Chapter 12: The Tainted Warden

A new day brought new battles.

Hawke raised his staff, firing bolts of flame into the advancing darkspawn, as always Isabela was at his side, the pirate queen danced around the creatures, her daggers slicing throats or stabbing deep into eye sockets.

Carver, Arika, and Lin did what they could to protect the party, they tried to draw of as many of the spawn as they could, and being immune to the darkspawn taint made them the tip of the spear as they fought deeper into the old warden prison.

Hawke blasted away any of the creatures he came across, everything that had happened lately, the Carta, the darkspawn, now this business with Father had put him on edge. Isabela could see the frustration in her lover's eyes, but did not know how best to help him.

So she fought, and kept him safe, that was all she could do.

The spawn fell again, but not without some problems, another of those enhanced genlocks attacked them, this one carrying a shield large enough for an ogre, it charged down the walkway that Hawke and the others were using, almost knocking them off. Isabela leapt atop some rubble, the pirate queen flipped over the genlock's head, she drove heartbreaker and backstabber deep into the back of the creature's skull. It whirled in its death throes trying to continue its attack. The creature staggered, and fell from the walkway, its shield clanged loudly on the way down.

Isabela sighed; if that had not worked she would have been in a very…very bad way.

Hawke ran up to her, a panicked look on his face.

"Problem sweet thing?" she asked.

"What were you thinking?!" He growled, "That monster could have flattened you!"

"Just doing my part," her voice became a low sultry purr; she was trying to sooth the savage beast, "You know; it is cute when you worry about me so."

Hawke's brown eyes flashed, he was furious with her, silly woman was she trying to get herself killed?

"Rivaini did her part Hawke," Varric said trying to calm his friend, they had little to gain by the two having an argument down here; it could be fatal if another brood came through.

Hawke grumbled, but turned away, Isabela had nothing to prove to him, he knew how good she was, but he…he could not afford to lose her, not after what had happened outside of Lothering.

Not…after they had lost Bethany.

He had lost track of his sister, he had not been watching, and an ogre had crushed the life from her, she had not even had a chance!

He had sworn not to let that happen again, he would die before he would fail someone he…

The thought stuck in his mind, some he… cared for, someone who he trusted…someone…someone…

Someone he loved.

He knew that Isabela would likely never accept his love, but…the terrifying thing was that he could not deny it anymore. What he felt for her had gone beyond simple carnal pleasures.

He wanted her for more than just her body, he wanted her in his life, it was insane, it made no sense…

It…it was love.

"Be careful okay," he asked her, "None of us want to have to carry you out of here if you make a mistake."

"Oh sweetie," the pirate queen grinned, "I don't make mistakes in battle you know that."

Garrett loved that smile; he wished that he could wake up to it every morning for the rest of his life.

He understood that that could never be, Isabela would never accept his love, she had told him once that a young man had fallen in love with her, truly in love with her, so much so that he had asked her to marry him.

She had fled to the sea, never to see that boy again. She had broken his heart in the name of her freedom.

Hawke did not want that, he…he wanted this beautiful, crazy, and fantastic woman in his life. If all he could ever have with her was hot sweaty encounters between the sheets then so be it.

He wanted more, he wanted her, but he accepted the truth.

She would never give up her freedom.

Not even…for him.

IOI

Carver stood watch as his brother fussed over Isabela; he reached out with his warden senses, trying to sense if another attack was coming.

He felt none…for now.

The young warden sighed, this place was starting to get to him, the drumming in his head had increased, and now, he heard…more. It sounded…it sounded like music?

It was the strangest music he had ever heard, it…it sounded like it was calling his name, touching deep down inside of him, reaching his soul. If he tried to focus, maybe he could understand what was being said.

No!

He pushed that away, this…this could not be happening! He had only been a warden for less than a year.

HE could not be hearing the calling, not yet!

"You hear it too?"

He turned to Arika; his lover's words were barely a whisper. He nodded not wanting the others to hear.

"Lin is hearing it too, I…something about this place. It…it isn't right. We…this…it should not be happening."

"It will be all right love," Carver said trying to reassure her, "Whatever is happening here, it…it cannot be our calling, not all three of us. It…it must be this…this…"

"Corypheus?" the reaver said.

Carver nodded.

The two wardens were so lost in their private conversation they did not see the figure scuttle out of the shadows. He moved like a puppet drawn by too tight of strings. He was in his late forties perhaps, his eyes had gone milky white, the taint had left black weeping sores on his skin, his hair had fell out in most places his armor was dirty, and covered with a tainted film.

He glared at the two wardens.

"You are not supposed to be here," he grumbled.

The two wardens whirled their weapons pointed at the new comer.

"Ghoul," Arika growled, "Everyone stay back."

"Wardens aren't supposed to be here," the tainted man repeated, "This place is off limits to your kind, it is bad, why are you…"

Those tainted eyes found Garrett, and the new staff he carried.

They...they widened in surprise.

"You have the key, but you should not have the key, you should not, but you do!"

"You mean this," Garrett raised the staff, he tried to approach, but Carver raised a hand.

The young warden knew how dangerous ghouls could be.

"How is this a key?" Hawke asked the man.

"That is its purpose, to bind, to close, like the blood yes…yes like the blood!"

Garrett sighed, Maker not this one too!

"Are you after my blood too, because that is not going to work for me."

"The blood," the tainted man whispered, "the blood…the blood of the Hawke. Are…are you the Hawke?"

He peered closely at Garrett, as if seeing him for the first time.

"Yesss," he hissed, "You are the Hawke, I can sense the magic in you. The Hawke should not be here, oh no, only I should be here. Only I…I'm already dead you see, only the dead should be here."

Arika looked closely at the man, she…she had noticed something disturbing, the cut of the man's armor, the gambeson, despite the dirt and grime, she could make out the blue and silver heraldry.

The reaver shuddered.

"That…that is warden armor isn't it?"

"Warden yes," the man hissed, "Long did I serve. Long…did I serve."

Garrett turned to Carver, he did not understand the look of horror on the three wardens' faces.

"I thought wardens were immune to the darkspawn taint?" Hawke asked them.

Carver gave him a sad look.

"It…it is not as simple as that brother," he said.

"You went on your final walk then," the reaver asked, "Your Calling?"

"The calling, the music, it is our death, yes," the ghoul shifted his feet uncomfortably, "I am dead, but I have not died."

Garrett grew impatient, this…this whatever it was, knew more than it was saying. He hated all this private warden bullshit.

"I don't suppose you could tell us a way back up, a way to get out of here?"

The ghoul looked at Garrett, a sad look in his tainted eyes.

"Not up, not out, down and in, down and in, the only way, deeper into the heart, and to his death." The ghoul began to saunter away.

"Down and in, down and in," it sang to itself.

Hawke started to summon a spell to stop it, but Carver raised his hand.

That poor wretch was suffering enough, it did not need any of their help.

Garrett relented, but he pulled his little brother aside.

Carver knew more about what was going on than he was admitting,

He would tell Garrett everything…

And he would tell him now.

IOI

There were things that Carver could not say, and things that he shouldn't say, but…Garrett was still his brother.

He deserved to know the truth, or at least part of it.

So Carver talked, he did not know what that this place was. It was beyond him, as for the ghoul, he did know what was wrong with him. What had happened to him, and what would happen to him one day.

So he told Garrett in a hushed whisper, making him promise not to tell their mother.

Leandra Hawke had suffered enough, Carver did not want to bring any more pain down on her head.

When Carver had finished, he looked at his brother, there was shock in his eyes, shock and anger.

He glared at Arika and Lin.

"It is not their fault brother," Carver reminded him.

Hawke glared at him, how could his little brother be so bloody calm about this?

"Thirty years?" Hawke growled, "That is it?"

"Give or take a few years, but yes."

"This is the cure Anders promised me, that he promised you!"

"Brother."

"Don't brother me Carv…he…you…it isn't fair!"

"No it isn't," Carver agreed, he gave Garrett a wan smile.

It was nice to know that his brother cared.

"I was furious when I found out," Carver confessed, "It seemed that I had been given a death sentence one I could not escape. I'm not the first warden to react that way I suppose, but I…I still felt that it wasn't fair.

"The it was for nothing," Garrett sounded broken, despair ate at him.

"No, not for nothing," Carver growled, he did not need Garrett's pity, nor did he want any, "If you had not given me to the wardens brother. I would have died right then and there. You…you gave me thirty years that I would not have experienced otherwise."

"But you have to spend it down in places like this, fighting and killing these monsters," Garrett said angrily.

"I'm a warrior Rett," Carver reminded him, "I never expected to live to a ripe old age. Besides, being a warden is not all bad. I…I have found a place with them. They respect me and my skills. Plus I…I found her." Carver looked at Arika, a happy smile on his face.

"She…she makes me whole Rett. I would not expect you to understand, not with all the women you have known."

Hawke sighed, it had not been as easy as Carver suggested, women had always liked him sure, but he had always had to be so careful. If he did the wrong thing, said the wrong thing…

HE would have found himself locked in the circle so fast.

Mother had wanted so many things for her boys, but they were things that they could not have. Garrett would never be able to settle down properly, not with his magic. He would always live on the run.

Now Carver would not be able to settle down either. H=If the spawn did not kill him, in thirty or so years he would turn into a monster if he did not come down into this awful place to die.

Hawke shuddered, it seemed that the legacy of their family was a curse, to wander alone, never knowing the joys of a simple life.

Carver did not tell him everything however, there was one part of it that was personal, one that was for him to bear alone.

The taint made having children difficult, difficult but not impossible. For two wardens to have a child together was almost impossible. Carver…he cared so much for Arika, more than any girl he had ever known.

For the first time in his life, he felt regret, that he would likely never know what it was to have a family of his own.

He found himself wondering what it would have been like. Arika would have been a beautiful mother. He would have liked to see what a child the two of them would have produced would have looked like. If it would have been a girl, he would hope that it would have looked like her, golden haired and blue eyed.

Carver shook such thoughts away that was not what fate had in store for him.

War was his life now, destroying the darkspawn. He would not know the life of a family man, so that others could know it.

It was sad. It was hard, and as Rett had said, it was unfair.

But that was simply the way it was, a warden did what he must.

The two brothers returned to the rest of the group, a sense of melancholy had settled over them both.

Arika went to Carver.

Isabela went to Garrett.

They assured the two women that they were all right.

The group pushed on…

Deeper into the darkness.

A/N: I hope you are all enjoying love and legacy. To my readers out there, I pose a question. I have been thinking about doing two more Arika and Carver stories. If any of you would like to hear them shoot me a review. I enjoy hearing from you all.

Thanks

DG