So I've actually written more that I though I had, there was an accidental miss labeling of the chapters lol so here is chapter 18! yay and sadly will not be finding out more about our dear Aeden yet, I'm gonna be evil and let you stew :P. Have had a good response to the last couple of chapters and I am all excited to see what you this of this one, enjoy!
"Well there it is, Lothering, as pretty as a painting" Alistair said with a sigh. They had been travelling for three days now, after the encounter with the darkspawn the road had been quieter until they got closer to the village where bandits had been attacking the refugees. After running them off and collecting a few of their supplies they had walked the last mile to the village leaving Lyna's wolf and Neria's Mabari to hunt in the nearby wood.
"Ah, so you here finally decided to rejoin us, have you? Falling on your blade in grief seemed like too much trouble I take it?" Morrigan sneered at Alistair.
Lyna turned to the witch, she had ignored most of her snide comments about them all and had bitten her tongue knowing that the mage was looking for confrontation, but after days of travelling, nightmares and being away from her clan with her own grief fresh in her mind she let her eyes burn as she glared at the woman.
"Morrigan, shut up and do not make light of others grief or leave right now." They all stared at the young Dalish woman as she glared daggers at the witch, all shocked at the sudden break in her silence. Not waiting for a response from her, Lyna looked back towards the village.
"Where will we be able to hear news of what's happened? We need to find out if that bandit was telling the truth."
"We would be able to hear some news at the tavern, and at the Chantry." Alistair said, stumbling over his words slightly as he recovered from his shock. "The Chanter's board usually has a few jobs listed; we might be able to get some money for more supplies."
Lyna scowled slightly at the thought of going to the shem'len Chantry, "I think I would prefer the tavern."
The others agreed and they made their way across the village towards the tavern. The village was surrounded by tents cots and bed roll, many people watched a eyed their weapons cautiously. Lyna felt slightly uneasy as the humans kept stealing glances at her, not many Dalish would venture in to a Shem'len village and the many eyes watching her was making her feel uneasy. She shook herself mentally as they came closer to a large building that she assumed must be the tavern, it smelt of mead and vomit.
The small only got worse when they entered, mixing in with the scent of sweat and over cooked food, Lyna wrinkled her nose at the smell. Neria looked around the tavern excitedly as they made their way to the bar.
"Well, look what we have here men. I think we've just been blessed." They all turned to be meet by a small group of five well armoured men, the patrons of the tavern watched with wide curiosity as the men stepped closer to the group, a few taking a step away to avoid the notice of them.
"Didn't we spend all morning asking about a fellow by this very description? And everyone said they hadn't seen him?" another guard stood up beside the first one that hand spoken, gesturing towards Alistair.
"It seems we were lied to" he replied darkly.
"No we only just got in town," Neria said, appearing cool and calm and she weaved the beginnings of an ice spell in the hand behind her back.
Alistair felt the trickle of magic stir up behind him and felt his body tense slightly before remember Neria and Morrigan. Lyna felt her hand twitch towards her dagger, knowing her bow would be of no use in such a small space, but before anyone could move a slim red haired woman, slightly taller than Lyna appeared in clothes she had seen people wear around the Chantry building, she groaned inwardly, she had come to the tavern to avoid running in to the manic shem'lens.
"Gentlemen, surly there is no need for trouble. These are no doubt simply more poor Souls seeking refuge" the woman spoke with a strange accent that Lyna hadn't heard before, though she couldn't help but wonder if she though these men were really going to believe that they were simple refugees arm and armoured as they were.
"They're more than that. Now stay at of our way, sister. You protect these traitors; you'll get the same as them."
"Looks like they want to fight, I'm happy to oblige." Neria quickly let go of the frost she had built up in her had blasting the men with ice and wind, knocking the three closest to the back of the tavern, there was a collective gasp from the other patrons of the tavern as they scrambled to get away from the fighting group. A guard ran forward towards Alistair, but before the guard could reach him the red hair sister hit him across the head with the flat side of a dagger.
Lyna notched an arrow and aimed for the leader as he struggles to regain his footing, ice still clinging to his armour, the arrow darter across the room cutting along the man's cheek before embedding itself in to the wall next to him.
The man quickly looked to the arrow; bring a hand up to touch the thin slice, when he gaze returned to the archer she already had another arrow trained on him.
"Stop now shem'len or I will make you." she glared down at the man pulling the bow string tighter.
"Alright, you've won; we surrender."
"Good, they've learned their lesson and we can all stop fighting now." The sister walked over, to stand next to Alistair.
"They will take a message to this Loghain, it would be better to kill them now." Morrigan spoke calmly.
Lyna began to massage the bridge of her nose as they began to argue what was to be done to the men; it was Neria voice that interrupted the noise.
"If they are going to bring Loghain a message, let's make it a good one," she said as she stepped towards the guard. He was easily a foot taller than her but she lifted her hand and created a swirl of ice and snow with her palm.
Neria managed a smile that looked slightly manic as the man eyed the magic in her hand with fear. "You are going to return to Loghain and tell him that we know what he did, and we're going to make sure everyone else does too."
When the guards where gone the red haired sister turned towards them, "I apologise for interfering, but I couldn't just sit by and not help. Let me introduce myself, I am Leliana one of the lay sisters of the Chantry here in Lothering, or I was."
"Was?" Neria asked looking the woman up and down.
"Those men said you were grey wardens, you will be battling the darkspawn, yes? That is what the grey wardens do? I know after what happened you will need all of the help you can get. That's why I'm coming along."
Lyna raised an eye brow as they all stared wide eyed at her, "Wait, what?" Neria asked blinking and shaking her head.
"Tu vir ar 'Dorf'len' Vallas an'mara?" Lyna asked rubbing her hands over her face. The others looked over to the woman as she cursed in elvish.
"What's she saying?" Leliana leaned over and whispered to Neria.
"I don't know! Just because I'm an elf doesn't mean I speak elvish." She gave the woman a slight glare before Lyna began to speak in common again addressing them all.
"You cannot come with us" She said.
"But I must the Maker told me to."
"Well at lest someone's on our side." Alistair said with a hint of a smile.
"What do you mean, 'the Maker told you too'?" Neria asked.
"I know it sounds-"
"Insane? Mad? Nutty nuts? Wacky? Bat shit crazy?" Neria provided as the woman's face turned a slight shade of purple.
"It's true! I had a dream, a vision." She said cutting off anything else Neria might of said, "This darkness, this chaos will spread and the Maker doesn't want this. What you do, what you are meant to do, is the Makers work. Let me help!"
"A moment," Alistair said turning towards Neria and Lyna "can we talk, over there please." He pointed over towards the kitchen before he began to walk away.
Neria and Lyna followed, leaving Morrigan standing where she was leaning against the wall ignoring the other woman who was watching them go.
"You can't be thinking of taking her with us?" Neria asked as they joined him next to the kitchen.
"Well, not join us, but look around this place" he said as his hand swept around the tavern. "I haven't seen any of the Bann's men here, this village is completely defenseless, if we leave her here she'll probably die when the darkspawn come."
"So what we take her with us?" Neria asked raising an eyebrow at him.
"We let her travel with us to the next village and then we can leave her there, and if she prove useful she can stay, I know she seems crazy but it's more 'oo pretty colours' than 'I'm princess stabbity! Stab, kill, kill'... I vote to bring her along even if it is just till the next village."
Lyna rubbed her hands over her face as she sighed, "Fine she can come."
"What?" Neria asked looking at her shocked
"It's better than leaving her here to die." She said as she lifted her head from her hands to look at them both.
"Fine," Neria scoffed, "But if she starts talking about the Maker non-stop it won't be the darkspawn you'll have to worry about" Alistair laughed lightly as he walked over to speak to the sister again.
"Perhaps your skull was cracked worse than mother though." Morrigan spoke pulling herself from the wall she was leaning on.
"Come on we came here to find out information." Lyna turned and walked towards the barkeeper.
After stocking up on supplies and gaining what little knowledge the barkeeper had they left the tavern. The sun had raised higher in the sky cause them to squint after being in the dark building for so long.
Lyna glanced around the village spotting a cage to her right, inside was the largest man she had ever seen. His skin was dark and his blonde hair was pulled back from his face and fell down past his shoulders. She walked over and stopped at the cage, hearing the man speaking in a strange foreign tongue.
"You aren't one of my captors. I will not amuse you any more than I have the others, leave me in peace."
"I have never seen someone who looks like you." Lyna stated as the others joined her.
"The Revered mother said he slaughtered an entire family. Even the children" Leliana spoke before the prisoner could say anything.
"It is as she says, I am Sten of the Beresaad- the vanguard of the qunari peoples."
"Qunari?" Neria asked a look of interest flashed across her face.
"It matters little now, I will die soon enough."
"This is a proud and powerful creature, trapped as prey for the darkspawn. If you cannot see a use for him, I suggest releasing him for mercy's sake alone." Lyna didn't turn to look at Morrigan as she spoke, watching Sten in the cage carefully.
"Mercy? I wouldn't have expected that from you." Alistair voiced behind her.
"I would also suggest that Alistair take his Place in the cage."
"Yes, that I would of expected."
"I suggest you leave me to my fate." Sten interrupted their arguing bring the other attention back to cage.
"Do you not want to seek atonement?" Lyna asked.
"Death will be my atonement."
"Death is not atonement, death is easy and a cowards way out, atonement is not." She glared slightly "We are Grey Wardens, why not come with us and battle the blight."
"You are a grey warden then. My people have heard legends of the Grey Warden's strength and skill… though I suppose not every legend is true."
"They play down some of the heroics." Neria said giving the Qunari a slight scowl.
Lyna rolled her eyes before continuing "Would this Mother release you?"
"Perhaps if she was told the Grey Wardens needed me."
She nodded before turning back to look at the other, she called Neria and Alistair away from the others. "I think we should being him with us." She stated.
"I don't know, the Qunari are known for being great warriors, but he did kill a whole family." Alistair said as he looked round to Sten.
"I'm not discounting that, we would watch him carefully." Lyna added
"I think we should see if we can get the key to the cage before we start deciding what we will do." Neria said pointedly. "We don't know if we can get him out yet, let along take him with us."
Lyna sighed "Alistair, will you take Leliana and see if this Mother will give you the key, if she is likely to give to someone it should be a former sister and an almost templar."
Alistair nodded "Neria, do you know what that thing the barkeeper was speaking about, the board?"
"The Chanter's board?" Neria asked, slightly amused that Lyna hadn't heard of it before.
"Yes, can you and Morrigan go a take all of the jobs you can find? I am going to see if I can find any more information and help any of the villagers I can."
They each split up, Lyna managed to pass the time until Alistair returned with the key to Stens cage by helping the village elder collect herbs for medicine, and building traps for one of the women in the village.
Neria and Morrigan were the last to return, when they did Lyna heard Neria mumble about greedy merchants. They met Hati and the wolf at the out skirts of the village and begun to set up their tents, too tired to stay awake long enough to eat, Lyna unrolled her bed roll and fell in to a deep sleep as soon as she lay down.
Okay I'm not gonna be all hating on Morrigan but just always bothered me that loads of people died and she just kinda didn't see why someone would be upset, also though it was ridiculous that there was no option to call her up on it, I mean nearly every Origin has someone close to you that dies? but yes we've now added a few more people to our little team, and I've finally got one group meeting up with the other in the later chapters I've written, it's all a go in Redcliffe at the moment :P
Also I kno I keep forgetting to do this every time I butcher it, but the Elvish : Tu vir ar 'Dorf'len' Vallas an'mara? = "Do we have Grey Warden written on us?"