Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age.
Chapter Five: In Thy Father's Shadow
King Cailan's Army – Ostagar
Duncan walked with his new recruit as they approached the ruins of the fortress city of Ostagar. Cain, Aedan's loyal Mabari hound had caught up with them just north of the village of Lothering where Aedan had sent by courier the letter informing Bann Loren of his wife and son's fate and Aedan's mood had lightened considerably with his arrival as he had assumed that he had perished at Highever.
Built in the hills that bordered the dense marsh and woodlands known as the Korcari Wilds that formed the southern borders of Fereldan Ostagar marked the southern boundary of the ancient Tevinter Imperium. Beyond the Korcari Wilds were the uncharted territories and eventually the south pole for the northern border of Fereldan, Waking Sea, was still far south of the equator.
Both Duncan and Aedan frowned as they saw people in armour coming towards them along the Imperial Highway. Merchants and farmers were common on the decaying road as the army required an enormous amount of supplies but all troops were heading into Ostagar rather than away from it. The sun glinted off golden armour at the centre of the group and Aedan realised who approached. But why would King Cailan meet Duncan and I in person? He can't have heard of the attack on Highever yet.
"Welcome back Duncan." Cailan greeted enthusiastically greeted the head of Fereldan's Grey Wardens. Cailan felt himself continue to blather something about honour and glory to hide the fact that he was absolutely terrified. Father defeated Orlais and restored Fereldan after 80 years of occupation. How can I live up to that? The only way to prove myself worthy of his legacy is to defeat these Darkspawn but the horde continues to grow no matter how many of them we kill? I need more men but Logain refuses to accept Orlesian help, I will have to overrule him. I will not fail you father, I will defeat this threat to your beloved Fereldan and then maybe I will be able to look at your portrait in the palace without feeling like an imposter sitting in your throne. Cailan focused on the new recruit in an effort to push his insecurities to the back of his mind. He seems so familiar but I can't quite place it. Where have I seen him before?
As Aedan looked up Cailan saw his signature sea green eyes and a memory of a young Aedan following him around Castle Highever like a lovesick puppy flashed to the forefront of his mind. Impossible! There's no way that this dirty and bedraggled man that has the same bearing as the suicidal troops that beg to be in the front ranks is the same as that beautiful fun loving man that followed me around for my entire visit to Highever with father! What has happened to him? He had such a lust for life and spent so much time joking flirting and bouncing around I thought he was on a permanent sugar high.
Vaguely Cailan realised that Duncan was trying to introduce them. He waved the Grey Warden off. "No need Duncan I know who this is. Aedan of Highever, Bryce Couslands youngest. How is you're father Aedan? Your brother said he would be only one or two days behind him."
I have a very bad feeling about this. A pit formed in Cailan's stomach as it looked like for all of his training Aedan was going to break down right there.
"My… My father is not coming your majesty." Aedan said quietly. "Arl Howe betrayed us and attacked after we had sent almost all of our troops south to answer your call to arms. Teyrn Bryce and Teyrna Eleanor died covering my escape and my brothers wife and son were killed in their beds. I do not know the fate of the rest of the household but given the fight we put up and the number of bodies it is unlikely that Howe has let any that survived the initial assault live."
Cailan had never been so furious in his entire life. Bryce was my father's dearest friend except for Logain, he served me well as my chief advisor and Eleanor! She was like a second mother to me after my own died. I don't think those first few weeks would have been bearable were it not for her presence at court. Oh Aedan loosing your parents is hard enough but to have to run while they knowingly face death to give you time to get away? Howe will be gracing Fort Draken for a long time for this!
"I swear." Cailan began reaching out to grab Aedan's shoulder, his voice and eyes burning with fury. "I swear on the memory of my father and mother that as soon as the Darkspawn are defeated I will turn my army north and Rendon Howe will spend the very short remainder of his life in Fort Draken with Orlesian torturers that I will order released especially for this. He will regret ever crossing House Cousland and House Theirin."
"Thank you your majesty." Aedan said with a small smile. The thought of Howe being tortured to death by true masters of the art is pleasing but it won't bring mother and father back, or little Oren. Still I will derive great pleasure from watching and laughing, let him feel a small portion of the pain he has inflicted on me and Fergus. "Do you know the whereabouts of my brother?"
Maker forgive me! I sent him into the wilds scouting! Howe wouldn't risk even one Cousland escaping and certainly has assassins in the army ordered to kill Fergus and I sent him deep into the wilds, far from help or prying eyes with only a few troops. He's already dead. Cailan was almost certain of Fergus's death but given Aedan's current state he couldn't bring himself to inform the young Grey Warden of his brothers most likely fate. "He is scouting in the wilds and is not due back before the battle I'm afraid. I will send out more scouts to order him to return but it may be some time before they are able to locate him, the wilds are a maze well deserving of their name."
Aedan nodded. "He should be safe for a while then, I'm in no hurry to tell him."
Cailan's mind was working furiously as he tried to put the pieces of this new information together with the context of the blight and his own political plans.
"I am needed back at Logain's tent before he sends out a search party but there are still a few things I would like to discuss, would you walk with me please Aedan? Duncan I'll send him to you or one of the other wardens as soon as we are done."
Duncan's frown showed that yes he really did mind but then he could not disobey the King. "Of course your majesty."
At Cailan's signal the royal guards slipped ahead and hung back as they headed back into Ostagar leaving just Cailan and Aedan. Cailan reached out and put his arms around the shoulders of the younger man. "I'm going to find some way to keep you out of the battle." Cailan began talking over Aedan's sudden protests. "You have just watched your entire family murdered, you are in no condition to fight and I will order you back Lothering if I have to."
Aedan tensed and then acquiesced. He knew that he couldn't fight the King.
"Also I am going to ask Duncan to assign a guard to you, a fellow Grey Warden named Alistair."
"But your majesty I…"
"Again with interrupting your King, Aedan." Cailan teased with a smile. "New recruits are usually chaperoned anyway, I'm just making this official guard duty. I do not intend to loose one of my most loyal and true subjects to Rendon Howe's assassins."
"Very well." Aedan relented grudgingly. "But why Alistair? Could I not chose a Warden that I get along with once I've mixed with them a bit?"
"I know Alistair." Cailan replied with a pensive look on his face. Aedan was sure that he had to have imagined the flash of guilt there as well. "We met once when I was younger, I'm afraid that I didn't make a very good impression but he certainly impressed me and I kept tabs on him ever since. I was the one to suggest that Duncan recruit him you know."
Cailan hurried on at the flicker of disapproval that crossed Aedan's face. "Not directly you understand, I simply mentioned to Duncan that if he went to a certain place then he might find a diamond amongst the quartz there. Alistair made it into the Grey Wardens on his own, impressive merits. Though I admit they are not obvious at first." Cailan chuckled lightly as the finally reached his tent.
"Right then, if I remember rightly Alistair should be at the northern most edge of the camp in the alter chamber of one of the old Tevinter temples. Fare you well my friend and I will see you again before the battle." I hope. Please Maker, Andraste, Ancestors, Anyone let him survive the joining.
Cailan sighed and entered the tent of Teyrn Logain as Aedan headed off to find Alistair.
Cailan couldn't help remembering the unenviable life of his brother.
Twenty Years Ago – Castle Redcliff
Cailan regarded the eight year old child before him. He's a little Baby! 10 year old Cailan thought to himself, Why would father want me to meet him?
"Ooo swords!" Cailan exclaimed noticing the armoury over Alistair's shoulder. Ignoring the little boy Cailan rushed off to have some fun.
Two days later on the way back to Denerim Cailan finally got up the courage to ask his father why he had been in such a foul mood since visiting Uncle Eamon and Uncle Tegan.
"Father why are you acting like Uncle Logain when the Orlesian ambassador visits?" Calian asked blunt as always.
King Maric chuckled before becoming serious again. "I made a mistake Cailan, I made two in fact."
"Can't you just say sorry?" Cailan asked as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
Maric took a deep breath and pulled his son into a strong hug.
"Ah! Dad! Gerroff!"
Maric enjoyed the levity before answering his son's question. "There are some things sorry can't fix Cailan."
"Like what?"
"You have a brother, you met him today."
"What the little baby?"
"Cailan he's only two years younger than you."
"Exactly! He's a baby!"
Maric laughed but Cailan's next question brought him crashing back to reality.
"So when is he going to come to the palace? Will he share my room or…"
"Cailan." Maric said interrupting his son. "Alistair will not be coming to the palace."
"Why not?"
14 Years Ago – Royal Palace, Denerim
16 year old Crown Prince Cailan Theirin crushed the note in his hands and took deep breaths trying to turn his utter fury into something non violent.
The note in his hand was from someone in his employ at Castle Redcliff. Despite being 10 Cailan had wanted to know about his brother and when the Prince asks one of the knights assigned to him to do him a favour and go to Redcliff and find someone willing to write a couple of notes about a boy who lives in the stables the only response possible is 'yes your highness right away your highness'. At 6 sovereigns a month Cailan had considerably less pocket money to spend from then on but the young Prince thought it was worth it.
I don't believe it! Cailan thought furiously.
I could forgive Father for leaving Alistair with Uncle Eamon because Alistair was happy. I could forgive Eamon for putting him in the stables instead of the castle and I could forgive Father for not challenging him on this because Alistair was still happy but this…
Cailan looked down once more at the letter detailing how a devastated Alistair Theirin had been forced screaming and crying from Castle Redcliff to be trained as a Templar here in Denerim. The letter detailed how the writer didn't think that Alistair's trusting little face could contain so much pain and betrayal nor how heart rending the screams of a child who has been cast aside could be.
Just thinking about his brother betrayed by everyone who had ever supposed to care for him set Cailan's blood ablaze. But this! Tossed aside after being made to believe that he belonged!
Cailan screamed before throwing a model of Castle Redcliff his uncle had given him at the world. Just like his trust in his uncle the model shattered.
Most of the palace would have considered his reaction excessive after all Alistair was a bastard not a Prince and Cailan had only seen his brother once and hadn't made a good impression even then. But none of them could see the two thoughts in Cailan's head.
We are both Father's children, It could have easily been me that was the bastard and Alistair that was the Prince. And what happens if Father decides one day that I can be tossed aside just like Alistair? We're both his children after all.
Cailan got control of himself and summoned one of his guards. I need a source amongst the templars.
Five Years Ago – Royal Palace, Denerim
Newly crowned King Cailan Theirin never thought that duty would taste so bitter.
For years now I've imagined bringing Alistair to the palace but now I'm King I can't indulge in fantasies. If he had been brought here from birth then maybe it would have been alright but to reveal him now would be to cause chaos in a country in transition and set the already nervous Banns into a blind panic.
Cailan took some solace in the fact that the reports said that Alistair was enjoying the templar training if not the life or duties. Yet I still feel as just as big a traitor as I have considered my uncle for so long. I'm not sure that being king is worth it if this is what it does to your family.
One Year Ago – Royal Palace, Denerim
Cailan tried to keep his emotions in check as he re read the latest report on his brother. In particular 'alone' 'friendless' 'desperate to escape' and 'soul destroying sadness' leaped out from the page.
Cailan sighed. Anora doesn't consider him worth my time but then she's an only child. She'd never understand.
Cailan however had another problem. After four years of trying with Anora he was still childless, there was still no heir to the Fereldan throne. In desperation Cailan had had… relations with several women other than his wife but it had been over a year and still none of them had given birth to any child let alone his.
I am so sorry Anora. He had been discrete but Cailan knew that his wife would still have found out. He knew how much she wanted children though and he still couldn't bring himself to tell her the news that he was almost certainly sterile.
Focusing on something other than the pain that he would never be a father Cailan smiled as it meant that it gave him room to maneuver and save his brother from a life he hated. It was the least he could do for his brother who had had absolutely nothing including love his entire life while he, Cailan, had everything.
Well if Anora and any other noble who finds out objects now I have a valid argument to use on them. Cailan thought with a grin. I can't bring him straight to the palace though. Stupid as it is they won't accept Alistair without some pretty solid achievements behind him.
Musing on what to do next Cailan's gaze landed on his favorate childhood story book. 'The Adventures of the Grey Wardens'
YES! Cailan now had a plan. "Guardsmen ask Warden Commander Duncan to attend me immediately, I have a suggestion for where he could find promising recruits."
Yes your majesty
I will make it up to you Alistair. I will make sure that you know that you are my brother and you are loved.
Let me know what you thought of Cailan!
Review if you want me to continue! Tell me what you like and what you don't and what particular play through you would like to see in the next chapter. Obviously this is Ostagar so there are no options atm but the principle stands for later chapters.
