Chapter 12

From a bird's eye view of the ancient, ruined fortress of Ostagar, one would see the King's army, the largest standing army of veteran and experienced soldiers in Ferelden, currently assembled. Thousands of men and women; armed and ready to lay down their lives to stop the greatest evil in the world from wiping out their homeland.

It was understandable that among these devoted soldiers at least a few would be afraid. And, like any person facing potential death, they dealt with it on their own time in their own ways.

Some prayed.

Some drank.

Some…sought company in another's arms.

But in the days since the King's army was called to Ostagar, of the thousands present, a rare few deserted – or attempted to desert. The extremely minute amount of these deserters was phenomenal, considering the threat they were facing. The only thing a leader could be prouder of was no deserters at all.

In a cordoned off area of the army camp was a section reserved for the king himself. The space taken up by the king's tent and the area walled off by his personal guard could have been used by at least a dozen other soldiers to set up camp, but no one complained.

Within the king's tent were two individuals.

First was the king himself, King Cailan Theirin. The very model of a hero king, Cailan was dressed in his personalized armor set, his helmet on the table in the center of the tent next to the map they were using to plan the battle. His long, flowing blonde hair was partially braided back, as was the popular style among the Ferelden nobility, and there was not a speck of dirt on his face that denoted he even so much as stepped outside the tent in days. He was very likely the cleanest man in the entire army.

On the opposite side of the table from the king was his most trusted advisor, general of his army, and father to his "beloved" queen, Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir. A veteran of the Ferelden Civil War against Orlais, the man was a soldier through and through and it showed. His armor, likely once a work of art like the king's, was scratched, faded, but still very much as strong as the day it was forged. Though his demeanor appeared tired of trying to wrangle the king into taking this latest strategy meeting seriously, his eyes appeared to conceal…something else behind it.

"For the fifth time, Cailan," Loghain said, his voice revealing his annoyance with his royal son-in-law, "we cannot stick to our previous strategy for our next battle with the darkspawn. Ostagar may still be standing, but it's a ruin and has been for a long time. Just this morning, the soldiers posted at the Tower of Ishal reported an unknown tunnel leading into it from an unknown location."

"I am aware, Loghain," the king replied, "but why risk fixing that which is unbroken? We have a strategy that works for now. Until our scouts return from the Korcari Wilds, we should shore up our defenses, patch the holes in our walls, and do everything else we need to prepare."

Restraining himself from groaning in frustration, Loghain gently rubbed his eyes and said, "A…sensible strategy, Cailan, but repetition is always an ally to your enemies."

Further discussion was halted when one of Loghain's soldiers entered the tent.

The lady Ser Cauthrien was one of Loghain's knights and most trusted lieutenant. Though she stood in the presence of her king and showed the respect toward him that was expected, clearly Teyrn Loghain was the man she deferred to.

"Beg you pardon, Your Majesty, but Teyrn Loghain just received an emergency letter from Gwaren."

"My teyrnir?" Loghain asked.

"Yes, teyrn."

"Please excuse me, Your Majesty. I must see to this."

"Of course, Loghain," King Cailan said, any annoyance in his voice gone. "See to that. We will continue upon your return."

"Thank you, Cailan." Loghain said. He exited the tent, his soldier at his side.

"The letter is in your tent, my Teyrn," Ser Cauthrien said.

"Thank you, Cauthrien. Return to your post."

After a short walk to his tent, Loghain double-checked to make sure he was alone before picking up the sealed letter on his desk. Breaking the seal, he read the words on it, a mix of satisfaction and sickness rolling around in him.

L

This is your partner.

Everything went according to plan.

H

Growling, Loghain crumpled the letter in his hand before throwing it into the brazier set up in his tent.

As he watched the paper burn to ashes, he composed himself before exiting his tent and headed to where his personal soldiers were. Might as well actually accomplish something before returning to another pointless meeting with his king.

"I know you will never be able to forgive me, Maric, but everything I do, I do for Ferelden."

Far away, on the other side of Ferelden, back on the independent island nation of Mother Base, a final meeting was taking place on the landing area of Command Platform 1. It was temporarily converted into an expanded rally point, with even a small platform built on the helicopter pad next to the helicopter for the leadership to stand on to address the audience.

The audience in question consisted of less than a hundred Mother Base soldiers, including leadership from the various departments, the Couslands, and, interestingly, a recent re-addition to Mother base leadership.

Code Talker was Mother Base's oldest resident; an elderly Navajo biologist who specialized in parasitology, the study of the biology of parasites and parasitic diseases and was directly responsible for saving Mother Base from an outbreak of an extraordinarily infectious disease years ago.

Since that time, he had become a fixture in Mother Base's R&D department and made it his business to ensure another outbreak of any kind did not happen on his new home. His blind eyes, unusual clothing that reflected his native American heritage, advanced age, and strange mannerisms and speech was…a surprise to the Couslands when they met him, but he did not take offense. It took much more to offend him these days.

He had emerged from his bolt hole on one of the R&D platforms, having sequestered himself when Mother Base was "moved" and re-emerged during Big Boss' previous darkspawn hunting mission.

"Alright, everybody," Miller said to the assembled crowd. He was standing to the left of Big Boss; Ocelot was standing to Big Boss' right, and the Couslands were standing next to them. Before them were members of the most highly trained of Diamond Dogs' divisions. Senior Command, the Combat Unit, R&D, Base Development, Support, Intel, and Medical.

It was time for Diamond Dogs to move in force, and it was starting today.

"I know there are some of you who have been eager to get back to work. After our…rough introduction to Thedas," Miller ignored the questioning looks sent to him from the Couslands at his words, "I also know some of you have felt…things have been out of your control. Today, well, today is the day all that changes for good. Diamond Dogs is about to truly make its presence known. The people of Highever, the home of our guests, the Couslands, are, even as we speak, suffering from oppression and greed. Now, we may be in the minority, but Big Boss, Ocelot, and I are not going to stand for that. What do you all say?!"

Everyone present shouted "No!" and stamped their feet, sending a small shockwave through the entire platform. While Bryce and Eleanor looked worried for a moment at the, however small, shake in the artificial island, the three leaders of Diamond Dogs felt empowered by their soldiers' support.

Ocelot stepped forward, "Within the hour, I will be taking the men and women who volunteered with me to begin the work of loosening the traitorous Howe's grip on Highever. Big Boss, however, will be going straight for the head, the King of Ferelden himself, and letting him know who we are and that we mean business!"

The soldiers present let out a cheer.

Big Boss stepped forward then, and everyone went quiet, eager to hear what he had to say.

"The best is yet to come for Diamond Dogs, everyone." The way he said it, with no hesitation or embellishment, said far more than the words themselves did. This was not a claim he was making or a simple promise; it was a fact, indisputable and guaranteed. "And we will make ourselves known. For our allies, we will be victorious. And to our enemies, we will be feared. Let us show them why."

Interpreting the end of the rally, the soldiers present cheered before dispersing. Some back to their stations, some to their predetermined meeting points to await deployment into the field, and a few came closer and stood at parade rest.

"That was quite the speech, Ahab." Bryce said from his seat in his wheelchair. "Careful, though. It almost sounded like you were declaring war on the world."

Ocelot chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Bryce. We're not there yet." He winked at the Cousland couple, but that did not reassure them much. For all they knew, that could've been an endgame for Diamond Dogs. Ocelot certainly proved he could obfuscate the truth with ease. "Anyways," he said, "I should go do a last check on my strike force before we head off to Highever. It's been a while since we toppled a foreign government."

Ocelot chuckled again at his own words as he left, but that only served to slightly raise Bryce and Eleanor's apprehension. Not for the first time the two were…apprehensive of this alliance, only to have the latest reminder of why they did when Big Boss spoke.

"Ignore his jokes, Bryce, Eleanor. I promise you he will succeed in his mission. In a few short weeks, Highever will be yours again, and Howe will be brought to justice."

"I hope so, Ahab." Eleanor said. "I hope so."

"Anyways, Boss," Miller said, "you should get going. Ostagar is on the opposite side of Ferelden from where we are. If you leave now, you should get there tomorrow morning the latest."

"Got it. Has the Support team loaded my equipment on Pequod's helicopter?"

"Everything you requested, Boss, as well as some backup equipment and supplies. Better safe than sorry, right?'

"Right." He turned and headed for Pequod's helicopter, followed by Miller and the Couslands.

"Boss," Bryce said while being pushed closer by the soldier attending to him. "You never did tell me what exactly you hope to gain by approaching the King now."

Big Boss hoisted himself into the helicopter and said, "At best? A pledge of support from the King to ensure Highever's reconstruction and acknowledgement of its return to your control. At least? Absolutely nothing, which would let us work unimpeded by him until it is too late for him to do anything. And in the unlikely case the King had a hand in Howe's coup? Evidence of his involvement; letters, supply shipments, anything."

The possibility that the King had a hand in Howe's coup seemed to either never occurred to the Couslands or was so unlikely they didn't take it into consideration, judging by the look of surprise on their faces.

"You don't seriously think the King had a hand in it, do you, Ahab?" Eleanor asked.

"No," Big Boss said as the helicopter rotors started whirring up. "But I'd rather be prepared for the possibility than be taking by surprise."

His answer seemed to relieve her and she, along with everyone else present, backed away from the rising helicopter.

"Good luck, Boss!" Miller shouted from the ground.

The Diamond Dogs soldiers behind the group all snapped to attention, saluting him as he departed. He returned the salute, relieving them, before he slid the door shut.

He took his usual seat and settled in for a long ride; something he was used to by now.

Pequod half-turned in his seat at the cockpit to say, "Sun will be going down soon, Boss. We should reach Ostagar in a few hours."

Big Boss nodded and leaned back in his seat, a-Ha's "Take On Me" blasting in his ear as he unknowingly flew into the dragon's maw.

Korcari Wilds

Deep in the Korcari Wilds, in front of her meager hut that had been her home for centuries, Flemeth sat in a rickety old chair, looking out over her "realm" of swamps and marshes currently occupied by the blighted darkspawn. Her appearance and demeanor gave no indication of what she was thinking, seemingly the picture of tranquility.

However, beneath the surface, she was practically vibrating with energy.

Anticipation for the history that was about to happen.

Apprehension for what could happen if the dies of fate fell the wrong way.

And, oddly enough, the tiniest sliver of…hope? Did she hope? Does she dare?

Why, it seems I do, she thought to herself, letting out a cackling laugh.

"Mother dear, surely you don't intend to make my foraging our dinner harder by frightening away the rabbits with your laugh?" Her beloved daughter, Morrigan, said, coming up behind her.

"Bah!" Flemeth replied. "Make your jokes while hunting, Morrigan. The darkspawn draw closer each day, and I don't want to lose my only daughter so soon. My heart couldn't take it. Hahaha!"

"Your concern warms my heart, dear mother. I shall return soon."

As she watched her youngest daughter confidently start out into the Wilds, Flemeth couldn't help but hope, in her own way, that she was prepared for what was about to happen.

"Well, Fate, my old friend, let us see how cruel you decide to be this go around."

Night had fallen as Pequod's helicopter sped over the forests of the Southron Hills. They were behind schedule, much to Big Boss mild frustration and Pequod's chagrin. At the moment, Diamond Dogs was still unknown to the larger world and that was an advantage they were trying to preserve until they were ready to announce themselves. That meant unnecessary exposure was not recommended.

Because of this mandate, Pequod had been forced to make an unexpected detour to avoid a budding settlement in the Bannorn they previously weren't aware of.

Big Boss wasn't naïve enough to hope that they managed to completely avoid being exposed there, and the incident had him making a quick call back to Mother Base to inform Miller of the settlement's location so he could add it to their growing overarching map of Ferelden, and a promise that they would discuss their expanding their intel-gathering operations in the near future.

For now, Big Boss was focused on what he was going to say to the King, and, less likely but still a possibility, to Aedan.

In the short time he had known the youngest son of Bryce and Eleanor while he stayed at Highever, Big Boss had gotten a good read on the young man and was optimistic about what he saw. Aedan was young, still learning about himself, who he was and what kind of man he would be. He was strong and had plenty of raw talent with of room for improvement, a trait Big Boss always looked for in recruits. And Big Boss was shooting in the dark here, but Aedan struck him as a…good man.

A good man, and the makings to be a hell of a soldier.

Not bad, Big Boss thought to himself, a smirk on his voice.

Four hours later

"Approaching AO, Boss." Pequod said over the headphones, bringing Big Boss out of his thoughts. "T-minus three minutes."

Big Boss had gotten off a quick radio conference with the team in Denerim a few minutes ago; they were updating him on the state of their new headquarters, an abandoned mansion in the higher end district, courtesy of their newfound wealth earned under their "Dark Wolf" jobs. They had moved in a couple of days ago and were currently renovating it to suit their needs. Big Boss didn't ask for details, trusting them and Miller to inform him when something truly important came up.

He was grateful to be kept in the loop, but admittedly there were reasons subordinates were given the task of sorting through the mundane.

He had signed off and spent the next few minutes staring out the window when Pequod informed him of their impending arrival. Now he was checking his equipment for the last time, ensuring he had everything, including the signed letter from the Couslands vouching for him and Diamond Dogs.

He was just about to slide open the door and wait for landing when he heard Pequod whisper over the headphones, "Oh my God."

'What?" he asked. "Pequod? What is it?"

"It's…um…Jesus, um, Boss, I think you need to see this."

The tone of fear in Pequod's voice grabbed Big Boss' attention and he immediately made his way up to the cockpit. What he saw took away all words from him.

What once must have been a mighty castle was now mostly ruined and almost completely covered in fire. The occasional flaming boulder flew across his vision, crashing into one of the few remaining towers of the fortress. Even from their place high up in the sky, Big Boss could see people running back and forth along the battlements, firing their arrows down at the valley floor.

One look told him why.

The entire valley floor was filled with people and the occasional massive fire where a boulder had landed. He could see hundreds, maybe thousands at least, of humans fighting each other.

No, not each other.

Many were humans. But most…

Most were darkspawn.

"The battle's already begun," Pequod stated, unnecessarily. "We're too late, Boss."

Big Boss barely heard him. His focus was locked onto several massive horned figures towering over the humans, easily plowing through them like they weren't even there. He growled, seeing one of the monstrosities pick up a still living man and biting his head off, like he was a snack.

He moved back from the cockpit and slid open the door.

"Boss?!" Pequod asked, alarmed. "What are you doing?"

"What are we doing," he corrected him. "They're getting slaughtered down there and we can help. Make sure the chopper's cameras are recording the battle and then open fire. Pick your targets carefully. We're here to help the army, not exterminate everything in sight."

For a moment, Big Boss was sure he saw a look of apprehension on Pequod's face, but if it was ever there, it was immediately replaced by a look of resolution. "Yes, Boss," Pequod confidently replied, turning back to the front and preparing the helicopter to experience its second taste of combat in this new world.

Hooking the strap to his belt, Big Boss activated the helicopter's left minigun. Firmly grasping it in his hands, he aimed it at cluster of darkspawn near the edge of the battlefield that had no humans among them. Breathing, focusing, he pulled the trigger and, after a moment, the minigun spewed a torrent of 7.62mm caliber bullets at the unsuspecting enemies.

Big Boss smirked in satisfaction as he saw the darkspawn utterly stunned by the loud noise of the minigun and completely unequipped to even hope to resist its fire. Within a minute, the cluster he was aiming at was mostly down and he was already turning the still firing minigun to another larger crowd.

Pequod, for his part, was seemingly enjoying utilizing the helicopter's weaponry to its fullest without the worry of any danger in the enemy returning fire. After a couple minutes of indiscriminate slaughter, Pequod shouted, "Hand on, Boss!", and suddenly jerked the helicopter to the right just in time to avoid a flaming boulder that was thrown in their direction.

Having just barely enough time to secure himself by grabbing onto the door handle, Big Boss was annoyed, to say the least.

"Giant…monster…thing at your eight o'clock, Boss!" Pequod shouted.

Big Boss only needed a second to find the monster he was pointing out and saw it was already hoisting another boulder on its shoulders, preparing to throw. Grunting, he practically broke the minigun off its placement while turning it so fast to take aim at this monster. Not having the time to check for any nearby humans this time, though he saw none after a quick look, Big Boss pulled the trigger.

To his infinite relief, the monster seemed to have very little in the way of armor, certainly not enough to stop modern weaponry. It fell to the ground after a few seconds of sustained fire and the boulder that it was holding above its head fell on it, crushing it. Another giant monster was taken down by a H-Rocket Pequod fired at it, also taking out several darkspawn nearby in the explosion.

By now, much of the two armies, darkspawn and human, had taken notice of their helicopter in the sky, as well as its attacks on the darkspawn.

The darkspawn had almost completely ceased fighting the Ferelden army and focused their attention on the helicopter. So engrossed in this unknown factor were they that they didn't even notice when the Fereldens took advantage of their distracted state to continue cutting them down. Whereas before when they were barely holding the line, now each soldier on the field was taking three darkspawn.

While the Fereldens continued fighting from the ground, Big Boss and Pequod continued shooting and blowing up large numbers of darkspawn from the safety of their high vantage point. The swarm of darkspawn that had been in the valley below when they arrived now had a noticeable loss in forces.

Unfortunately, this did not last long.

The darkspawn had been distracted by the new arrivals for roughly twenty seconds and in that time, they had sustained more losses than their liege had expected, or tolerated, in what was essentially a "small" battle in its plans. With a roar that only they could hear, the darkspawn resumed fighting, only somehow, with an increased intensity.

It was like the archdemon itself was flying above them, instead of that unknown mechanical beast, driving them into a frenzy. Whereas before the Fereldens managed to keep up with the seemingly endless horde of darkspawn, after their momentary distraction, they fought with an intensified savagery that took them completely by surprise.

This frenzy extended to the darkspawns' efforts in bringing down Big Boss and Pequod. They had to fly higher when several darkspawn managed to land several arrows in the bottom hull of the helicopter. Though it was more of a scratch in the armor than anything, all it would take is one lucky arrow.

"Boss!" Pequod called out. "Look at this!"

Big Boss turned his attention from the horde below to what Pequod was pointing at. One of the more intact towers of Ostagar had a fire burning on the top.

"So?" he said.

"That wasn't there a minute ago and no boulders have been fired at the keep since we arrived. Someone set that fire up there, Boss!"

The possibilities ran through Big Boss' head as he thought about it. "Maybe it's a signal." Big Boss theorized.

"For what, Boss?"

"I don't know."

Off in the woods, at a safe distance from the battle, Teyrn Loghain and his army watched as the battle raged below him.

Foolish boy, he thought to himself. Your eagerness and lust for glory has finally landed you in a situation too deep for you to talk yourself out of. Had you listened…but you didn't. And now it falls to me to keep this land safe from those you wish to invite with open arms.

His right-hand and most trusted lieutenant, Ser Cauthrien, stood at his side, as she had for years, waiting for his order to attack.

I am sorry Cauthrien, Loghain thinks to himself. I am sorry to do this to your honor. We may be painted as deserters, even traitors, but this must be done to secure Ferelden's independence from our enemies.

With a deep breath and as much authority as he could muster, Teyrn Loghain ordered, "Sound the retreat."

To say that she was shocked would be a grave underestimate of Ser Cauthrien's feelings. "But…what about the king? Should we not—"

She did not get to answer, as Loghain grabbed her arm and harshly said, "Do as I command."

Torn between her loyalty to Loghain and to the Crown, Ser Cauthrien knew she could very well be executed for deserting the King, despite the orders of her superior. But loyalty won out. She pulled her arm out of his grasp, turned to the soldiers, and said, "Pull out! All of you, let's move!"

As his soldiers left the field, Loghain took one last look at the Tower of Ishal's beacon and said to himself, "Please forgive me, Maric." And then he turned and left with his soldiers.

On the field below him, the hope that was brought by the lighting of the beacons and the earlier arrival of the unknown flying creature was immediately stomped out when the brutal realization that the promised reinforcements had not come.

The soldiers in the valley that had cheered when they saw the lit beacon, fully expecting the reinforcements to come pouring into the valley and wipe the darkspawn out with the element of surprise, now looked at it forlornly as they were systematically cut down by the frenzied darkspawn.

Hope had been kindled…and had been immediately stomped out.

Big Boss wasn't entirely sure what was supposed to happen after the lighting of this signal beacon, but after a few minutes went by and the battle only turned back in the darkspawns' favor, he knew that the battle was lost.

"Pequod!" Big Boss shouted to his pilot over the roar of the minigun. "Fly us over the Ferelden army and tell them they need to retreat! They're going to be overrun soon!"

"Yes, Boss!" Pequod replied, maneuvering the helicopter over the remains of the Ferelden army.

"Attention, Fereldens!" Pequod said over the helicopter's speakers. "You must retreat now! The darkspawn are about to overwhelm you and you will have nowhere to go! Retreat now!"

Some of them heeded their warning, some of them didn't and continued fighting, and some of them stood confused. Whatever their reaction, there was still a high chance they were going to die regardless. And watching these brave soldiers get overwhelmed by these monster broke Big Boss' heart.

He climbed back into the helicopter and took his seat. Even if they managed to find the king in all this madness, the chances that he was dead were higher than if he wasn't. And even if he wasn't, they couldn't extract him from the middle of a battlefield like this. Besides, even if they did, what then? Were they just going to abandon this army without its king?

"Take us home, Pequod." Big Boss said, that hollow feeling in his chest deepening with every word. "We failed."

Shortly after the helicopter was safely away, a massive winged monstrosity made itself known to its army of darkspawn and the few survivors unfortunate enough to not have escaped certain death.

The archdemon had appeared.

Landing on top of the ruins-turned-mass-grave that was Ostagar, the archdemon looked over its horde before it reared its head back, and then roared into the stormy night sky.

Miles away from the massacre presently occurring at Ostagar, a roar was heard that reverberated through the entire village of Lothering.

In the village's chapel, a young red-haired woman nearly leapt out of her single bed in fear, not due to the unnatural roar, but by her dream.

The young lady sat up in bed, clutching her heart, willing it to stop.

But she was never one to allow fear to keep her paralyzed. The dream was real, it had to be.

She did not know where she was standing, though it was clearly underground. She had heard enough stories and descriptions of dwarven cities to know she was standing in the Deep Roads; the all-encompassing phrase that referred to the subterranean highway system that spanned beneath all of Thedas, according to the stories.

The underground road she was standing on was well-lit and, more notable, littered with dead bodies.

Humans.

Elves.

Dwarves.

Even a few members of the giant, horned people from the far north, the Qunari.

Among the many bodies were some, not many, of the horrific darkspawn.

A battle had taken place here, and given the disproportionate numbers of the dead, it was clear who was the victor.

Her heart went heavy at the sight of the dead; the lost potential snuffed out by the greatest evil in the world. So taken by her grief, she almost didn't hear the thumping of charging feet and the snarling of the approaching darkspawn.

Wasting a second on a quick look behind her to confirm her pursuers, she broke into a run, blindly running down the opposite direction. She did not know how far or for how long she had run, but no matter what, she could feel them getting closer. Every corner she turned, every gate she shut behind her, every piece of debris she nimbly avoided; it did not matter.

Her death was approaching, and there was nothing she could do about it.

However, just as she was about to give up hope, she turned a corner, and came face to face with a door.

It was a door unlike any she had seen before. It was made of metal, unusual but not unheard of, yet had no visible knobs or means of opening it. A thin glowing red line was above the door itself and a faint symbol of a diamond with a dog's head looking to the side within it in the center of the door. She had never seen or heard of such a symbol before and her curiosity nearly made her forget about the impending danger.

The approaching cacophony of growls and roars behind her spurred her to action and she hurriedly approached the door, desperately trying to open it. She was startled when, upon her approach, she heard a sharp beep-beep noise and the red light flashed. She nearly stumbled back, but started desperately banging on the door, pleading to be let in.

In her desperation, she hadn't noticed the tears beginning to run in-between her cries.

Without warning, the red light above the door flashed green, surprising her, and the door slid open to the side.

However, what was behind the door nearly made her wish it had not opened.

What stood before her she would loosely describe as a man. He was tall, taller than her, and wearing armor that she had never seen before. Though he bore no visible weapon, she had a strong feeling he did not need one. But what caused her to gasp and nearly flee into the horde in terror was his face.

His entire head was covered in blood, freely running down his face and dripping onto his armor like a horrific spring. Not only that, but a horn was coming out of his head just above his right eye; sinister and black like a…like a demon in a man's body. An eyepatch covered his right eye, and beneath the mask of blood, his face was a mishmash of scars, old and new.

A flash of movement between them brought her eyes down to his left arm which, to further her shock, was made of metal. Through a means she couldn't begin to imagine, the demon brought his metal arm up, and, in a brief flash of flame, summoned a cigar between his fingers. He put the cigar into his mouth before snapping his metal fingers and a small flame appeared which he used to light his cigar.

Through all this she had forgotten about her pursuers until she heard them almost upon her. Spinning around, she was horrified to see the wall of monsters blocking off the way she came from.

'Monsters before me, demon behind me,' she bitterly thought to herself.

Just as she was about to surrender to her nightmarish fate, she felt a hand grab her shoulder from behind and then pull her back. The hand belonged to the…man(demon) who practically pushed her back as he stepped forward to face the horde. Before she could say or do anything the metal door had slid shut again.

And then everything went dark.

It was here that the young red-haired woman's dream, or nightmare, ended, causing her to jolt awake.

Casting off her blanket, she crossed the room to where a filled washbowl was placed on her simple dresser. A far call from her previous possessions in Orlais. Cupping her hands, she scooped up some water and splashed is on her face to wake her up. Despite being awake, she still felt the chill of the dream.

Tomorrow I will speak to the Revered Mother about this dream, she thought to herself, unaware of the new role fate had just cast her for.