Murtagh peered out from under his hood as he sat hunched over a mug of watered-down ale, observing a nearby group of soldiers trying to keep their spirits up in the face of a nightmare.
Murtagh recalled the first time he'd seen one of them.
Darkspawn.
"Ho there, lad," an older soldier noticed him sitting alone. "Join us, won't you?"
Murtagh smiled into his mug, draining the rest of it, and then got up.
"Aye, alright then," he said, sitting down next to a surly-looking young man.
"The name's Bran," the older man said, handing Murtagh another mug. "I hail from Denerim. Where are you from?"
Murtagh smiled. "My name is Eldric. I hail from Gwaren."
"One of Loghain's men, eh?" Bran's eyes moved over Murtagh, no doubt searching for a sign of his Lord's symbol.
"No," Murtagh chuckled. "Just a mercenary. Though, this I'm doing out of love of my home."
"Here, here!" the men around him agreed.
Murtagh listened to their stories, absorbing the atmosphere.
"The strategy meeting is soon," Thorn's voice said.
"Aye," Murtagh responded, silently standing to leave.
"Where are you going, Eldric?" the surly young man questioned.
"I'll be scouting in the morning," he said. "So, I figured I'd turn in early."
Suledin flew overhead, and Murtagh couldn't help but chuckle at the expression of wonder on the boy's face as he stared up at the dragon.
"Beautiful creatures, aren't they?" he said.
"Aye," the boy said lowly. "I wonder how the Dragon Riders tamed the dragons..."
"They didn't," Murtagh chuckled. "The dragons chose us."
The young man's blue eyes snapped towards Murtagh, his mouth dropping open as Murtagh revealed his palm. He winked, then slipped into the shadows.
YOU ARE READING
Age of the Dragon Chronicles
FanficA collection of short stories that run parallel to the main storyline. If there is a specific character you want to see something from, I'll try to include it. Otherwise, I'm just going to follow the dopamine...
