Chapter 1: Tempered or Broken

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all things Dragon Age

Duncan was worried. It had been nearly a week since they had fled Highever and his young companion had still shed no tears nor spoken a word that had not been in answer to a question from him. Even then her words had been few, empty of all emotion.

He watched her sitting across the fire, Shan, her mabari hound lying at her feet. She was oiling her daggers, checking her armour, the same thing every night after they'd set up camp. There had been no reason to draw their weapons since that first night, the roads had been surprisingly quiet once they had put some distance between Highever Castle and themselves. But every night she had taken care of her equipment as if it was bloodied and blunted from battle.

Part of him was impressed, not many noble born women – even a Ferelden woman – knew how to take care of arms and armour as she obviously did. But it also worried him, the way she sat a cloth polishing the blade over and over. Was she reliving that night? The smoke, the screams, the blood on her hands, the last sight of her parents?

When he had first met her she'd had a fire in her eyes and quality to her that spoke of solid iron in her spine. Would the murder of her family temper that iron or would it break it? Duncan just couldn't tell. This silent cold young woman was nothing like the fiery energetic storm of woman he'd watched in her father's training yard or the charming and light-hearted woman she been when her father introduced them.

The sound of blades clashing drew Duncan towards Highever Castle's training yard. As he turned the corner the sounds grew louder and he stopped for a moment to watch the two responsible for the noise.

One was a tall man, with reddish hair, wearing the armour of a Highever knight. Ser Gilmore, the man Duncan had come to see. But it was the knight's opponent that caused Duncan to pause. Dressed in closely fitted leather armour that showed off curves that would, in any other noble house, be clothed in the finest silk dress, the young woman was laughing as she ducked under Ser Gilmore's blade blocking his swing with a blade in one hand, pivoting on her right foot so that she spun around him and hit him on the back with the flat of the blade in her other hand.

"The infamous Lady Cousland" Duncan thought to himself.

He moved to stand beside Teyrn Cousland's weapon master Drugen, who appeared to be supervising the sparring match. Watching the two fighters circle each, he noted that for all her feminine curves her limbs were long, the muscles lean, hinting at a strength of body that he knew most people would not even look for never mind notice.

The pair continued oblivious to their audience, their blades whirling around them as they each parried and blocked the others strikes. Laughter coming from their lips as the each bated the other as only two who were long-time friends could.

"It's like watching her dance with those daggers of hers sometimes" the weapon master said to Duncan as he rested his arms on the fence beside him.

"Her skill is impressive, unusual for a Teyrn's daughter I would have thought" Duncan replied.

"Unusual, ha" Drugen laughed "That's our Lady Callie. Oh her mother's warrior trained, this is Ferelden after all. But Callie's always had a quickness and agility, along with quite a mischievous mind that meant she's always been more suited to the roguish style of fighting, plus she's also a bit of a dirty fighter."

Duncan noticed the affection in the old weapon masters voice as he spoke of the Teyrn's daughter; he'd noticed similar tones whenever the Lady Cousland was spoken of. Even in the inn that he'd stayed in the previous night. A group of Highever guards had been drinking and extoling the virtues of the lovely Lady Callie Cousland. One declaring loudly "There's not a noble born out there good enough for our Lady Callie" and another in response said "And may any that try end up under the blade of one of her daggers". That statement was met by cheers and laughter from the rest of the guards and it piqued Duncan's interest in the young Lady Cousland.

"Come on Ser Gil, you're not even trying now" Duncan heard Callie tease. "How am I supposed to get my counterattack right if you go easy on the attack part?"

Ser Gilmore laughed "I don't think your mother will be pleased if you're covered in bruises at dinner tonight, both Arl Howe and Lady Landra will be there. Don't they both have sons to marry you to?"

"Wretch" Callie yelled launching herself at him twin daggers spinning in her hands.

Ser Gilmore barely got his shield up in time to stop the blade in her right hand from taking out an eye. Callie skipped back a step realising how close she been to perhaps blinding her friend. Ser Gilmore took advantage of her hesitation pushing out with his shield knocking her on to her back. Taking a step towards her his longsword pointed down at her "Yield, my Lady?"

As the words left his mouth she wrapped her legs round his ankle and with a quick jerk he tumbled to the ground next to her. One dagger pointed at his groin the other at his throat "Do you yield, Ser Knight?" she growled playfully.

Drugen laughed "Should have known better than to bring up marriage" turning to Duncan as he pushed himself away from the fence "Excuse me while I go separate those two before they cause any permanent damage."

Duncan bowed his head to the man and watched as he made his way over to the two before turning away and heading back into the keep. Lady Cousland had most definitely piqued his interest.

Duncan sighed at the memory, she'd fought with spirit and passion even though she was only sparring and when the Teyrn had introduced them later her blue eyes had shone bright and her long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail swung back and forth across her back in barely controlled excitement as she all but begged to be allowed to talk to Duncan further.

The next time he'd seen her she was covered in blood, some of it her own, most thankfully not. Her face twisted and body shaking with nearly uncontrolled rage, she'd radiated it, her eyes burning with a fury that had made Duncan almost step back from her. That changed as she realised her father was dying and her mother had no intention of leaving him, grief warred with the rage across her face, he could see that she was going to refuse to leave them as the grief seemed to be winning the emotional war inside her. But then her father spoke of her brother Fergus, her duty as a Cousland and vengeance to be brought down on their betrayers and Duncan watched as all emotion drained from her face, her body stilled and her eyes grew cold and empty as the void. She'd nodded at her father's instructions and allowed Duncan to lead her away.

Callie felt Duncan's gaze on her as she polished the blade of her dagger, she knew it didn't need it, just like its twin had no need of it but it kept her hands busy. It helped her maintain the illusion of calm on the outside, maintain the barrier she had erected between the outside world and the chaos inside her head that was threatening to engulf her.

So many questions running through her mind, so many emotions she had no idea where to start. She'd been replaying everything before the attack in her head since they'd fled her home. Everything Howe had done and said that day, even other visits he'd made to the keep in the recent months. Looking for clues, hints at what he'd been planning. Were there other nobles involved? How in Andraste's name had he planned to explain the murder of her family? Was Fergus okay? Could she have saved them?

She frowned, catching sight of her frown reflecting in the blade of her dagger she decided it had been polished enough. Turning to put it back in its sheath her eyes rested on the wrapped bundle lying on the ground next to her. Her father's longsword, she'd taken it from the armoury during the attack. The sight of it caused an agonising pain to rip through her heart, almost causing her to gasp with the force of it.

"You're a Cousland, damn it" she thought to herself remembering her father's last words to her. "Duty, you have a duty remember, find Fergus, make sure he's safe, tell him what happened. Find Howe, make the bastard pay." She looked up at Duncan, sitting across the fire, considered him for a moment "And a duty to this man, to the Grey Wardens."

She'd been raised with the concept of duty her whole life, duty to her family, the people, the land, and she'd always accepted it. Of course her idea of doing her duty was a little different than her mothers. The idea of doing something useful for the people and the land, say being a member of the guard, something that made use of her preferred skill set. Keep the roads free of bandits, making the people safe. That was a much better way than her mother's - marrying some self-important noble's son, being his prize – a step up the court ladder, having his children, no that was never a plan she'd liked.

When Duncan had told her father that she'd make a good recruit for the wardens, she had liked that idea. She'd read the stories of the wardens of old, during the previous blights. She wasn't naive enough to believe it was all heroes and glory and happy endings, but if even half the horror the books described was true, being a warden was a duty she could live with. They didn't just keep a small patch of land safe, they fought for the lives and safety of all those living in Thedas. There was bound to be plenty opportunity for violence as a warden and that thought helped reinforce the wall holding in her emotions.

"So get to Ostagar, find Fergus tell him what happened. Then fulfil my duty to Duncan, become a Grey Warden" she thought "And somehow get to Howe and carve him to pieces for what he's done."

She rested her hand on Shan's head, running her fingers through his short fur. The mabari raised his head, his sorrowful eyes meeting hers. "I miss them too" she whispered to him. Shan huffed in response and laid his head on her leg closing his eyes as she scratched around his ear.

Taking a deep breath, she looked over at Duncan once more.

"Can you tell me more about the wardens, what it means to be one, what will be expected of me?"

Duncan nearly started at the sound of Callie's voice. Rubbing his hand over his beard Duncan considered for a moment, hoping that perhaps life was sparking somewhere inside her, and then said "I can tell you some just now, the rest will have to wait until after your joining"

Duncan told her what little he could. He always hated that, not being able to tell those he recruited what the dangers were, what kind of life he was condemning them to. But it must be done, it was necessary to fight the darkspawn, to end the blights. By all means necessary, were not just words to be spouted. When it came to the Grey Wardens that statement was absolute.

She was quiet for a time and Duncan wondered if his hope was premature, that she was falling back into herself, when she asked "Why did you want to recruit me? We'd never met before."

"I watched you spar with Ser Gilmore" he told her.

"You watched me spar?" she frowned "And that made you want to recruit me?"

"That and the things that I heard about you from the people at the castle" he smiled "I particularly liked your reaction to the prospect of marriage, that leaping attack was quite unexpected."

"You saw that?" Duncan nodded.

"I guess I've never exactly been keen on the idea of marriage. Most of the noble's sons I've met are all so self-important. They all expected me to be just some trophy to look pretty on their arm." She scowled looking down at her hands as some unpleasant thought crossed her mind.

"Did you know that murdering bastard" she said spitting the words through her teeth "had been trying to get my father to agree to a betrothal with his slimy clone of a son?"

Duncan watched her closely now as she raised her head and her eyes locked on his. A new fire blazed in those blue eyes, not like the warmth when they'd first met or the searing rage the night of the attack, this was entirely different. This fire was ice cold; this fire's promise was far more deadly.

"I will do my duty as a Grey Warden, this I promise." She almost whispered "Could I ask though…I mean… would you help me, my family, see that Howe gets what he deserves?"

Duncan winched inwardly at the pain that had seeped into her voice, even as she tried so hard to keep it in. Slowly he rose and walked over to her, putting a hand gently on her shoulder "I will do everything I can" he promised.

Looking into her eyes the old phrase cold iron came into Duncan's mind "You should get some sleep, I'll take first watch" he told her.

She nodded and told Shan to stay with Duncan and headed to her bedroll. Turning back to him she said "It's probably best if no-one knows how I am. Let them all think Callie Cousland is dead."

Duncan nodded his agreement, the image of those eyes burning lingering in his mind. "Cold iron indeed" he murmured.

Tempered not broken then, she's got a long way to go but it's a start.