Bioware owns Dragon Age and all the characters, I own Jaya, though...

The King's Rose
Chapter 25: Recruits and The Mother

Seven weeks after performing the first joining, Jaya found herself, Oghren, Anders and Nathaniel in the Blackmarsh, on a 'rescue' mission to seek out another Grey Warden by the name of Kristoff. To her, and Nathaniel's, fear, it was completely evil-feeling and looking. As a kid, she had heard tales of the Blackmarsh from her father and never thought she'd be here, let alone looking for someone.

"I've heard about this place. Didn't an entire village up and vanished, or something?" Anders questioned.

Jaya gulped ever so slightly before answering. "Let's just go... We need to find Kristoff. The faster we do so, the quicker we can get out of here..."

"Figures the darkspawn would pick somewhere wet and muddy. I better not lose a boot." Oghren said, grumbling before they passed a sign that explained what the Blackmarsh was, jumping out of his skin slightly and making a little grunt of fear, earning the attention of the others. "I thought I saw a...I mean...Ahem..." He dodged the looks by looking away.

"I'm scared. Hold me?" Anders teased.

"Shut it, sparkle-fingers!" Oghren shot back.

"Well, this beats the stories, eh, Jaya?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yeah... Between you and me, I wouldn't want to ever come back here again..." She whispered as they came upon a dragon skull.

"When I was a child, I visited a traveling fair that had an entire dragon skeleton on exhibition." He said, watching as she picked up a bone. "What're you doing?"

"I think I might try to give this skull it's bones back." Came the reply as Anders and Oghren stopped their bickering at that.

"But it looks like the bones of this dragon were scattered by some animal. Or... something worse..." Anders commented.

"Well, good thing you're here to help..." Jaya said dryly as they walked towards the village, seeing that, if it weren't for the rumors of it being haunted, this place could clean up to a nice place. "Get ready..." She warned right as shades appeared. "I dealt with enough of you at the Circle to last me until I die!" She said, slicing through one before moving to the next.

"Nug-humpers!" Oghren said, swinging through one with his ax.

By the time the found Kristoff, he was already dead, but it was a trap as Jaya glanced to where another darkspawn was. "And the Mother, she was right. The Mother is always right." It said.

"Another one?! This is getting so strange." Anders gasped.

"The Mother is no prophet, but she is most clever. Oh yes, that she is." It stated.

"I never could trust my mother, either." Oghren claimed.

"The Mother, she is not permitting you to further his plan, whenever this you know or not. So she is sending you a gift." It held its hand out and, before anyone knew it, they were all in the Fade.

"What? We're in the Fade?" Jaya asked. "It looks like you also got sent here!" She pointed out to the talking darkspawn. "You were expendable to her."

"I am the First! I am not being 'expendable!' Both the Grey Warden and the Mother shall be learning this!" The First said.

"Not the first in your class, eh? Didn't think you'd be betrayed?" Oghren joked.

The First fled and forced Jaya and the others to fight through so many demons to get to the Fade version of Blackmarsh's manor, meeting a spirit by the name of Justice who wanted to end the others entrapment. Inside, they found the First alongside a woman called the Baroness and she not only sent them back, but used the First as a link.

Jaya rubbed her head. "Alright... No more Fade trips for a while..." She grumbled and got up, with Oghren and Anders following suit and Nathaniel looking at her like she was a ghost. "Nathaniel? You look pale."

"Behind you..." He pointed.

She turned and nearly tripped over herself to hide behind Anders. "Who or what is that?"

"I am in the mortal world? No... This cannot be! I must return to the Fade!" Kristoff said.

"Wait... Justice?" Jaya asked, walking closer.

"Tell me, whose body is this?" Justice asked.

"A Grey Warden named Kristoff's. He was here investigating and died..." Jaya explained.

"I will continue this man's mission. It is the least I can do." Justice said.

"Welcome and we'll get the Baroness and make her pay." She said, smiling as they made their way to where they had been: the courtyard. Before she could give an order, the Baroness trapped her in a Crushing Prison spell without much effort. It was Anders to free her and make her roll to minimize the damage from the fall. "You don't belong here!" She brought her bow out just in time to deflect a tendril that was aiming for her, it grazing her cheek.

"I will rule this world as I deserve!" The Baroness said, changing into a pride demon.

"Hate to break it to you, but Jaya's the ruler here!" Oghren said, rushing in and swinging his ax at her.

Jaya rolled her eyes slightly and began firing arrows, taking time to also dodge attacks before trying to find a weakness. She glanced and saw that her 'recruits' were dealing with the Fade rifts that she had summoned before the Baroness grabbed her and threw her into a crumbling wall of a nearby building, Jaya hearing and feeling her arm crack and bend back slightly. Fighting the pain, she managed to crawl to a vantage point and, using her mouth, loaded an arrow while taking aim at the Baroness. Seeing Nathaniel, she motioned with her eyes to where she was aiming, hoping he would assist her with his own arrow. 'Time to disappear, beast.' She thought, since her mouth was drawing back on the arrow.

Anders and the others brought the Baroness close enough by distracting her so the arrows that Nathaniel and Jaya fired hit their mark: one in each of the demon's true eyes. When the demon died, Anders and Nathaniel caught Jaya as she collapsed. "Well, nice shot. Even without the other arm." He began to mend it, rebending it and sending magic to try and heal the outer wound as well as dull the pain. "A few days and you'll be fighting fit." He commented as he made a sling to help it heal properly and they made their way to Amaranthine.

Not wanting to stop for too long, Jaya sent Anders and Nathaniel to the Wending Wood to seek out the cause of attacks on caravans while she sent Oghren and Justice to Knotwood Hills and try and find some Legion of the Dead members to assist with the threat, not because of the treaty, but because it was more than she planned on dealing with.

Varel approached her while she was writing a missive to not only the First Warden on what was going on, but her husband, explaining the current situation, as well as inquiring on what was happening at home. "Commander?" He asked.

"Yes? What's up, Varel?" She asked, putting the quill down and stretching her hand. Being ambidextrous, she could write with both hands, but she favored her right over her left at times. So, to write two missives with the less-dominant of the two she writes with, she has to take a few breaks.

"I am just curious to how you are faring. Surely you can have myself or Mistress Wooly write for you." He said.

"I'd rather not... I'm asking how things are back at the palace and how my children are." Jaya replied.

"Children? I had no idea you had children... May I ask how old they are?" He asked.

"No problem... They're going on two years soon. Duncan and Eleanor are the apple of the King's eye, as well as mine." She smiled at the thought of her son and daughter.

"Twins?" Varel blinked.

"Mhm..." Jaya nodded while she finished her missives. "There... Send one to Weisshaupt Fortress and the other to the Royal Palace in Denerim." She said, handing one for Alistair to one scout and the other to another, making sure they didn't get mixed up by putting a red tie on the one for Alistair and a blue for the First Warden. "Alright... I want to see if they've returned. I have a feeling that I need another army soon..."

"What for?"

"There's another threat brewing... Not as large as the Blight, but large." She said, watching the missives leave the keep. 'Maker save us... We have quite the battles ahead...' Jaya looked in the direction of Denerim, frowning a little.'My love, I pray you will not overreact... For the childrens' sake...' She was snapped out of it by seeing those she had sent on their 'missions' returning with another following. "Ah... I take it everything went well?" She asked before Anders went about explaining how they had dealt with someone called 'The Architect' while in Wending Wood, where Velanna, the elf that was glaring at Jaya, had assisted while looking for her sister.

Oghren continued by saying that there were at least four broodmothers deep inside Kal'Hirol, a great thaig like Orzammar. They had also dealt with warring factions of darkspawn, one led by 'The Mother' and the other led by 'The Architect'. He even said that Sigrun, the dwarf from the Legion of the Dead, wanted to join to honor her fallen comrades.

"I see..."

"Two factions? Is that possible?" Varel asked.

"No... Normally, darkspawn need an Old God, or Archdemon, to lead them. This is unique and different." Jaya said before sighing. "I just sent word to the First Warden and the King not too long ago... I pray that we have enough here to rebuild our defenses." She bit the inside of her lip, a habit that showed she was nervous.

Oghren, who has known her for a long time, caught it and grinned. "Hey, we defeated the archdemon, Jaya... We'll turn the stones black with their blood by the time we're done!"

Jaya giggled and nodded. "Thanks, Oghren. Alright, you two want to be Grey Wardens? I warn you, it's not easy."

"I am ready, human." Velanna spat.

"All right. Varel, prepare the goblet." She ordered as he went to gather the goblet. "Velanna, from this moment forth, you are a Grey Warden." She said as Varel handed the goblet to her, watching as she passed out before facing Sigrun. "Sigrun... From this moment forth, you are a Grey Warden..." The same thing happened and she smiled slightly. "I don't believe a Joining is usually this successful..."

"It's the first I've seen." Varel replied.

The coming months were spent building up the walls of Vigil's Keep as well as ensuring trade was flowing between here and the rest of Ferelden. Jaya was stopped by Herren, who was here with Wade. "Something come up, Herrin? Or does Wade need more things?" She asked.

"Nothing like that, Your Highness." Herren said as Wade showed her a brand new armor set, similar to her Commander armor, but it looked a lot slimmer and shinier. "This is our gift to you. First, a light-weight dragonbone plate armor set that Wade modeled slightly off your previous armor. We'll let you put it on and see how it fits." They gave her the time needed before she walked out.

"Do tell me how it fits!" Wade gushed.

"Like a glove, actually. It's comfy and great. You've done it again, Wade." She said, smiling before seeing Herren hand her a bow and a longsword. "Weapons, too? You two spoil me."

"Nonsense! I want my armor and weapons to be used by heroes! This here is what I'm calling Vigilance. I saw you didn't have Starfang with you this time, so I wanted to give you my best sword." Wade said before giving her the bow. "And this bow I call Heartwood... It was thanks to you finding amazing material to use!"

"Thank you both! I shall always recommend you to up-and-coming warriors!" Jaya hugged both of them before Anders jogged up. "What's wrong?"

"Darkspawn! They're heading this way! A big horde!" Anders said. "I was told that everyone's in their position and awaiting you!"

Jaya nodded. "Let's go... It's time to end this..." She put the helmet on and rushed off with Anders to join the forces, gathering the others quickly and being on the front lines. "Be ready!" She ordered as they waited for the first batch to come and sent a mental prayer to her family. There was no way she'd come out of this unscathed.

Vola! The epic ending is coming! She'll soon be back at court, with Alistair and her own babies.
~~Skittles~~