Hadrian sat in front of the fire. On either side of him sat the two women that it had been speculated were his mothers. Sitting back-to-back with him was his darker sibling/persona. He was listening to Sten talk of the great battles he had been in. Hadrian thought that the large Qunari must have led a very fulfilled life. He let his thoughts stray to the upcoming confrontation in the Frostback mountains. He was worried how it would all play out. There was a dwarf that was headed to Denerim that had told them of the near civil war state that Orzammar was in at the moment so they knew that they would be in for an up hill battle to gain the dwarfs help. They were about a days journey to reach the gates of the dwarvish city-state. And everyone was getting antsy. It was like getting ready to go into a den of wolves willingly. There was just no knowing how it was going to turn out.
Alistair was on watch with Swiftrunner. Zevran was talking to Anders and both were casting amused glances at Hadrian any time he looked at them. Wynne was resting against a large rock that rose out of the ground. Nria was sitting staring into the flames, petting Fen'harel. Hadrian looked around at all the gathered warriors. It made him scowl. Why couldn't there be somebody like this to fight Voldemort? He sort of understood that there had been people who had tried to fight him. But why did he ever come to kill Hadrian? Why would he want to kill a child when he had so many enemies that he could go after? It hurt Hadrian's head to think about it.
"Hadrian are you alright?" Leliana asked with a worried voice. Hadrian looked up at her worried expression.
"Yeah. I'm ok Leliana. I just trying to figure out why I was ever pulled into the war with Voldemort in the first place." Hadrian said with a forlorn sigh. It seemed everyone had heard him because they all looked at him in askance.
He looked at them all for a moment, then began to speak. "Well its just that, why did he come to kill me in the first place? What good would it do to kill a baby who hadn't any ability to protect itself or hurt anyone?"
It was a disturbed silence that greeted the questions. Finally it was broken by Swiftrunner from the edge of camp. His deep bestial voice carried with very little actual volume. "Once the Lady was overcome with the magic of the world. She began to speak of a time when the curse would be over but there would be a great evil that would try to overcome the world. Many didn't believe the curse would ever end. They disregarded the words of our Lady. I was just a pup at the time so I thought it was of gravest importance. She told us that one among us would chose to keep our curse and in doing so help to bring about the evil's end."
Everyone looked at with thoughtfully. He continued. "But if I had died before I matured and the curse ended do you not think that none would have remembered the words of our Lady and so you wouldn't have the aid that I can offer. Perhaps in your world there is someone who gets overcome by the worlds magic also?"
Hadrian looked startled. "You mean that maybe there is a prophecy that states I was destined to kill him and he decided to kill me before I could?"
Swiftrunner shrugged. "If I was given the name of my killer and told only he would be able to, I can think of many who would make sure that wasn't an option."
Hadrian shivered. It made an awful terrible sense. Why else would he attack a child but for a preventative measure? Hadrian buried himself into Morrigan's side. He felt her arm wrap protectively around his side. He knew that had to be it and it only made him more angry. Surely someone could have helped them? Hid them? Why did his parents have to die? Was that part of this supposed prophecy?
All he knew was that when he got back if he ever found Voldemort's spirit. He was going to destroy it. He was going to destroy everything that had to do with the murdering bastard. He felt sleep trying to claim him and decided it would be a good idea to sleep so he laid down with his head on Morrigan's lap and surrendered to sleep as Morrigan idly played with his long hair.
Hadrian looked at the small bazaar around the door of the dwarf city-state. He thought it was awful small for the capital of the dwarfs. He was with Sten who was looking for Fayren so he could get his sword. He found the man. Sten walked towards the man who was happily hawking his wares until he saw the approaching Qunari, which caused his body to go deathly pale. Hadrian put his hand on Sten's wrist when he reached for the merchant. Hadrian looked deep in the Large being's eyes and gave a small shake of his head. Sten straighten then drew a deep breath and said.
"My sword where is it?" His voice like steel on stone. The merchant gulped at that. "I ain't got it. I sold it to a dwarf named Dwin down in Redcliff."
"If it isn't there I will return." Sten said simply, before turning and leaving the area with Hadrian on his heels. Hadrian felt kind of bad for Sten because he seemed to be fighting an uphill battle trying to find his sword, but he knew just how important the blade was to the large being. Hadrian drew closer to the large guy. He reached out and touched Sten's arm. Sten turned swiftly to look at Hadrian, before his face went from being frustrated and angry to softening at him.
"We'll find it Sten. I promise." Hadrian said with a reassuring smile.
"That is an illogical assumption but thank you none the less." Sten said with a halfhearted smile. The moment was interrupted by the sound of fighting. The two looked towards the sound to find Alistair, Zevran, Swiftrunner, and Nria fighting three armed men in front of the Stone gates to Orzammar. They rushed over only to be proved unneeded when they realized the fight was over before they even arrived. They were thanked by the gate guard and sent inside to see the council. They passed through the hall of the paragons. Hadrian gazed in awe at the stone statues the were amazingly life like to be carved out of granite. He snickered at a matronly dwarf tell her daughter that if she was carved like Branka she would have no problems getting marriage offers.
Hadrian finally gave up on waiting for Nria, Wynne, and Alistair to talk to the 'good' king candidate, Lord Harrowmont. It was coincidentally at this time that Sten, Morrigan and Zevran were talking to Prince Bhelen. Hadrian turned to Anders, Leliana, and Fen'harel.
"I say we go towards the caves. I imagine there are a lot of things down there to kill." He said with a grin.
"There is just the problem of it being off limits." Leliana said with a small frown. Fen'harel barked in agreement.
"She has a point, but if we tell them we're going for the sole purpose of killing darkspawn then they might allow it." Anders said with a wry grin.
"Yeah it might just work." Hadrian said wiggling his eyebrows with a playful grin. " So Anders, Fen'harel...Mommy we ready to go kill some darkspawn?"
He got an affirmative grin from Anders, and a happy bark from Fen'harel, and Leliana gave him a look that clearly she couldn't be happier with what she had been called. The four of them went towards the entrance of the deep roads, only to find Zevran walking towards them with Sten and Morrigan.
"Mom!" Hadrian called out making his way to her. "Are you going into the deep roads to?"
"Yes we are where is your mother?" Morrigan asked looking around till she found Leliana coming round the corner. "Ah there you are Leliana I had wondered if our boy had left you to fend for yourself."
"No he has been the proverbial saint." Leliana said happily with mirth shining in her eyes. The two women embraced and left every male in the area except Hadrian and Fen'harel gazing at them in shock. Hadrian turned to Zevran who had recovered the fastest and poked him.
"I got you a ring from a rather eccentric merchant's stall." He said slipping a small gold band on Hadrian's right middle finger. It was covered in small glowing blue runes. They circled around each other and seemed to dance along the band. Hadrian gazed at it in amazement.
"It's called Lifegiver." Zevran said looking at Hadrian's single emerald eye. "It is said that if you were this ring your body will have a greater supply of vitality and any wound you receive will not bleed as much by three-quarters."
Hadrian's gaze jerked up to see Zevran. "This is to much it must have cost a fortune!"
Zevran burst out laughing then waved his hands in a calming motion. "Fear not sweet Hadrian. It did indeed cost three fortunes but I didn't pay a single sovereign for it."
Hadrian looked at it for a moment before shaking his head in false exasperation. "Thank you Zevran I love it."
"I am glad it's all I can offer for your protection." Zevran said with a shy smile. Everyone within earshot seemed to be ignoring the whole talk except Anders who looked like he was worried about something.
"I got the conformation to let your party into the deep roads." The lead dwarf said with a frown at Morrigan, Leliana, and Hadrian. Hadrian followed Sten from the company of his two Pseudo moms. They made their way towards the deep roads and started for the Aeducan Thaig. It was there that the two groups decided to part ways Hadrian's group walked through the deep roads.
It had been three weeks since they delved into the deep roads. They were all growing weary. They had found an insane dwarf called ruck, somehow magically reformed a sword called topsider's honor, and had brought the ripped apart body parts of a demon together only to destroy it for good and watch in morbid fascination as Dark Hadrian absorbed its power. He wound up growing horns. Hadrian gazed at them intently before frowning, shaking his head, and turning away from his other half/brother. They had then wandered towards the front lines where the legion of the dead were located. They fought off the darkspawn and gained a few hundred yards of the deep roads for the legion before finding a broodmother. It was truly a disgusting sight.
No sooner than it died they found themselves in the company of the rest of the party members plus a highly inebriated dwarf name Oghrain. After a lengthy explanation by the two parties representing the two deshyrs they realized that they were both out to find Branka tha only known living paragon.
"Well let's not keep the forge mistress waiting." Hadrian said turning to leave the area.