(This chapter kicks the wordcount over 100k, and yet we're just now getting into the meat of the game! Wow. Thanks for everyone who's been hanging on so far. We've got quite a ways yet to go!)
44. A Timely Intervention
"So…" Alistair started, "there's something I think I should mention. Before we get to Redcliffe."
Percival looked up at him curiously, but didn't say anything. He hadn't actually spoken much since leaving Lothering. Most of the time, Alistair felt like he was holding a conversation with himself. It made him babble, just a bit.
"Not that it's anything too important… that's why I didn't tell you this before now. But… it might come up."
A smirk twitched at the noble's lips, and Alistair was glad of some sign of humor from the guy. Maker's breath, had he been dour. "You might as well spit it out."
"Well, you remember how I told you I was a bastard," he said in a rush. "My mum being a maid from Redcliffe, and then me being sent off to be raised in the Chantry? Well, there's a bit more to it than that. Turns out…" He trailed off as a familiar rush of tingling trickled into the edge of his senses, and he groaned.
Percival scowled and looked up ahead, apparently feeling it too. "Hold that thought."
"Darkspawn," Alistair grumbled as he, Percival, and the dog took off at a run along the hilly road. "I'm having a dramatic moment, so of course there would be darkspawn."
They could hear the sounds of it, now: the familiar growls and clangs echoing through the hills. Someone cried, "Help!" from up ahead, and the two Wardens put on a burst of speed. Their armor clanged and clattered as they ran, Hugo bounding around the hill ahead of them.
When they rounded the bend in the road, they saw a single, heavily laden cart being set upon by a band of darkspawn. A pair of dwarves stood on top of that cart, one batting any darkspawn who attempted to climb the cart away with a walking staff. The other dwarf… just watched.
Hugo got to the darkspawn first, leaping upon a hurlock mid-climb with jaws gnashing. He tore his quarry off the cart and pinned it to the ground, tearing out its throat.
Percy and Alistair were right behind the mabari. They rounded to opposite ends of the cart with shields and swords raised. Alistair swept in low, knocking two of the creatures off their feet. Then, putting his back to the cart, he went about the bloody business of cutting the creatures into little bits.
It wasn't long before he was surrounded by a mountain of the things. Even so, when he heard one of the dwarves above him cry, "Get back, boy!" he wasted no time in jumping to the man's aid. He slid around the cart, only to see that a pair of genlocks had succeeded in climbing on top of it, with a third halfway up. Alistair put his sword through the one still climbing, then tried to climb up onto the cart himself. It proved more difficult than it looked.
Grumbling, he let his bulky shield drop to the ground, then tried to climb up again. The dwarves were being backed to one corner of the cart, though the elder tried to ward them off with his stick, the younger safely behind him.
Alistair got his foot on one of the wheels and, with a grunt, rolled up onto the edge of the cart. The entire thing rocked, making both dwarves and genlocks need to regain their balance. Alistair didn't even try to stand up on the over-laden thing. Instead, he got to his knees and drove his sword into one genlock's side. It shrieked and turned on him, and it didn't take much for Alistair to grab hold of the creature and toss it off the cart. The genlock landed flat on its back on the ground, and that was all Hugo needed to maul it to death.
The other genlock continued to harry the dwarves, grabbing the walking stick and wrestling the older one for it. Alistair crawled up behind it and pommel bashed it over the head. It slumped, and the elder dwarf kicked it off the cart after its brethren.
Percy and Hugo had done a stellar job cleaning up the darkspawn below—blackened corpses now littered the road. Percival himself stood over the pack's alpha, panting heavily and staring down at the thing.
"Thank you kindly. Mighty tight, that was," the elder dwarf said with a relieved laugh. "If you and your friend hadn't shown up when you did, I don't know that me and my boy would still be standing."
Alistair smirked and sketched a mock bow, even though he was on his knees. "It was no problem. It's what we heroes do, you know. Now… how do we get down?"
The dwarf laughed, and nodded toward the younger, who was already hopping off the cart.
When the boy hit the ground, however, Percival's head snapped up, and the look in his eyes made Alistair scramble off the cart despite his bulky armor. His ankle jarred from the fall, but he ignored the pain to put himself between the dwarf and the noble.
Percival's rage-clouded eyes turned to him, and there was no flicker of recognition in them. The other Warden took a menacing step toward him, a snarl rumbling in his throat.
"Percy? Chum? Battle's over. Nothing left to kill." Hugo whined his agreement.
The noble blinked, and sense slowly returned to his features. Alistair sighed in relief as the noble glanced around, getting his bearings. This battle frenzy Percy tended to work up was getting a little bit disturbing, but Alistair couldn't really think of a way to fix it.
He limped back to the cart to help the elder dwarf down.
"Many thanks again," the dwarf said. "If you keep helping me out, I'm going to owe you quite a debt!"
"Hey, the chance to kill a bunch of darkspawn? We should be thanking you."
The dwarf chuckled. "You're a braver man than I, then. Or more foolhardy… hard to tell the difference sometimes. Name's Bodahn Feddic, and this is my boy, Sandal. Say hello to the nice gentlemen, boy."
Sandal smiled brightly up at Alistair. "Hello." Alistair could only blink and wave a greeting at the boy's cheerfulness, given the circumstances.
Percy drew even with Alistair, apparently now fully recovered as he wiped blood off his sword. "I'm Percival, and this is Alistair. What are you doing out here, traveling in darkspawn-infested areas? You don't look to be refugees."
"Ah, and that we are most assuredly not. I'm a merchant, braving the roads no other man would dare, and making a tidy profit off what gets left behind in the shuffle."
Alistair raised an eyebrow. "So… you're a scavenger?"
Bodahn seemed honestly surprised by Alistair's flat tone. "I rescue things. A man leaves in a hurry, he leaves some things behind. Nice things. Things that we can't let the darkspawn horde get a hold of. I find these things, keep them out of darkspawn hands, and bring them somewhere people can actually use them. That's not wrong, now is it?"
"You know," Alistair said to Percival, "between him and Garott, I'm starting to think this is a dwarf thing."
"What would be Fin's excuse, then?"
"Hm… you think maybe he's half-dwarf? Can that even happen?"
Percy snorted a laugh, then turned back to Bodahn. "No, I can't really say it's wrong. You're right; better you find them than the darkspawn. Still, you might consider hiring guards, if you're going to be travelling cross-country in the middle of a Blight."
"A Blight, is it? Can't say that's a rumor I've heard." Bodahn rubbed his beard, eyeing the pair consideringly. "But hiring guards? I just might do that. Tell me, where are you two young sprouts headed? Perhaps we're going in the same direction."
"Redcliffe," Percy said.
"Ah, good place, Redcliffe. Lots of good trade. What's your business there, if I might be so bold?"
"Actually, we're Gre-" Alistair began, but Percival made a hissing noise that silenced him. With a jerk of his head, Percy drew him aside. Bodahn watched quizzically as they took a couple steps away.
"We shouldn't go throwing that around, Alistair," Percy whispered.
"What? It wasn't like I was going to intimidate him or anything."
"He's a merchant and a scavenger, which means he's obviously driven by profit. Do you really think he wouldn't sell us out to Loghain's men if given the chance?"
Alistair felt a dark anger stirring in him at all the levels of treachery the teyrn was guilty of, but he shoved it down. Still… "You want me to lie?"
"Not lie. Just don't go walking around screaming 'We're Grey Wardens, come and get us' from the top of Fort Drakon. The fewer people who know what we are, the less likely we'll be betrayed by one of them."
Alistair studied his companion for a moment. "Something happened, didn't it? Before Ostagar, even?"
"Let's just say I know well the feeling of having a figurative dagger thrust into my spine. It's not an experience I'd like repeated a third time."
Alistair nodded, the bitterness of Loghain's betrayal of the Wardens making him agree with the noble. As one, they returned to the dwarves. Bodahn was watching them curiously.
"We're king's men," Percy said, at last.
Bodahn laughed. "Something tells me there's more to it than that… but as you will, I won't pry. Pleasure to meet you both. I find myself fancying a stop at Redcliffe myself. Mind if I tag along?"
Alistair glanced at Percy, who frowned.
"I'm sorry, but speed is of the essence. I can't imagine your cart moves very fast."
"On the contrary, friend! My mules are the fastest and strongest stock this side of Orlais! And having me and my boy along is hardly without its perks. Why, strong young fighters like yourselves will no doubt have use for enchantment, which my boy is a fair hand at…"
"Enchantment!" Sandal broke in cheerfully.
"…and I've got lots of supplies, and a fine stock of cheeses and sweets that will no doubt be a nice change from travel fare. All priced at a mighty fine discount, of course, given what you did for me and my boy!"
Alistair glanced at the cart. Cheeses, was it?
Percival smirked at Alistair, no doubt guessing his thoughts. Alistair snorted and pointedly mentioned, "Can't have good cheese without wine. You do have wine, right?"
"Of course, of course!"
Percy laughed, bobbing his head in defeat. "All right, all right. We'll travel with you, Bodahn. Though don't think we don't know this is just a scheme to get a pair of capable bodyguards for free. We expect payment in the form of enchantment and supplies."
"And cheese," Alistair piped up. "Can't forget the cheese."
All three laughed, and the dwarves started going about picking up after the attack. Alistair couldn't help but notice how Bodahn's hands checked the darkspawn for trinkets and gold. Hugo, meanwhile, was introducing himself to Sandal, who just smiled brightly as the dog sniffed his legs. Dog and dwarf were the same height.
"So… what was it you wanted to tell me?"
Alistair jerked away from the sight. "Hm?"
Percy regarded him, somewhat sheepishly. "Before the darkspawn attack… you were about to say something. Something that might come up at Redcliffe?"
Alistair opened his mouth, his mind going back to the conversation not ten minutes ago. Suddenly, it seemed like too much. Maybe Percy had a point… the fewer people who knew dangerous secrets, the better. "You know what… it doesn't matter. It probably won't be important."
Percy just shrugged and moved to wipe some of the blood out of Hugo's fur. Alistair was left alone, thinking that maybe he'd regret the decision later. Still, for now, it didn't matter. So he'd just keep his mouth shut, and hope that Eamon was well enough to be able to do the same.
Maker, he hoped Eamon was all right. After Duncan… he didn't know what he'd do if he lost Eamon, too.