Event: Accidental murder
[ooc: I'm basing this off of wiki. Wiki says he tried to run away. Kirkwall magic says he succeeded. For the confused, italics are Duncan's thoughts as he suffers a flashback. And yes, this is him being poofed into childhood while the rest of you are adults. I'd imagine Duncan is maybe 11 or 12 or 13-ish here.]
I didn't mean to kill him.
"Hand over the ring and I'll spare you your life." The voice of a child, the action of a hardened man.
It's night, in a dark hotel room that young Duncan has broken into. He's after a ring which is very, very valuable. He will not leave without it.
It was all he had to remember his wife by. Why didn't I just let him keep it?
"I'd rather die than lose this. Child, what are you doing?"
Pressing the cold steel blade harder against the man's neck, Duncan growls at being called a child. "The ring, now. Or you die."
I was only trying to intimidate him. I didn't think I'd kill him!
The man struggles against Duncan, pushing the boy off of him. Duncan fights back, and they brawl across the bed, the man trying to get the weapon out of Duncan's hand. "Don't do this, boy, you'll regret it!" the man yells.
Duncan flies into a rage, trying to pin the man down again.
My anger. I should have controlled my anger.
The blade slits the man's throat, a pool of blood forms beneath them both. Duncan is horrified. His whole body shaking, tears streaming down his face. "I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
The man reaches a hand up to Duncan's face. "Th-- Thank you." And he dies.
Thank you? How bad was his life that he thanked me for ending it?
Duncan can't even run. He freezes, looking down at the dead man in terror. Looking at the ring he'd been fighting for. It wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth this.
Everything else happens so fast. He's arrested, thrown in prison. He learns that the man he'd killed was a Grey Warden. He's told he'll be executed the next morning. He doesn't want to die. But he knows he deserves to. It's morning now. It's time to face his fate.
"I hereby invoke the Right of Conscription" sounds the voice of a woman. "The boy will be released into the custody of the Grey Wardens."
"No! I won't go!" Duncan screams. He doesn't know what being a Grey Warden means. He only knows that the man who thanked him while dying was one. If the dying man didn't want that life, neither does he. But he has no choice. The woman drags him off, kicking and screaming.
"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day, we shall join you."
The pain. The pain!
"Welcome, Grey Warden."
"No!"
He runs. He runs as far and as fast as he can, never looking back.
And now he's in Kirkwall, curled up in a ball, his mind replaying these events over and over and over again... and he can't stop them. He can't get the images, the sounds, the smells, the words, out of his mind.
I didn't mean to kill him.
"Hand over the ring and I'll spare you your life." The voice of a child, the action of a hardened man.
It's night, in a dark hotel room that young Duncan has broken into. He's after a ring which is very, very valuable. He will not leave without it.
It was all he had to remember his wife by. Why didn't I just let him keep it?
"I'd rather die than lose this. Child, what are you doing?"
Pressing the cold steel blade harder against the man's neck, Duncan growls at being called a child. "The ring, now. Or you die."
I was only trying to intimidate him. I didn't think I'd kill him!
The man struggles against Duncan, pushing the boy off of him. Duncan fights back, and they brawl across the bed, the man trying to get the weapon out of Duncan's hand. "Don't do this, boy, you'll regret it!" the man yells.
Duncan flies into a rage, trying to pin the man down again.
My anger. I should have controlled my anger.
The blade slits the man's throat, a pool of blood forms beneath them both. Duncan is horrified. His whole body shaking, tears streaming down his face. "I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
The man reaches a hand up to Duncan's face. "Th-- Thank you." And he dies.
Thank you? How bad was his life that he thanked me for ending it?
Duncan can't even run. He freezes, looking down at the dead man in terror. Looking at the ring he'd been fighting for. It wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth this.
Everything else happens so fast. He's arrested, thrown in prison. He learns that the man he'd killed was a Grey Warden. He's told he'll be executed the next morning. He doesn't want to die. But he knows he deserves to. It's morning now. It's time to face his fate.
"I hereby invoke the Right of Conscription" sounds the voice of a woman. "The boy will be released into the custody of the Grey Wardens."
"No! I won't go!" Duncan screams. He doesn't know what being a Grey Warden means. He only knows that the man who thanked him while dying was one. If the dying man didn't want that life, neither does he. But he has no choice. The woman drags him off, kicking and screaming.
"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day, we shall join you."
The pain. The pain!
"Welcome, Grey Warden."
"No!"
He runs. He runs as far and as fast as he can, never looking back.
And now he's in Kirkwall, curled up in a ball, his mind replaying these events over and over and over again... and he can't stop them. He can't get the images, the sounds, the smells, the words, out of his mind.