Chapter 9: Ostagar

We will be traveling South through the Hinterlands to the ruins of Ostagar, on the edges of the Korcari Wilds. The Tevinter Imperium built Ostagar long ago to prevent the Wilders from invading the Northern Lowlands. It is fitting that we make our stand here, even if we face a different foe in that forest. The king's forces have clashed with the Darkspawn several times, but here is where the bulk of the horde will show itself. There are only a few Grey Wardens in Ferelden at the moment, but all of us are here. This Blight must be stopped here and now. If it spreads to the north, Ferelden will fall.

Artorias

As I entered the camp of Ferelden's Royal army High Command in the ruins of Ostagar, with Ferelden's Commander of the Grey and my fellow Grey Warden recruit, I had to resist the urge to growl at the guards that waved us through the gate. My temper was such that since our group of six split in half Duncan spoke to me only when absolutely necessary and Shiara all but avoided me.

But after the three of us crossed the crumbling Tevinter bridge and reached the camp proper, we were greeted by a sight that wiped the anger from my face and was replaced with a savage but faint smirk. For approaching the three of us was a man dressed in heavy gold colored armor with a Silverite great-sword strapped to his back, and who was flanked on both sides by two heavily armed guardsmen. The man had long blonde hair decorated with two warrior's braids by his temples, and that fell down the back of his head to his shoulders. Even if one had never met the man there was only one profession that the man's figure fit; that of the king.

And as King Cailan shook hands with and personally welcomed Duncan and Shiara, who had a look of wonder on her face at meeting royalty for the first time, visions of revenge and retribution flashed through my imagination, most of them ending with the Traitor dying painfully at the end of Balmung's edge.

"And ho friend, might I have your name?" Cailan held his hand out in welcome as he turned his attention from the blushing mage of the trio to me.

"Greetings, your majesty." I nodded my head respectfully as I shook his hand. "I am Artorias Cousland, son of Bryce and Eleanor Cousland, and Fergus' younger brother."

To my amusement the King's eyes widened at my claim, and his eyes searched mine and my face again for any resemblance to my mother and father. A resemblance he must have found if the widening of the smile on his face was any indication.

"Wonderful! You must be Bryce's youngest; we've never met but I never imagined you would look so different from your brother. Speaking of him, your brother arrived not too long ago now, and now we just wait for your father to arrive with Arl Howe and his forces."

At the mention of the Traitor and my father together my small smile turned into barred teeth and my hand bunched into a tight fist. Both signs that made the king's guards nervous and led them to grip their weapons tighter while watching me closely.

"He won't be coming your majesty." I growled through gritted teeth. "My father was killed when Castle Cousland was taken."

"What!?" Cailan pulled back from me aghast. "What are your talking about? Duncan do you have any knowledge on what he speaks of?

"Yes, your majesty." Duncan answered quickly, his eyes flicking between my tense form and the confused king. "Arl Rendon Howe has shown himself to be a traitor. He used his own forces to attack and capture Castle Cousland after the late Lord Cousland sent a majority of his forces with his eldest son to respond with your royal summons. Thankfully Lady Cousland and young Lord Oren were successfully evacuated from the castle, due mostly to the efforts of Artorias and a young elven woman named Halava Tabris. Had we not escaped he would have killed us and told you any wicked story he wished."

"I… I can scarcely believe it!" The king growled, his gold clad hand forming a tightly clenched fist as his brown eyes looked from the sullen orbs of the elder Grey Warden to my own furious blue-green orbs. "How could he think he could get away with such treachery! As soon as we are done here, I will turn my army North and bring Howe to Justice. You have my word."

"Thank you, your Majesty." I replied with a sharp, predatory smile. "I will look forward to removing Howe's head from his shoulders with you by my side."

The king's response was to take a frightened step back, a common response among my own soldiers when they saw my Hunting smile.

"Yes, we will see justice is done." The young king of Ferelden paused as if to ponder what his next words would be. "No doubt you wish to see your brother. Unfortunately, he and his men are scouting in the Wilds."

"I see…" I hummed. "With the eve of battle on the horizon, I am sure we will not see him or hear word of him until the battle is over."

"Yes! That is exactly so, how did you know?"

"Your Majesty, I have quite a lot of battle experience." My smile was vicious as I stretched my armored hands and wrists while gesturing to my sword sheathed on my back. "I mean no disrespect, but I have likely fought in many more battles than you as the grandmaster of the Order of Balmung. I know how the tides of battle flow and the processes that come before and after battle."

"I knew I had heard of you from someplace other than your parents!" The young king snapped his gold-clad fingers and looked at the dragon slayer with wide eyes. "I remember getting a short notice a few years ago about how one of my countrymen had granted considerable rank in the Navarran nobility for the feat of hunting down some dragon. Was that you? Will I have the honor of also being able to fight alongside of a dragon slayer?"

"Indeed, your Majesty." I smiled thinly, images of Fafnir's teeth flashing through my mind. "And excuse me your Majesty, but Fafnir was not just 'some dragon'. The beast was a monster in every sense of the word."

"Ah, my apologies. I had no intention to sound like I was belittling your hunt and achievement." Cailan smiled apologetically, his right hand reaching up and scratching the back of his head while shifting his blonde hair. "If you have some time later, I would love to hear the tale of your bat-"

"Cailan!" A rough, aged voice called out with obvious impatience. The person whom the voice belonged to, an aged man with dark hair nearly as dark as his eyes set on a face marred with wrinkles and stress lines, rounded the corner of one of the camp's ramparts. The man was fitted in well-crafted silverite plate armor from the neck down and on his back was a sheathed great sword around two feet shorter than my Balmung.

"My king," When the man's dark glower had beheld his liege speaking to such a large group of newcomers the words that had originally been on his lips had hastily been replaced but still sounded brash and callous. "There are matters we must speak of in private."

"Where are your manners Loghain?" Cailan's near perpetual smile faded again at the other man's behavior. "While I understand you are worried about the coming battle, one should always introduce themselves to the allies they will be fighting besides. You were the one that taught me that Father-in-law."

"Very well." The Teyrn of Gwaren's wrinkled brow creased further in annoyance and it was clear that he was trying very hard to keep his tongue in check. "Greetings, I; Loghain Mac Tir the Teyrn of Gwaren, welcome you to our camp and thank you for answering the king's summons to combat the Blight. Duncan, it is good to see you again. Can I assume these two are recruits set to join your ranks?"

"Thank you for the welcome my Teyrn." Duncan answered respectfully, drawing an eyebrow from Artorias who had been left with a deep frown following the old noble's brusque reception. "And you assume correctly my lord. This-" the Commander of the Grey motioned towards Shiara, who, to my humor, looked just as annoyed at the Teyrn as I currently was- "is Shiara Amell, a talented mage from the Ferelden Circle who has agreed to join our long vigil. And this young man-" Duncan motioned towards me as I stared challengingly into the older man's dark eyes with such intensity that the Teyrn's silverite-clad guards shifted uncomfortably and began reaching for their weapons- "is Artorias Cousland, the son of the late Lord Cousland and a dragon hunter of significant renown in Nevarra."

"The 'late' Lord Cousland?" My father's only political peer narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying that Bryce is dead? What happened."

"Arl Rendon Howe happened, my lord." I growled out, cutting Duncan off and drawing Loghain's attention to me. "After my father sent off my brother and his troops to join King Cailan's forces here, he assaulted Castle Cousland. His soldiers were ordered to slaughter everyone within; servants, guards, my family, and even visiting nobility. Among the deceased are my father, my sister-in-law Oriana, Lady Landra Loren, and Lady Loren's son Dairren Loren, not to mention the multitude of men and women that were employed as servants or guards of the castle."

"I see…" Loghain cupped his chin with his armored hands and narrowed his eyes even more. "And what of your brother's son, your nephew, and your mother? Does their omission to the list of the dead mean that they yet live?"

"Yes, my lord." I turned so that King Cailan could be included in the conversation. "I was just about to tell the king of their whereabouts before you joined us. When I originally heard of a Blight threatening my homeland the men and woman of the Order of Balmung, the order dragon hunters that I'm the head of, volunteered to accompany me and help me fight Darkspawn in the defense of Ferelden. I was among the first to make landfall with a force of around fifty and from there I ordered them to prepare the place we made land on for the rest of the Order while I traveled ahead to surprise my family and acquire information of where we should move to assist with the Blight. Yet while I was in Highever Howe showed himself to be a traitor and in response I have sent my mother, nephew, and Oriana's sole surviving handmaiden to seek shelter, safety, and support from my dragon hunters while I assist with combating the Blight."

By the end of my story both the King and Teyrn were looking at me with wide eyes, Cailan's blue eyes shining with respect while Loghain's dark orbs swirled with an emotion that I couldn't quite place.

"Clarify something for me young man." The older man's full attention was focused on me as he crossed his arms across his chest defensively. "Just how many men did you bring with you from Nevarra to assist us?"

"Just over five thousand." I shrugged as both men recoiled as if they had been physically shocked. "I would have brought more but a small outbreak of drakes and dragonlings in the land that constitutes the border of Nevarra and Orlais plus a request from the royal family had me send some of the younger members of the Order to hunt them instead of accompanying us. By now they should have all arrived and when mother reaches them, they will receive the letter I sent with her that orders them to assist her and my nephew in retaking Highever from Howe."

"Five thousand!" Loghain's hand rocked to his sword as he glared daggers at me. "You brought five thousand foreign soldiers onto Ferelden soil to do your family's bidding! Forget Rendon Howe, your actions are tantamount to treason! Give me one good reason why I should not execute you where you stand!"

To my surprise it was not me that responded to the threat, nor was it just one person.

"How dare you!" "Loghain!"

Shiara's and Cailan's voices raised in anger while they moved to stand in between the Teyrn and I, caught both Loghain and me by surprise. Following his actions, the King also looked surprised at the mage who had been rather quite since he had finished speaking to him. Shiara on the other hand…

"How dare you even insinuate that Sir Artorias and a man like Rendon Howe are even remotely alike! To even consider labeling Artorias in the same vein as a Traitor like Howe is foolish and rash to the extent of blind fanaticism or stupidity! Sir Artorias brought the men and woman of the Order of Balmung for the sole purpose of combating the Blight and minimalizing the damage that the Darkspawn will do on Ferelden soil. He only repurposed their efforts here after his father and sister were slain by Howe's treachery! Bryce Cousland was a fair and kind man and ruler, and Oriana Cousland was sweat and loving mother and wife, neither of them deserved to die in the such a manner. Sir Artorias is only doing what is just by commanding his troops to protect-"

"I could care less about the Orlesian whore-" the blood in my veins boiled and the world lost its color as the rest of Mac Tir's words flowed around me like water- "that Bryce's eldest married! Alive or dead, dead family or not, landing a foreign army on Ferelden soil is the action of a traitor!"

Teyrn Loghain looked to continue his rant only to find that something was getting in the way of him saying any more words, that thing being the tip of Balmung that was now unsheathed and hovering in-between his teeth inches away from killing or maiming the older man in any number of ways. I don't even remember moving but at some point after he had insulted Oriana, I had drew the mythic sword, shoved my way between Shiara and Cailan, and thrusted the sword so that the tip of the blade was now hovering inside of Loghain's mouth just centimeters away from removing his disrespectful tongue.

"If you insult my sister-in-law again, or any of my family for that matter, I will cut out your insolent tongue and cut off your hands one finger at a time. After you bleed out, I will tear your body apart by hand and bury the different parts around the world after I have burned and salted the burial grounds save for your head with which I will feed to the piranhas of the Seheron sea. Should you instead survive, I will impale you on my blade and carry you like a standard into battle against the Darkspawn so that their blood may taint your corps and deny you an honorable funeral. Am I understood Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir?"

To accentuate my threat, as I drew the end of Balmung from out of Loghain's shuddering jaws, I floated the blade to the left side of the man's mouth and left an inch-long cut from the old man's lips towards his jaw. Then, with one last smoldering glare directed at the Teyrn, I returned Balmung to its sheath and turned my attention to the leader of all Grey Wardens in Ferelden.

"Duncan," I rose my chin and huffed in an imperious manner, doing my best to speak like my dearly departed sister used to when she encountered something that offended her delicate disabilities, minus the accent that I had never quite managed to learn how to imitate. "I do believe that it is time Shiara and I partake in whatever ritual is necessary for use to be considered Grey Wardens. How should we proceed?"

At the sound of her name Shiara stopped scowling at Loghain and nodded her agreement to my words while looking up at Duncan with determined eyes.

"Very well, that might just be the best choice of action at this juncture." Duncan sighed, his gaze flickering between Shiara and I and the King who was dressing down the Hero of River Dane for his conduct. "I want the two of you to familiarize yourselves with camp, meet some of the others that will be fighting besides us and get a lay of the land, then look for a Grey Warden named Alistair who is around both of your age. He shouldn't be too difficult to find, just follow the sound of never-ending chatter, and as the junior-most Warden of the Order he will be the one leading you two and the rest of the recruits on your trial."

Duncan paused to wait for Shiara and my nods of understanding before continuing.

"In the meantime, I will take you Mabari with me so that he can be treated to be resistant to Darkspawn Taint. I hope that is acceptable?"

"Of course." I affirmed seriously before kneeling to address Culainn who had been oddly quite since Loghain's appearance. The hound had been looking up at the older man with sad and confused eyes but as I kneeled beside him, he turned his attention to me.

"Ok boy, I need you to go with Duncan for a while and do whatever he asks of you or eat what he asks you to eat, even if what he gives you tastes bad. You understand?" I smiled slightly at my hound's upturned nose and look of annoyance even as he did as I asked and turned to follow Duncan as the older man walked away.

"Well then," I smiled gaily at Shiara while bowing slightly at the waist. "Welcome to Ostagar, Lady Shiara. Would you like to take the lead, or shall I?"

"Why thank you, Sir Artorias. I think I will." Shiara smiled as she led the way further into camp. "So, where do you think we will find this Alistair individual? Maybe we should find our fellow recruits first and they might know of his locati-"

"Shiara, dear, is that you?" An elderly voice interrupted Shiara's thoughts as an older woman approached my fellow recruit and I. The woman was dressed in robes similar to the one that Shiara was wearing, though hers were adorned with small golden trinkets and looked more elaborate than Shiara's basic robes, and in her hand she gripped a staff of twisted metal that depicted two dragon heads biting into a crystal orb. The elderly mage's eyes were a deep blue color that spoke of grandparental concern, grey hair tied into a stiff bun, and a pale complexion that revealed her lack of contact with sunlight.

"Wynne!" Shiara exclaimed joyously, dropping her staff and forcing me to catch the foci as my fellow recruit lunged forward to wrap the older woman in a tight hug, something that the reciprocate seemed to have been expecting if her smile was anything to go by. More than happy to allow Shiara the chance to reunite with someone she cared about, I quietly moved closer to the hugging duo and silently offered to hold the madam's staff so that she didn't have to hug our mutual acquaintance so awkwardly. Some of the passing soldiers treated me with strange looks for playing the part of a magical staff stand and any soldier wearing the gold wyvern of Gwaren glared at me with considerable loathing, I easily shrugged off such attention as inconsequential in the face of Shiara's happily tearful reunion with this elder mage.

"It is so good to see you again, my dear." The mage named Wynne closed her eyes and smiled as she rested her head on Shiara's right shoulder, before the two of them began to separate but continued to grasp each other's arms. "But what in the Maker's name brings you here? You hadn't even completed you Harrowing before I left to assist the King's Army and yet here you are despite Gregor's command that no Enchanters without at least five years of experience be allowed to assist with the war effort."

"Quite a bit happened Wynne," Shiara's smile fell as she fully separated from her friend and accepted her staff as I offered it to her, and action I repeated with Wynne's staff and that she accepted as well. "I did pass my Harrowing but, I don't know how to tell you this, afterwards I was involved in a series of events that resulted in me nearly being made Tranquil on Gregor's orders and the only reason I got out of that was because Commander Duncan was visiting at the time and saved my life by invoking the Right of Conscription."

"What!" Wynne's eyes narrowed in anger I sparks of arcane power began to roll off her willowy form as a response to her heightened emotional state. "How dare he! As long as you pass your Harrowing then he has no right to make anyone Tranquil, especially not a talented and rule abiding young woman such as yourself! When I get back, I will have words with that man, and he will not appreciate them!"

"Thank you, Wynne." Shiara smiled tearfully at the elder woman. "I've had a few days to come to terms with it and the series of unfortunate events that led up to Gregor's decision, and while I can't ever forgive him, I do understand why he felt the punishment necessary."

"That man has always been paranoid and prone to rash decisions, but usually his worst tendencies can be reined in by Denerim's Revered Mother. What could have possible happened that made him to take such a leap of logic?"

"It is a long story Wynne." Shiara made a face that was somewhere between a bitter smile and an angered frown. "The short of it is that Jowan revealed to the Tower that he was practicing Blood Magic and he did so in a way that made Gregor question whether I, as his friend, was also a practitioner."

"Jowan used Blood Magic! How horrid!" The Enchanter's free boney hand shot to cover her mouth in disgust before she composed herself and decided to change the subject. "But what is done, is done. I suppose that means that you are here as a recruit for the Grey Wardens then? Is this kind young man also one as well?"

"You are correct on both accounts Wynne." Shiara turned to include me in her conversation with the older woman. "May I introduce Ser Artorias Cousland; the younger son of Teyrn Bryce and Teyrna Eleanor Cousland of Highever, renowned dragon hunter, and a fellow Grey Warden recruit."

"Greetings madam Enchanter." I bowed slightly as an easy smile formed on my lips and a offered a hand in greeting. "It is quite nice to meet someone else who appreciates Shiara's presence as much as I have come to in the short time, I have been traveling with her. She has proven herself to be a most loyal friend and pleasant travelling companion. Now I wonder if, perhaps, you may have had a hand in that?"

"Oh, I know your type, you flatterer." Wynne chuckled as she accepted my hand and shook it slightly, her eyes darting back and forth from Shiara's rapidly reddening face and my gaze, an action that I too was doing as my smile grew. "I'll admit that I was one of the Enchanters that watched over Shiara more often than not when she was a child, but I wholeheartedly believe she would have grown into the splendid woman she is today with or without my presence in her life. That being said, I am so happy that she made a friend so soon after leaving the Tower. She had such a hard time making friends when she first came to the Tower, and it was something she never got better at as she got older because she spent so much of her time in the Tower library either learning new magic or, funnily enough, reading fairy tales about hansom knights in shining armor."

"Ok then I think we better get going!" Shiara, her face red as a tomato and her mismatch eyes darting frantically between Wynne and I, exclaimed as she grabbed my free hand and began to try and pull me away from her old caregiver. "It was really good to see you again Wynne, we'll have to speak again later but right now Artorias and I need to do some really important Grey Warden business! Bye!"

Despite the massive difference in strength between us, I allowed the young mage to pull me away but before I directed a mischievous grin at the Tower Enchanter, one that she returned though with less teeth. In her hurry to separate Wynne and I (and presumably the many embarrassing stories that the ender mage could share with me about her) Shiara lead use blindly up a slight slope at such speed that she almost tripped over two men that were moving in the opposite direction as us.

The first man, the one who was leading the duo, was a short man with a lanky body dressed in leather armor that he was clearly unused to wearing. His dark hair was tied into a low tail that trailed to just below his shoulders while his eyes, equally as dark, rapidly darted to and fro in an undeniably shift manner though they stopped and focused on Shiara the moment she nearly tripped over them with me in toe. After that his gaze morphed from a constant weariness to an obvious appreciation of the physical nature, yet as he worked a charming smile onto his thin and bristly-stubble covered face, I could sense no foul intentions from the man so refrained from doing anything but continue to examine the duo.

The second man was almost his fellow's complete opposite, being of bulky stature and higher than average height. This man had closely shaved dark-red hair and a matching goatee while his eyes, a muddy brown that naturally hid his emotions, always seemed to look straight ahead. This man was dressed in leather-covered chainmail that, by his ease in walking with the mid-weight armor, he obviously had practice wearing. The moment Shiara and I had crossed his path the man's brown eyes and looked to and focused on the staff in Shiara's hand as a deep frown formed on his chubby face until his gaze turned to me and turned apprehensive when he took note of the hilt of the weapon that showed over my shoulder.

"Well, you two are not what I thought you'd be." The shorter man said abruptly after he took stock in Shiara and I.

"Oh?" Shiara directed that smile that people use when they were not happy at the short man. "And what exactly were you expecting my companion and to be?"

"I mean no offense my lady, mage?" The man stumbled with his words while trying to recover from putting his foot in his mouth. "I just mean that while I had hoped to see some more beautiful ladies to join our company, I didn't actually expect any to actually join the knight and I as perspective Grey Warden recruits. As for your… friend? I doubt anyone expected such a warrior to join us in fighting the Darkspawn."

"True enough." I chuckled lightly at the sight of my fellow recruit struggling with not angering Shiara any further before I stepped forward and offered my hand to the shorter man. "Artorias Cousland, it is nice to meet a fellow Grey Warden recruit. We will be comrades at arms for a time, so it is in our best interests to get along."

"As Artorias says." Shiara seemed to be struggling not to frown at something I had said, if the way her mismatched eyes seemed to constantly flicker in my direction even as she tried to be friendly while introducing herself. "My name is Shiara Amell, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Daveth." The shorter man introduced himself with a smile.

"I am Ser Jory, a knight of Redcliff in service of Highever." The more heavily armored of the two introduced himself with a slight bow. "I am at your service Lord Cousland."

"Your loyalty does you credit Ser Jory." I responded with mechanical instinct that barely hid my annoyance at his words. "But you are soon to join the ranks of the Grey Wardens, they will be your superior not I."

The knight did not seem to know how to respond to my words, so I turned my attention back to Shiara and Daveth who were now having a far more animated discussion.

"I can't tell you how relieved I am that you will be joining the Wardens with us Mrs. Shiara." Daveth smiled at the beauty while scratching his neck. "Before Duncan caught me trying to cut his purse I, like most people, were terribly afraid of the thought of magic. Now however, with a future of fighting the Blight and Darkspawn ahead of me, I just feel relieved that we'll have someone who can shoot fire from her fingers and call lightning from the sky watching our backs and helping us push the threat out of Ferelden. Especially if the rumors I heard from the older Wardens are true."

"Well, I'll do my best to keep us all healed and protect us from Darkspawn." Shiara smiled sheepishly before our fellow recruit's other words also registered. "But what do you mean when you speak of rumors?"

"Well, ya know how the other Wardens refuse to tell us anything about the Joining we have to go through?" Shiara's question seemed to influence the former thief as he was no speaking with much more energy and hand waving. "Well, I hate surprises, so I've been doing some sneaking around and ease dropping but even with that I have heard very little. But from what I have learned, I think we will need to go into the Wilds and fight Darkspawn."

"Really?" I smiled wide and responded after Shiara failed to respond as she was deep in her own head, if her look of concentration was any indication. "That should be fun. I've been looking forward to seeing what exactly a Darkspawn looks like so that I may have an idea what we will be killing until the War is over."

My answer seemed to put both Daveth and Jory off as they took a few steps away from my form.

"Ah, yes." Shiara just looked slightly annoyed at my remark as she came out of her deep thoughts. "I'm starting to see why you have distinguished yourself as a Dragon Hunter, Ser Artorias. In any case gentlemen, we will speak to you later. Duncan ordered us to look for a Warden by the name of Alistair and I think we have put off task for long enough."

With her piece said Shiara spun on her heel to continue our search for the missing Warden, and, with one last lazy smile directed at the two fellow recruits, I followed.

Not five minutes later Shiara and I found our quarry… and one very angry looking mage who looked only moments away from hitting the more experienced Grey Warden with a bolt of lightning.

"What is it now? Haven't the Grey Wardens asked from more than enough from the Circle." The mage dressed in garish orange and yellow accent thread robes groused at the Junior Warden Shiara and I were tasked with finding.

"I simply came to deliver a message from the Revered Mother, ser mage." Warden Alistair spoke haltingly in a manner that was obviously meant not to annoy the magic user. "She desires your presence."

"What her Reverence desires is of no concern of mine." The young Warden's attempts at not annoying the male mage obviously failed as the man's face got redder and redder in anger. "I am busy helping the Grey Wardens - by the King's orders, might I add."

"Should I have asked her to write a note?" Alistair asked glibly.

"Tell her that I will not be harassed in this manner!" The mage growled in response.

"Yes, I was harassing you by delivering a message." Alistair taunted the orange-clad mage with a quirked eyebrow and grin.

In response the mage almost pouted. "Your glibness does you no credit."

From where Shiara and I were approaching the two, I could see that the junior Warden's mouth had quirked into an amused smile. He was obviously not going to let the mage go without ribbing him a bit more.

"Here I thought we were all getting along so well. I was even going to name one of my children after you… the grumpy one."

There it is.

"Enough." The mage finally gave up. "I will speak to the woman is I must."

With a stride filled to the brim with self-import and aggravation the mage stomped towards Shiara and I, his face twisted into a snarl.

"Get out of my way, fools!" The aggrieved mage snarled as he tried to brush between me and Shiara.

His attempt unceremoniously halted when my left arm rose and blocked his path and his entire body strength was insufficient to overpower my one arm. With a severe frown on my lips and a cold glare behind my seafoam eyes I stared down at the mage who was now rapidly paling at the sight of a very tall and heavily armored man staring bloody murder at him too close for his magic to be of use.

"That was quite rude, ser mage." I spoke slowly and softly, punctuating my words with moving my blocking arm to grip his shoulder. "I do believe that you owe Lady Amell and I an apology for such vulgar behavior."

"Amell?" The mage's eyes widened and shifted to look at Shiara before narrowing. "Apprentice Amell, what are you doing here? You were not chosen to assist the Ferelden Army against the Darkspawn, and please call off your barbaric guard-dog."

"Senior Enchanter Lyle," Directed a smile at the uncouth fellow that was in no way meant for those you consider pleasant, his mismatched eyes glowing with ire. "I am not here as a member of the Circle of Magi but as a recruit of the Grey Wardens, as is my friend here whom you just insulted. That reminds me, introductions are in order."

"My Lord," The silver-gold haired mage smiled mischievously at me while indicating towards the mage Lyle in the same manner one would be introduced in court. "This is Senior Enchanter Lyle. An experienced practitioner of Elemental Magics and a member of the Libertarians. Senior Enchanter, this is Lord Artorias Cousland, the younger son of Teyrna Eleanor Cousland and, along with her, the regent of Highever until Lord Fergus Cousland returns from this war to take up the responsibility."

"Ahh…" The foul-tempered mage looked up at me in a new light as it dawned on him that he had just insulted a rather prominent noble. "I sincerely apologize from my inexcusable behavior my lord. Warden-recruit Amell, I beg for your forgiveness as well. Now, if you fine Wardens will excuse me, I must get back to my business."

Then, like a rat running scared, the annoying enchanter ducked around my raised arm and scurried off with his preverbal tail tucked between his legs leaving Shiara, Warden Alistair, and myself alone with only the sound of violent winds blowing in from the south.

"Now that was a rather impressive showing friends." The red-haired Grey Warden joked lightly, breaking the silence that existed between the three of us. "My name is Alistair, but I gathered that you already knew that, and thank you for making him scurry away like that. It was the funniest thing I've seen all day."

In response I only smirked and didn't say a word while Shiara smiled innocently and pretended she had no idea what the Junior Warden was talking about.

"Why whatever could you be referring to Warden Alistair?" the young she-mage batted her lashes as she playfully laced her fingers together behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels. "All I did was introduce my old; least favorite, lecturer to Lord Cousland here."

"Riiiiight…" Alistair obviously didn't buy her faux innocence in the slightest. "Anyway, you two are the new recruits Duncan brought with him, today right? Shiara Amell and Artorias Cousland? Shit! I mean Lord Cousland, my apologies my lord."

My smirk grew wider at the more experienced Warden's panicked stumbling at trying to figure out what name he should use to address me, but before I could respond to rib at that fact Shiara spoke up.

"Artorias is fine Alistair." Shiara answered for me. "We only put on that song and dance to mess with that ass. He let me use his first name almost immediately after meeting him, I'm sure he wont mind if you do too."

Discreetly looking down at the petite mage that had just spoken for me, I took a moment to try and figure out where her sudden laissez-faire attitude towards manners came from. Almost instantly I saw that gleam in her eye that one only sees in people who have a specific interest in who they are addressing. My newest friend had a rather considerable crush on the Junior Warden that was our immediate superior, it was so obvious that it was a miracle that Shiara's cheeks weren't flushed red.

"How nice of you to acquiesce for me Shiara." I grinned as the young mage did blush at my pointing out of her mistake. "But she is right Alistair, addressing my by Artorias will be fine. Since we will be working together until the Blight is dealt with please watch over Shiara. I'm sure she will be grateful."

"Um sure?" The red head looked lost at my words as he glanced between my amused grin and Shiara's rapidly reddening face. "But don't you mean 'watch over Shiara and myself' or something along those lines? You only mentioned her."

"Did I?" My grin only widened when the mage of our group was forced to face away from us to hide just how prominent her blush was. "That's my bad. Either way I'm su-"

"HEY!" My continued teasing was cut off by the blushing beauty whose voice had risen to drown out my own. "Shouldn't we go speak with Duncan or something? Finish our Grey Warden initiation or whatever it is called?"

"The Joining." Instantly any and all mirth vanished from the initiated Grey Warden, his brown eyes flickering between the two of us as if searching for something. "It is called the Joining and I suppose we should reconvene with Duncan and get your Joining done with, no reason to draw it out."