Author's Note: This took a bit longer than I would have liked, but here it is, chapter 81! It's a bit bigger than usual, so hopefully that makes up for the long wait some. We're rounding the bend to the end, only a few more chapters to go.

Chapter 81- As You Were, Soldier

It was set for that evening, before half the army began it's march towards Redcliffe castle. It had been months since Serena had thought of her own Joining, and now here she was, ready to subject three more souls to the unfortunate process of becoming a Grey Warden.

Alim, for his part, still seemed excited, despite the haggard appearances of the two Dalish who entered the camp that afternoon. Their handler, a great beast of a man named Rullen, shouldered all three of their packs, as the two tainted elves could barely carry themselves.

The two men, Theron and Darus, were resting in a healer's tent as Riordan worked with Wynne to prep the area in the forest they would use to contain the Joining. He was very concerned with keeping the finer details under wraps from the rest of the people in the camp.

Serena, Alim, and Alistair were out looking for darkspawn stragglers in order to complete the Joining ritual for the three elves.

"So, I understand there isn't much you can tell me about the ritual-" Alim began.

Alistair crashed through the underbrush, his sword only glowing the slight blue, indicating no darkspawn were in the immediate area. "Not until we're back at camp, I'm afraid, and by then, it'll have begun most likely."

"They want to keep it very secret, Alim," Serena added. "All we can tell you is, well, usually it's over pretty quick."

"Is there a chance they'll die? Or I will?"

There was a long pause as Alistair and Serena exchanged worried glances. Frowning, she considered telling the mage the truth. What would she have done had Duncan been honest with her? That the Joining could have easily taken her life, as it had Daveth's? That if Alistair's recollection was true, the Joining cup very nearly had...

"There is a chance, yes. I... we shouldn't tell you this, honestly..." Serena glanced at Alistair again, her face having the same intense look as she was sure hers had. "But there is a chance you will not survive the Joining."

"And Darus and Theron... they'll die anyway, basically, if they don't do the Joining. Since they're..." Alim paused, his eyes going wide. "They're already tainted. So we..." He gulped, his skin, if it was possible, went even more pale. "I see. I see now."

"That's why we keep it secret," Alistair said softly, almost guiltily. "Otherwise... well, nobody would want to become a Warden."

Serena placed a warm hand on the elf's shoulder. "I would understand if you changed your mind, Alim."

To her surprise, Alim shook his head, his dark mane of hair shaking back and forth like a horse shaking its head. "No, no. I still want to be a Warden, whatever the cost. I know this may sound strange, but I still feel like the Grey Wardens is... is where I belong."

"We're lucky to have you, no matter the outcome," said Alistair. Swinging his sword idly at a nearby branch, he frowned as it began to glow blue.

Serena pulled her daggers, nodding to Alim as he readied his staff. "Looks like we have company."

Alim tried not to appear overly nervous as he waited with the other two men in preparation for the Joining ritual. He had been waiting weeks, months really, to finally become on of the Grey, and now it was time.

Glancing over at Theron and Darus, he felt his stomach squirm, just as it had before his Harrowing. The two men had been resting most of the day, yet they still seemed weak. Surely of all three of them, he would be able to survive the Joining, Alim thought dismally. Darus, in particular, already seemed to have one foot in the grave. Though the fact that they had reached the King's camp in such a condition showed how hearty they had been before becoming tainted by the darkspawn.

Idly, Alim wondered if given the choice now, if Serena or Alistair would still choose to become a Grey Warden. He remembered what Leliana had told him one night as they'd kept watch by the fire... that Serena had been orphaned, her parents and nearly the rest of her family murdered by Rendon Howe. And how Alistair had grown up unloved by family who didn't know or want him, and ha been raised mostly in the Chantry's abbey at Redcliffe.

Both of them had found a second home, and a place with each other, in the Wardens.

And wasn't that all Alim wanted, too? Now he could no longer live within the protective walls of Circle Tower, what place could he call home? Who could he call family? And even there, other than Jowan, who could he even call friend?

Here he had friends, good ones. Friends who consistently stuck their necks out for him, and stuck up for him, and protected him from templars and Loghain's minions, and others. He even had a lover, sort of, in the enigmatic witch, Morrigan.

But was enduring the Joining ritual worth risking his life? Shaking his head, he thought surely it couldn't be as dire as the Wardens made it seem... Serena and Alistair and Riordan and countless others had survived, and Serena was now with child even. Though when she and Alistair had broken the news, both seemed as surprised by the announcement as their companions had.

Leliana, of course, had been ecstatic. She had nearly jumped out of her seat to clutch the two in an excited hug. Morrigan had been less enthusiastic, peppering Serena with questions she could not answer. Alim though, and probably Serena too, he thought, could see past this and knew that the fierce witch meant well, deep down.

Zevran had simply insisted that they name the boy after him. "Because of course it will be a debonair young man, destined to break hearts up and down the coasts of Ferelden."

Alim himself had only wondered if the baby had fought the Taint via its pure existence. Serena had her own natural powers, enhanced by the Lady of the Forest, she'd told him, and the dwarven gloves she wore. Alistair still retained some, if not all, of his templar abilities... meaning both parents had magic, in a form, and Alim could not wait to meet the child and see if it, too, carried any of the specialness that marked it as a mage.

It was a selfish thought, perhaps, to hope a child is a mage, but Alim could not help but think what that may do for the future of mages. If not just in Ferelden, but across all of Thedas, too.

Shaking himself slightly, Alim frowned. No matter what good it would do for the plight of mages, it was an awful thought to wish magical ability, and thus lifelong judgment and persecution, upon his friends' unborn child. But the thought was tempting all the same...

"I apologize for the wait," Serena said, appearing out of the gloom. "We have one more recruit."

"All elves? The shem too scared to take the plunge?" Kallian followed Serena as they joined the loose circle the men were standing in. "So what do we do now?"

"Serena will say the words," Riordan said in his light accent. "As she is our most junior member of the order."

"You're the most junior member?" Kallian asked, incredulous. "Commander Cousland, baby Warden."

"Hard to believe, I know," Serena said with a laugh. "But it's me and then His Highness over here..." Serena inclined her head in Alistair's direction. Clearing her throat, she stood up straight, an appearance of authority emanating from her.

"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows, where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn." Serena paused, taking in a deep breath. "And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day... we shall join you."

Riordan held out the enormous chalice that held the darkspawn blood, among other things, before him. "Who will go first?"

"I will."

The deep voice belonged to the taller of the two Dalish men, Theron. A large tattoo extended out across his face from his eyebrows, like the rays of a sun, or the branches of a tree, making him appear more wild than anyone, or anything, Alim had ever encountered. He seemed a part of the forest himself, like he belonged nowhere else. Perhaps it was fitting they did the Joining within this cove of dark leaves.

Taking the cup from Riordan, the elven man lifted it quickly to his lips and drank. Closing his eyes, he frowned, the ball in his throat bobbing up and down as he managed to swallow some of the contents. Dropping to one knee, he coughed, passing the cup to Darus with one hand.

"Lath sulevin lath araval ena. Dareth shiral." Nodding weakly to his friend, Darus drank from the cup, and like Theron, fell to his knees. The cup barely reached Alistair's outstretched hands before he collapsed completely on the forest floor. Alistair passed the cup to Alim as Riordan moved forward, placing a hand over Darus' neck.

"He is gone."

"What did he say to you?" Kallian demanded of Theron in a quick whisper.

"He... he knew he would not make it." Theron's voice was thick as he placed one hand on the ground to steady himself. He would survive the taint, but it was obviously not a pleasant experience. "Be certain in need, and the path will emerge."

"Huh?"

"That is what he said."

"What does that mean?"

"I would not expect a flat-ear to know," Theron replied tersely, his eyes narrowed at the small woman. "You must retain nothing in the city."

"Tree humper," Kallian mumbled. Turning, she eyed Alim expectantly. "Well? You gonna drink that or not? It's not like it's going to get any tastier."

Without answering, or perhaps as an answer, Alim brought the cup to his lips and drank.

They were on horseback again. Serena, Alistair and most of her guard. Most of her companions, those of which who were not riding on horses or marching along beside, were riding in the wagons that would accompany them to Redcliffe. Only Alim was missing, as he had fainted during the Joining.

He'd survived it, but like Serena, he'd passed out directly after drinking from the Joining chalice. Serena had thought it best he stay in the main camp while they rode to Redcliffe, since he hadn't bounced back as easily as the others. They would only be gone a day or two, and the travel would impair his already slow recovery.

Kallian, surprisingly, had only swayed a little on her feet, after swallowing the last large gulp of darkspawn blood and lyrium. Alistair had been prepared to catch her, as he had Serena many months ago, but the slight elven woman hadn't needed his assistance. Alistair had guessed she remained standing through sheer gutsiness. She was riding a fat gray pony and grumbling, quite audibly, about it just behind Serena and Alistair as they followed the high road to Redcliffe village.

"You stupid, fat thing! Are you planning on eating everything between here and Redcliffe?" The blonde elf clicked her heels uselessly against the pony's sides. The horse was intent on its meal of fresh green weeds, and simply flicked it's tail in annoyance at Kallian for her trouble.

"Serena, Kallian is falling behind." Alistair brought his stallion up next to her mare in a strange ungainly two-step. He was still not entirely comfortable on the back of a horse, king or no. "You could, you know, convince it to keep moving."

"Buttercup is pretty willful, isn't he?" Serena glanced over her shoulder as she trotted her own pony further along. "Kallian ought to learn how to ride properly. It's not impossible. You manage." She shrugged. "This might teach her a bit about patience, too."

Alistair snorted. "You sound like Wynne."

"Oh, yuck. Really?" Serena made a face, her mouth turning down into an uncharacteristic frown. "In that case-" She closed her eyes briefly in concentration, reaching out with her mind along down the road to where Buttercup was gorging himself on grass. Serena could hear Kallian's surprised squeal as her pony suddenly abandoned the patch of green and kicked into a high gallop.

"Whoa, whoa! I didn't even know you could move this fast, you chunky mule!" Kallian bounced in the saddle past a giggling Serena, nearly helpless as the fat pony raced by. "Why don't you trot like a normal horse?"

"What did you tell it?" Alistair whispered.

"Apparently there is a huge hay bale up the road, just waiting to be eaten." Serena laughed again, knowing the image of Kallian bouncing and screaming as the horse carried her away would become a treasured memory. "I don't know how Buttercup managed to get that idea."

Alistair nodded sagely, his own mouth pulling into a grin. "The world is full of mysteries."

They reached the outskirts of Redcliffe just as the sun was beginning its descent in the sky. The road leading to the town had been strangely devoid of its usual traffic, making everyone on high alert for danger. As they neared the bridge, they saw slaughtered cattle on the side of the road, their heads completely torn off. Beyond, a small farmhouse was smoldering.

"Oh, this bodes well," Kallian mumbled, her face set in a frown as she surveyed the damaged farmhold.

"It's you! The Grey Warden!" A young man with dark hair and a small beard hailed them from just beyond the bridge, his face red from running.

Alistair snorted as he drove his horse to a stop beside Serena. "Imagine that. The King of Ferelden comes riding up, looking very stately, I might add, and the man only has eyes for you."

Serena shrugged, a small smile on her face. "What can I say, love? I'm famous."

"Andraste's mercy you got here when you did..." The man leaned hard on his knees, slowly catching his breath. "I thought for sure those monsters were going to get me."

"Darkspawn," Alistair said, shaking his head slightly. He could sense them, like a pulsing mass. It was the biggest group they'd faced yet, most definitely. "Most of them must have come from the west, through the mountains. Nothing is tainted on this side, save those cows."

"Or they haven't been here long," Serena added. "Is Teagan here? And Arl Eamon?"

"They all fled to the castle this morning, my lady. Before the darkspawn arrived. I thought I could make it to my home and back before they got here, but it took me too long..." The young man shook his head as he stared at the burning roof of a nearby home. "I'm sure the darkspawn have reached the village by now, but I can take you there, if you have a spare sword..." He flopped his hands at his sides pathetically, as if he needed to illustrate the point that he was unarmed.

"Of course," Serena replied, nodding quickly to Samuell who pulled a short sword from his saddlebags and handed it over to the young man. "If the village hasn't been taken, we can corner them in the center of town, trapping them in. We must protect the castle, at all costs."

Turning to the rest of her men, she raised her voice. "Alright, first company is with Alistair and Kallian. You'll follow this young man into the village. Second company, you lot are with me and Samuell. We're going to split west and flank them from the side."

"Commander? Should I sent ahead a scout for the west bank?" Samuell asked.

"Yes, and send two to the castle. Eamon's army should have arrived before yesterday, but I want to know what is going on up there." Serena turned to the final Grey Warden at her disposal. "Theron?"

The large elf stepped forward, bowing his head slightly. Color had already returned to his face, what you could see of it beyond the tattoo. "Yes, Commander."

"You will be one of those scouts. Protect the castle, and we will join you and-" Serena turned to Samuell again.

"Donally, Cartwright, go with Theron," the captain called. "Move!" The three men quickly started up a side path that bypassed the village completely and headed for the castle.

"Okay, just like before men." Serena jockeyed her horse around, raising a small sword she carried at her hip for more inspirational moments, as her daggers were not very impressive from further away. "We've handled the darkspawn before. Let's hit them hard, and show them exactly what it means to call yourself a Fereldan!"

They had ogres.

Most of the men, save for a few who survived Ostagar and had made their way to the capital, or back to Redcliffe, had yet to see one of the enormous beast up close.

"Avoid its' hands!" shouted Zevran as he and two other men danced around the giant darkspawn. "They're weak in the knees and the eyes, if you can reach one."

Over his head, Leliana loosened an arrow, landing it squarely in the eye of the ogre. The ogre roared, one fist going up to its injured eye where it drove the arrow deeper into its own skull. Tottering momentarily, the ogre swayed, its massive arm falling to the side as Zevran shouted for everyone to get out of the way.

"I've never seen one kill itself before!" bellowed one of Serena's guardsmen as the giant darkspawn thumped into the dirt.

Driving his short sword into the chest of a hurlock, Zevran smiled as another arrow sailed past his ear.

"Just in case!" Leliana called from the Chantry's roof. The redhead was crouched on the roof, quickly picking off darkspawn as they scrambled to fight back the two halves of Serena's small army.

Zevran glanced around, his eyes automatically finding his companions in the fray. Morrigan was casting spells, her staff lighting up the growing darkness of the village. It seemed she had developed a routine with Sten, as she froze darkspawn, and he cut them down. Line after line of darkspawn were felled, but still more came, and Zevran began to wonder how many were actually here. Would they see the archdemon once again? Surely it was big enough to see if it was lurking about... but perhaps he should find some higher ground in which to scout.

Driving his short sword into another genlock, he made his way to the Chantry doors, where Alistair was doing battle with two darkspawn emissaries at once. His sword was glowing nearly as brightly as Morrigan's staff as he cut across the two, his templar abilities surely helping him as they disabled the darkspawn from using their own crude magics.

Putting all of his weight behind him, Zevran watched as Alistair swung his sword in a great arc, decapitating both monsters in turn.

"If only we had a painter to capture this kingly moment, Your Majesty," Zevran called. He saw Alistair flash a quick grin as he engaged another darkspawn, this one a massive hurlock, nearly a foot taller than himself.

"Well, you just keep up the good work, there, Zevran. With your... quips and jokes..." The big blonde took down another darkspawn. "Shouldn't you be down here fighting?"

Zevran pulled himself up onto the Chantry's low-hanging roof, nodded quickly to Leliana before turning back around, his eyes scanning the gloomy lakeside. "I thought I'd get up here for a better perspective on things. See if we're nearly done with these darkspawn, or if perhaps we're in for something... bigger."

"Big- ohhh." Alistair looked around quickly, as if the archdemon itself was about the come crashing through the trees. "I don't hear it!" he shouted. "Do you know where Serena is? Can you see her?"

"Ah." Zevran held up a hand, squinting through the darkness to locate the brunette. "She's with Oghren and some of her guard. The dwarf is cutting a passage to the castle, by the looks of it."

"And she's alright?"

"Looks to be- oof!" Zevran slipped, his foot coming out from under him as an arrow narrowly missed his face. In a flash, Leliana's small white hand had grabbed him, pulling him back from the edge of the roof.

"That was nearly the end of you," the redhead chided lightly, dropping Zevran's hand to retrieve her bow. "What are you doing up here anyway?"

"Looking for the archdemon," Zevran replied sheepishly. It sounded rather stupid now that he said it out loud.

"And you didn't think to simply ask me?"

"I... no. No, I did not."

Leliana rolled her eyes, her arm coming up to center an arrow on another darkspawn. "Typical."

The road up to Redcliffe Castle was covered in darkspawn bodies. Theron and the others had been busy, apparently.

Oghren let out a low whistle of appreciation as they stepped past a hurlock that had been cleaved in two. "I knew that elf was a maniac, but this is some serious death dealing."

"We did tell them to protect the castle," Serena muttered.

"My lady, you're here! Thank goodness!" Murdock, the leader of Redcliffe's small militia, ran out of a building near the castle gate, two other guardsmen with him. "Your men here..." He pointed to Theron, who was near the castle doors, with Samuell's two men flanking him on either side, "They nearly retook the castle grounds on their own."

Glancing up to where Theron, Donally and Cartwright stood, Serena noticed the Dalish man looked more in his element than she had ever seen him. A warrior through and through, both his blades were dripping darkspawn blood on to the castle stones. Where Samuell's men looked near exhausted, Theron looked relaxed, as if he could keep up this pace indefinitely. It was certainly a change from how he had looked prior to the Joining days before.

Turning back to Murdock, she addressed the militiaman. He looked like he had been through a few scrapes himself. "Before Theron arrived, what happened?"

"I don't rightly know. Riordan of the Grey Wardens arrived this morning, just ahead of the darkspawn. I was told that he had urgent news, and to send out patrols to watch for your arrival. Then we were attacked..."

"Wait, Riordan is here? Where is the Arl?"

"In the castle, my lady. He arrived two days ago, with more men. As for the Warden, I don't rightly know." The bearded man shook his head. "Things happened so fast, I only know he was scouting ahead for the army before he arrived. I should take you to the hall right away, my lady. They'll be waiting for you there."

Turning to Kallian, she whispered, "If you could find Alistair and the others, bring them up to the castle as soon as you can. We'll meet you in the great hall."

For once, the elf simply nodded and turned, hustling quickly back down the path, her long blonde hair swinging side to side. Serena sighed, her stomach slowly twisting into knots, whether it was over this 'urgent news' of Riordan's, or perhaps an ominous message from her unborn child, she didn't know. Either way, she would brace herself for the worst.