Promises of the Grey
celestia193's Author's Note: Well, this story is turning out to be getting a bit more attention than I'd expected. Great! We're introducing a few new characters this chapter, and we'll continue to introduce them as appropriate, and hopefully without overwhelming anybody. For players of the game, you should have fond memories of these character. For those meeting them for the first time, I hope that you like them.
Chapter 2
Sasuke hated waiting. Yes, he understood the necessity of it after his brother had drilled the lesson into his head enough times, but it was still something he hated. He despised sitting on his thumbs and waiting for the threat to come to them. He wanted to take the fight out there, anywhere, somewhere he could control the battle and unleash all of the destructive might that he possessed.
Sitting around in a tower with a bunch of wardens despairing over the shame of their actions, over the deaths of their comrades, who they themselves had put to the sword under the influence of a Venatori was just…too much for Sasuke to take. Yes, being part of the Grey Wardens involved pain and loss and sacrifice, but not like that, never like that…blood magic was just…wrong. He'd seen the demons. He'd seen what death they could bring.
But thinking about it still didn't relieve even a hint of his utter boredom. "Itachi, I thought that we came here to help organize a defense against the darkspawn, their darkspawn magister, and the thing flying around attacking fortresses that looks like an archdemon, but supposedly isn't. Why did we walk through two weeks of snow just to get here and do…nothing?"
"It's precisely because we walked for two weeks that we're resting. Neither of us will be any good to the cause, if we collapse from exhaustion." Itachi pokes Sasuke's forehead affectionately. "Though I suppose a bit of light training won't hurt, if only to stop you from sulking."
Sasuke shoots his elder brother an irritated glare. Sure, the commander had tried to teach him patience, but it wasn't a lesson that he'd learned all that well. "If you even think about suggesting target practice…" The only way that would be any fun would be if he did it from the roof of the citadel. And that would likely frighten the entire castle.
Itachi smiles at the other warden. "I'm glad to see that your fondness for target practice has not wavered, but I thought that it might be best to test our skill with our weapons against each other in a light spar." He gestures for Sasuke to follow him. "This should go without saying, but that means no hits below the belt and lethal style strikes. This will just keep our basic skills sharp and hopefully keep your mind occupied. Oh and Sasuke, I find myself rather curious. Why do you smell of lilacs and lavender?"
"Lilacs and lavender?" Sasuke takes up his sword-staff and follows his brother down from their quarters and towards the middle courtyard. Still, he frowns slightly at the observation. "Has your nose gone off?"
Aoda sniffs at Sasuke's clothes and barks agreeably. He then rubs Sasuke's knee with his massive head as his tail wags.
"No, I don't think so." Itachi chuckles as he shakes his head. "Did you really indulge in a bath that quickly?"
Not yet he hadn't, and it had been a long time since Sasuke had last lived in enough comfort that he could simply take a bath whenever it pleased him. Which Sasuke took to mean that he must have picked up the scent elsewhere. He sniffs the air, finding the hints of flowery scents there, faint, but still present, and clinging to him like dew drops. "Hn." Where could he have…? Wait. "…From the mage in the library…?"
"Ah well, good. I'm glad to see that you're already making friends in Skyhold." Itachi chuckles with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Sasuke's eyes narrow as they approach a large sparring ring. "I did have to ask someone where the books on battle tactics were." It turned out that they weren't the type of books he was looking for. But he still didn't like the way Itachi said that. "And I'm sure that you made plenty of friends of your own in the tavern last night."
"No one that smells nearly as good as your little mage, I'm afraid." Itachi couldn't resist teasing his younger brother. It was the greatest amusement in his life as a Warden.
Honestly, Sasuke was not pleased by what his brother was implying. "Do you really think that if she was MY little mage, that I would have returned last night?" He reaches for the staff upon his back, sliding it from the leather fastenings on the belts that looped his chest.
"Oh I suppose that's a fair point. It would be rather unbecoming of a Warden to leave their lover quite so soon after getting to know one another." Itachi tilts his head as if considering it. "Besides, you're a gentleman even if you have almost no patience. I expect you'd probably at least court her somewhat first. Women do tend to like flowers and jewelry. That sort of thing."
"Yes, and you say this with your unholy fixation on whomever I may or may not accompany to bed." Sasuke stamps his staff once against the ground, before whipping the bladed end of it up towards his brother's neck.
"I don't believe it's so unholy to want my little brother to find love." Itachi doesn't flinch in the least at the blade being placed so aggressively towards his neck. "Besides, life can be short. I may as well find some amusement out of it while I'm here."
Yes, life could be very short, especially for a Grey Warden. Sasuke knew that as well as Itachi did. "Oh for Andraste's sake…are we here to spar or to indulge your stupid fixation?"
"Very well, we'll just ignore your newfound appreciation for all things floral and purple in nature." Itachi unsheathes his own weapon. "I'll do my best not to rough you up too much."
Sasuke takes five steps back and spins his staff around, readjusting his hold on the firm, moulded leather of the hand grips. Then he lashes out, thrusting forward with the rounded metal head.
Itachi uses his own staff to block and parry the strike. "You're strong and you're fast, but you still lack patience." That had always been his greatest weakness. "I would say that you should observe your opponent first, but you know me. Use what you know about me to your advantage." He sends his staff swinging at Sasuke at an elegant angle, one that his little brother would know well.
The bladed end of Sasuke's staff whirls around, catching his brother's at an angle as he smirks. "Are we really going to play this game again, Itachi?" It was a dance whose steps Sasuke knew well, and they came to him as naturally as breathing. He sweeps Itachi's staff safely away from where it could be used to trip him up. And he uses the momentum of the strike to twist sideways and bring the head of his staff back down towards Itachi's shoulder.
Itachi manages to dodge, but this time he supplements the dodge with a powerful kick and while Sasuke was occupied, Itachi retrieves his staff. "Just because you know your opponent well, doesn't mean that they'll never surprise you. You need to be ready for anything."
The kick clips Sasuke's side as he avoids the brunt of the blow with a well timed turn, and he allows his body to roll with the force of the kick, reducing the impact. "Yes, I know." Itachi had taught him that lesson many times. He steps forward, closing the distance as he swings and thrusts the staff, first with the bladed end, then the blunted head. Each movement is quick and clean and fluid, despite his brother's insistence on dodging rather than meeting him head to head and blow for blow.
"Good." He decides to change tactics and slams his own staff into Sasuke's.
The shock of the two staffs colliding races through Sasuke's fingers, but his heart races a little faster and he smirks as he pushes back against his brother's new assault. He had only rare illusions of truly defeating Itachi, but the rush of adrenaline when the two of them sparred was enough, for now.
Itachi alternates between quick slashes designed to shock and harsh blows. Never in the same pattern. If there was a pattern, Sasuke was smart enough to discern such things. Unpredictability was always his greatest asset against his brother in these sorts of ventures.
Onlookers gather around the sparring ring as the two Grey Warden mages exchange physical blows with a strength few mortal men could accomplish. The unnatural strength of the wardens was renowned, with few able to challenge their might in battle.
Hinata was like anyone else really. When she hears a bunch of giggling going on, well of course curiosity got the better of her. She had to figure out what was amusing the people of Skyhold so much and well, when she finally sees what it was the bluenette was far from disappointed. It was a rare sight indeed to watch two wardens face off each other, even if it did appear to be a 'friendly spar' by their standards.
The harsh slap of magically reinforced wood and the ring of metal echoes across the courtyard, and the exotic dance of the Ferelden wardens didn't go unnoticed in the least. Nor did the healer's interest in them. "Interested in the Wardens now are you, Shimmers?" The voice chuckles deeply from just above her on the stairs. "Or are you just looking to pick up staff-handling tricks?"
Hinata could feel her face now burning a brilliant shade of crimson. "V-Varric! You make it all sound so deviant in nature." She couldn't be angry with him though. The dwarf just loved to jest.
"Deviant in nature? You wound me." Varric places a hand to his heart. "I would never insinuate such a thing in front of you. Wouldn't want you fainting out here in front of a crowd." He chuckles and winks at her. "It might cause a scene."
"You're a lovable horror sometimes." Hinata shakes her head and half stifles a giggle. "You know that, right?"
"Only at Orlesian dinner parties." And Varric was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be seeing any of those again for a while. "You should have seen the mess we made of the Winter Palace."
"Oh I'm well aware." Hinata gives him a friendly wink as she watches the Wardens spar. "People still spoke of that incident quite often while I was in Orlais."
"And then you arrived less than a month later in the ass end of nowhere to look after a bunch of idiots on a crusade." He should probably use that in one of his novels at some point. "I hope you've enjoyed the view at least, and the company."
"Well, you're here and the Wardens are unexpectedly nice to look at as well." Hinata probably shouldn't have said that. The dwarf would never let her hear the end of it now. Curse her Orlesian upbringing really. "I know it's stereotypical, but I always imagined them to be more...somber?" That and older. At least two or three of their company were definitely catching the eye of more than one member of Skyhold.
"The Wardens are definitely a bag of mixed nuts, I'll give you that much. You should have met Junior, biggest bag of angst I've ever met. And then there was Stroud. He didn't have much of a sense of humor, but he was a good guy." Varric sighs. "And if you want somber, there's a whole tower full of those Orlesian wardens. I think they just like following orders too much."
She smiles at him and nods as the fight continues on. "You're right. People are people no matter the occupation. Of course, it's a mixed bag." They were both so swift, she could barely track them with her naked eye.
Varric smirks at the way her eyes keep flickering back to the fight. "Doesn't mean you can't appreciate it when you get delivered a bunch of handsome wardens right to your doorstep. You'll probably be seeing them whenever they come back after getting thrown at the darkspawn."
"Like most Orlesians, I admire beauty when I see it." That included the masculine kind as well as the artistic kind. "It's nothing more than that." He had caught her looking, there was no point in denying such things.
Right, and Varric was King of the Nugs. "Alright, Shimmers, but you do know that you actually have to talk to one of them if you want to do more than just admire the view."
The taller of the two slams his staff against the younger's as Hinata winces a bit. Luckily, the warden she'd met in the library was just as skillful at evasion as the older one. "Yes, I'm aware and I have spoken to one of them. I just don't think it's wise to distract them from their mission and I doubt they have much interest in a Circle mage in any case."
Warden mages were not bound by the same laws as most mages. They gave up many things for their 'freedom' of the tyrannical control the Chantry held over most mages, but it still counted. For one reason or another Grey Wardens gave up nearly everything in order to fight darkspawn. Their reasons varied, but her world was one that couldn't be more different from his. Admiring the view was really all that was practical to do. Besides, she was hardly the only one doing it. It was harmless.
"Maybe, but-" Varric's eyes widen and he hops up in a hurry. "And that's my cue to leave." He darts up the stairs and into the citadel, disappearing before a pair of dark grey eyes begin searching the crowd.
In the middle of the courtyard, Sasuke breathes steadily as he rotates and thrusts forward his staff, blocking and parrying a fluffy of blows. The ground felt hard and cold beneath his feet as he danced perilously with his brother, his eyes searching for any sign of weakness as he moves to sweep Itachi's feet out from under him.
"And just what is going on here?" A disapproving voice and equally stern face emerge from the crowd bearing weather-beaten features framed by a wreath of dark hair. "I thought that Commander Cullen and I had made it clear that there were to be no grudge matches fought in the courtyard."
"He did say as much, but this is not a grudge match." Itachi smiles at the stern looking woman. "It is a friendly spar between brothers. Nothing more. Neither of us would seriously injure the other." He tilts his head slightly. "We deeply apologize if our spar has inconvenienced Skyhold, but there was no blood drawn and there is no ill will intended."
The armored Seeker frowns. "That seems awfully heated for a mere spar." Her gaze flicks between the two, noting their similar features as the two wardens stand down. Then her eyes widen in recognition. "Would you happen to be the Ferelden wardens that King Alistair Therin sent from the garrison in Amaranthine?"
Itachi offers her a polite bow. "Yes, we are indeed. My brother has a habit of getting carried away and I have a habit of indulging him." He deftly ignores the pointed glare leveled at him by that foolish younger sibling of his.
Hinata strides forward. Her feet moving of their own violation before her mind had even caught up. "Forgive me, Seeker. I watched the entire fight and while the attacks were forceful, it is obvious their intention wasn't to actually harm one another."
"I…see." Cassandra coughs, a slight flush appearing on her cheeks at her gross misinterpretation of the situation. "Then that is…very good. Perhaps your dedication to training will further inspire the troops not to become complacent before the battles ahead." She turns to the mage approaching her and nods respectfully. "First Enchanter Hinata, it is good to see you again. I take it that the troops are well if they have time to be standing around gossiping and watching training spars?" She glares pointedly at the rather large crowd hanging about the sparring ring.
"Yes, I believe they're all doing exceptionally well." Hinata rubs the back of her head sheepishly. It wasn't in her nature to step into the forefront of most situations. She preferred to help quietly and the commander while a good woman, well frankly Cassandra was a bit intimidating at the best of times.
Cassandra nods approvingly. "Very good." She turns once more to Itachi. "I apologize for my rudeness and interrupting your…" She glances at the sparring ring, looking a little the worse for wear after their energetic bout. "Match."
"No harm done, we should have been more restrained." Itachi smiles at her contritely.
"Perhaps…" Cassandra frowns once more, then smiles ever so slightly. "Or perhaps when next you spar, you shall tell us so that we all might watch. It would be useful to witness your skills for ourselves."
"If that pleases you, I see no reason to object." Itachi glances at Sasuke, hoping that the younger Warden would understand his silent plea. "Do you, Sasuke?"
"Fine." Sasuke rolls his eyes. If the crowds wanted to watch, let them. He didn't care much for crowds, but it's not like it was a crowd of darkspawn. If it had been, things would have turned out very differently. Before he could say as much, the crowds shifts again, the ranks of onlookers disturbed like a ripple in a pond.
"Seeker Pentaghast!" A mix of black and chocolate, purple, and a great deal of yellow squeezes through the crowd in search of the newly returned Seeker. "Leliana wishes for me to inform you that the war council is convening and it is imperative that you and the Inquisitor attend."
"Of course…" Cassandra sighs disparagingly. "And these matters could not wait until after dinner at least?"
"I'm afraid not. And before you do, I must inform you that there is a man here from Nevarra who is rather…interested in making your acquaintance." The elaborately dressed woman's nose scrunches with distaste. "Shall I politely send him on his way?"
"Or not so politely…" Cassandra grumbles as she pushes her way back through the crowd and towards the steps of the citadel.
A sunflower caramel fairy. Itachi wasn't entirely sure why that description springs to mind the moment he saw the woman adorned in yellow. Despite the fact she clearly wasn't a fairy, she was much too tall for that, he supposed it had something to do with her grace and how her garb flattered her curvaceous figure. Her accent was quite exotic as well.
"You do certainly have a way of making an entrance." Itachi smiles at the woman. "We're part of the company of wardens that King Alistair sent to assist you."
"Oh, I see." Said fairy smiles warmly and bows gracefully to the newly come wardens as the crowd begins to disperse. "I am Josephine of House Montilyet of Antiva, Ambassador of the Inquisition. I handle the Inquisition's diplomatic affairs, and received the correspondence from His Majesty regarding your arrival. I do hope that your welcome has been warm. If there is anything you require, I would be more than happy to make any inquiries you may need."
Itachi shoots Sasuke a warning look at the 'anything you require' part. He knew exactly where his younger brother's mind was going and while he did deserve it for taunting him earlier, Itachi wasn't about to let him embarrass an innocent bystander. "That's very kind of you. It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Josephine."
Sasuke smirks at the look his brother shoots him. "Yes, we're VERY pleased to meet you." Oh…this was going to be good.
"The pleasure is all mine." Josephine's eyes alight with excitement. "Until recently, it was not often that I had the chance to meet Grey Wardens. I have heard a great many tales of the brave and heroic deeds of your order."
This poor woman was such an innocent lamb and his brother was a wolf. Karma had come to bite him back in the hindquarters early, Itachi muses. "Well, should you have any questions, we'll be happy to separate fact from fiction for you." He emphasized, we'll. He didn't need to give his brother more fodder for his barbs.
"Oh yes, of course. Perhaps it would be best to set the record straight." Josephine bows once more. "I'm afraid that my attendance is required at the war council. But perhaps I might hear your stories later?"
Sasuke's smirk grows wider. "Of course, I'm sure that Itachi would LOVE to tell you all of the stories of our adventures as wardens."
"Yes, of course. I'm sure that the council is in need of you." Damn it. By Andraste, Sasuke was never going to let him live any of this down. "I'm sure that we can regale you with the tales some other time." He smiles at her politely. This just wasn't right. He hadn't even kissed the woman and already his brother was smirking at him as if Itachi had had his way with her in the council room.
With a last smile, Josephine scurries back up the steps and disappears into the citadel, leaving behind a wickedly smirking warden with enough dirt on his big brother to get him to lay off for the next five years. "So…innocent and Antivan is what gets you going, huh? There's not many of those in Ferelden."
"Sasuke I have absolutely no idea what you're babbling about." Itachi pokes his forehead. "Well, I believe we've caused enough commotion for the day. Shall we go and get some ale?"
"Fine, if you want to pretend you weren't looking at her as though she were Andraste herself." Sasuke was too smug to even care that Itachi had poked him, again, like usual. "Are you going to tell her about the time we got chased by darkspawn into a bog and had to get them stuck in the peat pits and light them on fire? You know, when you ended up smelling like bogfisher for a week?"
Itachi pokes him again. "No, I'm not going to tell her that, but you can tell your pretty little Mage that if you wish. I presume the one who intervened on our behalf is your Lavender Mage."
Sasuke glares pointedly at his older brother. "I asked her to help me find a book, Itachi. We had a short, civil conversation. And I didn't even know her name until the Seeker addressed her." Or how her scent had managed to get on him when he hadn't so much as touched her.
"Well, that's not that much different than what just happened with Josephine and I." There. Now, Itachi was confident he had won that part.
"There are two differences between this and that, Itachi." Sasuke smirks, finally about to get one over on his brother. "The first is that YOU were eyeing her. And the second is that I was here to see it."
"I'm certain you were eyeing her or else you wouldn't have gotten her scent on you." He smiles smugly. Sasuke couldn't possibly counter that. "Enough of this childish banter."
Sasuke's eyes narrow as he scowls at Itachi and rubs his forehead. "Fine, we'll go get you your ale. Just let me grab my bottle first." He liked having everything he drank carry a hint of the nearly lethal Golden Scythe that he had managed to find on rare occasion.
"Good." Itachi smiles pleased at his victory. Maybe Sasuke would let the matter drop.
But the younger brother wasn't quite done yet. "Maybe you'll be a better storyteller for her when you're nice and drunk."
"Sasuke, you're utterly impossible." Itachi half growls at him.
Sasuke sticks his tongue out childishly. "If I wasn't, you'd never have let me become a Grey Warden."
This time Itachi actually groans. "I suppose that's a fair point." With that being said, he drags Sasuke off to get some ale. Maybe his brother would forget about the entire incident after a night of revelry.