9:28 Drakonis/March 13th
"You have not been able to increase your stamina in these two weeks." Eren commented as I completed my third lap around the castle grounds. I tried not to puke like the first few times.
"I feel…like…I'm dying…" I wheezed out. I coughed again.
"You should be grateful that I am not making you run in your armor." Eren chuckled evilly.
"It came in?" I wondered, wiping my brow. Eren gave me a water skin and I drank like my life depended on it.
"Early this morning. The smithy came in early this morning to deliver it." Eren took the water skin. We went earlier in the week to take my measurements. Eren called me fat. I stomped on his foot for that.
"So…are you going to make me-" I started.
"Run laps with it on? Most likely but first we need to build your stamina. Summer is coming and I can't have you dying of heat stroke." Eren scoffed. I rolled my eyes.
"Hey, I have a question." I said.
"When do you not?" Eren huffed.
"Why do you talk so informally outside of the castle and then switch when you're back?" I wondered. Eren motioned with his head and I followed him toward the barracks.
"It's natural for me to switch to formal talk around the castle but within the guard it's different. They don't see me as the son of Bryce Cousland but my own man. I have earned their respect." Eren explained.
"And lost a lot of it because of your womanizing." I added. Eren glared at me and flicked my head. "Ow!"
"That is beside the point." Eren murmured.
"Um I think it's all the point. It's the reason why I'm here remember?" I said. Eren sighed.
"The reason why you're here is not solely because of that reason. There is another." Eren added.
"What?" I asked. We reached the barracks and it was an onslaught of activity, guards taking breaks, switching rotations, clocking in, and all that jazz.
"Of that I am not sure." Eren sighed and grabbed a box and pushed it over to me. "I still don't understand why my parents asked you to be a caretaker." Eren mumbled. I looked into the contents and it was the armor he ordered, the plain chainmail with the Highever symbol on the breastplate.
"I'm still writing the reports for your dad and telling him everything we go through. I got chewed out for that mage incident even if he did praise you." I explained, getting a glove and realized that it was extremely heavy.
"Good afternoon Captain." A few more guards passing us by. One gave a snicker when he saw me. I frowned and looked away. Eren grabbed the box and motion for me to follow him. We went inside an empty room where he grabbed a few clothes and put them on the desk with the box next to them.
"Put on the clothes and I'll show you how to put on your armor." Eren said. I had a silent moment and stared at him.
"In front of you?" I wondered.
"Yes. Where else?" Eren said bluntly.
"Geez, no decency huh? Turn around!" I snapped. Eren rolled his eyes and turned.
"It's not like you have anything to show." Eren mumbled. I threw one of the gloves at his back and he did a groan of pain. The clothes were plain but tight fitting, long sleeved shirt and leggings. I put on my socks and huffed.
"Alright I'm done." I said. Eren turned around and looked up and down before nodding. He grabbed the glove I threw at him.
"Put it on. The finger slots are here." Eren instructed me through every step and strap that I had to tighten. There was a reason for my tight clothes. It avoids bunching in certain areas and allows for a comfier fit. After I was done, I couldn't even move properly. It was almost like being in water with all my movements slowed down.
"Ugh…this thing weighs a ton…" I grumbled.
"Not as much, though for someone as inexperienced as you, it might as well be." Eren smirked. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Follow me, if you can."
"Yeah, yeah stop your pompous grinning or I'll kick your ass." I grunted in strain as I tried to walk in the armor.
"Such language is unbecoming on a young lady such as yourself." Eren laughed. We went out of the barracks.
"Screw you." I mumbled, very much liking for this day to be over.
"Many have." Eren commented. I rolled my eyes.
9:28 Drakonis/March 29th
I landed in a heap on the ground. The armor made it very uncomfortable but my body was feeling so exhausted it didn't care. I looked at the pink sky as dusk was settling into night. My hair was stuck to my temple from the sweat and my pants turned into coughs.
"Please don't yack. It would be the first time in three days." Eren commented, throwing the water skin on top of my head. It felt pleasing and cool.
"Oh that feels good." I moaned, pressing the water skin on my eyes. Eren sat next to me on the ground.
"Two laps around the castle. You are getting better." Eren said.
"Jesus, only two? It felt like a hundred…" I struggled to get up and Eren helped me. I greedily gulped down the water until there was nothing left. "So how long until I get used to this?"
"It will take time. You're so weak." Eren chuckled. I kicked his foot.
"Jerk." I rolled my eyes.
"You should be grateful that I am training you. Many have flocked to be my squire." Eren said haughtily. I rolled my eyes
"It's not that I'm grateful but I am going to complain." I stuck my tongue out. Eren gave me an irritated glare. "What? Did I get at your enormous ego?"
"Just because you've proven more than an occasional nuisance doesn't mean that you should still disobey me." Eren mumbled.
"I follow your orders and stuff when you train me. It's the other half I really don't like dealing with. You actually act like a normal person when you're training me. Then you get this look where it looks like you're a dog in a prideful stance and you want me to tell you good boy." I explained. Eren coughed.
"What?" Eren asked.
"That's how you look like to me. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean that I'm going to praise you every single time. I'm giving you my thanks for the training by following it. You could at least drop the whole 'I'm still better than you,' thing." I shrugged.
"That's because..." Eren started before sulking again. I rolled my eyes and I sighed as night settled. The wind was cold in the night. Eren and I had a silent moment as I gathered the strength to go back to the castle. He seemed to be almost lost in thought.
"I have to be prideful of the things I earn." Eren said quietly. "I am the son of a Teryn. I was raised to be fit for a king. I schooled under scholars, trained with elite soldiers, and I managed everything with my will. I became Captain of the Guard with my skills, I have won tournaments and women throw themselves at me. Why shouldn't I be proud of what I have done?" Eren asked.
"It's one thing to be happy with the things you've done. It's another where you let that pride get to you and you start thinking that you're better than everyone. Does a King think solely of himself and let's his people die in front of me because of pride? Because if he does, he isn't a good king." I replied. Eren bit his lip.
"I hate to admit it but you have a point." Eren mumbled. I beamed. "Oh don't look so cheerful, it's disgusting." Eren glared. I laughed.
"At least I got through that thick skull of yours and have eased the giant stick up your ass." I added. I was holding my ribs from laughing so much.
"That's a very pleasant picture." Eren said sarcastically. "Well, that's enough rest for today. Let's go back in the castle." Eren got up. I struggled to sit up and he gave me his hand so I could stand up. We went through the castle gates and Eren ruffled my hair before going toward his room. I went to my own and took off my armor. It was easier to breathe without it on. I stretched out my aching muscles and went to write my report for Bryce and to review the letters for Oriana. As tired as I was, I had a job to do and I had to do it well.
9:28 Cloudreach/April 14th
"Your reports of his behavior for the past month have been very consistent. I have seen a massive change in my son thanks to your guidance." Bryce commented, reading my reports. I bowed or tried to. I was afraid that if I bowed for real, I would end up on the floor thanks to the armor.
"I try my best my lord." I said politely. He nodded. I noticed that his study was very different from Eleanor's and Oriana's. It's to be expected from a war veteran though. There were various weapons that weren't of Fereldan make, stuffed heads that I couldn't recognized, and even a portrait that had utilized real drake scales.
"I am pleased to see these changes in my son and in you Nia." Bryce folded his hands on his desk after putting down my reports.
"My lord?" I wondered.
"The very act of taking a sword to protect him has garnered my respect. I hope you will do your best to take care of my child." Bryce nodded. I gulped and bowed again. "Considering his behavior has improved, I will only need monthly reports instead of weekly. You may leave." I saluted him and walked out. I let out the breath that I've been holding and rolled my shoulders. Bryce was a very intimidating man.
The warm wind blew as I walked from the study and out into the open courtyard of the castle. Today was my day off and I didn't know what to do. I ended up back in my room writing a letter to Rael again. There was another incident in the Alienage from what he told me. Things are getting worse. I try to give him as much as my pay as I could. He got mad and told me that I should have kept it for myself. He's still very grateful for what I send him though.
I really wished that I could see him again. Hanging out with the guard was fun but I know they still looked down on me since I haven't gotten much experience. I was a green horn to them who have been training since they were young boys. I played with my ring again. The loneliness was still there but I was dealing with it the best that I could. In four months, I would have already been here for a year now.
The questions burned at the back of my mind and I wondered about my family. I couldn't think too much about them though. I was trying to do everything I can in order to stay sane and find my way back to them.
9:28 Cloudreach/April 23rd
I had another fade dream. This time it was where most of my family lived, a country away from where I was. I nearly tripped from another pot hole that was in front of me. As much as I loved my extended family, where they lived always grossed me out. Halo was near my side but it always made sure to stay a small distance away from me. Yes, Halo is halo because he looks like a Halo.
The silence freaked me out. Where I used to see people walking to and fro, cars rushing in and out of traffic, with the sounds of people busy about their day was completely empty. I groaned slightly and I looked up. The various islands were there as usual with the largest island in near dead center. I asked Halo about the Black City. It told me it didn't know what it was only that it was extremely dangerous.
We walked as we usually did. I would see wisps here and there floating on by. Halo described that they are curious about my dreams. They were very different from the other dreamers. These were places they have never seen before. Halo told me not to interact with them. They are easily swayed by a human's emotions if you're not careful.
I got bored though once the creepiness started to wane. It was always like this. All I do is walk through my memories of where I had gone and then I would wake up. Halo would always keep quiet unless there was a dangerous spirit near me and it would force me awake. Besides that one time when I met a compassion spirit, there was nothing to do here.
The one thing I noticed whenever I traveled through these areas was the farther I was away from the point where I woke up, the weirder the landscape got. Halo explained that the fade has trouble shaping dreams the further I walk and things tend to get weird which is why I would find floating homes or light poles.
"Well this is certainly a peculiar case." I heard off to the side. Halo immediately came in front of me. There was a young man dressed in very dark colors with a hood over his head. There was a mage staff on his back and I could feel Halo's demeanor change. "There has never been a time when I found a dreamer here. I thought nobody could even gain this ability."
'You need to wake up.' Halo pushed against me.
"Come now, don't be frightened. I won't hurt you. I merely wish to speak." He moved closer. Halo shined really bright in front of me.
'Stay back.' Halo demanded.
"Such a rare spirit that you've found. Might I ask your name?" He asked. I felt Halo's energy raise and it made me get goosebumps.
"I want to ask yours first." I calmed down. Spirits are warped by your own expectations. I tried not feeling fear. He laughed.
"Oh it's a human custom to introduce yourself first isn't it?" He took off his hood and I couldn't help but deny the immediate attraction I felt. "Ardor you may call me. Now, your name?"
'No.' Halo denied. I rolled my eyes.
"My name is Nia. Halo is protective." I said. Halo huffed. "You should know that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover." Halo turned away with a pout. Ardor laughed.
"So interesting. Are you a mage?" Ardor circled around. I kept my guard up but not enough to influence me. "No, there isn't a spark in you. Odd. Were you forced into the fade? No, if you were you wouldn't be so…aware."
"I'm not really sure why. This happens a few times a month actually." I commented. Halo gave me a disgruntled snort. "Hey I have a right to ask questions."
"Of course." Ardor chuckled. "Not a mage and yet you walk and you know more than what you let on. Tell me, how do I look to you?"
"You look like a regular mage…but you're not." I described. Ardor smirked.
"Very clever. Indeed I am not a mage but you could say that I am a collector of strange oddities that I come across in the fade. Many things have acquired my interests to the smallest wisps who know a curiosity to those rare and rarely found spirits of Wisdom. The very fact that I even found a protection spirit has, how do you humans call it, made my day?" Ardor laughed.
"Then if you know so much then can you tell me why I keep going into the fade even though I'm not a mage?" I asked. Halo kept on waving itself in front of me but I kept on staring at Ardor.
"Unfortunately I have no answer to that. I have traversed the fade but the only way for a normal human to come into the fade and be aware is if it's forced through lyrium or…" Ardor gave a side glance to Halo. "A powerful spirit."
'This talk is over now.' Halo shined brightly and for a second I thought I saw Halo turn into a different shape but I was in the waking world before I was able to catch it. I blinked in the low light and rubbed my eyes.
"I hate dreams like that. It makes me feel like I didn't sleep at all." I groaned. Ardor gave a look to Halo and even he said that Halo is a rare spirit. It had to be powerful enough to send me in the Dragon Age world in the first place. Could Halo be bringing me in the fade on purpose? And why? Oh boy, more and more questions that I have no answers to.
Beta'd by FearaNightmare (Hopefully you liked the changes I made)
Shout out to Grin like the Chesire Cat, DarkDust27, and Rainsfere for favoriting/following! Thank you Chimera Spyke for your review!
Yay! Another chapter! I know I know this whole thing is going on and on but I want to really focus on Eren's growing maturity and the training of Nia so, I'm sorry! Please Review!