With a loud gasp, Grey Warden Aedan Cousland woke up with a start. Brown eyes snapped left and right as he took in his surroundings. He was in an open field with nothing but grass and a few rocks here and there. He could see the treeline of a forest in the distance as well as a road.

The Grey Warden slowly stood up and scratched the back of his head in confusion. Odd. Last thing he remembered was heading to Orzammar to buy some supplies and set out into the Deep Roads to search for long forgotten secrets of the past.

He remembered stopping by a different clearing and set up camp there. After seeing his surroundings, this was certainly not the clearing he had set up camp. Speaking of camp, where was all his stuff!?

Aedan looked around but the only thing he could find in the clearing was his Greatsword, Yusaris. He checked his belt and found that his Grey Warden Dagger and Longsword were still there so that was a relief. Aedan reached over to Yusaris which was firmly planted on the ground and grabbed it by the handle before pulling it out with ease then rested the weapon on his shoulder.

"Alright, Aedan." The Warden spoke to himself as he looked at the dirt path "Let's see where the road takes you."

And so, the Grey Warden took his first step into this unfamiliar land while whistling a merry tune. Unaware that this was the beginning of his tale of adventure, danger, horror, love, action and-

"Someone. Anyone. Help!"

As soon as he heard it, Aedan leaped into action. The Grey Warden ran towards the source of the voice only to see a group of bandits cornering a young woman over an overturned cart with multiple crates scattered around the cart. Aedan readied his blade and made his way towards the bandits, ready to cut them down and save the woman but the Grey Warden then noticed something wrong.

The bandits had turned to him now and the woman was looking at him with a smirk and not a single trace of fear in her features. He then heard a set of footsteps behind him accompanied by the sound of swords being unsheathed and didn't need to see that they had him surrounded. Oh.

'Not again.'

Aedan cursed himself for falling for the same trick again before gripping the handle of Yusaris tightly. Meanwhile, the bandit leader approached him. Looking at the Grey Warden while mockingly passing his sword from one hand to the other.

"Look at what we have here. A lone knight coming to save the 'poor maiden'. Ha! You're surrounded, knight, and a big sword ain't gonna save you. Ain't that right, lads?"

Shouts of agreement came from the surrounding bandits as well as the woman who now brandished a rusty dagger.

"Any last words, knight?"

"Can I ask a question first?"

The bandits laughed out loud but the bandit leader indulged him.

"Go ahead. Ask away."

"Where exactly am I?"

"Ah. So we got ourselves a foreigner." The bandit leader told his fellow bandits before looking back at the Grey Warden "You're in Eostia, knight."

"Oh."

That... didn't really help him at all.

"Yeah. Oh. Now we get to the stabby part. Get him, lads!"

Aedan sighed and swung his weapon in a wide arc. The three bandits who were unfortunate enough to be in front of him were nearly cut in two. The blade, however, had sliced open their abdomen and they fell to the ground. One was dead and the other was screaming as he tried desperately in to stop his intestines from falling out. The last one was just screaming in pain before going still.

The Grey Warden grimaced before his face adopted an emotionless mask. Meanwhile, the seven remaining bandits, two on the front, two on the side and three behind him, wavered slightly after seeing Aedan kill three of their fellow bandits in one swing. They were snapped out of their stupor when the Grey Warden charged at the bandit leader before slamming his shoulder against the man and sent him flying towards the woman. The two collided and slammed into the overturned cart.

One had tried to sneak up on him and had raised his sword to bring it down in the Grey Warden but switched to a reverse grip and stabbed the blade behind him, impaling the bandit before wrenching his weapon free and turned around to face his attacker who fell to his knees and dropped his sword. Switching back to a normal grip, Aedan swung his blade wide and beheaded the kneeling bandit.

Seeing how the Grey Warden decimated their group in such a short amount of time and with ease, the two bandits dropped their weapons and ran for their lives. Aedan watched them go before turning around to face the woman and the bandit leader who were still in a pile next to he cart.

Aedan walked over to them before the woman suddenly shot up and tried to stab him with the dagger but he struck her in the forehead with the pommel of his blade. The force of the blow sent the woman on her back on the ground. Before she could plead for mercy, Aedan brought his weapon down and impaled the woman in the chest. His eyes then turned to the bandit leader who was backpedaling away from him with undisguised fear in his eyes.

The Grey Warden pulled his weapon free from the woman's corpse and stalked over to the bandit leader before kicking the sword by his feet towards the man. The bandit leader picked up his sword with shaky hands before rising to his feet. Steeling himself, the bandit leader let out a battle cry as he charged towards Aedan who raised his weapon to block the man's strike. Their blades locked but not for long as Aedan easily pushed the man back before bringing Yusaris down on the man and cleaved him in two.

Aedan watched two halves of the bandit leader fall to the ground before letting out a sigh. The Grey Warden looked down on himself and grimaced at seeing his Warden armor was wet with blood. Looking at the corpses around him, the Grey Warden began searching for anything useful on their person. He found a bag of gold coins and multiple canteens filled with water. The Grey Warden wasted one of the canteens to clean the blood off his armor before moving to examine the crates scattered around the cart.

Hours later, Aedan was walking down the path once more after cleaning up the mess he left behind. At least as best as he could. He buried the bodies and set the cart aside as it blocked the road along with the crates. He couldn't do anything about the puddles of blood that dried up on the road though.

The Grey Warden resumed his whistling while looking down at the map he acquired. According to the map, he was in a region called Eostia and was currently in one of it's kingdoms, the Royaume d'Ur. Sounded Orlesian. At least, if the notes he found about the bandits were anything to go by. Apparently, they were planning to kidnap a Princess named Prim Fiorire for ransom but decided to get a bit of coin before that and set up their trap for travelers. This proved to be their undoing.

Aedan placed the map back to the backpack he took from the cart before making his way to the nearest town. Hopefully, he would get there before sundown. Back in the Fifth Blight, not everytime they make camp was smooth sailing. Sometimes they get ambushed by Darkspawn while in the middle of setting up camp or by bandits or deserters or Loghain's assassins or Blighted animals or... you get the point.

~Line Break~

"Good evening, Ser Knight. What can I do for you?"

"How much for a room, kind sir?"

"One gold coin, Ser Knight."

Aedan handed the payment for the room to the Kindly Innkeeper before he was handed a key.

"Fourth room on the left, Ser Knight."

"Thank you."

Aedan moved to leave but stopped himself and ordered a mug of ale. The Grey Warden then made his way over the tables but couldn't find one. Everywhere he looked, the tables were occupied by drunken men with the symbol of a black dog's head stitched on their clothing. Aedan sighed but stopped when he felt eyes staring at the back of his head. An old instinct he picked up during the Fifth Blight. He turned around to see a person wearing a hood and black clothing leaning back on their chair with their arms crossed while their feet rested on the top of the table they were occupying. The person's hood shadowed their features and Aedan couldn't tell if they were a man or a woman.

Without saying a word, the person reached for the stool on their left whose occupant was standing and drunkenly yelling at his equally drunk companion. The person stealthily pulled the stool and placed it adjacent to her. The seat's former occupant tried to take a seat but fell on his butt and spilled beer all over himself. This caused the inn to laugh at the man's expense.

Seeing the unoccupied stool, Aedan made his way over before setting his mug down on the table then took a seat.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it... Warden."

Aedan's eyes widened and the person pulled off their hood, revealing the face of a woman with short raven hair, a pair of striking blue eyes and freckles. Seeing the look on his face, the woman gave him a lopsided smirk before picking up his mug and drank from it.

"You're from Thedas." The Grey Warden muttered.

"Free Marches, actually. My family lived in Lothering before the Darkspawn fucked it all to hell and we left for Kirkwall." The woman answered before looking him right in the eye.

"You know who I am?"

"I've seen you handing Potions to the refugees back then, Warden." The woman replied before crossing her arms "And you're wearing armor which has the Grey Warden symbol in the chest."

"Oh."

"Plus. My brother's one of you. You know him?"

"What's his name?"

"Carver Hawke."

Aedan hummed in thought before shaking his head.

"Can't say we've met." He replied with a shake of his head "If you're from the Marches, then he's probably assigned in the Order there. I'm stationed in Ferelden. Sorry."

"Damn." The woman muttered "Well so much for getting an update on him. Thank you."

"No problem." Aedan replied before frowning "I never caught your name, my Lady."

"I'm no Lady, Warden." The woman replied with a scoff before giving him a lopsided smirk "Marian Hawke. At your service."

"Aedan Cousland. A pleasure to meet you, Marian."

~The Next Day~

After leaving the inn, Aedan asked around the town if anyone was offering quests or jobs in exchange for money. His search led him to where he was now. The only guild in town, the Steelfists.

The receptionist on the front desk told him that for him to accept the quests handed out by the guild, he must apply for a membership first. Perks of said membership is that he can take quests from different branches of the guilds all across Eostia.

"Enter."

Aedan opened the door and entered the office of Guild Mistress Minerva. Sitting behind the desk was a woman with long flowing blonde hair, emerald green eyes, ruby red lips and wearing a blue dress that looked like it was barely holding up her massive bosom.

The Grey Warden took a seat and looked around the room to see that it was filled with various weapons hanging from the wall as well as different sets of armor that shouldn't really be called armor considering it didn't protect the vital parts of the body or any part of the body actually other than the breasts and crotch.

"Aedan Cousland, I presume."

"Yes, my Lady."

"So you want to join the guild, eh? Then tell me why should I allow that?"

"Uh, well. I'm a good fighter."

"They all say that." Minerva deadpanned "And do you know what happens to them?"

"The- "

"THEY END UP DEAD THAT'S WHAT!"

Aedan shut his mouth and leaned back on his chair as the woman stood up from her seat and nade her way over to the window.

"In the Steelfists, being a good fighter isn't the only requirement for people to become a member. They must be quick thinkers, skilled in the art of battle, compassionate. Not one to turn away from those in need. That's why the Quest Board is filled with missions. We're always accepting requests from the simplest of things like retrieving ingredients for Potions or delivering letters to fighting monsters or decimating bandit camps or Feral Orc clans."

She turned around and glared at the Grey Warden who looked away in discomfort. There was something behind the woman's eyes that was giving him chills. Like a predator watching their prey.

"There will also come a time when the guild would be called upon by the Goddess Incarnate for help in the war effort. Are you willing to join even if it means participating in a war?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, my Lady." Aedan answered resolutely "I've had my fair share of war, death and destruction. I can handle it. Besides, if it allows me to help people in anyway I can then it doesn't matter as long as I can help."

"Hmm." Minerva hummed "You are a strange one, Cousland. And your eyes tell me of your conviction. Your drive to truly help those in need... I will gladly have you on my guild. But first, you must undergo a... physical examination before I declare you an official member of the Steelfists."

"What sort of examination?" Aedan asked. Does he have to show his strength to the guild? See how long his stamina lasts? What are his skills with the blade?

"Take off your clothes."

'Wait what?'

"Uh..."

"Take off your armor and clothes, Cousland." Minerva repeated "All of them. This is mandatory. Believe me."

Aedan scratched the back of his head in confusion before shrugging and began taking his armor off while completely unaware of the lustful look Minerva was giving him nor did he notice her bite her lower lip when he finished with his armor and began removing his shirt.

~Line Break~

One lengthy physical examination program later and the Grey Warden was finally a member of the Steelfists. Currently, Aedan was looking at the request forms in the guild's packed Quest Board.

"Hmm. This looks promising."

Aedan picked up the request form and looked it over. Take out a band of Feral Orcs that had been terrorising a rival Orc village. The reward for completion was 5000 Gold and a weapon of Orcish make.

'That's a lot of gold.'

Satisfied with the quest, Aedan went over to the receptionist, Abigail, and gave her the request form. The young receptionist stamped the request form before giving it back to the Grey Warden. Aedan looked down at what she stamped on it to see the word 'ACCEPTED'. Placing the request form inside his pack, the Grey Warden thanked Abigail before moving to leave the guild but was stopped by a familiar voice calling his name.

"Aedan!"

Aedan turned around to see Marian walking towards him. In her hand was her weapon, a sword staff called the Staff of Parthalan.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just accepted a quest from the board."

"You're a Guild Member too?"

"First day actually. What about you?"

She answered by holding up her Steelfist pendant given to members of the Guild. Aedan chuckled in reply.

"So where you off to, in this fine afternoon?"

"An Orc village just outside of town. Feral Orcs have been terrorising them. Job says I need to drive them off."

"I know the place. Want me to accompany you?"

Aedan thought about it before nodding his head. Saves him time of asking around.

"Of course. We'll split the reward 50-50."

"Huh. Didn't even have to convince you." Marian remarked "You're surprisingly not snobby for a Noble."

"My parents taught me that Nobles are nothing more than titles. We're not above our fellow men nor are we above the other races. We are all equal." Aedan replied before his face darkened "And the Wardens taught me that death comes to all. No matter what your station in life is. Royals, Nobles, Commoners. Death takes us all with open arms. No exemptions."

The Grey Warden furiously shook his head and gave Marian an apologetic look.

"Sorry about that. We should, uh, go to the, uh, Orc Village. Yeah. That. Uh... "

Aedan winced at himself before looking away in embarrassment as he heard the Mage before him laugh at his expense.

"Alright. Follow me, my Lord." Marian said as she gave an exaggerated bow.

"Please don't." Aedan exasperated "Just call me Aedan."

"Whatever you say, Ed."

The Grey Warden sighed but it's an improvement. More or less. Besides, his family pretty much calls him Ed all the time. Even his friends call him Ed.

The two made their way out of town and towards the Orc Village west. On the way there, the two shared stories of their travels, adventures, mishaps, Mabaris and just about anything other than their pasts really. Most of the stories involving the women in Aedan's life always gave the Mage a good laugh. She laughed more when she realized that almost everyone in his party during the Fifth Blight were getting some action.

"So your sister and this City Elf girl fucked in her tent which just so happened to be the tent closest to yours? Hahahaha!"

"Me and my big mouth." Aedan groaned.

"If you don't want to talk, I can think of better things you can do with your mouth."

Marian made a V with her index and middle finger before sticking her tongue between the digits. The Grey Warden's face went red as a tomato and Aedan wished he had his helmet with him. That way, she didn't have to see his red face and fuel her laughter even more.

'Maker, end this torture.'

Something caught the Grey Warden's eye and he narrowed them when he saw a pillar of smoke in the distance. He strained his ears past Marian's laugh and heard the sounds of steel clashing against another. A battle.

Without warning, Aedan readied Yusaris and ran to the source only to see the Orc Village was under attack and some of the wooden buildings were burning. His eyes went to the Orcs and he could easily distinguish the Feral Orcs from the Non-feral Orcs.

The Non-feral Orcs had features that are more civilized than the Feral Orcs. They were muscular with black hair and wore leather armor unlike the Ferals who wore less, had no hair but were bigger in size. Both used weapons like axes and hammers but the difference between them is that the weapons used by the Ferals were crude looking while the ones the Orcs used were more refined. The only thing they had in common is the way they fight and the color of their skin though the Orcs were considerably lighter skinned than the Feral Orcs. Both use their weapons and their fists to beat their opponents as well as letting out roars when enraged or if they defeat their adversaries.

Aedan's eyes went to one of the Orcs who was about to deliver a finishing blow to his opponent but was unaware of the second Feral sneaking up behind him. Not wasting time, Aedan rushed towards the Feral and impaled him with Yusaris. The Feral screamed in pain and Aedan pulled his sword free before chopping off the Feral's hand then swiftly cut him across the abdomen.

The Grey Warden turned around to see the Orc was facing him now and was looking at him with narrow eyes.

"Who are you, human?"

"Aedan Cousland. I come from the Steelfist Guild."

"So someone actually took our request." The Orc grunted "You have my thanks, human. Not many trust my kind. I am Chief Xoruk."

"Pleasure to meet you, Chief Xoruk. But let's take care of theses Ferals first." Aedan stated as he faced the two Ferals charging at them.

"Agreed." The Orc Chief growled out before letting out a roar and meeting one of the Ferals running towards them.

Aedan glared at his opponent and ducked under the Feral's attack before swinging Yusaris in a wide arc and severed the Feral Orc's leg. The Feral fell to the ground with a roar of pain but was silenced as Aedan chopped his head off. Green blood coated Yusaris and splattered all over Aedan's armor. The Grey Warden then realized he had ran to the village without a word and looked around the village to see if he could find Marian.

He spotted her just as she sent tendrils of lightning into a Feral and the Feral Orc roared in pain as lightning shocked it's body. Using the bladed part of her staff, Marian stabbed the Feral Orc in the thick neck before Marian pulled her weapon free from the Feral's neck before her eyes met his own. Blue eyes narrowed and the Mage stomped over towards the Grey Warden. One of the Feral Orcs raised it's axe to strike her down but Marian simply snapped her finger and the Feral was suddenly lit up in flames.

Ignoring the battle going on around them, Marian walked right up to Aedan and slapped him across the face much to the Warden's shock.

"Are you an idiot, Ed!? You just ran out on me just as I was telling you the best joke ever!"

'Wait what?'

"Wait. You're not mad because I left you behind back there?" Aedan dared to ask.

"Why would I be mad at you for that? I mean, if you hadn't, Chief Xoruk would be one head short by now."

"So you're mad at me because I missed one of your jokes?"

"Exactly."

Then without warning, a Feral Orc slammed into Marian and sent her flying into one of the houses. The Feral Orc laughed only for a Fireball to slam straight into it's chest and sent it flying towards another Feral Orc.

Aedan looked over the house to see Marian climb out of the hole she made on the wooden structure while holding out her hand. He could see the glare she was sending towards the Feral Orcs before conjuring a bigger Fireball that turned the two into ash after she hurled it at them.

"Rude." Marian muttered as she brushed away the dust on her clothes.

The Grey Warden blinked before shaking his head and returning to the fight. He let out a battle cry as he ran for one of the Feral Orcs and swing Yusaris upwards to deflect the axe meant for his head. Without wasting time, he impaled the Feral Orc in the stomach before unsheathing his Warden Longsword and Dagger then turned around to face a second Feral Orc.

Aedan jumped out of the way of it's hammer and began a flurry of attacks on the Feral Orc's arm before impaling it in the back with the Longsword. Aedan then jumped on it's back and repeatedly stabbed it in the neck with the Dagger, splattering his face with green blood.

The Feral Orc fell to it's knees and Aedan hopped off the Feral before wrenching both his weapons free. The Grey Warden then walked towards the Feral Orc still impaled by Yusaris and none too gently wrenched the Greatsword free from it's chest and caused the body to fall limply into the ground.

"GHAROL!!"

Aedan heard Chief Xoruk yell and turned to find a large Feral Orc who... The Grey Warden's eyes widened when he saw the Feral Orc was forcing itself on a female Orc who was bent over on the ground and was struggling to break free from the Feral Orc's grip. Aedan saw the Chief let ou an enraged roar before charging at the large Feral. The other Ferals tried to get in his way but in his enraged state, Chief Xoruk shoved them aside with ease despite being larger than him.

Unfortunately, more Feral Orcs ran towards the Chief and the Orc was slowly getting overrun. Despite his best efforts, Xoruk couldn't handle all of the Ferals on his own. Some of his fellow Orcs tried to help him but the Ferals kept them occupied and away from the Chief or his daughter. Preventing them from helping.

Aedan looked back to the large Feral Orc and a familiar feeling of rage overtook him. Memories of the night that changed his life and the lives of his siblings forever ran through his mind and his breathing became heavy. A glowing red aura slowly began to envelope the Grey Warden and his once warm brown eyes turned into a menacing red. With a dark red aura now coating his entire body, the Grey Warden let out a war cry that stopped the fighting and caught the attention of everyone in the village.

Some of the Orcs stared wide-eyed at seeing a human of all people let out a bellow that could rival an Orc's. Even Marian stopped electrocuting the smoking prone form of the Feral Orc she was fighting to stare at the Grey Warden.

Aedan glared at the Feral Orc Chief and ran towards it. The Feral Orc removed itself from Gharol and picked up it's weapon. A hammer with an axe attached to the other end. It roared at Aedan who snarled before raising Yusaris to block the blow meant for his head. Most men would've been crushed even if they blocked the attack but Aedan was not most men. He was a Grey Warden. A Grey Warden that is filled with a dark rage that increased his strength and resilience.

The Feral Orc Chief was shocked that a human could block it's attack, let alone survive but that shock quickly turned into anger and it brought it's weapon down on Aedan once more who in turn blocked it again. A third strike yet the Grey Warden didn't even looked fazed by the attack. The Feral Orc Chief raised it's weapon to strike him a fourth time but this action left itself open for Aedan who growled and swung wide, cutting the Feral Orc Chief across the abdomen.

The Feral Orc Chief roared in pain and rage but Aedan wasn't done yet. The Grey Warden impaled it in the hip before using the Greatsword as a boost to climb up close to it's face. Unsheathing his Dagger, Aedan stabbed the Feral Orc in the eye who in turn tried to swat him away. The Grey Warden jumped off the Feral Orc before unsheathing his Longsword and used it to cut the Feral's thick skin around the ankle then impaled it on the same spot.

This caused the Feral Orc Chief to fall on one knee. Aedan then grabbed the handle of Yusaris which was still impaled on the other leg and gave a mighty twist. The Feral Orc roared in pain and dropped to both knees before the Grey Warden pulled the Greatsword free from it's leg.

Unfortunately, he didn't notice the Feral Orc's left hand until he was in it's grasp. The Feral Orc brought him close to the creature's face while slowly squeezing. Instead of gasps or cries of pain, Aedan let out snarls and roars of rage. The Feral Orc Chief had had enough of the Grey Warden and moved to bite his head off but a Fireball slammed into the side of it's head and forced it to let the Warden go. A shard of ice soon followed and froze half of it's face when it crashed into it's skin. Then a large fist made of rock punched it hard in the face and sent it to the ground.

Marian glared at the Feral Orc before raising her staff and pointing it at the Feral. The Feral Orc Chief saw the Mage and moved to stand up but Marian trapped the massive Feral Orc in a Crushing Prison.

"Aedan, now!"

Not needed to be told twice, Aedan gripped Yusaris tightly before leaping into the air.

"Rrraaaggghh!"

Putting all his rage into one single blow, Aedan brought Yusaris down on the head of the Feral Orc Chief and the blade split it's head in two. Then two large demonic hands appeared and grasped the Feral Orc Chief before ripping it in two, spraying blood and guts all over Aedan who landed on the ground in a crouch. He tried to stand back up but he had used all his strength on that final blow and was exhausted before passing out on the ground.

Meanwhile, Marian's eyes and hands ceased to glow and the Mage let out exhausted breaths before seeing the Grey Warden fall face first into the ground. The Mage shook her head and looked up at the dark skies as rain began to fall. She looked around her to see the Feral Orcs had fled when they saw their leader get torn apart and the Orcs were cheering. Her eyes then went over to Aedan's unconcious form before tiredly making her way towards him.

When Aedan told her that the job was just to drive off some Feral Orcs, she didn't realize the Feral Orc Chief himself, Golub, would be taking part in it. What she didn't know however was that Golub and Xoruk were bitter rivals and had always been against each other even before the Feral Orcs joined Olga and became what they are now. Mutated by dark magic which made them stronger and larger than the average Orc as well as giving them a lustful hunger that cannot be satiated easily. It's what gave the Feral Orcs reason to raid towns and villages. To satisfy their lust for blood and sex. Because of this, the Orcish clans were further ostracized than they already were from the Carnage of Ur.

Marian knelt down and checked the Grey Warden for a pulse and sighed in relief when she felt them. She heard a set of heavy footsteps behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Chief Xoruk approach.

"Both of you have done me and my clan a great service today. Because of you, my daughter is alive, my hated enemy is dead and my village safe. We are in your debt, human."

Xoruk and the gathered Orcs placed a fist over their heart and bowed their heads before the Chief looked back at the Mage who stood up after seeing the Orcs bow.

"If there's anything we can do for you, all you have to do is ask."

Marian blinked in shock before looking down on Aedan's unconcious form.

~Line Break~

Aedan woke up with a start and quickly looked to his surroundings. The Grey Warden found himself looking at a room filled with animal hide, weapons and other wooden furniture. There was a small fireplace nearby and Aedan saw Marian tending to the flames before looking over her shoulder to see him.

"Ed. You're awake!"

The Mage stood up from the ground and made her way over to him before stopping next to the bed with her fists resting on her hips.

"What happened?" Aedan asked.

"Well." Marian looked up and placed a finger on her chin "We fought back a Feral Orc attack on an Orc village. You cut down some Feral Orcs, I burned, froze and shocked quite a few of them. Ripped the Feral Orc Chief in two while you split it's head like a melon. Got the Orcs of the Ironfang Clan indebted to us after saving the Chief's daughter and killing their most hated enemy. In return, you married the Chief's daughter- "

"WAIT WHAT!?"

Seeing the look on his face, Marian burst into laughter and held her abdomen. Aedan saw this and grimaced, figuring out that the woman was joking. Or at least, he hoped she was joking. Shaking his head, he reached over to the shirt lying next to him and stood up. The Grey Warden put his clothes on before moving to put on his armor.

Marian manage to control her joy before seeing Aedan putting on his armor. She decided to do the same and went over to the armor stand that held the Robe of the Mage Champion. She began putting it on but heard a set of footsteps approach and turned to the door to see Chief Xoruk enter the room. The Chief's eyes landed on Aedan and the Orc smiled.

"I see you're finally awake, Cousland. If you hadn't, I would've called for the Clan Shamans to speed up your recovery. The Clan and I are in your debt. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"Well." Aedan rubbed the back of his head "The Feral Orcs are gone and the request form says that the reward for completion was 5000 Gold Coins and a weapon."

"Ah yes." Xoruk nodded "The reward. The guild will handle the gold but as for the weapon."

The Chief left the room and returned moments later with an massive axe.

"Oh that's a big axe."

"You like it? It's one from my personal collection. I call it the Black Cleaver."

Xoruk handed the weapon to Aedan who tried to familiarize himself with the weight of the weapon. Honestly, it wasn't that heavy. It weighs just as much as Yusaris now that he thought about it. Before he could thank the Orc Chief, Xoruk handed him a harness that had been enchanted so that Yusaris and Black Cleaver can be attached as well as detached from it with ease.

Of course the weapons were still heavy so he'll have to go on missions carrying only one Two-handed weapon. Most likely, he'll have to store Black Cleaver in a safe place. As much as he appreciated the reward, he was hoping for a Grearsword like Yusaris. Aedan was more comfortable wielding swords than axes anyway.

"Thank you, Chief Xoruk."

The two shared a nod before Aedan and Marian left the village to return to the town of Valen but not before taking both halves of Golub's head for proof. With what money he still had, Aedan bought the two of them horses and saddles even though Marian insisted that he didn't need to but he did so anyways.

~Line Break~

The two made it back to Valen in a short amount of time before they returned to the Guild Hall to finish the Quest. Marian kept watch of the horses while Aedan entered the Guild Hall and went straight to Abigail.

"Hello again, Aedan."

"Evening, Abigail." Aedan nodded to the receptionist before handing her the request form as well as the sack that held Feral Orc Chief's head.

The receptionist opened the sack and looked at the contents before nodding at the Grey Warden and stamped the request form 'COMPLETED'. Abigail then gave him two sacks of gold, 2500 each, before taking the sack with the Feral Orc's head and went to dispose of it while humming to herself. During the whole exchange, not once did the young lady loose the pleasant smile on her face. It slightly creeped him out to be honest.

Aedan shook his head before leaving the Guild Hall. Outside, Marian was leaning back on the building's wall with her arms crossed before looking to Aedan and the sacks of gold. The Grey Warden handed her share before climbing up his horse.

"So where are you off to now?" Marian couldn't help but ask.

"I'm actually looking to buy some supplies. Saws, nails, hammers and the like."

"What for?"

"I don't plan on staying in an inn forever, Marian." Aedan replied "Considering Valen is the closest town to Ville de Fleurs, I'll be building a house just outside of town."

"And you're going to build this house by yourself?"

"Well, no. Not really." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "I don't know the first thing about building a house so I have to hire someone for that. I'll be taking more quests from the Guild in the coming months and use the reward to pay for the builder."

"Why do you want to live alone anyway?"

He didn't have an answer to that and simply bid Marian goodbye before leaving. Why did he want to live alone? Even after the Fifth Blight, he never returned to Castle Cousland and had settled on drifting from place to place ever since. He only returned to visit Fergus and Elissa before she moved to Vigil's Keep after becoming the Arlessa of Amaranthine with Kallian as her wife.

His mind wandered to his friends and their fates after their adventures. Elissa and Kallian married before moving to Amaranthine along with the City Elf's family and close friends while his sister became the new Commander of the Grey in Ferelden.

Fergus is the new Teyrn of Highever and rebuilding what Howe destroyed. Though Aedan wondered how Fergus could still live there, knowing that it was the place where their family was betrayed and torn apart. His son's life snuffed away at such a young age and his wife defiled before she too was killed.

Maybe because Fergus wasn't there when it happened but Aedan was and he remembered that night very clearly. He had been there to hold Oriana's hand in her final moments as she desperately tried reach for Oren's hand even though she was choking on her own blood.

He was there when Elissa held Iona's body after one of Howe's men shot her with an arrow to the heart. He knew even though she had adopted Iona's daughter as her own, guilt still runs deep within Elissa's heart.

He was there to see the bodies of Mother Mallol, Aldous, Lady Landra and her son, Darren, Old Nan. The guards. The servants. All of them. Cut down by Howe's men. He could see their lifeless eyes staring at nothing. Their face frozen in fear.

He was there when he and Duncan had to forcefully drag Elissa to the secret passage and leave Mother and Father behind so they can escape the castle. He was there to hold Elissa as she cried herself to sleep while bottling up his own guilt and sorrow.

Maybe that's why he could never stay in Castle Cousland anymore. Because wherever he looked, he would see what happened during that night. First it simply plagued his dreams then it was whenever he simply closes his eyes but now he could see it in every waking moment he was there in the castle. He couldn't stay for long in fear that it would happen again.

Last he'd seen Oghren, he had become Grey Warden and was now residing in Vigil's Keep. He was still a drunk but there was also a sadness in his eyes that he tried so hard to hide. Aedan knew that he left a life with Felsi and his son behind because he couldn't stay away from the ale and had unintentionally harmed his child by accidentally dropping him twice. Hopefully, the Dwarf took his advice and talked to Fergus about fatherhood.

Alistair became the King with Anora ruling by his side. Whenever he visited them, he would always be confused by the two. One minute they were arguing like there's no tomorrow then the next they were talking about cheese or other things like the previous argument never happened. Anora would sometimes laugh, a genuine laugh, when Alistair makes a joke. Though Aedan failed to find what's so funny. What he did find out was that Anora was with child. Too bad he couldn't be there to see the child's birth.

He hadn't heard much from Leliana other than she returned to the Chantry but Marian did mention meeting a Sister Nightingale who matched Leliana's description. Wonder what she was doing there?

The same could be said about Zevran and Sten. He hadn't heard from either of them ever since the Blight ended. Zevran went off to hunt the Crows while Sten returned to the Qun.

As for Morrigan... Well he hoped she and Theron were happy. Wherever they are.

Bodahn and Sandal. Marian mentioned them as well. Apparently, they moved to Kirkwall and stayed with her family for a few years before leaving. Aedan remembered the Dwarf selling him a very shiny cheese knife along with a pair of Antivan made boots while his son enchanted their weapons.

Wynne. Aedan smiled at the thought of the old Mage. If there was one word to describe her, it would be mother. She was the mother of the group. Always looking out for wounds and healing them as best as she could. Although she does butt heads with Morrigan considering she was an Apostate and Wynne's a Circle Mage.

As for Shale... Well he had heard in passing that the bird population of Ferelden had decreased somewhat in the past 10 years.

"If you're looking for the General Store then you're going the wrong way."

He was snapped out of his thoughts and looked to his left to see Marian smirking at him.

"General Store's on the other way, Ed."

"Oh."

Marian sighed in response.

"Come on, you big bastard. Follow me."

Aedan watched her go before shaking his head. Considering she had been here for more than a few weeks, it's best to follow her lead. Heh. Elissa always said... Everyone always said that he wasn't good with directions. Maybe they were right. But that's still a maybe!