"You will kneel before me, Great Dragon!"

Garrett entered the room and found Carver and Bethany playing with their wooden toy soldiers on the floor. The twins were glowering so intensely at one another, he could not bring himself to ask what in Maker's name they were doing. He stood in one corner watching them with a smirk on his young face.

"Ah, but you cannot command me, Ser Carver of House Hawke," Bethany said in a sneering, gnarled tone, raising the carved dragon in her small hands. Garrett snorted — he rarely heard her like this for she was always very reserved. "I am invincible! I have claimed the lives of kings and have wreaked havoc upon their kingdoms, crumbling them without mercy! How can a single knight like you possibly bring me down?"

"I have proven myself worthy in the eyes of the Maker," Carver exclaimed, "and He has bestowed upon me his Flaming Sword which Andraste Herself wielded! It's the only weapon that can bring down an ungodly creature such as yourself!" He steadied the wooden soldier he was holding on the floor and raised its arms, the other occupied with a tiny wooden sword.

Bethany frowned and resumed, still in the same raspy voice, "You cannot defeat me! You cannot!" She then imitated a dragon's roar and placed a finger next to the dragon's mouth. Sparks came out of it and from where Garrett stood, it looked as if the dragon was actually starting to breathe fire.

"No!" Carver made the knight fall to its side to avoid the sparks. "Maker guide me!" He turned to his older brother. "Garrett! Come help me defeat the dragon!"

"That's not fair!" Bethany hissed, now in her normal voice. "He's got magic too!"

"You've used yours on all my soldiers!" Carver said. "And you're a dragon, you've nearly beaten me!"

"But I have no idea what you two are even doing," Garrett said, crossing his arms.

"All you have to do is follow my instructions," Carver said. "Bethany and I are writing this story about Ser Carver trying to defeat the Great Dragon. Compare it to Grey Wardens and archdemons, but not as complicated."

"But only Ser Carver survives in the story," Bethany grumbled. "You'll have to beat me on your own!"

"All right," Garrett finally said. "I'll help you. I'd like to see where this goes." He took up his seat next to Carver and picked up one of the discarded toy soldiers. "What should I do?"

"Attack the dragon with magic," Carver ordered. "I'll try and run up to him while you distract him."

"Hmph!" Bethany rolled her eyes and continued, now as the dragon — "Fools! Do not make me laugh!"

"Go!" Carver exclaimed. He and Garrett evaded the sparks from Bethany's hand; Garrett's wooden mage stood on a far corner shooting blue sparks at the dragon with his staff (which in actuality was a sword; he only shot with his fingers) while Carver jumped on boxes, pretending they were giant boulders and he was swinging his sword at the dragon. "Down you go!"

"Never!" Bethany swooped down on Carver who dodged. The sword fell from his hand.

"No!" Carver pulled the soldier to its feet. "Help me, brother!"

Garrett shot more tiny bolts of ice at the dragon which circled above him. He said, "Hold on, Carver!" He jumped to his side and sprinted — mostly sliding the toy mage across the floor — he picked up the sword and faced the dragon who gave chase.

"Throw the sword!" Carver said. "Use your magic!"

The dragon was close — Garrett held himself steady and waited, channeling his mana on the weapon. There were tiny cracks and ice grew on it. Any moment now —

"What are you waiting for? Go for it!"

Swoosh!

Garrett threw the sword and it bumped against the dragon's head. Bethany roared in her tiny voice and lowered her hands, pretending the dragon was sinking.

Carver laughed.

"Victory!" he said and raised his fists.

"That was not even a flaming sword!" Bethany snarled. "You cheated!"

"Dead dragons do not speak," Garrett sneered. "It's over."

Bethany glared at him.

"It wasn't part of our lore," she said. "Carver and I wrote it as the Sword of Flame. You've altered the lore!" she hissed at Carver who lied flat on his back with a satisfied grin on his face.

"I told you we shouldn't use magic as we play," he said. "Your own plan backfired."