Solace Amidst The Chaos - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Memories Past

'How did this happen?'

Parean walked silently beside Duncan, the sights and sounds around her fading into the distance as she tried desperately to reconcile the events of her last day at Kinloch Hold.

She had passed her Harrowing easily; which came as no surprise to herself or anyone else. First Enchanter Irving had taken a special interest in her when she came to the Circle Tower and saw to her training personally. She was a talented healer and an expert at manipulating her fire spells, easily transitioning from a small lick of flame in her palm to engulfing her target in a blazing inferno within a heartbeat.

It was her experience with many of the Circle's Templars that proved to be most valuable in passing the Harrowing's true test. Parean was young and naïve when she came to the Circle and believed the stories about the Templars protecting the mages. It would be a Templar who taught her to never blindly trust anyone nor take anything at face value.

As the years in the Circle passed and she entered into her womanhood, she noticed many of the Templars staring at her in strange ways. Her innocence lead her to believe that their attempts to get close to her and lingering touches were appropriate.

'After all, the Templars protect the mages, don't they?' her mind would rationalize. 'Perhaps you just didn't notice before.'

'Ser Violeur'…Parean's body shuddered involuntarily at the memory. With a softly spoken incantation, she forced the image back into the depths of her mind where she held her deepest fears and darkest moments.

"Are you well, child?" Duncan's voice broke through her thoughts of the past, hurdling her mind back to the present.

"Wha…?" she stammered, momentarily unsure of where she was and who was speaking.

"Is there something amiss? You were trembling and whimpering softly. I feared you might faint." Duncan's deep, soothing voice was full of concern.

Parean looked quizzically at the man next to her. She remembered him; Duncan…Commander of the Ferelden Grey Wardens….the man who saved her from Aeonar after Jowan…

"Parean?" Duncan voice was loud as he grabbed her arms and shook her, bringing her out of her stupor.

"Yes…..Duncan. I'm….fine. It's just…..nothing. I'll be alright. Thank you for your concern and I'm sorry that I worried you." Parean tried to sound convincing. She could not, would not speak of those memories.

She gazed upon her surroundings like an awestruck child.  She had few memories of the world outside the Circle Tower and so every sight, every sound was intriguingly beautiful to her.

As they passed through Lothering, she closed her eyes and smelled the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread, and a variety of meats that were being slowly roasted on spits in the fire pits outside of the tavern.  She listened to the sounds of children running and playing their games in the fields, and the hushed tones of the many refugees that had managed to find their way to Lothering.  For a brief moment, standing there with her eyes closed, she felt peaceful and content.  It seemed like any small village in the Bannorn, with happy families and cheerful merchants offering their goods for sale to passing travelers.

Parean opened her eyes and her heart sank. The reality of the situation greeted her senses with full force. Lothering was packed to overflowing with refugees fleeing the Darkspawn horde. Many looked ill and, as she reached out with her healer's mind, she sensed the taint within them. The sight of children crying for their parents, women mourning the loss of their husbands and families, and men cowering in the tavern and Chantry sickened her. A pack of starving mabari ran by them, the leader clinching a piece of blackened, rotten flesh between his teeth. Parean couldn't tell whether it was human or not and she didn't care to find out. She wanted nothing more than to put this vile pit of misery behind her, so she quickened her pace toward The Imperial Highway.

"We are approaching Ostagar. Here, in the valley of this once great fortress, is where the king will lead his army against the horde." Duncan spoke solemnly as they moved closer to the great gates that gave entrance to the mighty stone structure.

Even in ruins, Ostagar was an impressive sight. High stone walls surrounded the area with several ballistae stationed at strategic points making the fortress highly defensible. Once inside the gates, the only approach to the main encampment was a long bridge that would leave anyone crossing it completely exposed. Most impressive of all was the enormous tower that loomed over it all, providing an excellent vantage point for monitoring the entire valley.

"Can the Blight truly be stopped here?" Even given the obvious advantages that Ostagar provided them, Parean had her doubts.

"It must. Otherwise, Ferelden will fall." Duncan's words had an ominous tone to them and Parean was filled with a sense of foreboding.
"King Cailan is confident that the coming battle will break the Darkspawn Horde. His army has won many smaller battles against the Darkspawn already." Parean noted that Duncan seemed ill-at-ease as he spoke.

"Is victory dependant on a few Grey Wardens, a handful of mages and the King's Army then? It would seem that we are outnumbered many times over." She began to consider the irony that Duncan saved her from death at Aeonar only to see her die at Ostagar. Were it not so tragic, she would have found great humor in the realization.

"We have other allies taking the field. There are, as you stated, the Grey Wardens, the Circle Mages and King Cailan's Army. Several Ash Warriors with their army of mabari hounds have joined the fight. They are warriors of great skill and cunning. Teyrn Loghain of Gwaren and his army are here as well. The Teyrn is planning the strategies to be employed during the battle." His words rang hollow as he tried to assure his young recruit that things were, indeed, well in hand.

'Teyrn Loghain….The Hero of River Dane….Teyrn Loghain is here….' Parean's mind drifted back to the hours upon hours she had spent in the Circle's library reading about The Occupation and The Hero of River Dane. Loghain Mac Tir has been a fascination for her ever since she first heard of his heroism and bravery in the defense of Ferelden and King Maric. He was more than a man to many in Ferelden; he was legendary, second only to Maric.

And he was here. In this place. Planning every aspect of the coming battle; not just to win but to save the lives of those on the field. To save her life.

And her heart skipped a beat….