Chapter 3! Now we're starting to get into the good stuff ... and by 'good stuff' I mean let the fighting and angst begin! This is the battle for Highever and we start to see just what Elissa can do and how her magic fits into her life, whether she likes it or not.

Same disclaimer as before and any mistakes are my own. I've never really written many fighting scenes before so do let me know if they're too blow-by-blow.

Thank you so much to everyone that's reading along. Special shout out to RandomLoner24 for leaving reviews. Reviews are my life force so thank you!

Enjoy!

Elissa woke to the sound of Loki growling. Beside her, Iona was also slowly coming to as well.

"He is making so much noise!" the elf said, a slight tremor in her voice. "He seems so angry!"

Elissa frowned. "Perhaps something is wrong."

The dog was now standing at the doo. His growls turned to barking.

"I thought I heard yelling when I woke up, but now I hear nothing," Iona said.

Loki's barks turned frantic.

"I'm going to see if someone's in the hall." Before the elf had even reached the door, it was flung open and she fell to the floor, an arrow embedded in her chest.

"Iona!" Elissa cried and started forward.

Suddenly, two men in full armour ran into her room. The first brandished a light sword and shield, while his companion stood behind him already ready to fire his second arrow.

Oblivious to the fact she had no clothes on, Elissa sprung into action. Her daggers we too far away for her to get to them in time so she'd have to settle this empty-handed. She ducked the man's first swing then thrust up with a fist to his chin that staggered him. Loki followed through with a snap at the man's leg and he cried out and fell back. This gave the second man his chance to fire and Elissa only just managed to avoid meeting the same fate as Iona, by leaping to the side.

While he was reloading, Loki rushed forward and ripped the first man's throat out and Elissa scrambled forward to collect his sword. It was heavier than her own daggers, but it would have to do.

The two of them hurried towards the second man who, seeing them approach, dropped his bow and just managed to put out his sword before they reached him. Oddly, he seemed a better swordsman than his companion and managed to block several of their attacks before either one of them managed to land a hit. Suddenly he thrust out and slashed his blade across Elissa's bare upper arm. She cried out and took a few steps back, dropping the sword as she clutched her arm.

Through the pain, she saw red and thrust her hands out towards the man. In an instant, she'd drained the life from him and his corpse fell to the ground.

In the silence that followed, Elissa stood there, frozen. What had she done? She could feel the tingling in her arm as the sides of the gash gently knitted themselves back together. She hadn't meant to kill him like that, but the anger and pain had taken over. Her magic had taken over.

She felt like she was going to be sick.

A big wet nose nuzzled at her thigh and she started. She looked down at her dog, his grinning mouth dripping blood.

And she ran over to her chamber bucket and retched into it. She kept heaving until there was nothing left, then fell to the cold ground, breathing heavily.

She heard Loki's massive footfalls pad towards her, then a clatter of metal on stone as he dropped something on the ground beside her. She looked up to see one of her daggers. The dog gave a whine and nudged the blade forward with his nose.

She looked into the hound's eyes and was about to say something when she heard a scream coming from somewhere in the castle. Suddenly, all the noise rushed back and she could hear what was happening around her. The castle was under attack. Her home was under attack.

She gave the dog a nod and forced herself up to her feet, staggering briefly but then righting herself.

She picked the dagger up off the floor and hurried over to the weapon and armour racks that ran along one side of her room. Picking out a full set of leather armour, she slipped it on as quickly as she could. She then grabbed her belt pouches and put in some health, stamina, and mana potions. Lastly, she picked up her other dagger and sheathed the two of them on her back.

She then stepped over the two men in the doorway and out into the corridor.

Only to be faced by two more soldiers. She managed to get halfway down the corridor before one of them noticed her and they charged at her, swords slashing at her.

"Where is the teyrn?" one of them shouted. He gave a particularly strong swing of his sword, pushing her backwards. "Tell me!"

Elissa quickly flung a handful of sand from one of the pouches on her belt in his eyes as he rushed forward, temporarily blinding him and giving her and Loki enough time to focus on his companion. Between the two of them, they managed to take him down quickly and turned back to the first man, just as he was regaining his sight.

Before he had time to strike, however, Elissa thrust one of her daggers straight through his light armour and into his gut, the other coming up and slicing him across the throat.

He crumpled and in the ensuing silence Elissa bent over double, trying to catch her breath.

Suddenly, the door to her left burst open and she spun around, ready for another attack.

"Darling!" her mother exclaimed as she came running through, fully decked out in her own armour. "I heard the fighting outside and I feared the worst! Are you hurt?"

"Those men killed Iona!" Elissa cried out, pointing back towards her room.

"What? The elven girl? But why?"

Elissa let out a sob. "They must have been looking for me, but she was the one that opened the door."

"Oh my darling girl, this is not your fault," Eleanor said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Elissa's shoulder. After a moment she gestured towards the door to her own room. "A scream woke me up. There were men in the hall, so I barred the door. Did you see their shield? Those are Howe's men! Why would they attack us?"

"I don't know, Mother," Elissa replied. "But we need to get out of here."

Eleanor nodded. "Have you seen your father? He never came to bed!"

At Elissa's silence, she continued. "We must find him!"

Feeling a bit of calm return now that someone else was with her, Elissa nodded. "We should check on Oriana and Oren, as well."

"Andraste's mercy!" Eleanor gasped, visibly paling. "What if the soldiers went into your brother's room first? Let's check on them! Quickly! Then we'll look for Bryce downstairs!"

Elissa nodded and the party hurried across the corridor to Fergus' room.

Tentatively, Elissa eased the door open.

And was faced with a scene from her nightmares.

"No!" Eleanor cried, rushing forward. "My little Oren! What manner of fiend slaughters innocents?"

On the floor lay the bloodied, lifeless bodies of Oren, Oriana, and one of the castle guards.

"Don't look, mother," Elissa said.

"Howe is not even taking hostages!" Eleanor shouted, ignoring her daughter. "He means to kill all of us!" She let out a sob. "Oh, poor Fergus … let's go. I don't want to see this."

They left the room and Eleanor lead them towards the room at the end of the hall.

"Perhaps we can salvage some things from in here, darling" she said. It was the entrance room to her and Bryce's chamber. "Some of your father's items are in that trunk."

She gestured to a large wooden trunk in the corner of the room and, after giving her mother an odd look, Elissa went over to it. She grabbed an elm longbow from its depths and, after a moment's hesitation, also pulled out the small elm shield. She wasn't really used to using a shield, but reasoned that more protection couldn't possibly be a bad thing. Underneath the shield was an iron dagger; hardly as good as her own ones but it could come in handy.

Satisfied, she shut the trunk and they left the room. They hurried down the corridor and through the far door.

Only to be faced with a line of four of Howe's men, three of which were already starting to fire at them with arrows. Elissa rolled to the side, managing to avoid the volley, then launched herself forward so she was too close to the archers for them to aim properly. She quickly dispatched the first one, then the next. She turned to face the last two, but found that her mother had taken care of the last archer and Loki was busy biting the neck of the soldier with the sword, who was now laying limp on the ground.

A moment of silence settled on them as they fought to calm the adrenaline rushing through them.

"Quickly, search their bodies, darling," Eleanor rushed, between heavy breaths.

Elissa froze and stared at her mother in horror.

"They may have a few extra potions that we can use," the tyrna explained.

Cautiously, Elissa moved over to the nearest soldier. She grimaced, but followed her mother's instruction and crouched down beside him. He was covered in blood from where her blade had slashed into him and she had to fight the overwhelming urge to back away. Very slowly, as if fearing he'd wake up at any point, she reached forward and started to carefully undo the few pouches on his belt.

Empty.

She breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she didn't have to take anything from the dead man.

Taking a steady breath, she stood up and turned back towards her mother.

"He has nothing on him," she said.

Eleanor walked forwards, her hand outstretched. "Here," she said. "The one over there had this in his pocket. Not sure why he had one, but either way it'll be far more use to you than me." In her palm was a small vial of blue liquid. A Lyrium potion.

Again, Elissa gave her mother another horrified look.

Eleanor sighed and took another step forward so she was close enough to put a gentle hand on Elissa's shoulder. "My darling girl, we have been attacked in our own home. They vastly outnumber us and we will need every advantage that we can get or we will lose. We will die. I know it's unpleasant, but we need to check as many of Howe's men as we can, just in case they have something we can use. Anything that will help level the odds."

She paused and waited as her words settled in Elissa's mind. Slowly, the girl's expression changed from one of horror, to a frown, before eventually turning to one of deep thought. She looked at the vial in her mother's hand, then tentatively reached out a shaking hand. She really didn't like the thought of stealing from dead people, and especially not the thought of then drinking anything that came off a dead person. But in a way …

"It's like we're using Howe's men against him," she muttered. The image of her slaughtered nephew and sister-in-law flashed across her mind. She wrapped her hand around the vial and quickly thrust it into her potion pouch. She looked up at her mother and gave a firm nod.

"Good," Eleanor said. She took a step back and looked around them. "We should go and check on Landra." She said it like it was a plan, but Elissa could hear in her tone just what her mother expected to find in the guest quarters.

They hurried through the corridors and managed to reach the guest rooms without running into any more of Howe's men.

Bracing herself, Elissa opened the door to Lady Landra's chamber. She had to close her eyes and take a deep steadying breath at what she found there.

"Dear Landra." Eleanor sighed. "I'm… I'm so sorry." She hung her head. "If she hand's come to see me … If she hadn't been here …"

"Mother," Elissa said, gently leading her mother away from the room and closing the door.

They took a few brief moments to try and settle themselves, then set off again. They headed away from the sleeping quarters and towards the main areas of the castle.

Once outside, Eleanor pulled them up short. "Can you hear the fighting? Howe's men must be everywhere."

"I don't want you in danger, Mother." Elissa said.

"My only grandchild is a ravaged corpse. What do I care about danger?" Eleanor snapped back, her voice catching as she spoke. She shook herself and took a few breaths. "The front gates. That's where your father must be."

"Is there nothing else we can do?" Elissa asked.

Eleanor thought for a moment. "I have my treasury key. We could go there first and take the Cousland sword from the vault. If anything is worth fighting to keep out of Howe's hands, it's that sword. But it may be a dangerous path."

"Then let's go to the treasury."

"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?" Eleanor warned.

"I want Howe dead!" Elissa cried out. Her outcry shocked herself but Eleanor just nodded at her, understanding.

"Then survive and visit vengeance upon him."

Elissa's jaw clenched, but she knew her mother was right. Revenge would have to wait. Right now, they just needed to survive.

Carefully they wound their way through the maze of corridors and roadways, towards the treasury.

Suddenly, a man in farmer's clothes came around a corner yelling out. "The castle has fallen! I'm getting out of here!" He saw the tyrna and Elissa and froze.

"Don't be a coward!" Elissa said, her voice firm and commanding. "Stand and fight!"

The man seemed to waiver for a moment but then straightened up and squared his shoulders. "Y-yes, my lady!" He glanced behind himself and paled even further. "Here ... Here they come!"

Immediately, they were beset upon by six more armed soldiers, coming at them from both sides.

Just like last time, Elissa ran through the group, straight for the archer standing at the back. He let off one arrow at her. She stepped to the side and it missed, whizzing past her shoulder and embedding itself in a gap in the stonework behind her. She reached the man and swiped at him with her dagger. She swung again. Then suddenly, he thrust his hand out, throwing sand in her face. She cried out and frantically started rubbing at her eyes, trying to get the grains out. By the time she was able to see a little again, the archer had managed to get several paces away from her and was turning around to fire at her again. This time, his arrow hit its mark, thudding into her shoulder. She let out a furious roar and charged forwards. Her eyes still stung and her shoulder was white-hot with pain but she pushed through. She threw her own handful of sand at the blurry figure of the archer and saw him hunch over with a cry of his own. With two well-placed lunges, the man fell to the ground. Dead.

With a wave of her hand, her eyes cleared. Then she clenched her teeth and wrenched the arrow out of her shoulder. She staggered a few steps and leaned against the wall as her vision wavered and her legs threatened to buckle beneath her. She took a few gulping breaths, then focused her magic and knitted the wound in her shoulder closed. It wasn't perfect, by any stretch, but it would do for now.

The sounds of fighting behind her reminded her that there were still other attackers that needed taking care of.

What followed felt like a complete blur as she thrust and slashed her way through the assembled soldiers and their war hounds. If she had been thinking clearly, she probably would have stopped to consider why every time one of her assailants fell to the floor she felt a surge of energy and vitality. As it was, she wasn't really thinking at all and soon every attacker lay dead and she was, thankfully, still alive.

Suddenly, all her energy seemed to leave her at once and she sagged against a nearby wall. She vaguely heard her mother yell out something and saw the man hurry off down the corridor, then her mother was thrusting a vial of something to her mouth and coaxing her to drink its contents. The cool liquid glided down her throat leaving a slightly metallic taste on her tongue and soon she felt her magic returning, its tingling energy coursing through her trembling limbs.

She gasped and doubled over.

"Shh, darling," her mother soothed, an arm around her in case she fell further. "Breath."

Listening to her mother's voice, Elissa forced herself to take a few gulping breaths.

Eventually, she managed to calm her breathing and leaned back against the wall. "That," she started, her voice rough from the stress, "was unpleasant."

Eleanor glanced behind them and saw that they were still alone. She fixed her daughter with a firm look. "That, was lyrium," she said. When Elissa paled, she continued. "You need to be more careful. Either use your magic less, or be prepared to drink a lyrium potion during a fight. You cannot leave it until afterwards to try and replenish your mana."

"I -" Elissa started, "I've never -"

"I know, darling," Eleanor interrupted. "And I hoped you never would have to." They heard footsteps heading towards them and she glanced behind again. The farmer was returning. "I'm sorry, my darling, but you are going to have to learn. At least for the next little while."

As the farmer reached them, a mute Elissa nodded at her mother and pushed herself off the wall. She was surprised to find that, despite the pain that had run through her body mere moments ago, she felt completely energised and ready to keep going. She gave another nod, more assured, and turned to face the farmer.

"Just a couple of archers, my lady," he said.

"Let's go," Elissa said, a bit more strength in her voice now.

They hurried on their way, got through the two archers without much fuss and soon found themselves in a surprisingly quiet part of the castle.

"We're getting close to the treasury," Eleanor said. "The Cousland family blade lies inside. We'll stay and keep a lookout, use this key. That blade cannot fall into Howe's hands."

Elissa paused, but then nodded and her and Loki headed into the treasury. She forced herself not to look at the dead guards near the tables, with their playing cards scattered on the table and floor around them, and moved to the far end of the room where the door to the treasury stood. She used the ancient-looking key and opened the door.

The room inside was not one that she'd been in often. It had vaulted ceilings, much like those in the grand hall, and a gilded green carpet ran down its centre towards an ornate chest. On all the walls were racks of weapons and frames holding various types of armour. The history of Highever and the Couslands, told through the tools of war.

A delicate elm shortbow caught her eye and she grabbed it from one of the racks, followed by a full quiver. Most of the armour sets were plate armour, far too heavy for her light frame, so she left them where they were and made her way to the chest at the end of the room.

Despite the urgency of her task, she couldn't help opening the chest with a slow reverence. Inside, was the Shield of Highever and the Cousland Family sword. She picked up the family sword and clipped it onto her back, making sure it wouldn't get in the way of her daggers. And, while shield use wasn't her natural fighting style, she could help the intense desire she felt to keep it out of Howe's hands and picked it up as well.

She took a moment to readjust herself as she was now laden down with far more than she was used to carrying, but eventually managed to balance everything in such a way that she could walk in a straight line with relative ease and could easily access her daggers and the pouches on her belt.

She heard a commotion outside in the corridor and hurried out to see her mother and the farmer fighting off more attackers. One soldier was already on the ground and only two remained. A few moments later though and these two had met the same end as their fallen comrade.

Without a word, they continued on towards the grand hall and the front gates where they could hear most of the fighting happening, hoping to find the teyrn there. On their way, they found a couple more Highever guards and gestured for them to follow, which they did with short solemn bows.

The moment they stepped into the great hall, Elissa was hit with a cacophony of noise and a flurry of activity. There was a good twenty men locked in heated combat.

Suddenly, there was a blast of cold air from the far side of the room and Elissa froze in horror at the sight of a woman in full-length, shimmering blue robes and wielding a staff. A mage.

"Elissa!" Eleanor cried out.

At the sound of her mother's voice, Elissa sprung into action. She surged forwards. The first two men fell immediately as her daggers sliced across their throats, then she ran towards the back of the room. The mage was surrounded on three sides by archers. She managed to take the first archer down before any of the group had even noticed she was there, being so focused on the main brawl happening in the hall. As soon as he fell though, the mage noticed her presence and turned her steely eyes on her instead. Instantly, Elissa was barraged with blasts of ice. She swung one of the shields around, blocking the brunt of the attack, and kept moving forward, towards the mage. Together they moved further and further into one of the alcoves along the side of the hall, along with one of the archers who was now also firing shots at Elissa.

The shield on her arm was slowly starting to freeze over and she could feel the ice beginning to burn her forearm.

There was a momentary pause in the mage's attacks and Elissa peeked her head around the side of the shield. At that moment the mage thrust her hands forwards and sent a blast of powerful lightning straight at Elissa. Without time to dodge out the way, all Elissa could do was hide behind her shield. Fortunately for her, the shield was wood, so the bolt didn't pass through it and into her, but the sheer power hitting the shield was enough to cause it to catch fire.

With a yelp, Elissa frantically dropped the shield. She looked up at her attacker, reading for another blast. But the mage seemed to be swaying slightly and fumbling with a pouch on her belt, and the archer was standing behind her looking very pale.

Doubting she'd get another chance, Elissa charged forward again. She plunged her dagger through the stomach of the mage and used the other blade to swipe across her throat. The mage fell with a cry, a dagger stuck in her abdomen. Elissa tried to pull the blade free, but it seemed stuck. A glance up at the archer and she saw he had quickly recovered and was frantically trying to knock an arrow. She left the blade where it was and thrust at the man with her single dagger. He dropped his bow and arrow unsheathed his sword, only just managing to block. She tried again. He blocked and counterattacked. She dodged but not before his blade sliced across her arm. She hissed in pain and surged forward, sending three perfectly timed strikes down on the man. He managed to block the first, but the second and third hit their mark.

Before she could stop herself, Elissa thrust a hand forward and, as if in slow motion, she saw all the life drain out of her opponent and he crumpled to the ground. A small needling sensation in her arm told her that her magic was healing the gash he'd made in her skin.

When she realised what she'd done, Elissa stumbled backwards, horrified. She'd done it again. And again, it had not been on purpose.

She shook herself. She could not give into panic now. Quickly, she hurried back to the body of the fallen mage and tugged at her dagger.

An arrow came whizzing passed her ear and she fell back to see the third and final archer was now solely focused on her. He knocked another arrow and aimed at her. She scrambled backwards and her hand landed on the dead archer's bow. She rolled out of the way of the oncoming arrow, quickly picked up the bow and arrow, and pivoted. In one swift movement she put the arrow on the string, then sent it flying towards the other archer.

Her arrow landed right between his eyes and he slumped to the ground.

Suddenly, all the movement in the hall ceased. The Highever crew looked around at the blood and destruction that now covered their home.

"Elissa!" Eleanor cried, her voice full of relief at the fact that her daughter looked largely unhurt. She hurried over and bundled her up in her arms, a quick glance over her to confirm she really was without serious injury.

"I'm fine, mother," Elissa said quietly. She too looked her mother up and down and was relieved to find her uninjured.

"Go! Man the gate!" Ser Gilmore commanded from the head of the room. "Keep those bastards out as long as you can!"

A few of his men saluted and limped off to follow his command.

The knight saw the two women and hurried over to them. "Your Ladyship! My lady! You're both alive! I was certain Howe's men had gotten through!"

"Have you seen my father?" Elissa asked him.

"He was looking for you two," Ser Gilmore replied, the colour in his face draining slightly. "He told us to hold the hall as long as possible. When I realised 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."

"Where is the Grey Warden?" Elissa asked.

"I've no idea," the knight replied. He frowned. "You don't think he's involved in this, do you?"

Eleanor gasped. "Perhaps he … was sent to kill Bryce? Oh dear … have you seen 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 to find you at the servants' exit in the larder."

"Bless you, Ser Gilmore," Eleanor said gently. "Maker watch over you."

"Maker watch over us all," the knight said firmly. He gave the women a solemn, powerful bow, then ran off to go and help his men.

"We have to go and find your father," Eleanor said, turning to face Elissa.

Elissa nodded, but paused. "Just give me a moment." With that, she hurried over to the body of the mage and had a quick look her pouches. She found a few vials of lyrium potion, as well as a couple of health poultices, which she quickly pocketed. She also found a small blue-green rock that was cold to the touch. Having never seen anything like it before, she was intrigued and decided to also take it with her. Perhaps her father, or even the Grey Warden, would be able to tell her what it was and what it did.

She hurried back to her mother and they were once again on their way, this time heading towards the kitchens.

They had to make their way through several more groups of soldiers and by the time they reached the kitchens, Elissa was once again starting to feel weak. But, she had run out of her own lyrium potions and she still could not contemplate using any she'd taken of their enemies' corpses.

In the kitchen, Elissa had to stop herself from crying out loud at the sight of Nan lying on the floor, her pale gnarled body in a pool of her own blood. She took a step towards the body of her beloved nanny, the tremors in her legs suddenly growing tenfold.

"Elissa, darling," Eleanor said softly, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "We have to go."

Elissa shrugged the hand off and knelt down by the old woman's body. Nan had always been there for her growing up, no matter what happened. She was always there. And she never cared that her young charge had magic, never thought any less of her. The young woman's eyes fell on the thin leather bracelet that was circling the nanny's left wrist. She leaned over and gently untied the strap. "Thank you, Nan," she whispered. "For everything."

She bowed her head for a moment, giving the old woman a moment of respect. After that, she stood up, tied the bracelet around her own wrist, and turned to face her mother. "Let's go," she said, her voice hard.

Eleanor just gave her a sad nod and they continued past the body and onto the door to the larder.

They rushed through the door and frantically looked around.

"There … you both are," came a very weak voice from the far corner of the small room. "I was …"

"Bryce!" Eleanor cried out and ran forward.

"… wondering when you'd get here."

"Maker's blood, what's happening?" Eleanor rushed as she fell to her knees beside her husband. It was only then that she seemed to notice the massive pool of blood he was laying in. "You're bleeding!"

"Howe's men…" he spat. "They found me first. Almost … did me in right there."

"We need to get you out of here!" Elissa said, hurrying to her father's side.

"I … I won't survive the standing, I think."

Suddenly, it was like the entire world had been tilted on its head and Elissa thought she'd pass out. NO! "Then we will stay and defend you!"

"Once Howe's men break through the gate, they will find us! We must go!" Eleanor added, clearly just as overwhelmed as her daughter.

"Someone …" the teyrn continued as if they hadn't said anything and Elissa did not like the tone he was using. "Someone … must reach Fergus … tell him what has happened."

"You can tell him yourself, Father," Elissa said, as firmly as she could.

"I … wish I could," the teyrn replied, then doubled over and let out a pained groan.

"Bryce, no!" the older woman suddenly turned on Elissa. "Do something!" she cried.

Elissa's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Use that blasted magic of yours!" Eleanor shouted.

"I -"

"No!" Eleanor cut her off. "No excuses! It's been a curse on this family your entire life, at least now you can actually use it for something. Do something!"

"Mother, I -" Elissa tried to say something, but tears welled up in her eyes and her voice caught in her throat.

"Eleanor," the teyrn said gently.

"What?" she snapped, turning her head back towards her dying husband. She saw the look in his eyes and sighed. "I can't lose you," she whispered.

"The castle is surrounded … I cannot make it," Bryce said slowly.

A set of heavy footprints approached them and Elissa was immediately up, her blades out.

"I'm afraid the teyrn is correct," Duncan said as he entered the room, sheathing his great-sword on his back. "Howe's men have not yet discovered this exit, but they surround the castle. Getting past will be difficult."

He took the final few steps into the room, ignoring Elissa's daggers, and also knelt down beside the teyrn.

Eleanor frowned slightly. "You are … Duncan, then? The Grey Warden?"

Duncan gave a solemn bow of his head. "Yes, your ladyship. The teyrn and I tried to reach you sooner."

"My daughter helped me get her, Maker be praised." She looked past the Grey Warden and made sure to catch Elissa's eyes as she said this.

Elissa took it for the apology it was and gave her mother a small nod. She relaxed slightly, lowering her blades. Although, not quite ready to put them away.

"I am not surprised," Duncan said, also turning to face Elissa. His eyes flickered to her drawn weapons and gave a small nod of his own, as if he was approving of her suspicion towards him.

"Are you going to help us, Duncan?" Elissa asked.

"Whatever is to be done now, it must be quick!" Eleanor cut in before the man had a chance to reply. "They are coming!"

"Duncan …" the teyrn started, again before the Grey Warden could even utter a word. "I beg you … take my wife and daughter to safety."

"I will, your Lordship. But …" Duncan bowed his head and paused a moment, as if almost reluctant to continue. "I fear I must ask for something in return."

"Anything!" the teyrn promised.

"What is happening here pales in comparison to the evil now loose in this world. I came to your castle seeking a recruit. The darkspawn threat demands that I leave with one."

Elissa's heart started beating frantically in her chest. Was he asking what she thought he was?

"I -" Bryce's face fell and he let out a heavy sigh. "I understand."

"What about Ser Gilmore?" Elissa asked in a rush.

"Truthfully, you were always my first choice," Duncan admitted. He turned his attention back to the teyrn. "I will take the teyrna and your daughter to Ostagar, to tell Fergus and the king what happened. Then, your daughter joins the Grey Wardens."

"So long as justice comes to Howe," the teyrn said through gritted teeth, then looked Duncan straight in the eye. "I agree."

At that, Duncan turned his attention solely on Elissa. "Then, I offer you a place within the Grey Wardens. Fight with us."

Elissa looked down at her dying father, then her mother's tear-stained face. She could still hear battle raging in other parts of the castle. Howe needed to pay. But wasn't this offer what she'd wanted since she'd found out there was a Grey Warden staying in the castle? Perhaps she could have both? In fact, the Grey Wardens had reach far greater than she could ever hope to have by herself and she'd need that if Howe ever tried to hide.

"I accept your offer," she said.

"We must leave quickly, then," Duncan said with a nod. He immediately stood up and prepared to go.

"Bryce, are you … sure?" Eleanor asked.

"Our daughter will not die of Howe's treachery," the teyrn replied, his voice more firm than it had been throughout the rest of the conversation. "She will live, and make her mark on the world."

Eleanor turned to look at Elissa. "Darling, go with Duncan. You have a better chance to escape without me."

Elissa made to argue but the teyrn got in their first. "Eleanor…"

"Hush, Bryce," the teyrna said. "I'll kill every bastard that comes through that door to buy them time. But I won't abandon you."

"No!" Elissa cried. "We can find another way. We can fight!"

"So we all die?" her mother snapped. She took a deep breath and sighed. "No. Your place is now the Grey Wardens. Mine is with your father. At his side, to death and beyond."

"I'm … so sorry it's come to this, my love …"

The teyrna leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her husband. "We had a good life and did all we could," she soothed. She looked up at Elissa and gave her a gentle smile. "It's up to our children, now."

"Then … go pup," the teyrn said, also looking up a Elissa. "Warn your brother. And know that we love you both. You do use proud."

Just then, there was an almighty crash and the entire castle trembled.

Duncan grabbed Elissa firmly by the shoulder. "They've broken through the gates. We must go now."

Elissa paused. She wanted to say something. Anything. She couldn't just leave them.

Duncan tugged on her arm again.

But she had to say something.

"Goodbye, darling," her mother said gently and she gave Elissa a look that told her that she knew what she wanted to say and that they loved her too.