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Prologue Part 6

Malcolm followed Goliath as they walked away from the camp. He thought about what Duncan said before the old man went to look for the cave.

Malcolm handed over the elf they found to an elder elf, who he could sense, thanks to his own magic, was a mage. They left the two humans and hound alone. Duncan started to walk off. Malcolm followed asking, "Where are you going?"

Duncan stopped and turned around to face Malcolm, "I'm gonna look around that cave."

"Great. So, when are we going?"

"I'm going now. You, are gonna stay here."

"NO! I'M NOT LOSING ANYONE ELSE!"

"Malcolm." Duncan puts a hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "You're not going to lose me. I'll be back, I promise. But this is something that only a Grey Warden can do, trust me."

"How long?"

"Don't know. Just stay here, with the Dalish."

"Fine." Malcolm finally gives up, as he watches the man who saved his life goes and faces the unknown alone.

He gets pulled back into the present by some angry growling. He looked toward Goliath. His trusted hound had his ears pointed back. Malcolm felt the hairs on his neck stand up. Just as he pulled his sword and shield out, a monster, the size of a dwarf, jumped out of a bush. Maker's breath, what the hell… An arrow comes out of nowhere, and ends up in the creature's head. Malcolm turns and sees two elves, one of whom is the girl he carried to the camp. "If you were aiming at me, you could use some practice."

"If I wanted you dead, shem, that arrow would have went through your skull." Goliath growled at that. "Call off your beast, or the next one will go through a paw."

Malcolm's grip on his sword tightened. "You better rethink your words." His eyes start glowing, electricity starts to coil down his arm and up his sword.

The second elf's, who he senses is a mage, eye go wide. "By the Creators. You should not test him lethallan." She turns to Malcolm. "Are you a mage?"

"No. I'm just a human with some bad luck recently. Now if you don't mind, I would like to find a friend."

"The older Warden? We know where he is, and would like you to accompany us." The first elf looks at her. "What? With the three of us-" Bark. "Four of us, we should be able to deal with any more of those… things."

The first elf shakes her head. "Fine. Follow me then, I know where this cave is." She walks off.

Malcolm sheaths his sword, and follows. The second elf walks up to Malcolm. "If we are going to be working together, I'm Merrill. And that's Halia."

Malcolm studied the elf carefully. "Malcolm." He tilted his head towards his dog. "That's Goliath." Bark.

A few minutes have passed, since the group have left the camp. The human, Malcolm as he calls himself, has been stumbling and tripping over every root in his way. For the tenth time, Halia wondered how did this clumsy shemlen became a Grey Warden, and why the keeper told Halia to take him. Merrill, she understands why, but a clumsy human. She is starting to wish she put that arrow through his skull.

"Couldn't you find a more difficult path?"

Halia replied harshly, "This is the quickest way to the cave, if you will quit tripping over everything this would have been faster."

"Well, it seems to me that both you and the forest have it out for me."

When he mentioned the forest it just dawns on her. "Quiet."

"All I'm saying-"

"Quiet. Do you hear that?" Silence.

"I may not be a forest expert like you Dalish, but even I know that this silence is unnatural."

"Exactly." She turns to Malcolm. "You surprised me, shem. I hadn't expected such knowledge from a human."

"Thanks, I guess. I hope that had a complement in there. I ran around in the wood near…When I was young."

Halia knew there was a story in that sentence. When they continued on, she asks, "So, she—Malcolm, when did you join the Wardens?

"Never. I'm a recruit, not a full Warden yet."

That explains the lack of finesse, thought Halia. "OK. So, when and how did you become a recruit for the Wardens?

"Not more than a few weeks ago."

"And…the reason why you were chosen is…"

"NON-OF YOUR DAMN BUSSNIESS!"

Merrill pipes in, "Calm down, Malcolm. It was just a simple question."

"I know. I'm sorry, Halia, but that is something I can and only tell to people who earn the right."

"It's a…what's the word…touchy subject?"

"Exactly. And, no offense, you haven't earned the right. All I will tell you is that I owe Duncan my life."

"I…I see. Well, we're almost—"

Suddenly, three more monsters jump out of the bushes. Halia draws her Dar'Misu daggers and goes for the middle one. Malcolm barely had time to get his shield out, let alone his sword, as one of the monsters claws away on the laurel heraldry as Malcolm reached for his ever-present dagger. When he grabbed the hilt, he unsheathed it, tossed it up and grabbed it by the blade. He then pushed the creature off and threw the dagger, which got ended up in the thing's head. When he went for his sword, he saw one of the monsters on fire and watched a head rolled into a bush.

"Not bad, Malcolm, not bad," said Halia.

"Thanks, Halia." Malcolm figured that she complemented him, based on her passed behavior. "So Halia, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"By the Maker! Did you just make a joke?!" he asks sarcastically. "But seriously, I have sensed a… hostility to me, if not towards humans. Can you tell me why, so I won't take it personally."

"No. I'm sorry. It's personal."

"I understand. Let's go."

Halia lead the way. "Do you know what these things are?"

"No. But if I had to guess, I would say these things are more than likely darkspawn. I guess that is why Duncan came without me."

Merrill asks, "Why is that?"

"He told me that he was doing something that only a Grey Warden can do."

"I'm… I'm sure his fine," Halia said with uncertainty. "Here we are." In front of them was the cave. Malcolm saw a few tears start to freefall. He walks up Halia, reaching out a tentative hand out to her carefully. A second after his hand touched her shoulder, he ended up on the ground with a dagger at his neck. Goliath started to charge at Halia.

"Gîter." Goliath just watched. He turned his head to Halia. Her eyes showed no recognition. "Halia, it's me, Malcolm, the Grey Warden recruit." Tears fell on his face.

After a few eye blinks, Halia recognized what she was doing. She dropped the dagger, and stepped away. She up to a tree, and started to hit it with the bottom of her fists, crying. Malcolm got up and walked up to her. "Hey." He touched her shoulder, turning her around, and pulled her into a hug. "Hey, hey, come here."

She cried into his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Malcolm."

"It's okay…it's okay. I understand. It's…about time I gave you the story." He looked towards Goliath and Merrill, "Take a walk, please." They walked off. "I was a noble from a place called Highever from the north…"

A few minutes later. "…and since then I have vowed to bring vengeance to Howe, and I have a hard time trusting people. And I saw a familiar look in your eyes. Who did you lose here?"

Halia looked up at Malcolm, tears still falling. "My… fiancé, Tamlen."

Malcolm walked up to her, and opening his arms for her. "I'm sorry, Halia." She rushed in, a little too quickly than Malcolm expected, but he closed his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, but I promise you, we will find him. I promise."

"Thank you. I had a younger sister. She loved to meet new people. One day we set up camp near a human village, my sister went for supplies, but she never came back. As the older sister, I went to look for her. I…I (sobs) found her." She starts crying.

"What happened?"

"I…I found her tied up. (sobs) They…they raped her…I…killed them. She…she…(sobs)…made me kill her." She weeps uncontrollably.

"Oh my. I…I…I have no words. I'm sorry."

"By the Maker, what are you doing here, Malcolm?"

Both Halia and Malcolm turned their heads and saw Duncan following Merrill and Goliath.

"I found…(bark)…we found him looking at this mirror."

Duncan walked up. "I'm sorry I couldn't find him." Halia started to cry into Malcolm's chest again. "The mirror was corrupted by the Blight and I had to destroy it."

Malcolm turned his head to Duncan, "The Blight?"

"The Blight is what the darkspawn carry in their blood." Duncan turned his head towards Halia. "The same thing that corrupted the mirror and…you and this Tamlen."

Halia picked her head up at this. "Wh…What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, but you and Tamlen has been tainted. Ifthis isn't taken care of, then those tainted by the Blight, will become… ghouls. And there's only one cure for it. As the Commander of the Grey for Ferelden, I hereby extend an offer to join us. Join the Grey Wardens and you will be treated for the Blight."

"What about Tamlen?"

"I'm sorry. I saw no trace of him. I hate to say this but he's on his own."

"Is there no other way?"

"No, I'm sorry. But my offer stands. Join us."

Halia looked up at Malcolm. "I owe him my life, if he says that this is the only way, then you should join us." Malcolm let go of her, and stepped back.

Halia walked up to Duncan, who was holding a hand out. She grabbed his arm. "If you can cure me, then I will join you."

"Then we make for Ostagar, after we make a stop at the Dalish camp, so we can talk to the keeper."

They then made it back to the camp. After a few minutes of explaining the situation to the keeper, the group of four made for Ostagar.

Thank you for the patience I have been getting. I have put a survey on my homepage, if you would be kind enough, the survey was to do with the story.