Hm, took me a little while to get this out. But I'm an university student and I have an exam in about a week - bad, bad.
Oh, I know my grammar isn't the best - I'm not a native english speaking person after all! :)

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Chapter 1

The World Outside

I walk alone through shapeless dreams
my only home is the wasteland that I cross
I close the door and turn the key
those days of joy are barely memories
Now when you're gone, your star will
shine on, wont you shine for me?

Hammerfall - I Believe

*

The way from Lake Calenhad to Ostagar wasn't a short one, and even though Duncan was in a really good form, Brand wasn't. He was considered being in good form for a mage who spent most his time in the tower, but his feet started to hurt almost at once and it was so much for him to see that Duncan got impatient now and then. Do... not complain... about sore feet, he told himself over and over again. Think about something else... count the herbs you can see from the road. And he went through recepies in his head and made potions and salves in his mind while they were walking, just to keep his mind of his hurting feet. One thing about Brand was that he could think about several things at once unless he lost his concentration, wich was sometimes a good thing and sometimes a very annoying fact. He tried to keep his mind off the future and what fate had in store for him but it was quite hard, because he knew nothing, nothing was certain anymore – so he could not stop wondering. Duncan stopped at a glen, just as Brand was lost in deep thought again.

"We'll rest here for the night."

Bless the Maker, Brand thought. I really can't feel my feet right now.

It did take a few days but soon they arrived at the kings camp at Ostagar. Duncan had felt pity for Brand and had gotten him some nice, worn leather boots wich was really comfortable for his feet. The mage had been overwhelmed with relief, and the rest of the way had been an easier trip. History had always interested him so he studied Ostagar curiously when they entered so he barely listened to Duncan, who talked about the darkspawn horde and that it needed to be defeated here for the rest of Ferelden to be safe. And then he snapped from his thoughts as Duncan greeted a large, blonde man.

"King Cailan? I didn't expect..."

The king? Suddenly the elementalist felt nervous and hoped that the king wouldn't look at him. He had no idea how to talk to or greet a king. Being polite to other mages and royalty was not entirely the same thing, as far as he knew. But he had no luck this day. In fact, he didn't think he had much luck since he'd been forced – gently but still forced – to leave the Circle.

"The other Wardens told me that you found a promising recruit. I take that this is he?"

What what? How did the king know that? Did Duncan somehow use telepathy to communicate with his fellow Wardens? Brand felt confused, and then Duncan said that he could introduce him. No! What should I say? And then the – to his horror - the king turned and talked straight to him.

"Hello, friend! Might I know your name?"

Brand bowed his head a bit before looking at the king again, since he guessed it would be very improper to look away. And he didn't really want to seem like a coward either.

"My name's Brand, your Majesty."

He replied in what he hoped was a steady and calm voice.

"It is my understanding that you hail from the Circle of Magi. I trust that you have several spells to aid us with?"

"I will do my best, your Majesty."

And then the king exscused himself, Teyrn Loghain wanted to talk to him. Before he left, he said that Brand should be honored to join the ranks of the Grey Wardens. I guess you really want to be one yourself, huh? But as King, I guess your duties lies elsewhere. He thought to himself and then the king and his bodyguards left him and Duncan alone again.

"The King seems to value the Grey Wardens highly" he said tentatively.

"Yet not enought to wait for reinforcements from the Wardens of Orlais. He seems to think that our legened alone makes him invunerable."

The Warden-Commander answered, a worried and resigned tone in his voice. As if he had talked with the king about that subject many, many fruitless times. Brand was about to say something friendly when Duncan montioned him to start walking again, wich he did and then Duncan started to talk again.

"I know this is a Blight – that it is an archdemon behind all this, but I can't ask the king to act solely on my feelings. Anyway, now that we're here, it's time to prepare for your Joining."

"My... what?"

What was the Joining? Brand had never heard of it before. But he was good at reading people, and the look on Duncans face told him that it was something serious. Wait... not anymore tests? Oh please, Maker have mercy. I haven't really recovered from the horror of my Harrowing yet...

"Every recruit must go through a ritual we call the Joining in order to become Grey Wardens."

"Is... this Joining anything like the Harrowing?"

When Brand hesitantly asked, Duncan looked at him and his posture was regretful.

"I'm sorry you have to endure another ordeal so soon after your first one."

Ordeal? That told word everything. Everything he wished it wasn't.

"For the time being, feel free to explore the camp as you wish. My tent is across this bridge, by the kings camp. When you feel ready, find another Grey Warden by the name of Alistair who will help you prepare for your Joining. You can't miss him, he's blonde, tall, in an armor and has the worst jokes in the camp."

Duncan said dryly.

"Are there any more recruits?"

"Yes, there's two more. They've been waiting for our return so as soon as you feel ready we'll prepare for the Joining."

At least I'm not alone, Brand mused as he saw Duncan walk away while himself, he just stood there, taking everything in.

The elementalist wandered aimlessly around in the camp. He had eaten some soup – and he really didn't want to know what was the ingredients in that one. So many soldiers and guards, and mages and their templar guard dogs too. Feeling a bit lost, he ended up close to the kennels. A weak growl caught his attention and he looked inside and saw a brown dog – a big a very muscular dog – inside. It seemed to have trouble to breathe and its eyes were big and he had a suffocating look, it was obvious that the animal was not feeling well at all. The kennel master appeared and Brand tried to blend in and go by unnoticed but he wasn't stealthy by nature so he failed – and quite much at that.

"Oh, are you the new Grey Warden?"

The kennel master asked, soundning genuinely curious. Brand supposed that telling that he was a recruit for the Grey Wardens wouldn't make much sense so he just nodded in silent agreement. The tan-skinned man gestured to the dog and then he said:

"Maybe you could help me with this guy? I need him muzzled to start his treatment but he wont let me. Poor fellow swallowed too much darkspawn blood. A painful death it is."

Brand looked at the dog, hesitant.

"I don't really know anything about dogs..."

At this, the kennel master just snorted.

"Dogs? This is no ordinary dog! It's a mabari. The finest warhounds there is, and intelligent as well – as least as smart as your average tax collector, they can understand complex orders you know. They usually only imprint once, and this poor bastards master died in the last battle. I'd hate to put such a fine one down, but unless he gets treatment, he wont recover. Even with help he might not survive but treatment would give him a better chance."

"Well, of course I'd like to help. As long as he doesn't bite of any of my arms."

Brand joked half-heartedly. The dog was massive and big. Brand wasn't a small man by any means but he still liked his limbs just fine as they were. The kennel master just laughed.

"You'll notice right away if he accepts you or not."

With that, he opened so Brand could enter the enclosure with the mabari. The mage went inside and the dog growled weakly but did not attack, it just looked at him with pained eyes. Brand got to his knee and put a hand on the dogs head, talking softly to him as he muzzled him. The kennelmaster seemed very relieved once Brand came out.

"Great! Now I can begin treatment. He'll hopefully be better in a few days. Come back then and we'll see about imprinting him on you. He might know that you helped him."

"Me? Having a wardog? I'm not sure..."

The kennel master just laughed and said that everything would be alright.

Brand ambled trough different parts of the camp, deciding to find the Grey Warden that Duncan had mentioned. Finding a single person among all these soldiers seemed like finding a needle in a haystack though. He asked a guard who pointed vague at the north - wich really didn't make Brand any more informed about Alistairs whereabouts then he already was. Wandering without a goal and just keeping his ears open he hoped he would stumble upton something. Hopefully he would at least have a little luck. And maybe luck was with him for the moment, because he suddenly heard some angry voices. Or more like one angry voice and a second one wich was faintly amused. Curiosly he followed the voices wich led to a part in the camp where he hadn't been before. A blonde man in armor was talking to a mage – Brand didn't recognize the mage but the mage was probably an established memeber of the Circle so that wasn't really weird – but it was clear that he was a mage, staff and robe-wearing after all.

"Should I have asked her to write a note?"

The blonde man said, in a humorous and sligtly poking tone wich made the mage snarl back and wander of with long and steady steps. Easily annoyed, it seemed. Then the blonde man noted Brand and walked towards him.

"Isn't it wonderful how the Blight brings everyone together?"

He mused in an even more amused tone.

"I see what you mean."

Brand answered a bit too lightly, but the blonde man didn't seem to notice.

"And who are you? You don't happen to be another mage, do you?"

His voice slightly suspicious, and at this Brand raised an eyebrow.

"I am indeed a mage."

He replied steadily, voice dry as the desert in the middle of the day.

"And here I thought I'd been yelled at by every mage in the camp..."

At this, Brand was surprised. Alright? This was just weird.

"Oh, I know! You must be Duncans new recruit – from the Circle of Magi. Pardon me, my name's Alistair, I'm a junior Grey Warden who will accompany you when you prepare for your joining."

"Pleased to meet you, my name's Brand."

Alistair laughed a bit and was actually a nice person to talk to. Brand found out that he had once been a templar-in-training but had been recruited into the Grey Wardens before he'd been allowed to take the vows – and this seemed to make Alistair deliriously happy, and Brand thought that it might be so – Alsitair didn't seem like the type who would want to devote his life to a religious cause, even if he believed in the Maker. So I'll have a person on my back who was trained a templar and can cancel my magic and kill me with his sword – juuust in case I become an abomination or something like that. Great. But, he seems nice enough, I guess he wont kill me out of nothing... I hope. After a little chat, Alistair said that they should get back to Duncan and prepare for the Joining. Brand recultantly agreed, he didn't really look forward to it. At all.

*