Duncan's head whipped around as we approached. I should have just left. I shouldn't have followed after them. I had known he would sense the bond. I felt so stupid. Maybe he wouldn't address it?
His eyes widened, disbelief flitting across his face, before he regained his composure.
The elder elf stepped forward, "You have returned. Has Shianni been hurt? Where is Tormey's daughter, Nola?"
The other elf dressed in a wedding gown spoke up, her voice trembling, "Nola didn't make it. She resisted, and..."
"... they killed her." Shianni finished.
"Nelaros, too. The guards killed him." Soris.
"I see. Would the rest of you ladies please take Shianni home? She needs rest." the elder.
It seemed I had been overlooked. I stood in silence.
"Of course." the first eagerly wrapped an arm around Shianni, leading her away.
"Now tell me: what happened?" I started to get the feeling that he was actually ignoring me.
"Vaughan is dead." Kallian spoke softly.
"Then the garrison could already be on their way. You have little time." Duncan warned.
"We may need to leave Denerim for a while." she picked at her sleeve, not able to look the elder in the eye.
"The guards are here!" another elf ran up, breathing heavily.
They were out of time.
"Don't panic. Let's see what comes of this." the elder cautioned.
Five guards approached, the one in the lead demanding, "I seek Valendrian, elder and administrator of the Alienage!"
"Here, Captain. I take it you have come in response to today's disruption?" serenely, the elder elf focused on just what had happened with the wedding.
"Don't play ignorant with me, elder. You will not prevent justice from being done." the guard rolled his eyes, glaring around our group, "The Arl's son lies dead in a river of blood that runs through the entire palace! I need names, and I need them now!"
Kallian stepped up, "I did it."
"You expect me to believe one woman did all of that?"
"We are not all so helpless, Captain." Valendrian.
"You save many by coming forward." the guards exchanged looks, their countenance changing to sympathy, "I don't envy your fate, but I applaud your courage." then the leader announced loudly, "This elf will wait in the dungeons until the arl returns. The rest of you, back to your houses!"
He had to keep up appearances.
"Captain... a word, if you please." Duncan motioned for him to meet off to the side, glancing at me as well.
I followed the men.
"What is it, Grey Warden? The situation is well under control, as you can see."
The other Warden stared at me for a beat before returning his attention to the conversation, "Be that as it may, I hereby invoke the Grey Warden's Right of Conscription. I remove this woman in to my custody."
Kallian murmured, "He can do that?"
Duncan hadn't been quiet.
"Son of a tied down- Very well, Grey Warden; I cannot challenge your rights, but I'll ask one thing: Get this elf out of the city. Today."
"Agreed." the look on Duncan's face was comical. It was just 'duh.'
"Now, I need to get my men on the streets before this news hits. Move out!" the guards dispersed.
"You're with me now. Say your goodbyes, and see me when you're ready. We leave immediately."
Kallian nodded jerkily, blinking rapidly. She looked as if she thought she would wake up from a dream. Or a nightmare. She and Soris left, whispering.
Valendrian bowed his head once, a sad expression on his face, and walked away wordlessly.
"You are a Grey Warden." it wasn't a question.
"Yeah." I sighed, not wanting to give too much away.
"You match the girl I'm searching for, actually." he crouched down, meeting me on my level, "But I was unaware she was a Warden already."
"Where are you looking? Here? I'm surprised you were hoping to find a human child in an elven alienage." I countered.
He chuckled, "No, not here. Near Highever. Near the villages surrounding the Cousland castle."
He had been actively looking for me? I had thought it was an accidental occurrence, but here he was, telling me it was on purpose.
"Who told you to look for the child?"
"A woman who could be mistaken for the child's sister."
My eyes raised to the sky. Future me had told him to look for past me? Was it to make sure I would become a Warden?
What was my life? Seriously, just what was it?
"It's... complicated." I muttered, my eyes narrowing in thought.
He waited for me to continue.
"It seems like you have your hands full. I'll take Kallian, while you look for the child. We're meeting in Ostagar, right?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could. Would he push the issue? Or would he let me get away with changing the subject, "I have something to do before the battle, though, so it might take me a while to get there. I'm hoping to make it just in time."
He appraised me thoughtfully, his eyes shining. My eyes narrowed a little more.
"That is acceptable. I will see you two in Ostagar."
Kallian joined us then, glancing back and forth between us, "I'm ready to go."
"You'll be coming with me. Duncan has another recruit to get." I said in a no nonsense kind of way.
Her eyebrows raised, "Okay. When are we leaving?"
"Right now." Duncan's voice rumbled through the air, signaling the end of the elf's normal life.
I sighed to myself.
...
"The Dalish?" my companion yelped in surprise, "We're going to see the Dalish? Are you serious?"
I nodded slowly, "But we'll have to be careful. You're traveling with a human child, after all."
"Right. They're savages." she sounded too excited at the prospect.
I rolled my eyes. This girl, I swear... She had been quiet until it was just the two of us, when she'd begun pestering me with question after question.
How could I be a Grey Warden as such a young age? Could I show her what I could do? Could I teach her this? Or that? Or, oh, what about that? That looked amazing! I bet it would come in handy if the fight was difficult.
"The Dalish aren't savages." I suppressed a sigh, rubbing my temples, "They're just..."
A rustle of dead leaves sounded behind us. I slowly lifted my hands in to the air, watching as Kallian followed my lead.
"What brings you this deep in to the wood?" a feminine voice asked.
"We seek the Dalish." I spoke clearly, my heart pounding. I had never met a Dalish before. I was actually kind of terrified.
"What business do you have with us, human?" an elf dropped out of the tree, landing in front of me.
"I need to speak with your Keeper." I met his eyes, my chin raised in determination.
"Wow." Kallian glanced around as more elves seemed to suddenly appear, "The Dalish are real."
That caught the man's focus. He gave her a once over, motioning for her to relax.
"You're from an alienage?"
"Yes." she snapped to attention.
He motioned to another elf, "Fenarel, go speak to the Keeper. Ask her what we should do."
"Of course." Fenarel darted out of sight, presumably returning to the clan.
Something tugged at my consciousness. Something dark. My head shot up, as I realized what it was.
"Darkspawn." was all I said before I bolted.
"A Grey Warden?!" I heard him shout.
"Wait!" Kallian called out, running after me.
Several elves joined in pursuit.
When we were just outside of their range, I whirled around, "Do not engage." I ordered.
The elves blinked at me, whispers filling the air.
"Do you think us incapable?" the leader of the group demanded disdainfully.
"No. I think you'll take down a dozen, each of you, but that won't matter when you get their blood on you and you get the taint."
That shut them all up.
"If you want to use your archery skills, by all means. But do not melee. You will regret it, and it will somehow be my fault if you die." I let my eyes rove over all of them before I continued on my way.
I snuck in to their midst, hoping that since I was the only Warden, it would take them a few moments to sense me. To feel that I was different. I was right.
I took seven down easily. Then they noticed me. The cacophony of roars reached me a second later, and I grinned. This was going to be fun. Whether I had archers on my side or not, it had been a while since I'd tested myself to such an extent.
The creatures came in droves, the onslaught seeming to be never ending. When one fell, a dozen more took its place. Which was fine by me, but I was sure the elves were running low on arrows.
An hour passed.
The last of the darkspawn stood in a tight circle, their heads turning this way and that as they tried to figure out what was killing their brethren, giving the elves easy targets. I let them have the last of the kills.
I signaled for the all clear, toeing one of the bodies.
"That was..." one elf began.
"Amazing." another finished.
"I helped as best I could." Fenarel said, his eyes wide, "But you had it under control. Is that the power of being a Grey Warden?"
I shook my head, "I'm just well-trained."
I let my eyes wander, trying to figure out where they had all come from.
"What is it?" the leader asked, frowning, "They're all dead. Why do you-"
"What's around here? Any caves?" I interrupted, a stern expression on my face.
"Yes." A woman spoke up, "It's not too far from here."
"There is?" his frown deepened, "But the scouts said there weren't any. When did you see such a place?"
"It wasn't that long ago. A few weeks, maybe? I'd forgotten until just now. I'm sorry."
"Did you explore it?" I latched on to that information.
"N-no." she said, reminding me of a deer.
"Can you take me to it?" I stared off in the direction she had pointed out, "I think that's where they came from."
"Really?" the leader snorted derisively, "Why? That's kind of a leap, isn't it? What would lead you to make that assumption?"
"Darkspawn come from underground." I said slowly, as if he were the child, "So it stands to reason that the cave might hold an entrance to the Deep Roads. The ancient dwarves excavated almost the entirety of the continent, thousands of years ago."
"Intriguing." the woman murmured, "I can take you."
"Will you take Kallian back to speak to your clan, while we do this?" I asked no one in particular, "I want as few people with me as possible, to make sure no one gets infected unnecessarily."
Fenarel stepped forward, nodding, "I was coming to tell you that Keeper Marethari has accepted your request for an audience. She wanted to meet the elf traveling with you, as well."
"Kallian? Is that alright?" our eyes locked.
She looked like she was struggling with an inner debate, but she relented easily enough, "Yeah. I want to meet as many Dalish as I can. I never thought it would be possible..."
"Lead the way." I gestured for my new guide that I was ready.
It didn't take long to reach the cave. Nothing of note happened, but I became weary when I spied the girl lying on her back in front of the entrance.
"Who...?" I began, but cut myself off as I knelt by the prone figure, gently moving the white hair from her face, "Do you know this elf?"
The woman paled, "Yes. That's Lyna. She and Tamlen went out hunting together this morning."
My eyes closed as I felt the familiar pull. The darkspawn had most likely surprised them, and she'd been infected. Where was this Tamlen, though?
"We have to get her back to your Keeper. As soon as possible."
"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she waking up?"
"She needs medical attention. Can you carry her?"
"I can." Fenarel melted from the shadows, "And I'll be fast."
"Tell your Keeper she's sick." I hoped my expression conveyed what I didn't want to say aloud.
He picked her up and left the way we'd come.
"You don't want to go back?" I asked, mildly surprised.
My guide shook her head, "Not if Tamlen is out here, somewhere, as well. He could be in the same position as Lyna, and I can't leave him to suffer when we could help him."
I nodded, "Be careful. There are signs of darkspawn."
The cave hid a myriad of beasts within; from spiders to walking corpses to darkspawn. They all fell quickly. Not worth my time. There were only two large rooms and a single long walkway behind them that held a small alcove.
"A mirror?" the elf with me questioned, glancing around like it was some kind of joke.
"It's not just a mirror." I murmured, reaching out and almost brushing my fingertips against the glass. I'd had a vision, shortly after I'd first arrived in Ferelden, about years in the future. An elf was talking to a pair of humans, telling them about Eluvians and the lore surrounding them. The elf had said she had found it when one of her own clans-people had been stricken with the Blight. Merrill, I think her name was.
If this was the same mirror, and Mahariel was in her clan, that meant she was going to be important later in life. It would be interesting to get to know her.
"You can go back, now. I'm going to stay here for a while." my words were barely audible, the feeling of awe the mirror was giving off overshadowing everything else.
The woman left silently, choosing not to argue.