Long chapter is long...now, to figure out how to tease an evil origination in my crossover fic and still end it on the note I had originally planed if only to give people more pokemon fights...
Chapter 15: A Giant Man's Trouble
Aria looked up at the other two near the entrance to the Chantry courtyard as they eyed the red haired woman who had relinquished her cotton robes to don what seemed to be well worn leather armor with a studded bodice and skirt. Her boots thick with a cap that covered her knees.
She looked at them with an even, calm expression like it was the most natural thing to wear as Alistair looked between the elf and the lay sister and Morrigan pinched the bridge of her nose with a silent groan.
"A dream." Alistair felt the need to reiterate.
"More like a vision." Leliana nodded.
"A dream vision thing-a-ma-bob that the Maker gave you." Alistair fixed.
"…I wouldn't really call such a wondrous experience a—a 'thing-a-ma-bob'." She furrowed her brow, but in Alistair's rolling mind he apparently ignored that comment to wrap his mind around this whole…whatever it was now.
"You agreed to let a woman who had a dream-vision thing from the Maker that told her to jump the bandwagon and join the first group of travelers that was lead by a young woman to save Ferelden." Alistair looked at Aria as she rubbed the cold from her hands and eyed the still quiet Morrigan. She turned to the warrior.
"…Well, when you put it that way. But she seems-uh, experienced?" Aria laughed stiffly at the none to impressed look the blond gave her.
"Alistair, we aren't really in a position where we should turn down help if it offers." She sighed. The man brought his face into his palm and groaned.
"Fine-fine! I thought we were all chock full of crazy, but I guess we can fit in a Chantry sister who knows how to slit a man's throat and wield a bow. Who am I to judge?" He groaned sarcastically.
"…Perhaps your skull was cracked more than Mother thought…" the dark witch in the back muttered. Aria's shoulder's sagged now that introductions were over she felt a whole lot less nervous about bringing a practical stranger along with them.
"So, supplies, yes? We need them." Morrigan changed the subject quickly and like that the group decided to note the few venues that actually looked like they held something.
"Oh, if we have the time, we should check the Chanter's Board." Leliana recommended. "The people will usually post requests and odd jobs that will bring a little copper our way and won't that help us?" she said as she gestured to the board outside the Chantry walls to a man chanting passages from what Aria could only suspect be from the Chant of Light.
"Money lining our pockets sounds as good a start as anything right now, let's see what they have to offer." Aria decided with a nod.
Morrigan pushed away straggling, old plants that had, at one point, grown out of the stone wall that lead up to a raised road that lead to the main trader's road of Ferelden, Kings Road. Aria looked over her shoulder curiously to see the woman pulling from mid stem a still green, stubbornly living plant. It had broad, three pointed leaves and the occasional, curled, thin vine.
"Wow, how long did it take for this? I didn't realize elfroot was so hard to come by in the wild." Aria murmured as the older woman stood back up to place the plant in some rolled up parchment with the other sprigs they had collected over their journey so far.
"It's not that it's usually hard to find. Elfroot is a very adaptable plant with several uses, not just medicinal. It's this land. Or what's happening to it at least, so close to Ostagar." Morrigan spoke as they continued back to find the woman who needed the plant.
"The lands are becoming tainted. More darkspawn are sure to be spotted after the battle and their taint will kill the soil and leave ruin and disease in their wake." Alistair muttered.
They handed the woman her coveted herbs and she handed Aria the few silver she could spare gratefully. Aria pulled out the last few jobs she had torn from the chanter's board. They had made some decent coin now and was even able to convince some traveling merchants to go easy on the prices since everyone was tight on coin now and they were more likely to lose business by not adapting to their customers than the other way around.
They hadn't been very enthusiastic. But one scathing look from Morrigan had the men shivering in their boots and nodded their consent.
"There's a cave of bears near the river the people use for water that need to be dealt with." Aria lifted the parchment to the top of the thin stack. The other three around her didn't take much time to think it over and just shrugged, Aria quirked an eyebrow. Bear hunting it was then.
It was after they were dragging their ragged butts back into the village that Aria first picked up the sound. Her tired head pricked up in sudden alertness. She looked back to her silent companions, all tight lipped as the low droning of a deep, rough voice murmured in a tongue she had not heard before, what sounded like a prayer.
"You guys, do you hear that?" she asked softly, sitting up just a little straighter as she wandered off from her group with Alistair groaning about more walking. The Mage ignored him in favor of passing through a more decrepit than usual part. There was a row of thick metal person sized cages with rusted corners.
It was on the far edge of the village and away from most prying eyes she noticed, it must be a make shift prison area. She walked down the short collection of cages to one that was filled with the low thrumming words in that unknown tongue by a towering pale man who leaned on the far end of his mini prison. It was just large enough to fit him, though his broad, muscular shoulders brushed the edges stiffly.
Aria stared up wide eyed and ever curious because this was something else she's never seen before. This man with braided hair so pale it was almost white and his brow furrowed as his eyes stayed closed in indifference as the words flowed from barely parted chapped lips.
Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit…Maraas shokra…
Aria didn't know what he said. But this strange, giant man murmured it in such a calming fashion that it reminded her of the words spoken in elvish by her parents, by her and the other elves in the Circle when they wanted no other to hear them giggle and trade secrets from their own heritage that was always so lacking.
She took another step towards the caged man, disregarding that little part of her mind that reminded her that he was in this cage for something. She just really liked the pull this language brought to her. What any language other than the King's Tongue brought to her.
Something snapped under her foot and all too soon the drone of those words stopped and she was introduced to dark, hard set eyes that bore into her indifferently. A pale brow was raised at her.
"You are not one of my captors." he stated blandly, though the rasp in his voice betrayed his indifference for just how exhausted he must feel. Aria inwardly wondered how long he had been in that cage before she noticed.
"I will not amuse you anymore than I have the other humans. Leave me in peace."
She gave him her own furrowed brow and was going to say something, when finally; the others had caught up with her. She spared them a look before turning back to the nameless prisoner.
"I meant no harm…I just, I've never seen someone so giant." Aria gaped at her remark and blinked swiftly at herself. They sounded rude, she cleared her throat.
"Sorry, I, why are you in a prison? I wasn't aware Lothering even had one."
"Who else but your Chantry." The man scoffed. Leliana pushed her way through Alistair just then to grab the Mage's arm. She gave Aria a worried look.
"The revered mother said he slaughtered an entire family. Even the children." She murmured softly. Alistair had made a pinched expression, looking up at the pale man in distaste.
"It is as she says." He did not deny, no tone in his voice suggesting guilt otherwise and introduced himself, lifting his form to stand up just a tad straighter. He towered over them all.
"I am Sten of the Beresaad—the vanguard—of the qunari people."
"Qunari, I've heard of them. I've never seen one myself, could you elaborate?" Aria questioned in interest happily.
"If you do not know of us it is of your own shortcomings. Though it matters little now, I will die here soon enough."
There came a scoff from the back as Morrigan crossed her arms to stare up at the caged Sten.
"This is a proud and powerful creature, Aria, trapped as prey for the darkspawn. If we seem to be picking up more little companions, can you not see a use for him? I would suggest releasing him for mercy's sake alone." She gave Aria a cross look, disgusted at the prisoners treatment. But then came Alistair's argument, never one to agree with the witch from the wild.
"Mercy! I wouldn't have expected such a notion from you of all people."
Morrigan gave the man a wicked smirk that made Aria sigh as she proposed the blond warrior take Sten's place.
"Ah, you see, that's what I expected." He shook his head in exasperation. Sten pointedly stared at the bickering two and raised a petulant brow at the elf at the front of it all. She gave a questionable shrug, somehow growing use to the disharmony that came with Morrigan and Alistair near each other.
"I suggest you leave me to my fate, elf."
But where would she be if she did not feel that niggling feeling in the back of her mind as she rose her eyes to Sten's and crossed her own arms. Far more interested than she probably should be even before Morrigan's suggestion to release the murderer. Leliana, beside her, looked on with thinly veiled concern.
Morrigan was right, Sten, despite looking worse for wear, looked like he could run through stone walls and win and she had no idea what to expect once they left the familiarity of Lothering to move on to Redcliff.
The fact the man had committed such a heinous crime, however, did not go forgotten on her though. Surely there had to be some reason as to why he had killed the adults. Humans were, after all, a terrible people most of the time. She pursed her lips.
"I think Morrigan is right." She nodded more to herself as the bickering behind her ceased and she felt eyes on her. She had to swallow back her nerves, still so unsure as to why and when they had started to cease what they were doing when she simply stated her own opinion.
"I think we could use you Sten, it would surely be more productive than sitting in a cage to die." She offered seriously. The qunari gave her an unimpressed look.
"No doubt. What help do you seek?"
"I have been sworn in to protect this land against the coming Blight." She answered him with a clearly pained look. "I would appreciate any help in doing so, really."
That seemed to have caught the so far stoic man's attention as he leaned in. It wasn't very noticeable, just a twitch in his torso to those close enough to seek it.
"The Blight? So you are a Grey Warden then?"
"So it seems…" Aria's fingers twitched where they grasped her folded arm.
"Surprising…My people have heard legends of the Grey Warden's strength and skill…" His eyes gave her a scrutinizing glance that made her tense up. "Though…I suppose not all legend is true."
Aria couldn't really argue with that. She wasn't exactly trained for this. So, instead of defending her clearly inexperienced self, she changed the subject.
"This 'Revered Mother', do you think she will let you out?"
"Perhaps if you told her the Grey Warden's need my assistance. It seems as likely to bring my death as waiting here."
Aria turned back to the three others with her to see none had an argument to give before facing Sten once more.
"Then I will be back with any news of your release to me." She raised her hand awkwardly as if to wave, but seeing his less than friendly expression, thought better of it. Leliana still seemed to struggled internally with her decision, but nonetheless sighed.
"To be left here to starve, or to be taken by darkspawn…no one deserves that…" she sighed as she walked off in the direction of the chantry.
"Not even a murderer."
The inside of the Chantry was warmed by the heat of small torches that lined the stone archways that lined the sides of the vestibule and opened up into a small, raised sanctuary where the figures of kneeling Andrastians prayed with man dressed in Chantry robes. The low thrum of chanters singing their Chant filled the building with its distressed children's cries and the occasional Templar on guard made for a melancholic scene that did not put the Mage at ease even the slightest.
Chantries made her uncomfortable and while she would admit the Chant a beautiful melody when it left the lips of the occasional sister with their soft, lilting voices that sounded so sweet, like a lullaby long forgotten, the meaning behind the words were no more than a stab to her heart because if it hadn't been for their rule surely she would have grown up differently?
Surely she wouldn't have to be awed and amazed each time she got to step foot out into the open world and make her own choices.
Leliana sighed peacefully as she wandered down the halls that must have been so familiar and comforting to her as they were for Alistair as his tense shoulders drooped in a silly way as he went on ahead with the redhead to listen to the prayers being sung in earnest.
Morrigan stayed far behind, opting to inspect the dusty drapery and ignore the rest of the people around her. It left Aria, alone and out of touch with the people around her as she eyed one of the stiffly standing Templar's by the door and wrapping an arm around herself in a show unease before walking down the hall after the rest had wandered off to do whatever it was pious people like Leliana and Alistair did.
There was harsh whispering going on at the end of the vestibule and close to the west wing of the small Chantry. Curiously, she turned to try and see what was wrong, only to see a small group of Templar's making tense hand gestures and shaking their heads.
"It couldn't possibly be true…coming so fast!"
"How true can…words…dwarf be."
"Doesn't matter…We are the only hope…protect Lothering at all costs."
"Maker save us all, you are dismissed." One Templar, who had shed his helmet at some point to pinch the bridge of his nose. He sighed tiredly as he waved off the others before looking up and catching Aria's eye.
The elf squeaked, wide eyed at being caught listening to their quiet words and turned her head in attempt to find something else of interest to make her look not so guilty. It was no use of course. The armored man had zeroed in on her with a polite, yet worn expression as she stepped over to her. She stood there like a stone, none too sure what to do.
"May I be of help My Lady?" He greeted her and Aria self consciously brushed her chin length bob in attempt at covering the point of her ears as she craned her neck to look up at the man who studied her curiously.
"I'm sorry," he started again with a troubled expression. "I haven't seen you here before; might I ask who you are?"
"Oh uhhh-well…N-No one of importance, just-just a passerby." She flinched at the nervous waver in her voice she had become accustom to while speaking to Templar's from the Circle and bit the edge of her lip.
He seemed to be fine with the answer nonetheless and gave her a slight bow of his head.
"I am Sir Bryant, Commander of Lothering's remaining Templars." He introduced eying her curiously as she fidgeted under his gaze. The staff so obviously strapped to her back a glaring mockery of her current distress at being studied by the Commander of the Templar's himself. Her hands once again nervously made sure her ears were covered out of fear of how his polite attitude might change if he realized what she was in her entirety. A mage and an elf, never a good combination she was learning.
"You don't look like any of the refugees or passing merchants, could you be one of Arl Eamon's knights?"
That name was oddly familiar…where had she heard it again?
"Uh, no, I'm…I'm a Grey Warden, ehm, Aria Surana." She admitted and watched the man's shoulders hitch up as he looked at her with a flicker of something in his eyes.
"Oh I…I see." He cleared his throat. "Teryn Loghain declared all Grey Wardens traitors, responsible for the king's death, you do know I hope? Declaring yourself a Warden is quite dangerous at a time like this."
Aria's already tense form felt like it would snap as once again suspicion on them was placed by the words of a man who left them all to die. She closed her brown eyes in a moment of tense thought and sighed heavily, opening them to see only her blood stained boots and then look up to the man who wore an equally questionable expression.
"Such things really are going around, aren't they?" she murmured.
"With a pretty bounty for any who survived." The Templar admitted to her. Aria ran a hand through her short hair, completely forgetting what she was trying to hide as she moaned for so many reasons and not just in exasperation as she leaned against the stone arch at her side. The commander seemed to share her dislike for the situation as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Hey, look, I don't believe the Grey Wardens would be as careless or malicious as the teyrn claims, but either way, there it is."
"I suppose it's just another thing I sort of get use to along with everything else." She muttered.
"It's best you and whoever you came with if you don't linger much longer here. Lots of easily fooled folk here desperate for good coin." Sir Bryan suggested. Aria nodded.
"Wasn't planning on it, just here to take care of some odd jobs and ask the Revered Mother something…Thank you though. For not attacking me or the people I entered with. There anything else you can tell me though, about what's happened since news of Ostagar?"
"I here Loghain has declared himself king. Just another disaster to add to the growing heap if you ask me."
"Please tell me it doesn't get worse…" Aria sighed pleadingly.
"Well, technically Teyrn Loghain while he may have a legitimate claim to the throne. And a hero to our people with a daughter crowned as queen, he would not be the first choice as next in line for the throne. The king's corpse is barely cold, there shouldn't even be any fighting over who rules who yet. If Arl Eamon was able to intervene, perhaps it wouldn't have gone this far."
"You humans can be so greedy…" Aria murmured off handedly. There was a pause in the conversation before it dawned on her what she had actually had the gall to say and she gasped at herself and covered her mouth with her hand to sheepishly peer up at the Templar she was actually speaking to. The man seemed to only shake his head without complaint.
"I could care less about who takes the throne. Only fools fight over who owns a cottage as it burns down." Sir Bryan offered cynically.
Aria was about to say something equally pessimistic when she spotted Alistair catching her eye as he walked back to join her. She turned back to the Templar Commander with a thankful smile.
"Thank you for speaking to me Sir Bryan, it was, honestly one of the few pleasant conversations I've had with a Templar. Good luck with protecting Lothering." She bid the man farewell for now and left to join the other Warden who looked both worried and a little amused as he watched the commander watch the elf from behind before turning around to take care of his own duties.
"I'm surprised. You're usually very skittish when it comes to Templars, what's changed?" he asked and the young woman shook her head.
"Let me just try and absorb the fact I had a civil conversation with a Templar that neither called me a 'knife ear' or threaten to imprison me for being an apostate or whatever I am right now. Outlaw? Traitor? Either way I just learned Grey Wardens aren't just Loghain's scapegoat, we've a bounty on our head now." She told him.
"That does not sound good. The less people know of our status then the better I suppose." Alistair shrugged as she turned away to look around the sanctuary where people prayed.
"Where's Leliana?" she asked. Alistair peered over at the cluster with another shrugged.
"Maybe to find the Revered Mother for us? She was a lay sister here so she must be more familiar with dealing with her." He offered.
"Then maybe we should go find her, it's me who has to convince her to release Sten to me after all." The elf rubbed at her arm self consciously before leading farther into the place of worship. She could hear Alistair's heavy footsteps behind her until he collided with someone that had tried to walk between them and gasped.
"Ser Donell…Is that you?!"
Aria looked back at the sound of Alistair's shocked gasp and found the man looking at a weathered, middle aged man dressed in dark chainmail. The man identified as Ser Donell looked at Alistair with narrowed eyes before they widened in recognition and gave the Warden a fond smile.
"Alistair? By the Maker, how are you? I…I was certain you were dead!" the older man gasped, clapping his hands around the blonde's shoulders. Alistair's goofy smile wavered as he scowled and shook his head.
"No, not yet, no thanks to Teryn Loghain."
The other seemed to feel the same and gave the younger warrior a sympathetic smile in return.
"If Arl Eamon were well, he'd set Loghain straight…" Alistair seemed familiar with the name, and even more shock came across his face. Unsure of what to really do with the conversation she cleared her throat to get Alistair's attention. She did and motioned to some part of the Chantry.
"You catch up, I'm going to Find Leliana and see what I can do about our qunari." She informed, he nodded and set back to speaking worriedly with the familiar face as she walked off in search of their red haired archer.
When she found the recognizable head of red, she was standing before a woman with graying hair and robes that looked just slightly finer than the ones she had seen Leliana wearing when they met. Their conversation was quiet and private and Aria felt a bit guilty as the conversation was cut off for the red head to glance at her direction with a wave of her hand to beckon her towards them.
The Mage bowed her head in silent greetings towards the woman sitting comfortable at a chair as she gave Aria a calculating look as everyone else nowadays seem to be giving her. Old habits die hard when the Mage found herself looking at something beyond the older woman's shoulder.
"This was the woman you mentioned Leliana? What business do you have of me, a donation perhaps?" The woman asked pleasantly enough when Aria looked back at the revered mother. The elf shook her head though and cleared her throat before speaking.
"No, I came to ask about the qunari that has been imprisoned."
The woman seemed a bit taken aback as she stood to her feet, obviously troubled about the topic at hand.
"Honestly, sometimes I think it might have been kinder to execute him…Well, what is this interest you have in him, Leliana mentioned it, but did not want to go into detail until the 'one in charge' arrived."
Aria blinked for a moment, trying to grasp the last part, then turned to Leliana with a furrowed brow.
"The one in….what?" she hissed as the former lay sister gave an amused smiled and giggled. She shook her head in exasperation.
"I was hoping to ask you to release the qunari into my care." Aria offered. The woman, clearly troubled still looked down at Aria.
"Then his next victim might count you and me as their murderers. What do you say of this predicament Leliana, you know this friend far better than I."
Leliana adjusted the leather skirt as her thighs and sighed.
"These are…unusual times you Reverence. With us, the qunari might do some good. I am sure of it in fact." The Chantry head seemed to consider her friends words before glancing between them both. She still looked conflicted, but still turned back to her desk and opened a drawer to hand a key from inside to Leliana.
"If times weren't so…very well, I trust you. Take the keys and Maker watch over you."
Both thanked the respected woman and left to convene with the rest of their scattered companions. Alistair was left alone now, sitting at one of the pews with his head in his hands and Morrigan had left some time.
They had decided to pick up the qunari and hope Leandra and her family did not mind sharing their food together with them all so they could gather their wits about them and head out after the meal.
On their way back to the cages, Aria, too engrossed in her thoughts bumped into a figure that had walked out in front of her. She gasped and looked up into a face obscured by a thick hood.
"Oh, uh, I'm terribly sorry." She apologized and took a step behind her to give the man just taller than her some room.
"Apology accepted, my dear, I was distracted myself." The man, with a thick accent like honey sent her a sharp smile under his hood before walking off in another direction. Aria stood still for but a moment before looking back curiously.
The cloaked figure was gone.
It was later than planned, but mid day with the qunari out of his cage and everyone fed at the Hawke's Aria decided now was the best time to move on. The Hawke's needed to pack now, she had told them of the possibility of approaching darkspawn hordes and wanted the kind family to be able to make it out before it's too late.
Sten had stayed stoically silent, though he thanked to matriarch in his own gruff way for feeding him and arming him with a worn broadsword that Carver did not use. That seemed to have him in somewhat higher moods as Willow and Aria hung back from the group sending their fond farewells.
"Thank you for the heads up, Bethany and I tend to avoid the Chantry since the Templar's stay there." Willow grinned at the elf who smiled back.
"I owe you and your family, it was the least I could do. Take care okay? I couldn't bare it if something happened to your family, they're such kind people."
"For humans, right?" Willow pointed out and Aria blushed in embarrassment.
"Uh, well-I…I do make it kind of obvious I'm none too comfortable around humans, don't I?"
Willow shrugged and wrapped an arm around the elf's petite shoulders.
"I don't blame you, but don't let your hesitancy hold you back Aria. You look like you've got a lot riding on your decisions."
Uthnehn barked from somewhere and Aria glanced over to find the mabari convincing Sten to pet it's head like it was a privilege. She chuckled as the tall man scrutinized the beast coldly before scratching behind its ear when he thought no one was looking.
"Here's hoping I can handle that sort of responsibility." She shook the human apostates hand and bid the family one last farewell before leading her party to the raised stone pathway that would eventually lead them onto the king's road.