Chapter 8) Origin of the Silent Force – Conscription

Cleon POV


"Are you two all right?" I asked as I carefully approached the two elves. City elves, they were, and shaking like leaves. "I will stay my distance if it makes you feel better."

"P-please do," one replied, forcing herself to stand. Her companion remained on the ground where she was, checking her ripped clothes. "N-not that we aren't grateful for the help, of course! But-"

"It was scary. I'm scary. It's okay."

"Th-that and… ah… my brothers have told me h-horror st-stories. No offense meant, of course!"

"It's fine." I made sure to smile. "Are you okay?"

"N-no harm done, really." She smiled back shakily. "Scared. Maybe some bruises. You killed them before they did anything, though."

"I'm glad to hear that." The bandits deserved worse than I gave them. "Will you be returning to your home in the city?"

"Yes. Um… would you mind watching a bit longer, though? J-just until we get within sight?"

"Of course," I agreed. "No problem."

"Th-thank you so much!" Her smile brightened. "I'm… a bit confused as to why you helped us, though. I'd… heard the Dalish don't look kindly on us."

"From our perspective, you've lost your pride." She looked a little outraged, so I quickly added, "Whether you have or not is not my concern. You are still in need of help, regardless." Just because the City Elves had forgotten their histories didn't mean they weren't worthy of protecting.

"Oh." She laughed softly and helped her companion up at last. "Thank you."

"Of course. I do what I can."


"There is another one, Cleon," Layla whispered to me. "Whose turn is it?"

"Yours, I think," I answered, carefully peering down from our hiding place. "Lone guard. Shouldn't be hard."

"That is correct." She brought up her hands and whispered something under her breath before releasing a small little wisp that meandered down to the guard.

"What is this?!" he yelped as the wisp bumped against his face. "H-hey, g-get away!" I was incredibly amused that he was terrified by a simple ball of light. "Wah!" And off he ran, away from the door Aiden and his cousin, Soris, had used to get inside the building. Layla had called it a 'palace', but I just saw a mess of stone and wood. The outside gardens were nice, if I had to give a compliment, but too structured. Not enough trees, either. I missed the aravels.

"How was that?" Layla asked me with a small, small smile as the guard disappeared.

"Beautiful," I complimented with a laugh, before noting something. "Look, there's Aiden and Soris in the glass again."

"That is a window," she corrected, even as she scrambled to peek through. Just as last two times, the two didn't stay in sight for long. Just long enough to slaughter a few guards and keep on running. The blood dripped down the walls as the bodies thumped out of sight. "Oh, that is brutal."

"They deserve worse."

"If we deliver worse to them, though, how are we better?" I opened my mouth to reply, but then closed it again. It was a fair point. I wasn't sure if I necessarily agreed to it, considering how all 'normal' shemlen (the ones not raised in a Tower and weren't Wardens, that is) seemed to act the same when it came to elves. "…I believe I shall gain a minor fear of blood, at this rate."

"Why?"

"Do not get me wrong. In the tower, blood was common. Templars would accidentally hurt each other in practice. Mages would get into fights. But no one died unless there was a… very, very unfortunate accident or from simple old age. Blood was just something to associate with injuries." She shuddered. "I have seen much blood now, with death. I do not like it."

"Death is a part of life. It's natural."

"Murder is natural?"

"How do you think you got meat to eat?"

"I…" She was turning paler by the second. "Oh, I feel ill now."

"It's okay." I patted her on the shoulder before noticing something. "Ah, another guard. My turn."

"Be careful," she whispered as I jumped down. I waved off the warning as I hid in the shadows and crept up on the unsuspecting guard. I waited for the perfect moment and then struck, choking him until he went limp and letting go as soon as he did. He flopped and I checked for a pulse. Layla had made me promise to not kill if I didn't have to, and I was doing my best to keep it.

Content in that he was still alive, I stood up and waved to Layla. "See, easy and-" I suddenly stilled as I realized something. I couldn't move my left hand. I stared at it. Tried to get it to move. But it wouldn't. Just hung there at the end of my wrist, like a dead weight.

"Cleon?" Layla called. She sounded worried. "You okay?"

"I…" Finally, my hand moved. Slow. Oddly. But moving which is what I needed to know. "Fine. I thought he was still moving."

"Well, was he?"

"No, just my imagination." I set about dragging him to the side, paying attention to my hand. It felt off still. What was…?

"Oh, Cleon!" I jerked my head up and saw why she'd called me immediately. The door had opened at last and out came the elves. Aiden, covered in blood, was first out, carrying a red-haired elf with help from his blonde bride.

"Everyone out?" I asked him.

"No," he growled. "They killed one. For being too loud or something."

A flash of anger went through me, but I made it cool. Judging by the blood, and the brief glimpses I'd caught of the fight, I doubted there were any filthy shemlen inside to kill anyway. "Can you all climb?"

"Maybe." He glanced back at the others filing out. Only Soris had any blood on him out of that little sub-group. "Why?"

"Our hiding place is up there." Layla helpfully leaned out and waved. "Good place to get your breath."

"I can also heal any of your wounds," Layla called down.

"Good, Shianni needs a healer," Aiden sighed. "Soris, you head up first to help the girls."

"O-okay," Soris replied. He was shaking, but I could see how there were bolts missing from his quiver. He'd fought too. "Okay."

"If you need to be sick, there's a out of the way corner," I whispered to him as I passed.

"Hasn't quite clicked yet, but if so, I'll take it." He smiled shakily. "Okay, where do we climb?"

"It's right over here." I showed him the set of vines and metal Layla and I had used to climb up. "Take your time."

Despite my words, it actually wasn't long before everyone was hiding. Aiden immediately shoved Shianni towards Layla. I frowned when I noticed Shianni's flinch, but she soon relaxed as Layla babbled about nonsense and smiled warmly. As she worked, I glanced around at the others. Most seemed fine, but I caught sight of something Aiden was trying to hide.

"Your arm is bleeding," I noted to him softly. "Poor job hiding it."

"I'd rather Shianni be looked at more," he mumbled. "It's not bad."

"Sounds like me when Lyna or Ta…" I couldn't say his name. It choked me. Ah, Tamlen, I'm so sorry… "I've bandages. Give me your arm."

"Thanks."

"No problem." He did as I asked and I went about bandaging him. The only sounds for a while were just Layla's babbling, the girls murmuring, and Soris awkwardly reassuring everyone.

I was surprised when Aiden spoke up again. "Back at the Alienage, you killed humans," he began.

"Yes, I did," I agreed, focusing on getting the bandages just right. It was a mostly surface wound. Messy, but healable. He'd likely scar from it, though.

"You did it easily."

"Yeah?"

"How?"

"Dalish kill shemlen who venture too close to the Clans for comfort. It's how we protect ourselves, sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"Sometimes, we let them go with a warning. Only for them to rally their fellows against us and force us to either kill more of them or move."

"I… see." He fell silent and I went back to focusing on the bandaging. My hand was fine now, it seemed. What had been that before, then? Had I twisted wrong somehow? Or… or was it a sign of the Taint in me growing stronger? Should I tell Duncan? Layla? Or should I hide it? …I'd probably keep quiet for now, truth be told. It could've been just a fluke, after all. I'd keep an eye on it, but otherwise…

As I finished bandaging Aiden's arm, I caught sight of Layla leaning forward to whisper something in Shianni's ear, too quiet for me to hear, and suddenly Shianni's whole face lit up in touched relief. "Thank you," she whispered to Layla. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou."

"It is no trouble," Layla dismissed with a smile. "You are clear for moving. Is there anyone else I should attend to?"

"No, Shianni was the only one truly hurt among us girls," Aiden's bride murmured. I believed her name was Nessiara. "Aiden? Soris?"

"We're both fine," Aiden dismissed, tugging his sleeve down to hide the bandage. I resisted the urge to role my eyes. "Does everyone have enough breath to run?" There were nods all around. "Okay. I'll be first down, if no one minds?" No protests. "Right then."

As they all began to climb down I turned my attention to Layla. "What was Shianni thanking you so quickly for?" I asked. "The healing?" She was silent for a minute. "Layla, you okay?"

"She was raped." Layla's words were soft. "There are some… physical signs that can show it. When I saw them, I used a spell to make sure she could not get pregnant from the… encounters." …Encounters? Plural? As in… Shemlen made me sick sometimes.

"How do you know a spell like that?" I tried to keep my tone light, joking.

"It is the one way the Circle is freer than the rest of the world." She laughed softly. Good. "Well, I am certain it depends on the Circle in question. In the Tower, most were sleeping with most, essentially. I never played those games, but, as a Spirit Healer, I was required to learn that spell, and, of course, the signs of assault."

"Required?"

"Rape and molestation are not uncommon in the Circles." She looked me right in the eye then. "I am not unfamiliar with what happens when one group of people is given total control of another group of people. What I do not get…!" She covered her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. "What I do not get is why no one helped. What I do not get is why just being an elf means someone has power over you. I just do not understand it!"

I reached over to pull her into a hug. "Did you get help in the Circles?"

"Oh, I was never attacked like that. Knight-Commander Greagoir would have the head of any templar, and First Enchanter Irving would make him listen to accusations." She leaned against my chest as she tried to calm down. "But the templars did learn to do such things in secret, because others would come to help the mage. If someone knows what is going on, someone always helps."

"Sounds like mages know camaraderie better than most." Then again, they were literally trapped together. They almost had to. "You okay?"

"I am just horribly upset and confused. It is not as bad as when Jowan…" She trailed off. "No, I am sorry, but…"

"Let's go cover their backs," I suggested, ignoring the name. She, too, had things she couldn't speak of yet. "And get back to Duncan."

"Agreed."


When we got to the Alienage, Hahren Valendrian seized the group of city elves, fussing over them and asking for their health. He was… he was a very good hahren. Reminded me a lot of Hahren Paivel, though far less stern. It was easy to talk and confide in him, earlier when things were happy here.

Duncan waited for us nearby and beckoned us over to him. "How did your walk go?" he asked me with a small smile. "You missed the grand saving of the damsels in distress, I'm afraid."

"Such a shame," I retorted dryly. "But thanks for letting Layla come along. Kept me from doing something silly."

"We did some practicing as well," Layla chimed in. "I showed Cleon some ways a mage might distract a person and he showed me some physical ways to knock someone out in case of an ambush."

"I'm glad to see you sharing skills," Duncan laughed. "That will be important in the days to come." Right, because of the 'Blight'. …How would Layla stand that? "Regardless, there will be guards soon."

And, as if waiting for someone to say that, they appeared. "Elder Valendrian!" one called, glaring at everything. He seemed to be in charge. "Elder Valendrian!"

"I am right here," Hahren Valendrian sighed, shoving the younger elves behind him. The group quickly forced Aiden and Soris down so that the guards wouldn't see the bloodstains. The Alienage was… more like the Clan than I would've thought. They guarded their own with everything they had. "What is it that you need?"

"You can't hide them!" Head Guard person sounded outraged. "You cannot! I will burn this Alienage if that's what needed to flush them out!" …Just like a shemlen to turn to fire. So many Clans had been chased away because the nearby shemlen had threatened to burn the forests where they stayed. "The Arl's son lies in a river of blood that spans the entire estate! The carrion birds are going to be sick from the number of bodies! Some of my own guards are among the dead!" …He sounded most outraged by that last one. That was… strange. "Now, where are the criminals who-?!"

"I did it, ser," Aiden declared firmly before anyone could get one more word out. No fear. No hesitation. He stepped forward, out of the group that had tried to hide him and Soris, as if there was nothing to hide, no consequences to his actions. "Just me."

The Head Guard was silent for a moment. "I admire your courage to admit it, though I do not envy your fate," he whispered at last. "Guards!"

"Cleon, Layla, how well did he fight?" Duncan asked us quickly as the guards surrounded Aiden and his family protested.

"He only has one significant wound," Layla answered. Of course she'd seen it. "I would imagine he is skilled, based on that."

"Saw him take down two guards with one swing through a window," I added. "He's unskilled, rough, but strong and talented, in my opinion."

"Good," Duncan replied. "Wish there was another way, but…" Another way to what? I wanted to ask that, but he'd already strode forward to address the guards directly. "Might I have a moment?"

"Oh, hello, Warden-Commander," the Head Guard greeted politely. "We have the situation under control and-"

"That was not a request, ser." Oh. Well, uh… That was authoritative. "Now, might I have a moment?"

"Commander Duncan is kind of scary right now," Layla whispered as the Head Guard nodded vigorously. "I knew he was strong, but…"

"First time we've seen him acting like he's in authority," I agreed. "Power can be scary."

"Yes, it can be."

"Thank you," Duncan replied to the Head Guard. "I hereby invoke the Right of Conscription. He is in my custody as of this moment. You may take up the issue of his crimes with me at a later date." …What?

"Son of a tied down…!" the Head Guard growled. "Fine, but get him out of here."

"That is my intention, considering there is a Blight."

The guards grumbled as they stalked away. I just stared as I realized Duncan had forced Aiden into coming with us. That… it made me ill.

"Duncan, did you have to…?" Hahren Valendrian began before shaking his head. "No, I know you. You did have to."

"I'm sorry, old friend," Duncan told Hahren Valendrian. "And I am sorry to you as well, Aiden." He turned his focus to the young city elf who seemed far too calm at being forced into a different path."But you will be leaving here with us. Grab what you need, say your goodbyes. Your life here is over."

"Very well, Master Duncan," Aiden replied politely. …Was he not the least bit angry over what happened? "By your leave?"

"Yes, and take your time."

Layla went to Shianni again, likely to do another check up. Duncan stayed with Hahren Valendrian to talk. Me? I went after Aiden.

"Are you all right with this?" I asked him as I caught up. I was faster than him. "You were forced…"

"Master Duncan saved me from a fate far worse than death," he replied steadily. "At best, I would have been tortured before being killed. I knew that. So, I'm thankful he saved me." Well, yes, but… "I will miss the Alienage, and worry. I wish I could stay a bit longer, but that's impossible. Hiding me would make things worse."

"How are you so accepting?"

"…Anger leads to what happened inside the Estate."

"Great anger does. But what's wrong with a little anger?"

"Everything." He gave me a look. "Anger leads to fear. Fear leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I refuse to take part."

"…" Okay, I could see where he was coming from. Sorta. But… "And hiding your strength?"

"…Strength leads to fear, too." He ducked his head. "Why are you asking me this?"

Because I thought he should be at least a little miffed! Or was I just weird? "Just… checking."

"Very well, Cleon." He smiled slightly. "If I may?"

"Sorry to keep you."

He walked off and I leaned against one of the buildings of the Alienage, just not quite getting it. Why not be at least a little angry? Why hide he was strong? Just… why?


After a while, Layla bounded up to my side and dragged me towards the gates to wait with her and Duncan. Hahren Valendrian had apparently left to grab something from his house to give Aiden, and Aiden's family had all raced to go say goodbye.

"I think they will all be just fine," Layla babbled as we walked. She kept a firm grip on my hand. She was probably still scared she'd be attacked for just being a shemlen, like before. Of course, if anyone tried, I'd probably punch them or something. Layla was kind and didn't deserve things like-

"Um… excuse me, miss?" Both of us stopped at the voice of a young girl. I vaguely recalled her from before. She'd been skipping around, proudly declaring herself the 'flower girl' for the… wedding that turned into a disaster. Well, at least she was smiling.

"Y-yes?" Layla replied. Her voice shook slightly, so I squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"Here!" She handed Layla a few flowers. They were surprisingly bright and cheerful. "Thank you for helping us earlier, miss." Her smile was warm as Layla carefully took the small bouquet. "I'm sorry everyone tried to hurt you earlier. Elder Valendrian gave them all a good scolding!"

"I… thank you." Layla smiled slightly and giggled. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome!" The girl laughed and curtseyed. "Safe travels. You'll keep an eye on Aiden, right?"

"Yes, I will."

"Okay!" She beamed and turned her attention to me. "Sorry, I don't have flowers for you, mister. The boys all said boys hate flowers."

"It's fine," I reassured. "The smile is enough."

"Then I'll make sure to keep smiling! You'll help Aiden too, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Thank you both very, very much!" She laughed again and ran off, waving goodbye over her shoulder.

"That was sweet," Layla whispered as we watched her go.

"That da'len has good manners," I agreed. "I can show you how to press the flowers later, to preserve them."

"You can do that?" She sounded surprised. "Most of the time, we mages just cast a spell that encases the flowers to keep them."

"Wouldn't that block the scent or something?"

"I would not know. Flowers did not grow naturally at the Tower."

"I hope I never go there. No offense, but I think I'd go mad."

"Well, I nearly went mad in your forest, so I believe we are even!" That got a laugh out of both of us as we approached the gates. To my surprise, Aiden was already there, talking to Hahren Valendrian. Duncan looked up and smiled slightly when he saw us two wander up.

"All well?" he asked as we came to his side. "I was worried about Layla going on her own."

"No, I found Cleon quickly," Layla reassured. "Also, this sweet girl gave me flowers!" She held them out, smiling. "They are quite pretty, are they not?"

"They are." Duncan looked very relieved Layla hadn't been harassed. "And you, Cleon?"

"I'm fine," I replied, more automatic than anything. It was okay, though, because I was feeling better.

Duncan gave me a searching look before replying, "Good."

"Valendrian, where did that knife come from?" I suddenly heard Aiden ask. I turned as saw Hahren Valendrian produce a very well-made knife. I frowned as I noted numerous similarities between it and the knives forged by our Dalish craftsmen. Was it… was it Elvish?

"This was your mother's," Hahren Valendrian stated as he handed the knife over. "She said it was passed down through her family and is called 'Fang of Fen'Harel'." What?

"Fang of who?" Aiden laughed. "Mother was always coming up with strange names."

"Fen'Harel, the dread wolf," I answered. Both of them jumped at my voice. Obviously, neither had expected an answer, especially not from the three eavesdroppers. "He is one of the Creators. Cunning and terrible. He is the reason why the Creators and the Forgotten Ones cannot walk among the People again. He is wary of dogs, though. That's a fun story." Merrill loved telling it, whenever we saw a dog in passing. "Your blade must come from the Dales." Just who was his mother, then?

"Then I'd better take extra good care of it." He took the knife and slipped it into his pack. "Thank you, Valendrian."

"Take care, Aiden," Hahren Valendrian whispered. "Know that you will always have a home here."

"I will remember." With that he turned to face us. "I'm ready."

"Then we shall be off," Duncan murmured. No asking 'are you sure?' or anything, of course. There was no choice in this. "Until we meet again, Valendrian."

"I expect to see you soon, Duncan," Hahren Valendrian called. "With your recruits. I want another talk by the fire."

"I'll remember that!" He laughed, waving. Layla turned to curtsey and I bowed in respect to the Hahren who watched our departure.

Aiden didn't turn around. I wondered why, but decided against it. I doubted I'd get a satisfying answer anyway. "Where are we going?" he asked Duncan instead as we walked out of the gates into the 'market'.

"Highever," Duncan replied. Aiden looked startled, but Layla and I just exchanged a confused look. Neither of us knew the place. "Providing Cleon's health holds, that is." As Aiden frowned and Layla pouted, Duncan just glanced back with a knowing look.

Oh. Oh, he somehow knew of that paralysis. But I was fine now. I would continue to be fine. I wasn't going to die before getting to that Joining. I had a duty to live. For Merrill, for Lyna, for Ashalle, for the Clan. I had to.


Author's note: Okay, with that, Aiden is officially on board! Fang is something you're supposed to get after Unrest, but I moved it up here because it just fit better here.

Okay, put some foreshadowing here. This is the starting point of Cleon having trouble with the Taint, though, for plot reasons, it won't be really bad until later. Never quite realized how both elf origins involve getting into the Wardens with basically no other options. Huh. That's fun.

Next Chapter – A traveling chapter with Layla