Interlude – Surface Warrior
This is all nuts. Everything could go to the nugs. And, by the Stone, he really feels like the sky will swallow him whole. Surfacers are strange, and now, he's probably the strangest of them.
He sighs, glancing over at the others he's traveling with. He had tagged along to see where this Blight started, and to get a feel for the three Wardens he hadn't met down in the Deep Roads. What he got… well, Alistair is probably someone suited for… maybe not fighting all the time. Oh, he could thrive in it, but he didn't command a field. Not like Layla and Nuada.
Those two ruled the battlefield, much like Aiden and Cleon. Honestly, he thinks that's why this group has survived so long, come so far. Those four, the leaders, learned how to seize control of the battle, take the flow and make it theirs. Yet they maintained a bit of… childishness? Nah, wrong word. He'd probably find the right one after some drinking. It isn't a fault, though. It's refreshing, seeing those so strong still hold onto ideals.
It's seriously messed up that they were caught up in this. He can see it. They are broken and rebroken. Like him. But unlike him, they managed to make something of the mess. Him? He just failed. Repeatedly. His life is a mess under all the drinking and fighting, and while he puts on a brave face, he knows it very well.
He was shunned by everyone, and then taken in by the Wardens. He was the laughingstock of Orzammar who Aiden gave a chance to. He doesn't know why. It's just what happened, and he finally got the answers he wanted. It didn't end the way he wanted, but he got them. He finally is able to move on.
Now, of course he has the what-ifs. What if he had been a better husband? What if he had been a better person? What if he had talked to Branka about how bitter he felt at his house being absorbed, his accomplishments washed away? But its almost nice to have them.
But the what ifs turn to another. Felsi. They had been interested prior to his marriage to Branka, and they had tried a relationship when Branka took the whole sodding house to the Deep Roads. But it didn't work out. He had been an even bigger mess. But maybe…
"Hey…" he begins slowly. He remembers that she told him where she was going. To the surface, to a certain inn. He thinks she told him in hopes that, when things were a little better, he would come find her? Besides, what's the worse that can happen? His family is dead, his honor as a warrior is long gone. He's lost his caste and his house. The only thing he has to lose is his miserable life, and he is a warrior. He's always known he was going to throw that away at some point.
"Yes, Oghren?" Alistair is the one who answers, glancing down at him. "Need one of us to carry you?" the boy teases. He barely resists the urge to roll his eyes. Barely. "Okay, that's a 'no'. What's up?"
"Mind if I ask a favor?"
"Are you drunk?" This time, he does scowl. "Sorry, just didn't expect you to ask that." The boy smiles. "So, what do you need?"
"There's this… friend I want to check in on." Sure, he'd go with that. "I think it's a bit of a detour at this point." They had just gotten out of Lothering. "But-"
"Hey, Nuada, can we pause a bit? Oghren wants to see someone!" The whole groups stops, and Nuada tugs out a map from his pack. "So, Oghren, where are we going?"
…He honestly hadn't expected them to agree so quickly nor with such warm smiles. "It's called the Spoiled Princess, by some lake…"
"Oh, that's here." Alistair points to a place on the map. "It's not too far from where we are."
"Then that's our next destination," Nuada declares. He glanced at Oghren with a sly look. "So… someone, huh? A lady friend?" He scowls and Nuada snickers. "This I really have to see. I'll be your wing man."
These Wardens might be a little more cracked than he thought. But, hey… made things interesting.
Author's Note: And here is Oghren, and hints to his companion quest.
Next Chapter – Denerim with Layla (Landsmeet Arc begins)
