Chapter 2, A Reunion at Ostagar
Duncan and the others made it out of the city of Highever and under the cover of night and escaped the Arl Howe forces, that had surrounded the city. After escaping Highever, they made their way southeast, walking all night, when morning dawned, Duncan set up camp so his recruits could rest. They all gathered around the campfire and tuck into some of the food that was given to them during their visit of Highever. Apart from Aedan who sat a good distance from anyone else, gazing up into the morning sky. Duncan grabbed a small sack full of dried meat and he walked over to him, placing the sack upon his lap.
"Do you want to have a nap, you look worn down?" he asked as he knelt next to him.
"No, I just want this to be one long, and terrible dream," he said, still staring up at the sky.
"Come with me Aedan and sit by the fire, you will need to get to know your fellow recruits, you'll be spending a lot of time together" he silently agreed and came over with him. "Duran, why don't you tell our newcomer here how you became a recruit for the wardens?" he asked, as the pair of them sat down by the fire.
"Don't see why not, I was a prince of the great city of Orzammar, I was one of three brothers, one younger brother and one older brother. The younger one, tricked me and my older brother, and turned us against each other and I killed my big brother in self defence and it was only then that I realized my mistake too late. He made sure I was exiled to darkspawn infested deep roads and I would likely have died there by now if Duncan hadn't found me." Duncan looked to Solona.
"Very well but all I will tell you is that I was within one of the circles of magi and was trying to help someone I thought to be a friend, but it was all a trick and he brought me down with him. He managed to escape the Templers and left me to deal with the mess. I'm not sure what the circle would have done with me had Duncan not taken me in when he did" Duncan looked back at Aedan.
"Each grey warden has there story on they end up here, some sadder than others, so your not alone in your pain, and it seem you three have all been subjected to betrayal, lies and the manipulation of others"
"Could we try and track down Fergus and his men?" Aedan asked hopefully.
"No, I can't afford a delayed, there one more place I want to go in search of a recruits and it could be difficult, I'm sure you will meet him at Ostagar, alongside the king's forces" Said Duncan
"Where are we going?" Asked Duran.
"The Brecilian Forest to look for a member of the Dalish tribes to join our rank" Duncan said.
"Can we really trust a dalish, they are loyal to no one but their own kind" Solona said.
"And yet you could never have met one, being formerly locked with your tower, their loyalty can be won, I have known a fair few dalish within grey wardens" Duncan said. After eating, they continued their journey south east, it took a couple days trek till they got to the City of Denerim. From there, they went south past the Dragon Peak Mountain and across the Darkon River towards the Brecilian Forest; they explored the forest for many days as they tried to track down the Dalish.
"By time we get out of this bloody forest, the darkspawn invasion will be over" the Duarn said, catching his breath and wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"It would be over a lot quicker if you would stop your moaning dwarf" the Solona snapped, the dwarf turned to the mage, his eyes narrowing but before he could say anything.
"Silence the both of you, I sense something… draw your weapons!" said Duncan as he withdrew his short and longsword, followed by the dwarfs war axe, the mage staff and Aedan longsword and shield, there followed Duncan as they made their way through the woodland and the shrubbery. They continued to move forward till they came across three large well craft archways made of stone, and stood before a dark and ominous entrance to a cave. The Archways had long been overwhelmed by the wilds around them; Aedan gave them a once over as they went on by, he had never seen anything like it before.
"Hold!" Duncan yelled, raising one clutch fist into the air, Aedan eyes caught onto a figure, stumbling out of the dark cave. When the figure collapsed upon the ground, Duncan gestured for them to keep moving forward but they did so cautiously.
When they got a closer look, he saw that the figure he saw was what must be a dalish elf: her ears were pointed; her face was covered in black tattoos; her skin was pale; her hair was white; her eye was red; Upon her body was a pair of oddly short swords, alongside a bow and quiver. While Duncan checked over the Dalish girl, Aedan found himself transfixed by the cave he gazed into the darkness of the cave and he found himself curious, he stepped forwards wanting to get a closer look.
"Aedan, no closer" Duncan warned, as he stood up.
"I just wanted a closer look" Aedan explained
"I Sense darkspawn within the ruin" said Duncan stepping beside him.
"Good, finally time to let off some steam!" said Duran readying his war axe once more.
"What do we do with elf?" asked Solona
"Aedan watched over the girl, will be back!" Aedan cast a look of disappointment at Duncan.
"Why me?" he asked, putting his sword back within the scabbard.
"Because, if she was to wake up, I figure you would be the best to speak with her, you are well mannered" Aedan given in to Duncan request and look on enviously as the three of them entered the cave. He picked up the elven girl and set her up again one of the nearby archways, watching her closely as his gaze now and then floated over to the alluring depths of the mysterious cave, she however did not awaken, and after while, Duncan and the other recruits returned from the cave, Aedan stood up and eagerly walked over to them.
"Duncan, what did you find?"
"Within the cave is a ruin of a long dead people, there was a tainted artifact, a mirror, which was the source of the darkspawn incursion, I destroyed it" Duncan explained.
"A Mirror, how could a mirror do such a thing?" he asked.
"It was a magical mirror obviously, a portal to somewhere foul," said Solona coldly.
"If you grab the dalish girl Aedan, we'll hurt her tribe" ordered Duncan.
"And how will we do that? We have been unable to do that for the last few days!" said Duran
"Because Duran, we have found an elf and where you find one, more shouldn't be far behind"
"Like rats, really" said Solona
"Do mind your manners, when we find them Solona" Duncan reminded her.
"Of course" she said with a swift fake smile, then returned to their search. They eventually did manage to find her tribe, or the tribe found them, as an arrow which stuck just before Duncan feet, "hold there shemlen!" they were warned, as dalish elves came out of the surrounding shrubbery and woodland, with their bows and swords at the ready.
"Lower your weapon!" yelled out one of the elves to others, as they stepped forward towards Duncan and offered him a handshake, which Duncan accepted
"What brings you here?, are these shems wardens?" the elf asked, as he eyed them up suspiciously, then his eyes lit up with realization, he rushed forward toward Aedan before Duncan could answer.
"Lyna!" he yelled out, Aedan let him take her.
"We found her unconscious, by ruin" Duncan swiftly explained as the elf glared at Aedan, Aedan returned a flicker smile, the elf then looked back at Duncan.
"Duncan, come with me, you can explain this to the keeper!" when Aedan went to move forward the elf glare stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Your friends can stay here, where we'll keep an eye on them!" Duncan gestured for them to stay put, Solona let out a sigh of frustration, and the dwarf grunted, Duncan pulled them away from the Dalish
"You must understand, these elven tribes are often hunted and killed by outsiders, please all of you, try to be patient and I'll be back within the day" Duncan said, then left for the Elven camp.
"Hey, the darkspawn, what do they look like?" Aedan asked the other two as Duncan left them.
"Have you never seen one before?" Duran asked, sounding quite surprised, Solona pay no attention to the question and open up a book to read.
"No, I only heard stories," Aedan told him.
"They are foul and evil creatures, there are three common types of darkspawn, they all however have sharp pointy teeth and deathly pale skin. The ones we fought within the caves were genlocks, the smallest of creatures, about the size of me. Then you have the harlocks which are the size of a you, and then the monstrous Ogre, large destructive creatures with great big horns coming out of their head. Us dwarfs have to deal with them on a daily basis, in consistent fighting within deep roads, you surfaces dwellers are lucky" eventually later that day Duncan returned.
"Right, you'll be waiting here for another day or so, we're waiting for the elven girl to awaken," Duncan told them.
"Why does this girl matter, we have an entire darkspawn invasion to fight!" said Solona
"Because, she has been infected by the darkspawn taint, the only thing that will save her, is becoming a grey warden, so the elves are letting me making her one, until she ready, wait here, the elves have promise to deliver you daily meals while you wait here"
"I'm beginning to feel like a prisoner," the dwarf growled, They had to wait two more days, upon the second day, Duncan returned with the Elven women they saved in tow.
"Right everyone, this is Lyna, Lyna this is Duran, Solona and Aedan" Duncan said gesturing to the three of them, Aedan step forward and offer her a handshake,
"I don't want you touching me shemlen!" she said, the group ready themselves to leave camp, Aedan approached Duncan.
"What does Shemlen mean?"
"I don't know to be honest, I wouldn't take it too seriously, it's all just words in the end" once prepare, they began making their way towards Brecilianc forest passage and from there east to the ancient and once mighty fortress of Ostagar, and it was an awe inspiring sight for Aedan to behold. The fortress was large expansive ruins but time and battle had clearly made it mark and much of it was decaying ruin, as they entered the ruined fortress, Aedan stunned to see the king himself awaiting them, alongside two guards.
"Duncan, you return at last and these must be your new recruits!"
"King Callen, I…" Duncan said, as he was interrupted by the king who continued to talk.
"Wasn't expecting a royal welcome, hey!" the king said with a laugh, "you have been busy Duncan, you have such a wide variety of volunteers, I'm sure you'll all service us well!" The king's attention was instantly drawn to Aedan as he noticed the family crest upon his shield and recognized the face.
"Cousland, you must be Teyrn Bryce's youngest right?, yes I remember you from the last tourney"
"Yes your graces, if I may, did my brother arrive here?"
"Yes he did, if you wish to see him, I could see about tracking him down?"
"I don't suppose you've heard the news about my father"
"Why has something happened?"
"Arl Howe, launched a surprise attack upon Highever after my brother left, he killed my entire family save for me and Fergus!"
"What? Duncan please tell me this is not true!?" the king asked with widen eyes as he turned to Duncan.
"I'm Afraid it is, if it wasn't for the secret passage within the castle of Highever, I'm sure all of us here would be dead" said Duncan, the king ran his hand across his hair shaking his head in disbelief.
"He must have lost his mind if he dared think he could get away with such treachery!, my good man, rest assured that I will see Arl Howe pay for what he has done, as soon as my army has finished off the darkspawn with this last glorious battle, I will march my army straight to Highever, if you need anything of me, don't hesitate to asked"
"I just want to see my brother," Aedan said somberly.
"I will see to just that, when you have time come to my tent and I'll send people to bring him to me, now if your excuse me, I must take your leave"
"Thank you your majesty," Aedan said and with that the king left.
"It sounds like the blight is almost over, was there any point in dragging us all the way here?" Duran asked.
"Yes well, King Callen is young and underestimate them, the darkspawn remains major threat"
"He seems like a fool" Lyna said with a scowl.
"He's also our biggest supporter, the wardens would be having a much harder time without him to back us up, now it's been a long journey, so I'll let you all have today off, tomorrow, however, your joining of the Grey wardens begins. Now allow me to show you where the grey wardens make camp and you can rest" Duncan guide them through the fortress, going thought the east side of the fortress which was watched over by large awe inspiring tower. They made their way across the wall connecting the east to the larger west side of the fortress. The view from the wall was magnificent, Aedan took in the surrounded woodlands and towering mountains as they made their way across the wall.
"This is amazing, what did they build such a fortress for?" Aedan asked.
"It was built by the Tevinter Imperium along ago, when they held control of all of Ferelden, they built it to stop the barbarian folk within the koncari wilds from invading the lower lands and here where the bulk of the darkspawn horde are amassing. what few member of the grey warden which are within Ferelden are all here to support the king and his army, we need to stop the darkspawn here, before this war spread to the rest of Ferelden" going through the west side of the fortress, they made there way down into the lower land and towards the main camp which lay just behind the wall that connect the two side of the fortress, there was no gate however just a empty space where the gate should have been, instead it was protected by wooden wall manned by bowmen. After being shown around Aedan made his way back up to the west side of the fortress, where the king awaited him within his tent, when he finally arrived the king guards let him right thought.
"Aedan, I've sent people to look for your brother, he shall be with us shortly, please have seat" Aedan, took a seat and the king pour them both a goblet of wine, with a third goblet in reserved. "How are you doing?" the king asked
"I just feel empty," Aedan said and took a long sip of wine. "But, let's talk about war, is it really going that well?
"Yes," the king said with a deep heavy sigh.
"Is ain't that a good thing?" he asked.
"its just that I want to be like my father, the great King Maric, founder of Ferelden, the man who freed us from the control of the Orlesian Empire. it may sound awful but when Duncan warn me of a blight, I was happy, it was my time to prove my self, prove that I'm worthy of my father legacy"
"You have not long sat on the throne, I'm sure you have plenty of time to prove yourself a great leader, how about after all this we conquer the Orlesian Empire" Aedan said with a slightly smirk.
"Let's not bite off more than we can chew, Aedan," the king said with a laugh, the two of them chatted until Fergus finally showed up, coming into the king tent.
"So it is true, Aedan, what are you doing here?" Fergus said with a smile. "Why would father send you here, has something happened?" Fergus asked, meanwhile the king poured Fergus a goblet of wine and passed it to him.
"I leave you two to catch up I must tend to other things" the king left and the smile faded form Fergus face as he began to sense something was off.
"What happened?" Fergus asked sounding more urge. Looking down into the last of his wine Aedan summon up the courage needed, he stood up a and drinking the last of his wine, looked Fergus straight in eye.
"You may want to sit down", he warned, Fergus did so.
"Is father?, mother?, don't tell one of them died?"
"I'm sorry" he said as a handful of teardrop trickle down face, "but they all dead, mother, father, your wife and child, Arl Howe attacked and took over Highever the night you left" Fergus stare at him, blankly for the first few monument, processing what he just said. His arms began to tremble, then his whole body as he plant his head into his hand, Aedan walked over to him and place single hand upon his shoulder.
"Please Aedan, Please tell me you jest"
"I wish I was, why else would I be here" he said, Fergus head hung low, then he slammed his hand against the table and with a swap of his arm sent his goblet of wine flying, when his head risen back up again it was mix of fury as his skin boiled red and sadness the fresh tear trickle down form his face, Aedan step back as he lay waste to the king table, flipping it over and stamping on it. Aedan stepped toward him again and grabbed his waist, instinctively Fergus spun around and slammed his fist into Aedan tummy as he staggered back and Fergus stopped dead, realizing what he had done; The king's guard rushed into the tent, as they did Aedan raise his hand two them in a gesture to be at ease.
"It's fine, it's fine, this is personal, please leave" he asked, while composing himself once more.
"Are you sure?" one of the guards asked.
"Yes" he said the guards left, and awkward silence fell over the tent, Fergus fell to the floor, head hung low, Aedan sat next him, joining him upon the floor; Fergus was still shaking as he sat they both sat there together in silences. Aedan picked up the now half empty bottle of wine and his goblet from the floor, pouring himself a fresh goblet full before dank it all at once, and then offered it to his brother, he shook his head and chuckled to himself.
"I'm an idiot, I wonder what the king would say if he saw this," Fergus said, shaking his head.
"You are, come on, let's clean up with any luck he'll just think we drank a lot of wine" together they silencely clear up the mess that had been made, after Fergus looked towards Aedan.
"I'm glad to see you alive, but I think I need sometime to myself" Fergus said,
"If you need me, I'll be in the grey warden part of the camp, I'm their new recruit" he told him.
"Congrats" Fergus said, then together, they left the king tent, Fergus returning to his own and Aedan to the grey wardens camp.