Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age, that's owned by Bioware and they are the most amazing people and gaming developer ever.

"Well that was…anti-climactic…" Jayden said as he crossed his arms together.

Carver and the rest of the Grey Wardens sat around the now lit campfire. Carver sat on the ground with his arm resting on his knee; Jayden was standing next to Carver while Kallian and Nurren sat next to each other on a log; Cora was standing at the opposite side of the campfire by herself; Stroud stood with his arms behind his back and facing them all with a solemn expression; Ike stood next to him with his usual expressionless face. An hour had passed since Carver came back to the surface and in that same hour the Wardens told him about the plan.

"Well, a plan is a plan, I guess." Jayden commented while he shrugged his shoulders.

Ike raised an eyebrow and asked Jayden, "Were you expecting something different?"

Jayden scrunched his nose and said, "Stroud made it sound like he had a pretty exciting plan before but now-"

"This is not about whether or not a mission is 'exciting'," Stroud interrupted Jayden; his voice stern and with a hint of annoyance in it, "What matters is that we get Carver to the Keep as quickly as possible."

"Yes, but a boat ride back to Amaranthine? Ya could've made it more interesting," Jayden complained as he passed a hand through his buzz cut hair.

Carver refrained himself from punching Jayden in the face; it was his life that was on the line but all Jayden cared about was if it was going to be entertaining or not. Prick.

"I see nothing wrong with it," said Kallian, trying to change the subject, "It should be at least two or three days trip from here to Amaranthine."

Stroud nodded his head to Kallian in gratitude, "We're not far from the port we came from weeks ago. If we head for there now, we'll be fortunate enough to aboard on a ship tonight."

"Is that why you ordered us to pack up camp earlier?" Cora asked, "What about our mission?"

Carver looked at Stroud questionably and asked, "What mission?"

Stroud looked hesitant for a moment then he responded, "We were looking for some…allies in the Deep Roads. That is all I can say."

Carver frowned, "What allies? Other Grey Wardens?"

Again Stroud looked as if he was pained to give out information, "No, no…It's complicated and I'm not at liberty to say anything more."

"What do you mean you can't say anything more?" Carver asked angrily, "If I'm a Grey Warden, I'm allowed to know about these things."

"But you're not a Grey Warden," Stroud snapped at him then he spoke in a stern tone, "Not yet…Not until you pass the Joining."

"Then why can't I do it now?" Carver stood up and glared at Stroud, "If I have to wait three day to do this then let's get it out of the way and do it here!"

Stroud was about to say something but Ike cut him off, "I told you, Carver, the Commander has to be there to make it official. Also we don't have the proper means to perform the Joining right now."

Carver relaxed a bit, though he was still annoyed by Stroud. He really didn't understand why he couldn't do the Joining. Was the Joining a sort of test or something else? Why couldn't anyone tell him what the Joining really is? He hated the half answers that he got and the secrecy didn't help either. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back to see that it was Jayden looking guiltily at him.

"We need lyrium; a LOT of lyrium." Jayden told him. "And some darkspawn blood…and a hint of Archdemon blood as well."

Carver looked at Jayden in shock while he heard Stroud sighing and said, "Jayden-"

"What?" Jayden retorted, "It doesn't matter if he knows; he's going to be one of us soon."

"We may not know that for sure," Stroud responded sternly.

Jayden snorted and said, "Stroud, he's had the taint for five days. He's gonna survive, I know it."

Stroud frowned and looked away from Jayden. He looked deep in thought and after a moment he closed his eyes and breathed through his nose. He looked back at Carver and said, "Jayden as a point." At this Jayden grinned and puffed out his chest in pride. "Your life lies within the Grey Wardens now; you should not be denied of the secrets of our Order." Carver opened his mouth to speak but Stroud lifted his hand to silence him. "But," he continued, "Not all of our secrets. In due time, I swear it."

Carver looked at Stroud dead in the eye and finally, he sighed in defeat and nodded his head. He guessed it was as good as he was going to get. No matter how peeved he was.

Jayden patted his shoulder and told him quietly, "I'll tell ya more about the Joining later."

For the first time since Carver met him, Jayden looked serious and there wasn't a hint of mirth in his voice. Carver bit the inside of his cheek to refrain from asking Jayden to tell him now. So far, Jayden seemed like a person that he could count on; he was the one who helped him back in the Deep Roads and now he backed him up against Stroud. Carver decided that he could wait. For a while.

"With that aside," Ike said after a moment of silence had past, "Is everyone in favor of the plan?"

Nobody said anything at first until Kallian replied, "I think that this is up to Carver to decide, don't you agree?" Beside her, Nurren nodded her head in agreement while Cora muttered a yes under her breath.

"Well buddy," Jayden began, "What's it gonna be?"

Carver looked at everyone and without a thought he replied, "You don't hear me complaining about it."

Ships, Carver concluded, were evil little blighters.

Carver leaned back against the wooden railing as he tried to control the urge to vomit all over the deck. 'How does Isabella find the thrill of this?' Carver thought as he sweat profusely. He recalled the stories of the swashbuckling captain and her adventures that accrued beyond the seas. He wasn't like the sultry woman and absolutely found no pleasure in being on a vessel that rocked on the waters endlessly. 'Bloody pirate.'

It had been three days since he and the Wardens set out from the entrance of the Deep Roads and made it to a sea port where they miraculously found a ship to take them to Amaranthine. Carver thought for sure that they weren't able to go aboard on such late notice but Stroud spoke with the captain of the ship and somehow the captain agreed, albeit reluctantly.

Carver kept to himself these past three days; mostly thinking about the recent events and what was going to happen to him. The others didn't bother him; they let him have his personal space. He supposed that he was grateful for it, but even if any of them came near him to talk he would ignore them. He still felt sick from the taint, even though the mage Cora gave him more of the revolting antidote, which made him cranky and feel just downright awful. It also didn't help that he was a little bit seasick.

He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing; it helped during the boat ride from Gwaren to Kirkwall and it helped now as well. After a few minutes he felt slightly better and he was almost at peace when he heard a cheerful voice calling to him. "Hey there buddy!"

Carver groaned loudly as he opened his eyes and saw Jayden standing in front of him. Jayden had long gotten rid of his armor and wore a tunic with the Grey Warden insignia on it and a pair of brown trousers. Jayden joined him, propped his arms on the railing and faced the open sea. From his view Carver could see the black rat tail which was the only visible hair that Jayden had.

"What do you want now?" Carver muttered as he kept his eyes straight ahead. It was not the first time the cheery Warden tried to talk to him and unfortunately it wouldn't be the last.

From the corner of his eyes he saw Jayden shrug his shoulders. "Nothing, just checking up on ya," Jayden replied.

Carver rolled his eyes; Jayden had been using the same excuse to be near him. Though it was true that Jayden checked on Carver on orders from Stroud, it got a little annoying.

"You don't like ships?" Jayden asked absentmindedly while he picked dirt from under his fingernails.

"What ever gave you that idea?" Carver asked dryly; frowning to himself.

Jayden chuckled, "Lucky guess."

A moment of silence passed between them, much to Carver's surprise. Jayden tapped his fingers against the railing but he remained quiet as he looked out at the waters. It wasn't long before Carver felt a wave of nausea hitting him fiercely and he found himself spilling out his contents over the railing.

He heard Jayden muttering a quiet 'ew' and he patted Carver's back sympathetically. "This your first time on a ship?" Jayden asked.

Carver was coughing out what was left of his vomit and shook his head, "Second time. It was almost two years ago when my family and I took a ship from Gwaren to Kirkwall."

Jayden whistled and said, "From Gwaren? That must've been a long trip."

"It was," Carver confirmed, "We were on that bloody ship for almost a month."

Carver remembered being on that ship like it was yesterday. It wasn't a large ship and there were too many refugees on board so everyone was cramped up. A few people were sick and some even died during the trip. It was suffocating; he felt as if he was trapped inside a tiny cage. A cage filled with despair, sickness, and never ending darkness all wrap up together.

Jayden shook his head, "Why did ya go to Kirkwall? Seems like a random place to be."

Carver stiffens at Jayden's words and replied blankly, "You have no idea."

He balled his hands into fists and didn't dare to look at Jayden. He wasn't going to tell him. He didn't need to know. Jayden was trying to get to know him; trying to be his friend, trying to find out about his past. He wasn't blind to Jayden's intentions.

Truth be told…Jayden does seem to be the only one on his side. Jayden stood up for him even though he didn't know shit about him. He won't admit out loud but…Carver acknowledged what Jayden had done for him-so far. That doesn't mean he trusted him with every little secret he had. No way. He wasn't looking to be buddy-buddy with the idiot. If he could only take a bloody hint, though…

Jayden began to ramble on about how he was ready to go Vigil's Keep, eat until he couldn't eat no more, and fall into his bed. Carver only tuned in here and there, not particular ecstatic about Jayden's enthusiasm. There were moments were the sickness went away, but black spots appeared in his eyes. He blinked furiously and shook his head to get rid of them. He breathing was getting heavier by the minutes and he could feel himself fighting against sleep. It only when he felt a tap in his shoulder that he was brought back into reality. He looked to the right and saw a bottle of Cora's potion right in his face.

Jayden held the bottle with a sad and knowing smile. "Hey, stay with us," he said as he swished the bottle to and fro, "You're not turning into a ghoul on my watch."

Carver tentatively took the potion and begrudgedly swallowed its contents. It tasted like shit every time. In fact, the taste seemed to get worse with every swallow. He wordlessly handed back the bottle to Jayden and gazed out into the waves.

Jayden let out sigh and spoke softly, "You're not going to die."

Carver didn't acknowledge him as he let the words sink in. He wasn't thinking about his impending fate. He placed it in the back of his mind. It wasn't the best plan, but it was better to think about other things than…than his death. He already dealt with enough death to last a lifetime. His death would have to wait. He didn't know how Jayden knew about his troubles and he didn't bother asking.

"Look!" Jayden exclaimed, making Carver jump in surprise, "We're here! Amaranthine!" Jayden voiced boomed loud enough to earn some colorful words from the other sailors. Jayden didn't paid mind and whooped excitedly, his voice echoed throughout the ship.

Carver shook his head in annoyance, but he couldn't suppress the feeling of hope beginning to rise. They did indeed arrived. He could see the strip of sand and other ships making port. It reminded him of the docks in Kirkwall, absent the smell of shit and despair.

"You're one step closer to being a Warden," Jayden told him happily, "I'm going to tell the others and let them know. Want to come with?"

Carver shook his head. "I'll stay out here a little longer. I'll wait for you lot," he answered blankly.

Jayden clamped him in the back and said, "They're your lot too. Soon. I'll see ya then." With that Jayden left Carver and he welcomed the silence.

Carver gripped his hands as he watched the land appear closer and closer into view. Carver furrowed his eyebrows, feeling unease and dread sunk in his stomach. He always had in mind to return to Ferelden; when things got better. He never thought himself to live his whole life in Kirkwall. Why would he stay in a place where he was treated like dirt, where no one gave the time to listen to him, where he was never accepted? After a while, though, things never got better. Plans were changed, promises were broken, and even his own family went against him. Now look at him; finally getting his wish. Just…not the kind of homecoming he expected.

He let out a snort, 'What home?' he thought bitterly, 'Home is gone…'

He doesn't know what he's going to face, or what will be thrown at him. He won't even know what he will lose in the next years. He will never know of how today-on the blighted ship- will mark as the day everything changed. Right now, he knew that today will be his last day as the sour and angry boy that is Carver Hawke.

A/N: Hello again. It's been awhile, hasn't it? I don't know if people still bother reading this, but I really liked how the direction this story was-will be- taking. With that, I decided to go back to writing. I won't explain about the same problem that every writer faces. Just know that I will try to make an effort to keep going.

I'm sorry if this chapter seems to be short or choppy. I haven't gotten a Beta reader and I can only spot out little mistakes here and there (when I know that there's a bunch of mistakes). Also this chapter was little bit difficult to write, but no matter! Like I said, I hope you enjoyed this and please let me know about any criticism (constructive though) you wish to add and I'll gladly listen to them all. Please review, it will help me know if people will be interested to see this story take form.

I hope that you enjoyed reading and have a good day!

Your humble servant,

PurpleViolin.