Dragon Age Origins: The Tale of Solana

Chapter 13: Daveth

As they drew near the king's camp, and shared a few jokes and a meal, Solana tried to stifle a laugh. "Alright, in all seriousness, tell me a little about yourself."

"As I said, I was trained as a Templar before Duncan recruited me about six months ago. The Chantry raised me, and becoming a Templar was a decision made for me a long time ago." Alistair could still remember the boring classes and having to recite the Chant of Light. Oh, yes, he was happy to have left. He did enjoy the sparring, however.

"Duncan saw I wasn't happy," Alistair continued, lost in his own thoughts of the past. "He figured my training against mages could double for fighting darkspawn. Now, here I stand a proud Grey Warden. The grand cleric wouldn't have let me go if Duncan never forced the issue. I'll always be grateful to him."

Solana saw the look of deep affection in his eyes. Alistair clearly held Duncan in a high respect, and Solana found it very touching. Just like I do with Mother, she thought.

"You speak fondly of Duncan," she claimed.

Alistair looked over at the elf, then up to the sky. "I spent years in that Chantry, hopelessly resigned to my fate. Duncan was the first person who cared what I wanted." He gave a few short chuckles before saying, "He risked a lot of trouble with the grand cleric to help me."

Solana began walking down the stairs to the grounds of the camp once more. "You didn't want to join the Chantry? You don't believe in the Maker?"

"It just... Wasn't for me. I believe in the Maker well enough, but I never wanted to devote my life to the Chantry."

Solana glanced back at the man who wore a frown, lost in his past she made a mental note. He must have really have hated that place. Solana had always seen the Chantry as a kind of neutral zone, despite even their discrimination against elves. She thought back fondly on Mother Boann. Then again, not every priest was like her, and maybe they were just as mean as everyone else? Seeing the face Alistair now made, she was beginning to see it in a whole new light.

"Tell me about Duncan," she said to change the subject.

The man kind of shrugged off the question as he spoke. "Duncan is the leader of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden... Which he would say doesn't mean much, as there aren't many of us here. Yet.

Beyond that, he's a good man. A good judge of character. I owe him a lot." He glanced down at Solana before he spoke. He was careful to hear her answer, to decide if he really was going to take her seriously. "What about you? What do you think of him?"

Solana was surprised by the question. She scratched her head and thought back to their first meeting. Looking back, she was a little embarrassed now. His calm exterior, but his willingness to befriend the Elder and to help Soris to save the girls. "He seems like a kind person," she said with a small nod, "if firm. He seems to be a well-mannered man."

"Fair enough," Alistair said scratching his chin again. "He's done the best he can with what little he has... And that includes me, I guess."

The pair fell into a thoughtful silence. From this angle, Solana could see straight through most of the first section of the camp. It had mostly large tents, where the generals slept probably, and one of them she was sure held King Cailan. Other than that, she saw a little out cove above that where soldiers were training. Then of course was the stage where the priest was still spewing an endless speech. To their right a bit way off was what appeared to be a merchant.

Looking down at her dirty cotton gown, Solana suddenly felt unprepared. "Maybe... I should go over there and buy some real armor." Alistair's eyes followed to where she had pointed.