4
OSTAGAR
I admired my new armour set which was hanging on a stand. Dark brown leather with a cream phoenix on the chest and gloves, my new gloves had reinforced fingers, my boots had reinforced caps and heels. The underclothes which replaced my old black tunic were thick cream wool, sort of like a suit with trousers and a shirt stitched together with a slit in the back to get it over my head, it was a bit awkward but it was soft and warm, defiantly more similar to the Ferelden style than my old elegant set which had been a gift from Orlais. The quartermaster's assistant Jemavina, an elf with mousey brown hair and bright blue eyes, showed me how to tie the laces to hold it together. It was similar to my old armour only more practical,
"To keep it in good condition you will need to oil it often and clean blood off it when you get the chance," Jemavina said.
I stepped out into the sunlight Alistair was there and by others. The first, who introduced himself as Daveth, was about my height with a pale, clean-cut face and a shock of dark brown hair. The second was the shortest man I'd ever seen, short of being a dwarf at least, his dark hair was thinning in most places and he had one of the world's biggest noses.
"Greetings," said the short-arse. "I am ser Jory of Redcliff, you must be the third recruit we've heard about, I was not expecting a woman. Still I am thrilled to be given the chance to join such an élite order I think it will be difficult to impress but I wasn't aware women were al-
"You're not all that smart are you?" I said cutting him off mid-sentence.
"That's not fair, not only a woman but a woman who seems to think she can speak her mind," Jory looked at me with disdain.
"Go play with your model horses or something. Leave the fighting to people who can actually do the job and not just giving it loads of this," I made my hand into the shape of a mouth, "and not actually doing anything."
At this point I could see Alistair and Daveth trying to hide their sniggering.
"Listen you," Mr gob-on-a-stick said. "I know more about fighting than you ever could, why don't you stop talking and-" he couldn't say any more because at that very second I punched him so hard he fell over.
"You broke by mose, by mutiful straight perfect mose."
Your fat, pointy, ugly, crooked hairy nose you mean. Ebony grinned
"Sorry gobster didn't catch that," he swung at me but I ducked and then I heard a crack, and gobby went pure white.
"D-D-Duncan," he stammered, I spun around and sure enough there was the older Warden.
I think you mean 'sorry'. Ebony said.
"What is the meaning of this?" Duncan didn't look happy.
"It was her!" Jory yelled.
"It was him!" I screamed at the same time.
Duncan looked to the other two, both of whom instantly pointed to Jory.
"Right," Duncan looked even more unhappy. "You two, help Lady Cousland find herself some weapons. Jory, I think we are going to have a little talk."
As Jory wandered off hanging his head Daveth and Alistair took me around the racks of weapons, there were daggers, swords, bows and a strange thing that looked kind of like a staff but made of wood.
"Right, which of these take your fancy?" Daveth asked me.
Wondering over to a rack of weapon sets I saw a beautiful long sword and dagger, black curved blades with cream leather grips, swirling designs were carved into the dark metal.
"You like those little miss?" Enquired a voice behind us. We turned to see the quarter master standing there.
"They're beautiful…" I breathed.
"Dalish design," the quartermaster informed us. "Veridium, lighter than normal blades, curved so easier to fit in tight spaces, some people find the curve awkward to handle but generally good in mêlée combat, daggers can be thrown but I don't recommend it outside of emergencies."
They sound perfect! Ebony said.
"Why don't you try them out?" Daveth said.
It seemed Ebony was right, the sword and knife fitted in my hands perfectly, they were light and easy to use, Jory and Duncan came back half way through Jory smirked until I mock threw the knife at him and he shut up.
"I think ser Jory has something to say to you," Duncan said.
"I apologize my lady, you were provoked by me and it was my fault," Mr gobster said.
About time too! Goby seemed to be annoying Ebony as much as he was me.
Jory didn't wait to hear my reply he stalked back to his tent.
"I'm sorry about ser Jory, my lady," Duncan said. "I see you managed to some armour and weapons."
"Nice aren't they?" I said.
No reply Duncan said he had to get to a meeting with the king and left, lots of meetings at the moment.
We spent the rest of the day running messages around the camp, at one point I saw Wynne chatting to another mage I waved briefly and she smiled back at me.
Duncan called us for dinner about seven and we all crowded around the mess tent, keeping busy had taken my mind off my family but some of the others started talking about their past and it stirred up the memory, one of them, a mage called Tarimel, was grinning about her life in the Alienige and that was the final straw. I stirred my stew but ate nothing. When we all left and sat around the camp fire the boys started playing a game Duncan knew called Orlaesian chess which seemed to involve a tube, a die and lots of sticks moving around the board. I watch for a while but eventually just called Ebony and went to bed.
I think it was the moaning that woke me, or maybe the heavy breathing. I pulled on my armour and left the tent with Ebony at my side, with a start I realised the cries were coming from Duncan's tent.
"Duncan?" I called softly. "Duncan are you alright? Duncan?"
The moaning stopped immediately. I could hear him listening if that makes sense.
I suddenly felt sick, I had thought of Duncan as not afraid of anything, as a rock for me to hang onto, I realised everyone was afraid of something. But now I realised he was scared it was like someone had taken my rock away. I was just a frightened limpet in a big ocean. I ran to the big flat balcony-like area by the archery targets and threw up, then I felt like a baby so I cried into Ebony's shoulder just like I had yesterday.
"Are you alright, dear?" A warm sweet voice said behind me.
"Wynne?" I said, and, sure enough, there she was.
"Come now," she said. "No need for tears, what's wrong?"
"My family, I miss them." I said.
"Oh I see," there was pity in Wynne's eyes. "Why don't you come back to the mage's enclosure with me, we can have some breakfast and you could talk about your family, if you want. You may feel better if you tell someone."
So I got off the ground and we walked back to the mage's enclosure. Once Wynne had persuaded the Templars to let me past she took me to the dining room, the mage's got scrambled eggs, my favourite. Having eaten nothing for two days I was surprised when I could only eat about three forks full, however my day improved no-end when Wynne said the mage's had hot water and soap and I found out I could use them, when it was time for me to leave Wynne lead me back to the Grey Warden camp Alistair was there with Duncan,
"There you are," the younger man said. "We were getting worried."
"I'm fine," I said.
"Daveth, ser Jory, we've found her!"
"Finally," Jory's nasal, grunting voice come into earshot.
"Why don't the three of us get some breakfast?" Daveth said, trying to defuse the situation.
"Good idea," said Duncan. "When you get back I can inform you of the first part of your Joining."
So the three boys left leaving only me and Duncan behind, it seemed as good a time as any to ask about the moaning.
"Umm… Duncan?" I said.
"Yes Lady Cousland." He looked at me.
"Umm… were you ok earlier?" He looked at me strangely. "I heard you thrashing around in your tent."
"Oh that… it wasn't anything that should concern you my lady."
"I just-" I was interrupted by the arrival of the boys with breakfast.
"Just what?" Daveth asked.
"Nothing," Alistair passed me a bowl of breakfast. "No thanks, I'm not hungry."
"You need to eat my lady" Duncan said.
"I have, I went to see Wynne and she gave me breakfast." It wasn't the full truth but it was some of it. "So what do we have to do for this 'Joining' exactly?"
"You three will be heading into the Korcari Wilds to perform two tasks. The first is to retrieve three vials of darkspawn blood, one for each recruit."
"Finally! Some action!" I said.
"Without a doubt, darkspawn are not know for their willingness to give up their blood." Duncan said. "There was once a Grey Warden outpost in the wilds, abandoned long ago, it has come our attention that some scrolls were left behind, magically sealed to protect them."
"If they were so precious why leave them behind?" Alistair said, it was a very good point.
"It was assumed we would someday return, a great many things have been assumed that have not held true," Duncan said.
"Find the scrolls, three vials of blood, understood!" Daveth said.
"I agree, let us have it over with," Jory said.
Come on slowcoach. Ebony said.
"Let me collect my weapons and we'll be off," I said.
"Your hound can stay with me. I have some business to deal with, I'm sure they will be happy here," Duncan said.
"A, her name is Ebony. B, I am sure she will be board. C, she would follow me anyway.D she is my dog and I don't want to leave her on her own because she will cause havoc and E it is my job to protect her and not yours." I said.
"Fair enough." Duncan seemed amused.
I collected my new swords from their linen wraps, it was a bit weird attaching the black leather straps like sashes around my body rather than my waste but it was not that different. So, with my new weapons at my sides, I mean back, me and Ebony followed the boys to the gates.
"Hail," said the guard. "I'm told you all have business in the wilds, I won't stop you just be careful, not even Grey Wardens will be safe in the forest tonight."
And so with a last look back at the camp we stepped into the wilds, the gates slamming shut behind us.
A\N - This was originally supposed to be one chapter joined onto chapter 3 but I decided it would be way too long so I made it into two chapters, much shorter but you still get the story. The next chapter will be covering the Korcari wilds up until the Joining. Now I'm going to try to upload this chapter in its name rather than as chapter 1, chapter 2 etc... so yeah I'll try to do it that way but it may not work.