Travellers Down For The Long Road

Torph's legs ached. He and Narascha lingered at the back of the group, slowly trudging along, trying in vein to keep up with the tall folk as they continued on to Ostagar. He groaned loudly, nearly grinning at the few glares he got in return, mainly from the Dalish girl. She was so far up her own arse it was hilarious. The city elf was the complete opposite, a surprisingly nice kid, considering that whole shit with the noble bastard he had suffered through.

Nobles. They always thought they were big things that could do whatever they wanted. He was just waiting for Narascha or Cobian to do something stupid so that they could fit in with their class but nothing yet. Nah, they were just crazy.

Cobian kept chattering on about random shit they came across and Narascha apparently had blood that sang according to Lawrien. Fucking weirdos.

"Tired, duster?" Narascha smirked at him and he chortled.

He could see how haggard she looked. Must be rough in all that crappy armour too. Duncan had tried to get her better equipment, but so far the topside didn't have much for dwarven warriors, especially not for females. Duncan had been hoping to get something crafted for her at Wade's Emporium but they hadn't been in Denerim long enough to wait for it. Might have been something to do with murdering a noble. Maybe.

Torph had been lucky his armour had been purchased in Orzammar, no matter how much the armourer hated crafting it for him. Nobody said no to the Grey Warden-Commander though. Probably not without getting stabbed.

"You look just as bad as I feel, Princess," Torph teased.

Nara snorted. "Ass."

"Whoa! That's some horrible language, Nara. Didn't think you'd fall to my likes so quickly."

"It's Narascha."

"Nara's easier to say."

"So you put the thought and effort into giving me a nickname despite how lazy you are in the first place?" The Princess arched a brow in disbelief.

He grinned. "Put the effort in now and make everything else easier in the long run."

"Now if only you would put that thought and energy into something actually useful," Narascha said.

They both grinned when Duncan groaned. It was surprisingly easy to mess with him.

"If you two put less time into arguing, you might just keep up!" Duncan complained.

Got 'em.

"But if we didn't complain you'd forget about us!" Torph sighed dramatically.

"I think it would be difficult to forget you two are here," Faren said cheerfully.

Torph paused. "Aw, that's actually sweet-"

"Your footsteps are so loud we could find you in the dark," Epona groused.

Faren threw them a sheepish grin. Fuckers. The pair of them. Torph was a rogue too. He was usually quiet as hell, but he wasn't used to travelling this bloody much. Orzammar was not this big!

"Orzammar is no where near so large as Ferelden." Ah, there was Cobian away then. "They won't be used to such travels."

"I doubt you'd be either, noble." Epona rolled her eyes. "I bet you live in carriages during such travels."

"Horseback mainly," Cobian admitted, then deflated. "But I had to leave Haelia behind..."

Torph winced. Fuck. Stupid elf had to remind him of home! Epona flustered, but Faren perked up.

"Haelia?"

"Oh yes! She is one of my ancestors, so I named my horse after her. She rallied an army against the werewolves in Ferelden." Cobian brightened up. "She was named Teyrna afterwards for her deeds."

"Against the werewolves?" Faren gasped. "What a fierce lady!"

"There are many heroes throughout history renowned for their bravery," Cobian said cheerfully. "Have you heard about the Night Elves?"

And there they went, lost in more history. Except Faren seemed to be following the conversation eagerly, and even Epona joined in their conversation.

"I've never heard of them at all," Epona admitted.

"They..." Cobian sighed. "It was unfair. They were not remembered after the war. I only know because Uncle Maric told me."

"But they saved King Maric and Queen Rowan from an ambush!" Faren protested.

"Indeed, and thus I was trying to better the livelihoods of the alienage in Highever as a start, and for a time I was doing quite successful. There were apprenticeships, ladies-in-waiting, better paying jobs. I was even getting ready to start arguing for such ideals to be brought into all the alienages." Cobian's face darkened. "Then of course the darkspawn became a threat again and everything I tried to do was swept under the rug."

"Typical," Epona scoffed.

"Sorry..." Cobian grimaced. "I had even researched them to try help persuade the court, but now my notes are all gone..."

A gloomy silence fell upon them, and no fucking wonder. The guy had just lost his home, his friends and his family and was here with a bunch of strangers. Nobody could possibly know what to say to that shit-

"At least we'll be able to see King Cailan soon," Lawrien said cheerfully. "He'll know what to say."

Cobian paused, then smiled. "He usually does. Very good at speeches."

"I could never get a good speech done right. I don't have the focus to do so, I'd lose track of my thoughts," Lawrien admitted. "I have no idea how Kings and Queens make such amazing speeches when addressing folk!"

"It takes a lot of time to prepare those speeches, that's for sure, and even then Cailan does tend to go off script," Cobian laughed. "Anora's face was priceless when he tossed an entire speech they had taken days to prepare away and gave his own true thoughts to the public."

Lawrien grinned. "He sounds great."

"He is." Cobian smiled warmly. "I'll be glad to see him, and Uncle Loghain."

"Most people seem scared of Loghain." Lawrien frowned. "Why?"

"They just don't know him." Cobian shrugged. "He's quite harsh and abrupt, but he is kind. It's subtle, but his kindness shows in way most people would not think of. And when you make a friend of him he would move mountains to protect that friendship."

Lawrien softened. "For King Maric?"

"And Queen Rowan." Cobian lost the tension in his shoulders, and Torph had no idea how the hell Lawrien managed that.

"You do not call her aunt?" Epona frowned.

"Ah, I never actually met her. She died before I was born," Cobian said softly. "Fergus calls her his aunt though. He and Cailan are around the same age, so they were always very close at court, and always up to mischief, as Nan would say."

Calenhad barked at that, tail wagging.

Cobian paused. "I know I helped sometimes, but mainly I just wanted to read."

"You helped?" Torph snorted. "How?"

"I played distraction. I would start throwing a tantrum and cry and everyone would panic as I was usually a calm child while Fergus and Cailan did whatever they were up to in the background. That tactic only worked for so long though as Uncle Loghain quickly realised I was the bait." Cobian grinned. "He hunted Fergus and Cailan down and brought them back in by the scruff of their necks."

Sounded like what Rica used to do to him and Leske if they got into too much mischief as kids. Torph smiled at the memory. Fuck he missed her. Hopefully she was doing alright with her guy. She insisted he was the good sort, but if he was anything like Narascha's brothers then Torph will probably want to bury a throwing axe in the back of the man's head.

Or front. Depends how pissed off Torph found himself.

.::.

Cobian felt a bit useless at the moment. Setting up a camp was a bit of a foreign subject on his part, considering usually the servants had done so long before his family ever arrived at a camp. So all he could do was watch and try to learn.

He liked learning though.

Right now he was trying to help Ciara set up a tent. Trying being the keyword. Epona and Torph arguing over how to cook dinner was oddly distracting. Duncan sighed and ended up taking over as the pair hissed at each other. Duncan seemed a bit stressed. Poor man. Narascha wasn't helping either. In fact she was escalating the argument by adding in her own comments. A suspiciously large grin upon her face. Lawrien laughed away at her side.

Ciara shook her head fondly. "You would think Grey Wardens would be stoic and sharp."

Cobian smiled. "No organisation can be based on a singular emotion. Organisations are made up of all different sorts of folk, thus multiple personalities will end up clashing together."

Ciara chuckled. "True."

Calenhad shifted against him, grumbling at the lack of pets. Automatically Cobian began scratching his ear, grimacing at his wobbling side of the tent.

"Ah, I do not believe this is correct."

Ciara scooted over to his side and winced. "No. No, it's not. Shall I fix it?"

"Ah, yes, I wish to see though."

Ciara smiled. "Of course."

But his attention drifted away. That was the problem with having nothing to do, it didn't keep his thoughts busy from the crushing loneliness. He wanted his parents so badly, his mother would know what to do about the loneliness, while his father would say something to sooth away the pain. Uncle Loghain would have had him training, hour after hour on drills to keep his mind and body busy and exhausted. Uncle Maric, if he was still alive, would have taken Cobian out on some exciting adventure, before of course Uncle Loghain marched in to drag them back to the palace.

Cobian smiled thinly at the thought before burying his face into his hands, trying to suppress a violent sob that threatened to escape him. It never should have happened. His father had trusted Howe with his life, with their lives. If anything had happened to his parents when Cobian had been younger then Cobian was supposed to be left in Howe's care. They had trusted him that much and in return he stabbed them in the back.

Calenhad whimpered at his side as Cobian seethed. He clenched his fists tightly and took in a deep breath, struggling to compose himself. He didn't know any of the people around him, they were complete strangers. Now definitely wasn't the time to break down crying.

He had to get to Ostagar. To Fergus and Cailan and Uncle Loghain. Tell them what happened, beg Cailan to help if he had to. They wouldn't betray him. Uncle Loghain wouldn't do that. He wouldn't.

He had to be strong.

He flinched when a hand settled on his shoulder, his hand instantly on the Cousland sword-

"I'm sorry," Ciara said softly. "I do not know how to support you in this. I haven't faced this kind of betrayal before. But if you wish to talk, know what I would be happy to listen and share your burden."

"I do not know if it would help..." Cobian admitted.

"Better to share your burdens than to face them alone," Ciara said. "Myra, our little sister, told me so. Lawrien would agree, but never in such pretty words."

"What would she do?"

"Brace yourself," Ciara warned him.

Cobian nearly yelped when a smaller form draped itself across his back, Lawrien laughing in his ears. She hugged him tightly, and Cobian smiled.

"Startling a stranger? Interesting tactic indeed," Cobian laughed.

"Hugging a friend," Lawrien corrected him cheerfully.

He paused at the thought. "You can claim a friendship so easily? How?" She had just seen what his father's long lasting friendship had done to him. It had destroyed him.

Destroyed his family, his friends, and his home.

Calenhad whined, nuzzling his hand insistently. Cobian struggled to pet him. Trusting people wasn't easy, it was hard, this he knew, but now one of the few people Cobian thought was worthy of such trust had betrayed them-

"He didn't destroy everything. You being here proves that," Lawrien said firmly. "And as for my friendship? Why would anyone miss the opportunity to befriend someone like you? You're smart, kind and strong. You fight to protect those you love, even until your last breath, and you don't give up. People like you are the type of people I value." Lawrien grinned at Ciara. "Right, sister?"

Ciara snorted. "Kind? Hardly suits me."

Lawrien laughed. "Nah. You liar."

"Your imagination escapes you, Lawrien." Ciara smiled fondly.

"Nope. You're just fussy."

"Childish."

"Mean."

Cobian had no idea what had just happened. Weren't they saying nice things to each other moments ago? Whatever happened, the end result was Lawrien pouncing on Ciara, the pair rolling in the dirt, scrabbling at one another. Calenhad barked excitedly, bouncing from spot to spot, as if ready to join in the mess.

"I just fixed my hair, you imp!"

"Who cares about your hair?"

"I do!"

Duncan approached with two bowls of stew in hand. He stared blankly at the girls then handed Cobian a bowl. "I would suggest sitting with me by the fire, Cobian. One of them will probably kick the bowl out of your hand before you get a chance to eat it."

Cobian nodded. "That sounds likely."

He wasn't hungry, but he didn't wish to waste the food either. He followed after Duncan, Calenhad's attention off the girls for the time being. He trailed happily after Cobian, tail wagging. The tent he and Ciara had worked on crumbled to the ground, smothering the girls beneath it's folds.

Ah, he could see why Duncan was so stressed then. Epona and Torph were still arguing over their food as Narascha goaded them on, and Ciara and Lawrien were fighting. That was bound to give anyone grey hairs.

Faren was the only one who seemed at ease. Although now Calenhad was sniffing at his food, trying to climb up the poor elf's legs to reach is dinner. Cobian yanked him back by his collar, earning a whine.

"Oh no." Cobian shook his head. "Don't make us feel guilty, you manipulative little monster."

Calenhad whined again, ducking his head down low, and of course someone broke. Duncan and Faren both threw Calenhad some bread and meat, and Calenhad quickly tucked in.

"He knows who his victims are now," Cobian said mildly.

Faren laughed sheepishly. Duncan only sighed.

.::.

Mages weren't supposed to charge at darkspawn and whack them with their staff. At least that was what Faren thought, but apparently Lawrien disagreed. They had been ambushed by some darkspawn this morning, and Lawrien had charged them down. Their squishy mage. Faren had remained back by Epona and Duncan to guard them. Not that they couldn't handle the darkspawn themselves, but Epona looked ill, as ill as she had the night of the Highever attack and Duncan was trying to convince her to sit down. Faren made sure to keep well aside, because Epona was trying to aim her arrow, and she wasn't aiming well. Her hands were shaking.

"Epona, you're not feeling well. Just put down the bow and arrow," Duncan tried, reaching out to disarm her.

If looks could kill Duncan would be on fire right now. But no, Epona gritted her teeth, shrugged Duncan's hands off and released an arrow. But her aim was off and it narrowly flew by Torph's bald head who screeched.

Epona went bright red, almost as red as her hair.

"What the hell, elf?!" Torph yelped, ducking beneath a darkspawn. "I know I disagreed with your cooking, but don't fucking kill me for it!"

Epona's blush darkened, and finally she lowered her bow and arrow. Duncan closed his eyes and muttered a prayer, before gesturing for her to sit down. Finally Epona obeyed, but Faren didn't feel safe since she still hadn't put down her weapons. Lawrien's laughter echoed across the field.

Faren smiled. This really wasn't what he thought being with the Grey Wardens would be like. They actually reminded him of the Thieves Guild. Just not as chaotic. By the Maker, he had never been so far from home before. Denerim had always been his home, he always had someone there for him.

But he was free of Vaughan. He was free of those hands, those touches, his words. Vaughan was dead by his own hand.

It was wonderful and terrifying and baffling all at the same time. Faren hoped to make the most of it though. He had no idea what his life would be like as a Grey Warden, it was never in his plans, but hopefully he would enjoy it as much as Lawrien seemed to.

Lawrien must have felt whatever he did, because she threw him the biggest grin, before stabbing a darkspawn with the blade on her staff, splattering blood everywhere.

Yep, that killed it whatever warm, fuzzy feelings he had.

.::.

Narascha twitched. Something had just splattered on her tent. Was it bird poo again? Lawrien said something about it being lucky, but Narascha didn't believe her. And if it was true, did that mean her tent was lucky now?

Another splatter hit her tent, then another.

"WHY IS THERE WATER FALLING FROM THE SKY?!" Torph screeched.

Narascha untangled herself from Lawrien's limbs, Lawrien who grumbled at being disturbed from her sleep and buried herself back into the pillows. Ciara merely smiled, Lawrien now sprawled on her instead.

Narascha ignored the pair and peered outside the tent. A drop of water hit her head and Narascha scrambled back inside the tent with a yelp. There was no damage though. It appeared to be ordinary water. Water wasn't supposed to fall from the sky though was it? The surface world was so strange.

"It's called rain." Ciara smiled. "I believe Cobian might be able to tell you about it, if he has studied the subject."

"Torph, it's just rain!" Duncan marched past their tent, making straight for Torph who cowered beneath the tree Epona slept in.

"What the fuck is 'rain'?"

"It won't hurt you, I promise-"

She ignored the pair, climbing out of her tent instead. The giant hole the surfacer dwellers called the 'sky' was all dark and grey looking now, with plenty of clouds. The droplets of water fell from the sky and splashed against her, bouncing off her shoddy armour and running down her hair. She chuckled. It felt like a shower from the fountains in Orzammar.

"Is this how surface dwellers take showers?" she asked.

Epona spoke up from her tree. "I usually use a lake, most shemlens use baths."

"But there's so much water!"

"Yes, but not all water is clean," Ciara said. "Lawrien is usually helpful for showers though."

"How?"

"She uses a mixture of her fire and ice magic to create a fountain whenever we go to clean up," Ciara offered. "The boys usually just jump in the lake if we're travelling."

"So the sky leaks water? How strange," Narascha remarked, smiling at the strange void above them. "I wonder what else this world has to offer."

"There is always something to see." Ciara smirked just as Torph approached, hiding beneath Duncan's cloak now. "You don't look too happy, Torph."

"I'm not. This 'rain' thing sucks. My beard's soaked!" Torph complained as Lawrien climbed out the tent and bolted into the rain, laughing.

Narascha smirked. "Huh, and here I thought it was a good look for you, duster."

"Yeah well the 'soaked look' looks fine on ya too, Princess." Torph sniggered, tugging on Duncan's cloak firmly to ensure he was completely covered. "Wanna come hide under here? Plenty of room."

"The Commander is much taller than you," Epona noted.

Narascha only hummed. "I think I like this rain. It feels nice, so no, thank you though, Torph."

"Yeah, no problem," Torph grunted, though he did stay next to her while she relaxed and just let the rain wash over her.

Orzammar and the upsider's worlds were so different. It was beautiful. Orzammar would always hold a piece of her heart, that Narascha knew. She missed the stone around her, protecting and guiding her, but this open world held its own sense of beauty as well.

Narascha smiled. "I'm enjoying the surface world much more than I thought I would."

"Even if you have nobody to feed you grapes?" Torph teased.

Narascha chuckled. "Perhaps I do miss that."

"Yeah, thought you would, Princess."