I actually wanted to post this earlier but my laptop had a melt down and i couldn't sign in, apparently it's something that can happen with windows updates. managed to fix it but because of that i haven't down much writing :( but here we go! it's the morning after the night of the living dead. Little surprise at the end of this chapter so ENJOY!
"We need to send out a quick rider to try and call back any of the Redcliffe Knights." Elissa and Murdock sat at the back of the Chantry, one of the few places in the over-crowded building that allowed them any privacy. Elissa rubbed tiredly at her eyes, they felt heavy like balls of led inside her skull, the events of the night before not allowing for much sleep.
"Tomas who works at the stables would be best, the last group of knights left the day before you arrived, if we're lucky he might be able to catch them."
"Very well, he may take my horse; it's built more for speed than power."
"The group of men that went up to the castle returned." The bother looked up as a young teenage boy with short brown hair ran towards them, speaking in-between gasps.
The both stood straighter as they made their way out of the Chantry as Ruari, Jarvis, Brian and a small group of the militia made their way through the construction of barricades that were being set up in the middle of the village centre.
"The gates of the castle have been sealed, we tried to pry them opened but it's impossible to get through in to the castle. There are no guards posted on the walls either, we shouted to see if anyone was there but there was no answer." Ruari said.
"Do you know of any other way into the castle?" Elissa asked Murdock.
"Not that I know of."
"Great, we should keep making up barricades in case any more of those creatures turn up tonight."
"What happened at the castle?!" a man stumbled out in to the middle of the crowd.
"Nothing Owen, the gates were seal, we couldn't get in." one of the men answered.
"But Valena! She was in the castle! You have to find her!" Owen shouted.
"Owen, there's nothing we can do, the castle is sealed shut." Murdock said calmly.
Owen's shoulders slumped as the strength in his legs seemed to leave him, two of the nearby militia soldiers grabbed at him, keeping him upright as they brought him away from the crowd.
"That's Owen the blacksmith, Valena his daughter worked as a maid in the castle." Murdock said with a sigh. "You should all try to rest before tonight."
"Let me know if anything happens." Elissa nodded as she began to wander around the village, watching as the last remaining defences were put up and the militia began to gather and hand out weapons and armour before entering the Chantry. Makeshift beds and cots had been brought in where the sisters and brothers where tending to those that had been wounded. Despite the surprise of the attack the quick response of the villagers had kept the causalities down.
She made her was over to an abandon cot that sat in the far corner of the room. She took off her sword belt and armour, keeping them close by, before she drifted off in to an uneasy sleep.
Not much time had passed until she was awoken again, by Kallian. "Elissa," she gently shook her shoulder as she called her back from the fade. "Elissa, there is another noble here, the Arl brother. Ruari said to come wake you."
As the mention of Bann Teagan, Elissa bolted up right in the small cot. "Teagan, he is here?"
"Yes, he just showed up a few moments ago just in front of Tomas, he's managed to find a few of the Redcliffe Knights."
Elissa swung her leg from the cot on to the ground and began to pull on her armour and dagger belt. "Thank you Kallian, can you bring me to him." with that she followed the Elf out in to the main chamber of the Chantry where she saw Ruari, Murdock , Teagan and who she assumed was one of the returning Knights.
Teagan look haggard and weary as he stood in the Chantry, dark circles surround his sunken blue eyes and his forehead was creased with worry. His brown hair had been hastily pulled back from his face and he looked as though he had not slept in days.
"Lady Cousland, I am glad to see you here." He said with a slight smile that faded as he continued, "When I heard about what had happened at Highever, and then everything that happened at Ostagar…" he left the sentence to trail off.
"Ostagar?" she asked feeling a dead weight land in his stomach, she stole a glance over to Ruari, who stood silent and refused to return her gaze, his red rimmed eyes stuck firmly on the ground ahead of his own feet. "What happened at Ostagar?" she repeated looking back at the grim set of Teagan's face before he continued.
"The Kings army was over run, Loghain showed up in Denerim a few days ago claiming himself regent. No one knows for sure what happened, he claims the Grey Wardens betrayed the King and left him for dead, though there are no wardens left to know if it's true. They, along with the King and half the army died at the battle."
"Fergus…" she said not sure if she was asking if he was still alive.
"I'm afraid I do not know, some of the army escaped, it is possible he is among them but, I would not hold out much hope." Teagan's voice dropped down to a whisper as he spoke.
She felt a hand grasp hers; she looked over to see Kallian standing beside her, keeping her eyes forward as she offered the small comfort. Elissa swallowed thickly before gripping her hand back.
"You've been told what has been happening here?" she asked.
"Yes, Murdock has been telling me, I did not know Eamon was so sick, I came as soon as Loghain announced his regency, I'm been riding constantly for five days, I had to purchase a new horse in one of the villages because I ran the risk of killing the other one, I was hoping Eamon would have been able to call a Landsmeet to put an end to Loghain's madness."
"And instead you find this mess." Murdock said gruffly.
"Yes and we can't expect any help from the Bannor after everything that has happened in Ostagar and Denerim, either they will have lost too many men fighting the darkspawn or they will be waiting for civil war to erupt."
"Then we need to find a way in to the Castle, it's where those things have been coming from, but the castle gates are closed, if there any other way in to the castle that you know of?" Elissa was grateful for Kallian speaking up, her throat felt tight and dry and she did not trust her voice.
"I may know of a way to get in to the castle, there is a tunnel that runs under the lake, though it has not been used in decades, I don't know if the tunnel is still intact."
Elissa became aware of the sound of heavy armoured footsteps coming towards them, she turned to look in the direction of the sound seeing a strange group of people walking down the middle of the Chantry, led by the young man Tomas.
She could see two Elven woman, a short one with short white hair that stopped at the top of her collar bone, she worn a long purple robe and was carrying a large staff on her back, the other elf was a few inches taller, her red hair tied back away from her face, showing a large silver tattoos that spread across her forehead and reached the bottom of her eyes. She was wearing a type of armour she had never seen before a armoured leather chest piece and skirt that showed off her midriff.
Beside them stood a tall blonde haired man, his armour made his footsteps echo as they walked towards them. He had a slight shadow where the beginnings of stubble were showing on his face.
"Who is this Tomas?" Murdock asked at the reached the group.
The red haired Elven woman stepped past Tomas before speaking, "We are the Grey Warden."
HO! IT'S THE GREY WARDENS! :O that means our groups have finally met! someone mentioned about the change in the time table and I thought I should explain: Elissa, Kallain and Rauri arrived a day earlier than your original character would have in the games. I wanted to do this because of a few reason, 1. it seemed to make sense when i was writing it that Elissa would go to Redcliffe 2. Our groups would be forced to fight alongside on another, help pave the way for them to join and help fight the blight and 3. it alway seemed ridiculous idea that a small village with hardly any defense would be able to keep numberless zombies from destroying the village for three days.