Fergus exhales as he looks out ahead of him. The journey from home was not what he had expected. Twice he and the Cousland army had been ambushed by companies of men lying in wait for them in the rolling hills that made up the Ferelden landscape. His retinue was much smaller than when he had headed out and now his men, like him, were weighed down with sleep deprivation, sickness and hunger. After the second attack, men were injured and killed and a few had taken ill or deserted in the middle of the night. Due to the followed up attack after the first, they began to stay off the Imperial Highway and travel mostly at night.

Now, after weeks of constant fear of being ambushed again, Fergus spotted the few remaining towers of Ostagar peeking over the treetops in the distance. He breathes a sigh of relief and feel the weight in his chest lift. Noting his lord's smile, his lieutenant follows his gaze.

"Is that?" He asks.

Fergus nods. "Welcome to Ostagar lads." He grins, clasping the man on his shoulder. "We've finally made it."

"Got a plan?" Rory mutters, his eyes wide as the spiders advance toward them. He begins to back up the stairs only to turn and see another giant spider repel down onto the top of the stairs behind them. Alistair and Roderick turn with their backs to Jory as he continues to try to free himself.

The space between them grows smaller by the second as Alistair glances around for something that can be of use. Why did it have to be fucking spiders of all things? He thinks to himself. Why not giant rabbits or frogs. At least those wouldn't be as gross or terrifying.

"Alistair?" Roderick says once more, holding his sword out toward the spider directly in front of him. "A plan?"

One of the spiders raises its front legs and shoots another web toward Alistair but he just barely manages to block it with his shield.

"I'm thinking." Alistair shouts back, his eyes falling on the fangs illuminated by his torch. "Believe it or not, giant spiders are not something I fight on a daily basis."

In his struggle to free himself, Jory swings the torch around and manages to catch a strand of cobweb hanging above his head on fire. It burns quickly and the remaining ashes fall.

"That's it!" Roderick exclaims. He tries to grab the torch from Jory but they struggle as Alistair glances around them.

"We're going to burn them?" Alistair asks, frowning. "I doubt that'll stop the ones surrounded by water."

Roderick manages to wrestle the torch from Jory and holds it to the cobwebs nearby, grinning as they instantly light and spread. "No but it'll definitely give us a better chance at not having more drop down on us."

Shrieks echo through the cavern below as fire spreads and fills the room and stairs with smoke. The men cover their mouths with their arms before Alistair and Roderick turn with their backs to each other, their swords at the ready.

Sensing the danger around them, the spiders hasten toward them. One of them launches toward Alistair, its legs hitting his shield with dull thud as he thrusts it outwards before jutting his sword out ahead of him. It shrieks as he manages to pierce some of it's eyes but it only is enraged more as it lunges once more. Again he juts his sword out, sunking it deep within it's eyes, wincing as blood spurts out of the wound while the spider screeches fall down the steps. The others pay little mind to their fallen brethren as they crawl over it.

Roderick swings his sword at the spider on the stairs above him but misses as it rears up and strikes out at him. It punctures his leg with the sharp end of one or its legs and he retaliates by shoving the torch into its eyes. Blinded, it backs up slightly and he swings the torch at it once more. The spider screeches as it suddenly catches fire. It quickly run past him down the steps, spreading the fire to the rest with surprising speed. In moments, area falls silent as the men tensely wait for the flames of the now charred bodies to draw more to them. They wait with baited breath before finally Alistair relaxes from his fighting stance and sheaths his sword. He lets out a breath of release before turning to Roderick. "Not what I expected but good thinking."

Kneeling before the old knight, Alistair pulls out his knife and cuts Jory free as Roderick surveys the charged corpses of the spiders littering the stairs and beyond. As Jory's legs are finally freed, he clears his throat. "Thank you, Warden." He mutters, the heat rising to his cheeks. "I apologize for my lack of…." He pauses and looks down at his boots with sudden interest. "Forgive me."

Feeling a little bad for the man, Alistair claps Jory on the shoulder with a grin. "No need, Ser Jory. Creatures like those are unpredictable." Turning around to face Roderick once more, he motions forward into the cavern. "Let's go before anything else catches us by surprise. "

Ana groans, blinking up at the canvas directly above her. As the blurriness begins to recede, she looks around her with a mix of confusion and fear. Where am I? Who's tent is this?

Against her better judgement, she pulls herself up into a sitting position and instantly feels the room spin. Bile fills her mouth and she closes her eyes as she tries to fight the urge to throw up. She hears voices just outside and looks to see a man silhouetted against the the flaps of the tent from a campfire. Memories of her assault return and fear grips her heart. Before she can try to get to her feet, the flap opens and one of the men ducks in and lights the lantern hanging from the center by a leather strap. As light fills the room, she sees that it's not the Wardens who attacked her. The light illuminates Nate's face as a look of surprise crosses his face before it's replaced with a grin.

"Oh good, you're awake." He says, ducking under the lantern to kneel beside her. "How are you feeling, My Lady?"

Tired, angry, embarrassed, and sore. She shrugs but finds that she can't meet his eyes. He nods.

"I healed the few cuts and bruises you had. There still may be some but they should go away eventually."

"Thank you." She mutters. "I don't know how to repay you for everything you've done for me."

He shakes his head. "No need. I did it to help a friend."

Hearing this, she risks a look at him and sees his kind smile which she returns with a half smile of her own. Suddenly remembering what had happened to her hound, she glances around. Her smiles falls. "Where's Much?"

Nate places a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. He's safe. Carver spoke with the kennel master into caring for him while he recuperates. I was able to heal him a bit but he needs some rest."

"I must see him!" She exclaims, trying to get up and wincing as pain shoots through her side. He helps her back down. "You need rest as well, Ana. I promise you on my life, Much will be fine."

"I can't stay here." She frowns. "I need to get back to the Warden-Commander's tent. Duncan will be worried."

Nate nods. "I'm surprised your knight wasn't with you. I can sent Carver to find him? If not, I'll escort you back myself."

"Ser Gilmore has gone into the Wilds with the other Warden recruits." She says, wincing as she tries to straighten.

He raises a brow. "Aren't you a Warden recruit as well?"

Hesitantly she nods. "Yes. My case is a bit complicated."

"I understand." He pauses for a moment. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened? My brother found you passed out near a wall with your hound."

She shifts her gaze to look at the ground before her as she feels the heat rise to her cheeks. "I… was on my way to come see you when I was….attacked."

His brows furrow. "Attacked? By whom?"
Shame and anger twist her stomach into knots as she debates whether she should tell him. She had no idea what his reaction would be or what he would do.

"Ana." He says, softly. "I know this must be difficult for you but you have to tell somebody."

"I know." She mutters, not looking up. "It was...two men."

"Were they soldiers?"

She thinks about this for a moment before nodding.

"Did they have their armor on? Did it have the King's insignia?"

She sighs. "They had armor but they we're from the Royal army. They were…." She pauses and Nate waits patiently for her to continue. "They were Grey Wardens."

Nate's brows jump up. "You were attacked by Wardens? Did they say why?"

Because I'm a noblewoman? Because I'm above them? Ana shrugs. "They weren't happy that I denied their advances and suggestive comments." She glances up at him suddenly, her eyes flickering as her anger takes over. "Much attacked them when they grabbed me and they kicked him! He was only protecting me." She shakes her head. "Those bastards will pay."

"I agree." Nate nods. "When you go back to the Warden-Commander, you'll need to tell him. That is his domain and I'm sure he'd want to know that this is happening. I doubt he will be pleased."

Ana watches him as he rises and he smiles at her confused expression.

"I imagine you're hungry." He states, walking over to the flaps. "While you were out, I went out to hunt and brought back some game. Carver is cooking it now."

The thought of food made her mouth water and she nods. "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

With a short bow, Nate exits the tent and rejoins his brother near the fire. The sun is already beginning to set in the light pink and purple streaked sky. Carver looks up hopefully from the pot of stew he's stirring. "How is she? I heard you talking so I'm assuming she's awake."

Nate sighs as he takes a seat. "She's still seems to be a bit sore but otherwise she's doing better. As expected, she was worried about her dog."

Carver shakes his head. "I'd like to know what kind of monster attacks a woman and her dog." He huffs. "I'd like to show them what happens to people like them."

"Easy there, little brother." Nate frowns. "It was two men and I have already advised her as to what to do. I don't want you getting involved. Mother would kill me if anything happened to her little boy."

"So we're just going to let them go scot-free?"Carver hisses, shooting him a glare. "Where was the knight? He should have protected her!"

"Shh!" Nate hisses, casting a glance at his tent before glaring at him. "Quiet. He was out in the Wilds for Warden business. Anyways, like I said, I've already advised her about what action to take. Stay out of it." He watches his brother sulk and motions toward the stew. "Is that almost finished? I offered some to Ana before we bring her back to the main encampment."
The youth's brows furrow. "She's going back? Shouldn't she rest?"

Nate shrugs. "She has her own reasons for returning right away and I'm not going to stop her. I'm worried for her safety as well but the most we can do is get her back to her commander safely."

The tent flap behind him moves and Nate quickly turns to see a wobbly looking Ana peek through. He rises and steps over the log to take her hand and guide her to the log he was sitting on. Seeing her, Carver straighten and offers her a bashful smile.

"I'm glad to see you're up and about again, Ana." He says. "We were worried about you."

"So I heard." She says with an unfriendly expression. "I'd warn you against condoning Ser Gilmore. I don't hold his absence against him and you definitely have no right to."

Carver blanches and Nate shoots him a look that tells him told you so .

Sitting beside her, Nate picks up his nearby pack and pulls out a few tin plates and spoons.

"Forgive him, My Lady." He says. "My brother has a loud mouth and doesn't like to think before he speaks."

Ana pulls her mud-stained cloak she found in the tent closer around her. "I've noticed that." She sneers.

"Please forgive me." Carver says quickly with a bow of his head. "I meant no offense."

"Then perhaps you should have said nothing at all." Ana snaps back.

Once the stew is ready, the three of them eat in silence before Nate helps Ana to her feet. Grabbing onto his arm to stabilize herself, she allows him to guide her back to the main encampment.