Ostagar

A few hours later

"Look, we belong here. It's as simple as that." Gunnar Brosca tore off a piece of bread, and offered it to Kallian, who shook her head.

"We can help a little with the archers by picking up bows, but I didn't leave the Carta just to toss myself right into a darkspawn meatgrinder and die in all of this Blighted endless sky."

"I agree." Miirvath Mahariel was reviewing each arrowhead in his quiver. "This is a human war. Let the humans fight it. It has little to do with the Dalish."

Kallian Tabris didn't know what to say, but was definitely glad to be on the ramparts and not below.

"Well maybe for the rest of you you're fine to be here, but I'm not!"

Alistair was pacing back and forth, staring at the formation of soldiers.

"I should be down there with Duncan and the others. What if he falls?!"

"Alistair…" A horrible thought occurred to Hilda Aeducan "How many Grey Wardens are in Ferelden?"

He stopped pacing.

"What?"

"You can't tell me that the dozen men and women down there with the King's Guard are all of the Wardens in Ferelden?"

Alistair, feeling rather embarrassed, scratched his head "Well, our Order was only recently allowed to recruit in Ferelden again. It's a long story. It's apparently been a slow go of building our numbers back up."

"Are you saying…" Kallian's eyes went a little wide "Are you saying that if they all die down there…"

"How long have you been with the Grey Wardens, Alistair?"

The young man turned away from Hilda

"About a year."

"And do you know everything there is to being a Grey Warden? Recruitment, training, how to do this Joining Ritual, anything else we need to know?"

The silence was incredibly uncomfortable, but Alistair didn't even need to respond. His silence was enough for Gunnar to burst out laughing

"Oh shit, we are absolutely fucked, aren't we?"

The Valley

Don't swallow any of the blood. Don't even let it touch you.

But most importantly, always keep your eyes on Cailan.

She kept repeating this to herself, willing not to break.

Duncan looked at her, and smiled warmly. She smiled back.

"I said I'd help the Grey Wardens, and I meant it. I'll fight to my last breath if that's what it takes."

"You're a brave woman. You would have made an excellent Grey Warden."

"I agree." Cailan took a moment away from the field to look back "I'm glad to have you at my side, Elissa."

Elissa was a bit uncomfortable with the hidden overtures of that comment, but it didn't last. The darkspawn were in range, and it was time to face their fate.

Cailan unsheathed his greatsword.

"For Ferelden!"

The Ramparts

Solona Amell and Thalin Surana scanned the battlefield, looking at the Darkspawn horde swarming below.

"It's time. Cast the signal."

Immediately, Solona summoned the largest ball of fiery death that she could, and launched it into the air. Within several seconds of traveling high into the sky, it detonated, and the surrounding area was briefly illuminated.

"Good. You'd have to be blind not to see that, even in a battlefield. That should give Loghain plenty of time for the charge."

Handing her a mana potion, Thalin steeled himself for the next task.

"Now, let's change the weather for our unwanted guests."

"There. The signal." Cauthrien pointed out down to the valley "And it appears the mages were successful in creating that storm of theirs. The darkspawn are boxed in."

It was now or never. The storm wouldn't last forever, and neither would the defenders.

Loghain thought of Maric, of Rowan, and of Celia and Anora.

Cailan.

He clenched his fist on his sword.

"My Lord, shall I give the-"

He drew his sword, and raised it in the air.

"On my command! We ride to our King!"

Elissa was hacking away at the unholy creatures with her greatsword, but her arms were screaming from the pain. She couldn't keep this up.

What was incredibly unnerving, however, was that the creatures were deliberately targeting the Grey Wardens first.

She knew they had the potential for some moderate intelligence such as spellcasting and even traps, but this wasn't intelligence. The way they leapt at the Wardens was like…instinct.

This was something else.

The sound of large footsteps did not fully register in Elissa's mind until a large hand batted her away like an old toy doll. Duncan was also swept aside as a large Ogre picked up Cailan.

The young king struggled in its grasp as it pulled him in, inspecting him like a man would do to a bug before crushing it.

It roared directly in Cailan's face-

Before the scream was broken.

A blade pierced completely through the back of the kneecap.

Instantly, Cailan fell from the Ogre as it screamed.

Elissa tugged the blade out, her left hand holding her right rib cage. It was hard to breathe.

Duncan immediately leapt onto the toppled Ogre, stabbing his way up the abdomen.

A few more stabs, and it fell onto its back, where Cailan raised his greatsword and plunged it straight into the eyesocket.

"Ha!" Cailan cheered. "Nearly had me, this thing. Well done you two!"

His face fell a little when he looked at Duncan, who was standing over a crumbled Elissa.

She had just enough strength to lift her head and see that Loghain's cavalry charge was on its way…

…But not in time for the next wave of darkspawn that were advancing on their position.

Cailan took note of the advancing enemy, and knew he would not be able to slay them all. He would die in the attempt. But it might buy enough time for the rest of the defenders to survive when the cavalry charge arrived.

"Don't…" Elissa gasped.

Cailan looked down at the bloodied woman.

With every fiber of her being, she spoke what she believed would be her last words.

"Run."

Cailan noticed that Duncan had his dagger pointed at Elissa.

"It's best they don't capture her alive, your Majesty." Duncan explained. "There are worse fates than death."

"I agree."

Cailan lowered Duncan's hand.

"Like dishonor."

Elissa closed her eyes in defeat. Her plan had completely backfired, and she was the reason why.

Elissa believed that the prospect of real death at the hands of the darkspawn would finally reach Cailan and shake him out of his desire for glory. And that she could sacrifice herself and convince him here and now, with her own blood, that it was time to embrace reality.

But Cailan would never quit a battlefield, and even if he could, he would absolutely never run from a mob bent on slaying a woman.

She had failed. The last of the Theirins would perish today.

"You saved my life." Cailan wiped away a tear from her face. "Now it's my turn to save you. Give Alistair and your Father my regards. Farewell."

Cailan mustered his strength, and rushed towards his fate.

As for Duncan, this woman deserved far better than what the darkspawn had in store for her. They would not capture and turn her into a Broodmother while he drew breath. And the King had made his decision; perhaps Loghain could reach her in time.

"Stay safe, Lady Cousland."

Duncan joined Cailan.

Elissa's eyes never left them. Even as she vainly attempted to crawl after them, and as the darkness closed around her vision, she could still see them fighting a hopeless battle, completely outnumbered.

Before she lost consciousness, the sounds of horse galloping deafened her at last, and she felt two human hands pull her off the ground, until the darkness came and swallowed the entirety of her senses whole.

Surprise! Loghain actually committed to the battle plan.

Because of how the story has to play out, however, Duncan and Cailan still have to bite it, along with the rest of the Grey Wardens.

That doesn't mean, however, that things haven't changed from canon moving forward.