They'll have to experiment, then.

Anticipatory shiver. 

Briony has a feeling this will be fun.

Very. 

Their trip to Ostagar is relatively uneventful. In person, it proves to be the remnants of either a sprawling castle or a small fortified city, surprisingly intact for its age and largely unstrategic location. The camp lounges around the feet of the structures, gaps in the walls filled in by fresh-hewn wooden palisades.

They're met at the gates by King Cailan himself, resplendent in his gilded plate armor and accompanied by a small retinue. He greets Duncan as an old friend, exclaiming that he thought the older man would miss all the glory.

She hangs back until addressed.

"-and I take it these are the two recruits you found?"

     "Yes, your majesty. Allow me to introduce-"

"No need to be so formal, Duncan. We'll be shedding blood together in battle, after all. Hello there, friends! Might I have your names?"

...The king is younger than she thought he'd be.

She'd known his age intellectually, but... Yeah. "I'm Lys Amell, and this is Ser Briony. At your service, your majesty."

"Pleased to meet you!" he says cheerfully. "I know the Grey Wardens are desperate to bolster their numbers, and I for one am pleased to help them. I understand you hail from the Circle of Magi." He grins. "I trust you have some spells to help with the coming battle?"

She might actually like him. "Yes, and I intend to learn more."

"Excellent. We can always use another mage. And templars, of course," he says to Briony. "I'm sure your abilities will be of great help if we find any emissaries."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Now, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I'm sure Loghain waits eagerly to bore me with strategies in the command tent. Three battles we've won already, and still he worries."

...Okay maybe he's actually kind of an idiot.

"Three battles doesn't make a war, your Majesty."

"Ha!" he laughs. "You sound just like him."

     "They have a point, your majesty. I fear this Blight may not be defeated so quickly as you might wish. Redcliffe's force should be here in less than a week-"

"My uncle just wants in on the glory," King Cailan dismisses with a shake of his head. "We don't need to wait. You know, I'm not even sure this is a real Blight. We've seen plenty of darkspawn on the field, but there's been no sign of an archdemon."

"Doesn't it usually take archdemons a while to emerge?"

"Records are unclear-" Duncan begins, but the King interrupts.

"Wouldn't it be grand? A war like in the the tales! A king riding with the fabled Grey Wardens against a tainted god!" One of his entourage coughs."-Though I suppose this will have to do. I really must be going before Loghain sends out a search party. Farewell, Grey Wardens." And he's gone.

"...Is he always - " Ugh she doesn't even know how to word it. 

"Quite often," Duncan says. "His primary advisor, Teryn Loghain, does quite a bit to, ah, moderate the king's exuberance."

"It's good if he has a reliable advisor."

"The teyrn is quite experienced. He fought for Cailan's father during the rebellion against Orlais."

Nod.

"But now that we are here, we should meet with my apprentice and proceed with the Joining ritual without delay. Come." He sets off for the Wardens' section of the camp, a small area near one of the internal walls.

She follows.