Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age.


Chapter Three: Escape from Highever

Castle Cousland – Highever

Aedan looked up and held Dairren's body tighter as he waited for the end. In the hall six attackers were running towards his room, with both his daggers embedded in the first two attackers and with more than half his armour scattered around the room Aedan was no match for so many.

He was about to close his eyes when the two closest to the door screamed as they both took arrows to the neck.

One of the guards lives? Aedan asked himself as he started moving, with the odds reduced to manageable levels he wasn't going down without a fight. Springing to his feat Aedan ripped his dagger from the throat of the first attacker as he saw a bowman take an arrow through the eye before he could return fire.

Whoever that is they're a dam good shot! A fact for which Aedan was grateful as his dagger slipped between the ribs of attacker number six who had foolishly turned his back on him. Numbers seven and eight were charging the bowman and one was felled by another skilled shot. The last of the eight attackers on the family quarters had closed to inside effective range for the bowman and Aedan imagined the triumphant smirk on his face as he swing with his sword, only to fall dead at his intended victim's feet with Aedan's hastily thrown dagger embedded in the back of his neck. They must be everywhere! The oak door kept most of the noise out but out here in the hall you can here everything! This could only be a full scale attack on the castle! But who would know we were vulnerable and who would dare resist the King's summons and attack us? They must know the King would never stand for it as the Cousland's and Therin's have been allies since the founding of Fereldan!

"Darling! Darling are you alright?!"

Aedan's jaw dropped as he realised that the bowman wasn't a guard, it was his mother. Now I know why father always said he was more frightened of her than me or Fergus.

Teyrna Eleanor Cousland pulled her youngest child into a fierce hug. "I'm so glad you're alright my darling boy. Are you injured?"

"No." Aedan whispered fighting back tears as he looked once more at Dairren's body.

Eleanor followed his gaze in confusion. She gasped as she saw Dairren's body and pulled her son closer to her as she realised how close he had come to being killed.

Aedan detached himself from his mother's grasp before kneeling down and gently closing Dairren's eyes before kissing his forehead. "Goodbye my love." He whispered before moving around the room and strapping the rest of his armour on.

"I heard fighting outside so I barricaded the door while I got my armour on and found my old bow. Have you seen your father? He never came to bed!" Eleanor explained as Aedan got dressed.

"We have to find him quickly then mother, these troops bear Howe's crest. He's betrayed father and attacks with his full force while most of our troops are gone." Aedan explained in a dead monotone.

"You don't think Howe's troops were delayed on purpose? That treacherous bastard!" Eleanor yelled out as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

Aedan collected his daggers and rifled Howe's troops for anything of use before turning. "Come on we have to find…" Aedan trailed off as he noticed that the door to his brothers room was ajar.

Oren

Aedan burst into the room with his mother right behind him. Both let out wails of despair at the sight that greeted them.

Oriana was thankfully still dressed in her night clothes but she had been killed with a sword thrust through her chest. From the way she had fallen she had been trying to protect something behind her, probably Oren.

Aedan sank down next to his young nephew's tiny body. Before he had been killed Oren had grabbed one of the daggers Fergus had hidden in the room and hand successfully driven it into the side of one of Howe's men killing him. Is it wrong to feel pride that he avenged his mother and took one of the heartless bastards with him? Aedan wondered. Oren had proven himself to be a true child of House Cousland but it had cost him his life.

Aedan gently took the sholders of his sobbing mother and guided her out of the room. Wiping away his own tears he felt the feeling of death in his heart be replaced with one thing. Rage.

"HOWE WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Aedan screamed as he charged out of the family quarters and into the guest rooms.

More bodies littered the floor, the House Cousland guards had clearly put up a strong fight despite being surprised by someone they considered an ally. Lady Landra lay dead just inside her room the door kicked open.

"I'm almost glad." Eleanor whispered seeing the body of her friend. "No mother should have to bury her child."

Aedan gathered himself for a moment before charging down the ramp to the ground level of the keep. The sounds of battle increased as Aedan and Eleanor Cousland entered hell.

"The castle is lost! Flee for you're lives!" One of the servants cried running for the exit.

"Don't be a coward! Stand and fight!" Aedan called out in his powerful voice of command that came with being second in line to the Teyrnire of Highever.

"Yes.. yes my lord!" The servant called back. All along the corridor the remaining House Cousland guards and servants were invigorated by the appearance of Teyrna Eleanor and Lord Aedan.

Aedan swept into the battle blades flashing in the firelight as he cut down Howe's men from behind while they attacked his own guards. Eleanor fired arrow after arrow into exposed flesh from her raised vantage point and the remainder of Howe's troops in the corridor were quickly overwhelmed.

Aedan quickly took stock, he had five sword and shield wielding guards and two bowmen supplemented by three servants.

"My Lord, Teyrna, we were trying to get through to you!" The lead guard said exhausted.

"We dealt with the ones that made it to the family quarters." Aedan explained purposely leaving out that they were the only two survivors as well. He needed the men to be willing to fight if he was to find his father."Quickly this way, servants hang back and protect the bowman."

The group spilled into the next corridor where only two guards remained and were being overwhelmed by twelve of Howe's men.

"FOR HIGHEVER!" Aedan screamed as he lead the charge. The battle cry stunned the combatants already in the corridor as arrows from Teyrna Eleanor and the two other bowman flew past Aedan and the charging guards to even up the odds a bit.

Aedan was in a rage slashing and stabbing at Howe's men with little regard for himself. All he could see was Oren dead on the floor of his brothers room. Thankfully the guards were able to protect him from to much harm as he dispatched Howe's men.

Aedan was about to order that they move on to the great hall where he had left his farther Teyrn Cousland and the treacherous Arl Howe when his mother ran up to him.

"Aedan the treasury, the family shield and sword are in there. Howe mustn't get them, they should be used to sever his treacherous head!"

Aedan nodded and the guards flanked him as he used his mothers key to enter the treasury. Pausing for a moment he grabbed the nearest bag of gold sovereigns off the shelf, it was about the size of a chamber pot and held 100 gold sovereigns. He turned around and threw it to the nearest guard who's expression changed from disgust to confusion.

"My lord?" he asked confused.

"One sovereign is more than one of Howe's men sees in six months, if it looks like you're going to be overwhelmed split open the bag and throw it at Howe's men. That should distract them long enough for you to get away." Aedan explained as he threw a bag of sovereigns each to the remaining guards.

"I'm sorry my lord." The guard who had looked at him in disgust offered contritely looking at the floor.

"You thought I was the worst kind of noble, fleeing with the gold and leaving my men to rot." Aedan guessed.

"I should have known better, it has been an honour to serve you're house my lord. But it will be the greatest honour of my life if I can help you escape." The guard offered in way of apology. The rest of the room nodded as Eleanor looked on in pride.

Aedan blushed as he began pulling the remaining bags of sovereigns off the shelves. No one looked offended, they all stood ready and willing to carry out whatever their lord was planning. Aedan pushed the bags of gold, the vast majority of Highever's substantial wealth, into the hands of the three servants.

"Get out of the castle and distribute this throughout the city. I want it all in the hands of our people, Howe is not to see a single one." Aedan ordered.

The servants nodded and ran off as fast as they could carrying so much gold heading out of Castle Cousland and down the cliff road into the City of Highever below on the coast.

Aedan stood straight and tall as his mother fixed the Shield of Highever firmly to his back before handing him the Cousland family sword.

Aedan took a moment to admire the sword that had served his family since the rein of King Calenhad and the formation of Fereldan 400 years ago. The enchantments still hold Aedan thought in wonder. Its still as sharp as when it was used by all the Teyrns of Highever over the centuries.

"Right, the Teyrn was last seen with Earl Howe in the main hall, we are going to have to break through the side door and take back the hall as it has most likely fallen into Howe's hands." Aedan explained to his troops.

"My lord, you have no bag of sovereigns, no way to distract Howe's men should they capture you." One of the guardsman spoke up.

Dam I sent all of the remaining sovereigns with the servants. Aedan thought as he surveyed the room. He quickly picked up a bag of silver pieces. It will have to do.

The guards looked distressed, with 100 copper bits to a silver piece and 100 silver pieces to a gold sovereign Aedan was carrying only 1 sovereign worth of coin. Not enough to distract Howe's men.

As one of the guards stepped forward to donate his bag Aedan spotted the high shelf that held fist sized bags of precious gems. The Shield of Highever is strapped so tightly to my back it makes a makeshift backpack. Aedan thought as he headed towards it.

Recognising what he was going to do the guard swept the entire shelf into the gap between Aedan's back and the shield.

Aedan lead them all out of the treasury before looking back. "Howe will not get a single bit." Aedan declared throwing a torch into the family's prized oil paintings and watching as the rest of the treasury went up in flames.

The rest of the group looked on approvingly before they burst into the main hall ready for a fight.

Only to be confronted by Ser Gilmore and a dozen Highever troops.

"Gill!" Aedan called out rushing forward to pull his best human friend into a close embrace.

"My lord! Teyrna Eleanor!" Ser Gilmore replied returning Aedan's hug. "I thought they had gotten through, I feared the worst."

"They did get through." Aedan replied darkly. "We killed them but they got to Oren and Oriana first."

Ser Gilmore closed his eyes and sent up a silent prayer to the maker to ease their passing. He then turned to his friend. "As soon as I realised what was happening I bared the gates but they won't hold for long. The Teyrn has gone to the servants entrance in the larder, he hopes to get you both out of the castle that way. Go on! I'll hold them here!"

"Gil the gates won't hold!" Aedan cried desperately.

"I know Aedan" Ser Gilmore replied as he placed a hand on his best friends shoulder. "But I can buy you enough time to get away and don't argue with me even if it wasn't my duty I'd do it anyway."

"The guards I brought with me have bags of sovereigns with them." Aedan explained as quickly as possible when Howe's men break through throw them into them, it should let you get away, 1,200 sovereigns should be worth more to them than the lives of a few guards."

Ser Gilmore shook his head. "I'll hold for as long as"

Aedan cut him off. "Gil, if we haven't made it out of here by the time the gates fall then we're not going to. Promise me you'll try to get away or else I'll stay and defend them with you."

Ser Gilmore had known Aedan since the younger man was a toddler learning to walk. He knew he was serious. "Alright, I promise I'll try." He whispered as Aedan pulled him into a fierce hug.

"You've been the best friend I could have asked for. Good luck Gil."

"I could not have asked for a better Lord or a dearer friend. Good luck Aedan."

Ser Gilmore and the guards braced themselves against the buckling main gates as Eleanor and Aedan fled the main hall in the direction of the kitchens. For the first time Eleanor took the lead, Aedan was crying to hard to see where he was going.

Dairren, Oren, Oriana, Gil. How many more will be taken from me? How many more will I be forced to leave behind? What in all of Thedas could be worth this?