Aedan Of Highever

by Milton Garby

  "You approach the tent of Teryn Loghain. State your business." The guard demanded.

  "Is the teryn inside? I would like to meet him."

  "Hmm. I suppose you might have something important to talk about. Wait here." The guard walked into the tent. Aedan waited and there he was, the legendary Hero of River Dane. Loghain's face was hard and gaunt, no doubt the result of the stresses of being a military leader. He wore Orlesian Chevalier armor, a trophy he took from the body of the Orlesian commander who lost the Battle of River Dane. Loghain was the only other teryn in all of Fereldan next to Aedan's father and just as powerful.

  "Yes, what is it? Ah, you're the new Grey Warden the king met, very impressive for one so young." The teryn observed.

  "I am not a Grey Warden yet, ser."

  "You impressed His Majesty nonetheless. Cailan's fascination with the Warden goes beyond the ordinary. Are you aware that his father allowed your order back to Fereldan?"

  Aedan was still in diapers when that happened. "Yes, my father told me about it."

  "Maric respected the Grey Wardens, they have an honored place in our people's hearts."

  Aedan didn't know that the teryn held the Grey Warden in such high esteem. Perhaps he knew the value of an order of men and women who sacrifice everything to stop the Blights?

  "You look familiar. Have I seen you at the Landsmeet?" Loghain inquired.

  "No, I've scarcely been out of Highever."

  "But your Bryce's youngest son. I never forget a face. I'm truly sorry about what happened to your family. The king told me of his promise. I have no doubt he has every intention of keeping his word."

  Aedan cringed in anger and anticipation at the thought of Arl Howe. "When I return to Highever I'm going to inflict an ungodly and painful death on Rendon Howe's miserable soul!"

  "And how do you intend to do that?"

  "With my teeth." Aedan promised with hate lacing his voice.

  Aedan's answer seemed to put Loghain off, but he wasn't surprised. "I don't suppose you'll be riding with the rest of your fellows into the thick of battle, will you?"

  "I truly don't know."

  "If Cailan has his way you will. Now I must return. Pray that our king proves to be a sensible man if we're going to make it through the night."

  "He seems like an utter fool to me." Aedan scoffed.

  "He is Maric's son and the leader of my beloved Fereldan." Loghain reminded sternly. "And a very young man. I try to remember that. So should you."

  Loghain returned back to and Aedan resumed his search for this Grey Warden, Alistair. Under other circumstances he would have been honored to have spoken with Loghain Mac Tir, unfortunately, there were more pressing matters at hand.

  After walking around the whole damned camp Aedan finally found Alistair and the two of them made their way back to Duncan to discuss the Joining. When Aedan found Alistair he was being chewed at but some mage, but Alistair just joked about it. He found him giving sassymouth to a mage and after he made the spellcaster leave in a huff Alistair finally noticed the dark-haired and blue-eyed stranger.

  "You know one good thing about the blight is how it brings people together." Alistair said sarcastically.

  Aedan was still in dismal mood but he decided to play his game. "Really? My family got the opposite treatment of the Blight."

  Alistair saw that this was probably a sore subject and decided not push it forward. "Your not a mage are you?"

  Aedan quirked an eyebrow. "Do I look like a fucking a mage to you?"

  "Well its not so strange seeing a tall, athletic mage carrying a sword, but I'd rather not risk being turned into a toad."

  "I can turn you into corpse instead, if you'd rather have that."

  "No. I'm content with just being me. Thank you very much."

  Aedan took a moment to observe Alistair. Alistair was a few inches shorter than himself and seemed to be around them same age. Alistair had strawberry blonde hair that oddly seemed to spike up towards the front. Despite having a glib tongue he carried himself like someone who had a lifetime of severe martial training. The way he stood and the way he carried himself, he seemed to be aware of what it was like to be a soldier, Aedan couldn't help but feel that Alistair looked very familiar.

  Quite surprising for a man who was training to become a Templar. From what Aedan had seen most Templars would sooner cut out a mage's tongue as to take an insult from them. The two of spoke a little about the history of the order and their approach on the darkspawn; Alistair spoke highly of Duncan and was grateful to be a Grey Warden. After speaking with him Aedan actually found Alistair to be quite welcome company. While he was a glib smartass, he seemed to understand the severity of his duty, but he didn't let that compromise who he was. Aedan respected that immensely.

  The two of them met up with Duncan and the other two recruits. "Ah, you're finally here." Duncan said, "At last we can begin. Assuming, of course, that you're quite finished riling up the mages, Alistair."

  "What can I say? The revered mother ambushed me! The way she wields guilt they should stick her in the army." Alistair defended.

  "She forced you to sass the mage, did she? We cannot afford to antagonize anyone, Alistair. We don't need to give anyone more ammunition against us." Duncan turned his attention to Aedan with a scornful look in his eye. "And you, Aedan. Did you really think assaulting a revered mother cannot have only negative consequences? Under any other circumstances you would have been thrown into the stocks of the prison!"

  Aedan shrugged at his obvious disapproval. "It was a mere test of faith, Duncan. It's not my fault she failed." That earned a snicker from Daveth and Alistair.

  Duncan sighed wearily. "You four are to go into the Korcari Wilds to perform two tasks. The first is to retrieve three vials of darkspawn bloo, one for each recruit."

  That seemed incredibly odd. "What do we need darkspawn blood for?"

  "For the Joining itself." Duncan answered. "You will learn more when you return from the Wilds."

  "Very well. Then what's the second task?"

  "There was once a Grey Warden archive in the Wilds, abandoned long ago when we could no longer afford to maintain such a remote outpost. It has come to our attention that some scrolls have been left behind, magically sealed to protect them. Alistair, I want you and your charges to retrieve the scrolls if you can."

  "What kind of scrolls are these?" Aedan inquired.

  "They were once considered formalities, but these scrolls are old treatise. These treatise were signed long ago between certain factions and the Grey Wardens. They obligate these factions to lend us suppot if we call them. And if the battles doesn't go in our favor tonight we may need them."

  "Retrieve darkspawn blood and recover the scrolls, got it!" Aedan confirmed.

  "Watch over your charges, Alistair. Return quickly, and safely."

  "We will." Alistair acknowledged.

  "Then may the Maker watch over your path. I will be here when you return."

  And so the four of them walked out of the camp gates and into the darkspawn tainted and beast-ridden Wilds to retrieve blood and old scrolls. Aedan was hoped for no more surprises, but so far all his hopes had gone up in smoke. As they walked into the swamps Aedan couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

  ~XoXoXo~

  Blessed are they who stand before

  The corrupt and the wicked and do not falter

  Blessed are the peacekeepers, champions of the just

  Benediction 4-10

  ~XoXoXo~

  "The path to peace is drenched in blood and littered with the bones of your fallen enemies." ~Teryna Isulde, wife of Teryn Hafter.

  Walking the Wilds...

  XoXoXo

  It had been some time since Morrigan had seen outsiders tromping through the Wilds. Well, interesting outsiders at least. There were those two misbegotten Chantry brothers who came to spread their faith to the Chasind, but the darkspawn made quick work of them both. Now, there were four ar
med men making their way through her Wilds and battling with the darkspawn. Much more interesting! From what she could tell these men were not from the army, they were far more skilled. Those fool scouts that were sent by the army were easily dismembered by the darkspawn, but these men not only put up a fight against the tainted wretches, they were actually driving them back! They even managed to save one of the fool scouts who survived his encounter with the darkspawn. It looked like the four were making their ways to the old Grey Warden tower. She decided to remain in wildcat form and follow them.

  Three of them were warriors. The rogue, a dirty, weasel-faced man using daggers kept away from the fighting and let his fellows do the lion's share and then he would dirk the enemy when they weren't looking. How boring. Another, who wielded a greatsword, was a balding, oafish ape of a man; he seemed as if he was going to become sick at everything he saw. How is it he survived this far? They all seemed to be looking to blonde one for guidance. He was handsome enough, she supposed. He wielded his sword and shield with great skill. His shield bore the Sunburst of the Chantry. Could he have been a Templar?

  But the one that caught her attention the most was the tattooed warrior. He was very handsome, the best looking of the group in fact, but the deep blue tattooing on his face just made him seem much more…exotic. And his fighting style was intriguing too. He wielded a sword in one hand and an axe in the other and a shield upon his back, unlike the others who kept close together in formation to protect themselves, the tattooed one moved forward with devastating purpose. He moved with such savage grace, letting none of his enemies stand in his way as he impaled their bodies and cleaved their skulls. This one was definitely worth keeping her eye on. Strange? The tattooed one was taking them off the path to the ruins. He was observing something upon the ground. Ah! He found one of the signs that Chasind leave behind to aide their allies. How observant and…enticing

  Aedan observed the rune he found near the tree stump. Chasind. There was no doubt in his mind. The Avvar taught him that the Chasind will test their kin and allies by leaving behind signs and trails for them to follow, and at the end of the trail was usually a cache of supplies. Well, the all only had what they could carry and they could use more equipment.

  "Aedan, we should press on toward the archive." Alistair insisted.

  "Not yet. These are Chasind trail signs. We should follow them."

  "Ch-chasind? They're savages! If we follow that we risk being eaten alive!" cried Daveth

  "I'm with him. This swamp is already dangerous enough with the darkspawn about! We don't need to be following after cannibals!" Jory agreed.

  "Listen. The Chasind left these signs behind to test the mettle of any who wish to pass in their swamps. We are poorly equipped as it is. If we follow them to the end there will most likely be equipment we can use to help us not only reach our destination, but maybe survive tonight's battle." Aedan explained.

  "Alright, you have point." Alistair sighed. "I suppose we could use anything to help give us an edge. But we can't forget our purpose here. And we must be careful there are still darkspawn hiding about."

  Aedan smiled at Alistair. "Come on, Alistair. You can never have too much darkspawn blood."

  Thanks to Aedan the four of them found the cache left behind by the Chasind, and they dispatched any darkspawn that got in their way. In the cache they found an assortment of arms, armor, poultices and remedies, these would be a major help to them.

  Amazing! Not only was the tattooed man able to recognize the Chasind's signs he was actually able to follow them to the trove the Chasind left behind. Morrigan had never seen an outsider such as him, perhaps he was a tribesman himself? If so why would he be traveling with the likes of these men? Clearly he was their better, what could possibly be tying him to them? Morrigan was very curious about this man, but it would have to wait. They were closely approaching the old ruins, with the largest group of darkspawn waiting for them.

  The archive was in sight. Their purpose here almost complete. Just one tiny detail. A rather large group of the blighted bastards stood in their path, numbering around thirty. So far they had been attacked by small ambushes, this however was a balls-out assault. The taller darkpawn, the hurlocks, had deathly pale skin covered in sores and scars, with no lips over their jagged teeth. The eyes were pale, lifeless yet so full of evil. And the stink! They smelled like a combination of rotting flesh mixed with a shit-filled privy cooking in the middle of summer and healthy amount of vomit! But, what made Aedan really sick was the fact that all he could see was Arl Howe's face on every one of these freaks! HE. MUST. DIE! Aedan charged forward towards the large group of 'spawn hacking, slashing and decapitating everything that got close to him!

  Alistair and Jory joined in the fray after him. "Daveth, watch our flank, keep them from getting around us!" Alistair ordered. The battle went in their favor. Alistair and Jory managed to keep the darkspawn flank from closing in on them. Daveth was able to whittle them down from behind. But Aedan withstood the frontal assault. Alistair has heard of berserkers, men who let their anger drive them and give them incredible strength and fight like men possessed, he even saw the Ash warriors fight in the previous battles. But Aedan was something different. His rage was tampered and disciplined, every move had a purpose, and the purpose was devastation! With his sword and axe Aedan effortlessly cut and cleaved anything that got within range of him. The battle was going in their favor, only a few of their enemy remained. But the last of them were being led by a Hurlock Alpha, wielding a crude but massive cudgel. The thing angrily swung its weapon and smashed a broken column into dust! Alistair saw Aedan withdraw his weapons and open his arms, inviting the massive creature to attack him. Had he lost his mind!?

  Incredible! Despite being vastly outnumbered for such a small group, they actually gained the upper hand. The other two warriors held the flanks, while the rogue continued to weaken their enemy from behind. But the tattooed man managed to hold the front all by himself! She had seen what possessed men could do, but this was far more impressive. He fought with no fear or reservation, yet he moved with such finesse and discipline. He was now about to face down the Hurlock Alpha by himself. Strange. He was putting his weapons away? He was going to fight the giant creature bare handed? And he was smiling at it. The alpha charged at the tattooed man swinging its massive weapon. The man ducked beneath the powerful swing and tackled the giant creature, raising it in the air and smashed it into the ground! The human got on top of the thing and ripped its helmet off its head, the darkspawn screamed at him, but the scream was met with the man's fist as he proceeded to pummel it to death!

  Even as Aedan beat the fucking alpha's brains out, all he could see was Arl Howe's face. Laughing at him! "Shut up!" He continued smashed his fists into Arl Howe's face, he felt his skull crush beneath his knuckles, but he continued to laugh and mock him! "SHUUT UUP!" His rage spiked and punched him even harder to silence him! Even with his brains splattered on the ground and on Aedan's hands he still…WOULDN'T… STOP…LAUGHING! As Aedan continued his assault he thought he heard someone calling his name in the back of his head.

  "Aedan! Aedan! AEDAN!" Alistair screamed. He got close enough to him so that he could hear, but just far enough so that Aedan couldn't direct his anger at him. "Aedan that's enough! It's dead!"

  Aedan broke from his rage and looked up to see Alistair standing over him. He looked down to see the Hurlock alpha he tackled, its head nothing more but a puddle of blood and chucks of skull. Arl Howe's face was gone and the laughing stopped. Aedan breathed the remaining anger out of his body and wiped the blood and brains on his onto the grass. Now calmed down Aedan walked toward the tower. "We're almost done here, let's go."

  Jory and Daveth were obviously put off by Aedan's viciousness, Alistair certainly didn't want to be on his bad side. Still, he'd rather have him fighting for them than against them. He supposed he couldn't blame Aedan for his anger, after all the man just lost his whole family and now he's being told he must
give up everything he was to stop the Blight. Alistair never had a real family so he couldn't imagine the anguish he was feeling.

  The four of them finally made their way to the ruined archive. This place was obviously ancient, not much of the tower stood. They searched the ruins for the treaties, but to no avail. Aedan found a chest that bore the seal of the Grey Wardens; it was empty. "Well, well. What have we here?"

  The four turned behind them to see the owner of that question. She was a raven haired young woman, with pale skin and golden eyes. Aedan had never seen such beautiful eyes before. Judging from her dark leather clothing that shamelessly showed off her feminine form, and the small animal bone talismans hanging from her she was Chasind. Strange. Aedan didn't know the Chasind had such beautiful women.

  "Are you a vulture, I wonder?" She approached from the ruin walking towards them but keeping her distance, striding with utter confidence, Aedan didn't take his eyes off her. "A scavenger, poking amidst a corpse whose bone were long since cleaned. Or merely an intruder, come to these darkspawn-filled Wilds of mine in search of easy prey?" She stood to face them, the confidence never leaving her face. "What say you, hmm? Scavenger or intruder?"

  "Intruders? Heh, and just how are these your Wilds?" Aedan inquired.

  The woman chuckle haughtily, "Because I know them as only one who owns them could. Can you say the same?"

  "Hmph. Fair enough." Aedan responded.

  "I have watched your progress for some time, now." Some more than others. "Where do they go, I wondered. Why are they here?" She walked past them and stood on a small hill next to a tree. "And now you disturb ashes that none have touched for so long. Why is that?"

  Aedan opened his mouth to respond but Alistair interjected, "Don't answer her. She looks Chasind, and that means others could be nearby."