Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2016 17:36:41 +0000 (UTC)
From: Rainy Day <rainingsparrows@yahoo.com>
Subject: Becomings of Wardens Part 8

This Fan Fiction is based on the Dragon Age video game series trademarked
by BioWare. I do not claim ownership of the characters or the world of
Dragon Age. I've tried not to mess with the "official" story, so names and
dates should be correct for the time period this story takes place.

This story contains sexual relations between minors and adults, and if this
offends you in any way, please do not read any further. This story also has
some gore and violence! Any comments are welcome at
rainingsparrows@yahoo.com

Please consider donating to Nifty!!!!!!

Previously:

"Lastly, you Daniel." Sean said as Daniel stepped forward to grab the
silver chalice. He looked at the dark red liquid for a second, wondering if
this was what he truly wanted.

"There is no turning back." Riordan said calmly. Daniel looked at Riordan,
who in return gave him a nod. Taking a deep breath, Daniel swallowed three
sips of the liquid.

As soon as the first sip of blood went down his throat, Daniel felt a chill
go through his body. His head started to spin, before an agenizing pain
filled his entire body. Darkness crept up on his vision, finally going all
black.

Daniel could see a light ahead... A glowing purple light. It seemed like it
was pulsating, like breathing. He moved closer as a white eye, as big as
his own head, opened in front of him, staring straight at him. A gigantic
roar filled his ears, even shaking the ground underneath him! The shaking
continued as he felt himself falling...

"Daniel!"

Daniel opened his eyes. In front of him, Simon sat crouched giving him one
of his glimmering smiles. Behind him stood Sean, who also smiled at
him. Sean and Simon helped Daniel up on his feet, as he was laying on the
ground. Sean put a strong hand on Daniel's shoulder and squeezed firmly.

"Welcome to the Grey Wardens, Daniel."

Part VIII

Simon was walking in pitch-black darkness. He wasn't sure what he was doing
there, but he knew he had to be here. Wanted to be here. He needed to find
something.

There were no other sounds other than his own footsteps and... something
else... far away. A humming. Deep and continuous, but not around him,
inside him. The hum was inside his head. He heard it echoing in his head!
It was driving him crazy! How could he stop the humming?! The humming got
louder and louder as he continued to walk. Was this why he was here? The
humming? A light ahead caught his attention. A gush of purple light, like
flames. Simon started to run towards the light. If he found the source, the
humming would stop, he was sure of it! He could see the flames now. He was
close. Just a little further now...

"Simon!"

Simon opened his eyes. The bright light caused him to close them just as
quick.

"Simon, are you alright?"

He opened his eyes again, slower this time. The first thing that hit him,
other than the bright light, was green. Lots of green! Then he realized
that he was outside. The green was trees and grass. His eyes finally
adjusted to the light and colors around him and spotted Daniel standing
above him with concern in his eyes.

"I-I'm fine. Just a dream or a nightmare, not sure..."

"You thrashed around like you had a nightmare at least." Daniel said and
walked over to the embers that had been their campfire. Simon remembered
now. They were on their way back to Ferelden.

They had passed Halamshiral two days prior and were closing in on the
Frostback Mountains now. It was just Daniel and him, as Aiden had stayed
behind in Montsimmard with the other Orlesian wardens.

Just as well, Simon thought. Aiden had changed after his joining. They had
all changed from their trip down into the Deep Roads, but none more than
Aiden. He had become cold and distant, the opposite from before when he was
the brightest and warmest of them all. Simon couldn't blame him
though. Seeing your twin brother murdered before your eyes leaves a scar in
you.

"We should probably get moving soon. We don't want to waste the daylight."
Daniel said as he started to pack his own bedroll. Simon sat up in his own
bedroll and yawned.

"You're right... I can't wait to get to back home. I miss the smell!"

"Of wet dog?" Daniel laughed. Simon glared at him. Most Orlesians said that
Ferelden smelled like wet dog and mud. Simon didn't agree. Ferelden smelled
like... nature. Orlais was full of buildings of marble and gold, while
Ferelden was built with wood and stone. Simon preferred wood and stone! So
instead of replying to Daniel's question, he asked one of his own.

"How much longer do we have to get to Orzammar, you think?"

"The mountains are going to slow us down, but we should make it within
three or four days I reckon."

Daniel stole a glance over at Simon as he neatly folded his bedroll. Their
eyes met and Daniel blushed and looked away. Simon felt himself blush as
well. They hadn't talked about their intimate experience in the Montsimmard
kitchens yet and the tension was starting again. Stolen looks and
longing. Simon wasn't sure why it was so hard to bring it up again. That
experience had been the best in his life, as if something had fallen into
place—and now it was as if it never happened, like how they were
before. Then the conversation after their joining had happened. Once the
group had settled down after the joining, Sean had gathered them all for a
talk. This would prove to be the most important conversation they'd ever
had.

***

"Are you joking?" Simon had asked Sean.

"No, I am not joking. That is why the Joining ritual is crucial. By taking
in their blood, we are forever connected to the hive-mind of the
Darkspawn. We feel their presence and it gives us immunity to the
taint. However, by tainting our blood, we don't stand out for the Archdemon
soul."

"But that doesn't really say anything!" Simon continued angrily. Why hadn't
they been told this before?

"During the very first Blight, we learned that an Archdemon can survive
wounds that seem mortal. It was slain two times during the first
Blight. The first time, it returned soon after being slain by some Ander
soldiers. We have since then learned that the Archdemon's soul simply went
into a nearby Darkspawn."

"But... won't it just do that to us then? Since we have the taint? Why do
we make a difference at all?" Simon asked as he flailed his arms
around. This whole conversation seemed so silly!

"The Darkspawn are empty vessels. They don't have a soul like we do. The
Archdemons use this to their advantage, making them immortal as long as it
has Darkspawn. This is why Grey Wardens are important. As long as a Grey
Warden deals the killing blow, the Archdemon's soul will try to enter us,
seeing us as vessels because of the taint. But since we already have a
soul, the Archdemon's soul is destroyed in the process. Sadly, this process
is fatal for us. The Grey Warden who deals the killing blow on an
Archdemon...will die." Sean finished to his sparse audience. Simon, Daniel
and Aiden all sat with open mouths for a full five seconds; as if it took a
few extra seconds for the last part to fully sink in.

"So... not only is becoming a Grey Warden a possible death sentence because
of the joining, or just an early death because of eventually being consumed
by theo taint, but even if we deal the killing blow on an Archdemon, we'll
be killed by its soul rushing into our bodies?" Daniel asked slowly.

"That is correct. You were all told when you joined us as
recruits. Becoming a Grey Warden is by no way a salvation. We go to the
darkest places, where no one else dare to go. We do this to protect the
people of Thedas, knowing they will not thank us for it. They will hate us
and push us away, but this is necessary. We need to be different from them,
more than them. That is the only way that we can make the hard decisions
necessary to save Thedas from the Blight."

"I have to go back..." Daniel suddenly said, and the others gave him a
questioning look.

"Back? We can't go back. We sealed th-" Simon started, but was cut off by
Daniel.

"Back to Ferelden. I want to go back to Ferelden again."

Sean studied Daniel's face for another ten seconds, before saying anything
more. "I understand, Daniel. What about you?" Sean said, this time to
Simon, "Do you want to go back to Ferelden as well? Now that you two are
Grey Wardens, you can help rebuild the order in Ferelden."

Simon looked over at Daniel. If Daniel was going back, shouldn't he do it
as well? He couldn't leave him... not after all they've been through.

"Yes," Simon finally said, "I want to go back to Ferelden as well."

***

Once back at Montsimmard, it would take another week before they were ready
to leave for Ferelden. They were held up for a couple of days because of
the Orlesian Commander, as she had a special mission for them. Ever since
they had returned from the Gamordan Peaks, Montsimmard had talked about the
new Thaig. Aiden wanted to bring a larger number of Wardens down there to
explore the Thaig properly. This was out of the question for the
Commander. The only thing she was willing to do, was to inform Orzammar of
the Thaig's location, nothing more. This was Simon and Daniel's mission as
they traveled back to Ferelden.

Their trip through Orlais went smoothly, only stopping to rest the
horses. They only had one hiccup, outside of Halamshiral. A small group of
bandits had chopped down a tree, blocking the path. They didn't know what
they had stepped into. Raising simple daggers, they tried to force Simon
and Daniel to give up their belongings. Poor sods hadn't seen the armor
under Simon and Daniel's travel coats. The battle was over in minutes and
they continued on, leaving seven corpses by the lonesome road.

After two weeks, they reached mighty gates or Orzammar. Simon felt a chill
go down his spine, as he held his dwarven longsword tight.

"Let's go Simon," Daniel said as he handed the reins of his horse to a
dwarf, who gave Daniel a deep bow. Simon jumped down from his own horse and
handed the rains to another dwarf, who also bowed. Simon felt himself blush
a little. The last time he had been here, he hadn't been anything other
than a simple thief. Now, he was a Grey Warden, one of the most respected
factions of Thedas. He caught up to Daniel, who was waiting for him in
front of the gates.

"What's your business in Orzammar, stranger?" The guard at the gate asked
in a husky voice as they approached, looking them over from their armor to
the weapons on their backs. Daniel didn't reply, but showed the guard the
rolled up scroll in his hand. It had a blue wax seal, with the Grey Warden
Griffin pressed into it. The Dwarf cast one look at the seal, and nodded to
the other guards, who opened the heavy doors for them. "Welcome to
Orzammar, Grey Wardens." The guard said and gave them both a quick
bow. Daniel gave the dwarf a nod back, and Simon did the same. It would be
very rude not to!

"Do you remember the last time we were here, Simon?" Daniel asked as they
walked through the large gate. It was exactly as Simon remembered it. The
stone statues of Paragons, the reddish glow of the flowing lava. Everything
was the same...

"Of course I remember, Daniel," Simon said, smiling for the first time in
days. The memory of Daniel hugging him in this hall, thanking him for the
gift... and the first time he'd felt the hardness in his trousers because
of him.

Daniel smiled as well. The first time Simon had seen him smile since
Montsimmard.

"Let's go. Orzammar is waiting for us." Daniel said, waving for Simon. They
walked through the entrance hall and through the second gate, leading them
straight into Orzammar. Once again, the size of the huge cavern caused
Simon to blurt out a soft `wow', just like last time they were here.

They had barely set a foot into the colossal room, when a group of soldiers
came towards them. Simon felt his heart quicken for a second, but none of
the soldiers had their weapons out. One of the dwarves, sturdier-looking
than the rest, walked straight up to Simon and Daniel, and gave them a
quick bow.

"Greetings, Grey Wardens. What can the city or Orzammar do for you?" The
dwarf asked. Once again, Daniel didn't reply, but showed the dwarf the
sealed scroll. The dwarf looked at the sigil for a second. "Is it a Thaig?"
the dwarf then said, with a hint of hope in his voice, Simon thought.

"We believe it is, yes." Simon said. The dwarf gave him a quick look.

"Then we shall take you to the Shaperate. Follow us." The dwarf said,
before his whole troop started to walk in the direction that they came
from. Simon and Daniel followed them, and once again, Simon had to smile
from the memories that flashed before him. They had come to the merchant
that had sold Simon the two swords, and he looked astonished as Simon and
Daniel passed him. It must have been quite a sight, Simon thought. Simon
gave the merchant a wink—the merchant looked like he had seen a ghost!

After a short walk, and through another set of gates, they reached the
upper level of Orzammar, The Diamond Quarter. Simon knew that this was the
place for the oldest and wealthiest families of Orzammar, from what he had
read. They passed several houses, all built into the mountain itself. The
Diamond Quarter was full of people—all of them Dwarfs, no shock
there. As Simon and Daniel walked with their guards, Simon noticed the
dwarves around them pointing and whispering as they passed. Simon guessed
that Grey Wardens weren't a common sight up here, as most went straight
into the Deep Roads when coming to Orzammar.

Soon they reached the center of the Diamond Quarter. This is where the
Assembly of Orzammar would gather. Simon knew that the Assembly had 80
members, all from families connected to the Paragons. This was to ensure
that the Assembly had the favor of the Paragons.

"It's down here," The guard captain said and led them down a set of stairs
and to another building much like the Assembly. "This is the Orzammar
Shaperate. This is where all of Dwarven memory is recorded and stored." The
captain said as he opened the heavy stone door with ease. As Simon and
Daniel stepped inside, Simon noted how large the building was inside. They
entered a small entry hall that lead into a gigantic library that stretched
far into the mountain. Rows upon rows of bookshelves, full of books and
scrolls filled the room. The guard showed them in to the middle of the
room, where an ancient looking dwarf stood studying a scroll.

"Lord Shaper? There are some Grey Wardens here to see you." The guard said
and bowed for the old man. The shaper took a few seconds to realize that
someone had said anything to him, as if he was a little slow.

"Ohh that's wonderful. Wonderful. Show them in." he said without looking up
from the scroll in front of him.

"They are standing right here, Lord Shaper." The guard said a little lower,
nudging the shaper a little.

"What? Ohh! Hello!" The old man finally looked up from his scroll and saw
Daniel and Simon. "We always welcome Grey Wardens here. What can I do for
you?"

Daniel handed the shaper the sealed scroll, who looked sternly upon the wax
seal.

"We believe we've located a Thaig, Lord Shaper." Daniel said as the man
still studied the scroll. The shaper looked surprised for a moment, then he
smiled.

"Wonderful. Did you venture inside or did you just locate the gate?"

"We found the Thaig gate, still sealed." Daniel said as the Shaper finally
opened the seal and read it.

"In the Gamordan Peaks? Well this is very interesting indeed!" The shaper
lighted up as he continued to read. "And if the gate is still sealed, there
might even be a chance of—oh well." He rolled the scroll up again and
handed it to another dwarf, possibly another shaper. "Put it in my office,
I want to study it with our maps." He said and the dwarf bowed and walked
away with the scroll. "Are you two leaving for Orlais again or will you
stay? We'll be happy to host you here in the Diamond Quarters for as long
as you need to before traveling again."

Simon liked the sound of this. His back was still hurting from the
horseback riding and to have a real bed to sleep in would be great!

"Yes, I think we will take you up on that offer." Simon said and looked
over at Daniel, who also looked relieved to have an actual bed for a night.

Simon and Daniel were escorted to a house not far from the Shaperate. It
was large enough and probably functioned as a guest house for travelers to
the Diamond Quarter. It had several bedrooms and several servants that
cleaned and made the place inhabitable for guests.

"Ahh, you're here." one of the servants said as Simon and Daniel
entered. "Shall I show you to your rooms?" Without waiting for a reply, he
started to walk towards one of the many doors in the hall. Simon and Daniel
both got their own room with a bed, cleaning area and rest area.

"This looks great!" Simon said to himself as he laid down on the bed. It
looked a lot harder than it was. The bed was made from some sort of rock,
but it was soft, like it was closer to liquid than actual rock.

"I'll let you rest." The dwarf said and as he closed the door, someone else
came in. Daniel had apparently already seen his own room and came to check
up on Simon.

"The dwarves spare no expense on their guests, huh?" he said and sat down
in one of the chairs around the room. These too, were apparently made from
the same rock as the bed, as Daniel sank a little into it. "I wonder what
this is. I've never seen anything like it. It is rock, but still it's not
rock"

"Probably infused with lyrium or some other dwarf magic." Simon said and
got up from the bed and sat down next to Daniel. "I suppose we leave for
Ferelden tomorrow. I bet Denerim is our best place to start. Duncan did say
they would be there for a while, so maybe they're still there."

"I think so too. Denerim is out best bet." Daniel said and got up from his
chair and started to fiddle with his armor. "Can you help me take this off?
I don't think we'll need armor here and I'm starting to get sore from the
straps."

Simon got up and walked behind Daniel to loosen the straps holding his
armor in place. He removed the shoulder pads first, then he started on the
chest piece. As soon as he saw the skin underneath the metal, Simon felt
his heart starting to beat faster. As he lifted the armor off Daniel's
shoulders, he felt a shiver go through the boy in front of him. He wondered
if Daniel felt it too. Now Daniel stood bare chested, loosening his arm
guards.

"You want me to help you with your armor?" Daniel asked, his back still
turned.

"Yeah, that would be... good, thanks."

Simon turned his own back to Daniel and felt Daniel turn around to face
him. Simon closed his eyes as Daniel started to loosen the straps around
his body, letting the armor off his skin. Once his skin was out in the open
air, Simon felt a touch on his back. Daniel's hand, warm and soft, caressed
his skin and Simon felt a shiver go through his body from the touch. Then
Daniel wrapped his arms around Simon and hugged him tight, leaning his head
onto Simon's shoulder. Simon couldn't help but to lean his own head against
Daniel's, several moments passing in the silence, feeling the heat from
Daniel's chest onto the bare skin of his back.

"I've missed this." Daniel finally said and Simon turned around to look at
him. He was surprised when he saw the sadness in Daniel's face.

"Daniel? What's wrong?"

Daniel smiled, but it seemed hollow. "Tanyl warned me about this."

"Warned you about what?" Simon asked, more confused than ever.

"About getting attached. To you." Daniel said and a tear rolled down his
cheek. "Ever since Darien and Karen died, my heart's been aching. I can't
lose you. If you died, I'd never recover from it, I'm sure of it."

"You won't lose me!" Simon said and held Daniel's face in his hands so he
could look him straight into those blue eyes. "I'm not going anywhere,
Daniel. You won't lose me."

"I almost did." Daniel said, his voice shaking slightly. "After our first
real fight against those highway men. I was sure I'd lost you. Katarina
could barely keep you alive as we traveled to Montsimmard. All that time, I
kept thinking `what if he dies', and that was even before I knew..."

"Knew what?" Simon asked, but he thought he already knew the answer.

"That I love you, Simon." Daniel simply said, the smile returning to his
lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, Daniel." Simon said, feeling a lump in his throat starting
to grow, making it hard to speak.

"I wish I'd known that sooner." Daniel said, leaning into Simon and closing
his eyes. "I had my suspicion about you, but I couldn't be sure."

Simon kissed him. Daniel seemed surprised for half a second, but he quickly
got into it, kissing him back. As they kissed, Simon felt the now very
familiar sensation starting to build up in him, engulfing him in lust, but
he wasn't alone. He could feel Daniel's hardness push against his own.

"Daniel..." That was all Simon could say, but that was all Daniel needed.

Daniel traced his soft, warm hand down Simon's chest and down towards his
waist. His hand quickly loosened the straps and strings holding Simon's
reinforced leather pants, dropping them to the floor. Simon felt a shiver
go through his body as he stepped out of the pants, leaving him as naked as
the day he'd been born. Daniel quickly loosened the strings and straps that
held his own pants up, dropping them to the floor as well. Still kissing,
the two boys made their way to the stone bed and laid down on top of it.

"Wow, this bed is really soft!" Daniel exclaimed before continuing to
explore every inch of Simon's body. Simon closed his eyes as Daniel's
skilled lips left his own to his neck and down his chest. Daniel lingered a
second on his nipples, kissing them softly before continuing down. Simon
could feel the excitement start to build in him, more than ever
before. Finally, he could feel Daniel's hot breath on his member, as hard
as it had ever been.

"It's so beautiful..." Daniel said softly, as Simon felt a finger glide
across the skin of his hardness.

"Ohh Maker..." Simon breathed heavily as he felt Daniel's fingers wrap
around it and start to stroke him. Suddenly Simon gasped as he felt
something wet on his member, and he opened his eyes to look down. He could
hardly believe was he saw. Daniel was licking the tip, swirling his tongue
at the mushroom head. This was a sensation that Simon had never felt
before.. Simon moaned in disappointment when Daniel stopped licking, but
moaned ever louder when he took it into his mouth.

"Daniel, what are you doing?" Simon had to ask, as this was nothing like
he'd ever experienced, but he soon didn't even care for an answer. The
sensation of what Daniel was doing overwhelmed his senses, leaving him
squirming in pleasure. He almost didn't notice Daniel's hand toying with
his sack, massaging it as Daniel continued to pleasure him with his mouth.

Daniel started to move his lips up and down the shaft, using his tongue to
play with the soft, sensitive underside of Simon's member. The sensation
was building up and up until Simon felt the coming of his impending climax.

"Daniel, I can't last much longer. I'm going to—" then Daniel
stopped. Simon thrust his pelvis up, desperately wanting the pleasure to
continue, but Daniel crawled up towards his face again and planted a kiss
on his lips.

"Why did you stop? I was so close!"

"I don't want you to finish yet. I want to finish together." Daniel simply
said, smiling wide. Simon looked confused for a second, unsure what he
meant before he realized the meaning behind those words.

"You want me to do you now?"

"Only if you want to." Daniel replied a little sheepishly, looking down
towards his own hardened rod. Simon followed his gaze and locked his eyes
onto Daniel's now pulsating manhood. Even though the skin still covered the
tip, Simon could see how red and hot it was, desperate for release.

Simon switched places with Daniel. Simon kissed him tenderly, before doing
like Daniel had done and kissed every inch of his body as he went
down. Soon, Simon was breathing in the aroma of Daniel's boyhood. He wasn't
sure how to describe it. It smelled of... Daniel. Simon wrapped his shaking
hand around the quivering flesh in front of him, and was rewarded with a
sigh from Daniel.

Slowly, Simon leaned in closer until the tip of his nose was almost
touching the skin of Daniel's member. He let his tongue glide up and down
the shaft, somewhat enjoying the taste. Finally, he took Daniel into his
mouth and Daniel moaned loudly. Daniel grabbed Simon's hair and gently
guided him up and down the shaft. Simon was still very hard himself, and as
his mouth glided up and down Daniel's hard shaft, his own member started to
tingle slightly from excitement. `This is incredible!" he thought for
himself as Daniel's manhood felt like it was swelling up in his mouth.

"Simon... I'm very close. Stop, please." Daniel said with ragged
breaths. Simon did as he was told and let Daniel's member out of his mouth,
glistening with his spit. Daniel sat up and kissed Simon deeply and
tenderly for a precious few seconds, before letting go. Simon looked
confused as Daniel started to twist around, moving to the other end of the
bed. It wasn't before he had Daniel's shaft pointing at his face, and his
own pointing at Daniel's, that he realized that they were going to take
each other in, at the same time!

"You ready? I'm so close to bursting, that it won't take long for me."
Daniel said from the other end of the bed. Simon didn't answer. He could
hardly wait to feel Daniel's hardness inside his mouth again, to taste it
again. Simon simply took it into his mouth again and moaned around it as he
felt Daniel do the same. The room was filled by the sound of muffled moans
as they both approached their limit. Daniel was the first one to
finish. Simon felt Daniel stop licking and sucking as he said through short
and raspy breaths, "I'm about to come, Simon. I'm— Ahh!"

Simon felt the spurts of warm fluid almost hitting the back of his throat,
but he didn't gag or let anything out. Daniel's seed filled his mouth with
five shots, leaving Daniel moaning on the other end of the bed. Simon let
Daniel's member out of his mouth, and a small bit of the sweet nectar
slipped out of his lips as he did so. It had a strange taste, he
thought. Not bad, but strange. Unlike anything else he'd tasted in his
young life. He swallowed it without any more thought.

Simon couldn't help but moan as Daniel resumed wrapping his lips around his
member again. He had been very close to coming himself, so it didn't take
long before he also said "I'm about to come, Daniel. I'm so close..." He
bit his lower lip, feeling the sensation build up. It actually started at
his toes, making them curl up as the feeling of pure pleasure shot through
his body. A second before the end, it felt like his member caught on fire,
and he let out a scream of pleasure. He shot six times, each spurt taking
more out of him. His mind went blank after the sixth and he felt
light-headed, as though he was flying lazily among the clouds.

"Simon? Simon, are you alright?" Daniel's voice said from what felt like
far away. Simon could only nod. He was too tired to do much else. Daniel's
face appeared in front of him, smiling wide. "You really shot a lot, Simon!
That was fantastic!" before he leaned in and kissed him. Simon could taste
his own seed in the kiss, but he didn't mind. It didn't taste half bad
either.

Daniel wrapped his arms around him and snuggled in close. The two of them
stayed like that for what felt like days, just letting their naked forms
warm each other. Simon had never felt so safe in his life as he did in
Daniel's arms. He never wanted this to end. Never wanted to let go of the
boy in his arms. Never. But they had to.

The next day the boys readied themselves to continue to Denerim and find
the other Wardens. The dwarves had given them the supplies and fresh horses
they needed to travel swiftly, and after a week's worth of travel, they
arrived at the capitol.

"I'd never thought I'd say this, but I've missed this." Daniel said as they
entered the city. Simon had to agree. It was nice to see the wood and stone
around them again.

"I told you, it doesn't smell of wet dog!" Simon chuckled as they rode
on. "We should head to the market district and see if we can get word to
Duncan somehow." But they didn't have to go far. They had just entered the
Denerim Market, when a squeal caught their attention.

"Daniel! Simon!" Both boys grinned wide when they saw Katarina running
towards them.

"We got the message you sent. It's so good to see you both!" She
beamed. "Duncan is waiting for you. We thought you'd arrive sooner so he's
been worried."

"We didn't want to push the horses more than we had to." Daniel said with a
sideways look at Simon, who felt himself blush a little. They hadn't really
tried their hardest to travel fast, as they had enjoyed several more nights
like the one in Orzammar on their journey here.

"Glad to see that you're both safe." Katarina smiled and soon, the three of
them headed through the Market District towards what looked like a run-down
warehouse. Katarina showed them in and guided them through the rows of
goods and crates, to a bookshelf. She pulled a lever and a doorway
appeared. "After you." She said and Simon and Daniel went in. It looked
like a mix between an armory, library and bed chamber. In the middle of the
room, around a table sat Tanyl, Saunders Ivo and Duncan. They all looked up
when Simon and Daniel entered.

"You're finally here!" Tanyl exclaimed and ran towards them and hugged them
both. Saunders Ivo smiled wide as well. Then Duncan spoke as well.

"I'm glad you both made it through your Joining," Duncan said approaching
them. "We have a lot of work to do and precious little time to do so. We'll
need every single Grey Warden we can get."

Simon and Daniel stared at Duncan as he said these words. They looked
around on the other Wardens, whose faces had become serious.

"What do you mean?" Simon asked, looking around on the others for answers.

"When King Maric allowed the Grey Wardens back into Ferelden, it wasn't
just from the goodness of his heart. A Blight is coming to Ferelden,
soon. We don't know when for sure, but the king has a reliable source."

Simon felt a shiver go down his spine from these words. He looked over at
the boy beside him, Daniel looked like someone had stabbed him, his face
getting paler by the second. A Blight was coming, to Ferelden.

With no words spoken between them, Daniel and Simon held each other's
hands. Blights were what the Wardens were made for, Thedas' last, greatest
champions in the face of utter destruction. Both boys gave each other a
determined look. For a Warden, both victory and defeat meant certain death.

Later that night, Simon and Daniel walked away from the others so spend
some time alone. They weren't going to run away, but they just needed to
have a moment alone, to be able to do what they needed to. They held each
other's hands and a promise was made. A promise that together, they would
clash with the faceless hordes of darkspawn, that together they will emerge
victorious. That no matter the outcome, they would do their duty as Grey
Wardens and remember the oath they took.

In War, Victory

In Peace, Vigilance,

In Death, Sacrifice

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I want to thank everyone that has followed Simon and Daniel's journey to
the end. I apologize for the so very late posting, but I finally made it
here. Simon and Daniel's story is over, for now. We all know what happens
at Ostagar, and our two heroes make their stand there, together.

Special thanks G.M. for helping me through this. I would never have been
able to do this without you, bro!

I have a new Dragon Age Story in the works, but I'm unsure when I will post
it. Like this, it's not a real fanfiction, but original characters set in
the world of Thedas. It will be in the same style as this story, but about
a mage, as it was requested to have more magic sequences in this story. I
like to write about the lore of the Dragon Age world, as I find it amazing
how well fleshed out the world is. Please feel free to email me if you have
comments or questions, I'll reply to them all, at rainingsparrows@yahoo.com