Thanks to those of you who have been reading! I know Daveth's character is a bit off, and I actually liked him while I was playing the game. I just needed an easy way to introduce Eriana's past. Let me know what you think!

The mid-day sun beat down on the army encampment at Ostagar as Alistair made his way back to the Warden encampment. Maker, he knew that it was necessary, but he hated the Joining ritual. Today's was only the second one he has attended since his own, but it wasn't getting any easier, especially considering how invested he felt in this one. It was very hard for him to stay silent when Daveth walked into the ruined temple for the Joining. Hatred and anger seared through him as he looked pointedly at the theif, but Daveth refused to make eye contact with Alistair. He hated to admit it, but he almost felt relieved when Daveth doubled over. It seemed that the Maker had a sense of justice after all. Ser Jory's reaction saddened Alistair, but he couldn't say that he was surprised that the knight panicked, hating that Duncan had to cut the poor man down. However, what he hated most about that day's ritual was the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched Eriana step forward to take the cup. It almost seemed that Alistair was more nervous than she was; she seemed resolved to her fate and unafraid. Ailstair felt a few-found respect for the elven woman, and he muttered a silent prayer that the Maker protect her, the first prayer he had uttered in months.

Trying to block out the memory, Alistair ducked into the mess tent, hoping to get one last meal in before the arduous battle that was likely to happen that evening. He grabbed a bow of stew and some bread with cheese and found a seat with some of the younger Wardens he had become friends with over the past few months. They were all discussing the state of affairs with the King's army, wondering how the forces would handle the darkspawn. As he started eating, Gilbert, a red-headed knight who went through the Joining with Alistair, joined them at the table.

"Hey Al, how did the Joining go? Did the girl make it?"

"Yeah," Alistair replied sadly, "but she was the only one. She's meeting with Duncan and the King to discuss the battle plans."

"So, she caught the King's eye, eh? I hope he's not as fond of elves as his father, or we may not stand a chance," said Gilbert with a laugh.

"Is it true, then, what the guards have been saying," asked another Warden. "You know, is she as pretty as all that?"

Alistair couldn't imagine that a mere description could have done her justice, but answered anyway. "Yeah, she's gorgeous alright."

The young men around him smiled and a few high-fived across the table. It had been a long time since there were any female Grey Wardens in Ferelden, and many of the Wardens thought her addition to the order was long overdue.

"She's from the Denerim alienage though, right?" piped up Dillon, who Alistair had remembered used to work as a guard in Denerim. Alistair nodded. "I'd tread lightly around her then, Gilbert, if I were you, and that goes for the rest of you fellows," he said, pointing at them with his spoon." Chances are, none of you stand a chance.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Gilbert, insulted.

"It means that you are a human, so, chances are, she'll likely be quite wary of you."

Alistair looked over at the former guard, "Why would you think that?"

"Well, if she's as pretty as you say she is, chances are she didn't escape the notice of the noblemen of Denerim for long." When no one said anything, he continued. "You know how nobles are, they see something that they want and they take it, regardless of what or who it is."

"Wait, are you telling me that you all knew that the nobility was taking advantage of elven women and the guards knew it, but did nothing about it?" Alistair asked.

Dillon nodded. "Look, it's not like we could do anything about it. The elves are just as afraid of us as they are of the noble men, so they don't say anything about it, and if we didn't see them actually hurting the women, there was really nothing we could do. When you are dealing with the most powerful men in the land, you don't anger them, the captain of the guard made that quite clear. It was one of the reasons I jumped at the opportunity to join the Wardens, we aren't under the authority of a group of corrupt noble men."

"Why would they be afraid of the guards?" Gilbert asked.

"Well, most of the guards are bastard sons of noblemen, so a lot of them are just as bad as their fathers. They have an over-inflated sense of entitlement," said Dillon, shaking his head. "I wanted the help those poor girls, I really did, but in most cases my hands were tied."

Alistair sat in silence as the table continued to talk about corruption in the capital. He had no idea that things were so bad for elves in the cities. Growing up in the Chantry, while a secure upbringing, had left him unprepared for the reality of the world outside of its walls. Eriana had been right when she had accused him of being naïve; no wonder Daveth had made her so angry. She had probably thought all humans were like him. Alistair was pulled out of his contemplation when Gilbert elbowed him in the side.

"There she is," said Gilbert, nodding toward the tent's opening as Eriana walked in, looking around the mess tent. Most of the conversation in the tent stopped as the Wardens turned toward the newest member of their order. Eriana glanced around apprehensively and gave Alistair a brief smile and nod before getting her food and sitting by herself at an empty table. Slowly, the conversations around him picked back up, and Alistair noticed that Eriana seemed to relax a bit.

Dillon cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'd give her time to adjust before any of you try anything."

Alistair glanced at him, "Do you know her?"

"Yeah, I know her by sight anyway. She used to work at the tavern in the market place, one of the taverns that the nobility frequented, too."

"That's impossible; you've been a Warden for at least three years. There's no way she's old enough to have worked in a tavern while you were a guard," Gilbert retorted.

"Nah, it's her; I'm sure of it. She was really young when she started working there, and believe me, she didn't escape notice for very long. I guess she worked at the tavern for about two years before I was recruited, and in that time, I hate to say it, she was very popular with the customers." Dillon stopped for a moment, then added thoughtfully, "I wonder how Duncan found her, she never struck me as much of a fighter."

Suddenly, everything made sense to Alistair. He finally understood why she was so determined to stand up for herself. Now that she was out of the confines of the alienage and the city, she was finally able to fight back, to stand up for herself. Everything she had said about Daveth made sense too. No one had ever stood up for her, protected her, so she didn't expect anyone to. He glanced over to where she was eating, picking at the food in front of her. She probably didn't even want to admit that she needed help from anyone which was probably why she didn't want Alistair going to Duncan about the Daveth thing. She was ashamed of the fact that Alistair rescued her because she wanted to prove to herself, to everybody, that she could protect herself. Until now, she had been a victim, utterly alone in the world, forced to fend for herself. Well, she wasn't alone anymore. Alistair swore to himself that he would take care of the elf. He would be the one to watch out for her when no one else would, and he would do everything in his power to make sure no one hurt her again.

Too bad he wasn't powerful enough to hold himself to that promise.