The North Road
Morrigan was openly concerned about her companion, but more for the reason that she had made a promise to bring Fergus' sister back alive, not necessarily out of any altruism. She liked to keep her word, out of a sense of pride if nothing else.
It didn't help that Elissa insisted on rushing back to her castle as soon as possible. That was why they were galloping on the road straight to Castle Cousland.
"And how do you expect the two of us will make such a difference if an army is at your family's doorstep, if you cannot even lift a sword?"
Morrigan's words cut to Elissa, but Elissa knew enough of Morrigan that it wasn't personal. Merely pointing out a logical problem.
"It's not my sword arm they need." She shook her head. "They need what I know."
"Dead men and women often have words left unsaid, especially those who rush to an early grave. You would not be the first."
Elissa changed the subject "So you found my brother's forces leaving Ostagar, what then?"
Morrigan shrugged "I offered my services, and passed on the words of my mother. That the darkspawn needed to be destroyed, you were being held hostage by General Loghain, and that they should seek to use the treaties to recruit more forces into their army."
In truth, Morrigan found Fergus…tolerable. To an extent. A warrior more comfortable commanding armies than leading a band of…whatever they were. Yet he did not seem to strictly follow Chantry dogma and fear.
He was certainly better company than Alistair and Leliana.
"Well, if I don't make it back home, I just want to say thank you. You didn't have to save me, and yet, you did. Consider yourself a friend of the Couslands."
The mention of the word friend did catch Morrigan off guard for a moment, before she brought back up her cool indifference. "You…your thanks are unnecessary. T'was merely part of our efforts to destroy the darkspawn. Now, if you truly mean to save your family from this Arl Howe and his armies, let us waste no more time on chatter."
Morrigan snapped at the reins, and her horse sped up ahead.
Elissa smirked, and followed suit, snapping her reins as well.
Highever
Outside Castle Cousland
Several days later
—
"Why not come out and settle this, Lord Bryce?!" Lord Guy screamed into the night. "Why let your bannerman and servants suffer for your treason?! They don't have to die because you tossed your lot in with the Orlesians and their whore Empress!"
Never again, Guy reassured himself. Never again would the Orlesians gain a foothold into Ferelden.
His liege lord Rendon Howe had tasked him with maintaining pressure on the Castle, until the Arl convinced the Regent to send reinforcements North and reclaim the Castle by force.
Only….Guy was tired of waiting. He craved a fight.
Surely the Couslands forces were depleted enough that his standing forces would suffice?
He'd heard talk of other, richer lords installing secret escape tunnels and the like, in case of an invasion. Guy had personally seen one in the city of Amaranthine itself.
If there was one here, his men would find it. And there would be no need of a battering ram to crush the gates. They would storm the castle from within.
The ginger haired man reached for his bottle of Antivan Brandy, but as he poured himself a glass, it suddenly dawned on him that his camp was quieter than usual.
Downing the liquid and scanning suspiciously from his observation point, he could see that some of his posts were missing torches.
Each post was supposed to have a man holding a torch…
His panic spiked, but then that gave way to irritation. It could be that some of his men had decided to play cards and shirk their duties. They would be flogged if that were the case.
So, he decided to walk to one of the outposts and see for himself.
Boots crushing the grass underneath, he looked up at the makeshift wooden platform, and saw nothing…
…except for a pair of boots behind one of the crates nearby.
He drew his sword and immediately dashed over, to see one of his men with his throat freshly cut.
Guy looked up and saw shadows move in the darkness, moving towards the other outposts.
At that exact moment, a war horn shattered the tenuous calm, It was coming from the forest nearby.
"TO ARMS!" Guy shouted. He proceeded to run towards the nearest soldiers, who were a bit drunk and not fully in command of their senses.
"To arms, you fools! We are under attack! Form ranks now!"
His shouting was eventually eclipsed by the sudden rise of footsteps….
…and horse steps.
"Well…" Gunnar pulled her dagger out of another corpse. He looked at his fellow sabateur, Kallian.
"Time to step into the light and join the party, eh?"
Fergus Cousland led the cavalry, with Alistair and Elissa's loyal hound Tristan at his side. The campground was quickly overrun, and devolved into a chaotic brawl, with horses trampling everything underfoot from sleeping soldiers, to tents, to cutlery and wine bottles. Fergus swung his sword upwards at a man only half dressed for battle, his chest expelling forth a ribbon of dark red..
Hilda Aeducan, not having ridden a horse in her life, was instead at the head of the infantry. As the cavalry dispersed from the center of the camp to harass the sides and surround their prey, the main army served as the hammer to the anvil.
Such a hammer was swung by Hilda into her opponent's head, which simply ceased to exist after the force of such a swing. She caught another challenger's sword with her shield arm, parried it effortlessly, and riposted by breaking three of his ribs. Grinning maliciously, she finished the job by swinging her mace down with all her might onto his spine, breaking him utterly.
Sten, eager to make short work of this task, sought out the most problematic of the warriors, since he could not be certain of the competence of his peers. Indeed, one fighter had a large pike that could be a problem for his mounted allies. The man took note of the giant qunari and attempted to thrust right into his head.
He held his ground, but dodged the attack at the last minute and grasped the wooden spear with a vice grip. The weapon was snapped like a ripe twig in the hand of the giant. He stabbed the man in the gut with his greatsword, lifted him up for only a moment, and threw him into three other charging soldiers, who toppled under the unexpected projectile.
On the battlements of the castle, Bryce watched the violence unfold below. Recognizing the banners of his returning soldiers, he looked below at the guardsmen at the gate.
"Open up, and prepare yourselves for battle! My son has returned!"
Some of the Amaranthine attackers saw the gates open and decided that taking their chances going inside was better than staying here. This turned out to be a poor choice, as the defenders of the castle were angry, vengeful, and in no mood to offer quarter.
Lord Guy saw that some of his men had lost their nerve, only to be run down by knights on horseback.
A gigantic fireball arced into the sky, and detonated into a group of eight men. Those that weren't killed outright by the force of the blast were screaming, desperately attempting to extinguish the flames in vain.
Solona looked at her work dispassionately, and began to charge another spell.
"You see that one right there?" Leliana gestured with her left hand, holding the bow steady "That's almost certainly an officer. We want to target them first."
An arrow was loosed from the treeline in the forest nearby, and found its mark, striking one of Guys captains dead only two dozen feet away from Lord Guy.
"I see." Miirvath pulled back on the bow string "Let's see if I can do better."
Guy was no coward, but he knew he needed to find shelter fast, and did so behind one of the more sturdy tents still standing.
"Damn." Miirvath cursed. "I really wanted that one. Oh well. Let's see if I can find another."
Lord Guy knew he would not likely leave here alive. From a mere glance, his forces were severely outnumbered, and they were dying fast. But he refused to surrender to this…this scum!
He would take as many of these Orlesian loyalists down with him as he could.
Suddenly, he saw a silver figure on horse back, giving orders. That had to be the Cousland boy.
Even if he couldn't get the Teryn and Teryna, killing their eldest son would be a blow for enemy morale.
Guy sprinted forward with his sword, attempting to take the young nobleman by surprise. Fergus had just enough time to spin his horse around and see his attacker.
Fergus didn't need to even lift his sword.
A brown mass of fangs and claws leapt from the darkness and tackled Guy to the ground.
"Eyaarggh!" Guy clenched his teeth.
The mabari clamped down on his sword wrist, and was attempting to disarm him. Guy tried to punch the creature, but that only made Tristan squeeze harder, drawing blood.
Guy finally relented, and the mabari immediately whipped around and placed its teeth on his neck, growling as a warning.
One false move, and his life would be over.
It was hard to see from such an awkward angle, but he could see his opponent dismounting and approaching.
"Good boy, Tristan. I'll take it from here."
The pressure was removed from his neck and the creature dismounted Lord Guy, who immediately picked his sword back up and rose to his feet.
"You're Lord Guy, am I not mistaken?" Fergus brandished his sword. "I believe we spoke at Denerim last winter. This occupation of yours ends here."
"Traitors!" Guy snarled "You and your rotten family will never get the chance to spend that Orlesian gold you sold your souls for!"
"Is that the lie Howe told you?" Fergus wore an expression of disappointment, unimpressed "Is that all it took for you to forsake your oaths to the North? I'm sorry to tell you that you've made a terrible mistake, but you need not suffer any longer for it."
"You want me to beg?!" Lord Guy snarled. "Never!"
"I want you to surrender." Fergus corrected him. "Lay down your arms and command your forces to yield, or there will be further violence."
Guys response was to spit in the grass between them. Sensing that Guy would need to die for this to end, but unwilling to slay an unarmed opponent, Fergus kicked the sword on the ground to his opponent.
"This is your last chance." Fergus warned his opponent, who did not hesitate to rearm himself. "Yield."
"Rot in hell, boy!"
"You had your chance." His tone was now grim. "The price for betraying your liege lord is death. Your life is forfeit."
"Come and take it then!"
Guy swung madly at Fergus, who deftly parried the incoming strikes.
Lord Guy was fierce and strong, Fergus noted, but his method was…sloppy. And the man was overcome with rage.
He needed to be patient. Keep him swinging. Wait for an opening.
Guy, frothing at the mouth that he was only striking steel or open air, finally overextended himself by attempting to decapitate Fergus from a distance.
The Cousland scion ducked and slid on the wet grass, using the momentum of his dive to saw into Guy's exposed mid section.
Fergus planted his feet into the ground in front of him and spun backwards, sword out, observing his opponent.
Blood dripping from his mouth, Guy could only turn about halfway before collapsing from the ground.
Not wishing for his opponent to suffer needlessly, Fergus immediately approached, kicked the sword out of his hands, and drove his blade right into the heart, killing him.
Fergus surveyed the battlefield. They had routed Guy's forces. It was time to offer mercy.
He raised a hand, and one of the lieutenants blew into his horn.
"Lord Guy is dead! Your forces are bested! Lay down your weapons and I promise you all shall be fairly judged!"
Some of the Amaranthine soldiers looked at eachother, with no direct leader in sight.
One attempted to make a run for it, but was struck by an arc of lightning.
"I suggest you take his offer." Thalin glared, his fingertips crackling with arcane energy. "You'll receive far worse from me."
Their forces were completely surrounded, and reduced to a tenth of their number now.
The ground thumped with the sound of yielded blades.
"Fergus!"
Sheathing his sword, he looked up at a figure in combat leathers, wielding a longbow, running from the Castle Gates.
"Mother!"
They embraced, Fergus squeezing her tightly.
Eleanor was proud, but not proud enough to cry, squeezing her eyes shut "When we heard what happened to the King in Ostagar, I feared the worst."
"It's alright." Fergus breathed out. "We are safe. All of us. Because of Elissa."
"Son."
Fergus released Eleanor and clasped his Lord Father's hand tightly, pulling him in for an embrace.
"Elissa told me that Oriana and Oren are safe, but I need to hear it from you. Did they make it to the Stormlands."
"They're fine, Fergus." Bryce smiled warmly "You have my word. I sent some of my best knights to protect them."
Bryce looked around at the soldiers assembled. "Where's your sister? She said she was going to bring you back."
Fergus lost his smile, and wore a grim expression. Eleanor opened her mouth a little, but Fergus raised a hand.
"She's alive. Last I heard, and hopefully she's making her way back to us now. But…"
He leaned in for a whisper "There's a lot I need to tell you; a great deal happened at Ostagar. Elissa was in great danger, and might still be."
"I want to hear everything." Bryce stepped forward, bending one knee to examine the corpse of Lord Guy. "Elissa wasn't exactly…forthcoming when she alerted us to the danger here. Not that there would have been time. Anything you can tell us about Howe, Loghain, and their plans-"
"And Cailan."
Bryce snapped up and frowned at his son "What of Cailan?"
Fergus couldn't say a word, but looked at the battlefield, at a figure in golden armor. Both Bryce and Eleanor gazed at a man wearing golden armor, brandishing a familiar sword. They turned to each other in astonishment, and a hint of recognition.
"It's hard to get a straight answer out of that one." Fergus admitted about the blonde Grey Warden "But he has a tale of his own to tell you."
A soldier tapped Fergus' shoulder. "My Lord!" He then pointed to the roads leading to the south.
There were two figures on horseback, at a walking pace.
"I assume that is your home?" Morrigan casually gestured. "Impressive. Apart from the fresh corpses, of course. And those are your family's banners, are they not? It appears your side prevailed, as said banners have not been stricken down."
Elissa was at the end of her stamina. She'd fought bloody battles, was placed into chains, tortured, then escaped and galloped headlong into Ostagar and then back home. Not a moment of rest.
Seeing the sigil of Highever still over her home, her expression was one of weariness, and unmeasurable bliss. At the sight of her final destination, her will finally crumbled.
Bryce, Eleanor, Fergus and Tristan had just enough time to recognize one of the horse riders, before she toppled over sideways and fell off her horse.
Tristan barked, and sprinted forward to his mistress.
Sorry for the long pause! Like I said though, the updates will be longer between, as I've been playing a lot of Elden Ring.
