Dragon Age origins: What is now lost.

I am a grey warden.

Part two:
        I smiled and sat completely still as Alistair and I sat for our first portrait. I wore a blue dress. I was so used to the feeling of armor, that the dresses still felt weird.
      "You look beautiful." He said.
      "I suppose this is the part, where I say that you are handsome?" I replied.
      "It would be the nice thing to say."
      "Who said that I was nice?" I pulled him to me for a kiss and the painter scolded us for moving.
      We got up after the painting was done. I attended to my duties.
      "My lady? Arl Valadrian wishes for an audience." My personal steward told me.
      "Send him in." I pushed the papers from my desk.
      "Your highness." He bowed and I motioned for him to sit.  "I need your help on a rather delicate matter."
      "Of course. What can I do?"
      "You remember the tevinter slave operation that happened in the warehouse?" I nod. "I may have found a group of women that they sold. It is rumored that there is a black market on the outskirts of the Korcari wilds. I was hoping that you could use your assets to investigate it." He pleaded. I dealt with the main contributor to the horrible business, but he already sold several elves. I worried worried that we would never mind them, since it was months since they were last seen
     "I promised that I would help recover those who were lost. I will go investigate myself as soon as I can."  I replied.
     "Thank you, your grace. Your efforts are much appreciated by all of us in the alienage." He bowed. "I take my leave."
     "Good day."
     After a long day, I packed my satchel. I got my armor off of the rack and pulled out my weapons.
     "Are you going somewhere?" Alistair pulled me to him and kissed my neck.
     "I am just investigating some new  information about the slave trade. You'll be alright without me for a couple days, right?" I played with is hand.
     "I will miss you dreadfully." He pulls me even closer to him.
     "And I will miss you."
     "Eamon will not be happy that you are
leaving." He caresses my head.
     "No, he will not." I stated.
     "That doesn't matter. I just want you to come back to me, soon. Don't forget to be back by our honeymoon." I pulled his mouth to mine.
     "I would never miss our honeymoon."
     "Take Abyssal with you." Alistair says. "He's been getting into the castle kitchens a lot lately. He is driving the servants mad."
     "I wouldn't leave home without him."
     I fell asleep on his chest. His skin felt like a fire. It was warm and calming.  It didn't prevent my mind from wandering though.
     I was overlooking a torture chamber. Streams of blood poured out of the walls. I heard  screams. I zoomed in, closer to the person screaming. It was my mother on the rack. Arl Howe was digging a knife into her flesh. She yelped.
     A young version of men barged in. I threw a knife at his head, but he dodged it. He lunged for me, but I trip him. I turned my back towards my mother. That was my mistake. He got up and drove an axe into my back. My blood splattered everywhere. My mother screamed in agony as he proceeded to break each of her fingers one by one.
       I woke up covered in sweat. Screaming for my mother. Alistair pulled me to his chest. He caressed my head and whispered soft words to me.
     "Amber. I am so sorry. I would do anything to stop your pain." My body was tense. My mind was broken. I cried on his chest.
     "I know. I just need to get them out of my head. I love my parents. It is killing me to see them die again each night. "
     "I told you that you don't need to do this alone and I meant it." Alistair cupped my chin.
     "First, I have to keep a promise." I pushed away the sheets and scooted out of bed. I kissed Alistair on the mouth. "I love you. I am so glad that I found you in all of this."
    "I love you more than words can express." He kissed my cheek, before letting me go.
    I could have gotten a cart or a horse, but I decided to walk. It felt good to finally move my legs and feel freedom the palace for the first time in what feels like forever.  I found  a place to stop for the night. Abyssal lays on the grass next to me and I pull a blanket over myself and fall asleep in exhaustion.
       My dreams return and I wake up without Alistair there to comfort me. Sweat covers me. I stripped and waded in a stream. I dunked my head under the water over and over. Abyssal licked my face. He sensed my fear.
      "I know, boy. You remember castle cousland, don't you?" He looked at me with those dark eyes and I knew that it would be alright.
     I kept going right through the following night. I was tired of waking up afraid. It was ridiculous for me to be afraid.
     I heard the high pitched scream of a young girl. Abyssal charged into action. I pulled out my daggers and got ready to pierce the flesh of my enemies. A group of men dragged a young woman across the floor. She squealed as her friends struggled to free themselves from their cage. The leader looked at me with glowing yellow eyes and started his spell. I lunged at him with Abyssal at my side. I stabbed him in the neck and his forced me back with his spell. I picked myself up off of the ground and tried to catch my breath. I bashed my blade against the cage door and freed the young elves. One of them cowered underneath of the cage, however the other one aggressively joined the fight. She picked up a large stick and bashed one of the men over the head over and over again. I threw my dagger into the chest of the leader. I pulled it back out and turned to the other two lackeys. I took my daggers and deflected their swords. As they were about to strike me, I rolled away causing them to hit eachother. I observed  the young girl as she proceeded to slay her remaining captor.
       I checked the girl that they were dragging. The light in her eyes was gone. I came too late to save her. Her neck must have been broken during the altercation.
      "Oh Rosie! Cora is dead!" The cowering girl sobbed. The girl who fought was standing coldly against a tree.
      "I am so sorry that I did not come sooner." I said truthfully.
      "Damn your apology! There were seven of us in the beginning. You couldn't save them either, Shem." The girl who fought with me replied in a fury.
      "Don't be so cruel. She saved us, Rosie. I am Lana and this is Rosie." Lana greeted me.
      "I am Amber. I can escort you back to your home." I stated.
      "Like you can call that pile of filth a home." Rosie spat at me.
      "I can protect you. The alienage is being improved with each day. Rosie, trust me."
      "Shut up, swine. Don't call me Rosie." She snapped.
     "I apologize for my friend." Lana said.
     "Are we going or staying? Daylight is wasting." She purposely ran into my shoulder as she left.
     As we walked, I observed the two elves. Lana was fair and tall. She had the completion of a delicate flower. She appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. However, her friend was almost in every way different from her. Rosie's hair was such a light blonde, it could have been white. Her skin was covered in mud residue and blood. She always scowled. Rosie looked young. She was short and her youthful face gave away her age; she was fourteen at most.
       We arrived in Denerim within two days. We didn't speak much. I took them to the alienage gates. "Here you are, then." I stated.
      "Thank you so much." Lana embraced me and I awkwardly wrapped my arms around her.
      "You are welcome." She went straight in. Rosie didn't look into the gates and she walked away from them.
      "Wait!" I chased after her.
      "What?" She snapped. "Lana is safe, so I no longer have any need to go into there."
      "Rosie."
      "Don't call me Rosie. I'm going to find the dalish. I would rather go anywhere, but that hellhole."
      "Fine. I can take you to them, if you'd like?" She pushed past me.
      "I don't need your help, Shem."
      "You have talent kid." I blocked her path. "I saw you defend yourself and your friend the other day."
      "So?" 
      "I can make something of the strong person that you already are. We've both had our rough times, kid. Let me help you." I persuaded.
      "You don't know what the alienage was like!" She screeched.
      "It was a place of unity and strength in numbers. Humans abused your vulnerability. The fact that King Cailan was blind to your suffering. You will never have to live that way again. Valadrian is now Arl of Denerim. Times are changing. Equality for all races is a slow, but necessary process. A person with your strength, could help this process." I saw a transformation in her demeanor. She tried to hide her curiosity.
       "Who are you?"
       "I am Queen Amber, the hero of Fereldon. I ended the fifth blight." I replied. "Who do you want to be?"
      "Somebody who can defend themself and others from those who take advantage of the weak." I broke a chunk off of the wall that she built around her.
      "Come then. I can show you how to do that."  She sort of smiled.
      "Fine, then. Lets go, Shem." She replied. I took no insult in being called Shem. I needed to earn her respect.
      I was pounced on as soon as I entered the palace. Eamon was furious.
     "You are queen! You cannot go galvanting around the land being heroic! You are needed here." He lectured.
     "I am a grey warden. I defend people. I won't be the kind of queen that lets others fight her battles. I am a fierce warrior. With all due respect,  I was fulfilling my duty. I thank you kindly for all you do for my husband and I. I will tell you next time that I leave." I replied. I attempted to be as respectful as I possibly could have been.
     "Who is this?" Isolde wrinkled her nose at the little elf.
     "This is my personal guest. Her name is
Thorn." She smiled proudly at her new nickname.
     Isolde quietly judges the mud trail we left on the floor. I take Thorn to a room.
     "Make yourself at home, Thorn. I hope you do not mind if I call you Thorn?" I said sweetly.
     "I actually think Thorn suits me." She paused so I started to turn away. "I apologize for how I acted, when we met. Cora was one of my best friends. I am not talented at showing grief. Everything is anger. Thank you, Queen Amber."
      "Just Amber. Rest up, kid. We leave for highever in the morning." I left the room.