Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age.
Chapter Eight: The Korcari Wilds
The Korcari Wilds – Fereldan
Alistair led the three recruits away from the camp and into the maze of marsh and forests that formed Fereldan's southern border. Ser Jory hung back as Aedan and Daveth suck to Alistair like glue. Anything to stay away from the self-righteous knight.
"So I there I was tearing away from him through the streets and BAMB! I ran straight into the Captain of the Guard. They wanted to string me up but Duncan recruited me and the rest is history." Daveth explained answering Aedan's question about how he was recruited.
Aedan was having a hard timekeeping a straight face, Alistair however didn't have the benefit of years of political training and had burst out laughing.
"I'd have loved to have seen that!" He gasped weakly as they continued on deeper into the wilds. "Duncan hates running unless its in battle, seeing him charge around the streets of Denerim would have been priceless."
Aedan lost his battle and giggled at the thought of the serious and composed Duncan running around like a school boy playing tag.
"Did you just giggle?" Alistair asked amazed.
"No!" Aedan replied adamantly.
"You did you giggled!" Alistair crowed excitedly.
"No I didn't!" Aedan exclaimed. The blood rushing to his pale face made him redder than a campfires embers. "I was chuckling! And in a very manly fashion!"
"Yep, ok, we believe you." Alistair laughed as he ribbed his new friend.
"Alistair…" Aedan growled out.
Should I tell him that growling while blushing like that makes him look so cute? Alistair thought as he tried to control his smile. Aedan was already furious and he didn't want to push his new friend to far.
Aedan stormed ahead muttering about blonde bastards as Daveth and Alistair got themselves back under some sort of control. Ser Jory trudged along behind with his nose in the air. It was obvious that he thought that this behaviour was beneath Grey Wardens but the other three had ignored him ever since they had left the army camp at Ostagar.
"Hold" Aedan whispered from the front as loudly as he dared. He held up his fist as well though he had no idea if the others would know what it meant.
All traces of humour vanished as the other three men caught up to Aedan and readied themselves for battle.
"What do you see…oh." Alistair whispered and then trailed off as he caught up to Aedan and took in the seen before them. Ahead the path through the marsh opened out into a wider area of solid ground. The ground however was no longer green and brown. It was red.
"How many do you think?" Aedan whispered shrugging his pack off and slipping his daggers out of their place on his back.
"About eight I'd say." Daveth replied uncertainly doing the same and stringing an arrow to his bow. "It's a little difficult to tell given how badly mangled they are."
Mangled was understating it, several soldiers had been torn limb from limb and body parts were scattered around the clearing, the few that were intact had massive gouges in their flesh and had obviously been left to bleed dry. Slowly the group edged into the site of carnage tense and alert for any Darkspawn that may be waiting for them to do just that.
A slight groan attracted the attention of the Wardens.
"Maker's breath, he's still alive!" Aedan exclaimed.
Under Daveth's watchful eye and bow Alistair quickly retrieved his pack and set to work with healing poultices, bandages and an injury kit. The others watched him work while keeping an eye out for Darkspawn. Within the privacy of his own mind Aedan thanked the Maker for magic, without it the wounds would have been fatal. Thankfully the soldiers colour began to return as the magic in the healing poultice and the injury kit set to work.
"Arrgggghhhh…thanks." The soldier said breathlessly as he struggled to sit up. The magic couldn't heal him completely but it at least left him able to move and no longer in danger of imminent death.
"What happened?" Alistair asked seriously.
"Darkspawn." He replied spitting blood. "We were ambushed, when they said that the Darkspawn came up from underground I didn't take them literally enough.
Alistair nodded. "Few do." He said in an attempt to bring comfort.
"I have to go." The soldier said struggling to his feet. "We spotted the main horde just east of here, their numbers have grown again from the last report. The King needs to know."
"Just a moment." Aedan stepped up before the wounded man began his trek back to camp. "Your scouting party, did you run across the one led by Lord Fergus Cousland?"
"No Warden, I'm sorry we didn't."
Aedan looked at the ground to try and hide his disappointment. Alistair squeezed his shoulder in a silent statement of support, Aedan shot him a watery smile of thanks as the survivor limped out of sight.
The tender moment between the two new friends was shattered by Ser Jory. "Did you hear that?" He asked fearfully going white. "An entire patrol of experienced men ambushed and overwhelmed! I am no coward but this is foolish and reckless, we should go back."
"You sound like a coward to me." Daveth scoffed.
"Did you think this was going to be like the tournaments? Aedan asked in disbelief. "This is war Ser Jory, people don't yield and the dead don't get up at the end of the day. If we cant deal with a few scouting groups what do you think the full battle is going to be like?"
Alistair looked sharply at Aedan, the other two had missed it but he could hear the undercurrent of fear and panic in his new friends voice. At least he is dealing with it better than Jory.
"I am simply trying to stay… alive." Jory stammered. It could not be clearer that he had thought that being a Grey Warden would be a great honour and source of glory but one with little chance of real harm, just like all of the tournaments he had competed in so far.
"Know this." Alistair jumped in before Daveth or Aedan could unleash their sharp tongues on the shaking knight. "All Grey Wardens can sense Darkspawn, we shall not be taken unawares."
"You see ser knight." Daveth crowed. "We may die but we won't be surprised."
"I guess that is reassuring." Ser Jory said shakily attempting to salvage a little of his dignity from the situation.
Neither of the two had noticed how pale Aedan had become, nor how fixed his expression was. Alistair grabbed his wrist and held him back as the other two went back to grab their packs and then began to move on.
"Hey, thanks."
Aedan looked at him strangely and raised one eyebrow questioningly.
"The soldier, the only one who survived, he was wearing scale armour. The others, they're all in splint mail." Alistair explained nodding at the corpses surrounding them.
Aedan's mouth dropped open in an O of realisation. "Your welcome." He replied shakily.
Alistair really wanted to press the issue but now was clearly not the time. Still I've given him the reassurance that we are both better prepared and better armoured than they were. It will have to do for now.
Patting him on the back Alistair steered Aedan forwards and tried to catch up with Ser Jory and Daveth before the pickpocket tried to drown the knight in one of the marshes deeper pools.
The rest of the day had gone relatively smoothly, despite fending off a few small ambushes that Alistair had easily warned them of, finding the body of a missionary and clearing out the camp made by the father of the missionary it had gone surprisingly well. The sun was getting low in the sky when they cleared out the camp and with the lure of two tents rather than sleeping unprotected on the bare ground Alistair had decided to call it a day.
Daveth, having lost the impromptu game of rock paper scissors, was asleep in one of the tents with Ser Jory. They would be woken just after midnight and take the second watch.
Alistair poked the campfire that he and Aedan were sitting around as they had taken the first watch. He shifted awkwardly on the log he was sitting on trying to figure out how broach the subject.
Opening his mouth to speak Alistair looked up from the ground
Only to find himself looking straight up Aedan's kilt. "Eeep!"
Aedan was startled and looked up from the book he was reading. "Alistair? Are you alright?"
"Yep!" Alistair squeaked looking firmly at the ground. Ok he defiantly fills out his smallclothes as much as me. Not as much as some of the templars I trained with but then they were obscene, he must be just above average like I am and WHY THE HELL AM I THINKING ABOUT HOW WELL AEDAN FILLS HIS SMALLCLOTHES!
Oblivious to the entertaining thoughts in Alistair's head Aedan went back to reading. Alistair, having gotten control of himself closed his eyes as he looked up this time and tried again.
"Have you ever been in battle before Aedan?" He asked quietly.
Aedan's grip on the book tightened until his fingers turned white from the pressure. "A few times, I used to lead Ser Gilmore and a small company of knights after bandits and I had to fight my way out of Castle Highever, but nothing like this."
"You did well today." Alistair replied gently. "Few relish fighting Darkspawn up close. I know I don't."
Aedan didn't reply, he was desperately trying to school his features into blank indifference. Alistair shifted across the campfire to sit next to him.
"Hey, don't shut me out. We're Wardens and we're in this together, more than that I like to think that I'm your friend. You don't have to hide anything from me." Alistair put his arm around the younger mans shoulders as he tried to reassure him.
"You are Alistair." Aedan replied quietly taking the hand that was on this shoulder in a firm grip. "But I'm a Cousland, I can't show weakness or fear."
"Not to others maybe, but you can to me. Just as you did to Ser Gilmore." Alistair took a stab and hoped it would work out as he intended.
Aedan gave a sharp intake of breath.
Please let it work! Don't let me have made him angry.
"He said the same." Aedan answered so quietly Alistair had to strain to hear. "Gil always wanted me to be just Aedan with him, never Lord Cousland unless we were in public."
"He sounds like a pretty smart man." Alistair prodded gently. "Is he…"
"He was defending the gates to give my mother and me time to run." Aedan whispered. "I don't know…I just don't know."
The enormity of having lost everyone close to him finally hit Aedan and he threw himself into Alistair's arms and cried for the first time since reaching Ostagar.
Momentarily surprised Alistair quickly embraced his friend in a tight hug. Maker is it wrong to feel pleased that he is so devastated that he's come to me? Alistair prayed franticly trying to understand the guilt that was building from his benefit from Aedan's misfortune.
As Aedan cried Alistair vowed that though it may be tragedy and fear that had forced Aedan to come to trust him so quickly he would prove worthy of him. I've got a friend Alistair thought wildly. Duncan is like a father to me but I've never had a friend before. Alistair pulled his friend closer trying to share the building warmth in his heart. It seemed to work as Aedan's heart wrenching sobs gradually died away to be replaced by sniffles. "Together Aedan. We'll do this together."
Both Alistair and Aedan hoped that their bond would never break, but they knew that neither knew what was to come. Both prayed desperately to the Maker that they would face it together and triumph, just as Maric Therein and Loghain Mac Tir had done thirty years before.
From now on I have decided to call the armoured skirts of the light armours kilts on the men and skirts on the women.
Smallclothes are a more accurate DA name for underwear or pants as we call them here in the UK. That has led to some interesting misunderstandings with Americans
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.
