Happy Thedas Weekend! How about something about Sigrun (Awakening)? Prompt word if needed: hope.
<3 Dwarves
Fill for @thedasweekend. I hope Sigrun set during the events of Inquisition counts, because the muse took off. On AO3 here
Ensemble cast of Dwarven Wardens from my Forced Moves Verse. G, No warnings, 1.1k
"It has to be something to do with the magic."
Sigrun nods agreement along with the rest and the dwarva go back to staring over the battlements. They're all gathered. Faren, Sereda, Gorim, Kader, Oghren and herself. The only sane Wardens still in the fort. The men and elves are talking nonsense.
There's a companionable silence as they all watch the slowly setting sun. They were watching another group of Wardens head out earlier, the humans insisting that they had their calling, but they're long gone into the distance, not even their armour reflecting back the weakening light any longer.
Sigrun thinks the humans are all idiots, they can't or won't take a step back and see that they're all being called at once. There's just something inherently wrong with that. There is no way they can all be hitting that same point, no matter when they joined and how old they are, at the same time. No, there's something else going on. And if she were to put a bet on it, she'd totally put her money with Kader on it being magic. Because the dwarves are the only ones here who don't seem to be being drawn to the Deep Roads and a final long walk.
"We need to hunt down what's going on." She's not the only one thinking the same thing as Kader's Orlesian accent cuts across the darkening battlements again.
"You mean we need to hunt things down while you stay here in comfort." Faren replies and though she can't see it with Oghren between them and her, Sigrun can imagine the grin on his face and she definitely hears the smack and yelp when he doesn't manage to dodge Kader's hand.
Commander or not, Sereda once said that it doesn't matter what the official documents say, the quartermaster is in charge. After all, being able to order the quartermaster around is all well and good until you suddenly don't have anything requisitioned to eat except food you detest.
"Stopping it would also be good," Gorim says, his warrior caste Orzammar accent a rumbling purr that Sigrun wishes she could master instead of being stuck with her own conglomeration of Dust Town and Ferelden topside cant. She looks out over the lands spread before them at his gesture toward the no longer visible party. She nods in agreement, hearing and seeing similar agreement from the rest.
"We'll set out on the morrow," Sereda says as she pushes himself away from the wall and into Sigrun's line of sight. "We'll head to Denerim to let Yarah know what's going on before she leaves on her trading run, then swing by Orzammar, then head up towards Weisshaupt."
Kader shrugs, resettling her armour. "I guess that means I'm in charge again. I'll try not to set the Fort on fire."
She sees Gorim wince and Faren scratches at one ear before voicing what everybody seems to be thinking. "That's tempting fate."
Sigrun snickers "I would suggest that it's more like giving fate magic and a staff and pointing it in the right direction."
The Orlesian dwarf smirks and shrugs one armoured shoulder at Sereda. "You're the one who let the explosives expert remain here and didn't put child proof doors on his workshop."
Gorim winces again and Sigrun clearly hears the muttered: "I'm not the one that taught our son to pick locks," along with a glare at Faren who has the gall to affect an innocent demeanor.
Sigrun can still remember walking back into the end of that incident. Faren had taken one look and walked back out muttering that he was too old for this shit which amused Sigrun because as best she can tell Faren's one of the youngest around. Oghren is definitely older, and Kader is old enough to be Sigrun's mother and is still twice as tough.
Faren had left Sereda to deal with the mess and to talk their son out of wanting to become a dwarven sapper. They had enough trouble with the brothers testing things without adding a child to the mix. A good thing he was still at that age where he didn't know what he wanted to be and had forgotten about it by the next week when he wanted to become a scout.
And isn't that still a strange concept, that you can choose what you want to do.
Sigrun is glad she is not on the approved babysitting list their wife Yarah wrote up regarding the children. Apparently entertaining them with sharp objects was not age appropriate. It does mean Sigrun simply gets to watch as they bounce between all four of their parents and cause more trouble than Sigrun ever thought possible.
"We'll take the children with us," Gorim says.
"But Yarah is going on a long run—" Sereda starts to say.
"I know," Gorim says. "I'm thinking we leave them with your brother. You know he won't protest."
Sigrun snorts. She's only met the King of Orzammar once, when she went down there with Sereda, but she's not sure that 'won't protest' is entirely the correct wording. He'll probably protest quite a bit, and then give in because Sereda is a Paragon and he's never going to win. That or she'll just give him her kicked nug look and he'll roll over like a mabari wanting belly scratches.
"So, Denerim, Orzammar, leave the children, then go hunt down what the fuck is going on?" Sigrun asks, to ensure she's got the plan right.
Oghren sighs. "I'll stay here if that's alright? Somebody needs to help hold down the fort."
Faren pushes himself off the battlement, grabbing Sereda as he goes. "Onwards then, to the next mystery." Gorim follows them without a word.
Sigrun hums, flicking her fingers in a silent speech farewell as Oghren strolls away.
"Don't stay up too late," Kader says.
"I'll head in later. I'm not tired yet."
Kader eyes her as if she's weighing up the truth of Sigrun's statement. Apparently she decides to trust it and just gives her a nod before leaving.
Sigrun slouches in place, arms braced on the rampart as she stares out over the countryside.
Death really does tend to rearrange priorities a little. Yet she can't say she's eager to run off and find it.
Not anymore.
Strange that once she cared not where she fought. It was all she had left. Legion, Wardens, both sever ties to whatever rank or caste you held and both will end in death at the hands of darkspawn at some point in the future
She had loved her Legion patrol group. Losing them… Well, she had thought the Wardens would be an easy way to follow her patrol into her final death. And then Sereda and Faren and the strange family they have created worked their way into Sigrun's heart.
Now she's hoping they find whatever magic is causing this and deal with it nice and easy. Without dying. Not yet.
