Chapter 21: The Lost and Found

Whispers.

That was the first thing Solona noticed after they had breached the main gates of Kal Hirol. The secret entrance had opened up right behind the darkspawn's defensive lines. Nathaniel ended the life of a darkspawn golem master before he had a chance to use his charges against them. Solona had scooped up the control rod. One by one she awoke the golem warriors, the same order emerged from her lips in each case.

"Kill the darkspawn."

The golems applied themselves to that duty with savage glee, perhaps the stone creatures remembered that they had been dwarves once, that they had volunteered to the change to protect their homeland from the darkspawn threat.

Solona did not know, but she hoped that they understood.

Not all of the golems survived the battle. Some triggered the thaigs' old defenses and were destroyed. Others were overwhelmed by the darkspawn, their stone bodies smashed to pieces. The wardens did what they could to aid the golems. Soon the entrance was clear of any remaining darkspawn.

Solona ordered the few remaining golems to hold the entrance, to make sure that no other darkspawn managed to get behind the wardens.

The golems took up defensive positions near the entrance, they would hold the lines until the spawn were gone, or they were destroyed.

Whatever came first?

Solona led from the front directing her soldiers forward. The taint was bad here, the ground was covered with a pinkish, darkspawn film, and it resembled flesh more than anything else.

Solona was tempted to try and burn it away but did not want to risk the smoke and flames getting in her peoples' way.

There would be time to cleanse the great fortress later.

As they went deeper into the old Thaig, Solona began to notice the whispering more and more, not only that, but she could almost make out the sound of battle, the clang of steel, and the cries of the brave and the dying.

Rolan shivered, his Templar abilities could sense the wrongness of this place. The veil was very thin here, the deaths of so many during the past Blights and done much damage here.

For generations they told you that you were nothing, swept you away like so much dust!

Mother, you…you can't fight!

We are all that stands between our people and the darkspawn that threaten our empire!

We must do this dear…Dailan…he says that if we do…the Ancestors will look kindly on us…they will forgive us.

Let the stone tremble with the sound of your footsteps…FIGHT!

Shadows of dwarves and darkspawn moved across the chambers, locked in combat, combat that had occurred centuries ago.

A dwarven shadow ran right through Rolan, the experience startled him.

"Sweet Maker," the Templar-Warden said nervously, "what is that?"

"My people say that the stone remembers," Sigrun replied, "I wonder if this is what they mean?"

Spectral dwarves flicked in and out of view around them, their last minutes repeated for all to see. They had all died fighting the darkspawn horde that had overwhelmed this fortress long ago.

This was all that remained of them now.

"This place is cursed," Rolan said sullenly, "It is haunted…bewitched!"

"Oh don't get your knickers in a twist lad," Oghren snorted, "It is the lyrium in these walls, I can sense it. It is changing this place. Just like that Maker temple in the Frostbacks, right Legs?"

Solona nodded. These were not ghosts, not really, just memories of what had happened here, memories literally etched in stone.

"These…shades cannot harm us," Solona informed her fellows. "Ignore them, but stay sharp, there are still a lot of darkspawn down here. We must be cautious."

The wardens continued on. They passed an old ruined barricade, Solona could almost see what had happened here. The dwarves had erected that wall to try and hold back the horde, but the darkspawn had been too many.

How long had the dwarves here held out, a day, a week, a month? In the end it had not mattered, the spawn had overwhelmed them.

She found herself whispering a prayer for the fallen.

These dwarves had done their best to protect their home.

That was all that anyone could ask, all that anyone could expect.

She would see them honored if she could.

She promised herself that.

These people would not be forgotten.

IOI

Nathaniel kept to the shadows, his bow at the ready. He found himself grateful for the Commander's presence. These…these…memories disturbed him. He was glad that they had magic on their side.

The thought made him laugh, he had returned to Ferelden to kill this woman, and now he was happy to fight at her side, to be under her protection.

Irony.

He watched for darkspawn, but his eyes kept returning to Velanna. The elf had…she…she had gotten under his skin of late. The memory of her in Amaranthine, of holding her close as he had taken her to that room, the smell of her skin and hair.

A shiver ran down the former noble's spine. This was beyond insane, Velanna was a fellow warden, and beyond that she was stubborn and had a mean streak as wide as the waking sea.

She was the last person he should be feeling any attraction for.

He watched as Anders sided up next to her, Nathaniel did not like how close the apostate had gotten to the Dalish. He felt a surge of jealousy.

"Do you know I find women with tattoos very sexy?" Anders whispered suggestively.

Velanna rolled her eyes.

"And do you know that I find most humans morally and physically repulsive?" she replied.

"Good to know," Anders chuckled.

Nathaniel snorted, if the mage was trying to win the elf's favor he would not be doing so like that.

Still he had given the nobleman food for thought.

I find most humans morally and physically repulsive.

The lady had said most, not all, Nathaniel realized that he was likely grasping at straws, but Velanna's words encouraged him. Perhaps…perhaps when this mission was done he would try to speak with Velanna, not as a fellow warden, but as a man talking to a beautiful woman.

The thought made him nervous, but excited him as well.

IOI

Maiwen struggled with the taint coursing through her veins, she did not wish to appear weak in front of her fellow wardens, and she was trying extremely hard not to vomit.

The darkspawn filled her mind, and poisoned her soul. Evidence of their foulness coated this thaig.

She could not help but wonder what Mhari would have done? Her sister was so strong and brave, would she have had a hard a time dealing with this?

They entered a new part of the city, leaving the old trading quarter behind. The buildings here were in worse repair than they had been elsewhere. Dwarves built things to endure, but it was clear that this part of the Thaig had not been maintained, not even in the time of the dwarves.

Sigrun walked beside her.

"This was where the casteless lived," the dwarven legionnaire informed her. "I…I lived in such a place, before I joined the legion that is."

The knight looked at the squalor that remained around her, it was clear that this place was like this before the spawn ever came here. She could not see how the dwarves could live like this, how they could keep an entire segment of their population down because who their ancestors were?

"How can the dwarves do this to their own kind?" Maiwen asked the dwarf.

"What other way can there be?" Sigrun shrugged, "According to the shaperate, I should not exist, my ancestors should have had the good sense to die, and not reproduce."

"Bullshit," the knight spat, "A person is defined by their actions, not who their ancestors were. You have as much right to live as anyone else."

Sigrun gave Maiwen a strange look, people did not usually speak to her like that, they typically just called her a dirty brand and ignored her.

"That is kind of you to say," Sigrun said with a wistful smile.

A man's scream drew their attention, Solona called the group to a stop, she motioned for Maiwen to check it out. The warrior nodded, Sigrun followed after her.

It turned out to be just another shade, this one of a man scribbling on an old stone tablet.

"Can't let," the man gasped, "Can't let…their deaths all be in vain, must leave something…something to let…NO!"

The image of an ogre slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. The creature raised its fists and crushed him. The specters faded, leaving only dusty bones that had once been the dwarven warrior.

Sigrun looked down at the tablet, she brushed away a layer of dust and filth. She did not read well, but she could read enough to tell what had been written here.

"The stone honor the fell…no fallen…the stone honor the fallen of Kal'Hirol. Those brave souls who were birthed…no wait…born…those brave souls who were born casteless, but died warriors."

Sigrun's eyes widened.

"Died warriors?" she repeated, "This…this Dailan he wished for the casteless here to be remembered as warriors…warrior caste. Look here," she pointed at the list of names on the tablet, "He…he wrote them down…all of them. We…we can't leave this here, we must get it back to Orzammar."

"Agreed," Solona nodded, she produced a piece of vellum and copied down the list of names, as well as the story that the warrior Dailan had entrusted to this tablet.

Solona could not help but feel that these casteless, these brave men and women who had died here justified the choice she had made to aid Bhelen during the Blight. Here was proof of the value of the casteless, let the nobles of Orzammar see this for themselves.

Solona put the rubbings in her pack, she also recovered Dailan's sword Kallak, she would see that it was brought to Orzammar as well, to show the Dwarven city the strength of the people who had died here.

Sigrun gave the warden a grateful look.

Dailan and his warriors were heroes, it was time the dwarven people acknowledged that fact.

IOI

The wardens moved into the section of the city where the smith caste had worked in ancient times, the forges were quiet, the great vats of metal cold and empty.

Oghren stepped away from the group, he found himself staring down at one of the anvils, a thoughtful, yet pained expression graced the dwarf's face.

"Is something the matter Oghren?" Solona asked.

"This anvil is old," he said with a wistful sigh, "They…they make 'em different these days. Branka explained why to me once, stone help me if I can't remember what she said."

Solona shook her head, Branka was not a pleasant memory for her. Oghren's wife…his ex-wife, had gone into the deep roads looking for the anvil of the void. She had become obsessed with the legendary object and had been driven mad by the search. She had destroyed her entire family, attempting to seize it from the great maze that kept it safe.

She had attempted to manipulate Solona as well, but in the end the warden mage had ended the threat of Branka. The only thing she regretted from that day was that Oghren had to see it.

She had not wanted to see her friend hurt.

"Branka does not deserve your loyalty old friend," Solona said with a scowl.

"I know," the dwarf replied.

And what about Felsi, she loves you, and I think you love her."

"I do…it is just…"

"And what about your child? You know that…"

"COMMANDER DON"T!"

Solona fell silent, she had never heard Oghren angry with her before. The dwarf's eyes softened.

"I just said that it reminded me of Branka is all," he mumbled, "Look Legs, I know she is gone, I know it, but sometimes…sometimes I don't know…I miss her, I wonder if there is something I could have done different."

Solona nodded, she could understand that sentiment.

"And as far as the nugget goes. I would not expect you to understand. You're not a parent, you don't know what it means to have a kid."

Solona's eyes widened, emotions rolled across her face, shock, fury, regret…and finally…acceptance.

She was not meant to be a mother…Lucian…Elissa was his Mother now.

"Your right," she said, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. Being a Mother is something I will never be. I…I apologize for insulting you Oghren."

"Ya didn't insult me Legs," he snorted dismissively.

Seeing the look on her face, he held up his flask to her.

"You need a drink there lass," he offered, "You certainly look like you could use one."

She managed a weak smile, "No thank you Oghren," she answered.

"Blah…enough of this, we're both whimpering like a box of kittens. Let's go find something to kill eh. I think we could both use the distraction.

Solona agreed. Oghren had angered her, she did not take it out on the dwarf because he did not know any better.

The darkspawn however…a cruel smile split the mage's lips.

She could hurt them, she could even take pleasure in it.

It was time to pay these evil bastards back.