Redcliffe was a nice little village from where we stood. Cayne said that Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana, Ashley, and I (and by extension, Shabon) should tag along with him. I could see the village, though I felt that something was…wrong. I thought it was just the air or something and I did my best to push it out of my mind. Alistair looked like something was weighing heavily on his mind so I decided to try and figure out what it was.
"You alright, Alistair?" He looked at me, his face gave me an answer. He stopped walking.
"Actually, yes." We stopped with him and I immediately felt bad for putting him on the spot. "There's something I have to tell you. Now that we're approaching Redcliffe, there's something you should know."
"What is it?" I asked. He sighed and when he spoke, he spoke quickly as if he were just trying to get it out there.
"I'm a bastard, my mother was a serving girl in the castle in Denerim and I was raised by Arl Eamon." I raised an eyebrow.
"I bastard?" Cayne asked.
"Who's bastard?" I asked.
"King Maric's." My mouth formed an "o" shape as I understood what he was saying.
"Cailan was your…"
"Half-brother," he confirmed. A royal bastard. I would never have guessed. Now that I thought about it though, he did look a little like Cailan. "They kept my birth quiet because they thought that I would be a threat to the crown. Arl Eamon raised me here in Redcliffe. I know I should've told you," he added, "I just didn't know how. I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?" Cayne asked. "It was your choice to tell us." I smiled at that. "I understand."
"Good," Alistair breathed a sigh of relief, "then we can move on. Just, pretend that I'm that person you met at Ostagar."
"Can I call you, Your Majesty?" I asked as a joke.
"Please don't," he replied. I laughed and we kept walking.
When we came up to the bridge, we were approached by a young man who looked as if he hadn't slept in days.
"Oh, thank the Maker!" He exclaimed. "Did Denerim send us aid?"
"We weren't sent by anyone," Cayne said. The man's face fell.
"So, you don't know," he shook his head "has nobody out there heard?"
"Heard what?" I asked perhaps a little too aggressively. He eyed Shabon nervously.
"We're under attack," he admitted, "monsters come out of the castle every night and attack us until dawn. Everyone's been fighting. And dying."
"It seems that everyone agrees that a Blight if the perfect time to start killing each other." Morrigan scoffed. "Quite marvelous, really."
"We have no army to defend ourselves, no arl, and no king to send us help!" His pleas became desperate. "So many are dead! And those left are terrified that they're next!"
"We heard that Arl Eamon is sick," I said, "is it really that bad?"
"He's deathly ill," he said. "We don't even know if he's still alive! We haven't heard from the castle in days!" He sighed to regain his composure. "I should take you to Bann Teagan. He's all that's holding us together. He'll want to see you."
"The Arl's brother?" Alistair asked. "He's here?"
"He is," he said, "he's in the Chantry. Just come with me."
"Take us to Bann Teagan," Ashley said, taking the lead. I looked at her quizzically. She was never really one to take charge. Then again, I was never one to go completely berserk to the point I didn't even remember what happened so what the hell do I know?
I could tell that Ash was still a little cross with me after two days of traveling so I decided that I'd try to make amends with her.
"Ash?" I said walking beside her at the back of the group. She didn't say anything, she was still trying to be mad at me. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"I just am angry that you accuse me of being jealous and made a scene like that," she admitted. Fair enough.
"Ok," I said, "I'm sorry that I made a scene. But you can see why I was pretty upset by what you said, right?" She hesitated before nodding. I cleared my throat. "You know, we never really talked all that much about it."
"Do you ever have that feeling that something has come back to you like a childhood dog or something, but instead if the dog coming back to you on its own, you see it walking down the street with someone else? He's someone else's best friend now. And you know that if you do actually get him back, it wouldn't be the same?" I nodded. "That's what being with you right now feels like. The only thing is that I want to be with you so badly that I don't care that it would be different because you have moved on."
"You had that one relationship with that one girl," I said, "what was her name?" I wracked my brain for a moment, "Reagan or something?"
"She wasn't you, C.J." She shook her head refusing to cry.
"Why have you never told me this?"
"Because you moved on and I really don't think I can," she still didn't look at me. "Leliana would be lucky to have you." She smiled for the first time in the conversation. "And she's pretty cute." I smiled. "But you know that if she hurts you, I may have to take some action, right?" I laughed aloud at that.
"I know, I know," I sighed. "So, are we square?"
"We're square," she said nodding and smiling. I sighed in relief.
"Thank God," I breathed, "for a second I thought you were going to be mad at me forever."
"We both know that neither of us could be mad at each other forever, C.J." I nodded.
"True," we laughed together.
As we walked into the village, we could see on the faces of those training to fight. Fight what, I couldn't guess. Every single one of them looked like they hadn't slept in days or even weeks. I couldn't imagine what these people were facing right now and with no help from…whoever was in charge now. The man leading us led us into the Chantry. I looked up at the building before going inside, it reminded me of most churches at home. Home. That felt weird to say or even think about.
All around were people holding loved ones close. Mothers holding children close to them. Older men and and women fearing for what may come. What are they so scared of?
"It's Tomas, yes?" A man, a nobleman by the look of him said to the man leading us. "And who are these people with you? They are obviously not simple travelers."
"No, my lord," he said, "they just arrived and I thought that you would want to see them."
"Well done, Tomas," the noble said. He now regarded us. "Greetings friends, my name is Teagan, Bann of Rainesfere, brother to the arl."
"I remember you,Bann Teagan," Alisatir said. "Though the last time we met, I was a lot younger," he hesitated before adding, "and covered in mud."
"Covered in mud?" Teagan looked at him curiously before it dawned on him. "Alistair? It is you, isn't it? You're alive! This is wonderful news!"
"Still alive, yes," Alistair said light-heartedly, "thought I'm just as surprised about that as you are. Believe me."
"Indeed," Teagan's tone turned grave, "Loghain would have us believe all Grey Wardens died along with my nephew, amongst other things."
"At least someone's on our side," I said, "feels like every time we meet someone, they want to kill us for Loghain." Tegan scoffed.
"Loghain says he pulled out his own men in order to save them," he shook his head in disgust. "That Cailan risked the entire nation's safety in the name of glory. He calls the Grey Wardens traitors, murderers of the king. Act of a desperate man if you ask me." He sighed to regain composure from his rising anger. "So you are Grey Wardens as well?" He asked Cayne and I. "It is a pleasure to meet you both, though I wish it were under better circumstances." His face then fell into sadness. "You're here to see my brother? Unfortunately, that might be a problem. Eamon is gravely ill. No one has heard from the castle in days, no guards patrol the walls, and no one has responded to my shouts." He sighed. "The attacks started a few nights ago. Evil…things surged from the castle. We drove them back, but many perished during the assault."
"We're going to help these people, right?" I asked Cayne. The elf looked at me and before he could say anything, Morrigan spoke.
"How pointless to help these villagers fight an impossible battle. One would think we have enough to contend with elsewhere."
"And you would just leave them?" I asked. "Innocent people? No, we have to help them." I turned back to Cayne. "Cayne, we have to help these people. They can't survive on their own."
"We will help them," Cayne said.
"Thank you," Teagan said relieved, "thank you. This means more to me than you can guess." He turned to Tomas. "Tomas, please tell Murdock what has transpired. Then, return to your post."
"Yes, my lord," Tomas left to go obey his orders.
"Now then," Teagan turned his attention back to us, "there is much to do before night falls. I put two men in charge of the defense outside. Murdock, the village mayor, is outside the Chantry. Ser Perth, one of Eamon's knights, is just up the cliff by the windmill watching the castle. You may discuss with them the preparations for the coming battle."
"We'll be on our way then," Cayne said.
"Very well, luck be with you." Teagan bid us goodbye and we left the Chantry.
"Where to first?" Alistair asked.
"I think we should split up and meet back here when we're done," I said, "it'd be faster that way and we'd have more time to prepare."
"I like that idea," Leliana said. "How should we split up?" Cayne thought for a moment.
"Alistair, Morrigan, and Ashley can come with me," he said. "C.J. and Leliana can go up the cliff to the knights and see what they need." I was almost convinced that he put Leliana and I together on purpose. It wasn't exactly a big secret that we were flirting with each other almost constantly.
"Got it," I said, "we'll meet back here." Cayne took his group and I looked at Leliana. "I think the way to get to the windmill is this way." We walked together with Shabon following close behind me.
"Thank you," Leliana said, "for persuading Cayne to help these people. And for standing up to Morrigan."
"I don't really think that Cayne needed a lot of convincing," I said. "But yeah. I mean, it's the good thing to do, right?"
"Of course it is," she said, "the people of Redcliffe will see you as someone whom the Maker sent to them in their time of need. A savior."
"Honestly, that's the last thing I want to be," I said. "Do you think I was sent here?" Leliana looked at me as if I'd asked one of the stupidest questions she'd ever heard.
"Of course I do," she said, "don't you?"
"Religion works a little differently where I come from," I said. I really, really didn't want to talk about this now. I sighed. "But I don't really know to be honest. I don't know why I'm here or why Ashley had to come with me or who sent me here or if it's all just a happy accident." I was getting frustrated the more I talked about it so I decided to stop. The pressure was getting to me.
"I…" she said, "had no idea."
"I'm really good at hiding it," I said, "at least where there are monsters to kill."
"I'm sorry for prying," I could tell I lashed out too much.
"No," I said, "it's all right. No one really listens most of the time so it's weird to have someone else that isn't Ashley listen to my problems."
"Have you felt this way since Ostagar?" She asked.
"Mostly," I replied as we hiked up the path to the windmill, "like when I thought Ashley was dead. And Tobias and Darah. This all became very real. I was just taking it a day at a time, being as carefree as normal. Now, I'm realizing that we could all die out here. Every single one of us. And there are only three Grey Wardens so dying right now really isn't an option for us. The world is practically ending and I'm shouldered with the responsibility of saving it."
"C.J.," she said, "I know it may seem this way. But, you are not alone in this fight. We all are here for you. For all three of you." I sighed. I didn't want to talk about this anymore. We made it to the top of the cliff where we saw the windmill and a small band of knights in heavy plated armor.
"Those look like the knights," I said, "Ser Perth should be with them." We walked up to the group of knights. "I'm looking for Ser Perth," I announced to them. One man looked over at me. He had long red hair and brown eyes. His face was kind as he spoke to me.
"Greetings, Grey Warden. I'm as relieved as Bann Teagan is to see you here. I must admit, I do not quite know how to address you. Is My Lady sufficient?"
"Just call me C.J.," I said immediately uncomfortable with being called a "Lady".
"As you wish," he said, "I am Ser Perth. Until recently in direct service of Arl Eamon of Redcliffe. For now, my charge is defending the village from these evil assaults. Would that I had chosen not to seek out the Urn of Sacred Ashes, perhaps I would've fended off whatever evil befell the castle." He paused. "Or perhaps I would be dead. Well, with Grey Wardens aiding our defense, perhaps all is not lost."
"We were sent here to see if you needed anything before the battle tonight." I said.
"We have sufficient armor and weapons," he said, "but my knights are too few to stand against the monsters without assistance. Perhaps you can approach Mother Hannah in the Chantry for some holy protection against these evil creatures. Otherwise, I do not know what else you can provide apart from your own talents. We're as prepared for the onslaught as we could possibly be. All things considered."
"I'll see what I can do," I said.
"That gladdens my heart to hear it." I sighed.
"We'll be on our way."
"As you wish, Grey Warden. Maker watch over you." Leliana and I bid Ser Perth farewell and we went began our hike down the cliff, back to the Chantry. I didn't appreciate being given the runaround, not to mention I was already in a pretty bad mood. Needless to say, I was not in the best frame of mind for Leliana to talk to me.
"Are you all right, C.J.?" She asked me. I could tell that she knew I was unhappy, so I did my best to sound pleasant.
"Yeah," I said, "I'm all right." I couldn't let this get to me. "I just need to hit something pretty soon. Then I'll feel better."
"Do you want to talk about it more?" She asked. "Or do you want to just let it go for now?" I felt bad when she asked me that. She could tell that I was getting irritated. I sighed and stopped walking.
"I'm sorry," I said, "I'm letting the pressure get to me and I'm not really going to be any help to anyone if I'm this much of a wreck." I cleared my throat. "Forget about it. I'll be just fine after tonight. I'll get some frustration out then." She looked at me concerned. Before she could say anything, I started walking again.
We walked back into the Chantry and walked in.
"You know that Ser Perth is asking for pretty much a miracle, right?" I asked Leliana. "I don't think that Mother Hannah is going to be able to help."
"I was just thinking about that," she said. We approached a elderly woman who was laying a blessing upon a mother and her two children. After she finished, she turned to Leliana and I.
"You are strangers amongst us," she said, "yet you still defend our home in it's darkest hour. We are grateful. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Revered Mother Hannah, Head of this Chantry. Which, at the moment, is a place of refuge for these poor villagers."
"Is this all that is left of the village?" I asked looking around at the people that were so few in number. How long has this been going on for there to be so few in number?
"All those who cannot defend themselves, yes," her face fell in sadness. "They are terrified of tonight's attack and I fear that these walls will not keep them safe. What can I do to help with your task?"
"Ser Perth asks for holy protection," I said. She let out an exasperated sigh.
"I have done all I can for them." She said. "I pray for them each night and seek the Maker's forgiveness for their sins before they face their deaths. What Ser Perth seeks is not within my power to give."
"A miracle," I answered.
"Precisely," she sighed again. "I know Ser Perth means well but I cannot lie to him about something so important."
"Thank you, Mother," I said, "we will take our leave now."
"As you wish, Maker watch over you." Leliana and I walked away from the Revered mother with Shabon in tow.
We walked outside and I sighed.
"You know," I said, "I really hate this running back and forth thing." Leliana chuckled.
"You may be doing it more when the battle begins tonight," she said.
"True enough," I said. I looked at her and I couldn't help but smile. Most would've stopped talking to me after I'd said something about how I was feeling, she was different though.
She wasn't like Ashley, who would sit and listen to you talk until you stopped then said a few comforting things then going on about her day. No, Leliana wanted to talk it out completely and even afterward, she would remain with you to talk about whatever else you needed to. She was the most selfless person I'd ever known. I had to drag my attention from her before she noticed me smiling at her, though it seemed that I was too late.
"What was that smile for?" She asked as we walked together. I looked at her again.
"Admiring the view," I looked back at the path ahead as we began to hike up the cliff again. Knowing I made her face go red was enough to put me in a better mood.
We came to Ser Perth again at the the top of the cliff. I approached him again and he looked at me with a smile on his face.
"The knights of Redcliffe are ready to fight at your disposal." He said.
"You said you wanted holy protection," I said a little hesitant.
"Have you spoken to the Revered Mother? Has she offered anything?"
"Mother Hannah does not believe that she can help you," I said simply. I knew that his face would fall when it did.
"I see," he said, his face became hopeful again, "Then we must simply rely on our own prayers. The Maker will not help us. Thank you for your efforts. We shall fight on nevertheless."
"That's good to hear," I said, "I must return to my friends at the Chantry. I will see you tonight, Ser Perth."
"Of course, Grey Warden. Good luck to you and may the Maker watch over us all." We bid him farewell again and hiked back down the cliff. I was anxious as we hiked down together. Mostly for the battle tonight and I was concerned about Ash and, admittedly, Leliana. Honestly, if I concerned myself with protecting any more people, I was going to strain myself too much.
We came back to the Chantry where we saw Cayne, Morrigan, Alistair, and Ashley talking with each other.
"Ah," Alistair said, "there you are. Are you ready to wait until nightfall?"
"I think so, yeah," I said. I walked over to Ashley. "Are you ready?" I asked her.
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said. "So what did you and Leliana talk about?"
"Just stuff," I said. I sat at the steps of the Chantry, drawing my knees to my chest. Ash sat next to me and Shabon stood on guard beside us, as if he sensed the impending danger. Now that I thought about it, he was probably the most loyal dog I'd ever owned. "I'm a little anxious about tonight," I admitted to Ashley as I petted my dog.
"So am I," she admitted to me, "these people are so scared for their lives."
"I guess it's a chance for us to start making a difference. Like we talked about in Ostagar."
"In a way, you already did," she said.
"Not me," I laughed, "it's Cayne mostly. He's the leader of this little posse."
"I'm sure all three of you will be remembered for helping to stop the Blight and being great heroes donned in gold regalia."
"Are we riding on great steeds into battle single handedly against a horde of darkspawn?" I asked.
"If that's what suits you," she replied to me with a smile on her face.
"Darkspawn, elves, dwarves, mages," I said, "next thing you know we'll be fighting dragons."
"Don't jinx it," she said. I laughed and leaned back against the stairs, taking notice that Leliana and Cayne started target practice with some of the militia. I looked up at the sky, taking in these moments of peace. A calm before the storm.
They surged from the castle like ghosts in the wind. We were alerted and we mobilized immediately. I stood with Cayne and Alistair with my daggers drawn. They came from a green mist starting at the windmill where we met them. Cayne, Alistair, and I charged with Shabon at my side while Morrigan fired magic from the back. I cut down one of the undead and ran another through. An ice bolt ran past my head. I swear, I thought, if one of them hits me like in the fade…
I wasn't paying attention and one of the undead grabbed me by the throat and opened his mouth as if to bite me. I caught his mouth in my blade and slashed that half of its head. Blood sprayed onto my face and the corpse fell to the ground. I looked around to see Arl Eamon's knights cut down the rest of the walking corpses.
"Grey Wardens!" A runner from the village shouted. "The monsters are attacking from the lake! They're attacking the barricades! We need help!"
"Knights!" Cayne shouted. "Protect the path!"
"We need to hurry!" The runner shouted as he ran back to the village. I took off after him, running as fast as possible. Ash was down there, she'll be overwhelmed if I don't get there in time. This wasn't going to happen like Ostagar; I wasn't losing her again. I sprinted across the bridge where I could see her fending off undead but there were too many for her to handle. I pushed myself to run faster and I cut corpses down as quickly as possible.
"Ash!" I yelled as she summoned a wall of ice in front of her. I finally got to her and I could see that she was injured. An arrow had embedded itself in her shoulder. I was still pretty far away from her. Cayne and Alistair finally caught up to me, making cutting down the undead easier. "Get to Ashley! She's injured!"
"Leliana is barely holding up!" Alistair said. I looked around to see Leliana being backed into a corner by a group of walking corpses. Shit! I thought to myself. I looked between Leliana and Ashley for a moment.
"Cayne," I said, "back Leliana up. Take Shabon with you." The elf and my dog kited around. "Alistair, stay back and protect Morrigan." I ran my dagger through the head on an undead in front of me and pushed forward to meet Ash.
"C.J.!" She shouted throwing an ice bolt at a walking corpse.
"I'm here!" I ran over to her and caught her as she began to lose her balance. She was physically drained, there was no way she could've lasted much longer. "Can you heal yourself?" I asked.
"I think I can but I don't know how much I can do afterward." I ran a walking corpse through and kicked it away.
"Heal yourself," I said, "I'll protect you."
"Get me out of the fray," she said. I nodded and began to walk backward while holding her close as she summoned the strength to heal her wound. I backed up to the steps of the Chantry and set her down to let her do her part. I turned my daggers in my hands, waiting. I watched the townspeople cut the undead down while a few stragglers came after me. After cutting fending them off, I looked over to see that Cayne had gotten to Leliana in time with Shabon tensed and ready for another attack. I realized how hard I was breathing and tried to control it. I looked behind me to see Ashley slowly healing herself.
The last of the undead ran at me from the front and I met it, making it run into my blades, after which I withdrew one of them and cut off its head. I sighed as the corpse slid into a lifeless heap on the ground.
"We've won!" One of the townspeople shouted. "The monsters are dead!" As the villagers celebrated, I went back to Ashley.
"How are you holding up?" I asked. The wound in her shoulder was healed completely. The only thing left of it was a tear in her robe. I could tell that the whole fight drained her immensely. I should've thought about her skill level. She's only just discovered these powers, she's not like Morrigan or Wynne; she can't just keep casting spells for hours on end like they can even if they are small ones.
"I'm fine," she nodded and tried to stand up. I caught her when she nearly fell.
"You seem fine," I set her back down on the steps gently. If I'd only gotten here sooner. I thought to myself. If only I were faster or just stayed with her altogether. I sighed and sat next to her, allowing her to lean on my shoulder. I sighed and looked over at her. She was passed out. I smiled down at her and looked up at the stars.
We stood outside the Chantry when dawn arrived. Ash had gotten plenty of rest between the battle and now and she seemed to have recovered fully. Bann Teagan stood at the head of a crowd of people who were gathered around to hear him speak. We stood beside him, waiting for him to begin talking.
"Dawn arrives," he said, "and we survived the night. We are victorious!" The crowd cheered for the Bann. Once they quieted down, he spoke again, "Though this victory came at great cost, we must remember that we would not be here if it were not for the heroism of these good folk beside me." He walked over to us and spoke to Cayne. "I thank you, good ser. Truly, the Maker smiled on us when He sent you here in our darkest hour."
"We have much to do, Bann Teagan," Cayne said.
"Surely the people deserve some small celebration, don't you think?" Teagan said. "There is time, yet." Mother Hannah began to lay a blessing over the crowd and I tuned out for a moment. I looked up at the castle, wondering what could possibly be in there to make undead come out of it.
I heard Bann Teagan speak again and I began to listen.
"With the Maker's favor," he said, "the blow we delivered today is enough for me to enter the castle and seek out your arl. Be weary," he warned, "and watch for signs of renewed attack. we shall return as soon as we are able." The crowd began to disperse and Bann Teagan turned back to us. "Now, we have no time to waste," he said, "meet me at the mill, we can talk further there."
I watched him walk away in the direction of the cliff that I was honestly really reluctant to climb again. I looked at Ashley. I had to keep a close eye on her in case something happens to her. We were far from finished with this.
A/N: Thank you guys for keeping up with this whole project. I am planning to do the entire game series plus some more and the fact that this is getting quite a bit of traffic just makes me want to do it more. Unfortunately, updates may come a bit slower due to the fact I have school and I need to find a place to live next semester. Again, thanks for the favorites and follows and please leave a review and tell me what you think and I'll have the next installment as quickly as I can!