My Enemy
Here is yet another excerpt from the adventures of Daniel Cousland, he who previously starred in my work The King's Speech. This one takes place during the Landsmeet duel. This idea came to me from the song 'Enemy' by 12 Stones, hence the name. Also used was some dialogue/action from the big duel in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which has a pretty epic final hour if you haven't seen it. Anyway, italics equal flashback, and I hope you enjoy the show!
Disclaimer: BioWare owns the game Dragon Age: Origins, and everything in it. I just made up Daniel, the incredible, inedible hero, and adjusted his big confrontation.
"So, will you fight me yourself, or does the Coward of the Grey have a champion to fight his battles for him?" Loghain sneered from his place across the room.
Daniel looked over to Alistair for a moment, questioning his friend with his eyes. Their silent conversation continued for a moment, before both nodded, and he turned back to the Teyrn. "Yeah, I'll do this myself."
"Excellent. It is you or me the men will follow, so let us decide it between ourselves. You know, Maric once told me a man is judged by the quality of his enemies. I wonder if it's more a compliment to you, or me."
The young Warden scoffed, looking pointedly to his opponent's mid-section. "Well, I think this might be my biggest challenge yet." Loghain was taken aback for a moment, his face contorting from confused to outraged. Meanwhile, Daniel was glancing back to Alistair, mischievously meeting his friend's eyes. "Wouldn't you agree, Alistair?"
His fellow Warden smirked. "Yes, I think it's high time someone addressed the elephant in the room." Loghain's face turned an even deeper shade of angry red.
"Enough!" He bellowed, the Wardens turning to face him with matching masterfully annoying smirks. "We settle this like men, not with the petty bickering of women! Now face me as we have agreed. Although," his face calmed, though his eyes were still hard as angry black diamonds, "there is still time to surrender, boy." He spat the final word, narrowing those eyes.
Daniel's smirk remained as he returned the jab. "Feel free to, old man."
Their official fight began as the two circled each other, surrounded by spectators and all of Daniel's motley crew as they filled the chamber, eager to witness history in the making. Loghain was the first to charge, and he attacked continuously, keeping the Warden on the defensive as he blocked cuts with his axe, returned some of his own with the longsword in his other hand, and dodged the occasional shield swipe.
Eventually, Daniel was pressed back to the wall, the older Teyrn's teeth baring in a feral grin as he attempted to close in for the kill. However, just as he swung his sword along the wall at neck level, attempting to take his opponent's head right off and end it quickly, Daniel slid down the wall with his back, pushing off with his arms once he got to the floor, and giving a painful kick to the unprotected underside of the other man's most delicate area.
Loghain staggered forward, bracing himself on the wall with a hand, as the Warden regained his footing behind him, looking none the worse for wear. "Thought you had me there, eh? Well, you haven't seen near enough of me yet. That was just scouting out your strengths. Now the real fight begins."
By this time, the Teyrn had regained himself, and turned to face his foe. "And you think I haven't been doing the same?"
"Oh, I know we've both been holding back. It's like I said, now we can really get to it."
They were circling again. "Come now, boy," Loghain sneered at him once again, "I control this country's army and its capitol. All you've got is your little rag-tag bunch of followers. This can only end badly for you. How many more have to die for your foolish dreams of taking the throne back?"
"Just one. This won't be over until you realize just how wrong you are. The Grey Wardens will defeat the Blight, and we'll do it without sacrificing Ferelden's people and principles!" Daniel shouted, taking the initiative to charge in first this time.
He lashed out with the longsword in his left hand, keeping the axe back to defend against his enemy's return strikes. It was an odd style to most, but he was infinitely glad they'd discovered it all that time ago.
"Gah!" Daniel growled in frustration from his position on his knees, resting against one of the Brecilian Forest's many large trees. "Every time we do this, you beat me! Every single time!" He looked to his training partner beseechingly, as if willing her to have the answer to his problem.
"Calm down a little, to start," Leliana spoke soothingly as she approached him, laying a hand on his shoulder, "you've come this far very quickly. It makes sense that your lack of experience would catch up with you at some point. You just need to work on your reaction time, get going a little faster. You've gotten very good."
"But it's not good enough! I can't beat the Archdemon, or probably even Loghain if I'm just good! I need to be great if I'm going to save everyone, and I just can't do it." He finished with his head down, moving away from her touch. A slight movement sent his left hand's training dagger into one of the nearby trees, where nearly half of the blade stuck in the trunk. "Damn, I shouldn't have done that. There I go, pissing off nature in the one place where half of the trees are already murderous. I just can't do it, I tell you!" He turned back to her, arms out and head shaking somewhat crazily.
She offered no encouragement this time, so he looked up to find her staring thoughtfully at his hand. "Now's really not the time to be thinking about that." He admonished her.
Leliana started, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. "I- I wasn't- well, maybe later, but- Seriously!" She spluttered, before stopping herself to breathe for a moment. "I was just thinking, and I have a theory. Come back here for a moment." He did as she asked, and she positioned him as he had been before. "All right, now throw your other dagger the same way as the first, at the same tree." Again, he complied, and the weapon ended up in the tree, however it was at least a foot lower than the first, off to the side of the trunk, and only an inch or so deep. All in all, not nearly as fine a throw.
"I think that may be your problem." She nodded, looking quite pleased with herself.
"That I can't throw as well with my right hand?"
"Tell me, when you fight, which hand do you lead with in your basic stance?"
"The right." He answered, still somewhat perplexed.
"And why do you do that? Has it always just felt natural to you, or was their some other reason?"
"Well, when Father and Fergus taught me about fighting in the tournaments at home, they told me it was fairer to meet the opponent equally, to match them weapon for weapon. More formal too."
"Why don't you try leading with the other hand for a while?" She suggested, helping him up as they went to retrieve his daggers.
"Sure. I mean, we don't really have the chance to worry about formalities any more, I suppose."
After that, things had only gotten better when Zevran had come along, and he'd had another dual weapon specialist to show him how each weapon was an offensive and defensive instrument in itself. In the present fight, having overcome his earlier failings with the new style, Daniel found he and the Teyrn were quite evenly matched, the other man countering his speed with power, going for forceful swings as he ducked in and out for quick swipes. They had traded blows thus far, the Warden having made use of the paralysis enchantment he'd had put on his sword to get a few extra blows in, while Loghain had gotten his helmet off with a lucky shield bash that connected fully.
Both men were now breathing heavily, as Daniel swiped his long brown hair away from his forehead, Loghain wiping at a gash on his cheek. He then headed back into the fight, raising his weapon as he approached the Warden as quickly as his heavy armor would allow. The young Cousland danced backwards, out of range of the blow, but his back foot landed on a piece of fabric that one of the court members had been using as a handkerchief. The Teyrn noticed this, and continued to press forward, a snake-like grin on his face as his opponent slipped to the ground. He positioned his large metal boot right on top of the younger man's right gauntlet, pushing down as hard as he could, feeling the silverite bend inward, the bones crunching underfoot.
"It's time we ended this," He snarled over the Warden's cry of pain and shock, "you have been a thorn in my side for far too long." He raised his sword over his head, dropping the shield to the side for a two-handed attack.
Daniel, after his cry, had thrashed slightly in resistance, but found he could not free his arm. He did, however, manage to end up staring straight at his group of friends, standing off to the side, matching looks of shock on all but one of their faces. Right in the middle, he could see the sadness on Leliana's face, tears starting to form in her eyes.
'No, I can't let it end like this!' He thought to himself, then heard Loghain's final statement.
"A thorn in your side, eh?" He smiled through gritted teeth. "What an apt comparison!" He barked, rolling his left side up to stick the blade in his free hand deep into the Teyrn's abdomen. The other man then staggered back, allowing him to regain his footing, ignoring his likely broken wrist and pressing the advantage with just his left-hand's sword.
Loghain caught one blow on his own gauntlet before the Warden kicked the injured side and he fell over, screaming. "I yield! I surrender! You have proven yourself!" Daniel backed off, allowing him to stand. "I- underestimated you. I thought you were like Cailan, a child wanting to play at war. It seems I was wrong."
"You were. And now you die."
"No!" Queen Anora came rushing forward from the side, tears in her own eyes as she stood in front of her father, blocking the Warden's approach.
Loghain gripped her shoulders lightly, moving her aside. "Anora, I have made my choices, and now I must face what they have brought me. I hope for your future that you will make better choices than I." She turned away, hurrying back to her guards so as not to witness what came next.
Daniel stood in front of the Teyrn, his sword held aloft. "So this is how it ends." Loghain sighed. "Do what you must, Warden. You are the victor."
"I'm not going to kill you."
"What? Why, boy? Too soft to look a man in the eye and take his life?"
"Oh no, believe me, I wouldn't mind that privilege at all. But I've gotten my revenge. Your life is not mine to take." He turned back to his group of companions. "Alistair?" He called, holding out his sword as his fellow Warden stepped forward.
"Well well, the boy who would be king." Loghain chuckled as Alistair approached, sword raised, nothing but vengeance in his eyes. "Maybe there is some of Maric in you after all. You may yet make a fine king."
"I will, but," He struck, sending the blade right through the other man's neck, taking his head off, "not one like you. That was for Duncan and everyone else you ever screwed over." He turned away, handing Daniel his sword and returning to the group, arching an eyebrow at what seemed an approving gleam in Morrigan's eye.
Arl Eamon spoke next from his spot on the balcony. "From this day forth, let it be known that Alistair Theirin is the new King of Ferelden!"
The crowd cheered, and Daniel stepped forward again, bringing Leliana with him, as she had wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, apparently intent on never letting go again. "And now, we prepare to bring the darkspawn to war!"
Alistair stepped back out of the group, looking much more composed than a moment ago. "This Blight shall be defeated here, by the people of the greatest nation in all of Thedas!" The crowd's cheers rose to a roar, all eager to begin making the plans to take back their lands.
And that, as they say, is that. It's longer than I planned, but as Arl Howe would say, "It deserved... more." *Over-dramatic death collapse* I hope you enjoyed it, but I can't really know unless you tell me, eh? -SGM-