6. Many Meetings
The journey took a little under a week, the time spent with him teaching the mage battle strategies and incredibly basic physical, not magical, combat skills at camp. While they walked, she used magic freely. At first, the tiny ice sculptures were crude and mostly undetailed, and, despite her joy at being free, she kept glancing back over her shoulder, each time flushing in embarrassment. The reaction had been ingrained in her, though. As the days went by the small ice sculptures got a bit more detail. The work wasn't enough to drain her, but the mage was growing stronger by the moment, wells of mana deeper than ever. Soft muscles from a life of ease strengthened and without the Templars breathing down her neck, she began to relax about actually being able to practice her magic. Every night, she would pass out from exhaustion and pain because her body was unused to so much exercise. But she loved it.
So it was that when the two arrived at Ostagar, she was sore, disgusting from the dirt and sweat of travelling on the road, and feeling more alive than she had ever felt in her entire life. The ruins of Ostagar were impressive. Tasha blinked a few times as they approached but she could feel the press of the Fade around them, the tingling sensation growing stronger. For a moment, she relaxed the walls she kept around her empathy and let the emotions of the soldiers wash over her. Excitement and high tension shivered through the atmosphere with an underlying current of acidic fear.
With a sigh more than a little tinged in regret, Tasha replaced the walls around her empathy that kept her from feeling everything everyone else was feeling. And with that, came a loss of something that was as vital to her as her heart. She dimmed a little, shoulders tightening almost imperceptibly.
That was when the two of them were approached by a man in armor that appeared to be made of gold. Actual gold. She held back a snort at how ostentatious he looked. He was flanked by two soldiers that were far less obvious and flaunting than the man in front of them, who had an easy grin on his face.
"Your Majesty?" Duncan asked, eyebrows raised.
The king laughed. Tasha studied the man in front of them curiously, appraisingly, and found him wanting. "It's Cailen. There's no need to be so formal, Duncan. We'll be shedding blood together, after all," he spoke to Duncan familiarly before turning his attention to Tasha, who stiffened under his gaze.
She supposed the man was handsome, any blind idiot could see that. But he did absolutely nothing for her. He was too much flash, too much of a vain peacock strutting around in gold armor that had no business being on a battlefield. He would shine like a beacon, even to darkspawn. Idiot would get himself killed and even without practical experience, she knew that.
"The other Wardens mentioned you had found a promising new recruit. I take it this is she?"
"Yes, this is-"
"I'm Tasha Amell, your Majesty," she said, interrupting Duncan. She dipped her head coolly. She didn't realize until the soldiers next to the king stiffened, Duncan groaned, and Cailen smiled more widely that she was displaying atrocious manners. Jerkily, she bent into an awkward curtsy and held it. She bit back a groan as her overworked muscles strained to hold her in position.
"It's all right. You don't need to curtsy. This isn't an official welcome, just a welcome between friends."
"We aren't friends. Mine are all still back in the tower," she interjected thoughtlessly. Then after a thought, she added, scowling, "Your Majesty."
"Oh, you're a mage? Do you know any good spells that could help me out?" Tasha lifted an eyebrow. The words themselves were innocent, but she could feel the intention beneath them. Against her will, her eyes flicked down his armored body and back up. The king seemed to swell in masculine pride until she gave a snort and turned her face to the side. The movement was slight but noticeable, as was the meaning behind it. King Cailen laughed at her response, amused and attracted all at once.
"No." The word came out firmer than she'd intended when she brought her eyes back to his. Cailen studied her for a moment and Tasha paled slightly, though she held her ground, even as she felt amusement and a little admiration from him. "You will certainly be a gain for the Warden's ranks."
"I intend to be, your Majesty. It's the least I can do for the order that rescued me." Tasha shrugged. Duncan sighed. And Cailen started laughing again. The noise grated on her ears and she forced herself not to wince.
"You're delightful. But I suppose I should be going before Loghain sends out a search party. I suppose I'll see you around." Cailen dipped his head to Duncan before tossing Tasha a wink and striding away, whistling cheerfully. His two guards followed silently.
"Don't say a word. I don't welcome the attention, especially not from the king," she growled at Duncan. "He and I have less than nothing in common and I intend to stay as far away from him as I possibly can. Can you please tell me what we're doing here, so I can start avoiding him?"
"He is the king and-"
"And I need to be polite and respectful because he has just as much power to take my head off as the Templars did," she finished for him with a sigh, though one hand was tightly fisted in her robes.
Duncan watched her for a moment, noting the slump of her shoulders and the tension in her forehead. "We're here to take a stand against the darkspawn," he told her. "If we fail here, then Ferelden will be overrun."
"First and final defence," she murmured, tipping her head back to look at the ruins. As good a place as any, she supposed, for what could end up being a suicide mission. Not that she knew much about fortifications. She turned her head back to Duncan. "How many Wardens do we have?" she asked.
"Not as many as I would like. I've requested that Wardens from Orlais join us but it seems that the king is going to push the attack before they can get here. With that in mind, we should proceed with the Joining without delay."
"Ah, yes. The infamous Joining ritual. You know, if I'd known that I was going to be tossed into yet another trial, I wouldn't have left with you. I'd have just stayed in that awful tower, possibly been killed, and most likely been made Tranquil. Which is fine." At the concerned expression on Duncan's face, she grumbled. "Kidding. I'm kidding. Just trying to lighten the mood.
Duncan sighed. "Find the other recruits and a Warden named Alistair then meet me back at my camp." He strode across the bridge, shaking his head, and left Tasha there slightly baffled.
"You're just going to leave me here? Alone? Without some sort of guard to keep an eye on me and make sure that I don't turn into an abomination or make a deal with a demon and start practicing blood magic? Because that would be the logical step for me considering one of my best friends went there." She stopped, listening for anyone to come up behind her and smite her. Nothing. A grin slowly spread on her face. Footsteps came from behind her but she didn't twitch. They weren't the heavy clank of Templar plate, but more of a softer clink and she watched as the soldier walked past. He gave her a curious glance but otherwise ignored her.
For the first time in a decade, she didn't have her every move watched. She rolled her shoulders, loosening the tension that had spawned there, and proceeded to follow Duncan's path across the bridge. A helpful soldier stationed on the other side, pock-faced and almost as young as she, gave her directions around the king's camp. She smiled, watching him blush and stammer as she thanked him, genuinely appreciating the help. And then she stopped, studying the camp in front of her.
There was a strange flicker, which reminded her of Duncan, that had Tasha swiveling curiously. "That's weird," she muttered, following the feeling, tracking it to the kennels. Worry. Strain. "Is something wrong?" she asked the kennel master, wrinkling her nose at the strong smell of dog, wet or otherwise.
"Would you mind muzzling this hound?"
Tasha blinked. "What makes you think I know how to do that? And why do you need to muzzle him?"
The kennel master pinched the bridge of his nose. Regret. "His owner died during the last fight with the darkspawn. Poor hound swallowed too much blood. And you're a Grey Warden, or you will be soon. If he bites you, all he'll leave is a few tooth marks."
"How do you know that I'm going to be a Warden? And ow!" she complained preemptively, horrified. "Tooth marks? Really?"
The kennel master eyed her, clearly trying to figure out how she had managed to make it into the Wardens. "Duncan sent a letter-"
"And everyone in this upper camp knows about me. Lovely." She sighed. "You do realize that I honestly have no idea how to muzzle a dog."
The kennel master grumbled something and quickly explained the straps and buckles. She tried to hold all the steps mentally but it all sounded so complicated that she just gave up.
Finally he asked, "You got all that?" Tasha nodded in understanding though it couldn't have been farther from the truth.
So she slipped inside the kennel, shying away from the massive mabari. He was whining softly, the noise morphing into a huffing growl followed by a weak flicker of irritation almost masked by the pain of sickness. Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. No dog could possibly be that smart. "Please don't bite me," she muttered under her breath as she approached the dog. If she didn't know any better, she'd have sworn the dog gave a snort in response.
Carefully, she slipped the muzzle over his head and, trying to remember what the kennel master had told her as well as trying to keep her fingers away from the mabari's mouth. She fumbled over one of the straps, unsure what to do with it when slender hands plucked the strap from hers and deftly finished tying it even as the dog swung his head around, pushing the new person away. Tasha looked up to see a young woman, face streaked in mud and leaves, standing up and stepping away from the softly growling dog.
"You looked like you needed help," she said softly. Tasha couldn't tell exactly what the young woman looked like, only that her black hair was braided back and she had clear grey eyes of precisely the same shade as her own. She was dressed in well-maintained, though worn, leather armor with two large daggers strapped to either hip. Somehow, Tasha had the impression that smaller ones were hidden on her person. "My name's Felina."
"Tasha. How did you know how to do that?" the mage asked curiously.
"One of my sisters has a mabari and he doesn't like strangers." Felina shrugged.
It was then that Tasha noticed the faint thrum that was absent from every person she had met so far that she had been surrounded by in the tower. Her eyebrows went up and her head tipped to the side. "Have you been around mages a lot?"
"My sisters are mages. You're one, right? You're wearing Circle robes."
She nodded. "Just got released by the Circle on good behavior." The amusement glinting in her eyes directly contradicted her statement. "Actually, the reason why I left was the complete opposite of good behavior. But I'm here now as a proper Grey Warden recruit."
Felina's eyes lit up. "So you're the one the Wardens were talking about. It's nice to meet you." She glanced behind her. Frustration. "I need to go. I have to go report to Loghain on the reconnaissance mission. Hopefully I'll see you later."
With a cheerful grin, she bounced off, braid swinging behind her.
"You didn't listen, did you?" the kennel master asked when she left the pen, shutting the gate behind her.
"I tried," she admitted with a sheepish smile. "But you have to understand, the most complicated thing I've ever had to put together are my robes, and they're just slip over my head for the most part. Muzzles are definitely more complicated."
The kennel master eyed her speculatively. "Say, are you heading out into the Wilds any time soon?"
"I might be. Why?"
"There's an herb. And if you're a mage, then you could probably tell that he's sick. He swallowed too much darkspawn blood in the last battle and there's an herb that might help." He watched the mage frown. "He'll die if he won't get it. If you're going into the Wilds, would you mind keeping a look out for it?"
"What does it look like?"
"White with a red center."
"Alright. If I see it, then I'll pick some." She glanced at the mabari and felt a yank at her heart. The dog whined softly, as though he understood. "I promise." With one last look at the mabari, she walked away.
Something tugged at her awareness and she sighed. But she tracked it regardless. The closer she got, the more she realized that she almost recognized it. It was oily and vague, a cover up. It was what Duncan and the dog both felt like, which made Tasha stop, brows furrowed, when she realized the fact.
There was a connection between the dog who would die from swallowing darkspawn blood and Duncan, a Grey Warden. Since he was the only one she'd met, she had to assume that the reason he'd felt like that was because of his being a Grey Warden. Of course, he was also the only person she'd ever met that felt like that. If she could find the other Wardens, she could test the theory that they all felt the same.
She didn't notice the older mage approach until she tapped Tasha on the shoulder. Sparks skittered reflexively and frost formed around her feet as Tasha flinched back. "Well, well, what are you doing here?" Senior Enchanter Wynne from the Ferelden Circle asked with a slight smile, though her dark eyes were concerned.
There was a twitch in her jaw as Tasha turned to her. "Hello, Wynne."
"What are you doing out of the tower?" Wynne asked. "I hadn't heard that we were getting more mages, and especially not ones as young as you."
Tasha's temper flared, but was settled down quickly. "I suppose you haven't heard. It's probably all over the Circle by now so you'll just find out when you get back anyway." She huffed out a sigh that bordered on a bitter laugh. "Turns out Jowan was a blood mage and I may have helped him escape. Duncan recruited me into the Grey Wardens before Greagoir could arrest me and hold me for observation, questioning, and who knows what else."
Wynne's jaw dropped. "Jowan?"
"Yeah. Oh, and the reason he wanted to leave the Circle was not in fact because he was, is, a blood mage, but because he started seeing an initiate of the Chantry and wanted to run away with her. Last I knew, she was being sent to Aeonar." Tasha held back a huff of irritation, even as she felt a thrum of pity for Lily. Wynne shook her head and in a very rare occasion, the two mages agreed with each other.
"How are you doing, dear?" Wynne asked gently. Tasha could feel her genuine concern and that was the only reason she didn't snap at her.
"I'm free, which is exactly what I've always wanted." She gave a shrug, hiding the jolt of guilt and anger that welled up.
"I see. Just," Wynne hesitated, "be careful." Tasha watched her teacher personna slide forward again. "I'm sure Duncan had more for you to do than simply talk to me. Go on."
The dismissal rankled the young mage but she accepted it. Instead, she turned and began to walk away. She hadn't gone more than a few steps, when something else battered against her shields. She spun, alarmed, and met the hard green eyes of the elven woman watching her. The bold lines that stood out against her tanned skin swept along her forehead and cheekbones marked her as only one thing: Dalish.
AN: Well, my darlings, we are at Ostagar. As always, since I seem to do a terrible job at this, thanks to my beta, asteracea. She's fantastic and has amazing work. Go check her stuff out. You will not be disappointed.
Tasha is a delight. If there's something you'd like to see from her, let me know. Also, let me know what you think of this chapter or of the story so far, if there's something I can work on.
I'd also like to give a shoutout to crawler123. Hope you like this chapter.