Alright, hope everyone is having a good time. Big thanks to my beta and everyone who has left me reviews and sent me pms. Like I've said before, I really do enjoy hearing from everyone. I am trying to update every week. I have not mentioned this before now because I was not sure if i could keep up the pace I've been working at, but if it looks like I'm not going to make my deadline, I'll give all of you some warning... hopefully. Enjoy!
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After a day and a half of constant hiking, the group found themselves on the imperial highway approaching Lothering. Damien didn't sense any darkspawn nearby but he had the feeling that they should be cautious. His instincts had saved him multiple times before, but they had also led to the deaths of all the men that had followed him in the battle at Ostagar.
Ahead of them he could see overturned wagons blocking the highway. He knew what that meant. Bandits. It made sense. Refugees were fleeing the south in droves carrying everything of value they had to try and escape the darkspawn. Intelligent bandits might try to impersonate soldiers and take up small collections from every caravan, but from the look of things, these bandits were taking everything they could.
"Lillian, can you loan me one of your daggers?" Damien asked raising a hand to stop the group.
"Sure, but what's going on?" Lillian asked, pulling a blade from its sheath and handing it to him.
"I think there might be some highway men up a head. I want all of you to hang back," Damien said accepting the dagger from Lillian. He then turned to Alyssa. "If you don't mind Alyssa, I'd like to take Brax with me. I might be able to get more information if it looks like I'm alone, but Brax can back me up just in case."
Alyssa nodded and patted the dog on his big shoulders. "You watch each others' backs, okay?" The dog barked his acknowledgement as Damien smiled and nodded.
"Alright boy, let's go," Damien said rubbing the dog's ears.
Damien advanced on the road block slowly with Brax right next to him. It felt better having at least one dagger. He'd rather have two, but one would be fine. His magic was still weak. He would have to rely only on his skill with a blade, as limited as it was.
He could see the bandits moving into flanking positions as he got closer with three men approaching him from the front.
"Greetings friend, I'm afraid you are passing a toll area and I will need to collect 20 silvers from you," the leader said tapping the grip of the mace hanging from his belt. Damien smirked. The man's hands were not blistered or scarred from hard work. Most likely, the man had been a con-man, a two-copper swindler. The only thing that gave this man his advantage was the number of people with him, but, as with any beast, removing the head was the fastest way to kill any larger, more powerful creature.
"20 silvers huh? Seems like you're setting your sights a little low," Damien said reaching back and drawing the dagger. "Seems to me you should be asking for everything. Weapons, armor, boots, anything and everything you could take to make a little extra."
"Now is that anyway to speak," the leader started again.
"Um… boss, he don't look much like them others… maybe should let this one pass," a rather simple sounding man stammered.
"The toll applies to everyone, no exceptions," the leader replied, keeping his charming façade.
"Do you really want to do this?" Damien asked, watching the men on his flanks carefully. "You know tangling with a Grey Warden is never a good idea."
He could see the blood drain from most of the bandits' faces. He could see the fear in their eyes as he twirled the dagger in his hand.
"Grey Warden? Ain't them the ones who murdered the king?" the simple man said. Damien stopped holding his blade completely still. His heart pounded through every inch of his body.
"What did you just say?" Damien snarled through clenched teeth.
"Teyrn Loghain has put out a bounty on any Grey Warden. Looks like you might just bag us fifty sovereigns," the leader answered.
Damien's blood boiled sending flaming rage through every extremity. His grip tightened on his dagger and he attacked without another word. The blade ripped through both flesh and bone on the leader's right arm separating his hand from the rest of his body. The man screamed out in pain and shock as he tumbled backward, but Damien's attention had already turned to the man on the leader's left. Using the simple man as a spring board, Damien kicked off the man's chest and drove his dagger through the other's chest skewering his heart even through the man's armor. He ripped the blade from the man's chest and pointed the tip of the dagger at the simple man's throat.
He knew these men were not responsible for the deaths at Ostagar. He knew they were just opportunistic thieves taking advantage of a horrible situation. He understood that probably better than anyone, but to hear that Loghain called the Grey Wardens the traitors and people were believing him… the very thought boiled the blood in his veins to the point of blind rage.
He noticed quickly that Brax had locked his jaws on the boot of the simple man, but the mabari quickly released upon seeing Damien's blade pointed at the man. The dog panted happily as he stood at Damien's side waiting for orders.
"Run," the young warden hissed. He wanted more blood. He wanted to kill every last one of these bastards, but it was only sporting to give them the opportunity to save themselves. "If you ever come back here, I will hunt you down and kill you all. Drop your weapons and flee." Damien's order echoed off the stone arches and road as he watched the men on both flanks dropped every weapon they had and scurried off like frightened rabbits.
"Maker's mercy, please. Don't kill me," the leader begged from the ground doing his best to stop the bleeding from his now handless right arm. Damien knelt next to him and quickly wrapped a ripped cloth around the nub as close to the end as possible. He then took a spoke from one of the wagon wheels and made a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
"You'll need healing magic, but you'll live for now. Now, give me everything you've collected," Damien said, ripping a large piece of the fallen bandit's tunic off and tying over where the severed hand had been.
"It's all in our wagon down the ramp. We hid it behind the brush down there," the man answered still clutching his wounded arm tight to his chest.
"My thanks. Now, leave and never return. If you do, I'll kill you, and if I'm not here to do it, the darkspawn will," Damien threatened. As if to punctuate the point, Brax growled viciously as the man scrambled to his feet before sprinting away north up the highway.
"Most impressive," Morrigan said approaching him from behind.
Damien turned to see the rest of his companions all standing behind him. Lyna, Lillian, Carver, and Morrigan all looked rather impressed with his abilities, but Alyssa and Alistair looked like they had just witnesses a murder.
"Search everything and collect their weapons. They have a wagon down the ramp that we're going to commandeer. I don't know about the rest of you but I don't want to have to carry a tent, bedrolls, food, supplies, and weapons," Damien ordered handing Lillian her dagger back. He searched around and found two daggers one of the bandits dropped. They were beaten up and not very sharp, but they would be better than nothing, and he could surely find a smith in Lothering to sharpen them up.
"We heard what they said," Alyssa stated stepping to Damien's side as he picked up a massive greatsword and headed toward the ramp.
"About Loghain calling us traitors and king slayers?" Damien asked making his way down the ramp. The leader had been telling the truth. A black mare stood grazing next to a wagon packed full with the gang's loot.
"Yes, and I was wondering what we should do about it. The teyrn is respected throughout Fereldan. People would believe just about anything he said," Alyssa stated as Damien slipped the large sword into the wagon, making sure not to damage anything inside.
"We'll have to lay low for a little while and probably hide our warden armor. Let's see if they confiscated anything that might fit us," Damien said climbing up into the wagon. He hated the idea of taking off the blue and silver armor. It fit perfectly and kept him warm. Not to mention it was a simple matter of pride. He felt truly satisfied identifying himself as a Grey Warden. He sighed as he pulled a bag of clothes that looked like they would fit them pretty well.
"Damien!" Alistair shouted from the road. The young warden leapt out of the wagon and sprinted up the ramp to find Alistair standing over the body of a knight; the coat of arms on the man's shield announcing that he was a knight of Redcliffe.
"Damn those bastards to the Fade," Alistair cussed kneeling beside the body.
"He's long dead Alistair. Gather his armor and any personal effects he might have. Maybe when we go see Arl Eamon, we can find his family," Damien said as his fingers tugged at his scarf and wrapped around the wooden pendant around his neck. If the knight had family, it was the least they could do since they were headed that way anyway.
Damien turned back down the ramp but Alistair grabbed his arm. "Wait, we can't just leave him."
"Alistair, we can't take the body with us. I'm sorry but that's the way it is. Take what's useful and any personal items his family might want and keep moving," Damien stated coldly. He knew Alistair wouldn't like that, but that was the reality they were in. The dead had to be left where they fell.
"We can't just leave him!" Alistair exclaimed.
"Yes we can. I know you want to take care of this man but we can't," Damien snapped. Alistair stopped and wet his lips looking down at the corpse. Damien could see there was something else behind his desire to care for the fallen knight's body.
"We left so many Wardens on the field at Ostagar, and they… their bodies will never be laid to rest with the honor they deserve. The very least we could so if give this man a pyre… for all of them. For the Wardens," Alistair said quietly.
Damien sighed. He could see how that would be more comforting to Alistair but did they really have time? He didn't get to honor his friends in Highever either. Maybe this would help him lay them to rest too? Surely they could make the time to give all of them the peace they desperately needed.
"For the Wardens and all the others who have lost their lives," Damien said looking over at Alyssa and Lyna. The two women nodded. Damien knew they wanted to pay their respects to their fallen comrades in the wardens as well as those they had lost before they joined up. Lyna having to leave her clan and Alyssa losing her home and her family.
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Damien stood with his comrades around the funeral pyre. He sighed as his right hand clutched both his scarf and his wooden pendant. The chantry had been kind enough to help them with the pyre and say the chant over the man as they laid him to rest. They offered the service as payment for them running the bandits off.
"Lockey, Heness, Griggs, Duncan, everyone we lost at Ostagar, I don't want to lose anyone else. If Loghain says the Grey Wardens are traitors, we're going to have to be very careful," Damien whispered to Lyna.
"What are you thinking?" she answered.
"First, our armor. We should keep it in the wagon for the time being and find new armor we can use. Those bandits may have been criminals but most of the stuff in that wagon could fetch a good enough price for us to get everyone less conspicuous armor," Damien said tapping the griffon on his chest.
"And second?"
"Food. I'm sure you, Alyssa, and Alistair are just as hungry as I am," Damien answered. Lyna smiled and nodded her agreement as Lillian and Carver approached them.
"Damien, we were talking about it and we decided that we need to leave. The horde will be here soon and the seven of us can't defend this place. We are going to get our mother and sister then head north," Lillian stated.
"I don't blame you, Hawke. You're not a Warden and Family comes first. Once we're resupplied, we'll be headed back to Ostagar for the Warden treaties. I wish you would stay, we could use the help, but I understand why you can't," Damien said.
"Oh, we're not leaving yet. We'll stick with you until you leave for Ostagar. Most of the merchants and smiths around town know us and we should be able to get you some good equipment," Carver explained.
"We appreciate that," Lyna said keeping her eyes on the flaming pyre.
"Why don't you two head home for now and let your family know you're alive? We'll see what we can sell around town and meet you back here at the Chantry," Damien said placing a hand on his friends' shoulders.
"No, no, you are coming to our farm for supper tonight. It's on the edge of the village on the other side of the north creek, past the windmill," Lillian demanded. "We'll stick with you until then."
"Thanks. So, where should we head first?" Damien asked heading back toward their new wagon.
"Well, if what those bandits told you is true, you'll want to go see Old Man Morray. He's the best armor smith in town. Works miracles with steel, but he's just okay with leather armor," Carver said pointing to a small smithy down the road.
"Is there anyone else that works leather?" Damien asked.
"What about Angelic? She's a seamstress. I got my armor from her," Lillian said.
"Sounds good to me, but first we need to trade some of the extra goods in the wagon for some coin. I doubt we have enough to buy new armor for each of us," Damien said climbing up into the wagon to search through everything.
"Looks like there's a merchant over there arguing with Sister Sophia," Carver replied pointing back toward the chantry.
"Why not just take what you need? Tis a Blight after all," Morrigan said stepping out from behind the wagon. Damien's hand flashed to the blade in his boot upon hearing the statement but relaxed the moment he realized it was her.
"Maker's breath Morrigan, how'd you get to be so quiet?" Damien asked.
"Tis simple, I lived in the Wilds. Silence is key to survival," Morrigan responded vaguely. Damien nodded his agreement and chuckled.
"Well, I don't want to attract much attention. Besides, people work better when they are getting something out of it," Damien responded. "I'm sure you learned that even in the Wilds."
"Tis true, I suppose."
Damien continued to dig through the wagon and found several rugs, a roll of silk, some jewelry, and a loose ruby. Just the jewelry and ruby should be enough to get them the armor they needed, but the rugs and silk could commission him a new set of daggers and buy a week's worth of food. Of course they would also need tents and bedrolls, but those he might be able to buy with the small coin purse he had on him during the battle.
"Alright, Morrigan, can you keep an eye on the wagon for us while we get what we need? I think it might be a good idea for you to keep your distance from the templars. I don't want to have to explain why you killed all of them," Damien said. He knew how powerful Morrigan was and it would be far too easy for her to kill the last remaining templars in Lothering.
"I am glad you see they would be powerless against me. Very well, I shall watch over the wagon," she said before turning and heading up to the front to stroke the horse's smooth face.
"Carver, once we get the money from the merchant, I want you to take Alyssa and Alistair over to your smith friend. Lyna and I will follow Lillian to the seamstress," Damien said handing Carver a few of the rugs to carry.
"Works for me," Carver replied lifting the massive roll of fabric onto his shoulder. Damien handed the silk to Lillian and the gem and jewelry to Lyna before picking what remained of the rugs. He hoped that no one would recognize the armor he and his companions had on before they had a chance to change.
As the four approached the merchant with their goods, Damien could hear the argument between the Chantry sister and the man running the cart. Apparently, the man was charging too much for basic necessities to the people who were too desperate to care how much it cost.
"You there, care to make a few silvers?" the merchant shouted looking over at Damien and his group.
"Depends on the job," Damien answered setting the rugs down.
"I'll pay you fifty silvers if you run this wench off and keep her away," the merchant declared.
Damien cocked his head to the side. This scumbag had the gall to ask him to do something so malicious… Oh, he was going to pay. Damien took a quick breath. Beating the man within an inch of his life would do nothing, but getting money from him for their goods would help him and his group. Besides, if this man was doing what the sister accused him off, one thief certainly deserves to get robbed by another.
"Look, the refugees are desperate, and I get you're just trying to make a living, but don't you think you're being a little bit excessive. Just charge what you would normally and your reputation will improve around town which will bring in more customers and make more money. Trust me, it's sound business," Damien said. The merchant rubbed his chin and nodded before looking over at the sister.
"Fine, fine, as long as you agree I can charge something," the merchant said.
"As long as it does not impoverish the needy," the sister replied. She then turned to Damien and bowed. "You have my thanks stranger. Maker keep you."
"And you sister." Damien bowed in response before turning back to the merchant. "Okay, I was hoping to get something for the goods I brought. The rugs will sell for a sovereign a piece in Denerim," Damien started.
The merchant and Damien haggled back and forth for ten minutes over the price of their goods but they ended up agreeing on five sovereigns for everything. With the money they already had, it would be more than enough to outfit the wardens with new armor and buy new tents and bedrolls for all of them. But there was something he still had to do, he had to get back at the man for his insolence toward the Chantry sister. Using his magic he reached out from the other side of the wagon and pulled his purse off his belt and levitated it toward him under the cart. He smirked as the purse slipped into his hand.
"That was sneaky," Lyna said smiling.
"And impressive," Lillian added as the four of them made their way back to the wagon. Damien opened the purse and examined the contents. The man had nearly thirty sovereigns worth of coins. More money than Damien had ever seen in his life. They could buy plenty of supplies, weapons, armor, and even horses with that money.