Chasing Tails
Lawrien peered into the sleeping quarters for the youngest of the apprentices. The kids were all tucked into their beds, fast asleep. The door at the furthest end of the room was barricaded, and Epona sat in a chair before the available door, her bow lying in her lap, arrow dangling loosely from her fingers.
"You guarding them?" Lawrien whispered, kneeling down in front of Epona.
"They find comfort in someone guarding the door," Epona said. "Some will spend the night staring at it, waiting for a monster to come through, but many now sleep knowing I am here to kill the monsters for now. That was always reassuring back home too, knowing there was always a patrol going on around us."
Lawrien frowned. "You must really miss your clan."
"All the time," Epona said softly. "But I don't entirely regret being here either, to meet all of you, I suppose."
Lawrien grinned, barely holding back a laugh. She could feel Epona's amusement, despite how dry her tone was, but the warmth left Lawrien when she also felt Epona's sorrow, deep within her, but always there.
"I'm glad you're here too, even though I wish you didn't have to suffer to get to this point," Lawrien said, sighing. "But it seems like everyone had to..."
"I suppose to bear that pain and carry on forges a warrior's spirits in each of us," Epona murmured. "Not everyone could be a Grey Warden, Duncan recognised this, and only selected the few, not the many. He would never choose someone he didn't believe in to become a Grey Warden."
"I guess..." Lawrien frowned. "I just wish people didn't keep having to suffer. All these kids..." Lawrien gritted her teeth, her fists clenching in her lap. "Damn Irving. Damn Uldred."
Epona hesitated, but Lawrien paused when her hand settled on her shoulder, Epona squeezing it gently. Lawrien couldn't recall her ever doing that before.
"The children here will recover with time, even if the wounds never fully heal, but they will learn to be strong and pass their own Harrowings," Epona said, but then both paused when the journal of the Ranger Commander formed on Epona's lap, the book flipping open close to the end of the book.
'I fear for the end of this all. Solas... his pride might doom us all... if the others do not kill us first...'
"Solas?" Lawrien tilted her head.
Epona shrugged. "I don't know that name."
'Mythal... I don't understand, why would you... why would they... This cannot happen, we're supposed to help. We were all supposed to help. Why is it all falling down now?'
"I wonder if she speaks of the fall of the elven," Epona said mournfully.
"I don't know why..." Lawrien curled up, wrapping her arms around her knees. "But thinking about it makes me sad, not even because you're sad, but I am too."
Epona frowned. "Your family does have elven blood in them, perhaps it is linked to that?"
Lawrien shrugged. "Maybe."
They both paused when the door creaked open again, and Narascha popped her head inside, waving them both over. Lawrien gestured Epona to stay, and headed for the door. Narascha was fastening on her gauntlets, dressed in her armour once again.
Hadn't she only just went to sleep an hour ago?
"Nara?" Lawrien frowned.
"We've got trouble," Narascha sighed heavily.
Epona's brow was furrowed, and it took Lawrien a moment to realise that she could probably hear them, even from where she sat. Elf ears were so cool. Lawrien shook off the thought.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Cobian, Faren, Torph, Morrigan and Zevran were across the lake helping with the Templar bodies," Narascha reminded her. "The problem was, there was a group of bounty hunters at the nearby tavern who must have spotted them."
"So they're fighting right now?" Epona whispered.
Narascha grimaced. "No. It was an ambush. Torph only just managed to hide himself in time before they were all drugged and knocked out. Torph is only awake because he stabbed himself. He passed out when he arrived here while Morrigan explained the situation to me. Zevran is waking the guys up and we're getting ready to head out."
"Cobian and Faren have been captured?" Lawrien repeated quietly.
"Yes, they were both taken alive and unharmed, but they're unconscious," Narascha said. "We have to catch up to them."
"And if they have been hurt we'll crush them," Lawrien growled lowly, her fists clenching.
They took her Grey Wardens. They took her friends.
Nobody took her friends.
Myra appeared at the doorway, ushering in a half asleep Petra, who drowsily took Epona's chair when she offered it. Lawrien noticed that Myra carried both their packs too, hers and Epona's.
"I'll take watch over the children," Petra mumbled.
"Thank you." Epona nodded, taking her pack from Myra.
"Myra..." Lawrien faltered.
"I wish I could come with you, but the Circle needs me right now," Myra said. "I also would need permission from Irving, but right now he needs someone to keep an eye on him and keep him in check."
"Wynne already said she was joining us too," Lawrien sighed. "I wish it was you instead."
Myra smiled fondly. "I wish it was too, but this is not my journey to make it would seem." Myra yanked Lawrien into a hug. "You keep yourself safe, as well as you can do, and don't drive your Wardens insane. They need their sanity to survive this."
Lawrien grinned and hugged her back, squeezing tight. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you and Ciara too," Myra said, and Lawrien felt Ciara's longing at the same time, because they both pulled back to offer out an arm to Ciara, who stood across the hall from them, all armoured up and pack on her back. "Come here, Ciara."
"Yeah, get over here," Lawrien ordered. "Commander's orders."
Ciara snorted, but hurried over, pulling them both into a tight hug. "I love you both so much," Ciara said. "Stay safe, Myra."
"I'm not the one picking a fight with an Archdemon," Myra reminded them. "Just... make sure you both come back home to me, alright? And sooner than last time. It's been too long since I last saw you both."
"We'll do our best." Ciara nodded.
"And next time you should come with us," Lawrien said.
She really wanted Myra to come with them, and Anders too. Hopefully one day soon, but right now it was probably for the best.
Lawrien didn't want Myra fighting darkspawn. She wanted Myra to be free and happy, yes, but she didn't want to see Myra fight monsters either.
The darkspawn were some of the worst monsters in this world too. It would be better when they defeated the Blight, but until then, Myra should stay safe.
Lawrien didn't want to lose anymore of her family.
.:.
"I really am sorry, I'm not used to being such a damsel in distress," Zevran apologised as they all met down in front of the main doors. "But I really am acting like quite the damsel these days. I'll need to start picking out a pretty dress for myself and practise my fainting spells. Do you think I'll look good in pink?"
"That's my colour I'm afraid," Alistair insisted. "You'd do well in green I think."
Zevran chuckled. "Fair point, pink would bring out your eyes."
Epona had to fight off the urge to groan at them, instead she rolled her eyes, as Lawrien grinned.
Morrigan scowled and crossed her arms. "We let our guard down. It was foolish of us. We had gotten too complacent in the idea that no one was hunting down your bounties."
Torph groaned, his head slumped in his arms as he curled up miserably by the doors. "I've managed to make an antidote to this shit, but I still feel like crap because I cured myself last. I'm getting too soft for this shit."
Leliana threw him a sympathetic smile. "You've got the makings of a good hero in you, Torph."
"Fuck you."
Leliana giggled.
"Good, we're all here," Alistair said, nodding at them, while Epona knelt by Torph.
"Do you need anymore herbs to treat the poison?" Epona asked.
"Nah." He shook his head. "Just need to rest."
"You can rest on the boat back over," Lawrien said. "We're going! They took two of our own, so we're out for the hunt. I want these bounty hunters found, and if they've hurt Cobian and Faren, I want them crushed into dust."
Wynne stared at her with wide eyes. "Lawrien..." she whispered, horrified.
"I'm a Commander of the Grey Wardens, Wynne," Lawrien said firmly, her eyes locked on Wynne. "Get it through your head now, I'm not going to be a sweet, kind girl, I'm not going to be a pushover. I'm here to win this war against the Blight, and anyone who gets in my way will feel my wrath. I've watched too many people die to falter now."
Morrigan chuckled. "Rightly said. It's rare to see you so firm, Lawrien."
Sten nodded. "Very well. Let's go, Commander."
Epona paused at that, then smirked. Lawrien was even winning Sten's respect now? Good.
"Then let's go get the others back quickly," Alistair said. "They'll be heading to Denerim to hand Cobian and Faren over to Loghain, so we need to beat them there, or ambush them on the road."
"Let's set sail now," Ciara said. "If they are on horse back then we've lost too much ground already. We must be swift."
Epona frowned. "I fear I already know the answer to this question... but where is Calenhad?"
Everyone paused at that.
Torph groaned. "Fuck. We lost Cobian's damn dog. He'll throw a fit."
"Calenhad must be leading the charge!" Lawrien laughed.
"He can't take on four armed bounty hunters alone!" Epona scolded.
.:.
Cobian felt sluggish. His eyes were heavy, his head pounding, and mouth dry. He groaned softly and tried to move his hands to rub his head, but they resisted him. They remained bound behind his back.
"Cobian?" Faren called, from what sounded like far away.
Cobian groaned pitifully. He felt so tired and sore. His head was pounding so hard. He wanted to go back to sleep.
"They really have been keeping you drugged up well and truly..." Faren sighed heavily. "I guess they really don't want to risk you escaping since you're a Cousland. You're worth a lot of money."
The Dark Wolf would be too, but Cobian couldn't think of how much, or an explanation as to why, with his head so foggy and heavy.
"...I'll be fine..." Cobian mumbled, forcing his eyes open, where Faren sat on the floor across from him in a cage... oh... they were both in the cage... great...
.:.
Faren grimaced. Cobian wasn't doing well. They had been drugging Cobian for the past few days constantly to keep him weak and docile. Faren had picked his shackles long ago and was just waiting for an opening to escape, but with Cobian looking so weak, Faren wasn't sure if he would get an opening. Cobian was wanted alive, sure, so Faren wasn't too worried about him being handed over to his 'uncle Loghain', but he was worried about that traitorous snake Howe. If Howe got to Cobian and hurt him-
Faren gritted his teeth at the thought. He'd gut the bastard.
"We're about an hour out from Denerim now, wolf," the human said, throwing him a grin. "I'm pretty excited. You can see it in the distance now. We're getting close."
Yeah, that was a problem, their kidnappers were all on horseback, and they were being pulled on a cart, their hands bound with chains, and locked in a cage. Lawrien and the others wouldn't be on time to save them, not unless they somehow managed to get horses.
"So how you going to get us in without us being taken by the guards immediately?" Faren asked. "You said you wanted to sell me to my uncle, but how you going to manage that?"
"We're going in the smugglers way," the man said cheerfully.
"Fantastic," Faren huffed. "So I'll be sold off first."
"You should be happy about that, I hear there is a young Lord desperate to get a hold of you," the man said.
Faren fought off the urge to stiffen. Vaughan. It was Vaughan who was the Lord after him.
"But I prefer your uncle anyway, he's a lot more trustworthy than that brat. I bet someone like that would turn around and not pay you after you go out of your way to handle their problem."
Yeah, that sounded about right. Thank the Maker Vaughan didn't have a good reputation.