DISCLAIMER: Dragon Age, Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Awakenings, Dragon Age II, The Stolen Throne, The Calling, Asunder and all Dark Horse Comics are property of Bioware™ and Electronic Arts ™.

SPOILER WARNING: This story may contain spoilers for Dragon Age games, books and comics.

A/N: This story uses characters from my I Shall Endure universe. It does not follow the plot line or reveal the outcomes of the I Shall Endure series.

FROZEN DRAGONS

Chapter 5: Honnleath

The Fereldan Army Encampment === 9:39 Dragon Drakonis

Alistair and his companions walked into the Fereldan army camp outside of Honnleath in mid-afternoon. Alistair had set a bruising pace from Redcliffe. Even Zevran complained.

"We didn't move this quickly during the Blight, my tireless warrior."

"We're only marching for two days after a good rest," Alistair responded. Nevertheless, the group was ready for a rest. As they entered the camp, a tall, brown haired man in well-used armor approached them.

"Welcome, Alistair."

Their leader stopped, clearly surprised. "Fergus? Your Majesty. I didn't realize-

"-not expecting a royal welcome?" Fergus chuckled. "I enjoy getting out in the field on occasion. Anora thought my liaisons with the Chasind might come in handy, as well. Unfortunately, we don't have the same close relations with the Avvars."

"Well, this may be your opportunity, Your Majesty. We'll try to be friendly if we meet any Avvars."

"You managed well with the Dalish and Dwarves, so you can probably manage the Avvars too."

"We had treaties, Your Majesty. They smoothed our path, along with other..." Alistair hesitated, "assets."

Varric looked at Zevran. "Other assets?"

"One of our companions, who knew some Dalish," he replied with unusual terseness.

Varric waited, expectantly, but no further information was forthcoming to his frustration.

The King motioned for the adjutant to join them.

"Captain Moiric, please take the Warden and his companions to their encampment." He turned back to Alistair. "We set up a campsite for you. Saves time and we probably have more comfortable tents than you do."

The Captain nodded. "I'll see to the water in the bathing tent, Your Majesty."

"And I'll let our General know you've arrived, when he returns. He's off scouting at the moment. Had to make sure his map matches the terrain, as usual. Come to the command tent when you've settled in, Alistair. We'll talk."

Alistair nodded, looking a little apprehensive.

"About the situation at hand, only." Fergus reassured him.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Isabela surveyed the campsite. It held six tents, set up in a semi-circle around a central fire. A tripod and pots stood nearby.

"Fenris and I will take the end one on the left," she announced, glancing at Fenris for agreement. "That leaves you each your own tent, which I suspect you will prefer." She grinned as she walked toward her chosen tent. "I'll beat you all to the bath tent." She had noticed the tent in the center, into which servants carried buckets of steaming water.

"Oh, I don't think you need worry," Zev replied, "unless I'm mistaken that tent has at least three bathing cubicles, maybe four. Don't be shy Isabela, just join the rest of us."

Isabela scoffed, "I won't be shy, sweet thing, but I suspect our Warden might."

Alistair laughed. "Isabela, I've seen all the parts anyone here has on offer. A lot can change in eight years. I'm just not that interested, gorgeous as those parts may be."

"Really? Is that a challenge, Warden?"

"No. Simple fact." He turned and went to the tent on the right end of the arc.

"He's really not interested, is he?" Varric asked. Isabela, Varric and Zevran stood outside Isabela's tent, talking quietly.

"He's not." Zevran confirmed. "Trust me, I would be the first to know if he was. I've been trying to seduce him for years."

"For yourself or a friend?" Isabela asked.

"Both, at different times. Apparently, he occasionally finds someone to be with, but never when I'm around. Sometimes I think he doesn't...but I speak out of turn. I think it's time we settle in, as the King suggested."

Fenris came out of his tent a length of cloth wrapped around his waist, he asked, "Coming 'bela or am I bathing alone?"

Zevran laughed, as Isabela groaned and went into her tent.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Alistair approached the command tent reluctantly. It felt good to be clean and shaven, but he could postpone the meeting with Fergus no longer.

"Your Majesty." He bowed as he entered.

Fergus sat alone at the camp table. "It's Fergus, Alistair, when we're on our own. Please. We've known each other too long to stand on ceremony in private."

"Right…Fergus. So what do you know of these dragons and the hunters?"

"Not a lot. They seem to be well up into the Frostbacks west of here. There's a high pass or saddle called Col of the Lady by the Avvars. Refers to the Lady of the Skies I believe. An Avvar goddess." He chuckled. "Actually recalled that from my school days. Aldous, our teacher, wouldn't believe it, I'm sure. At any rate, the col is snow covered year round; a glacier I think it's called, as the large snowfield never melts. Arl Wulff's scouts spoke with Avvar hunters. The Avvars reported that an Ice Keep stands on its far side, where the trail continues west into the High Frostbacks. We think the dragon hunters make their base there, although why the dragon or dragons don't just melt it, if it is truly made of ice, is an unanswered question."

"Magic? Do the hunters have a mage or mages?"

"We think at least one. You don't have a mage with you?"

"No. I'm hoping to 'borrow' one, perhaps? One who can heal as well as fight?"

"Loghain suggested the same. There is a mage, called Rinae, an elf. She's quite talented and may suit your requirements. She fought during the Blight and survived the Circle Tower uprising before that. She tolerates humans, as a member of the army, but is not overly fond of us. Fortunately, she probably remembers you, plus you have a dwarf and two elves with you, which may convince her you don't hold elves in contempt."

Alistair laughed. "Yes, and one elf hates mages, but he's agreed to stand down. And Zev will be Zev, of course. Should make for interesting company. I'd like to speak with her before subjecting her to the entire group, if that's possible."

"I'm sure it is, but, your mage hating elf may have problems."

Alistair looked up, perplexed.

"We've found our mages fight most effectively as a team capable of both healing and battle magic. Rinae leads a team with two other mages. She's a healer. The other two focus more on battle magic. We'd like you to take all three. Surely, three mages should be of use if you fight a dragon. Certainly Loghain thinks so."

"When is General Loghain expected?"

"Anytime. He may want to clean up first. He's become exceedingly fastidious in his dotage." Fergus grinned as he said it.

"I heard that Your Majesty." The General of Fereldan's armies entered the tent in his riding leathers, still smelling of sweat and horse.

Alistair turned, unsmiling, and greeted Loghain civilly. "General Loghain, good to see you again."

Loghain looked fondly at the no longer young man standing before him. "And you Alistair. It's been far too long."

"Or perhaps not long enough, General. At any rate, you have a problem which I hope we can help solve."

Loghain took the comment as a warning and did not pursue a personal conversation.

"It looks like Fergus has updated you on what we know." Loghain spread his map on the camp table. "I have the trails that lead to the col marked. There seem to be several. We understand, from Wulff's scouts, that there is an Avvar village just below the col and snowfield. We believe they will be friendly or at least cooperative."

"We'll approach and find out. I wouldn't want a band of hostile Avvars at our back. If we're lucky, they may ally with us. I suspect they don't like foreign hunters on their lands any more than you do."

"You'll need more food and supplies I think. Perhaps a couple of pack animals?"

"I won't turn them down. The terrain is too rough to make horses useful, but surefooted, sturdy Fereldan ponies as pack animals will help. Weather in the Frostbacks can be unpredictable any time of year. I'd like to be prepared."

"Good. We'll see to it. Now, I will clean up, Your Majesty," Loghain said to Fergus. "Then I suggest you join us for dinner Alistair. Arl Wulff will be there as well. You can get more details."

Alistair hesitated, "As you wish, General Loghain. I'd like to hear Arl Wulff's views."

Toward the Frostbacks === 9:39 Dragon Guardian

The company, now numbering eight with the addition of the three mages, walked briskly along the track in the foothills. Four elves, a dwarf and three humans, Alistair thought. He remembered having to adjust his pace to that of his companions during the Blight; he would have to do that again here. His legs were much longer than those of his companions. Even Isabela only came to his nose; the human mage, Will, was not much taller. I'll let Fenris or Zevran set the pace.

Traveling west from Honnleath, Alistair expected it would take a day to reach the steeper foothills leading into the Frostback Mountains. From there they would make their way toward the supposed Avvar village. On the map, it appeared that the trail followed a stream into a narrow canyon. The Col of the Lady, the snowfield and the Ice Keep would lie to the southwest of the canyon, above the Avvar village they believed to be at the canyon's end.

To the north, the highest peaks of the Frostbacks continued to Gherlain's pass, where they started to diminish until dipping into the Waking Sea. The border with Orlais ran along their length, with the eastern slopes Fereldan and the western slopes Orlesian. Occasional skirmishes occurred only when access to valuable resources were contested. Otherwise, the slopes and peaks remained peaceful and the Avvar tribes, who also claimed this land, remained undisturbed.

Zevran chatted with Rinae as they walked. Alistair had spoken with her in the Fereldan camp. She remembered him from the Blight, which proved to be an advantage. After fighting in the final battle, she had come to the Hero and Loghain's attention. An offer to join the Fereldan army as a free mage followed. In spite of her distrust of humans, she had accepted and not looked back.

Good, he'll find out more about her. His friend had learned some restraint over the years, tempering his flirting if it's object seemed discomfited or annoyed. Alistair noticed Isabela chuckling as she overheard Zevran's more subtle comments.

"It's good to see you again, Rinae," Zevran said quietly. "I'm glad you've joined us. Let's drop back." The two elves slowed slightly, letting the other two mages pass them.

"It's good to see you too, Zev."

She glanced toward Alistair. "He doesn't seem to remember me, but then I was one of scores of mages. After the battle, I doubt he remembers any who healed him, save Wynne. She made sure he noticed her."

"He probably remembers you very well. He just doesn't speak of those days with anyone. I wouldn't bring it up."

"I won't." They walked silently for a while.

"What are we up against here? I spoke with Warden Alistair, but he seemed more worried about our companions and how I would accept them. He warned me about you, you lech!"

Zev laughed. "Oh ho, what did our Warden say?"

"That your bark is worse than your bite and I should ignore you, unless I chose not to."

"Probably good advice. He…well, there was a time when we knew each other very well. No longer. He keeps entirely to himself now." He noticed Rinae's raised eyebrow. "We never knew each other that well. His eyes were only for her. And now who's the lech?"

Rinae laughed. "So, you wondered about Will and Sofia. We train together to work as a team, as you know. They're both good. Sofia is one of the best primal mages I know. She trained as an arcane warrior, hence the special staff with the blade. Her secondary specialty is Entropy, which makes her particularly effective should we meet templars. Will specializes in Primal and Spirit magic and shape shifts. And there's me. I'm primarily a healer, using creation and spirit magic, but I shape shift too and I have a few Primal spells."

"Shape shifting? How did you learn that?"

"Morrigan. We exchanged knowledge before she left. I taught her some more advanced and specialized healing spells. She taught me the basics of shape shifting and left enough information for me to expand and improve with practice. Will and I are quite good."

"Huh. So you can scout ahead?"

"We can."

"Does Alistair know?"

"No, he said we'd discuss our specialities and spar as a group once we camped tonight. He said he preferred we didn't show our skills to the entire Fereldan army. He's right. Normally we don't train or practice in front of everyone. Using spells in battle is accepted, probably because we're killing the enemy and no one has time to think about them.

Seeing us practice, however, tends to be disturbing; the soldiers watch and realize what we can do and wonder if we'll turn on them, I think. Shape shifting or other spells less obviously primal we keep to ourselves. We only use them when the General or one of his Captains orders it."

"I see. Well I am Alistair's Captain, his second, so, if I ask very nicely, maybe you could scout ahead for a campsite? One we could use for a few of days. Stream nearby. Flat. Big enough to hold all our tents. He'll want a few days to get us all comfortable fighting together. We'll need a sparring area. Tomorrow, I'd like you and Will to scout our route and look for the Avvars. We think there's a village ahead.

Rinae grinned. "Campsite. Right. I can do that." She dropped farther back before she transformed into a hawk and took off.

Alistair saw the hawk as it flew low over his head following the trail for distance than veering off to the left. He turned to see Zevran grinning and walking alone. That's useful. I didn't think Circle Mages learned to shape shift. I wonder what other forms she can take. And if the other two shape shift as well.

Rinae returned to Zevran and he led the company to a place where a stream widened into a pool before continuing its way down to the Fereldan lowlands. The group spent the next few days learning to fight together. The mages and Varric fought from ranged positions. The four melee fighters sparred against each other in pairs. By the end of the third day, Alistair believed they could defeat an enemy attack without suffering friendly fire incidents. The mages understood his templar skills and knew to stand behind him so he could direct his cleanses and smites.

When their evening meal finished, the group dispersed to take of personal needs. Cleaning clothes, bathing, weapons and armor care, each had their own task. Eventually, Zevran sat down next Alistair by the fire. They were all experienced fighters, but only Alistair and Zevran had fought dragons. Alistair handed him a cup of tea.

"We need to talk them about fighting dragons, Zev. They're good. Now they're fighting well as a unit, but they've never fought a dragon."

Soon the others joined them around the fire.

"We've done well," Alistair said. "I think we'll work well together, but there's one more thing." He paused. "Dragons. Big ones. Breathing fire."

"What wisdom do you need to pass on? You've fought them before, Warden." Varric clearly hoped for more story fodder.

"From the mages viewpoint, I'm not sure. Only that fire spells do little damage; that ice and lightening do more. Paralyzing is always good. Earth magic spells can work, particularly if they keep the dragon on the ground."

Zevran laughed, "Yes, an immovable dragon is always a good thing. Also one that cannot fly."

"Right, go for the wings first. Watch the tail, don't let it kick you and remember the how long the neck is. Don't let it eat you. They are amazingly quick and agile."

"Sounds simple enough," Rinae chuckled. "Like fighting an ogre only worse."

"Not a bad analogy, but definitely much, much worse."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The next morning found the group winding their way along the side of a hill, following a well-worn track. Before it reached the summit, the track traversed a col and continued into a shallow valley. At valley's end it began to climb again along the side of the next hill. This pattern repeated itself as they continued west from Honnleath.

At first, tall hardwoods forested the hills to either side, but as they advanced higher into the foothills, pines began to dominate. The group gained altitude with each range of foothills, until they came to the front range of the Frostbacks themselves. Several days had passed since that first camp. Each night, as they marched they had camped with minimal fuss. Alistair allowed a single fire to heat water and bedrolls only under clear skies. Meals consisted of trail food and hot tea. This last night, as they faced the first of the high peaks, Alistair declared they would set up a full camp and rest on the next day.

The softer terrain of the foothills, where granite outcroppings broke through the green carpet of forest only occasionally, changed as they toiled up the steeper slopes of the Frostbacks. The rest day, with hot food and time to spar and clean up, had refreshed the group. They attacked the steep trail with vigor. The forests became almost exclusively pine. Wind shaped trees clung to steep granite faces rising above swiftly flowing streams. Waterfalls dotted the distant cliffs. The path, which followed the waterways, tracked always upward. After another day's journey, the group approached a flat, windswept alpine meadow covered with grasses, low wind sculpted trees and clumps of ground hugging flowering plants scattered amidst large rocky outcroppings.

Rinae had been flying ahead searching for signs of the Avvar village. Instead of the village, she saw armed Avvars spreading across the meadow to set up an ambush. The low trees and rocky outcroppings offered plentiful cover. She returned to her companions just before they crested the ridge, which opened onto the meadow. Landing behind them, she transformed and hurried to catch Alistair and Zevran.

"There are Avvar ahead. I did not see the village. The patrol I did see, already seems to know of our presence. I think they plan to ambush us when we enter the flat land just over the ridge ahead."

"I don't want to fight them," Alistair cautioned. "Let's crest the ridge so they can see us, then Zev and I can go forward to let them know we want to parlay."

"Is that wise?" Isabela asked. "What if they just cut you down?"

"I don't think they will. Arl Wulff said his scouts spoke with their hunters. They know he wants to rid the area of the dragons as much as they do." He grinned at Isabela. "I'll be announcing that as we walk forward, while you all spread out and look menacing, but defensive."

"Menacing, but defensive? Got it." Varric agreed.

"Fenris, you're in charge." Alistair directed, surprising the elf. Alistair smiled and explained. "You're the most level headed. You won't attack unless of I order it."

Fenris nodded.

"You three," Alistair addressed the mages, "spread out. If we need you I don't want you bunched together." He stopped, noticing the annoyance on Rinae's face. She would resent Fenris being in charge and his stating the obvious regarding their deployment. "I know you know that, Rinae, but I need to say it so we all understand the orders."

She nodded, appeased.

Zevran looked at him. "Ready, my friend?"

"As ever, Zev."

The two walked forward. When they had gone about a third of the way across the meadow, Alistair stopped and raised his voice. "We come in friendship. We seek the dragons that afflict your village. May we speak?"

A voice responded on the common tongue. "From whence come you, stranger?"

"From Honnleath. From Arl Wulff and King Fergus of Ferelden. I am Warden Alistair. A Fereldan and a Grey Warden. My companions are dwarves, elves and humans. Three are mages."

"Warden Alistair? One of the Heroes of the Blight?"

Zev chuckled quietly. "You fame precedes you, my comely warden," he chortled quietly.

Alistair shut his eyes and swallowed. "Yes, I come at the request of the King and Queen of Ferelden to ensure the dragons are not tainted and to help free the lands from their attacks."

Just beyond Alistair and Zevran, an Avvar stood. A rocky outcropping shielded her from their other companions. "You and your companion may advance, Warden," she invited.

"Are you sure, Alistair. Our companions won't be able to assist us once we go around that bend." Zev spoke in a whisper.

"No, but staying here or retreating won't endear us to them will it?" He and Zevran moved forward to greet the blue eyed, tawny haired young woman.

"Well met, Warden Alistair. I am called Angharat. My brother is called Howel." A man with similar coloring stood next to her.

"Well met, Angharat. Howel. My companion is called Zevran."

"You travel with an unusual company, warden."

"I've often traveled with dwarves, elves and mages, Angharat. Both during the Blight and since. I am a warden; we do not discriminate among the races of Thedas."

"So we have heard." Howel said. "Our father is the headman of our village. Please, have your companions join us and we will take you to him. He will want to discuss these so called dragons with you."

Alistair looked puzzled. "So called?"

"Please," Angharat said and touched his arm. "He will explain. Our shaman will join us. You and your mages need to hear what she has seen."

Zevran walked back along the path until he could see the others. He noticed Fenris' shoulders relax as he came into view. With a wave, he indicated they should come forward.

Once the Fereldan group came together, the sister and brother, led them across the meadow. Alistair's companions noted the remaining members of the Avvar patrol fell in behind and beside them. They were not exactly prisoners, but they felt sure straying from the path would not lead to happy consequences.