One Last Hope (Hercules) – Duncan and Dwarf Noble

Duncan raised a dark eyebrow as the young dwarf blinked up at him. There was sincerity in the youngster's eyes, a sincerity that wasn't often seen in a noble of Orzammar. He sighed. Nobles – humans and dwarves – had offered to join the Wardens before, often with disastrous results; too accustomed to a life of luxury, some said, and incapable of dealing with the harshness of Warden life. And Warden death. True, the dwarf had been exiled from his noble caste after, from what Duncan could gather from the boy's story, a betrayal by his brother, but that was by no means an indicator of ability.

"Please, Duncan," breathed the dwarf again. "Allow me to join your ranks. I have fought darkspawn before. I can be of use to you."

"I can take you to the surface," he replied, carefully. "Nothing more."

"Please – I can – I can be a – a hero!"

Duncan groaned, looking back at the other Wardens who merely shrugged. "So, ya wanna be a hero, kid?" he asked, turning back to the dwarf who nodded eagerly. "Well, whoop-de-do!" He shook his head. "I have been around the block before with blockheads just like you.Each and every one a disappointment – pain for which there is no ointment!" The dwarf seemed to deflate. Duncan turned away, making his way down the stone corridor. "So much for excuses," he sighed, "Though some Aeducan is asking me to jump into the fray… My answer is two words –"

A loud screech suddenly sounded through the hallway as hurlocks descended from nowhere. The killing was quick and easy – these were but the stragglers left behind from the main horde which headed for the surface. When Duncan looked up, he gaped open-mouthed at the place the boy had been – what stood there now was a dwarf warrior, covered in darkspawn blood and currently trying to shake viscera from his stolen greatsword.

"O-kay…?" he muttered, turning away to hide his quiet approval.

Aeducan grinned widely as he realised what Duncan was saying, and the older Warden heard several back claps and woops from his fellows as they congratulated their new brother. "You win," he groaned, rubbing his neck. "Oh Maker…"

"I'd given up hope that someone would come along," he stated as the group made their way down the corridor. "A fellow who'd ring the bell for once – not the gong!" Aeducan nodded understandingly. "The kind who wins trophies – won't settle for low fees! At least semi-pro fees, but no – I get the greenhorn!" The dwarf now looked somewhat confused.

Duncan rolled his eyes as he elucidated. "I've been out to pasture, pal, my ambition gone," he continued. "Content to spend lazy days and to graze my lawn… But you need an advisor! A satyr, but wiser – a good merchandiser and – ooh!" The genlock hurtling down the hallway took his legs from beneath him, and was promptly neatly decapitated by the new recruit. "There goes my ulcer," grunted Duncan as he was hauled to his feet.

"I'm down to one last hope," he sighed, "and I hope it's you." He rubbed his brow as the boy sprinted head first into the oncoming hoard, and readied his knives. "Though, kid, you're not exactly a dream come true," he muttered to himself, keeping a keen eye on the boy's movements. "I've trained enough turkeys who never came through –" Two quick swipes to clear up the dwarf's mess – "You're my one last hope, so you'll have to do."

Duncan thought of all the missed chances he'd had to recruit in his travels – that elf in the Alienage is Denerim, the two mages from the Tower; Maker, even the Cousland youngest that the Teyrn had forbidden him taking. And somehow, he'd ended up with an idealistic dwarven prince with no sense of self preservation. He reached out to pull the kid back as he went to ready another charge into the shadows, lifting a finger to his lips. "Demigods have faced the odds, and ended up a mockery," he whispered, gazing cautiously into the darkness. "Don't believe the stories that you read on all the crockery!"

Aeducan watched him carefully, emulating his movements. "To be a true hero, kid, is a dying art," he consoled the boy as he artfully lacerated a lone spider that scuttled from the corner. "Like painting a masterpiece – it's a work of heart!" He grinned at the boy who was watching in awe. "It takes more than sinew – comes down to what's in you!You have to continue to grow –"

A single large swing of the boy's greatsword and the spider's brother lay in two halves on the stone floor, the stocky dwarf grinning above it.

"Now that's more like it!" cried Duncan, as the Wardens cheered.

"I'm down to one last shoot, and my last high note," Duncan continued, surging ahead with the Aeducan boy trailing behind him, "before my blasted Calling gets my goat!" He slapped a hand onto his recruit's shoulder. "My dreams are on you, kid – go make 'em come true!" Aeducan grinned, readying his sword. "Climb that uphill slope," urged Duncan, "keep pushing that envelope!You're my one last hope and, kid, it's up to you!"

The boy went racing into the hoard ahead of them, his Warden companions chuckling as they followed.

-0-0-0-0-0-

And then they all died except Aeducan who saved everyone.

Bit of a filler fic – bigger ones coming soon, hopefully.

Thank you for all your ideas, they've been a great help – planned out like twenty new scenarios haha!

Up Next: My, what a guy, Garrett Hawke.