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Reason(Complete)	By : chibichibi01 Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 2518 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age. I own Remy. I don't own any of the NPCs, they all belong to Bioware. I'm also not making any money from this.

Chapter List
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Ohhey look! Another chapter! You know the drill, I don't own anyone. Except Remy and my pretty little Antivan cook.
Hot. He was unbearably hot. The inside of his armor a sauna and the moisture in the air caused him to choke every time he took a breath. Yet he was still prodded forward. The lash of a whip and the roar of his Alpha's command had him pushing away every single ache.
He was a Hurlock. And he would not let the heat of this petty swamp ruin what he was made to do. Maim. Kill. Infect. Poison the land and ruin the creatures that walk the surface. Spread the taint to all living things. Lifting his hands he sent a fireball raging at the decrepit buildings that stood in his way.
When he saw a ragged band of humans, he laughed and raised his hands again, for today he would feast well.
Jowan jerked himself awake, hand pulsing, ready to strike down whatever menace he… could no longer feel. He dropped his hand and stared around the room. Remy sat propped up in a chair, chin to his chest, snoring gently.
Pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead, Jowan groaned. Maker's breath. Why does it taste like something died in my mouth? He threw the covers off of his legs and wobbled over to the small pitcher and basin, splashing water on his face and swishing his mouth out with a swig.
The sound of the porcelain knocking together woke Remy from his snooze and he blinked wearily at Jowan. "I see you're finally awake," he said softly. "Congratulations on surviving the Joining. Many brave men and women have failed." He stretched and stood. "And now you get to learn exactly what it means to be a Warden."
Jowan wobbled back over to the bed and sat down, heavily. "What it means? Is there more to being a Warden than just the blood and the ritual and killing Darkspawn?"
Remy left out a soft laugh. "Oh, there's much more. The first thing you're going to notice in an increase in appetite. We keep the larder well stocked, so you're more than welcome to have anything you want, just about any time you want." Then he frowned. "Except for the three cool rooms that are especially marked for the Commander. If you value your life, you won't eat the cheese."
"The…cheese?" Jowan let out a chuckle that died when he saw the look on Remy's face. "What? You're serious? What would he do?"
"The Commander has put far too many recruits through training hell for making off with some of his more expensive cheeses." Remy shivered. "And he would tell us that was the standard for becoming a Templar."
"I take it you know from experience then?"
Remy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "My first night here last year. I woke late at night, hungrier than I'd ever been before, and I saw this… moldy hunk of cheese. Thinking it was bad and that no one would miss it, I decided to eat it." He chuckled. "Apparently it was a gift from that Antivan friend of his, and it was supposed to be that way, and it was expensive and rare." He grimaced. "It didn't even taste all that good."
Jowan laughed. "Well, I'll keep that in mind when I get hungry."
Remy smiled weakly back. "Well, the next thing you should know is that you'll be having nightmares. These will be nowhere near as bad as if this were still a Blight. The blood…"
"It's the taint, isn't it?" Jowan interrupted. "The blood carries the taint, and when we drink the blood, we become tainted ourselves." He snorted. "And yet he has the gall to condemn me for the way I harness my magic. Blood is powerful in all its applications." He rubbed his face. "I apologise. Do go on."
Remy raised an eyebrow. "Yes. The taint gives you the nightmares. You hear the Darkspawn. Anything that you see is likely going on at that very minute. The taint also shortens your lifespan. You have thirty years left, my friend. Give or take. When those thirty years are up, most Wardens head to the Deep Roads to fight until they are overwhelmed." Remy leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "And the last thing you should know-"
"A Warden has to die to kill an Archdemon." Alistair stood in the doorway, wearing severe expression. "Darkspawn are soulless. So when the soul of the Archdemon flees its dying body, it heads straight to the nearest tainted creature." He stepped further into the room, arms crossed. "When it heads into the body of the Warden that killed it, it encounters the soul already there. And both are destroyed."
Jowan sat still for a moment. This is why Helios died. "Destroyed? Not just killed? Then how do we keep getting more Archdemons?"
Alistair glared. "Who knows how many Old Gods are left? I certainly don't." He headed for the doorway. "Now. Take him around to meet the others. And then get him into training. He's going to need it because I want him just as capable with weapons as any of my other soldiers."
Remy cleared his throat. "Ser, remember, there are two more Old Gods left. So there's a potential for two more Blights to occur. Of course we don't know when that will happen." He snorted and stood.
Alistair sighed heavily. "It's a steep price to pay, but we're the only ones who can. But just two more and we'll be free from the threat of Blights forever…" He laid a hand on the doorframe. "That still doesn't make me feel any better." And then he was gone.
Jowan closed his eyes and bit his lip before letting out a soft sigh. "Well, you heard him. Let's introduce me to the others."
Remy nodded uncomfortably. "The Commander is on edge about your presence here as it is, so for the Love of Andraste, do your best to stay out of his way and on his good side. He can, and will, make your life here a living hell." He rubbed his face. "I, or one of the other mages is going to need to tutor you, I think. It would not be wise to practice your blood magic here. He will certainly have orders to prevent that."
Jowan nodded. "If it will keep me here, and keep him from forcing me to leave, then I'll do whatever I have to."
Remy furrowed his brows and frowned. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but a startled cry from the doorway interrupted him.
"Jowan?"
Jowan raised a startled gaze to the man at the door. "Anders? Anders, by the Maker, it's you!"
Anders swept into the room and pulled Jowan into a hug. "It's good to see you again, my old friend." He pulled back and grinned. "So you got pulled into this Warden madness too, I see."
Remy sat back down again. "I see there's one person I don't need to introduce you to. Anders, how do you know him?"
Anders chuckled. "He was the only one in the Tower to be so close in age to the full mages and still be an apprentice. Most who'd gone through their Harrowing wouldn't talk to him, and as I didn't care for Tower politics…" he shrugged. "It all comes down to the both of us needing a friend, and finding one in each other and in Helios Amell." A flicker of pain flashed over his face before the grin was back.
Jowan nodded, "So what are you doing here? I thought Rylock was going to have you executed for sure last time."
Ander shifted a little uncomfortably. "Well… I escaped. Again. And when they were hauling me back the last time, we stopped off here. The Darkspawn attacked that night, and Alistair conscripted me to save my life."
Jowan shook his head incredulously. "And Rylock let you go that easy?"
Ander snorted. "Hardly. She tried to come after me again, to just kill me. And I thought that Alistair would let her have me, him being an ex-Templar, but he fought her and killed her." He shook his head. "Said it was because I was one of his Wardens, apostate or no."
Jowan's eyebrows rose. "Maybe there's some hope for me, yet."
Anders nodded. "Give him a chance to cool down. He's a very reasonable man. He even let-"
"Me become a Warden." A sharp faced man with dark hair spoke from just inside the room. He was leaning against the doorframe and smirking.
Anders grinned a little goofily. "This is Nathaniel Howe."
Jowan gaped. "Howe? As in, Arl Rendon Howe's son? Wait, how long were you standing there?"
Nathaniel rolled his eyes and stepped further into the room. "I was here the whole time. And yes, I am, but here I thought I was done with these kinds of reactions."
"I've been out of touch with the world," Jowan confessed.
"Ah." Nathaniel shrugged and then laid a hand on Anders' shoulder. "Come on now, Mage. We're going to be late. You were the one that was in a hurry before."
Anders' eyes widened almost comically. "Maker's Breath! I nearly forgot!" And he gave Jowan one last hug and said, "We can finish catching up later!" before grabbing Nathaniel's sleeve and nearly dragging the dark-haired man out of the room.
Jowan turned to Remy, "What was that about?"
"The Commander has them making a trip to Amaranthine for some supplies, or something." Remy quirked a half grin. "Personally, I think it's just an excuse to get them out of the Keep. Alistair is tired of them making doe eyes at each other." He snorted. "You'd think after a year of being lovers they'd have moved past that stage now."
Jowan blinked rapidly for a moment. "Wait… what?"
Remy raised an eyebrow. "You didn't see that?"
"I… He was such a womanizer at the Tower though. It's a little hard to believe that he's not only," Jowan waggled a hand, "you know, but monogamous as well."
Remy chuckled. "Some people change more drastically than others." He stood up again. "Come on, Captain Daveth is next. He's in charge of training the new recruits."
Jowan nodded, and followed Remy to the training grounds.
"Daveth!" Remy called and waved his hand. "I've brought some fresh meat for you. The Commander wants this mage to be trained just like the rest of us."
Daveth grinned. "It's good to meet you, Ser Mage."
Jowan politely inclined his head. "And you as well. What can I expect out here?"
"Well, I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a mage," Daveth explained. "You'll be worked just as hard as the rest of the green recruits. Have to build up muscle and all. Training begins at sunrise, so you'd better be up and in the parade block before that. Make sure you eat plenty. I've had more than a few recruits slack off because they thought they were putting on flab and ended up passing out." He jabbed a finger at Jowan's shoulder. "And don't forget to get plenty of water. We have buckets out here for drinking and dunking in. I take care of my recruits and I expect them to take care of themselves. Are we clear?"
Jowan blinked, "Ah, yes, Ser. Very clear, Ser."
Daveth grinned and clapped him on the back. "Well done, then! I expect to see you out here bright and early tomorrow. Get plenty of rest tonight."
Jowan nodded.
"Thanks, Daveth." Remy smiled. "Let's move along then, Jowan."
Jowan nodded again and was led away from the training grounds, this time towards the kitchens.
When Remy opened the door, Jowan saw a tiny woman with flaming red hair and nut brown skin flitting from table to table, checking, tasting, and giving orders in a crisp voice to everyone involved in the cooking. She saw them standing in the doorway and strode over. "Remy! You're bringing me another new Warden, no? He is scrawny." Her accent revealed she was from Antiva and she poked Jowan in the side. "Very scrawny. What is your name?"
He stared down into her bright blue eyes before stepping back a little. "Jowan. My name is Jowan."
She snorted. "What are you afraid of boy?"
Jowan shook his head. "You're very intimidating, my lady."
She roared with laughter. "Lady, he says! I like this one Remy. We're keeping him, aren't we?"
Remy grinned. "Yes, Calista. We're keeping him, despite the Commander thinking I'm insane for bringing him."
"What's new with that?" She nudged him with her elbow. "You keep bringing back dangerous criminals; of course he's going to think you're mad."
Jowan let out a startled noise. "W-what? You keep… what?"
Calista laughed again. "You mean Remy didn't tell you? Our fearless second in command has a bad habit of conscripting the worst kind of folks. Most don't survive. I think he does that on purpose." She confided in a stage whisper.
"That is not why I conscript them!" Remy protested.
"Of course, love." She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "Now get going. Both of you, out of my kitchen for now! I need to get back to work on supper for this lot. I swear, one day I'll just up and quit. I must have been mad to sign onto this job!" Then she turned her back on the two of them and started shouting orders again.
Remy pushed Jowan out of the door and closed it. "Now, the Seneschal should be down there. I'm just going to head back in this direction and um… right." He pointed in both directions and then fled.
Jowan almost called him back for an explanation but instead sighed and trudged onward to meet the Seneschal and get this day over with.
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Reason(Complete)