"You heard the plan. You and Alistair will go to the Tower of Ishal and ensure that the beacon is lit."
The meeting that Duncan had requested I be apart of had ended moments ago, and we had regrouped with Alistair at the large bonfire. I refused to look Alistair in the eye, sparing it only for important moments, or if I needed to look at him directly.
"What?!" Alistair asks, shocked. "I won't be in the battle?"
I gave a half turn, nodding slowly to Alistair. "The king specifically requested that you and I light the beacon. As I am aware, the beacon will signal Teyrn Loghain's men to flank the darkspawn. We're more important than you think." I say to him and he gives me a look, something short of 'let me try and sweet-talk Duncan into letting me into the battle.'
"So he needs two Grey Wardens standing up there holding the torch. Just in case, right?" Alistair says, his characteristic sarcastic tone. Of course, it wasn't like the way he had spoken to the mage, but in a more polite sarcastic tone. Like one might speak to their parent.
"There's no point in whining about it. We have a job to do." I say in my most official tone. It hurts me to be sort of rude to Alistair, someone who has been so kind, but it must be done. I can't let my own foolish actions get in the way of more important things. I've slipped up one too many times in the past, all because I couldn't control my emotions.
"We must do whatever it takes to destroy the darkspawn...exciting or no." Duncan says, and I hold my head up high in confidence.
"I get it, I get it." Alistair says aloud, but then mumbles under this breath, " Just so you know, if the king ever asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm drawing the line. Darkspawn or no." Oh, and there is the characteristic Alistair joke. While I try to keep eyes forward and my back straight, I can't help but slip up a little. My mouth twitches into a smile, so I hold my hand in front of my mouth to hide it.
"I don't know, that could be a pretty good distraction." I say, clearing my throat once or twice to hide the smile. Alistair notices it, whether or not because of the fact that I'm hiding a smile or that his words weren't meant to be heard.
"Me shimmying down the darkspawn line? Sure, we could kill them while they roll around laughing." Alistair gives a short chuckle and I can't help but let out a snort of laughter or two. Duncan sighs, making me want to laugh even harder.
"The tower is on the other side of the gorge from the king's camp, the way we came when we arrived.
"You need to cross the gorge and head through the gate and up to the tower entrance. From the top, you'll overlook the entire valley." Duncan finishes as a random clap of thunder sounds from above. It seems out the ordinary for the situation, so I look up and at the sky. A storm is brewing. Today was so lovely, though. The blue, cloudless sky seemed to have made way for a terrible storm. Perfect for a battle, as some may say.
"Sounds easy enough. When will we know to light the beacon?" I ask, just to clarify.
"We will signal you when the time is right. Alistair will know what to look for."
"Are we...in any danger?" I suddenly ask, curiosity flaring.
Duncan nods, "Of course. Even the best laid plans go awry, so do what you must. I trust you both." I give a faint smile, my confidence soaring and rising high above the dark clouds that muster above.
"Just not enough to actually fight with the rest of you." Alistair says. Duncan chuckles in response. "There will be plenty of battles, Alistair. Be patient."
I ask a few more questions, like how much time we have or, for Alistair's sake, if we can join the battle afterward. I learn we have less than an hour to make it to the top floor of the tower of Ishal, and that we must stay with the guards, and only go if word is sent. I nod to all of these, but there is a nagging feeling in my gut. The dream after the Joining...showed the archdemon. That thing could not be of the past, because as I am aware, if the Joining occurs outside of a Blight, the dreams are of archdemons being slayed, not one staring at me straight in the eye. I had managed to smuggle this information out of Alistair before the battle and just before we met here.
"Duncan...what if the archdemon appears? The king doesn't believe this is a Blight...but now that I can...you know, sense the darkspawn...I feel it." I ask, and Duncan gives a simple nod.
"We soil our drawers, that's what." Alistair says, a short whisper beside me. I hear it and give a half smile.
"If it does, leave it to us. I want no heroics from either of you." Duncan looks both of us in the eye, and we give curt nods. An order is an order. I hope Alistair takes this information, because the last time that we fought something vicious and darkspawn-esque, he took all the killing blows to the monsters. While definitely heroic and heart-fluttering, Duncan said either of you for a reason. It wasn't like I was going to attack the beast. Hell, I've gone through the Harrowing and the Joining, but I doubt that an archdemon will sand in my hands...yet.
"I know what I have to do." I say.
"Then I must join the others. From here, you two are on your own. Remember, you are both Grey Wardens. I expect you to be worthy of that title."
I let Duncan's words sink in. Grey Warden. I am a Grey Warden. I can defeat darkspawn with my spell-power and not succumb to the taint and become whatever monstrosity is received after. I can do this.
"Duncan...may the Maker watch over you." Alistair suddenly says, and I nod, letting his words speak for me as well. I pray to the Maker that this battle will be successful. Hopefully He will watch over all of this and ensure we live to tell the tale.
"May He watch over us all."
And with that, Duncan turned and left Alistair and I. The fire raged in front of our eyes, the warmth heating my skin. Small sweat beads dribbled off the surface and I wiped them on the side of my robes. I turned to Alistair and gestured forward.
"You first." I say. Alistair shakes his head.
"No, no. Ladies first. I insist." He takes a back step behind me and I sigh. I holster my staff tightly to my back and straighten my heavy necklace so it isn't lopsided. I start forward, confidently heading toward the gorge, as Duncan instructed. Alistair was silent behind me, so I felt inclined to at least try to talk. Maybe. No, if he didn't want to - I wouldn't. No false hints or true hints. Just...friends. Friends and Grey Wardens. That was all.
As we made our way at a quickened pace to the bridge, the storm clouds from earlier brewed over our heads at a more deadly sort of speed. The night sky was lit up in a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning. Rain started to pour, lightly at first. My hair stuck to my face once we were at the beginning of the bridge. Archers rained arrows as fast as the rain falling toward the enemy below. Over the side of the bridge was the horde of darkspawn. They seemed to glow and be alive with their own fire. It was either that, or the fire from the arrows and catapults.
Speaking of such, in the distance I noticed a great ball of fire speeding toward the bridge. I counted my seconds and thought that if Alistair and I ran, we could make it to the edge of the blast zone. Maybe some fire scorched on our backs, but that would maybe be the most damage.
"Run! All the way till the next group of archers! Now!" I shouted at him, running forward as fast as I could. There was no response from behind me, a yes or a no, but just the quickened pace of feet. We made it to the second group of archers just as the flaming ball hit the stone. The archers were blasted off their feet and some scorched. Others were rolling around on fire. I felt a bit squeamish at the sight, but turned around quickly before I could lose my lunch.
We continued to run across the bridge, just as the heat of another catapult blasted right in front of us. The force of the impact and the heat almost blew me back, if it wasn't for Alistair's shield blocking me. He forced me to my knees and we were only pushed back a bit. I looked at him, my face flushing either from the heat or the sheer closeness. He cleared his throat and stood up suddenly. I bit my lip and brushed embers off of my robe. I clenched my fists at my sides and continued to run. We were at the other side of the bridge and up to the entryway of the tower when two guards came running at us.
"You...you're Grey Wardens, aren't you?! The tower...it's been taken!" The man was hysterical, a bit angry also.
"What are you talking about, man? Taken how?" Alistair asked from beside me.
"The darkspawn came up through the lower chambers! They're everywhere! Most of our men are dead!" The guard pressed his face into the heel of his hands. He gave a shake and then an angry glare. Not meant for anyone, but just of what I would assume was the events that just happened. We followed his eyes as he gazed up at the tower, going higher and higher until the top wasn't able to be seen from the clouds circling it.
Alistair snapped his head back to the guard. "Then we have to light the beacon ourselves." He decided, and I found the need not to say anything after or contradicting it. He was right in all the ways possible.
The guards ran with us up the stone ramp and past the leaning trees and crumbling architecture. We came face to face with darkspawn attacking other members of the guard. I slid out my staff as Alistair headed straight past me to the darkspawn. He had his sword in one hand, ready to slice, and his shield at his chest, half his head hidden behind it. The guards followed behind him, their shields and swords in similar places. I watched Alistair bash the first darkspawn he saw with his shield, detaching the terrible creature from a guard who was getting ripped to shreds.
I set myself at a distance able to cast spells and not be hurt. I used Winter's Grasp on a darkspawn that was going crazy with his daggers as he sliced and wounded a guard. The Genlock froze and the guard that was being attacked bashed it several times with the shield. The ice covering on the beast shattered, but not before the guard made the killing blow on the Genlock's head. I ripped my eyes from the beast and used a fireball, aimed at a small group of darkspawn heading at Alistair's back. The monsters were blasted away from him, just in time.
I heard footsteps behind me and whirled around just in time to see a Hurlock race at me with a blade high in the air. I side-stepped just as the dagger raced down on the spot where my heart was only a moment ago. I fired some Arcane bolts at the Hurlock as it swiped at me with its sword. I felt the blade slice through the fabric on my sleeves a couple times, but only a small amount of blood was drawn. I quickly finished it off and looked up in time to see a Genlock archer aiming an arrow at one of the guards. I used the Winter's Grasp again and froze the thing. It fell from the high perch and shattered on the ground like it was all ice, not just covered in it.
The small battle ended quickly and swiftly. Out of all the guards we had encountered by the bonfire, all were dead. One was just barely breathing as I passed it, and as I hesitated, the last breath came out subtly from his lips as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. I bit my lip again and refused to look at any of the bodies. I suppose lesson one of being a Grey Warden is to get used to seeing dead bodies. No doubt would they be everywhere I looked.
There were several other groups of darkspawn that were waiting and killing off the Teyrn's guards. We dealt with them, only a few injuries resulting in the process. I had a bad cut across my shoulder. It ached and was extremely painful but a quick healing spell was enough to heal it. The rest weren't as badly wounded, mostly because of their armor, but I could see the blood splattered on their armor and faces.
Once the last group was dealt with, the great doors to the Tower of Ishal awaited us. I headed up first, and confidently pushed the doors open.