Sereda listened as Leliana told them the news that had come out of Ostagar. This meant that they would have to rely on Theron to avoid the major roads.
They walked as they talked, and found themselves on the outskirts of the village. Sereda blinked. A man stood in a cage. He was easily the biggest man she had ever seen, and there was something odd about the cast of his features. She approached.
He looked down at her. "You aren't one of my captors."
"I remember the revered mother mentioning this man." Leliana said. "She called him a savage from the far north."
"I have nothing to say that would amuse a dwarf. Leave me in peace."
"You're a prisoner?" Theron asked. "Who put you here?"
"I am in a cage, am I not?" The man spoke patiently, almost as if to a child. "I've been placed here by the Chantry."
"The revered mother said he slaughtered an entire family. Even the children." said Leliana.
His tone became regretful. "It is as she says." He folded his arms. "I am Sten of the Beresaad—the vanguard—of the qunari peoples."
"I am Sereda. Pleased to meet you."
"You mock me." He narrowed his eyes. "Or you show manners I have not come to expect in your lands." He shrugged. "Though it matters little, now. I will die soon enough."
"Are you..." Leliana looked from Theron to Sereda. "Just going to leave him here? To die like an animal? This is too cruel a punishment, even for a murderer."
"I suggest you leave me to my fate." Sten said.
Sereda considered a moment. They needed supplies and all the help they could get. Plus, she hads een what the qunari mercenaries employed by the Carta could do. "I find myself in need of skilled help."
"No doubt." Sten said dryly. "What help do you seek?"
"I am sworn to defend the land against the Blight."
Sten raised his eyebrows. "The Blight? Are you a Grey Warden, then?"
Sereda nodded. "Yes. I am."
"Surprising." Sten narrowed his eyes at her. "My people have heard legends of the Grey Wardens' strength and skill... though I suppose not every legend is true."
She couldn't tell, but she thought she sensed a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "Would the revered mother let you free?"
"Perhaps if you told her the Grey Wardens need my assistance. It seems as likely to bring my death as waiting here." he said. She watched his eyes. He was not quite as disinterested in the idea as he was pretending.
Sereda glanced at Leliana. "Well?"
"She'd be in the chantry." Leliana replied.
Sereda nodded, then looked back at Sten. "I'll leave you for now."
"Farewell, then. My thanks, dwarf."
Leliana led them to the Chantry. Sereda noted that Alistair and Elissa were already there, both kneeling in prayer. Elissa noticed her, then nudged Alistair, and the two came to join them. Sereda and Theron followed Leliana into the chantry.
Sereda glanced at Theron. She wasn't surprised that the Dalish man was visibly uncomfortable, and earning stares from nearly everyone they passed. In fact, she feared that several Templars would go so far as to put their hands onto their swords. Fortunately, Leliana's presence seemed to keep them at bay. The sister led them into a room off to the side.
A middle-aged woman in somewhat more ornate robes was sitting in the room. She smiled up at Leliana. "Good day, Sister Leliana. I'm surprised to see you're still in Lothering."
"It is good to see you as well, your Reverence." Leliana said, her voice filled with respect.
The revered mother eyed the rest of the group. "I do not recognize your companions. Greetings. Will you be making a donation to the chantry? Our need has never been greater."
To Sereda's surprise, Theron stepped forward. He offered her an elven locket. "I fear we have little to offer." He bowed his head. "But perhaps this can fetch a price."
She accepted, and then her eyes widened as she took a closer look. "These poor souls will weep at your generosity. Thank you." She smiled. "What can I do for you, then?"
"I want to talk about Sten, the qunari you imprisoned." Sereda said.
The revered mother sighed. "It might have been kinder to execute him, but I leave his fate to the Maker. Why does he interest you?"
"Is there any way I can convince you to release him?" Sereda pleaded.
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Then his next victims might count you and me as their murderers."
"I was thinking you might release him into my custody." Sereda met her eyes. "Defending against the Blight, as a form of atonement."
The revered mother turned to Leliana. "And what do you say on this, Leliana? You know your friend better than I."
"These are… unusual times, your Reverence. With us, the qunari might do some good." She looked at Sereda and Theron, and smiled. "I am sure of it, in fact."
The revered mother sighed, rubbing her face. "Were things not so desperate… very well, I trust you." She handed them a set of keys. "Take these keys to his cage, and Maker watch over you."
"Thank you, your Reverence. Your trust is not misplaced."
Sereda undid the lock on the cage. "And so it is done." Sten said. "I will follow you into battle. In doing so I shall find my atonement."
"Thank you, Sten. Glad to have you with us." Sereda said.
"May we proceed?" Sten looked around. "I am eager to be elsewhere."
She looked around, and saw Faren, Kallian, Daylen, and Morrigan heading in her direction. She blinked. They looked as though they had just gotten out of fight. "What happened?"
"We bumped into some refugees desperately going for the bounty on us. Don't worry, we dealt with them with no trouble." Faren assured. "And we did some errands for some silver and few sovereigns."
"We should move though before more refugees try to come after us." Kallian said.
Sereda nodded in agreement. "Let's move."
They went towards the path before sensing some darkspawn and saw them attacking a dwarven merchant and his son. The group easily dispatched of the darkspawn as the merchant ran up to them his face for gratitude.
"Mighty timely arrival there, my friend. I'm much obliged." The merchant said.
"You're welcome." Sereda said.
"The name's Bodahn Feddic, merchant and entrepreneur. This here is my boy, Sandal." Bodahn gestured to his son, who just stared at them with a blank expression. "Say hello, my boy."
"Hello." Sandal said.
"Road's been mighty dangerous these days. Mind if I ask what brings you out here? Perhaps we're going the same way." Bodahn said.
Faren laughed. "I doubt you want to travel with Grey Wardens."
Bodahn looked in surprise. "Grey Wardens, hm? My, that does rather explain a lot. No offence, but I suspect there's more excitement on your path then my boy and I can handle. Allow me to bid you farewell and good fortune, though."
Bodahn then set to repair the damaged wagon as the group left Lothering.
Theron led them to an ideal campsite for the night and while everyone began setting up the campsite. Sereda approached the newest companion who was standing like a sentry.
"Why are we stopping?" Sten asked.
"Nightfall's coming and we need to rest. We're working together, I think I should get to know you." Sereda said.
Sten scowled. "There are darkspawn to be fought. Is this delay needful?"
Sereda shook her head at his impatience before taking a breath. "Are you all right? You were in that cage a while."
"You are concerned?" Sten gave her a surprised look. "No need. I am fit enough to fight."
"You said you were in the army?"
"I am."
"Why would the qunari send soldiers here?"
"The antaam are the eyes, hands, and mouth of the qunari. We are how my people know the world."
"Doesn't that make your view of things a little skewed?"
"Compared to what?"
"Well..." Sereda paused. "Good question."
"What does anyone truly know of the world? The world changes. We change. The antaam observe what we can, just as you do. There is no point to this. We are keeping the darkspawn waiting."
"True. We'll have the see getting you some armor and a weapon."
"As you wish."
Faren wandered around and noticed that they had company. It was the dwarven merchant they had met earlier and his son.
"Ah! It's good to see you, my timely rescuer!" Bodahn beamed as Faren approached him. "Bodahn Feddic at your service once again. I saw your campsite and thought to myself, 'What safer place to rest for the evening than in the camp of a Grey Warden?' I'm perfectly willing to offer you a fine discount for the inconvenience of our presence. How does that sound? Good? Yes?"
"Have you been following us?" Faren asked.
"I can see why you might be suspicious, being a Grey Warden and all. Were I in your shoes, I would feel the same way. Trust me when I say that my encountering you here was serendipity and nothing more. I travel a lot, so I'm bound to meet everyone on the road eventually. If you prefer, I'll take my boy and be on my way… but regretfully. You're the safe spot on this road, without a doubt."
"You're free to stay. Just mind yourselves."
"Wonderful!" Bodahn then looked at his boy. "Thank the gentleman, won't you, boy?"
"Thank you, sir." Sandal nodded.
"We won't be bothered to you or your companions, I assure you. If you should need enchantments, simply talk to my boy. Otherwise, come speak with me."
Elissa made her way over to Alistair who was busy setting up a fire.
"Yes?" Alistair asked.
"So how did you become a Grey Warden?" Elissa asked as she sat down next to him.
"Same way you did. You drink some blood, you choke on it and pass out. You haven't forgotten already, have you?"
Elissa glared. "Don't be an idiot."
"Ah, my secret is out. Now at last I can stop pretending! Pardon the drooling." Alistair joked.
"I always suspected as much." She said dryly.
Alistair then pretended he was weak and helpless. "Don't tell anyone else. They'll just mock me in my sleep, and I'm very sensitive." Elissa glared at him and he just smiled. "You're cute when you get all irritable, you know that? You get this little not right between your—" He then sighed. "Oh, never mind. Let's see. I was in the Chantry before I was training as a Templar, in fact. That's where I learned most of my skills."
"You don't seem like a religious sort." Elissa noted.
He shrugged. "You're telling me. I was banished to the kitchens to scour the pot more times than I can count. And that's a lot; I can count pretty high. The grand cleric didn't want to let me go. Duncan was forced to conscript me, actually, and was she ever furious when he did. I thought she was going to have as both arrested. I was lucky."
Elissa frowned. "Why did the grand cleric want to keep you?"
"I wondered that myself." Alistair admitted. "It's not as if she valued me highly. I think she just didn't want to give anything to the Grey Wardens, is all. The Chantry didn't lose much. And I think I can do more fighting the Blight anyhow rather than sitting in a temple somewhere." He then closed his eyes. "I'll always be thankful to Duncan for recruiting me. If it hadn't been for him, you know, I would never… I wouldn't have..."
Elissa could tell that he still wasn't completely over Duncan's death. "I'm sorry."
Alistair the shook his head. "No, it's… I'm sorry. I shouldn't be… It's fine. He died a hero. They all did."
"So you're not happy in the Grey Wardens?"
"Far from it." Alistair said. "I never wanted to be a Templar, anyway." He looked off in the distance. "Duncan saw I wasn't happy, and figured my training against mages could double for fighting darkspawn. Now, here I stand a proud Grey Warden. The grand cleric wouldn't have let me go if Duncan never forced the issue. I'll always be grateful to him."
Elissa had a feeling it would be best to change the subject and looked over to Sereda, who was standing guard. "We should let her know about Arl Eamon."
"I suppose we better."
Sereda sighed when Alistair and Elissa reported to her what Ser Donall had said. "The timing is quite convenient and I don't think it's a coincidence. I've learned the hard way things like this rarely are. Arl Eamon gets sick just as Loghain betrays his king?"
"Plus, considering Howe taking over Highever castle…" Theron trailed off.
Elissa looked at him, alarmed. "You think Loghain was behind this?"
Sereda shook her head. "No. Unless Howe somehow convinced him that your family were traitors or something."
Elissa crossed her arms and nodded grimly. "I wouldn't put it past him."
"Redcliff is still our destination. Even if Arl Eamon is indisposed, it's still our best chance. And perhaps there is something we could do to aid him."
"The Urn of Sacred Ashes?" Alistair asked.
"We will need to visit the Circle." Sereda said. "Perhaps we can find more information there. What did that note say?"
"It mentioned Brother Genitivi." Theron said.
"I know that name." Elissa noted, lost in her thoughts. "Perhaps that's also a lead worth following. Denerim, however, may not be the safest place for us."
"We need to bring Loghain to justice." Alistair said.
Sereda rested her hand on her blade. "I agree, but the Blight must come first."
"Get some sleep."
"Brecilian Forest isn't far from here, perhaps we can make a small detour and meet other clans." Theron suggested.
Sereda narrowed her eyes. "We need to see if Eamon can help first. We don't have time…"
"I need to know that my clan is alright. Please." Theron said.
Sereda sighed. "Very well. I suppose a small detour before we see Eamon, will not hurt."
Sereda awoke with a startle, the image of the dragon seared into her mind. She shivered.
"Bad dreams, huh?" said Alistair.
She rubbed her forehead could feel the sweat on her brow. "It seemed so real."
"Well it is real, sort of." Alistair sighed. "You see, part of being a Grey Warden is being able to hear the darkspawn. That's what your dream was. Hearing them."
Theron then handed her cup of tea. "Don't worry we felt the same experience."
She looked around and saw the others had awoken with a start, they too like they had awakened from a nightmare.
"The archdemon, it… talks to the horde, and we feel it just as they do. That's why we know this is really a Blight."
"Are these dreams going to happen a lot?" Sereda asked.
"It takes a bit, but eventually you can block the dreams out. Some of the older Grey Wardens say they can understand the archdemon a bit, but I sure can't. Anyhow, when I heard you thrashing around, I thought I should tell you. It was scary at first for me, too."
"Any other surprises we should know about?" Theron asked.
"Other than dying young and the whole defeat the Blight alone thing? No, I'm all tapped out for surprises. Anyhow, you're up now, right? You should get some sleep."
Sereda watched him go back to his bed before she turned to Daylen. "You all right?"
"As a mage I already have a bad experience when I sleep, now it feels like I'm experiencing the sensation twice as bad." Daylen said.
Sereda nodded. "We dwarves can't dream, so this is a new experience for me."
"Not the most pleasant experience though."
"I'm good."
Sereda nodded and then gestured to Elissa and Alistair. "Tell me about this Arl Eamon."
"His sister, Rowan, was Cailan's mother. I've only met Eamon once." Elissa said. "Like I told you before a few nobles wanted my father to take the crown after Maric died. He refused, and stood with Arl Eamon in support of Cailan."
Sereda nodded, then looked towards Alistair. "You said this Arl Eamon raised you?"
"Did I say that?" He smiled innocently. "I meant that dogs raised me. Giant, slobbering dogs from the Anderfels. A whole pack of them, in fact."
Elissa grinned. "Really? That must have been tough for them."
"Well, they were flying dogs, you see. Surprisingly strict parents, too, and devout Andrastians, to boot."
"Do you write, at least? I bet your mother's a bitch."
He threw his head back and laughed. "All right, all right! I give! I cannot match your rapier wit!"
Sereda sighed. "Are you two finished?"
Alistair nodded. "Let's see. How do I explain this? I'm a bastard." He glanced at where Elissa was opening her mouth and continued quickly. "And before you make any smart comments, I mean the fatherless kind." He looked back at Sereda. "My mother was a serving girl in Redcliffe Castle who died when I was very young. Arl Eamon wasn't my father, but he took me in anyhow and put a roof over my head. He was good to me, and he didn't have to be. I respect the man and I don't blame him any more for sending me off to the Chantry once I was old enough."
"He wasn't your father?" Elissa asked. "So you know who is?"
"I know who I was told was my father. He died even before my mother did, anyhow. It isn't important. Arl Eamon eventually married a young woman from Orlais, which caused all sorts of problems between him and the king because it was so soon after the war. But he loved her.
"Anyhow, the new arlessa resented the rumors which pegged me as his bastard. They weren't true, but of course they existed. The arl didn't care, but she did. So off I was packed to the nearest monastery at age ten. Just as well. The arlessa made sure the castle wasn't a home to me by that point. She despised me." His tone made it clear the feeling was mutual.
Elissa shook her head. "What an awful thing to do to a child."
"Maybe. She felt threatened by my presence, I can see that now. I can't say I blame her. She wondered if the rumors were true herself, I bet." He shrugged. "I remember I had an amulet with Andraste's holy symbol on it. The only thing I had of my mother's I was so furious at being sent away I tore it off and threw it at the wall and it shattered." He sighed regretfully. "Stupid, stupid thing to do. The arl came by the monastery a few times to see how I was, but I was stubborn. I hated it there and blamed him for everything… and eventually he just stopped coming."
"You were young." Elissa said, and laid a sympathetic hand on his arm.
He smiled at her. "And raised by dogs. Or I may as well have been, the way I acted. But maybe all young bastards act like that, I don't know." He looked back at Sereda. "All I know is the arl is a good man and well-loved by the people. He was also King Cailan's uncle, so he has a personal motivation to see Loghain pay for what he did. Anyway… that's really all there is to the story."
Sereda nodded. "We'll be heading into Redcliffe, but even if Arl Eamon is indisposed, I'm not sure who will be able to talk to."
"There's Bann Teagan." Elissa said.
"Who is Bann Teagan?"
"Arl Eamon's younger brother." Alistair said. "If Arl Eamon is ill, Bann Teagan would be the one to talk to."
"Then let's go find this Bann Teagan."
"Slobbering dogs, eh?" Elissa elbowed Alistair. "That would explain the smell."
"Well, it wasn't until I was eight that I discovered you didn't have to lick yourself clean. Old habits die hard, you know."
She waved a hand in front of her face. "That would explain the breath as well, then."
"And my table manners, too. Though, come to think of it, they weren't all that different from the other Templars." He looked up at the sky. "Or did I dream all of that? Funny the dreams you'll have when you sleep on the cold, hard ground, isn't it? Are you having strange dreams?"
She gave him a coy look. "Only ones where we're making mad love in my tent."
He turned bright red. "I… oh. I think I… completely lost my chain of thought..." He brightened. "Oh, there it is. You seem to be okay with Sereda in charge now."
Elissa sighed. "To be honest she's better suited to the job. She certainly knows more about darkspawn and leading armies than I do." She shrugged. "Do you want to talk about Duncan?"
"You don't have to do that. I know you didn't know him as long as I did."
"He was like a father to you. I understand."
He met her eyes, and nodded. "I… should have handled it better. Duncan warned me right from the beginning that this could happen." He sighed, then looked back towards the camp, face grim. "Any of us could die in battle. I shouldn't have lost it, not when so much is riding on us, not with the Blight and… and everything. I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize for grief." said a voice.
They turned and discovered Theron has looking at them with great interest. "Besides, Elissa knows a little about grief."
Elissa nodded. "Yes, my whole family was killed."
"How stupid of me." Alistair cursed himself. "Here I am going on and on about Duncan and you… I'm so sorry." He put an arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into him. "I think he came from Highever, or so he said. Maybe I'll go up out there sometime, see about putting something in his honor. I don't know." He then looked at Theron curiously. "The Dalish don't practice cremation, do they? How do your people honor your dead?"
Theron looked at him with a small smile. "We bury them and plant a tree over there remains."
Alistair put away his grief and smiled at the thought. "That… sounds quite beautiful, life springing from death."
"We should get some sleep." said Elissa, looking up at the sky.
"I suppose you are right." He smiled at her. "Thank you. It was good to talk about this with a friend. It means a lot to me."
"And to me." Elissa said. She rose, and went to find her bedroll.
Sereda made her way over to Sten, who is now wearing armor thanks to the merchants Faren had spotted.
"What were you doing in that cage?" Sereda asked.
"Sitting, as you observed." Sten replied.
Sereda sighed. She'd asked for that one. "Very funny."
"Thank you."
"Are you going to answer my question?"
"I did." She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch just a little. "Parshaara. Was there anything else?"
"Why did you come to Ferelden?"
"To answer a question."
"What was the question?"
"The arishok asked, "What is the blight?" By his curiosity, I am now here."
"Why would the qunari care about the Blight?"
He looked down at her. "Why do you?"
"I'm a Grey Warden." She shrugged, her tone matter of fact. "It's my job."
This time, the corners of his mouth did lift slightly. "Exactly. You don't ask. Nor do I. The arishok sends me, and I go."
"Don't you have to report back, then?"
"Yes."
"When are you going to do that?"
"Never." He looked away. "I cannot go home."
She knew that feeling. "Well, you can stay with us."
He looked down at her again, eyes slightly widened. "Thank you." He glanced off at the horizon. "Can we move on? We keep the darkspawn waiting."
She had a feeling that she wasn't gonna get any more out of him and then turned and looked at the others. "Let's go, people."
