Dragon Age Origins: A Grey Wardens Tale.
Chapter 2: Aeden Cousland Part 2
The echoes of metal clashing against metal, the screams of men and women as death's cold embrace took their souls to the great beyond, the heat of flames eating at the wooden pillars lining the walls and that held up the very roof over their heads.
"Mother; why would Rendon Howe betray us?! It doesn't make sense" Aeden spoke suddenly; finishing the strapping of his Cured Leather Armour and taking up his Shield but no Sword except for the Mace left behind by the Crossbowman.
"I do not know Son; but questions do not matter right now… like how you were bedding your Fiancée's Handmaiden" Lady Cousland spoke harshly; eyeing the Elf with a look of disapproval but also pity for the tragic loss of life.
Aeden didn't have words to speak; Iona still lay slumped against the floor, naked with a Crossbow Bolt sticking both through her back and from between her breasts, only moments ago he's been experiencing the sweet pleasures of the flesh and then suddenly battle raged as unpredictable as the changing of the winds.
"I'm ready…" Aeden stated when the final piece of armour was strapped to his body; though the Mace he's recovered from a fallen Howe Soldier felt uneven in his hand.
"Good; you won't get a second chance in battle" Lady Cousland spoke quietly; glancing down the corridor and seeing that no other enemies were patrolling as if they'd expected their sole Crossbowman to be able to finish off anyone while they slept.
As soon as Aeden began running down the hallways of The Castle he felt the heat of the fires, heard the screams of the dying, each filling him with a desire to kill any enemy that appeared before him.
"Where are we going first?!" Aeden asked as he spotted body after body of Cousland Soldiers; their causes of death obvious to his eyes as wounds by Sword, Arrow, Crossbow Bolt and even Axe wounds.
"To find Fergus' Family! Their quarters aren't far from yours" Lady Cousland spoke with concern; his disapproval of Aeden's bedding of Iona dashed away with worry of her Daughter-in-law and sole Grandchild.
"If I recall their quarters are around this corner!" Aeden called out after his Mother took a wrong turn into the Corridor down towards The Bath Chambers in her drive to reach the rest of her Family, Lady Cousland turning on her heels and racing past Aeden down to the correct corridor.
"You're right…" Lady Cousland spoke as they both took the corner and passing through the broken-down doors of the home only to gasp in horror of the bodies laying on the floor, the blood having seeped into the fine carpets leaving no trace of the once beautiful Mabari patterns.
"To think Howe would sink as low as to murder a child…" Lady Cousland spoke in mourning as she sank to her knees over her sole grandchild's corpse.
Aeden bit down on his bottom lip as he stared down at Oren's lifeless body; his blood spilling from the sword wound to his small body that had nearly cleaved him in two, his eyes glancing over to his mother: Oriana who had her throat slit but her dress had also been slashed open around her hips, Aeden didn't even want to think what Howe's Soldiers had done to her before forcing her to watch her child's murder only to have her own life taken afterwards.
"What of our Guests? Where is Elissa?" Aeden asked; concerned about the fate of his own Wife-to-be after finding Fergus' Family lying dead at his feet.
"She'd dead too… she was outside The Guest Quarters when I found her body; I imagine she was on her way to find your own Quarters" Lady Cousland spoke with sadness in her voice; opting to not reveal that she'd found Elissa's body in the exact same state that Oriana was left in, her dress torn and tattered around her hips and her throat slit.
Aeden didn't know what to say or even think; his mind briefly imagining the encounter when Elissa would walk in on him and Iona and based on Iona's wording on their private times together his mind couldn't help but wander to being with them both at once, his images wiped away with the battle cry of a Howe Soldier bursting into the room with his sole Sword held ready to fight, wasting no time in attacked: Aeden swung the Mace down on top of the Soldier's head without mercy, breaking through the man's guard with the sudden swiftness of the assault.
The mace hung in Aeden's head dripping with blood as the Howe Soldier collapsed onto the floor dead; his anger towards all the deaths caused by these men, rushing through the broken doorway only to find the corridor deserted and devoid of any foes he wanted to kill.
"Aeden… you should never strike in anger for it only dulls your blade and blinds your foresight" Lady Cousland spoke; her words coming to her Son as a warning while he had acted in anger and thus killing an adversary with such fury behind his strikes while she had remained steadfast despite her grieving for her grandchild.
"Worked this time though…" Aeden spoke with a gasping breath of air; the fury of his murdered family having left him with little but the realisation he'd just committed a murder himself even if it was in the midst of battle.
"Yes but you shouldn't give in to anger… it could cost you your life or the life of somebody dear to you" Lady Cousland spoke as if she was recalling a bad experience from her own past having fought in the battle to take The Throne in the name of the late King Maric which was where she and Father met.
Aeden glanced back at the bodies of Oriana and Oren before walking down the corridor towards his intended target; his thoughts mixed as nearly everybody he cared for was either dead or struggling to stay alive, coupled with the possibilities of his own future.
The path towards The Audience Chamber felt alien with flaming portraits and tapestries and the bodies of the dead littered the floors as Aeden and Lady Cousland both treaded carefully so not to put their feet down on the body of a man or woman who'd died in their service, no enemies appeared as they'd snuck around the corridors to reach their target only to find the door to their intended destination off its hinges but the interior had strangely not been disturbed.
The Audience Chamber stood bare; the tables and chairs remained where they were as the battle had clearly not reached this far into The Castle as of yet even though the doors had been destroyed, the dying embers of a fire sat in the hearth but nobody but Aeden and Lady Cousland stood within its walls.
"Your Father is not here… he may be going to The Secret Exit hidden in the Kitchens" Lady Cousland spoke sadly; her hope had been that her Husband had been in The Audience Chamber but her hopes had been for naught, the only other escape room was a hidden door in The Pantry.
"Mother… what of our Family Sword?" Aeden spoke; his eyes solely laid upon the weapon that hung unused above the hearth, its blade seemingly shimmering to his eyes.
Lady Cousland's eyes lingered on the weapon that remained mounted up on the wall over the hearth; a weapon used long ago and had remained in their family unused for centuries, "Take it; it would be a tragedy if that weapon fell into enemy hands".
Under better circumstances Aeden would have been thrilled to take up The Family Sword in battle but with his home under siege; the loss of his Sister-in-law and Nephew and the death of his own Fiancée, his will was calm as he took down the weapon; perfectly balanced in his hand like it was forged solely for him to wield, Aeden slashed the blade through the air; upon hearing the whistle of the edge in the air the weapon felt like an extension of his left arm.
Lady Cousland wouldn't say it but The Family Sword suited her youngest son as if it was destiny for him to take up that weapon; she did not wish for both her sons to be dragged down into the fury of battle, Fergus gone with the convoy in the late hours of the night and now Aeden was also engaged in the thick bloody mists of battle.
"Let's go save Father… we must hurry if we're to get him and get out alive" Aeden spoke; taking the weapon in his dominant left hand while his shield was in his right, an unconventional choosing but worked against opponents unfamiliar with how he fought unluckily he'd spared with Howe's Men as a young adult.
Leaving The Family Quarters and heading directly down the corridors towards the main and central chambers of The Castle where the echoes of fighting were at their loudest; Aden and his Mother found themselves face to face with men and women from both sides laying dead on the floor while those still alive held their ground against the seemingly never-ending torrent of enemies.
With a mighty yell from Mother and Son; a rallying call for the remaining Soldiers of Castle Cousland answered, fighting harder with their fear of death lessened as the Young Lord and Lady joined the battle armed and ready, Lady Cousland fired Arrow after Arrow into the exposed throats of Howe Soldier's until her quiver emptied: her every shot flying straight and true to find its mark only to leave each victim to drown in a sea of their own blood before dying.
Aeden's Sword struck and parried every other weapon that dared to come near him; the endless hours of practice with Fergus paying off as the flat of his blade curved the Steel Longswords and Curved Swords wielded by The Howe Soldiers away from him and striking back with a quick slash across their throats, the splash of blood from open wounds barely registered for as soon as one fell another took his place; a woman knight stepped towards Aeden with a pair of Daggers in each hand: a Rogue.
Having practiced a small titbit of Duel Wielding but finding the form unsuited to his swordsmanship; he knew how tricky fighting someone with the skills was but he had a plan: fight defensively until he could get her close enough to attack.
The woman took a backstep away from Aeden as he feinted a Shield Bash but kept his Shield close to his chest as the Rogue threw a Smokescreen down on the ground to obscure his vision, holding his Shield closer and his Sword at the ready to slash it at any moment; catching the flash of the Daggers moments before a Twin Fangs skill could be executed that would normally rend through his armour and tear his flesh, the two Daggers planting into his Shield and lodging in the thickly-layered wood.
"Fuck…" The Rogue muttered; her weapons stuck in her opponents defence, "Sorry…" Aeden spoke before bringing his Sword up with a violent upwards slashing motion; the blade slashing through the Rogue leaving her dead before she ever hit the cold hard floor.
His victory over the Rogue was short-lived as an enormously tall Brute stomped down the corridor brandishing a double-bearded Battle-Axe; the weapon held aloft before attempting to bring it down on top of Aeden's head, Aeden felt somebody push him to one side as a Soldier pushing him out of the Axe's path at the last second and instead taking the attack himself thus being cleaved in two from the head down.
Wide-eyed in shock as the Soldier selflessly allowed himself to die in protection; prosing to say a word of prayer later as a volley of Arrows embedded themselves within the slits of The Brute's helmet, the monster of a man falling backwards leaving only a river of blood pouring out from his helmet.
"These Archer's are using Barbed Arrows… destructive damage to the body but heavier to fire" Lady Cousland spoke; ripping an Arrow out from the body of a fallen man and eyeing the cruel barbed tip just as one of the Fallen Soldiers rose back from faking death: A Rogue armed with a vicious-looking Curved Dagger, "AEDEN!"
Aeden hesitated for a split second for his Mother rarely called him by his given name and always referred to him a Her Son; his mind snapping back to battle a fraction of a second too late as The Rogue's Dagger plunged into his right arm forcing him to drop his Shield from the pain and heat of his own blood dripping down his arm, gritting his teeth as he span on the pivot of his feet; a slash of steel came to his Mother's eyes as The Rogue's head slid from his body followed closely by the rest of his body hitting the floor.
"My Son… you are wounded" Lady Cousland shouted as she ran over to her Son's side; examining the wound only to realise that The Rogue hadn't struck anything major and only dealt a flesh wound but would bleed profusely thus tearing from fabric from a fallen Servant's working frock to bandage up the wound as the sounds of battle began to die down.
"It's nothing I cannot handle" Aeden stated; flinching as his Mother tightened the fabric around his arm; cursing himself for forgetting his chainmail undershirt that went with his Cured Leather Armour.
"We're almost there now… I'm sure Bryce is in the Escape Tunnel" Lady Cousland spoke again; her concerns showing more and more through her normally regal disposition where her emotions was always withdrawn instead of being on full display as she was doing now.
The Kitchen had been the source of the flames, ovens wide open until the flames had spilled out and engulfed those within the vicinity, knives and utensils had been taken up by The Elven Servants to defend themselves but had been mercilessly cut down, The Cooks were nowhere to be seen and likely had fled while The Pantry Door remained closed off.
Aeden held his Sword at the ready while Lady Cousland prepared her Bow for any enemy who might be inside; swinging the door open only to hear a gasping pained voice from a blood-soaked man laid down on the floor, "Aeden… Eleanor…".
"Father! you're alive… and wounded?!" Aeden gasped as he almost dropped his Family Sword; dropping to his knees as he grasped his Father's hand with his unarmed right.
"My Son… you survived Howe's attack? The Maker smiles upon you My Son" Bryce spoke with a groan of pain; his left hand soaked in his own blood as his grip was all that was halting his bleeding that had likely been inflicted by an unexpected blade to his stomach.
"Bryce! You're wounded… how did this happen?" Eleanor gasped her words with relief at seeing her Husband wounded but alive; she knew just by looking at his wound that his time was short but being able to share in his final moments was enough.
"Rendon Howe himself confronted me… inflicted a mortal wound before he would even speak a word" Bryce spoke of his former friend with disappointment in his voice; the very act of recounting the attack on his life caused him greater pain than his wound.
"That son of a whore… he'll pay for this atrocity" Aeden cursed Howe's very name; his mind and heart promising to drive a blade through Howe's black heart.
"Son; please do not strike in anger… do as I have taught you" Eleanor spoke; putting her hand on his Son's shoulder and instantly calming him, her hands moved to her Husband as she supported him in turning him into a sitting position against the rear wall.
Before Aeden could answer nor before he and Lady Cousland to raise Bryce to his feet or move him at all; the doors to The Pantry opened with Aeden seizing up his Family Sword and raising it to attack only to be met with the stern yet understanding expression of Ser Duncan: the very man he'd met only hours ago.
"Bryce; I returned as soon as if discovered your plight" spoke the voice of the silver-clad Warden; his Ornate Sword and Dagger dripping with blood as he stood in the doorway.
"Ser Duncan! Was it you who visited The Audience Chamber before coming here?" Aeden spoke up; stunned by the sudden return of The Grey Warden when he'd assumed he'd either fled or fallen in battle; he instantly regretted such thoughts upon hearing that he defeated a Mage singlehandedly.
"Indeed I was; however I was greatly delayed by a Mage bearing Howe's Insignia" Duncan spoke warmly; flicking the blood from his weapons before returning them to the scabbards on his back but shot a forgiving wink to Aeden as if he could read minds.
"Duncan… please… take Aeden with you so he'll survive this night" Bryce spoke hauntingly as he knew the end to his life was nigh; having earlier dismissed Aeden's request to join The Wardens but now saw it as the only way to ensure his Son would survive Howe's Invasion.
"But Father… you expressly denied my wish to go with Ser Duncan" Aeden spoke out in surprise at his Father's sudden turn; holding his tongue when his Mother's hand touched his arm.
"Aeden… please be silent" Eleanor spoke; her soft hand touching his wounded arm; her touch not giving him any pain but the warmth of a parents touch and the thought that he won't feel these sensations for a long time.
"Duncan… please promise me… if Aeden is to undergo The Joining… give him the best possible chance to survive as a favour to me" Bryce continued; hoping with all his might and remaining life that The Maker would see Aeden survive The Joining, a request that made Aeden feel a shudder down his spine.
"I shall do what I can to prepare your Son" Duncan spoke with a nod of his head; though he knew there was nothing that could be done to either increase or decrease the chances of successfully passing The Joining.
"Father… Mother…" Aeden spoke to his Parents; knowing that this would be the last time he ever saw their living faces, a single tear rolled down his right cheek as Duncan pulled him away and towards the wall where the Hidden Door was located.
"Son; you must leave with Duncan… become a Warden if you can… and if you cannot… then please, survive as best you can so our family might live on with you" Bryce spoke with his pained voice; his left hand clutching the bleeding wound in his chest while his right hand clutched Aeden's before letting go and pointing him towards the Hidden Door set into the wall.
Aeden wordlessly nodded as he rose to his feet; The Family Sword safe in his hands as he pressed a secret panel in the wall causing a dusty cloud to spill from a section of the wall as the door creaked open to his and Duncan's eyes.
"Impressive" Duncan chimed; striking his beard but had no time to appreciate the seamlessness of the door and the wall for he had no idea that the door was there a moment ago.
Wasting no time as the sounds of boots returned and became ever closer; Aeden and Duncan both entered the tunnel and pulling the door closed with a clicking sound before the sounds of The Pantry Door swung open with a mighty kick.
Aeden grit his teeth as the door closed behind him; seconds later the muffled cries of his Mother rang out before all turned silent, not even his Father made a sound as sickening laughter sounded through the hidden door, the splash of fresh blood against stone before the echoes of boots left.
"I'm sorry but we must press on" Duncan spoke; his hand pressing on Aeden's unwounded arm but the hand of a man he'd only just met felt like he'd known the man for years as his touch came as a blessed relief.
Aeden merely nodded as he tightened his grip of His Family Sword; a silent oath being mentally sworn to not only avenge the deaths of his parents, Fergus' wife and child, Elissa and Iona, but to also personally cut down and kill that treacherous swine: Rendon Howe.
