Doom came a lot sooner than either of them expected.

Hanalea was trudging back to her room in Redcliffe Castle, heart and shoulders heavy with the damning truth Riordan had just revealed to her and Alistair. She couldn't say that she was surprised by the news, to be honest. When had the Grey Wardens ever offered her a choice where her life was concerned? They kept the Joining a secret; they kept the taint a secret; naturally they'd keep the cost of ending a Blight a secret as well.

Shuffling through the dank stone halls that would shield her for one final night, Hana felt as if she was already dead. She'd known since joining the Wardens that her life would probably end in some tragic and gruesome way, but she hadn't expected to experience this bleakness; this emptiness that loomed up in her as that end became clearly visible on the horizon. She also hadn't expected it to come quite so soon.

Her knees felt weak as she continued on. She placed a hand on the wall to steady herself and found that it shook.

She wasn't ready. She'd never wanted this. She'd only become a Warden because she'd had nothing more to lose. Her family was gone, her friends were gone, her home was gone, and her title was gone. She'd never wanted to sell away any hope for a life; a future. And since then, she'd found something to lose.

She came face to face with that something as she shouldered open the door to her room and found Leliana seated on the edge of her bed, leaning over a candle on the nightstand. The bard looked up as the Warden came in.

"Hello there," she greeted. Her voice was soft and unassuming and Hana dreaded having to tell her what she'd just learned. She didn't want to break this fragile façade of peace framing her lover in orange candlelight; mocking her with all the beauty she'd never get to experience again.

"Why aren't you in bed already?" she asked instead. The words scratched and stuck in her throat. She didn't want Leliana to leave, but she knew deep down that it would be easier that way: a clean break, no sense of dreadful anticipation fouling the air between them all night. She didn't want Leliana to see her inevitable devolution into panic and tears. On the other hand, she also didn't want to spend her final night apart from the woman she loved.

Maker, she didn't want to die.

"I was hoping you'd come," Leliana said. Her blue eyes raked over Hana's haggard face, soft with sympathy; edged with pain. She had no idea how much worse things were going to get. "I thought that if this may be our last tonight together, we should make it count."

The Warden slumped defeatedly against the doorframe with all her weight. She couldn't help but feel relieved even as her heart clenched into a sad little fist. "That may be truer than you think," she sighed miserably. It would be easier to hide the truth, but not better. Leliana deserved that much from her.

"What do you mean?" the bard ventured, brows furrowing in concern.

Hanalea sighed again and rubbed her hand across her eyes. She couldn't quite stand the intensity of her lover's gaze right now—which was stupid, considering their remaining time together was slipping away like sand. "I've just spoken with Riordan," she managed gruffly.

Leliana straightened. "And?"

"He had…grim news."

The air thickened; dragged down the mood in the room till it was nearly crushing. Leliana's face visibly paled. Still, she asked, "What is it?"

Hana let her hand fall to her side like it was a hundred pounds and drew a long, deep breath. When she exhaled, with it came the truth: "He told us that…to kill an archdemon, it must be a Grey Warden to deal the final blow." She swallowed, faltered, "and be destroyed along with it."

Leliana's reaction happened in stages. First she froze, the remaining color draining from her face, and then a shudder rippled through her like a shockwave. When she took her next breath, it trembled, and so did her hand when she raised it to cover her mouth. She closed her eyes for a long, painful moment. When she opened them again, they shined with moisture. "I cannot say I'm surprised," she finally said thickly.

"Me neither," Hana agreed. Truly, it made her heart jerk how closely their thoughts were aligned. And how awful a hand they'd been dealt. She felt her own eyes prickling. "But, Leli, I'm so sorry. I should never have pulled you into this, knowing—"

"Hush," the bard cut her off with a shake of her head. She reached out one hand and Hana crossed the room to take it like it was instinct. "I would not trade our time together for anything," she whispered once they were face to face, pulling the Warden to sit beside her on the bed. She kissed scarred knuckles and then pressed them to her cheek. "Even if it must end so soon."

The gesture had Hanalea struggling to hold back her tears. "I don't wish to leave you," she choked out. No matter what Leliana said, she could not assuage the guilt she felt for putting them in this position. Had she never accepted Leliana's help back in Lothering, had she never taken all those early watches and held all those tender conversations and shared all those warm touches with her, she would have spared her so much pain. There was so much misery to come, and it was all her fault.

But, "I know. I do not blame you," Leliana assured, always so understanding; always so gentle with her. "Such is the price of being a Warden."

"I never wanted this," Hanalea hardly more than sobbed. Leliana released her hand and instead slid soothing fingers into her hair, holding her close to her shoulder as the tears broke past her defenses. The Warden let herself go, crying in her arms. There were worse ways to spend their time together. Not many, but some.

"I believe that all things happen for a reason," the bard murmured into her ear between feather-light kisses to the skin. "We found each other, didn't we?" Her voice was so steady. Hana almost laughed through her next sob; Leliana was taking this much better than she was, apparently. Or maybe she was just used to heartbreak.

Hana gritted her teeth against the emotion that convulsed through her chest cavity. She wrapped firm arms around her lover, sinking into her embrace, and made no plans to let go. Instead of answering directly, she simply replied, "I love you," through a tight, scratchy throat.

"And I love you. No matter what," Leliana breathed back, pulling away just enough to press her lips to Hana's.

It was the first kiss of many that night, among other things. There were more tears than either had intended, but who could blame them? They had never wanted things to end like this.

…