In Darkness

I’ve decided to flex my imagination a bit, and keep a “journal” from my Dragon Age:Origins latest character’s perspective. I haven’t written any fictional stories since I was 12, but it seemed like a fun project. This is part two. You can find part one here.

My sleep was abruptly interrupted by the angry barking and growling of Shadow. I thought at first he sensed more rats, but the way his hackles bristled told me something was very wrong. Someone was pounding desperately on my chamber door. When I opened it, the guard simply yelled help…before he was dead at my feet, an archer’s arrow in his back. That’s when they came for me. Two of Arl Howe’s men…I’m not sure how I defeated them, with my mind spinning wondering how? why? It was then my Mother came running, asking the same questions I had just voiced to myself.

We were under attack, we had to fight. But why is this happening? The troops…were they delayed on purpose? to come here and take our home? There is no other explanation, or time to think about it. There is only time to fight, and survive.

I immediately ran to my brother’s rooms…horrified to find they had slaughtered his wife, and my darling young nephew. Innocents, harming noone…why?  I found the same of my darling old teacher in the library, my mother’s friend in the guest room, I did not have the heart to check the Chantry, I knew what I would find there.

I dragged my mother out, handed her a weapon I had taken from one of the Arl’s men I had killed, and we set off to get to Father.  Everywhere we turned there were more soldiers fighting us, fighting our guards, setting barricades and lighting them ablaze to block our escape. We found Ser Gilmore in the main hall with his men, and helped them secure the room. He told us where to look for Father, and I was torn. Stay and help my best friend, or get to Father and escape? He insisted we find father, and the last I saw him he was bravely holding the gates with what was left of his men.

Before heading to the servants tunnel, my mother remembered the family sword, and was determined it not fall into our new enemy’s hand. We got to the Armory just in time to stop the bastard thieves. My heart was beating so hard I thought it might break out of my chest, and I was scared, for all my bravado, this was my home, this was my safe haven, and I’d never felt less than secure here. Mother grabbed my arm and forced me to focus, and we again set off to find father.

Finally making it to the larder, where the exit is hidden, we found him. He was so badly wounded, we tried our best to stop the bleeding, to convince him he must try, he must go with us. But he was insistent, I was to take mother out. Leaving him here. A task I could not perform. It was then, that Duncan appeared in the doorway. He was covered with blood, he had fought his way to us, he would help us.

My stubborn father would not listen to him either. All he asked was that he take mother and I out. It was then, that my mother refused to leave him. No argument would convince her, nothing I, or Duncan could say would make her leave my father’s side.

“My place is with my husband, through life, death, and beyond, and I’ll kill any bastard that comes in here so you can escape, now go!” she said. Duncan agreed, and asked one thing of my father. It was the one thing he came here for. He asked to take me, into the Gray Wardens. “But what about Ser Gilmore?” I asked, and he replied that in truth, it was me he came for. Me? why me? how…too many thoughts at once were making my head spin. I could not leave my father like this.

My stupor was broken when my father’s voice fell upon my ears, agreeing with Duncan’s request. I felt myself being dragged to my feet and pulled away, it was the last time I saw my parents alive.  And the first, I would see…Ostagar.