Legend (Dragon Age Origins)

Chapter 7: The Joining

Jory was right—the baths at Ostagar left much to be desired, and this was from a woman who had known nothing but murky tubs and cold water her entire life. On the bright side, by the time they had returned to the ruins, dusk was settling and the camp had cleared out as soldiers prepared for the upcoming battle. Dru was able to take up the entire washroom to herself.

Setting her wet tunic onto a drying rack, Dru grabbed a rough sponge and sat in front of a lukewarm bowl of water. She scrubbed at her skin, washing off the dirt and darkspawn blood. 

As she cleaned, a clock ticked away in her mind. When they had finally emerged from the Wilds, Duncan had gladly taken the vials of blood and treaties and instructed them to meet him in the Ostagar's former temple in two hours time. They each went their own way with little conversation shared between them, the anticipation of their next meeting heavy on their minds.

Two female soldiers entered the tent, sharing gossip about a group of foreign warriors who had come to aid Ferelden. Their conversation died out when they spotted Dru.

A few minutes remained before the ritual would begin. No doubt everyone was already there, anxiously waiting for the Joining to begin. Silently changing into a loose cotton shirt and her leather trousers, Dru exited the tent. On the way out, one of the soldiers offered a smile that wasn't returned.

The temple that once was sat high above the army camp, lit from within by a single torch. Alistair, Jory, and Daveth stood by a cracked stone altar at the centre of the temple. They jumped in unison when Dru entered, the torch casting her misshapen shadow across the stone pillars around them.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

Jory shook his head. Although the others had changed into light clothing, he was still donning his blood-splattered Grey Warden armour, his claymore still strapped to his back.

"The more I hear about this Joining," he worried, "the less I like it."

"Are you blubbering again?" Daveth snapped.

Jory wrung his hands. "Why all these damned tests? Have I not earned my place? All I know is that my wife is in Highever with a child on the way. If they had warned me... It just doesn't seem fair."

"Would you have come if they'd warned you?" Daveth questioned. "Maybe that's why they don't. The Wardens do what they must, right?"

"Including sacrificing us?"

"I'd sacrifice a lot more if I knew it would end the Blight." Daveth picked up a pebble from the ground and pegged it at a pillar.

Silence fell over the temple. Daveth continued throwing rocks at the wall while Jory paced back and forth by the exit. Dru joined Alistair at the altar. His face was unusually slack, and he kept rolling a loose strand of string at the hem of his shirt between his fingers.

Dru leaned against the altar and tried to remain calm. To do anything but wonder why Alistair, someone who had already completed his Joining, feared for theirs.

Duncan's shadow flickered across the walls as he entered the temple. No one uttered a word as he approached the altar, placing a huge stone goblet gently onto its surface. The dark liquid within lapped against the edges. Dru felt a shiver course through her body as the others came to join them.

"At last we come to the Joining," Duncan began, his voice echoing around them. "The Grey Wardens were founded during the First Blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their taint."

"We're... going to drink the blood of those... those creatures?" Jory stammered.

"As the first Grey Wardens did before us," Duncan told them, "and as we did before you. This is the source of our power and our victory."