Fire crackled at her feet. Sparks danced over her boots, reflecting off what little metal was exposed from her greaves. She had smeared dirt over them to conceal any shine, as had Alistair and many of their army's scouts. Any real shine to their armor would be detrimental; if the darkspawn saw them coming, their chances of winning would drop. Of course they could sense each other, however, but three Wardens were nothing compared to an entire mass of troops.
Denerim was leagues away still. The effects of the Blight could be seen across the land, regardless of how far away the darkspawn actually were. The dirt she walked on crunched with every step, just as dead as what little foliage managed to last this long. It was stained black. Everything looked like it had been set aflame. The very air reeked of death even though any sign of civilization was miles away.
Elissa shuffled around the campfire nervously, pacing. This would be the last time they made camp before they arrived at Denerim. If they waited any longer, there wouldn't be much left of the city to save.
She fingered the pommel of her sword. It helped soothe her frayed nerves, though she doubted anything would help her truly relax. Her entire life, Elissa had fought tooth and nail to be trained in combat, but now when she truly had to commit to that training, she was terrified. There was a very good chance she would die tomorrow. There was a very good chance they'd all die tomorrow.
She crossed her arms to force herself to stop fidgeting. She didn't want to look skittish; this was her army. These were her soldiers, and if she couldn't hold her head high, there was no reason she could expect them to, either.
But the thought was there, nagging and eating away at her. Elissa swallowed. Riordan had pulled her and Alistair aside the night before they left Redcliffe. He said he needed to discuss battle strategies with them, being the only Grey Warden in Ferelden that actually knew how to stop the Archdemon.
He had said one of them had to die to defeat it. Elissa had zoned out rather quickly afterward, barely keeping up with what he had been telling them, just focused on how sick she felt. Something about the darkspawn blood they had ingested during the Joining and how the Taint they carried was the only thing that could contain the beast. She didn't know. She wasn't really paying attention, just nodding and waiting to be dismissed.
Becoming a Grey Warden was essentially a death sentence no matter what they did.
Elissa had found her way to her room when Morrigan had appeared, speaking of some ritual that should save them. Whatever it was, Elissa had agreed to allowing Morrigan to work her dark magic, forcing Alistair to participate while she wandered Redcliffe's many halls.
There was a chance it wouldn't work. There was a chance they could all make it to the Archdemon tomorrow, and one of them would have to sacrifice themselves thinking they'd live.
The Chantry doors slammed shut with a resounding boom. It echoed through the building and through Elissa's bones, straight to her core. She stood just inside as sounds trickled in from outside. People were still out there dying, fighting the crazed mages, trying to protect their families.
If that thing was truly an Archdemon, the Wardens' disappearance was all the worse.
She stood there a while, thinking, weighing her options. There weren't many. It was either flee and pray she got a chance at the dragon another day, or run back outside and get herself killed. Neither option was ideal, but the first one had more promise than the second. At least she would have time to send a bird to Weisshaupt and warn them of the possibility of another Blight.
For the first time in several minutes, she looked around. The people she had entered the Chantry with were crowded together ahead of her, but plenty more townsfolk and soldiers were standing around, terrified.
She shoved her way through the crowd until she was standing beside Cullen and Josephine. They were arguing with Leliana and Elias about something that she didn't care about.
"We need to get these people out of here," Elissa interrupted.
"That's what we were just talking about," Elias remarked sarcastically. "But please, if you have any ideas, feel free to share."
"There's a passage in what I believe is the library now," Elissa said. "It leads to the temple. If you follow it, it'll lead you into the mountains."
He blinked, and then scowled. "When were you planning on sharing that?"
"I just did," she retorted. "I'm sorry the Chantry doesn't drop everything to tell you people its secrets. I have better things to do than—"
"Better than what?" he demanded. "Letting all of us die?"
"Stop it!" Cullen interjected. He sounded exhausted, looked exhausted. He was covered in soot and blood, and his hair was a mess, hanging in his face. "This isn't getting us anywhere."
"He's right," Josephine said. "We need to focus on escaping."
Elias huffed, irritated, and Elissa frowned. "Like I said, there's the passage in the library. Leliana should know where it is; she's the one that found it in the first place."
"Wait, what? What do you mean 'I should know where it is'? You're not staying here."
Elissa shrugged. "If I'm right about that thing being an Archdemon—"
"How are you supposed to get anywhere near it?" Leliana demanded. "Much less kill it by yourself? Are you stupid, Elissa?"
She shook her head. "Someone needs to distract it so these people can get to safety."
Leliana grabbed her by the arm and started to drag her away, saying to Josephine, "We'll open the pass. Figure out a better plan than sending our only Grey Warden to their death."
The Antivan woman nodded and Elias launched into some idea of his, but they were already out of earshot. Leliana practically threw Elissa into the small room, throwing the door shut behind them. She didn't look at her for a long time, just staring at the door, allowing dread to build in Elissa's gut.
"What are you thinking?" Leliana said softly.
"You know the same thing I do," Elissa answered, taking a step closer. She reached for Leliana's shoulder, but her hand was slapped away as she spun around. Leliana's usual bright eyes were now watery, as if she was trying not to cry.
"Do you know how many nightmares I've had about that day?" she hissed. She stabbed an accusing finger at Elissa, poking her in the chest. "Do you know how hard I try to forget about how close I came to losing you? Do you?" Elissa swallowed and looked away. "As soon as the Archdemon was defeated, you were gone. It felt like you did die, but here you are, standing in front of me right now, without so much as...as..." She trailed off, throwing her hands up in the air.
"I have nightmares about it too," Elissa admitted.
"Then why are you trying to repeat that?"
"We both know I'm the only one here who can kill that dragon."
Leliana shook her head. "You don't know that. There's no darkspawn here. It might not be."
Elissa sighed, running her hands down her face. "I felt it, Leli. I told you—"
The next thing she knew, Leliana was right there with her, pulling her close with the same sense of urgency from their hug earlier. Leliana kissed her with such a wild energy Elissa almost forgot what was happening. She had been dying for this for hours now, silently pleading with the Maker to just stop torturing her. It had been years since they had last seen each other, much less spoken. Elissa wasn't sure if Leliana still even had feelings for her, but this kiss erased all those fears. It was like their first kiss all over again—nervous, hesitant, but hungry. They both wanted it so desperately Elissa forgot what it was like to be anywhere else.
Leliana was the one to end it, but she pulled Elissa closer. "I can't lose you again," she said. "I just can't."
"I always come back," Elissa whispered.
Her head shook again. "I can't lose someone else."
The way she clung to her, Elissa recognized it. It had been the way she clung to Leliana when they began their relationship. It was desperate, protective. She had lost her entire family only a few short months before Leliana truly came into her life; she had been at her lowest, and now, after Justinia's death, Elissa was sure that was what Leliana was feeling now.
"You won't."
"This doesn't end any other way," Leliana said. "If you go out there, you're going to die, and we both know it. Either the mages will kill you or the dragon will." She fell silent for a moment, allowing that to sink in, before adding, "If that's truly an Archdemon, Elissa, you won't have a chance to kill it here. We need you alive."
"I can't just let it go without trying," Elissa protested.
"And you can't throw your life away."
Elissa looked at her feet. "You're right."
"I—"
"Even if it's not an Archdemon, something out there is making my senses go crazy, and I'm willing to bet it knows I'm here, too. I can distract it long enough for these people to get away."
"You won't have to." Elissa and Leliana both snapped around. Elias was standing in the doorway, staff in hand. "We've got a plan to get out of here as long as your secret tunnel works out...?"
Leliana pulled herself together surprisingly fast; she didn't look anywhere near as distraught as she was a moment ago. She went to the bookshelf at the far end of the room and stood to one side of it.
"Are you going to help me or not?"
Elissa blinked, then nodded, rushing to her side. They grabbed the back of the shelf and threw their weight into it. It was made of stone, set so close to the wall it almost looked like it was part of it. Air rushed out over their hands, however, and with one final heave, they managed to pull it free. Cobwebs and dust fluttered over them as the bookshelf crashed to the floor.
"How the hell did you manage to find that?" Elias asked, surprised.
"It wasn't as concealed," Leliana said.
He paused, sizing up the hole, then nodded, tossing her an unlit torch. Leliana caught it. "Get these people out of here. When you get to the top of the mountain, give us some sort of signal. We're going to bury this town and the mages with it."
"You're what?" Elissa demanded. "That's suicide!"
Elias shrugged. "Might be. These people don't deserve to die no matter what happens, and you two are the only ones who know these tunnels, so..." Another shrug. "Get them out of here."
"That dragon will tear you to pieces before you can even move one of the trebuchets."
"You're probably right," Elias conceded. "But regardless, these people need a way out of here. I'm leaving that to you."
Elissa stood up a little straighter. She wasn't used to being given orders; she was used to giving the orders, and she wasn't going to let this man change that. "Have you ever fought a dragon before?" He shook his head, arching an eyebrow. "I have. I've fought and killed two of them. Whatever's out there will flock to me like moths to flames. If you want these people safe, let me come with you."
"We already talked about this, Elissa. You can't—"
Elias cut Leliana off, nodding. "If you think it would help, then you can tag along." The Herald jerked a thumb back into the entry way. "We have to go now, though."
Elissa nodded as he turned to leave. She didn't want to look at Leliana, but she did, and she was met with the strangest cross between anger and absolute heartbreak. "I'm coming with you."
"You can't," Elissa said.
"I can't let you go alone. You—"
This time, Elissa interrupted her. She crossed the room in three steps and scooped her up, kissing her just as frantically as a moment ago.
"I'll come back," she said. "I promise."
