Duncan stands stoically across from Loghain, watch with fleeting interest as he sighs. Since hearing about the incident, Duncan called for a meeting to decide what was to be done with Ana. If anything, Duncan was more impressed than angered when the guard described the incident in detail. What could have possibly set her off? Sure, she was impulsive and had a tendency to be reckless but to burn a man alive?
The general sighs once more. "Are you sure you dispatched somebody to summon the king?" He asks. Duncan resists the urge to roll his eyes.
"I believe Cailan's absence speaks more of you than me, Loghain." Duncan replies coolly. "As his father-in-law, I believe you're more of his keeper than I. As you more than well know, I have my own soldiers to deal with."
Loghain gives a derisive snort. "Soldiers? Is that what you're calling your ragtag group of murders and thieves?"
Duncan ignores his comment only to follow up with his own quip. "I imagine our young king is just running a little late. Perhaps he's finishing his kingly duties with that young brunette I seen in his tent earlier." He smirks slightly, knowing his barb made purchase as the old general grimaces. Before Loghain can respond, the tent flap opens and Cailan enters the infirmary tent with his entourage in tow.
"Forgive me, gentlemen." Cailan says, surprisingly upbeat. "I was in the middle of something when I received your summons."
"Or someone." Loghain mutters. Cailan either doesn't hear him or ignores him as he smiles at Duncan.
"Your message mentioned a sensitive issue?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." He says, his eyes moving toward the men with Cailan. "I was hoping we could keep the situation between the three of us."
"Ah, of course!" Cailan says with a dismissive wave. He waits until his guards are out of sight before turning his attention to Duncan once more. "Proceed." Duncan nods.
"There's been an incident."
"It involves the Wardens you like so much." Loghain adds. Duncan shoots him a glare.
"Yes. I was getting to that." He turns his head. "My newest recruit killed a man that was in a cage, awaiting punishment for assaulting one of your guards." Cailan's brows shoot up as he looks between them.
"The Cousland girl?" Duncan nods and leans back slightly in disbelief. "My, how… unexpected."
"I think it'd be wise to point out that the man who was killed was also a Warden." Loghain smirks. Cailan's brows furrow.
"If they were both wardens, I don't see why Loghain and I are here. As Warden-Commander, you have full jurisdiction to deal with the matter internally."
"That's the thing, Your Majesty. The man wasn't a Warden."
"What?" Both men exclaim.
"After examining the corpse, I've determined that I don't recognize the man. He's not a Grey Warden but an imposter." He glances at Loghain. "I believe that this would make this man your responsibility, Loghain."
He receives a glare from the Teyrn. "I hope you're not implying that you remember every single person that becomes a Warden." Loghain scoffs. "Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if people were able to infiltrate your ranks. I've seen how lax your management has been over the years."
"Now, now gentlemen." Cailan chides. "It is vital that we keep a cool head in all this." He turns and takes a seat in a nearby seat before patting the benches near him. "Come, let's discuss this."

Ana and Alistair sit in the pews adjacent to the guard in the chantry tent. From here, she could just barely make out which voice belonged to whom. Her mind felt muddled and she felt like she was going to throw up. If suggested, would Duncan allow for her to be whipped or killed?
"There's no way you'd be sentenced to hang." Alistair thinks aloud as the guard is summoned to speak with the group of leaders. "As a Warden during a Blight, you're needed. Also-"
"Please shut up." She mutters, close to tears. "You're not helping."
He turns to her. "I'm serious. Given everything you've been through, I'm sure Duncan will see that it was basically self defense." His demeanor changes as he thinks about Roy's words. "I still can't believe he said that to you. That-" He starts to fume but stops as Ana rises abruptly from her seat. She starts to walk toward the aisle and he rises. "Ana, wait! We can't leave!"
She says nothing as she turns and walks up to the large Andraste statue and drops to her knees.
Tears threaten to overtake her as she looks up at the statue's unseeing eyes. She closes her eyes and prays for mercy.
Her eyes snap open as somebody touches her shoulder. She quickly turns and looks up, wide-eyed at the Mother standing behind her.
"I'm sorry I scared you, child." She says, giving Ana a rueful smile. "Your Warden-Commander asked me to retrieve you."
As the mother holds out her hand and helps her up, Ana glances over to where Alistair was sitting to find it empty.
"Where's Alistair?" Ana asks, her eyes searching for her brother-warden only to find that they're alone.
"You must be speaking of the young Warden who was here with you earlier. He left to speak with the king a little over an hour ago."
Once more, Ana's mouth runs dry. "I see. I imagine they have come to a verdict." She whispers, her voice hoarse. He eyes meet the older woman's. "Before I go, I have a favor to ask of you. Will you please pray for me, Mother? I imagine I will need it."
"Of course, my child." She blesses Ana."Now, let's not keep your Commander waiting."

Ana's heart pounds in her chest as she's guided to the flap separating the small adjoining room from the main tent. She glances back at the Chantry Mother who gives her a reassuring smile as she nudges her forward. The flap falls behind her and she turns to face the room. The king, who had grown tired of the back and forth bickering between his father-in-law and the Warden Commander, left shortly before Ana was summoned, leaving the old General, her brother-warden and Duncan.
Whatever the men were talking about ceases as she enters the room as all eyes turn to her.
"Ana." Duncan says, his overall demeanor calm yet solemn. He beckons her forward. "Come closer."
Reluctantly, she steps forward and stops a few feet away before being motioned to sit on the leftover pew.
"As I'm sure you're aware, the King, General Loghain and I have been discussing the matter of the earlier incident. Do you admit to your part in the man's death?"
Ana's eyes meet his with surprising intensity. "I do. I regret nothing."
"Unbelievable." Loghain sneers and Duncan raises his hand to silence him, earning a grimace from his companion.
"Alistair said that Roy was one of the men who attacked you. Is this correct?"
Casting a glance at Loghain, she nods. "Yes. He was one of the two wardens-"
"He wasn't a Grey Warden."
"What?" Alistair exclaims, echoing Ana's thoughts.
"It seems that he was one of who knows how many who have infiltrated our ranks."
Ana's blood runs cold as she hears this. "Do you know who he actually works for?"
Duncan shakes his head. "Not yet. But we will get to the bottom of this." Loghain impatiently clears his throat and Duncan sighs. "Despite the crime of impersonating a Grey Warden, there was a reason that Roy was in the cage. It turns out that he was awaiting trial for assaulting a man of the King's guard. Given that we're at war, he would have been found guilty and sentenced to death for his crime."
"So Ana basically fast forwarded his sentence." Alistair says. Loghain rolls his eyes.
"Technically." He growls. "She still interfered with justice. His life was not hers to take."
"I beg to differ." Alistair retorts. He visibly swallows as Loghain's icy blue stare pierces through him but he holds his ground. "After all he and the others have done to her-"
"Alistair." Ana hisses but he continues.
"He even bragged about it when confronted!"
"She still killed a man!" Loghain exclaims.
"Silence!" All eyes turn to Duncan. He takes a moment before turning to Ana. "What I was trying to say that despite everything that has happened, you did interfere with justice. For that, we cannot just let you walk away scot-free. Normally, if we were not at war and you killed a man, you would hang." He recognizes the fear in her eyes and his expression softens slightly. "Due to circumstances, you will still be punished but to a far lesser degree. First, I need you to promise that regardless of the person and their crimes against you, you will not act impulsively and interfere. Understand?"
She nods. "I understand and agree."
He exhales. "Good. As for your punishment-"
"Warden-Commander!"
All eyes turn to the Warden scout who storms into the the tent,breathless and wide-eyed. Duncan narrows his eyes.
"Lad, we're in the middle of something. Wait for me-"
"Forgive me, Commander." The lad huffs. "I have urgent news about the darkspawn."
Duncan's lips purse. "Go on."
"While scouting the wilds, we found a very large horde gathering not too far from Ostagar."
Duncan shrugs but his demeanor remains on edge. "Sometimes whole groups of darkspawn find their ways to the surface. This isn't anything to worry about."
The man shakes his head. "It's no' like that. The number is in the hundreds and growing."
"Fuck." Duncan mutters as he and the general exchange a glance. "Looks like the punishment will have to wait." Loghain gives a nod and quickly leaves the tent as Duncan turns to face his junior Wardens.
"So it's finally happening." Alistair says, just above a whisper. "After all this time."
"It's hard to say exactly how much time we have at this moment. For now, I want you both to stick together. Alistair, I want you to spend the last remaining daylight hours we have training Ana." He looks between them. "Until I have more information, what you heard doesn't leave this room. Understand?"
They both nod and he motions vaguely toward the tent flap. "Good. Go. I will summon everyone once I know more."
As the younger wardens watch Duncan disappear out the tent ahead of them, Ana's heart pound in her chest.
Alistair turns, watching Ana for a few moments before speaking. "Are you all right?"
Ana shrugs. Her mind feels so muddled that she can barely begin to comprehend it all. Her eyes meet his. "I need to warn my brother and Hawke."
"Ana, you heard what Duncan said. What the scout said must never leave this room."
She shakes her head frantically. "But they need to know! If the end is near..." She trails off.
"I understand your concern." Alistair says, gently. "But Duncan doesn't want to start a panic."
Straightening, she lift her chin. "I'm going,with you or not."
"Ana-"
Her demeanor falters slightly. "This is something I need to do. Duncan says that we need to stick together but I will do this alone if it comes to it."
He prepares to argue with her but something in her expression makes him stop. "Fine." He sighs. "We can do it before training. It'll have to be quick. We'll need all the time we can spare."
"Thank you." She mutters, averting her gaze. "I need to stop by our tent first to grab something.

Hugging her pack to her, Ana dodges a soldier as she approaches Fergus' tent. Slipping inside, she finds the area bustling as Fergus speaks with a middle-aged man in armor similar to her brother's. He clasps the man's shoulder and offers him a smile before turning. His face lights up at the sight of her.
"Ana!" He says, stepping forward to embrace her. He stops a few feet away as his eyes flick to the side to see Alistair lingering near the flap. His smile falls slightly.
"What's going on?" Ana asks, frowning as a servant brushes past carrying a medium sized chest.
"I'm heading out soon. One of the king's scouts spotted an old outpost a little ways in the Wilds and my retinue has been volunteered to commandeer it." Seeing Ana's expression, he frowns. "What are you doing here? Are you all right?"
Shaking her head, she looks around them and, grabbing his arm, she pulls him away from possible eavesdroppers. Her eyes meet his. "Don't go." She suddenly says.
"Ana, I know you worry-"
"No." She cuts him off. "I'm serious. The Wilds are dangerous and…" She stops to glance around them before lowering her voice. "Who knows if Howe is lying in wait?"
Exhaling, Fergus places his hands on his sister's shoulders. "There's no need to worry. I've not received any news of that traitor since arriving here." He reaches up to touch her cheek. "It may not be as comfortable as you're used to at the castle but you're safe here."
As he says this, her lip quivers. "I… I was attacked and almost raped." She blurts out.
His hands drop from her and his gaze darkens. "What?" His eyes dart back and forth between hers. "When?"
Tears break free and spill down her cheeks which burn with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry." She sniffs. "It was weeks ago and…"
"Who was it, Ana?" He asks. "I will rip them limb from limb!"
She shakes her head. "I...I don't know for sure." She sobs. "We thought they were Grey Wardens but… they apparently weren't. I have no idea who they really are."
As she breaks off, he pulls her to him, allowing her to sob into his thick woolen tunic as he gently strokes her hair. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." He mutters into her hair. His eyes shift to Alistair whose eyes widen at the sudden attention. He gives an awkward half wave in acknowledgment.
"The Warden with you…"
She pulls away, wiping her eyes. "That's Alistair. He was one of the people who saved me along with Hawke." She shrugs. "Duncan ordered him to stay with me at all times."
Fergus glances at him once more. "Good." He mutters, turning to her. "I'm glad you have at least some semblance of protection here." A frown tugs at the corners of his mouth. The gleam of metal sticking out of her satchel catches his eye and he looks down. "What's that?"
Pulling away, she reaches into her pack and removes the shield, the Cousland crest catching the light from the lanterns hanging above. "Maker's breath." He breathes.
"Before I fled the castle, Mother gave me our family sword and shield to keep from Howe." Ana explains as she removes it from her pack and holds it out to him. "In case something happens… I want you to have it." He runs a hand over the embossed metal as Ana pulls out the sword.
"Maker… I never thought I'd see this again." He mutters under his breath.
"As Father's heir, you should have them."
He looks up. "What?"
Ana shrugs. "You're the only one who has use of them."
"But you need them for your own protection." He meets her gaze with a frown. "As much as I may wish it so, it's clear that I won't always be around to protect you."
"But you are the last surviving Cousland son." Ana argues. "Please...just take them. You are the last fighting chance for our family."
Fergus opens his mouth to argue but seeing Ana's expression, he shuts it once more. Setting it down, he pulls her into another embrace. "I'm still very sorry about what happened to you and I know nothing can change that." He mutters as a man in armor calls to him from the tent flap that preparations are ready for his departure. He pulls away, offering her a small smile as he moves a lock of hair from her face. "I will return as soon as I can. In the meantime, promise me that you will protect yourself by any means necessary. Can you do that?"
She nods. "I promise." She gives him a quick hug.
After exchanging farewells, Ana follows her brother toward the gates. He swings up into the saddle, the Cousland crest on his shield gleaming in the watery autumnal light. Painful nostalgia overcomes Ana as she watches her brother and his retinue ride out through the gates. Tears streak down her cheeks as Alistair carefully comes to stand beside her. "Perhaps it's for the best." She mutters before reluctantly turning away. "Let's go find Hawke."

A twig snaps nearby. Nate quickly rises from where he was sitting and places a hand on his sword.
"Hello?" He calls. Seeing Ana, his hand drops and he smiles. "Ana!" He greets, his eyes moving to the man with her. He nods. "Alistair. What do I owe the pleasure?"
"I hope we're not disturbing you." Ana says as she approaches. Noticing her solemn expression, he frowns.
"Not at all. I was returned a moment ago with my latest kill." He motions over to his hunting pack lying nearby. "Is everything all right?"
She shrugs as she takes a seat on one of the logs. Nate glances at Alistair and raises a brow. Alistair opens his mouth to speak out Ana beats him to it. "Roy is dead."
"Who?"
"One of the men who…" She pauses, averting her gaze as heat rises to her cheeks. "One of my attackers."
Nate snorts. "Serves him right. What happened?"
A chill runs through him as her eyes meet his. "I killed him."
Nate's eyes widen. "What?"
Both Alistair and Ana recount the horrific event and all that led up to it. Once finished, Nate shakes his head. "What a bastard." He sneers. "I can't believe he had the fucking balls to brag about what he did." His expression softens. "I may not agree with you needing to punished for what you did but I'm glad your Warden-Commander is finally taking this threat seriously. If a Warden-"
"He wasn't an actual Warden." Ana interjects. "Apparently, he was impersonating a Warden."
Nate's eyes flick to Alistair as he takes a seat on one of the logs. His brows furrow. "If he wasn't a Warden, who was he? Who was he working for? Are there more of them?"
Ana shrugs helplessly. "We have no idea. We just found out about him not being an imposter."
Nate nods as he comprehends this. "I see…." He pauses. "Wait… what about that man that attacked your family ...what's his name? Howes?"
"Rendon Howe." Ana replies, the name tasting like ashes in her mouth.
Nate nods. "Do you think he knows you survived the attack? Perhaps he hired them?"
The very thought of this made Ana want to throw up. How had she never thought about that possibility?
"But wouldn't he have just had her killed?" Alistair asks. "What would be the point of…" His eyes flick to Ana and his cheeks redden slightly, "I mean, why would they just attack her? Obviously she poses a threat."
Ana turns to look at him. "I get that you might not understand being so lowborn but for royalty and nobles, a woman is only worth as much as her virtue. If they could discredit me, I would be unable to marry into another noble family because they would see me as... " She pauses, her face contorting into almost an expression of pain, "spoiled goods."
Alistair frowns. "But you're already no longer a maid."
As soon as he the words leave his mouth, he regrets it. Ana rises and storms up to him with a piercing glare.
"How dare you!" She hisses. "How the hell would you know? You know nothing about me or my life!"
"I…" Alistair stammers but is unable to think as he tries to avoid her seething gaze.
"You're lucky we're not training right now." She sneers. "Otherwise, you'd end up with a lot of cuts right now, or worse, like Roy."
As she turns away from him, embarrassment begins to take over. "Sorry Hawke." She mutters, unable to meet his gaze. "We need to go but I just wanted to come see you and tell you about what we learned."
"Thank you for the update." Nate replies, rising. "No need to apologize. I understand that you have duties you need to attend to." He takes a step forward. "Would it be all right to hug you?"
Hesitantly, she nods and steps forward. They come together and Ana feels a well of tears beginning to rise as she closes her eyes as his warmth overtakes her as his strong arms hold her close. "Thank you for everything, Nate." She mutters.
"Of course, Love." He whispers.
As she mentally prepares herself to let him go, she turns her head. "I shouldn't be telling you this but there are large horde of darkspawn gathering near Ostagar." She whispers into his neck. "You need to know. The end may be soon and I recommend preparing for a fight very soon."
She pulls away, her eyes expressing her fear while she offers him a smile. He nods and returns her smile.
"Take care of yourself, Love."

Mid-way through a particularly tense training session, a Warden scout retrieves them and leads them into what looks to be an old Tevinter auditorium filled with Wardens. At the forefront of the crowd, Duncan stands on a small raised platform, grim faced as he chats with a couple senior Wardens. The scout that escorted them whispers something to him and he nods before turning to face everyone. A hush falls through the crowd as Alistair and Ana move closer to the front as they stick close the side of the room.
"Thank you all for joining me." Duncan calls out, his booming voice bouncing off the walls of the ruin. "I'm sure you're all wondering what this could be about and, as unfortunate as it is for me to report, it's not good."
Another ripple of whispers circulate until Duncan raises his hand for silence. Once they die down, he continues. "Recently, a scout has reported the numbers of darkspawn gathering not far from here to be increasing daily. Their numbers are massive; far more than we could ever have expected- something I know all of you have felt in some degree or another." More worried whispers. "After speaking with the leaders of the other factions and the King, there's a good chance that the battle is finally upon us and we will have to start preparing. General Loghain expects the battle take place tomorrow night, if not sooner."
Hearing this, Ana's heart drops in her chest. Absently, she twists her parents' wedding ring around her finger.
"I know that this is far sooner than any of us could have expected. Those who have duties assigned for tonight will continue as usual while the rest of you will continue preparations in the morning." His eyes find Ana's off to the side and he frowns. "Those who have no duties should head to bed. We will need all hands on deck tomorrow."

Ana stares up at the canvas, idly rubbing her mother's necklace. Anxiety about the battle ate at her, making her toss and turn to no avail. Beside her, Alistair also wrestled with the possibility of the end. Guilt sat like a rock in his stomach. As another snore emits from nearby, he rolls over to face the wall of blankets that Ana had placed between them.
He exhales, debating whether or not he should wake her. "Ana." He finally whispers. He waits before saying her name again. With an exasperated sigh, she answers.
"Go to bed, Alistair."
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about what I said." He whispers. "You were right. I don't know anything about you or your life and I shouldn't have said anything. It's your business, not mine."
"It really isn't." She replies. After a moment, she sighs. "You're lucky. You're a boy so you can kiss and fuck anybody you want and not be looked down on because of it."
Alistair's cheeks burn. "I've never done any of that." He mutters with a frown. "I'm going to probably die tomorrow and never know what any of it is like. I'm not sure which is worse."
Silence permeates save an occasional snore and Alistair stains to listen for the usual snickering that follows such a confession. He hears movement and before he can stay her name, he feels the blankets between them move as she rests her head on them, looking down at him.
"You've got to be joking." She hisses. "Surely by now, you've at least kissed a girl."
"I haven't." He shrugs. "I joined the Wardens a couple months before you did. Before that, I lived in a chantry where I was training to be a Templar."
"So?"
He thanks the Maker for the darkness that hides his blushing. "So, men and women were usually separate. We trained together but the dorms were separated to prevent such… interactions."
Ana snorts. "So… are you not into girls then?"
Alistair groans. "Maker's breath. Of course I like girls!" He exclaims a little loudly earning a Warden nearby to hiss at him to be quiet. He mutters an apology and sighs. "Forget it. I just wanted to tell you I was sorry. I don't even know why I brought up the kiss thing."
"Alistair…" Ana says softly as Alistair starts to ramble.
"Maker, I really suck at talking to people. It's obvious you don't care that I haven't-"
"Alistair, shut your mouth." Ana says, shifting once more but is ignored as he continues.
"You'd think I would have at least learned in the Chantry-"
Ana places a hand on the side of him and leans over so her face hovers a couple inches above his. His eyes widen and his breath catches,trailing off as his heart begins to race. "… what are you doing?"
She hushes him and closes her eyes as leans down, a shiver running through her as their lips meet.
His lips are so soft and warm that it takes her a moment to recover from her surprise. Snapping to, her hand moves to brush against his cheek, enjoying the feeling of his scruff against her hand. She pulls away slightly.
"Do as I do." She mutters before leaning in once more. Their lips meet and slowly move against one another, finding the perfect rhythm before she slips her tongue into the mix. Mouths and tongues moving together, Ana shifts for easier access. Everything about this felt so… good. She could feel interest stirring between her legs. She wanted to go on, pushing things further.
Feeling Alistair place a hand on her lower back, she's breaks the kiss. Heat rises in her cheeks as she remembers where she is.
"I…" She mutters, her thoughts still scattered from the passionate kiss they just shared. She takes a moment to collect her to thoughts. Alistair lies still, still in shock about what just transpired. He feared moving as though it would shatter whatever dream-like situation was happening.
"There." Ana finally says, quickly moving away from him and back toward her bedroll. "You can consider my debt paid." She says, hoarse with unfulfilled desire. She turns away from him and huddles under her blankets as she silently chides herself. "Goodnight." She mutters.
Alistair remains still, feel of her lips on his burning like a brand. He swallows as he reaches up to touch his lips. "Yeah…" He mutters. "Goodnight."