So yeah this isn't my favourite chapter that I've written, I kinda just wanted to get the Joining over and done with to be honest, but read and tell me what you all think! (I've finally finished chapter 13 by the way, HaaZaaa!)
Chapter Five
A thick mist lay over the wilds and sent a chill down her spine; she has woken up in the camp only hours ago after collapsing the day before. Thanks to the healer Wynne the pounding in her head had stopped and her fever had cooled considerably but Lyna could still feel a dull ache in her muscles, she rolled her shoulders in an attempt to throw the pain away.
Neria was watching her, she knew she still wasn't feeling well, having only collapsed yesterday but Lyna carried on as though nothing had happened. Neria sighed and shook her head as Lyna increased her step, overtaking the blonde Warden.
"Wolves!" The Knight Jory ran ahead with his sword drawn and raised above his head.
"Stop!" Lyna shouted, turning her back on the wolves to stand between them and the knight, she raised her dagger to meet his blade deflecting the blow before kicking him. The man fell back grunting and clutching his stomach where Lyna's foot had hit to drive him back.
Alistair came forward to help the other man up, the rest of the group stood back looking at the wolves warningly they all looked at Lyna in confusion as she turned and knelt down in front of one of the wolves, their confusion was replaced by awe as she began to speak to wolf in soft undertones as she and the wolf bowed their head so their foreheads could touch. The wolves quickly left the small group disappearing in to the undergrowth of the forest.
"You can talk to wolves?!" Lyna turned to look at the Alistair, the Knight throwing her sour looks.
"Not in the way you would see it, it is not so much talking as being able to pass along understanding, it is not an unusual talent among the Dalish." With that she turned and continued the walk through the wilds.
"Well, thanks for the warning." A sharp voice retorted behind her, she turned to see the knight glaring at her.
"You are welcome." Lyna turned away from the knight ignoring his annoyance as Neria, Alistair and Daveth fought to hide their sniggering from him.
They continued uninterrupted through the wilds until they came across an injured solider, Neria healed him as much as she could, not having many lyrium potions with her; it seemed like a bad idea to expend too much mana.
"An entire patrol of season men killed by darkspawn!" Neria looked over to the knight he had paled significantly at the news the solider had given them.
"Calm down Ser Jory, we'll be fine if we're careful." Alistair said in a calm voice.
"Those soldier were careful and they were still over whelmed! How many darkspawn can the five of us slay? A dozen? A hundred? There an entire army in these forests."
"There are darkspawn about, but we're in no danger of walking in to the horde."
"And how do you know that? I'm not a coward but this is foolish and reckless, I think we should go back." Jory's eyes darted around the forest as his fingers twitched.
"Really, cause it's starting to sound like you are?" Neria placed her hands at the side of her hips, looking at the knight, who gifted her with a scowl.
"Gray Warden can sense darkspawn, so I'll be able to give you some warning before they attack." Alistair said quickly to stop any barbed comments that might have started flying between the two.
They made their way quickly through the rest of the forest; Lyna couldn't help but notice they were being followed by a strange looking bird. Neria stopped every once and a while to collect the flowers the kennel master had told her about placing them safely in her pack.
"Darkspawn!" Alistairs voice rang out moments before the creatures came clambering through the trees, Neria called her mana up through her finger tips setting the first few she seen on fire, they screamed out as the smell of burnt darkspawn flesh fill her lungs making her want to gag. The others made quick work of the last darkspawn. As Lyna shot an arrow at the last one a howl sang out nearby, Neria followed her when she ran up the hill, where two darkspawn had surround a young wolf. She quickly notched an arrow killing the first once instantly when it sunk in to its eye socket, the second turned to look at the elf, opening its mouth to scream as it charged, only for it to be frozen in place by Neria's ice spell.
She stashed her bow away as she approached the injured wolf; it had damaged its front left leg but seemed healthy besides. She knelt down and began to comfort the wolf.
"Neria, can you heal the wound?" she asked as she came closer to her.
"Yes I think so," Neria bit her lip, nervous to be so close to a wild animal, she held her hand over the injury as Lyna continued to speak to the wolf. Purple light swirled around Neria's hand as the wound closed, when she was finished she back away slowly from the animal as Lyna said her goodbyes, the both watch as the wolf darted through the wilds.
Daveth came up beside them to the bodies of the recently slain darkspawn, filling the last two vials.
"Well that's one less thing to do." He said smiling at the two women, "how about we find those treaties quick so we can get the hell out of here."
It didn't take long to find the old Warden outpost; they cut their way through the darkspawn they encountered only to find the chest empty.
"Well, well what have we here?" A beautiful human woman with dark hair pulled back from her face with golden amber eyes stepped out of the shadows to meet them, she was wearing very strange and revelling clothing that hung lose over her chest and she had a staff strapped to her back. "Are you vultures I wonder? A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones has long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder, coming to these darkspawn filled wilds of mine in search of easy prey? Well what say you? Scavenger or intruder?"
"Intruder? You talk like you own these wilds." Neria looked at the staff on the woman's back.
"I know them as only one who owned them could." The human woman laughed.
"Be careful she looks Chasind, and that means other maybe nearby." Alistair's eyes darted at the shadows of the ruins looking for any signs of another presence.
"You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you." The woman exclaimed sarcastically.
"Yes, swooping is bad." Alistair matched her sarcastic tone.
"Only an arrogant fool would believe they could own wild lands, the animals know this land far better than you, even if you try to wear their skin to play pretend." The woman turned to look at the Dalish as she spoke.
"I see I did not go unnoticed as I ventured through the wilds." A smirk played across her face that didn't reach her eyes.
"Wait, wait, wait, you mean to tell me you've known we've had a chasind witch following us through the wilds and you didn't think you should mention it?" Alistair asked staring at Lyna slightly taken aback.
She simply shrugged "You did not ask."Neria held back a laugh as the others stared at her mouths agape.
"My name is Neria, we are Grey Warden recruits we came looking for the Grey Warden treaties that were held in that chest" Neria pointed to the cracked chest.
"You may call me Morrigan, though I'm afraid what you seek are here no longer." She said simply.
"Do you know where they are? Or who took them?"
"Yes I do in fact, 'twas my mother in fact."
"Can you take us to her?"Neria asked
"There is a sensible request, I like you."
They made their way quickly to Morrigan's house; Lyna was shocked to findAsha'belannar was Morrigans mother. After receiving the treaties they returned to camp where the preparation for the joining was quickly finished.
Lyna and Neria met with the other recruits and Alistair in the old temple where they had first met the junior Warden, Lyna done her best to ignore the rambling of the jittery shemlen as Neria tried to reassure everyone, their bickering was cut short by the arrival of Duncan.
Everyone stiffened when Duncan finally relieved what the joining involved, drinking darkspawn blood.
"We're going to drink the blood of those creatures?" Ser Jory asked face growing paler than what Lyna thought was possible.
"It is the source of our power, and our victory." Duncan explained.
"Ma nuvenin let's start, I am already tainted and will die regardless I will go first." Lyna stepped forward to stand in front of Duncan, after Alistair spoke a few words she drank from the cup Duncan had handed her. Neria watched and rushed to slow her fall as the Dalish woman fell to the ground, she looked up at Alistair as he knelt down beside them, relief played across his face as he announced she was alive.
Daveth was not so lucky, coughing and gasping in pain as he fell, his eyes rolling to the back of his skull. Jory refused the joining, pulling his sword out to attack Duncan as he approached. As Neria stood looking at the sleeping form of Lyna and the two bodies of the fallen recruits, she heard Duncan call her name. She stepped forward, taking the chalice with shaking hands as she brought it to her lips. The dark liquid burn its way down her throat and filled her sense. There was a loud roar and the vision of a large dragon, it's voice seem to scream at her, the scream filled her head and shot through her bones, she felt them give way as she fell in to darkness.
Love the title of this chapter. For those who don't know what it means it's a phase that used to describe when some on is really hung over, they take a drink in the morning of what they where drinking the night before and it's mean to cure their hangover. Sorta of though it was appropriate because the Dalish origin is already sick from the taint but by taking in more of it she's cured.