Dragon Age Origins: A Grey Wardens Tale.
Chapter 7: Road To Ostagar.
The sun set basking the rolling plains of Ferelden in the sunset's orange glow; the roads leading to the North, East and West of Felerden all met at the sleepy little village of Lothering, a small village sitting on the central crossroads leading to all of Ferelden, its only notable buildings being that of its Tavern and its Chantry sitting at the two tallest and largest buildings apart from the various homes and farm houses.
"We'll stop here to feed and water the horses; they need rest as much as we do" Duncan as he dropped from his grey-haired horse; deciding upon a rest site besides a river where the horses could drink and graze in the fields outside of Lothering.
"Didn't you say during the travels that others were joining us?" Aeden spoke as he slid off his white-haired horse; allowing the animal to drink and graze to its hearts content.
"Yes I did; my compatriots went to seek out Recruits from The Circle of Magi and Denerim, sadly The Dalish and Orzammar were not an option" Duncan spoke solemnly; giving Aeden a look of sternness when mentioned those location where The Grey Wardens had failed to secure a Recruit.
"What about Redcliffe?" Aeden asked upon noticing that Duncan had left one another key location in Ferelden; the very town that King Maric had stayed in and made his home prior to claiming the throne at the end of the last great war.
"We've already recruited a man from Redcliffe and he'll be joining us soon; what matters is preparing a hearty meal for us all" Duncan spoke as he glanced at the horizon but saw nobody coming; feeling a call of nature as he moved behind the trees leaving Aeden alone.
Aeden sat in wait as Duncan vanished to do his business leaving him alone; taking the time to gather stones and sticks from underneath a tall tree in order to start a fire, upon striking two flint stones together and starting a fire Aeden was approached by an family of Elves: a clearly malnourished man while his wife and daughter looked as if they'd not eaten for some time but clearly having eaten more than the man did, digging into his underclothes' pockets and producing ten silvers for the starving family.
"Thank you Ser… with this we can all eat today" spoke the elvish woman; a smile of happiness spreading across her face as she held her young daughter close before leaving to find some hot food and clean water.
"Just don't use it all at once" Aeden spoke carefully so the family would hear him; he dearly hoped that that family wouldn't spend everything in one go and use the coin wisely but given how hungry they were they'd most likely buy as much food as they could carry.
"That was a kind thing you did; giving those coins to those more needy" Spoke a voice from behind Aeden; the voice accompanied by not only the sounds of hooves but also the wheels of a wagon coming to a halt followed by feet crunching the dirt underfoot.
"I'm sorry… who are you?" Aeden asked as he turned his head; not noticing the Silver Griffon emblem emblazoned in his Armour until after he had already spoken.
"I apologise, I'm Ser Claude of The Grey Wardens… and you are?" spoke the Warden; his smile beaming towards the young man waiting by a lit fire, his bald head and dark circled eyes standing out amongst his facial features.
"Claude! Good to see you were successful" Duncan called out as he returned from his nature's call; his gloved hands clasping Claude's, the two Wardens smiling to see the other was still alive
"Duncan! I assume this charitable lad is yours?" Ser Claude spoke up; his eye spying Aeden and grinning after bearing witness to his act of kindness, his line of sight quickly shifting to the auburn-haired Elf: Kallian of whom stared at him.
Aeden remained by his freshly-lit fire as Claude and Duncan caught up on the events they'd been witness to and sharing the identities of their Recruits though Aeden overheard the name Valendrian dropped a few times, his eyes glancing over to the two Recruits taking a seat by his fire.
"Greetings; Daveth is the name and pickpocketing is my game… oh and a word of warning; don't talk to her about anything!" Spoke the male recruit who'd leapt from the wagon first; his waving brown-haired locks and slight beard lined his wide smile, Aeden would have instantly saw through him if he hadn't announced himself as a pickpocket.
Aeden glanced over Daveth's shoulder towards a red-haired Elf dressed in a simple ragged white dress, in her arms was held a bundle of white and red rags as she too stared at him only her eyes felt more hostile than as friendly as Daveth was.
"We had to stop and get her something else to wear once we were out of Denerim; she was in this blood-soaked wedding dress and she would have frozen to death if she didn't change" Daveth spoke without realising that Kallian was shooting him with a death glare; her clearly cheaply bought dress was full of holes and tears that left her left shoulders bare as well as her right leg.
Aeden looked to the Elf with pity in his eyes before she caught his eyes and sneered in his direction, "I see your Family Crest you damned Noble! No matter who you are… I won't let you anywhere near me!"
"Sorry… didn't mean anything" Aeden gave a bow of his head in apology; having been raised as a Noble and with his high social standing he was in fact above Kallian and Daveth but with everything he'd known burnt and destroyed he now considered himself no different than any other person in the country.
Kallian sat down on the ground on the opposing side to Aeden; her green eyes staring daggers towards Aeden as she'd known he was a Noble simply by spotting the Cousland Family Crest on his Shield, though she'd witnessed his act of giving his few coins to a starving family but it did little to change her opinion of Nobles.
"Kallian; you'd do well to being more open to these men as they may be your companions in the near future, not all Nobles are as cruel-natured as Vaughn Kendells" Duncan spoke; his words catching Kallian's attention by his calming tone of voice, Duncan had years of experience in calming tempered recruits and knew that Kallian would likely warm-up to Aeden once she knew him better.
"Wait… you killed Vaughan Kendells? Was that why you were so drenched in blood?" Daveth spluttered water from his lips as he spoke and drank at the same time; dumbstruck that that was the reason Kallian had been soaked with blood and why she was about to be executed prior to her recruitment.
Kallian gave a brief nod of her head; refusing to so much as speak in the presence of Aeden Cousland even if Duncan had spoken on how Men were not all the same, he was just another Noble and a male at that to her.
"If I might speak honestly… that guy was a sack of rotten crap and I would have killed him myself if I'd had the chance" Aeden spoke honestly; sharing his thoughts of the deceased Noble but noticed that Kallian's hostile expression did not change.
"Your words does little to sway my feelings towards you high class Humans" Kallian practically spat her words in Aeden's face before raising her right hand and slapping him hard across the face as if she'd caught him doing something inappropriate.
"Warned you…" Daveth muttered to himself; holding up his hands to the warmth of the fire while ignoring Kallian as she sat down too to warm herself but kept away from Aeden and/or Daveth.
"My my… what do we have here? Two Grey Wardens and their Recruits" spoke a woman with long black hair and dressed in silver Battlemage vestments; sliding off the saddle of her ebony-haired horse along with another woman whom also appeared to be a Mage only she was huddled under a heavy travelling cloak.
"Ser Dalila; I take it you were successful?" Claude spoke as soon as Dalila came into view; his eye quickly shifting to The Mage slipping off the Horse's back alongside Dalila.
"In fact I was; and believe it or not this Mage actually volunteered to come with me" Dalila spoke proudly as she ushered Neria to the forefront; pulling the hood down from over Neria's head revealing her pointed ears poking out through her sleek brown hair but The Wardens noticed her own Staff more than the fact she was an Elf.
"An actual volunteer?! And a Mage no less? Did Gregor give a huge hissy like when we conscripted those Templars?" Claude felt shocked that a Mage volunteered to be recruited; out of all the Mages they'd recruited he'd never heard of such an occurrence.
"No; he had other concerns regarding a runaway Blood Mage… introduce yourself my girl"
"Hello everyone; I'm Neria Surana of The Circle of Magi" Neria spoke shyly; faced with two new and armed men stood with eyes that carefully examined her, Neria's attention moved to the two men and a woman sitting by a warm fire.
"Nice to meet you; I'm Daveth" Daveth spoke up; standing and inviting Neria to join them by the fire; Neria happily walking over and joining them by sitting in-between Daveth and Aeden.
"And I'm Aeden Cousland" Aeden stood up to introduce himself as soon as he laid eyes upon the Elven Mage standing before him; something picked at his mind like he'd met her once before but couldn't quite place her, sitting back down but keeping his eyes on Neria in hopes his memory might come back to him.
"We are only waiting for Ser Jory: a knight in service to Arl Eamon whose accepted the invitation to become a Grey Warden, once he has arrived we shall make for Ostagar with haste" Duncan spoke as he brought back a pot full of stew only to set it over the crackling fire to heat up, Neria twirling her hand as invoked the flames to pick up and become stronger much to the amazement of Aeden and Daveth, as the stew heated up The Wardens spotted a slightly chubby man with a balding head walk towards the camp only for Duncan to acknowledge him as Ser Jory: their final recruit.
"Now that all our Recruits have gathered! let us enjoy a Nug meat stew and sacks of clean water" Duncan called out; spooning out generous amounts of the Nug Stew into bowls alongside full water sacks; enough to feed the bellies of everyone present for the remainder of their journey.
Aeden glanced down at the meagre meal having been used to large plates full of food but he'd bear with it now that his past life was gone he'd have to get used to the small portions and the likely event of scavenging for food, dipping his spoon into the stew and sipping at the broth and finding it oddly pleasing.
"This tastes great!" Neria squealed loudly after tasting her first spoonful of the stew; her pink lips curling into a wide smile at the sweet tender taste of actual meat.
"How? Nug meat is so plain and tasteless" Daveth spoke up with a stunned expression; questioning how Neria found something as common as meat from a common Nug to be so delicious.
"In The Circle meat is exclusively served to The Templars while us Mages are given bread, cheese, vegetables and fruit, so to me this so-called plain meat is delicious" Neria explained as well as recounted her initial disappointment as when she was a child on her first day within The Circle's walls; she'd spied the meat being prepared by Elf Servants only to have been served with just a plate of vegetables with bread and water while The Templars had their fill of meat and wine.
"Maker… I never knew that Mages had it so hard" Daveth spoke; regretting his questions now that he heard Neria's story and heard how downtrodden and depressing her childhood had been.
"You know… its hearing how something that is so simple being enjoyed by others that really brings out a newfound appreciation" Aeden spoke; digging into another spoonful of Nug Stew and finding a whole new taste to the meal, his shared thoughts resonating with both Daveth and Jory as they too discovered a whole new taste to Nug Stew after hearing Neria's story.
Kallian remained quiet as she too ate the stew with enjoyed taste when in Denerim she could rarely afford to buy fresh meat and had to settle for scavenging spoiled toss-outs from The Butcher's Shop; staring at Aeden's and Neria's cheerful dialogue as if seeing a Human and an Elf get along so well at their first meeting was unnatural and improper after growing up in The Alienage and serving Humans every need once she became old enough to work even though she'd seen Valendrian speak friendlily with Humans throughout her childhood.
"Its nice to see our Recruits getting along so well… even though the auburn-haired Elf seems rather bitter towards that young Noble… what happened with her again?" Dalila spoke as she tucked into a bowl of stew herself; eager to her the stories behind Kallian and Aeden.
Claude recounted everything he'd been witness to in The Alienage; the stunning beauty of Kallian in her wedding dress, Vaughan Kendells crashing the ceremony, assaulting The Revered Mother and kidnapping Kallian along with several other women while wounding the Groom, and then finding Kallian again on an executioners stand before stepping in and conscripting her.
"Andraste above… the girl has seen the terrors of Human Nature and she survived, and I thought Neria's friend betraying everyone around him by being a Blood Mage"
"It appears most of our Recruits have something in common… a sense of loss" Duncan muttered; disapproving of the imminent gossiping between the Senior Wardens, his own thoughts turning to how Jory had left behind a wife and child; two things he'd never had been blessed with in all his years of being The Warden Commander.
"Didn't we send an envoy to The Dalish Clans a month ago to request a recruit?" Claude spoke lowly so not to be overheard and end the friendly merriment between the Recruits with the exception of Kallian's wilful exclusion of herself.
"Yes we did; the envoy never returned" Duncan spoke lowly too; also not wishing to interrupt The Recruits, a frown forming from behind his beard as he revealed the loss of a Warden to a mission to recruit a Dalish Elf.
"That is saddening to hear; who knows what horrors sleep within The Brecilian Forest" Dalila spoke with a tone of regret; she had volunteered to take that mission herself but instead had gone to The Circle Tower.
"I have heard that two Clans had been seen settling there but no word comes from those cursed woods" Claude spoke glumly; having passed by The Brecilian Forest one his way to and from Denerim and had heard the whispers from a pair of travelling Dwarf Merchants.
"Everyone! How about a small game of chance?" shouted the voice of Daveth; the sounds of bowls and spoons being set down as attention was widely drawn to him.
I'm game" Jory chimed in; having enjoyed simple gambling gamed and having won enough money to marry his wife thanks to such games thus he believed strongly in his luck.
"Would you care to join us?" Daveth spoke up once he'd finished his stew catching the attention of all in attendance though he aimed his words to Kallian; a cheerful grin on his face as he produced three six-sided dice from his under-armour clothes to begin a friendly gambling game.
I don't think so… I have nothing to bet" Kallian spoke dismissively towards Daveth's invitation though she'd only given a half-truth as she'd kept the ring Nelaros had given her for their engagement only she now wore it on a string around her neck rather than on her finger.
"Oh there's no need! We're just going to roll for this!" Daveth spoke up; pulling a water sack from the bag on his hip, the sack swishing and sloshing with a full content of clean water waiting to be drunk; both Jory and Kallian looking to the sack with thirst.
"Oh I'm in!" Jory spoke; getting into the spirit of the game while Aeden and Neria sat to one side by the fire content to merely watch the game while The Three Wardens each had their own water sacks to drink from but looked amused by the interactions of their recruits.
"Alright fine! I'm in! you humans are going to regret this" Kallian spoke with the first genuine excitement since she'd arrived at the camp site; taking one of the three dice while Daveth and Jory took a single dice each.
"Win Conditions are highest Roll and then lowest roll to decide the winner of the water sack, and if the two numbers sum up to ten or higher then you forfeit the game!" Daveth spoke with a sly smirk crossing his lips; it was his favourite game to play.
"Whoa… high stakes" Jory muttered; having little to bet that was equal to a full water sack except for the few coins he had to his name put still put the coin bag down as a bet for both himself and Kallian.
"Hey! You agreed to the game! And you've placed a bet" Daveth spoke with another grin; spying at least fifty silvers within the pouch thanks to his thieving eyes
"Just hurry up and roll" Kallian snapped; shaking the dice in her hand in hopes of getting a fair roll.
Aeden and Neria watched with keen interest as the three dice were rolled, Daveth rolling a lucky six while Jory rolled a meagre two and Kallian an even five.
"Daveth… you need to roll carefully" Neria spoke; her mind tempting her to use her Magic to ensure one of the men lost and Kallian would win but shook the temptation away as the trio picked up their dice again to roll again.
Aeden held his breath as the dice rolled across the ground; the only sounds that of the dice rolling and the crackling flames of the fire, even The Wardens gathered to bear witness to the ending of the game.
Daveth groaning in apparent agony as he rolled a five making his total eleven and his chances of winning dashed away, Kallian muttering in frustration as she rolled another five matching her first roll and meeting the forfeit ruling leaving Jory as the winner as he rolled a four to accompany his two.
"Congratulations Ser Jory; your luck is high on this night" Duncan spoke up; a cheerful grin curling behind his dark-greying beard, his eyes beaming with pride as the recruits had enjoyed a simple game of chance as well as their simple yet enjoyable meal.
"Maker… damn you" Kallian muttered to herself in frustration after believing she was going to win and show the Humans up as losers.
"Fortune runs in my favour; well then… to the glory of defeating The Blight" Jory stood up upon taking his prize and toasting his desire: glory as he drank from the water sack in front of the game's losers while The Three Wardens gazed at Jory in surprise at his chosen words.
"Come now; the horses are watered and fed! We must continue on if we are to make it back to Ostagar by dawn" Duncan clapped his hands and announced that they'd been departing soon, Aeden kicked some dirt over his fire hence extinguishing it while Daveth and Kallian made their way back to the wagon while Claude and Dalila drew the horses back and harnessed the black-haired horse back to the wagon.
The Horse-Drawn Wagon where Kallian and Daveth sat glanced to their empty seats as Neria climbed into the wagon with a wide smile in a pleased gesture to not be the only Elf or the only Woman amongst the Recruits.
"Mind if I ride with you both?" Neria asked as soon as she'd planted her butt on the wooden seat of the wagon after having travelled from The Circle Tower to the rendezvous point on the same horse as Ser Dalila.
"Sure; I don't see why not; just don't go turning me into a toad" Daveth spoke with a laugh but couldn't hide the nervous sweat breaking out across his brow as Neria had taken a seat right next to him; her sweet innocent smile beaming at him but a slight blush filled her cheeks as she gazed at a non-magically skilled man.
Kallian merely sat in silence while Neria laughed off Daveth's remarks; her eyes darting to Ser Jory and Aeden as they sat in the saddles of their horses alongside Ser's Duncan and Dalila while Ser Claude took up the driver's seat of the wagon.
"No time to go back for anything you've left behind; we must leave Lothering now if we want to arrive at Ostagar by sundown" Duncan called out; having mounted his own horse: a grey-haired steed whinnied and huffed after a short drink and graze, taking the lead with Dalila, Aeden and Jory by his side and Claude driving his wagon in the rear.
Aeden gazed out upon the villagers as their horses slowly trotted through the small village; his eyes spotting the family of Elves he'd given his silvers to and gave them a wave of his hand and the family in turn waved back to him as they carried a large basket of food and water between them, Aeden felt a great swell of pride in them as they soon vanished from view.
"I just want to say… you did a good thing for that family" Dalila spoke; her green eyes eyeing him up as she brushed her black hair out from her face, an action that Aeden smiled about though more on his charitable act rather than the pass Dalila had made.
Claude glanced over his shoulder as they passed a trio of black-haired triplets, a woman with a Staff, and two men: one with a large Two-Handed Broadsword and another with a pair of Knives: the trio gazing at they left Lothering behind and entered the muddy marshlands of The Kocari Wilds.
Barely past an hour into their travels through The Kocari Wilds; every caw of the birds flying overheard or rustle of leaves under the hooves of the horses was met with an on-guard reaction from each Recruit, Aeden's sword-hand twitched, Ser Jory's eyes darted nervously, Daveth kept his Bow in-hand as well as an Arrow nocked, Kallian merely watched as she was unarmed.
Neria spied a black-feathered Crow with amber eyes glaring at them; she'd spotted the same bird multiple times since arriving in The Wilds but passed it off as just another bird, "Ser Dalila; is that kind of Crow a common sight in The Wilds?".
"You can talk to the other Recuits Neria… not just me since we are both Mages, but no; that is unusual" Dalila spoke with a cheerful tone; her own eyes spotting the strange Crow before it flew off into the distance and vanished in the thicket of trees.
Jory and Daveth both glanced to one another upon overhearing the strange Crow following them; both having been aware of a supposed Apostate that had been named in legends and myths as The Witch of The Wilds that lived within this region of Ferelden but spoke no word of the rumour to those around them for the duration of their travels.
Kallian remained quiet as she rode in the wagon but ignoring the woody marshlands around her; opting to sit in the seat closest to Ser Claude and his giant Axe, her fingers circling the simple ring hanging around her neck; a band of silver that had been dulled by the dirt and dried animal blood from Kallian's hands through her messy work in The Butcher's Shop but to her might may well have been priceless as it was all she had left of Nelaros besides her memories.
With the orange glow of the dawning sun breaking over the tall trees of The Kocari Wilds; the path gave away to a wide gorge with a stone bridge built leading to a tall Fortress standing in the very core of The Wilds, a formidable structure despite its age and crumbling appearance it still flocked with life by the sounds of soldiers training and the multiple banners flying high in the skies above.
"There it is… Ostagar, the site where The Fifth Blight will begin and end" Duncan spoke; his voice sombre as he gazed out upon the battlements lining the ramparts of Ostagar alongside Claude and Dalila, The Tower of Ishal looming as the highest tower within the weathered fortress.
"Where my Brother waits…" Aeden spoke to himself; his eyes only seeing the Fortress as the location of his only remaining family.
"My new life begins here" Neria spoke quietly; excited to prove herself in The Joining and became a Warden.
Kallian was the only one of the five besides Jory and Daveth to traverse the bridge without speaking; her expression one of resolution as she entered The Fortress alongside her fellow Recruits; eager to begin their Joining Rites.
