Chapter 27
We kept walking through to get to the main gates. The men that were in the next room were cut through by our group easily. As we checked rooms, we saw that Lady Landra and Iona were also killed. We continued to head down and the sound of fighting got louder.
My mother stopped for a second, "Can you hear the fighting? Howe's men must be everywhere."
"How can we get out of the castle?" Nienna asked, her voice surprisingly calm given the situation.
"The servants' passage leads out from the larder." My mother looked at me, "But we must find your father first. The front gates. That's where your father must be."
"What if Father isn't there?" Our castle is big. He could be in his study, the dining hall...
My mother's voice broke me from my thoughts. "Listen, darling, we haven't much time. If we can't find your father. You must get out of here alive. Without you and Fergus the entire Cousland line dies here. If Howe's men are inside, they must already control the castle. We must use the servants' entry in the larder to escape. Do you hear me?"
"I hear you." I gathered my strength. Though I don't like the thought of leaving either of my parents behind.
"Then let us be swift." My mother continued down the hall.
We continued to go through the castle, and continued to cut down Howe's men as we went. It seems Howe does not train his men very well. They outnumber us, and it is still this easy… They really wouldn't have been a help at Ostagar.
As we got close to my family's vault my mother stopped me. "We're getting close to the treasury. The Cousland family blade lies inside." She put out her hand, gesturing for mine. I put my dagger in my belt and put out my hand. She took it and placed a key in it and closed my hand around it. "Here, darling, take my key. That blade cannot fall into Howe's hands; it should sever his treacherous head!"
I went into the room, and up to the sturdy oak door that I had never been passed in my life. Nienna followed me, likely in case of any more of Howe's men already being near the treasury, and she took interest in the door.
"Is this a Fereldan lock? I have only seen a few and haven't managed to figure out how to pick one yet." She crouched down, making her eye level with the lock.
"Yes it is, most noble families of repute use them to guard their valuables." I look at her and notice her interest. "Do you want to try and pick it?"
She pulled a small set of old lockpicks from her belt and lifted them up to the lock. She pressed one of her ears to the door as she twisted the picks, before laughing as one snapped. "Well, that was halfway successful, guess I need to practice some more."
I place my mother's key in the lock and open the door. Inside there is not much of value except in the chest to the back of the room. I open this chest and inside I see my family's sword and shield. I take the sword from my side and I attach it to my pack, where I also hook the shield. I then take my family's sword in my hand. The blade is sharp, and my family's crest was at the bottom of the handle. I turn and continue on towards the great hall.
As we get closer, we fight more of Howe's men. They fall as quickly as they reach us. We enter the great hall, and see what must be most of the fighting. How the hell did Howe manage to get a mage?! Ser Gilmore and his men are fighting against them. We rushed to their aid and cut them all down.
After the fight, Ser Gilmore starts to bark orders at his men. "Go! Man the gate! Keep those bastards out as long as you can!" He turns to our group, and speaks, "Your ladyship! My lady! Grey Warden! You're both alive! I was certain Howe's men had gotten through."
Well they had, but… "Howe, that treacherous bastard!" I was seething with anger and there was nothing I could do to hide it.
"When I realized what was happening, it was all I could do to shut the gates. But they won't keep Howe's men out long! If you've another way out of the castle, use it quickly!"
"We need to find Father!" I was worried, since we had yet to see him.
"When I last saw the Teyrn, he'd been badly wounded. I urged him not to go, but he was determined to find you. He went towards the kitchen. I believe he thought of finding you at the servant's exit in the larder."
"Bless you, Ser Gilmore. Maker watch over you!"
"Maker watch over us all." He then turned and ran to the gate, helping hold it shut.
We continued on to the kitchen. When we entered, I saw Nan's body along with some of the other servants. They were trying to get to the larder. As we entered the larder, there he was.