Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age (though I wish I did). I only own my own characters and extra ideas I put into the story.

Chapter 2 – Ostagar

The sound of a whip hitting something... hard at first, then slowly it became more and more of a wetter sound, then something dripped to the floor.

The painful screams of a girl...

The taste of iron in her mouth...

A pain on her back with the warmth of blood flowing along her newly gained gashes...

Then a sharp pain on her right scapula... the slight feeling of magic, but not strong enough to tell her what it was... sharp, tickling pain...

Blood everywhere... even the things she saw were becoming more of a reddish nightmare, than what she usually saw...

A sudden, unexpected blow to her head.

Sylverin awoke panting. She was in a bed. The sunlight was almost blinding, her whole body ached. Was this all a dream? Had her Harrowing just ended?

"Ah, I see you are awake!" she heard a familiar voice. Whose was it? Her sight was clearing and she saw a dark skinned man standing next to her bed looking down at her. No… This was definitely not the Tower. And this man…

"Duncan?" she asked quietly. Her head was aching so badly, and she was only slowly realising it now. Her scapula was still feeling strange. It was painful, tickling and numb at the same time. Everything else seemed fine. She reached for her forehead and her thumb suddenly felt a scar above her left eyebrow. That hadn't been there before. So that nightmare hadn't been a dream after all. Duncan was the Grey Warden who had been at the Tower. Sylverin had been sure she was to die, why was she alive? Why was this man with her? "What happened?" she asked finally.

"You don't remember?" he seemed surprised.

"The last thing I remember is…" she stopped talking. Jowan… Lily… Blood magic… The memories before she had been taken to the Dungeons suddenly all came back to her. But what happened after she was taken there? "I was taken to the… Dungeons…"

"You were tortured. It took us too long to get there and you had already lost consciousness. We managed to convince Greagoir to release you, but I had to invoke The Right of Conscription. You are to become a Grey Warden. Irving helped us find a mage who was willing to heal your injuries, but it wasn't easy. Most of them just ran away when they saw your back. But you are more or less all right."

"My ba…?" As she asked that she reached to her scapula. It was automatic, since that was the only part of her, apart from her head that was still aching. The scar that was there felt hot under her fingers. It still had the touch of magic on it. She tried feeling the shape. Sylverin wasn't entirely certain, but could guess enough to know what this sign was. And she was honestly surprised Duncan had managed to find someone who had been willing to touch her and heal her, even a bit. Her sight blurred again as tears welled up along her water line. She tried her best to hold them back, but as she blinked, they immediately started running down her face and splashed onto her arms.

"Is it that bad?" Duncan asked, not understanding the situation.

"They burned the sign of a traitor onto my back. It was burned with templar magic. It cannot be healed, no matter what kind of magic is used. I am officially casted away from the Circle of Magi. This mark is a sign for the templars as well. If they find me and I resist to go back to the tower, they have the "permission" so to speak, to kill me on the spot." Her voice was full of sorrow, yet she was able to say this all without stopping. Had she left anything behind? Only the place she had known as home before. But it had also been a cage for her. Now she was free. "Am I to become a Grey Warden, then?" she asked quietly.

"Yes. Right now, however, all you need to do is to rest, until you feel ready to leave. We are in the Spoiled Princess inn, next to Lake Calenhad. We couldn't risk taking you to Ostagar. It's a long trip and you are very weak. Our room is right next to yours, on the left side. You have a change of clothes on the chair and a bath was made for you as well, though it's probably cooled down already. I suspect you won't be needing help to warm it up?" He pointed at a chair, not far away from the bed that had her new clothes on it. "If you need anything, you can find us anytime." With that, he walked out.

Sylverin sat up. She was still in her mage robes. Her back was naked, as the whip had ripped her robe there, but everything else was fine, except that it was soaked with blood. If she had known something about Healing magic, she could have eased her headache. The little girl got out of the bed. She walked to the bath. The water was already cold, but she warmed it up without any problem. After getting rid of her clothing, she cleaned herself and put on her new outfit. It was a robe as well, but different. Maybe this was what Battle mages wore in wars? She put it on, and it wasn't an easy job, but she managed, though it did take her longer than usually.

It was time for her to look into a mirror. She wasn't exactly happy with what she saw, in terms of her facial appearance, but there was nothing to do about it. The scar on her eyebrow was ugly. Probably not too outstanding for someone who didn't know it was there, but she knew it was there, and so it was almost screaming at her. Her hair was a mess and she looked as if she hasn't slept for weeks. But the robe… that was very pretty. It was a simple light blue tunic that covered her breasts down to halfway down her thighs with an extra layer of material from her waist down covering only her front and with gold embroidered edges. Over it there was a purple corset that was held together by a purple sash tied to a large gilded ring over her lower ribs. Attached to the sash were three gold chains that fell across her stomach from left to right. Over her hips was a belt in the same purple as the sash and again it was tied to a gilded ring to hold it up. Her arms were covered by cloth bracers again in purple and with gold trimming, her stockings that left the tiniest gap of skin to be seen before her tunic started were of the same colour combination, as were her boots that were only high enough to reach a bit over her ankles. She quickly put her hair in a ponytail and decided to meet her two companions.

She knew that in her current mental state, she could snap any time, but wasting time wasn't an option. There was a war and she was finally free. Even though not quite the way she had hoped for. At that moment, she knew that the only thing she could do was to accept the situation and cry her eyes dry when the destruction of her country wasn't threatened.

She knocked on the door she had been instructed to go to and Duncan's recruit opened the door.

"Oh it's you! I'm glad you are up. Come in!" he let her walk in. Duncan was sitting at a table, working on some papers.

"Is everything all right?" he asked after some time, looking up at Sylverin.

"Erm, yes, I just… I just wanted to thank you!" she blurted out "You most probably saved my life back in the Tower… Thank you!"

"There is no need to thank me. Your magical abilities were greatly complimented by Irving. He practically begged me to take you away. I hope you'll find your place amongst us Grey Wardens." Duncan said, standing up.

"I can only hope I won't disappoint you." she said shyly.

"I'm sure you'll do fine!" the recruit. "Oh, I apologise for my rudeness. I'm Aedan Cousland." He bowed.

"Cousland?" Sylverin asked surprised.

"It's a long story, and I'd like to keep it for myself for the time being." He said with an apologetic look.

"I understand. I'm sorry for asking such an impolite question."

They were so discrete and their choice of words was much too polite. Perhaps it was, because they were afraid of hurting the other. They both had an idea of the other's pain. This way of speech was their way of showing respect and consideration for each other.

"Will you be ready to depart tomorrow?" Duncan asked Sylverin.

"I certainly hope so. I feel more or less fine. The aching in my shoulder should stop soon as well…"

"What about your head?"

"I honestly don't know. I'm not a healer, so I don't really know what kind of injury was there… not that I want to know… But the scar will probably stay there forever."

"Does it bother you?"

"Not really. I can hide it with my fringe if I want to, so it's not the end of the world."

"It adds to your charm." Aedan said with a wink that made Sylverin giggle. "Finally a smile! I was afraid I might never see it again."

"I still have emotions. It's just that I was hurt badly… I'll get over it."

They spent some more time talking and then went to eat dinner.

The next day they left for Ostagar. The trip took them some time. Sylverin was not only amazed by the whole new world around herself, she was afraid as well. Never being able to leave the tower, she found the smallest noise in the woods scary and ended up tripping on flat roads. She was definitely not used to being 'free'.

Sylverin held out her hand, letting it trail through the leaves and over rough and smooth bark. She looked all around her for about the millionth time, still not quite settled into her freedom. Then Aedan snatched her hand away and they both stopped, looking at each other.

He blushed and let go hurriedly. "Poison ivy." He muttered before moving to Duncan's other side and determinately not looking her way. Sylverin looked on for a second then giggled at his, to her, reasonless embarrassment. She glanced at the plant she had almost brushed against.

"So this is how poison ivy looks when the leaves are still attached to the rest." She had only seen drawing of the delicate stems and the way it curled up the stem of other trees. Sylverin wanted to touch it, but resisted temptation. She sped up to catch up with her two companions turning away from the inviting red petals of a kind of flower.

"How long does it take to get to Ostagar?" She asked the older, Duncan. Sylverin had seen maps back at the tower and knew how long a mile was and how long it took the average human to walk one, but in the confines of the Circle Tower it had meant little. Now that knowledge that she had been proud of seemed a little...ridiculous. She was a newborn baby in this outside world.

"About three days." The elder Grey Warden looked down at her kindly. "Maybe a little longer, so you can enjoy these new sights and sounds."

They walked on and off for the rest of the day before finding a clearing in which to spend the night. Sylverin was looking worried.

"Is it really safe?"

"Is what safe?" Duncan asked her.

"Sleeping outside." She glanced up at the endlessly big sky. "Under the open sky."

Duncan chuckled in his gruff voice. "It's warm enough throughout the night. And we do have tents."

It took some time to set them up. Sylverin watched the surrounding trees and listened for animals. She had never seen critters running around like this. When she had looked at the animals inside the tower they had seemed freer than she had ever hoped to be, but compared to how they were acting now. Sylverin shook her head. Watching from windows just couldn't compare.

The darkness was slowly deepening and stars popped into place.

And she forgot about checking the insides of the tents. She gazed at the stars, for once the sky unobscured by the edges of windows or other buildings and in the same way they had once given her a glimpse of freedom. The expanse now gave her a feeling of home. Aedan sat down in the grass beside her.

"Do you know their names?"

"Yes." Sylverin didn't mention that she had read every book on astronomy that she had been able to lay her hands on. "I know all the names of the constellations and the legends behind each one. Most of them tells us of legendary heroes, some are animals waltzing across the sky, some are beasts always chasing their pray -" She faltered for a second.

Aedan covered up for her. "It would be easier to remember their names if they'd stay put."

Sylverin laughed. "I like them moving, it proved that my life really was moving and that time hadn't stopped around me."

"You're an odd person." Aedan stated. Sylverin didn't reply. "In the tower most people admired you for your skills. They thought you were stupid, though." Sylverin looked up.

"For trying to escape, I guess."

"Yes, I think they wouldn't have been quite so scared to associate with you, if you hadn't tried to escape every other day."

"Or maybe because I hung out with certain people. I mean, Anders was avoided even more than me and he and Jowan made sure everyone knew what would happen to anyone who hurt me."

Aedan made a non-committal noise that could have been annoyance. He got up suddenly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Sylverin was surprised by his sudden departure, but she turned her attention back to the sky and the stars.

It was much later that she drowsily felt a pair of strong arms pick her up and move her.

She slept fitfully, but was never quite awake enough to open her eyes.

Sylverin was suddenly aware that she was awake. Confirmed by the dull aches and pains, she waited for a sound other than the chirping of the birds. But nobody barged into her room, as Jowan did most days, so she opened her eyes.

She screamed, she didn't recognise where she was. There was a kind of cloth just a few feet above her face surrounding her and before she had time to think she had thrust her hands out in front of her and the material was blasted away from her.

It was only when the sky came into view that she remembered what had happened over the past few days.

Then she looked to her right and saw Aedan and Duncan staring at her, their eyebrows raised. Then Duncan said "Maybe I should have let you sleep outside. That way the tent would have been saved."

Sylverin blushed as the guys started to laugh. "I can fix it." She said holding her head high and performing the necessary magic.

The tent could even be magically folded right down to a handy portable size, like the other two.

The rest of the two days it took to get to Ostagar, Sylverin spent her day exploring as much as she was allowed. Her companions making sure she kept on the path that she kept inadvertently straying off and Aedan had heard enough stories of Sylverin losing her way in the circle tower that he was sure to keep her in sight.

The second night she slept in the tent, Sylverin slept and especially woke better than the first night, though she still wasn't quite used to the confined space.

When they got to Ostagar, a cheerful blonde man awaited them.

"Ho there, Duncan!"

"King Cailan?" Duncan looked absolutely shocked by the king's welcome. "I didn't expect-"

"A royal welcome?" King Cailan walked up to Duncan and shook his hand. He seemed more than pleased with the Grey Warden being there. "I was beginning to worry you'd miss all the fun!"

"Not if I could help it, Your Majesty."

"Then I'll have the mighty Duncan at my side in the battle after all! Glorious!" Cailan grinned widely. "The other Wardens told me you've found some promising recruits."

"Allow me to introduce to you, Your Majesty."

"No need, Duncan. You are Bryce's youngest, are you not? I don't think we've ever actually met." Aedan was surprised that the king recognised him.

"Yes, your Majesty. My name is Aedan." He slightly bowed.

"Your brother has already arrived with Highever's men, but we are still awaiting your father."

"You don't know what's happened?" Sylverin felt a shiver rushing down her spine as she heard Aedan's voice. She knew something horrible happened and now she understood why he didn't want to talk about it.

"News from the north has been unreliable. What's happened?" the king suddenly seemed concerned.

"Teyrn Cousland and his wife are dead, your Majesty. Arl Howe has shown himself a traitor and overtaken Highever Castle. Had we not escaped, he would have killed us and told you any story he wished." Duncan explained the situation.

"I... can scarcely believe it! How could he think he would get away with such treachery! As soon as we are done here, I will turn my army north and bring Howe to justice. You have my word." Cailan was shocked at the traitor's act. Sylverin didn't hear much about politics, but she knew the name of noble families and she knew that the Howes were nobles, just a bit lower than the Couslands.

"Thank you, your Majesty." Aedan said with another bow.

"No doubt you wish to see your brother. Unfortunately, he and his men are scouting in the Wilds."

"I am not eager to tell him, your Majesty."

"Of that, I have no doubt. You will see him again once the battle is over, I am certain. I apologise, but there is nothing more I can do. All I can suggest is that you vent your grief against the darkspawn for the time being."

"So long as Arl Howe pays, I'm happy." Sylverin understood Aedan's grief. The fact that he was betrayed in such a way was easy to understand. However, the loss of family was something she could not comprehend, since she never had one. Yes, Jowan and Anders were like real brothers for her, but nothing like an actually family of blood bonds.

"And this young Lady is the other recruit?" Cailan turned towards Sylverin who shyly looked at him.

"I'm Sylverin, your Majesty." She curtsied. The little elven girl looks so tiny compared to the three humans who were standing next to her. Sylverin suddenly felt smaller than ever. A little child, lost in the huge outside world, all alone.

"I understand you hail from the Circle of Magi. I trust you have some spells to help us in the coming battle?" She did not expect this from anyone. From what she knew, people hated mages outside the Circle, and yet, anyone she'd seen so far was kind to her, even though her appearance made it obvious she was a mage.

"I'm only recently out of my apprenticeship…" she answered quietly.

"Your abilities are still above those of other men. That the Grey Wardens have recruited you says much." Cailan looked more confident in her powers, than she was, yet it gave her a little confidence. She allowed herself to give him a shy smile. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I should return to my tent. Loghain waits eagerly to bore me with his strategies."

"Your uncle sends his greetings and reminds you that Redcliffe forces could be here in less than a week." Duncan said.

"Ha! Eamon just wants in on the glory. We've won three battles against these monsters and tomorrow should be no different." Sylverin raised an eyebrow.

"You sound very confident of that." Aedan said in a surprised voice.

"Overconfident, some would say. Right, Duncan?" Cailan laughed. Sylverin and Aedan exchanged looks of disbelief at their king's overwhelming confidence.

"Your Majesty, I'm not certain the Blight can be ended quite as... quickly as you might wish." Duncan said quite unsure how to approach his main point in this conversation.

"I'm not even sure this is a true Blight. There are plenty of darkspawn on the field, but alas, we've seen no sign of an archdemon."

"Disappointed, your Majesty?"

"I'd hoped for a war like in the tales! A king riding with the fabled Grey Wardens against a tainted god! But I suppose this will have to do. I must go before Loghain sends out a search party. Farewell, Grey Wardens!" With that, Cailan left them with his escorts.

"Are you all right?" Duncan looked at his two new recruits. While Sylverin was shaking a little, Aedan seemed deep in grief.

"I'm fine, it's just that I'm not used to so many new faces… It's a bit scary…" Sylverin said. That wasn't the only reason for her shivering. She felt magic coming from camp and was afraid of what she might find there. Her sensitivity towards magic and lyrium was always a surprise for others. She always reacted much more strongly than anyone else and while Irving seemed to know the reason behind this, she never dared to ask. Even now, this feeling of real and a little templar magic scared her. What awaited her in the camp?

"I'll get over it. As soon as Howe pays for what he's done." Aedan answered Duncan's question with determination in his voice. While the two recruits were similar considering their background stories, they were just as different when it came to personalities.

Duncan instructed them to find Alistair, another Grey Warden at camp, who will tell them everything they'd need to know of what was to come. They stopped when they reached the Kennels, when Sylverin topped to look at a dog that seemed to be in great pain.

"Hmm… This isn't good. Are you the new Wardens? I could use some help. I'd hate to waste such a promising member of the breed." The Kennel Master asked.

"What's the problem?" Aedan seemed to soften a bit at the sight of the dog, but some great grief appeared in his eyes as well.

"This is a mabari. Smart breed and strong. His owner died in the last battle and the poor hound swallowed darkspawn blood. I have medicine that might help, but I need him muzzled first."

"I can't help. I just lost my own mabari and I don't think I could handle this right now…" Aedan took a few steps back.

"I can try." Sylverin took one step forward. She's never seen a real dog before, only cats and pictures of dogs. For her, this was a new creature yet again that she wanted to get to know better. The pain in the mabari's eyes was strong and she was almost sure the dog wouldn't survive. But anything could change someone's or something's fate. She believed in Second Chances as she herself got her Second Chance from Duncan by being recruited into the Grey Wardens.

She managed to muzzle the dog. The mabari whined, but didn't attack Sylverin, nor backed away from her. The moment she touched the dog, she felt an immediate connection.

The Kennel master asked them for a Flower growing in the Wilds to cure the dog. Sylverin heard of the plant and she knew she could recognise it without a problem. As long as she saw it first. But there was still the problem of her talent in getting lost anywhere. Thankfully, she knew that if she was ever sent into the Wilds, it would be with at least one other companion.

Finding Alistair wasn't too difficult. They had to ask around and they were soon directed to a young soldier arguing with a mage. Sylverin's stomach felt unsettled. She also felt a light templar magic, but she couldn't pinpoint its source.

"Enough!" the mage suddenly and started rushing off. "I will speak to the woman if I must! Get out of my way, fools!" he shouted angrily, as he left the two surprised recruits.

"You know..." the young soldier said in a dreamy voice "One good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."

"Oh tell me about it…" Sylverin said with a dramatic sigh, while Aedan giggled.

"It's like a party; we could all stand around singing songs and holding hands. That would give the darkspawn something to think about." Sylverin and Aedan started laughing together, while the young soldier raised an eyebrow. "Wait, we haven't met, have we? You wouldn't happen to be another mage, would you?"

"Was that directed at me or my fellow companion?" Aedan asked pointing at his two handed sword and Sylverin's staff.

"Oh right… Wait, I do know who you are. You're Duncan's new recruits, from Highever and the Circle of Magi. I should have recognised you right away. I apologise."

"I take it you are Alistair." Sylverin smiled at him.

"Did Duncan mention me? I hope it's nothing bad. As the Junior member of the order, I'll answer any of your questions and help you get ready for your Joining." He said with a bow.

The rest of the day went relatively well. Sylverin and Aedan got their tents, right next to Duncan's and the other Grey Warden's. Aedan spent most of his time with the Wardens, while Sylverin was just trying to stay as far away from the mages as possible. From their looks she was sure someone told them about her "treachery" and this meant nothing good for her. But she had to admit that the magic surrounding her from the other mages and templars felt good as it reminded her of the Circle tower. The little elven girl retired to her tent early to rest, but her night was full of nightmares she's never seen in her life.

Terrifying, horrific images.

Blood…

Darkness…

Pain…

Whispers coming from the darkness in a language she couldn't understand…

She felt others kicking her, hitting her, stabbing her...

Fire burning around her...

The feeling of betrayal, loosing faith in someone she trusted more than anyone else ever still didn't let her be. Jowan's blood on the templars, burning their veins so strongly they almost exploded within the templars.

Screams of pain…

Greagoir burning the sign of a traitor into her skin. The burning feeling of templar magic cutting its way through her flesh, carving the fearful image of a mage, casted away from where she belonged…

The whip hitting her back and blood dripping down onto the floor. The pain was unbearable, then why was she still conscious?

A sudden blow to her head…

Sylverin awoke panting. The same dream again and again. Why? Why didn't it let her be? She had already suffered the consequences more than enough times, why did she have to remember still?

Sylverin changed into her newly gained robes again and got out of tent. She took a deep breath, as she walked towards the stage where the Grand Cleric was saying her prayers to the soldiers. The camp was almost empty. Only a few knights were still up, watching out for trouble. She sat down and lay back. Looking at the stars was comforting, even though half the horizon was already covered in blackness and corruption. She sensed someone sitting down next to her.

"Still amazed by the stars?" Aedan asked.

"I think I'll never get enough of them." Sylverin answered quietly.

"According to the Wardens, we might not be able to see them for a while."

"Let's hope that won't be the case…" Sylverin looked at him. His eyes were still full of sadness and sorrow. "I'm sorry about your family. I'm sure your brother is fine and you'll see him soon enough."

"I certainly hope so. Even though I wouldn't want to tell him about what happened, he will have to know. He is the new Teyrn."

Then they sat there quietly, both looking at the stars, at the knights walking around camp, the barking dogs and tranquils standing emotionless at the mages' tents. It was a quiet night, and both of them felt that this was only the calm before the storm.

Many thanks for Flyte9393 (from deviantart and ) who was kind enough to correct my mistakes, and help me writing a few little scenes for this chapter.

Thank you Rinzei86 and fujingodofwind for putting my story into your story alert and thanks for everyone who reviewed :)