Loghain watches the fight from his cover on the hill before watching the skies. "Where is that bloody beacon?" He sneers, more to himself than his lieutenant standing beside him. "I knew the Grey Wardens were far too incompetent for such an easy task."

"Ser, wait. Look!"

He glares at her before following her finger to where a small single light rises up from the trees. His eyes dart over to the top of the tower. Come on, you idiots. How hard is it to light a single fucking beacon? Just light the bloody thing.

Within moments, the beacon is lit, a huge flame erupting from the top like a giant torch. He grimaces.
"I await your command, Ser." His lieutenant says.

His eyes sink down to the battle below. Even from here, it's clear that the battle is lost.
"Ser?"

Loghain rolls his shoulders. "Sound...the retreat."
Her brows crease as he looks at him like he's gone mad. "W-what?" She frowns. "What about the king?"

She gasps as he reaches out, snatching her by the wrist. Leering at her, he bares his teeth. "Do as I command."

She swallows, her anger replacing her fear as she violently yanks her arm away. Turning away from him, she calls to her men to retreat as Loghain looks down his nose at the field. I'm sorry, Maric. He thinks grimly to himself. I warned him that his fascination with glory and legends would be his undoing, but he never listens to me. He sneers. "Father like son, I suppose." He mutters before he turns and follows his troops.

Duncan ducks as a jagged blade swings at his neck before smashing his shield into the beast with a groan. It staggers backwards, allowing him to swing his own sword upwards, his blade sinking deep. Black ichor squirts out as the hurlock scream, bringing it's claws down toward him only to be knocked away with his shield before he plunges his sword into the creature's chest. The creature shrieks as it crumples to the ground before Duncan pulls out his sword and looks around at the fighting around him in search of another opponent.

A hurlock emissary hisses nearby, earning a glare from the old warden. It moves its claw-like hands together and a small wicked looking orb appears. Before it can summon anything, Duncan drops his shield with surprising speed and throws his dagger, smirking as it finds purchase through the cloth covering its eyes. Immediately, its hands fall to its sides and it sinks to the ground. Still got it. Picking up his shield, he looks around him as he jogs forward to retrieve the dagger with some effort from the creature's eye.

As he pries it free, he feels that familiar whisper that tugs at his mind. Closing his eyes, he focuses in on the direction and turns to look at the king.

Cailan swings his sword around with practiced finesse, slicing creature after creature open before plunging his blade into one and kicking it off, completely unaware of the lumbering ogre making its way toward him behind his back. In one swift movement of its massive armored arm, three soldiers fly through the air.

"Your majesty!" Duncan calls out to him from a little way down the field. "Behind you!"

Cailan, his momentary victorious smile still on his face, turns around. His smile fades as the beast takes notice of him and runs at him. Duncan takes a step to help him just as he's hit hard from behind, he stumbles, turning as a little genlock grins up at him with its sharp teeth as it swings around a wicked looking mace. With a war cry, Duncan charges at the creature with his shield out ahead of him, knocking it over as it hits it square in the face. He swings his sword around, aiming the tip just right before pushing down. With a shriek, it tries to wriggle free while the taint pours out of its wound as Duncan twists the blade. He looks up, just as the ogre approaches the king.

"No." Duncan breathes. Pulling his sword out, he picks up his shield and starts sprinting toward Cailan, jumping over fallen bodies of soldiers and darkspawn alike and dodging the various fires.

The ogre swings its arm knocking the shield from the king's hand. Cailan gapes up at it, swinging aimlessly at it but it makes little difference as it reaches down and grabs him.
Cailan's heart pounds in his chest as the beast's grip tightens on him, making him drop his sword.

"Your Majesty!" Duncan calls out.
Cailan struggles against the creature's hold which only seems to anger it as it lets out a ferocious roar, the rank stench of decay and rancid spittle spraying him right in the face. It raises the king up as though to throw him. As Cailan lets out a strangled cry, the beast flicks his wrist and a sickening crunching snap echoes through the field as Cailan goes limp in its grasp.
"No!" Duncan cries. Distracted, he runs full speed and trips on a fallen soldier and flies through the air just a few yards away. The air gets knocked out of him and he gasps as he tries to take in a breath. He looks up, just as the beast flings the king's lifeless body. Duncan watches as it flies through the air before hitting a wall and toppling onto the ground.

Anger bubbles up inside of him as the creature roars, banding on its giant chest. Picking himself back up, he tosses aside his shield and runs at it, dagger in one hand, sword in the other. Nearing it, vaults himself off a pile of darkspawn corpses and flings himself into the air at it, his blades ready. It turns just as they sink deep into its flesh. It roars, taint pouring out of its wounds and over his gauntlets. With one hand still on the hilt of his sword, he manages to retract his dagger before thrusting it back into the beast's neck. With another roar, taint spritz out and into his face, but it doesn't let up. As one blade goes in, he pulls the other out and stabs it in another place and twists it. Over and over he stabs, twists and releases until finally he feels it begin to stagger. Exhausted, he pulls out his dagger once more and, with one swift motion, he stabs the creature's heart. He holds on for dear life as it sways, trampling brethren and foe alike before finally falling back into a pillar. Breathing heavily from the exertion, Duncan waits as he watches for movement. When the creature remains still, he uses the hilts of his blades to pull himself up into a sitting position. He wipes his brow and looks around. An arrow then whizzes through the air and hits him square in the torso. He lets out a pained cry, grabbing the arrow by the shaft and pulling it out. He tosses it aside and look up to see the archer responsible down the field a ways. He touches his stomach and pulls his hand away to see the bright blood staining his armor. "Fuck." He mutters. Another arrow whizzes past as he rolls to the side, landing with a soft thud and groans. He sucks in a couple labored breaths and remembers the king. With a pained cry, he pulls himself up enough to look around as darkspawn hack and slash away at soldiers left and right until he spots the crumpled form of the king, his golden hair and armor stained red with blood.

With strained effort, Duncan slowly crawls over to Cailan's corpse. Reaching over, he turns his head to face him and sees the terrified, wide-eyed look frozen on the lad's face. His jaw clenches. Where the hell are you, Loghain? He closes Cailan's eyes, his exhaustion taking over as he leans on him to stay upright. Poor lad didn't deserve this. I'm so sorry, Maric. He thinks, closing his eyes. A few arrows whiz behind him, sticking into his back one after another. He lets out a pained cry. His head raised, his eyes open and he see the beacon glowing brightly in the night sky. He smiles through his pain. They did it. He thinks, wincing as another arrow hits his back. "May the Maker watch over them." He whispers before everything goes black.

Alistair watches the battle below, shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't understand!" He mutters. "He should have been there by now! The beacon is lit!"

Out of frustration, Alistair throws the torch in his hand out of the window. The fires below engulf it and Ana looks over at him. He moves away from the window, pacing back and forth muttering to himself. For a moment, Ana worries that he's finally lost it.

"Maybe he's gotten turned around in the dark." She offers. "That happens… right?"

Alistair shakes his head. "No. Not him. He's a seasoned general!" He exclaims, turning to face her. "He's led many troops for my… his majesty's father! He wouldn't get turned around in the dark."

He turns to stride back to the window just as the wall behind Ana explodes.

"Ana!" Alistair cries out as she's knocked to the floor, shards of stained glass and debris falling around and on her. Running over to her, he slides and raises his shield over them just as a huge shard of glass falls as something hits the tower again. Huge chunks of stone behind to fall around them as Alistair looks over Ana's unconscious body. "Ana!" He says, his voice hoarse from the dust around them. "Come on! Not you too!"

Another strike, more debris falls. One huge chunk of rock hits his shield hard enough that he collapses on top of her. He mutters an apology as he pushes himself up. "Come on, Ana. Wake up! We need to get out of-"

Another blast hits the tower and within moments, both wardens are buried.