Dragons and Thrones: An Unusual Union
Chapter 5 of my crossover story, enjoy.
Reviews
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah well, it's just unfortunate I'm afraid.
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.
wazzup11: Thanks :)
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah well, sadly that argument was a little bit...too much for one of them. Well, here he is :)
Wolvenstrom: Thanks, yeah, in a way it was, but it unfortunately will have dire consequences later; well, we'll find out about Arya eventually, but not this chapter. Hmm, not sure much about how the Chant of Light will be received in Westeros and Essos, or how Thedas will see the Old Gods and New Gods. R'hllor is another strange one, but I do have something involved regarding King's Landing and the other main religion of Thedas :)
Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin. Dragon Age belongs to Bioware.
Loghain
The lone man sighed as he sat by the campfire; he was a man of notable strength having a muscular build and his sword and shield had seen much use. He had short black hair parted in the middle, rough black stubble, grey eyes and fair skin. His brow was deeply lined, as was the area around his eyes. These were, in fact, the only signs of age on the man, remarkable for him being in his early sixties.
He was clad in blue and white clothing, armoured and with a griffon insignia, the heraldry of the Grey Wardens. The Grey Wardens were an organization dedicated to battle the mindless pestilence spreading beasts known as the Darkspawn; particularly during Blights, when the Darkspawn infected one of the old Dragon Gods and turned it into an Archdemon. They alone could kill the Archdemon for good, ending the Blight.
The man seated by the campfire had been a Grey Warden for nine years now.
'It doesn't feel that long.' He pondered to himself. 'Right there in the midst of the Fifth Blight, I ceased to be Loghain Mac Tir, Teryn of Gwaren and Regent of the Kingdom of Ferelden. I instead became Loghain the Grey Warden.'
Loghain sighed; knowing now wasn't the time to dwell on his past, on his foolish mistakes during the Blight. His attempts to protect his country, which only left it more vulnerable.
He knew that dwelling on the past was futile, there was nothing he could do to change what he had done. Instead he had to consider the future and the present. His current situation was precarious.
'Something has happened to the other Wardens of Ferelden…After the Grey Wardens of Orlais disappeared; they've started acting strangely.' He thought to himself. 'Now it seems to have become worse. Bad as it was at first, now, around the time that explosion happened and these other lands appeared, they've become even more…unstable. Many of them have also disappeared. There's no clue as to where they have gone.'
Shaking his head he sighed and sorted out his bedroll, made sure his sword was within easy reach and then extinguished his campfire. He lay down and began to drift off to sleep.
As he did so he contemplated the new worlds. 'What to make of these places, we know nothing about them…Can we trust anyone from there, what if we have to…'
He knew that right now wasn't the time to think about things like that. It would come later, if his fears were proven true. Before sleep finally claimed him he decided that tomorrow, he had to search for answers regarding the strange behaviour of his fellow Wardens. He knew then where he had to go, despite how crazy it may seem.
So it was the following day that he found himself in the Arling of Amaranthine; specifically the City of Amaranthine. The large stone walls shone and the streets were busy as usual.
'Amaranthine, centre of commerce; finally returned to its old glory after nine years.' Loghain noted to himself. 'After the Fifth Blight and Darkspawn Civil War that followed; this place never thought to recover, yet now it has.'
He smiled lightly before continuing to walk; his smile faded as he considered his current situation.
He shook his head. 'I'm questioning my own wisdom it seems. Coming here, to the heart of the Wardens power in Ferelden, Amaranthine, a place they own…But then, there's not been a true Warden ruler here since Warden Commander Sidona Andras left for that journey and seemed to just disappear.'
With a soft sigh he continued; wondering where to start looking. As it turned out, he never got the chance however.
"You there, hold!" Came a voice behind him.
Loghain tensed but did not stop; he recognized the voice; it was one of the Ferelden Grey Wardens; he couldn't risk being caught.
The voice came again. "I said hold!"
Another voice joined the first. "Do as he says, before we put a bolt in your back!"
Their violent speech confirmed Loghain's fears; these men were amongst those who suddenly went crazy. From the sounds of it they had a crossbow trained on him; Loghain also noted the street was quickly emptying out, people looking fearful.
He slowly turned until he stood, facing sideways at his attackers, presenting a smaller target. One of them indeed had a crossbow, while the other was armed with a regular bow. Loghain carefully gauged the distance between him and the two Wardens; while also trying to calculate their level of skill, already knowing his own.
However in addition to that, he had to be cautious; these men weren't in their right minds, but they were still brothers-in-arms to him, he didn't want to kill them if he could help it.
"I don't see what…" He began.
However the crossbow wielding one cut him off. "It's him, it's definitely him, Loghain!"
The other nodded. "Yes, at last, the traitor shows himself."
"Traitor?" Loghain remarked, shocked. "I betrayed no one, what has happened to you, we used to be…"
"Kill him, our master demands it!" The first one yelled.
Loghain reacted at once, deftly dodging both the bolt and the arrow while drawing his sword and shield. Once armed, he was quick to close the gap and before they could fire again he slashed through their weapons, breaking them. The two growled and attempted to strike with their daggers instead. He easily turned the blows aside and struck the pommel of his sword into the side of one of his opponents head.
The man fell, unconscious and Loghain quickly unbladed the second. Trusting his training and acting on instinct he raised his shield and blocked the sword blow from the third rogue Warden that tried to attack him from behind. Taking no chances, Loghain kicked the man aside and fled, hurrying as fast as he could, winding his way through the streets of Amaranthine to lose his pursuers.
Loghain let out a growl of frustration; angry and confused he continued to walk. He was now back out in the wilderness, walking south along the Pilgrim's Path. Far from finding answers, he now ended up with more questions.
'What is going on now, they've gone mad, attacking me?' He thought irately. 'They said I was a traitor, but that isn't true. I am not the one who has abandoned my duty. They mentioned a master too, clearly not Warden Commander Andras, or they would have referred to her as "Warden Commander". So who is this…Master?'
He shook his head; knowing he wasn't going to get any answers yet. He made up his mind and continued along the Pilgrim's Path.
He knew what to do, where to go. 'It's time; I just have to get to Denerim. Lie low for a while; see about getting a ship that will take me to these new lands. I must seek help there, it's my only option.'
So, with his course determined, Loghain prepared to set out on his journey; making doubly sure he was ready for whatever dangers lay ahead.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.