Dragon Age: Origins - Kyrie's Adventure

Chapter Three - Ostagar Fortress

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The funeral itself was somber. Hahren Paivel said many wonderful things about Tamlen, and many of the others spoke of him as well. They tried to get me to do the same, but every time I opened my mouth, my throat constricted horribly and I couldn’t speak. Tears were shed, songs were sung, and the service didn’t end until the sun was being cradled in the mountains, casting the forest in a beautiful golden light. It was the perfect aura to be sending Tamlen into the Beyond with.

My departure was almost as grand as Tamlen’s funeral, and just as somber. Every direction I turned was an elf wishing me luck and grabbing onto my elbow. I spent the entire time with a forced smile upon my face. This was my family, and leaving them wasn’t something I had ever planned to do, though Keeper Merathari always told me I would have to leave someday. I suppose I was just a little sad that ‘someday’ came far too soon.

Duncan was very supportive throughout both the funeral and my farewell committee. He remained at my side during both, though he never spoke a word. A few times, he placed his hand on my shoulder and I was expecting him to drag me away. But it was merely a comforting gesture. It brought to mind the question: Did he genuinely care that I was sad or was he merely trying to make me feel comfortable around him? Either way, I suppose I was grateful for his presence.

The two of us left camp just after the sun had set to the clan singing us the Elvish Eulogy. It was a song of farewell, and though it sounded mournful, it was a very soothing song of being unafraid of what lies ahead in both the future and the Beyond. It was very fitting. I kept glancing back as we walked through the forest, straining to catch one last glimpse of my home before I put it behind me permanently. When I could no longer see it, no matter how far I stretched, I took a deep, ragged breath and turned forward, ready to face my fate.

We traveled south from camp, through the Hinterlands, a vast mountain range that divided the Brecilian Forest from the Korcari Wilds, all the way to a place Duncan called the Ruins of Ostagar. It was once a stronghold built by the Tevinter Imperium—I scowled upon hearing this—that the Grey Wardens now used as their main base for facing the Blight.

Where our forest was comforting and rather tame, the Wilds were just that. I used to hear stories of elves wandering into the Wilds and never being seen again. Tamlen used to try and scare me with far more fabled tales, and when we were young I had believed his every word. Traveling with a Grey Warden made the threat of attack seem so distant.

The journey itself took two days. During the first day, I kept completely silent, stubborn about having been forced into this whole mess. Duncan tried to keep a conversation going by pointing out herbs and plants that I didn’t recognize, but I showed zero interest in what he said. After the third attempt, he simply followed my silent example.

When we made camp the first night, I found it impossible to sleep. Not only was I in the middle of the forest, I was trusting my life to a strange shem. It was against at least two of my principles. The silence made the darkness around the camp seem even more real, so I decided it was time to revive the conversation.

“So what can you tell me about the Grey Wardens?” I asked casually, picking at the bark of the stump I was sitting beside.

Duncan arched an eyebrow at me, but didn’t question my curiosity. He shifted into a more comfortable position and smiled. “What would you like to know?”

I asked him everything I could think of. He was more than willing to oblige, asking his own questions to see how much I already knew. Despite wanting to hate his very existence, I found myself hanging on his every word. If I was to become a Grey Warden, I would need to know everything about them. I didn’t want to miss a single detail.