The Daughters of Amell Saga

Part one: A Cousland's Duty

By Sirya Black

Elissa's Prologue

Her father had said "live", not "become a Grey Warden and live". Simply, live. Elissa Cousland's golden green eyes were staring at the pair of rabbits she'd cleaned and spitted that were roasting on the fire. Her mabari hound having hunted them while Duncan and Elissa had set up camp. He had been quick - Duncan hadn't even realized he'd gone him until his return.

Elissa's pushed the flyaway pieces of her long reddish brown hair back off her face. Most of it hung lifelessly and dirty own her back in the fraying braid she had not touched since she'd woken that night. Her average height of five foot eight was curled in front of the fire trying to keep warm but still out of reach of the flames. The smell of the smoke locked in her under armor and cloak from Highever helped bring the memories back in sharp detail.

For her entire life Elissa had been drilled on the importance of duty first, everything else a distant second. While her reactions to her home being burned and sacked by a trusted family friend and his troops were based mostly on survival, duty had been a large part of her actions.

She had tried to shield her mother from seeing little Oren and her sister-in-law Oriana's bodies. She'd failed.

She'd fought with everything she had to keep her mother alive. She'd failed.

She'd watched her best friend run towards the gates, try and buy them more time to save her father. A waste of good men and the second best man she knew, behind her father.

She raided the treasury to make sure the Cousland Family Heirlooms and money were safe from Arl Howe. A minor success, but a very gratifying one. Not only had she saved her family's wealth, sword and shield, but she had some Grey Warren armor, a sword and a very important journal that had been in the family since the Storm Age. And best of all was the magical backpack that carried far more than any trunk whilst weighing less than a stone. It had made it easy to cart the entire treasury out with her. Arl Howe might have taken the Castle and her family but he would not profit from it.

Everywhere she had looked three nights ago, a parts of her life had been burning, the air filled with death and smoke. Her training and skills hadn't been enough; she hadn't been strong enough to save anyone but herself. She'd shutdown her emotions after seeing her little nephew so she could survive the night. She'd withdrawn within herself, feeling a level of desolation she'd never known in her life once she was in the tunnel leaving the castle behind. She grasped onto her duty to as a lifeline and it was the only reason she'd allowed Duncan to drag her away from her father and mother. Duty and vengeance was all she had now.

Elissa knew her first duty was to get to King Cailan and Fergus. Since she was on the way to Ostagar where they both were, she needed to begin thinking about the implications that the fall of Highever would mean on the political front for Ferelden.

Though she had ever preferred perfecting her swordplay on the practice field, she had not neglected her studies, and knew all too well what the fallout would mean to the country now that the expected second in line to the throne was dead. Ferelden's political system wasn't nearly as complex as other countries like Antiva, but it was ruled by a King which was ratified by a Landsmeet, and they could over-rule the line of succession for a more qualified candidate, but in all the history of Feleden the Landsmeet had never placed anyone outside the Therein bloodline on its throne. That had nearly been challenged five years ago when the Bannorn Lords had tried to put her father Teyrn Bryce Cousland forward as a candidate for King. Being a stout royalist her father refused the Kingship in favor of Prince Cailan, but he did take the title of Heir to the Throne, making him the "unofficial" crown prince until Cailan had produced his own heir. Now theoretically, since the King was childless, her brother Fergus was the new crown prince.

Elissa shifted as the wind blew the smoke from the campfire towards her. She shielded her face, and wiped away the tears that had fallen unnoticed as she sat thinking. Duncan was still trying to give her some privacy to grieve and seemed to be looking over some documents he'd received in West Hill as they had passed through the town earlier that afternoon. Once she was settled she wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin just below her knees so she could easily hide her face if she needed to. Weakness was something she didn't want the older man to see.

She took a shaking breath, holding back her tears as she turned her thoughts inward once more.

The biggest hurdles that she could see were that the line of succession to both the throne of Ferelden and the Teyrn of Highever was still in danger because Fergus's wife and son were dead, Cailan was childless, and Elissa herself had no heirs. There had never been a question of what bloodline would rule Ferelden if the Therein line died out. Until King Maric elevated Loghain from commoner to Teyrn there had only been one Teyrn in Ferelden and as such they were first in line before Loghain or even the current Queen Anora. Thus Elissa was possibly now second in line to the throne, and likely to become Teyrnessa of Highever once she reached Ostagar and the King, something she had never really considered as a possibility for herself once Owen had been born eight years ago.

In either case her duty would have to marry and have at least two children as soon as possible, preferably both boys, so they could directly inherit both the Ferelden throne and the Highever Teyrn. Those future children were something being a Grey Warden would make highly improbable.

First and foremost concern to her was that Grey Wardens had to renounce all titles and birthrights for themselves. She would have to give up her Cousland and Amell heritage, making a noble marriage of any reasonable standing difficult at best, at least in theory.

Secondly she would have to contend with the difficulty of having children while infected with the Darkspawn taint if she was forced to become a member of the legendary Order. She knew due to the Grey Warden Joining Ritual, she would very soon after become barren, if she even survived that long. The fear of failing her family duty weighed even more heavily upon her shoulders.

There was also one other reason Elissa wanted to avoid becoming a Grey Warden. Unknown to most, if not all, outside the Order, there was the very real possibility of death during the Joining itself, something she could not afford to risk yet. Rava's diary had suggested there were herbs that could increase the odds of survivability, but they had not been distinctly named and as yet she had not identified them.

As if these considerations were not enough for Elissa to contend with, the fact remained that she still did not know the fate of her brother. She feared that he had died at the end of an assassins' blade. That possible reality made the prospect of the end of the Cousland line a very real possibility. Elissa could be the last living Cousland in Ferelden!

She looked over at her backpack, inside was one of her biggest advantages. Any noble worth their salt knew things they were not supposed to, secrets were currency. Anything that could be used to give one an edge over their adversaries was kept until it would be of most use. The Game it was called. Elissa didn't hate The Game, she loathed it, but that didn't mean she did not know how to play it with some skill. She allowed her face screwed up with distaste as she began her own plans for her arrival at Ostagar because she knew more about Grey Wardens than most, and certainly more than Duncan thought she knew.

Two Ages back there had been a Grey Warden who was the wife to the Teyrn of Highever named Rava Cousland. She served under then Warden Commander Sophia Dryden at Soldier's Peak. It was a common practice among the Warden's of Ferelden between Blights to serve for six months and then returned home for the other six.

Rava had taken a year off to give birth to Elissa's grandfather during the time that the tyrant King was growing in power, and it caused no small amount of controversy at the time. Having children was heavily frowned upon by the First Wardens in the Anderfels at Weisshaupt Fortress. Ferelden's Grey Wardens had always been more independent than other more northern regions of the Order, possibly because of the distance from the Warden capital. As such the Ferelden Wardens had their own traditions and exceptions that the Order, over time, had accepted as cultural, though it was little secret they had their own concerns in the Anderfels as well.

The rebellion at Soldier's Perk during the Storm Age had been lead by the Warden Commander. It had occurred during Rava's family leave when her son was only six years old. The King kept in mind he needed the support of the remaining Cousland family and had Rava banished along with the rest of the surviving Grey Wardens from Ferelden. It would have been political suicide at the time for the King to have wiped out the 'loyal Cousland's', and to keep the allegiance of the new powerful Teyrn he'd he required her husband Bradryn to stay in the country as the Teyrn at Highever and not follow his wife into exile. Rava and Bradryn never stopped writing to one another, until Rava's Calling fifteen years later.

Rava had left behind a cache of treasured possessions; all that remained now was the Strom Age Grey Warden gear and journal. It was from this journal that Elissa had acquired her forbidden knowledge, having read them front-to-back thrice over when she had first considered joining the Order, worried and fascinated by the first whispers of Darkspawn raids that had begun circulating six months ago. She'd wanted to join the Order, and would have even tried again knowing all it entailed had Highever Castle not fallen to Howe's treachery.

Elissa drank deeply from the slightly warm water in her drinking skin as her mouth suddenly felt dry from her utter desperation she felt. She needed to make sure that the King overturned any possibility of her being conscripted because Duncan had not conscripted her yet. She shivered at the possibility of failing her family so completely, and she felt so cold despite the warm night breeze and sitting next the even warmer campfire.

Duncan's forced promise from her dying father held no honor-bound right over her. She had at the time hated Duncan for it. Her father lay bleeding on the floor and he'd made it sound as if he'd only help Elissa escape if she promised to become a Warden.

She knew he was in a difficult position and needed Wardens. She was starting to come around as he explained the history of the Wardens to her during travels during the day, his duty had directed his actions, not disregard for her father She knew but it still was not something she'd let go of.

He seemed to understand her feelings on the matter without words and he never asked her to speak to him, so she had just listened. His devotion to the Wardens carried in every word he said. His quiet dignity was slowly softening her stance on his actions, or maybe it was her own demons that were hounding her, if he was beyond forgiveness for doing his duty what chance did she have for failing in hers.

She once again shifted, getting to her feet as quietly as her heavy silverite chainmail allowed. The rabbits were nearly done. She picked up the bucket and walked down to the stream they were camped by to get water for the skins so they could drink their fill while they ate. The water was cool and she let her hands feel the water flow over her them for a moment before she slowly turned back to the fire, her eyes fixed downward and her shoulders slumped as far forward as the armor allowed, her body and soul weighed down by the burdens that she feared would tear her apart.

Her mind circled back to her greatest obstacle. While at the moment her oath to serve the Crown superseded the promise to Duncan, the Rite of Conscription was another matter. Only the King could overturn it, and to do so during a Blight was never done, it was an unwritten law of Thedes.

No one could overturn a conscription, not the Chantry hadn't tried when it came to mages, but the Wardens also would not conscript from an established and immediate line of succession – the ninth son of a fourth cousin to the King was one thing, but a direct first, second or even third heir during a Blight was another matter entirely.

Right now in theory she was free to say no to her invitation to join the Wardens, but she wasn't sure Duncan would agree to let it go, unless she could get Cailan's support. She would need to get Duncan a replacement Warden candidate she realized, and she had a large group of men who would likely volunteer to replace her in the Order once they reach Ostagar. She also had planned to agree to work on behalf of the wardens as the highest rank noble in the country, after the King himself. That would be worth more to the Grey Wardens than having her as just another warden recruit.

The Order was still only just recovering from their banishment and needed more support from the nobles in addition to the ever-present need for recruits and supplies.

Elissa and Duncan were camped near the road crossing that lead to the Circle of Magi. One of her second cousins Solana Amell was to be undergoing her Harrowing very soon. She was the youngest of four mage children. The Amells had been a noble family from Kirkwall in the Free Marches, of which her mother was a member of before her marriage to Bryce Cousland. The cousins Solona and Elissa had only met in person eight times over the years, for only a few hours each visit, but had kept up their friendship via bi-monthly letters.

Once Solana had been taken by Templars at the age of five to the tower at Kirkwall, her family had contacted Elissa's mother and asked to see if they could do anything to get Solona into the Ferelden circle rather than having her sent to Starkhaven. Bryce had gone to King Maric and he'd agreed to make the request, which had assured his long-time friend he knew someone who could arrange it, two months later Solona had been installed at Kinloch Hold. Elissa had been seven at the time, and Bryce thought it would be good for the two to have some contact through correspondence, using the letters as part of Elissa's training in reading and writing, and later politics regarding Mages, Templars, and the labyrinthine workings of the Chantry.

Elissa had been disgusted with the way Solana was treated and wasted little time pestering her father about getting Solana released from the Circle to be the Castle Cousland healer as soon as possible. Bryce, sympathizing with the girl's plight and his daughter's concerns, had been of a mind to pursue it but wanted to wait until the Harrowing was complete before sending an official letter to the First Enchanter Irving, fearing that his intervention would only cause problems when he would be least able to help. That help would not come now and all their plans to get Solona out of the Tower were in ashes. She looked over at Duncan and wondered if he'd agree to let her stop and see her one last time.

"Duncan," she said softly, her voice rough from disuse. She hadn't willingly spoken since leaving Highever three days ago. Only screams from her nightmares and very few one word answers to any questions Duncan had needed to ask had passed her lips.

Duncan looked up, his face holding much the same look of concern and compassion it had borne since the fall of Highever. "Yes?"

"I know we are in a hurry but," She started but paused. Elissa easily had enough coin to buy three horses and enough with any supplies or equipment Solona would need. Traveling while mounted would easily cut their time in transit by more than half.

Duncan looked at her patiently. "But what Elissa?" He asked with a tilt of his head in her direction, encouraging her to continue.

"The Circle Tower in Kinloch Hold," She began. "I've family there. Solona Amell should be undergoing her Harrowing soon, if she hasn't already. I don't want her to find out about the," Elissa paused and took a shaky breath. It hurt to even try and speak any words to describe the scene at Highever out loud, "She should hear about what happened from me, and she needs to know why I won't be writing anymore."

Duncan closed his eyes in sympathy. "The mage Amell is a member of your family?"

Elissa was startled that he knew of her. "Yes."

Duncan sat contemplating for a moment. "She was one of several others I was considering for the Grey Wardens." He explained to her with his rich voice soothing her nerves, although his news was not as welcoming as she'd have liked in these circumstances. "I had hoped that with my conscription of a templar trainee the Chantry would not contest a mage as harshly, but they were more upset about us recruiting Alistair than I had expected." Duncan's face clouded with a shadow of sorrow before he turned to her again.

"But with a Blight..." Elissa ventured with a spark of hope in her voice. The idea of having her only known living family member near her was overwhelming, giving her hope and an anchor to grasp to.

Duncan sighed, his eyes sad and wise. "The Grey Wardens have ways of knowing when there is a true Blight and when there is just a larger than normal horde making a surface raid," He stared into her eyes intently. She could feel his judgment of her. He must have found in her favor since he continued his explanation. "This is a true Blight, but until the Archdemon shows itself, or at the very least its mightiest servants make themselves known, others are not so quick to believe."

"Cailan surely believes!" Elissa exclaimed, she was startled that others were questioning the possibility. "He called on everyone to send troops! He wouldn't do that without proof."

Duncan nodded and gave her a sad smile. "But Teyrn Loghain does not believe the proof the Grey Wardens provided. Worse, the Chantry remains sharply divided. Even during a Blight they are not so willing to allow mages free reign to combat the Darkspawn."

"So if you wanted Solona as a Grey Warden, couldn't you ask them to send a Templar to watch over her, until her Joining?" Elissa asked, her desperation must have been showing on her face and her tone.

Duncan frowned thoughtfully. He was sure he hadn't mentioned the Joining ceremony to her yet. "Yes, I suppose I could, but we do not have time." He said calmly trying the sooth the young warrior.

Elissa cut him off too excited to worry about her manners now that she saw a sliver of hope. "I'll buy us horses if it means we can try, please?" She begged, her eyes nearly tearing with hope.

Duncan looked in the distance. It wasn't far out of the way, and a competent mage always made for a useful recruit. In addition if he could convince a Templar to join it would be a great boon since the number of Emissaries on the battlefield was increasing with each engagement. Such a warrior's skills would be quite useful; Alistair had proven as much and more since his joining. Duncan would have loved to have gotten both Solona and Elissa, but he had been honestly hoping for more time – time that he would have had if Highever had not fallen to such treachery. Ser Gilmore's conscription was also supposed to be accompanied by much needed supplies and equipment, not least of which were horses. He had been counting on these to get to the tower and Ostagar before the next major assault was expected to commence. Luckily said supplies had gone out with Fergus and the Highever troops, but that did little to help their present situation.

In Duncan's opinion Ser Gilmore, Elissa and Solana would have been a near perfect recruitment trip; a trained knight, rogue, and a mage together was a balance of abilities that the Wardens needed badly, but two warriors and a mage was just as useful. Only having time to recruit Elissa, a single warrior had been a disappointment, one that she was now offering to overcome. He felt guilty about the way he'd gained her recruitment, especially since she was from his own hometown, but his duty had to come first something he knew she understood. Here she was giving him a chance to regain almost all that had been lost when Howe's men struck at the Couslands.

Duncan reviewed in his mind what he knew of Solana. She was both a Spirit Healer and had some battle magic making her too valuable to the wardens to really overlook. Her use of ice and fire was considered exceptional for an apprentice by the First Enchanter Irving. In fact he was clearly looking to get her out of the tower as soon as possible; her Harrowing had been scheduled to be this very evening.

Irving was worried about Solana for several reasons. The first being the Knight-Commander Greagoir was worried about a possible Blood Mage that was close to the girl, and Irving had hoped she'd be recruited before Greagoir tried to make the boy Tranquil. Duncan had considered taking both of them, as blood mages were very useful, but Irving had suggested the boy was not Grey Warden material and he doubted the boy was actual a blood mage. Irving also had said Solana was quite anti-Malificar, almost Templarish in her opinion (Irving had hinted the girl was too close to a particular Templar which could also cause her future trouble if she stayed in the tower for too much longer), but Greagoir was the type to consider guilt by association good enough cause to condemn someone.

Unfortunately for Solana, she had caught Greagoir attention already; or rather he had noticed that she had started to turn the heads of some of his Templers, which was just as bad for the poor girl. Accusations of being possessed by a desire demon had been made in the past when an overly-attractive mage had drawn too much attention before and the only thing stopping it from happening at this point was her connections outside of the Circle. These connections Duncan now understood to be the Teyrn of Highever and her family, nobles with connections to the throne. The Knight-Commander was not a stupid man, and inviting the ire of the man many nobles still wish to be king was never a good idea.

"If we can get horses, yes, we could try," He finally acquiesced, smiling at the clear look of relief washing over the Elissa. She wasn't smiling but at least she wasn't looking like she was drowning in quite so much misery as before. It was enough that Duncan nodded his head. "We'll need to head out a few hours before daybreak if we hope to make good time, so be sure to eat and get some rest."

Elissa nodded and gladly helped herself to the full leg of a rabbit Duncan held out to her. This she devoured her belly grateful for the sustenance though the shock of her ordeals had still left her without much to call an appetite. Immediately thereafter she laid down on her bedroll to sleep, impatient to set out in the morning dark and see a friendly face that was neither covered in blood nor drained of it. Ever watchful, her dog Flynn stretched out besides her, helping to keep her warm and safe.

Solona's Prologue

Solona had survived her Harrowing in what had been described, according to rumor, as the quickest and cleanest in many years. Irving had been impressed, even more so when she asked if meeting three different demons and a Spirit of Valor was normal. The normal Harrowing was supposed to be only against a lower level demon or two. Often this consisted merely of a single rage demon, but certainly not Sloth, Rage and Pride together. Irving had also been surprised to learn that the Spirit of Valor was disapproving of the Harrowing ritual, but had been pleased that it had helped Solona by giving her a fade staff to use during the test.

Afterwards, away from prying eyes, Irving had given her an old sealed envelope. It was from her family and had been sealed before she had entered the Circle. The note attached said that it was hers to do with as she willed after her Harrowing. Irving had admitted to being very curious as to what it was about, and had asked if she could satisfy his curiosity later, even if it was only in vague terms. Now sitting on her horse riding towards the ruins of Ostagar she wondered if there would be the time to read the letter.

She was holding on to the reins and saddle horn with all the might her extremely pale white hands could summon. She was anxious and unfamiliar with the beast due to living in the Circle most of her life, something both Duncan and her cousin Elissa had either forgotten or seemed perfectly willing to ignore. She'd pulled her dark long chocolate brown hair back into a full ponytail to keep it from flying forward into her face. Wind, the outdoors and sunlight were unfamiliar to her pale green eyes and skin. It had been years since she'd been outside. She was also glad it was summer still. The sun warmed her slight five foot four frame sitting uncomfortably in the saddle. Only her legs were used to exercise, walking up and down tower steps all day was useful for something, but her upper body strength was severely lacking, especially compared to her sword wielding cousin Elissa.

Still she was glad to have escaped the tower. Duncan's invoking of the right of conscription had saved her from the narrowest of margins from suffering no doubt some dreadful punishment for having aided in the escape of a blood mage, likely in the Mage Prison. So much had happened in such a short amount of time she wasn't sure how to process it all in her mind. It was just so overwhelming. Nothing like what Elissa was going through, but still there was so much changing for her. She'd had little time to adjust.

She had told Irving about her friend Jowan's plans to escape because of his upcoming Tranquil ritual. At Irving's request she had helped setup her best friend and his Lay sister girlfriend Lily. Helping Irving get them both caught, she'd hoped to get Jowan pardoned from being made Tranquil once it was proven he'd been sneaking around, not to become a blood mage, but to see Lily in secret. Such unions were forbidden and she'd thought he'd likely be sentenced to isolation for a few months. It was better to spend some time in the cells than to become Tranquil, certainly, as the former was a great deal less permanent than the latter.

Sadly things had not gone as she'd planned, and she'd been mortified when Greagoir showed no sign of mercy, especially since her crush Cullen had just entered the hall when the veteran Templar had accused her of giving aid and comfort to a blood mage. She had of course not thought that to be the case at all, that is until Jowan slit his wrist and proved her very wrong with a barrage of very magical blood spray to distract and stun all those assembled before fleeing. Saved by Duncan's intervention before she could be punished for her mistake, she had been given only enough time to pack a small bag of clothing and personal effects before being escorted out of the tower under guard.

Fortunately Cullen had managed to be the Templar to escort her into her new room and she'd gotten a chance to explain very quickly what was happening and why. He had looked as unhappy about her departure as she was, yet managed to hold back his despair long enough to share a passionate kiss and hand her a keepsake - the medallion he'd worn around his neck for as long as she'd known him.

"What's this?" Solona had asked in little more than a whisper as she fingered the pendant with a Templar sword embossed on it.

"It's something to help protect you now that I... uh well." He stammered before turning away, his face brightening to a glowing pink. "We should go."

"Thank you, Cullen, for everything." She had told him, tears filling her eyes but not yet falling. Of all the Templars in the Circle he was the only one whom she truly respected. The others were little more than jailors, and a few were purposefully unpleasant ones at that. She secretly had crushed upon Cullen, and she also knew it was returned. Had she not been on her way out the tower forever she would never have given in and kissed him - she respected him and his honor too much to tempt him to break his vows as some of the others would have done, but she wanted this one kiss so she'd always know rather than wonder what it would be like to be close to him.

Cullen was everything she thought a Templar should be. His dedication to both protecting his charges and overseeing them seemed to hold the right balance. He treated all the mages with respect, and never gave her or any of the other apprentices the impression he was waiting for a chance to kill them at the slightest provocation. At the same time he was always there watching carefully when it was his turn to be overseeing them, true to both the spirit and the letter of his vows.

Elissa had walked through the doorless archway leading into the room at that moment. "Ready to go, cousin?" she asked, looking back and forth between Cullen and Solona curiously. She glanced down at the amulet in their clasped hands and then sighed sadly in sorrow for the two, their feelings obvious on their faces. "Sorry, sorry. I'll be right out here, so feel free to take your time." She'd back out quickly to give them one last moment to say goodbye.

Cullen snapped to attention and cleared his throat meaningfully. "Well, if that's all…" He said trying hard to keep from showing anymore emotions. He turned and walked out the archway.

Solona bowed her head, letting the tears fall at last. She placed the amulet over her head and tucking it inside her robes before following. She'd finally lifted her head to say goodbye to Irving and Greagoir in the entrance way, but her last act before leaving the tower had been to get one last look into Cullen's eyes before walking out the door for what she thought would be the final time.

Elissa had told her last night at camp about what had happened to her cousin Eleanor and the rest of the Couslands, and afterwards had handed her a journal to read through as fast as possible, warning her not to let Duncan see what it truly was. It explained everything about being a Grey Warden, Elissa had told her, and as such it was important to go into the commitment as well-informed as possible. Not that Solona had much of a choice since she'd been conscripted. Still, Elissa promised she would stand by and help her to the end, and in turn Solona promised the same to her cousin. Together the two girls plotted how to keep Elissa out of the Wardens and still help to keep the blight from wiping out Ferelden politically as well as literally.

Elissa had looked heartbroken when she handed over the journal. "I never meant for you to be conscripted."

"It's better than the Mage Prison by a long shot." Solona had said as she hugged her cousin. Elissa had held on longer than necessary but after so long without being able to have a family Solona had been grateful for the embrace. "Thank you for saving me."

"I keep failing everyone I care about." She'd whispered.

Solona shook her shoulders trying to get through to her. "You saved my life." She told her. "Mages never walk out of that prison." Solona explained to her, her tone hollow with her own horror at the idea of going to such a place. "Not even as Tranquil, the only way out is death, and it's a never a quick painless death once a mage gets there." Elissa was still looking overcome, but Solona had nothing but gratitude for Duncan's timely intervention and love for Elissa for caring enough to come see her in the first place. "Thank you Elissa. You saved me from something I fear more than death." They had held each other tightly for several minutes before they sat down together by the fire.

Elissa had finally cried that night. Solona had held her as she grieved and slowly fell asleep.

During this time Duncan had been trying to convince the single Templar escort that Greagoir had sent along with their party into joining the Grey Wardens. He wasn't having much success, sadly. Named Harmon, he had been taking Lyrium for over ten years and the idea of being forced to give it up was not something he responded to with anything but contempt.

Ostagar

There was a bright shining Knight on the road ahead of the bridge that lead into the army camp. Even from a distance Elissa could read the Heraldry on the Knight's chest. King Cailan was standing waiting for them. Elissa gave Solona a quick nod to bring her attention to the king. Solona took a quick look and instantly understood.

Duncan and Cailan had greeted each other and Duncan was now introducing them.

"No need to be so formal. I know at least who this young lady is." The King stepped forward and held Elissa's mounts reins as she dismounted. "Lady Elissa Cousland, A pleasure to see you again. Your brother and his troops have arrived just yesterday."

Cailan was one of the nobles that some might easily dismiss as uncaring or oblivious. He had a charm about him that suggested he didn't take anything too seriously. Elissa knew better, but only because he was one of the few nobles she had spent time with when at court. Cailan's attitude was just a part of The Game. People tended to dismiss him as unintelligent, and said things in front of him they shouldn't. Most people thought Anora ruled the country alone. According to Bryce only an idiot dismissed a Therein as anything but passionate about their country and its people.

"I hate to be blunt your Majesty," Elissa said letting tears form in her eyes as she met the King's curious gaze, "but I need to speak to Fergus as soon as possible. Castle Cousland fell to Arl Howe the night they left and I must inform him that he is now the Teyrn of Highever, your heir, and a widower without an heir of his own." She somehow managed to keep her voice from cracking, but she was unsuccessful at keeping her eyes from filling, and several tears fell.

Cailan gaped at her, his mask falling completely. "WHAT! What happened?" His gauntleted hands reached towards her before he dropped them back to his sides. His face betrayed his distress at the news of treachery especially now when his country could least afford it.

Solona dismounted with Harmon's help and came over and held her cousin's shoulders while Elissa gave the king a brief overview of the attack and how her father and mother likely died. Duncan filled in here and there as Elissa's voice broke.

"This is unbelievable." He shook his head with disbelief. "You have my word; once we are done here we will bring the Traitor Howe to justice. I swear on the Throne of Ferelden." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Until your brother returns from the Wilds where he is scouting I'll have you installed in the Highever tent. You'll have to be acting Teyrnessa until I can send the Letter of Secession to the Landsmeet. Bring your lady-in-waiting." For a man that seemed to be an overgrown child when discussing battles, he quickly understood political affairs and became every inch the King he was. He also did not miss Duncan's tightening mouth and his pointed look at Elissa.

Elissa shook her head as she wiped away her tears away. The night she had cried in Solona's arms had helped her to control the dam of despair that had been constantly ready to burst. She shook it off and concentrated on the here and now, she could grieve later. "I am sorry Your Highness, but Duncan has conscripted my cousin Solona Amell from the Circle in Kinloch, and I am honor-bound by a promise from my father to also become a Grey Warden."

Duncan had the experience to hold his expression, although this conversation was expected he had not anticipated Elissa being the one to discuss it with the King and with the way it was being presented he knew what was about to happen. Cailan sighed and turned to Duncan. "I am going to have to request you not hold Lady Elissa to that promise as it could cause a Civil War in Ferelden if something happens, as currently every Heir to the throne is currently here." Solona and Elissa shared a look. The way the king had said 'every' made it clear that he was delivering a hidden message to Duncan.

Duncan had understood and reluctantly nodded his head. It was a blow, but one that was not surprising when he acknowledged Cailan's words. He gave himself a mental shake. He should have known better than to enlist a Cousland, especially since he had already conscripted the unacknowledged prince of Ferelden. "I understand your majesty." He said formally. As someone who had been an observer of people playing The Game for most of his life Duncan found the move Elissa had just played to be masterful and his respect for her grew. He had not even suspected she was up to something.

"I will allow you to recruit one of my own personal guards to replace her of course." Cailan said and Duncan nodded. He was grateful for that concession; his numbers were still dangerously low. "I'll recruit one after this battle; I'll need to assess them before I choose." Duncan assured him. He'd need the best he could get.

Elissa stepped forward; her expression was as sincere as she could be. "Duncan I am sorry, but duty comes first. Yours is to the Wardens and mine is to Highever, Ferelden and its people." She waited for Duncan to nod his understanding. "I too will honor as much of my promise as I can. You can also choose one of Highever's knights to replace Sir Gilmore and another for my place, hell recruit as many as will volunteer!" She told him, Duncan was surprised by her statement. Only his increased rate of blinking betrayed his surprise. "I will also do everything in my power to aid the Grey Wardens during this blight short of joining the Order itself." She vowed.

"And of course you have my conscription and my honest promise to do my best to fulfill my duties as your recruit." Solona said stately from Elissa's side. Duncan smiled and nodded his gratitude. "Thank you Lady Amell, and you Teyrnessa Cousland."

"My tent is to the left as you enter Camp." Cailan said to Elissa. "My knights will bring your horses there, and once I am done with Loghain and his strategy meeting I'll write the Letters of Secession and give them to you so you can head out, hopefully before the next battle Teyrnessa." Elissa nodded and the King left quickly, from his stride it was obvious the news they had brought had upset him greatly.

Duncan turned to the two young woman and gave them solemn look. "Solona you will need to find the Grey Warden who will be overseeing your Joining. His name is Alistair. Once you have found him please have him come to my tent and we will start the process." He was saddened that he would be taking Solona away from Elissa, but he had no choice now. He'd seen the difference in Elissa since the night after Solona joined them; he knew she was going to be alright eventually, she was strong.

"Of course, Commander Duncan." Solona said with a slight bow of respect. Elissa started to move with her when Duncan called to her. "Teyrnessa, if you would take a few letters for me to be sent on to Denerim. I can give you a list of things that the Order is in desperate need of?" He asked still slightly stiffly, he did not want to come across as ordering her.

Elissa nodded and her face softened to concern and repentant. "I am truly sorry for what had to happen, Commander Duncan. I will do everything I can to make the Grey Wardens of Ferelden an Order to be envious of." She swore and placed her hand on his shoulder to seal her vow. From a Cousland Duncan knew that her promise meant a great deal. "I will see to those supplies personally as soon as I get to Redcliffe or Denerim, whichever I reach first that has what you require." She hesitated for a moment then added. "And I meant what I said. Ask the men of Highever if they wish to join you. I will let the commanders know that I support anyone who wishes to join you."

Duncan nodded and gave her a small smile that gave her a warm feeling of understanding. She hoped he'd forgiven her. "You are a Cousland, and as a son of Highever I should have remembered what that meant." She agreed to see him after her meeting with the King to take his letters. She would be leaving first thing in the morning for Redcliffe before heading on to Denerim.

Solona had been waiting for Elissa on the other side of the bridge. She hadn't been obvious about it. The guard at the gate was very talkative and had been telling her about the layout of the camp and where she was likely to find this Alistair that Duncan had not said anything about other than his name. The guard had given her his description and Solona nearly laughed when he basically described the King but in Grey Warden Armor. She was just about to head towards the Quartermaster when the Templar Harmon made his presence known by basically placing himself at her elbow as she moved from the guard towards Elissa.

"Is there a problem Ser Harmon?" Solona asked him a little surprised at his forceful presence.

The templar shook his head. "No mage." He said in a commanding tone they often used in the Tower. He hadn't used in on the trip here, nor had he felt the need to hover over her until now. "The camp is much more crowded than I had anticipated, and until I deliver you into Alistair's care I cannot let you out of my reach." His helmet hid his face, but his attitude and stance said he was suddenly on alert. Solona had a feeling his change in attitude had more to do with the mages in the Encampment casting a long range protection circle at that very moment. They were using enough magic right now that even a non-templar would be able to feel it. To a Templar it would be very unnerving.

"I understand Ser Harmon." She placed her hand on his arm as if he were escorting her to a party, not intruding on his ability to protect, but enough so even without turning his head he could know where she was. "Shall we find Alistair so you can discharge your duty Ser?" She said, giving him a small smile so he knew she would co-operate fully. His nod suggested relief at her acceptance of his duty, but still wary of the magic being used.

Elissa joined them a few steps in. "So where to first?"

"I need to find Alistair so Ser Harmon can go, then I need to see what the Quartermaster has to outfit myself with. I'm not exactly ready for the outside world." Solona admitted with pinking cheeks.

Elissa waved her embarrassment off. "We're family so don't worry about that. I'll take care of it, no worries there." She walked around to Harman's other side and took his arm as if he were her escort as well. "Which way?" Ser Harmon had been about to object to her position since she was impeding on his ability to draw his sword, however he refrained due to her rank.

"The guard suggested the Old Temple." Solona said her tone more of a question. "He also said we could follow the disgruntled mage faces and we'd likely find him. It seems the new warden recruitment officer is an ex-templar." She added with a giggle.

Elissa was not as amused, but allowed Solona to lead them towards the temple where they heard the tail-end of the argument between a young Grey Warden (his armor being a dead give-away) and a mage Solona did not know, which meant he was likely not from the Kinloch Circle.

Elissa stepped forward once the other mage had started to charge away only to end up walking widely around Ser Harmon with a fierce scowl. She almost laughed as the young warden made a crack about the blight bring everyone together. "Are you Alistair?" She asked. She hoped he was. There was something about him that pulled at her, wanting to get to know him.

Alistair turned towards them startled as he was addressed. "Ah yes. And you are?"

"Elissa Cousland, and this is Ser Harmon who is delivering the Lady Solona Amell into your custody for her Joining." Elissa said with a steady voice. Her heart however was going a mile a minute. The young man was maybe slightly older than her nineteen years. He was also very handsome, and his armor made his coloring of reddish-blonde hair and golden eyes gleam. He was literally taking her breath away in a way Cailan never had. She hadn't missed the resemblance between Alistair and Cailan, and it was very hard to miss since she had just left Cailan's company. Where Cailan would come across as foolish if he had said something similar, Alistair had came across as mischievous and sarcastic, both of which she herself normally was.

"Ah, ok." He looked a little surprised. "You're dismissed Ser Harmon." Alistair said looking at the Templar.

Ser Harmon politely stepped back from Solona and Elissa and bowed. "Thank you Warden Alistair." He turned to the two ladies. "Goodbye Your Grace." He said to Elissa and he turned to Solona, "Lady Amell."

Solona smiled and gave the Templar a warm smile. "Thank you Ser Harmon, you have been a welcome companion."

Elissa tried not to smile at all at the partially hidden blush Ser Harmon had as he backed away. She waited until he was out of earshot. "What is it was you and making Templars blush Sole?" Elissa sniggered.

Solona laughed as Alistair watched the two with eyebrows raised. "It's not me, it's the lack of female companionship that makes them unable to figure out how to talk to a girl."

Alistair looked back and forth between the two, trying to figure out what he should say. He wasn't about to make any comments about the blushing Templars since he didn't want to be added to their list. Since they had been looking for him he decided to stick to Warden business, chances were they were the recruits he was waiting for. "So you are the two new recruits Duncan collected?"

"No, just Solona here." Elissa said while looking at Alistair. "I'll be giving the Order as much support as possible via the nobles."

"Huh, I thought there was to be two of you." Alistair said looking more than a little confused as he pulled a letter from his belt. Reading over what the letter said. "Yes... it says two." Elissa couldn't help taking advantage of the time it took for him to re-read the letter to give him a quick look over. She was enticed with what she saw, the blue and silver of the armor certainly made him look impressive. He had the cutest little wrinkle in his brow as he looked confused as he read.

Elissa shook her head slowly as she allowed a natural and genuine small lift of her lips for the first time in what felt like months, even if it had been only a few days. "Cailan pulled support of my recruitment due to political reasons." She looked at him as her expression turned impish. "It seems all the heirs to the throne are currently here at Ostagar, and it is important that I get to Denerim as soon as possible to ensure the line of succession is not completely gutted if the battles here go badly."

Solona gasped and covered her mouth as she caught on immediately while Alistair choked and coughed, his eyes widening as he too could not miss the implication of what Elissa's words meant. Elissa gave her first real smile since leaving Highever. "You're going to need to work on your political mask there Alistair Therein."

Alistair looked like he'd been gutted; his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he shook it put his hands up. "Nope, sorry, but no!" He took several steps back, as if he needed the space to physically show his distance. "It's a Grey Warden thing, we don't do politics! Best part about being one of us! Politics is almost as bad as swooping, and swooping is very, very bad." He stammered as he brought his hands up.

Elissa's eyes widened minutely in surprise, it took great control not to show more emotion. She was surprised how defensive he was about it. She should have known better than to bring up the subject so inelegantly. "No one knows about you?" Elissa whispered softly as she looked at Solona her question as much about alerting Solona to the seriousness of her blunder as to ask for clarification. They both nodded an unspoken agreement to keep the information secret. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I shouldn't have teased you."

"We won't tell anyone." Solona assured him. As he seemed to still be very defensive in his stance.

"How..." Alistair looked a little annoyed now, but he seemed at a loss on how to ask them his questions. He stepped back closer to them as he looked around to be sure no one had overheard them. "I don't even use the name Therein." He snapped his voice rough with annoyance even as he kept voice down.

"We literally just met with Cailan a few minutes before we found you, and no offense but other than the haircut, and jaw line you could be twins." Elissa explained as she again couldn't help but look him over very quickly.

Alistair nodded his head thoughtfully, luckily he seemed to be completely distracted and missed her staring. "Maker! The only way this gets worse is if one of you is a mage. That would just complete my day." He said laughing softly at himself but he looked up at them when they weren't laughing with him. "Please tell me I didn't just stick my foot in my mouth again." He groaned, taking in the fact that Elissa had moved to step in front of Solona as if to protect her. "I am so going to end up a toad by the end of the day, just you wait and see." He muttered into his hand that he'd brought up to cover his face in embarrassment.

"I'm a mage." Solona explained with a slightly embarrassed smile. "That's why Ser Harmon brought us over. But I'm pleased to meet you, and I promise not to turn you into a toad... at least not today." She teased.

Alistair smacked himself in the forehead. "That's why he was being all stuffy. I thought it was because he was playing escort, you know, because he called you 'Your Grace' and 'Lady Amell'." He rambled as he pointed to each in turn.

"He was." Solona chuckled taking pity on him and choosing to not tease him anymore. "Just he was escorting "Her Grace and Lady Amell, the mage."

Alistair snorted and shook his head. "Alright now that I've proven I'm an idiot can we move on, please?" Elissa relaxed slightly and stepped back. "And thank you for not wanting to turn me into a toad, it's far too cold to be one here." He playfully shivered while smiling at them.

Solona and Elissa both laughed softly as the tension completely disappeared. "Sure. I look forward to travelling with you." Solona said holding out her hand which Alistair wasted no time in shaking.

Elissa sighed with disappointment. "I wish I was." But she held out her hand as well and he took it in turn and held. She felt a spark alight in her chest at his touch, and if the way he looked down at hand was any indication so did he.

Alistair looked at both of them in awe. "Huh, well that's a switch." He said, suddenly realizing he hadn't let go of Elissa's hand and dropped it with a blush. "Shall I show you around?" He offered to help get over his embarrassment. They gratefully accepted.

The first stop was the quartermaster to get Solona kitted out. Elissa made sure she had everything she could possibly need and handed her a small pouch of gold for future needs. She also made sure to distract Alistair and provided him with a sword and a shield as good as her Highever Family heirlooms while Solona was looking at more necessary intimate female needed items. When he protested the purchases for himself, Elissa insisted that since he was the first line of defense for Solona he would need the best equipment. He reluctantly agreed since his sword and shield were in need of replacement.

Alistair requisitioned Grey Warden Mage armor for Solona. It would be given to her after her joining. Elissa knew Solona would be going out into the Wilds for the Darkspawn blood and made sure she had the best light armor the quartermaster had fitted for her right then and there. Alistair asked why and Elissa just shrugged and said it was good to always have a spare set of armor. Plus the Phoenix Rogue Armor looked very nice on Solona, and it had magical protection.

Other than the new staff Solona was carrying most would not think she was a mage dressed as she was. Elissa also included two battle daggers and asked Alistair to teach Solona how to use them as backup in an emergency. He of course agreed in payment for the new sword and shield saying it was the least he could do.

By the time they were done the quartermaster was out of healing potions, and poison. He also made a fortune on them from the other items she bought, including another magic backpack. That had been an exceptional find and she'd given it to Solona. It wasn't as good as her own but it would hold the potions without fear of breakage and allow her to have everything she could need in a light pack instead of a heavy soldier pack.

Alistair gave them a tour of the camp including; the hospital, kennels, the mage encampment, and they also took a quick look at the Darkspawn corpses on the battlements. As they came back down Cailan was coming out of his tent and waved to Elissa.

"I have to go meet with him now, but I'll see you before I leave Solona." Elissa said sadly. "You too I hope Alistair.

Solona nodded and hugged her tightly. "Alright, thank you again for everything. I see you later." Elissa pulled away reluctantly and she gave Alistair a heartfelt handshake. She then turned and headed over to Cailan. She really wished she could stay with them. She'd felt more like herself in the past hour than she had since that night. Not fully there but closer than before.

Solona turned to Alistair and smiled. "Shall we meet with Duncan now then?" She placed her arm through his like she had Ser Harmon. His presence felt like a templar, and it helped sooth her own nervous butterflies in her stomach. This was the first time she could remember that she was going to be responsible for herself and on her own in the world. Alistair looked down at her arm liked he'd never been asked to escort a girl before but he nodded.

Elissa couldn't help but chuckle at his facial expression when she looked back at them one last time as she walked towards Cailan. He looked at her with a sad smile. "Did Alistair show you around the upper camp?"

Elissa raised a brow at the telling statement. "Yes, Alistair was very nice and we managed to get everything we needed from the quartermaster as well." She was glad to see Cailan at least kept his face clear as she pointed out his mistake by using Alistair's name. The fact that he knew Alistair's name and face meant he was important, and since he was also a secret, it seemed odd that Cailan had made such a mistake.

Calian gestured towards his tent and the two entered. Alistair watched from over by Duncan's fire and noticed them going in. He scowled. Solona had been listening to Duncan explain what was to happen now but her position beside Ser Jory allowed her to see Alistair's expression. She bit her lip to stop her own smile. It seemed Alistair had the beginnings of a crush on Elissa. It was obvious to her from the moment they had met. Looking at body language was a skill every mage needed. Alistair's body language was an open book, but his face was an open library. The poor boy had no defenses for his secrets. She decided if she survived this joining she was going to help him learn to not wear his emotions on his sleeve. Of course the fact that the crush seemed to be reciprocated was interesting to her too. Elissa could certainly use the distraction of a relationship right now.