Chapter 10

The family ran as fast as they could. The mother, her daughter, and her two sons, all of them together. Their town was in flames, the people of their home were dying. More and more died every second. The creatures had overrun them in minutes.

They were lucky to have made it as far as they did, but even though they had managed to avoid the initial slaughter, the waves of Darkspawn weren't willing to give up.

They chased the family feverously, and they narrowly succeeded in their pursuit when the mother collapsed.

The Darkspawn rushed the woman, but before they could get to her, the daughter turned, and with a wave of her thin wooden staff, set the narrow pathway behind her mother on fire. Few of the Darkspawn dropped to the ground, dead. But that didn't stop all of them. The ones that fell, dead, were used as steppingstones for the rest of the Darkspawn to break rush forward.

The Darkspawn, closing in on the mother and daughter, were quickly met by the two sons, each of them cutting down a darkspawn with the blades in their hands. The tallest of the two men, wielded a simple long sword, nothing fancy. The second one, however, though shorter in stature, wielded a greatsword nearly twice his own height, and swung it around with such ease that it seemed like a feather. The Mabari that was with the family, simply hid behind the shorter brother, while he confronted the creatures.

" I think's that's all of them." The taller one said to his brother.

The brother nodded in response, he turned away from the darkspawn and ran to the two women.

" Mother, Bethany. Are you alright?" The man asked.

" We are. Garret, Carver. My boys, thank you. You too, Bethany." Leandra, the mother of the Garret, Carver, and Bethany began to cry.

" Mother, what's wrong?" Bethany asked the woman.

" It's all gone. Everything your father and I built. We've lost it all." Leandra muttered. She looked at the burning town and nearly broke down.

" At least we're still alive. That's no small feat." Garret exclaimed. He was breathing heavy. He hadn't a real fight in a long time, let alone something like this. He was beginning to grow tired.

" You're right." Leandra spoke. She wiped her eyes clear and stood back up. She was ready to continue forward.

" We should have run sooner. Why did we wait so long?" Bethany asked. She was frustrated. They all were. Though Bethany looked directly at Carver when she asked.

" Why are you looking at me? I've been running since Ostegar." Carver told the woman.

" Listen you, two. The Darkspawn could be on us any minute. We don't have time to argue with one another." Garret told the two.

" Please, listen to your brother." Leandra begged her kids.

Carver and Bethany stopped glaring at each other for the moment. They knew that it wasn't the time to argue with one another.

" Then lead the way." Carver told Garret.

Garret, nodded, and took the lead. He continued running through the narrow valley, away from Lothering. Their goal was to get as far away from the Darkspawn as possible. But with the way the world was now, that would be easier said than done.

Eventually, the family came to a stop in the road.

" This is ridiculous. Where are we going?" Bethany asked the men.

" Where do you think we're going? Away from the Darkspawn." Carver responded.

" Yes, but where after? Where are we going to go once, we're away from the Darkspawn?" Bethany asked.

It was a fair question. Even if they managed to get away from the darkspawn horde, they still had nothing on them, to survive. Where would they go for supplies, how would they eat, where would they live now that they have lost everything they owned?

" We'll go to Kirkwall." Leandra spoke up.

Garret, Carver, and Bethany looked at their mother like she was crazy.

" I do not like that idea, mother." Garret told the woman.

" Kirkwall has templars mother. Lots of Templars." Bethan stated. She was worried, and for good reason. Mages, no matter how old or young, when they discover their powers are required to surrender themselves to the Circles of Magi, where they will be monitored and policed by the Knights-Templars. Anyone who refuses to obey that law, will be labeled as an apostate and dubbed a criminal. Their punishment can range from simple imprisonment to death. Bethany by law, was an apostate.

" I know that!" Leandra exclaimed. She hated the idea of her daughter being forced away from her more than anything else in the world. She had always feared Bethany being found out and when her husband died that fear become even worse. " But we have family there.... And an estate."

Bethany sighed in frustration. she hated the idea so desperately, but there was no other place she or the others could think to go.

" Then we need to get to Gwaren and take ship." Bethany stated.

" If we survive that long. I'll just be happy to get out of here." Carve exclaimed. " And can we please stop, stopping?" He asked as he continued marching forward.

" Carver, wait!" Garret yelled. He ran ahead of his brother and stopped him.

" What is it, Garret?" Carver asked.

" Do you hear that? The sound of fighting. We need to be careful." Garret told the man. He moved ahead of Carver, and with his blade drawn, continued down the narrow path, as if he had anywhere else to go.

Garret rounded the mountain pass, and there the source of the noise was found. Two knights of the Templar order, surrounded by darkspawn. Fighting.

The male knight was injured, bleeding from a wound on his back that seemed severe. And his partner, a female knight, holding up a shield and covering for the injured man.

The Darkspawn were distracted by their prey.

Garret and Carver snuck up behind the darkspawn, all six of them, and as quickly as they could the two brothers cut down two of the darkspawn, cutting their heads off from behind. Quick and effortlessly.

The surprise caught the darkspawn off-guard, and the female knight took advantage of the distraction, but bashing her shield against one of the darkspawn's head, knocking it off of its feet. She then raised her blade up and stabbed it down inside the monster's chest, killing it.

The numbers advantage the darkspawn held quickly vanished, and now they were the ones being outnumbered.

Bethany cast a spell of fire, blasting two small sized fire balls at the remaining two darkspawn.

The creature's blocked the attack, but left themselves open to Garret and Carver, who, despite tiring out, killed the two creatures with a swing of their swords.

Garret and Carver, both bent over. They were tired and exhausted and needed to catch their breaths.

The female knight, ignored the men and instead turned to her partner and helped him to his feet.

" Are you alright?" Bethany asked the woman.

" Apostate! Stay back." The male knight suddenly snapped at Bethany, despite her attempts to help.

" Well, the maker has a sense of humor. Darkspawn and now a Templar. I thought the Templars all abandoned Lothering?" Bethany asked the man.

" The spawn are clear in their intent. But a mage is always unknown.... The order dictates." The man, struggled to breathe his words to life. But his intentions were clear none the less.

" I don't care what your order dictates. No one's touching my sister." Garret suddenly found a new life breathed into his body. He lifted his sword off the ground and placed it across his shoulder. He stepped towards the two templars aggressively. He enjoyed a good fight, but a killer he was not. And the idea wasn't particularly charming to him. But Bethany was his sister, his annoying bratty little sister, and there is nothing in this world that Garret would not do to protect her from harm.

" Wesley." The Female knight spoke to the man, her voice soft and pleading.

" The order dictates!" Wesley exclaimed. He stepped towards Garret without fear or hesitation. He glared the man in his eyes.

" You're going to find the order is the least of your problems, my friend." Carver stated.

He and Garret had Wesley and the other knight surrounded on both sides.

" Dear, they saved us. The maker understands." The woman told Wesley.

Wesley looked Garret deep in his eyes, and when he saw that the man wasn't backing down, he buckled.

" Of course." Wesley spoke. He backed away from Garret without saying another word and took his place at the woman's side.

" I am Aveline Vallen. This is my husband Ser Wesley." Aveline told the group. " We can hate each other when we're safe from the horde."

" That sounds good and all. But I have to ask.... What are you doing out here? This seems like a strange time to be hunting apostates." Garret asked the woman. " His fellows." Garret said pointing to Wesley. " Left with the Chantry priests."

" I was traveling to Denerim on business for the order. But I had to turn south when I heard of Ostegar." Wesley told Garret.

" Bad luck and Judgement brought us together before the attack." Aveline added on.

" Well, the nice Templar has been convinced to postpone his hunt for illegal mages. So, let's not dwell upon it shall we?" Bethany joked, but in her mind, she was scared. Now it was known she was a mage. That meant sooner or later now, she would have to be taken in by the circle or killed by the order.

" Wise girl." Aveline spoke.

" Fine, but you try and hurt my sister, and I promise, the darkspawn will be the least of your concern." Garret stated. He relaxed his stance, lowered his blade. He would trust the two of them, for now. " We need to keep moving. Do you two have any idea where to go? Anywhere safe?" Garret asked the two.

" The north is cut off by the main body of the horde. We barely escaped alive." Aveline explained.

" Then we're trapped! The wilds are to the south, there's no way out!" Carver exclaimed.

" Well brother, if the options are south or die, I'll take my chances with south." Garret told Carver. " Come along, now pups. Let's be going."

" You know brother, it is really a bad time for your smart-ass to be showing." Bethany said to Garret.

Garret looked back at his sister and flashed her a toothy grin.

Though irritated, Bethany did breathe a sigh of relief. Even at a time like this she knew Garret and Carver had her back and would protect her. So, she'll allow him a few moments of being smug. At least a little.

Garret, Carver and Aveline led the way further down the path, the darkspawn were swarming the area, so moving unnoticed began to grow harder and harder, especially with the sudden increase in group size.

The roads were treacherous, spikes and traps littered them all around. And the bodies of dead men and women, piled along the roads, only solidified the terror in their hearts.

" This is madness. All these people, gone." Bethany spoke.

" Aye, such is the curse of a blight. The darkness that is the darkspawn is unending, even if we slay the archdemon, it will only end the blight for so long. How long until another begins?" Aveline spoke.

That was the problem with the blight, there has been a way to permanently end the blight. Meaning sooner or later the blight would return.

* Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ground below them began to tremble viciously. Something was coming.

From beyond the pass, came a large ogre, one of the larger classes of Darkspawn. It charged through Carver and garret, swatting them to the side with ease.

" RAAAAAAGH!" The beast roared. It looked towards Bethany and Leandra and charged them, picking out the two weaker members of the group first.

" BETHANY! MOTHER!" Garret yelled in terror as the beast charged his family. He and Carver got to their feet as fast as they could, but they wouldn't make it in time. They were too far away.

" Maker give me strength." Bethany whispered. Bethany raised her staff, she tried to halt the beast's movements with a blast of fire. But the moment the small blaze hit the creature's skin, it vanished into thin air.

Bethany looked up, in horror as the creature lunged at her. She had no time to react, no time to even scream for help. All she could was close her eyes and wait for the inevitable.

" BETHANY!!!!!" Garret yelled.

" Raaaaagh!"

Bethany waited for the feeling of the creature's grasp to consume her, but the feeling never came. The shock surprised Bethany, surely, she should be dead by now. So, if she's not, then what happened?

Bethany opened her eyes, quickly, and sure enough the Ogre's hand was directly in front of her face, but there was something else. Or more precisely, someone else. A man taller than even her brother Carver, which isn't something she was used to seeing. He had hair as white as snow no longer than her brother Garret, and skin as brown as a tree. And bless the maker he looked handsome. And vaguely familiar.

" Oh, man. That was close. I didn't think I'd find any survivors left in all of this. You guys need a hand?" Nicolas asked the woman.

Bethany collapsed onto the ground, her heart was beating fast, and the adrenaline keeping her standing finally wore off. She was thankful to be alive. But still very much distraught.

" Raaaaagh!" The Ogre tried to pick Nicolas up, and it certainly was strong. It would be strange for a beast so large not to be strong. But in this case, size wasn't everything. And this Ogre, certainly wasn't strong enough.

Nicolas jumped into the stomach of the Ogre, kicking off of it with force. He used the creature as a springboard to launch himself in the air, and as he passed over the beast's head, he reached for the sword at his waist and with one solid and swift swing of the blade, he lopped the creature's head clean off his shoulders.

The creature's body swayed side to side, blood splattered out from the gaping hole where its head used to be, and then finally it fell over. Lifeless.

The sheer shock and awe of it all, stunned Garret and the others. It wasn't until Garret got a good look at the stranger's face that he finally spoke up again.

" Wait a minute... I remember you. From the village." Garret spoke.

" And I remember you... Hawke, right?" Nicolas asked the man.

" Right. Garret Hawke... How... How did you do that?" Garret asked the man.

" What do you mean?"

" That! That was amazing! I mean, I'm strong myself. But I've never heard of an ogre being killed with one strike. Forget strike, you stopped that creature with your bare hands! And Where'd you come from?!" Garret bombarded the man with questions. Barely taking a moment to breathe.

As amused as Nicolas was at the man's bombardment of questions, the smell of death and decay approaching told Nicolas of more darkspawn converging on their location.

" No, time for that. Look alive, we have more darkspawn coming." Nicolas told the man. His expression stiffened and he raised his sword, ready to defend himself. And sure, enough a wave of Darkspawn foot soldiers came hurtling over the pass, where the Ogre had come from.

Though things seemed bleak for Garret and his family, it seemed the maker saw fit to shine his luck upon them once more.

" GRRRRR!" The rushing Darkspawn, suddenly stopped in their tracks, and from the sky emerged a High Dragon.

Nicolas was surprised by the arrival of the mighty beast; he hadn't caught the creature' scent at all. In fact, even now as he stared at it, he didn't smell that of a lizard or a reptil of any kind. Instead, it smelled of a woman and... Something else. Something old.

" Uh, guys. On a scale of 1 to 10, how screwed are we?" Carver asked, Histeria began to set in for the man as he stared at the dragon perched above them.

" Not now, Carver." Garret raised his blade at the creature. Even though he knew it was pointless, simply having something between the two of them, made him breathe easier.

Nicolas stared down the creature, and as he looked it in the eyes, he felt something from the beast. It wasn't hostility. And for now, that's all that mattered. If perhaps this beast wasn't here to attack them....

The dragon suddenly leaped from its perch before Nicolas could finish his thought. He retracted and for a moment, was ready to transform again. If he was going to fight a dragon, then doing so as he was now, would be asking to die.

He was strong and he could take punishment, far more than any human man ever could. But out of all the lands, the dragons were the only creatures who ever directly posed a threat to his people. Or so he had been told.

But surprisingly the dragon didn't attack them. Instead, it flew beyond, the small party and breathed down its fire upon the Darkspawn. It snatched, one of the soldiers up and flew it high into the air before dropping it down, and when it landed it roasted the remaining soldiers into ash.

Yes, Nicolas and the others were thoroughly shocked.

" The... Dragon. It... Saved us." Carver Muttered.

" Look closely, something's happening." Garret told his brother.

The group watched together as the dragon found itself circled in flames. Poor Wesley on the other hand collapsed, and Aveline caught him. She carried the man to safety, resting him up against the nearby cliff.

Soon enough, however, the flames in front of the group vanished, and stepping out from it... Was a woman. An elderly woman, wearing the most peculiar headdress. A face plate, that covered the sides of her face. The design was curved, but the edges of it were razor sharp. And her hair. Her hair was strung up pointing backwards, like four fangs had grown from her head.

" Well, well. What have we here?" The woman asked. " It used to be, we never got visitors in the wilds, but now it seems they arrive in hordes."

" Impressive! Where'd you learn how to turn into a dragon?" Garret asked the woman.

" Perhaps, I am a dragon. If so count yourself lucky. The smell of burning darkspawn does nothing to appease the appetite. I will warn you, though, that if you are wishing to flee the darkspawn. You are heading in the wrong direction." The woman stated. She then turned and quickly started to walk away without a care in the world.

That's when Carver stepped forward.

" So, you're just going to leave us here?" He asked the woman.

" And why not?" She responded. " I spotted the most curious sight. A mighty ogre vanquished. Who could perform such a miraculous feat? And now my curiosity is sated, and you are safe. Is that not enough?" The woman asked Carver.

" Your curiosity may be sated. But mine's not. Mind showing me how it's done? I'm sure something like that would be very useful." Garret tried breaking the ice with a joke, but Nicolas could tell from his scent, that he was frightened by the woman.

The woman chuckled. She found herself amused by the man's joking.

" I daresay it is. Such a clever tongue for a young child." The woman laughed. " Tell me clever child, how do you intend to flee the darkspawn?" The woman asked.

" We're going to Kirkwall- In the Free Marches." Carver told the woman.

" Kirkwall? That is quite the voyage it is. So, far just to flee the darkspawn." The woman stated.

" Any better suggestions? I hear the deep roads are nice right now." Garret spoke another joke, one which the woman found even more amusing than the last, as she burst out laughing.

" Oh! You I like!" The woman exclaimed. " Hurtled into chaos you fight.... And the world will shake before you." The woman muttered. She then turned on her heels and started whispering to herself, though Nicolas could hear her clearly. " Is it fate or chance? I can never decide." The woman whispered. She then turned around and faced Garret and the others with a smile on her face. " It appears fortune smiles on us both today. I may be able to help you yet." The woman told Garret.

" Right. Right. And what's the catch, might I ask?" Garret responded. He knew this woman wouldn't suddenly just become interested in helping them further without some kind of repentance.

" Smart boy." The woman spoke.

" Should we trust her, brother?" Carver asked. " We don't even know what she is." He reasoned.

Off from the sides, Aveline's voice rang clear.

" I know who she is. The witch of the wilds." Aveline told the group. She held fast to Wesley's wounds, trying her best to help hi, heal, but she was still paying attention to what was going on around her.

" Some do call me that. To others I am Asha'bellanar, also Flemeth, or even an old hag who talks too much." Flemeth chuckled slightly. " Does it matter? I offer you this: I will get your group past the horde in exchange for a simple delivery to a place not far out of your way. Would you do this for a witch of the wilds?" Flemet's offer seemed fair even to Nicolas, on paper that is. But in his mind, he questioned why a woman who could turn into a dragon, would need help delivering anything. Surely, it would be easier to do it herself. And it would be more likely that whatever it is she needed delivered would make it there as intended.

" What do you think? Should we trust her?" Garret asked. He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, simply someone who was listening.

" Well, your friend is injured, and you all are clearly exhausted and any moment now more darkspawn could arrive. As much as I hate to say it, this sounds like the best option at the moment. I say we take the deal." Nicolas told the man.

Seeing no other choice, Garret nodded and accepted the deal.

" Very well. What is it you'd have me do?" Garret asked.

" There is a clan of dalish elves, near Kirkwall. Deliver this amulet to their keeper, Marethari." Flemeth told the man as she handed over the small trinket. " Do as she says with it and the debt between us is paid in full. Now, before I take you anywhere, there is another matter." Flemeth spoke. She then turned and looked at Wesley.

" No! Leave him alone." Aveline demanded. She could tell from the look on the woman's face, what she was thinking.

" What has been done to your man, is within his blood already." Flemeth told the woman.

" You lie!" Aveline yelled.

" She's right... Aveline." Wesley's voice was weak. Weaker than ever before. " I can feel the corruption inside me."

Nicolas took a closer look at the man, and it hit him. The scent coming from Wesley.... The same as the Darkspawn.

" She's right. I can smell the corruption inside of him. It's spread too far along. He's dying." Nicolas told the woman; his voice was somber. No stranger to death, Nicolas knew the pain of losing a loved one.

" How long?" Aveline asked.

" Not long now, if I am any judge." Flemeth replied. She had dropped her sarcastic tone and personality and spoke clearer than before.

" Is there any way we can help him?" Garret asked

" The only way I know of is to become a Grey Warden." Flemeth replied.

" And they all died at Ostegar." Aveline stated.

" Not true. Unfortunately, the only ones I know of are long gone by now." Nicolas told the woman.

" I suggest you say whatever goodbye you need to say now." Flemeth said to Aveline.

Aveline, became encompassed in sadness. She crouched down low, next to Wesley and held his hands.

" Aveline... Listen to me." Wesley was barely able to get any words out of his mouth at this point. And though Garret disliked the man originally, he felt bad now seeing him barely clinging to life.

" No... You can't ask me this! I won't!" Aveline exclaimed.

" Please.... The corruption... Is a slow death. I can't." Wesley begged for Aveline to end his life. But how could she? He was her husband and she loved him more than anything else in the world.

Feeling pity for Aveline, Nicolas placed his hand on her shoulder.

" Hey, move aside." Nicolas was prepared to end the man's pain and misery for him and for Aveline. He believed no Wife, or husband, or mother, or daughter, or father, or son, should ever have to kill their loved ones.

Aveline grabbed hold of the hand planted on her shoulders and squeezed it. She wanted so badly to believe that there was still hope. That Wesley could be saved. But as she sat there, watching the man she loved writhe in agony. Aveline made a decision. Was it one of sound mind? Was it one she believed in? Was it one she could live with? She didn't know. But she knew that if she waited any longer, she would be harming the man she loved more than helping.

Aveline gave Wesley a look that spoke more words than she could ever hope to.

" Be strong my love." Wesley gasped.

Aveline nodded and grabbed a small knife from her hip. She slipped the knife into Wesley's chest, pushing past his skin and bones and piercing his heart.

Aveline cried, as the blade sheathed itself inside the man's body, but she didn't stop. Not until she was sure, her Wesley was with the Maker once more.

Nicolas stood over the two of them, and as a sign of solidarity, he placed one of his arms across his chest and over his heart.

" May the spirit of Tiberius guide you to your home." Nicolas muttered.

" Without an end, there can be no peace." Flemeth spoke.

The two gave their respective final words to Wesley.

" It gets no easier. Your struggles have only just begun." Flemeth turned on her heels and walked away. No longer did she see a reason to stay behind.

"