Chapter 4: Surrounded
Gwen said nothing when she awoke, for there was nothing she could say. Duncan had set up a meager camp fire to keep them warm in the bitterness of Parvulis. The fire created smoke that swirled with the light wind, causing Gwen to cough whenever it entered her lungs.
9:30 she thought, contemplating, the first year of my new life.
Gwen had thought about leaving Duncan in the middle of the night, starting her own adventure instead of joining the Order. No real reason compelled her to stay, for she had not seen the Blight with her own eyes.
But Duncan had seen something in her that no one else had, that fact alone made her stay. He deserved that at least.
Duncan would often stare at her with a strange look that Gwen could not interpret. It was as if he was pondering something. A choice, or a decision perhaps? She didn't know, and didn't ask. If he wished to share his thoughts, then he would do so.
Gwen had slept on the cold hard ground, with only her clothes and the grass to cushion her; Duncan did the same.
In the morning they stamped out the fire leaving the smoldering embers behind them.
Duncan believed it was time to fill me in, "Now that you're rested I can tell you that we're heading to Ostagar. We shall arrive there just a few days before the battle begins. You and two other recruits will proceed with your joining. Many battles against the Blight have been fought there, and won. I cannot tell if this is a true Blight; there have been no signs of an Archdemon. But my instincts tell me otherwise. If there is an Archdemon at the head of this, we will need all of you."
Gwen took this in and processed it. She was going to be apart of a great battle...and fight in that battle no less! That thought seemed strange to her, being valued that is. Duncan hadn't even seen her fight before, yet he had the utmost confidence in her.
Almost like what a father should be... Gwen didn't know what good loving parents looked like, but she assumed that Duncan would have made a nice father.
IXI
They approached the colossal monument with gathered speed. The closer and closer they got the more Gwen wanted to pick up her feet and run at the fort. The feeling of anticipation was bursting within her, she wasn't used to this feeling of excitement. But she supposed that after everything that had happened, very little would be the same with her.
But just before she reached the gates, she recalled a lost memory. A conversation from what seemed ages ago.
"Fergus." She scarcely breathed his name on her lips.
Fergus had left the night before the attack to join the King's army at...Ostagar. Gwen realized Fergus had no idea what had happened, no idea that his wife and child were dead, as well as his sister, mother, and father.
All that remained was Gwendolyn.
A group of approaching soldiers brought her out of her thoughts. From her distance she could tell it was King's men from their shields, and as they neared...the King himself!
"Ah Duncan! I'm so glad you could make it in time! I've always wanted to ride into battle with the fabled Grey Wardens fighting beside me. And this must be your new recruit we've heard about?" The King extended his hand to her, "King Cailan Therin, I'm pleased to finally meet you," Gwen didn't know whether she was supposed to shake it or kiss it. So she did nothing but silently stare at him.
After the awkward silence passed he reluctantly withdrew his hand, "Not much of a talker are you?"
Duncan interjected, explaining Gwen's situation on her behalf, leaving out the part of her unknown parentage. Gwen shot Duncan a look, wishing he had not told the King so much about her.
"I don't know why Howe would think he could get away with such a thing! After the battle, I promise, we will deal with the matter. This is treason for the Howes." The King promised her.
Gwen secretly thought that his promise would be reassuring, if she had loved her family at all. Alas she had no desire to return to Highever, or try and hunt Howe down.
Yes, she was angry that he tried to have her killed, but that was only because he believed her to be a Cousland. In reality, she held no grudge against the man.
In truth she knew he was a vile, horrible disgusting man. And if she did happen to cross paths with him at some point, she would not hesitate to bring him down.
This seemed like an unlikely scenario to Gwen, so she thought nothing more of it. She didn't care about Howe, or his greed.
Duncan and the King talked about the Blight for a moment. Gwen noticed how light-hearted the King was, and how the threat of the Blight did not scare him. She believed the man to be a fool, but said nothing, least she be the one accused for treason.
"Well, I must be off before Loghain sends out a search party. I shall see you tonight at the feast then?"
"Wait!" Gwen almost shouted, startled by her own sudden decision, "My brother, Fergus, he's here as a solider. I'd like to see him."
"Yes, of course! But he's out scouting in the Korcari Wilds, and won't be back until after the battle."
"It's urgent, please. He's lost- we've lost- our entire family. He deserves to know as soon as possible," Somehow Gwen managed to hit a soft spot in the King.
"No, you are right. You are very right. I'll send word that he must attend the feast tonight, you can speak to him there...and relay the news to him in person." He grimaced, knowing that he would not want to have to tell a man his family was slaughtered like livestock.
"Thank you, your Majesty. This means a lot to me," Gwen put on a facade of feeling, in truth on the inside she felt nothing. Her soul that has once resided there was numb or possibly gone.
But she needed to ask Fergus questions, for this she begged to see him.
IXI
Duncan told her to find and introduce herself to another Grey Warden by the name of Alistair, when she was ready to gather the other recruits.
Ostagar was a marvel, she had never seen anything like it. The stone towers that characterized its grandness seemed to reach endlessly into the sky, she wondered across the bridge and into the camp.
She first came across an elder woman dressed in strawberry red robes speaking with a younger woman who had long black hair roughly pulled back into a pony tail. The younger woman was not wearing robes, but leather armor, but she held herself in the same way as the elder woman. They seemed like intelligent scholars, the way the younger woman brought her hand up to her chin to think reminded Gwen of the old historian back in Highever...who was dead.
Gwen passed the two woman and continued onward. She met a tranquil, but did not stay for long; the simple monotone of the man's voice sent chills down her spine.
That's was truly not having a soul looks like. Gwen reminded herself, by looking at the tranquil, that she had not fallen to that depth. Although it disturbed her that it made her feel better about herself to see someone so...lifeless.
She then met the blacksmith, who she convinced to show his "special" stock. Gwen's eyes lit up with she saw the poison. Poison...she hadn't given it much thought before, but she took a liking to it. Something about the way the chemicals reacted together to create a mixture so toxic it could kill.
Poison intrigued her. It was definitely something she wanted to learn about.
"Where did you buy this merchandise?" Gwen asked the black smith curiously. He eyed her for a moment, wondering if she was actually an under cover guard.
He made up his mind that she was not there to reveal him and told her that he had bought it from a passing merchant from Antiva. The art of poison is valued greatly in Antiva.
Gwen smiled at that, Antiva sounded so exotic and new to her, but the smile was predatory, "How much for this dagger?"
He offered her a fair price but warned her never to buy a poison without it's antidote. The blacksmith was a cunning man, charging a high price for the antidote than the dagger itself.
"You must be very careful of this poison. It is called Serpent's Vile, and has devastating effects. The primary reason is it so popular is that it reduces the movement of the person after a few minutes, making them shaky and less reactive. Then after an hour the person falls ill, possibly passing out. If the poison is not gone from their blood stream within the next few days, the person will die a very painful death. It is a favorite among assassins, or so I've heard," the blacksmith ended his long-winded explanation and revealed the total price for the dagger and antidote. Luckily, Gwen had come from a wealthy family, and just before leaving for the kitchen larder she had paid the Cousland treasury a visit.
She didn't feel guilty; the Couslands owed her much. Gwen paid a high price for the weapon, but was satisfied with her purchase.
When she turned away from the blacksmith she noticed a tall man with dark curly hair and a scruffy face. He seemed to be hitting on a blonde woman dressed in chain mail, and failing at it. The woman scoffed and shook her head, leaving the man disappointed.
He turned in Gwen's direction to see her staring at the exchange, he smiled and waved at her to come closer. Gwen cautiously walked up to the man, upon closer inspection she noticed he seemed to be about the same age as her, but a hard life left him with an older face.
"Well you're not what I thought you'd be." He said, eyeing her up and down.
"What?" Gwen asked stupidly, his gaze made her feel uncomfortable and unable to concentration.
"I'd been hearing about another recruit, but you're not what I imagined." His voice reminded her of a Fennec, or what a Fennec would sound like if it were a person. It was high pitched, but still masculine, his accent was a heavily lower class of Fereldan, possibly Denerim.
"What did you think I'd be?" Gwen said, her brows furrowed together in question. He seemed like a rude fellow, not on purpose. But still, it annoyed her.
"Well not a skinny girl like yourself! I suppose I was expecting someone a bit more..." He could tell he was slowly starting to irritate her, but continued on talking.
"A man you mean? Or perhaps a taller more attractive woman. Certainly not little ugly me," She spat at him.
His eyes widened in an apologetic sort, "I meant no offense milady, but well I've been hearing talk around the camp...about this joining."
Gwen looked interested so he continued, "I think they mean to send us into the wilds. And then there's another thing about a ritual of some sort. All this secrecy makes my nose twitch."
"There's a reason why we're here, and that's to join the Wardens. If that means rituals and the "scary" wilds, so be it." Gwen said a matter of factly. Then another thought clicked in her brain. Wait a second...the wilds! That's where Fergus is, maybe I'll run across him while we're out there.
"You're a lot braver than I am then. Names Daveth." He took her hand and placed his other hand on top of hers, "If you need anything, I'll be here," he said with a wink and let go.
Gwen had been too stunned by his sudden touch, but recovered quickly. She gave him a curt goodbye and continued looking for the other Grey Warden.
This Daveth was very friendly, or maybe he was just trying to get into her skirts... either way she didn't care.
She ascended the giant stair case located near to the blacksmith, at her far left were an assortment of chairs and tables. A place for meetings she presumed.
There were great stone arches above her, holding up the ancient fort. She wondered what would happen if they fell at that moment, crushing her body underneath. They certainly looked old enough too.
To her right, there was another set of stairs, Gwen inwardly groaned. How many stairs were there in this place?
As she trudged up the steep slope she heard yelling coming from above. When the scene was revealed to her she saw three people: an obvious mage who seemed irritated out of his mind; the woman with black hair she had seen before, and...a strikingly handsome blonde man in chain mail. His hair was short and spiky and his eyes were a gorgeous green.
Gwen felt her body immediately shiver at the sight of him. This thought was extremely unwelcome and invasive. She forced it out of her mind and watched the conversation unfold. The mage seemed upset while the handsome man looked...mildly amused?
The mage stormed away, not even bothering to acknowledge Gwen's presence.
The black haired woman approached the man and laughed loudly. Her voice seemed sweet to Gwen. Which made Gwen grimace. Gwen hadn't even seen the woman's face yet, but she knew she'd be beautiful. Just by the way she confidently talked to the handsome man, like they were equals of beauty.
Gwen couldn't take it any more, she got closer to the two and made her self known, "Ahem," she choked out, "Are you Alistair?" Gwen only guessed, and secretly she hoped she was right. It would mean she would get to look at him more.
"I am?" Alistair shifted his attention away from the woman, who Gwen had refused to look at so far, "Do you have a message for me?"
This confused Gwen, "A message? No, no," she realized that he had mistaken her for a servant. She didn't know how he could possible think that, as she was wearing armor. Did she really seem so fragile and weak that he couldn't possibly think she was a recruit? Daveth saw she was the other recruit, even if he did acknowledge her weakness.
"My name is Gwen. I'm the new recruit."
"Oh. Oohhh!" Alistair blushed, realizing his embarrassing mistake, "I'm Alistair...but you already know that." He laughed awkwardly and nervously rubbed the back of his head. The woman laughed cutely at his gauche mistake.
Her laugh distracted Gwen, and for a moment she forgot she wasn't going to look. But it was to late and she had already turned her head.
The woman was...beautiful was an understatement. Her beauty didn't come from a perfect face, but the simplicity and clearness of her face. Her eyes were a crystal glass blue, stray strands of her hair fell to frame her face in an attractive nature. Her smile lit up her eyes with a joy that Gwen never had.
Gwen's countenance darkened. She felt like a lowly commoner in the face of a queen. I am a potato and she is..spiced roast beef. Gwen became aware of the fact that she was extremely hungry and had had nothing to eat since last night's supper with Duncan. Which had consisted of stale bread and cheese.
"I'm Solona, a mage from a circle of magi. Also a recruit for the Grey Wardens, and am very pleased to make your acquaintance," instead of shaking Gwen's hand she nodded respectively. Gwen appreciated that, but still didn't like the fact that she was breath taking. It reminded her too much of her sister. Although she seemed a lot kinder than her sister.
Gwen nodded to Solona as well, and told Alistair what Duncan told her, "I've also already met Daveth. That was...interesting," She said sarcasticily
Solona commented, "Yes Daveth is very, mmmm insistent seems the right word. I'd watch out for him if I were you, that one's a womanizer. We had plenty of those in the circle, no matter how much the Templars tried to stop it," Solona grimaced, remembering her home as a distant place she could never go back to.
"Did you like living in the circle?" Gwen asked.
"Like it?" Solona scoffed, "Very few mages like being imprisoned and constantly watched over. Well except for Wynn, but she doesn't know another home. Sometimes I feel sorry for the old woman..."
"I didn't realize you felt so strongly on the matter," Gwen had very few experiences with mages, she had only seen healers from the circles whenever an important noble in Highever had fallen ill. Stories from the circle were rare.
"Yes well," she whispered, "Let us not dwell on the matter any longer," her voice picked up and instantly she was more cheerful, "You said Duncan wanted to see us?"
"Yes, I suppose it is time to get this joining over with."
Duncan had them all circle around the center of the camp, giving the recruits and Alistair their directions. The recruits were to each collect a vial of darkspawn blood, and Alistair was to find and retrieve valuable Grey Warden documents from an old outpost.
"Duncan, do you think I'll come across Fergus in the Wilds?" Gwen asked.
"Unlikely, his group went scouting deeper than what you'll be going. Be patient and wait for him at the feast. The King gave his word. You cannot be distracted in the Wilds, there are many dangers that will take your life if you're not careful."
"I understand. I won't let it get the better of me," she promised him.
"Thank you, and good luck. I won't see all of you again until your joining."
Before leaving the gates with the party, the kennel master approached her. He asked her if she could find a specific flower that grew in the wilds, one of his dogs was sick with darkspawn blood poisoning. She made no promises but said that if she saw it, she would bring it back to him.
He thanked her graciously, leaving Gwen wondering about just how far people were willing to go for a favor.
People were a mystery to Gwen, even if she could read someone, she still didn't understand why someone did something.
IXI
"Logain, there's something we need to discuss."
Ser Logain Mac Tir raised an eyebrow but asked no questions, instead he gestured an invitation to sit and join him.
"You've seen the new recruit I presume? Not the mage."
"Yes, I've seen the boy running about." His voice drolled on, lacking interest.
"Well," Duncan paused, mulling over his next words, "What if I told you that skinny little boy was actually a woman. And a very important woman," Duncan's face turned serious.
Logain's eyes widened in shock his mouth slightly agape, he had never grown accustomed to wearing a mask in politics, like the damned Orlaisians did, "Are you referring to the Couslands?" Not long after the King welcomed Duncan and the recruit, the King had a meeting with Logain, mentioning Howe's treachery, "I never would have recognized Gwendolyn. I recall at some point her and Anora were playmates, but that was ages ago..." Logain trailed off still thinking about what that girl's survival meant for him.
"You understand why I'm telling you this? She needs to be protected, and there's something else...If I don't survive this battle..."
"I understand, I will see that she is taken care of." Logain did not lie in this statement but he did not tell the truth either.
"Thank you, but there is something else you should know. She is not a true daughter of the Cousland's."
"A bastard then?"
"No, no blood relation. An orphan. Given to them just before Elissa's birth."
It took him a second, but after that second it felt as though he had been forced into an entirely new playing field, one with new obstacles, one that he didn't have a plan for. The implications of what he had learned turned his insides cold and icy.
"Does she know of this?"
"No. And it will stay that way until the time is right. Hopefully she'll never have to."
Logain nodded, he understood perfectly what Duncan meant, but he would be making his own plans. For now he would play the part that Duncan wanted him to.
"One last thing, and this my friend, may shock you, but you must keep it to yourself,"
"Of course."
