Dragon Age: Origins

The Couslands Of Highever

Author's note: The plot and the characters fully belong to BioWare, I merely wanted to add more life to the story and to my human noble (Isabel), that's why I decided to write down the story of Dragon Age: Origins!

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Dry leaves crumbled beneath my feet as I was wandering through the forest. It was noon, but covered with the trees' shade I did not feel too hot, even though the sun was at its highest and shinning strong down upon our land. I enjoyed the rush I felt while I was stalking my pray, holding my bow at ready. As I locked my eyes with the deer in front of me by the bushes, I crouched carefuly forward, swiftly moving towards it without making any sound. Blood was rushing through my veins as I readied an arrow to my bow and slowly transfixed it with the deer's neck. I took in a deep breath, holding it for a while, and as I breathed out, swoosh, the arrow flew from the bow and hit my target successfully, with the deer falling down without a whimper. I grinned, pleased with my catch and made my way towards it. I leaned down to the animal, and took the arrow out of its neck then prepared to cut the deer open. Even though there was no need for me to hunt, I still enjoyed it, and therefore often caught something which my family ate at dinner. Hearing praises from my father and brother was always welcome, though my mother disapproved of such actions.

"You're a lady! A lady should not be hunting in the forest, getting dirt all over her!" She liked to repeat so often, and as always I rolled my eyes and ignored her plead to act as a lady. Wearing gowns and talking about knitting and children was not who I was. Running through the forest with my bow in my hand, that was who I was.

I returned to the castle with a sack full of meat and made my way to the kitchen. There were faint screams in the distance, but the closer I got to the kitchen, the louder the screams got. When I entered, I saw Nan, yelling at her servants, agressively waving with her hands.

"What's going on?" I asked, approaching them.

"Maker's breath, you!" Her reaction towards me had me stunned for a moment and I frowned. "Uh, yes?"

"Your sorry excuse of a mabari stormed the larder again!"

Damn it, dog I thought to myself and tried to excuse the stubborn pup. "I'm sorry he's bothering you, Nan."

"Just get him gone! I've enough to worry about with a castle full of hungry soldiers!" I nodded and opened the door to the larder to find Decimus, his fur covered with blood and with dozens of giant rats lying dead on the floor.

"Andraste's mercy! What are those things?" Decimus, pleased to see me, barked at me. "Come on, boy. Nan will be horrified when she finds out you weren't the only one storming the larder."

"There he is, as brazen as you please, licking his chops after helping himself to the roast, no doubt!"

"Actually..." I coughed in my arm. "It's blood... Rats' blood, I'm afraid." Nan looked shocked and yelled at the servants one more time, for letting rats come into the larder, then she petted Decimus, and gave him pork bits. "He's not as bad as I first thought." She said grinning, as Decimus licked her hand. As I was then leaving the kitchen to return to my chambers, my brother, Fergus, crossed my path.

"There you are," he spoke. "Father and I have been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?" As he took a closer look at me, covered with mud, with small twigs in my wild fiery hair and bow at my shoulders, he quickly shook his head. "...Never mind. Anyway, father is looking for you. He's in the hall."

"What does he need?" I said as I tried to get rid of the twigs. Fergus was kind enough to help me out, make me look a little more decent.

"We have visitors."