"Familiarity is the root of the closest friendships and the intensest hatreds."
By the time they stepped off the ship, dusk was beginning to set in. Heavy gray clouds hung over their heads, bringing with them the threat of rain.
It was a short walk to Vigil's Keep - Jenji's new home for the next few months - and she hoped it would be a silent one. The elf took in the crisp sea air for a moment before setting off down the path.
Erlina, of course, followed closely.
Jenji found herself glancing over her shoulder at the Orlesian from time to time, wondering for some reason what she was thinking of. How long since Erlina had been away from Denerim? How long had it been since she'd last left Orlais for that matter? Perhaps she had family somewhere, or a bard master who wanted her dead...
Whatever the answer, the other elf seemed absolutely captivated by the sights before them.
When at last they came to the castle a knight ran to greet them. She was young - too young in Jenji's opinion - and she looked relieved to see they had arrived; which of course usually meant something bad had happened.
That was when the Warden felt it.
The silence; the faint scent of blood and death on the wind; it all made sense now.
There was no question.
Sensing darkspawn did not come so much as a warning or feeling of danger as it did one of acceptance, kinship, and coming home again. She supposed then that's what the Calling really was: when the Grey Warden finally lacked the strength or will to fight it and the idea of joining them became too compelling to resist, the song simply too beautiful...
Yet the very thought sent a shiver down her spine.
The whole world seemed to hold its breath...
Jenji could tell from the look on the knight's face that there were few, if any, survivors left within the keep's walls. The darkspawn were winning this battle, which meant they would have to move quickly. There would be time for questions later.
"Erlina," Jenji whispered, "I need you to get to safety. Send help if you can."
"No."
"What did you say?"
And there was that determination in her eyes again.
"I am not useless: I can defend myself. I will not stand by while you risk your life against Maker knows how many of those creatures. Give me a weapon, and I will fight."
"You said it yourself: I've killed an archdemon." Jenji pointed out.
"With an army at your back; I'm sorry, but I made a promise."
Daveth...
It was clever of him to send a former spy with her, but Maker help him if she made it out of this alive. How could he lie to her? For that matter, how could she not have seen this coming? Apparently Erlina was more cunning than she looked. That would teach Jenji never to underestimate a bard, a lesson she should have learned already.
But there was no time to argue.
They had to fight, and fight they did. These darkspawn weren't as organized as they had been during the Blight, but they were organized nonetheless. This wasn't just a random attack. That would be too coincidental.
Maybe the Wardens had somehow turned the darkspawn against her...deliberately sending Jenji into a trap.
Whatever the case, it looked like she wouldn't just be dealing with nobles this time, and it was definitely going to take more than three months to figure this one out.
Erlina was useful, even unarmored as she was. Looks really can be deceiving.
"Forgive me for not properly introducing myself earlier," the knight said once they had secured the outside of the castle. "My name is Mhairi, and I am a knight in King Alistair's service. I came here to become a Grey Warden; it's what I've wanted since I was a girl." You practically still are. "But then the darkspawn..."
"That's really fascinating, Mhairi, truly it is. But we have to kill them now." Jenji said a little harshly.
"Yes, Commander. I understand."
The title made her blink. It was the first time anyone had referred to her as such.
And so they pushed on, that is until they came to a scene that made Jenji stop short.
A man - obviously a mage - was killing darkspawn, or more specifically, burning them alive. And those weren't just darkspawn either, but also templars, several of them.
He might even be useful...
The mage turned and, upon realizing his audience, gave the most charming smile he could manage and said the first thing that came to his mind.
"Uh...I didn't do it."
...Or maybe not.
"That's a shame," Jenji remarked, "especially since I find myself in need of skilled help."
The man grinned. "Well, I may have thought about it, if it makes a difference. Not much else to do when you're being held against your will, except maybe plotting my next escape attempt."
"You're a prisoner?" The Warden raised an eyebrow.
"Apostate," Mhairi corrected, the word leaving her lips with a surprising amount of venom.
"Ah, that would explain the dead templars then."
He shrugged. "Yes, well, what can I say? The Circle...just never was my cup of tea. It's fine for some, but I've always preferred freedom myself."
"Sounds perfectly reasonable to me, but if no one takes care of this darkspawn problem you'll be dead anyway. So why not come with us?" Jenji suggested…much to her companions' dismay.
"Gorgeous and brilliant, I see."
The elf was taken aback by his words. the worst part was she couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
"And I don't suppose you're going to give us your name, mage?" Mhairi prompted, her eyes narrowed.
"They call me Anders, my lady, at your service."
"Well, I am Jenji. This is Ser Mhairi, and-"
"-Erlina Renard," the Orlesian cut in, curtsying. This earned her a snort from Mhairi who was not impressed at all. It was one of the only times Jenji had ever heard the bard speak without being spoken to first. It was also the first time she had ever heard her surname.
Anders nodded slowly, placing the names to their faces. "A pleasure," he said.
She would have to keep an eye on this one.
)O(
The last thing she expected as they made their way through Vigil's Keep was to see anything, let alone anyone, familiar.
But, there was Oghren, drunk as ever and still decapitating genlocks with astounding precision.
"'Bout sodding time you turned up, Warden. And how's the little Blighter doin' these days?"
"Adaia is doing fine, Oghren." Jenji replied reluctantly. Talking about her daughter made her miss Ada that much more.
"And why are you here?" she asked him.
"You never were much for small talk," the dwarf observed. "Anyway, I thought I'd try my hand at becomin' a Grey Warden."
That was the last thing she had expected to hear him say.
"But...why?"
"Well...now that the Blight's over and all...I figure I can still do some good, y'know? I do owe ya a lot...and seein' as how you need Wardens...why not?" He shifted awkwardly and tried not to meet her eyes. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her.
"I can think of a few good reasons," Anders muttered. But Oghren knew what being a Warden meant. Unlike some, namely Mhairi, he knew it wasn't all glory and forging legends...far from it.
He had probably seen some of them go to their Calling in the Deep Roads...
And so their odd little group gained one more. This was familiar.
Darkspawn who talk...?
That's what the dying man had said. Rowland was his name; a friend of Mhairi's apparently.
Talking darkspawn was something she'd never seen before, unless you were to count the archdemon that is. But there was no archdemon this time, there couldn't be, she had watched the light leave its eyes...and yet her mind was haunted by thoughts of 'what if?' and Morrigan's ritual.
Maybe the Old God wasn't really gone, or maybe it was something else entirely.
She hoped it had nothing to do with that night, because if so, there was no one she could tell.
They were suddenly on the roof of the castle...and her blood froze when she heard the darkspawn speak. It looked more human than most who were infected with the taint usually did.
And it had taken a hostage.
For the first time since that fateful day, Jenji felt fear...and panic.
"It has ended, just as he foretold." the creature said.
And she knew she had to fight, but somehow Jenji couldn't bring herself to focus, let alone move.
It all came back to her in a wave of terrible familiarity. Her mind locked in the confines of her skull, rendered useless. The fear gripped her and would not relent, turning her heart into a block of ice and her bones to dust...
She could feel herself falling...or perhaps...drowning...
The next thing Jenji remembered was Anders, covered in blood - some of it his own no doubt - and the comforting blue glow of healing magic. She was certain the others couldn't be too far away.
Jenji could see their lips moving but the words held no meaning to her anymore. Everything was shifting too fast, faces became a blur, the words turning to static and then silence.
She fell from the edge of the world...
...and for a moment...was free.
)O(
Jenji awoke with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. But this was a different kind of nightmare; familiar yet somehow changed.
For one sweet moment she forgot where she was.
But then the elf remembered the ship to Amaranthine, the darkspawn taking over Vigil's Keep, and of course the one who could talk...
So this must be her room then, and this must be her bed. Someone had taken the liberty of removing her armor and replaced it with a soft white nightgown.
Never once had she blacked out before, not even upon seeing the archdemon for the first time in the Deep Roads. Which she knew meant that either her body just wasn't used to this after so much time, or she was beginning to get worse.
Jenji took a deep breath and prayed it was the former. Her head hit the pillow once more and she stared up at the ceiling. Maker, if this is my punishment for not being killed by the archdemon, I'm truly sorry.
One of Jenji's worst fears had been realized: her companions would know how weak she really was, and it seemed she was only getting weaker.
"Erlina, you've been hovering in the doorway for I don't even know how long," she said wearily. "What is it?"
The Orlesian jumped slightly at the sudden acknowledgment of her presence. Nothing got passed Jenji. How did she think the Warden had survived for this long?
"My...erm...Commander, I came to inform you that the king has arrived from Denerim. He wishes to speak with you as soon as possible, if you are feeling up to it of course."
He was probably here because of the darkspawn. And as Warden-Commander it was her responsibility to deal with such things. In truth, it was more a matter of how much she dreaded the idea of dealing with the others after what happened. Of course that was assuming Anders hadn't already been taken by the templars yet, Mhairi was the type to believe anything she was told, and Oghren...well he was like family now.
So maybe this didn't have to be so bad after all.
That thought would carry her home.
