9:30 Guardian 16th
We were surrounded by the forest in the Hinterlands, getting closer to Redcliffe. By tomorrow, we should already be there. We settled in a cave as it started to snow. Morrigan used her magic to cover the entrance with vines., keeping herself close to the entrance with Flemeth's grimoire. The fire was cooking pieces of a ram that Alfred manage to wound and Derek killed. He was outside busy smoking the meat that was left over while we ate some of the offal. I might have to resupply on my seasonings once we get to Redcliffe.
Of course, during all of this preparation of our food, Wynne was fidgeting with her robe or staff, on constant alert. Tonight was the night that she was going to tell us about her own spirit friend. We all sat around eating cooked liver along with dried fruit. Can't have your meat without something else to provide you with some vitamins. We all settled comfortably with Sten far from our group with Alfred keeping him company. Derek came in, his beard all frosty from the snowing outside and took some meat for himself.
"So, what's this thing you have to tell us?" Derek broke the ice. Wynne swallowed her food and sighed.
"I knew this would come sooner rather than later. I must admit this is…hard for me to explain." Wynne's eyes floated to me and I gave her a confident nod. "Back in the Circle, when it was being overrun, I was protecting the apprentices from demon's. I had shielded Petra from an attack and used the last of my magic in that moment and…I died." Wynne started to explain.
"Well I have to say this is the slowest account of death I've seen." Talen deadpanned.
"Let me explain. Ever since I was a young girl, I have felt a presence with me in the fade. I felt that it was curious about me. I began to notice it helping me, giving me strength when I needed it and even protecting me. When I felt myself slipping, it reached out to me. When I started to come to, I was back in the Tower and how painfully the cold stone floor felt against my hip." She said.
"So it's a similar experience to Nia's then." Eren mentioned.
"I noticed it as soon as she touched me." I shrugged. Wynne nodded.
"The power of the spirit is giving me life and I don't know how long I have left." Wynne looked down.
"Don't say that. You're still very sprite for your age." Alistair said.
"And extremely beautiful." Zevran winked. Wynne thanked Alistair but glared at Zevran.
"Every day I feel the spirit slipping and I know that my day will coming. That is inevitable." Wynne said.
"If it's like that, why didn't you stay in the tower?" Eren asked.
"I am not one to sit on my laurels, afraid to die. If my spirit chose to have me continue my life, then I will do so by doing whatever I can to help others. It's the main reason why I chose to join you Grey Wardens. I cannot sit by while the Darkspawn try to destroy Ferelden. Until the day comes when I am taken to the Maker, I will do whatever I can to help you." Wynne nodded solemnly. The fire was the only thing I could hear as everyone digested this new information.
"At least I'm not alone in my experiences. I've got your back Wynne." I said.
"Thank you." Wynne smiled.
"All this talk of spirits makes me wonder, why did they chose both of you?" Talen wondered.
"Mine was sent to me." I said.
"And mine chose me." Wynne smiled.
"Either way, as much as Chantry says that all spirits are demons, there are good ones out there. They just don't understand much about the real world and have no real need to come through." I shrugged.
"And you would know this because…?" Eren wondered.
"I know things." I smirked. Derek got a laugh about that which diffused the tension. It eventually devolved into small talk. Zevran was trying to weasel his way toward Wynne but she was having none of it. Leliana and I got into a talk about Chantry doctrine. We talked about the good points and the bad points about it. I explained that we as humans are flawed and, most likely, some of the scriptures must have been rewritten to suit other people's needs. Leliana wondered if the Maker has truly abandoned all of us and told me about her true vision. Once the GWs decided on who's going to be looking out for everyone, we decided to sleep early and ride out the snow.
9:30 Guardian ?
Events have happened that I'm not entirely happy about but…well I'm not the leader so I could only have my say in it.
We made our way down a trail that was supposed to lead us to the gates of Redcliffe. Alistair mumbled a few times, trying to guide Eren through the path from the forest. I was in the wagon along with Derek, Morrigan, and Zevran. I was at the last pages of my journal, trying to write as tiny as I could to fit as much as I could. I forgot to ask Levi if he had an empty journal.
"And there you are, writing again. How are you able to even keep a steady hand?" Zevran asked.
"I'm used to it." I shrugged. Zevran tried to look over and sneak a peek but I held it away from him. "You don't get to look."
"You are so secretive. Are you writing all of your opinions of the group? Perhaps a strong desire towards me?" Zevran purred. I rolled my eyes and Morrigan scoffed.
"I just write what's been happening, opinions have nothing to do with it." I gave a white lie. "And no, I don't desire you Zevran. You can get that out of your head because, as I said before, it's not happening."
"I will get through to you yet." Zevran chuckled, crossing his arms before there was a stop. This was the third time. I dropped my journal and came out. I saw Alistair rubbing his head as we found a fork in the road. Unfortunately, I couldn't recognize the surroundings so there was no way I could tell from anything.
"It could be this way…but then…this would be much easier if it didn't snow last night!" Alistair mumbled.
"Direction problems?" I asked Eren who was leading Lily.
"Apparently…" Eren rubbed his face.
"Look I got us this far but, well, there are things that have been…bothering me and I can't really explain it that well…" Alistair fidgeted.
"I know it's difficult to go back when you've completely disappointed the country-" Eren started.
"Oh yeah Eren, great voice of confidence there." I sarcastically said as I saw Alistair's face fall.
"But we need Eamon's support. Now, get your head out of the mud and start taking directive in leading us there. After all, you can't have forgotten where Redcliffe is. At any rate, Talen has a map in which we can follow if you're so incompetent." Eren snapped.
"Hey, that was completely uncalled for!" I yelled.
"We've been going in circles! At this point, I'm wondering if he's doing this on purpose." Eren scoffed.
"Actually…" Alistair laughed weakly.
"You have." Eren glared.
"What's going on? What's the hold up?" Talen came with the others in tow. Eren jumped off and patted Lily to keep her calm.
"Alistair, why?" I asked.
"That is…it's going to be so awkward when I see Isolde…" Alistair rubbed his face before standing upright. "I'm a bastard! My mother was a servant girl in the Royal Palace in Denerim and she died when I was born! Eamon took care of me before he sent me off to the Chantry. The reason was not because I was his bastard but…King Maric's bastard so that means that Cailan was my half-brother…" Alistair ranted.
It almost hurt to have him explain all of this to me considering that I knew the truth. That Duncan knew the truth. He would never learn and I always wondered if I should tell him what I knew. It would be…weird later on of course if he met Fiona. Even worse if he was made the King and he met her leading her forces into Tevinter arms. Would he believe me? I doubt it.
"So instead of being a normal bastard, you're a royal bastard?" I wondered.
"That's actually a good line, I'll have to use that some time." Alistair chuckled, the tension rolling off his back.
"And this is the information that caused you to lead us in a perpetual circle that made us lose valuable time? Only an idiot like you would even comprehend such a plan." Morrigan scoffed.
"Look the truth would have come out when we arrived in Redcliffe. I didn't feel comfortable with all of you learning it that way. I tried to keep this from you for as long as possible. Don't think it got me special treatment, either people stood clear from me or resented me for it." Alistair sighed.
"I understand wanting to keep something a secret to protect others." Wynne nodded.
"No one cares of your origins, only of what you can do." Sten said gruffily.
"What the big guy is trying to say," Derek came over and slapped Alistair in the back. He did a small 'eep' of pain, "Is that we don't give a nug's ass where you come from. You're a Grey Warden, you kill darkspawn, that's all that matters." Derek guffawed. I sneaked over to Eren and kicked his shin. He groaned in pain.
"What was that for?" He moaned in pain.
"Go apologize for being a dick. This really caused him some grief and I don't need your attitude to make him feel worse." I crossed my arms. Eren groaned really loudly and went over to Alistair. He patted him on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry for what I said, can you show us the way now?" Eren grumbled.
"Of course! Sorry for the hold up everyone!" Alistair said. Everyone went to their spots but I stayed right next to Alistair as he started to lead us to Redcliffe.
"Seems like it's been secret sharing for a while now." I chuckled.
"I guess…I never thought that everyone would be so…accepting." Alistair gave me a small smile.
"When you're up against monsters that don't really die so easily, we need all the help we can get. Either way, being a bastard isn't so bad." I shrugged. "I didn't get married to my husband when we had our first two kids so 'technically' they were bastards. Of course, we made it official later." I hand waved it. Alistair chuckled.
"I'm pretty sure Isolde is not going to be happy when I get there." Alistair sighed.
"Who's Isolde?" I asked.
"Arl Eamon's wife. It was a big controversy. She was Orlesian and he married her soon after the civil war but they were very much in love. The only problem, however, was that she saw me as HIS bastard. He never did anything to dissuade the rumors either. Don't think I led a pampered life, I slept in the stables with the horses but he did give me a good life. I doubt many would accept another man's bastard." Alistair sighed. "I did him wrong. I wonder if he has forgiven me."
"What happened?" I wondered.
"When Isolde couldn't take the rumors anymore is when he shipped me off to the monastery at age 10. I was furious at him and I took my mother's amulet and threw it at him. It shattered against the wall. Stupid…" Alistair shook his head. "Even after how angry I was, Eamon came to visit me but I never gave him the chance to talk. Eventually he stopped coming. I wonder how he's going to react when he sees me." Alistair looked down.
"He's going to be proud, I'm sure of it." I nodded.
"I hope but now that we've talked about our feelings you can still think of me as some unlucky fellow that didn't die with the rest of the Grey Wardens." Alistair chuckled.
"I think you're a great guy Alistair and I'm pretty sure that a few others think that too." I replied.
"Aww quit it you! You're going to make me blush." Alistair chuckled sheepishly. We had a good walk after that and we ended up at a destroyed gate. Alistair gave me a worried look while power walking. We reached a bridge that would take us into the village proper but we were stopped by a man that was wearing furs for warmth and a shoddy bow.
"Thank Andraste for your coming Ser. I thought I saw travelers down the road. Please tell me that you've come to help." The man looked gaunt with severe circles under his eyes.
"What do you mean 'help?'" Eren wondered.
"What's going on here?" Alistair asked.
"Wait, you don't know what's going on in Redcliffe?!" The guard started to panic. I saw Derek come up and give a comforting pat to the guy's arm
"We may not know your situation but tell us anyway." Derek said. The guy nodded.
"Of course…Maker, Redcliffe Village has been under attack for the last few nights. We have been fighting and dying!" The man explained.
"What!? What's been attacking you?" Alistair asked.
"We don't rightly know! Bann Teagan knows more about the situation more. I could take you to him if you agree to help us." The man explained.
"Exactly why should we waste our time with a village that is about to perish anyway? Our business is with the Arl, not the village. We should put more precedence in continuing to the Castle." Morrigan explained. Eren rubbed his face.
"You're not seriously considering this." I glared.
"She does have a point." Eren mumbled.
"Oh is that right? Then let these people get massacred just like how we almost were at Castle Highever. See how that weighs on your conscious." I crossed my arms. Eren scowled deeply.
"I agree with the witch. We cannot have any more delays in reaching the Darkspawn." Sten said.
"Do you even realize what you're saying?" Wynne commented.
"Think of it this way big guy. An Archdemon is going to have an army right?" Derek asked. Sten nodded. "Then it's better if we went ahead and developed an army of our own. These people are going to be extremely grateful to us and will lend us a hand to defeat the Archdemon. Right now, we need to start small then get bigger the more allies we got. It's only strategy." Derek explained.
"I see." Sten grumbled.
"I do not." Morrigan scoffed.
"If you are not going to help then I suggest you stay where you are." Leliana glared.
"Please take us to the village." Eren deeply sighed. We started to follow the man and Morrigan stayed on the trail, stubborn in her refusal to help. She's not the picture of altruism of course but we can't leave these people to die either. No matter what playthrough I went through, I never left them without help.
We took the path down with Derek soothing Lily as she was hesitant to go anywhere near the village. They do say that animals have the ability to sense danger. Since she wasn't helping with the wagon attached, everyone was on foot. We came down to Redcliffe village and the only thing that was slightly different is that the Chantry really was situated more inland from the lake and more homes were not stilted above the water. This puts the Chantry at an advantage and disadvantage. We had a good view from the higher ground and can easily see enemies come in. The bad thing was there was only one way in and one way out. The small wooden barricades wouldn't be enough without sufficient men.
I saw approximately about 20 men, most wearing the flimsiest of armors I've seen. They were practicing with dummies and targets. Even with my short time in training, I could tell that most of these men weren't warriors. I'm pretty sure that none of these guys ever picked up a weapon until now.
We entered the Chantry that had elderly, children, and young woman all around. Soft cries echoed in the Chantry with the lower windows bordered up with planks of wood. There was a man at the end where the altar was. He was talking to another soldier before noticing our group.
"Tomas is it? Who are these people you have brought?" He asked. As soon as I heard his voice, I recognized Teagan. He had broad shoulders, a slightly gaunt face and sunken in eyes. This attack hasn't done wonders for him.
"These are travelers that have agreed to help us in our plight. I led them here to speak with you milord." Tomas bowed. Teagan grabbed his shoulder and nodded, a smile playing on his face.
"Thank you Tomas, you may go and return to your post." Teagan said and Tomas left. "There's not hospitality I can do for you besides a polite greeting. I am Bann Teagan of Rainesfere and brother to the Arl of Redcliffe." Teagan bowed.
"I'm not sure if you remembered me Bann Teagan. I was a lot younger when we first met and…covered in mud." Alistair laughed awkwardly.
"Covered in mud?" Teagan raised an eyebrow before staring at Alistair. Recognition passed through his face. "Alistair." He breathed out and pulled Alistair into a hug. "It is you! I knew you weren't dead, welcome back!" Alistair and Teagan laughed, patting each other's backs before separating.
"Yes, still alive, for the most part." Alistair chuckled. "We've had a few close calls, some because of Teryn Loghain." Alistair sideglanced to Zevran and he gave a shrug.
"Hmph. Teryn Loghain would like to say much about the Grey Wardens but it is all just slanderous lies. He has been trying to stop and silence anyone who doesn't believe the Grey Wardens betrayed the crown while feeding his dogma to those who would listen." Teagan gave a disgusted scoff and crossed his arms.
"So you don't believe what he's saying then." Talen stated.
"Of course not. He believed he made the right decision, deserting our King into the arms of those corrupted creatures, all the while spouting off how he saved all he could? That there was no other way to save Cailan?" Teagan shook his head, glaring at the floor. "These are the words of a desperate man but that isn't why you came. Alistair, are these your traveling compatriots?" Teagan asked.
"Yes. As well as more Grey Wardens. This is Talen from the Circle of Ferelden, Derek from Orzammar, and Eren of Highever." Alistair pointed them out.
"Eren Cousland?" Teagan wondered.
"Yes Bann Teagan. I remember my father taking me to come visit the Arl a few times. He spoke of you fondly." Eren's face softened at remembering Bryce.
"Yes. Bryce was a good man. I am sorry to hear about what happened to your family." Teagan said sincerely.
"He was but this is no time for reminiscing. How did the village end up in this state?" Eren asked. "We came to see Arl Eamon at first until your scout told us what was happening."
"Even if we weren't in this predicament, you wouldn't have been able to see Arl Eamon. He has been gravely ill." Teagan rubbed his face.
"I met Ser Donall at the Lothering Chantry. I never knew it was this serious." Alistair's face sunk.
"It grew worse as time went on. At first, they lessened the help, only letting those that were needed in the castle. As his illness started to get worse, the castle doors shut. We have been trying to reach anyone who was still in the castle and I even tried shouting at the walls but to no avail. Soon after, evil…monstrous figures stormed out of the castle. We have tried our best to push them back but with every attack we lose more people. We only have a handful of Templars and the men you saw outside with another few in the tavern. I believe tonight might be our last offense." Teagan explained somberly.
"So what sort of things have been attacking you? Demons? Abominations? Darkspawn?" Derek asked.
"Thank the Maker that it isn't darkspawn. No, the walking dead has been plaguing us every single night since the walls shut. They are notoriously hard to kill and hunger for the flesh of the living. Each night they come, kill, and their numbers only grow. I have sent missives to any passing caravan that would take them but I am not getting any help due to the civil war. You have no reason to help us but I beg you to lend your hand in stopping this." Teagan bowed.
"You don't need to ask. We came here prepared to help you so raise your head Bann Teagan and tell us what you need." Eren said. I don't think I've ever seen someone so relieved in my life when Teagan looked up and smiled.
Beta'd by Syutaku and FearaNightmare
To think I was already done with the original by this point, heh. Well we have finally reached Redcliffe, another change from my original story. Instead of Orzammar, its Redcliffe and I think it suits it better this time around. Also I will be uploading a new story, not related to this one, because I apparently really like the challenge.
Thank you Chimera Spyke for the review! Please review!