The party, including the new Leliana, returned to Sten's cage with the key.
"I have the key," Ezra said holding up the key and smiling.
"I confess, I did not think the priestess would part with it," Sten said.
"She agreed to release you into my custody."
"So be it. Set me free and I will follow you against the Blight."
Ezra unlocked the cage and Sten stepped out. Eager to be elsewhere the party made their way out of the village taking care of some darkspawn on the border. Upon leaving the village and getting back on the road they ran into more people needing their help.
"Mighty timely arrival there, my friend. I'm much obliged," said a dwarf they had saved from darkspawn. "Name's Bodahn Feddic, merchant and entrepreneur. This is my son Sandal. Say hello my boy."
"Hello," said Sandal.
"Road's been mighty dangerous these days. Mind if I ask what brings you out here? Perhaps we're going the same way," Bodahn said.
"It's a bit complicated, but you're welcome to come along," Ezra said in response.
"Complicated? " Bodahn laughed. " I imagine that only says half of it! Thank you for the offer, but there may be more excitement on your path than is good for me and my boy. Allow me to bid you farewell and good fortune."
Ezra bid the dwarf and his son farewell before they continued to on their way. As night drew near the party decided to set up camp away from the road on a grassy plain.
Fire. Marching. Dark. Hundreds upon thousands of darkspawn were marching out of the depths. A large dragon soared above them before landing on a bridge above. It let out a deafening roar before breathing hot flames into the air above. Then all went white.
Ezra was tossing and turning before jolting awake. He breather heavily, as if he had just ran for miles. Across from him sat Alistair.
"Bad dreams, huh?" he asked.
"It must've been something I ate," Ezra said.
"More like drank. As in the tainted blod, remember?" Ezra stared at him confused by what he meant. "You see, part of being a Grey Warden is being able to hear the darkspawn. That's what your dream was. Hearing them. The archdemon,it... 'talks' to the horde, and we feel it just as they do. That's why we know this is really a Blight."
"Is that what that dragon was? The Archdemon?" Ezra asked.
"I don't know if it's really a dragon, but it sure looks like one. But yes, that is the archdemon. It takes a bit, but eventually you can block the dream out. Some of the older Grey Wardens say they can understand the archdemon a bit, but I sure can't. Anyhow, when I heard you thrashing about, I thought I should tell you. It was scary at first for me too."
"Thank you Alistair, I appreciate it." At this Alistair blushed, but likely the light of the fire disguised it.
"That's what I'm here for. To deliver unpleasant news and witty one-liners." Ezra laughed and Alistair could feel his face heat up even more.
"Come on," Ezra said standing up. "I'm up now, we should get a move on."
The party would be leaving for Redcliffe in the morning to seek out this Arl Eamon Alistair was so keen on meeting.
"I need to ask you something Alistair," Ezra said as the rest of the camp was packing.
"Alright, ask away."
"Tell me about the Grey Wardens please. Where are the nearest Grey Wardens from here?"
"That's a good question." Alistair thought for a moment. "There's plenty in Orlais, but who knows where they might be found. And the nearest Orlesian city is weeks away. If we go North and cross the sea, there's bound to be some in the Free Marches. Again, however, I just don't know where. I don't know anything about Grey Warden's in other lands."
Ezra asked a few more questions about the Wardens before asking about the only other Warden he knew. Alistair.
"So you said this Arl Eamon raised you?"
"Did I say that?" Alistair nervously chuckled. "I meant that dogs raised me. Giant, slobbering dogs from the Anderfels. A whole pack of them in fact."
"So that explains your smell," Ezra teased knowing full well they both smelled after not habing bathed for days.
"Well, it wasn't until I was eight that I discovered you didn't have to lick yourself clean. Old habits die hard, you know," Alistair joked. Ezra laughed.
"That would also explain the breath then."
"And my table manners too. Though, come to think of it, they weren't all that different from the other templars. Or did I dream all of that? Funny the dreams you'll have when you sleep on the cold, hard ground, isn't it? Are you having strange dreams?"
"Only ones where we're making mad love in my tent," Ezra said with a smirk.
"I..oh. I think I... completely lost my chain of thought...oh, there it is," Alistair stumbled over his words. "Lets see. How do I explain this? I'm a bastard. And before you make any smart comments, I mean the fatherless kind." Alistair explained how his mother worked at Redcliffe castle and died when he was very young. The Arl was kind enough to take him in and put a roof over his head.
"So you know who your father is then?"
"I know who I was told was my father. He died even before my mother did, anyhow. It isn't important." Alistair told of how the Arl married a woman from Orlais soon after the war. How he loved her. But rumors soon spread of Alistair being the Arl's bastard. The Arl didn't care, but, his wife did. And so Alistair was sent to the nearest monastery at age ten.
"Alistair, that's awful," Ezra spoke.
"Maybe. She felt threatened by my presence, I can see that now. I can't say I blame her. She wondered if the rumor were true herself, I bet." Alistair shook his head and smiled. "I remember I had an amulet with Andraste's holy symbol on it. The only thing I had of my mother's. I was so furious at being sent away I threw it at the wall and it shattered. Stupid, stupid, thing to do. The Arl came by the monastery a few times to see how I was, but I was stubborn. I hated it there and blamed him for everything... and eventually he just stopped coming."
Ezra wondered how someone who had such a pain filled life could laugh and make jokes, albeit terrible ones, all the time. He studied Alistair face and tried hard to not think about how he lost everything at such a young age. Ezra had lost his parents at a young age but had his clan while Alistair had nothing.
Suddenly Ezra wrapped his arms around Alistair in a tight embrace. Alistair was taken back by this but gave Ezra a small pat on the back.
"I'm so sorry," Ezra whispered. He had only known Alistair for less than a week but already felt a strong connection with him. Maybe it was being the only Grey Wardens left or it was the fact they both lost their families so young or maybe it was nothing. But Ezra knew he didn't want to loose his friend anytime soon.