I sprinted across the great, stone bridge, dodging soldiers and hurdling sleeping mabari. My thighs burned and my calves ached unpleasantly, a token of too many nights in front of the television and not enough gym time. It was a good thing I had a fast metabolism, or I would definitely be known as "the fat twin". The "skinny gene", as my sister called it, was the only welcome gift my father had ever given me. The added weight of the splint-mail armour wasn't making things any easier, and eventually I slowed to a stop a little more than halfway across the bridge and bent double, panting.
"God, I'm so unfit." I scolded myself, catching my breath and preparing to run some more.
"I don't know, you look pretty fit to me." One of the nearby soldiers called, and the men around him laughed, appreciatively. I fake laughed, and drew myself upright, shooting an unamused look in the direction of the cat-caller. I started forward, only to whirl back around when I realised with a start that I recognised one of the faces in the group. I put it together with the voice and the pieces slid into place with an almost audible click as my brain made the connection. A random memory surfaced in my mind, a snippet of conversation that hadn't even taken place in this world yet: "We've been running since Ostagar." I blinked in surprise.
"Hawke?" I asked, squinting at him. He squinted back at me, his amber eyes probing my face for any sign of familiarity and, of course, finding none.
"Do I know you?" He asked, grinning easily, and a few of the men nudged him suggestively with their elbows, laughing lewdly. Ugh. Boys. I hate it when they travel in packs.
"No, you don't." I looked him over, calculatingly, the new aspect of my brain taking in his build, stance and arsenal. Broad-shoulders. Long-sword. Heavy armour. Warrior class. Good news for Bethany, then. I felt a tug at the corner of my mouth and shrugged, meeting his eyes again. They glinted with amusement, but there was something else there, too, beneath the bravado. He was sizing me up, just as I was him. I inclined my head, and he reciprocated the gesture as I started to back away, suddenly remembering why I had been running in the first place. "Be seeing you, then."
"With any luck." He grinned, devilishly, and I knew that it was for the benefit of the mindless, testosterone-driven horde. I smirked, good-naturedly, and spun around, picking up speed until I was flat-out sprinting again.
After we had filled Grayson in on everything he had missed, Duncan had declared that he would speak with Cailan alone. He reasoned that my information may not go over very well with the king and, if he chose not to believe it, the consequences could be dire. He agreed that what I told him would be considered treason if the information was ill-received, and insisted that he didn't want me to be implicated, should that be the case, and so he sent me to the Tower of Ishal to carry a message to one of the soldiers there. I knew it was just busy work to make me feel like I wasn't completely useless, but I bit my tongue and did it anyway.
I had caused enough trouble, I wasn't in any position to argue, but I felt wretched that Duncan had shouldered the burden that was rightfully mine. So when I was approached by a mage and informed that my presence had been requested at the war council, I knew that something must have happened.
A hundred thoughts raced through my mind as my feet pounded the stone beneath me, and none of them were positive. Maybe Duncan had been forced to tell Cailan the truth about me, or maybe he had never believed me to begin with. Maybe this was all part of some elaborate ruse to trap the crazy girl and cart her off to the nearest mental asylum. No, I told myself, Duncan is an honourable man. You're being paranoid. I just hoped I wasn't running headlong into a prison sentence...or worse. I reached the other side of the bridge and slowed to a jog, unable to keep sprinting and wondering with no small degree of irritation when my Grey Warden stamina was going to kick in.
Without the fires that blazed at regular intervals along the bridge to light my way, I half-ran, half-stumbled through the darkness, relying on memory to find the entrance to the ruin where the council was taking place. I slowed a little, as I tried to take stock of my surroundings. A light burned up ahead, to the right, and I recognised the stone ramp that I was searching for. I broke into a run again, my eyes fixed determinedly on my destination. So much so that I didn't notice the dark shape moving in front of me until I collided with it head first and landed awkwardly on my backside on the hard ground with a very unladylike grunt. The figure I had collided with stumbled but didn't fall, and spun around, his hand moving instinctively to the hilt of his sword.
"Who goes there?" He demanded, on edge after having just been tackled by an unseen entity.
"Alistair?" I squinted, pushing myself to my feet and brushing myself off.
"Lauren? What are you doing here? I thought Duncan sent you-"
"He did. I've been summoned by the king." I said, ominously.
"And you thought you would express your displeasure with this by attacking me?" He asked, and though his face was masked in shadow, I could tell by his voice that he was smirking. I shrugged.
"It was as good a plan as any." I replied. "Come with me...please? I don't know why the king wants to see me, but it can't be good. If things go South, we might have to fight our way out."
"Woah, woah, slow down there. We're not going to be fighting anyone. Not tonight, anyway. Look, I've been standing watch since the council convened, Loghain and the others are still in there. Duncan said he would speak with Cailan alone. Whatever he's summoned you for, I don't think it will have anything to do with...what you're thinking." He assured me. I nodded, but my anxiety was still intact.
"I know, I just...I'm nervous. I'd feel a lot better if you were with me."
"You would?" He asked, and I thought I detected a hint of amusement in his voice. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, don't read too much into it. You have a large sword and you know how to use it. Surprisingly, I find that oddly reassuring." I replied, facetiously.
"All right, all right. If you insist." He said, with faux reluctance. "You know, Lauren, I'm a bit hurt by that. I thought you and I were becoming fast friends. I had no idea you were only interested in me for my large sword."
I raised an eyebrow at the double entendre, and although my face was shrouded in darkness, my amused silence was enough to bring it to his attention.
"Uh...that came out wrong." He said, embarrassed.
"Yeah...maybe it will be best if you let me do the talking." I grinned, as I started towards the stone ramp once more. He followed me, stammering.
"I didn't mean-"
"I know, Alistair. Jeez. You have to lighten up a little." I said over my shoulder.
"I know, it's just...that's not...I wouldn't joke about...that sort of thing with a...with a Lady. I wasn't raised that way, it's not-"
"Dude. Relax. It's fine. I'm not that sort of Lady." I insisted, shaking my head at his awkwardness. "You can stop blushing now."
"How do you know I'm blushing? It's dark. You can't see me. I'm not blushing. I'm a grown man. I don't blush." He insisted.
"Yes you do. I can practically feel the heat radiating from your face. It's singeing the little hairs on the back of my neck." I teased, as we ascended the ramp. The council meeting was visible ahead of us, but we were far enough away that they hadn't noticed our approach yet.
"I'm not blushing." He muttered, sulkily. I threw a nervous grin over my shoulder at him as I waited for him to catch up. He looked up at my anxious face, and then at the men waiting for us. "Ready, then?"
"Not even a little bit." I heaved a sigh, though even his presence there was a comfort to me. I felt a lot less panicked now than I had before. He slapped my back, encouragingly, and strode forward before I could say anything else. I followed him, mutely, my heart pounding in my ears. As we approached, I tried to read the room. A large man who I recognised instantly as Loghain - my stomach did a quick somersault - was gesticulating wildly, slamming his fist on the stone table. He didn't look happy. I looked to Cailan, who was observing the scene with an easy grin on his face. Even from a distance, I was struck by how much he resembled Alistair. Duncan was the first to notice us, and I was unnerved to see that he looked surprised by our sudden appearance. Cailan looked up as we neared the table and beamed at us.
"Alistair! And this must be the other new Warden." He grinned, cutting off Loghain's tirade as he walked around the table to greet us. Loghain half-turned towards us and regarded us with a contemptuous look, his eyes flashing impatiently. I returned the king's smile, nervously, glancing at Duncan for support, but he continued to look confused by our presence. I returned my attention to Cailan.
"Yes! Lauren DuVal. Well met, your grace." I responded, bowing my head respectfully. Should I curtsey? How do you curtsey in armour?
"Lauren." Duncan stepped forward, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Alistair. I trust you both have a purpose for being here?" Oh, that wasn't just surprise on his face, after all. He was furious.
"Forgive me, Duncan." Cailan said, unapologetically. "It was I who summoned young Lauren here. It was my wish to make the acquaintance of both of your new Wardens. Lauren! Well met, indeed. I hear congratulations are in order." He beamed at me, and I threw him a lop-sided grin, trying to gather my thoughts. It took me a moment to realise what he was congratulating me on. Oh, right. The Joining.
"Thanks. It was no big deal,really. All I had to do was not die, and I've been doing that for years now." I replied, before remembering who I was speaking to and hastily adding "Your majesty."
Alistair nudged me, playfully, and I looked up, surprised to see he was grinning at me.
"Something tells me we're going to have our hands full with this one." He said, more for Cailan's benefit than mine. I wondered how he must have felt, standing there, talking to the brother who didn't know who he really was. Looking between the two of them, the resemblance was striking. Seriously? I thought, incredulously. Not one person in Ferelden has questioned that? Ever? Not one person has ever said ,"Hey, you two have the exact same face, that's weird."? People are idiots.
"Hardly. If anything, I'm the one who's going to have my hands full." I laughed, winking at him, and Alistair reddened slightly, and I realised that what I had just said, and the playful way in which I had said it, could have been taken more than one way. I guessed he was still a little sensitive to suggestive word play due to his earlier faux pas, I doubted anybody else would have even picked up on that. But his reaction wasn't going unnoticed by the rest of the men. Grayson cleared his throat, a little uncomfortably, and Duncan rolled his eyes towards the Heavens, in a look that clearly said "Maker, give me strength, for I am surrounded by morons."
Cailan's grin widened and his eyes sparkled boyishly as he observed the blush rising in Alistair's face. "He's already forced a massive helmet on me." I thought I would elaborate to show that I hadn't meant it as an innuendo, before realising I had just made it a lot worse. Alistair laughed, but it was forced and embarrassed as he glanced at Cailan for his reaction. I followed his gaze and saw that he looked terribly amused. "I mean...you should have seen it, it was huge, it kept falling down past my eyes so I couldn't see where I was going...just...ridiculous..." I was being overly enthusiastic, gesturing wildly, and looking like a complete idiot, but at least my closing statement couldn't have been mistaken for anything other than what it was.
The two men exchanged a significant look, but I pretended not to notice. Rather they both thought me innocent and clueless as to what I had unwittingly implied. At least I was the idiot in this scenario and not Alistair. I could handle being the idiot, I had had a lot of practice at it, but I would hate to think I had embarrassed him in front of Cailan. "But it's okay, I used it to incapacitate a Hurlock and then it got lost in the Korcari Wilds, never to be seen again. I hope." I finished rambling, and flashed him what I hoped was my most winning smile.
"Yes, well, as interesting as all of this is, do you think we could perhaps, oh, I don't know, get back to discussing our strategy for the imminent battle against the Darkspawn horde on our doorstep?" Loghain drawled, with undiluted irritation. I decided I hated him. Obviously, I already hated him, he was scum. But now that I had met him face-to-face, I legitimately hated him. I hated his face. I hated his voice. I definitely hated the way he was leering at me like I was some foolish child. Admittedly, I had done very little to alter this impression with my crazy rambling, but I still hated it.
"Good idea! Why don't we just go and leave you guys to it!" I said, with forced enthusiasm, as I backed away, pulling Alistair with me.
"Nonsense, stay! This involves you, too. The mighty Grey Wardens will be riding into battle by my side!" Cailan said, and I was reminded forcefully of an excited puppy. I shook my head, fervently.
"No, no, we couldn't possibly...so much to do...thank you so much for meeting with me, your grace." I said, as if it had been my idea all along. "I, uh...look forward to our next meeting."
"Of course." He replied, looking a little puzzled, before the grin spread across his face again. "We shall destroy the Darkspawn threat once and for all, side by side, in tomorrow's battle."
I laughed shrilly.
"Sure...sure..." I said, and caught Duncan's eye as he flashed me a warning look. "Well...good luck with your planning and...shit."
I turned on my heel quickly before I could say anything else and strode off in the opposite direction, with Alistair following closely at my heels. We rounded the corner at the ramp and I started jogging towards the bonfire where we were to meet with Duncan and Grayson after all talks had ended. When we got there, I turned to look at Alistair, who was staring at me like I was on fire.
"What?" I demanded, running a hand through my hair, self-consciously.
"Good luck with your planning and shit." He repeated my earlier words, in a monotone.
"What?"
"You just said that. To the king of Ferelden." He said, slowly, as if speaking to a small child.
"Oh...I did, didn't I?" I muttered, biting my lip. We looked at each other in silence before collapsing in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. We laughed until it stopped being funny, and then we caught each other's eye and dissolved into hysterics once more. We laughed until I wasn't even sure what we were laughing at any more, but it felt good. We were still struggling to contain ourselves when Grayson approached us out of the surrounding darkness.
"Hey, Gray." I greeted, and Alistair nodded in his direction, still grinning from ear to ear.
"Duncan is speaking with the king, he sent me to wait with you...Lauren, I think you made quite an impression on King Cailan..." Grayson said, with an apologetic smile.
And that was it. Grayson watched us with an air of great concern, clearly thinking we had both lost our tiny minds as we erupted in howls of glee once more. Alistair was bent over double, slapping his knee and crying "Stop, stop, I can't breathe" between outbursts. After a while, even Grayson joined in, laughing at us, rather than with us, but it was a wonderful thing regardless.
If we had known then the direction of the conversation that was taking place between Duncan and King Cailan, we wouldn't be laughing. But in those few, blissful moments before everything fell apart, we laughed. It would be the last time any of us would do so for a while, after that night. The battle for Ferelden, and for our lives, was about to begin.
And we didn't know then that my being there had just made things a whole lot worse.
AN: Thanks for reading, and to everyone who's favourited, followed and reviewed so far, it's very much appreciated. This chapter feels a bit like filler, so I added a little bit of Alistair-Lauren chat to better establish their developing friendship. And Hawke made a little cameo as well, so I hope that helped it seem less filler-ish. The next chapter should be up soon, the sooner I can get them away from Ostagar and into the action, the happier I'll be, but my brain just keeps giving me more words to write. Anyway. Soon, my preciouseses. Soon.
Please review! x