Jaden Tahal; Dalish Elf and Grey Warden (tahal) wrote in thedas,
For Jaden, the few days leading up to the Joining had been the worst. He didn't know the details of the ceremony, but he knew that not everyone came out alive. And when he and the other Grey Warden recruits were ushered into the meeting chamber, the doors locked behind them, it only made his stomach sink even more. He glanced around at the people gathered, a mixture of humans, elves, and dwarves. The sinking feeling came from the knowledge that not all of them would leave this room alive. And he couldn't help but feel he'd be one of the ones carried out on a stretcher.
He eyed the chalice that stood at the front of the room, wondering just what it was. He'd figured there would be some sort of melee, something to prove their worth to the Wardens as warriors. But his stomach did a fresh turn when the Warden-Commander spoke, revealing just what was actually in the chalice. Blood. Blood of darkspawn at that. And they were to drink it. Though Jaden found the idea even more repulsive than he'd ever thought anything could possibly be, he found himself curious. That was it? That was all that had to be done to join the Wardens' ranks? Of course, when the first recruit, a strong human, fell to the floor in agony, he began to rethink things a bit.
The next human survived as well, and Jaden began to feel a bit more hopeful. Perhaps it wasn't all lost? That was until the next person to drink from the chalice, a young elven mage, fell dead to the floor, and his friend was run through with a sword. He couldn't help but move backwards a bit, hand instinctively reaching for a dagger that wasn't even there; he'd left them behind. Was this how things were going to be? They were to be murdered if they didn't cooperate? What kind of organization was it, that killed their potential members? That forced them to drink a poison? He knew all of this questioning was just based on fear, but it was a fear he just couldn't seem to quell. He'd known he could be walking into his death. But now that it was right in front of him? Well, it was a little harder to take. He closed his eyes when the strange elf who had spoken to them in the forest stepped forward, forcing himself to breathe, calling on all the training he'd ever received to calm his mind.
The elf survived, as did the tiny dwarven girl and the human who followed. The human female that followed, was not so lucky. Jaden solemnly watched as the body was gathered up, moved to the shadows with the others. He gave a small start at the next name called, taking but a second to recognize it as his own. Pausing only to give Faer a small nod, he stepped away from the crowd of remaining recruits, making his way to the Warden-Commander. The man who, just days before, had saved his life. To put it in jeopardy now. Though he was more afraid that he could remember being in his entire life, he refused to let it show as he took the chalice in his hands. "Fly straight and do not waver, bend but never break, and together we are stronger than the one," he said quietly, feeling a fresh wave of bravery run through him. He would do this to honour his people. He lifted it to his lips then, taking a sip of the most foul liquid he had ever had the misfortune of coming upon.
It only took a moment for the tainted blood to take effect, a pain worse than anything Jaden had ever felt running through his stomach, as though he'd been stabbed. From there, it seemed to radiate out into the rest of his body, bringing dark images with it when it reached his mind. Darkspawn ravaging the countryside, murdering the innocents, and the archdemon. The archdemon sitting on a throne of bones and bodies, its eyes burning into Jaden's as the elf's blood seemed to boil within his veins. His hands went to his head as he tried to fight the images off, but it was too much. He fell first to his knees, managing to catch himself as he tumbled forward. But only for a moment before the strength was sapped from his body and he fell forward. His last fleeting thought before all went black was that he hoped the Wardens would allow his body to be returned to his family. They deserved to know what had happened.