To be left behind was almost as much an insult as it was a compliment. As proud as he was that Coan trusted him to support the other Wardens in their task, Talfryn hadn't come such a long way from home to be told to sit and stay by Coan, waiting in Redcliffe like a kenneled hound waiting for his master to return -- his sole purpose had been to look after the young man on his journey, until the Blight was taken care of, or at least until he could be assured that Coan would be able to continue on without his company. Being asked to remain in the village proper rather than partake in the venture to the Orchards was something of a test for the latter quality. It was not befitting of a rugged old knight to worry like a mother hen, but he felt anxious the entire day since he'd seen the party off from the castle grounds, doing his best to keep busy and assist Ser Perth with training the soldiers.
The heavy hand of dusk had fallen over the town, and as the sun went out and the evening's torch lights went up, there was still no sign of the party. Even knowing that it was several hours travel by foot between the Orchards and the gates of Redcliffe, extended if combat left them injured or weary, it troubled him that they had been gone so long. It troubled him even more that the town was still as quiet and unmoving as it had been at dawn. Talfryn was a man of great patience, as many a squire and impetuous young lord could attest, but he did not enjoy being held in suspense. While others had retired for the evening, perhaps just as disappointed by the lack of action as he was, the knight found that he was too restless to lay still in the barracks.
Walking alone from the castle on the cliffs and down to the village below was not the wisest of decisions, but being out in the open brought more comfort than being unaware behind a wall of stone. He was hardly defenseless, either, and hadn't left the grounds in anything less than his medium armor, sword and shield at the ready. No one but the guards and patrolmen should have been out at this hour, and it appeared to him that the citizens were fairly obedient toward this rule -- likely because they had already experienced the terror of an attack within their lifetimes. It was unfortunate that they should have to experience another. His footsteps sounded heavy and loud as his boots crunched on gravel down the hill, echoing into the darkness. It was the only sound he could hear, until he heard the clear ringing of the Chantry's bells and felt their powerful sound wash over him.
With no hesitation, Talfryn brought his weapons forward and hurried further down the path, trying to sprint without slipping over bits of loose rock in the dirt. He could see in pools of light in the valley below that the militiamen had been stirred from their posts and were on the alert, though for what reason, he could not tell. His eyesight was not poor, but it was faded in comparison to someone half his years -- maybe they saw something he didn't, or maybe one of the Wardens had sensed it. He didn't know where either Lady Reyer or the Crow had gotten off to during the day, and in Savio's case, he didn't much care to know, but Talfryn considered now that he should have paid more attention to them. They were more his commanders than the Arl in this circumstance, but they hadn't asked anything of him in specific and he hadn't thought to force either into a position of leadership that they didn't seem too eager to fit into, even if it was a quality they would have to learn to develop as Grey Wardens.
Reaching the plateau of the town's center, Talfryn barked at the closest figure he could see, "What's going on?" It took him longer than it should have to realize that the person he was shouting at was not an armed soldier, but a lithe teenage girl. If it hadn't bothered him earlier that the Circle had sent near children to battle when he first met them in Amaranthine, it troubled him even more that she almost looked like the twin of his own daughter in this dim light. He blinked twice at the young mage to clear the image in his mind, frowning with the stern disapproval of a father as he stepped closer, "Miss Devar, what are you doing out here? It's incredibly unsafe."