Disclaimer: I do not own any story, dialogue or characters from any of the Dragon Age games or Destiny. I only own my OC's and any changes made to the original plot/history of either games.

"Normal speech."

'Thoughts.'

Flashbacks

'Ghost speaking to the Guardian alone.'

"Ghost speaking aloud."

I'm not sure how I ended up here. Going from Earth to a routine patrol on the Moon, I fell asleep in the ship. And then woke up in a place I learnt is called Thedas and more specifically, that I was in Ferelden.

I'll be the first to admit that the last thing I was expecting to see when I woke up was a hole in the sky.

THAT, had been quite a shock.

Also, I didn't exactly wake to the smell of roses and sweet morning dew.

I was forced awake by intense pain.

More specifically, emanating from a glowing, green, gash-like mark on my left palm.

Then, I began to notice that the mark was spreading slowly but surely, as the hole in the sky became larger.

It's been about a week since I was brought here, and so far I've been able to sufficiently hide my Awoken identity.

A couple of days into my arrival here, I'd stumbled across a little old cabin with a kind old man. I was lucky. He gave me some food, and shelter for the night. He didn't freak out when I took off my helmet to show him what I was after I asked him if there were any other awoken in Thedas, to which he said he knew not of any awoken around Thedas. He did ask some questions about the Awoken out of curiosity, but I didn't mind those. His eyes were piratically shinning with curiosity. How could I not answer a few questions? I asked him the next morning if there were any settlements nearby, and he gave me a map of the area.

When I later asked how I could repay him for his hospitality, he just chuckled good naturedly and told me, "You've been the only company I've had since my wife passed away four years ago. Humour a golden-ager like me, alright? And come visit again should you find yourself in the area."

I couldn't say no to his request, even had I wanted to.

I'd had nothing to offer him anyway, but what he called himself, a "golden-ager"... It wasa term I'd never heard before, but that clicked with me. It suddenly reminded me of my grandmother.

I'd heard stories of the Golden Age from my grandmother. She always referred to it as the peace and calm before the chaotic and violent storm. But she's told me that she doesn't regret being born during the Golden Age, despite the violence that came afterwards.

I'd been born during the Collapse, but I was still old enough to remember. It was during the Collapse, humans went looking for sanctuary at the far edges of known space to escape The Darkness. However something mysterious and strange happened to them at the edge of Human-controlled space, which altered them forever. We were dubbed a new race of our own. The Awoken. My father always told me that it was our courage to leave home in search of a new and peaceful world for humanity that earned us our transformation from humans, to awoken. "You have the courage and perseverance to be a great person daughter. Be true to yourself, and what other people think of you will be of little consequence, because you'll still always have yourself." to which my mother would chirp in her normally jovial tone, "Never forget that you'll always have our support as well though!"

I couldn't help it when a smirk made it's place on my face, thinking of those memories of a young adolescent me, being spoken to like an adult by my father, and like a child by my mother.

'The forests here are so gorgeous,' I couldn't help but admire how beautiful the forests here looked, despite my accidental arrival in this place. 'I wonder if Earth ever looked similar to this, once upon a time long ago.'

The first thing I needed to do was find a settlement.

I was extremely thankful for the map the old man had given me. Without it, I would have gotten lost in these never ending green forests. The old man had also given me some food and a water skin for my travels. 'I'll have to visit him again once I've figured out this mark, and things have settled down.'

Looking down at the map, I noticed a lake nearby. 'A perfect opportunity to refill my water skin.' Though the forests provided a pretty view, navigating through them and across the uneven terrain was quite the challenge.

So, following the map, and listening for any flowing water, I continued on my way through the woods.

'I knew I'd heard water around here,' I said, relieved that I'd be able to drink some.

In front of me was a rather open space. There was a lake, though it wasn't overly large, and there were many docks across it. I was surprised to see another cabin, though this one looked like it was better kept. 'Someone ought to live here. Perhaps they could point me to the nearest settlement.'

However, the people who once lived there, lived there no longer.

Instead, there were outlaws.

-oOOo-

I was quite shocked when I was found then suddenly revived by my Ghost. Everything happened very quickly. Most of it was a blur, a race to get out of Old Russia, and to the safety of The City.

I remember feeling just as lost upon reaching the Tower however.

There were many humans and quite a few exo; but very few awoken were present at the tower.

It's hard to explain how I felt however, when I first met her.

She had been revived shortly before myself but, unlike myself who seemed lost, she took her revival in stride and never let herself be caught looking out of place. She was someone who had seen the world, who'd been around and had learned everything she knew from experience.

She welcomed me to the Tower with open arms. When I'd asked her later why she welcomed me, a stranger, so openly, she looked at me with serious eyes and a big smile on her face and said, "When I first saw you, you seemed so lost! And the way I understand this new calling of ours, it's our duty as Guardians, to guide and protect our lost generation and generations after to a brighter future. Now, imagine if the guardians became lost too? It'd be chaos!"

And she quickly became the sister I'd never had.

One time, on a mission, we became lost. Ironic, I know. So, my newly dubbed "best friend" decided it was about time we shared secrets like best friends usually do. When I asked if that's really what best friends did, she just shrugged and called it a "human custom". I'd never really had many friends. I was never terribly social, and much preferred my own space to being around others.

She shared past secrets and talked about how she'd been apart of a group of outlaws before the Collapse, though not entirely by choice.

Then, after I told her of my story and of how I was a scholar above all else, she quickly admitted that she "might" have been the leader of said group of outlaws. A part of me didn't quite believe her. She was so young, perhaps nineteen, though I never bothered to ask her age. If we were to count the years between our death and revival, we'd probably be older than we'd care to admit anyway.

It was weird to think that despite my estimated six year advantage over her, she'd accomplished so much.

She gave off such a cheerful and curious aura. You'd never imagine she'd be able to lead a gang of outlaws.

But, it didn't take long for me to realize that she was just as full of surprises as she was sarcasm.

-oOOo-

"Oi!"

'Well, they've spotted me already. Maybe if I ignore them they'll leave me alone.'

"Where da ya think you're goin'? Huh?"

'Oh, for the love of the Traveler, the last thing I need right now is to get into a fight with these people!'

There were four of them, each just as shady as the other. Three were of average height and build and were wearing plain looking leather armour. The obvious leader of their group, who was tall and bulky, was wearing armour I can only assume was stolen. It was much to regal for their scruffy group. 'Huh. They remind me of a group of dreg with a vandal.'

'It doesn't look like you're going to be able to avoid this fight.,' Ghost spoke up through my helmet.

'Thank you, Captain Obvious, for that wonderful report.'

'You're welcome, Sergeant Sarcasm.'

I'd told Ghost before we'd started exploring to keep hidden, to which he replied with a sift, "Roger that!" and fizzled away into "hiding".

'Well, I could try to just walk past them.'

I wasn't about to engage them in combat or a conversation if it could be helped, but...

"'Ey! I was talkin' to you!"

Their "leader" didn't appreciate being ignored and began striding up to me.

But as he was about to put his hand on my shoulder, I quickly turned to face him and blew him away with a burst of energy.

"What th' 'ell!" his lackeys were taken by surprise, but were armed just seconds later and charging to attack me. "She must be an apostate!"

I turned my back to them, and quickly checked my weapon.

The Hawkmoon was my primary weapon of choice.

My love for hand cannons and pistols was acquired through my "best friend", who just so happened to be a natural gunslinger. She'd given Hawkmoon to me as a gift after giving up on finding out when my birthday was. It had been quite comical, really.

-oOOo-

"Well, since I can't find out when your real birthday is, I'll just have to give you new one! So.. Happy birthday!"

-oOOo-

'Hmph,' I quickly spun on my heels and shot two of them in the head. 'Happy birthday to me.'

"Wha-" before the other lackey could speak up, his leader yelled.

"Wha' in the Maker did she just do?!" he bellowed.

BLAM!

"I've ended your companions lawless lives," I replied as I shot the leader clean between his eyes. "As well as your own."

'Three down, one more left.' The last bandit in their little group was nowhere to be seen however. 'Did he run away?'

"BEHIND YOU!"

I turned quickly and released a burst of energy from my palm which threw the remaining bandit back and onto the ground.

Once he'd recovered from the blow I'd sent him, he quickly began pleading for his life. "Maker, I beg you, have mercy!"

"How am I to know that you will change your ways, that you will turn your life around and leave the path of a bandit behind you? And why should I take that chance," I questioned him honestly. If I could avoid shedding anymore blood today, I would.

'Let the begging truly begin.'

'Oh, hush Ghost!'

"I-I swear by the Maker that I will do better with my life! T-that I'll change my ways! I never wanted this life.." he seemed to zone out for a moment before composing himself, and looking me straight in the eyes. "I swear to you that should you give me the chance, I will not let your mercy go to waste."

'..Do you think he's lying Ghost?'

'No,' Ghost answered with no hesitation.

I looked at the man more closely now that we were no longer in battle.

I believe that the best word to describe him, would be plain. There was nothing out standing about him. He had dull black hair, just long enough to put into a short ponytail. His eyes, an equally dull brown. His skin looked rough and was darker, probably due to being out in the sun often. He was ageing quickly, and anybody could plainly see it. He was maybe in his late forties or early fifties.

'He's lived a long, and most likely weary, life,' I realized.

When my gaze focused on him again, I expected him to look desperate and probably even miserable, on his knees like he was begging for life. But instead, his shoulders were set in determination and his eyes shone with resolution.

'Neither do I.'

"What do you plan on doing, should I leave you live?" An honest question.

"I will return east," he paused for a moment "and perhaps seek employment by my brother. He owns a farm further north, to the east. My son is currently with him.. I haven't seen my son since he was a babe."

Though I kept my guard up, my heart went out to him. Leaving your child, whether of your own choice or not could never be easy.

"I only joined these smugglers to make some more coin, so I'd be able to care for him. And yet here I am, still with the lowlifes seven years later. I became so caught up in this ring, I was no longer able to just leave." he looked down in shame, then suddenly looked back up at me, like he'd had a sort of revelation. "You've freed me from the ring."

To say I was shocked by his words would be an understatement.

He continued speaking however, not seeing the surprise on my face due to my helmet hiding my expressions.

"They'll believe I was killed along with the others.. I can finally be a free man, after seven years..."

'Well, this is certainly an unexpected turn of events.'

"You've freed me from the ring.. How can I repay you? I-I don't have much in the way of coin. All that I earned was always sent to my son." he looked down, thinking of ways he could possibly repay her.

"Please! No payment is required. My only wish is that you put this shady past behind you. Focus on taking care of your son and yourself," with the situation resolved, I turned my own focus towards getting to the nearby settlement I'd seen on the map. 'I'd like to be there by sundown at the very latest.'

"Maker bless you! May He bless you and your benevolent spirit," he said, still on his knees but bowing to me, to show his genuine thanks.

"I don't know much about your Maker, but I thank you nonetheless for your blessings. May the Traveler guide you through The Darkness to your true home, alongside your son."

"The Traveler..?"

I couldn't help but smile beneath my helmet. "The Traveler is to me, what your Maker is to you."

"Then I'll pray to your Traveler, that he guides you safely in your journeys as well."

And with that, we each left down our separate paths.

A/N: As you can probably already tell, this story will take place in the Dragon Age world. Instead of following the "Inquisitor" like the game does from her appearance at the Temple of Sacred ashes though, this story will follow an Awoken warlock (who doesn't have a name yet) from the moment she is dropped into the Hinterlands of Ferelden and onward.

(Brief: Everything that happens to the Inquisitor will still go down, but we're following the Guardian, not the Inquisitor.)

Keep in mind that all of our Guardians actions will have consequences, both good and bad, as she makes her way through the story.

Also, on a lighter note, if you want a better idea of what our lovely Guardian looks like:

Heart of the Praxic Fire is the armor from Destiny that our warlock will be sporting throughout most, if not all of the story.

Her weapons will consist of two hand cannons. The Hawkmoon (already mentioned) and The Last Word. And she'll probably also wield a staff later as well (so she doesn't have to use her pistols).