Not surprisingly, Morrigan seemed to know the fastest way back to the Ostagar ruins and soon, without even a word in farewell, she had deposited the group at the main gates and returned to the Wilds. Elissa was disappointed to see her go and watched her graceful figure disappearing into the dying light, but as the giant gates behind her creaked open she was reminded of the situation at hand and realised she had to let the woman go and focus on what she needed to do next.
"I just need to drop these off at the quartermaster," she said to the others, gesturing to her full pack and the few extra weapons she was carrying about her person. Alistair frowned slightly, he clearly wanted to get back to Duncan. "It won't take long," she assured him. "I don't even need them valued. I only need to drop them off."
He was still frowning but nodded his head. "May as well get it done before the ritual," he said. He turned to the other two recruits. "You two need to sort anything out?"
Both men shook their heads.
"In that case, we'll come with you," Alistair said, looking at Elissa. "I don't really want to have to start tracking you all down again."
Elissa smirked at the man as they started walking again. "Yes, that does sound exhausting," she drolled.
He huffed. "I'm beginning to understand what my tutors felt."
"Having to put up with you, you mean?" Elissa asked.
Alistair gave a sideways glare. "I would like to amend my statement. I'm beginning to feel sorry for your tutors."
"I was charming to my tutors," she replied, in an overly haughty tone.
The man chuckled. "Of course you were."
Elissa glanced across at the Grey Warden and felt herself smile a little. She was a little surprised at how easy it was to chat and joke with him. He reminded her a little bit of Fergus, with his easy-going attitude and playful banter.
At the thought of her brother, however, the smile fell and the dark cloud settled back over her. Her jaw clenched and she turned away, refusing to meet anyone's eye.
Fortunately, Alistair must have seen the change in her demeanour and the conversation was dropped, the group continuing in silence for the rest of the short walk to the quartermaster.
"Hello again," the big, gruff man said as they approached. "Did you get what I asked for?"
Elissa nodded and heaved the bag and weapons onto the table in front of his store. "Take a look," she said and gestured at the stash, "but I'm sure you'll find that there's more than enough there to cover the cost of the bag. It should help your stores a bit."
The man didn't say anything, instead, his whole attention was on the items in front of him. He pulled each item out and placed them carefully in organised piles depending on the type of item. Elissa was a little surprised that he was this organised, but appreciated his process and stayed quiet. She did see the man's eyes widen when he pulled out some of the weapons that were clearly darkspawn made.
Once he was done he looked up at Elissa. "I'd say this just about covers it."
She lifted one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Just about?"
The man chuckled and help up his hands. "It covers it." He handed the bag back to Elissa and gave her his smarmy smile. "Pleasure doing business with you."
She nodded and accepted the backpack. She had wanted to get another belt pouch for her herbs but had quickly decided she'd gladly wait for the next salesperson to come along. Instead, she turned around and gestured for Alistair to lead on, back to the Warden camp.
The man clapped his hands and ushered them forward. He definitely seemed a bit more urgent than he had before and they set off quickly.
They were hurrying through the ruins towards Duncan's campsite when they were hailed down by a Chantry priestess. "Ah! I suspect you are one of the new Grey Wardens," she said, looking directly at Elissa.
Elissa froze. Why wasn't the sister looking at any of the others in the group?
"Will you accept the Maker's blessing?" the woman continued.
Holding herself as tall and steady as she could Elissa gave her a small bow of her head. "I will. Thank you."
"Then I bless you, Grey Warden, in the name of Andraste and the Maker above. May the Chant of Light carry your name to the ears of our Lord."
"Thank you," Elissa said, once she'd finished, impressed that she managed not to falter in even those two words. She gave the woman another small bow of her head, then turned and left as casually as she could.
Just before they reached the Warden camp, another voice hailed them down. This one belonged to a man and was backed up by a chorus of barking and howling dogs.
"Greetings," the man called out. "Are you one of the Grey Wardens that went into the Wilds?" When Elissa nodded and started to walk towards him, he continued. "Did you happen to see any white flowers while you were out there?"
Suddenly she remembered the flower that Daveth had pointed out and again nodded. She quickly pulled the flower out of her pack, relieved to see that it wasn't too crumpled. "I brought one back with me." She handed it over to the man.
"I don't know for sure that it will aid my poor hounds, but it is worth trying," he accepted the flower, then rifled through a small pouch at his belt. "I have ... let's see ... twenty silver to offer as a reward for it?"
Elissa instantly shook her head. "A reward is not necessary," she said. She knew she'd have to find some way of procuring money, but this man clearly didn't have a lot and what he did have she wanted it to go towards looking after the dogs. She smiled gently down at Loki as he came and nuzzled into the side of her leg.
"You are very generous," the man said, clearly surprised. "Thank you for your help. Perhaps we won't lose as many hounds today as I'd feared."
"Good luck," Elissa said softly, and the group left the man to his dogs.
They finally made it to the Warden camp and found Duncan almost exactly where they'd left him.
"So," the man said, turning to face them as they approached, "you return from the Wilds. Have you been successful?"
"We have," Elissa replied.
"Good. I've had the Circle mages preparing. With the blood you've retrieved, we can begin the Joining immediately."
Elissa glanced at Alistair. "Perhaps we should tell him about Morrigan and her mother," she suggested.
"There was a woman," Alistair explained, "at the tower, and her mother had the scrolls. They were both very … odd."
"Were they Wilder folk?" Duncan asked.
"I don't think so," Alistair replied. He frowned and Elissa found herself tensing as he continued. "They might be apostates: mages hiding from the Chantry."
Duncan held up a hand to stop him. "I know you were once a templar, Alistair, but Chantry business is not ours. We have the scrolls; let us focus on the Joining."
"I am ready," Elissa offered.
Duncan turned to face her a smiled. "Excellent," he said. Then frowned and sighed. "You will need that courage to face what comes next."
"Courage?" Daveth asked. "How much danger are we in?"
"I will not lie; we Grey Wardens pay a heavy price to become what we are," Duncan replied, his voice sombre. "Fate may decree that you pay your price now rather than later."
"Is that why the Joining is so secret?" Elissa asked.
"If only such secrecy were unnecessary and all understood the necessity of such sacrifice." He let out another heavy sigh. "Sadly, that will never be so."
"Let's go then," Daveth urged. "I'm anxious to see this Joining now."
"I agree," Ser Jory joined in. "Let's have it done."
"Then let us begin," Duncan said with a nod. He turned to look at the other full Grey Warden. "Alistair, take them to the old temple."
The three recruits were silent as they followed Alistair up to the old temple, where Elissa had first met the young Warden. Each were deep in their own thoughts and before they could question what they were doing, the group found themselves walking up the ramp and into the designated area of the ruins.
Duncan wasn't there yet and they stood around, waiting nervously.
"Are you blubbering again?" Daveth asked at the frantically pacing Ser Jory.
"Why all these damned tests?" the knight snapped. "Have I not earned my place?"
"Maybe it's tradition," Daveth pointed out. Then he shrugged. "Maybe they're just trying to annoy you."
"Calm down," Elissa said calmly. "There's nothing we can do about it now."
Ser Jory frowned. "I only know that my wife is in Highever with a child on the way. If they had warned me …" He sighed. "It just doesn't seem fair."
Elissa raised an eyebrow at his comment about Highever and studied the man for a moment. He didn't look familiar. But, then again, he did say he was a knight with Arl Eamon so maybe he and his family had just moved to Highever. And, Highever was a large place. Still, she wondered a little that he didn't recognise her.
"Would you have come if they'd warned you?" Daveth asked, snapping Elissa out of her thoughts. "Maybe that's why they don't. The Wardens do what they must, right?"
"Including sacrificing us?"
Daveth stood up straight and looked the knight in the eye. "I'd sacrifice a lot more if I knew it would end the Blight."
Elissa nodded, agreeing with the rogue.
"You saw those darkspawn, ser knight," he continued. "Wouldn't you die to protect your pretty wife from them?"
"I -"
"Maybe you'll die. Maybe we'll all die. If nobody stops the darkspawn, we'll die for sure."
Ser Jory let out another heavy sigh. He looked uneasy. "I've just never faced a foe I could not engage with my blade."
They settled into an odd silence, but it didn't last long because they were soon interrupted by the arrival of Duncan.
"At last, we come to the Joining," he said, walking over to them. "The Grey Wardens were founded during the First Blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their taint."
"We're …" Ser Jory cut in, looking distinctly ill, "going to drink the blood of those … those creatures?"
"As the first Grey Wardens did before us, as we did before you," Duncan answered. "This is the source of our power and our victory."
"Those who survive the Joining become immune to the taint," Alistair added. "We can sense it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the archdemon."
"Those who survive?" Elissa asked.
"Not all who drink the blood will survive and those who do are forever changed," Duncan replied. "This is why the Joining is a secret. It is the price we pay.
"We speak only a few words prior to the Joining, but these words have been said since the first. Alistair, if you would?"
The younger man bowed his head and spoke reverently. "Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand, vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day we shall join you."
Once the words had been said and everyone had taken a moment's silence to let them sink in, Duncan moved over to the long stone table that sat along one wall of the area. From it, he collected a large silver goblet that Elissa hadn't noticed before.
"Daveth, step forward," he said.
He held the goblet out and the rogue took two sombre steps forward, grasping it with both hands. He paused, then closed his eyes and brought the cup to his lips. Once he had taken his drink, he returned the goblet to Duncan's waiting hands.
For a moment nothing happened and they all stood watching him expectantly. Maybe it had worked. But then he started to sway and stagger from side to side. He clutched at his head and let out a hideous scream. Suddenly, he went silent and his entire body straightened up, like he was being hung from a gallows, his eyes rolled back in his head. Then he collapsed.
"I am sorry, Daveth," Duncan said, hanging his head for a moment. He took a breath, then turned to face the knight to his right. "Step forward, Jory."
"But …" the knight stuttered, backing away. He reached up, his hand on his sword. "I have a wife. A child! Had I known …"
"There is no turning back," Duncan said firmly.
Jory unsheathed his sword and brandished it at the Warden. "No! You ask too much! There is no glory in this!" He was now standing with his back against the wall, with no room left to run.
Slowly, Duncan placed the goblet down on the table and unsheathed his own dagger. He advanced on Jory. The knight swung at him, and he deftly parried it. With a quick step forwards, Duncan's dagger went straight through Jory's armour and into his torso. "I am sorry," Duncan said.
He removed his dagger from the knight, wiped it on his robes, and re-sheathed it. Then he retrieved the goblet and turned on Elissa. "But the Joining is not yet complete."
Elissa looked down at the two dead men on the ground, horrified. She paused. Could she do this? But then she remembered Fergus, who was still out there and would be fighting the darkspawn. If she could do anything to help him, she would. And Howe. She gritted her teeth, squared her shoulders, and looked Duncan in the eye.
Duncan nodded and handed the goblet over. "You are called upon to submit yourself to the taint for the greater good."
She didn't hesitate and drank the remaining blood in the cup. It was bitter and burned at her throat and tongue, but she stayed firm. She handed it back to Duncan and waited.
"From this moment forward, you are a Grey Warden," he said.
But she barely heard him. Something was whispering inside her mind. In some strange, unknown language that grated at her ears and bombarded her behind the eyes. It was all in whispers but it was so loud, like a thousand voices all screaming at her at once. The pain. She grasped at her head, trying to shut them out. Suddenly images were added to the voices. A gigantic, horrifically mutated dragon, roaring into a green sky. Its teeth were too big for its mouth and the eyes were pure white. The dragon looked at her and everything went black.