Interlude – Armies
The mages and templars march from the Tower. Those that survived now go to walk into the greatest of battles, but not one hesitates. He's never been prouder of his templars. He's never been prouder to be Knight Commander of Kinloch Hold.
They meet the main army on the highway, and fall in easily. He leaves his men, and his charges, and goes to look for Layla Amell, partly to be formal and partly to check in on her.
He finds her, however, training among the soldiers, and he cannot help but stop and stare. The little girl he had carried back to her dorms after a nightmare… the young girl who had the quickest, cleanest Harrowing in the history of Kinloch Hold… the young woman who walked out of a nightmare with her head held high and haunted eyes… she was sparring with the soldiers, easily parrying and dodging with a rapier, a blade he has only truly seen in books. A companion of hers, an elf with tattoos on his face, cheers her on as she fights.
He watches her duck and weave. He watches as she smiles at her victory, quick to offer her hand and her healing magic.
He watches and realizes an error he might have made. Layla Amell is no longer a child. She is a soldier, a general… a Warden. It shows. By the Maker and His Bride, it shows.
He's not entirely certain how happy he is to see that.
He has seen her cast fire and ice with barely a thought. He has seen her knit up gaping wounds with a smile. As her teacher, as someone who liked to look after her, he had thought he had seen it all.
But, as he goes to greet her, he pauses, realizing something. She does not use 'spells' as the Circle teaches. Her magic is freer now, wild yet controlled. She is a master of spells, an archmage of the highest caliber. Magic dances on her skin as she somehow channels it inward, increasing her strength enough to throw warriors three times her size as if she were throwing a paper ball.
He watches, and is startled, because of all the things he expected to see, he had not expected this. But oh, he is proud. He is prouder than he ever thought he could be. To see her lead, to see the people trust a mage despite what everyone teachers… he could not be any prouder of her. It makes him truly think a day may come where mages and non-mages can live side-by-side in harmony, watching her among the soldiers.
But, he will admit; he is relieved when she turns towards him and her face lights up in a smile. "I'll be right there, Irving!" she calls, waving both hands to make sure he sees her. Her companion, a mage with raven-black hair and glittering gold eyes, looks on in amusement. "One mom-WAH!" And she trips in her enthusiasm, sparking a laugh from the group.
Some things are constant, no matter how much changes.
The hunters march from the forest, meeting other clans along the way. She smiles at them, and hides her fear. This is her first 'real' act as Keeper, and she knows her Clan is watching to see how she will lead.
She holds back a sigh as they join the main army, checks her fear as she sees the shemlen eyeing them dubiously. Just because they are allies does not mean anything. She and hers will have to be cautious, in order to…
The thought trails off as she sees the shemlen soldiers smile happily suddenly. She is confused as to what improved their moods so much, and creeps closer to find the answer. She is startled when she realizes they are smiling because of Cleon. They smile, saluting, and speak one at a time as his companion, a woman with short red hair and sharp but warm eyes, signs out what they say to him.
The woman glances up, and smiles, nudging Cleon. He turns, and smiles as well, extending one hand, and she thinks of a legend Zathrian once told her. Of how a simple hunter would throw open the gates of paradise and guide the Elvhen to it.
She had thought it a pretty, but ultimately fruitless, tale. But as she takes his hand and waits for his companion to translate for her, she wonders if maybe it is possible after all.
He had leapt at the chance to march with the hunters. Keeper Lanaya's messengers had reached them just before they took the ships across the sea, heading to Sundermont so that the Keeper could keep a promise. And, so, here he is, with a bunch of shemlen. He can barely tolerate it, but for the chance to see Cleon again, he would endure.
It hasn't been that long, but to the Clan, it feels like forever. He knows how much it hurts Lyna, and Merrill. And him. He and Cleon have been friends since they were children. He looks forward to fighting side-by-side.
Except, when he sees Cleon in the shemlen camp, he cannot help but hesitate. It has not been that long, but Cleon looks far different. Moving like a shadow, but with the poise of the greatest of hunters. He thinks of Zaphikel, Cleon's first teacher, and thinks Cleon has completely emulated him, despite being far younger.
He manages enough courage to call out Cleon's name, but gets no response. He calls again, but there is nothing. He wonders what to do, when a shemlen nudges Cleon and points to him. His spirit is soothed when Cleon turns and sees him, smiling brightly. The shemlen passes a piece of paper and a pen to Cleon, and Cleon runs over, scribbling something on it.
'I am deaf now, Fenarel.' The words on the paper are simple, but they highlight just how much Cleon has changed. 'Sorry. I did not think I would see anyone of the Clan. Thankfully, Alistair was near.' However, some things remain constant. 'Tell me of everyone? How are Lyna, Ashalle, and Merril?' Cleon's smile, for instance, is the same. That tells him that, no matter how much like Zaphikel Cleon unconsciously acts like, at his core, Cleon is the same.
So, he takes the pen and writes down everything he can think of.
When she arrives with the other mages, she thinks briefly about going to surprise Layla immediately. But she decides against it, mostly so that she can really surprise her later and laugh at how she squeaks. So, instead, she hunts for someone she has not seen for a long, long time. She hunts for Aiden.
She knows he's here. The messages from the Wardens all talk about how Aiden, her cousin, is the leader of the army. While some part of her can't believe it, the rest can. Aiden had always been the 'leader' of their little play group. Aiden had been the only one unafraid when her magic had gone wild, changing her coloring and destroying things.
She hunts for him in the crowd, looking for a frail little boy with a spirit of steel and a heart of gold. Instead, she finds a giant with a sword as large as he is. A warrior… no, a master of arms who holds himself calm yet confident. She is… surprised. She never would have expected it, no matter how strong Aunt Adaia had been.
She is even more surprised by realizing the messages had not exaggerated. Aiden is the leader, and he snaps out orders easily, knowing they will be heard.
"Neria?" She gasps as she realizes he sees her, recognizes her. "Give me a moment," he yells over. His companion, another giant with a similar weapon, but with strange bronze skin and white hair tightly braided, shakes his head. "Yes, Sten, I'm finishing this first, so just… hey, you, what are you doing? Put that back immediately."
The soldier flinches back, chastised, but does not show resentment. Watching the interaction, she remembers how, when they were children, Aiden once wished that people would just recognize elves and their potential. She smiles because she thinks he managed it, and she could not be happier.
The soldiers march from Orzammar, and his group marches from even farther. The Legion of the Dead steps out of the shadows to combat the Blight, and it's mostly because he's curious. He remembers the leader of the Wardens, and wants to see if he's changed in the short time.
He thinks the answer is 'yes' as he finds that Aiden lad in the middle of everything, shouting orders. He recognizes Oghren next to him, and notes that they stand similarly. Oghren managed to teach the boy how to be a 'real' berserker, and it shows.
But he can also see the calm stillness that had caught his eye before. He sees the light of purpose that holds the boy steady. He grins, deciding that it was a good idea. It is a good idea, indeed, to leave the Deep Roads and fight on the surface.
That boy pulled a miracle in the Roads, and now, he's certain, he's about to see one again.
"Kardol?" the boy calls. He nods, giving a little salute. "I see you chose to come up!" The boy smiles and extends his hand. "Welcome to the insanity!"
"Nah, this isn't insanity yet," he laughs. "But we're getting there. We're getting there." This is going to be entertaining.
The Knight-Commander had insisted he come with the group leaving the tower, instead of simply remaining behind to guard. He thinks it's to see if a change of scenery will help him, even if that scenery is going to be bloody. He had thought about complaining, but decided against it. After all, he is morbidly curious if the darkspawn can do worse than the demon.
Along the way, the Knight-Commander had drilled him, and he thinks he can recite strategies in his sleep. He thinks the Knight-Commander might be dragging him along to help out with coordinating the templars with the soldiers. After all, his first order had been to find the 'head tactician' of the army.
He sighs, and moves through the crowd in a bit of a haze. It is so loud, yet unreal to him. He wonders if he is still in the dream, and the demon is still tormenting him. He wonders if he will ever get a good night's rest again, or feel as if the walls are not closing in on him whenever he is in an enclosed space.
"Cullen? Cullen Rutherford?" He pauses at the call, curious as to who around here knew him by name. It takes him a couple of blinks to realize who the person is. The one who played a mental game of chess with him back at the Tower, and ended up losing an eye to Uldred. "I thought it was you," the man greets, and he struggles to remember a name. Nuada? He thinks it is 'Nuada', at least. Though, he could have sworn his eye was blue last they met. "A shame that I don't think we can continue our game here." Nuada grins, and he finds himself relaxing. A bit of grounding, a reassurance that what he had experienced then was 'real', that all of this was 'real'. "Looking for someone?"
"Yes, the head tactician," he answers. He glances around, and notes Senior Enchanter Wynne standing nearby, shaking her head while smiling indulgently. "Did I interrupt something?"
"Oh, I might have left mid-word in talking to her about infirmary things." Nuada's grin grows, clearly showing no shame. "And I'm the head tactician. Pleased to be working with you, Cullen."
"I see." Everything had changed when he was freed from the demon, but he is glad that this person seems 'constant'. "Well, maybe we'll have our game later."
"I like the way you think."
The forces march from Redcliffe, but even as he sings songs to help them keep in time, he cannot help but look over at Nuada. They are almost to Denerim, and now, more than ever, is the time to worry.
However, as he looks, he realizes how much Nuada has changed, grown, in so short of a time. Nuada smiles more, and leans on others. Nuada gives his trust more freely, and balances playing the fool with competent tactician. Nuada laughs far more freely, teasing the golem, Shale, over its dislike for birds.
He thinks of how Nuada always was worried about meeting the expectations of those around him. He thinks Nuada succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and is so very proud of his friend. He knows Bryce and Eleanor would have been beaming.
After all, Nuada and his friends have created a miracle. They have an army to replace the one lost at Ostagar. Now, they can only pray it will be enough.
Author's Note: So, each of the scenes is the different POV reflecting on the four main Wardens. They are, in order: Greagoir and Irving (Layla), Lanaya and Fenarel (Cleon), Neria and Kardol (Aiden), and Cullen and Teagan (Nuada). (Fenaral is one of the temporary companions in the Dalish origin). It's based on the cutscene you get in game where everyone is marching off. Some of the scenes contain references to the 'opening dialogue' for each of the four origin chapters. And references to the achievements you get if you reach level 20 in certain classes: Archmage (mage), Shadow (rogue), and Master of Arms (warrior). Each scene also features one companion; Elspeth and Loghain were not included in it, though.
Next Chapter – The Siege of Denerim begins at last with Nuada (meaning this will be the last author's note until the Archdemon is dead)
