Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age: Origins.
Sacrifice.
She had raised her shield, unable to think of anything else, the sickening crunch that followed had caused her to cry out. Falling to the ground she curled the arm against her stomach, the dented shield still attached to her hand. Reaching back she desperately pulled herself backwards along the ground with hopes of putting some distance between herself and the Orge before it chose to finish her, something she had no doubt it'd be capable of doing and would do soon.
"Hanabi!" Alistair's yell reached her ears, above the sound of combat, echoing about the chasm's walls.
She looked to see her fellow Warden fighting his way towards her; she doubted he'd make it in time with the number of Darkspawn between them.
Hanabi watched the Orge approached, desperately dragging herself back when she felt something solid at her back. The chasm's wall, she had fled as far as she could and there was nothing between them to stop it's advance and as she looked about in search of her companions, she saw they were occupied.
Darkspawn had flooded into the spacious room and they'd been separated, each fighting their own battle. Alistair was closing the gap rapidly, dispatching Darkspawn quickly, his shield now a weapon as he slammed both it and his blade into Darkspawn blocking his path. He was close, but he wouldn't make it in time.
She felt it's grip about her waist. It's massive hand encasing her midsection as it raised her up, roaring it her face, spittle flying from it's chops. Her own hand clawed at Ogre's desperately though it was useless, it was too strong.
She was about to yell out when she felt the wind soar past her ears, the ground rush to meet her and her breath left her. Pain exploded across her chest, grasping as she tried to draw in air without much success.
A roar pierced the pounding in her ears. Sten, the only one among them rivalling the Ogre's height, was charging towards the beast, Asala's point leading his charge. He met the giant Darkspawn with the sickening slicing of steel through flesh, his blade burying itself to the hilt within the beast's chest.
The Ogre's grip on the Warden dropped, causing her to fall in a heap on the floor, unmoving. Sten's momentum caused it to fall onto it's back, the Qunari's teeth bared in a feral smile as he withdrew the blade, and buried it once again, this time in the skull. The hands that were reaching for him fell lifelessly on the ground.
She could barely breath, it hurt to do so. Her limbs lay lifeless on the ground, refusing to obey her commands to move.
"Vashedan." She heard Sten curse. He had moved to her side upon slaying the Ogre, Asala was held firmly in one hand as he beckoned to the rest of their party with the other. "Wynne. Come." His words were sharp, and harsh.
They weren't words to be disobeyed, that much she was certain. She tried to focus on his words, and him and not give in to the blackness she saw at the edge of her vision, creeping to take her.
"Is she hurt? Is she alive?" Alistair's panicked voice sounded above the rest, limping to the side of his fellow Warden. A nasty cut to his thigh, a steady flow of blood coating his already bloodied armour.
"Yes." Sten's short reply came, he had moved now, standing aside.
Her companions were gathered about her, their voices were mixed together and she couldn't make out any of the words, she felt the darkness creeping in further. The pain was unlike anything she had experienced before. White-hot pain was everywhere, her stomach felt tight, too tight. She wasn't able to draw in breath, not enough, she felt herself slipping, she tried to fight it, but still her vision slipped, the voices' dimming before complete blackness fell and she knew nothing, felt nothing.
-X-
Sten watched them fuss about the fallen Warden, the mage Wynne, yelling orders that weren't being followed, none thought to keep watch so that the Darkspawn wouldn't bring them all down along with the Warden.
He paced, his anger steadily building as he listened to the whines of the Companions.
"Help her."
"Do something, Wynne!"
"Wynne!"
"Enough!" Sten yelled, the word echoed about the walls of the chasm, the group finally falling silent. The end of his patience reached. "Remove yourself and allow the Mage to work." His glare landed on the Bard, Leliana, the woman that never ceased her talking, finally did. "Watch for Darkspawn, now."
They obeyed, Leliana moved from the Warden's side and after relieving the few fallen Darkspawn that had items of use on them, move to stand at one of the corridors that lead into the open chasm they resided in currently.
He turned to the Templar, Intending to demand he move himself too when the boy stiffened, his back going rim-rod straight. Alistair muttered something he wasn't able to hear but before he asked he spoke it again, louder.
"Darkspawn." Alistair's widened eyes look to one of the corridors, before darting back to land on Sten. It seemed even the senior of the Wardens would follow one not of his order. Weak. "Too many for us to fight, we must move!"
"We can't move her! If we do she could perish." Wynne stated, her gaze moving from Alistair to Sten, before resting once again on the fallen Warden.
"If we stay, she'll die for sure, along with all of us!" Alistair yelped. He had already moved to the Warden's side, pausing only briefly before he began to collect the lifeless heap that was Hanabi, slinging the reasonable uninjured arm over his shoulder, he yelled for Leliana who was soon at his side, the Bard's arm coming to rest about the Warden's waist, she gave a grimace of her own as the Warden did such.
Sten didn't move, he watched them as they scrambled to the opposite side of the chasm, only turning to search after the Qunari when they made it to the corridor that would take them back towards Orzammar and further away from the Darkspawn threat.
They wouldn't make it. The Warden was dead weight between the two, the Templar's leg caused him to hobble and the mage was on the verge of collapsing. They would all perish beneath the country his Warden called home and they would be left without Wardens.
"Sten! We have to move." Alistair yelled, struggling to turn to face the Qunari with the woman slung between him and Leliana.
"Go." Sten ordered, He turned his back to them then, as he faced the opposite corridor, it was the only way for the Darkspawn to approach.
"Sten?" Leliana questioned her quizzical gaze on the Qunari's back. "You are not coming?"
"No" He shot back.
"Sten!" Alistair shouted. The Templar's throat was raw, hoarse from all the yelling, yet he continued to do so. "We must go. Now! They'll be here soon."
Sten heaved a sigh, turning about to face them once again. "Go." He repeated. "The Blight requires Wardens to be ended. We will not make it, I am willing to buy you time, to save the Basalit-an" He allowed his gaze to rest on the woman between them. "Go now, and save the Warden."
It was deathly silent for several moments, before Wynne's voice broke it. "We must go." And with that came the clink of plate moving. It seemed the mage's word had spurred them into action. Good.
"Thank you, Sten." Leliana's soft voice sounded behide him. Soon the sound of their movement was gone too.
Sten glared ahead at the corridor, waiting. His body was tensed, Asala poised ready to strike the Darkspawn. He would slay many with it, allowing them to take the Warden from his place and grant her the aid required to live.
He did not think his end would come at the hands of the Darkspawn when he was sent to Fereldan to find out as to what this 'Blight' truly was, and if it was in fact taking place.
He would never of thought himself willing to die for a human, one not of his kind. She had surprised him. It had confused him at first that a woman could be allowed into an Order that rumoured to hold some of the finest fighters in Thedas. That a woman was a Soldier was baffling enough.
She had impressed him. She never backed down from his words; she had stood up to him. She had defeated him, when he demanded to be given leadership of their team and yet never held it against him, hadn't sent him away. She was the only one he had met in Fereldan worthy of being called a Basalit-an.
He heard the growls, and guttural noises that alerted him to the Darkspawn. They would soon be upon him. He raised Asala. His soul he had thought lost yet was found by Warden. She had found a single blade in a country torn by war.
She had returned to him his soul and honour. He readied himself, he would provide the time to allow the Warden the chance to live, and end the Blight.
He would save his Kadan.
-X-
Alistair couldn't help but watch her as they travelled. She had told them of an entrance that had opened up, believed to be to the Deep Roads that the Chantry had wanted investigated. It had been the last time she spoke.
Two days it had been since the Incident, the one that resulted in Sten being left behide. It had taken them a few hours to get back to relative safety, and then onto Orzammar, yet he felt the Darkspawn. If they had tried to leave, all of them, the Darkspawn would've caught up and they wouldn't have stood a chance.
He was grateful to the Qunari, he had saved them all. But, he couldn't understand why it was his fellow Warden fell silent and seemed to constantly be lost in thought. He knew she had respect for the Sten. He was a formidable warrior, but he had questioned her choices. He had even challenged her at one point!
Alistair wouldn't soon forget the fear he had felt, watching them duel. He had been so scared, terrified! That he would be the only Warden left in Fereldan.
Even Leliana! He had heard her weeping in the night, mourning the loss of their Qunari companion. It was safe to say he was baffled, dreadfully so. The Qunari rarely said anything pleasant to him, or any of the companions.
Alistair had tried to learn the reason behide Hanabi's grief and found himself on the receiving end of a glare. A very cold glare. A very cold and scary glare. He had expected her to lunge at him, relived when she simply turned and returned to her tent. He had even spotted Leliana, a glare of her own directed his way before she too retired to her tent.
Alistair decided he didn't, and would never understand women.
Nevermind. He would solve this mysterious another time, he could feel the faint presence of Darkspawn, and it was clear Hanabi could to from the way she all but ran towards it, weapons at the ready.
"Hanabi! Wait!" Letting out an exasperated sigh, he unsheathed his weapons and chased after her. Leliana and that Assassin, Zevran, following, and soon overtaking him. Blasted armour.
He was careful with his breathing; it wouldn't do to be winded before you've even started battling Darkspawn, that's for sure.
He did notice, however that they had frozen ahead, staring down at something.
"What? What is it?" He slowed. His weapons raised and reading himself as he approached the ridge, wondering as to what had struck them all silent. He was worried. He hadn't felt the taint, infact it had the tingly feeling had vanished during his run. Whatever had them froze, in whatever they were experiencing, it had to be something horrid, terrifying! This wouldn't be good, he could tell.
"Vashedan!"
A/N: Just something that popped into my head! The Deep Roads have given me a few ideas I really wanted to write down and this was one of them! Mostly put on here as my Laptop is liable to soon die!