Chapter 54
Into the Fire
Author's note:
We're getting close to the end of Adeline's story, everyone. I'd really like to thank you for reading this and sticking around this whole time. Also, I'd like to apologize in advanced if the battle scenes feel a bit sparse – I always have a hard time writing interesting battles, and it tends to get repetitive.
Disclaimer – I don't own Dragon Age or any of its characters
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Denerim was just ahead, the land painted red and black with the blood of both the darkspawn and Denerim's defenders. Black clouds of smoke coiled up over the city like snakes, and the scent of death and decay hung in the air – no wind was blowing, and the air felt heavy and crackled with tense energy. I felt like a wire about to snap, shifting nervously from foot to foot as my heart raced, and I glanced at my companions and the soldiers nearby – they were nervous as well, fidgeting and murmuring silent prayers before the battle.
Alistair clambered onto a high rise, taking my hand so that I stood beside him, and he cleared his throat, glancing at Selina, who cast a spell to amplify his voice over the entire army. "Before us stands the might of the darkspawn horde!" he said, gesturing towards Denerim as he drew the attention of the soldiers. "Gaze upon them now, but fear them not!" He turned to look at me, taking my hand in his and raising it above our heads. "The woman you see beside me is an Elf, raised to the ranks of the Grey Wardens! And never a more glorious Grey Warden has there been!"
The soldiers applauded, and I felt the nervousness replaced with excitement as Alistair continued. "She has survived despite the odds, and without her, none of us would be here!" he added, and those we had saved as we gathered the armies whistled and cheered. "Today, we save Denerim! Today, we avenge the death of my brother, King Cailan! But most of all, today we show the Grey Wardens that we remember and honor their sacrifice!" Alistair called. "For Ferelden! For the Grey Wardens!" he roared, drawing his sword and holding it to the sky.
The armies echoed his battle cry as they streamed down the hillsides towards Denerim, their expressions grim and their hearts blazing as they defended their homeland. I grabbed Alistair's hand in my right and held Claíomh Solais in my left as we ran together, charging and shouting "For the Grey Wardens!"
The main gate was a meat-grinder – our forces streamed in and startled the darkspawn with the ferocity of our initial attack. I heard the whizz of arrows overhead, ducking as the shining forms of halla leapt high over the heads of our men, a pair of Elves on each creature – one lancer, one archer. Loud snarls and barks came from a side-street, and mabari hounds rushed through the crowds, leaping on the darkspawn and biting their throats.
A bellowing roar echoed through the sky, and I looked up as I pushed a dead hurlock from my blades, my skin crawling as I spotted the archdemon weaving through the black clouds. Archers fired at the dragon, and the Dwarves took aim with their ballistae – they fired nets with weighted stones into the sky, trying to catch the dragon across a wing to hinder its movement. The archdemon spiraled out of range as it dodged the nets and arrows, snarling as one net was slung across its spined tail, tangling in the spikes and making the beast spin wildly through the air.
"Maker have mercy on our souls…" Selina murmured as she stared up at the creature, placing a hand over her heart. "You need to fight that?" she asked me, once the fighting in this area had died down a bit. She ducked as I grabbed her shoulder, stabbing a shriek that had tried to get behind her, and she nodded gratefully.
"Yes," I replied, a grim set to my face as I watched the dragon disappear into the clouds.
"Good luck with that," the mage chuckled humorlessly, spinning her staff and whacking a genlock across the jaw, shooting a bolt of lightning through its chest.
"Thank the Maker!" I heard people shouting – the soldiers that had cried out wore the colors of Dragon's Peak and of the Royal Guard. I spotted Ser Cauthrien behead a genlock with a wide sweep of her blade, trotting over to me as the darkspawn dropped like flies.
"Warden-Commander," she greeted, bowing her head slightly in respect.
"Ser Cauthrien," I replied. "What's the situation around the city?" I asked, and she stood to attention as she gave her report.
"The regent has evacuated most of the city's districts – they have been taken aboard ships, and will continue to Alamar if the city falls. Some of the lower districts were unable to flee, I'm afraid, and are surrounded heavily by darkspawn – any citizens who have managed to slip through are sheltering in the palace with the injured." I nodded as she finished, crossing my arms.
"Good work, Ser Cauthrien," I said. "It looks like things have settled down here," I added, watching as the last darkspawn fell. "Keep your men and those from Dragon's Peak at the ready – I need to speak with the others."
"Yes, Warden-Commander," Ser Cauthrien bowed again, and I ran over towards where the others had gathered with Riordan.
"You've managed to fight your way to the gates. We're doing better than I hoped," Riordan remarked, wiping darkspawn blood from his face with the back of his glove, looking around at the corpses. People had already begun building bonfires with the remains of ruined buildings, tossing the dead bodies into the pyre so that their taint wouldn't spread further.
"That will change quickly," Sten replied. I shuddered as I heard the archdemon roaring through the clouds, my skin crawling. I could sense hundreds, no, thousands of darkspawn throughout Denerim – this was going to be one hell of a battle.
"Bloody nug runners! We're outnumbered three to one!" Oghren exclaimed, flinching as Wynne treated a wound on his arm – he had taken an arrow in his bicep, and Wynne was carefully extracting the barbed head.
"What are we to do now, Riordan? You have a plan, I assume?" the elderly mage asked, and Riordan nodded.
"The army will not last long if the archdemon tries to land here, so we'll need to move quickly to reach it," he replied, looking back at me. "I suggest taking Alistair and no more than two others with you into the city. Anyone you don't bring with you can remain here to prevent more darkspawn from entering Denerim on our tails."
"How are we going to fight a dragon? Can't it just fly away?" I asked, cringing as another roar made the air shudder with its force.
"We're going to need to reach a high point in the city…" Riordan answered. "I'm thinking the top of Fort Drakon might work."
"The top of…? You want to draw the dragon's attention?" Alistair asked. We looked at one another – we weren't exactly eager to face another dragon head-on, but I supposed we didn't have much choice in the matter.
"We have little choice, though I warn you that as soon as we engage the beast it will call all its generals to help it," Riordan cautioned. "I can sense two generals in Denerim. You may wish to seek them out before going to Fort Drakon."
"Ah, so that's what I can feel," I murmured – I had been sensing a strange power, stronger than the average darkspawn, but not as strong as the archdemon.
"I'm sure that if we did slay those generals, it would stop the darkspawn in the city from doing a lot of harm!" Leliana chimed in, and I nodded slightly.
"If they're going to help the archdemon, I guess that would be best. Besides, killing those generals will save innocent lives," Alistair agreed.
"It may also waste resources trying to find them. The decision is up to you," Riordan finished, glancing back at me.
"Do you know where these generals are?" I asked, and he shook his head.
"I can sense them vaguely – the amount of darkspawn makes it hard to pinpoint them exactly – but I believe they are in the Alienage and Market District," he replied, closing his eyes as he concentrated. "There are already several units of our allies within the city by now. They may be able to come to your assistance if you call them, but their strength will be limited. Now, who do you wish to take with you into the city?" I looked about our group, pursing my lips as I put us into parties in my head. Put at least one mage, one rogue and one warrior in each group, and then sort out the rest, I thought.
"Duran, Jowan, you're with us," I began, indicating Alistair and me. "Sten, you take Leliana, Olan, Kajta and Morrigan and go after one of the generals in the Market District – bring the men from Redcliffe with you, half the Dwarves and mages, and a few of the halla riders," I said, and Sten nodded as his group moved to one side. "Oghren, you take Wynne, Zevran and Neria and protect the Alienage. Bring the rest of the mages and Dwarves, and the rest of the Dalish – seeing them will put some fight into the city Elves," I continued, and Oghren nodded, motioning for his team to move off to the other side. "Aedan, Selina, can you hold the gates with the forces from Highever and Dragon's Peak?" I asked.
"We won't let any more of them cross the line," Aedan replied.
"Ser Cauthrien," I called, and the woman nodded, "I want you to fall back and defend the palace with your men – protect the wounded," I ordered, and she saluted.
"Fair enough," Riordan said, looking over my choices. "Nothing you have done has prepared you for what you face now. May the Maker watch over you," he said, taking Alistair's and my hands and gripping our arms firmly before running off, making his way towards Fort Drakon.
I watched him go and let out a long sigh, looking up at Alistair. "Are you ready?" I whispered, and he nodded as we turned back to our companions.
Wynne walked up to me, placing her hands on my shoulders as she looked into my eyes. "So this is it then. All that we've been through has led up to this," she sighed, and I smiled weakly. "Whatever happens now…to either of us, know that I am proud – infinitely proud – to have called you friend," she said sincerely, wrapping her arms around me and patting my back. She turned to Alistair, her eyes widening as he hugged her, trying not to hurt her with his armor. "Take care of yourself, Alistair," she smiled warmly at the man, pinching his cheek affectionately. "Farewell, and may the Maker watch over you both."
As Wynne and Alistair were saying their goodbyes, Oghren walked over, stroking a hand over his braided beard. "So. This is it," he remarked, and I bowed my head.
"It has been an honor to fight with you, Oghren," I said, and he chuckled, shaking his head.
"Honor? Nobody's looked at me and seen honor in a long time, Warden," the Dwarf said. "You took in a drunken disgrace of an Orzammar warrior. You gave me a reason to fight and the will to keep going," he sighed, his eyes warm as he looked at me. "You helped me find the one woman in the sodding world who might put up with me, and you helped me get past Branka so I could have someone new. I owe you a lot, Warden," he clasped my arm tightly, "and I consider it a fine honor to die for you and your cause."
"The honor is mine, my friend," I replied with a grin, and he laughed.
"Then it's sodding honor for everyone. That's war for you," he said. He placed his axe on the ground before him, resting his hands on the top of the handle and bowing his head. "Let the stone turn red from the blood of heroes. Today I will be the warrior you taught me to be."
Katja walked over to me, glancing at Oghren as he had his moment, smirking. "Warrior caste," she chuckled, folding her hands lightly behind her back. "Well salroka, it's been nice knowin' ya," she teased, and I smiled.
"I've survived one dragon attack, already," I replied, and she shook her head, green eyes shining in the orange light.
"You and me, we're not so different," Katja said. "We've been kicked around our entire lives, but we haven't lost sight of the most important thing – hope," her voice was solemn as she spoke. "You watch yourself out there salroka – you're a diamond in the Deep Roads."
As she went to say goodbye to Alistair, Olan trotted over, and I knelt, hugging the mabari tightly. "Be a good boy while I'm gone, alright?" I asked, and he barked. "Protect the girls, and watch Sten's back." Olan nuzzled my cheek and gave me a big doggy kiss, his tail wagging as I laughed and mussed his ears affectionately.
Sten walked over, his eyes constantly scanning the battlefield – they were almost burgundy in the orange glow of the fires. "We have reached the battlefield at last," he remarked, and I chuckled at the Qunari's short words.
"Thank you for your help, Sten," I said, bowing my head to the man.
"I have done nothing," he replied. "You have carried us this far. Do not doubt that." The Qunari placed a hand on my shoulder, and I smiled, throwing myself into his arms. He seemed startled for a moment, and I felt him awkwardly return the hug. He returned to his place as he waited for the rest of his group to say their goodbyes, and I smiled as Leliana came over next.
"So, this is it…this is the end," she said softly, a sad smile on her lips as she took my hands in hers. "We've come so far. It's strange, knowing that all our fates will be decided in a matter of hours," she added. "I wish I could go with you."
"It's for the best," I replied gently, and her grip tightened on my fingers.
"I respect your decision to keep me here, even though I would have gladly stood by your side, even to the death." Leliana threw her arms around my shoulders, and I smiled, shutting my eyes as I hugged her tightly. "You have been a true friend and I…" her voice was wavering as she fought back tears, "I will be extremely cross with you if you…don't return," she added softly, and I chuckled. "Be careful out there. I will see you soon."
Neria came over to me next, pulling me into a bear-hug before she even spoke. "Lethallan," she sighed, "my little tabby-cat." She placed her hands on either side of my face, kissing my forehead. "You're the little sister I always wished for," she grinned, patting my cheeks, "so come back safe, or I'll call the Dread Wolf himself to drag you back out of the Fade," she added sternly, and I grinned.
"I love you too, Neria," I smiled, hugging her again as she wiped a tear from her cheek, running over to Alistair and slapping him hard across the back, complaining when his armor hurt her hand. Zevran chuckled as he watched her, coming over to me and taking my hands, his amber eyes sad as he looked at me.
"So here we part ways. You do not wish me to stand by you, in the end?" he asked, and I smiled gently.
"I don't want to put you in that kind of danger," I replied, "especially now that you have someone who will throttle me if you're hurt," I added, and he chuckled.
"Oh, now you worry about my health!" the assassin grinned. "In truth, for a true friend such as yourself, I would gladly storm the Black City itself. Do not doubt it," he murmured sincerely, raising my hands to his lips and kissing my knuckles. "Let me wish you well, and may we shake hands again in victory when all of this is done."
Jowan wrung his hands nervously as he looked up at the sky, walking over to me as Zevran said farewell to Alistair. "Adeline, I know this isn't goodbye, but…" he began, taking a long breath, "I wanted to thank you. For everything." He awkwardly wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and I smiled at his nervousness, pulling the gangly mage into a hug. "You trusted me when no one else did – you gave me a second chance. A new life – for that, I am eternally grateful." He trotted over to where Duran was waiting, and the Dwarf chuckled at his nervousness, patting the young man on the back.
Morrigan strode regally over, her expression slightly annoyed. "After all that? I will not be going with you?" she huffed, and I shook my head.
"In your delicate condition?" I asked, and she chuckled, crossing her arms.
"I would still see this to the end, but so be it," she relented. "Let us part ways now. You go your way, to your destiny, and I go my way, to mine."
"Thank you. For everything," I said. Morrigan smiled at me, then, a bright, beautiful smile, her eyes filled with something I had never seen before – love.
"I did not know what it meant to have a friend, once. But you I would gladly consider such," she murmured, taking my hands and giving my fingers an encouraging squeeze. "Go, slay your archdemon. Live gloriously, my friend."
She joined her group, and the others headed off, waving to Alistair and me once more. Alistair walked over to me, taking one of my hands as we looked up towards Fort Drakon. "So this could be it. Soon this will be finished, one way or another," he remarked, and my grip tightened on his.
"I love you, Alistair," I murmured, and he smiled gently at me.
"And I love you, always," he replied. Suddenly, we didn't care that we were in the middle of a battlefield, that hundreds of soldiers were watching us, that the Blight was crashing down on our heads; Alistair took my face in his hands and kissed me, and I held onto him, terrified that if I let him go now, I would wake up and find that everything that had happened since that fateful night, so long ago, had been a terrible, wonderful dream.
Our group marched down a line of soldiers, making a path towards Fort Drakon, and the men saluted us, cheering and whistling as we went. I grinned as we reached the end of the line, looking up the darkspawn-filled path towards Drakon, and I let out a wild cry, raising my saber above my head as I challenged the archdemon. "Let's go kick some ass!" I shouted and the others grinned at my enthusiasm, running at my heels as I led the way.
oOo
The Market District was abandoned, and Sten moved carefully through the destruction with his party, mixed Dwarves and Redcliffe infantry moving in groups with mages at their centers, and small bunches of mounted Dalish lancers and archers. Olan stood by the Qunari's side, and the mabari snarled, the short fur on his back bristling as his growls rose in volume. The halla snorted and pawed the ground in agitation as their ears went back, and a Dalish scout brought a hunting-horn to his lips as he stood atop a nearby building, sending out a bellowing warning to the forces below.
The ground rumbled beneath everyone's feet as the darkspawn came around the corner of a building – two ogres, headed by an ogre Alpha, stomped into sight. Swarming around their feet were the hunch-backed shapes of dozens of shrieks, who screeched and chattered when they spotted the approaching army.
Sten held up a hand as the darkspawn came to a halt, and he locked eyes with the ogre Alpha. The creature let out a low snarl as it straightened its back, looking down at the Qunari with black, beady eyes. It barked out something to the ogre next to it, and the creature growled, wrenching a burning chunk of wood from a nearby building and hurling it straight at Sten. Morrigan and the other mages blasted the debris out of the air, and Sten let out a fearsome war cry, lowering his hand in a swift, chopping motion for his men to charge – the darkspawn stood no chance.
oooo
"Neria?" Shianni gasped as she gripped the rickety old bow she had managed to find. She ran towards the Dalish woman and clasped her arm in greeting. "Oh, am I glad to see you! The Alienage is under attack!" she cried, pointing to the gates. There were darkspawn swarming them from the other side, and the rumbling steps of an ogre could be heard as it approached the wooden barricade – once the massive darkspawn started its attack, the gates wouldn't last long.
"Shianni, why hasn't the place been evacuated?" Neria cried, spotting Soris gripping his crossbow nervously as he kept an eye on the gate. He swore as a shriek managed to scale the blockage, and fired, shooting the darkspawn in the forehead. It fell back with a scream, and Oghren let out a hearty laugh at Soris's startled look, patting the nervous Elf on the back.
"The regent started evacuating, but only about half of the residents got out before the darkspawn overwhelmed the garrison – we had to fall back and block ourselves in," Shianni explained, stiffening as she spotted the Dalish Elves nearby. She had only ever seen pictures of halla before – to call the noble beasts beautiful wouldn't do them justice. The other city Elves had similarly awed expressions; many had thought that the Dalish were still a myth, even after meeting Neria.
"Get as many of your archers to higher ground as you can," Neria said, and Shianni nodded, running off.
"Alright, get into line!" Oghren ordered, indicating the Dwarves and soldiers from Redcliffe. "Once those gates break, the pike-twirlers and their antler beasts are going to charge in there – no clumsy darkspawn has a hope of catching them," he began, and a few of the Dalish scowled with indignance at the nickname. "The rest of you will hold the line, and keep the Blighters from setting foot into the Alienage – I don't want the boss's home burned down on my watch."
Zevran had been keeping lookout from a nearby rooftop, keeping out of sight as he scoured the darkspawn swarm for their general. A tall hurlock emissary stood towards the back of the group, and Zevran gave a series of quick, piercing whistles, calling a pair of Dalish scouts to his side. "That is the one to aim for – it is their leader," he pointed out the darkspawn, and the scouts narrowed their eyes, nodding and slipping back down to ground-level, spreading the word and warning the others of the mage.
"Steady!" Oghren roared above the noise as the ogre began bashing at the barricade. Screeching shrieks started climbing over the walls, but the Dalish and city Elf archers worried at them with swarms of arrows, turning their bows to the sky and firing in wide arcs over the barricade. The agonized screams of more darkspawn echoed through the streets as they fell to the rain of arrows.
The ogre continued to crash into the wooden gates, sending small splinters raining down on the street as it rammed at the blockage. Deep cracks ran up the old wooden planks, and the ogre ran at them one more time, smashing through with a great heave, wooden boards getting stuck on its curled horns as the darkspawn bellowed.
The Dwarves and Redcliffe soldiers descended upon the darkspawn, blocking the swarm's path as the halla riders bounded past, dodging gracefully through the writing creatures as they charged straight towards the hurlock emissary. A rider braced himself as his halla neared the beast, and the emissary screeched with surprise at the speed of the halla's approach – the darkspawn found itself dangling in the air, impaled upon a shining, silverite lance.
oOo
We ran through the Palace District when I saw it – the archdemon flying low over the rooftops, spraying purple fire from its terrible maw as it snapped at something. A tiny shape was clinging to the slanted roof of a tower, and Alistair swore – we could sense Riordan's taint. The man leapt from the roof, catching onto the net that had tangled on the spines of the archdemon's tail, and he clung to the dragon as it bellowed with rage.
"He's going to get himself killed!" Jowan exclaimed as he stared into the sky, and I nodded in silent agreement, too stunned to speak. I flinched as the dragon did a barrel-roll, trying to dislodge Riordan, who just barely managed to cling onto a spike. He crawled his way up the dragon's back, and I gasped, covering my mouth as he leapt from its back to one of its wings.
The Grey Warden stabbed his sword deep into the archdemon's shoulder, sliding down the length of the wing as the dragon screamed – that sound alone would haunt my nightmares for years, I was sure. The beast flapped its wings wildly as it tried to keep to the sky, but the damage had been done; it collided with a tower of the Royal Palace – I saw a flash of color among the stones and thought I heard a scream – before flapping towards Fort Drakon.
"No!" Alistair shouted, gritting his teeth – Riordan had been dislodged from the archdemon's wing, and fell like a stone towards the ground, hundreds of feet below. We ran towards the place he had landed, and Alistair covered his mouth, putting an arm around my shoulders and turning me away from the gruesome sight. I shivered as Jowan murmured something, burning the remains of the older Grey Warden, and Alistair gripped my hand tightly. "In War, Victory," he whispered.
"In Peace, Vigilance," I continued.
"In Death, Sacrifice."
oooo
I felt the darkspawn generals fall as we made our way through Fort Drakon, glancing at Alistair as he nodded slightly. We came ever nearer to the archdemon, and men who had been holding the fort thanked us as we battled the darkspawn – the place had been overwhelmed, but our distraction had been enough for the soldiers to turn the tide.
We skidded to a halt on a floor near the top of the tower, staring about in confusion – the room was drenched in blood, with the bodies of darkspawn strewn everywhere; in the center of the mess stood Sandal Feddic. "Sandal!?" I exclaimed, trotting over to him. "What happened here?" I asked, waving around the room.
The Dwarf cocked his head and grinned. "Enchantment!" he replied, and I made a face looking down at the dead bodies of darkspawn.
"You…uh…be careful now, alright?" I said, and Sandal nodded.
"Enchantment!" he laughed, running down the hall and out of the room. We stared at one another in confusion before continuing to the stairs. There were screams from the ceiling as we reached the top floor, and we froze as we came to the rooftop.
The archdemon was crawling along the ground, its wing wounded and bleeding profusely, but with little other injury. We watched as it breathed fire on a nearby pair of guards, who had been trying to aim a ballista at it, and it stepped on a man with a wounded leg as he tried to crawl away, crushing him to death under its claws. Arl Eamon and First Enchanter Irving were there, distracting the beast as more soldiers worked the ballistae, firing the giant bolts at it, but the dragon flapped its wings weakly, leaping out of the way as it sprayed fire into the air.
My breath hitched into my throat as the archdemon hissed, slowly turning its head to look and Alistair and me. A low humming filled the air, and I scowled – the creature was trying to turn us against our allies with its voice. Alistair and I shook off the sound as we charged, screaming blood and hellfire as the dragon bellowed. Duran pulled what looked like a ceramic jar from his pocket and tossed it to Jowan, who threw it into the sky with magic – it exploded, sending colored sparks out into the air, as if signaling someone.
Alistair and I distracted the archdemon as Jowan and Irving covered us with protective spells – the dragon seemed to be resistant to most of their spells, so the two focused on supporting us. Eamon rallied the remaining men on the roof as they took to the ballistae, firing at the archdemon; now that it was distracted, it was having a harder time dodging out of the way. Its left flank was pierced by a bolt, as was its throat, just above the left shoulder. The dragon roared and blew fire at the soldiers, but Jowan threw a barrier over them, blocking most of its spells.
"Alistair!" I cried as the archdemon swung its tail around, throwing the man off his feet. His head hit the ground as he tumbled and he blacked out; I swore, running out in front of the dragon and whistling, clanging my blades together as Duran dragged Alistair a safe distance away. I leapt back as a gout of fire scorched the ground where I had been standing a moment before, and I looked up as I heard alarmed yells – Duran and Jowan had been surrounded by darkspawn that streamed up from the tower, answering the archdemon's summons.
I wanted to run to them, but I had to hold the archdemon's attention – if I didn't keep it busy, we would die for certain. I tried to use Charm to keep the dragon focused on me, but it didn't seem to work as effectively as it had on the high dragon back at Haven. So long as I keep it distrac– my thought was cut off as the dragon whipped its tail around again, catching me full in the stomach before I had a chance to duck. I was thrown clear, slamming hard against the stone floor and bouncing, rolling dangerously close to the broken edge of the rooftop.
I lay there for a few moments, winded, and I cried out as I tried to stand – something inside of me was broken, or ruptured; I curled into a ball and screamed into my arms as I covered my head, the archdemon breathing fire at me. I glanced up to see Jowan standing over me, holding a ward up to dissipate the flames. He cast a mild healing spell on me – more so I could get back on my feet than to actually heal me – and I struggled to stand, my knees knocking together as my entire body shrieked for me to stop moving.
I stared at the rooftop with mixed excitement and disbelief – while I was down, the Legion of the Dead had come to our aid, and was now holding off the darkspawn that had attacked us earlier. Kardol and Duran were battling back-to-back, their battle-axes flashing dark red in the ruddy light of sunset. Alistair had gotten back on his feet, and was charging the archdemon's flank as the dragon was distracted by more fire from the ballistae.
I took a deep breath and channeled my remaining strength into my legs, running at the archdemon at top speed, leaping onto its tail and running up the spined back, using the spikes on its neck like rungs on a ladder as I climbed up to the head. I sheathed my daggers and raised Claíomh Solais over my head, stabbing into the archdemon's jaw as it shook its head to throw me off, sliding down the beast's throat and tearing a gaping line into the neck as I reached the ground, pouring boiling blood all over me. I was choking in the vile liquid, drowning in it, and I felt strong hands dragging me out from under the archdemon's neck as it crashed down on the stones. The dragon gurgled and growled weakly as it struggled to stay alive – with a final strike, Alistair buried Caladbolg deep into the archdemon's skull.
Flashing lights erupted from the dragon's head, and Alistair and I stared at the creature in horror – had Morrigan's ritual failed? I screamed his name as Alistair struggled to release his grip on the sword, but it was as if an invisible power were holding him there, forcing him to be the sacrifice. The light was blinding; everything was blotted out by the intensity, and I thought I might have blacked out for a few minutes – when I came-to, I was lying on my back, staring up at the boiling grey-brown clouds that covered the bloody sunset.
I slowly sat up, immediately regretting it as a jolt of pain lanced through me, and I cried out, gritting my teeth. I stared at the dead archdemon, my face paling as I saw Caladbolg sticking from the skull, but no Alistair. "Alistair!" I shouted, hoping – praying – that he was alright. I jumped when I heard a soft, pained chuckle beside me, and I looked to my left; Alistair had been laid out on a tarp next to me, too exhausted to move.
"I'm here, Adeline, don't worry," he assured me as I sighed, laying back down.
"You bastard – I thought you died for a second there," I complained, and he grinned, slowly reaching out and placing his hand over mine. I turned my hand over and twined my fingers with his, letting out a relieved sigh.
"We made it," he breathed. "We actually killed the archdemon and lived…"
We glanced up as Duran and Jowan approached, grinning at us like a pair of children, both covered from head to toe in darkspawn and archdemon blood – they must have been the ones to drag me out from under the dragon's neck, I assumed. "Glad to see you both made it," Duran remarked, crossing his arms and glancing up at Jowan.
"As am I," Jowan added. The pair knelt next to us – we were too exhausted to even sit up for long – and Jowan began treating our wounds. Alistair insisted that I go first, despite my protests, arguing that I was the most battered of our group…which was true, I supposed.
"Easy, easy easy easy!" I yelped sharply as Jowan helped peel off my armor, the blood-soaked leather clinging to my shirt. I shuddered violently as I felt something shift inside of me, nearly vomiting at the feeling. "Oh Maker, something's definitely broken," I hissed through clenched teeth as Jowan placed his hands on my ribs, closing his eyes and letting magic seep into me to assess the damage. I let out a long, relieved breath as I felt him shift the ribs back into place. "Only treat what's life-threatening, though," I said. "I don't want you burning yourself out after that battle."
"Selfless to the end," Jowan teased, and I rolled my eyes at the mage. Once he had finished treating me, he moved on to Alistair and Duran. Duran took a few healing poultices for his flesh-wounds, once Jowan said that he didn't have any life-threatening injuries; trying to treat him with magic would wear on Jowan's mana reserves.
I glanced up as I saw First Enchanter Irving approaching us with Arl Eamon, the mage's eyes trained on Jowan, and I swore under my breath. He couldn't have picked a worse time to try and bring Jowan to 'justice' for his crimes. I struggled to sit up, letting out a sharp yelp of pain as my arms gave out, and Irving glanced at me. "Please, First Enchanter, don't–"
He sighed quietly, shaking his head and giving me a sad smile. "Peace, Grey Warden – I mean Jowan no harm," he assured me gently, and I lay back down, keeping my eyes trained on the man as he stood in front of Jowan. "Jowan," the First Enchanter said, and the mage flinched slightly at his name, glancing down.
"Er…yes, First Enchanter?" he asked nervously, and the older man let out a soft breath.
"I believe that I owe you an apology," he said, and Jowan stared at him with round eyes – he hadn't been expecting that, evidently. "You turned to blood magic because the Circle failed you. Because I failed you. I…gave up on you without truly trying to understand your struggles," his voice was low and apologetic. "Selina was always protective of you, but perhaps her sheltering, and my negligence, influenced your decisions," the First Enchanter knelt next to Jowan, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. "While you are a blood mage, you are also under the protection of the Grey Wardens. Should you choose to…disappear, know that I will attempt to suggest against further pursuit," Irving finished, and Jowan looked taken aback at the speech – he didn't seem to know how to respond.
"I-I…thank you, First Enchanter. I know that what I've done cannot be forgiven…but I can put my skills to use helping others," Jowan stammered out, and Irving smiled gently at the young man.
"It is ironic, I suppose, that you have made me more proud now, than if you had stayed within the confines of the tower," the First Enchanter chuckled slightly. "Now, perhaps we should aid the king and the Warden-Commander to an infirmary – you have taken too many lyrium potions as it is," he added, and Jowan nodded. He and Duran helped Alistair and me down from the roof of Fort Drakon, taking slow, careful steps – we were nearly carried between some of the soldiers as we struggled to walk.
As soon as we left the fort, we were surrounded by runners from the different armies scattered through the city, asking for orders – the darkspawn were scattered, now that the Archdemon was slain, and the armies wanted to know what to do once they were defeated. Before I could open my mouth, Alistair had issued commands to each of them, telling more runners to send word that the archdemon was dead, to set up more infirmaries and temporary shelters around the city, and to signal the evacuation ships as soon as the city was clear of darkspawn. I looked at Alistair with pride, grinning up at him as I blacked out, feeling Duran catch me and hearing someone shouting for a stretcher.
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Next time: Last chapter, followed by a short epilogue
