Roderick

"...they value loyalty above all things, beyond wealth, beyond power, beyond reason."

So said Empress Celene I of Orlais in a letter to her newly appointed ambassador to Denerim. That is, of course, if you are the sort to believe in baseless rumours.

However, while many of his comrades had angrily ranted about the gall of Orlesians who dared to "slander" Fereldan people of blind devotion, Ser Roderick Gilmore, on the other hand, does not consider such a comment an insult. After all, how could it be an insult when it was a most accurate description of Fereldans? Had it not been loyalty that drove Fereldans to fight on even after half a century of occupation? Why else would they refuse to give in like those elf savages did after their army was vanquished? Surely that would be the rational thing to do, and surely whatever the Orlesians have in store for Ferelden couldn't possibly be any worse than what they did to the elves? So, why on earth would the Fereldan people not realize that they were conquered?

The answer, at least to Roderick, is beyond simple: because, unlike Orlesians who brazenly label betrayal and backstabbing as "the game", honour and loyalty still meant something here in Ferelden. Because Fereldans understand that without them, humanity would be no better than wild beasts. However, he supposed the Orlesians would never "waste" time thinking about their similarities with that of wild beasts, not when they already are.

Sadly, much as he hoped it was not so, the same cannot be said about every Fereldan. And, as he had found out not very long ago, honour and loyalty could often be at odds with one another since loyalty essentially means carrying out an order that was given, yet orders are not always honourable. Sometimes, the requirement to obey would directly contradict what was right.

Or at least, what was right in Roderick's opinion.

Roderick had always taken pride in obeying Teyrn Bryce Cousland's every order, as he knew his liege would give his men no order that would do them dishonour, and after the Couslands practically raised him alongside their own sons Fergus and Arthur, it was only the right thing to do to.

Or so he thought, until what happened a week ago.

Truth be told, the event itself was hardly something Roderick would made a big deal of had he any children of his own. In fact, he'd wager that had it occurred amongst commoners, at worst the involved parties would have suffered a slap from their fathers and nothing more. Sadly, it just had to involve Arthur Cousland, second son of Teyrn Bryce Cousland, and Thomas Howe, second son of Arl Rendon Howe. When these lordlings come to blows, it would always turn a trivial matter into a huge mess.

It was not the event itself, however, but Teyrn Cousland's decision afterwards that had rankled Roderick whenever he thought of it.

As an orphan of war taken in by Teyrn Cousland after his father died to protect his liege during the Rebellion, Roderick had always regarded the Couslands as the family he never had. Thus, although he does not share the same noble blood as Fergus and Arthur do, they are still his brothers in all but name. He was the one who served as Fergus's best man when he married Lady Oriana a year ago, and he had been young Arthur's trainer since the lad turned ten. His devotion to them was no less than what a true brother would to his siblings.

This is why Roderick had cursed inwardly when Teyrn Cousland announced to all after the ugliness that his second son, Arthur, would be sent to South Reach as a ward to Arl Leonas Bryland and Roderick would be Arthur's escort for this journey. A part of him understood that Teyrn Cousland couldn't risk offending his most powerful vassal, Rendon Howe, especially not when the brawl was started by young Arthur. Nonetheless, it still seemed a bit much for the Teyrn to send his son away from his family so that "the friendship of our houses could be mended". Perhaps that would have been the right call for a lord to make. Yet, when he thought of the Teyrna's tears when she bid farewell to her son and Fergus's sullen look to his father, Roderick couldn't help but wonder if the Teyrn's decision to send his son away was a bit cruel. Even if it was Arthur who started all this, surely there were other ways to discipline him other than sending him away? As for the potential of offending the Howes? What good is the power of a lord if he cannot even shield his son?

"Let's hope the Teyrn's decision to appease Arl Howe does not drive a wedge within the family." Roderick thought so drily. "Though if Arthur were to hold a grudge against his father, I'm not sure I could blame him for it."

He couldn't help but turn his gaze upon the young lad riding alongside him and unsurprisingly found him in the state he had been in for the past few days: riding silently with an unreadable face.

Out of all the Couslands, Arthur had been the hardest to read. In terms of appearance, the now sixteen-year-old lad resembled his mother much more than his father, except for his haunting deep blue eyes. In terms of personality, however, the lad was very dissimilar with the rest of the family. Unlike his easy-going father and his fiery mother, or that of his brother who was more or less a younger version of the Teyrn, the term that fit Arthur the most would be "calm". As far as Roderick can remember, young Arthur's mouth was most often set in a straight line, which gave his face a rather hard and stern expression. While by no means a shy person, he mostly only spoke when spoken to and always in a calm tone which was a clear sign that he had thought things through before answering. Arthur smiled, sure, but his smiles were few and far between and happened mostly when he was around his immediate family. Most importantly, Arthur had never, in Roderick's memory, laughed carefreely like his father and brother often did, even when he was obviously in a cheerful mood.

Another thing that set Arthur apart from his peers was that unlike most young lordlings of Ferelden who prefer "activities", Arthur was more at ease in the library than in any social gatherings. He was Brother Aldous's most favoured pupil, constantly outperforming all the other young squires on subjects such as history that they all regarded as boring. And while he was certainly skilled at arms, especially in archery, Roderick often felt that Arthur did not seem to take much pleasure in fighting. He always seemed extremly miserable whenever he was forced to attend tourneys, even if said tourney was held in honour of himself.

As a result, Arthur had no real friends amongst other lordlings of Ferelden, with the rare exception of Thomas Howe, whose passion for reading rivalled that of Arthur and thus quickly established their bonds ever since they first met one another at age ten. The Teyrn and Teyrna were naturally delighted by this, they had once even proposed to foster young Thomas at Highever, so that Arthur could finally have a companion of his age who shared his hobby. Sadly, the matter was dropped when Arl Howe refused the proposal. Still, the young lordlings would often write to each other to discuss the latest books they read and engaged in heated debates over what they had read whenever the Howes visited Highever.

"How ironic that their friendship was destroyed by the very thing that forged it in the first place!" Roderick couldn't help but lament, "Was it truly Arthur's fault for acting too rashly over a trivial matter? Or was Thomas's dismissal attitude to be blamed? Or was it all the fault of that..."

"How much further, Rory?" His charge suddenly asked with obvious irritation, "My thigh is hurting from all this damn riding."

"We are still about half an hour away from South Reach, Arthur." Roderick answered, "But should you want some rest, we could…"

"No, it's ok." Arthur said while biting on his lower lip, apparently trying to resist the pain, "I can still hang on. And it wouldn't do to keep the welcome party waiting any more than necessary."

"It would also not do if you couldn't stand properly on the ground because of the pain." Roderick said while reined his horse to stop, "Come on, Arthur, get off your horse and have some walk, stretch your legs. We'll be on our way after that."

"Fair enough," Arthur said while stopping his horse and dismounted. He hissed almost immediately after his feet touched the ground, however, and had to hold onto his horse to prevent himself from collapsing.

"That bad, huh?" Roderick couldn't help but chuckle at the scene, "Ever think that perhaps you should've joined your father and brother in all those hunting trips? Even if you hate to engage in, as you put it, 'senseless slaughtering', you could still hone your riding skills."

"Perhaps I should." Arthur admitted with hesitation, all the while strolling on the ground, "Yet still, I fail to see the point of hunting. There are enough cases of nobles or even kings who died in hunting accidents to make it clear that it's unnecessarily dangerous. To make no mention of the involved costs. Truly, if a lord wanted to enjoy a meal of boar so much, he could have dispatched a skilled hunter to do the job for him. Why must everyone else be dragged along so that he could kill the poor wretch himself while being escorted by a full column of guards."

"I would suggest you keep that to yourself, lad." Roderick reminded, "I heard Arl Bryland's only daughter was quite enthusiastic about the act of 'senseless slaughtering'. Wouldn't want to offend your host, no?"

"Great, just what I needed!" Arthur said with frustration, "Let's hope my time in South Reach is only to 'protect' me from the wrath of Rendon Howe instead of an attempt to make me 'settle down' like they tried with Fergus when he was my age!"

"You mean…"

"Now that I have the chance to think of it, it's beyond obvious, Rory!" Arthur said almost indignantly, "I am far too old to be fostered, so a betrothal was the only thing they could have in mind when they decided to send me to South Reach, where its lord just so happened to have an only daughter of my age! Otherwise, why not send me to Storm's Coast instead? Uncle Jon would welcome and 'protect' me just as readily and I sure would love to spend more time with cousin Edric instead with my potential 'betrothed'!"

Roderick had no words for this. As an unmarried man himself, he had no insight on the matter. Whether or not an engagement at such a young age could be a boon to Arthur, it was not his place to tell the young lordling to go against his parents' wishes. So instead of commenting on the matter, he stayed silent.

"I suppose it's better than having to marry Delilah Howe as a form of 'compensation'." Arthur concluded with a light chuckle, "I pity whatever poor bastard who has to endure Rendon Howe as his father-in-law, or endure Thomas Howe as his brother-in-law!"

Roderick was taken aback by the amount of venom in Arthur's tone when Thomas Howe was mentioned. Despite knowing that he had his reason, it was still a surprise for Roderick to hear Arthur curse Thomas's name. They had been friends for years before their fight, surely that must amount to something?

"I agree with what you said about Rendon Howe, but was it not a bit much to say the same about Thomas?" Roderick couldn't help but ask, "You are friends for…"

"We WERE friends!" Arthur retorted swiftly before Roderick could finish, "We are no longer. Not anymore. And while I can not get back what I lost, I thank the Maker for showing me his true colour before he could get a chance to stab me in the back like his father surely would one day!"

"Surely it was not that bad." Roderick commented carefully, "It was after all just a…"

"It was not about its worth in itself! It was about the fact that it was MINE!" Triggered by his words, Arthur shouted uncharacteristically, "Do you even know what Thomas did when we found out what happened? Instead of apologizing like he should, he laughed! As if it was something funny! As if my loss was nothing but a joke to him!"

"Well, that was…" Once again, Roderick had no words for this. As the wounded party, Arthur had every right to be angry over Thomas's callous attitude. But was Arthur's response far too much over a minor offence in Roderick's mind? Was it truly enough to end a years-long friendship over?

"Let us speak no more of this." Fortunately, Arthur ended the discussion before Roderick had to reply, "I'm feeling much better now. We should get going, before my 'future father-in-law' sends out a search party, no?" He concluded, before hopping on his horse again and urged it forward.

"As my lord command." Roderick bowed his head, before following Arthur onward like he had been throughout their journey.

Oswald

"Wipe that miserable expression off your face already, Oswald." Father commanded with annoyance, "You've been grumpy like a fucking bear all the time since we received the mission! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'm fine, father." Oswald said while averting his father's gaze, "I'm just…tired."

"Right, and I am Queen Anora." Father snorted, "Be honest with me, boy. You've been listening to the talks of other soldiers, haven't you?"

"…yes." He said while bowing his head so that his father could not read his expression and tell what he said for what it was: another lie.

"Maker' breath!" Father said while shaking his bearded head, "Teyrn Cousland was a long-time friend of our Arl, they saved each other's lives many times during the rebellion, they attended each other's weddings back in the days and routinely visited one another or sent gifts to one another. So, tell me, what's about him sending his son to foster in South Reach that you don't like so much about?"

"…well, they said that his son almost beat his best friend to death!" Oswald said with the same level of desperation of a man who is about to drown, "Surely the Arl can't…"

"Don't bother to finish your sentence, boy!" Father interrupted him, "Don't you ever presume to tell your liege what to and not to do, that would be the biggest mistake any knight could ever make. I assure you, the Arl can and will foster the son of his friend. There is nothing we can do about it."

"But we are not just lowly knights, father!" Oswald said, "The Arl is my uncle and your brother-in-law, he and his daughter are family! And being family means not sitting by when they make mistakes, so we must do something!"

"And pray tell, do what?" Father raised his eyebrows, "In fact, before we proceed to the part of how to change the Arl's decision, explain to me: what about Teyrn Cousland's son coming here that you don't like so much about? If memory serves, you and that lad-Arthur, I think his name was-had never even met. Surely you can't possibly already have some animosity toward him just because of some baseless rumours?"

"I…" Oswald wanted to yell, but couldn't find the proper words. Or rather, what he wanted to say could never be said out loud, especially not to his father.

How could he tell his father that he bore no ill will to this Arthur Cousland, not personally, but his animosity to him was because this young lordling was most certainly sent here with the intention of securing a betrothal with his cousin, the lady Chloé?! The cousin that he had been in love with since she was thirteen?!

He supposed this was inevitable. After all, why would Arl Bryland not want to marry his only daughter and heir to someone befitting of her station? Why would he even consider bringing more Orlesian blood into House Bryland by marrying his daughter to the son of a surrendered Orlesian chevalier and a commoner woman? Even putting those aside, what does he-Oswald Caron possibly have to offer to make Arl Bryland consider him instead of the other young lordlings of Ferelden? As Chloé's cousin, he was just a half-grown boy who recently received his knighthood.

Nothing is more painful than realizing that the girl you desired could never be yours.

"And Chloé probably don't even know my feelings for her. She paid more attention to her horses than to me." Oswald thought bitterly, "So why am I still so mad about her potential betrothed coming to South Reach?"

"Ser Gérard, I think the guest of the Arl has arrived!" His thought was interrupted by the shouting of a soldier.

"Already?" Slightly taken aback, father immediately shifted his gaze towards where the soldier pointed, before laughing loudly, "Ha, it would seem that your bet on the lordling was wrong, Will. He came on horseback with only one escort instead of arriving in a carriage!"

"Guess the lordling has more backbone than the rumour described." Said soldier chuckled, "Didn't expect that if he beat his best friend up for a mere…"

"Keep your 'expectations' to yourself, Will. And the same goes for all of you!" Father interrupted the soldier sternly, "Our job is to carry out the Arl's order, not to question it. Do I make myself clear now?"

"Aye, sir!" Everyone, including Oswald, answered loudly.

"Good." Father nodded before bidding them all to ride forward, "Now come on, we have a job to do! Wouldn't want our Arl's ward to think he arrived at Gwaren instead, no?"

'Well, guess I would have to test the 'backbone' of this lordling myself then.' Oswald thought to himself while riding forward alongside his comrades. Already curious.

Arthur Cousland would have to try harder if he wanted to have Chloé.

I deeply apologize for the year-long lack of an update. Life since 2023 has been crazy for various reasons. As for the story, I had far too many ideas but was too indecisive, thus resulting in writer's block. For this story, I have a general outline of chapters set down, so things should be better than before, but once again, I sadly cannot offer any promises.

I am now writing alone with no beta reader and only Grammarly to help me fix my grammar and spelling mistakes. Suffice to say, I am in desperate need of a beta reader who can help me with not only grammar and spelling but also offer suggestions regarding the plot. Previously I had only asked my beta reader to fix my grammar and spelling mistakes but now I realize that one of the main reasons why my update speed is so slow is because of my indecisiveness and I need to get help if I want to speed up. So if you have the time and interest to help, please PM me here or add me on my discord.(my discord account name is also "princeofpetersburg" with the exact same profile picture)

Now, for this story, readers of my story "The Grey Knight" need not worry. This is not a brand new story, but a prequel of "The Grey Knight", a story which I will use to set up the protagonist Arthur's experiences, connections amongst Ferelden's nobility and his personality as a whole. There will be OCs and some changes to the game canon and existing chapters of "The Grey Knight". Whatever inconsistency with "The Grey Knight" that you read of, just stick with what I write from this story forward. It is yet too early to confirm what things would be different with existing chapters of "The Grey Knight", all I can say is that "Arthur Cousland/Morrigan" would still be the main pairing.

For changes that can be noticed in this chapter, allow me to explain a bit:

1, The story was set four years before the Fifth Blight, when Arthur was 16 years old.

2, As the game canon made no mention of Arl Leonas Bryland's wife, here I set that he married the sister of Ser Gérard Caron(that's right, the family name of the Orlesian Grey Warden of Dragon Age Awakening), an Orlesian chevalier who surrendered to Ferelden rebels after he was defeated on the battlefield. Now the only child of his sister(whose name I will reveal in future chapter) and Leonas is a 16-year-old girl called Chloé. (where is Bryland's canon daughter, Habren, you may ask? Let's just say that since she was an obvious brat even from what little we interacted with her in the game, she simply does not fit with what I planned for the daughter of Bryland, so remove her was the only option)

3, Ser Gérard Caron ended up marrying a Fereldan commoner woman(whose name will be revealed later) and had a son called Oswald, who is currently 17 years old.(yes, he has a crush on his cousin. Don't read if you don't like this)

I can only explain so far right now. If you are curious with future plot, or are willing and able to help me with plot crafting, feel free to PM me here or add me on discord.

All the best wishes to you my readers!