Oh man, I’ve been looking forward to attacking Amaranthine for so long you don’t even know. Soundtracks include Doa and E.M.A., but not Counterattack Mankind because that’s for the next chapter. I went and watched more bits of walkthrough for dialogue and found that the logistics of this section of the game don’t make a whole lot of sense (I saved the Keep on my (so-far-only) playthrough so I hadn’t even seen what happens when you save the city, but I decided it made more sense for her to do this for this story). And a lot of things are made dramatic that I wonder would have been quite so dire to actual medieval people (LIKE SIEGES. Worrisome certainly but safer than open ground combat). >.>
I didn’t finish the entire story by midnight, but I will certainly be done tomorrow. It’s been a productive NaNoWriMo, even if I’d like to collapse for two or three days now. Final approximate wordcount of absolute fiction: 76,055
Chapter 8
She stood in the gateway, waiting impatiently for the tiny figures down the road to come closer. It seemed to take a very long time, and meanwhile, the chill late winter wind was nibbling at her fingers, her nose, her ears, even through the woolen gloves and hat she was wearing. Not fashionable for an acting-arlessa to be wearing a peasant’s hat and gloves, but she actually didn’t care, though she would have cared even less if they’d actually worked completely against the cold. She did not pace, though she was tempted to, instead maintaining a poise of motionless dignity.
Maverlies and Alec, on guard duty, were looking at her wonderingly, she knew. But she wasn’t going to show the least bit of weakness in front of her brother. Briefly she wondered why, if it was some sort of younger sibling complex, if she was still seeing him through upraised eight-year-old eyes.
“Beth!” came a hail. There was her brother, and his escort, a dozen Highever soldiers, finally marching up to the gate.
“Fergus, it’s good to see you,” she said, smiling. “Quick, come inside, it’s absolutely freezing out here.”
“Yes, you don’t want to know what colour my toes are,” he said, grinning, and clapped a hand on her shoulder in a manly fashion. “Look at you, Arlessa Cousland.”
“I’m not an arlessa,” she corrected him. “I’m Warden-Commander.”
“Is there really a difference? Amaranthine is an arling.”
“Of course there’s a difference. I’m not an arlessa.”
“Whatever you say, Beth. Oh, aren’t you going to show me your wonderful castle? This place is massive, bigger than Highever. Although that tower’s still missing a few bits.”
“After we’ve had a chance to warm up a bit,” she scolded him. “And thanks, Teyrn Obvious. It’s almost done. Can’t build in the snow, however. It probably won’t be done until spring comes. But we won’t fall to the darkspawn even in its current state.”
They got inside the main gate, which at least cut the wind, even if the front entrance was still chilly. Fergus stamped the muddy snow off his boots. “Where do my men go?”
“Captain Garevel will see to them,” she said, and Garevel bowed to her. “Come, I’ll introduce you to the Wardens. There’s always a lovely big fire in the main hall.”
“Can’t wait.”
She’d asked the other Wardens to wait in the main hall, and they were there as requested. As Fergus entered, Nathaniel and Anders bowed. Oghren drank, Velanna rolled her eyes, Sigrun smiled, and Justice stood motionless, inscrutable inside his helmet.
Fergus recognized Nathaniel immediately and narrowed his eyes. “So you’re Nathaniel.”
“I am,” Nathaniel said calmly, but there was a wariness in his eyes. She decided not to interfere.
Fergus took a deep breath. “Can’t say I’m happy about you being anywhere near my sister, but she’s told me emphatically that you are not your father, so I won’t… I’ll try not to hate you on sight. But I’ll be watching you.”
“I understand, Teyrn Fergus. You have nothing to fear from me.”
“Good. …Though mostly because she’s giving me that look that’s telling me not to lay the ‘overprotective act’ on too thick, or she’ll kick me out into the cold.”
She had a look? She didn’t know that.
“Nathaniel’s been an exemplary Warden,” she said. “You’ll believe me sooner or later. And you remember Oghren, of course.”
“How could I forget? The one with the excellent brew.”
“Glad ye liked it,” Oghren growled, smirking. “Got more for you… but only if Eliza has some too.”
“Absolutely not,” Elizabeth said. “And this is Anders, one of our mages, and Velanna, our other mage, and Sigrun, also of the Legion of the Dead, and this is Justice.”
“Pleased to meet you all,” Fergus said with a bow. “You all look very… unique.”
“You could say that again,” Anders said, smiling.
“Although, why do you wear that helmet, ser?” he asked Justice.
“I am told it is uncomfortable for others to look on me, and while I am here I have no wish to bring any shame to the Grey Wardens.”
Fergus looked startled. “Well, if you say so. Seems a little odd.” He glanced at Elizabeth.
“He and I agreed on it,” she told him. “We have our reasons. Before I forget, while you’re here, I have something for you.”
“Women? Wine? …Wwwwheelbarrows?”
“Wheelbarrows?” She blinked at him. “It’s not something beginning with a W.” She gestured, and Elra came in, curtseyed to Fergus, and handed him the Cousland shield. “I can hand Grandfather’s shield back over. I have a my own now, a good one.”
“Yes, thanks. It’s taken a beating, hasn’t it? I can tell you’ve had it refurbished. I’m glad it served you well, but it really should-”
“-should stay in Highever,” she finished for him. They were of one mind on this, and it made her happy.
“Still have the same maid, I see.”
“Of course I do. She’s familiar, and devoted. I’d be a fool to look for anyone else.” Elra smiled bashfully at her words, but she meant them all, and wished she could say them in a way that didn’t sound so… proprietary. She also liked that she could talk to Elra about the sorts of things she had talked with Leliana about, before, now that Leliana had gone back to Orlais. “Anyway, you wanted to see the castle? The rest of you can go about your business if you like. Or you can come and offer your bizarre commentary.”
“I’m ready to leave, Nathaniel,” Elizabeth said to me, her scarf already swathed over her nose and mouth.
“I’m not,” I said to her. We were at the tavern an hour’s walk from Vigil’s Keep – not the closest one, but a good one for news, and we visited quite often still. Her brother had gone back home again, after staying a week and much teasing of everyone he could, especially Velanna because it was so easy, though Sigrun and Anders gave as good as they got. I stepped in a few times on Velanna’s behalf, though I still wasn’t sure she appreciated it. But even towards me, he seemed more at ease. I was glad of that. There was still snow on the ground outside, though it had been slightly less freezing of late, and Amaranthine was hoping for sun tomorrow. Spring was slowly coming. “I need just a minute.”
“I’ll go on ahead while you settle matters here, then,” she said, giving me a brief smile and vanishing out the door.
It took me a few minutes, and it was a little darker outside by the time I followed her. She wouldn’t have gone far – she liked to walk fast, but she’d wait for me. Though it was odd I couldn’t see her on the road ahead. Had she truly gotten that far ahead of me? Had I taken so long?
And what was that fresh scrape in the mud and snow? I looked back. Surely those were Elizabeth’s footsteps, firm and purposeful, now that I was looking for them, and the footprints of others… converging on hers from behind at the signs of a brief scuffle. Who would dare-? Why? How long ago? I followed the trail behind the huts of the hamlet, my stance low and alert, my bow in my hand, and as I turned the corner I heard Elizabeth give a cry of outrage.
I froze as I saw what was going on. Two men held Elizabeth by the arms, though she was struggling with all of her strength and they could barely contain her. Temmerly the Ox was standing before her. Even from this distance in the poor light, I could see her face contorted in rage, disgust, and even a little fear, though it was almost drowned out by the other emotions and I was sure the men did not recognize it in her; they didn’t know her as I did. She tried to kick him, kick those holding her, but as she did, the two men yanked her backwards, slamming her back against a tree. Temmerly leaned towards her in her stunned state and kissed her hard on the mouth.
I saw her whole body stiffen, no longer struggling but frozen in shock, and found I was clenching my fists around my bow so tightly it was creaking. Time to put it to use. But I didn’t have a good shot on any of the men at this angle.
Temmerly stepped back, but now he was reaching out to touch her. Red coloured my vision; I had to concentrate if I was going to get a good shot.
My bow twanged; my arrow flew true, straight into the head of the man holding Elizabeth’s right arm. Even as he fell limp, she was in motion, tearing her other arm away from the other man, and swinging a magnificent right hook into Temmerly’s jaw. I hurried up, my bow in one hand and one of my swords in the other, but she had her own sword drawn, pointed at Temmerly, who had been knocked into a crouch on the ground. Her face was filled with a terrible fury, her eyes reflecting the crackling, snapping lightning of her sword. With a shrill cry, she raised it, ready to strike and kill him. I didn’t stop her; nor did the other man.
Her sword stopped at the top of her swing. “No,” she said, her voice low and cold now, though she was still shaking with emotion. “If I kill you now, no one will know what utter scum you are. Get up.”
“Too girly to get your hands dirty-?” Temmerly began, and she smacked him solidly with the flat of the blade, discharging lightning into him, and he fell forward again with a grunt.
“Nathaniel, bind their hands,” she ordered, and I put away my bow and sword and did so. I usually had a bit of rope around, and she knew it. “Get up,” she ordered them again.
Temmerly tried to escape twice on the march back to Vigil’s Keep, but each time, Elizabeth struck him with the flat of her sword, and that halted him each time. “I can just shoot you if you try to run,” I told him the second time, and he didn’t try again. His companion didn’t try at all, and seemed to be flat-out terrified of his fate, sniveling like a coward. I had no sympathy. He should have considered that before he molested the Warden-Commander. Before he molested my friend.
We were met by guards soon after we came within sight of the castle, and they took over, and Elizabeth could sheath her sword again – she’d held it in her hand the entire way home. But she did not order them to the dungeon. Instead, she called for Varel, and Garevel, and the other officers of the Keep, including Woolsey and Glavonak, and Justice.
“Ser Temmerly, known as the Ox,” she spat from the dais in the Great Hall, her eyes blazing. “And… companion. You are accused of assaulting and molesting the Commander of the Fereldan Grey Wardens with intent to rape and kill. Nathaniel Howe is my witness.” I couldn’t swear to the ‘intent to kill’ part, but the rest had been pretty clear.
“Lies!” Temmerly cried boldly. “We were minding our own business when he shot Charles and she took us prisoner at swordpoint! They made up that story on the way here!”
“The bruises on my arms say otherwise,” Elizabeth hissed. “And so do I.”
“She just hates me because she thinks I killed Tamra!”
But every face around showed how little they believed him. “Lady Elizabeth would no more make up such a story than she could blot out the sun,” Varel said sternly. “How would you like him dealt with, my lady?”
“Fine,” Temmerly shouted. “Fine! I did touch her, as women should be touched. I didn’t even get to do more. But who wouldn’t do the same, to an uptight bitch like her!?” Many hands reached for their swords at those words, mine included. “There are lots who’d like to see her put in her proper place, scrawny mannish Cousland tomboy! She has no business in Amaranthine! I’m not afraid to speak truth to power!”
Elizabeth’s gaze was hard as steel. “Hang him tomorrow at dawn. His companion too.”
“No, please!” cried the other man. “Have mercy, your ladyship! I did it under threat, I meant no harm to you…”
“He lies,” Justice said. “He deserves death as much as the other.”
“I know,” Elizabeth said. “The way he giggled in my ear- No mercy for one such as you.” She turned to Varel. “Is it still the fashion to put heads over the city gate?”
“It is, my lady.”
“When they are dead, do that.” She turned on her heel and walked out.
She huddled under her blankets, still fully dressed, shivering – no longer with rage, but with fear and horror. And some rage, still, too. And nothing had happened, really, he hadn’t had time to do anything-
And when she thought of his disgusting mouth on hers, when she thought of his whispers in her ear of how he was going to make her into the lowest of the low and then gut her like a rabbit and no one would miss her, she knew it wasn’t nothing. And she still felt his hands, groping at her breasts and crotch, still felt the bruising grip on her arms, the roughness of the tree at her back.
And yet nothing had happened. It wasn’t fair. She didn’t even know why she thought it wasn’t fair, just that it wasn’t.
Thank the Maker for Nathaniel. For being able to find her, for being able to set her free, for being nearly as furious as she was, for everything. She knew that from now on, she could never think of him as Rendon Howe’s son. She already thought of that little enough as it was, after all they’d been through together, but from now on no one could doubt his loyalty.
She felt imaginary hands on her and shook, trying not to cry with frustration and emotional weariness. She was strong, she was above this. And yet she wasn’t.
Elra came in, her expression saying she knew everything, and instead of going about her normal duties to her mistress, sat beside her on the bed and hugged her. “I’m sorry, my lady.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about, Elra. I’m being a fool.”
“You are not a fool. It’s the reaction of every woman to such things.”
Truly? Was Elra making that up to comfort her? “Has… has anything like that… ever happened to you?”
“Yes,” Elra said simply. “I think it happens to everyone, sooner or later. There is no woman unmolested… only women who have not been molested yet.”
“That’s awful. It wasn’t here, was it? Here in Vigil’s Keep?” and her temper flared again, ready to hunt down the culprit that moment if need be, though she was still swathed in blankets. “Although if it was Oghren, I won’t put him to death…”
“No. No, my lady. It was a long, long time ago. In Highever. He’s dead. Dead because of Arl- I mean, Rendon Howe.”
She relaxed again, tired. “And yet… why does death for Temmerly seem right, and death for someone molesting you seem…”
“Like an overreaction?”
“It sounds horrible. It ought to be the same punishment no matter who does it or who it is done to. Am I selfish?”
“I think there is more to it than that, my lady. Not just because you are human and I am an elf-”
“No, that’s nothing to do with it. I hope.”
“But you are the Warden-Commander, Arlessa in all but name. I’m just a servant. That man’s attack on you was not about lust but about power. Someone raping me would not be committing treason.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t thought of it that way. And Elra was right. Temmerly had not once expressed desire towards her, not before, and not now. Only told her she needed to be ‘put in her place’, that ‘women ought to be touched’. She drew a deep, shuddering breath. “I want to kill him. I want to humiliate him. I want to be avenged on him. But then his crime won’t be taken as seriously.”
“I know. But if you would hear my humble opinion… you did the right thing. Even in the heat of your anger, you did the right thing.”
“Elra…” Elizabeth unfolded, just a little, enough to put her head on Elra’s shoulder and put her arms around her. “You are so wise. You’ve made everything clear to me. Thank you.”
“I live to serve you, my lady.”
“And if anyone does touch you… or Firiel… tell me. It might not be about power, I might not put them to death… but such crimes should not take place, not in Amaranthine while I lead her.” She felt a hot tear escape her right eye. “Maybe such a thing is as impossible as trying to mend relations between humans and elves. But I have to at least try.”
“And that’s why you are Lady Elizabeth,” Elra said, patting her back comfortingly. “Would you like me to bring you your nightclothes?”
“No,” Elizabeth said, embarrassingly quickly. “No, that’s fine. I will sleep in my clothes tonight.” Changing her clothes would not take away the touches, and stripping before dressing again was the last thing she wanted to do right now. Maybe tomorrow.
Elizabeth was up at her usual time the next day, I noticed, doing her usual routine, as if nothing had happened. She was in her office doing paperwork at the same time the gallows was being prepared. She was dressed in full armour, which was not normal, but I didn’t blame her.
“You’re not going to watch?” I asked, looking out the window at them.
“He’s not worth my attention,” she snapped, glaring at me. “I refuse to acknowledge that traitor’s existence again. If you’re going to watch, do it somewhere else.” And she went back to her paperwork.
“Yes, ma’am.” I paused. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner. Or that I didn’t go with you from the tavern.”
She put down her pen and looked at me more sadly with serious blue eyes. “You have nothing to apologize for. I owe you a great debt for saving me. And should you have been with me, our guard would have been down, even more than mine was, and they would likely have killed you first.” Maybe she was right about that, but maybe while they were distracted with me, she could have been ready to fight. …Such what-ifs were pointless, weren’t they. “Elra says that every woman is treated so, sooner or later; touched without consent, to no purpose but selfishness. Maybe not with such malice, maybe not with thoughts of treason, but though there are many good men like you who would never do such a thing, there are many wicked men who think nothing of it. Who perhaps don’t even know that they are doing horrible things.”
I would never do such a thing. Would I? My heart grew heavy and my stomach uncomfortable as I considered it. If I hadn’t been such an awkward, secluded teenager… I might have done such things without knowing what I did. I told her so, slowly.
“But you would not do them now, because you are an intelligent being who acknowledges that women are also intelligent beings,” she answered, a little bit sharply. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her.
“I like to think so…”
There was a sound from out the window, and she flinched. I turned to look. “If you’re going to look, do it somewhere else!” Right. I forgot.
And that was the last she ever spoke of Temmerly. She never even looked at his rotting head when it was set above Amaranthine’s gate. But she seemed to trust me even more than she had before, as well. She didn’t make a big deal out of it, preferring to pretend the incident had never happened, I think, but she was grateful to me.
She wasn’t herself the next day, nor the next day after. She continued to wear her full ironbark armour all the time, and avoided touching anyone except Elra. Not that anyone came into contact with her to begin with; she wasn’t familiar with people in that way, a little bit aloof from everyone except her Warden friends, and they weren’t the touchy-feely type. And she was grateful for it.
She longed for Zevran, desperately, and yet she couldn’t tell him about this. What could he do? What could he say? All she wanted was to be held by him, to replace those horrible memories with fresh, loving ones, but to ask him to come back just for that was selfish. His last letter had said he was going into the Antivan provinces for a while and wouldn’t be in contact for a few months anyway. By the time he could answer her, or come to her, she would be past all this. She hoped. Though she wouldn’t mind seeing him anyway. But she didn’t want to interrupt his mission or put him in greater danger. So she wouldn’t ask.
But a week after, she was still struggling to recover herself, and she knew that wasn’t right. Was it? She didn’t know. She knew so little about these experiences. She’d been sheltered, as a Teyrn’s daughter. She knew it happened, sometimes – or as Elra said, to everyone eventually, she knew that now. But was it normal to still be disturbed so long afterwards, when nothing had really happened?
She was short with Varel that day on some inconsequential bit of logistics, and he sighed, looked at her with compassion, and stood. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“Don’t want to,” she said, petulantly. Some Commander of the Grey she was. She sounded like Alistair. Or Anders. Varel only waited by the door of her office, and after a minute, she got up and followed him.
He left the Keep, heading around the west side towards the hills and forests there. They walked in silence for a while. The air was cold and crisp, the sun shining brightly, the ground frozen hard enough not to be too muddy, and the trees sparkled with tiny flakes of ice.
She didn’t know what to say. She should apologize, perhaps. But she sensed that wasn’t what he wanted. So what did he want? What was his purpose in coming out here?
“I just thought you’d like a change of scenery,” he said finally, as if reading her mind, and they came to a stop in a little clearing in the woods, surrounded by leafless young saplings. “Being cooped up in the Keep can’t be so nice.”
It’s safe, she wanted to say, but she was no coward, was she?
“I… can’t imagine what it’s like for you,” Varel – Gideon said. “I know you’re having trouble sleeping. And eating. And on concentrating on the present. I know you can’t forget, even though you’re trying to, trying to pretend you do. And when I think of what that blight did, of what he wanted to do… my heart grows hot with anger. I feel you were too merciful on him. Impressively cold-blooded, and your message will be heard loud and clear, but I wished he were chopped into little pieces and fed to rabid Mabari.”
“Me too,” she whispered, and the shaking started. She stilled it with an effort. Think about something else. Don’t think about him. Gideon’s talking to you.
“And you know I love you like my own daughter, and it hurts us all to see you struggling to move forward all alone. But you’re not alone. Any of us would gladly help you. But I think the others are a little afraid to reach out to you. They’re young and awkward – or in Justice’s case, have never been taught social skills. I’m an old man, my feelings don’t matter. So. Will you let us help you?”
He reached out a hand to her, gently, as if her answer didn’t have to mean anything if she didn’t want it to.
She looked at him, and he looked at her with warmth in his grey eyes, and slowly her facade crumpled and fell, and she began to cry. To cry, as she hadn’t cried even in Elra’s arms, even alone in her bed late in the night when she couldn’t sleep. He reached out and gathered her into his arms – and he wasn’t wearing armour – holding her like her father might have. And she came willingly, leaning her head on his shoulder, crying into his coat. She trusted him, trusted Gideon Varel, loved him like a father, almost like she had loved her true father, didn’t mind him holding her, whispering gentle reassurances into the top of her hair.
She felt… fresh when the crying had passed; tired, but a little more like herself, as if a stopper had been pulled and some of the poison in her mind and body had begun to drain. She sighed deeply but kept leaning on Gideon. “Thank you.”
“No need for thanks, lass.”
She straightened and took a step back. Her eyes must be raw and red, her nose and face horribly blotchy… and yet she could breathe again. And she didn’t need to hide from him. “No, thank you. I… I think I will feel better now.”
He smiled a small smile. “Shall we continue?”
Not go back to the Keep? Why not? It was a nice day. “All right.”
Months passed and Temmerly became a distant, near-forgotten memory. Spring came and was passing into summer. The castle was completed, more or less. The darkspawn remained quiet. Amaranthine thrived, and we at Vigil’s Keep grew strong. Between Elizabeth and Garavel, we tried not to grow complacent, only patrolled the lands as best we could. I knew Elizabeth was suspicious. We hadn’t defeated the darkspawn in battle yet. Perhaps the friendlier faction, the Architect’s side, had defeated the other side?
I suggested it to her, but she rejected the idea. “Would that creature not have sent word? He seems to like meddling in that way. I don’t believe it. Something is waiting for something to happen. But I am not leading my forces into the Deep Roads without cause.”
So we waited for the darkspawn, who were waiting for who-knew-what.
And then one day a frantic messenger appeared, hurrying to the castle on horseback. She caused such a commotion that we were well assembled in the hall to wait for her, and by chance, several of the Lords of Amaranthine were also there to debate strategy with Elizabeth. “Commander! Commander!”
“What is it, girl?” Varel said, waving her forward.
“An army of darkspawn has appeared within sight of Amaranthine City!” Fear took root in my gut. Delilah and her newborn son should be safe behind those thick walls, shouldn’t she?
“Maker protect us,” Lord Eddelbrek said. “They’re attacking the city?”
“How many?” Varel asked.
“I-I don’t know for certain, ser. Constable Aiden said maybe two thousand.”
“Amaranthine has been undermanned for months,” said Garevel sourly. “She may not last long.”
“It will take some hours to assemble the army and arrive at Amaranthine,” Varel said. “She’ll have to hold out until we get there.”
“Then we must not tarry,” Elizabeth said, finally speaking. “Assemble the men. I will move on ahead with Nathaniel, Sigrun, and Anders and two-thirds of the army. The rest will remain here to defend in case this is a feint.”
Garevel frowned. “Two thirds? We’ll be outnumbered, Commander.”
“But we can join with the city’s defenders, few though they may be, and we fight for our homes, do we not?”
“Aww, can’t I stay behind?” Anders whined. “Velanna will be happy to go in my stead.”
“I would, Commander,” Velanna said. “…Please.”
“I know,” she said. “But I have made my decision. And remember – staying may not be safer than going. Any more comments?” She looked sternly at the other Wardens. I had the sense she was not in the mood to debate any more, only to move. I felt that itch too, that sitting still cost lives every moment.
“Fighting darkspawn with almost certain death awaiting?” Sigrun said. “This is fantastic! I’m happy to fight alongside you.”
“My family built that city over generations,” I said. “I will not let it fall.”
“I’ll make sure the Vigil’s ale supply is safe,” Oghren said. “Heheh. Leave a few darkspawn skulls for me to kick in, arright?”
“If ever I had doubts about you, they are erased,” Justice said. “Fight nobly. And if you die, die with honour.”
“I will,” she said. “Garevel, assemble the army. We move as soon as they are ready.”
“Aye, Commander.”
“Maker protect you, Commander,” Varel said, bowing, and she walked down the hall, head high, to lead her men to war.
We arrived at the city in good time, having taken only an hour to gather and arm some eighteen hundred soldiers, and then marching hard across the roads, thankfully dry in the good weather we’d been having. There were some straggling darkspawn in the fields around the city, and we fell upon them and destroyed them easily before convening in a small pine forest not far from the city. Constable Aiden came to find us there. “Warden-Commander, I am glad you arrived when you did… but I fear there is little that can be done now.”
“What has happened? What is the situation?” Elizabeth asked. “Surely the city is not fallen already.” But smoke was rising from it, a horrid sight.
“A few nights ago, gruesome pale creatures emerged from beneath the city. They spread pestilence and destroyed all that they touched, and they were quick and with sharp claws.”
“The darkspawn call them the Children, though I don’t know why,” Sigrun said. “If it makes it simpler to speak of them.”
“We managed to track down and deal with most of them, but then the darkspawn arrived this morning. We sent our messenger as soon as we saw them, but then they discovered the smuggling tunnels.”
“I see,” Elizabeth said. “So now they run amok inside the walls.”
“That’s it exactly. Waves of them have poured out from the Crown and Lion. We were overwhelmed within an hour. I’m sorry, Commander. Amaranthine is lost.”
Elizabeth’s eyes flashed. “Amaranthine is not lost.”
“It’s too late. The walls still stand, but there will be few survivors after all the chaos of this day.”
“My sister,” I murmured, my fear bubbling to the surface.
“Constable! A darkspawn approaches, alone!”
“Archers, bring it down!”
Even as the bows raised and drew, the darkspawn raised a hand. “Peace! Do not be killing. Only talk. Architect has a message. For Grey Warden.”
“What is it?” Elizabeth said, face darkening thunderously at the mention of the Architect.
“The Mother’s army – it marches to Vigil’s Keep! She attacks now! The Architect – he sends me to warn you! You must save the Keep, then finish the Mother – in her lair.”
“We must go back to the Keep,” Garevel said.
“What about the darkspawn here?” Sigrun said. “We came all this way…”
“Soon they will be going to Vigil’s Keep as well,” the darkspawn said. “The Mother – she wants the Keep destroyed utterly. There are hundreds there, and trolls.”
“We can’t go back with this army at our heels,” Garevel said, and turned to Elizabeth. “Commander, there are ballistae here. We can turn them around and fire the city, burn all that remains and all the darkspawn within.”
Elizabeth said nothing, frowning at the looming walls of the city.
“We have already lost Amaranthine. We can’t lose the Vigil as well.”
“But- Delilah,” I said. “Commander, I must know where Delilah is. Please.”
Elizabeth stared in anguish at the city, then looked back down the road to Vigil’s Keep. And she gave a despairing cry. “Ah! What good is a dwarf-built castle if it cannot hold against a siege? We retake Amaranthine!”
“No, no!” the darkspawn said. “If you stay, the Mother will get what she wants!”
“Then you’d better fight alongside me so we may be done here all the sooner!” Elizabeth retorted, eyes snapping, and the darkspawn stepped back.
“I will… do as the Grey Warden bids.”
“Amaranthine, then,” Garavel said, and sighed. “The darkspawn are never this organized on their own. Something must be leading them.”
“Then that is my target,” Elizabeth said, and turned to the army. “Soldiers of Amaranthine! This is a challenge unlike any we have faced before. I know some of you- many of you are afraid, whether of Amaranthine’s plight, or of the darkspawn, or simply of death. And that is natural. But this is what we must do, to save our land, to save our people, our families, our friends! Follow me, fight with all your heart, and we will save them! We cannot lose today! Draw your swords, and fight for Amaranthine!” She thrust her sword above her head as she spoke, shimmering with lightning, and the men cheered and raised their own weapons, clattering in a great rush.
She pointed to one captain in particular. “You there! Take your company and follow Nathaniel.” To me, she said: “Once we get into the city, go save your sister.” She raised her voice again. “Save all the civilians you can! The Chantry is defensible. Secure it and bring them all there!”
“Thank you, Commander,” I said, and nodded to the men.
The main gate of Amaranthine was wide open, and filled with darkspawn. It seemed they’d chased Constable Aiden and his men out, and let in more of the monstrous army through it. Now it let us in to wreak our vengeance.
We hailed them with arrows, and then Elizabeth led a charge towards them. All was noise; the screeching of the monsters, including more of the Children, the warcries of our army, the clash of weapons on weapons and shields and armour, the sick sound of weapons meeting flesh, the shrieks of the wounded and dying. Anders lit up the back end of the darkspawn with a fireball or two, which certainly helped, although the city was already plenty on fire enough without him adding to that.
It was too thick to shoot, so I slung away my bow and drew my swords, plunging into the thick of the battle. Ugly grinning faces with pointed teeth gibbered at me, and I dodged and parried and slashed for all I was worth. There was no time to feel fear, only to let adrenaline carry me onward.
The darkspawn fell away, and we were through the first encounter. But there will still more in the city; we could hear them, hooting and growling, could even see them in the distance, though they were not yet charging us.
Elizabeth nodded to me, and I nodded to my captain, and off we went to the left towards the burning market. I could see another clump of darkspawn there, too busily engaged in looting and destruction to turn to us yet. I could fix that.
Three darkspawn fell to my arrows before they banded together with a howl, charging us. Good, that would get them away from the houses of the civilians, the ones that were still intact. Was Delilah’s still there? No time to see yet, only time to shoot arrow after arrow – to not stop shooting arrows until they’d all been felled.
Delilah’s house still stood, untouched, unburnt. A good first step, but was she still inside? As the men set up a defensive formation, shields out, I ran to the door and banged on it. “Delilah! Delilah?”
“Nathaniel!” I heard her cry from inside. “You’ve come!” Oh, thank the Maker.
“We need to get you to the Chantry,” I said. “We’re getting all the civilians there. Come, get Albert and Thomas, we must leave now!”
“Oh, Maker… We will do as you say. There are others here…”
“Everyone. Everyone goes to the Chantry!”
I heard heavy things being moved back from the door, and it opened, and a dozen people hurried out. Delilah had her son in her arms, and she held my eyes gratefully for a moment before following the others. Other doors opened, and more civilians came out, maybe a hundred in total. So many – and yet only a tiny portion of the city’s inhabitants.
“To the Chantry!” I called, and hoped that Elizabeth’s side had managed to make it safe. Of course they would have. And they had, when we arrived, two hundred men left to hold it. And then we went back to the market, to make a push north, to drive the darkspawn back toward the north gate. We could do this. We were going strong.
And then I saw the trolls. But not trolls like I’d seen before on patrol, or on adventures with Elizabeth. Bigger, burlier, and covered in armour a full two inches thick. How were we going to fight those?
I’d just have to be a really excellent shot. There were five of them. My own men were beginning to look a bit sparse – I’d lost probably a quarter of them so far in the conflict. I hoped Elizabeth was doing better; she did have more soldiers.
The trolls roared and my men took a step back, faces going pale. “Steady!” I called. “Hold it here!” I sighted down an arrow. Just a little to the left…
The troll I was aiming at growled, shaking its head violently so that its helmet rattled, and jumped forward, snatching up one of the soldiers. He screamed in terror, then in pain as it began to tighten its grip. Could I-
I shot, and the arrow struck the troll true in the eye. It wasn’t dead, but it dropped the man, who was dragged back behind the front lines by his fellows.
The troll roared again, picking up a tree trunk as a club and swinging it. Twenty men went flying, some of them striking the walls and falling limp to the ground. Dead or unconscious, I couldn’t tell which, didn’t have time to look. All my focus was narrowed to the troll’s other eye. And there were four more around it. The carnage was going to be bad; I couldn’t shoot them fast enough.
My second arrow bounced off the helmet, making the troll look around for what had struck it. My third was on target, blinding the troll entirely. With luck, it might attack its fellows by accident…
“Fall back!” cried the captain. “We can’t maintain this position against these monsters!” Shields were useless against these attacks. Ordinary men were useless against these attacks. The street was filled with dead.
“No, you’re right,” I said. “Fall back.”
But at that moment a slender, silver-grey-clad figure came bounding out of the cross street and flung itself at the hindmost troll, and blue-purple lightning flashed. Magic flared around another, before it burst into flame. And a smaller figure was darting around the feet of a third troll, axes flickering in the firelight, whooping with delight, and behind the three was the rest of the army, roaring with bloodlust. The cavalry had arrived, to use an Orlesian phrase.
My men turned with a cheer, no longer shaking in their boots. As long as Elizabeth fought like that, they’d follow her anywhere, against any enemy. I aimed again, through the mouth of the blind troll, and finally brought it down in a massive thud.
Elizabeth had somehow scaled the front of her troll and had stabbed it deep in the face through the open front of its helmet. It made an ineffectual grab for her and fell forward; she leapt backwards at the perfect moment and landed on her feet, skidding back slightly.
“Well met, you,” I said to her, grinning. “That was impressive and courageous.”
She was panting fit to burst. “Learned it from Zev. Glad you’re all right. Sister?”
“She’s at the Chantry now.”
“Hey!” Sigrun yelled. “I think it’s the darkspawn general! Get him!”
“On it!” Anders yelled back, and a blast of ice radiated out towards the cluster of darkspawn. The north gate was still closed, and they didn’t seem to know how to open it. They were trapped.
“Let’s go,” Elizabeth said to me, and ran off again. She was some kind of warrior angel, that was what.
“Commander, the darkspawn are retreating,” Garevel reported when we’d defeated the last of the monsters around the general, and the general itself.
“Has there been any word from Vigil’s Keep?” Elizabeth asked. She was covered in black darkspawn blood, and had a scraped cheek. But though her shoulders slumped with weariness and she was still breathing hard, her blue eyes were still bright with determination. I wished for her youthful energy.
“None. But the men are exhausted. We cannot march back and fight another army tonight.”
“Then let them rest, and follow tomorrow at first light,” Elizabeth said. “I must go back and see what can be seen tonight.” When Garevel opened his mouth to protest, she smiled a little and held up a hand. “Don’t worry. I don’t intend to assault them head-on alone. I will wait for you.”
“Not only that, Commander, but once they’ve become entrenched… how shall we take them on? It would be suicide to attack them on open ground. At this point, if the Vigil still stands, those inside have a much better chance of surviving than we would.”
“And yet they will be overwhelmed eventually, if our information is true,” Elizabeth pointed out. “We must break the back of the siege. I know there will be heavy losses.” Her gaze swept around at the surviving soldiers. “But together this army and the Keep will be stronger than each separate.”
“And what of Amaranthine? What if the darkspawn return again? We do not have the resources to block the smuggling tunnels now.”
“The civilians must reach safety. Are there any villages or halls within a few hours where they might take refuge for a few nights?”
“Greenhall,” Garavel said. “It’s not far, and Esmerelle’s nephew is much friendlier to your leadership. We could impose on him for at least a short while.”
“He’ll be compensated for it,” Elizabeth said. “Make it happen. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You’re not going without us, surely, Commander?” Sigrun asked. Anders and I stepped up beside her.
“I miss home,” Anders mumbled.
“Get a grip,” I told him.
“I do have a grip,” he said. “I’m gripping my staff so hard I’m a little afraid it’s going to fall apart.”
“Thanks, Anders.”
“No problem.”
“Yes, you can come as well,” Elizabeth said to us. “But we won’t be attacking tonight. I just can’t sit here and wonder. Even if I can do nothing when I arrive.”
“I will follow you,” I promised her. “Whatever you do.”
“I know,” she said, and held our eyes for a moment before turning to walk into the gathering night.