A/N: I might not post as often from now onwards, but that's because of school—and my other story. *grumbles* Anyway, I hope you like it, and please do give me feedback regarding what you think should happen? Thanks to everyone who's been reading and subscribing and reviewing so far!
Chapter 4:
A punishment? Or a test?
Kiera
So this was the arishok's idea of a punishment, having me test the patience of the soldiers before throwing them to the wolves that made up the Tevinter army. It wasn't that they were completely resistant to my teaching them the techniques I used in battle, it was their being unused to a female in charge within the military that prevented much progress; second-guessing occurred at every command I gave.
These did not come from the soldiers I was in charge of—they obeyed my words with only the barest of hesitations, but carried them out to the letter.
Hints of such… negativity came from the soldiers from the other units, who made these remarks in the qunari tongue, so I wouldn't understand. Low murmurs issued from the surrounding men, but my karashoks— heh, I suppose I felt responsible for them now—ignored these stoically, where humans would retaliate without hesitation. The qunari were definitely better at keeping their faces straight.
What bothered me more was that Sten seemed to avoid my part of the training yard, keeping his distance in a manner such that it was painfully obvious. Oh well.
It took a week, but the karashoks had learned the importance of their peripheral vision, and hence became less reliant on the close presence of their comrades in battle. The Tevinter mages would no doubt find this difficult to counter; it had made their attacks less predictable, even as it placed emphasis on the self's actions in relation to the rest of the unit. I was gratified that they had made so much improvement, readily adjusting their positions in order to remain in control of the battle.
Everyone now called me the Warden, though I would very much prefer my own name—I never heard 'Kiera' anymore. Still, it was to be expected, the qunari identified others by their titles and occupations, and that was mine. I wasn't part of the Qun, so that was my name too.
It seemed that I was to stay out of the main fighting at the border, and it was hard to send the unit I had taught to the battlefield, even if they were eager to go. So much energy in them, tense with anticipation, they had left early in the morning while I found myself praying for their victory in battle.
Sten had gone with them, leading the vanguard—and while I had faith in his skills, I had none in the Tevinter maleficars who could summon demons to their aid. But nothing would stop the advance of the qunari, there was no fear of death in its people.
xOxOx
Nights spent in the main settlement hence began to feel a tad lonely; there was no one to chat idly with. Training by myself was wearing my own nerves thin—frustration was building even as I kept the demons, the ones in the Fade, at bay.
These night terrors made me wake up in cold sweat, each night, haunted by the things I was made to see, even as I resisted offers of power, each more extravagant then the last. There was no way I would ever consider their 'gifts', even as the images they presented me seemed tempting—I knew that these were illusions and would not amount to anything even if I gave in. And so I fought, attacking the poor straw targets by the light of a single flaming torch— in the dark of the night— by myself, clearing the dregs of these fruitless whispers from my mind.
This changed when I discovered that the arishok was usually up most nights, pacing in his quarters, a single window of light in the deep darkness that fell each dusk. I jumped when he spoke, his movements had no more sound than the usual rustling caused by the wind.
"Why do you train at such odd hours?" The gravelly tone unique to the kossiths was actually rather soothing, but startling to hear in the silence of my circumstances.
I turned, watching him, noting that his weapons were strapped to his back—how interesting. Did he mean to test me himself? I had entertained requests of several qunari who had wished to try their skill at taking down the mighty Grey Warden. They had all failed admirably, without complaint or grumbling—a nice ego boost for me.
"Fewer eyes watching my every move is a fine enough reason." The qunari only spoke to me when they absolutely had to, but I could feel their impassive stares on my back when I trained in daylight. "Also, it's cooler at night."
"Coo…ler? I am not familiar with that word." Coming from the arishok, I knew somehow that it wasn't just plain curiosity, but annoyance at his less-than-perfect grasp of the common tongue which frustrated him.
"Less… warm. And humid."
He listened without a change of expression, and sometimes, I wondered if the qunari did this on purpose—if only to confound others. His next words surprised me.
"True. But lonely." I hadn't expected the sudden show of empathy.
"I'm pretty independent, myself." This was true, but I did feel a little lost without the constant milling of others around the place.
"Training with another might help discover any potential weaknesses in one's form." Was he offering what I thought he meant?
"Indeed. Would you deign to cross blades with me in a friendly spar?" I might have imagined the smile that flickered on the arishok's lips, but he responded with a nod and a drawing of his weapons. Another duel blader—the first one I'd encountered among my qunari opponents.
xOxOx
The sun had risen, and the fight was long and a little terrifying. The arishok was a seasoned warrior, and from what I had heard, bred, for the machinations of war. It seemed unlikely that he hadn't noticed the small spells I had casted on our little nicks—inconsequential wounds, but I did it nonetheless. He ignored this though, an odd thing, considering the Qun.
"How long do you intend to stay with us, Warden?" We were walking back to the barracks, the large yard glowing gently with the rays of dawn.
"…now that, I haven't considered. Am I perhaps… overstaying my welcome?" It was still surprising to be confronted with qunari directness. But it was an honor to have the arishok enquire personally about this, even if I felt a bit… miffed. But this was how Sten spoke—and how they would expect others to do in turn—truthfully. "This might sound too forward, but I think that I've been pulling my own weight amongst your people."
"And yet you remain aloof from our way of life. Are you not satisfied within the Qun?"
I allowed myself a smile as I began to speak. "I am rarely satisfied, arishok—"
"Then an endless struggle awaits you, having no definite place with your peoples." His tone was disdainful, a common thing towards outsiders like me.
"Life is interesting and worth living because of the promise of future struggles."
"You are a strange human." This I agreed with, and so would many, many more.
"So I've been told. Most would claim that I must not be one, by default."
He raised an eyebrow at that. "And you persist in being just as puzzling to even your own?"
We separated at the steps of the structure, and I laughed quietly to myself. "Why not? Keeps people guessing."
xOxOx
"Come to convert me again, arishok?" The imposing figure had approached me in broad daylight, some days after our sparring, which sent ripples across the encampment. Were they expecting an actual fight?
He sighed as he dismissed the guards around him, his manner grim, even for a qunari. "That will not be my task; you will know order eventually, and hopefully before death overtakes you."
I considered this carefully; he must have had something else in mind before he would do this in front of the others. "So is there anything else you need?"
"There is something that might require your abilities as a Grey Warden. Our scouts have reported of a strange protrusion in Tevinter territory, something to do with the caverns that lie beneath the soil of the land."
"And you think that it might be an entrance to the Deep Roads? And you want my help?"
"Only if you would render it. You will not be escorted, however."
"By myself, then? Behind enemy lines... I shall do my best, arishok."
The qunari nodded, turned and walked away, and I noted that a large regiment of them were waiting outside the distant gate, seemingly for him. It seems that they were to leave Seheron, in pursuit of something; but of what, I didn't know. They never shared their problems with outsiders.
P.S.: We all know where the arishok went after this, sigh. (one of the reasons why I loathe Isabella)
*edit* I have turned anonymous reviews on- so if you'd like to comment, please do!