'Ok, so… Three vials of darkspawn blood. Check. Treaties. Check' Mae arranges her pack as the group leaves the so-called Witch of the Wilds hut. Daveth's fear from the old lady was amusing better yet was the way the three men walked at least two feet away from Morrigan, the apostate which they've met at the Warden's post searching for the cache containing the documents. They part ways with the mage as she gets back in the direction of her mother's hut as the recruits and Alistair enter back at the camp.
When passing through the gates, Mae leaves Jory and Daveth arguing about something as she and Alistair went kennel master to deliver the flower he requested earlier from her. Duncan was not at his spot near the fire pit, so they take a few rounds around the camp, while Alistair explain to her a bit about the Grey Wardens, the battle and so on while eating his fourth or fifth plate of dinner. At the end of his meal, Mae mentions quizzically "Fighting darkspawn must be one hell of an exercise if you eat like that" he looks at her with his mouth full of potatoes and meat, swallows hard due to the amount of food and enigmatically looks at her "Just you wait" laughing at her aghast expression.
After dinner they meet the others at Duncan's fire pit where the leader of the Grey Wardens speaks. "I see you got all the needed vials; I'll have the circle mages to begin preparations for the Joining. With the blood you retrieve, we can begin the ritual immediately. Assuming, of course, that you're not riling up mages again, Alistair" Duncan looks at the warden standing next to him and the glib-tongued replies "What can I say? The revered mother ambushed me. The way she wields guilt they should stick her in the army".
Duncan sighs heavily "We cannot afford to antagonize anyone, Alistair. We don't need to give anyone more ammunition against us." Alistair drops his head "I apologize, Duncan…" and, before he continues, Maeghan interferes in name of her new companion "I saw their exchange, the mage wasn't all respectful to him as well Dunc-…ser." She stifles, Alistair slightly nods in gratitude. "I see… Nevertheless, let us focus on the Joining for now." Duncan finishes turning to the other warden "Alistair, take them to the old temple."
Alistair gather the three recruits and direct them to where Mae and himself met but hours prior. And, surprising no one, after a few minutes Jory starts again whining about the ritual, that he already proved himself worthy. Maeghan shares some of his doubts and fear, she is mortal after all, but conscripted as she was, she didn't have choice then, much less now. So, complaining seems pointless at this moment.
"Calm down, ser Jory. There's nothing we can do about it now. We are here due to our choices, you should know better than myself and Daveth that, since we" she points at her and the roguish men "were conscripted." Jory swallows hard "I only know that my wife is in Highever with child on the way. If they had warned me… it just doesn't seem fair" his shoulders hang defeated.
Mae closes her eyes trying to breath and meditate and count to ten… one hundred… a thousand when she squints opens to side look at Alistair she realizes the seriousness of the situation, where he is absent mindedly looking in the distance, lost in his thoughts. Through the day she realized there were very few moments where the warden was quiet like that if there were at all.
"At last, we come to the Joining. The Grey wardens were founded during the first Blight, when humanity stood in the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank darkspawn blood and mastered their taint." Duncan arrives holding a silver chalice with a crimson dark fluid inside. Alistair speaks now "Those who survive the Joining become immune to the taint. We can sense it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the archdemon", he says it sternly. Duncan turns to the recruits "We speak only a few words prior to the Joining, but these words have been said since the first. Alistair if you would?"
Alistair looks to the floor, closing his eyes, "Join us, brothers, and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you."
Daveth fell first. Poisoned by the tainted blood, he didn't make it. Second was Jory, scared of dying, foolishly he tried to take Duncan on a fight in order to escape. She knew it was serious, from the moment she was conscripted she knew - or thought she knew - how grave the situation was. Scared for her life she took the goblet at hand drank the concoction and, but a second after the blood touched her tongue, everything on her inside burned, like the worst fever followed by an absurd ache on her head as a terrifying shriek filled her ears. Her vision went dark 'Is that what Daveth felt? Have I failed again? Shianni, my father, the Grey Wardens…', what she believed was death felt like being suspended as the fever subsided and the migraine started to ease. The shriek she heard before changed tune and tone, from a agonizing screech to now a soft whisper, faint and distant.
She opened her eyes to see Alistair above her, holding her head from the floor as Duncan arrives next to both "It is finished. Welcome." Alistair helps her get to her feet as Mae still somewhat trembles on his hands. "Take some time. When you're ready, I'd like you to accompany me to a meeting with the king. It will take place in the west of here, down the stairs. Please attend as soon as you are able." As Duncan leaves, she gives Alistair a lopsided smile attempting to reassure him everything is fine. He nods and smiles back "If the king wants to see you and Duncan, you probably shouldn't keep you waiting" cocking one eyebrow "He might get mad, start crying, you'll feel bad, and… well… it won't be pretty" she understands what he is trying to do, she appreciates it and gives him a smile, puts her hand on his shoulder leaning closer to his ear on the tip of her toes and whispers "And we can't have that, can we?", and leaves winking at him while she follows Duncan.