Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh I’m done all the Dragon Age fanficccccc and now I don’t have to write anymorrrrrrre- Since I don’t have any urge to write DA2 fic, and I may not even play Inquisition, I’m all good : )
But omg how did this last chapter take so long
The last third of this chapter brought to you by Super Eurobeat!
Chapter 9
Dawn broke on a discouraging sight. Under a grey, overcast sky, Vigil’s Keep was encircled by darkspawn, though they couldn’t climb the cliffs of the mountain behind. Still, there was no way we were getting in to reinforce the defenders.
Garevel and the army arrived a few hours after dawn; they must have set out as soon as Elizabeth had ordered. We’d been watching, hidden in the trees a long way off. Arrows constantly flew between the defenders and the attackers. The walls were holding strong, but the gates… though they’d been forged by dwarves, it seemed these ogres were even stronger than before, and their armour was thick. I only saw one ogre fall to arrows all morning. Must have been Sergeant Maverlies; she always was an excellent sniper. Velanna’s spells did more, but I only saw them sparingly. She must have been conserving her strength. Knowing her, she’d have fought too hard the day before. But anyway the gates were dented and rattling; we could hear it from here. The defenders probably hadn’t slept for all that din.
“What are your orders, Commander?” Garavel asked. “Confronting them without the cover of walls is suicide.”
“I agree,” Elizabeth said. “But those gates are going to fall within the next few minutes. When that happens, we must disrupt their assault. Their army is not so great that we can’t press through and reach the inner keep to reinforce the others, especially if they see us and make a sortie.”
“A lot of men are going to die, Commander.”
“I know,” she said, and her blue eyes were unreadable in the morning light. “But the darkspawn will drive us from Amaranthine step by step if we do not have the keep and that I cannot allow. Ready the soldiers. Anders! Stay close to me, I’ll protect you. And you’ll be in a good position to do some damage.” She turned to the soldiers. “One more battle, brave warriors! Stay close together and do not fear, neither darkspawn nor death!”
They did not cheer – they were tired, and it would have given away our position. But under the spell of her words, they stood straighter, gripped their weapons harder. We formed up on the edge of the forest, waiting with grimly beating hearts for the gates to crack, to join our comrades in the castle in their struggle.
As Elizabeth predicted, the gates only lasted a few more minutes before the sustained battering caved them in for good; the darkspawn howled in triumph and began to push forward. But Elizabeth and her army roared in defiance, charging across the open plain before the castle to win the door.
We took the darkspawn completely by surprise, their forces completely out of position to deal with us. All was blood and teeth and noise and blades and confusion, but we held together, pushing through their lines. Yes, they were most thickly clustered right where we wanted to go… but that made things easier for Anders. And Velanna, up on the walls, saw him and cast her spells to capitalize on his. I waved to her with one of my swords; amazingly, she saw me and waved back. Had she been looking for me in the crowd?
There was an answering roar from inside the castle, and the defenders began to push back outwards, not just trying to weather the darkspawn charge. I could see the bright steel helmets behind the darkspawn. We might make it yet.
She lunged and blocked and stabbed, ever mindful of the half-panicking mage behind her, trying to watch all directions at once, trying to keep her men away from the ogres, and the ogres where they could be shot or magicked. The enemy was fighting viciously, but confused, each one lunging for the first human it saw, uncertain whether to attack forwards or backwards. But she was driving forwards, towards the safety of the gate, and they were almost there, she could almost reach her beleaguered men.
“Hold fast!” she heard Varel calling. “Andraste’s blood! Bring them in, good boys! Bring the Warden-Commander in!”
“Ogre!” she heard someone scream then, saw the ogre within the gate charge, broke through the melee just in time to see Varel caught head-on in that charge, knocked back by a mighty blow.
Maker, no! She screamed and hacked one last hurlock out of her way, heedless of all else around her, racing to his side. The ogre was winding up for another blow on the prone man; she slashed its leg and it redirected its punch towards her with a bellow. She dodge-rolled around it, slashing its other leg, swift and fierce, caught up in mindless vengeful wrath.
The ogre turned to face her, backhanded her; foolishly, she tried to block instead of ducking and was hurled back towards the wall. She tumbled head-over-heels before skidding to her knees, getting a foot beneath herself to charge back towards the monster. Charging forward, only focused on the attack, on stabbing her sword into its gut, she was taken completely by surprise when she felt a yank and her feet leaving the ground.
It had seized her, carrying her into the air in a crushing grip. She could feel her armour collapsing, could feel her ribcage about to snap – or at least imagined she did. It raised her to its face and roared deafeningly, spattering globs of spit at her.
She screamed back defiantly and stabbed forward with all her strength, Starfang plunging through flesh and skull and brain, lightning cracking like a thunderburst.
The ogre swayed and fell forward, losing its grip on her at the last second; she went rolling away, but it lay still and did not come after her. Nathaniel was at her side, helping her up frantically.
But her only thought was for her seneschal. “Varel!” She tore herself away from Nathaniel’s helping hand and dashed towards the fallen man, throwing herself down on her knees at his side. “Var- Gideon! Are you all right? Speak to me!”
His breathing was shallow and rasping, and his face was white and clammy. Not good. “Anders! Anders, where are you? Gideon!”
His eyelids fluttered open. “You… made it, Commander. Just… in time. Have we won?”
“Anders, get over here! Hold on, Gideon, just hold on-”
He gave a tiny shake of his head. “My spine… I can’t feel my legs. Broken ribs… lung gone… I’m not going to make it… Elizabeth.”
Eyes wide in denial began to water despite her commands not to. She clutched his hand, squeezing it tightly through their gloves. “No, that- you already took an arrow for me, I don’t want to- I- Don’t leave me now!”
“My very dear girl… Elizabeth… you already saved me once. It has been… an honour to serve you.”
Anders was finally there behind her, but all she heard was a very quiet “Oh hell” from him and knew that Varel had been right.
“Fight them… with everything… you have,” Varel rasped, almost inaudibly. “Save… Amaranthine.”
“I will. Oh, I will!” She choked on tears as she leaned forward, putting her arms about him and kissing his cheek. “Rest easy, Gideon. I’ll watch over Amaranthine for you.”
She felt a slight sigh and knew that he was gone. She pulled herself away, stumbled to her feet – she couldn’t fight, her legs were shaking, hands shaking, she could hardly stand, and she couldn’t see… She couldn’t fight in this condition, and her men needed her. She angrily ripped one of her gloves off to smear the tears out of her eyes and found Garevel and Justice standing before her. “Commander, the Keep is ours. The darkspawn are retreating.”
Nathaniel stepped in between them with a look of compassion for her. “Commander, take a minute. I can take stock of the situation.”
Oh, Andraste’s grace. She needed it. “Thank you, Nathaniel.” She couldn’t think straight, could hardly react to anything around her. Maker, this was shameful in a Commander. But she couldn’t control it, not now. Varel…
Varel was dead, and the fact still hadn’t even fully sunk in yet.
“Send someone to track the darkspawn,” Nathaniel was ordering behind her, dimly half-heard. “They’re broken and diminished. Don’t let them know they’re being followed, just let us know where they’ve gone.”
She stumbled wearily into the great hall, up to the dais where a day before she’d led her forces away so proudly. It was full of soldiers and servants now, those who had prepared for a last stand just in case. They made way for her but she hardly saw them, collapsing at last beside the throne that she never used, leaning against it as if she had no strength left in her. She heard footsteps and glanced up through blurred vision; blonde hair, small stature, and green clothes meant Velanna. “I’m sorry,” was all the woman said, shockingly gentle, before turning away again.
How long she sat, weeping and grieving, she wasn’t sure, but it was too long. Varel wasn’t the only one who’d died in this battle. She wasn’t the only person to have lost someone dear to her. But he had been like a father to her- and with that thought, she was off again, useless for at least ten minutes more.
Someone settled a blanket around her shoulders, and she looked up to see Oghren and Elra. Oghren said nothing, only plunked himself down on the steps near her and taking a pull from his flask. Elra sat gracefully beside her and put her arms about her.
“I can’t fulfill my duty in this state,” Elizabeth whispered hoarsely, with a gigantic sniff. “What sort of leader am I?”
“Only a truly heartless person would not grieve at the loss of a loved one,” Elra murmured. “You cannot go on without time to breathe. …He was good to me. Good to us all. We love you, Lady Elizabeth. You are not alone.”
She thought it was true, now that Elra said it. She could feel it from everyone else in the hall, or imagined she could, that they were with her, supporting her. If she hadn’t been grieving, they would have been repulsed. And Nathaniel was capable of substituting for her for a short time. It was all right. Wasn’t it? It was all right.
Dinner came, and she couldn’t eat. She forced herself to – she’d be weak as a tadpole the next day if she didn’t take in some form of energy, but she was more than half afraid she’d simply vomit it up later. She went to bed soon after, and she couldn’t sleep, though her eyes burned and her head was heavy as lead and her limbs and ribs ached.
If she’d been faster. If she’d been stronger. If Varel hadn’t been so far forward. If she’d gotten Anders to attack that ogre first.
The past couldn’t be changed. Varel was dead. All she had to do now was avenge him. And if the scouts did their job, her chance would be soon.
Unable to sleep, liable to drown on her own tears blocking up her nose, she got up to pace. And to have a drink of wine. And to pace, until the tears and the shaking slowed and she lay back down again, and this time could close her eyes, if not rest.
She rose, uncertain whether she had slept or not, when the sky turned light and the first birds began to chirp outside her window. She put on clothes and armour and went for the door.
Gemmet stood there, hand raised to knock, and jumped as she opened the door first. “Yes, Gemmet?”
“Ser Nathaniel says the scouts have returned, my lady. They’ve found the darkspawn.”
Drake’s Fall. The most charming side of Amaranthine.
That was sarcasm.
It had taken us – all of the Grey Wardens but Anders and Justice, led by Elizabeth – most of the day to get to this place, and it was already falling dark as we approached the low barren hills. We could have set off earlier, but there had been so much to do in the morning, continuing last night’s damage assessment and repair work, and figuring out who to bring and who to stay. In the end, the army had been left behind. There were undoubtedly many darkspawn ahead of us still, but they would be in disarray. And our army was also in disarray, in no shape to fight anything, setting to work barricading the fallen gate. It might have been reckless, but Elizabeth and I had decided the best course of action was to bring only Grey Wardens and leave the rest to recover. And to leave Anders to help heal the wounded and to protect them if darkspawn attacked again, and Justice with him. Anders was content to be left behind.
How Elizabeth was still standing, I wasn’t sure. She had been so wrought by grief the day before she hadn’t eaten more than a mouthful, and I was positive she hadn’t slept all night. She was young, certainly, better able to bounce back from physical stresses, but somehow she’d found a reserve of emotional strength, too, and marched ahead of us with an air of desperate calm. I wouldn’t have wanted to be a darkspawn who got in her way.
Moon-bathed white bones rose about us as we entered the High dragon graveyard. There was an old Tevinter tower at the centre of it, and that was our destination. Beyond that, the scouts had not gone, reporting that there was in fact a dragon nearby. We were well on our guard for it. I hadn’t fought a High dragon before. Some drakes, once, a small young dragon, but never a fully matured one. I’d gathered that the Archdemon was rather like a dragon, so at least Oghren and Elizabeth had some experience with the beasts.
And there it was, its broad wings blotting out the light of the moon as it wheeled around. We tried to hide in the shadow of a cliff, but it was too late – it had seen us, and was diving to attack.
But there were six of us, and soon it learned that we were not to be trifled with, experience or no. It gave a roar of discontent and swung away, wings driving at the air, and vanished into the night. Recovering our breath, we continued on, to the door of the tower. A wide stair spiraled both up and down, with seemingly little variation. We set off downwards.
The stairs wound on, and on, wide enough for two to walk abreast but not quite tall enough for me to stand straight. It didn’t bother the rest, and I didn’t suppose it bothered the taller darkspawn either, used to stooping through narrow tunnels as they were.
On and on. Would it never end? We must have been walking for twenty minutes and yet the stairs never varied. Why had the Tevinter built this?
At last, there was an arched door and the blasted stairs came to a halt in front of it. Sigrun pushed the door open and gasped. The area beyond it was a vast cavern, so huge I could hardly see the further wall, though the place was dimly lit I knew not how. Around us were ruins of Tevinter design, and beyond in the gloom I could faintly see other towers just like the one we had just descended. At least I could stretch my legs and back now.
A shadowy figure was waiting for us, and as we stepped forward, it came to meet us. “I’m glad to see that you are well, sister.”
Velanna gasped and ran to her, though she stopped short of hugging her. “Seranni! Oh, thank Mythal you’re still alive.” She pressed a hand to her heart in a gesture of relief, then flung both arms towards her sister. “Now tell me, why are you with the darkspawn man – the Architect? You never said, and I don’t understand.”
The sick woman smiled. “The Architect is kind to me, and tender, and he has told me his plan. The darkspawn are just like us. The Architect has freed them, and they search for a place in this world, just like the Dalish are searching. Everything he’s done, he’s done to help his people.” She sounded so earnest, and yet… could she have been manipulated? But she was with this Architect constantly, she must have some insight into his plans. “You can respect that, can’t you, Velanna?”
Velanna’s brows drew together in distress. “But do you believe him? Seranni, they killed our friends, and so many others. Don’t you remember?”
The other elf nodded, smiling. “I do, and this is why I must help them. They are like children – come into the world with no understand of what is good and fair. They have a bestial nature, but I’ve seen them overcome it. They just need to be shown how.”
Elizabeth laughed bitterly, but said nothing.
Seranni glanced at her, but turned back to Velanna. “The Architect is waiting for me, and for you. He will explain everything. You will see as I have seen.” She turned and ran ahead of us into the gloom.
Velanna started after her. “No! Don’t go!” She turned to Elizabeth. “We must follow her!”
Elizabeth considered for a moment. “As good a plan as any. Lead on.”
It was true, it could be a trap. But somehow, it didn’t seem likely. Seranni was sick, it was clear, and yet her mind seemed alert. Overly fond of the Architect, yet not insane. She wouldn’t knowingly lead her sister to her death.
The path led to another tower, and we headed down again; this one was wider and had high ceilings. She wasn’t waiting for us at the bottom, and we paused there briefly, before Sigrun gave a cry and pointed upwards. The Architect was standing on a landing above us, the dwarf woman at his side, watching us impassively. “And so we meet again.” The dwarf woman drew her sword, a nasty snarl on her face. But the Architect held out a pacifying hand before her. “No, Utha. That is not how this must begin.” He stepped off the balcony, floating through the air down to our level, stopping before Elizabeth, who stared back at him murderously from within her helm, her own sword in hand. “I owe you an apology, Commander. Our last meeting… did not go well.”
“Understatement of the year,” I muttered.
“If you think my hatred of you has changed, you would be severely mistaken,” Elizabeth growled.
The Architect spread his hands. “I only wish to prevent further misunderstanding with you and the rest of your order.”
“A ‘misunderstanding’?” Velanna asked. “Did you not attack the Grey Wardens?”
“I sent the Withered to ask for the Grey Wardens’ help, as I said.”
Elizabeth made a sharp movement. “You murdered the Orlesian Grey Wardens.”
The Architect shook his head. “The Grey Wardens that were brought to me were already dead. I took their blood just as I took yours, because I had little choice. Things had not gone as I planned. I only ask that you hear me out one more time.”
“You most certainly had a choice in taking my blood!” Elizabeth cried, her stance ready to spring.
Velanna jumped forward with a hand on Elizabeth’s sword arm. “Wait! Please! Seranni trusts him. We can at least listen to him.”
Elizabeth hissed but lowered her sword. “Speak quickly.”
The Architect bowed his head graciously. “I cannot defeat the Mother alone, and I cannot free the darkspawn unless she is defeated. Our goals are the same. Whatever you think of my past actions, I offer you this, with no tricks or conditions. Afterwards, I shall leave you to continue my work without disturbing you further, if you wish. Or we can discuss a further alliance, if you are not wholly against the idea.”
“This is what my sister saw!” Velanna exclaimed. “An ally, amongst the darkspawn! This is an opportunity we cannot pass up.”
“So he can raise an army of intelligent darkspawn to rule, aye?” Oghren grunted.
“I do not seek to rule my brethren,” the Architect protested in his slow voice like wind in dry reeds. “I only seek to release them from their chains.”
“And what makes you think they want to be free?” Elizabeth demanded.
“How would they know, when the choice has been deprived them? Without choice, there is only one path before them and that leads to the Blight. I believe there is another way. I am not evil, or mindless, or cruel. I wish for peace as much as you do.”
“So you say,” Elizabeth said grimly. “Stealing the blood of the Wardens is monstrous.”
“I thought it little different from your order’s use of darkspawn blood. We both do what we must in response to the Blight. The first blood came from Utha, freely given. She was a Grey Warden, as you are, and joined us… many years ago.”
“This is the right thing to do,” Velanna said earnestly. “Seranni believes it, and I do too.”
“I am with her,” I said, and was rewarded with a grateful look from Velanna. “What he says… I have thought about what he said before, and it makes sense. And I am not one to deny second chances,” I muttered, and saw Elizabeth’s eyes narrow.
Sigrun turned to Elizabeth and Velanna. “I vote we take the deal. Not that I’m fond of darkspawn, but it’ll relieve some of the pressure off Orzammar, right?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, but I’ll go along with everyone else,” Oghren said.
Elizabeth wouldn’t meet any of our eyes, glaring at the flagstones. Thinking hard. Trying to overcome her long-held prejudices? Prejudices that were not without basis?
But this was the best thing to do, the right thing to do. “Elizabeth,” I said softly.
“Fine!” she spat, and Velanna jumped. “Fine, if all of you together think so, so shall it be! I am not so petty. But hear me,” she growled at the Architect. “If any more of your ‘experiments’ go mad and start causing trouble, you will inform me of it, or I will not be merciful.”
“You will not regret this alliance,” the Architect began to say, but she had swung around towards me and Velanna again.
“Since this is your idea, you can take responsibility for any backlash. My priority is on those who live in Ferelden.” As in, not the darkspawn.
“Understood,” I said, but smiled at Velanna. Elizabeth wouldn’t go back on her word once she gave it.
“What now?” she demanded of the Architect.
The Architect gestured to the path ahead. “I cannot approach the Mother physically; wards and the Children protect her. But when you reach her, I will do whatever I can to help you. You have my promise.”
Elizabeth took a long look at him, then headed for the exit, her eyes still fixed on him until she reached the door. Only then did she turn her back on him and head across the clifftops to the last tower ahead of us, jogging out into the open space.
Darkspawn were waiting for her, gibbering multitudes of the remnants of their army. Her sword blazed as she raised it. “Well, let’s end this, then!” And she was off, Oghren, and Sigrun behind her. I hadn’t spent many arrows yet, but that was about to change. I hoped I had enough. Beside me, Velanna raised her staff and her arms, and a great tornado of fire appeared from high above us and slammed down into the darkspawn, taking out at least one ogre in its furiously swirling flames. “I suppose I should thank you.”
“For what, my lady?” I asked, picking off a Children worm trying to flank Oghren.
“For taking my part back there. I don’t suppose anyone else really believes the Architect is sincere.”
“Do you?”
“Seranni does, and that’s enough for me.” She cast again, a black miasma manifesting over a cluster of genlocks. “Do you actually, or were you just trying to get on my good side?”
“No, I believe he is sincere. But I understand why the others do not, completely. Grey Wardens are supposed to fight the darkspawn, after all.” I glanced over at her, daring to take my eyes off the battle. “I care for you, Velanna, as you know well. But I wouldn’t go against my own values simply to ingratiate myself with you.”
She shot a glance back at me before we both returned our attention to protecting Elizabeth and the dwarves. “Hmph. Do I know it?”
There was a slight smile playing around my lips. “Give me my own chance, my lady. I think I can prove my sincerity a bit more easily than the Architect.”
“Good luck then,” she grumbled, and I chuckled. “No, I know what you mean. I… Fenehdis! Ogre!” Warned by her scream, I jumped forward, spinning to re-aim at the ogre that had somehow climbed up behind us. She was already trying to pin it with stones, what few roots were available down here, anything. There wasn’t much, and it smashed through the barrier she had raised easily… and then she clonked it in the head with a flying rock. It reeled back with a howl, and I shot it with two arrows through the mouth. We both hopped backwards as it fell forwards, nearly flattening us.
“Nice catch,” I said.
“Nice shot,” she answered, glaring as if she wanted me to be sure that she didn’t like complimenting me, not really. I smiled back, then readied my bow for the battle ahead.
But Elizabeth had that well in hand, and as I watched, she knocked a genlock from the cliff’s edge with her shield. “What were you going to say before the ogre interrupted us?” I asked Velanna.
“Nothing,” she said, quite quickly.
I shrugged. “Very well, then. Though keep in mind either of us might fall facing the Mother…”
She snorted. “I’m not rising to your bait.”
My spirits were rising the closer we got to the end, and I couldn’t help teasing her. “So you do have something.”
She jabbed with a sharp elbow. “Shut up, Howe.”
“As my lady wishes.” I captured her hand in mine as Elizabeth turned to wave us on, and she didn’t pull away.
Elizabeth saw, and her grim expression eased a little. She was still angry, her feelings on the darkspawn more stubbornly set than the rest of us, unwilling to accept our decision as the correct one, I could see. But she could still be happy for us.
The last tower was immensely long again, and deposited us at the edge of an underground lake. And there was the monster we sought, a massive blob with a human female torso sticking out of the top. Before her was a swarm of Children worms which charged at us terrifyingly fast; Oghren roared and charged back, heedless of those rending claws.
When they were gone, Elizabeth stepped forward cautiously towards the Mother, but before she had made up her mind to attack, the monster cackled and spoke. “Now the pieces fall into place! The Grey Wardens come, instruments of the Father! Oh, and the Father, he is but a shadow! Oh, how my children protect me! How they love me!”
A ghostly figure shimmered in the air to our left. “I have told you many times, Mother, I am not ‘the Father’. I am simply the Architect.”
The broodmother pointed at him viciously. “It does not change what you are! You took away that beautiful music! Left us with nothing!”
Perhaps Elizabeth wasn’t wrong about the darkspawn not wanting to gain sapience. The Architect sighed heavily. “It was a mistake to free you. It has left you with madness. I am truly sorry.”
“Ah, but has he told you who is responsible for the last Blight?” shrieked the Mother. “Do you know who started it? It was him!”
“He told us,” Oghren said. “So what? You’ve still got to go. You’re the one who attacked Amaranthine with a sodding army!”
“I am sorry for that as well, as I have said,” the Architect said. “It was not my intention to bring yet greater suffering to the surface-dwellers.”
“Pretty words mean nothing without actions behind them,” Elizabeth reminded him coldly. “And if you are trying to use me as a pawn I won’t stand for it.”
“All I ask is a small measure of trust, which I will return tenfold, Commander.”
“And how lonely the Father was,” the Mother said, snickering dementedly. “How terrible to be the outcast, the outsider! He wants to be ‘friends’ with you! He claims he wishes the darkspawn to be free. What he truly wants is to ‘correct’ them!” Well, if that ‘correction’ meant they stopped attacking everything, stopped hunting for Archdemons, I was all right with that. It was no more cruel than a monarchy issuing an edict, except the Architect had no interest in ruling. Or so he said.
“Enough bickering,” Velanna said, which was a bit rich coming from her. “Let’s finish our task here.”
“However you feel about what I have done, the Mother is mad. She cannot be allowed to-”
“Begone, shadow! You cannot harm the Mother any more than you already have!” She flung out a hand and the Architect vanished with a poof. She turned to us and leered. “And now our heroes are alone. Oh, the Mother knows your ways. You will not let her be, oh no… not after what she’s done. So it must end, it all must come crashing down! Perhaps we will hear the song again when we die. Oh, let it come! Let it come!” She lifted her eyes upwards, spreading her arms in a wild exultance, then glared at us suddenly, shrieking, the skin of her face peeling away horrifically.
Tentacles erupted from the ground, shooting towards us, but Elizabeth was already in flight, face hard as stone, blue eyes blazing with determination, sword crackling with power. With a defiant yell she reached the Mother and stabbed.
She was beautiful, a warrior with the fierce, noble heart of a dragon, and she had my loyalty until the end, whenever that may be. And the rest of us were behind her, united in purpose and spirit. It seemed we’d never had such coordination before. Oghren set to work chopping apart tentacles before they could hit us, Velanna hit the Mother with a combination of curses and stone projectiles, Sigrun was looping around to hit the Mother from behind, and I was shooting for the Mother’s heart, or where it would be in a human. And Elizabeth… Elizabeth was unstoppable.
Even when the Mother’s tentacles knocked away Velanna’s stones, when her back mounted claws swatted my arrows, when Sigrun was picked up and hurled into Oghren, knocking them both down, she was still charging forward, dodging tentacles. Velanna was ambushed by a stray pair of worms, knocked to the ground, and I turned, drawing my swords and preventing them from wounding her. Even as I dispatched the second one, I felt a weight on my back and the points of little insectoid feet, and my face met the ground. Velanna took a mere glance and blasted it off me with a fireball, helping me up quickly.
Elizabeth had reached the broodmother and was climbing now, showing no hesitation or repulsion at its hideous sagging flesh or the multitude of enormous breasts under her hands, coming face-to-face with the monster’s human body. Even as tentacles shot towards her to seize her, beat her down, crush her, some mysterious force seemed to hold the monster back, and she impaled the Mother through the chest, driving Starfang deep with both hands.
The Mother shrieked and jerked spasmodically, lightning playing over her bloated body. Elizabeth wrenched her sword back and jumped backwards, landing squarely before the Mother. The scream trailed off into a wail, and the Mother slowly wilted forwards, her limbs going slack and the flesh hanging loosely from her face. A last twitch of her claws and she was still, a massive already-putrid corpse.
Elizabeth cleaned and sheathed her sword with swift movements and turned away, head held high and proud, striding for the exit without looking back. Velanna set the body on fire and followed.
We had to camp part of the way back, too exhausted to make it all the way back in one trip. It had been a frantic three days – the attack on Amaranthine, the attack on Vigil’s Keep, the attack on Drake’s Fall… I was ready to sleep for several days on end. And now the darkspawn threat was greatly diminished, we had the luxury of doing that.
At last, we saw the mountain and the Keep rising below it. Garevel turned out an honour guard for us. But at the head of it was a young man both broad and tall, with a boyish face and a soft scruff of blond facial hair. “Elizabeeeeth!”
Elizabeth stopped short, then ran forward. “Alistair!” Her face was lit up in a way it hadn’t been for some time, and it warmed my heart. And this was the famous Alistair Theirin, was it? I was looking forward to meeting him… even though he might hate me at first.
They met and he enfolded her in a bear hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever! How have you been? Oh, what a foolish question. I got the short version from Captain Garevel. I’m just glad to see you alive.”
“A-Alistair, when did you arrive? Why have you been away so long?”
“Last night, late. I was a bit worried when I saw the gates had been broken, but wow! I love what you’ve done with the place. Er. I mean what Master Glavonak has done with the place.”
Elizabeth actually giggled. “He did a marvelous job, yes.”
“And I’ve been gathering recruits. I’m sorry to hear we lost all the Orlesian Wardens… I learned a lot from them while they were here, and I was hoping to learn more…”
“I as well. But we have some Wardens. …Including Oghren.”
“Yes… I’d heard about that. My condolences.”
“Hey!” Oghren growled in his direction, but he was grinning. “Speak for yourself, nughumper!”
Elizabeth laughed again, near-hysterically. “Oh, Alistair… I’m weary to the bone. Let’s go inside where I can sit and eat and you can tell me everything.”
“And you can tell me everything, riiiight?”
“Yes, yes.” She walked past him, nodding to the honour guard, waving the rest of us after her.
In the courtyard, Alistair’s recruits were waiting, and Elizabeth stopped short again. “Sarah! Rain! Hannah!”
A trio of women broke away from the cluster to greet her. “Surprise, Lady Elizabeth!” said the human mage among them. “We decided to join you!”
“We’ve had some adventures, decided to settle down,” said the dwarf.
The elf snorted. “Hardly. And with this place in the shape it is, seems like we have some work ahead of us.”
Elizabeth smiled widely at them all. “I’m happy to see you all again. Thank you for coming.”
“And your lover?” the mage-girl whispered loudly. “Is he okay?”
“As far as I know,” Elizabeth said, her face growing more subdued momentarily. “I haven’t heard from him in a little while. But he’s been well, yes.” She couldn’t hold back a smile at the thought of him, and it warmed all our hearts.
Alistair had been looking at all of us who followed Elizabeth, and his eyes narrowed at me. “Howe!”
“Er, yes?” I asked.
“Elizabeth, you did know that this is the son of Rendon Howe, right? I’d recognize that nose anywhere! What are you doing with him?”
“Nathaniel is a true and loyal friend,” she answered, frowning mildly at Alistair. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told my brother: he is not his father. I couldn’t have made it this far without him.” She glanced at me, and I read gratitude in her glance.
Alistair pouted suspiciously at me. “I don’t believe you.”
“I’m too tired to care,” she said, and went towards the gate. “I’ll introduce everyone properly inside.”
“Everything has been prepared, Commander,” Garevel said. “There’s not much available for a celebration, but I imagine a surplus of alcohol and good cheer will set that to rights.”
“Good,” she said. “Tell-” and stopped short and swallowed.
There was an awkward pause, until it became clear she was struggling to hold back tears. Alistair saw it, and took her gently by the arm. “Food, you said? I like food. Do you have cheese? I’ve been dying for a bit of cheese these last three weeks, you know. Slogging along the north road, hardly a tavern to be found…”
She leaned on him like a brother. “I’m glad you’re back, Alistair.”