A/N: Alright, the last Ostagar chapter and thanks again for the reviews and taking the time to read this! Take care!
Disclaimer: Most unfortunately, Dragon Age, its characters, and some of the clever dialogue I've borrowed, don't belong to me.
They didn't spend much more time with the king and general; just long enough for Ffion to make an impression with a good eye for picking out better archers' positions. Though she was still very disappointed about missing the bulk of the fighting with her other assignment, she didn't put up near the fuss that Alistair did when he learned about it. She had only the one outburst, after they left the king's company, and that was to ask why she couldn't accompany Duncan. The older Warden merely smiled with a paternal fondness and placed one hand on her shoulder.
"The king has always been adamant that it be the Wardens to light the signal, ever since we came up with this loose idea weeks ago. Why else do you think we chose a place with such an intact tower?" He began and there was an undercurrent of steel developing in his tone, though that last had more than a hint of sarcasm.
"He only really wanted us after you made the suggestion," Alistair muttered, showing no trepidation in being borderline insubordinate.
Duncan wasn't effected. He dropped his hand from Ffion's shoulder, spared a glance at Alistair and then shrugged his own shoulders. He suddenly looked very much his age in the flaring light of the campfire and Ffion could see the instant concern on Alistair's face.
"That is neither here nor there," He answered, "Cailan wanted trusted men to do this task and who does he trust more than the Wardens? Besides, he places too much faith in Loghain, who would much rather dictate from afar. The general's retirement should have happened long ago."
The last statement was added more to himself than anything else and Ffion, either not seeing Alistair's head shake or choosing to ignore it, was blurting,
"But that's General Loghain! He wouldn't turn traitor on Maric's son, would he?"
Duncan was pulled back from wherever his mind had wandered and seemed to realize just then what he had said.
"Of course not," He amended, but it was spoken too quickly; too defensively, and this time Alistair was frowning at him as well, "Like I said, we need someone that we can trust to light the beacon in time and sending two just makes more sense than sending a troop. When the assault begins, you will have no more than an hour to reach the top of the tower. We will signal you when to light and if something goes awry, you will have to use your own judgement."
Ffion was still burning with curiosity at the implication that Loghain might not be as loyal as they believed, but she listened to Duncan patiently.
"Alright, alright," Alistair capitulated and the teasing note was back in his voice, "I'll agree to this one, but if Cailan asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm going to have to draw the line."
Ffion found herself grinning genuinely at that image and was surprised at how easily the ex-Templar made her feel like her old self. She glanced up at him.
"Way to take a stand, Alistair."
He returned the grin and was almost a little nervous at the mischief suddenly gleaming in her eyes. There was enough there that it seemed very plausible she might talk him into doing just that or maybe get him drunk and let him make a fool of himself on his own. Duncan was shaking his head and Alistair spoke before the senior Warden could,
"Well, I have to retain some pride, don't I?" At Duncan's long suffering sigh, he was adding more seriously, his voice taking on an edge of excitement, "And after the signal, we can join the fight?"
"Yes, so long as everything has gone well," The indulgent tone was back and for a brief moment, Duncan's gaze was rather wistful. It only lasted a moment though and he was looking at them almost severely while he added, "Remember, above all else, you are Grey Wardens now and it is your responsibility to keep Ferelden safe from anything that may threaten her. No matter what happens, never forget your oath or your duties."
Ffion felt a sudden irrational fear as though this would be the last time she'd see the elder Warden and as a warning note was blown on Ostagar's war horn, she tried to shake the dread. She gave him a formal Warden bow, arms criss-crossed over her chest as she had seen all the other Wardens do.
"Maker go with you, Duncan," Alistair said somberly.
"Maker go with us all," He replied and added, "Remember: one hour."
"The Tower of Ishal is in the next courtyard, across the bride to the east," Alistair told her as they headed up the stairs to cross to the eastern fortifications.
Ffion knew he was talking just out of excitement. The battle was starting and she almost froze when she caught sight of the mass of creatures swarming towards Ostagar. That tingling telling her about the Darkspawn presence had grown into a full blown irritation and the other Wardens didn't help matters. She stuck close to Alistair and Tilly was right on her heels as they started across the bridge. The sounds of fighting were echoing through the valley spread before and up the canyon behind Ostagar and the number of Darkspawn was not encouraging.
They were no more than halfway across, skirting the archers and mages on the parapets, when the world suddenly rocked violently, sending them crashing to the rough stone. Ffion felt Tilly's weight against her legs and she sat up, trying to ignore the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. The Mabari was fine, just stunned, as was Alistair. Ffion's ears were ringing and she could hear faint cries and yells that were deadened even more. Alistair was getting unsteadily to his feet, trying to grab her elbow and help her up, too. Tilly was stunned as she pressed close to her lady, tail between her legs and ears laid flat, looking for some tangible threat she could attack.
It wasn't easy for Ffion to leave the wounded, but Alistair was firm and the urgency of their task was suddenly heavier than before. They bolted down the remainder of the bridge and to the next courtyard where they were met by two men who came running from the tower. Their faces were terrified and the mage's cowl had been knocked askew.
"Wardens!" The soldier greeted and the relief in that word was palpable, "The tower! There are Darkspawn crawling all over the tower!"
"What?" Alistair exclaimed and his honey colored eyes went up the length of the tower as though he was expecting to see the monsters clambering up the walls, "What do you mean; they're inside the tower?"
"They came from nowhere," The mage cut in, "We weren't prepared and no one expected this."
"We have to press on, Alistair," Ffion commented and her calm surprised even herself.
"Those bastards decimated my troop," The soldier said quickly as Alistair nodded an affirmative to Ffion, "I'd like to help if you'll have me?"
They agreed and Alistair couldn't help but glance at the mage. His pale blue eyes were still wide with the horrors that he had seen but his chin was set stubbornly and he gave a single firm nod as though he was trying to convince himself.
"Yes, me too. What they did to my senior enchanter… someone needs to pay for that."
Banded together now, they hurried up the steps to the next courtyard where the tower was and both Alistair and Ffion brought the other two up short. That niggling in the back of Ffion's mind, the hum and swirl of what was the Darkspawn taint running through her, spiked sharply and she was ready with her swords before the Genlock they came across was aware of them. Ahead there were six other creatures that were lording over fallen soldiers and in no time they realized they were not alone. The mage and Ffion stood back, firing with both magic and arrows while Alistair and the soldier danced forward among the monsters. The mage took out the Emissary with a shaft of fire that was painful to look at and Tilly downed the Hurlock that was swinging for the unprotected back of the soldier. Alistair was struggling with the last two Genlocks and when he gave one his undivided attention, the other threw itself at him. Ffion reacted reflexively and a brief moment later one of her prized, razor sharp knives was embedded in the monster's throat.
Alistair blinked at her as she came up to pry it from the thick skin and wipe it clean with an expression of distaste. He studied her briefly and checked another reason to be happy she was on his side.
"That was… great," He said finally and she seemed surprised he was praising her, "Thanks."
"It had to be done," She answered simply with a shrug, "Let's go."
They pressed on and entered what Alistair could only think of as the tower of hell. The first floor was ransacked and the smell of death and decay was thick in the air. Shelves were overturned, crates and chests broken open: there were bodies of soldiers and mages and Mabari amongst the Darkspawn: the floor was slick with blood in some places and the strange, pulsing fleshy sacks left by the monsters made the smell even worse. Ffion could still feel the Darkspawn about but with the creatures crawling all over the place, it was impossible to differentiate between distances.
Alistair was leading the way and he was about to enter the big foyer from the entry when Ffion grabbed his elbow. Against his front shin was a thin wire that, if not looked for, would have been invisible.
"Don't move," She told him and then glanced at the mage, "Make sure nothing surprises us. I need to find this trap."
Successfully frozen by her words, Alistair hated how vulnerable he felt standing completely in the open.
"How did you know it would be there?" He asked, his brown eyes going everywhere in the room.
"I was looking for it," She answered absently, choosing not to mention that these were the exact traps that she and Gilmore used to set for Fergus and the other soldiers, with a less violent outcome, "It was too quiet. Do you think they have trouble differentiating us from the other Darkspawn?"
The ex-Templar was confused by her sudden change and then understood what she was asking. She was moving further along the wall, following the trip wire to the end.
"I would guess that they aren't too bright and they react on pure instinct. When they sense us, they're stupid enough to think we're other creatures. Can't I just step over this thing?"
"No, don't move," The answer was automatic and Ffion was crouching at the trap she found, trying to gauge how to remove the wire without blasting everyone with the flaming gas that was bound to be released, "You've pushed the wire too far forward and you'll run the risk of pulling it out if you step back. Just… don't move."
She was bent over the trap again and within moments had it disabled and agreeing with Alistair on the intelligence of these beasts. They pressed on and came up on the troop that was waiting for the trap to spring. The monsters were caught unawares and though they outnumbered Ffion's little band, they were taken down with ease. Alistair was leading the way to the door to the second floor and they went through their same routine. Ffion and the mage tried to stay back, protecting Alistair and the soldier with their ranged attacks. Tilly cantered about in front of her lady, never allowing any of the monsters within a few yards of her and the mage proved especially adept with healing magic. His flame blast was also a good one and the smell of death was soon covered by the sickly, almost sweet odor of burning flesh.
They made a good team and, time being of the essence, they were soon merely cutting down the Darkspawn, sometimes not even making sure they were dead. Everything went well until they reached the top floor. Alistair charged through and was prepared for anything but what he saw. He came to a sudden stop, back-peddling into Ffion who was right behind him and almost knocking her to the floor.
Ahead of them, standing between them and the beacon that was lying dead and dark on its hearth, was a hunched ogre. There was the sharp sound of bones breaking and the ominous tear of something that wasn't fabric, and the monster's horned head swung around to face them. Its beady, violent black eyes fixed on Alistair and the soldier who had instinctively moved forward to protect the other two. It grunted, shifting its weight and straightening so they could see the dark rivulets of blood running down the heavily muscled chest. In one of its massive hands was the torn body of another Darkspawn and the ogre tossed it aside and gave its undivided attention to the new, living, targets.
"Back!" The mage hollered at Alistair and the soldier. He swung his staff around, taking a stance and seemed to make the atmosphere itself surge. Suddenly the point of the staff erupted with a dark light and moments later a trail of small boulders was smashing into the ogre's chest.
The monster stumbled back, going to one of its knees as the mage followed up with a shaft of fire. The others hurried forward and Ffion took over with the ranged attacks as the strain of those two consecutive spells became evident in the mage's face. She was rapidly firing off arrows. Two landed in the beasts shoulders and another sank into the neck. The ogre roared in annoyance and came back to its feet, swinging for anything that it could destroy. Alistair and the soldier danced back warily and Alistair was darting around behind the ogre, striking here and there while trying to avoid the vicious kicks.
The ogre was having none of it. The massive horned head lowered and Alistair just barely dove out of the way. The monster was caught off guard and the soldier jumped in, sword swinging. As the ogre wheeled to face him, Alistair and Ffion took their chances as well. Ffion's bow was slung onto her back and both her shortswords glinted maliciously as she jumped forward. Caught between three armed warriors that inflicted pain with razor sharp blades, the ogre roared in fury. Tilly was darting about its legs, sinking her teeth into its flesh when she could and as soon as the monster began weakening, the mage hollered for them to stand down. They did so instantly, the soldier staggering back as the ogre made one last ditch effort to win.
Another string of boulders smashed into the monster's chest and, as Alistair and the soldier darted forward to finish it off, Ffion ran for the hearth. The dry tinder of the beacon responded immediately to the flint and as the ogre's breath rattled to nothing behind her, she hurried to the windows to watch the last moments of battle. Prayers were scrolling through her mind as though on repeat and she felt rather than saw Alistair move in beside her.
Below them, things were not going well. It had clearly been much longer than their allotted hour and Cailan's carefully placed lines were failing. Ostagar was crowded with Darkspawn and to their dismayed surprise Cailan and Duncan were in the thick of things. They were holding their own, it seemed, and when the fire ignited at the top of the tower and the war horn sounded, Duncan and the king both glanced up at the beacon.
Ffion and Alistair's view of the battle was obstructed briefly by a curtain of smoke from the burning buildings down below and they were not in the correct line of vision to see Loghain's reaction to the horn and beacon. They missed the sharp words he shared with Serah Cauthrien, his right hand; missed her disbelieving look and reluctant wave for the troops to retreat, not advance; missed the general's last scathing glare towards what would soon become the destruction of Ostagar. Instead, their very next sighting of the king and senior Warden made their blood run cold and Alistair whisper a hoarse, No!
An ogre was hurtling itself at the pair, knocking Duncan out of the way before snatching up Cailan in one massive hand. The Warden was scrambling back to his feet, obviously hurting, and rushing for the swords that had flown from his hands. The ogre was holding the king close to its face and the roar it gave seemed to tremble up the tower's stones. Time slowed as Duncan hefted a blade into his hand and hastened for the monster. With a second resounding roar, the ogre clasped Cailan firmly and squeezed. The king didn't even have time to scream. His once resplendent gold armor was crushed to nothing and as his body went limp, blood oozed down over it. The ogre tossed the dead man aside and he dropped to the ground in a broken, crumpled heap.
Duncan hesitated for only a moment before he snatched up another sword and threw himself at the monster. He leaped and as the hands made to grab for him, he sank the blades hilt-deep into the broad chest. The Warden clung there for a moment, trying to keep his grip as the beast let out a bellow of pain and anger, tossing its head back. With a tremendous wrench, Duncan pulled one sword free and stabbed again, this time closer to the neck. The second sword followed and the ogre collapsed, sending the Warden rolling away from him. This time, Duncan didn't try to stand. Instead he crawled to Cailan's body, clearly in pain, and reached out with one hand to turn the king over. He looked down into the bloody face of the man he had come to think of as a friend and comrade, then let his eyes rove over the rest of the bodies scattered about.
Ostagar was clearly lost. Darkspawn were crawling over everything, cutting down the soldiers that were retreating in waves towards the nonexistent protection of the ruin's walls. Tiredly, knowing this was likely to be the end of him, he looked up at the brightly burning beacon and could hardly muster the anger over Loghain's desertion. It had been quite clear the general did not agree with this assault and now he had made a very firm and, in essence, defensible stand.
Duncan saw the alpha Hurlock bearing down on him and didn't for an instant fool himself with the idea that he could reach another sword in time. Instead he perched there on his heels, waiting for his death; thanking the Maker that he wasn't going to have to face the Deep Roads, and his final prayer was that Alistair and Ffion would survive this. The boy was going to be Ferelden's last hope. The axe finally swung down and the senior Warden was gone.
"No!" Alistair screamed.
Behind them, the door burst open and a swarm of Darkspawn was suddenly upon them. Their group held their own for a little while and then the soldier was cut down and something smashed into Ffion, sending her staggering to her knees. She felt the first arrows sink into her and, just before the other crash went against her skull, she heard Alistair shouting her name and Tilly whimpering and then the world went black.
