was dislocated and that several of his ribs were broken and had punctured his lung. He tried to inhale, but ended up coughing out blood instead, and when he finally opened his eyes, he could barely see anything, not just because his vision was blurry but also because it was already very dark in that den, especially now that night had fallen.
The mage somehow invoked a final ounce of energy and used his blood magic to stem the king's internal bleeding enough to allow him to breathe. That seemed to slightly alleviate his panic attack, and the human at last managed to take a deep breath that ended in a pained moan.
The elf then let himself lean against the rock that surrounded them on all sides, signaling that the deed was done. The other three, except Theron, crawled closer, just as the shem stirred and his hands started to reach out, desperate for a reference point that would make his head stop spinning.
Kallian took his hand into hers and was amazed at how strong Cailan's grip was. It took all her might to prevent him from crushing her slim finger bones, but she managed to hold out until the man's fear subsided and his grasp relaxed. That was when she was finally able to take a close look at him and see how visible the agony showed on his face, even despite the deep shadows and the fact that the moonlight just barely reached inside the cavern. Nevertheless, it was enough to expose his profile and his blue eyes that somehow managed to glint ever so faintly. They were wide open, the instant emergence of physical and mental distress not strong enough to outweigh his shock at not being able to see anything in front of him.
"I can't see... Why can't I s-" he broke off in a fit of coughs that ended with his blood flowing out through both corners of his mouth. "Guh..."
Even though she had little love for humans, the city elf couldn't help but feel deeply perturbed when she saw how helplessly he struggled. "It's alright. You're not blind, it's just dark because it's nighttime." She then felt his hand twitch, as though he had only just now realized it was her hand he was holding.
"Who is there...?" he barely whispered. "Where am I?"
"You're-"
"In a wolf's den," Theron rammed, cutting her off and drawing a shocked and disapproving glare from the only woman and dwarf present.
The king gasped, once again being reminded that sudden efforts in his thorax were a distinctly bad and painful idea. "What...?" He sought to turn around, but only saw a blur coming from the direction of the cave entrance, his eyes having not completely adjusted. "Who is there?" he beseeched, a last ditch effort to make sense of things.
His vision eventually started to clear, until he could make out the vague silhouette of an elf, clad in fine-made but worn leather armor, sitting a foot away from him, with the right forearm resting on his bent knee and the upper part of his body obscured by the thick shadows that pervaded the area.
Faren, who was sitting next to Kallian the whole time, finally couldn't stay silent anymore and put his hand on the human' shoulder in an effort to reassure him. "Chill man, we're Grey Wardens. You remember us right?"
Much to his dismay, his effort backfired as the human was startled at how suddenly that voice and hand had come out of nowhere, and the rogue mentally cursed his all too strong tendency to move silently even in the weirdest of situations. At least Cailan seemed to calm down again after the words 'Grey Wardens' managed to sink in, though they only seemed to become a cause to worry.
"Grey Wardens... but then, where am I... what happened...?"
"Don't you remember anything?" the hunter pressed, just as flatly as before. "That Ogre didn't hit you in the head as far as I could see."
"Really man, no need to be such an ass!" the redhead snapped at him.
"Ogre..." Cailan echoed, his eyes widening as memories were unlocked and flooded his mind, completely overcoming his feeling of awareness as he vividly relived the last moments of the battle.
He remembered how he clenched his teeth, to resist the disorienting effect of the thunderclap, but only barely managed to hear the thump that the monster's large foot gave out as it stomped the ground behind him. He tried to spin around, but slipped on the thick mud and only grazed the beast's leg before it grabbed him, knocking the greatsword out of his grasp and lifting him off the ground, even heavily armored as he was, with the smallest of effort but the greatest of bloodthirst.
His insides twisted from the foul stench of the ogre's breath as it roared in his face, angered at not being able to crush through his plate mail. Then, he gasped and felt his humerus jumping out of its shoulder and his ribs snapping as a huge, rock-hard fist slammed into him from the side. And finally, he could barely recall drifting in and out of consciousness as he was being flung around, the beast roaring like mad after having had both its eyes pierced by knives.
The trail of memories immediately jumped into a sharp, electrical pain that arched through his entire body, then an odd feeling in his chest as his lungs finally let him speak, until his recollection caught up to the present.
"-n't have to be so sodding blunt!" he just barely caught Faren saying, though he had more pressing thoughts on his mind.
"The battle... what happened with the battle...?"
There was a long silence, and as the human's vision finally managed to clear and adjust to the dim light, he noticed Kallian, Faren and Theron looking at each other, as though they didn't know how to begin.
But it was the hunter that, again, took the word, seemingly less distraught, though no less put off. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"
He winced and shut his eyes momentarily, suppressing the impulse to try to sit up, knowing it would only send another sharp pain straight into his brain. "Yes..."
When it became obvious that the others could not bring themselves to say it, the Dalish was forced to, again, act the bad guy and just blurt out the truth. "The battle was lost."
The confirmation of his fears squirmed inside the king, and the denial grew into a mixture of sorrow, regret and shame, until the internal distress reached such an intensity that his face twisted as though he had just been stabbed from all sides. "By the Maker..." he cringed as he hopelessly shut his eyes. "But, how could it... Why? Was our army not enough after all? Did... did the tactic really fail?"
Kallian grimaced and looked away, unwilling to ram Cailan with the horrible truth, and Faren just stared at the scene, being no stranger to agonizing death. He didn't say anything, however, as he had no experience with helping someone move on and didn't really know how he could say what needed to be said.
So Theron had to be the bearer of bad news again. He frowned, glad that the darkness obscured his face. "Loghain quit the field. He didn't charge when he was supposed to."
"He...what?" The dying human gasped in disbelief, causing yet another explosion of pain in the side of his chest as his broken ribs shred another bit of his lung. He choked on his blood once more, only barely managing to cough it out as Kallian held his head up. "But... why would he... Was it really so... so hopeless that he wouldn't risk his men...?"
That thought gave the Grey Wardens pause. They hadn't exactly had much time to consider what had happened, between fleeing the darkspawn and trying to stay alive, but there was something about Cailan's confusion that threw them off. That man didn't even consider that Loghain pulled out because he was a traitor, even though all signs pointed to it. After all, the beacon had been lit and there would have still been enough time to flank the horde.
But why had Loghain quit? The fact was that they really didn't know, even though they were quite bent on assuming it was definitely done for malicious reasons.
Kallian used a spare bandage to wipe the blood of Cailan's face and just barely managed to stammer a few words. "We're not sure why he... We don't really know what happened."
Yes, perhaps it was better if the King died without knowing he had been betrayed by his father's best friend, the Hero of River Dane.
"Maker, this... this is a nightmare..." he trailed off, barely able to even move anymore, so completely broken he was. But as reality finally sunk in, he at last noticed that only the three elves and the dwarf were there, raising yet another question that demanded an answer. "Why are only the four of you here... Where are the other Wardens...? And the men, they... Andraste's mercy, this can't be..."
Faren opened his mouth, but no words came out, his mind again drifting into rage over having left everyone else behind, though he knew he was really only worried about one person in particular. Dammit, he was so biased and selfish.
The silence only confirmed Calan's suspicions, and his heartbeat escalated, his breathing got even more alert, until his voice became weak and anguished. "Even... even the other Wardens? Even Duncan? Impossible... This... this can't be real... Maker, say it's not real..."
The city elf finally managed to get her will together and speak up front, if only to prevent the blunt Theron from slamming the truth in the human's face again. "We just barely got out of there ourselves... The army had already been almost wiped out when we retreated, but Duncan and some of the others were still alive. They may have escaped..."
"They must have escaped," Faren enforced. "Dammit, he'd better-... they'd better not be dead or I'll..."
An almost completely faint ray of hope surfaced in the shem's expression just then, but the pain in the right side of his chest suddenly spiked, chasing it away instantly. "The army... all those men and women were slaughtered weren't they...?" he realized, aghast at what his eagerness for battle had wrought.
The silence only confirmed his worst fears. "By the Maker, I led them to their deaths..."
On second thought, maybe it wasn't such a good idea for him not to know that Loghain had turned his back on him just like that. The Wardens couldn't decide which feeling they should let Cailan die with: betrayal or shame.
"This is stupid!" the lass let out in outrage. "This only happened because that Loghain turned his back on us! It wasn't your fault!"
"No..." the agonizing shem weakly whispered. "It is my fault... I led my men to slaughter... I've handed my country to the darkspawn with my stubbornness, even though I was warned this could happen... and not just by Loghain..."
Silence fell yet again, and time looked as though it had come to a stop. The wolves themselves were quiet now, and the Alpha male had come and sat down at the entrance to the den and just stared at the scene, though no one actually noticed it. Cailan now choked on almost every breath, and the physical pain, combined with internal turmoil, flowed out of him in waves as his almost every attempt at inhaling ended in just another cough of blood.
"I'm... dying aren't I?"
It was not really a question, and his tone was deathly already.
"I've handed Ferelden over to the Blight..."
"Now hold on th-" Kallian was cut off as she felt the human's hold on her hand tighten instantly.
A lone tear appeared at the corner of the man's eye, the materialization of his regret, and reflected the pale moonlight as it slid away. "The son of King Maric Theirin the Savior... becomes the Doombringer of Ferelden... I am such a fool..." He coughed again, his eyes finally overflowing, no longer able to contain the rivers. "I've failed my people... I've failed my father. I've doomed us all..."
The wardens felt their hearts jump all the way up to their throats and they all felt utterly helpless. What could they possible say to that? They were barely 20 years of age, or less, and had just started out their lives in the most bloody of possible ways. How were they supposed to know what to say to make someone's passing easier, and a king of all things? Trying to tell him that it wasn't his fault had already failed miserably and they were already out of other ideas.
"Dammit," the redhead spat out in aggravation at not knowing what to do. He only knew how to bring death, not how to soften it. What could he say? "Dammit, if Raonar were here, he'd know what to say."
For some reason, Cailan's whole body twitched when he heard that and his eyes opened wide. "The prince from Orzammar... He's not here is he...?"
"He ordered us to retreat but stayed behind, saying that there was still something he had to do," the dwarf informed him, though he was seething with anger again. "Probably had something to do with that talk you two had before the fight started."
"I... I've doomed him as well... This... this is a disaster..."
"Okay, stop it!" a stricken Kallian pleaded, drawing a concerned look from the rogue that sat right next to her. "Just... stop it."
The king slowly turned his head towards her, remembering that it was her hand he was crushing in his grasp. So he let go, and allowed the back of his fingers to slide across her cheek and gave her a wry smile. "Why do you look like you're about to cry? A pretty girl like you shouldn't have to grieve over a foolish human like me... Just... leave me to the wolves..."
"Stupid shem!" She blurted out as an echo filled the entire cavern. A moment later, she stared at her hand in disbelief as she realized it had just slapped the man over the face. Hard. Everyone was shocked, her most of all, but the surprise only made way for what she wanted to say. "Stop moaning! Show some backbone and just... Andraste's ass! We're here, aren't we? Grey Wardens! Alive! We'll handle this somehow! So just... Tell us your last words already and die with dignity, like a king is supposed to!"
Everyone looked at her in stunned silence, Cailan apparently having seen the worst of it, but his shocked expression soon loosened. He actually sighed softly and again took her hand in his, though the hold was tender now. "You must have had good parents. I'm glad."
"I..." she was taken completely by surprise. "What are you going on about?"
"They used to tell you bedtime stories didn't they?" he continued, his warm gaze somehow going straight through her, causing her to visibly blush even in the darkness. She looked to the side, her blonde hair fluttering lightly, almost glittering as it whipped through the air.
But he kept going. "Tales about knights in shining armor, and of valiant kings that saved the day as they rode in on their proud stallions... then died with honor when their time came..."
"Shut up shem..."
"And even after humans abused your family, and though you're still so... so young and would have every reason to be bitter... you still care enough to cry at the death of the first among those stupid shems..."
"Shut up..."
He smiled warmly, the blood trickling from his mouth not nearly enough to eclipse his unexpected dispassion. "Alright..."
The young lady was taken aback and widened her eyes in bewilderment. "What?"
Cailan again lift his hand, the last of his energy channeled towards keeping it steady, and wiped a lone tear off her face. "If it will stop you from crying, I'll be the king from those fairy tales."
She took his hand in hers and covered her eyes with the other one as they spilled. "Idiot shem... it won't stop me from crying..."
He smiled earnestly at her. "Then I guess... I'll just have to try harder now won't I?"
"Che! You shem are so annoying..."
At long last, Theron detached his back from the cave wall and moved closer, taking his place besides the human, opposite to the other two. And with a last effort, Alim, who had been hanging onto his rapidly fading consciousness throughout that whole time, somehow succeeded in sitting up, so that he too may hear the King's last words.
They kept silent, pricking up their ears so that they could catch each word that came out of Cailan's mouth, and so that they could distinguish between the coughs and speech. They waited and listened, and noticed as his voice became more faint and almost ethereal, as though his soul was already half-way into the Beyond. But most of all, they were amazed at the clarity of what he told them, of how he somehow addressed each possible loose end that could appear as a consequence of his premature death. At least, that's what it sounded like to them, though they hardly knew much about Ferelden itself, or governing, or politics for that matter, so it wasn't possible to know for sure.
He no longer brooded over his failure. He set aside his shame so that he may at least help make things right, even if only a little. He moaned not over Loghain's apparent betrayal and told the four others everything he could think of that might help them and Ferelden once he gave his last breath.
Strange that he should have an outcast dwarf and three elves, the supposed dregs of society, as final confidants, and no human, let alone a noble, beside him as he crossed into the next life. And yet he did not feel in the least dissatisfied with this outcome.
The Grey Wardens will definitely stop the Blight. They had to. It was just who they were.
"-. ... .-"
Kallian twitched slightly as the last of the human's strength left his body and he accepted his end. "Is he..."
The hunter let his palm rest on Cailan's face, pulling his eyelids over his eyes, his clear blue irises never again destined to see the light. "He is gone now, to whatever end awaits him."
"Of all the shem in the world, why did he... why do the good guys die?"
"Pfah!" Faren grumbled. "Because this whole world is screwed up, that's why." He pushed himself backwards, until he was once again with his back against the rocky cave wall. "This whole situation feels like it's pulled out of a second-rate novel and just thrown in for dramatic effect, not that I read many in my time."
Theron looked around for a moment, noticing that Alim had already drifted out of consciousness, so he moved in close and wrapped him in his own cloak, the only one available, to shield him from the cold night air and rock. But it was the other two he addressed as he got to his feet. "You two should get some sleep. It's probably unnecessary but I'll keep watch tonight. So try not to worry about the wolves."
As he walked out of the cave, the city elf drew back as well, leaning against the rock and finally realizing that all of her bones ached. She never imagined she would ever be in a situation like that. A few weeks ago she was getting married, that it was against her wishes being a fairly moot point, and now she was about to fall asleep in what was literally a wolves' den, a claimed one even. Fate really had a perverted sense of humor. The only thing she was glad about was that it was the middle of summer and, thus, not exactly cold, so she wouldn't have to worry about hypothermia. She was also really pleased with herself for having faced so many cases of frostbite during those winters when she just wouldn't stop fooling around in the Alienage. if there was anything she could deal with, it was cold, and that night definitely wasn't even remotely cold for her.
Faren was not so lucky. He had bled quite a bit, which definitely didn't help matters, but the worst part was that he came from Dust Town. The fact that his life had been a living hell aside, that meant he had spent most his days nearer to Orzammar's lava than any member of the castes, so he was at somewhat of a disadvantage on the surface, where it could actually get chilly. He started trembling and coiled himself up as tight as he could, not at all resistant to the low temperatures of the nights, though surfacers would hardly call that particular night chilly. Until that point, the adrenaline and the seething anger that had only just gone away had kept his blood flowing quite effectively.
Now he was freezing and he couldn't do anything about it. He didn't even have a cloak of his own anymore, having somehow lost it during the fight.
He almost recoiled when a hand gently touched his arm. He hadn't noticed her coming near, which made him feel even more worried about his level of awareness.
"Are you alright? You're shaking..." Her tone was genuinely concerned.
"Her hand's kind of warm... No, wait. Man up, dwarf, man up! "I'm fine, I... I'm just a little cold..." "NUG SPIT!"
"I don't know much about dwarves or where the ones underground live, but I heard there's a lot of lava there. It must be hot... and stuffy..."
"Okay, her hand is still there, so she doesn't find you completely revolting yet." "Yeah... that's one way of putting it I guess. These woods are definitely a step down on that scale though." "That's right, you're doing great, just play it cool!" He suddenly shuddered, quite noticeably, "Shit, not that kind of cool!"
"You're really cold aren't you."
"Dammit... So much for wanting to appear the strong, macho type..."
"Come here."
The dwarf was completely astonished as she put her arm around him and drew him close, just like his sister Rica used to do so many years ago. "Don't freak out, people do this sort of thing in order to prevent the cold from killing them in their sleep. Come on, get over here."
He would have thought about drawing away, but he really was too cold to even think. His body reacted automatically and he just huddled closer, until the back of his head was resting on her chest of all places. "Shit, she's warm... Why do things have to be so awkward?" "Sorry I... I turned the situation awkward again. You just cried and I..."
She cut him off and gave him a protective hug. "Shut up and go to sleep Faren..."
"..."
"Alright..."
He curled himself up again and eventually felt his shivering lessen. He became aware of the steady beats of her heart as they sent the warmth into his back, and of her equally steady breathing as her chin rested on the top of his head. He decided he wouldn't think about how ridiculous he must have looked just then and was, for once in his life, grateful for the dark. So he reached up, searching for his Warden Pendant, but stumbled over her hands instead, clasped together in front of his chest, and subconsciously took a hold of them.
"Kal...?"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks."
She inhaled deeply, then gave another, long suffering sigh. "Just go to sleep."
"Right... sorry..."
He took a last look at the dead king, but the fact that he himself was still alive seemed to somehow outweigh the grief caused by that whole day, and his consciousness finally slipped away, leaving behind only the echoes of his last thought.
"On the other hand, maybe forests aren't so bad."
''''''''''''''''''''''''
Author's Note:
Mostly I found it odd how Rangers could just have their animals "bamf" in out of thin air in the game, despite not having any magic. So Theron will just have a permanent animal companion.
That review space is, of course, eager to be filled!