AN: So, this chapter is about triple what the other chapter have been, and I sincerely apologize for that. I wanted to keep the Cousland Castle takeover in one chapter though, so that ended up with me skimping out on a lot of the action and focusing more on the tragedy and feelings going as the Couslands fight through their own home. I promise the next chapter won't be this long! Also, they'll be narrated primarily by Duncan and Alistair, so you won't have to deal with me trying to figure out how exactly I'm going to write Orion. Thank for reading!


The dinner table was already set by the time the Cousland family arrived. Their guests were seated and already talking amongst themselves. Arl Howe was laughing with Dairren, which sent the Cousland girl reeling, while Lady Landra and Iona spoke quietly with the Grey Warden. They all rose, however, in the presence of their host family. Bryce Cousland hurriedly addressed them.

"No need to stand, my friends. Tonight we dine as one with no implications between us. Let us just enjoy the time we have left with each other."

Orion was grateful that her father had opened up dinner this way. Most of the time when the Couslands had guests over it meant having to keep up the nobility act all night without any slip-ups. Normally at dinner, Orion could do or say as she pleased without too much backlash from her parents. Tonight, she wouldn't be able to be as free in form as usual, but she wouldn't have to sit and talk like she had a pole strapped to her back or had someone feeding her lines.

Of course, her mother would never forgive her if she didn't act at least at little bit like she respected noble customs.

Throughout dinner, conversations never ceased. Fergus spoke endlessly with the Grey Warden, their father, Howe, and even Dairren; although the latter had said something that Fergus had immediately smacked down without hesitation. Orion was sitting too far away to have heard the words exchanged, but she could tell by the way he snapped that Fergus was extremely upset by it, and so Dairren remained quiet for a majority of the night after that.

Mother and Lady Landra took to themselves, enjoying quiet chatter with the occasional inclusion of Orianna who had spent most of the dinner keeping to herself or looking after Oren who had, more than once, exclaimed loudly that his food was a griffin as he dug into it. The exclamation had earned more than a few warm and amused looks from the Grey Warden.

"Ser Duncan," Orion piped in finally, once determining that she could get in a word to the Warden without the prying ears of her family and guests. No doubt her father might be aware, but at least she wouldn't be at the forefront of his attention whilst speaking to Arl Howe. "Do you really think I could have been, or can be, a Grey Warden?"

Duncan set his goblet and down and looked Orion in the eyes. His eyes were not very special in color, but the intensity of his stare set Orion's survival instincts spinning. Duncan's gaze radiated danger, not at her, but in general, as if he would always have to be ready to spring into action even at a dinner such as this. She frowned for a moment, pondering the idea of what it would be like to be an eternal warrior such as him, but his reply cut into the thought.

"Of course, milady. You are young, incredibly skilled, and eager. I believe I saw you training with Ser Gilmore before meeting officially in the Great Hall. At the time, I was not aware you were Teyrn Cousland's youngest," He said, "The Grey Wardens do not, or rather cannot, recruit just anybody. I mean no flattery when I say you have promise."

"Even for a noble woman?"

"The Grey Wardens do not have the privilege of discrimination. We invite all races to join; all sexualities, all genders, all social classes, mages, rogues, and warriors alike. Some of the best Wardens have been women."

If there were a better order to be a part of, Orion couldn't think of any. All of her life had been dictated by that fact that she was of noble blood and a woman. Nobles couldn't speak freely. Nobles couldn't dress freely. Nobles couldn't act freely. In the same sense, women in general were expected to act a certain way. Maker forbid that a woman decide to pick up the sword instead of the pen when they were equally as skilled in the two.

The recruitment conversation was cut short by Teyrn Cousland clearing his throat. Obviously, he thought that the conversation would go in a direction he did not approve of, and while Orion truly did want to see what Duncan truly thought of her skill, she did not want to risk her father's anger just hours before he would be off to battle.

Of all people, Howe broke the silence.

"I'm sure it's difficult to stay, milady. Thomas wanted to accompany me as well, but as your father needed you to stay and take charge of Cousland Castle, I needed him to take care Amaranthine."

"Yes," Orion began awkwardly, "I believe you mentioned Thomas earlier. I had not realized he had his eye on me."

"Yes," He said, his voice sounding oddly like a snake's hiss, "Well, if I am to speak honestly child, I do not expect anything to come of it. He is young, incredibly so, as are you. Besides, your father intends to let you find your own way, in this regard at least."

Orion was going to snark about her father's definition of her 'own way', however caught her tongue before she could begin. That wasn't how she wanted to speak of her father before he left. She had no illusions that this might be the final time she saw her father. The battlefield had no guarantees.

"Did you wish to say something, milady?" Howe inquired.

"I- no, ser. I was just going to wish you well before you head out. It is not likely that we will see each other in the morning," Orion smiled, genuinely this time, out of respect for the people who would be putting their lives on the line in service of the crown.

"I-" Howe seemed surprised by the well wishes, as if expecting Orion to treat him horribly. It didn't surprise her, she realized. Perhaps in these next couple of months of leadership, she would discover that nobility, and acting her role wouldn't be as bad as she set it out to be. Howe smiled, sadly. "I suppose that we won't. Thank you..."

Arl Howe's voice sounded deflated, regretful even. It was off from his usual mood and only worked to deepen the pit in her stomach telling her that something was terribly wrong with the night. Instead of listening to those instincts however, she simply rose and addressed the table.

"I'm afraid I will have to retire early tonight. I, or rather we, have a long day ahead of us in the morning. I wish all of you that will be staying the night pleasant dreams, and those of you leaving us tonight with the Maker's blessing." Orion bowed shortly before leaving for her quarters, whistling for Mars (who had been just outside the dining room) to follow. Exhaustion radiated from her body, and by the time she hit her mattress, she had already been deep in sleep.


Most nobles were incredibly deep sleepers. Fergus could sleep an entire day with Nan banging pots and pans and yelling at him in the midst of it all. Even the Teyrn and Teyrna could sleep through quite a bit without being disturbed. Orion often thought that it had something to do with security. If one felt safe, they slept soundly without disturbance. Although Orion too was a noble, she did not have the luxury of being a deep sleeper. She often woke to the sounds of even the quietest mouse squeaking away in the hall.

This time, Orion awoke to distant screams.

At first, she had thought it had been a nightmare, fading away in her mind. She took a couple deep breaths, brushing through her unkempt hair, ready to return to her slumber before Mars jumped to his feet, snarling. He never snarled.

The fight had begun before she even had a chance to react. Several men kicked down her door, invading the privacy of her room in full armor. Mars hadn't hesitated in his leaping on to the nearest man, tearing at his throat. It was truly the first kill her war hound had ever made, and he did it in service to Orion without hesitation. She wished she could say the same of herself.

She had still been rather dazed when they burst in. The intruders were fully awake, and she was not. In the time it took her to realize what was happening, several armored men dragged had already Mars away from her, slamming the door behind them. On the wall to Orion's left was a ceremonial sword that Teyrn Cousland had brought her from Orlais. It wasn't mean for combat, but it was still sharp enough to cut through armor if it were given enough force and used at the right angle.

Orion dashed for it, but the armored men were faster. One laughed while the other clutched Orion by the waist and neck, bringing her off the ground and effectively cutting off her air supply.

"The Cousland girl's alone in her room. I'd call it a gift from the maker himself," One spat.

"'Erd she was pretty little thing, but I didn't think she'd be this gorgeous," The one holding her whispered in her ear, effectively keeping her in his grasp despite her struggles. "Arl said he wanted 'em all dead, but it doesn't mean we don't get to 'ave a little fun first. Heard she was a virgin. Ever 'ad a virgin noble before, David?"

The other one, whom she could only guess was David laughed while her captor threw her on her bed, pinning her by straddling her waist. Orion pounded on his chest, but she only served to scrape her hands on his armor. She screamed in frustration, bucking to throw him off balance, but she couldn't. The man grabbed her wrists and set them high above her head. "Believe me love, you don't want to die a virgin. Let me at least give you this." He released her wrists and began to undress the noble woman from her night gown.

As the man traced his dirty tongue down the base of her jaw to the edge of her neck, Orion moved the positioning of her hands so that they could search behind the base of her bed frame. When she felt the familiar texture of leather, she gripped and thrust down to her assailants neck before he had time to reach to what she was doing.

Protruding from the man's neck was a silverite dagger, it's hilt made of fine antivan leather and a wreath engraved on the blade itself. It had been a gift from Ser Gilmore on her eighteenth birthday. He had it custom made and had given it to her without the knowledge of her family. While her father or Fergus would not have minded, her mother certainly would have. It was in this moment though that she was deeply grateful for the gift she had carefully stashed away. It had certainly saved her dignity and her life.

The man began choking on his own blood, and had Orion had the time she would have definitely lost her dinner at the amount of blood she was covered in and the gurgling sounds his throat made when she removed the dagger from his neck. The other armored man had just undressed himself, to Orion's disgust when she pushed the dead assailant off her body. She was no longer in her night gown, but in her small clothes, however she had no time or reason to feel embarrassed.

Instead, Orion shot forward as fast as an arrow as she ran for the man. In a moment of panic, the man named David swung his sword quickly down towards Orion's left side. She had been so focused on getting to him, she had not realized that she was still armed although he had been caught half undressed. Had Orion been wearing armor, the move would not have bothered her much.

The sword coming at her would have rebounded off metal or stuck hard in quality leather. Instead, it lodged itself deep within her shoulder. Only Orion's momentum kept her surging forward to shove the dagger once again in the center of the man's ribs to leave him gargling in his own blood, dying slowly to contemplate what he had almost done.

Adrenaline was coursing through Orion's system. Had it not been, she would have certainly passed out from the pain of the sword's attack. Instead, she only felt a slow, dull burning from the top of her shoulder and was quickly extending downwards shooting across her entire left arm. She was lucky that it did not sever her entire arm, but she was losing blood and fast. Orion needed medical attention, a mage even.

Even in the face of death, however, Orion couldn't go out in her small clothes. Her white night gown had been dyed red with blood. Her only option was the discarded underclothes of the man she had just slain off in the corner. The shirt was made of a cheap linen that quickly drenched itself in her blood and the breeches of a soft cotton. Orion was about to complain to herself about the situation, but the sharpening of pain in her left shoulder and the dizziness of blood loss told her that she was running out of time.

Hurriedly, the Cousland girl shoved herself clumsily through her door. Just before entering the hallway, her eye caught the glint of metal near the fallen man, David. His shield, sitting in a pool of blood, had a bear etched into its surface. The bear of Amaranthine.

If her vision had not quickly dipped out, then she would have surely screamed in pure, unadulterated fury, but her life would have to come first.

Orion didn't know what she expected to find in the hallway, but it certainly hadn't been so bloody in her mind. Her hound had just finished with the last guard before running worriedly to her side. She would have laughed at the Amaranthine knights if she had the energy to do it. She counted seven bodies dead by one mabari war hound. Mars was truly a magnificent beast, especially since this was the first time she had seen him act the way a war hound was expected to.

Just as Mars reached his owner's side, the door at the far end of the hallway swung open. Orion limply lifted her dagger in defense of herself, her vision swimming, while Mars growled menacingly. The figure that appeared from the master room was none other than Eleanor Cousland herself, shimmering in silverite glory. Orion looked past her mother to see two bodies lying in her parents room, bloody and unmoving, and Orion quickly deduced that her mother had just experienced what she had, perhaps with a slight advantage. The Teyrn and Teyrna always kept weapons and armor in their rooms.

"Darling," Her mother called out frantically, "I heard you scream and feared the worst."

Orion walked towards her mother before her step faltered and she collapsed in her mother's arms, her knees weak with exhaustion and her breathing labored.

"You're injured! We need to get you to the healer and quick."

Orion leaned against her mother, ushering her back towards her room. "No...time..."

When the mother and daughter got back into the master bedroom, Orion leaned against the wall, sliding down it slowly, pain trickling down every inch of her body. Her blood trailed down the walls, and Orion almost apologized for before thinking otherwise. Eleanor, on the other hand, went to work without hesitation.

Life in security and court had made Orion often forget that her mother was just as much a warrior as she was a noble. She had fought for Ferelden's freedom many years previous and so her knowledge of first-aid was both welcoming and unsurprising. Eleanor ripped the fabric from her bed sheets and rummaged through the chest closest to her parent's wardrobe, pulling out two small poultices covered in a small layer of dust.

Eleanor ran to her daughter's side quickly, shoving the poultices in her good hand.

"Drink these, quickly."

Orion did as her mother commanded, uncorking the bottles with difficulty. She put the poultice to her lips and downed them quickly, as though she were drinking with friends at the tavern. The poultices tasted awful, like pure elfroot. Orion wasn't a picky eater or drinker, but elfroot had always left a bitter taste in her mouth. She couldn't complain, however, because in a few moments her breathing steadied as well as her vision and she hardly felt the stinging in her upper shoulder. Once she had the strength to look, she turned her attention to her mother who just finishing the dressings on her arm.

The sheets she had used to bandage her daughter were already drenched red with blood, but it effectively stopped the bleeding for the time being, and they didn't have much more time to waste on it.

"Darling, I hate to ask this of you, but do you have any idea what's going on?"

Orion turned her attention to the two dead men just feet away from her mother. They were dressed in regular leather armor, likely mercenaries Howe hired to bolster his forces. Orion straightened herself against the wall and turned back to her mother.

"It's Howe. The men are Howe's. The soldiers that invaded my room had shields of Amaranthine, bear and all."

"Howe!? Why would he do this? No. Perhaps they're just defectors, or they took the shields in the night."

"Mother, think about it without the politics. Fergus left with Highever's troops last night." Orion winced, and Eleanor ran to the trunk on the other side of the room while her daughter spoke, rummaging for supplies. "He intended to attack the castle when we were at our weakest. Our guard number is few and our knights are answering the king's call."

Teyrna Cousland came back with a set of purple Brigandine scale armor, silver inscribed the edges. It was likely meant to be ceremonial, but it was all the Teyrna had to give her daughter to protect her. Linen and cotton did not stop iron and silver. As Orion worked to put it on, the two continued to speculate.

"Howe was with your father, and he never came back to bed."

"He was likely with father when this all went down."

"We have to find him."

"We should check up on Orianna and Oren as well."

Orion straightened her armor and stretched out her left arm. The dull pain was still there, but she was in a good enough shape to fight. Eleanor handed a bag full of small valuables, which she tied to her side. Her mother ran hurriedly to the door.

"What if they made it to your brother's room first?"

Orion took the lead, running to her brother's room. When she burst in, she half-expected her brother to be defeating soldier after soldier, with his son cheering from behind him, but Orion knew better. Fergus was on his way to Ostagar by now. She only wished that she could forget what she actually saw.

Death is a hard thing to forget, the body of a child is even harder. Orion's run has slowed to a defeated walk as she approached the bodies in her brother's room. Oren lay face down in a pool of his own blood, several puncture wounds jutted from his back. His caramel colored eyes, like his fathers, were glassy and lifeless. His mother was in far worse condition.

She had been stripped of her clothes and tossed into the corner like garbage. If it weren't for her hair, she wouldn't have even recognized the body of his brother's wife. She was naked and bloody, and her face had been maimed with a dagger. Orion felt to crushed to do anything but look at the bodies of her sister-in-law and nephew, and to think about her secret promise she made to Oren during dinner to train him with a sword.

Eleanor pushed past her daughter, distraught. She held her grandson in her arms, but his body just hung limply in her arms. Eleanor's cries were the only thing that perforated the room. In a moment of fury, Orion turned a kicked a nightstand, watching the vase come tumbling down and shattering on the floor.

"I'll kill him."

"Howe's not even taking hostages. Does he mean to slaughter us all?" Her mother cried, clutching at the dead child in her arms, tears mixing with blood.

Just outside the doors, Orion heard the sounds of clanking armor and a gruff, unfamiliar voice issuing orders. Orion slowly approached her mother, putting a comforting, but firm, grasp on her shoulder. She tried to hide the shaking, but wasn't aware of whether or not she was doing a good enough job. She also had no idea whether the shaking was from fear, rage, or pain.

"Mother," she said, "We need to go. They'll find us here. We need to find father."

For a moment, Orion thought that she might have to leave her mother behind and deal with the threats storming Cousland Castle by herself. But after a couple of moments, Eleanor rose with Oren in hand and set him gently on the bed murmuring to herself. It was only a few moments later that Orion had realized her mother was praying for the Maker to guide Orianna and Oren to his side. She quickly wiped away the tears that pushed themselves forward for the first time that night. Mars whimpered and nuzzled her hand. Her hands clenched in response. She needed to be strong, not just for herself, but for her mother.

Castle Cousland was on fire.

The fires reached so far into the sky that Orion could swear that sky was turning brought orange like the sunrise in the middle of the night. If it the paths weren't soaked in blood and covered debris, she might have pointed up like a child and asked her mother why the sky was changing colors as she had in her youth.

Her mother had been terribly silent since leaving the quarters. She had passed by Lady Landra's room to see her as well as her hand maiden slain in bed while they slept. At least their ends were peaceful. Dairren's room as empty. He had likely left with Fergus to move onward to Ostagar instead of waiting for troops he had no ties to.

It troubled Orion how quiet her mother was though. Even Orion had cried or screamed or broke something just to release the emotions she felt flooding over. Eleanor Cousland was just quiet. Orion wouldn't mention it. She didn't want to see her mother break down. She just felt disconcerted by her mother's focus and clarity amongst all this ruin.

Finally, her mother tugged at her armor, willing her to stop in her tracks for a moment.

"My child, wait," She gasped, "The treasury. Maybe there's something still there that was can salvage."

Orion nodded and began to run again towards the treasury. The doors were blasted open and the guard lie dead inside, but the actual door to the treasury remained untouched, as if it weren't even worth looting whatever was inside. Part of Orion felt unnaturally insulted by the fact that they didn't take the time to loot their treasury, although she didn't understand why.

Her mother opened up the room and Orion quickly rummaged through everything she could carry. Coins and small jewels went into the pouch at her side. In the end, Orion had only decided to take two things with her: the Cousland Sword and Shield. Her father prized these items, and if Castle Cousland were to fall that night, the Cousland Sword and Shield would not be lost within their flames.

As Orion and Eleanor continued towards the Great Hall, the sounds of fighting grew closer. Adrenaline pumped harder and faster through Orion's veins, the sound of blood pounding in her ears as she pushed herself to run harder and faster. Castle Cousland would not fall without a fight, and it was a fight she intended to participate in.

For the first time the entire night, Orion smiled as wide as she could. As she burst into the Great Hall she saw a familiar tuff of fire-red hair pushing back the line of Amaranthine soldiers. He looked like crap, if she were to be honest. But he was alive, and he was fighting. That in and of itself gave Orion enough courage to go running forward alongside her warrior mother and mabari war hound.

She took her daggers out, one standard silverite, the other her birthday gift, and slashed at everything in her path. The momentum of battle pushing her to fight further and harder until eventually she was standing back to back with Ser Gilmore. They said nothing to each other, just fighting to clear the hall of the Amaranthine traitors alongside each other.

The Cousland girl swung around, hitting the nearest Amaranthine soldier in the back of the head with the butt of her blade, knocking them out cold fast enough to turn and slash another across the neck. She charged a mage, shooting magic at her mother, kicking the mage in the back of the legs, causing her to buckle. Before the made could recover, Orion coldly put her dagger to her neck and let it run across, uncaring and unfeeling when the mage pleaded for her life.

It felt like eternity by the time the Great hall was finally cleared of all hostile forces, but the air of battle still thickened the air. Several guards and knights were still pressed against the main doors.

"My lady, your ladyship, your still alive," Ser Gilmore gasped, "I was certain Howe's men got through!"

"They did get through, Rory," Orion replied, clutching her arm once again.

"They got to Oren and Orianna, and Orion's been severely injured," Eleanor explained.

Ser Gilmore traded worried glances towards Orion and her arm. He moved, but hesitated and then moved back to his original position, face hardened.

"Howe's men stormed only about thirty minutes ago. It was all I could do to shut the gates, but they'll break down soon enough. Howe's got us at a disadvantage. If you have another exit from the castle I advise that you use it quickly. We'll provide you as much time as we can."

"C-Come with us, Rory," Orion choked, knowing what his reply was going to be.

"If I go with you, the gates might not hold much longer. They need every man they can get to hold it, and the priority now is that you and the Teyrna get out of this alive. Your father went looking for you at the larder, thought that you might be going for the Servant's exit. Last I saw him, he was gravely wounded. You must hurry."

"I'll stay and help. You need as much help as you can right? Mother can go after father."

"You have to go, my lady. This is what I was meant to do. I'll protect you to the final breath."

"Thank you, Ser Gilmore. May the Maker watch over you," Eleanor said hurriedly tugging at her daughter before heading off ahead of her.

"Rory, plea-"

Before she had a chance to plead with him to come with her or let her stay, Ser Gilmore had her in his arms. He was warm and comforting despite the fact that the embrace left a sharp pain in her left shoulder. It was desperate and felt final. He placed his lips firmly on her forehead before pushing her away softly. Orion's eyes had once again began to spill, harder and faster than when discovering Oren and Orianna. She felt sick to her stomach and empty all at the same time.

"To the last breath," Ser Gilmore whispered then shouted, "Go! I'll give you as much time as I can!"

Orion reluctantly turned and ran towards the kitchens, ignoring the pockets of fighting and she made her way to the larder that had ironically started this day off in the first place, sobbing the entire way.


When Orion had finally met with her mother in the larder, she had feared what she would see. Lying in her mother's arms was her father, lying in a pool of blood, holding his side. He was so different in her mother's arms than Oren who had hung limply. Bryce Cousland was barely hanging on to life. Orion slid down next to them, seeing the mortal wound on her father's side. He was stabbed, and he was bleeding out.

"We can- we can fix this can't we mother?" Orion cried frantically, "We can stop the bleeding. We can-"

"Hush, pup. Calm yourself and stop your tears," Her father choked. Orion's tears had started anew and they weren't stopping any time soon.

"Father, we need to get you out of here," She whispered, unsure if her voice would let her utter the words.

"I-I won't survive the standing, I think."

"That's not true! You'll be fine. We can stop the bleeding. Mother stopped my shoulder, she can stop this. I can find more poultices."

"Oh, my dear daughter," Bryce lifted his land and caressed his daughter's cheek sadly, leaving a trail of blood that streamed down when mixed with her fresh tears. "If only willpower alone could make it so. You have to leave me here. Someone must tell Fergus what has happened."

"You can tell him yourself," Orion shrieked, clutching at her father's hand like it was the only thing keeping her on this earth.

"Oh my dearest star, my Orion," He spat up blood, and Orion clutched at him harder. "The Castle is surrounded, you must go now."

"The Teyrn is correct. The Arl is unaware of this passage, but it will overrun soon."

Orion turned, tear-stained face and all, towards the familiar voice. Duncan, the Grey Warden, stood before them, covered in blood, but seemingly unharmed. His voice was grave and dangerous, much more so than it had been during dinner.

"Duncan," Orion voice caught for a second, "T-thank you for saving my father."

"I'm afraid your thanks come prematurely. I have not saved your father, merely prolonged his...departure."

The words sounded so final that Orion had finally loosened her grip on her father, realizing that she had not been holding on to him to keep herself grounded, but to keep him grounded. Her sobs echoed in the room, and somewhere Mars whined with her. Just beyond, the group heard the sounds of shouting men, more screams, and approaching enemies.

"Please, Duncan," Bryce pleaded, "Take my wife and daughter to safety. They are the last thing I hold dear."

"I will, ser," Duncan said gravely, "But I'm afraid that I must ask for something in return. The events here pale in comparison to what is coming. The blight sent me here in search of a recruit and it demands that I leave with one..."

"I...I understand," Her father turned and looked into her eyes. It was the first time she had seen him look so utterly defeated. He was giving her up to the Grey Warden in exchange for her safety.

"No. No. Father please," Orion cried, "Stay with us. If you stay with us, I'll never complain about anything again. I'll suffer through my studies. I'll go with you to every Landsmeet. I'll marry the next Maker damned noble son-of-a-bitch that you shove in my face. I'll never ask to be a guard or a knight or a Grey Warden again. I'll be the daughter you always wanted me to be. I'll never disappoint you, just please stay."Orion's voice hitched after every sentence.

"My dear child, you were always the daughter that I wanted. You never could have disappointed me."

"I-I'm not strong enough to be a Grey Warden."

Duncan touched her good shoulder comfortingly. "You fought your way here to me through Howe's men with only two daggers. If there was any indication that you are strong enough to be a Grey Warden, that was one." The compliment left daggers in her heart. This is what she wanted so badly not twelve hours ago, and now she wished she could take everything back.

"No, I can't," Orion said, voice shaking.

"Howe intends to use the chaos to his advantage. Without you, Fergus will never know and then we'll lose him too. You must get to Fergus before Howe has a chance, Pup."

"I can't, Father. I can't leave you."

In the sound of her tears, Duncan and Bryce exchanged severe looks. Bryce's pleading, and Duncan's reluctant, but eventually Duncan nodded gravely.

"Then you leave me no choice. Orion Cousland, I hear by invoke the Right of Conscription and conscript you into the Grey Wardens despite your objections."

Orion's entire body began to rack with sobs, but she did not try to fight back on Duncan's decision. She just wanted to be with her father. The sounds of armor clattering was getting closer. Eleanor rose, drawing her sword and pointed it to the door.

"Duncan, go with our daughter. I'll be staying here with Bryce and I'll buy you enough time to get through the Servant's passage," Eleanor said, the steadiest voice in the room. "I'm not leaving my husband to the hands of these traitors. Instead, I'll give my life for my daughter, that she may make her mark on the world."

"I'm s-sorry it had to come to this, love," Bryce whispered, coughing up blood.

"Hush, darling. We have done what we could. It's time for our children, now. It's up to them."

The sound of doors breaking down shook the earth. Duncan pulled Orion forcibly away from her parents. The way he held her and pressed her to continue onward was both gruff and cold, but understanding and protective, as if this was the last way he wanted to gain his recruit. Mars bounded through the room in pursuit, following his master with undying loyalty. He wouldn't abandon her no matter what. Duncan took care to keep pressure off of her injured soldier as he aided her to the passage. Just before slipping through the Servant's passage, Orion turned to look back her parents one last time.

"Know that we love you so much, Pup. You and Fergus both."

As Duncan, Orion, and Mars fled Cousland Castle, Orion couldn't help but think of the faces of people that would haunt her dreams for months: Orianna's disfigured corpse, Oren's glassy eyes, Ser Gilmore's embrace, the Couslands sacrifice. All she heard hours after that, were her own desperate cries.