AN: I make no claim to accurate characterization of game characters or game events but I will try my best but things will be morphed to fit my own characters. Bioware owns Dragon age but Idessa and Beira are mine. Idessa's prayer "Trials 1:14 Chant of light " Reviews are welcome!

Calian sat down in huff, "Logain we have gone around and around with this argument about Orlais."

Logain grinds his teeth, "You're acting like a child but fine we could go back to the argument of my daughter."

Calian closed his eyes, "I have not made any decision on that and you know it. All I can say is that so far I have no heir and it's a matter of duty, beyond my feelings. I haven't giving up hope."

Logain lets up a little on his anger. "I am no fool Calian, I have seen the way you look at that mage and I know you have been spending time at the tower of magi. Not to mention a little birdie told me you had company in your tent last night."

Cailan frowned. "I will not lie to you Logain, not like I could about this. I can not fool myself to deny my love for her. I only wish I could give her more, but duty comes before matters of the heart, in both arguments."

"Yes it does," Logain closed his eyes, "Sadly it does"

Logain stands up and rubs his temple, "I can not say that I'm happy about this, but I am glad you did not lie to me. I will keep this between us, but I hope you have no intention of having her on the front lines with you. Even if I think you shouldn't be on the front lines either.

Cailan look at Logain confuted. "Of course, I want her has far away from the front lines as possible but why do you care?"

Logain took a deep breath and exhaled. "It doesn't matter, just keeping a promise I made long ago. Come we have meeting to attend with the Grey Wardens."

Idessa walked around the camp her mind wondering about lost in thoughts on everything Flemeth said.

"It's only when we fall do we learn if we can fly."

It had been a long day and the night was only going to be longer she could feel it. The darkspawn were coming the whispers echoing in her head making her head pound. She used a healing spell on her mind hoping to reduce it.

Wynne came to sit beside her, "Try to keep your strength for the battle dear. I have a feeling we are going to need it."

Idessa looked a Wynne with concern

"I know we will need it. I can't lie that I'm a little worried."

Duncan walked by with Alistair and Beira. Idessa smiled.

"Congratulations Beira."

"Thank you, and good luck with the darkspawn."

"Good luck to you as well."

Idessa laid her head back and closed her eyes.

Calian tapped her on the shoulder startling her and she fell of the bench she was stetting on.

"Ow"

"I'm sorry Idessa." He helped her up. "Can you walk with me please?"

Idessa was worried but she followed him.

"I don't want you on the front lines. You're going to be up here with the range."

Idessa's eyes widened and she grabbed Calian's hands.

"I want to be down there with you helping and healing. I would be of more help down there."

Cailan shook his head and put his hands on her cheeks, "My love, I couldn't bare it if anything happened to you. I would get carless if you were down there, doing everything in my power to keep you safe. So please do as I ask of you."

Idessa worries reached new heights and tears began to fill her eyes.

"Oh Idessa, you have fallen hard this is only going to end in heartbreak. No happy endings, remember?"

"Shut up Harmony! I don't want to hear it right now I really don't. Don't throw things I said back at me."

Calian wiped away her tears as his own eyes were starting to fill, "Don't cry my love. You're making it harder for me to go down there on the battlefield."

They walked in silence Idessa failing at finding the words but seeing Duncan waiting she knew this was her last chance.

"Cailan…" Idessa started but her voice escaped her. Cailan turned to her, "I… love you." Idessa couldn't believe she found the power to say the words but she couldn't let him go with out him knowing how she really felt. Cailan pulled her into his arms and kissed her taking her breath away.

Finding her voice again, she whispered, "Be safe, my love, come back to me."

Cailan smiled, "I promise."

They finished their steps to Duncan both with heavy hearts fearing the lost of the other.

Cailan bowed his head to Duncan. "The battle waits."

"Yes, your majesty." Duncan turned to Idessa seeing the worry on her face.

"Be safe my dear or your mother will smite me down from the heavens."

Idessa managed a smile. "Hey it's my job to make light of bad situations." Duncan hugged her tight and fallowed Cailan to the field.

Idessa looked over the bridge at the battlefield below and closed her eyes. Wynne moved to stand next to her and put her hand on her shoulder, "It's alright child, be strong."

"When am I not Wynne? It's not in me to not to be strong…but…I can feel them, just beyond the trees like a storm just waiting to unleash its fury. For once, I have given into what I told myself never to do and now I fear I will lose it. This fear eats at every fiber of my being, testing my resolve."

Wynne gave a knowing nod and looked over the battlefield to the trees, seeing the smoke and fire rise from the horizon.

"All you can do is hope, fight and pray to the Maker that we are all standing in the end."

Idessa closed her eyes tight

"I shall not be left to wander the drifting roads of the fade

For there is no darkness, nor death either, in the Maker's light

And nothing that He has wrought shall be lost. Maker watch over these

Men they fight for the lives of all your children."

Idessa open her eyes and looked to Wynne.

"If you need me remember I'm here."

Wynne saw a glimpse of Idessa's spirit rise from deep within Idessa before she pushed it down again.

"They come, my friend. I hope we are ready."

Wynne sighed "I hope so too. Look they have emerged from the forest line."

Idessa was to busy trying to block out the whispers swilling round in her head. Whispers of hate, rancid and unforgiving were leaving an icy chill over her body.

She looked to forest line and for the first time laid eyes on her tormenters. This was no dream or vision their twisted, bloodthirsty faces spoke valiums of malice.

The world became silent, as if the birds and animals knew better than to be anywhere near this battlefield. The only sound came from attack hounds and slight clinking of armor. The storm above began to intensify as the battle grew near, only adding to disaccord.

"These whispers are driving me mad. I don't know how my mother dealt with being around these monsters all the time."

Then, as the darkspawn stopped their march and prepared to begin their charge, the chasm went into almost complete silence; even the attack hounds sensed the beginning of the battle. The tension had built and the air was electric with fear, hope, anger, pride, and a thousand other emotions as men from across Ferelden stared into the darkspawn, the ones who would destroy everything they love, cherish and desire if they could not win this battle.

The silence grew almost deafening until the war call of the darkspawn signaled their charge. Calian called for the archers, their arrows ascended like a wall into the sky, falling to meet their destination. Many made impacted and some of darkspawn fell. The hounds were sent in to the fray and their howls rose in the darkness as they charged to meet there enemies.

Calian started the charge. "For Ferelden!"

Massive fiery boulders flew overhead exploding as they hit the towers shaking the ground under Idessa feet. Many soldiers were running to their spots on the bridge to begin their own assault. Beira and Alistair ran by Idessa just as one of these boulders flew in the bridge knocking them back to the ground. Idessa ran to them tossing a healing spell to them while helping them up.

Beira smiled a little out of breath. "Thanks"

Idessa smiled back "It's what I do! Now you two go! You've got a job to do! Good luck!"

Alistair bowed his head and they both went running off to the tower. Idessa started deflecting the boulders with her own fireballs, either deflecting them away from the soldiers on the bridge or destroying them outright.

One of the soldiers fell and was having trouble getting back up after a boulder just missed his spot on the bridge. Idessa crouched down next him healing, "Have the strength to keep going, find the courage to fight, to drive you, and to stand." The soldier picked himself up and looked at Idessa a little confused. "I have trained men like you. Never give up, remember who you fight for!" The man was young only a few years younger then Idessa but she could see the will to go on in his eyes.

The man bowed his head to her and then started back to his position. "I remember! For Ferelden!"

Idessa went back to vigilantly watching over the battlefield and the men on the bridge trying to keep up with the healing. Things were starting to go awry on the battlefield, but at that moment, the beacon let up the night sky.

"Thank the maker!" Idessa sighed in relief.

The plan had been to draw the enemy in and once they were engaged with the front lines, the beacon in the tower would be lit. Logain would then lead the cavalry right into their flank. A solid strategy that had the front lines completely reliant on the cavalry's charge as it would disorient the enemy that would now be surrounded. Fighting the battle on two sides and the surprise of the cavalry surely would allow them to be victorious.

…Surely would have allowed them to be victorious if the plan had been executed.

"Where are Logain's troops?" Idessa called, confused, "They are supposed to charge in now! The beacon has been lit!"

Wynne ran up beside her, obvious stress in her eyes, "Logain is leaving! They are retreating!"

"What? This can't be! There's too many of them they're going to be overrun. What is he thinking?" Idessa ran to look over the bridge and watched in horror as the darkspawn were overwhelming the front lines. She found Cailan and Duncan amongst the fighting still defending them off.

The whispers came again, she almost could make them out but most of it was too soft, two words she could make out.

Finish it

A massive ogre arose from the mist of darkspawn and rushed in with a target in mind. It rushed at Calian throwing other solders out from it's intended path. The ogre picked him up, stared him in the eye and let out a thundering roar in his face.

Idessa heart dropped out of her very soul as she watched the ogre break him and throw him a side, as if he was a rag doll. All she could do was stand there and stare as all hope drained from her very being. Duncan charged at the monster jumping on to its chest and digging his sword and dagger in to it. He climbed it stabbing and twisting until the beast fell. She continued to watch horrified as Duncan's last charge on the ogre seemed to be his last. He was surrounded; all others around him had been killed. They swarmed him so quickly, Idessa couldn't even see exactly what had happened, but she knew he was gone. They had been betrayed and left to die. Her entire world came crashing down and despair seeped in to her bones. She lost her will to stand and fell to her knees.

Wynne pulled at Idessa's arm. "We have to go! If we can't stay we will be overwhelmed too!"

"No! I can't…he promised! He can't leave me, I will not go."

Idessa was falling apart right before Wynne's eyes. She had never seen Idessa like this; she had always been so strong. "Child nothing is served by you dying too! You must fight! Find the power I know you have."

Dane ran up, grabbed Idessa and pulled her to the edge of the bridge with Wynne right behind.

It was too late. The darkspawn were everywhere. Then something snapped in Idessa and she yanked her arm away from Dane. Dane looked back at her to protest but he noticed something was happing to her. Idessa skin seemed to crack and the air around her started to spark and crackle. Her whole demeanor had changed and the air around her turned dark. Idessa eyes started to glow a deep blood red.

"Idessa, the power! What have you done?"

"You will not have me or them. Death is inevitable but it's my decision of when! Today is not that day, not by the hands of you monsters." Her voice was almost not her own, it seemed to vibrate and echo as if coming from somewhere deep and dark inside her.

Her hands exploded with fire she raised her hands to the sky and circled them in the air. Dane and Wynne watched as a gigantic cyclone of flames rose from the ground. They both had to shield there eyes from the immense heat. The darkspawn were running in all directions but unable to flee from the pull of the wild tempest of fire. Every enemy burned around her until the smoldering lumps of meat moved no more.

With her mana spent, Idessa fell to her knees in exhaustion. Darkness covered her eyes and sound faded away as she passed out.