The Begining of an Era: Prolouge

A lone figure stood on the ledge, overlooking the sunrise creeping over the verdant plains. A bow, smooth and scarred from use, lay in the grass at his feet; his hands limp at his sides as he gazed wistfully into the open expanse. Memories, cherished but bittersweet, drifted freely in his mind as he took in the crisp air. Whatever path his mind chose to wander, however, led him always to the same place. The same person, the same day, the same five hours of his life. He blinked, and suddenly he was there again, his back to the mighty stone wall, his comrades beside him- and his foes before him. He flashed a grin at her, as she stood beside him, her sword and shield raised. Returning his warmth with a wink and a smirk, she nodded playfully towards the approaching enemy, her face taking on a more serious note.

“You better watch my back, farmboy.” She warned him as she strode up to join the line of warriors.

He smiled, “Always.” He called out in return, notching an arrow in his bow and sighting his target. It had been like this for days, the Charr throwing themselves against the wall all day, and then falling back and regrouping during the night. So far, The Ascalon guard had keep them at bay, and it looked as though they had a good chance of saving their homeland from the invaders. Today, though, was the day it all had changed. The Charr charged the wall, just like every other day, and the guard had met them in the valley, the cacophony of battle filling the air. He notched and fired arrow after arrow into the bloodbath, his keen eyes picking off Charr after Charr, all the while keeping a close on her, making sure she was safe. She fought courageously for her homeland-a blur of flashing steel amidst the fray. Driving her sword through the massive chest of a Charr, her sword buried itself in the fallen beast’s ribcage, resisting her efforts to regain it. Another Charr-seeing the opportunity for a quick kill-spun to face her, axe raised high for a killing blow. Quickly shifting his aim, the young man released his arrow into the fight, the tip embedding itself in the skull of the would-be killer. Roaring in pain and rage, the Charr fell to the ground, clawing at it’s head to try and stop the sudden pain. Meanwhile, by bracing her foot against the dead beast’s chest the woman finally managed to dislodge her weapon from the lifeless carcass, turning swiftly and ending the other’s struggle. For the briefest of moments, his eyes connected with hers, and she smiled up at him.

Then, hell began to descend from the heavens.

Smashing into the countryside, indiscriminately annihilating everything-Human, Charr, plants and animals alike, nothing was spared- Giant orbs of fire began to hammer into Ascalon, exploding with deadly force. The man was thrown to the ground as a massive explosion from the valley rocked the earth, sending man and Charr alike flat on their faces. A wave of heat soon followed, setting the trees alight with flame and withering the grass. The man gritted his teeth in pain and scrambled to his feet, only one thing occupying his mind. His watering eyes urgently scanned the burning valley, a cold ball of fear settling in his stomach. Then he saw her. She had been on the edge of the blast radius-significant burns and bruises, but nothing that would kill her. Her gaze instantly searched and found his, her shoulders dropped in relief with the knowledge that he was alright. He felt his cracked lips break into a weak smile, and saw hers do the same. The smile died on his face when he saw a form, still burning from the explosion, rise from the ashes behind her. Hands reaching reflexively reached for his bow and arrow that he always kept close by, he shouted a warning to her, hoping against hope that she could hear him. His hands went cold as his mind caught up with his reflexes. He had lost his weapons when the meteor hit-There was nothing he could do. He watched in agony as she misunderstood the purpose behind his shout, her hands lifting to wave at him, to show him that she was safe. All too soon, the happy, relived expression on her face dulled. A sword, cruel and rusted, protruded from her chest, the Charr responsible grabbing her slight from and tossing her into the flames. The man heard a scream of animal rage rip from his own throat. He fell to his knees, tears much different from those caused by the heat clouding his vision. Before his despair could fully take hold, another emotion began to grow rapidly within him. Anger. Rage. Thirst for vengeance. The tears dried from his eyes. Coldly, he pried a bow and a single arrow-one was all he needed-from the burned remains of a defender. Methodically, he notched his arrow, pulled back on the string, and sighted his target. Remorselessly, he let the arrow fly, feeling a grim satisfaction at the crunch of the Charr’s skull and the accompanying thump of the lifeless body hitting the ground.
“Always.” He whispered to himself, the grief creeping in as the anger faded to nothingness.

The only sounds that remained were the crackling of the flames, and the soft sizzling of tears hitting the burning ash.


* * * *


“Hawke!” A distant voice brought the man’s mind back to the present. The sound of approaching footsteps was soon accompanied by another shout. “Hawke?”

“Over here!” He called over his shoulder, eyes still gazing at the beautiful hues of the valley. The footsteps soon drew nearer, until they stopped right behind him.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” He asked as he finally turned, gazing down into Gwen’s guarded eyes. Her eyes flicked out into the valley, examining it at a glance before shifting back to Hawke.

“It reminds me of home… before the Charr came” Her voice grew hard. “It isn’t fair, that they still have this, while all we have is a burned out shell of what it used to be.”

Hawke smiled sadly under his mask at her words, how she managed to sound so hardened, yet so childish. “Very few things in life are fair.... You of all people know that.” He added gently.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t try and even the score… one Charr at a time.” Hawke shook his head, wondering when- if ever- she would overcome her burning anger against the Charr. It had been years since the searing, and after so much killing... He was getting weary. It used to be simply because of vengeance, and then, with the Titan threat and the destroyer uprising, it had been simply for survival. Now though, he was growing weary of the constant bloodshed. More and more often, his mind would wander back to the times of old, before all of this began. He wished he could spend his days there, when his innocence was not a thing of the past, and his hands weren’t stained with the blood of hundreds.

“Hey, did you hear me? Are you feeling okay Hawke? You seem a little… off.”

“Hmm? Oh, I’m sorry Gwen, my mind was… elsewhere. What were you saying?”

“Ogden and the others are waiting at Longeye’s Ledge, Capitan Langmar has another mission for you, so I took the liberty of rounding everyone up.”

Hawke bent down to retrieve his bow, and asked thoughtfully: “Hmm, I see. Any idea what the mission may entail?”

Gwen shrugged, and both of them started down the hill towards Longeye’s.

“So you don’t know what it is, but you agreed to it anyway. Not only for you, but also for everyone else?”

“Hey, you’ve always said yes in the past! Besides, it’s not like it can be –that- hard, can it? Seriously, you’ve saved the world what, two, three times?” Gwen hedged, using her hands for emphasis. Hawke rolled his eyes.

“The difficulty isn’t the point Gwen, it’s the fact that you automatically think everyone is willing to help out the Ebon Vanguard at a moments notice.”

“The Ebon Vanguard needs all the help it can get, and it certainly deserves it! You just don’t know how it feels to be in their place!” Gwen spat angrily. Hawke stopped walking. The first time she had mentioned it, he had let it pass figuring she just need to let off some steam. This time he felt he needed to address it.

“Gwen…” He began quietly “you’re not the only person who understands losing something in the searing. I know what it’s like Gwen, Ascalon was my home too.”

Gwen’s face softened. “Then why don’t you want to help?” She asked, in a more restrained tone.

“I have my own reasons, but it doesn’t matter now. You’ve already agreed for us, and I will honor that… this time. Just don’t do it again.”

Gwen hunched her shoulders, mumbling something indecipherable, before they both fell into a shared silence. While they were walking to the entrance to the camp, a figure detached itself from a group waiting outside the ledge, and set out in their direction. Hawke saw Gwen stiffen as she looked upon the approaching silhouette. He followed her gaze.

“Pyre, your coming too?” He called out, genuinely surprised by the Charr’s presence.

“Aye, my warband too. I’m not letting you take all the glory for this, meat.” Pyre returned, shouldering his hornbow as he approached.

“Hello mouse.” He greeted Gwen also, his mouth twisting into the equivalent of a Charr smile.

“Hello, monster.” She returned darkly, brushing past him to join the waiting group of Vanguard.

“What exactly are we doing, Pyre?” Hawke questioned after Gwen had passed hearing range, whilst checking that his equipment and armor were in order.

“The Ebon Vanguard has stumbled across orders for a gathering of the high priests. They want us to show up, uninvited.” Pyre chuckled.

“Right, and your coming because you want a shot at them too.”

“Basically. All that matters to me is that they die, and stop enslaving more of my people to their so-called gods.”

“I’m glad to have you along, Pyre.” Hawke smiled as the Charr Ranger huffed and moved back to his waiting troops. Hawke too joined his party, greeting each in turn.

“It’s good to see you all again,” He began.” I assume you all know why we’re here?”

“To crush the main body of the Charr leadership in one fell swoop.” Ogden replied, punching his open palm with his fist.

"Do not forget the thrill of the hunt, small one." Jora reprimanded.

"Or that I need to test out my new staff!" Vekk chimed in.

“Good, I'm glad your all ready for this. perhaps one of you can fill me in on the details on the way. Everyone ready? Let’s be off then, we need to reach Sancoth Valley before nightfall.”

With Hawke leading the way, they set off as a group once again, Pyre and his company in tow. Hawke sighed, sparing the downs one last glance as the sun reached its Zenith. He –was- getting tired of this adventuring stuff. But he wasn’t quite ready to give it up.

“Cynn! They were –just- friends! Can’t we just drop this useless argument?” Hawke, disturbed from his musing by the raised voices, glanced over his shoulder to see Mhenlo begging with an adamant Cynn.

“They were twins Mhenlo! Twins! And you brought it up! You just better be glad they’re not here now, or I’d show them the true meaning of flame cooked!”

Hawke laughed along with all the others as the listened to the lovers spat. No, he wasn’t quite ready to give this up. Not yet.

((OOc: Just joined the forum and wrote this on a whim... I hope it's not boring xD I might write more, dunno, depends on if it's terrible or not lol. If you read, I hope you enjoy =p Constructive Criticism is appreciated ^_^ hope you enjoy.

Hawke ))

I haven't been able to read it all but I skimmed. Lookin' good.

My eyes didn't move from the text even once.. its really a nice story you should post more of it.. you can't just stop in the middle of the story you should post some more of it sooner or later..

*Pokes Kiera so she can poke Hawkeonce more*